News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-10-31. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. In August we posted a report titled "Apple's iPhone 6s Crushes Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 in a New Speed Test," proving Apple's customized ARM processors are meticulously tweaked to get more performance out of seemingly older processors. For the iPhone 7, Apple notes on their website that the "iPhone 7 is supercharged by the most powerful chip ever in a smartphone. It's not just faster than any previous iPhone it's also more efficient. That's because the A10 Fusion chip uses an all-new architecture that enables faster processing when you need it, and the ability to use even less power when you don't. And with the longest battery life ever in an iPhone, you can work at twice the speed of iPhone 6 and still enjoy more time between charges." Wikipedia describes the A10 design here. While Apple could have gone with a TSMC 10nm processor, their engineering team skipped it for the A10 Fusion chip. The 10nm processor is now likely to debut for the 2017 anniversary iPhone delivery a next-gen version of the Fusion chip. But for the sake of bragging rights, Samsung is going to launch their new 10nm processor in Q1 powering their new Galaxy S8. After the Note 7's battery crisis, Samsung has been trying to put it behind them and change the subject. Just prior to stopping production of the Note 7 we posted a report titled "Copycat Samsung to Introduce Galaxy S8 in Q1 2017 with Dual Cameras and No Home Button." Today we learn that Samsung will be powering their new S8 with a 10nm processor. A new Korean tech report published today states that Samsung Electronics is mass-producing world's first 10-nano mobile APs (Application Processor) and has surpassed its competitors in next-generation system semiconductor process. Samsung Electronics made an announcement yesterday that it has started mass-producing 10-nano logic process. While performance of 1st generation 10-nano process is improved by 27% compared to 1st generation 14-nano process, its electricity consumption is reduced by 40%. Output of chips per wafer is increased by about 30%. Industries are predicting that Samsung Electronics will mass-produce new Exynos series, which is its own AP, and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 830 series (835) through 10-nano logic process. Patterning process that is more intricate and draws finer circuits than 14-nano process is needed to mass-produce 10-nano APs. Samsung Electronics utilized current equipment for immersion lithography to apply triple-patterning technology that repeats patterning process three times. By doing so, it was able to overcome limitations and has secured flexibility in design. Samsung's Galaxy S7 introduced liquid cooling and I'm sure they'll be praying that it'll keep their new faster 10nm processor cool enough to keep it from exploding and extending their battery crisis into 2017. While a negative scenario is highly unlikely to unfold, any crisis arising from the S8 would likely sink their brand for good. You could only imagine the pressure that they're currently under to not screw up again. In a report posted last week I noted that Samsung was planning to surprise the market with a formal introduction of their Galaxy S8 during January's CES to kick off 2017 with a bang breaking with tradition of introducing new Galaxy smartphones at the Mobile World Congress smartphone show in Barcelona. Analysts believe that such a move would now give the market the impression that Samsung is panicking and rushing the product to market. Will Samsung throw caution to the wind and ignore the critics with an early S8 smartphone introduction? While only time will tell, Android OEM's like Huawei, Oppo and other leading Chinese smartphone companies will definitely take advantage of this processor in their marketing campaigns in the hopes of staying ahead of Apple, their top foreign competitor. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. writes: Nobel Peace Prize recipient Barack Obama is now facing some tough decisions about two countries he is bombing in the Middle East. Watching the demoralizing carnage in Syria and an uptick in the hostilities in Yemen, an itchy press corps and policy class are starting to demand that Obama sack up and really fight. They warn him that he is the president who did nothing while Iran burned down the Middle East. But listening to that advice could radically shape Obamas legacy for the worse. Patna: While the supporters of Nitish Kumar, at the three-day convention of the Janata Dal U in Rajgir on Monday were busy portraying him as the next Prime Minister of India, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) national Vice President Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was taking exception to the idea saying such talks undermine the issues being faced by the people of Bihar. Reacting strongly to the idea of Nitish Kumar being pushed as the 'Prime Ministerial' material, Singh said that such rhetoric by the JD-U leaders did not bode well for the people of Bihar who voted the Grand Alliance into power to resolve issues pertaining to Bihar. "Such talks are dangerous to the unity of the alliance and will only help the BJP strengthen its position in the state," the senior RJD leader said. Singh, who has been very critical against the JD-U in the past, said that if each secular party in the nation started to project its leader as the next Prime Minister of India, it would create nothing but problems ultimately helping the BJP. The RJD leader, who is said to be speaking on behalf of his party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, said that the JD-U was a very small party and it should worry about its strength in the state before projecting its leader as the Prime Ministerial candidate. Rajgir: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reserved the last day of the 3-day convention in Rajgir to bash Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asking the people of Bihar to be very 'wary' of the nefarious designs of the saffron party and remain steadfast on the party's resolve to offer a strong alternative to the BJP in the next Parliamentary elections. Speaking at the convention on Monday, Kumar threw plenty of red meat before a fawning audience by raking up issues from the past like 'Love Jihad', 'Ghar Wapasi', 'Cow Protection', validity of 'talaq', Common Civil Code, and Article 370 to charge up the crowd. "BJP is trying its best to foment communal unrest in India to remain in power. This is very dangerous for India. We, on the other hand, are concerned with the plights of the farmers, students, women's right, and employment issues that will help strengthen the nation. We are an 'inclusive' party and not 'exclusive' like the BJP," the Chief Minister said. Continuing his assault on the NDA, Kumar said that the BJP was thriving only on the basis of propaganda. "The country has gone to the dogs under NDA. Its leaders talk about 7% growth rate but there is no sign of development. The Prime Minister talked about providing employment to two crore people each year but there is no indication he has kept his promise," he said. Kumar, however, indicated he was open to suggestion on prohibition laws 'if the majority of the people felt it was too tough in its current form'. "If one thinks that the prohibition laws are too tough then I welcome their suggestions. However, if you think that I am going to withdraw prohibition from Bihar then you are sadly mistaken," he said. The Chief Minister who has skillfully used the Muslim vote in Bihar to strengthen his position while his current political ally and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav was cooling his heels in Jharkhand jail, avoided the current debate on the validity of divorce in the Muslim community that allows a man to divorce his wife by merely uttering the word 'talaq', or divorce, three times. "This is an issue that the Muslim community will have to settle itself. BJP's intention is not good but I believe every religion has the right to formulate its own rules or policies," Kumar said. Party state President Vashisht Narayan Singh, national general secretary K. C. Tyagi, Sharad Yadav, and several other JD-U leaders also spoke on the occasion. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. Iran Navy foils pirate attacks on vessels in Gulf of Aden 10/18/16 Source: Press TV Iranian naval forces have successfully thwarted major pirate attacks on two merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden. The 44th flotilla of the Iranian Navy, consisting of Alvand destroyer and the Bushehr logistic vessel, saved two Iranian ships from three pirate attacks on Monday morning. Gulf of Aden pirates, who mainly come from Somali coasts, attacked an Iranian merchant ship in a bid to highjack it but they were forced to flee after a heavy exchange of fire by the Iranian fleet. The pirates also conducted two attacks on another Iranian merchant ship. They initially attacked the vessel with eight speedboats 46 miles south of the Yemeni city of Aden and later with 13 well-equipped boats 55 miles south of the port city. However, the two attacks were repelled by the Iranian naval forces and the pirates were forced to retreat when they came under heavy fire. The 44th flotilla of the Iranian Navy set off for high seas on October 5 to safeguard maritime routes. A starboard view of the Iranian destroyer escort IISSaam, later renamed IRS Alvand (source: wikipedia) Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said in September that the country's naval forces escorted some 3,200 Iranian and non-Iranian commercial ships and tankers over the past six years to ensure their safe passage in the Gulf of Aden. Sayyari added that Iran has almost 5,000 kilometers of maritime boundary directly linking it to the high seas, a strategic geographical position which has turned the country into a center of attention for hegemonic powers. In recent years, Iran's 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 conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, safeguarding 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 tankers during its missions in international waters. NIAC Welcomes European Parliament's Report on Diplomatic Engagement of Iran 10/18/16 Source: National Iranian American Council (NIAC) An EU Strategy for relations with Iran after the nuclear deal Washington, DC - The National Iranian American Council released the following statement on the report from the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs on EU strategy toward Iran in the wake of the nuclear deal: "The successful nuclear negotiations with Iran were a game changer and Europe is poised to make the most of the opportunity while the U.S. risks being stuck on the sidelines. The European Parliament deserves tremendous credit for laying out a strategy to improve relations with Iran through enhanced trade and cooperation, in addition to addressing issues of outstanding concern through proven diplomatic channels. It would be a tremendous mistake for the EU and other nations to fail to capitalize on the opening created by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action by returning to a strategy solely based on isolation and military threats. Enhanced engagement with Iran is necessary not just to sustain the nuclear accord, but also to find solutions to continuing sources of tension including human rights violations in Iran and regional conflicts. "The report, led by Rapporteur Richard Howitt, underlines the importance of enhanced political dialogue and calls for confidence-building measures in technical areas and inter parliamentary dialogue. It calls for the EU to develop commercial, financial and economic cooperation to promote stability while encouraging Iran to take steps to improve its business environment, including by adopting the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force. On regional security, the report highlights that Iran is a major player in the region and that the EU should encourage Iran to play a constructive role in resolving political crises in the region - including in Iraq, Syria and Yemen - and should push Saudi Arabia and Iran toward rapprochement. On human rights, the report calls on Iran to better accommodate political pluralism, to eliminate the death penalty for drug-related offenses and to release all political prisoners. "Unfortunately, given the desire among many in the U.S. to return to a containment policy after the nuclear accord, the U.S. will miss out on opportunities to work with the EU to improve relations with Iran to stabilize the region. By maintaining an economic embargo on Iran, the U.S. sacrifices its own interests and cedes influence within Iran to other countries. This makes it even more vital for the EU to utilize the opening created by the nuclear accord to pursue the recommendations in the report, lest the accord be put at risk and the current diplomatic opportunities squandered." The Pixel XL is the first Android phone to deliver an emphatic, cohesive, surprise-and-delight experience. Samsung and the other Android phone makers have tried to give users something magical before, but they never quite made fetch happen. Even Google itself has toyed with a unified software/hardware gestalt via its Nexus phones, but those devices could sometimes feel like stripped-down vessels for disconnected software services. But in the Pixel XL we finally have an Android phone that directly competes with the iPhone in terms of holistic design. For this we can thank Google Assistant, which serves as a central entry point for all the Google services Ive been using daily since I switched from the iPhone in 2014. Indeed, theres no underestimating the value of having Assistant baked directly into the home button. It really ties the room together. And after using the Pixel XL for four days, I feel the phone is markedly more special than my Nexus 6P daily driver. Adam Patrick Murray Just a button-press away, Google Assistant ties together Googles new mobile experience. The Pixel XL is expensive at $769, and unless youre willing to buy it unlocked from Google, its currently only available from one carrier (Verizon). But let me make my case for the first fully Google-branded Android phone. Below I share why I love the Pixel XL, and why you have to consider it a leading candidate for your next phone upgrade. Pixel-exclusive interface improvements User interface design matters. A good smartphone interface sets the tone for the entire user experience, and in the 5-inch Pixel and 5.5-inch Pixel XL, Google delivers the best Android calling card yet. Adam Patrick Murray The new Pixel launcherexclusive to the Pixel phonesreplaces the full-width search box with a small Google button, and ditches the App Tray for a swipe gesture. The Pixel XL argument starts with a new home screen, which is currently exclusive to Google-branded Pixel phones, and apparently wont be included in Android 7.1, the update thats slated to arrive on Nexus phones in December (at the earliest). The Pixel home screen replaces Googles full-width search box with a more demure button; ditches the App Tray button for a much more graceful swipe-to-view-apps gesture; and rescues Google Assistant from exile in the Allo app by fusing it to the Home button, where people will actually use and enjoy it. The Pixel phones are also the first devices to surface Android 7.1s app shortcuts: Just long-press on an app icon, and youll get options to launch directly into specific behaviors. The Messenger shortcut is especially useful because it points to your most recent text conversations. Long-press on an app icon, and you may find shortcut options for specific behaviors. Most Google apps already support shortcuts, and an API opens up shortcuts to third-party devs. iPhone users wont be impressed, but if youre an Android enthusiast, and want app shortcuts now, youll need to buy a Pixel phone, as its the launch device for Android 7.1. The Pixel phones also come with an expanded live wallpaper gallery, and many of the new options are simply awesome. One live wallpaper pulls an image from Google Earth, showing what your specific location looks like from space, complete with current cloud cover. Another live wallpaper shows a serene series of color gradients that change according to the time and weather conditions. The Pixels data-driven live wallpapers add an extra surprise-and-delight element that marries tasteful design with Googles unique data talents. There are a few more live wallpapers, and each marries art and design with big data in a uniquely Googley way. Its trademark surprise-and-delight, and just like perfectly designed cupholders, they dont improve performance, but they sure make driving the Pixel XL more enjoyable and increase pride-of-ownership. Google Assistant is the place for everything Google Assistant is currently available to all smartphonesAndroid and iPhone alikevia the Allo messaging app. But if you want the feature built directly into your phones home button, youll need to buy a Pixel or Pixel XL. Google Assistant feels a lot like Google Now, and it actually pops up when you voice OK Google into your phone. But in stepping beyond Google Now, Assistant adds some features that dive directly into your own personal knowledge graph. Adam Patrick Murray Ultra-specific searches of Google Photos are but an Assistant query away. For example: If you voice, Show me photos of cars from July, Assistant will pull images of cars from your own Google Photo album. You can also tell Assistant to remember personal data. For example, if you voice, Remember my fake password is 1 2 3 4, Assistant will recall that data when you later ask, Whats my fake password? Perhaps the biggest surprise-and-delight feature is Assistants daily briefing. When you voice, Whats my day looking like?, Assistant can reply with a localized weather report; details on your work commute; specifics about your next meeting; and details on any reminders youve set. You can deselect any of the elements above, and also define whether your daily briefing ends with an audio news report. I counted 48 podcast news sources on Googles current feed. Adam Patrick Murray Google Assistants Daily Briefing can share data on weather, commute, calendar appointments and reminders, and can even end with an audio newscast. Google Assistant is also useful for hooking into Google services, and to this extent you may find yourself tapping many fewer app icons if you buy the Pixel. Voice Navigate to the Grand Canyon, and Assistant will push you directly into driving directions via Google Maps. Voice Play Asteroids Galaxy Tour on YouTube, and one of the artists videos will open accordingly. You can also get ultra-specific and leave the Google universe. For example, when you voice, Play So What by Miles Davis on Spotify, Assistant will deliver that song on the third-party app. Allos Google Assistant is even smarter Oddly, the version of Assistant baked into Allo is currently more advanced than the version built into the Pixels home button. The version of Assistant in Allo supports emoji games and email searches. For example, the Allo Assistant can dig into your Gmail, and search for emails that contain specific terms. Email search isnt yet available in the Pixels Assistant, but my Google contact tells me this feature should arrive in the coming months. Similarly, you can play emoji games in Allos Assistant, but not in Pixels Assistant because, as my Google contact shares, Emoji games are a family of games that sometimes require emoji input, which is not currently available with [Pixels] voice input. Every Pixel comes with Allo pre-installed, but I still eagerly await the day when Pixels Assistant gets full text-entry support. Id also love the ability to execute super-granular app requests. For example, the camera app magically launches into its video interface when you voice, Take a video. But when you say, Take a slow motion video, youre just dumped into web search results. Am I asking for too much? Perhaps. But just the fact that I think Google Assistant might be able to drop me into slo-mo speaks to the power of the service. Now this is a fast camera We cover the Pixel XLs image qualityfor both still photos and videoin our official review. So check out that article if youre interested in the performance of Googles 1.55-micron sensor pixels and video stabilization algorithms. For this report, I can only speak to the cameras user experience, and I find it much better than the Nexus 6Ps. Adam Patrick Murray The Pixel camera app doesnt expose DSLR-style manual controls, but there is a slider for exposure compensation, among a few other fine-tuning features. The camera app loads much more quickly, and from shutter snap to image save, everything about the Pixel XLs software feels supercharged. Google still hasnt added legit DSLR-style manual controls for focus, white balance, ISO and shutter speed, but there is a control for exposure compensation, which comes in handy for tricky lighting situations, and may be more meaningful to novices than DSLR controls. The two Pixel phones also carry over Smartburst and Lens Blur from the current Nexus phones. Smartburst lets you fire off a machine-gun flurry of shots by pressing and holding the shutter button. The software will then identify the highest-quality image from your salvo, and give you a quick command for keeping that best image and deleting the rest. Lens Blur, meanwhile, delivers a nifty depth-of-field bokeh effect. It doesnt seem as intelligent as the iPhone 7 Plus Portrait mode, but its another surprise-and-delight feature that reinforces the greater Pixel experience. Adam Patrick Murray After youve shot a bunch of photos with Smartburst, you can grab only the best image, as indentified by the white dot. Tech support? GIFs? Hello, mass market If the camera app teaches us anything, its that Google wants to deliver an Android phone for the massesa phone thats just as easy to use as the iPhone. But Google goes beyond the camera experience to deliver on that promise. For starters, Pixel owners in the U.S., Canada, and Australia will have access to 24/7 phone support. And if you really run into trouble, the support technician can even take over your screen. Theres also chat support (my preferred option) between 6 am and 9 pm Pacific time. I used this feature three times during my four days of testing, and my longest wait time was about 7 minutes. Googles techs were helpful and to-the-point, and when one of my questions couldnt be resolved immediately, the tech followed up with a response to my Gmail. Adam Patrick Murray Dont scoff. You know youll be using the GIF keyboard. I also have to call out the new animated GIF selector in Googles updated keyboardbecause theres nothing more mainstream-friendly than a shortcut for texting out a GIFstorm. Some third-party keyboards already support animated GIFs, but by including GIFs in its stock keyboard, Google makes a statement about the Pixels target audience: Its not just going after Android nerds. It wants the mass market. A true flagship competitor for the undecided few Unfortunately, Google doesnt do itself any favors by pricing the 5-inch Pixel at $649 and the 5.5-inch Pixel XL at $769. These prices are out of step with previous Nexus phones, and that runs the risk of alienating Googles core Android fan base. Whats more, $649 and $769 represent the price ceiling for all premium phones. For example, an iPhone 7 Plus with the same amount of storage (32GB) also costs $769. Google mitigates the pain by offering free, uncompressed cloud storage for images and video shot by the Pixel, so perhaps customers wont feel it necessary to upgrade to the 128GB Pixel XL, which costs a whopping $869. But the bottom line is that Google isnt positioning the Pixel phones as loss leaders to sweep up new Android-curious consumers. Adam Patrick Murray Nonetheless, the Pixel XL makes a very compelling argument for itself. Everything about the interface feels much less busy than competing Android skins (especially Samsungs). The phone is easy to use, but does a lot. And the Pixel XL really does feel almost iPhone-like in its marriage of hardware to software. Its free of carrier and OEM bloatware, and Googles own rockstar service (Assistant) is pushed to the fore. The Pixel XL is deliberate. Its calculated. Its curated. It may not offer IP68 water and dust resistance, wireless charging or optical image stabilization, but the Pixel experience feels extremely well-integrated, and its surprise-and-delight features are wonderful. This alone could sway consumers who wander into a Verizon store with no diehard allegiances to Samsung or Apple, and ask to see the latest hot handsets. Id hazard to guess there are more undecided smartphone users than undecided presidential voters, and the Pixel XL has to be considered for their third-party votes. WikiLeaks is accusing U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry of trying to stop the site from publishing stolen emails from Hillary Clintons presidential campaign. Citing multiple U.S. sources, the site tweeted on Tuesday that Kerry had asked the Ecuadorian government to prevent WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from releasing more documents. Assange is currently residing in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been helping to run the WikiLeaks site. But on Saturday, the Ecuadorian government shut down his internet connection. WikiLeaks claimed that Kerry had private negotiations with Ecuador last month. However, the U.S. Department of State is denying any involvement with cutting Assanges internet connection. While our concerns about WikiLeaks are longstanding, any suggestion that Secretary Kerry or the State Department were involved in shutting down WikiLeaks is false, the department said in an email. News of Assange losing his internet connection comes as WikiLeaks has vowed to release sensitive documents relating to the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The site has been posting thousands of stolen emails from Clintons campaign chairman John Podesta, potentially helping her presidential rival Donald Trump. However, the U.S. government is concerned that WikiLeaks is releasing the documents as part of a Russian government-led campaign to influence this years U.S. election. In a rare move, U.S. intelligence agencies have publicly blamed Russia for hacking U.S. officials and political groups, in an effort to steal confidential documents and then leak them through sites including WikiLeaks. The Russian government has denied any involvement. WikiLeaks is also refusing to name its sources for its allegations about Kerry. Even so, President Barack Obamas administration is considering a proportional response to the election-related hacking, which could include economic sanctions or even cyberattacks. Despite the controversy, the Ecuadorian government on Monday reaffirmed its decision to grant Assange political asylum. The protection will continue as long as the circumstances that led to that decision remain, the government added. Assange has been residing in the London embassy for four years. The WikiLeaks site has already moved to contingency plans since he lost his internet connection and continues to release stolen emails from Clintons aide. Malware that can build botnets out of IoT products has gone on to infect twice as many devices after its source code was publicly released. The total number of IoT devices infected with the Mirai malware has reached 493,000, up from 213,000 bots before the source code was disclosed around Oct. 1, according to internet backbone provider Level 3 Communications. The true number of actual bots may be higher, Level 3 said in a Tuesday blog post. Hackers have been taking advantage of the Mirai malwares source code, following its role in launching a massive DDOS (distributed denial-of-service) attack that took down the website of cybersecurity reporter Brian Krebs. Unlike other botnets that rely on PCs, however, Mirai works by infecting internet-connected devices such as cameras and DVRs that come with weak default usernames and passwords. Since Mirais source code was released, hackers have been developing new variants of the malware, according to Level 3. It has identified four additional command-and-control servers associated with Mirai activity coming online this month. About half of the infected bots Level 3 has observed resided in either the U.S. or Brazil. More than 80 percent of them were DVR devices. Many of the DDOS attacks launched by Mirai botnets are used against game servers and residential IP addresses, Level 3 said. We have observed several attacks using more than 100 Gbps of traffic, it said. Large armies of bots participated in attacks, with several using over 100,000 bots against the same victim. A few vendors that produce devices vulnerable to Mirai are encouraging their customers to take steps to mitigate the risk. Sierra Wireless, for instance, has issued a bulletin, advising users to reboot one of their products and change the default password. However, its unclear if other vendors are taking any steps to do the same. Security firm Flashpoint has identified Chinese company Hangzhou Xiongmai Technology as another maker of DVR products susceptible to the Mirai malware. Potentially, half a million devices from the company are vulnerable partly due to their unchangeable default passwords, according to Flashpoint. But Xiongmai has not commented on the matter. Palm Springs Sgt. Jose Gilbert Vega and Officer Lesley Zerebny, killed in the line of duty Oct. 8, will be honored at a memorial service today. Follow along below with live coverage by Southern California News Group reporters and photographers along the funeral procession route, during the memorial and at a graveside service afterward for Vega. RELATED: Heartbreak, humor, anger on display at memorial service RELATED: Hemet turns out for procession to say farewell VIDEO: Watch the memorial service online PREVIOUSLY: 2 Palm Springs police officers killed in line of duty Suspect in Palm Springs officers deaths was acting crazy, wanted to kill police Details about the shooting suspects criminal past Slain Palm Springs officer from Hemet was just a great soul Officers father calls killing a senseless loss of an amazing mom Man charged in deaths of 2 officers, attempted killing of 3 others Defendant in Palm Springs police shootings will get psych exam Hemet says farewell to hometown hero How to attend procession, memorial for slain Palm Springs officers A man who paid $10 for a lottery ticket hit a $1 million jackpot at a Moreno Valley 7-Eleven. Logan Meyer recently submitted a claim for a winning Lucky Gems Scratchers ticket that he purchased at the store at 23021 Sunnymead Blvd., a California Lottery news release announced Monday, Oct. 17.. Lottery officials did not release any additional information about Meyer and said he did not want a photo of him released or to be interviewed by the news media. Mohammad Javaid, the 7-Eleven store manager, said Meyer bought the ticket about a month ago, about 1:30 a.m., and then came in the next day to tell employees he had scratched the winning numbers. He just said, Im the winner, said Javaid, who relayed what employees told him. Meyer is a regular night-time customer who bought lottery tickets, Javaid said. The store will get a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket and will join the California Lotterys list of lucky retailers that have sold winning tickets. We were excited, Javaid said. Contact the writer: 951-368-9558 or ighori@scng.comTwitter: @ImranGhori1 A Moreno Valley man who advertised child pornography in a members-only chat room for people with a sexual interest in infants and toddlers was sentenced today in Los Angeles to nearly 20 years behind bars. Along with the 235-month prison sentence, Angelo Harper Jr., 21, was sentenced to lifetime supervised released by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner. Harper was found guilty in July by Klausner, who presided over a two-day bench trial on the advertising child pornography charge. Just prior to trial, Harper pleaded guilty to distributing child porn and possession of child porn, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Evidence presented at trial showed that Harper used the Kik Messenger social media platform to access a chat room for those interested in nepiophilia, which is a sexual interest in infants and toddlers. Last year, an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations entered the chat room using an undercover Kik account, finding several postings about child porn made by an individual later identified as Harper which included images depicting child porn and a link to an explicit video. Pedophiles continue to develop ways to exploit online technology so they can have a forum to share their deviant interests, U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker said. Law enforcement will continue to respond to the increased use of online platforms by vigorously investigating the dark corners of the Internet where criminals attempt to hide offenses like the trafficking and promotion of child pornography, she said. Defendants like Harper endanger children by perpetuating a market for their victimization. As a result of the investigation, federal agents obtained a search warrant for Harpers home. During the execution of the warrant a year ago, agents seized various digital devices that contained child porn and Harper admitted to using Kik to transmit child porn. Child pornography, when its released on the Internet, lives on forever, said Joseph Macias, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. It haunts the innocent children whose abuse is depicted in the images, and brings unspeakable pain to their parents and families, knowing that untold strangers are exploiting their worst experiences for their own perverse pleasure. Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are set to square off in their third and final debate Wednesday, Oct. 19 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Democratic and Republican nominees will discuss a wide range of issues including immigration and the economy, with Chris Wallace anchor of Fox News Sunday serving as moderator. If you prefer to watch with a group, instead of at home, here is a sampling of debate viewing parties in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. Most require a reservation. LOS ANGELES COUNTY Simi Valley Democratic Club: Views and discusses the presidential debate, 5:30 p.m. Studio Movie Grill in the Simi Valley Town Center, 1555 Town Center Way. CeCe, 310-710-2900 or Sandy, 805-791-4748. Republican Party of Los Angeles County: 5:30 p.m. Toppers Pizza, 18417 Soledad Canyon Road, patio, Canyon Country. www.lagop.org/events Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley: 5 p.m. First come, first seated. 12208 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood. 818-995-3367. www.facebook.com/dpsfv Stonewall Democratic Club and San Fernando Valley Young Democrats: 5:30 p.m. Club Cobra, 10937 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood. www.facebook.com/SFVYD/posts?ref=page_internal Comedy Juice Squeezes the Presidential Debate: Laugh along with Ben Gleib and special guest Margaret Cho with a repeat showing of the debate, 7:30 p.m. Minimum age 18. Tickets $7 (purchase tickets online) plus two-item minimum. Hollywood Improv, 8162, Melrose Ave. 323-651-2583.hollywood.improv.com/event.cfm?id=468842 Digital LA Final Presidential Debate Watch Party and Digital Panel: 6 p.m. Register online. Cross Campus, 800 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200, Los Angeles. www.digitalla.net #LAArtsforHillary: Artists and art-lovers for Hillary Clinton get-together with a delayed debate viewing, 7 p.m. Admission $25. Register online. Art Share L.A., 801 E. Fourth Place, Los Angeles.www.eventbrite.com/e/la-arts-for-hillary-tickets-28476036592 South LA Decides 2016 Debate Watch Party & Ballot Measure Forum: 6 p.m. Los Angeles City Councilmember Curran Price and other politicians are scheduled to attend. Free but register online. Holman United Methodist Church, 3320 W. Adams. Blvd., Los Angeles. www.eventbrite.com/e/south-la-decides-2016-debate-watch-party-ballot-measure-forum-tickets-28510039295 Westside Democratic Headquarters: 5:30 p.m. First come, first seated. 1627 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. 310-873-3451.www.facebook.com/WestsideDemHQ United Democratic Headquarters: 6 p.m. Reservations requested on the website. 400 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena. 818-370-6398. pasadenademocrats.nationbuilder.com/third_presidential_debate_watching_party East San Gabriel Valley Republican Center: 5 p.m. Free/donation. Reservations required. 200 E. Rowland St., Covina. 626-331-0738. www.lagop.org/events Torrance-Lomita Republican Assembly: Social mixer, 5-6 p.m. Debate, 6 p.m. Sizzler restaurant, 2880 Sepulveda Blvd., Torrance. www.facebook.com/events/1747285452199149 Long Beach Republicans: Watch the debate with Republican candidates for area offices, 5 p.m. Cost $30. Reservations required at info@longbeachrepublicans.org. The Forbidden City, 6380 E. Pacific Coast Highway. 562-498-2461. www.longbeachrepublicans.org Long Beach Republican Women Federated: 5:30 p.m. Tracys Bar & Grill, 5511 E. Spring St.www.longbeachrepublicanwomen.com/calendar.html Regal Cinemas: Free showing, 6 p.m. Purchase popcorn and receive a free small drink. Locations include: Edwards Valencia Stadium 12 & IMAX (24435 Town Center Drive, Santa Clarita; 844-462-7342, Ext. 170); Regal LA Live (1000 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles; 844-462-7342, Ext. 4046); Edwards Alhambra Renaissance Stadium 14 & IMAX (One E. Main St.; 844-462-7342, Ext. 438); Edwards Long Beach Stadium & IMAX (7501 E. Carson Blvd.; 844-462-7342, Ext. 148).www.regmovies.com/promotions/presidential-debate ORANGE COUNTY KRLA-AM (870) The Answer Presidential Debate Viewing: Doors open 5 p.m. Free but preregistration is required. Wyndham Hotel, 12021 Harbor Blvd., Anaheim. www.am870theanswer.com/pages/debate-viewing-parties KFI-AM (640) presents the Tim Conway Jr., John and Ken Broadcast and Debate Viewing Party: 6 p.m. Free but register online. M3 Live Anaheim Event Center, 2232 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim. Emails: conwayshow@iheartmedia.com or johnandkenkfi@kfiam640.com.www.kfiam640.iheart.com/onair/tim-conway-jr-33371/join-john-ken-and-tim-conway-15187310 Regal Cinemas: Free showing, 6 p.m. Purchase popcorn and receive a free small drink. Locations include: Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20 & IMAX (26701 Aliso Creek Road; 844-462-7342, Ext. 116) and Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21 IMAX & IPX (500 Spectrum Drive; 844-462-7342, Ext. 140).www.regmovies.com/promotions/presidential-debate RIVERSIDE COUNTY KTIE-AM (590) The Answer Presidential Debate Viewing: Doors open, 5:30 p.m. Free but preregistration is required. Galaxy Mission, Grove Theatre, 121 E. Allessandro Blvd., Riverside.www.am870theanswer.com/pages/debate-viewing-parties Regal Cinemas: Free showing, 6 p.m. Purchase popcorn and receive a free small drink. Locations include: Edwards Temecula Stadium 15 & IMAX (40750 Winchester Road; 844-462-7342, Ext. 167) and Regal Palm Springs Stadium 9 (789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way; 844-462-7342, Ext. 694).www.regmovies.com/promotions/presidential-debate A Ralphs supermarket in Riverside will become a Stater Bros. next year. The 46,000-square-foot store is one of the anchors Mission Grove Plaza, a sprawling shopping center on Alessandro Boulevard. Other tenants include Kmart, Stein Mart and the Galaxy Mission Grove Luxury + movie theaters. The center also has several full- and quick-service restaurants. Developer Mark Rubin said that Ralphs five-year lease was due for renewal and when rent negotiations stalled he made a handshake deal with Stater Bros. All kinds of rumors are going around, and theyre all not true, he said in a phone interview. Ralphs is a subsidiary of the Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. Representatives did not respond to requests for comment. Ralphs is a full-service market that includes a pharmacy and a branch of Union Bank. Its last day will be Nov. 11. Stater Bros. will give the property an extensive renovation and open its store in the spring, according to a news release from the San Bernardino-based chain. Stater Bros. is one of the Inland areas largest employers with a staff of 18,000. In August, it marked its 80th anniversary and opened its 169th store in Simi Valley. The new store will continue Stater Bros. traditions of low prices and friendly service, executive chairman Jack H. Brown said in the news release. The company has announced construction of four other supermarkets in Menifee, Norco, Rancho Cucamonga, and Tustin Ranch. Contact the writer: 951-368-9551 or fbuck@scng.com In a bid to meet Nigerias gas requirements, Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) has completed the acquisition of Twister B.V, a company based in The Netherlands. The company delivers reliable, high-yield and robust solutions in natural gas processing and separation to the upstream and midstream oil and gas sectors. Its unique separation capabilities are designed for augmenting production and streamlining processes, and to capitalise on high-yield gas processing for maximising revenues. Based on sophisticated patented technology, Twister gas plants are typically cheaper to build and operate compared to alternative technologies, and also deliver better performance levels. The company has customers in Nigeria, Malaysia, and South America. The acquisition complements DILs portfolio of investments in the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the Oil & Gas sector. The company will help design and build the gas plants which would be critical in processing gas from oil fields for transportation via Dangotes planned sub-sea pipeline (EWOGGS) for ultimate consumption by various industries and power plants. Speaking on the new acquisition, President and CEO of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote said it was an important acquisition. Twisters cutting edge gas processing technology is fundamental to delivering our strategy to unlock about 3 bcfd of gas in order to meet Nigerias gas needs. he said. We are delighted with the confidence DIL and First E&P have shown in Twister to be their core provider of gas separation solutions. After a very thorough due diligence, our technology has been recognised as a key enabler to reduce gas project costs which is crucial in this current environment. We are excited to be part of the Dangote family of companies, Twisters CEO, John Young. It would be recalled that the refinery and fertiliser projects of Dangote Industries Limited is reported to have the capacity of creating a minimum of 235,000 new jobs, both direct and indirect jobs, as it becomes operational in the first quarter of 2019. Dangote, who revealed this recently, also stated that the projects would cost a minimum of $17 billion. He said the $12 billion refinery would have a capacity of 650,000 barrels a day. He assured that there will be market for the refined products adding that even in Africa, only three countries have effective functioning refineries with others importing from abroad. Dangote named the countries with refineries as Egypt, South Africa and Cote dIvoire, saying Our refinery will be ready in the first quarter of 2019. Mechanical completion will be end of 2018 but we will start producing in 2019. Dangote said the project when fully in operation in 2019, would help the country save $5 billion spent on the importation of oil into the country. Source: africanews.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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. The city of Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, has suddenly become one of the places that have attracted the attention of the National Security ahead of the December 7 elections. Several Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras have been installed at vantage points, including traffic intersections, in the metropolis. Cameras are now producing a clickable map of the city and making the National Security operatives very watchful of activities in the streets and other public places for traffic control and general security. This spying move has begun to raise eyebrows with the suggestion that the real motive of the CCTV cameras may not be to combat violent crime, but to monitor and track political opponents of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). We saw some things that raised questions. Why are they installing CCTV cameras to monitor our activities without our knowledge? This is problematic, a concerned resident stated. But in a sharp rebuttal, the Regional Minister, John Alexander Ackon, said there was no cause for alarm as the CCTV cameras are only meant for traffic control and general security of the city. He told DAILY GUIDE that this has nothing to do with the upcoming elections, and that the move forms part of the National Securitys strategic security surveillance. The idea of surveillance on ordinary citizens in the city was first proposed by the immediate past Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Kojo Bonsu, but it was rejected by the assembly members, who were concerned about the cost. However, the latest uneasiness is centred on the real motive since some of these technologies incorporate number plate readers, sound detection microphones and facial recognition software as well as programmes that can recognise people from the way they walk. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Pathologists, who conducted postmortem on Confidence Eric Kwadwo Baah 32 on Monday, have hinted that the broadcast journalist could have died as a result of asphyxiation by food particles. Asphyxia experts revealed is the condition where the body either does not get enough oxygen to continue normal function or has too much carbon dioxide to function properly. Without adequate oxygen, nerve cells in the brain. Samples of the internal organs and fluids ultimatefmonline.com can confirm, have been taken and to Accra for further examination with the actual cause of death still under further investigation. The journalist died on Sunday morning at the Effiduase Government Hospital after he was rushed there by his aunt who spotted him earlier that morning in his room motionless. His girlfriend Florence Osei also known as Afua Birago 37, who was reported to have spent the night with him before his demise has been picked up for questioning by the Effididuase police. It is not immediately known how the suspect is linked to the incident but police investigators confirmed to ultimatefmonline.com that she is a key suspect and will assist them in their investigations Meanwhile, management of Kessben Fm/TV has opened a book of condolence at Dufie Conference Hall, Aseda House for its former staff Confidence Eric Kwadwo Baah 32. Several journalists in and out of the Ashanti region, relations, listeners and viewers of the station trooped to the premises of the station to commiserate with them over the loss. Source: ultimatefmonline Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A deputy communications director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Anthony Abayifa Karbo has called on Ghanaians to compare the achievements and personalities of the partys running mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and that of deputy general secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to determine who is more of a useless person. Karbos comment on the need to compare the personalities and achievements of the two politicians comes in the wake of claims by Koku Anyidoho that Dr Bawumia is a useless person. Koku Anyidoho has in the past few months launched a sustained attack on the person of Dr Bawumia calling him a liar, claiming he failed to provide an iota of evidence to back his allegation of over 76,286 Togolese nationals are on Ghanas voters register. The former Presidential spokesperson has vowed to torment Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who is a former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, if he fails to produce his list of Togolese on Ghanas voters roll. Addressing a rally of NDC supporters in Kumasi on Saturday, Koku Anyidoho stated that Dr Bawumia is a dishonest politician who has made lying his stock in trade and should not be rewarded with the second most highest office of the land. He further described Dr Bawumia as Mutum Banza, a Hausa expression used to describe a worthless person. In other words, Mutum Banza means a useless person or a nonentity. Speaking on Asempa FM Monday, Anthony Karbo said he was shocked at the description given Dr Bawumia by Koku Anyidoho. I want your online people to put up pictures of the two, Koku Anyidoho and Dr Bawumia so Ghanaians would decide who is more useless or who looks like a useless person, he said. To him, the former presidential spokesperson was not worth the attention as he was a clear mismatch for Dr Bawmumia in terms of achievements and personality. Politics, he said should be about issues and policies and not about attacks on personalities and unnecessary insults. I will never insult the person of President Mahama, I would disagree with him in terms of his policies but not attack his person, he said. Source: adomonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video President John Mahama has described the claim that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has not sited any development project in the Volta Region as vicious and wicked lies. He said the attack propagated by his critics are not based on facts and has urged residents to reject the purveyors. We have invested heavily in the road sector, water sector, education sector, extending electricity, health sector, tertiary university and the evidence is there for everybody to see, he said. President Mahama made these remarks during the commissioning of the Kpando Water system on Monday as part of his six-day tour of the region ahead of the December 7 election. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has mounted pressure on government accusing it of doing little for the people of Volta Region. NPP Volta Regional Chairman, John Peter Amewu said development projects initiated by the Paramount chief of Asogli Traditional Area, Torgbe Afede have been stalled by President Mahamas government. He cited the plan by the paramount chief to establish a coal plant to generate about 1000 megawatts of power to augment the nation's energy needs which he said has been hijacked by government. Why is government distracting individual Voltarians? he asked, adding road projects undertaken by President Mahama's government are inferior. He however did not mention any of the roads in particular. Reacting to the comments by the NPP Volta Region chair on the Joy FMs Newsnite programme Monday, NDC 2016 Campaign Coordinator, Kofi Adams said he was not surprised to learn that the NPP has packaged "lies" to residents of the region in order to win votes. It is always been the case that the NPP has also peddled falsehood, they have lied, they have deceived the people and we have always responded since 1992," he said, adding lying has always been the NPP's "stock in trade." He, however, expressed confidence that the voters have seen exactly what this government is doing [and] promised the government will do more if given a second term. Source: JFM 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. Featured Video An attempt by Ghana's ruling party(NDC), to make fun of the main opposition candidate in the presidential election by posting a photograph of him sipping from a small carton of Kalyppo fruit juice has backfired, with his supporters adopting the brand to rally support. The new craze for Kalyppo juice, a locally-produced drink marketed mainly for children, is giving Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party the sort of free publicity politicians crave. As Akufo-Addo's convoy weaved through a densely-packed neighourhood of the capital last week, his supporters waved the boxes aloft and sipped the juice through straws. One woman pinned Kalyppo to a selfie-stick. On Facebook and Twitter supporters pictured themselves drinking Kalyppo and even pretending to shower and fuel their cars with it. The trend began when supporters of the ruling New Democratic Congress posted a photograph of Akufo-Addo drinking Kalyppo as a refreshment between campaign stops. It was intended to gently mock Akufo-Addo, perhaps by making him look undignified, but NPP officials said they then adopted the drink as a sign of solidarity, in part to boost Akufo-Addo's credentials as a man of the people. One campaign aide said the party welcomed the boost ahead of the Dec. 7 vote, when Akufo-Addo faces President John Mahama, who is running for a second and final four-year term. The opposition leader has lost two previous presidential races. Kalyppo is made by Aquafresh Limited which is based in Accra, according to its website. No one at the company was available to comment but the secretary general of the Ghana Federation of Labour, which represents Aquafresh workers, cautioned that the craze was not necessarily a good thing. "Once the consumers are polarised (along party lines) ... the regular sales would be negatively affected to the detriment of the employees," he told Reuters. Ghana is one of Africa's most stable democracies and twice since 2000 voters have turfed the government out of power. Growth has slowed since Mahama took power, in part because of lower global prices for the country's commodity exports. Source: Reuters Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Fruit juice stunt turns sour for Ghana's ruling party (Reuters) - An attempt by Ghana's ruling party to make fun of the main opposition candidate in the presidential election by posting a photograph of him sipping from a small carton of Kalyppo fruit juice has backfired, with his supporters adopting the brand to rally support. The new craze for Kalyppo juice, a locally-produced drink marketed mainly for children, is giving Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party the sort of free publicity politicians crave. As Akufo-Addo's convoy weaved through a densely-packed neighourhood of the capital last week, his supporters waved the boxes aloft and sipped the juice through straws. One woman pinned Kalyppo to a selfie-stick. On Facebook and Twitter supporters pictured themselves drinking Kalyppo and even pretending to shower and fuel their cars with it. The trend began when supporters of the ruling New Democratic Congress posted a photograph of Akufo-Addo drinking Kalyppo as a refreshment between campaign stops. It was intended to gently mock Akufo-Addo, perhaps by making him look undignified, but NPP officials said they then adopted the drink as a sign of solidarity, in part to boost Akufo-Addo's credentials as a man of the people. One campaign aide said the party welcomed the boost ahead of the Dec. 7 vote, when Akufo-Addo faces President John Mahama, who is running for a second and final four-year term. The opposition leader has lost two previous presidential races. Kalyppo is made by Aquafresh Limited which is based in Accra, according to its website. No one at the company was available to comment but the secretary general of the Ghana Federation of Labour, which represents Aquafresh workers, cautioned that the craze was not necessarily a good thing. "Once the consumers are polarised (along party lines) ... the regular sales would be negatively affected to the detriment of the employees," he told Reuters. Ghana is one of Africa's most stable democracies and twice since 2000 voters have turfed the government out of power. Growth has slowed since Mahama took power, in part because of lower global prices for the country's commodity exports. Source: (Reporting by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; Editing by Greg Mahlich) - yahoo.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The NDC has never been this confident about sweeping the votes in the Brong Ahafo Region massively in this years elections, Regional Minister Eric Opoku has said. He said the region is appreciative of the unprecedented infrastructure development the Mahama administration has brought to the door steps of the people and is confident the people of the region will show their appreciation by going all out for the president. Speaking to Accra based Okfm Tuesday, a day after the chief of staff Julius Debrahs arrived in the region to begin a five day campaign tour the minister noted with confidence that numerous projects in the education, health, roads, water, education and other sectors are not only creating opportunities for the youth, but have created hundreds of jobs that have improved the lives of the people. In the education sector for example, the Brong Ahafo regional Minister noted that expansion of educational facilities alone have created over 29,000 jobs for teachers. In 2009, the region had 12,332 teachers. As of today, there are over 41, 982 teachers which means under the NDC government, over 29,000 jobs have been created for this category of employees, Mr. Opoku said. Giving a breakdown of the facilities, Mr Opoku said the NDC is on record to have built the brand new university for the region, University of Energy and Natural Resources. He added that the Sunyani Polytechnic which has been upgraded to Technical University has also benefitted from expansion projects. The regional Minister made reference to the Nkoranza Technical School where 11-storey buildings have been completed by the Mahama-led administration, well-furnished and ready for commissioning. He said products of the institute will feed the Sunyani Polytechnic and other tertiary facilities across the country. As of 2009, the region had only five Nursing Training Schools. Today the region can boast of 19. As many as 14 training institutions for nurses and health assistants have been established by the current NDC government. The NDC again established the Islamic College of Education at Wenchi, Alfarouk Islamic College of Education [the biggest in West Africa so far], has opened formally, he explained. On Secondary education, he said from independence till 2009, the region had 54 secondary schools. The Mills-Mahama administration added 20 more bringing the total to 74. The region again is benefitting from 18 Community Day Senior High Schools. Four have already been commissioned at Derma, Abaase, New Nongro and Krobo (Techimantia), while two are at the preparatory stages. Expansion in infrastructure for all Secondary schools ongoing. 40,000 bunk beds and 80,000 mattresses distributed to SHS while 607 schools under trees have been eliminated in the Brong Ahafo region along. 30,000 dual and mono desk distributed while with regards to the School Feeding programme, as of 2009, 88 schools were beneficiaries when it was funded by donor partners. But today the initiative when it is solely funded by the Government of Ghana, as many as 532 schools are beneficiaries in the region. In the Health sector, he made reference to a seven million dollar equipment replacement programme at the Brong Ahafo regional Hospital which he said was built by the NDC government. Nsakwaw District Hospital is ready for commissioning by mid-November. As of 2009 - there were a total of 226 health facilities in the Brong Ahafo region, under the Mills Mahama Administration the figure through massive investments to improve access and lives of the people has shot up to a whopping 726. This is unprecedented. The NPP government in its eight years of rule did not build a single Polyclinic. The NDC is building nine. Five have already been completed and four more are being built by District Assemblies and are at various stages of completion, he noted. In the water sector, he mentioned, 1,200 drilled boreholes, 117 solar powered boreholes facilitated by COCOBOD and 22 communities have benefited from Small Town Water projects. The Minister also singled out the Berekum Water Expansion project completed under the Mahama administration and currently providing 47 million gallons of water in excess. He said the over 127km of pipelines laid will last the entire town and surrounding communities for the next 25 years after factoring in the growth rate in the area. Under the NPP administration, very little attention was paid to development of Sunyani, the capital and the entire region though there were cabinet Ministers and other prominent appointees in the Kufuor regime like the Professor Ameyaw Ekumfis, Adjei Darkos, JH Mensahs, the Agyemang Manus, and the Hannah Nyamekyes. he said, adding the NDC is looking forward to make a mark not only for President Mahama but his wife Lordina and other appointees who hail from the region. He commended the Chief of Staff for taking time off his busy schedule to visit the region to enhance the electoral fortunes of the party in the region and more importantly get the presidents mandate renewed. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The disqualified presidential candidate of the Great Consolidated Popular Front Party (GCPP) has rebuffed claims by ex-president John Rawlings he is being used as a pawn to denigrate him. Dr Henry Lartey in a conversation with Myjoyonline.com said the claims are not only unfounded but are insulting to say the least. The GCPP leader has hauled the ex-president before the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice over allegations he (Rawlings) received a $5 million gift from late Nigerian Military leader Sani Abacha. In 1998, the late Nigerian president was reported to have given his counterpart in Ghana a gift of $5 million, an allegation the NDC government denied at the time. Some 18 years on, ex-president Rawlings in an interview with Nigeria's Guardian newspaper admitted receiving the gift through the aide of the Nigerian leader but said the amount received was $2 million and not $5 million as reported. That admission has triggered another controversy in Ghana with Dr Henry Lartey proceeding to CHRAJ and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to file a complaint against the ex-president. But the ex-president is unhappy with the turn of events and has accused leading members of the NDC of trying to use Dr Henry Lartey to embarrass him. He told some Queen mothers who paid a courtesy call on him that the use of Dr Lartey to hound him at CHRAJ smacks of disrespect. "I was hurt because this thing has been attempted earlier and I took the trouble to explain and there is no need for us to pick it today. "Why are people worried about the level of integrity we have tried to maintain. In effect what it means is that we appear to have thrown overboard the mutual respect that we used to enjoy amongst ourselves. "The culture of respect, so that each time we are walking a very thin line. There is more disrespect than respect and that is why it just takes a little spark for the thing to get out of hand," he said. The NDC leadership has refused to comment on the matter but not Henry Lartey. In a conversation with Myjoyonline.com, the GCPP leader who is also in court to overturn his disqualification from contesting the 2016 elections, said his motivation to fight corruption at the highest level both in Ghana and Nigeria prompted him to send the Abacha-Rawlings scandal to CHRAJ. He said for an ex-president who for years has trumpeted his integrity, executed other heads of state over corruption allegations, Mr Rawlings should be bold enough to go and clear himself at CHRAJ. He said when CHRAJ is done, the country will know whether Mr Rawlings is the junior Jesus or the junior devil. He dismissed assertions he has been paid by the NDC to hound the ex-president describing it as an insult to his intelligence. He said no one in NDC has what it takes to bribe him and that nobody can buy his conscience. Dr Lartey confirmed receiving a reply from CHRAJ about the possibility of an investigation but was worried EOCO was yet to write to him. Meanwhile, the Deputy CHRAJ Commissioner Joseph Whittal told Joy News they have begun assessing the merits of the complaint by the GCPP leader. He said when they are done with the internal investigations, the Commission will determine whether there is the need for any better and further particulars and whether any aspects of the Commission's mandate have been triggered. He said people's reputations are at stake and before the Commission will write to persons against whom corruption allegations have been made, they must be satisfied that there is a prima facie case against those persons. Source: myjoyonline Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo will tomorrow [Wednesday] resume his campaign ahead of the elections with a four-day tour in the Ashanti region. Speaking to Citi News, the partys Regional General Secretary, indicated that the necessary security arrangements have already been put in place for the tour of the NPP strong hold and the relevant constituencies have been informed. Nana Addo with the Asantehene during his last tour of the Ashanti Region Nana Addo who has already toured some constituencies in the region is expected to visit constituencies like Manhyia, Bosome-Freho, Adansi-Asokwa, New Edubiase among others this time around. Mr. Pyne noted that, basically he is going to be meeting with party faithful, sympathisers and supporters who will be listening to the message of hope that he brings. He will also move in and talk to traditional authorities including the leadership of Zongo communities and some traditional leaders within the region, the regional General Secretary added. Nana Akufo-Addo would be making his way to the region that gave him almost 72 percent of its votes in 2012 after returning from a a four-day private trip to Germany and the United Kingdom. Mr. Pyne outlined some of the concerns of the people of Kumasi have and said the NPP and its manifesto plans to address them. The people of Kumasi are telling us that they need jobs to do. They need improvement in the national health insurance that is failing them and killing lots of them. They are telling us about the hike in tariffs that is killing them and collapsing businesses. Source: Citifmonline Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video New students of the Abbeam Institute of Technology were treated to a night of fun - filled with interesting activities including a serenade of music performances by some acclaimed artists in an event dubbed Akwaaba Night. Organized by the Students Representative Council (SRC) and Management of the Institute, the Akwaaba Night is a welcoming party that is geared at introducing new students to the school. It is also to show appreciation to the students for choosing quality education in Abbeam Institute of Technology. Students, new and old, as well as interested persons around the environs who were captivated by the organization of the function heavily attended the event which also included a red carpet session which put the spotlight on what the students and artists who to the event. The show also witnessed some refreshing performances from the likes of Wisa Greid, Natural Face, Ephraim, Yaw Berk and Eugene of MTN Hitsmaker fame. Abbeam Institute of Technology is a registered foreign tertiary Institution, which is duly registered by the National Accreditation Board and affiliated to internationally recognized Institutions like Cambridge International College and Sunderland University, all in the United Kingdom. It offers Diploma, Honours Diploma, EBA (Degree) and Masters Degree programs in Media, Communication Studies, Business Administration, IT, Health & Social Science. Situated in the beautiful area of Kasoa in the Central Region, the Institute has a serene environment that is resourced with state-of-the art facilities including a modernized library, a high-class computer library, radio and television studios as well as a production unit. The Akwaaba Nightwas sponsored by Abbeam Productions and Rev. Dr. Abbeam Amponsah Danso. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video How many pints must a law student drink at the Corkman, before you can call them a law student? Future Melbourne Law School (MLS) cohorts will never know, nor perhaps even understand the question. Yes, my friends, the Corkman is no more (we reported earlier today about the illegal demolition of the pub, which was built in 1857 and is one of Carltons earliest buildings). Any faint, flickering hopes of its resurrection now lie buried under the rubble of 160 Leicester St, pictured above. From the courtyard, you used to be able to see people working in the law school till late at night. Now, from the law school, you can see the tangled mess of concrete and wires that courtyard has become. A sadder sight by far. It was something both more, and less, than a standard Irish uni pub. Yes, the beer was bad. Yes, the decor was dubious (at best). Yes, the smoking area was often filled with the stench of garbage. Yes, the reason why we all went there was because it was ludicrously close to the building in which we spent all of our other waking hours. But that closeness meant that everybody went there. And that everybody went there meant that a community existed. We all* made great friendships while getting sloshed in the afternoon in that courtyard. We all drank there to forget the essay due at 9AM the next morning. We all felt the outrage that the EFTPOS machine was once again not working and that the extortionate ATM was the only option. We all finally talked to one of our law school idols there for the first time, very drunk, and realised they were just a human being as well. We all huddled around the surprisingly hearty fire, ate the actually pretty good wedges, and scanned the windows as we walked to the tramstop on a Thursday afternoon in the hope of seeing some friendly faces we could grab a beer with. I once spent four consecutive evenings there, and regretted not a single second. The Corkman was built in 1857 and was known as The Carlton Inn. But its gone now. Soon to be replaced with an apartment building, I believe. Another thriving community replaced with an artificial one, another dilapidated bar replaced by a sterile monument to gentrification. Will we be the same law school without it? I dont know. It was a place of many great memories, and even more conspicuous absences of memories. So whether its at The Last Jar (where the staff and management have now relocated), The Shaw Davey Slum *involuntary shudder*, Turf *more involuntary shudders*, in your own loungeroom clutching a glass of goon, or crouched in the dead of night with some tinnies in the ruins of the wonderful place itself, lets all pour one out for the Corkman. * (I say we all here loosely, of course not everyone frequented the Corkman, but I imagine those who didnt will have stopped reading by now). A petition calling for an inquiry into the illegal demolition, as well as requesting the resurrection of the deeply-loved heritage-listed pub, can be found here: change.org/p/city-of-melbourne-resurrect-the-corkman-pub Photo: Facebook. Ok, so heres something that definitely, 100%, totally happened: Hillary Clinton hired Pamela Anderson to assassinate Julian Assange via a poisoned vegan sandwich, at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Nope, that sentence is not the result of a particularly wild round of Cards Against Humanity, nor is it a very, very high persons attempt to solve a game of Cluedo, but an actual theory floating around the Twitter-sphere ATM, after news came through that the former Baywatch star, and possible super-spy, visited WikiLeaks head honcho Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he is currently holed up avoiding extradition to Sweden on rape charges, to deliver him some meat-free goodies. Mashable reports that Pam, a long-time supporter of Assange, brought him a nice vegan lunch and some vegan snacks, due to worrying about the l33t hackers health. I really believe in him, she says of Julz. And I think hes a good person, and Im concerned about his health, his family, and I just hope that by some miracle hes set free. All of this is, of course, EXACTLY what a deadly secret agent, hell-bent on delivering cyanide-infested quinoa to the worlds foremost whistleblower, WOULD say. That is if you ask conspiracy loving Twitterati, whose belief that Pam had for sure done a murder was proven by the following series of random tweets from the official WikiLeaks Twitter account, which they claim are a result of a dead mans switch activated by Assanges sandwich-related slaughter: pre-commitment 1: John Kerry 4bb96075acadc3d80b5ac872874c3037a386f4f595fe99e687439aabd0219809 WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 16, 2016 pre-commitment 2: Ecuador eae5c9b064ed649ba468f0800abf8b56ae5cfe355b93b1ce90a1b92a48a9ab72 WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 16, 2016 pre-commitment 3: UK FCO f33a6de5c627e3270ed3e02f62cd0c857467a780cf6123d2172d80d02a072f74 WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 16, 2016 Ok, first of all, how fkn cool does a dead mans switch sound?!? Im def getting one set up to wholly eradicate my Grindr account on the occasion of my (hopefully VERY sexy) death. Others immediate reactions differed to mine however, with the aforementioned conspiracy, now with Hillary Clinton chucked in for good measure, taking flight into previously undiscovered realms of batshittery. @SamDoesPolitics Pamela Anderson just murdered Julian Assange with a vegan sandwich. Were through the looking-glass now, Shenton! Ifan Morgan Jones (@ifanmj) October 17, 2016 Dont trust unconfirmed reports of Assange being alive. The Clinton machine is capable of body doubles. ARREST PAMELA ANDERSON NOW#MAGA MyWhiteNinja (@MyWhiteNinja) October 17, 2016 Pam Anderson killed Julian Assange with poison after being blackmailed into it by Hillary Clinton walshy (@theryanwalsh) October 17, 2016 Ohhhhkkaaaaaaay, internet. Calm ya tits for one second, yeh? Turns out the supposed dead mans switch tweets were merely a result of Assanges internet dropping out, and the dude is very much alive and well. I mean, as well as someone who just had a vegan sambo forced upon them anyway. Anyway, tune in next week, for Twitters discovery that Goldie Hawn is actually an undercover Russian spy, whos ultimate plan is to smother Mark Zuckerberg to death with organic yoghurt or some shit. Photo: Getty / Ben A. Pruchnie. Wahoo! We truly are as tranquil as a forest, but on fire within as we wait for more information about the live-action reboot of Mulan, which is THE BEST Disney movie (in this writers opinion, pls dont get mad online thx). Weve been pretty much completely starved of info, until those awful rumours hit that it would all be white-washed nonsense and the lead character would be a white bloke living in China. DONT PANIC; thankfully it was just a bad rumour, and well be seeing a cast of talented Chinese actors, with a narrative following our fave heroine Hua Mulan (which is the name of the actual historical figure; Fa Mulan in the Disney film) taking her ailing fathers place in the Chinese Imperial Army. But now, we have a tantalising morsel of information thats better than delicious breakfast porridge thats happy to see ya. Sony Pictures has nabbed Alex Graves to direct the film! You might not know his name, but you might just know his work: hes one of the directors of Game of Thrones. He directed the The Mountain and the Viper episode, which featured one of the shows more iconic battle scenes: the fight between Oberyn Martell and Ser Gregor Clegane. Hes also directed episodes of Homeland, Bloodline, and Shameless. Anyhoooooo, thats really the tiny snippet of information thats available right now. Heres a bunch of Mulan gifs for you, as a fun gift: Source: Deadline. Photo: Mulan. More details have emerged about the family of four who were found deceased in a house on Sydneys North Shore. Police have confirmed they are currently still investigating the full details of the familys death, but The Daily Telegraph have reported that the family passed away from being gassed. A police source is quoted as saying: There was a lot of pre planning that went into this. This is currently unconfirmed by NSW Police. None of the bodies showed any signs of violence, and reports say each family member was found in different sections of the house. The family mother Maria Lutz (43), father Fernando Manrique (44), daughter Elisa Lutz (11) and son Martin Lutz (10) were found, along with the family dog, after police broke into their home in Davidson yesterday. Both of the children were deaf, and lived with non-verbal autism. Police entered the house at 11:20am yesterday; a friend concerned for the familys welfare contacted police after the children didnt attend school and Maria hadnt shown up for her shift at the schools tuckshop. The Daily Telegraph has today published a story on the tragic incident, citing sources saying that Maria, who was a dedicated mother and volunteer at their school struggled greatly with her childrens autism. Neighbours told media that parenting duties often left her with a heavy heart and contemplating how to cope, and had many sleepless nights trying to meet her childrens needs. One neighbour, Sonja Perry, said: Maria used to tell me how hard it was on her and her husband having two kids who were deaf and dumb**. She said it was a heavy thing on her heart and some days she found it impossible to cope. Maria would regularly share her kids updates on social media, even using Facebook to find Oreos during a biscuit shortage as they were Martins favourite and she needed them as rewards for him. She also shared pictures of Martin and Elisas artworks on social media, as both children were talented artists. On Autism Awareness Day, she published a post asking friends to help her celebrate with her and her children: People with autism have the needs and desires as you and me but just see life in a different way. They think freely. They also feel overwhelmed when they are in public so they might do things that are not the norm of our society. Today we celebrate their life and we try to educate our society to be caring and patient with those with autism. Homicide detectives have now joined the investigation to find exactly how this tragic situation came to be. Theres no one telling us what happened. No one who has witnessed this, said superintendent Dave Darcy. Police are now allegedly searching for where the family could have purchased the gas bottles from. They are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths. Source: Daily Telegraph. Photo: Yahoo7. ** This is a direct quote. Deaf and dumb is an vastly outdated term that many people with autism or other intellectual disabilities consider a slur. To describe someone who is deaf and does not speak, simply say exactly that. Non-verbal autism also applies in this particular instance. Look, weve said it before: regardless of which side of the fence youre on, Donald Trumps election prospects dont look good. Hes already ramping up allegations that the entire election is rigged, as Hillary Clintons lead extends to anywhere from 4 to 11 points. In not looking that great for The Don. But in another way, hes doing just fine. Hes scored at least 40% of the American electorate, and he might just be preparing a Plan B. The New York Times reports today that Trump and his son-in-law, Jarred Kushner, have been pursuing opportunities for a possible Trump TV a right-wing media empire with Donald at the helm. Kushners apparently been chatting up TV dealmaker Aryeh Bourkoff about the possibility of forming a network. Its a pretty huge prospect and there are gonna be a lot of angry Americans after Election Day looking for an alternative to the news networks they think have betrayed them. The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary but also at many polling places SAD Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016 According to a Politico poll, 41 percent of Americans believe the election could be stolen from Trump by voter fraud. Thats a big demographic who would swarm to Trump TV. One question: how do you get a show on Trump TV, and would I be eliglbe if I just yelled a lot? Source: The New York Times. Photo: Getty Images. After last nights bombshell 4 Corners report that alleged, via Amnesty International, that Australias treatment of refugees constitutes systematic and deliberate torture, Malcolm Turnbull has popped up on Radio National to address the concerns. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull walks into ABC studios for an interview. pic.twitter.com/MjSL5t9mGL Henry Belot (@Henry_Belot) October 17, 2016 After being played a clip from the program, Turnbull dismissed the allegations, and brought it back to Labors own policy on borders: Weve heard from this young ladyits a very sad story she tells. But there are 1,200 people, many of them young women no doubt, from whom we can never hear because they drowned at sea under Labors reckless failure to keep our borders safe. Turnbull said that the Australian Government categorically denies claims that they deliberately torture refugees.Absolutely notthat allegation, that accusation, is rejected by the government. The secretary of the Immigration Department, Mike Pezzullo, addressed Senate estimates last night having not actually read the Amnesty report, automatically rejected the claims. I refute categorically, both on behalf of my own department and by way of explaining government policy in this regard, that its not the Australian Governments position, nor the position of this department, that we flout any laws, international or otherwise. I understand both the legal as well as philosophical definition of torture and that is not a practice thats been engaged upon at all. Pezzullo also suggested to Senator Nick McKim that he might be visiting different islands, and we might be living in alternate, parallel universes. I dont think so, Senator McKim responded. The Immigration Department has said they will follow up on any new info in the report. Source: ABC. Photo: Getty Images. Wed almost completely exhaled with relief after the Labor Party announced that they would block the plebiscite bill in parliament next week, but its back from the dead, baby. Chatting to Fran Kelly this morning on RN Breakfast, the plebiscite reared its goddamn ugly head once again so that morally-conflicted marriage equality enjoyer and lover of being leader of Liberal Party, Malcolm Turnbull can weigh in on the impending Senate block. After laughing off Frans comment about the plebiscite bill not passing the senate to be put into action, Turnbull claimed he is working very hard to get the bill passed by the Senate and took a moment to knock back claims that journalists know how the senate will vote. Fran pressed on the PMs ethics and whether hes actually a decent human being by asking why he thought LGBT Australians should have their rights put to a vote of the public. Malcy shot back that all Australians rights are governed by the Constitution before Fran cut him short to remind him this isnt a change to the constitution. Fact: checked. Malc accuses Fran of jumping from one premise to another (no she didnt) from one lilypad another (what do frogs have to do with this) before throwing in there that the plebiscite is perfectly democratic and that gay people arent the only ones that have a say on this. They are an important voice, but were giving every Australian a voice on this. Hang on, *what*? Malc youre seriously saying that LGBTI rights are a democratic process that every Australian no matter of sexual orientation has a say on? Are you ok? Do you need to lie down? Have you not read the reports that a plebiscite is damaging to countless people in LGBTQIA communities? Someone hand the man a cool flannel, hes running hot today. Source: ABC RN. Lead Image: ABC/Twitter. Amy Schumer is all about incorporating political issues into her comedy: we know this, because shes done it plenty o times before, making points about everything from gun culture to sexual assault. Her recent show at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday night was no different except, this time, an estimated 200 of the approximately 8,600 to 10,000 audience members walked out when she used part of her set to blast verified skeeze Donald Trump. Sure, shes in Florida Trumps second home for almost three decades, and the bedrock of his support as the Republican nominee but thats still a significant number of paying customers to have chucked a hissy fit mid-show. What did she say? She warmed up with a riff on the fkn horrific 2005 audio of Trump talking about grabbing women inappropriately and non consensually with now-disgraced Access Hollywood correspondent Billy Bush i.e. locker room talk. You know what I love? Schumer asked. A famous guy that will just take me furniture shopping and just straight up grab my pussy, she said, paraphrasing Trump. At this point, loud booing from a vocal, but small minority of the arena crowd started, according to Tampa Bay Times political editor Adam C. Smith, who was in the crowd. Schumer the first female comic to headline Tampas Amalie Arena also dragged a Republican supporter on stage and asked why, on gods green earth, he was voting for Trump. Do you get worried at all with how impulsive he is? she asked a rando named Dave. Do you worry hell be impulsive and get us in a lot of fucking trouble we cant get out of? When that was done, she went on to straight-up call Trump an orange, sexual-assaulting, fake-college-starting monster. Check out the footage captured by an audience member (in which more cheers than boos can be heard, for the record): The best bit, by far, is when she says: I cant imagine looking at little niece, whos two-and-a-half, and saying This is our President. He wants to finger his daughter!. Thats when the majority of pissed audience members walked out, booing and heckling all the while. In true Schumer fashion, she gave exactly zero fucks about the defectors and told them so. Of course, were in Florida, youre going to boo I know youre here to laugh, but you know what, you choose your life, you choose the way you want to go in your life, and its just too important, she said. So were going to spend five more minutes talking about it and if you dont like it you can go to the bathroom or you can leave. Photo: Getty / Scott Legato. Hows your Tuesday going? Alright? You doing okay this week? Well, if youre feeling a bit flat, never fear Azealia Banks is back, and that cannon is still loose and extraordinarily volatile. You ready for this? Overnight, a TMZ report emerged that the rapper was forcefully removed from a party that Russell Crowe had held in his hotel room in Beverly Hills. Why on earth was Azealia Banks invited to a party Russell Crowe held, P.TV? We asked the same question apparently she was the guest of RZA. How on earth is family man Aussie actor Russell Crowe friends with RZA, P.TV? Look, were barely holding on to this rollercoaster of a story too, okay? Chill. [UPDATE: Weve been kindly reminded they starred together in The Man with the Iron Fists. Duh. *slaps forehead*] Sources told TMZ that Banks had laughed at Crowes music selection, then called him and another guest boring white men. Allegedly, a female guest then stood up to defend Crowe and told Banks to be quiet it was at this point that Banks went on a lengthy and violent tirade towards the woman and Crowe, which include multiple inclusions of the N-word, and the following sentence: You would love it if I broke my glass, stabbed you guys in the throat, and blood would squirt everywhere like some real Tarantino shit. Its then alleged that Banks picked up a glass and cocked her arm back as it she was about to throw it, and thats when Crowe whod clearly had it by this point grabbed her in a bear hug and literally carried her out of the hotel suite. He called security, who escorted her off of the premises. Banks has given a different version of events, claiming the actor called her the n-word, choked her, threw her out and spit on her. Her management posted these tweets, stating Banks would speak out after she had process whats happened: A statement has been issued regarding my client Azealia Banks, Azealia is tremendously distraught and disheartened. She is shell shocked Raymani (@Raymani) October 17, 2016 and will speak out on the incident once she has had time to process the brutality and abuse she was unjustly subjected to. Raymani (@Raymani) October 17, 2016 However, this morning TMZ is reporting that Banks has contacted the Beverly Hills Police Department and filed a report about the incident, accusing Crowe of battery. Crowes representation says he wont say sorry, as he insists he didnt do anything wrong. But Azealia Banks posted this 13 hours ago: you: ugh i hate drama also you: Source: TMZ. Photo: Chelsea Lauren & Ernesto Ruscio / Getty. Former deadshit vampire and current famous actor Robert Pattinson has lived through every arachnophobics worst nightmare and lived to tell the tale. Like, if the thought a spider crawling up your neck and into your hair makes you involuntarily spasm, you might want to click away now. Pattinson is right now doing the press circuit for his latest film The Lost City of Z, about an early 20th century British explorer (Charlie Hunnam) obsessed with finding a fabled civilisation deep within the Amazon. (Pattinson plays the explorers trusty companion, Henry Costin.) Filming took place largely in the Colombian jungle. You know whats also in the Colombian jungle? Spiders. Fuckloads of them. And director James Grey wanted to film the bloody things. There was one that was called a Brazilian wandering spider, Pattinson told Vulture. James, who is normally very neurotic about anything wildlife related, saw this spider, and it is incredibly beautiful, and he was like, We need to get the B camera, get on this, get on this. Somebody get it to move. And he was prodding this spider, which is like six-inches wide, with a stick, trying to get it to do something interesting. And the Colombian crew was like, That is the most potent spider in the world. There were a lot of situations like that. This is what a Brazilian wandering spider looks like, btw. Source: Wikipedia. One bite will cause intense pain, inflammation, loss of muscle control, breathing problems, eventual asphyxiation, and extremely uncomfortable erections that last for hours and possibly make ya impotent. Luckily the anti-venom is widely available, but not exactly something you want to have to use. However, that story is nothing compared to Pattinsons other one about sleeping in a room full of massive spiders every single goddamn night. There was this weird thing that happened in the hotel, he told Vulture. It flooded everyday at 3 p.m., because we went in the rainy season. No one realised it was the rainy season, and somehow all these massive spiders would float into our room. At night there would be like an inch of water in the room, it was kind of terrifying. I made a little hammock on top of my bed just hanging there, in terror. Get absolutely fucking fucked, mate. Photo: Harry Potter / Getty / Pascal Le Segratain. Downtown Petoskey celebrates Halloween in style with annual parade The sun was shining on Saturday morning as hundreds of trick-or-treaters took to the streets of downtown Petoskey for the annual Halloween Parade. Duterte: China deserves respect it now enjoys 2016-10-18 09:45 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (L) speaks during an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Manila, the Philippines, Oct 13, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] MANILA -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said that his country expects to boost traditional friendship with China and further bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Duterte starts a four-day state visit to China on Tuesday at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The visit will help him better understand China, Duterte told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Thursday. He spoke highly of the Chinese government and people, saying that China boasts hard-working people and "good, sound policies, internal and external." "I would say that China deserves the kind of respect that China now enjoys," he added. Duterte also lauded China's commitment to and generosity of helping others as a major player of the international community, adding that besides its own development, China has never forgotten those underdeveloped nations, as illustrated by its devotion to helping African and Southeast Asian countries to promote development. Speaking of the two countries' economic and trade cooperation, Duterte said that since his country is abundant in tourism, mineral and agricultural resources, and China boasts a huge lucrative market, the two neighbors enjoy high complementarity and considerable potential for further cooperation. The Philippine leader said his country needs to retain its friendly relationship with China and learn from the latter's success in economics and trade, especially in times of global financial crisis. In terms of the South China Sea issue, Duterte said he prefers negotiation to confrontation. "There is no sense in going to war. There is no sense fighting over a body of water," Duterte said. "It is better to talk than war. We want to talk about friendship, we want to talk about cooperation, and most of all, we want to talk about business. War would lead us to nowhere." Duterte also made clear his opposition against some specific outsiders' attempts to meddle in the South China Sea issue. "We are not interested in allowing other country to talk. I just want to talk to China," he said, adding he is willing to pursue joint development of the waters together with China. The top Philippine leader also extended his gratitude to China, which, in stark contrast to some Western countries, has extended support for Philippine efforts against illegal drugs, as proved by the funding of a rehabilitation center which is about to open. "Some other countries know we are short of money, (but) instead of helping us, all they had to do was just to criticize. China never criticizes. They help us quietly. and I said that's why it's part of the sincerity of the people," Duterte noted. The philippine president also expressed his desire to let Manila jump onto the bandwagon of the Beijing-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, as his nation is short of funding for infrastructure such as railways and seaports. He added that rapid development is hard to accomplish for any country without railways, saying he hopes China could offer soft loans. "There are so many things in my country which I would like to implement, but for lack of the capital stock," he said. The Philippines also hopes to realize common prosperity. "If we can have the things you have given to other countries by the way of assistance, we'd also like to be a part of it and to be a part of the greater plans of China about the whole of Asia, particularly Southeast Asia," Duterte said. Speaking of his upcoming China tour, Duterte said he will take the opportunity to conduct dialogue with China so as to enhance mutual understanding and partnership. "All that I would need to do is just to talk and get a firm handshake from the officials and say that we are Filipinos and we are ready to cooperate with you, to help us in building our economy and building our country." There are some 2 million ethnic Chinese living and working in the Philippines, he said. "So we might be asking for your help, asking the Chinese people to help Chinese people here. They are Filipinos but they are also Chinese," Duterte said. "My grandfather is Chinese ... It's only China (that) can help us," Duterte said. Chekhov and Ibsen are the two modern playwrights proving irresistible to the contemporary theatre makers and contemporary audiences, with endless productions starry and small, reverential and experimental. Each of these nineteenth century giants represents a different strain in contemporary society; if Chekhov speaks to our sense of helplessness and self-doubt, Ibsen speaks to our sense of social outrage. And, given that outrage seems to be the tenor of our times, Ibsen's An Enemy of the People is particularly relevant, dealing as it does with a towncitizens, elected officials, journalists, everybodywilling to sacrifice public safety at the altar of greed. Everybody, that is, but one man whose discovery that the town's famous spa waters are toxic. Instead of calling him a hero, the town labels him a public enemy. No need to search far for startling relevance: remember the recent water scandal in Flint, Michigan. But the trouble with Ibsen's play is that it's very very long: five acts of outrage dampens the ardour. So David Harrower, the contemporary Scottish playwright (Blackbird), has revised Ibsen's text and given us a short, punchy ninety-minute version, now in an engrossing production at the Pearl Theatre Company. In this new version, the Stockmanns are an attractive family living in a sleek, tasteful home (set by Harry Feiner). Dr. Stockmann (Jimonn Cole) is the resident physician who makes the horrifying discovery that the tannery's waste has polluted the baths, a tourist attraction on which the town's economy depends. Trouble is, the tannery is owned by his father-in-law, and the town's mayor is his brother (Guiesseppe Jones). The doctor's wife (Nilaja Sun) stands by her man while trying to calm his uncompromising rage. Their daughter, Petra (Arielle Goldman) is filled with youthful indignation and loyalty to her father. Everybody elsethe revolutionary journalists (Alex Purcell and Robbie Tann both too loud) and the printer (John Keating) turn cowardly, and as Stockmann's sensible, civic-minded arguments are met with greed, he is, at first, shocked by the town's craven self-interest. But then his cogent arguments descend into a long rant about Truth, Justice and the Norwegian Way. Is this Ibsen's shrewd portrait of the way fighting City Hall distorts a rational person? Hal Brooks' direction brings up the houselights and has Stockmann accuse the audience, turning the play into a faux political rally. It strikes me that Harrower has streamlined the play but not dramatized it: a harangue is still a harangue even when its aptness in this appalling political campaign, is about the ignorance of the electorate and "the gang rape of democracy." Who is this "public enemy"? The interpretation careens from noble whistleblower to egotistical demagogue ("I'm the strongest man in the world" he declares), leaving me wondering if there's anybody worth rooting for. The Pearl Theatre Co. 555 W. 42nd St., New York. Extended through Nov. 6. Primates prowling in an urban jungle From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-10-18 07:46 Lisa Roet's sculpture of a golden snub-nosed monkey is showcased on a building in Beijing's Sanlitun area. [Photo provided to China Daily] A giant golden monkey climbing a green glass building in Beijing's downtown attracts a lot of eyeballs, and bystanders liken this scene to King Kong looking at an urban landscape from the top of a building. For its maker, Lisa Roet, an Australian artist whose inspiration comes from primate research, the giant inflated golden monkey is a symbol of global warmingto remind humanity we're displacing animals, including our relatives that share 99 percent of our DNA, says Roet. The first golden monkey show was staged in February in Melbourne. Then, a 9-meter-high golden monkey was placed atop the parliament to mark the Chinese Year of Monkey in Melbourne. Now, a 14-meter version of it is in China, climbing a wall of Opposite House, a hotel in Beijing's Sanlitun area. The inflated golden monkey work is based on the golden snub-nosed monkey discovered in 2010 on the border between China's Yunnan province and northern Myanmar. No more than 400 survive. They were found because villagers heard them sneezing. Typically, snub-nosed monkeys are found in high-altitude areas. Chimpanzee bust, Southern Ice, by Lisa Roet. [Photo provided to China Daily] But they have moved away from their original habitat thanks to climate change, which is causing the snow to melt in the mountains, and also due to growing human settlements. Roet got the idea of a public sculpture of a monkey in Beijing three years ago when she did her artistic residency program in the city. She then spent some time at the Beijing Zoo observing the golden monkey. But observing apes is not new to her. For the past 30 years, Roet has been studying the primates at zoos and research centers across the world. All her art workssculptures, photos, videos and jewelry designsare based on apes. "Humans can receive blood from chimpanzees since we share nearly 99 percent of DNA. But I am interested in the 1 percent difference," says Roet. Roet once played with a baby gorilla during her time in Berlin in 1998. Golden Ape. [Photo provided to China Daily] The gorilla called Bokito made headlines in 2007 when it reportedly escaped from its enclosure in the Netherlands and attacked a woman, leaving her with hundreds of bite wounds. Before the attack, the woman regularly visited Bokito, taking flowers and food for it. "Bites were a way for Bokito to show his love. Maybe he wanted her to join his group of females," says Roet. According to the artist, Bokito was being raised by a zookeeper in an apartment in Berlin after he was abandoned at birth, when the artist made friends with it. Roet later spoke to the wounded woman's husband about his wife's love for the gorilla and learned that he thought it was better than loving a man. Roet says that sometimes the apes' ways of expressing things are different from humans, but in many instances they are very similar. [Photo provided to China Daily] When she was at the Language Research Center at Georgia University in Atlanta in the United States, she encountered a chimpanzee trained to use a special keyboard to communicate with humans. And the chimpanzee repeatedly asked her: "Where is my mom? I want my mom." The chimpanzee had been trained by a woman scientist for years since its infancy. But then the scientist shifted focus to another animal and this chimpanzee was, to some extent, abandoned, says Roet. "It was really sad," she says. Born in a coastal city in Australia, Roet has been interested in monkeys since childhood although there were no monkeys where she lived. She first learned about monkeys through TV documentaries and books. When she grew up, she traveled to zoos around the world and took up artistic residency programs in primate research centers. Lisa Roet. [Photo provided to China Daily] Meanwhile, using her art to explore the relationship between humans and other primates, Roet hopes to remind people of their duty to protect the environment. Separately, she is also fascinated by scientific discoveries about apes. Her latest project involves getting palm lines from primates and translating these fortune lines into an art project. She is also working with Chinese artist Shen Shaomin to explore the identity of primates in human society. "While watching our relatives, I often reflect on humans," she says. Contact the writer at dengzhangyu@chinadaily.com.cn Wells Fargo & Co. said Tuesday it was donating $500,000 to five Philadelphia nonprofits as part of its $5 million Neighborhood LIFT program, which is designed to boost homeownership in the city and fund neighborhood improvements. Wells Fargo is collaborating with the City of Philadelphia, national nonprofit NeighborWorks America, and its local affiliate, New Kensington CDC, to implement the program. NeighborhoodLIFT program down payment assistance grants may still be available for eligible homebuyers in coordination with New Kensington CDC. Spirit of objetcs From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-10-18 08:46 Wood with beautiful grain is Liu's favorite materials. [Photo provided to China Daily] When Wu Weishan visited Chinese sculptor Liu Huanzhang's home years ago, the director of the National Art Museum of China was impressed by a great number of statues of people and animals that filled every room and passageway. "In the concrete forest of a metropolis, Liu builds up in his small space an art world that feels warm and magical," Wu says. Now Liu's world of sculptures has been transplanted to the third floor of Wu's museum in Beijing, where nearly 200 sculptures and traditional Chinese seal-cutting works are on show. The exhibition marks the 86-year-old artist's fourth one-man show at the museum since 1981. It includes 57 sculptures from the museum's collection, nearly three-fourths of which Liu had donated just before the exhibition's opening on Thursday. Sculptures by Liu Huanzhang mostly portray female bodies and animals in a style which honors the objects' spirit over their details. [Photo provided to China Daily] Many of the displayed works portray female bodies and animals; in them, Liu infuses the abstract style of primitive carvings and the fullness in volume of Chinese folk clay and wood sculptures. His works do not surprise at first sight, but the longer people gaze at them, the more expressive they become. A significant feature of Liu's output is adopting a xieyi (freehand) approach of traditional Chinese painting, which honors the objects' spirit over their details. He also relies heavily on the texture and colors of the materials to emphasize the temperament of his subjects. He uses a lot of jade and marble, whose mild touches help to highlight the body curves and gentleness of young women. He chooses woods that have beautiful grain that becomes human hair in his works. "He treasures the materials he works with as part of the beauty of nature," says Situ Zhaoguang, sculptor and Liu's colleague at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Sculptures by Liu Huanzhang mostly portray female bodies and animals in a style which honors the objects' spirit over their details. [Photo provided to China Daily] "Never has he easily cut off edges that seem unneeded to other artists. He takes great interest in the texture, luster and pattern of every kind of material, and he does his best to present these features that complement the structure of each of his works." Liu's artist friend, Huang Yongyu, says the sculptor changes into "a gentle, attentive mother when working on his stones, wood, mud and jade, and he is patient, persistent and even stubborn. "Who knows why there is such a profession called sculptor, who'd like to temper his character on stones and wood and create things that look livelier and handsomer than humans," says Huang. Liu believes a good sculpture doesn't tell a dramatic story but depend on its form. "The work speaks with its radiance, size and volume. I attempt to establish a style that is simple and straightforward but not shallow. Sculptures by Liu Huanzhang mostly portray female bodies and animals in a style which honors the objects' spirit over their details. [Photo provided to China Daily] "One should think cleverly when conceiving a work. But it's equally important that he should not sculpt or polish the work excessively. Otherwise, it will end up looking rather awkward and unnatural." In his teens, Liu learned to carve Chinese seals, laying a solid foundation for his later studies of sculpture at the CAFA. He has continued to produce delicate seals and imprints. He incorporates the traditional form of art into the realm of sculpture. He sculpts with precision and calmnessreflecting an intimate connection with his exploration with seal cutting. Reviewing his artistic career, Liu says: "Sincerity is all the more of a merit for being a man. So it is when doing art." Contact the writer at linqi@chinadaily.com.cn Sculptor Liu Huanzhang is holding a solo show in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily] 9 am-5 pm, through Sunday. 1 Wusi Street, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476. Check on steel and coal capacity cut From:Xinhua | 2016-10-17 13:12 China will conduct checks on its coal and steel overcapacity reduction efforts, which had apparently gained momentum by September, Shanghai Securities News reported Saturday. Details on the axed capacity are being examined and will be released soon, said Zhao Chenxin, spokesperson of the National Development and Reform Commission, according to the report. The ministerial meeting will regulate the review and train related authorities to conduct random checks on progress, he said. In the first half of 2016, China cut its steel capacity by 13 million tons, about 30 percent of the planned cuts for the whole year. By the end of July, a total of 47 percent was completed. But China had only met 38 percent of its coal cutting targets by the end of July, official data showed. The efforts have since picked up speed notably in August and September largely due to pressure from the central government, which closely tracked local implementation with inspection groups and targeted operations on outdated production capacity, Zhao stated. Meanwhile, local authorities are encouraged to cut much and early as the subsidies are higher this year, he said. HARRISBURG - The Wolf administration said Monday that it was "in the process" of complying with a court order to release Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Katie McGinty's emails from when she was Wolf's chief of staff. But her Republican rival, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, accused the administration of "stonewalling," saying the emails should be released immediately, although last week's Commonwealth Court order granted Wolf 30 days to do so. "Katie McGinty likes to say she's on the side of transparency," Toomey said in a conference call with reporters shortly before he was to debate McGinty. "Well, she sure isn't here. And if she is, then she can easily prove it by demanding that the Wolf administration comply with the law immediately." Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan said the administration is "in the process of preparing emails for release." "We have responded to more than 40 Right-to-Know Law requests that are related to or involved former chief of staff Katie McGinty during and since her tenure, and we have produced over 4,500 pages of records in response to these requests," said Sheridan. "The governor has always demonstrated his commitment to full transparency." The email case stems from a request made more than a year ago by the state Republican Party for McGinty's emails and work schedules. McGinty was Wolf's chief of staff until last summer, when she resigned in preparation for a run against Toomey. State Republicans have said Wolf released only a handful of what is estimated to be hundreds of emails that fit the request. The Office of Open Records later ruled that the administration was justified to withhold some of the messages, as allowed to under the Right-to-Know Law, but should have disclosed others. The case was appealed to Commonwealth Court, which affirmed the decision of the Office of Open Records. acouloumbis@phillynews.com 717-787-5934 @AngelasInk Attorney Chuck Peruto Jr.s volunteers picket the Santander Bank branch at 1500 Market Street last week. Read more Let's say you are a customer having trouble with your bank. What do you do? You get a lawyer. What if you are a lawyer? If you are criminal defense attorney Chuck Peruto Jr. you file suit against the bank and then picket its branch offices. That's where I saw the celebrity barrister Friday, outside the Santander bank branch at 1500 Market Street, supervising pickets and handing out leaflets, almost like a Local 98 electrician. All he was missing was the giant inflatable rat. "What's going on?" I ask him in the shadow of the Clothes Pin. "These people are thieves," Peruto replies, jerking a thumb in the direction of the bank storefront. Thieves are usually his clients, but this case is different. He is the victim, he says. The facts, as laid out in a civil suit he filed against the bank (and in leaflets he periodically distributes outside bank branches), say in 2012 he took a $1.9 million, 10-year loan from the bank. The loan was to purchase the 43-unit Drexelbriar Apartments in Havertown, which he planned to hold for a while and sell. Four years later, he had an agreement of sale from a buyer and notified Santander he wanted to pay off the loan early. The bank demanded a $267,440 prepayment penalty. "Plaintiff Peruto nearly lost his mind," according to the complaint. He had been told to expect a 1 percent penalty, in the neighborhood of $19,000. I ask if he had read the fine print. "I never had time to read the fine print. It was furnished at settlement with 40 other papers that had to be signed and they slide them over to you for signature," says Peruto. "You try not to hold anybody up. When you act in good faith and are told it is 1 percent, you don't sit there and take an algebra class." The prepayment schedule says "the prepayment premium shall be the greater of" either 1 percent of the principal or "the product obtained by" a truly incomprehensible formula so complex it would baffle Stephen Hawking. To me, a red flag would have been the words "greater of." Peruto went to closing without a Realtor or a broker, saying he has bought and sold properties many times before without incident. "Everything is straight forward and when people tell you something, you seem to take their word for it." It is not a mistake he will repeat, he says. He tried to get the bank to accept less, he says, and when it refused, he filed suit. There are two sides, at least, to every story, so I contacted the bank. "Santander cannot comment on pending litigation, however, the bank is fully committed to transparent lending practices and always treating our customers fairly," says spokeswoman Ann Davis. "We've gone through a couple of pre-trial hearings," says Peruto, with "the bank saying it's there in writing and I say it's not in English." Peruto is acting as his own attorney and has requested a jury trial. He has decades of experience in seducing juries to view his clients with favor. This time he is his own home team. "Their eyeballs will grow bigger than their ears when they hear the numbers," says Peruto. "I could call Joey Merlino to testify. I could get the money cheaper from him," says Peruto of the one-time, alleged head of organized crime in Philadelphia. As this case meanders through the courts, Peruto goes out once or twice a week with volunteers to picket various Santander branch offices, such as the one where I found him. So here's this famous, rich attorney standing outside a branch handing out leaflets like a union schlepper. Why? "The reason for the protest is to make others aware of what they do, with the hidden charges they slap on you," says the aggrieved attorney. "They should have the decency and the morality, not just the legality, to point that out to you," says Peruto. In his filing, Peruto claims he has paid $700,000 on that $1.9 million loan in four years. He is asking for the return of the $267,440 prepayment plus interest, costs and attorney's fees. Barring a settlement, the courts will decide who is right. Meanwhile, the famous barrister and friends will keep picketing the bank. stubyko@phillynews.com 215-854-5977 @StuBykofsky Blog: ph.ly/Byko Columns: ph.ly/StuBykofsky See-off ceremony held for Chinese astronauts of Shenzhou-11 mission From:English.news.cn | 2016-10-17 09:08 Taikonauts Jing Haipeng (L) and Chen Dong attend the see-off ceremony of the Shenzhou-11 manned space mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 17, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Gang) JIUQUAN, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- A see-off ceremony for two Chinese astronauts of the upcoming Shenzhou-11 manned space mission was held on Monday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft is scheduled to be launched at 7:30 a.m. Monday Beijing Time. Fan Changlong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), met with astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong at the apartment compound Wentiange, or "Ask-the-Sky Pavilion," of the launch center. On behalf of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the State Council, the CMC and General Secretary of CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, Fan wished the mission success. "You are going to travel in space to pursue the space dream of the Chinese nation," Fan said. "With all the scientific and rigorous training, discreet preparation, and rich experience accumulated from previous missions, you will accomplish the glorious and tough task", Fan added. "We wish you success and look forward to your triumphant return," Fan said. The astronauts, in white space suits, expressed confidence and resolve for the mission. After the brief meeting, the astronauts came to Yuanmengyuan Square, or "Dreams-come-true" square, where they were greeted by a cheerful crowd waving flowers and national flags. They reported to Zhang Youxia, commander-in-chief of the country's manned space program, "We are ready! Please give instruction." "Proceed!" Zhang said. The astronauts then got on a vehicle and left for the launch pad in cheers and patriotic song chanted by the crowd. City shifts focus from vehicles to people From:Shanghai Daily | 2016-10-17 13:09 The city is planning to make more space for pedestrians and bicycles in future road renovation projects, with a new guideline on street design expected to be issued by the end of the month. According to draft version of the Shanghai Street Design Guideline, any redesign of the road system will shift focus to people rather than vehicles. The guideline will also provide practical requirements to help designers and other involved parties. They will include different colors to highlight lanes for non-motor vehicles, and space for restaurants or shop owners to set up tables and chairs outdoors, and more room for pedestrians. Tiantong Road in Hongkou District has been chosen as the first road to be renovated under the new guideline as part of a trial program. Planning has been approved and work is expected to start at the beginning of next year. The 704-meter proposed section on Tiantong Road sits between Henan Road N. and Wusong Road, and features Tiantong Road Metro station and historic buildings such as the General Post Office Building. Compared with traditional road reconstruction project to simply broaden roads, the project this time will take the whole public space as a whole, including sidewalks, greenery, even consistency of buildings facade styles, said Cai Guangyu, a designer with the Shanghai Urban Planning and Design Research Institute. Around Tiantong Road Metro station the space for pedestrians is limited. And with plans for a shopping mall and office buildings, the area will become even busier, Cai said. Though most sections of the road are to be expanded from two lanes to four, the section near the Metro station will be an exception. It will be cut from the existing six lanes to five lanes, so as to provide an extra 1.5 meters for sidewalks on each side. Landscape design will be taken into consideration in the project. Sycamore trees will be planted along the road where, at present, there is little greenery. A non-motor vehicle lane will be highlighted in a contrasting color. Cai said the project will provide a model for the future. For other reconstruction projects, designers and involved parties can refer to the guideline and develop their own for a specific project, Cai said. Premier Li Keqiang said on Oct 14 that more efforts should be made to further simplify business registration, in order to cut costs for startup businesses. There are still too many certificates required for starting a business, he said at the State Council executive meeting, adding that the government should eliminate more certificates. The reform of business registration can boost entrepreneurship and create more jobs, said the Premier. Chinese people have the courage and wisdom for innovation. So the key is to break the obstacles to their potential. A number of measures have been put in place since 2015, merging the business license, organization code certificate and certificate of taxation registration into one. Two other certificates social insurance registration certificate and statistics registration certificate were eliminated as of Oct 1, 2016. At the executive meeting, officials told the Premier that the reform of streamlining business registration is on track. And some local governments are preparing to merge more certificates. Thanks to the reform, in the first half of 2016, 2.6 millions new companies have been started, a 28.6 percent increase from a year earlier. New business registrations grew from about 12,000 per day in 2015 to 14,600 in the first eight months of this year, while the number was only 6,900 before the reform. Apart from cutting red tape, Premier Li also stressed improving government supervision of startup companies. Unreasonable disturbance from authorities should be avoided, he said. The Premier also called for better use of internet in the reform, so that all registration procedures and supervision can run online and be open to the public. Box One Derailleur 11-speed derailleur Proprietary CamClutch system Forged & cast aluminum Carbon fiber / Nylon composite body Aluminum inner and outer cages Proprietary Pivot-tech spring-loaded cable stop Maximum cog size: 46 teeth Compatible with Box and Shimano 11-speed shifters Availability: December 2016 Weight: 264 grams (including all hardware) MSRP: $174.99 USD Box One PushPush Shifter 11-speed shifter Single paddle to operate upshifts and downshifts Push paddle forward to shift down; push paddle inward to shift up Up to four downshifts at once; single upshifts Compatible with Box and Shimano 11-speed derailleurs Forged aluminum / Nylon composite body, Forged aluminum paddle 10mm left / right 'Pod Adjustment' Availability: December 2016 Weight: 125 grams (including clamp and hardware) MSRP: $74.99 USD Things have evolved since then, with the system going from a 10-speed to 11-speed, and a ''progressive force clutch'' being added to the derailleur to mate better with single-ring drivetrains. The shifter's single paddle has also changed, moving from an 'L' shape on the early 10-speed prototype shown in the photo at right, to the design you see here. The One derailleur and shifter, as well as the upcoming 11-speed One cassette, will eventually sit just below their yet to be released Hexlab high-end components. Box will also eventually offer less-expensive, third and fourth-tier groups under the Box Two and Three names. The One group is targeted at riders who are considering XT-level components, and while the One derailleur and shifter do cost more than an XT alternative, it gives us an idea of what we should be expecting, in terms of feel and quality. The 10-speed prototype PushPush shifter had a larger 'L' shaped paddle, whereas the production version uses a split design. The PushPush shifter's single lever works in two ways: push it forward with your thumb on the large paddle to shift down, and push it inward with your thumb on the smaller inner paddle shift up. Installation Notes Box's CamClutch system on the derailleur can't be turned off like the clutch on a Shimano derailleur, and while SRAM's can't be turned off either, their Cage Lock button holds the cage in an extended position so you're not fighting the clutch when installing the chain. Box doesn't employ a button, though, so you do have to fight the clutch tension, but if it does feel much lower than anything from SRAM or Shimano. The clutch is supposed to be progressive and proportional to cage movement, and I was also told that Box is still tweaking clutch strength before the One derailleur goes into production. I would expect final production versions of the One derailleur to feature a much stronger clutch that's on par what SRAM and Shimano employ. Box's progressive clutch isn't adjustable, but it does come with instructions that show you how to service it. Box says that the spring-loaded cable stop is designed to limit the chance of damage in a crash by allowing it to swing in towards the bike and of harm's way. The derailleur's carbon fiber / Nylon composite body looks and feels more Nylon than carbon. First Impressions I bet you're wondering how strange it feels to push the thumb paddle in towards the shifter to drop to a taller gear? As it turns out, it's not that strange at all once you get used to it, which I'm kinda surprised about. I was expecting to sometimes miss the smaller perpendicular contact area with my thumb, or maybe to accidently push it at an angle and shift up instead of down, but neither issue ever happened. You need to depress the paddle by about 5mm to drop to a taller gear, which turned out to be well within the comfortable range of motion of my thumb, and shifts are firm, crisp, and felt as precise as anything else on the market. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Box PushPush Shifter Add to Favorites Added to Favorites Views: 12,216 Faves: 7 Comments: 3 The Box One derailleur and One PushPush shifter have been flawless so far, other than a few dropped chains. Look for a stronger clutch on the production derailleur to prevent this. Pinkbikes Take: I'm lucky to have high-end drivetrains from both Shimano and SRAM to choose from, both of which are on the shelf right now while I continue to test Box's new derailleur and shifter over the coming months. But even if I could choose to run any of those two options, I don't really see a reason to replace the Box One components with anything else at this point, which says a lot in itself. Longterm reliability is the question that I'll need to answer, and something that you'll be able to read about down the road, but I'm pretty happy to be eating a hamburger instead of pineapple or pepperoni pizza right now. Stay tuned. - Mike Levy Visit the feature gallery for high resolution and additional images Pizza is great and all, but if you've only ever eaten pineapple or pepperoni pizza your entire life, you're going to be pretty damn interested in downing a hamburger if the chance comes up. It's a safe bet that the derailleur and shifter on your bike are from either SRAM or Shimano, the pineapple or pepperoni go-to pizzas of the drivetrain world. The American and Japanese component companies make some great stuff, and some of it is also relatively inexpensive while offering very similar performance compared to their much pricier options - it's hard to complain about GX or XT components these days.But what if there was a viable third alternative to choose, a hamburger of sorts? Box Components, a brand better known in BMX circles, is that hamburger, and they're hoping to become an alternative to the two current drivetrain giants with their $174.99 USD 11-speed One derailleur and novel $74.99 USD single-paddle One PushPush 11-speed shifter that functions unlike anything else on the market.We have a rule about only testing production-spec products - we need to be using the same gear that's available to purchase - but seeing Box's unobtainium drivetrain components at tradeshows over the last three years made getting on these pre-production samples too enticing to decline. Besides, we want to know if Box can offer the kind of performance weve come to expect from SRAM and Shimano.You might have seen Box's derailleur and shifter before - they've been showing prototype versions of both over the last three years since Pinkbike's own Richard Cunningham first photographed an early example of the Box One PushPush shifter at Sea Otter back in 2013.The Box One setup isn't an inexpensive hamburger, with the derailleur and PushPush shifter costing a good chunk more than options from SRAM and Shimano that perform near flawlessly. For example, an NX 11-speed derailleur and shifter cost $74 and $27 USD, so you're getting a very capable system for around $100; you can spend $115 on a GX derailleur and $43 on a GX shifter. Shimano's XT derailleur sells for only a bit more, at $82.99 USD, and an XT shifter costs $48.99 USD, or about $132 USD for both at MSRP prices.All of those options cost less than Box's $174.99 One derailleur and $74.99 One shifter, but when was the last time your properly adjusted GX or XT setup didn't work as well as you'd want it to? Close to almost never, I'd guess, which is why you'll have to really want something different than the usual SRAM and Shimano pineapple and pepperoni pizzas in order to be choosing Box's One group. Different may be good enough, however, just so long as it works well on the trail.Box says that all of their new drivetrain components will be sold only as aftermarket items for 2017, which means that neither SRAM or Shimano are shaking in their boots at this time, especially given the wide range of associated components that both companies prefer to bundle together for original equipment sales. Box is working on their own brakes, stems, and handlebars, however, and they are aiming for some solid OE spec in 2018 and 2019. Who knows what the future will bring?When SRAM entered the drivetrain market, they became a viable alternative, at least in part, because they were offering something different to what everyone was used to, first with their Grip Shift system and later on with trigger shifters that did the same job as Shimano's but in a very different way. This is exactly what Box is trying to do with their PushPush shifter, and it means that a direct price and weight comparison might carry a bit less consequence for some riders. Simply put, there will be mountain bikers who just want something different, regardless of if there's nothing wrong with their GX or XT drivetrain.The question that needs answering is this: Is being different actually worthwhile?These days, a lot of mechanics can install a SRAM or Shimano derailleur with a beer in one hand, a Leatherman in the other, and both eyes closed. Not quite, but you get the idea - it's a straightforward job, and while derailleurs and the rest of our drivetrains have evolved over the years, not much has changed when it comes to bolting them to our bikes. Thankfully, Box didn't mess with this process; if you know how to install stuff from either Big S, then you'll know how to install the One derailleur and PushPush shifter.The PushPush shifter features a two-position mount that lets riders move the shifter independently of the clamp, which is important because the single paddle needs to be in exactly the right spot for it to work well. You can get a SRAM or Shimano shifter in the ballpark and then get used to where their two paddles end up, but I quickly realized that this wasn't the case with the PushPush's single paddle setup and it took some tinkering before I had it up against the brake perch where it seemed best. I would have preferred to roll the shifter up by a few more degrees, but it was already against the underside of the brake perch.Cable installation is very similar to the same job on a Shimano shifter, with a small captured rubber door blocking an equally small opening on the business side of the shifter. Drop down to the highest gear, pop the door open with a fingernail, and you can slide out the old cable and install a new one with no drama. I had to add half a turn of cable tension after clamping it at the derailleur, and it then required zero tinkering or attention. If you know how to use a 4mm hex key, you can do this job.Do anything for long enough and it'll eventually stop being a conscious effort and become a reflex, which describes what we've been doing with our thumbs and pointer fingers since the first time a lot of us rode a mountain bike. When was the last time you deliberately thought to yourself, ''Okay, here comes a climb so I better unwrap my thumb from the grip and use it to push the larger paddle three times and then move it back to the grip''? Much like how we don't think about tying our shoes, I'm guessing that the answer is zero if you've been riding mountain bikes for more than a month; you just do it without thinking, of course, which is why my first ride using Box's single paddle PushPush shifter was a bit of a clusterf*ck.In that quick, hour-long ride, I think my thumb went searching for a second shifter paddle at least two dozen times, and, no surprise, it obviously never found one. I would stab blindly at it for a second or two before realizing that I needed to actually think about what my thumb was doing, but, thankfully, this didn't last for more than a few rides, after which using the PushPush shifter's single paddle became second nature.Selecting a harder gear with the PushPush shifter is a one-push-equals-one-cog action, much like a SRAM shifter, whereas Shimano can drop two cogs by pushing on the high-gear paddle (or one cog if you pull it instead). Going in the opposite direction, up to an easier gear, can happen four cogs at a time, just like a Shimano shifter, which is one less the what SRAM offers. All three work well, but Shimano's setup is probably the most adaptable - you can push or pull the release trigger as you see fit, which is nice. That said, all that matters is that the thing shifts when I'm breathing through my eyeballs and completely uncoordinated, which the PushPush system does.Ergonomics and getting the PushPush shifter in the right spot relative to your hand is more important with the Box shifter than with anything from SRAM or Shimano - the release trigger needs to be easy to hit without actually thinking about it, and I had to move the shifter a few times to find the sweet spot. It ended up being rotated right up against the underside of my brake perch, but it felt like the large paddle was still angled up and out a bit too much for my liking. I can and did get used to it, but I would have liked to see the large pull-paddle rotated inwards under the grip by at least a few degrees.Another change that I'd like to see is a massive increase in the derailleur's clutch tension. It's noticeably lighter than anything from SRAM or Shimano, so much so that it feels roughly on par with a Shimano derailleur's clutch after it's been turned off. As expected, I've dropped the chain a handful of times already, which is annoying for obvious reasons, and it's something that Box will have to address. To be fair, Box does recommend pairing up a narrow/wide chainring (which I was using) and some sort of top-guide for extreme conditions (which I was not using).Reliability? I won't pretend to have an idea at this point, but we'll find out in four or five months time after I've dragged the Box components through a messy Pacific Northwest winter season. There's nothing like a load of peanut butter mud, a lot of crashing, and spending all my spare change on pressure washing every other day to see how things last. As of now, everything is great, but we'll see if that changes. Superb riding conditions and a fast track made for one of the most memorable mass start downhill races in Europe as a pack of 400 red-backed riders tore down Slieve Martin in a bid to outrun Red Bull athlete and two-time Downhill World Champion, Gee Atherton. With a finish position of 32nd last year, the former World Champion had clearly decided that he would settle for nothing less than a place on the podium this year. Gee edged his way past 399 adrenaline pumped riders, reaching speeds in excess of 58km/h as he snaps at the heels of Rosco for much of the race.However, it seems that Colin Ross proved too fast to catch. The Ulster man powered his way through the unforgiving downhill course to beat Atherton by over 30 seconds, securing the hat-trick and his place as the 2nd Fox for Red Bull Foxhunt 2017.Find the highlights here. Check out the race report here. @redbullbike / @trekfactoryracingdh THE dream destination for technical wilderness riding A classic Norwegian mountain sunset. Into the labyrinth...The dark and brooding landscape pulls us deeper in search of the perfect trails The crew head back to the boat to move on to our pick-up point The Captain's view of the fjords Our bikes and even our boat are dwarfed by the towering fjord walls Sven planning an early departure for us Heading for shore with bikes and the excitement of a day of adventuring ahead Breaking in the meadow for food and to soak in the surroundings Some serious hike-a-bike. Descents are well earned in Norway Topping-out after another hard descent. It's all downhill from here... Riders of the storm. Dramatic ridge riding above the fjords Racing back to the boat And chasing each other through high alpine rock gardens Perfect singletrack waits at the bottom of the descents Swooping and pumping through the natural flow of the forest Shuttling back to the boat after another truly epic day of ridgeline riding Celebratory drinks under the stars The final sunset over Alesund Norway. When I hear that name, my mind drifts away over snow-capped mountains, glaciers, harsh coastline and into steep-sided fjords.These thoughts have been rolling over my mind for the past year, planning, discussing and packing for this expedition into the unknown, and now as I sit in the airport hearing my flight number to Norway being called, I have one last chance to get lost in my subconscious before actually arriving in this ethereal country on our pioneering mountain bike adventure.I am dragged from my daydream by the seatbelt sign going on and the air steward preparing the plane to land in Molde. As I turn my head to look out of the window I see mountains reaching far into the distance, with deep fjords gouging out the land between the mountain tops and leading out to the sea. It looks even more amazing than I imagined!As we disembark we enter a very small airport building, must only house ten staff and maybe 100 passengers at a time. We wait by the only luggage belt, and are delighted to see that seven pieces of luggage have arrived, yes, seven! We are not traveling light for this trip, we are filming, taking photographs and riding uncharted territory here in Norway, so we need to be prepared for changeable weather conditions.Why are we embarking on this expedition? Norway has always held a kind of mystical allure, and when we started delving into it, we learned that the Norwegian fjords are relatively under-explored by mountain bike, despite the fact that its a popular destination for ski touring in the winter. So after some further investigation, we decided that the best way to access these ancient trails was by boat. More specifically, an old Scandinavian wooden-hulled minesweeper, which would be our unique accommodation, gourmet restaurant and adventure hub for the week. Each day Gassten would deliver us to the fjord shores (or as near as she could get) from where wed ride and hike-a-bike to the tops of some 1000m peaks, then descend into another fjord where the boat would be waiting for our arrival.As we arrive at the harbor were met by our captain Sven, second in charge Tash, and our chef for the week Isabelle. As they show us onboard and our sleeping quarters, we smell coffee wafting through the air from the galley, where Isabelle is preparing lunch and a welcome drink. Quickly we set about loading all of our gear, building bikes on the ships deck and settling down to lunch, coffee and a briefing and map perusing session. While we discuss the possibilities of this rugged landscape and set a plan, the ships crew buzz around setting us free from our moorings and the harbor, letting us depart unhindered on our fjord mountain biking adventure.We arrive at our anchorage after dark, pulling up close to a village that is clinging to the foot of a huge rock wall, only visible by the flickering evening lights shining out of the windows. The village looks like it has just enough room to squeeze a handful of houses and a local shop in before the waters of the fjord plunge to the depths of four hundred meters. Its a mesmerizing place and we are all looking forward to assessing our new playground over a coffee in the morning light.And sure enough, over breakfast, we marvel at the walls of rock that surround us on three sides, the very pronounced V shape of the fjord and our playground for the day. Breakfast is a noisy and even slightly jittery affair. Were all keen to hit dry land and explore this region. So, soon after breakfast, the engine of the small landing craft sparks into life as everyone is busying themselves with packing kit, final checks on bikes and saying their goodbyes to the crew.The crew also has a full day ahead while were riding, theyll be preparing dinner for tonight, catching fish for our starter, moving the boat to its pick-up location and drying all of our laundered riding kit.Before we know it were on dry land putting final adjustments to our ride bags and clipping into our pedals and hearing the noise of the landing craft getting quieter as it buzzes back to the main boat anchored in the bay.On this ride, we have 1000m of ascent, straight from sea level, so theres no point hanging around, this hill isnt going to climb itself! We start with a meandering switchback forest track that leads us through 12, ever-tightening hairpin corners that deliver us to a small mountain meadow with a smattering of wooden houses artistically placed around the perimeter. The meadow affords us our first chance to see the fjord weve just left behind, up to this point weve been in a beautiful deciduous forest that has now faded out as a result of the altitude.As we ride out onto the meadow and through the collection of houses, we rest and snack beneath an understated wooden signpost that indicates our mountain top goal, Liahornet. From here we hike our bikes to the summit. This is a particularly liberating thing to do, youre taking your bike to a place that not many if any bikers have been to. As we look around the vast wilderness spread out before us, the boat is no more than a tiny speck in the water 1000m below, and were acutely aware that we have to descend all the way back down there to be picked up and fed before moving on to the next anchorage overnight.So we don knee pads, tighten helmets, fasten our backpacks and pull on our gloves, before adjusting our glasses and setting off from the summit cairn along a rocky and technical ridge line in a pencil straight line towards our floating goal. The descent is made all the more interesting today as its been raining overnight, but we manage to keep it rubber side down!As we pull off the ridge line and arc towards the thickening forest below, we encounter a natural pump track that cuts across this section of the alpine environment, before dropping us into what is a short hike down section. It is steep and super technical, and all told, not worth the risk. After two minutes reprieve from pedalling were back on it, now in the forest, weaving down swooping singletrack over roots and around strategically-placed trees. Its a heart-warming characteristic of the Norwegians that they don't cut trees down to make trails and try not to damage tree roots, so it makes for interesting trail design and some challenging corners, but leaves the wilderness, well, feeling like the wilderness.It takes us around two and a half hours to finally blast out onto the paved road at the foot of the mountain and onto the shores of the fjord, muddy faces, bikes looking used, arms fully pumped and huge smiles on our faces.This has been an adventure and an expedition. Call it what you like, its been a ride that takes us straight back to what mountain biking is all about, and why mountain bikes were designed in the first place. Getting out into the wilderness with your buddies, new or old. Finding new trails and experiencing views while feeling the adrenaline-induced buzz you get when you rail that corner, drop into a steep section or follow your mates down a trail in a train of laughter and tail whips.And as we roll up to the awaiting boat, the crew are there with some coffee and cake, and a warm shower is beckoning. After washing the days mud off our legs we relive the days adventures and wash cake down with coffee, all the while steaming further into another fjord and a new adventure. But thats tomorrows taleThis mountain bike adventure through the Norwegian fjords was delivered by H+I Adventures They specialize in the art of hand-crafted mountain bike tours around the world and Norway is their latest exciting offering.Photos by Tim Winterburn / @HI-Adventures Jennifer Logsdon plans to ride a bicycle for about 300 miles from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., over four days in May on the Police Unity Tour. She wants to honor her husband, Harford County Sheriff's Office Deputy First Class Mark Logsdon, who was killed in the line of duty. She is also out to prove a point, reports the Baltimore Sun. "That I am strong, that I can survive. And come out hopefully a lot stronger," Logsdon said. Her husband, along with Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey, was killed Feb. 10. The Police Unity Tour raises awareness of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty and raises money for the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial and Museum. Logsdon says doing this ride and the training it requires is a healthy way to heal. "It helps me physically, spiritually, mentally," she says. "There's a lot of bad I could do to try and heal, but I'm also hoping to be an inspiration to the kids, there's a good way to honor their dad." It's also a way for Logsdon to give back to the people who have given so much to her and her family in the eight months since DFC Logsdon was killed. The group will leave Philadelphia May 8 and arrive in Washington, D.C., on May 12, when they'll join others of Police Unity Tour Chapter 9 and ride as a group to the Fallen Officers Memorial for the candlelight vigil. The team is holding fundraisers to raise $45,000 for the Police Unity Tour, which will ultimately go to the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial and Museum. Photo: Facebook A woman is being charged in the pellet-gun shooting of a plainclothes NYPD officer. State Police say they are trying to determine whether she is connected to four similar incidents that occurred the same day last week on Long Island, reports Newsday. Tiara Ferebee, 24, of Andrea Court, was ordered jailed on $1 million bond or $500,000 cash bail at her arraignment Sunday night in Queens Criminal Court. She is charged with first-degree attempted assault, second-degree assault, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Ferebee faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, Brown said. Just after 5 p.m. Wednesday, a projectile from a pellet gun fired by a passenger in a brown 2015 Nissan Altima struck the officer, Adam Jangel, in the forehead as he drove an unmarked police vehicle in Jamaica, Queens, the NYPD said. Jangel was taken to Jamaica Medical Center. He was not seriously injured, authorities said. Genetec Inc., provider of open-architecture, unified IP security solutions, announced AutoVu SharpV, a new fixed ALPR (automated license plate recognition) camera with onboard processing, highly precise settings, easy and flexible installation, and new affordable pricing. Genetec will unveil and demonstrate the AutoVu SharpV at the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police) conference in San Diego, CA, October 15th -18th 2016, Booth #3517. The AutoVu SharpV camera is expected to be available in early December 2016 from Genetec channel partners and resellers. AutoVu SharpV is designed for fixed ALPR installations. It can be tied into citywide video surveillance systems to improve forensic investigations, reporting, monitoring, and is ideally suited for controlling access to corporate facilities, as well as managing off-street parking facilities. The SharpV-ITS model will offer a solution specifically targeted at the intelligent transportation sector. Featuring a completely new design that makes it easy for integrators to install, the AutoVu SharpV can be easily mounted on walls or poles. With power and communication transferring through a Power-over- Ethernet plus (PoE+) connection, and a varifocal lens design that allows installers to easily adjust the focal distance of the camera on site for optimal image capture, the new SharpV simplifies system specification and provides flexibility during deployment. With high-definition ALPR and context cameras and onboard processing in a single device, the SharpV can detect and read any type of license plate on the edge, and includes various analytics such as vehicle make and direction of travel. "The new AutoVu SharpV is the result of over 15 years of specialized ALPR design experience, so its much more than an upgrade. It features premium performance without any of the challenges that often accompany ALPR projects. Not only does it include all the features of our previous generation Sharp ALPR cameras, but it also brings a whole new level of image precision, combined with ease of installation at a lower price point. With our new SharpV, ALPR has never been easier," said Chris Yigit, Program Manager for AutoVu. The SharpV can also be integrated with Omnicast, the IP video surveillance system of Security Center, the Genetec unified security platform. The SharpV can simultaneously stream live video to Omnicast, doubling as video surveillance unit and recorded video can be associated with ALPR hits to enhance awareness and investigations. SharpV also supports the AutoVu Free Flow parking enforcement module to increase parking enforcement efficiency by providing a real-time inventory of vehicles parked illegally in monitored parking lots. For more information about Genetec AutoVu SharpV, visit http://www.genetec.com/sharpv. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Taking a page from her husbands playbook, Melania Trump blamed what she believes is a biased media for the release of a 2005 videotape in which her husband brags about sexually assaulting women. In an interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper, Mrs. Trump said she was not surprised by the tape surfacing and blamed it on the desire of the media and Hillary Clinton to damage the campaign of her husband. Video: Melania Trump blames left wing media for the release of the 2005 tape: I was not surprised that the tape came out https://t.co/biV9HbpHfB CNN (@CNN) October 18, 2016 Melania Trump said: I was not surprised that the tape came out . because, as I said, its many people from the opposite side, that they want to damage the campaign. Why now? Why after so many years, why three weeks before the election? It was the media. It was NBC. It was Access Hollywood. It was left-wing media, and you could see that. The way it comes out, everything was organized It was hour after hour bashing him, because they want to influence the American people how to vote. She even claimed that the Clinton campaign and the media are working together to take down her husbands candidacy. Not only did Melania Trump stick to her husbands blame-the-press script, but she also happily used his campaigns ridiculous talking point that Trumps 2005 comments were simply locker room talk. Video: Melania Trump on locker room talk: I know how some men talk and thats how I saw it, yes https://t.co/IDm7N1ioh5 https://t.co/0UMZBrGmw5 CNN (@CNN) October 18, 2016 Despite Trump being 59 at the time of the Access Hollywood recording, Mrs. Trump equated the conversation between her husband and Billy Bush as two teenage boys that need to behave better. She said: Its kind of two teenage boys actually they should behave better, right? Sometimes I said I have two boys at home. I have my young son and I have my husband but I know how some men talk and thats how I saw it, yes. Taking another page from her husbands desperate campaigns playbook, Melania Trump went directly after the growing number of women who have been accusing Donald Trump of sexually assaulting them over the years, saying the women dont have any facts. Video: Melania Trump on the women accusing Donald Trump of assault: They dont have any facts https://t.co/05vzqpvqVJ https://t.co/v6DopONr0V CNN (@CNN) October 18, 2016 Mrs. Trump said: I believe my husband. This was all organized from the opposition With the details that they got, did they ever check the background of these women? They dont have any facts. Melania Trump certainly has the right to defend her husband and stand by him. But her defense strategy is likely to prolong the story not put it behind them. For a campaign hemorrhaging support with just three weeks until Election Day, thats the last thing they need. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Much to the chagrin of Donald Trump and company, women will actually vote in the upcoming general election. According to a new CBS poll released on Monday, that doesnt bode well for the Republican nominee. In a two-way race between Hillary Clinton and Trump, the Democratic nominee leads by a whopping 11 points, 51 40 percent. In head-to-head contests, this is the four straight poll showing Clinton breaking the critical 50 percent threshold. The CBS survey also shows Clinton maintaining a nine-point edge 47 to 38 in a race that includes third-party candidates Gary Aleppo Johnson and Jill Stein. The reason behind Clintons surge is simple: women. New CBS poll: Clinton leads Trump by 9 points nationally in 4-way race. She holds a 19-point advantage over Trump among women. Sabrina Siddiqui (@SabrinaSiddiqui) October 17, 2016 Clintons 19-point lead among female voters, according to CBS, would be the largest margin for a Democrat among women going back to 1972 when exit polls were first conducted. Of course, Trumps plummeting numbers among women are no surprise given the fact that he was recently caught on tape literally bragging about how he can sexually assault women because of his celebrity status. But Trump is also losing ground among voters with whom Republican candidates generally perform well. Among white women a group former GOP nominee Mitt Romney won by 14 points the race is essentially even between Clinton and Trump. Even men are starting to walk away from Trump. After winning this group by 11 points earlier in the month, Trump now just has a two-point edge over Clinton. The overall trend for the Republican nominee isnt just bad; its catastrophic. New CBS national poll shows Clinton with 9-point lead over Trump in 4-way contest. https://t.co/huXHji6lDZ pic.twitter.com/YsZjW7gj0s Jim Roberts (@nycjim) October 17, 2016 With just three weeks until Election Day, Donald Trump is sinking fast. Not because of a rigged process or a media conspiring against him, but because the Republican nominee has repeatedly proven himself too unstable and unfit to be president. There is still time left, but it looks like voters are about to toss Trump into the ash heap of history where he belongs. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Hillary Clinton has reached a record high level of support with millennials, but it is not millennial women who are powering her surge. Here are the overall numbers from the USA Today/Rock The Vote poll: Clintons level of support with millennials is higher than President Obamas records set in 2008 (66%) and 2012 (67%). Donald Trump is on pace to set a record for least amount of millennial support in an election. Trumps twenty percent support is ten points lower than the record low set by Bob Dole in 1996 and tied by Mitt Romney in 2012. John McCain barely missed the record low in 2008 by getting 31% of the millennial vote. The conventional wisdom is that millennial women are supporting Clinton, but, according to this poll, that isnt the case. Hillary Clinton is getting record levels of support from millennial men. Sixty-five percent of millennial men support Clinton. Her support with millennial men is 11 points than President Obamas support with the same demographic in 2012. Millennial women are supporting Clinton by a margin of 47%-18%, but an equal 18% are also supporting Gary Johnson or Jill Stein. As with all voters, Hillary Clintons challenge will be to get those who are supporting her out to the polls. In this area, she has the huge advantage of a superior ground organization that has been building and working for years to get out the vote. Trump and the Republicans are underresourced, out organized, and getting clobbered on the ground. The name Bob Dole and the year 1996 are coming up with more frequency when the 2016 data gets compared to previous elections. Bill Clinton got 53% of the 18-29 vote when he routed Bob Dole twenty years ago. Hillary Clinton is on pace to do even better. The previous two debates helped the Democratic nominee with younger voters, so look for her to try to close the deal with millennials during Wednesday nights third and final presidential debate. The bottom line is that Hillary Clinton doesnt have a millennial problem. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print A SurveyMonkey/Washington Post poll of 15 battleground states has some stunning news for Republicans. Hillary Clinton is within 2 points of Donald Trump as Texas has become a tossup. The SurveyMonkey/Washington Post tracking poll of 15 battleground states contains bad news for Republicans: Republicans are not only losing Georgia, but they are also in danger of losing deep red Texas. If Republicans lose Texas, it will represent a total Trump led collapse for the GOP. This is the second poll in four days to reveal that Hillary Clinton is within striking distance of turning Texas blue. The overall pattern of the map is clear. The Clinton campaign believes that if they win Arizona, which has also been moved to toss up status, Trump has no path to win the election. If Clinton wins in Georgia, where her campaign has already made additional investments, Trump cant win the election. If Hillary Clinton wins Texas, it will signal a blowout the likes of which the country has witnessed in more than three decades. The stakes for Republicans in the third presidential debate are no longer about winning the White House. Republicans are reduced to hoping that Trump can do well enough to hold off a Democratic landslide. Hillary Clinton has a chance to pull off a stunning win in Texas, but even if she loses by single digits, it will send a clear message to Republicans that unless they change, their days as a competitive national party will be numbered. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Sarah Jones is right about Donald Trumps role in proving the Republican Partys sexism. Shes probably right to want to thank him. But Im not ready to do that. Im too angry because one of Trumps victims has been victimized again for speaking out. Rape culture has forced a woman and her family to leave the country. Trump also showed us his sexism and that of his party isnt just words. As Sarah Jones put it, Donald Trumps overt misogyny and sexism draw attention to the motive and meaning of the Republican Partys policies designed to control and punish women for their independence. From Paul Ryans bill that attempted to give a womans rapist more control over her body and life than a woman is allowed in many Republican controlled states to the Republican attempt to shove a transvaginal ultrasound wand between our legs for no reason other than to punish us, Republican policy has offended and outraged women. Since the Access Hollywood video came out, Republicans tried to distance their images from the confessions of a sexual predator, while maintaining support for him. If that doesnt speak to the Republican Partys sexism, I dont know what does. Rudy Guiliani tried to suggest that Trump was only speaking in the hypothetical in the Access Hollywood video. Jeff Sessions tried to suggest that touching a womans genitalia or kissing her without her consent isnt sexual assault. I dont characterize that as sexual assault. I think thats a stretch. I dont know what he meant, Sessions told the Weekly Standard in an interview Sunday night. The interviewer followed up by asking Sessions to clarify whether he thought grabbing a woman by the genitals something Trump also described doing in the video was sexual assault. I dont know. Its not clear that he how that would occur, Sessions said. Both men are lawyers which removes any doubt that they were lying when denying what Trump admitted to was sexual assault. Trump tried to deflect from the video with a stunt involving four women who were paid off to endorse Trump, while trying to suggest that Hillary Clinton really doesnt care about victims of sexual predators. In reality, Trump was being just as predatory because the only value those women had was as his props, even if they were paid props. During the past week women came forward with stories that many of us know because we lived them too. We also know the typical defense is yet another display of the sexism that oozes from every pore of Trumps orange skin. In response to Natasha Stoynoffs article about the time Trump allegedly attacked her, Trump trotted out the number one myth of rape culture. Trump denies attacking Natasha Stoynoff because she isnt attractive enough to assault. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8zGvhnkl0k At 1:20 in the video he says: Take a look. You look at her. Look at her words. You tell me what you think. I dont think so. I dont think so. Many things distinguish sex crimes from all others. These are the only crimes in which the victim is put on trial in the courtroom and in the media. These are the only crimes that result in the victim receiving a life sentence of guilt, fear and mistrust. These are the only crimes where the victim is attacked for reporting the crime or not reporting it soon enough. In Trumps case, the attacks arent limited to the courtroom, the media or Trump himself. Trumps followers join in the shaming and intimidation of anyone who speaks out against his questionable business practices, his political ideas or his sexual assault. If were lucky, we learn to move on even if we never forget. We learn to realize that the shame doesnt belong to us. It belongs to the sexual predators and the people and the political party who enable and defend them. Yet, the consequences are born by the victim, as reflected in Mindy McGillivrays experiences since she came out from the shadows of shame that go with being the prey of a sexual predator. On Wednesday, the Palm Beach Post published a story that details McGillivrays experience being groped by Donald Trump. Two days later, McGillivray told the Palm Beach Post shes leaving the United States because she fears for her familys safety. We feel the backlash of the Trump supporters. It scares us. It intimidates us. We are in fear of our lives. Let that sink in for a moment. This is what rape culture does. This is what the Republican presidential candidate does. This is what the Republican Party does in its continued assault on the person and dignity of women. Im relieved that Trump proved Democrats were right about the Republican Partys sexism. Ill save the thank yous for Hillary Clinton when we hand Trump and his Republican Party a crushing defeat on November 8th. Image: Screengrab from video. Portfolio English Edition's premium content is available only for subscribers Learn about the hottest news of the day, along with immediate follow-up analyses and 1000's of exclusive articles with full access to the premium content. Register and apply for a 14 days free trial period. Mayo's Sodexo food service workers are voting today on joining the SEIU Healthcare Minnesota union. Here's a news release from SEIU: Mayo Clinic Food Service Workers With Sodexo Hold Vote on Joining SEIU Healthcare Minnesota Rochester, MN TODAY, Tuesday, October 18th, Mayo Clinic food service workers with Sodexo who are currently non-union are holding a vote on whether to join SEIU Healthcare Minnesota. A vast majority of the group of 108 food service workers filed cards last month to trigger this election following Mayo's controversial plan to outsource all of their food service work to Morrison. SEIU Healthcare Minnesota currently represents over 350 food service workers in the Mayo system. Those workers are currently negotiating with Mayo about the implications of Mayo's outsourcing plan. There are multiple voting periods throughout the day, starting at 6 am. The last voting period ends at 4:30 pm, at which point the votes will be counted. Food service workers will be available for comment in the afternoon while voting is happening and will be available for comments about the results around 5:15 when the final vote count is announced. ADVERTISEMENT WHAT: Food Service workers voting on whether to join SEIU Heathcare Minnesota WHEN: Food service workers will be available from 1:30-2 to talk about voting and why they are supporting the Union effort; they also will be available at 5:15 after the final vote count WHERE: Harwick Building (200 1st Street SW Rochester MN) Ha 1-15 conference room NOTE: Press/Public have full access to the conference room once the voting period closes. It is only accessible to voters until 4:35. FREEPORT, Iowa Authorities have released the names of two people, one formerly of Rochester, whose bodies were found Sunday at a residence in Winneshiek County. The bodies were discovered Sunday evening by an officer who was dispatched to a home in the Freeport area after people reported hearing gunshots. The Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office identified the two as Craig Freilinger, 55, and Sarah Szabo, 41, a former Rochester resident who still has family here. According to sheriff's officials, the couple had recently separated. The incident began about 6:36 p.m. Sunday when deputies began receiving 911 calls of multiple shots being fired in the area of Dogwood Road in Winneshiek County, just outside the Decorah city limits. Responding deputies found two people deceased from gunshot wounds inside the residence. The ADVERTISEMENT Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation was brought in to help with the investigation. The victims' bodies were taken to the state Medical Examiner's Office in Des Moines where autopsies will be conducted. A death notice for Szabo will be published in Wednesday's Post Bulletin. ST. PAUL Gov. Mark Dayton has made it clear that he wants his fellow Democrats to be in the majority in the Minnesota House and Senate for the final two years of his administration. And he's been campaigning hard this year to try to make it happen. Dayton was in Edina this week to attend a campaign fundraiser for DFL state Senator Melisa Franzen, who is seeking re-election in the suburban swing district. Franzen is a self-described moderate, who has split with Dayton on some issues, including taxes. Still, she was pleased to have him at her event. "Having his support means a lot," Franzen said. "It means that we're a team and we're going to try to do what's best for Minnesota despite the differences that we might have. We need to see more of that in politics in Minnesota." In his remarks to the crowd, Dayton joked about his ability to help Democrats such as Franzen. "I say that I will do whatever helps a candidate the most," he said. "I'll campaign for them. I'll campaign against them, whichever does them the most good." ADVERTISEMENT By the governor's count, he's been to 51 events for DFL candidates this year. He plans to squeeze in several more in the final weeks of the campaign. "Why am I doing this? Because it just makes such an incredible difference for my last two years as governor, who controls the Minnesota Legislature," Dayton said. Dayton came into office with a Republican-controlled House and Senate. Two years later, it was Democrats in charge of both chambers. The past two years, it's been a Republican House and a DFL Senate. Dayton looks back fondly at the accomplishments made by that all-DFL Legislature, and he wants to see it again for his final two years. DFL control would allow him to pursue additional money for universal preschool, water quality improvements and a robust package of public construction projects, Dayton said in an interview. He warned that Republican control would bring another round of "legislative paralysis." "We'll probably have another deadlock over the state budget," he said. "They'll want to make drastic cuts there that don't make any sense in terms of the services that we're providing people. I mean they don't want to make state government better. They just want to destroy it or defund it. That's just a fundamental difference." Republicans contend that Minnesota voters rejected single-party control of state government in 2014 and are not interested in bringing it back. House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Zimmerman, and other GOP candidates are stressing the need for political balance in St. Paul in order to hold Dayton's agenda in check. ADVERTISEMENT "I think the governor should really try to work with folks rather than to try to create folks to work with," Daudt said. "I think Minnesotans sent us here for a reason. They appreciate having that balance and compromise, and I think they want the governor to work with us. So, I'd encourage him to do that." Republicans' ongoing complaints about Democratic-backed health care polices, including the state insurance exchange known as MNsure, got an unexpected campaign-season boost from Dayton this week, when he declared that the federal Affordable Care Act "is no longer affordable for increasing numbers of people." He also called on Congress to make improvements. GOP leaders quickly characterized it as an admission of failure. Even Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tweeted about Dayton's comment to bolster his anti-Obamacare stance. The Senate District 21 race pits a freshman senator who touts his work during the past four years in St. Paul against a political newcomer who argues it's time for change. DFL Sen. Matt Schmit, of Red Wing, makes the case that since Democrats regained control of the Senate four years ago, they have delivered on big improvements. That includes successfully balancing the state's budget for the long term, paying back money borrowed from public schools and making key investments. "We've been able to move from that decade where we were struggling with the budget from year to year to a period where we are running moderate surpluses instead of structural deficits, and I think that's important," Schmit said. His Red Wing Republican rival, Mike Goggin, sees things differently. The electrical engineer said he was inspired to run because he was upset about lawmakers' vote to boost taxes by $2.1 billion in 2013. He especially was dismayed at provisions that taxed repairs on farm equipment and warehousing space. Those tax increases later were rescinded, but Goggin said the damage already was done when Red Wing Shoes Co. opted not to move ahead with a $20 million warehouse in Red Wing. "To see that happen to our district is just too much. So that's why I got involved," he said. ADVERTISEMENT Both candidates put improving Minnesota's health care insurance system at the top of their political to-do lists. Goggin said it is important lawmakers consider scrapping MNsure and moving to the federally run exchange. But he said before a switch is made, it's important to put safeguards in place to protect consumers. To try to reduce costs, Goggin supports the idea of farmers banding together in a health insurance co-op. He also wants to bring back Minnesota's high-risk health insurance pool for the state's sickest consumers. "We took a health care system in this country that was recognized as the best in the country, best in the world, and it's totally decimated by the health care law and MNsure," Goggin said. Schmit agrees there have been serious problems with MNsure. But before getting rid of the state-run exchange and moving to the federal system, he said he wants to try making some key improvements. For starters, he supports offering state-funded tax credits that would take effect instantly when people buy health plans on the exchange. He also wants consumers to have a public option for health insurance such as the state employee health insurance plan. He also supports expanding MinnesotaCare, a program that provides health care coverage to low-income Minnesotans. "Doing away with MNsure doesn't solve any of our problems, and it actually limits the tools that we are able to bring for Minnesotans who are currently falling through the cracks," Schmit said. Opposed to high-speed rail Both candidates say they have serious concerns about North American High Speed Rail Group's proposal to build a high-speed rail line from Rochester to the Twin Cities. Schmit said the big challenge for state legislators is that sometimes federal law overrides state law when it comes to railroads. But he said if he is re-elected, he will push to hold the company accountable and make sure residents' questions and concerns about the project are being addressed. "With high-speed rail, my position is clear: If there are not tangible benefits for the folks living along the corridor, I am dead set against this," he said. ADVERTISEMENT Goggin goes a step further, vowing that the first bill he would introduce would be aimed at protecting the property rights of those who live along the proposed rail line. He would require the company set up a decommissioning fund in case the project fails so that taxpayers aren't on the hook. He added, "My concern is what happens if this thing does get built? What's going to happen to the farmers and landowners and businesses? Are they going to get properly paid back fairly? Senate District 21: Matt Schmit Senate District 21: Mike Goggin Unlike the aristocratic Cook Hotel up the street, Harry Harwick and Arthur Roberts' idea was for an additional low-cost hotel in Rochester. When it was completed in 1915, the stained glass skylight and crown molding in the lobby of the Colonial Hotel didn't seem low cost, but it fit the bill and became a favorite doctor's residence. The following year, demand was growing for a downtown hospital. The Colonial Hotel was sold to the Kahler-Roberts Corp. After the addition of a new wing, the 230-bed Colonial Hospital shared the load with the overtaxed Saint Marys Hospital. The Colonial provided both care for convalescing patients and housing for their families. With the Colonial's four new operating rooms, the Doctors Mayo now had the emergency hospital facilities they needed, close to their downtown offices. By the mid-1920s, the Colonial would become one of five downtown hospitals. ADVERTISEMENT AUSTIN The city council approved its lease agreement with the YMCA for the proposed $35 million recreation center project Monday night. In a 5-2 vote councilmen Michael Jordal and Jeremy Carolan voted no; councilwomen Janet Anderson and Judy Enright, and councilmen Steven King, Jeff Austin and David Hagen voted yes the much-anticipated project finally passed. "This is probably the longest and hardest thing the city's worked on since I've been here," Mayor Tom Stiehm said. "I just wanted to thank everyone who has worked hard on this." Not all were thrilled with the city's decision. Jordal expressed that a "large portion" of Austin residents were against the recreation center project and thus he consistently voted no on the lease agreement. "Their voices needed to be heard," he added. ADVERTISEMENT Other officials understood where Jordal stood with the project, however, believed the recreation center would be too valuable of an asset to not move ahead. Stiehm also explained a significant number of taxpayers were in favor of the project after being educated on it. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Hagen said. "It'd be our fault if we let it go." Austin still will own the property while the YMCA will be handling operation of the new recreation center. Most of the lease terms approved in June still will be in place. The city also still will be responsible for maintenance and future upkeep of the public areas. Previously, the project was indefinitely halted when Austin and the YMCA reached an impasse with the lease agreement. The city wanted affordable access for taxpayers, while the Y board wanted to maintain membership and budget, according to a previous story. The YMCA will operate its areas of the facility, while the city's financial commitment is lowered to $100,000 for areas free and open to the public, such as the Youth Activity Center and indoor playground. Originally, the lease agreement had Austin commit $200,000 per year. Austin still plans to develop a scholarship program that would assist modest-income Austin residents to access the recreation center, aquatic center and gym through the provision. Under this stipulation, the city would have the final say in how the fund would operate because the lease agreement doesn't specify. During the council's work session, city administrator Craig Clark mentioned the next step for Austin to continue moving forward with the project is to get an official design for the future recreation center, as well as complete fundraising campaigns. Funding for the project will come from $25 million pledged by The Hormel Foundation, $5 million from the Hormel Foods Corp. and $5 million to be raised through a community campaign. This would result in the project starting without debt. ADVERTISEMENT As of now, there's no official start date for construction or a completion date. And there are no plans at this point for the current Y building after the new center is ready for use. AUSTIN Nationally known motivational speaker Kerry Magro will be visiting three Austin schools and giving a free presentation at the Hormel Historic Home on Monday and Tuesday. Magro will be the guest presenter for the annual kickoff of Peer Power Partners mentoring program at IJ Holton Intermediate School, Ellis Middle School and Austin High School. PPP pairs students with disabilities with same-aged peers for friendship, understanding and advocacy. There will be large group assemblies and small group workshops with disability awareness activities and a Q&A segment with Magro. Magro, who has autism, is a disabilities advocate and will be sharing his story and experiences with different interventions and therapies, as well as tips on supporting those who have autism and other disabilities in school, the workplace and the community, according to a news release. The presentation seeks to be interactive and informative for school staff, parents and community members seeking to understand autism, as well being more welcoming and accommodating. ADVERTISEMENT There are more than 100 families in the Austin school district affected by Autism. One in 68 children nationally is identified on the autism spectrum. More info can be found at kerrymagro.com. A redevelopment project at Miracle Mile shopping center in Rochester went outside of the city of Rochester's normal review process to appear at a Monday night Rochester City Council meeting, only to see the project owner request a delay of more than a month to appear at the council's Nov. 21 meeting. The city's Planning and Zoning Commission had reviewed the project at three meetings and at its Oct. 12 meeting the commission gave its recommendation for approval to the application, an amendment to a planned urban development area. Prior to that meeting, on Oct. 7, the city published notice that the project "may be heard" at an Oct. 17 Rochester City Council meeting. Council member Nick Campion at the Monday council meeting noted the city typically waits for a recommendation from its planning commission before advertising a public hearing at the council. He asked the council to formally vote to hold a public hearing for the project at its Monday meeting. "The reason I bring this up is it was quite unusual how this moved forward. We actually had this noticed prior to the completion at the planning commission, which is maybe not completely unheard of but is extremely rare" Campion said. City Administrator Stevan Kvenvold explained he had asked for a public hearing on the project at the council's Oct. 17 meeting based on past direction to have an expedient application process, and based on the timing of the Miracle Mile project. ADVERTISEMENT "I indicated to the planning department that they should set that up for the public hearing on the 17th, under the assumption that the council would want to have this orderly process continue, rather than move it to the 7th of November," Kvenvold said. When Council President Randy Staver introduced the council agenda at Monday's meeting, he said the applicant in the Miracle Mile project Miracle Mile LLC, managed by Oronoco businessman Javon Bea had requested to continue the hearing to the council's Nov. 21 meeting. Campion requested the council vote on whether to open the public hearing Monday, even to continue the process to a later date, because city ordinance did not obligate the council to hear the matter before the planning commission had made a recommendation or before state statute requiring action on applications within 60 days had been triggered. Campion's concern was for the integrity of the development process; if the council set a precedent of hearing project applications before the commission had made a recommendation, other developers in the future might ask for similar treatment, he said. "It has nothing to do with what's before us it's the problem with eroding the responsibilities of planning and zoning commission I'm concerned about," Campion said. The council voted 6-1 to open the hearing, with Campion giving the dissenting vote. Staver said the council would not discuss the project application or take any action on it at Monday's meeting, but several residents who had showed up to speak at the public hearing took the opportunity to do so. Jesse Welsh, president of the Kutzky Park Neighborhood Association, recounted the association's interactions with the Miracle Mile LLC project team and efforts to address two of the neighborhood's concerns: the orientation of the building away from the neighborhood without an active front on 16th Avenue Southwest, and an offset intersection in the project's site design neighbors felt would be unsafe to pedestrians. ADVERTISEMENT Welsh also addressed communications between the neighborhood representatives and Bea that had turned sour . "I think this process is a disservice to neighborhoods, but really it is a disservice to everyone," Welsh said. Kellie Mueller, another Kutzky neighborhood association member, said the association had not asked for many of the changes Bea referenced in an email to council members citing "concessions" to the neighborhood group. The neighborhood's concerns remained the same, Mueller said, and the group still hopes for a productive meeting with the developer. "We're asking to get this right and I'm hoping that this additional time maybe will get us somewhere. We just want a chance to sit at the table and maybe show him what's possible," Mueller said. Bea did not attend Monday's meeting and city staff did not offer a reason for the request to move the public hearing to Nov. 21. "I didn't take any part in that. I don't know anything about why this applicant would ask for it to be continued," Kvenvold said. The redevelopment project would repurpose the north end of the shopping center with a 30,000-square-foot grocery store and about 6,800 square feet of additional commercial space west of 16th Avenue Southwest between First Street Southwest and West Center Street. On the upper floors of the planned five-floor building, the developer proposed to build 107 apartment units. The council continued the application to Nov. 21. ADVERTISEMENT The Rochester City Council will open a public hearing next week to determine whether it will suspend its process to select a public transit operator to begin in 2017. The council continued a hearing that had been scheduled for Monday night to the following week, Oct. 24, to allow for public testimony on the issue. Former public transit operator Rochester City Lines had asked in a legal appeal of the process for the council to stay the city's request for proposals. Rochester City Lines had objected to the city's request for the proposals process on the grounds it was wrongfully and unfairly prepared. The city had dismissed that complaint, and Rochester City Lines brought the issue to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The city council will decide whether to suspend its process to select a 2017 operator for its public transit system at a hearing Oct. 24, at 3:30 p.m., in the council chambers at the city-county Government Center. Also at the meeting: ADVERTISEMENT The council delayed another public hearing to review changes to the city's mobile video recorder policy that governs the Rochester Police Department's use of body cameras for officers. The policy had been in place before the Minnesota Legislature's new rules on data classification. The council will review changes that bring the city policy into accordance with state law at a Nov. 7 public hearing. The delay will give time for the city's Police Policy Oversight Commission to gather public comment on the policy changes. The council also approved the imposition of 2017 Downtown Special Service District charges in the amount of $267,198. The charges are paid by downtown business property owners and managed by the Rochester Downtown Alliance to promote downtown activity. The 2017 charges were an 8 percent increase from the previous year, the maximum increase allowed. Tax capacity increase in the district because of valuation changes over the previous year grew by more than 12 percent, according to a city document. Rochester leaders are studying a St. Paul ordinance and taking input from industry leader Uber as they work to craft a local policy that would allow for realtime ride-sharing services in the city. The Rochester City Council on Monday agreed to use a St. Paul ordinance as its base to begin the process of building a Rochester-specific ordinance to govern transportation networking companies also called ride-sharing services. The council on Monday also reviewed changes to the St. Paul ordinance proposed by Uber. Some of Uber's recommended changes would update the policy to reflect recent changes in state statute, while other changes would remove or lessen some restrictions in place in the St. Paul ordinance, said Rochester City Clerk Aaron Reeves. Rochester City Attorney Terry Adkins had also made recommended edits to a draft ordinance shared with city council. Those edits were for structure, not content, Reeves said. The council is working toward a Nov. 7 public hearing that would allow interested residents and business representatives to comment on the draft ordinance. ADVERTISEMENT As the council enters the process of creating a local ordinance, council members expressed a few goals for the process. "I'm open to looking at this but I don't know that I want Uber telling us what ordinance to use," council member Ed Hruska said. "I want to create some balance there a little bit and try and create something that we can apply to our city that works and makes sense for everybody." Council member Michael Wojcik cautioned the council against overregulating to the point of hurting or discouraging businesses like, he said, the city did in its mobile food vendor ordinance. "The goal here is to bring TNCs to Rochester," Wojcik said. "The idea here is not to make it difficult for Uber to be here. The goal is to make it easy for Uber and similar companies to be here." The city would also need to take another look at its existing taxicab ordinance to make sure the playing field with transportation networking companies was level, said council member Mark Bilderback. Mayo, Medtronic, UnitedHealth officials join at conference MINNEAPOLIS Top officials with the world's largest medical technology company, the nation's biggest health insurer and one of the world's premier academic medical centers are taking part in a conference in Minneapolis. The Star Tribune reports that the Minnesota-based CEOs of Medtronic and Mayo Clinic will join the chief medical officer of UnitedHealth Group on one stage at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Tuesday. They'll address a crowd of thousands of health care executives and entrepreneurs from around the world at the medical-technology industry's premier national conference, AdvaMed 2016. Medical Alley Association trade group CEO Shaye Mandle says the industry needs improved health outcomes and lower costs, and the presentation will be an opportunity to get major players in health care talking about potential solutions. ADVERTISEMENT The conference runs through Wednesday. Dry weather allows Minnesota farmers to catch up on harvest ST. PAUL Minnesota farmers are making up for lost time on the fall harvest, thanks to drier weather. The Minnesota crop report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture says 5.3 days were suitable for fieldwork during the week that ended Sunday. That's the most days suitable since the first week of August. While the drier weather allowed for harvesting in most areas of the state, some fields or spots were still too wet to harvest. Almost one-quarter of Minnesota's soybean acreage was harvested last week. Eighty-seven percent of the soybean acreage was harvested, slightly ahead of average but a week behind last year. Nearly all of Minnesota's corn acreage is mature. Thirty-seven percent of corn for grain is harvested, six days behind the five-year average and five days behind last year. Appeals Court upholds dismissal of charges in poaching case ADVERTISEMENT MINNEAPOLIS The Minnesota Court of Appeals says a lower court was right to dismiss charges in a high-profile poaching case after authorities put a GPS device on a man's truck without a warrant. The appeals court ruled Monday that putting the device on Joshua Dwight Liebl's truck without a warrant amounted to an unreasonable search. The case was one of the biggest deer-poaching busts in recent memory. Liebl, of Dawson, was charged with numerous counts and authorities confiscated the racks of 37 deer. The Department of Natural Resources had a "tracking order" to put the device on Liebl's truck in 2014, but a judge in west-central Minnesota found earlier this year that the order wasn't enough. As a result, evidence obtained from that device was tossed and the charges were dismissed. Glen Taylor moves into food industry with Windom pork plant MINNEAPOLIS Billionaire printing magnate and Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is becoming involved in the food industry. Taylor and a group of investors are spending millions of dollars to convert a former beef plant into a hog processing facility, Minnesota Public Radio reported . They plan to open Prime Pork in Windom by January. The plant will be a medium-sized operation that will process more than 6,000 hogs daily. The group hopes to tap into people's growing desire to know where and how their food is produced. ADVERTISEMENT "The customer can know which farms the hogs came from," Taylor said. "How they're raised, what they're fed, how they're treated." Plant Manager Wayne Kies said the operation won't accept hogs treated with a growth stimulant that's banned by China, a fast-growing pork market. "We want to produce a quality, consistent product," Kies said. The Food Marketing Institute report found that 43 percent of millennials distrust large food companies, more than double the rate of the rest of the population. "I think that there is a demand and an expectation this day and age that I should be able to find out any information about anything that I want," said David Fikes with the Food Marketing Institute. Minnesota woman guilty of assaulting non-English speaker ANOKA A Minnesota woman has pleaded guilty to assault for attacking another woman in a restaurant because she was speaking Swahili. Jodie Burchard-Risch was at an Applebee's in Coon Rapids last year when she smashed her glass beer mug in Asma Jama's face, causing significant injuries. A criminal complaint said Burchard-Risch became upset before the attack because Jama wasn't speaking English. The 44-year-old Burchard-Risch pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree assault. Jama told reporters she was happy with the guilty plea. Under the plea deal, Burchard-Risch will face 180 days in jail and five years of probation. If she violates probation, she could spend about three years in prison. She'll be sentenced in December. UnitedHealth beats Street's third-quarter forecasts MINNETONKA UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) on Tuesday reported third-quarter profit of $1.97 billion. The Minnetonka, Minnesota-based company said it had net income of $2.03 per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were $2.17 per share. The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 12 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.08 per share. The largest U.S. health insurer posted revenue of $46.29 billion in the period, which also beat Street forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $45.87 billion. UnitedHealth expects full-year earnings to be $8 per share. UnitedHealth shares have climbed 14 percent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has climbed 4 percent. The stock has climbed 12 percent in the last 12 months. Twenty-two days. That's all that separates us from the day after the most contentious election in modern history. Circle it, Nov. 9. The only certainty is that some Americans will wake up in a funk. And according to polls, even many who voted for the winning candidate will have done so reluctantly. Our collective reaction the day after and that of both the winning and the losing candidates will set the course for the next four years. So here's my hair-of-the-dog tonic for both the public and the candidates. First, from the citizenry: Forbearance. It'll be extremely difficult, but come Nov. 9, let's not judge Donald Trump based on his comments about Mexico sending us its rapists, his mocking of a New York Times reporter with a disability or his history of misogyny. And if Hillary Clinton is elected the nation's first female president, we must end the fixation with Benghazi, stop repeating FBI Director James Comey's assessment that she was "extremely careless" with her private email servers and stop blaming the rise of the Islamic State on her stewardship at the State Department. It's too much to ask that their pasts will all be forgotten, but reasonable to request that we move on in the name of national unity. For far too long, the largest number of us have allowed our voices to be muted by the loudest voices. It's important we not let them take us down that road for another four years. Hopefully, the candidates can provide leadership that heals. ADVERTISEMENT If Trump wins, he needs to appear magnanimous toward Clinton and he can begin by retiring his Twitter account and banishing "Crooked Hillary" from his lexicon. His first appointment to the cabinet should be a Hispanic and his senior staff should include women and people of color. "He should make clear that some of his most extreme statements in the campaign he does not intend to act on and instead, he will listen. He'll listen to the generals, he'll listen to the members of the Congress, he'll listen to the general public," offered Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., when I asked him for suggestions. Coons, who led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Morocco and Eastern Europe last summer, also thinks it important that Trump visit NATO, "sit down with our allies and say, 'It's a treaty. We stand by our treaties, you can trust us as an ally. If Russia invades you, we will defend you. That's what the NATO treaty means.'" If Trump is the loser, he must accept the legitimacy of his fate with grace, a tall order for him. Unfortunately, he has already planted seeds for questioning the election's validity. Last week in Pennsylvania, he warned an overwhelmingly white crowd that their votes were at risk of being stolen from people in "other communities." A week prior, he similarly warned that the only way he could be beaten was "if in certain sections of the state they cheat." That sort of unfounded thinking is destructive and must end. Additionally, the nation can ill afford another confab where Sen. Mitch McConnell implores his fellow Republican leaders that the "single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." It's healthy for one party to wish to defeat another, but the nation cannot sustain the type of attacks on Obama now being redirected toward Clinton. If she wins, she should immediately reach across the aisle. She should request that the Senate confirm Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court a centrist with impeccable credentials who happens to be a Democrat. Coons, a member of the Judiciary Committee, concurs. "Many in my party on the left are urging her to withdraw his nomination or to not renominate him and to instead nominate someone 15 years younger and much more left," he told me. "And I certainly understand how that appeals to a progressive agenda. There are some critics of Garland's centrism. But I think getting the country back, our Congress back, to working with each other begins with confirming a confirmable justice." Coons would also advise Clinton to put together a "bold infrastructure plan," noting that it's a rare area of agreement between such disparate interests as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and organized labor. ADVERTISEMENT "We have huge problems in terms of rail, road and ports," Coons said. "I commute to Washington on Amtrak almost every day. I go through a tunnel that was built in the 1870s. I go over two bridges that were built more than 100 years ago. If you go to our competitor countries like China, South Korea, and Japan, they have world-class, state-of-the-art airport, rail, ports. That's why they're succeeding and competing with us in infrastructure." The self-described "radical centrist" who represents Delaware and holds the seat formerly held by Vice President Biden hopes a President Clinton would "seize a moment here to put forward a balanced centrist agenda, encourage Republicans to work with her across the aisle, not try and make big sort of strikes to the left, and instead say we need to work together because there are a lot of people in the middle who have been completely turned off by the last several campaign cycles." Should she lose, she must be gracious in defeat, accept the outcome, and give Trump the opportunity to show that actions speak louder than words. That'll be tough, given the invective she's incurred, but there is historical precedent for a losing presidential candidate putting the nation first. Richard Nixon accepted a controversial defeat in 1960 and Al Gore did likewise in 2000. Whoever the victor, come Nov. 9, we need to put this election behind us. Michael Smerconish writes for The Philadelphia Inquirer and is host of "Smerconish" on CNN. The race for Seat 3 on the Rochester School Board pits two candidates with diverse experience. Incumbent Deborah Seelinger has a breadth of education and knowledge, holding a masters degree in adult education and tenure on several district committees, as well as being president of the Minnesota PTA. Challenger Bobbie Gallas , a paraprofessional at Ben Franklin Elementary School, has worked for the district for 16 years and offers an employee's viewpoint and strong desire to call things into question. A characteristic question: "If space is a big deal, why do I have an empty room at Ben Franklin?" This is Gallas' second run for a school board seat, and Seelinger's first re-election bid since joining the board four years ago. Gallas, who would no longer be a paraprofessional if elected, says residents have been misled and the district must work on balancing the budget as a whole. She said she did not support last year's referendum, because "They didn't tell us what the money was for." ADVERTISEMENT Seelinger, however, says the referendum provides a potential path to avoid budget cuts into the 2020 school year. Noting some aspects of the budget, such as underfunded state mandates, are out of district control, she said she hopes to continue keeping cuts away from student services, even though that has grown more difficult with a thinning administrative staff. Bridging gaps The candidates are divided on the district's response to the Office of Civil Right's report regarding discipline disparities. Gallas said the federal agency provided a good approach to tackle concerns, but district response has not been transparent enough. She said things are unfolding too slowly. Seelinger, who said the report shone a spotlight on discipline, favors taking the long view for sustaining change, which includes the district's Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program, staff development and potential curriculum changes. It will all take time, she told the Post Bulletin Editorial Board. Both candidates agree Rochester Public Schools should be doing more to bridge income and race-based achievement gaps, but offer different insights. Gallas said RPS must make sure programming works for all students and the district needs to take a good look at what must be done to bridge those gaps. Seelinger notes the gaps are a national issue. Parental involvement is key to her. She wants to get parents more engaged, which she said could be done with limited expense. She points to programs at Gage and Riverside elementary schools and Hawthorne. ADVERTISEMENT Potential changes Asked about a proposal to expand the 45/15 school calendar, which has students in class for nine weeks with three-week breaks, neither candidate gave a definitive answer. Gallas said the district should embrace a 45/15 schedule on an all or nothing basis, and Seelinger was reluctant to say yes or no, noting more research is still needed. The candidates also vary on support for changing daily start times. Gallas said her main concern is whether the new times would be safe, and Seelinger says research shows older students need more sleep, but any change would require a transportation change, as well. Communication Both candidates agree more communication with district residents is needed. Seelinger sees the biggest challenge as making sure the district helps the community understand the importance of education. Working with the board's community engagement committee, she'd like to resurrect listening sessions for the board, emphasizing the need to get the whole board to buy in. Gallas, on the other hand, rejects the notion that the board needs to speak as a whole or only the director can be the board's voice. She said she see's no reason one member can't speak with community organizations and listen to concerns. We like the fact that both members are thinking about paths to greater communication, which has been lacking. Taxpayers need more access to elected officials. Beyond school board meetings, it can be a challenge for some to reach board members. ADVERTISEMENT With greater access, most residents will likely expect insights into education, which Seelinger's experience provides. While she has often been a quiet member of the board, when she talks she displays a unique understanding of the governing process. She is intentional and pointed. Because of that, the Post Bulletin Editorial Board endorses Deborah Seelinger for a second term, with the hope that she'll strengthen her voice and become an ambassador for the board, as well as the people she serves. Learn more The Post Bulletin Editorial Board endorsements are offered to provide one view of candidates for local and regional offices. We encourage you to do your own research as you get ready to vote. To find out more about the candidates running for the Rochester School Board, visit their websites: Deborah Seelinger www.deborahseelinger.com/ Bobbie Gallas https://gallas4sb.wordpress.com/ For information on polling places and sample ballots, visit the Minnesota Secretary of State website at www.sos.state.mn.us. Upcoming endorsements: Wednesday Rochester School Board, Seat 7 Ahmed Ragab vs. Mark Schleusner Thursday Minnesota House, District 21A Lisa Bayley vs. Barb Haley Minnesota House, District 21B Steve Drazkowski vs. Elise Diesslin Friday Minnesota Senate, District 21 Matt Schmit vs. Mike Goggin Saturday Minnesota House, District 25A Duane Quam vs. Linda Walbruch Minnesota House, District 25B Duane Sauke vs. Fran Bradley Endorsements published: Oct. 10: Olmsted County Board, District 3 Oct. 11: Olmsted County Board, District 7 Oct. 12: Rochester City Council, Ward 2 Oct. 13: Rochester City Council, Ward 4 Oct. 14; Rochester City Council, Ward 6 Oct. 15: Rochester City Council president Oct. 17: Rochester School Board, Seat 1 Past endorsements are available online at postbulletin.com/opinions 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? More from todays FBI report on its investigation into Hillary Clintons tenure as Secretary of State. The agency interviewed a Special Agent who previously worked for the State Departments Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The agent offered a devastating picture of Hillarys conduct at the State Department. From her own experience, and information obtained through [ ] and other agents, [ ] described a stark difference between [Condoleezza] RICE and CLINTON with regard to obedience to security and diplomatic protocols. RICE observed strict adherence to State Department security and diplomatic protocols while CLINTON frequently and blatantly disregarded them. For example, it is standard security and diplomatic protocol for the Secretary of State to ride in the armored limousine with the local U.S. ambassador when traveling in countries abroad. It is seen as diplomatic protocol for the Secretary of State to arrive at foreign diplomatic functions with the local ambassador; however, CLINTON refused to do so, instead choosing to be accompanied in the limousine by her Chief of Staff, HUMA ABEDIN. This frequently resulted in complaints by ambassadors who were insulted and embarrassed by this breach of protocol. [ ] explained that CLINTONs protocol breaches were well known throughout Diplomatic Security and were abundant. [ ] explained that ABEDIN possessed much more power over CLINTONs staff and schedule than other former chiefs of staff. [ ] believed that ABEDIN herself was often responsible for overriding security and diplomatic protocols on behalf of CLINTON. Here is the page from the FBI report. Click to enlarge: I have never given much credence to the many rumors about Hillary Clinton and Huma Abedin, but there is obviously something weird going on there. I suspect it may have to do with Hillarys failing health, but, in any event, Hillarys incompetent performance as Secretary of State, along with much else, should disqualify her as a candidate for the presidency. PAUL ADDS: Lets not forget that Huma Abedin, so indispensable to Hillary, is an enemy of Israel and American Jews who support Israel. One can debate whether the WikiLeaks documents pertaining to Hillary Clinton and her campaign have produced a smoking gun. My view is that they havent, not yet anyway. But the leaked documents corroborate important portions of the conservative critique of Clinton and of the mainstream media. The latest example is an April 30, 2015 email in which Politicos chief political correspondent Glenn Thrush asked John Podesta to approve his writing pre-publication. Alex Pfeiffer of the Daily Caller has the details. Thrushs story, about (get this) Hillary Clintons supposed fundraising woes, seems designed to generate sympathy, if not funds, for the Clinton campaign. But just to make sure his article was fine by Team Clinton, Thrush emailed it to Podesta in advance of publication. He asked Podesta to tell me if I fu*ked up anything. Thrush stated: Because I have become a hack I will send u the whole section that pertains to u. He added: Please dont share or tell anyone I did this. Podesta responded that there were no problems with Thrushs story. Politico is defending the conduct of its chief political correspondent. Its spokesman Brad Dayspring (whose blast emails I used to receive when he worked for Eric Cantor) calls Thrushs self-description as a hack self-deprecating humor. So, I assume it, is. But it is humor based in fact, including the recognition that it wasnt proper to send the story to Podesta. The same recognition is evident from Thrushs plea to Podesta that he not tell anyone I did this. Dayspring claims that Thrush gets everybody, on both sides of the aisle to confirm facts in his stories that pertain to them. Maybe. But Pfeiffer has challenged Dayspring to provide specific examples of Republican campaign chairmen with whom he has pre-cleared stories. Indeed, says Pfeiffer, it would be interesting to know whether Thrush ever cleared stories with Dayspring or his colleagues when Dayspring worked for Eric Cantor. For his part, Thrush told Pfeiffer: If I am to be defined by my enemies, happy to have you. Welcome to middle school, folks. The problem for Thrush is that hes defined not by his enemies but by his cozy exchange with Podesta the one he hoped no one would learn about. UPDATE: Regarding the first paragraph of this post, if theres a smoking gun, its in the just-released FBI documents about which John reports here. One of Donald Trumps defects is that he doesnt seem to have much of a sense of humor. There doesnt seem to be much lighter side to him in his public presentation. Even in grim times, it usually works in politics to show some sense of humor, especially the self-deprecating kind (see: JFK, Reagan, Lincoln, Churchill, etc). But then theres this video, where Trump plays to his image perfectly with a deadpan parody of himself: I wonder if he might be doing better if he found a way to show that he can indeed make fun of himself. 60 Minutes broadcast its review of the Rosenberg spy case this past Sunday in The brothers Rosenberg (the brothers being Michael and Robert Meeeropol). In the hands of 60 Minutes and reporter Anderson Cooper, the case becomes a sob story starring the surviving children of the American leader of a network of Communist spies who sought to facilitate Stalins development of atomic weapons. John Schindler exposes the 60 Minutes storys manifest shortcomings in the New York Observer column Rosenberg lies never cease. Julius Rosenberg the father of the Meeropols was the leader of the spy network that gave rise to the case. Ethel Rosenberg the mother of the Metropolis assisted her husband in recruiting spies to the network. Rather than tell the truth about their activities and betrayals, they told their kids they were innocent and left their kids behind as they went to their deaths by the electric chair in 1953 following their convictions. The Rosenbergs are an eternal cause of the left. The Communists proclaimed their innocence and many believed it. Ron Radosh was one such believing leftist until he immersed himself in the evidence and interviewed witnesses to write The Rosenberg File with Joyce Milton, published in 1983 (second, revised edition 1997). Reviewing the evidence, Ron was shocked to find Julius Rosenberg guilty as charged. (He found Ethel Rosenberg a more complicated case whose guilt as an accomplice has become clearer as additional evidence emerged in the 1990s.) 60 Minutes revisits the case as a soap opera. It does so expressly in the context of the petition seeking the exoneration of Ethel Rosenberg. In the world according to CBS News, it appears that Ethel Rosenberg is still innocent after all these years. If not exactly innocent, at least she is not guilty. Her children are therefore victims of the United States government and Americas Cold War hysteria. In the interest of balance Ron Radosh makes a cameo appearance as the historian who wrote the book on the case and was ostracized by the left for his findings. Thanks to Ron and others, the evidence of espionage can no longer be talked away, but new information supposedly also leads to the petition for exoneration. Before Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for conspiring to provide atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, Ethel wrote a letter to their sons Michael and Robby saying, always remember that we were innocent. So perhaps its not surprising that when the boys grew up, they wanted to try to clear their parents names. What is surprising is how much new information they and independent historians have been able to uncover over the years secret messages, intercepted cables, long-forgotten files from the archives of the FBI, the CIA, and the KGB. The new information has changed the way this chapter of American history is viewed, which is why the brothers are now asking President Obama to exonerate their mother. If the evidence of espionage cannot be talked away, it can be discounted and mitigated: Theres now plenty of evidence that Julius Rosenbergs spy network stole important technology for jet fighters, radar, and detonators. But the one thing he and his spies didnt do a very good job of stealing was atomic secrets the heart of the prosecutors case. Most historians agree that the Soviets got the most important atomic bomb-making information from Los Alamos scientists Klaus Fuchs and Theodore Hall, who belonged to a different Russian spy ring. The evidence introduced against Ethel Rosenberg by her brother at trial may well have been perjurious in part, because the government chose to protect its breaking of the Soviet code leading to decryption of the messages that implicated her. Ron Radosh puts it this way: if you want to say the government framed the Rosenbergs, they framed guilty people. John Schindler has much more on this point in the column linked above. 60 Minutes gives the last word to Robert Meeroopol: Our mother was killed for something she did not do. She was taken away from us. Thats as personal as it can get. But, the fact that the government facilitated the invention of evidence in order to convict someone of a capital crime, that is something that should concern everybody. 60 Minutes story on the Rosenberg case gives Robert Meeropol the last word and otherwise lends credence to the Meeropols cause. It leaves critical parts of the story out or on the cutting room floor to do so. That makes it a sad story in more ways than one. This past Sunday 60 Minutes presented the Rosenberg spy case for dummies i.e., for viewers with no knowledge of the ancient history it purported to relate. As John Schindler explains, the 60 Minutes story is deficient in critical respects. In February 2015 C-SPAN recorded an outstanding panel at the National Archives including John Earl Haynes, Ronald Radosh, Steven Usdin, Allen Hornblum and Mark Kramer discussing the case. Collectively, these participants in the discussion know just about everything there is to know about the case. The YouTube video of the panel discussion (below) provides a necessary supplement to the 60 Minutes story. Ron Radosh summarized new evidence since the first edition of his book on the case was published in 1983 at 00:19:30. At 01:18:40 an audience member asked about Ethel Rosenberg in particular. At about 01:30:40, Allen Hornblum specifically addressed the Meeropols, who continue to trot out this canard. He adds: Theyve been running a confidence game. In the panelists final statements Ron Radosh wrapped up with comments about the the persistence and animus of the left. Harvey Klehr concluded with observations on the Rosenbergs abiding Communist mania maintained at the expense of their children. I reached out to several of the panelists for comments on the 60 Minutes story. I am most grateful for the responses I received to my request. The responses follow. John Earl Haynes: 60 minutes interviewed me for the program. I went over in detail the evidence in Venona and Vassilievs notebooks that Ethel was a knowing and active participant in Juliusa work and recognized as such by the KGB (predecessor to be exact). They seemed to want me to say the evidence was ambiguous but it wasnt. I sent to them the complete texts of the passages in Venona and Vassiliev. They believed Julius recruited only one atomic spy, but I pointed out that Greenglass was Juliuss second atomic recruit. The first, Russell McNutt was even directed by Julius to try get a job with the contractor building uranium separation facilities at Oak Ridge. McNutt, a civil engineer, got the job, worked as part of the design team for Oat Ridge, and provided the Soviets with key design details for the facility. The also interviewed Ron Radosh, Steve Usdin, and Harvey Klehr, who told them much the same. It appears to me that 60 Minutes had a melodramatic story line and werent going to be swayed by evidence that interfered with the pathos of their innocent wife and mother executed for husbands crimes story line. Carefully, 60 Minutes doesnt say Ethel was innocent, they let the Meeropol brothers say that repeatedly and emphatically, dont present the documentary evidence of Venona and Vassiliev, and then try to cover themselves with a tiny snippet from Radoshs interview. The program provides partial, distorted, and inaccurate history. Harvey Klehr: 60 Minutes ignored evidence that Julius Rosenberg recruited not one but two of the KGBs atomic spies. Both Russell McNutt and David Greenglass provided important information about the Manhattan project. The KGB itself evaluated Greenglasss information as valuable, despite the claim on the show that it was worthless. And they did not mention that the Vassiliev Notebooks show Julius himself writing a report that Ethel had persuaded her sister-in-law, Ruth Greenglass, to approach David and ask him to spy. Steven Usdin: Ethel Rosenberg should not have been executed, and it is likely that her trial was tainted by perjury, but the evidence demonstrates conclusively that she was not innocent. She met with at least three of the Soviet KGB officers who Julius reported to, served as a cut out for communications with a KGB officer on at least one occasion, and she recruited her brother to become an atomic spy. KGB documents indicate that Ethel knew of her husbands activities, knew he had recruited several of his comrades to spy for Stalin, and that the Soviet intelligence agency trusted Ethel. It envisioned using her as a courier after World War II, until defections forced the KGB to suspend certain operations in the United States. The 60 Minutes program omitted important information about the Rosenberg spy ring. It failed to describe the magnitude of its operations, which included stealing blueprints and in some cases working copies of some of Americas most value weapons systems: radar, the proximity fuse, analogue computer technology, and aviation technology including blueprints for the first American jet fighter. Critically, 60 Minutes did not mention that Julius Rosenberg and his recruits continued to spy for the Soviet Union long after the end of World War II they were planning espionage activities in 1950 until it became clear that the FBI was closing in. This was a time when Julius and his comrades were certain that armed conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was inevitable. Much of the technology the Rosenberg ring stole after 1945, including antiaircraft radar, and the designs and specifications for American military aircraft, could have helped the Red Army in the Korean and Vietnam wars. As I describe in Engineering Communism (Yale University Press, 2005), two members of the Rosenberg ring escaped behind the Iron Curtain and played major roles in the development of Soviet military technology for decades. Mark Kramer: The 60 Minutes program was apparently intended as a puff piece for the Meeropols, who have set out over the past year to whitewash the recently disclosed Soviet evidence indicating that their mother was an enthusiastic accomplice of espionage. The 60 Minutes program devoted almost all of its time to interviews with the Meeropols but added nothing new to what they have said over and over in recent years. When Ron Radosh was finally brought in, he explained well why the Meeropols are dead wrong, but unfortunately the 60 Minutes producers gave him much less time, and they omitted some of his crucial arguments. Two of these omissions were especially telling about the slant of the program. First, even though Radosh spoke to them at length about the importance of Russell McNutt, they made no mention of him. The reason this omission is so important is that the Rosenbergs recruitment of McNutt shows conclusively that they were intent on setting up a wide spy network in the U.S. nuclear weapons program not just at Los Alamos but also at Oak Ridge. Second, the 60 Minutes program omitted Radoshs explanation about the value of the sketch provided by David Greenglass. It is simply untrue to say, as the 60 Minutes producers did, that the sketch was of no value. Nine large volumes of declassified Soviet nuclear documents were published from 1999 to 2009 under the the title Atomnyi proekt SSSR (Atomic Project of the USSR), and these volumes make clear that the special committe headed by Lavrentii Beria (which oversaw the Soviet nuclear weapons program from 1945 until 1953) always sought multiple sources to confirm the information they were receiving from espionage. So, even though it is true that what Klaus Fuchs and Theodore Hall provided was far more detailed and sensitive than the information provided by Greenglass, it is factually wrong to say that the Greenglass sketch was of no value. The sketch provided confirmation of information from Fuchs and Hall. Ron Radosh Ron Radosh spoke with Peter Roff of USNews. Rons comments are incorporated in Roffs column Ethel Rosenberg: Guilty as charged. The column includes comments by Ron that 60 Minutes left on the cutting room floor. In 2013 I caught up with Ron at the West Coast Retreat of the David Horowitz Freedom Center. After my meandering attempt to frame a question, Ron briefly addressed the new evidence that has emerged since his book on the case was first published in 1983 and added a few words anticipating 60 Minutes and the Meeropols. Ron has written updates presenting new evidence bearing on the Rosenberg case with Steve Usdin in Rosenbergs redux (2010), The Sobell confession (2011) and Ethel Rosenberg should not be pardoned (2015). Over the last several days, headlines have blared Donald Trumps claim that the presidential election is rigged. When he initially said this, it was clear that he meant it was being rigged by the media, through biased news coverage, as in this tweet: Election is being rigged by the media, in a coordinated effort with the Clinton campaign, by putting stories that never happened into news! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016 Since then he has appropriately expanded the theme to include voter fraud, but I want to stay with the original media version. Trump is absolutely correct that the liberal press has thrown its weight behind Hillary Clintons candidacy, sometimes, as the Wikileaks revelations show, actively collaborating with the Clinton campaign. But Trump understandably misses a key point: the most important rigging of the election by the press happened during the Republican campaign season, when reporters and editors helped to make Trump the GOP nominee. In the beginning, most people thought Trumps presidential campaign was a joke. It was widely recognized that he would be the weakest candidate to oppose Hillary Clinton, with the possible exception of one or two no-hopers like Jim Gilmore or George Pataki. So what happened? The press made the story all about Donald Trump. He got, as others later calculated, billions of dollars worth of free publicity on television, and he dominated print coverage of the primaries as well. Other candidates had a hard time getting their messages in front of voters. The attention that reporters paid to Trump helped evenperhaps especiallywhen it was negative. Being attacked by liberal journalists like Dana Milbank, to name just one of many examples, gave Trump credibility in the eyes of many Republican and independent voters. So the liberal press built Donald Trump into the prime Republican contender, and eventual nominee. But note what the press did not do: it did not release any of the anti-Trump bombshells that seem to have clinched the election for Mrs. Clinton. NBC has had the infamous Access Hollywood tape for eleven years, but it came to light only in the last days of the campaign, when it could do the most to assure a Clinton victory. Why didnt NBC leak the tape to the Washington Post during the primary season? In all likelihood, the answer is that the network didnt want to damage Trump until it was too late for Republican voters to select a stronger candidate. So Trump is right that the press is making a strong, and likely successful, effort to rig the election in favor of the Democrats. But we shouldnt lose sight of the fact that the most important aspect of that rigging was relentlessly building up Trump during the primary season. If the GOP had nominated, say, Marco Rubio, he would today be cruising toward an easy victory over the appalling Hillary Clinton. The artworks of one of Nigerias leading contemporary artist, Gbenga Offo, will be opened to the public to commemorate the five years anniversary of The Wheatbaker, a luxury boutique hotel in Lagos. Freedom, is an exhibition of 39 paintings and sculptures that reflects Offos personality. From his charcoal and pencil sketches on paper to his signature large colourful paintings, the artists much admired cubist style is complemented by his abstract expressionist splash painting style with his deft and masterful use of colour. Offos works reflect the strength of our national character, its vitality, energetic resilience, its bold colours and its complex nature, said Sandra Mbanefo-Obiago, the hotels art curator. Originally inspired by his iconic representation of human forms in Yoruba wooden sculptures, complete with bulging eyes, Offos art is soaked in the cubist tradition, from which he now soars to new heights of abstraction. After two decades of painting and drawing, Offo decided to take an artistic leap into metal works, where he explores wrought iron and stainless steel alongside bronze in teasing out new expressions in colour and medium. We dont have enough time to experiment, Offo, 59, said. People often say Gbenga Offo is a cubist or an abstract expressionist but I have always wanted to be free. I am a liberal and listen deeply and sometimes even consider things too deeply. But now I have come to accept my art and embrace it in totality. Graduating as the best student in Art and Graphics at Yaba College of Technology in 1984, Offo worked for a decade as an illustrator for leading advertising agencies, Lintas and Insight Communications, before becoming a full-time studio artist in 1996. The highlight of Freedom is the presentation of Offos first collection of metal sculptures in bronze, wrought iron, and stainless steel. Offos first time metal sculptures, iconic cubist paintings, abstract splash paintings and detailed sketches show an artist responding to vital global issues such as migration, human rights, music, love and unity, said Mrs. Mbanefo-Obiago. After hosting 16 professionally curated exhibitions, the Wheatbaker has become Nigerias leading art hospitality destination showcasing cutting-edge visual art and even video installations. Since 2011, the Wheatbaker has supported art exhibitions, film screenings, dance and poetry performances, fashion shows, music concert and yearly art auctions in an effort to make Lagos a hub for African arts. The hotel has also hosted art exhibitions by some of leading Nigerian artists including Rom Isichei, Peju Alatise, Olu Amoda, Mike Omoighe, Duke Asidere, and Gerard Chukwuma. We are proud to have created a dynamic platform for international and local artists to experiment and present new creative expressions, said Mosun Ogunbanjo, a director at the hotel. We will continue to ensure that despite Nigerias current economic recession, the Wheatbaker provides quality services and strengthens creativity and innovation. The Freedom exhibition is sponsored by Veuve Clicquot and the Wheatbaker and runs until January 15, 2017. Potential heads of Nigerias proposed development bank, DBN, have been interviewed, the Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun has said. Mrs. Adeosun, who did not disclose the names of the interviewed candidates said interviews held during the weekend for candidates into the positions of Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer. She said the bank is expected to take off by January 2017 with a $1.3 billion seed funding from the World Bank and affiliates of the group. Fresh from the 2016 International Monetary Fund / World Bank meetings, Mrs. Adeosun said Nigeria received positive responses at the meeting from investors who were interested in partnering with to execute the projects. Nigeria was able to secure the commitment of various international investors to specific requests by her delegation to the meetings, she said. The minister, who was guest on the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, programme on Monday, said commitments were received on specific areas of the countrys economy in line with the economic agenda of the present administration. Apart from assurances by representatives of other developed countries to share economic intelligence on how certain challenges in the Nigerian economy could be tackled, Mrs. Adeosun said commitment also came on infrastructure development. Other areas the country received assurances of support, she said, were housing and power projects. The establishment of DBN is very important. It is going to provide money for the small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs). For Nigeria, it is really important, because 50 per cent of the countrys GDP is made up of small companies. These are small size, petty traders. So, finding how to make money available to them is really an important way of getting out of the challenges we currently face. So, getting DBN off ground is a big priority for us, and we have set ourselves a very tight deadline, she said. The minister also raised the prospect of mutual agreements between the federal and state governments over some of the World Bank-assisted projects. There are a number of projects that have been stalled. Most of the projects, which are health related, she said, were at state level, pointing out that government would report to the National Executive Council, where state governors usually attend, and the quarterly meeting of the Executive Council of the Federation. There is a $500 million for irrigation projects held up, because the counterpart funding, which is Nigerias contribution, just $4 million, hasnt been paid, she said. On the status of the Public Private Partnership arrangement being sought, Mrs. Adeosun said government must get to a point where such partnership was working effectively, particularly with technical help from some other governments. Emirates Airline says it could reduce the frequency of its flights to African cities or cut routes completely if current economic and financial challenges on the continent continued. The President of the airline, Tim Clark, announced this to reporters on the sidelines of an International Air Transport Association event in Dubai on Tuesday. Mr. Clark said foreign airlines flying to Africa now refuel abroad because jet fuel supplies had become more expensive and scarce in some African countries. In certain African countries, the currencies have really gone down, so were reflecting on a number of these to look at where its just not worth us to travel, Clark said. He added that Emirates load factor a measure of capacity utilisation for the rest of 2016 and 2017, would probably be in the mid-70s to low-80s in percentage terms. Mr. Clark, however, said there would be some peaks and troughs in that time. Emirates has started a detour to Accra, Ghana to refuel its daily Abuja-bound flight, a spokesman said last month; the airline had already cut its twice-daily flights to Lagos and Abuja to just one. The two associations denounced by the #BringBackOurGirls campaign on Monday made contradictory claims about contacting the #BBOG group before embarking on a controversial fund raising programme. In separate discussions on the matter, one of the groups, Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative, said it tried contacting #BBOG leaders to no avail. The other association, Peace Corps of Nigeria, however, said the #BBOG group was never considered a part of the fund raising programme. The two groups on Monday organised a programme with the theme: Official Inauguration and Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Chibok Girls Endowment Project at the headquarters of Peace Corps in Abuja. The President of Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative, Hadiza Buhari Bello, daughter of Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly received a N3.5 million cheque from Peace Corps National Commandant, Dickson Akor, as part of a Memorandum of Understanding. At the venue, a banner was placed on the wall explaining the theme of the programme. The banner had the #BringBackOurGirls logo written in red, with people also dressed in red around its premises. However, no representative of the #BBOG group was present at the event. The #BringBackOurGirls group in a statement signed by its co-conveners, Aisha Yesufu and Oby Ezekwesili, denounced the groups as well as the said programme. Following repeated enquiries from the media, we stumbled upon information of an event tagged Official Inauguration and Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Chibok Girls Endowment Project organised by the Peace Corps of Nigeria and Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative, with Hadiza Buhari-Bello. We are shocked, perplexed and completely dumbfounded to see the bold inscription of our hard-earned name, #BringBackOurGirls, on the events backdrop. We state categorically that we are not party to the said event and have absolutely no information of its origin. We urge the general public to disregard attempts at linking our movement to this highly suspicious event. After 902 days of painstaking advocacy, it is disheartening and unfortunate to suddenly see attempts, by external actors, to use it for selfish purposes. We have carefully built our reputation as a well-organized and disciplined global movement that is completely self-funded, the group said, demanding a retraction of its name from the fundraising. The deliberate decision to remain funded by sacrificial contributions of members for our very negligible needs is the reason we are solely a Citizens Movement, and not an NGO. It will be highly injurious to allow it be dragged in the mud at this point. We therefore demand an immediate retraction and unreserved apology from the organizers, the #BBOG said. The group said it would seek legal redress for the alleged fraud. In a conversation with The Cable newspaper, the National Secretary of the Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative, Onwuka Chucks, said the group tried to contact the #BBOG several times before the programme began. He added that the organisers of the fund raising planned to include the #BBOG group as signatories to the funds account. I dropped a message for Oby Ezekwesili on Twitter, but there was no response. We will reach out to the group. It is purely a fund for the Chibok girls, and we want to make BBOG a signatory to the account. But in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the National Commandant of Nigeria Peace Corps, Mr. Akor, said the fund raising programme had nothing to do with the #BBOG group. No it does not have anything to do with them. The fact we used that slogan does not mean it involves the #BBOG. We are just trying to see how we can include either the #BBOG or the Chibok community as signatories to the account. #BBOG is not a registered body. All over the world people have used the slogan to advocate the return of the Chibok girls. Since their abduction, I have advocated the return of the girls up to New York level. The wife of the American President and other world leaders have used the slogan. Why are we attributing it to just this group? queried Mr. Akor. A member of the Peace Corps of Nigeria who was said to have attended to journalists who covered the programme hardly understood the meaning of the #BBOG when PREMIUM TIMES called to ask what her organisation had to say about the allegations. Please whats BBOG? the member, identified as Ms. Milicent, asked in a text message when contacted for explanations on the allegations against her organisation. She, however, later called and explained that she was too busy and forgot what the acronym for the #BBOG group meant. While Mr. Akor said he would call a press conference to address the issues emanating from Mondays programme, President Buharis daughter, Hadiza, is yet to make any comment on the matter. An Abuja Federal High Court on Monday sacked two members of the House of Representatives from Enugu State for alleged wrongful emergence as flagbearers of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2015 general elections. The affected lawmakers are Stella Ngwu from Igbo-Etiti and Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency, and Dennis Agbo from Igbo-Eze North and Udenu Federal Constituency. Two other members of the party, Gabriel Okafor and Chijioke Ugwu, had approached the court after PDP conducted its primaries in December 2014, ahead of the 2015 general elections. They argued in separate suits later merged by the court that Stella Ngwu and Denis Agbos emergence as flagbearers of the party was wrong, since they were not elected delegates to represent the party at the November 1 congress held in 2014. The PDP and its National Working Committee were the 1st and 2nd defendants in the suits, while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was the 3rd defendant. Ms. Ngwu and Mr. Agbo were the 4th defendants in the two separate suits. They prayed the court to declare the election of the fourth defendants null and void. The trial judge, Okon Abang, held that the emergence of Ms. Ngwu and Mr. Agbo was unlawful. He ordered them to vacate their offices and return to the treasury of the National Assembly all monies they had collected by way of salaries and allowances since they resumed office in the House. Mr. Abang said the PDP and its National Working Committee had no right nor authority to use any delegate list for the election of its candidate for Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani and Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituencies, respectively, other than the list of delegates that emerged at congresses held on November 1, 2014. It is hereby declared that the 4th defendant did not emerge as winner from the primary election conducted for the purpose of electing the House of Representatives candidate of the 1st defendant for Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency for 2015 general election since the primary election that purportedly produced her as winner was not conducted based on the list of delegates that emerged from ward congresses of the 1st defendant held on 1st November, 2014. It is hereby declared that the plaintiff, Dr. Gabriel .A. Okafor won PDPs party primary election on 6th December,2014 for Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency election into the House of Representatives. It is hereby declared that the 4th defendant did not emerge as a winner from the primary election conducted for the purpose of electing the House of Representatives candidate of the 1st defendant for Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency for 2015 general election since the primary election that purportedly produced her as winner was not conducted based on the list of delegates that emerged from ward congresses of the 1st defendant held on 1st November, 2014. The judge ruled that Mr. Okafor was the rightful winner of the Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency seat election, and Mr. Chijioke Ugwu won the Egbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, Enugu State in 2015. He ordered INEC to immediately issue certificates of return to Messrs. Okafor and Ugwu respectively. He also awarded the sum of N100, 000 as cost against the defendants in favour of the plaintiff. The sacked lawmakers are expected to appeal the ruling and the House of Representatives may not enforce the judgement until appeals are exhausted. CONTROVERSIAL ANTI-PDP RULINGS Tuesdays rulings occur one week after Mr. Abang declared controversial businessman, Jimoh Ibrahim as the rightful governorship candidate of the PDP for the forthcoming Ondo gubernatorial election. He ordered INEC to replace the name of Eyitayo Jegede with that of Mr. Ibrahim. Last weeks ruling was based on an earlier ruling he gave in June where he barred the PDP from holding its national convention in Port Harcourt after he recognised a faction of the party led by Ali Modu Sheriff. The controversial rulings on the PDP leadership tussle were later investigated by the National Judicial Council, NJC. The judge later told his close friends that he had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the NJC. Mr. Abang was also berated by the Court of Appeal for sacking the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, and replacing him with Samson Ogar after he ruled that Mr. Ikpeazu had tax clearance problems in a pre-election matter. The Court of Appeal reversed that ruling. A military tribunal sitting in Maiduguri, Borno state, Tuesday sentenced a staff sergeant in the Nigeria Army to three years behind bars for causing permanent disability of a ten-year-old boy. The convict, Umar Sule, who has served 26 years in the army, was also stripped of all ranks and demoted to a private by the tribunal presided over by Olusegun Adeniyi, a brigadier-general. Mr. Sule, according the charge sheet presented to the military court martial, inflicted a permanent injury on Muhammed Sale by tying him up for stealing his N2000. The tall and heavily built demoted officer admitted before the court martial that he tied the two hands of the boy to a poll for over seven hours. Due to the torture, Sales two wrists suffered gangrene. The condition is a premature death of cell caused by lack of blood flow. Doctors later had Sales jaundiced right hand amputated. The other, though paralyzed, was partially salvaged by grafting of skin from the victims lap to patch it up. The National Human Right Commission took up the matter by petitioning the Nigerian Army on the conduct of the soldier. The Army responded by arraigning Mr. Sule before the court martial, which was set up on August 11 to try miscellaneous offences under the militarys Operation Lafiya Dole. The court found the accused soldier guilty of two charges of unlawful assault, and disobedience of standing order of the Nigerian armed forces by entertaining a minor at his guard location. Delivering the ruling, President of the court martial, Mr. Adeniyi, said: Having found you guilty of the charges against you, and having listened to the prosecution counsel urging this court to treat you as a first offender, and this convicts touching plea to litigation, we have also looked at various punishments provided by both section 104, sub-section 2B of Armed Forces Act CAP A20 Laws of the Federation 2004, as well as section 119 of Armed Forces Act CAPA20 Laws of the Federation 2004. This court also considered the need to ensure discipline in the system. This court therefore sentence you as follows; on Count one, three years imprisonment; on count two, reduced to private. This sentence is however subject to confirmation by the confirming authority as provided by Section 141 Sub-section 2 and Section 152, Sub-section 1A of the Armed Forces Act, CAP A20 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004. The representative of the NHRC at the trial commended the Nigeria Army for ensuring that the victim got justice via a transparent trial. She said the NHRC office would help the victim who now has to live with permanent disability for the rest of his life to pursue compensation through the civil court. We commend the Nigeria Army for a job well done, because we brought the complaint to them in March, 2016, and by October, they are done with the case. In respect of getting compensation for the victim, we will communicate with our head office which has the powers to take that decision; but we are going to send our recommendation to ensure that this is achieved. She also commended the General Officer Commanding of 7 Division, Nigeria Army for offering to sponsor the boys education. The father of the boy, Usman Muhammed, narrated to journalists at the venue of the tribunal the events that led to his sons brutalization. My son, who used to go to the soldiers base for errands, was invited on that fateful day by Sergeant Sule who said his N2000 was stolen. My son confessed to him that he was the one that took it, and that he should forgive him. Sergeant Sule asked my son to wait for him to return from the Friday mosque. When he returned from the mosque, he tied up his two hands to an electric pole, and left him there for over seven hours. He tied his hands with a rubber bound and continued to flog him for that long period. When he finally left him after hours of plea, the two hands had been damaged. When we took him to the hospital, we were told that the right hand had gone bad and had to be amputated. The left hand too was almost beyond repair, they had to peel off skin from his leg to patch it up. As it is now, the boy has lost two hands due to the action of a soldier, said Mr Muhammed. He said he was pleased with the judgment of the court martial, even as he worried that his son still needed support now that he would have to live the rest of his life with no hands. The victims mother, Amina Usman, said her son now depended on her to feed, bathe and even clean up after using the toilet. The tribunal adjourned to October 20, when it will continue the trial of other senior officers of the Nigerian Army charged with diversion and sale of arms and ammunition. An unspecified number of Nigerian soldiers went missing after an attack by the Boko Haram in Gashigar, a northern Borno community that borders Niger Republic, the Army has said. The Army spokesperson, Sani Usman, said the soldiers were attacked at their position at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Mr. Usman, a colonel, described the attackers as escaping remnants of Boko Haram. The troops did their best to defend the location in vain. In the process, 13 soldiers sustained injuries while some are still missing in action, he said. The spokesperson said the troops suffered a temporary setback and had to withdraw from the location. However, the wounded soldiers have been evacuated and receiving treatment, while efforts are ongoing in search of those missing and clear the Boko Haram terrorists at the general area, he said. The Boko Haram insurgency in northern Nigeria has caused the death of over 20,000 people and displacement of millions of others. The group recently engaged in negotiation with the Federal Government which led to the release of 21 of the over 200 girls kidnapped from Chibok in Borno State in April 2014. Despite the negotiation and despite losing initially claimed territory to the Nigerian forces, the group still carries out attacks like that of Monday. A Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, strategist, Deji Adeyanju, on Sunday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the latest aggression against members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria in different parts of the country. Shia Islam faithful, under the umbrella of IMN, have come under renewed assault following a proscription of the sect by Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai. Mr. El-Rufais order, which he maintained is in accordance with the laws of the state, was immediately followed by similar pronouncements by authorities in Katsina and Kebbi states. No fewer than a dozen people have been killed in the latest attacks which observers warned could metastasize into a sectarian crisis if not immediately curbed. Mr. El-Rufai has condemned the killing and urged law enforcement departments to prosecute those engaged in attacks against IMN members. In his statement to PREMIUM TIMES, Mr. Adeyanju said the development further corroborate the assertion that Nigeria is at its most fractured state politically, socio-economically, ethnically & religiously since the Civil War. Mr. Adeyanju said Mr. Buhari allegedly avoided addressing the crisis during his outings since the latest violence broke, suggesting that such tactics had further emboldened soldiers and police to continue the crackdown on Shiites with impunity. The fact that the men of the Nigerian military as well as Nigeria Police Force gave security cover to the murderous mobs as these attacks were carried out is very worrisome. It is even more worrisome that while giving an address yesterday regarding the attacks by Boko Haram in Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital, President Muhammadu Buhari was completely silent about the attacks on Shiites in Kano, Kaduna and Katsina States during which a high number of casualties were recorded and property worth hundreds of millions of Naira were recorded, Mr. Adeyanju said. The politician said unlike in the past when Mr. Buhari allegedly justified the massacre of over three hundred Shiites for allegedly insulting military generals, the president had no reason not to condemn the latest attacks. What is worse is that while the murders of Shiites in December 2015 was justified by an asinine reference to Shiites touching the chests of generals, there is no justification for these recent acts of aggression and terror. Nothing but mindless violence, Mr. Adeyanju said. He said successive Nigerian leaders failed to recognise previous aggressions that led to armed insurrection by different groups throughout the countrys modern history. It is sad that our country and its leaders have failed to learn from the cycles of violence and repression that led to the creation of the Maitatsine Sect in the late 70s and early 80s; and the more recent creation of the terrorist group Boko Haram. Mr. Adeyanju said the Shiites may not be entirely innocent, but didnt see how a crackdown on them will not further aggravate the situation. As much as one is mindful of the infractions of the Shia sect in Zaria, the solution cannot be a resort to state-sponsored violence and the extra-judicial murder of hundreds of people, Mr. Adeyanju said. The proscription of Shiites activities in Kaduna and other northern states came 11 months afterthe massacre in Zaria, which left nearly 350 people dead. During the incident, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeinat, were arrested and held incommunicado. They were only allowed access to their lawyer for the first time on 1 April 2016, three and a half months after their arrest. The Kaduna State Government set up a panel of inquiry earlier this year and the body submitted its report in July. The panel indicted Adeniyi Oyebade, the Grand Officer Commanding of the Nigerian Army 1st Division and others for the massacre. No known action has been taken against Mr. Oyebade, a major-general whom the judicial panel said authorised the operation. The sensitisation of the private sector in Nigeria on the growing humanitarian needs of victims of conflict in the country and around the world took place on Sunday at the Eko Hotels and Suites Lagos. The Nigerian Red Cross Society played host to a gathering of personalities that came under one roof to chart new ways to deepen the relationships between it and the organised private sector in the country. A former Nigerian minister and President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nike Akande, declared the event open and commended the ICRC for its leadership role across conflict areas in recent times. The President of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Bolaji Anani, spoke on the need to deepen the working relationship between the organisation and the private sector. He also spoke on the growing humanitarian concerns in the Northeast as many lives may depend on the outcome of the meeting. The partnership development round table convened by the Nigerian Red Cross and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and supported by the Nigeria Economic Support Group featured a keynote address by Peter Maurer ,the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on perspectives of business and the humanitarian situation. Mr. Maurer stressed on the need to have more counterpart funding to cover more areas of work for the organisation through partnerships, which he said is the way forward for the group. There were also representatives of the Dangote and Tony Elumelu foundations and other stakeholders from the private sector. President Muhammadu Buhari was represented by his Minister for State for Budget and Planning, Zanaib Ahmed, who disclosed the preparedness of the administration to end all armed conflict in the North-eastern part of the country. The Lagos State government represented by the Commissioner for Transport, Dayo Moberola, spoke on the need to assist people in conflict zones. Mr. Moberola also praised the move by ICRC to partner with the government and people of Lagos State as it would open new doors for partnerships that will produce positive results in the long run. A press briefing at the end of the dinner provided the opportunity for questions on ongoing humanitarian issues in the country. The Red Cross also threw light on its role as a third party in delicate matters as in the case of the 21 freed Chibok girls where it acted as an intermediary for a peaceful return of the girls. It, however, said that it was not part of the team that carried out the negotiations for the government. Two judges who allegedly received payments from Rickey Tarfa, a lawyer facing trial for bribery, have reported to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions office to write statements on the findings against them. Mohammed Yunusa and Nganjiwa Hyledzira arrived the Commissions Lagos office on Monday morning, a source at the EFCC told PREMIUM TIMES. Another judge, Musa Kurya reported to the anti-grafts office at about 10 a.m. on Tuesday. The judges visits were sequel to a letter of invitation extended to them by the EFCC. Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, another judge who was recently sanctioned by the National Judicial Commission, however, failed to honour the invitation. In March, the NJC barred Mrs. Ofili-Ajumogobia from further elevation on the bench till retirement after she was found to have failed to deliver judgment in a pre-election matter that began in 2011. One week later, she was transferred to the Ilorin Division of the Federal High Court. Last June, Tosin Owobo, an EFCC operative told Justice A.A Akintoye of the Lagos Island Division of the Federal High Court how Mr. Tarfa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, paid money running into millions of naira into the bank accounts of Judges Yunusa and Hyledzira. According to Mr. Owobo, information obtained upon request from both Fidelity and Zenith bank accounts of Mr. Tarfa, Justice Yunusa, and Awa Ajia Nigeria Limited (allegedly belonging to Justice Nganjiwa) showed movement of funds from the lawyer to the judges. For instance, Mr. Tarfa paid a cheque of N500,000 into Mr. Nganjiwas account on August 6, 2013, according to the EFCC witness. On January 29, 2014, N1.5 million was paid into the judges account. Other payments include N835,000 on October 3, 2014; N500,000 on December 23, 2014; N1.5 million on October 27, 2015; N500,000 on December 30, 2015; N500,000 on January 8, 2016; and another N1.5 million. For Justice Yunusa, Mr. Owobo said he received N200,000 from Hauwa Nigeria Limited on November 30, 2015; and another N500,000 on December 15, 2015; N300,000 on February 9, 2016. The African continent has lagged behind in most facets of human development because its largest country, Nigeria, has remained in poverty due to fraudulent activities in public service, a leading anti-corruption campaigner said on Tuesday. Patrick Lumumba, a former Director of Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, said Nigerian leaders must do everything within their capacity to address endemic graft. This, he said, would refocus Africa on the path towards prosperity. Africa is behind because Nigeria has not realized her potential. Its time the leaders rise up because one in every five Africans is a Nigerian. Mr. Lumumba spoke at the two-day anti-corruption summit which began this Tuesday at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre in Abuja. The program is put together by the National Assembly under the leadership of Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara. Mr. Lumumba, during the keynote speech, said it is time for Nigeria, and Africa as a whole, to abandon the culture of punishing small thieves and electing big ones. Mr. Lumumba, a professor of law, said Nigeria is a microcosm of Africa and, as such, cannot afford to keep getting it wrong. Behavioural change culture must be instilled in Nigeria, Mr. Lumumba said. He said Nigeria must put in place stringent mechanism that would effectively caution against corruption. The three arms of government must strengthen and not undermine the institutions that are meant to fight corruption so that Nigeria can realise its potential, Mr. Lumumba said. People must be made to know that if you reap where you have not sown there are consequences. Men only change their behaviours when there is a threat pain. The don called for a wholesome support for President Muhammadu Buhari in his war against corruption, especially on the need to build lasting institutions. Institutions are the heart of the fight against corruption but he will not succeed if the legislature is not behind him and the institutions are not strengthened. Because only institutions defy time and outlive those that live on graft. Mr. Saraki, in his opening remarks, said Nigeria had failed to seriously fight against corruption for more than 40 years. He said the National Assembly will work to partner with the Buhari administration for lasting solutions to the menace. A total of 18 new armed groups have sprung in Nigeria in the last 17 months, according to a report by a crisis-monitoring group. The report puts Nigeria well-ahead of any other African nation, as the country with the fastest-growing number of new armed dissident groups. In apparent reflection of a poor crisis-management mechanism, the report by the Public Security & Safety Advocacy department of Intersociety shows that in the first 15 months of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, as many as 18 disaffected groups took up arms across the country. Painting a gloomy portrait of regional security, the report showed that as at August 2016, at least 28 African countries were embroiled in internal conflicts fuelled by a total of 220 armed opposition and insurgency groups. Of these the Democratic Republic of Cong leads the pack with 36 armed opposition groups, followed by Libya with 28. South Sudan comes next with 26 warring groups while Nigeria is fourth with 20 armed groups. Whilst Nigerias ranking might not at first appear alarming, crisis monitors are already hitting the panic button considering that the country has jumped from its 13th position in May 2015 to fourth position in August 2016; a record time of just 15 months. The number, therefore, of non-state armed or resistance groups that have taken up arms against the Federal Republic of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari has risen from two on May 29, 2015 to 20 in August 2016. The Intersociety report showed that in May 2015 the number of active armed opposition groups (AOGs) in Nigeria was two: the Boko Haram terror group and Fulani armed nomadic herdsmen. Hitherto armed groups such as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF) were disarmed, demobilized and granted amnesty in 2009 under the leadership of late Umaru YarAdua. There was also a splinter group of Boko Haram called Ansaru, which was later absorbed by Boko Haram under the Islamic State West Africa, ISWA. Today however, the number of armed groups in Nigeria has grown in multiples. They include the Islamic State West Africa and the Movement for Unity & Jihad in West Africa both offshoots of ISIS and Al-Qaida in Islamic Maghreb; the Boko Haram; Armed nomadic herdsmen and the resurrected and re-armed Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. Others are the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force; the Niger Delta Liberation Front; Niger Delta Avengers; Biafra Avengers; Red Egbesu Water Lions; Asawana Deadly Force of the Niger Delta, the Adaka Boro Marine Commandos; the Utorogon Liberation Movement; Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force; and the Joint Revolutionary Council of the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force. Yet others are the Red Scorpion; the Ultimate Warriors of the Niger Delta; the Niger Delta Red Squad; Niger Delta Vigilante; the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate; the Ijaw/Oduduwa Militant Movement (in Ogun and Lagos States) and the Agatu Warriors in Benue State. The report also mentioned Nigeria as the third largest defence and security spender in Africa after Algeria and Angola. While Nigeria spends about $4 billion, the figure for Algeria is $10.4 billion and Angola $6 billion. Other African countries mentioned in the report with large number of armed opposition groups (AOGs) are Sudan, 19; Mali, 17; Central African Republic, 10; Egypt, 9; Ethiopia, 8; Algeria, 4; Eritrea, 4; and Somaliland, 4. Uganda has 3 while Mauritania, Kenya, Chad and Angola have 2 each. Morocco (Western Sahara), Tunisia, Senegal, Rwanda, Congo Republic, Puntland, Mozambique, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Cameroon and Burundi are listed in the report as having one armed opposition group each. A civic group has accused the National Judicial Council, NJC, of misleading Nigerians by claiming it acted on all the petitions alleging misconduct against judges. The Civil Society Network Against Corruption, CSNAC, said contrary to the claim of the NJC, there are at least 12 other petitions against many judges, all of which, the group said, were not appropriately treated by the council. The NJC released its statement last week in reaction to the arrest of seven judges for alleged corruption by the State Security Service, SSS, also called DSS. The arrest by the SSS has polarised Nigerians with some condemning the raids and others in support of it. In its letter addressed to the Chairman of the NJC, CSNAC said the failure of the council to adequately treat the various petitions has encouraged judicial corruption in Nigeria. Read CSNACs full letter below. Cover up of judicial corruption and Impunity by the National Judicial Council The attention of the members of the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) been drawn to the claim of the National Judicial Council (NJC) that it has acted on all petitions alleging misconduct on the part of judicial officers in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. The claim of the National Judicial Council is completely misleading because it is far from the truth. Contrary to such claim, CSNAC wishes to state that the deliberate refusal of the NJC to investigate and sanction judges accused of corruption, abuse of office and other acts of misconduct by members of the public has encouraged judicial corruption in the country. Corruption and impunity is endemic in Nigerias judicial system. In other words, the outright failure of the judiciary to purge the Nigerian judicial system of corrupt practices has eroded public confidence in the judiciary. Indeed, the disciplinary measures meted out to some erring judges has cast serious doubt on the expressed commitment of the NJC to restore public confidence in the countrys judiciary. The claim of the NJC that it is committed to the anti-corruption policy of the Muhammadu Buhari administration flies in the face of the granting of frivolous injunctions issued by judges which have frustrated the investigation and prosecution of politically exposed persons and people accused of corruption. In several other cases, judges involved in the trial of corruption cases as well as the appellate courts have granted stay of proceedings to stall the prosecution of corrupt people in the society. Apart from the case of Justice Mohammed Yunusa who was recently recommended for retirement by the NJC, no other judge has been sanctioned by the NJC for frustrating the fight against corruption. Even in the case of Justice Yunusa, the NJC failed to act until the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) had to compile seven cases in which the judge granted perpetual injunction to restrain the EFCC, ICPC and the offices of the Inspector-General of Police and Attorney-General of the Federation from prosecuting some persons accused of criminal diversion of billions of naira. In view of the false claim of the NJC that it has been dealing promptly with allegations of misconduct against judicial officers the CSNAC is compelled to ask the NJC why it has decided not to investigate and sanction judges alleged of judicial corruption in the following petitions: (1) The petition against Justice B.A Adejumo, President of the National Industrial Court for granting illegal ex parte orders against two state governments. The petitions were submitted to the NJC by the governments of Edo and Oyo states. (2) The petition written against the President of the Court of Appeal for the failure to hear and determine the appeal filed by the EFCC in 2008 at the Court of Appeal against the judgment of Justice Buba in the Odili case. The counsel handling the case on behalf of the EFCC is the current President of the Nigerian Bar Association, A. B. Mahmoud. The petition was written by CSNAC. (3) The petition written against four judges namely Justice Uwani Abba-Aji of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ibrahim Auta, Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa and Mohammed Yunusa of Federal High Court and Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, alleged to have collected bribes from Rickey Tarfa (SAN) currently undergoing trial for transfer of sums of money to the judges. The petition was submitted to the NJC by CSNAC. (4) The petition written against Justice Marcel Awokulehin for sentencing convicted drug dealers to lesser terms contrary to the provisions of the NDLEA Act. The petition was submitted to the NJC by the CSNAC. (5) The petition written against Justice Abdul Kafarati for gross misconduct and desecration of the bench. The petition was submitted to the NJC by CSNAC. (6) The petition written against Justice Adejumo for recommending unqualified candidates who were appointed as judges of the National Industrial Court. The petition was written by CSNAC. (7) The NJC gave the impression that there is only one petition pending against Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court. This is not correct as the NJC also received a petition alleging that the judge wrote two judgments in one case. The petition together with the two judgments were submitted to the NJC by the Committee of Anambra State PDP House of Representatives Members-Elect. (8) On not less than two occasions, Justice Ademola has obtained injunctions to restrain the NJC from investigating allegations of corruption against him. What steps did the NJC take to set aside the black market injunctions? (9) Justice I. A. Umezulike, Chief Judge of Enugu State has been retired on the recommendation of the NJC for launching a book where he collected N10 million from a litigant. Why was Justice Ibrahim Auta who collected over N40 million from his book launch not recommended for retirement by the NJC? A petition to this effect was submitted by CSNAC. (10) The petition submitted to the NJC by the DSS last week on the 15 judges who are said to have engaged in money laundering and corruption was not considered. Did the same NJC not recommend the dismissal and prosecution of Justice Kabiru Auta who had collected N200 million bribe from a litigant. Why was the NJC silent on the millions of naira, dollars, pounds and other foreign currencies. In the press statement issued at the end of its meeting last week, the NJC claimed that it recommended Justice Tiamiya of the Court of Appeal for retirement because he demanded N200 million from a litigant whose appeal in an election petition was pending before the Court. Is the NJC not aware that anyone who demands a bribe has committed a serious offence under the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Act? Why was he not recommended for prosecution? We recall that the NJC recently recommended the retirement of some judges for not delivering judgments within the 90 days stipulated by the Constitution. But why was Justice Rita Ajumogobia merely warned by the NJC even though it was found as a fact she did not deliver judgment in a pre-election matter until the expiration of the term of office of the defendant? The cases cited above are among several others alleging corruption and misconduct on the part of some members of the NJC and other judges who are said to be untouchable in the judiciary. It is the cover of judicial corruption which has led the DSS to intervene in order to end impunity in the Nigerian judiciary. CSNAC is of the firm opinion that corruption and impunity in the judiciary pose serious disincentive to credible administration of justice as well impugn on the collective psyche of stakeholders in the judicial system. CSNAC therefore calls on the NJC to join the calls to rid the judiciary of bad eggs, in the interest of justice, democracy and good governance. In view of the foregoing the CSNAC is compelled to call on the NJC to investigate the petitions referred to above without any further delay. Meanwhile the public deserves to know why the NJC refused to investigate the judges involved in the serious allegations of misconduct raised in the said petitions. The Nasarawa State Government says it has removed five principals from different schools for charging fees from students. Ramatu Ajuji-Abubakar, Nasarawa State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, made this known during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lafia on Tuesday. From our investigation so far, we discovered and have removed five principals of different schools for charging students fees, she said. She further threatened to sanction any principal in public schools caught collecting fees from students. According to her, the free education policy of the state government is still in force from primary to secondary levels. Students are not supposed to pay any money and any principal caught extorting money from the unsuspecting students in the name of school fees would be sanctioned. Students in all the public boarding schools across the state are not to pay money or give any food item as the government has taken full charge of their feeding, the commissioner said. She explained that the state government, through the ministry, had set machinery in motion to check illegal practices by principals. Ms. Ajuji-Abubakar added that the government has provided massive infrastructure at both primary and secondary schools in the state in order to provide environment conducive for teachers and students. She said in spite of the huge investments of government in providing infrastructure and feeding for boarding students, government was still battling with the high influx of students from private schools. She cautioned the leadership of the Parent-Teacher Association in the state not to charge the students any money without permission from the ministry as doing so would not be tolerated. (NAN) The Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, said in the last 10 months, it recovered over N54 billion from fraudsters and corrupt politically exposed persons in Nigerias northwest. This is separate from another N54 billion recovered from dubious petroleum marketers. The commission said it also recovered over $622,000 and other property including eight houses, nine plots of land, three trucks and a car, all from January to date. Speaking at a press conference on Monday at its Kano office, the zonal head of the EFCC, Nnaghe Itam, said the commission also secured 23 convictions out of 214 cases they had. He noted that 24 cases are still undergoing investigations at the Kano zonal office. Mr. Itam explained that the commission also beamed its searchlight on fraudulent petroleum marketers. He said about N54 billion was also recovered from the petrol marketers after investigation into bridging and retail scheme of petrol. The official said the EFCC was also working towards prevention of corruption by partnering with youth organisations like the NYSC integrity club, school campaigns and through essay competitions. The police in Kano have arrested 11 suspected kidnappers in the notorious Falgore forest in Doguwa local government area of the state. The state Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Yusuf, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Kano while briefing journalists. He said the police anti-kidnap squad successfully rescued 10 victims from the suspected kidnappers in the forest. He added that the kidnappers were arrested on Tuesday, October 11, following intelligence report. The anti-kidnapping squad on receipt of intelligence report, launched a major offensive into the notorious criminal camp inside Falgore forest, he said. Yusuf said that during the operation which lasted for one hour, the police and the kidnappers exchanged fierce gun duel which resulted in the arrest of the suspects and rescue of the 10 kidnapped victims. According to the police commissioner, some of the suspected kidnappers escaped into the thick forest with bullet wounds. The police boss said that during mop-up operations, two victims, Bello Saleh and Mohammmed Sani of Rafin Kura Village, who were abducted on the same day, were rescued from the forest. Mr. Yusuf listed items recovered from the forest to include one AK- 47 rifle, two fully loaded magazines, 250 rounds of live 7.62 mm ammunition, eight Bajaj Boxer motorcycles, masks and other personal belongings. He said that all the rescued victims had undergone post trauma counselling and medical examination and would be formally handed over to their respective families. The police chief promised that the squad would to carry out similar operations in the area until all criminals in the forest were completely fished out and brought to book. (NAN) The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned Joseph Odubu and his company, Even Handed Services Limited, in a Federal High Court, Benin. Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC spokesperson, made this known in a statement to journalists in Abuja on Monday. Mr. Odubu was arraigned on a three-count charge of forgery, uttering and obtaining money by false presence to the tune of N9.36 million. The EFCC spokesman said Mr. Odubu, a brother to the Deputy Governor of Edo, Pius Odubu, is also the Managing Director of Even Handed Services Limited. He said the accused used forged documents to obtain a loan facility of N9.36 million on September 5 from a first generation bank to facilitate the supply of chairs and desks in Edo State. He added that Mr. Odubu also with intent to defraud and to facilitate fraud, forged a document which he claimed was received by Edo State Oil and Gas Producing-Areas Development Commission. Mr. Uwujaren said the offense contravened section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 of the Revised Edition Act, 2007 and punishable under section 1(2) of the same Act. Mr. Odubu pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Prosecuting counsel, C. A. Okoli, applied for a date for the commencement of trial and that the accused be remanded in prison. Mr. Odubu counsel, Osama Idehen, applied for his clients bail. The court refused it, remanded the accused in prison and adjourned the case till November 22. (NAN) The Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the alleged arrest of Precious Chikwendu, wife of the embattled former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Monday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. A statement by the partys National Publicity Secretary, Dayo Adeyeye, on Tuesday in Abuja, said the action marked a new low in the Federal Governments alleged persecution of real and perceived enemies of the Buhari administration in the guise of the fight against corruption. We condemn, in its entirety, the arrest and detention of Precious Chikwendu, wife of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, former Spokesperson of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO), on October 17, 2016 by officials of the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Ado-Ekiti, the statement said. She was arrested along with her 8 month old son, Aragorn, and would have been detained but for the timely intervention of Governor Ayo Fayose. It is reprehensible for the government to attack members of the families of its perceived enemies, especially wives and children, for any reason whatsoever. The party also chided the government for freezing the accounts of the politicians wife, which it said were opened and operated even before she got married to the politician. The Buhari administration cannot, and must not, be allowed to continue the violation of the constitutional rights and freedoms of the Nigerian people. This sort of tyranny must not be allowed to continue unchecked, the party said. We have advised the family to approach the courts and enforce their legal rights in this matter. The EFCC has, however, denied arresting Mrs. Fani-Kayode, saying its operatives were not in Ekiti and could not have been involved in the arrest and detention Mr. Fani-Kayodes wife and son. Wilson Uwujaren, the commissions spokesman, had explained that the police were seeking to interrogate Mrs. Fani-Kayode for attempting to withdraw funds from a frozen Access Bank account. He said the police were attempting to interrogate her and release her on bail before Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, allegedly stormed the bank with this security details to free her. Community leaders in Dearborn held a press conference on Monday, asking the Department of Justice to investigate Dearborns government and what the leaders consider the citys unfair treatment of African Americans. WXYZ reported that the group, led by Rev. Horace Sheffield- chair of the Detroit Ecumenical Ministers Alliance, Michael Fortner, chair of the Commission for Civil Rights and Social Justice and Dr. William Revely of the Unify Detroit Coalition, called for action to be taken against the city of Dearborn and how it handles the treatment of African-Americans. The group raised the issue that black motorists are being unfairly profiled, targeted and charged, where as individuals involved in similar incidents that have police ties do not see the same punishment. The group noted that African-Americans, in Dearborn particularly, are more likely to be racially targeted and unfairly charged with crimes. The full press conference is available at http://bit.ly/2eCi1Vy. Average student debt increased 6 percent in New Jersey in 2015, according to the annual report released Tuesday by the Project on Student Debt. Two of every three students who graduated from four-year colleges in New Jersey last year borrowed money to earn that degree. They owed an average of $30,104, up from $28,314 in 2014. The state ranks 11th highest nationally in the amount borrowed and 8th for the percentage of students with debt, according to the report. Nationally, student loan debt increased 4 percent in 2015 to an average of $30,100. About 68 percent of graduates have student loans. Locally, Stockton University is somewhat bucking the trend of rising debt. Average student debt dropped slightly for the third year in a row, to $33,201. This was down from a high of $34,398 in 2012. But the number of students with debt is rising, with 77 percent of graduates owing some money, up from 74 percent in 2012. Stockton Dean of Enrollment Management John Iacovelli said the numbers reflect both the still-struggling economy of South Jersey and efforts by the university to control costs. He said the almost $14 million the college contributes toward financial aid and the flat-rate tuition, which lets students take as many as 20 credits per semester, have had an impact, as have financial aid workshops to help students manage their debt. Every little bit helps, Iacovelli said. Students are more aware of the issue. Students interviewed at Stockton on Tuesday all said they would have some debt, although the amounts varied. Danny Komack, 20, of Freehold, a sophomore history and education major, said his parents are helping him pay for college. He hopes to graduate in 2019 with no more than $20,000 in debt. I am taking loans, but not as much as some people because my parents are helping, he said. Senior Kaitlin Joisher, 21, of Bayville, is worried about her debt since she is graduating from Stockton this spring and applying to graduate school to become a physician assistant, which will generate even more debt. She gets some assistance through Pell Grants and the work study program but has still had to borrow money. She said since physician assistant is a well-paying job, she is hoping the debt will be manageable. Several students said starting at a less-expensive community college reduced their debt. Stephanie Feldman, 24, of Howell, said she made it through two years at Brookdale Community College with no debt, as financial aid covered the cost. But now, as a social work major at Stockton, she is borrowing about $12,000 a year. She said she chose a state public college because the cost would be lower but also has the cost of living on campus. Shes applying for scholarships to help lower the cost of her senior year. I am well aware that I am not going to make a lot of money, she said. But I will love what I am doing. I just want to live comfortably. Statewide, of the colleges reporting, the New Jersey Institute of Technology had the highest average debt among public colleges, at $37,195, and Stevens Institute of Technology had the highest average debt among private colleges, at $48,244. The average dept at Rowan University was $31,762, with 73 percent of students graduating with debt. The report notes that almost two-thirds of all loan debt from state programs is generated by just three states: New Jersey, Texas and Minnesota. New Jersey state legislators have introduced bills to try to control the cost of college and the impact of debt. Proposals would allow income-based repayments for state student loans; provide free tuition to qualified low-income students who attend two-year colleges, then transfer to a four-year school; and provide free college credits for high school students in dual-enrollment programs. Data released this year by the U.S. Department of Education show about 9 percent of students defaulting on their student loans within three years after graduation. The rate tends to be higher among community college borrowers and lower among four-year college borrowers. Stockton had a loan default rate of 5 percent, while Atlantic Cape Community Colleges default rate was 14 percent. A separate report released Tuesday by the Student Loan Report looked at average student debt as spread among all graduates, not just those who borrowed money. It showed New Jersey has an average student debt of $19,242, ranking it 38th in the nation from lowest to highest. ATLANTIC CITY As the local school districts largest union takes an active stand against a school-voucher proposal on the November ballot, a media group that supports school choice has made a YouTube video promoting the plan. The two-part nonbinding question was proposed by City Councilmen Jesse Kurtz and Aaron Randolph and approved by City Council in August. It would provide parents school vouchers of up to $10,000 to attend other schools and offer property-tax credits for families who home school. Vouchers are not legal in New Jersey, but Atlantic City Education Association President Marcia Genova said with the state taking a large role in Atlantic City government operations, the union is concerned the referendum, if passed, would give the state an opening to try to implement a voucher program in the city. We cant just sit back and say it wont happen, she said of vouchers. We are taking this seriously. We are concerned and want to make sure it fails. Kurtz, who was home-schooled and now home-schools his children, has said City Council is just trying to gauge public opinion on the issues and offer parents choice in their childrens education. The primary option for the districts estimated 7,300 students would be local Catholic schools, or paying tuition to attend a public school in another district if that district agreed to accept tuition students. Two free charter schools enroll a few hundred students from Atlantic City, but they are located in Pleasantville and Galloway Township because they could not find a suitable location in the city. Bob Bowdon, of Choice Media TV, said they heard about the voucher proposal and wanted to help support it. In the almost five-minute video by Choice Media, several parents talk about wishing they could afford private school for their children. Kurtz talks about how the $10,000 voucher is far less than what the school district spends per student and would save taxpayers money. He calls his proposal forward-looking. This is about what type of city do we want to be in the future, he says. In his comparisons, Kurtz uses the total cost per student in Atlantic City, $26,634, which includes pension and other costs paid by the state. The budgeted operational cost for 2015-16 is $18,856 per student, which is calculated by dividing the budget by the enrollment. Providing vouchers, at least initially, would not lower district costs dramatically and would likely increase the per-student cost in the district as students left. Large savings would not begin until there was enough enrollment loss to cut staff dramatically or close schools. The district could also lose state aid as enrollment dropped. Genova said private schools often wont take students with special needs and cant provide the level of services offered in the public schools. She said their biggest questions would be the impact on the local school district, the city budget and taxpayers. The proposal includes no detail on where the voucher money would come from in a city that is struggling to balance its budget. The city has no authority to spend school district funds. Genova said giving property-tax credits while the city is in such dire financial straits would just reduce the tax base even more, putting more pressure on those who are paying taxes. The union has been distributing a flier that opposes the question and promotes all the services provided by the district schools. An information session is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Complex. Since 1970, women from across the country have gathered in Atlantic City to compete for a crown. No, this is not the Miss America competition. The pageant, the finale of which will take place Thursday, is for women who have reached the age of elegance, in other words, the age of 60. Preliminary competitions will be hosted Tuesday and Wednesday at the Superstar Theater in Resorts Hotel Casino. All competitions will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Ticket information can be found on Ticketmaster.com. The title of Ms. Senior America will be awarded to the woman who best exemplifies the dignity, maturity and inner beauty of all Senior Americans, according to the Ms. New Jersey Senior America organization. The annual competition focuses on issues and service that is particularly important to seniors. Todays seniors seek growth through continuing education and community service in forums responsive to their special needs and lifestyles and Senior America is there to encourage those activities, says a statement on Ms. Senior America Organization website. Diane De Luca, of Linwood, is this years Ms. New Jersey Senior America. De Luca was chosen as the New Jersey representative in the pageant in part for her singing talent, as well as her ability to spread positive messages throughout the state, according to the Ms. New Jersey Senior America organization. She has entertained and performed for crowds on cruise ships, in night clubs and through private events, according to her biography on the organizations website. VINELAND A huge steel claw on the end of a piece of heavy equipment tore away at the former Newcomb Hospital on Monday morning, slowly ripping apart the back of the building. Thats when Charles Javsky arrived, got out of his car and started taking pictures. The work was somewhat personal, said the 76-year-old from Pittsgrove Township, Salem County. I was born there, he said. My wife was born there. A lot of people were born there. $18 million Landis Square senior complex gets underway VINELAND The $18 million Landis Square development project at the corner of Landis and Eas But sometime during the next four months, only portions of the hospital, including the Cunningham wing, will remain. They will be renovated and joined with new construction to form an assisted- and independent-living facility on the 6.5-acre site bordered by Chestnut Avenue and Almond, State and Howard streets. The result will be 70 assisted-living units and 140 independent-living units for seniors, veterans and the disabled. Other plans for the site, including a new home for the citys emergency medical services unit, are still being considered. A cost for the project, being developed by Newcomb Medical Center Alliance LLC, wasnt available. Company officials couldnt be reached for comment. But developers told City Council earlier that they intend to do the work in phases, as it will result in easier financing. Local residents say the project will be better than what has been on the site since the hospital closed in 2004. They said the buildings, including some of the original structures from when the hospital opened in January 1924, became a deteriorating, ugly target for occasionally obscene graffiti and a place of potential danger. Teenagers and vagrants were frequently in the buildings, said Luz Orsini, who lives across Howard Street from the hospital grounds. Someone is going to get hurt, she said. Orsini said rats and other animals also lived in the buildings. Residents are worried the demolition will chase the rats out of the buildings and onto their properties, she said. Vincent Archetto, president of Archetto Construction Inc., the projects general contractor, said many areas of the older buildings contain asbestos. Workers wore white environmental protection suits and breathing devices as they worked to remove debris from inside the buildings Monday. Like Javsky, Orsini has links to the hospital: The 52-year old Orsini has two children, three grandchildren and a sister who were born at Newcomb. But the sentimentality is overridden by the need to tear down the hospital, she said. Its good to see it torn down, Orsini said. Its time to move on. But not completely, said Archetto. Plans call for saving some of the ornamental wrought-iron railings still in place on exterior, upper floor balconies, he said. Also to be saved is the arched stonework, inscribed with the hospitals name, that stretches over the hospitals original entrance, he said. The railings and stonework will eventually be moved to what will be a courtyard in what was once a hospital parking lot, Archetto said. The site is currently overgrown with weeds and has a dying beech tree. Its also the site of a memorial stone to Leverett Newcomb, after whom the hospital was named. Newcombs ashes are buried at the site, he said. Archetto, a former member of the hospitals board of directors, was surprised Monday when he waded through the weeds to find flowers left at the memorial stone. Newcomb was a wealthy local attorney. He donated an estimated $224,000 and two city blocks for the hospital that would eventually bear his name. The Connecticut-born Newcomb died in September 1926 in Ocean City. This isnt the first project considered for the property. Developers and the city were at one point working to convert the property into a medical school associated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Those plans were scrapped in 2012, when Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation that gutted many of the universitys programs. City Economic Development Director Sandra Forosisky said her office never stopped trying to find a use for the property. You have to keep going, going, going, she said. The last day to register to vote in New Jersey before this year's general election is Tuesday. If you're not registered, you have the rest of the day to act. You can check if you're registered to vote here, at the New Jersey Department of State's website. If you're not registered to vote, you can do so by visiting the Division of Election's website, fill out the voter registration application for your county and send it or bring it to the county's Commissioner of Registration office. The list of county voter applications is here. You can also register to vote in person at your county's Commissioner of Registration office, where offices will have extended hours Tuesday. A complete list of each county's registration hours can be found at this link. A list of locations for where to register is here. The presidential election is 21 days away on Nov. 8, where voters will cast a ballot for their choice nominee. NORTH WILDWOOD Changing the citys name to Anglesea would mean more than paying to update the name on firetrucks and police badges. It would mean spending money to rebrand the town in the vital tourism industry, said Stockton University tourism and hospitality professor Brian Tyrrell. The brand really needs to reflect who they are, Tyrrell said, noting the Wildwood brand already has name recognition. Theyll have to spend money on that effort. A nonbinding referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot will ask residents whether the city should change its name. Supporters say they want to honor the citys history it was called the Borough of Anglesea from 1885 until 1906. Opponents say the name change will harm businesses. New Jersey towns and institutions have changed names before, including Ocean Countys Dover Township, which decided to officially change its name to Toms River Township 10 years ago. I have no regrets about the transformation, said Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronardy, who was the townships police chief at the time and a proponent of the change. There are going to be people on both sides. Basically, there are a lot of people who wanted to retain the history, Mastronardy said. Nuns considering knocking down Cape May Point retreat house CAPE MAY POINT The Sisters of St. Joseph, a group of nuns based out of Philadelphia, are c Cherry Hill was known as Delaware Township until it changed its name in the 1960s. Stockton University has gone through a number of name changes: First it was called Stockton State College, then it became The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in the 1990s, and it changed its name yet again last year to reflect its accreditation as a university. Nine years ago, Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital in Middle Township transformed into Cape Regional Medical Center. The name change has been very successful, said Tom Piratzky, vice president of marketing and public relations at the hospital. It is rare to hear the previous name used. In a couple of years, its not even an issue anymore, Mastronardy said of the Toms River name change. Ten years later, its under the sun. In North Wildwood, the debate over the name change is just heating up. Lawn signs supporting the move have popped up, featuring the slogan Rediscover Anglesea. But not everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. Fisherman rescued from mud, another airlifted to hospital in Wildwood A day in the water quickly turned sour for two men Sunday afternoon in Wildwood. James DiPetrillo, owner of Coliseum Market at 1604 Boardwalk, voiced his opposition at the Aug. 16 City Council meeting and even threatened to sue the city over the damage it would do to his T-shirt business. He said hes collected 541 signatures on a petition supporting the current name, according to meeting minutes. We need to stop this now, said DiPetrillo. The decision should not be made in the fall when everyone has gone home. North Wildwoods population is 4,041, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, but it balloons during the summer. Another T-shirt dealer, Jack McCartney, owner of the North Wildwood Shirt Shop, said he supports the move because it would help his business. He said its a win-win. I think its going to bring a fresh look and perspective to North Wildwood, McCartney said. Not much would change immediately for the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement Development Authority, the agency responsible for promoting the entire island, said John Siciliano, the organizations executive director and chief financial officer. It doesnt change our mission, he said of the name-change proposal. Well deal with that when and if we have to. Changing the North Wildwood name on city assets would cost between $20,000 and $30,000, according to a study commissioned by the municipality. Mayor Patrick Rosenello said there will be no immediate reaction, legal or otherwise after the vote, since its nonbinding. He said if the measure is defeated, he expects the city to move on. But if it gets majority support, the stage is set for a binding referendum. Its going to give us an opportunity to weigh these questions, Rosenello said. Its already done a good job of allowing people to focus on North Wildwood. The mayor wouldnt give his personal thoughts on the matter, saying he would let the residents decide. Ive probably heard more about this issue than any other in my 12 years in office, Rosenello said. UPPER TOWNSHIP A Corbin City man was fined $1,566 after he was found guilty in court of driving his car through a flock of sea gulls in an Acme parking lot. Warren Colwell Jr., was charged by the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after a witness said he intentionally injured gulls in the parking lot of the Acme on Route 9 on Sept. 5. Colwell did not return a request for comment. A woman who answered the phone at his home said the family had no comment. A witness said Colwell drove his car through the birds at a high speed and boasted he was doing a good thing. Apparently, they were just sitting there resting, said Sarah Wells, an animal control officer. Wells, an employee of Shore Animal Control, which is contracted by the township for animal-control services, responded to the scene after the witness called about the incident. She said a worker at McDonalds, which shares a parking lot in the Cedar Square Shopping Center, also called animal control about injured gulls in the parking lot. When I arrived, I had to chase a couple sea gulls around, Wells said. She said some of the birds were injured and two died. The woman who called in the incident had taken the mans license plate number. State Police assisted in identifying the man, Wells said. The case was taken over by the NJSPCA, which charged him with animal cruelty, she said. Colwell was in Upper Township Municipal Court on Oct. 5 and received two fines of $783 each for animal cruelty, according to court records. Wells said Shore Animal Control covers 12 municipalities in South Jersey and rarely gets calls for gulls that are maliciously injured. Most of our injured sea gull calls are in Wildwood or Stone Harbor, she said. Either they get hit by a car or some people find them injured in their yard. Three graduate students from Toluca, Mexico, drove 2,600 miles to Cape May in just a few days to attend this weeks Raptor Research Foundation annual conference and learn how to improve research in their country. Research on raptors in Mexico is far behind 20 to 40, in some ways 100 years behind, said J.P. Medina, who is studying the tiny saw-whet owls in particular. We just did the first project using nest boxes in Mexico this year. He and fellow students Marco Garcia and Ivan Conde have started a nonprofit education and research organization called iBirds and were among about 350 people who traveled from all over the U.S. and the world for several days of workshops, field trips and networking, said New Jersey Audubons Cape May Bird Observatory Executive Director Dave La Puma. Raptors include hawks, owls, eagles and falcons. I study black kites, focusing on conservation mostly, said Etta Hui, of Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong. The birds of prey are scavengers and their population is stable. They are easily seen by citizens, common on both sides of the harbor and throughout the city, she said of the winter migrants that travel between China and Hong Kong. She said she particularly wanted to attend this years conference because it is in Cape May. Its famous, she said. And this is two anniversaries. In addition to being the 50th anniversary of the RRF conference, it is also the 40th anniversary of both NJ Audubons Cape May Bird Observatory and the Cape May Hawk Watch at Cape May Point State Park. At the vendors area in the Grand Hotel, Michael Lanzone of Cellular Tracking Technologies in Rio Grande was exhibiting the tiny tracking devices his company develops for tracking birds and for medical uses. We joke every bird gets an iPhone, he said of the small, light devices that not only tell researchers where a bird goes but what the bird does en route. The company has 23 employees and consolidated its headquarters in the Cape May area from all over the country a year ago, Lanzone said, for the quality of life here. Lanzone said he grew up in Rochester, New York, and has been a birdwatcher since age 8. He got into developing tracking technology when he was working at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh and was not able to find the equipment he needed, he said. Research papers presented in workshops Tuesday included a variety of 20-minute sessions on snowy and short-earred owls, lead poisoning in raptors and research methods and techniques. Sarah Schulwitz, of the American Kestrel Partnership, talked about the 47 percent drop in kestrel populations nationwide since the 1960s and how difficult it is to identify the reasons for it. The American kestrel is North Americas smallest falcon and one of the most colorful of raptors, with the male having a slate-blue head and wings and rusty-red back and tail, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The decline has been steady and slow over a long period, Schulwitz said, so newer factors such as climate change, pesticides and the effect of fracking cant be the main reasons. She said more study needs to be done on the whole life cycle, while most studies to date have looked at only the breeding season. In Mexico, where Medina and his friends study the saw-whet owl, the lack of research has led to the government making poor decisions about habitat management, Medina said. Many people in rural communities cannot read, and so educating them about how to protect habitat is difficult. So, iBirds has developed comic-book style educational materials that teach through images rather than words. Medina spent about two weeks in Cape May last year learning banding techniques. He hopes to expand a saw-whet banding program he started in Toluca, to provide more data to protect raptors, he said. The conference started Sunday and ends Thursday. Just as it ends, the bird observatorys Cape May Fall Festival of birds begins, from Oct. 21-23, also at the Grand Hotel on Beach Avenue in Cape May. Visit BirdCapeMay.org/. For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. PEORIA, Illinois, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT / NYSE Euronext: CATR) informs its stockholders that on October 17, 2016, a Form 8-K was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") with respect to officer changes. Caterpillar files electronically with the SEC required reports on Form 8-K, Form 10-Q, Form 10-K and Form 11-K; proxy materials; ownership reports for insiders as required by Section 16(a) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and registration statements on Forms S-3 and S-8, as necessary; and other forms or reports, as required. All of the forms and reports filed electronically with the SEC are available on the SEC Internet site (http://www.sec.gov ). Caterpillar also maintains an Internet site (http://www.Caterpillar.com) and copies of its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to these reports filed or furnished with the SEC are available free of charge through Caterpillar's Internet site (http://www.Caterpillar.com/secfilings ) as soon as reasonably practicable after the relevant document has been filed with the SEC. CONTACT: Rachel Potts, Corporate Public Affairs, +1-309-675-6892 This is a disclosure announcement from PR Newswire. SOURCE Caterpillar Inc. SHANGHAI, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Finnish publishing company Dramaforum today signed an agreement with Chinese publisher Shanghai Zhiyuang Culture Communication Co. Ltd that will launch Petra's Planet products in China. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429939 ) The agreement is for eight books; combining four already published titles with four new books to be developed in cooperation with Shanghai Zhiyuang Culture Communication. The books will be available in Chinese from early 2017 after their official launch in Beijing in January. With this co-operation our mutual target is to sell minimum of 800 000 copies per year. "We are delighted to be in partnership with an established and trusted publisher in China and we are excited about introducing Petra to children across China," said Ms. Eevamaria Halttunen, founder of Dramaforum Oy. Drawing on the Nordic approach to children's learning, Petra's Planet products combine fun, quality content, cultural and environmental awareness, and global citizenship. With each book, children go on a journey to a new culture. Ms. Selena Huang, CEO of Shanghai Zhiyuang Culture Communication Co. Ltd is confident that Petra's Planet will be a great success in China. "We chose to partner with Dramaforum thanks to the high quality content and educational nature of the Petra's Planet range. While the books are great fun, they also provide an opportunity for children to learn more about the world around them," said Ms. Huang. Dramaforum Oy Ltd is an independent Finnish transmedia company specializing in children's products. Established in 2003 by Ms. Halttunen, Dramaforum has offices in Finland, UK and Canada, employing a team of experienced learning and digital media experts. "Our goal is to inspire children to stay curious and discover the wonders of the world. Through Petra's Planet, children learn about the richness and diversity of our planet and are empowered to become global citizens," said Ms. Halttunen. The company delivers a host of Petra's Planet products, including Petra's Planet virtual world - which has more than 1.7 million subscribers worldwide. Majority of the subscribers are coming from USA and UK. Dramaforum also delivers a range of Petra's Planet products designed for primary school use by teachers in Finland and the UK. The school products focus on 21st century skills, digital literacy and e-safety. http://www.dramaforum.fi SOURCE Dramaforum NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IPC, a leading global provider of secure, compliant communications and networking solutions for the financial markets community, and Clearpool Group, a service provider of electronic trading software solutions and independent agency broker dealer execution services, today announced that Clearpool Group has joined the IPC Financial Markets Network. IPC's extensive and diverse community of financial market participants around the world can now reliably and securely access not only Clearpool's Algorithmic Management System, but also Clearpool's Execution Management System. Several leading institutional investors, asset managers and commercial banks are currently taking advantage of IPC's advanced connectivity, communications and collaboration solutions to access Clearpool's services. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160407/352841LOGO "Our innovative trading technologies provide transparency and control to market participants in today's rapidly evolving market microstructure," said Ray Ross, CTO, Clearpool Group. "We are delighted to join IPC's financial ecosystem and expand the global base of broker-dealers that can access our services." "Given the accelerated pace of evolution of the global equity markets in the recent past, market participants are increasingly demanding cutting-edge solutions for pre- and post-trade transparency, sourcing liquidity, executing trades, managing risk and achieving compliance," said David Brown, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Financial Markets Network, IPC. "We are excited to provide the sizeable and diverse community of trading firms in the IPC Financial Markets Network with reliable, latency-sensitive and secure connectivity to Clearpool's solutions and services." The IPC Financial Markets Network service portfolio includes the Connexus Financial Extranet, Direct Connect and MPLS WAN data services, as well as Trader and Enhanced Voice connectivity services. IPC's Financial Markets Network interconnects global financial centers and allows access to more than 6,000 market participant locations across 700 cities in more than 60 countries. About Clearpool Group Launched in 2014 and based in New York, Clearpool Group, Inc., offers advanced electronic trading software and provides independent agency broker dealer execution services. Clearpool's algorithmic and execution management systems empower market participants to take control of better quality execution by delivering advanced electronic trading solutions for an evolving equity market microstructure and competitive landscape. www.clearpoolgroup.com About IPC IPC is a technology and service leader that powers financial markets globally. We help clients anticipate change and solve problems, setting the standard with industry expertise, exceptional service and comprehensive technology. With customers first and always, we collaborate with each to understand their individual needs to help make them secure, productive and compliant within our connected community. Through service excellence, long-developed expertise and a focus on innovation and community, we provide agile and efficient ways for our customers to accelerate their ability to adapt to the everchanging requirements for advanced data networks, compliance and collaboration with all counter-parties across the financial markets. www.ipc.com Certain statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "should" or "will" or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Media Contacts: Khurram Mirza Victoria Perlak IPC Systems, Inc. Finn Partners for IPC +1 201-253-2285 +1 646-202-9782 Khurram. Mirza@ipc.com victoria.perlak@finnpartners.com Related Links http://www.ipc.com SOURCE IPC Systems, Inc. ABU DHABI and DUBAI, UAE and MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Partnership will provide joint clients with unique software-based segmentation and micro-segmentation to securely protect virtual and cloud environments DarkMatter, an international cyber security firm headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, and vArmour, a leading data centre and cloud security company, today announced a partnership arrangement to offer joint customers end-to-end cyber security solutions. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429712 ) DarkMatter will enhance customer data centre and cloud security environments through its newly formed partnership with vArmour by offering best-of-breed data solutions that protect against cyber threats. DarkMatter will provide incident response services that incorporate advanced security analytics and automated cyber attack containment. DarkMatter's approach to increased cyber resiliency across its clients' networks will draw on vArmour's Distributed Security System (DSS) technology, which helps organisations gain application-layer visibility and control of their network, applications and users to prevent, detect and respond to cyber attacks and breaches in data centre and cloud environments. In today's increasingly digitised enterprise landscape, organisations across the Middle East are making critical decisions and driving processes based heavily on virtual and cloud-based IT environments. Commenting on the partnership, Faisal Al Bannai, Chief Executive Officer of DarkMatter, said, "As enterprises migrate to the cloud, we look to identify technology partners with whom we can collaborate to help guide our clients when making critical decisions and executing cloud-driven processes. As a result of our partnership with vArmour, DarkMatter will be able to offer its clients best-in-class security in virtual and cloud-based environments." Looking ahead, the two companies will continue to invest in joint offerings to provide solutions around: Policy-based enhanced security screening/modules with advanced analytics tuned to the GCC market. Unified security fabric delivering consistent security and segmentation for virtual workloads regardless of location across private clouds and public clouds. Custom cyber security stacks that can be rapidly deployed to protect sensitive data through the security life-cycle from before, during and after an attack. "vAmour continues to observe a paradigm shift in the way organisations invest, adopt and deploy operationally efficient technologies, like the cloud and hyper-converged infrastructures," said Tim Eades, CEO, vArmour. "In working with leading global security providers like DarkMatter, our resulting partnership will bring forth best-of-breed segmentation and micro-segmentation technology, along with advanced security analytics to combat targeted attacks. As a result, joint clients will be able to dynamically and automatically respond to and contain threats across both public and private cloud environments." About DarkMatter DarkMatter is transforming the cyber security landscape. Headquartered in the UAE and operating globally, we're the region's first and only fully integrated digital defence and cyber security consultancy and implementation firm. Our elite team of global experts deliver advanced, next-generation solutions to governments and enterprises across the cyber security spectrum. We help clients simplify the enormous complexity of today's ever-evolving cyber threats. Our vision is to secure the future by protecting its technologies Our products extend to Secure Communications, Public Key Infrastructure, Innovation & Research, and Big Data & Analytics. Our services extend to Governance, Risk & Compliance, Cyber Network Defence, Managed Security Services, Infrastructure & System Integration, Test & Validation Labs, and Smart Solutions. For further details, visit http://www.darkmatter.ae About vArmour Based in Mountain View, CA, vArmour is the data centre and cloud security company, and the leader in application-aware micro-segmentation with advanced security analytics. The company was founded in 2011 and is backed by top investors including Highland Capital Partners, Menlo Ventures, Columbus Nova Technology Partners, Citi Ventures, Work-Bench Ventures, Allegis Capital, Redline Capital and Telstra. The vArmour DSS Distributed Security System is deployed in a significant number of the world's largest banks, telecom service providers, government agencies, healthcare providers, and retailers, and is leading the industry with a new patented, distributed approach to data security that allows organizations to deliver IT at the speed of business. vArmour partners with companies including AWS, Cisco and HPE to secure many of the largest data centre and cloud environments in the world. Learn more at http://www.varmour.com SOURCE DarkMatter Release Includes New Features Delivered and Enhanced by GENIVI Community SAN RAMON, California, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The GENIVI Alliance, a non-profit alliance focused on developing an open in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and connectivity software platform for the transportation industry, today announced the release of its enhanced GENIVI Development Platform (GDP), the GDP 11 Release Candidate 3 (RC3). A release candidate is a version of the GDP that is available for broad adoption and testing to prove stability just prior to a full release. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160720/391617LOGO The new GDP 11 RC3, demonstrated this week at the GENIVI All Member Meeting in Burlingame, Calif., will serve as an essential tool allowing a broad base of developers to participate in open source software development that produces innovative and near product ready code; and provide an "automotive context" to assist with testing, prototyping, enhancing and deploying IVI and connected car software. The new platform will: Enrich the user experience with a GENIVI-branded GUI and configurable application launcher. Include an improved Software Development Environment (including SDK). Align with version 11 of the GENIVI Baseline and the GENIVI Platform Compliance Specification also announced at the event. Increase vehicle connectivity with Remote Vehicle Interaction Core and SOTA Client software. The theme of the All Member Meeting is "Empowering a Connected Car Community" and will feature leading industry experts converging to discuss: connected vehicles in the context of smart cities, smart infrastructure and smart transportation; connecting vehicles to the cloud and the huge potential of big data; and tech startup companies and the innovation they can bring to the automotive industry. The GDP 11 RC3 platform release is only the latest initiative that GENIVI has announced over the past several months. Earlier, the Alliance unveiled a: Challenge Grant Program designed to accelerate delivery of targeted features to enhance the GENIVI Development Platform. The program is open to members and non-member organizations and individuals wishing to develop open source software to advance the Alliance's GDP. designed to accelerate delivery of targeted features to enhance the GENIVI Development Platform. The program is open to members and non-member organizations and individuals wishing to develop open source software to advance the Alliance's GDP. New Open Source Vehicle Simulator Project with both developer and end-user code available immediately. The project provides an open source, extensible driving simulator that assists adopters to safely develop and test the user interface of an IVI system under simulated driving conditions. with both developer and end-user code available immediately. The project provides an open source, extensible driving simulator that assists adopters to safely develop and test the user interface of an IVI system under simulated driving conditions. Collaborative Agreement with Techstars Mobility of Detroit to strengthen the relationship between startup companies focusing on the future of mobility and connected car solutions and the automotive industry. About GENIVI Alliance The GENIVI Alliance is a non-profit alliance focused on developing an open in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and connectivity platform for the transportation industry. The alliance provides its members with a global networking community of more than 140 companies, joining connected car stakeholders with world-class developers in a collaborative environment, resulting in free, open source middleware. GENIVI is headquartered in San Ramon Calif. Media Contact - GENIVI Alliance: Craig Miner GENIVI Alliance +1.248.840.8368 cminer@quell.com Related Links http://www.genivi.org SOURCE GENIVI Alliance Annual Partnership Meeting, hosted by World Cocoa Foundation and Le Conseil du Cafe-Cacao, will occur in world's leading cocoa producing country ABIDJAN, Cote d'Ivoire, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Join global leaders for a two-day meeting to address critical issues facing sustainability in the chocolate and cocoa sector. The meeting, hosted by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and Le Conseil du Cafe-Cacao, will feature prominent speakers across the sector, including government, civil society, academia, research institutes, public, and private sector representatives. WHAT: The World Cocoa Foundation 28th Partnership Meeting & Cocoa Sustainability Trade Fair is an opportunity to share the latest developments toward ensuring greater sustainability in the cocoa sector and improving farmer livelihood and will address topics including deforestation, climate change, financial inclusion, and more. This Partnership Meeting marks WCF's first in Cote d'Ivoire, the world's leading cocoa producer and is centered on the theme: "People, Planet, Profit in a Changing World." CocoaAction, industry's sustainability strategy, will be a major topic at the Partnership Meeting, with conversations focusing on alignment and scale. Click here for more information and to view the meeting agenda. The Partnership Meeting will be live tweeted from @WorldCocoa using meeting hashtag #WCFPM. WHEN: Wednesday, October 26 and Thursday, October 27, 2016 WHERE: Radisson Blu Abidjan-Port Bouet Route de l'Aeroport d'Abidjan Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire WHO: More than 60 Partnership Meeting presenters including: President of Cote d'Ivoire Alassane Ouattara * invited * First Lady of Cote d'Ivoire Dominique Ouattara Cote d'Ivoire Minister of Agriculture Mamadou Sangofowa Coulibaly Stephen Opuni , Chief Executive, Ghana Cocoa Board , Chief Executive, Ghana Cocoa Board Barry Parkin , Chairman, World Cocoa Foundation , Chairman, World Cocoa Foundation Rick Scobey , President, World Cocoa Foundation , President, World Cocoa Foundation Massandje Toure-Litse, Director General, Le Conseil du Cafe-Cacao of Cote d'Ivoire About WCF: The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) is an international membership organization that promotes sustainability in the cocoa sector. WCF provides cocoa farmers with the support they need to grow more quality cocoa and socially and economically strengthen their communities. WCF's members include cocoa and chocolate manufacturers, processors, supply chain managers, and other companies worldwide, representing more than 80 percent of the global cocoa market. WCF's programs benefit farmers and their communities in cocoa-growing regions of Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. For more information, visit www.worldcocoafoundation.org or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Related Links http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org SOURCE World Cocoa Foundation SEOUL, Korea and NEU-ISENBURG, Germany, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hankook Tire aims to solidify its technology leadership in the automotive industry at the high-tech facility by providing an optimal research environment, and by implementing Hankook Tire's 'Proactive' corporate culture via innovation in the working process. Hankook Tire today announced that it held an opening ceremony of 'Hankook Technodome', the new central R&D center in Daejeon, Korea, as the company headways into becoming a global top-tier brand based on technological leadership. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/MM829532-a ) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/MM829532-b ) Hankook Technodome is an embodiment of Hankook Tire's strong commitment in R&D innovation, and will act as a core instrument of the company's global R&D infrastructure. It was designed by Foster + Partners, an architectural firm founded by Sir Norman Foster, and integrates Hankook Tire's cutting-edge technology, vision and culture. Located in Daejeon, South Korea, Hankook Technodome is an outcome of a total investment of KRW 266.4 billion (an equivalent of approx. 220 Million EURO). The R&D center stands on a massive floor space of 96,328, with an R&D building with 6 stories and a residence building consisting of 8 stories, equipped with employee accommodations including a fitness center, medical clinics, cafes and a day care center. Through Hankook Technodome, Hankook Tire achieves a Gold certification of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) by USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council), one of the most prestigious green building certification systems. Mr. Seung Hwa Suh, Vice Chairman and CEO of Hankook Tire said, "Hankook Technodome is equipped with the high tech facilities and the optimal work environment to strengthen our global competitiveness through innovation, while actively dealing with rapid changes in the business environment and delivering products optimized for various customers' needs." Felix Kinzer Director f.kinzer@hankookreifen.de Sabine Riedel Public Relations +49(0)61028149174 s.riedel@hankookreifen.de SOURCE Hankook Tire Europe GmbH SEOUL, October 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Intellian Technologies, Inc. ("Intellian" or "the company"), announced today an initial public offering of 1,450,000 common shares via the KOSDAQ, at an initial price of $17.27 per share. The initial public offering will result in roughly $26m in raised capital and a total market capitalization for the company of just below $124m. Shares will start trading on the KOSDAQ Market on October 18, 2016 under the ticker symbol "189300 KS Equity." (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429372LOGO ) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429373LOGO ) Founded in 2004, Intellian is the global leader in maritime satellite communication systems. Company turnover in 2015 reached $54m, with operating profit reported as $4.7m. Sales in the first six months of 2016 amounted to $38.6m, generating an operating profit of $6.5m. Proceeds from this offering will facilitate the company's continued innovation and delivery of scalable solutions to the wider mobility satellite communications sector. The next phase of growth for Intellian will expand the company's footprint into other verticals such as aviation, land-mobile and military communications. "This is an exciting day for all of us. In only 12 years we have taken a leadership position over others who had been in the maritime market for decades," said Eric Sung, President and CEO of Intellian. "Our innovative approach has led not only to this important milestone in our own success story, but also to growth for all our partners along the way, and key advancements in connectivity for the entire maritime industry. In the next 5 years Intellian will invest no less than $100m in R&D to continue innovating and keeping people connected no matter where in the world they may be," said Sung. Forward-Looking Statements Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The Company is including this cautionary statement in connection with the relevant legislation. The words "believe," "anticipate," "intends," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "plan," "potential," "may," "should," "expect," "pending" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, our management's examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the failure of counterparties to fully perform their contracts with us, the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in prices, changes in demand for products, changes in our operating expenses, including materials prices and insurance costs, the market for our products, competition in the industry, availability of financing and refinancing, ability to obtain financing and comply with covenants in such financing arrangements, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents, piracy or political events, satellite unavailability or breakdowns and other factors. This announcement is not a prospectus but an advertisement and nothing herein contains an offering of securities. No one should purchase or subscribe for any securities in Intellian Technologies ("Intellian" or the "Company") except on the basis of information in the prospectus published by Intellian Technologies in connection with the potential offering and admission of such securities to trading and official listing on KOSDAQ ("KOSDAQ KRX, Seoul"). SOURCE Intellian Technologies SAN FRANCISCO, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The global knee implant market was valued at USD 8.8 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach a value of USD 12.4 billion by 2024. This growth is majorly attributed to growing elderly population and surging prevalence of chronic rheumatic conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and post-traumatic arthritis. Primary factors that lead to the occurrence of arthritis are aging, physical injuries, genetic inheritance factors, abnormal metabolism, infections, and immune system abnormalities. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/723757 ) Introduction of advanced technologies and products for are anticipated to keep the industry rivalry and market growth at par over the forecast period. For example, X3 Advanced Bearing Technology and Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology with capabilities of providing patient-specific 3-D model to plan partial knee replacement surgery. Also, in March 2016, Zimmer Biomet launched the Persona Medial Congruent Bearing, which is designed to provide a more natural motion of the knee by maximizing joint stability. The increasing investment in healthcare sector, geriatric population coupled with demand for minimally invasive surgeries are major factors fueling the increasing adoption of joint replacement procedures. In addition, untapped opportunities in developing economies such as China, and India are further anticipated to propel the knee implant market growth. On the contrary, the stringent regulatory guidelines involved in gaining approval of class III medical devices are slowing down the approval of implants devices. Browse full research report with TOC on "Knee Implants Market Analysis By Procedure Type (Total, Partial, Revision Knee Replacement), By Component Type (Fixed-Bearing, Mobile-Bearing Implants), And Segment Forecasts To 2024" at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/knee-implants-market Further Key Findings from the Study Suggest: The total knee replacement was the largest grossing segment in 2015 with over 75.0% and is expected to maintain its position during the forecast period. Developed countries including the U.S. and Germany are major contributors of this vertical. Advances in the surgical technologies and its rising demand in the developing economies will be a vital factor contributing to the sector growth are major contributors of this vertical. Advances in the surgical technologies and its rising demand in the developing economies will be a vital factor contributing to the sector growth The mobile-bearing implants segment is expected to exhibit fastest growth during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to the associated benefits such as longer performance with less wear and additional few degrees' rotation compared to a fixed-bearing device North America is estimated to reign the global knee implant market in the year 2016. The region is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. High procedural cost and reimbursement coverage coupled with the availability of skilled professionals is anticipated to spur the demand for knee implants during the forecast period is estimated to reign the global knee implant market in the year 2016. The region is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. High procedural cost and reimbursement coverage coupled with the availability of skilled professionals is anticipated to spur the demand for knee implants during the forecast period The Asia Pacific region is projected to be the fastest growing regional market over the projected period. Rapidly booming medical tourism industry in the emerging economies of India and China is primarily propelling the demand for knee replacement products in Asia Pacific region region is projected to be the fastest growing regional market over the projected period. Rapidly booming medical tourism industry in the emerging economies of and is primarily propelling the demand for knee replacement products in region The industry involves several global as well as local players. Some of the major players in this sector include Zimmer Biomet, Stryker, DePuy Synthes, Smith and Nephew, Aesculap Implants Systems,LLC, Exactech, Inc., Medacta, MicroPort Scientific, CONMED, Kinamed, Inc., ConforMIS, and OMNIlife science, Inc. Browse related reports by Grand View Research: Contrast Agent Market- http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/contrast-agent-market X-Ray Detectors Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/x-ray-detectors-market Fetal Monitoring Analysis Market- http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/fetal-monitoring-analysis-market Live Cell Imaging Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/live-cell-imaging-market Grand View Research has segmented the knee implant market by procedure type, component and region: Procedure Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) Total knee replacement Partial knee replacement Revision knee replacement Component Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) Fixed-bearing Implants Mobile-bearing Implants Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) North America U.S. Canada Europe UK Germany Asia Pacific Japan China India Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East and Africa South Africa Access research insight: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/research-insights/knee-implant-market-innovative-designs-drive-growth About Grand View Research Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare. Read Our Blogs - grandviewresearch.com/blogs/healthcare Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: http://www.grandviewresearch.com SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. Companies that Meet the Criteria of Evolved Selling Achieve Stronger Customer Loyalty, Higher Revenue Growth and Sustained Market Leadership CHICAGO, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a first-of-its-kind market analysis conducted by Forrester Consulting, business-to-business (B2B) sales organizations can gain a significant competitive advantage by successfully implementing an Evolved Selling model the use of enterprise software to deliver dynamic, interactive sales presentations with real-time, customer insights. However, only 11 percent of companies have embraced the technology solutions necessary to achieve Evolved Selling. The study was unveiled today at the Forrester B2B Marketing conference by Mediafly, the leading enterprise software company providing a scalable platform solution enabling Evolved Selling for front-line sales organizations. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429593LOGO The Forrester Consulting study, How B2B Sellers Win in the Age of the Customer, included surveys of both B2B buyers and sellers to evaluate a range of selling models from Static to Evolved and to understand the impact each model has on buyer behaviors and business results. In a Static Selling model, sellers use email, intranet sites or corporate portals to find and prepare content prior to a meeting, and compile it in a presentation like PowerPoint. In contrast, an Evolved Selling model allows sellers to use a buyer-centric approach through four key capabilities: Dynamic: ability to assemble and present content from various sources on the fly Interactive: ability for the seller to capture input from the buyer to guide the discussion Data-driven insights: ability to pull specific data in real time from various sources (e.g., subscription service like Nielsen or internal database such as a customer relationship management (CRM) system), revealing relevant insights CRM feedback: ability to capture and analyze how specific content or interactions impact sales results within a company's existing customer relationship management platform "This study has validated what we've witnessed working with front-line sales and marketing organizations of leading global companies of all sizes across many industries," said Carson Conant, chief executive officer of Mediafly. "Evolved Selling facilitates shorter sales cycles that result in bigger contracts and more loyal customers. Companies that adopt all four Evolved Selling capabilities deliver efficient growth and lead their industries." The study showed that Evolved Sellers are more effective at increasing deal velocity, reporting that they closed 43 percent more deals than Static Sellers. In addition, Evolved Sellers experience an 82 percent lift in buyers likely to consider them for new opportunities and a 70 percent lift in buyers purchasing more than they initially scoped. Most importantly, the impact of evolved selling extends beyond an individual salesperson's metrics or quota performance. Nearly two out of three companies who use Evolved Selling reported year-over-year revenue growth of 10 percent or more. In addition, Evolved Selling organizations are significantly more likely than ones who use Static Selling to command and sustain market leadership over the competition. "In order to transform from Static to Evolved Selling and remain relevant and competitive in today's marketplace, sales and marketing leaders need to re-evaluate their enablement strategies and supporting tools," said Conant. "Companies that invest in an Evolved Selling platform, like Mediafly, will benefit from loyal relationships that drive sustainable growth." "Unfortunately, most of today's sales forces are ill equipped to sell in a dynamic, insights-driven, and non-linear fashion," said Mary Shea, Ph.D., principal analyst at Forrester Research. "B2B sellers need to be armed with a new type of selling solution that enables them to be nimble and engaging in their customer interactions." To see a summary infographic of the topline results or download the full study go to www.HowB2BSellersWin.com. About Mediafly Mediafly is an enterprise software company that has worked with some of the most respected global sales organizations, including PepsiCo, MillerCoors and GE Healthcare to implement Evolved SellingTM and successfully drive better business results. The Mediafly Evolved Selling PlatformTM aligns with every sales training methodology and is a proven technology for helping field sales organizations deliver a dynamic, interactive, insightful buying experience that ties seamlessly back to CRM. For the third year in a row, Mediafly has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the top 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the US. Mediafly commissioned Forrester Consulting to initiate the market analysis of How B2B Sellers Win in the Age of the Customer at the beginning of Q3 2016. Related Links http://www.mediafly.com SOURCE Mediafly US mHealth Market and Growth Opportunity Analysis is part of Frost & Sullivan's Connected Health Growth Partnership Service Program that includes insights on hospital cybersecurity, telehealth, digital health and population health. This particular study reviews successful business models used to provide value among key customer segments and provides insight into the opportunities associated with key market segments and growth forecasts. For complimentary access to more information on this research, please visit: http://frost.ly/xg. "Health plans, payers and providers are very interested in leveraging mHealth solutions to monitor or remotely treat complex cases and chronic conditions," says Transformational Health Principal Analyst Victor Camlek. He continues: "The significant opportunity will be to expand the domain of medical-grade mHealth to cover more conditions and include forms of self-care management that rely on medical-grade activity trackers coupled with round-the-clock connected health service access." In order to sustain a competitive position, mHealth solution vendors must address implementation challenges including: Improving use cases for medical-grade programs , which will require FDA certification , which will require FDA certification Low willingness-to-pay for mHeath services by consumers Need for a common mHealth platform that is flexible, Web or mobile-based, device agnostic, secure and HIPAA compliant. Apple, Validic and Qualcomm life have adopted a data-in-a-platform approach by developing new products around user flexibility and interoperability. American Well, Teladoc, Zipnosis, Tactio, and Walgreens are examples of innovative companies driving the growth of new clinical care models over mobile. "Health technology combined with personalized medical plans offers the potential to prevent the progression of some conditions becoming chronic," explains Camlek. "As such, cost-effective telehealth should create the proof of this concept over the next five to seven years driven in a large part by mHealth technologies." About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion US mHealth Market and Growth Opportunity Analysis k093-48 Contact: Jana Schoneborn Corporate Communications Europe P: +49 (0)69 77033 43 E: jana.schoeneborn@frost.com http://ww2.frost.com twitter : @FS_Healthcare LinkedIn: Transform Health Related Links http://www.frost.com SOURCE Frost & Sullivan NEWTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- neoSurgical, Inc., a private medical technology company focused on advancing surgical wound healing, announced it has received CE Mark approval for the neoClose Laparoscopic Port Closure device. The CE Mark enables neoSurgical to sell and distribute neoClose to the 28 countries in the European Economic Area. "This marks a significant milestone for neoSurgical as we continue on our path of advancing surgical wound healing," stated Steve Anderson, Vice President Sales & Marketing of neoSurgical. "To date we have performed over 18,000 cases in the United States and we are now very excited to offer the benefits of neoClose to the many surgeons and patients within Europe." neoClose brings a simple, intuitive and reliable solution to assist the surgeon in closing port site defects, up to 3cm, following laparoscopic abdominal surgery. By utilizing bio-absorbable anchors and a Vector-X closure, neoClose is changing the standard of care in port site closure. "neoClose is a simple to use port closure device and is a handy adjunct in port site closure," stated Mr. Sean Johnston, General Surgeon, Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, Ireland. neoClose results in an approximation of the tissue with up to 75% less tension than conventional closure methods which utilize a closed loop closure method that has been associated with clinically significant pain due to nerve injury (Shin & Howard, 2012) and hernia rates as high as 39% (Scozzari et al., 2014). neoClose can help lower these risks due to its unique reduced tension closure. Today, an estimated 7 million laparoscopic procedures are performed globally each year. Each of these procedures results in multiple abdominal port site defects where neoClose can be deployed. With the continued trend towards minimally invasive and robotic surgery, there will be a growing requirement for effective port site closures. "In the future we look to expand into additional modalities to address some of the unmet clinical needs in both minimally invasive and open surgery. neoClose is just the first of a platform of products neoSurgical is planning on commercializing to address the growing need of improving surgical wound healing," stated Ronan Keating, CTO of neoSurgical. About neoSurgical neoSurgical is a commercial-stage company focused on being the global leader in advancing surgical wound healing. The company's initial product is neoClose, approved for sale in the US and Europe and designed to be the new standard for Laparoscopic surgery port site closure, a potential $400 million opportunity. The company's neoClose system for port site closure used in Laparoscopic surgery has now been used more than 18,000 times in hospitals across the United States. To learn more, visit www.neosurgical.com Related Links http://www.neosurgical.com SOURCE neoSurgical DANDERYD, Sweden, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- FOR NORDICS MEDIA ONLY - NOT FOR SWISS / AUSTRIAN JOURNALISTS New treatment option shown to extend progression-free survival significantly in people with advanced renal cell carcinoma[1] Kisplyx (Lenvatinib) in combination with everolimus is now available in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland for the treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following one prior vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted therapy.[1] Renal cell carcinoma accounts for approximately 80-90% of all kidney cancers, with few treatment options for this cancer at an advanced stage.[2] Approximately 30,000 people live with kidney cancer throughout Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland,[3] with more than 3,500 new diagnoses each year.[2] "For patients in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, access to a treatment option proven to delay the progression of their cancer is a welcome development. Lenvatinib also has a high objective response rate, especially when compared with either treatment alone. The phase II trial was the first in which these two types of cancer drugs have been successfully combined in renal cell carcinoma" comments Michael Szeps, Eisai Nordic Medical Director. The availability of the combination in the Nordics follows the evaluation of results from a pivotal Phase II trial, which showed that lenvatinib plus everolimus significantly extended progression-free survival in patients with unresectable advanced renal cell carcinoma versus everolimus alone.[1] The pivotal Phase II study evaluated 153 people living with advanced renal cell carcinoma who had progressed after one previous VEGF therapy.[1] Patients experienced a median progression-free survival of 14.6 months when treated with lenvatinib in combination with everolimus (n=51), compared with 5.5 months for those who received everolimus alone (n=50) (HR 0.40; 95% CI: 0.24-0.67; p=0.0005).[1] Updated median overall survival in the study population was 25.5 months in the lenvatinib plus everolimus group compared with 15.4 months in the everolimus group (HR 0.59; 95% CI 0.36 - 0.97). An objective response was achieved by 22 (43%) of 51 patients allocated lenvatinib plus everolimus compared with three (6%) of 50 who received single-agent everolimus (p<0.0001) and 14 (27%) of 52 patients assigned single agent lenvatinib (p=0.10).[1] For lenvatinib in combination with everolimus, the most common any-grade treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) reported in the lenvatinib plus everolimus group were diarrhoea, decreased appetite and fatigue. The most common TEAEs of Grade 3 or higher were diarrhoea, fatigue and hypertension.[1] Lenvatinib selectively inhibits the kinase activities of several different receptors including vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR), fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR), RET, KIT and platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFR).[4] Recent additional data in human RCC xenograft models indicate that lenvatinib in combination with everolimus causes significant antitumour effects through the potent antiangiogenic activity of lenvatinib and direct antitumour activity of everolimus.[5] In May 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lenvatinib in combination with everolimus, for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma who were previously treated with an anti-angiogenic therapy. Lenvatinib has been approved for the treatment of radio-iodine refractory thyroid cancer in the United States, Europe, Russia, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Israel, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Brazil. The development of lenvatinib 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 well-being of people worldwide. Eisai is committed to the therapeutic area of oncology and to addressing the unmet medical needs of patients and their families. Notes to Editors About Everolimus Everolimus is a selective mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) inhibitor. mTOR is a key serine-threonine kinase, the activity of which is known to be upregulated in a number of human cancers.[6] About Eisai EMEA in Oncology Eisai is committed to the development and delivery of highly beneficial new treatments for people with cancer. The development of therapeutic options in oncology is a major strategic area for Eisai in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia and Oceania (EMEA). In the European Union, Eisai currently has three marketed treatments across four indications: Lenvima (lenvatinib) is indicated 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). (lenvatinib) is indicated 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). Kisplyx (lenvatinib) is indicated 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. (lenvatinib) is indicated 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. Halaven (eribulin) is indicated for the treatment of people with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have received at least two chemotherapeutic regimens for advanced disease. Prior therapy should have included an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting, unless patients were not suitable for these treatments. Halaven (eribulin) is also indicated for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable liposarcomas who have received prior anthracycline containing therapy (unless unsuitable) for advanced or metastatic disease. About Eisai 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 our human 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 our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in multiple therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including Oncology and Neurology. As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through our investment and participation in partnership-based initiatives to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries. For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit http://www.eisai.com. References 1. Kisplyx SPC (Updated September 2016) Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/32335 Accessed October 2016 2. Ljungberg B, et al. Epidemiology of Renal Cell Carcinoma. European Association of Urology, 2011; 60; 615-621 3. Engholm G et al. NORDCAN: Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Prevalence and Survival in the Nordic Countries, Version 7.3 (08.07.2016) Available at: http://www-dep.iarc.fr/NORDCAN/english/frame.asp Accessed October 2016 4. Matsui J, et al. E7080, a novel inhibitor that targets multiple kinases, has potent antitumour activities against stem cell factor producing human small cell lung cancer H146, based on angiogenesis inhibition. Int J Cancer 2008;122:664-671 5. Adachi Y, et al. Lenvatinib in Combination with Everolimus Demonstrated Enhanced Antiangiogenesis and Antitumour Activity in Human RCC Xenograft Models. AACR 2016; #3264 6. SPC Afinitor. Available at: http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/001038/WC500022814.pdf Accessed October 2016 October 2016 Lenvatinib-EU0079 SOURCE Eisai BRUSSELS, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, members of the European parliament, healthcare professionals and patients affected by lung, heart, liver and kidney conditions, are meeting for the very first time to discuss the main barriers to and potential solutions for improving organ donation and transplantation. The meeting is led by the European Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA Europe) and endorsed by more than 90 international and national professional and patient groups, with the aim to agree a comprehensive policy framework to support local countries in ensuring their organ transplant programmes reach their full potential. The number of people waiting for an organ transplant in Europe is now more than 80,000 and a staggering 16 people die every day, on average, while waiting for a transplant.[1] Organ transplantation is often the last hope available to children and adults of all ages affected by a wide variety of conditions that impair the way their vital organs function. "There is no single challenge to overcome in order to meet the growing demand for organ transplants across Europe," explains Pisana Ferrari, CEO of PHA Europe and recipient of a lung transplant in 2002. "The problems related to the availability of organs are highly complex and sensitive, from hospital capacity and logistical issues to individuals' cultural and religious beliefs. What we hope to achieve from today's discussions are some more tangible next steps to improve the situation with policymakers and influential stakeholders." As part of the campaign, and to coincide with this meeting, a number of self-filmed patient stories are being shown in the EU parliament, including an airline pilot from Austria, whose life-saving kidney transplant enabled him to go back to flying after five difficult years on dialysis. Their stories offer just a glimpse of how the lives of those affected by debilitating illness are revolutionised by a donor organ. Notes to editors About the Call to Action campaign to improve organ donation and transplantation across the EU Organ transplantation is vital for the treatment and quality of life of patients of all ages living with a wide variety of conditions and currently benefits about 28,000 patients in the European Union yearly.[2] However, the demand for organs far exceeds the number of available organs in all EU member states and this demand is increasing faster than organ donation rates. To address this, on European Organ Donation Day, 10 October 2015, PHA Europe issued a Call to Action in cooperation with other patient associations, urging the EU and national level policy makers to ensure better awareness of the importance of and better access to organ donation and transplant.[3] The Call to Action is available to read at http://www.phaeurope.org. About PHA Europe PHA Europe is the umbrella organization for national associations of patients living with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in Europe, currently representing 39 patient groups from 33 countries. PH is the broad, inclusive name for a group of several chronic diseases that affect the lungs and the heart. In PH, the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs narrow or tighten, leading to shortness of breath and placing strain on the heart, which can ultimately lead to heart failure.[4] References Council of Europe . European Day for Organ Donation and Transplantation (EODD). Available at: https://www.edqm.eu/en/events/european-day-organ-donation-eodd. ACCORD (Achieving comprehensive coordination in organ donation) background paper. Available at: http://www.accord-ja.eu/background. PHA Europe. Call to Action to improve organ donation and transplantation across the EU. Available at: http://www.phaeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/PHA-Europe-CtA-final-15.3.2016.pdf. PHA Europe. About PH. Available at: http://www.phaeurope.org/dissease-information/. SOURCE Patient organisation - PHA Europe HONG KONG, October 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)'s proprietary optical fibre sensing technology in monitoring railway has been adopted overseas, for the first time, in metro lines in Singapore. Apart from installing an optical fibre sensing network in tracks to monitor the trains, sensors are also installed in in-service trains to monitor the tracks on which the trains run. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429242 ) PolyU is the first in the world using fibre optic sensors in in-service trains for continuous monitoring of the tracks. Compared with the prevailing means of regular check-ups for tracks after close of traffic, the new system provides continuous, in-service monitoring of tracks. This enhances service reliability through quick identification and rectification of defects. This new maintenance practice is expected to become a trend in the railway industry globally as it can best meet the ever-rising expectations for service reliability. The use of optical fibre sensing network installed on tracks for monitoring trains, and in the trains for monitoring tracks, is also a most efficient mode of maintenance for two of the most mission-critical components for a railway. This innovative approach won the Third 2014 Berthold Leibinger Innovation Prize in Germany. Through collaboration with various railways on the application of fibre optic sensors, PolyU has become a pioneer and leader in the smart railway condition monitoring technology. A total of 6 groups of sensors will be installed in tracks and trains of the East West Line and North South Line of SMRT which are the two busiest lines in the metro network of Singapore. Professor Tam Hwa-Yaw, Chair Professor of Photonics and Head of Department of Electrical Engineering, PolyU, said, "PolyU is proud to have exported its optical fibre sensing network to provide unprecedented health monitoring for mission-critical components in metro lines overseas. This PolyU technology will help enhance the performance of metro systems through an advanced predictive monitoring and maintenance regime, which is now the best practice in the railway industry and a global trend. This also shows how an academic institution in Hong Kong can develop leading technology in the world through collaboration with the industry." Dr Tan Chee Keong, Deputy Director of SMRT, Singapore, commented, "SMRT is most delighted to have PolyU's advanced railway technology installed in our metro lines. With much foresight, SMRT is the first in the world to have adopted this preventive monitoring system, enabled by the cutting-edge railway technologies pioneered by PolyU. I am sure this optical fibre sensing network installed in both the tracks and running trains will enhance the operation of our metro lines." An agreement was signed with SMRT in February 2016, and a trial run was completed successfully in June. The permanent monitoring system is now being installed in the two lines, to be completed in early 2017. PolyU will provide training to SMRT staff in operating the system, while the data collected during monitoring can also be sent to PolyU real-time for analysis when needed. In addition, PolyU will also provide maintenance and technical support to SMRT for a period of five years after the commissioning of the system. (END) Press Contact: Professor Tam Hwa-Yaw, Chair Professor of Photonics and Head of Department of Electrical Engineering, PolyU Telephone:(852) 2766 6175 Email: eehytam@polyu.edu.hk SOURCE The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) Wasion Group produces 35 million units of various smart metering, power and energy management equipment annually. With a diversified product portfolio, Wasion's production lines need to accommodate a variety of products in lower volumes. The company has been vigorously looking for highly flexible automation solutions in an effort to optimize production in a highly customized environment, enabling the company to meet changing market demands and expedite delivery. Wasion has turned to Sawyer as the answer to safe, flexible and efficient production. Unlike other robots, Sawyer has compliant motion control, and can feel its way into precise and fragile fixtures, even if a part position changes. This feature enables adaptive repeatability, and allows Sawyer to work precisely in many environments, much like a human does. "We see smart manufacturing as a significant driver of our company's growth. We are just beginning to introduce this level of automation into our manufacturing processes, and we are pioneering the practice in China. Deploying Rethink Robotics' smart, collaborative robots will enable us to speed up our production and migrate to smart manufacturing," said Liao Qianzhong, general manager of production center, Wasion Group Limited. "We have already seen positive results from our initial deployment of Sawyer, and we also see tremendous potential for wider use in our operations." With the support and training of Rethink Robotics' designated technical team, Wasion quickly completed the deployment of Sawyer for its assembly line of single-phase energy meters. Sawyer robots are now used at multiple work stations: loading electric meter boxes; PCBA loading and assembling; power testing and code scanning; carrier loading and assembly and more. The company has already measured significant growth since deploying the Sawyer robots in July. Productivity has improved by 45 percent, while operational costs have decreased by 25 percent and the part defect rate has dropped by more than 50 percent. "Wasion advocates innovation, and we encourage our team to embrace new technologies. Collaboration with Sawyer increases our employees' efficiency and supports them to pursue innovation," said Qianzhong. "The workers who were previously on the assembly line will be retrained and assigned to other value-adding positions." Wasion expects to invest RMB 159 million in smart manufacturing in the coming years, primarily focusing on metering and electrical equipment production, as well as research and development. The company believes robotics technologies, especially collaborative robots, will play a pivotal role in its visionary plan. "With the introduction of the Made in China 2025 initiative, China is aggressively addressing rising wages and gaps in productivity through smart manufacturing," said Jim Lawton, chief product and marketing officer at Rethink Robotics. "Sawyer is playing a significant role in this transformation for companies like Wasion Group with its ability to shift between a variety of tasks, adapt to the variability of the factory and improve production quality." For more information watch the video of Sawyer on the factory floor at Wasion Group. About Wasion Group The China-based Wasion Group Limited is an international leader for integrated solutions of smart metering, smart distribution and energy management. A publicly listed company in Hong Kong, Wasion Group is focused on the research, production and sales of energy measuring and energy saving management integrated solutions. Its products and services are widely applied to the energy supply industries such as electricity, water, gas and heating power. Its products are also used by the large energy consumption sectors such as public construction, petrochemical, traffic and transportation, machine manufacturing, metallurgy and chemical, schools, hospitals, as well as residential users. Please visit its company website www.wasion.com for more information. About Rethink Robotics Rethink Robotics is transforming the way manufacturing gets done, with smart, collaborative robots able to automate the 90 percent of tasks that until now, have been beyond the reach of traditional automation. Its Baxter and Sawyer robots, powered by the Intera software platform, adapt to real-world variability, can change applications quickly and perform tasks like people do. The result: manufacturers of all shapes, sizes and industries get the fast-to-deploy, easy-to-use and versatile automation solution they need to increase flexibility, lower cost and accelerate innovation. Based in Boston, the Rethink product suite is available in Asia, Europe and North America. The company is funded by Bezos Expeditions, CRV, Highland Capital Partners, Sigma Partners, DFJ, Two Sigma Ventures, GE Ventures and Goldman Sachs. For more information about Rethink Robotics, please visit www.rethinkrobotics.com and follow us on Twitter at @RethinkRobotics. CONTACT: Gil Haylon, 617-969-9192, ghaylon@corporateink.com Related Links http://www.rethinkrobotics.com SOURCE Rethink Robotics DUBLIN, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The U.K. Temperature Control Market - Analysis & Forecast, 2016-2022" report to their offering. This study includes an overview and analysis of the U.K.'s temperature control market, by type of products and applications across U.K. allowing research to develop a comprehensive outlook of the market. The temperature control market report presents a detailed analysis of market dynamics and provides an extensive insight into the various forms of development, trends, and key participants. All of the above mentioned report coverage parameters are discussed across the U.K. For report coverage and primaries, we have contacted industry experts and consultants in the U.K. The growth of the U.K.'s temperature control market is owed to various factors such as construction projects specially in London by both public and private sectors, various policy and regulatory laws pertaining to the areas of environmental concerns, increasing energy efficiency, usage of renewable sources of energy, rising prices of fuels and other raw materials, and the usage of low GWP refrigerants among others. All these changes in the regulations have led to surplus investment and expenditure in the research and development sectors by the companies. While highlighting the key driving and restraining forces for this dynamic market, the report also provides a comprehensive section of the prominent consortiums, compliances, and regulatory bodies, as well as their involvement in the temperature control market. The research incorporates Porter's five force model for an in-depth analysis of the market and an assessment of the factors governing the same. The analysis builds on a well-compiled value chain, giving a detailed understanding of the ecosystem players and their rate of market penetration. The answers to the following key questions can be found in the report: What are the major market drivers, challenges and opportunities of the temperature control market and their use cases? What are the key trends and developments in the temperature control market for U.K.? What are the key developmental strategies in different applications across the region? What are the different types of products and the latest technologies prevalent in the market? How will the key market players leverage on key developments such as mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and product launches among others? Who are the key players in the U.K. temperature control market? What are the recent key market trends and key developments in the U.K.? What is the U.K. market for products and applications through forecast period? Key Topics Covered: 1 The Research Scope and Methodology 1.1 Scope of the Report 1.2 Primary Data Sources 1.3 Secondary Data Sources 2 Introduction to Global Temperature Control Market 3 Market Dynamics 3.1 Market Drivers 3.2 Market Challenges 3.3 Market Opportunities 4 Competitive Insights 4.1 Key Market Developments & Strategies 4.2 Industry Attractiveness 5 Industry Analysis 5.1 Patent Analysis 5.2 Consortium, Association and Regulatory Bodies 5.3 Value Chain Analysis and Revenue Generation Split 6 The U.K. Temperature Control Market Analysis and Forecast 6.1 Assumptions for Analysis and Forecast of the U.K. Temperature Control Market 6.2 Market Overview 6.3 The U.K. Temperature Control Market by Product Types 6.4 The U.K. Temperature Control Market by Applications 7 Company Profiles 7.1 Carrier Corporation 7.2 Daikin Applied 7.3 Johnson Controls Inc. 7.4 L.G Corporation 7.5 Mitsubishi Corp 7.6 Panasonic Corporation 7.7 System Air 7.8 Trane 7.9 List of Other Prominent Players (Overview Only) For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ljrwr9/the_u_k Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets HORSHAM, Pa., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AAMCO Transmissions, Inc. ("AAMCO"), franchisor of the world's largest branded chain of transmission specialists and an industry leader in total car care services, today announced the owner of its Claymont, Delaware center is offering free car check ups for local residents on Oct. 22 in celebration of National Car Care Month. The AAMCO of Claymont, owned by Ken Rickoski, is also honoring the location's 10th anniversary during the Community Car Clinic Day event. Attendees will have the chance to participate in giveaways and freebies, as well as view classic cars on display. "Community Car Clinic Day was created in efforts to bring awareness to National Car Care Month and give back to the local residents of Claymont," said Rickoski. "With the winter months quickly approaching, it's important vehicle owners receive car check ups to prepare for colder driving conditions. We are excited to offer local residents a complimentary vehicle check and look forward to serving the local community for many years to come." For more than 50 years, AAMCO's network of locally owned and independently operated automotive service centers have employed the latest technology. Expert technicians diagnose a repair, fix it right the first time and back it with a nationwide warranty. Known as the world's leading transmission expert, the company has evolved into a total car care brand that provides a variety of services, including brake repair, tune-ups, shocks and struts, routine maintenance and more. AAMCO was recently named to Entrepreneur's 2016 Franchise 500, ranking at the top of the transmission repair category. Based on network size, growth rate and financial strength, the brand also earned a spot on Entrepreneur's "Best of the Best" list. The AAMCO of Claymont will serve customers on Monday Friday from 8 a.m. 5 p.m, Saturday appointments available upon request. For more information, please visit www.AAMCOclaymontde.com or call 302-746-2405. About AAMCO AAMCO is the world's largest branded chain of transmission specialists and a leader in total car care services. AAMCO has nearly 650 franchised automotive centers throughout the United States and Canada. Established in 1963, AAMCO-branded centers are proud to have served more than 45 million drivers. For more information, visit: aamcouniversity.com, aamco.com or aamcoblog.com. Contact: Tiffany Trilli Fish Consulting 954-893-9150 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150521/217798LOGO SOURCE AAMCO Transmissions, Inc. Related Links http://aamco.com WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today AARP released the following statement from AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins in response to the announced cost of living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security beneficiaries in 2017: "As we head in to our final presidential debate, having largely ignored discussion of some major issues facing our nation, one issue that demands attention from the candidates and moderators is the future of Social Security. And with today's small 0.3 percent COLA increase announcement for Social Security beneficiaries, candidates have yet another opportunity to address this issue. "Over the last five years, Social Security COLA's have remained small or nonexistent at 1.7 percent or lower, even though every cent can matter to beneficiaries and their families. After last year's zero COLA, this year's announcement doesn't offer much help to the millions of families who depend on their Social Security benefits. As prescription prices skyrocket and Medicare premiums and other health costs increase, many older Americans have understandable concerns. Along with many groups, AARP has also asked Congress to ensure that Medicare premiums and deductibles don't skyrocket next year. "In our final presidential debate of 2016, we urge the moderator to finally question the candidate on Social Security and get them to Take a Stand. Voters need to hear candidates' positions on our largest and most important program before they cast their votes. About AARP AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of nearly 38 million that helps people turn their goals and dreams into "Real Possibilities" by changing the way America defines aging. With staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and promote the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare security, financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also advocates for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world's largest circulation magazine, AARP The Magazine, and AARP Bulletin. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @aarp on Twitter. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20070209/NYF043LOGO SOURCE AARP Related Links http://www.aarp.org NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Estate of Alexander Calderwood, administered by his father, Thomas B. Calderwood, filed a lawsuit today in the Supreme Court of the State of New York against Brad Wilson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Ace Group International LLC. According to the suit, Wilson's conduct has harmed the Calderwood Estate and it is seeking millions of dollars in damages. Alex Calderwood was the visionary behind the popular and trendy Ace brand of boutique hotels. He grew Ace from a "flophouse" in a run-down part of Seattle into a successful international hotel chain with locations now in Seattle, Portland, New York, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, London, and Panama. According to various media reports, future Ace locations are planned for Chicago, The Bowery, Toronto, and Brooklyn. When Alex Calderwood died unexpectedly at age 47 in November 2013, his elderly father, Tom, was appointed as the personal representative of Alex's estate. At the time of his death, Calderwood owned a 51.74 percent member interest in Ace, asserts the lawsuit. The suit filed outlines how, in the wake of Alex Calderwood's death, Wilson conspired with Ecoplace, which is controlled by Calderwood's former business partner Stefanos Economou, to wrongfully exclude Tom from the hotel company his son founded. The suit alleges that Wilson conspired with Ecoplace by hiding the true, strong financial condition of Ace so that Wilson and Ecoplace could acquire the Estate's majority interest in Ace for far less than it was worth. The lawsuit also asserts that Wilson's actions are in breach of his Ace agreements, in breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and in breach of his fiduciary duties. According to the lawsuit, Wilson allegedly attempted to extort and defraud the Calderwood Estate by: Using Ace assets to commission a bogus appraisal of Ace, valuing Ace at $200,000 , for the purpose of convincing Tom Calderwood to give up the 51.74 percent majority interest in Ace or to sell that interest at a fraction of its true value by undervaluing Ace by many millions of dollars; , for the purpose of convincing to give up the 51.74 percent majority interest in Ace or to sell that interest at a fraction of its true value by undervaluing Ace by many millions of dollars; Conspiring with Ecoplace to pay exorbitant bonuses ( $1.5 million in aggregate) to himself and another Ace employee, and to make undisclosed distributions to Ecoplace of $2 million in self-dealing transactions intended to simultaneously make Ace appear less valuable, thereby facilitating a purchase of Calderwood's interest at a severely depressed valuation, while nevertheless providing Wilson and Ecoplace with financial benefits; in aggregate) to himself and another Ace employee, and to make undisclosed distributions to Ecoplace of in self-dealing transactions intended to simultaneously make Ace appear less valuable, thereby facilitating a purchase of Calderwood's interest at a severely depressed valuation, while nevertheless providing Wilson and Ecoplace with financial benefits; Manipulating Ace's financial statements to hide Ace's true financial condition while also refusing to explain Ace's financial statements to the Calderwood Estate; and Deliberately failing to use his best efforts to manage and grow Ace and make Ace more profitable and valuable. "We really wish it hadn't come to this, but Alex's Estate is the majority owner of Ace. After countless days, months, and now years of trying to secure the Estate's rightful claim to Ace, there was really no alternative but to pursue this litigation," said Jim McDermott, lead attorney for the Calderwood Estate. The Calderwood Estate is represented by James T. McDermott and Ciaran P.A. Connelly of Ball Janik LLP. The lawsuit is available here: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=45kbC7v_PLUS_b0hCw6XnMdNRbA==&system=prod This lawsuit directly follows two other lawsuits filed against Ace. In the first, the Calderwood Estate filed suit against Ace, Ecoplace and Economou in March 2015 and that case is now pending in the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court of New York for New York County (amended complaint, second amended complaint). Then, in August 2016, Tungsten, a 4% owner in Ace, filed suit against Ace, Ecoplace, and Economou alleging, among other things, that Wilson has mismanaged Ace in the wake of Calderwood's death. Tungsten further alleges that Wilson's mismanagement is either proof of incompetence or as a result of a "deliberate effort" to "stifle the growth of the Ace brand value during litigation with Alex Calderwood's estate" or both. See the Tungsten complaint. SOURCE Ball Janik LLP Related Links http://www.balljanik.com/ NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Companies, Forecast Data & Analysis for Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic , Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic , Aramid Fibre Reinforced Plastic , Ceramic Matrix Composites Within Next Generation Commercial Airliners, Military, Business Jet, General Aviation, Helicopters & Civil Aircraft Report Details Visiongain assesses that the aerospace composites market will achieve revenues of $9,951m in 2016. Furthermore, the market is predicted to record strong growth rates over the next few years as new aircraft platforms and favourable growth rates in the aerospace industry, particularly for commercial aircraft, are expected to be key growth drivers over the next few years. The properties of composite materials offer a number of benefits to the performance of aircraft. The most significant is the lightweight structures which enables weight savings, lower fuel consumption and greater range. Furthermore, composite materials provide high levels of toughness and rigidity and are a suitable alternative to traditional metallic structures. Therefore, composites are becoming increasingly popular as the aerospace industry looks for new methods of delivering additional value to its end-users. It is therefore critical that you have your timescales correct and that you enhance your knowledge of significant competitors. This report will ensure that you do. Visiongain's report will ensure that you keep informed and ahead of your competitors. Gain that competitive advantage. The report will answer questions such as: -What are the key trends, opportunities and challenges for the aerospace composites market currently and in the future? -What factors are behind these trends and what are the prospects for related submarkets and regional markets? -Who are the leading companies in the aerospace composites industry? -What are stakeholders doing in response to the market environment? 5 Reasons why you must order and read this report today: 1) The report quantifies, forecasts and analyses the aerospace composites market: - Forecasts of the global market - Forecasts of key regional markets Asia Pacific, Europe and North America - Forecasts of key national markets Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, US, rest of Asia Pacific, Rest of Europe, Rest of Word - Analysis of factors that are driving or restraining market activity. 2) The report provides submarket forecasts and analyses for aerospace composites by type of composite: - Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) - Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) - Aramid Fibre Reinforced Plastic (AFRP) - Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) 3) The study reveals where aerospace composites stakeholders are investing. We show you information relating to: - Contracts and programmes - Products and services - Recent mergers, acquisitions and divestiture activity - Geographical distribution 4) 143 contracts reveal which sectors of the aerospace composites market are in demand 5) Profiles the top 11 aerospace composites companies including information relating to areas of specialisation, contract details, product information, strategy and key financial indicators: - E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company - GKN Aerospace - Hexcel Corporation - Huntsman Corporation - Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc - Celanese Corporation - Gurit Holding AG - Koninklijke TenCate NV - Senior plc - Solvay SA - Teijin Ltd How will you benefit from this report? -This report will keep your knowledge base up to speed. Don't get left behind -This report will allow you to reinforce strategic decision decision-making based upon definitive and reliable market data -You will learn how to exploit new technological trends -You will be able to realise your company's full potential within the market -You will better understand the competitive landscape and identify potential new business opportunities & partnerships -Ultimately, the report will save you time, providing a comprehensive outlook for the aerospace composites market prospects Competitive advantage This independent 256 page report, guarantees that you will remain better informed than your competitors. With 235 tables and figures examining the aerospace composites market, the report gives you an immediate, one-stop breakdown of the leading players in your market. Net incomes and company sales data, as well as analysis keep your knowledge that one step ahead of your rivals. Who should read this report? -Anyone involved with the aerospace composites industry -Composites materials manufacturers -Composites industry executives / engineers -Aerospace OEMs and system integrators -R&D personnel -CEO's -COO's -CIO's -Business development managers -Marketing managers -Technologists -Engineers -Suppliers -Investors -Banks -Aviation regulators -Contractors Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04226966-summary/view-report.html About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. http://www.reportlinker.com __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com PORT LOUIS, Mauritius, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Mauritius has inked a five-year technology and services deal with IBM (NYSE: IBM) for Cloud and Analytics technologies delivered as services to fuel its long-term growth plans. The Mauritian national airline, the fourth largest in Africa, has been connecting the Indian Ocean Island nation of Mauritius to the rest of the world since 1967. Air Mauritius will use the IBM Cloud and analytics-enabled enterprise planning solution to better manage budgeting cycles, decrease turnaround time for processing data and boost its capacity to uncover predictive insights directly from data to enhance customer experience. The IBM solution will also harmonize Air Mauritius' data management infrastructure, providing a single platform to accommodate past, current and future data for business analysis with the same level of granularity. This means enhanced operational efficiencies and improved service delivery for customer enquiries and flight bookings. The deal, which will be implemented in collaboration with KPMG South Africa, will allow the airline to overhaul its enterprise planning processes using the statistical analysis and powerful visualizations of IBM's Watson Analytics. This will allow authorized personnel across the enterprise to have analytical insights from the company's data, enhancing internal communications and customer experiences. It will also provide an integrated environment for critical, real-time scenario planning and performance management. Operating out of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Mauritius, its main hub, Air Mauritius serves 24 regional and international destinations. "We are witnessing increased competition across the aviation industry to improve organizational efficiency and enhance customer experience by adopting the latest technologies," says Jananda Moothoo, Country General Manager, IBM Mauritius. "IBM's cloud and analytics technology is helping Air Mauritius to improve efficiencies and accelerate growth and global relevance." About Air Mauritius Carrying 1.5 million passengers and 30,000 tons of cargo annually, Air Mauritius is a key player in Africa's tourism and logistics market, a partner with global lifestyle and hospitality firms and as the country's flag carrier, a respected national asset. The Air Mauritius Group which has about 3,000 personnel plays a key role in the economic development of Mauritius. For further information, please visit: http://www.airmauritius.com/ About IBM For information about IBM Cloud, please visit www.ibm.com/cloud-computing. For information about IBM infrastructure services, visit: www.ibm.com/services. For information about IBM Watson Analytics, visit: www.ibm.com/analytics/watson-analytics Contact Air Mauritius Prem Prakash Sewpaul Vice President Communications and Corporate Affairs, Air Mauritius [email protected] IBM Charles Moyela IBM External Relations, Central & West Africa [email protected] Mike Zimmerman IBM Media Relations [email protected] (914) 766-4935 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO SOURCE IBM Related Links http://www.ibm.com Taking place on October 27, 2016 at the historic Diamond Horseshoe at the Paramount Hotel in New York City, The Blood Ball 2016 will feature a "Hollywood meets Horror" theme, and guests of the event will enjoy exclusive performances by DJ MICK and Shien Artists & Event Creative. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the event will benefit the on-going work of DKMS. Every 3 minutes, someone in the US is diagnosed with a blood cancer. For many patients, a bone marrow transplant is the best chance for survival, and seventy percent of patients must rely on strangers for bone marrow transplants. DKMS works globally to recruit donors, create awareness, and raise funds to match donor registration costs and support the improvement of therapies through research. Since its founding 25 years ago, DKMS has registered over 6 million potential donors worldwide. "DKMS welcomes Air Partner to The Blood Ball," says Carina Ortel, CEO of DKMS US. "The lifesaving work we do here at DKMS can only be made possible by the generosity of sponsors like Air Partner. It is both an honor and a pleasure to have them join us in our fight to delete blood cancer in the U.S. and around the world." David McCown, Senior Vice President of Air Partner Private Jets in North America added: "We are very proud to support DKMS for such an important cause. Millions of Americans and their loved ones have been impacted by blood cancer, and DKMS provides invaluable resources that can provide these patients with a second chance at life." Established in 1961, Air Partner provides the complete range of private aviation services including on-demand jet charter, JetCard membership, aircraft sales, and group air charter. The company supports a number of charities globally, and has extensive experience in arranging humanitarian flights to support governments, NGOs, and charitable organizations worldwide. For more information on DKMS and how you can join the fight against blood cancer, visit www.dkms.org. To purchase tickets to The Blood Ball visit www.thebloodball.org. About Air Partner Founded in 1961, Air Partner is a global aviation services group that provides worldwide solutions to industry, commerce, governments and private individuals. The Group has two divisions: (a) Broking division, comprising air charter broking and remarketing through the Air Partner and Cabot brands respectively; and (b) Training & Consulting division, via the aviation safety consultancy Baines Simmons. For reporting purposes, the Group is structured into four divisions: Commercial Jets, Private Jets, Freight (Broking) and Baines Simmons (Training & Consultancy). The Commercial Jet division charters large airliners to move groups of any size. Cabot Aviation, which is formed within the Commercial Jet division, provides comprehensive remarketing programs for all types of commercial and corporate aircraft to a wide range of international clients. Private Jets offers the company's unique pre-paid JetCard membership and on-demand charter. Air Partner Freight charters aircraft of every size to fly almost any cargo anywhere, at any time. Baines Simmons is a world leader in Aviation Safety Consulting which specializes in aviation regulation, compliance and safety management. Air Partner is headquartered alongside Gatwick airport in the UK. Air Partner operates 24/7 year-round and has 20 offices globally. Air Partner is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIR) and is also ISO 9001:2008 compliant for commercial airline and private jet solutions worldwide. www.airpartner.com About The Blood Ball The Blood Ball is an exclusive Halloween-inspired benefit that takes place at one of Manhattan's most sought-after venues, Diamond Horseshoe. The event attracts 500 upscale NYC-area professionals for an unforgettable evening of music, dancing, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and special performancesall in the spirit of saving lives. This year, the theme is Dark Glamour: Hollywood Meets Horror. 100% of the proceeds raised from The Blood Ball fund DKMS's efforts to delete blood cancer once and for all. For more information about the event or to purchase tickets/tables, please visit: thebloodball.org. About DKMS DKMS started with one family's search for a lifesaving bone marrow donor. Today, they are an international not for profit organization dedicated to the fight against blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. DKMS has registered more than 6.7 million potential donors and has facilitated over 58,000 transplants around the world. They are not stopping there. Everyday, they lead the fight by working with patients, families, communities and organizations to raise awareness, provide more patients with second chances at life, support the improvement of therapies through research and support patients from day one of their diagnosis. To join the fight against blood cancer or for more information, please go to dkms.org. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429664LOGO Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429405LOGO SOURCE Air Partner Related Links http://www.airpartner.com WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As health officials warn of a growing cholera epidemic in Haiti, Airlink has sent its first charter flight to the country, delivering more than 100,000 pounds of critical humanitarian aid valued at $1.7 million. The shipment constitutes a coordinated effort between Airlink and five of its NGO partners, and will include hygiene kits, water purification equipment, pharmaceuticals, and medical and surgical supplies. "Haiti is entering a difficult period right now. While the initial hurricane caused devastation to homes and farmland in the affected areas, cholera continues to be a significant concern. These supplies are critical to addressing both the immediate and longer-term needs," said Steven Smith, Executive Director of Airlink. "Airlink now has a logistics team on the ground that will focus on supporting responding NGOs in their deployments and we are honored to be able to play our part in helping those in need." The shipment, which departed from Miami International Airport at 2pm ET for Port-au-Prince, will address the ongoing needs related to emergency medical care as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), with a focus on cholera treatment and mitigation. Airlink, with help from the American Logistics Aid Network and LIFT, coordinated shipments from across the United States, filling an entire Boeing 767 aircraft, flown by AmeriJet. The shipment was made possible through Airlink's Disaster Response Partnership, which enables Airlink to move quickly to address supply chain issues and drive down logistics costs for NGOs during disasters. The flight includes cargo from five nonprofit partners: Americares, International Medical Corps, MAP International, Medshare, and World Hope International. During this response, Airlink is actively working with 11 humanitarian aid organizations to support transportation of relief workers and material aid into the affected regions. Over the past two weeks, through partnerships with Avianca, Copa Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and United Airlines, Airlink has sent more than 30 relief workers and saved NGOs nearly $30,000. These responders have been working to provide medical services and WASH supplies, as well as assisting with debris clearance and clean-up. For the first time, Airlink has also deployed two logistics personnel to Haiti, who will work to coordinate needs on the ground and navigate the logistics of transportation and distribution of aid. About Airlink Airlink is a 24/7, rapid-response disaster and humanitarian relief organization that links pre-qualified nonprofits with partner airlines for passenger and cargo transportation. Airlink's rapid response business model supports the delivery of the right aid to the right people at the right time. With a global air transportation network that is constantly expanding as crises and natural disasters continue to occur around the world, Airlink has supported humanitarian initiatives on every continent. Since its inception in 2010, Airlink's airline partners have flown over 4,000 passengers and transported approximately 2,500,000 pounds of aid cargo. For more information, please visit www.airlinkflight.org. SOURCE Airlink Related Links http://www.airlinkflight.org The Allstate commercial insurance pages ( http://www.allstate.com/business ) have been re-designed to launch the quoting platform and make it easier for small business owners to get the information they need to make an informed purchasing decision. The website design clearly defines the types of businesses Allstate insures, the coverages offered and tools and resources to help a small business owner, including special offers from partners such as SurePayroll and InfoMart. "By placing tools and resources conveniently in one place, we've created a one-stop shopping experience for buyers," said Michael Barton, president, Allstate Business Insurance. Online Quoting for Busy Small Business Owners The new quoting functionality integrates advanced data and analytics, along with third-party data to pre-fill data elements, which reduces the keystrokes needed for the quoting process. Small business owners can simply enter their information with minimal fields, and Allstate will deliver a quote for a tailored businessowners policy. Allstate's customizable BOP product, Business Shield, provides bespoke coverages and pricing designed to help protect against specific risks. After reviewing the quote, consumers will have the option to purchase the policy or talk to an Allstate insurance agency owner who can answer any additional questions. As small business owners themselves, agency owners understand the importance of making the right decisions for a business and can provide expertise. With technology quickly evolving and buying trends becoming more digital, Allstate is committed to providing innovative small business solutions to consumers in a way that is fast, straightforward and allows them to purchase at their convenience. "Buyer preferences are changing. They want the ability to do-it-yourself," said Barton. "This innovative ability to quote and bind an online BOP in about five minutes showcases the big strides Allstate is making to help small business owners." What Keeps Small Business Owners Up at Night? In its commitment to help small business owners beyond the insurance transaction, Allstate has conducted several surveys in the past few years to discover what business issues are most worrisome or confusing to owners. The research and recent Allstate/USA TODAY Small Business Barometer survey results show that small business owners face the same critical business issues as Fortune 1,000 companies, yet they do not have the same resources to tackle them. Helping Small Businesses Every Step of the Way Allstate decided to take action on the findings and partnered with major corporations in the banking, legal, office supply, web marketing and technology sectors to launch the Small Business Connection; a free online resource hub built to help empower small business owners to find knowledge, insight, ideas and guidance to help solve those critical business issues. As the founding partners some of America's most iconic brands continue to invest in the future of small business owners, they have included the businessowner's policy quoting functionality on the Small Business Connection website and re-launched the website with a visually appealing design that is organized by different stages of business: start, grow, manage and retire. The website also hired Steve Strauss, USA Today's senior small business columnist, to be the editor-in-chief of the Small Business Connection. Strauss is considered one of the world's top resources for small businesses, entrepreneurs and the self-employed. "Small business owners have to be their own HR, IT, marketing and finance departments, and having resources from giants in the industry is extremely beneficial and can help them navigate unfamiliar territory," said Strauss. As small business owners' needs and preferences change, Allstate continues to be innovative and a friend to small business owners, bringing new ways to help them run their businesses so they can focus on what matters most their customers. About Allstate Business Insurance As a provider for more than 250,000 small-business policyholders distributed through 10,000 small-business insurance agency owners, Allstate Business Insurance provides insurance solutions and shares resources to help American small businesses prosper. Products and coverages include Business Shield (Business Owners Policy), Commercial Auto, Inland Marine, Umbrella and Cyber Security. For more information on Allstate Business Insurance, visit: www.allstate.com/business. The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting approximately 16 million households from life's uncertainties through auto, home, life and other insurance offered through its Allstate, Esurance, Encompass and Answer Financial brand names. Now celebrating its 85th anniversary as an insurer, Allstate is widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate." Allstate agencies are in virtually every local community in America. In 2015, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $36 million to support local communities. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130404/MM88193-b SOURCE Allstate Insurance Company Related Links http://www.Allstate.com TROY, Mich., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Altair will present at this year's formnext 2016, in Frankfurt, showcasing the latest versions of its simulation software suite HyperWorks 14.0, concept design and optimization tools solidThinking Evolve as well as Inspire 2016, highlighting new design processes for the development and manufacturing of innovative products. In addition, Altair and its customers will also present their projects developed with Altair's software solutions at the formnext conference from November 15-18, hosted by TCT. Highlights at the booth will be Altair's Simulation-driven Innovation approach, the development process chain of the Airbus APWorks' Light Rider, the world's first prototype of a 3D printed electric motorcycle, the 3D printed antenna bracket by RUAG Space and the entire development and manufacturing processes of a cast aluminum component, developed jointly with Altair's partners HBM nCode and voxeljet. The frame design of the Airbus APWorks' Light Rider that will be displayed at the event is an excellent example of the symbiosis of topology optimization and additive manufacturing. Its structure is based on optimization results generated with Altair's OptiStruct technology, supported by HyperMesh for pre-processing tasks such as meshing, and HyperView for post-processing the analysis results. All products are part of the HyperWorks CAE simulation suite. Applying a typical topology optimization OptiStruct run, the APWorks engineers first defined the design space (areas where the optimization technology can and cannot remove material, such as fixing points or access holes) and applied general loads and boundary conditions. The optimization software then created a design proposal that fulfilled the frame's structural requirements, by generating highly innovative geometries. The cast aluminum component also to be displayed at the booth was designed and optimized with Inspire, then nCode DesignLife was applied to conduct a fatigue analysis and finally solidThinking's Click2Cast software was used for a casting simulation. The created design resulted in a casting mold, 3D-printed by voxeljet. This process ensured that the component benefited from all of the positive characteristics 3D printing and casting offer. "We are very much looking forward to presenting our solutions, including our Simulation-driven Innovation approach at formnext," said Mirko Bromberger, Director Marketing and Additive Manufacturing Strategies at Altair Engineering. "Additive manufacturing (AM) is making headlines across industry as companies discover and take advantage of the inherent flexibility as well as the potential weight advantages the method offers, when combined with design optimization techniques. As we will present with the example of the Light Rider, when topology optimization and additive manufacturing are combined, it is possible to produce a structure that is lighter and stiffer than a traditionally manufactured part. The visitors of formnext can expect a very broad and informative program, highlighting solutions for the different production and engineering disciplines." Visit Altair at formnext, hall 3.1/booth E 50 and at the TCT conference programs in hall 4.2. About Altair Founded in 1985, Altair is focused on the development and application of simulation technology to synthesize and optimize designs, processes and decisions for improved business performance. Privately held with more than 2,600 employees, Altair is headquartered in Troy, Michigan, USA with more than 45 offices throughout 20 countries, and serves more than 5,000 corporate clients across broad industry segments. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com. Media Contacts: Evelyn Gebhardt Blue Gecko Marketing GmbH Tel.: +49 6421 9684351 [email protected] Altair Corporate Biba A. Bedi +1.757.224.0548 x 406 [email protected] Company Contact Altair: Mirko Bromberger Altair Engineering GmbH Tel.: +49 7031 62080 [email protected] SOURCE Altair Related Links http://www.altair.com Prior to joining Amber Engine, Melcher was the Enterprise Sales Director for the home goods channel of Netsertive, a technology-based online marketing company. Before that, she was the Regional Sales Manager for advertising and branding agency Banner Marketing who has deep roots in the furniture industry. Melcher will lead strategic sales for the manufacturer channel of Amber Engine. "I want to help home furnishings brands find ways to bridge the gap between the manufacturer and retailer," stated Melcher. "Amber Engine continues to develop cutting edge technology for the industry that will move them closer to the ultimate decision maker the consumer." A Michigan native, Wieczorek has spent the last 15 years at Best Buy as a technology solutions expert. Working with many clients in the home furnishings industry, his focus has been on problem solving for customer satisfaction. Before his time as Senior Strategic Account Manager at Best Buy, Weiczorek also managed a retail location for many years. "Joining Amber Engine gives me the opportunity to leverage my skill set and apply it to a new technology that will help service providers drive retailers into the future. For an industry that relies so much on relationships, we have the foundation to give people more time to interact and innovate," said Wieczorek. The two new hires are the latest in Amber Engine's rapid growth. In the last quarter, the company has grown from 20 team members to 31. "Both Bonnie and Dan are proven performers who bring a tremendous depth to Amber Engine's sales team," said Jesse Akre, Chief Strategy Officer of Amber Engine. "Bonnie's business development experience with retailers and manufacturers, paired with Dan's results with technology in emerging markets, will be key to our mission and growth strategy. Bonnie and Dan will definitely help us to accomplish what we have set out to do within the home furnishings industry. The entire Amber Engine team is excited that they saw our vision and determination and wanted to join." About Amber Engine Detroit-based Amber Engine, part of the Quicken Loans Family of Companies, was founded by a team of home furnishing industry innovators, technologists and business experts. Amber Engine's mission is to have the most complete, accurate and timely record of product data for the home furnishings industry. For more information on Amber Engine, visit AmberEngine.com Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429864 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429865 SOURCE Amber Engine Related Links http://www.AmberEngine.com The NASEM report, "A National Trauma Care System: Integrating Military and Civilian Trauma Systems to Achieve Zero Preventable Deaths," calls on military, government, and health care leaders to join together to establish a coordinated national trauma system. The report outlines 11 specific recommendations that would help the nation realize the vision that "the first casualties of the next war would experience better outcomes than the casualties of the last war, and all Americans would benefit from the hard-won lessons learned on the battlefield." The battlefield has long been a source of innovation in trauma care, and the percent of fatalities among all wounded service members has dropped significantly in recent decades from 23 percent during the Vietnam War to 9.3 percent in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the report. Despite better outcomes, the report cites gaps in care that have cost lives and "serious limitations in the thoroughness of the diffusion of those gains over time and space, and both within the military and between military and civilian sectors." ACS has focused on efforts to improve care for injured patients since it formed the Committee on Trauma (COT) in 1922 (then known as the Committee on Fractures). Today, the Committee on Trauma, which is administered by an 85-member leadership team and 3,500 regional surgeon leaders, oversees a spectrum of initiatives aimed at advancing the standard of trauma care for practitioners, trauma centers, and trauma systems. These initiatives include Levels I-IV trauma center verification, the nation's only risk-adjusted outcomes-based trauma quality program, and trauma courses taken by more than 1 million medical professionals globally. "The ACS Committee on Trauma has a long history of leading efforts to improve care for injured patients, and we plan to be a willing, able and active partner in achieving the goal of zero preventable deaths from injury on the battlefield and across the nation," said Ronald M. Stewart, MD, FACS, Chair, ACS Committee on Trauma (ACS COT). During a panel session held Monday, surgeons highlighted the rationale for this effort. "Currently, few systems are in place to transfer best practices and innovations between military and civilian trauma systems," said Col. Jeffrey A. Bailey, MD, FACS, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. M. Margaret (Peggy) Knudson, MD, FACS, Medical Director of the Military Health System Strategic Partnership American College of Surgeons (MHSSPACS) added, "Surgeons who return home to practice at military hospitals may see far fewer trauma patients and, as a result, may not have the skills and readiness to quickly return to the warfront should they be called to serve." The surgeons also outlined steps that can be taken to implement the report's 11 recommendations. Leadership at the federal level, including support from the White House, stronger coordination between states, steps to address gaps in trauma care, and a national trauma research plan with dedicated funding for clinical trials, were among the priorities discussed. "In order to drive new innovation we need to establish a stronger system of data sharing nationally, ensure all hospitals providing trauma care are collecting robust data, and coordinate a national research plan with dedicated support and funding for clinical trials," said Eileen M. Bulger, MD, FACS, member of the executive committee of the ACS COT. Death from Injury Continues to be a Public Health Crisis NASEM first drew attention to accidental death and disability as a public health crisis 50 years ago. Its report on the issue released in 1966 was pivotal in driving early development of trauma systems across the United States. Yet 50 years later, the U.S. still does not have a coordinated national trauma system. Trauma continues to be the leading cause of death in the U.S. for those ages 1-46 years old1, accounting for nearly half of all deaths in this age group and more loss of years of life than any other illness or disability. According to the report released in June, one-third of Americans do not live within one hour of a Level I trauma center, the highest level of trauma care for the severely injured. "Americans believe that they are part of a coordinated trauma system, but the reality is, the care you receive is highly dependent on where you live," said Robert J. Winchell, MD, FACS, Chair, ACS Trauma Systems Evaluation and Planning Committee. "State and regional governments prioritize trauma care differently and there are varying sources of coordination and funding. Despite the significant public health implications, trauma care hasn't become a consistent priority in all states." Once patients arrive at a trauma center, compliance with available guidelines is highly variable from region to region, even though evidence shows patients who receive trauma care according to recommended best practices are 58 percent less likely to die than patients who do not2. About half of trauma deaths occur at the scene or in route to the hospital, yet pre-hospital care also is highly variable. In 19 states, no statewide protocols for emergency medical service (EMS) systems exist, and in another 14 states, EMS services can choose whether or not to use protocols. The result is an uneven makeshift framework of pre-hospital care. "Over the past five decades we've seen the rate of death from injury drop dramatically as our trauma system has advanced. Those who have access to optimal trauma care have significantly greater chances of surviving injury than they would have had a generation ago," said Dr. Stewart. "But because our patchwork of trauma systems has no national coordination, far too many people don't have access to optimal care, leading to tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths each year." According to the report, up to one in five civilian trauma deaths and a quarter of military trauma deaths could be prevented if all injured patients receive appropriate care. "Thousands of patients may needlessly lose their lives each year because of these gaps in care," said Patrick M. Reilly, MD, FACS, member of the ACS COT executive committee. "When the knowledge, skills and protocols exist to save more lives, surviving trauma shouldn't be a matter of chance or geography." ACS Committee on Trauma to Convene Leading Organizations to Support National Trauma System In early 2017, the ACS COT along with partner organizations will hold an "Innovations in Trauma Care Conference" to convene national stakeholders in addressing the gaps highlighted by the NASEM report. ACS will also advocate for national support, leadership, and funding, as well as a coordinated national trauma research plan. "We want to enable local regions to establish systems of care that address their unique needs, yet this needs to be done in a uniform way to ensure we address significant gaps," said Donald H. Jenkins, MD FACS, member of the executive committee of the ACS Committee on Trauma. The MHSSPACS, formed in 2014, is working to establish programs to translate military trauma innovations to civilian health care and better coordinate military and civilian trauma education and ongoing training and development. ACS is supporting the Mission Zero Act (S. 3407 and H.R. 6229) currently before Congress, which would provide $40 million in funding to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to facilitate partnerships between military trauma care teams/providers, and high-volume civilian Level I trauma facilities. Editor's note: The Position statement of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report, A National Trauma Care System: Integrating Military and Civilian Trauma Systems to Achieve Zero Preventable Deaths after Injury, appears online on the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery website ahead print publication on November 3. 1. Rhee, P., B. Joseph, V. Pandit, H. Aziz, G. Vercruysse, N. Kulvatunyou, and R. S. Friese. 2014. Increasing trauma deaths in the United States. Annals of Surgery 260(1):13-21. 2. Shafi, S., S. A. Barnes, N. Rayan, R. Kudyakov, M. Foreman, H. G. Cryer, H. B. Alam, W. Hoff, and J. Holcomb. 2014. Compliance with recommended care at trauma centers: Association with patient outcomes. Journal of the American College of Surgeons 219(2):189-198. About the American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 80,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit www.facs.org. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429915 SOURCE American College of Surgeons Related Links http://www.facs.org NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- American Education Center Inc. ("AEC" or the "Company;"OTCQB: AMCT), a public, emerging growth company providing educational and career enrichment opportunities for students, teachers, enterprises and educational institutions between China and the United States, announced today that its common stock has been approved for trading on the OTC Market OTCQB Venture Market, effective as of October 4, 2016. Jay F. McKeage, Chief Executive Officer of AEC, commented, "We are pleased to announce this upgrade to the OTCQB Venture Market for our common stock, which we believe should provide higher market visibility and greater liquidity for our current and prospective investors." The OTCQB Venture Market, for early stage and developing U.S. and international companies, requires that companies quoted on its marketplace be current in their SEC reporting and undergo an annual verification and management certification process, in addition to meeting certain stock pricing criteria. Investors can find real-time quotes and market information for the Company's stock under the symbol AMCT on www.otcmarkets.com. About American Education Center Inc. (OTCQB: AMCT) AEC's rapidly growing business provides one-stop comprehensive consulting services for international students, educators, and institutions. The Company's services are focused on international education exchange, by providing educational and career enrichment opportunities for students, teachers, and educational institutions between China and the United States. The Company currently provides admission, visa, housing and other consulting services to Chinese students wishing to study in the United States. The Company also provides exchange and placement services for qualified United States educators to teach in China. In addition, the Company provides localization consulting services for employees coming to the United States to work for multi-national companies with operations here. Disclaimer: Some of the statements in this press release may be forward-looking statements or statements of future expectations based on currently available information. Such statements are naturally subject to risks and uncertainties. Factors such as the development of general economic conditions, future market conditions, unusual catastrophic loss events, changes in the capital markets and other circumstances may cause the actual events or results to be materially different from those anticipated by such statements. American Education Center Inc. does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or updated status of such statements. Therefore, in no case whatsoever will AEC and its affiliate companies be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in conjunction with the information and/or statements in this press release or for any related damages. SOURCE American Education Center Inc. Anthony Imperato, President of Henry Repeating Arms immediately offered the family assistance through the Guns for Great Causes branch of Henry Repeating Arms. The 33 special edition rifles were auctioned off and sold across the country to generate funds to help Brayden's family cover the cost of the anti-rejection drugs that are required for a successful transplant operation of this severity. The first of the series, serial number "BRAYDEN01" was auctioned off on www.gunbroker.com and sold on October 16th for $3,525. The remaining 32 rifles were sold directly through Henry Repeating Arms for $750 each. These sold out in a matter of hours within the first day they were available after hundreds of requests came in to purchase one of the rifles. A total of $27,525 was raised, which is all being given to Brayden's family to help with their medical expenses. Henry Repeating Arms would like to thank the following individuals and dealers for supporting this cause by purchasing one or more of these rifles: Roy Basham Jr. Manteno, IL John Burnau of Tactical & Hunting Solutions North Webster, IN Herb Wilmers of Keystone Firearms Corp Lake Ariel, PA Al & Linda Quarnstrom Red Wing, MN James & Sandra Stewart Thornton, CO Ronald Miller Family Mishawaka, IN Joseph Jurkaites Mishawaka, IN Martin Minich Crown Point, IN Chris O'Brien Livermore, CA Nick Germanio Belleplain, NJ Ken Downham In Memory Of Waylon Robert Anderson, IN David Harris Hixson, TN Dan Princeotto Costa Mesa, CA Roger Smith Gainesville, GA Ronald Ridge Tucson, AZ Henry & Joan Francis Reynoldsburg, OH James & Teresa Adams Franklintown, PA Luwanna & Roger Rhonemus West Union, OH Rebecca & David White Rockmart, GA James Downey Philadelphia, PA Rick Dues Portland, IN Kevin Manahan Granville, IL Michael Jackson Savannah, GA Randy Beatty Jasper, GA George J Walmsley III Rose Valley, PA Steven & Vikki Lutz Lexington, OH Brian Mastro Potomac, MD Edward Van Tassel Gahanna, OH Robert Toelke New Haven, MO Larry Rollins Ellijay, GA Thomas & Kelly Adams Marysville, WA For information about the company and its products visit www.henryrifles.com or call 866-200-2354. About Henry Repeating Arms Henry Repeating Arms is one of the country's leading rifle manufacturers. Their legendary name dates back to 1860 when Benjamin Tyler Henry invented and patented the first practical repeating rifle during the Civil War. It became known as the "gun you could load on Sunday and shoot all week long." Henry rifles went on to play a significant role in the frontier days of the American West and soon became one of the most legendary, respected and sought after rifles in the history of firearms. President Lincoln's Henry hangs in The Smithsonian and has become a national treasure. The company's manufacturing facilities are in Bayonne, NJ and Rice Lake, WI. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429955 SOURCE Henry Repeating Arms Related Links https://www.henryrifles.com NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Antuit, a global Big Data and analytics solutions company, today announced the acquisition of a majority stake in YDatalytics, a Dutch provider of supply chain, sales and marketing, and organizational analytics solutions and technology services. The acquisition further solidifies Antuit's path to global leadership in the analytics industry. "There is strong demand in Europe for the business-enhancing, analytics-driven solutions that we deliver," said Neeraj Bhargava, Chairman of Antuit. "Acquiring a high-quality analytics business with top-notch client relationships in Amsterdam better positions us to serve leading companies on the Continent. This will complement the foothold we established in Europe when we set up our London office earlier this year." The deal provides YDatalytics with access to Goldman Sachs-backed Antuit's global capabilities, resources and coverage. "This investment gives us the opportunity to work with multinational companies outside of Europe, while expanding the portfolio of services we can offer to global clients," said YDatalytics founding partner Walter de Zeeuw. The two companies have significant synergies, including a focus on analytics solutions for the retail, FMCG and financial services industries, and a philosophy that links financial rewards to the benefits clients realize through their services. They also share expertise in applying strategy consulting and execution capabilities to advanced analytics. "Many of our clients recognize that the data they have is important, but they just don't know what to do with it," explained YDatalytics founding partner Fons Hoogeveen. "We give clients the insights to empower better decision-making by extracting and using their raw data," continued YDatalytics founding partner Yogen Singh. "We then educate them on how to use the data in a more sophisticated manner to fully leverage the power of analytics." Antuit and YDatalytics created a joint management board to manage and expand their operations in Europe. About Antuit Antuit is a global analytics company that powers faster, smarter decision-making. Our Decision Engines help clients target, measure and improve mission-critical business metrics and generate tangible ROI. Our innovative Decision Engines framework features three components: Our proprietary analytical algorithms enable world-class data scientists and domain experts to unearth the deep insights hidden in data; our well-defined methodologies and tools help clients move from data to decisions in a predictable, scalable manner; and our strategic visualization provides clarity on the business impacts of decisions. Leading retail, financial services, industrial and CPG brands choose Antuit to solve their most pressing business problems. Founded in 2013 and invested in by Goldman Sachs and Zodius Capital, we have offices in the U.S., UK, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and India. Visit www.antuit.com to learn more. About YDatalytics YDatalytics, an analytics company based in Amsterdam, is one of three businesses held by YGroup, which includes YStrategists and YCapital. YGroup was founded in 2013 by three former partners of a Big Four accounting and consulting firm. We believe that the power of insights comes from an end-to-end, intelligent approach to data information management. Solid data management capabilities are essential to enable advanced analytics in any organization. We bring together the right people, processes and technology to create and execute the right data strategy for European clients in the FMCG, automotive, financial services, insurance and retail industries. Our international consultants partner with local client teams on large-scale projects in the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Germany and Italy. Visit www.ydatalytics.com to learn more. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429190LOGO SOURCE Antuit Related Links http://www.antuit.com ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, ASTM International President James Thomas announced the signing of the organization's 100th Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU program supports use of ASTM International standards while also encouraging global participation in the ASTM standards development process. "This program has been crucial in supporting the global standards community, starting with our first signatory, Colombia, to Gulf nations including the UAE, to Montserrat, our 100th," said Thomas. "These signings reflect ASTM's broad and deep commitment to World Trade Organization principles such as openness, transparency, and the development dimension." "We are thrilled that Montserrat is joining this well-known program," said Deryck Omar, CEO of the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) in the Caribbean. "It's clear that ASTM International standards are recognized worldwide for their high technical quality and market relevance," said Omar, an ASTM board member. During his presentation, Thomas unveiled ASTM's new Global Cooperation webpage (link here) featuring all 100 countries and regions, including Monserrat as well as Myanmar, which became the 99th MoU partner last week. MoU partners receive these benefits: free participation in ASTM technical committees; access to a robust collection of ASTM standards for the national standards body; education about ASTM International's standards development process and technical content; minimized duplication of effort in standards development at the national level; and, communication, awareness, access to special programs, and more. These benefits are particularly helpful in addressing challenges such as overcoming barriers to trade. Thomas made the announcement during "outreach day" of the weeklong activities of the ASTM International Board of Directors in the United Arab Emirates. His speaking engagement alongside board chairman Dr. Ralph Paroli of the National Research Council of Canada was supported by the Abu Dhabi Chamber, the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the U.S. Embassy as part of its Discover America Speakers Series. ASTM International's overall global engagement has grown alongside the MoU program. Over the past 10 years, membership in ASTM International committees has increased 42% outside the U.S. At the same time, ASTM has opened several additional offices throughout the world. In 2016, the organization hosted over 100 delegates from nine countries. Over the past decade, ASTM International has also hosted 32 standard experts from 28 nations through its exchange program. Over the next 12 months, the organization plans to host experts from MoU signatories including Bhutan, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam. Also this month, ASTM International's Global Cooperation Department, which manages the MoU program, received the International Code Council (ICC) Global Award for their dedicated effort in "promoting and providing access to technical standards supporting the building codes around the world, thus creating an opportunity to expand the ICC's mission to promote global building safety." About ASTM International Over 12,000 ASTM standards operate globally. Defined and set by us, they improve the lives of millions every day. Combined with our innovative business services, they enhance performance and help everyone have confidence in the things they buy and use from the toy in a child's hand to the aircraft overhead. Working across borders, disciplines, and industries we harness the expertise of over 30,000 members to create consensus and improve performance in manufacturing and materials, products and processes, systems and services. Understanding commercial needs and consumer priorities, we touch every part of everyday life: helping our world work better. www.astm.org Media Inquiries: Nathan Osburn, tel +1.610.832.9603; [email protected] MoU Inquiries: Teresa Cendrowska, tel +1.610.832.9718; [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141021/153355LOGO SOURCE ASTM International Related Links http://www.astm.org TEMPE, Ariz., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Arizona State University's highly ranked W. P. Carey School of Business has welcomed 10 new tenure-track faculty for 2016-2017. "We always keep an eye on the future, and this year's new faculty reflects that vision," said W. P. Carey School Dean Amy Hillman. "Many of them are just beginning their teaching careers, and we're excited to give them the opportunity." "We can't wait to see the impact they make on students and on research in their fields," Hillman added. Scott Emett will join the W. P. Carey School faculty as assistant professor in the School of Accountancy upon completion of his doctoral program at Cornell University this fall. His research focuses on judgement and decision-making in external and internal financial reporting. Having recently completed his doctorate in accounting at Emory University, Roger White's research interests are centered on fraud, incentives, regulation, and communication in markets. White also joins W. P. Carey as an assistant professor in the School of Accountancy. Andreas Kleiner, assistant professor of economics, earned his doctorate degree at the University of Bonn in Germany, where he also taught several microeconomics courses. He conducts research on political economy and mechanism design with secondary interests in matching markets and microeconomic theory. Esteban Aucejo, assistant professor of economics, most recently taught labor economics at the London School of Economics. He received his doctorate at Duke University and examines the economics of education and labor economics in his research. Arizona is familiar territory to Victor Benjamin, who earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctorate at the University of Arizona, where he also taught graduate-level courses. His research is in the areas of natural language processing, web mining, cybersecurity, security informatics, and social media analytics has been published in leading academic journals. Benjamin is assistant professor in the School's Department of Information Systems. Jonathan Bundy joins the W. P. Carey School as assistant professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship from Pennsylvania State University. Bundy's research takes a behavioral approach to strategic management and focuses on the social and cognitive forces that shape organizational outcomes and behavior. Assuming her first academic post, Heewon Chae recently earned her doctorate at the University of Michigan. She joins the School as assistant professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship. Her research interests lie in the area of strategy, organizational theory, and international business, with a specific focus on organizational identity, market categorization, and reputation spillover. Luis Gomez-Mejia, professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, returns to ASU, where he taught for two decades before joining Texas A&M University and the University of Notre Dame. A highly cited scholar, his research focuses on the relationships of international management, strategic management, executive compensation, and family businesses. After receiving a Fulbright scholarship, Mikaella Polyviou attended The Ohio State University, earning both her master's and doctorate. Her research explores supply chain disruptions and organizational resilience, as well as issues of conceptual clarity and measurement in empirical supply chain management research. She is assistant professor in the W. P. Carey School's Department of Supply Chain Management. Prior to completing his doctorate at Michigan State University, Robert Wiedmer worked as a post-graduate research assistant in shipping economics at the Cyprus University of Technology. His current research areas are buyer-supplier relationships, social network analysis, and supply chain network design and its association to supply chain performance. He is assistant professor in the W. P. Carey School's Department of Supply Chain Management. W. P. CAREY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is one of the top-ranked and largest business schools in the United States. The school is internationally regarded for its research productivity and its distinguished faculty members, including a Nobel Prize winner. Students come from more than 100 countries and include over 50 National Merit Scholars. For more information, please visit www.wpcarey.asu.edu. Media Contact: Kim Steinmetz Arizona State University W. P. Carey School of Business (480) 965-5464 [email protected] SOURCE Arizona State University "Lukas is a great addition to AutoGravity's dynamic leadership team," said Andy Hinrichs, founder and CEO of AutoGravity. "He brings extensive industry experience and excellent business acumen. We are confident that he will prove invaluable to the company as we embark on our next phase of intensive growth." Wickart brings more than a decade of financial and accounting experience to the company. Prior to joining AutoGravity, he worked at Surf Airlines as vice president of corporate strategy and finance, enhancing economic performance of the company by driving commercial and operational efficiency initiatives. Before Surf Airlines, he served as project leader at The Boston Consulting Group, where he advised leading Fortune 500 and Global 500 corporations on strategy development with a focus on business expansion and operational excellence. His extensive experience in financial services spans across Asia, Europe and the Americas. "AutoGravity is revolutionizing the auto finance industry by realizing the full potential of smartphone technology to change the way people pay for their cars," Wickart said. "I look forward to accelerating AutoGravity's rapid momentum in the FinTech industry by working alongside the best minds in the business. I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get started." Wickart holds an MBA in leadership and entrepreneurial management from Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of St. Gallen. About AutoGravity AutoGravity is a FinTech pioneer on a mission to transform car financing by harnessing the power of the smartphone. AutoGravity partners with the world's leading banks and financial services companies to give consumers direct control over how they finance their cars. Available as a native iOS, Android and web app, AutoGravity offers a secure and convenient platform that empowers customers with multiple finance offers within its network of trusted car dealerships. Based in Irvine, California, AutoGravity was founded in 2015 by an international team of digital natives and industry veterans. For more information on AutoGravity, please visit www.autogravity.com and follow @AutoGravityHQ on Twitter. MEDIA CONTACTS: Kent Barrett, [email protected] Priyanka Banerjee, [email protected] 310-373-0103 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161004/415317LOGO Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429556 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429555 SOURCE AutoGravity Related Links http://www.autogravity.com NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vehicle to Vehicle , Vehicle to Infrastructure , Vehicle to Pedestrian , Vehicle to Home , In Vehicle , By Service Provider & Technologies: Sensors, Telematics Control Units , OBU, RSU, DSRC, LTE & GPS For Car-to-X, Connected Car & Intelligent Transportation Systems Report Details Visiongain's fresh new report provides detailed analysis of the global automotive V2X market. V2X is undeniably one of the fastest growing aspects of the automotive industry. Visiongain assesses that this market will generate revenues of more than $37bn in 2016 and sales of vehicles equipped with V2X modules will amount to 47.1 million vehicles in 2016. How this report will benefit you Read on to discover how you can exploit the future business opportunities emerging in this sector. Visiongain's new study tells you and tells you NOW. -How is the V2X market evolving and what factors are driving and restraining the market dynamics? -How will each one of the V2X submarket segments grow and which technologies will prevail? -How will the national markets change by 2026 and which geographical region will lead the V2X market? -Who are the leading players and what are their prospects over the forecast period? -And what are the trends within the V2X communication and connected car market? We break down the most important sector of the automotive industry but also segment it by the key connectivity types, service providers, countries and companies and examine the characteristics that will allow them to lead the V2X market. Now: "NXP V2X Technology Looks To Make Self-Driving Cars A Reality". This is an example of the business critical headline that you need to know about - and more importantly, you need to read visiongain's objective analysis of how this will impact your company and the industry more broadly. How are you and your company reacting to this news? Are you sufficiently informed? In this brand new report you find 167 in-depth tables, charts and graphs, and trends all unavailable elsewhere. The 188 page report provides clear detailed insight into the global V2X communication market. Discover the key drivers and challenges affecting the market. By ordering and reading our brand new report today you stay better informed and ready to act. Report Scope -167 tables, charts and graphs analysing the V2X market -Overview of the global V2X Communications market status in 2016: the Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) Communications markets -Analysis of the technologies and applications for V2V, V2I, V2P, V2H, and IN-V communications -Overview of the role of DSRC, LTE, GPS and sensors in the V2X market -Analysis of the penetration of V2V and V2I in new passenger cars from 2016 to 2026 coupled with their drivers and restraints -Global Forecast of the global Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Market (in million cars equipped with V2X modules) and its 5 submarkets: - Global Forecast of the passenger cars equipped with V2V modules throughout 2016-2026 and analysis of drivers and restraints. Further segmentation forecast of the V2V Submarket into OEM and Aftermarket V2V Communications submarkets - Forecast of the revenues coming from DSRC-V2V modules for 2016-2026 - Global Forecast of cars equipped with V2I-modules (V2I-Connected Vehicles) for the period 2016-2026 - Global Forecast of DSRC-equipped smartphones which enable Vehicle-to-Pedestrians (V2P) communication - Global Forecast of cars connected with Vehicle-to-Home modules for 2016-2026 - Global Forecast of passenger cars connected with IN-V modules for 2016-2026. Further segmentation of the IN-V submarket into Type of Connectivity (Embedded, Integrated, Tethered) and by Service Provider (OEM, Aftermarket, Telematics, Connectivity) -Regional forecasts of the V2V, V2I, and IN-V Communications Submarket for 2016 to 2026, coupled with regional penetration level forecasts in further detail for the US, UK and japan. -SWOT analysis of the major strengths and weaknesses of the V2V and V2I markets, together with the opportunities available and the key threats faced -Expert opinion from a key-opinion leader in the market, QNX Software Systems -Profiles of 5 leading auto OEMs and 7 leading Tier-1s operating within the V2V-V2I market together with analysis of their role and products - BMW - Daimler - General Motors - Toyota - Volkswagen - Arada - Autotalks - Cohda - Delphi - Denso - eTrans - Kapsch - Qualcomm - Savari -Conclusions & recommendations How will you benefit from this report? -Keep your V2X knowledge base up to speed. Don't get left behind -Reinforce your strategic decision-making with definitive and reliable V2X market data -Learn how to exploit new V2X Communications technological trends -Realise your company's full potential within the V2X market -Understand the V2X competitive landscape and identify potential new business opportunities & partnerships Who should read this report? -Anyone within the automotive value chain. -Automotive Manufacturers (OEMs) -Aftermarket Companies for Connected Vehicles -Automotive Safety Systems Companies -Connectivity Solution Companies -Data Transfer & IT Companies -Telematics Solution Companies -Infotainment Companies -Diagnostics Companies -V2X Safety and Security Companies -Road Safety Authorities -Telecommunication Companies -Collision Research Institutes -CEO's -COO's -CIO's -Business Development Managers -Marketing Managers -Technologists -Suppliers -Investors -Banks -Government Agencies -Contractors Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04226993-summary/view-report.html About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. http://www.reportlinker.com __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com WHIPPANY, N.J., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer announced today that data from its pulmonary disease franchise will be presented in a scientific session at the 2016 annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST 2016), October 22-26 in Los Angeles. Data presentations consist of three oral scientific sessions, including two late-breaking abstracts. "Our data reflects Bayer's commitment to advancing the scientific research in diseases of high unmet need, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis," said Aleksandra Vlajnic, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Bayer. "We will continue working with physician and patient communities to increase understanding of these diseases and help accelerate time from diagnosis to treatment for these commonly under-detected, and therefore under-treated, pulmonary conditions." The studies Bayer will present are: Effects of Riociguat in Treatment-Naive vs. Pretreated Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: 2-year Efficacy Results from the PATENT-2 Study Session: Pulmonary Hypertension [4080] Date/Time: October 24, 2016 , 5:15pm Location: 409A (LA Convention Center) Presenter: Dr. McConnell, Oral presentation The Relationship between NO Pathway Biomarkers and Response to Riociguat in the RESPITE Study of Patients with PAH Not Reaching Treatment Goals with Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors Session: Late-Breaking Abstracts [4175] Date/Time: October 25, 2016 , 9:03-9:22am Location: Room 411 (LA Convention Center) Presenter: Dr. Klinger, Oral Presentation Efficacy and Tolerability of Ciprofloxacin Dry Powder for Inhalation (Ciprofloxacin DPI) in Bronchiectasis (Non-CF Etiology): Results from the Phase III RESPIRE 1 Study Session: Late-Breaking Abstracts [4175] Date/Time: October 25, 2016 , 9:22-9:40am Location: Room 411 (LA Convention Center) Presenter: Dr. Kevin Winthrop , Oral Presentation About Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis (NCFB) In patients with NCFB, sputum pools in the small airways and becomes a place for bacterial growth, often leading to chronic airway infections with bacteria such as Haemophilus influenzae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa.[i] Reduced sputum clearance leads to repeated infections, airway damage, and in a cyclic manner, increasingly severe disease with worsening airway damage. NCFB symptoms include cough (often with thick, discolored sputum), breathlessness, increased tiredness, and hemoptysis (coughing up blood). Patients tend to have regular sudden worsening in symptoms, called exacerbations or disease flare-ups, which can last for weeks.[ii] Exacerbations are more common in patients with a high number of bacteria in their airways.[iii] About Ciprofloxacin DPI Ciprofloxacin DPI is an investigational agent in development by Bayer as long-term intermittent therapy to reduce exacerbations in NCFB patients with bacterial respiratory pathogens. It comprises ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, formulated into a dry powder for inhalation using PulmoSphere technology, and administered with the T-326 dry powder inhaler. About Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) is defined by elevated pressure in the arteries going from the right side of the heart to the lungs. Typical symptoms of PH include shortness of breath on exertion, fatigue, weakness, chest pain and syncope. PAH is caused by abnormalities in the walls of the pulmonary arteries that include constriction, inflammation and fibrosis. About Adempas (riociguat) Riociguat, licensed in the U.S. as Adempas (riociguat), is a stimulator of soluable guanylate cyclase (sGC) and is the only treatment approved in the U.S. for use in two types of pulmonary hypertension (WHO Groups 1 and 4). The development and commercialization of riociguat is part of the worldwide strategic collaboration between Bayer AG and Merck & Co., Inc (through a subsidiary) in the field of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) modulators. Merck is known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada. Adempas is indicated for the treatment of adults with persistent/recurrent chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), (WHO Group 4) after surgical treatment, or inoperable CTEPH, to improve exercise capacity and WHO functional class. Adempas is also indicated for the treatment of adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), (WHO Group 1), to improve exercise capacity, WHO functional class and to delay clinical worsening*. Efficacy was shown in patients on Adempas monotherapy or in combination with endothelin receptor antagonists or prostanoids. Studies establishing effectiveness of riociguat included predominately patients with WHO functional class IIIII and etiologies of idiopathic or heritable PAH (61%) or PAH associated with connective tissue diseases (25%). *Time to clinical worsening was a combined endpoint defined as death (all-cause mortality), heart/lung transplantation, atrial septostomy, hospitalization due to persistent worsening of pulmonary hypertension, start of new PAH-specific treatment, persistent decrease in 6MWD and persistent worsening of WHO functional class. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION WARNING: EMBRYO-FETAL TOXICITY Do not administer Adempas (riociguat) tablets to a pregnant female because it may cause fetal harm. Females of reproductive potential: Exclude pregnancy before the start of treatment, monthly during treatment, and 1 month after stopping treatment. Prevent pregnancy during treatment and for one month after stopping treatment by using acceptable methods of contraception. For all female patients, Adempas is available only through a restricted program called the Adempas Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program. Contraindications Adempas is contraindicated in: Pregnancy. Adempas may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Adempas was consistently shown to have teratogenic effects when administered to animals. If this drug is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus Co-administration with nitrates or nitric oxide donors (such as amyl nitrite) in any form. Concomitant administration with specific phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors (such as sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil) or nonspecific PDE inhibitors (such as dipyridamole or theophylline). Warnings and Precautions Embryo-Fetal Toxicity. Adempas may cause fetal harm when administered during pregnancy and is contraindicated for use in women who are pregnant. In females of reproductive potential, exclude pregnancy prior to initiation of therapy, advise use of acceptable contraception and obtain monthly pregnancy tests. For females, Adempas is only available through a restricted program under the Adempas REMS Program. Adempas REMS Program. Females can only receive Adempas through the Adempas REMS Program, a restricted distribution program. Important requirements of the Adempas REMS program include the following: Prescribers must be certified with the program by enrolling and completing training. All females, regardless of reproductive potential, must enroll in the Adempas REMS Program prior to initiating Adempas. Male patients are not enrolled in the Adempas REMS Program. Female patients of reproductive potential must comply with the pregnancy testing and contraception requirements. Pharmacies must be certified with the program and must only dispense to patients who are authorized to receive Adempas. Further information, including a list of certified pharmacies, is available at www.AdempasREMS.com or 1-855-4ADEMPAS. Hypotension. Adempas reduces blood pressure. Consider the potential for symptomatic hypotension or ischemia in patients with hypovolemia, severe left ventricular outflow obstruction, resting hypotension, autonomic dysfunction, or concomitant treatment with antihypertensives or strong CYP and P-gp/BCRP inhibitors. Consider a dose reduction if patient develops signs or symptoms of hypotension. Bleeding. In the placebo-controlled clinical trials, serious bleeding occurred in 2.4% of patients taking Adempas compared to 0% of placebo patients. Serious hemoptysis occurred in 5 (1%) patients taking Adempas compared to 0 placebo patients, including one event with fatal outcome. Serious hemorrhagic events also included 2 patients with vaginal hemorrhage, 2 with catheter site hemorrhage, and 1 each with subdural hematoma, hematemesis, and intra-abdominal hemorrhage. Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease. Pulmonary vasodilators may significantly worsen the cardiovascular status of patients with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD). Therefore, administration of Adempas to such patients is not recommended. Should signs of pulmonary edema occur, the possibility of associated PVOD should be considered and if confirmed, discontinue treatment with Adempas. Most Common Adverse Reactions The most common adverse reactions occurring more frequently ( > 3%) on Adempas than placebo were headache (27% vs 18%), dyspepsia/gastritis (21% vs. 8%), dizziness (20% vs 13%), nausea (14% vs 11%), diarrhea (12% vs 8%), hypotension (10% vs 4%), vomiting (10% vs 7%), anemia (7% vs 2%), gastroesophageal reflux disease (5% vs 2%), and constipation (5% vs 1%). 3%) on Adempas than placebo were headache (27% vs 18%), dyspepsia/gastritis (21% vs. 8%), dizziness (20% vs 13%), nausea (14% vs 11%), diarrhea (12% vs 8%), hypotension (10% vs 4%), vomiting (10% vs 7%), anemia (7% vs 2%), gastroesophageal reflux disease (5% vs 2%), and constipation (5% vs 1%). Other events that were seen more frequently in Adempas compared to placebo and potentially related to treatment were: palpitations, nasal congestion, epistaxis, dysphagia, abdominal distension and peripheral edema. For important risk and use information, please see the full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning, at www.adempas-us.com. Bayer: Science For A Better Life Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2015, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of EUR 46.3 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.3 billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.us. 2016 Bayer Bayer and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer. Bayer Forward Looking Statement This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer Web site at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments. [i] McShane PJ et al. Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2013;188(6):647-656. [ii] Brill SE et al. Lung function, symptoms and inflammation during exacerbations of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: a prospective observational cohort study. Respir Res. 2015;16:16. [iii] Chalmers JD et al. Short- and long-term antibiotic treatment reduces airway and systematic inflammation in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012;186(7):657-665. PP-400-US-2991 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140312/NY79226LOGO SOURCE Bayer Related Links http://www.bayerus.com RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bestcollegevalues.com is a website that provides resources on objective value in higher education. Best College Values rankings highlight programs of study that balance low tuition with a high return on investment and reputable quality. By offering an objective comparison of institutions, these rankings help prospective students as they search for a program of study. When prospective students do not have to sort through the objective differences between schools, they are freer to focus on subjective factors and personal preferences in order to find an institution that will be a good fit for their individual needs and interests. This month, Best College Values has released the latest in its series of Best Value College Value rankings, the 30 Best Value Online Master's of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering. (http://www.bestcollegevalues.com/rankings/best-online-masters-mechanical-engineering/) This ranking is limited to schools that are regionally accredited by one of the six regional accrediting bodies for colleges and universities. All schools in this ranking enjoy a reputation for offering high quality academic programs in engineering in one or more national publications such as U.S. News & World Report. Coming first in this ranking was Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas ranked second, and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, came in third. Other colleges and universities that made the ranking are listed below in alphabetical order: Auburn UniversityAuburn, Alabama Boston UniversityBoston Massachusetts Colorado State UniversityFort Collins, Colorado Columbia UniversityNew York City, New York Iowa State UniversityAmes, Iowa Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, Maryland Kansas State UniversityManhattan, Kansas Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, Pennsylvania Michigan Technological UniversityHoughton, Michigan Mississippi State UniversityStarkville, Mississippi Missouri University of Science and TechnologyRolla, Missouri North Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, North Carolina Pennsylvania State UniversityWorld Campus Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette, Indiana Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken, New Jersey University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, Alabama University of ArkansasFayetteville, Arkansas University of CaliforniaLos Angeles, California University of Central FloridaOrlando, Florida University of CincinnatiCincinnati, Ohio University of FloridaGainesville, Florida University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, California University of TexasAustin, Texas University of WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin Villanova UniversityRadnor, Pennsylvania Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, Virginia Worcester Polytechnic InstituteWorcester, Massachusetts According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those with a master's degree in engineering can earn an average of $400,000 more than those with only a bachelor's degree. Brett Gershon, site editor, says, "Because we live in a rapidly advancing technological society, the field of engineering is one of the most lucrative and secure professional fields, with the number of jobs for individuals with engineering training predicted to grow significantly in the coming years." Because a Master's degree in engineering is known to provide some of the best returns on the investment among advanced degrees, these online degree programs are an excellent way for professionals to gain significant professional advantages without disrupting current employment or needing to relocate. These "Best Value" rankings are intended to direct prospective students to online programs that are specialization specific, balance reasonable tuition rates, offer a reputably high quality of education, and a high return on investment. BestCollegeValues.com is an online resource for prospective college students seeking an education worth its cost. Best College Values strives to provide the most comprehensive and rigorously researched set of online resources on the intersections of college affordability, educational quality, and educational outcomes so that individuals pursuing higher education can find the best college at the best price. Contact: Brett Gershon, editor Best College Values http://www.bestcollegevalues.com Email 763.503.0162 SOURCE Best College Values Related Links http://www.bestcollegevalues.com CHICAGO, October 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgiana Verdonk Sim Appointed Vice-President, Asia for BFO International digital marketing agency, BFO (http://www.befoundonline.com) has opened a new office in Singapore as part of its expansion to support its customers in the Asia-Pacific region. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151203/293065LOGO ) Just one year after its office opened in London, UK, the continued expansion of the business to support its international clients has led BFO to open an office in the Marina Bay Financial Centre in Singapore. The new office in Tower 1, Asia Square, opens officially for business this week and will provide the third leg to support BFO's international clients, as well as the headquarters in Chicago and London, UK. Joining the BFO team to support this new business activity is ex-Motorola Mobility, Asia Pacific marketing lead, Georgiana Verdonk Sim, who will take the role of Vice-President, Asia. Georgiana has experience of working in all three continents in her various business roles, including time spent with Motorola Solutions in both the UK and Chicago. She will report to BFO's President of International Operations, Bob Dearsley, who is based out of the London office but is already a frequent visitor to Singapore. Dearsley comments: "Georgiana is a great find for BFO as she brings a wealth of experience in marketing and technology to this new role, as well as considerable knowledge and understanding of doing business in the Asia-Pac region." Steve Krull, CEO, BFO, comments: "Continuing our international expansion is key to the growth of the business and puts us in better and better shape to support our customers. Now, with a presence in all three of the main international time zones, we can offer a hands-on coordinated approach to marketing on three continents." About BFO Be Found Online (BFO) is an international digital marketing agency with headquarters in Chicago. Founded in 2009 as a search agency, the business has since grown tremendously and now offers a full suite of digital marketing solutions including organic media, paid media, local search, and digital analytics. BFO's international offices are located in London and Singapore and from here provides support for customers located in Europe and Asia-Pacific. For more information, please contact: Grace Bishop - BFO, Chicago, USA. Telephone: +1(877) 553-6863 http://www.befoundonline.com Bob Dearsley - BFO, London, UK. Telephone: +44 (0)20 7183 8200 Georgiana Verdonk Sim - BFO, Singapore. Telephone +65 6407 1161 SOURCE Be Found Online (BFO) ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- David Perla, President of Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg BNA Legal, and a longtime innovator within the legal services industry, has been invited by the Supreme Court of Korea to speak at its 2016 International Judicial Symposium being held on Tuesday, October 18 at the Supreme Court of Korea in Seoul. The topic of the symposium is "The Challenges of and Responses to the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Future of Judiciary." For event information, visit http://on.bna.com/KWoy305bN8K. Through in-depth discussions, the Symposium will look into how the fourth industrial revolution will impact the global population as well as the legal field in the future, and seek the ways jurists can respond to the impact. Perla will moderate a discussion exploring innovation and the future of the legal environment. The Symposium will feature a keynote from Klaus Schwab, renowned for highlighting the concept of the fourth industrial revolution and for founding the World Economic Forum where he currently serves as Executive Chairman. Numerous experts from around the globe in the fields of science, futurism, law, and business will also participate. About Bloomberg BNA Bloomberg BNA provides legal, tax and compliance professionals with critical information, practical guidance and workflow solutions. We leverage leading technology and a global network of experts to deliver a unique combination of news and authoritative analysis, comprehensive research solutions, innovative practice tools, and proprietary business data and analytics. Bloomberg BNA is wholly-owned by Bloomberg L.P., the global business, financial information and news leader. For more information, visit www.bna.com. About Bloomberg Law Bloomberg Law helps legal professionals provide world-class counsel with access to actionable legal intelligence in a business context. Bloomberg Law delivers a unique combination of practical guidance, comprehensive primary and secondary source material, trusted content from Bloomberg BNA, news, time-saving practice tools, market data and business intelligence. For more information, visit www.bna.com/bloomberglaw. SOURCE Bloomberg BNA Related Links http://www.bna.com ROSWELL, Ga., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GS Yuasa Lithium Power (GYLP), a US subsidiary of GS Yuasa Corporation (GYC) (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6674), announced today that it has received an order from The Boeing Company for the procurement of LSE190 lithium-ion cells to be used in GEO satellite applications. This award follows on the recently announced Long Term Supply Agreement between Boeing and GYLP. The LSE190 cells will be used to power ViaSat, Inc.'s (https://www.viasat.com/) first two ViaSat-3 geostationary communications satellites. Each high-powered communications satellite will provide one terabit-per-second of throughput, making the ViaSat-3 class of satellites the highest capacity communications satellites in orbit. The LSE190 lithium-ion cell is specifically engineered to support these kinds of high-power duty cycles and to achieve a 15-year mission life. "GYLP is pleased that the execution of the Long Term Supply Agreement has quickly led to these awards from Boeing. These awards further demonstrate confidence in GS Yuasa's technical and manufacturing expertise based on the proven heritage of the LSE family of lithium-ion cells," said Curtis Aldrich, GYLP's Director of Business Development. "GYLP is looking forward to supporting Boeing throughout these important programs." GS Yuasa group companies have been in the battery business for more than a century with lithium-ion cell experience dating back to the late-1980s. The LSE190 cells are manufactured exclusively by GS Yuasa Technology Ltd. (GYT). With more than 2.4MWh of lithium-ion energy storage on-orbit GYT is the leading manufacturer of lithium-ion cells for space applications. GYT is a has manufactured lithium-ion cells for use on spacecraft since 1998 and their lithium-ion cells are currently in use on more than 120 satellites. About GS Yuasa Corporation GS Yuasa Corporation was established in 2004 by the merger of Japan Storage Battery Co., Ltd and YUASA Battery. GS Yuasa develops and manufactures batteries and power supply systems for a wide range of special applications. The company's high-performance, high-quality batteries are installed in sea, land, and aerospace environments, from depths of 6,500 meters below the ocean surface to 36,000 kilometers in space. http://www.gs-yuasa.com/jp/ (Japanese) http://www.gs-yuasa.com/en/ (English) About GS Yuasa Technology, LTD (GYT) GS Yuasa Technology is a subsidiary of GS Yuasa Corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. GYT designs and manufacturers large format lithium-ion cells for aerospace and specialty applications. 1-37 Osadano-cho Fukuchiyama-shi Kyoto pref. 620-0853, Japan Phone: 81-773-20-2630 About GS Yuasa Lithium Power GS Yuasa Lithium Power, Inc. is the United States subsidiary of GS Yuasa focused on large format lithium ion battery system manufacturing for US customers. Primary products are lithium-ion battery systems for aerospace, defense, commercial, and industrial applications. http://gsyuasa-lp.com/ Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110308/CL59595LOGO SOURCE GS Yuasa Lithium Power Related Links http://gsyuasa-lp.com VANCOUVER, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Bravura Ventures Corp. (CSE: BVQ; OTC: BRVVF; FRA: 23B) ("Bravura" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that preliminary field work will commence this week at the Musgrove Creek gold project. Initial reconnaissant work includes surveying of a number of historic drill hole collars, duplicate sampling and re-assaying of specific sections of drill core. Bravura will also be conducting specific gravity (SG) test work with a view of satisfying Quality Assurance & Quality Control standards under National Instrument 43-101 standards. Reconnaissant work and sampling will be included in a new 43-101 which is expected to be completed in November 2016. The specified work will assist Bravura in transitioning the historic preliminary resource estimate to a compliant resource. Qualified Person Brandon Macdonald, PGeo, is the qualified person as defined in NI 43-101, that has reviewed and approved the contents of this press release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF BRAVURA VENTURES CORP. "Greg Burns" _______________________ Greg Burns, Director Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" occur. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding expectations of management regarding the acquisition of the Property. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking information is subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements including, without limitation, the risks that the Company may not have the funds necessary to make its payments pursuant to the Agreement, that the CSE may not approve the transaction, and other factors beyond the control of the Company. Except as required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation, and does not intend, to update any forward-looking information in this news release. SOURCE Bravura Ventures Corp. Related Links http://www.bravuracorp.com/ MELVILLE, N.Y., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced that their service operation in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey has relocated to 125 Chubb Ave., Suite 100N, Lyndhurst, New Jersey. The new Professional Service & Support Center is geared toward industry professionals and photo enthusiasts and is designed to support the imaging community in the New York metropolitan area. This facility will be open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM on a walk-in basis with no appointments needed. At this new location, Canon will showcase many of its latest imaging products in the professional products showroom with a Canon technical expert on-site to demonstrate product features and answer questions. The state-of-the-art facility also offers repair and maintenance operations for Canon's extensive lineup of professional Cinema and Broadcast lenses, EF series photography lenses, Cinema EOS and EOS Digital SLR cameras, and high-definition camcorders. Repair operations at the facility include six state-of-the-art lens and camera adjustment rooms, Canon's most advanced adjustment and calibration equipment, spare parts inventory, and experienced repair staff. "The new facility in Lyndhurst will provide an inviting location for Canon's existing customers as well as new customers looking to learn more about our products," said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "This move also continues the expansion and improvements of our 100 percent U.S.-based service and support network." The Lyndhurst facility is one of three service facilities that Canon has made available to professional clients, joining the Canon Hollywood Professional Technology & Support Center, located in Hollywood, California, and the Chicago Professional Service & Support Center, located in Itasca, Illinois. These facilities provide local support to key markets and deliver an average repair process time of less than two days for CPS customers. Additional camera and lens service facilities for both professional and consumer clients are located in Jamesburg, NJ, Costa Mesa, CA and Newport News, VA. For an exciting video tour highlighting the features of the new facility, please visit: www.pro.usa.canon.com/lyndhurst About Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean (excluding Mexico) markets. With approximately $31 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2015 and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2016. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office. Canon U.S.A. Web site: www.usa.canon.com For sales information/customer support: www.usa.canon.com 1-800-OK-CANON [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160119/323578LOGO SOURCE Canon U.S.A., Inc. Related Links http://www.usa.canon.com MIAMI, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Cruise Line has signed an agreement with landlord Urban Commons and the City of Long Beach, Calif., to expand the Long Beach Cruise Terminal facility to accommodate larger ships in the future and enhance its terminal operations. The deal will nearly triple the size of Carnival's current terminal facility from approximately 66,000 square feet to 142,000 square feet. Carnival has operated the Long Beach Cruise Terminal since 2003 using a partial area of the Geodesic Dome that was the former museum housing Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" attraction. The agreement gives Carnival 100 percent use of the Dome, allowing for larger ships and providing additional space needed to accommodate two-way operations, enabling embarking guests to access the terminal prior to completion of disembarkation. Construction is slated to be completed in late 2017. During the construction period, measures will be taken to ensure a continued smooth operational flow and high standard of customer service for cruise guests. "For years we have been working toward reaching an agreement to expand the Long Beach Cruise Terminal to accommodate larger ships on the West Coast, and we're thrilled to finally be able to move forward with our plans to assume full usage of the Dome, making Long Beach one of our largest homeport facilities," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "We would like to thank the City of Long Beach and Urban Commons for their efforts in facilitating this expansion that will ultimately enhance the guest experience and build upon our leadership position as the number one cruise operator from the West Coast." "The expansion of the Carnival Cruise terminal is great news for Long Beach and great news for visitors to our city," said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. "The added capacity will bring more tourism and economic activity to Long Beach, and we're pleased to continue working with Carnival for many years to come." Added Taylor Woods, co-founder of Urban Commons, "Carnival Cruise Line is a tremendous asset for the Long Beach community, and we are pleased to reach an agreement with their team that will support the exciting expansion of their operations immediately adjacent to The Queen Mary. We have big plans for the facility and the surrounding land, and Carnival's success will only add to the vitality and energy of what promises to be one of the top destinations in California. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Carnival for many years to come." Plans also include expansion of portside cold-ironing capacity to accommodate larger vessels. The technology enables cruise ships to plug into the local electric grid and reduce exhaust emissions while docked. In addition, Carnival is working with Urban Commons on enhancements to the area surrounding the dome and the adjacent Queen Mary attraction, as well as ways to expand parking capacity to accommodate future growth. Currently, the recently enhanced Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Imagination operate year-round three- and four-day Baja cruises from Long Beach while Carnival Miracle sails seven-day voyages to the Mexican Riviera and 14- and 15-day cruises to Hawaii and Alaska round-trip from Long Beach. For additional information and reservations on Carnival Cruise Line, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit www.carnival.com. Carnival can also be found on: Twitter: www.twitter.com/carnivalcruise Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/carnival YouTube: www.youtube.com/carnival Instagram: www.instagram.com/carnival Journalists also can visit Carnival's media site, www.carnival-news.com or follow the line's PR department on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CarnivalPR. About Carnival Cruise Line Carnival, a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is "The World's Most Popular Cruise Line" with 25 ships operating three- to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The 133,500-ton Carnival Horizon is currently under construction and set to debut in 2018. Additionally, two new 180,000-ton ships are scheduled to enter service in 2020 and 2022. About Urban Commons Urban Commons is a Los Angeles-based real estate investment and development firm with a successful track record for developing, repositioning and rebranding assets throughout the United States. The company focuses on impacting under-managed and under-utilized assets by developing innovative and emerging properties to promote optimal economic, social and environmental returns. Website: www.urban-commons.com SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line Related Links http://www.carnivalcorp.com SAN DIEGO, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DZNE, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, ChemDiv, Inc. and Torrey Pines Investment jointly announced today an agreement initiating a Research and Development collaboration targeting pathways and molecular mechanisms underlying neurological health and disease. DZNE, the preeminent neurosciences Research Center within Germany's Helmholtz Association, will work with ChemDiv and Torrey Pines on multiple joint projects to commercialize early stage technologies arising from DZNE's researchers and physician-scientists. By drawing together ChemDiv's capacity in chemistry and pharmaceutical drug development with DZNE's advanced research and clinical capabilities focused on understanding commonalities and differences between various brain pathologies, this partnership aims at developing innovative preventive and therapeutic approaches for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Torrey Pines Investment will provide financial and network resources supporting pre-commercial research, as well as early stage venture investments in developing brain medicines up and into the clinical phase, which may be established within the broad collaborative framework. "I believe that ChemDiv researchers share the same core values and commitment in public-private partnering with DZNE scientists. The combination of ChemDiv's focused commercial approach to R&D with DZNE's excellence in fundamental and clinical sciences will yield a rich pipeline of preclinical and clinical research platforms allowing to support new therapeutic approaches to diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases," said Ronald Demuth, General Manager ChemDiv. "Torrey Pines Investment looks forward to nurturing the collaboration's early stage projects and validating their commercial feasibility for the larger investment community, that could work alongside research and industry and take these opportunities further to success," added Nikolay Savchuk, Managing Partner, Torrey Pines Investment. "By collaborating with ChemDiv and Torrey Pines, DZNE opens another pathway to develop and translate scientific innovation into value for patients and society. We are looking forward to work with professional partners with complementary technologies and expertise," stated Pierluigi Nicotera, MD, PhD, Scientific Director and Chairman of the Executive Board of the DZNE. The DZNE is already implementing translational approaches to research to tap into the expertise of its multidisciplinary partners and the new partnership with ChemDiv and Torrey Pines will provide all parties with an opportunity to nourish each other's multilateral resources and capabilities. About DZNE The German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) investigates the causes of diseases of the nervous system and develops strategies for prevention, treatment and care. It is an institution within the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres with nine sites across Germany (Berlin, Bonn, Dresden, Gottingen, Magdeburg, Munich, Rostock/Greifswald, Tubingen and Witten). The DZNE cooperates closely with universities, their clinics and other research facilities. www.dzne.de About ChemDiv ChemDiv, Inc. (San Diego, CA) is a target-to-market Research Organization. Over the past 25 years the ChemDiv team has delivered hundreds of leads, drug candidates and drug approvals in CNS, oncology, virology, inflammation, cardio and metabolic diseases to its pharma and biotech customers around the globe. ChemDiv's integrated platforms allow for accelerated, cost-effective R&D aimed at rapidly bringing projects from target ID to Phase 3 clinical candidate and beyond. www.chemdiv.com About Torrey Pines Investment Torrey Pines Investment (San Diego, CA) is a specialty life-science investment firm. Torrey Pines invests in development stage molecules, diagnostics, and therapeutics in areas of high unmet medical need. www.torreypinesinv.com CONTACT: Nikolay Savchuk, +1 858 794 4860, [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160529/373229LOGO SOURCE ChemDiv Related Links http://www.chemdiv.com GREENWICH, Conn., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Capital Group, a leading global private investment firm, announced today that China Life Insurance Co. Ltd., China's largest life insurance company, has invested with Starwood Capital Group in approximately $2 billion of select-service hotels in the United States. China Life will serve as both the anchor and leading investor for the portfolio alongside a group of sovereign wealth funds and other investors. The portfoliospanning locations in 40 statescomprises 280 select-service hotels affiliated with premier global hospitality brands. "We are honored to have been given the opportunity to serve as stewards of China Life's capital, and thrilled to embark on a partnership that represents a first-of-its-kind relationship for our Firm," said Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group. "With this select-service hotel portfolio, China Life has an efficient vehicle for investing in the United States economy as a wholeas these assets offer access to strong markets, strong cash-on-cash yields, scale and diversification. With our shared values and complementary investment approaches of our two organizations, we look forward to working with China Life on additional opportunitiesacross a wide range of real estate asset classesin the years to come." Starwood Capital Group has an unmatched track record as an acquirer, asset manager, brand builder and operator of hotels. Over more than two decades, Starwood Capital Group has acquired approximately 2,600 hotels worldwidefrom economy to luxury propertiesand operated hotel platforms including Groupe du Louvre, TMI Hospitality, InTown Suites and the recently rebranded U.K. portfolio, consisting of three separate hotel companies, together now The Principal Hotel Company. The Firm has also created or expanded a number of world-class hotel brands, including W Hotels, St. Regis Hotels, 1 Hotels and Baccarat Hotels & Resorts. Mr. Sternlicht founded and served as Chairman & CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and oversaw the company's growth into the largest hotel company in the world. He currently serves as Chairman & CEO of Starwood Capital Group affiliate SH Group, a leading hotel brand management company. "Throughout many months of collaboration, we have been incredibly impressed by the talent and commitment of the China Life team," said Lanhee Yung, Managing Director of Global Capital Raising at Starwood Capital Group. "Given the skill and knowledge base of both organizations, we are excited to see the benefits that will accrue as our strategic partnership grows." About Starwood Capital Group Starwood Capital Group is a private investment firm with a core focus on global real estate. The Firm and its affiliates maintain 10 offices in four countries around the world, and currently have more than 2,200 employees. Starwood Capital Group has raised $34 billion of equity capital since its inception in 1991, and currently manages $51 billion in assets. The Firm has invested in virtually every category of real estate on a global basis, opportunistically shifting asset classes, geographies and positions in the capital stack as it perceives risk-reward dynamics to be evolving. Over the past 25 years, Starwood Capital Group and its affiliates have successfully executed an investment strategy that involves building enterprises around real estate, energy infrastructure and oil and gas portfolios in both the private and public markets. Additional information can be found at starwoodcapital.com. SOURCE Starwood Capital Group Related Links http://starwoodcapital.com Twenty20 chief coordinator Sabu M Jacob has said his party is against mixing politics with religion. MIAMI, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two cold spells, two years apart, in two subtropical regions of the world have given scientists clues to what happens when an extreme climate event strikes. By tracking conditions before, during and after a 2008 cold spell in China and a 2010 cold spell in Florida, FIU researchers found chilling effects on plants and animals, but not all were equal. Tropical species suffered more than their temperate counterparts, which were able to resist and recover from the record low temperatures. "Long-term ecological studies like these give us opportunities to understand complex consequences of unanticipated events such as extreme cold snaps," said Evelyn Gaiser, FIU professor of biology and lead principal investigator of the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Everglades Research (FCE LTER) program. "This short but extreme cold event mimicked the effects of a strong tropical storm or hurricane. The short-term consequences were different but the long-term conclusions were similar." In South Florida, tropical fish populations declined while the populations of their temperate counterparts remained unchanged or increased following the 2010 cold spell. Tropical American crocodiles declined while temperate American alligators weathered the cold, and tropical mangroves died while temperate saltmarsh grasses survived. In China, the population of tropical butterflies in the Nanling National Nature Preserve dropped by 80 percent following the cold spell there, allowing temperate butterflies to dominate the area for two years. The FIU researchers, along with others in the United States and China, have conducted long-term research programs in these two regions, including the FCE LTER program, part of the National Science Foundation's LTER Network. With historic data in-hand, they were able to act quickly when the cold snaps arrived evaluating conditions and the local plants and animals long after temperatures returned to normal. Their efforts resulted in 11 studies published in a special feature of Ecosphere. "Tropical species are one of the most sensitive groups of plants and animals to climate warming," said Ross Boucek, a researcher in the FCE LTER program who earned his Ph.D. from FIU in 2016. Boucek also organized the extreme cold spell special feature. "The more we know about what keeps tropical species alive during cold events now, the better we can develop conservation strategies aimed at improving their resilience to global change." Along with disruptions to biodiversity, the cold spells impacted Florida's fisheries. Economically lucrative bonefish, snook and goliath grouper experienced mass mortality, while others, including red drum and gray snapper, were not affected. Some of those actually saw population increases after the cold spell passed, including redfish. Non-native species also proved to be less resistant to the cold spells than natives. Non-native bee populations in South Florida took nearly four years to recover and some non-native fish have shown no meaningful population recovery to date. "More frequent extreme weather is likely with climate change," said David Garrison, program director in the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Division of Ocean Sciences, which co-funds NSF's Long-Term Ecological Research Program with NSF's Division of Environmental Biology. "These studies show that these extremes may be cold anomalies as well as warm ones." Photos from the 2008 and 2010 cold spell studies are available online. Media Contact: Evelyn S. Gonzalez 305-348-4493 [email protected] @FIUnews News.fiu.edu SOURCE Florida International University Related Links http://fiu.edu MESA, Ariz., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Development Partners is pleased to break ground on El Rancho II in Mesa, AZ. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place today, October 17, 2016 at 11am at 659 E Main St., in Mesa, and include speakers ADOH Director Michael Trailor and City of Mesa Mayor John Giles. El Rancho II represents a comprehensive approach to designing and developing affordable housing, where not only are residents' basic housing needs met, but a community is energized and engaged. El Rancho II will consist of 47 units serving low-income households earning between 40-60% of the Area Median Income, with a preference for families with children. The project will be comprised of 26 two-bed, 11 three-bed, and 10 four-bed units, with sizes ranging from 942 to 1,988 square feet. A New Leaf will provide resident supportive services and Local First Arizona will provide an on-site micro enterprise accelerator program for enterprising residents. Similar to its predecessor El Rancho del Arte, the adjacent El Rancho II will integrate the arts into its design through installations and ongoing programming. The communitydesigned by Perlman Architects, constructed by Rytan Construction, and managed by Celtic Property Managementis aiming to achieve LEED Gold certification. Eric Paine, Chief Executive Officer of Community Development Partners, says, "Our mission is to not only provide housing, but create healthy and engaged neighborhoods. We are pleased with how El Rancho del Arte is becoming a community hub and look forward to delivering a second phase that continues the mission." The project was partially financed by the sale of 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits awarded by Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH) in 2015. The tax credit investor is Alliant Capital. A construction and permanent loan from Chase bank, HOME and Housing Trust Funds from ADOH and a HOME Loan from the City of Mesa, along with an acquisition/pre-development loan from Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) financed the remaining project costs. About Community Development Partners Founded in 2011, Community Development Partners develops and operates sustainable, life-enhancing affordable housing with a focus on long term community engagement and innovative design. The company is based in Orange County and has developed or currently operates properties in Arizona, California, and Oregon. For more information, visit: communitydevpartners.com. Contact: Beth Binger BCIpr 619-987-6658 [email protected] SOURCE Community Development Partners Related Links http://www.communitydevpartners.com SEATTLE, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Seabourn, the world's finest ultra-luxury cruise line, has yet again been voted "Best Small-Ship Cruise Line" for 2016 by the sophisticated, discerning readers of Conde Nast Traveler. Over the past decade, the line has dominated the "Best Small-Ship Cruise Line" category in the magazine's annual Readers' Choice Awards, securing the top honor for the past seven consecutive years. "Conde Nast Traveler readers are well-traveled and well-versed in luxury and high-touch service, and it has been honor to receive this award year after year," said Seabourn President Richard Meadows. "With the upcoming arrival of our newest ship, Seabourn Encore set to launch in December, followed by Seabourn Ovation in the spring of 2018, there will be even more for the magazine's readers to consider in the years ahead. Through all these developments, we continue to strive to provide the best ultra-luxury travel experience and are pleased to receive recognition of our efforts." Earning the Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Award is a true testament to the line's exceptional itineraries and outstanding service that continue to attract sophisticated travelers year over year. Seabourn's excellence has been celebrated by many observers over the past decade, including World's Best Awards for Best Small Ship Cruise Line from readers of Travel + Leisure in six of the past 10 years, as well as the 2016 Cruise Critic U.S. Editors' Picks Award for Best Luxury Cruise Line. The company also earned a 2015 Good Taste Award from Saveur, whose "expert panel" of industry experts and prominent culinary and travel editors similarly acknowledged Seabourn as Best Culinary Cruise Line in 2013 and 2014. Seabourn's intimate ships offer key elements that set the line apart: spacious, thoughtfully appointed suites, many with verandas; superb dining in a choice of venues; open bars throughout the ship; fine wines poured at lunch and dinner; award-winning service and a relaxed, sociable atmosphere that makes guests feel right at home onboard. The ships travel the globe throughout the year, sailing to many of the world's most desirable destinations, including marquee cities, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and lesser-known ports and hideaways. For more details about the award-winning Seabourn fleet, or to explore the worldwide selection of Seabourn cruising options, contact a professional travel advisor, call Seabourn at 1-800-929-9391 or visit www.seabourn.com. Find Seabourn on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. Notes to Editors: Seabourn is consistently ranked among the world's top travel choices by professional critics and the discerning readers of prestigious travel publications such as Departures, Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler. Its stylish, distinctive cruising vacations are renowned for: Intimate ships with no more than 300 suites Unique itineraries visiting must-see cities and hidden gems where larger ships cannot follow Intuitive, gracious service provided by a staff passionate about pleasing our guests Spacious all-suite accommodations with sweeping ocean views - many with verandas Gourmet dining experiences as fine as the best restaurants anywhere Open bars throughout the ship and fine wines poured with lunch and dinner Seabourn is a proud member of World's Leading Cruise Lines. The exclusive alliance also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Costa Cruises, AIDA, P&O Cruises UK, P&O Cruises Australia and fathom. Seabourn is a brand of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL andNYSE: CUK). It has formed a partnership with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to help protect World Heritage, and also supports the Ocean Conservation & Tourism Alliance, dedicated to education and promotion of best practices for protecting the marine environment. SOURCE Seabourn Related Links http://www.seabourn.com PITTSBURGH, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- During two decades of business and sales consulting, David Radin, president of M. Masters Corporation, recognized the same three problems in every sales organization: booking more meetings, optimizing time, and keeping messages simple. So he created a product that does all three: Confirmed Instant Scheduler. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/429028 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/429029 Confirmed Instant Scheduler decreases scheduling errors, making sure both parties are at the right place at the right time Sales people & mobile professionals get more confirmed meetings in less time with Confirmed Instant Scheduler Confirmed is a web-based service that helps sales people and mobile professionals confirm more meetings in less time, while keeping their focus on the messages that support the reason for the meeting. "Any sales consultant who understands metrics will tell you that sales revenue is a direct result of how effective a sales person is at every stage of the sales process, and that getting meetings booked is one of the most challenging parts because it's often early in the process, and costly administratively," says Radin. "Confirmed Instant Scheduler makes it easier for the prospect to say yes, and does it with less effort for both parties. So it helps get more sales while it optimizes time." Confirmed works by letting a sales person offer multiple times and places for each meeting, thereby allowing the prospect to choose the time and place that makes it easiest to meet. The prospect simply clicks on the "slot" that best suits his schedule, and both parties receive confirmation of the selected meeting, which can be added to any digital calendar with a click. Since each confirmation includes full time, place and contact info, there are no time mix-ups. In addition, Confirmed stores and displays all pending slots among the sender's Google calendar, so he knows which times may be taken as he makes additional appointments. Confirmed Instant Scheduler is offered in two Editions the free Personal Edition and the Professional Edition, which is $4.99/month after a 30-day risk-free trial. Confirmed Instant Scheduler has been developed by M. Masters Corporation of Pittsburgh, PA, USA. M. Masters has been providing consulting for businesses large and small for 25 years, and, in addition, has successfully launched three previous web-based products. For more information, visit www.ConfirmedApp.com. Confirmed, Instant Scheduler and Confirmed logo are trademarks of M. Masters Corporation. Contact: David Radin, 412-531-4270, Email SOURCE Confirmed Instant Scheduler Related Links http://www.ConfirmedApp.com HOUSTON, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CRG, a global healthcare-focused investment firm supporting innovative healthcare companies, today announced cumulative financing commitments of $458 million across eight public and private, commercial-stage healthcare companies since the beginning of 2016. "Over the last 12 months, we have continued to experience a significant uptick in financing activity with cumulative commitments of over $650 million," said Nate Hukill, President of CRG. "Additionally, we have deployed more than $2.0 billion to public and private commercial-stage healthcare companies since 2009, generating attractive risk-adjusted returns for our institutional partners. This momentum is a testament to the investment team's disciplined execution of our proven credit-focused investment strategy." In developing its portfolio, CRG's team has sought to underwrite senior secured loans and invest in companies that are on the forefront of three dominant trends within healthcare: increasing focus on healthcare cost reduction, the rise of personalized medicine, and shifting demographics, including aging populations and increased obesity rates in developed economies. As the firm continues to execute on its strategy, CRG has also expanded its reach across the healthcare industry to support pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, and healthcare services and IT companies that help address major unmet needs. CRG has experienced a noticeable increase in demand for financings within these subsectors, especially amongst larger, more mature companies, as average initial investment sizes have increased by over 50 percent for the firm's latest fund. "Demand for long term growth capital in the form of structured debt is strong as healthcare equity markets remain volatile and lag the general indices," commented Luke Duster, Managing Director at CRG. "To meet this need, we've assembled a strong healthcare investing platform with a deep bench of investment talent and significant, long-term financial resources from our institutional partners, enabling us to identify high quality investment opportunities. This platform provides us with increased flexibility to execute larger financings, up to $300 million per investment, and work quickly and efficiently to close new financings." About CRG Founded in 2003, CRG (previously known as Capital Royalty L.P.) is a healthcare-focused investment firm that delivers pioneering growth capital financing solutions to the global healthcare industry. With nearly $3.0 billion of assets under management across 42 healthcare investments, CRG provides growth capital to healthcare companies primarily through structured debt and senior secured loans. CRG works across the spectrum of healthcare products, technologies and services and targets investment sizes ranging between $20 million and $300 million. The firm partners with innovative, commercial-stage healthcare companies that address large, unmet medical needs who are seeking flexible financing solutions with a committed, value-add partner to achieve their growth objectives. CRG is headquartered in Houston, Texas with offices in Boulder, Colorado and New York. For additional information, please visit www.crglp.com. Disclosure: This release does not constitute an offer to sell or buy any securities and may not be used or relied upon in connection with any offer or sale of securities. It does not constitute a solicitation of clients and may not be used or relied upon in connection with any solicitation of clients. This release is qualified in its entirety by reference to the offering materials of a specific investment opportunity. Neither the Fund nor CRG makes any representation or warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the information contained in this release. Statements in this release are made as of the date hereof unless stated otherwise herein, and the delivery of this release at any time shall not under any circumstances create an implication that the information contained herein is correct as of any time subsequent to such date. Neither the Fund nor CRG has any obligation to update the information contained in this release, including in the event that any such information becomes inaccurate. No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representation concerning the matters in this release other than the information explicitly contained in this release, and, if given or made, such information or representation must not be relied upon as having been authorized. CRG and its affiliates reserve the right to modify any of the terms of any offering. Certain information contained in this release constitutes "forward-looking statements (as defined in the U.S. private securities litigation reform act of 1995)," which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "seeks," "plans," "scheduled to," "target," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "intend," "continue" or "believe" or the negatives thereof or other variations thereon or other comparable terminology. Due to various known or unknown risks and uncertainties, including those described in this release and the offering materials of a specific investment opportunity, actual events or results or the actual performance may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements. As a result, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. No representation or warranty is made as to future performance or such forward-looking statements. The Fund and CRG expressly disclaim any and all liability relating to or resulting from the use of this release. SOURCE CRG LP Related Links http://www.crglp.com SUZHOU, China, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CStone Pharmaceuticals announced today that, following the successful site inspection by the Jiangsu FDA for its recombinant anti PD-L1 monoclonal antibody (WBP3155), the CFDA has recently accepted the submission of WBP3155's IND (acceptance number CXSL1600075). Wholly owned and independently developed by CStone Pharmaceuticals, WBP3155 is China's first innovative, fully humanized, full length original format IgG (most similar to human's naturally produced IgG) monoclonal antibody drug candidate. WBP3155 is also the world's first OMT platform produced antibody, which could mean safer and less immunogenic. WBP3155 has hopes of becoming one of the first China developed PD-L1 therapies. The inhibition of key checkpoints, such as PD-1/PD-L1, is currently the major development focus for immuno-oncology both in China and abroad. These drugs are designed to use our own immune system to treat cancer and have shown significant effects in the treatment of melanoma, lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, as well as other tumors. There are a number of related monoclonal antibody drugs approved internationally, and a few domestic companies also have related drug candidates in both pre-clinical and clinical trial phases. The acceptance of WBP3155's IND by the CFDA signifies that the CStone has made significant progress with the development of this molecule. Dr. Frank Jiang, CEO of CStone Pharmaceuticals, stated that China has the highest number of newly diagnosed cancer patients and deaths from cancer in the world. As such, CStone is committed to meeting this pressing need by developing innovative, effective, and safe therapies for Chinese patients. CStone Pharmaceuticals CStone Pharmaceuticals is an innovative, research-based, biopharmaceutical company committed to the development of a new generation of therapeutic drugs. Based in both Shanghai and Suzhou, the company's leadership team consists of seasoned executives from top pharmaceutical MNCs. In July 2016, CStone announced the completion of its Series A financing, raising a total of US$150 million (about 975 million RMB). Three prestigious investment companies in the industry, Oriza Seed Venture Capital (Oriza Seed), Boyu Capital, and WuXi Healthcare Ventures (WXHV), jointly invested in the round. With an overarching commitment to meeting the most pressing needs of Chinese patients, the company's pipeline covers five therapeutic areas, including oncology, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, hematology and autoimmune diseases. With immuno-oncology as CStone's core therapeutic focus, the company strives to lead Chinese research to the global market through its world class R&D team, its innovative portfolio, and an open innovation strategy. SOURCE CStone Pharmaceuticals SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Foss & Company (www.fossandco.com) is proud to welcome David Beidler onto their Acquisitions team. David will primarily focus on sourcing federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits for Foss sponsored funds or as one-off placements with Foss's corporate investors. Mr. Beidler will be based out of Foss & Company's Dallas office. Mr. Beidler comes to Foss & Company with over 18 years of commercial real estate finance and development experience. Prior to joining Foss & Company, he was an Acquisitions Manager for the National Trust Community Investment Corporation sourcing Historic and New Markets Tax Credit projects across the country and a Development Manager for Greenfire Development in downtown Durham, North Carolina. In addition, he gained valuable commercial real estate transaction and finance knowledge while working with Cohen Financial and PM Realty Group in Chicago and a commercial appraisal firm in Minneapolis. Mr. Beidler holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received a BA in Economics from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Foss & Company is a nationally recognized tax credit syndication firm. Founded in 1983, it has sponsored over 50 proprietary tax credit funds and raised over $4.5 billion in equity for tax credit investments. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com. SOURCE Foss & Company Related Links http://www.fossandco.com HOUSTON, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Houston Law Center today announced the lineup of distinguished state and federal jurists who will participate in the Judge Ruby Kless Sondock Jurist In Residence Program for the 201617 academic year. The program, starting its second year, brings sitting jurists to campus for a day of interaction with students, faculty and the Houston legal community. Each jurist provides a lecture on a legal ethics issue important to the community. Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey V. Brown will kick off the series on Oct. 24 followed by U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller of the Southern District of Texas on Jan. 30, 2017, and Chief Judge Roger L. Gregory of the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit based in Richmond, Va., on April 3, 2017. "Through the Sondock Jurist In Residence Program, the Law Center brings outstanding jurists to the campus who will give lectures and meet with UHLC faculty, alumni and students," said Law Center Dean Leonard M. Baynes. "These interactions will bring the Law Center community closer to the bench so we can learn from each other. It also will help inspire our students to be the next generation of outstanding jurists. We are very proud to host the Jurist in Residence Program so aptly named after Justice Ruby Kless Sondock who is a role model and trailblazer." "Justice Ruby Sondock is truly a living legend," said Professor Meredith Duncan who coordinates the program. "It is a privilege for UHLC to host prominent jurists from around the country in her honor. We are thrilled for the opportunities this program provides for our students, faculty and the Houston legal community." Brown, a 1995 graduate of the Law Center, was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court by Gov. Rick Perry in September 2013. He previously served as a justice on Houston's 14th Court of Appeals and as judge of the 55th District Court. Prior to becoming a judge, he practiced at Baker Botts LLP in Houston and earlier served as briefing attorney to Justices Jack Hightower and Greg Abbott on the Texas Supreme Court. Miller, a 1978 graduate of the then-UH Bates College of Law was appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2006. Prior to his appointment, he was a senior partner at Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, having joined the firm in 1978. From 1969 -1978, he served as an officer with the Houston Police Department. Gregory was appointed to fill a new seat on the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 2000 by President Bill Clinton. He was nominated to the same position by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 2001. He earned his J.D. in 1978 from the University of Michigan Law School. Prior to becoming a judge, he practiced law in Michigan and Virginia. The Jurist In Residence program is named in honor of Sondock, a pioneer in the law who graduated as valedictorian and one of only five women in the UH law school class of 1962. After practicing law for many years, Sondock was appointed to the 234th District Court in 1977, making her the first female state district judge in Harris County. She was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in 1982, making her the first woman to serve in a regular session of the court. Earlier this year, she was proclaimed a "Texas Legal Legend" by the litigation section of the State Bar of Texas. One hour of CLE ethics credit per lecture is available for attorneys. Click here to register for the first lecture Oct. 24. Media contacts: Carrie Anna Criado, UH Law Center Executive Director of Communications and Marketing, 713-743-2184, [email protected]; John T. Kling, UH Law Center Communications Manager, 713-743-8298, [email protected]; Elena Hawthorne, Multimedia Specialist, 713-743-1125, [email protected]; and John Brannen, Senior Writer, 713-743-3055, [email protected] About the University of Houston The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 42,700 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country. About the University of Houston Law Center The University of Houston Law Center is the leading law school in the nation's fourth-largest city. Founded in 1947, it is a top-tier institution awarding Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees, through its academic branch, the College of Law. The Law Center is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150327/195030LOGO SOURCE University of Houston Law Center Related Links http://www.law.uh.edu/ dnata, one of the world's largest air services providers and a part of the United Arab Emirates' Emirates Group, announced that it has selected Avaya Private Cloud Services (APCS) to deliver a customer experience transformation solution and create a seamless, personalised experience for dnata customers and partners, across communication platforms. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161013/428379 ) The five-year, multimillion-dollar agreement will see Avaya provide dnata, with a cloud-based contact centre, collaboration, networking and video conferencing solution. With operations covering six continents, dnata aims to unify its travel brands around the world, along with its other services, helping to deliver personalised experiences to its customers, and achieve consistency and increased satisfaction across all touchpoints, all while reducing service delivery costs. "We have embarked on a digital transformation journey that will enable us to confidently deliver on our growth strategy while building a superior customer experience. One of the main challenges of being a global business with multiple brands and services is delivering a consistent yet personalised experience. Our project with Avaya will enable us to have the platform we require to quickly achieve the two, while expanding our portfolio of businesses and services. The team at Avaya were exceptional in building a solution that delivers on our business objectives today and in the future." Paul Gale, Vice President Global Contact Centres - dnata By moving to an Avaya-delivered and managed cloud customer experience solution, dnata and its travel businesses will not only achieve a substantial competitive advantage; it will also deliver a higher benchmark, not only for customers, but also for agents worldwide. "Avaya is proud to have been selected by dnata as provider of choice for this global customer experience platform. By working closely with dnata, we will be able to support them in their objective of delivering a world-class customer experience. This is the perfect demonstration of the strength of our cloud services offerings and how we can help enterprises achieve their digital transformation goals. We look forward to strengthening this partnership with dnata over the next five years and moving forward with them to deliver the business outcomes they are looking for." Nidal Abou-Ltaif, President, Avaya International SOURCE AVAYA NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Drexel Hamilton announces that it will host its Emerging Growth Conference for institutional investors on Thursday, December 1 in New York City. The event will take place at 77 Water Street. All investors must be pre-registered to attend the event. As with all of our events there is no fee to present at the conference. The event will offer presentations from a wide range of emerging growth companies, and many C-Level executives are slated to attend. Attendees will have the option of formal company presentations, group meetings and individual meeting opportunities with executives. The following companies have committed to formal presentations as of today: Company Name Ticker Akoustis Technologies, Inc. AKTS Ameresco, Inc. AMRC Amyris, Inc. AMRS Finjan Holdings, Inc. FNJN Graham Corporation GHM Lionbridge Technologies Inc. LIOX Mercury Systems, Inc. MRCY Neonode, Inc. NEON Resonant Inc. RESN Snipp Interactive Inc. SNIPF Schweitzer-Mauduit International Inc. SWM Systemax Inc. SYX The ExOne Company XONE Usell.com, Inc USEL VASCO Data Security International Inc. VDSI Vectrus, Inc. VEC Westell Technologies, Inc. WSTL The conference will be hosted by Managing Director of Research Barry M. Sine, CFA, CMT and his team of analysts covering the TMT, Energy, Aerospace and Defense, and Industrial sectors. In addition, our analysts will be available throughout the conference to meet with investors. This preliminary line-up will offer the investor a glimpse of the next up-and-coming stocks that will be showcased at future Drexel Hamilton signature conferences and events. All conferences offer one-on-one meeting opportunities with the management teams of the presenting companies. Drexel Hamilton is a mid-sized, full-service brokerage firm active in the equity and debt markets. We offer research, corporate access, sales, trading and investment banking services. We believe that we are one of the fastest growing boutique investment banks, as measured by revenue, over the last five years. About Drexel Hamilton, LLC Drexel Hamilton, a full-service institutional broker-dealer founded in 2007, partners military and service-disabled veterans with Wall Street veterans in the institutional financial services industry. In addition to the presentations and one-on-one meetings, participants will have an opportunity to meet some of the military and service-disables veterans working at Drexel Hamilton. The firm is committed to maintaining a concentration of at least 40 percent military and service-disabled veteran employees. Contacts Drexel Hamilton, LLC Lynn Orenstein +1-212-632-0413 Head of Corporate Access [email protected] SOURCE Drexel Hamilton, LLC MIAMI, Fla., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Eastern Air Lines Group Inc. announced today that, effective immediately, James Tolzien has been appointed the company's Interim Chief Executive Officer. The move also marks the departure of former CEO Mr. Edward Wegel. Mr. Tolzien will continue to lead Eastern's growth while the Board of Directors conducts a global search for a permanent CEO. The search will be led by General (Ret.) Ray Odierno, Chairman of the Board of Eastern Air Lines and assisted by the global executive search firm Korn Ferry. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429453LOGO Mr. Tolzien has been Chief Financial Officer of Eastern Air Lines Group since its inception in 2011. Mr. Tolzien has over 40 years of executive experience across the travel industry. He has served as both Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for several major corporations, including Alamo Rent A Car, Budget Car Rental, and the corporate travel management company TravelLeaders. "We remain committed to our business plan of providing world class charter air service with our fleet of Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft," said General Odierno. "Our Board is unconditionally committed to supporting Eastern's continued growth. We have complete confidence in Jim's leadership and we are certain we will attract a world class industry veteran to take Eastern to the next level." Just a few of Mr. Tolzien's notable achievements include leading Alamo's $650 million sale to and integration with AutoNation and also successfully leading TravelLeaders portfolio of companies through the difficult post 9/11 environment. About Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc. is the re-launch of the famous airline that operated from 1921 to 1991. Since receiving its FAA interstate and foreign charter certification in May of 2015, Eastern has successfully grown a robust charter business basing out of Miami and serving Latin America and the Caribbean. Eastern is a rapidly growing company that currently employs over 200 employees operating five aircraft. The company will accept a 6th Boeing 737-800 next month. Its expanding footprint at Miami International Airport includes over 7,000 feet of corporate office space, a Boeing 737 flight simulator and soon an 80,000 square foot hangar and maintenance facility. Related Links Eastern Air Lines This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Eastern Air Lines Related Links http://easternairlines.aero Presented as 'Tanksgiving', Elephant is giving away $100 gas gift cards to five lucky winners. To enter, all you need to do is complete a free auto insurance quote with Elephant before November 30, 2016. The giveaway will open 12:00 am EST Monday, October 24, 2016 and will close 11:59pm EST Wednesday, November 30, 2016. More information can be found at www.elephant.com/win . Not only will you be entered for your chance to win a gas gift card, but customers that switch to Elephant could save as much as $500 on their auto insurance policy. "Lots of us travel many miles to spend time with family and friends at Thanksgiving" said Greg Minkler, Marketing Director at Elephant Auto Insurance. "At Elephant, we believe in more care, less cost for our customers, and so I'm pleased we can say thanks by helping pay towards Thanksgiving travel costs with this giveaway." Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789, after a proclamation by George Washington, and this year takes place Thursday, November 24. If you're planning on traveling this Thanksgiving, check out Elephant's Thanksgiving travel guide for more advice on safe travel www.elephant.com/car-insurance/articles/thanksgiving-travel-driving-guide. About Elephant Auto Insurance Founded in 2009, Elephant Auto Insurance is a direct-to-consumer insurance company offering auto, home, motorcycle, and life products to customers. Elephant prides itself on providing quality services and great prices. Headquartered in Richmond, VA, Elephant is a wholly owned subsidiary of Admiral Group, plc, one of the leading insurance companies in the United Kingdom. Elephant believes people who like what they do, do it better and therefore encourages a climate of individual contributions, long-term commitment and profitable growth within the organization. Elephant was named one of the 2015 Best Places to Work in Virginia and awarded the 2015 Stevie Award for the success of their contact center. To learn more about Elephant or to get an insurance quote go to Elephant.com, or call 1-855-ELEPHANT. Resources: http://www.elephant.com/win http://www.elephant.com/car-insurance/articles/thanksgiving-travel-driving-guide Contact: Richard Lewis 804-955-1700 ext 2347 [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429479 SOURCE Elephant Auto Insurance Related Links http://www.elephant.com ATLANTA, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX), a leading provider of information solutions and insights, today announced that it has been approved as by the Small Business Financial Exchange, Inc. to become an SBFE Certified Vendor effective January 1, 2017 continuing its longstanding history of providing the marketplace with SBFE payment performance data. With the inclusion of SBFE payment performance data in our solution set, Equifax brings its clients the most comprehensive network of data and insights in the industry. USCS aims to assist businesses in the pursuit of healthy growth specifically by expanding access to capital and services for small businesses through its Commercial Financial Network (CFN). The CFN connects five major categories of data, and by adding the Small Business Financial Exchange, Inc.'s SBFE Data to its payment performance category, small businesses will now benefit even more. About Equifax Equifax powers the financial future of individuals and organizations around the world. Using the combined strength of unique trusted data, technology and innovative analytics, Equifax has grown from a consumer credit company into a leading provider of insights and knowledge that helps its customers make informed decisions. The company organizes, assimilates and analyzes data on more than 820 million consumers and more than 91 million businesses worldwide, and its databases includes employee data contributed from more than 5,000 employers. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. It is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index, and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. Equifax employs approximately 9,200 employees worldwide. Some noteworthy achievements for the company include: Ranked 13 on the American Banker FinTech Forward list (2015); named a Top Technology Provider on the FinTech 100 list (2004-2015); named an InformationWeek Elite 100 Winner (2014-2015); named a Top Workplace by Atlanta Journal Constitution (2013-2015); named one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies (2011-2015); named one of Forbes' World's 100 Most Innovative Companies (2015). For more information, visit www.equifax.com. About SBFE The Small Business Financial Exchange, Inc. and it subsidiary SBFE, LLC (collectively known as SBFE) is the leading source of small business credit information in the U.S. Established in 2001, this non-profit association's SBFE Data Warehouse houses information on about 24 million businesses. Through its SBFE Certified Vendor relationships, SBFE makes possible innovative risk management solutions to provide insight and analysis of aggregated small business financial data to its Members. SBFE sets the highest standards for data quality, integrity of use, and governance to protect its Members and their customers' information. SBFE is the only Member-controlled organization of its type and is a trusted advocate in promoting the needs of the small business lending industry. For more information, visit www.sbfe.org. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20060224/CLF037LOGO SOURCE Equifax Inc. Related Links http://www.equifax.com MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Featured speaker Eve Turow Paul will address the impact on ag from a rising generation of consumers at next month's Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit where she will present, "Millennial Food Behavior and What It Means for the Ag Supply Chain." This 11th annual event, to be held November 15-16 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, also will feature John Corbett of aWhere, who will focus on the effects of weather on ag, and Bill Lapp of Advanced Economic Solutions, who will present the outlook for ag for 2017. Turow Paul, a consultant with ETP Insights, LLC, and author of "A Taste of Generation Yum: How the Millennial Generation's Love for Organic Fare, Celebrity Chefs and Microbrews Will Make or Break the Future of Food," will use her years of research with this age group to outline how their choices will impact the ag supply chain. "Millennials are calling for transparency to build trust [in the food system], looking to know every single part of the process from how the crops are cultivated, what food safety measures were taken and more," said Turow Paul in a recent podcast. "This constant drive and need to uncover the behind-the-scenes story will mean that the status quo of agriculture is not going to be acceptable anymore. This presents immense opportunity for the food industry and farming community." Joining Turow Paul in discussing disruptors in ag will be speaker John Corbett, president and CEO of aWhere, Inc., who will address the consequences of weather on the ag supply chain. Through precise examination of proprietary analytics, Corbett will provide unprecedented insights on: 1. What can be learned from the 2016 weather and production patterns in China, Europe and the U.S.? 2. What is the current status of soybean and corn crops in Brazil and Argentina, and what are the expectations for 2017 based on recent data? 3. How can the sector leverage better forecasting of long-term climate and weather trends in preparation of increasing extreme weather conditions? Complementing the predictions for the weather's impact on agriculture, presenter Bill Lapp, president and founder of Advanced Economic Solutions (AES), will address the ag outlook for the oilseed and grain markets for 2017. He will highlight the key areas of supply and demand as well as the implications for trade and prices following the 2016 U.S. harvest. Lapp has been a featured speaker at numerous national forums, including the restaurant industry's semi-annual Supply Chain Management conference and the USDA Annual Outlook conference. Representatives from more than 70 industry-leading businesses are expected to attend the Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit (OGTS), hosted by HighQuest Group. Participants include those from across the oilseed, grain and feed value chain from buyers, traders and merchandisers to processors and providers of transportation/logistics services. Learn more at www.oilseedandgrain.com and visit www.ongforum.com, the Organic & Non-GMO Forum, which is co-located with the Summit in Minneapolis, November 14-15. HighQuest Group, based in Danvers, Mass., is a strategic advisory, conference and media company serving corporations, financial investors and governments across the global food and agribusiness value chains. www.highquestgroup.com PR CONTACT: Michelle Pelletier Marshall, 978.887.8800, x117 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160512/367048LOGO SOURCE HighQuest Group Related Links http://www.highquestgroup.com ORANGE PARK, Fla., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The newly published autobiography from Lauretta Eason (http://www.laurettaeason.com/) explores what it takes to persevere and keep one's faith in the face of unimaginable obstacles. In "Daughter of Sacred Steel," Eason describes how she survived a difficult childhood, only to transition into a more difficult adulthood. Ultimately, her faith in God gives her the strength to escape what could have been a deadly relationship, and to restore her family ties. "Daughter of Sacred Steel" is available in paperback and Kindle from Amazon. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161006/416192 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161006/416195 Eason grew up in a strict and religious household a beginning that will likely be familiar to many readers. She learned to be quiet and submissive, and developed a strong fear of abandonment. As an adult, it was this fear that drove her unwittingly into the arms of an abusive, menacing monster. "My story is unique," she says. "My ex-husband promised repeatedly to kill me and I believed him. I could have been the first of three wives he killed if I had not stayed connected spiritually with God. The book explains how I stayed hopeful and connected in spite of all that was going wrong with my life." Eason was able to escape from her abuser. Terrified and pregnant, she reached out to the father she had not seen since she was a young girl. Her memory of him playing a Hawaiian steel guitar was a source of comfort in dark times and these were indeed the darkest of times. Today, the man Eason first believed was the love of her life now sits on death row, having been found guilty of murder. "I want to thank everyone who takes the time to visit my site and read my autobiography," adds Eason. "The book describes a few highlights of my life intended to inspire and encourage faith, resilience and the value of having a lifetime connection with God. I hope readers will enjoy the story and share it with others. All comments are appreciated, so I'm asking readers to post their reviews on Amazon I would be forever grateful." Early reviews of Eason's autobiography are unanimously positive. "['Daughter of Sacred Steel' is] an enlightening memoir of my hometown friend, schoolmate and extended family member," says R.K.B. "It was exciting to see in book form the sites of our town and neighborhoods. It's an interesting and inspirational read about life experiences and spiritual growth." About the Author Lauretta Eason was raised in Florida with her nine siblings. She excelled in school, becoming one of the first African American students to graduate from Ocala High School. She then received a bachelor of arts from the University of Southern Florida. She retired from corporate America and is now a real estate broker associate. Contact: Lauretta Eason 904-923-5442 Email SOURCE Lauretta Eason Related Links http://www.laurettaeason.com Evidence indicates he was the victim of violent crime. But Costa Rican authorities and British police did little to investigate. They've now given up on the case, despite the family's long-standing appeals for assistance. "The Costa Rican authorities can still help us to get to the truth of the matter. People in Tamarindo know what happened to Michael and with the right kind of support, also from the British foreign office, we could find out what happened," Michael's brother, David, said. Michael, who worked as editor of a US business magazine, walked out of his hotel one evening in Tamarindo and never came back. Some 45,000 British people a year go to Costa Rica, considered a safe destination. But at least 20 foreign nationals disappeared or were murdered in the country in past seven years, prompting official UK and US travel warnings. "I will not rest until I know what happened to my son. I trust that some Costa Rican police and British diplomats also have a sense of duty," Lynn Dixon, Michael's mother said. Media professionals: For more information on the Michael Dixon case, go to Help Find Michael Dixon Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/helpfindmichaeldixon/ For quotes or comments from David Dixon, contact him on + 44 (0) 7920 792 204 or via [email protected] For David's Facebook campaign, The International Missing People Group, go to IMPG Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalMissingPeopleGroup/ Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429495 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429496 SOURCE David Dixon AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten FCA US women awarded for technical excellence and leadership Awards underscore Company's commitment to develop diverse talent and to promote careers in STEM Awardees join growing list of FCA US employees who have earned important technical professional recognition from diversity organizations FCA US LLC technical business leaders received honors for their career achievements at the 21st annual Women of Color STEM Conference held October 13-16 in Detroit. The Women of Color Conference honors the significant achievements of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professions. The conference ensures that the accomplishments of outstanding women in technical fields are highly visible to industry professionals, government officials and students. "FCA US is proud that our women continue to be recognized for their extraordinary technical achievements and leadership," said Marlin Page, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, FCA US LLC. "The Women of Color Awards celebrate some of the country's most promising and influential female business and community leaders. We are humbled to be named among such prestigious honorees." FCA US 2015 Women of Color Award Recipients Outstanding Technical Contribution Award: Recognizes a mid-career professional with significant technical accomplishments in an engineering or technology industry, or government agency. Sophia Shiue , Business Process Manager Special Recognition Award: Recognizes accomplished professionals who have demonstrated excellence in the workplace and in their communities. Anudeep Cheema , IT Supervisor , IT Supervisor Arundhati Desai , Business Process Manager , Business Process Manager Andrea Jemison-Smith , Manager - General Assembly Torque Technology Rising Stars Award: Recognizes young professionals who are helping to shape technology for the future. Tamarah Riley , WO Pillar Lead , WO Pillar Lead Myrlene Geilbert-Bush , Senior Manager - Manufacturing Lead (Manufacturing Lead Recruit, Retain & Develop) , Senior Manager - Manufacturing Lead (Manufacturing Lead Recruit, Retain & Develop) Monica Farrera Boone, MP Electrical Tessy Abraham , Supervisor - Virtual Validation , Supervisor - Virtual Validation Gunmeet Sandhu, Advanced Development Engineer - Uconnect Systems Gabriela Sanchez , Industrial Engineering Supervisor Over the years, FCA US employees consistently have earned important technical professional recognition from various diversity organizations, including Black Engineer of the Year, Women of Color, HENAAC Great Minds in STEM and others, reflecting the Company's commitment to developing its diverse workforce. In recent past, the Company has been named a top supporter of engineering programs at the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), according to U.S. Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine. The Company also sponsored college scholarships through HENAAC Great Minds in STEM, a non-profit that focuses on STEM educational awareness programs for Hispanic students from kindergarten to career. Additionally, the Company actively supports initiatives that aim to increase the number of college-bound minority students in the STEM pipeline. In 2014, FCA US partnered with Florida International University, to sponsor a STEM education initiative called "Engineers on Wheels." The program features mobile classrooms bringing hands-on engineering and science experiments and experiences to South Florida K-12 schools, and to the community at large. FIU is the largest producer of Hispanic engineers in the U.S., and one of the country's top producers of African-American engineers. About Women of Color STEM Conference The Women of Color STEM Conference recognizes outstanding women in the STEM fields. It provides excellent opportunities for professional development, networking and recruiting. Career Communications Group's Women of Color magazine is the host. The conference is focused on the development of STEM women and ensures that the superior achievements and importance of these outstanding women in STEM are highly visible to all conference participants. About FCA US LLC FCA US LLC is a North American automaker with a new name and a long history. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, FCA US is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA US designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands, as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C model and Mopar products. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the innovative American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925; and Fiat, founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli. FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA." Follow FCA US news and video on: FCA Content On Demand (COD): www.fcacod.com Company blog: blog.fcanorthamerica.com Company website: www.fcanorthamerica.com FCA360: 360.fcanorthamerica.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FiatChrysler.NorthAmerica/ Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/chryslergroup/ Media website: media.fcanorthamerica.com Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/fcacorporate Instagram: www.instagram.com/FiatChrysler_NA Twitter: www.twitter.com/FiatChrysler_NA Twitter (Spanish): www.twitter.com/fcausespanol YouTube: www.youtube.com/pentastarvideo SOURCE FCA US LLC Related Links http://www.fcanorthamerica.com HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Southern California skies will be rocked like never before on October 22-23 as the inaugural Surf City USA Airshow announces not one but two headlining jet teams. The United States Air Force Flight Demonstration Squadron the Thunderbirds, and the Breitling Jet Team are scheduled to headline this premier event over the Pacific Ocean in Surf City, USA. The inaugural Breitling Huntington Beach Airshow will be the only beachfront airshow on the West Coast, and the first airshow held in Huntington Beach, California in over twenty years. "I am thrilled the air show is taking place at, or should I say above, Huntington Beach," said Kelly Miller, President & CEO of Visit Huntington Beach. "People of all ages will be delighted by the sights and sounds of this impressive aerial display." Who: The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform for people all around the world showcasing the pride, precision and professionalism of American Airmen. The hour-long demonstration features sharply choreographed routines that show F-16 Fighting Falcons wingtip to wingtip and give the crowd a glimpse of the exacting skills and capabilities possessed by these accomplished fighter pilots. The Breitling Jet Team is the largest professional civilian jet team in the world. With fast and powerful L-39 Albatross aircraft piloted by flying aces, this renowned aerobatic team illustrates the Breitling's cherished values of performance, precision, aesthetic sophistication and innovation. The team will round out their two-year tour of the United States with a final U.S. performance at Huntington Beach's Surf City Airshow. What: For the first time in Southern California, the USAF Thunderbirds and Breitling Jet Team will take to the sky for a thrilling aerial, acrobatic performance above Huntington Beach. When: The Inaugural airshow will take place October 22-23 with a practice session on Friday, October 21. Noon - 4:00 p.m. Where: Huntington Beach, California Photos: USAF Thunderbird Media Kits (logos, b-roll video) can be downloaded directly from the official USAF Thunderbirds website at: www.aftthunderbirds.com/site/media-downloads Breitling Jet Team Media Kits (logos, b-roll video) can be downloaded directly from the official Breitling Jet Team website at: http://www.breitling-jet-team.com/en/multimedia/ URL: www.hbairshow.com Interview Opportunities: Kelly Miller , President & CEO of Visit Huntington Beach , President & CEO of Visit Huntington Beach Jack Links Screamin' Sasquatch pilot Breitling Jet Team pilot Mike Wiskus with Lucas Oil & the Lucas Oil Skydivers with Lucas Oil & the Lucas Oil Skydivers Red Bull's Kirby Chambliss The Thunderbirds For more information about tickets, additional aviation performances and sponsorships, please visit www.hbairshow.com. Fans can follow the Airshow on Facebook and Twitter (@HBAirShow). About Visit Huntington Beach Visit Huntington Beach is the official destination marketing organization of Huntington Beach, Surf City USA. One of Southern California's premier coastal destinations, Huntington Beach is the ideal location for a California family vacation, active outdoor adventure trip or relaxing weekend getaway. With 10 miles of wide-open white sand California beaches, Huntington Beach is a destination of choice for vacationers and business travelers alike. To plan your Surf City USA vacation, or to learn more about Huntington Beach, see the Visit Huntington Beach website at www.surfcityusa.com or call 1-800-729-6232 for a free Visitors Guide. SOURCE Visit Huntington Beach Related Links https://www.surfcityusa.com BETHESDA, M.D., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- First Potomac Realty Trust (NYSE:FPO), a leading owner and operator of office and business park properties in the greater Washington, D.C. region, today announced the appointment of Tricia Moore as the Senior Vice President, Investments and Portfolio Management, effective October 18, 2016. In her role, Ms. Moore will implement the company's property investment strategy, including all dispositions and acquisitions. Ms. Moore will also support the execution of the company's strategic initiatives at the property level to maximize asset value. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130604/MM26388LOGO "We are excited to have Tricia join First Potomac's team at a very strategic time for the company," said Robert Milkovich. "Tricia's breadth of experience, in-depth knowledge of the D.C. market and business acumen will be highly additive as we continue to de-risk the portfolio, deleverage the balance sheet and maximize asset values, which are the key tenets of our Strategic Plan." Ms. Moore most recently served as a Vice President in the Realty Management Division of Goldman Sachs, where she was responsible for overseeing the Washington, D.C. regional office with primary responsibilities including asset management and acquisitions of office and industrial product in East Coast markets. She joined Goldman Sachs as a member of Archon Group in 2002, and has held many roles within the firm related to asset management and investment for multiple divisions of Goldman Sachs. Tricia previously served as a Research Analyst at CoStar Group, a Project Manager at Jones Lang LaSalle and an Environmental Scientist with Environmental Strategies Corporation. Ms. Moore graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science from Allegheny College. In 2008, she received her M.S. in Real Estate Development from Johns Hopkins University. About First Potomac Realty Trust First Potomac Realty Trust is a self-administered, self-managed real estate investment trust that focuses on owning, operating, developing and redeveloping office and business park properties in the greater Washington, D.C. region. FPO common shares (NYSE: FPO) are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. As of June 30, 2016, our consolidated portfolio totaled 6.5 million square feet. Based on annualized cash basis rent, our portfolio consists of 64% office properties and 36% business park and industrial properties. A key element of First Potomac's overarching strategy is its dedication to sustainability. Over one million square feet of First Potomac property is LEED Certified and over half of the portfolio's multi-story office square footage is LEED or Energy Star Certified. Media Contact: Briean Cargill 301.986.9200 [email protected] SOURCE First Potomac Realty Trust Related Links http://www.first-potomac.com Topics covered included network adequacy and reach throughout rural Texas, tele-health, the shortage of providers in several medical disciplines and health care reform. "We appreciate Rep. Carter's support and the time he spent with us," said FirstCare President and CEO Darnell Dent. "Since one of our core beliefs, as a company, is that all Texans and our communities should be healthy, it was wonderful to share insights and ideas with one of our congressional representativessomeone who serves members of some of the same communities and who understands the challenges facing health plans in this day and age." Following the meeting, Rep. Carter addressed an assembly of FirstCare employees, sharing his stance on several issues, including: border security and immigration, law enforcement and defense, and medical care for military veterans. "I was honored to visit with employees and tour FirstCare Health Plans' headquarters in Williamson County," he said. "FirstCare is a home grown Texas company committed to providing better health to all Texans. I value our employers throughout the 31st congressional district and I am committed to working with them to provide an environment which helps them succeed in creating jobs, and increasing the economic vitality of our communities." Rep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, co-chairman of the House Army Caucus, is on the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. About FirstCare Health Plans Our mission is to provide access to high quality, affordable health care through strong partnerships in the communities we serve. Since 1985, we've been serving the health care needs of members across North, West, and Central Texas. Today, our service area includes 143 counties, with local offices in Abilene, Amarillo, Lubbock, and corporate offices in Austin, Texas. We offer a wide range of HMO, PPO, HSA, and ASO products through a variety of programs, including small and large employer plans; state, federal and teacher plans; government programs; and the Health Insurance Marketplace. With the support of our owners, Covenant Health in Lubbock and Hendrick Health System in Abilene, we serve over 188,000 members. For more information, please visit www.FirstCare.com. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429978 SOURCE FirstCare Health Plans Related Links http://www.firstcare.com "Our goal is to tap into the great strengths and talents of the diverse Latino community to help those who are in need," said Andrew Vassallo, General Manager of FundLatinos. "FundLatinos makes dreams come true by simplifying the process of creating campaigns that help Latino community members with their cause funding needs and raise as much money as they can." According to the National Council of Nonprofits, crowdfunding is poised to become a $90+ billion a year industry by 2025 and increasing numbers of charitable organizations are looking to the power of the internet to fund their efforts. "Latinos have always worked hard to bring about positive change and opportunity for others," said Jeffrey Glass, Chairman of FundLatinos. "With FundLatinos, our mission is to change the way crowdfunding has worked and strengthen the Latino community by increasing opportunities to help Latinos succeed in their cause funding efforts." To encourage non-profit organizations to participate by hosting their own campaigns, FundLatinos waives its fees for 501(c) 3 entities. A current FundLatinos campaign is now generating funds for a new school building for El Sol, a publically chartered school, and one of the top schools in California and the nation. It provides a quality education to nearly 1,000 low-income, mostly Latino, children, many of whom are immigrants. Its academic achievements are recognized by the state of California, by the White House, by respected "think tanks," by business and community leaders, and by education reform groups. "El Sol was like a safe haven, where I could grow and realize my true potential," said Vanessa Quinones, a first generation student and graduate of El Sol Academy who is now pursuing a degree in mathematics from the University of California in Irvine. "I first got my love for math at El Sol in seventh grade and I would like to return and be a math teacher here as well." To learn, share or donate to this campaign, visit www.fundlatinos.com/elsol. "One of the most important groups we seek to help is the 18 million Latino Millennials who understand and embrace the crowdfunding 'shared economy' process," said Vassallo. "With FundLatinos, we are creating an inviting platform for the 18-32 age group where they can pursue their dreams and also help people in times of need." To learn more about FundLatinos, visit www.fundlatinos.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FundLatinos). About FundLatinos FundLatinos was conceived of by StartingFive Partners, a company created by several multi-time successful entrepreneurs and General Catalyst Partners. The idea was inspired by the realization that cause funding platforms and the businesses behind them often lacked a real sense of purpose and community. Several of the company's founders felt particularly passionate about having a social mission that goes beyond traditional business goals. As part of its commitment to the community, FundLatinos waives all of its fees for non-profit organizations, seeks to build partnerships with local media and aspires to bring in corporate sponsorships from businesses looking to support the Latino community. CONTACT: Jackie Guzman Tilson PR [email protected] 561-998-1995 Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/FundLatinos-elsolsubtitles.mp4 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161016/429138LOGO SOURCE FundLatinos Related Links http://www.fundlatinos.com STEVENS POINT, Wis., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gamber-Johnson today announced their first docking station designed for the Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in San Diego, CA. This marks the first time Gamber-Johnson has designed a docking station for a Dell computer since 2005. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429277 The new, lightweight docking station (just 3.6 lbs/1.63 kg) is packed with features designed to support how people work in their vehicle. For example, the cords connect upward at the back of the dock and can be routed down the side or center so they won't obstruct the vehicle's dashboard. The tablet's stylus can be used when the tablet is safely docked in a vehicle; and the stylus cord, even when it's placed between the tablet and the docking station, won't interfere with the tablet's connectivity. The new docking station gives complete access to the tablet and docking station ports even when the dock is mounted in a vehicle. "The docking station gives Dell users the best way to keep their tablet safe and secure within their vehicle," said Brian Wagner, president and CEO of Gamber-Johnson. "Gamber is excited to partner with a market leader in business computing. Dell's rugged computing customers now have another option for their vehicle docking requirements from the market leader in ruggedness, reliability, and responsiveness." This is the first of two docking stations Gamber-Johnson is designing for Dell. A docking station for the Dell Latitude 12 and 14 Rugged/14 Rugged Extreme/12 Rugged Extreme Convertible Laptop is in development and should be available in early 2017. The tablet docking station will be available for purchase from Gamber-Johnson resellers beginning December 2016. Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg image3.jpg Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06bZBZnxvQY This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Gamber-Johnson Related Links http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429277 BEIJING, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- George Clinical welcomes the establishment of the Heart Health Research Center, a collaborative initiative developed by Cardio Union, an emerging multi-disciplinary healthcare organisation and George Clinical's parent organisation, The George Institute for Global Health. The Heart Health Research Center (HHRC) will help to address the growing burden of cardiovascular disease in China and around the world. The new business entity will deliver high quality research to Chinese organisations that cater for patients at a high risk of cardiovascular disease. George Clinical Welcomes Cardio Union and the George Institute for Global Health's Establishment of the HEART HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429531 China has one of the highest cardiovascular disease death rates in the world it is estimated that one in five adults has some form of cardiovascular disease in China. "This partnership will provide China with important new scientific information about the causes, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of premature death in the Chinese population. In particular our focus will be on the management of irregular heartbeat, heart attacks, heart failure and stroke which affect tens of millions of Chinese people," Professor Stephen MacMahon, Principal Director of The George Institute said. "[The Heart Health Research Center] will pair excellence in health care with excellence in medical research." The Heart Health Research Center's key priorities are to: Provide high quality research services in the field of cardiovascular disease; Assist doctors, researchers and industry to obtain grants, design protocols, undertake research to the highest standards, and publish results in high-impact journals; Integrate the best evidence into service delivery models for patients at a high risk of Cardiovascular disease; Promote better prevention and management of cardiovascular disease in China through multi-center randomised controlled trials, disease registries, and community surveillance studies; through multi-center randomised controlled trials, disease registries, and community surveillance studies; Provide training and capacity building activities in research methods, analysis and technical report writing. George Clinical works closely with the George Institute in China, providing a full range of trial delivery services to support these important clinical research initiatives. "George Clinical, China welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this exciting venture by providing our operational expertise to studies carried out under the auspices of the HHRC," Philip Gregory, Managing Director of George Clinical, China said. "Our engagement with the HHRC will continue to grow George Clinical's already robust cardiovascular research network and allow the venture to access project and data management services of the highest quality. We look forward to the HHRC transforming the way people at risk of cardiovascular disease are treated both in China and around the world." These sentiments were echoed by Dr Marisa Petersen, Executive Director of George Clinical. "George Clinical welcomes the establishment of the HHRC; a fantastic initiative that brings together clinical and scientific leadership and research strength in an area of critical need. We will be proud to support this initiative through our operational trial delivery services." About George Clinical George Clinical is a leading independent clinical research organisation (CRO) in Asia with over 200 staff operating in 11 countries. George Clinical provides the full range of clinical trial services to pharmaceutical, medical device and biotech customers, for all trial phases, registration and post-marketing trials. George Clinical combines scientific and clinical leadership with expert trial delivery capability to create a distinctive world-class service. George Clinical's parent organization, The George Institute for Global Health, is a leader in chronic disease research, with a global network of experts with whom George Clinical engages. George Clinical delivers an operationally supported, internationally recognized scientific leadership service, bringing together an extensive series of investigator networks that allow George Clinical to provide customizable clinical trial excellence from trial design through all aspects of delivery. Contact: [email protected] Website: www.georgeclinical.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/george-clinical-pty-ltd Twitter: https://twitter.com/george_clinical Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgeclinical About The George Institute for Global Health and George Institute China The George Institute for Global Health is a non-profit medical and healthcare research organization with a mission to improve the health of millions of people worldwide by providing the best evidence to guide critical health decisions, engaging with decision-makers to enact real change, targeting global epidemics particularly of chronic diseases and injury and focusing on vulnerable populations in both rich and poor countries. Established in 1999 in Australia and affiliated with The University of Sydney, the Institute today has four centers in Australia, China, India and the United Kingdom. It is affiliated with Peking University Health Science Center in China, the University of Hyderabad in India and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Globally, The George Institute has projects in more than 50 countries, has raised more than $500 million for global health research, and has been ranked among the top 10 research institutions in the world for scientific impact by the SCImago Institution Rankings World Report in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. For more information, please visit: Website: www.georgeinstitute.org or www.georgeinstitute.org.cn WeChat: The_George_Institute LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-george-institute-for-global-health Twitter: twitter.com/georgeinstitute Facebook: www.facebook.com/thegeorgeinstitute About Cardio Union Cardio Union was co-founded by multiple Chinese well-known cardiologists in June 2015. It has developed into an all-round emerging healthcare industry including tele-medicine, entity medicine, teaching and research, diseases management and academic communication. And become a leading healthcare organization which focuses on the prevention and treatment of cardiology diseases. With the rapid development of Cardio Union, its expert team is also expanding. At present, 388 national cardiovascular disease experts have officially signed up as core experts of Cardio Union, 316 of them are chief physicians and professors; 72 of them are deputy chief physicians and associate professors. The network covers 30 provinces and 68 major cities, and engaged in 28 medical centers. We hope that, based on our expert resources and the complete line of Internet products, through Cardio Union and its subsidiaries, provide a high level of medical care, teaching and research, academic and technology support to hospitals, doctors, patients, Medical & Device manufacturers and strategic partners, Cardio Union will become a large-scale, influential and branded cardiovascular specialist medical service institution. Website: http://www.cardiounion.cn/ This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE George Clinical Related Links http://www.georgeclinical.com (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429278 ) McCourt, who has bought or sold 20 companies in nine countries, is widely recognized as a transformational force for his contributions to the telecommunications sector. He becomes the latest addition to Georgetown University's prestigious Entrepreneurship Advisory Group. As a member of the hand-selected group of business leaders renowned for their entrepreneurial talents, McCourt will support the University's strategy to be a global leader in entrepreneurship education, which will include contributing his advice and insight to students of the esteemed McDonough School of Business. Commenting on his appointment, McCourt said: "I am incredibly excited to have this opportunity to work with the students at Georgetown University and learn more about the ideas they are forging and projects being developed. Some of the most innovative and successful businesses in the world have spun out of university initiatives and Georgetown is really at the forefront of recognizing the importance of encouraging, attracting and empowering entrepreneurial talents". "Taking this role I am hoping to help the students seize opportunities, solve problems, create wealth and contribute to the well-being of communities around the world". McCourt's appointment follows a long career of innovation across the technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) industries. Born and raised in Boston, McCourt found his feet as an entrepreneur in the early 1980s, developing and deploying breakthrough methods of laying cable systems, which would later be adopted as industry standards. By the late 1980s, McCourt had gained a reputation as a telecoms visionary with the creation of Corporate Communications Network, the first competitive telephone company in the United States. Corporate Communications Network went on to merge with MFS Communications and was later sold to WorldCom for $14.3 billion. In an illustrious career, McCourt also made his name in media, founding the highly-successful television station Discovery TV in the Caribbean nation of Grenada, as well as serving as an executive producer for several prime-time TV series, including documentaries with Michael Douglas and Angelina Jolie to examine the global impact of conflict on children around the world in partnership with the United Nations. His role as producer for the educational series Reading Rainbow also earnt him numerous accolades including an Emmy Award. His latest ventures have seen him continue to raise his business interests on a global scale. Earlier in 2016, McCourt led a joint venture with Saudi Arabia based King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, marking the first joint venture to be made between a publicly-owned Saudi organization and a foreign enterprise following the Kingdom's Vision 2030 announcement. He also launched ALTV.com, a new digital TV platform which seeks to give a voice to young creatives throughout the developing world. McCourt also spearheaded a consortium currently shortlisted for the Irish Government's transformational 1.5bn National Broadband Plan, which will provide connectivity to those living outside of major population centres. Jeff Reid, Director of the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative added: "Mr McCourt has built a hugely successful career being at the forefront of innovation, using his natural instincts as an entrepreneur to pioneer major industry breakthroughs. "It is a huge honor for Georgetown University to welcome Mr McCourt to our Entrepreneurship program, which will offer our students the unique opportunity to share his insights and expertise." SOURCE Granahan McCourt Capital NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker Review is a series of posts featuring Innovations, Social and Economic Megatrends to understand the World of Tomorrow. Each post is illustrated with statistics for one industry. Reportlinker Review in a nutshell Geotextiles used in a wide variety of industries Market forecasted to grow over next decade Communities using geotextiles for flood control How is the market ? The global geotextile market is valued at $5.5 billion, according to Visiongain. The largest markets are the United States and China. China, Japan and Russia are expected to experience future growth. Geotextiles are manufactured from bio-based and synthetic materials. They are used primarily in civil engineering and military projects to guard against erosion and as filtration. The geotextiles market is forecasted to grow over the next decade. Growth will be fueled by an increase in agricultural uses, construction projects and innovation. Globally, the market is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of between 7% and 9% from 2015 to 2025, according to Whatech. Asia-Pacific excluding Japan is expected to have the highest growth as the population increases. The market will be challenged by environmental regulations. Manufacture of synthetic geotextiles produces carbon emissions. Flood Control Communities are using Hesco barriers to control flooding. The barriers were invented to stop property erosion, but have been used by the military as a sandbag replacement. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is using the barriers along 10 miles downtown to guard against rising waters. The system cost $5 million. In 2008, a flood caused billions in damage and flooded 10 square miles. "In 2008, we felt defenseless," Mayor Ron Corbett told the Denver Post. "In 2016, we took action and mobilized." New York City installed 50 million pounds of geotextile bags after Hurricane Sandy. Monroe, Louisiana, also uses the barriers to control flooding. In California and New Mexico the barriers have been used to control wildfires. Meanwhile, Brazil's first geotextile wall, build in 1986, is being celebrated as a successful experiment in geotextile technology. The goal of the project was to stop erosion on a hill beside a busy roadway. The wall used Bidim geotextiles which took 15 years to gain project approval. It used both woven and non-woven varieties. Both worked well and proved they were vital part of the wall's infrastructure, Bidim representative Demetrius Guimaraes told the Technological Institute of Aeronautics geosynthetics group. When the wall was built, it attracted the attention of researchers and engineers. ReportLinker Review Global Geotextiles Market The fastest growing geotextile market is Asia with India and China representing more than 85% of the total market. (source: Ken Research Private Ltd) with and representing more than 85% of the total market. (source: Ken Research Private Ltd) Between 2014 and 2019, the geotextiles market's value is forecasted to reach $8.6 billion , growing at a CAGR of 10.6%. (source: MarketsandMarkets) , growing at a CAGR of 10.6%. (source: MarketsandMarkets) In 2019, demand for geosynthetics in the U.S. is forecasted to be valued at $2.5 billion , growing 3.8% annually and reaching 1.3 billion square yards. (source: Freedonia) , growing 3.8% annually and reaching 1.3 billion square yards. (source: Freedonia) Over the period 2014-2019, the PP non-woven fabric market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 8.7%. (source: TechNavio) Contact Clare: [email protected] US:(339) 368 6001 Intl:+1 339 368 6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com Giovanni Rana is the patriarch of the Italian fresh pasta industry. As a master pasta maker, Mr. Giovanni used his creativity and dedication to quality to grow the Giovanni Rana brand in Europe before expanding to America. The success of the Giovanni Rana brand is rooted in an appreciation of the good things and Italian gastronomic traditions which have no geographic, linguistic or cultural boundaries. Giovanni Rana has been making pasta for over 50 years, offering a range of authentic Italian products including refrigerated pasta, sauces and ready-made dishes. All of Giovanni Rana's products are made with premium fillings, only using the highest quality and freshest tasting ingredients with no preservatives, artificial colors or flavors added. His philosophy is simple: "be true to yourself and follow your dreams, this is what will make you happy." For Mr. Giovanni, the perfect pasta comes from a passion for food and the joy of sharing that passion with the people you love. Today National Pasta Day U.S. pasta lovers who visit the Giovanni Rana Facebook page and play the pasta roulette will enjoy a $1 off coupon for their favorite Rana pasta. The "Dine With Rana" campaign launching this month centers on the passion and spirit of Mr. Giovanni as he attempts to share his pasta with all of America just like he has since 1962 in Italy one person a time. The campaign perfectly articulates both Giovanni Rana's story and how his passion is directly reflected in the brand, and the delicious and fresh ingredients in the refrigerated pasta and sauce offerings. Over the next year, Giovanni Rana will invite U.S. consumers to join the Rana family in Verona, Italy to live the "Dine With Rana" experience with this beloved brand. The Rana family will open their doors for guests to uncover the traditions of authentic Italian family dining, tour the plant and discover the beautiful historic city of Verona. Consumers can visit www.dinewithrana.com and enter for a chance to win a trip of a lifetime. This will be a truly immersive experience that the Rana family wants all of America to have the chance to partake in. "Coming to America and bringing my love of fresh pasta has always been my dream since I was a young boy" said Mr. Giovanni Rana. This campaign is about what Mr. Giovanni has always believed and why he was able to bring his dream to life being genuine and authentic, sharing and opening your hearts to others, while staying true to yourself something that is an integral part of the creation of his pasta. In each dish, people can find the essence of what Giovanni Rana is all about, how they work and what they believe in. For more information, recipes, tips and inspiration about Giovanni Rana, visit giovanniranausa.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (@giovanniranausa). About Giovanni Rana For over 54 years, Giovanni Rana has been recognized as a symbol of good taste and quality products, creating fresh pasta for people to enjoy at home since 1962. Giovanni Rana's own culinary journey began as a young boy whilst working in his family's bakery, taking care of the production and the distribution of bread. With the gradual movement of women into the workplace in the late 50s, Giovanni recognized that women increasingly had little time to make fresh pasta at home. Sensing an opportunity, Giovanni Rana began crafting hand-made pasta in his own kitchen, using the very best ingredients to create a diverse variety of flavors. With his skill, technique and "obsession" for quality, he perfectly replicated homemade Italian pasta, essentially creating the chilled pasta category. Today, Giovanni Rana is a trusted source of delicious, classic Italian dishes, which can be easily prepared in the comfort of the home kitchen. His passion for authentic Italian taste, careful attention to selecting the best ingredients, unique preparation and years of experience has set the standard for pasta and sauces worldwide. As a result, Giovanni Rana is the most loved refrigerated pasta in Italy and Europe, with a premium quality and strong leadership in sales. Press Contact: Mary Insinga Zeno Group 212-299-8951/ [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428870LOGO Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428871 SOURCE Giovanni Rana Related Links http://www.giovanniranausa.com/ NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The global smart city transformation is underway Slowly but surely we are beginning to see a transformation take place in many parts of the world, as governments and councils realise they need to take a holistic approach to future city-wide development. In Australia, for example, we see that Adelaide, Canberra, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Sydney, Ipswich and Sunshine Coast have all been identified as being among the leading smart cities. The Netherlands also has great examples of emerging Smart Cities including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven. While it can be difficult for councils to obtain funding for Smart City projects there are many things that cities can do within their existing budget. Every city needs to develop its vision and leadership from the top down and requires a Smart Council to lead initiatives. Councils need to consider how one aspect of a Smart City can benefit another. For example, how can communication technologies such as WiFi, mobile broadband, apps, M2M, Internet of Things (IoT) and smart micro-grids be used to achieve synergy or asset sharing? Even more importantly, perhaps, is establishing community Buy-in for Smart City projects. Directly engaging with citizens, businesses and others can establish the essential support required for developments - and they can also assist in building business models that can lead to investment. For those operating in the telecoms sector smart city developments offer enormous opportunities going forward. Billions of dollars are already being poured into the essential telecoms infrastructure and technologies required for smart cities. Implementing an holistic IoT infrastructure using sensors and M2M requires the heavy involvement of the telecoms industry. Establishing the networking solutions is also important and this is where developments such as Low-Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) are being closely monitored. To progress towards a smart city, local councils should lead the vision, set the strategy, and work side-by-side with their citizens, neighbourhood communities, businesses, local stakeholders and others. They need to abolish the internal silo mentality. Most of the political and financial powers still reside with state and federal governments and transformation is also often needed to create a better and more equal level of collaboration between all levels of government. As local councils still have a long way to go, state and federal governments will need to guide and support local councils in this complex transformation process. Key developments: As we look towards 2017 there are some great smart city examples emerging both nationally and internationally. State-of-the-art telecommunications are vital to a city's economic health and well-being. Developments linked to Block Chain may be useful for Smart Cities and Smart Grids. Smart cities present significant opportunities for telecoms operators. In 2016 Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft continue to show a keen interest in Artificial Intelligence developments. Wearable technology has become a thriving industry, with an ever-broadening range of possible uses and devices for our smart communities of the future. In May 2016 the ITU and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) launched an important initiative called: United for Smart Sustainable Cities, with the abbreviation U4SSC. In 2016 the global smart city market is estimated to be worth around $1 trillion. The most difficult issue to resolve in building smart cities is the funding. In mid-2015 the ITU members decided to establish a study group which would focus specifically on smart cities in terms of the standardization requirements for the broader Internet of Things (IoT). Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04226856-summary/view-report.html About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. http://www.reportlinker.com __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gold's Gym, the world's leading authority on health and fitness, has entered into a footwear partnership with global footwear company, Vibram. This partnership speaks to the spirit of innovation and passion for fitness that both companies share. Vibram will develop a Gold's Gym FiveFinger cross training shoe in collaboration with Gold's Gym Fitness Experts. "The launch of a Gold's Gym FiveFinger cross training shoe with Vibram offers another meaningful way for fitness enthusiasts to connect with the Gold's Gym brand beyond the gym," said Michael Cobb, chief marketing officer of Gold's Gym. "Vibram's footwear expertise is invaluable and we look forward to developing a shoe that maximizes function and form." Vibram gained widespread fame and success with their FiveFinger brand, which many have adopted as their preferred footwear for a variety of workouts including running, watersports, cross training and more. Brand Sense Partners (BSP), the exclusive licensing agency for Gold's Gym, negotiated and executed the footwear partnership. "The partnership between Gold's Gym and Vibram is inherent referencing back to the legendary photos from Gold's Gym Venice where famous bodybuilders tended to workout barefoot," said Vibram's sales director, Chris Melton. "Vibram FiveFingers is a natural training tool for active people everywhere, indoors and outdoors, from weekend warriors to professional athletes." The Gold's Gym FiveFinger shoe is slated to launch in early 2017 throughout North America. About Gold's Gym Since 1965 Gold's Gym has built a Legacy of Strength a legacy that goes back to the very first Gold's Gym in Venice, California. Fifty years later, Gold's Gym is the most recognized gym chain in the world with more than 700 locations in 38 states and 23 countries. Gold's Gym offers the latest equipment and services, including group exercise, personal training, cardiovascular equipment, group cycle, Pilates and yoga. With nearly 3 million members worldwide, Gold's Gym helps all kinds of people achieve their potential through fitness. Visit us at www.goldsgym.com, www.facebook.com/goldsgym or www.twitter.com/goldsgym. About Vibram Vibram is recognized worldwide as the leader in high performance soles for outdoor, recreational, work and fashion footwear and is relied on by the world's greatest climbers and athletes. Vibram soles have gone on to conquer Mt. Everest, K2 and a host of the world's tallest peaks. Today, the company works with premium brands including Merrell, Danner, La Sportiva, Lowa, Red Wing, Sperry, Scarpa, The North Face, and many more. Vibram's FiveFinger line of shoes brings form and function together in a unique and unparalleled way, making it the perfect training tool for any pastime. Visit us at www.vibram.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. About Brand Sense Partners Headquartered in Los Angeles, Brand Sense Partners, LLC (bsp) is a pioneering agency with a holistic approach to branding, design, licensing and business development working with many of the leading brands in the global marketplace by offering a suite of services that connect the dots between vision, voice, product and experience. (www.bsp.com) SOURCE Brand Sense Partners Related Links http://www.bsp.com CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Good Start Genetics announced its plans to present data from three scientific studies at the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics. Data within the studies highlight the company's scientific leadership in carrier testing and preimplantation genetic screening (PGS). The studies cover new research on HBB/HBA1/HBA2 gene testing, SMA gene testing, and the validation of the company's PGS test for the calling of segmental aneuploidy. The study on PGS has been selected as a Reviewers' Choice Abstract, which recognizes abstracts that scored within the top 10 percent of abstracts selected for poster presentation. The studies will be presented by Mark Umbarger, VP of Research and Development; Eric Boyden, Principal Scientist; and Mei Zhu, Assistant Technical Director. Good Start Genetics will present the following abstracts: Identification and Characterization of Rare Hemoglobin Variants: Experience at Good Start Genetics This presentation will cover Good Start Genetics' approach to carrier screening for hemoglobinopathies involving the HBB and HBA1/HBA2 genes. Sequencing of these genes is preformed as a reflex for those individuals with variant peaks on hemoglobin electropherograms. In addition to common variants, 31 rare or novel hemoglobin variants were identified. In order to better counsel patients, more research is needed to determine the clinical implications of passing on these variants. High-throughput Screening for SMN1 "2+0" Copy Number Status by Next-generation Sequencing This presentation will cover the use of Good Start Genetics' targeted NGS technology to more sensitively detect carriers of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder that is often lethal for infants. The team will show that by using this technology they are able to identify genetic markers that often indicate the presence of two functional copies of the SMN1 gene on the same chromosome. Individuals with such a gene arrangement who carry zero copies of SMN1 on the paired chromosome are often misdiagnosed as non-carriers with traditional screening approaches, and hence detecting these markers can offer an improvement in testing sensitivity. Accurate Detection of Segmental Aneuploidy in Preimplantation Genetic Screening Using Targeted Next-Generation DNA Sequencing This presentation will cover Good Start Genetics' validation of its NGS-based PGS assay's for the calling of segmental aneuploidy. Using a combination of cell-line derived samples and simulations, Good Start Genetics was able to conclude that in addition to whole chromosome abnormalities, the company's PGS test can accurately detect segmental aneuploidies of 10 Mb or greater across the genome. About Good Start Genetics Good Start Genetics is an information solutions company delivering best-in-class genetics offerings to growing families. Using advanced clinical sequencing, proprietary methods and information tailored to the individual, the Company's suite of offerings arms clinicians and patients with insightful and actionable information to promote successful pregnancies and help build healthy families. The newly launched VeriYou broadens the Company's product portfolio to deliver carrier screening to families of all economic backgrounds. Its flagship genetic carrier screening service, GeneVu, is a comprehensive menu of highly-accurate tests for known and novel mutations that cause inherited genetic disorders, and its proprietary and advanced preimplantation genetic screening test, EmbryVu, based on technologies exclusively licensed from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is helping a wider range of couples find their paths to pregnancy at significantly lower costs. Good Start Genetics complements these offerings with world class customer care and genetic counseling to help families stay well-informed and best prepare for tomorrow. For more information, please visit www.goodstartgenetics.com or join us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160803/395265LOGO SOURCE Good Start Genetics, Inc. Related Links https://www.goodstartgenetics.com BOSTON, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Grand Circle Cruise Line, the leader in small ship and river cruising worldwide, has been named the #1 "World's Best River Cruise Line" in Conde Nast Traveler's 2016 Readers' Choice Awards with a score of 93.55the highest score of any cruise line in all size categories. This is the fifth year in a row that Grand Circle Cruise Line has taken the top spot and the 12th year it has been included as a top cruise line. Conde Nast Traveler's 2016 Readers' Choice Awards were announced on line today and will be featured in the magazine's November issue, on newsstands beginning today. "We are very pleased to be named the world's best river cruise line for five consecutive years and thankful to our travelers for sharing their experiences of us," said Chairman and CEO Alan E. Lewis. "Such recognition confirms that we are giving travelers what they wantexpert, local guides to share their homelands; culturally-rich experiences that connect travelers to local people, cultures, and ways of life; trip customization; and exceptional value for everyone, including solo travelers." More than 800,000 travelers have sailed with Grand Circle Cruise Line since 1998, including more than 225,000 solo travelers. Today, more than 30% of Grand Circle Small Ship and River Ship travelers are soloattracted by Grand Circle's comprehensive program that includes free or reduced Single Supplements, free Single Supplements on all pre-and post-trip extension options, a Best Price Guarantee, and more. Established in 1998 with a single river ship, Grand Circle Cruise Line's fleet today consists of five Small Ships, including three, 50-passenger ships (Athena, Artemis and Arethusa); the 98-passenger Corinthian; and the 88-passenger Clio; more than a dozen River Ships; and exclusive charters. For 2017, the cruise line will offer more than two dozen Small Ship and River itineraries worldwide, including three new, 50-passenger Small Ship Cruises along the Italian Coast and Malta (Sicily to Malta; Rome to Valleta, and Venice, Puglia and Malta). A record number of more than 300,000 travelers participated in Conde Nast Traveler's 29th Annual Readers' Choice Awards, which ranks the best hotels, resorts, cities, islands, airlines, and cruise lines in the world. In the ship category, readers cast votes for 500 cruise ships, rating their experiences based on the ships' activities/facilities, cabins, crew/service, design/layout, food/dining, itineraries/schedule, and shore excursions. For more information about Grand Circle's River and Small Ship Cruises and Cruise Tour itineraries, please visit Grand Circle Cruise Line. To view a video of what it's like to travel solo with Grand Circle, please click Grand Circle Solo. About Grand Circle Cruise Line Established in 1998, Grand Circle Cruise Line offers more than a dozen Small Ship itineraries to Antarctica, Panama, the Dalmatian Coast, Greece and its islands, Italy; Iberia, the Adriatic, Malta and beyond and 10 European River Cruises and Cruise Tours. The cruise line is a division of Grand Circle Corporation, which also includes Overseas Adventure Travel (est. 1978) and Grand Circle Travel (est. 1958). In 1992, Grand Circle owners Alan and Harriet Lewis established Grand Circle Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting communities in which Grand Circle works and travels, totaling more than 300 humanitarian, cultural, and educational endeavors worldwide, including 100 schools, in 50 countries. The Foundation is an entity of the Lewis Family Foundation, which has pledged or donated more than $164 million since 1981. SOURCE Grand Circle Cruise Line Related Links https://www.gct.com TORONTO, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Canada's Groupe Media TFO, the leader in French digital educational content in North America and PBS LearningMedia, the media-on-demand service of PBS for educators in the US, announced today a strategic partnership to distribute TFO's award-winning French educational content on PBS LearningMedia World Language platforms. Beginning in Spring 2017, more than 1,000 French educational short-form programs produced by TFO in its Toronto studios will be made available through PBS LearningMedia to over 1.8 million teachers and students across 55 states and territories in America. The programming to be provided by TFO is dedicated to serving 2 to 12 year old learners. "We are thrilled to be including the great French-language resources from TFO into PBS LearningMedia. This will help expand our World Languages content offering," declared Ed De Leon, Senior Director Product Strategy & Content, PBS LearningMedia. "We see this as the first step in a wonderful strategic relationship with the most highly respected and credentialed educational media enterprise in the world. We are very proud to be adding our award-winning French-language learning content to this very prestigious PBS digital platform," said Glenn O"Farrell, President & CEO of Groupe Media TFO. About PBS LearningMedia As America's largest classroom, PBS offers digital content and services for teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS LearningMedia, a partnership of PBS and WGBH Educational Foundation, is a free and paid media-on-demand service offering educators access to the best of public media and delivers research-based, classroom-ready digital learning experiences to engage students in exploring curriculum concepts that align with National and Common Core State Standards. Nationwide, more than 1.8 million teachers and users have registered access to more than 120,000 digital resources available through PBS LearningMedia. More information about PBS LearningMedia is available at www.pbslearningmedia.org or by following PBS LearningMedia on Twitter and Facebook. About Groupe Media TFO Groupe Media TFO is a premium destination for audiences seeking educational and cultural content in French. It offers stimulating experiences and award-winning content, always at the forefront of digital learning. It operates the number one French-language YouTube Channel in Canada. TFO has received awards and accolades from Austin and Amsterdam (Kidscreen Awards, Gemeaux, Cassies, IBC Awards, SXSW Film Design Awards and more). Proud of its public heritage, it celebrates "la Francophonie" in Ontario and elsewhere in the world. More information about Groupe Media TFO is available at www.groupemediatfo.org or by following TFO on Groupe Media TFO on Facebook and Twitter. SOURCE Groupe Media TFO LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Heffernan Foundation, the charitable giving program for Heffernan Insurance Brokers, is hosting a benefit on October 22, 2016 at the London Hotel in West Hollywood, CA. Proceeds from the event will benefit the foundation, which provides support to nonprofits serving local communities in the areas of shelter, food, education, and the preservation of the environment. Over $225,000 has been raised so far in advance of the event from individual donations and sponsorships. Event sponsors include $20,000 sponsor Anthem Blue Cross; $15,000 sponsors Travelers Insurance, The Hartford, Berkshire Hathaway, and AmWINS; and more. "Heffernan Foundation's 'Journey to the 80s' benefit will allow us to raise money for local nonprofits who are doing great work in our communities," said Michelle Lonaker, Director of the Heffernan Foundation. "We hope you can join us for a night of dancing and music from the 1980s, all while raising money for a great cause. Thank you to all of our sponsors and guests; this event could not be possible without your generosity." To purchase tickets, view and participate in the live auction vacation packages and raffle showcase packages, and see the full list of sponsors, visit http://www.heffernanfoundation.com/journeytothe80s or contact Michelle Lonaker at [email protected]. A video highlighting the Heffernan Foundation's mission can be found at https://youtu.be/L9XoDDrkC0w. About Heffernan Foundation Heffernan Foundation's mission is to serve nonprofits that provide direct support and services to local communities in the areas of shelter, food, education and the preservation of the environment. Heffernan Foundation is the charitable giving program of Heffernan Insurance Brokers, headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., and with offices in San Francisco, Petaluma, Menlo Park, Los Angeles and Orange County, CA; Portland, OR; St. Louis, MO and New York, NY. Employee-owned, the company has been among the Top Greater Bay Area Philanthropists since 2003, donating more than 13 percent of profits to charity in 2015. For more information, visit www.heffernanfoundation.com or call 925.295.2575. License #0564249 SOURCE Heffernan Foundation Related Links http://www.heffernanfoundation.com CHERRY HILL, N.J., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the next few years (2015 to 2018), a larger number of U.S. homeowners (43 percent) will be affected by a Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC) reset, and many appear unprepared, according to a new study released by TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank. The HELOC Reset Measure polled more than 800 homeowners who hold HELOCs, and also revealed that 23 percent of respondents do not have financial plans in place to handle the end of their draw periods. During the housing boom, many homeowners borrowed HELOCs to finance expenses such as home renovations, medical bills and college tuition. With home values soaring, homeowners found HELOCs to be a convenient way to borrow or consolidate debt. "Many HELOCs allow borrowers to draw for 10 years and make interest- only payments," said Mike Kinane, Senior Vice President, Home Equity, TD Bank. "When this draw period ends, borrowers are required to pay principal and interest, which may increase their monthly payments. It's important that HELOC borrowers plan ahead and review their contract to determine the best course of action based on their current and future financial situations." Repayment Misconceptions Exist Among HELOC Borrowers Many HELOC borrowers are unaware of their HELOC reset date described in their contract, despite communications from lenders. Only 19 percent of respondents understand that a HELOC reset will increase their monthly payments. More than one-third (34 percent) of respondents believe their monthly payment will be reduced when their HELOC resets. A majority of respondents (60 percent) who do not have a plan for their HELOC resets, indicated that they won't seek guidance from their lenders. "If borrowers do not have a financial plan for the end of their draw period they should contact their lender as early as possible," says Kinane. "A responsive lender will offer multiple ways for you to pay down your line of credit." Why Borrowers Sought HELOC Loans over the last decade The top three reasons respondents opened a HELOC were to renovate a home (38 percent), consolidate debt (24 percent) and purchase a new vehicle (20 percent). A majority of respondents (64 percent) took out a HELOC loan for more than $50,000 . . One-third of borrowers who opened HELOCs prior to 2011 are unaware of their draw period expiration date described in the HELOC contract; this number rises among Baby Boomers (42 percent). More than half (53 percent) of respondents who opened HELOCs between 2005 and 2008 don't know the impact the reset will have on their monthly payments. Prepared Borrowers Plan to Refinance and Find New Uses for HELOCs More than one quarter of respondents plan to refinance their HELOC into another loan, and almost 70 percent of those borrowers plan to approach their current lenders. For those respondents considering a refinance, using a HELOC for emergency funds was most important (35 percent), followed by home renovation (27 percent) and travel (26 percent). On average, Millennials report a broader range of reasons to get HELOCs than their older counterparts (Gen Next and Baby Boomers), including travel/vacations, home renovations and emergency funds. "HELOCs can be a smart and flexible way for consumers to make home renovations, consolidate debt, pay for education, or deal with unexpected expenses," said Kinane. "It's a wise idea to consult with your banker, and take advantage of the benefits that HELOCs can offer. TD is invested in making the entire borrowing process a positive experience; it's a part of what makes us the human bank." Survey Methodology This survey polled a nationally representative sample of homeowners who currently have HELOCs. The online fieldwork was conducted between Aug.t 29 and Sept. 5th, 2016. In total, 812 completed surveys were included in the results. Data has been weighted by age, gender, and region to reflect the HELOC population. Margin of Error is +/-3.6 percent. About MARU MARU/VCR&C is a professional services firm dedicated to improving its client's business outcomes. We deliver our services through teams of sector-specific research consultants that have technology in their DNA, specializing in the use of Insight Community and Voice of Market technology. About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US. TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD". To learn more, visit www.td.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131120/MM21057LOGO SOURCE TD Bank Related Links http://www.td.com LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Fashion is at the forefront this fall as Her Campus Media, the #1 new-media brand for the empowered college woman, electrifies L.A. with its high impact, fully integrated fashion show featuring local college women of all shapes and sizes as the models. The multi-city College Fashion Week tour stops at Playa Studios on October 22nd. "College Fashion Week is about celebrating real women's bodies and highlighting fashion as a form of self-expression," said Windsor Hanger Western, cofounder and President of Her Campus and the mastermind behind the event. "We are thrilled to be able to give our models and attendees an unparalleled, empowering experience that will leave them looking and feeling confident and inspired." The diversity of the College Fashion Week tour is seamlessly aligned with its official media partner, StyleWatch, the go-to millennial style resource dedicated to making fashion and beauty trends accessible, affordable and fun to women of all types, regardless of shape, style, size or budget. StyleWatch Market Director Marissa Rubin will be co-emceeing the events alongside Hanger Western. College Fashion Week 2016 will be showcasing top talent from the next generation of young female fashion designers and entrepreneurs. Selected College Fashion Week honorees are: My Social Canvas, Foray Collective, Ali & Ariel, Frill Clothing, and Bow & Drape. Rebecca Minkoff and Vince Camuto serve as the tour's fashion patrons, offering their designs to complement these new designers' collections and complete the runway looks. Enhancing the stylish runway collections, models will be accessorizing with Fitbit Flex 2, the newest activity tracker from wearables leader Fitbit. The evenings' events will also include photo booths, a Browfection Bar courtesy of European Wax Center, light bites and beverages, fabulous giveaways and goody bags full of luxurious swag all thanks to College Fashion Week's amazing sponsors. Official College Fashion Week 2016 sponsors include StyleWatch Magazine, Rebecca Minkoff, Vince Camuto, Drybar, European Wax Center, Perfumania, Hanes Hosiery, Maidenform Hosiery, Maidenform Shapewear, Bertha Watches, Fitbit, KIND Healthy Snacks, SkinnyPop Popcorn, Boxed Water, Sparkling Ice and Sweetgreen. For tickets visit collegefashionweek.com Contact: Elaina Featherstone 339-203-5065 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160907/405208LOGO SOURCE Her Campus Media The Apache launch is a step in the right direction for Hunter Fan's unprecedented 2016 new product launch over 200 new fans celebrating Hunter's 130th year of creating ceiling fans that consumers trust. From classic to modern, the new product line was expertly curated with both design-centric and technology-savvy consumer in mind. With the current launch of the Apache, consumers can now easily incorporate smart home technology into any inspired space. "We are thrilled to continue the momentum of our Apple HomeKit supported product line with the launch of the Apache," said John Alexander, CEO. "Our new products are a testament to our continued commitment to un-matched quality, design and performance as well as the brand's determination to bring our customers the latest in ceiling fan innovation at an affordable price." Apple HomeKit technology allows users to effortlessly and securely control each fan or a group of fans from one place using the new iOS 10 Home app or Siri on their iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. Users can set up HomeKit-enabled products to work together based on triggers, such as having the fan's light turn on the moment the fire alarm detects smoke or creating a situation that automatically turns on the fan's light and locks your front door simultaneously. HomeKit technology provides advanced security with end-to-end encryption and authentication between the fan and the iOS device. With a more industrial and casual feel, the Apache's exposed hardware, Noble Bronze finish and distressed oak finished blades combine state of the art technology with elevated style. The Apache retails for a cool $429. The Apache is now available now at: HunterFan.com; Amazon.com; Build.com; HomeDepot.com; Lowes.com; Menards.com; and in lighting showrooms nationwide. To upgrade your Hunter Fan and purchase your very own Hunter Fan SIMPLEconnect Wi-Fi fan plug-in or for more information on your smart fan options, please visit HunterFan.com/SIMPLEconnect. About Hunter Fan Company Founded in 1886 and headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, Hunter Fan Company is the world's original ceiling fan manufacturer. For 130 years, Hunter has led the industry in innovative design and quality craftsmanship to deliver maximum air movement and unmatched performance. Hunter ceiling fans are available at lighting showrooms, home centers and online retailers nationwide. For more information, visit HunterFan.com, and connect with Hunter Fan Company on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter. To see how a Hunter fan would complement your home, download the free Hunter Fan Visualizer app in the App Store. Media Contacts: Christa Hudson the / zimmerman / agency [email protected] (850) 668-2222 Olivia Abbazia the / zimmerman / agency [email protected] (850) 668-2222 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429448 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429449 SOURCE Hunter Fan Company Related Links http://hunterfan.com BLUEBELL, Pa., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent Insurance Investments, Inc. (4I's) appointed Joe DeLago, CEO of its Good2Go direct marketing division, to its board of directors at the October 13th board meeting in Blue Bell, PA. Per Jim Comis, Chairman of the 4I's Board, "When Joe joined the company in 2011 the direct to consumer channel was a brand new idea. He created and launched the Good2Go initiative, which has proven successful in the marketplace and is now the major driver of the insurance company's growth." Previously. Mr. DeLago was CEO of TPG Direct (a direct response advertising and marketing agency), Chief Marketing Officer for AIG's personal lines business, and Chief Marketing Officer for Colonial Penn Group. Mr. DeLago earned a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and an MBA in Marketing from Drexel University. About Independent Insurance Investments, Inc. Independent Insurance Investments, Inc. ("4I's") is a holding company formed to invest in non-standard personal lines automobile insurance companies and related service companies. The current 4I's insurance operation was created from the combination of American Independent Company and OMNI Insurance in 2006. The Company markets and sells its products through traditional insurance agencies ("Agent Channel") and through 4I's captive direct to consumer business ("Good2Go"). SOURCE Independent Insurance Investments, Inc. Related Links http://valuegroupdirect.com PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Indian Health Service (IHS) and the Department of Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) today entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the creation of a pediatric specialty consultation service using telehealth for American Indian and Alaska Native children served by IHS. "The Indian Health Service is dedicated to providing access to quality care for its patients, and over the years, IHS investments in telehealth have brought the best care to some of the most remote communities in the country," said IHS Principal Deputy Director Mary L. Smith. "Through this MOU, we will be able to design and develop a service specifically for pediatric care and consultation for our patients that live in very rural areas and may not be able to travel long distances to a facility to see a specialist." As the first step, IHS and CHOP will develop a comprehensive pediatric telemedicine plan for communities in the IHS Navajo, Phoenix, Tucson and Albuquerque Areas. The goal is to create a model for physician-to-physician consultation services. CHOP doctors will provide advice to IHS health care providers on challenging and unusual cases, including diagnoses and courses of treatment. "Access to pediatric specialty care is limited across much of the United States, with many communities experiencing delays in both consultation and service," said Joseph W. St. Geme, M.D., physician-in-chief and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "As a result of this important initiative, children in rural communities will benefit from medical consultations provided directly, securely and effectively to their IHS health care providers by experts in the field of pediatric medicine." The pediatric specialty consultation services developed through this MOU will benefit tribal communities in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The MOU will help IHS to: Identify and triage the pediatric specialty service needs for American Indian and Alaska Native children; Prioritize clinical specialty service opportunities; Determine the critical clinical, operational and technological infrastructure required to provide telehealth services; Understand the advantages and disadvantages of new models of care delivery; Analyze and improve key clinical and operational outcomes; and Develop business plans for broader deployment of telehealth and identify potential funding streams. The MOU will be reviewed annually by IHS and CHOP. Telehealth services use electronic communications to facilitate the provision of health care. This can include clinical appointments provided remotely, consultation services in which doctors can access experts to consult on difficult cases, as well as nonclinical services such as provider training. In some cases, specialty care furnished through telehealth is supplemented by a nurse or assistant who is physically in the room with the patient. IHS has found that telehealth can be one of the best ways to get health care services where they are needed most. IHS has found that telehealth can be one of the best avenues to provide health care services where they are most needed, and currently employs telehealth services to meet the needs of some patients in regions across the country. This partnership builds on IHS efforts to increase access to telehealth programs and services. On September 20, IHS announced a new contract for $6.8 million awarded to Avera Health to provide telemedicine services in all 19 Great Plains Area service units, which serve approximately 130,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives. In 2009, HIS established the IHS TeleBehavioral Health Center of Excellence to provide behavioral health services for patients across the Indian health system. The Center works to provide, promote and support the delivery of high quality, culturally competent telebehavioral health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Additionally, the IHS Teleophthalmology Program was established in 2001 to screen IHS patients across the country for diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in patients with diabetes. About the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 535-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu. About the Indian Health Service: The IHS, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. For more information, visit http://www.ihs.gov. Follow IHS on Facebook. For IHS data on pediatric care among American Indian and Alaska Native children, please consult Trends in Indian Health: 2014 Edition. Contacts: Indian Health Service (301) 443-3593, [email protected] Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Emily DiTomo: (267) 426-6063, [email protected] SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Related Links http://www.chop.edu SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Intacct, the customer satisfaction leader in cloud ERP software, today announced that it has been recognized in the 2016 Cloud Partner Program Guide by CRN, a brand of The Channel Company. The guide provides a listing of the top technology vendors with cloud-related partner programs that are designed to enable and accelerate the growth of solution providers' cloud initiatives. Intacct now boasts a network of more than 350 firms that deliver comprehensive, high quality services, support, and software to help companies get maximum value from their Intacct investment. The Intacct channel program has attracted the cream of the crop, including 28 of the Top 100 CPA firms and 26 of the Top 100 VARs in the industry the most of any cloud ERP vendor. "At Intacct, we take a very strategic approach to the channel only accepting partners to the program that meet our high standards for outstanding customer service and those with a strong commitment to cloud-based solutions," said Taylor Macdonald, SVP of Channel Sales at Intacct. "We've put together a strong program that is designed to support each partner with the tools and resources they need to thrive in our market. We are so pleased that CRN recognizes the efforts Intacct has made to help our partners add value to their already flourishing portfolios of software and services." The CRN 2016 Cloud Partner Program Guide serves as a valuable resource for solution providers navigating the booming cloud marketplace, and can help them identify technology suppliers that offer innovative cloud solutions and partner programs. To qualify for participation in the guide, technology vendors must have a unique set of partner program benefits for solution providers that deliver cloud infrastructure or applications. "For channel partners, active support for their cloud-based solutions is more critical than ever," said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. "CRN's 2016 Cloud Partner Program Guide recognizes vendors that provide excellent resources, training and financial incentives for cloud, doing their best to help partners make the most of this now foundational practice area. We congratulate all the innovative, forward-looking companies on the 2016 list and invite the solution provider community to take full advantage of this terrific resource for finding the right cloud vendors to partner with." The Cloud Partner Program Guide is featured in the October issue of CRN and can be viewed online at www.crn.com/cloud-ppg. About Intacct Intacct is the customer satisfaction leader in cloud ERP software. Bringing cloud computing to finance and accounting, Intacct's innovative and award-winning applications are the preferred financial applications for AICPA business solutions. In use by more than 11,000 organizations from startups to public companies, Intacct is designed to improve company performance and make finance more productive. Hundreds of leading CPA firms and Value Added Resellers also offer Intacct to their clients. The Intacct system includes accounting, cash management, purchasing, vendor management, financial consolidation, revenue recognition, subscription billing, contract management, project accounting, fund accounting, inventory management, and financial reporting applications, all delivered over the Internet via cloud computing. Intacct is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit www.intacct.com or call 877-437-7765. Connect with Intacct on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and YouTube. Intacct and the Intacct logo are trademarks of Intacct Corporation. All other company and product names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120123/SF39551LOGO SOURCE Intacct Related Links http://www.intacct.com In addition to stylistic upgrades, the intuitively designed rooms are now more functional. Expanded desk spaces and ergonomic chairs allow professionals to work productively and comfortably, while built-in luggage counters and open closets offer a more organized and spacious approach to travel. Guests will love freshening up for the day ahead in revamped bathrooms, which are outfitted with polished marble countertops and illuminated vanity mirrors. Scott McCoy, general manager of Irvine Marriott, said he is enthusiastic about unveiling these changes. "This multimillion dollar renovation has been years in development and it'll be so rewarding to display our vision and hard work to the public. We want to enable visitors to have a brilliant travel experience and blur the lines between work and play. This is just the beginning of what we have in store." Irvine Marriott is preparing to roll out more upgrades in the future to complete its structural transformation. While guests can already take advantage of the perfect year-round weather at the outdoor swimming pool, remodeling plans are underway to create a covered area for hosting parties, wedding receptions and cocktail mixers. The hotel will be the first Marriott property to boast an exterior entrance for the M Club, an exclusive lounge offering chic furnishings and complimentary food and beverages for Marriott Rewards Gold and Platinum Elite members or upgraded guests. Travelers arriving via the hotel's free shuttle service from John Wayne-Orange Country Airport will be introduced to new arrival areas as well. When guests book one of the newly renovated rooms, they will have unbeatable access to premier attractions. Travelers can attend an Anteaters game or stroll around the campus of UC Irvine, just 2 miles away. Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre hosts several of the nation's biggest festivals and artists, and music fans only have to drive 15 minutes to get to the venue. Families and leisure travelers will appreciate the hotel's close proximity to the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland. Guests and locals alike are always presented with a variety of delectable options to satisfy hunger and thirst. FLOE Lounge serves an eclectic assortment of California cuisine where guests can enjoy light conversation and weekly live music within a casually elegant environment. Cocktail enthusiasts will love savoring expertly handcrafted libations at Y.N.K. (You Never Know), a speakeasy-style lounge that seasonally changes its cross-continental drink menu. For a morning boost, visitors can swing by the on-site Starbucks for an energizing cappuccino or tasty snack. About Irvine Marriott Irvine Marriott at 18000 Von Karman Ave. in Irvine, CA is near Disneyland Resort, Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre and South Coast Plaza. The hotel features 17 floors with 481 guest rooms, 4 suites, 25 meeting rooms with 46,433 square feet of total event space, an on-site restaurant and bar, fitness center and indoor/outdoor pool. For information, visit www.marriott.com/LAXIR or call 1-615-256-0900. Sign up now for Marriott Rewards and get on the fast track to earn points for free hotel stays, room upgrades, flights, credit card purchases and deals with Marriott partners. Learn more about Marriott International Inc. PRESS CONTACT Emily Lange 1-312-771-1805 [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429260 SOURCE Irvine Marriott Related Links http://www.marriott.com/LAXIR NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- itslearning, a leading learning management system provider, is excited to launch its inaugural "The Heart of Education" award program. This program honors K-12 teachers who are using technology in new and engaging ways to connect with their students. Two winning entries will each receive a $5,000 grant. itslearning is the only comprehensive learning platform designed by educators specifically for the way today's K-12 students learn and interact. As a single end-to-end teaching and learning platform, itslearning is trusted by more than 7 million teachers, students, and parents worldwide to provide a secure, streamlined, and user-friendly learning environment. By consolidating siloed systems and content resources, itslearning ensures technology becomes an essential educational asset. "By designing an enterprise-level LMS from the student on up, we have created a solution that fosters personal connections a key to effective learning," said Tom Shoemaker, CMO, itslearning. "itslearning connects students with their teachers, learners with their studies, classmates with each other, and parents with their children." Teachers interested in submitting to the award can visit itslearning's Teachers' Lounge to enter. The award program will run from October 3rd, 2016- December 17th, 2016. Submissions will be judged on the innovative and creative ways teachers are using technology in their education process, as well as their results. itslearning is proud to be a champion of teachers and to honor their passion for transforming the way students can learn through the power of technology. About itslearning With over 7 million users, itslearning is one of the world's largest providers of learning platforms for the education market. Our learning management system starts with the student and connects people to ideas, passions, and each other. Established in 1999, itslearning is headquartered in Bergen, Norway, and Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, visit http://itslearning.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429790LOGO SOURCE itslearning Related Links http://itslearning.com "My intent is to ensure that Teachers College will create the next generation of leadership in the field of dance education," said Jody Gottfried Arnhold (M.A. '73), a former public school dance teacher who is the Founder of the 92 nd Street Y's Dance Education Laboratory, Honorary Chair of the Board of Ballet Hispanico, and former co-chair of the committee to draft the New York City Department of Education Curriculum Blueprint for Teaching & Learning in Dance. The distinctive vision of the new program is to prepare master educatorsthe teachers of teachersas well as dance researchers and policy experts who advocate for dance as a medium for educating all children, not just future performers, about collaboration, citizenship and the power of the imagination. An interdisciplinary faculty committee is shaping the new program to reflect the College's strengths in teacher education, leadership and policy, and movement sciences. "This transformational gift from Jody and John Arnhold positions us once again to do what Teachers College has historically done best: shape the future of the field," said Susan Fuhrman, President of Teachers College. "Jody is one of the true champions of dance education. Inspired by her vision, Teachers College will bring fresh leadership, prestige and scholarly discipline to a field too often overlookedeven among the artsand transform cultural and educational institutions across the country." "Many of the current dance education leaders in New York City are Teachers College master's degree graduates," Arnhold said. "We've all been missing Teachers College's presence, and now, as the field is growing, the College will be coming back with something even more important." The Arnholds' gift will establish a new Arnhold Chair in Dance Education, to be filled after the program's first year, and the Arnhold Endowed Scholarship, which will support full- and part-time students in the dance education doctoral program. In addition, the new program will collaborate with the rich and extensive dance community in New York City and beyond. Teachers College Provost and Dean Tom James said that the new dance education program at Teachers College "by definition needs to be a collaborative program in the arts." "We are being given a unique opportunity to accomplish something through synergy and collaboration that's greater than what could be accomplished through any single program alone," James said. "That's very appropriate because the arts are about fusion and transformation. During the coming months, we'll be marrying the intellectual resources of Teachers College with Jody Arnhold's vision to create something that is both new and uniquely Teachers College." Mary Hafeli, Professor of Art & Art Education, is leading the faculty committee representing different disciplines to shape the proposal for the new program. "We're aiming to create a highly distinctive addition to the College's current offerings," said Hafeli. "This doctoral program will be devoted exclusively to dance education, and will bring together faculty from across the College as well as the rich and extensive dance education community in and beyond New York City. That means being consultative, in and outside of the College." Learn more about the proposed program at TC.edu/DanceEd and http://bit.ly/2djvAs9 Watch a LiveStream of the announcement at http://bit.ly/2efCPxR Read a profile of the program's visionary benefactor Jody Gottfried Arnhold at http://bit.ly/2e0XkRc About Teachers College Founded in 1887, Teachers College, Columbia University, is the first and largest graduate school of education in the United States and is perennially ranked among the nation's best. Through its three main areas of expertiseeducation, health and psychologythe College is committed to disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, the preparation of dedicated public service professionals, engagement with local, national and global communities, and informing public policy to create a smarter, healthier, and more equitable and peaceful world. MEDIA CONTACTS: Gladwyn Lopez, [email protected], 212-843-9231; Robin Verges, [email protected], 212-843-8075; Patricia Lamiell, [email protected], 212-678-3979 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/430091 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131113/DC16105LOGO-b SOURCE Teachers College, Columbia University Related Links http://www.tc.edu LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GRAMMY-nominated blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa contributed the song "Taxman" to "Howard Stern's Tribute to the Beatles Revolver," which is currently airing on SiriusXM's Howard 101. Bonamassa is one of 14 music acts performing all 14 tracks to celebrate the album's 50th anniversary. Bonamassa's rousing cover of "Taxman", kicks off the all-star tribute collaboration. Joe and his longtime producer, Kevin Shirley, wanted to enhance the authenticity of Joe's Beatles cover by performing it on ground sacred to the landmark British rock band. This left only one choice: Joe would record the cover at the iconic venue The Cavern Club in Liverpool, UK. This sacred Beatles space was the spot where the band forged its young musical identity over 50 years ago. The venue's intimacy allowed Joe and his electric blues band to ignite the energy of the packed-in crowd. You can watch Joe's performance of "Taxman" at The Cavern Club here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgaM43KCqT4 Joe, along with longtime "Late Show with David Letterman" drummer Anton Fig, guitarist Russ Irwin, keyboardist Reese Wynans, and bassist Michael Rhodes recorded live at Cavern Club in Liverpool, the birthplace of the Beatles. It was produced by Bonamassa's longtime collaborator Kevin Shirley. "The music of the Beatles has withstood over a half of a century and still surpasses any followers' attempts of recreating those sounds, and especially those songs," said Bonamassa. "'Taxman' was a blast to play live at the Cavern Club in Liverpool UK the place where it all started." George Harrison reportedly wrote the song after realizing 95 percent of his income was going to the actual taxman. Howard Stern told Rolling Stone in a recent interview, "Revolver to me is the best album the Beatles ever did; there was nothing like it when that album came out." To celebrate it, he enlisted the help of a diverse group of world-class musicians in an exclusive special, including Bonamassa, Jewel, The Milk Carton Kids, Rachael Yamagata, James Taylor, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, Cheap Trick, Grace Potter, Gov't Mule, Grouplove, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., O.A.R., and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, and Living Colour. Read More about Howard's Tribute here: https://www.howardstern.com/show/2016/9/29/howard-stern-presents-50th-anniversary-revolver/ Bonamassa's most recent project Live at the Greek Theatre, a 22-track Double CD, Double DVD, Blu-ray, and 4-LP Deluxe Edition, debuted last week at #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart. This marks the artist's 17th #1 Billboard Blues Album, more than any other artist. http://jbonamassa.com/ https://www.facebook.com/JoeBonamassa http://keepingthebluesalive.org/ Twitter: @JBONAMASSA Instagram: @JOEBONAMASSA SOURCE Joe Bonamassa Related Links http://www.jbonamassa.com BOSTON, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock has declared today the second annual National TPA Day, a celebration the company established last year to recognize the contributions and expertise of plan consultants (often known as third party administrators, or TPAs), and to educate financial advisors and plan sponsors on the many benefits of working with a TPA. "National TPA Day is an opportunity for us to recognize the unique value, local expertise, and high-touch service TPAs deliver to the industry," said Patrick Murphy, president, John Hancock Retirement Plan Services. "We created this annual celebration to thank TPAs for their ongoing partnership." Plan consultants (TPAs) offer compliance expertise, helping to ensure ongoing plan compliance obligations are met. They also provide customer service and administration to help with retention, and they keep plan sponsors informed of legislative and regulatory changes. John Hancock celebrates National TPA Day annually on the first business day following the final Form 5500* filing deadline. This year, the filing deadline fell on Monday, Oct. 17, making today - Tuesday, Oct. 18 - National TPA Day. To promote National TPA Day, John Hancock created an advertising campaign focused on important trade news sources. To view a sample print ad, click here. Online ads are also appearing today in NAPA Net Daily, PLANADVISER Dash and PLANSPONSOR Newsdash emails, and on the planadviser.com and plansponsor.com home pages. "As a strong advocate of the TPA model, John Hancock is dedicated to helping sustain and promote the TPA industry," said Ann Slotwinski, vice president, TPA Services, John Hancock Retirement Plan Services. "Financial advisors, plan sponsors, and recordkeepers like John Hancock rely on the expertise of TPAs, particularly when it comes to designing customized plan solutions to improve outcomes for participants." About John Hancock Financial and Manulife John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Operating as Manulife in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, our group of companies offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were $718 billion (C$934 billion) as at June 30, 2016. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com. The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com. *Employee benefit plans must file Form 5500 each year to satisfy annual reporting requirements under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code. John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York and John Hancock Retirement Plan Services LLC are collectively referred to as "John Hancock". John Hancock Retirement Plan Services, LLC offers plan administrative services and service programs through which a sponsor or administrator of a plan selects various investment options to offer in its retirement plan for investment. John Hancock Retirement Plan Services, LLC does not provide fiduciary investment advice. John Hancock Trust Company LLC provides trust and custodial services to such plans. Group annuity contracts and recordkeeping agreements are issued by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), Boston, MA (not licensed in New York) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York, Valhalla, New York. Product features and availability may differ by state. Both John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York do business under certain instances using the John Hancock Retirement Plan Services name. JH Enterprise is a registered trademark by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.). JH Signature is a trademark of the Group Annuity Contracts and recordkeeping agreements issued by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), used under license by John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York. NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NOT BANK GUARANTEED 2016 All rights reserved. 323522 SOURCE John Hancock Retirement Plan Services Related Links http://johnhancock.com DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MGT) has announced that John McAfee, the Company's Executive Chairman, has been invited to keynote the Blockchain: Money conference in London on November 6-7, 2016. The two-day event will focus on emerging fintech markets, cryptocurrency initiatives, blockchain industry growth, and real-world use cases. Blockchain: Money is the first event of its kind in London, aimed at bringing people from diverse industries together to unlock the vast potential of the blockchain. Held in central London, this is also one of the few events that can leverage the massive network of Bitcoin.com and is the longest running conference in the space. The event has looked to maximum value for an audience that is looking for solutions by selectively choosing its speakers, partners and invited attendees. The city of London has continued to progress as a fintech hotspot in the world with many startups and investors who reside in the region. Blockchain: Money will feature many industry executives, developers, and investors within the fintech landscape. Senior officials from top European exchanges and securities institutions will attend alongside innovators and thought leaders revolutionizing venture capital. "The Blockchain will be central to nearly every aspect of cybersecurity, from wire transfers, to send and receive authentication, to secure voting systems. It will become the cornerstone of virtually all digital transactions," said Mr McAfee. Participants interested in attending can purchase tickets to Blockchain: Money here. About MGT Capital Investments, Inc. MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MGT) is in the process of acquiring a diverse portfolio of cyber security technologies. With cyber security industry pioneer, John McAfee, at its helm, MGT Capital is positioned to address various cyber threats through advanced protection technologies for mobile and personal tech devices, as well as corporate networks. MGT intends to change its corporate name to "John McAfee Global Technologies, Inc." For more information on the Company, please visit: http://ir.stockpr.com/mgtci. Forwardlooking Statements This press release contains forwardlooking statements. The words or phrases "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," or similar expressions are intended to identify "forwardlooking statements." MGT's financial and operational results reflected above should not be construed by any means as representative of the current or future value of its common stock. All information set forth in this news release, except historical and factual information, represents forwardlooking statements. This includes all statements about the Company's plans, beliefs, estimates and expectations. These statements are based on current estimates and projections, which involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include issues related to: rapidly changing technology and evolving standards in the industries in which the Company and its subsidiaries operate; the ability to obtain sufficient funding to continue operations, maintain adequate cash flow, profitably exploit new business, license and sign new agreements; the unpredictable nature of consumer preferences; and other factors set forth in the Company's most recently filed annual report and registration statement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forwardlooking statements, which reflect management's analysis only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forwardlooking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof. Readers should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described in other documents that the Company files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Investor Contact Garth Russell Managing Director KCSA Strategic Communications [email protected] 212.896.1250 Media Contact Tiffany Madison Director of Corporate Communications MGT Capital Investments, Inc. [email protected] 469.236.9569 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130409/NY91046LOGO SOURCE MGT Capital Investments, Inc. Related Links http://www.mgtci.com HOUSTON, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC (JJI) today announced the creation of the Center for Device Innovation at Texas Medical Center (CDI @ TMC), a broad, new collaboration between JJI and TMC that aims to accelerate end-to-end development of breakthrough medical devices. This expands on JJI's collaboration with TMC established earlier this year with the opening of JLABS @ TMC, combining the resources of the world's largest medical complex with the capabilities of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies*, to advance the health and well-being of people around the globe. William E. "Billy" Cohn, M.D., an internationally renowned cardiac surgeon and serial medical device entrepreneur will lead the CDI @ TMC. Dr. Cohn recently joined the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies from the Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Heart Institute (THI), where he was the Director of THI's Center for Technology and Innovation and the Cullen Cardiovascular Research Laboratory. In his role as Director of the CDI @ TMC, Dr. Cohn will work on cutting-edge internal research and development projects for the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies and with external entrepreneurs and innovators. "By creating a nexus for innovation, where scientists and engineers of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies can collaborate with academicians, expert clinicians, and external entrepreneurs to leverage the unique size, scope, and capabilities of TMC's member institutions, we are confident that we can dramatically enhance health care around the world," said Paul Stoffels, Chief Scientific Officer of Johnson & Johnson. The CDI @ TMC will include multiple components that will accelerate the development of new medical technologies from concept through commercialization, including a new medical device engineering studio housed at the TMC Innovation Institute. This state-of-the-art "maker space" will be home to R&D staff of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies and will be used to accelerate both select internal projects and strategically aligned ventures of JJI partner companies. The facility will allow rapid prototyping and "fast failure" for early and mid-stage development. Through a series of collaborative agreements, the CDI @ TMC will also have broad access to the preclinical facilities of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and THI that will permit the testing of novel devices for any organ system or disease-based application. "We are eager for the opportunity to expand our collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Innovation," said Robert C. Robbins, M.D., President and CEO, TMC. "Working together, we are creating a globally competitive innovation ecosystem here, and the new Center for Device Innovation @ TMC will enable us to expeditiously bring discovery and innovation to fruition, directly improving the health of patients." In addition to investing in a world-class innovation facility, JJI's partnership is expanding innovation collaborations among several TMC member institutions. The alliance with Baylor College of Medicine will foster scientific discovery and promote the commercialization of medical devices using an open innovation model. The collaboration with Houston Methodist Research Institute will facilitate translational research activities in the anticipation of rapidly moving into human clinical trials. To this end, R&D staff and JJI partner companies will also have the use of the Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation, and Education (MITIESM), a virtual hospital and hands-on clinical training facility, which develops strategies to optimize the introduction of novel device technologies into clinical practice. The relationship with Texas Heart Institute will deepen the scope of research currently devoted to surgical medical devices used to treat patients, helping to make more options commercially available. JJI will join forces with the TMC Clinical Trials Institute to develop and test new paradigms for accelerated medical device clinical trials. Lastly, the CDI @ TMC will have an affiliation with TMC Biodesign, a one-year innovation fellowship program, where Dr. Cohn will continue in his role as a faculty member. * Comprising the surgery, orthopaedics, and cardiovascular businesses within Johnson & Johnson's Medical Devices segment. About Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC focuses on accelerating all stages of innovation worldwide and forming collaborations between entrepreneurs and Johnson & Johnson's global healthcare businesses. Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC provides scientists, entrepreneurs and emerging companies with one-stop access to science and technology experts who can facilitate collaborations across the pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer companies of Johnson & Johnson. Under the Johnson & Johnson Innovation umbrella of businesses, we connect with innovators through our regional Innovation Centers, JLABS, JLINX, Johnson & Johnson Innovation JJDC, Inc. and our Business Development teams to create customized deals and novel collaborations that speed development of innovations to solve unmet needs for patients. For more information please visit: www.jnjinnovation.com. Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 related to a new collaboration and product research and development. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, LLC, the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the potential that the expected benefits and opportunities related to the collaboration may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected; challenges inherent in new product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and obtaining regulatory approvals; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; uncertainty of commercial success for new products; the ability of the company to successfully execute strategic plans; impact of business combinations and divestitures; challenges to patents; changes in behavior and spending patterns or financial distress of purchasers of health care products and services; and global health care reforms and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2016, including in Exhibit 99 thereto, and the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson Innovation, LLC, the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies and Johnson & Johnson do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments. Media Contact Ryan Flinn Johnson & Johnson Innovation +1 510-207-7616 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429575LOGO SOURCE Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC Related Links http://www.jnjinnovation.com Experienced Public Company Technology Counsel Joins Management Team BARRE, Vt., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Northern Power Systems (TSX: NPS) a next generation renewable energy technology company announced today that June M. Morris has joined its team as Vice President, and General Counsel. Ms. Morris brings over thirty years of legal experience, including extensive experience as a public company General Counsel. Ms. Morris will head the Legal function at Northern Power Systems and play a key business role in the company, providing legal counsel on business objectives and opportunities, as well as leading risk management. In her new role, Ms. Morris will be responsible for directing the legal activities, overseeing corporate policies, intellectual property, risk management, M&A, and corporate transactions. Her extensive and diverse legal background and business experience will be instrumental in driving the Company's continued business growth, both in the Northern Power Systems' best in class wind turbines as well as in the emerging renewable energy markets of microgrids and battery energy storage. Earlier in her career, Ms. Morris held General Counsel and senior level legal positions at Pegasystems, Sequoia Systems, and CGI Information Systems. "We are pleased to have June join Northern Power Systems as Vice President & General Counsel," said Ciel Caldwell, President & COO of Northern Power Systems. "June's extensive legal and global experience will be a key factor in strengthening the Company and supporting our accelerated growth strategy." About Northern Power Systems Northern Power Systems designs, manufactures, and sells wind turbines and power technology products, and provides engineering development services and technology licenses for energy applications, into the global marketplace from its US headquarters and European offices. Northern Power Systems has almost 40 years' experience in technologies and products generating renewable energy. Northern Power Systems currently manufactures the NPS 60 and NPS 100 turbines. With over 12 million run time hours across its global fleet, Northern Power wind turbines provide customers with clean, cost effective, reliable renewable energy. Patented next generation permanent magnet direct drive (PMDD) technology uses fewer moving parts, delivers higher energy capture, and provides increased reliability due to reduced maintenance and downtime. Northern Power Systems' FlexPhase power converter platform uses patented converter architecture and advanced controls technology for advanced grid support and generation applications. Northern Power Systems offers comprehensive inhouse development services, including systems level engineering, advanced drivetrains, power electronics, PM machine design, and remote monitoring systems to the energy industry. To learn more about Northern Power Systems, please visit www.northernpower.com. Sherri Griffin Executive Assistant +1.617.871.6070 [email protected] For more information, please reach out to [email protected] SOURCE Northern Power Systems Related Links http://www.northernpower.com ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Kalorama Information, the budding global market for gene editing technologies already had estimated revenues of $382.9 million in 2015. The discovery of the CRISPR-based technology has expanded and accelerated the adoption and use of gene editing tools in various fields. Growth is fueled by the growing awareness among scientists of applications of these technologies in fields including biopharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial products. The healthcare market research firm's report, Gene Editing Markets (CRISPR-based, Zinc Finger Nuclease [ZFN], TALEN, Other), examines the total market for gene editing technologies, providing revenues and forecasts. Gene Editing Markets (CRISPR-based, Zinc Finger Nuclease [ZFN], TALEN, Other) can be found at Kalorama Information: http://www.kaloramainformation.com/Gene-Editing-CRISPR-10347331/?productid=10347331. Gene editing is the process of modifying the DNA of a particular organism, by introducing breaks at specific, targeted locations in the genome. In turn, DNA breaks stimulate the cell's internal repair mechanisms, which in the end inactivate a gene or introduce new genes of interest in the target location of the genome. Kalorama thinks the global market for gene editing technologies is a fast-evolving market in which innovation occurs rapidly and scientific knowledge is translated to commercial applications. "Gene editing has a large variety of commercial applications, such as for therapeutics, crops, animal breeds, and chemicals," said Bruce Carlson, Publisher of Kalorama Information. "At the present time, CRISPR/Cas9, ZFNs, and TALENs are the most used and commercially developed technologies." The currently available genome editing technologies encompass several classes of programmable nucleases enzymes. These include mononucleases, zinc finger nucleases (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered CRISPR-associated nuclease Cas9. ZFNs and TALENs are naturally occurring enzymes that can be designed in desired combinations and with customized specificities. However, ZFNs and TALENs are difficult to engineer and re-target, and have limited ability to multiplex perform multiple sets of reactions in parallel. The CRISPR/Cas9 system is the newest genome editing tool. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) are direct repeats found in the DNA of many bacteria and archaea single-celled microorganisms. The CRISPR/Cas9 system was derived from the adaptive immune system that bacteria and archaea develop against foreign material such as viruses. The CRISPR/Cas9 system is composed of a short RNA molecule that guides a Cas9 enzyme to the targeted genomic location; the guide RNA recognizes the targeted sequence via base pairing, and the Cas9 enzyme cleaves the DNA. The CRISPR/Cas9 system can be easily designed to target any location in the genome with high efficiency, and has multiplexing capabilities. Given its advantages, the CRISPR/Cas9 technology is the most rapidly developing class among the other classes of genome editing technologies, as it is the least expensive, most efficient, versatile, and user friendly. However, all gene editing technologies have certain limitations, among which their off-target cleaving activity is the most concerning aspect, particularly for the application of these technologies in the development of therapeutics. More than 20 players participate in this market, from large multinational corporations to small, niche life sciences companies. These companies develop and commercialize various products and services for each of the major gene editing technologies. Key players include MilliporeSigma, ThermoFisher Scientific, and OriGene. Gene Editing Markets (CRISPR-based, Zinc Finger Nuclease [ZFN], TALEN, Other) explores the total market, providing revenues and forecasts, including global revenues and forecast for the gene editing technologies market by type of product, 2014-2020 (reagents & tools, research services, genetically-edited cell lines, genetically-edited animal models, total market); global revenues and forecast for the gene editing technologies market by geographic region, 2014-2020 (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, rest of world); global revenues and forecast for the gene editing technologies market by application area, 2014-2020 (drug discovery & development, life sciences research, plants/livestock engineering, other areas, total market); estimated market breakdown by type of product, 2015 (%) (reagents & tools, gene editing services, edited cell lines, edited animal models); estimated market breakdown by geographic region, 2015 (%) (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, rest of world); and estimated market breakdown by application area, 2015 (%) (drug discovery & development, life sciences research, plants/livestock engineering, others). The report provides as well revenues and forecasts by technology, including global revenues and forecast for the CRISPR-based market by type of product, 2014-2020 (reagents & tools, research services, edited cell lines, edited animal models, total market); global revenues and forecast for the ZFN market by type of product, 2014-2020 (reagents & tools, research services, edited cell lines, edited animal models, total market); global revenues and forecast for the TALEN market by type of product, 2014-2020 (reagents & tools, research services, edited cell lines, edited animal models, total market); and global revenues and forecast for other gene editing technologies market by type of product, 2014-2020 (reagents & tools, research services, edited cell lines, edited animal models, total market). Gene Editing Markets (CRISPR-based, Zinc Finger Nuclease [ZFN], TALEN, Other) can be found at Kalorama Information: http://www.kaloramainformation.com/Gene-Editing-CRISPR-10347331/?productid=10347331. Please link any media or news references to our reports or data to http://www.kaloramainformation.com/. About Kalorama Information Kalorama Information, a division of MarketResearch.com, supplies the latest in independent medical market research in diagnostics, biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and healthcare; as well as a full range of custom research services. Reports can be purchased through Kalorama's website and are also available on www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com. We routinely assist the media with healthcare topics. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and our blog at www.kaloramainformation.com. Press Contact: Bruce Carlson 212 807 2262 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150831/262422LOGO SOURCE Kalorama Information Related Links http://http://www.kaloramainformation.com/ NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Labbrand announced the opening of its New York office, expanding its global presence to the Americas. With offices already established in Europe and Asia, Labbrand offers brand creation, brand growth, and brand innovation services by translating insights into effective brand actions. Founded in Shanghai in 2005, Labbrand is the leading China-originated global brand consultancy. As one of the first companies to offer brand innovation in 2005, over the past decade Labbrand has expanded its offerings to provide in-house research, strategy, naming, design, and digital services to numerous international brands. The consultancy's multi-cultural and cross-disciplinary approach allows Labbrand to build brand equity for clients like Airbnb, Volkswagen, Marriot, LinkedIn, Unilever, Mondelez and more. "The opening of Labbrand New York is an important milestone. Since at Labbrand, we use the understanding of culture to create more impactful brand activation, this presence in a new major market along with China, Asia Pacific and Europe gives us a stronger grasp for the unique cultural levers that influence the development of brands. Labbrand New York also opens new channels for our services as we enable brand creation, brand growth, and brand innovation for our clients in more places around the world such as in the US or Latin America," says Vladimir Djurovic, CEO and Founder of Labbrand. "Labbrand has always been global in mindset and approach," says Denise Sabet. "From our founding in Shanghai 11 years ago, to our recent expansion to Europe and now to the United States, we are uniquely placed to provide innovative branding solutions to international companies. From New York we not only work with our existing American clients looking to build strong brands here and abroad, but also brands from other regions looking to tap into the American market." Celebrating the launch of Labbrand's New York office, a commemorative party was held at the Library Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on September 29. The party was attended by industry talents such as best-selling author Alina Wheeler and Founder of the Internationalist Ms. Deborah Malone, along with Labbrand's CEO and Founder Vladimir Djurovic, VP & Creative Director Amanda Liu, and Managing Director of Labbrand New York Denise Sabet. About Labbrand Labbrand is the leading China-originated global brand consultancy, helping brands create, grow, and innovate to be strong and resilient in dynamic markets. We are multi-cultural in approach and cross-disciplinary in research, strategy, naming, design and digital. Together this gives us the foresight and ability to build brand equity. SOURCE Labbrand SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- LANDESK today announced its 2016.3 product releases, bringing new visibility and discovery capabilities to the LANDESK solutions portfolio. With the latest updates, LANDESK gives organizations an improved view of what's in their environment and the ability to take action within the same system. There is a growing need for IT to better understand what's happening in the environment and have the tools to take action when needed. Without this level of visibility, organizations face higher risks of failed audits, security threats, inconsistent policies and support for devices, and lackluster IT and business services. Visibility issues manifest in different ways and affect multiple IT business practices. For IT Asset Management, if the team doesn't know what software they have, the organization is at risk for failed audits or of over-buying of software licenses. For Endpoint Security, if the team doesn't have enhanced, deep-dive discovery capabilities, the team can't automatically detect or validate devices and assets as they connect to the network. When it comes to managing every endpoint, having an extensive inventory of every device helps IT configure and manage each in a unified endpoint management practice. Finally, in order to deliver top quality IT and business services, visibility helps organizations understand the impact of change and then optimize all the services they offer. With such high stakes, organizations have taken steps to increase visibility, but without an integrated solution, it's not enough. A recent EMA report found the average organization has more than 11 discovery tools. The problem is, these tools don't provide visibility across all IT security and management activities or enable IT to take immediate action. "At LANDESK, we think there's a better way, and we've added new capabilities across the entire solutions portfolio to improve access and visibility, giving our customers the tools to take action like never before," said Duane Newman, VP of product management at LANDESK. "The latest 2016.3 releases give IT speed of remediation, delivering positive business outcomes to their consumers." LANDESK's updated solutions portfolio caters to a variety of visibility-related scenarios, with invisible or short-lived assets serving as a prime example. Because of what virtualization allows, assets will sometimes appear on the network, live their entire life and come down between discovery scans. However, their disappearance doesn't exonerate an organization from paying licensing fees, nor does it protect from security issues or breaches, should the item be nefarious. To solve for this, LANDESK has enhanced its passive discovery mechanisms, updating its Neighborhood Watch technology, which leverages other known devices to quickly identify and report new, unknown items as they appear on the network. With the 2016.3 release, it gives IT the option to automatically instigate a full inventory of each discovered asset, down to hardware, firmware and what software is on the device, enabling IT to gather key data required for managing end user devices, securing data and tracking assets. In the 2016.3 release, LANDESK is helping to improve overall IT visibility into organizations' environments in the following ways: LANDESK IT Asset Management: With agentless scanning for assets and a new dashboard search gadget in the latest LANDESK IT Asset Management Suite release, IT can now discover new assets and search for them faster. LANDESK Security Suite: Security Suite 2016.3 brings additional visibility into the network through improved insight into applications running on all discovered endpoints, as well as the ability to take action on suspicious and malicious apps from within the same interface. Because the data is also integrated with Management Suite, organizations have visibility across IT security and management activities to reduce risk and improve decision-making. Unified Endpoint Management: The updates to LANDESK UEM provide deeper agentless discovery, and enable discovery through distributed wireless access points (managed devices on the network as part of the "Neighborhood Watch"), Android for Work, and extended Windows 10 support, plus common licensing, enrollment, and MDM across Apple Mac and iOS devices. LANDESK Service Desk: Service Desk 2016.3 delivers visibility faster, with dashboard knowledge search, impact analysis in the Workspace interface and query filters for record location. Plus, discover the Kbot Design app from the Design App Store. Xtraction: The 2016.3 update to Xtraction offers IT an improved user experience and connectors updates for LANDESK Management Suite, Service Desk, Wavelink Avalanche 5.3, and SCCM. For more information about enhancements in the 2016.3 versions of these products, see: LANDESK Management Suite 2016.3, LANDESK Security Suite 2016.3, LANDESK IT Asset Management Suite 2016.3, and LANDESK Service Desk 2016.3. About LANDESK: LANDESK is the global authority on user-centered IT. By integrating and automating IT tasks, LANDESK helps organizations balance rapidly evolving user requirements with the need to secure critical assets and data. LANDESK is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, and has offices all over the world. To learn more, visit www.landesk.com. Copyright 2016, LANDESK. All rights reserved. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160906/404418LOGO SOURCE LANDESK Related Links http://www.landesk.com REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Jose Lorenzo, senior vice president of global sales and business operations at ItsOn Inc., and Subhra Das, CEO of Jawwy from Saudi Telecom Company (STC), will speak at the Middle East Conference of the GSMA Mobile 360 Series in Dubai today. Lorenzo and Das will be joined by international tech industry experts, including leaders from VIACOM and Wikimedia, in a keynote panel session entitled "OTT and the Media," where they will discuss operator partnerships, new business models and the evolution of mobile in the Middle East and North Africa. Lorenzo and Das will specifically discuss the groundwork and success following the May launch of Jawwy, a new type of mobile service designed for young, digitally savvy customers in Saudi Arabia. GSMA is in its fourth year of organizing the Mobile 360 Series. The 2016 conference takes place on October 17-18 at the World Trade Center in Dubai. Other keynotes and panel discussions include topics on IoT, cyber security, mobile economy and future network services. Visit the GSMA Mobile 360 Series website for more event information. To request a meeting at the event, please email [email protected]. Who: Jose Lorenzo, SVP of Global Sales and Business Operations, ItsOn; Subhra Das, CEO, Jawwy What: "OTT and the Media" keynote panel discussion When: Tuesday, October 18 at 11:30 a.m. AST Where: Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates About ItsOn ItsOn is a proven leader in the telecommunications industry, having fundamentally changed how mobile services are delivered and consumed. The company launched its services platform for mobile operators in the U.S. and globally last year, and counts Sprint, MTN, Telefonica Mexico and Virgin Mobile as customers. ItsOn investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Tenaya Capital, Vodafone Ventures, Verizon Investments, Cisco and Delta Capital Partners. The company is privately held and headquartered in Redwood City, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.itsoninc.com or follow @ItsOnInc on Twitter. Press Contact Alex Ingram InkHouse for ItsOn [email protected] SOURCE ItsOn Related Links http://www.itsoninc.com TULSA, Okla., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lightspace California announced today its confirmed Keynote Speakers for the inaugural event to be held February 28-March 2, 2017 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. This free-to-attend event will showcase the future of innovation in architectural lighting design. Keynote Speakers include: Howard Brandston , Brandston Partnership Unlimited, a lighting legend whose practice has been responsible over 2,500 projects in 60 countries, accumulating over 100 awards. Notable schemes include the Statue of Liberty, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and Central Park in Manhattan . , Brandston Partnership Unlimited, a lighting legend whose practice has been responsible over 2,500 projects in 60 countries, accumulating over 100 awards. Notable schemes include the Statue of Liberty, the Petronas Towers in and Central Park in . Ben Ball , Ball Nogues Studios, a visionary designer who has worked on the Disney Concert Hall and small residential commissions for boutique firms to complex medical structures and event design. In his current collaboration with Gaston Nogues , Ball is exploring the intersection of architecture, art and product design through physical modeling and the use of digital and more traditional forms of production. , Ball Nogues Studios, a visionary designer who has worked on the Disney Concert Hall and small residential commissions for boutique firms to complex medical structures and event design. In his current collaboration with , Ball is exploring the intersection of architecture, art and product design through physical modeling and the use of digital and more traditional forms of production. Teal Brogden, Horton Lee's Brogden-LA, an inspiring design thinker whose combined background in the arts and engineering bridges the ephemeral and technical challenges inherent in lighting design. Her appreciation for the importance of composition, nuance, and rhythm helped her develop an appreciation for the elegance and fit of the right solution. Brogden-LA, an inspiring design thinker whose combined background in the arts and engineering bridges the ephemeral and technical challenges inherent in lighting design. Her appreciation for the importance of composition, nuance, and rhythm helped her develop an appreciation for the elegance and fit of the right solution. Gustavo Aviles, Lighteam, a leading Mexican lighting designer, lecturer, General Director and Founder of Lighteam. Aviles coordinates and teaches several Lighting Design courses (PostGrade) in Mexican institutions, Mexico National and Autonomy University, Anahuac University , Iberoamericana University among other national and international Academic Institutions. His work achieves a wide variety of applications: residential, corporative, historical buildings, expositions, lighting master plans, landscape, among others. "We are honored to have these prominent industry leaders as our Keynote Speakers and look forward to the creative insights and expertise that they will share with our attendees," said Mr. Ray Molony, 2017 Program Chair for Lightspace California and Publisher of Lighting Magazine. "The immense and rapid support that this event has enjoyed so far truly speaks to the need in the industry for a platform that brings lighting and architecture together in the spirit of inspiration, collaboration and innovation." Attracting leading designers and lighting professionals from around the world, Lightspace California will be the first event of its kind in highlighting the powerful role of lighting in architectural design. Sharing the latest insights, trends and techniques in an intimate Arena setting, Lightspace California will also showcase the latest products, technologies and services on the exhibition floor, creating an exceptional opportunity for attendees to "experience light." "The launch of Lightspace California is an exciting opportunity for lighting designers, architects and interior designers to bridge their communities to share inspirations, lessons learned and innovative ways to move their respective businesses forward. As the industry continues to trend toward more centralization, Lightspace California is will provide a unique connection point to explore new ways of influencing each other's work and collaborating efforts," said Mr. James Highgate, 2017 Advisory Board Chair for Lightspace California. Lightspace California will be co-located with the industry-leading LED lighting events Strategies in Light and The LED Show, owned and produced by PennWell Corporation. Together, the three events under one roof will be the first of its kind in showcasing the entire spectrum of lighting from manufacturing/technology, to specifying and applications, to high-end architectural design. Lightspace California will be presented by Revo's Lighting magazine, the lighting design industry's most progressive publication focused on state-of-the-art architectural lighting design projects. Similar to Lightspace dot London, Lighting magazine will heavily contribute to the content, look and feel of Lightspace California. The event will also be supported by LEDs Magazine, the presenting publication of Strategies in Light and The LED Show. Learn more about Lightspace California here. Learn more about lightspace dot london here. Learn more about Lighting magazine here. Learn more about Strategies in Light and The LED Show here. Learn more about LEDs Magazine here. About Revo Media Revo Media Partners Limited, a media company, produces the leading Lux Review lighting brand, including a portfolio of news and information channels and events. In addition to Lighting magazine, the brand Includes Lux Review, a publication and online offering that shares knowledge globally and LuxLive, a lighting exhibition that brings together specifiers and end-users to showcase products and services. The company was founded in 2010 and is based in London, United Kingdom. In 2014, Revo Media Partners Limited began operating as a subsidiary of PennWell Corporation. About PennWell Corporation PennWell Corporation is a privately held and highly diversified business-to-business media and information company that provides quality content and integrated marketing solutions for the following industries: Oil and gas, electric power generation and delivery, hydropower, renewable energy, water and wastewater treatment, waste management, electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, optoelectronics, fiber-optics, aerospace and avionics, LEDs and lighting, fire and emergency services, public safety, and dental. PennWell publishes over 130 print and online magazines and newsletters, conducts 60 conferences and exhibitions on six continents, and has an extensive offering of books, maps, websites, research and database services. In addition to PennWell's headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Company has major offices in Nashua, New Hampshire; London, England; Houston, Texas; San Diego and Mountain View, California; Fairlawn, New Jersey; Moscow, Russia; and Hong Kong, China. For additional information about PennWell Corporation, visit www.pennwell.com. Contact: Wendy Lissau, Marketing Director PennWell Corporation Email: [email protected] Phone: 918.831.9793 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/430001LOGO SOURCE PennWell Corporation Related Links http://www.pennwell.com CHICAGO and LONDON, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lincoln International LP ("Lincoln International"), the leading global, mid-market investment bank, announces today that it has sold the firm's UK pensions advisory business, Lincoln Pensions, to the Cardano Group ("Cardano") for an undisclosed sum. This transaction allows the firm to focus on, and grow, at an accelerated pace its core global investment banking services which include: Mergers and acquisitions; Debt advisory services; Special situations; Valuation & opinions; and Joint ventures & partnering Lincoln International established Lincoln Pensions, a UK-only business, in response to the introduction of specific UK pensions regulations in 2005. As a specialist subsidiary of Lincoln International, the business has focused on providing specialist pensions covenant advice to its core client base of defined-benefit pension plans and their trustees. It has become, over recent years, the leading independent market leader on these issues. The sale will allow Lincoln Pensions and investment risk specialist, Cardano, to more fully integrate investment risk, economic scenario testing and covenant advice within each of their respective offerings. Divesting Lincoln Pensions, which in 2015 represented less than 5% of Lincoln International's global revenues, to a highly strategic buyer provides the proceeds for Lincoln International to aggressively grow its global service offering and focuses its UK business on its core competencies and client base. The Investment Banking revenues in 2015 represented approximately 65% of the total Lincoln International business in the UK and Lincoln Pensions approximately 35%. Phil McCreanor, the current Head of UK M&A, has been appointed Head of UK Investment Banking and will be appointed as the management representative on the UK board. He will continue to lead the M&A team. The former UK CEO and management representative on the UK board, Darren Redmayne, has moved with Lincoln Pensions to Cardano. Mr. Redmayne will retain a relationship with Lincoln International through a continuing role as a Senior Advisor to the global firm. Additionally, Lincoln International, Lincoln Pensions and Cardano have agreed on a continuing strategic relationship whereby there will be cross referrals of business. Lincoln International and Lincoln Pensions may also work together on joint projects. Jim Lawson, Chairman of Lincoln International said, "The sale of Lincoln Pensions represents a 'win-win-win' - Lincoln International receives capital to further invest in its core investment banking operations, Lincoln Pensions becomes part of a firm completely focused on pensions integrated risk management, and Cardano gains a valuable and complementary business. Despite Brexit and other world issues, we see significant opportunity globally and so will reinvest the proceeds of the transaction in continuing to grow our UK and global advisory businesses. We look forward to working with Cardano and Lincoln Pensions as part of our new strategic partnership. We thank Darren Redmayne and the entire Lincoln Pensions team for their contributions to Lincoln International." Phil McCreanor, Head of UK Investment Banking said, "Lincoln International has made huge progress in penetrating the highly-competitive UK M&A marketplace. Last year was a record year and, despite Brexit, we are on track to have another record year this year. I look forward to continuing to aggressively grow the presence of Lincoln International in the UK." Darren Redmayne, former UK CEO & Head of Lincoln Pensions said, "It has been a privilege over the past nine years to help establish and build Lincoln International in the UK from a start-up into a thriving multi-service investment banking business. I look forward to continuing to work with Lincoln International as a Senior Advisor to the firm and wish Lincoln's London operation continued success." Kerrin Rosenberg, CEO of Cardano UK, added: "The expertise and services offered by Cardano and Lincoln Pensions are highly complementary. Working in the same group will allow us to more effectively draw upon our combined knowledge on the investment and covenant sides of the IRM equation, allowing us to develop services for our clients and offer a comprehensive approach to risk. We also look forward to working with Lincoln International under our new strategic partnership." Notes to Editors Contact: Jim Lawson, Chairman, Lincoln International, +1 312-580-8339 ([email protected]) Darren Redmayne, former UK CEO & Head of Lincoln Pensions +44 (0) 20 7632 5210 ([email protected]) Phil McCreanor, Head of UK Investment Banking & Managing Director, Lincoln International +44 (0) 20 7022 9880 ([email protected]) Ged Brumby, Director, Smithfield +44 (0) 20 7903 0674 ([email protected]) About Lincoln International: Lincoln International, LP ("Lincoln International") is a global investment banking firm that specialises in merger and acquisition advisory services, debt advisory services, private capital raising, joint-ventures and restructuring advice on mid-market transactions. Lincoln International also provides fairness opinions and valuations on a wide range of transaction sizes. With 17 offices in 14 countries spread across the Americas, Asia and Europe, Lincoln International has strong local knowledge and contacts in key global economies. More information about Lincoln International can be obtained at www.lincolninternational.com. About Lincoln Pensions: Lincoln Pensions Limited ("Lincoln Pensions") is the leading independent provider of employer covenant analysis to schemes and sponsoring employers. Its senior team possesses a breadth of experience unrivalled by any of its competitors including credit analysis, corporate finance, regulatory, legal and actuarial expertise. Lincoln Pensions provides independent, thoughtful and helpful covenant advice which can be used to support negotiations relating to scheme funding, M&A, or other corporate events. More information about Lincoln Pensions can be obtained at www.lincolnpensions.com. About The Cardano Group: The Cardano Group ("Cardano Group") is a purpose-built investment and risk specialist, operating in the UK and the Netherlands. Founded in Rotterdam in 2000 under the motto "rethinking risk, for a better outcome", it established its operations in the UK, Cardano Risk Management Ltd ("Cardano UK") in 2007. Cardano offers clients specialised advisory and fiduciary management services helping pension funds achieve a steady stable growth in funding ratios with less chance of nasty shocks. Across Europe, they work with a number of major European pension funds and insurance companies. More information about Cardano can be obtained at www.cardano.com. Media Contact: Heidi Becker 312.506.2739 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161016/429113LOGO SOURCE Lincoln International LLC Related Links http://www.lincolninternational.com EAGLE, Idaho, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveRez.com, the most widely used cloud-based software for professional vacation rental managers, announced this past week at its annual Partner Conference that it is developing a revolutionary new channel management system for professional vacation rental managers. The system includes a game-changing internal marketing network that will allow professional managers using LiveRez (called partners) to advertise their inventory on other managers' websites, create regional co-op listing sites and refer bookings to other partners. This will allow properties to be marketed exponentially across the entire network, which at this time includes more than 1,000 websites. "Our new channel manager is designed to put control back into the hands of professional managers," said LiveRez CEO Tracy Lotz. "It not only allows our property manager partners to work together, but also allows us to use the negotiating power of the entire network to ensure fair distribution agreements with listing sites. Nothing like this has ever been seen before in this industry." As part of the announcement, LiveRez said it would begin to allow third-party listing sites to build into its API, provided they agreed to certain guidelines put in place to protect the interests of professional managers. "Leveraging the entire network of partners enables us to lock arms and get third-party sites to commit to policies that protect professional managers and their brands," Lotz said. To date, the only listing site to forge a distribution agreement with LiveRez has been Airbnb, which chose LiveRez as its first North American software integration partner last year. Before forging that partnership, LiveRez worked with Airbnb to create policies geared to professional vacation rental managers, and Airbnb was quick to respond. Lotz said additional listing sites will need to agree to make similar changes if they plan to build into LiveRez's API. "The professional property manager must be protected and have complete control if we are going to allow access into our API," Lotz explained. Company leaders said partner feedback and the lack of quality independent channel management systems in the industry both factored highly into the decision to build its channel management system. In 2012, LiveRez's Chief Strategy Officer, Steve Trover, led the charge to develop an industry-controlled distribution network during his tenure as President of the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA). LiveRez staunchly supported the "Switch" project until it was killed in 2013 after the contract between hotel distribution company Pegasus and VRMA was terminated. "Building an avenue for professional managers to fairly distribute their inventory to listing sites has been incredibly important to me," Trover said. "Although we couldn't get it built at VRMA, we will absolutely get it done at LiveRez." Third-party listing sites that are interested in integrating with LiveRez can email the company at [email protected]. About LiveRez.com LiveRez.com is a complete online vacation rental property management solution that is focused on making vacation rental property managers fully operational online which thereby increases their bookings. LiveRez.com offers an all-in-one cloud-based platform featuring best-in-class websites optimized for online bookings, a full-featured reservation and property management system, a robust CRM system, an exclusive connection to QuickBooks for trust accounting and a unique "Pay-for-Performance" approach which provides a mutually beneficial partnership between LiveRez.com and its vacation rental manager partners. To learn more about LiveRez.com, please call (800) 343-2891 or visit LiveRez.com. And, to receive timely updates from the company, follow LiveRez.com on Facebook, Twitter (@LiveRez) and Google+, or visit the company's vacation rental software blog. LiveRez.com is a proud Gold Sponsor of the Vacation Rental Manager's Association (VRMA). Contact: Rob Holderness Marketing/PR Manager (208) 639-6108 Email SOURCE LiveRez Related Links http://www.LiveRez.com ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In a continued effort to be the premiere knowledge-based clothier in Northern Virginia and the Washington DC area, Dash's of Old Town will host Andrea Benedini of Luigi Bianchi Mantova Friday, Saturday and Sunday October 21-23, 2016 during business hours at their Old Town Alexandria store at 1114 King Street Alexandria, Virginia. Luigi Bianchi, a historic Northern Italian manufacturer, will have one of their fourth-generation company leaders on hand to showcase their latest textiles, patterns, fabrics, trends and techniques. Since 1911, Luigi Bianchi LUBIAM has guaranteed a highly professional and specialized service in custom tailoring. "During our signature event I want our clients, old and new, to meet our suit manufacturer and gain valuable insight on the creation of their suits that will meet their personal needs," owner Victor Dash said. "A custom made suit, using the most prestigious fabrics, refined tailored details and the excellence of Made in Italy, will complete your custom made life, and that's what I want to give my clients." The trunk show will be hosted on Friday and Saturday from 11:00am 6:00pm, to Sunday from 12:00pm 5:00pm, October 21-23, 2016. There is a savings opportunity of $300-$500. Prices are 30-40% lower than other competitive made-to-measure suit makers. No cost on alterations for Made-to-Measure orders. UPDATE: During our Weekend Trunk Shows, we encourage you to call ahead or schedule your appointment via phone or email. (703) 299-4015 or [email protected] About Dash's of Old Town Since 2005, Dash's of Old Town brings a knowledge-based approach to menswear. Specializing in made to measure Italian men's suits from Luigi Bianchi and custom made shirts, the King Street storefront also showcases Italian made off the rack suit creations as well as Made in the USA button down men's shirts. Opened by Victor Dash, a Washingtonian local armed with over 30 years in menswear retail experience, provides an exceptional, highly rated and recommended menswear experience. Contact: [email protected] Photos: http://www.prlog.org/12595194 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Dash's of Old Town NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Lupus Research Alliance launched a bold initiative, the Lupus Clinical Investigators Network (LuCIN) to accelerate the identification and development of new therapies to treat lupus. Comprised of leading lupus experts at 58 academic research centers throughout North America, LuCIN provides a coordinated framework to test potential new treatments quickly and cost-effectively while upholding the highest scientific standards. Investigators are committed to the Network, working together to determine which new treatments and approaches to conducting clinical trials are most worth pursuing, as well as to involve patients as active members in the research process. The goals of LuCIN are to: conduct safe and reliable clinical studies on new lupus treatments; facilitate sharing of clinical and biological data to better understand lupus; and enlist patient input and participation in clinical studies. Another primary objective is to identify leadership and promote collaboration throughout the lupus community of scientists, healthcare providers and patients and families. "Without patient participation in lupus clinical trials, finding safer and more effective lupus treatments will continue to pose significant challenges," said Albert Roy, Executive Director of LuCIN. "By connecting and engaging the investigator community and lupus patients in a meaningful way, we hope to improve clinical trial education, build patient trust, and offer access to new and exciting lupus treatments. We aim to make it easier and more comfortable for patients to get involved and make a real difference." The Network is also designed to advance quality lupus research by helping attract and train new researchers in the field. Experienced scientists mentor junior investigators at each center, encouraging the next generation of top talent to pursue lupus research as their career path. In addition, the insights gained by a consistent group of highly experienced investigators working on the same studies is expected to improve tools used to measure the effectiveness of potential treatments. LuCIN was originally created as an outgrowth of a project initiated by the Lupus Research Alliance to test drugs that have been approved for other diseases by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their potential in lupus, known as drug repurposing. Testing existing drugs for their possible use in lupus can bring new treatment options to patients faster. LuCIN will also pursue lupus clinical trials of investigational drugs in partnership with biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies. First LuCIN Studies The first planned LuCIN clinical trial will test RAYOS - a low-dose, delayed-release form of the steroid prednisone, an anti-inflammatory drug. RAYOS is broadly prescribed for Rheumatoid Arthritis and other common inflammatory conditions. The study will look at the effect of RAYOS on the severe fatigue often experienced by people with lupus. Additional trials planned include studying the potential benefit of contemplative practices on relieving lupus symptoms and comparing sophisticated MRI technology to standard surgical biopsy to assess lupus nephritis. About Lupus Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. More than 90% of people with lupus are women, mostly young women between the ages of 15 to 44. Women of color are especially at risk. About the Lupus Research Alliance Born from the merger of three organizations with a common belief in the potential for science to overcome lupus, the Lupus Research Alliance is at the forefront of driving innovative research that can make a difference for people living with the prototypical autoimmune disease. With that shared conviction, the Board of Directors promises to cover the organization's administrative and operating costs, ensuring that 100% of all donations go directly to funding research programs to realize our vision of a world free from lupus. More information can be found at www.lupusresearch.org, the website of the former Alliance for Lupus Research and LupusResearchInstitute.org, the website of the former Lupus Research Institute. SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance Related Links http://www.lupusresearch.org " Art and politics have always had a storied relationship, " said Datuna, " but this election has surfaced very dark places for us as a nation and I couldn ' t keep silent anymore. My 10-year-old son is watching, the children of the world are watching and we deserve better. After this election is over we must Make America Stronger Together by coming together as one. " The central theme of both sculptures facing in opposition are hundreds of life-sized hands reaching outward from the American flag. The first artwork features outstretched hands forming the universal distress call SOS, surrounded by the divisive and manipulative rhetoric from the campaign trail. In the second sculpture the hands come together creating ONE, against the background of a hopeful, uniting, diverse and inspiring America. The plastic mannequin hands reinforce the idea that today's cynical political world and its corporate controllers continue their attempts to reduce its citizens to little more than toys manipulated at will. Datuna's last major installation in 2014, "Portrait of America" featured at The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, became one of the most attended events at the museum in over 30 years. Smithsonian Historian Emeritus Amy Henderson stated, "Datuna, an emigre from Soviet Georgia, illustrates the nation's continuing sense of "E Pluribus Unum." In his artwork the flag's symbolism conveys the idea that, despite today's cultural fragmentation and diversity, we are somehow still bound together, one from many." The two 20-foot American flag sculptures have been placed on a moving trailer as it makes its first stop at Trump Tower in Manhattan. The mobile artwork will travel around the New York area, followed by a stop at Philadelphia's LOVE Park on October 19, and continue to Washington, D.C. on October 20 where it can be seen at various locations. You can follow the project on Facebook Live via www.MakeAmericaStrongerTogether.com. About David Datuna: American artist David Datuna has been creating historical documents expressing freedom, global unity and the celebration of cultural identity in the form of sculptural flags, portraits and icons for nearly two decades. Datuna escaped oppression in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia to pursue his dream of cultural and artistic freedom in the United States. He is widely known for his Viewpoint of Millions series, with his signature technique of covering his artwork with a cascading wall of optical lenses. The lenses in different magnifications and colors are fused together as the artists preferred medium. The veil symbolizes the positive and negative viewpoints of a diverse contemporary society, while contrasting unity and diversity among the adversity of the times we live inyet we remain together as one. For information about the artist visit: datunamovie.com or www.projectfreespace.com Media Contact: Moish Soloway, +1.718.755.1017 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161016/429121 SOURCE David Datuna Related Links http://www.datunamovie.com CALGARY, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Dr. Brad Thompson, President and CEO of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX: ONC) (OTCQX: ONCYF) (FRA: ONY), will present at the 2016 BIO Investor Forum in a session on Wednesday, October 19th, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. PT (2:00 p.m. ET). The conference takes place on October 18th and 19th at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, CA. A live audio link to the webcast session will be available at: http://www.veracast.com/webcasts/bio/investorforum2016/38213260151.cfm. A link to the presentation will also be available on the company's website at: http://www.oncolyticsbiotech.com/investor-centre/presentations/. It is recommended that listeners log on 10 minutes in advance of a live presentation to register and download any necessary software. Links to the audio replays will be accessible following the presentation on the Oncolytics website. About Oncolytics Biotech Inc. Oncolytics is a Calgary-based biotechnology company focused on the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancer therapeutics. Oncolytics' clinical program includes a variety of later-stage, randomized human trials in various indications using REOLYSIN, its proprietary formulation of the human reovirus. For further information about Oncolytics, please visit: www.oncolyticsbiotech.com. The session and webcast times are subject to change. This release and the presentation related thereto contain forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, delays, uncertainties and other factors not under the Company's control and which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from the results, performance or expectations implied by these forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the efficacy of REOLYSIN as a cancer treatment, the success and timely completion of clinical studies and trials, uncertainties related to the research and development of pharmaceuticals and uncertainties related to the regulatory process. Investors should consult the Company's quarterly and annual filings with the Canadian and U.S. securities commissions for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. SOURCE Oncolytics Biotech Inc. Related Links http://www.oncolyticsbiotech.com SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will host a media panel discussion including AAP experts on digital media and children, CEOs from Sesame Workshop and Common Sense, and an early learning expert from the U.S. Department on Education. Panelists will present the latest research and recommendations, discuss trends, and answer questions from the audience. A recording of this 1-hour panel discussion will be posted on AAP.org, and will be followed by a Facebook Live presentation to allow questions from across the country. WHEN: Friday, Oct. 21 8 a . m. PT Breakfast and media registration with panel in AAP Press Office (room 134) m. PT Breakfast and media registration with panel in AAP Press Office (room 134) 9-10 a.m. PT --- Media Panel Discussion and Q & A --- Media Panel Discussion and Q & A 10:30-11 a.m. PT --- Facebook Live (@AmerAcadPeds) WHERE: Room 122, Moscone Center North, 730 Howard St, San Francisco. Media must first register in AAP Press Office (room 134). WHO: Jenny Radesky, MD, FAAP, lead author of the AAP policy statement, "Media and Young Minds;" Megan Moreno, MD, MSEd, MPH, FAAP, lead author of the AAP policy statement, "Media Use in School-Aged Children and Adolescents;" Jeff Dunn, CEO of Sesame Workshop; Jim Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense; Libby Doggett, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning, U.S. Dept. of Education WHY: On Oct. 21, the AAP will publish two updated policy statements, "Media Use in School-Aged Children and Adolescents" and "Media and Young Minds," and a supporting technical report "Children and Adolescents and Digital Media." In addition, the AAP is launching an interactive Family Media Plan Tool on HealthyChildren.org to help parents be thoughtful about media exposure for their children. Also on Oct. 21, The U.S. Dept. of Education and the U.S. Dept. Of Health and Human Services will release a joint policy brief on Early Learning and the Use of Technology. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 66,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org and follow us on Twitter @AmerAcadPeds. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428844LOGO SOURCE American Academy of Pediatrics Related Links http://www.aap.org NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mesothelioma Victims Center is now marrying their efforts to assist US Navy Veterans with their new efforts to assist any type of maritime worker who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Their goal is to make certain these types of people receive the very best possible financial compensation, as they would like to explain anytime at 800-714-0303. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428744 Maritime Workers US Navy Veterans Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428745 This is a very important point: "In order to get the very best possible financial compensation, a US Navy Veteran or maritime worker must have the nation's most experienced mesothelioma attorneys who know as much about navy ship, commercial vessel, and asbestos on ships as most sailors or members of the maritime community." Maritime workers include members of the US Merchant Marine, crew members of a US flagged merchant ship, tug boat/barge crew members, maritime engine mechanics, electricians, plumbers, cruise ship crew members on a US based/flagged cruise ship, maritime fueling technicians. http://MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com The last thing the group of experts at the Mesothelioma Victims Center wants to see happen to a US Navy Veteran or maritime worker with mesothelioma is for them to: Hire an inexperienced lawyer/law firm to assist with a mesothelioma compensation claim Hire a lawyer/law firm with almost no recent experience assisting Navy Veterans or maritime workers with mesothelioma with their compensation claim Before a US Navy Veteran, maritime worker, or their family members hire a lawyer to assist with a mesothelioma compensation claim please call the Mesothelioma Victims Center first at 800-714-0303 to ensure they really are talking to the nation's most qualified and experienced mesothelioma attorneys. The Mesothelioma Victims Center efforts for US Navy Veterans or maritime workers is not just limited to individuals who live in coastal states on the East, West, or Gulf Coasts. The Center's initiative is also focused on Navy Veterans or maritime workers in the Great Lakes States and states that border the Mississippi, Ohio, or Kentucky Rivers. http://MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com According to the CDC the states indicated with the highest incidence of mesothelioma include Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Louisiana, Washington, and Oregon. However, based on the calls the Mesothelioma Victims Center receives a former maritime worker or a US Navy Veteran with mesothelioma could live in any state including New York, Florida, California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, or Alaska. High risk work groups for exposure to asbestos include US Navy Veterans, power plant workers, shipyard workers, oil refinery workers, steel mill workers, manufacturing workers, pulp or paper mill workers, plumbers, electricians, auto mechanics, machinists, miners, construction workers, insulators, rail road worker, roofers, or firemen. As a rule, these types of workers were exposed to asbestos in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, or 1980's. US Navy Veterans make up about one third of all US Citizens who are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. http://MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com For more information about mesothelioma please refer to the National Institutes of Health's web site related to this rare form of cancer: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mesothelioma.html Media contact: Michael Thomas Email 800-714-0303 SOURCE Mesothelioma Victims Center Related Links http://mesotheliomavictimscenter.com VANCOUVER, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - MGX Minerals Inc. ("MGX" or the "Company") (CSE: XMG / FKT: 1MG / OTC: MGXMF) is pleased to announce the 2016 diamond drilling program is more than 50% complete at the Company's flagship Driftwood Creek magnesium deposit ("Driftwood"). The Company has completed a total of 13 diamond drill holes to date as part of the current drill program. A National Instrument (N.I.) 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate totaling 8.1 million tonnes grading 43.3% magnesium oxide (MgO) (see press release dated September 5, 2016) was recently completed for Driftwood. The technical report recommended an infill drill program to further delineate continuity of the deposit as well as for pit shell optimization purposes in support of a N.I. 43-101 compliant Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA"). The updated data will be used for completion of the PEA which is expected to provide guidance on the Net Present Value of the project and be released prior to year end. The current drill program will provide further information for the PEA, which in addition to providing a detailed assessment of potential economic extraction, will include a revised resource estimate. Additional drill holes have been added by the Company to the recommended infill drill program to further test extension along strike and the depth of the deposit, both of which remain open, as well as for geotechnical analyses. Nine diamond drill holes at the Driftwood East zone have been completed totaling of 537.5 meters (1,763 feet). The objective of the drilling is to expand the known area of magnesite along the ridge crest, where past drilling and a recent 100 tonne bulk sample were completed in June (see press release dated June 9, 2016). Step out drilling to the east has extended the eastern edge of magnesite mineralization along strike. The diamond drill was recently moved to the Driftwood West zone, where further infill drilling has been successful with the completion of four additional holes. Drilling has now commenced on the first of four long holes aimed at testing the deposit at depth. Completion of the drill program will provide additional information for further pit optimization which will be included in the upcoming PEA and revised Resource Estimate. Qualified Person This press release was prepared under the supervision and review of Andris Kikauka, P. Geo. and Vice President of Exploration for MGX Minerals. Mr. Kikauka is a non-independent Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument (N.I.) 43-101 Standards. About MGX Minerals MGX Minerals (CSE: XMG) is a diversified Canadian mining company engaged in the development of a large-scale mineral portfolio of more than 30 properties in western Canada. The Company owns primary projects in magnesium, lithium, silicon and has recently re-commenced exploration at its 10,000 ha Fran Gold property located 35km SW of the Mount Milligan Mine. MGX recently released a maiden N.I. 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate for its Driftwood Creek magnesium project, which outlined 8.1 million tonnes grading 43.31% magnesium oxide. In January, the Company received a 20-year Mining Lease for Driftwood Creek. The Company recently acquired the Sturgeon Lake lithium brine project in west-central Alberta, increasing the Company's lithium brine land position to over 376,000 hectares throughout the Province. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.mgxminerals.com or contact MGX Minerals directly by email at [email protected]. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements including the completion of the rights offering (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. SOURCE MGX Minerals Inc. Related Links www.mgxminerals.com Highly regarded commercial appraiser becomes Principal, will work with valuation and advisory group NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Mitti Liebersohn, Avison Young Principal and President of the firm's New York City office, announced today the strategic hiring of highly regarded commercial real estate appraiser Michael Robinson. Effective immediately, Robinson becomes a Principal of Avison Young and will work with the New York office's valuation and advisory group. He will offer appraisal and valuation consulting services for current company assignments and generate new opportunities on a wide range of property types. Robinson brings more than 25 years of commercial real estate appraisal experience to Avison Young. Prior to joining the firm, he spent 20 years with KTR Real Estate Advisors in New York City. "Michael is a top-level appraiser with many years of experience and is a highly respected and recognized expert in the New York marketplace," comments Liebersohn. "We are excited to bring his distinctive set of skills to Avison Young to enhance our already strong property appraisal service-line offering. Michael will play a leading role in expanding our appraisal services in the New York City area and nationally, ensuring that clients have the most current valuation data at their fingertips. His diverse experience will also enable us to better service clients in all asset classes and facilitate more transactions involving multi-property portfolios." Robinson began his career at Laventhol & Horwath and was later a part of the Chase Manhattan Bank real estate investment banking team before moving to KTR. He has appraisal and valuation experience involving a wide range of real estate, including office, retail, hotel, industrial, health care, multi-family residential and mixed-use properties. He is widely regarded as an expert in analyzing demographic trends, the viability of a particular property and its market value. "As we continue the expansion of our valuation and advisory team and take on even more high-profile assignments, Michael, a native New Yorker who has first-hand knowledge on the history of many assets, will enhance our ability to provide clients with the critical appraisal and high-level insight needed when buying and selling properties," says Arthur Mirante, Avison Young Principal and Tri-State President. "Michael's client-centric focus and collaborative approach to all assignments and transactions make him an ideal fit for our company as we deliver a broad range of valuation and consulting services to clients dealing with all property types small-to-large as well as multi-national," adds Mirante. "He will also help us attract top appraisal talent who fit seamlessly into our corporate culture, which emphasizes teamwork at all times." A licensed real estate appraiser, Robinson holds a Master of Fine Arts from the American Film Institute and has simultaneously enjoyed a second career as a film producer. Select work includes Robert DeNiro's A Bronx Tale, Rob Reiner's North and Tony Scott's The Fan. He has also produced independent films that have cast Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams and David Morse, and has written and directed both documentaries and children's films. In addition, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. "I am delighted to join Avison Young's valuation and advisory group and have long been impressed with the company's unmatched platform and steadfast commitment to client service," says Robinson. "In addition to access to the highest caliber market data, the firm also offers something that is very important to me a Principal-led environment that fosters collaboration. I am looking forward to expanding the client roster of the valuation and advisory team and, at the same time, taking my career to the next level." Avison Young is the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Avison Young is a collaborative, global firm owned and operated by its principals. Founded in 1978, the company comprises 2,400 real estate professionals in 79 offices, providing value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, financing and mortgage placement services to owners and occupiers of office, retail, industrial and multi-family properties. For further information/comment/photos: Tom Nolan , Great Ink, 212.741.2977 ; [email protected] , Great Ink, ; Arielle Herzfeld , Senior Director of Marketing, Tri-State, Avison Young : 212.729.7465 , Senior Director of Marketing, Tri-State, : Sherry Quan , Principal, Global Director of Communications & Media Relations, Avison Young : 604.647.5098; cell: 604.726.0959 , Principal, Global Director of Communications & Media Relations, : cell: Mark Rose , Chair and CEO, Avison Young : 416.673.4028 Chair and CEO, : Earl Webb , President, U.S. Operations, Avison Young : 312.957.7610 www.avisonyoung.com Avison Young was a winner of Canada's Best Managed Companies program in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and requalified in 2015 to maintain its status as a Best Managed Gold company Follow Avison Young on Twitter: For industry news, press releases and market reports: www.twitter.com/avisonyoung For Avison Young listings and deals: www.twitter.com/AYListingsDeals Follow Avison Young Bloggers: http://blog.avisonyoung.com Follow Avison Young on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/avison-young-commercial-real-estate Follow Avison Young on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/AvisonYoungRE Editors/Reporters Please click on link to view and download photo of Michael Robinson: http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/MichaelRobinson.jpg SOURCE Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (BC) Related Links www.avisonyoung.com CHICAGO, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An innovative procedure may improve outcomes in people with a degenerative eye disease, suggest five-year results from a study presented at AAO 2016, the 120th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Transplantation of one layer of the cornea may help people with keratoconus avoid or delay full corneal transplantation and other potentially risky procedures, according to the researchers. They say the technique may enable those with advanced keratoconus to tolerate extended contact lenses wear, which is traditionally a challenge for people with the condition. Keratoconus is a disease that causes the cornea the clear front of the eye to thin and become cone-shaped. Symptoms often first appear in childhood or the teen years. The disease only effects one in 2,000 people, but it can lead to severe visual impairment. Traditional treatment options, including corneal transplantation, are limited or risky due to the complexity of the disease. In addition, keratoconus patients are unable to wear contact lenses for an extended time to correct vision due to their cone-shaped corneas. To address these issue, researchers in the Netherlands sought to study whether only transplanting the second layer of the cornea the Bowman layer would be a safe and effective alternative to full corneal transplantation in the long term. They also hoped the procedure would enable patients to wear contact lenses. After providing the treatment to 19 patients and following them for 5 years, the researchers determined the treatment improved recipients' vision and stabilized the disease in 90 percent of the eyes. Currently, there are four common treatments for keratoconus. In its early stages, the condition can be treated using glasses or contact lenses. As the condition progresses, glasses may no longer work and many people are unable to wear contact lenses because the lenses no longer fit as the corneas become more cone-shaped. Another treatment uses a laser and eyedrops to promote strengthening of the collagen fibers that make up the cornea, a procedure called cross-linking. A third option is a procedure called Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty, or DALK, which involves implantation of the front and middle layers of the cornea. Ultimately, some people require a full corneal transplantation to restore their vision, which involves removing the damaged cornea and replacing it with one from a donor. Complications of the various corneal transplants include wound healing difficulties and persistent astigmatism, which causes distorted vision. The innovative technique used in the study involves placing donor tissue from the second layer of the cornea the Bowman layer into the middle layer through a tiny tube. This strengthens and flattens the cornea, improving vision. The Bowman layer is ideal for transplantation because it does not contain cells. The body often rejects cell-containing tissue transplanted from another person because it perceives the tissue as foreign and potentially dangerous. Placing it in the middle layer of the corner appears to prompt the healing response, researchers said. Because it doesn't involve cutting or stitching, it is less risky than some procedures to treat keratoconus, including full corneal transplantation. Researchers at the Rotterdam, Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery, Melles Cornea Clinic and Amnitrans Eye Bank transplanted the Bowman layer in 22 eyes in 19 people with advanced keratoconus. These patients were not candidates for corneal cross-linking because their corneas were too steep and thin. They were also unable to wear contact lenses for an extended time, and had 20/400 vision while wearing glasses. Following the procedure, the results were as follows: Disease progression was halted in 20 of the eyes, or 90 percent, which is the main goal of the treatment. The patients' corrected vision improved to 20/200. All the patients could tolerate extended contact lens wear. The average best-corrected vision with contact lenses held stable at 20/40 from pre- to postoperatively. None had postoperative complications that can occur with corneal transplantation, such as wound healing difficulties and persistent astigmatism, which causes distorted vision. "Bowman layer transplantation may be safer than a full corneal transplant, is effective and the benefits last," said Jack Parker, M.D., lead author of the study and a corneal fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery. "The procedure can spare young people with the condition a lifetime of difficult, expensive and risky eye procedures and interventions." The limitations of the study are a relatively small study population and no control group. Researchers say the technique should be studied in a larger group. Disclosure: Dr. Parker is a consultant for D.O.R.C. International. Bowman Layer Transplantation for Advanced Keratoconus: Clinical Outcomes up to Five Years After Surgery was presented at AAO 2016, the 120th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The event was held in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Oct. 14-18 at McCormick Place, Chicago. Known as the place "Where all of Ophthalmology Meets," the Academy's annual meeting is the world's largest conference for eye physicians and surgeons. For more information, see AAO 2016 highlights. About the American Academy of Ophthalmology The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, we protect sight and empower lives by setting the standards for ophthalmic education and advocating for our patients and the public. We innovate to advance our profession and to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality eye care. Our EyeSmart program provides the public with the most trusted information about eye health. For more information, visit aao.org. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151114/287412LOGO SOURCE American Academy of Ophthalmology Related Links http://www.aao.org HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, M&M'S unveiled the latest flavor in its delicious line-up of M&M'S Chocolate Candies Caramel! M&M'S Caramel Chocolate Candies will feature a smooth caramel center covered in delicious M&M'S Brand Milk Chocolate and coated in a colorful candy shell offering the ultimate combination of flavors in every bite-sized piece. The new flavor is due to hit shelves in May of 2017. M&M'S(R) Caramel Chocolate Candies will be available in May, 2017 at retailers nationwide in Singles (1.41 oz.), Sharing Size (2.83 oz.) and Sharing Size Stand Up Pouch (9.6 oz.). The new chocolate candy is filled with a soft caramel center, providing a perfect smooth texture in every piece. M&M'S, which celebrated its 75th anniversary this year, is the world's #1 chocolate brand. By introducing fun, new product innovations like M&M'S Caramel, the brand has remained a chocolate icon and continues to excite consumers since 1941. "Chocolate and caramel is such a popular flavor combination, especially with the fans of M&M'S," explains Tanya Berman, Brand Director, M&M'S Brand. "In our research, our fans were enthusiastic at the possibility of a Caramel variant and we can't wait for them to try the perfect balance of soft caramel and delicious M&M'S chocolate this spring." The new chocolate candy is filled with a soft caramel center, providing a perfect smooth texture in every piece. M&M'S Caramel contains 190 calories per serving and will be packaged in an eye-catching, bright blue bag. Chocolate and caramel lovers alike can find M&M'S Caramel Chocolate Candies nationwide at local food, mass, convenience and drug stores beginning late May, 2017. M&M'S Caramel Chocolate Candies M&M'S Caramel Chocolate Candies will be available in May, 2017 at retailers nationwide in Singles (1.41 oz.), Sharing Size (2.83 oz.) and Sharing Size Stand Up Pouch (9.6 oz.). For more information, visit the M&M'S Brand Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mms, the official M&M'S Twitter handle @mmschocolate, or www.mms.com. About Mars, Incorporated In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the objective of creating a "mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders" this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 75,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance. Mars brands include: Petcare PEDIGREE, ROYAL CANIN, WHISKAS, BANFIELD Pet Hospital, CESAR, SHEBA, DREAMIES and NUTRO; Chocolate M&M'S, SNICKERS, DOVE, GALAXY, MARS, MILKY WAY and TWIX; Wrigley DOUBLEMINT, EXTRA, ORBIT and 5 chewing gums, SKITTLES and STARBURST candies, and ALTOIDS and LIFESAVERS mints. Food UNCLE BEN'S, DOLMIO, EBLY, MASTERFOODS, SEEDS OF CHANGE and ROYCO; Drinks ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY, KLIX and FLAVIA; Symbioscience COCOAVIA and WISDOM PANEL. For more information, please visit www.mars.com. Follow us: facebook.com/mars, twitter.com/marsglobal, youtube.com/mars, linkedin.com/company/mars. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429543 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429544 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401821LOGO SOURCE Mars, Incorporated Related Links http://www.mars.com HALLAM, Neb., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Monolith Materials, a next-generation manufacturer of natural gas-based carbon black, will officially break ground on its U.S. manufacturing headquarters on Thursday, October 20, 2016, in Hallam, Nebraska. The facility will bring 600 jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in new capital investment in the state of Nebraska, and a clean energy source to the area. Monolith founders, Bill Brady, Rob Hanson, and Pete Johnson, will be joined by Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and Pat Pope, CEO of the Nebraska Public Power District, to give remarks before a ceremonial groundbreaking event. Local dignitaries, additional representatives from both Monolith and NPPD, and other partners in the project will also be present. "Monolith is thrilled to support the growth and strength of American manufacturing, clean technology and job growth right here in America's heartland," said Brady. "We chose this location because of Nebraska's exceptional infrastructure and highly skilled workforce, and look forward to building a great company here." Headquartered with their R&D facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, Monolith is bringing manufacturing back to America with innovative carbon black technology that uses natural gas as feedstock instead of oil, as does the conventional process, reducing emissions significantly. Carbon black is a safe, common material found in thousands of products Americans use every day - including tires, rubber and plastics, printing inks, and batteries. A co-product of its innovative manufacturing technology is hydrogen, a fuel that produces zero greenhouse gas emissions when burned. Monolith has partnered with Nebraska's largest electric utility, NPPD, whereby they will replace an existing coal-fired boiler with a hydrogen-fired boiler at their Sheldon Station plant in Hallam, Neb. The new boiler will generate 125 mw of electricity enough to supply power to 150,000 homes. The boiler conversion is also expected to result in a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gasses and other types of emissions. "Our partnership with Monolith Materials is a unique combination of innovation, environmental sustainability, and economic development for the area and the state," said NPPD CEO Pat Pope. "The ability of public power to respond in making this opportunity happen, utilizing our competitive low rates and our economic development rate, is important for Nebraska. At the same time, NPPD has the opportunity to have 50 percent of our energy resources to be carbon-free in the future. We look forward to our continued working relationship with Monolith Materials." The groundbreaking event is open to the public and will begin with a hosted breakfast starting at 8:30 a.m. before the announcements and ceremony begin. ABOUT MONOLITH MATERIALS Monolith Materials is a next-generation, carbon black manufacturing company which uses a proprietary process to convert natural gas to carbon black in a cost competitive and environmentally advantaged manner. Monolith's process also produces hydrogen tail-gas, a valuable co-product that can be sold into the power generation or industrial gas markets. Monolith is backed by Azimuth Capital Management and Warburg Pincus, two of the most widely respected private equity firms in North America. For more information on Monolith Materials, visit www.monolithmaterials.com. ABOUT NPPD Always there when you need us, NPPD's mission is to safely generate and deliver reliable, low-cost sustainable energy and provide outstanding customer service. Working in partnership with the state's rural public power districts, cooperatives and municipalities, NPPD helps serve an estimated 600,000 Nebraskans in 86 of the state's 93 counties with retail or wholesale electric power and energy-related products and services. For more information, go to www.nppd.com. Local Media: Rena Valentino EMBRACE Strategy Tel: 402.880.6313 RE: Monolith Materials [email protected] Mark Becker NPPD Communications Tel: 402-563-5667 RE: NPPD [email protected] National Press: Brittney Garneau Pierpont Communications Tel: 713-627-2223 RE: Monolith Materials [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161006/415964LOGO SOURCE Monolith Materials Related Links http://www.nppd.com Innovative Minimally Invasive Approach for Neurological Conditions Has Been Used in 1,000 Patient Procedures PLYMOUTH, Minn., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Monteris Medical today announced that leading surgeons at 40 sites across the U.S. and Canada have used the company's NeuroBlate System, a minimally invasive robotic laser thermotherapy tool, in more than 1,000 patient procedures. "NeuroBlate is a significant advance in neurosurgery, offering the potential to improve clinical outcomes for patients," said Eric C. Leuthardt, M.D., Professor of Neurological Surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Director of the Center for Innovation in Neuroscience and Technology, and the Brain Laser Center at Washington University School of Medicine. "And because NeuroBlate is a minimally invasive tool, we are seeing reductions in pain and shorter recovery times compared with traditional open surgery." The NeuroBlate System combines proprietary hardware, software and disposable surgical devices with the imaging power of an existing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The integration of these devices allows a neurosurgeon to precisely direct a cooled laser probe into a brain lesion, such as a tumor, and administer lethal laser therapy to kill unwanted cells. To accommodate increased demand for NeuroBlate, Monteris recently moved into a new, larger corporate headquarters in Plymouth, Minnesota where it maintains manufacturing and laboratory space. Monteris also has offices and an R&D facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. "Reaching the 1,000 patient milestone is a significant event for Monteris and we are grateful to all of our employees and collaborators for their dedication to improving the lives of people affected by brain tumors and lesions," said Martin J. Emerson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Monteris. "Since receiving FDA clearance in 2013, NeuroBlate has experienced rapid uptake and clinical adoption, reinforced by a steady stream of clinical data underscoring its efficacy. We are committed to continuing efforts to increase access to NeuroBlate and look forward to sharing additional milestones in the future." AutoLITT, the technology that evolved into the NeuroBlate System, was co-invented by Mark Torchia, Associate Professor of Surgery in the College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba and Richard Tyc, P.Eng., who currently serves as the Company's Vice President of Technology and Advanced Development. The technology underlying the NeuroBlate System has received several notable awards, including the Canadian Governor General's Innovation Award (2016), the Ernest C. Manning Principal Innovation Award (2015) and the Medical Device Excellence Award (2015). In addition to its proprietary hardware, NeuroBlate uses Monteris' complementary MVision Software, a menu-driven application that guides each procedure. MVision Software helps the surgeon accurately control the administration of thermal therapy by monitoring temperature changes in and around the target tissue in three dimensions. "Accurate temperature monitoring is absolutely the key to both the safety and efficacy of your delivered treatment plan during a laser ablation procedure," said Peter Fecci, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center. "One of the many things I like about the NeuroBlate system is the reliability of its MR thermography. The recently upgraded MVision Software and TruTemp intelligence provides the accuracy and precision in temperature readings that we simply must have for effective therapy delivery." Monteris also maintains www.MyBrainSurgeryOptions.com, a dedicated website for patients and families containing useful information including questions to ask healthcare providers, a provider directory and a glossary of technical terms. About the NeuroBlate System The NeuroBlate System is FDA-cleared to ablate, necrotize or coagulate soft tissue encountered in the discipline of neurosurgery through the application of laser thermotherapy. NeuroBlate is a tool (as opposed to a "treatment") and is not intended to treat any specific disease. Physicians should use their clinical judgment and experience when deciding whether to use NeuroBlate. Full prescribing information for the NeuroBlate System is available at www.monteris.com. About Monteris Monteris Medical is a privately held company developing innovative MRI-guided, laser-based brain lesion therapy. Monteris Medical markets the NeuroBlate System, a neurosurgical ablation device providing controlled therapy for brain lesions. The company also offers the Monteris Mini-Bolt, the only cranial bolt system that enables a robotic interface for protected and precise therapy delivery, as well as the AtamA Stabilization System for MRI-guided neurosurgical procedures requiring head fixation. For more information on Monteris Medical please visit www.monteris.com. SOURCE Monteris Medical Related Links http://www.monteris.com COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's increased data demands have resulted in not only a lack of rack space but also huge power consumption costs for large data centers around the world. To address the need to save rack space and bring down overall costs of investment and deployment, Napatech announced today the launch of its 2x100G compact network accelerator card NT200A01. Click to Tweet Napatech has designed a two-port 100G product in a one-slot, half-length PCI form factor to address the costs, shortage of space and criticality of data capture within the telecom and data center industries. The NT200A01 card is ideal for 1U server solutions. Higher power efficiency in a compact, two-port design: As equipment grows smaller, the cost of deployment and maintenance also decreases, thereby reducing total cost of ownership. Napatech's 2x100G accelerator provides the advantages of energy and cost savings. As equipment grows smaller, the cost of deployment and maintenance also decreases, thereby reducing total cost of ownership. Napatech's 2x100G accelerator provides the advantages of energy and cost savings. 100 percent data capture: This new technology is ideal for packet capture on bi-directional links, the most common use case. The card is able to capture 100 percent of data, even during traffic bursts in the network, with zero packet loss. This new technology is ideal for packet capture on bi-directional links, the most common use case. The card is able to capture 100 percent of data, even during traffic bursts in the network, with zero packet loss. Time-stamped in order: Each incoming packet is precisely time-stamped in the same order as they are received in the network. Data from the two ports are then merged into one stream and sent for further processing by applications without losing the order. Henrik Brill Jensen, CEO, Napatech, said: "Our integrated, cost-effective 2x100G accelerator card is ideal for organizations with data centers that are only going to need more rack space and more powerful systems to process the ever-increasing volumes of data." Stig Bang, product line business director Accelerators, Napatech, said: "We are excited to launch this product, as it offers the market a whole new opportunity to analyze 100G networks more easily and cost-effectively while reducing their footprint and, thereby, the overall cost of investment and deployment." About Napatech Napatech is the world leader in data delivery solutions for network management and security applications. As data volume and complexity grow, organizations must monitor, compile and analyze all the information flowing through their networks. Our products use patented technology to capture and process data at high speed and high volume with guaranteed performance, enabling real-time visibility. We deliver data faster, more efficiently and on demand for the most advanced enterprise, cloud and government networks. Now and in the future, we enable our customers' applications to be smarter than the networks they need to manage and protect. No Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements which are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results due to a variety of factors, including but not limited to, business conditions, trends in the industry and markets, global economic and geopolitical conditions, macro-economic factors, and other risks and uncertainties set forth in Napatech's reports. The matter discussed in this release is based on current expectations and maybe subject to change. Napatech will not necessarily update this information. For details, visit us at www.napatech.com. Media Investor Relations Kim Dearborn, Nadel Phelan Niels Hobolt +1 831 440 2407 +45 8853 7003 [email protected] [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130917/LA81677LOGO SOURCE Napatech Related Links http://www.napatech.com DENVER, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study conducted by the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM) concludes that assisted reproductive technology (ART) results in live birth gender rates skewed towards males. The study will be presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Conference & Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 15-19, 2016. For this study, CCRM researchers examined infertility patients (with a mean age of 37.1 years) that underwent IVF. At the blastocyst stage (5 or 6 day embryos), the embryos were examined using comprehensive chromosomal screening (CCS) and it was found that the ratio of male babies to female babies conceived was nearly equivalent (female = 49.8 percent vs. male = 50.2 percent). These blastocysts were frozen and single embryos were later transferred via IVF, which resulted in a higher live birth rate for boys than girls (239 females, 44.7 percent vs. 296 males, 55.3 percent). In comparison, 51 percent of all babies born naturally in the United States are boys. "This study is unique in that it was the first large scale study to follow gender from conception all the way through to live birth," said William Schoolcraft, M.D., medical director of CCRM. "Understanding why we see an increase in female mortality in utero is important to public health." "The variance ratio in male to female births could be explained by impaired X chromosome inactivation, which only impacts the development of female embryos," says CCRM scientific director Mandy Katz-Jaffe, Ph.D. The X chromosome contains over 1,000 genes that are essential for proper development and cell viability. However, females carry two copies of the X chromosome, resulting in a potentially toxic double dose of X-linked genes. To correct this imbalance, mammalian females have evolved a unique mechanism of dosage compensation known as X-chromosome inactivation (XCI). Female mammals "silence" one of their two Xs in a complex and highly coordinated manner. CCRM Founded in 1987 by Dr. William Schoolcraft, the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM) is one of the nation's leading infertility treatment centers, providing a wide spectrum of infertility treatments ranging from basic infertility care to advanced in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology. CCRM has locations in Colorado, Atlanta, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, Orange County and Toronto, Canada. Dr. Schoolcraft and his colleagues achieve some of the highest pregnancy rates in the country. CCRM has been ranked "The #1 Fertility Center in the U.S. with the Greatest Chance of Success" by Child.com. To learn more, visit www.ccrmivf.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Contacts: Katie Trexler Kern, Evolution Communications Agency 303.941.4118 or [email protected] Sarah Stavros, Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine 303.761.0579 or [email protected] SOURCE CCRM Related Links http://www.ccrmivf.com WINDSOR, Ontario, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A new book for teenagers and adults has been launched by Digital Fiction Publishing Corp. (DigitalFictionPub.com) in the genre of fantasy and speculative fiction. The Black River Chronicles: Level One, is the first book in a planned series featuring The Black River Academy for Swordcraft and Spellcraft. A fantasy adventure novel, The Black River Chronicles promises to be an engaging read for aficionados of this intriguing style of fiction, especially as a dose of humor is also included. Durren Flintrand The Black River Chronicles Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/430052 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/430053 The book is written by the author of fantasy novels including Giant Thief, Crown Thief, and Prince Thief, David Tallerman, and co-author Michael Wills. In a story involving magic, danger, and deception, the reader meets wizards, rangers, fighters, rogues, and humanoids called rat-people, practically from the outset. The Black River Chronicles was launched on Amazon on October 12, 2016, and is available for download to Kindle for just $0.99 USD until October 31 only. The novel is described by Michael as a "fantasy adventure novel for teens to adventurous grown-ups." The novel tells the story of Durren, a ranger, who is receiving the prerequisite ranger training at The Black River Academy to be able to venture on missions and quests. Durren is unexpectedly called to join an expedition party in a team of four before his level one training has been completed. The reader learns that the expedition will involve Durren, along with his companions: a wizard, a fighter, and a rogue. The reader quickly becomes aware that Durren has a secret and is intentionally keeping a low-profile at the Academy, not doing as well as he could during archery practice and training; but the reason why is not immediately revealed. We also learn that Durren will be accompanied by an observer, which turns out to be a floating leathery eyeball that fits in the palm of a hand. The story is described by fantasy giant Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms, as "a powder keg of ambitious students being sent on actual adventuring missionsThe book is a lot of funIt tells a great tale that comes to a satisfying ending, with magic, danger, deception, adventure, and friendships." Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C Clarke Award winner and author of the critically acclaimed The Shadows of the Apt, describes Level One as, "A fast-moving and energetic fantasy, packed with humor and magic." The Black River Chronicles: Level One is the first in the series and there are hints that the fun will most certainly be followed by more books. The novel has been published by Digital Fiction Publishing Corp. Located in LaSalle, Ontario, Canada. Digital Fiction Publishing Corp. focuses on science-fiction, fantasy, and horror fiction; publishing stories, anthologies, and novels through Amazon Kindle and in print. The Black River Chronicles: Level One is available for Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and in paperback from Amazon worldwide (here). Media Contact: Michael Wills Email 519-981-6307 SOURCE Digital Fiction Publishing Corp. Related Links http://DigitalFictionPub.com NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Iterative Instinct ("i2"), a Manhattan-based venture fund, announced it had secured $1.4M in capital commitments for its $2.0M debut fund. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429948LOGO I2 has a specific investment mandate to seed and develop products, services, and assets that utilize the three core technologies of the blockchain paradigm. Those technologies are cryptographic hashing, asymmetric cryptography, and peer to peer (P2P) distributed computing. The fund also has capital earmarked for a secondary mandate: to actively manage a portfolio of crypto-assets. Over the last year, the i2 technology team has built a proprietary level 2 trading interface to amplify its investment capabilities. The fund was founded by emerging managers Chris Dannen (31) and Brandon Buchanan (31), each a General Partner of the fund. Mr. Buchanan was previously the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of a $100M AUM venture fund in New York. Mr. Dannen is a self-taught creative technologist who has worked in corporate strategy and media. Mr. Buchanan's expertise in securities law, venture financings and corporate governance will be a valuable asset in helping i2 and its portfolio companies navigate the nascent regulations around distributed crypto-economics. He has worked with the SEC, FINRA and CBOE in the past in his capacity as a securities and broker/dealer lawyer at WilmerHale. As a Corporate Associate at Gunderson Dettmer, he was counsel to a number of startups and venture funds with respect to formation, corporate governance, and financing matters. He also spent time as an M&A investment banker at Credit Suisse AG. Mr. Dannen's unique approach to product development, which places a strong emphasis on narrative, purpose, and message, will help i2's portfolio companies attract grassroots growth and top talent. He has created and executed multi-year editorial and creative campaigns for Quartz, Fast Company, Soho House, Wired, General Assembly, Bloomberg, Samsung, and Microsoft. He currently advises two startups: Loomia, a smart fabrics company run by Thiel fellow Madison Maxey, as well as M-RAD, an award-winning architecture and design firm based in Los Angeles. "Introducing Ethereum and Solidity," Mr. Dannen's fourth book, will be one of the first programming guides for the Solidity language when it is published by Apress Media on January 17, 2017. The fund has an internal technology team. Creative director and full-stack developer Christopher McClellan is responsible for the i2 user experience across the fund's many interfaces, including its trading suite. He is backed by a senior engineer with 25 year's experience building large-scale Wall Street trading systems. Fintech, software services, blockchain-accessible hardware, and cryptographically-secured software and assets will be the focus of i2's seed-stage venture activity. To guide the way for highly specialized portfolio companies, the fund has added Mackenzie Millar, practitioner of venture design and strategy at Frog Design in New York and San Francisco, as its advisor for financial products and growth. Market-making activity and commodity asset strategy will be advised by Cody Hoffman, a former vice president of oil derivatives trading at JPMorgan in New York, London, and Canada. Dr. Solomon Lederer will be the fund's blockchain engineering advisor. He was trained in the Air Force and has a PhD in large scale sensor networks from Stonybrook University. Today he works as a software engineer for the Wall Street Journal, and operates the Coinspace, a blockchain education venue. I2 organizes a monthly meet-up on the emerging field of crypto-economics, held at Coinspace, which is located in the Industry City complex at Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Legal counsel for i2 was Kirkland & Ellis. The Iterative Instinct branding kit was designed by the Brooklyn-based studio, Ensemble. For questions, email [email protected]. Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg image3.jpg Related Links Homepage Medium This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Iterative Instinct Related Links http://iterativeinstinct.com NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuclear Power in South Africa, Market Outlook to 2030, Update 2016 - Capacity, Generation, Investment Trends, Regulations and Company Profiles Summary "Nuclear Power in South Africa, Market Outlook to 2030, Update 2016 - Capacity, Generation, Investment Trends, Regulations and Company Profiles" is the latest report from GlobalData, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information and understanding of the nuclear power market in South Africa. The report provides in depth analysis on global nuclear power market with forecasts up to 2030. The report analyzes the power market scenario in South Africa (includes thermal conventional, nuclear, large hydro, pumped storage and renewables) and provides future outlook with forecasts up to 2030. The research details nuclear power market outlook in the country and provides forecasts up to 2030. The report highlights installed capacity and power generation trends from 2006 to 2030 in South Africa nuclear power market. A detailed coverage of nuclear energy policy framework governing the market with specific policies pertaining to nuclear is provided in the report. The research also provides details of active nuclear reactors in the country, market size of major equipment and company snapshot of some of the major market participants. The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, secondary research and in-house analysis by GlobalData's team of industry experts. Scope - A brief introduction on global carbon emissions and global primary energy consumption. - Historical period is during 2006-2015 (unless specified) and forecast period is for 2015-2030. - Overview on the global nuclear power market with installed capacity and generation trends, installed capacity split by region in 2015, installed capacity split by major nuclear power countries in 2015 and investment trends. - Power market scenario in South Africa provides detailed market overview, installed capacity and power generation trends by various fuel types (includes thermal conventional, nuclear, large hydro and renewables) with forecasts up to 2030. - Details of South Africa nuclear power market with installed capacity and generation trends, installed capacity by reactor type, installed capacity share by contractor/owner and information on major active and upcoming projects. - Key policies and regulatory framework supporting nuclear power development. - Company snapshots of some of the major market participants in the country. Reasons to Buy - The report will enhance your decision making capability in a more rapid and time sensitive manner. - Identify key growth and investment opportunities in South Africa nuclear power market. - Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data for nuclear power market. - Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industry's growth potential. - Identify key partners and business development avenues. - Understand and respond to your competitors' business structure, strategy and prospects. Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03008639-summary/view-report.html About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. http://www.reportlinker.com __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com Vice Dean for Science and Chief Scientific Officer at NYU Langone Medical Center , and a senior member of its Perlmutter Cancer Center , one of the NCI's 69 designated cancer centers, Dr. Bar-Sagi will receive $1 million per year for seven years from the NCI to fund her research. NCI's Outstanding Investigator Awards (OIA) support researchers with esteemed records of productivity, encouraging them to continue or to embark on research projects of unusual potential. Because these awards provide funding over an extended period of time, they allow scientists to take greater risks and be more adventurous in their investigations. "We are extremely proud Dr. Bar-Sagi's work has been acknowledged in this way," says Robert I. Grossman, MD, the Saul J. Farber Dean and CEO of NYU Langone. "Her leadership in cancer research is defined by two principal factors: wide recognition of the importance of her contributions to science, and the influence it bears on the investigative work of others." About Dr. Bar-Sagi Dr. Bar-Sagi leads an active research laboratory widely known for elucidating cellular pathways involved in controlling cell growth. Her work has led to discoveries regarding the involvement of Ras oncogenes in the regulation of cell proliferation and survival, tumor immunity, cellular metabolism and cell-to-cell signaling. A major focus of her efforts is on defining how the activation of these processes by Ras oncogenes trigger the initiation and progression of pancreatic cancer, and how this information can be exploited to design new therapeutic strategies. Named Chief Scientific Officer at NYU Langone in 2011, Dr. Bar-Sagi serves as the principal strategist to advance the medical center's research enterprise, which is supported by close to $330 million in total grant funding. Prior to joining NYU Langone in 2006 as chair of the Department of Biochemistry, Dr. Bar-Sagi headed the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook. "It is a tremendous honor to be recognized in this manner," says Dr. Bar-Sagi. "This award also acknowledges the numerous contributions of generations of investigators and researchers-in-training whom I have had the pleasure to work with. I am immensely grateful to the NCI for its continued support of our efforts to find a cure for cancer." Media Inquiries: Media Relations Department NYU Langone Medical Center (212) 404-3500 / [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429455 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150715/237434LOGO SOURCE NYU Langone Medical Center Related Links http://nyulangone.org TALLADEGA, Ala., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Parking Forward, Inc., new leaders in specialized parking management is pleased to announce the Associate Sponsorship with BK Racing and drivers David Ragan, Matt DiBenedetto, and Jeffrey Earnhardt for the upcoming Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, October 21st - 23rd. This announcement comes as Parking Forward officially launches its vertical market brand that provides products and services related to parking mobility and transportation operations to the racing industry and the individual NASCAR tracks. Parking Forward, provides parking and transportation technology solutions that are changing the future of special event parking at NASCAR venues. "We understand the unique needs of NASCAR venues and the vital role that parking and transportation services contribute to the overall fan experience," Parking Forward Communications Specialist, Thomas Conway, Jr., explained. "These days' customer satisfaction begins online. Long before arriving at the site," Conway continued. "To improve the overall experience we use real time data and mobile applications to enable more robust, agile customer service that will ensure the lifelong satisfaction of everyone attending the NASCAR events." Parking Forward, Inc.'s Senior Vice President John D. Conway stated, "We are extremely honored to launch our vertical market to the NASCAR industry at one of the greatest Venues of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Talladega Superspeedway. We look forward to introducing our technology to the individual tracks in the future. Our team is confident, other racing venues will appreciate the benefits of our products and how they enhance the fan experience. Doug Fritz, Chief Marketing Officer for BK Racing, stated, "It's great to have Parking Forward on our team this weekend at Talladega. It's really cool to visualize how their products can greatly improve how fans get to the races. I believe their products will revolutionize how people think about parking and transportation at NASCAR venues. It's clear to me, their team understands the importance of our fans as do we at BK Racing. I would like to thank Parking Forward for their support of our team this weekend and look forward to seeing their products and services at NASCAR tracks each weekend helping our fans to have a great experience." About Parking Forward Parking Forward Inc., provides specialized parking management solutions from industry veterans with over 65 years of combined sales, parking and technology experience. Our state of the art, proprietary technologies streamline parking revenue capture, recovery and collections that also enhance the customer experience by integrating real time data with mobile/web applications that enable more robust, agile customer service. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Parking Forward, Inc. partners with businesses of all sizes to drive sales on behalf of parking technology manufacturers and parking solutions providers. Our broad service offerings range from access and revenue control solutions to parking revenue recovery services and collections, to full-service parking management solutions. Our customers include operators, municipalities, universities, hospitals, commercial and residential buildings, hotels and special event venues. Our strategic partners include the Urban Innovation Group (UIG), Parking Revenue Recovery Services, Inc., ParkHub, Nationwide Parking Services, and Mountain Parking Equipment. About BK Racing BK Racing is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota Racing team headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 2012 after acquiring the assets of Red Bull Racing, BK Racing's staff of 60+ employees work to field the No. 23 Toyota Camry driven by David Ragan and the No. 83 Toyota Camry driven by Matt DiBenedetto. 2016 marks BK Racing's 5th consecutive full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Contact: John D. Conway Senior Vice President [email protected] 720-363-5638 / Twitter: @conwayparking SOURCE Parking Forward, Inc. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150203/727958-b ) The "CORAIL" study evaluates the efficacy of PM1183 in comparison with topotecan or pegilated lyposomal doxorrubicin, standard of care for this pathology. As Dr Arturo Soto, Director of the Clinical Department of PharmaMars Oncology Business Unit, explains "the study has been completed three months ahead of schedule, which reflects the interest in the drug and in the study and also a necessity by the investigators for a new therapeutic alternative for these patients". About lurbinectedin (PM1183) PM1183 is a compound under clinical investigation. It is an inhibitor of RNA polymerase II. This enzyme is essential for the transcription process that is over-activated in tumors with transcription addiction. The antitumor efficacy of lurbinectedin is being investigated in various types of solid tumors, including this Phase III study for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, a Phase II study for BRCA 1 and BRCA 2-associated metastatic breast cancer and a pivotal Phase III study for small cell lung cancer. About ovarian cancer It is estimated that about 240,000 cases will be diagnosed worldwide and about 150,000 women will die of ovarian cancer. Among gynaecological malignancies, it is the second most common cancer and the one causing more deaths[i]. Most patients with ovarian cancer have late-stage disease, in which the cancer has spread, at the moment of diagnosis[ii]. Debulking surgery to remove most of the tumor is usually followed by chemotherapy; however, about 80% of women will relapse after treatment with platinum or a taxane and they may benefit from other therapeutic alternatives[iii]. i. Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Ervik M, Dikshit R, Eser S, Mathers C, Rebelo M, Parkin DM, Forman D, Bray, F. GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.0, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 11 [Internet]. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2013. Available from: http://globocan.iarc.fr , accessed on 15 April 2015. ii. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovariancancer/ iii. Ann Oncol (2013) 24 (suppl 10):x69-x76.doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdt475 Media Relations (+34-638-79-62-15) and Investor Relations (+34-914444500) SOURCE PharmaMar JACKSON, Mich., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Plexus Technology Group, LLC (Plexus TG), a fully KLAS-rated, market-leading, best-of-breed provider of anesthesia information management systems (AIMS), is pleased to announce they will be exhibiting at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2016 annual meeting in Chicago, IL, held this weekend October 22-26 at the McCormick Place convention center. This five-day event includes special lectures, hands-on workshops and late-breaking panel discussion and attracts upwards of 15,000 attendees from around the world seeking to learn the latest science and technology about the specialty of anesthesiology. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429216LOGO Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429217 Plexus TG will be demonstrating its easy-to-use, scalable AIMS solution, Anesthesia Touch, for both iPad iOS and Windows platforms. Anesthesia Touch integrates with facility's electronic health records (EHR), giving clinicians access to surgery schedules, patient demographics, preoperative information, lab results and physiologic data, so they have the information they need when they need it. In addition, Plexus TG will be showcasing Pharmacy Touch, an add-on module that makes medication management simple with its intuitive, easy-to-use system that delivers anesthesia providers and their pharmacies an integrated solution with controlled-access cabinets, barcode syringe labeling, closed-loop reconciliation and automated charging. "We are excited for the opportunity to present our established, reliable anesthesia EMR and medication management system, as well as offering one-on-one demonstrations to the conference attendees this year at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2016," said Joe Gentile, senior vice president at Plexus Technology Group. "Furthermore, this is a great venue for demonstrating how our medication management solution streamlines the dispensing, labeling, charting and reconciliation of anesthesia medications." "Plexus TG and Anesthesia Business Consultants are teaming up at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2016 to strategically exhibit the synergy between their unique product offerings. Integrating the electronic anesthesia documentation with our billing system offers an even greater level of automation designed to improve productivity and deliver value to our clients," commented Tony Mira, CEO of Plexus Technology Group & Anesthesia Business Consultants. As an iPad-based anesthesia documentation solution, Anesthesia Touch's full KLAS rating demonstrates Plexus TG's commitment to providing complete AIMS functionality for their clients. For more information, visit www.klasresearch.com. To learn more about the solutions offered by Plexus Technology Group, please visit Booth #4028 at the Chicago McCormick Place convention center. About Plexus Technology Group, LLC Plexus Technology Group, a subsidiary of MiraMed Global Services, is a leading provider of anesthesia information management and medication management systems. Anesthesia Touch is a full-featured AIMS for both Windows and iOS platforms that supports concurrent charting and streaming physiologic data. It is easy to use, improves processes, enhances patient safety, provides comprehensive anesthesia documentation and is certified as a full EHR for meaningful use. Pharmacy Touch, a modular add-on to Anesthesia Touch, automates controlled substance reconciliation, eliminates duplicate documentation, reduces drug errors and delivers charge capture and decision support at the point of care. For more information, visit www.plexustg.com. Contact: Jennifer Dixon, Director of Communications 781.915.0221 Email SOURCE Plexus Technology Group Related Links http://www.plexustg.com NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantcast, a global leader in applying the power of live audiences to digital and mobile advertising, today announced a strategic partnership with the ANA (Association of National Advertisers), the leading organization for client side marketers. Through this newly minted relationship, Quantcast joins a prestigious list of partner organizations that work closely with the ANA to advance the marketing industry and the needs of marketers. The partnership includes the integration of Quantcast's Real-time Advertising Academy (RTA) into the ANA's School of Marketing, and will introduce participants to the fundamentals of the programmatic ecosystem. The School of Marketing offers marketing training throughout the year for ANA members and associate members. Quantcast and the ANA will be premiering the RTA Academy workshop, "Discovering Programmatic for Real World Application," at this week's ANA Masters of Marketing Conference in Orlando, Florida. "Programmatic is one of the greatest opportunities the advertising industry has ever seen, simultaneously allowing brands to generate superior returns and delivering more relevant and compelling advertising experiences for consumers," said Konrad Feldman, CEO and co-founder of Quantcast. "Those that embrace programmatic may enjoy the sort of competitive advantage that search offered 15 years ago, and we look forward to furthering this dialogue with the ANA and their members through the RTA Academy." "One of our most important goals at the ANA is to provide our members with access to the best, most sophisticated and effective training tools available," said ANA CEO Bob Liodice. "It's essential that advertisers be aware of and adopt all available advances in marketing technology, and in partnering with Quantcast, we can make sure that happens." Alongside the ANA's partnership, Quantcast's RTA Academy is also integrated into the 4A's educational programming and is approved by the IAB UK, making it a globally recognized program. To date, the Academy has trained more than 5,100 professionals throughout 320 events in nine countries. Quantcast's RTA Academy has recently expanded its program to offer an online course and certification in addition to live workshops. "As technology continues to rapidly evolve the advertising eco-system, it is crucial that we, as marketers, remain educated on how to speak a programmatic language," said Leila Ratnani, Group Digital Director, Microsoft UK. "Quantcast's RTA Academy served as a crash course for our team to learn more about key issues and trends impacting our world today from ad fraud to viewability and we left the program with a more well-rounded understanding of our sector." About the Real-time Advertising Academy The Real-time Advertising (RTA) Academy is an educational program developed in an effort to address the knowledge gap across industry professionals to understand the language, tools and processes of the digital advertising ecosystem. To date, the RTA Academy has trained over 5,000 professionals at 300 events in 9 countries. Recognizing the widespread benefit to the industry, the RTA Academy has expanded the program to offer an online course and certification. Learn more about Quantcast's Real-time Advertising Academy at rtaacademy.com. About Quantcast Quantcast is a leader in understanding real-time audiences at the intersection of commerce and culture, providing relevant advertising and actionable audience intelligence for brands and publishers. Our more than 800 employees are driven by the potential for big data to radically improve everyone's connected experiences and transform the way we all make sense of the world. For more information, visit www.quantcast.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161016/429141LOGO SOURCE Quantcast Related Links http://www.quantcast.com LONDON, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The scope of the study is confined to photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), and others (PIN photodiodes and avalanche photodiodes); hence, the market size is estimated only for the abovementioned product segments. The radiation monitoring and safety market is projected to reach USD 652.8 million by 2020 from USD 512.1 million in 2015, at a CAGR of 5.0% in the next five years (2015 to 2020). The radiation monitoring and safety market is undergoing a significant transformation, with the changing landscapes of healthcare, nuclear power plants, homeland security and defense, and manufacturing industries. The growth of this market is majorly influenced by the dynamics of these industries. Growing safety concerns post the Fukushima disaster, technological advancements, growing security threats, growing security budgets of global sporting events, increasing incidence of cancer, growth in the number of PET/CT scans, and growing threat of nuclear terrorism are some factors expected to drive the growth of the global radiation monitoring and safety market in the coming years. On the other hand, factors such as shortage of a nuclear power workforce worldwide and nuclear power phase-out in some European countries are expected to restrain the growth of the market. However, the increase in the number of nuclear power plants in India and Pacific countries, growing focus on clean and reliable electricity generation in China, and the decision of the Japanese government to reverse its nuclear power phase-out are posing lucrative opportunities for the radiation monitoring and safety market. In 2015, the photomultiplier tubes segment is expected to account for the largest share of the radiation monitoring and safety market, by product, while the healthcare segment is expected to account for the largest share of radiation monitoring and safety market, by application. In 2015, North America is expected to account for the largest share of the global radiation monitoring and safety market, followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). North America's large share is attributed to the increasing prevalence of cancer, rising adoption of nuclear imaging systems, government initiatives, the increase in the number of nuclear power plants in the U.S., growing security concerns, and the rising number of conferences. In the coming years, the radiation monitoring and safety market is expected to witness the highest growth in the Asia-Pacific region, with emphasis on India, China, and Japan. This can be attributed to factors such as high spending on homeland security in Asia, Japan's decision to continue with the use of nuclear power, high growth expected in China's nuclear power industry, presence of global and local players in the Chinese market, increasing number of nuclear power plants in India, and increasing installations of nuclear imaging systems in India. The market witnesses high competitive intensity, as there are several big and many small firms with similar product offerings. These companies adopt various strategies (agreements, partnerships, collaboration, expansion, new product launches, and acquisition) to increase their market shares and establish a strong foothold in the global market. Reasons to Buy the Report: The report will enrich both established firms as well as new entrants/smaller firms to gauge the pulse of the market, which in turn helps firms to garner a greater market share. Firms purchasing the report could use any one or a combination of the below-mentioned five strategies (market penetration, product development/innovation, market development, market diversification, and competitive assessment) for strengthening their market shares. The report provides insights on the following pointers: - Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on the products and services offered by top players in the radiation monitoring and safety market. The report analyzes the radiation monitoring and safety market by product and application. - Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research and development activities, and new product launches in the radiation monitoring and safety market - Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative emerging markets. The report analyzes the markets for radiation monitoring and safety across regions - Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped regions, recent developments, and investments in the radiation monitoring and safety market - Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and distribution networks of the leading players in the radiation monitoring and safety market Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3748534/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RadiumOne, a leading data-driven marketing technology company, announced today that it has partnered with Integral Ad Science (IAS), the technology and data company that empowers the advertising industry to effectively influence consumers everywhere, to measure digital media quality. RadiumOne also announced that it substantially outperformed programmatic advertising industry norms for ad fraud, viewability and brand safety, according to the H1 2016 Media Quality Report issued by IAS. The report provides independent verification that RadiumOne's data-driven, consumer-centric approach to digital marketing is an effective way for advertisers to connect with real people in high-quality, brand-safe environments. "RadiumOne's commitment to finding high-quality placements has paid off. They have performed significantly better than all of our benchmarks for measures of media quality for both banner and video advertising," said Harmon Lyons, VP of Business Development of Integral Ad Science. In its drive to power more accountable marketing, RadiumOne integrated IAS's pre-bid targeting solutions for banner and video advertising. After measuring over five billion impressions during the first six months of 2016, IAS determined that RadiumOne's advertising fraud rate of just 3.4 percent was less than one-half the average of 8.3 percent for all programmatic advertising technology vendors surveyed by IAS during that time. IAS defines ad fraud as any deliberate activity that prevents ads from being served to human users. IAS reports that 7.1 percent of all digital advertising display impressions are fraudulent, meaning that RadiumOne substantially beats both peers and industry-wide averages for delivering campaigns to humans, rather than so-called 'bot' viewers. IAS measured RadiumOne's average in-view rate at 53 percent for video and 57 percent for banners, coming in 64 percent and 10 percent higher than the 32 percent and 52 percent in-view rates, respectively, reported for other programmatic vendors. In fact, RadiumOne's performance on banner ad viewability was almost as high as what can be obtained via publisher-direct media buying. Average percentage in-view measures the proportion of served impressions that can be seen by human viewers, wherever they are. IAS reports that more than half of all digital ads today are not viewable. On measures of brand safety, which characterize the suitability of publisher content for advertising, RadiumOne served its clients' campaigns into 'high to very high risk' media only 1 percent of the time 30 percent better than other programmatic vendors, which averaged 1.4 percent. IAS dynamically scores individual pages for advertising quality based on whether it includes adult content, offensive language, violence, gambling or other inappropriate content. RadiumOne's exceptional performance for brand safety means that it places advertisers' messages in the right environments, and does so better than the alternatives. "At RadiumOne, our mission is to help brands run data-driven marketing campaigns that connect with consumers in powerful ways," said Bob Hall, SVP of Business Development at RadiumOne. "We work closely with the industry's best media partners and publishers, and our data, bidding and optimization strategies ensure that our clients' campaigns have the best possible placement. The results from Integral Ad Science continue to prove that we are much more effective than the competition in addressing the media quality issues that matter most to advertisers." About Integral Ad Science Integral Ad Science (IAS) is a global technology and data company that builds verification, optimization, and analytics solutions to empower the advertising industry to effectively influence consumers everywhere, on every device. We solve the most pressing problems for brands, agencies, publishers, and technology companies by verifying that every impression has the opportunity to be effective, optimizing towards opportunities to consistently improve results, and analyzing digital's impact on consumer actions. Built on data science and engineering, IAS is headquartered in New York with global operations in ten countries. Our growth and innovation have been recognized in Inc. 500, Crain's Fast 50, Forbes America's Most Promising Companies, and I-COM's Smart Data Marketing Technology Company. Learn more at http://www.integralads.com. About RadiumOne RadiumOne is the only data-driven marketing company connecting the dots between brands' paid, earned, shared and owned assets to find and connect with high-value consumers. Through our ability to see the strongest signals of consumer intent and predict where consumers are on their journeys, we can build safe and effective brand-specific campaign strategies. RadiumOne delivers digital campaigns that are measured against real business outcomes. Based in San Francisco, RadiumOne has offices across the North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More on RadiumOne can be found at http://www.radiumone.com. Follow us on Twitter @RadiumOne. Media Contacts: Rekha Ravindra VP of Marketing RadiumOne (415) 418-2343 [email protected] Katie Halloran SHIFT Communications (415) 591-8459 [email protected] SOURCE RadiumOne Related Links http://www.radiumone.com MONTCLAIR, N.J., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Relocation Insurance Group and Move for Hunger are joining forces to combat hunger. Move for Hunger is a non-profit organization that distributes food to those in need. When people move, they often throw away the food in their kitchen. Move for Hunger collects that food and delivers it to local food pantries so it can be sorted and given to families in need. Founded in 2009, Move for Hunger has since collected more than 7 million pounds of food that would likely have ended up in the trash otherwise. Move for Hunger operates nationwide to help the 50 million Americans struggling to get enough to eat. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429471LOGO To help Move for Hunger feed those in need and reduce food waste, Relocation Insurance Group is partnering with the non-profit organization. As part of the partnership, Relocation Insurance Group will be making significant monthly donations throughout the rest of 2016 and 2017. "Because we work with thousands of relocation companies throughout the country, we're well positioned to increase food donation opportunities for Move for Hunger and to help this worthy organization achieve its goals," says Gadi Binness, the President & CEO of Relocation Insurance Group. About Relocation Insurance Group Relocation Insurance Group, LLC is a property and casualty insurance agency specializing in the relocation & transportation industries, licensed in all 50 states. Established in 2003, Relocation Insurance Group has revolutionized the way consumers purchase relocation insurance policies. The relocation insurance programs provide coverage through a network of more than 3,000 affiliated relocation and transportation companies. For more information, visit http://www.relocationinsurance.com. About Move for Hunger Move For Hunger is a non-profit organization that mobilizes the relocation industry to reduce food waste and fight hunger. They work with companies across the United States and Canada to collect unopened, non-perishable food from people who are relocating and deliver it to local food banks. To date, their network has collected over 7 million pounds of food that's 6 million meals for the nearly 50 million Americans who struggle with food insecurity. For more information, or to find out how you can help support Move For Hunger, visit www.MoveForHunger.org. Contact: Gadi Binness: 973-509-5239 Email SOURCE Relocation Insurance Group Related Links http://www.relocationinsurance.com DUBLIN, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Nerve Repair And Regeneration Market Analysis By Product, By Surgery And Segment Forecasts to 2024" report to their offering. The global nerve repair and regeneration market is forecast to reach a value of USD 15.7 billion by 2024, according to this new report. In January 2016, The EU Horizon 2020 program funded a research project AUTOSTEM' launched by the NUI Galway's Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) amounting toUSD 6.73 million. This project is to develop a robotic stem cell production factory, involved in fully automated manufacturing of stem cells in large volumes; thus, having an edge over the old traditional techniques. Also, this technique will treat a range of therapies pertaining tocancer,arthritis, diabetes and other complications. North America dominated the market in 2015 owing to the technological advancements in the region and the introduction of new devices by the manufacturers. In 2015, U.S proved to be the most potential market. The rise in number of cases withinjuries in the Central Nervous System (CNS), including injuries to the spinal cord and the brain,and increase in the governmentinitiatives and funding,as well as funding fromvarious other agencies were some of the major reasons responsible for the growth. In March 2016, Baxter International, Inc. completed the CE marking, the indication for marketing of HEMOPATCH', the ready-to-use surgical patch in the European market. This patch was approved for use in dural defect repair, for treatingtraumatic injuries of the brain, CNS, andas a surgical sealant to contain leakage of bodily fluids in otherbody parts, oras a hemostatic device to prevent the loss of blood. APAC is expected to be the fastest growing region of the nerve repair and regeneration market. Aging population, technological advancements, and unmet medical needs in this region are some of the reasons for the growth of the market In February 2016, Indian scientists working for Revita Life Sciences and Bioquark, Inc. gained permission to conduct clinical trials in 20 clinically dead patients to bring specific parts of their central nervous system back to life. Combination of therapies are to be applied including injecting the brain with stem cells, cocktail of peptides, use of lasers and nerve stimulation techniquesthat have been proven successful in reviving comatose patients.A blend of regenerative medicine tools and treatment devices are to be employed to achieve success with such a complex undertaking. Manufacturers are collaboratingwith the aim of combining the use of innovative devices and therapies to improve treatment efficiency and provide better therapy outcomes In November 2012, UCB (Euronext Brussels) and NewBridge Pharmaceuticals entered into an agreement to engage in geographical expansion of its core products (Neupro, Vimpat, and Cimzia)to include majority of the African and Middle east countries in its distribution channels. On the other hand, Newbridge Pharmaceuticals is to focus on product commercialization, gaining regulatory approvals from local bodies, and perform pharmacovigilance. This agreement is estimated to elevate the uptake of products related to CNS and immunologic diseases in the Middle-east and Africa region. Companies Mentioned: AxoGen, Inc. Baxter International, Inc. Boston Scientific, Inc. St. Jude Medical, Inc. Cyberonics, Inc. Integra Lifesciences Corporation Medtronic plc. Stryker Corporation Polyganics B.V. Report Structure: 1. Methodology and Scope 2. Executive Summary 3. Nerve Repair and RegenerationIndustry Outlook 4. Nerve Repair and Regeneration Product Outlook 5. Nerve Repair and RegenerationSurgery Outlook 6. Nerve Repair and Regeneration RegionalOutlook 7. CompetitiveLandscape For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jt3mff/nerve_repair_and Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com OAKVILLE, ON, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Restaurant Brands International Inc. (TSX/NYSE: QSR, TSX: QSP) will release its third quarter 2016 financial results on Monday, October 24, 2016 and will host an investor conference call that morning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The earnings call will be webcast on the company's investor relations website http://investor.rbi.com and a replay will be available for 30 days following the release. Investors may also access the conference call via the following dial-in numbers: (877) 317-6711 for U.S. callers, (866) 450-4696 for Canadian callers, and (412) 317-5475 for callers from other countries. About Restaurant Brands International Inc. Restaurant Brands International Inc. ("RBI") is one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies with more than $24 billion in system-wide sales and over 19,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories. RBI owns two of the world's most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands TIM HORTONS and BURGER KING. These independently operated brands have been serving their respective guests, franchisees and communities for over 50 years. To learn more about RBI, please visit the company's website at www.rbi.com. SOURCE Restaurant Brands International Inc. ATLANTA, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing its quest of connecting people and brands through great experiences, London-based IWSC Group has partnered with Wine Riot, a creative US team reinventing the wine experience for the millennial generation. Wine Riot aims to change the often intimidating nature of wine and wine tasting into an entertaining and educational experience. "We wanted to create an event with a fun, friendly and inviting atmosphere, that entices people to come and learn about wine," says Tyler Balliet, Founder and President of Wine Riot. "When buying wine consumers can be overwhelmed. We are changing this traditional perception, focusing on authenticity and the story behind the label, making messages about wine and wine making more accessible and encouraging brand engagement. We believe that IWSC Group's wealth of experience in this area will help us to develop our vision and take Wine Riot to the next level." Tyler together with Morgan First, the co-founder and CEO of Wine Riot, put together a team of experts to give their visitors Wine 101, crash courses loaded with tips and tricks to make the world of wine more fun and approachable. To support this, Tyler Balliet built a mobile app that features a basic profile of every wine showcased, and helps customers to rate and remember their favourites. Allen Gibbons, Group CEO at IWSC Group, comments: "I am thrilled to welcome Wine Riot and its founders Tyler and Morgan on board, their approach to wine education through engagement fully resonates with our own ethos and I think the growth opportunity for Wine Riot is enormous." Now in its seventh year, Wine Riot hosts Spring and Autumn tastings in Boston, Chicago and New York. Next events will take place on the following dates: March 10/11th - New York March 24/25 - Chicago April 21/22 - Boston September 22/23 - New York October 13/14 - Chicago October 20/21 - Boston For more information and images, please contact Jana Pavelkova, [email protected] and Umika Verma, [email protected] at The Think Tank - +44 (0) 207 831 2225. About IWSC Group IWSC Group is a world leading events company with a simple and compelling vision "to delight, inspire, and connect people through great experiences," a vision they are realising through building an enviable network of entrepreneurs and partners. Headquartered in the UK, with a North American office in the U.S. city of Atlanta, the business was founded as the International Wine and Spirit Competition in 1969 and now extends to alcoholic beverage competitions, tastings and events in culinary and the arts across North America, Europe and Asia. The business has been built on creating and developing partnerships with entrepreneurs and non-profit organisations to further develop their businesses. Examples include Cochon 555 US Tour, Sugar Land Wine and Food Affair, The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival and Moniker Art Fair, as well as collaboration with some of the world's biggest brands. About Wine Riot Wine Riot was founded by Tyler Balliet and Morgan First with the goal of helping you feel more confident so you can buy better wine! Started in 2009, Wine Riot has hosted more than 50 events in New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, DC and LA! Everything at the Riot is built to help make sure you learn about wine while having a fun time with friends! SOURCE IWSC Related Links http://www.iwscgroup.com ZURICH and BAD NEUSTADT, Germany, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, RHON-KLINIKUM AG (RKA), a private hospital group in Germany, has announced, that by the end of the year, it will begin piloting a Watson-powered cognitive assistance system to help support physicians at the group's Centre for Undiagnosed and Rare Diseases located at the University Hospital Marburg. Since it opened in 2013, the renowned Center has been contacted by more than 6,000 patients to visit Prof. Dr. Jurgen Schafer, a leading expert in rare diseases, who is also known as the "German Dr. House," based on the character of the eponymous American medical television drama. Most of the patients he and his team meets with have year-long medical histories, which include a large amount of unstructured data, such as laboratory tests, clinical reports, drug prescriptions, radiology findings as well as pathology reports. "It's not uncommon for our patients to have thousands of medical documents, leaving us overwhelmed, not only by the large number of patients, but also by the huge amount of data to be reviewed," said Prof. Dr. Jurgen Schafer, University Hospital Marburg. "This is especially challenging because our work is often like searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack -- even the smallest piece of information could lead to an accurate diagnosis." Currently, when the Center's expert physicians meet patients for the first time, they conduct a thorough diagnosis by speaking with the patients and carefully studying their medical history. This is augmented by their own knowledge and experiences, medical journals, online websites and expert tools a process, which can take several days for each patient. Pilot phase at the "Centre for Undiagnosed and Rare Diseases" RKA has teamed up with IBM (NYSE: IBM) for a 12-month pilot project where medical and technical scientists and designers from both companies are working together to develop a cognitive assistance system for rare diseases. Its overall goal is to support physicians to analyze patient data to help them make decisions more quickly and safely. "The amount of medical knowledge continues to explode to the point where it will double every 73 days by the year 2020. Therefore, the planned use of cognitive technology such as IBM Watson is intended to support our evidence-based and individually optimized treatment for each patient," said Prof. Dr. Bernd Griewing, Chief Medical Officer, RHON-KLINIKUM AG. "We are developing an assistance system to facilitate the preparation and evaluation of existing patient information before and during a consultation with physicians This will help our doctors reach diagnostic decisions and select appropriate treatment options." Once the pilot begins, patients will fill out a digital questionnaire developed by the medical staff in Marburg. This questionnaire will anonymize the data and send it to Watson's APIs in the IBM Cloud, where the relevant information will be extracted for the physicians. As the patient information will be provided in German, the cognitive assistant will use a natural language processing algorithm for medical terminology developed by IBM Global Business Services (GBS) to correlate the German questionnaire to the corpus of English-based medical data to provide a differential diagnosis. "Using cognitive computing, we are building a list of hypotheses, including their sources, which we then present to the doctors for an ultimate data-driven diagnosis," said Dr. Matthias Reumann, healthcare scientist and technical leader of the project, IBM Research. "If one lab result is slightly outside of the normal range, Watson may flag it for further investigation." RKA is providing the required specialist information and medical knowledge as well as the IT system for the project and is accountable for data protection regulations. Vision of RHON-KLINIKUM AG for an optimized patient management The insight obtained from the project phase at the University Hospital will subsequently be analyzed and used across other hospitals of the group. The system is expected not only to help physicians find a diagnosis, but also to support the process of patient admission and provide the best possible patient routing. This will prevent cost- and time-intensive misdirection of patients to the wrong specialists or treatment plans. "Optimized patient management is crucial for both the nationwide medical treatment of tomorrow and the further development of our company. In this context, digital solutions are becoming increasingly decisive," said Jens-Peter Neumann, Chief Financial Officer, RHON-KLINIKUM AG. "Our cooperation with IBM is an important part of our innovation strategy. In addition, we are focused on identifying and collaborating with startups in the IT-driven healthcare sector to strengthen our unique market position. Both medical and technical efforts and improvements will serve our patients and create value for our company." Watch this video of the teams from Rhon-Klinikum and IBM: https://youtu.be/MX7yUIj5-a0 Photos are available here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/ibm_research_zurich/86G7y8 About the RHON-KLINIKUM AG RHON-KLINIKUM AG is one of the largest healthcare providers in Germany. At five medical sites with a total of 5,300 beds we offer cutting-edge medical care with a direct link to universities and research institutes. Our top five key areas of treatment are cardiological and coronary disease, neurological disorders, oncology, lung diseases as well as orthopedic and accident surgery. A total of over 15,000 employees work for RHONKLINIKUM AG. Our facilities are located in Bad Berka, Bad Neustadt/Saale, Frankfurt (Oder) and Giessen and Marburg. Further information is available at: www.rhoen-klinikum-ag.com/ About IBM Watson: Pioneering a New Era of Computing Watson represents a new era in computing called cognitive computing, where systems understand the world the way more similar to humans: through senses, learning, and experience. Watson continuously learns from previous interactions, gaining in value and knowledge over time. With Watson, organizations are harnessing the power of cognitive computing to transform industries, help professionals do their jobs better, and solve important challenges. Watson solutions are being built, used and deployed in more than 45 countries and across 20 different industries. Watson is open to the world, allowing a growing community of developers, students, entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts to easily tap into the most advanced and diverse cognitive computing platform available today. For more information on IBM Watson, visit: ibm.com/Watson and ibm.com/press/watson. Join the conversation at #ibmwatson. About IBM Research For more than seven decades, IBM Research has defined the future of information technology with more than 3,000 researchers in 12 labs located across six continents. Scientists from IBM Research have produced six Nobel Laureates, 10 U.S. National Medals of Technology, five U.S. National Medals of Science, six Turing Awards, 19 inductees in the National Academy of Sciences and 20 inductees into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame. For more information about IBM Research, visit www.ibm.com/research. Press contact: Achim Struchholz Head of Corporate Communications, RHON-KLINIKUM AG Tel. +49 9771 65 1328 [email protected] Chris Sciacca Communications, IBM Research Tel. +41 44 724 8443 [email protected] Lorie Fiber Global Communications, Watson Health +1-646-318-0575 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO SOURCE IBM SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RizePoint, the global leader in software solutions that proactively safeguard enterprise compliance, is pleased to announce that the company's Sales Development Team Lead, Brenna Hill, has been named to Utah Business Magazine's "20 in their 20s," an honor recognizing young and ambitious professionals who are taking the business world by storm. "Brenna is playing a critical role in our success," said Michelle Suzuki, Vice President of Marketing for RizePoint. "Her ability to prospect and sell is exceptional. She makes the most out of every opportunity to build the business and justify costs and that has been paramount to her success." Hill is making her mark in the competitive world of technology sales. She joined the RizePoint team in November 2015 to build a new Sales Development function for the fast-growing SaaS startup. In less than a year, Hill has grown the volume of active leads exponentially, and increased qualified sales opportunities by 300 percent. "It is a true honor to be recognized among this impressive group of finalists," said Hill. "I'm proud of the Sales Development team and the extraordinary bottom-line results we've contributed to RizePoint." Hill was selected by an independent panel of judges, recognized for her accomplishments of identifying, developing, and creating new business opportunities that result in closed business. Prior to RizePoint, Hill worked as a business development representative at LANDESK. She holds a Kinesiology and Exercise Science degree from Brigham Young University. RizePoint At-a-Glance RizePoint mobile and cloud-based software helps organizations improve the quality, safety, and sustainability of their products, services, and facilities. RizePoint's software is used by 5 of the top 8 hospitality brands and 5 of the top 8 food service brands. RizePoint serves more than 285,000 users in 120 countries and territories, speaking 40 languages: 105,000 food service restaurants 27,000 hotels and resort properties 13,000 grocery and retail stores About RizePoint RizePoint formerly Steton Technology Group is the global leader in software solutions that proactively safeguard enterprise compliancefor both internally-imposed standards and externally-imposed regulations. RizePoint software builds and protects brand equity by enabling a consistent customer experience. Our customers gather better data, see necessary actions earlier, and act faster to correct issues before they become costly liabilities. Considered the industry standard for food service, hospitality, and retail, RizePoint mobile and cloud-based solutions serve nearly 2 million audits with 200 million questions answered annually. RizePoint is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, visit RizePoint.com. About Utah Business Magazine 20 in Their 20s This program honors dynamic, ambitious professionals in their twenties who are already taking the business world by storm. Whether they are entrepreneurs, dedicated executives, or passionate leaders, these individuals are going above and beyond to make their mark on the Utah business market. Winners will be announced November 10, 2016 at an awards luncheon. Press Inquiries: Whitney McCarthy 801.285.9827 Email SOURCE RizePoint Related Links http://rizepoint.com "This course marks the commencement of the Australian Navy's integration of the Aegis Combat System into the future Australian fleet and a continuation of a very close cooperation with one of our most strategic international partners," said Captain Terry Morrison, Director Destroyers, Surface Combatant and Aircraft Branch for the Royal Australian Navy. "It provided mid-level officers with the management level information required to direct the operation in anti-air, anti-surface, and antisubmarine warfare and to manage combat system maintenance." In the course, students directed all warfare area operations, operated the Aegis display system and commanded system consoles to participate in multi-warfare scenarios, simulating underway conditions. The Prospective Commanding Officer course was also being taught simultaneously at the CSEDS site. The objective of the course is, to train senior officers to direct warfare area operations and operate the Aegis display system and command and decision system consoles in a command role. The two courses are taught separately until the final week of training when they are joined together. During this final week, the Combat Systems Officer students are presented with an operational scenario that required in depth planning. The students then present their findings and recommendations to the Commanding Officer students who make tactical decisions and impart their experience gleaned over many years of naval service. The combined class then used the combat system to effectively "fight the ship" in multi-warfare scenarios. As the Aegis Combat System Engineering Agent, Lockheed Martin provides modern combat management systems and conducts the entire combat system integration life-cycle that enables navies around the world to achieve their most critical mission objectives. Lockheed Martin has successfully delivered and integrated Aegis and Aegis-based products on 126 platforms in eight nations, with an additional 23 under construction or planned. Aegis and Aegis-derived systems are in service in U.S. Navy cruisers, destroyers, Littoral Combat Ships, Coast Guard National Security Cutters and Aegis Ashore sites. The navies of Japan, Spain, Norway, the Republic of Korea, and Australia have also chosen Aegis to protect their nations. For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com/aegis About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 98,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429323 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141118/159313LOGO SOURCE Lockheed Martin Related Links http://www.lockheedmartin.com SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruckus Wireless, Inc., a part of Brocade, will be showcasing its OpenG technology, a solution developed to address coverage and capacity challenges of indoor cellular networks, at two major events this week: Futurecom and Dell EMC World. Utilizing Ruckus' OpenG technology, enterprises and service providers will be able to offer high quality in-building cellular service in a fraction of the time and cost it takes to implement a distributed antenna system (DAS). OpenG is significantly less expensive, easier to deploy and mobile network-neutral. The challenge of in-building cellular coverage and capacity has been a long-standing one, and continues to grow as newer energy efficient buildings block RF signals that result in even more dead zones. This means little-to-no-coverage and a disruption in service for any consumer using a cell phone in the building. Existing alternatives, such as DAS, are expensive and complex, and there are still gaps in the Wi-Fi offering to provide seamless cellular capabilities. To solve this problem, the FCC released, under the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band for commercial use in the U.S.; industry players are collaborating to develop technology combining coordinated shared spectrum capabilities with neutral host capable small cells to enable effective in-building cellular. "Ruckus OpenG technology is more important for consumers now than ever before," says Selina Lo, CEO of the Ruckus Wireless Business Unit, Brocade. "The wireless industry is dramatically shifting as cellular and Wi-Fi technologies converge, and lines are blurring between traditional spectrum management models (either licensed or unlicensed) with the new coordinated shared spectrum 3.5 GHz model. Ruckus OpenG technology combines coordinated shared spectrum capabilities with neutral host capable small cells to enable building owners of all sizes to deploy cost-effective in-building cellular coverage for all of their customer and employee needs." To showcase the updated product, Ruckus' technology will be at the forefront of conversations at industry events this week: Futurecom ( October 17-20th in Sao Paolo, Brazil) Ruckus Wireless CEO Selina Lo will be speaking at Futurecom about the future of smart cities. By 2050, 70 percent of the world's population will live in cities. There is constantly a demand for connection to access educational, health and public security resources, and as technology continues to change, people will rely on future smart cities to supply efficient energy consumption and better infrastructure. Yet, as more "smart cities" are developed, the greater the frequency of "dead zones." As a result, it's important for cities looking to become "smart" to also consider how they will address the challenges of indoor cellular coverage and capacity, the after effect of a city's technological advancement. Session Title: "Meeting Global Demand: Three Pillars in the Connected Future of Smart Cities" Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2016 Time: 2:40-3:10 p.m. BRT Location: Room Argentina Also at Futurecom, Ruckus will be demoing its OpenG technology, which combines coordinated shared spectrum capabilities, such as 3.5 GHz in the U.S., with neutral host capable small cells to enable building owners of all sizes to deploy cost-effective in-building cellular coverage for all of their customer and employee needs. Visit Booth #C44 to learn more about how OpenG will solve today's in-building cellular challenges. Dell EMC World ( October 18-20th in Austin, TX) Ruckus Wireless will be hosting the first live public demo of OpenG at Dell EMC World this year. The Dell EMC World demo highlights the Quality-of-Service (QoS) advantages of the 3.5GHz CBRS spectrum versus the existing Unlicensed 2.4GHz ISM or 5GHz UNII spectrum, especially in crowded Wi-Fi environments like the Dell EMC World conference center. A high-quality video stream and a video conference call will be shown simultaneously over wired Ethernet, Unlicensed and CBRS. The demo will also include the following components from key industry partners: Dell EMC - Servers, NFV software, Dell laptops Brocade - Virtual Enhanced Packet Core, Ruckus CBRS LTE access points Qualcomm - CBRS LTE modems Federated Wireless - CBRS spectrum allocation database service Look for the Ruckus demo at the Emerging Client Technologies area of the Dell Customer Solution Center, Booth C6, at the Austin Convention Center, from October 18-20, 2016. To learn more about OpenG technology and why it's the best approach to answer the indoor cellular coverage problem, visit https://www.ruckuswireless.com/openg. ABOUT RUCKUS WIRELESS Ruckus Wireless, now part of Brocade, delivers simply better wireless for approximately 70,000 enterprise, service provider, government and small business customers worldwide. The company is focused on technology innovation, partner ecosystems and customer serviceyielding the best possible wireless experience for the most challenging indoor and outdoor environments. Its Smart Wi-Fi platform delivers scalable, high-performance Wi-Fi with simplified control and management for on-premise and cloud-based Wi-Fi deployments, along with new services for secure on-boarding, policy management, location services and analytics that enable new business opportunities. Ruckus, Ruckus Wireless and Cloudpath are trademarks of Ruckus Wireless, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other product or company names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Media & Analyst Relations Laurie Falconer [email protected] 408-636-1272 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121120/MM17393LOGO SOURCE Ruckus Wireless, Inc. Related Links http://www.ruckuswireless.com WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Defense and security company Saab has been awarded a contract by the City of Phoenix's Aviation Department to provide an event management system for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). As part of the five-year agreement, Saab's SAFE an open integration software platform will offer enterprise-wide situational awareness and a shared, common operational picture, including real-time landside and airside conditions. SAFE is an enterprise command and control solution for organizations with mission-critical operations. Users can manage resources and events in real time through event-specific response plans and automatic record capturing. At PHX, the system will be used for day-to-day routine events, as well as emergency situations. "Globalization has made airports increasingly important for communities, both economically and socially. The City of Phoenix has taken an important step by procuring a system that will improve the use of existing assets and provide new functionality to enhance overall event coordination and response," said Anders Carp, head of Saab's Traffic Management business unit. The contract includes installation and configuration of the SAFE platform, including gateway interfaces, training and support. Saab will partner with national mission-critical integrator SDI Presence LLC (SDI), leveraging SDI's complex IT expertise and 20 years of experience in the aviation sector. Saab has been working with PHX since 2012, when it was contracted to provide its Aerobahn Surface Management Suite. Aerobahn helps the airport manage its airside operations more effectively. The new SAFE deployment will integrate with Aerobahn in order to provide a truly comprehensive picture of what is happening at PHX across both airside to landside domains. PHX will be one of the first airports in the world with this level of insight into the safety and efficiency of their operations. "Saab's airport security offerings align with the needs of the U.S. market. Smooth airport operations require optimized workflows, increased efficiency and a higher level of safety and security and that's exactly what Aerobahn together with SAFE provides," continued Carp. Saab's entry into the U.S. homeland security market began in 2011 when the company provided TactiCall a net centric-based command and control solution for the State of Georgia's Trauma Communication Center. http://www.saabusa.com Twitter: @Saab_US With several locations across the United States and Canada, Saab North America provides a broad range of defense and homeland security products, services and solutions to North American customers. Saab North America is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Saab Group. Saab Group serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions within military defense and civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents around the world. Through innovative, collaborative and pragmatic thinking, Saab develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers' changing needs. About SDI: Mission-critical systems integrator SDI delivers intelligent technology solutions to ensure client operational performance, security and revenue generation. With a 25-year corporate resume, SDI addresses the higher IT demands of critical environments to deliver zero downtime, enhanced security and risk mitigation strategies. SDI is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), with a portfolio of clients includes some of the nation's largest airports, commercial real estate portfolios, and national banks and financial services organizations. SDI delivers deep technical expertise and impeccable systems performance, with an agile delivery model focused on complete customer satisfaction. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120629/MM33749LOGO SOURCE Saab Related Links http://www.saabusa.com SEATTLE, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With the Paris Climate Agreement coming into effect, and the critical role of business moving into the forefront, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce issued a report today Bright Green in an Emerald City which details examples of business leadership and tangible progress by its membership. "We still have a long way to go but it is increasingly clear that we can stop the worst impacts of climate change even as we grow the economy," said Maud Daudon, president and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. "Business leadership is critical since it helps put to rest the false choice between a strong economy and a healthy environment. We can and must have both," she added. Nationwide, electricity generation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, representing 30 percent of the total for the United States. In Washington state, transportation largely from gasoline consumption by cars and trucks is the largest source of emissions, representing more than 40 percent of total emissions. Both energy and transportation are critical to our economy. "Our business depends on fuel, so it's logical to make our fleet as efficient as possible and to invest in new sustainable biofuels to power our planes," said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Airlines and chair of the Seattle Metro Chamber's Board of Trustees. "We feel a strong sense of responsibility to help find solutions and demonstrate what is possible," he added. While the report focuses on stories of progress, society still has a long way to go in the fight against dangerous climate change. The United States is the second largest carbon emitter in the world, after China. To preserve a chance of keeping average temperature rise to less than 2 degrees Celsius, the United States committed in the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce its carbon emissions by 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. Under any scenario, business leadership is required to meet this objective. Businesses involved in the report include Alaska Airlines, Amazon, The Boeing Company, Microsoft, NBBJ, Nucor, Puget Sound Energy, Starbucks Coffee Company, Touchstone, University of Washington, Virginia Mason and Weyerhaeuser. Read the full report: http://www.seattlechamber.com/home/advocacy/advocacy-news/details/2016/10/17/chamber-members-lead-on-innovations-in-climate. The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is an independent organization of 2,200 businesses representing a regional workforce of approximately 700,000 people. www.seattlechamber.com. CONTACT Brad Kahn [email protected] 206-419-1607 SOURCE The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Related Links http://www.seattlechamber.com ZHANGJIAGANG, China, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Intermediate People's Court of Suzhou City recently made final verdict on the commercial defamation dispute between the Plaintiff Sino Legend (China) Chemical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Sino Legend") and the Defendant SI Group (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SI Group"). The court rejected the appeal of SI Group, maintained the first instance judgment which is that SI Group has the intentional malicious behavior of weakening the opponent's competitiveness through defamation, and ordered SI Group to stop infringement, eliminate effects and compensate for losses. The litigious dispute between Sino Legend and SI Group can be traced back to year 2008. In November 2008, SI Group reported to Economic Crime Investigation Corps of Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau, alleging that Sino Legend stole their business secrets. On September 4, 2009, the Economic Crime Investigation Corps of Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau decided not to register the case, because an investigation found that Sino Legend committed no crimes. In February 2010, SI Group initiated dispute litigation to Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People's Court over patent application right and infringement on commercial secrets, alleging that Sino Legend infringed commercial secrets of SI Group. Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People's Court made judgment on June 17, 2013, determining that the technology of Sino Legend was an independent research and development result achieved by Sino Legend, and that all litigious appeals of SI Group were groundless in respect of fact and law, and therefore the court did not support the appeals. On October 12, 2013, Shanghai High People's Court made the final verdict, rejecting appeals of SI Group and maintaining the original judgment, as the appeals were groundless in respect of fact and law. Furthermore, the verdict strongly criticized SI Group for withdrawing lawsuit yet again right before court trials, asserting "the appellant applied for case withdrawal at this time not for the purpose of case dropping, but for buying time for advocating another litigation, which was obviously against the principle of integrity." In December 2015, Shanghai High People's Court again rejected the retrial application of SI Group, and pointed out in harsh rhetoric "As a party to the case with relatively strong capacity of action and professional lawyers, SI Group ignored explicit regulations in Chinese laws, and failed to duly exercise litigation rights and perform litigation obligations during case trial. In addition, during case trial by second instance court and retrial inspection by this court, SI Group repeatedly raised procedural objections which obviously lacked factual and legal support. The conducts of SI Group were against the basic litigious principle of integrity, and this court decided not to support the appeals and to give reprimand." In February 2010, SI Group sent letters to tire factories in Japan and the three largest tire factories of the world, alleging that Sino Legend infringed its commercial secrets. The allegations were made before Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People's Court made judgment on the case. Competent authorities have confirmed the above mentioned conducts of SI Group. In order to protect its own lawful rights and interests, Sino Legend filed commercial defamation case against SI Group to the People's Court of Zhangjiagang City. In May 2015, the People's Court of Zhangjiagang City made judgment in favor of Sino Legend over the commercial defamation case, requesting SI Group to immediately stop all commercial defamation and to deliver open letters to clear the facts to Michelin (China) Investment Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Rubber Industry Group, Toyo Tires Co., Ltd., Goodyear Tires Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., and Continental Tire Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Moreover, SI Group has to publish the open letter on its website, on the journals Tire Industry and China Rubber Industry, and to compensate Sino Legend with RMB1,000,000 for economic losses. In September 2016, the Intermediate People's Court of Suzhou City again determined that SI Group has the intentional malicious behavior of inappropriate competition and of causing actual losses, and therefore, the court rejected the appeals of SI Group and maintained the original judgment. Lawyer Liu Feng, director of Intellectual Property Commission of Shanghai Bar Association and senior partner with Beijing Dentons (Shanghai) Law Office, remarks, "Adequate infringement warning letter should inform the opponent party of the rights of the letter issuing party, and scope of the right, and the letter should facilitate dispute settlement through negotiation. However, as we can see in this case, SI Group quoted partial information which was in favor of itself and sent the misleading accusations against Sino Legend to clients of Sino Legend, despite the fact that the preliminary authentication report obtained by SI Group had been rejected by competent judicial authorities. Therefore, SI Group was intentional in commercial defamation." "From the early half of 2010 until today, the Plaintiff Sino Legend had spent more than six and a half years going through first instance and second instance trials, and finally earned justice it had been seeking for a long time. This case provided excellent inspiration to Chinese enterprises. In recent years, with the continual progress in technology levels of Chinese enterprises, previous leading enterprises begin to feel uncomfortable, doubtful, and they even use various means to prevent the progress. Chinese enterprises are facing the challenges of how to correctly and effectively settle malicious commercial defamation and malicious prevention." "Sino Legend has always been advocating the essential characters of integrity and honesty as the foundation of man and the lifeline of enterprise," remarks Corey Xie, general manager of Sino Legend. "Unfortunately, there are still enterprises such as SI Group who knows only interests, ignores facts and robs orders by maliciously defaming competitors. The market must impose boycott on such enterprises so as to create a market where fair competition and healthy development prevail." Law affairs director of Sino Legend commends, "The verdict given by the Intermediate People's Court of Suzhou City is sufficiently presented and is supported by strong evidences. The verdict keeps Sino Legend's reputation from damage by affirmation of the first instance court that the Open Letter sent by SI Group distorts facts, and that SI Group has the intentional malicious behavior of inappropriate competition and of causing actual losses to Sino Legend." "Sino Legend will seek lawful remedies against any infringements violating Sino Legend's commercial secrets and damaging Sino Legend's commercial reputation. Sino Legend shows its resolve in protecting its own rights and interests through the case of commercial secrets infringement against SI Group. Verdict on the case has been given by Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People's Court at the end of April this year, determining that SI Group has indeed acquired technical secrets of Sino Legend, and prohibiting SI Group to disclose and use the technical information in the future." For more information about Sino Legend, please visit our company website www.SinoLegend.com. SOURCE Sino Legend (China) Chemical Company Ltd. Related Links http://www.SinoLegend.com WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Simmer Law Group announced today that a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit it filed for a whistleblower client on behalf of the United States and participating Medicaid states against Cincinnati-based Omnicare has settled for $28.125 million. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) intervened in the suit in 2014. DOJ announced today that it had reached a settlement with Omnicare to resolve allegations that it solicited and received kickbacks from pharmaceutical manufacturer Abbott Laboratories in exchange for promoting the prescription drug, Depakote, for nursing home patients. Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of CVS Health Corporation, Omnicare is the nation's largest institutional pharmacy with a 75 percent market share, filling over 100 million prescriptions annually. According to Scott Simmer of the Simmer Law Group, who represented the first-filed relator in the case against Omnicare, today's settlement is related to the fraud to which Abbott pleaded guilty in May of 2012 when it agreed to pay $1.5 billion to resolve its criminal and civil liability arising from the unlawful promotion of the drug Depakote, including to elderly patients with dementia. Omnicare's main competitor, PharMerica, paid $9.25 million last year to resolve similar allegations. Simmer says long-term care facilities typically contract with institutional pharmacies like Omnicare to provide not only special packaging for controlled administration, but also consultation services for physicians and in-service training programs for nursing staff. The company receives millions of dollars annually in reimbursement from the federal Medicare Part D program as well as from Medicaid, which is jointly funded by the federal and state governments. "Federal and state anti-kickback statutes prohibit the exchange of anything of value in an effort to induce the referral of federal health care program business," Simmer said. "Violators on either end of the transaction risk not only civil and criminal penalties, but also possible exclusion from government health insurance programs." "The most appalling thing about this case was that it violated the trust of some of the most vulnerable Americans the elderly," Simmer said. "We hope this sends a powerful signal to those who care for our seniors. Families trust that the staff caring for their loved one put the elderly resident's interests first. We are grateful for the extraordinary work of Assistant Director Ed Crooke and Trial Attorney Brian McCabe in the Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice; Rick Mountcastle, First Assistant United States Attorney in the U. S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia; and Wm. Clay Garrett, Assistant Attorney General and Chief of Civil Litigation for the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Virginia Attorney General's Office." About Simmer Law Group PLLC Based in Washington, DC, the Simmer Law Group PLLC represents whistleblowers nationwide who have filed cases alleging fraud that financially impacted state and federal governments in the areas of health care, for-profit education and government contracting; as well as insurance plans in large scale recovery actions. Related Documents Relator's Second Amended Complaint SOURCE The Simmer Law Group TIANJIN, China, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC"; NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981), one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world and the largest and most advanced foundry in mainland China, announces the laying of the foundation stone to mark the official launch of its capacity expansion project at SMIC's TianJin facility. After the project's completion, SMIC TianJin is expected to become the world's largest integrated 8-inch IC production line. SMIC TianJin is located in the Xiqing Economic Technological Development Area, Tianjin, and currently has a mature 8-inch IC production line with a capacity of 45,000 wafers/month. After completion of the expansion project, SMIC TianJin's capacity will reach 150,000 8-inch wafers/month. The project's progress and capacity arrangement will depend on customers' needs. The main product applications supported by the project include IoT related IC's, fingerprint identification, power management, mixed signal processing, and automotive electronics. The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, said: "The launch of capacity expansion of our 8-inch production line is another milestone in the history of SMIC TianJin. SMIC TianJin has long been running at full capacity, and this expansion will significantly ease the balance of demand and supply and provide more high-quality capacity to our clients. Moreover, SMIC's capacity distribution throughout mainland China will be further optimized." The TianJin Deputy Mayor, Mr. Shushan He, the Secretary of Xiqing Area, Mr. Xuewang Wang attended the ceremony. The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, and the CEO and Executive Director of SMIC, Dr. Tzu-Yin Chiu, together laid the foundation stone for the new project. About SMIC Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC"; NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981) is one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world and the largest and most advanced foundry in mainland China. SMIC provides integrated circuit (IC) foundry and technology services on process nodes from 0.35 micron to 28 nanometer. Headquartered in Shanghai, China, SMIC has an international manufacturing and service base. In China, SMIC has a 300mm wafer fabrication facility (fab) and a 200mm mega-fab in Shanghai; a 300mm mega-fab and a majority-owned 300mm fab for advanced nodes in Beijing; 200mm fabs in Tianjin and Shenzhen; and a majority-owned joint-venture 300mm bumping facility in Jiangyin; additionally, in Italy SMIC has a majority-owned 200mm fab. SMIC also has marketing and customer service offices in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Taiwan, and a representative office in Hong Kong. For more information, please visit www.smics.com. Safe Harbor Statements (Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) This press release contains, in addition to historical information, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements, including statements under "Third Quarter 2016 Guidance", "CapEx Summary" and the statements contained in the quotes of our CEO are based on SMIC's current assumptions, expectations and projections about future events. SMIC uses words like "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "project," "target" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks, both known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors that may cause SMIC's actual performance, financial condition or results of operations to be materially different from those suggested by the forward-looking statements including, among others, risks associated with the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry, changes in demand for our products, competition in our markets, our reliance on a small number of customers, orders or judgments from pending litigation, intensive intellectual property lawsuits in semiconductor industry and financial stability in end markets, general economic conditions and fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Investors should consider the information contained in SMIC's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including its annual report on 20-F filed with the SEC on April 25, 2016, especially the consolidated financial statements, and such other documents that SMIC may file with the SEC or The Hong Kong Stock Exchange Limited ("SEHK") from time to time, including current reports on Form 6-K. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on SMIC's future results, performance or achievements. In light of these risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release may not occur. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date stated, or if no date is stated, as of the date of this press release. Except as may be required by law, SMIC undertakes no obligation and does not intend to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SMIC Media Contact: Terry Ding Tel: +86-21-3861-0000 x16812 Email: [email protected] SMIC Investor Contact: Tel: +86-21-3861-0000 x 12804 Email: [email protected] SOURCE SMIC Related Links http://www.smics.com MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sofinnova, a biotech-focused investment firm, is pleased to announce the closing of Sofinnova Venture Partners X at its hard cap of $650M. The initial fund target was $550M. Sofinnova was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California with offices in Menlo Park, Ca. and San Diego, Ca. Since 2007, and the launch of Sofinnova Venture Partners VII, the Firm has focused on biopharmaceuticals and specialized in clinical stage investments. The three General Partners for Fund X have worked together since 2007. Sofinnova Venture Partners Fund X is the fourth fund to follow the focused strategy of investing primarily in mid and later stage investments. Over the past decade, Sofinnova has raised roughly $2B to invest in biotechnology companies that are developing drugs that address high unmet medical needs and improve the lives of patients. The capital for Fund X was raised from existing and a select group of new institutional investors. "We are grateful for the tremendous support of our investors during this fundraising," said Jim Healy, Sofinnova's General Partner. "We appreciate the significant ongoing commitment of our existing investors and have the privilege to add a small number of new highly esteemed institutional investors." Fund X will seek to invest in 20-25 companies typically ranging from $15 to $35M per company. Sofinnova partners with entrepreneurs that are developing drugs which target a clear unmet medical need and have the potential to transform the lives of patients. Since 2007, we have invested in 46 companies in the areas of rare and orphan diseases, oncology, women's health, dermatology, ophthalmology and infectious diseases. We will continue to execute our strategy of building a balanced diversified portfolio of mid to later stage opportunities in the US with selected early stage and European investments. The partners of Fund X are Jim Healy, MD, PhD, Mike Powell, PhD, Anand Mehra, MD, Sunil Agarwal, MD, Lars Ekman, MD, PhD, David Kabakoff, PhD and Dan Welch. About Sofinnova Founded in 1974, Sofinnova specializes in clinical and late preclinical investments in biopharmaceutical products. Our goal is to actively partner with entrepreneurs across all stages of company formation including securing initial funding, building successful management teams, forming impactful corporate alliances, and navigating the M&A acquisition or IPOs' process. We seek to build world class companies that aspire to dramatically improve the current state of medical care today and ultimately, the lives of patients. For more information, please visit www.sofinnova.com. Contact: Charlotte Shropshire [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161013/428700LOGO SOURCE Sofinnova Related Links http://www.sofinnova.com WICHITA, Kan., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. [NYSE: SPR] will release its third quarter 2016 financial results at 6:30 a.m. Central Time Tuesday, November 1, 2016. Spirit AeroSystems President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Gentile will be joined by Spirit's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Sanjay Kapoor on a conference call presentation to securities analysts about third quarter 2016 results and company outlook at 10 a.m. Central Time. That presentation will be broadcast online. It will include charts and a question-and-answer session. The company's news release detailing the results will also be available. The live audio stream and slide presentation can be accessed November 01, 2016, at http://www.spiritaero.com/investor.aspx. Individuals are urged to check the web site in advance to ensure their computers are configured for the audio stream and slide presentation. On the web: http://www.spiritaero.com About Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France and Malaysia. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe. More information is available at www.SpiritAero.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130515/CG13652LOGO SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. Related Links http://www.spiritaero.com ABBOTT PARK, Ill. and ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) and St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE: STJ) announced today an agreement in principle to sell certain products to Terumo Corporation. The transaction reflects a purchase price of approximately $1.12 billion and is subject to the successful completion of Abbott's acquisition of St. Jude Medical and antitrust regulatory approvals. Abbott, St. Jude Medical and Terumo are bound by the terms of an exclusivity agreement. The divestiture is an all-cash transaction and will include the products globally for St. Jude Medical's Angio-Seal and Femoseal vascular closure products and Abbott's Vado Steerable Sheath. Abbott will retain its vascular closure products, which include the Perclose ProGlide Suture-Mediated Closure System, StarClose SE Vascular Closure System and Prostar XL Percutaneous Vascular Surgical System. Following Abbott's acquisition of St. Jude Medical, the combined business will compete in nearly every area of the cardiovascular market and hold top positions in high-growth segments, including atrial fibrillation, structural heart and heart failure, as well as a leading position in the high-growth neuromodulation market. This combined portfolio will have the depth, breadth and innovation to help patients restore their health, reduce costs for payors and deliver greater value to customers. Abbott expects to mitigate any impact to its adjusted earnings per share projections related to the sale of these assets to Terumo. About St. Jude Medical St. Jude Medical is a leading global medical device manufacturer and is dedicated to transforming the treatment of some of the world's most expensive epidemic diseases. The company does this by developing cost-effective medical technologies that save and improve lives of patients around the world. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., St. Jude Medical employs approximately 18,000 people worldwide and has five major areas of focus that include heart failure, atrial fibrillation, neuromodulation, traditional cardiac rhythm management and cardiovascular. For more information, please visit sjm.com or follow us on Twitter @SJM_Media. About Abbott Abbott is a global healthcare company devoted to improving life through the development of products and technologies that span the breadth of healthcare. With a portfolio of leading, science-based offerings in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic pharmaceuticals, Abbott serves people in more than 150 countries and employs approximately 74,000 people. Visit Abbott at www.abbott.com and connect with us on Twitter at @AbbottNews. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Some statements in this news release may be forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Abbott and St. Jude Medical caution that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the ability of the parties to consummate the proposed transaction with Terumo and the acquisition of St. Jude Medical by Abbott on a timely basis or at all, the ability of the parties to satisfy the conditions precedent to consummation of the proposed transaction with Terumo and the acquisition of St. Jude Medical by Abbott, including the ability to secure the required regulatory approvals on the terms expected, at all or in a timely manner, the ability of Abbott to successfully integrate St. Jude Medical's operations, and the ability of Abbott to implement its plans, forecasts and other expectations with respect to St. Jude Medical's business after the completion of the acquisition of St. Jude Medical and realize expected synergies. Economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect Abbott's and St. Jude Medical's operations are discussed in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," in each of Abbott's Annual Report on Securities and Exchange Commission Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2015, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2016, and St. Jude Medical's Annual Report on Securities and Exchange Commission Form 10-K for the year ended Jan. 2, 2016, respectively, and are incorporated by reference. Abbott and St. Jude Medical undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law. Important Additional Information In connection with the proposed transaction, Abbott has filed a registration statement on Form S-4, which includes a document that serves as a prospectus of Abbott and a proxy statement of St. Jude Medical (the "proxy statement/prospectus"), and each party will file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The registration statement was declared effective on September 26, 2016, and the definitive proxy statement/final prospectus was first mailed to St. Jude Medical shareholders of record as of September 16, 2016 on or about September 26, 2016. Investors and security holders of St. Jude Medical are urged to carefully read the entire registration statement and proxy statement/prospectus, and to carefully read other relevant documents filed with the SEC in their entirety when they become available, because they will contain important information. Investors and security holders can obtain the registration statement and the proxy statement/prospectus free of charge from the SEC's website or from Abbott or St. Jude Medical as described in the paragraphs below. The documents filed by Abbott with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at Abbott's website at www.abbott.com or at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. These documents may also be obtained free of charge from Abbott by requesting them by mail at Abbott Laboratories, 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064-6400, Attention: Investor Relations, or by telephone at (224) 667-8945. The documents filed by St. Jude Medical with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at St. Jude Medical's website at www.sjm.com or at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. These documents may also be obtained free of charge from St. Jude Medical by requesting them by mail at St. Jude Medical, One St. Jude Medical Drive, St. Paul, MN 55117, Attention: Investor Relations, or by telephone at (651) 756-4347. Participants in the Solicitation St. Jude Medical, Abbott and certain of their directors, executive officers and employees may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from St. Jude Medical shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the shareholders of St. Jude Medical in connection with the proposed transaction, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in the definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC by St. Jude Medical on September 26, 2016 and the final prospectus filed with the SEC by Abbott on September 26, 2016. Information about the directors and executive officers of Abbott and their ownership of Abbott common shares is set forth in the definitive proxy statement for Abbott's 2016 annual meeting of shareholders, as previously filed with the SEC on March 18, 2016. Information about the directors and executive officers of St. Jude Medical and their ownership of St. Jude Medical common shares is set forth in the definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on September 26, 2016. Free copies of these documents may be obtained as described in the paragraphs above. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150928/271488LOGO SOURCE Abbott Related Links http://www.abbott.com NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sullivan Brill recently recovered $3,000,000 on behalf of the children of a 44-year-old man killed in a head on collision. The settlement amount represented 100% of the insurance policy limits of the responsible driver and his employer, an amount Sullivan Brill demanded before the lawsuit was filed and adhered to throughout three years of litigation. "Although the settlement will not take away the children's grief, through a structured settlement, a trust and lump sum payments, the settlement will provide financial stability to them," said attorney Joseph F. Sullivan. The result was the culmination of a team effort lead by Sullivan, who conducted eight video-taped depositions and developed expert witness testimony in four different disciplines to put together a powerful case. Attorney James Healy authored motions to compel punitive damages discovery and opposed defense motions to dismiss punitive damages claims that played a key role in the settlement. Paralegal, Brittni Guarino, took on a central role in the investigation and pre-trial discovery, as well as the coordination of the clients and numerous other players involved in the case. Guidance on local Pennsylvania rules and practices was provided by Attorney Robert Levant from Philadelphia, and the family's Puerto Rico lawyer, Jorge Gerena-Mendez, and a lawyer from Columbia South America provided counsel on the complicated estate issues raised by the numerous jurisdictions involved in the case. The clients' father was originally from Puerto Rico, but was living in Columbia, South America at the time of the car accident, which took place in Pennsylvania. The accident occurred on October 14, 2011, at approximately 1:45 pm, when a young man was operating a Ford F250 pickup truck and towing a piece of construction equipment. Although he denied it during the litigation, Sullivan Brill was able to prove that the young man was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the accident. The F250 was owned and registered to a local construction company and was being operated by the young man in the course of his employment. As he approached an intersection, an elderly women traveling in the same direction stopped ahead of him waiting to make a left hand turn. At the same time, Sullivan Brill's clients' father was approaching the same intersection from the opposite direction. At the last minute, the young man attempted to break and swerved to avoid the elderly lady that stopped in front of him. He was unable to and crashed into the rear end of the vehicle. He then crossed over into the oncoming traffic and hit Sullivan Brill's clients' father's car head on. The family was devastated by the loss and sought experienced counsel to obtain some measure of justice. They were referred to Sullivan Brill by their family attorney in Puerto Rico, Jorge Gerena-Mendez. Through professional acquaintances, Attorney Gerena-Mendez was aware of Sullivan Brill's reputation for obtaining exceptional results. Reviewing Sullivan Brill's performance at the conclusion of the case, Gerena-Mendez said "I recommended Mr. Sullivan and his law firm to some of my clients for a wrongful death action. I highly recommend attorney Joseph Sullivan and his law firm. They did a great job helping the clients in every step of the wrongful death suit. Mr. Sullivan personally handled the case with great professionalism and always keeping the clients informed of every important incident. The legal assistants were efficient and friendly. Counsel Sullivan always provided sound and intelligent advice to our clients. We all are happy and very satisfied with the positive outcome of the case thanks to the excellent performance of Counsel Sullivan and his partners." SOURCE Sullivan & Brill LLP Related Links http://www.sullivanbrillfirm.com MAGRATH, Alberta, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh off being recognized as the 30th-ranked startup on the 2016 Startup 50 Canada list, Surex Direct Co-founder Lance Miller will be a speaker at the 96th annual IBAO Convention in Toronto, Ontario on Wednesday, October 19th. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429464 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429463LOGO Surex Direct Co-founder Lance Miller will be a speaker at the 96th annual IBAO Convention in Toronto, Ontario. The convention, put on by the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario, recognizes and celebrates success in 2016, with an eye to the future. Speakers joining Miller include Insurance Bureau of Canada President & CEO Don Forgeron, Good Morning America's Dr. Karyn Gordon, and New York Times Bestselling Author Justin Kingsley. "I am honoured to have this chance to speak and share stories and insights that have helped make Surex Direct successful," Miller, who also doubles as the company's CEO, said. "The insurance industry in Canada is changing and we have found a market that works for us." Surex Direct is Canada's fastest growing online brokerage. Their customer proposition allows customers to receive up to 10 auto, home or business quotes in five minutes. Their transparent pricing model allows customers to compare their offers and choose the policy best suited to their needs. From there, customers can sign their documents through e-signature and have instant proof of insurance. Since its inception in 2012, Surex Direct has grown to boast a book of business of over 20,000 policies, accounting for over $30 million in insurance premiums annually. "I truly believe in the broker channel. Brokers offer the best customer proposition. We offer multiple quotes and find the product that fits the customers' needs best. I would love to see more brokers adapt," Miller said. "Yes, times are changing. Change presents opportunity. Now is a great time for brokers to show their strength." In the past two years, Surex Direct has seen their revenue grow by 300%. Currently offering insurance in five provinces and two territories, Surex Direct will enter Canada's largest market, Ontario, in the coming months. Miller will speak at 2:10pm of Wednesday afternoon's speaker block. The convention runs through Friday, October 21st. The convention is at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel and registration will be on-site only. To follow the IBAO Convention from afar, search #IBAO16 on Twitter. Visit www.surexdirect.com. 'Like' Surex Direct on Facebook at facebook.com/surexdirect or follow on Twitter @surexdirect. Media Contact: Jamey Holt Email 1-855-242-6612 SOURCE Surex Direct Related Links http://www.surexdirect.com DENVER, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Swiftpage, the maker of Act! and a leading provider of software and services that help small and mid-sized businesses grow, today announced the release of SMS4Act!, the newest Connection available to Act! Premium subscribers. Act! is the trusted solution to help individuals, small businesses, and sales teams organize prospect and customer details in one place, send emails, market products and services more effectively, and drive sales results. With the new SMS4Act! App, users can save time, increase efficiency, and improve communications with their customers and prospects by sending text messages directly from Act! Premium. Proven to be more effective than email marketing according to a Dynmark report, text messages are opened at a 98 percent rate. With plans starting at $24.95/month, Act! Premium subscribers can quickly and easily download and install the software, and start sending personalized text messages within minutes. Messages sent are automatically recorded in the contact's record along with any replies. "We are always looking for partnerships that provide us the opportunity to continue to add value to the Act! platform for our customers," said Lorcan Malone, President and COO of Swiftpage. "The SMS4Act! App powered by MessageMedia ensures our users stay top of mind for their prospects and customers by allowing them to quickly and easily send text messages directly from within Act!. What's more, all of the information is stored in the contact record, making future follow-up even easier." "We are excited to partner with Swiftpage to bring premier two-way SMS functionality to Act! customers," said Mark Rothert, US President of MessageMedia. "Not only is it easy to use, but because text messages have much higher cut through than other forms of communication, we've seen open rates sky rocket and communication between the users of our platform and their customers improve dramatically." Subscribers can get more information and sign up for the SMS4Act! free trial here. Social Media and Website Links About the Act! Portfolio Act!, the award winning customer & contact manager trusted by more than six million businesses globally, enables business owners to manage their relationships, interact and follow-up with their customers effectively and efficiently. Small and medium sized businesses rely on the Act! portfolio daily to run, manage and grow their business. Learn more at www.act.com. 2016 Swiftpage ACT! LLC. All rights reserved. Swiftpage, Act!, and the Swiftpage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Swiftpage ACT! LLC, or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. Press Contacts North America Mallory Bowers Swiftpage (720) 490-4332 [email protected] Dave Feistel LF|PR (949) 502-6200 x 224 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150310/180788LOGO SOURCE Swiftpage Related Links http://www.swiftpage.com STOCKHOLM and PITTSBURGH, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Telia Carrier has expanded its partnership with 365 Data Centers, by now offering 100G services to customers in 365's Pittsburgh edge facility via Telia Carrier's award-winning, top-two ranked IP backbone. The need for high-bandwidth capacity in the city is driven by the development of innovative applications such as the testing of autonomous ridesharing services, the pervasiveness of Internet of Things (IoT) products and services, and the growing number of start-up technology companies in the area supported by local incubators including academia giants. Local incubators enable new ideas and technologies, some evolving into start-ups, and the ecosystem of co-working facilities and accelerator programs in Pittsburgh facilitate the creation of these new companies. With venture capital dollars funding dozens of companies in the area, Pittsburgh and the university are part of the Silicon Strip transformation now emerging in the former Rust Belt. 365 Data Centers' Pittsburgh customers including businesses, carriers, cable operators, mobile data operators and content, cloud and managed service providers, will now have access to Telia Carrier's IP Transit, Ethernet, IoT and mobile data services. Telia Carrier already provides 100Gbps services in seven other 365 Data Centers including Detroit, MI.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Tampa, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; St Louis, Mo.; Cleveland, Ohio; and Indianapolis, Ind. "By partnering with 365 Data Centers to offer 100G services to mobile operators, broadband providers and education networks in Pittsburgh, Telia Carrier continues to expand its presence throughout the edge markets of North America," said Art Kazmierczak, Telia Carrier's director of business and network development, Americas. "We anticipate the need for high-bandwidth services will continue to grow in Pittsburgh, as IoT products and services continue to drive talent recruitment and start-up incubators to previously underserved communities." "Telia Carrier is a respected partner that we work with in many locations to enable the digital economies of Tier 2, edge cities," noted John Scanlon, CEO of 365 Data Centers. "Together, we help businesses, content providers, cloud providers, enterprises and carriers connect to faster and bigger networks at the edge. Pittsburgh is an incredible technology center with academia, civic leaders and technology companies coming together to drive the next generation of products and services that help create our digital lives." Telia Carrier's global fiber backbone has grown organically, without acquisitions, and is the first to be 100G-enabled in both Europe and North America. It is also the first network to successfully transmit 1 Tb/s on its US network. According to Dyn Research's global backbone rankings, AS1299, Telia Carrier's global IP backbone is currently ranked top-two. Telia Carrier's rapid growth and ascension through the rankings was recently highlighted in Dyn's 'Baker's Dozen, 2015 edition' report. The company enables worldwide connectivity by connecting more than 200 Points of Presence (PoPs) across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East including over 70 PoPs in North America alone. Media Enquiries: Rickard Backlin, VP brand & marketing, Telia Carrier, +46-72-2368327, [email protected] Amy Valentine, Director, Human Resources, 365 Data Centers, 415-901-5712, [email protected] About Telia Carrier Telia Carrier owns and operates one of the world's most extensive fiber backbones. Our mission is to provide exceptional network infrastructure and services empowering individuals, businesses and societies to execute their most critical activities. By working close to our customers, we make big ideas happen at the speed of fiber. Discover more at teliacarrier.com. About 365 Data Centers 365 Data Centers is the leading data center solutions provider for cloud, content, carriers and enterprises in tier 2 markets. We operate 13 U.S. data centers and help hundreds of businesses to improve user experience, reduce cost and speed innovation by leveraging our secure, carrier-neutral and reliable edge colocation services. With 100% uptime and industry compliance, 365 ensures that mission-critical application infrastructure is highly available and conveniently accessible. 365 is a privately held company based in Emeryville, California. For more information, visit http://365datacenters.com. SOURCE Telia Carrier Related Links http://www.teliacarrier.com LAUSANNE, Switzerland and ROUEN, France, October 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Genohm and Interactive Biosoftware are entering in a technology partnership and integration. Genohm, a laboratory management software company with offices in Lausanne, Switzerland, Ghent, Belgium and Durham, NC, USA and Interactive Biosoftware, a genomic variant interpretation software company with offices in Rouen, France announce today that they are entering in a technology partnership and integration. The partnership and the SLims-Alamut integration will offer customers a comprehensive solution that enables the seamless management of any NGS workflow from sample management, raw data generation to variant interpretation and reporting. "We are very proud to partner with Interactive Biosoftware," said Frederik Decouttere, CEO of Genohm. "We strongly believe that this integration is a perfect fit for customers that are looking for a 360 environment for the management of their NGS workflows. Today scientists need to organize their genetic data management systems in a tailored way, we are confident that the SLims-Alamut integration will help them exactly do that." Juliette Renauld, CFO of Interactive Biosoftware added "The SLims-Alamut integration provides a unique and flexible solution encompassing the full spectrum of components needed for NGS analysis, from samples to reports. This has been a strong expectation of clinical genetics labs for years and we have found that integrating Alamut components into SLims was an excellent opportunity to reach that goal." The SLims-Alamut integration will be presented at the 2016 ASHG Meeting that will be held in Vancouver, October 18-22. It will be the 66th Edition of the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics. Genohm will be at the booth #1432 and Interactive Biosoftware at the booth #1417. Come and visit us to learn more about the SLims-Alamut integration and request a demo. We will be very happy to explain and show you its potential. About SLims: SLims is a digital platform used for managing all information in a laboratory. It is an all-in-one complete package which allows customers to track samples, interact with lab equipment and offers full data lifecycle management. SLims provides laboratories with one integrated Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) + Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) + order management environment that tracks data and samples from the original sample shipment down to the result from lab machines and in-silico analysis pipelines. The platform provides an environment to support the increasing complexity of handling, sharing, analyzing and understanding data generated by any laboratory active in research, next-generation sequencing, diagnostics or biobanking. Currently used by over 60 labs worldwide, from small research facilities up to large governmental institutions, SLims helps scientists manage millions of samples and results. SLims supports 21 CFR part 11 compliance About Genohm: A spin-off of the University of Ghent (Belgium), Genohm was originally established in Ghent as a 2 person bioinformatics shop in 2002. Building upon extensive bioinformatics consulting expertise within the life sciences, biotechnology and university hospital research markets, in 2010 Genohm put together SLims, a unique LIMS or Laboratory Information Management System. In May 2011 Genohm opened its new Headquarters at the EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne, Switzerland and in 2016 a US branch in Durham, NC, while keeping its European branch offices in Ghent. Today Genohm serves customers in Europe and the US. Genohm is ISO 9001 certified About the Alamut Software Suite: Alamut Visual is the original decision-support software application, used by leading genetic clinicians and researchers around the world. Alamut Batch, for high throughput variant annotation is an essential tool in the NGS era. Alamut Focus is a variant filtering application for NGS workflows using Alamut Batch output files. The Alamut Software Suite products are CE marked About Interactive Biosoftware: Interactive Biosoftware was founded in 2007 by a group of medical and computer scientists focusing on practical software applications for health care and life sciences, particularly in the field of molecular biology. Its mission is to provide geneticists and researchers with the most sophisticated, easy to use and reliable software programs to help them make appropriate diagnostics, surveillance, and share information between, and across, all tiers of human genome research. Interactive Biosoftware is changing genetic diagnostics and research as we know it by simplifying the variant interpretation process, while saving scientists' time, improving outcome quality and enhancing productivity. Interactive Biosoftware is ISO 13485 (Medical Devices Quality Management) certified Contact: GENOHM Davide Mauri Head of Marketing and Communication EPFL Innovation Park, Building C 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland [email protected] http://www.genohm.com INTERACTIVE BIOSOFTWARE Christelle Terrier Sales Manager 141 boulevard de l'Yser 76000 ROUEN E [email protected] http://www.interactive-biosoftware.com SOURCE Interactive Biosoftware and Genohm HOUSTON, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As Career Point College immediately discontinued operation in San Antonio and Austin, The College of Health Care Professions (CHCP) has begun assisting displaced students continue their education, career training, and job placement aspirations. CHCP has made staff available to discuss those student's individual circumstances to determine how we can best help them finish, graduate and find employment. Our staff is standing by to discuss Career Point and other school credit transfers, scholarships, and grants to help with the transition to our school even if students have exhausted their financial aid. CHCP is a stable, established, Texas based allied health care career college that was founded in a Texas Medical Center, and been in operation for over 25 years. CHCP has campuses in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, McAllen, Fort Worth, and Dallas as well as online programs. "Our goal is to help these aspiring Career Point professionals to still find the career of their life with minimal time lost," said Eric Bing, CEO of The College of Health Care Professions. CHCP offers a full range of student services including job placement assistance with our statewide career services network and relationships with over 1,000 employers in Texas. Career Point students in the Austin and San Antonio area can reach CHCP San Antonio and Austin by phone, or at the below addresses: Kelly DeMars The College of Health Care Professions- Austin Campus 6505 Airport Blvd. Austin, TX 78752 (512) 892-2835 Irene Carlson The College of Health Care Professions- San Antonio Campus 4738 NW Loop 410 San Antonio, TX 78229 (210) 298-3600 For more information on CHCP, please visit http://www.chcp.edu or connect with CHCP on Twitter Facebook. Stephen Horn, Vice President of Marketing (832)333-9025 [email protected] SOURCE The College of Health Care Professions Related Links http://www.chcp.edu CANTON, Mass., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With the newly-rebranded Joy in Childhood Foundation, Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchisees, crew members and employees are committing to improving the lives of sick and hungry children across the country by providing the simple joys of childhood to children whose lives are compromised by health and hunger issues. To celebrate the rebranding, the Joy in Childhood Foundation (formerly The Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation) is teaming up with nearly 70 Feeding America member food banks nationwide to host volunteer events to fight children's hunger during the third annual Week of Joy (formerly the Week of Service), October 17-21. "The rebrand of our Foundation allows us to channel the incredible work of our operators into a mission that so closely aligns with the values of Dunkin' Brands, our franchisees and our guests to make a meaningful difference in our communities," said Nigel Travis, Chairman and CEO of Dunkin' Brands. "The Joy in Childhood Foundation brings together all of our stakeholders and the best of our brands in a way that makes sense and ensures that children who face hunger or sickness have the support and essential services to find joy in their daily lives." The Foundation anticipates that over 1,500 Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchisees, crew members and corporate employees will volunteer upwards of 4,000 hours and provide hundreds of thousands of meals to kids and families in communities across the country. "The Foundation has been an important partner to The Greater Boston Food Bank for well over 10 years," said Suzanne Battit, Vice President, External Affairs and Advancement at The Greater Boston Food Bank, one of the organizations the Joy in Childhood Foundation supports through financial and volunteer activities. "Through the franchisee's volunteer work and generous grants, the Foundation has provided more than 60,000 meals to families in need. Without partners like the Foundation, we would not be able to provide food for the one in four children across Eastern Massachusetts who are at risk of hunger. Year over year, the Foundation understands that no one should ever question where their next meal is coming from." This year's Week of Joy coincides with the Foundation's 10th anniversary. To deliver on the Joy in Childhood Foundation's new mission, the Foundation will continue many of its existing partnerships on both the national and local levels including its partnership with Feeding America and member food banks, children's hospitals, and nonprofit organizations directly committed to serving sick and hungry kids. "The heart of our organization is our franchisees and the communities they serve," said Karen Raskopf, Chief Communications Officer at Dunkin' Brands and Co-Chair of the Joy in Childhood Foundation. "Joy is in the DNA of our brands. By focusing the mission of the Foundation on joy, we have a powerful way of bringing all of our strengths together to make a positive impact in these communities." Following the Week of Joy, the Joy in Childhood Foundation will make its debut in Dunkin' Donuts stores through the National Community Cups Program, running from November 1-30, 2016. During this time, guests will be invited to make a $1 donation to the Joy in Childhood Foundation at Dunkin' Donuts and Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin-Robbins multi-brand restaurants nationwide. The program will support the Joy in Childhood Foundation's efforts to provide the simple joys of childhood to sick and hungry kids. About the Joy in Childhood Foundation The Joy in Childhood Foundation provides the simple joys of childhood to sick and hungry kids. The Foundation brings together a wide range of stakeholdersincluding franchisees, crew members, employees, partners and guests and partners with food banks, children's hospitals, and nonprofit organizations directly committed to serving sick and hungry kids to fund joyful environments, joyful experiences and joyful expressions to ensure that children whose lives are compromised by hunger or sickness have the support and essential services to find joy in their daily lives. Since launching in 2006, the Joy in Childhood Foundation (formerly The Dunkin Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation), has granted more than $11 million to hundreds of national and local charities across the country. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429360LOGO SOURCE Dunkin' Brands Wholesome! Fair Trade frostings hit store shelves around the country this summer, just in time for Fair Trade USA's Fair Moments campaign this October. Available in Vanilla , Chocolate and Wild White Strawberry , each delicious flavor is made with Wholesome! Fair Trade Organic Powdered Sugar . They are ideal for all last-minute baking needs and a delicious topping for cakes, cupcakes and cookies. Wholesome! has been a longtime supporter of Fair Trade with its extensive line of Fair Trade sugars, agave and honey. The company has a 15 year relationship with organic cane sugar farmers in Paraguay and pioneered Fair Trade certification in the U.S. for sugar and honey in 2005. This has secured a steady income for farmers in this area and helped pave a path forward to develop their communities. Collectively, Wholesome! has paid more than $11.5 million in Fair Trade premiums to farming co-operatives and partners worldwide, helping bring clean water, electricity, schools and health care to villages in Paraguay, Mexico, Brazil and Malawi. "We're always proud to bring Fair Trade products into the grocery store. It has made such a difference in these farming communities, and we're so delighted to have found a way to not only continue that relationship, but to build on it," said Sarah Miller, Director of Marketing for Wholesome!. "Now every time someone makes a simple cake using Wholesome! Fair Trade Organic Sugar and Organic Frosting, they have made double the impact on these farming families. Check out our website for great recipe ideas." "Wholesome! is expanding the Fair Trade universe with its new frostings," said Sri Artham, Vice President of CPG at Fair Trade USA. "The frostings not only improve the lives of sugar and cocoa farmers, but empower consumers to support these efforts in a whole new way." Fair Trade USA is celebrating the way that Wholesome! Organic Frostings and other Fair Trade Certified products empower consumers to make a difference in its new Fair Moments campaign, running through the end of October. Learn how your small, everyday moments can have a big impact when you choose Fair Trade at FairMoments.org. Wholesome! Organic Frostings are currently sold in Whole Foods, Wegman's, HEB, EarthFare, Meijer, Giant Eagle and other natural/specialty stores. They are available in 12.5 oz containers, are ready-to-use and are Non-GMO Project Verified, Gluten-Free, Vegan and Kosher. About Wholesome! Wholesome! believes that life is sweeter when you pour your whole heart into all that you do. Formerly known as Wholesome Sweeteners, the Wholesome! brand is the nation's leader in Fair Trade, Organic and Non-GMO sugars, molasses, syrups, stevia and honeys. Wholesome! has been committed to organics and staying on the cutting edge of eco-friendly agriculture since its founding in 2001. Wholesome! is dedicated to Fair Trade and partners with caring farming families across the globe ensuring them a fair price for their crops. Since 2005, Wholesome! has paid more than $11.5 million in Fair Trade premiums to farming co-operatives and partners worldwide helping bring clean water, electricity, schools and health care to villages in Malawi, Mexico, Brazil and Paraguay. Wholesome! is a beloved brand of Wholesome Sweeteners, Inc. located in Sugar Land, TX. The company also owns allergy-friendly candy brand, Surf Sweets, and organic candy brand, TruJoy Sweets. For more information, visit WholesomeSweet.Com or contact Customer Service: 1(800) 680-1896 or [email protected]. About Fair Trade USA Fair Trade USA is a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable livelihoods for farmers and workers; protects fragile ecosystems; and builds strong, transparent supply chains through independent, third-party certification. Its trusted Fair Trade Certified label signifies that rigorous standards have been met in the production, trade and promotion of Fair Trade products from over 80 countries across the globe. Recognized as a leading social venture by the Clinton Global Initiative, the Skoll Foundation and Ashoka, Fair Trade USA also provides critical capacity-building programs at origin, and educates consumers about the power of their purchase. Visit FairTradeUSA.org for more information. CONTACT: Holly Cassard, 281-275-3120, [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429546 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150422/200730LOGO SOURCE Wholesome! Related Links http://www.WholesomeSweet.Com STRONGSVILLE, Ohio, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fidato Group LLC, an independent financial advisory firm in northeast Ohio, has exceeded industry benchmarks in both growth in Assets Under Management and client retention. According to The 2016 RIA Benchmarking Study from Charles Schwab, firms who have $100 Million to $250 Million in Assets Under Management have a median compound annual growth rate of 10.2%.[1] As demonstrated below, Tony D'Amico, CFP, CEO and Lead Advisor of The Fidato Group, says that the firm is exceeding industry benchmark standards, in regards to growth in new Assets Under Management from both new and existing clients, as well as client retention. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429487LOGO "Our focus has always been to help clients achieve their financial goals in a proactive manner," said D'Amico. "Since our beginnings, we've prided ourselves on building client relationships by providing a comprehensive planning experience as the foundation to help our clients reach their financial goals," added D'Amico. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS SOLO PRACTITIONER D'Amico started in personal finance in 1999 as a life, long-term care and disability insurance specialist. His interest in helping clients plan for their futures grew gradually from there with an eye on starting his own firm. Early in 2010, D'Amico obtained his FINRA Series 65 license. Subsequently, he started his own Registered Investment Advisory firm so he could provide his clients a more comprehensive wealth management experience. "As we attracted new clients and expanded relationships with current clients, there was a need to add more team members to ensure the client experience continued to be successful. Our staff ratio and mix today allows for more and deeper client services to be provided," said D'Amico. GROWING THE RIGHT WAY The Fidato Group recently crossed over the threshold of $100 million assets under management (AUM). "We're proud and humbled by the fact that in 2015 our Assets Under Management grew by 25.7%," said D'Amico. A nationally known consultant for independent financial advisory firms, John Furey of Advisor Growth LLC, has known and worked with D'Amico for the past five years. In his experience, Furey says that most top advisors anticipate annual growth of 5-8%, "but Tony has clearly exceeded that goal." "Tony created a team and created role clarity for each of the team members, which allowed him to focus on relationship and business management," said Furey. "With organizational function, that translated into growth," he added. "Success doesn't happen overnight. It takes two to three years for a process to set in before you finally start realizing the fruit of your investments," said Furey. "It's great to see growth, but what I'm most impressed with about my team is the quality of relationships we've established with our clients and how we've continued to grow those relationships," said D'Amico. "I want to make a difference in people's lives. That motivation is sincere, and you can't hide that. It rises to the surface." "We're proud that we're not only keeping a client relationship, but more importantly, expanding existing client relationships, providing more services, and handling more aspects of their financial plan, such as going deeper into estate and tax planning, strategic Roth conversions, or perhaps other types of financial planning. We're extremely humbled that we're meeting those benchmarks," said D'Amico. According to PriceMetrix, an industry practice management company, advisers average between 70% and 95% client retention over time. [2] "We are honored that we currently have over 95% client retention," said D'Amico ATTRACTING LOCAL TALENT IN A SMALL MARKET Being located in a suburb of Cleveland versus a major metropolitan area created its own challenges for the firm when the founders needed to expand the team. "The growth of the firm and the team is impressive, given the smaller market that The Fidato Group is in," noted Furey. "To build a team like Tony has in a suburb of Cleveland is a challenge. It's not like in a larger market where you can find prospective team members and convince them to come over to work for you." D'Amico said the key to finding the right team members is to first find the right cultural alignment. "My focus has been people's character, cultural fit, maturity and direction. If you have the right person, you can train them on certain aspects of financial planning or investment management. But you can't train cultural fit," remarked D'Amico. "We have a strong corporate cultural identity and clear mission of exceeding client expectations, being a fiduciary, providing comprehensive financial planning and helping clients achieve their financial life goals in a proactive manner," said D'Amico. "We're not afraid to do the work that's needed to make that happen and form great relationships along the way. We've looked for people with the same internal drive and motivation, who want to make the positive difference in someone's life," added D'Amico. SEC AND CFP PROFESSIONAL MILESTONES Due to the growth in client assets under management, The Fidato Group is now an SEC Registered Investment Advisory firm. Firms with less than $100M are typically registered with the corresponding state regulatory body. In addition, D'Amico has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER marks of distinction. "Achieving both of those milestones has been an accomplishment," said D'Amico. "Whatever job you're doing in your life be it as a financial planner, doctor, carpenter, etc. it's important to always be learning and growing. New laws come out, things change in your industry and it's important to keep up with ongoing learning and development so that you can apply that knowledge for the benefit of your clients," remarked D'Amico. The CFP marks identify those individuals who have met the rigorous experience and ethical requirements of the CFP Board, have successfully completed financial planning coursework and have passed the CFP Certification Examination covering the following areas: professional conduct and regulation, general financial planning principles, education planning, risk management and insurance planning, investment planning, tax planning, retirement savings and income planning, and estate planning. CFP professionals also agree to meet ongoing continuing education requirements and to uphold CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Rules of Conduct and Financial Planning Practice Standards. ABOUT THE FIDATO GROUP The Fidato Group is a fiduciary-based Wealth Management and Retirement Planning firm, based in Strongsville, OH. Tony D'Amico, CFP, CEO and Lead Advisor, is a well-respected educator and speaker who conducts Retirement Planning sessions at several colleges and other organizations. For more information, please visit www.thefidatogroup.com. [1] The 2016 RIA Benchmarking Study from Charles Schwab: https://aboutschwab.com/images/uploads/inline/RIA_Benchmarking_Study2016_Results_0716-2657.pdf [2] The 2013 PriceMetrix Insights Client Retention Study: http://www.pricemetrix.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/PriceMetrix-Insights_Stay-or-Stray_English.pdf?t=1393101724 Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE The Fidato Group Related Links http://www.thefidatogroup.com PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Franklin Institute announced today the names of eight extraordinary visionaries who will be recognized and honored in Philadelphia next May with prestigious Franklin Institute Awards. The esteemed recipients join a remarkable list of great men and women whose revolutionary discoveries and innovations have transformed our world. They have expanded our knowledge of the brain, pioneered new materials, illuminated vital genetic processes, developed essential sources of light, and deepened our understanding of global climate change. These scientists and engineers have made enormous strides in their fields, improving the lives of billions of people across the world, and paving the way for a better future. Among the seven Benjamin Franklin Medal recipients is Philadelphia geneticist Douglas Wallace, Ph.D., who was the first to show that mutations in mitochondrial DNA can cause inherited human disease. The Bower Award for Achievement in Science, which includes a $250,000 prize, one of the most significant scientific prizes in America, is presented to French glaciologist and climate change pioneer Claude Lorius, Ph.D., whose monumental discoveries in Antarctica have significantly impacted our overall understanding of climate and launched an awareness of the effects of global warming. The Franklin Institute Awards have publicly recognized and encouraged preeminent accomplishments in science and technology on an international level since the Institute was founded in 1824. Past laureates, many of whom have come to Philadelphia to receive their medals, include Thomas Edison, Marie Curie, Stephen Hawking, Jacques Cousteau, and more recently Jane Goodall, Dean Kamen, and Bill Gates. "Philadelphia has a long history of leading innovation, generating new and progressive ideas, and making those ideas a realitya legacy set forth by Benjamin Franklin," said Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of The Franklin Institute. "The Franklin Institute Awards Program celebrates some of the greatest minds and most influential pioneers of our time, and they are recognized right here in the birthplace of science and innovation for accomplishments that will transform our world. They are the true Franklins of today, who will undoubtedly inspire the Franklins of tomorrow." The Franklin Institute Awards Ceremony and Dinner is the culmination of a weeklong sequence of events and programs designed to shine an important spotlight on advancements in science and technology, as well as extraordinary business leadership. In addition to an array of lectures and symposia throughout the week, educational programs for area students and public demonstrations are designed to provide direct and unprecedented access to the laureates. Bank of America returns in 2017 as Presenting Sponsor of the Awards Ceremony and Dinner. On Thursday, May 4, 2017, The Franklin Institute will celebrate the enormous impact of science, technology, and business leadership by honoring the following pioneers for their monumental and critical achievements: 2017 BOWER AWARD & PRIZE FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SCIENCE CLAUDE LORIUS, PH.D. French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) Paris, France For iconic contributions to the understanding of global climate change from the analysis of greenhouse gas concentrations in ice cores from Antarctica, including discovering the glacial-interglacial cyclic relation between atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and temperature that governs past and future climate. 2017 BOWER AWARD FOR BUSINESS LEADERSHIP TO BE ANNOUNCED 2017 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN MEDAL IN CHEMISTRY (SHARED) KRZYSZTOF MATYJASZEWSKI, PH.D. Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania MITSUO SAWAMOTO, PH.D. Kyoto University Kyoto, Japan For their seminal contributions to the development of a new polymerization process involving metal catalysts. This powerful process affords unprecedented control of polymer composition and architecture, making possible new materials including improved composites, coatings, dispersants, and biomedical polymers. 2017 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN MEDAL IN COMPUTER & COGNITIVE SCIENCE MICHAEL I. POSNER, PH.D. University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Weill Medical College of Cornell University New York, New York For his central role in establishing the fields of cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience, thus increasing understanding of the human mind and brain through the pioneering use of reaction times and brain imaging in rigorous analyses to characterize attention, individual differences in attention, and both typical and atypical attentional development. 2017 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN MEDAL IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING NICK HOLONYAK, JR., PH.D. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Urbana, Illinois For the development of the first visible (red) laser and LED used in displays and lighting, and the use of various alloys in colored light sources, which led to reduced energy consumption worldwide and contributed to the realization of optical data communications as the backbone of the Internet. 2017 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN MEDAL IN LIFE SCIENCE DOUGLAS C. WALLACE, PH.D. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania For demonstrating the maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in humans, using mtDNA variation to reconstruct ancient human migrations, identifying the first mtDNA mutation associated with an inherited disease, and showing that mutant mtDNA can profoundly affect the nuclear genome, causing complex diseases, thereby leading the way to therapies for those diseases and the aging process. 2017 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN MEDAL IN MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING MIDRED S. DRESSELHAUS, PH.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts For her fundamental contributions to the understanding and exploitation of carbon nanomaterials, such as the spheres known as buckminsterfullerenes, the cylindrical pipes called nanotubes, and the single-atom-thick sheets of carbon known as graphene, and for launching the field of low-dimensional thermoelectricity, the direct conversion of heat to electricity. 2017 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN MEDAL IN PHYSICS MARVIN L. COHEN, PH.D. University of California, Berkeley Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley, California For making possible atomic-scale calculations of the properties of materials so detailed that new materials and their mechanical, thermal, electrical, and optical properties can be predicted in agreement with experiments. Honored with a regional Emmy award, The Franklin Institute Awards: Declaration of Progress video illustrates the rich history of the 192-year-old Awards Program. For more information including photos, visit Press Kit: 2017 Franklin Institute Awards. Follow The Franklin Institute on Facebook (TheFranklinInstitute), Twitter (@TheFranklin), and Instagram (franklininstitute). The Franklin Institute Founded in honor of America's first scientist, Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute is one of America's oldest and premier centers of science education and development in the country. Today, the Institute continues its dedication to public education and creating a passion for science by offering new and exciting access to science and technology in ways that would dazzle and delight its namesake. Recognizing outstanding achievements in science throughout the world is one important way that the Institute honors its commitment to Benjamin Franklin's legacy. For more information, please click here. SOURCE The Franklin Institute Related Links http://www.fi.edu Starting from today, the online registration entry will be closed in 2 days; visitors can visit the official website of the fair ( http://www.gzlightingfair.com/en ) and pre-register online with their mobile numbers. Registered visitors don't have to pay 100 yuan for admission and will be entitled to multiple VIP services such as business matching service and other free travel incentives. Mass display of lighting exhibits in nearly 1.5 million sqm hall Together with five sub-venues, the total exhibition area reaches 1.5 million sqm this year, with a year-to-year growth of 20%. 2,000 exhibitors will make this fair an unprecedented activity. Ten lighting product categories covering the whole supply chain will definitely meet all procurement demands. Business Matching Meetings - Reduce cost in finding suitable suppliers in Guzhen Over 100 carefully chosen exhibitors that have the ability to conduct international trade businesses will participate in the matchmaking meetings. The organizer is dedicated to helping global customers identify and screen for the most potential business partners through their practical procurement requirements. In this way, overseas buyers will be able to purchase in the most efficient manner possible, thus achieving a win-win result. Each overseas buyer is offered with the most personalized services: apply for invitation letter and hotel reservation online; enjoy free airport pick-up and drop-off service, free daily shuttle service and free lunch buffet at the resting area. In addition, more splendid events will be concurrently held in Guzhen this year, the second "Lighting Cultural Festival" will be using more advanced lighting technology to demonstrate the vivid 3-dimensional lighting show in Guzhen Town. Besides, famous Italian Architect, Francesco Sani, has been invited to deliver the speech 'Original Design as the Way to Success', giving participants a panoramic view on why and how to develop original designs. In October of the golden autumn, Guzhen Lighting Fair will reach a higher level in terms of exhibiting scale, number and quality of exhibitors, professional audience and exhibition service to make a wonderful international lighting feast. Website: http://www.gzlightingfair.com/en Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428715 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428716 SOURCE China (Guzhen) International Lighting Fair Related Links http://www.gzlightingfair.com/en Secrets of the Dead: After Stonehenge, airing Wednesday, October 26 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) , follows a team of archeologists, scientists, historians and specialists, as they shed new light on the ancient history of the western world. Perfectly preserved in mud, the prehistoric British Bronze Age Village built at least one thousand years after Stonehenge has been called the "British Pompeii." "The Pompeii analogy: it's as if we've got a pristine settlement," says Mark Knight, site director, Cambridge Archaeological Unit. "A pristine image of exactly what was going on within a settlement 3,000 years ago." Because the site is so delicate, the experts have been working in secret inside the quarry. But now they are rushing to complete their work and map the site before the land is returned for its owner's use. Have their findings forever changed what we know about life in Bronze Age Britain? What revelations about the villager's lives can be gleaned from the cache of finds, unprecedented in number and quality, emerging from the marshy Fens? "This is the crown jewels in terms of what it will tell us about past humanities and the way that people lived in this landscape 3,00o years ago," says Knight after taking stock of the extraordinary findings. Has this English settlement rewritten Western history? Secrets of the Dead: After Stonehenge is a production of 360 Production and THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET in association with ARTE France. Narrator: Jay O. Sanders. Producer/Director: Sarah Jobling. Executive Producer for 360 Production: Emma Parkins. Executive-in-Charge for WNET: Stephen Segaller. Executive Producer for WNET: Steve Burns. Supervising Producer for WNET: Stephanie Carter. This program is among the full-length episodes that will be available for viewing after broadcast on Secrets of the Dead Online (pbs.org/secrets). As one of PBS's ongoing limited primetime series, Secrets of the Dead is a perennial favorite among viewers, routinely ranking among the 10 most-watched series on public television. Currently in its 16th season, Secrets of the Dead continues its unique brand of archaeological sleuthing employing advances in investigative techniques, forensic science and historical scholarship to offer new evidence about forgotten mysteries. Secrets of the Dead has received 10 CINE Golden Eagle Awards and six Emmy nominations, among numerous other awards. About WNET WNET is America's flagship PBS station and parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 . WNET also operates NJTV, the statewide public media network in New Jersey. Through its broadcast channels, three cable services (KidsThirteen, Create and World) and online streaming sites, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than five million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings. WNET's groundbreaking series for children and young adults include Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase as well as Mission US, the award-winning interactive history game. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus, the daily multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. In addition, WNET produces online-only programming including the award-winning series about gender identity, First Person, and an intergenerational look at tech and pop culture, The Chatterbox with Kevin and Grandma Lill. In 2015, THIRTEEN launched Passport, an online streaming service which allows members to see new and archival THIRTEEN and PBS programming anytime, anywhere: www.thirteen.org/passport. Secrets of the Dead episodes online at pbs.org/secrets Facebook: SecretsOfTheDead Twitter: @SecretsPBS Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429325LOGO Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131218/DC35560LOGO SOURCE WNET AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- TMG Consulting announced today that it is expanding its research offerings to promote relationships among like-minded utility professionals. Offered through its research practice, RIMSolutions, TMG offers membership-based access to a robust community of research publications and industry peers focused on customer-related goals and projects, along with the technology products and services that will help them succeed. Because research analysts are industry veterans and TMG's utility consultants contribute detail to each study, findings reflect the complexities of the industry. "At its core, TMG is in the business of de-risking critical executive-sponsored projects involving enterprise IT and edge systems," says Vanessa Edmonds, practice lead of RIMSolutions. "The RIM Research Community was purpose-built by pulling our most valuable assets under a single umbrella: utility consultant expertise, in-depth research and our extensive professional network. The result is a think-tank of driven and focused professionals who are on the same path. They come together and learn from each other and highly relevant utility and consumer research with no pressure to participate at a particular level." The RIM Research Community is made up of utilities and vendors of all types and sizes. As a benefit of engaging TMG in consulting engagements, TMG's active utility clients receive complementary memberships. Learn more by visiting www.tmgconsulting.com, Services, Research. About TMG Consulting TMG Consulting is utility industry firm that pairs business goals with technologies and solutions to best reach those goals. Product and service provider agnostic, it uses advanced methodologies to compare solutions with business requirements. Through its extremely experienced team, TMG has positioned more than 250 utilities for success since 1992 through advisory, client-side delivery and research services. Contact Kisha Gresham TMG Consulting RIM Research Community Membership Director [email protected] SOURCE TMG Consulting Related Links http://www.tmgconsulting.com WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CQ Roll Call, an Economist Group business, today announced it will host its 2016 Election Impact Conference on Thursday, November 10th at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. The conference, which has been held every two years since 1980, will feature lively panel discussions and keynote presentations with a forward-looking view of the new American political landscape. Scheduled speakers include former U.S. Senators Tom Daschle and Trent Lott; Jeff Weaver, Former Presidential Campaign Manager for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders; Michelle D. Bernard, Political Analyst & President and CEO of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy; Barry Jackson, former Chief of Staff for Speaker of the House John Boehner and Managing Director of The Lindsey Group; Eric Cantor, Former Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives and Vice Chairman & Managing Director Moelis & Company. Event details, the growing list of speakers and a full agenda are available online. "This year's conference is sure to follow in the footsteps of the election itself, producing an unprecedented range of participants and a compelling outcome, with spirited discussions and in-depth analyses from numerous prominent experts," said David Ellis, Chief Content Officer, CQ Roll Call. "As the host, we take pride in our ability to detail the impact of the most exciting election of all time in a way that only we as the authority covering Congress can." An impressive roster of experts along with the editorial teams of CQ, Roll Call and The Economist will examine for attendees the election's impact on vital policy areas such as health care, defense, energy, budget and appropriations, cybersecurity and domestic policy. Tom Daschle and Trent Lott will also be on hand to sign their book, "Crisis Point: Why We Must and How We Can Overcome Our Broken Politics in Washington and Across America". "The Election Impact Conference serves as another way to bring to life the meaningful and insightful coverage our readers rely on us for," said Kris Viesselman, Vice President and Editor in Chief, Roll Call. "We create and deliver uncompromised news coverage that is neutral and accurate and explains who and what are propelling the work of Congress, which is now more important than ever." As part of the event and to commemorate the new class of lawmakers CQ will unveil its "Guide to the New Congress" special issue. Produced for associations, advocacy groups and other entities that seek to understand the power shift that has occurred and determine what it means to their respective organizations, the report profiles every new lawmaker and committee, with detailed statistics, key dates and insights about evolving agendas. "With dozens of new lawmakers, new party leaders, and major committees with new chairpersons, the power dynamics between the two chambers and the White House will be altered completely," said CQ News Director and Vice President Steve Komarow. "That means how you approach advocacy and sometimes, literally, who you approach will be different in the 115th Congress. Our in-depth guide helps de-code both the people and the process." SOURCE CQ Roll Call STAMFORD, Conn., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tourmaline Partners, LLC, a global institutional equity and derivatives trading firm, is pleased to annouce a significant senior-level management expansion to address a growing demand for its outsourced trading services. Tourmaline has hired two senior industry executives, Tim O'Halloran and Sean Riley, to join their team in their Stamford, CT headquarters. Most recently, Mr. O'Halloran was Co-President of Westminster Research Associates LLC, which he co-founded in 1993. He shared responsibility for all facets of the business, including P&L, strategy, implementation, operations and compliance, as well as leading Westminster's brokerage relations and independent research initiatives. Mr. O'Halloran positioned Westminster Research to become an industry leader in the management of CSAs and CCAs and a thought leader in the commission management space. Before joining Tourmaline, Mr. Riley was a founding Partner, Managing Director, and Head of Trading for Glade Brook Capital Partners where he was responsible for the firm's global trading. Prior to joining Glade Brook, Mr. Riley was at Shumway Capital Partners where he was a Managing Director and Head of Trading. Prior to Shumway, he was a senior trader at GLG Partners. "Tourmaline provides a differentiated offering that lends itself perfectly to an unbundled marketplace. I'm pleased to be able to join Tourmaline during an exciting growth phase and bring their client-driven approach to new firms and markets," said Tim O'Halloran. "As an independent, employee-owned firm, Tourmaline's interests are fully aligned with those of its clients," said Mr. Riley. "The firm's unique structure provides superior access to liquidity, information and expertise. I am excited to join the Tourmaline team and look forward to leveraging my years of buy-side experience on behalf of our current and future clients." "We are fortunate to add Sean Riley and Tim O'Halloran to Tourmaline's leadership team," said Aaron Hantman, Chief Executive Officer. "Both Tim and Sean bring a wealth of talent, knowledge and experience to Tourmaline and add immediate value to our clients." Tourmaline Partners, LLC is a global institutional equity trading firm with offices in Stamford, CT and London, UK. Tourmaline functions as a 100% conflict free trading partner, with no proprietary trading, research or banking. Tourmaline's unique structure provides clients with unparalleled access to natural liquidity, global market reach and operational compliance. Tourmaline's flexible solution serves emerging funds seeking trading expertise and economies of scale, larger industry players seeking anonymity and broader access to liquidity, and multi-manager platforms. Tourmaline Partners, LLC is registered with the SEC and FINRA. Tourmaline Europe LLP Is a wholly owned subsidiary authorized and regulated by the FCA. To find out more about Tourmaline Partners, LLC please contact Aaron Hantman at 203.302.7300 or [email protected]. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429539LOGO SOURCE Tourmaline Partners, LLC NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The only UV disinfection robot validated by a CDC-funded randomized clinical trial, Tru-D SmartUVC will attend and exhibit at IDWeek, October 27-29 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tru-D invites IDWeek attendees to its booth #723 to learn how Tru-D is proven to reduce hospital-acquired infections, not only from patient to patient, but throughout an entire health care facility. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428781LOGO Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428780 IDWeek is the combined annual meeting of the IDSA, SHEA, HIVMA and PIDS, where infectious disease professionals are able to meet, share experiences and collaborate for the improvement of patient care and public health. Geared toward health care professionals in infectious diseases and healthcare epidemiology and prevention, the conference is critical for those who want to stay current in the latest trends and technologies for excellence in patient care. "Tru-D is the only UV disinfection device validated by a device- and method-specific randomized clinical trial that was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," said Chuck Dunn, CEO and President of Tru-D SmartUVC. "Results proved that enhanced terminal room disinfection strategies decreased the cumulative incidences of multidrug-resistant organisms by up to 30 percent, and the largest decreases were seen when Tru-D was added to the standard cleaning protocols." Tru-D was the only device of its kind selected for the first-ever, randomized clinical trial on UVC disinfection because of its Sensor360 technology that precisely measures the proper UV dose needed for every room, eliminating any chance for human error in the disinfection process. The CDC-funded Benefits of Enhanced Terminal Room Disinfection (BETR-D) study was conducted throughout nine hospitals by the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network. Analyzing more than 122,000 exposure days and nearly 25,000 patients, the 28-month study is the most comprehensive UV disinfection study to date. Presented in abstract form at IDWeek 2015, the study is currently undergoing peer-review and will be published in the near future. Dr. Anderson, one of the lead BETR-D researchers will be speaking at IDWeek Friday, October 28 from 2:30-3:00pm on Mists, Rays and Robots. An automated no-touch disinfection robot, Tru-D is brought into a room after the EVS staff cleans using traditional methods. Tru-D then operates from a single position and administers a single cycle of UVC light, destroying up to 99.9 percent of harmful pathogens that can remain behind such as C. diff, MRSA, MERS, VRE, Ebola and many more. Validated by more than a dozen, independent, third-party studies to eliminate pathogens in health care environments, Tru-D is on a mission to provide cleaner and safer hospital environments for patients and staff. Tru-D invites attendees to its booth #723 to learn more about how it reduces infections and improves patient outcomes. For more information, visit Tru-D.com. About Tru-D SmartUVC Tru-D SmartUVC is the only UV disinfection device backed by a CDC-funded, randomized clinical trial to show that it is capable of reducing the transmission of health care-associated infections by up to 30 percent. More Tru-Ds have been deployed to disinfect hospitals across the globe than all other competing look-alike offerings, fighting deadly pathogens such as C. diff, MRSA, CRE, VRE, MERS, Ebola and many more. An effective and innovative technology backed by sound science, Tru-D SmartUVC is on a mission to eradicate HAIs making hospitals safer places for patients and staff. For information and links to independent studies on Tru-D, visit Tru-D.com. MEDIA RELEASE Christin Yates Tru-D Public Relations 901-774-5771 Email SOURCE Tru-D SmartUVC BEDFORD, Texas, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Department of State issued an alert for travel in certain regions of Laos due to unstable security concerns. Reports of violent crimes have been reported in these areas and U.S. citizens in Laos should take extreme precautions for their safety and keep updated on local developments in these regions. A travel warning was issued on October 5 recommending people avoid travel to Afghanistan because of threats by terrorist activities against U.S. citizens. Recent attacks include kidnapping, landmines, explosive devices, hostage taking and suicide bombings. Public places where large numbers of people gather such as restaurants, hotels, airports and schools should be avoided. An alert issued on October 6, 2016, coincides with the South Pacific Tropical Cyclone Season that begins on November 1st and ends April 30, 2017. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggests people be ready and prepared at anytime for a quick evacuation. Tropical storms can develop rapidly making it imperative to act swiftly. For more information on tropical storms, visit the Joint Typhoon Warning Center website. The October 6th warning for Yemen is due to the ongoing threat of terrorism. The warning advises against all travel to Yemen and for those U.S. citizens living in Yemen, to depart as soon as possible. The threat of kidnappings and holding hostages along with rebel groups detaining U.S. citizens in Sanaa is high and the local government is limited to the assistance it can provide. U.S. citizens have been detained for up to a year with no ability to reach out to loved ones. In addition, the infrastructure of Yemen is severely compromised, limiting travel and the basic supplies of food, water and medicine. A warning was issued on October 7th for Pakistan due to the significant threat of violent crimes and terrorists' activities that continue to target U.S. citizens throughout Pakistan. Terrorists groups in the area are known to resort to kidnapping Americans for ransom. On October 7th, The U.S. Department of State issued a warning of ongoing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Armed groups are responsible for recent murders, kidnappings, and robberies in some major cities. Local authorities are limited to respond due to the poor infrastructure that exists throughout the country. As of October 11th, no part of Syria is considered safe and The U.S. Department of State is urging all U.S. citizens to depart immediately. Extreme terrorist groups are responsible for bombings, chemical warfare and kidnappings that have been directed at U.S. citizens throughout Syria. Ultimate Excursions is a leader in the resort marketing and development industry. Photo(s): http://www.prlog.org/12594863 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Ultimate Excursions Related Links http://www.ultimateexcursions.net WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association has endorsed Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. The United MEC, which represents 12,500 pilots, is the second largest member of ALPA, a branch of the AFL-CIO. "Secretary Clinton supports union members, and specifically supports pilot-partisan solutions that directly affect the livelihood and careers of all ALPA pilots," said United MEC Chairman Captain Todd Insler. "The United MEC recognizes her commitment to our issues, including her opposition to the Norwegian Air International (#DenyNAI) flag of convenience scheme, and endorses her for President." SOURCE United Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Executive MBA program at the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business is ranked one of the best in the world, according to a new survey by the Financial Times. The program ranked No. 21 nationally and No. 79 globally, moving up one and four spots respectively. The Eccles School's program also ranked fourth in the West and is the only Utah school ranked in the top 100 this year. The ranking is compiled from surveys of EMBA alumni three years post-graduation and from information provided by the business schools. The survey evaluated 16 criteria in three areas including alumni career progression, school diversity and international focus and idea generation and research productivity of the faculty. "The Financial Times' international recognition affirms that the Utah Eccles Executive MBA is preparing innovative leaders who are making a global impact," said Taylor Randall, dean of the David Eccles School of Business. The David Eccles School of Business also ranked No. 49 for the success of its researchers, as measured by publication in international academic and business journals. "We are committed to providing our students with action-based learning taught by trailblazing thought leaders whose knowledge and cutting-edge research are changing the way the world does business," Randall added. According to the survey responses, Eccles School Executive MBA graduates were successful in increasing their salaries three years after graduation by 48 percent, translating to an average salary of $147,216. The Eccles School Executive MBA received a No. 3 in the West ranking for the percentage of female students, underscoring the importance the school puts on inclusion and diversity in all its forms throughout the school's programs. "We always look for continuous improvement in our Executive MBA program," said Brad Vierig, associate dean of MBA programs and executive education at the David Eccles School of Business. "This includes strong admissions standards, ongoing enhancement to program operations and delivery, increasing our global reach through added international topics and field study and working closely with our faculty on curriculum design, learning outcomes and critical thinking skills." The Executive MBA is a 21-month program that meets two weekends a month, with a global-focused curriculum that's geared toward mid- to senior-level professionals. Learn more about the Financial Times rankings at ft.com. About the David Eccles School of Business Founded in 1917 and educating more than 6,000 students annually, the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business offers eight undergraduate majors, four MBAs, six other specialized graduate programs, a Ph.D. in seven areas and executive education curricula. The School is also home to eight institutes, centers and initiatives that deliver academic research and support an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation. The Eccles School is synonymous with 'doing.' The Eccles experience provides a world-class business education with a unique, entrepreneurial focus on real-world scenarios where students put what they learn into practice long before graduation. For more information, visit Eccles.Utah.edu or call 801-581-5577, and learn more about the Eccles Executive MBA program at emba.utah.edu. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160909/406176LOGO SOURCE David Eccles School of Business Related Links http://emba.utah.edu BROOMFIELD, Colo. and WHISTLER, British Columbia, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) ("Vail Resorts") and Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. ("Whistler Blackcomb") today announced the completion of a strategic combination joining Whistler Blackcomb with Vail Resorts by way of plan of arrangement ("the Arrangement"). Under the terms of the transaction, Vail Resorts acquired 100 percent of the stock of Whistler Blackcomb, whose shareholders received C$17.50 in cash and 0.097294 shares of Vail Resorts common stock (or for some holders, securities convertible into common stock) for each Whistler Blackcomb share held. Whistler Blackcomb is now wholly owned by Vail Resorts. In connection with the completion of the Arrangement, Vail Resorts is also pleased to announce that Michele Romanow, a former member of the Whistler Blackcomb board of directors, has been appointed to the board of directors of Vail Resorts. Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts said, "Our mission at Vail Resorts is to deliver an Experience of a Lifetime to our guests and our employees, and this transaction is a significant milestone in making that experience even more special. Whistler Blackcomb is one of the most iconic mountain resorts in the world and we are tremendously excited to welcome the resort and the talented team who work there to the Vail Resorts family. Dave Brownlie and the team at Whistler Blackcomb have built an excellent operation that delivers amazing guest experiences, and we intend to continue to support that work while maintaining the resort's unique brand and Canadian identity. We look forward to working with the Whistler Blackcomb team to ensure the long-term success of the resort and the community." With the completion of the acquisition, the common shares of Whistler Blackcomb will be de-listed from the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") at the close of trading on Oct. 17, 2016. Eligible Whistler Blackcomb shareholders who, prior to the election deadline on Oct. 12, 2016, made valid elections to do so, will receive the share portion of the consideration in the form of shares ("Exchangeable Shares") in 1068877 B.C. Ltd. ("Exchangeco"), a Canadian subsidiary of Vail Resorts. Each whole Exchangeable Share is exchangeable into one Vail Resorts common share. Conditional approval for the listing of the Exchangeable Shares on the TSX has been obtained, however, listing remains conditional upon fulfillment of all the requirements of listing, including the distribution of the Exchangeable Shares to a minimum number of public shareholders. Vail Resorts intends to provide notice by means of a news release of whether such requirements have been fulfilled and whether the Exchangeable Shares will be listed on the TSX. It is expected that Whistler Blackcomb and Exchangeco will amalgamate to form a new company ("Amalco") after the close of trading on October 17, 2016 and that Amalco will thereafter change its name to Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. Information for Whistler Blackcomb Shareholders Registered holders of Whistler Blackcomb shares are reminded that they must properly complete, sign and return the Letter of Transmittal, along with their share certificate(s), to Computershare Trust Company of Canada, as depositary, in order to receive the cash and share consideration they are entitled to under the Arrangement. Holders of Whistler Blackcomb common shares who hold their shares through a broker, investment dealer or other intermediary should carefully follow the instructions provided by such broker, investment dealer or other intermediary. About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts' subsidiaries operate ten world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher in Australia; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may be forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our expectations regarding the amalgamation of Whistler Blackcomb and Exchangeco, the change of name of Exchangeco, the timing of delisting of the Whistler Blackcomb common shares, Vail Resort's intentions regarding operations and the anticipated benefits of the Arrangement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to Vail Reports' ability to realize anticipated benefits of the Arrangement and ability and timing to satisfy the conditions for listing of the Exchangeable Shares and delisting of the Whistler Blackcomb common shares. Additional information on these and other factors are included in reports filed by Vail Resorts with the Securities and Exchange Commission including Vail Resorts' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or any persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150812/258138LOGO SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc. Related Links http://www.vailresorts.com BROOMFIELD, CO and WHISTLER, BC, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) ("Vail Resorts") and Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. ("Whistler Blackcomb") today announced the completion of a strategic combination joining Whistler Blackcomb with Vail Resorts by way of plan of arrangement ("the Arrangement"). Under the terms of the transaction, Vail Resorts acquired 100 percent of the stock of Whistler Blackcomb, whose shareholders received C$17.50 in cash and 0.097294 shares of Vail Resorts common stock (or for some holders, securities convertible into common stock) for each Whistler Blackcomb share held. Whistler Blackcomb is now wholly owned by Vail Resorts. In connection with the completion of the Arrangement, Vail Resorts is also pleased to announce that Michele Romanow, a former member of the Whistler Blackcomb board of directors, has been appointed to the board of directors of Vail Resorts. Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts said, "Our mission at Vail Resorts is to deliver an Experience of a Lifetime to our guests and our employees, and this transaction is a significant milestone in making that experience even more special. Whistler Blackcomb is one of the most iconic mountain resorts in the world and we are tremendously excited to welcome the resort and the talented team who work there to the Vail Resorts family. Dave Brownlie and the team at Whistler Blackcomb have built an excellent operation that delivers amazing guest experiences, and we intend to continue to support that work while maintaining the resort's unique brand and Canadian identity. We look forward to working with the Whistler Blackcomb team to ensure the long-term success of the resort and the community." With the completion of the acquisition, the common shares of Whistler Blackcomb will be de-listed from the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") at the close of trading on Oct. 17, 2016. Eligible Whistler Blackcomb shareholders who, prior to the election deadline on Oct. 12, 2016, made valid elections to do so, will receive the share portion of the consideration in the form of shares ("Exchangeable Shares") in 1068877 B.C. Ltd. ("Exchangeco"), a Canadian subsidiary of Vail Resorts. Each whole Exchangeable Share is exchangeable into one Vail Resorts common share. Conditional approval for the listing of the Exchangeable Shares on the TSX has been obtained, however, listing remains conditional upon fulfillment of all the requirements of listing, including the distribution of the Exchangeable Shares to a minimum number of public shareholders. Vail Resorts intends to provide notice by means of a news release of whether such requirements have been fulfilled and whether the Exchangeable Shares will be listed on the TSX. It is expected that Whistler Blackcomb and Exchangeco will amalgamate to form a new company ("Amalco") after the close of trading on October 17, 2016 and that Amalco will thereafter change its name to Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. Information for Whistler Blackcomb Shareholders Registered holders of Whistler Blackcomb shares are reminded that they must properly complete, sign and return the Letter of Transmittal, along with their share certificate(s), to Computershare Trust Company of Canada, as depositary, in order to receive the cash and share consideration they are entitled to under the Arrangement. Holders of Whistler Blackcomb common shares who hold their shares through a broker, investment dealer or other intermediary should carefully follow the instructions provided by such broker, investment dealer or other intermediary. About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts' subsidiaries operate ten world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher in Australia; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may be forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our expectations regarding the amalgamation of Whistler Blackcomb and Exchangeco, the change of name of Exchangeco, the timing of delisting of the Whistler Blackcomb common shares, Vail Resort's intentions regarding operations and the anticipated benefits of the Arrangement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to Vail Reports' ability to realize anticipated benefits of the Arrangement and ability and timing to satisfy the conditions for listing of the Exchangeable Shares and delisting of the Whistler Blackcomb common shares. Additional information on these and other factors are included in reports filed by Vail Resorts with the Securities and Exchange Commission including Vail Resorts' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or any persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. SOURCE Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. MIAMI, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin Hotels, the lifestyle hotel brand by Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, marks a new milestone as Virgin Hotels breaks ground with Dunhill Partners and Gatehouse Capital on Virgin Hotels Dallas. The groundbreaking ceremony, held on location on Monday, October 17, marks Virgin Hotels' second property currently under construction, behind Virgin Hotels New York City. Virgin Hotels Dallas will open its doors at the end of 2018. Located in the up-and-coming Design District on Hi Line Dr. and Turtle Creek Blvd., Virgin Hotels Dallas will deliver a one-of-a-kind hotel experience in one of Virgin's favorite destinations (Virgin America has been flying to the city since 2010). The hotel will feature more than 200 Chambers, including Grand Chamber Suites, and will multiple dining and drinking outlets, including a pool deck and bar, a rooftop lounge, and the brand's flagship space, The Commons Club. "We couldn't have found a more perfect city than Dallas and a more perfect neighborhood than the Design District to continue our expansion of Virgin Hotels across America," said Raul Leal, CEO of Virgin Hotels. "We're so excited to welcome guests and locals alike to experience all that our brand has to offer from elevated cuisine and cocktails to comfortable and spacious Chambers for work, sleep and play." To commemorate the groundbreaking, Virgin Hotels, in conjunction with Dunhill Partners, threw a party for the ages, inviting key development partners, investors and the general public to celebrate in the arrival of the hotel. Signature cocktails were created by Deep Eddy Vodka and Patron Tequila, while popular Dallas-based food trucks For The Love of Pizza, Auntie Am's and Butcher's Son provided food options. Sir Richard Branson rode in on horseback with Miss Texas 2016 Caroline Carothers before being welcomed by the Dallas Maverick Dancers, who entertained the crowd along with the Carson McHone Band all night. After a few brief speeches, Sir Richard led the crowd in a complimentary Champagne toast provided by Moet & Chandon. Virgin Hotels Dallas will be a new build located within the 33 acres that developer Dunhill Partners and its founder, Bill Hutchinson, acquired in 2014. The hotel will be in smashing good company as the district boasts world-class furniture showrooms, avant-garde art galleries, museums, antique shops and an influx of buzz worthy new restaurants and shops. Dunhill Partners has chosen Gatehouse Capital to develop Virgin Hotels Dallas. The brand's first hotel, Virgin Hotels Chicago, is now open and accepting reservations at www.virginhotels.com, with Nashville, Palm Springs and New York slated to open next. Virgin Hotels continues to explore properties in cities such as Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington DC, and London; locations where it is pursuing hotel and office conversions and ground-up development. About Virgin Hotels: Virgin Hotels is a lifestyle hospitality brand that combines heartfelt service, straightforward value and a seamless, personalized hotel experience with the track record of innovation and smart disruption that Sir Richard Branson's global Virgin Group has pioneered for over 40 years. Each property will intermix a passion for food and beverage with music and culture, fusing with the local landscape and providing a vibrant and inclusive environment for travelers and locals alike. Virgin Hotels Chicago is now open, with Nashville, Dallas, Palm Springs, New York and others to follow. For more information, please visit www.virginhotels.com. SOURCE Virgin Hotels Related Links http://www.virginhotels.com HOLMDEL, N.J., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vonage (NYSE: VG), a leading provider of Cloud Communications services for Business, was recently granted 19 new patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The Company now owns 132 U.S. patents, with more than 200 U.S. patent applications pending, along with many foreign patents and pending applications in jurisdictions worldwide. "We've continued the strong growth of our patent portfolio in 2016 with new patents covering improvements across many key areas of our business services, including workflow integration, security, mobile and messaging enhancements, advanced call processing and voice quality," said Chief Legal Officer Kurt Rogers. "Vonage's legacy of and ongoing commitment to innovation and excellence in communications is reflected by our growing patent portfolio, and provides competitive advantages as we enter new markets with advanced services, including programmable communications through Vonage's Nexmo API platform." Vonage's newly-issued patents include: One patent relating to the integration between communications services and third-party applications (U.S. Pat. No. 9,401,997). Five patents that cover enhancements to security for users and service providers, including detection and resolution of fraudulent messaging and call activity (U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,419,988 and 9,426,302), and identification of "spoofed" messages (U.S. Pat. No. 9,356,953). Six patents covering various mobile and messaging features, including seamless wireless handover (U.S. Pat. No. 9,451,507), and enabling users to choose which sender ID to display with outgoing messages (U.S. Pat. No. 9,462,136). Five patents related to advanced call processing features, including an algorithm for intelligently reconnecting two parties to a recently terminated phone call that are trying to call each other back at the same time (U.S. Pat. No. 9,444,944). Two patents for improvements to quality-of-service, including a device that automatically allocates bandwidth between voice and non-voice applications to ensure that voice quality is maintained on calls (U.S. Pat. No. 9,461,844). About Vonage Vonage (NYSE: VG) is a leading provider of Cloud Communications for Business. Vonage transforms the way people work and businesses operate through a portfolio of cloud-based communications solutions that enable internal collaboration among employees, while also keeping companies closely connected with their customers, across any mode of communication, on any device. Vonage's Nexmo API Platform provides tools for voice, messaging and phone verification services, allowing developers to embed contextual, programmable communications into mobile apps, websites and business systems, enabling enterprises to easily communicate relevant information to their customers in real time, anywhere in the world, through text messaging, chat, social media and voice. The Company also provides a robust suite of feature-rich residential communication solutions. In 2015 and 2016, Vonage was named a Visionary in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as-a-Service, Worldwide. Vonage has also earned the Frost & Sullivan Growth Excellence Leadership Award for Hosted IP and Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) Services. For more information, visit www.vonage.com. Vonage Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey. Vonage is a registered trademark of Vonage America Inc. To follow Vonage on Twitter, please visit www.twitter.com/vonage. To become a fan on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/vonage. To subscribe on YouTube, visit www.youtube.com/vonage. (vg-a) SOURCE Vonage Related Links http://www.vonage.com CORONA, Calif., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Popular ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft offer some great incentives to anyone looking to become driver. Once you pass the initial screening you get to work when you want, where you want, as much or as little as you want, all while being your own boss. If you're looking to take a chance at owning your own ridesharing business, you should know what you're in for. Author Omar Farhad has revealed the shocking reality of the ridesharing trade in his latest book "Need a Ride." This is an eye-opener you won't want to miss. "Need a Ride" by author Omar Farhad "Honor and Polygamy" by author Omar Farhad Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428758 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428759 Farhad knows first-hand, having been a driver himself. When divorce left him with only one worthwhile possession, his car, he used it to try and make a fresh start. He wrote his latest book, "Need a Ride," in dedication to all the hard working people in the business. Discover the journeys of several drivers as they take their chances in the ridesharing business and you'll learn what it's really like to work for companies like Uber and Lyft. " sometimes humorous, sometimes touching, and always stressful experiences will give readers a more realistic view of this business." Paul Thayer: Editor with Thayer Literary Services "Need a Ride" is available now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/NEED-RIDE-Book-Farhad-Omar-ebook/dp/B01M0SMOMR/ Order your copy today and experience this captivating series of short stories based on actual events. Also available on Amazon, "Honor and Polygamy"! https://www.amazon.com/Honor-Polygamy-Omar-Farhad-ebook/dp/B00KBSPUX8/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 Far from simply a captivating fiction story, "Honor and Polygamy" is described by reviewers as "a riveting commentary on the United States' situation with Afghanistan" "A dramatic story consisting of a heart-wrenching and much too realistic tale with unforgettable characters that will stay with you long after you've read the book." Author Omar Farhad uses "a compelling voice that remains with the reader long after reading." About Omar Farhad Omar Farhad was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and came to the United States twenty-seven years ago. After coming to America, he earned degrees in Aviation from the Spartan School of Aeronautics and Global Economics from the University of Phoenix. He currently lives in California. http://omarfarhad.com Contact: Omar Farhad Phone: +93-070-871-3159 Email Website: http://omarfarhad.com SOURCE Omar Farhad Related Links http://www.omarfarhad.com NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Mesothelioma Victims Center is urging a nuclear power plant worker in Eastern or Western Washington with mesothelioma to call them anytime at 800-714-0303 for a serious conversation about much better compensation. The Center is also urging a US Navy Veteran or shipyard worker with mesothelioma who were exposed to asbestos during the refueling of a nuclear powered aircraft carrier in Bremerton to call them about why it is vital they have the nation's top attorneys working on their compensation claim. http://Washington.MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429295 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429296 The Center says, "Nuclear power plant workers and or shipyard-Navy Veterans who were exposed to asbestos because of their exposure to asbestos at a nuclear facility or reactor are probably at the top when it comes to potential mesothelioma financial compensation. We are literally talking about a million dollars in potential financial compensation plus-but to receive the very best possible financial compensation a person like this or their family need to have the nation's very best mesothelioma attorneys-as we would like to explain in detail. "If you are a former nuclear power plant worker, shipyard worker, or US Navy Veteran in Washington State who was exposed to asbestos at a nuclear power plant or a navy ship's nuclear reactor please call us anytime 800-714-0303 if you now have mesothelioma, or you are their family member. Aim high when it comes to mesothelioma compensation." http://Washington.MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com Vital Compensation Tip from the Washington Mesothelioma Victims Center for a nuclear power worker, a shipyard worker or a US Navy Veteran who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma from the Washington Mesothelioma Victims Center: "Mesothelioma compensation for a nuclear power plant worker or a shipyard worker/Navy Veteran in Washington State whose asbestos exposure took place on a navy ship gets super complicated and if a diagnosed person like this does not have the nation's very best and most experienced mesothelioma attorneys they probably will get significantly shortchanged. "If you are a person with mesothelioma in Washington State and you were exposed to asbestos at a nuclear facility or a US Navy ship please call us at 800-714-0303 to ensure you really do have the nation's most skilled mesothelioma attorneys." http://washington.MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com The Washington Mesothelioma Victims Center wants to emphasize their services are available statewide in every community in Washington including Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Vancouver, Yakima, Bellingham, Bremerton, Moses Lake, Olympia, Mount Vernon, Wenatchee, the Tri Cities, etc. For the best possible mesothelioma treatment options in Washington the Washington Mesothelioma Victims Center strongly recommends the following heath care facility with the offer to help a diagnosed victim, or their family get to the right physicians at this treatment facility. The Center believes this treatment facility for mesothelioma to be one of the best in the nation. * Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the UW Medical Center called the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, in Seattle, Washington: http://www.uwmedicine.org/services/cancer-care High risk work groups for exposure to asbestos in Washington State include Veterans of the US Navy, hydro-electric power plant workers, shipyard workers, nuclear power plant workers, oil refinery workers, pulp and paper mill workers, factory workers, plumbers, electricians, miners, auto mechanics, machinists, and construction workers. Typically, the exposure to asbestos occurred in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, or 1980's.http://Washington.MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com According to the CDC the states indicated with the highest incidence of mesothelioma include Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Louisiana, Washington, and Oregon. For more information about mesothelioma please refer to the National Institutes of Health's web site related to this rare form of cancer: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mesothelioma.html Media contact: Michael Thomas Email 800-714-0303 SOURCE Washington Mesothelioma Victims Center Related Links http://washington.mesotheliomavictimscenter.com SAN ANTONIO and TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WellCare of Texas, a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc., (NYSE: WCG), will offer a variety of Medicare Advantage plans in 2017 designed to help older adults get and stay healthy, with more benefits and services than Original Medicare and an emphasis on preventive health measures. "At WellCare, we are focused on providing our Medicare Advantage members with access to affordable, high quality health care," said Anthony Valdes, WellCare's vice president of market performance. "Our plans offer extra benefits designed for people who want to take an active role in their health, in addition to options specifically created for those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid." During the 2017 Open Enrollment Period, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2016, those who are Medicare eligible will be able to select WellCare plans that offer a $0 monthly premium combined with extra benefits beyond those offered by Original Medicare, such as vision and dental coverage. Some plans also offer hearing coverage, a health club membership, a monthly allowance to help purchase needed over-the-counter health items, such as vitamins, toothbrushes and pain relievers, and complimentary transportation to medical appointments. One of the key components of health and wellness is to have a good relationship with a primary care physician. To help achieve this, WellCare plans offer a $0 - $5 copay for primary care visits, as well as $0 copays for physician-ordered lab tests and x-rays. Some plans also return a portion of Part B premiums to the enrollee, ranging from $15 to $40. WellCare's Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans feature a unified national pharmacy network with key national retailers, including CVS, Walgreens and Walmart*. This simplified benefit design allows a member to pay the same cost share per medication at all network pharmacies. Customer service representatives are available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST seven days a week to help members with questions about their coverage and medications. In addition, WellCare offers an online formulary tool for members and those interested in its plans to look up drugs, coverage options and formulary alternatives. For more information about WellCare Medicare Advantage plans, go to www.WellCareNow.com. As of June 30, 2016, WellCare serves approximately 34,000 Medicare Advantage members and 94,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members in Texas. About WellCare Health Plans, Inc. Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs. WellCare serves approximately 3.8 million members nationwide as of June 30, 2016. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan. WellCare (HMO) - Medicare Advantage WellCare (HMO SNP) is a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract and a contract with the Texas Medicaid program. Enrollment in WellCare (HMO SNP) depends on contract renewal. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, co-payments and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premiums and/or co- payments/coinsurance may change on January 1 of each year. Premiums, co-pays, coinsurance and deductibles may vary based on the level of Extra Help you receive. Please contact the plan for further details. WellCare uses a formulary. The formulary, pharmacy network, and/or provider network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary. You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. If you meet certain eligibility requirements for both Medicare and Medicaid, your Part B premiums may be covered in full. Some plans are available to those who have medical assistance from both the state and Medicare. Please contact WellCare for details. *Other pharmacies and providers are available in our network. Disclaimers WellCare complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. ATTENTION: If you speak a language other than English, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call 1-877-374-4056 (TTY: 711). ATENCION: si habla espanol, tiene a su disposicion servicios gratuitos de asistencia linguistica. Llame al 1-877-374-4056 (TTY: 711). 1-877-374-4056TTY711 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150701/227667LOGO SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc. Related Links http://www.wellcare.com NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Wellspring Capital Management LLC ("Wellspring") today announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its portfolio company ProAmpac, a leading global flexible packaging company, to Pritzker Group Private Capital. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Wellspring formed ProAmpac in August 2015 through the merger of Prolamina Corporation and Ampac Packaging LLC. ProAmpac subsequently acquired Coating Excellence International. The combined business offers multiple innovative solutions in flexible packaging for the food, pet care and medical markets, along with secure packaging for the transport of cash and valuables, and retail shopping bags. ProAmpac has over 2,500 employees, 18 locations worldwide and serves more than 5,000 customers. John Morningstar, a Managing Partner of Wellspring who leads the firm's investment effort in the packaging industry, said, "The sale of ProAmpac will mark the conclusion of an exciting and fruitful journey for Wellspring. It has been a pleasure to partner with Greg Tucker and his management team and we thank them for their hard work in bringing ProAmpac to this important point in its history." Matthew Harrison, a Principal of Wellspring, commented, "We are very proud of the outstanding packaging business we have built at ProAmpac, resulting in a highly successful investment. We are pleased that ProAmpac is exceptionally positioned for continued growth under new ownership and wish the entire team every success in the future." Greg Tucker, Chief Executive Officer of ProAmpac, added, "Wellspring had the vision to build a new flexible packaging business, and provided the resources and expertise necessary for the Company to be successful in our focus markets. As ProAmpac embarks on a new chapter, we are grateful for the support of the Wellspring team over the past several years." It is expected that the transaction will be completed by year end. William Blair & Company, LLC is serving as financial advisor to Wellspring with respect to the transaction, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is serving as legal counsel. About Wellspring Capital Management Wellspring Capital Management, founded in 1995, is a leading middle-market private equity firm that manages more than $3 billion of private equity capital. The firm's objective is to bring partnership, experience and value creation to each investment. By teaming up with strong management, Wellspring is able to unlock underlying value and pursue new growth opportunities through strategic initiatives, operating improvements and add-on acquisitions. The firm functions as a strategic rather than tactical partner, providing management teams with top-line support, M&A experience and financial expertise, and access to resources. For additional information, please visit www.wellspringcapital.com. About ProAmpac ProAmpac is steadfast in their unwavering commitment to provide creative packaging solutions, industry-leading customer service and award-winning innovation to a diverse global marketplace. It is a diversified global packaging company with over 2,500 employees and 18 manufacturing centers in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit our website at www.proampac.com. Contact: Mark Semer or Ross Lovern Kekst (212) 521-4800 SOURCE Wellspring Capital Management LLC Related Links http://www.wellspringcapital.com KIRKLAND, Wash., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent Nielsen survey, most Americans use digital and electronic tools to manage everyday activities except when it comes to healthcare. In fact, only one in five have access to online appointment scheduling. To create a more connected patient experience and improve patient outcomes, WESTMED Medical Group today announced its partnership with Bridge Patient Portal and adoption of the new mHealth App Platform developed by Medical Web Experts (MWE) that offers easy access to all information on the Bridge Patient Portal from an iOS or Android device. WESTMED is a large multi-specialty group medical practice, Level 3 Medical Home and AMGA Acclaim Award honoree headquartered in Purchase, NY. WESTMED's portal has features for patients and providers, including patient engagement reporting. In the mobile app, users can see ER wait times for specific locations. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429349-INFO Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429350 "WESTMED's adoption of Bridge Patient Portal and the mHealth App Platform was in direct response to our patients' request to communicate from a mobile device with their care providers," said WESTMED Medical Group CIO Merin Joseph. "We know engaging patients is always challenging, so we sought to cater to how our patients want to communicate and to make that communication convenient. The physician provides the advice, but the patient has to put the care plan into place and seek to actively manage his or her health. This solution will enrich the patient experience, increase patient involvement in their healthcare, improve care coordination, enhance patient-physician communication and, most importantly, improve patient outcomes. In short, this tool will provide patients with a way to actively participate in their own health and wellness." Bridge Patient Portal and the mHealth App Platform from MWE met WESTMED's requirements for a portal that was modern, patient-centric, secure and had bi-directional interface abilities with their existing GE Centricity Business and EMR products. In addition, Bridge Patient Portal will help increase the volume of patients directly connecting with their physicians and empower patients to be more involved in their care through its easy-to-use, graphical interface that enables patients to find their medical records, view lab results, schedule appointments, access urgent care wait times, message with providers, access patient education, pay bills and more from their desktop or mobile device. WESTMED Medical Group is nationally known as a thought leader for its leading-edge approach to healthcare delivery. Over the last 10 years, WESTMED, a Medicare ACO, has received national recognition for its highly-integrated information systems that have improved patient care and from the NCQA for Level 3 Medical Home, Diabetes Recognition Program and Physician Organization in Credentialing and Recredentialing. According to Joseph, implementing innovative technologies in healthcare requires significant effort by both the technology vendor and the healthcare organization. "WESTMED's implementation, once released, will be among the most innovative patient portal and mobile app solutions in the market, and is only made possible through this newly formed partnership," said Bridge Patient Portal and Medical Web Experts CEO John Deutsch. "WESTMED continues to make market leadership choices that address current and future healthcare challenges. This solution will allow patients to access important information and communicate with their care team anywhere and anytime from their device of choice." Bridge Patient Portal Bridge Patient Portal provides patients with the ability to securely access their medical records, view lab results, make appointments and pay their bills - 24/7. Patients enjoy the simplicity of a singular, secure login to access medical information from a continuum of care across multiple healthcare systems. To ensure health information is safe from unauthorized access, Bridge Patient Portal uses encrypted connections and data storage, employs strict authentication and access controls, and can provide HIPAA compliant hosting. Bridge Patient Portal is also 2014 ONC EHR-Modular Meaningful Use certified. For a demo or to learn more information about Bridge Patient Portal's features and pricing, visit http://www.bridgepatientportal.com/ or call (866) 838-9455. mHealth App Platform Medical Web Experts' mHealth App Platform for iOS and Android offers healthcare organizations a secure and scalable platform to publish their own, branded mobile app with extensive functionality that can be customized for all their online patient services. To learn more about MWE's mHealth App Platform, visit http://www.medicalwebexperts.com/ or call 866-932-9944. About Bridge Patient Portal Bridge Patient Portal is an enterprise portal platform that provides a superior experience for healthcare organizations and its patients. The Bridge Patient Portal platform is ideal for organizations seeking to replace their existing EHR portals or connect to disparate EHR environments with a single, EHR-agnostic patient portal platform. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, Bridge Patient Portal has installations in more than 50 physician practices, hospitals and health systems nationwide. About Medical Web Experts Medical Web Experts is a leading provider of IT and web development solutions for the healthcare industry. MWE helps practices, hospitals, health systems, pharmacies, medical device manufacturers, labs and software vendors meet their online presence objectives. Medical Web Experts' broad, HIPAA-compliant product and service offering includes a patient portal solution, a mobile app platform, custom software/app development, interface development, web design and internet marketing. About WESTMED Medical Group WESTMED Medical Group is a large multi-specialty group medical practice, with headquarters in Purchase, NY. It is staffed by a team of over 350 physicians dedicated to providing coordinated, efficient and the highest quality of patient care at its 14 locations in Westchester County, NY and Fairfield County, CT. The practice, known for its one-stop-shopping medical experience for patients, uses state-of-the-art systems and electronic medical records. WESTMED has New York medical offices in White Plains, Rye, Yonkers, Purchase, Scarsdale and New Rochelle, with Connecticut offices in Greenwich, Darien and Stamford. Bridge Patient Portal Media Contact Laura Luthi Email 503-341-7785 SOURCE Bridge Patient Portal The third annual report in the Modern Family Index (MFI) series, commissioned by Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE: BFAM ), further examines the crossroads new moms and dads continue to face as they take on the dual role of new parent and committed employee. Key findings in this new survey of expectant women and first-time mothers and fathers show: Virtually all women surveyed are excited to return to work after a maternity leave More than one in three new parents report feeling that their boss presumes they are now less committed to work and would prefer if they left Women aren't the only ones facing workplace bias; new fathers reported being judged negatively by their peers and bosses and say that becoming a parent will cause them to look for a new workplace Workplace bias has had such a major impact on new parents that nearly half have sacrificed salary for a family-friendly workplace and more than half are likely to switch jobs New Moms Excited to Return to Work Contrary to the popular notion that women would rather stay at home, the study's results show that women genuinely and enthusiastically want to come back to work following having their first child, with more than half saying that it is because they are personally fulfilled by their job. In addition: 96 percent of expectant mothers are eager to return to work after their maternity leave 92 percent plan to be as committed post-baby as they were before 77 percent are excited to provide for their family 66 percent are excited about being a role model for their child 53 percent look forward to developing their career However, there is a gulf between the commitment, passion, and devotion working moms and dads have to their jobs and the perception their bosses and co-workers have about their ambition. Despite high expectations, many expectant parents have seen their colleagues passed over for promotions when they have children; others have seen careers stall. And new parents have found themselves facing workplace bias like they never imagined. 43 percent of new parents believe their employer sees them as less committed and 39 percent feel their employer would prefer they found another job More than one in three working parents believe they're treated worse than other employees More than a third feel actively discriminated against Nearly a quarter of new parents reported difficulty developing their careers One in five say they have been passed over for opportunities Women and men are waiting longer to have children, with data showing that births are down among women in their twenties, and up for women over age 35. With new parents in essential mid-career roles by the time they go out on parental leave, it is critical that employers support these valuable employees if they want them to return. Dads Experiencing Hostile Work Environments, Too Dads today are prioritizing family equally with careers and seeing increased conflict between the two. Two-thirds of working dads consider their job in the family-planning equation, and they report real workplace bias, often in even higher numbers than moms. The study shows that while dads are excited to grow their families and serve as an equal partner in parenting, they are often surprised to encounter a workplace that has not progressed to meet the new generation's work/life expectations. A third of new dads felt becoming a father limited their opportunities for advancement, and one in four believe that even the announcement of fatherhood caused employers to think less of them. New dads also report that a family-friendly environment is as important to them as it is to new moms. Nearly 70 percent of new dads say that fatherhood will likely prompt a job change for them More than one in three first-time fathers felt negatively judged by coworkers and supervisors after becoming a parent Nearly one in three would quit because they fear being undervalued Nearly one in three would quit because of judgment from colleagues More than 25 percent felt at risk of being fired once they told their employer they were going to be a parent A Trend of Working Parent Bias Each of the three reports in the Modern Family Index series has demonstrated examples of workplace bias. The first report revealed that working moms and dads feel they can't be honest with their supervisors about family responsibilities, and worry that family responsibilities could even get them fired. The second survey showed that working parents are experiencing burnout due to the stress of managing their work and family responsibilities, and feel their employers do not care about them. However, the fact that nearly two in five (38 percent) first-time parents felt they needed a family-friendly job before having their first child, according to this year's MFI, shows that working moms and dads are willing to stay in the workforce with the right combination of job, pay, and work/family life balance. Almost half (49 percent) of new parents surveyed have taken a job for less money at a family-friendly employer More than half (59 percent) are likely to switch jobs now that they've had their first child "We work with hundreds of employers who are tuned into the challenges faced by new moms and dads as they return to work from parental leave. These organizations not only recognize that these employees are among their most valuable, but also understand that every individual's situation is unique and provides the appropriate support to enable these employees to return with the same drive and commitment they embodied before children," said Bright Horizons CEO David Lissy. "The MFI data show that new and expectant parents want to work for a family-friendly company that will allow them to excel as both professionals and parents. Employers that are already committed to supporting their employees as whole people will come out on top." To download the full 2016 Bright Horizons Modern Family Index report, click here. About the Bright Horizons Modern Family Index The Modern Family Index is an Internet-based survey conducted by Kelton Global from August 24th to September 2nd, 2016. The first sample included 530 employed women ages 18 and over who are currently pregnant with their first child or planning to have their first child in the next two years, with a margin of error of +/- 4.3%. The second sample included 515 women ages 18 and over who have had their first child in the past two years and returned to work and 150 employed men ages 18 and over who have had their first child in the past two years, with a margin of error of +/- 4.3% for new mothers and 8.0% for new fathers. *Note: Please refer to the survey as the Bright Horizons Modern Family Index. About Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. Bright Horizons Family Solutions is a leading provider of high-quality child care, early education and other services designed to help employers and families better address the challenges of work and family life. The Company provides center-based full service child care, back-up dependent care and educational advisory services to more than 1,000 clients across the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and India, including more than 150 FORTUNE 500 companies and more than 80 of Working Mother magazine's 2016 "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers." Bright Horizons has been recognized sixteen times as one of FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" and is one of the UK's Best Workplaces as designated by the Great Place to Work Institute. Bright Horizons is headquartered in Watertown, MA. The Company's web site is located at www.brighthorizons.com. Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/79546_MF_2016.mp4 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140116/NE48154LOGO Contact: Bridget Perry, [email protected] SOURCE Bright Horizons Family Solutions Related Links http://www.brighthorizons.com WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Water Systems Council (WSC), the only national, nonprofit organization solely focused on household wells and small water well systems, has released the 2016 update to Who Owns the Water?, a comprehensive summary of groundwater rights in the U.S. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428843 The Water Systems Council has released the 2016 update to "Who Owns the Water?," a comprehensive summary of groundwater rights in the U.S. Water rights continue to be the subject of increasing disagreements and litigation. As population and drought place increasing demands on a scarce resource, disputes about water rights are likely to escalate even more in the future. This report summarizes the common law and statutory rules for groundwater rights in each of the 50 states and is intended for educational purposes only. WSC published the first edition of Who Owns the Water? in 2003. Updated reports were published in October 2005 and again in October 2009. Since 2009, there have been a number of significant developments with respect to groundwater rights across the country. The 2016 update includes these new developments. Research for the 2016 update was completed by Jesse Richardson, Jr., Esq., Lead Land Use Attorney at the Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Clinic and Associate Professor of Law at the West Virginia University College of Law. An electronic version of Who Owns the Water? is available for download on the WSC website. Hard copies can be obtained by emailing [email protected]. The Water Systems Council (WSC) is the only national, nonprofit organization solely focused on household wells and small water well systems. WSC is committed to ensuring that Americans who get their water from household private wells have safe, reliable drinking water and to protecting our nation's groundwater resources. For more information, visit www.watersystemscouncil.org. Contact: Margaret Martens, WSC Executive Director 704-658-8730 Email SOURCE Water Systems Council Related Links http://www.watersystemscouncil.org SHANGHAI, CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi NextCODE, the contract genomics organization delivering precision medicine worldwide, invites attendees at the American Society of Human Genetics annual conference being held this week in Vancouver to visit booth #1318 and attend its full slate of events showcasing the most advanced use of genomic big data. WuXi NextCODE's activities at this year's ASHG annual meeting highlight the company's pioneering enablement of the use of full-resolution sequence data at population scale, to more effectively use the genome to improve health and wellness for people and patients around the world: Free breakfast workshops - "Insights from the World's Leading Precision Medicine Initiatives," on Wednesday, October 19 ; and "Achieving Clinical Relevance at Internet Speed from Genomic Big Data," on Thursday, October 20 . These will feature talks from leaders in precision medicine initiatives utilizing WuXi NextCODE technology in China , the UK and Qatar , as well as the heads of WuXi NextCODE's genomics and deep learning teams. - "Insights from the World's Leading Precision Medicine Initiatives," on ; and "Achieving Clinical Relevance at Internet Speed from Genomic Big Data," on . These will feature talks from leaders in precision medicine initiatives utilizing WuXi NextCODE technology in , the UK and , as well as the heads of WuXi NextCODE's genomics and deep learning teams. Live demonstrations of the company's online clinical interpretation and analytics, at booth #1318 daily at 10:30am , 12pm , 1pm and 2pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, October 19 , 20 and 21. of the company's online clinical interpretation and analytics, at booth #1318 daily at , , and on Wednesday, Thursday and , 20 and 21. Poster: "Towards the Internet of DNA," number 1836, 3-4 pm on Friday, October 21 . Discuss real-time international diagnostics collaboration with WuXi NextCODE staff. number 1836, on . Discuss real-time international diagnostics collaboration with WuXi NextCODE staff. Download the GORpipe tool here at any time, enabling you to run GOR queries on your own data, and stop by booth #1318 to tell us how you are using it and learn from our team. About WuXi NextCODE WuXi NextCODE is a fully integrated global contract genomics organization. With offices in Shanghai; Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Reykjavik, Iceland, we offer comprehensive services that enable population, precision medicine, diagnostics and wellness initiatives and enterprises to use the genome to improve health around the world. Our capabilities span study design, sequencing, secondary analysis, storage, and interpretation and scalable analytics all backed by the most proven and widely used technology for organizing, mining and sharing genome sequence data. We are also applying the same capabilities to advance a growing range of sequence-based tests and scans in China. WuXi NextCODE is a subsidiary of WuXi AppTec. Visit us on the web at wuxinextcode.com. Contact: Edward Farmer WuXi NextCODE [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429735LOGO SOURCE WuXi NextCODE Related Links http://www.wuxinextcode.com "Location Data Management was a new field only a few years ago, but it has emerged as a critical investment for businesses across all industries," said Nelson. "I'm looking forward to building the team and technology to scale globally and meet this rising demand." Nelson, who previously served as Senior Director, IT Business Applications for machine data management platform Splunk, specializes in enabling fast-growing technology companies to scale. Prior to his time at Splunk, Nelson designed and built IT organizations, application delivery, and business processes for many Fortune 500 clients as founding member of the SaaS Practice at Accenture. "Christopher's expertise will be critical as we scale to put business on the map worldwide," said Tom Dixon, Chief Operating Officer at Yext. "He'll play a key role in our growth, and we're delighted to welcome him to the team." Nelson earned his B.S. from the University of California, San Diego in Cognitive Science and Human Computer Interaction with a minor in Computer Science and Engineering. The hire comes at a pivotal moment for Yext, as the company recently opened its London office and has announced several integrations with business directories across Europe as well as with tech giants Google, Snapchat, and Uber. About Yext Yext puts business on the map with the award-winning Location Cloud. We enable companies of all sizes to manage location data across their websites, mobile apps, internal systems, and the industry's largest ecosystem of maps, apps, social networks, directories, and search engines including Google, Apple, Facebook, Bing, and Yahoo. Our products Listings and Pages enable the world's million of businesses to drive face-to-face and digital interactions that boost brand awareness, drive foot traffic, and increase sales. Based in the heart of New York City with a growing team of over 600 employees worldwide, Yext has been recognized as one of America's fastest-growing companies by the Inc. 5000 (2015 and 2016), one of Forbes' Most Promising Companies (2014 and 2015) and one of Fortune's Best Places to Work (2014, 2015, and 2016). Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429482 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150223/177279LOGO SOURCE Yext Related Links http://www.yext.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Zymo Research Corp. announced today, during the ASHG 2016 Annual Meeting, that it has obtained an exclusive license for a methylation age predictor, also known as Horvath's Clock, so named for Dr. Steve Horvath, a professor of human genetics and biostatistics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Fielding School of Public Health, who is the developer of the epigenetic clock. Dr. Horvath examined the relationship between DNA methylation and aging. The Horvath Clock uses sample DNA from any biological source (such as adipose tissue, bladder, blood, various organs, etc.), other than sperm, to measure DNA methylation based on 353 epigenetic markers from the human genome. The clock estimates the biological age of most human tissues and cell types. Horvath's Clock is a groundbreaking tool that could provide profound insight on how biological aging is assessed. The epigenetic clock can be used for forensic, consumer or academic applications. Dr. Graham Threadgill, Vice President of Global Marketing at Zymo Research said, "The Horvath Clock is an important part of Zymo Research's aging program. We plan to commercialize products in the future based on the epigenetic clock and other related markers. We are excited to be at the forefront of this new field of research and look forward to expanding Zymo's presence in the field of epigenetic analysis." Dr. Horvath's research in 2013 led him down the path to learn more about the process of human aging and how to slow it down. His Horvath Clock is a tool that compares the biological age of any tissue to its chronological age with consistently accurate results. The epigenetic clock could be used in a broad range of research, such as cancer or stem cell, to offer researchers valuable insights about the biological age of tissues and cell types. About Zymo Research Corporation Zymo Research Corporation, also known as "The Epigenetics Company", is a privately held company based in Irvine, California, USA. Since its inception in 1994 it has been serving the academic and biopharmaceutical scientific communities by providing DNA and RNA purification products. Zymo Research was an early adopter in the field of epigenetics and offers a line of products used in DNA methylation detection and quantitation. In addition to the epigenetic and nucleic acid purification products, Zymo also provides genetic, epigenetic and transcriptome analysis services. For more information, please visit: www.zymoresearch.com/epigenetics. Follow Zymo Research Corporation on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Zymo Research Corporation, the stylized logo, and the tagline "The Beauty of Science is to Make Things Simple" are trademarks of Zymo Research Corporation and are registered with the USPTO. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/429002 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160506/364743LOGO SOURCE Zymo Research Corp. Related Links http://www.zymoresearch.com Name : php Product : Fedora 25 Version : 7.0.12 Release : 2.fc25 URL : http://www.php.net/ Summary : PHP scripting language for creating dynamic web sites Description : PHP is an HTML-embedded scripting language. PHP attempts to make it easy for developers to write dynamically generated web pages. PHP also offers built-in database integration for several commercial and non-commercial database management systems, so writing a database-enabled webpage with PHP is fairly simple. The most common use of PHP coding is probably as a replacement for CGI scripts. The php package contains the module (often referred to as mod_php) which adds support for the PHP language to Apache HTTP Server. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Update Information: 13 Oct 2016 - **PHP version 7.0.12** **Core:** * Fixed bug php#73025 (Heap Buffer Overflow in virtual_popen of zend_virtual_cwd.c). (cmb) * Fixed bug php#72703 (Out of bounds global memory read in BF_crypt triggered by password_verify). (Anatol) * Fixed bug php#73058 (crypt broken when salt is 'too' long). (Anatol) * Fixed bug php#69579 (Invalid free in extension trait). (John Boehr) * Fixed bug php#73156 (segfault on undefined function). (Dmitry) * Fixed bug php#73163 (PHP hangs if error handler throws while accessing undef const in default value). (Nikita) * Fixed bug php#73172 (parse error: Invalid numeric literal). (Nikita, Anatol) * Fixed for php#73240 (Write out of bounds at number_format). (Stas) * Fixed bug php#73147 (Use After Free in PHP7 unserialize()). (Stas) * Fixed bug php#73189 (Memcpy negative size parameter php_resolve_path). (Stas) **BCmath:** * Fix bug php#73190 (memcpy negative parameter _bc_new_num_ex). (Stas) **Date:** * Fixed bug php#73091 (Unserializing DateInterval object may lead to __toString invocation). (Stas) **DOM:** * Fixed bug php#73150 (missing NULL check in dom_document_save_html). (Stas) **Filter:** * Fixed bug php#72972 (Bad filter for the flags FILTER_FLAG_NO_RES_RANGE and FILTER_FLAG_NO_PRIV_RANGE). (julien) * Fixed bug php#73054 (default option ignored when object passed to int filter). (cmb) **GD:** * Fixed bug php#67325 (imagetruecolortopalette: white is duplicated in palette). (cmb) * Fixed bug php#50194 (imagettftext broken on transparent background w/o alphablending). (cmb) * Fixed bug php#73003 (Integer Overflow in gdImageWebpCtx of gd_webp.c). (trylab, cmb) * Fixed bug php#53504 (imagettfbbox gives incorrect values for bounding box). (Mark Plomer, cmb) * Fixed bug php#73157 (imagegd2() ignores 3rd param if 4 are given). (cmb) * Fixed bug php#73155 (imagegd2() writes wrong chunk sizes on boundaries). (cmb) * Fixed bug php#73159 (imagegd2(): unrecognized formats may result in corrupted files). (cmb) * Fixed bug php#73161 (imagecreatefromgd2() may leak memory). (cmb) **Intl:** * Fixed bug php#73218 (add mitigation for ICU int overflow). (Stas) **Mbstring:** * Fixed bug php#66797 (mb_substr only takes 32-bit signed integer). (cmb) * Fixed bug php#66964 (mb_convert_variables() cannot detect recursion) (Yasuo) * Fixed bug php#72992 (mbstring.internal_encoding doesn't inherit default_charset). (Yasuo) **Mysqlnd:** * Fixed bug php#72489 (PHP Crashes When Modifying Array Containing MySQLi Result Data). (Nikita) **Opcache:** * Fixed bug php#72982 (Memory leak in zend_accel_blacklist_update_regexp() function). (Laruence) **OpenSSL:** * Fixed bug php#73072 (Invalid path SNI_server_certs causes segfault). (Jakub Zelenka) * Fixed bug php#73276 (crash in openssl_random_pseudo_bytes function). (Stas) * Fixed bug php#73275 (crash in openssl_encrypt function). (Stas) **PCRE:** * Fixed bug php#73121 (Bundled PCRE doesn't compile because JIT isn't supported on s390). (Anatol) * Fixed bug php#73174 (heap overflow in php_pcre_replace_impl). (Stas) **PDO_DBlib:** * Fixed bug php#72414 (Never quote values as raw binary data). (Adam Baratz) * Allow \PDO::setAttribute() to set query timeouts. (Adam Baratz) * Handle SQLDECIMAL/SQLNUMERIC types, which are used by later TDS versions. (Adam Baratz) * Add common PDO test suite. (Adam Baratz) * Free error and message strings when cleaning up PDO instances. (Adam Baratz) * Fixed bug php#67130 (\PDOStatement::nextRowset() should succeed when all rows in current rowset haven't been fetched). (Peter LeBrun) * Ignore potentially misleading dberr values. (Chris Kings-Lynne) **phpdbg:** * Fixed bug php#72996 (phpdbg_prompt.c undefined reference to DL_LOAD). (Nikita) * Fixed next command not stopping when leaving function. (Bob) **Session:** * Fixed bug php#68015 (Session does not report invalid uid for files save handler). (Yasuo) * Fixed bug php#73100 (session_destroy null dereference in ps_files_path_create). (cmb) **SimpleXML:** * Fixed bug php#73293 (NULL pointer dereference in SimpleXMLElement::asXML()). (Stas) **SOAP:** * Fixed bug php#71711 (Soap Server Member variables reference bug). (Nikita) * Fixed bug php#71996 (Using references in arrays doesn't work like expected). (Nikita) **SPL:** * Fixed bug php#73257, php#73258 (SplObjectStorage unserialize allows use of non-object as key). (Stas) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - This update can be installed with the "yum" update program. Use su -c 'yum update php' at the command line. For more information, refer to "Managing Software with yum", available at https://docs.fedoraproject.org/yum/. All packages are signed with the Fedora Project GPG key. More details on the GPG keys used by the Fedora Project can be found at https://fedoraproject.org/keys ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - _______________________________________________ package-announce mailing list -- package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org To unsubscribe send an email to package-announce-leave@lists.fedoraproject.org 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 Washington, Oct 12 : The US space agency and its partner Orbital ATK have postponed the launch of the companys next commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station to no earlier than October 16, as the agency prepares for tropical storm Nicole at its tracking site in Bermuda. The new date of the arrival of the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft to the space station is to be determined, NASA said in a statement. The mission was earlier scheduled for launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on October 13. Cygnus will carry approximately 2,313 kg of cargo, including crew supplies and vehicle hardware, to the orbiting laboratory to support dozens of science and research investigations, NASA said. Tropical Storm Nicole is expected to reach Bermuda as a hurricane on October 13. "The tracking station at Bermuda is required to conduct the Antares launch from Wallops," said Steven Kremer, chief of the Wallops Range and Mission Management Office. "The ability to support a launch will depend on the impact the storm has on not only our systems, but also the overall Bermuda infrastructure," Kremer noted. After the storm system has passed Bermuda, the Wallops team will conduct a damage assessment, perform mission readiness testing, and bring the site back up to operational status. Washington, Oct 14 : Mounting evidence has shown that the Russian government is supplying WikiLeaks with hacked emails pertaining to the US presidential election, the media reported on Friday. As WikiLeaks continues to publish emails belonging to Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign chair John Podesta, US officials told CNN on Thursday that there was growing evidence that Russia is using the organisation as a delivery vehicle for the messages and other stolen information. The methods of the disclosures "suggest Moscow is at least providing the information or is possibly directly responsible for the leaks", one US official said. Intelligence officials were still investigating the degree of connection between Russia and WikiLeaks but remain confident that Russia itself is behind the leaks. However, WikiLeaks has not commented on the claim. WikiLeaks's founder Julian Assange has previously denied any connection to or cooperation with Russia. Russia's highest officials have already dismissed accusations that Moscow is trying to sway the US presidential election with cyber attacks, speaking out before the latest accusation concerning WikiLeaks. President Vladimir Putin ridiculed such talk Wednesday as "hysteria". Los Angeles, Oct 15 : Actress Rose McGowan has claimed that she was raped by a Hollywood executive. The 43-year-old made the claim on Twitter as she shared her contribution to the trending hashtag #WhyWomenDontReport, reports mirror.co.uk. The "Charmed" star alleged that she experienced the terrible ordeal at the hands of a "studio head". In a series of tweets, she wrote: "A (female) criminal attorney said because I'd done a sex scene in a film I would never win against the studio head. #WhyWomenDontReport. Because it's been an open secret in Hollywood/Media and they shamed me while adulating my rapist. #WhyWomenDontReport. "Because my ex sold our movie to my rapist for distribution #WhyWomenDontReport. It is time for some goddamned honesty in this world. (sic)" The hashtag was designed to create awareness as to why women don't always report rape cases. It originated from the backlash prompted by the continuing allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour and comments made by US Presidential candidate Donald Trump. New Delhi, Oct 15 : Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday declared the second mega parent-teacher meeting (PTM) in government-run schools as successful and said the meeting helps parents to understand the qualities of their children. "The PTM has become a medium to establish communication between teacher, parents and students which was necessary," Sisodia told reporters. Issuing report cards of students to their parents by teachers is a part of the meeting, the minister said. Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia visited some schools in his constituency to meet parents and said, "we are very happy with the amazing turn out of parents even for this PTM." Sisodia said it helps parents to understand the qualities as well as shortcomings of their children, adding that the PTM has become a best window to engage parents with teachers. "It is an excellent opportunity for both parents and teachers to understand the child's requirements better. Everyone including teachers, children, parents are happy about PTMs," Sisodia added. The first parent-teacher meeting was held on July 30 and the government had announced that the meeting would be held twice a year. Delhi's second mega PTM was held successfully across all government schools, in both morning and evening shifts in the national capital on Saturday. During the PTM teachers shared children's report cards with parents, for the Summative Assessment (SA) that was held in the last week of September. Public Works Department Minister Satyendar Jain and Labour Minister Gopal Rai also visited many schools and interacted with parents and students during the PTM. Sharing his experience of the PTM Rai tweeted, "During PTM at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Babarpur (east Delhi) I met with a little girl. Glow on her face was telling that changes have started taking place in the government schools." "Teachers are also happy that their work is reaching out to the society through these PTMs," Rai tweeted. Schools laid out the red carpet for parents, and light refreshments were offered to all. Since this was the second such initiative, many parents were more aware of what to expect and had come prepared with questions and clarifications from teachers. "A robust education system understands the importance of keeping parents in the loop and taking them into confidence," a Delhi government official said. During the PTM, teachers also apprised the parents of the initiatives undertaken by the government to improve the quality of education in its schools. A parent Neeraj Tyagi, a resident of Dwarka sector 22, appreciated the government's efforts to improve education in it's schools. "Teachers are very good and cooperative here. Such PTMs are a boost. I am thankful to Delhi Education Minister for improving the standard of education at government schools," Tyagi, who attended the PTM at a government school in Dwarka sector 22, said. Another parent Sudha Verma, a resident of Paschim Vihar, said that during the PTM teachers also explained to her the idea behind the government's "Every child can read" campaign saying "it is intended at ensuring 100 per cent child literacy before November 14". Mumbai, Oct 16 : Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who got trolled by many on social media for asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise for his trip to Pakistan in December last year, says he has every right to question the PM. Kashyap vented his frustration on Sunday following the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India's decision not to screen movies with Pakistani actors, a move that has hit hard film-maker Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" which features Pakistani Fawad Khan. He said that Modi should say "sorry" for his trip to meet the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on December 25 as at the same time, Karan was shooting "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil". This did not go down well with people on Twitter. Justifying his tweets, Kashyap wrote: "Just to make it clear, I complain because I expect my government to protect us, I question the PM because I have every right to." "I am not going to address a party that has become redundant and irrelevant and is trying to find relevance again by using the film industry. We have been vulnerable for long, and have been paying the price by being used by everyone to find any kind of standing." The director contended that the real trade between the two countries across the border has "not faced any kind of opposition, but we must pay the price for it". "And anyone who questions my love for the country by shouting, must prove their love by representing the country either on the border or prove your love by representing the country in an honourable way. Not by shouting here (on social media)," he said. "And yes Sir Narendra Modi we need protection.. It's really high time. I refuse to live in the fear created by blind fanatics that you cannot have a conversation with your PM or question him or expect from him." "I would rather ask my questions directly to the PM than trying to impress him by fake nationalism of banning 'what puts you in news'," he added. Kashyap, known for making hard-hitting films, has directed movies like "Black Friday", "Dev.D", "Gulaal", "That Girl in Yellow Boots", "Gangs of Wasseypur" and "Bombay Velvet". The Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India on Friday said that movies featuring Pakistani actors would not be screened in single screen theatres in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat. The decision came amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions in the wake of a terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Army's surgical strikes on Pakistani territory. Kolkata, Oct 17 : The mysterious death of a Jadavpur University alumnus will be probed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal police, an official said on Monday. "The government is keeping a close watch on Mita Mondal's death. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered a CID probe," Chief Secretary Basudeb Banerjee told the media. Mita's batch mates from Jadavpur University have started an online campaign following her death. Mita, wife of Rana Mondal of Kushberia near Kolkata, allegedly committed suicide on Monday after a spat with her husband. But her family claimed she was killed by her husband and in-laws. "It was a clear case of murder, not suicide. Her head was bruised and nose was bleeding. There were several wounds all over her body. Moreover, the room she used to live in does not have the set up which she could have used to hang herself," Mita's bother said. "Her husband Rana said us that Mita attempted suicide and a suicide note was found. But police did not find any such note," he added. Mita's family alleged her husband was an alcoholic and often beat her up. "Mita confessed to her father that her husband had asked for one lakh rupees. She asked for money from her mother during her last visit," said a relative. Police have arrested husband Rana and his father Bijendra Mondal but his mother and brother are absconding. New Delhi, Oct 17 : Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma on Monday said he will visit Ayodhya on Tuesday to inspect the proposed Ramayana Museum. Sharma also sought to clarify that the construction of Ram Mandir has nothing to do with the forthcoming state elections. "My visit to Ayodhya has nothing to do with assembly elections. I am visiting there as a Tourism Minister. It should not be linked to politics. It is part of government's effort to improve tourism in Ayodhya and all over the country. The visit is part of the government's developmental agenda," Sharma told news channel News18. Sharma, who is also expected to visit the disputed temple site, said the museum will be part of the Ramayana circuit, for which the Centre has sanctioned Rs 225 crore, with Rs 151 crore exclusively for Ayodhya, which is the hub of the circuit. "Ram is in the heart of millions of people. As the Tourism Minister, I have to see how Ayodhya can be developed and how Ramayana circuit can be developed from tourism point of view," the minister said. During his visit, Sharma is likely to hold a meeting with Ramayana Circuit Advisory Board to discuss routes for connecting Ramayana-related sites in Nepal and Sri Lanka with the proposed museum. Meanwhile, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar urged the Union Government to take steps for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya site. "Every Ram Bhakt wants the construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya and untill it is constructed, we are not going to sit peacefully," Katiyar told News18. "It is up to the government to find a way for it, either through talks or through court or throgh Lok Sabha," the BJP leader said. Mumbai, Oct 17 : Actor Amit Sadh has shot a digital short film "The Journey" with Zarina Wahab and Zoya Afroz. He says that it is a film with a "big heart". The four-minute-long film released on Sunday on YouTube. Conceptualised by BoringBrands in collaboration with Global mobile technology startup OnePlus, the film celebrates the joy of being close to your loved ones for festivals. "Shooting this film and reuniting with this team has been a fantastic experience. What sets this apart from a lot of other films out there is its simplicity," Amit said in a statement. "It is a film with a big heart and I believe audiences will be able to connect to the emotions that run high in Indian households, especially during festivals. The characters are very relatable and the story will leave you with a smile on your face," added the actor, who was last seen in Salman Khan-starrer "Sultan". Set against the backdrop of Diwali and shot in the scenic terrains of Ladakh, "The Journey" explores the emotions that affect human choices. The film features Amit as the protagonist, and veteran actress Zarina, who plays his mother. New Delhi, Oct 17 : Five persons, including a Delhi University student and an employee of a businessman, were arrested for robbing Rs 33 lakh here at Vikas Marg, in east Delhi, Police said on Monday. Police identified the accused as Harsheet, 19, a B.Com student of Delhi University; Sonu Malik, 20, a professional bike stuntman; Mohan, 28; Iilayash, 34; and Devender Kumar, 42, a businessman's employee -- all residents of different areas of Nabi Karim (central Delhi) and Karawal Nagar (east Delhi). Police have recovered Rs 33 lakh and a motorcycle used in the crime from those arrested. Police said Devender, an employee of a businessman, worked in Gandhi Nagar, had lodged a complaint with the police that he was robbed of Rs 33 lakh by two bike-borne persons at Vikas Marg on Friday night when he came to hand over the cash to a businessman along with his colleague, Neeraj. A case in this connection was registered at Shakarpur Police Station on the complaint of Devender. "During investigation, Devender came under suspicion for changing his statements many times. Later, after sustained interrogation, he confessed that he had made a plan last month to rob his employer's cash with the help of his associates," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rishipal said. Police said when Neeraj received a sum of Rs 33 lakh from a businessman in Karol Bagh, Devender, as per his plan, conveyed his location to Mohan and Harsheet. They followed him on a motorcycle and snatched the cash bag from Neeraj, while Devender was driving another motorcycle on Vikas Marg. Their other accomplice, Shahid, who snatched the money is absconding, police said. New Delhi, Oct 17 : Union Minister Mahesh Sharma's proposed visit to inspect the site for the proposed Ramayana Museum in Ayodhya reignited the political row on Monday as the opposition accused the BJP of raking up the Ram Mandir issue ahead of the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. The row erupted on a day the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh decided to construct a Ramleela Theme Park, also in Ayodhya. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati criticised both the BJP-led central government and the Samajwadi Party's Uttar Pradesh government and said the decisions were taken only for electoral gains. "The decision to build a Ramayana Museum and Ramleela Theme Park in Ayodhya by the BJP and the SP respectively just before the assembly elections shows their intentions," the BSP chief said in a statement. She said these promises would remain unfulfilled due to lack of budgetary support. "Attempts at taking political mileage by linking religion with politics is condemnable. And if their intentions were good, these projects would have started earlier," Mayawati said. Mayawati criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "remembering" Ayodhya just before the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. "It is good to develop Ayodhya from tourism point of view," she added. Taking a dig at the SP-led state government, Mayawati said, "They are following BJP these days; that's why they have announced to build Ramleela Theme Park now." The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Monday approved the use of red sandstone at the under-construction Ramleela Theme Park in Ayodhya. An official statement said the project would help generate jobs and in the spread of Indian culture and tradition worldwide. Mayawati also cautioned the central and the state governments to take precautions as matters relating to the Ramjanambhoomi and Babri Masjid cases are still pending before the Allahabad High Court. "There is a trend of inaugurating incomplete projects in the state by the central and the state governments, which is just a theatrics to befool the voters," Mayawati alleged. The former Chief Minister said both the governments have a "habit to indulge in cheap politics, which was earlier used by Congress". The Congress also took on the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying it brings up the Ram mandir issue whenever elections come. "They don't have faith (astha) in anything. After joining hands with the Peoples Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir, they are silent on Article 370. On the Uniform Civil Code too, the kind of statements the BJP gives, it doesn't seem they have faith in it also," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewary said. "On Ram Mandir, they have no faith at all. From 1992 till today, they remember Lord Ram only when elections come," he added. Sharma, the Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, however, clarified that the construction of the museum had nothing to do with the state elections. "My visit to Ayodhya has nothing to do with assembly elections. I am visiting there as a Tourism Minister. It should not be linked to politics. It is part of the government's effort to improve tourism in Ayodhya and all over the country. The visit is part of the government's developmental agenda," Sharma told news channel News18. Sharma, who is also expected to visit the disputed temple site, said the museum will be part of the Ramayana circuit, for which the Centre has sanctioned Rs 225 crore, with Rs 151 crore exclusively for Ayodhya, which is the hub of the circuit. "(Lord) Ram is in the heart of millions of people. As the Tourism Minister, I have to see how Ayodhya can be developed and how Ramayana circuit can be developed from tourism point of view," the minister said. During his visit, Sharma is likely to hold a meeting with Ramayana Circuit Advisory Board to discuss routes for connecting Ramayana-related sites in Nepal and Sri Lanka with the proposed museum. Meanwhile, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Vinay Katiyar urged the Union government to take steps for the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. "Every Ram bhakt wants the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya and until it is constructed, we are not going to sit peacefully," Katiyar told News18. "It is up to the government to find a way out, either through talks or court or Parliament," the BJP leader said. Canberra, Oct 18 : Australian soldiers will join Iraqi security forces and the international coalition in an operation to recapton ure Mosul city from the the Islamic State (IS) terror group, Defence Minister Marise Payne said Tuesday. "We are continuing our work providing support to the Iraqi security forces throughout the Mosul offensive," Payne said. "I'm not going to give those sorts of specific details in operational terms for security reasons," she said in response to a question about the proximity of Australian troops to the current military action in Mosul. Australia contributes to the international coalition led by the US in the fight against the IS with six F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft, a KC-30A aerial refuelling tanker aircraft and an E-7A Wedgetail twin-engine early warning and control aircraft. It has also deployed 780 soldiers, including 80 special forces troops. Along with New Zealand, Australia provides training for Iraqi soldiers, while its special operations group provides advice and assistance to the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Services. The Prime Minister and commander of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Haider al-Abadi, has vowed to oust the IS from Iraq this year, as the group's last stronghold is Mosul, the second largest city in the country that has been under its control since June 2014. The terrorist group was previously expelled from the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah in central Iraq. Sydney, Oct 18 : Four Australian boys donning creepy clown masks who broke into Queensland hotel, terrifying people and attempting a robbery were charged on Tuesday, officials said. The boys, three teenagers aged 14 and a 12-year-old, had scared off several people around the Cairns centre business district area while wearing the creepy clown masks on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, Xinhua news agency reported. The charge comes right after a number of incidents were reported across Australia involving people dressing up as creepy clowns and scaring off bystanders, a phenomenon which started in the US earlier this year. Queensland Police said the charges were laid on the boys after they were caught by security guards breaking into two apartments at the Lake St complex in Cairns and allegedly stealing several items from inside the units, including mobile phones, cash and electronic items. Queensland's Far North police Acting InsApector Mick Gooiker said on Tuesday that all four boys had entered the hotel via an underground car park and were allegedly wearing the masks during one of the break-ins. The boys were charged with four counts of entering a premise to steal, two counts of wilful damage and one count of public nuisance, which relates to the alleged mask-wearing incidents in Cairns. This is not the first time the Australian police has laid charges on its citizens committing a crime while wearing the creepy clown mask. Earlier this month, a 19-year-old teenager from Perth, who scared the group of girls near a shopping centre in Northam, Perth, was charged with disorderly behaviour and a possession of a disguise. While another 15-year-old teenager was arrested and charged in Brisbane's south last week after police allegedly found him standing on the street wearing a creepy clown mask and carrying a knife. Mumbai, Oct 18 : Actor Amit Sadh, who has previously appeared in films like "Kai Po Che!", "Guddu Rangeela" and "Sultan", on Tuesday started shooting for veteran filmmaker Ram Gopal Varmas upcoming film "Sarkar 3". "I enter a new world today, a new institution all together. Earlier it was a dream and now it's reality which really excites me and also sends shivers down my spine to even stand in front of Amitabh Bachchan in a movie, a cult that is our very own godfather," Amit said in a statement. "I feel extremely privileged and also very excited to be directed by Ramu (Varma) sir. Not exaggerating, but I am enjoying every second of interaction with this genius and a man who doesn't want to talk anything other than films. "I am so happy to join a cast, whose credentials are beyond boastful," he added. "Sarkar 3" features Amitabh reprising his role as Subhash Nagre. The film also stars Rohini Hattangadi, Jackie Shroff, Manoj Bajpayee, Ronit Roy, Bharat Dhabolkar and Yami Gautam. The first two instalments -- "Sarkar" and "Sarkar Raj" -- were set in the world of Marathi politics and were written and directed by Varma himself. Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 18 : The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday saw 83-year-old veteran legislator K.M. Mani recalling his second speech that he made on the floor of the House way back in 1967. "In the very second speech that I made in 1967, I had told the House that the Tariff Commission-fixed rate of rubber at Rs 20 per kg was too low, and 50 years later, I have to repeat the same thing that the price of rubber at Rs 113.50 per kg is too low. But no action is coming forth from any quarters," said Mani seeking leave for an adjournment motion to discuss the issue. Mani has been representing Palai assembly constituency since 1967 and has never faced defeat. "The only reason that I can attribute to the sad state of affairs is that the rubber farmers in Kerala are not united. Since the tyre manufacturers are united, they have their way," he observed. Mani continued: "Two years back, the price of rubber was Rs 240 per kg and today it has dropped to Rs 113.50. It was P. Chidambaram in the UPA government who played truant by relaxing import restrictions on rubber, and now the state's Left government has been unable to do anything. The Modi government is also not doing anything," said Mani. He said it was in the Oommen Chandy government that he as the Finance Minister had come out with a price stabilisation fund for rubber growers when Rs 150 per kg was fixed as the benchmark price. "In my budget 2015-16, I had set aside Rs 300 crore for rubber farmers, and they were to be compensated from that money. There were times when the price fell as low as Rs 88 per kg and we gave each farmer Rs 62 as subsidy, so the farmer got Rs 150 per kg. But, the present Left government is not taking up this issue with due seriousness," added Mani. Replying to Mani, state Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunilkumar said that Kerala has 12 lakh rubber farmers, and the government has asked all those who have not registered to do so to get the subsidy. "Ever since we assumed office four months back, a total of Rs 242 crore has been paid to farmers as part of the price stabilisation fund," Sunilkumar said. The state government has on two occasions brought the pathetic condition of rubber farmers to the notice of the Centre and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has scheduled a meeting of top officials to discuss this issue very soon, the minister informed. Sunilkumar also pointed out that they have decided to set up two rubber parks -- at Kottayam and Pathanamthitta -- to bring cheer to the rubber farmers. State PWD Minister G. Sudhakaran told the House that orders have been given for 50,000 tonnes of rubberised bitumen to the Bharat Petroleum Company, so that rubber produced here can be diverted for that. Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said that it was only the Congress-led UDF government that had done justice to the rubber farmers, which came through the setting up of the price stabilisation fund by them under the Chandy government. "The present state government has failed to do justice and the Modi government is only on an announcement spree, with no action forthcoming. Even the Rubber Board appears to be going to be wound up by the Centre," said Chennithala. "If there is no strong intervention, then the rubber farmers here will face what the coco farmers faced some years ago," he added and to protest the "callous attitude" of the state and Centre, led the opposition out of the House. Canberra, Oct 18 : Australia will provide $7.5 million worth of humanitarian assistance to Iraq during the coalition's military operation to defeat Islamic State (IS) in the region, authorities said on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in a statement said the donation to the city of Mosul is in addition to the $45 million already contributed to Iraq by Australia, adding that the money would be used to ensure Iraqi civilians remain safe during the fighting, Xinhua news agency reported. "This will include emergency food, medical assistance, temporary shelter and support to women and girls for reproductive health", she said. The Foreign Minister added that the commencement of the operation to drive IS out of Mosul - and out of the Middle East - was an "important milestone" in the fight against the terror organisation. Beijing, Oct 18 : Wind power could supply up to 20 per cent of global electricity by 2030 owing to dramatic cost reductions and efforts to check climate change, said a Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) report released on Tuesday. "By 2030 wind power could reach 2,110 GW, and supply up to 20 per cent of global electricity, creating 2.4 million new jobs and reducing CO2 emissions by more than 3.3 billion tonnes per year, and attract annual investment of about A200 billion," GWEC said in a release here. "Now that the Paris (climate talks) Agreement is coming into force, meeting the targets means a completely decarbonised electricity supply well before 2050, and wind power will play the major role in getting us there," said GWEC Secretary General Steve Sawyer. "Wind power is the most competitive option for adding new capacity to the grid in a growing number of markets," he added. The report said total global wind power installations stood at 433 GW by the end of 2015, up 17 per cent from a year earlier, and are set to rise by around 60 GW in 2016. A major chunk of this increase was driven by China, which accounted for 145.4 GW at the end of 2015, or 33.6 per cent of the total. China built 30.8 GW of new wind power capacity over the year, the highest annual addition by any country, it said. The offshore wind industry has taken large strides forward with more than 3.4 GW installed in 2015, bringing total offshore wind capacity to over 12 GW, the report added. GWEC said new markets are developing rapidly across Africa, Asia and Latin America, supplying clean energy to support sustainable development. As part of its global commitment, India has to ensure that 40 per cent of its power capacity comes from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, up from 30 per cent currently, as per a power ministry assessment in August 2016. The countries that sign the Paris accord must reduce the focus on fossil fuels in their energy mix to 30-35 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. India has the fourth largest wind turbine capacity globally. The wind turbine capacity increased 12 per cent from 114,609 MW in 2014 to 145,109 MW in 2015. India has 2.2 per cent of solar power capacity in the world, and is among the top 10 nations. Kolkata, Oct 18 : The West Bengal government on Tuesday ordered a CID probe into fire incidents in the country's oldest engineering firm Jessop's factory near suburban Dumdum. "There have been two incidents of fire in the Jessop factory within a week. The West Bengal government has ordered a CID probe today (Tuesday). We will investigate and action will be taken against those involved in the matter," said state police's Criminal Investigation Department Deputy Inspector General Bharat Lal Meena. The locals and Jessop workers have alleged lack of maintenance and hinted that sabotage was the reason behind the repeated instances of fire at the factory premises in North 24-Parganas district. "It seems there is a mystery behind the mishaps in the Jessop factory. These accidents can be intentional. We are not sure what the owners of Jessop are planning to do with the factory land," said state Information Technology Minister and local lawmaker Bratya Basu while inspecting the factory premises on Tuesday. The police said they would tighten the security to avoid recurrence of such incidents. "The state government, local municipality and police department would now take control of the factory's security. We will post a combat force with non-lethal weapons in the factory premises," said Barrackpore city Police Commissioner Tanmay Roy Chowdhury. "The factory owners did not pay heed to the Calcutta High Court order to ensure adequate lighting in the factory premises and repair the boundary walls. More than 70 places in the boundary wall are broken. Police will take legal action against the authorities for lack of supervision," he said. "The state government has taken over Jessop. We don't have much control there. Scope of doing anything is very limited. State government has posted police camp," a company spokesperson said. Ahead of the state assembly elections this year, the West Bengal government passed a bill to take over the Pawan Kumar Ruia group-controlled ailing industrial units -- Dunlop India and the 228-year old Jessop. New Delhi, Oct 18 : The Indian Navy and the Defence Ministry on Tuesday maintained silence on induction of its first nuclear submarine Arihant in the force, even as sources indicated the vessel has been inducted. Former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd), however, told IANS that such silence was "customary" as the project is 'top secret' and even the Navy is not aware of the submarine's movements and locations, which are decided by orders from the highest level. The submarine, the lead ship of India's Arihant-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, has been designed based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarines. Neither Defence Ministry officials, nor the Indian Navy confirmed or denied the media reports on induction of the vessel. Asked about the submarine at a function here, Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition in Indian Navy Vice Admiral G.S. Pabby refused to answer the question. The Vice Admiral, however, said that an interaction will soon be held to answer all questions on the submarine. "There will soon be an opportunity to talk about it," Pabby said. Asked about the induction, officials refused to comment on or off record. However, they indicated that the boat is now part of the Indian Naval fleet, but did not divulge the exact date of induction. Asked about the possible reasons for the secrecy, former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retired) said the secrecy around the induction of the vessel, being a nuclear submarine, was "customary". "Arihant is an achievement technology wise, but otherwise it is a top secret," Admiral Prakash told IANS. "Its mission is to be a nuclear deterrent. Everything to do with the submarine will be a secret. Its movement, position and location will not even be known to the Navy," he said. "It is not a normal ship; though we would like to show it off, we cannot," he added. The 60,000-tonne submarine was also not included in the International Fleet Review (IFR) hosted by the Indian Navy earlier this year. INS Arihant is India's first indigenous nuclear submarine, and the lead ship of the Arihant-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, which was launched in 2009. While it was initially expected to go on sea trials by 2012, it did so only in December 2014. The miniaturised nuclear reactor of Arihant, built with Russian help, went critical in August 2013. The submarine completes India's nuclear triad giving it the capability to respond to nuclear strikes from sea, land and air-based systems. The project was under Advanced Technology Vessel programme under the supervision of the Prime Minister's Office and involving agencies and establishments such as the DRDO, the Department of Atomic Energy, the Submarine Design Group of the Directorate of Naval Design, besides companies such as L&T. Its 100-member crew has been trained by Russian specialists, Indian scientists at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have received significant expertise in reducing the size of the reactor to help it fit into the 10 m diameter hull of the nuclear submarine. India currently operates Russian-origin nuclear-powered submarine INS Chakra, which it leased for 10 years from Russia in 2012. Nuclear submarines have capability to stay out in the sea for longer, and don't need to surface for a long duration. London : London Oct 18 (IANS) Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla has said that it would be a mistake to sell Hector Bellerin. Right-back Bellerin has interested Manchester City and La Liga giants FC Barcelona, but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that the Gunners will fight to keep him and offer him a new contract. Bellerin's fellow Spain international Cazorla, whose own contract at Arsenal expires next summer, has urged Arsenal to keep hold of the 21-year-old. "For Arsenal it would be a mistake to let him go. It is obvious that many teams want him," Cazorla told IBTimes UK. "There has been talk about Manchester City and Barcelona. He is a player with great potential and I am sure he will also be a key part of the future of the Spanish national team. "We'll see (what happens with Hector). You could see in the victory over Swansea how good he is. He was all over the place and never stopped running," he added. Bellerin signed for Arsenal as a youth player from Barcelona's La Masia academy and has made 82 appearances for the former English Premier League champions. Bengaluru, Oct 18 : A Karnataka circle inspector allegedly shot himself fatally with a service revolver in a police station at Malur town in Kolar district early Tuesday, the state police said. "M. Raghavendra, 32, was found dead in his chamber on the first floor of the police station by one of the policemen who went upstairs to meet him early morning," state Inspector General of Police (IGP) Seemanth Kumar Singh told IANS. Malur is 45 km from Bengaluru. "We have registered a case of unnatural death under Section 174 of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and a DSP (deputy superintendent of police) is inquiring into the incident to find out if there was foul play or was it a suicide," said Singh. The inspector leaves behind his wife, a young son and parents at his native place Narsipur in the same district. "He (inspector) was on night duty and went out for patrolling at 10.30 p.m. on Monday in a police vehicle but returned to the police station around 2.00 a.m.," recalled Singh, quoting the victim's driver. Raghavendra is the third state police officer to commit suicide this year after Mangaluru DSP M. K. Ganapathy hanged himself at Madikeri in Kodagu district on July 7 and Chikkamagaluru rural DSP Kallappa Handibag hanged himself at his in-laws' home at Murgod in Belagavi district. Kolar Superintendent of Police Divya Gopinath visited the police station for a first-hand account of the incident. New Delhi, Oct 18 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday commenced hearing on a batch of petitions to examine whether appeals in the name of religion and caste for votes during elections amounted to "corrupt practice" under the law and hence could be a ground for unseating a lawmaker. In the course of the daylong hearing, a seven-judge Constitution Bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justices Madan B. Lokur, S.A. Bobde, Adarsh Kumar Goel, Uday Umesh Lalit, D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao posed several questions to be addressed by counsel appearing in the matter. However, the bench declined, for now, a plea by Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to ask Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to assist the court in the matter. The bench felt that the issue before it concerned an election dispute and thus at this point of time, there was no necessity to seek the views of the Attorney General or the central government. The bench is examining whether the use of words like "Hindutva" or "Hinduism" or any similar nomenclature amounted to garnering votes by exploiting religious feelings of the voters. Justice Bobde said that mobilising votes by invoking religious sentiments was destructive of Section 123 (3) of The Representation of the People Act, 1951. "Making an appeal in the name of religion is destructive of Section 123 (3). If you make an appeal in the name of religion, then you are emphasising the difference or you are emphasising the identity. It is wrong," Justice Bobde observed. Section 123 (3) prohibits seeking votes by a candidate or his agent on grounds of his religion, race, caste, community or language or the use of, or appeal to religious symbols or the use of, or appeal to, national symbols. The hearing by the seven-judge bench is rooted in the conflicting judgments delivered way back in 1995 and 1997 on whether seeking of votes in the name of "Hindutva" or "Hinduism" amounted to exploitation of religion, as prohibited under Section 123(3). The bench asked senior counsel Arvind Datar -- appearing for one of the petitioners -- whether by making an appeal in the name of religion, "are you not emphasising the identity of the candidate?" The bench also asked when votes are moblised by invoking religion or appealing to religious identity, would it not amount to seeking votes in the name of religion. The bench cited a hypothetical situation wherein a Muslim supporter of a Hindu candidate sought votes from his community by invoking religion and fear of divine retribution if they don't vote. And the vice versa situation. Similarly, there were questions on seeking votes by exploiting caste identities. The court is having a relook at the 1996 judgment by which a three-judge bench held that Hinduism is a way of life and a state of mind and not a religion. Therefore, it said, invoking Hinduism was not a corrupt practice. It was on the strength of this judgment that the Supreme Court had reversed the unseating of nine BJP legislators in Maharashtra, including former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi. However, one case of Abhiram Singh is still pending as it was referred by the five-judge bench to the seven-judge bench. Abhiram Singh was elected to the Maharashtra assembly in February 1990. His election was set aside by the Bombay High Court in December 1991 and since then his appeal is pending before the Supreme Court. Hearing will continue on Wednesday. Jaipur, Oct 18 : The Rajasthan government has filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court against the acquittal of Bollywood actor Salman Khan by the High Court in two 18-year-old chinkara poaching cases, a senior law officer said on Tuesday. "Hearing on our SLP is expected to come up some time after Diwali vacations," Shiv Mangal Sharma, Additional Advocate General of the Rajasthan government in Supreme Court, told IANS. The Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur on July 25 acquitted Salman, who was accused of killing two chinkaras in separate incidents. One of the animals was killed at Bhawad on Jodhpur's outskirts on September 26, 1998, and the other at Ghoda Farms on September 28, 1998. Shooting for the film 'Hum Saath Sath Hain' was taking place at the time in the desert state. Salman moved the Jodhpur bench of the High Court to challenge his conviction by a lower court and award of one and five-year terms in the two poaching cases. The state government too appealed against the lower court's verdict on different grounds. On July 25, Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, while allowing Salman's appeal, acquitted him of all charges and also dismissed the state government appeal for enhancing the sentence. In August, Rajasthan's Additional Advocate General K.L. Thakur recommended to the state government to appeal in the Supreme Court against Salman's acquittal by the High Court. Lecce (Italy), Oct 18 : A Moldavian and a Russian were arrested for suspected human trafficking after 52 Pakistani migrants reached the southern Italian coast aboard a yacht, the police said on Tuesday. A total of 11 minors were among the migrants, who arrived in Santa Maria di Leuca in the Puglia region aboard the US-flagged vessel on Monday, the police said. Italian tax police discovered the migrants when they boarded the yacht and arrested its Ukrainian and Moldavian skippers, aged 21 and 26 respectively. Local prosecutors have opened a probe into the case. Kolkata, Oct 18 : Trinamool Congress MP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Avishek Banerjee was seriously injured on Tuesday when his car met with an accident on the Durgapur Expressway in Hooghly district, police said. Avishek was rushed to a city nursing home where doctors said he had sustained an orbital injury in a facial bone below the eye. Former minister Manas Bhunia, who was part of the convoy but in another vehicle, was safe. Ten policemen in her nephew's convoy also sustained injuries and were released after preliminary treatment. The Chief Minister ordered a Criminal Investigation Department probe on whether there was any foul play. Banerjee, who spent over two hours at the nursing home, said Avishek was being administered oxygen and saline and would be kept under observation for four days. "The injury is serious. There is a huge swelling on the face. He is being administered oxygen and saline," she said. Avishek's car hit the crane of a van towing a snag-hit milk van at Ratanpur, about six km from Singur, when the Trinamool youth wing chief was returning to Kolkata after attending a party programme in Baharampur of Murshidabad district, police said. Trinamool leader Becharam Manna said Avishek's car upturned and hit a divider after the accident. "He is stable, but obviously there is cause for worry because in such cases there may be complications at a later stage," said attending doctor Subir Mondal. "There is no head injury. All his vital parameters are OK. We have done bone and brain scans. But nothing was found. We have to go for repeat tests," Mondal told the media. A 14-member medical team comprising internal medicine and eye specialists, surgeons, neurosurgeon, neurologist and maxilo-facial surgeon has been formed for his treatment. The doctor said no major fracture was diagnosed but he needed to be kept under medical observation. "Let us hope. I am getting messages from accross the country. Even the President (Pranab Mukherjee) and the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) called up to know what exactly had happened. The concern of one and all will help him survive," Banerjee said. Asked about the cause of the accident, she said: "I don't want to make any comment when investigation is on". Senior Trinamool leaders also reached the health facility to ask after the TMC leader, who represents Diamond Harbour constituency in the 16th Lok Sabha. Mumbai, Oct 18 : Filmmaker Karan Johar is a patriotic Indian whose nationalism cannot be questioned, says Vijay Singh, CEO of Fox Star Studios that is distributing 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'. Singh said in a statement: "Karan Johar is a proud, emotional and patriotic Indian like all of us and his nationalism cannot be questioned. Fox Star Studios, India, whole-heartedly stands by him at this time." He said his team is slated for the Diwali release of 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' on October 28. The Fox Star Studio CEO met a Mumbai Police representative on Tuesday to urge for protection for theatres which will screen the movie. "We have been assured that the police will provide protection to all theatres, including single screens and multiplexes, should there be any requirement," he added. Singh's statement comes after Karan broke his silence on the vandalism threats issued by right-wing Hindu outfits opposing the release of the film, which stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. Singh said: "We unequivocally condemn the terror attacks on India and support the government of India in all its effort to bring safety and peace for Indians." "The film has been made by an Indian director -- film's actors Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are all Indians; the crew who have worked tirelessly on this film to see their labour of love in theatres with their families are all Indians," Singh said. Fox Star Studios, which has a nine-film deal with Johar's Dharma Productions, has also produced 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'. New York, Oct 19 : Actress Amanda Seyfried says she has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While discussing home renovations in Allure magazine's November issue, the actress mentioned she has obsessive compulsive disorder, reports eonline.com. "I bought the house in 2013, and then I had it redone," the 30-year-old said of the house she owns in Stone Ridge, New York. "I just finished renovating one of the barns for guests. I put in a bathroom and a little kitchenette, but no stove; I want people to eat meals in the house. Also, I always worry about people and how they use stoves. Which is just a controlling thing." That worry, she explained, is related to her OCD. "I'm on Lexapro, and I'll never get off of it," Seyfried said of needing an anti-depressant. "I've been on it since I was 19, so 11 years. I'm on the lowest dose. I don't see the point of getting off of it. Whether it's placebo or not, I don't want to risk it. And what are you fighting against? Just the stigma of using a tool? "A mental illness is a thing that people cast in a different category (from other illnesses), but I don't think it is. It should be taken as seriously as anything else." Seyfried, who had previously discussed being in therapy, does what she can to manage her disease. "You don't see the mental illness: It's not a mass; it's not a cyst. But it's there. Why do you need to prove it? If you can treat it, you treat it," she said. "I had pretty bad health anxiety that came from the OCD and thought I had a tumor in my brain. I had an MRI, and the neurologist referred me to a psychiatrist. As I get older, the compulsive thoughts and fears have diminished a lot. Knowing that a lot of my fears are not reality-based really helps." Testimonio, Testimonials, and the Guatemalan Civil War The Guatemalan Genocide took 200,000 civilian lives; survivors share stories in video testimonials recorded by the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive. Subjectivity is as much the business of history as the more visible facts. Alessandro Portelli Survivors of the Guatemalan Genocide, which took the lives of 200,000 civilians - mainly indigenous Mayans share their stories in video testimonials recorded by the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive. The Tradition of Testimonio Testimonio is a unique genre of storytelling in Latin-American tradition. It typically originates as an oral history, told by someone from a marginalized population someone poor, uneducated, often female; someone who has been politically oppressed, exploited or abused; usually someone of a native or ethnic minority background and recorded by a professional writer or academic. The dominant formal aspect of the testimonio, notes Latin-American literature professor and critic John Beverley, is the voice that speaks to the reader in the form of an I that demands to be recognized, that wants or needs to stake a claim on our attention. This results in an element of urgency on the part of the speaker to tell her story, in her own voice and in her own words. It is a story has gone unheard but will no longer be ignored. In this way, testimonio is sometimes classified as resistance literature. Another distinctive characteristic of this genre is that the narrator speaks for, or in the name of, a community or group, Beverley explains. Each individual testimonio evokes an absent polyphony of other voices, other possible lives and experiences. I, Rigoberta Menchu In the early 1980s, at the peak of violence in the 36-year-long Guatemalan Civil War, a young Mayan activist campaigning against human rights violations went into exile. After suffering the brutal deaths of her brother, mother and father, Rigoberta Menchu fled to Mexico, along with tens of thousands of other indigenous Guatemalan refugees who endured the annihilation of their villages; the disappearance of their loved ones; the destruction of their crops; the slaughter of their livestock; the contamination of their water supplies; and the violation of their sacred places and cultural symbols. In Mexico, Menchu co-founded the United Republic of Guatemalan Opposition and continued to support the resistance movement against the military government. Her work took her to Paris, where she met Venezuelan anthropologist Elisabeth Burgos and agreed to tell her life story. Burgos transcribed Menchus words, and in 1983 the controversial testimonio, I, Rigoberta Menchu, was published. It went on to become an international bestseller. The story begins: My name is Rigoberta Menchu. Im 23 years old. This is my testimony. I didnt learn it from a book and I didnt learn it alone. Id like to stress that its not only my life, its also the testimony of my people. Its hard for me to remember everything thats happened to me in my life since there have been many bad times but, yes, moments of joy as well. The important thing is that what has happened to me has happened to many other people also: My story is the story of all poor Guatemalans. My personal experience is the reality of a whole people. By the late 1980s, Menchus testimonio attracted global attention. I, Rigoberta Menchu became staple reading in college classrooms. Menchu herself gained renown as an international human rights activist. She was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992. Then, within the next decade, backlash ensued. Critics questioned elements of Menchus story, in particular Menchus claim that her father refused to let her attend school, and her claim to have been present when her brother was murdered. Accusations were made that she manipulated facts of her life for political gain. Detractors have called her a liar and an opportunist. The Value of Oral Histories Oral historian and scholar Alessandro Portelli says: The first thing that makes oral history different is that it tells us less about events than about their meaning. This does not imply that oral history has no factual interest; interviews often reveal unknown events or unknown aspects of known events, and they always cast light on unexplored sides of the daily life of the non-hegemonic classesThey tell us not just what people did, but what they wanted to do, what they believed they were doing, what they now think they didSubjectivity is as much the business of history as the more visible facts. In a later interview, Menchu readily admitted that she went to a Catholic boarding school, a fact left out of her testimonio in order to protect the nuns who harbored her there. She did attend a few classes part-time, but mostly she worked as a maid in order to pay for her room and board. Menchu also acknowledged that she did not witness the murder of her brother herself, but related the harrowing details as accounted by her mother. The facts of Menchus story, many of her critics conceded, were true accounts of experiences in her community. Her story, as she said herself, is the story of her people. Whats more, Menchu says at the conclusion of her testimonio, Im still keeping secret what I think no one should know. Not even anthropologists or intellectuals, no matter how many books they have, can find out all our secrets. Portelli suggests the most precious information may lie in what [narrators of oral histories] hide (and in the fact that they hide it), rather than what they tell. In other words, what is omitted from a testimonio is as much a part of the story as what is included. A narrator might leave something out because certain details are dangerous, or because a memory is too painful, or seems unimportant. Or impressionable tragedies might be absorbed to such a degree into a persons consciousness she tells of the experiences of her community or her deceased mother as if she lived them herself. Because in a way she has. And others like her mother might not be able to tell of such events themselves. The elements that are left out of an oral history can be seen as the negative space in the story that give form to what is said, and as such, they are a part of the narrative. Maybe this is a way to think about how perspective works: its how a narrator chooses what to include, what to omit, and what to emphasize in her story. This is what makes it her story. And this is what makes oral histories and testimonial narratives human stories, distinctive from and a meaningful complement to the objectivity of historical record. The USC Visual History Archive Working with the La Fundacion de Antropologia Forense de Guatemala (FAFG), a Guatemalan forensics organization, USC Shoah Foundation has launched a project to collect video testimonies of witnesses to the Guatemalan Genocide of the early 1980s. About 150 video interviews from Guatemalan survivors and witnesses have been collected in Guatemala for the pilot program. All of these interviews are conducted in Spanish or Kiche, the indigenous language. The testimonies are being preserved and indexed by USC Shoah Foundation, which is adding them to the Visual History Archive. Pending funding, there are plans to collect approximately 400 additional Guatemalan testimonies. These stories and experiences from survivors and witnesses of the Guatemalan genocide will be included the collection of 53,000 audio-visual testimonies archived by USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History. ProQuest is honored to be in partnership with USC Visual History Archive to offer this a streaming version of material in its entirety. Watch the videos, learn more and sign up for librarian trials. (link) *For primary source documentation related to U.S. relations with Guatemala, see ProQuests History Vault modules: - Office of Strategic Services (OSS)-State Department Intelligence and Research Reports, 1941-1961 - Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy, 1960-1975 - Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files, 1960-1969, Europe and Latin America John Beverleys The Margin at the Center: On Testimonio (Testimonial Narrative) from Modern Fiction Studies and Alessandro Portellis The Peculiarities of Oral History from History Workshop Journal are available on the ProQuest platform. David Stolls investigation of Rigoberta Mentus testimony, Rigoberta Menchu and the Story of Poor Guatamalans is available on ProQuests Ebook Central. Subjectivity is as much the business of history as the more visible facts. Alessandro Portelli Survivors of the Guatemalan Genocide, which took the lives of 200,000 civilians mainly indigenous Mayans share their stories in video testimonials recorded by the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive. The Tradition of Testimonio Testimonio is a unique genre of storytelling in Latin-American tradition. It typically originates as an oral history, told by someone from a marginalized population someone poor, uneducated, often female; someone who has been politically oppressed, exploited or abused; usually someone of a native or ethnic minority background and recorded by a professional writer or academic. The dominant formal aspect of the testimonio, notes Latin-American literature professor and critic John Beverley, is the voice that speaks to the reader in the form of an I that demands to be recognized, that wants or needs to stake a claim on our attention. This results in an element of urgency on the part of the speaker to tell her story, in her own voice and in her own words. It is a story has gone unheard but will no longer be ignored. In this way, testimonio is sometimes classified as resistance literature. Another distinctive characteristic of this genre is that the narrator speaks for, or in the name of, a community or group, Beverley explains. Each individual testimonio evokes an absent polyphony of other voices, other possible lives and experiences. I, Rigoberta Menchu In the early 1980s, at the peak of violence in the 36-year-long Guatemalan Civil War, a young Mayan activist campaigning against human rights violations went into exile. After suffering the brutal deaths of her brother, mother and father, Rigoberta Menchu fled to Mexico, along with tens of thousands of other indigenous Guatemalan refugees who endured the annihilation of their villages; the disappearance of their loved ones; the destruction of their crops; the slaughter of their livestock; the contamination of their water supplies; and the violation of their sacred places and cultural symbols. In Mexico, Menchu co-founded the United Republic of Guatemalan Opposition and continued to support the resistance movement against the military government. Her work took her to Paris, where she met Venezuelan anthropologist Elisabeth Burgos and agreed to tell her life story. Burgos transcribed Menchus words, and in 1983 the controversial testimonio, I, Rigoberta Menchu, was published. It went on to become an international bestseller. The story begins: My name is Rigoberta Menchu. Im 23 years old. This is my testimony. I didnt learn it from a book and I didnt learn it alone. Id like to stress that its not only my life, its also the testimony of my people. Its hard for me to remember everything thats happened to me in my life since there have been many bad times but, yes, moments of joy as well. The important thing is that what has happened to me has happened to many other people also: My story is the story of all poor Guatemalans. My personal experience is the reality of a whole people. By the late 1980s, Menchus testimonio attracted global attention. I, Rigoberta Menchu became staple reading in college classrooms. Menchu herself gained renown as an international human rights activist. She was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992. Then, within the next decade, backlash ensued. Critics questioned elements of Menchus story, in particular Menchus claim that her father refused to let her attend school, and her claim to have been present when her brother was murdered. Accusations were made that she manipulated facts of her life for political gain. Detractors have called her a liar and an opportunist. The Value of Oral Histories Oral historian and scholar Alessandro Portelli says: The first thing that makes oral history different is that it tells us less about events than about their meaning. This does not imply that oral history has no factual interest; interviews often reveal unknown events or unknown aspects of known events, and they always cast light on unexplored sides of the daily life of the non-hegemonic classes...They tell us not just what people did, but what they wanted to do, what they believed they were doing, what they now think they did...Subjectivity is as much the business of history as the more visible facts. In a later interview, Menchu readily admitted that she went to a Catholic boarding school, a fact left out of her testimonio in order to protect the nuns who harbored her there. She did attend a few classes part-time, but mostly she worked as a maid in order to pay for her room and board. Menchu also acknowledged that she did not witness the murder of her brother herself, but related the harrowing details as accounted by her mother. The facts of Menchus story, many of her critics conceded, were true accounts of experiences in her community. Her story, as she said herself, is the story of her people. Whats more, Menchu says at the conclusion of her testimonio, Im still keeping secret what I think no one should know. Not even anthropologists or intellectuals, no matter how many books they have, can find out all our secrets. Portelli suggests the most precious information may lie in what [narrators of oral histories] hide (and in the fact that they hide it), rather than what they tell. In other words, what is omitted from a testimonio is as much a part of the story as what is included. A narrator might leave something out because certain details are dangerous, or because a memory is too painful, or seems unimportant. Or impressionable tragedies might be absorbed to such a degree into a persons consciousness she tells of the experiences of her community or her deceased mother as if she lived them herself. Because in a way she has. And others like her mother might not be able to tell of such events themselves. The elements that are left out of an oral history can be seen as the negative space in the story that give form to what is said, and as such, they are a part of the narrative. Maybe this is a way to think about how perspective works: its how a narrator chooses what to include, what to omit, and what to emphasize in her story. This is what makes it her story. And this is what makes oral histories and testimonial narratives human stories, distinctive from and a meaningful complement to the objectivity of historical record. The USC Visual History Archive Working with the La Fundacion de Antropologia Forense de Guatemala (FAFG), a Guatemalan forensics organization, USC Shoah Foundation has launched a project to collect video testimonies of witnesses to the Guatemalan Genocide of the early 1980s. About 150 video interviews from Guatemalan survivors and witnesses have been collected in Guatemala for the pilot program. All of these interviews are conducted in Spanish or Kiche, the indigenous language. The testimonies are being preserved and indexed by USC Shoah Foundation, which is adding them to the Visual History Archive. Pending funding, there are plans to collect approximately 400 additional Guatemalan testimonies. These stories and experiences from survivors and witnesses of the Guatemalan genocide will be included the collection of 53,000 audio-visual testimonies archived by USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History. ProQuest is honored to be in partnership with USC Visual History Archive to offer this a streaming version of material in its entirety. Watch the videos, learn more and sign up for librarian trials. *For primary source documentation related to U.S. relations with Guatemala, see ProQuests History Vault modules: - Office of Strategic Services (OSS) - State Department Intelligence and Research Reports, 1941-1961 - Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy, 1960-1975 - Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files, 1960-1969, Europe and Latin America John Beverleys The Margin at the Center: On Testimonio (Testimonial Narrative) from Modern Fiction Studies and Alessandro Portellis The Peculiarities of Oral History from History Workshop Journal are available on the ProQuest platform. David Stolls investigation of Rigoberta Mentus testimony, Rigoberta Menchu and the Story of Poor Guatamalans is available on ProQuests Ebook Central. TaskMate Go with large work surface and large keyboard tray for extra space Adjustable standing desk developer, HealthPostures, saw the benefits of standing while working more than a decade ago. HealthPostures announces that it has taken Steno Works on as a new dealer. Through this arrangement, the ergonomics adjustable standing desk company and Steno Works aim to offer ongoing physical support to the thousands of adults working as a court reporter. Leaders at both companies realize that few jobs in the United States demand that workers sit for extended periods the way that the court reporter role does. Effects of long term sitting are becoming more widely known. Migraines, neck pain, back strain and lower energy and weight gain are unwanted conditions that have been known to develop for adults who sit for hours at work. Adjustable standing desk developer, HealthPostures, saw the benefits of standing while working more than a decade ago. The standing computer desk ergonomics company has been designing ergonomics sit to stand solutions since the 1990s. Included among its sit to stand solutions are the 6100 TaskMate Executive, 6350 TaskMate Go, 6360 TaskMate Go Laptop and the 6200 TaskMate Journey,. HealthPostures ergonomic sit to stand chairs are built to provide motion seating. The chairs come in three designs. There is the 5100 Stance Angle Chair, 5000 Stance Move and the 5050 Stance Move EXT. Its these ergonomic sit stand chairs that immediately align with ergonomic sit/stand chairs, sit to stand desk risers and ergonomic desks available at Steno Works. Steno Works also offers carpal tunnel books and accessories. Although the company tailors its products and services for court reporters, office workers specializing in other fields are welcome to take advantage of the companys services and products. Because it specializes in products and services that seek to improve the court reporters working experience, Steno Works is also referred to as The Court Reporting Store. Executives at Steno Works share that, The Court Reporting Store is the most trusted name in new and pre-owned court reporting equipment: we have the best selection, the best service and the best value for today's discriminating consumer. Currently, Steno Works is highlighting HealthPostures accessories like the 6254 Surface TaskMate and the 6252 Surface TaskMate, two stand up office desk products that are used in conjunction with a variety of desktop surfaces. Both Steno Works and HealthPostures currently offer free shipping on select items. About HealthPostures Founded in the 1990s, HealthPostures LLC (https://healthpostures.com) has been a leader in the workplace solutions space for more than two decades. The company specializes in the design and manufacturing of workplace solutions like adjustable computer stand for desk, computer monitor stands for desk, sit stand keyboard designs and ergonomic sit stand chairs. Products that HealthPostures develops may help to relieve back and neck pain, headaches and other musculoskeletal disorders. A primary mission of HealthPostures' is to "strive to provide quality products that will help transform your sedentary life so you have a healthy way to work." Sought after ergonomics stand up desk equipment, including popular electric standing desks products, that HealthPostures designs include surface Taskmates, the TaskMate Go Laptop, dual monitor sit stand work stations and Stance move seat extensions. The company's strong reputation and proven products and accessories continue to attract regional and national distributors and resellers. Contact: HealthPostures LLC 16801 Industrial Circle Prior Lake, MN 55372 800-277-1841 https://healthpostures.com About Steno Works Steno Works stocks and sells products that support court reporters. In addition to offering ergonomics products, Steno Works support court reporters by offering equipment leasing, writer rentals and educational materials. Through its loyalty program, customers earn points that yield cost savings on products and services throughout the store. Customers can contact Steno Works via telephone, email or online chat. The companys top priority is customer service. It services court reporters located throughout the world. Steno Works 5280 10th Avenue, N. Suite D Greenacres, FL 33463 (800) 399-4605 info(at)stenoworks(dot)com http://www.stenoworks.com/ Morgellons fibers composed of keratin and collagen exiting the skin. This paper provides a unifying view of Morgellons Disease. Cindy Casey Holman Morgellons disease is a poorly understood condition characterized by spontaneously occurring, slowly healing skin lesions containing multicolored filaments and accompanied by symptoms such as fatigue, joint and muscle pain and neurological problems, according to a recent report published in the prestigious 'International Journal of General Medicine.' The review paper titled " Morgellons Disease: A Filamentous Borrelial Dermatitis" was written by Calgary microbiologist Marianne Middelveen and San Francisco internist, Dr.Raphael Stricker of the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS). The skin condition is often linked to Lyme disease, a tickborne illness that has reached epidemic proportions throughout the USA. "This paper provides a unifying view of Morgellons disease," says Cindy Casey Holman, director of the Charles E. Holman Morgellons Disease Foundation(CEHMDF) of Austin, TX. "It includes some new and exciting twists for what we already know and it provides evidence confirming the association between Morgellons disease and Lyme disease." Previous research funded by the CEHMDF has shed light on the mysterious illness. Rather than textiles, worms or parasites, the characteristic colorful filaments found in Morgellons skin lesions are composed of collagen and keratin produced by skin cells. The filaments can display some hair-like features and the blue coloration is caused by melanin pigmentation. The red coloration remains a mystery at present. "There are no known blue textile fibers colored by melanin," explains Middelveen "thus Morgellons fibers are of biological origin". A number of peer reviewed published studies have shown that Morgellons skin lesions are associated with Lyme disease. The causative agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, and other closely related bacteria have been detected in Morgellons skin lesions. "This finding has been reproduced at four independent laboratories," says Dr. Eva Sapi of the University of New Haven. "Thus the association between infection and Morgellons disease is reproducible if the correct detection methods are used." Mainstream medicine has been slow to acknowledge advances made in the understanding of Morgellons disease. "Many doctors still think Morgellons disease is caused by mental illness," explains Casey-Holman. "We hope this new article will help doctors understand this mysterious illness so that patients can improve with treatment for the underlying infection." "Collectively, Morgellons disease research clearly shows a bacterial infective process," states Dr. Randy Wymore of Oklahoma State University. "Despite some obsolete opinions," Wymore continues, "there is zero scientific evidence that Morgellons disease is a psychogenic illness." About the Charles E. Holman Morgellons Disease Foundation: The Charles E. Holman Morgellons Disease Foundation, based in Austin, TX, is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization committed to advocacy and philanthropy in the battle against Morgellons. Director, Cindy Casey-Holman, RN, leads the foundation, named for her husband, Charles E. Holman, a pioneer in the fight against MD. The CEHMDF is the recognized authority and primary funding source for Morgellons Disease medical-scientific research. There are neither grants, nor any other public or private funding to support research for Morgellons. Donations are tax deductible in the US. To learn more about Morgellons Disease go to: http://www.MorgellonsDisease.org Contact information: http://www.thecehf.org/contact.html Unique and unforgettable personalized treks through Africa. Timothys extensive pre-trip consultations, attention to details, knowledge of and contacts in Africa resulted in an excellent experience. - Ray and Louise Breneman Jacksons African Safaris (Pty) Ltd. the leading provider of individually designed safaris for individuals and all sizes of groups, has launched their newly designed website (JacksonsAfricanSafaris.com) and states that their biggest goal is to educate the consumer on how the safari business works. We wish to empower the public to make the right decisions for their safari, and in the process benefit the local people and wildlife of Africa towards a viable future, where our grandchildren can be sure of experiencing these natural wonders. Travelers are supported with the knowledge that they are making the right decisions that are going to put their money where it is most needed at this time to conserve wilderness areas. This support provides protection for endangered species, needing our utmost attention at this point in time. Whether travelers are planning their first time big 5 safari or a more detailed exploration for example of the Kalahari for a unique safari, Jacksons African Safaris has the expertise to create the perfect match. Weve invested a great deal of time and effort with the support of our partners throughout Southern & Eastern Africa, spending time in all the major parks and conservancies, visiting the camps, and getting know all the key people who are leading this industry in the way towards a model that will allow our great grandchildren to enjoy these natural wonders. Our custom safaris and tours are designed to lead towards a better way to do business looking towards the future, this comes by educating the consumer, and giving them the attention required in a custom tour, that benefits everyone; the traveller, the local people and the wildlife of Africa. The time these safari experts have invested allows them to talk with clients in detail, as they have driven all the roads, spent time at all the camps, and their respective parks and conservancies, and to this end they can better support clients knowledge and learning in making choices right for them and the future of these magical places. Jacksons African Safaris (Pty) Ltd. is fully bonded and insured with the Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) and purchase insurance from the South African Tourism Insurance Brokers (SATIB) for all groups, and are a fully registered company in South Africa, doing business throughout Southern and Eastern Africa. Jacksons African Safaris offers different styles of safari trips to match the needs of the client including: walking & hiking safaris, self-drive safaris, private safaris, photographic safaris, bird watching tours, motorcycle & biking safaris, fly in safaris, family safaris and escorted safaris. Destinations include: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa and Madagascar. The Jackson's African Safaris adventures are organized by their expert guides Timothy Jackson, who has been exploring Africa for 16 years, and General Manager David Lynn who has lived in Africa for 69 years. Together the duo has spent many years organizing and personalizing carefully designed African Safaris for their clients. Timothy has spent over four years of total time in Africas parks and conservancies, visiting every major National Park in Southern as well as Eastern Africa. He has in-depth knowledge and understanding about safari tours and eight years of experience in teaching in the classroom, giving him the benefit of knowing how important education is, in providing successful Safari experiences. David, on the other hand, heads the Jackson African Safaris head office in South Africa. Additionally, Jacksons African Safaris customizes every trip as per the safari enthusiasts requirements and also provides full cost associated details about the trip, so clients understand exactly what theyre purchasing. Safari travelers also get to avoid inappropriate accommodations, unnecessary profit only focused tours where commissions are the design focus, not the traveler's experience, such as unnecessary long travel times on bumpy and dusty roads, when the clients money could be smartly invested in a better way, supporting communities and wildlife. Jacksons African Safaris offers a host of benefits to trip & tour enthusiasts including customizing and personalizing safari experiences from the initial planning to the execution of the trip. This leading safari company is able to support clients with special needs by carefully matching them with experienced guides. Clients can also join in on personally guided tours where all bookings, hosts and guides are managed for them, so they can sit back, relax and enjoy a memorable experience in Africa. For additional information about the company, their safari design process and to see photos from previous trips, visit their new website: http://jacksonsafricansafaris.com The legal team at Nicoll Davis & Spinella LLP announces its new website which launched this week. The new site boasts new content and an updated layout which is easier to navigate. ND&S hopes that this user-friendly layout and accessible content informs current and potential clients about the firm's mission statement and successes. ND&S welcomes site visitors who wish to learn more about issues impacting businesses of all sizes to visit its OGC Blog, which is updated regularly with a wide range of topics pulled from ND&S experience as the Outside General Counsel for many of its clients. The site includes a link to Nicoll Davis & Spinella's New Jersey Corporate Compliance Roundtable. Founded by ND&S in 2010, this invitation-only roundtable is for legal, business and corporate compliance professionals to meet and exchange ideas on business ethics and information. Professionals who wish to learn more can visit http://www.compliancenj.com/. From their offices in New Jersey and New York, Nicoll Davis & Spinella LLP offers Outside General Counsel services to mid-sized and small businesses. The firm stresses that an Outside General Counsel engagement is an effective, affordable way for business owners in any field to enjoy the strategic and financial benefits of a captive virtual law department. In addition to serving as Outside General Counsel, the firm is also known for its work in human resources and labor counseling, corporate advice, business litigation, and trademark and copyright law. Contact their Paramus, New Jersey offices at 201-712-1616 or online at http://www.ndslaw.com/. Liberty Silver Corporation I am excited by the success of this incredible team of individuals who have joined Liberty Silvers management with the stellar track record that they bring in building and selling companies, said Liberty Silver Director Bruce Reid. Liberty Silver Corporation has named several new company officers as well as additions to its Board of Directors. I am excited by the success of this incredible team of individuals who have joined Liberty Silvers management with the stellar track record that they bring in building and selling companies, said Liberty Silver Director Bruce Reid. To bring this caliber of success and experienced leadership to Liberty Silver will undoubtedly be the necessary force to, at last, bring the Trinity property to its full potential. The new company officers are: Bruce Reid, Director: Bruce Reid has extensive experience in corporate finance with specialty in the mining and mineral exploration industry. His background includes more than 30 years of direct experience in the mining industry following graduation with a BSC in Geology from the University of Toronto and a finance degree from the University of Windsor. He is the former Executive Director of Carlisle Goldfields Limited, a Canadian-based gold exploration and development company that was recently purchased by Alamos Gold, Inc. Reid was also President and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Silver Corp., a Canadian mining company. Prior to that, he served as Vice President, Corporate Finance of Research Capital, a Canadian investment firm. John P. Ryan, Director: John Ryan has a 20-year background in founding and operating natural resource companies. Among the companies he has founded or co-founded are: Cadence Resources Corporation, Metalline Mining Company (now called Silver Bull Resources), High Plains Uranium, Western Goldfields, Inc. (now part of NewGold), U.S. Silver Corporation (now Americas Silver), Southern Legacy Minerals and White Mountain Titanium, among others. He has been a senior executive and director of a number of public companies and served with listed resource companies in the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia. Ryan holds a Bachelors degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Idaho and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston College Law School. Howard M. Crosby, Chief Executive Officer/Board Member: Howard Crosby has been President of Crosby Enterprises, Inc., a family-owned business advisory consulting firm since 1989. From 1994 to June of 2006 he served as president and director of Cadence Resources Corporation, a publicly traded oil and gas company, which merged with an AMEX listed company in 2005. Crosby also was a founder and director of High Plains Uranium in 2004, and was a founder and director of U.S. Silver Corp in 2006, which acquired the Galena Mine in the Coeur d'Alene Mining District from Coeur d'Alene Mines in 2006. From 2004 until March 2016, Crosby was an officer and director of White Mountain Titanium Corporation, which is developing a world-class titanium project in Chile. Crosby is also a director or advisor to a number of privately held companies. He received a bachelors degree from the University of Idaho in 1975. About Liberty Silver Corporation Liberty Silver is focused on exploring and advancing mineral properties located in North America. Liberty is led by an experienced board of directors and management team that is committed to creating value for its shareholders. The Trinity Silver Project, located in Pershing County, Nevada, is Libertys flagship project. Liberty has the right to earn a joint venture interest in the 10,020-acre Trinity Silver Project pursuant to the terms of an earn-in agreement with Renaissance Exploration Inc. For additional information visit: http://www.libertysilvercorp.com WebRezPro Property Management System The integration between our cloud-based hotel technology solutions equips our mutual customers with a powerful, all-in-one tool for maximizing revenue and maintaining a competitive edge, which is what were all about. World Web Technologies Inc. is pleased to announce direct integration between WebRezPro, its cloud property management system (PMS) for independent hotels, and Duettos industry-leading revenue strategy technology for timely, more accurate pricing updates that save time and optimize revenue for hoteliers. Duettos robust revenue strategy solutions empower hotels to optimize profit on every booking with powerful insights into demand and pricing. The two-way integration between Duettos revenue strategy solutions and WebRezPro PMS automates data transfer between the two systems, improving demand forecast accuracy and speed-of-reaction for pricing updates to optimize distribution and revenue. We are happy to partner with WebRezPro, an innovator in the PMS space, said Patrick Bosworth, Duetto Co-Founder and CEO. For too long, hoteliers have been hampered by legacy technology that cannot keep pace with rapidly changing market conditions and integrate critical information to enable profitable pricing decisions. Were pleased to join with WebRezPro to narrow the gap, and put another important tool into the hands of hotels. With the Duetto interface, WebRezPro automatically pushes daily availability, rate and reservation data to Duetto and Duetto automatically sends accepted rates to WebRezPro, saving hoteliers valuable time by eliminating the need to input this data into the systems manually. We are thrilled to partner with Duetto, a leading force in revenue strategy, said Frank Verhagen, President of World Web Technologies, the company behind WebRezPro. The integration between our cloud-based hotel technology solutions equips our mutual customers with a powerful, all-in-one tool for maximizing revenue and maintaining a competitive edge, which is what were all about. About Duetto Duetto delivers the most powerful Revenue Strategy solutions to the worlds leading hotels and casinos, allowing them to better manage pricing, revenue and business-mix decisions with superior, actionable data. The unique combination of hospitality experience and technology leadership enables Duetto to provide new insights on pricing and demand as a true cloud-based software-as-a-service. With Revenue Strategy and Revenue Intelligence solutions that address the challenges of todays hospitality industry, Duetto helps hotels and casinos optimize profits and guest loyalty. Thanks to rapid marketplace adoption, Duetto is expanding in key markets throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. More than 1,200 hotel and casino properties in more than 60 countries have partnered to use Duettos Revenue Strategy and Revenue Intelligence platforms. About WebRezPro WebRezPro is a powerful, easy-to-use cloud property management system for all accommodation types and sizes. The fully integrated and automated system saves lodging operators time and boosts revenue by streamlining and modernizing front desk and back office operations. Bringing the benefits of the cloud to properties in over 35 countries, WebRezPro is a product of World Web Technologies Inc., an Internet marketing and software company for tourism and hospitality since 1994. For more information, visit http://www.webrezpro.com. Unique items found in the October box. Louisiana is not just crawfish and Mardi Gras, our businesses have depth and we want to help them with their reach. A fall, twilight walk in New Orleans can conjure up feelings of mystery that few other cities can claim. Louisiana itself has a an air of the unknown that lends itself perfectly to the spirits of Halloween. Parish Parcel (http://www.parishparcel.com), a Louisiana owned and operated company, knows that Halloween is a billion dollar industry and that their home state has a unique part to play. "People spend a lot of money this time of year, with Louisiana and New Orleans in particular offering incredible Halloween and Fall opportunities," says Jaci Russo, Owner of Parish Parcel. The parcels that will be going to subscribers in October will focus on New Orleans, a city that is often top-of-mind when it comes to Louisiana and spirits. The city has an entire culture and tourism industry built around its other-worldly connections. Russo says it's part of their mission to highlight what people may overlook about the complex industry in the state. "Louisiana is not just crawfish and Mardi Gras, our businesses have depth and we want to help them with their reach. We want to create the right atmosphere for them to thrive and be discovered nationwide," says Russo. Bob Arceneaux with Parish Works explains that the Fall/Halloween parcel was a wonderful opportunity for his company. We have a great mid-price coffee that is ending up on more and more Louisiana store shelves, he says, so we're excited to get the word out about Parish Coffee Works, the timing couldn't be better. Arceneaux is happy about building a relationship with Parish Parcel that he knows will strengthen his ties in Louisiana and build a new audience outside of the state. Parish Coffee Works is an approachable brand, and with people craving new and affordable options, this is something to be excited about, says Arceneaux. Parish Parcels curated boxes come together with the help of Louisiana artists, chefs, musicians, and craftspeople. Each month 7 to 10 Louisiana tokens are chosen and shipped all over the country. You can look through partners past and present at: parishparcel.com. This month, Louisiana's unique business side will be on full display. Anyone can sign up for a subscription, or give the gift of the Parish Parcel Cajun curated experience to someone who is craving a little taste of Louisiana. Go to http://www.ParishParcel.com to sign up. We couldnt be more excited for the opportunity to purchase Equinox from such a great family. Equinox Owner Operator Solutions (http://www.equinoxbusiness.com), a leading provider of back office solutions for Independent Contractors, has been sold to Lawrence & Johnson Holdings, LLC. Equinox President, Colton Lawrence and former COO, Travis (TJ) Johnson, both founding executives of the company, came together in forming Lawrence & Johnson Holdings with the express purpose of purchasing Equinox. Equinox provides accounting and tax services for Independent Contractors and Owner Operators in a variety of industries. In addition to accounting and tax products, Equinox offers a turn-key SaaS product for companies who rely on the contractor model. This product allows companies to create customized workflows; streamlining the on-boarding and training process. Equinox was previously named to Utah Business Magazines Fast 50, Mountain West Capital Networks Fastest Growing Companies, and Inc. Magazines Inc. 500 List of Fastest Growing Companies. Mr. Lawrence was also recently announced as a member of the fourth class of American Trucking Associations executive leadership program, LEAD ATA. In his new role as Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lawrence commented, We couldnt be more excited for the opportunity to purchase Equinox from such a great family. The England's have provided tremendous leadership in driving change for the transportation industry over many years. It is an honor to continue that leadership as an owner of Equinox; moving forward with an eye toward supporting the independent contractor model. Lawrence continued, We need to do all we can in facing the onslaught of regulation and litigation that continues to damage free market principles. Numerous industries rely on independent contractors for the delivery or fulfillment of their products. At Equinox, we will continue to lead the charge in protecting this model by providing contractors the tools they need to succeed. Equinox is in great hands, C.R. England President Josh England said. Colton and team have done a tremendous job building Equinox and supporting the independent contractor model over the years. We are excited to watch as Equinox continues to grow under new ownership. The transaction was effective October 10, 2016. Harley's 12th Birthday She is able to participate in all family outings, and we no longer have to leave her at home alone when we take our other dogs to play. Thank you, VetStem, for giving my dog her life back! In 2009 at the age of five years old, Harley was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both carpi (wrists). Her pain was managed with medications every 8 hours, in conjunction with restricted exercise and playtime. In 2012 she suffered from mild cruciate tears to both stifles (knees), resulting in severe thickening and arthritis in both stifle joints. Harley struggled with standing up and lying down, and would lick her wrists in pain at the end of each day. On days when she would go for short walks or to the park, she would be stiff and sore for several days following. When Jordan, her owner, would take her to swim at the beach, she couldn't stand up without assistance for the rest of the day. Harley was barely able to put herself into a "sit" position prior to her stem cell therapy, because her knees were so painful said Jordan, Her arthritis had taken away so much of what made her happy, it was hard for me to watch. Jordan, who works as a veterinary technician, heard from a friend in Colorado about Stem Cell Therapy. She decided that she needed to give it a try for Harley. She was ready to pack Harley up and make the drive to Colorado for the treatment when she found out the veterinarian she worked for was certified to perform the VetStem cell therapy procedure. Harley had her first treatment with stem cell therapy in December of 2015. A fat tissue collection from Harley was performed, similar to a spay, and the tissue sample was sent overnight to VetStems lab in California for processing. Once processed, the stem cells were quality checked and the injectable doses of Harleys own stem cells were sent overnight for injection. Approximately 8 months later, Jordan was working at a new animal hospital, Advanced Veterinary Care of San Elijo, when she decided Harley was in need of another round of stem cell injections. The veterinarians at Advanced Veterinary Care of San Elijo were not certified in the VetStem procedure, but at Jordans request, Dr Riehl became certified to perform the procedure. Because this was Harleys second treatment, and VetStem had additional doses stored for her from the initial fat tissue processing, she did not need to have the fat tissue collection surgery again. Instead VetStem just prepared 5 of her stored doses for injection and sent to Advanced Veterinary Care. Since this was Dr Riehls first case, VetStem also had Dr Jeff Schaffer, VetStems technical services veterinarian, come along to help out. Dr Riehl injected Harleys knees and wrists along with an Intravenous dose. After her stem cell therapy, Harley's quality of life has been fully restored. Her need for pain medications has decreased significantly. She went from needing three medications every 8 hours to only needing one medication once daily. After a few weeks she was more mobile, and started following us around the house again throughout the day said Jordan. Harley is now able to rise easily from a laying position, and walks without limping. She will only lick her wrists after busy days. Harley is now allowed to play fetch, one of her favorite games, that she had been restricted from doing for over a year. Now not only can she chase the ball for almost 30 minutes, but she isn't even sore after. We are now able to swim at the beach multiple times per week, and aside from mild stiffness/soreness the next day, she bounces back quickly and is able to keep up with her younger doggie-brothers exclaimed Jordan. We know that Harley's arthritis is not cured, but she is exponentially more comfortable, and SO much happier. She is able to participate in all family outings, and we no longer have to leave her at home alone when we take our other dogs to play. Thank you, VetStem, for giving my dog her life back! Stem cells are regenerative cells that can differentiate into many tissue types as well as being able to reduce pain and inflammation thus helping to restore range of motion and stimulate regeneration of tendon, ligament and joint tissues (http://www.vet-stem.com/science.php). In a study using VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy on dogs with osteoarthritis of the hip joint it was found that regenerative cell therapy (adipose-derived stem cells) decreases patient discomfort and increases patient functional ability. Dr Sunshine Riehl received her BS from Loyola Marymount University. After college she worked as a veterinary technician, small animal research biologist and high school biology teacher. She then went to vet school at UC Davis. Dr Riehl completed a small animal internship at Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic in northern CA where she fell in love with surgery and emergency medicine. She opened Advanced Veterinary Care of San Elijo with her friend and colleague Dr Paula Thomas in March of 2015. Advanced Veterinary Care is a 2,400 square foot, state-of-the-art veterinary hospital. The hospital mission is to promote pet wellness and safety through client education, preventative medicine, and aggressive emergency care, when necessary. A commitment to medical excellence and a desire to provide compassionate care for all pets are just two of the core values that define the doctors and staff. Dr Riehl and Dr Thomas invited VetStem to train all of their staff on the basics of Stem Cell Therapy and its benefits. About VetStem Biopharma VetStem Biopharma is a veterinarian lead company that was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the profession. This privately held biopharmaceutical enterprise, based near San Diego (California), currently offers veterinarians an autologous stem cell processing service (from patients own fat tissue) among other regenerative modalities. With a unique expertise acquired over the past 14 years and 12,000 patients treated by veterinarians for joint, tendon or ligament issues, VetStem has made regenerative medicine applications a therapeutic reality beyond the realm of research. The VetStem team is focused on developing new clinically practical and affordable veterinary solutions that leverage the natural restorative abilities present in all living creatures. The companys stated mission being to extend and enhance the lives of animals by improving the quality of recovery in acute conditions, but also by unlocking ways to slow, stop and ultimately revert the course of chronic diseases. In addition to its own portfolio of patents, Vet-Stem holds exclusive global veterinary licenses to a portfolio of over 55 issued patents in the field of regenerative medicine. About Advanced Veterinary Care of San Elijo Advanced Veterinary Care (AVC), the 2,400 square foot, state-of-the-art veterinary hospital in the Melrose Plaza shopping center, has a strong educational mission. Both doctors have a lifetime passion for animal medicine. The hospital mission is: To promote pet wellness and safety through client education, preventative medicine, and aggressive emergency care, when necessary. A commitment to medical excellence and a desire to provide compassionate care for all pets are just two of the core values that define the doctors and staff of AVC. We have the best team, most skilled specialists, and a great environment where we all have the ability to thrive. Bill Howe Family of Companies has been serving the community with services in San Diego heating, air conditioning, plumbing, restoration, and flood remediation for more than 35 years. In that time, they have grown from 1 employee to over 160 and have been named as San Diegos Best: plumber, HVAC company, and contractor by the Union Tribune readers in the community. Their success continues due to the level of customer care, trained specialists, and dedication to both employees and customers. In order to show our team how valuable they are, we must continually offer them opportunities to succeed and recognize their amazing efforts, said Tina Howe, Vice President of the Bill Howe Family of Companies. This is why we host four separate awards each month to our team and promote their achievements. The four monthly awards celebrate employees who go above and beyond, adhere to the Bill Howe Way, perform their job to the highest standards and those who truly deliver the best in customer service. The company presents awards to team members at their monthly shop meeting, and each award recipient receives a bonus check, certificate of achievement, and recognition on social media, the Bill Howe website, and within the company. In October, Bill Howe recognized Rick Chavoya for the Above & Beyond Award, Miguel Paredes for the Leading by Example, Saul Serrano for Job Excellence, and Alfonso Castro for Customer Service. Rick Chavoya is definitely one of Bill Howes Star plumbers and always goes out of his way to participate in volunteering at Bill Howe events with his family. Miguel Paredes is a two-time recipient of a Bill Howe Award, and shows outstanding leadership skills. Saul Serrano graduated for the PHCC Journeyman Plumbing program with his Journeymans card in 2013 and consistently achieves success on each job. Alfonso Castro is newer with the company, but delivers the very best customer service and has been in the plumbing field for many years. Its no wonder we were chosen as San Diegos Best Plumber, said Human Resource Manager, Amber Baynard. We have the best team, most skilled specialists, and a great environment where we all have the ability to thrive. For more information about services in San Diego: heating, air conditioning, plumbing restoration, and flood remediation, visit http://www.billhowe.com, or to speak with Bill or Tina Howe regarding this announcement, contact Bill Howe Marketing Director, Julie Riddle at Julie(at)billhowe(dot)com. About Bill Howe Family of Companies Bill Howe Family of Companies is comprised of Bill Howe Plumbing, Inc.; Bill Howe Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.; Bill Howe Restoration & Flood Services, Inc. The family-owned and operated company began in 1980 with the plumbing division and has grown into San Diego Countys largest low-cost one-stop-shop for service, repairs and installation, offering both residential and commercial services. 9085 Aero Drive, Suite B, San Diego CA 92123. Call 1-800-BILL-HOWE because We Know Howe! Driving student engagement and positive behavior with incentive-based rewards and gamification has the most profound impact on improving student performance. PowerSchool, the leader for K-12 education technology solutions, today announced the acquisition of Chalkable, a leading provider of a student achievement and regional education data management solution. Acquiring Chalkable further differentiates PowerSchools Unified Classroom Platform by adding innovative tools to reinforce positive student behavior in a single unified experience for teachers, students, and parents. PowerSchools expanded suite will further empower teachers and improve school culture by teaching students social skills that contribute to good character and a positive classroom environment. The acquisition provides PowerSchool with additional capabilities to track student behavior, an area of increasing need for educators. A recent report published by Scholastic and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation summarized results from a survey taken by more than 10,000 public school teachers. The report revealed that 62 percent of teachers say that behavior issues are the biggest interference with teaching and improving learning outcomes. It was also noted that teachers are committed to helping all of their students succeed, but need adequate resources to ensure student success. Chalkables development and implementation of its Positive Reinforcement System has improved student success rates by a number of measures in many schools. One of those noteworthy successes includes a school district with 30,000 students that achieved an 18 percent year-over-year decrease in absences, a 50 percent decrease in discipline infractions, and one third fewer classes failed after implementation of Chalkables Positive Reinforcement System. Driving student engagement and positive behavior with incentive-based rewards and gamification has the most profound impact on improving student performance, attendance, and learning outcomes across Pre-K and K-12, said PowerSchool CEO, Hardeep Gulati. Adding the Positive Reinforcement System to PowerSchools Unified Classroom empowers teachers by equipping them with a comprehensive solution to efficiently manage instruction, assessments, grades, compliance, positive culture, behavior, and an engaging classroom community. The incentive-based reward approach built into the Positive Reinforcement System helps curb negative behavior in the classroom by encouraging positive student behavior. Teachers can set goals for individual students or a whole class. When students achieve objectives, such as completing and turning in an assignment, improving test scores, or achieving attendance goals, they earn credits. Students can save their credits in a virtual bank account or spend them at the school store, where they can purchase rewards such as hall passes, free time or lunch with the teacher, or even tangible rewards such as school supplies, snacks, clothes, music, games, and movie passes. Chalkable also enhances PowerSchools strong federal and regional student information system compliance coverage in a number of states, such as Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and more. Chalkable customers have PowerSchools commitment to ongoing development, innovation, support, and service of Chalkables suite of products. Additionally, Chalkable customers have the option of adopting new technologies from PowerSchool, such as online registration, and the unified classrooma complete integrated application for grading, learning management, assessment, analytics, and special education. This acquisition allows the Chalkable team to increase the value offered to customers, said Derek Dunaway, Chalkable CEO. Both companies share a commitment to inspiring K-12 learning through cutting-edge technology. Becoming a combined entity provides customers with additional solutions to implement in their schools to further drive student success. About PowerSchool Group LLC PowerSchool is the #1 leading education technology platform for K-12, serving more than 23 million students, 41 million parents, and 65 million users in over 70 countries around the world. We provide the industrys first Unified Classroom experience with best-in-class, secure, and compliant online solutions, including registration and school choice, student information systems, learning management and classroom collaboration, assessment, analytics, and special education management. We empower teachers and drive student growth through innovative digital classroom capabilities, and we engage families through real-time communications across any device. Visit http://www.powerschool.com to learn more. About Chalkable Chalkable is a leading provider of education data management, student achievement and professional learning solutions to the K-12 public and private school markets. In partnership with states, districts, schools and educators, Chalkable helps students succeed by breaking down the barriers to learning across the K-12 ecosystem and facilitating collaboration, access to information, and effective use of tools to improve student performance. More than 5,000 schools in 50 states use Chalkable solutions. For more information, visit http://www.chalkable.com. Inventus Powers new line of power supplies is specifically intended for applications where the Department of Energys Level VI power efficiency requirements are mandatory and price competitiveness is critical. Inventus Power, a global leader in the design and manufacture of rechargeable power systems, today announced the launch of its new line of power supplies. The new Inventus Power brand includes desktop adapters that are focused at consumer and commercial market applications. Inventus Powers new line of power supplies is specifically intended for applications where the Department of Energys Level VI power efficiency requirements are mandatory and price competitiveness is critical, said Carol Pickford, Technical Marketing Manager at Inventus Power. Initially, the line will start with 20W, 30W and 50W models, and support the 12 Volt through 24 Volt output range. Inventus Power will provide a one-year warranty for these models. Additional models are under development, including lower power wall plug units and higher power desktop adapters. Inventus Power currently produces desktop adapters in Manaus, Brazil and Qingxi, China. The new line of power supplies are built in Qingxi, China, at the same factory currently manufacturing the premium brand of Elpac power supplies, and utilizing the same manufacturing processes. The new line leverages Inventus Powers global purchasing power to offer a competitive price for desktop adapter power supplies. The premium brand of Elpac open frame and desktop adapter power supplies remains unchanged. Recognizing market demand for lower priced solutions, we are proud to be launching our new line of desktop adapter power supplies, said Jeff VanZwol, Inventus Powers Vice President of Business Development. Our customers want power supplies that are competitively priced, without sacrificing quality and reliability. With almost 60 years of experience in power supply manufacturing, Inventus Power is uniquely capable of meeting these customer needs because of our streamlined operations and our global purchasing power. Initial models will be available through Inventus Powers distribution partners, including Allied Electronics, Arrow Electronics, Digi-Key and Mouser Electronics. All Inventus Power products are produced at Inventus Powers manufacturing facilities. Data sheets with complete technical specifications and regulatory information can be found at http://inventuspower.com/products/power-supplies/economy-inventus-power-brand/ About Inventus Power: Inventus Power, formerly ICCNexergy + Palladium Energy, is the worlds only power systems manufacturer that integrates and delivers battery packs, chargers & docking stations and power supplies across the consumer, commercial, medical and military & government markets and is located in nine countries across four continents. With headquarters in Woodridge, Ill. and manufacturing facilities in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, China and Malaysia, we are globally positioned to be a catalyst for our customers success. Inventus Power utilizes decades of design, engineering and market expertise to apply innovative technology to our OEM customers devices, and ensures a reliable, high quality product through our vertically integrated processes and performance testing capabilities. For more information about Inventus Power, please visit inventuspower.com and follow @inventuspower. CDF Capital announced the addition of a new Vice President to its Ministry Development Team. Dirk Scates has been appointed to the role of Vice President of Ministry Development for Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri where he will help serve the local church and further CDF Capitals mission statement of Helping Churches Grow. Dirk will report to Executive Vice President of Lending and Investments, Lou Myers. We are blessed to have found Dirk at the time he desired to return to ministry. With his extensive ministerial experience as well as the work hes been doing the last couple of years, he is the perfect choice for CDF Capital as we continue to pursue our mission of helping churches grow. said Lou Myers, EVP Lending and Investments. He added, Our calling to serve the church and its leaders with a wide variety of offerings is best delivered by a team of Ministry Development representatives who have had direct experience with the issues that church staff encounter every day. Dirk fits that model very well and is ideally suited to advise and consult with the churches in these states. Dirk joins CDF Capital after a break in his three-decade ministry career. Most recently Dirk worked as an instructor for GSI Training Services where he led trainings for Fortune 500 companies including: Intel, Lexmark, Monsanto, Abbott Labs, Eli Lilly and Company, Chevron, Duke Energy Lonza Corporation, and several others. Additionally, he was the content officer for all CBT & WBT courses, and the regulation publications for Government Services Institute (GSI). Prior to his work at GSI, Dirk served as a Senior Pastor for over a decade at Tonganoxie Christian Church. He began his career in ministry serving over thirty years in the Christian Church, beginning in Phoenix, AZ (Northwest Christian), then in Sugar Land, TX (Providence Christian), and Tonganoxie, KS (Tonganoxie Christian) respectively. While in Tonganoxie, he served for four years on the board of directors at Nebraska Christian College. President of CDF Capital, Dusty Rubeck states, Dirk is the right choice for I-35 Corridor. He has a long history and great reputation in ministry adding to our relationships with the churches we serve. We are very pleased to welcome him to the CDF Capital team. Dirk graduated from Manhattan Christian College with his B.S in Biblical Studies and completed 90 hours toward a B.S in Biology at Kansas State University. In addition, Dirk has completed graduate work from Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City, Tennessee, and Pacific Christian College in Fullerton, California. He attributes his success to God, his family legacy in the Christian Church, his supportive wife, Shelley, and their three children. Dirk states, The truth is Im just a ragamuffin Christian. I look forward to returning to my roots in ministry. I consider it a profound honor and my highest calling to lead and serve believers in the church and love the people who have yet to discover God is for them. I believe the Church, is the hope of world and Gods primary instrument for reconciling the world back to Himself. My passion for the past 35 years, which continues now with CDF Capital, is helping churches grow! About CDF Capital: Since its founding in 1953, CDF Capital has provided financing for the expansion, building, and growth of Independent Christian Churches and ministries all across the United States. Today, CDF Capital believes that church growth is more than just attendance and finances; it also involves congregational spiritual maturity, a culture of healthy leadership, discipleship-making, and more. When a church is properly resourced financially, spiritually, and in leadership, lives are transformed. CDF Capital is a member of the Provision Ministry Group. For more information, visit CDF Capital online at http://www.CDFcapital.org and on social media platforms at https://www.facebook.com/CDFcapital/ https://www.instagram.com/CDFcapital/ https://twitter.com/CDFcapital For more Information, please contact: Dirk Scates Vice President Ministry Development CDF Capital 2050 Main Street, Suite 400 Irvine, CA 92614 949.417.5865 dscates(at)CDFcapital(dot)org Lou Myers Executive Vice President of Lending & Investments CDF Capital 2050 Main Street, Suite 400 Irvine, CA 92614 lmyers(at)CDFcapital(dot)org Andrea Turner Moffitt, Dr. Nina Tandon, and Deborah Jackson [Plum Alley Investments] recognizes that we not only need to back gender-balanced teams, but also address gender balance at the structural level with investors Today, Plum Alley Investments, a private membership supporting promising women entrepreneurs and gender-diverse teams, announces the closing of a $560k syndicate in EpiBone, a startup using stem cells to grow new bone. Alongside funders like Partnership Fund for NYC, Breakout Labs, and other noted angel and institutional investors, Plum Alley participated in the companys recent multi-million capital raise. Featured on Bloomberg, CNBC, and CNN, EpiBone is a biotechnology company led by Dr. Nina Tandon seeking to revolutionize reconstructive bone surgery by enabling patients to generate bone from their own stem cells with the help of 3D printing and other digital fabrication technologies. EpiBones ultimate mission is to disrupt the current model of healthcare delivery based on pills and devices by creating a truly living therapy that reduces the need for multiple surgeries and improves patient outcomes. Deborah Jackson and Andrea Turner Moffitt, the co-founders of Plum Alley Investments, are committed to building an inclusive and active ecosystem of women and men who value diversity and want to invest in companies shaping innovation. Recent research co-authored by Turner Moffitt and the Center for Talent Innovation reveals, 90% of women want to invest in companies that promote social well-being. The same study shows that women control $11.2 trillion of investable assets as primary and joint decision makers, yet women have a significant amount of capital on the sidelines. Plum Alley provides the opportunity for a broader base of investors to become directly involved with purpose-driven companies like EpiBone. I first met Nina 18 months ago in my work on the committee of senior advisors who work with the President and Board of Columbia to direct the University in the field of entrepreneurship. We all know how important our networks are and the opportunity you have when the network is open to both women and men. As a founder of a company and as an investor, I see the momentum and value to more inclusive and robust networks, said Deborah Jackson, CEO of Plum Alley. CEO and co-founder of EpiBone Dr. Tandon believes that having a diverse base of investors and opening the access to more women investors is of critical importance. We are thrilled to be working with Plum Alley, who recognizes that we not only need to back gender-balanced teams, but also address gender balance at the structural level with investors, to foster a broader, more connected ecosystem of founders and investors, comments Dr. Tandon, who holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and an MBA from Columbia University. Companies that accelerate positive change, embrace innovation and have strong business models are important to the growing base of Plum Alley members, which includes men and women with executive experience across Wall Street, technology, education, philanthropy, Fortune 500 companies, and a variety of industries. Plum Alley not only offered the visibility and access to EpiBone, but also a thoughtful, efficient and engaging investing experience, shares member LeighAnne Baker, Corporate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Cargill, Ive been able to diversify my portfolio by investing in a promising biotech startup run by a female founder and CEO, which matches one of my investment goals. EpiBone marks Plum Alley Investments fourth syndicate. Within its first year, Plum Alley Investments has deployed $1.5 million in capital across four distinct sectors: unconscious bias software, education tech for children, marketplace private investigators, and regenerative medicine. To learn more about EpiBone visit epibone.com. About Plum Alley Investments: Plum Alley Investments is a paid private membership committed to offering new and seasoned investors highly curated investment opportunities and a different investing experience both offline and online. Plum Alley Investments is part of Plum Alley, a company that has championed women entrepreneurs since 2011. Members have access to private company investment syndicates, inspiring entrepreneurs, insights from seasoned investors, opportunities to collaborate with other members, and execute equity and debt investments. For more information on Plum Alley Investments visit plumalley.co or contact sara(at)plumalley(dot)co. Keith Barthold training NAF IT Faculty Technology evolves daily, and we are going to need so many more of those unique students who love to keep constantly learning to stay at the forefront of IT. DKBInnovative CEO Keith Barthold gave his first presentation to the combined National Academy Foundation IT departments from the Dallas Independent School District last week. DKBInnovative is a Dallas-based IT management and support company that specializes in the information technology challenges for healthcare, energy, and professional services industries. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to present to and interact with the NAF faculty. Technology evolves daily, and we are going to need so many more of those unique students who love to keep constantly learning to stay at the forefront of IT, said Barthold. Founded in 1982, the NAF is a non-profit organization whose mission is to partner with existing school systems to implement small learning communities within traditional high schools. Their academies focus on STEM infused industry-specific curricula that includes finance, hospitality/tourism, information technology, engineering and health sciences. The NAFs work-based learning strategy affects the growing gap between supply and demand in the technology workforce, Keith Barthold pointed out. Cyber security, system networking and the explosion of mobile technology have become integral parts of our everyday lives now. Having a program in the schools that offers non-traditional learners an opportunity to excel in their strengths is already a factor in enhancing and protecting our businesses and our communities. Barthold gave his recommendations to the NAF teachers based on his years of being in the trenches with clients, pointng out that technology has evolved into being the key to overall productivity. He advised teachers to include an emphasis on soft skills like communication and emotional intelligence, practicing teamwork, learning the value of documentation, and being taught how to troubleshoot, problem-solve, and find and follow the logic of any situation. Learning how to set, progress with and achieve goals has been huge in the success of DKBInnovative, noted Barthold. The goal itself is not the grade. Learning the discipline of how to track progress and how to keep following through is the lesson. The NAF reports that some 89,000 students across 36 states have attended their academies, with 98% of their seniors graduating and 92% of graduates going to college. For more information on the NAF, go to http://www.naf.org, and to learn more about DKBInnovative please visit http://www.dkbinnovative.com. About DKBInnovative: DKBInnovative is comprised of dedicated, passionate, and hard-working IT professionals committed to providing best-in-class IT services. Having served 60+ hospitals and hundreds of medical practices, plus dozens of energy and professional services firms, they partner with clients to navigate any and all IT needs including security, network, vendor selection and management, and comprehensive security including HIPAA compliancewith a focus on increased workforce productivity. Contact DKBInnovative at dkbinnovative.com or by phone at (429) 828-2468 for more information. Media Contact: Keith Barthold, CEO 14785 Preston Road, Suite 550 Dallas, TX 75254 469.828.2468 solutions(at)dkbinnovative(dot)com Strategies Group, Inc., a leading software consulting firm in the construction industry, is pleased to welcome Thompson Electric as a client. Based in Mabelvale, AR, Thompson Electric is a medium sized electrical contracting firm that has been serving the Central Arkansas area for more than 30 years. Thompson Electric selected Dexter + Chaneys Spectrum Construction Software based upon the overall functionality and document imaging capabilities. Spectrum is the first complete construction accounting and operations management software system delivered in a true browser-based cloud environment that runs on any mobile device. As the Spectrum representative in the Southeast, Strategies Group is assisting Thompson Electric with the conversion to the new software solution. Ron Smith, Principal, and the Strategies Group implementation team are working closely with the company throughout the transition process. We are delighted to welcome Thompson Electric as a client and help them update their construction accounting software, said Randy Collins, President of Strategies Group. Our mission is to help clients find, implement and optimize construction software solutions that allow them to grow and prosper, and we are pleased Thompson Electric selected Spectrum to take their business to the next level. About Strategies Group: Strategies Group is a leading provider of construction ERP software and has helped more than 2,000 construction companies implement new solutions. Founded in 1992, Strategies Group is based in the metro Atlanta area with offices in Pensacola, FL and Charleston, SC. Strategies Group represents Spectrum Construction Software in Georgia, northern Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. Strategies Group has been the recipient of numerous industry software awards and has been chosen as a top 100 Value Added Reseller by Accounting Technology Today magazine for three consecutive years. For more information about Strategies Group please visit: http://www.strategiesgroup.com. Philip Grabowsi, Information Technology Instructor at Pittsburgh Technical Institute, examines the PINE64 with John Trbusich, Jr., Information Technology Network Administration student Eight of the worlds first 64-bit expandable Quad Core 1.2 Ghz supercomputers, PINE64, have arrived at Pittsburgh Technical College (PTC) for use in its classrooms. PINE64 is a 64-bit single board high-performance computer, the size of an index card, that can perform like your desktop or laptop, but three times faster. Most importantly, the basic model of this supercomputer costs just $15. The concept for PINE64 technology was developed by a team that included Daniel Kottke, one of the first employees of Apple, whose vision was to make an affordable computer. Initial funding for the idea was part of a crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter. PTC students are some of the first in the area to experiment with this technology. Dr. John Scarpino, Academic Chair of the School of Information Technology at PTC originally reached out to the inventors of PINE64 to request the units. This is a huge win for us, Scarpino says. This is a strong example of PTCs hands-on approach to instruction. Our students are adapting to emerging technology. PINE64 supercomputers enable users to browse the Internet, launch media players, watch high definition video, play games or execute spreadsheets and word-processing programs. Students in PTCs Computer Programming and Information Technology degree programs are all experimenting with the PINE64 units. Faculty members are incorporating the technology into their curricula in different ways, including for use with software game development, media hardware, data access, security and firewall appliances, and to connect to virtual servers and networks. The colleges School of Design also became involved. PTCs Computer Aided Drafting department located a computer case design on the PINE64 website and created it to spec on the colleges 3D printer. The PINE64 technology truly engaged all departments within the School of Information Technology, Scarpino said. And we maximized the learning experience for our students by integrating innovation with outside departments, too. Wilfred Mutale, IT Faculty at PTC, is challenging his students to build the computer with different operating systems. Because PINE64 is currently limited to certain operating systems, Mutale believes his students will be excited to develop new operating systems and applications for the PINE system. New technology means we are growing a new generation of students, Mutale says. Our students are learning and beginning to see how much they can contribute, and it motivates students to go beyond what has already been discovered. About Pittsburgh Technical College A leader in career-focused education since 1946, Pittsburgh Technical College (PTC) offers bachelors and associate degrees and certificate programs in more than 30 areas. Its 180-acre campus is home to the American Academy of Culinary Arts, the Energy Technology Center, the Nursing Simulation Center and many specialty labs. PTC students can take advantage of online course offerings, on-campus residence halls, student activities, intramural programs and community service programs. PTC is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. FirstService Residential, the leading property and association management company in Texas, was recently selected to provide property management services for South Pointe, a developing 870-acre master-planned community in Mansfield, Texas. South Pointe is a long-term project that will consist of multiple phases, each adding hundreds of new homes ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 square feet. The community will showcase on-site natural elements such as ponds, trails and parks and offer residents access to an amenity center and a resort-style pool. Zoned for Mansfield ISD, the community will also host four future schools on-site, making this a perfect location for families. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to serve this flagship community in Mansfield and add it to our vast portfolio of communities we manage in the area, commented Mandy Yount, business development manager for FirstService Residential Texas. Our team is committed to delivering exceptional services and solutions that not only enhance property values, but also enrich the lifestyle of every resident in the communities we serve. The community is part of the mixed-use Reserve at Mansfield project, which features office space, retail, restaurants, and more located just minutes away. Additionally, South Pointe is home to the first Public Improvement District (PID) in Mansfield. FirstService Residential was also selected to provide management services for the PID which will oversee the maintenance of entry monuments, parks, fountains, tree-lined boulevards, streetlights and more. FirstService Residential currently provides management services to multiple PIDs in the Fort Worth, Grand Prairie and Northlake areas. About FirstService Residential FirstService Residential is recognized as the leading and most experienced full-service community association management firm in Texas. For over 25 years, FirstService Residential has continued to provide best-in-class association management solutions and genuinely helpful service to its over 900 properties and communities throughout Texas. FirstService Residential is North America's largest manager of residential communities and the preferred partner of HOAs, community associations and strata corporations in the U.S. and Canada. FirstService Residential's managed communities include low-, mid- and high-rise condominiums and cooperatives, single-family homes, master-planned, lifestyle and active adult communities, and rental and commercial properties. With an unmatched combination of deep industry experience, local market expertise and personalized attention, FirstService Residential delivers proven solutions and exceptional service that add value, enhance lifestyles and make a difference, every day, for every resident and community it manages. FirstService Residential is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, a North American leader in the property services sector. For more information, visit http://www.fsresidential.com/Texas. Often a doctor or a social worker may know that what a person really needs is a place to live, or better nutrition, or job training. But finding the right services to help them is not always easy. A communitys resources from food banks to job training to low-cost housing have little value if people dont know about them. Thats why the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institutes Mayors Wellness Campaign, supported by the United Health Foundation, is working to bring Aunt Bertha to three New Jersey communities. Aunt Bertha is a social services search tool that allows health care providers, social workers and residents to more easily find the services available right in their own communities. The highly specific search tool allows people to search based on eligibility criteria such as age and income. The tool also lists up-to-date hours, contact information and other resources on a website thats easy to navigate. The Mayors Wellness Campaign has partnered with the United Health Foundation to bring Aunt Bertha to Jersey City, Cumberland County and Trenton. The Aunt Bertha search tool is complete in Jersey City and Cumberland County and continues to be refined for residents in Trenton. Often a doctor or a social worker may know that what a person really needs is a place to live, or better nutrition, or job training. But finding the right services to help them is not always easy, said Linda Schwimmer, President and CEO of the Quality Institute. Instead of making a dozen phone calls, now people in these communities can seek help from Aunt Bertha. Social workers and health care providers can also prescribe services to a client or patient by using Aunt Bertha to send a direct referral on behalf of a patient or client. The site will continually be updated. Anyone who logs on to AuntBertha.com can enter a zip code. A Jersey City zip code, for instance, shows that more than 900 programs are available to serve residents. The user can click food and see programs such as those for nutritional education, free meals, food pantries and food delivery. Users can select other choices, such as transportation, legal help, education and work. The Quality Institute and community partners are working with Aunt Bertha to create these comprehensive listings for Trenton, Jersey City and Cumberland County. We know that promoting health is more than a visit to the doctor, but also includes housing, transportation, food, parks, education, culture, jobs, safe spaces and more, said Susan Walsh, Vice President of Population Health and ACO Medical Director at Jersey City Medical Center. We are delighted that the Aunt Bertha data base will be available to the residents of Jersey City. This program will provide timely and updated resources available to our shared populations to help break down barriers to healthier lives, she said. Listings are available in more than 100 languages. The Mayors Wellness Campaign partners with more than two-thirds of New Jersey municipalities to give mayors tools and strategies to promote health and active living and to improve the overall health of communities. The Aunt Bertha tool will bring immense value to the citizens of Cumberland County by ensuring that everyone is aware of the resources and assistance available, said Megan Sheppard, Health Office for the Cumberland County Health Department. Aunt Bertha will guarantee that clients get the help they need in a timely manner as well as allow workers from all agencies to effectively communicate with each other. We appreciate this tool we have been afforded by our partnership with the United Health Foundation and the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. The Mayors Wellness Campaign, through a $550,000 United Health Foundation grant, is working intensively with three of these communities: Trenton, Cumberland County and Jersey City. The Aunt Bertha initiative is part of the project to improve health outcomes in these communities. The partners in Jersey City are the Jersey City Department of Health and Jersey City Medical Center. In Cumberland County, the project partners are the Cumberland County Health Department and Inspira Health Network. The Trenton Health Team is the project partner in Trenton. In Cumberland County, training already has begun to educate patient navigators and staff from Inspira on how to best use the site. Training for school professionals also is planned. About New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute is the only independent, nonpartisan, multi-stakeholder advocate for health care quality in New Jersey. The Quality Institutes mission is to undertake projects and promote system changes that ensure that quality, safety, accountability and cost-containment are closely linked to the delivery of health care services in New Jersey. The Quality Institute partnered with the NJ League of Municipalities to create the Mayors Wellness Campaign, a program that empowers mayors across NJ with tools, strategies, and support to champion health and wellness in their communities. Myownasp.com, a division of Software Link, Inc., an industry leader in Sage ERP software solutions, is pleased to announce the acquisition of NovelASPect, the leading QuickBooks hosting and cloud-computing expert on September 30th, 2016. The primary goal of the merged companies is to continue providing top-notch cloud based solutions for accounting software professionals including the already existing platforms for QuickBooks and SAGE. The acquisition will make the company a force to be reckoned with by combining cutting edge expertise and outstanding customer relations. The existing customer base will increase exponentially, providing managed hosting services to over three thousand existing individuals, small businesses and medium businesses throughout North America. Software Links CFO Leonard Seawell said, The goal is to continue the profitable organic growth of our managed hosting business and to add to that growth through strategic acquisitions of other managed hosting businesses. As more and more businesses turn toward the cloud as viable solution for all the business needs, the merged company will continue to grow and expand on an already rock solid foundation and also bring new opportunities for future partnerships and acquisitions to expand and grow. Software Links financial partner, Harbert Mezzanine Partners, made the acquisition possible. Stan Kania, the CEO and founder of Software Link said, I am very pleased that we have completed the business combination of these two successful managed hosting companies. As one of the largest providers of managed hosting services to users of both SAGE accounting software and QuickBooks accounting software in North America, we are excited about the future of our company and are looking forward to many years of continued growth. NovelASPects Warren Patterson will remain as the COO at the newly formed company. He states, We are looking forward to combining the best parts of both companies and continuing to offer world class cloud hosting to our customers. We are able to host hundreds of different applications to meet the needs of businesses around the world About Software Link, Inc. Software Link, Inc. Is a leading business application and consulting company, established in 1996, that provides cloud based managed hosting solutions, strategies, and processes to meet business management needs. Operating through http://www.myownasp.com, the company provides a complete hosting solution backed by a fully certified and experienced staff. Business owners who are currently providing managed hosting services for accounting and ERP software that are interested in selling can contact Leonard Seawell. For information about Software Link call 800-521-7322 or visit https://www.myownasp.com About NovelASPect NovelASPect has revolutionized the way businesses access data world wide, bringing nearly ten years experience and providing businesses and accounting firms simplified remote access to QuickBooks and other applications at the lowest cost while providing the fastest and most secure hosting option. Citrix Cloud Hosting has revolutionized the business world by allowing users to work from anywhere in the world and access their files from any device with an Internet connection. NovelASPect, based in San Francisco, was founded in 2005 and continues to grow each year with clientele spanning more than five continents. For information about NovelASPect, contact (888) 244-6559 or visit http://www.novelaspect.com Florida Farm Bureau will celebrate its 75th anniversary at the Caribe Royale Orlando Resort, Oct. 26-28. The meeting will include award and recognition programs to honor outstanding young farmers and ranchers, state lawmakers and the accomplishments of county Farm Bureaus and individual members for their distinguished service to agriculture. We are honored to recognize our volunteer members at our 75th annual meeting, said Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick. It is through the strength of our grassroots members that we have been able to serve agriculture for more than seven decades. Florida Farm Bureau voting delegates will discuss and approve policy resolutions submitted by county Farm Bureaus throughout the state. The resolutions will be adopted as policy for 2017. Other convention highlights include a Presidents Awards Banquet, a legislative luncheon recognizing state lawmakers, the Commissioner of Agricultures Environmental Leadership Awards Breakfast, informative break-out sessions, a member benefits tradeshow and a silent auction benefiting agricultural scholarships. There will also be a History Hall display of historic items and a special evening celebration for members. For a full list of agenda items, visit http://www.floridafarmbureau.org/annual-meeting/. Florida Farm Bureau Federation, the states largest general agricultural organization, represents more than 145,000 member-families. We serve to enhance farm enterprise and improve rural communities. ### Mxi Technologies celebrates twenty years of MRO IT excellence. Mxi Technologies, the leader in aviation maintenance management software, is pleased to announce the Company is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Established in October 1996, Mxi Technologies was founded by a small group of young entrepreneurs willing to take a risk to fulfill a vision of building a new off-the-shelf aviation maintenance management solution from the ground up. Since then, the Company has evolved into one of the largest and most successful software providers dedicated exclusively to the aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) market. Learn more about Mxis history. For too long, the MRO market was underserved by offerings that were limited in scope at best. From the very beginning, we took great pride in building a brand that our customers have come to equate with proven software, backed by a demonstrated approach to enabling profitable and sustainable aviation maintenance businesses, said Jeff Cass, Mxi Technologies Chief Innovation Officer and one of its original founders. Over the next two decades, Mxis flagship product, Maintenix, expanded into a suite of solutions that is currently used by some of the biggest names in commercial aviation, defense, OEM and third-party MRO service. Today, Maintenix supports over 11,000 aviation assets, representing more than 20 percent of the worlds active commercial and military fleets. According to Cass, this success stems from Mxis commitment to delivering innovative products that stay one step ahead of the market. Over the years, Maintenix has pioneered many industry firsts, including: First to be certified for paperless use in line maintenance (2002) First thin-client, Web-architected solution (2004) First to build a mobile handheld disconnected maintenance execution application (2004) First to support configuration management of complex aircraft field loadable software (2006) One of the first to tap into latest Cloud-based technologies (2011) One of the first to support maintenance of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (2011) Mxi has produced software that not only meets the strong compliance outcomes demanded by the industry, but also provides the ability to move further into the electronic age. Maintenix has enabled our organization to take the bold leap into the age of electronic records and electronic certification; features which have yet to be adopted by the vast majority of airline operators around the world, said Chris Nassenstein, Executive Manager, Engineering at Qantas, a Maintenix customer since 2008. We congratulate Mxi on its pioneering work over the last 20 years and look forward to continuing to work innovatively with them to provide solutions that enable us to be the best we can be. See what other customers have said over the years about Mxi Technologies and the Maintenix suite. Today, Mxi Technologies continues to experience significant growth, fueled by increasing demands for Maintenix software and services around the world. To accommodate growing staff and operations, the Company recently moved into its new 45,000+ square foot corporate headquarters in Ottawa, and opened regional offices in Dallas, TX and Kuala Lumpur. Looking back, we are especially proud of how strong and vibrant the Maintenix community has become over the course of our history. Without the significant contributions of our global customers and partners, Mxi Technologies wouldn't be where it is today," said Jon Slangerup, Mxi Technologies Chairman and CEO. Supported by an Mxi team that is second to none in the industry, we are confident that the success of the past two decades will continue for many years to come, with Mxi playing a leading role in building the future of aviation maintenance management." About Mxi Technologies: Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada with U.S. headquarters in Dallas, TX, Mxi Technologies is a leading provider of integrated and intelligent maintenance management software, support and services catering specifically to the global aviation industry, including commercial and defense operators, third-party MROs, and OEM aftermarket service providers. Mxi Technologies suite of Maintenix software is uniquely designed to help aviation organizations maximize the revenue potential of their aviation assets through standard, lean, and predictable maintenance. Mxis global footprint of customers range from emerging, small to midsized organizations to the largest global enterprises, with single to multi-site deployments that scale as high as 6,000 users in a single instance. For more information, visit us at mxi.com. Lakeside logo By combining Lakeside Softwares Ask SysTrack workspace analytics insight engine with VMware AirWatch, business insights into enterprise mobility data can easily be surfaced across all groups within an organization." Today at VMworld 2016 Europe, Lakeside Software, provider of the leading workspace analytics solution, announced the addition of new AirWatch search and insight capabilities to Ask SysTrack, the industrys first workspace analytics insight engine. The Ask SysTrack workspace analytics insight engine applies relevancy methods to describe, discover, organise and analyse data to allow for information to be delivered interactively and in the context of the user at timely business moments. Lakeside Software was first in the industry to develop a workspace analytics insight engine utilising Watson cognitive services. VMware AirWatch is an Enterprise Mobility Management leader in the Gartner VMM Magic Quadrant. Together, workspace analytics and enterprise mobility have evolved from tactical tools to strategic enablers of IT service and support, empowering organisations to become people-centric, said Dan Salinas, vice president of Business Development, Lakeside Software. We are committed to innovation in the pursuit of making IT more responsive, agile, and productive. Our customers and partners rely on us to continue to build innovative solutions to enable and empower their digital workspace. Ask SysTrack for VMware AirWatch is designed to quickly and correctly answer enterprise mobility questions utilising IBM Watson cognitive services. As organisations embrace mobility, quick access to contextually relevant user, application, device, and infrastructure information is a key factor in supportability and management. The integration of Ask SysTrack with VMware AirWatch help customers quickly gain access to meaningful information and product features using a simple natural language interface. Simply Ask: Just as consumer search applications offer discovery of information without conscious query on behalf of the user, Ask SysTrack for AirWatch creates value for IT business users through a familiar means of proactive search, without having to click through user interface screens and dashboards. Bridge The Gap Between Business and EMM: Ask SysTrack brings SysTracks rich workspace data and telemetry into easily accessed meaningful analytics and insights. With SysTrack for AirWatch, Lakeside Software and VMware are bridging the gap between IT and the business. By combining Lakeside Softwares Ask SysTrack workspace analytics insight engine with VMware AirWatch, business insights into enterprise mobility data can easily be surfaced across all groups within an organisation, from the CIO to the help desk. This provides insightful value towards business decisions about user behaviors and app adoption, device life expectancy, change control impact and much more to easily be answered using natural language queries and contextual search. AirWatch continues to grow as a strategic component of IT, and the ability for our customers to quickly gain access to this valuable data is essential and enabling IT transformation across the industry, said Blake Brannon, vice president of Product Marketing, VMware. Visit blog.lakesidesoftware.com/entries/introducing-ask-systrack-for-airwatch/ to learn more about SysTrack cognitive technology that simplifies and speeds access to VMware AirWatch data and insights. About VMware VMware is a leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility. Built on VMwares industry-leading virtualisation technology, our solutions deliver a brave new model of IT that is fluid, instant and more secure. Customers can innovate faster by rapidly developing, automatically delivering and more safely consuming any application. With 2015 revenues of $6.6 billion, VMware has more than 500,000 customers and 75,000 partners. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world and can be found online at http://www.vmware.com. About IBM Watson In January 2014, the Watson Group announced that to advance new cognitive computing capabilities, IBM was investing $100 million to spur innovation for entrepreneurial organisations ranging from start-ups and VC-backed companies to established players who, like Lakeside Software, are collectively bringing forward a new generation of apps and solutions infused with Watsons cognitive computing capabilities. For more information on IBM Watson, visit: ibm.com/watson and ibm.com/press/watson. About Lakeside Software Lakeside Software provides IT organisations worldwide with tools for desktop transformation, asset optimisation, security, incident resolution, and continuous assessment. SysTrack workspace analytics enable IT to continuously understand the state and optimise the performance of EUC environments, both physical and virtual. SysTrack empowers IT to maximise visibility, minimise costs, automate support, and make evidence-based decisions. For more information about Lakeside Software, visit http://www.lakesidesoftware.com. # # # Lakeside Software and SysTrack are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Lakeside Software, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. Leaders is Digital Signage & Visual Communications www.coffmanmedia.com Coffman Media, LLC., ("Coffman Media") (the "Company"), a leading, digital signage and media technology integrator, today announced that David Hess has joined the Company as a director and advisor to the company. He will fulfill the role of Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing while advising the company on executive matters. Mr. Hess, who will report directly to Coffman Medias Chief Operating Officer, Jason Ault, and the Board Of Directors plans to build a national sales channel through direct and indirect sales channels utilizing the Coffman Media software-as-a-service ("SaaS") platform and supporting products; beacon technology, social engagement tools and data visualization. Coffman Media has a customer base throughout the United States and in selective international markets. "Having, successfully, built the companys credibility and the presence within the US market over the last 6 years, we are now positioned to implement an aggressive expansion strategy, concentrating our resources on driving top-line growth," stated Jason Ault, Chief Operating Officer of Coffman Media. "I am especially pleased to welcome David Hess, who brings to our Company tremendous sales, operational and financial experience within the telecom and technology industries. We look forward to leveraging his strong contacts and proven track record as we expand our relationships within vertical markets such as Healthcare, K-12 & Higher Education, Quick-service Restaurants and Corporate Communication and Retail markets." "This is an exciting time for digital signage and visual communication companies, as the demand for these services has morphed into every business model," noted Jason Ault. "We have taken the initial steps to prepare Coffman Media for this anticipated growth by refining our product offering, gearing up operations and building out of our Technology Experience Center in Dublin, OH," noted Jason Ault. We are a standout company in the digital visual communication arena and well positioned to meet the demands of this explosive market as it expands into all types of businesses. The growth potential is enormous and predicted to hit 6.7% CARG by 2022, reaching a global value of $27.34 Billion in revenues. As a result, the timing is perfect to revitalize the sales channel strategy and recruit a new breath of sales professionals into our company to help us reach the next level of success," stated David Hess. https://www.linkedin.com/company/coffman-media https://www.facebook.com/coffmanmedia https://twitter.com/CoffmanMedia About David Hess David Hess has 20 plus years of experience in the telecom and technology industry where he served as COO and CMO of KDDI Global the Japanese telecom operator driving growth and profitably, while achieving record profits. In between executive roles, Mr. Hess built a successful consulting business RKP Steering Group serving Telecom, SAAS and manufacturing companies as an executive advisory to the business. He also served in an executive capacity at Rapid Link International where he was instrumental turning the business around through a mergers and integration strategy. As the President and Chief Executive Officer of Telia North America the Swedish Telecommunications Operator he increased annual revenue and net income by 500%. Early on Mr. Hess was President and Chief Executive Officer of LDI/NETNET, where he reversed losses and was instrumental selling the business while creating shareholder value . Additionally, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of TotalTel Communications, Inc., where he increased the revenue by a 5 time the multiple through expansion and new business units. About Coffman Media Coffman Media is a leading digital signage and visual communication technologies integrator based in Dublin, OH. The team is focused on helping companies realize the power of digital signage and complementing technologies to meaningfully connect with target audiences while achieving the communication goals of the business or organization, by leveraging best-of-industry hardware, software and strategy. Coffman Medias executive team has over 30 years of combined experience in the digital signage industry. Contact: Jason Ault / Coffman Media / 614-389-3456 / jault(at)coffmanmedia(dot)com Essential Systems Solutions announces reseller agreement with Netsurion, a leading provider of remotely-managed data and network security services for multi-location businesses. The agreement will allow Essential Systems Solutions to offer Netsurions remote managed network security, PCI compliance support and secure Wi-Fi to merchants at an affordable price. "We're very excited about the promise both companies are committed to fulfilling through this partnership," explained Michael L. Tash, Vice President of Customer Relations, Essential Systems Solutions. "It is especially advantageous for merchants that are concerned with protecting their customers sensitive credit card data." Essential will be offering its customers the full array of Netsurions security solutions. The combination of Essentials incredible reach in the Washington DC Metropolitan market and Netsurions industry-leading security solutions is a perfect partnership for merchants, said Tash. About Essential Systems Solutions Founded in 2011, Essential Systems Solutions is a single-source technology provider of traditional, mobile, and cloud-based Point of Sale solutions for restaurants, hospitality, and retail establishments throughout the United States. Essential also offers a vast selection of hardware equipment to meet a wide variety of business needs. Known for outstanding and professional service, Essentials expert technicians are available to fix any kind of POS equipment. For more information about Essential Systems Solutions call 301-732-5000 or visit http://www.esspos.com. Follow @ESSisEssential on Twitter. About Netsurion Netsurion is a leading provider of remotely-managed IT security services that protect multi-location businesses information, payment systems, and on-premise public and private Wi-Fi networks from data breaches and other risks posed by hackers. Netsurions patented remote installation technology and PCI compliance t cloud-based solutions simplify the implementation process and ongoing support. Any sized branch or remote office, franchise or sole proprietor operation can use Netsurion without the costs of onsite support. The company serves the retail, hospitality, healthcare, legal, and insurance sectors. http://www.netsurion.com ProMIS Neurosciences (ProMIS or the Company), a company focused on discovery and development of precision treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the appointment of Dr. Richard Gregory to its Board of Directors. Doctor Gregory brings a wealth of outstanding and highly relevant research and development (R&D) experience to our Board of Directors, said ProMIS Executive Chairman Eugene Williams. His broad experience in immune-related therapies and drug development will provide valuable insight as we continue to progress our programs in Alzheimers and ALS. Richard Gregory, Ph.D., is currently Chief Scientific Officer and Executive VP of Research at Immunogen. Prior to this role, he held several senior leadership positions in R&D at Genzyme and Sanofi-Genzyme. I am delighted to join the Board of Directors of ProMIS Neurosciences, stated Dr. Gregory. The Companys innovative, precision medicine approach to Alzheimers disease and ALS offers great hope for addressing these urgent medical challenges and I look forward to supporting these important efforts. About Richard Gregory, P.h.D. Richard Gregory, Ph.D., joined ImmunoGen as Chief Scientific Officer and Executive VP of Research in January of 2015. In this role, he provides leadership and direction to the research organization and is responsible for the generation of development candidates based upon ImmunoGens Antibody Drug Conjugate technology. Prior to ImmunoGen, Richard held a variety of positions at Genzyme and Sanofi-Genzyme, including Vice President of Gene Therapy, Head of Corporate Research and Head of R&D for the Sanofi/Genzyme R&D Center. Dr. Gregory received his B.Sc. in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech, his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts, and did his post-doctoral training in cancer genetics at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology. He is the co-author of more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and 23 issued U.S. patents in the area of biotechnology. Dr. Gregory is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. About ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. The mission of ProMIS Neurosciences is to discover and develop precision medicine therapeutics for effective treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimers disease and ALS. ProMIS Neurosciences proprietary target discovery engine is based on the use of two, complementary techniques. The Company applies its thermodynamic, computational discovery platformProMIS and Collective Coordinates to predict novel targets known as Disease Specific Epitopes (DSEs) on the molecular surface of misfolded proteins. Using this unique "precision medicine" approach, ProMIS Neurosciences aims to develop novel antibody therapeutics and specific companion diagnostics for Alzheimers disease and ALS. The company has also developed two proprietary technologies to specifically identify very low levels of misfolded proteins in a biological sample. In addition, ProMIS Neurosciences owns a portfolio of therapeutic and diagnostic patents relating to misfolded SOD1 in ALS, and currently has a preclinical monoclonal antibody therapeutic against this target. The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This information release may contain certain forward-looking information. Such information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by statements herein, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to it as well as other factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by the Company in its public securities filings, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For further information please consult the Company's website at: http://www.promisneurosciences.com Follow us on Twitter Like us on LinkedIn NATIONAL Equicom Michael Moore Tel. 858-886-7813 mmoore(at)national(dot)ca Abby Garfunkel Tel. 403-218-2887 agarfunkel(at)national(dot)ca or contact Dr. Elliot Goldstein President and Chief Executive Officer, ProMIS Neurosciences Inc. Tel. 415 341-5783 Elliot.goldstein(at)promisneurosciences(dot)com Rebecca Craft of Con Edison delivers keynote remarks at BuildingEnergy NYC. #passive house #energy efficiency #green building #resiliency #renewables It is one thing for the City to mandate an audacious goal like 80% reduction in carbon emissions within 35 years. It is quite another to marshal the troops to get there. How will New York Citys buildings transform over the next 35 years to withstand the demands of a changing climate? Some 700 professionals from every field related to our buildings and the codes that govern them will gather at the BuildingEnergy NYC Conference + Trade Show at the TKP Center in midtown Manhattan on November 3rd to start to answer that question. New York City has launched one of the most far-reaching energy policies in the United States to support its vision for an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Improving building enclosures, involving building tenants, supporting renewable energy projects and implementing energy storage systems will all be critical to achieving this aggressive goal. said Lauren Brust Moss, Program Director for Sustainability Services at NORESCO and conference co-chair. BuildingEnergy NYC 2016 brings together all of the new initiatives and all of the players, for one day of presentations and discussions on how we work together to move the City forward. The list of speakers includes: Michael Bobker, CUNY Building Performance Lab, Anthony Fiore, Kate Gouin, Roya Kazemi, John Lee, Ali Levine, Benjamin Mandel, Mayors Office of Sustainability, Brian Geller, CitiBank, Greg Hale, Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo, Emily Hoffman, NYC Department of Buildings, Dana Schneider, JLL, Molly Zinzi, Google, solar pioneer Steven Strong, Solar Design Associates, who installed photovoltaics on the White House in the 1970s and again in 2014, and many more. It is one thing for the City to mandate an audacious goal like 80% reduction in carbon emissions within 35 years. It is quite another to marshal the troops to get there, quipped conference co-chair Ken Levenson, President of 475 High Performance Building Supply. Its a bit like re-routing the Titanic with the iceberg in sight . . . but in this case the iceberg is melting and threatening to drown us in the process. That said, the conversations and learning that happen at BuildingEnergy NYC will offer a great first step toward turning that barge, said Jennifer Marrapese, Executive Director of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), who hosts the conference. No other conference in New York City brings together such a diverse set of attendees, from architects, contractors and large developers to renewables installers manufacturers and lenders, to those who actually occupy and maintain our buildings. The conference provides practical, hands-on solutions to the challenges and the new requirements for building owners and practitioners in every neighborhood and borough. The goals of this years conference are: Understand best practices. How do we install the best energy efficiency measures in our existing and new buildings? Once they are installed, how do we ensure that building operators are setting and maintaining them appropriately? How do we educate the occupants of our buildings to operating them as efficiently as possible? What has happened in the City already, what have other cities and practitioners done, and what practical strategies, policies and programs can support our professional community. Understand new mandates and codes. What is the new Energy Code, what is the status of REV (Reforming the Energy Vision, Governor Cuomos comprehensive energy strategy for New York), how are the utilities and the State changing existing programs in NYC, and what new programs are being launched? Meet the Success Stories. Consultants, practitioners, owners, and developers will share examples of successful technologies, programs, structures, and certifications, and how to pay for it all. Every year, Building Energy NYC pushes the envelope on case studies, policy introductions and debates, and raises questions for us all to tackle in the coming year. We are excited to provide the venue for all of the market players to network, learn, build partnerships and grow the mission of making New York City the best of the best in energy efficiency, occupant satisfaction and health and well-being. To register for the conference, click here. For a list of conference sessions, click here. For a list of conference speakers, and their biographies, click here. About the BuildingEnergy NYC Conference + Trade Show Established in 2012 and nearly doubling in size yearly, BuildingEnergy NYC is a place where members of New Yorks building industry come together to learn from each other how to make the buildings of this great city even better. BuildingEnergy NYC is set apart by how it is created. More than 50 accomplished professionals in the sustainable energy arena, all members of NESEA, volunteer on a committee to curate 24 sessions that benefit building practitioners, owners, and developers at all levels. The challenge of making New Yorks buildings more efficient, sustainable and resilient can only be overcome by having practitioners from all corners of the building industry in the same space learning from and connecting to each other - a whole systems approach. BuildingEnergy NYC attracts exactly the right audience to make that happen. About NESEA Formed in 1974, the mission of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association is to advance the adoption of sustainable energy practices in the built environment. NESEA does this by connecting professionals to each other and to information. This organization facilitates collective learning between all of the professional disciplines that contribute to the built environment. NESEA serves architects, planners, engineers, manufacturers, builders and policy analysts in public and private companies in the 10 Northeastern states. Brown University is pleased to welcome the first student cohort to begin its newly launched Executive Master in Cybersecurity (EMCS) program. The 16-month EMCS program, with classes beginning this week, builds on the universitys interdisciplinary excellence in cybersecurity, highly accomplished faculty and students, and practical, hands-on experience to produce visionary and confident leaders who understand the technology, human, and policy issues that form a successful cybersecurity strategy and can lead transformative change within their organizations. The class of 2018 is a diverse group of 28 accomplished professionals averaging 17 years of experience in a variety of sectors and professional roles. From a current U.S. Marine to marketing professionals, practicing attorneys, security officers, consultants and investors, the selectivity and diversity of the student cohort are key benefits of the program. Students are selected based on what they will contribute to the peer learning community and their readiness to benefit from the program. "With unique education and experience, every student is an important contributor to the cohort," said Alan Usas, EMCS Program Director. "Not only do the students selected act as valuable resources for peers, but they become a trusted member of the lifelong professional networks that forms. We have a very strong group entering the program and we are prepared to graduate visionary and strategic leaders to meet the global, technical, human and policy challenges of cybersecurity." According to the recently published report, "The State of Cyber Security Professional Careers," conducted by independent research firm, Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), 46 percent of organizations claim to have a problematic shortage of cyber security skills and nearly two-thirds (65%) of cyber security professionals struggle to define their career paths. Operating on the central tenet that Strategy is the Best Security, the comprehensive and timely curriculum of the EMCS program prepares students with the conceptual framework and readiness to respond to challenges in cybersecurity, including: How to address global policy concerns such as cyber intelligence, data privacy, and internet governance; How to understand the critical role that human factors and usability play in developing effective security strategies; How to better anticipate the security and privacy implications of emerging technologies, such as big data, cloud computing, mobile computing, social networks, and the Internet of Things; Gain proficiency in identifying vulnerabilities, anticipating attacks, using monitoring tools, and developing defensive strategies; and Build organizational resilience, and crisis management and response capabilities. For the first time in the university's history, Brown opened the ceremonial Van Wickle gates to EMCS students during the Oct. 16 convocation. Opened only three times a year for convocation, mid-year graduation and commencement, the opening of the Van Wickle gates for the EMCS students ushers in a new tradition for the university and underscores the importance of the Executive Master portfolio of programs, and its students, to the Brown community. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.brown.edu/cybersecurity. To better understand the current state of omnichannel capabilities in the mobile commerce market, the e-tailing group, an Astound Commerce company, recently released the seventh annual 2016 Mobile Research Survey. Key findings show that as the number of US smartphone users continues to rise, so does the amount of consumers making purchases on their mobile devices. More than a quarter of consumers (26 percent) spend more than 20 hours per week on their mobile device researching products, finding stores and/or purchasing products. The report reveals that omnichannel capabilities on mobile devices, such as buy online and pickup in store, inventory access across channels and same day delivery are critical considerations for consumers when making purchase decisions. Forward-thinking retailers have made investments in streamlined mobile shopping capabilities, reflecting consumer preferences for flexible product fulfillment and inventory transparency. Key takeaways from the report include: Consumers Want Cross-Channel Fulfillment Options: Nearly two-thirds of consumers (64 percent) have completed a buy online pickup in store transaction via mobile in the past three months; over 80 percent pick up products the same day while 44 percent do so within 2 hours. Inventory Transparency is Important: Six out of 10 consumers have used their mobile phone to check the availability of a product at a local store at least three times a month. The Mobile and In-Store Experience is Merging: 83 percent of retailers offer in-store product locators, and 88 percent provide inventory information like in-stock and number of units for products. Consumers want access to product information at all times, and value the convenience of viewing in-store inventory from their mobile device for quick decision-making, said Lauren Freedman, SVP of Digital Strategy and Chief Merchant of Astound Commerce. The lines between the online and in-store experience have blurred, so the more retailers invest in using seamlessly integrating commerce channels, the more the customer experience will improve and purchasing will follow suit. Retailers have learned that engaging consumers through personalized accounts is a beneficial tool to collecting actionable user information, and access to these accounts across channels has become increasingly important. The report found shoppers place high value on accessible account information across every channel on which they purchase. Based on an analysis of 50 top retailers, the report also found that retailers are focusing on providing high-quality cross-channel capabilities in the following ways: Ability to Create a Personal Account: Every retailer analyzed offered the ability to create an account within their mobile commerce platform. Access to Personal Account Across Channels: 94 percent of retailers let consumers create lists and save items on mobile that transition to the desktop ecommerce site. Merging Digital and Physical Channels: 92 percent of retailers have a shared shopping cart facilitating cross-channel checkout. As the consumer shopping experience becomes even more interconnected, enabling shoppers to move across platforms without losing wish lists, credit card information and items in their shopping cart is critical to acquiring and retaining loyal customers, said Igor Gorin, CEO of Astound Commerce. Providing consumers access to their personal account simplifies the path to purchase and further engages shoppers, which can ultimately lead to higher revenue for retailers. To view the full results of the Mobile Research Survey, click here About Astound Commerce Astound Commerce is an award-winning global digital commerce provider combining strategy, technology, insight and a proven methodology to deliver exceptional omnichannel experiences. Through a forward-looking, goal-oriented approach to digital solutions, Astound Commerce helps elevate online and mobile experiences and effectively transform businesses for global brands such as Adidas, LOreal, Under Armour, Jimmy Choo and Timbuk2. Based in San Francisco, the passionate team of more than 600 dedicated, diverse industry and technology experts has 15 years of ecommerce experience and more than 1,000 implementations under their belt to address the complex challenges, advancing technologies and indigenous marketing needs facing international markets. To learn more, visit astoundcommerce.com. Lot 1337: six magnums (1.5L) of Bonnes Mares Vieilles Vignes Georges Roumier 1988 sets a world record with over $90,000 for six magnums; price realized: $91,875 We couldnt be more pleased with the results of The Vault. From Hong Kong to New York, to the internet auction, we proved beyond a shadow of a doubt what we already knew: the rarest Burgundy in the world is a hot commodity. - President Jeff Zacharia Le Bernardin Prive was packed on a gorgeous autumn Saturday, October 15, as the second part of the single-owner sale The Vault went to the block. Zachys' auctioneers Jamie Pollack and Charles Antin lowered the gavel on just over 900 lots as over a hundred attendees enjoyed a Le Bernardin lunch with their glasses full of Cheval Blanc 1995 from imperial (for breakfast), Salon 1999 (for lunch), and Petrus 1982 from imperial (an afternoon snack). The stars of the show were the wines on offerBurgundy was the heavy hitter and why many came to the auction, but two bottles of Bordeaux cracked the top ten, and those two were serious bottles: an imperial of Latour 1961, with a trail of provenance directly back to the Chateau sold for $91,875 (the highest price realized at auction in the past five years) and a jero (five liters) of Mouton-Rothschild 1961 sold for $31,850, (the highest price paid at auction in the past 10 years). All in all, over 900 magnums, 172 d-mags, 132 six-liter bottles, and even 12, 15, and 18-liter bottles sold to bidders as diversified as coast-to-coast USA, Thailand, Japan, Beijing, Taiwan, the UK, South Korea, Singapore, Mexico, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, France, Switzerland, Canada, Brazil, and even our friends Down Under. But Burgundy was the big winner on Saturday, especially the magnums. six magnums of Roumier Bonnes Mares Vieilles Vignes 1988 sold for $91,875 (a world record, by the way, but whos counting?), tied for the top lot of the day with the Latour 1961 6L. six magnums of Rousseau Chambertin 1991 werent far behind at $51,450. There was feverish bidding for lots that smashed their pre-sale high estimates, with 12 Roumier Bonnes Mares 1988 selling for $29,400 against a pre-sale high estimate of $17,000 and six bottles Ramonet Montrachet 1986 selling for $29,400 against a pre-sale high estimate of $17,000. White wines from Ramonet had their day too, with 8 bottles of Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet 1988 selling for $8,575, against a pre-sale high of $3,600. Even California did well: three bottles of Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace 1978 sold for $3,430, blowing their pre-sale high estimate of $1,400 out of the water. All in all, an astonishing 488 of the 909 lots on offer sold for above their high estimates. Over a quarter of the sale sold to a packed saleroom, where the energy was palpable. Whats more, 3 lots sold over $50,000, 38 lots over $20,000 and an astonishing 130 lots over $10,000. In total, The Vault Parts I and II, and the Vault eAuction, realized $11,986,289. With one more eAuction to go, The Vault should exceed its pre-auction high estimate of $12,000,000 with ease. Jeff Zacharia, President of Zachys, commented, We couldnt be more pleased with the results of The Vault. From Hong Kong to New York, to the internet auction, we proved beyond a shadow of a doubt what we already knew: the rarest Burgundy in the world is a hot commodity. Roumier, Rousseau, Mugnier and Ramonet certainly ruled the day on Saturday. If our annual La Paulee auctions werent enough proof, can anyone think of a reason not to entrust rare Burgundy to Zachys now? And were not done with 2016 yet. Weve got the Vault eAuction Part II coming up next. Then, on November 19 in Hong Kong weve got a wonderful sale, including hundreds of bottles of rare spirits. And then were back in New York on December 2 and 3 for wines direct from Nath. Johnston & Fils (including a 4.5L Petrus 1924, bought on release), a domaine-direct consignment from Faiveley, and one of the largest collections of Masseto ever to come to market. We hope to see you soon! The Top Ten Lot 853: one imperial (6L) of Chateau Latour 1961 Price realized: $91,875 Lot 1337: six magnums (1.5L) of Bonnes Mares Vieilles Vignes Georges Roumier 1988 Price realized: $91,875 Lot 1443: six magnums (1.5L) of Chambertin Armand Rousseau 1991 Price realized: $51,450 Lot 1485: six magnums (1.5L) of Chambertin Clos de Beze Armand Rousseau 1991 Price realized: $46,550 Lot 1459: six magnums (1.5L) of Chambertin Armand Rousseau 1999 Price realized: $41,650 Lot 1400: three magnums (1.5L) of Musigny Georges Roumier 1990 Price realized: $36,750 Lot 1439: six magnums (1.5L) of Chambertin Armand Rousseau 1989 Price realized: $34,300 Lot 1309: nine bottles (750ML) of Montrachet Domaine Ramonet 1989 Price realized: $31,850 Lot 1408: twelve bottles (750ML) of Musigny Georges Roumier 1998 Price realized: $31,850 Lot 1490: six magnums (1.5L) of Chambertin Clos de Beze Armand Rousseau 1995 Price realized: $31,850 CardinalCommerce, the global leader for eCommerce payment authentication, today announced it was granted a notice of allowance by the Canadian Patent Office for its Universal Merchant Platform. The Canadian patent complements similar international and U.S. patents held by the company. Cardinal has a U.S. and international patent portfolio of more than 60 issued patents for sophisticated technology, architecture, engineering and applied sciences innovations. These patents protect Cardinals business and are the foundation of its eCommerce payment authentication software used by online merchants, payment processers, card issuers and banks worldwide in the card-not-present environment. As a company we are focused on continually innovating in online and digital commerce technology to ensure our Customers can grow their businesses and process payments quickly, securely and with confidence across the global economy, said Mike Keresman, Cardinals Chief Executive Officer. This latest notice of allowance issued by the Canadian Patent Office further reinforces both our commitment to innovation and to protecting our intellectual property. Cardinals category-leading Cardinal Consumer Authentication (CCA) is part of the Universal Merchant Platform, which gives merchants and financial institutions total control over their authentication strategy while protecting their online payments. A list of Cardinals patents can be found at https://www.cardinalcommerce.com/Intellectual-Property/Patents. About CardinalCommerce CardinalCommerce is the pioneer and global leader in enabling authenticated payment transactions in the card-not-present payments industry, and the largest authentication network in the world. Through One Connection to the proprietary Cardinal SafeCloudTM, we enable friction-free, technology-neutral authentication and alternative payment services (including digital wallets and mobile commerce services). Cardinal services, partners with and complements most providers in the marketplace to deliver their One Connection solution to secure transactions. In accommodating this growing number of payment brands and methods, Cardinal's platforms serve as universal switches, supporting virtually all merchant platforms, wallets, legacy processing systems and authentication methodologies. CardinalCommerce is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and services a worldwide Customer base from facilities in the United States, Europe and Africa. For more information, visit http://www.cardinalcommerce.com. Media Contacts: Tara Lavelle, SVP Marketing CardinalCommerce Corporation 877.352.8444 tlavelle(at)cardinalcommerce.com Mark Lindsey Cognito-Tech Public Relations 310.246.9530 mark.lindsey(at)cognito-tech.com Axiomatics Logo As more enterprises use advanced business intelligence tools to monetize the data theyre collecting, potential security and privacy issues expand, as does the need to meet regulatory compliance. Axiomatics, the leader in fine-grained dynamic authorization, today announced the launch of the Axiomatics SmartGuardTM for Big Data. SmartGuard for Big Data enables the worlds largest enterprises and federal government agencies to enforce access to Big Data stores with a contextual, policy-based approach, and thereby safeguard sensitive data. This breakthrough innovation introduces the only Big Data authorization solution to deliver true Attribute Based Access Control for Hadoop deployments. When it comes to new technologies, security is often an afterthought. Big data is no different. A data breach of big data stores could lead to potentially disastrous consequences. Big Data and the potential exposure of mass quantities of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), intellectual property (IP) and other sensitive assets has made data-centric access controls a necessity. SmartGuard for Big Data helps organizations achieve fine-grained controls required to protect the massive amounts of sensitive data across the enterprise against data breaches and unauthorized access. It also provides dynamic data masking and data filtering protection of data at row and cell levels. The Forrester Wave: Big Data Hadoop Distributions, Q1 2016 report estimates that 100 percent of all large enterprises will adopt Hadoop, the open-source distributed software platform for storing and processing data, or related technologies, for Big Data within the next two years. The wealth of information stored in big data environments are accessed by applications such as business intelligence tools across lines of business. This makes it imperative to dynamically control access with a centralized policy-based approach. As more enterprises use advanced business intelligence tools to monetize the data theyre collecting, potential security and privacy issues expand, as does the need to meet regulatory compliance said Niklas Jakobsson, CEO of Axiomatics. In many organizations where authorization is already in place, the commonly used coarse-grained, role-based access controls simply are not enough to meet security or compliance needs. SmartGuard for Big Data brings the benefits of externalized authorization and data filtering to Big Data environments like Hadoop. The benefits include enterprise-wide implementation and centralized management of access control policies, as well as a context-aware approach to authorization that streamlines access and filters/masks data based on not just a role, but also on any combination of custom attributes and policies. For organizations hoping to leverage big data to meet key business initiatives, fine-grained authorization is a powerful tool that can alleviate potential security risks, said Jakobsson. Using attributes to build policies also offers visibility and control thanks to centralized management of policies. For more information about SmartGuard for Big Data, read the latest blog post at http://www.axiomatics.com/blog/entry/the-big-data-security-challenge-1.html. For more information about Axiomatics, please visit https://www.axiomatics.com or @axiomatics. About Axiomatics Axiomatics is the leading provider of fine-grained access control. Axiomatics' solutions are utilized by Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies around the world to share and safeguard sensitive information, meet compliance and minimize data fraud. To find out more about Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC) for applications and data-centric security for databases, or to request a demo of the Axiomatics Data Access Filter, please visit http://www.axiomatics.com. InterContinental's new multi-sensory campaign evokes curiosity, broadens the mind and takes the imagination to unexpected places. Dan Khabie, Mirum Global, North America CEO: At Mirum, we connect brands and customers through meaningful content, touch points and moments. InterContinentals rich history provided the perfect content to make those connections..." InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), along with digital agency Mirum, has launched the first in a series of a multi-sensory journeys across InterContinental Hotels & Resorts properties around the world, to discover stories that will incite curiosity in audiences, broaden their minds, and take their imaginations to unexpected places. Each journey uses different mediums to tell stories that enable travelers to experience luxury travel as it should be, and uses podcasts, video content and animated illustrations to immerse audiences in those experiences. The platform launches with Fascination the first of the multi-sensory journeys in the series -- and uncovers hidden stories of underground cities, the beauty of using all of our senses, and what drives us to be fascinated. Throughout October, InterContinental will launch additional content covering the topics of Worldliness and Empathy. All journey episodes can be found at life.intercontinental.com. A series of experts were commissioned to explore the three topics from unique angles. Episodes contain a unique mix of 15 minute podcasts, video storylines, and animated illustrations to immerse the audience into exploring and learning new things. EPISODE 1 (Oct. 11): Fascination. InterContinental New York Barclay, New York, USA The more interested we are in the world, the more interesting we become. Discover storiesincluding one about a secret underground citythat will reveal sides of our world that youd never expect. EPISODE 2: (Oct. 17) Worldliness. InterContinental Beijing Sanlitun, Beijing, China Worldliness is the highest form of sophistication. It means feeling at home no matter where you are in the world. In these stories, we discover a global outlook everywhere we go. EPISODE 3: (Oct. 31) Empathy. InterContinental London Park Lane, London, UK The more we learn about other people, the more we enrich our own lives. These stories demonstrate how connecting with other people and cultures can deepen our connection to the world. Jason Moskal, Vice President, Lifestyle Brands, The Americas, IHG said: Our goal for this campaign is to reignite our guests passion for travel and fascination for discovering new places. These stories are meant to evoke curiosity, broaden the mind, and inspire international travel. The content lead approach taps into travelers aspirations to experience the world and create their own stories, and aims to provoke the worldliness we experience when we travel. It is part of a series of activations globally for InterContinental to focus the marketing strategy on driving consideration and engagement by connecting the brand to what is relevant in culture. The multiple format content will continue to be developed into 2017 to bring the stories to life in the best medium for that subject. Mirum worked closely with the production company m ss ng p eces to create the first episode. The Fascination video is directed by awarded director Tucker Walsh, and the podcasts star and are edited by Bianca Giaever, a regular contributor to NPR programming. The illustrations are by Greg Betza, with animations from Smith Design. Dan Khabie, CEO, Mirum Global and North America said: As experts in experience design, we connect brands and their customers through meaningful content, touchpoints and moments. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts rich history and stories provided the perfect content to make those connections and give our audience a sophisticated, immersive experience. About Mirum Mirum is a global digital agency that creates experiences that people want and businesses need. Named a Visionary in the 2016 Gartner Magic Quadrant, Mirum helps guide brands in business transformation, experience design, and commerce activation. The agency operates in 20 countries, with more than 46 offices and 2,200 professionals. Mirum is part of the J. Walter Thompson Company and WPP Network. For more information, visit mirumagency.com. About InterContinental Hotels & Resorts InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has 183 hotels located in more than 60 countries with local insight that comes from 70 years of experience. As a brand, we believe that superior, understated service and outstanding facilities are important, but what makes us truly different is the genuine interest we show in our guests. Our desire is to help guests make the most of their time. We connect our well-traveled guests to whats special about a destination, by sharing our knowledge, so they enjoy authentic experiences that will enrich their lives and broaden their outlook. For more information, visit http://www.intercontinental.com, https://twitter.com/InterConHotels or http://www.facebook.com/intercontinental. Notes to Editors: IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, EVEN Hotels, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 5,000 hotels and nearly 750,000 guest rooms in almost 100 countries, with more than 1,400 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG Rewards Club, the worlds first and largest hotel loyalty programme, with more than 96 million members worldwide. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Groups holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 350,000 people work across IHGs hotels and corporate offices globally. Visit http://www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and http://www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: http://www.ihg.com/media and follow us on social media at: http://www.twitter.com/ihg, http://www.facebook.com/ihg and http://www.youtube.com/ihgplc. Year Up Greater Atlanta Board Member, Stacey Ollinger to host Fundraiser Event on October 26, 2016 Stacey is a phenomenal leader who is known for her creativity and philanthropic impact. We are super excited to have her join our Board as we continue to grow and provide opportunity for Atlantas young adults, said Executive Director, Kim Williams Continuing to scale its innovative and effective approach to workforce development, Year Up Greater Atlanta (YUGA) announced today that Stacey Ollinger is joining its Board of Directors. Ollinger is a community volunteer who specializes in planning charitable events. Ollinger and her husband Paul will host a fundraiser for YUGA on October 26, 2016 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm on the rooftop at Spanx by Sara Blakely, located at 3035 Peachtree Road NE in Atlanta. One hundred guests are expected to attend. Stacey is a phenomenal leader who is known for her creativity and philanthropic impact. We are super excited to have her join our Greater Atlanta Board as we continue to grow and provide opportunity for Atlantas young adults, said Kim Williams Executive Director of YUGA. Year Up is a national nonprofit organization providing education, career training and corporate internships for young adults 18-24 year old. The 12 month workforce development program is enabling disconnected young adults to gain access to careers in Information Technology and Business. Nearly 90% of YUGA graduates are employed or attending college full-time within four months of completing the yearlong program, with average starting salaries of $36,000/year. Year Up has a proven track record in helping young adults launch careers at top companies and transforming their lives in the process, said Ollinger. Im excited to join the board and support Year Ups philanthropic goals through fundraising events that grow the bottom line. A veteran of the hospitality industry where she held sales leadership positions for luxury hotels in Los Angeles and New York City, Ollinger has served as a volunteer for Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, co-chairing high profile events, including the Spring Backyard Bash, Art Meets Music and their largest fundraiser, Hope & Will Ball in 2015. She has also held chair positions with Northside Hospitals Cancer Institute's Wine Women & Shoes event and Fix Georgia Pets Red Carpet Fete. Ollinger lives in Brookhaven with her two children, author and comedian husband Paul and French Bulldog, Colonel Tom Parker Ollinger. Year Up partners with companies looking to hire a talented and diverse workforce. Currently, the organization enrolls 280 annually at two locations in Midtown Atlanta and Alpharetta for post-secondary education and professional skills training. In Atlanta, more than 800 alumni have graduated from the program, since 2010. About Year Up Inc. Year Up's mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Year Up achieves this mission through a high support, high expectation model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, internships and college credits. Its holistic approach focuses on students' professional and personal development to place these young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency. Year Up currently serves more than 3,000 students a year at sites in Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Jacksonville, the National Capital Region, New York City, Philadelphia, Providence, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay Area, and South Florida. To learn more, visit http://www.yearup.org or http://www.youtube.com/yearupinc. Drop-in Tours are now available, weekdays from 9 a.m. 5 p.m. and from 10 a.m. 2 p.m. on Saturdays. No appointment is necessary. CountryHouse is preparing for the grand opening of a new memory care and assisted living community in Granite Bay, California. The first residents will be able to start moving in before the end of October, and Open House events have been scheduled for November 5 and 6. Lots of activity is happening in preparation for this big weekend. Drop-in Tours are now available, weekdays from 9 a.m. 5 p.m. and from 10 a.m. 2 p.m. on Saturdays. No appointment is necessary. Those who are seeking compassionate dementia care for their aging family members are encouraged to call or visit CountryHouse Granite Bay today, to learn more about how to add loved ones name to the waiting list. Director Mindy Klick brings excellent experience in dementia care and assisted living. Rhonda DAngelo, Licensed Vocational Nurse, will oversee the wellness services and work closely with CountryHouse families. She and Klick have both been busy, hand-selecting and training the program coordinator, caregivers and the rest of the team. Additionally, CountryHouse has engaged the services of Laura Wayman, a nationally-recognized radio show host and speaker whose specialty is dementia care. Wayman is assisting with staff training and development, and creating community education programs that will be open to the public. Granite Bay natives can also anticipate caregiver support groups led by Klick to be held after the new community opens. In addition to the public Open House events on November 5 and 6, area professionals will receive invitations to special events on November 2 and 3. The public Open House will include tours, prizes and refreshments. Anyone unable to attend any of the Open House events is welcome to arrange their own, private tour. Staff members are on-site Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Drop-in Tours, and are happy to make appointments at any other times, including evenings and Sundays. Those who wish to learn more about CountryHouses unique memory care programs, Open Houses and tours, or about the reserving rooms for residency are encouraged to visit http://www.countryhouse.net or to call (916) 899-6565. ABOUT: CountryHouse and its parent company, Agemark, provide assisted living and memory care to seniors in communities across the country; its Granite Bay location will be the citys first senior residence devoted exclusively to memory care. Each CountryHouse is designed by memory care experts to look and feel like a family home, and the wide range of highly-personalized services include Agemarks signature LifeCycles Wellness Program, which promotes personal, social, intellectual, and physical well-being. More information is available at http://www.countryhouse.net, or http://www.agemark.com. ktMINE, an intellectual property (IP), innovation, and intangibles information services firm, announced today that they are exhibiting at the Licensing Executives Society (LES) 2016 Annual Meeting, taking place October 23-26, 2016 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Along with exhibiting, ktMINE will be sponsoring the off-site Industry-University-Government Interface (IUGI) networking dinner on October 25, 2016 at Granville Island. LES Annual Meeting brings together over 500 intellectual property, technology, and business development professionals to achieve professional and personal success. ktMINEs Cash McNeel, Business Development Manager, and John F. Kennedy, Business Development Director, will be representing ktMINE at booth 201 in the exhibit hall. ktMINE will be featuring their upcoming product, Patents Application, not yet released. The Patents Application connects global agreement data to global patent data to offer users insights into patent licensing trends and values. ktMINE encourages attendees to stop by their booth to learn more about its products and for a chance to win a Taste of Chicago gift package. ktMINE is headquartered in Chicago, the location of the 2017 LES Annual Meeting. The theme of this years meeting will be Global Deals: New Strategic Frontiers, launching technology and intellectual asset commercialization professionals into a century of global change. Sessions will include topic areas such as: patent and technology licensing, IP and innovation expanding a portfolios breadth and depth, licensing negotiation scenarios checklist, top court decisions affecting licensing, joint development agreements best practices, preferential rights case studies, how the Chinese evaluate technology, and many more. The IUGI Networking Dinner will bring together professionals from the Industry, University (non-profit), and Government fields, along with the greater investment, business, and legal communities. About ktMINE ktMINE, headquartered in Chicago, IL, is an IP, innovation, and intangible assets information firm founded in 2008. Focused on mining, organizing and connecting the worlds IP information, ktMINE provides businesses across the globe access to insights on industry players, technologies, and developments. For more information, visit http://www.ktmine.com, or contact ktMINE to schedule a meeting. Stephen King Accountex USA announced two new sessions taught by Stephen King, CEO of Growthforce at the 13th annual Accounting Technology Conference & Expo. The first course, Smart Back Office, evaluates best practices for integrating technology and an accounting team. King's second course, How to Build a Profitable Client Accounting Services Practice, discusses how the people, process, and product create a successful firm. Accounting was ranked as the most profitable professional service in 2016 and King evaluates how to increase that measure while standing out in a competitive marketplace. The accounting technology expo brings together the largest selection of solutions and offers professionals face-to-face time to learn about the latest upcoming trends available from cloud accounting innovators. The conference is the premier event of the year for the accounting and financial professionals and the add-on developer community. Sponsorship opportunities are enhanced through the AccountingWEB and Accountex partnership to provide maximum engagement with decision makers. Keynote speakers include: David Kotz, former Inspector General of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and Managing Partner at Berkeley Research Group, Debbie Rich-Walker, Senior Finance Manager at Home Depot, Dave Kerpen, Founder and CEO of LikeableLocal and a New York Times Best-Selling Author, Doug Sleeter, Founder of The Sleeter Group, Joe Woodard, Founder of Woodard Events and Consulting, Andy Lark, Chief Marketing Officer of Xero, and Geni Whitehouse, CEO at Even a Nerd. Accountex will be held at the Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada November 15-18, 2016. Registration is now open at AccountexUSA.com. About Accountex Accountex USA is the largest independent accounting technology conference and expo, leading the way for an inclusive approach to education on latest trends and technologies. Accountex USA publishes a content rich online magazine, the Accountex Report, which features daily articles to help move accounting forward and address common business process and organizational needs for SMBs. Accountex developed the Accounting Technology Ecosystem which is the leading product roadmap for an expansive marketplace of accounting and business software solutions; Accountex is the parent company of the Sleeter Group, an online community of accounting professionals, and honors both vendors and practitioners with annual awards programs for excellence. http://www.accountexusa.com.### The Senior Charity Care Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to seniors in care facilities, selects Aaron Hofmann, MD, board certified orthopedic surgeon, director of the Center for Precision Joint Replacement at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center and founder of the Hofmann Arthritis Institute, as the 2016 Continuum of Caring recipient, an award given to those who demonstrate strong support for the senior population. Hofmann, along with his daughter, Erin Hofmann, the president of Total Joint Orthopedics, was honored at this years Hope Benefit, which was held on October 13, 2016 at The Tower at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Hope Benefit is organized by The Senior Charity Care Foundation to raise awareness and funds for the purpose of supporting charity care for seniors in care settings who cannot afford the total cost of care and/or services. Our foundation appreciates the commitment to care and support demonstrated by Dr. Hofmann, said Beth Ehrhardt, president of Senior Charity Care Foundation. Nominations for the Continuum of Caring Award are gathered from past award recipients, sponsors, and friends of the Hope Benefit. The friends will then select potential nominees for final review and approval by the board of directors. Aaron and Erin Hofmann have dedicated a lifetime of service to uninsured and underinsured patients, many of which are a part of the senior population, through Operation Walk USA and Operation Walk Utah. This private, not-for-profit organization provides free surgical treatments to patients with debilitating arthritis or other bone and joint conditions in developing countries and the United States. Medical supplies and equipment used by Operation Walk are provided through donations, and the entire medical team volunteers its time and services. Additionally, The Senior Charity Care Foundation honored JoAnn B. Seghini, mayor of Midvale, with the Cornerstone Award and Emma Houston, Salt Lake Countys director of diversity affairs, with the Trailblazer Award. About the Center for Precision Joint Replacement at Salt Lake Regional The Center for Precision Joint Replacement at Salt Lake Regional provides minimally invasive, highly advanced joint replacement surgeries, including MAKOplasty robotic technology, to patients with arthritis and other joint conditions. For more information about the Center, call 866-431-WELL. About the Hofmann Arthritis Institute The Hofmann Arthritis Institute provides advanced nonsurgical and surgical treatment options to patients with arthritis. The medical team combines the latest surgical and nonsurgical techniques and technology with specialized surgeons to bring about the best possible clinical outcomes. For more information about Hofmann Arthritis Institute, call 801-35-JOINT. About The Senior Charity Care Foundation Founded in April 2011, the Senior Charity Care Foundation (SCCF) provide assistance for low income seniors 55+ residing in care facilities and senior apartments who need basic health care assistance such as eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures and dental care. Last year, SCCF served 312 seniors residing in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber Counties. With an all-new product, CxEngage, and now a new revitalized brand, I look forward to seeing what transformative innovation comes next from Serenova. LiveOps Cloud, a leading contact center-as-a-service (CCaaS) provider, today revealed a new corporate identity with the introduction of Serenova. Serenova represents the companys contact center heritage while also signaling the markets evolution towards simpler, brighter customer experiences that drive revenue, retention, and loyalty. The corporate rebrand comes as Serenova completes a nearly year-long separation from its former parent company, LiveOps Inc., to focus exclusively on delivering software that connects data, people, and brands for more meaningful interactions, insights, and outcomes. The companys CCaaS portfolio enhances global queuing, routing and reporting of multichannel customer interactions for better customer experience delivery, anytime, anywhere, worldwide. Serenova represents the companys steadfast and unwavering commitment to innovation around these core capabilities at a time when complexity, consolidation and confusion are at an all-time high in the marketplace. This change comes at a critical inflection point in the contact center space and better aligns our vision, energy and commitment with the direction of the global market, said Vasili Triant, CEO of Serenova. The contact center is shifting from a cost center perception to become the revenue, retention, and loyalty engine for the enterprise as brands focus on customer experience as a key differentiator. Cloud adoption is essential to this transformation, but companies also need laser-focused expertise to help solve for complex, multinational deployments and siloed digital engagement. Our new name and mission underscore both this turning point in our industry and our commitment to providing that expertise. The move to Serenova is accompanied by a comprehensive rebrand for the company, which also launched today. Along with this rebrand, the company is working to build the most talented, dedicated team in the space, bringing together known contact center veterans with top talent from other technology markets for a combination of industry experience and fresh perspective that it believes is essential to innovation. The last decade has seen unprecedented change in consumer technology, preference and behavior that has completely shifted the strategy and expectation for how brands interact with their customers and markets, said Baker Johnson, SVP of Marketing of Serenova. But the technology and complexity associated with addressing these changes has left many customer experience leaders feeling overwhelmed and burdened by technical debt. So we ultimately distilled our new brand down to two essential concepts that we felt best align us to the market needs: Simple and Bright. Our new tagline Shine Bright, is intentionally emotive and calls to every person involved in customer experience to bring forth the very best in themselves. It speaks to the contact center market as a whole, as a way for brands to differentiate via improved CX, to individual agents, and especially to our own employees, as the key summary of our ethos and how well go about fulfilling our mission in working with customers, partners, and each other. The contact center has always been the focal point for customer experience, providing both revenue generation and protection, said Sheila McGee-Smith, McGee-Smith Analytics. First as LiveOps Cloud and now as Serenova, this company has played a key role in the evolution and maturation of the CCaaS market. With an all-new product, CxEngage, and now a new revitalized brand, I look forward to seeing what transformative innovation comes next from Serenova. History of Serenova LiveOps Inc. (Serenovas former parent company) originally built its CCaaS solution in 2000 to support the home-based agent services/contact center BPO (business process outsourcing) business, which now supports up to 20,000 agents across the US. Serenova (formerly LiveOps Cloud) spun into a SaaS division in 2009 to sell the CCaaS externally. It then completed a divestiture to Marlin Equity Partners in Q4 FY15 to become a stand-alone company. Launched in March 2016, Serenovas newest solution, CxEngage, was built from the ground-up as an API-first solution leveraging the AWS microservices-based architecture for rapid innovation around complex, multinational deployments. With this technology, agents can engage with a customer via any channel, and pivot to another channel while maintaining context to better handle the inquiry, as required. About Serenova Serenova simplifies every aspect of the customer experience, from front office to back, to make life easier for you, your customers and your employees. The worlds most passionate, customer-focused brands achieve brighter interactions, deeper insights, and more meaningful outcomes with Serenovas always-on, highly secure, true multi-tenant and instantly scalable Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) platform, CxEngage. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas with its Engineering Center in Fredericton, Canada. Learn more at http://www.serenova.com. For live updates, follow @SerenovaShine. The Chatimity team at Freshdesk With their focus on artificial intelligence and chatbots, the Chatimity team, now part of Freshdesk, has already started to create a scalable customer engagement chat platform that is future ready. Freshdesk, the leading provider of cloud-based customer engagement software, today announced the acquisition of Chatimity, a social chat platform that developed artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbot technology. Chatimity was built to enable user interactions and improve engagement for its three million users. The acquisition is the sixth in just over a year as Freshdesk looks to enhance product development and capabilities within the chat platform and beyond. Consumers expect a high level of connectivity and personal attention from businesses. With millions of people reaching out to businesses everyday, the need for organizations of all sizes to engage with consumers directly, at scale, and with a personal touch is increasingly important. People want a fast, personalized response. Chat will play an important role in the future of communication for customer service but scaling that infrastructure continues to be a challenge, said Girish Mathrubootham, Founder and CEO of Freshdesk. With their focus on artificial intelligence and chatbots, the Chatimity team, now part of Freshdesk, has already started to create a scalable customer engagement chat platform that is future ready. Chatimitys multipurpose AI-based bot, MITI, uses a combination of NLP (Natural Language Processing), state machines and AIML (Artificial Intelligence Markup Language) to hold conversations across thousands of users in real-time. The team has prototyped several interactive bots including one for a popular travel website. Think of the bot as an 'ask me anything' travel agent: "What are best hotels in Hawaii with a swimming pool under $200?" or "How far is my hotel from the airport?" are some of the questions that MITI can respond to immediately, helping consumers as they make travel decision. Many of those who interacted with MITI believed that they were communicating with a real person. Our team was able to get a glimpse of what Freshdesk was already working on and we immediately knew that our team and technology would complement and accelerate product development at Freshdesk with a strong focus on AI and chat tech said Tarkeshwar Thakur, Co-founder and CEO of Chatimity. Delivering a top-notch customer experience over chat continues to be a challenge for many companies, a problem we intend to solve with some of the next-gen chat products we are building at Freshdesk. It has been year of incredible growth for Freshdesk. The company opened its fifth office in Berlin, Germany; released Freshsales, an intelligent CRM for high-velocity teams; and was recognized by the Economic Times as Startup of the Year. Each acquisition not only brings new capabilities to Freshdesk products, they also bring intelligent and creative talent to the growing team. To learn more about Freshdesk, please visit http://www.freshdesk.com About Chatimity The company was founded in May 2011 by former Googlers Tarkeshwar Thakur and Aravind Murthy. They worked together on Google Music Search before starting Chatimity. The team was based out of Bangalore and was part of Google Startup Launchpad and one of the early incubatees of the Global INcubation SERVices (GINSERV). At Freshdesk, the Chatimity team will work towards enhancing the companys live chat offerings. About Freshdesk Freshdesk Inc. is the leading provider of cloud-based customer engagement software. Freshdesks suite of products include the flagship product, Freshdesk, which allows organizations to support customers through email, phone, websites, forums, and social media; Freshservice, a cloud-based service desk and IT service management solution; Hotline.io, an in-app support and engagement platform for mobile-first businesses; and Freshsales, a CRM solution and sales system for high-velocity sales teams. With powerful features, an intuitive interface and a freemium pricing model, Freshdesks products are widely used by teams and companies of all sizes, from SMB to enterprise. Based in San Bruno, California, with offices in Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia and India, Freshdesk is backed by Tiger Global Management, Accel Partners, and Google Capital. The company has over 80,000 customers around the world including 3M, Honda, Bridgestone, Hugo Boss, University of Pennsylvania, Toshiba and Cisco. For more information, visit http://freshdesk.com. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. The goal of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, founded in 1991 by breast cancer survivor Janelle Hail, is to educate women of the importance of early detection and the availability of support services. Read more about the National Breast Cancer Foundation here http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/about-nbcf/nbcf-story. This October, Boars Head is demonstrating their support for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation by donating to breast cancer research with the help of two of their flagship delicatessen products, EverRoast Oven Roasted Chicken Breast and Ovengold Roasted Turkey Breast. Find both of these products in the Deli Department of any King Kullen location. Pink ribbons will be featured on the labels of both of these products throughout the month of October. Both EverRoast Oven Roasted Chicken Breast and Ovengold Roasted Turkey Breast are certified by the American Heart Association as heart-healthy products. When selecting Boars Head Premium meats and cheeses, these are the options to reach for. King Kullens Director of Deli, Al Spinazzola, explains that Boars Head meats are great for sandwiches, like this Turkey and Swiss Club (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/199917670938230692/), products such as Ovengold Roasted Turkey Breast, they can be used for so much more. Spinazzola suggests the following options: Use Boars Head EverRoast Oven Roasted Chicken Breast in a soup like the autumn-inspired Pulled EverRoast Chicken and Vegetable Soup recipe (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/199917670938230650 Pair Boars Head EverRoast Chicken Breast with butternut squash for a sweet and savory salad (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/199917670938230672) Whip up fajitas with Ovengold Roasted Turkey Breast, peppers and onions for a quick and easy weeknight meal thats packed with flavor (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/199917670938230681/). In addition to these two products, all Boars Head 8 oz. and 10 oz. Hummus containers feature temporary packaging with pink lids and labels, sharing the brands commitment to supporting Breast Cancer Research. Participating varieties available in King Kullens Deli Department include Traditional, Roasted Pine Nut, Roasted Garlic, Roasted Red Pepper, Fiery Chipotle, Southwest Style Black Bean, Tuscan Style White Bean, Fire Roasted Artichoke and Spinach and Kalamata Olive Tapenade. Enjoy Boars Head Hummus with crackers, chips and fresh vegetables like carrots and celery. Hummus is filling, and it is a great source of protein and fiber. Tracey Cullen, King Kullens Director of Pricing and Social Media, suggests getting the most out of hummus by spreading it on a sandwich as a substitute for mayonnaise or mustard. It can also take the place in pasta salad, chicken salad, and tuna salad recipes. Try topping a chicken or fish dish with hummus to add some healthy flavor. Add creaminess to a soup with hummus like this Vegetable Hummus Soup (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/199917670938230742/). About the Company: Headquartered in Bethpage, New York, King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc. is recognized by the Smithsonian Institution as Americas first supermarket. Michael J. Cullen opened the doors of King Kullen in 1930. Today, four generations later, King Kullen is still family owned and operated. It remains a leader in the supermarket industry. From that very first store in 1930, King Kullen today operates 34 supermarkets and five Wild by Nature stores across Long Island. In addition to traditional grocery, King Kullen features a large catering and prepared foods department, freshly-baked breads and sweets, and healthy and organic areas, with pharmacies and online shopping in many stores as well. RFID Global's Visi-Trac software has been granted a DoD enterprise-wide Certificate of Networthiness and Authority to Operate, valid through June 2019. RFID Global Solution, Inc., a leading provider of asset management solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense, recently announced that its Visi-Trac 3.x enterprise software has been awarded a Certificate of Networthiness (CoN # 201620336, CoN Type: Enterprise) and Authority to Operate (ATO) by the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM), valid through June 7, 2019 (http://www.netcom.army.mil). Visi-Trac has been extensively deployed by the DoD and commercial enterprises to manage aerospace and military components, IT assets, mobile medical equipment, and other critical assets. Achieving the CoN accreditation enables RFID Global to better support the U.S. government with a highly functional, cost-effective system that automates inventory management and keeps track of major items used to conduct daily missions. The CoN accreditation is required by enterprise software products functioning within the U.S. Army Enterprise Infrastructure Network. This accreditation applies to all Department of Defense organizations. With 4 million assets under management, Visi-Trac 3.x delivers critical information on the location and status of fixed or mobile assets using radio frequency identification (RFID), GPS or sensor technologies, locates, tracks and secures these assets in real-time, and supports operational decision-making. Receiving the Certificate of Networthiness underscores RFID Global's commitment to provide solutions that meet the strict standards of the U.S. Army regarding data compliance and security. "We have more than a decade of experience serving the U.S. military, supporting all branches of the Service," said Diana Hage, CEO, RFID Global. "This confirmation of our technology's information assurance and security will help protect lives and property for American service members around the world. It is a privilege to support the U.S. Department of Defense." The U.S. Army Networthiness program was created to address operational compliance. Its purpose is to provide an operational assessment of systems, applications or devices to determine Security, Interoperability, Supportability, Sustainability and Usability (SISSU) and compliance with Federal, DoD and CC/S/A/ regulations. About RFID Global Solution RFID Global Solution, Inc., is a leading provider of asset management and supply chain solutions for the U.S. government and industry leading enterprises. Based in Reston, Virginia, RFID Global has designed and led some of the world's largest deployments, delivering solutions in over 75 countries for the U.S. Army, Air Force, Boeing, Cisco Systems, the Department of Homeland Security, Huntington Ingalls Industries, IBM and the Social Security Administration, among many other Fortune 500 clients and federal agencies. Secure your assets and improve the integrity of your supply chain. http://www.rfidgs.com. More than a dozen of the regions leading conservation and business organizations are calling on New York State lawmakers to increase funding to pay for clean water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in the Hudson Valley. The organizations, which have banded together under the moniker of the Clean Water Jobs Coalition, endorsed a report released today that identified nearly $1 billion of public works projects needed to control pollution and protect drinking water in the region. The Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc.(CIC), and the Construction Advancement Institute of Westchester & Mid-Hudson Region, Inc.(CAI), released the report that identifies the clean water infrastructure needs throughout the lower Hudson Valley based on a survey of municipalities and counties as well as a review of government reports. The report, Clean Water Infrastructure Needs for Communities in Westchester County and the Hudson Valley, documents current projects ready to go approaching $250 million and further documents more than $1 billion in wastewater and drinking water facility needs in total over the next five years. Long-term statewide clean water infrastructure needs remain in the tens of billions of dollars. The report applauds the Governor and the New York State Legislature for the enactment of the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2015 and appropriations of $425 million statewide to date to assist communities with Clean Water Grant Funds. However, with only $175 million in this fund remaining for future grants, now is the time to allocate more public resources for the health and safety of our cities, towns and villages, the report said. The theme for a public-awareness campaign, Invest in Clean Water Invest in Jobs, resulted from the needs-analysis of this study. The campaignlaunched by the CIC and CAI in alliance with members of the historic Clean Water/Jobs Coalition and the Clean Water Collaborative (members listed in the report)calls for an additional $800 million in clean water grant funds to be allocated statewide for this program in the coming FY 2017/2018 budget, which begins April 1, 2017. The broad-based partnership brings together virtually every sector of stake holders on the issue: public policy organizations, construction contracting employers, labor unions, private employers and businesses, municipal leaders and environmental organizations to advocate for continuation and expansion of the states Clean Water Infrastructure program. In addition to their environmental benefits, these programs lead to major positive impacts for local economies. In 2008, according to New York States own Clean Water Collaborative, it was estimated that for every billion dollars invested in clean water infrastructure projects, 30,000 to 47,000 direct and indirect jobs are created. These Clean Water funds are vital to the environmental and economic well-being of our region, said Ross J. Pepe, President of the CIC and Executive Director of the CAI. Our findings demonstrate that communities cannot do it alone and need the support of New York State to meet this challenge. It is vital that communities in our region take advantage of and apply for funds under these programs and work together with us to advocate for the programs continuation and the allocations of more funds well into the future. Ned Sullivan, President of Scenic Hudson, said, "Continued investment in the region's water and wastewater infrastructure is crucial to the safety and health of our waters for fishing, swimming and drinking and to meet the basic provisions of our environmental laws. These investments will create jobs, fuel and enable the region's economic growth, and contribute to the quality of life that makes the Hudson Valley and Westchester great places to live, work and enjoy the region's bounty." Curt Johnson, Executive Director of Save the Sound, said, The tens of thousands of families, who love to swim and boat along the Sounds Westchester coast, want this funding to fix chronic sewage pollution. Old deteriorating and leaking sewer pipes lead to frequent sewage spills. The cities, towns and villages along the coast need these state grants to design and fund essential sewer system repairs. Paul Gallay, President of Riverkeeper, said, Investments in infrastructure are investments in clean water. We know from our own water quality data that the Hudson River Estuary and its tributaries are often safe for swimming but not often enough. To improve water quality, the state must continue to expand this transformational grants program to help communities make these critical investments. Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said, Wastewater upgrade requests are increasing each year throughout our state and we can no longer ignore this growing, essential need. Sewer treatment systems provide the strong foundation for propelling New York into the millennium with a viable plant that protects public health, our environment, our economy, recreational opportunities, home values and more. Every community and every person benefits from clean water. Sewer infrastructure funding represents an investment in New Yorks sustainability. Marcia Bystryn, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters, said, "With water quality crises reaching a tipping point, we have been pleased that the State has begun to make the multi-year commitments in the budget that are necessary to address this critical issue. Such efforts must only be the start, however, and we hope to see $800 million in clean water grants allocated to this year's budget so that municipalities can fully protect our water by fixing crumbling pipes and sewers." John Ravitz, Executive Vice President/COO of the Business Council of Westchester, said, The Business Council of Westchester is laser focused on helping to create more jobs throughout the county. To do this we must clearly state to businesses that are considering Westchester that there is a strong commitment to do all we can to assure the countys clean water infrastructure is sound. The Business Council of Westchester will urge the Governor and the State Legislature in 2017 to provide the necessary funding to ensure that we are making the right investments in the area. Jonathan Drapkin, President of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, said, "We have seen in municipalities like the City of Newburgh that clean water and the ability to monitor and inspect its condition are critical for the well-being and health and safety of our communities. It is essential that we have a long-term plan and continued state grant funding for the rehabilitation of water infrastructure for the benefit of the residents of the Hudson Valley." Mamaroneck Town Supervisor Nancy Seligson, said, "As a chief elected official I am very aware of the high costs facing the community to repair and improve aging sewer pipes. Fixing our sewer systems and pipes is needed to improve water quality in the Long Island Sound and to make sure it is always swimmable and fishable to all. Municipalities can't pay for these expensive repairs on their own and need regional and state-wide partnerships. I fully support increasing the funding for the state-wide clean water program." Erin Crotty, Executive Director of Audubon New York, said, Clean water is imperative to the health and vitality of the Hudson Valleys diverse communities and ecologically significant habitat, including the nearly two hundred bird species the area supports. As a founding member of the Clean Water/Jobs Coalition, Audubon New York understands that investments in our states wastewater and drinking water infrastructure not only help safeguard our freshwater resources for people, birds, and wildlife, but also the economy. Audubon New York stands with our partners in urging the state to protect our waters not only in the Hudson Valley, but across New York State. Survey results showed that without clean water protections, municipalities cannot ensure that residents have a high quality of life and economic prosperity. The report states that New York State is faced today with an aging wastewater and drinking water infrastructure system. These facilities require retrofits, upgrading and expansion in local communities across the state. The Lower Hudson Valley has its own set of challenges and needs. These facilities are vital to protecting area waterways and providing clean drinking water for residents farther south in New York City. In 2014, the US Environmental Protection Agency in its Federal Clean Watershed Needs Assessment reported that across New York State that there was over $30 billion needed in both wastewater treatment plant and drinking water facility improvements and investment over the next 20 years. New York State, under the leadership of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and with Assemblyman Steve Otis (D-91st Rye/Port Chester) as a co-sponsor, created the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2015. In its first year, the Act provided $75 million in clean water infrastructure grants to communities for capital projects with a $5 million cap per community. In 2016, Gov. Cuomo and State Legislature added an additional $350 million in grant funds of which $175 million was allocated state-wide in mid-2016. There is an additional $175 million in grants that will be awarded in 2017. Of the grants awarded to date, nearly $35 million was given to 18 Westchester and Hudson Valley communities for both wastewater and drinking water facility capital projects. In addition to grants, these communities also received tens of millions of dollars in low-interest financing under New York States Water Revolving Loan Fund. Both the grant program and the loan program are administered by NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation. A copy of the report has been distributed to the Governors office and leaders of the State legislature for their review and consideration. For additional information, please contact CIC and CAI headquarters, attention George Drapeau, in Tarrytown, NY at (914) 631-6070 or cicwhv(at)aol(dot)com. The report will also be made available online at http://www.cicnys.org. # # # About the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc. The Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley, Inc. is a professional trade organization representing more than 600 businesses that are at the core of the regions construction industry. These include contractors, suppliers, consultants and other professionals servicing the construction and building industries. CIC maintains day-to-day contact with local and state government officials who own and manage much of the regions infrastructure and institutional facilities. About the Construction Advancement Institute of Westchester & Mid-Hudson, Inc. The Construction Advancement Institute is a management initiative that aims to ensure the prosperity, safety and well-being of communities in Westchester and the Lower Hudson Valley. The CAI is affiliated with the Building Contractors Association of Westchester & Mid-Hudson Region, Inc., which represents some 50 employers and thousands of employees. N2 Publishing's position at No. 13 on the 2016 Best Small and Medium Workplaces list has nothing to do with luck or chance. "Our success stems from hiring the right people and creating an environment that helps them grow professionally and personally," said Duane Hixon, CEO and co-founder of the community magazine publishing house. "It's an intentional approach to building team." This latest recognition comes as just one in a line of recent accolades for the company, including: Best Employers in North Carolina; 50 Best Workplaces for Flexibility; Best Workplaces for Recent College Graduates; Employee Engagement Project of the Year Award; 100 Best Workplaces for Women; and six years in a row on the Inc. 5000 list. The Best Small and Medium Workplaces list is part of an ongoing series by Great Place to Work and Fortune. The rankings are based on employee survey feedback. Questions revolved around workers' level of trust, pride and camaraderie on the job. According to Great Place to Work, companies that earned a spot on the coveted list experienced about three times the revenue growth of their peers. Organizers say these types of results prove that trust fuels business performance. "There's a generosity of spirit that infuses the Best Small and Medium workplaces one that has a measurable return," said Kim Peters, executive vice president of Great Place to Work. "Whether it's funding employee 'passion projects' or giving surprise gifts to customers, the best workplaces give it away. And they get it back in the form of inspired people who innovate harder and generate higher revenue." Hixon couldn't agree more. "We're in the battle together; we genuinely care about each other," he said about the N2 team. "From the beginning, we've fortunately had a lot of good people who saw the vision. They all have that desire to build something that's bigger tomorrow." About N2 Publishing Based in Wilmington, N2 Publishing, Inc., "turns neighborhoods into communities" by partnering with affluent neighborhoods to produce private, monthly publications filled with resident-contributed content. Every N2 issue is personal, relevant, and unique to the community it serves. Visit N2 Publishing online at http://www.n2pub.com. PostBeyond Co-founders Ivan Tsarynny (Right) and Vitaliy Lim With a sharp focus on key business metrics, PostBeyond shows exceptional maturity and promise as a leader in the employee communications space. Toronto-based employee communications software PostBeyond has announced the addition of $750,000 to their Series A funding round. The investment, contributed by Plaza Ventures, brings PostBeyonds Series A funding total to $4.75M. Plaza Ventures joins Information Venture Partners and Export Development Canada to conclude PostBeyonds Series A funding round. We are highly impressed with the level of growth Ivan and his team at PostBeyond have demonstrated in the past three years, said Matthew Leibowitz, Partner at Plaza Ventures. With a sharp focus on key business metrics, PostBeyond shows exceptional maturity and promise as a leader in the employee communications space. PostBeyonds Series A funding will be used in part to open a new office in Toronto, as well as two new offices overseas. This investment will play a critical role in our international expansion, said Ivan Tsarynny, CEO and Co-founder of PostBeyond. As our client portfolio grows, we look forward to providing a world-class customer experience in additional global markets. PostBeyonds employee communication solution helps enterprises deliver a curated millennial content experience to their workforce. With PostBeyond, employees can read and engage with corporate content from a single, common solution. Clients benefit from improved workforce engagement, communications compliance and increased sales productivity. We are incredibly proud of what weve achieved as a team thus far, said Ivan Tsarynny. The conclusion of our Series A round and the opening of new offices marks an exciting new chapter in PostBeyond growth. About Plaza Ventures: Plaza Ventures invests in Series A and B financings of high-growth technology companies with a unique rolling micro-fund model. The PV Ventures Investment Partner Program co-invests angel capital with corporate and institutional capital alongside other VCs and family offices, and applies the experience of our distinguished LPs to build enterprise value. About PostBeyond: PostBeyond is a leading employee communication solution chosen by global enterprises to improve the millennial work experience by enabling employees to share curated corporate content on social media. Clients such as Scotiabank, Siemens, Starbucks, TIBCO, and Rosetta Stone can cultivate socially engaged employees to demonstrate brand value to the marketplace through one-to-one relationships at scale. PostBeyond is based in Toronto, with clients worldwide. Brooks International CEO Lui Damasceno and Managing Partner Tom Lonergan at the Fastest Growing Firms award ceremony in New York City "Achieving this award represents to our clients and our employees that we are very serious about client satisfaction." Global professional services firm, Brooks International (http://brooksint.com), is pleased to announce it has just received the Fastest Growing Firm award from Consulting Magazine. Headquartered in West Palm Beach, Fla., Brooks International was recognized as one of the consulting worlds fastest growing firms at an awards ceremony and dinner on Oct. 13 at the landmark Roosevelt Hotel on Madison Avenue in New York City. Last year, Consulting Magazine released the first-ever ranking of the consulting industrys fastest growing firms in North America a celebration of the industrys top players in terms of revenue growth over a three-year period. This year, the magazine expanded the honor to include all global consulting firms of any size and sector. Brooks Internationals Chief Executive Officer Luigi Damasceno and Managing Partners Tom Lonergan and Mark McTigue were on hand at the awards ceremony in New York City to receive the award and formal acknowledgement as one of the top movers and shakers of the consulting profession. Consulting Magazine will feature the honorees in its November 2016 issue. According to Damasceno, Brooks International is on track to achieve a 30% increase in revenue over last year. One of the factors that contributed to the firms exceptional growth has been Brooks Internationals reshaping of its approach to market and offering. Due to a lingering flat economy, many top lines are struggling to grow. By consequence, our offering has emphasized the need for revenue enhancement via both organizational effectiveness and efficiency, he said. We take great pride in delivering on our promises. Achieving this award, or any award such as this, represents to our clients and our employees that we are very serious about client satisfaction, said Damasceno. A significant portion of our growth is fueled by extensions and referrals, which we take as a direct complement to our delivery team. ABOUT BROOKS INTERNATIONAL: Headquartered in West Palm Beach, Fla., with additional locations in Canada, Europe and Asia, Brooks International creates and delivers Execution Excellence to its CEO clients. Brooks International partners with industry leading Fortune 500 clients to deliver significantly enhanced profits and predictive business performance as well as substantial and sustainable organizational, operational and financial improvements. A global professional services firm. Brooks International achieves its clients' strategic imperatives by linking financial and operational models, consistently delivering predictable business performance. Brooks International dramatically enhances clients execution methods, competencies and capabilities. They deliver significantly enhanced profits as well as substantial and sustainable organizational, operational and financial improvementsspecializing in execution performance capabilities across all industries and sectors. For more details and case studies, visit http://brooksint.com, call 561.214.8800 or connect with Brooks International on Facebook or LinkedIn. With Hytrel, Esbelt was able to produce a superior conveyor belt allowing for both x-ray and metal detection, which helped reduce the risk of particle contamination. Past News Releases RSS DowDuPont Transportation &... DuPont Performance Materials... DuPont Performance Materials to... DuPont Hytrel TPC-ET thermoplastic elastomer is being used to spearhead development of a ground-breaking metal and x-ray detectable conveyor belt. DuPont Performance Materials collaborated with conveyor belt manufacturer Esbelt, to introduce an innovative and more effective polymer which allow a better detectability to avoid food contamination. DuPont Hytrel offers the flexibility of rubber with the strength and processability of thermoplastics to produce conveyor belts. This versatile copolyester allows for detectability whilst maintaining its heat and chemical resistance for a flexible and durable material. It is part of DuPonts portfolio in metal and x-ray detectable polymers and is an excellent combination to be used in the production of a new conveyor belt with enhanced contamination control. Hytrel is one of the most effective options we offer for flexible conveyor belts. It lasts longer, allows higher flexible strength and is more resistant to potential tear than those made with TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane). With Hytrel, Esbelt was able to produce a superior conveyor belt allowing for both x-ray and metal detection, which helped reduce the risk of particle contamination, said Franco Marabelli, Global Business Consultant, Development Material Handling, DuPont Performance Materials. Our partnership with DuPont adheres to regulatory requirements, brand reputation and consumer protection needs to ensure the products are of the highest quality throughout the manufacturing process. It has been tested and approved by major food processors in the US. This new conveyor belt will be able to control the quality of the product on the belt through both metal and x-ray detection and ensure products of the highest quality, while enhancing the ability of food manufacturers to demonstrate due diligence, said Federico Segura, Managing Director, Esbelt S.A. Hytrel is an excellent choice when innovative new designs require the creation of unique parts with multiple performance characteristics. It enables the light-weight belt to reduce power demands, operate quietly, lubricant-free and with less maintenance over long periods. Another product of DuPonts portfolio of metal and x-ray detectable polymers is DuPont Delrin acetal. With its unique combination of strength, toughness, low wear and friction, Delrin also brings new solutions to the modular conveyor belt and tools for the food processing industry. DuPont is a leader in food contact materials, with the industrys most extensive engineering thermoplastic portfolio adhering to both European Food Contact and FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulations for food safety. DuPont products have been tested by Mettler Toledo, a global leader in providing weighing, analytical and inspection solutions. Paul King, Sales Head and Market Manager, Safeline X-ray inspection, Mettler-Toledo, commented on the new belt by saying, This is a great new development for the inspection system industry. The combined approach of both metal and x-ray detection will ensure that all reasonable precautions were taken to identify any physical contaminants. DuPont Performance Materials (DPM) is a leading innovator of thermoplastics, elastomers, renewably-sourced polymers, high-performance parts and shapes, as well as resins that act as adhesives, sealants, and modifiers. DPM supports a globally linked network of regional application development experts who work with customers throughout the value chain to develop innovative solutions in automotive, packaging, construction, consumer goods, electrical/electronics and other industries. For additional information about DuPont Performance Materials, visit plastics.dupont.com. DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit http://www.dupont.com. Esbelt was founded in Barcelona (Spain) in 1970. Esbelt has a significant international presence, exporting 70% of its product to over 85 countries. Its competitiveness is based on three main elements: optimum value for money, a flat, highly flexible organisation, and the shortest delivery times in the sector. Thanks to its consistent sales policy, Esbelt has acquired a great deal of experience and know-how through working with independent distributors and splicing teams. The combination of the companys competitiveness and its unequalled emphasis on the services of independent companies, as well as its expert knowledge of applications has enabled Esbelt systematically to grow at a rate well over the worldwide market average. Fonolo to Exhibit at the Seventh Annual GTACC Conference Events like GTACC are important as they bring together like-minded individuals who are eager to explore the new trends shaping customer service today. Fonolo, the pioneer in cloud-based call-back solutions for the contact center, announced today that it will be attending the Greater Toronto Area Call Center Conference (GTACC) on November 3rd, 2016 at the Pearson Convention Centre in Brampton, Ontario. As technology and innovation continue to change the role of the contact center, GTACC brings together influencers and professionals to answer common challenges in the industry with interactive workshops, engaging panel discussions, and informative best practices. At this years event, Bruce Croxon, Co-Founder of Lavalife, and a former Dragon on CBCs Dragons Den, will headline as keynote speaker, sharing insights into what it takes to succeed in todays demanding entrepreneurial environment. Canadian entrepreneurs often fly under the radar for their global contribution to the customer service industry. Events like GTACC are important as they bring together like-minded individuals who are eager to explore the new trends shaping customer service today, said Shai Berger, CEO, Fonolo. Five years ago, Fonolo began in a small boardroom on Richmond Street with the goal of improving the customer experience. Since then, the companys call-back technology has transformed the industry as we know it today. Conference attendees will have an opportunity to meet with Fonolo in the exhibit hall and learn how the companys cloud-based call-back solutions can help to lower abandon rates, smooth out volume spikes and improve the customer experience. More information on this event can be found at gtacc.ca/Public_article.aspx?id=1490. For live updates and insights from the conference, follow @fonolo on Twitter. About Fonolo Fonolo is the leading provider of cloud-based call-back solutions. The companys innovative products improve the way call centers interact with their customers by seamlessly replacing hold time with a call-back. Regardless of where the conversation begins on the web, mobile or by phone Fonolo quickly and conveniently routes customers through the call center, connecting them to the right agent and eliminating hold time. A growing list of organizations trust Fonolo to improve the call center experience for their customers. Fonolo was named Top Technology Provider by the 2015 Call Center Week Awards. To learn more about how Fonolo can help reduce abandonment rates, improve your customer experiences, and lower costs, visit fonolo.com. About GTACC Founded in 2002 as a think tank, GTACC has evolved into a leading non-profit organization for call center related topics and best practices. The organization hosts regular events that bring together influencers and answers common challenges in the marketplace, keeping its membership on the leading edge of industry issues and initiatives. GTACC supports members coast to coast, recognizing the strength of the contact center industry across Canada. Sessions are typically held in the Greater Toronto Area including Brampton and Mississauga. To learn more about GTACC events, please visit gtacc.ca. Charlotte, NC Area Law Firm Branches Out with Brand New Website I am excited about the launch of my firm's new website and look. I think that the work done by Outer Banks Media will promote our firm's image and lead to more web-based interaction. Outer Banks Media (OBX Media), a North Carolina-based digital marketing agency specializing in website design, search engine optimization and internet marketing, announces the launch of their clients website, Law Office of Lee Martin (Lee Martin Law), a law firm providing quality legal services in Concord, Charlotte, Kannapolis and surrounding areas in the state of North Carolina. Lee Martin Laws mobile-responsive, search engine optimized website was designed and developed by OBX Media from the ground up, using the WordPress platform. With focus areas in social security disability, workers compensation and dispute resolution, the firm was looking for a design to represent their strength, consistency, and reliability. It was important that images and content for the site were effective at communicating their value proposition and message. OBX Media helped Lee Martin Law with content layout, page design and navigation, with particular focus on designing a home page emphasizing the firms core values and customer promise. This included phrases conveying the firms purpose, the impact they have on their clients, and other benefits of being represented by Lee Martin Law. The design team chose images representing fairness and balance (scales and team images, for example), along with a color scheme consisting of red and grey to represent power, friendliness, and dependability. For Lee Martin Law, it was important to project dependability and strength, said Brooke Scarborough, Creative Director of Outer Banks Media. We focused on creating a strong but approachable design to support the good work that they do, along with developing an infrastructure to allow the firms site to be easily found online, he added. A contact button is clearly displayed on the home page, leading visitors directly to a map of the office location and contact info. A Yelp icon leading to their review page is also at the top of the home page, giving clients the ability to post a review, and gives visitors immediate access to reviews about past success. I am excited about the launch of my firm's new website and look, said Lee Martin. I think that the work done by Outer Banks Media will promote our firm's image and lead to more web-based interaction, he added. To improve SEO rankings, Lee Martins areas of expertise are clearly defined and easily searchable throughout the site, which can help with higher rankings on Google and other search engines. To consult with Lee Martin or to find out more about the firm, please visit their website or call 704-788-9700. About OBX Media Outer Banks Media, a Certified Google Partner Agency, provides marketing and advertising consultation services to small and large businesses all over the nation. OBX Media specializes in website design and development, hosting, pay-per-click management, search engine optimization services, social media marketing, and an array of traditional marketing services such as print, TV and radio. To learn how you can increase web traffic and build online sales, please visit their website or call 252-256-7116. Calobrace and Mizuguchi Plastic Surgery Center is hosting an open house at its Louisville practice to celebrate its 15th anniversary. Calobrace & Mizuguchi Plastic Surgery Center (http://www.calobrace.com) is celebrating offering plastic surgery and medical spa services in Louisville, Kentucky with an open house on November 3 that includes exclusive specials and gifts. "This is a special event for our entire team because it gives us a chance to demonstrate our appreciation to all of our clients, both old and new," says Dr. M. Bradley Calobrace, one of the 3 plastic surgeons at the Louisville practice. "We've planned what should be an enjoyable afternoon and evening offering women and men the chance to discover the surgical and nonsurgical options available." The open house is scheduled to run from noon to 8 p.m. The practice is located at 2341 Lime Kiln Lane in Louisville. Directions are available on the plastic surgery center's website. Those wishing to attend should RSVP by October 28 by calling (502) 899-9982. Guests will also have a chance to meet Dr. Chet Mays, who joined Dr. Calobrace and Dr. Nana N. Mizuguchi earlier this year. Dr. Calobrace established the plastic surgery practice in 1997 and was joined in 2006 by Dr. Mizuguchi. Together, they focus on facial plastic surgery, body contouring procedures, and breast enhancement, including breast augmentation, at their offices in Lexington and Louisville. They also oversee the CaloSpa Rejuvenation Center, a medical spa offering a range of nonsurgical cosmetic procedures. The practice will be offering several specials at the open house: 15% off surgeon's fees with Dr. Mays 15% off Cellfina cellulite treatment 15% off miraDry treatment for excessive underarm sweating 15% off NeoGraft hair restoration surgery Additionally, guests can save 20% on select medi and day spa procedures, as well as, 20% on all skin care and body products sold at CaloSpa. "Besides the great deals, the event provides a relaxed setting at which our clients can mingle while sipping wine or champagne and enjoying hors d'oeuvres from Corbett's restaurant," Dr. Mizuguchi says. "This is truly a special occasion, and our team looks forward to seeing patients who have become like an extended family." Calobrace & Mizuguchi Plastic Surgery Center (http://www.calobrace.com) is a comprehensive surgical and non-surgical center, which includes the Calobrace Breast Center, the Calobrace Plastic Surgery Center, and the CaloSpa Rejuvenation Center. Both Dr. M. Bradley Calobrace and Dr. Nana M. Mizuguchi are certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery and have received years of training in general surgery and plastic surgery. They have served as clinical instructors for University of Louisville's Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and both perform a full range of treatments, including breast, body, and facial plastic surgery, for Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, patients. Dr. Chet Mays joined the team in 2016 after completing a 6-year integrated plastic surgery residency at the University of Rochester. He earned his medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine. The Columbus Mobile Food Conference and Expo will take place, Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26, 2017 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Dublin, Ohio. According to Conference Co-organizer Chas Kaplan, "The CMFCE was such a huge success last year and is back this year with new topics and more exhibitors to learn from." The conference is expected to have over 20 workshops/seminars featuring panelists from all over the region as well as an expo where where attendees can meet with vendors showcasing the newest items and trends in the mobile business industry. Kaplan asserts, "This show will become the premiere mobile food conference and expo in the Midwest." The conference is aimed not only to those in the industry in Ohio but across the Midwest. "This is a show literally for anyone in the industry that has an interest in mobile business operations," states co-organizer Mike Gallicchio. Workshops will be aimed at mobile food operators or aspiring operators of all kinds including those with food trucks, trailers and carts. As far as audience, this is excellent opportunity to learn but also network with colleagues. Attendees from all segments of the industry including Culinary Professionals, Entrepreneurs, Food Educators and Policy Makers are encouraged to attend. A new trending topic in the industry (although not food related), Fashion Trucks will also be part of the agenda. Gallicchio continues, "While food is the primary focus, the workshops translate well for mobile operators of all kinds including fashion. And fashion trucks or as some refer to as "mobile boutiques" have been popping up across the country." Topics covered over the weekend include but are not limited to: 1.) How to acquire the funds to start a mobile operation. 2.) Workshops and seminars on maintaining and growing your mobile food business. 3.) A new track of workshops designed for those interested in retail/boutique trucks. 4.) Seminars on how to work with government agencies and attaining appropriate permits. 5.) There will also be a special separate Food Manager certification course and exam. Attendees will also have access to the Expo which will include vendors ready and willing to answer any of your industry related questions. A limited amount of vendor spaces are still available, if you are interested in participating as a vendor, please contact Chas Kaplan or Mike Gallicchio at cbusmobilefood(at)gmail(dot)com. Interested parties are encourage to register soon as this is expected to be a sell-out event. For more information or to register for the Columbus Mobile Food Conference and Expo you can do so by visiting them on the web at ColsMobileFoodConf.com. An Early Bird registration is being offered for just $75 and begins Tuesday, October 18. Registration will jump to $100 in December and $150 in February. The Embassy Suites Hotel in Dublin, Ohio is also offering a block of rooms at a discounted rate starting at $109. To book your room visit their website or contact them at 614-790-9000. For any sponsor, registration or vendor information, please contact Chas Kaplan or Mike Gallicchio at cbusmobilefood(at)gmail(dot)com. "Together we can provide patients, families and caregivers the kind of reliable and current information they need on a wide range of services and treatment options." - Mike Hennessy Jr., pres., MJH. CURE Media Group, the nations leading digital and print media enterprise focused on cancer patients, today welcomes Prostate Cancer International and Cancer CAREpoint as members of the Advocacy Spotlight Partnership program dedicated to the fight against cancer. Prostate Cancer International and Cancer CAREpoint are energetic and engaged advocates for their communities. Together we can provide patients, families and caregivers the kind of reliable and current information they need on a wide range of services and treatment options, said Mike Hennessy Jr., president of Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc., the parent organization to CURE Media Group, which combines science and humanity to make cancer understandable. CUREs Advocacy Spotlight Partnership program is dedicated to transforming the understanding and treatment of cancer by sharing information that empowers patients and the medical community. CURE Media Groups flagship product, CURE magazine, was launched in 2002 for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. It has become the largest consumer magazine in the United States focused entirely on cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common nonskin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men in the United States. Thats why the partnership between CURE Media Group and Prostate Cancer International is so important, Hennessy said. He noted that Prostate Cancer International is a nonprofit dedicated to informing the global public about the risks associated with prostate cancer and strategies to manage those risks. It also supports prostate cancer research into effective prevention, diagnosis, management and cure of prostate cancer in all its stages. Cancer CAREpoint is focused on helping all cancer patients in Silicon Valley, Calif., no matter where they receive medical treatment, what type of cancer they have or their insurance status. About 10,000 individuals in Silicon Valley are diagnosed with cancer each year, and thousands more live as cancer survivors. Cancer CAREpoint provides emotional, practical and psychological support for patients and families. These partners broaden the reach of the Advocacy Spotlight Partnership program, bringing both an international perspective and a local focus to our mission, said Hennessy. About Prostate Cancer International Prostate Cancer International seeks to transform global understanding of the risks associated with prostate cancer, and the strategies to manage those risks, until prevention is possible and a cure can be found. It provides a daily news service through the New Prostate Cancer InfoLink, as well as a social network through which patients and family members can seek individualized support and education. Prostate Cancer International is also a founding member of PCPC3 the patient-centered prostate cancer collaborative coalition. To learn more, visit http://www.pcainternational.org. About Cancer CAREpoint Cancer CAREpoint provides personalized nonmedical support services for anyone impacted by cancer in Silicon Valley (Santa Clara County of northern California). These services are offered to cancer patients, their families and their caregivers, at no cost to them and with no limitation imposed by where they receive their medical care, their cancer type or their insurance status. Our services include counseling with professionally trained social workers for individuals and families, nutrition classes, therapeutic massage, yoga/exercise, guided imagery/meditation, support groups, Family CARE program, Wig Bank, Survivorship Programs, Healing Teach, and resources and referrals. To learn more, visit cancercarepoint.org. About CURE Media Group CURE Media Groups flagship product, CURE magazine, is the indispensable guide to every stage of the cancer experience. With nearly 1 million readers, CURE is the largest consumer publication in the United States focused entirely on cancer, with broad distribution to cancer patients, cancer centers and advocacy groups. CURE Media Groups offerings also include its online resource, curetoday.com; live meetings; a resource guide for the newly diagnosed; and the Extraordinary Healer national nursing award. CURE Media Group combines science and humanity to make cancer understandable. CURE Media Group is part of the Plainsboro, N.J.-based Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc. family of businesses, which includes the acclaimed OncLive (http://www.onclive.com) platform of resources for the practicing oncologist. For more information, visit http://www.curetoday.com or http://www.mjhassoc.com. ## Media Contacts For Prostate Cancer International: Michael Scott, mike(at)pcainternational(dot)org For Cancer CAREpoint: Dawn Hogh, dawn(at)cancercarepoint(dot)org For CURE Media Group: Becky Taylor, 609-240-6886, becky(at)btaylorpa(dot)com Shady Grove Fertility, a leader in reproductive medicine and clinical research, published a new study that confirmed that retrieval of larger cohorts of eggs leads to more live births, refuting other recent sources suggesting that milder stimulation and retrieval of smaller egg cohorts maximizes birth rates. In a normal ovulation cycle, one egg matures per month. The goal of an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle is to have many mature eggs available. In order for there to be more than one egg available, stimulation of the ovaries needs to occur to produce more eggs. It has been suggested when high numbers of eggs are retrieved in an IVF cycle, the chance of pregnancy may be lower. Shady Grove Fertility has recently completed a retrospective study to determine whether this is true. The hypothesis was: Retrieval of high numbers of eggs does not adversely affect outcomes of in vitro fertilization. Key findings of the study were presented yesterday at the 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) Scientific Congress & Expo (October 15 to 19, 2016). Researchers evaluated 8,573 autologous IVF cycles performed between 2009 and 2014 among patients under 35 years of age. The data revealed a number of key findings. The first was that when the number of eggs retrieved per cycle increased, so did the likelihood of a live birth per fresh embryo transfer procedure. There was a significant increase in birth rates with 10 to 19 eggs compared to five to nine eggs, but there was no significant increase or decrease in birth rates per fresh transfer when greater numbers of eggs were retrieved. See Chart 1. Analysis of births per fresh embryo transferred showed an increase in the percentage of children born per embryo transferred when 10 to 19 eggs were retrieved compared to smaller egg cohorts. The percentage of transferred embryos that resulted in live born children began to plateau when more eggs were retrieved, but it did not decline. These results suggest that retrieval of larger egg cohorts did not compromise either the quality of the embryos transferred or the ability for the uterus to support implantation and pregnancy, following an IVF cycle productive of high egg numbers, which usually entails high serum estradiol levels. See Chart 2. The average number of surplus high-quality embryos available to freeze after fresh embryo transfers increased as the number of eggs retrieved increased. Freezing embryos for use at a later time is called a frozen embryo transfer (FET). See Chart 3. When the number of eggs retrieved increases, the total number of babies that can be born per egg retrieval increases. See Chart 4. This research demonstrates that in vitro fertilization success rates do not improve if fewer eggs are retrieved per IVF cycle. Shady Grove Fertilitys results show the exact opposite. There is no decline in live birth rates per fresh embryo transfer in cycles with more eggs retrieved. In addition, when more eggs are retrieved per IVF cycle, there is a greater likelihood of having more high quality embryos available to freeze for later use. As a result, retrieval of more eggs maximizes chances of more babies born per retrieval and minimizes the number of IVF cycles a patient needs to build their family. About the 2016 ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo The 2016 ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo is the premier scientific congress for reproductive medicine that will address state-of-the-art issues in reproductive medicine and science. Held from October 15 to 19, 2016, in Salt Lake City, UT, the theme of the 2016 Scientific Congress of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine is Scaling New Heights in Reproductive Medicine. The program features scientific, postgraduate, and video presentations as well as plenary lectures addressing the most pressing clinical and basic-science issues in reproductive medicine. About Shady Grove Fertility Shady Grove Fertility is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence offering patients individualized care, innovative financial options, and pregnancy rates among the highest of all national centers. 2016 commemorates 25 years of Shady Grove Fertility providing medical and service excellence to patients from all 50 states and 35 countries around the world, and celebrates over 40,000 babies bornmore than any other center in the nation. Today, 34 reproductive endocrinologists, supported by a highly specialized team of 600 urologists, Ph.D. scientists, geneticists, and staff care for patients in 19 full-service offices and six satellite sites throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Shady Grove Fertility physicians actively train residents and reproductive endocrinology fellows and invest in continuous clinical research and education to advance the field of reproductive medicine through numerous academic appointments and partnerships such as Georgetown Medical School, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the University of Maryland, and the National Institutes of Health. More than 1,700 physicians refer their patients to Shady Grove Fertility each year. For more information, call 1-888-761-1967 or visit https://www.shadygrovefertility.com. Stephen Butler, co-founder and Managing Partner of Strategy Council I have had the pleasure of attending events run by Stephen and his team on numerous occasions in the past and these always provide great insight and networking opportunities. Timothy Ash, Head of CEEMEA Strategy at Nomura International Strategy Council today announced its launch as a business information and networking hub with a specific focus on emerging European economies. The Council's debut event, focusing on shareholder value and corporate governance at listed groups from across the region, will take place in London on December 2. Annual industry-leading conferences will form an impartial platform that enables communities to develop and grow and provides invaluable access to real-time, unique and business-critical information. Year-round contact will be driven by shared insights, expertise and editorial contributions from respected business leaders and government officials in each community. Strategy Councils Founding Partners are Stephen Butler, a 20-year veteran and pioneer of the business information and networking space in emerging Europe and Natalya Zubova, whose diverse 10-year career has included the VC and start-up space in Zurich, a FTSE-100 business intelligence provider and management consulting for GlaxoSmithKline. Natalya Zubova said: "To succeed in business in European emerging markets, it is vital to receive timely and accurate information and to establish a close-knit network of contacts and advisors. Strategy Councils mission is to provide its clients with a platform to develop the right balance of knowledge and networking." Stephen Butler added: "From our more than 30 years of combined experience we can see a clear need for a new offering that marries market-leading business events with ongoing access to trusted contacts and advice. This is exactly what Strategy Council has been formed to achieve, and we are excited about this opportunity to bring together some of the best brains from across emerging Europe for our debut event in London, the continents financial and advisory capital." About Strategy Councils portfolio On December 2, leading LSE-listed groups and their advisors will gather in London for a one-day forum: The Outlook For London-Listed Emerging European Groups: Focus On Shareholder Value And Corporate Governance. Panellists include shareholders and senior management from KAZ Minerals, Proxima Capital Group, Volga Gas, Ovoca Gold, JKX Oil & Gas, Active Energy Group, Work Service and the UK Financial Reporting Council. They will address the challenges facing emerging markets companies with their listings and meeting post-IPO marketing expectations, such as the recent wave of shareholder activism, corporate governance issues and bridging the cultural gaps between domestic market practices and international investor expectations. The event enjoys the active support of EM, the leading financial and strategic communications agency specialising in emerging markets. Bass Pro Shops and 4 Wheel Parts customers share a common passion for outdoor adventure and the Ultimate Sportsman Tundra will be the definitive go-anywhere, do-anything vehicle. Transamerican Auto Parts (TAP), in conjunction with Bass Pro Shops, a leading national retailer of outdoor gear and apparel, will be building The Ultimate Sportsman Toyota Tundra on-site at the 2016 SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The live build to be featured at booth #62112 within the SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience Area (located outside of the South Hall in the Silver Lot) will be one of the featured SEMA activities for Transamerican, the industry leader in the manufacturing and distribution of aftermarket parts and accessories for trucks, Jeeps, SUVs and four wheel drive vehicles. Drawing the industrys brightest minds and hottest products to the Las Vegas Convention Center November 1-4, the SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world. The Ultimate Sportsman Toyota Tundra will begin life at the show as a brand new 2016 Toyota Tundra SR5 as delivered from the factory. Over the course of the four show days, the truck will be outfitted with an array of parts and accessories from leading manufacturers in an effort led by Transamerican Manufacturing Group (TMG) Director of Engineering, Ted Moncure. Headlining the recognized list of suppliers will be an extensive inventory of products from TMG product divisions, Pro Comp and Smittybilt. Additional suppliers providing accessories to enhance the project include MagnaFlow Exhaust, Rigid Industries, All-Pro Off-Road, Bedslide, AMP Research and Yeti. The vehicle will also receive a complete interior package in addition to a full exterior visual transformation featuring the exclusive Urban Viper pattern from camouflage company, TrueTimber. We are thrilled to be launching this collaboration with our friends at Bass Pro Shops through this exciting build live at SEMA, said TMG President, Sean Angues. Over the course of the week, show attendees will be treated to the transformation of an entirely stock Tundra truck into an outdoor-ready dream vehicle showcasing our industry leading products that when completed, will be thoroughly equipped to tackle the outdoors. During the build process, the Ultimate Sportsman Toyota Tundra will be outfitted with comprehensive exterior parts and accessories including the recently released Pro Comp long travel suspension system, Smittybilt front and rear bumpers, Defender rack and rooftop tent along with a Pro Comp wheel and tire package. Interior and bed accessories featured will include TrueTimber seat covers, a Smittybilt Adventure Box and Yeti cooler. Upon completion, the truck will become the centerpiece of a 2017 national campaign jointly promoted by TAP off-road retail division, 4 Wheel Parts and Bass Pro Shops where one lucky winner will have the opportunity to win the highly-modified outdoor adventure vehicle. Bass Pro Shops and 4 Wheel Parts customers share a common passion for outdoor adventure and the Ultimate Sportsman Tundra will be the definitive go-anywhere, do-anything vehicle, said Luke Snyder, manager of partnership marketing and sponsorships at Bass Pro Shops. We are excited to collaborate with Transamerican on this project and we look forward to sharing the Tundra in many of our activities and events throughout the upcoming year. About Transamerican Auto Parts Transamerican Auto Parts is the worlds leading manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer of aftermarket parts and accessories for trucks, Jeeps, SUVs and four wheel drive vehicles. Transamerican operations are comprised of 75 4 Wheel Parts retail locations in North America, Transamerican Wholesale sales and distribution, Dealer Services International and the Transamerican Manufacturing Group which includes Smittybilt, Rubicon Express, G2 Axle & Gear, Pro Comp, LRG Wheels and Poison Spyder. We Sell It. We Own It. We Live It. For more information about Transamerican Auto Parts, Dealer Services International and Transamerican Manufacturing Group, please visit: transamericanautoparts.com. About Bass Pro Shops Bass Pro Shops is a leading destination retailer offering outdoor gear and apparel in an immersive setting. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his fathers liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today 100 retail and marine centers host 120 million people annually. The company also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, Americas Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is known as a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors. The company has been named by Forbes as one of Americas Best Employers. TravelKinz is a stuffed animal invention with a wifi-enabled device built inside of it that allows people to communicate with their loved ones while they are apart. The stuffed animal industry is worth $1 billion, says Scott Cooper, CEO and Creative Director of World Patent Marketing. "Safety regulations and cheap imports are a challenge for this industry in the US right now. Past News Releases RSS World Patent Marketing Invention... World Patent Marketing Success Team... World Patent Marketing Invention... World Patent Marketing, a vertically integrated manufacturer and engineer of patented products, introduces TravelKinz, a stuffed animal invention that will keep people company when they are away from their loved ones. The stuffed animal industry is worth $1 billion, says Scott Cooper, CEO and Creative Director of World Patent Marketing. "Safety regulations and cheap imports are a challenge for this industry in the US right now. Manufacturers will have to innovate with quality but affordable products to compete." People hate being away from the people they love, even if its for a short time, says Jerry Shapiro, Director of Manufacturing and World Patent Marketing Inventions. This stuffed animal invention combines a cute, cuddly friend with cutting edge technology to help comfort people when they start to feel lonely. TravelKinz is a stuffed animal invention that will comfort people when they miss their friends and family. Its very common for people to miss their loved ones, especially young kids if their parents go on a business trip, for example. This invention is a stuffed animal that has an electronic device inside of it that allows people to communicate through the toy, thus giving them a cute way to tell their loved ones how much they miss them. TravelKinz can be connected via bluetooth or wifi and paired with smartphones. One person can then talk into the phone using an app and have the sounds come out of the stuffed toy. This will help prevent things such as separation anxiety and behavioral issues. It will help keep people connected while they are away on a trip, attending school, in the army, or many other situations where distance would separate two people. This would be helpful not only for young children with their parents, but also for family, friends, and lovers who hate being apart. "Never say goodbye, with a TravelKinz nearby, says inventor Jason J. TravelKinz is a stuffed animal invention with a wifi-enabled device built inside of it that allows people to communicate with their loved ones while they are apart. It will keep people from feeling sad and alone when theyre far from the people they love. About World Patent Marketing World Patent Marketing is always looking for new invention ideas. The company provides invention services and is one of the only patent companies that engineers and manufactures its own products. The company is broken into six operating divisions: Patent Assistance and Research * Prototypes and Manufacturing * Distribution and Retail * Digital Marketing and Social Media * Direct Response TV and Internet Video Production * Patent Licensing & Investments As a global leader in the patent invention services industry, World Patent Marketing is by your side every step of the way, utilizing its capital and experience to guide the invention process towards a successful product launch so you can be one of the next World Patent Marketing Success Stories. World Patent Marketing Reviews enjoy an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (World Patent Marketing BBB) and has earned five-star ratings from Google and consumer review sites such as Consumer Affairs, Trustpilot, Shopper Approved, Customer Lobby, ResellerRatings, My3Cents and World Patent Marketing Glassdoor. The CEO of World Patent Marketing, Scott Cooper, is also a Director of The Cooper Idea Foundation is the founder of the New York Inventors Exchange and has also been a proud member of the National Association of Manufacturers, Duns and Bradstreet, the US Chamber of Commerce, the South Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence and the Society of Plastics Engineers. Those who are wondering how hard is it to get a patent or how much does it cost to patent an idea, should contact the invention marketing experts. World Patent Marketing credits its invention success to it's powerful and influential advisory board and its controversial shock content approach to invention marketing. According to Scott J. Cooper, the CEO and Creative Director of World Patent Marketing, complaints from competitors are just part of the World Patent Marketing cost of doing business. To submit invention ideas, contact World Patent Marketing at (888) 926-8174. Corporate headquarters located at 1680 Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33139. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East Cookies What are cookies ? How do we use cookies? How to control cookies? Managing cookies in your browser see what cookies you have got and delete them on an individual basis block third party cookies block cookies from particular sites block all cookies from being set delete all cookies when you close your browser X A cookie is a small text file that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site. Cookies are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.Website use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. ("Google") to help analyse the use of this website. 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To find out more about PWs site license subscription options, please email Mike Popalardo at: mike@nextstepsmarketing.com. A Korean shipping company is causing some headaches for U.S. publishers. The Hanjin Shipping Company, which filed for bankruptcy in August, has seen dozens of its shipssome carrying significant orders from trade houses printed in Asiastranded at sea or seized by creditors. Affected publishers range from St. Martin's Press to W.W. Norton to Lee & Low. Ray Ambriano, COO of Meadows WYE, an international shipping and logistics firm specializing in publishing, said the Hanjin's financial woes have affected "quite a few" importers, including publishers, and that "a bankruptcy of this size is unprecedented." The Hanjin Switzerland, a container ship scheduled to arrive in New York on September 12, and carrying books from a number of publishers--including, among others, HarperCollins, Bloomsbury, St. Martins Press, Viz Media, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux--did not dock in New York until October 14. The vessel sat south of the Suez Canal for more than three weeks in fear of being arrested by Egyptian authorities, Ambriano said. At least two publishers, Seattle-based comics house Fantagraphics Books, and Montreal-based indie comics house, Drawn and Quarterly, told PW that they have had books stranded at sea, or delayed, because of the bankruptcy dispute. Jacq Cohen, publicity director at Fantagraphics, said the house had the complete print runs of two of its booksMy Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris (due out this month) and Ed Luce's Wuvable Oaf: Blood and Metal (November)on a Hanjin ship that had its cargo seized earlier this month at the Panama Canal. Cohen said that because of the situation, the fate of the books is uncertain. She added: "We are currently in talks with a maritime lawyer and are making plans to reprint the books as soon as possible. She added that Fantagraphics will move the publication of both titles to February 2017. D&Q publisher Peggy Burns said her house has one title on board a Hanjin ship, Seths Dominion, a hardcover/DVD that documents the work of the acclaimed cartoonist, Seth. Burns said the shipment was been delayed, but is still expected to arrive. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the Hanjin Shipping Company operates a total of 97 container ships, 37 of which it owns. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in Korea in August, and is under a court order to sell the ships it owns in order to raise funds for its creditors. Hanjin currently has about 14 container ships stranded at sea. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue Research Foundation and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announce an agreement to support increased startup creation through Purdues J-1 Exchange Visitor Program for international researchers and/or students based at the Purdue Foundry. Purdue University is the second university to be granted the authorization by the U.S. Department of State to the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program for this purpose. "We are using the program to help visiting scholars and international students obtain a J-1 Visa if these individuals are interested in launching a startup in Indiana that is based on a Purdue innovation," said Dan Hasler, president of the Purdue Research Foundation. "These individuals are doing life-changing research and there are many cases where they wish to license innovations which they have been directly involved in developing." DWD Commissioner Steve Braun, said this program will benefit all of Indiana. "Our long-term economic success requires us to look for creative ways to retain talent, and support the formation of new businesses," Braun said. "Purdue and Purdue Foundry have an established track record for generating successful startups based on research and development. The J-1 Visa agreement will take this success one step further by encouraging and helping potential entrepreneurs stay in the U.S. and Indiana to create high-tech companies and high-wage jobs for Indiana residents." Jonathan Grode, U.S. practice director of immigration law for Green and Spiegel LLC, will assist Purdue Foundry in the development of best pathways to utilize the newly established J-1 Visa entrepreneurial program. "It's a progressive strategy for Purdue and the state of Indiana to utilize the relatively new J-1 Visa program," Grode said. "I'm impressed with their forward-thinking practices and believe this initiative will lay the groundwork that others will follow. This program offers far more flexibility and usability than the modified H-1B program for entrepreneurial activity found at other institutions. It is not a cure all, but a great tool to help potential entrepreneurs realize their full potential." Greg Deason, senior vice president and director of innovation and entrepreneurship for Purdue, will lead the program at the university. "We have worked directly with so many talented entrepreneurs from Indiana and around the globe," Deason said. "What they have in common is a desire to be innovative and creative and when they find the type of environment where they can thrive - they stay around. We've been fortunate to retain some outstanding talent and these individuals are proven leaders and job creators. Paroon Chadha is a perfect example of someone who came to Purdue and ended up staying here to grow his startup." Chadha is an India international who came to Purdue in 1999 to earn an MBA from the Krannert School of Management. After winning $7,000 in a Burton D. Morgan Center Business Plan Competition in 2002, he co-founded Passageways LLC, a software company located in Lafayette, Indiana. The company now employs 50 people with plans to hire 20 more in 2017. Passageways has been placed on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest growing private companies and recently opened offices in London and Mumbai. About 50 percent of his employees are Purdue graduates. "I could have gone to Silicon Valley, or back to India or other places, but I received such strong support over the years from Purdue and Greater Lafayette that I believe there is no better place for my high-tech company to be successful," Chadha said. "I am still highly involved with Purdue Foundry and the entrepreneurial activities and opportunities in this area." The entrepreneurial activities available through Purdue Foundry that recipients of this program will be able to use include: * LaunchBox, an ideation program that provides business model creation, commercialization planning and collaboration with entrepreneurs in residence. * Networking opportunities including Foundry Grounds, Spirited Entrepreneur and FoundryX. * Educational seminars and programs. * Startup funding opportunities including Trask Innovation Fund, Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund, Foundry Investment Fund, Purdue Startup Fund and Ag-celerator. * Co-space and leasing space through the Purdue Research Park and other entities. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development is providing a grant to fund application fees, administrative costs and legal fees associated with J-1 Visa applications. It is anticipated that 10 to 12 successful J-1 Visa applications will be accepted into the Purdue program spawning high-tech Indiana-based startups. Writer: Cynthia Sequin, 765-588-3340, casequin@prf.org Sources: Dan Hasler, 765-588-3475, djhasler@prf.org Jonathan Grode, 215-395.8959- jgrode@gands-us.com Greg Deason, 765-588-5251, gwdeason@prf.org Paroon Chadha, 765-532-3820, paroon@passageways.com Lower Green River Special Drainage District commissioners won't be personally liable for levee maintenance debt. Judge Terry Patton on Monday ruled in Henry County Circuit Court that Paul Loitz, C. Everett Swanson and Kenney Atwell incurred costs for the district with proper authorization and under legal counsel's advice. They signed personal guarantees because the line of credit the district sought from a bank exceeded its annual income of $12,000 from property assessments. Debt now totals $40,000 plus interest for the drainage district that extends about 10 miles between Geneseo and Colona and is joined by other drainage districts. Its levee is 100 years old. The suit was brought by Ronald and Peggy Heitzman who have conservation acreage on the Green River. The commissioners' attorney, William Stengel, said there might be merit in the Heitzmans' request for a review of the entire levee system. Much of Monday's hearing debated if work done after flooding could be deemed emergency. The district's two attorneys held that it was while the Heitzmans' attorney, Thomas Potter, argued all levee work could be considered emergency. Mr. Stengel said the district could spend up to 90 percent of its annual property tax assessment for emergency purposes without going to court. The district exceeded that amount by $3,200 in 2009, he said, after late 2008 flooding blew a 40-yard-wide hole in the levee, leaving water 4 to 5 feet deep in fields. I think this is an emergency, said Judge Patton of the incident. "It happens all the time around here, and they can't get to it while the floodwaters are around. It's just impossible. The judge said the commissioners acted in good faith and the problem could not wait for a judge's decision. "They don't want their crop flooded. They don't want their neighbors flooded," he said of the commissioners. They're relying on the advice of attorneys. Also contended was how an additional $18,000 assessment was spent. Mr. Atwell said commissioners did not obtain an engineer's opinion on whether the entire levee system was salvageable. Under Judge Patton's ruling, the district can repay the debt as funds are available. He previously ruled he had no authority to grant the Heitzmans' request to remove the commissioners, all re-elected last month. Undetermined is whether the district can increase its annual assessment for affected property owners. A sex abuse victim is suing her assailant and the store where they worked. Filed Friday in the Rock Island County court house, the suit names Scott M. Early, 43, of Moline, and Jewel-Osco in Moline as defendants. The plaintiff, identified only as D.K., in the suit states she and Mr. Early had a sexual relationship in November 2014 when she was 16, under the legal age of consent, while Mr. Early was in a position of authority over her at the store. In February, Mr. Early was convicted in a bench trial before Rock Island County Judge Frank Fuhr on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, 30 months of probation, continued counseling and undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy. He also was prohibited from any contact with the victim, had his internet use placed under monitoring and forced to register as a sex offender. Mr. Early also was found not guilty on two counts of criminal sexual assault. During the trial, Judge Fuhr wrote evidence presented did not prove Mr. Early held a position of trust or authority. The vicitim's civil suit contends Mr. Early held a position at the store known as "Person in Charge" responsible for making company decisions when a manager is not present. D.K. was subjected to a hostile work environment that included sexual advances by Mr. Early, the suit contends, accusing him of fondling her in a back room of the store during a power outage after asking for her help. The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages of more than $50,000. A spokeswoman for Jewel-Osco on Monday said the company had yet to be formally served with the suit and had no comment. Lamaree Wilson-Neuleib was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm last year. "They looked exhausted," Rock Island County State's Attorney John L. McGehee said of jurors, adding it wasn't the two-hour deliberation that tired them out, but the five-day trial with 28 testimonies. Mr. Wilson-Neuleib, 18, of Moline, was on trial in Rock Island County Circuit Court in connection with the May 20, 2015, shooting death of Zachary Phillips, 18, and serious injury of Erik Roberson, 21. Three witnesses testified Monday morning two called by prosecutors and one by Mr. Wilson-Neuleib's attorney. Mr. Wilson-Neuleib did not testify. Illinois State Police crime scene investigator Tadd Nelson testified that 10 casings found in or near the victim's vehicle matched .380 caliber Federal bullets found in Mr. Wilson-Neuleib's home. When defense attorneys pressed him on why investigators did not try to collect DNA evidence or fingerprints from the car, Mr. Nelson said investigators did not believe it would provide significant evidentiary support. "It's a decision among all of us," he said. The lack of forensic evidence was the defense's main talking point throughout the trial, stressing Mr. Wilson-Neuleib's fingerprints were not found the gun, the magazines, casings or a lighter found in the Mr. Wilson-Neuleib's backyard. The defense questioned whether the investigation was thorough enough and if police followed enough leads. Mr. McGehee said all the evidence was there, but the "big issue" was having eye witnesses "very much unwavering in their testimonies." In closing arguments, Assistant Rock Island County State's Attorney Heidi Weller told jurors they had heard repeatedly, "It was Lamaree." "Matt Merrill says, 'It was Lamaree.' Stephanie Tanner says, 'It was Lamaree.' Erik Roberson says, 'It was Lamaree,'" Ms. Weller said. Ms. Weller said that would have been enough evidence. "But in this case, the K9 track shows that it was Lamaree. The burning clothes shows that it was Lamaree. His father's gun and the ballistics evidence shows that it was Lamaree because it was Lamaree," she stated. When the verdict was read, family of Mr. Phillips broke into applause. His mother, Lyndsie McCoy, expressed relief the trial was over. "Hopefully, after this, we can all move on," she said. She and her daughter, Rebecca Phillips, have matching tattoos on their ankles in memory of Mr. Phillips, who they remember as a "social butterfly." They said he was the kind of person that, "if somebody asked him for a ride, he'd give him a ride." Mr. Wilson-Neuleib originally pleaded guilty in October 2015 and was sentenced to 58.5 years in prison. However, in May he was allowed to withdraw that plea and demand a jury trial when Judge Norma Kauzlarich ruled he was not properly advised about the penalty range he faced. The normal sentence range for murder is 20 to 60 years, but Mr. Wilson-Neuleib's sentence range for the murder charge is enhanced to 45 years to life. The firearm sentence range is six to 30 years. Judge Greg Chickris said the sentencing date will be set within approximately six weeks. In all, surgeons found 53 small rubber sacks inside the stomach of Waldemar Wojtczak, 45, who nearly died from ingesting the narcotics. The pellet-sized sacks were immediately handed over to Miami-Dade narcotics detectives, who had donned scrubs and witnessed the procedure inside the operating room at Hialeah Hospital. Wojtczak has recovered and was formally charged Monday with cocaine trafficking and the rare state charge of using commercial transport while committing a felony. Through a Polish interpreter, he pleaded not guilty on Monday at his arraignment. So-called drug mules airline passengers who ingest drugs, usually from Latin America are far from new in South Florida, although investigators believe their use has waned in recent years. But Wojtczak is an anomaly. The Polish national, who speaks no English, was on a flight from the island of Trinidad, laying over in Miami before departing for Finland. Passport records showed he had done similar short trips before from Poland, according to a Miami-Dade police report by Miami-Dade Detective Kiriakos Beruty. He collapsed inside the airport on Sept. 4 and was rushed to Hialeah Hospital. Although he spoke little English, he managed to tell a doctor that he ingested cocaine, according to the report. Wojtczak lingered for days in an intensive care unit, unable to pass the pellets, his health worsening. Doctors rushed to perform surgery, with Miami-Dade narcotics detectives on hand to take custody of the pellets. According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the halt in the strikes should help pave way for militants to leave the eastern rebel-held parts of the contested city. Both Russian and Syrian air raids on the northern city of Aleppo were suspended at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Shoigu said. He described the suspension as a precursor for the opening of humanitarian corridors. Moscow on Monday announced a "humanitarian pause" between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city. At that time, Russian and Syrian militaries will halt any offensive actions. Syrian rebels, including al-Qaida militants, as well as the wounded and the sick will be allowed to leave to the neighboring rebel-held province of Idlib. "The early halting of airstrikes is necessary to declare a 'humanitarian pause'," Shoigu said in a televised statement. "It will ... guarantee a safe exit of civilians through six corridors and prepare for the evacuation of the ill and the wounded from the eastern part of Aleppo." Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the halt in the airstrikes was a goodwill gesture to pave the way for Thursday's pause. "The Russian military is offering yet another chance, and we hope that our partners will allow us all to take advantage of that," Peskov said. The United Nations said Russia has communicated plans for two eight-hour cease-fires in rebel-held parts of Aleppo over "consecutive days" this week. Spokesman Jens Laerke of U.N. humanitarian coordinator OCHA said in Geneva the agency needs assurances from all sides that fighting will stop before it can provide humanitarian assistance to the city. Moscow made no mention of such a pause on Friday. The reasons for such a discrepancy were not immediately clear, and Laerke specified that it would be up to Russia to elaborate its plans. Laerke said the U.N. was not told in advance of the Russian announcement. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said sanctions against Russia over its actions in Syria should remain an option. Merkel said she and France's President Francois Hollande will discuss Syria with Putin on the sidelines of a planned meeting on Ukraine in Berlin on Wednesday, but cautioned against expecting "miracles." Both leaders have been sharply critical of Russia's support for the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once its commercial hub, has been subjected to the most intense aerial bombardment since the start of the Mideast country's conflict in 2011. In recent months, the Syrian army has pressed its offensive into the rebel-held eastern part of the city. Air raids have killed hundreds and caused international outrage. A Russia-U.S.-brokered cease-fire collapsed last month as the Syrian army launched an offensive on eastern Aleppo under the cover of Russian warplanes. Mohammed Abu Rajab, an Aleppo resident, said airstrikes on the eastern neighborhoods stopped early Tuesday, just after the city had been subjected to another intense round of air raids. "There were airstrikes throughout the night," Abu Rajab, who works at a local hospital, said over the telephone. But as the airstrikes stopped on the city, they continued as usual against nearby rebel-held villages including Anadan and Daret Azzeh. Syrian activists had no immediate word on casualties. In Moscow, Shoigu added that Russia is "asking the countries wielding influence with the (Syrian) rebels ... to persuade their leaders to end fighting and leave the city." He said the Syrian troops will pull back to distances allowing unimpeded exit for those carrying weapons via two corridors, including the main artery of Castello Road. The Russian initiative also should boost talks between military experts from several nations that are set to open in Geneva on Wednesday, he added. "Their work will be aimed first of all at separating the 'moderate opposition' from the terrorists and its withdrawal from the eastern part of Aleppo," he said. Moscow has urged Washington to encourage Syria's Western-backed rebels to sever ties with al-Qaida militants. During a meeting over the weekend co-chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar said they would work to separate moderate opposition groups in Aleppo from Syria's former al-Qaida affiliate once known as the Nusra Front. Russian and Syrian officials have since embraced a proposal made earlier this month by the U.N. Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to allow al-Qaida-linked militants to leave Aleppo in exchange for a truce and a local administration for the eastern districts. Rebels there, along with many residents, have rejected the offer. Russia's announcement did not include any promises of an extended cease-fire or local administration in and around Aleppo. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington on Monday, said the Russian-Syrian pause planned on Thursday was "a bit too little, too late." Peskov, Putin's spokesman, would not say if the strikes would resume after the pause, saying that depends on whether the rebels can be persuaded to cut ties with militants. Almost 50 Illinois counties have filed lawsuits against Democratic Governor, JB Pritzker, and the ill crafted SAFE-T Act. Introduced in the General Assembly by the Illinois Black Caucus, the Act passed the Democratic-led General Assembly in the wee hours of Jan. 13, 2021. Amongst many of its weaknesses and deficiencies, the Act eliminates cash bail, emboldens criminals, and makes it even more difficult for law enforcement to keep offenders off our streets. Public Safety personnel and States Attorneys across our great State have decried the legislation, noting that it was drafted and written with very little constructive input from Public Safety leadership, from either party; potentially impacting every Illinois community with dangerous consequences. Allowing perpetrators to bail out of jail, based on their good word that they will be glad to return to court is laughable, at best, and both ludicrous and dangerous, at worst. Soon after the SAFE-T Act was passed at the State level, the Republican-led Henry County Board drafted a resolution, requesting that the General Assembly repeal and replace the SAFE-T Act with a new criminal justice bill, this time with input from professional law enforcement, States Attorneys from across the State, and other Public Safety officials. We unanimously passed our resolution on May 19, 2022, and encourage all County Boards in Illinois to follow our lead. Our Republican-led Board in Henry County believes we all, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, deserve effective and fair law enforcement in our communities. Henry County voters will have the opportunity to vote on the public safety sales tax on Nov. 8. The sales tax referendum is for one half of one cent. The tax is very minimal and spending $100 would add only fifty cents. Every county surrounding Henry County with exception of Whiteside already has a public safety sales tax in place. Anyone from Henry County who shops or makes other qualifying purchases in those neighboring counties is paying into those counties public safety sales taxes without the benefits. The Henry County Sheriffs office is maintained and staffed 24 hours per day. 365 days a year. We are responsible for patrolling 827 square miles of a predominately rural county. The sheriffs office is required to maintain courthouse security, civil process, 911 dispatching and the Henry County Jail. When inmates are arrested from city and state police departments and transported to the Henry County jail, custody of the arrestee is given to the Sheriffs office. They then become the responsibility of the county. They are transported to and from court by a Henry County deputy, and if/when convicted, to the Illinois Department of Corrections by a Henry County deputy. If these inmates have any medical conditions, the sheriffs office is responsible for those costs, as well as securing and transporting the inmates to the hospital, and having a deputy stay at the hospital for the length of inmates stay. If an inmate posts bond and fails to appear for court, Henry County is responsible for the costs of transporting the inmates back to Cambridge from anywhere in the United States, even if the arrest is not a sheriffs office arrest. A one half-cent sales tax would not be imposed on prescription meds, grocery items or titled vehicles. The tax would include foods for immediate consumption, electronics, lodging, etc. This tax would not only be paid by residents of Henry County but anyone purchasing goods and services while traveling through or visiting. The one half cent sales tax is minimal and not as glaring as paying something as large as annul property tax. This tax can also help stabilize property tax costs. These funds would be targeted for public safety only. They will help, at a minimum, to keep staffing levels as they currently are. Our hope is to bring staffing levels up to replace what we have lost through attrition. These monies would also be used to supplement our current budget and assist in purchasing and replacing outdated and damaged equipment such as 10 squad cars, that are currently being used for responding to emergencies and other calls of service, and have well over 100,000 miles each. With your approval of the public safety sales tax, members of the Henry County Sheriffs office can continue providing emergency and follow up services to the citizens of Henry County. As always, thank you for your continued support. CALDCs Halloween Celebration A Real Treat! The Central Astoria LDCs 7th annual Batty Over Halloween Celebration held on Sunday, October 23rd was a real treat for everyone who came out. Despite... Meng Brings NASA Astronaut To Queens On October 17, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) brought NASA astronaut Dr. Jonny Kim to Queens where he met and spoke with students at Francis... Celebrating Columbus The Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Queens (FIAO) held their annual Columbus Day parade in Astoria, on Saturday, October 8, during Italian Heritage Month. The... "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 CRRC is supplying 107 diesel locomotives, and 3509 wagons to Argentina under contracts signed in December 2014. CRRC Ziyang is building 20 six-axle metre-gauge units for Belgrano Cargas as part of this order. The 80km/h ac traction locomotives are equipped with 2.2MW MTU Series 4000 engines and Knorr-Bremse braking equipment. The project involves constructing a 6.5km branch off the initial Bondy - Aulnay-sous-Bois section from a junction at Gargan. The branch will have 11 stations, including an interchange with the future Grand Paris Express metro Line 16 at Clichy-Montfermeil. Daily ridership is forecast to be around 37,000, and around 30% of journeys will be through trips from Line 16. The line will operate between 04.30 and 01.20 with services running at six-minute intervals between 06.00 and 20.00. The journey time between Bondy and Montfermeil will be around 30 minutes. Services will be operated by Line T4s existing fleet of Siemens Avanto tram-trains and 15 new Alstom Citadis Dualis vehicles, which were ordered by French National Railways (SNCF) earlier this year. The region of Ile-de-France is providing 49% of funding for the 270m project, with 37% coming from the French state and 14% from SNCF. In addition, Ile-de-France transport authority Stif is providing 100m for the new tram-trains and a new depot to maintain the fleet. Commissioning of the extension is scheduled for 2019. HRADF says its advisors will now evaluate the EOIs submitted by the candidates and determine whether the two companies qualify for the next phase of the process, which includes access to detailed information about Roscos assets and the terms of the transaction. A December 5 deadline has been set for the submission of binding offers. In July the board of HRADF voted to accept a 45m binding offer from FS for the privatisation of Greek national train operator Trainose. Recent on-the-ground reports from Northern Iraq, as well as statements from senior U.S. and Iraqi commanders, clearly telegraph the next phase of the ongoing campaign against the Islamic State: the battle to retake Mosul. As Iraqi forces, backed closely by U.S. advisors, prepare for the imminent clearance of the strategic city, they should heed the lessons learned from previous efforts to wrest control of Mosul from the Islamic State. When facing a major clearance operation, the group has often managed to go underground rather than fight a conventional military force head on. This age-old insurgent technique ( PDF ) enabled the Islamic State's predecessor, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), to survive years of robust, sustained U.S. and Iraqi counterterrorism operations in Mosul from 2004 to 2009 and re-emerge when U.S. forces left the city in 2010. As clearance operations get underway in Mosul, the Islamic State will likely replicate this approach, deactivating and dispersing its military units and reinforcing its intelligence, security, administrative, and financial groups. The coalition of Iraqi and U.S. forces must anticipate this adjustment, and prepare to execute a deliberate campaign targeting Islamic State enabler elements, which may operate just under the radar of coalition and Iraqi forces, but in plain sight of the all-important civilian population. If the coalition does not do this, the group could survive yet again maintaining its stranglehold on Mosul through extortion, intimidation, and assassination only to resurface there once coalition forces shift their focus elsewhere The remainder of this commentary is available at warontherocks.com. Patrick Ryan is a former U.S. Army intelligence officer who served in Iraq during 2005-2009, and cofounder of Second Front Systems. Patrick B. Johnston is a political scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation. This commentary originally appeared on War on the Rocks on October 18, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis. In most European countries, working fathers can take parental leave, which is offered to both mothers and fathers, and paternity leave, which is just offered to fathers. The take-up of parental and paternity leave by fathers is thought to be associated with the improved development of the child. It also helps to promote a more gender equal sharing of childcare at home and the mother's return to the labour market. Paternity leave for working fathers is offered in 18 of the 28 EU member states, with the length of time being shortaround 12.5 days on average. Most of these countries also offer 100 per cent income compensation for fathers on paternity leave. However, parental leave is notably different. It does not have to be taken immediately after birth by either parentfor mothers parental leave can be taken after maternity leave. Parental leave is also longer, but largely uncompensated. Perhaps most importantly, the uptake of parental leave by working fathers is low. In 23 EU member states, on average, only 10 per cent of fathers took up parental leave in 2015. RAND Europe explored the reasons for the low take-up of parental leave by fathers across Europe. Three key factors emerged: a lack of income compensation offered to working fathers; a lack of flexibility as to when parental leave is taken; and the culture of their workplace. Our research shows that countries that provide the highest compensation rates have the highest proportion of employees taking parental leave. Working fathers on middle-to-high incomes are more likely to take parental leave, simply because they can afford it. Those on lower incomes are less likely to take parental leave. Parental leave eligibility in many countries is also conditional on the length of employment for working fathers (usually a year or more) and whether they are on full-time or part-time contracts. In many cases, those on part-time contracts are on a lower income and less likely to take leave. Flexibility in the timing of the parental leave is another important factor in its uptake by fathers. Such factors include when it is taken (e.g. at what point during a child's lifetime), its distribution (e.g. all at once or in separate periods) and whether it is taken full or part time. A lack of flexibility can often deter fathers from taking their parental leave. Although harder to quantify, workplace culture plays a role in determining uptake of parental leave by fathers. Companies that offer flexible working hours, options to increase or decrease working hours, or have work-life balance arrangements, such as creches and babysitting, as part of their workplace culture are more likely to have male employees that take up parental leave. Such commitments towards a work and family life are seen as important signals by fathers that it is acceptable to take parental leave. A number of policies in EU countries have aimed to encourage the uptake of parental leave by fathers. These are often use it or lose it initiatives or financial incentives. The uptake of paternal leave by working fathers in Sweden has doubled after cash bonuses were provided for parents if parental leave is equally divided between parents and part of parental leave was reserved specifically for fathers. Germany also experienced a rise after reserving a specific part of parental leave for fathersa rise from 3.3 per cent in 2006 to 29.3 per cent in 2012. The take-up of parental leave does appear to be driven by economic factors, such as a lack of compensation, but flexibility of when the leave is taken and the culture of workplaces also appear to affect take-up. The link between fathers taking parental leave and improvements in the development of children makes it an important area for European policymakers to consider. Janna van Belle is an analyst at RAND Europe. This commentary originally appeared on New Europe on October 13, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis. NBCUniversal has created a new US Spanish-language content production unit, Telemundo International Studios (TIS). Announced at MIPCOM 2016, the new production unit will build on Telemundos experience as the the countrys largest Spanish content producer to reach the growing audiences across the Americas and Spain.Telemundo International Studios will be helmed by Marcos Santana, current president of Telemundo International, according to whom the move will meet the increasing demands of Spanish content in international markets.Telemundo International Studios will tap into an international growth opportunity at a time when Telemundo has established itself as the number one Spanish-language broadcast network in prime time in the US, said Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal International Group and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, as reported by media based in France for MIPCOM 2016.The future productions of the international unit will be aligned with T elemundos revamped content strategy , which looks for more international formats without leaving aside the traditional soap operas.The unit will capitalise on Telemundos extensive experience and content production know-how, some of the most exciting and innovative Spanish-language short-format content in the world, said the company through a release. In a surprise announcement, Rogers Communications president and chief executive Guy Laurence has stepped down. He will be replaced with former Telus head Joseph Natale once his non-compete agreement expires in August 2017. Laurence will stay on as an advisor to help the transition.Laurence joined the Canadian cableco less than three years ago, coming from Vodafone UK.In a call with analysts, Alan Horn, Rogers long-time chairman and interim president and CEO, said that the company couldnt turn down an opportunity to bring Natale into the fold.There was an opportunity with Joe at this time, Horn said. Timing is never perfect on these things.He added, There will be no change in direction, Horn said. The board has complete confidence in the direction thats been set.Laurence received permanent residency from Rogers over the summer, but succeeded Nadir Mohamed in December 2013. Moscow City Court upholds ruling to launch defamation case against Navalny MOSCOW, October 18 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court has upheld the ruling to launch the defamation case against Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny, RAPSI reported from the courtroom on Tuesday. Earlier Navalnys lawyer Vadim Kobzev has filed an appeal with Lyublinsky District Court of Moscow against initiation of the criminal case against Navalny. In the appeal Kobzev notes that investigators did not list signs of a crime and the circumstances of its alleged perpetration. In particular, in the appealed inquiry there are no titles of media that have allegedly distributed defamatory information. There are also no references to specific publications with quotes from Navalny. Kobzev also notes that the investigator has not filed a separate case against the unidentified persons who are mentioned in the May 17, 2016 inquiry. On July 26, the Lyublinsky District Court of Moscow upheld launch of the criminal case. On July 21, the Moscow City Court dismissed appeals filed by Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny over the personal searches as well as apartment searches in the criminal case over defamation against investigator Pavel Karpov. Searches were conducted in accordance with the ruling that was issued by the Lyublinsky District Court on May 30. A criminal case against Navalny has been launched following the petition filed by Karpov. Karpov, who has been put on the sanctions list over Sergei Magnitskys case, turned to the police over some videos, which accused the former investigator of committing serious and extremely serious crimes including embezzlement, kidnapping, and murder of Magnitsky, a lawyer for Hermitage Capital Management. Magnitsky, who worked for Firestone Duncan and represented Hermitage Capital, was arrested after accusing Russian officials of a $230 million fraud and died in prison under suspicious circumstances. He was posthumously found guilty of tax evasion by a Moscow court in July 2013. According to Karpov, Navalny has regularly shared links to the videos created by Hermitage Capital Management CEO William Browder. Moscows Meshchansky District Court has recognized information disclosed in these films as untrue and tarnishing honor and dignity, Karpov says. Egyptian plane crash case victims claim against insurer postponed again MOSCOW, October 18 (RAPSI) Moscows Basmanny District Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of a lawsuit lodged by a victim in the case over Airbus A321 plane crash in Egypt against VTB-Strahovanie insurance company until November 17, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday. The claim was lodged by a woman whose daughter died in the plane crash. She is seeking full payment of compensation from the insurer. The hearing was put off because the court is waiting for certain documents. The court has not received a response from the Investigative Committee to request over investigation into the case. Earlier, lawyer Igor Trunov said that the insurance company had refused to pay the compensation to the victim. The insurers representative in turn insists that the woman has not fulfilled an obligatory out-of-court procedure; in particular she has not provided eligibility for payment of compensation, has not confirmed that she is a beneficiary heir or heir-by-will, has not submitted confirmation of damage and has not confirmed presence of luggage, its quantity or value. The Airbus A321, operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia, crashed into a mountainous area of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on October 31 leaving 224 people dead. The airliner was flying from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg in Russia. The Federal Security Service (FSB) chief, Alexander Bortnikov earlier said that a terrorist attack was the cause of the plane crash. A militant group linked to Islamic State said in a statement that it had brought down the plane in response to Russian airstrikes in Syria. Alleged poachers arrested in Russias Buryatia for catching wild falcons MOSCOW, October 18 (RAPSI) Russias Federal Security Service and police officers stopped activity of an international criminal group suspected of illegally catching wild falcons, which had been put on the IUCN Red List of threatened species, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday. According to the information of the Interior Ministrys economic security, suspects were catching rare and valuable birds in several regions of Siberia, including Baikals central ecological zone and later smuggled those birds to Tajikistan. From there predators were transported to the Persian Gulf countries for sale and use in falcon hunt. Cost of one Red List bird is estimated at from $100,000 to $400,000 on the black market, official representative of the Interior Ministry Irina Volk said. Police officers have arrested four most active members of the gang in the Buryatia Republic and the Irkutsk Region, according to the statement. Officers have found twelve falcons, various poaching equipment and video materials that serve as evidence against the suspects. A criminal case over illegal hunting and trafficking of especially valuable wild animals has been launched. Defendants in this case may be sentenced to 5-7 years in prison. Two of them have already been charged. The Obama administration is sending a very strong message to Russia through Biden that it is going to be sending a very strong message. Putin is sitting back and watching the show, chiding the U.S. for its hysteria. It makes you wonder who is sending what message to whom. U.S. President Barack Obama told an interviewer recently that the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria haunts me constantlyand well it should. Hundreds of thousands dead, millions displaced, and still no end to the conflict is in sight. Even one year ago American military power still might have intervened decisively, without engaging America in another land war. Thousands of Syrian lives might have been saved. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Kylie Jenner and Tyga celebrated his son King's fourth birthday in style on Sunday. ADVERTISEMENT The 19-year-old "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star and 26-year-old rapper treated King Cairo, Tyga 's son with ex-fiancee Blac Chyna , to an epic, Ferrari-themed party at Jenner's home. Several of Jenner's family members, including dad Caitlyn Jenner, mom Kris Jenner, sister Kendall Jenner and niece North West, attended the fete. The lavish bash featured a mini racetrack and Ferris wheel, inflatable slide and plenty of red and yellow decorations. Jenner and Tyga shared a number of posts on social media, including a family photo of themselves with King. Tyga also posted a one-on-one shot with his son with King's toy Ferrari in the background. "The swaggiest littlest man doing it!!! Happy 4th bday to the young legend!!!" the rapper captioned the picture. Jenner had shared a rare photo with King while spending time with Tyga and his son last week. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! She recently said in a Snapchat Q&A that she hopes to have children of her own someday. "I'm getting a lot of questions about kids -- how many kids do I want, do I want kids. I do want kids, but not now," she told her followers. Jenner and Tyga are longtime friends who went public with their relationship at the reality star's 18th birthday party in August 2015. Jenner's half-brother Rob Kardashian is engaged to and expecting a daughter with Blac Chyna. Posted by Jay on at 11:01 AM CST Marvel has sent out solicitations for their January 2017 titles, including 3comics and 2 Trade Paperbacks!CHARLES SOULE (W) PHIL NOTO (A/C)Variant Cover by PHIL NOTOStar Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Stuart Immonen Poe and Threepios covert mission comes to an end! Can they escape with their informant intact? Or will Terexs past come back to haunt them?32 PGS./Rated T $3.99KIERON GILLEN (W) KEV WALKER (A)Cover by Kamome ShirahamaStar Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Juan GimenezDroids Variant Cover by TBA Aphras hunt for the Ordu Aspectu has led to the last place she wants to be an Imperial encampment! The good doctor, her deadly droids and her Wookiee companion are in for trouble...32 PGS./Rated T $3.99JASON AARON (W) SALVADOR LARROCA (A)Cover by STUART IMMONENStar Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Ryan StegmanAction Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER Master Yoda finds himself on an all-new world full of vicious, mysteriously powered children?! Not easy, will this be.32 PGS./Rated T $3.99Written by RUSS MANNING, STEVE GERBER, RUSS HELM & ARCHIE GOODWINPenciled by RUSS MANNING, ALFREDO ALCALA & AL WILLIAMSONCover by AL WILLIAMSONClassic tales of Star Wars, from the funny pages to your bookshelves! Beginning in 1979, fans got a daily dose of a galaxy far, far away in their newspapers now, with this volume, you can savor those stories without the 24-hour wait! C-3PO chronicles the adventures of the Rebel heroes! Luke takes his chances on a gamblers world! A sojourn on Tatooine is anything but peaceful! Princess Leia is put to work as an Imperial servant! Han Solo makes another Kessel Run! Han and Chewie get more than they bargained for on a job! And Boba Fett makes his print debut! Collecting CLASSIC STAR WARS: THE EARLY ADVENTURES #1-9, CLASSIC STAR WARS: HAN SOLO AT STARS END #1-3, CLASSIC STAR WARS #1-3 and material from CLASSIC STAR WARS #4.472 PGS./Rated T $39.99ISBN: 978-1-302-90464-7Written by HADEN BLACKMAN, RANDY STRADLEY & TIM SIEDELLPenciled by AGUSTIN ALESSIO, GABRIEL GUZMAN, DOUGLAS WHEATLEY, STEPHEN THOMPSON & IVAN FERNANDEZCover by DAVE WILKINSDark times for the galaxy! But will the Empires rise be forestalled when Emperor Palpatine is left at deaths door? Or will Darth Vader find a way to save him in the ominous Ghost Prison? As the Dark Lord takes a killer under his wing, it could be grave news for a group of Jedi youths but when Master Dass Jennir reunites with the Uhumeles ragtag crew, Vader himself will be the target! But the Empires enforcer does not go down easily just ask the eight assassins who try and fail. The man who hired them will risk everything on the ninth. Collecting STAR WARS: DARTH VADER AND THE GHOST PRISON #1-5, STAR WARS: DARK TIMES FIRE CARRIER #1-5, STAR WARS: DARK TIMES A SPARK REMAINS #1-5 and STAR WARS: DARTH VADER AND THE NINTH ASSASSIN #1-5.472 PGS./Rated T $39.99ISBN: 978-1-302-90375-6 #nuclear power plant S. Korea, Poland sign MOU on nuclear power plant project South Korea and Poland signed an agreement Monday to jointly push for a plan to build a nuclear power plant in the European nation, raising hopes for Seoul's first nuclear power pl... #KBO Battle of homegrown aces set in Korean Series opener Two of the best homegrown pitchers in South Korean baseball this season will go head-to-head to open the championship series Tuesday. The SSG Landers will host the Kiwoom Heroes... A lot goes on around campus, and sometimes it's hard to keep up with. From sex to Donald Trump, The Red & Black complied five of the top stories not to miss this week. FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2015 file photo, Daniel Craig participates in AOL's BUILD Speakers Series to discuss the James Bond film "Spectre", at AOL Studios in New York. Craig told the crowd Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, at the New Yorker Festival that playing 007 is "the best job in the world." He said that if he were to stop playing the role, he "would miss it terribly." (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File) SHARE By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) Daniel Craig apparently isn't ready to retire as James Bond. The actor told the crowd Friday at the New Yorker Festival that playing 007 is "the best job in the world." He said if he were to stop playing the role that he "would miss it terribly." Craig played coy about returning to the long-running spy franchise while promoting his last Bond installment, "Spectre." The British actor told Time Out magazine last year that he would only make another Bond movie "for the money." However, when he was later asked by Britain's Press Association about reprising the role, Craig joked: "Do I have a choice?" Craig blamed his previous will-he-or-won't-he comments at the New Yorker Festival on being away from his family and the physical strains of the role. SHARE By LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) Kim Kardashian West sued an online media outlet for libel Tuesday, saying she was wrongly portrayed as a liar and thief after she was attacked in Paris. The lawsuit in Manhattan federal court seeks unspecified damages from MediaTakeOut.com. It said Kardashian West, traumatized by the Oct. 3 armed robbery, was victimized a second time when the website reported hours afterward that she faked the robbery and lied about the assault. The website's owner, Fred Mwangaguhunga, didn't answer his phone when comment was sought Tuesday. A message left with the website wasn't immediately returned. Police said armed robbers forced their way into a private residence where the reality TV star was staying, tied her up and stole $10 million worth of jewelry. She was in Paris for fashion week. No arrests have been made. The lawsuit said the website lacked any factual support when it published a series of articles referring to her as a liar and a thief and alleged that she faked the robbery, lied about the violent assault and filed a fraudulent claim with her insurance company to cheat her carrier out of millions of dollars. The lawsuit said the "malicious publication of the articles, which paint the victim of a serious crime as a criminal herself, is libelous." The website also ignored her demand that it publish a retraction and apology for calling her a liar and a criminal, the lawsuit said. According to the lawsuit, Kardashian was assaulted and robbed by two masked men who put a gun to her head, duct-taped her hands, legs and mouth, and left her lying helplessly on the bathroom floor while they left with the jewelry. After the attack, her husband, Kanye West, abruptly ended his New York concert, announcing that he had a family emergency. SHARE By The Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A Portland bakery is being accused of racism for selling an Oreo cupcake they named "Mr. President." The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://is.gd/77FHwe ) that customers have been leaving Yelp reviews criticizing Fat Cupcake for its "Mr. President" pastry. The cupcake is described as an Oreo Cookie baked inside white cake with cookies n' cream buttercream. Owner Anjelica Hayes says she is black, so the cupcake cannot be racist. She said they originally named the cupcake because it was so good they wanted it to hold public office. She later found out President Barack Obama's favorite cookie was the Oreo. For now to avoid the controversy Hayes has renamed the cupcake "the Professional." She said the cupcake is still the most popular item at the store despite its name. ___ Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com SHARE The Shasta County board of supervisors approved the acceptance of a development grant for a mental health crisis unit. While the half-million dollar grant from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority moves the development process forward, the future of a mental health crisis unit hinges on voters in November. The half-cent sales tax proposed in Measure D will pay for the ongoing costs of the crisis unit. The grant will cover the initial costs of the unit, but it would cost $2 million a year to operate a 4-bed unit, which would be split between money generated from the sales tax and the county. Health and Human Services will move forward with the plan after the results of the November elections. If the sales tax is not approved by the voters county staff will come back to the board of supervisors for other options to fund the unit, according to director Donnell Ewert. The rest of the agenda can be found here. The Buzz: Plan to flip Costco on Dana Drive gets key approval The old Bert & Ernie's on Industrial Street closed in 2012, and the building has sat empty ever since. Jim Schultz/Record Searchlight Earl Allen Boek, right, is shown Monday in Shasta County Superior Court with defense attorney Joseph Tully. SHARE By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight A Redding neighborhood-watch captain accused of pepper-spraying a neighbor rejected Monday a plea bargain offer that would have reduced the felony charge against him to a misdemeanor. "If I was guilty of anything I would have taken it," Earl Allen Boek said outside Shasta County Superior Court following his settlement conference. Boek, who had his scheduled Nov. 1 trial confirmed, is facing up to three years in county jail if he's convicted of illegal use of tear gas. Prosecutors offered to reduce that felony count to a misdemeanor, but would have also added a misdemeanor assault count, Boek's defense attorney, Joseph Tully, said. He said that misdemeanor assault count would have prevented his client from possessing firearms for 10 years, which he called "excessive." Despite Boek's rejection of the plea offer, negotiations will continue with the 65-year-old Boek set to return to court Oct. 28 for a trial readiness conference. Boek is charged with one felony count of illegal use of tear gas in connection with the Jan. 5 spraying of neighbor Michael Haglan. Boek has said he pepper-sprayed Haglan because he felt as though Haglan was about to attack him. Prosecutors, however, contend it was Boek's overzealous actions as a neighborhood-watch captain that caused and provoked the confrontation with Haglan. Boek has said he was patrolling his neighborhood when he believed Haglan ran a stop sign at White River Drive and Redwood Boulevard at about 60 mph in a 25 mph zone. Redding Police Officer Jacob Provencio, who testified at Boek's May preliminary hearing and cited statements made to him by both Boek and Haglan, said Boek reportedly drove onto Haglan's lawn and confronted him about his driving. The argument escalated, and Boek, still in his car, pepper-sprayed Haglan, who was standing about 6 feet away, Provencio testified. GREG BARNETTE/RECORD SEARCHLIGHT Shasta lake firefighter Tim Carmicheal (left), and Capt. Roger Moses remove ladders for inspection Monday at the station in Shasta Lake. The Shasta Lake Fire Protection District is seeking a $100,000 loan from the county to cover its operational costs through the end of the fiscal year. SHARE By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight Last month's Lake Fire burned about 80 acres and destroyed three homes in Shasta Lake, but the final cost of the fire has not been tallied by the state. For the Shasta Lake Fire Protection District, the fire in its backyard adds more fuel to budget woes. The fire protection district will seek a $100,000 loan from Shasta County at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors' meeting to cover operational costs through the fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2017. The annual loan has become a regular occurrence for the district as property values have dropped during the recession, sapping collections that support the district. Last year the district laid off three fire engineers to get ahead of the budget. Fire Chief Dennis Beck was hopeful there would be no need for the annual loan this year. Then a fire started after a driver crashed his car near Hill and Lake boulevards, sparking the Lake Fire. "We are requesting this (loan) as a precaution. The Lake Fire would potentially put us in a place to not be able to pay our staff," Beck said. A training officer position remains vacant in the district and the six-person staff is assisted by 23 volunteers. In 2014, the fire protection district requested $250,000 and last year the loan from the county was $200,000. Fire district board chairman Steve Morgan said with better management loans will not be necessary in the future. "We only use that money for a few months to get us through this dry period," said Morgan, referring to when the district borrows against its future tax payments. Morgan and his wife, Pam, lost their home in the Lake Fire in early September. Pam is also a Shasta Lake City Councilwoman. The majority of calls received by the Shasta Lake Fire Protection District are medical related, according to the fire protection district's website. This year staff responded to a few fires, including the Lake Fire that required multiple agencies, including the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the county's fire department. Beck said his department will likely use a portion of the loan, but the final cost of the Lake Fire has yet to be determined. Property values Shasta Lake were on a steady decline starting in 2008 and only in the last few years began to climb back to pre-recession levels. Property values make up a large portion of the fire protection district's budget of about $1 million. The district covers 12.5 miles in Shasta Lake and nearby communities. A year ago, as the presidential campaign swung into high gear, no one in either major political party except Donald Trump took seriously the possibility he might win the Republican nomination for president. Turns out Trump was right; everyone else was wrong. It didn't matter how much he lied: The fact-checking service Politifact finds there's significant untruth in 84 percent of what Trump says publicly, but he's expanded his likely voting base from about 30 percent of Republicans during the early primary season to at least 40 percent overall. (Hillary Clinton's falsehood rating: 63 percent.) That's a huge achievement, demonstrating his adherents don't much care what he says. They figure after years of watching his television reality show, they know him and what he means, even when he's lewd. Meanwhile, some recent polls show Democrat Hillary Clinton winning New York by a 20 percent vote margin and California by at least 17 percent. Sure, she consistently has had a small overall edge over Trump in national polling, but with so much of her support coming from just two states, she could win the popular vote but lose in the Electoral College if Trump wins battleground states like Ohio and Florida by thin margins, still getting all their electoral votes. So despite revelations of past vulgarity and misogyny, victory for Trump is possible, even if oddsmakers give Clinton better than a 70 percent chance of winning. If Trump wins, there could be enormous effects on California, with its tough environmental laws and its giving citizens more rights than the federal government does, in everything from marijuana use to assisted suicide in limited circumstances. Federal law almost always trumps (no pun intended) state laws, and it's likely a Trump win would leave Republican majorities in both houses of Congress. So there could be plenty of actions to reverse the agenda pushed here for the last 12 years by Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown. They've insisted on tougher pollution standards for cars than the federal ones. Brown this year won an extension of the state cap-and-trade program aimed to cut down greenhouse gas production and reduce dangers of climate change. But Congress and a President Trump could pass laws with completely different standards and negate what California has done. If Trump wins, the bullet train project that's been the apple of both Brown's and Schwarzenegger's eyes could abruptly stop. Yes, there would still be funding from voter-approved state bonds, but no more from the federal government. And if Trump and Congressional Republicans outlaw cap-and-trade programs, another bullet train funding source would dry up quickly. Viaducts already underway or built in Fresno and Madera counties could become monumental bridges to nowhere. While Brown in the interest of fighting climate change resists letting coal trains traverse California to ship supplies from ports at Oakland and elsewhere, a Trump-controlled Energy Department would likely demand the use of California ports for coal and shale oil exports to places like China and the Philippines. If Trump imposed heavy new tariffs on Chinese goods, prices for furniture, toys and many other categories would rise precipitously in California unless there's a sudden revival of domestic makers for these items. And if Trump really does build a long, high wall along the Mexican border (regardless of who pays for it), the flow of undocumented immigrants will slow. That would raise prices for everything from hotels and car washes, roofing and strawberries, just some of the industries employing many of the undocumented. There are signs that illegal immigrants, who often anticipate political events that may affect them, realize Trump could win. One indicator: Undocumented immigration increased considerably in late summer, with a near-record 10,000 Central Americans most traveling as families caught at the border in August, for a total of more than 68,000 in the first 11 months of federal fiscal 2016. Altogether, 370,000 undocumented migrants were apprehended in those same 11 months, surpassing the total for 2015 with a month to go. When big numbers of the undocumented try to crowd in, it usually means they anticipate changes in immigration policy and only one candidate promises that. All of which means a Trump presidency would have huge consequences for California, even if the state votes heavily against him. Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 13 Each dark chocolate skull is a bite-size work of colorful art by Heather Johnston of Veruca Chocolates. Inside is a devilish caramel ganache seasoned with chili pepper and cinnamon. $14 for six skulls. 2409 N. Western Ave., 773-998-2462; pop-up store open Fridays through Sundays, 1009 W. Armitage Ave., www.verucachocolates.com (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune) Halloween candy for adults can be more than Hersheys Kisses straight from the freezer paired with Johnnie Walker on the rocks (though nothing wrong with that combo, I assure you). Chicago confectioners are turning out sophisticated-yet-fun treats you can pass out at a spooky dinner party, give as host gifts or just enjoy 'round the witching hour after that last little goblin has rung your doorbell for trick-or-treat. Bill Daley New law could pose challenges of cost escalation, increased paperwork, fear developers. Reeling from a slowdown in sales and a delivery crunch, the real estate sector is in for a double whammy with the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, or RERA, feel developers. Under the Act, cleared by Parliament in March, real estate companies, perceived to be a non-transparent lot, would have to submit a slew of details to a proposed regulator. Violations are likely to attract stringent penalties, which are scaring company owners and even prompting directors on their boards to quit. From small property dealers to board directors of realty firms -- all can face punishments under the provisions of RERA. Players in the sector feel threats are manifold. Smaller builders said they fear some clauses in the Act threaten to wipe out their very existence. There are also fears of cost escalation as clearances could take longer than usual. It will be difficult to adapt for every developer, broker and even buyer. RERA would make business difficult for us, said R K Arora, chairman, Supertech. The company has been taken to court by buyers for alleged non-delivery of flats. Arora added paperwork would also increase for developers. But for the sector, this is the way forward, he said. Working on multiple projects would also be a challenge as the proposed regulator would seek details of previous projects before sanctioning new ones, according to the Act. With the number of non-delivered apartments piling up, companies would need to clear the backlog before launching new projects. In the National Capital Region itself, delivery of an estimated 159 million sq ft of projects was delayed by two years, said research firm Liases Foras in May this year. Another 164 million sq ft were late by 12 to 23 months. Developers were also worried about details they would have to submit to the regulator. Apart from the details of the promoters of the companies, they would have to provide details of current and previous projects, and their status, with reasons if they were pending. Details of pending legal cases would also have to be shared with the authority. Builders fear all this would escalate costs. One of the biggest hurdles will be that builders have to put 70 per cent of sales receipts from customers in an escrow account, against the backdrop of many developers diverting funds as they are unable to complete projects. We need to keep funds in an escrow account. As we wont have access to those funds, we would need to borrow from banks. With a lot of court verdicts and regulations, we are seeing stress of doing business rather than ease of doing business, said Deepak Goradia, managing director, Dosti Realty. Niranjan Hiranandani, chairman and managing director, Hiranandani Communities, said, This rule can pose a threat to developers who are already stretched. They could face funding problems. Based on the model Act the Centre had framed, state governments were framing rules. They would also soon constitute regulatory authorities. As a result, business models might have to changed, if developers expect to survive. This may require extra time and effort from the developers, said Samatak Das, chief economist and national director, research, Knight Frank India. However, what is getting them most jittery are the strict norms that would make surviving difficult. Developers will be able to launch project only when they have all approvals. This will imply longer timeline for launches and reduced launches, said Ankur Dhawan, chief business officer, PropTiger. Listing out the challenges, Ajay Jain, executive director, investment banking and head of real estate group, Centrum Capital, said a builder can sell only the carpet area, but stamp duty has to be paid on saleable area. The Act has failed to put sufficient onus on the government authorities that delay necessary permissions. Smaller players, who work with 500 sqm or a little more space, would have a hard time clearing all the clauses of the Act, experts said. They believe many might have to shut shop. Property dealers or brokers, who in most cases just show properties, have to be cautious, too. Brokers can only market projects for which they are registered and will have to refrain from over-promising on behalf of the builder, according to the rulebook. Online realty players might also be brought under the ambit of RERA, experts said. There was, however, a silver lining on the horizon. With stringent rules, RERA had brought the focus back on deliveries. Developers were now focusing only on completing projects and selling units. Also, all the projects without completion certificate on the date the legislation became active in a state would have to register with RERA. Hence, developers were in a hurry to complete delayed projects, trying to avoid being brought under the ambit of the Act. J C Sharma, vice-chairman, Sobha, said, With RERA, credible and serious developers will become more responsible and non-serious developers will suffer. When we move from one system to another, there will be some challenges. Things will settle down eventually. Image: A file photograph of an under-construction residential building in Kolkata. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. The evolving nature of the IT industry and changing needs of their clients pose a big risk, says Sai Manish. There is something about an election that excites and disturbs businesses. Businesses are jittery about formulating a forward looking plan and their clients are less than willing to loosen their purse strings. Restrained optimism is a camouflage for hidden pessimism. And when a candidate vows to roll back policies formulated by his opponents when in government, the fears of businesses get further amplified. Two of Indias top IT companies TCS and Infosys - seem to have been caught in such electoral crosswinds blowing in the US. Analysts have signaled the beginning of the end for Indian IT companies in the US. This after Indias largest IT company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) reported unusual earnings for the quarter ending in September this year. The companys CEO admitted to growing uncertainties behind the tepid quarterly performance. Infosys also announced that it had missed its revenue growth targets by over a percent this quarter. But it might be too early to write the epitaph of Indian IT companies in the US for two reasons. Firstly, with a closely fought election around the corner and two diametrically opposite candidates with antipodal views on the economy in the fray, Indian IT majors are dealing with a cautiously. What the Indian IT majors and their clients fear most is the radical shift in the H1B visa programme. Donald Trump has advocated cutting down on H1B visas, essential for Indian IT companies to get low cost skilled labour from India to work in the US. Hillary Clinton meanwhile has allayed the fears of Silicon Valley by being muted on skilled immigration that helps sustain many IT businesses. Infosys observed that there had been heightened political and media attention on the issues of outsourcing of jobs in the US. The company noted in its filings before the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Outsourcing and immigration reform has become a notable topic during the recent presidential debates. It is possible that there could be a change in the existing laws that would restrict offshore outsourcing. This would adversely impact our ability to do business. Secondly, the bulk of the business derived by Indian IT majors is from the financial services sector in the US. Infosys, for instance, derived almost one-third of its revenues from the financial services sector in 2015-16. Trump has promised to slash corporate tax rates to 15 per cent while his opponent Hillary Clinton has vowed to tax the rich more. The next US president will certainly have an impact on the payouts and bonuses of bank executives and the tax outgoes of businesses. In such a scenario many high value clients of TCS, Infosys and others are reluctant to commit resources till the next American president is sworn in. Analysts who are sounding the death knell on their future could do well to look back at the Indian experience. In 2013-14, as India was gearing up for a Modi wave and an impending change of guard at the centre loomed on the horizon, all macro-economic parameters fell in the year preceding the election. In 2013, gross fixed capital formation fell to negative for the first time in a decade and half. Consumer demand plummeted. Industrial growth hit an all-time low. Businesses, both Indian and foreign, were waiting for a new government to realign their strategies in a new economic and political dispensation. The rebound in business sentiment started a few months after the NDA government was sworn in and its incentives for businesses became clearer. While the future growth of Indian IT majors is linked to the outcome of the US elections, there are other factors that could accentuate their decline in the near future. One of them is the ever evolving nature of the IT industry and changing needs of their clients. Take the case of TCS. With the advent of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), self-driving cars and other forms of processor fueled cognition, TCS shifted its focus towards developing artificial intelligence. As part of the change, TCS launched its artificial intelligence project called Ignio in 2015. The motive was to reduce human error and the chances of any of its employee costing their clients a fortune. After all, TCS has doubled its high value clientele that give it business worth more than $100 million a year since 2012. The number of clients giving the company business worth more than $20 million has also increased substantially. It is but natural that many more companies would want to shit to automated services in a bid to reduce human costs. This would put TCS in a dilemma. While the Ignio was developed by a handful of in-house scientists, the bulk of its outsourcing work is still done by more than 3,50,000 workers, overwhelmingly Indians, employed as low cost skilled labour across the world in 55 nations. With the future portending a shift to automation and cost saving by clients, this would mean thousands of workers facing redundancy across all Indian IT companies doing business in the US. Moreover, Indian IT companies are trailing their American counterparts in the adoption of artificial intelligence and automation technologies. Wipro and Infosys launched their automated platforms called Holmes and Mana respectively over the last couple of years. This delay in catching up with the needs of American business requirements poses an existential risk for Indian IT majors in an ever evolving world. Photograph: Reuters 'The crux of the matter is that our narrative lacks credibility with world capitals,' argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar. Several hypotheses are afloat why China and Russia cold-shouldered India's high-level diplomacy to insert its tensions with Pakistan under the garb of 'terrorism' into the Goa Declaration of the BRICS Summit. For the Indian foreign and security policy establishment, the Goa Declaration must come as a diplomatic disaster. More so because the buck stops with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who led such an extraordinarily strident campaign against Pakistan at the BRICS event. But sometimes there are simple explanations to such setbacks, which we tend to overlook simply because it does not suit us. To my mind, the crux of the matter is that our narrative lacks credibility with world capitals (with the exception of Thimpu, perhaps). It is one thing that we, patriotic Indians, believe in our government's narratives, even when disseminated through 'sources,' but that may not be the case with foreigners. We get carried away by our self-serving narratives. Thus, we take pride that no country criticised our 'surgical strikes' -- 'not even China.' But then, when Pakistan has no complaints about our 'surgical strikes' in the first instance, why should China or any third party take umbrage? It is pure common sense. As regards the 'surgical strikes,' the only written statement or document so far attributable to the government merely says that the 'surgical strikes' took place 'along the LOC.' Now, you don't have to be a PhD in the English language to know there is some difference between 'along' and 'across.' This must have been a 'talking point' in the cocktail circuit in Chanakyapuri. The Russians have a saying, 'Where is the paper?' That is to say, don't take the oral word as the gospel truth. The least that the government should do is to clarify the DGMO's uncharacteristically ambivalent idiom. Fortunately, an opportunity comes when Parliament meets. The government should be upfront. In this context, Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks at the BRICS plenary on Sunday are very revealing. He implicitly called for a political solution to 'hot spots' (such as Kashmir) and also for concrete efforts and a multi-pronged approach to address both the 'symptoms and root causes' of terrorism. Beijing estimates that terrorism emanates out of the grave situation in the Kashmir valley. What complicates matters is that we really do not know whether the government's narrative on the 'surgical strikes' is actually only intended for the Indian domestic audience. A serious doubt arises when Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar claims that neither he nor PM Modi is of a martial race and they were motivated by the 'RSS teaching' to order the 'surgical strikes.' (By the way, it must come as a shocking revelation to hundreds of thousands of our faujis who may not be RSS followers.) Indeed, it is the present government's trademark to use foreign policies as an instrument of domestic politics to glorify the ruling party or the PM. If so, let us leave things to the electorate in UP and Punjab to pass judgment on the narrative. On the other hand, if the narrative must also sell among the international community, it must be credible. Or else, the public will demand -- like Oliver Twist -- 'some more' surgical strikes and a flashpoint may arise at some point, which then would become the concern of the international community. The Goa Declaration becomes a stunning reality check in its refusal to identify with the Indian narrative. The government should take a pause and rethink its strategies vis-a-vis Pakistan (and Kashmir). To add salt to the wound, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson in Beijing on Monday chose to comment on PM Modi's 'mothership' remark about Pakistan: QUESTION: 'At yesterday's BRICS summit, Indian Prime Minister said that Pakistan was the 'mothership' of terrorists. As a good friend of Pakistan, do you think this is a fair characterisation of Pakistan's security problems by India?' HUA'S REPLY: 'China holds a clear and consistent position when it comes to fighting terrorism. We oppose terrorism of all forms and maintain that terrorist threats tackled through enhanced international cooperation in order to uphold peace, security and development of various countries and the region.' 'We are also against linking terrorism to any specific country, ethnic group or religion. Both India and Pakistan are victims of terrorism. The international community should respect the enormous efforts and sacrifices made by Pakistan in fighting terrorism.' The Chinese stance is not substantially any different from that of the US or of the European Union. Indeed, President Vladimir Putin didn't mention the word 'terrorism' even once in his speech at the BRICS plenary on Sunday. We should draw appropriate conclusions. IMAGE: Brazil's President Michel Temer, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Jacob Zuma with Sudarsan Pattnaik's sand sculpture tribute to BRICS in Goa. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters 'The timing is a little suspect.' 'Could it be, just be, a convenient tool to wield months ahead of a hyper-crucial state election, judge if its efficacy in sending out its subliminal message is intact, and accordingly decide the future course of action on the long but quick road to 2019,' asks Saisuresh Sivaswamy. No one, repeat no one, in their right minds can oppose the concept of the Uniform Civil Code. Ergo, can it be possible that ours is a country where those in their right minds are in a woeful minority, given that the issue of the UCC is as old as the Constitution itself, which through its Directive Principles vide Article 44 prescribes the enactment of the UCC but which every government has been singularly unmindful of. For the uninitiated -- or, to give them their proper descriptor, the millennials -- it may seem from the above that India so far has only been ruled by those who had little regard for Constitutional proprieties, for how else can it be explained why a government would brush under the carpet what can only be a logical measure in a country that boasts of equality before law as one of its cardinal principles. Yet, the converse is true. Each and every government since Independence has been zealous about defending Constitutional values, barring some minor aberration along the way. Can anyone accuse the first prime minister of the country of not having regard for the Constitution? Or the diminutive in size but larger than life man who succeeded him? Or any of those whose fortune it has been to preside over the fortunes of this vast land? So what explains their unwillingness, reluctance, even refusal, to visit the subject of the UCC? What is so untouchable about a legal reform which is the norm in the developed world that we so yearn to belong to otherwise, but about which we, at best of times, are conflicted about? That the very utterance of the abbreviation strikes terror among the minority communities, or at least among those who have made a career and living as the purveyors of their destiny, is obvious. It is so obvious that I feel ashamed to even mention it. The shrill campaign against the very first baby steps taken by this government towards the enactment of a UCC, which can only escalate to a crescendo as the days go by and the government digs its heels in, is clear indication that the fight will be as bitter as it is protracted, and will be fought in every possible battlefield, from television studios to the streets, from Parliament to places of worship. Tempers are going to be very, very ruffled. Those ranged against the UCC have history on their side, and who can forget that history of 30 years ago, the bitterest part of contemporary Indian history. It was when the forces of progress and modernity yielded to the storm-troopers of democracy, the incensed mob on the street. Then, as now, it was the UCC. Then, as now, it was the mere mention of these words that had wrought irrepairable damage to the body politic, though in the present instance we are yet to come to that. But blood will be drawn, make no mistake about it. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, he of the humongous Parliamentary majority that was denied to even his far illustrious grandfather, quickly realised that all the numbers didn't amount to much when the Muslim community rallied against a Supreme Court verdict that granted alimony to an old, divorced Muslim woman. Perhaps the verdict would have gone unnoticed had the Supreme Court judges not gone wide of the field to remark on the need to have a Uniform Civil Code. This was the red flag that self-styled Muslim leaders used to whip up a storm before which Mr Gandhi realised his brute majority came to its knees. What he did next was outrageous: He used his majority to bring in a Constitutional amendment negating the Supreme Court verdict in the Shah Bano case. But what he did after this was egregious. To satisfy the Hindu sentiment that had been offended by this open pandering to minority demands, he unlocked the doors to a disputed shrine in Ayodhya which both Hindus and Muslims claimed as their own. That rings a bell, I hope? So you see, it was the mere mention of the need to have a UCC by the Supreme Court reiterating the Directive Principles that led to calamitous events which ultimately led the nascent Bharatiya Janata Party to move from political ICU to, ultimately in 2014, the most coveted address in all of India. 7 Racecourse Road/Jan Kalyan Marg. Proving thereby that in the right hands, with the right kind of mix, the Uniform Civil Code has revivifying effects, something on the lines of the Sanjeevani Booti, to use lingo in tune with the times. Actually, if one goes back in time, the BJP's armoury had two weapons: The Ram Janambhoomi was the apparent one, while the UCC worked at a subliminal level, to show the people how 'they' had the clout to overturn a court verdict in 'our' land. The problem with the first weapon was, unlike divinity whose birth it commemorates, it had a use-by date. Grass-root politicians knew it, not vandals easily roused to demolition. Which was why, the finest of them India has produced since M K Gandhi, decided to do nothing on December 6, 1992. P V Narasimha Rao knew what also came down that day was the BJP's Parliamentary pass for perpetuity. Perhaps L K Advani too realised it, which was why he broke down that day. But the subliminal weapon has lost none of its potency even now, and unlike the Ram Janambhoomi issue it cannot be blunted even by judicial intervention; if anything, it can only be strengthened by the courts. So, 30 years hence, here we are, at an all too familiar place. The Uniform Civil Code is once again in the balance, with a crucial difference however. Unlike the previous governments that baulked at touching the hot potato for fear of it affecting their minority votebank, what we have now in New Delhi is a government that does not depend on the minority vote. Any accretion in its votes is always welcome, but this is not a government that will bend over backwards, or bend a Supreme Court verdict for that matter, to please the minorities. Which explains its break with the past on first the triple talaq, and now the UCC. But it is moving cleverly, not clumsily, through the thicket of public opinion, by approaching these subjects not from the executive/legislative route but through the judiciary, thus ensuring that it remains on the right side of progressive thought. The timing, however, is a little suspect. Could it be, just be, a convenient tool to wield months ahead of a hyper-crucial state election, judge if its efficacy in sending out its subliminal message is intact, and accordingly decide the future course of action on the long but quick road to 2019? IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Aishbagh Ramleela in Lucknow, October 11, 2016. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in Benaulim, Goa. Photograph: PTI Photo. China continues to hold out on fingering Pakistan as the 'mothership of terror,' declaring Masood Azhar a terrorist at the UN, and India's membership of the NSG, says China expert Srikanth Kondapalli. The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit brought together the leaders of India and China once again to exchange views and chart out their global and regional interactions, but also address some of the bilateral relations. After their first encounter at the Fortaleza meeting of BRICS in July 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Xi Jinping for the 9th time at the Goa summit. Naturally, they underlined the necessity for exchanges between the two leaders for bridging bilateral differences as well as expanding the scope for cooperation. While there were several intangible outcomes of the Goa meeting, more concrete are the three MoUs signed on agricultural research platform, cooperation between diplomatic academies and between customs of the BRICS countries. On the much anticipated credit ratings agency to monitor the health of the BRICS economies, the declaration only suggested to its 'possibility.' The 109 points issued at Goa on October 16, in a declaration of over 7,000 words, is perhaps the longest in the BRICS aspirational agenda for the coming year. India's main current concern on terrorism has been highlighted at the summit, although Pakistan was not penalised directly, ostensibly at China's behest. In the light of the Permanent Court of Arbitration verdict of July 12 on the South China Sea islands dispute, which slammed China's construct of 'nine-dashed line,' the Goa declaration's repeated injunctions on following the international law in the conduct of nations is significant. Also noticeable were the Indian push for accountability of nations in international affairs, rule of law, the World Trade Organisation's dispute resolution in fair trade practices and the like. IMAGE: Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazilian President Michel Temer at the BRICS summit. Photograph: PTI Photo While China's continuing 'technical hold' at the United Nations Security Council committee on Pakistan-based terrorists has disturbed confidence in the bilateral relations with India, the Goa Declaration was unequivocal on condemning terrorist incidents including the recent Uri attack. The Declaration identified Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra in whose ranks thousands of Uighurs from Xinjiang, China, have reportedly joined. Another disappointment for India is the Chinese intransigence on the Nuclear Supplies Group membership. China had earlier this year stuck to its position that India needs to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and other arms control treaties which New Delhi termed as discriminatory. Nevertheless, in signs of incremental improvement and leeway in negotiations, the Goa Declaration endorsed 'predictability in accessing technology and finance' for civil nuclear energy projects of the BRICS countries. Also, since the days of Yekaterinburg in 2009, Russian and more significantly the Chinese position on United Nations Security Council reform and reorganisation has not even witnessed incremental improvement but frozen in their stance that they 'support (Brazil, South Africa and India's) aspiration to play a greater role in the UN.' This suggests that China has been insisting on endorsing its positions or interests by the aspirant countries. The Goa Declaration also exhibited to differences and some commonalities among BRICS States on the issue of global commons, mainly in the maritime, cyber and space domains. For instance, in the light of the Edward Snowden incident but also restrictions imposed by China and partly by Russia on cyber domains, the declaration supported an 'Open, non-fragmented and secure Internet.' Clearly, democratic opinions from India, Brazil and South Africa had an upper hand on these issues. On outer space, the Goa summit advocated peaceful uses and 'no first placement' of weapons. This is against the backdrop of several countries, including the United States, Russia and China having initiated measures for outer space weaponisation, including anti-satellite tests, lasers etc. IMAGE: The venue of the BRICS summit in Goa. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters For China's part in the deliberations, its national concerns played a bigger role. While China is making moves away from an export-oriented economy to domestic consumption and away from its dependence on developed markets to exploring developing markets such as some among the BRICS, the way so far has not been smooth. The 'new normal' economy of declining growth rates from over 12 per cent in 2007 have fallen to less than seven in 2015. Brewing domestic economic turmoil threatens to derail several initiatives of the Chinese leadership. Hence, President Xi Jinping, in his speeches at the business council and other interventions, highlighted the necessity for generating confidence in the BRICS initiative, although Brazil, South Africa and Russia have suffered negative or slow growths in the last two years following slump in commodity prices, exports and currency devaluations. While noting to 'treacherous recovery' of the BRICS countries from the global financial crisis, Xi suggested innovation as a way out of the quagmire. China had experimented with this path in the just concluded 12th Five Year Plan and continues to emphasise in the current 13th Plan as a panacea for the looming crisis. Xi also suggested that it is now time for action oriented programmes for the BRICS leaders and make some concrete initiatives for its further growth. While China hinted at a free trade area for the BRICS grouping, which witnessed low intra-BRICS trade at below $300 billion, there are, of course, apprehensions within the BRICS partners on how effectively China opens up its market and implements fair trade practices. One of the concrete actions of BRICS so far has been the establishment of the New Development Bank which disbursed in April about $911 million in loans for infrastructure projects in the BRICS countries. More such initiatives are likely to follow based on the bank's performance. Srikanth Kondapalli is Professor in Chinese Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. A Jawaharlal Nehru University student and All India Students Association activist has gone missing under mysterious circumstances, police said on Monday. Najeeb Ahmad, pursuing MSc in Biotechnology and resident of room 106 of Mahi/Mandavi hostel, has been missing since yesterday allegedly after an altercation with a few students on Saturday night, they added. A case under Section 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person) of IPC has been registered at the Vasant Kunj North police station on the basis of a complaint by his parents, police said. An AISA activist said Najeeb, who joined the hostel a fortnight ago, had an altercation with some Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad activists on Saturday night when they were holding a door-to-door campaign at the hostel for the mess committee election. Najeeb allegedly slapped a student following which residents of the hostel asked him to vacate his room. However, the activist alleged, It all started with a scuffle between two groups of students, but then an entire group of ABVP activists came to avenge it and beat him up, the activist said. All those who tried to save him, including the warden, JNUSU president and hostel residents were also beaten up. The Supreme Court on Tuesday retained its direction to Karnataka to release 2000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu till further orders and asked the two governments to ensure peace and harmony, saying citizens should not become law unto themselves. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, which commenced the crucial hearing on various issues arising out of the dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over sharing of Cauvery waters, said it first intended to adjudicate the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by both the states and Kerala against the tribunal's 2013 award. "We intend to first adjudicate issue of maintainability of appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. At this juncture, the interim order dated October 4 directing Karnataka to release 2000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu will continue till further orders," the bench also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar said. The bench said "morality of respect for both the states, among people of both the states and properties, should be maintained". The court also noted the submission of Karnataka that it has complied with the earlier order of releasing 2000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu said they were in dire need of water, which was even supported by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi. During the hearing, Rohatgi submitted that the apex court-appointed Supervisory Committee, formed to inspect Cauvery basin to assess the ground realities in the region, has submitted its report. The bench said it would first go into the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry against the award of tribunal and then hear the arguments on the report filed by the committee. The Attorney General said the appeals filed by the states were not maintainable as per article 131 and 262 of the Constitution and the provisions of Inter-state River Water Disputes Act, 1956. He said as per the constitutional provisions, a decree passed by a tribunal will be like a decree of Supreme Court which cannot hear the appeals against its own order. Senior advocate and noted jurist Fali S Nariman, appearing for Karnataka, said the appeals are maintainable as Supreme Court can only adjudicate the disputes between two states. The hearing remained inconclusive and will continue on Wednesday when Tamil Nadu will advance its arguments on maintainability of appeals. The apex court-appointed panel had yesterday in its finding suggested doing away with "outdated and unscientific water application techniques" to resolve the wrangle, saying both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were facing water shortage which created unemployment and financial hardship for the people. It had said the neighbouring riparian states needed to appreciate interest of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to protect their established irrigation and Karnataka's aspirations for development and educate their people accordingly. The panel in its 40-page report has noted that farmers in both states were in severe distress and adequate crop compensation must be provided to them. The Supreme Court had on October 4 directed Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs Cauvery water every day to Tamil Nadu from October 7 to 18 and deferred its earlier order asking the Centre to set up Cauvery Water Management Board till it finally decided on appeals relating to the age-old water dispute. The apex court had agreed to the suggestion that a Supervisory Committee, comprising officials and technical experts from the Centre, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry, be set up to inspect Cauvery basin for assessing ground realities. On September 30, SC had directed Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs water from October 1-6, warning it that no one would know when the "wrath of the law" would fall on it. The apex court had also directed the Centre to establish the CWMB, saying once it was constituted, its team would visit the sites to take a prima facie view of the ground reality and submit a report. On October 1, Karnataka had moved a review petition in the apex court against its three orders on Cauvery water release to Tamil Nadu and direction to the Centre to create the CWMB. In its review petition, Karnataka said "grave miscarriage of justice" has been caused to it pursuant to the three apex court orders of September 20, 27 and 30, by which it was directed to release 6000 cusecs of water till October 6 and the Centre was to constitute the Board by October 4. The army had carried out "target specific, limited-calibre, counter-terrorist operations" across the Line of Control in the past too but this is for the first time the government has gone public about it, a Parliamentary panel was told on Tuesday, in remarks that appear to contradict the defence minister's claim. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar gave this information to the Parliamentary Committee on Exernal Affairs when he was specifically asked by MPs whether surgical strikes have been done in the past. "Professionally done, target-specific, limited calibre counter-terrorist operations" have been carried out across the LoC in the past too, but this is for the first time that the government has made it public," according to sources present in the meeting. The top diplomat's comments assume significance in the context of claims by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's claims last week rejecting Congress's claims that surgical strikes were undertaken during the United Progressive Alliance government too. He had asserted that it was the first time that surgical strikes had taken place in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack and what was undertaken previously were operations locally executed by commanders without involving the government. However, later, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said whether cross-LoC surgical strikes were undertaken by the army in the past only the military will know as no "message" about such assaults were conveyed. "What FS said is that the key issue is that we went public after conducting the surgical strikes which conveyed a politico-military message. Whether any previous crossings had been done only the army would know. But it is irrelevant anyway because there was no message," sources in the government said. Jaishankar also told the committee that while India has been engaging with Pakistan post the September 29 surgical strikes, but no "calendar" has so far been prepared regarding future engagement and its level with Islamabad, members said on condition of anonymity. He said soon after the operations had ended, the Director General Military Operations of the Pakistan Army was informed about the strikes. During the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Bipin Rawat also gave details of the strikes targeting terrorist launch pads across the LoC. The government representatives told the panel that the strikes have fulfilled the purpose as of now and there will always be a nagging doubt in the Pakistani establishment whether India will carry out similar operations in the future. A Congress member wanted to know whether similar operations could be carried out in the future. The government representatives said the strikes were carried out after a "lot has been suffered". When asked about the casualty they could inflict on the terrorists, the officials said the army had crossed the LoC to carry out strikes and not to collect evidence. On China recently extending the technical hold on India's efforts for a United Nations ban on chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group and Pathankot attack mastermind Masood Azhar, the Foreign Secretary said New Delhi is working on the issue. When a member of the Committee raised the issue of India's failure to get JeM chief named in the BRICS Goa declaration when terror outfits like ISIS figured in the document, Jaishankar gave the same answer that the establishment was working on it. Jaishankar sought to skirt the issue of UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan stating that it did not witness any action at LoC during the surgical strikes. He said since panel chairman Shashi Tharoor had been associated with the body, he would not like to say anything. During the meeting, there was a brief exchange of words between a BJP and Left party member when the former raised the issue of security of MPs after the strikes. Some members said the topic of the meeting was national security and not individual security. Special Secretary Internal Security M K Singhla informed the panel about the types of security being extended to the VIPs. Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar and DG BSF K K Sharma were also present at the meeting besides the Foreign Secretary and the Vice Chief of Army Staff. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who is a member of the Committee, attended the meet but did not ask questions, a member said. With the PMO itself spearheading a re-evaluation, the Director General of Defence Accounts has been asked to justify its earlier contention that the 'slab based' system would benefit a larger number of disabled veterans -- something the army flatly denies, reports Ajai Shukla. Facing severe criticism from serving soldiers, veterans and civilians alike for slashing the military's disability pensions, senior government officials have told Business Standard they were reviewing the decision and could soon roll back at least some cuts. The government had issued a notification on September 30 -- a day after announcing the army's strikes on terror camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir -- announcing that it had slashed allowances that soldiers receive for injuries/disabilities attributable to military service, or aggravated by it. The government accepted the recommendation of the Seventh Central Pay Commission to calculate disability pension according to a 'slab system', based on rank. This significantly reduced the disability pensions, compared with the 'percentage system' instituted by the 6th CPC. The government first reacted by claiming (through 'government sources' cited by several newspapers) that disability pensions had actually been increased, not cut. Thereafter, the government backtracked on October 13, announcing that it had referred the decision on disability pensions to the anomaly committee of the 7th CPC for consideration. A senior government official told Business Standard: "We are not wedded to any position. We want to ensure that disabled soldiers do not suffer. If our review finds that the earlier 'percentage based' system was more beneficial than the 'slab system' that has now been implemented, we will revert to the earlier system." A partial or complete revocation of the 'slab system' by the anomalies committee would have to be cleared by the Cabinet. With the Prime Minister's Office itself spearheading this re-evaluation, the Director General of Defence Accounts has been asked for detailed figures to justify its earlier contention that the 'slab based' system would benefit a larger number of disabled veterans -- something the army flatly denies. Until the September 30 notification, any officer or soldier who suffered 100 per cent disability that was 'attributable to military service, or aggravated by military service' would get 30 per cent of his/her last drawn pay as disability pension. In addition, they would draw a 'service component' of pension, which amounted to 50 per cent of their last pay drawn. Under the new rules, which come into effect retrospectively from January 1, 2016, the 'service component' remains unchanged, but a 'slab system' has been introduced for disability pension -- Rs 27,000 a month for officers, Rs 17,000 for junior commissioned officers, and Rs 12,000 for other ranks. The army calculates that only those soldiers would benefit who are invalidated out in the early stages of their careers -- a small minority. Those who have served a few years, and all those who have earned pensions, would lose financially. The new system would only benefit those jawans whose pay at the time of release from service is less than Rs 40,000 (Rs 34,800 (basic pay) + Rs 5,200 (military service pay, or MSP)) under the 7th CPC. At higher pay grades, 30 per cent disability pension would amount to more than Rs 12,000. Very few jawans retire before serving 15 years, when they become eligible for pension. Most retire after at least 17 to 19 years, which they have signed up for. By that time, they have been automatically promoted to Naik (two stripes), and their emoluments are Rs 41,100 (Rs 35,900 + Rs 5,200 MSP). Most jawans actually attain the rank of Havildar (three stripes), which means they are eligible for 26 years of service, and a pay grade of Rs 50,100 (Rs 44,900 + Rs 5,200). Hence, most retirees at the jawan level (except those rare cases who are invalidated early in their careers) earn well above the level below which the slab system yields greater benefits. They, therefore, stand to benefit from the percentage system. Similarly, JCOs would only benefit from the slab system if their pay grade at retirement is below Rs 56,200 (Rs 51,000 + Rs 5,200 (MSP)). Above that grade, the disability pension of 30 per cent would be greater than the slab rate of Rs 17,000. In fact, most JCOs start retiring as Subedars, with 28 years of service, when their pay grade is Rs 57,200 (Rs 52,000 + Rs 5,200). Similarly, commissioned officers only benefit from the slab system if their pay at release is less than Rs 90,000 (Rs 74,500 + Rs 15,500 (MSP)). That is because 30 per cent of any pay grade above this would be greater than the slab rate of Rs 27,000. At seven years of service, officers' pay grade rises above that level. Most officers retire after 20 years of service, when they become eligible for pension. The army asks: If the 'slab system' was indeed beneficial for lower ranks, why hasn't it been made applicable to other services like the Central Armed Police Forces? In fact, there is no demand from the CAPFs for extending the slab system to them. Top army doctor accuses generals of manipulating disability pensions A key argument marshalled by the 7th CPC that reduced the military's disability pensions has been that the number of senior officers claiming disabilities have been rising steadily. This suggests they have been making false claims to get additional pensions and tax benefits. The source of that argument, as Business Standard has learnt, is a letter from the military's top doctor, complaining to the defence secretary that senior generals misuse their position and influence to 'be placed in low medical classification few months before their superannuation.' Lieutenant General B K Chopra, the Director General Armed Forces Medical Services, who retired in June, wrote in a demi-official letter to then defence secretary Radha Krishna Mathur, 'disability pensions have become an easy and attractive source of tax-free supplementary income' for senior officers. General Chopra goes on to suggest that 'tax exemption related to disability pension should also be removed.' The 7th CPC, noting this trend, recommended that disability pensions be calculated through a 'slab system' that effectively lowers benefits for most pensioners, including officers, junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and other ranks (ORs). General Chopra confirmed to Business Standard that he wrote that letter on December 16, 2014. He said it was his intention to reduce the pressure from generals on his doctors, not to strip away disability benefits from lower ranks, as has happened after the government implemented the pay commission's recommendations. "I never questioned the payment of disability benefits to lower ranks and soldiers. They are not in a position to influence the medical boards anyway," he says, referring to the bodies that categorise the level of disabilities in patients. The DGAFMS' letter suggests that medical boards of senior officers be held in facilities located away from where they are exercising command, in order to minimise unfair influence. General Chopra told Business Standard his letter was circulated by the defence ministry to the three service chiefs for comments and suggestions, but they ruled out changing the system of medical boards. The government is learned to be considering ways of tightening up medical boards for senior military officers, including by holding them in reputed civil hospitals rather than in military facilities. Violating the ceasefire, Pakistani troops fired from small arms and shelled mortar bombs on forward posts along the Line of Control in Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from Indian troops. There was ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Naushera sector of Rajouri district, a defence spokesman said. Pakistani troops fired 82 mm mortar bombs, used small and automatic weapons in the firing on forward Indian posts in Laam Battalion area in Naushera from 2030 hours to 0130 hours, the spokesman said. Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in the ceasefire violation. Few rounds were also fired in Naushera sector late Monday night. There have been 29 ceasefire violations along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes by the army in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to dismantle terror launching pads. On October 16, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire twice along the LoC in Naushera and Rajouri sectors in which one jawan was martyred. On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Poonch district resulting in injuries to a jawan. Pakistani troops had on October 5 violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts. Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shells in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts. They shelled mortar bombs and opened fire from small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district. On October 3, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire four times and restored to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district. On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district. On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas. Photograph: Umar Ganie/Rediff.com Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament and party's youth wing president Abhishek Banerjee was injured when his vehicle met with an accident on NH-2 near Singur, while he was returning to Kolkata from Murshidabad on Tuesday. "Abhishek Banerjee was injured when the vehicle he was travelling in met with an accident on Durgapur Expressway near Singur," ADG (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma told PTI. "He has been rushed to a hospital in Kolkata. I am yet to receive details about the accident or any report in this regard from the Superintendent of Police, Hooghly, Praveen Tripathy," Sharma said. Abhishek, who is the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was returning after a party programme. Soon after his SUV reached Singur on the Durgapur Expressway, it hit a trailer and overturned injuring the occupants, eyewitnesses said. The nature of injury of the other people travelling with the TMC MP is yet to be ascertained. He was rushed to Kolkata and admitted to Belle Vue Clinic, Sharma said. Hospital sources said a medical board has been formed for his treatment, while some medical tests and investigations have already been conducted. While the chief minister was keeping in touch with the hospital authorities, senior party leaders have already rushed to the hospital to enquire about Abhishek's condition and treatment. IMAGE: The mangled remains of Abbhishek Banerjee's SUV after an accident on Durgapur Expressway at Singur in Hooghly district of Bengal on Tuesday. Photograph: PTI Photo The Goa declaration didnt refer to Pakistan-based terrorist groups or cross-border terrorism, reports Archis Mohan. The Indian side, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his officials, pushed for the BRICS Summit Goa Declaration to specifically mention cross-border terrorism that India was faced with and also the names of Pakistani-based terror outfits. However, it failed to convince the other member states. The Goa Declaration didnt refer either to the Jaish-e-Mohammed, which is headed by Masood Azhar, the man India believes was behind the Pathankot terrorist attack, or the Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa. Saeed is considered to be the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks. It did, however, name such groups as the Islamic State, Jabat-al-Nasra, the Syrian Islamist rebel group, and other UN designated groups. Amar Sinha, Indias chief negotiator in the BRICS, said that India couldnt get a consensus on naming Pakistan-based terrorist outfits since it doesnt concern all the BRICS countries. Later, Islamabad criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modis statement where he called Pakistan the mothership of terrorism. Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs advisor to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said that Modis statement was misleading and a desperate attempt to hide Indias brutalities in Kashmir. Pakistan joins all the members of BRICS and BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) in condemning terrorism and reaffirms its full commitment to fight the menace of terrorism, Aziz said. Other BRICS leaders, particularly Russias Vladimir Putin and Chinas Xi Jinping, focused their speeches on strengthening the BRICS economic integration. All other leaders sidestepped the Indian PMs push for criticism of Pakistan as a sponsor of terrorism. Putin called for more cooperation among BRICS members in the energy sector by instituting a BRICS Energy Agency. Both India and China are key partners of Russia in the sector. Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS dinner. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo Two persons were killed after a major fire broke out in a residential building in a posh south Mumbai on Tuesday, with firefighters rescuing 11 residents trapped in the blaze. IMAGE: A firefighter tries to douse the flames at Maker Tower in Mumbai. Photograph: ANI/Twitter As per preliminary information, the 20th floor flat, in which the fire broke out, belongs to the family of Bajaj Electricals chairman Shekar Bajaj, Chief Fire Officer, Mumbai Fire Brigade, P S Rahangdale said. The fire broke out on the 20th floor of the high rise, Maker Tower, at 6.37 am and has been brought under control, he said, adding cooling and rescue operations are on. Fire fighters have rescued at least 11 residents while the two seriously injured were sent to government-run St George Hospital where they were declared dead before admission, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Manojkumar Sharma said. There are two flats on each floor of the 25-floor building and the fire spread from the 20th floor to the 21st floor, fire officials said. Soon after receiving the alert, fire brigades eight fire engines, six jettys and two ambulances were pressed into action, while nearby areas were cordoned off by the Cuffe Parade Police for smooth movement of fire brigades, they said. IMAGE: The fire broke out in a flat on the 20th floor. Photograph: @mayankbhagwat/Twitter Noted writer-columnist Shobha De, who also resides in the building, said, The fire personnel did a fantastic job. They handled it very efficiently and contained it quickly... it could have been much, much worse. Two lives were lost... This is a great wake up call for everybody. Anybody who lives in a high rise in Mumbai needs to be aware of hazards, she said. Fire officials said all the residents of the building have been evacuated. The cause behind the blaze is yet to be ascertained. Meanwhile, Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta reached the spot and took stock of the fire fighting and rescue operations. Last updated on: October 18, 2016 14:08 IST After participating in the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit in Goa, Myanmarese leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Delhi for an official three-day trip to India. Here are highlights from her visit: President Pranab Mukherjee with Myanmars State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Photograph: Subhav Shukla/PTI State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi introducing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Myanmar dignitaries at the Ceremonial Reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Aung San Suu Kyi receives a bust of Mahatma Gandhi after paying homage at Rajghat in New Delhi. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo Modi receiving Aung San Suu Kyi, at the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Aung San Suu Kyi inspecting the Guard of Honour, at the Ceremonial Reception, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Aung San Suu Kyi paying floral tributes at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi, at Rajghat, in Delhi. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours. Indian Army soldiers perform at 'Know Your Army' show organised as a part of 'Technical Fest' to create awareness about the army in Ahmedabad on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Union Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu rides a cycle on display at an exhibition on Swachh Bharat Mission and Smart City as Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan looks on in Bhopal on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members offer prayers and conduct Yagam for the speedy recovery of their leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalaithaa in Coimbatore on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung holds the traditional 'pankha' along with office bearers of Anjuman Sair-e-Gulfaroshan ahead of the inauguration of 'Phool Walon ki Sair 2016', in New Delhi on Monday. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United National President Nitish Kumar addresses the opening session of party's national council meeting in Rajgir on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo A potter makes diyas for the upcoming Diwali festival in Jodhpur on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Women offer prayers in a paddy field for a good harvest on the occasion of 'Kati Bihu or Kangali Bihu' in Sivasagar district of Assam on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Flames rise from two Sumo vehicles which were set ablaze by protesters at Parimpora Qamarwari in Srinagar on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Myanmars State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi with Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo Presiding Chairman of AIDMK, E Madhusudanan garlands the statue of party founder MG Ramachandran on the foundation day of AIDMK in Chennai on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Ram Nath Choudhary showing his 12 feet long mustache at Saras mela near Dadi-Poti park in Bathinda on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Police lathicharge on teachers during their protest for their various demands in Lucknow on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo A view of Lord Raghunath Rathyatra at the end of Kullu Dussehra on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Farmers and opposition parties members stage a rail roko agitation at Trichy on Monday over the Cauvery water issue. Photograph: PTI Photo Illuminated Golden Temple on the occasion of the 482nd birth anniversary of the fourth Guru Ramdas in Amritsar on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo The army on Tuesday said it was prepared to deal with any misadventure from across the Line of Control by Pakistani troops or terrorists in the wake of surgical strikes on terror camps in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Along the LoC, our preparedness is of the highest degree. The Indian Army is ready to deal with any misadventure from across the LoC, whether it is by regulars or otherwise, General Officer Commanding of Srinagar-based 15 corps Lt Gen Satish Dua said. He said there has been a spurt in infiltration attempts from across the LoC, but the army foiled most of these bids as is evident from the encounters taking place near the LoC. I do admit that some infiltration has taken place, but the encounters along the LoC and the number of militants eliminated shows the preparedness of the army, he said. Gen Dua refused to comment on the surgical strikes by the army in PoK last month, saying the armed force and the political leadership has already said whatever was to be said about it. I do not have any different point of view, he added. Asked if there was a trust deficit between the army and the Kashmiri youth, Gen Dua said while there were some misguided youths who take part in protests, the majority were with the armed forces. Recently, one of our vehicles met with an accident and our jawans were trapped inside the vehicle. It was the local Kashmiri youths who extricated the jawans. We have conducted some anti-militancy operations recently and the youths have not indulged in stone-pelting after the purpose of the operation was explained to them, he said. Replying to a question, Lt Gen Dua said there were reports of some boys having joined militant ranks, but their exact number could not be ascertained due to the unrest. Police have been carrying out raids and making arrests due to which some boys have gone into hiding. So it is difficult to put a specific number to how many of them have joined the terror groups. Some boys have gone across (the LoC), I do concede that. There are some misguided youths and we hope to bring them back into the mainstream. The unrest is only affecting the poor, he added. The general said the weapon snatching from security forces by militants was a cause of concern. Asked about the September 18 Uri attack in which 19 soldiers were killed, he said the army has learnt lessons and implemented improvements after the incident. Lt Gen Dua said soldiers equivalent to two brigades, in addition to Central Reserve Police Force personnel, have been inducted for maintaining law and order in the Valley. The purpose of these additional army units has been to calm things down. Since these units have come up around Eid, things have actually calmed down in south Kashmir. You will very soon see peace and quiet in the Valley again, he said. Mass rail blockades by opposition parties and farmers continued for the second day on Tuesday at various places across the state over the Cauvery issue, with police detaining Tamil Maanila Congress leader GK Vasan and about 300 farmers for staging protests. Leading an agitation at the Egmore Railway station in Chennai, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam General Secretary Vaiko and VCK Chief Thol Thirumavalavan, along with several workers including those from the Left parties, blocked an express train. The two senior leaders climbed onto the railing of the trains engine and shouted slogans condemning the stance of the Centre against the constitution of Cauvery Management Board. Protests were held at the Central railway station, by Naam Tamizhar Katchi leader Seeman along with his supporters, who were later taken away by the police. Similar protests witnessed huge participation of people in the Cauvery Delta region of the state including Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts. Scores of farmers and members of political parties were arrested at different places for attempting to block rail traffic. Vasan was detained along with hundreds of his party workers in Thanjavur for staging a protest.While in Tiruchirappalli district, about 300 farmers were apprehended for blocking the Vaigai Express bound for Chennai, at Pullampadi station. A heavy posse of police personnel had been deployed at railway stations including Madurai, to prevent any untoward incidents. In Madurai, police outnumbered the agitators and security barricades were erected to prevent agitators from entering the station. The Supreme Court-appointed high-level technical team, formed to inspect the Cauvery basin to assess the ground realities in both the states, had on Monday submitted its report to the court. The report had suggested doing away with outdated and unscientific water application techniques to resolve the wrangle, saying both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were facing water shortage, creating unemployment and financial hardship for the people. The committees report will come up for perusal during the hearing on the Cauvery dispute in the apex court on Tuesday. Image: Farmers and opposition parties members staging a rail roko agitation at Trichy over the Cauvery row. Photograph: PTI Myanmar's Foreign Minister and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday said terrorism in any form is "unacceptable", but to lay down a principle that all surgical strikes are right would be like being on a "slippery slope". The Leader of the National League for Democracy said each instance of a surgical strike has to treated on "case to case basis". "We believe in non-violence and surgical strike also is a violent form of attack. All attacks are violent. So this puts all in quandry. How do we achieve the goals that Gandhi ji was convinced we could achieve through peaceful means in this age of terror and terrorism. "Defence in any form, if its is defence on battle ground, it is a form of violence. And Gandhi ji had to face that moral problem himself. I think, we all to have face it along the way. "I don't think we should lay down our principles saying that all surgical strikes are acceptable. We have to look at these instances case by case, otherwise we will be on a slippery slope of deciding that all strikes are acceptable," Suu Kyi told to a news channel. She was responding to a question whether her country would support India's move on surgical strike if there is any evidence of terrorism. Last year the Indian army conducted an operation against militant groups along the border with Myanmar. The operation was carried out after rebels ambushed an army convoy in Chandel district of Manipur that killed 18 army jawans. "Terrorism in any form is unacceptable because we are not going to change the world by using terror. Terrorism is not something that we can in anyway tolerate or allow to grow," she said. When asked how can the world work to isolate Pakistan over terror, Suu Kyi said its not so much a country that one can isolate as terror itself. "The belief in terror, the belief that terror will get you anywhere you want to go. That is what we need to isolate. That is why I say that it is terror that we need to attack and isolate," she said. Myanmar's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi pays floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo Breaking silence over the surfacing of a 2005 video in which Donald Trump made lewd remarks about women, Melania Trump, wife of the Republican presidential candidate, has alleged that her husband was egged on to make the comments. I said to my husband that, you know the language was inappropriate. Its not acceptable. And I was surprised, because that is not the man that I know, Melania, 46, told CNN in an interview on Monday night. The two were engaged in boy talk, and he was led on, like egged on from the host to say dirty and bad stuff, she referring to Trump and Billy Bush, the then Access Hollywood host. And as you can see from the tape, the cameras were not on, it was only a mic. And I wonder if they even knew that the mic was on, she added. The video, obtained by the Washington Post, captures Trump having an extremely lewd conversation about women with Bush. It is after the emergence of the video that Trumps presidential campaign has been jolted with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton taking a substantial lead over him in national opinion polls. Trump, 70, is also facing accusations of sexual assault and inappropriate touching, with as many as nine women coming out with the allegations against him. Most of these cases are three decades to five years before old. Melania told CNN that she has not heard her husband saying those words. No, thats why I was surprised, because I said like I dont know that person that would talk that way, and that he would say that kind of stuff in private, she said. I heard many different stuff, boys talk. The boys, the way they talk when they grow up and they want to sometimes show each other, Oh this and that and talking about the girls. But yes, I was surprised, of course, she said. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Kazakhstan: Criminal case, fines, warnings, imprisonments for uncensored literature Publisher Forum 18 Author Felix Corley Publication Date 17 October 2016 Cite as Forum 18, Kazakhstan: Criminal case, fines, warnings, imprisonments for uncensored literature, 17 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58060bb34.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Founder of Muslim WhatsApp group escapes criminal prosecution, but is fined for distributing uncensored religious literature. Baptists are fined for offering literature on the streets, while parents of one girl who did so are warned and father fined. The OSCE calls for end to religious censorship. Central African Republic: UN Mission condemns 'cowardly' attacks on peacekeepers Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 October 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Central African Republic: UN Mission condemns 'cowardly' attacks on peacekeepers, 17 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5806129f40d.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 17 October 2016 - The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA) today strongly condemned repeated assaults against its peacekeepers, in the wake of two attacks over the past five days. According to the Mission a logistics convoy secured by its Pakistani contingent was attacked yesterday by a group of armed individuals, some 20 kilometres from Dekoa, in the prefecture of Nana Gribizi, which is in the northern part of the country. The peacekeepers reacted quickly and routed the attackers. Weapons were also recovered, said MINUSCA. This attack comes three days after that against a convoy from Bambari secured by the Mauritanian contingent of the Mission was attacked between Grimari and Sibut, wounding five peacekeepers. According to preliminary information, a group of an estimated 50 armed elements opened fire on peacekeepers and civilians while they were trying to repair a vehicle of the convoy. Strongly condemning these "cowardly and irresponsible actions," MINUSCA also urged an immediate end to such attacks against its 'blue helmets' and mission premises. Further, the Mission denounced any and all provocative statements wrongly accusing its contingents and stressed that such allegations, some of which have religious connotations, can cast doubt on the impartiality of its troops. MINUSCA also stressed that "such acts will not go unpunished" and the perpetrators and instigators will answer for their actions before the competent courts, "including, where appropriate, for war crimes." Yemen: UN envoy announces restoration of nationwide cessation of hostilities Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 October 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Yemen: UN envoy announces restoration of nationwide cessation of hostilities, 17 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58061312412.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 17 October 2016 - The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced today a plan for the resumption of a comprehensive cessation of hostilities in the war-torn Gulf nation. According to Office, the Special Envoy has received assurances from all Yemeni parties of their recommitment to the Terms and Conditions of the Cessation of Hostilities of 10 April 2016, which will re-enter into force at 23:59 Yemen time on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal. Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed welcomed the restoration of the cessation of hostilities, "which will spare the Yemeni people further bloodshed and will allow for the expanded delivery of humanitarian assistance," and he called on all Yemeni parties, the region and the international community to encourage full respect for the cessation of hostilities and to ensure that it leads to a permanent and lasting end to the conflict. The Special Envoy went on to call for the immediate reactivation of the De-escalation and Coordination Committee (DCC) and the deployment of its members to Dhahran Al Janoub as agreed during the Kuwait talks. Finally, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed reminded all Yemeni parties that the terms of cessation of hostilities include an obligation to allow free and unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel to all parts of Yemen, in addition to a full and comprehensive halt to military activities of any kind. Yemen has been engulfed in violence for several years now - a confrontation between the country's Houthis (Ansar Allah) and the Government of Yemen in early 2014 led to a Houthi advance on the capital, and an ensuing conflict which has involved support from outside parties. The UN has been heavily involved in efforts to resolve the crisis. While peace talks between a Yemeni Government delegation and a delegation of the General People's Congress and Ansar Allah continued, serious violations have occurred in Marib, al Jawf, Taiz and in the border areas with Saudi Arabia. Those UN-facilitated talks ended on 6 August. France: Exclude Russian Arms Dealer from Paris Show Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 15 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, France: Exclude Russian Arms Dealer from Paris Show, 15 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/580613f94.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. France should reconsider allowing Rosoboronexport, Russia's state-owned arms trading company, to participate in Euronaval, a major international arms show being held outside of Paris from October 17 to 21, 2016, human rights groups EuroMed Rights and Human Rights Watch said today. The arms show is sponsored by the French Defense Ministry. Human rights organizations have called for the United Nations Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Syria, and for Rosoboronexport in particular to stop supplying arms to Syria in light of compelling evidence that the Syrian government is responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. "France is leading the call on ending violations in Syria but at the same time allowing Russia, which is complicit in those violations, to promote its weapons and land new deals," said Michel Tubiana, president of EuroMed Rights. "It's not acceptable to do business as usual with a company arming a government engaged in systematic atrocities against its own people." More than 90 exhibitors from 70 countries are expected to attend the Euronaval arms show, including Rosoboronexport. Rosoboronexport said in October, 2015, that it is continuing to supply arms to the Syrian government despite its record of serious international human rights and humanitarian law violations. Under international law, providing weapons to Syria while its forces are known to be committing war crimes and crimes against humanity may translate into aiding and abetting the commission of those crimes. Any arms supplier could bear potential criminal liability as an accessory to those crimes and could face prosecution. In addition to Rosoboronexport, all other suppliers of arms to Syria should be subject to scrutiny. The Russian government began conducting military operations in Syria on September 30, 2015. Since then, Russian-Syrian airstrikes have hit civilian objects and caused civilian casualties, Syrian-Russian joint military operations have extensively used internationally banned cluster munitions, and there has been an increase in the use of incendiary weapons in Syria. Since September 19, 2016, Russian-Syrian forces have bombarded opposition-controlled parts of the city of Aleppo. The attacks included the use of indiscriminate barrel bombs, cluster munitions, and incendiary weapons, and damaged or partially destroyed at least five hospitals in six separate attacks. In November 2015, the Rosoboronexport chief executive officer, Anatoly Isaikin, indicated that Russia's military involvement in Syria was "good testimony for Russian armaments." Media reports indicate that Russian airstrikes in Syria actually have contributed to buyer interest in weaponry from Rosoboronexport and could result in billions of dollars in new contracts. Given its role in Syria, Rosoboronexport should not be allowed to promote itself and seek new contracts at Euronaval, the organizations said. Should Rosoboronexport be permitted to participate in the arms show, all arms show participants, including official delegations and private arms brokers, should decline to negotiate any new deals with Rosoboronexport. Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch India: Cease Wrongful Detentions in Jammu and Kashmir Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 15 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, India: Cease Wrongful Detentions in Jammu and Kashmir, 15 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/580614404.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir should end the use of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) to arbitrarily detain people, including children, Amnesty International India, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said today. The PSA violates international due process standards and should be repealed, the groups said. Between July 9 - when protests and violent clashes broke out in the state following the killing of a leader of the armed group Hizbul Mujahideen - and October 6, authorities have detained over 400 people, including children, under the PSA, according to media reports. The PSA is an administrative detention law that allows detention without charge or trial for up to two years in some cases. Following an amendment in 2012, the PSA expressly prohibits the detention of anyone under 18. "The use of the PSA to detain people, particularly children, violates a range of human rights, and its increasing use in recent weeks undermines the rule of law and further entrenches impunity in Kashmir," said Sam Zarifi, ICJ Asia Director. "Police should end the use of the PSA; if people are suspected of committing offences, they should be properly charged and given fair trials." On September 16, Rayees Ahmad Mir, who is 16 years old according to his school records, was arrested in Baramulla district under ordinary criminal procedure for allegedly throwing stones at security forces. Two days later, an executive official passed an order to detain him under the PSA, to preclude his release on bail. The order incorrectly stated that he was 18 years old. Rayees Mir's family challenged the order before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, producing documents that proved he was only 16. On October 7, the court stated that Rayees Mir should be treated according to juvenile justice rules, as there was prima face evidence that he was a minor, and ordered his transfer to a juvenile home. The PSA detention order has not yet been quashed. An official at the Kot Bhalwal jail said on October 14 that the prison authorities had not yet transferred Rayees Mir, as they had not received a copy of the court order. Mir Shafqat Hussain, a lawyer representing many PSA detainees, said, "In a number of cases the families have not been informed about the grounds of detention. Arresting minors and booking them under PSA is definitely going to have an effect on their psyche. From schools and colleges, these boys end up in jails where they will be kept together with adults. It is definitely going to have an adverse effect on them." On August 18, Waheed Ahmed Gojree, who is 16 according to his school records, was arrested in Kupwara district and detained at a police station. According to his family, the police at first told them he would be released the next day, but then said that he had been detained under the PSA. He was first taken to a jail in Baramulla, and then to the central jail in Jammu. An official at the central jail confirmed that he had been detained under the PSA. The family has not yet received a copy of the detention order, or been formally informed about the grounds of Waheed Gojree's detention. The authorities appear to have not taken his age into account before issuing his detention order. "The government has a responsibility to address violence during protests, but indefinitely detaining people without charge only adds to the lawlessness," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director, Human Rights Watch. "Detaining children under the PSA is not only unlawful, but could have negative repercussions for years." The Indian Express newspaper has reported that hundreds of people have been placed in administrative detention under other laws as well. Senior police and government officials in the state, including the Director-General of Police, the Home Secretary and the Law Minister, have not responded to queries for details of the arrests from the organizations. The United Nations Human Rights Committee, which monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - to which India is a state party - has stated that administrative detention in the name of security "presents severe risks of arbitrary deprivation of liberty" and "would normally amount to arbitrary detention as other effective measures addressing the threat, including the criminal justice system, would be available". Amnesty International India, Human Rights Watch, and the ICJ oppose all such systems of administrative detention, as they invariably circumvent the protections of the ordinary criminal procedure. The PSA contains vague and overbroad terms such as "security of the state" and "public order" that are not precisely defined, and therefore do not meet the requirement of legality under international law. The PSA does not provide for judicial review of detentions. It also protects officials from legal proceedings for anything "done or intended to be done in good faith", which is inconsistent with the right to remedy for arbitrary detention or other human rights violations. The law has often been used to detain people on vague grounds for long periods, ignoring regular criminal justice safeguards. Under international law, anyone under the age of 18 is a child, and should be tried in accordance with internationally accepted juvenile justice standards. The UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty and the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice say that the detention before trial of children shall be avoided to the extent possible and limited to exceptional circumstances. Detention must be carried out under procedures established by the law, children must not be kept in the same facility as adults, and untried detainees should be separated from convicted children. In the past, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has held that certain detentions under the PSA amount to arbitrary detentions. In November, 2014, Indian Vice-President Hamid Ansari said the use of laws like the PSA to commit human rights violations "reflects poorly on the State and its agents". The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders has stated that laws such as the PSA allow the state to wrongfully target human rights defenders, and called for the repeal of the law. Amnesty International India, Human Rights Watch, and the ICJ believe that anyone detained under the PSA must either be charged promptly with a recognizable criminal offence or prosecuted in a fair trial, or else be released. Not prosecuting people suspected of committing offences can also violate the human rights of the victims of these offences. The Jammu and Kashmir government is led by the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party, which also leads the central government. The PDP had criticized the PSA earlier, but the use of the law has continued under its administration. "The central and state governments have spoken about following the principle of insaniyat, or humanity, in dealing with the crisis in Jammu and Kashmir," said Aakar Patel, Executive Director at Amnesty International India. "But detaining children under the PSA is neither humane nor lawful." Over 90 people, most of them protestors, have been killed and thousands injured in the violence in Jammu and Kashmir since July. Security force personnel have been injured by stone-throwing protestors. Security forces have fired pellets from shotguns, teargas, live ammunition, and chemical irritant weapons. Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Turkmenistan: Dissident's Brother Dies After Beating Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 17 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Turkmenistan: Dissident's Brother Dies After Beating, 17 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5806149b4.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Turkmen authorities should investigate the suspicious death of the brother of an exiled dissident journalist from Turkmenistan, Human Rights Watch said today. Altymurad Annamuradov died on September 4, 2016, four days after he was kidnapped from his home in Turkmenistan and beaten by unknown men. Altymurad Annamuradov, 52, was kidnapped while his brother, Chary Annamuradov, was in detention in Belarus under a Turkmen government extradition request in connection with politically motivated criminal fraud charges filed in 2000. On September 14, Belarusian authorities released Chary Annamuradov and allowed him to return to Sweden, where he was granted asylum in 2003. The death of his brother only recently came to the attention of Human Rights Watch. "The death of Altymurad Annamuradov smacks of targeted retaliation against a political dissident," said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Turkmen authorities have a long history of persecuting Chary Annamuradov and his family, and now his brother seems to have paid the price for the international scandal that surrounded the attempt to extradite Chary." Three of Chary Annamuradov's brothers died under very suspicious circumstances within a year after he left the country in 1999. Altymurad Annamuradov, a father-of-five, was his last living brother. Chary Annamuradov told Human Rights Watch that on August 31, two unidentified men in civilian clothes went to his brother's house, told his wife they "need to talk to him," and drove him away without further explanation. His family had no information about his whereabouts for more than two full days. Late at night on September 2, unidentified men deposited him near his home. Relatives said that when he returned he was weak, had bruises on his face, and was in a fragile emotional state. He told his family that he was questioned about his brother, and had been brutally beaten and humiliated. He did not reveal any details about the beatings, the attackers, or where he was held, but in the hours after he was released, wept extensively because of his ordeal. Altymurad Annamuradov died on September 4. When his relatives prepared his body for burial, they discovered bruises on other parts of his body. Turkmen authorities should ensure a prompt, thorough, and effective investigation into the abduction, beating, and death of Altymurad Annamuradov, with a view to holding those responsible to account, Human Rights Watch said. The investigation should examine possible security services' involvement in his kidnapping and beating and provide information to the family about the findings. Chary Annamuradov, 58, worked as an independent journalist in the 1990s in Turkmenistan and reported on such issues as Turkmenistan's political prisoners and ethnic minorities. He and his family faced harassment in retribution for his work, and in 1996, Turkmen police arrested him on bogus smuggling and numerous other trumped-up criminal charges. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 1997, but was released under an amnesty in 1999. He fled the country due to continuous persecution and eventually became a Swedish citizen. He continued to work in exile as a journalist for Radio Liberty's Turkmen service, Deutsche Welle, and an opposition website, Gundogar, using pseudonyms up until 2008. On July 19, 2016, Belarusian border police arrested him in the Minsk airport on the basis of a 10-year-old international arrest warrant. Belarusian authorities held him in custody for nearly two months before declining the Turkmen government's extradition request. Chary Annamuradov told Human Rights Watch that Altymurad had cirrhosis of the liver, but no other health problems that could cause an unexpected death. Turkmenistan is one of the world's most repressive and closed countries. The government tolerates no dissent, allows no media or political freedoms, and has driven into exile or imprisoned political opposition, human rights defenders, and independent journalists. Dissidents and often their family members are treated as criminals and are subject to internal exile, and thousands are believed to be on an arbitrary "black list" preventing them from leaving the country. "We are extremely concerned for the safety of Altymurad Annamuradov's family," Denber said. "Turkmenistan's international partners should make clear to the authorities that they will be closely monitoring the situation for the family, and seek government assurances that no further harm will come to them." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Vietnam: Reform Criminal Law to Respect Rights Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 17 October 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Vietnam: Reform Criminal Law to Respect Rights, 17 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/580614ff4.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Vietnam's National Assembly should reform the criminal law to respect basic rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly, and religion, Human Rights Watch said today. The National Assembly is considering revisions to the penal code during its session scheduled from October 20 to November 22, 2016. The laws were used in October's arrest of prominent blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, known as "Mother Mushroom." "Many articles related to national security in Vietnam's laws are vaguely defined and often used arbitrarily to punish critics, activists, and bloggers," said Brad Adams, Asia director. "The National Assembly should take this opportunity to strip provisions that have created so many political prisoners and bring Vietnam's laws in line with international standards." Vietnam's penal code includes crimes related to "activities aiming to overthrow the people's administration" (penal code article 79, penalty up to death sentence); "undermining national unity policy" (article 87, penalty up to 15 years in prison); "conducting propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam" (article 88, penalty up to 20 years); "disrupting security" (article 89, penalty up to 15 years); and "abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to infringe upon the interests of the state, the rights and interests of individuals" (article 258, penalty up to 7 years). In November 2015, the National Assembly passed revisions to the penal code. Instead of repealing articles contrary to human rights standards, lawmakers introduced even harsher provisions, such as adding a new punishment to several of these articles that states, "The person who takes actions in preparation of committing this crime shall be subject to between one and five years of imprisonment." "It's bad enough for Vietnam to use vague laws to imprison peaceful critics and activists," Adams said. "But it's even more outrageous to lock up someone for five years just because the government arbitrarily decides that they are preparing to criticize the government." "Mother Mushroom" The most recent example of the government using one of its national security laws to punish peaceful critics is the October 10, 2016 arrest of blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh at her home in Nha Trang. She was charged her with "conducting propaganda against the state" for her blog and Facebook posts. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, 37, blogs under the penname Mother (of) Mushroom (Me Nam), named after her 10-year-old daughter whom she calls "Mushroom," and recently under the penname Mother (of) Mushroom (&) Bear (Me Nam Gau), after her 2-year-old son whom she calls "Bear." With the motto, "Who will speak if you don't," Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh wrote on social and political issues including land confiscation, police brutality, and freedom of expression. She voiced her support for fellow dissidents and publicly campaigned for the release of many political prisoners including Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Nguyen Ngoc Gia, Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hung, and Nguyen Huu Vinh (known as Anh Ba Sam). Above all, she advocated for an environment of freedom from fear. The morning before she was arrested, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh went with Nguyen Thi Nay, the mother of political prisoner Nguyen Huu Quoc Duy, to try to visit him in prison. In September 2009, the police took Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh from her home in the middle of the night and questioned her about blog postings that criticized government policies on China and its disputed claims to the Spratly and Paracel Islands. She was released after nine days but remained under intrusive surveillance by police, who continued to pressure her to shut down her blog. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh participated in numerous public protests that advocated for human rights and a clean environment. She was subject to constant police harassment, intimidation, interrogation, and put under house arrest on numerous occasions to prevent her from attending important events. Police detained her twice in 2014 to prevent her from flying to Hanoi to attend meetings at the Australian Embassy in July and at the Canadian and Norwegian Embassies in November. In March 2015, police detained her again to prevent her from going to Hanoi to attend a meeting at the German Embassy. In July 2015, she reported being assaulted by men in civilian clothes in front of police officers for participating in a sit-down protest to campaign for the release of political prisoners. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh received the Hellman Hammett grant from Human Rights Watch in 2010 for writers defending free expression. State media reported that the police alleged that the evidence against Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh for anti-state blogging included a file named "Stop police killing civilians." The file included data on 31 cases of people who died in police custody, which she and others had collected from state media. The police claimed that the file "bears a hostile viewpoint against the people's police force. The document makes the readers misunderstand the nature of the problem, offends and lowers the prestige of the people's police force, and harms the relationship between the people and the police force." Many cases summarized in "Stop police killing civilians" had been documented and published by Human Rights Watch, such as the violent deaths in police custody of Nguyen Quoc Bao, Nguyen Van Khuong, Trinh Xuan Tung, Tu Ngoc Thach, and Y Ket Bdap. According to Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security, reported by state media, from October 2011 to September 2014 there were 226 cases of death in detention facilities. The police claimed that during the search of Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh's house they found many documents providing evidence of crimes. Among these documents were slogans such as "Fish need water; the country needs transparency" (Ca can nuoc sach; Nuoc can minh bach); "Take legal action against Formosa" (Khoi to Formosa); "No Formosa"; "Formosa Get Out"; and anti-China claims over the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands such as "No to Chinese Expansionism." The police said that in addition to her Facebook and blog posts, other "crimes" she committed were to give interviews to CNN and Radio Free Asia. After arresting her, the police announced that Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh would be detained temporarily for four months. Under the criminal procedure code, in cases related to national security, defense lawyers can only participate in the procedure after the investigation is concluded (article 58). The investigation period can last as long as two years (article 119), meaning an accused may be detained for up to two years without access to legal counsel. Vietnam's donors and trade partners should urge the government to amend the penal code and the criminal procedure code to ensure all forms of peaceful expression are protected and that the rights of criminal suspects are respected. "The Vietnamese authorities are using ridiculous charges to shut up 'Mother Mushroom,'" Adams said. "The National Assembly needs to reform the criminal law so that peaceful critics like her can't be held without charge for two years without a lawyer or otherwise be subject to the injustices of Vietnam's current criminal justice system." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Nigeria's Forgotten Children Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 18 October 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Nigeria's Forgotten Children, 18 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/580615894.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Two and a half years since 219 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria, sparking a global outcry and the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, there has finally been some good news. Yesterday, 21 of those girls were reunited with their families in an emotional ceremony in Abuja, embracing the parents they thought they'd never see again. But it's not a completely happy ending - the girls are traumatized and distressed after 30 months in captivity, and little is known about the fates of the almost 200 others who are still missing. And even less is known about the other children caught in the web of this conflict, those who are suffering horrific abuses perpetrated not by Boko Haram, but by the Nigerian government. An Amnesty International investigation in May revealed that more than 120 boys were being held incommunicado in a disease-infested cell at the notorious Giwa barracks detention center in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. Children under five years of age were detained in three women's cells. The same investigation showed that 12 children, including infants and babies, died in Giwa between January and May, falling prey to malnutrition and disease. (Nearly 150 adults also lost their lives.) These children are the forgotten victims of Nigeria's fight against Boko Haram. The government claims that Giwa houses Boko Haram suspects in transit to more established detention centers, but in fact, its detainees are just as likely to be displaced civilians caught in the army's counter-insurgency dragnet. More than 1,000 people are still believed to be held at Giwa, most of them arrested en masse without being formally charged. Broken promises After Amnesty International's report was published May, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told CNN's Christiane Amanpour there would be a thorough investigation into the detention facility. Five months on, there have been reports of some releases of "cleared detainees" from Giwa Barracks, but there has still been no investigation into the detention of children, or into the deaths of adults and children at Giwa. Our research shows that the cells at Giwa are still being filled, and adults and children are still dying there. Since President Buhari's on-air promise to CNN, Amnesty International has confirmed the deaths of 15 more babies and toddlers at Giwa. Babies are also being born in detention: one former detainee who was released earlier this year told us that 15 babies were born in the six months she was detained. Umar, a young boy who was recently released from Giwa, spoke to Amnesty International about conditions there, describing how more than 200 boys were crammed into his cell, a significant increase from the 120 boys Amnesty recorded in the same cell in May. Their cell is so cramped that some boys have no choice but to sleep on top of each other, said Umar, whose name has been changed to protect his identity. They are never allowed outside, except to be counted by their captors. Umar said that 50 of the boys in his cell were no older than 6. Umar was taken to Giwa from a displacement camp in Bama after he and his family fled violence and intimidation by Boko Haram militants. His father was accused of aiding the group, and so Umar was locked up in Giwa without charge. Until May this year, an adult detainee from Giwa would visit the boys' cell each morning to try to continue their schooling. He taught the boys the English alphabet and numbers by rote, but when he was released, the boys just waited in their cell for the day to pass. Umar says they had nothing but a few balls provided by the soldiers to roll around the cell. That, and the occasional roll call outdoors, were almost the only things punctuating the boredom of their detention. It often took two days to get a doctor to see those who were sick. Many of Umar's cellmates had malaria, including a seven-year-old who died of the disease. "They took him outside. I don't know where to," Umar said. "There was not enough food and water. It was unhygienic." As with all detainees at the barracks, Umar claims that he and the rest of the children were held incommunicado and denied access to their families and the outside world. The wider crisis Beyond the horror of the abducted Chibok girls and the children left to die in Giwa, "free" children in northeastern Nigeria don't necessarily fare much better. The region is facing one of Africa's largest humanitarian crises. Since 2009, Boko Haram has wreaked havoc in the region, killing thousands of people. Around 2.4 million have been displaced, the majority of whom are children. Many are living in camps in horrific conditions, at risk of dying from severe malnutrition, dehydration and inadequate medical care, and with little to no assistance from the outside world. Conditions in Borno State are particularly dire and humanitarian assistance is urgently needed. Unicef says there are 244,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Borno, and that an estimated 49,000 children will die if they don't receive treatment. Displaced people at the Bama camp where Umar stayed have given Amnesty International harrowing accounts of life there, describing how children regularly succumb to starvation and disease. "Most of the women have lost children," one woman told us after leaving Bama. "In our group, there are 15 women from one village -- we lost 20 children." Medecins Sans Frontieres has counted 1,233 graves near the camp in the past year. Of them, 480 were for children. What can be done? We call on President Buhari to keep his word and investigate thoroughly the abuse and deaths at Giwa. It's a death camp that must be closed. The fight against Boko Haram is no excuse to imprison children. The previous government was astonishingly slow to respond to the Chibok girls' abduction in the first place; President Buhari's administration must now spare no efforts to bring them back, along with all the others who have been abducted. The wider crisis has been neglected long enough. The response to the humanitarian needs of those affected by the conflict has not only been slow, but also inadequate. The government and international community must not forget the children who suffer in silence in places like Giwa and the displacement camps in Borno, surrounded by tiny graves that shame us all. This article was first published by CNN Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Somalia: Leading Mogadishu daily's editor arrested Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 17 October 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Somalia: Leading Mogadishu daily's editor arrested, 17 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58061a644.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders condemns newspaper editor Abdi Aden Guled's arrest two days ago and calls for his immediate release. The editor of Xog Ogaal, one of Somalia's leading dailies, Guled was arrested during a raid by members of the National Intelligence Service Agency (NISA) on the newspaper's Mogadishu headquarters on the evening of 15 October. The newspaper's manager said it is not know why Guled was arrested. He has been held by the NISA ever since. The NISA agents seized computers, cameras, archives and other material during the raid, since when no issue of the newspaper has been produced. One of Somalia's most widely read dailies, it has been publishing since the 1991 civil war. The raid followed the newspaper's publication of photos of a massacre of civilians in El-Ali, in the central region of Hiran, by members of the Islamist rebel group Al-Shabaab. Fighting is currently taking place between Al-Shabaab and government forces in this region. A source in the security services said it was a senior government official who had ordered Guled's arrest. "We urge the Somali authorities to free Abdi Aden Guled without delay," RSF said. "The security forces cannot keep taking justice into their own hands with complete impunity. If there is a problem with something published, the judicial system should arbitrate. By raiding such an emblematic newspaper, the authorities have crossed a new threshold in their abusive treatment of journalists and media in Somalia." Journalists' unions and associations lost no time in condemning the raid and calling on the security forces to respect media freedom. Media freedom is declining in Somalia, while journalists continue to be the victims of the prevailing impunity. As RSF reported at the time, men on a motorcycle gunned down radio journalist Abdiaziz Mohamed Ali on a Mogadishu street just three weeks ago. Somalia is ranked 167th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index. Joint letter to the Sultan of Oman on the right of press freedom and the targeting of journalists and human rights defenders Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 18 October 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Joint letter to the Sultan of Oman on the right of press freedom and the targeting of journalists and human rights defenders, 18 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58061acb4.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 9 other international organizations wrote today to Sultan Qaboos bin Said asking him to intervene in the Azamn trial. They requested that he use his influence to revoke the permanent closure order of Azamn newspaper and revoke the sentences issued against its three leading journalists, sentenced to years in prison on 26 September because of an article about suspected corruption within Oman's judicial system. Your Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, We, the undersigned organisations write to you regarding the systematic targeting of journalists, human rights defenders and online activists by the Internal Security Service (ISS) in Oman. We believe that these recent arrests and prosecutions are part of an ongoing attempt to silence and curtail the right to press freedom as well as freedom of expression. Since October 10, 2016, the three Azamn journalists sentenced to years in prison by the Court of First Instance in Muscat are free, pending the outcome of the appeal which is expected on November 7th. Ibrahim Al-Maamari, the editor-in-chief of the Omani independent newspaper Azamn, and managing editor Youssef Al-Haj were freed after the appeal court, at their lawyers' request, reduced the amount of bail to 2,000 rials (4,000 euros) from the 50,000 rials (110,000 euros) set by the court that convicted them. The third defendant in this case, Azamn local news editor Zaher Al-Abri, was already released conditionally on August 22nd. On September 26, 2016, the Court of First Instance had imposed harsh jail sentences on these three journalists and ordered the permanent closure of the Azamn newspaper. The arrests of the journalists and the closure of the newspaper came after a report, published in July 2016, which accused unnamed officials of influencing the Chief Magistrate of the Supreme Court, to intervene in judicial proceedings. The Vice-President of the Supreme Court thanked the newspaper for the report and for dissemination of "facts without a slur on anybody". More precisely, Ibrahim Al-Maamari and Yousef Al-Haj were convicted of four common charges - "disturbing public order, misuse of the Internet, publishing details of a civil case, and undermining the prestige of the state." They were sentenced to three years' imprisonment, in addition to a fine of 3000 RO and a ban on working as a journalist for a period of one year. Two additional charges were brought against Yousef Al-Haj: "publishing about a case for which a decree had been issued to ban news about it, and slander." Journalist Zaher Al-Abri was sentenced to one-year imprisonment and fined 1000 RO after being found guilty of using "an information network [the Internet] for the dissemination of material that might be prejudicial to public order." These harsh sentences are a clear attempt to hinder the work of journalists and to curtail the right to freedom of expression and opinion in Oman. The imprisonment of journalists whose only crime was to exercise their profession in a legitimate manner and the censorship of this story do not bode well for the future of journalism and civil liberties in the Sultanate, which is ranked 125th out of 180 countries in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. In relation with the Azamn case, many online activists showing support with the journalists were targeted by the authorities. Saqr Al-Balushi, and writer Hamood Al-Shukaily, arrested both respectively on October 5th and August 14th, remain in detention. Mohammed Al-Harthi, however, who was arrested on August 18th in relation with posts he made on Twitter in which he expressed his views on corruption and solidarity with the Azamn newspaper, was released the following day. The undersigned organisations express serious concern at the ISS' systematic targeting of journalists, writers, human rights defenders including online activists, and view it as a deplorable and urgent threat to media freedom and freedom of expression in Oman. We call on you to use your influence in Oman to: Protect freedom of the media and freedom of speech, especially online; Revoke the closure order of Azamn newspaper by the Ministry of Information; Revoke the sentences issued against journalists Ibrahim Al-Maamari, Yousef Al-Haj and Zaher Al-Abri; Immediately and unconditionally release online activists Mohammed Al-Harthi and Saqr Al-Balushi; Ensure that the ISS stops its attacks on media freedom and freedom of expression and its targeting of journalists, online activists and other human rights defenders; To guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders including journalists, writers and online activists in Oman are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment. Signed: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Front Line Defenders (FLD) Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) Index on Censorship International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders International Federation of Journalism (IFJ) PEN International Reporters Without Borders (RSF) SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Montenegro: RSF condemns blocking of messaging apps on election day Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 18 October 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Montenegro: RSF condemns blocking of messaging apps on election day, 18 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58061b5e4.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the temporary shut-down of the WhatsApp and Viber messaging apps in Montenegro during parliamentary elections on 16 October. A few hours before polling stations opened, the authorities announced that they had foiled a mysterious plot to oust Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and had arrested 20 suspects in Podgorica. The police erected barricades outside parliament to prevent demonstrations. Against this backdrop, suspending WhatsApp and Viber just exacerbated the election-day tension. In an attempt to justify the blocking, the authorities said the apps were being used to disseminate "undesirable publicity messages." Under pressure from the opposition, they restored access a few hours later. "Blocking applications of this kind in a democratic country on a national election day amounts to a violation of free speech and is liable to foster suspicion that the authorities are interfering in the electoral process," said Pauline Ades-Mevel, the head of RSF's European Union-Balkans desk. Montenegro is ranked 106th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index. South Sudan's never ending war Publisher IRIN Author Obi Anyadike Publication Date 12 October 2016 Cite as IRIN, South Sudan's never ending war, 12 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58061bb44.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. South Sudan's conflict has entered a new, more dangerous phase. While there has been no new fighting in the capital, Juba, since a splurge of violence in July, rebellion is spreading across the country. In its wake, refugees are fleeing into neighbouring Uganda and Ethiopia, fearing yet more bloodshed to come. This briefing explores a crisis that has already left more than five million people roughly half the population in need of aid. Where are we now? At the root of the conflict is a political contest for power between President Salva Kiir and his rival, former vice president Riek Machar. After two years of civil war, Machar arrived in Juba in April to cement a shaky peace agreement that gave his opposition SPLA-IO a stake in a government of national unity. But that deal expired in five days of fighting in July, which routed Machar's small protection force. Late last month, Machar announced from Khartoum that he would fight on. He was joined in rebellion by veteran dissident Lam Akol, who launched his own National Democratic Movement to battle the government. More of the same? So far so predictable. South Sudan is a country held to ransom by what analyst Majak D'Agoot refers to as the "gun class" - men like Kiir and Machar, "sectarian warlords" that have historically used violence, channelled through appeals to ethnic nationalism, to "hijack" the state for "personal gain". It's essentially a zero-sum game for who will be "king of the hill in Juba", says conflict researcher Alan Boswell. So far, it's a contest that Kiir appears to be winning. He has moved quickly to sideline Machar, with former SPLA-IO chief negotiator, Taban Deng Gai, sworn in as vice president. The government's intention is for Taban to woo over as many SPLA-IO commanders as possible, and to present him to the outside world as a credible alternative to Machar. To that end he recently visited New York and hobnobbed with officials in the UN and Western governments. At home, the government maintains the idea there is still a government of national unity, based on the Addis Ababa peace agreement, an exhausting and frustrating mediation effort by the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). "What I hear from government is a determination to move forward with implementation of the peace process," said a Juba-based analyst who asked not to be named. "You go to meetings and workshops where people have name tags that still read TGoNU [Transitional Government of National Unity]." Is Machar finished? In building up Taban, the government is presenting the international community with a dilemma. Donors have to decide whether "we work with what we have, which is Taban, versus trying to ease Machar back into the peace process," says Rashid Abdi of the International Crisis Group. How acute the choice is will depend to an extent on what Machar does next. Khartoum, against which Kiir and the SPLA fought a bitter war to gain independence in 2011, has long meddled in the south backing a rebellion by Machar against the SPLA in 1991 for one. But Abdi believes the strategic calculation is changing. Through force of habit Khartoum may maintain an interest in Machar, but warming relations with Juba, and its main backer Uganda, means it would not be in Sudan's long-term interests to arm and support him. There is also diplomatic pressure to relocate Machar to South Africa, or anywhere else that does not share a border with South Sudan. With his aura already diminished, "If he goes to South Africa that will be the end of him," says analyst Jok Madut Jok of the Sudd Institute. He therefore wouldn't be surprised if Machar manages to slip back into South Sudan: "If he can get into Upper Nile he will be a real player, and we'll be back to full-blown civil war." Power to (my) people? Ethnicity is often used as shorthand to explain South Sudan's conflict and the atrocities committed against civilians by both sides. But the trigger for the civil war in 2013 was essentially a political dispute, based on internal SPLM opposition to Kiir that was drawn from multiple sources and ethnicities. Kiir and Machar have since successfully mobilized key segments of their respective Dinka and Nuer communities, the country's two largest groups. But while Kiir is seen by his opponents as promoting narrow ethnic interests, backed by the conservative Dinka Council of Elders, there is also resentment among some Dinka towards his clan, who are seen as especially favoured. Neither are the Nuer monolithic. There are senior Nuer who have remained loyal to the SPLA, especially from northern Unity state. Broad ethnic labels tend to obscure local community dynamics. Abdi believes the cardinal sin of the IGAD agreement was to view the struggle solely as a contest between Kiir and Machar. It was a narrow rather than a universal deal, ignoring the demands of other ethnic groups and contestants for power that predate the peace process. Those "centrifugal forces" are going to accelerate "the longer [a credible] peace process stays in the freezer," says Abdi. "I think you have two different wars going on in South Sudan right now," notes Boswell. "You have a fight between Kiir and Machar's coalitions over who will be king. But there are a bunch of smaller groups in South Sudan who are waging a war against the kingdom itself." Even though some groups in Equatoria have teamed up with SPLA-IO, they are all opposed to the hegemony of both sides. "They want a structure that's more like a political union, a lot of smaller hills rather than one big one," explains Boswell. There are many other groups across the country like the Cobra Faction, which draws support from among the Murle in Greater Upper Nile. While former leader David Yau Yau is sticking with the government, the Cobras have joined "the struggle against the authoritarian, tribalistic regime in Juba". Stick or carrot? The government's approach in the past was to buy off these community militia, a strategy of co-option known as the "big tent". But oil-dependent South Sudan is broke, and with carrots limited, the government has turned enthusiastically to the stick. Wau, South Sudan's second largest city, has felt the sting of retribution. It was purged by the army, allegedly on the grounds the Fertit people were supporting SPLA-IO. Human rights groups reported mass graves, and the UN estimated 125,000 people were made homeless. Overall, more than one million South Sudanese are now refugees in the region, with about 174,000 fleeing since the beginning of July. UNHCR's figures jumped sharply in late September. People escaping the violence in Equatoria and crossing into Uganda speak of villages being attacked and looted, women sexually abused, and young boys conscripted. "You can feel something terrible looming on the horizon, an enormous pall," says the analyst in Juba. How can disaster be averted? "The best scenario is an impossible one," says Jok. "It's to get Machar and Kiir to retire from politics, to be replaced by a caretaker technocratic government until elections." There are equally few diplomatic options. For a start, the Addis Ababa process is deeply discredited. "IGAD is in complete disarray. Many people no longer believe there is a cogent regional strategy to find a solution," notes Abdi of the ICG. The UN's response to the July violence, in which its peacekeepers failed to intervene convincingly to save civilian lives, has been to talk tough about an additional Regional Protection Force. IGAD countries may provide some of the troops (Zimbabwe and Egypt have also volunteered), but as it wants the UN to pay for the intervention, the proposed 4,000 RPF soldiers would fall under a discredited UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) command structure. The RPF has the "pacification" of Juba as part of its mandate. But the government has made it clear it will not accept any force that could offer any real interference, and the fact its army has shown no compunction about killing UN peacekeepers, this is likely to provide food for thought for any potential troop contributors. The UN has so far not been able to even agree an arms embargo. Start again? South Sudan is such a mess that there have been calls by, among others, former US special envoy Princeton Lyman, and African academic Mahmood Mamdani, that the country be placed under some kind of trusteeship for 10 to 15 years. It's of course a non-starter. The clock can't be put back, and there is no support for the proposal in the African Union. "Mamdani has taken progressive positions on most issues, so this is more a symptom of despair rather than anything else," says Abdi. "A trusteeship of 10 to 15 years is more than a regime change policy, it's like 'we're really messed up'," adds Boswell. The solution has to come from South Sudanese, says Jok. His best-case scenario is that Kiir gives Taban enough space to play a legitimate role, allowing him to put a brake on the excesses of the army, and build a constituency among the opposition that bleeds support away from Machar. But Boswell has a more pessimistic take. He believes the government will pursue a security solution that will intimidate and coopt communities. But he likens the outcome to a giant Ponzi scheme, in which its political base of support only gets narrower. "The government is winning the war militarily, but the big question is what happens if the Ponzi scheme collapses, swallowed up by the political grievances it's generating?" South Sudan, already poor and underdeveloped, is being made poorer still. It's people that have lived through decades of civil war are enduring yet more violence. "There are no winners in any of this," says the Juba-based analyst. Afghan forces regain control of Kunduz, allowing residents to return Publisher IRIN Author Jared Ferrie Publication Date 13 October 2016 Cite as IRIN, Afghan forces regain control of Kunduz, allowing residents to return, 13 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58061c2d4.html [accessed 31 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Afghan government forces have largely regained control of the provincial capital of Kunduz from the Taliban, and the UN now expects the almost 40,000 residents who fled during the past week of fighting to begin returning home. Taliban fighters launched an assault on the city on 3 October, one day before the start of a major international conference in Brussels, where donors pledged $15.2 billion in aid to Afghanistan over the next four years. The latest fighting in Kunduz city displaced more than 39,000 people, mostly to neighbouring provinces, the UN's emergency aid coordination body, OCHA, said in a 12 October situation report. "If the security situation remains calm IDPs [internally displaced people] are likely to return in significant numbers", the OCHA report said. But, the organisation added, "clashes are reported in districts just beyond the city limits." Homes, shops and infrastructure were damaged in the violence. Electricity remains cut off in the city, while water was restored yesterday and some shops had reopened. Many IDPs fled on foot with "very little other than the clothes on their backs", OCHA spokeswoman Danielle Moylan told IRIN today. Some were staying with relatives or in rented accommodation, she said, while others had spent their first night in the open before being located by aid groups that quickly built temporary camps and distributed blankets, meals, water and medical assistance. Inside the city, Kunduz Regional Hospital received about 300 casualties, mostly civilians, and the building sustained shelling damage, Moylan said. "We received reports that some civilians were unable to reach the hospital due to fighting," she added. "We are also aware that some patients decided to leave the hospital before completing treatment in fear that the hospital could be attacked." Such fears may have been well grounded. A hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres was destroyed by a United States airstrike just over a year ago as the US provided air support to Afghan troops and US Army Special Forces who were fighting to wrest control of Kunduz back from the Taliban, which had briefly taken over the city. The MSF hospital remains a charred reminder of the 42 people who died in that attack. Moylan said the destruction of the MSF facility "caused a huge gap in trauma services in the region." The World Health Organization subsequently supported construction of a trauma unit at the regional hospital to boost capacity, and during this week's fighting WHO sent supplies and a three person medical team from Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, to help deal with the crisis. This week also saw militants attack two Shia mosques as worshippers were gathered to mark the religious festival of Ashura. Shia Muslims comprise about 15 percent of Afghanistan's approximately 30 million people, who are otherwise almost all Sunni, and the religious minority has long been subject to attacks by groups including the Taliban. So-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for the 11 October attack in which gunmen stormed a mosque in Kabul, killing 19. An unknown group detonated a bomb in the Khojagholak area of the northern province of Balkh the following day, killing at least 10 people and injuring 36, according to the UN Mission in Afghanistan. Atlanta, GA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/18/2016 --JOIN US SATURDAY NOV. 5, 2016 The Super Fun Day, 'Savvy Cyber Kids' annual fundraiser, celebrates savvy cyber kids who understand the importance of screen-time balance and encourages kids and their families to create lasting memories and adventures beyond the screen. The event is centered on a spirited 5K, complete with Super Heroes and bigger than life Characters to keep the kids on track and to entertain the crowds. Super Hero capes, costumes and masks are encouraged! Registration begins at 8:00 am and the race starts at 9:00 am. A DJ and bounce house will keep everyone moving! ARE YOUR KIDS SAFE ONLINE? Socialized even before birth, today's children are born online and grow up with a false sense of securitythat they are always safe online. Nearly 6 out of 10 teens say they met a new friend online, and 20 percent of the teens who met people online followed-up in person. Not surprisingly, 4 out of 5 children cannot tell if they are talking to an adult posing as a child or a real one. SAVVY CYBER KIDS CAN HELP Savvy Cyber Kids, an Atlanta based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate and empower digital citizens, recognizes that children without intervention completely lack understanding of the implications of their digital actions. Founded in 2007 by Internet security expert and author Ben Halpert, Savvy Cyber Kids teaches cyber ethics concepts for children 3-18, along with their parents and educators. THE SAVVY CYBER KIDS AT HOME BOOK SERIES are uniquely tailored for children ages three-to-seven, teaching security awareness in a fun and accessible format. As a child matures, the Savvy Cyber Kids educational resources continue to expand. The Savvy Cyber Kids Cyber Ethics Programs offer a customizable platform of evolving topics from security, privacy, digital strangers, classroom technology, bullying and screen-time balance to technology addiction, sexting, digital reputation and body and self-image. Savvy Cyber Kids resources are designed to give children of all ages the tools they need to make appropriate digital decision-making, while also providing the parents and teachers who guide them with the know-how to be involved in young people's digital lives. Your support and attendance at our annual fundraiser helps us help your kids, neighbors and society think about cyber ethics in their daily lives. To designate funds be directed to Savvy Cyber Kids during registration, register at http://TheSuperRunAtlanta.org and select Savvy Cyber Kids from the drop down "Fundraising for" option list. THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS THAT MAKE FULFILLING OUR MISSION POSSIBLE PRESENTING Digital Guardian Ionic Security LEAD EarthLink HERO TechSquare EY SIDEKICK Bark Luma UFC GYM Denim Group Plymouth Funding LLC Dunwoody Macaroni Kid Classic Tents & Events BHHS Georgia Properties Dunwoody - Sandy Springs Office Merlin Auto Group About Savvy Cyber Kids (SCK) Savvy Cyber Kids (SCK), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to enable youth, families, and school communities to be empowered by technology, recognizes that children may be Digital Natives but are also "Digital Naives", who, without intervention, completely lack understanding of the implications of their digital actions. Founded in 2007 by Internet security expert, noted speaker and author Ben Halpert, Savvy Cyber Kids provides resources for parents and teachers to educate children as they grow up in a world surrounded by technology by teaching numerous cyber ethics concepts such as personal Internet safety, bully response, technology balance, digital reputation, privacy, and more. Savvy Cyber Kids is grateful for the ongoing support of its presenting sponsors, Digital Guardian and Ionic Security and for the support of its education series partner, Earthlink. Carey Thompson had every reason to believe that the report of a biopsy taken after her mammogram in December 2011 would come back with a good report. After all, Thompson, 42 at the time, may well have been one of the least likely breast cancer patients around. 'I have no risk factors,' said Thompson, a registered nurse for Nicole Bullock, a OB-GYN physician at Abilene Regional Medical Center. 'I didn't smoke, I wasn't obese, I ate right and I had no history of breast cancer in my family.' However, the biopsy found stage two breast cancer. 'I remember clearly that day,' she said. 'I thought the biopsy would show no cancer. I remembere I worked that day, but I can't remember anything I did at work.' In fact, she recalled, wondering what was going to happen at work, was one of the things that first came to Thompson's mind once she got over the initial shock of receiving the news. 'I had just started a new job in October and I was the only RN in the office,' she said. 'I wondered, 'How are they going to get by without an RN in the office?'' Thompson underwent a partial mastectomy on Feb. 13, 2013, along with the reconstruction, followed by 33 chemo treatments. 'I would go across the street to Texas Oncology on Friday afternoon and then throw up all weekend and then go back to work Monday,' she said. 'I was done with everything by October.' Her treatment impacted not only her but also her family, especially her children, who were teens at the timey. 'They had to take more responsibility,' she said. 'At some point, I couldn't keep up with their school work, so they had to do it. It made them responsible people.' The family also had moved to Abilene from Canada, so there was no extended family around to help out. Instead, said Thompson, her family turned inward for support and also got help from their church. 'My little family grew closer and we had to rely on our church family and friends,' she said. She said she went through a period when she asked why she had gotten breast cancer ('I think everyone does,' she said), but Thompson said she developed a positive attitude early on, thanks to a variety of reasons. One was a friend who had gone through breast cancer. 'I had a good friend who I saw go through it and she gave me a lot of hope,' said Thompson. 'Her cancer has metastasized, but she's still very hopeful.' Another source of her strength, she said, came from her faith and still another came from staying physically active. 'I think exercise, to me, was a good outlet,' said Thompson. 'And, of course, friends.' While she would have preferred to skip breast cancer, Thompson acknowledges that her cancer has had a positive impact on her professionally. 'I've always worked in women's health, for all of my 25-year nursing career,' she said. 'When I have to make that phone call (to give a patient bad news), I'm more empathetic. They tend to ask me a lot of questions.' Even if the bad news, such as losing a child during pregnancy, is not something to which Thompson can relate, her experience can be beneficial to her patients. 'I can understand the grief process,' she said. 'I think the most important thing is to be able to give them hope and confidence. 'I feel like my faith is stronger and my empathy is stronger.' If you have a need for firewood, get it now while you can When the history of the 2016 presidential campaign is written, one remarkable question will loom above all others: How did Republicans come to nominate Donald Trump, the most repugnant and reviled candidate in modern times? We have a good inkling of the answer, although Election Day is still three weeks away and we won't predict the outcome: Trump's dark side the angry, petulant, irrational id to his huge, huge ego overwhelmed his surprising political savvy. He had a potent message to voters that he would 'make America great again,' but he couldn't close the deal with them. He was reckless, uncaring, unthinking. He gave in to all his ugliest impulses the sexism, xenophobia, dictator envy and made the situation worse by denying his failings rather than atoning. Underneath was something more reprehensible: allegations of sexual misconduct akin to the assaults in Trump's boasts. Trump might have won this election if it had been held two months ago. Thankfully, he has since imploded. Maybe the definitive examination of this campaign we envision reading one day would be even better told as a staged drama. In theater the protagonist often has a fall from grace and Trump's plummet has been a doozy. What gives the storyline added tension is that the Republicans entered this presidential cycle on quite a roll. It's easy to forget, given the disastrous turn the primaries took when Trump elbowed his way in as an interloper, but the GOP isn't the shambles it appears now. Over the past eight years, while sitting in opposition to President Barack Obama, Republicans have gained control of the U.S. Senate and House, and dominated gubernatorial and state legislative races. Going into Election Day, according to Ballotpedia, Republicans control 23 states (where they hold the governorship and majorities in both the state House and state Senate) compared with the Democrats' control of seven states. There's a reason for this. The Republican Party at its best is the standard-bearer for the American dream. It's the party of opportunity that believes government's chief responsibility is the economic empowerment of all citizens. The recipe for liberty and best path to achievement for the most people is to encourage individual initiative and put limits on the scope and power of government. But today's divided Republicans lack a coherent agenda. They can't agree on a message; arch-conservatives have overtaken moderates in many states. There's a similar schism on the Democratic side between the burgeoning left wing of the party and the moderate side. Hillary Clinton is trying to split the difference, but she's got one great advantage: She isn't Donald Trump. That's probably enough to defeat him. As a believer in traditional Republican principles, we rejected Trump long ago. It was clear to us that he was unfit for the presidency and unrecognizable as a GOP leader. We've empathized with the many Americans who feel both major parties have walked away from them. Historically the Party of Lincoln had a message that still can resonate with a changing America. It was neither the immigration-bashing party nor the party of intolerance, misogyny, exclusion. Those are Trump traits. Republican values embrace equal opportunity for all including, yes, the women, ethnic minorities and many others whom Trump has slandered and would ostracize. These are among the multitudes of Americans who could be receptive to a message of opportunity. That is, receptive to a message that Republican leaders such as Paul Ryan and the late Jack Kemp have long advocated but which now are suppressed by the ignominy Trump has brought to the party. 'Morning in America?' This guy peddles bleakness, ruin. With a final debate scheduled for Wednesday and the election hurriedly to follow, Republicans soon will survey their rubble. We hope that, come the morning of Nov. 9, their party begins its journey home. Chicago Tribune Today in history: On Oct. 18, 1898, a year after Spain granted Puerto Rico self rule, the United States takes authority over the nation. The U.S. had invaded the nation of 1 million in July during the Spanish-American War, securing the island with only 7 reported deaths. After an armistice was signed with Spain, the 108-mile long island was turned over to the U.S. Citizenship was granted but government was run by Puerto Ricans. The nation prefers to remain to a commonwealth and not a U.S. state. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... The Cambodian government plans to deport some of the nearly 160 Montagnards living in the capital Phnom Penh back to Vietnam, but it is unclear how many or when, government officials told RFAs Khmer Service. While the Montagnards fear that they will be mistreated or killed if they are sent back, government officials say they have failed to prove that they qualify as refugees. Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak told RFA that the ministry has yet to make a final decision on their deportation, and they would have a month to appeal the decision. The results of the interviews I obtained yesterday show that many of them didnt satisfy the requirements to be recognized as refugees, under U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) requirements and government decrees, he told RFA. It will, therefore, take some time before they will be deported, he said. Now they have to submit additional evidence to justify their claims of mistreatment or persecution. After that we will decide whether or not to deport them. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the Montagnards told RFA that interviews on their status are currently being conducted, but that he does not know if he can win approval for refugee status. Vietnams Central Highlands are home to some 30 tribes of indigenous peoples, known collectively as Montagnards or the Degar. The group of Montagnards who fled to Phnom Penh comes from the mountainous region of Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Kon Tum provinces in central Vietnam, which border Rattanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces of Cambodia. The Montagnards living in Phnom Penh are among the more than 200 who have fled their country and crossed the border into Cambodia seeking help from UNHCR, citing oppression by the Vietnamese government. Among those, some were sent back to Vietnam by the Cambodian authorities, while 13 were recognized by the Cambodian government as legitimate refugees in early 2016. They were relocated to the Philippines by the U.N. in May. The Montagnard who spoke to RFA said he hoped the government and the UNHCR will decide against repatriating them to Vietnam. He said they would go to any other country, but feared returning to Vietnam. In June Vietnamese police questioned them in what appears to be a failed attempt to get them to return to their native country. That move by the Vietnamese authorities was condemned by civil society as intimidation of the Montagnards. Rights groups say the Montagnards, many of whom are Christian, have been victims of persecution and repression in Vietnam. The Montagnards also backed the U.S. in the Vietnam War. Reported by Thai Tha for RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. One year after he was taken away from his holiday home in Thailand and held by Chinese police, Hong Kong bookseller and Swedish national Gui Minhai remains in detention at an unknown location, rights activists said. Gui, who headed the Mighty Current publishing house based around the Causeway Bay Books store in Hong Kong, is the last of five booksellers to be unaccounted for after their cross-border detentions sparked accusations that Beijing had broken its treaty obligations to the city. Gui was last seen on Oct. 17, 2015 after leaving his holiday apartment in Pattaya, Thailand, according to the Free Gui Minhai website set up by his daughter Angela to campaign for his release. "Since then he has been in detention in mainland China without legal assistance or consular access," the website said. Chinese authorities admitted to having detained Gui in January 2016, airing video of him "confessing" to involvement in an alleged drunk-driving accident 10 years earlier. Police claimed he had returned to China voluntarily. "Other than this, no information on his status or whereabouts has been given to his family nor to Swedish authorities," the Free Gui Minhai site said. In the months that followed, Causeway Bay Books store manager and British passport-holder Lee Bo, 65, went missing from his workplace in Hong Kong, and the group's general manager Lui Bo (also spelled Lui Por) and colleagues Cheung Chi-ping and Lam Wing-kei were also all detained under opaque circumstances. The five, all of whom are permanent Hong Kong residents, were accused of selling "banned books" to customers across the internal border in mainland China. Not applicable to Hong Kong Beijing-based rights lawyer Shang Baojun said the charges shouldn't be applicable to residents of Hong Kong, however. "The laws in question shouldn't have any applicability to Hong Kong, and [the booksellers] published their books in Hong Kong," Shang said in an interview on Tuesday. "[Gui] still hasn't been formally charged," he said, adding that it remains unclear what the authorities plan to do, as no announcements have been made regarding his case. Gui's four colleagues have since been conditionally released by Chinese police. "A full year has gone by, yet all thats clear is that Chinese authorities have grossly violated the rights of the five booksellers both within and outside Chinas borders," Sophie Richardson, China director at the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement on the group's website. "Chinas willingness to snatch people in Thailand and Hong Kong with the apparent involvement of their governments adds to the concerns," Richardson said. Call for immediate release Richard Choi, deputy chairman of the Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China, called on the Chinese government to release Gui immediately. "Give Gui Minhai his freedom back now," Choi said. "We don't believe that he went back to China of his own accord: we think he was forced to go, and probably kidnapped." "He hasn't been allowed any sort of contact with the outside world, including his family," he said. "He also hasn't been able to exercise his right to a lawyer." "We think that this is a flagrant breach of his right to personal freedom." While the booksellers' detention drew widespread international criticism, little has been done to put pressure on Beijing over the case, Richardson said. U.S.-based Chinese poet Bei Ling, of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, called on Tuesday for Gui to at least be allowed a legal defense following his "kidnapping" at the hands of the authorities. "It is exactly a year since the disappearance of Gui Minhai at the end of October last year," Bei told RFA in an interview. "I hope that the Chinese government will hold an open trial, and explain clearly what exactly Gui did to break Chinese law," he said. "I also hope that the Swedish embassy in China will keep updating us with information from its visits to Gui Minhai," Bei said. Beijing's growing control Gui's daughter Angela said her father's disappearance speaks to Beijing's growing control over free expression in Hong Kong, which was promised the continuation of its existing freedoms for 50 years from the 1997 handover from Britain to China. "His tiny Hong Kong apartment is empty, the books and the porcelain teapots collecting dust," Angela Gui wrote in an article in The Washington Post newspaper. "The once rapidly growing industry specializing in books about mainland politics, in which my fathers was one of the leading bookstores, has gone unusually quiet." By kidnapping five booksellers, she wrote, the ruling Chinese Communist Party has shown that it is possible to "diminish" freedom of expression and democracy in Hong Kong. "Perhaps the world will stand by as more foreign citizens will disappearbecause they dont fit into Chinas increasingly narrow political agenda," she concluded. A recent report by the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) said Hong Kong has seen continual erosion of the freedoms and autonomy it was promised by Beijing, which has also extended its repression of dissidents far beyond its borders. Citing the case of the Causeway Bay booksellers, among others, it said the administration of President Xi Jinping has "run roughshod" over human rights, and called for a tougher policy from Washington. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Hai Nan for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. The heavy security situation in Myanmars Maungdaw township is preventing nongovernmental organizations from delivering aid to residents more than a week after deadly attacks on border guard posts and ensuing violence that authorities have blamed on insurgents backed by a militant Islamic group. In the Oct. 9 attack, assailants raided three border guard posts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships in western Myanmars Rakhine state, also known as Arakan state, killing nine officers and stealing dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The raids triggered further clashes as soldiers and police carried out searches of Muslim neighborhoods in Maungdaw where they were confronted by groups of men with guns, swords, and knives. So far, Security forces have killed 30 suspected militants and captured 29 others in the clashes. Five soldiers also have died. NGOs are trying to reach the more than 2,000 people from 52 villages in Maungdaw township who remained in their villages during the border guard post attacks and subsequent clashes, and are running out of food because they cannot leave the heavily guarded area to buy supplies. The NGOs Wanlark Rural Development Foundation and Wai Lu Kyaw Foundation have donated bags of rice for the villagers via the military because they cannot deliver them directly. We havent learned how many people have been living in these 52 villages because most villages are in a valley, said Aung Kyaw Win, a member of Wanlark Rural Development Foundation. There are no telephone connections and no roads for cars. But there could be between 2,000 and 3,000 people in these villages. Because of the lockdown, United Nations agencies have not been able to reach the area, and movement restrictions are preventing access to health clinics, Reuters reported, citing Pierre Peron, spokesman for the U.N.s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Mya Aung, a Maungdaw resident and former Rakhine state chief minister, stressed that even though the government is providing security personnel to protect the villagers, they still need help to ensure their survival. Thousands of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists are thought to have fled their homes in Maungdaw and gone to the edge of the township, neighboring Buthidaung and Rakhines capital Sittwe, fearing further fighting between security forces and Muslim insurgents. They have taken shelter in monasteries and schools. Civil society organizations in Myanmar have urged authorities in Rakhine state to set up safe housing for the Rakhine residents displaced by the hostilities. Security buildup Soldiers and police inundated the northern part of the state last week to track down hundreds of people involved in planning and carrying out the attacks, and believed to be Muslim Rohingya who received financial support and training from Islamists abroad. The government and the countrys majority Buddhist population refers to the stateless Rohingya as Bengalis and claims they are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. The Rohingya have been denied Myanmar citizenship and voting rights, have no access to health care or education, and have restricted freedom of movement. Communal violence with Rakhine Buddhists four years ago left 200 people deadmostly Rohingyaand displaced about 140,000 Muslims who were forced to live in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. About 120,000 Rohingya remain in the camps today. Interrogations of captured attackers indicated that last weeks raids were carried out by Aqa Mul Mujahidin, an Islamic organization active in Muslim-majority Maungdaw that has links to Islamic extremists in Pakistan and elsewhere. Aqa Mul Mujahidin has links to the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), a small militant group active in the 1980s and the 1990s until the Myanmar government launched a counteroffensive to expel its insurgents from the border area with Bangladesh. The RSO was believed to be defunct. Britain, the countrys former colonial power, had built more than 60 villages in Maungdaw, 40 of which the Aqa Mul Mujahidin Muslims set fire to during the recent hostilities, said Rakhine historian Ba Thein. People who fled from the fires cant go back to their villages because theyre afraid of returning to their homes [where the Aqa Mul Mujahidin Muslims mostly lived], he said. Some of them are still living in Maungdaw. If the IDPs [internally displaced persons] cant go back to their villages, there will be fewer and fewer Rakhine people in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships. ALP to meet with government reps Meanwhile, representatives from the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), a Rakhine state political party, will meet with state government officials on Wednesday to discuss security in the region in the aftermath of the violence. The ALPs armed wing, the Arakan Liberation Army, is one of the countrys several armed ethnic groups that signed a nationwide cease-fire a year ago with the previous government. We are going to meet to discuss our countrys security because we want our country to be safe, said Mya Raza Lin, a member of the ALPs central executive committee. We have plans to help our country. We will know how to help it only after we meet with the [Rakhine state] government. As a result of the violence in northern Rakhine, the Myanmar government on Thursday fired Police Brigadier General Maung Khin, the border chief in Maungdaw township, and appointed a replacement for him, Reuters reported. Reported by Kyaw Thu, Waiyan Moe Myint and Min Thein for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. A Tibetan township chief jailed for 15 months after raising questions about government corruption has been freed from prison in northwestern Chinas Qinghai province after serving his full term, sources in the region say. Sengdra, who was elected leader of Kyangche township in Golog (in Chinese, Guoluo) prefectures Gade (Gande) county in 2014, was released at about 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 18, a local source told RFAs Tibetan Service. He went straight to Je Kumbum monastery and then returned to his hometown, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Detained on Dec. 14, 2014 on charges of having conducted illegal activities, Sengdra was later sentenced to one year and three months in prison and served his term in a prison located in Dongsheng near Qinghais capital Xining, the source said. During this period of detention served at hard labor, his health declined, if we compare his condition now with what it was a year ago. He looked weak after his release, but there were no obvious signs of injury or cuts on his body. Complained about corruption Before his arrest, Sengdra had questioned local authorities about their use of money assigned for projects in the township, RFAs source said. He argued with them about the mismatch of funds announced by the government and what was actually spent, the source said, adding, This could have angered the authorities and led to his detention. He was then charged with having conducted illegal activities during the previous four years, and was given a 15-month sentence, he said. Development projects in Tibetan areas have led to frequent standoffs with Tibetans who accuse Chinese firms and local officials of pilfering money, improperly seizing land, and disrupting the lives of local people. Many result in violent suppression, the detention of protest organizers, and intense pressure on the local population to comply with the governments wishes. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. A senior Afghan official has confirmed that two secret rounds of peace talks between Afghanistan's government and Taliban representatives have been held in Doha, Qatar, since early September. The official, who spoke on October 18 to RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan on condition of anonymity, did not provide further details. Meanwhile, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan has also learned that a meeting in Riyadh on October 18 between Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Afghanistans Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah focused on the status of Afghanistan's peace process and the latest developments in Kabuls relations with Pakistan. Earlier on October 18, Britain's The Guardian newspaper reported that Taliban representatives and Afghan diplomats had secretly restarted peace talks in September. The Guardian report, which cited anonymous sources within the Taliban and the Afghan government, said one Taliban representative at the Qatar talks was Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund. Akhund is the brother of the late Mullah Mohammad Omar, who led the Taliban from the time it was founded until his death in 2013 in Pakistan. The two rounds of talks are the first known to have taken place since a Pakistan-brokered process broke down following the death of Mullah Omar's successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, in May 2016. Mansoor was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan's southern province of Balochistan near the border with Afghanistan. One member of the Taliban's leadership council, the Quetta Shura, told The Guardian that the Qatar talks in early September brought together Akhund and Afghanistan's intelligence chief Mohammad Massom Stanekzai. 'Trouble-Free Atmosphere' The Taliban source said their face-to-face talks "went positively" and were held "in a trouble-free atmosphere." Afghanistan's Tolo TV on October 18 quoted a source from the Afghan president's office as saying that the country's National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar also attended the meeting with Stanekzai. A few weeks later, in late September, Afghanistan's government sealed a peace deal with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar -- an Islamist warlord who has fought against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul for more than a decade. The Guardian reported that the second round of peace talks in Qatar took place in early October despite ongoing fighting between Taliban militants and Afghan government forces in the northern city of Kunduz and around Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand. The Quetta Shura member told The Guardian that a U.S. official was present at both rounds of talks, but no Pakistani officials attended. The Taliban source said Islamabad has lost much of its traditional influence over Afghanistan's Taliban. The U.S. embassy in Afghanistan declined to comment on The Guardian report. Afghanistan's government has confirmed that Stanekzai made at least one recent trip to Doha, Qatar. But Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's spokesman and Ismail Qasemiyar, a leading member of Afghanistan's High Peace Council that oversees peace talks, said they had no knowledge of the reported meetings in Qatar. The last publicly acknowledged meeting of Afghan officials and Taliban representatives was in July 2015 -- a gathering in Pakistan with officials from both Pakistan and the United States present. With reporting by The Guardian Thousands of Iraqis have gathered outside the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad to protest against Turkeys military presence in northern Iraq. Protesters demanded that Ankara withdraw from a base near the city of Mosul, in line with repeated requests by the Iraqi government. The demonstrators, who included followers of hard-line Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, chanted slogans such as "Get out, occupier." The Turkish military presence inside Iraq has caused tensions between Baghdad and Ankara. The Iraqi government denies it has granted permission and has ordered the Turkish troops to withdraw -- a call Turkey has ignored. On October 18, Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said fighters trained by Turkish troops in northern Iraq were at the ongoing operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group. Based on reporting by AP and dpa BUDVA, Montenegro -- When the commander of the newly created "Balkan Cossack Army" addressed his officers last month, he needed a translator. Self-styled Cossack General Viktor Zaplatin, a Russian, was "unanimously" selected to head the new organization at its founding meeting in the Montenegrin port town of Kotor on September 11. "The Orthodox world is one world," Zaplatin said. "Here we see Serbs, Montenegrins, Russians, and Belarusians." The solemn ceremony was presided over by Serbian Orthodox priest Momchilo Krivokapic and a phalanx of bikers from the pro-Kremlin Russian motorcycle gang Night Wolves -- whose leader, Aleksandr Zaldostanov, is close to President Vladimir Putin. Members of some 26 Cossack organizations attended, each claiming to represent some 50 Cossack "fighters." The organizations were from Serbia, the ethnic Serbian entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina (Republika Srpska), Montenegro, Macedonia, Greece, and Bulgaria. The purpose of the Balkan Cossack Army is unclear, and representatives of the member organizations declined to discuss it with RFE/RL. Cossacks, who originated as self-governing, militarized communities that played an important policing and defense role in the Russian Empire's sparsely populated border regions from the 16th to the early 20th centuries, have few historical ties to the Balkans. After the 1917 Bolshevik coup in Russia, about 5,000 Cossacks found their way to the Balkans, but most of them soon continued on to Western Europe. The main Cossack organization in Serbia now, the St. Sava Cossack Stanitsa, was formed only in 2011 by the Russia-based Central Cossack Army, whose commander is appointed directly by Putin. The Serbian affiliate declares on its website that Western values are "distant and foreign" to Serbs and that "Putin's Russia is like a beacon in the darkness surrounding the peoples of the Balkans." The organization's purpose is "to counter the destructive, anti-Serb historical project." Resisting The 'Foreign' West Kotor was selected as the site of the creation of the Balkan Cossack Army because it hosted a Russian Consulate during the imperial era. Moreover, pro-Russian media in the Balkans have been actively creating the impression that the town will become a NATO base after Montenegro completes the process of joining the alliance. Montenegro, whose pro-Western ruling party won the most votes in the October 16 parliamentary elections but fell short of a majority, is also a candidate for European Union membership. The Kotor meeting was also addressed by representatives of Russian Cossacks fighting alongside separatists in eastern Ukraine, who passed on greetings from Aleksandr Borodai, a Russian citizen who helped engineer Moscow's annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea and foment the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine. Balkan Cossack Army leader Zaplatin, who served in the Soviet Army in the 1980s, is a veteran of many armed conflicts that erupted in the wake of the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. He fought in Bosnia in 1992-93, as well as in conflicts in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, in the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and in the Moldovan region of Transdniester. In a 2013 interview with a publication in Bosnia's Republika Srpska, Zaplatin advocated the partition of Bosnia and called the 1995 Dayton agreement that ended the war there "a historical injustice." "The Serbian nation is defending itself, but this is interpreted as separatism and war crimes," Zaplatin said. "I think that the independence of Republika Srpska is inevitable. The Serbian people must decide its own fate. It is very important that the friendship between the Serbs and Russia always be a top priority. We must always help them by all possible means." Zaplatin is described in the pro-Russian press in Serbia as "the official representative of the Union of Volunteers, which is directly associated with Vladimir Putin." Sources told RFE/RL that Zaplatin coordinates the activities of Cossacks and Russian "volunteers" in the Balkans under the direct supervision of Borodai. Advancing The 'Russian World' In February, Zaplatin participated in a gathering of Serbian veterans of the Balkan wars and of Russian "volunteers" in the Russia House cultural center in Belgrade, the offices of the Russian state aid agency Rossotrudnichestvo. He told the meeting that he and his comrades "are on the front line in the fight against fascism in the Balkans, on the front line of the fight against the imposition of the values of the so-called West." One activist with a U.S. Cossack organization, who asked not to be identified because the individual is not authorized to speak for the organization, told RFE/RL that the Kremlin had been actively trying to co-opt the Cossack community abroad for years, both by influencing the leadership of existing organizations and by creating new ones. "The new organizations which have been created on behalf of the Russian government have a crystal-clear goal, which is clearly aligned to the agenda of the Russian World [Russky Mir]," the activist wrote in an online interview. "They also offer in some cases paramilitary training to young children in the form of 'summer camps.' They are home to extremely revisionist, racist, and dangerously nationalistic ideologies. Especially in the Balkans, the pan-Slavic and oddly Eurasianist rhetoric is predominant." Sarajevo-based psychologist and political analyst Srdjan Puhalo says that the presence of the Balkan Cossack Army is divisive, although "they haven't created any problems yet." "On the one hand, there are Russophiles, particularly among Serbs, who see the activities of the Cossacks as signals that Russia has not forgotten them and that it is worried about the situation in the Balkans," he says. "On the other hand, many people see their activity as some sort of folklore nostalgia. Some people view them as tourists and some see them as a special-operations unit with unknown missions." RFE/RL's Russian Service correspondent Yulia Petrovskaya contributed to this report Mohammad Nayeb-Zehi was among the hundreds of worshippers who gathered on September 30 at the Great Mosalla, a religious site in Iran's southeastern city of Zahedan, for Friday Prayers. Just hours later, the 16-year-old's family learned he was dead. Nayeb-Zehi was among the scores of people gunned down by security forces in a brutal crackdown following anti-government protests in Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchistan Province, which is home to the country's Baluch minority. "He was a simple laborer and not political," Nayeb-Zehi's brother, Ahmad, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda in a telephone interview from Zahedan, adding that his sibling had been shot in the heart. "We're in pain, and we cannot accept it." The crackdown in Zahedan came amid weeks-long nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who died on September 16, days after she was detained by Iran's morality police. In Sistan-Baluchistan, public anger at the authorities escalated amid reports that a 15-year-old Baluch girl had been raped by a police official in the province's southern port city of Chabahar. The violence erupted soon after protesters gathered outside a police station near the central mosque in Zahedan. Members of the crowd chanted anti-government slogans, and some threw rocks. Security forces responded with deadly force by firing on the crowd from the station, according to witnesses. Security forces also raided the central mosque and the nearby Great Mosalla and opened fire on worshippers using live ammunition, rights groups said, adding that many were shot in the head, heart, neck, or torso, revealing a clear intent to kill or seriously wound. At least 94 people were killed and 350 wounded on that day, referred to as "Bloody Friday," according to the U.S.-based Iran Human Rights Documentation Center. At least 13 minors were among those killed, including Nayeb-Zehi. The victims were overwhelmingly Baluch -- a mostly Sunni ethnic group that has long faced disproportionate discrimination at the hands of the Iranian authorities. "He was martyred inside the Mosalla while holding his prayer mat," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi. Nayeb-Zehi's family first visited Zahedan's Khatam al-Anbia hospital, hoping he was among the wounded. They later found his body in a seminary at the Great Mosalla. "We entered a room there and saw about 10 bodies," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi. "[Mohammad] was among them." He said the authorities prevented the family from filming the scene. "I told them this has to be documented, it has to be published by international media," he said, adding that footage later emerged on social media showing the gruesome scene at the seminary. The family refused to send Nayeb-Zehi's body to the morgue. Instead, his body lay in the living room for around 24 hours before he was buried. "We said he was martyred and there was no need for an autopsy," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi. The authorities accused Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant group, of attacking the police station. The group is recognized as a terrorist organization by both Iran and the United States and has previously claimed deadly attacks in Sistan-Baluchistan targeting Iranian security forces. But local and independent sources have rejected the authorities' claims. The authorities have also reported a much lower number of fatalities, announcing that only 19 people, including several members of the security forces, were killed. Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi said the authorities were "rubbing salt into the wounds of the people" by claiming "terrorists" were involved. He said he witnessed a military helicopter shooting at civilians near the Great Mosalla. "I haven't even seen such scenes in Hollywood movies," he said. "A helicopter was shooting at people. A lady was shot in front of my eyes." RFE/RL could not verify his account. But activists have accused security forces of shooting at protestors from helicopters. "I don't know what the intention of this crime was," he said. "Our only demand from the establishment is for the murderers of our [family members] to be punished." The killings have led to widespread anger in Sistan-Baluchistan, one of Iran's poorest provinces. Anti-establishment protests have been reported in Zahedan since the crackdown, including on October 14 and October 21, when protesters took to the streets after Friday Prayers and chanted "Death to the dictator." During his Friday Prayers sermon on October 21, influential Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi said senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were "responsible" for the September 30 killings. "We are surprised by the silence of the high-ranking officials," he said in his sermon, which was posted on his website. "Scores were killed here without any reason. I don't have the exact number. Some have reported 90, some say less, some say more," Ismaeelzahi added. He also said people will not be satisfied until "those who killed the people" are brought to justice. The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center said the events of September 30 amounted to "a massacre of protesters by security forces." "The government's total denial of responsibility for the massacring of citizens by its security apparatus is consistent with similar past denials and is evidence that internal calls for investigation of such crimes are insufficient," said the rights group, which documents human rights violations in Iran. Russia resumed its military blockade of Ukrainian ports on October 30, halting the supply of grain supplies largely headed to low-income nations and reigniting fears of a spiral in global food prices. The United States immediately criticized Russia's actions, accusing it of "weaponizing food" to gain leverage in its failing invasion of Ukraine. 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. Russia announced a day earlier it would suspend its participation in a UN-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine, one of the world's breadbaskets, to export grain after accusing Kyiv of staging a drone attack against its Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine has rejected the accusations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on October 30 that he was "deeply concerned" about Russia's decision to halt its participation in the July deal, which helped reverse skyrocketing food prices that threatened to put millions at risk of starvation. Guterres said he would delay his departure for the Arab League summit in Algiers by one day to work on saving the grain deal. Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry reported on October 30 that 218 ships involved in grain exports are currently blocked -- 22 loaded and stuck at ports, 95 loaded and departed from ports, and 101 awaiting inspections. Ukraine's grain exports are a key revenue source for the country, whose economy has been decimated by Russia's eight-month war. They are also a critical source of food for countries in Africa and Asia. Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russia to resume its participation in the deal, warning it was "exacerbating" an already dire food crisis impacting largely poor countries. "Any act by Russia to disrupt these critical grain exports is essentially a statement that people and families around the world should pay more for food or go hungry. In suspending this arrangement, Russia is again weaponizing food in the war it started," he said. In a post on Twitter, European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell also urged Russia to revert its decision. The July deal allowed Ukraine to resume exports of grain, other foodstuffs, and fertilizer, including ammonia, through a safe maritime humanitarian corridor from three of its Black Sea ports. To implement the deal, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN set up a Joint Coordination Center (JCC) to inspect vessels headed to and from Ukraine traveling along the corridor. Turkey played a major role in brokering the agreement. Russia on October 30 announced it was suspending its participation in the JCC, including inspecting ships off Istanbul. Earlier in the day, Turkey said the JCC would continue inspecting ships on October 30 and 31. The JCC had inspected 11 shipments on October 30 with more than 100 waiting for clearance. Analysts have been warning for the past two months that Russian President Vladimir Putin would look for an excuse to pull out of the deal to pressure the West over its continued military aid to Ukraine. Kyiv has used that military aid with effectiveness, driving the Russians back in the northeast, east, and southeast since launching a counteroffensive in September. "Given Ukraine's successful counterattack, the fighting there isn't going Russia's way. Putin, who is used to engaging in dialogue from a position of strength, finds he does not have so many ways of putting pressure on the West at his disposal. Threatening to torpedo the grain deal is one of his few remaining options," Aleksandra Prokopenko, an independent analyst, wrote in a September 16 note posted on the website of Washington-based think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In a video address after Russia's announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the move "a completely transparent attempt by Russia to return to the threat of large-scale famine for Africa and Asia." Zelenskiy called for Russia to be expelled from the Group of 20 leading global economies (G20). U.S. President Joe Biden called Moscow's decision "purely outrageous." The July 22 grain deal was intended to last 120 days with the option for renewal on November 19 "if no party objects," the UN said on October 28. Moscow has asked the UN Security Council to meet on October 31 to discuss the reported attack on its Black Sea Fleet at the Crimean port city of Sevastopol in the early hours of October 29. Russia's Defense Ministry said drones were used in the attack and that one Russian ship, a minesweeper, was damaged. Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry said Kyiv would try to continue using the Black Sea shipping corridor as long as possible. Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said on Russian state television that Moscow was prepared to "supply up to 500,000 tons of grain to the poorest countries free of charge in the next four months." With reporting by Reuters Turkish-Kazakh schools across Kazakhstan are being renamed amid a campaign by Turkey against the exiled Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. The Turkish-Kazakh schools were co-founded by Gulen's Hizmet movement and his followers and have been functioning in Kazakhstan since early 1990s. One of the other sponsors of the 33 Turkish-Kazakh schools in Kazakhstan, the KATEV Foundation, said on October 18 that the schools are to be renamed as "Bilim" (Education) Innovative Lyceums. KATEV said the schools were being renamed to honor the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstans independence from the former Soviet Union, which will be celebrated on December 16. Gulen, who is living in self-imposed exile in the United States, is accused by Ankara of ordering a July 15 attempted coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by a group of the cleric's followers within Turkey's military. Gulen has repeatedly denied the accusation. Washington has so-far refused calls by Erdogan to extradite Gulen from the United States, saying Turkey must provide solid evidence that he played a role in the coup in support of a formal extradition request. AQTOBE, Kazakhstan -- A high-profile trial against alleged Islamic terrorists and their supporters has started in northwestern Kazakhstan. Preliminary hearings against 29 defendants started in the city of Aqtobe on October 18. Nine of them were charged with terrorism, murder, organizing and taking part in a terrorist group, and illegal possession and use of firearms. Eighteen defendants were charged with failing to report planned terrorist acts. The other two were charged with harboring criminals. In June, Kazakh authorities said a group of 25 alleged Islamic militants carried out a series of attacks that killed five civilians and three members of Kazakhstan's security forces in Aqtobe. Security forces killed 18 gunmen and arrested several others. President Nursultan Nazarbaev has said the attacks were carried out by followers of Salafi Islam. U.S. President Barack Obama says a battle now underway to recapture Iraq's northern city of Mosul from Islamic State (IS) militants will be "a difficult fight," but he is confident that Iraqi forces leading the military operation will defeat the militant group. Obama's comments on October 18 come a day after Baghdad announced that Iraqi government forces had begun the long-awaited offensive with support from U.S.-led coalition air strikes. Speaking at the White House in Washington, Obama said "the start of Iraqi operations to liberate Mosul is another major step forward." Obama said the IS militants who seized Mosul in June 2014 "will be defeated in Mosul." Earlier on October 18, Iraqi military commanders said progress was being made in their offensive after government forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters advanced to the south and the east of Mosul. Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has said that only the "Iraqi army with the national police" will enter Mosul, a Sunni-majority city. That's important because Iranian-backed Shiite militias have been taking part in operations around Mosul along with the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters raising concerns about how those forces might treat Sunni civilians after the liberation of Mosul. Correspondents positioned with the Peshmerga forces reported on October 18 that the Peshmerga advance had largely paused -- despite the lack of significant resistance by IS fighters east of Mosul. Peshmerga commanders stationed along that front said on October 18 that their 4,000 fighters in the battle were consolidating gains they had made the previous day. WATCH: Iraqi, Kurdish Forces Liberate Villages Outside Mosul The deputy commander of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the battle, General Ato Zebari, indicated in an interview with Radio Farda that his forces have been tasked primarily with holding strategic positions at villages to the east of Mosul for now, before shifting toward other objectives outside of Mosul. Zebari told Radio Farda by telephone on October 18 that his troops were continuing to carry out their objectives in accordance with the battle plan. He said his Peshmerga troops were "being redeployed" and were "not everywhere," adding that the "operations will start on other front lines" in the coming days. 'Ahead Of Schedule' Meanwhile, Iraqi army forces on October 18 continued to advance from the south toward the east side of Mosul -- reaching the outskirts of Hamdaniya -- a strategic crossroad town that also is known as Bakhida -- about 12 kilometers east of Mosul. Iraqi army forces also advanced on October 18 to the town of Houd to the south of Mosul. The Pentagon said late on October 17 that Iraqi forces appeared to be "ahead of schedule" after their first day of operations. Correspondents confirmed they had seized positions in villages outside of Mosul that were being defended by small pockets of IS fighters who had faced an intensive aerial bombardment ahead of the ground advance. But Western military officials also warned that the battle would be long and difficult -- particularly after government forces reach the city of Mosul and the battle transforms into one of urban combat. Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, commander of the U.S.-led coalition forces, said the campaign was likely to continue for weeks, possibly longer. An AFP correspondent at Qayyarah Airfield West, the main staging base for Iraqi government troops about 60 kilometers south of Mosul, reported that Iraqi police were being rotated in and out of the front line on October 18. Meanwhile, speaking by telephone from inside Mosul, resident Abu Saif told AFP that heavy smoke was hanging over city because IS fighters were burning tires in an attempt to shield themselves from air strikes. EU Commissioner Warns Of Militant Influx In related news, the European Union's security commissioner has warned that the bloc should be prepared for an influx of militants if the Islamic State (IS) group is driven out of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Even a small number of militants would pose "a serious threat that we must prepare ourselves for," said Julian King in an interview with Germany's Die Welt newspaper published on October 18. The UN has warned that as many as 1 million people may be forced from their homes during the campaign, which is expected to continue for weeks, possibly longer. King, a Briton, also said that some 2,500 IS fighters from what he called the combat areas were from EU member states. In Berlin, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said efforts to combat the IS group in Iraq and Syria won't increase the risk of attacks at home, noting that "the threat is already high." De Maiziere said authorities expect IS fighters from Europe to try to return as the group faces military setbacks, but that authorities are working to minimize security threats. Some 30,000 Iraqi government troops are involved in the campaign the largest military operation in Iraq since the withdrawal in 2011 of most U.S. troops. With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and the BBC Russia says the Russian and Syrian air forces are halting air strikes on the northern city of Aleppo. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on October 18 that strikes were suspended starting from 10 a.m. local time to allow time for civilians and rebels to prepare to leave the besieged city. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later described the decision as a "manifestation of goodwill by the Russian military. Earlier, Syrian activists said that "Russian airplanes carried out intensive air strikes after midnight in Aleppos rebel-held areas. Russia had announced it would allow civilians and rebel fighters safe passage out of the citys eastern districts on October 20. The United Nations welcomed that announcement, but said the pause was not long enough to allow aid deliveries or the evacuation of civilians. And the UN said on October 18 that it is waiting for security guarantees before carrying out humanitarian operations in Aleppo. "We need all weapons to fall silent, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, Jens Laerke, said. We need assurances from all parties to the conflict, not just a unilateral announcement that this will happen. Laerke said the UN is calling for a 48-hour pause" to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of the sick and wounded. The United States called the pause in fighting a "good thing" but cautioned that it's a bit too little, too late." In Washington on October 17, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the goal of Russian and Syrian forces is "to starve out and to drive out the opposition and civilians who've held on there for so long." Syrian opposition activists said Russian-led air strikes in and around Aleppo on October 17 killed at least 36 people. Based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and AFP WASHINGTON -- A U.S. appeals court has disqualified lawyers for a company accused of laundering the proceeds of a massive Russian tax fraud, whose fallout led Washington to sanction numerous Russians and helped poison U.S.-Russian relations. The ruling by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on October 17 was an incremental but noteworthy development that effectively paralyzes the legal team defending the company, Prevezon, which U.S. prosecutors have linked to a Russian businessman. The three-judge panel ruled that a lower court "abused its discretion" by refusing to disqualify the legal team, who previously worked with the investment fund Hermitage Capital. A whistleblowing lawyer working for Hermitage, Sergei Magnitsky, helped investigate the $230 million tax fraud before his death in a Russian jail in 2009. Lawyers for Hermitage, owned by British-American investor William Browder, argued that the involvement of the lawyers from the U.S. firm Baker Hostetler on Prevezon's behalf posed a conflict of interest. "This is a precedent-setting ruling which shows the legal profession that they cannot change sides from representing victims to representing perpetrators of the same crime without grave professional consequences," Browder, a vocal Kremlin foe, told RFE/RL in an email. U.S. prosecutors have accused Prevezon of buying luxury real estate in Manhattan using some of the proceeds from the $230 million tax fraud that first came to light in 2008. Based on Magnitsky's research, Hermitage went public with details of the fraud, saying Russian law enforcement and tax officials colluded to illegally use companies it had owned to steal the massive sum from Russian coffers. Magnitsky later died while in pretrial detention on fraud charges that his supporters said were retribution for blowing the whistle on the scam. His friends and family say he was tortured while incarcerated, and a Council of Europe investigation concluded that the conditions leading up to his death amounted to torture. Russian Retaliation Russian authorities later convicted Magnitsky posthumously of fraud, while a Russian court also convicted Browder in absentia on similar charges. With intense lobbying by Browder, the U.S. Congress passed legislation in 2012 bearing Magnitskys name, penalizing those accused of complicity in the tax fraud and his death, as well as other alleged Russian rights abusers. After President Barack Obama signed the bill into law, the Kremlin retaliated by banning Americans from adopting Russian children and sanctioning several top U.S. officials. In 2013, U.S. prosecutors moved to seize Prevezon's assets as part of a civil asset forfeiture, a legal tool that allows the seizure of property if it is shown to be connected to criminal activity. U.S authorities said as recently as last year that Prevezon's owner was Denis Katsyv, whose father is the former top transportation official for the Moscow region. Both the company and Katsyv himself have denied accusations of involvement with the stolen funds. He is not facing criminal charges in either the United States or Russia, as he pointed out in a February 2014 affidavit, nor has he been sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act. Court records, however, indicate a U.S. grand jury has been investigating the money laundering allegations. Some Swiss bank accounts reportedly connected to Katsyv have also been frozen. Michael Mukasey, a former U.S. attorney general who is now a private lawyer helping Prevezon with the appeal, said the defense team was disappointed by the ruling, and that no decisions had been made yet about whether to appeal further. "We are helping the client consider its options," Mukasey told RFE/RL in an e-mailed statement. The Magnitsky Act, which has publicly hit 39 Russians with sanctions and an unspecified number secretly, became law just months after Vladimir Putin returned to the Russian presidency. The Kremlin has repeatedly cited it as a major irritant for U.S.-Russian relations. Earlier this month, in announcing the suspension of a symbolic plutonium disposal agreement with the United States, Putin cited removal of the Magnitsky Act as a precondition for resuming the deal and other agreements. Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the brother of an exiled Turkmen dissident journalist died on September 4, four days after he was kidnapped and beaten by unknown assailants in Turkmenistan. In an October 17 statement, the U.S.-based rights group urged Turkmenistan's government to investigate the death of Altymurad Annamuradov. At the time of Annamuradov's death, his brother Chary Annamuradov was being held by authorities in Belarus under an extradition request from Turkmenistan that was filed in 2000 for what Human Rights Watch has described as "politically motivated" criminal fraud charges. On September 14, Belarusian authorities released the 58-year-old Chary Annamuradov and allowed him to return to Sweden, where he had been granted political asylum in 2003. Human Rights Watch said it only recently became aware of Alymurad Annamuradov's death. It said his kidnapping and death "smacks of targeted retaliation against a political dissident." Three of Chary Annamuradov's other brothers died under suspicious circumstances within a year after he fled Turkmenistan in 1999. The 52-year-old Altymurad Annamuradov -- a father of five -- was the dissident journalist's last living brother. KYIV -- Ukrainians are attempting to shame top public officials into disclosing their financial assets by calling those who don't "sissy pants." Anticorruption activists played off the word "trusi," which means both underwear and cowards in Ukrainian, to emphasize their point as they assembled in front of the parliament building in Kyiv on October 18. With the aim of reminding bureaucrats that they are now legally required to file electronic asset declarations, the activists from a half-dozen anticorruption and reform groups hung boxers and thongs from makeshift clotheslines, waved posters adorned with underwear, and demanded in English, "Hey, sissy pants, submit your e-declarations!" Ukraine recently implemented a new electronic system for public officials to disclose their income and assets, part of a package of reforms demanded by Ukrainian reformists as well as the country's Western backers. The idea is to prevent public officials from hiding or underestimating their earnings and possessions, and the implementation of the new law is viewed as a much needed step in fighting systemic corruption. The activists believe that officials should come clean to the public they serve by complying with the law, or risk exposing their own dirty laundry, so to speak. Failure to file an e-declaration risks criminal prosecution. "Anyone who fails to file electronic declarations is subject to criminal liability," Vitaliy Shabunin, director of the Anticorruption Action Center (AntAC) and an organizer of the event, warned parliament deputies at the demonstration. WATCH: Red Underwear For Poroshenko At Kyiv Demo Stuttering Start The much anticipated e-declaration system was delayed several times before finally being launched on August 15. But almost immediately it was found to have flaws in its design and application that prevented it from fully functioning and forced it to temporarily shut down. Skeptics accused the government of dragging its feet to allow officials with financial assets several times the amount of their actual government salaries to find a way to cleverly conceal them. The botched launch was seen as at least part of the reason for the delay of the most recent $1 billion tranche of International Monetary Fund (IMF) money to help steer war-stricken Ukraine out of recession and replenish its foreign reserves. The IMF money was finally approved on September 15, following the relaunch of the e-system on September 1. But as of October 13, only around 6,500 public officials -- or about 13 percent of some 50,000 nationwide -- had entered their annual declarations in the state register, according to AntAC. The official deadline for all public officials to submit their electronic declarations is October 31. Among those who have yet to declare their earnings are President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman, and speaker of parliament Andriy Parubiy. None of the three, who were called out in a tweet by Shabunin that said they should serve as an example for all officials by filing well before the deadline, was immediately available for comment. The activists, armed with their signs and "sissy pants," later took their protest down the road to the Cabinet of Ministers and the presidential administration. "Only the corrupt are afraid of the e-declaration system," they said. A senior member of the monitoring mission in Ukraine from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) says 70 percent of the restrictions imposed on the free movement of monitors since May has been in areas outside of the control of Ukraines government. Alexander Hug, deputy chief monitor of the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, made the remark in an October 18 interview with RFE/RL. Hug said the restrictions imposed in parts of eastern Ukraine under the control of Russia-backed separatists usually occur in one of three ways. "We are either stopped and blocked from proceeding further, we can only continue further under certain conditions, or we are delayed over hours at a certain checkpoint before we then can go further," Hug said. Hug also said drone planes used by monitors are shot at or have their transmissions jammed, or have their cameras sabotaged. About 700 OSCE monitors have been active in Ukraine since March 2014. They have a mandate to observe the security situation across all of Ukraine. With reporting by RFE/RL's Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels Lawyers contend DNA testing on recently discovered evidence proves the innocence of an Ivy man imprisoned for the vicious 1969 slaying of a 4-year-old Albemarle County boy. Sherman Brown, now 69, was 22 years old when he was convicted and sentenced to death in large part on his identification by the boys mother who was beaten, stabbed and apparently raped in the same attack and by allegedly flawed hair and fiber evidence. Now an inmate at the Green Rock Correctional Center near Chatham, Brown was one of 12 men on Virginias death row in 1972 when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down capital punishment as cruel and unusual. The justices allowed executions to resume in 1976, but by then, Brown had been resentenced to life in prison. Because the Richmond Times-Dispatch does not publish the identity of sexual assault victims, the mother and slain son are not identified in this story. In a writ of actual innocence filed with the Virginia Supreme Court, Brown argues, Recent DNA testing demonstrates by clear and convincing evidence what I have maintained for over 45 years: that I am innocent of this crime. A partial male DNA profile from the mothers vaginal swab is not Browns, and with more than 98 percent certainty, it also is not from the now-deceased husband of the woman. Brown argues that it came from an unidentified third man and constitutes powerful evidence of my innocence. Given all of the flaws in the evidence presented at trial to convict me, no rational juror, when presented with this recent DNA evidence, would find that I am guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, contends his petition. Browns lawyers also filed a civil appeal of his conviction on the grounds his constitutional rights were violated by scientifically invalid hair and fiber evidence. Susan Friedman, a staff attorney with the Innocence Project, said Tuesday that the DNA testing is powerful evidence that he did not commit the crime. Sherman has now been in prison for more than four decades in part based on forensic evidence that would not be admissible in a court today, she said. Michael Kelly, a spokesman for the Virginia Attorney Generals Office, said, As with all such petitions, we will closely examine and consider the claims and evidence as we prepare a response for the (Virginia) Supreme Court. Albemarle Commonwealths Attorney Robert Tracci said, I was contacted by the Innocence Project about this case in early June. This office and our law enforcement partners have been very responsive to requests for additional forensic testing and other information pertaining to this case. Replies to the (appeal) and writ of actual innocence are both being prepared by the Office of Attorney General in Richmond. Brown is represented by the Innocence Project in New York; Steven Rosenfield, a Charlottesville lawyer; the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project in Washington; and the Washington law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Because of the specialized DNA testing required on the 47-year-old evidence, the partial male DNA profile cannot be run through databanks to search for another suspect. The Attorney Generals Office will also have a chance to weigh in on the claimed significance of Browns new evidence and on the merit and propriety of his appeal. Brown can file a petition for a writ of actual innocence with the new evidence, but his lawyers told the state Supreme Court they recognize his civil appeal is technically time-barred under state law. They argue, however, that the strict time limits for such an appeal violate the suspension clause of the Virginia Constitution. Browns case for exoneration is a complicated one and it is not even certain the woman was raped. The road ahead includes more DNA testing to be certain the male DNA profile developed does not belong to the slain boys father. According to court filings, the woman recently said her only consensual sex partner at the time was her husband. The presence of an unknown males DNA in a swab taken from her vagina shows she must have been sexually assaulted, contend Browns lawyers. They point out that the prosecutor, former Commonwealths Attorney Downing Smith, argued in his closing statement to the jury, He tried to rape that mother or did rape her. We will never know. Browns motive for killing the boy and trying to kill her was to eliminate witnesses, the prosecution said. Smith argued that Brown thought, Ive got to get rid of the evidence. These people know me. They are unconscious now but they wont stay that way. He went to the kitchen and found these knives. He walked back to the childs bedroom where the child was lying there unconscious and he carefully and deliberately takes that knife and runs it through that childs heart twice and runs it under his arm once. In Browns resentencing proceedings in 1973, the prosecutor argued, We know almost its very probable that Sherman Brown sexually assaulted (the woman). We dont know for sure, but I point out the fact that she testified that when he arrived her underpants were on and when the people found her stabbed, her underpants were off. Later, a vaginal smear taken at the University of Virginia Hospital found sperm was present. Brown was not tried for sexually assaulting the mother, but he is on Virginias sex offender registry for murder. The Virginia Supreme Court this week granted a 90-day stay in the writ petition proceedings for further DNA testing. According to the petition, authorities are seeking a sample from a living son and also attempting to determine if there is a sample from the deceased husband available to definitively show the DNA profile is not from the husband. If eventually exonerated, Brown would be the second person sentenced to death in Virginia proven innocent, and it appears he will have served a longer term of wrongful imprisonment more than 46 years than any of 15 other wrongfully convicted Virginians cleared by DNA. Earl Washington Jr., wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death for the 1982 rape and murder of a Culpeper woman, is the only Virginia DNA exoneree who was sentenced to death. In Washingtons case, the real perpetrator was identified by DNA testing. According to the filings in Browns case, the mother and son were attacked in their home by a man who knocked on their door on the afternoon of Oct. 1, 1969. Her youngest son was asleep and not harmed. But her 4-year-old son accompanied her to the door. She said that when she allowed the man inside for a drink of water, he asked to have sex with her. She refused and was knocked unconscious, remembering nothing else, including who struck her. Prior to losing consciousness, she had been wearing a housecoat and underwear. When she was discovered on a sofa by her sister-in-law not long after the attack, she was not wearing the underwear. Her oldest son was found dead in his bed and had been beaten and stabbed several times. She allegedly first identified the assailant as Browns father, but authorities later said that was an error. The woman identified Brown as the man who came to her door. She said she had spoken to him once before on the telephone when he asked if he could do yard work for her and then again a month before the crime when he smoked a cigarette and spoke with her in her yard. At his 1973 re-sentencing hearing, Brown denied ever meeting her. Among other things, an FBI agent testified that hair found on a sweatshirt owned by Browns brother-in-law microscopically matched Browns hair. Fibers found on the sweatshirt microscopically matched fibers from the mothers robe, he testified. Such forensic hair and fiber analysis has been questioned in recent years as unreliable and subjective, according to Browns lawyers. Browns appeal includes a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice about a recent audit of the testimony in Browns case that found the agent erroneously testified about a match on hair found on the sweatshirt. The fiber evidence, argue Browns lawyers, was the only forensic evidence purporting to directly tie Brown to the crime, and an expert has found that the method used for comparison by the agent amounted to little more than what would be regarded today as a preliminary examination and lacked a scientific basis. The expert also asserts that the FBI agent should have testified that bathrobe fibers in question were commonly used in lingerie or the satin edges of blankets, undercutting his testimony that fibers found on Browns pants matched fibers from the bathrobe. The fibers in question appear to have been lost or destroyed and cannot be tested using modern methods. Blood said to have been found on clothing belonging to Brown and his brother in-law could not be typed to see if it matched the victims blood. It could not even be determined if the blood found on Browns pants was human blood. Eyewitness and victim misidentification has played a role in 70 percent of the more than 300 DNA exonerations across the country, argue Browns lawyers. Cross-racial identifications she is white and Brown is black are more error-prone than those involving the same race. Also, she did not identify him through a live or photo lineup that might have enhanced the reliability of the identification and she suffered blows to the head and did not recall being struck by her assailant, increasing the unreliability of the identification. A May 26, 1970, account in The Times-Dispatch reported that Brown was convicted and his punishment fixed at death by an all-white, all-male jury that deliberated for less than an hour and a half at the conclusion of the two-day trial. In rejecting a defense request to set aside the verdict and sentence, the judge was quoted in the story as saying: I couldnt have found any other verdict if Id been on the jury. In 2008, the Innocence Project, working with Rosenfield, a Charlottesville lawyer, reached an agreement with the Albemarle County Commonwealths Attorneys Office and won a sealed order from the Albemarle Circuit Court for DNA testing in the case. That testing, according to Browns lawyers, did not definitively exclude Brown as the assailant but failed to connect him in any way to the crimes. Testing in 2012 failed to yield DNA results on evidence that included the knife believed to be the murder weapon, the paper cup from which the killer was given a drink of water, and the mothers bathrobe. Then last year, more biological evidence was discovered by the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia Law School a slide made in 1969 at the University of Virginia Hospital from a vaginal smear that was sent to the hospitals department of pathology, which found that sperm was present. In rape cases, a swab is used to collect evidence from the vaginal/cervical area and then used to create a slide, which is examined under a microscope to determine if any sperm is present. There had been no trial testimony about the department of pathologys findings, and the report was not entered into evidence. The first round of DNA testing last year was conducted by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, which was unable to develop a DNA profile. The Albemarle Circuit Court then ordered the vaginal smear to be sent to a private laboratory, Bode Cellmark Forensics, for further testing. Bode employed a form of DNA testing known as Y-STR that targets male DNA because it only recovers DNA from the Y chromosome. The lab recovered a partial male DNA profile. Though partial, the results, found by Bode, are enough to exclude Brown as the source of the male DNA recovered from the womans vagina. The testing also virtually excludes the former husband. But the testing now being sought may definitively exclude the husband. On Tuesday, Brown turned down a request to be interviewed by The Times-Dispatch. In a 1997 story in The Times-Dispatch about the 25th anniversary of the 1972 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Furman v. Georgia, which held capital punishment as cruel and unusual, Brown said he was 25 years old and on death row when the decision was announced. I hadnt gone through my appeals completely. I was still numb to the fact that I was really going to be killed. As a result, he said, the day that we got the message, it was just, OK, Ill go to another phase. ... Ive been confined since then, Brown said, but he said hes glad he was not executed. The Chesterfield County Planning Commission gave the green light for a new Midlothian-area elementary school Tuesday after a debate over how big the school should be. The Board of Supervisors will consider the commissioners recommendation before making its final decision Oct. 26. The school system needs supervisors approval before it can close on the 80-acre parcel off Old Hundred Road in the northwestern part of the county where it wants to build the school. There wasnt any disagreement over the suitability of the site. But some community members and commissioners took issue with school leaders desire to build a facility designed for 900 students when the countys comprehensive plan calls for new elementary schools to be designed for 650 to 700 students. The project, which was recently accelerated by three years, is one of four new elementary schools to be constructed in the next several years. The school is expected to relieve overcrowding at Watkins and Bettie Weaver elementary schools. The effort was approved by voters in a 2013 bond referendum and is expected to cost $33.4 million, according to the countys capital improvement plan. Plans call for the doors to open in August 2019. An initial motion by Planning Commissioner Peppy Jones to approve the school officials plans died when no other commissioner seconded the motion. But Commissioner Michael Jacksons subsequent motion to defer the vote also died for lack of support. Some commissioners worried that pushing back the vote could negatively affect the school districts negotiation of the parcel. Commissioners finally rallied to cast a 4-0 vote after Chairman Edgar Wallin noted that there seemed to be no debate about the choice of the site, and that pushing back the vote could hinder the schools ability to obtain it. Jackson abstained, saying after the meeting that he didnt want to stand in the school systems way because school size is ultimately a School Board decision. But he worried that building a bigger school was a way for the School Board to avoid the often controversial process of redistricting or building new schools. He noted that other new elementary schools in the pipeline have smaller footprints and said he worried what a larger square footage could have on the quality of education. This school board is reluctant to move forward with redistricting. Im more concerned about squeezing the bubble. Were putting a Band-Aid over it, he said. Jackson also said that he felt the school district should be more transparent about its rationale for going against a comprehensive plan recommendation that involved much public input. I wanted to encourage the dialogue to happen. In 90 days, they reversed what hundreds of community meetings produced, Jackson said. You can do that and say we need 900 (-student) mega schools. My suggestion is to be mindful of the community meetings. Superintendent James Lane said the decision came about after the principal of another Chesterfield school noted an overcapacity issue and officials realized that a similar situation could occur at this new school, one that will be fed by growing neighborhoods. As we grow, we believe the additional classroom space will allow us to keep classroom sizes smaller, he told planning commissioners. Several parents in the audience nodded their heads when School Board member Javaid Siddiqi said that the community has been waiting for relief from overcrowding for decades. I think we have to build for the future. I think we have to move to make class sizes smaller ... and we arent going to do that with a school with a capacity of 750, said Laura Kurichh, a parent of two Watkins students. She added that educational quality is dependent on class size, not the size of the school. Planning staff members also recommended that commissioners approve the project since it offers a flexible design to better meet the needs of the community, according to a planning staff report. School officials hope to close on the contract after supervisors consider the issue next week. The new school would take up only one-quarter of the 80 acres. Lane said the owners wouldnt consider selling only a portion of their property and that the school system would consider a variety of options for the future of the remaining acreage, including selling it. The Chesterfield County School Board wants future Manchester Middle School students to attend an entirely new school instead of a renovated one. But the change in the projects scope has brought it back to square one. After higher-than-expected construction bids pushed Manchesters renovation millions of dollars over budget, School Board members scrapped plans to renovate the school Monday. With no discussion, they voted unanimously to advance plans to build an entirely new, and smaller, facility. The change will still leave the project over budget, and could delay any changes at Manchester by a year. School staff members said rebuilding Manchester will be cheaper than renovating the existing one. They also argue there will be less disruption to students since the new school can be built on another part of the 64-acre site while classes continue at the existing school. In addition, Manchester, built in 1964 and last renovated in 1984, will have a life span of 75 years if rebuilt instead of a 20- to 30-year life span if it is renovated, a staff report read. Voters approved a revitalization of the school in the 2013 bond referendum that included $304 million for school construction projects. In the referendum, Manchesters revitalization was given a $38.1 million budget and was intended to create a school designed for middle schoolers rather than high schoolers. Originally constructed as a high school, Manchester converted to a middle school in 1992. Kenbridge Constructions $31.5 million bid was the lowest out of four proposals received in early September. That included $290,000 for extra projects the school system could take out of the projects scope, including metal ceilings in the schools common areas and landscaping in the courtyard. That lowest bid brought the project $3.5 million over budget, according to a school staff report. A rebuilt school would run the school system between $1.3 million and $2.6 million over budget, depending on which cost estimates are used from two analyses the school system had performed. For all of those figures, school staff members factored the $3.2 million already expended for the renovation, which includes $1.9 million for architectural services and $901,740 for trailers. They hope to reduce those sunk costs by using some of the trailers while the new Enon Elementary school is being built. Manchesters current student capacity is 1,541 students, though school officials say the schools usable space allows for 1,317 students. About 1,400 students enrolled in the school this year, school estimates indicate. School leaders plan to build a smaller school that will house 1,100 students at 132,000 square feet. Manchesters current 166,923 square footage would have expanded to 182,000 square feet with the renovation. The targeted 1,100 students is part of the schools effort to fall within the countys middle school capacity guidelines, school spokesman Tim Bullis said. The year before Manchester opens, some students will likely be moved to Providence Middle. Providence Middle is the countys smallest middle school at approximately 130,000 square feet with functional space for 1,080 students, according to a school staff report. On Monday, Del. Joseph D. Morrissey, D-Henrico, was indicted by a special grand jury on five counts involving his relationship with a teenage girl. Morrissey has been grabbing headlines since he was elected Richmond commonwealths attorney in 1989. July 1990: Virginia State Bar orders Morrissey to attend an ethics course after a former client complains that a personal injury suit was mishandled. September 1990: Virginia State Bar committee clears Morrissey of seven allegations that he says concerned his conduct as a defense lawyer and commonwealths attorney-elect. July 1991: He is convicted of contempt in Richmond General District Court, fined $50 and sentenced to 10 days in jail after writing a critical letter to a substitute judge. December 1991: Morrissey gets into a courthouse fistfight with defense attorney David P. Baugh. He later serves five days in jail for contempt of court. June 1993: Morrissey is indicted on five felony charges, including bribery, perjury and misuse of public funds, four days before the primary for the Democratic nomination for commonwealths attorney. He is defeated in the primary by attorney David M. Hicks, who wins the seat in November. After the primary, Morrissey is suspended and reinstated from the prosecutors office several times. August 1993: A jury acquits Morrissey of the three bribery charges, and the other two charges are ultimately dismissed. December 1993: Morrisseys law license is suspended for six months when a three-judge panel rules he violated legal ethics with his handling of a rape case. February 1998: A U.S. District judge sentences Morrissey to 90 days in jail and suspends him from practicing in federal court for two years for breaking court rules by talking to reporters about a drug case. October 1999: A jury convicts Morrissey of assault and battery and fines him $2,500 for beating Garien H. Wycoff in a Richmond backyard July 3. One week later, Wycoff files a lawsuit against Morrissey for $1.3 million. November 1999: Morrissey files a lawsuit against Wycoff, Ann Marie Wycoff and Johanna Wycoff, alleging they conspired to damage Morrisseys professional reputation by lying about him in court. Morrissey drops the lawsuit in January 2001. February 2000: Federal prosecutors accuse Morrissey, a defense attorney at the time, of trying to fake completion of community service hours, which were part of his 1998 U.S. District Court sentence for contempt of court. March 2000: A three-judge panel for the State Bar suspends Morrissey from practicing law for three years. The judges find that he violated disciplinary rules for lawyers in the Virginia Code of Professional Responsibility. September 2000: A federal judge orders Morrissey jailed for 90 days for violating probation on his 1998 contempt conviction. In August 2000, the judge convicted Morrissey of violating his probation. The judge determined that Morrissey lied when he denied attempting to bribe a Habitat for Humanity construction supervisor to falsely state that Morrissey had completed his community service. December 2001: A panel of U.S. District Court judges bars Morrissey from practicing law in federal court due to his frequent episodes of unethical and disobedient conduct. Spring 2006: Morrissey returns to Richmond after teaching and studying in Dublin, Ireland, in 2001 and teaching trial advocacy to prosecutors in Sydney, Australia, in 2003. He is denied admittance to the Australian bar. April 2012: The Virginia Supreme Court reinstates Morrisseys law license. The court votes 4-3, despite the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Boards unanimous recommendation against Morrisseys petition. Chesterfield County police are seeking information on two men who broke into CJ's Cigarettes at 4122 Meadowdale Boulevard last week. Police said the suspects forced their way in the front door of the business about 4:20 a.m. Oct. 18 and stole an undisclosed amount of cigarettes. Police currently have no information on the suspects. Mayoral candidates in Richmond jostled to respond Tuesday to the latest development in the regions long-running ballpark saga specifically whether the city should contribute financially to help construct the stadium. Former Del. Joseph D. Morrissey, the front-runner in the race, held a news conference in front of the gates to The Diamond, where he unequivocally declared he would oppose any city funding for such a project. Under a Morrissey administration and this is what separates me from all the other candidates no taxpayer money is going to be used for a professional sports complex, he said. As Morrisseys campaign packed up, former Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney arrived. Stoney who acknowledged publicly for the first time that he helped broker the latest deal as a member of the governors Cabinet accused Morrissey of grandstanding and compared him to Donald Trump. You know, I dont think Mr. Morrissey understands the deal in the first place, Stoney said. Hes grandstanding, because obviously hes afraid that he is not getting his votes out, so hes here before The Diamond, trying to stir things up. Its very Trump-like. Stoney, who is polling in third place, said hes open to the city contributing as long as the surrounding counties pay their fair share. Mondays announcement that Virginia Commonwealth University and the Squirrels are in the early stages of talks to construct a $55 million stadium near the Boulevard was silent on how much money Richmond and other surrounding localities might contribute. Multiple sources have said its anticipated that the city and Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties will be asked to contribute, but precisely how much has not been determined, and officials around the metro area said they have not yet been brought in to the talks. Former Venture Richmond Director Jack Berry, who has come in second in recent polls, said in a statement that its too early to make a judgment on the project, but that he favors preserving the citys limited debt capacity for school construction. The new stadium is just a concept right now, and we need to hear from citizens and see the financial details before making any conclusions about what this project might entail, he said. As mayor, I will ensure that this is a regional project, not just a city project. The new stadium should be supported through regional cooperation with the surrounding counties, whose residents benefit from the stadium as well. Councilman Jonathan T. Baliles also focused on schools: I think its more important that we establish a funding stream for schools before we figure out what the citys role is going to be in building a baseball stadium, Baliles said. I wont even consider funding a baseball stadium until we establish a funding stream for schools. City Council President Michelle R. Mosby said she is open to the city making a contribution as long as its in line with the current maintenance costs for The Diamond, which the city says come to $300,000 annually. I do not expect that a city financial commitment would be requested until the site is confirmed, she said. If they do request a commitment, I would be comfortable with something similar to the maintenance costs of the old Diamond that would go away once a new ballpark is built. *** During Morrisseys and Stoneys dueling news conferences, Stoney described his previously undisclosed role brokering the stadium talks announced Monday. My job when I was secretary of the commonwealth was to bring some of the players to the table, and I did, Stoney said. I was able to talk to VCU, I was able to talk to the Squirrels and also the city to sit down at the table and actually find a solution to the problem, and I think were moving ourselves toward a deal that I think will be good for the taxpayers of the city. Stoney did not initially mention his involvement which multiple sources close to the talks have confirmed as he discussed being pleased to hear that VCU, the Squirrels and the city were at the table to come up with something. His comments came in response to questions from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Asked when he last participated in a meeting on the issue, Stoney said he could not give an exact date but that he has kept working on the issue since he launched his mayoral campaign at the end of April. I havent been able to attend all of the meetings, but I was able to at least go to VCU, go to the Squirrels and actually ask them to think about this, he said. And the fact that VCU is at the table for this is good, and it says a lot about the credibility of what could happen. In contrast to Stoney, Morrissey said during his news conference that he would not be swayed to support city funding for the project even if the surrounding counties also agreed to contribute financially. I have absolutely no problem with private-sector dollars going into it, he said. But until we get our fiscal house in order and its not no taxpayer dollars. He also questioned the idea that the Squirrels would leave the city if taxpayers refused to help pay for a new stadium. The Squirrels arent going anywhere, he said. Let me tell you something, leading the league in sports attendance for four years in a row theyre not packing up and going anywhere. *** Officials with the Squirrels said Tuesday that they do not have any additional comments beyond what was in Mondays announcement. VCU officials referred questions about the latest development to the city. That press release couldnt have been any more explanatory, said Lou DiBella, the Squirrels president and managing partner. The (memorandum of understanding) was released. Theres not much more for me to say. Im happy and, obviously, theres more work to be done. A lot of work has gone into this already. You can see why Ive been quiet and optimistic, and Im going to remain quiet and optimistic. City officials, meanwhile, said they could not say much about what kind of financial commitment the city might be asked to make because talks are ongoing and a site has not yet been identified. Our expectation is that whenever the site is confirmed, we will hear from VCU and the Squirrels about what, if any, financial request they will make, said Mark Kronenthal, Mayor Dwight C. Jones chief of staff. So its premature to talk about the financial commitment at this time. Although multiple sources have said informal conversations have begun with officials in Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico regarding their potential role, officials across the metro area said they were caught off guard by Mondays news. Chesterfield Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve A. Elswick said he knows of no formal or informal discussions involving Chesterfield staff members or board members regarding the stadium. If theres been any dialogue between staff and the Squirrels and Richmond, I sure dont know about it, Elswick said. As a chair of the board, I am glad that they have worked this out. The Squirrels want a new stadium, and VCU wants a new stadium. But he has no way of knowing, he said, how county leaders would feel about supporting the stadium because they have not talked about it yet. Theres no way I could predict that because we havent even had a dialogue on it. We dont know anything, he said. I read about it in the paper today. Chesterfield Supervisor Chris Winslow questioned whether his constituents in northern Chesterfield would support public spending on a stadium. Wed want to evaluate any proposal very carefully, he said. Hanover County Administrator Cecil R. Rhu Harris Jr. said that as of yet, no financial requests have been made of the county formally or informally. In Henrico, a spokeswoman for the county said, No one has spoken with us about the latest stadium plan. Tyrone E. Nelson, the chairman of the Henrico Board of Supervisors, said he could not yet comment on the countys potential involvement. I really dont have anything to say because we havent talked about it. We werent a part of the discussion, he said. The Board of Supervisors is hearing about this in the news like everyone else. Former Venture Richmond Director Jack Berry raised more cash than former Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney for the first time last month. In campaign finance reports filed with the state Monday, Berry reported collecting $160,759 in donations in September. Stoney, who has led fundraising by a wide margin throughout the race, reported raising $127,397 in his September report. Both Berry and Stoney closed out the month with similar amounts of cash on hand: As they headed into the final month of the election, Berry reported having $177,000 in the bank, and Stoney reported having $199,000, according to data collected by the Virginia Public Access Project. Meanwhile, the front-runner in the race, former Del. Joseph D. Morrissey, reported raising $51,875. Councilman Jonathan Baliles raised $20,137, and City Council President Michelle R. Mosby reported $9,084. Mosbys donations included at least two from supporters of Berry, which will likely feed Morrissey allegations that shes being used by other candidates to attack him and serve as a spoiler. The Richmond Association of Realtors Political Action Committee, which has endorsed Berry, gave Mosby voter data worth $1,289. The data, which are used to aid door-to-door campaigning, are specific to the 3rd and 5th districts. Morrissey is winning both districts, according to recent polling, but only by narrow margins. Laura Lafayette, the associations chief executive, said the group made the donation at Mosbys request out of respect for her role as president of City Council and her status as a local real estate agent. Lafayette did not dispute that Mosby campaigning successfully in those districts would help Berry, but said Mosby is acting on her own initiative. Clearly our objective having endorsed Jack Berry is working as hard as we can to elect Jack Berry, Lafayette said. But at the same time, Michelle has a voice and perspective that is unique. And if one of our members has asked of us a very modest request, the least we can do is honor the request she made of us. The Realtors were by far Berrys biggest donors last month, donating a total of $25,000 in three donations from affiliated groups. Stoneys biggest donation came from Gov. Terry McAuliffes political action committee, Common Good VA, which donated $10,500. He received an additional $10,000 from the Home Building Association of Richmond, which endorsed him over the summer. A civil rights group filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday night against Virginia election officials over outages in the states online voter registration system that prevented some Virginians from signing up to vote in the presidential election. The suit, filed in federal court in Alexandria by the Washington-based Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, argues that would-be voters who could not access the system Monday were deprived of their constitutional right to vote because Virginia officials failed to provide a working system. The suit asks for a court injunction ordering the Virginia Department of Elections and the State Board of Elections to extend the registration deadline by at least three full days. This lawsuit seeks to prevent the disenfranchisement of eligible prospective voters in Virginia, whose right to vote has been impeded due to technological problems with and the systemic breakdown of Virginias online voter registration website, and the refusal of Defendants to remedy the situation, the complaint states. Election officials said the online system was down Monday due to unprecedented activity, with more than 21,000 registrations successfully submitted in a single day. Much of the online traffic came from voting promotions on Facebook and Google, which state officials said took them by surprise. Election officials and Gov. Terry McAuliffes office said Tuesday that they had no authority to extend the deadline, which is set by state law and passed at 11:59 p.m. Monday. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are two voter mobilization groups the New Virginia Majority Education Fund and the Virginia Civic Engagement Table, as well as a Charlottesville couple, Michael and Kathy Kern, who say they were unable to register through the online system after multiple attempts Sunday and Monday. New Virginia Majority was allied with McAuliffe earlier this year over the governors efforts to expand voting rights for felons. The lawsuit argues that the system outages may have disproportionately impacted 26,000 ex-offenders whose rights the governor has restored since Oct. 1. These individuals had only about two weeks to receive notice by U.S. postal service that their rights had been restored, and register to vote, the suit states. The Washington office of law firm Arnold & Porter LLP is representing the plaintiffs, according to the complaint. Its not clear how many people may have been unable to access the system, but several failed registrants voiced frustration Tuesday in interviews with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. When Sarah Aguiar-Wallis moved from California to Chesterfield County a few months ago, she thought she had been registered to vote when she changed her drivers license at the DMV. She was told shed get something in the mail, but it never came. When she confirmed that her registration did not go through, she, along with many others, scrambled Monday to register at the last minute. The 29-year-old speech pathologist, currently staying at home to care for her young daughter, began trying to register online at 3 p.m. She kept seeing the same message: File not found. She kept trying from multiple devices and multiple locations but, when the midnight deadline arrived, nothing had changed. I even set alarms on my phone to wake up because I knew I had until 11:59. But every time I tried, I got the same result, Aguiar-Wallis said. This is a huge election. To not be able to vote or have a say in my future or my daughters future not because I chose to but simply because Im being restricted and my rights are being infringed on thats scary. The ACLU of Virginia noted that state law makes accommodations for people standing in line when registration closes, and argued that similar accommodations should be made for those who tried to register online. The ACLU said the state is legally required to have functional registration systems in place. McAuliffes office said the governor has limited power to order an extension because the deadline is set in state law. McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said an extension would require action by the General Assembly. Unfortunately, the registration deadline is set by the code, and we processed as many as we could, Coy said. McAuliffe has spent much of the year trying to make it easier to vote for Virginia felons who have served their time. On Monday, Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortes sent an email to voter registrars across the state saying his agency was in triage mode to get through the election and will pursue long-term fixes afterward. We are working right now to assess what happened and identify what additional resources can be brought online before the election to assist in resolving system performance issues, Cortes said in an email Tuesday. He said officials understand the frustration voters experienced with the website problems, but noted that the system worked for more than 21,000 voters. At a hearing last week, General Assembly members and city and county registrars raised concerns about the spotty performance of VERIS, the computer system used to register voters and process absentee ballots. Cortes was asked several times to consider adding extra server capacity to improve the systems speed and reliability. During the hearing, Del. Timothy D. Hugo, R-Fairfax, called on McAuliffe to replace Cortes, a gubernatorial appointee. McAuliffes office said it had no plans to do so. We have every confidence in Virginias local registrars, but we are concerned that Governor McAuliffes Department of Elections has barely recognized let alone responded to the registrars concerns about the technical systems needed to administer the elections, House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, said Tuesday in a prepared statement. The administration needs to take immediate corrective action to ensure that local registrars have the necessary technical and support resources for the November election. Coy said: Well look at it and if there are additional resources that need to be made available, well make them available. Howell spokesman Matt Moran said the legislature has not considered a special session on an emergency fix. Not only would that create procedural and logistical nightmares for local registrars, but it would also set a problematic precedent, Moran said in an email. At a House of Delegates budget meeting Monday morning, a state IT official was asked about the voter systems performance issues. Eric Link, deputy chief information officer, said VERIS is not an ideal fit within the states IT infrastructure. He too pointed to Facebooks registration push as contributing to the problem. The system isnt really designed to work with that sort of a surge, Link said. Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said states know full well to expect spikes in last-minute voter registrations. To try and point the finger at someone else or at another third party thats working to help the state register people to vote seems very disingenuous, she said. The registrar in Fairfax County, Virginias most populous locality, said Monday was a perfect storm for local election officials trying to process registrations and oversee absentee voting. It was pretty much a lockout, said Fairfax Registrar Cameron Sasnett. We didnt see a complete and absolute system failure, but it was essentially close to it. Sasnett said that as the system slowdown worsened, transactions that normally take a second or less began taking five minutes or more. He said it took his office 14 minutes to look up the status of an in-person absentee voter, meaning that voter had to stand in the office 14 minutes before getting a ballot. Sonya Morris, 39, was supposed to go to the Fairfax voter office when she tried to register in person Monday. As a recent transplant from New England, she went to the Alexandria office because it was closest on her GPS. When Alexandria officials told Morris she was at the wrong office, they suggested she could save the hassle by registering online, Morris said. She tried from noon to midnight to no avail. It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search? Search for: Search A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. The Roanoke Seventh-day Adventist Church will host the Talleys for an evening of Southern gospel music on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert are available in advance for $15 per person. The Talleys are one of Christian music's most beloved and respected families. Their commitment to excellence and creativity in music has been their trademark since their illustrious career began, and their clear communication of the gospel is a defining characteristic of a Talley concert. The Talleys began in 1984 and enjoyed many years of success, including a Dove Award and numerous Singing News Fan Awards. Following a three-year hiatus, the Talleys began performing together in 1996 with the current lineup of Roger, wife Debra and daughter Lauren, and today the Talleys remain a mainstay of Christian music. The Talleys have enjoyed 11 No. 1 songs, and have received numerous Singing News Fan Awards and Dove Award nominations. They are frequently recognized for their appearances on the Gaither Homecoming video series and concert tour, as well as In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley and John Hagee Ministries. They have appeared on RFD-TV's "The Music City Show," and have toured overseas to Norway, Northern Ireland, Italy and South Africa. The Talleys consistently take their music with a message to hundreds of concert and church audiences of all sizes across America each year. The Talleys are a self-described "normal family," but whether they grace a concert hall, a church platform or enjoy a ball game on TV at home, they are dedicated to God and family. The Roanoke Seventh-day Adventist Church is located at 4120 Challenger Avenue (Route 460 East between the Bonsack Kroger and Wal-Mart). Tickets are available from the church website, www.adventistcentral.org or by calling 759-1771. Submitted by Susan Timmons CHARLOTTESVILLE Jane Dittmar, the Democratic candidate for Virginias 5th Congressional District, will deliver a statement at the Free Speech Wall on the Downtown Mall on Wednesday to address the recent language, behavior and tone of the campaign. The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Dittmar temporarily shut down her campaigns Facebook page over a series of threats and aggressive language directed toward the campaign and persons involved, according to campaign spokeswoman Genni Cox. Cox cited comments received from across the nation after the campaign posted about a protester, who was legally carrying a firearm and standing outside of Dittmars Fluvanna County campaign office on Thursday. The Facebook page, Jane for Congress, was back up just before noon Tuesday after being down approximately 12 hours. The campaign accounts of Dittmar, who is running against state Sen. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham, posted on Facebook and Twitter a picture of the protester, his truck and Donald Trump campaign signs outside of the Palmyra office. There is an armed man outside of our Fluvanna office intimidating volunteers if you feel uncomfortable please contact 911 immediately, Dittmars campaign tweeted Thursday. The man, Daniel Parks, is a Fluvanna County resident and stood outside the office for almost 12 hours to show his support for Trump. The incident received national attention from various media outlets, including The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Esquire and Breitbart News. After the incident gained attention, Cox and Dittmar said the Facebook page began receiving comments and messages that were threatening or aggressive in nature, many using lewd comments directed toward Dittmar and some of the campaigns volunteers who were featured on the pages timeline. Cox said voicemails also were left with the campaigns main office, many of them of a similar nature, from outside of Virginia. Cox saved screenshots of comments and messages left on the Facebook account, as well as transcripts of voicemail messages left for the campaign office. Cox said the level of this type of communication wasnt seen on the campaigns Twitter account, so it was left up while the Facebook page was down. Shortly after the page went back up, the campaign shared a post. Hey, Facebook! You may have noticed we took down our page last night, according to the post. We had to do so because of disgusting and threatening messages weve been receiving. We refuse to be bullied by anyone in our work to get good-paying jobs, solid infrastructure and a clean environment for the people of the Fifth District. Andrew Griffin, spokesman for the Garrett campaign, was contacted for statement, but requests were not immediately returned. Both Dittmar and Cox will speak at Wednesdays news conference, which is expected to start at 11 a.m. RICHMOND Would-be voters who were unable to register by Mondays deadline because of crashes in the states online voter registration system appear to be out of luck, despite multiple civil rights groups calling for Virginia to remedy the situation. Election officials said the online system was down Monday because of unprecedented activity, with more than 21,000 registrations successfully submitted in a single day. Much of the online traffic came from voting promotions on Facebook and Google, which state officials said took them by surprise. Its not clear how many people may have been unable to access the system. A civil rights group, the Washington-based Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Virginia election officials over the outages in the system. The suit, filed in federal court in Alexandria argues would-be voters who could not access the system Monday were deprived of their constitutional right to vote because Virginia officials failed to provide a working system. The suit asks for a court injunction ordering the Virginia Department of Elections and the State Board of Elections to extend the registration deadline by at least three full days. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are two voter mobilization groups the New Virginia Majority Education Fund and the Virginia Civic Engagement Table, as well as a Charlottesville couple, Michael and Kathy Kern, who say they were unable to register through the online system after multiple attempts Sunday and Monday. Before the lawsuit was filed Tuesday, the ACLU of Virginia noted that state law makes accommodations for people standing in line when registration closes, and argued that similar accommodations should be made for those who tried to register online. Gov. Terry McAuliffes office said the governor has limited power to order an extension because the deadline is set in state law. McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said an extension would require action by the General Assembly. Unfortunately, the registration deadline is set by the code and we processed as many as we could, Coy said. McAuliffe has spent much of the year trying to make it easier to vote for Virginia felons who have served their time. On Monday, Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortes sent an email to voter registrars across the state saying his agency was in triage mode to get through the election and will pursue long-term fixes afterward. We are working right now to assess what happened and identify what additional resources can be brought online before the election to assist in resolving system performance issues, Cortes said in an email Tuesday. He said officials understand the frustration voters experienced because of the website problems, but noted that the system worked for more than 21,000 voters. At a hearing last week, General Assembly members and city and county registrars raised concerns about the spotty performance of Veris, the computer system used to register voters and process absentee ballots. Cortes was asked several times to consider adding extra server capacity to improve the systems speed and reliability. During the hearing, Del. Tim Hugo, R-Fairfax, called on McAuliffe to replace Cortes, a gubernatorial appointee. McAuliffes office said it had no plans to do so. We have every confidence in Virginias local registrars, but we are concerned that Governor McAuliffes Department of Elections has barely recognized let alone responded to the registrars concerns about the technical systems needed to administer the elections, House Speaker Bill Howell, R-Stafford, said Tuesday in a prepared statement. The administration needs to take immediate corrective action to ensure that local registrars have the necessary technical and support resources for the November election. Well look at it, and if there are additional resources that need to be made available, well make them available, Coy said. Howell spokesman Matt Moran said the legislature has not considered calling a special session on an emergency fix. Not only would that create procedural and logistical nightmares for local registrars, but it would also set a problematic precedent, Moran said in an email. At a House of Delegates budget meeting Monday morning, a state IT official was asked about the voter systems performance issues. Eric Link, deputy chief information officer, said Veris is not an ideal fit within the states IT infrastructure. He, too, pointed to Facebooks voter registration push as contributing to the problem. The system isnt really designed to work with that sort of a surge, Link said. CHARLOTTESVILLE With a jury now seated, attorneys for both Rolling Stone and University of Virginia administrator Nicole Eramo are gearing up to present opening statements Tuesday morning. In the first day of the trial for Eramos $7.85 million defamation lawsuit against the magazine, its publisher and author Sabrina Rubin Erdely, attorneys and federal Judge Glen Conrad asked a pool of 100 potential jurors about their knowledge of Erdelys November 2014 article, A Rape on Campus. Eramo filed her suit in May 2015, a month after Rolling Stone retracted the piece amidst various investigations that debunked the story of Jackie, a then-student who claimed she was gang raped at a fraternity house during her first year at UVa. Jackies story served as the centerpiece of Erdelys article, and attracted intense scrutiny after its publication. In her suit, Eramo alleges that her reputation, career and health, both physical and mental, were severely harmed in the articles aftermath. At the time of its publication, Eramo was the associate dean charged with aiding student survivors of sexual assault at UVa. Mentioned by name more than 30 times in the piece, Eramo claims she was portrayed as the articles chief villain, acting uncaringly and callously toward Jackies claims. After a year and a half of legal battling, the case is finally going before a jury. On Monday, counsel for both sides removed 90 potential jurors based on a variety of factors. Many were asked about the extent of their connection with the case, its key players and the university in general. More than 40 potential jurors said Monday that they were in some way connected to UVa, either as alumni, employees or relatives of alumni. The juror pool also was asked if they were or had some connection to a victim of sexual assault, any allegiance to a fraternity or sorority, whether they were subscribers to Rolling Stone magazine and, more generally, if they were untrusting of the media which, according to a quick polling, most of them were. The point was to determine whether potential jurors had developed a preconception of guilt in the case, or if some prior history with elements of the case might impair them from making an informed and unbiased judgment. Given the cases relatively high profile and impact on the local community, especially in the six months succeeding the articles publication, some jurors did indicate they might be susceptible to bias. Five admitted that, in their minds, Rolling Stone was starting the trial at a deficit, and more than a dozen said they believed the magazine had committed a wrongdoing in publishing the story. Ultimately, the 100 jurors were whittled down to 10. Eight are women and two are men. All but one appear to be middle-aged or older and all but one is white. The jury was read aloud the original version of A Rape on Campus and also heard a radio clip featuring Erdely that was broadcast days after the article was released. One more radio clip will be played when the trial picks up at 8 a.m. Tuesday, just before counsel for each side dives into their opening arguments. The trial is expected to run for 12 days. UP to now the panel has been put together by culture secretary John Whitting Dale to review the BBC. Before granting it its Royal Charter it needs to be able to broadcast. Well they have decided the BBC should hand over Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice and The Great British Bake Off to the private sector to boost its ratings. You see the private sector cant for the life of it make programmes that a popular. Rumour is that Eastenders is going to Sky as a thank you to Rupert Murdoch for his support to the Tories in the general election. Its become custom and practice to give Rupert something after every election. Just think, viewers could see Rupert Murdoch, Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger having a knees up in the Old Vic and Jeremy Clarkson in the background playing darts. This one episode should get Sky into the low thousands of viewers. In fact it could be advertised as the episode of the Old, The Beauty and The Ugly. Without BBC television its back to the radio as whats on now is getting worse by the hour. The Beebs been faithful through two world wars, but can we trust Johnny Foreigner? Richard Billups, East Avenue, Rawmarsh Christies Geneva Magnificent Jewels auction on 8 November Christies Geneva Magnificent Jewels auction on 8 November 2022 presents the very best in outstanding gemstones, alongside historic and modern jewels, led by The Fortune Pink (estimate: CHF25,000,000-35,000,000), an exceptional fancy vivid pink... SUNLIGHT opens flagship in the legendary place of Old Arbat Jewelry chain No. 1 SUNLIGHT revives jewelry traditions by opening the doors of its flagship store in Old Arbat on the site of the elite boutique "Gems", known for having a separate entrance and a secret VIP room for the "Soviet nobility"... Call for KPCS to commit to serious reforms The Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition (KPCSC) has called on the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) to come to terms with the shortcomings of the certification scheme and to commit to serious reforms. A KPCS plenary... Barrick Gold secures future of DRC mine with exploration success Barrick Gold says the ability of the Kibali mine, Africas largest gold mine to replace its reserves beyond depletion will secure its position as one of the companys tier-one assets well into the future. Company president and chief executive Mark Bristow... (gold.1prime.ru) International rating agency Fitch upgraded the long-term default rating of Russian diamond producer ALROSA to BB+ from BB with a stable outlook, the agency said. A similar short-term rating is confirmed at B level. Fitch notes that the rating increase is due to the company's results, which were better than forecast. "ALROSA indicators were better than our expectations in 2015 and in the first half of 2016," - Fitch said in a statement. "The stable outlook reflects improved, albeit still fragile prospects for the development of the diamond market," - Fitch also explains. The agency notes that this forecast is explained by the good performance and liquidity of ALROSA by the end of the first half of 2016. The UAE Kimberley Process Chair (KP Chair), Ahmed Bin Sulayem, has extended an invitation to all members of the Civil Society Coalition (CSC) to attend the upcoming Plenary in Dubai, UAE, according to a press note. The Plenary, which is slated for November 13-17, 2016, will discuss the possibility of installing a Permanent Secretariat under the mandate of the United Nations. The invitation letter says that after extensive travel of Africa by KP Chair, significant progress has been made in Central African Republic in particular. Here, the UAE took over the lead of the CAR Monitoring team and four zones are now considered compliant for export. In collaboration with the CAR Government the Monitoring Team is putting in place the necessary vigilance measures to ensure the long term compliance of the green zones of Berberati, Carnot, Boda and Nola. The document also says that the KP Chair has initiated a series of dedicated workshops on rough diamond valuation. Our progress with rough diamond valuation and my extensive travel across the African continent has confirmed my conviction that the world needs to do better for Africa. In my capacity as KP Chair it remains my intention to bring change and to improve working conditions and the social environment related to the diamond industry, said KP Chair. As KP Chair, it is our sincere wish to be able to collaboratively bring all the work which has been done over the last nine months to a good end. Hence, our proposal is to extend this also into the next year and show our willingness to fund the participation of all members of the CSC at the Plenary so that we can demonstrate to the world that the Kimberley Process has re-found an active tripartite which looks at solving the issues at stake proactively and jointly. said Bin Sulayem. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished DiamondCorp, which had its underground operations at Lace mine in South Africa suspended due to a fire incident, has said that the third party with whom it had been in advanced talks for the provision of a convertible debt facility has withdrawn from such discussions due to the adverse movement in the company's share price. The company had said recently that it was looking to raise additional equity and/or debt from one or more parties of between 2.5 million and 3.0 million in the near term to cover the anticipated cash required to fund operations through to commercial production and positive cashflow from operations. However, it reported Thursday that the South African Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) issued DiamondCorps 74 percent-owned subsidiary, Lace Diamond Mines with a shutdown notice on underground operations following a fire incident on a dump truck that was extinguished without injury. The diamond junior said it was struggling to find logic in the instruction and was considering its options including legal means of redress. Despite the withdrawal of the convertible debt facility, DiamondCorp said it was in accelerated discussions with certain of the company's shareholders and other third parties with a view to securing the necessary additional funding of about 500,000 to satisfy immediate financial commitments. In the absence of a successful resolution to these discussions, it is likely that the group will be unable to continue trading as a going concern in the very near term, it said. No assurances can be given at this stage that the provision of the required immediate term funding will be entered into either in time or at all. Additionally, in the event that the company secures the required immediate term funding, there can be no certainty that the company will subsequently secure the necessary funding solutions to meet its longer term financial requirements as previously announced. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished The Chinese-owned Detroop Mine near Chinhoyi in Mashonaland West Province was taken to the National Employees Council by the Zimbabwe Diamond Miners Workers Union (ZDMWU) over its alleged abuse of employees, according to local media reports. Detroop, situated about 170km north-west of Harare and along Angwa River, was run by Chinas Jiangxi Risheng Mining Company. ZDMWU has registered the Detroop workers case with Mines National Employers Council for a fair hearing among our concerns on behalf of the workers. We have raised issues of unfair labour practices, non-payment of overtime, no grading system, assault of employees, underpayment of wages and no safety clothing among other issues, labour documents seen by NewsDay read. Conciliation will take place at NEC Mining facilitated on November 10, 2016 The notification of litigation process was served to the mine on October 13, the daily reports. Senior managers at the mine were allegedly abusing workers by demanding $50 from each of them every month as protection fees. We are happy at strides made so far by mine workers union. They have come to our rescue although some of us are being victimised by senior management for exposing them. We will soldier on besides these threats as our rights are being violated, an unnamed workers representative was quoted as saying. It was not established when this Chinese diamond firm started its operations in Zimbabwe and why it was not part of the consolidated diamond company spearheaded by Harare but resisted by miners to plug in leakages. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished Due to sliding prices of gold in both global and domestic markets, India's gold imports dropped 10.3 percent to $1.80 bn in Sept. 2016 against $2 bn in Sept.2015, according to the data of the commerce ministry of India. Since February this year, imports of the yellow metal have been declining, which had helped contain the country's current account deficit (CAD) to $ 8.33 bn in September this year as against $10.16 bn in the same month of 2015. For the full year, CAD stood at $22.1 bn, 1.1 per cent of GDP, as against $26.8 bn, 1.3 per cent, in 2014-15. India's total official gold imports declined to 60 tonnes in April-July of this fiscal, much lower than 250 tons in the year-ago period. India, the world's second biggest gold consumer after China, imported 650 tons in 2015-16. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished California State Transportation Agency U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx joined local officials and workers for a tour and discussion of the California high-speed rail project. Secretary Foxx was accompanied on the tour by California State Transportation Agency Secretary Brian Kelly and California High-Speed Rail Authority (CaHSRA) CEO Jeff Morales and met with CaHSR staff, as well as Fresno, Calif., Mayor Ashley Swearengin and Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA-16). The group toured project sites including the Fresno River Viaduct near Madera, as well as the San Joaquin River Viaduct and the Tuolumne Street Bridge in Fresno. Approximately 119 miles of construction is underway in the Central Valley from Madera County to Kern County. Secretary Foxxs visit was concentrated in Construction Package 1, which has eight active construction sites within a 32-mile stretch. Secretary Foxx was able to view the first freestanding structure of the system, the Fresno River Viaduct. The 1,600-foot aerial structure will carry high-speed trains over the Fresno River and State Route 145. Work on this site began in June 2015 and is expected to be complete by the end of 2016. Secretary Foxx also visited the San Joaquin River Viaduct, a 4,740-foot structure that will span the San Joaquin River in North Fresno and Union Pacific tracks parallel to State Route 99. Secretary Foxx also learned about the steps being taken to build the system as a carbon-neutral project. CaHSRA requires its design-build contractors to recycle all concrete and steel and use the newest, cleanest diesel engines. The project has used more than 200 tons of 100-percent recycled steel in columns and structures. The project has recycled or stockpiled more than 19,800 tons of concrete, steel and other mixed construction materials. In the coming weeks, workers will be planting trees to offset any construction emissions. AstraZeneca plc (AZN.L,AZN) announced the US FDA has accepted a complete re-submission of a New Drug Application for sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (ZS-9), a potential new medicine for the treatment of hyperkalaemia by ZS Pharma, a subsidiary of AstraZeneca. The FDA has indicated that this is a complete class 2 response. Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate is an investigational medicine that is not currently approved for any indication in any market. It has been studied in three double-blind, placebo controlled trials and in one ongoing 12-month open label clinical trial. ZS Pharma is focused on the development and commercialisation of highly selective, non-absorbed drugs to treat renal, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. The company said interactions with other authorities in the European Union and Australia are ongoing with decisions expected in the first half of 2017. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the manufacturer of recalled and discontinued Galaxy Note 7, plans to compensate the suppliers of the smartphone parts, Reuters reported Monday, citing a company statement. The company also reportedly considers giving them orders for other models to soften the impact. The South- Korean phone manufacturer said it would fully pay for the already manufactured, but unused Note 7 parts. It would also compensate suppliers for unfinished components as well as for materials bought to make the smartphone parts. The decision is based on Note 7's safety concerns expressed by the South Korean government and other officials and the impact it can have on the country's as Samsung is a major customer for many South Korean parts makers. The company was forced to stop production of fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 in early last week for consumer safety reasons. The crisis is expected to cost the company around $5.5 billion in operating profit from the third quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017. Samsung last week had offered financial incentives to customers exchanging its damaged Galaxy Note 7 smartphones for other Samsung models, expecting to retain its customers and to control further damages. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Portugal's producer prices continued to decline in September, though at a slower pace than in the previous month, figures from Statistics Portugal showed Tuesday. The producer price index fell 1.7 percent year-over-year in September, following a 3.0 percent decrease in August. Energy prices alone dipped 4.0 percent August from a year ago. Excluding energy, prices dropped 1.0 percent. Month-on-month, producer prices edged up 0.1 percent in September, after remaining flat in the prior month. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. Donald Trump has proposed a package of ethics reforms to "drain the swamp in Washington, D.C." The GOP nominee offered a five-point reform proposal. Trump announced that if he comes to power, he will re-institute a 5-year ban on all executive branch officials lobbying the government for 5 years after they leave government service. He said he is going to ask Congress to pass this ban into law so that it cannot be lifted by executive order, and to institute its own 5-year ban on lobbying by former members of Congress and their staffs. Trump recalled that when Bill Clinton came into office, he signed an executive order saying if you work for the White House or a federal agency, you can't lobby the government for 5 years after you leave. "But then, President Clinton lifted the executive order so the Clintons and their cronies like John Podesta could start raking in cash." The definition of lobbyist will be expanded so that all the loopholes that former government officials use by labeling themselves as consultants and advisors can be closed. Senior executive branch officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government will face a lifetime ban. Congress will be asked to pass a campaign finance reform that prevents registered foreign lobbyists from raising money in American elections. Trump alleged that the media is trying to rig the election by giving credence to false stories that have no validity and making it front page news. The US political system is also rigged by the donors, giving hundreds of millions to Hillary Clinton's campaign, according to Trump. He also charged the pro-Clinton journalists of even trying to rig the election at the polling booths, where so many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is all too common. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News The US Department of Defense announced Monday the transfer of Mohamedou Ould Slahi from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to his home country of Mauritania. A longtime Guantanamo Bay prisoner, Slahi wrote a best-selling book about his experiences in the controversial military prison in Cuba. to his home country of Mauritaniathe publication last year of In his book titled "Guantanamo Diary," 45-year-old Slahi outlines his treatment at the notorious US naval base, where he was subjected to torture. With his release, 60 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon said. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Walgreens has introduced "Ship to Store offering," with free shipping for online and mobile orders. Customers can place an online order and pick up the product from their neighborhood store. The new ship to store offering allows Walgreens customers to pick up eligible online and mobile app retail orders in-store at more than 7,600 locations, with free shipping and no minimum order requirement. Customers can shop the retailer's expanded online product selection and pick up their order at a convenient neighborhood Walgreens or Duane Reade store. Joe Hartsig, Walgreens senior vice president, merchandising. "With Ship to Store, customers have the ability to ship orders to their preferred Walgreens store if their residence or workplace isn't a secure option." When shopping for eligible items on Walgreens.com or through the Walgreens mobile app, customers can select the Ship to Store free delivery service. Orders placed online or through the Walgreens mobile app will typically arrive within one to three days. Customers will receive an e-mail notification when their order is ready for pickup. Walgreens paperless coupons, Balance Rewards benefits and other digital promotions can also be used by the customers for Ship to Store orders and applied online prior to payment. Walgreens said that free shipping to a customer's home or other address is also available for eligible online orders over $35. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Donald Trump has suggested House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is rooting against a Republican victory in the upcoming presidential election due to his own political ambitions. In an interview with ABC's Tom Llamas before a campaign event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Monday, Trump was asked whether he believes Ryan wants him to win the race for the White House. "Well, maybe not, because maybe he wants to run in four years or maybe he doesn't know how to win," Trump said. "Maybe just doesn't know how to win." "I mean, who can really know," he added. "But I know I'm in his territory and they are all screaming for Trump." Trump said Ryan could be more supportive of the GOP's presidential nominee but predicted that he would still win the election. The real estate tycoon told Llamas he doesn't want to be "knocking" Ryan despite previously calling the speaker "disloyal" and a "very weak and ineffective leader." "The Democrats have a corrupt political machine pushing crooked Hillary Clinton. We have Paul Ryan, always fighting the Republican nominee!" Trump said in a post on Twitter on Sunday. He added, "Paul Ryan, a man who doesn't know how to win (including failed run four years ago), must start focusing on the budget, military, vets etc." Ryan has not officially unendorsed Trump but has distanced himself from the Republican nominee since the release of a recording of him making lewd remarks about women. The move by Ryan and Trump's subsequent attacks led the billionaire's supports to chant "Paul Ryan sucks!" at the rally in the speaker's home state. (Photo: Michael Vadon) For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ... In the last 24 hours, India reported 1,326 new Covid-19 cases and eight cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. ... Several local companies successful in Best of the Best awards business Re: Your thoughts on closure of Yazaki Poor Samoa. Dont give up, there are opportunities in tourism, growing fruits and vegetables and making things to sell that dont need quarantine. Dont rely on the government, its corrupt. Dont teach your children to pawn off rubbish and beg or steal. Teach them to work hard and learn. Clean up the place, tourists will stay in the resorts where its clean and safe and the locals will miss out on the revenue. Put the dogs behind fences, tourists wont come out if dogs are barking and biting them. Stop the crime. Dont bite the hand that feeds you. Samoan Princess Dear Editor, Arrests Over a year ago, Suitupe Misa was arrested from the market in Fugalei by armed police officers with the Commissioner of Police leading the arrest. An Ombudsman report released as a result of an investigation into these actions by the police revealed that the police had arrested the wrong person and that the police had not done any investigation leading up to the arrest nor had any evidence on hand to support their arrest of Suitupe without a warrant. The report also revealed that in actioning the arrest, police had pointed guns around in the market during the day while it was at its busiest. A year later since that arrest, three to four police vehicles full of police officers attended the office of the National Prosecution Office and arrested the Director of that office for a traffic matter. It was the same division within the police, the division that looks after the armoury of the Police. Then more recently a senior lawyer was arrested from the courthouse for allegedly uttering insulting words. The word alleged to have been used by that lawyer was b****. So the police used their power to publically arrest a senior lawyer for saying the word b****. Taxi drivers are also arrested and imprisoned by police for simply parking in a non-parking zone for taxis. Drivers are arrested for minor traffic offences such as running a red light. A member of parliament was charged for negligent driving causing injury and then withdrawn by prosecution the very next minute. The police have two choices in starting a criminal matter against a person. They can either choose to use their powers of arrest and arrest the person or they can choose to file charges and summon the person. The purpose of arresting someone, one would think, should be to ensure the person is brought before the Court and does not run away, to prevent a breach of peace, to prevent any more offending by that person, or for the safety of the community. Arresting a person deprives that person of his or her right to liberty before that person is proven guilty, particularly so in less serious charges or complaints. So when the police arrest someone, they are actually imprisoning that person before that person is proven guilty or before the Court sets out the punishment for that person if the person is proven guilty. And there are many criminal matters, especially traffic matters that do not often end with the person imprisoned if proven guilty as shown in the past history of the courts in setting out sentences for these people. So unnecessary arrests and over the top actions of arrest would damage the reputation of the police and cause ill feeling among the community against the police and damage the cooperative relationship between the public and the Police that are here to safeguard their welfare. Take for example the arrest of Suitupe. The arrest was instituted by police without a warrant, without police investigation and no evidence. The result is the arrest of the wrong person. But by that time, Suitupes liberty had already been taken away from him by the police, through his handcuffing and detention at the police station. The end result is a million dollar lawsuit against the police for false imprisonment. This is policing today that the country has to get used to because despite the public condemnation by the Ombudsman of the police in this approach, and just the common sense of these unnecessary and disproportionate approach, the police are not getting the message but continuing to exercise their powers of arrest without checking whether it really is necessary in the circumstances. A Government that continues to do nothing about this will continue to have people consider lawsuits against the Government as the community grows tired of this way of policing and witness the deterioration in trust and the relationship between the Police and the community. Faimasealofa Oleaematauatu Ex-law enforcer Many farmers in Samoa have grown accustomed to Monoculture (focusing on one crop) style of farming as a way of life. The only problem is, there are a lot of limitations in Samoa and no way to develop their business further. But with the introduction of Samoa Commercial Banks new small loan scheme, many farmers can now develop their business further. For Momoe Tagaloa from the village of Magiagi, he is happy to be able to move forward with his pawpaw business. I am also very happy because I just heard that the bank (S.C.B.) has started a new programme which caters to farmers and low income earners, he told the Village Voice. Me and my fellow famers now have an opportunity to develop our plantations further. I had so many plans to develop my pawpaw business but the only problem was that I couldnt afford it. Now with this new scheme, myself and many other families in Samoa will have opportunities to step forward with their lives. Momoe said there is a lot of potential with pawpaw farming. For me, there is nothing hard with growing pawpaw, its very simple, he said. Even though it has a pretty long waiting period before harvest but the money you can make from it if very good. Thats why I still rely on it till this day. With it being his familys only source of income, it drives Momoe to work harder every day. To tell you the truth, these pawpaws are what I use to take care of my family, he said. Thats why I have developed a very big pawpaw plantation at home. My family really needs the money so as the head of the family; I try my best to earn as much as I can from whatever means necessary. And because a lot of effort goes into Momoes pawpaw plantation, he is able to grow abnormally large pawpaws. When it comes to my pawpaws, I give it all of my effort, he said. When I grow my pawpaws I make sure a lot of care goes into the process because the better they turn out, the more I can provide for my family. Thats why I am able to grow pawpaw as big as the ones I have here. Furthermore, Momoe explained how easy it is to plant and make money from pawpaws. I first mix fertilizer (manure) into the soil, once thats done I dig up holes in the ground before I start planting the pawpaw seeds, he said. Its that simple. I have been doing this for over ten years now because its very good money. Once its harvest time I am able to make about $3,000 a week from the fruit. The reason I make so much is because I am given opportunities from different accommodations to deliver the pawpaws to them. I also deliver to markets to sell to people in Samoa. A 26-year-old man who died when his car crashed at Ululoloa last Saturday morning was heavily intoxicated. This was confirmed by the Police Media Officer, Sua Lemamea Tiumalu. The 26-year-old male from Sinamoga was died as we was being taken to the hospital after the crash. One of the first people to arrive at the scene who spoke to the Samoa Observer anonymously said what had happened woke all of them up that morning. He said there were three people in the vehicle including the driver. When I got to the front, another vehicle was there to take the deceased to the hospital while the other two passengers were very upset, he said. The source said the reeked of the smell of alcohol when they arrived to help. We didnt know what kind of injuries he sustained but his face was covered with blood and he was rushed to hospital right after. He said they found out the driver had died soon after. The vehicle was removed the next day, said the eyewitness. Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi is the New High Commissioner Pakistan to Samoa. He was officially welcomed yesterday by the Head State Head of State, His Highness, Tui Atua Tamasese Efi at his Tuaefu residence. His wife, Asia Afraisiab accompanied him. The welcoming ceremony started with a traditional ava ceremony followed by the presentation of Mr. Hashmis letter of credence to the Head of State. It is a matter of great satisfaction that Pakistan and Samoa enjoy cordial and friendly relations. Our relations are based on mutual interest and common objectives in maintaining peace, development and prosperity, he said. The Independent State of Samoa successfully held the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States in Apia in September, 2014. Pakistan participated in the conference. Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with countries of the South Pacific region. Lastly, he said they are looking forward to strengthening the ties between the two governments in all fields of importance. In accepting the letter of credence, His Highness Tui Atua said: I echo your sentiments on the close and friendly association between Samoa and Pakistan over the years, which has guided our collaborative efforts in maintaining peace and promoting issues of mutual importance to the development and prosperity of not only our two countries but the international community as well. Thank you for your sentiments regarding the recent S.I.D.S conference in Samoa The success of the S.I.D.S Conference was mainly due in part of the support Samoa received from its partners. As such we are most grateful for the continuous support and value Pakistan holds for S.I.D.S. I am also pleased to note your continuing support and pursuit of the issues that are much importance to both our countries especially climate change and sustainable development. I am confident that during your tenure, the close relationship that presently exists between our two governments will continue and will be further strengthened. Mr. Hashmi started his diplomatic career when he joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1984. Since then, he has done posting in the various Embassies of Pakistan. Hashmi served as Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan to India which followed being appointed as the High Commissioner of Pakistan to Bangladesh in 2011-2014. Aside from his expertise in foreign international relations, Mr. Hashmi writes books on subjects of foreign and international relations of Pakistan and other subjects including US Foreign Service, Theology and Face Reading. Mr. Hashmi and his spouse will depart Samoa on Saturday for New Zealand where they are residing. The findings of a Tribunal evaluating the performance of the suspended Director and Acting Director of the National Prosecution Office (N.P.O) will play a key role in determining the future of the Office. While Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has been reluctant to say whether the Office would eventually be abolished, it has been confirmed that the Tribunal is reviewing the validity of its existence. The Tribunal includes Justice Grant Hammond, former Justice of the High Court of Samoa; Tuiloma Neroni Slade, former Attorney General of Samoa; and the President of the Samoa Law Society, Savalenoa Mareva Betham-Annandale. They are due to report back to the Prime Minister, who is also the Minister responsible for the N.P.O. The N.P.O, established in June last year, is headed by suspended Director, Mauga Precious Chang. The Acting Director, Muriel Lui, has also been suspended. Asked if the government would abolish the N.P.O, Tuilaepa told the government-owned Savali Newspaper that the answer is not straightforward. It's not as simple as abolishing or not abolishing, the Prime Minister is quoted as saying. Cabinet has to review the processes that have lead to the recent clashes between government agencies. The government agencies in question include the Office of the Attorney General, the Police and the N.P.O. The N.P.O has a clear responsibility to uphold the rule of law and objectivity of the criminal justice system, Tuilaepa said. What we've seen has been the opposite of that. There has been a distinct lack of wisdom in decision-making, stemming from conflicts of interest that have not been handled in the proper manner. Two weeks ago when Cabinet suspended the Acting Director of the N.P.O, the prosecutorial duties previously performed by the N.P.O were handed over to the Office of the Attorney General immediately. The N.P.O is not currently under the AG, Tuilaepa clarified. It just happens that the N.P.O's new Acting Director is the Attorney General (Lemalu Herman Retzlaff). The N.P.O itself is still fulfilling its statutory functions and obligations. This is a temporary measure while a Tribunal, which has now been appointed, assesses the work of the suspended Director and suspended Acting Director of the N.P.O. But considering the way the N.P.O has been operating, I think it's understandable that Cabinet is also considering a review of the validity of the N.P.O. In the meantime, Mauga has pleaded not guilty to charges of negligent driving causing injury, dangerous driving and failing to stop to ascertain in relation to a traffic incident. Ms. Luis suspension on the other hand is pursuant to sections 11(4), 11 (7) and 11(8) of the N.P.O Act 2015. In a statement from Cabinet confirming Ms. Luis suspension, it said: Cabinet has noted the continued refusal of the suspended Acting Director of N.P.O and suspended Director of N.P.O to properly perform powers and duties to uphold the rule of law and objectivity of the criminal justice system. Cabinet acknowledges that the actions of Ms. Lui and Ms. Chang have created unnecessary conflicts between government departments while diminishing public confidence in law enforcement processes and the justice system in Samoa. Furthermore, the validity of the establishment of the National Prosecution Office will also be reviewed to ensure the Statutory responsibilities and powers are treated with greater transparency, accountability and respect. Asked about claims Cabinet is taking sides with the Office of the A.G., Tuilaepa said: The AG's job is to give advice to government. Advice is also sought from other government agencies, including the N.P.O. Cabinet then takes all information in to consideration and makes a decision. It's a simple process, but there is nothing simple about coming to a decision that may be for one group or against one group. In this case, the actions of the N.P.O leadership was cause for concern and Cabinet made a decision to remedy that. At the end of June last year, the announcement was made the Criminal Prosecutions Division of the Attorney Generals Office would become the independent N.P.O. The establishment of the N.P.O was initiated by Prime Minister Tuilaepa, prompted by a number of factors, including the need to improve prosecution services and for prosecutions at all levels in Samoa to be conducted uniformly by one office. In late 2014 legal consultants from the Commonwealth Secretariat were deployed to consider the need for a N.P.O. They sought opinions from various members of the public sector, the judiciary and the Samoa Law Society. All wholly approved and supported the initiative. In December 2014, upon the submission of a public proposal and policy, Cabinet endorsed the initiative. The cost of services provided by the government might increase or decrease once a review is approved by the National Revenue Board under the Fees and Charges Bill 2016. The proposed change was tabled by the Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti, in Parliament yesterday. The bill seeks to amend various Acts of Parliament in relation to fees and charges and to give effect to a Cabinet Directive F.K. (14) 25 dated 16 July 2014. More than forty government agencies will have their fees and charges reviewed which includes school fees, fees and charges for importation of goods, electricity fees, immigration, national health services etc. The bill is to ensure all fees and charges for services rendered by government ministries, government agencies, public beneficial bodies and selected public bodies are to prescribe by Regulations made by the Head of State, subject to the approval of the National Revenue Board and the Public Finance Management Act 2001. Member of Parliament for Salega East, Olo Fiti Vaai told Parliament he did not understand the Cabinet Directive referred to in the bill. But before he could continue, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi cut in to remind him about the pre-Parliament sitting briefings for Members of Parliament. Because of your absence in the pre-sitting (on Monday) you do not understand this, he said. How can you understand if government officials attend the meeting to explain the legislations and you expect us to go through it and explain everything for your sake again? Its a new year and the member is still talking about old stuff. The M.P. disagreed. Olo pointed out that Parliament procedures dictate that after every second reading of a bill, he can discuss the legislation. I was not absent in a Parliament sitting, only in the seminars. My disappointment is only 12 M.Ps are considering the legislation with 38 other members not understanding it. Speaker of the House, Leaupepe Toleafoa Faafisi said the seminars are part of the M.Ps responsibility to attend. He reminded everyone that the bill will be referred to the Committee and they can ask questions there. The Associate Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi said the increase in fees and charges should reflect the quality of services offered. He questioned the administration of the legislation, wondering why it is based on the Public Finance Management Act when each ministry has their own legislation. He used electricity as an example. He said this should be determined by the Regulator, not the Public Finance Management Act. There are many Acts where the powers are given to a Minister to make recommendation to Cabinet but what I see now is that its all being changed to the Head of State, said Leala. An example is the school fees. People are singing the tune of free education but there is contradiction with P.T.A committees fees. According to the Minister of Finance, the bill is to make sure there is consistency in fees being charged by government bodies. He clarified that it deals with non-tax revenue which does not affect duty excise and V.A.G.S.T. These are the fees the department of government charges for the services they provide, Sili told the Samoa Observer. If I want a new birth certificate I have to pay for it and new passport I have to pay costs." Sili said one of the objectives is to look at current charges and determine whether there is a need to increase or change the basis to assess those charges. He pointed out the Revenue Board makes recommendation and it will be up to Cabinet to make the final decision to accept or reject those charges taking into account the condition of our development. Before a final decision is made Sili said Cabinet has to look at issues of affordability to make sure we do not deprive low income earners and those in community who do not have access to cash and continue to receive those services from government and not be too concern about the high cost. Obviously when we do charge those fees we are going to ensure that we get a decent return to recover some of the costs, bearing in mind to look at the state of economy and ensure that we do not deprive the low income people from accessing those services. The Minister said there are 41 different legislations all charging different services fees. The bill is to get an independent and objective review of what those charges are and whether they are reasonable. We dont want cost associated with inefficiency in public service to be added on to the cost of services that we do provide, he explained. We want to be reasonable as possible and ensure its affordable. Its about time we do it. One problem we faced in the past is we didn't review charges for several years and when we do - its a fairly large increase to compensate for all years when we shouldve reviewed it. The intention of going forward is to conduct annual review of it and if there is need to increase we do it quickly and not wait for five years where an increase to a level that is not sustainable and people cannot afford. Asked if it is a ploy that instead of the government increasing V.A.GST they are now looking at other avenues, Sili rejected the claim. He referred to a his budget statement earlier this year where we did say we will be reviewing our taxes and currently we are in the process of customs duty, our excise, income taxes and corporate taxes and that will also include a review of our V.A.G.S.T rate. Its important that we review all of that. Whether we increase or not, I think we need to do a lot more work and consultation with the public to make sure that whatever we come up with at the end the recommendation will be in line with our government thinking that we generate additional domestic resources to pay for our own budget and not have to depend on developing partners and not have to borrow. That is the whole objective. We need to balance a review of the taxes with our review of the none tax charges which is what were talking about this morning (yesterday). Sili was also asked about the government looking at increasing charges and fees while the minimum wage still stands at $2.30. We are not saying we are going to increase. We are saying we will review the department charges, it does not necessarily mean we will increase it across the board. he said. It might be selective charges that have not been reviewed for 10 15 years obviously we need to bring that up to date but we are not doing this review with the view to increase them. We may increase some we may decide to reduce some of the charges. But it will still affect the general public especially the low income earners and unemployed? It will obviously affect them, confirmed Sili. Some of the things we look at is income tax. There is a current fresh hold that if youre earning about $15,000 per year you are exempt from tax. So the review might decide to come up with a recommendation that we increase that fresh hold from $15,000 to $18,000 and everybody earning (less) will not have to pay tax so obviously its a consideration of economy, looking at incentivize our people to work hard and for government not to take away their money. Im keen to make sure the ultimately goal its going to be a balance view. Ultimately in terms of minimum wage obviously that is under Ministry of Commerce Industry and Labour we need to look at. That is why its important to keep an eye at cost of living and affordability because obviously then we need to also look at impact of those low income earners those who are on daily hourly rates. Sili reiterated the government wants to be fair and equitable if it means increasing minimum wage then we should do that but we have to go through this exercise. The objective of legislation is to review of taxes that we did say will do earlier this year in the budget address. We are looking at draft a recommendation by end of January we do need time to make sure we look at every aspect of revenues to be sure that its fair and equitable and not going to create hardship for some of our people. Think a minuteIn the 1930s, Jesse Owens was a world-class athlete in track and field. Yet he was told that because he was black, an African-American, there was no way he could beat the white, Nazi German athletes. Well, the 1936 world Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany. The racist Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler, was there. He refused to even look at the African-American Athletes! Jesse Owens and the other American athletes were booed and laughed at while all the Nazi German athletes were cheered and praised on the field. But Jesse didnt worry about Hitlers cruel, evil prejudice against him. Jesse just stayed determined and focused on his dream and goal. Jesse made mistakes in his first 2 long jumps. Yet He still didnt let that discourage or stop him. Then, on his last jump, Jesse won! In fact, he also won the other 3 events he competed in. So Jesse Owens came home to America with 4 Olympic Gold Medals! You see, he had the courage and commitment to keep going no matter what happened or how others hurt him! There is a Japanese Proverb which says: If you fall down 7 times, simply stand up 8 times! We all fail and fall down! Thats fine. Its only when we stay down and just lie there that we disgrace and shame ourselves. Just because you lose sometimes does not make you a loser! The famous inventor Thomas Edison said: Many people who failed in life didnt know how close they were to success when they gave up! So when problems and challenges come your way, even when you fail, it is still your choice to keep going and reach your goal. You still can live the life you want. This is why we need Jesus Christ to give us the courage and willpower we need to never give up and stop moving toward our goal. If you will ask Jesus to take full charge of your heart and life, then you can have the inner strength and power of God Himself to keep going to matter what problems you face or how many times you fail. Just Think a Minute The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego officially kicked off its 75th anniversary Tuesday with an announcement that $56.7 million has been raised toward a $75 million goal. The money will be used to fund a $55 million expansion of the museums La Jolla facility and an operating endowment. An unspecified challenge grant from Joan and Irwin Jacobs attracted major donations from 15 other families and foundations, the museum said. The museum, founded in 1941 in the home of Ellen Browning Scripps and designed by architect Irving Gill, is being doubled in size to 102,000 square feet and new gallery space is being quadrupled to 40,000 square feet. The architect is Selldorf Architects of New York City. Advertisement The museum is planning to close when its current exhibition ends on Jan. 2 and move its collections to storage space in Chula Vista. New shows will take place at the museums facility downtown. Construction of the new space is expected to begin in the second half of 2017 with completion projected by late 2019. The biggest change is the conversion of 500-seat Sherwood Auditorium into gallery space. Along with the funding announcement, long-time director and CEO Hugh Davies stepped down to head the expansion and capital campaign. His deputy director of art and programs, Kathryn Kanjo, took over as director and CEO. The board has enthusiastically supported our plans for expansion and subsequent capital campaign and I couldnt be more proud, Davies said in a statement. The museum will hold a community day of events from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Admission will be free and activities will include architectural and gallery tours, art-making activities, food trucks and live music. A panel discussion, also at 11 a.m., will focus on the museums history and future. Derrick Cartwright, director of university galleries at the University of San Diego, will serve as moderator. Information is available at mcasd.org/75th and (858) 454-3541. Roger Showley, (619) 293-1286; roger.showley@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @rogershowley A 15-foot wooden cross erected two weeks ago without permission on a hilltop in a Carlsbad park was taken down Tuesday by city officials who had ordered that it be removed. The cross was installed by an unknown person or persons at Veterans Park, an undeveloped city-owned property with miles of hiking trails that overlooks the Agua Hedionda Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean. Carlsbad officials posted a warning notice on the cross Friday stating that it must be removed within 72 hours or city workers would take it down and place it in storage. On Tuesday morning, the cross was still standing so the city took action. Advertisement Nearby residents had already agreed the cross should go. You can see it from some distance, said Tom Fitzpatrick, whose backyard has a view of the undeveloped park. As a religious symbol, the cross doesnt belong on public property, he added. The separation of church and state is a good thing, Fitzpatrick said. He said he discussed the subject with some of his neighbors and they shared the same philosophy. Someone else made the point that a cross means different things to different people, he said. I grew up in a household where it meant something positive. But freedom of religion means not imposing one particular viewpoint on society, he added. The cross went up near the spot where an American flag had been on display last month. The flag was installed by Carlsbad resident David Walker just before Sept. 11 to honor veterans and people killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks, his wife, Charlene, said. Walker was out of town Monday and unavailable for comment, but Charlene Walker said he didnt put up the cross. My husband is all about the flag, she said. The cross is something completely different. The flag is for everybody. The two do not go hand-in-hand. A city official said the cross had to be removed because it was erected without a permit, not because of its religious symbolism. Its not uncommon for people to place things on city property, said Kristina Ray, the citys communications director. The important thing for us is that we treat them all the same. We dont leave it or remove it based on content. Fitzpatrick said he didnt want the Carlsbad situation to turn into anything like what happened with the Mount. Soledad cross, a 40-foot-tall, 20-ton concrete symbol on what was formerly San Diego city property in La Jolla. A complaint initiated in 1989 against the cross launched a 25-year legal battle that ended only after a volunteer association raised $1.4 million to purchase the property from the city and make it a veterans memorial. Twitter: @phildiehl Oceanside Neighborhood Services Division Manager David Manley is in jail in San Bernardino County on a felony child molestation charge and has resigned from his post, officials said. Manley, 46, resigned his position with the city on Thursday after he was arrested at John Wayne Airport on Sept. 29 by deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department. According to a court records filed with the San Bernardino County Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga, Manley and another man, Carlos Garcia, 43, were charged with committing a felony lewd and lascivious act upon a child under the age of 14. Advertisement The incident or incidents took place from on or about March 10, 2008 to March 09, 2010, according to court documents. Manley pleaded not guilty during an arraignment held Sept. 30. Garcia also pleaded not guilty in a separate hearing. A spokesman for the San Bernardino County District Attorneys office said the prosecutor in charge of Manleys case could not comment, citing an office policy against talking about open cases. Manley is being held in jail on $500,000 bail. Garcia, who was arrested Sept. 13 in Oceanside, is being held on $350,000 bail. An attorney representing Manley also declined to comment. Mayor Jim Wood said the news took him by surprise. Hes been with the city a long time and hes been a good employee. Thats all I know, Wood said. A more than 20-year city employee, Manley was first hired as a technical assistant in 1995. He worked his way up in the ranks in the code enforcement department eventually becoming its manager in 2001. In 2008, Manley was promoted to neighborhood services division manager. His salary was $115,872 a year. edward.sifuentes@sduniontribune.com @EdwardSifuentes An information session to help area veterans and active duty military attending a community college transfer to UCLA is Oct. 21 at MiraCosta College. UCLA admissions representatives will provide information to help veterans with the application process. MiraCosta College, which is close to Camp Pendleton, has more than 1,700 active duty military enrolled. Advertisement The event, sponsored by the UCLA Undergraduate Admissions Office, is 1 p.m., with check-in at 12:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall, 1 Barnard Drive, in Oceanside. Light lunch served. The program is open to active duty and veterans at community colleges in San Diego and Imperial counties. Sign up at www.admission.ucla.edu/events/transfer. Two national restaurant chains have come to National City. Freddys Frozen Custard & Steakburgers opened its first San Diego location Oct. 11 at 327 Mile of Cars Way. The 3,000 square-foot franchise restaurant seats 100 guests with additional seating on the patio. Advertisement Freddys has 75 employees with the majority of them from National City, said Wendy Hoier, with Viking Commercial Construction, Inc. Freddys is known for its steakburgers, Vienna Beef hot dogs, shoestring fries and fried pickles. For dessert, chocolate or vanilla frozen custard with more than 30 toppings and mix-ins such as fruit, candy and nuts. The Kansas-based chain has more than 200 restaurant nationwide. Two other Freddys locations are slated for San Marcos Nordahl Marketplace, expected to open by the end of the year, and another planned for the 4S Ranch Area. Dunkin Donuts is expected to open sometime this fall at East Plaza Blvd and Interstate 805, said Sonya Modi of Havas Formula, representing the project. You can already see the sign from the freeway. As a locally owned company, we are looking to hire and grow locally, said Tali Burton, the National City Dunkin Donuts franchisee. We look forward to our neighbors in National City and other areas in town coming into our restaurants, and to see family and friends working behind the counter. Boardwalk Development Inc. signed a lease with the Massachusetts-based chain, which will open its first freestanding Dunkin Donuts drive-thru in the county. The first drive-thru is in Ramona but shares space with a Baskin-Robbins. Burton said the company is committed to opening at least 14 stores in San Diego in the next eight years. Several locations are currently in the works at Naval Air Station North Island, in El Cajon, Point Loma and MCAS Miramar in the next year. There are currently four Dunkin Donuts outlets in the county. What Francesca Brunner loves about the students she meets as an Outside the Lens volunteer is their honesty, curiosity and creativity. What she loves about Outside the Lens is the way the photography-focused nonprofit helps the students see those same qualities in themselves. Maybe for the first time. What is so great about about these projects is that they let these kids see themselves reflected in their art, and it is so different from what they see in the mass media, Brunner said during an interview in the groups Liberty Station office and gallery. They see real people up there being celebrated, and they are super proud of that. Founded in 2001 by Elisa Marusak Thomson, Outside the Lens uses photography, videography and digital media to help young people tell stories about themselves, connect with their communities, explore nature and document the issues they care about. Advertisement In addition to its workshops and camps, the nonprofit organization offers outreach programs that focus on under-served and at-risk youth throughout San Diego County. Brunner has been a part of those programs since the beginning. Before the beginning, in fact. A painter and illustrator, Brunner met Thomson in the early 2000s when they both had kids enrolled at the Childrens School in La Jolla. Casual chats about school and parenting grew into longer conversations about the power of art (Thomson is a photographer) and its potential to help children learn and grow. When Thomson organized the first Outside the Lens project a photography program for the children of migrant workers she asked Brunner to help out. She has been on board ever since. It was just so eye-opening, the 53-year-old La Jolla mother of two said of that first project, which had the students illustrating their lives and dreams with photography and poetry. We gave each of the kids a little disposable camera, and they got to take pictures of each other and learn the technical side of photography. At the end, we brought the parents in for a presentation, and we took family photos of everyone. For some of them, it was the only family picture they had ever taken. I thought it was so great that they went away with something tangible. Born and raised in London, Brunner learned the art of giving back through her mother, a violin teacher who was passionate about music and children. She came to the U.S. with her husband, restaurant designer Jungbae E, 30 years ago. They settled in New York, where Brunner spent two years teaching adults to read through the Literacy Volunteers of New York. It sounds like such a cliche, but I learned as much as they did, Brunner said. The idea was always to make the students feel at ease and to build their confidence without judgment. It is similar to what you try to do as a mom. The couple moved to San Diego 18 years ago, and Brunners volunteering eventually expanded to include creating an art-literacy program for the Nativity Prep Academy in Oak Park, a tuition-free school for students who will be the first in their families to go to college. The art-literacy classes introduce students to important artists throughout history. They also help them discover the artists who might be lurking within. I think all of this helps demystify art. So many kids think of art as something that is just out there in a museum somewhere. They think its stuffy, and this makes it real for them, Brunner said of the Nativity Prep and Outside the Lens programs. A lot of students sketch and doodle and do cartoons while theyre class, but they dont see that as art. The more we help them learn, the more they realize what they are doing is art, and that they are capable of creating something special. In her 15 years with Outside the Lens, Brunner has done everything from teaching classes to pitching in on decor and centerpieces for this years Shutter and Stout gala, being held Nov. 5 at 32N Brewing Company in Sorrento Valley. Last year, she helped with a project involving fourth-graders at Cherokee Point Elementary School in City Heights. The students went to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve to take photos, and instructors taught them how to use a photo-editing app to turn their photos into sketches, paintings and mixed-media pieces. Brunner taught the students color theory and helped create a school gallery to showcase their work. As she often does, Brunner contributed a generous selection of art supplies. And as always, she left the students with a generous piece of herself. She is just so giving, said Outside the Lens media educator Hilary Morefield, who worked with Brunner on the Cherokee Elementary project. She has such a heart for kids and for instilling curiosity and creativity within the students. She is a true artist in her own right, and she brings that energy to the table when she works with students. There is an immediate sense of understanding and acceptance with her. She really brings a warmth to what she does. Twitter: @karla_peterson karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com A long and bloody fight began Sunday to roust the Islamic State, or ISIS, from its stronghold in Mosul, Iraq. Analysts say this is the beginning of the end for ISIS, which has an estimated 3,000 fighters inside Mosul, Iraqs second-biggest city. Meanwhile, the coalition of Iraqi army and Kurdish pershmerga forces converging on the city has been estimated at as many as 30,000. Welcome to The Intel, a blog examining the hot military news of the day The battle against ISIS has dragged on since the summer of 2014, but here are four reasons this campaign is especially noteworthy particularly from a San Diego point of view. 1. San Diego-area troops have been in and still may be in the fight. The United States has been preparing for this battle for months, training Iraqi fighters and marshaling logistics in northern Iraq. The Obama administration sees the liberation of Mosul as a priority item that needs to be accomplished before the presidents term ends. Temecula native Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin was killed March 19 while manning a fire base 50 miles outside of Mosul intended to protect Iraqi troops. Coronado Navy SEAL Charles Keating IV was killed May 3 near the town of Tall Usquf, about 20 miles north of Mosul. ISIS used bulldozers and car bombs to penetrate the front line of Kurdish peshmerga forces that the SEAL was assisting. The San Diego amphibious assault ship Boxer returned in mid-September from a seven-month deployment during which its Marine Corps jets dropped bombs on ISIS. Its sister ship, the San Diego-based Makin Island, left on a similar deployment last week. About 5,000 American troops are in Iraq right now for this battle almost certainly including U.S. special operations forces, like Keating. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said on Monday: As we've talked about, about 5,000 U.S. forces in Iraq, all part of this effort, part of the coalition to defeat ISIL. Many of those people are in enabler roles. They may be trainers. We've talked about the 12 Iraqi brigades that have been trained for this fight. Again, many of the U.S. forces have been part of that effort. We have a number of people providing logistical support to this effort. We've talked a lot about the effort to put (Qayyarah West, an airfield 35 miles south of Mosul) into a position to be sort of a forward staging area for this fight. That's a good example of some of the logistical support that's being provided. At each of these locations, of course, there might also be need for force protection. Those are some of the U.S. forces. 2. Iraqi Christians who fled persecution by ISIS in northern Iraq have poured into San Diego County. El Cajon is home to at least 60,000 Iraqi Christians, the second-largest concentration in the United States. The influx since 2014 has caused friction with U.S. immigration authorities, as some refugees entered the country without permission via an underground railroad of sorts. Some have been deported. Its an open question whether an ISIS retreat would allow them to safely return home to Iraq. 3. Mosul campaign will likely create more refugees. The United Nations on Monday said that the worst-case scenario is one million people around Mosul will be forced to flee their homes. U.N. officials said shelter is currently available for 60,000 people in camps and emergency sites. Construction of additional sites, with capacity for 250,000 people, is underway. https://twitter.com/UN/status/788395105141002240 4. With ISIS using tunnels and possessing chemical weapons in Mosul, this battle is expected to be especially treacherous. The Pentagon says ISIS has used a rudimentary version of mustard gas at least two dozen times in the past. Spokesman Jeff Davis told reporters on Sept. 26: We can fully expect that as this road towards Mosul progresses, ISIL is likely to try to use it again." https://twitter.com/AP/status/788479697566990338 On Monday, Iraqi forces found roads and fields littered with roadside bombs, according to the Associated Press. ISIS also unleashed a series of suicide car and truck attacks on the advancing troops. On Tuesday, Mosul residents told the news agency: IS militants patrol Mosul's streets on bicycles or motorbikes to make for smaller targets from the air. Other fighters are preparing for war by closing roads with sand berms and concrete walls, and readying barrels of oil and tires to set ablaze in order to obscure the visibility of warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition. jen.steele@sduniontribune.com Facebook: U-T Military Twitter: @jensteeley A local golden retriever who helps kids with disabilities ocean surf is about to make it big in the movies. Ricochet has been chosen to co-star in Superpower Dogs, a 3D film for IMAX theaters and giant screen cinemas. The celebrity dog from Escondido already has a resume 91 pages long and has appeared on national talk shows, with Oprah, in newscasts, across magazine spreads and in mainstream cinema films, such as Marmaduke. She even has written her biography, Ricochet. Now, owner Judy Fridono, a former service dog trainer, has teamed up with Cosmic Picture, which is producing of the IMAX film in association with the California Science Center. Funding permitting, they hope to have a giant screen theater premiere in early 2018. Advertisement Owner Judy Fridono says Ricochet flunked service dpg training but found his calling workiing with kids with disabilities and military veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. (Howard Lipin/SDUT ) Fridono says the film follows the transition of Halo from awkward puppy to urban search and rescue phenomenon. En route, Halo meets other heroic working dogs with superpower abilities, including avalanche rescue dogs in the Canadian Rockies, bloodhounds who save elephants and rhinos from poachers in Northern Kenya and wave-riding Ricochet, who can give disabled surfers a sense of empowerment. The story is told through the dogs eyes, ears and noses. The bonus, notes Fridono, is that 20 percent of the projects profits will be earmarked for working dog groups around the world, Moving proposal: For 18 seasons, local professional dancers have given flash mob-style performances at trolley stops. Their audience includes Metropolitan Transit System passengers who bought special Trolley Dances tour tickets during two weekends every fall. A surprise number was added to a Trolley Dances 2016 performance on the Blue Line. Bradley Lundberg, a trained tour guide who, in past years, has both danced and choreographed for the event, asked Artistic Director Jean Isaacs for a favor. He then recruited his friends in the dance community and secretly rehearsed his special number for six weeks. It wasnt a routine performance. It was a choreographed build-up to his surprise marriage proposal to co-tour guide Benjamin Dohrman, at the trolleys Fault Line Park stop in East Village. The tour guides received a standing ovation. WE news: A home-grown global effort to lift women out of poverty has hired its first executive director. Womens Empowerment International (WE), begun in 2005 and run solely by volunteers, now has a paid, full-time leader with international experience and, as it turns out, local roots. Paige Bradley is the granddaughter of Marvin K. Brown, who in 1950 founded what is now Marvin K. Brown Auto Center, currently headed by Bradleys cousin, Jennifer Brown. Bradley, who attended La Jolla High School, most recently worked in France as fundraising director for a nonprofit group serving at-risk families. Shell oversee WEs microloan and anti-poverty projects for women in Uganda, Honduras, Haiti and Mexico as well as the STAR Center in City Heights, which has helped disadvantaged women launch 282 local businesses. WE President Winifred Cox called Bradley a perfect fit for the growing organization. Bradleys husband, former Reuters correspondent Greg Frost, recently joined Renovate America here as national communications director. Homecoming: Its been nearly 40 years since journalist Margaret Garrard Warner covered politics here for The San Diego Union in the late 1970s. She moved on to report for The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and PBS NewsHour where, as a foreign correspondent, she scored an interview with Benazir Bhutto after the Pakistani opposition leader was released from house arrest. Warner returns to town Oct. 22 to share her media expertise at a San Diego Diplomacy Council event at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. diane.bell@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1518 Twitter: dianebellSD Facebook: dianebell.news The leader of the nations largest police organization issued an extraordinary statement Monday apologizing for the historical mistreatment of communities of color by police agencies. Speaking at the International Association of Chiefs of Police annual meeting in San Diego, Chief Terrence M. Cunningham of Massachusetts also called on police and the swelling number of protesters to work together to break this historic cycle of mistrust that has plagued relations between law enforcement and minority communities. >> Database has info on 383 police shootings in San Diego County Advertisement Cunningham made his remarks at the General Assembly for the association, which has been meeting at the San Diego Convention Center since Saturday. It will wrap up its annual conference Tuesday. His apology on behalf of an organization that has a membership of more than 20,000 police officials comes at a fraught time of relations between law enforcement and local communities in the wake of controversial police shootings, most involving African-American men. The remarks were welcomed by local law enforcement leaders, but drew a mixed response from civil rights leaders at the forefront of recent protests in El Cajon over the Sept. 27 police shooting of Alfred Olango, who was black. The incident led to street protests in the East County city that are continuing. Dr. Andre Branch, president of the San Diego branch of the NAACP civil rights organization, said he was glad Cunningham appeared to be taking responsibility for what what Branch said were horrific acts against people of color historically by police departments. Yet he said such an apology was diluted because it was unclear what Cunningham was apologizing for, or for what period of time. What specific action of the past is he referring to? Branch said. Excessive force? Illegal stops by law enforcement? Fatalities of African-Americans in police encounters? One would want to know before we start jumping up and down and getting excited about an apology, is he referring to historical treatment of people of color as last week? Or last month? Or the last century? Cunningham, the chief of Wellesley, Mass., also called on police critics to take steps to improve relations by not blaming officers who are currently serving for the mistakes and errors of the past. He said the questioning of police actions has undermined trust between cops and communities. He then referred both to the hard and honorable work of police a noble profession and acknowledged the history of policing has also had darker periods. He said police have been required to carry out discriminatory laws and policies, and too often have become what Cunningham called the face of oppression to non-white communities nationally.That built a generational history of mistrust, he said. He called for a change in that dynamic in the future then issued an apology. For our part, the first step in this process is for law enforcement and the IACP to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in societys historical mistreatment of communities of color, he said..At the same time, those who denounce the police must also acknowledge that todays officers are not to blame for the injustices of the past. If either side in this debate fails to acknowledge these fundamental truths, we will be unlikely to move past them. His remarks were greeted with applause inside the convention center hall where he spoke. In a statement, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said the comments were insightful and thought-provoking. We, in law enforcement must acknowledge that we were the face of many discriminatory laws passed at all levels of government, he said. It should also be recognized these laws do not exist any longer, and the police officers of today are not responsible for the injustices of yesterday. The Rev. Shane Harris, president of the National Action Network in San Diego that had been at the forefront of protests over the Olango shooting, said Cunninghams statement was significant. Its a game-changer in policing, he said. Its a huge step for someone of his caliber and leadership of that organization. I hope that what he has said will spark the nerve and the guts of other chiefs and police unions to admit there is an issue in policing today. On the same day Cunningham spoke, the NAACP filed a lawsuit in federal court against El Cajon police and the Sheriffs Department for violating the free speech rights of 14 protesters when they broke up demonstrations over the Olango shooting. Olango, 38, was shot four times and Tasered once by two El Cajon officers in a taco shop parking lot. Police were called by family members who said Olango was acting strangely. They fired when he assumed a shooting stance and pointed a silver colored vaping device at them as they confronted him. The shooting, captured on videotape, remains under investigation. In a statement about Cunninghams remarks, San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said, The best way for our country to improve community police relations is to acknowledge our past, gain a better understanding of each others viewpoints, and find a common path forward for better relationships. Twitter: @gregmoran greg.moran@sduniontribune.com Calling child sex trafficking a scourge, FBI Director James Comey announced Monday that 82 minors had been rescued in the United States through an international effort held this month to locate victims and arrest the perpetrators. Of those minors, three were teenagers from the San Diego area. All of our folks hit the streets from truck stops to the darkest corners of the internet and dimly lit street corners, Comey said at a news conference to announce the results of Operation Cross Country, which ran from Oct. 13-16. Advertisement These children trapped in this hell need a hero, he said. And the men and women who work for us, federal agents, state agents, local police officers and partners around the world are those heroes. Comeys comments came during the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in San Diego. The association is the largest police organization in the country with a membership of more than 20,000. This was the10th time the FBI has led Operation Cross Country in the U.S., and for the first time in conjunction with law enforcement agencies across the world. Canada ran an operation called Northern Spotlight, through which authorities were able to find and rescue 16 children. Authorities in Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines were able to recover 25 children, including a 2-year-old girl. In addition to the 82 victims who were rescued, 239 traffickers and their associates were arrested as part of the operation, Comey said. He said the numbers are actually slightly down compared to last year. What it confirms to us, as we find dozens and dozens of children and lock up hundreds of perps, this is a problem thats very much alive even after 10 years of law enforcement focusing on this effort, he said. Joining Comey on stage were other law enforcement officials from around the country and around the globe who have participated in the effort to combat sex trafficking. Among them was San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman. Eric Birnbaum, special agent in charge of the FBIs San Diego division, said three pimps were arrested during the operation and the San Diego victims, ages 16 and 17, were offered services immediately, including food, clothing and shelter. Its just important for us as a society to recognize that the problem exists, he said. Comey explained that the children and teens identified in the operation ended up in the sex trade through a variety of means. Some were exploited by relatives, gang members or independent criminal contractors. He said young people in foster care tend to be particularly vulnerable. Comey also noted that some of the victims are lured into a world of advertising themselves through things like Backpage. Backpage.com is a classified advertisement site that allows users to post ads for escort services. The CEO of Backpage.com, Carl Ferrer, was arrested earlier this month in Houston and charged with pimping a minor, pimping and conspiracy to commit pimping. Two other shareholders face the same conspiracy charge. Comey said the central challenge in prosecuting those who host sites like Backpage is proving that they knew users were posting ads for criminal acts. John Clark, president and chief executive officer of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, said the organization receives about 10,000 reports of child sex trafficking each year, a figure he called massive. And thats just the ones that are reported, he said. We know that in this dark world there are many, many more situations that are going unreported. So this has to stop. He and others asked for the publics help in identifying potential cases of child sex trafficking. Chief Donald De Lucca, first vice-president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, said the association put together a toolkit for officers on the street to assist them recognize the signs that point to sex trafficking and respond appropriately. As we know its going to be some officer on the street thats going to make a difference on a daily basis, said De Lucca, chief of the police department in Doral, Fla. The latest iteration of Operation Cross Country was the largest in the history of the initiative, according to the FBI, with more than 400 law enforcement organizations in the U.S. taking part. Additionally, there were several dozen operations across Canada and 10 in six cities in Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines. All of us sign up for law enforcement not because of the money but because we want to do work with moral content, Comey said. There is no work we do that is deeper in moral content than the rescuing of children. dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @danalittlefield More than a dozen protesters who were arrested at a vigil for Alfred Olango in El Cajon on Oct. 1 filed a lawsuit Monday, claiming police wrongfully ordered them to disperse and violated their civil rights. The lawsuit against the city of El Cajon, its police force, the San Diego Sheriffs Department and the county claims the Saturday night gathering was peaceful and that protesters were forced to leave simply because the late-night vigil was an inconvenience for police. In total, 14 people were arrested shortly after midnight in a parking lot behind Los Panchos Taco Shop on Broadway the site where Olango, 38, was shot and killed by police. Protesters have repeatedly convened there since the Sept. 27 shooting. Advertisement A dozen people were jailed for refusing to leave after the gathering was declared an unlawful assembly, police said. Two others were arrested one an outstanding warrant and another on suspicion of public intoxication. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 14 people, including two minors who allegedly witnessed police arrest their mother. The San Diego branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also is named as a plaintiff. When defendants issued the order to disperse, there was no valid legal basis for declaring the assembly to be unlawful, the lawsuit states. The dispersal order was solely due to the inconvenience to police officers of monitoring a peaceful vigil at midnight. The order to disperse, according to the lawsuit, violated protesters First Amendment rights to assemble and freely express themselves. Five of the protesters claim they were participating in a prayer circle. The lawsuit also alleges police intended to make a statement to prevent future demonstrations. The lawsuit is asking a judge for an injunction against police to stop wrongful orders to disperse or arrest peaceful protesters. Following the arrests, police said a fight had broken out between a few of the protesters and that someone reportedly left to get a gun. Sensing this shift in the demeanor of the crowd, and out of concern for community safety, officers declared an unlawful assembly and ordered the group to disperse, police Lt. Rob Ransweiler said in a statement on Oct. 2. A law enforcement helicopter broadcast the orders to disperse about midnight, according to the lawsuit. The majority of the protesters left, but some stayed. Officers spoke to those who remained and they promised to leave, Ransweiler said. Eventually, it became apparent the remaining protesters were not planning to leave. Jeff Provenzano, 31, was one of the dozen arrested. He has participated in protests since the El Cajon police shooting and said the turnout on the night of Oct. 1 was one of the smallest and most quiet. For them to come in with such a show of force when people were just talking and praying was absolutely ridiculous, he said a day after his arrest. There were crazier things happening other days and the cops didnt do anything. (Protesters) didnt feel it was an unlawful protest because they didnt feel they were doing anything that was unlawful, Provenzano added. He took video that shows a group of about 20 people huddled around and under a white canopy set up near the makeshift memorial for Olango. Slowly, a group of 50 to 75 officers in riot gear can be seen closing in on the space. Several officers stepped toward the group, removing several posters hung on the canopy between protesters and officers. The two groups talked briefly before the arrests began. That night marked the largest number of arrests in the days of protests and vigils that followed Olangos death as the public demanded accountability and transparency from the El Cajon Police Department. Olango was fatally shot behind the Broadway taco shop near Mollison Avenue. His sister had called police and said Olango was not acting like himself. Others called 911 to report a man was walking into traffic. Two officers found Olango behind the taco shop, and when Olango took a shooting stance and pointed a silver vaping device at them, he was shot and killed. Videos released by authorities show him pointing the object at Officer Richard Gonsalves, who fatally shot him. Officer Josh McDaniel fired with a Taser. El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells declined Monday to specifically address the lawsuit. However, he said he agrees with his police forces actions in response to the protests, including the declarations of unlawful assembly. I think the police have acted exemplary through all of this, he said. I think theyve shown great compassion, great restraint. Theyve been very careful to prevent violence and have done a good job of protecting citizens at the same time. I think that its difficult for some people to understand why police might do some things because they dont have all the information. They see what they see from their point without having a birds eye view. Im not worried. Once all information is explained, I think all of this will be understood. On Monday night, dozens of protesters took to the streets and were met by law officers who line lined up and blocked the entrances to Los Panchos and the surrounding strip mall. El Cajon polices Twitter account advised residents to avoid the area. Police said at least two people were arrested but did not disclose more information. Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez Reporter Lyndsay Winkley contributed to this story. In a decision that could change the landscape of charter schools, a California appellate court ruled Monday that charters cannot legally expand throughout their home county by opening satellite campuses outside the district that authorized them. The decision is being celebrated as a victory for school districts up and down California that have lost students and state attendance funds when far-flung charters open resource centers in their boundaries without their approval or oversight. Charter advocates called the ruling disappointing and confusing, one that will disrupt the education of more than 150,000 independent-study charter school students, including 25,000 in San Diego County, unless the case is appealed to the California Supreme Court. Advertisement The 3rd District Court of Appeal overturned a lower court decision in a lawsuit filed by the Anderson Union High School District near Redding claiming the Shasta Charter Academy (formerly Shasta Secondary Home School) illegally opened resource center in its jurisdiction. In that case, the lower court sided with the charter, which was authorized by the nearby Shasta Union High School District. That court said it was legal to operate a resource center in the neighboring Anderson district to give its independent-study students who live there a chance to use computers, receive tutoring and work on assignments in a classroom setting. The State Education Code permits independent-study charters to operate satellite campuses in their home district and in neighboring counties, as long as students dont spend more than 80 percent of their time there. However, there is nothing in the law about whether a charter can operate such satellite centers outside their home district and within their county. The judgement is reversed, the court said in its ruling. Ricardo Soto, general counsel for the California Charter Schools Association, called the ruling extremely disappointing. Its going to have a really significant impact on tens of thousands of students and their families that depend on the charters schools that operate those resource centers, Soto said. Of Californias roughly 1,200 charter schools, more than 275 are non-classroom based programs including 43 in San Diego County that can operate resource centers. The California charter association is preparing to issue a summary of the ruling to help charters navigate their options. A charter could, for example, petition a school district asking to convert a resource center into a full-fledged charter school under the districts jurisdiction. If districts claim oversight is the issue, here is their chance to (grant the charter) and provide the oversight, Soto said. I dont believe oversight is the issue. I believe that school districts were just simply trying to eliminate competition within their boundaries. The state ruling comes amid escalating legal disputes and turf wars between districts and charters that have blitzed the region with satellite campuses. The San Diego Unified, Grossmont and Sweetwater Union High School districts are embroiled in a lawsuit against the Julian Union Elementary School District and its Julian Charter School over resource centers that have cost those districts students and state attendance funds. Whats more, the districts have said they are unable ensure academic or financial oversight at the storefront centers they did not authorize. This makes it clear, charters cannot operate (resource centers) anywhere they want, said Andra Donovan, general counsel for San Diego Unified. This ruling fully supports our position. Such charters, which often offer a hybrid education that combines independent-study with classroom instruction, are becoming increasingly popular locally and statewide. The arrangements offer flexibility to students who want an alternative to traditional schools, and big revenue to districts that authorize the charters and receive up to 3 percent of their revenue for oversight and other services . More than 3,000 students attend the Julian and Diego Valley charter schools authorized by the Julian Union Elementary School District to operate satellite campuses throughout the countys districts. Julian, which enrolls less than 400 local students within its district, received nearly $800,000 in revenue from the charters in the 2014-15 year, when its total revenue was $6.2 million. Jennifer Cauzza, executive director of the Julian Charter, said the schools attorneys are reviewing the state ruling . Im sure the opinion will be appealed to the Supreme Court level and in the meantime we will continue doing whats best for students and planning for the changes necessary to be legal and compliant and do the best job possible in educating the students in our school, Cauzza said in an email. Im sure there will be a time period for compliance since it effects so many students throughout the state. The Shasta resource center at the center of the ruling will be forced to shut down immediately. The charter did not respond to questions about whether it would appeal the ruling. Every other resource center in this situation should be working toward complying with the ruling. Its the law of the land now, said Sarah Sutherland, the San Diego attorney whose firm represents districts litigating charter lawsuits. A district that has charter (resource centers) they didnt authorize can now pursue this pretty easily. The ruling underscores a deep divide in California when it comes to charter school growth and interpretation of the 25-year-old California Charter School Act. The appellate court decision is at odds with the State Board of Educations July vote to allow a San Diego-based charter to open resource centers in neighboring districts within the county. San Diego Unified had long allowed its Audeo Charter School to operate resource centers in other districts, but reversed its views and asked the organization to find a new authorizer. The charter submitted a petition to the Carlsbad Unified School District to establish its Audeo II charter, which was denied. An appeal of that ruling was rejected by the San Diego County Office of Education. On July 12, Audeo formally complied with San Diego Unifieds request to eliminate resource centers from its charter after working with the district for months on a new pact. Just two days later, the state Board of Education granted Audeo Charter School II on appeal, allowing it to operate the resource centers in in Carlsbad, Escondido and San Marcos. That vote was viewed as a victory for Audeo and charter school advocates. The decision was significant because the state Board of Education rejected the advice of the California Department of Education that non-classroom based charter schools were prohibited from locating resource centers outside of the authorizing districts boundaries, but within the same county. Educators across the country had been watching the Shasta case. Perhaps no one was more surprised at the attention than Tim Azevedo, superintendent of the Anderson district in Redding. I didnt realize so many districts were watching us until recently, he said. I wasnt trying to be a crusader, just trying to address our own problems here. Azevdeo noted that Anderson has its own district-sponsored charter. About 15 students used the resource center, not enough to shut down the district, he said. Its about proper process and procedures. Administrators at the Grossmont district had yet to receive legal interpretation of the ruling, but were tentatively pleased on Monday. At least a half-dozen resource centers have popped up in recent years, said Scott Patterson, Grossmonts deputy superintendent of business services. We are not even sure we have an accurate count, they open up without even notifying us we have to go find them, sometimes after weve received complaints, said Patterson, who has likened the rapid growth in far-flung charters and resource centers to the Wild West. This appeals decision is a major step toward restoring order to the public school system, Patterson said. Charters are independently operated and publicly funded schools that are free from local and state education codes in exchange for their promise to raise student achievement through innovation. maureen.magee@sduniontribune.com Twitter:@MaureenMagee Elena Raymundo came to the United States from Guatemala at age 18, unable to speak either English or Spanish. A decade later, shes studying English at her daughters school, determined to help her with her homework. Raymundo is one of about 150 parents who are participating in English classes at Escondido schools. Many of them are learning the language at the same time as their children, in hopes of better guiding their kids education. Escondido Union High School District has offered English as a Second Language for adults for many years through its adult education campus, and also held classes at one or two elementary schools. This year it added morning classes at five neighborhood elementary schools in the Escondido Union (elementary) School District, in order to reach more parents. Advertisement Adult ESL programs offered elsewhere in North County include Palomar College in San Marcos, MiraCosta College in Oceanside and Vista Adult School in Vista. The Escondido elementary district wanted to see options increase after hearing requests from parents for more ESL classes, said Kimberly Israel, the districts community outreach coordinator. She reached out to the adult school and found that they had funding to get it started. I said we can get the students if you can provide the teachers, Israel said. Its something that the parents really value, and they want to make time for. On Thursday morning, a group of mothers dropped their kids off at Oak Hill Elementary and then headed to class themselves. They went through language warm-ups, pronouncing the day of the week, and then through a round of the childrens song, heads, shoulders, knees and toes. Its part of a teaching strategy that combines academic instruction in the language with practical words and phrases. This unit introduces vocabulary on health, said Allison Pickering, an assistant principal for Escondido Adult School. The next one covers language relevant to employment. Its designed to be both academic and life skills, Pickering said. It teaches them to use the language for everyday needs. The classes differ slightly from those offered at the adult schools main campus near downtown Escondido. At two and a half hours of class time, three days per week, its a little less time commitment than the typical classes, which take place four days per week for three hours each day. And it includes students at multiple levels, requiring the teacher to juggle beginning instruction with more advanced material, and sometimes enlist more proficient students to help beginners. For Lisbeth Campos, 30, the class benefits both herself and her three children. My first goal is personal, said Campos, who moved to the U.S.from Mexico a year ago to join her husband in the country. My second goal is to help my children with homework. Ultimately Im in the United States, and the principal language is English. Lorena Duarte, who has a 10-year-old daughter and two adult sons who are attending college, aims to advance her own education as well. She has taken English classes before, and said the language is coming back to her as she studies now. Once shes proficient, said Duarte, 41, she plans to earn her high school equivalency degree. For Raymundo, 29, its especially challenging. Living in an impoverished village in Guatemala, she spoke only the local dialect, Ixil, and moved to the U.S. in 2005 to work to help her mother and siblings. She didnt learn Spanish until she was expecting her first child six years ago. And she cant read or write in either language. But she is excited to learn, and hopes to set an example for her two children, ages six and two. In Guatemala, the education is very poor, she said. But here I love to study. To learn more about ESL in Escondido, contact the Escondido Adult School at (760)739-7300 deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan Two Southern California women came forward Friday to accuse Donald Trump of accosting them, the latest in a spate of sexual misconduct allegations buffeting the Republican presidential nominee. Summer Zervos, a former contestant on The Apprentice, described darting around a Beverly Hills hotel bungalow to avoid Trumps kisses and wandering hands in 2007. Kristin Anderson, a onetime aspiring model, said Trump slipped his hand up her skirt and touched her vagina in a New York City nightclub in the early 1990s. Both women said they decided to go public because of the emergence of a video last week in which Trump describes how he can kiss women and grab their genitals without their consent because of his celebrity, assertions he later dismissed as locker-room talk. Advertisement You do not have a right to treat women as sexual objects just because you are a star, Zervos said at a news conference. Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Sign up for the newsletter | The race to 270 She and Anderson joined several other women who have publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct since he said at Sundays second presidential debate that he had never acted in the manner he described on the recording. One said Trump slipped his hand up her skirt on an airplane, another said he kissed her without her consent at Trump Tower and two others described separate episodes at Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Trump angrily rebuffed all of the claims, dismissing the women as sick fame-seekers. He implied that the woman who described the airplane encounter wasnt attractive enough to warrant his attention. Believe me, she would not be my first choice, that I can tell you, he told the crowd at a campaign rally in Greensboro, N.C. Trump asserted the new revelations were a setup meant to hurt his bid for the presidency. As he has in recent days, he repeatedly suggested that forces were conspiring against him and his supporters. The whole thing is one big fix. Its one big ugly lie. Its one big fix, he said. Trump trained his ire on the news media, particularly the New York Times, which published the first two accusers accounts this week. In a new twist, he asserted billionaire and Times shareholder Carlos Slim was behind the negative news coverage. Bringing up the new foe in his speech, Trump repeated several times that Slim is from Mexico. Reporters at the New York Times are not journalists, Trump said. Theyre corporate lobbyists for Carlos Slim and Hillary Clinton. Clinton, the Democratic nominee, pointed to the growing list of accusations against Trump. The disturbing stories keep coming, she said, adding that they werent limited to his treatment of women and referring to his derogatory comments about Mexicans, Muslims and others. Theres a long list, she said at a fundraiser at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. This is who Donald Trump really is. We know that. Now we have to demonstrate who we are. America is better than this. Anderson told the Washington Post she was at a crowded nightclub talking with friends when she suddenly felt fingers moving up her inner thigh and touching her underwear over her vagina. Anderson said she pushed the hand away, turned to look at who had touched her and recognized Trump. She told friends about it over the years, but decided to speak out publicly this week after hearing other womens experiences with Trump, she told the Post. Its a sexual assault issue, and its something that Ive kept quiet on my own, said Anderson, now 46 and working as a photographer in Southern California. And Ive always kept quiet. And why should I keep quiet? Actually, all of the women should speak up, and if youre touched inappropriately, tell somebody and speak up about it. Actually go to the authorities and press some charges. Its not OK. Trump said Andersons account was not credible because he never sits alone at clubs. Zervos, appearing shaken with eyes welling with tears, said she contacted Trump in 2007 seeking a job. They met in New York and he later called her, dubbed her his O.C. angel and proposed dinner during a planned trip to Los Angeles, she said. Zervos said she was summoned to the Beverly Hills Hotel, where she expected to eat at a restaurant. Instead, she was ushered to Trumps bungalow. Trump tried to kiss her with an open mouth repeatedly, put his hand on her breast and thrust his genitals at her, Zervos said. Dude, youre tripping right now, Zervos said she told Trump as she sought to stop his advances. Zervos, who identified herself as a Republican, said she had frequently been asked about Trump since he began his presidential run because of her appearance on the fifth season of The Apprentice, his reality show. The Huntington Beach resident said she was always complimentary, but felt anguished internally over his conduct and tried to contact him in April with no success. Zervos, now 41, said she decided to speak publicly after hearing the recording of Trump speaking crassly about women. I want to be able to sleep when Im 70 at night, said Zervos, sitting alongside her attorney, Gloria Allred, who is known for staging media spectacles in taking on politicians of both parties over their treatment of women. Trump said he vaguely recalled Zervos from The Apprentice but denied her allegations. To be clear, I never met her at a hotel or greeted her inappropriately a decade ago, he said. That is not who I am as a person, and it is not how Ive conducted my life. Mehta reported from Los Angeles and Mason from Charlotte. Times staff writers Michael A. Memoli in Seattle and Hailey Branson-Potts in Los Angeles contributed to this report. seema.mehta@latimes.com melanie.mason@latimes.com Twitter: @LATSeema, @melmason Can you believe we still have 24 more days of this? These battleground states will decide our next president Hillary Clinton keeps fishing for big money while lagging behind with smaller donors Michelle Obama delivers what may be a defining moment in the presidential campaign The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board met recently with candidate Denise Gitsham who is running for Congress, challenging incumbent Rep. Scott Peters. Here is an edited transcript of the interview. SEE ALSO: Rep. Scott Peters: The Union-Tribune interview QUESTION: Why do you think you should represent the 52nd? Advertisement GITSHAM: I never thought about running for Congress. For me, public service was always a job that I preferred to do behind the scenes. But I think that there are a couple of different factors that really went into my decision-making process. One was I felt like Donald Trump was representing a different type of Republicanism that was very it wasnt the one that I have traditionally ascribed to. Im from the George W. Bush camp and so we really believed that uniters were better than dividers. So some of the tone of the party and the direction that it was going was one that I didnt really ascribe to. I felt like I needed to lean in and really do something about it because people mostly had two options in this election cycle. They could either get away and kind of not participate and just say Im not going to vote for anyone. Or they could lean in and say Im going to fight for the things that I believe in because Ive been working for this party for 17 years. So I know exactly what its all about and what I believe it should represent. So that was one Q: But you declared before Trump became a front-runner, didnt you? GITSHAM: Yeah. But it was more of a tonal issue I think. I saw what was happening in the different primaries. I didnt jump in until November. So I was really late and I felt like there was a lot of confusion as to what the Republican Party stood for. And so I just wanted to propose my perspective on how I thought it should be. And so the other thing that really triggered me getting in was being a small business person. You know, I see that its harder and harder to do business in California. Theres not much I can do about Sacramento, but Im hoping that Washington doesnt make it even more difficult for us to keep jobs here. I saw the mass exodus of a lot of tech companies that I had worked with in my PR firm and a lot of people had said, you know, nobody ever called me when we left California to even see why we left. There was no exit interview and I thought you should at least care enough to kind of make an effort to know what you can fix to keep it from doing in the future and so that was important to me. I think were going in the wrong direction. More government is not better in most areas of life and so I saw that trend happening. Theres one more factor, but then Ill go to the sort of overarching theme that I think is really going to determine how people vote in this election. The Iran nuclear agreement was a big deal for me. When Scott Peters voted for that, I decided that I had to get in the race. Its a big triggering moment for me. It reflects a fundamental difference in opinion. Either you think that it makes sense to trust and give money to the largest state sponsor of terror, which were fighting, and fight both sides of the war, or you think that it doesnt make sense and so for me I didnt think it made sense. And so between sort of that national security/defense perspective that I really ascribe to, that was different from Scotts, and the fact that, at the end of the day I think this elections going to come down to, do you believe that Washington, D.C., bureaucrats elected officials know better how to live your life, run your businesses, organize your communities than you do? And if so, then you should vote for the person who represents those perspectives. You should vote for the person who thinks government is the answer to most things. I do not. I think government does a few things really well and most things it doesnt do very well that we can do better in the private sector and thats really, at the end of the day, why I jumped in. Q: May I ask you about Trump since you brought him up? In the primary you said you would support the partys nominee. So will you be voting for him for president? GITSHAM: Im not focused on talking about any of that, heres why, 87 percent of people in our recent study said whatever the statement was that was attributed whether it was to Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, they believed and when you switched the person that it was ascribed to even if it was the same statement, they still believed it because that was the person they had committed to. If I spend a moment of my time if I waste a second of my time talking about things that people have already decided on emotionally using as a litmus test as to whether or not they think the policies of a representative thats before them that theyre considering, instead of looking at the policies, theyre looking at the rhetoric, then Im wasting my time. Im not doing my job. I know Scott would love to make this an indictment of Donald Trump. I know that he would love to say that all Republicans are just like Donald Trump. Voters can decide based on what I stand for whether or not I am. Im not going to talk about Trump. I think its a litmus test thats false. I think it doesnt address the issue that people really care about in this election cycle, which is not something thats going to be over in November, but what youre going to do after it. Q: Lets talk about the issues. The wall. GITSHAM: The wall. Heres whats so interesting about the wall. I went to the Border Patrol union representative. I dont really understand the border as well as I should. I havent been since I went to Juarez and El Paso in 2001 with the White House delegation. So I know things have changed enormously like the technology and everything else. So I just want to go and understand what the real issues are today and I asked him, I said from your perspective and the Border Patrol, do you think a wall is necessary? And the first thing he said was, first of all, theres no such thing as a wall. There are fences and we have three of them here at the border and he showed me all of them and he explained the roles that each of them played. One was to keep people out from that sort of in between area. One was to really stop people from coming in, they were like on both sides, there were really hardcore walls, some fences, some with razor wire and concertina wire and just different different fences serve different purposes, which I didnt realize. And the issues that we talk about that are symbolic again. The first order issue that we have to address in this election cycle in the future is the people that are here coming to do us harm. Not the poor people who are trying to come over to reunite with the families or hoping to get through, but there are actual issues that we have to solve with respect to our immediate security. And those issues are people who are coming over declaring asylum, having no way to background check who they are or what country theyre from and then allowing them to come in because we say we cant hold them forever, right? If youre from Haiti or from the coast of Africa or youre from Turkey, from anywhere that you come, if youre not Mexican you get to walk through the border, go up to the Border Patrol and say, I declare asylum, and we have to take you, once they do a cursory check to see if youre on the terrorist watch list. Then we send you in an address that you give us and then you either show up or you dont for your hearing. Now according to the Border Patrol guy that I this is how Im always going to govern. Im not the expert. Ill never be the expert on any of these issues. So I listen to the people who are on the front lines and this guy said, look, this morning we had two Turkish nationals, young guys in their 20s. They came through, declared asylum. We held them in there that room. We checked the terrorist watch list and they were both on it. So those guys were honest, they gave their right name hopefully they gave the right name. And they figured out what to do with them from that point on. So they were able to stop them, but he said whats scary is that there was actually an ID card from a Saudi Arabian national that was in the trash can in the holding room and he looked through the list of people who had come through that day and no one had declared themselves as a Saudi national and all of them had gotten through and been taken to the addresses that they had given. So theres no way to verify whos coming through our border. Thats the real issue. President Bush says family values dont stop at the Rio Grande. He was signaling to people that theres a lot of gray area in how we address people who come here from Mexico. Thats not the issue right now. The issue that have is a national security issue that has nothing to do with Mexican nationals. Also overseas visas. What does a terrorist need now to inflict an act of terror on our country? Generally an overseas visa is what they use. Its one of the ways that they get in and stay. So we dont enforce them the same way. Theres no parity in the way that we treat people who overstay on the visa and people who cross the border illegally. It seems kind of racist to me that we would treat people differently just because there happens to be some sort of, you know, declaration against Mexican nationals. Is that why we treat them with criminal prosecutions, when the real people who are inflicting harm on our country are the people who are overstaying their visas? That just seems like its not fair. So we got to harmonize a lot. My parents are immigrants. My dad is from Canada and that technically counts. He came when he was 13 and he became an American citizen his first year into joining the U.S. Air Force. My mom is originally from China. My grandfather was a two-star general with Chiang Kai-shek and she moved to Taiwan when she was 9 because they lost the civil war to communists and then she came here in the 60s. And when my mom and so many other were all immigrants. Were all descendants of immigrants. None of us are here originally, right? Were not Native Americans and so people have to there are laws on the books, if you want to talk about the bigger immigration issue. There are laws on the books and we have very confusing, conflicting mandates and executive orders that require a lot of those guys that are at the border to not really know what the rules of engagement are when they are dealing with folks at the border. Q: So just real quick, no wall? GITSHAM: Im for whatever the Border Patrol people tell me they need to do their job well and what they told me is they need physical theyre like the wall is totally a fabricated political issue. They said they need physical infrastructure and they need manpower and technology; all three, thats what it takes. Q: More and more I agree with Ruben Navarrette, the columnist who lives in San Diego County and who has written for years that neither side is honest about this. Republicans like cheap labor and Democrats The unions dont like mass immigration that depresses wages in theory at the low end of it. So, I dont know, it just feels like neither party has any kind of claim to the high ground on immigration. GITSHAM: Thats true. I agree with you. I mean were confused because were a country thats so compassionate. Look I was the first natural-born American citizen in my family. And my grandfather was 80 when he came to America and he wanted to die an American citizen. This is a man who was a war hero in Taiwan, in China. He wanted to die an American citizen because he wanted to be American. He got it when he was 90. He spent 10 years studying for his citizenship test and working hard to do it. People want to come to America not just for the jobs. People want to come because were a compassionate, incredible country. And when you stand on that border and you look at TJ or you stand on the border at El Paso and you look at Juarez, the Rio Grande is like not even a trickle, right? Youre literally within a stones throw of a different world. Who wouldnt want to come to a country that extols personal freedom and rights regardless of the economy? So we have to decide as a nation whats most important. Of course were compassionate. But how do we make sure that were able to stay that way for the future? We have to make sure that our immigration policy serves our interests so that we can continue to be that country that people want to come to. Q: Where are you on trade? I know thats an issue in the campaign because of Scotts support for TPP. GITSHAM: Ive always been for free trade. I mean thats just a Republican principal. Thats a conservative principal thats always been enduring. This new era of isolationism concerns me and the America first protectionism. Theres a whole trend where people are scared. Theres a sense of anxiety in this country. People are not at ease with where our country is going and whats going to happen, what the future can hold. And part of that, theyre looking to see what can they do in the near term to stem sort of the outflow of jobs and money. And what they see is whats kind of screwing them in the long-term as Americans. And the truth is NAFTA brought in 25 million net new jobs into America. So while its easy to look at some sort of singular issues and say, well, I lost my job because theres no one off, right? You dont lose a job because somebody in another country gets it and so I get that frustration. We need to figure out ways to make America a more attractive place to do business. Thats why being pro business is so important. If were able to get a strong, healthy economy you didnt see this trend before. Thats because our economy was strong. We were able to keep jobs in this country. Were chasing them out and thats why people are looking for whos a scapegoat and free trade has become the issue du jour. Q: I understand the critique of the Iran deal. Weve written editorials that say this is a huge gamble that may or may not pay off. The Republican foreign policy seems to be based on the idea that we should impose our will around the world. It hasnt gone well lately. So on the one hand, youve got Obama, who seems kind of feckless at times on foreign policy, but at least hes not adding to our wars. And on the other hand you have Republicans, who have a model of intervention. It seems like we need a third way. GITSHAM: Yeah. Im in agreement. We have a neocon hangover still from all of our engagements that didnt pan out well like Iraq and were oversubscribed in every single place. We dont have the money or resources to effectively combat anything so were kind of half-assed everywhere. You know, when I look at the biggest geopolitical threats right now, weve got Russia, which is really a regional superpower. It will never be more than that because of their economy unable to sustain any sort of cold war like superpower status. We have North Korea, which is like a rogue, crazy threat because theres this fat kid that thinks hes like God sitting there and hes delusional. But he has six to 12 nuclear warheads and ICBMs that are capable of reaching Italy. Thats a real problem regionally. Thats something that China needs to step up and deal with. You know, weve got to work with our regional partners to make sure its not in their interest to have a nuclearized, ICBM-capable North Korea. That threatens their interest. Then we have ISIS. And we have, you know, all all of the threats that come from radical radicalized ideology. And thats our most thats our biggest threat existentially to our ally, our strongest ally in the Middle East, Israel, and also to our interests as Americans. And we have China, which you know theres a whole different world. I ascribe to the belief that countries that have McDonalds in them dont go to war with each other. Q: What do you think about banning all refugees from countries or areas where terrorists are from coming here? Is that a smart policy? GITSHAM: I saw the poll numbers on it recently. I think theyre still in favor, maybe 60 percent or 58 percent of Americans dont want Syrian refugees. Again, I feel like the Syrian refugees are we as a nation weve given over $4 billion to that issue, which is more than weve ever given to any humanitarian effort ever. Ever. We are compassionate. For people to say that were not compassionate is ridiculous. We have given so much resource-wise. Right now, based on our inability to even gauge whos coming over our border, as evidenced by that border example that I gave, I dont know that were equipped as a nation to receive Syrian refugees where we dont know where theyre coming from. I think weve got to come up with a better plan for them. We need to work with the international community to do so, but I dont think that right now we are equipped to do that. We just dont know whos coming in. Its not about Syrians. It could be anyone. Fill in the blank. We are having problems tracking whos coming in and thats a serious threat to us. Q: How would you improve the system? GITSHAM: I was trying to think of like where we could put folks that would help them really build roots and have a new life. And all the temporary sort of fixes, while we try to figure out whether or not were able to put in the systems like the [Israelis]. Israel is so, so good at doing biometrics and tracking who comes in and goes because its an existential issue for them. If they dont have strong borders and know whos coming in and out, theyre not able to survive as a country surrounded by people who want to obliterate them. And we dont feel bad as Americans, thank God. We dont have to live in that kind of fear, but I think the threat is somewhat growing. It is growing, if its not already there, and we need to be more aware of how we do that. I want to create a society in America where we really feel like we can welcome people with open arms. That were capable of doing that. So we need to figure out how to make ourselves stronger and more capable of tracking people when they come in and knowing what their backgrounds are, so we can. The goal is to can, but not right now. We cant do it. And thats what every every bill I mean people love to use that as a litmus test of whether youre a jerk or youre like a loving person and the reality is all of those bills were about a pause on the system until we figure out how to get there. Q: On mass surveillance and the rise of the government information state, Republicans are split. You got the libertarians on the one hand who say civil liberties matter. We used to care a lot about civil liberties and now we just accept the governments assurances. And then we have the right that says no, we must do more and more and more. We must have no privacy because were at risk. It seems thats something the party cant finesse. Where are you? GITSHAM: Nobody can because youre seeing crazy collaborations between the ACLU, which would never be confused for being conservative and the far right, you know, the black helicopter people. So I was on a boat called Summit at Sea where they bring in the thought leaders from all over the country. Edward Snowden came in, [via] Skype... and the guy from Google, Eric Schmidt, was asking all these questions and making him a hero and I thought thats not really the answer. And then you had Grover Norquist and Nadine Strossen talking on a panel, which you would never imagine to see happen, about civil liberties and how important they are. I think that that really thoughtful, sensible, moderate tact will prevail as it should. We have to figure out a way to protect ourselves from unnecessary government intrusion. At the same time make sure that were able to track whats going on. I worked in the Bush White House on 9/11. I worked at DOJ where we had Patriot Act coming up for reauthorization at that time. I traveled around the country and I talked to prosecutors and U.S. attorneys and I heard the PFAW and ACLU and all these other people make statements in conjunction with the tax folks of America against the administration and efforts on Patriot Act. And, yet, when it came up for reauthorization it was almost unanimously reauthorized because it worked. And so there are parts of it that dont work and have been sunsetted. I think we need to sunset everything. This is not just for patriot or civil liberties issues. We need to look at what the realities of today require from our legislators. If we are able to lower barriers so that FBI, you know, all the divisions, CIA, local and federal law enforcement can cooperate to track people that could be bad, that makes common sense. Thats part of the Patriot Act. That was a big driving force of it. There are other things like warrantless wiretaps. Those were things that we as a country have to decide on, but you dont throw the baby out with the bath water. We need to remove barriers between communication and effectively address the issue of terrorism and folks who come in and try to do us harm. That doesnt mean that we throw out the whole Patriot Act for the issues that dont work. So lets sunset things and make people debate them. Lets talk about whether or not given what we have in this day and age with the new technologies that have arisen since then, our laws still make sense. Thats true for our budget. You know, were able to figure out with Uber what the cost of a ride is going to be based on supply and demand. When I was 26 years old working in the Department of Justice, working for a Republican administration, I was told to go figure out how to spend the last half a million dollars. Were going to come together. Come with ideas because we have to use it or lose it. Id never heard of that before because Id never worked in the government before, never been part of the budgeting process. Why dont we have zero-based budgeting? Why dont we justify how we spend taxpayer dollars? Why is it presumed that what we needed last year is what we need today and tomorrow? That sort of rigidity and thinking, that sort of positional, rather than, you know positional thinking, which is we must have this or were going lose it. Why is that a bad thing? We figured it out in technology... where entrepreneurs could come together and think about how to address these issues with technology so we didnt have to be afraid of losing what we needed. If we fostered an environment where we could talk to each other and trust each other that when you came to me and said I really need this and this is why? Thats a conversation that needs to happen. Q: I know one of your ideas is to reduce Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Thatll balance the budget. Can you be more specific? GITSHAM: I can guarantee you Ive never said we should reduce Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. I guarantee that. Q: I have that on tape. GITSHAM: Oh you I said reduce? I never said that. Q: What is your position on those things? GITSHAM: The only way that we can protect and preserve Social Security so that it actually exists for our generation is to reform it. Ive never said to cut. Now how you define cut? There are many, many different ways. Are there things that we need to be smarter about as to how we spend? Can we have it all? First of all, no, we cant have it all. We cant have more benefits, we cant have more of everything and expect to preserve it when baby boomers are coming into their full fruition and in need of a lot more medical care. And a lot more of their benefits across the board. And so unless we have some way of saying, look, without these reforms, without some cuts somewhere and maybe thats where you got it from, those are just words that you use to balance any sort of program thats out of control. Without smarter, more accountable measures that keep our costs in check like free-market principles that enable there to be competition, growing competition within medical care. Without some sense of accountability and incentives that drive costs down rather then drive them up, Medigap, for example. Medigap users use 25 percent more health care than anyone on just regular Medicare. The costs that they pay in addition to do Medigap doesnt cover the additional 25 percent on average that they use in services. Does that make sense? Is that the best way for us to ensure that Medicare exists for the future? No. We have to look at where that doesnt make sense and figure out how we help people make smarter decisions. Q: Now Im confused because you didnt say reduced, but then you also said you have to GITSHAM: Cuts, right? Q: So explain what you mean? GITSHAM: So how do you define reduce? Q: Less of something, right? Which is what cutting something is ... GITSHAM: Right. So there are all sorts of ways we have to cut the things that dont make sense, the parts of the programs that dont make sense and hopefully give people better options to make better decisions. So the way that I see Social Security. There are folks so you could define this as cutting there are folks that do not need Social Security. I know because one of my big supporters in La Jolla... She lives in one of the La Jolla Farms Road homes. She doesnt need Social Security. Does she get it? Yeah. I think personally, I think theyd be willing to give up what they supposedly, you know, they get as benefits. Well theyre not entitlements, people paid into it, but should they be the ones that should continue to get Social Security benefits? You can call that cutting, I guess. I guess you could. You can define it however you want. I think there should be a means test for Social Security. Social Security wasnt designed to be a replacement for it was a social it was a safety net to protect against poverty, not for people who really have enough money and dont need more. Q: But means testing doesnt really solve the problem. Means testing can take up maybe 4 percent, 5 percent is the estimate I saw. GITSHAM: Thats a start. Q: And meanwhile, the whole thing is broken. I mean life expectancy if the average 65-year-old according to CalPERS last study, which is now out of date, the average woman lives to 87 or 88. The average man lives to 84. Theres lots of people who think that were on track for that to be 92, 93 for women and 87, 88 for men. So the whole things broken... in 1935, the life expectancy was in the 60s and now GITSHAM: Well, lets talk about indexing to life expectancy. Thats another thing that you can maybe cut off a couple percentage points on, right? So if Social Security if you determine what the purpose what was the original intent of these laws? And then you track common sense ways that track with reality. Q: But in the 1960s we had four people working for every person receiving Social Security. Its going to be two to one, I think in 2030. So its just, the whole thing is just an absence of reality about this. GITSHAM: So there has to be decisions that we make as to how we save it without cutting benefits that are needed for the people who need them the most. If we do not protect those that this was actually designed for and instead we kind of just start saying, this is a supplement for middle income people, you know, in their retirement. Thats not enabling us to preserve the program for its original intent and to enable people who really need to have it when they do. Q: Should we raise the retirement age? GITSHAM: Everyone has proposed doing that. I mean, Joe Lieberman he said its not going to be popular. He said over the next every year this is 2011 he said, these are bipartisan principles that Cato and Brookings and everyone in (AEI) and Heritage, everyone seems to agree on is that without raising that incrementally, were not going to get there. And guess who that falls on? Im 39. That falls on our generation, not the folks that are there now. So we can plan in advance. We need to have a level of personal accountability for our futures. If we know now and can plan in advance with 20 years foresight and be able to save for our future and our retirement knowing that its not going to be what folks have now, thats forewarning. Thats good. We can plan for that in the future. It shouldnt affect what people get now, but slowly and surely we need to increase that age to one that makes sense and is consistent with the spirit of the law. Nobody will talk about this because its politically unpopular and when its characterized as cuts and people can use them as talking points to scare seniors, well, its simply not true and its all about whether you want to protect and preserve it or not. In order to save Medicare, we have to revamp it, period. And if that entails changing parameters to keep it consistent with its purpose, then thats what we need to do and it has to be hard and everyone needs to give. Q: What do you see as maybe the one or two headline issues that are going to move that needle for you? How are you going to close that gap? What are you hearing in that district? GITSHAM: The polls, based on what we know about the issues consistently, theyre consistent with Americans, right? Its the anxiety that people feel over the economy and national security. And its not that people feel were going to get attacked in San Diego. Its really not even though San Bernardino happened not far away. People arent feeling like theres an imminent sense of attack. People are uncomfortable about where we stand in the world and what were fostering, whats growing out there. So theres a general sense of unease. So hitting things like that head on trying to fear monger is not going to work, right? Its not about that and its not true. People just want to know how are we going to deal do we have a plan to deal with whats happening in the world and keep those guys away from us and to protect our national security interests and our lives? Really its our lives. National security is too big of a word. What are you doing to protect my family? And then the other thing that I think is important is jobs and the economy. The student loan issue is so interesting to me because I went to Georgetown Law School. I was a Virginia resident at the time. Because... and which was way cheaper because I felt like the cost benefit analysis of going to Georgetown made sense even though I was paying for it at $50,000 a pop and working full time to do it while I was in law school. And so, I worked at DOJ and I worked in the Senate. I worked full time and went to law school full time my second year on Chief Justice Roberts confirmation. I worked because it was such an important time to be involved in our government. And I knew what the terms were. And guess what? When I got out of Georgetown, I went straight into a big law firm and I got my cushy salary and I knew what I had to do to pay it off and I hated working there. But I did it because I had to. I hated my life every day that I was at big law, but I had to do that to pay off my debt. The people that came right after me got hit with the recession. And so it was a totally different world for me. We need to have a business environment that enables people to get hired. We need to think about what were doing on the policy level that enables businesses to succeed. This is not a trickle down effort. This is for future employees that are graduating. We need to give them jobs. We need to have jobs for them to get and we need to train them for those jobs. When I worked at Sapphire, one of our founders created the Edge Program. It was specifically to train people for jobs in the bio fuels industry. It was a whole curricula at the associate degree level, the community college level, at the high school level. So if you wanted to be a technical person in that realm, you could go in straight and get a good paying job. My dad was a vocational education teacher for the state of California. It was called the Regional Occupational Program. He did that for 20 years when he retired from the Air Force. To this day the students that come to our house for holidays, theyre some of my dads very dearest friends because they are making phenomenal livings doing technical, vocational jobs that they didnt want to go to college for and they didnt need to. We need to stop thinking that theres a one size fits all. The notion of free college is so, so nice, right? What are our priorities as a nation? Is that at the top of it? Can we afford it? And is that right for everyone or does it funnel people into career paths that dont give them the jobs that are ultimately whats fueling this unease to go back to your original question. Q: You have a 30-second close. GITSHAM: This race is a lot about change. If the rise of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump wasnt about change, then I dont know what was. I believe that if youre part of a problem, Scotts part of a 15 percent approval rating in Congress that has hovered there since 2010, really, its between 12 percent and 15 percent approval rating. If you havent proven that youre able to solve problems in the 3-1/2 years that youve been in, then youre part of the problem, youre not part of the solution. I think its time for a fresh perspective. One thats based on our interests in San Diego and not the special interests that he takes half of his money from. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Etna, OH -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/18/2016 -- Floormat.com is a well established mat manufacturer and vendor based in Etna, Ohio. In addition to manufacturing and selling its own matting products, the company also distributes matting materials from other esteemed matting companies in the country. Renowned for its innovative business approach, the company has gone one step ahead of the rest in the matting industry by launching a fully functional online matting store. Floormat.com has established a fully fledged online matting shop on its website. The company has added a fully functional and secure shopping cart to its website to enable customers to buy mats from its website conveniently and safely. Floormat.com was founded over 60 years ago in the state of Ohio. Originally established as a distributor of matting products, the company has grown tremendously over the years and it now manufactures most of the matting products it sells. The company has also developed an extensive distribution network for its in-house matting products and also for vending other well established matting brands. The company's management attributes its massive growth and incredible business success to its innovative business model. Apparently, the company has invented or helped invent a huge variety of matting products. Over the years, Floormat.com has established a remarkable web presence by featuring a comprehensive matting catalogue on its utilitarian website. However, Floormat.com did not have a functional shopping interface for instant, direct, and secure sales/purchase transactions on its website. Tediously, customers had to fill-in a static order form and submit it, and then wait for the company's sales team to call or contact them about their orders. Alternatively, customers could place orders by calling or emailing the company's sales department directly. This was also a very irksome process because the phone lines could be busy for hours and the order emails could be held up for several days. Obviously, the whole process was inconvenient, inexpedient, and time-consuming. Nowadays, matting customers can buy any product they see on the company's website instantaneously using the newly added shopping cart. Considered as the go-to website by many matting customers, Floormat.com features an extensive catalog of all its matting products. More information can be found at http://www.floormat.com/ Customers wishing to shop for mats using the shopping cart should navigate the functional and user-friendly website; searching and choosing the desired matting products. The customer should then select the desired quantity before clicking the "Buy Now" button. He/she should then click the "Check Cart" button to redirect to the SSL secure payment portal and view the entire order. Finally, the customer should click the "Checkout" button to input payment details and then click on the "Order Now" button to conclude the transaction. About Floormat.com Currently, Floormat.com manufactures and distributes a wide range of mats and matting materials including industrial mats, entrance indoor-outdoor mats, custom floor matting, heated floor mats, anti-slip products and other safety solutions. With this new move, the matting company has managed to eliminate all geographical limitations in its marketing strategy; enabling it to tap the global matting market. Evidently, the company aims to woo online matting customers from around the world and establish itself among the industry giants. Contact: Floormat.com Address: 101 Progressive Drive, Etna, Ohio 43062 Phone: 800-876-1312 Email: info@floormat.com Website: http://www.floormat.com/ Jakarta, Indonesia -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/17/2016 -- PT Piranti Nusantara Teknologi (PT Piranusa) started its cooperation with Higher Education institutions in Indonesia in an effort to support teaching, learning and improving students' ability in the field of architecture design on October 14, 2016. To start this cooperation, Piranusa provided support in the form of a seminar, drawing competition and numbers of Robinetso license to the three reputable universities, namely the department of architecture of Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bina Nusantara University (BINUS) and Pelita Harapan University (UPH). The three of them welcomed to cooperate with Piranusa as the official Robinetso Distributor in Indonesia. Robinetso Global attempted to support universities in Indonesia by boosting their proficiency through the creation of more creative design through these activities. Work competition is very fierce these days, so college graduates are required to have a level of professionalism that is reliable and characterized by a high level of proficiency in the field. No exception, the world of architecture. This field also requires prospective architects to have high expertise in the use of various types of design software including Robinet technology, so as to enhance the creative process of design creation. As Ir. Kho Sin Hien of PIRANUSA, a representative of Robinetso (a Robinet software provider) on the Indonesian market expressed, they will start cooperating with three colleges of architecture department Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bina Nusantara University (BINUS) and Pelita Harapan University (UPH). "Through this cooperation we hope to participate actively in supporting the teaching and learning activities and to improve the ability of students in the field of Robinet design technology, hopefully one day they can become professional and proficient architects in their field," he said. Robinetso has officially launched the latest Robinet software Robinetso 2017 in August. Robinetso itself is a Robinet solution with good cost efficiency and reliability to meet the needs of the industrial design of 2D/3D which requires a size, accuracy and precision. So far Robinetso is widely used in more than 80 countries and by more than 550,000 users. Meanwhile Aswin Indraprastha, ST., MT., M.Eng., Ph.D., a representative of the Department of architectural Bandung Institute of Technology expressed that it welcomed the efforts of PT Piranusa who actively contributes to improving the ability of the students. "By introducing the latest Robinet software, Robinetso provides Robinet solutions with cost efficiency as well as reliability to meet the needs of 2D/3D industrial design, so we appreciate it very much." said Aswin. On another occasion, Stanley Wangsadihardja, Head of Department of Architecture in University of Pelita Harapan, supports these activities with the hope every student can try out a variety of Robinet software so that they can enrich their experience and get ready to enter the career of architecture later. The cooperation agreement between PT Piranusa with three universities marked the beginning of socialization and competition using Robinetso in the Department of Architecture at each of the universities. The socialization activities as well as competition aim to: a) Improve students' Robinet skills. b) Raise students' passion to use Robinet technology to get the very best work done. c) Prepare students to compete in the future. d) Promote alternative Robinet software and provide young architects a choice. The promotion of Robinetso as an alternative Robinet application is held in the form of a seminar. In this seminar, in addition to getting the latest Robinet product information, students can also hear experience shared by a professional Indonesian architect. For other sources can be seen in our principal website: http://www.robinetso.fr/9-robinet-de-douche Many professions in Indonesia have obstacles in buying original Robinet software.Therefore Robinetso Indonesia starts talks with the Indonesia Architect Association (IAI) for further understanding and finding the best solution to overcome that obstacle. According to Ahmad Djuhara, Chairman of the IAI National: "This is in line with one of the important things that becomes the primary concern of the National Board of IAI today to provide support to all members of IAI with Robinet software that is effective, efficient and affordable for all Indonesia's professional architect colleagues". IAI opened the opportunity for dialogue with all providers of Robinet Technology, including Robinetso and PIRANUSA to be able to provide the best Robinet solution in Indonesia. About PIRANUSA PT Piranti Nusantara Teknologi (PIRANUSA) positions itself as a specialist in the field of information technology and software. Backed by a team of competent and experienced people, we use appropriate processes and tools to give appreciation to our customers' business environment. We help our customers to create, design, form initial concept and help them implement innovative business processes using appropriate technologies, enabling them to run their business more efficiently. For our professional team, we provide them the best working environment and an environment to continue learning in order to equip them with strong business knowledge as well as technical knowledge. PT Piranti Nusantara Teknologi has been appointed as the Authorized Robinetso Sole Distributor in Indonesia. The partnership provides the best alternative solution for Robinet users who want to increase productivity by using reliable Robinet software for 2D & 3D design at an affordable price. We are fully confident to provide our customers with the right products, not only because we have the best people and technology, but also because of our ability and confidence in aligning these factors together. Contact: PT Piranti Nusantara Teknologi (Piranusa) Address: Head Office, JL. K.H. Mas Mansyur No.121, Jakarta 10220, Indonesia Phone: +62 21 25558805 Email Address: info@robinetso.fr Website: http://www.robinetso.fr/ Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/18/2016 -- Vermont Urgent Care, a highly regarded urgent care in Los Angeles, offers heat safety information for autumn. Vermont Urgent Care has extensive knowledge in health and safety and understands the effects heat has on families. They are dedicated to patient health and urge California residents to stay updated on the risks of high temperature weather. Urgent care in Los Angeles Vermont Urgent Care has years of experience working in Los Angeles and treating many types of patients. While the temperatures in California remain high, families remain at risk to the dangers of heat. Urgent care in Los Angeles knows the most essential measures that families should take when experiencing high heat. 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Media Contact: Dana Smith Company Name: Vermont Urgent Care & Multi Specialty Center Phone Number: 213-386-2511 Address: Los Angeles, CA E-mail: info@vermonturgentcare.org A study led by University of Adelaide researcher Julien Soubrier has revealed that prehistoric European cave artists recorded a previously unknown hybrid species of bison and cattle on cave walls more than 15,000 years ago. The mysterious species originated over 120,000 years ago through the hybridization of the aurochs (Bos primigenius) an extinct species of ox that inhabited Europe, Asia and North Africa and the extinct steppe bison (Bison priscus), according to Dr. Soubrier and co-authors. The study has revealed that the hybrid species eventually became the ancestor of the extant European bison (Bison bonasus). Finding that a hybridization event led to a completely new species was a real surprise as this isnt really meant to happen in mammals, said study co-author Prof. Alan Cooper, Director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide. The genetic signals from the ancient bison bones were very odd, but we werent quite sure a species really existed so we referred to it as the Higgs Bison. The team studied genetic material extracted from radiocarbon-dated bison bones and teeth found in caves across Europe, the Urals, and the Caucasus to trace the genetic history of the populations. The researchers found a distinctive genetic signal from many fossil bison bones, which was quite different from the European bison or any other known species. Radiocarbon dating showed that the hybrid species dominated the European record for thousands of years at several points, but alternated over time with the steppe bison, which had previously been considered the only bison species present in Late Ice Age Europe. The dated bones revealed that our new species and the steppe bison swapped dominance in Europe several times, in concert with major environmental changes caused by climate change, Dr. Soubrier said. When we asked, French cave researchers told us that there were indeed two distinct forms of bison art in Ice Age caves, and it turns out their ages match those of the different species. Wed never have guessed the cave artists had helpfully painted pictures of both species for us. The cave paintings depict bison with either long horns and large forequarters more like the American bison (Bison bison), which is descended from the steppe bison or with shorter horns and small humps, more similar to the European bison, also known as wisent. Once formed, the new hybrid species seems to have successfully carved out a niche on the landscape, and kept to itself genetically, Prof. Cooper said. It dominated during colder tundra-like periods, without warm summers, and was the largest European species to survive the megafaunal extinctions. However, the modern European bison looks genetically quite different as it went through a genetic bottleneck of only 12 individuals in the 1920s, when it almost became extinct. Thats why the ancient form looked so much like a new species. The research appears today in the journal Nature Communications. _____ Julien Soubrier et al. 2016. Early cave art and ancient DNA record the origin of European bison. Nature Communications 7, article number: 13158; doi: 10.1038/ncomms13158 This article is based on a press-release from the University of Adelaide. The controversy regarding marijuana is endless. Pro-marijuana people would love to share with others the good effects of the medical cannabis. Marijuana products such as brownies, cannabis oil and so much more flying in. Thus, a new product is made for wine and marijuana fans. The marijuana-infused wine is made available, but people can only buy it in California. The idea of marijuana-infused wine all started when two girls met on a camping trip in Yosemite National Park in 2010. Lisa Molyneux, a cancer survivor who now owns a dispensary in Santa Cruz and a marijuana retail worked hand in hand with Louisa Sawyer Lindquist of Verdad Wines in Santa Maria. They both want to aid cancer survivors with marijuana and wine. The result of their brilliant minds is Canna Vine, a high-end marijuana product incorporated with organically grown marijuana and biodynamically farmed grapes, made with the care of Opus One. Celebrities including Melissa Etheridge and Chelsea Handler expressed their support with the marijuana-infused product. As a matter of fact, Etheridge has her own line of wine called Know Label and it was also made by Molyneux. The catch of the "Pot wine, also known as green wine (described, for legal reasons, as a "tincture") has probably been around almost as long as there has been pot and wine. Now, the challenge is how to actually get it. Not only it is pricey with a price ranging from $120 to $400 a half bottle. People can buy it only in California, U.S. because it is only legal to buy it there. As for some states where marijuana is also legal such as Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, the problem is it is illegal to infuse alcohol with it, as reported by Indian Express. However, Sawyer-Lindquist id that "Cannabis wine has been so effective as a stress reliever, as a mood elevator, and as a medicine. I have no idea what the market will be like for it, but whatever I make it I want to be safe, made from pure ingredients and, hopefully, delicious." Etheridge added that "I think that an herb-infused wine might be the sort of beautiful bridge to helps us to understand where cannabis fits into our culture." According to LA Times. The horror of global warming is warning the Earth every day. More and more signs can be felt. The number of extinct animals is increasing, melting of ice shelves, and rising of water temperatures in the oceans are just some of the effects of climate change. After all these, the news has finally caught the attention of nearly 200 nations all over the world. Members of the Montreal Protocol, that includes 170 nations, agreed on a deal to reduce emissions of powerful greenhouse gasses to help the reduction of climate change, during a summit last Saturday it Kigali, Rwanda. The landmark deal states that the use of HFCs or hydrofluorocarbons must be reduced. As it is one of the world's fastest source of greenhouse gasses, according to the United Nation Environment Program. Hydrofluorocarbons are commonly found in refrigeration and air conditioning and emit greenhouse gasses. As reported by CNN, the UN agency said in a statement, the deal that agrees to the reduction in HCFs could prevent global warming by 0.5 degrees Celsius at the end of the century. It would be one of the biggest contributions to help stop the substances that deplete the ozone layer. Several high-profile leaders were present in the meeting that includes the US secretary of State, John Kerry. He shared that if together the countries will take one step against climate change, it will make a huge difference. It is not often that people can get a chance to have a 0.5-degree centigrade reduction. Each country doing different thing at different times, but getting the job done is a big help in the fight against global warming, according to New York Times. Meanwhile, the European Union also welcomed the deal. EU commissioner for climate action and energy, Miguel Arias Canete said that deal would be a huge win for the climate and it could be the first step in delivering the promise that was agreed on Paris last December to counter the climate change. President Barrack Obama is also gladly extending his support to the deal. The United States President stated that "today's agreement caps off a critical 10 days in our global efforts to combat climate change. Together, these steps show that, while diplomacy is never easy, we can work together to leave our children a planet that is safer, more prosperous, more secure and freer than the one that was left for us." Questions regarding the origin of the world are still evolving. The root of humans, animals and so much more challenged scientists to study and discover the origins further. Thus, a current research shows that the origin of mammals might come from the impact if the comet from 55 million years ago. A team of American researchers writing in the journal of science has studied that a comet impact from 55 million years ago might have caused the mammals to monopolize the Earth. They also believed that it could possibly trigger a rapid phase of global warming in connection with the expansion of mammal groups during the Eocene period of time. The experts had outlined the theory as they found fragments of spherical glass thought to a pattern when molten debris flung out by an impact solidifies in midair. However, their findings remain questionable by other scientists, as reported by the Red Orbit. The experts claimed that the space impacts have a significant effect on the Earth's ecosystems. For instance, in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula an asteroid slammed 66 million years ago and was responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs. Co-author of the new study Dennis Kent, from Rutgers University, found the possibility that the glass they found in sediment cores drilled along the New Jersey coast may have come from the 10km-wide comet that slammed into the Atlantic Ocean. They believe that this could be the source of the mysterious release of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses which warmed the planet. Prof. Kent said that "It got warm in a hurry. This suggests where it came from." Meanwhile, the researchers believe that the spike in temperature closely corresponds with the spreading of mammal groups to different parts of the world. The different groups are the Artiodactyla, the Perissodactyla, and the Primates--the mammalian order including humans. On the other hand, the modern Artiodactyls include sheep, pigs, camels and giraffes and Perissodactyls include horses, tapirs, rhinos and zebras, according to BBC. However, the scientists cannot fully explain the drivers behind the rapid phase of mammal evolution. The experts explained that the planet became essentially ice-free during the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. The sea levels were higher than now, experts added that many small, single-celled bottom of the ocean creatures became extinct. As for the land mammals, they adapted by moving towards the poles by which new opportunities on surviving the Earth opened for them. Scientists have developed a new antibody-based drug which has the capability to reduce the growth of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the body and it is also proved to be a better strategy for controlling the long-term deadly infection. According to a report published in Tech Times, United Nations state that nearly 15.8 million people all over the world were receiving treatment for HIV in 2015. Simian Immunodeficiency infects various primate species and is considered to be the major origin of HIV. An international research team, consisting of scientists from German Primate Centre, conducted a study on SIV-infected rhesus macaques. They were treated with an antiretroviral drug for 90 days along with a specific antibody for 23 weeks. At the end of the therapy, all the macaques showed a positive control of the infection with an absence of all the SI viruses. The therapy leads to the damage of all the SI viruses from the blood and gastrointestinal tissues. The CD4+ T cells are important for a healthy immune system. According to the study conducted, the macaques were guaranteed a healthy and safe health in the coming years. This new strategy offers a unique and gifted approach to the therapy of HIV infections in humans. Antiretroviral therapy is the most common kind of therapy used today, to treat the HIV infections. These drugs block the production of HIV's in the infected cells and thus, delays the inception of the disease. But, these drugs need to be controlled permanently to avoid the re-birth of the virus. As per NDTV, Lutz Walter of Primate Genetics Laboratory, "The motive of the study was to find out a new and latest therapeutic approach for the treatment of infections with immunodeficiency viruses." The antibody which was used to treat the macaques is a therapeutic monoclonal antibody, known as Vedolizumab and is available since 2014 in the US and Europe. The scientists are planning to test this therapy in HIV patients to yield a positive and better result. The researchers are looking forward to spreading the combination of Vedolizumab and antiretroviral to more countries across the globe. Miners discovered a giant jade stone in Kachin State in the north of Burma also known as Myanmar. It is about 4.3 meters high and 5.8 meters long. It weighs about 175 tons (192 US tons) and worth about $170 million. "The jade is as big as two small houses that are 9 ft. square. I assume that it is a present for the fate of our citizens, the government, and out party as it was discovered in the time of our government. It's a very good sign for us," said U Tint Soe, a local politician. The Daily Mail reports that the jade stone will be sent to China where it will be carved into fine and expensive jewelry and sculptures. China is considered the leading producer of the cutting and distributing of jade stone for centuries. Frank Xiao, a Chinese jade expert and a dealer in Shenzhen, southern China described the discovery as a beautiful find. He further said that there are many negotiations but it's likely to be coming to China. He added that it will make many beautiful bracelets and necklaces in the future and plenty of statues for homes in China. Burma is a great source and the world's largest producer of jade. About 70 percent of the world's high-quality jadeite comes from Myanmar. It makes up around half of their gross domestic product, according to IFL Science. Jade is an ornamental rock and applied into to two different metamorphic rocks namely the nephrite and jadeite. These rocks were used from prehistoric periods for hardstone carving. The Nephrite is slightly softer but tougher than the Jadeite, which has the same hardness as quartz. Burma and Guatemala are the main sources of modern gem jadeite. A study of quantum teleportation, a phenomenon in quantum physics, could transform the Internet and modern telephone communication. This could lead to highly secure and encrypted messaging. The study was printed in Nature Photonics. It was authored by engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California and the researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado. The researchers have attained quantum teleportation over long distances, sending the quantum state of photon across over 3.7 miles in an actual metropolitan network. The experiments were demonstrated in the city of Calgary in Canada. The team used "dark" (unused) cables under the city of Calgary. It is actually a new record for the longest distance of quantum teleportation in a metropolitan network, according to NASA. The quantum teleportation could make for ultra-secure encrypted messaging someday. This permits the senders to send "disembodied" information to the recipient that would be impossible for anyone to intercept. Quantum teleportation is done by means of entanglement. This is an incident in which two particles remain bound across a large distance. One affects the state of one particle to another, even they are located at farther distances. Quantum teleportation demo'd for first time in a city's network; may revolutionize phone + Internet communication https://t.co/KwQHcMr4FE pic.twitter.com/1ZSbUYcaRJ NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) October 13, 2016 Francesco Marsili, one of the JPL co-authors, explained that demonstrating quantum effects such as teleportation outside of a lab environment include a whole new set of challenges. He further explained that this experiment suggests how these challenges can all be overcome and hence it marks a significant milestone towards the future quantum Internet. He added that quantum communication exposes some of the unique properties of quantum mechanics. This includes exchanging information with ultimate security or link together quantum computers, as noted by Daily Mail. Meanwhile, Matt Shaw of JPL's Micro Devices Laboratory said by using advanced superconducting detectors, they can utilize each photon to efficiently communicate the classical and quantum information from space to the ground. He further said that they are planning to use more advanced versions of these detectors for demonstrations of optical communication from space and of quantum teleportation from the International Space Station (ISS). Japan is pretty much cutting-edge when it comes to technology, but they may be playing god when scientists said they managed to create healthy baby mice from eggs - made with mouse skin cells. The little mice babies born from these artificial eggs are said to be healthy and may even go on to have babies themselves, which gives hope for couples who need fertility treatment - in the far future, at least. BBC news said that the scientists noted there may be more years of study to make the leap of creating artificial eggs for humans. As for the sperm - well, they were already able to make sperm cells in the lab from immature embryonic stem cells, which are known to morph into any type of cell. A grown-up skin cell is harder to engineer, especially when it has to change into something that it's not. Yet the Japanese team took cells from a mouse tail and reprogrammed them to immature ones once more, coaxing them to eventually become an egg. Not all the eggs were healthy or viable, but the ones that are were fertilized by sperm in a dish, eventually forming healthy babies. Experts, however, remain skeptical, warning that there are many barriers to using the same method in humans - especially when it comes to safety and ethics. Harvard Medical School's George Daley said that the work is a "stunning achievement" especially when the egg cells are as powerful as they are: with instructions on how to develop a new organism. The work was a result of over a decade of research, where the team developed ways to derive egg and sperm cells from pluripotent cells - or cells that resemble those from early embryos. Science Mag reported that the lab-based ovaries were able to produce over 50 mature egg cells. While these eggs had higher rates of chromosome abnormalities, it was observed that more than75 % had the correct number of chromosomes. Out of the number, however, only 3% of the eggs grew into full-term pups, compared to the 62% of eggs taken from the adult mice, fertilized in vitro. Engineers from NASA Glenn Research Center are reportedly taking electric vehicles to the sky by working on the electric aircraft. The researchers are designing, developing and testing systems for revolutionizing the aviation industry with the electric aircraft. Electric cars are not a new concept, such modes of transport are more efficient, emit less carbon and produce less noise in comparison to fuel propelled vehicles. This is precisely the reason why NASA engineers now want to introduce such technology for air travel too. "As large airline companies compete to reduce emissions, fuel burn, noise and maintenance costs, it is expected that more of their aircraft systems will shift to using electrical power," said Dr. Rodger Dyson, technical lead from NASA Glenn Hybrid Gas Electric Propulsion. "What we are hoping to learn now is how to make it more efficient and light-weight. Next year we are going to upgrade the size of these motors - we will use the same technology to test the higher-power stuff next." The engineers are using NASA's Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT), which is Plum Brook Station's newest facility, to work on the electric aircraft. The first test was carried out by NEAT in September, when the researching team of engineers used 600 volts of electricity to successfully test an electrical power system, which power a small, one or two person aircraft realistically. Once it is complete, NEAT will be a world class facility with a reconfigurable testbed where the power systems for large passenger airplanes with more than 20 Megawatts of power will be assembled and tested. Ultimately, the new technology aims to reduce weight, increase efficiency and apply to large commercial aircrafts that will also lead to a reduction in flying costs for both travelers and the airline companies themselves. As per reports, the engineers from NASA Glenn are looking forward to changing the airline industry and making a difference in aviation. DARLINGTON, S.C. Darlington County School District officials are waiting to see what state education officials recommend about making up school days as a result of Hurricane Matthew. Superintendent of Education Eddie Ingram told members of the Darlington County Board of Education on Monday that he expects to hear from the State Department of Education by the end of this week. He said officials will wait until then to make a decision on makeup days. District students missed seven instructional days because of the storm. Ingram briefed board members during Mondays monthly school board meeting. Originally scheduled for Oct. 10, the meeting had to be delayed by a week because of the storm. Ingram praised the efforts of district staff members in response to the hurricane. We just need to be in school, he said. My recommendation is that we make up as many days as we possibly can. Of the seven days missed, at least three will have to be made up, he said. In other business Monday, the board voted to award a contract for a roof replacement and retrofitting project at Mayo High School for Math, Science & Technology in Darlington. The winning bid, the lowest of two submitted, came in at $1,016,000 from LaFaves Construction of Landis, North Carolina. Bids for the project were received in August. The board also awarded a contract for minor roof repairs to schools to Robert W. Nunnery Roofing of Summerton. The winning bid, the lowest of four submitted, came in at $23.45 per square foot. The second lowest was submitted by Gardner Roofing of Hartsville at $25.05 per square foot. The board also gave first reading approval to several policy amendments aimed at keeping the districts policy manual consistent and compliant with state and federal laws and regulations. FLORENCE,. S.C. Individuals who sustained recent storm damage in Florence County and three other Pee Dee counties now are eligible for federal assistance. In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, individuals in Darlington, Dillon and Williamsburg counties also can ask for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, officials in S.C. Gov. Nikki Haleys office announced Monday night. Individuals in 11 other counties also qualify for assistance. Those counties are Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Jasper, Lee and Sumter. They join Marion and Orangeburg counties, which qualified for individual assistance last week. Assistance can include money for temporary rental assistance and essential home repairs for primary homes, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help survivors recover from the effects of the disaster. Survivors can register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362. Disaster assistance applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing should call 800-462-7585 (TTY); those who use Video Relay Service can call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days per week until further notice. The FEMA public assistance program is a reimbursement grant program. Typically, the federal share is 75 percent and the state or local governments pay the remaining 25 percent, whereas eligible private nonprofit groups are responsible for the full 25 percent. Last week Florence County was declared a disaster zone by President Barack Obama, but until Monday evening, it had not yet been approved for individual aid from FEMA. Damage assessment teams were here last week to get preliminary totals, so right now we just have to wait, said Andrew Golden, a spokesman for the Florence County Emergency Management Division. Golden said the process includes FEMA representatives assessing the countys damage and getting that information to S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley, who will send it to the president for approval. At last check, Florence County officials said at least 29 homes were destroyed during Hurricane Matthew, 64 suffered major damage and 768 suffered minor damage. That total is more than $12 million in damages. Golden said that number will increase as more assessments are made. Those numbers were still going up, and were not sure where it will stop, he said. There still are flooded areas that havent been assessed, because theres no way to access them because of flooding. As soon as we can access those areas, well continue to fill the numbers in. Florence is one of 13 counties declared by President Obama as a disaster area for assistance to public service agencies. This means county and municipal governments will be eligible for federal assistance. During last years 1,000-year flood event, county residents sustained more than $4.4 million in damages. FEMA took several weeks to come into the county for individual aid applications but ended up dispersing approximately $10 million in aid. Morning News reporter Joshua Lloyd contributed to this report. CCB sets up debt-to-equity swap to reduce Yunnan Tin's leverage Updated: 2016-10-18 08:49 By JIANG XUEQING(China Daily) An outlet of China Construction Bank in Xuchang, Henan province. [Photo by Geng Guoqing/For China Daily] China Construction Bank Corp signed a nearly 5-billion-yuan ($742 million) investment agreement on a market-driven debt-for-equity swap program with Yunnan Tin Group Co Ltd on Sunday, to help the company reduce its leverage. The 5-billion-yuan investment is part of a two-phase, five-year debt-for-equity swap program with an expected rate of return ranging from 5 percent to 15 percent. Altogether, the bank will raise social capital worth a total of 10 billion yuan for the program. Currently, the total assets of Yunnan Tin Group exceed 50 billion yuan, and the total liabilities are 35 billion yuan. Zhang Tao, chairman of the group, said the swap aims to help the Chinese tin producer and exporter out of its present cyclical financial difficulties. Previously, the group shifted its investment from tin production to other business segments, such as real estate, thus bringing huge capital pressure on the company. Moreover, the falling prices of nonferrous metals since the end of 2012 also tightened its capital chain, he said. Zhang Minghe, head of CCB's debt-for-equity swap programs, said the bank hopes to help the group lower its debt-to-asset ratio by 15 percentage points from 83 percent through the 10-billion-yuan debt-for-equity swap program. CCB will set up a fund jointly with Yunnan Tin Group to raise money for the program from the market and a small amount of the fund's original capital will come from the bank. At present, CCB is carrying out debt-for-equity swaps by setting up funds. Like many other commercial banks, it is also seeking to set up its own investment management company. "We'll actively apply for regulatory approval for our establishment of an investment management company," Zhang said. "Compared with commercial banks, such companies will have different skills and higher operational efficiency and will be more professional in managing investment portfolios. This will provide an opportunity for the transformation and development of commercial banks." Analysts at Guotai Junan Securities Co Ltd said in a research note that if banks sell nonperforming loans to third-party institutions like asset management companies, it will isolate potential risks from the banks' existing business, but banks have to sell NPLs at a fairly large discount and cannot enjoy subsequent earnings after the debts are swapped for equities. However, these problems will be avoided if banks transfer bad assets to their own subsidiaries, which will increase their enthusiasm in pushing forward debt-for-equity swaps. Instant recovery eludes China's noodle makers Updated: 2016-10-18 09:06 By WANG ZHUOQIONG(China Daily) A salesperson prepares a bowl of instant noodles at a food fair in Beijing in September. [Photo by Dafei/For China Daily] Emma Deng did something unusual on her recent Beijing-Shanghai five-hour high-speed train ride. Instead of snacking on a bowl of instant noodles, as was her wont, the frequent traveler unpacked lunch and beverages brought from KFC and Starbucks outlets at the Beijing South Railway Station. "When you have choices of fresh food from restaurants, instant noodles become less attractive," she said. Fast-food alternatives and health awareness have been dealing heavy blows to the instant noodles market in China, the world's largest. Once the staple of train passengers and office staff working overtime, instant noodles are no longer having easy access to tummies in China. According to the World Instant Noodles Association, consumption in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong has declined from 42,470 million servings in 2011 to 40,430 million servings in 2015. According to Mintel Group Ltd's report released in January, retail sales of instant noodles in China are estimated to have grown just 2.2 percent between 2010 and 2015, reaching 65.3 billion yuan ($9.7 billion) in 2015. Mintel expects a 1 percent drop in sales to 62.1 billion yuan by 2020. Four noodle-makersTingyi Holdings, Uni-present, Baixiang and Jinmailangcommand an 80 percent share of China's instant noodles market. Leading brand MasterKong of Tingyi saw its net profit plunge nearly 65 percent year-on-year to $69.7 million in the first half of this year. Its second-quarter profit saw the sharpest drop in ten years, down nearly 14 percent year-on-year to $1.54 billion. In the first six months of this year, instant noodles accounted for almost 37 percent of the group's revenue, 52 percent of market-wide sales and 43 percent of market share, according to Nielsen's statistics. A boy jumps to take a package of instant noodle in a supermarket in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo by Hu Xuejun/For China Daily] Zhao Ping, a researcher at the Institute of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, attributed the decline in sales of instant noodles to changing tastes of Chinese consumers. "Awareness of nutrition, health and safety in the context of food is up," said Zhao. "Alternatives to instant noodles are popular due to the rapid growth of Chinese chains that sell rice- or noodle-based fast food." To survive the onslaught of new foods and dispel the image of junk food, instant noodles need improved nutrition quotient and better ingredients like dry fruits and vegetables, she said. According to a December 2015 Mintel report, instant noodles are generally regarded as an unhealthy snack in Asia, despite their popularity in the region. The continent accounts for 86 percent of global sales, according to the WINA. Not surprisingly, China saw a significant decline in sales. Per capita consumption is 2.6 kilograms, much lower than 8.7 kg in South Korea. In response, both MasterKong and Uni-present have launched new instant noodle products that are positioned as healthy and premium snacks. MasterKong has upgraded its Classic series that was priced 4 yuan to a high-end product priced 4.5 yuan per pack. This has helped bring about a recovery in its June revenue. The new product includes a concentrate of soup that enhances both taste and nutritional value, according to the company's half-yearly financial report. Other developments in the market include the end to Nissin's collaboration with Jinmailang as the former aims to invest more in the premium segment. This, in turn, may have prompted Jinmailang to shift its focus to the mass market. Conaprole hopes to cash in on nation's two-child policy Updated: 2016-10-18 09:28 By CAI XIAO(China Daily) A saleswoman promotes imported milk powder at an imported goods fair in Kunming, Yunnan province. [Photo by Yang Zheng/For China Daily] Uruguayan firm Conaprole, the largest exporter of dairy products in South America, will achieve an export value of about $55 million this year in China as it benefits from the huge market and the nation's two-child policy, its senior executives said. "We operate in more than 50 countries, and China is the best one we can grow in because of the huge demand there," said Conaprole President Alvaro Ambrois. Ambrois said the firm's export value in China this year is expected to be around $55 million, while last year it was $40 million. "The Chinese market accounts for about 15 percent in Conaprole, and we believe it will increase to 20 percent to 25 percent in five years," said Ambrois. Gaston Pescetto, Asia manager of Conaprole, said the two-child policy will have a significant impact on the Chinese market because the demand is increasing as families will consume more milk. The two-child policy will likely add an average of 2.5 million newborns per year, unleashing 75 billion yuan ($11.1 billion) in additional consumption, said Liang Jianzhang, professor of economics at Peking University. "Conaprole is increasing its sales in China and developing the market by working with local partners," said Pescetto. Conaprole is working with more than 20 Chinese partners and the largest one is Inner Mongolia Yili Industry Group Co. "We now have a representative office in China, and we are considering setting up a branch here in four to five years and hiring technicians to work with our local partners," said Pescetto. A GF Securities report said that Chinese customers are increasingly paying attention to high-quality products, and small and medium-sized cities are becoming important markets. Ambrois said a challenge for Conaprole is that Uruguay and China have yet to sign a free trade agreement, so the tariffs are higher than for players from countries such as New Zealand. The 1998-built panamax boxship Hanjin Rome has been under arrest in Singapore since the 30 August the day before its owner Hanjin filed for receivership in South Korea. Speaking to Seatrade Maritime News Felicia Tan, a director at Incisive Law, said the treatment of the Hanjin Rome was slightly different given the timing of the arrest. She noted that Singapore judge Aedit Abdullah JC in his judgement granting an interim stay order recognising Hanjins rehabilitation proceedings in Seoul courts on 14 September, made it clear there was a carve for the Hanjin Rome in so far as the stay proceedings happened before the application for a stay of proceedings. According to Singapore terminal operator the Hanjin Rome did berth to unload at least some its cargo on 3 October, however, following leaving the terminal on 4 October remained under arrest in Singapore waters. The arrest Hanjin Rome has attracted global media attention with its Master Moon Kwon Do appearing the on likes of the BBC to talk about the crews predicament. Read all the background to the Hanjin Shipping bankruptcy on our timeline New manned mission big step for the nation Updated: 2016-10-18 07:07 (China Daily) Shenzhou II blasts off on 10 January, 2001, carrying microbes and several small animals. The capsule returns to Earth on January 16, touching down in the Inner Mongolia region. The Shenzhou II spaceship is the first formal unmanned spaceship of China. [Photo/81.cn] A Long March-2F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou XI manned spacecraft blasted off from the launch pad at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu province, at 7:30 am on Monday, heralding the start of China's sixth manned space mission. Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong, the two astronauts charged with carrying out the mission, are to stay in the Tiangong II space laboratory for 30 days, testing rendezvous and docking technologies, verifying the life support capability of the docked spacecraft and lab, and conducting scientific research and engineering experiments. In the past 18 years since 1999, 11 Shenzhou spacecraft have been successfully launched into space, and the missions have developed from unmanned ones to the manned ones, with each one making new and significant progress. Now Jing and Chen are taking the next big steps in the nation's space journey and making a new contribution to the building of China into a space power. While a country's science and technology reflect the strength of its overall development, space technology reflects the overall capability of a country's development in science and technology. Now China is the third country after Russia and the United States that has independently developed advanced space technology and conducted manned spaceflights. Compared with Russia and the United States, China was underdeveloped at the beginning and still trails behind in many aspects. But the country has never given up on its resolve to catch up with the world's leaders in science and technology, as its leadership understands the importance of science and technology for a nation's development. That explains why China has achieved such a lot in the development of its space technology in the past two decades and is striving to make new breakthroughs. And as the world's second-largest economy, China wants to make its due contribution to the development of human civilization. Conducting space exploration not only has the potential to expand human knowledge of the universe in which we live, it also extends the cooperation of major powers in the peaceful utilization of space. We are looking forward to the return of the two astronauts, whose experiments conducted in the Tiangong II space laboratory will hopefully further our understanding about human endurance in space and so contribute to future human exploration of the universe. Researchers have identified a previously unknown hybrid species of bison and cattle, with the help of cave drawings dating to at least 12,000 years ago. Nicknamed the Higgs Bison (a play on the physics term Higgs boson) because of its once mysterious, elusive past, DNA analysis has verified the existence of the hybrid. A new study published in the journal Nature Communications describes how the animal originated more than 120,000 years ago through the hybridization of the extinct Aurochs, the ancestor of modern cattle, and the Ice Age Steppe bison, which ranged across the cold grasslands from Europe to Mexico. RELATED: Cave Art Hands Made by Reptile, Not Human Higgs Bison eventually became the ancestor of the modern European bison, also called the wisent. Study co-author Alan Cooper, director of the University of Adelaide's Australian Center for Ancient DNA, said that the Auruchs and the Ice Age Steppe bison were "doing things they are not meant to be doing together and producing a completely new species that survived, which is bizarre because normally that's not meant to happen in mammals." Lead author Julien Soubrier, also from the University of Adelaide, told Seeker that while hybridization or interbreeding between closely related mammals is not uncommon, usually the resulting hybrids are either quickly reintegrated within one of the parents' species or the hybrids simply disappear due to low fertility. "What is most surprising in the case of the wisent," he added, "is that the hybrid form not only survived for more than 100,000 years, but potentially out-competed its parent species in some particular environments by better adapting to some of the extreme climate variations at the time." The study began almost 15 years ago, when Cooper and his students became interested in studying ancient bison populations in Europe to better understand the impact of climate change on those animals and other megafauna. They extracted DNA from radiocarbon-dated bones and teeth unearthed across Europe as well as in the Urals and Caucasus regions at the border of Europe and Asia. The resulting genetic signature from many of the bison bones was very different from that of the modern European bison or any other known species. The researchers accumulated more genetic evidence over the years, revealing the hybridization. The dated bones also showed that the Higgs Bison and the Ice Age Steppe bison swapped dominance in Europe several times, coinciding with major environmental changes. But the scientists still could not put a proverbial face to the Higgs Bison. In order to make visual sense of the genetic results, they investigated cave art. Bison, after all, seemed to be a favorite subject of early artists. Marie Badisa, the French Culture Ministry's curator for Chauvet cave (containing 32,000 to 36,000-year-old cave art) even went so far as to describe such art as "prehistoric cinema," given that it is so dynamic and realistic. Sure enough, the bison depicted prior to around 18,000 years ago sported long horns and large forequarters, similar to that of American bison, which are descended from the Ice Age Steppe bison. The bison depicted after 18,000 years ago have shorter horns and small humps, closer to those of modern European bison. RELATED: How to Hide from Bison Cooper explained that Higgs Bison "not only survived, but survived well," becoming the largest European species to survive the megafaunal Ice Age extinctions. "However, the modern European bison looks genetically quite different," he said, "as it went through a genetic bottleneck of only 12 individuals in the 1920s, when it almost became extinct. That's why the ancient form looked so much like a new species." Progress in poverty reduction and human rights Updated: 2016-10-18 07:53 (China Daily) Children of She ethnic group sit in front of a monument that reads "China's No. 1 Poverty Relief Village" at Chixi Village, Panxi town, Fuding city in East China's Fujian province, Feb 14, 2016. The village has shaken off poverty thanks to assistance from Party and government officials at all levels over the past 30 years. [Photo/Xinhua] China's State Council Information Office on Monday issued a white paper on China's progress in poverty reduction and human rights. Following is the full text of the document. Contents I.China's Poverty Reduction Program Has Promoted the Development of Human Rights II.Ensuring Impoverished People's Right to Life III.Safeguarding the Rights of Specific Groups IV.Improving the Development Environment of Impoverished Areas V.Concerted Efforts in Poverty Reduction VI.Poverty Reduction at a Crucial Stage Poverty eradication is and always has been a goal and a basic right of all peoples in their pursuit of a happy life. Over the years, based on the prevailing national conditions, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government have remained committed to a development concept that puts people's rights to subsistence and to development first. Committed to reducing and eliminating poverty, China has endeavored to guarantee and improve people's well-being, and developed a full range of social undertakings, so as to ensure that the results of development benefit all the people in a fairer way, and that all enjoy the rights to equal participation and equal development. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in November 2012, in the great cause of building a moderately prosperous society and realizing the Chinese Dream of great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the CPC Central Committee led by General Secretary Xi Jinping has remained committed to a development concept that puts people first, and implemented the basic strategy of targeted poverty alleviation and elimination. China's poverty reduction actions, both solid and effective, have made a great contribution to the cause of international poverty reduction, and achieved remarkable results in world human rights development. I. China's Poverty Reduction Program Has Promoted the Development of Human Rights Poverty is so widespread that it has seriously hindered the fulfillment and enjoyment of human rights; reducing and eliminating poverty is therefore a major element of human rights protection. Over the recent decades, the Chinese government has persevered in its attempts to eliminate poverty, improve people's well-being, and gradually realize common prosperity. It has made continuous development-oriented poverty-reduction efforts in rural areas to help those who are striving to escape from poverty and improve the quality of their lives. China's poverty reduction actions are broad in extent; they include building rural and agricultural infrastructure, helping increase the incomes of impoverished population, and providing public services such as social security and health care, education and cultural services. While comprehensively safeguarding the economic, social and cultural rights of those living in poverty, these measures have created conditions for the protection of other human rights. Since the initiation of reform and opening up in the late 1970s, the Chinese government has worked without fail to alleviate povertyestablishing special poverty-relief institutions, determining targeted areas and population, allocating specialized funds, formulating poverty standards and special preferential policies adapted to China's national conditions, and steering its policy of poverty alleviation through development. The government has carried out large-scale development-oriented poverty eradication programs across the country in a planned and organized way, and implemented a series of medium- and long-term projects which include the Seven-Year Program for Lifting 80 Million People Out of Poverty (1994-2000), the Outline for Development-Oriented Poverty Alleviation for China's Rural Areas (2001-2010) and the Outline for Development-Oriented Poverty Alleviation for China's Rural Areas (2011-2020). Poverty reduction has become an important component of China's national strategy. A groundbreaking settlement agreement reached last week between the non-profit WildEarth Guardians and the federal program Wildlife Services immediately halts U.S. government killing of wildlife on millions of acres of public land in Nevada, and also has implications for the fate of many animals nationwide. The settlement comes over a year after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that WildEarth Guardians' interests -- to protect and restore wildlife of the American West -- are injured by the federal wildlife killing program's activities and, as a result, the organization could challenge Wildlife Services in court. Sarah McMillan, senior attorney for WildEarth Guardians, explained that the "settlement ends killing on six million acres of our public lands in Nevada unless and until a modern environmental assessment occurs and ensures that Wildlife Services will update its analysis of the impacts of its killing activities across the country." RELATED: Historic Alaska Wolf Pack May Be Gone Bethany Cotton, wildlife program director for the organization, told Seeker that the assessment is needed to counter the "antiquated and disproven science" that Wildlife Services has used. The document in question is a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, which dates to 1994, and, according to Cotton, includes data that even goes back to the 1930s. The document is often tied to Wildlife Services killings, which in 2015 alone totaled 1.6 million native animals. "Native" refers to the fact that these were not invasive species. Causalities in that year, representing the latest numbers, include 284 cougars, 384 gray wolves, 480 black bears, 731 bobcats, 20,334 black-tailed prairie dogs, 1,511 gray foxes, 1,534 red foxes, 21,557 beavers, one critically endangered Mexican wolf, 69,905 coyotes and even 17 domestic dogs. Cotton said that Wildlife Services conducts both "pre-emptive kills absent complaints" and kills following complaints, such as when a rancher reports that a wolf or other carnivore has attacked livestock. She said that methods of killing can include traps placed on public property, aerial gunning and poisons. Seeker reached out to Wildlife Services, but as of this writing, has not received a reply. Spokesperson Lyndsay Cole previously told The Washington Post that "Wildlife Services is dedicated to resolving human and wildlife conflicts with the most up-to-date information and best scientific analysis available." Cole also confirmed that the program has "begun the process of developing a new" assessment. Cotton said that the 1994 document does not take into account the latest science, such as on wolves and coyotes. She explained that for wolves, research has shown that killing them "undermines their pack structure, creating the equivalent of unruly teenagers prone to more problematic behaviors." RELATED: Washington Wolf Cull Won't Save Livestock: Study Studies have shown that when coyote populations are culled, the animals ramp up breeding, which can actually lead to higher coyote populations overall. A growing trend has been for farmers, ranchers and others to co-exist with wildlife after initiating measures to prevent wildlife-related problems. These can include fladry, which refers to mounting suspended strips of fabric or colored flags on fencing, turbo fladry (an electronic version), solar-powered electric fencing, having dogs patrol their properties and other deterrents. B Bar Ranch in Montana, for example, has as one of its stated goals: "preserving habitat and allowing free passage for the myriad of wildlife species that reside or travel through the ranch." Bar C R Ranch in California has similar goals. Rancher Keli Hendricks admits that some loss to natural predators will happen, but she and her husband are advocates of non-lethal controls to address the mountain lions, bobcats and coyotes in their region. They participate in the organization Project Coyote that works to promote coexistence between people and wildlife. Cotton hopes that Wildlife Services will take these kinds of less lethal approaches to controlling wild predators in the future. Cotton practices what she preaches. This past Sunday she encountered a black bear in her Montana yard. She explained, "My neighbors were smoking meat outside the day before and that attracted the bear," which she left alone and the bear has since left the area. WATCH VIDEO: Why Is The Government Killing Millions of Animals? The internal structure of an ancient Egyptian pyramid was revealed for the first time using cosmic particles, a team of international researchers reports. The innovative technology was applied to the Bent Pyramid, a 4,500-year-old monument so named because of its sloping upper half. According to the researchers, who presented their results in Cairo on Tuesday to Khaled El-Enany, minister of Antiquities and the former minister Mamdouh El-Damaty, the outcome was "excellent" as it showed the inside of the monument as with an X-ray. The technology relies on muons, cosmic particles that permanently and naturally rain on Earth, which are able to penetrate any material very deeply. This is the first of four pyramids to be investigated within the ScanPyramids, a project carried out by a team from Cairo University's Faculty of Engineering and the Paris-based non-profit organization Heritage, Innovation and Preservation under the authority of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities. The others are the Great Pyramid, Khafre or Chephren at Giza, and the Red pyramid at Dahshur. Scheduled to last a year, the project uses a mix of innovative technologies such as infrared thermography, muon radiography, and 3-D reconstruction to better understand the monument and possibly identify the presence of unknown internal structures and cavities. Located at the royal necropolis of Dahshur, about 25 miles south of Cairo, the Bent pyramid was built under the Old Kingdom Pharaoh Sneferu (about 2600 BC). It's the first with a smooth face, after generations of stepped pyramids. The monument has two entrances, one on the north side and one on the west side. These entries open on two corridors leading to two burial chambers arranged one above the other. It was speculated that pharaoh Sneferu rests inside the pyramid in an undiscovered burial chamber, but the innovative technology ruled out the hypothesis. The scanning did not detect any additional chamber of the size of the upper chamber or beyond in the field of view covered by the muography. "Nevertheless, this is indeed a scientific breakthrough as it validates the muography principle applied to Egyptian pyramids. It paves the way to new investigations," said Mehdi Tayoubi, co-director of the ScanPyramids mission with Hany Helal, professor at Cairo University's Faculty of Engineering and former minister of research and higher education. The results come four months after a team led by specialist Kunihiro Morishima, from the Institute for Advanced Research of Nagoya University, Japan, installed (as explained in this video) 40 muon detector plates inside the lower chamber of the Bent pyramid. Covering a surface of about 10 square feet in the pyramid's lower chamber, the plates contained two emulsion films that are sensitive to muons that continually shower the Earth's surface. They come from the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere, where they're created from collisions between cosmic rays and the nuclei of atoms in the atmosphere. "Just like X-rays pass through our bodies allowing us to visualize our skeleton, these elementary particles, weighing around 200 times more than electrons, can very easily pass through any structure, even large and thick rocks, such as mountains," Tayoubi said. The plate detectors allow researchers to discern void areas -- these are places where muons cross without problem -- from denser areas where some muons are absorbed or deflected. Morishima's team retrieved the detector plates from the Bent pyramid in January 2016 after 40 days of exposure. This is the maximal lifetime of chemical emulsions within the temperature and humidity conditions inside that pyramid. The films were then developed in a dedicated lab installed at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), and shipped to Nagoya University for analysis. "From these plates, more than 10 millions of muon tracks were analyzed. We count the muons and according to their angular distribution we are able to reconstruct an image," Tayoubi said. "For the first time ever, the internal structure of a pyramid was revealed with muon particles. The images obtained clearly show the second chamber of the pyramid located roughly 60 feet above the lower one in which emulsions plates were installed," he added. Tayoubi stressed that each step in the project is important. "We learn a lot from the reality of the field. We improve the knowledge of the monuments but we also improve the technologies progressively. We are not in a hurry," he said. Tayoubi admitted that the available statistics from the 40 days of exposure is not yet sufficient to precisely reveal the known corridors or unknown voids smaller than those in the upper chamber. However, the researchers made simulations by randomly placing, within the field of view, a hypothetic chamber of size similar or larger than the upper one. "Compared with the results obtained, these simulations could validate the fact there is no additional chamber of this size in the surroundings," professor Morishima said. Strong of their results, the researchers will now apply the muography to other Old Kingdom pyramids. The next one will be the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, the last remaining wonder of the ancient world. The monument has long been rumored to have hidden passageways leading to secret chambers. The researchers plan to use there two other types of electronic instruments besides the chemical emulsion films from Nagoya University. "Contrary to the emulsions, they have lower resolution but no limit in exposure time and further allow for real time analysis," Tayoubi said. Press Release October 18, 2016 OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF SEN. LEILA M. DE LIMA ON THE TERMINATION OF SENATE INQUIRY ON EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS Faithful to the general objective of Senate Resolution No. 9, we conducted a Senate Inquiry to look into the seemingly criminal disregard for the human rights of suspected drug users and sellers, and even those of innocent bystanders who happen to be in the vicinity where the police operations were conducted. We note that upon assumption of office, President Rodrigo Duterte and Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald de la Rosa spoke of a violent campaign against drugs. The administration then proceeded to conduct very bloody and public operations which led to thousands being killed and hundreds of thousands surrendering for fear of their lives. This triggered a public scrutiny on the killings resulting from police operations and those carried out by vigilantes supposedly under the blanket of the war on drugs. There were several pronouncements - from Senator Richard Gordon and the President himself - that the Senate inquiry did not uncover any evidence on the extrajudicial killings as being State-sponsored, or that the police rub-outs or killings in the course of police operations are part of an undeclared government policy of killing drug suspects. Not only are these pronouncements premature, but also, more importantly, the termination of the Senate EJK inquiry itself is premature. The rest of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) witnesses are yet to be presented and questioned by the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights. There is no thorough evaluation of the written submissions and documents by the Committee, especially those from the PNP, including the official policy papers on Operation Tokhang, spot reports of the so-called firefights between the police and the suspects that ended up in the death of the suspects, and the SOCO reports. Moreover, the President and the PNP Chief have not been made to account for their pronouncements on the violence of the campaign against drugs. The President himself went so far as to guarantee presidential pardons to policemen who will be indicted for killing. Allies of the President are quick to dismiss their utterances as mere figures of speech meant to motivate our police force. However, the running death toll reveals that their words are taken not only as policy by the police and the local chief executives, they are taken as biblical mandate of their supporters to kill in the name of the campaign against drugs. The premature pronouncements that the EJKs are not State-sponsored can only come from a total disregard of Edgar Matobato's testimony. Matobato's testimony showed that this same kind of State-sponsored or State-inspired EJKs was implemented by the President himself through a certain unit within the Davao City Police Office when he was Mayor of Davao City. It is my submission that Matobato's testimony has legislative purpose. At the very least, he was able to show how a local chief executive can use the local police force and even casual employees to kill, extrajudicially, under the guise of fighting crimes. We cannot discount the testimony of Matobato simply because he happened to implicate the President. We cannot pre-terminate an inquiry simply because it seeks to uncover inconvenient truths. The Senate, as an independent institution, must be able to send a strong message to the President and our police force that law and order must yield to human rights and that the strong arm of the law should equally apply against those who violate human rights as against those who commit drug-related crimes. To be able to do so, we need to probe further and be more thorough in evaluating the evidence before the Committee. Speedy justice should not be hasty justice. Press Release October 18, 2016 Senator Loren Legarda Privilege Speech on Indigenous Children 18 October 2016 | Senate Session Hall Mr. President, October is National Indigenous Peoples' Month, a celebration of our cultural diversity, an opportune time to honor our IPs and their overwhelming contributions to our history, culture and heritage. The Philippine Constitution recognizes this diversity and under the framework of national unity and development, mandates State recognition, protection, promotion, and fulfillment of the rights of indigenous peoples. The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 outlines the special measures to ensure that the rights of IPs to lands and territories, economic development and self-determination, cultural integrity and access to basic social services are promoted, respected and fulfilled by the government. Likewise, numerous international treaties, conventions and declarations with similar objectives were entered into by the government. We have supported a historic United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which articulated their individual and collective rights. Despite concerted efforts exerted by the government, in partnership with various private organizations and adequate financial support from international communities, still our IPs remain a marginalized sector of our society. Mr. President, this speech is not only a call to celebrate but also an earnest plea to call everyone's attention to a segment of the indigenous population who are invisible, disenfranchised and discriminated - the indigenous Filipino children. We acknowledge that there are initiatives within government agencies to fulfill the rights of indigenous children. The Department of Education (DepEd) has established the IP Education Office, which helps implement education programs for IPs, and developed education programs that will meet the learning needs of the IP communities; the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has the IP Participation Framework (IPPF) and Modified Conditional Cash Transfer for Indigenous Peoples in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (MCCT-IP-GIDA) under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program; while the Department of Health (DOH) has joined with the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to address various issues in the provision of basic health services for IP communities. However, even with these initiatives, the lack of data on indigenous children makes it difficult to measure the results of existing programs. Lack of data makes indigenous children invisible There are no accurate figures on the IP population given the lack of census data. The most recent figures based on an unofficial survey conducted by the NCIP estimates the IP population between 12 and 15 million, accounting for approximately 10 to 15 percent of the total population of the Philippines. There are an estimated 7 million indigenous children in the country but without accurate data on IP population, how sure are we that we are designing evidence-based and results-based programs and budget for indigenous children? Are the indigenous children really benefitting from government programs? The issue of inequity in access to quality education continues to be an alarming situation in the Philippines. Based on the estimate of NCIP and the 2010 Philippines Census data, there are around 4 to 5 million school-aged children from 5 to 15 years old who should be enrolled in Kindergarten to Grade 9. However, the data of DepEd in School Year 2015-2016 shows that the enrollment of IP children at Kindergarten to Grade 6 (elementary level) is around 1.9 million and only about half a million are enrolled in Grade 7 to 11 (secondary level). In total, there are only around 2.4 million IP children enrolled in Kindergarten to Grade11. Moreover, a main cause of many IP learners' difficulties in learning and completion of education is the lack of interface between the IPs' indigenous knowledge, systems and practices on one hand and the mainstream formal education system on the other. This is being addressed by the IP Education Program and Mother Tongue-Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTB-MLE) Program of the DepEd. However, the program presently covers only 19 of the 175 indigenous languages in the country. And even when they get to school, the learning environment is not safe because indigenous children are targets of bullying and discrimination from other children and even school personnel. In a series of consultation workshops with indigenous children organized by Tebtebba, one child narrated that after walking 10 kilometers to reach the school, the teacher scolded and humiliated her because of her dirty feet, called her a "native" and then sent her home. Indigenous children affected by situations of armed conflict Mr. President, our indigenous communities have also been affected by the complex security situation involving the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the New People's Army (NPA) and paramilitary groups. In 2015, approximately 17,035 individuals were displaced due to armed conflicts and a significant number of grave violations involved IP children. An indigenous 14-year-old girl was raped by three soldiers in three separate incidents between May and July 2015. The soldiers were court-martialed and their superior was recommended for administrative sanctions. However, the civilian criminal proceedings for rape were dismissed following an out of court settlement made by the alleged perpetrators with the victim's family. Following a series of killings of indigenous peoples in the same year, the UN Special Rapporteurs on the rights of indigenous peoples and on the situation of human rights defenders called on the Philippine government to launch an independent investigation into the deaths and to bring the perpetrators to justice. To date, none of the perpetrators have been arrested despite having been positively identified by the community that was forced to witness the killings. Review of Government Progress These are just a few of the many injustices that our IPs continue to face. These are concerns raised by the UNICEF Representative to the Philippines, Lotta Sylwander. In bringing up these issues, she hopes that our government will initiate programs that will immediately address these concerns. It is worth noting that the 2009 Concluding Observation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child acknowledged the steps taken by the Philippine government to address the situation of indigenous children. However, the Committee reiterated its concern about the widespread poverty among minorities and indigenous peoples and the limited enjoyment of their human rights, in particular, concerning their access to social and health services and education. The Committee also expressed concern at the lack of information about the actual impact of the application of the 1997 IPRA on children. The Philippines is due to submit its combined fifth and sixth periodic report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on progress on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by 19 September 2017. The question is: Will the Philippines be able to report good progress for indigenous children? It is still not too late, but the first step we need to take is to ensure inclusivity, to embrace our indigenous brothers and sisters as part of our society. I am confident that the present administration will provide our indigenous communities the appropriate programs, sufficient basic services and proper recognition they truly deserve. We still have a long way to go in effectively protecting the rights of our IPs, but we should not lose hope. We must continue to work together and assure the role and significance of our IPs in our country. Thank you, Mr. President. Description The Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 18 from 7 p.m. 8:30 p.m. at the Smithtown Library Main Branch Suffolk County is the proud host of one of only five Patent and Trademark Resource Centers in New York State. This meeting will be hosted by Librarian Will Salas, who has received special training from the USPTO. http://www.smithlib.org/219-patent-and-trademark-resource-center.html There is no charge and no registration is required. Each meeting is an opportunity for everyone to introduce themselves and their invention or business idea, a speaker or special program and time to network. For information call 631-853-4805 or e-mail lisaann.broughton@suffolkcountyny.gov This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Mention marijuana advertising to anyone who was alive in the 1970s, and you might draw out of them a famous Cheech and Chong jingle. No stems, no seeds that you dont need, goes the ditty, Acapulco Gold is cue sound of someone toking on a joint badass weed! It was a joke at the time, but cannabis cultivators and dispensary owners across California are in a rush to polish their brands and come up with a campaign as effective as that one. Who, after all, hasnt heard of Acapulco Gold? But with California voters expected to legalize recreational pot on election day, some critics and health experts arent amused. They say Proposition 64s lax rules on marketing, and the inevitable competition for customers, can only drive more drug use yielding a bigger windfall for the state under its 15 percent pot tax, but also more damaging side effects. As marijuana becomes a commercial product like cigarettes, soft drinks, junk food and alcohol, consumption is going to go up and the associated health risks are going to go up, said Stanton Glantz, a professor with the Center for Tobacco Control Research at UCSF. Glantz co-wrote a study released last month advocating for stiffer regulations and an accompanying cigarette-like public health campaign. Ideally, he said, a combined recreational and medicinal industry would be run by the state, eliminating pot profiteering, with tax revenue used on prominent ads and warnings discouraging use. Proponents of Prop. 64 call Glantzs proposals misguided in that they treat marijuana like a dangerous drug and ignore its medicinal benefits. Banning marketing, they say, would defeat the purpose of legalization, which requires a retail system to defeat the black market. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, while campaigning for the measure Monday in San Francisco, said California has had de facto legalization since 1996, when voters approved medical marijuana use, and Prop. 64 would simply take it out of the shadows. If a husband and wife want to vape something instead of having that second shot of Jack Daniels, Newsom said, I dont know that thats particularly unhealthy. Prop. 64 would use tax revenue for marijuana research and keep pot out of the hands of children, but says nothing about discouraging general use of the drug. Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle In any event, Glantzs idea appears to be going up in smoke as Tommy Chong, of the famed comedy duo, rapper Snoop Dogg and country music star Willie Nelson promote their own marijuana lines, and a variety of promoters seek to take advantage of celebrity cred to get into the bud biz. California pot growers and dispensaries that may soon add recreational weed to their offerings are brainstorming ideas for logos, slogans and image overhauls. The revolution has just begun, Steve DeAngelo, the co-founder of Oaklands Harborside dispensary, declared when he introduced a flag logo and rebranding campaign on the companys 10th anniversary in October. Harborside, the biggest dispensary in the country, dropped Health Center from its name and intends to transform itself into an integrated conglomerate growing and selling pot products all over the state. More cannabis companies are branding, more dollars are being spent on branding, and new companies are emerging every day, so there is huge creative energy in the industry, DeAngelo said. In the next few years, we are going to see more brands. Its going to be this period of wild experimentation. The reefer revolution scares Glantz, who foresees a California ganja boom with parallels to the tech explosion, where entrepreneurs start businesses, build them and sell them to multinational corporations and Big Tobacco, which excel in mass marketing and can benefit most from it. A report he co-wrote in 2014 documents how Philip Morris, British American Tobacco and R.J. Reynolds have contemplated getting into the weed market since at least 1970. These corporations are going to want to maximize profits, Glantz said, which means maximizing consumption. Brian May, a spokesman for Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris, told The Chronicle, We have no plans to sell marijuana-based products. R.J. Reynolds has repeatedly said the same thing. Richard Miadich, legal counsel for the Yes on Prop. 64 campaign, said the concerns about Big Tobacco are unfounded given the measures protections against monopolistic behavior, including limiting crop size to 22,000 square feet for the first five years. He noted that any corporation seeking to run a store or farm would have to apply with the state for a separate license to operate it. Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle California is one of nine states voting Nov. 8 on ballot measures to loosen restrictions on marijuana, and one of five states joining Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada that may permit recreational use of the drug for people 21 and older. Prop. 64 places some limits on marketing, with most of the rules seeking to protect those under 21, including a ban on symbols, language, music or cartoon characters known to appeal to young people. Billboards would be allowed, though they cannot be within 1,000 feet of a day care, school, playground or youth center. Pot is illegal under federal law, meaning California residents probably wont see television and radio ads for the drug in the near future. But things may change, and Prop. 64 opponents have criticized the measure for leaving the door open for such ads which are permitted on television and radio broadcasts, as well as online and in print, as long as the typical audience is at least 71.6 percent adult. Similar restrictions are in place in the four states where adult use of marijuana is already legal, and they havent discouraged many forms of hearty merchandising. In Colorado and Washington, growers, makers of edible products and operators of pot stores are rolling out scores of products, slick websites, elaborate logos, packaging and catchy sales pitches. Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle Its supercompetitive, said Olivia Mannix, who in 2014 co-founded Denvers Cannabrand, which calls itself the worlds first marijuana marketing agency. There are so many brands now, so if you want to be competitive and have a chance of making it, you sure better have marketing. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Vashon Velvet, a artisanal grower on Vashon Island in Puget Sound, reaches customers through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The slogan on the elegant packaging reads, For the pursuit of Happiness. The plants go by names like Platinum Blueberry, Laughing Buddha and, yes, Acapulco Gold. A brief health warning on packages states that the marijuana inside has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Californias Prop. 64 goes further than Washingtons rules, requiring a warning on every package that people should use marijuana with extreme caution. The warning says pot is a controlled substance, that it should be kept away from children, that it may be harmful for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and that it will impair driving. There are indications that the drug is becoming more popular in Washington and Colorado after each legalized it in 2012. Federal government surveys of Colorado residents completed in 2013 and 2014 found that 14.9 percent of people reported using pot in the past month up from 10.4 percent two years earlier. Critics blame commercialization, but the increases follow longer upward trends, making it difficult to say how the pot laws and marketing factored in. The scent of sinsemilla is already quite familiar in San Francisco, but the citys herbal healers are just now wrapping their heads around the dictates of cannabis commerce. Brands are a big thing, said Erich Pearson, who founded SparcSF, the San Francisco Patient and Resource Center, on Mission Street in 2010, and now sells a specialty brand named Marigold. When you are marketing, you need to have something to talk about. Pearson said his past marketing has consisted only of word-of-mouth referrals and people finding him through Google. But he said he is negotiating a contract with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to advertise on buses, and he envisions opening a new farm in Sonoma County. Its sun-grown cultivation with a conscience, Pearson said, apparently trying out a slogan. We have a farm-to-table approach in that we cultivate about half of what we sell and offer tours of the farm and subscriptions, like a wine club. For supporters of legal pot, marketing is a necessary component of an evolving industry that can, if properly regulated, educate consumers about what they are buying. By legalizing it, you are regulating it, and what does regulation do? asked Mannix of Cannabrand. Regulation allows people to learn about what it is, what works and what it does for their body. David Michael, a partner at Purple Line Media, a San Rafael marketing agency that specializes in marijuana, said consumers want trustworthy products not pot brownies cooked up in someones home kitchen or rag weed from pesticide-ridden soil. The people we are working with are the people who are trying to legitimize their cannabis brands, to come out of the shadows, as they say, Michael said. I say let the best brand win. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate San Francisco celebrated the 27th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake Monday by commissioning an $11.5 million insurance policy a brand-new fireboat. The boat, which is 88 feet long, can pump 18,000 gallons of bay water per minute. It is essentially a floating fire hydrant and a regional asset that can fight blazes anywhere on the shores of San Francisco Bay. The new boat, painted red and white, will be the citys third fireboat. It was named St. Francis and christened with the traditional bottle of Champagne by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who helped get $8 million in federal grants, the majority of the cost. The boat was the star of a ceremony held in bright sunshine at the ferry dock at McCovey Cove just outside AT&T Park. After speeches and assorted dignitaries got a quick tour, the St. Francis was moved out on the bay and pumped water high in the air, like geysers, as the crowd applauded and the Riordan High School band played. Nico Rivera, 8, who is a third-grade student at SS Peter and Pauls School in North Beach, came up with the boats name. A jury picked St. Francis from among 300 entries submitted by San Francisco schoolchildren. Nico was on hand Monday to recite a poem about fireboats and to help Feinstein christen the vessel. This is the most beautiful boat I was ever on, said Joel Delizonna, the senior of the three pilots assigned to the citys fireboats. The St. Francis is based at Fire Station 35 on the Embarcadero with the citys other two fireboats, the 1954 vintage Phoenix and the even older fireboat, Guardian. The station also houses an engine company of four firefighters, and three fireboat personnel. There was a time when fiscal conservatives in the city questioned the value of even a single fireboat. When I was mayor, some people considered fireboats a useless appendage, Feinstein said. There was a lot of pressure to zero it out of the budget. But I thought we should keep the fireboat in case something should happen. And something did happen. The Loma Prieta quake of Oct. 17, 1989, set off huge fires that burned out of control in the citys Marina district. The water mains all failed, but the Phoenix steamed to the small boat harbor on the edge of the neighborhood and pumped water to fight the blaze. I saw it, Feinstein said. I was there. The Phoenix saved most of the Marina, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. In 1990, San Francisco got a second boat, the Guardian, at a bargain price from the Vancouver (British Columbia) Fire Department. Both the Phoenix and the Guardian are old now and expensive to maintain, so San Francisco invested in what Mayor Ed Lee called more modern fire apparatus. The new fireboat, he said, is part of the citys resilience. We are a growing city. We need as many fireboats as we can have, said Fire Commission President Francee Covington. She was preaching to the choir as the audience was full of present and retired firefighters, who praised the new boat and told tales of the adventures of the older fireboats. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. This is a marvelous boat, said Dennis Kennedy, who was an engineer on the Phoenix and the Guardian for more than 30 years. This boat gives us a very good redundancy, said Assistant Deputy Chief Shane Francisco, who works in the Fire Departments division of Homeland Security. Richard Pearce, chief of the Tiburon Fire Protection District, agreed. His town has a number of marinas and is lined with shoreside houses. Having fireboat protection, he said, is a huge issue. If you dont have it, that is a big problem. His own fireboat was on hand Monday, along with smaller fireboats from the Southern Marin Fire Department, Alameda, Redwood City and the Coast Guard. The smaller boats also pumped water up in the air and followed the new St. Francis down the bay like ducklings following a swan. Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carlnoltesf Twitter: @CarlnolteSF A pro-Israel conservative group put up posters around San Francisco State University accusing a professor who specializes in Palestinian studies of condoning terrorism, officials said Monday. The posters referred to the hashtag JewHatred and alleged that associate professor of Ethnic Studies Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi is a collaborator with terrorists. Obviously its really devastating to be accused of things that you have no relationship with, Abdulhadi told The Chronicle Monday. This is very racist, it is Islamophobic. Abdulhadi is a faculty adviser for the schools General Union of Palestinian Students, a group advocating Palestinian liberation amid a decades-long sectarian conflict between Israel and Palestine that traces back to the 1920s. Theyre really trying to silence us, she said of the posters. More and more people in the U.S. are recognizing the question of justice for the Palestinian community. The posters also accused her of being a leader in the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement against Israel and allege it is run by Hamas, a Palestinian resistance group that is on the United States foreign terrorist organizations list. Jonathan Morales, a spokesman for the university, said the posters were first noticed on campus Friday and were quickly removed. I dont recall anything like this, Morales said. Our students were very taken aback. The David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Los Angeles-based organization, took credit for placing the posters around the university. The group describes its primary goal as combatting the efforts of the radical left and its Islamist allies to destroy American values and disarm this country. The center has staged similar campaigns at universities including one at University of California, Los Angeles, in 2015 that accused the schools Students for Justice in Palestine group of being a front for Hamas. These universities are supporting terrorist propaganda organizations, Horowitz told The Chronicle Monday. The purpose of the campaign is to hold these activists accountable for supporting terror. San Francisco State University President Les Wong sent out a campus-wide email Friday saying the posters targeting Abdulhadi were vandalism and bullying behavior, not an issue of free speech. This attack happened to our whole campus community, and we must condemn these actions when an opinion or position has morphed into a personal attack. A line has been crossed, and we are investigating any legal recourse we have with the perpetrators, the letter read. In the current climate fostered by a divisive election season, we must remember to support each other as members of the San Francisco State University community, Wong wrote in his email. Although we disagree on many issues, we must defend each other from personalized attacks that serve no purpose but to incite fear and promote division. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The message does nothing to improve the campus climate, according to SF Hillel, a Jewish organization on campus that also denounced the posters. These offensive messages were posted by individuals unaffiliated with San Francisco Hillel. They do not represent the views of Jewish students on campus, or Hillels values, the group said in a statement. Hillel condemns any acts or efforts to demonize any racial or religious group, or to single out individual professors, students or other campus community members for hateful ad hominem attacks. Abdulhadi has come under fire from pro-Israel groups in the past. One organization, AMCHA Initiative, questioned the purpose of her 2014 school-sponsored trip to Palestine and Jordan. The professor specializes in studying Palestine, Arab and Muslim communities. She met with nearly 200 Palestinian leaders, but was singled out for seeing Shaikh Raed Sala, who has been charged with aiding Hamas, and Leila Khaled, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, another group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Abdulhadi said in a statement after the 2014 scrutiny that such meetings were clearly protected under the First Amendment and is a necessary part of gathering and sharing information. Such encounters are the very lifeblood of academia, journalism, and other fields of knowledge production and are also protected by academic freedom. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com: Twitter: @JennaJourno This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A federal judge has thrown out of most of a lawsuit that said Berkeley police used excessive force in subduing a woman who died during a 2013 arrest. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco dismissed most of the claims in the suit filed by the family of Kayla Moore, including that Berkeley officers used excessive force against the transgender woman. He did leave one aspect of the case intact, saying the familys attorneys could argue to a jury that police violated Moores rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. All is not lost, even if we were to have to proceed on the ADA. Were being trailblazers as far as fighting on behalf of the community, Adante Pointer, a lawyer for the Moore family, said Monday. Moore died when Berkeley police tried to arrest her in her home in February 2013. Her roommate had called police when she kicked him out of their apartment. Police have said Moore became increasingly agitated and uncooperative to the officers commands and began to scream and violently resist. Her family says Moore was a paranoid schizophrenic who was having a mental health crisis. She stopped breathing after being restrained and handcuffed on her stomach on a futon. The Alameda County coroner concluded that her death was mainly caused by codeine and methamphetamine in her system, combined with Moores obesity and poor cardiovascular health. She weighed nearly 350 pounds. Breyer found that the police were largely protected from legal responsibility under the doctrine of qualified immunity, which protects public servants from lawsuits unless they violate someones clearly established rights. It is often used to defend police accused of misconduct or excessive force. Breyer agreed with Berkeley city attorneys arguments that police had been justified in trying to take Moore into protective custody because she was having a schizophrenic crisis. Every loss of life hurts, but not every loss of life violates the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures, Breyer wrote in a ruling Friday. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Under the judges ruling, police still can be held liable if a jury finds they didnt make reasonable accommodations for Moores disability her schizophrenia during the arrest. A spokesman for the city of Berkeley did not immediately return a request for comment. Moores sister, Maria, called the decision disappointing. It wont end until an example is made, she said. And maybe thats what Kaylas death was for. Filipa A. Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi Software is the ultimate tonic, or so Silicon Valley believes. Thats the message Zenefits CEO David Sacks delivered in a keynote address at the human-resources outsourcing companys first-ever user conference at the Palace Hotel Tuesday morning. Im really proud that Zenefits has gone from a company that had licensing problems in the past to one thats a leader, said Sacks, citing his companys creation of a software tool that tracks licenses for professionals like the hundreds of insurance brokers his company employs. Racked by scandals over its broker training, which led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines across the nation, Zenefits is seeking forgiveness from customers, regulators and investors. The vehicle: Z2, which is the name its giving to the conference, a new version of its software for managing employee benefits, and more broadly a revamp of the company. Sacks was clearly excited to be talking about the product when he gave a preview of the new software to The Chronicle last week as opposed to, say, the woes that led to the departure of founder Parker Conrad and Sacks replacement of him as CEO in February. The mood in Zenefits Second Street office seemed to match: In the middle of his presentation in a conference room, a burst of applause came from the rows of desks outside as employees celebrated some milestone in their work. Why the excitement? Zenefits is adding new features like payroll processing, initially available in California, with other states following soon, and a human-resources advice tool, all on top of an improved interface. Zenefits had already won praise for its ease of use, a rarity in the software used to add new employees, gather up their paperwork and enroll them in benefits. The new version promises to build on that. Crucially, Zenefits will start charging customers monthly fees directly for some of the new offerings, which may make it more accountable to clients. Previously, it made most of its money by signing on as companies health care insurance broker, which meant it got paid a fee by the insurance carrier. It also hopes to become a purveyor of tools built by other companies an app store for human resources. While payroll is a crucial enough function to take in-house, Sacks thinks others are best suited to handle niches within human resources like expense reporting or stock-option grants. The software is being released with 17 apps. I think well eventually have thousands, Sacks said. Zenefits faces two challenges here. One is that every company dreams of becoming the platform on which others build their software. That position, once gained, makes it hard for customers and partners to leave. But few companies have broken through and built such a platform for developers in recent times: Facebook has in social media, Salesforce in business software, and Apple and Google in mobile. Installing a new HR app is just as easy as installing an app on your iPhone, Sacks said at the Z2 conference. Yet while Salesforce is one of the companies supporting the new Zenefits app store, its not clear whos the developer and whos the platform in that relationship. Everyone sees their platform as the center of their universe, Sacks told The Chronicle last week. He thinks Salesforce is the place where businesses keep customer records, while Zenefits, he hopes, will become the system of record for employees for small business. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Before he can do that, he has some amends to make with some Zenefits customers, who experienced the opposite of the promised ease as the company went through growing pains which often meant that inexperienced employees handled complex benefits questions and sometimes sold insurance without the proper license, according to state regulators who fined the company. (Zenefits says its employees are all now properly licensed, with 10,000 state insurance licenses across 300 license-holding employees.) One operations director at a company that uses Zenefits said the software was a disaster. (She asked not to be named because her employer is still actively working with Zenefits to resolve the issues.) The lack of education was clear across every group we talked to, including how the Zenefits tool worked, she said. And the software had flaws, too: I got a lot of Were working on it, this is our top priority. She said that in recent months, after she got a new account representative, service has improved, but not the underlying problems, which often have to do with mistakes made by Zenefits employees entering data manually. Our issues have gone up but our interactions have gotten better, she said. The company now routinely audits its payroll to make sure Zenefits handled deductions correctly. Just last week, she estimates, she spent 20 hours resolving problems. Jessica Hoffman, a Zenefits spokeswoman, said the company reorganized its operations department two months ago, ensuring that every customer has a benefits adviser and product specialists looking after them. Increasing automation has reduced errors significantly, and with Z2, the product has matured exponentially, she said. The company has made a significant investment in training, she added. What that suggests is that software is important. But its not a cure-all. When handling human resources, it turns out, you need some properly resourced humans, too. Steven G. de Polo / Getty Image Police identified on Monday a man who was killed in a triple shooting in Sebastopol over the weekend. Nathan Proto, a 36-year-old Sebastopol resident, was killed on Saturday after at least one gunman opened fire on him and two other people on the 5000 block of Highway 116 South around 8:15 p.m., Sonoma County Sheriffs officials said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When Tyra Fennell walks and drives around the Bayview-Hunters Point district, she sees blank canvases walls and facades for artists to draw powerful, inspirational messages. On a recent afternoon, graffiti artists were painting some of the murals that will be the backdrop for the inaugural BayviewLIVE festival on Saturday, Oct. 22. BayviewLIVE, which has funding from tech companies including Airbnb and Facebook, will merge art, music and technology for a celebration on Egbert Avenue between Third and Jennings streets. Art, Fennell believes, can sketch a different portrait of the historically black neighborhood that is representative of the economic disparities in San Francisco. This needs to be the Wynwood Walls of San Francisco, Fennell said, referring to the murals that were part of the revitalization of a warehouse district in Miami. Fennell, the executive director of Imprint.City, the festival organizer, is, like many Bayview residents, tired of the neighborhoods story being driven by crime. Cameron Moberg, who curated the muralists, is tired of Bayview being a dumping ground. Moberg, who painted a mural at Third and Palou streets to address the illegal dumping of oil, pictures Bayview as San Franciscos arts district. Gabriella Angotti-Jones/The Chronicle By creating this space, this district, were creating something people want to go to, Moberg said. And the more foot traffic you have, the less people want to treat this neighborhood like that. Welcome to Sprayview. Fennell, who formerly worked at the San Francisco Arts Commission, wants spray-painted art to be appreciated. Its still seen as a niche art form, but really for urban kids, this is an art form they connect with, she said. This is like hip-hop. Its part of hip-hop culture. Imprint.City, founded in 2015 to use art as an economic transformer of underutilized industrial spaces, isnt just using the festival as a beautification project. Its also leveraging art to address the digital divide. The problem with tech diversity is that students of color dont always feel welcomed enough to explore tech because they dont see people who look like them working in the industry. In collaboration with Mission Bit, whose goal is to help youth living in poverty in Bayview and in rural areas gain access to technology, there will be a demo day of products created by local kids. Were using the cool factor of art to help the kids really get invested in their tech education, Fennell said. Additionally, local youth have been helping with murals, and others will perform at the festival. The muralists have engaged with the Egbert Avenue businesses whose walls and doors are being used for the murals. Fennell, who likened BayviewLIVE to the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair, said the work will honor the cultural landscape. Its not going to be an arts district (where) a whole new vibe comes in and steps on this culture, she said. Gabriella Angotti-Jones/The Chronicle Mel Waters, known for the pensive rendering of Carlos Santana at 19th and Mission streets, created a mural depicting local percussionist Enrique Padilla. Im just happy to be a part of bringing more art to another neighborhood, said Waters, who previously painted a memorial to Mario Woods, a black man fatally shot by San Francisco police officers, at Third and Oakdale streets. Jidenna, a rapper and producer, is the BayviewLIVE headliner. Local performers include DJ True Justice and Equipto, the rapper who was one of the Frisco Five hunger strikers. The question, worth potentially hundreds of millions of dollars, is that when art creates foot traffic, what happens to ... Oh, gentrification, Fennell guessed. Bayview-Hunters Point is one of the last affordable areas of the city for artists and entrepreneurs seeking warehouse space. A zoning change could mean breweries like Laughing Monk Brewing and Seven Stills could be replaced by lofts housing tech workers. Development has already left the station, Fennell said. Everyone is aware of that. We take painstaking steps to create an imprint in Bayview that reflects the long-term stakeholders. Everything we do, were very aware of the demographic. Were very aware that we reflect the community. At the corner of Third Street and Egbert Avenue, the first mural many will see is by Chris Chanyang Shim, a Korean artist who goes by the handle Royal Dog. He paints people from different cultures in traditional Korean clothing. It reflects the community. A black girl wears a jeorgi, a basic upper garment, and a skirt known as a chima. And theres a message scrolled in Korean. You will be a blessing, it reads. Otis R. Taylor Jr. is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist whose column appears Tuesday and Friday. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr BayviewLIVE Music & Arts Festival: Noon-7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22. 1439 B Egbert Ave. Free. www.bayviewlive.com. Its been swirling around for a while now, the persistent rumor that St. Francis Fountain may be closing. The rumor has poignancy because it would be a loss for 24th Street, where the Missions beloved diner, candy shop and soda counter has been a working-class breakfast fixture for nearly 100 years. It would also be yet another defeat for the city of San Francisco, which would lose one of its oldest businesses, just when its trying to create the mechanisms to preserve them. Fortunately, owner Peter Hood says that rumors of St. Francis Fountains demise are overblown. There was a time last year, faced with rising rents at St. Francis and his other Mission brunch restaurant, Boogaloos, that he and business partner Levon Kazarian considered shutting the doors, citing years of pent-up frustration from dealing with a city bureaucracy that does not always make it easy for small-business owners. But after they publicly let off some steam, they decided to stay the course, and are still working hard to keep the doors open. They are doing it partly for their kids, who love going to the candy shop and soda fountain as much as previous generations, but mostly for the community that still exists in this corner of the Mission, where on weekends you can find hipsters and Latino families side by side in the vintage wooden booths, eating the Nebulous Potato Thing and drinking milk shakes. A lot of things have changed in S.F., and its nice to still have that one place to go and sink your feet into what feels like an older San Francisco, Hood says. St. Francis Fountain opened in 1918 at 24th and York as a homey, family-owned luncheonette and candy store run by recent Greek immigrant James Christakes. It stayed that way until 1947, when the second generation of the Christakes family gave it a face-lift, bringing in the soda counter, booths and other classic American-diner elements. When Hood and Kazarian took over in 2002, they added a fresh coat of pale pink to the walls and ceiling and revamped the kitchen, but left the rest of the space recognizable to diners from a half century before. However, those diners might not recognize some of the food: Hood and Kazarian spent years serving brunch at nearby Boogaloos and brought over their style of breakfast classics with a Latin American twist. In came dishes like the Nebulous Potato Thing, a plate of seasoned potatoes topped with melted cheddar, sour cream, fresh salsa and, if desired, an egg or guacamole. Its just the thing to soak up a hangover or improve a bad morning, as is the Chefs Mess, an aptly named scramble of eggs, bacon, mushrooms, melted cheese, tomato and sour cream. Nothing on the menu is especially life-altering, and not all the ingredients are local and organic. But thats not really the point of a diner like this, which should be as warm and comforting as your favorite sweatshirt. Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle Ive spent happy mornings keeping company with their griddled banana bread, peppery sausage patties, cheesy omelets, sourdough French toast and weekend Benedicts, especially the Valerie with tomato and avocado. Midday also brings a very good patty melt and BLT, along with other burger and sandwich combos. Its a menu of diner standards, done exactly how you want them. One of the pairs biggest changes was the addition of several vegan options, like the Devil Burger, a satisfying-enough tangle of marinated and fried seitan topped with vegannaise. Vegan chorizo, jack cheese and other breakfast ingredients feature prominently in everything from scrambles to vegan rancheros. Besides the diner, St. Francis Fountain has always kept a lively soda fountain and candy counter. Here you can revisit the past with vintage candies and trading cards at the front display, or sit at a counter stool and order an egg cream or milk shake like the Orange Dream, made with vanilla and orange sherbet. Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle The Christakes family made their own ice cream, but when Hood and Kazarian took over, they started using Mitchells another Mission fixture. The move also freed up that ice cream-making labor for their expanded menu. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. St. Francis recently flirted with serving dinner again, but has since stopped in an attempt to keep the scale of the restaurant manageable. But Hood has big plans for 2017. He wants to give the interior and menu a refresh, and start using the evenings for pop-ups like a Friday-night fish fry. He also dreams of someday making peanut brittle and other candy again, just the way the Christakes family did. Most of all, though, Hood and Kazarian are committed to keeping St. Francis Fountain open. Theyve started doing more catering and events, and have applied for legacy business status from the city, which would give them some protection from the fickleness of the market. Im happy about us deciding to stay there and keep it alive, Hood says. Were working on staying another decade, and hope to be around for a long time. Anna Roth is a freelance writer in San Francisco. Email: food@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annaroth What: Nebulous Potato Thing ($7.50), Valerie Benedict ($11.50), Chefs Mess ($11), Pattys Meltdown ($9.50) Where: St. Francis Fountain, 2801 24th St., San Francisco, (415) 826-4210. www.stfrancisfountainsf.com When: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday Where were you at 5:04 p.m. that day? The Chronicles front page from Oct. 18, 1989, covers the Loma Prieta earthquake that struck the Bay Area and beyond, changing hundreds of thousands of lives forever. A terrifying earthquake ripped through Northern California late yesterday afternoon, killing more than 200 people, injuring hundreds more, setting buildings ablaze and destroying sections of the Bay Bridge, the story read, overestimating the death toll due to early reports from authorities amid the chaos and confusion. The quake was the strongest since the devastation of the great 1906 shock, measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale and shaking the state from Lake Tahoe to Los Angeles More than 60 people were killed. Injuries neared 4,000. The ground under the Marina district liquified, turning the neighborhood into a disaster zone. The Cypress Freeway in Oakland collapsed on itself, resulting in the single-largest loss of life that day more than 40 souls crushed to death. Part of the Bay Bridge collapsed. The World Series was postponed. Countless lives were affected in the 15 seconds of shaking. As a stunned Bay Area comes back to life today, millions of residents will start trying to cope with the aftermath of the areas worst earthquake since 1906, a story by The Chronicles Edward Epstein read. The advice from government and corporate leaders is that nonessential workers should stay home today from their jobs in the city. A spokesman for the State Office of Emergency Services said, If you dont have to be here, stay away. (Click to enlarge) The journalists putting out The Chronicle were there. A note on the front page describes what it took to get the news into print. This special edition of The Chronicle was produced despite a complete power outage at the newspapers headquarters at 5th and Mission streets, the note read. The earthquake brought the newspapers computer and main printing facility to a halt. The papers were printed at The Chronicles Army Street printing plant and at its East Bay facility in Union City. The news accounts were placed on Macintosh computer disks using an emergency generator. 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. The Chronicle of October 18, 1989, is a newspaper produced with a heavy heart, said Executive Editor William German. See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspapers history. 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 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A civilian student was on a ride along with police in Santa Cruz over the weekend when the officers shot and killed a 32-year-old man who came at them with a metal rake, officials said Tuesday. Authorities used the students account of the incident along with interviews from the Santa Cruz police officers involved in the shooting and audio recordings made as the confrontation unfolded to piece together more details about Sundays killing. Police also identified the man they shot to death as 32-year-old Santa Cruz resident Sean Arlt, and released photos of the rake. The violent encounter unfolded around 3:30 a.m. Sunday when police got a 911 call from a frightened homeowner saying someone was pounding on his front door and trying to break into the home. As police responded to the house on the 200 block of Chance Street, the homeowner armed himself with a large frying pan and called 911 again, saying the assailant was screaming about killing the occupants inside, police said. Four officers rolled up to the house and spotted Arlt in a small yard between the back door of the home and a fence, officials said. The officers tried to order Arlt out of the back yard but police said he ignored them, and instead picked up a wood-handled metal bow rake. Arlt then walked rapidly toward the officers holding the rake in a threatening manner over his head, police said. The officers ordered Arlt to drop the rake at least eight times while two officers deployed their Tasers, officials said. The Tasers, police said, had no effect on the advancing man, and the officers continued to retreat until they were backed against parked cars. When the man came within 10 feet of the officers, one of them opened fire, letting off two rounds. Arlt, suffering gunshot wounds, continued to fight with them as they attempted to give him aid until paramedics arrived. Arlt later died at the scene. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Santa Cruz police said two of the officers in the incident were part of the departments crisis negotiation team, but did not say if the officer who shot Arlt was trained in crisis negotiation tactics. Police said it took 20 seconds from the time Arlt emerged from the backyard to when the officer shot him. No officers were injured in the incident. Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky Donald Trump is taking his sinking campaign in a more destructive direction. Hes throwing out wild claims of a media conspiracy, phony polls and lying sex abuse accusers, all directed at stealing the election from him. Its more than rallying his frantic base. It carries the potential for a soured and furious aftermath that could poison chances for accepting democratic change. Trumps army is being primed to disown the results. On one level, the candidates rhetoric is pitched at emotions. Suspicions of a powerful elite are fanned by far-fetched claims that backstage aides fed Hillary Clinton debate answers via a hidden microphone, she is perked up by drugs and meets secretly with international bankers. He sees even Saturday Night Live as in on the conspiracy. Its all preposterous, but if you say it enough as Trump and his enablers have done then it takes on an extended life. His fever-pitch rallies regularly produce chanting aimed at the attending media to tell the truth. Its an ominous mood that the narcissist candidate does nothing to diminish. When his running mate, Mike Pence, said both he and Trump would accept the presidential outcome, the New York real-estate tycoon went the other way. The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary but also at many polling places, he tweeted. This ominous atmosphere sets the stage for more serious work. The ever-expanding list of women detailing Trumps unwanted sexual advances are all liars, he says. Come election day on Nov. 8, the best way to prevent vote rigging will be massive poll watching armies in big cities in battleground states, he says. Its a barely coded call for confronting voters in nonwhite precincts. Step by step, Trump is poisoning the presidential process. He may be firming up his base, but his shameless tactics and addled conspiracy theories leave no room for morning-after reality when the election is over. Its the opposite of composed, thoughtful leadership and another reminder of his unfitness for the nations highest office. The 17th Congressional District battle between incumbent Mike Honda and challenger Ro Khanna has taken yet another turn in the 2016 election campaign. Whereas a discussion of issues once symbolized the election, the struggle now boils down to character. It turns out that both candidates have something to worry about. The framework changed more than a year ago, when the Office of Congressional Ethics unanimously recommended that the House Ethics Committee consider unethical behavior in the Honda campaign. The principal charges are that Hondas congressional staff violated a House rule by spending time on election matters during official work time, and that the congressman has given preferential treatment to a list of high-end financial contributors over others who may seek his help. Honda denies the charges, and maintains that any violations were unintentional and the result of sloppy management. In the meantime, he has been stuck in political purgatory while the House Ethics Committee deliberates the matter. For Khanna, the Honda mess has been a campaign gift. Charges of unethical behavior by a member of Congress are rich fodder for a challenger seeking to defeat an incumbent, given the benefits that traditionally accrue to someone of that stature. Thus, for months, Khanna has based much of his argument for change on Hondas ethics problem, and if the June primary results giving Khanna a narrow victory over 16-year incumbent Honda mean anything, Khanna has succeeded. Now, the tables have turned. Recently, Honda charged Khanna with his own misdeeds through a civil suit filed in U.S. District Court that alleges cybertheft of materials vital to Hondas campaign. The issue, Honda claims, is that an intern working for a campaign consulting firm handling much of Hondas affairs subsequently joined the Khanna team first as a director of data, and later as his campaign manager. Theres nothing wrong with that, of course; people make career moves all the time. What is suspicious, however, is that Khannas new campaign manager still had access to the computer files at his former place of employment. Those files included a rich trove of Honda materials such as donor lists, campaign strategy, and memos that could be of great value to the Khanna campaign in what looks to be a very close November election. Khanna steadfastly maintains that he knew nothing of this access and that he never saw or used any of the materials. Nevertheless, Khannas campaign manager resigned within four hours of the Honda accusations, which leads one to wonder why an innocent person would be so quick to depart his employment at such a critical moment. Its difficult to know the veracity of the Honda claim, but there is little question that the Khanna campaign exercised sloppy oversight at a minimum. Meanwhile, the judge held a hearing and ordered both sides to work out their differences, which included the Khanna campaign handing over all relevant materials. Its within this political climate that 17th Congressional District voters will decide the election. In the absence of any action by the House Ethics Committee and given the civil case against Khanna, the 17th District is engulfed in a cloud of ethical uncertainty that hangs over both candidates. Rather than focus on candidate differences on the issues, voters are transfixed on which candidate is more ethical. It may be the last thing they wanted, but thats what theyve got, and thats unfortunate. Larry N. Gerston is professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University and the author of Not So Golden After All: The Rise and Fall of California. Hillary Clintons campaign team warns that damaging leaks of campaign staff emails leaked via the antisecrecy group WikiLeaks but probably hacked by Russia are proof that Russia wants to tilt the election in favor of Donald Trump. Be it noted Team Clinton had little trouble using registered agents for foreign governments to raise large donations for the presidential campaign. When the campaign decided to take money raised by lobbyists for foreign interests, campaign manager Robby Mook wrote in newly leaked email chain from 2015, Im ok just taking the money and dealing with any attacks. Take the money!! communications director Jennifer Palmieri added. The decision was a tricky one, according to the emails, Politico reported, in part because the campaign already was accepting help from lobbyists for foreign nations. In HillaryLand there are no walls. When she was Secretary of State, Clintons deputy chief of staff Huma Abedin also was on the payroll of the Clinton Foundation, which raised money from global interests, and private consulting firm Teneo. The American people should have been Abedins only consideration, but with multiple paychecks, she had to answer to more than one master, and she held the keys to Clintons calendar. Last week, Wikileaks revealed that Clinton State Department senior aide Caitlin Klevorick gave special access to big Clinton Foundation donors eager to get in on the lucrative rebuilding after Haitis devastating 2010 earthquake. Need you to flag when people are friends of WJC, Klevorick wrote to the Foundations director of foreign policy. Foundation donors might expect concierge service, while those who didnt give to the Clinton charity could be shunted to a large government website. Was this arrangement best for the desperate people of Haiti? I truly doubt it. The very fact that Clinton set up a home-brew server to host her national security correspondence says it all. In her youth, Clinton worked on the House Judiciary Committees Watergate investigation. Surely she understood that official correspondence belongs not to officials, but to the public. Yet she took the risk that classified documents could be hacked in order to maintain control. Then she claimed that she handed all of her work emails to the government. Not true. FBI director James Comey later revealed the FBI found thousands of work emails not turned over to the State Department. The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch filed suit to learn more about Clintons emails. A federal judge ordered Clinton to respond to Judicial Watch questions in writing. On Thursday, Clintons attorneys filed her under-oath responses. In answer to 25 questions about the emails, Clinton gave a variation on the theme that she did not recall at least 21 times and objected to 18 questions. When she answered, she provided no new insight. In July, Clinton complained to 60 Minutes, theres the Hillary standard and then theres the standard for everybody else. She is right. Most people couldnt get away with deleting thousands of State Department emails. Clinton complains people dont think she is honest or trustworthy, but really why did she do it? Alas, she cannot exactly recall. You know GOP Rep. Darrell Issa is facing a tough re-election battle when he brings President Obama into the race on his side. Issa, an eight-term congressman from Vista in San Diego County, has spent much of the Obamas term as the Republicans designated attack dog, slamming the president for sins real and imagined. With that history, there were plenty of raised eyebrows when mailers featuring a full-cover picture of the president, sitting at his Oval Office desk in full bill-signing mode, dropped into mailboxes in the 49th Congressional District. Superimposed over a picture that could be used by any Democrat was a message from Issa: Im very pleased that President Obama has signed into law the Survivors Bill of Rights, legislation I co-sponsored to protect the victims of sexual assault. The mailer, with a tiny photo of Issa dwarfed by that of Obama, marks one of the very few times Issa has publicly hes pleased with anything the president has done. Its a tight race that makes the difference. While Issa finished on top in the June primary, Democrat Doug Applegate was way closer than expected and has tightened the race so much that the Cook Political Report now rates it as a toss-up. Its a contest that just may show how toxic Donald Trumps brand is for Republicans in California. Issa has been a key supporter of the GOP presidential nominee, even being named as a member of Trumps national security team. Although he was quick to criticize Trumps aggressive sexual talk that appeared in a TV video as behavior that has no place in American politics, it wasnt enough to make Issa pull his endorsement. But with Issa now clutching Obama as a political life preserver, who knows what will come next? John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Still reeling from a June massacre that left 49 club-goers dead at a gay dance hall in Orlando, LGBT Americans were thrust into a peculiar position: They were suddenly being courted by Republicans and Democrats alike, and held up as the kind of Americans who need the protection of lawmakers. Hillary Clinton and her fellow Democrats were quick to call the attack, the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States, a hate crime against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Donald Trump joined other members of the GOP in calling the attack an act of terror prompted by the alleged affinity of the shooter, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, for the radical Islamic State group. Then, weeks later at the GOP convention in Cleveland, Trump invoked LGBTQ citizens during a speech accepting his partys presidential nomination. As president, I will do everything in my power to protect LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology, Trump said to rousing applause. And, I have to say, as a Republican, it is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said. Politicos and pundits could hardly believe it. Never before has a presidential nominee from the GOP made an overture to LGBT Americans during the partys convention. Yet it is Clinton who has been endorsed by virtually every LGBT organization that has taken a stance on the candidates. As secretary of state in 2011, she declared gay rights are human rights. Some have called her the most pro-LGBT presidential candidate the United States has ever seen. No single elected official has done more for LGBT civil rights than Secretary Clinton and thats competing with President Obama, said Rick Zbur, the executive director of Equality California, the countrys largest statewide LGBT group. The Log Cabin Republicans, the countrys largest organization for conservative LGBT citizens, have refrained from endorsing a presidential candidate. Although Trump, as many believe, may be accepting of LGBT Americans, the Log Cabin Republicans have described the 2016 Republican Party platform as the most anti-LGBT Platform in the partys 162-year history. The choice between the Democrat and Republican ticket could not be more stark in terms of its impact on the LGBT community, said Kate Kendell, the executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco. Same-sex marriage: Clinton, who until 2013 favored civil unions instead of marriage for same-sex couples, has said her view on the matter evolved over time. Today, she supports preserving same-sex couples right to marry and has vowed to nominate Supreme Court justices who would do the same. Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that same-sex couples had the right to marry, Clinton responded with a one-word tweet: Proud. Clinton has also promised to end discriminatory treatment of LGBT families in adoptions. Trumps positions on same-sex marriage have also evolved. Before the Supreme Court ruling, Trump had supported domestic partnerships and civil unions over same-sex marriage. In 2015, he said though he disagreed with the courts ruling, he would not support a constitutional amendment allowing states to re-ban same-sex marriage. But over the course of his campaign, Trumps rhetoric has sharpened. He told Fox News in January that he would strongly consider appointing justices to overturn the courts marriage decision. His running mate, Mike Pence, has been fighting same-sex marriage for more than a decade. In 2003, then-Rep. Pence co-sponsored the Federal Marriage Amendment, a constitutional amendment that would have asserted that marriage in the U.S. shall consist only of the union of a man and woman and that no state or federal law could change or extend those benefits to same-sex couples. In 2011, he voted to reaffirm the Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal marriage benefits to same-sex couples. Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images LGBT discrimination: Clinton, who as a U.S. senator supported a federal antidiscrimination law to prevent workplaces from treating LGBT workers unfairly, has pledged her support to the Equality Act a sweeping piece of federal legislation that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to extend the list of protected classes to include sexual orientation and gender identity in addition to those it already protects (race, color, sex, religion and national origin). Doing so would render discrimination of LGBT people illegal in credit, education, employment, federal financial aid, housing, jury selection and public accommodations. Before he was the Republican candidate for president, Trump had supported a similar change. He had said protecting people from discrimination based on sexual orientation would be simple. But as a candidate, he has aligned himself with the partys push for increased religious freedom laws that would allow individuals, businesses and public servants to refuse service to LGBT people because doing so would conflict with their religious beliefs. As governor, Pence signed into law one such measure in Indiana. Transgender rights: When North Carolina lawmakers approved a law that banned transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice, Trump opposed the measure. He said that Caitlyn Jenner, perhaps the most famous transgender celebrity, would be welcome to use any bathroom she pleased at Trump Tower. But later, Trump reversed his position and said he supported North Carolinas so-called bathroom bill. Clinton, meanwhile, has taken an unambiguous stance against such bills. She has vowed to address the disproportionate violence transgender people are subject to and supports increased law enforcement training focused on fair and impartial policing, including interactions with LGBT people. When she was secretary of state, Clinton issued a policy that made it easier for transgender Americans to change their gender marker on U.S. passports. She has said she would support expanding that kind of provision to include other forms of ID. Conversion therapy: Clinton opposes conversion therapy, controversial practices meant to cure LGBT people of being gay. Trump has not taken a clear stance, though the GOP platform alludes to its support of such practices by noting that parents should be allowed to make medical decisions about their children without interference from state legislators. Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae Candidates stance: fact check Statement: Critics of Clinton have said an email chain made public by WikiLeaks reveals that she privately opposes same-sex marriage while publicly saying otherwise. Distortion: The passage was taken from a part of a lengthy email thread that refers to Clintons repeated position that the Defense of Marriage Act was a necessary evil to head off efforts to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. No part of the email indicates a position other than the one Clinton has voiced: that since 2013 she has been a supporter of LGBT peoples right to marry. Statement: Donald Trump rejected North Carolinas bathroom bill, saying, People go. They use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate. Distortion: One month later, after the Obama administration issued a guidance that directed public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity, Trump did a 180 on the matter, telling ABC News, I believe it should be states rights, and the state should make the decision. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell has agreed to pay the city $25,000 to settle accusations of campaign finance violations during his 2010 race for supervisor, far less than the $191,000 fine the Ethics Commission originally levied. The Ethics Commission voted 3-2 Monday night to accept the settlement. The vote clears a political cloud for Farrell, a moderate supervisor who is widely expected to run for mayor in 2019. In May, Farrell sued the city, charging that the Ethics Commission was on a witch hunt against him. After 5 years, this matter has finally been put to rest, said Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for Farrell. With this settlement, Supervisor Farrell has once again been exonerated of any personal wrongdoing. The settlement says Farrell was unaware of the misconduct conducted on his behalf but takes ultimate responsibility. Farrells violation stems from his 2010 run for supervisor in District Two, which encompasses the Marina and Pacific Heights. Farrell, a lawyer and venture capitalist then new on the political scene, beat front-runner Janet Reilly by 258 votes. Reilly filed a complaint with the state Fair Political Practices Commission after her upset loss. She alleged that Farrell and his campaign consultant, Chris Lee, had illegally coordinated with an independent expenditure committee that spent $191,000 in the final weeks of the race to defeat Reilly. The committee, Common Sense Voters, had just two donations: $141,000 from real estate magnate Thomas Coates and $50,000 from Dede Wilsey, a prominent socialite and member of the board that oversees the de Young and Legion of Honor museums. The Fair Political Practices Commission exonerated Farrell. But the city Ethics Commission, which has stricter campaign finance regulations than the state, wavered on whether to fine Farrell it changed course several times. But in June 2015, it ordered Farrell to pay back the entire $191,000 spent by the independent expenditure committee. The settlement approved Monday says: The Ethics Commission concurs with the FPPCs conclusions. Mr. Farrell nevertheless acknowledges that he has the ultimate responsibility for the wrongful acts of Mark Farrell for District 2 Supervisor 2010 committee and its agents. Paul Renne, chairman of the committee, said during the hearing that the settlement sends a very strong message and I am convinced we got as strong a statement as we could get. Commissioners Renne, Beverly Hayon and Daina Chiu voted to support it. Peter Keane and Quentin Kopp, a former supervisor, voted against it. Keane said their issue was not the reduced fine, but that the language of the settlement went too easy on Farrell. Keane said during the hearing he still believed Farrell intentionally, deliberately and fraudulently helped coordinate with the independent expenditure committee. Keanes strongest criticism, however, was of former Ethics Commission Executive Director John St. Croix. He accused St. Croix of bungling the case by allowing the statute of limitations to run out, which led the city attorneys office to advise the Ethics Commission to settle the case. Ballard, Farrells spokesman, blamed the prolonged saga on Farrells 2010 opponent, Janet Reilly, and her husband, former political consultant Clint Reilly. This pointless vendetta only stayed alive because Janet and Clint Reilly refused to accept the will of the voters and instead threw over a million dollars at lawyers and political consultants, Ballard said. Coates, the real estate magnate whose donation got Farrell into trouble, has continued to donate heavily to the supervisor. In April, Coates gave $19,500 to a now-closed political committee run by Farrell. The supervisor used the money to campaign for ballot measures and also for a variety of legal fees. Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen A San Francisco photographer has a lot of people talking about his work after Reddit users continually voted up one of his images posted in the Earth Porn category. Jake Schwartz, 32, took an otherworldly photo from atop Mount Tamalpais on Aug. 2, capturing a magical Milky Way sceneglowing clouds of stars set against a midnight black skythat people on Reddit described as "impressive," "unreal," "a piece of art." "Yeah, it was cool as it got on the front page of Reddit on Saturday," Schwartz said. "One of my best friend's brothers made it the background on his phone and didn't realize it was me who took the photo. And then my best friend told him. This has put a lot of light on my website." By Monday afternoon, more than 430 comments filled the Reddit thread that was upvoted more than 5,000 times. More Information x See More Collapse Schwartz, who works full-time as a software developer and takes photos as a hobby, delved into the world of astronomy photography about a year ago when he purchased a Sony A7RII that performs well at night and a Rokinon lens that has the ability to collect as much light as possible to capture the maximum number of stars. "I have this weird obsession with space," Schwartz said. "Living in San Francisco, you don't get to see any stars really. I like being outdoors at night because you get a sense of solitude and see so many stars." What's more, Schwartz likes the research and planning involved in taking astronomy shots. To minimize light pollution that drowns out the stars, he seeks out places far from the city on nights when the moon is new and practically nonexistent in the sky. Schwartz's photos from Mount Tamalpais were taken about a mile up a trail from the Bootjack Campground. This must be a popular spot as in the Reddit thread many commented that they'd been there, and one user said he proposed to his wife there. To capture a shot like this, Schwartz says he also tracks the Milky Way's movement as it travels across the sky, and he does this with an app called Photo Pills. I like the challenge of astro-photography," Schwartz said. "There's more planning involved. You have to plan where and when the Milky Way is going to be in the sky. You have to figure out where the moon is going to be. And the results are always unreal. You capture something you generally wouldn't see." When Kevin Hsiung moved into his brand-new apartment on San Franciscos Potrero Hill, he wanted what every tenant wants: the best deal on Internet service. He did his research, found the company he liked and set about getting the service. Then he ran into an unexpected problem. The property manager for the 453-unit building told Hsiung he could sign up only with AT&T or Comcast. They wouldnt tell me why, said Hsiung, who eventually went with Comcast, even though he preferred Webpass, which provides superfast Internet access. On Tuesday, Supervisor Mark Farrell will introduce legislation that would require property owners to give building access to all state-licensed providers. He said Hsiungs experience is increasingly common, although there have been no independent studies done on the issue in San Francisco. The reality in San Francisco is that tens of thousands of residents have been denied access to different Internet service providers, Farrell said. I fundamentally believe competition is a good thing that will ultimately drive prices down and improve Internet access across all of San Francisco. Groups that represent property owners say Farrell vastly overstates the problem and that the legislation is ill-conceived. We dont need laws telling us we have to allow any company into our buildings. We have concerns about safety, about the physical space, said Ken Cleaveland, vice president of public policy for the Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco. We think everything should be dictated by leases you write what kind of services you provide into the lease. Federal law says property owners cant prohibit tenants from signing up with their preferred service provider. However, the law allows owners to have revenue-share agreements with companies that provide television, phone and Internet services meaning the owners make money when tenants sign up with those companies. The practice is common in large, new rental apartment buildings. So while property owners cant stop tenants from signing up with competitors, they can refuse to allow those competitors access to the building to install fiber and antennas, effectively preventing them from providing service. Tenants in small apartment buildings sometimes run into the same problem, but for different reasons. The owners dont want to deal with the hassle of accommodating new equipment or giving rent-controlled tenants more incentive to stay, according to frustrated customers and companies. Farrells legislation says property owners could seek just and reasonable compensation from service providers for using their property, but they would not be able to refuse access outright. If disagreements arose about the just and reasonable compensation, the parties could go to court to resolve them. Property owners who refused access could be fined up to $500 a day. Charles Barr, founder of Webpass, which was recently acquired by Google Fiber, said there are roughly 400 large apartment buildings in San Francisco that deny his company access to their property. Some dont want fiber in the building or dont want a radio in the building or dont want anybody other than AT&T to come in, he said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Paul Chinn/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Paul Chinn/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Paul Chinn/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 5 of 5 But the biggest barrier, Barr said, is that some big apartment buildings will allow Webpass access only if it pays the owner a small monthly fee per subscriber which Webpass refuses to do. Farrells legislation would prevent owners from demanding a subscriber fee. Barr said Equity Residential, which owns 1010 16th St., where Hsiung lives, is one of those companies. A spokesman for Equity denied that the company seeks subscriber fees, but acknowledged it had refused to allow Webpass to access Hsiungs building. The spokesman said the company was working on bringing Webpass services to tenants in the near future. While the issue of Internet choice arises most frequently in large apartment buildings, tenants in smaller ones also report being stymied. Trent Robbins, who lives in a 12-unit building in the Sunset, wanted to purchase gigabit-speed Internet through Sonic. Sonic planned to drill into the side of the apartment building to run fiber into Robbins apartment. The landlord balked. Sonic said it could find a less invasive way to install service, but the landlord refused to let the company try, Robbins said. He is hoping other tenants pressure the landlord to change his mind. Farrells legislation indemnifies property owners for damage done to their property. Literally everywhere in the West except the United States has some form of gigabit available, Robbins said. Its a reasonable modification to an apartment, and I think Im within my rights. But Charley Goss, government and community affairs manager with the San Francisco Apartment Association, said his group would consider suing if Farrells legislation becomes law. There is federal law that already governs all of this. We would prefer the city enforce that law rather than write new laws, Goss said. And, he added, landlords dont need more rules telling them what they can and cant do. We are the highest-regulated industry in San Francisco and one of the highest in California, Goss said. And it kind of gets to a point where enough is enough. Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen Netflix is testing the financial limits of its streaming video service as the rising cost of producing original programming pushes up subscription prices. The latest reminder came Monday with the companys third-quarter earnings report, which revealed that the Los Gatos company added 370,000 U.S. subscribers. That marks its second consecutive quarter of slowing U.S. growth since lifting a two-year rate freeze and increasing prices by as much as 20 percent for more than 20 million existing subscribers. While the latest quarterly subscriber gain exceeded managements modest projections, it fell far below the 880,000 U.S. customers that Netflix picked up at the same time last year. The deceleration occurred even though the latest period included the July debut of Stranger Things, one of the summers surprise hits. Netflix fares far better overseas as it tries to diversify its video library to suit the tastes of 189 other countries. The company added 3.2 million international subscribers in the third quarter, surpassing the 2.7 million it gained at the same time last year, when it was operating in about 130 fewer countries. Investors were thrilled with the international progress and the better-than-expected showing in the U.S. Netflixs stock surged nearly 20 percent to $119.49 in extended trading. The drop-off in U.S. subscriber gains underscores the delicate balancing act the company is trying to pull off as it tries to retain and attract customers while also financing an ambitious expansion overseas amid fierce competition from Amazon and HBO. Its an expensive challenge, which is why Netflix raised the price for its most popular U.S. plan from $8 to $10 per month. And the pressure to continue increasing rates every few years seems likely to continue. On average, Netflix said, it is collecting 10 percent more from its subscribers worldwide than a year ago. About 25 percent of the U.S. subscribers still covered by the 2014 rate freeze will have their prices raised by years end. After spending $5 billion on original programing and licensing rights to other shows this year, Netflix has earmarked another $6 billion for next year. Netflix does not disclose how many of its subscribers cancel each quarter, but Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter estimates that about 1 million U.S. households opened new accounts from July through September. That means about 600,000 subscribers abandoned the service during the third quarter, if Pachters calculations are accurate. Finance CEO resigns from Visa Visa says CEO Charlie Scharf is resigning in December after four years leading the company. He says that running a Bay Area company is difficult because he and his family live on the East Coast. Visa Inc. on Monday named current board member Alfred Kelly Jr. as its president and CEO. He is the former president of American Express Co. Kelly will join Visa on Oct. 31, and Scharf will advise him for several months. Drugs Cheaper rival for Remicade Drugmaker Pfizer said Monday that it will launch a less-expensive version of rival Johnson & Johnsons blockbuster immune disorder drug Remicade. Pfizer Inc.s version, called Inflectra, will hit pharmacies in late November. It will be only the second biosimilar drug available in the U.S. Biosimilars are near-copies of biologic drugs, which are very expensive injected medicines that are manufactured inside living cells, rather than by mixing chemicals together. Remicade, long J&Js top-selling drug, is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, colitis and other immune system disorders. Chronicle News Services San Francisco education technology firm AltSchool on Tuesday named three schools outside of California as the first paying customers of its software. The schools are Berthold Academy in Reston, Va.; the Greene School in West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach. These schools will pay on a per-student basis to use AltSchools educational software for at least a year, the company said. AltSchool declined to say how much each school will pay. The software helps track students progress over time, allows parents to see a rundown of what their children are learning each day and makes it easier for students and teachers to upload photos and videos of whats happening in class. AltSchool has raised $133 million in early investment from sources like venture capital firm Founders Fund and a foundation led by Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs widow. It has established schools of its own in California and New York, including one that opened in San Francisco this fall; the company has honed its software at these schools, and now is moving to market it more widely. Coddy Johnson, AltSchools chief operating officer, said the company had roughly 200 interested schools but narrowed it to down to Berthold, the Greene School and Temple Beth Sholom because they were similar to AltSchool. A team of AltSchool employees, including engineers, will assist the schools in implementing the software. Three to five years down the line, AltSchool said it hopes to bring its software to the realm of public school districts, where the majority of students in the U.S. are educated. Whether most schools find its software affordable remains to be seen. An official from Synapse, a Menlo Park independent school, recently told The Chronicle that the price discussed for his school came to $750 per student not compatible with Synapses budget. AltSchool said it has no set price for its software, altering it per school based on factors like size. Wendy Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: wlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thewendylee American Pastoral: Ewan McGregor makes his directorial debut and stars in this film based on a Philip Roth novel. American Romance: Murdered couples are found in staged dioramas, and a truck driver who picks up a young couple may be the one the FBI is looking for. Boo! A Madea Halloween: Tyler Perrys eponymous character returns in this comedy and fends off all sorts of creeps, such as poltergeists, ghosts and zombies. Certain Women: Kelly Reichardt directs these short stories based on Maile Meloys Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It. Stars Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams and Laura Dern. Christine: Rebecca Hall stars in this biopic based on the life of 1970s news reporter Christine Chubbuck, who committed suicide on live television. Creepy: This Japanese film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa deals with a serial killer, a former detective and some supernatural stuff. Do Not Resist: A timely documentary that took 11 years to make looks at how the police are becoming increasingly militarized. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back: Tom Cruise returns as the action figure. This time, he tries to prove that an old Army buddy (Cobie Smulders) accused of murder is innocent. Keeping Up With the Joneses: So what do you do when your neighbors turn out to be spies? Maybe ask them for a cup of sugar first, and then join the action. Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher play the suburban couple. Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot are the spies. Miss Hokusai: This animated film from Japan looks at the life of artist Katsushika Hokusai, as seen by his daughter, Katsushika O-Ei. Ouija: Origin of Evil: Put your fingers on the board and find out what horrors will beset you in this horror sequel. ReVisions: JP Allen first conceived this love story with terrorists, zombie strippers and other odd things as Letters From Tosca while drinking martinis in the famous San Francisco establishment. Tharlo: An orphan meets a woman briefly, but that encounter will change his life in this Taiwanese movie. Leba Hertz LAFAYETTE, La. Two weeks before their wedding, Viet Victor Anh Vo and his fiancee were stunned when a court clerk rejected their application for a marriage license because he couldnt produce a birth certificate. The couple had spent thousands of dollars on a wedding planner, a caterer, a florist, a disc jockey and a reception hall for 350 guests before they learned that a newly amended Louisiana law would block them from getting married. They went ahead with Februarys ceremony without a license to make it official, but they arent giving up on legally tying the knot. Vo, a 31-year-old U.S. citizen who was born in an Indonesian refugee camp, sued Tuesday in federal court to challenge a law that has prevented other immigrants from getting married for the same reason he couldnt. I dont understand the law. I just want them to fix it, to make things right, Vo said in his Lafayette hometown. Its not clear whether the lawsuit could have implications outside of the state. Neither the laws critics nor officials with the National Conference of State Legislatures are aware of such legislation elsewhere. In Louisiana, however, the legislation has pitted the rights of immigrants against lawmakers who say they are trying to prevent fraudulent marriages. The Republican legislator who sponsored Januarys changes in the states marriage laws said it was designed to crack down on people using sham marriages to gain visas and citizenship. Vos suit claims the law violates his constitutional rights and was intended to discriminate against foreign-born people. Vo has lived in Louisiana since he was an infant and became a U.S. citizen when he was 8 years old, but he doesnt have any official record of his 1985 birth in a refugee camp after his parents fled Vietnam. Vietnamese and Indonesian authorities didnt officially recognize his birth or issue his family a birth certificate, according to his suit. That wouldnt have been an insurmountable hurdle for Vo if he and his U.S.-born fiancee, Heather Pham, had applied for a marriage license before the laws changes took effect on Jan. 1. Before then, they could have petitioned a judge to waive the birth certificate requirement. But the amended law eliminated the waiver option for foreign-born applicants, whereas U.S.-born applicants who cant produce a birth certificate are still eligible for judicial waivers. The woman stopped her car in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Edina, one of Minnesota's wealthiest suburbs. Just moments before, she had passed a black man who had been walking on the shoulder of the street, seemingly to avoid construction along the sidewalk. After passing the man, the woman noticed an unmarked police car behind her activate its lights. The vehicle pulled in front of the pedestrian and cut him off; a plainclothes officer emerged and accused the man of walking in the middle of the road. The allegation shocked her, the woman later said, and as she witnessed the officer take the man by the back of his jacket, she sensed she needed to do something. So she left her car and began recording. Janet Rowles "[I] was watching something that I didn't think was very fair," the woman, identified by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as Janet Rowles, told the newspaper. "I'm not against the police. I was against what he was doing." What Rowles recorded was a seven-minute video of a tense exchange that led to an arrest - a video that has gone viral after Rowles uploaded it to YouTube last week. It is the latest in a string of videos to raise questions about interactions between law enforcement officers and people of color. The Edina Police Department disputed parts of Rowles's account and said the officer's actions were justified because of circumstances not shown in the video. Nevertheless, the Minneapolis NAACP chapter has called for an independent investigation of the incident, calling it "painful and humiliating." The video prompted the mayor of Edina to address the incident Sunday, saying that the officer had followed protocol but that the city would be working with several groups to see what could be done better in the future. The pedestrian's citation has been dropped, the mayor added. The Star-Tribune identified the pedestrian in the video as 34-year-old Larnie B. Thomas of Minneapolis and the plainclothes officer as Lt. T.F. Olson. In the video, which starts sometime after the two began interacting, Thomas seems outraged and demands to know why Olson stopped him. "You're walking in the middle of the street," Olson says, continuing to lead Thomas by his jacket toward an unmarked squad car, a black Jeep, several feet away. "I'm walking on the damn white line!" Thomas insists loudly. " ... You can't just put your hands on me like this!" When they reach the police vehicle, Olson tells him calmly to put his hands on the car. Thomas curses at Olson and flings his backpack toward the hood of the Jeep. "You're gonna take me to jail for that (expletive)?" he shouts. Periodically throughout the video, Rowles, the bystander, can be heard pleading with the officer to let go of Thomas's jacket. "Maybe you could just help show him where a good place to walk is?" Rowles says. As the situation escalates - and after it becomes apparent to Thomas that the officer is not going to let him continue walking - Rowles interjects again. "Why don't you just help him?" she asks. "He's scared, sir. It's scary." Olson continues to maintain a grip on the jacket until, at one point, Thomas removes it. By the time another police vehicle arrives, Thomas is shirtless. A responding officer walks toward him and says, "My partner [Olson] told me you're under arrest." Rowles interjects: "No, he never said that," she says. "He never said that." An unidentified man off the camera agrees with Rowles: "He's lying." "You could have showed him where to walk really kindly," Rowles says. "You were the one who incited this." The responding officer places Thomas in handcuffs. "He's scared. He's scared," Rowles calls out. "People die in these situations. It's scary." Thomas was cited for disorderly conduct and pedestrian failure to obey a traffic signal, and was released, according to the Star-Tribune. According to Edina Mayor Jim Hovland, Thomas was not taken to jail but driven to a local shopping mall at his request and released. A number was not listed for Thomas and he did not respond to messages sent to a Facebook account in his name. The Edina Police Department also did not respond to interview requests Sunday. The city released a statement Friday that contradicted some aspects of Rowles's account of what took place minutes before the video started. According to police, Thomas was wearing headphones when the officer tried to advise him to get out of the roadway. The city's statement said that Thomas deliberately ignored the officer and "continued to walk in the lane of traffic," which is when Olson decided to get out of his police car. "The man did not stop and was defiant," the city's statement continued. "It was after that point that the recording began. The officer smelled alcohol on the man's breath during the incident. A breathalyzer later confirmed the presence of alcohol." The statement also seemed to refer to Rowles's recording of the video, although it did not name her. "As a bystander, it's your right to film officer interactions," the statement said. "However, it's important to note that attempting to interact with the officer and/or suspect creates a greater risk to the safety of the officer, suspect and bystanders. Public safety is our first priority. It makes it more difficult for officers to deal with the situation on hand when they are at the same time dealing with the distractions of bystanders." Rowles uploaded the video to YouTube - simply titled "Edina Police Incident 10/12/16 - where it has been viewed more than 300,000 times. In the summary for the video, she wrote that she had observed Thomas walking on the side of the road because of construction on the sidewalk. Rowles told the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP that she began videotaping the incident "because I felt that the pedestrian might be safer with my presence as a recording witness." "There was absolutely no reason for the officer to stop him from walking. I easily passed him in my vehicle because he was hugging the right side next to the construction, literally walking on the white line that marks the shoulder," Rowles said, according to a Minneapolis NAACP statement released Saturday. "I have no interest in vilifying the police, but obviously I got out of my car in the first place because I perceive the pedestrian might not get treated fairly because of his ethnicity. There is now much controversy over the time that elapsed between when the incident began and when I started to video. I remember it to be much shorter than the police state, but I feel this is somewhat irrelevant because he never should have been stopped in the first place." A professional website for Rowles describes her as a mediator "specializing in high conflict and emotionally-difficult situations." She did not respond to interview requests. In the statement, Minneapolis NAACP President Nekima Levy-Pounds said the group is calling for a formal investigation of the incident, renewed police training and an apology to the pedestrian. Levy-Pounds said the group is not representing Thomas but has been in touch with him. "We're looking at the circumstances of what happened and pushing for big-picture policy changes," Levy-Pounds told The Washington Post. "It was really disturbing to read the response by the Edina police basically doubling down ... as opposed to taking responsibility." Edina is an affluent suburb of Minneapolis with a population of about 50,000 people and a median household income of $86,968, where 88 percent of the city's residents are white and 3 percent are black, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. It is less than 20 miles from Falcon Heights, Minn., where 32-year-old Philando Castile was killed by police in July as his girlfriend broadcast his final moments in real time on Facebook. The death of Castile, a cafeteria worker at a local elementary school, sparked outrage and protests over what people saw as evidence of unequal treatment of minorities by law enforcement. According to a database maintained by The Washington Post, 762 people have been shot and killed by police in 2016. The database is based on news reports, public records, social media and other sources. Hovland said in a statement Sunday that the city would review its protocol "and determine how to better approach this type of incident with greater sensitivity in the future." "We will work with the Edina community and invite other organizations to participate in this very important conversation," Hovland wrote. "There are lessons we should and will learn from this experience." Amy B Wang is a general assignment reporter for The Washington Post. Fremont Police Department / / Police in Fremont arrested a 30-year-old man suspected in more than a dozen arson fires that began over the summer around the citys Warm Springs neighborhood, officials said Tuesday. Detectives busted Corey Jaysingh Minhas on Friday near the scene of what they suspect is the 16th fire hes set since mid-July, officials said. A ghost pepper's heat is described in terms normally reserved for carpet bombings. Its heat is measured at 1 million units on the Scoville scale, a per-mass measure of capsaicin - the chemical compound that imbues peppers with heat - that until recently was a world record. Peppers that pass the 1 million mark are called superhot; as a rule they are reddish and puckered, as though one of Satan's internal organs had prolapsed. To daredevil eaters of a certain stripe, the superhot peppers exist only to challenge. When consumed, ghost peppers and other superhots provoke extreme reactions. "Your body thinks it's going to die," as Louisiana pepper grower Ronald Primeaux told the AP in October. "You're not going to die." Doug Cannell/Getty Images But, demonstrated by a rare though severe incident at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, reported recently in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, superhot peppers can cause bodily harm. A 47-year-old man, unnamed in the case study, attempted a super-spicy feat - eating a hamburger served with a ghost pepper puree - and tore a hole in his esophagus. Ghost peppers were first grown in India, where they are known as bhut jolokia. A seed from the pepper can cause a mouth to smolder for up to a half-hour. On YouTube, faces broken by the "ghost pepper challenge" devolve into tears, runny noses and hiccups. The Washington Post's Tim Carman described eating a pea-sized chunk of the pepper, sans seeds, in 2012. "It was as if my head had become a wood-burning oven, lighting up my tongue and the interior of my skull," he wrote. "Milk provided little relief, until the burn began to subside on its own about 10 minutes later." A bell pepper, for reference, is zero units on the Scoville scale; a jalapeno falls between 2,500 and 8,000 units; a habanero is about a half-million; a pepper called the Carolina Reaper holds the Guinness record at 1.5 million units; police pepper spray clocks in at 5 million Scoville units. Primeaux, who hopes to claim the world's hottest title through cultivating his Louisiana Creeper variety, said, "When you put one of these in your mouth, it's a whole 'nother ballgame," in his interview with the AP. "A bear is chasing you. You've just been in a car wreck. You just got caught speeding, and a cop is giving you a ticket." For the 47-year-old man whose esophagus was damaged, though, ingesting the pepper burger was less a bear chase and closer to an attack. As physicians at the University of California at San Francisco reported in the case study, he consumed the burger and attempted to quench the heat in his mouth with six glasses of water. When that failed the man began to vomit, which gave way to abdominal pain. He dialed emergency help. At the emergency department, he received Maalox and painkillers. After his condition worsened, doctors moved him to the operating room, where they discovered a "2.5-cm tear in the distal esophagus," about one inch, as the case report authors noted. The force of the vomiting and retching led to a rare diagnosis of Boerhaave's syndrome; these spontaneous tears in the esophagus can be fatal if they are not diagnosed and treated. In this case, surgeons were able to repair the man's throat. "He remained intubated until hospital day 14, began tolerating liquids on hospital day 17," they wrote, "and was discharged home with a gastric tube in place on hospital day 23." The researchers concluded the case study with a warning. "Food challenges have become common among social media, including the infamous cinnamon challenge," they wrote, referencing the spice fad that was popular in early 2012. (When eating a heaping spoonful of cinnamon went wrong, it led to emergency calls and at least one collapsed lung.) "This case serves as an important reminder of a potentially life-threatening surgical emergency that was initially interpreted as discomfort after a large spicy meal." What motivates a collector? To gather a closetful of useful objects makes sense, certainly. To decorate our environment is a universal human motivation. But to collect objects out of passion, beyond their utilitarian or ornamental value, must seem a strange activity to those not consumed by such desire. Pier 24 Photography the reservation-only, museum-like space in the shadow of the Bay Bridge, run by the private Pilara Foundation offers a rare opportunity to examine case studies of the collectors disease in a long-running exhibition. Collected dives into aspects of 10 private collections in the Bay Area. It is an intimate look behind the curtains that would normally screen such accumulations from our view. There are hoarders, whose motivations are probably best explained by some socially awkward Freudian theory, but selective collectors have other motivations. They may find pleasure in the excitement of the hunt or they may be seduced by the status even of being called art collector. Blue-chip art has proved to be a reasonably good store of value, too, in recent decades. The exhibition, fastidiously hung throughout, opens with a spare gallery containing four photographic works. They are unlabeled (that goes for everything in the show, but there is an elegant and useful free brochure), but immediately recognizable as direct quotations from famous works of art. One work, small but so intense it holds its own wall, is by Yasumasa Morimura, known for his self-portraits in thin disguise; here he assumes the role of the Girl With the Pearl Earring in Vermeer Study: Looking Back (Mirror). Hiroshi Sugimotos 1999 wax-figure re-creation of another famous Vermeer, The Music Lesson, and Nicola Costantinos 2010 take on Velazquezs 1656 Las Meninas both slyly include evidence that they are, after all, photographs. And Daniel Gordons wildly colorful montage Table of Desserts, 1640-2015 purports by its title to draw on a famous 17th century Dutch/Flemish painting in the Louvre, but is closer in hue and spirit to a Matisse citation of the same picture from 1915. The room is a claim to the legitimacy of photography as the equal of painting. People obsessed by photography, though, a relatively new subset of collectible art, may own rare objects but generally not unique ones. Perhaps theres something comforting in knowing that the market risks and benefits are shared by others and, anyway, there is more opportunity to be in the company of others who enjoy the interest. The Pier 24 show is, among other things, a tribute to that kind of camaraderie, Bay Area photo collectors being a pretty tight-knit group. In fact, San Franciscos community of photography collectors goes back a long way to even before Leland Stanfords sponsorship of Eadweard Muybridges Horse in Motion pictures in 1872. Muybridge and Carleton Watkins, two of historys greatest American photographers, made careers of selling their spectacular landscape works to collectors from their San Francisco studios beginning in the 1860s. Both the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art actively collected photographs from their inception and long before other institutions considered the medium museum-worthy. SFMOMA had the involvement of Albert Bender, one of the great early supporters of photography as an art, as well as such artists as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham. SFMOMAs historic line of great photography curators, from John Humphrey to Van Deren Coke to the soon-to-retire Sandra Phillips, collected not only pictures but collectors: Several of the lenders to the Pier 24 show are donors to SFMOMAs collection and have served on that museums influential Photography Committee. Ownership is the most intimate relationship that one can have to objects, Walter Benjamin wrote for a witty 1931 lecture on his book collection, Unpacking My Library. To own a picture is to possess an object, of course, but theres a sense in which the subject of an image particularly if it is a typical photograph is owned, as well. Owning a picture is also, to a degree, to own its maker and, if its provenance goes back at all, its former owners, too. That comes through most strongly in a selection of womens self-portraits from the 1970s and early 1980s assembled by Winn Ellis and David Mahoney. The collectors interest in process led them to acquire works with a physical presence that traditional photographs, yoked to their window-on-the-world transparency, generally lack. But if there are many elements of the drive to collect, the one that interests me most one clearly revealed in this impeccably structured presentation is, in fact, a generative urge, rather than a merely possessive one. Even more than the clothes one wears a decision revised daily, and more subject to social strictures and dictates the collecting of art is the creation of a self. Thats an observation that fairly shouts from the walls of the gallery devoted to the collection of Nion McEvoy, a well-known figure in San Francisco social and art circles. McEvoy is an accomplished media executive (Chronicle Books, 7x7 magazine), an inveterate music fan and a reasonably good drummer. The floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall installation of his prodigious horde of pictures referencing jazz, rock and other popular music feels like a party in one big room of his mind. The splendid grouping of rare works by four women who helped shape photographys history in the 20th century Consuelo Kanaga, Alma Lavenson, Dorothea Lange and Tina Modotti gives us a sense of a deeply thoughtful and sensitive Susie Tompkins Buell. Chara Schreyer carves out a similarly feminist persona with a more eclectic selection. And so the exhibition goes, through the adventuresome spirit of Kaitlyn and Mike Krieger, who express an interest in the experimental; to deep dives into the work of Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Robert Frank and William Eggleston provided by Dan Holland and Patrick Printy, the Bluff Collection, and Randi and Bob Fisher; to a final gallery, fittingly titled Solitude, of works in the collection of Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein. Artists whose work is collected by Andy and Mary Pilara, the founders and funders of the Pilara Foundation and Pier 24, are represented throughout the show to very good effect. Of particular note are monumental heads in dark profile: African American women photographed by the emerging artist Erica Deeman. Pilaras support of her project is the kind of enlightened collecting that may yet preserve a strong creative community in a city increasingly difficult for artists, who must make not only their work, but also a living. Charles Desmarais is The San Francisco Chronicles art critic. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Artguy1 Collected: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Through Jan. 31. Free (appointment required). Pier 24 Photography, on the Embarcadero, S.F. (415) 512-7424. www.pier24.org ABUJA, Nigeria Nigerias government is negotiating the release of another 83 of the Chibok schoolgirls taken in a mass abduction two-and-a-half years ago, but more than 100 others appear unwilling to leave their Boko Haram Islamic extremist captors, a community leader said Tuesday. The unwilling girls may have been radicalized by Boko Haram or are ashamed to return home because they were forced to marry extremists and have babies, Chairman Pogu Bitrus of the Chibok Development Association said in a telephone interview. Bitrus said the 21 Chibok girls freed last week in the first negotiated release between Nigerias government and Boko Haram should be educated abroad, because they will probably face stigma in Nigeria. The girls and their parents were reunited Sunday and are expected to meet with Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari this week, Bitrus said. Buhari flew to Germany on an official visit the day of the girls release. Buhari said Monday that his government is prepared to talk with Boko Haram as long as the extremists agree to involve organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross, which was an intermediary in last weeks release. Boko Haram fighters kidnapped 276 girls from a school in northeastern Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped early on and at least half a dozen have died in captivity, according to the newly freed girls, Bitrus said. All those who escaped on their own have left Chibok because, even though they were held only a few hours, they were labeled Boko Haram wives and taunted, he said. At least 20 of the girls are being educated in the United States. We would prefer that they are taken away from the community and this country because the stigmatization is going to affect them for the rest of their lives, Bitrus said. Even someone believed to have been abused by Boko Haram would be seen in a bad light. All Nigerian institutions and the freed girls communities and families must stand strong to protect them from stigma, ostracization and rejection, the U.N. special rapporteurs on the sale of children, on slavery and on the right to health said in a statement Tuesday. Chibok is a small and conservative Christian enclave in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria. TEHRAN An Iranian American businessman and his father have been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran, a state-run judicial news agency reported Tuesday, the latest dual nationals imprisoned since the nuclear deal. The announcement by the Mizan news agency came a day after it released footage of businessman Siamak Namazi. The video highlighted recent tensions between Iran and the U.S. and was a sign of the power still wielded by hard-liners in the Islamic Republic. The Mizan report said Namazi and his 80-year-old father, Baquer Namazi, a former UNICEF representative who once served as governor of Irans oil-rich Khuzestan province under the U.S.-backed shah, were convicted of cooperating with the hostile American government. It did not elaborate. A Namazi family statement posted online described the sentences as beyond comprehension. My father has been handed practically a death sentence and it will be a criminal act by me, his only able son, not to fight for my fathers life and freedom as well as that (of) my brother, wrote another son, Babak Namazi. The U.S. State Department said it was deeply concerned by reports of the sentencing. We join recent calls by international organizations and U.N. human rights experts for the immediate release of all U.S. citizens unjustly detained in Iran, including Siamak and Baquer Namazi, so that they can return to their families, said a State Department spokesman, Mark Toner. UNICEF, the U.N. childrens agency, expressed deep sadness and personal concern over the sentence of Baquer Namazi. The entire UNICEF family are deeply concerned for his health and well-being, UNICEF said. Baquer has been a humanitarian all his life. We appeal for his release on humanitarian grounds. The Mizan report said Nizar Zakka, a U.S. permanent resident from Lebanon, also received a 10-year prison sentence. His supporters had earlier told about the sentence, though the Mizan report was the first official Iranian confirmation of it. It said two others had been convicted as well, without naming them or identifying their nationalities. The Namazi family fled Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but appears to have kept business ties in Iran, and the younger Namazi traveled back several times. He also wrote several articles calling for improved ties between Iran and the U.S., and urging Iranian Americans to act as a bridge between the rival governments. Still, Siamak Namazis efforts raised suspicions among hard-liners in Iran. In May 2015, a hard-line Iranian website called Fardanews specifically pointed to him in a highly critical article, accusing him of being part of efforts to allow the West to infiltrate Iran. 1 Fatal floods: Floods caused by heavy rains have killed 24 people and left four others missing in central Vietnam, disaster officials said Monday, as Typhoon Sarika approaches after leaving at least two people dead and displacing more than 150,000 in the Philippines. In the worst-hit province of Quang Binh, at least 18 people died, officials said. Rains of up to 3 feet Friday and Saturday swamped 125,000 homes in the region, disrupted the North-South Highway and damaged infrastructure and crops. 2 Assange hack: WikiLeaks says founder Julian Assanges Internet access has been cut by an unidentified state actor. Assange has been up holed up at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for more than four years after skipping bail to avoid being extradited over sex crimes allegations. The cramped quarters havent prevented him from working, and WikiLeaks continues to deliver scoops, including revelations that have rattled Hillary Clintons campaign for president. WikiLeaks did not elaborate on the circumstances. 3 Deadly collision: Two passenger buses collided head-on in central Pakistan on Monday, killing 25 people and injuring 69, officials said. The collision, which occurred in Khanpur town, was probably caused by speeding, police said. About 40 of the injured were reported to be in critical condition. Jamila Bibi, 60, who traveled in one of the buses, said the driver was reckless. We protested and asked him to slow down, she said by phone from her hospital bed. 4 Prison riots: At least 18 inmates died in two separate Brazilian penitentiaries in clashes between rival gangs, and authorities are investigating a possible connection between the uprisings, police said Monday. At least 10 of the prisoners died Sunday in the northern state of Roraima, while eight others were killed in a riot about 800 miles away at a penitentiary in Rondonia states capital of Porto Velho. 5 Factory explosion: An explosion at a factory belonging to chemical firm BASF in southwestern Germany killed at least two people and injured six others Monday, authorities said. The blast occurred at a river harbor in Ludwigshafen that is used to unload flammable liquids and liquefied gas. Plant manager Uwe Liebelt said it was preceded by a fire in a pipeline between the area where the liquids are unloaded and storage tanks. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Residents in parts of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim, on the other side of the Rhine river, were advised to stay indoors. 6 Tuition protests: South African protesters demanding free university education broke windows, forced open doors and threw human excrement in an effort to disrupt the resumption of classes, according to a university statement. The University of Cape Town reopened Monday after closing because of security concerns, but police were on campus and used a stun grenade to disperse protesters. Many universities have been hit since last month by sometimes violent protests for free education. 7 Hitler house: The house where Adolf Hitler was born will be torn down and replaced with a new building that has no association with the Nazi dictator, Austrias government announced Monday, as it moved to eliminate the propertys significance for neo-Nazis as a place of pilgrimage. The plan still has to be formalized in legislation and voted on in Parliament. But the Interior Ministry said demolition of the house in the western town of Braunau was recommended by a government commission. Chronicle News Services Despite more experience in the highest levels of government than any other presidential candidate in modern history and a composed demeanor amidst increasingly absurd (and sexist) assaults, why do some folks still hate Hillary Clinton? The answer is found in Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning book All the King's Men (1946). All the King's Men, a work of fiction, closely recounts the true story of Louisiana's progressive Democratic political icon, Huey P Long. As a governor, a senator, and then a presidential candidate, Huey Long rose to dictatorial levels of power during the 1920s and 1930s by creating a political machine within the state of Louisiana, along with an outsized persona. Although Long greatly improved the roads, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure of Louisiana, which brought a backward state into the 20th century economy, "the Kingfish" was also a ruthless powerbroker with an overextended hand in every state transaction. Huey Long was assassinated in 1935. Jack Burden narrates the historical fiction All the King's Men. Burden is a close aide to the Long character ("Willie Stark") who provides exposition, reflection and insight into Stark's acts and motivations. A former reporter, Jack is a detached confidant, an idealist who finds many faults with Willie Stark's realism. Yet as the book progresses, Burden gains several insights into Stark's soul, along with an epiphany regarding his own passive nature. Burden's first insight is that Willie Stark is a political pragmatist. "What is good and right does not get things done in politics," the governor notes. "Dirt" is a constant of political life. When Willie Stark revisits the ramshackle farm of his childhood, he reports, "I bet I slopped 500 head of hogs out of this trough ... 10,000 gallons of swill." Stark's personal philosophy regarding sin is that "Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud." In short, humans are inherently corrupt. This is especially true in politics, where bribes, favoritism and back alley pressure are the practical tools for accomplishment in Willie Stark's mind. Hillary Clinton demonstrates this same practical resignation toward corruption through her documented dealings within the Democratic Party backroom and the Goldman Sachs boardroom. Agendas are accomplished in big government with an ugly grease, a principal reason why some strongly dislike Clinton. A dangerously progressive agenda is another link between Willie Stark, Huey Long, and Hillary Clinton. In the novel, Willie Stark's core platform was composed of the following: Every child shall have a complete education; no aged or infirm person shall beg for bread; no poor man's land or house shall be taxed; the rich man and the great companies that draw wealth from this state shall pay a fair share; you shall not be deprived of hope. Clinton's 2016 platform mirrors this progressive Democratic agenda of the 1930s. As Willie Stark delivers these promises, he also raises taxes to pay for them, which begins a vicious cycle: promises, more taxes, more promises, and more taxes. Within a short time, the government grows to control nearly every facet of Louisiana life, with every job, road, hospital, school, judgeship, and government appointment requiring Willie Stark's blessing. This "state intrusion" is a fundamental fear of Hillary haters, an anxiety that the government (and its principal agents) will usurp too much power over the average citizen's life. Ego is the third source of Hillary hate. As Willie Stark's power and influence grow to near-absolute levels in Louisiana, he balks at bribes or schemes for enhancing personal wealth, which perplexes narrator Jack Burden. "The boss is not interested in money," Burden concludes. "He is interested in Willie." By the end of Willie's run, he is much more concerned about his legacy, motivated by persona and legend, about making a mark with modern hospitalswhich, in the end, are projects motivated by pure ego. Clinton admits to a similar conflict: "I've had to deal and struggle with a lot of these issues about ambition and humility, about service and self-gratification, all of the human questions that all of us deal with. But when you put yourself out into the public arena, I think it is incumbent upon you to be as self-conscious as possible." In the end, Willie Stark's ego even crosses Jack Burden though an illicit affair with Burden's longtime love, Anne Stanton. This betrayal leads to Stark's assassination. Yet Burden learns an important lesson through catastrophe about the power of "the twitch." In short, he realizes that dissociating from practical evils of politics and life, living pure idealism, engenders a false balance. At times, one must engage egos, politics and the dirtact with an animalistic twitch of lifea lesson for 2016 Americans who feel too disgusted to vote. Lee Miller graduated from Cornell University and has taught writing for over 13 years at the secondary and post-secondary levels. This column examines current events through the lens of quality literature. Santa Fe Reporter Oceanagold Corp, the NZX-listed gold miner, says an audit of its Didipio mine by the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) found it was in compliance with its permits but must do more to communicate with stakeholders. Melbourne-based Oceanagold was among 23 mining companies named at a media conference given by DENR secretary Gina Lopez and head of mining audit Leo Jasareno last month that could have operations suspended because of outstanding social issues. Since then the company has said it's engaged in "constructive" dialogue after the Philippines government, including the DENR officials. "The findings in the audit report relate mostly to a need to further educate a broader group of stakeholders on specific aspects of the operations," chief executive Mick Wilkes said in a statement. "The vast majority of recommendations relate to the need to further expand the companys information, education and communication program." He said concerns raised at the DENR media conference last month "were not included as findings outlined in the audit report". The company didn't release the report itself. Among the findings it did cite were "illegal artisanal small scale mining activities" in the Didipio area "that contribute to the degradation of the immediate environment and waterbodies" and a recommendation for government agencies to crack down on that. Wilkes says the company has seven days to address the report's findings and recommendations. "I am very confident that our responses to the DENR will satisfy all of the findings and recommendations that have been raised," he said. Lopez was quoted in the Philippines Star in August as saying she would look into complaints of several environmental groups regarding corrupt officials at DENR. Protesters had come from mining-affected communities including from the Nueva Vizcaya region where the Didipio Gold and Copper mine is located. The company operates the Macraes and Reefton mines in the South Island. Last year it acquired the Waihi mine from Newmont Mining Corp and it is also developing the Haile mine in the US, where commercial production is slated to start in early 2017. Shares in Oceanagold rose 7.2 percent to $4.19 and have gained 49 percent this year. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: SCL - Meateor and Fayman Settlement & Market Update November 1st Morning Report NZME Investor Day 2022 Virtual Event SPG - Changes to Executive Team HGH - Details for the Heartland 2022 Annual Shareholder Meeting Smartpay - Change of External Auditor AoFrio achieves 18% revenue growth in Q3-2022 SML - Annual Meeting 2022; Chair & Director Rotations Tower completes sale of Papua New Guinea subsidiary Pushpay enters into scheme implementation agreement... Truck shop operator Bestdeals 4 You has pleaded guilty to 19 charges of breaching the Fair Trading Act as well as the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act in Auckland's District Court. Bestdeals is the ninth mobile trader to be prosecuted since the Commerce Commissions investigation into the industry last year. It will be sentenced on Dec. 16, the Commerce Commission said in a statement. The company, which operates under the name Easylayby, operates a mobile business selling door-to-door in Auckland, Whangarei, and Hastings. It also operates Super Mobile, a store in South Auckland which offers layby sales. Bestdeals breached the Fair Trading Act by failing to comply with disclosure requirements for layby sales agreements, particularly by not providing customers with a copy of the terms and conditions of those agreements, the regulator said. It breached the CCCF Act by not telling consumers they had the right to cancel the contract, the right to apply for relief in the case of unforeseen hardship, and not giving details of the number of payments they had to make. The Commerce Commission has thirteen open investigations into mobile traders, while the District Court has imposed fines of about $510,000 on five mobile traders sentenced so far this year. Its mobile trader report published last August after a year-long investigation into the industry found that 31 out of 32 mobile traders identified didnt comply with their legal obligations. The main problems were a lack of disclosure to customers entering into contracts and a failure to be registered as financial service providers. The regulator initiated the investigation after a big increase in consumer complaints about how the truck shops operated, with anecdotal evidence the most vulnerable members of the community were being given confusing or deceptive information by mobile traders, particularly over the total price of their purchase. Despite the total price of items being sometimes double that in other stores, customers were attracted by the convenience of the truck shops, the low weekly or fortnightly payments, and the easy credit as many traders dont bother with credit checks, the report said. Commissioner Anna Rawlings has said changes to the law which took effect last year will enable the regulator to seek higher penalties for breaches of the CCCF Act than were available to the court in its first prosecution of Flexi Buy, which was fined $50,000 by the Auckland District Court with a further $3,408 awarded in damages to affected customers in March. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: SCL - Meateor and Fayman Settlement & Market Update November 1st Morning Report NZME Investor Day 2022 Virtual Event SPG - Changes to Executive Team HGH - Details for the Heartland 2022 Annual Shareholder Meeting Smartpay - Change of External Auditor AoFrio achieves 18% revenue growth in Q3-2022 SML - Annual Meeting 2022; Chair & Director Rotations Tower completes sale of Papua New Guinea subsidiary Pushpay enters into scheme implementation agreement... AWF Madison Group, the country's largest contract labour company, has bought IT recruitment group Absolute IT for $15.3 million. Absolute IT had revenue of about $65 million in the year to March 2016, AWF said. The purchase price comprises an initial payment of $11.1 million and an earnout of $4.2 million tied to Absolute IT's earnings in the year to November 2017. It will be adjusted based on the aggregate net assets of the business at completion, and is debt-funded, requiring no shareholder approval. The ICT recruitment market is expected to grow strongly, AWF chief executive Simon Bennett said, with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment projecting jobs growth of 4.6 percent a year until 2019 for ICT business and systems analysts and software developers, and 4.2 percent a year from 2019 until 2024. Many organisations, both within the public and private sectors, are looking to update legacy systems and bring their organisations up to speed with the current climate," Bennett said. "In the private sector in particular, digital capability and data driven business intelligence are increasingly essential for building sales and maintaining competitive edge." Absolute will keep its directors and manager and will retain its brand while back-office functions are integrated with AWF's. "AWF is experiencing strong demand, underpinned by the Auckland construction boom and high levels of activity in Wellington and Christchurch, and adding Absolute alongside the Madison brand will add significantly to our busy white-collar recruitment activity," Bennett said. The shares last traded at $2.38, and have gained 3.5 percent this year. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: SCL - Meateor and Fayman Settlement & Market Update November 1st Morning Report NZME Investor Day 2022 Virtual Event SPG - Changes to Executive Team HGH - Details for the Heartland 2022 Annual Shareholder Meeting Smartpay - Change of External Auditor AoFrio achieves 18% revenue growth in Q3-2022 SML - Annual Meeting 2022; Chair & Director Rotations Tower completes sale of Papua New Guinea subsidiary Pushpay enters into scheme implementation agreement... SINGAPORE: India continues to be one of the main growth markets for DHL Express which opened a new USD 100 million SouthAsia Hub in Singapore today. India-led South Asian markets accounted for 30 pct t growth in express cargo deliveries for DHL between 2012-15, the company's executives said, adding that India itself is a double-digit growth market. The company, which inaugurated the new 140 million Singapore dollar (USD 100 million) South Asia Hub here, serves India with two dedicated daily flights to Bangaloreand Delhi as well as commercial flights for express cargo deliveries to Mumbai, the officials said. The two dedicated flights to Bangalore and Delhi offers 195 tonnes per flight six times a week. South Asia accounts for 30 pct of the company's daily shipment growth between 2012-2015, said Ken Lee, CEO of DHL Express Asia Pacific. Oceania accounts 50 pct and South East Asia about 25 pct, he said. "India is a double-digit growth market for DHL Express," said Sean Wall, executive vice president for network, operations and aviation for Asia Pacific. The24-hour express hub facility located within Changi Airfreight Centre at Singapore Changi Airport, spread across23,600 square metres,is outfitted with the industry's first fully automated express parcel sorting and processing system in South Asia and is set to boost its operational capacity and efficiency at DHL Express. "The facility in Singapore processes up to 24,000 shipments and documents per hour and can handle over 628 tonnes of cargo during the peak processing window - tripling our cargo handling capacity and processing shipments six times faster as compared to the manual operations in the previous hub," said Frank-Uwe Ungerer, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DHL Express Singapore. Read Also: Major Take Outs from Recent India-Russia Defence Deals Uber Inks Driver Training Pact With IT Ministry; Aims to Create 1 Million Jobs BENGALURU: Indian PM Narendra Modi and President of Russia, Vladimir Putin have signed some major defense pacts between both the countries. The leaders of both countries signed 16 pacts on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit at Goa. India and Russia share a strong diplomatic relationship since a long time and these agreements will help to make them stronger. The Economic Times website has reported on how the agreement will help in making Indias defense line stronger. India signed a deal worth $5Bn to buy S-400 Triumf air defense systems. This missile system has the capability of destroying an enemy missile, aircraft or drone within a range of 400 km. India was in talks with Russia about buying the advanced system since a year or so and now its inclusion will be a game changer for Indias defense capabilities. Russia will invest $500Mn into the Indian infrastructure space and the same amount will be put into National Infrastructure Investment Fund (NIIF). Modi and Putin made several other announcements to provide a boost to the sectors like investment and trade, smart cities, hydrocarbons, and space. A joint agreement is signed for specialist training and shipbuilding in Andhra Pradesh. Vladimir Putin signed another agreement to build at least 200 Kamov helicopters in India. This decision is made on behalf of Narendra Modis drive to Make in India. The Indian prime minister is working to make India a manufacturing hub and making an industrial base for the defense equipment in the country. A pact is signed to set-up a Science and Technology Commission. Both countries raised their voices to show zero tolerance policy for terrorism. Both leaders launched the second unit of Kudankulum nuclear power plant through video conferencing and commenced the foundation of its Unit 3 and Unit 4. Prime Minister Modi said that unit 2 of Kudankulum and foundation of unit 3 and unit 4 are the results of the concrete relation between Delhi and Moscow. Narendra Modi in his address called Russia as Indias old friend. Read Also: Uber Inks Driver Training Pact With IT Ministry; Aims to Create 1 Million Jobs India, Russia To Study Building $25 Bn Pipeline WELLINGTON: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key is aiming to strengthen political and economic links with India during his visit to New Delhi next week. Key, who is leading a business and education delegation from October 24 to 28, will hold talks in New Delhi with President Pranab Mukherjee, who visited New Zealand earlier this year, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Xinhua news agency reported. "Along with further strengthening New Zealand's political, security, and economic connections with India, my meeting with Prime Minister Modi will be an opportunity to discuss his efforts to reform India's economy and howNew Zealand can be part of India' s growth," Key said in a statement Monday. "India is a key partner for New Zealand. It is a leading source of skilled migrants, international students and tourists, and in the five years since I last visited our two way trade has grown by 41 pct to 2.4 billion New Zealand dollars ($1 billion)." Key, last visited India in 2011. Besides New Delhi, the Prime Minister will also visit Mumbai and Kochi. Read Also: BRICS 'Balancing Influence' Against U.S.-Dominated World Order India, Russia Ink MoU For Cooperation In Smart Cities Scheme STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Mario Gentile smiles as he explains a new menu regimen: Sunday brunch. His 2-year-old Dongan Hills restaurant introduced the format earlier in October with a set of colorful dishes -- plus a roving cart set up for table-side service. "I want to try something a little different," offers the chef and proprietor. That's why he's pressing waffles to order topped with strawberries, fresh whipped cream, Nutella and a Fruity Pebble finish. His version of a bagel is "deconstructed" with smoked salmon, cream cheese and scallions arranged artfully on the plate for a patron's self-assembly. He's offering skirt steak with poached eggs as "Steak 'n' Eggs" with toasted brioche. Mario has come up with red velvet pancakes finished with a banana flambe and drizzles of Jacques Torres brand of chocolate. Torres, the New York City chef known as "Mr. Chocolate," is a neighbor of Mario's at his Manhattan operation, Adoro Lei. And, he's taken subsequenty to using Torres' famed ingredient at both restaurants. "He's three blocks away in Manhattan. We met and we made a chocolate pizza together," says Mario. That creation came about as a chocolate dough topped with butternut squash puree, dried cranberries, Gorgonzola cheese and a Marsala wine reduction. Of the recent Torres collaboration, Mario is appreciative and a bit stunned by the celebrity, "He's such a nice guy, I couldn't believe it." Working on another creation, Mario crafted a chocolate pizza enhanced with caramelized onions, bacon, Gorgonzola and cracked chocolate nibs. His chocolate jag with savory preparations has been a challenge, says Mario. "It was so difficult. I tasted so much pizza," the chef confesses with a laugh. And, speaking of his pizza, Mario's received accolades from The Daily Meal which called Adoro Lei out as 24th in the country for pizza. Mario's crust takes at least a day to proof, a formula that relies on only a bit of yeast for extra crunch and texture. Indeed, praise has been high these days for Mario's places among the Open Table accolades, a nod from Michelin on Staten Island after not even a year in business and kudos from Staten Island customers in Best of Staten Island readers' polls. "I'm always thinking of how to keep going. Unfortunately, I don't sleep. And I read a lot," he says. He tests ideas at both restaurants simultaneously, although the audiences are vastly different. "The difference in the places? The volume is the big difference. In Manhattan, they always want to try new things, instead of safety items, whether it's a new wine or a cocktail," says the chef. Still, he tinkers constantly on Staten Island. In fact, Mario's come up with new traditions like Mondays "kids eat free." Tuesdays see a prix fixe dinner. Thursday is Ladies' Night -- a free glass of sangria with an entree purchase -- and Friday marks time for a fresh crab sauce. Here the crustacean hails from fresh crabs ground and passed through a sieve, then simmered with tomato sauce with more crabmeat. Saturdays involve a family-style menu option and Sundays have become popular for its Sunday Sauce Pots, customized containers filled with "gravy" plus the sausage and meatball fixin's. Wednesdays celebrate "bottomeless pasta." "I have a cart that I pull up tableside," explains Mario. "We're going to have three different pastas with three different sauces that the customers can match. One pasta is gemelli, the others are a basic rigatoni and a linguine." Sauces can be puttanesca, filleta de Pomodoro plus a signature one built from pistachio nuts, lemon rind and grape tomatoes. Mario's is open daily for lunch and dinner. Sunday brunch runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and reservations are recommended. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, the restaurant switches over to dinner. And, next door is "Mario's To Go" which has take-out meals with salubrious bent, plus pizza, rice balls, sandwiches and do-it-yourself salad kits. Mario's is located at 1657 Richmond Road, Dongan Hills; 718-979-1075; MariosinNY.com. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After collaborating on a visual project titled "29 years of painting the New York skyline" for this year's anniversary of Sept. 11, Michael McWeeney and Sarah Yuster have teamed up again. This time their goal is to conserve the beautiful greenery that is the Staten Island Greenbelt. "Woodland Verse," a short film highlighting the importance of New York City's largest forest preserve, premiered Wednesday at the Greenbelt Conservancy Annual Meeting in the Greenbelt Nature Center. Greenbelt Conservancy from Michael McWeeney on Vimeo. McWeeney says he uses visuals to tell stories. The story the "needs to be told" here? "It's important for Staten Island to have a place like this," said the director and Stapleton resident. "The film is meant to remind you that your relationship with nature is important," added Yuster, a noted Staten Island painter and the film's co-director. "Woodland Verse" takes viewers on a walk through the "impressive natural beauty" of open space: From inspiring children to discover nature and wildlife, to forest restoration, trail running and guided hikes. "But behind the scenery for the past 27 years has stood the Greenbelt Conservancy as its guardian and caretaker," says Steven Cain, executive director of the greenbelt's non-profit caretaker. "Working in partnership with NYC Parks, the Conservancy is governed by a board of directors comprised of passionate and involved community members." Cain and company recruited the filmmakers with a grant from New York City Council including Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member Donovan Richards and the Staten Island Delegation, and Council Members Joe Borelli, Debi Rose and Steven Matteo. ABOUT THE PRODUCTION "Woodland Verse" also features a spoken word piece from Staten Island "poet laureate" Marguerite Maria Rivas and -- and stunning visuals of the 2800-acre-land on Staten Island's South Shore. The music of Howard Fox, whose "Scenes from the Greenbelt" world premiered with the Staten Island Philharmonic last November, is featured throughout the film, which opens with The Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, an organization largely responsible for laws passed to preserve the land. Continuing on and declining in age (more or less), a scene of a middle-aged hiker with her dog accompanies much of Rivas' reading, then dancer-choreographer-environmental-activist Melissa West appears with Erik Danielsen, a naturalist and member of the American Forests National Cadre. Greenbelt Nature Center coordinator (and Best of Staten Island Award-winning writer) Jessica Kratz is seen leading a night walk (aka "Frog Watch"). Dayside, Beth Gorrie and Staten Island OutLOUD take viewers down the "poetry path" where bits of signage contain short poems. The MakerSpace Steamwagon -- the "idea factory" from Stapleton's mobile programs for kids, incorporating tech, nature and art -- even makes a cameo appearance. The final scene focuses on a pair of young boys, Alex and Alexander, laughing and running through the woods. "They are every child --pure joy, and a reminder of what elements are so vital to a healthy environment," Yuster says. Note: The artist's daughter, biologist Nora Moskowitz, a research assistant at Harvard University, can be seen in the film searching the swamp edge for frog eggs. A DIFFERENT VIEW For the uninitiated: The Greenbelt Conservancy's mission is to maintain the borough's ecological resource through environmental education programs and events for the public. "My personal connection to the woods as a swamp-child has been a constant," said Yuster when asked why she chose to get involved with the film. "I feel that time alone in wild surroundings recharges, benefits mental and physical health and I've always been extremely interested in the natural sciences." Although McWeeney is a life-long visitor of the Greenbelt, he admits to rediscovering the area from a different perspective while filming with a drone to capture the Greenbelt from 100 feet up. "It was kind of a discovery of 'Wow, there's a lot more that's unseen when you get above everything,'" said McWeeney. The Greenbelt Nature Center is located at 700 Rockland Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314. For more information on the Greenbelt, visit SIGreenbelt.org nws Donovan Rep. Daniel Donovan stands by Donald Trump Monday, telling reporters that focusing on Trump's private taped comments and allegations against him are a "great distraction" from issues voters care about. (Staten Island Advance/Rachel Shapiro) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Focusing on Donald Trump's sexually aggressive comments from 11 years ago and sexual assault allegations from multiple women has been a "great distraction" from the real issues of the presidential race, Rep. Daniel Donovan said Monday, continuing to stand by Trump amid increased scrutiny on the Republican nominee and pressure on GOP politicians to pull their support. "I continue to support Mr. Trump for a number of reasons," the Republican Donovan said at an unrelated press conference Monday. He compared Trump's comments to former President Bill Clinton's predatory sexual relationships with various women, as well as Hillary Clinton's role in dismissing claims by the women. His opponent, Democrat Richard Reichard, and other Democrats, have called on him to denounce Trump. "I think some of the things that have recently come out, some of the things that he has said, some of the things that people have said about him and things he did, are disgusting," Donovan said. "They're indefensible and they're degrading to women and if they're true ... they're horrible. I also think that what Secretary Clinton said about the women who her husband abused, that they're liars, they're pigs, they're sluts is disgusting as well. So they're even. That's not the issue that people should be concentrating on." Donovan was speaking while standing in Piece-A-Cake Bakery on New Dorp Lane with owner Maria Carrozza, accepting an endorsement from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "People should be concentrating on Maria's issue of having a business that's overtaxed and overregulated," Donovan said. "They should be concentrating on trying to pay their mortgages and careers for their children who are coming out of school with $250,000 to $500,000 in debt." He mentioned he's the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee's subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, dealing with terrorism and natural disasters. "Those are things that people are concerned about. They're not concerned about what someone might have said 11 years ago or what someone might have said 20, 25 years ago defending their husband. They care about the issues that are important to them. It's been a great distraction." If allegations against Trump are true, Donovan will stand by him. "The things that President Clinton did in the White House have been proven to be true but he was still the president of the United States," the congressman said. "I think they're degrading, I think they're despicable, they're indefensible, they're disgusting. I don't think that disqualifies him from being president of the United States." "I hope that Wednesday night both candidates start talking about the things that are important to the American people, that are parochial to them." Holiday Shopping In this Friday, Nov. 27, 2015, file photo, shoppers carry bags as they cross a pedestrian walkway near Macy's in Herald Square, in New York. Macy's announced Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, it is staying committed to Thanksgiving Day shopping, confirming that it will open an hour earlier on Thanksgiving Day. The move comes as several stores and a mall operator have decided to close for the turkey feast. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) ORG XMIT: NYBZ108 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Bucking a trend among many national retailers to close on Thanksgiving, Macy's has announced it will open all stores -- including the one in the Staten Island Mall -- one hour earlier than it opened last year. The New Springville Macy's will open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving and remain open throughout the night into Black Friday, said Macy's spokeswoman Elina Kazan. "In response to significant, ongoing customer interest in shopping on Thanksgiving, both at Macy's and at many other retailers, we will be opening our full-line department stores at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24," she said. Kazan said Macy's surveyed store associates asking if they want to work on the holiday. "Again this year, we surveyed our store associates well in advance, giving them an opportunity to tell us their preferences, and we are working diligently to staff Thanksgiving with associates who volunteer," she said. "Doing so means that our employees are able to make their own decisions about how they contribute to our most important and busiest weekend of the year. Additionally, associates who work any shift on Thanksgiving day will be compensated with overtime pay," Kazan added. 100 STORE CLOSURES PENDING The early Thanksgiving opening follows Macy's recent announcement that it will close 100 stores nationwide next year. Macy's hasn't yet revealed which locations will be affected, but said there will be an announcement after retailers cash in on holiday shopping sales. The stores to be closed have yet to be determined, said Kazan. MORE THAN 50 RETAILERS CLOSED ON THANKSGIVING Macy's Thanksgiving announcement also comes on the heels of more than 50 national retailers' decision to remain closed on the holiday in order for their employees to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving with their families. Several malls across the country have announced they will not open on Thanksgiving this year, including Mall of America in Minneapolis, the nation's largest shopping mall, which will be closed on Thanksgiving for the first time since 2012. Since that announcement earlier this month, other malls around the country have followed suit, including the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based CBL & Associates, which has announced it will close nearly all of its 89 regional malls until 6 a.m. on Black Friday. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- This may be the first year that Halloween clown costumes have become no laughing matter. In light of recent events, in which creepy clowns across the country have become a public menace, Target has made the decision to pull clown masks off the shelves. Staten Island shoppers will be affected -- as there are two local Target locations: 2900 Veterans Road West as well as 2873 Richmond Avenue. "Given the current environment, we have made the decision to remove a variety of clown masks from our assortment, both in stores and online," said Joshua Thomas, spokesperson for Target. Thomas Smith, 53, a Manhattan resident, turned himself in at the 19th Precinct on Thursday after police circulated a surveillance photo and video of him, according to police. Police allege Smith blocked a 16-year-old male when he attempted to exit the "6" train at the East 96th Street station on Oct. 5 at about 1:55 p.m. Officials at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., ordered students to shelter in place for more than 30 minutes and evacuated a dorm after social media reports of an armed clown on campus. A false report last month of a clown grabbing a woman by the throat and threatening Reading, Ohio, schools led to classes being canceled for the day. A 13-year-old student at Utley Middle School in Rockwall, Texas, was charged this month with making a terroristic threat after posting a purported clown's hit list. Police told Dallas-Fort Worth television station KDFW that the student put herself on the list and told authorities she was only trying to stop any "real" clowns from attacking her school. Several teenagers in Connecticut were arrested this month on charges of making threats, accused of posting hoaxes on Instagram that led to extra security at several school districts. Still, for many shoppers, Halloween is still a time for clowning around. Those looking for clown costumes and masks can still find them at Party City, which has three local locations. They are located at 1549 Forest Ave., 2179 Hylan Blvd., and 2795 Richmond Ave. Spirit Halloween store, with locations at 1579 Forest Ave. and 2750 Hylan Blvd., also have clown costumes on the shelves. Do you think stores should pull clown masks and/or costumes off the shelves? Let us know what you think in the comments below. Andrew Cuomo New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivers his State of the State address and executive budget proposal at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mike Groll) (Mike Groll) ALBANY, N.Y. -- A broad coalition of environmentalists, anti-hunger advocates and agriculture groups is urging New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign legislation giving farmers a tax break for donating food to food banks. In a letter sent to Cuomo on Tuesday and signed by 144 groups including the New York Farm Bureau and the Natural Resources Defense Council, the coalition said the bill would address a growing hunger problem while reducing wasted food. "Often, the most nutritious food is also the most expensive and the most perishable -- and therefore the most out-of-reach for low-income families," said Margarette Purvis, president of the Food Bank For New York City. "The farm to food bank bill will be a further encouragement to the generous farmers of our great state to make new produce donations for neighbors in need." Farmers last year donated 12 million pounds of food in New York. Supporters argue that number could go up dramatically if the state gives a credit to farmers to offset the cost of harvesting and transporting surplus crops that otherwise might go to waste. The credit would be capped at $5,000 annually. Cuomo vetoed the bill last year because lawmakers chose to handle it outside the standard state budget process. It passed the Legislature again this year, and a spokesman for the Democratic governor said the bill remains under review. "This is not only an upstate issue or a downstate issue. It is not only a poverty issue or a farmers' issue," said Assemblyman Francisco Moya, a Queens Democrat. He said the bill, which he sponsored, would ensure "food doesn't go to waste, it goes towards ensuring no family experiences the pain of hunger pangs." The federal government already offers a tax credit to farmers who donate goods to food banks. Several states have created their own tax credits, including California, Oregon and Colorado. An estimated 2.3 million New Yorkers rely on emergency food programs like the ones offered by food pantries, and more than a third of them are children. Other signees on the letter include the League of Conservation Voters and several regional food banks and anti-hunger advocacy groups. nws Reichard Richard Reichard is running against Rep. Dan Donovan and released the two TV ads this week. (Staten Island Advance/Rachel Shapiro) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - The Democrat challenging Rep. Daniel Donovan released two new TV ads three weeks before the election, accusing the congressman of being two-faced and of supporting a hostile-to-New-York Speaker Paul Ryan. Richard Reichard's two 30-second ads come about three weeks after Donovan unveiled two of his own professionally produced TV ads. Both of Reichard's low-budget ads use the same unflattering, open mouthed photo of Donovan and both open with a headshot of Reichard and a banner reading, "Richard Reichard, Democrat for Congress." The ads are running on cable channels. The campaign commercials were produced by Reciprocal Results Inc., the company run by Roy Moskowitz, who is handling media for the Reichard campaign. The first ad criticizes Donovan for supporting Ryan as speaker after the Wisconsin congressman voted against passing a bill to aid Hurricane Sandy victims and against extending the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. "This is the same Paul Ryan who voted against Sandy aid and who twice voted against providing health care for 9/11 first responders," Reichard's voice is heard as the photo of Donovan is displayed. "Dan Donovan takes credit for passage of the 9/11 first responders health care legislation that was never voted on because Paul Ryan would not allow a vote. A vote for Dan Donovan on Nov. 8 is a vote for Paul Ryan and his anti-New York agenda." Asked to clarify what he meant when he said the Zadroga Act was never voted on -- it was passed by both the House and Senate in December -- Reichard said he was referring to an earlier attempt to vote on the bill in the House. He argues the bill, which was wrapped into the omnibus, a $1.1 trillion spending package, was passed despite Ryan's opposition. Donovan spokeswoman Jessica Proud scoffed at the notion that Ryan blocked passage of the bill, pointing out that without Ryan's support, the bill wouldn't have made its way into the omnibus. Donovan was a co-sponsor of the bill to extend the Zadroga act. Reichard's second ad accuses the congressman of being two-faced. "This is the tale of two Dan Donovans: District Dan and DC Dan. District Dan pretends to be a moderate who wants to get things done but DC Dan obeys the Republican leadership," Reichard's voice is heard saying as the same unflattering photo of Donovan is flashed across the screen. "For example, District Dan says he wants to keep weapons away from those on the terrorist watch list, but in December 2015, DC Dan voted against allowing a vote on such legislation because the Republican leadership and the gun lobby do not want a vote." Proud explained that the vote Reichard alludes to was not a vote on the bill to keep weapons away from those on the terrorist watch list, a bill of which Donovan is a co-sponsor, but rather an obscure procedural vote, called a question of the privileges of the house. The actual bill has yet to be voted on. "It's a gross misrepresentation of his positions and his record and it's really sad that Reichard would stoop to lying about it," Proud said. "Zadroga obviously speaks for itself, Dan worked to get it passed, it did pass, the ad is really disingenuous at best." Page Content GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) World Food Day is a day of action against hunger. On October 16, people around the world came together to declare their commitment to eradicate hunger in our lifetime. Because when it comes to hunger, the only acceptable number in the world is zero. The theme for World Food Day is Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too. The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department from the Sint Maarten Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, says that everyone has a role to play in mitigating the effects of climate change. Countries need to invest in smallholder farmers and sustain-ably increase food production, but there are also a number of actions that you can take to help. By being conscientious or ethical consumers and changing simple day-to-day decisions, for example, by wasting less food, or eating less meat and more nutritious pulses, we can reduce our environmental footprint and make a difference. The observations and creating awareness of the annual theme is part of CPS's annual calendar of health observances. One of the biggest issues related to climate change is food security. The worlds poorest - many of whom are farmers, fishers and pastoralists - are being hit hardest by higher temperatures and an increasing frequency in weather-related disasters. At the same time, the global population is growing steadily and is expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. To meet such a heavy demand, agriculture and food systems will need to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change and become more resilient, productive and sustainable. This is the only way that we can ensure the well being of ecosystems and rural populations and reduce emissions, according to the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO). Growing food in a sustainable way means adopting practices that produce more with less in the same area of land and use natural resources wisely. It also means reducing food losses before the final product or retail stage through a number of initiatives including better harvesting, storage, packing, transport, infrastructure, market mechanisms, as well as institutional and legal frameworks. FAO is calling on countries to address food and agriculture in their climate action plans and invest more in rural development. By strengthening the resilience of smallholder farmers, we can guarantee food security for the planets increasingly hungry global population and also reduce emissions. At the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015, 193 countries pledged to end hunger in the next 15 years. With unprecedented speed, the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change is set to enter into force, just in time for the next climate change conference, COP22, from 7-18 November 2016 in Marrakech, Morocco. The global goal for achieving Zero Hunger is 2030 an ambitious goal and one that cannot be reached without addressing climate change. Our collective task is now to turn commitments into action on the ground. For more information, you can call CPS 542-2078 or 542-3003. Page Content BARBADOS - In the margins of the EU- Caribbean Sustainable Energy Conference in Bridgetown Barbados, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, The Honorable William Marlin met with the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community, Ambassador Mr. Irwin LaRocque. The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss the state of affairs of Sint Maartens application for associate membership to CARICOM and secondly to test the potential for regional cooperation between the Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) and CARICOM/CARIFORUM. During the meeting, Ambassador LaRocque updated Prime Minister Marlin on Sint Maartens application. LaRocque informed Prime Minister Marlin that Sint Maartens application, along with that of Curacao and Aruba have the attention of the technical working group specifically established to devise the terms and conditions of associate membership to CARICOM, as they had not been enshrined in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas , the Communitys foundation document . Ambassador LaRocque also explained that CARICOM is presently working on an enlargement policy for new members which they intend to present to the Heads of Government for decision making by the end of this year. Sint Maarten officially sent its letter of interest for associate membership to CARICOM in January 2014. During the intercessional meeting of the Heads of Government in March 2014, the Heads took note of all the applications for associate membership before the Community and endorsed the process of application. Consequently a technical delegation from the Government of Sint Maarten went to visit the CARICOM headquarters September 2015 in Georgetown, Guyana. As Regional Authorizing Officer (RAO) for the Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) 11th EDF Regional Program, Prime Minister Marlin also discussed the potential for possible partnerships with CARICOM. Prime Minister Marlin informed Ambassador LaRocque, that with CARICOM being a regional organization and successfully completing the so called pillar assessment, CARICOM has been included in the list of the preselected nine organizations requested to submit an expression of interest to function as a delegated partner to (financially) manage the 11th EDF Caribbean Regional Programme along with the RAO. Ambassador LaRocque responded positively to this, explaining a shared view on wider regional cooperation and ensured that CARICOM would respond to this request. A meeting with CARICOM and St. Maarten on this matter, will follow in the coming period. Page Content PHILIPSBURG - Good afternoon and welcome to St. Maarten. Permit me to start by paraphrasing the Psalmist and say: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for our Reverend Fathers to gather together in unity! For coming together to do Gods work is what this conference is all about. I am informed that the theme of your conference is: A Church that wants to reach all people in Mission of Mercy and specifically that you wish to achieve this by reflecting on the teaching of the Church, by sharing experience and activities in this Year of Mercy and by planning various activities for the coming year. Your mission is not an easy one. I wish you Gods guidance and success. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis said, Mission is never the fruit of a perfectly planned program or a well-organized manual. Mission is always the fruit of a life which knows what it is to be found and healed, encountered and forgiven. Mission is born of a constant experience of Gods merciful anointing. Our God is, indeed, a God of mercy. Mercy is His nature. However, I doubt if we truly understand mercy. We are more prone to judge others than to be merciful towards them. Yet, we would kneel down and ask God as we do in Psalm 51 to: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. How could we pray like that if we are filled with judgment? God grants us mercy freely, without our deserving it. Therefore, it would be logical that what we have been given freely, we should also give away freely. In this Year of Mercy, in order for the Church to reach ALL people, we must embrace the words of Pope Francis when he said: We cannot understand Christ without his Church, just as we cannot understand the Church without her spouse, Christ Jesus, who gave His life out of love, and who makes us see that it is worth the price. The Holy Father further told us, when he visited Cuba, to Go out to others and share the good news that God, our Father, walks at our side. He frees us from anonymity, from a life of emptiness and selfishness, and brings us to the school of encounter. He removes us from the fray of competition and self-absorption, and he opens before us the path of peace. That peace which is born of accepting others, that peace which fills our hearts whenever we look upon those in need as our brothers and sisters. Standing before you as a lay man, as a Catholic lay man, I know that I do not stand alone when I tell you that you couldnt have chosen a better time to hold your conference here, as we continue to celebrate 175 years of the Catholic Church on St. Maarten. You are therefore, most welcome to our friendly island, and although your mission is one of meditation, reflection, and planning, may I remind you again of the words of our Holy Father: A Christianity which does little in practice, while incessantly explaining its teachings, is dangerously unbalanced. So, please do find time to seek that balance by doing some sight-seeing, and perhaps a little shopping here and there, while sharing the love of God. May God shed His inspiring light upon your deliberations. I thank you. By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree Best Canadian Blog 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 About Kate Why this blog? Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked. This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio - "You don't speak for me." (goes to a private mailserver in Europe) I can't answer or use every tip, but all are appreciated! Katewerk Art Support SDA I am not a registered charity. I cannot issue tax receipts. 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Juan Giner - INNOVATION International Media Consulting Group I got links from the Weekly Standard, Hot Air and Instapundit yesterday - but SDA was running at least equal to those in visitors clicking through to my blog. Jeff Dobbs "You may be a nasty right winger, but you're not nasty all the time!" Warren Kinsella "Go back to collecting your welfare livelihood."Michael E. Zilkowsky Intelliweather Seismic Map Comments Policy Read this Best Of SDA Hide The Decline The Bottle Genie (ClimateGate links) You Might Be A Liberal Uncrossing The Line Bob Fife: Knuckledragger A Modest Proposal (NP) Settled Science Series Y2Kyoto Series SDA: Reader Occupation Survey Brett Lamb Sheltered Workshop Flakes On A Plane All Your Weather Are Belong To Us Song Of The Sled The Raise A Flag Debacle (Now on Youtube!) (.mwv Video) Abuse Ruins Life Of Girl Trudeaupiate Kleptocrat Jeans Child Labour I Concede Small Dead Feminist Protein Hoser: THK Interview The Werewolf Extinction Dear Laura (VRWC) We Wait Blogging The Oscars Jackson Converts To Islam Just Shut The HELL Up Manipulating Condi Gay Equality Rights System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0228278)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f048e258)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0228278)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f048e258)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0219e70)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f048e258)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f048e258)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e71c2480)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f04ad200)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f04ad200)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f015e970)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f020a300)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f015e970)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f020a300)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f02161d8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f020a300)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f020a300)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e71c2fe8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0306588)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0306588)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 The glaring lack of a suitable candidate for the role of attorney-general is causing concern among the ACT's legal community. The role of the ACT's first law officer is both demanding and complex, requiring the officeholder to navigate difficult legal terrain and make difficult calls on balancing human rights with law and order. There are concerns about the lack of a suitable replacement for retired attorney-general Simon Corbell. Credit:Jamila Toderas The position typically goes to politicians with legal experience, something none of the current Labor members possesses. The only potential newcomer with a legal background is Ginninderra candidate Gordon Ramsay, who is currently in a tight battle for the the electorate's fifth seat with sitting member Chris Bourke. Eight of Labor's top 10 booths in Saturday's election were located in Gungahlin, indicating overwhelming backing for the light rail project. Gungahlin was a strongly Liberal area in the 2012 election but on Saturday that picture was turned on its head, delivering a resounding vote for Labor. Labor's Transport Minister and Gungahlin representative Meegan Fitzharris did well. Credit:Melissa Adams In Franklin, 57 per cent of people who cast their vote in the suburb supported Labor, its biggest result anywhere. Just 27 per cent voted Liberal. Labor also won more than 46 per cent and as much as 52 per cent at booths in Harrison, Gungahlin centre, Forde, Ngunnawal, Palmerston, Bonner, and Amaroo. Dogs aren't usually allowed into the National Library no matter how much you beg! But they're relaxing the rules slightly on Thursday for an author talk by adventurer Tim Cope, who will bring along his trusty furry companion, Tigon. Tim Cope with Tigon, who accompanied him on his 10,000-kilometre journey. Credit:Unknown On October 20 at 6pm, Cope will talk about his epic adventure as he journeyed through the land of the nomads following in the footsteps of Genghis Khan's conquering armies. His book, On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey through the Land of the Nomads, tells of his three-year, 10,000-kilometre journey on horseback. Mindful of both detail and "the big picture", everything she laid her hands to whether it was designing exquisite but bold garments for dance or exhibition, or fashioning individual garments and undertaking interior design work either commissioned or for herself and friends she did with inventiveness, great practicality, accomplishment and perfection. And though she could chide one for some lapse in standards, we all knew her judgment was infallible. She acquired the status of an oracle: if one was in doubt it was to Dorothy we went for the final word. A woman of unselfconscious elegance, impeccable taste and consummate style, Dorothy Herel, who died in Melbourne on June 11 this year, possessed a natural grace, warmth and an endearing lack of pretentiousness. Perhaps this latter quality can be attributed to a marvellous sense of humour and an entirely "grounded", pragmatic and idiosyncratic way of being in the world attributes which endeared her to her friends. Her laughter was infectious, her "eye" infallible. Dorothy Catherine Herel (nee Davis) was born in Melbourne in 1939. After a conventionally middle class childhood and adolescence, she studied Graphic Art and Design at Swinburne Institute of Technology, and, being something of a tear-away, encountered Melbourne's Bohemian art world (including the Moras and the Heide circle). Seeking broader horizons than those of a largely white Anglo-Saxon Australian culture, like so many other talented young Australians in the late 1950s and early '60s, she embarked for Europe at the age of twenty-one. Following a brief stint in London she travelled to Rome where she worked for two years before settling in Paris where she found work creating designs for tapestry weavers. Perhaps her life-long involvement with textiles found true inspiration there. Certainly her immersion in European life during this formative decade was seminal. France especially, with its cosmopolitanism, understated style and refined aesthetic cultivated those attributes in her - and though she was to return to Australia with her Czech artist husband in 1973, she retained a very cultivated and European sensibility which resonated with that of her husband, the artist Petr Herel, whom she had met in Paris in 1970. French was their lingua franca and has remained so within their family. Their marriage fostered a richly creative output from both of them. Following the births in Melbourne of their daughters Sophie in 1974 and Emilie about 16 months later, in 1976 the Herels returned to live in France. In Dijon, where Petr was teaching, they formed a strong friendship with Thierry Bouchard, a distinguished typographer and publisher of livres d'artiste , with whom Petr was later to form the Labyrinth Press. An offer to Petr to establish a department devoted to the production of artists' books at the Canberra School of Art occasioned their permanent return to Australia in 1979. It was to prove the beginning of a highly creative evolution in Dorothy's life. Working with the Canberra-based dance companies, she designed costumes for the Human Veins Dance Theatre (Under the Skin, 1980, Illusions, and Maya, 1985) and then with the Meryl Tankard Company (Banshee, 1989). Simultaneously, throughout the 1980s Dorothy Herel was also making exquisite and original clothing for many of her friends and for a number of public figures. While these much-acclaimed items existed in a realm between haute couture and nouvelle vague, her creativity found its most inventive expression in garments that transcend the boundaries between art and clothing. Collaborating with other Canberra-based textile artists and papermakers, in true European spirit, she made no distinction between the applied arts and so-called "pure art". Richmond are poised to finally secure Dion Prestia from Gold Coast as the trade period draws to a close. A deal that would send contracted Carlton star Bryce Gibbs home to Adelaide also appears close to being reached. Dion Prestia is close to joining Richmond. Credit:Getty Images While Gold Coast and Hawthorn were likely to head into mediation over Jaeger O'Meara, the Suns and Richmond were close to closing a deal in which the Tigers would concede pick 6 for the former top 10 draft pick. Under the deal, Richmond would give the Suns their first pick, as well a future second-round pick. The planned merger between Tatts Holdings and Tabcorp Group to create a $10 billion gaming behemoth raises "major concerns", according to the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. ACCC approval is proving a major hurdle for a merger deal, the details of which are expected to be released on Wednesday after Tatts and Tabcorp exit their respective trading halts. Tatts' and Tabcorp's merger talks come as the spring racing carnival gets under way. Credit:Getty Images The potential tie-up is expected to also face scrutiny from state governments. Tatts and Tabcorp are expected to present a merger of equals to shareholders, where both entities will end up with a 50 per cent stake in the combined entity. Pressure to raise more capital from an arms race with banks overseas is easing, say treasurers from two big four banks, as global bank regulators put a higher priority on boosting economic growth. The two senior executives also played down the likely impact of a cut in the federal government's credit rating on the banking system, saying it may only result in a small lift in funding costs. Westpac treasurer Curt Zuber said he believed regulators around the world were paying more attention to the trade-off between better capitalised banks and economic growth. Credit:Andrew Quilty Banks have been under pressure to raise billions in capital in recent years, after the financial system inquiry set them the moving target of being among the top quartile of best capitalised banks in the world. As foreign lenders have raised more capital, this has raised the bar for being in the top quartile, which the inquiry said would ensure Australia's banks were "unquestionably strong". Fairfax Media has put in a strong showing in the Walkley Awards' business category featuring in all three successful finalist entries. Adele Ferguson, Mario Christodoulou and Klaus Toft were nominated for Fairfax Media's joint investigation with the ABC's Four Corners into CommInsure's life insurance business. Fairfax Media's Ben Schneiders, Royce Millar and Nick Toscano, who all work at The Age, were nominated for their expose of shoddy pay deals for retail workers. Completing the shortlist, is a joint entry from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Fairfax Media's Australian Financial Review team Neil Chenoweth, Ed Tadros and Les Hewitt, and Four Corners for stories exposing Australian links to the Panama Papers. Bairnsdale Bairnsdale's biggest booze outlet, a shop leased to First Choice Liquor until November 2020, has sold for just under $3 million, Colliers International's Tom Noonan and Tim McIntosh said. A Chinese investor purchased the 800 sqm building at 54 Main Street on an "extremely low yield for a regional retail investment property, of just 6 per cent," Mr McIntosh said. Chadstone The Beaurepaires Chadstone store at 1356 Dandenong Road has been snapped up by a private investor for $1.704 million. The 440 sqm building, leased to one of Australia's largest tyre outlets, was offered sale for the first time in 28 years, Ray White Commercial's Ryan Amler said. Beaurepaires took a five-year lease with three five year options in September, 2015 paying $72,100 per annum net rental income. Coburg North Family run Benton's Plumbing will expand into a showroom at 6 Milkman Way after snapping up the property for $1.1 million in a heated auction overseen by CBRE and DGI Properties. The 850 sqm building and 1,324 sqm site with a showroom, warehousing and car park will be an to Benton's current stores in Brunswick and Keilor, Guy Naselli & Daniel Eramo said. Malvern A vacant block at 669 Dandenong Road has sold for $1.7 million, Prowse Burns Commercial's Philip Prowse said. The 543 sqm site with a Commercial 1 zoning would eventually be developed, he said. Ravenhall Corplex Group has sold a brand new industrial shed for $3.15 million. CVA's Anthony Carbone and Jarrod Moran said the 2,962 sqm building at 47 Barretta Road was constructed to meet growing demand for warehousing in the western suburbs. In another deal, Robert Cubelic and Leo Mancino sold a corner office/warehouse at 45-47 Graham Court in Hoppers Crossing for $1.28 million. The building was on 2,560 sqm of land. Camberwell The vendor of a small shop at 543 Riversdale Road netted a 25 per cent capital gain over four years after selling the property at auction for $1.731 million. The shop, leased to Riverside Optical until June 2020 for $62,000 per annum, generated significant interest and sold on a 3.5 per cent yield, GormanKelly's David Minton and Chris Alcock said. Prahran A small boutique office at 1 Grattan Street has sold for $400,000 to an owner-occupier, Ray White Commercial Oakleigh's George Kelepouris said. Mr Kelepouris said the vacant 70 sqm suite had a small balcony on the northern side of the building and located close to Chapel Street and Prahran Market. Carrum Downs A new four-unit warehouse development just off Eastlink at 7 Levida Drive constructed by Lettieri Property Group for a local developer has sold through recently-formed agency Simple Industrial Commercial. Tony Aminian said three of the four units sold off the plan with the final unit sale negotiated as the building neared completion. "The total sales value is $1.98 million with the two largest units each 400 sqm selling for $540,000 and two smaller units each 324 sqm realising $450,000". Mulgrave Owner-occupier Quicklift Garage Doors has paid $2.96 million for an office and warehouse in the Enterprise Park at 61-63 Glenvale Crescent, The 2775 sqm property included 2375 sqm of warehousing on a 5741 sqm site with 50 on-site car spaces, Savills Australia's Daniel Kelly said. LEASES Preston Property investors are pumping more of their money into the suburbs surrounding the city centre as the value of property skyrockets and available stock decreases. New research from Cushman & Wakefield found higher investment volumes outside all central business districts, apart from Adelaide. But it was most stark in Melbourne where $2 billion out of the $2.8 billion invested in the September quarter of 2016 was poured into the city's inner suburbs. A growing number of investors are looking for value just beyond the CBD fringe Credit:Craig Abraham Cushman & Wakefield national director of research John Sears said "The underlying reason is locals are reluctant to sell because they do not know where else to invest." The research found investment values surged 32 per cent to $9 billion since the June quarter from a larger number of smaller deals. New South Wales attracted the largest amount of investment with $3.88 billion worth of transactions. Melbourne's once-coveted retail strips are struggling to reinvent themselves and fill empty shops, with almost one in six vacant on key strips such as Chapel Street and Bridge Road. The worrying vacancy figures haven't stopped investors ploughing money into suburban retail assets where agents regularly report yields that once were hovering around 6 per cent, sharpening to between 3 and 4 per cent. Bridge Road, Richmond is suffering under soaring vacancies. Credit:Eddie Jim Investors are being driven by cheap finance, the need to diversify away from residential real estate and fears of volatility in global stock markets. Knight Frank research director Richard Jenkins said Chapel Street had recorded its highest vacancy ever, climbing from 11 per cent in August 2015 to its current rate of 13.5 per cent. Gambling giants Tabcorp Holdings and Tatts Group have unveiled the terms of a merger to create an $11 billion wagering powerhouse they say will be strong enough to compete with international bookmakers. The two companies announced on Wednesday morning they had struck a deal in which Tabcorp will buy out Tatts at a premium of about 20 per cent. Tabcorp wants to buy Tatts in part to fend off a growing challenge from overseas online rivals like William Hill and Paddy Power Betfair. Credit:Erin Jonasson The companies emerged from trading halts on Wednesday and the prospect of a merger sent Tatts shares up 15.46 per cent to $4.145 and Tabcorp was also up 2 per cent to $4.99 in mid-afternoon trading. "Bringing together our businesses will create a strong and diversified business that is well placed to invest, innovate and compete, both in Australia and globally," Tabcorp chairman Paula Dwyer said. The two companies held merger talks last year but were unable to agree to terms . The potential tie-up comes just weeks ahead of the Spring Racing carnival and is expected to face scrutiny from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The potential tie-up comes just weeks ahead of the Spring Racing carnival. Credit:Paul Rovere The two companies requested trading halts on Tuesday morning to review a scheme of arrangement proposal. Wagering giants Tabcorp Holdings and Tatts Group are again pursuing merger talks that would create a $10 billion gaming behemoth. The merger has been predicted to create between $80 million and $100 million in synergies. Credit:Phil Carrick The two companies requests for trading halts were almost identically worded. "The trading halt is requested pending the outcome of discussions in relation to a potential change of control transaction pursuant to a scheme of arrangement that is under consideration by Tabcorp," Tabcorp's statement to the Australian Securities Exchange said. Both Tabcorp and Tatts said the trading halt would remain in place until the beginning of trade on Wednesday. The merger has been predicted to create between $80 million and $100 million in synergies by consolidating IT platforms, administrative functions and by reducing headcount. Chinese authorities warned Crown Resorts last year to halt its efforts to attract high-rollers or 'whales' from the mainland to gamble overseas, according to reports. After the warning, Chinese authorities observed senior executives make short business trips to China instead of spending long periods in the country, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing an unnamed source familiar with the government's move to detain 18 of Crown's employees. The employees, detained across several cities in mainland China, are being transferred to Shanghai where police and prosecutors will coordinate inquiries. The company held an emergency board meeting on Monday night in a bid to contain the unfolding crisis. In his first public comments since Chinese police detained the 18 Crown staff in a series of co-ordinated late-night raids on Thursday, billionaire gaming mogul James Packer, who owns 48 per cent of the company, said he was "deeply concerned" for the welfare of those detained. Among those detained are three Australians: Jason O'Connor, Jerry Xuan and Pan Dan. Australia stands accused of deliberately harming children Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss "The potential for a disruptive adjustment in China remains pronounced, given the ongoing increase in debt," it said. The sheer pace of lending growth makes it likely many loans are going to marginal borrowers or unprofitable projects. China's growth is slowing and that will make it harder for highly leveraged firms to service their debts, especially if loans have funded unviable projects. To make matters worse much of the rapid growth has been from China's less regulated "shadow banking" sector. China's financial system "has become increasingly large, opaque and interconnected," the Reserve warned. The IMF's regular assessment of the Chinese economy, released in August, called on authorities to "tackle" the debt problem urgently. Luckily, Chinese authorities have the capacity to deliver more economic stimulus if needed. But the difficult remedies required to return China to a more sustainable rate of credit growth are likely to "displace" workers and take a toll on growth. Any artificial measures used to try and postpone the inevitable adjustment are likely to make it even more disruptive. And any policy missteps along the way could deepen the slowdown. The IMF says there's "a tangible risk of permanently lower medium-term growth". Of course, a sharp slowdown in Chinese growth would hit our economy harder than most and put many jobs at risk. Australia has the highest proportion of exports going to China of any advanced economy. Last financial year it accounted for more than 30 per cent of Australia's merchandise exports, up from about 10 per cent a decade earlier. It's also our largest market for services exports having jumped from around 3 per cent of the total to 15 per cent in just 15 years. China is Australia's second largest source of tourists and they spend far more than the average overseas visitor. China is also a key market for Australia's international education industry. What's surprising is that the potential fall-out from China's debt binge doesn't get much more attention here. The Reserve Bank's warnings about China last week didn't dominate the headlines. They were eclipsed by another financial risk highlighted in the report how a glut of inner-city apartments could leave highly leveraged investors and property developers exposed should prices slide. In the first of three "headland" speeches in late August the Treasurer, Scott Morrison, also canvassed the economic threat posed by rising corporate debt and slowing economic growth in China. "Interesting times may lay ahead, and we must prepare," he said. It is rare for an Australian treasurer to talk about the risks that come with Australia's extensive economic ties with China, not just the opportunities. But the warning was again overshadowed, that time by Morrison's remarks about "the taxed and the taxed nots" how more Australians are likely to go through life never paying more tax than they receive in government payments than in the past. The amount of quality news and financial analysis about Asia in the Australian media has improved over the past decade or so. But analysis of the Chinese economy is still routinely eclipsed by financial news from Europe and North America. We still pay disproportionate attention to financial events in America and Britain even though those places have become less important to us economically. The blanket coverage of Brexit is a case in point there's no doubt the aftermath of China's credit boom poses a much bigger economic threat to Australia than Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, but the balance of media coverage here doesn't reflect that. Despite our growing economic integration with the Asia, deep curiosity about the region remains strangely limited. It's high time that changed. The High Court is currently considering whether to grant special leave to appeal in a defamation case which has important consequences for press freedom and the future of investigative journalism. The case is Liu v The Age. A high point in investigative journalism: Robert Redford, right, and Dustin Hoffman portray Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the 1976 movie, All the President's Men, about the 1972 Watergate scandal. Credit:AP The plaintiff, prominent businesswoman Helen Liu, sued The Age and three journalists responsible for articles published in the newspaper. Not content with suing the newspaper and journalists, Ms Liu also brought an application under the preliminary discovery court rules to compel the defendants to disclose the identity of the sources for the article (thought to be disgruntled employees of hers) so she could sue them as well. "As a father of daughters" is a well-worn phrase, trod out every time men feel the need to distance themselves from misogynistic comments or behaviour. It has been particularly pervasive in the last few weeks, as Republicans have denounced Donald Trump for saying he "grabs" women's genitals in a leaked video from 2005. Rep Jason Chaffetz of Utah, for example, said "My wife and I, we have a 15-year-old daughter, and if I can't look her in the eye and tell her these things, I can't endorse this person." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky issued a statement explaining that "as the father of three daughters, I strongly believe that Trump needs to apologise directly to women and girls everywhere". Boys should be raised to be conscious and critical of the culture they enter. The "as a father of daughters" refrain has even become part of Hillary Clinton's offensive. An ad released by her campaign features a lifelong Republican who announces that he won't vote for Trump because "I'm the father of three girls". Fathers of daughters may well feel a personal sense of outrage but it's the fathers of sons who could, ultimately, do something to mitigate or end the misogyny that taints our culture. Left up to their own devices, we know what boys will grow up to do. According to a 2014 study, 65 per cent of women have experienced street harassment, 20 per cent have been followed, and 9 per cent forced to do something sexual. But the street isn't the only danger zone: one in three women has been harassed at work, according to a Cosmopolitan magazine study last year. Sexual assault is widespread on college campuses. As a father of sons, it's my responsibility to help fix these problems. Just as I speak with my children about other issues of civil rights and discrimination, I speak with them about the difficulties women have historically faced at the hands of men. I have to speak in an age-appropriate fashion when it comes to sexual activity and predation, but the basic concept of consent is something every child can understand. My kids were taught not to grab others' toys when they were still in diapers; surely, over time, that instruction can be applied to other discussions of what else they may not grab. If we don't have that discussion with our boys, if we don't speak frankly and specifically about what consent and respect for women mean, we're leaving them at the mercy of our broader society. Our boys' morality is too precious to leave up to television and locker room buddies as their main sources of instruction. But it's not enough to simply avoid offence. We need to raise our boys to be conscious and critical of the culture they enter. Confronting misogyny around them will make our boys not just individuals who do no harm, but agents of change. When they hear someone make a sexist joke, our boys should be the kind to say, "that's not funny". When they hear an unfortunate generalisation about women, they should be the ones to interrupt and say, "that's not true". Our boys should report abuse and harassment they see to the authorities and avoid ever engaging in a "bro code" of silence. The men claimed the changes constituted an unlawful acquisition of their property by the Commonwealth in contravention of Section 51 of the Constitution. The four men now get between $81,000 and $115,000 a year from the taxpayer, not including bonus allowances applicable to specific Parliamentary roles. Among the grievances aired before the court were changes made in 2002 to restrict to 25 trips a year the previously unlimited travel within Australia, which had applied to Life Gold Passes given to former MPs, and further curtailment from 25 to 10 trips in 2012. But it's not enough, apparently. Mr Lamb was among four former MPs - also former Labor backbencher Barry Cunningham, John Moore, a minister in the Fraser and Howard governments who retired in 2001 and Barry Cohen, a Hawke government minister who retired in 1990 - who petitioned the High Court to overturn legislative changes in 2011 and a series of subsequent Remuneration Tribunal decisions since which have reined in the growth of their entitlements. Some people have all the luck, don't they? Consider the former Labor MP Tony Lamb. During his nine-year career as backbencher in Federal parliament he paid $35,297 into his superannuation account. Magic pudding-like that has transformed into taxpayer-funded retirement benefits of $1.3 million since he left Parliament in 1990. No doubt it was a serious claim made in good faith. No doubt these MPs made valuable contributions to Australian political life, and to the constituents they served, for which they are entitled to some gratitude. The question is, how much gratitude is enough? The High Court has thrown out the MPs claim and required them to pay costs.The court unanimously agreed that the changes to retirement allowances were lawful. They were not an acquisition of property because they were "inherently liable to variation". Here's how Justice Gordon summed it up: "The entitlement is a 'right' created by statute that was and remains inherently liable to variation. Not only did the 'right' remain inherently liable to variation; its content depended on the will, from time to time, of the legislature that created the 'right'. It was, at best, a right to receive whatever level of benefit was provided from time to time. That right was not property protected from acquisition by s 51(xxxi) and there was no acquisition of property within the meaning of s 51 (xxxi)." As the distinguished Emeritus Professor of Law at Macquarie University Tony Blackshield points out all pensioners know that pensions sometimes go up, and sometimes go down, subject to the will of the legislature, which is to say, depending on political decisions. Not surprisingly, the politicians who stand to benefit from highly generous "entitlement" schemes both during and after their political careers are reluctant to change them very much, even as they seek to curb assistance to some of the most vulnerable people in Australia in the interests of "budget discipline". So the latest review of the entitlements of sitting politicians, prompted by the scandal of former speaker Bronwyn Bishop's $5000 chopper ride from Melbourne to Geelong for a party fundraiser, languishes on the desk of the Special Minister of State Scott Ryan. It recommends greater transparency and accountability but it does not go nearly far enough in stopping the rorts. Consider the revelation that federal Liberal MP Steve Irons charged taxpayers nearly $17,000 for unexplained "electorate business" including travel to Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival. This is the same MP who has already repaid more than $10,000 in travel claims after billing us all for flights to his own wedding. Mr Irons' office has defended his spending on the basis that it is "in accordance with the department's travel rules". That tells you a lot about the rules. It remains an affront to all Australians that investigations by the Department of Finance into claims of improper spending by federal parliamentarians are shrouded in secrecy under a protocol which can be revoked at any time. There is no independent oversight of breaches, and there are no legally enforceable ways to make MPs repay inappropriate spending. Carbon cuts made by the federal government's Direct Action climate change plan by 2020 would be wiped out by pollution from a single coal mine in just over a year, new data revealed at a Senate estimates hearing shows. Officials from the Clean Energy Regulator said that projects paid for from the first three auctions of the Emissions Reduction Fund the backbone of Direct Action would trim pollution by just 42 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent by 2020. Even if all the remaining funds were spent with a fourth auction planned for November 16 emissions reductions are projected to total only 92 million tonnes by the year 2020, officials told senators. By contrast, the Adani coal mine proposed for Queensland's Galilee Basin would trigger emissions of about 79 million tonnes a year nullifying the ERF's pre-2020 abatement in little over a year if it proceeded. Australia is about to launch a fresh diplomatic drive to expose Japan's claim to kill whales in the name of science, but a threat of further international legal action appears to be on hold for now. The 88 countries of the International Whaling Commission will meet in Slovenia next week in the organisation's first summit since Japan controversially restarted its Antarctic whale hunt. Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg will lead Australia's delegation and argue for countries to adopt a new rule for stronger and more transparent scrutiny of Japan's scientific whaling claims. "The commission must be more engaged on this important and divisive issue and form its own conclusions", Mr Frydenberg told Fairfax Media. The federal government's attempts to strike a deal on union-busting industrial laws have been thrown off course by claims it was prepared to horse-trade over Australia's strict gun laws, prompting a fierce political attack from Labor and criticism from former prime minister Tony Abbott. Late on Tuesday, the Coalition finally passed the Australian Building and Construction Commission bill through the House of Representatives - one of two pieces of legislation that triggered the July 2 poll - and it will now head to the Senate for debate from November 7. The government is hopeful it will also pass the Registered Organisations bill by the end of the week. But in a day of high political drama in Canberra, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was forced into damage control mode after he initially failed to rule out a deal to secure the vote of Liberal Democratic Party senator David Leyonhjelm over an end to the ban on the import of the rapid-fire Adler shotgun, which can fire off seven rounds, during a radio interview. One Nation's Senate team, including (left to right) Brian Burston, Pauline Hanson, Malcolm Roberts and Rod Culleton. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen One Nation Policy Platform Australia Restoring the constitution: "Bring back the constitution and bring back our real laws." Senator Pauline Hanson delivers her first speech in the Senate. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Restoring national sovereignty Restoring freedom Senate inquiry into "the jailing of Pauline Hanson to identify the individuals responsible for the assault upon her": "We need an independent and authoritive assessment of the propriety of the decision to withhold election funding." Against the constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples: "The national flag is often ignored or dishonoured in schools, while multiculturalism and Indigenous issues are now part of the curriculum. The majority of students are not supported in their Anglo-Australian identity but are made to feel guilty for supposed historical injustices committed by their ancestors. The acknowledgement of country ceremony, recited in school assemblies across Australia, finds no place of honour for the British and other European explorers and pioneers for the nation they created. That first nation founded the Commonwealth and served the country in two world wars. Our nation is still at the heart of Australia's economy, culture and identity but is routinely dishonoured in schools and the media. Soon that injustice could be thrust into our constitution, if the referendum on constitutional recognition succeeds." Limit population growth "Democratise" multiculturalism and "restore the traditional policies which forged this nation". Anti-privatisation Against deregulation: "Before deregulation, Australia has the lowest grocery prices in the developed world and a quality second to none. Post de-regulation, however, Australia's consumers now pay the highest grocery prices in the developed world." International relations Withdrawal from the UN, i.e. AusExit: "Australia's values and way of life are also at risk from insidious institutions such as the unelected swill that is the United Nations...the EU is a template for total socialist domination of Europe through unelected bodies, such as the IMF, forcing their frightening agenda on the people. It is also the UN's template and Australia must leave the UN." The Trans-Pacific Partnership deal and G20 should have been taken to a referendum: "Did the government take the proposal to a referendum, as demanded under the constitution? No, they did not. It appears that all major parties live in hope that the Australian people will abandon their present democracy and their constitution and let today's politicians formulate a new constitution based on the very imposts they have already forced on the people of this nation ain breach of our constitutional rights, and all done without the consent of the Australian people through referendum." Ban on foreign ownership and foreign investment Finance "Comprehensive" tax reform Lowering tax on fuel and energy production Limiting the federal government's ability to collect tax Royal commission into bank sector and currency to: "expose what the big international banks are doing to trash our country". Establishment of a "People's bank" Establishment of a "Rural bank" Government-backed banks Reintroduction of co-ops Restore industry protection Islam Stopping Muslim immigration Banning the burqa No more mosques or Islamic schools to be built; those that already exist to be monitored Sharia law "should not be acknowledged or allowed" Australian companies banned from paying for Halal certification. Immigration A halt to all further immigration: "Clean up your own backyard before flooding our country with more people who are going to be a drain on our society." Allow those who prove a commitment to "Australian values" to immigrate: "We should welcome anyone of any background who wants to live in peace. But for those who do not plan to integrate into our country and laws, we need to protect our borders and keep them out." Reform immigration tests: "Why don't we test people more properly before they come to Australia on upholding our great nation and our laws". Zero net immigration annual intake to match emigration: "We believe that our country needs to stabilise its population." Restrict immigration vows to "discriminate by cultural and religious identity" in selecting migrants: "Immigration restriction is a principle wider than the White Australia Policy...because any country that does not restrict immigration to preserve its identity and thus social cohesion, will lose it sooner or later, sooner if it is a country as attractive as Australia." Welfare Welfare support limited to one child: "Get a job and start taking responsibility for your own actions." Introduce an Australian identity card with identification chip, photo and electronic fingerprint to access Medicare and other government-funded services: "If we are ever going to pull back our deficit we must stop the thieves." Law and order Review of the Family Court system: "Until we treat mums and dads with the same courtesy and rights, we will continue to see murders due to sheer frustration and depression and mental illness caused by this unworkable system." Review of child support arrangements Scrap 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act Environment Scrapping all renewable energy targets Scrapping all climate policies: "It is basic. The sun warms the earth's surface. The surface, by contact, warms the moving, circulating atmosphere. This means the atmosphere cools the surface. How then can the atmosphere warm it. It cannot. That is why their computer models are wrong." Secure compensation for communities affected by alleged Defence Force contamination of groundwater (through the use of fire-fighting foam) Public broadcasters Establishment of a Patriotic Broadcasting Corporation: "whose explicit mission would be to represent the identity and interests of mainstream Australia", presenting news and current affairs "from the perspective of the historic Australian nation". ABC to receive funding "commensurate with the size of its inner city, Greens-voting constituency": "It is time for the nation to break the bias of public broadcasting before that bias breaks the nation." Education Restore patriotic curriculum of the '50s and '60s: "The patriotic curriculum of my childhood has been replaced by the full gamut of political correctness. The black armband version of history is firmly in the curriculum, playing on the sensitivities of children and young adults unable to defend themselves. An understandable concern for indigenous children has been allowed to crowd out the needs of others. Children are subjected to wrenching images of the stolen generation. At school assemblies the acknowledgement of country ritual tells them again and again, that their land belongs to Aborigines, whose flag is often flown with equal or superior prominence to the national flag." Scrap Safe Schools Include celebration "of the remarkable achievement of the First Fleet ... and pioneers" in school events. Acknowledge Australia's first [European] nation during school events An orchestrated attack by Labor in Question Time on Tuesday was as inevitable as it ultimately proved distracting for Malcolm Turnbull - a function of his own equivocation from earlier that day. Asked if he would lift an import ban on a hyper-lethal Adler lever-action shotgun to win the Senate vote of the libertarian David Leyonhjelm for unrelated union-busting bills, the Prime Minister refused to definitively reject what, to most people, is an appalling suggestion. Doubtless, Turnbull wanted to manage his fraught relationship with the fundamentalist Leyonhjelm, and felt that publicly ruling things in or out might be prejudicial. But that procedural caution was misplaced - another triumph of Turnbull the tactical lawyer over Turnbull the popular politician. Even before Khloe Kardashian found out Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had allegedly branded her "the ugly Kardashian", she wasn't the politician's biggest fan. "I'm very good on energy, and I just never really vibed with him from the start," Kardashian said, reflecting on her 2009 stint on The Celebrity Apprentice, which Trump was host of at the time. Khloe Kardashian attends the House of CB flagship store launch at House Of CB on June 14, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. Credit:Getty Seven years after Kardashian appeared on the NBC reality competition, the Huffington Post reported last week that several sources with ties to the show said Trump made off-camera remarks about Kardashian and was upset that she was cast on the show instead of one of her siblings. "What is this? We can't even get the hot one?" he reportedly said, referring to Kardashian's sister, Kim. "Why don't we fire Khloe? She is a fat piglet. Why did we get the ugly Kardashian?" Kim Kardashian West will not be posting new content to her app anytime soon. The reality star is taking some "much needed time off" after she was robbed of $11-$14 million worth of jewellery in her Paris hotel room earlier this month. Kim Kardashian at the Balmain show at Paris Fashion Week 2016, before the robbery. Credit:Getty Kardashian West's close friend and assistant Steph Sheppard broke the news in a statement posted to Kardashian West's website and subscription app on Tuesday. The app, through which fans pay $4.49 a month for access to exclusive pictures and videos from Kardashian's private life, has not been updated since the Paris incident on October 3. Namaste. You've just completed a yoga class. Are you feeling relaxed? At peace? That's good. It's what's on the inside that counts. "Sorry, but what's on the outside counts too," grins Kelly Elkin, one of the co-founders of Australia's sustainable fashion association Clean Cut. "It all counts. Yoga should be about a holistic approach." ALAS Move is the answer to your sustainable yoga wear worries. Credit:Robert Gray Full disclosure: exercise is not really my tempo. Although I did once run to the pub. But I tell her I'd absolutely be up for some properly produced yoga pants to wear grocery shopping. Activewear is the new streetwear, innit? Sales in Australia alone are worth more than $2 billion a year. And yet sustainable activewear is thin on the ground, which is odd really, especially in the yoga context. Oberman plays violin in a rock band called the Shondes, which is Yiddish for disgraces. Credit:Michael Kirby Smith/New York Times He has big, dark eyes, thinning hair, a warm smile and a leafy tattoo wreathing one arm the kudzu vine, he said, because it is "so unstoppably alive." He lives in Brooklyn, has a degree in poetry and education, and plays violin in a rock band called the Shondes ("Disgraces," in Yiddish). His day jobs have included managing a database for a non-profit organisation. He began taking testosterone when he was 19 for its masculinising effects these include increased facial and body hair, a lower voice, more muscle and, usually, an end to periods. But he never had surgery to change his body. Many trans people do not, and so many trans men still have ovaries and vaginas, and trans women, prostate glands and penises. Early in his transition, Oberman wanted "top surgery" breast removal but could not afford it, so he wore binders to flatten his chest. Gradually, he became more comfortable with his body and lost interest in the surgery. He first noticed a breast lump in 2010. It was not easy to feel, and cancer at his age just didn't seem possible. He let six or eight months go by before having scans and a biopsy. Those tests required leaving the safety of his usual clinic, which specialised in LGBT patients, and plunging into the world of mainstream medicine, where he said doctors treated him with respect, but other workers did not. "I had some horrible experiences," he said. During one procedure, when Oberman had his shirt off, a male technician, seeing that he was transgender, exclaimed: "Why would you do this to yourself? It's disgusting." Oberman never reported the episodes. "I'm not proud to say I didn't complain," he said, adding that he wished he had done so for the sake of other patients. But he was facing a life-threatening disease. The cancer was aggressive. He would need both breasts removed, and then chemotherapy. "I felt guilty, able to get free surgery I didn't want because I had cancer, and so many others want it and can't get it," he said. He soon learned that mastectomies, which remove as much breast tissue as possible, differ from top surgery, which preserves enough to give the chest a male-looking contour. Because he had cancer, top surgery was not a safe option: It would leave too much breast tissue, and too much risk of recurrence. Friends who have had top surgery were stunned to find out they still had a risk of breast cancer because of the tissue left behind, he said. Before surgery, thinking that testosterone might interfere with healing, Oberman's doctors advised him to stop taking it for a month. He followed their advice, but soon, he said, "I went insane. I wasn't rational. I was lying on the floor, crying." Back on the hormone, he became himself again. Chemotherapy gave him a "definitionless moonface," he said, and it coarsened his features and thinned his hair permanently. It had taken him years to feel comfortable in his trans identity, and now, he said, "It felt like starting all over again." He would have liked to join a breast-cancer support group, but feared he would not be accepted. His reluctance to deal with the health care system has lingered. Just last year, at 32, he finally had his first Pap smear to screen for cervical cancer. It was about 10 years overdue, according to current guidelines. Doctors had nagged him to be tested, and one even threatened to withhold his testosterone unless he complied. He kept putting it off because he feared being treated badly in a gynaecologist's office. Trans friends who had called for appointments were challenged by receptionists who assumed that a deep voice meant they did not belong. Trans men often avoid gynaecologists, said Dr Asa Radix, Oberman's physician and senior director of research and education at the Callen-Lorde Community Health Centre in New York, which provides health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. "Imagine, if you're a masculine-looking trans man, and you're going to the gynaecologist," Radix said. "You go to the front desk, and you have to out yourself. Everyone can hear what's going on. You just want to run out the door." In addition, some trans people are conflicted about their bodies, "and may not want to think they have the anatomy they have," Radix said. He added that pelvic exams can be physically uncomfortable for a transgender man because testosterone can dry out vaginal tissue. It can also change the cervix in ways that make a Pap test hard to read, necessitating a second round. Oberman said that in "moments of dark paranoia," he wondered if taking testosterone might have caused his cancer or if it was unrelated and the tumour might have developed anyway. His mother and her mother had both had breast cancer though well after menopause. There is no evidence that trans men or women who take hormones have increased risks of any type of cancer, Radix said. Studies in Europe have found no increased risk, but it is not clear that the results apply to the United States, where the population is less homogeneous and many transgender people obtain hormones via the internet or other sources outside the health care system. Zil Goldstein, a nurse practitioner and program director at Mount Sinai's transgender centre, said that while she had concerns about the long-term safety of transgender hormones, she worried more about the possible harm from not prescribing them researchers report that 41 per cent of transgender people attempt suicide. The hormone question concerns Oberman's oncologist, Dr Paula Klein, who specialises in breast cancer at Mount Sinai Beth Israel (not the same hospital where he had his biopsies and surgery). She said trans men with breast cancer were often urged to stop taking testosterone. One reason is that the body converts some testosterone to estrogen, which can speed the growth of many breast tumours. And some breast cancers may also be stimulated by testosterone, she said. But there is no solid data to guide trans patients, and Oberman does not want to stop taking the hormone. Klein was an author of a journal article in 2011 about two other trans men with breast cancer. Both took testosterone and, like Oberman, chose to stay on it. Few other cases have been reported. Klein has been suggesting that Oberman have his ovaries removed. Part of her reasoning was that he had stopped taking tamoxifen, a drug commonly prescribed to prevent breast cancer recurrence. Taking out the ovaries would mean lower estrogen levels, which would help prevent a recurrence of breast cancer. "You would definitely benefit," she said during an office visit in September. "It's a slam dunk for someone like you, taking away all your female parts," Klein said, adding, "We thought you'd eat that up. A transgender gift." "Except I don't want it," Oberman said. He did not want more surgery or the hormonal jolt that removing his ovaries would bring. He thought the mastectomies and chemotherapy had very likely cured him. Klein backed off, saying, "Look, the odds are that you're going to be fine." They were taken deep into the Sambisa Forest to Boko Haram's stronghold, where the more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok were offered a choice: Join the militants, or become their slaves. About half of them opted to join and marry the fighters and were taken away, never to be heard from. Those who refused endured more than two years of servitude, washing, fetching water and cooking for Boko Haram. The girls, nearly all of them Christians, lived in grass huts and were forced to convert to Islam. At first they ate rice and maize. On the night of September 10, between the hours of about 8 and 11, six women, each of them walking in midtown Manhattan, were approached by a group of young men who sought to light them on fire. Although the attacks were mercifully unsuccessful no one was injured one woman standing at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and East 54th Street had her skirt set aflame, while another, walking past a Valentino store, police reported, felt something warm on her left arm, only to realise that her blouse was on fire. . Credit:Stocksy Six days later, a 14-year old boy was taken into custody, and charged with attempted assault and harassment. Given that everyone targeted for conflagration was female, police have considered these hate crimes. That four of the encounters occurred on a stretch of Fifth Avenue just outside Trump Tower may bear no actual relationship to our current political misfortunes, but their symbolic freight is hard to overlook. Two years ago, Eric Abetz was laughed off The Project for alluding to studies from the 1950s that linked abortion and breast cancer. Despite widespread condemnation, some myths never die, and this one is back, courtesy of the Australian Christian Lobby. Last week the ACL sent out an email inviting people to attend a Melbourne screening of Hush, a documentary described as "a pro-woman perspective on the abortion debate". Hush has been lauded by anti-abortion and religious groups around the world for its allegedly "balanced" reporting of thoroughly debunked myths that abortion causes breast cancer, infertility and mental illness. Perpetuating dangerous and disproved claims about serious medical issues is a definition of "a pro women perspective" I haven't heard of before, but to be fair, there are many issues pushed out by the ACL that I find difficult to comprehend. Had the lotto ticket not scooped the $40 million jackpot, Brendan King would have been expected to cough up the funds to pay for his entry into the draw. But when his fellow factory worker Robert Adams discovered the ticket was a winner he determined to exclude Mr King from a $2.7 million share of the prize money. This is the case put forward by Mr King's lawyer Lachlan Gyles in a NSW Supreme Court battle over whether he should be considered part of a workplace lotto syndicate that struck gold in May. St Peters resident Shelley Jensen has been scouring suburbs throughout Sydney in recent weeks in the hope of finding a home that even partly resembles the three-bedroom house in St Peters she has been forced to give up. But real estate agents have "just laughed" when she asked them what the $960,000 the government will pay for compulsorily acquiring her home on Campbell Street in the inner-city suburb will buy her elsewhere in Sydney. "It is quite frightening because I don't know if I will find anything in Sydney I might be forced to Woop Woop, where I have no connections," she said. "The whole thing is quite terrifying. I am used to [St Peters] and I have connections in the area." It was a Friday night when Megan Jean Haines was told several complaints had been made against her by elderly residents at a NSW North Coast nursing home. The following morning two of the residents who had complained about the 49-year-old nurse, were dead. Aged-care nurse Megan Jean Haines is on trial for the alleged murder of two residents at a Ballina aged-cared facility. They had allegedly been injected with a fatal dose of insulin. Ms Haines is on trial for the murder of Isabella Spencer, 77, and Marie Darragh, 82 who she allegedly killed while she was a nurse at St Andrews Village aged-care facility, Ballina. The state government considered bolting on a carriageway beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge or building a viaduct above two lanes of traffic for a new metro rail line but eventually decided tunnelling under the harbour was the best option. In laying out the justification for the second stage of the $20 billion-plus rail project, a truncated version of its business case reveals that a suspended carriageway or a viaduct would have cost at least $400 million more than tunnelling under the harbour. The two options for running a new metro line on the bridge also had a "number of constraints", such as posing a barrier to ships passing beneath or detracting from one of Australia's most famous landmarks. "These options would also have broader network impacts during construction and operation (particularly in terms of access to the Sydney CBD for other transport modes). Consequently, these options were not progressed further," it said. A young boy has been airlifted to hospital after he was run over by the family car on the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The boy, 5, was believed to be playing in the vehicle when he released the handbrake, which caused the car to roll backwards about 9.45am. A helicopter was tasked to airlift the boy to a Brisbane hospital. Credit:RACQ LifeFlight Rescue The boy panicked and jumped out of the car and into the path of the rolling vehicle. His parents performed first aid on the boy until emergency services arrived. Sylvia Acevedo, interim CEO of Girl Scouts, launched her first rocket into the clear skies of New Mexico when she was just a child to earn her science badge in Girl Scouts. That experience triggered a lifelong passion for science, and led her to earn an MBA in engineering from Stanford and become a rocket scientist. She is also the White House commissioner on the presidential initiative for Hispanic educational excellence. In an interview with " Mad Money " host Jim Cramer, she said she aims for Girl Scouts to not only instill the mission of leadership into girls, but to become more technology-focused and teach how to code. "It is part of our culture to do technology, to learn how to code, to have hands on projects whether it's creating fashionable wearables, or creating robots," Acevedo said. From a business perspective, many associate Girl Scouts with its $800 million cookie business. But Acevedo said there are more than just cookies cooking behind the scenes at Girl Scouts. She recently visited a Girl Scout troop of girls making robots, creating lava volcanoes and building mechanical prosthetic arms. Girl Scouts has 2.7 million members and began in 1912 when founder Juliette Gordon "Daisy" Low organized her first troop in Savannah, Georgia. Every year for over 100 years, Girl Scouts has been committed to helping girls discover their strengths and empower them with the courage, confidence and character to be leaders in their communities. After obtaining her master's degree in engineering, Acevedo found that there were so few women working in the field of engineering, that there was no bathroom for women at her first job. Years later, she became president and CEO of CommuniCard, LLC, a company aiming to use technology to harness market trends. She is also a national advocate for STEM education. Acevedo grew up near Las Cruces, New Mexico. Her mother practiced English with troop leaders, who ultimately helped her pass her U.S. citizenship test. According to Acevedo, Girl Scouts changed her destiny. Story continues "So many of the women entrepreneurs in America today, they were Girl Scouts as well," Acevedo said. More than 59 million women have participated in Girl Scouts, and almost every female that has gone to space was a Girl Scout member. Famous alumnae include Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hillary Clinton , 15 of the 20 women in the U.S. Senate and five of the six female U.S. governors. Girl Scouts recently made the decision to embrace the digital movement and move some cookie sales online. This gives the girls an opportunity to create a business plan, market it, figure out how many units to sell and meet objectives. "That's an entire process that we know not as just selling cookies, but it's giving that girl leadership skills and business skills along the way," Acevedo said. Questions for Cramer? Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC Want to take a deep dive into Cramer's world? Hit him up! Mad Money Twitter - Jim Cramer Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Vine Questions, comments, suggestions for the "Mad Money" website? madcap@cnbc.com Queensland's legal brothels can be profitable but it's far from a licence to print money. There were 22 legal brothels open in Queensland by June 30 - the lowest number in the state since 2005-06. Queensland's legal brothels have hit hard times, with five closing in the past year. Credit:Jacky Ghossein Prostitution Licensing Authority chairman Marshall Irwin said the state's sex industry continued to be highly competitive with challenging economic conditions. For most of 2014-15, there were 27 licensed brothels, the highest number reached, although the year closed with 26 brothels operating. Tech founder Luke Anear never went out seeking venture capital investment. In fact the creator of SafetyCulture, a workplace safety checklist app, didn't know what the phrase "VC" meant until recently. Scott Farquhar, left, of Atlassian assisted Luke Anear, Safety Culture, in its venture capital foray. But apparently without chasing it, Anear and his company secured a $30 million venture capital raise from US investors Index Ventures. The two were connected by Paul Kwan of Morgan Stanley's Silicon Valley arm. "We were just focused on proving our business model and moving from individual people downloading the app to organisational wide deployments that were building a real revenue business. Then all of a sudden we were given this opportunity," he said. Former AFL star Ben Cousins has been charged with breaching a violence restraining order and drug possession. Ex-Eagle Cousins spent the night in custody at the Perth Watchhouse after he was arrested on Monday afternoon on Amherst Road in Canning Vale. He was released on bail after fronting Armadale Magistrate's Court on Tuesday. His lawyer said "he's in a very good place at the moment." WA Premier Colin Barnett has agreed to attend an emergency summit in Kalgoolie next week to deal with the town's social problems after the forced closure of a high school trashed by vandals. The vandalism appears targeted, with three new school buildings including 24 classrooms suffering massive structural damage, only hours after the $45 million redevelopment was opened by Education Minister Peter Collier. A 10-year-old boy and three 13-year-old boys have been charged over the break-in at the Kalgoorlie Boulder Community High School and another school. Police arrested them while they were allegedly trying to break into a Target store on Saturday night. You never know what you could find at a garage sale. A signed U2 Gold Record. A definitive collection of Star Wars figurines. A highland cow. A hovercraft. Even a beachside apartment. Put Saturday October 22 in your diary as a day to hunt down some bargains. Credit:Garage Sale Trail These quirky items are just some of the tens of thousands sold during the annual Garage Sale Trail, which is set to start its sixth edition across Australia on Saturday October 22. This year more than fourteen thousand garage sales are registered nationwide, selling close to two million items with a combined value of more than eleven million dollars. Police are investigating whether students at a Perth Hills high school will face assault charges over a violent brawl on a Transperth bus on Friday afternoon. Footage of the brawl, which occurred between students at Eastern Hills Senior High School, was recorded on a female student's mobile phone and posted online. A female student filmed the bus altercation and posted the video on Facebook. Credit:Nine News Perth It showed Year 11 student Rhun Ward-Suerz and Year 10 student fighting with each other while a group of other students watched on and, at times, also became involved in the violence. Rhun's father David Suerz told Radio 6PR his son was trying to get away from the school after allegedly being bullied and threatened earlier that day. One of two men accused of smashing up a South Fremantle pizza restaurant after the owner refused to pay extortion money is due to face court today. Police say they arrested a man after the incident on October 1 at Ruocco's restaurant on South Terrace, after multiple calls regarding two people who had smashed glass display cabinets and fridge doors with a hammer. Officers were called to Ruocco's on South Terrace about 2:15pm on October 1, after reports two people were smashing glass display cabinets with a hammer, ABC News Perth reported. The men were wearing motorbike helmets during the incident, where they allegedly destroyed glassware and the cabinets. Police are investigating a possible shooting after a woman was hit by a projectile while driving in Perth's inner eastern suburbs. The 24-year-old victim from Yangebup was travelling along Whatley Crescent in Bayswater with a man around 2.45pm when she was hit in the upper body. Police have cordoned off the street were the incident occurred. Credit:Twitter / Alice Pooley A police spokeswoman said she then drove herself to a police station, reportedly claiming she had been shot, before being taken to Royal Perth Hospital. "It is being investigated whether the vehicle was at another location or travelling along Whatley Crescent at the time [of the incident]," she said. Bali: Accused Australian paedophile Robert Andrew Fiddes Ellis has insisted he does not deserve jail for allegedly molesting Balinese children, saying "it was not a serious thing" and he "paid them generously". "I have settled with the girls completely. I have paid them generously," he told the media while waiting to be sentenced in the Denpasar District Court. The 70-year-old Australian expat from Victoria was due to be sentenced on Tuesday for allegedly sexually abusing at least 11 girls aged between eight and 17 between 2014 and 2015. However it was adjourned until October 25. Washington: The battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State is only a couple of days old but already chilling stories of civilian suffering are emerging. Dispatches from humanitarian aid workers on the ground tell of children dying of thirst or being killed by land mines as they try to flee the battle, which began Sunday. Staff at a Save the Children station in the area said a severely dehydrated baby arrive there on the brink of death. Other children showed up barefoot after a 36-hour trek along a route dotted with homemade bombs planted by the extremists. A family that lost two children to hidden explosives told aid workers they couldn't retrieve the bodies for fear of another blast. This misery, humanitarian agencies warn, is likely only the beginning of what's expected to be a protracted fight with a dire toll on civilians who either can't escape or who manage to flee but find no sanctuary in overcrowded camps. Protestors hang a Catalan Pro-independence flag on a headless sculpture of Francisco Franco riding a horse during the unveiling of the statue (AFP Photo/Josep Lago) Barcelona (AFP) - The municipality of Barcelona on Monday unveiled a controversial exhibition on the late Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, which was promptly met with a hail of eggs by angry opponents. The temporary exhibition, called "Franco, Victory, Republic, Impunity and Urban Space", features sculptures placed on Barcelona's streets more than 40 years after the death of the dictator, which began the country's transition to democracy. One sculpture depicts a headless Franco on horseback, another pays homage to the victory of his troops in the Spanish civil war. Both attracted anger and eggs within minutes of going on display, according to an AFP photographer. A Franco's victims' group held a silent protest during the presentation of the works, while Catalan separatists chanted "no fascists on our streets". But Barcelona deputy mayor Gerardo Pisarello said the aim of the exhibition was "to denounce the crimes of Francoism and impunity, even in democracy". Catalan nationalists argue that the exhibition, scheduled to end in January, trivialises the crimes of Franco's dictatorship, which came down hard on regional separatists. During its transition to democracy, Spain passed a law granting amnesty for crimes committed by the dictatorship during the 1936-39 Spanish civil war. The 1977 amnesty law prevents Spain from investigating and trying the crimes of the civil war era and the repressive right-wing dictatorship of General Franco that followed until his death in 1975. Despite another law requiring the removal of Francoist symbols from public places, some are still present in many municipalities. Badana, Iraq: The farming village of Badana, east of Mosul, was turned into a bunker during more than two years of Islamic State rule. The proof is a network of tunnels and cramped living quarters that betrays an extremist group increasingly forced to operate underground by a punishing air campaign and mounting territorial losses. Wrested from IS control on the first day of the offensive to retake Iraq's second-largest city, Badana offers a glimpse of the battle ahead. Above ground, walls were shredded by air strikes and artillery, homes were stained black with soot and the remaining buildings had been looted. Below ground, bags of fresh vegetables lay on the floor of a cooking area and a bowl of eggs sat beside a crude stove, suggesting the fighters maintained supply lines until days before their defeat. Once resigned to reporting the news that happened, journalism today is a much more up-to-the-minute and as-it-happens affair, with daily live blogs on everything from your morning commute to the US election debate. But nowhere is this new era more obvious and the transformation more profound than in the battle for Mosul. Never before have armies broadcast their intentions, their movements and their actions as in the last 24 hours. Iraqi special forces soldiers prepare for the battle for Mosul, near Khazer, on Friday. Credit:AP This is where war is literally happening before our eyes. It even has its own hashtags: #MosulOps, #Mosul and #Mosul_Offensive. The thought of live war is frightening. You can read the latest on Mosul here. A less bloody but outrageous battle continues to rage in the US, where Donald Trump is now at war with everyone for "rigging" the US election. Paul McGeough has a guess at what Trump will do on election day if he loses, while Nick O'Malley says there are suspicions Donald Trump is using campaign to pave way for new TV network. Vienna: The house where Adolf Hitler was born will be razed and a new building will be erected in its place, Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said on Monday, announcing a final decision on the problematic structure. The minister told the daily Die Presse that he was following the recommendation of an expert commission that includes the head of Vienna's Jewish community as well as leading Austrian historians. Adolf Hitler's birth house, yellow, in Braunau am Inn, Austria. Credit:AP "The Hitler house will be demolished," he said. For years, the government has been mulling a solution for the empty house in the town of Braunau am Inn to stop neo-Nazis from visiting the early home of Germany's Nazi dictator. Jakarta: Maverick Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, or Ahok, as he is known, has never had a filter. Impulsive and polarising, the city's first openly Christian and ethnic Chinese governor - a double minority in Indonesia - seems to court controversy. He questioned a ban on beer sales in mini markets - "no one has ever died from from drinking beer" - suggested schools should not compel girls to wear hijab, insisted he needed no support from political parties and antagonised the urban poor with mass forced evictions. Muslim protesters hold a banner calling for the arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, outside City Hall in Jakarta. Credit:AP "If only there were some magic tape to put [over his mouth] so that he would talk as we hope," former Indonesian president Megawati Soekarnoputri reportedly lamented at a meeting before her party announced it would endorse him in next February's gubernatorial elections. "But there's no such thing." For all this, the feisty, straight-talking governor is remarkably popular. Ahok, the former deputy governor, assumed the top role in 2014, when his predecessor Joko Widodo was elected president of Indonesia. His no-nonsense efficiency and tough stance on corruption struck a chord with voters, more than 95 per cent of whom are Muslim. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser InfiNet Wireless Launch Industry Leading Carrier-Grade Point-to-Point Wireless Solution Posted by Publisher Telecommunication With speeds of up to 1Gb/s, the new InfiLINK XG 1000 is the fastest Point-to-Point wireless solution available in the marketplace today Valletta, Malta: 18 October 2016 InfiNet Wireless, the global leader in fixed broadband wireless connectivity, has announced at GITEX Technology Week 2016 the InfiLINK XG 1000, its latest addition to an already comprehensive product portfolio. This new wireless solution builds on the success of InfiNets already well-established InfiLINK XG product, which has successfully been deployed globally in over 150 projects to date, only 12 months after its initial launch in 2015. The InfiLINK 1000 is designed specifically to meet the backhauling needs of wireless internet service providers (WISPs), as well as backhauling applications such as digital oilfields, 4G/LTE base station connectivity, to name but a few. It is able to provide throughputs of up to 1 Gb/s over the air in 5 GHz license-free frequency bands, effectively doubling the capacity of the InfiLINK XG. We are really excited about this latest addition to our product portfolio, it once again reinforces our position as an industry leader within the global wireless market and our commitment to staying at the forefront of the industry. said Kamal Mokrani, Global Vice President of InfiNet Wireless. Our portfolio of products continues to grow and to support our customers with the very latest wireless technologies to not only satisfy their ever-increasing demand for high-bandwidth connectivity, but to also add significant value to their own business models. Our flexible business approach has earned us a reputation second-to-none and contributed to our company becoming the de-facto choice for many service providers from all sectors of the industry, something we are very proud of. In addition to the InfiLINK XG 1000, InfiNet Wireless have also launched an extended range of its award-winning InfiLINK XG models which now support new frequency bands 2.x GHz, 3.x GHz and 4.x GHz, as well as the previous 5.x GHz and 6.x GHz bands. With spectral efficiency as high as 13 Mbps/Hz and a real throughput of up to 130 Mbps in just 10M Hz of spectrum, the InfiLINK XG models are ideal for unlicensed backhauling in the standard Wi-Fi frequency bands. These are ideal whether for mobile operators where there is a need for high-capacity access, or in-band small-cell LTE backhaul and public safety networks. We will also showcase our new generation InfiMAN 22 product family, complemented by a brand-new smart antenna base station sector unit (known as the Qmxb) and a new range of subscriber terminals fitted with 300 mW (25 dBm) radio transmit modules. These latest additions to our Point-to-Multipoint family were designed specifically for high-density WISP applications, video surveillance deployments in areas where unlicensed 5 GHz spectrum is congested and for Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) wireless connectivity in urban environments. InfiNet Wireless has been directly active in the Middle East for more than ten years now, delivering strategic projects in countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Egypt, to name but a few. In the past three years alone, we have seen our business in the region grow at an average rate of 35% year-on-year and we strongly believe that we can build upon our past and current successes in the region to establish an even bigger footprint, said Kamal. GITEX is key to this growth strategy as it not only provides us with a platform to showcase our latest wireless solutions, but also presents us with a golden opportunity to enhance existing relationships and nurture new ones with partners and end customers alike. We hope to contribute significantly to this major event, as we have done for the past nine years! InfiNet Wireless are exhibiting in Zabeel Hall, Stand Z-J10. To arrange an interview or meeting with InfiNet Wireless, please contact Joanne Turner joanne.turner@proactive-pr.com. Actiance Announces Support for Workplace by Facebook; Provides Communications Compliance for the Modern Enterprise REDWOOD CITY, CA (Marketwired) 10/18/16 Actiance, , today announced it has broadened its scope of supported communications channels to include , which publicly launched earlier this month. With , company employees can share and engage using the latest public and enterprise social channels, like Workplace, while ensuring security, governance, and compliance needs are met. : .@Actiance provides #compliance for the modern enterprise with support for Workplace by #Facebook Actiance is continually expanding the number of channels its compliance platform supports so enterprises can effectively harness the power of emerging social networks, such as Workplace by Facebook, while keeping content and business safe, said Scott Whitney, SVP product management, Actiance. With Actiances modern, extensible architecture, businesses can easily deploy Workplace while continuing to meet compliance demands. Todays enterprises are continually seeking tools that allow distributed teams to communicate and solve business problems faster and more efficiently. Moreover, as younger generations enter the workforce they expect personal social networking tools to integrate into their business environment. Workplace is architected to function like Facebook while allowing businesses to manage and create their own social networks amongst employees. Thanks to its widely familiar interface, Workplace is lowering the adoption hurdle for employees to start collaborating. That means the need to create and enforce policies for the compliant use of Workplace is even greater. Companies are spending unprecedented amounts on compliance initiatives and dedicating armies of employees to work on implementation, said Sean Pike, program vice president, Security Products, IDC. As enterprises adopt new social channels, including Workplace, organizations should consider solutions such as Actiance Socialite to increase efficiencies, reduce costs, and create a culture of continuous compliance while providing high levels of visibility across the myriad of social tools to do business securely and compliantly. Unlike traditional and ad hoc retention solutions, Actiance Socialite retains complex metadata on social communications platforms including third-party content capture, uploaded images, threaded comments, and user details. Enterprises deploying the Workplace platform can use Socialite to discover members and groups and capture communications using the admin API access. Not only does Socialite capture social communications data in context to streamline compliance, but it also retains the data in context on Actiances archiving platform Alcatraz for smarter search, hold, and review. is available now. Learn more about . Additional Information Stay up to date with Actiance: Become a fan of Actiance: Follow Actiance on Twitter: About Actiance Actiance is the leader in communications compliance, archiving, and analytics. We provide compliance across the broadest set of communications and social channels with insights on whats being captured. Actiance customers manage over 500 million daily conversations across 70 channels and growing. Customers include the top 10 U.S., top 5 Canadian and top 8 European, and top 3 Asian banks. The Actiance advantage is customers stay ahead of compliance and uncover patterns and relationships hidden within their data. Learn more at . Actiance headquarters are in Redwood City, California. For more information, visit or call 1-888-349-3223. D-Wave Forms Independent Subsidiary for U.S. Government Business WASHINGTON, DC (Marketwired) 10/18/16 , the worlds first quantum computing company, announced the formation of D-Wave Government Inc., a U.S. subsidiary formed to provide D-Waves quantum computer systems to the U.S. government. The company also announced the members of the subsidiarys independent board, which include prominent executives with deep experience at U.S. government agencies including the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the National Science Board, the Defense Science Board and the Intelligence Community. Appointed to the board of D-Wave Government Inc. are: , board chair, has contributed to US national security in both government and industry for 40 years. At Lockheed Martin he was President of Special Programs and President of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space. Before entering the private sector, Mr. Harris served as the Director of the National Reconnaissance Office and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. Mr. Harris is also the chairman of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation and serves on other boards and panels. , who served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology and Assistant Secretary of the Navy. She has been a member of the National Science Board and the Defense Science Board. Dr. Etter is currently on the faculty of Southern Methodist University in the Department of Electrical Engineering and has received numerous awards for her work. , former Executive Director of the National Security Agency and special advisor to the U.S. Strategic Command. Ms. Fleisch earned Presidential Rank Awards several times and the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal and served in many key posts during a career of more than 30 years in government. , whose long and distinguished career in government and private industry included serving as Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, Deputy Director of the CIA for Science and Technology, Assistant Secretary of Energy and Director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. Kerr is vice chairman of the MITRE Board of Trustees and serves on other boards and panels. , CEO of D-Wave Systems Inc. Before joining D-Wave in 2009, Mr. Brownell founded and held executive positions at Egenera, a pioneer of infrastructure virtualization, and at Goldman Sachs as the chief technology officer. , board chair of D-Wave Systems Inc., and managing partner of Vanedge Capital. Mr. Lee was formerly the president of Electronic Arts, Inc. (EA), the global leader in interactive software. , director of D-Wave Systems Inc., a venture technology investor and founder of the Canary Foundation, which is dedicated to the science and technology of early cancer detection. Mr. Listwin has over 25 years of operating experience including senior leaderships roles at Cisco Systems and CEO roles at Openwave Systems and Sana Security and is a consulting professor at Stanford University. Rene Copeland, Director of Government Sales for D-Wave Systems Inc., was named president of D-Wave Government Inc. Mr. Copeland previously led sales to the U.S. government for SGI, Cray, Platform Computing and other firms. He earned a Bachelor of Science, Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the United States Military Academy, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. We are truly honored that such an experienced and distinguished group of people have agreed to serve on the board of our D-Wave Government business, said Robert Bo Ewald, President D-Wave International. As the only company bringing quantum computing to the real world today, we can enable solutions to the most complex technical, national defense and scientific problems that governments face. Our new organization and the boards guidance and support will be instrumental in helping us address those needs. D-Wave Systems is the first quantum computing company. Its mission is to integrate new discoveries in physics, engineering, manufacturing, and computer science into breakthrough approaches to computation to help solve some of the worlds most complex challenges. The companys quantum computers are built using a novel type of superconducting processor that uses quantum mechanics to massively accelerate computation. D-Waves customers include some of the worlds most prominent organizations, including Lockheed Martin, Google, whose system is hosted at NASAs Ames Research Center, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. With headquarters near Vancouver, Canada, D-Waves U.S. operations are based in Palo Alto, California. D-Wave has a blue-chip investor base including Bezos Expeditions, BDC Capital, DFJ, Goldman Sachs, Growthworks, Harris & Harris Group, In-Q-Tel, International Investment and Underwriting, and Kensington Partners Limited. For more information, visit: . Mandy Gratz is a member of the German students union, which has called for grants to be increased and eligibility widened. Claudia Niessler wouldnt have attended a university that charged tuition, though even without it her living expenses in college require her to work as many as 20 hours a week at a supermarket. Stefan Steinbock pipes in that having to pay tuition would discourage people with good grades but low incomes from getting university degrees. Eliminating financial stress means he can focus on his academics. But Peter-Andre Alt contends that being unable to charge tuition means universities are overcrowded and thinly stretched. Meanwhile, hard-pressed taxpayers are unfairly forced to fill the void, even if they dont go to college or have kids who do. Niessler and Steinbock are students at Freie Universitat in Berlin; Alt is the universitys president. Together, they embody the surprising ambivalence, unexpected nuances, and general pros and cons of tuition-free university in Germany, a model proposed in the US by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The universitys name refers not to its cost, but to its origins at the outset of the Cold War, when it was established to be free of ideological influence in then-divided Berlin. The fact of the matter is, of course, that any university, if it is a university, is free, then-US president John F. Kennedy pronounced on the same day in 1963 that he made his famous Ich bin ein Berliner speech. So one might think that the words Free University are redundant. But not in West Berlin. Claudia Niessler works 20 hours a week at a supermarket to pay for her living expenses. Claudia Niessler works 20 hours a week at a supermarket to pay for her living expenses. Like other universities in Germany, Freie Universitat was free of charge in 1963. In 2006, German universities were allowed to begin imposing tuition. Student protests and a political backlash followed, however, and by 2014 tuition was once again being eliminated at the public universities that educate the vast majority of German students. Except for small administrative feesat Freie Universitat, 304 per semester, or about $341, most of it for a public transit passmost German undergraduates now pay no tuition. Story continues This makes Germany an ideal test case for the proposal, first raised by Sanders, that has now become a centerpiece of Clintons presidential bid. (Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps education plan calls for student loan repayments to be capped at 12.5% of the borrowers income, with any remaining debt forgiven after 15 years.) The verdict? Its mixed. German university enrollment rose by 22% as tuition disappeared, the Ministry of Education and Research reportsmuch faster than in other member countries of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECDwhile the number of Germans who opt instead for vocational education has declined. On the other hand, the cost to taxpayers of subsidizing higher education went up 37%. The amount earmarked to help students with their living expenses has remained unchanged for years, however, and, even without having to pay tuition, students like supermarket worker Niessler increasingly have to resort to jobs or loans to cover rent and food, especially if theyre from lower-income families that cant help. Unable to charge for tuition, meanwhile, universities contend that they are blocked from an important source of revenue. And economists wonder how long the government will be able to support these costs, especially with a new law looming that will limit the amount of money Germanys 16 federal stateswhich operate the universitiescan borrow. Two years after the last few German universities went tuition-free, Germans are almost equally split about the idea. According to a survey conducted earlier this year by the Ifo Center for the Economics of Education at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, 44% of Germans are in favor of re-imposing tuition, while 46% want to keep things as they are. Interestingly, when informed that university graduates earn 40% more than those with a vocational education, the proportion of respondents who support bringing back tuition rises to 50%. And an even higher 60% like the idea of requiring students to pay for their tuition after graduating as a portion of their incomes, a model similar to systems in England and Australia. freetuitiondivide In the US, the idea of free tuition remains a popular one. In separate polls by Public Agenda and the Campaign for Free College Tuition, about two-thirds of Americans said they support making tuition free for lower- and middle-income students; a more recent survey by the foundation New America puts the figure as high as 70%, but also found that an equal proportion of people think the idea is unaffordable. Analysts, however, worry that the issues cropping up in Germany could similarly plague the Clinton plan. So far, Clinton hopes to leverage state and federal money to make the in-state public universities and colleges that account for more than two-thirds of US enrollment tuition-free by 2021 for students from families making less than $125,000. Clintons proposal would increase enrollment at in-state institutions by from 9% to 22%, Georgetown Universitys Center for Education and the Workforce predicts. It would also cost an estimated $350 billion over 10 years, according to the Clinton campaign, which says the money would come from eliminating certain tax deductions for the wealthiest Americans. Critics like Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor of education policy at Temple University and the author of a new book, Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream, argue that neither Clintons nor Trumps plans actually address the burden rising fastest for American students: outside costs, including room and board, books, supplies, and transportation. In Germany, low-income students can apply for grants and loans totaling around 650 a month ($580) to pay for living expenses. Since almost all students live off campus, this creates an unanticipated outcome: Even in a country where universities dont charge tuition, students are still graduating with debt. We dont want students to go into debt because they want to study, said Mandy Gratz, a member of the executive committee of the Freier Zusammenschluss von StudentInnenschaften, or FZS, the German students union. Accumulating costs of living means 68% of German students work, Gratz said over coffee in a cafe in Berlins Mitte district. and students from a lower socioeconomic background try to study faster. Students are also more likely to choose practical subjects like marketing or human resources. Meanwhile medicine and law degrees, which take longer and therefore cost more, remain careers mostly for the wealthy. Gratz herself is the first in her family to go to college. She started out majoring in comparative literature and political science, but became concerned those subjects might not lead to salaries high enough to pay off her loans and switched to a teaching degree. She also works one full- and one part-time job. In Germany, making tuition free hasnt led to any noticeable change in the demographics of who goes to college, said Ludger Woessmann, a professor of economics at the University of Munich and director if the Ifo Center for the Economics of Education. As in other countries, enrollment depends more on whether or not a students parents have higher education experience than what the cost is. Three-quarters of Germans adult college graduates have children who also earn university degrees, Woessmann said, compared to a 25% of adults who dont have degrees. (In all, 57% of the equivalent of high school graduates go on to college here, the OECD reports, compared to what the Bureau of Labor Statistics says is 69% of their American counterparts.) The Georgetown analysis projects that, under Clintons plan, a surge in applications to top public universities would make those schools much more selective, shutting out poor and non-white students. Those socioeconomically disadvantaged applicants would in turn land at already overburdened open-access regional public universities and community colleges with low success rates. German college tuition Peter-Andre Alt, president of Freie Universitat Berlin, says free tuition means German universities have fewer resources now. The quality of the education is a concern in Germany as well. The shift to dependence on government funding, combined with the increase in enrollment, has also meant a 10% decline in spending per student in the last few years, the OECD reports. Today, German public schools spend about $16,895 per student, compared with $27,924 per student in the United States. Starved for funding, German universities are seldom near the top of international rankings. German undergraduates, Gratz said, are stuck in lecture halls with hundreds and hundreds of students. PhD candidates, she said, do much of the instructing. The universities say they do not have enough money for research. But they do not have enough money for teaching, either. Alt, the president of Freie Universitat, agrees on this point. One disadvantage is that we lose one opportunity to enhance our financial support and budget situations, said Alt, who spends much of his time vying for independent sources of funding such as international grants and corporate gifts. If the university could collect fees, he said, We could invest much more and we could do much more. Also, Alt said, when most of the costs fall to the government, The taxpayer is paying for the universities whether or not theyre benefitting. A fee system assigns the cost to the person who is benefitting. This, in a country with the third-highest tax rate in the OECDalmost 50% of income. Woessmann, the University of Munich economist, agreed that as a general rule, universities in Germany do have much fewer resources than at least the higher-level universities in the US. University presidents in general will always tell you they dont have enough money, but in general I think they have a point there. If the universities were able to [impose] tuition fees, that would surely in general affect the quality. Those arguments have so far largely been eclipsed, however, by the power of the college-aged voting bloc. Unlike in the United States, where barely one in five college-aged Americans go to the polls, college students in Germany vote in huge numbers. In the end, it was a political issue, Alt said with a sigh. Candidates could lose a campaign for charging fees. Ultimately, it may be economists, and not politicians, who determine the fate of Germanys tuition-free schools. A provision called Schuldenbremse, or debt brake, will limit how much German states can borrow beginning in 2020, restricting funds available for college costs. We will come into a situation where, just like in any downturn, there will be real problems for states to keep up the funding for the universities, or raise it, Woessmann said. And I think by that time well have another discussion about free university tuition. This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Read more about higher education. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: Who did it best? Vote for the Tribune's high school football player of the week football Facing a slowdown in initial public offerings and merger advisory in Asia, Goldman plans to cut 30 percent of its staff throughout the region with the exception of Japan (AFP Photo/Spencer Platt) (Getty/AFP) Goldman Sachs is losing an architect of its Asia-Pacific division at the same time it confronts slowing activity in the region and a probe over its dealings in Malaysia. Mark Schwartz, 62, has decided to retire from his post as chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific, according to a memo Monday from chief executive Lloyd Blankfein and president Gary Cohn reviewed by AFP. Beijing-based Schwartz, a 27-year Goldman veteran, will leave his post at the end of 2016. He will serve as a senior director at Goldman following his departure from China. Schwartz played an "instrumental role" in building Goldman's business in Asia, as chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific in Tokyo in the late 1990s and reprising the role again in 2012 from Beijing, said the memo. Facing a slowdown in initial public offerings and merger advisory in Asia, Goldman plans to cut 30 percent of its staff throughout the region with the exception of Japan, a person familiar with the plan told AFP last month. Goldman's Asia operations have also been tainted by its work with Malaysian state investment fund 1MDB, which is enmeshed in a political scandal over allegations that billions of dollars were looted in an audacious campaign of fraud and money laundering. Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city. Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea Two businessmen shaking hands | Thomas Barwick/Getty Images Thomas Barwick/Getty Images Wages are up. Unemployment claims are down. Yet, the budgetary belt-tightening continues for most Americans. Some 65% of U.S. adults say they have reason to cap their monthly spending, a percentage that has held fairly steady since 2014, according to a national poll for Bankrate's monthly Financial Security Index. But there's something different in 2016: Stagnant income is no longer the top reason why Americans say they're limiting spending; saving money is. RATE SEARCH: Find the savings account that pays the most interest. 30% of survey respondents cited the need to save more as the No. 1 reason they don't spend more. Saving affords 36-year old Nick Braun and his wife "freedom in our lives." "It's like this cloud is gone now that we have this savings, this cash," says Braun, of Columbus, Ohio. "We make decisions now because they are best for us, not because we have to. "Saving," he continues, "is a good discipline. For me at least, it's a challenge." Age matters In each of the 4 years Bankrate has surveyed Americans on why they don't spend more, the need to save and living without a raise have been the 2 reasons cited most. But the percentage of those who name stagnant income as the top reason has fallen in each of the past 2 years, even as more Americans say they've put spending caps in place in order to save more. Further, fears about the economy appear to be receding, as just 15% of adults named that the top reason why they place limits on monthly spending, the lowest percentage since Bankrate began asking this question. Still, there are some clear differences among age groups. CARD SEARCH: Find a low-interest credit card today. Our survey found that millennials ages 18-35 were most likely to name saving as their top reason for limiting spending (48%), while the No. 1 reason adults ages 62-70 put the brakes on spending is stagnant income (35%). The concern is even more pronounced for adults 71 and older. Some 58% say the top reason they're not spending more is their income, which isn't surprising given how retirees are frequently dependent on a fixed income. Story continues Older millennials ages 26-35 also proved to be outliers. Some 22% cited too much debt as their top reason for limiting spending. This, too, is unsurprising given the amount of student loan debt many young adults face. The typical graduate of the 2016 class left college owing $37,173, according to student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz. Photo courtesy of Makenzi Wood Makenzi Wood Makenzi Wood, 24, a marketing manager in Texas, says she and her husband, 29, made a lifestyle change after they married in May 2015. She had student loan debt and he had credit card debt; the latter was "strangling us alive," Wood says. They cut back on their spending in an effort to pay off all of their debts, began saving and have a goal to quit full-time work when she turns 35 and he turns 40. The couple began making their own bread and pasta sauce, for example, to cut back on food costs, sold her car to rid themselves of auto loan payments and moved into a less desirable neighborhood closer to Wood's job to save on transportation costs. "We're kind of unusual in that regard, but our goal is to be financially independent," Wood says. Financial security rebounds Americans' shift away from fearing job security and their increasing comfort level with debt led to a rebound this month in Bankrate's Financial Security Index, which is derived from survey questions on how people feel about their debt, savings, net worth, job security and overall financial situation. The October reading of the Financial Security Index rose to 101.3, up from 99.9 in September, its lowest level in more than 2 years. Any reading above 100 indicates improved financial security over the past year while readings below 100 profess a deterioration in financial security. While Americans still indicate a higher net worth on balance over the past year, the reading was less impressive than last month, owing in part to a stock market that was 1% lower compared with when the September poll was conducted. RATE SEARCH: Park your cash in a CD. Find the top yields now. Why people save Although not all people who are saving money list saving as the primary reason why they hold the line on monthly spending, we sought to find out what motivates this group. After all, they are a rare breed. The June 2016 Financial Security Index, for example, found that 28% of all Americans have no emergency savings at all. So who are these people who actually do save? And what motivates them? Here are a few examples: Scott Vance, 41, Cary, North Carolina Photo courtesy of Scott Vance Scott Vance Vance had planned to leave the U.S. Army after 4 years. But things happen. When the Army major finally retired after 22 years in January 2016, Vance knew he would have a steady government pension check -- albeit one 45% of what he had grown accustomed to -- every month. So the husband and father of one son set out to start his own financial planning business, Trisuli Financial Advising, a fee-only planning and tax prep business he named after a river in Nepal he used to paddle near the U.S. embassy where he worked. He now serves a client base that includes both military and non-military families. Those without a military background are "fairly concerned they'll be able to save enough to retire," he says. Vance isn't so concerned about that himself, but as a business owner he is worried about job security. So he recently put his family on a food budget. They now pay for groceries and all other food with cash. "Having to pay cash makes you think about what you buy," he says. Oraynab Jwayyed, 46, Oklahoma City Photo courtesy of Oraynab Jwayyed Oraynab Jwayyed Jwayyed is divorced, but says she lives much more comfortably than some of her female clients whose marriages have also ended. In 2011, she began teaching other women how to better manage money. This is a side business for the mortgage risk analyst by day. "Although I do want to treat myself every so often, I try not to get carried away so I can save some money," Jwayyed says. But over the summer, Jwayyed says she "went too far" with her spending and now realizes she needs to build a bigger savings cushion. Although her retirement accounts are in good shape, Jwayyed figured she need to save more "just in case." Her goal: $7,000 in additional savings, which she figures she'll achieve in another 2 or 3 months with some spending discipline. "I'm after my financial security," she says. "It will make me feel secure in case an unexpected expense comes up." Nick Braun, 36, Columbus, Ohio Photo courtesy of Nick Braun Nick Braun Braun, the CEO of PetInsuranceQuotes.com, says having a stockpile of cash is important as a small business owner. But knowing that his 2-year-old son relies on him has made Braun more disciplined about his spending, too. That's why Braun and his wife opened an online brokerage account and now contribute money to it every month. They hope to bank future income increases into their savings. The family has also cut back on eating out, buying clothing and taking impromptu vacations, something the couple did before having a child. "We definitely want to save at least what we're saving now forever," Braun says. More From Bankrate.com It lacks the stature of the 526-foot tall Vehicle Assembly Building or the utility of NASA's spacecraft processing hangars, but in some ways the modest, isolated house known simply as "The Beach House" cuts to the heart of the Kennedy Space Center story. It was inside this wood frame-and-concrete block house, which was badly damaged last week by Hurricane Matthew, that generations of astronauts said good-bye to their wives, husbands, lovers and best friends, not knowing if they would ever see them again. "Everybody has in the back of their minds that things may not turn out as planned," former shuttle astronaut Mike Mullane said in an interview with Seeker. "The beach house was a very emotional, poignant place to say their good-byes." "It's a piece of history," said former astronaut Sandy Magnus, who was a member of the last shuttle crew. "It looks like just a normal house, but it was a protected place where you could go while you're in quarantine." "The nicest thing about it was when we had the family barbecue," Magnus added. RELATED: Space Launch Site Spared by Hurricane Matthew Two days before launch, shuttle crews could invite five or six guests to the beach house for a cookout. "It was time where our families could all interact. It was really special," Magnus said. The space shuttles were retired in 2011, ending, at least temporarily, human spaceflight missions from the United States, and with it sidelining Kennedy Space Center's raison d'etre. NASA astronaut candidate Andrew Morgan looks over the beach while standing at the Beach House at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in 2014. (Image credit: NASA) NASA has hired aerospace industry stalwart Boeing and Elon Musk's ambitious SpaceX to begin launching astronauts from Florida again, hopefully in 2018. Since the shuttle program ended, astronauts travel to Russia for rides to space. By then, the beach house, which suffered in the high winds inflicted by Hurricane Matthew, should be repaired. "We have protected it from further damage," KSC director Robert Cabana wrote in an email to Seeker. "The important thing is that it's structurally sound." Costs for repairing the beach house are still being assessed, he added. RELATED: Will SpaceX Get People to Mars Before NASA? The U.S. government bought the house in 1963 as part of the purchase of an oceanfront subdivision called Neptune Beach to accommodate the expansion of what would become Kennedy Space Center. The government paid a grand total of $31,500 for the development and its land, NASA wrote in a 2010 article about the beach house titled "If Walls Could Talk." "I don't know who the far-thinking person was that preserved this house from destruction there were other houses here when this was private property but thank you," Mullane said in the NASA article. "I'm sure they could not have imagined how this would be part of manned space flight history," he said. Originally published on Discovery News. A scientist in Finland has proposed a new theory about the source of the mysterious sounds associated with the northern lights, or aurora borealis. For more than 15 years, a lone scientist in southern Finland has spent countless winter nights among the snowy fields and frozen lakes around his village, in pursuit of one of the most ephemeral mysteries of the heavens: the faint, almost phantasmagorical sounds heard during intense displays of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. The epic study by acoustician Unto K. Laine includes the first audio recordings of the muffled crackling or popping sometimes heard overhead during spectacular aurora displays. Over the years, the sounds of the northern lights have been explained as illusions, imagination, inebriation or even voices from the spiritual world. [In Photos: Recording Mysterious Sounds from the Northern Lights] But Laine has shown the sounds are real, and he thinks he has found what causes them: sparks of electricity discharging beneath the aurora in an inversion layer of the atmosphere that can form in clear and calm weather conditions. Laine told Live Science that he became interested in the phenomenon of so-called auroral acoustics about 25 years ago, when he and his friends heard sounds from an aurora after a nighttime music gathering in Finnish Lapland, in the far north of the country. "This experience never left me. We had to concentrate we did not move or talk at all," he said. "A few of us did not hear it, because at that time, the aurora wasn't very strong, and it was a very low-intensity sound. I could never forget this experience; it was so strange." In 2000, Laine started to keep a careful watch on space weather forecasts for reports of intense solar flares that could supercharge auroras over the following nights. Auroras are caused by charged particles from solar flares interacting with the Earth's magnetic field and raining into the upper atmosphere, where they excite the nitrogen and oxygen atoms of the air to create the dramatic and colorful light shows. "During all these years, I have checked the space weather two to three times a day, so not to miss any aurora events and always, when the weather conditions are good, I go," he said. Sounds out of space Laine's solitary hunt for the elusive sound of the northern lights demanded great patience. There have been few intense auroras over Finland in the past 16 years, thanks in part to the "solar minimum," a period of decreased activity in the sun's natural 11-year solar cycle. Between 2004 and 2007, the sun experienced a lull in activity, according to NASA, which meant fewer solar flares and fewer auroras. In 2011, as solar activity ramped up, Laine started using a VLF loop antenna to measure magnetic fields and a microphone array to triangulate the locations of crackles and pops in the ever-changing sounds from the aurora. [Aurora Photos: See Breathtaking Views of the Northern Lights] "The sounds are diverse and can vary quite a lot, and it is very possible that there are many different mechanisms creating the sounds," he said. "I have been concentrating more on the clapping, popping and crackling, because they are good for estimating the direction of the sound." In September 2011, during an intense aurora overhead, Laine's microphone array was able to triangulate the locations of several distinct "clap" sounds from the celestial display. To his surprise, the results showed the sounds were originating just 230 feet (70 meters) above the ground much lower than the auroras themselves, which occur at altitudes of up to 300 kilometers (185 miles). Laines unexpected discovery partly explained one of the mysteries of the acoustics of auroras: How can faint sounds from auroras so high in the atmosphere be heard at the surface of the Earth? In a research paper published in 2012, which included the first recordings of auroral sounds ever made, Laine also ruled out a theory that the sounds could be made by trees, because his microphones had been set in open fields and beside frozen lakes. The acoustics of auroras Now, Laine thinks he may have discovered a mechanism in the atmosphere that explains at least some of the sounds caused by auroras. During an intense display of the northern lights over southern Finland on March 17 and 18, 2013, when the temperature in the village of Fiskars was minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 degrees Celsius), Laine recorded hundreds of auroral sound events. [Northern Lights: 8 Dazzling Facts About Auroras] He also measured magnetic pulses that occurred immediately before each sound event, which corresponded in strength to the volume of the sounds. Then, Laine matched his measurements to data from the Finnish Meteorological Institute for the same night, and found they had measured a thermal inversion layer in the atmosphere a blanket of relatively warm air that traps cold air next to the ground in calm conditions at the same altitude where the noises originated. In research presented June 22 at the Baltic-Nordic Acoustic Meeting in Stockholm, Laine proposed that the sounds are caused by the buildup of electrical charges in the inversion layer, while opposite charges build up in the trapped cold air. When an aurora occurs over the charged inversion layer, geomagnetic disturbances cause the accumulated electricity to discharge with sparks that create measurable magnetic pulses and sounds, Laine said. This could explain why sounds caused by auroras in the upper atmosphere can be heard at the Earth's surface, he said, and why the volume of the sounds appeared to vary with the intensity of the auroras. With the solar activity cycle now entering its downward swing, Laine may have fewer opportunities over the next few years to continue his hunt for the song of the northern lights. But, he hopes his research will inspire more observations of aurora sounds and will spark discussions about the mysterious physical mechanisms that create them. Looking back, Laine said, the weather conditions on the night 25 years ago, when he first heard the sounds of the northern lights, were perfect for auroral acoustical inspiration. "It was very cold weather, about minus 35 degrees C [minus 31 degrees F], with clear skies, no clouds and no wind. So it was absolutely the best conditions to hear the sounds," he said. Original article on Live Science. An upgraded Orbital ATK Antares rocket soars into the night sky over NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on Oct. 17, 2016, beginning a Cygnus cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station for NASA. It was Orbital ATK's first Antares rocket launch since a 2014 accident. WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. We have liftoff! For the first time in two years, an Orbital ATK Antares rocket has successfully launched into space, departing NASA's Wallops Flight Facility here this evening (Oct. 17) on a mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The upgraded Antares rocket soared into the night sky at 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT) today, topped with Orbital ATK's uncrewed Cygnus cargo capsule. Millions of observers along the U.S. East Coast had the opportunity to view the rocket's ascent, which was visible from as far north as Boston and as far south as central South Carolina. After liftoff, Antares veered southeast on its way into low-Earth orbit. About 9 minutes into the mission, Cygnus entered orbit carrying its load of 5,100 lbs. (2,300 kilograms) of science experiments, hardware and other supplies for the astronauts aboard the ISS. [Photos: Antares Rocket Launches for 1st Time Since 2014] An upgraded Orbital ATK Antares rocket soars into the night sky over NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on Oct. 17, 2016, beginning a Cygnus cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station for NASA. It was Orbital ATK's first Antares rocket launch since a 2014 accident. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls) This is a high-stakes mission for the Virginia-based commercial spaceflight company Orbital ATK. Its last attempt at launching an Antares rocket, nearly two years ago, ended in a catastrophic explosion just a few seconds after liftoff from Pad-0A here at Wallops. The current mission, titled OA-5, is Orbital ATK's sixth official cargo resupply mission for NASA, and the fourth using an Antares rocket. (The two missions immediately following the October 2014 accident employed United Launch Alliance Atlas V rockets.) During a news conference here Saturday (Oct. 15), NASA officials and Orbital ATK representatives expressed confidence that OA-5 would go well. Dale Nash, executive director of Virginia's Commercial Space Flight Authority, said the Wallops launchpad which cost $15 million to rebuild after the 2014 explosion is in better shape than ever before. Nash said the OA-5 prelaunch tests went "extremely well," and that they were "two of the cleanest tests we've ever seen." Despite the clean bill of health for Antares and the onboard Cygnus, an issue with one of the ground support cables at the launchpad just hours before launch time on Sunday (Oct. 16) forced NASA and Orbital ATK to postpone the launch by a day. A few days prior, Hurricane Nicole prompted a scrub of Thursday's (Oct. 13) planned launch as the Category 1 storm shut down Orbital ATK's tracking station in Bermuda. Because the Antares launch date slipped several days, the Cygnus spacecraft's planned arrival now conflicts with the arrival of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that will be delivering three astronauts to the ISS Friday (Oct. 21). Therefore, Cygnus will wait its turn, loitering in orbit until Sunday (Oct. 23), NASA officials said. [ Gallery: Orbital Sciences' Cygnus Spaceship & Antares Rocket ] Under Orbital ATK's $1.9 billion contract with NASA, the private spaceflight company will carry about 66,000 lbs. (30,000 kg) of cargo to the space station over the course of 10 missions. Among Cygnus' cargo on OA-5 are a number of science experiments, supplies and hardware for spacewalks, as well as food and clothing for the astronauts. Today's launch was the first to use Orbital ATK's new and improved Antares 230 rocket. The updated launch system uses Russian-made RD-181 rocket engines in place of AJ26 engines, which were implicated in the October 2014 accident. When Antares' engines ignited this evening, it took the rocket 3.6 seconds to lift off and about 8 seconds to completely exit its support structure. Shortly after liftoff, the rocket wiggled slightly. Gut-wrenching as it may have looked, this wobbling motion was nothing to worry about; the rocket was intentionally designed to wiggle to avoid placing its fiery plume directly over the transporter-erector vehicle at the launchpad, Orbital ATK general manager Mike Pinkston said at a news conference. Once deployed in orbit, Cygnus separated from Antares and began to unfold its solar panels a process that takes about 15 minutes. The spacecraft then revved up its propulsion system to start maneuvering toward the space station. Orbital ATK named the Cygnus flying on this flight the S.S. Alan Poindexter, in honor of the late NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter. Cygnus should arrive at its space station destination on Sunday (Oct. 23), NASA officials said. During its trip, Cygnus will orbit Earth every 90 minutes at about 17,500 mph (28,200 km/h) while gradually increasing its altitude. When it's ready to rendezvous, a robotic grapple arm will extend from the ISS, grab Cygnus and attach or "berth" it to the space station. After unloading the cargo, astronauts on the ISS will fill Cygnus with up to about 5,100 lbs. (2,300 kg) of "disposal cargo" garbage, in other words. Sometime between 10 and 90 days into the mission, Cygnus will leave the space station and head back to Earth. The spacecraft and all that trash should burn up entirely upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. There is little to no risk that it will hit the ground, NASA officials said. But just in case, the spacecraft's trajectory during re-entry will take it to an unpopulated area to minimize any risk. Orbital ATK is now tracking Cygnus from its mission control center in Dulles, Virginia, while NASA follows the spacecraft from the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Editor's note: If you captured an amazing photo of the Antares launch and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send comments and images in to spacephotos@space.com. Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. The comet that Europe's Rosetta spacecraft orbited for more than two years was probably born in the realm of icy bodies beyond Neptune, a new study suggests. New analyses of the orbit of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on which Rosetta intentionally crash-landed on Sept. 30, ending the probe's historic mission trace the object's origins back to the Kuiper Belt, whose most famous denizen is Pluto. "These results come from computations of the comet's orbit from the present to the past, which is computationally difficult due to the chaosity of the orbit caused by close encounters with Jupiter," Mattia Galiazzo, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Western University in Ontario, Canada, said in a statement. "Thus, the details are obscure, but we can establish a dynamical pathway from its current orbit back to the Kuiper Belt," added Galiazzo, who presented the findings Monday (Oct. 17) at the joint 48th annual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and 11th annual European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) in Pasadena, California. Galiazzo and co-author Paul Wiegert, also of Western University, said they think the 2.5-mile-wide (4 kilometers) 67P, which takes about 6.5 years to orbit the sun, has been in the inner solar system just 10,000 years or so. Comet 67P is a member of the "Jupiter family" or "short-period" comets, which coalesce far from the sun but veer into the inner solar system after collisions or gravitational interactions. Jupiter family comets don't stay in this neck of the woods for long just 12,000 years on average, the researchers said. (Short-period comets are generally though to originate in the Kuiper Belt. "Long-period" comets, the other major type, are thought to originate much farther away, in a comet repository known as the Oort Cloud.) Rosetta launched in March 2004, then took a long and looping route through the solar system before arriving at 67P in August 2014, becoming the first probe ever to orbit a comet. That November, Rosetta achieved another first, when the orbiting mothership dropped a washing-machine-sized lander onto the comet's surface. Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. The first detailed look at Martian "nightglow" has been revealed, thanks to the work of NASA's newest Red Planet orbiter. The space agency's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) probe took global pictures of the Red Planet in ultraviolet (UV) light, revealing how winds flow at high altitudes. You can see a video of the UV nightglow on Mars here. "Nightglow" refers to a phenomenon in which a planet's sky faintly glows, even without external light. On Mars, this is the result of nitric-oxide emissions. [Photos: NASA's MAVEN Mission to Mars] This ultraviolet image near Mars South Pole was taken by MAVEN on July 10 2016 and shows the atmosphere and surface during southern spring. The ultraviolet colors of the planet have been rendered in false color, to show what we would see with ultraviolet-sensitive eyes. Darker regions show the planet's rocky surface and brighter regions are due to clouds, dust and haze. The white region centered on the pole is frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) on the surface. Pockets of ice are left inside craters as the polar cap recedes in the spring, giving its edge a rough appearance. High concentrations of atmospheric ozone appear magenta in color, and the wavy edge of the enhanced ozone region highlights wind patterns around the pole. (Image credit: NASA/MAVEN/University of Colorado) These emissions are produced when UV light from the sun breaks down carbon dioxide and nitrogen molecules on the day side of Mars. High-altitude winds circulate the remaining atoms across the planet. On the Martian night side, the atoms flow down to lower altitudes, where nitrogen and oxygen atoms combine and create nitric oxide. The resulting energy the combination creates is released as UV light. While nightglow has been detected by earlier missions, MAVEN is the first to show images of it in action. "Splotches and streaks appearing in these images occur where [nitrogen oxide] recombination is enhanced by winds. Such concentrations are clear evidence of strong irregularities in Mars' high-altitude winds and circulation patterns," NASA officials said in a statement. This image of the Mars night side shows ultraviolet emission from nitric oxide (abbreviated NO). The emission is shown in false color with black as low values, green as medium, and white as high. These emissions track the recombination of atomic nitrogen and oxygen produced on the dayside, and reveal the circulation patterns of the atmosphere. The splotches, streaks and other irregularities in the image are indications that atmospheric patterns are extremely variable on Mars' nightside. The inset shows the viewing geometry on the planet. MAVEN's Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph obtained this image of Mars on May 4, 2016 during late winter in Mars Southern Hemisphere. (Image credit: NASA/MAVEN/University of Colorado) "These winds control how Mars' atmosphere responds to its very strong seasonal cycles," they added. "These first images will lead to an improved determination of the circulation patterns that control the behavior of the atmosphere from approximately 37 to 62 miles (about 60 to 100 kilometers) high." Besides showing nightglow, MAVEN's new UV images reveal how ozone changes seasonally, and that clouds are formed over huge Martian volcanoes, mission team members said. MAVEN's Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph obtained these images of rapid cloud formation on Mars on July 9-10, 2016. The ultraviolet colors of the planet have been rendered in false color, to show what we would see with ultraviolet-sensitive eyes. (Image credit: NASA/MAVEN/University of Colorado) Daylight images of the Martian south pole were obtained, showing that ozone persists longer in the southern hemisphere than previously believed. While ozone breaks down when water vapor is introduced, the global winds of Mars keep the water vapor away well into the spring. MAVEN's images of clouds over four Martian volcanoes are some of the best a mission has taken, NASA officials added. Monitoring clouds helps scientists understand how a planet regulates its energy and water vapor over each day and season. These results will be presented tomorrow (Oct. 19) at the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences meeting in Pasadena, California, by Nick Schneider, an associate professor at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado. Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com . The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. 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Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service. By Venus Wu HONG KONG (Reuters) - The Hong Kong government failed in an unprecedented legal attempt on Tuesday to halt the swearing-in of two newly elected lawmakers seeking to push for independence for the autonomous region. High Court Judge Thomas Au rejected its last-ditch request for an injunction against a decision allowing the two lawmakers to re-take their oath of office at Hong Kong's Legislative Council on Wednesday. Au did approve the government's request for a judicial review of the case, which will take place early next month. By that time, they could already be serving in the legislature. Yau Wai-ching, 25, and Baggio Leung, 30, were initially barred by legislative authorities last week after pledging their allegiance to the "Hong Kong nation" and displaying a "Hong Kong is not China" banner when they first attempted to take office. The pair's oath-taking was an early test of their determination to push independence issues into mainstream Hong Kong politics. It also showed the depth of the pro-Beijing establishment's anger at the challenge they represent. Chinas representative office in the city issued a statement last Friday expressing "great indignation and strong condemnation" over their statements last Wednesday. Pressure has mounted since then from pro-Beijing groups and politicians, who said they were outraged by the derogatory terms for China and swear words they said were used. The pair denied using such language. The topic of independence was once regarded as taboo in the former British colony, now governed under the "one country, two systems" principle since its return to Chinese rule in 1997. But some young people have started demanding greater autonomy, ranging from self-determination to independence, after months of pro-democracy protests in 2014 failed to secure any concessions from Beijing. Government lawyers were specifically challenging a decision by the legislature's new president Andrew Leung to allow the pair to re-take their oaths this week. The government's writ stated Leung had no power to re-administer the oaths to the pair as, given their actions, they were disqualified from taking office under the law. "Leung and Yau have manifested an intent ... that they did not intend to make the Legislative Council oath or be bound by it," the writ states. The oath requires legislators to swear allegiance to the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China." Andrew Leung said earlier on Tuesday that he was opposed to the government's move and had instructed the legislature's lawyers on the matter. In refusing the injunction, Judge Au said barring the newly elected lawmakers would "result in the confusion of the public" and harm the "sanctity and solemnity" of the legislature. Yau said afterwards that the government was destroying the vital separation of powers between it and lawmakers while Leung said: "Hong Kong can't afford to lose this case". Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying said last Friday that the pair's statements "seriously affected the relationship between Hong Kong and mainland people." The rise of independence debates has sparked concern among some senior government officials and judges that Beijing might pressure Hong Kong to pass tough new laws to explicitly outlaw any such discussions, or invoke rarely used powers to tweak Hong Kong's mini-constitution known as the Basic Law. The document codifies Chinese sovereignty, but also guarantees extensive freedoms for Hong Kong people, with a separate legal system and autonomy for its government. (Reporting by Venus Wu; Writing by Greg Torode; Editing by Tom Heneghan) Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. Stuck in Moria The Greek authorities are overwhelmed by the situation. On Lesbos, nine officers have been charged with making decisions about the applications of 6,000 refugees. One of those officers was briefly hospitalized for burn-out. Several months ago, the EU announced it was sending hundreds of asylum experts to Greece but so far, according to the Greek government, only three-dozen officials have arrived on the islands. In his Lesbos office, lawyer Emmanouil Chatzichalkias is leafing through the files of refugees who have been stuck in Moria for several months. He says that nobody knows when their applications will be evaluated -- whether it will be a week, a month or a year. He represents a woman with five children from Afghanistan who arrived on Lesbos in April, but weren't registered by the authorities until early October. Now the mother needs to wait another half-year for her hearing. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), fewer than 5 percent of the applications submitted by Afghans and Iraqis have been processed since April. For weeks, the authorities refused to allow a Pakistani who had a heart attack and couldn't be treated on Lesbos to leave. "Lesbos has turned into a prison," says Chatzichalkias. But why has the number of refugees been rising significantly in the last few months? The reason can be found on the other side of the Aegean, in Turkey. In a stuffy, neon-lit hotel room in Izmir, a port city in southwestern Turkey, Ziad Zamriq, 33, is waiting for a smuggling boat to take him and his wife to Greece. Sitting next to each other on the bed, Zamriq is holding his wife's hand. "If we had an alternative, we wouldn't be getting onto the boat," he says. When Zamriq arrived in Istanbul in the summer of 2014 after escaping from Syria, he thought he had arrived at his destination. He found a job in a souvenir shop and rented an apartment on the edge of the city. Zamriq, who had worked as a tourist guide in Damascus, wanted to stay in Turkey. Post-Coup Turkey Even prior to July 15, refugees had trouble earning enough money to make ends meet in Turkey. Although more than 2.7 million people have found refuge in Turkey since the beginning of the civil war in Syria, more than in any other country, most of them live in the big cities, like Istanbul or Ankara, without any kind of support from the government. Since the attempted coup, Zamriq says, it has become almost impossible for migrants to find jobs. Tourism has collapsed and the economy is stagnating -- and Zamriq lost his job in the souvenir store. He initially got by with odd jobs in construction, factories or restaurants but his wages still weren't enough to pay his rent. In early July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held out the prospect of Turkish citizenship for Syrians. But Zamriq says that he hasn't even been able to register as a refugee. At his last appointment at the office for foreigners in Istanbul in August, he was told that Syrians are categorically no longer being given papers. Two friends of his, he says, were recently deported back to Syria -- together with two dozen other refugees. UNHCR's European head, Vincent Cochetel, has said that even the few Syrians who voluntarily returned to Turkey from Greece have so far not received any titles of protection, despite the fact that Turkey had agreed to do so as part of the deal. The refugees are housed in camps to which UNHCR representatives haven't had access since the coup attempt. That situation in turn supports the decision of the Greek authorities not to view Turkey as a safe third-country. The Center for Political Beauty, an artist collective that wanted to fly refugees from Turkey to Germany, has now filed a lawsuit in Berlin against the EU-Turkey deal. Ziad Zamriq walks through the neighborhood surrounding Izmir's train station, past clothing stores in which life vests are on display. He has an appointment with a smuggler, a middle-aged Syrian who introduces himself as Abu Ali. Before April, he says, he smuggled people to Greece for 700 euros per person. Since the EU-Turkey deal, fewer refugees have dared to make the journey and he has dropped his prices by half. Abu Ali is hoping that business will pick up again soon, though. Since July 15, inspections carried out by the Turkish coast guard have become less frequent. 'The End of European Asylum Policy' The hunt for supporters of the coup has partly paralyzed Turkey's state apparatus. Erdogan has suspended several thousand police and military officials. At the same time, the war against the PKK, the Kurdish terror group, and the military operation in Syria are tying up troops. "At the moment we have more pressing concerns than policing our borders," an official says. And so a storm is brewing. The neglected inspections, the economic pressure on the refugees in Turkey, the powerlessness of the Greek authorities and the overfilled refugee camps -- this all together is increasing the pressure on the refugee deal. President Erdogan is also threatening to scuttle the deal over the issue of visa-requirements for Turks. Political advisor Knaus, whom many people describe as the creator of the refugee deal, warns that if the deal fails, chaos could result. Hundreds of thousands of refugees, he says, would arrive in Greece and try to break through the fences to the north. The Balkans would turn into a battleground for migrants, smugglers, border guards and soldiers, Knaus says. "That would be the end of European asylum policy." 'Waiting Impatiently' The SPD isn't just interested in avoiding new sanctions on Russia due to its role in Syria. The party would also like to see the lifting of sanctions imposed two years ago after the Russian annexation of Crimea and Moscow's support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. Erwin Sellering, an SPD member who was recently re-elected as the governor of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, has already successfully tested the new strategy. Even before the state parliamentary election campaign began, Sellering held a Russia Day for German companies and, in the presence of Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov and SPD head Sigmar Gabriel, said: "We are all waiting impatiently for the sanctions to finally fall so we can resume our peaceful economic cooperation." Matthias Platzeck, former SPD head and chair of the German-Russian Forum, says that relations with Russia have worsened considerably since the application of sanctions. "Everyone who is currently demanding new sanctions should keep that in mind." The SPD believes that a majority of the German population supports its approach to Russia. Surveys regularly show that more than half, and sometimes up to two-thirds, of Germans believe that sanctions on Russia should be loosened or lifted completely. Sympathies for Putin are likewise astoundingly high. According to a survey commissioned by the influential German weekly Die Zeit in late August, 29 percent of Germans trust the Russia president just as much or more than the chancellor. The NATO dual strategy of deterrence and dialogue, by contrast, is unpopular. According to a survey conducted by the pollsters at Forsa, 63 percent of respondents believed that NATO should limit itself solely to dialogue. German industry is also supportive of the course charted by the SPD, a party which business leaders have not traditionally seen as an ally. Germany is one of Russia's most important trading partners and the effects of the sanctions have been significant. In 2014, exports from Germany to Russia dropped by 18 percent and they dropped by another quarter last year. In spring, Steinmeier proposed that sanctions against Russia be removed "step by step," and not just once Moscow has fulfilled all of the conditions laid out in the Minsk Protocol, the fall 2014 agreement that aimed to stop the fighting in eastern Ukraine. A short time later, Steinmeier warned NATO against "saber rattling and cries for war" when it came to Russia. "Of course the campaign is approaching," Steinmeier said in an August television appearance and invoked former SPD Chancellor Brandt's rapprochement with the Soviet Union in the 1970s. "You surely won't be surprised when I, as a Social Democrat, attempt to benefit from experiences that made our country safer." Naive Hopes Back then, the timing of Steinmeier's comments was favorable. Ahead of the July NATO summit in Warsaw, alliance hardliners were outdoing each other with new demands and, at the same time, the Minsk peace process was making little headway, partly because Ukraine itself was proving uncooperative. Many at the time were looking for a way to normalize relations with Moscow and Russia's intervention in Syria had led to hopes that the West and Moscow could cooperate in that country. As has now become apparent, such hopes were naive. Russia's March announcement that it was withdrawing most of its air force from Syria proved deceptive and those war planes that were sent home were quickly replaced by assault helicopters. Since the collapse of the most recent Syrian cease-fire in September, an increasing number of jets have been sent to Khmeimim, Russia's air base near besieged Aleppo -- and they are capable of carrying a greater payload and of flying more sorties. Ever since jets apparently belonging to the Syrian regime or the Russian military spent hours destroying a UN aid convoy and a Red Crescent depot on September 19, claims by Moscow that they are interested in negotiations have lost all credibility. Last Tuesday alone, Russian war planes flew attacks on numerous Aleppo neighborhoods, dropping fragmentation bombs and explosives originally designed to destroy underground bunker facilities. Monster Betab-500 bombs of this type have hit the last remaining hospitals in Aleppo, partially or completely destroying several of them. Now only five such facilities remain with just two dozen doctors on duty. For the more than 250,000 residents trapped in the encircled eastern half of the city, treatable injuries often end in death. Doctors Without Borders says that only 11 working ambulances remain in the city. Last week, France drew the consequences. Putin cancelled a planned visit to Paris after French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced that France would ask the International Criminal Court in The Hague to consider investigating possible Russian war crimes -- although Moscow has never ratified the Rome Statute, the treaty underlying the court. War crimes listed in the court's statute include: intentional attacks on the civilian population; launching attacks in the knowledge that they will cause loss of life to civilians or damage to civilian objects; attacks on buildings that are not military objectives; the use of poison or poisoned weapons; and the use of weapons and methods of warfare that cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering. Witness testimony, video footage and the remains of discharged munitions provide ample evidence that Russia has committed these forms of war crime in the course of its air war on Aleppo. The evidence for crimes committed by the Assad regime, which has spent years dropping barrel bombs on civilians and has even employed chemical weapons, is even stronger. Geo-Political Realities The question Germany's SPD must now face is whether they should really campaign on a platform that calls for greater understanding for a presumed war criminal like Putin. There is plenty of nostalgia present in the SPD approach to Russia. The party remembers Willy Brandt's policy of detente with the Soviet Union (known as Ostpolitik) fondly. For the SPD it is a kind of golden age, a time when the party won important elections. Brandt, according to the party narrative, led Germany out of a diplomatic dead-end it had maneuvered itself into by refusing to recognize East Germany and the Oder-Neisse border with Poland. The policy of rapprochement was successful because it reflected geo-political realities at the time. But the SPD likes to forget that the first phase of Ostpolitik was followed by a second, less glorious chapter. Instead of supporting the 1980s pro-democracy movements that had developed in Eastern Bloc countries, leading Social Democrats -- in the opposition at the time -- preferred to maintain their friendly relations with autocratic regimes. Historian Timothy Garton Ash has referred to this chapter of SPD foreign policy as "shadow policy" that was characterized by "unprincipled party-political opportunism." Unlike in the Brandt era, many Social Democrats at the time chose to ignore shifting realities. The current SPD course more closely resembles the second phase of Ostpolitik than the successful first phase. Even deputy SPD floor leader Mutzenich, hardly a hawk when it comes to Moscow, harshly criticized his party's "rapprochement romantics" last year and warned against the "misconception that old-style Ostpolitik was possible following the annexation of Crimea." In contrast to the 1960s and 70s, he said, the current task is to react to Moscow's expansionary policies, not merely recognize new realities. Merkel is not opposed to dialogue with Moscow. But in contrast to Steinmeier and the SPD, she has never harbored great hopes for Putin's willingness to compromise. The chancellor believes that the sanctions applied to Russia in the Ukraine crisis have been effective and believes that additional punitive measures in response to the bombing of Syria should be considered. Sanctions "can by no means be excluded if the murdering continues in Syria," CDU floor leader Volker Kauder, one of Merkel's closest confidants, told SPIEGEL last week. The chancellor, though, is well aware that this position is not widely supported in the EU. Split Conservatives Within her party, though, there are plenty who support a harder line against Russia. Elmar Brok, a member of the CDU and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in European Parliament, has demanded that the sanctions be broadened. He believes that the next time EU leaders meet, they should extend the current penalties by a year instead of just for six months, as has been the practice. "That would send a strong message to Putin that the West is serious," Brok says. Brok is also extremely critical of the SPD's intention to campaign on a more conciliatory approach to Russia. "The SPD must also recognize that, given the situation in Aleppo, now is not the time to discover one's affection for Russia." Manfred Weber, floor leader for the center-right European People's Party in European Parliament and a member of the German CDU, has challenged the SPD to give up its "appeasement policy to Mr. Putin and to finally take a clear position. Cuddling up to Moscow can only end in failure." Still, German conservatives remain split on the issue. Horst Seehofer, head of the Bavarian CSU, has called for the step-by-step lifting of existing sanctions against Russia. And Merkel's policies, too, are contradictory. Thus far, the chancellor has done nothing to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, which will deliver Russian natural gas directly to Germany. Once completed, the project will make Germany even more dependent on Moscow for energy -- a dependence that Merkel has said she would like to reduce. Demands for additional sanctions are hardly credible if the German government continues to expand its energy cooperation with Russia. Merkel has thus far hidden behind claims that the pipeline is first and foremost "an economic project." But even European Council President Donald Tusk couldn't refrain from commenting on the hypocrisy. "In my perspective, Nord Stream does not help diversification" of energy supplies, he grumbled at an EU summit last December. Merkel was only able to remove a critical passage about the pipeline from the summit declaration with some effort. Following Merkel At Thursday's summit, Renzi will seek to hold a discussion on Germany's contradictory position on Russia. He is critical of what he sees as Merkel's double standard: First the EU blocked the South Stream Pipeline over Italian objections and now Merkel wants to push through Nord Stream 2 purely out of national interest. The German government continues to support the project and Berlin believes the law is on its side. Because the Nord Stream pipeline leads directly from the Russian Baltic Sea coast to Lubmin on the German coast, the EU doesn't have a say on the issue, argue lawyers within the Chancellery and Economics Ministry. Yet with Putin continuing, and even expanding, his air war in Syria, an increasing number of conservative politicians in Germany are turning their backs on the project. "As long as Putin continues dropping bombs on civilians, the EU should refrain from supporting Nord Stream 2," says EPP floor leader Weber. Merkel is set to meet with Putin in Berlin on Wednesday together with French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, in a gathering of the so-called Normandy Format. The Normandy Format is a diplomatic group aimed at resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine. It will mark the first time that Putin has visited Germany in four years. It's become clear, regardless, that Putin will play a role in the German general election campaign next year. Recently, foreign policy experts within the SPD met in Berlin. The discussion went back and forth and nobody was particularly pleased about Putin's actions in Syria and Ukraine. But then, as the evening wore on and after a couple glasses of wine, one of those present said what many in the SPD think: "We can't simply follow Merkel and support her policy on Russia as well!" By Christiane Hoffmann, Peter Muller, Ralf Neukirch, Christoph Pauly, Christoph Reuter, Mathieu von Rohr and Christoph Schult Athens, October 18, 2016 (SPS) - Frente POLISARIO delegation headed by Minister Delegate to European Union, Mr. Mohamed Sidati participated on the second congress of Syriza Party held from 13-16 October in Athens. Minister Delegate to EU, in his address to the participants, said that despite the UN, AU successive efforts, Morocco remains unwilling to accept UN-supervised referendum on self-determination to people of Western Sahara, Noting that Morocco has also challenged the authority of the UN mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO, and has repeatedly violated the cease-fire agreement between the two parties to the conflict. Moreover, Mohamed Sidati went on saying that Morocco has committed massive violations of human rights of Sahrawi civilians in the occupied territories documented by many international organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Robert F. Kennedy Centre for Justice and Human Rights, underlining that there are now over 60 Sahrawi political prisoners detained following the peaceful protest camp of Gdeim Izik in November 2010, which was described by Noam Chomsky as the beginning of the Arab Spring. The entire Sahrawi occupied territories are put under a military siege and a media blackout where international observers and media are banned from entering the Territory that remains encircled by the 2700 km Moroccan military wall, Sahrawi diplomat added in his speech He also pointed out that Morocco persists in exploiting illegally and massively the natural resources of Western Sahara including fisheries, phosphates and other minerals, often in complicity with foreign entities, including unfortunately countries and institutions from the European Union, recalling that the European General Court confirmed this fact in its ruling of December 2015 when it underscored that Morocco had no sovereignty over Western Sahara and that the EU-Morocco agreement on agricultural products was illegal because it involved Western Sahara. In this regard, he called once again on the European Union, of which Greece is a member state, to refrain from engaging in any transaction of any kind that may affect the territory or waters of Western Sahara, because that will be a clear violation of basic norms of international law relating to Non-Self-Governing Territories. Mohamed Sidati concluded his intervention in the said congress: we also believe that Greece, under SYRIZAs dynamic leadership, can play an active and positive role, within the European Union and in the international arena, in supporting the international efforts aiming at achieving a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict in Western Sahara based on the exercise by the Sahrawi people of their inalienable right to self-determination and independence. SPS 125/090 I have lived in Connecticut my entire life. I was born here, worked here and raised my family here. But I am afraid I cant afford to retire here. I am afraid I wont be able to see my grandkids as often as Id like because I will be forced to move somewhere more affordable. These are the words of Pam, a near-retirement age nurse I met at a recent event. Like many others, she has seen Connecticut change over the course of her lifetime. Pams story is unfortunately all too common. We have all heard too many people planning how and when they will get out of Connecticut. Connecticut loses an average of 38 people every day! With each departure, Connecticuts death spiral spins faster: People leave, lowering taxes paid to the state, causing Hartford politicians to raise taxes and increase debt on the remaining residents and businesses. This prompts more people and businesses to leave. We know what happens next. We need to stop the spiral. The answer is simple: Imagine if Connecticut was able to keep and attract people. The hard part is how. One solution starts with keeping our senior citizens. Currently, there are 567,300 people over age 65 living in Connecticut. This is 15.8 percent of our population. Keeping seniors in our state is good for families, smart public policy, improves the economy and strengthens our community. Seniors help keep families together. They provide child care, support charities and pay taxes vital services Connecticut needs now more than ever. Why let these benefits leave for another state? Many seniors and people approaching retirement are leaving Connecticut because the current policies coming from Hartford have priced them out of the state. Increasing cost of living, a broken transportation system, high taxes and reduced services are a reality. Add a promise of warmer winters and you have a recipe for exodus. Governors around the country realize this. They have implemented incentives to attract Connecticuts seniors. For example, Florida does not tax Social Security benefits, military pensions or have an estate tax. Likewise, Georgia reduces property taxes for seniors. It is time to fight back. I imagine a brighter future when Connecticuts seniors see reason to stay. We have an opportunity to create a unique, national model. A strategy of healthy living and aging that is central to our economy. This will grow Connecticut industries, universities and towns. Imagine if Connecticut arranged its priorities and policies to make this the place to retire. The result would be a transformed Connecticut: Seniors grow jobs: Health care is an important part of our local economy. Connecticuts health care industry has grown 41 percent from 1990 2014. This includes home health aides, physical therapists, nurses and many more important jobs. If seniors leave, these jobs leave too. If more seniors stay, job opportunities grow. Seniors grow innovations: Connecticut is worldrenowned for life sciences. We are the home of UCONN Health, YaleNew Havens Geriatric Assessment Center and many more assets. In every industry, new products and services need access to customers and feedback. I have spoken with many seniors who would gladly support these efforts. They have the knowledge, interest and time to give back. Seniors can participate in and accelerate these innovations that help to create good-paying jobs. Seniors grow communities: Our universities, cultural and town resources create opportunities to engage seniors, accelerate learning and create new businesses and jobs along the way. Specifically, we have a unique opportunity to redefine lifelong learning and integrate the model within our towns. Imagine a student going to class and picking up Pam along the way as an Uber driver. This allows Pam to audit the class and maybe guest lecture or tutor based on her nursing experience. This would make us rethink housing, transportation and education. Call it the early bird learning special. The opportunities that emerge are only limited by our imagination. Seniors are our bridge to the future as we prepare for a new generation. This helps to bring security to the short- and long-term. With the right policy and work ethic, Connecticut can be the place where residents, like Pam, not only want to work and raise their families, but also a place they can afford to retire and spend the rest of their lives. Steve Obsitnik of Westport is a business leader, entrepreneur and educator. He is a cofounder of Imagine Connecticut. STAMFORD The bandanna-wearing bandit who robbed a Hope Street convenience store Monday afternoon was found a short time later eating expensive cookies and drinking espresso at a popular Springdale bakery, police said. Donald Newman-Smith, 26, was found sitting outside DiMare Pastry Shop on Largo Drive next to the Springdale train station, eating a dozen Pignoli cookies at $2 each, the treats are the shops most expensive and drinking an espresso, Lt. Thomas Barcello said. Barcello said moments earlier Newman-Smith walked into the Hope Street Mini Mart near Camp Avenue with a bandanna around his face just and passed a note to a 22-year-old clerk behind the counter shortly after 2 p.m. Monday. The clerk told police the note said the man was robbing the store and that he had a gun in his hoodie, Barcello said. The clerk handed over about $800 in cash and the man fled, Barcello said. As one investigator, Michael Franzetti, was heading to the convenience store, he was waived down by Newman-Smith who asked him how to get to DiMare. After reviewing the surveillance footage, Franzetti recognized the robber as the man he had given directions to and headed with Barcello to the bakery where they found Newman-Smith sitting at an outside table. The clerk was brought to the pastry shop where he identified Newman-Smith as the man who passed the note, Barcello said. The clerk had told police the robber passed the note and didnt say a word. Barcello said that was because Newman-Smith had purchased scratch-off tickets at the store earlier in the day and he didnt want the clerk to recognize his voice. Barcello said Newman-Smith has no criminal record and his family and friends said they were surpised by the accusations. No gun was found on Newman-Smith, who was charged with first-degree robbery and fifth-degree larceny and held in lieu of a $10,000 court appearance bond. Except for the $27 he spent at DiMare, Barcello said he believes police recovered all of the stolen cash. JNICKERSON@SCNI.COM; I t is odd how, in all the febrile debate about what might be the best blueprint for Britains economic future, no politician is talking about the future of work. Perhaps it is too difficult. Last week, Spanish-born professor Arturo Bris, said that 60% of the jobs to be performed by the next generation do not exist yet. Bris, who heads the World Competitiveness Centre at the Swiss-based IMD Business School, told a predominately British audience at the Corporate Research Forums annual conference in the Czech Republic that one job in five will disappear in the next five years. This will happen whether or not the UK remains in the EU, the single market and the customs union or ploughs its lonely furrow as a member of the World Trade Organisation. Bris left his audience uncomfortably aware that in the wider context of what technology is doing to the world, the nature of work and the way we will have to live the insular Brexit debate is like an argument over the best arrangement for the deckchairs on the Titanic. He said that before long society will split into three layers with the wealthy, the entrepreneurial and the retired at the top; a highly-skilled but relatively small band of professionals in the middle and an insufficiently educated, poor and necessarily subsidized mass of people at the base of the pyramid. The real challenge for politicians although they pretend it does not exist is how to engineer a society in which the mass of people still have feelings of self-worth and purpose. What makes it even harder is that the past is no guide to the future when it comes to knowing who will do well. The availability of information on the internet and the fact that almost anything people need to know day to day can be accessed instantly on their smartphone make knowledge a commodity. Experience counts for little in a world where the past is no guide to the future. Knowledge was the key asset of the 20th century; imagination is the key asset for the 21st. Even seemingly sacrosanct professions will go through the shredder. Blockchain software that links bands of computers so they check up on each other will remove the need for most accountants, bankers and many of the legions of middlemen in finance because, if it works, it creates total trust in the integrity of the system and peoples ability to transact within it. Linked computers automatically maintain records and cross-check everything, rejecting any data that is flawed. Once participants can be assured that no suspect transaction can take place, commerce can happen in real time and you no longer need armies of professionals in the middle following up and checking before anything can proceed. Even more startling, given the way barriers are coming down between nations (almost as fast as they are going up within them), knowing five languages will no longer be necessary. It is not that everyone will speak either English or Mandarin; it is rather that, with the advances in voice recognition, there are already prototypes of earpieces which will provide the wearer with an instant translation of whichever language is spoken. Soon, there will be no more need for linguists. The irony in all this is that the one group which clearly does have a future is human resources not in the way it has been run in the past, with its emphasis on compliance and record-keeping, but as an energised strategic cadre of people working alongside the chief executive to create business structures that can function in this brave new world. This will have to be quite different. Survival in a world that is changing at lightning speed demands an ability to pick up signals, amplify them so they get them noticed and then have decision-takers with the integrity, ethical grounding and imagination to know how to interpret the data rather than hide behind it. This is not a world of hierarchical structures in which orders and targets are cascaded down an organisation, and information once it has been edited and sanitised by the lower layers of management is shoved back up. The mantra from a generation of leaders educated in business schools revolves around developing a five-year plan and then putting it into practice. Business basically moved in straight lines, with the setting of goals and the designing of route maps to get there, coping with the inevitable bumps and buffetting on the way. But we now live in a world where change is so fast and its direction so unpredictable it is impossible to produce any meaningful forecast beyond two years. Business is no longer linear, management structures that assume it is will fail and the management tools of the past are no good. Business thinkers like Margaret Heffernan argue that business hierarchies in which people are expected to compete have become a burden rather than a source of efficiency. If survival demands the open sharing of information from every possible source, it means companies have to reinvent themselves as diverse, febrile networks in which people collaborate. Only in this way can they ensure that the signals are not only picked up but also fed through to where they need to go. Business has never been very good at this. Most studies of corporate disasters have concluded some people in the organisation were aware well in advance that there was a problem which was likely to end in tears. But they also thought they would get no thanks for voicing their concerns, so their information did not travel. Thus the people at the top, particularly those who are quite dull and lacking in imagination, did not know what was happening in their own organisations until it was too late. The inability to communicate and exchange information has caused problem for companies in the past; but unless they get it right it in the future, they will simply not be equipped to survive. H ousebuilder Bellway is braced for its own version of the Marmite wars in the months ahead as foreign suppliers attempt to push prices higher, boss Ted Ayres said on Tuesday. Around 90% of the builders materials are UK sourced but 10% including white goods from Italy are imported. That makes them vulnerable to suppliers pressing for increases to compensate for the weaker pound, as Marmite-maker Unilever tried with Tesco last week. Im sure we are going to have a few Unilever equivalents and we are going to have to bat them off as best we can, Ayres said. Bellway also reported some upward pressure on labour costs, particularly in the London and the South-East, where trades such as ground workers, bricklayers and scaffolders are in short supply. However, the Brexit vote failed to prevent Bellway posting a 27% rise in sales to a record 2.2 billion in the year to July 31, alongside a 40% jump in pre-tax profits to 497.9 million. The divi was also up 40% to 108p. B urberry may be benefiting from tourists flocking to London to take advantage of the plummeting pound but shares in the fashion giant tumbled more than 8% on Tuesday after it warned trading is still tough. The firm, famed for its trademark trenchcoats, revealed UK sales surged 30% in the second quarter from the same period last year. Burberry was helped by Chinese and US shoppers attracted by the plunge in sterling since Britains vote to leave the EU. But this was not enough to prevent underlying sales falling 4% to 1.2 billion in the six months to September 30. The company continued to experience weaker trading in Hong Kong where the luxury goods market has been rocked by a government crackdown on corruption, including bribery. Shares in Burberry fell 124p to 1388p after the update as chief executive Christopher Bailey warned the trading environment remains challenging. Analysts at Morgan Stanley said Burberrys numbers were a small disappointment after rival LVMHs strong performance last week. But Bailey, who will relinquish the chief executive half of his role to Celines Marco Gobbetti next year while retaining his chief creative officer job, added that the firm has confidence for the future and Burberry expects weak sterling to pump up annual profits by at least 125 million. The retailer said customers had been snapping up new bridle bags costing between 550 and 16,000 which were part of its first see-now, buy-now collection. The strategy sees catwalk fashion debuted and sold to shoppers on the same day. A nalysts tend to be wary of companies doing big deals to halt slowing growth, but today they hailed the shift by Informa from Brexit uncertainty with its 1.2 billion US takeover. The media and exhibitions group bought US rival Penton last month and making more profits in dollars will help to ease the pain of the pounds post-Brexit dive, according to Investec. Post deal, the US skew is half of sales (42% before), which is positive given Brexit issues, Investecs Steve Liechti said. The analyst thinks the takeover, funded by a 715 million rights issue, is a good fit with less execution risk than usual for a large deal and leaves Informa in better shape. The FTSE 100 firm has been focusing on more profitable events than its magazines business in a bid to prevent profit growth slowing further. Liechtis upgrade to Buy today boosted the shares by 17.75p, or 2.7%, to 678.75p. The FTSE 100 rose back above the 7000 level, up 78.02 points, or 1.1%, at 7025.57 as buyers returned. Banks and miners were behind the blue-chip indexs rise: Royal Bank of Scotland rose 4.6p at 175p and Rio Tinto was up 65p at 2653.5p. Pearson spent a second day in the red, falling a further 27p to 735.5p as brokers slashed their forecasts for the textbook publisher after yesterdays gloomy trading update. Investors dialled into Vodafone, up 2.4p to 226.85p as the mobile giant became the latest to enter the Iranian market after sanctions were lifted earlier this year. It has struck a deal with local internet operator HiWEB. New management of The Restaurant Group showed their faith in the embattled Frankie & Bennys owners turnaround by gobbling up shares. Chief executive Andy McCue bought 178,000 of shares and chief financial officer Barry Nightingale 49,000. Investors followed suit, sending the shares up 17.2p or 5% to 370.6p. Car dealer Marshall Motors said it knew of no reason for the groups sudden share price fall yesterday and it recovered 10p to 147p. Theme park queuing technology company Accesso rose 26.33p to 1646.33p after signing a three-year deal with Village Roadshow to install its virtual queuing system at WetnWild Sydney, having already launched the service in Las Vegas. Kyrgyzstan gold explorer Chaarat Gold jumped 1.37p, or 17%, to 9.64p after revealing it rejected a takeover offer, and cash-strapped DiamondCorp climbed 0.95p to 3p, as it put itself up for sale amid a scramble for funds. C ommuters using Southern services might be forgiven for thinking strikes arrive with greater regularity than trains. Today guards began their latest three-day walkout in the ongoing dispute over proposals to make drivers responsible for the opening and closing of carriage doors. This weeks industrial action follows hot on the heels of a similar strike last week and, as ever, it will cause intense disruption, with hundreds of trains cancelled. Southern bosses say fewer than two-thirds of services will operate as normal. Union bosses previously encouraged members to take up a revised offer from Govia Thameslink Railway, Southerns parent firm, to end the row. But now the RMT is backing its members, who it says will not be bribed by the prospect of a bonus if they accept the latest deal. No further, formal negotiations are planned and so once again the two sides appear at an impasse. The apparent lack of will on the part of the unions to find a solution will outrage passengers, who pay high prices for a service that veers from indifferent to non-existent. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling says he will not intervene directly, despite accepting that the Southern franchise has been dysfunctional. It is understandable that the Government should not want to become embroiled in such a poisonous situation but the truth is that the rail network is an essential service for millions of people in and around London: ministers should do what they can to knock heads together, or simply bypass the unions altogether if thats what it takes. In the end, Southerns proposals to introduce a driver-only operation make complete sense. Conductors resistance to change might be natural but it is neither logical nor justifiable. The strikes must stop. London trumps Paris The French Stock Exchange is getting serious in its bid to woo financiers from London. Marie-Celie Guillaume, head of Pariss business district, is over here to put forward the case for bankers to respond to Brexit by relocating there. Mme Guillaume is, like all our French visitors, very welcome but she will have her work cut out persuading financiers theyd be better off in France. For one thing, the tide is all the other way. French bankers are working here for good reasons. French labour laws are restrictive: it is difficult to hire and fire staff. There is an inimical climate for business, epitomised by the short working week. The City, which gives high rewards for long hours and hard work, is a world away from heavily regulated Paris. Mme Guillaume says the French government is considering tax breaks for expats but it pales beside the reality of prohibitive tax rates. For its part, the City has an unparalleled body of expertise in financial services, not just banking but in associated sectors such as corporate law, accountancy and insurance. In the European time zone there is nowhere that comes close. Paris is a lovely, civilised capital but as a global financial centre the City is in a league of its own, Brexit or no Brexit. Olympians on parade The Olympians and Paralympians are on parade in London today, an opportunity for us to celebrate their remarkable achievements. Their medal tally in Rio was astonishing and perked up the nation in febrile times. Most of us wouldnt have been able to cheer the athletes on in Rio, except in front of the television; today is our chance to show our appreciation in person. O n a sunny day in Washington last week I had lunch with a Hillary Clinton campaigner. I urged complacency. Hillarys lead is increasing, early votes in Florida seem to favour her, demographics are on her side, her team are much more organised and harmonious than last time and Donald Trump is starting to sound like a Seventies Top of the Pops presenter. But the former aide to Hillary was still nervous. She said Trumps base may seem contained but what if everyone underestimates the silent support? Even if she wins, a Right-wing caliphate could prevent Hillary Clinton from governing. There is much discussion about Trumps visible flaws but Hillarys are magnified. Rants against her top the bestseller lists. I pick up a copy of Armageddon, which I foolishly assume refers to a Trump presidency. Written by the political strategist and Fox News commentator Dick Morris, it portrays Hillary as a criminal psychopath. It gleefully prints a list of words chosen by a polled selection of the public to describe Hillary. The words include: Liar, Crook, Bitch, Murderer, Unqualified. So much for a lifetime of public service including being Secretary of State. My lunch companion chooses different words to describe her old boss. Hillary is a workhorse, a policy wonk, but she is also fiercely loyal and considerate. She prefers conversation to rallies, not having Trumps demagogue tendencies. She has acquired the rhinoceros skin which Eleanor Roosevelt said was imperative for women in public life. She needs it. When I raise the familiar criticisms of Hillary too ambitious, not enough stamina, unlikeable my companion shakes her head. These are all code words for keeping women in their place. The unfathomable objection to her, however, is that she is blamed for her husbands infidelity, by women as much as men. At a private focus group to test female opinion on her policies and leadership, a woman raised her hand and asked Hillary: Why didnt you leave him? It is not enough for her to answer that she loves her husband and that her marriage is nobody elses business. An equation has formed. Because there was dishonesty in her marriage, therefore her political career is a lie. It is cruel as well as stupid. Meanwhile, public opinion is more indulgent towards her husband. Another female Clinton campaigner describes being introduced to Bill. His handshake is also a tug so you are literally drawn to him. He does not let go of your hand as he speaks to you. In the final weeks, his job is to bring in the ol boy network, charming and coaxing. Hers is to show that she is presidential. Hillary once said to my lunch companion that she did not want to be a symbol, but for the women of the world she is. What more does she have to do to qualify for this job? And is the best mind and work ethic worthless if she cannot keep her husband happy in the bedroom? Trumps masculine contempt is clear as he prowls around her during the debate. It is disgraceful if the public are judging her in the same way. We may not have Sharia law in the West but we do have outrageous double standards. Hillary Clinton v Donald Trump: US Presidential Election 1 /93 Hillary Clinton v Donald Trump: US Presidential Election Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump votes at PS 59 in New York Carlo Allegri/Reuters U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton fills out her ballot at the Douglas Grafflin Elementary School in Chappaqua, New York Brian Snyder/Reuters Topless protestors cause commotion at the site where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is scheduled to work at PS 59 located at 233 East 56th Street in Manhattan NY Daily News via Getty Images Republician presidential nominee Donald Trump arrives at a polling station in New York to cast his ballot in the presidential election Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton arrives to vote in the U.S. presidential election at Grafflin Elementary School in Chappaqua, New York Mike Segar/Reuters A voter looks at a sample ballot as he waits in line at a polling location in Kansas City, Missouri. Whitney Curtis/Getty Images Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton cookies are on sale at the Oakmont Bakery in Oakmont, Pennsylvania Jeff Swensen/Getty Images Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and her husband former President Bill Clinton, leave their polling place in Chappaqua Seth Wenig/AP lay Smith is the first voter to cast the ballot in the US presidential election, in the small village of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire Herb Swanson/EPA Poll workers look on as US President Barack Obama gestures towards the press as he votes early at the Cook County Office Building in Chicago, Illinois Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the University of New Hampshire in Durham Elise Amendola/AP Donald Trump takes a break from speaking to compare his face to a mask during a rally at the Sarasota Fairgrounds in Sarasota, Florida Loren Elliott/The Tampa Bay Times via AP Lady Gaga speaks during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Raleigh Gerry Broome/AP Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and husband, former President Bill Clinton take the stage during a campaign rally in Raleigh Gerry Broome/AP Madonna sings a song as she campaigns for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a surprise performance at Washington Square Park in New York Matt Rourke/AP Musician Bruce Springsteen performs at an election eve rally for Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Spencer Platt/Getty Images Supporters hold signs and a copy of the Bible during a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Manchester Charles Krupa/AP Republican vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, speaks to a campaign rally before the arrival of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Manchester Bill Sikes/AP Jon Bon Jovi and Lady Gaga perform during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Raleigh Gerry Broome/AP Musician Jon Bon Jovi performs at an election eve rally for Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on November in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Spencer Platt/Getty Images Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton boards her plane at Philadelphia International Airport Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images Part of a Nov. 6, 2016, letter from FBI director James Comey to Congress is photographed in Washington. Comey tells Congress that a review of new Hillary Clinton emails has "not changed our conclusions" from earlier this year that she should not face charges Jon Elswick/AP Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump cheer during a campaign rally in Leesburg Evan Vucci/AP Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan Carlo Allegri/Reuters NBA basketball player Lebron James introduces U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during a campaign rally in Cleveland, Ohio Carlo Allegri/Reuters A member of the audience holds a sign during a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Sterling Heights, , Michigan Paul Sancya/AP President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Kissimmee. Florida John Raoux/AP Secret Service agents rush Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump off the stage during a campaign rally in Reno John Locher/AP Hillary Clinton smiles holding a mask onboard her campaign plane on Halloween Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images Supporters of Donald Trump pose with a Hillary Clinton character during a campaign rally at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas John Gurzinski/AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump holds a rainbow flag given to him by supporter Max Nowak during a campaign rally at the Bank of Colorado Arena on the campus of University of Northern Colorado Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign event at The Manor Complex in Wilton Manors, Florida Getty Images A Donald Trump supporter's pet bulldog is decked out in campaign stickers Jason Connoll/ AFP/Getty Images Hillary Clinton joins Jennifer Lopez at a campaign concert in Miami, Florida Brian Snyder/Reuters A Donald Trump mural covering a building in Miami, Florida Rhona WiseAFP/Getty Images Hillary Clinton, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, greet supporters during a campaign rally in Winston-Salem Chuck Burton/AP A crowd gathers to watch as Donald Trump's vandalised star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is cleaned up Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images Hillary Clinton delivers birthday cake to reporters on her campaign plane Justin Sullivan/Getty Images A Donald Trump look-a-like walks with bikini-clad women in Times Square. The stunt was organized by artist Alison Jackson Drew Angerer/Getty Images Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump hugs a the American flag as he arrives to speak to a campaign rally in Tampa Evan Vucci/AP Katy Perry speaks at a rally in support of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in Las Vegas AP Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton waves to a member of the audience as she walks off the debate stage as Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump remains at his podium after the conclusion of their third and final 2016 presidential campaign debate at UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada Mike Blake/Reuters NFL fans wear Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton masks during a game between the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals Norm Hall/Getty Images Donald Trump holds a child onstage during a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Hillary Clinton (Kate McKinnon) and Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) take on the 'Town Hall Debate Cold Open' on SNL Saturday Night Live Hillary Clinton chats to Ellen DeGeneres during a commercial break during the filming of the Ellen Show Brenan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images A Donald Trump themed fortune telling machine stands on the street in Columbus Circle in New YorK Lucas Jackson/Reuters Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump kisses a "Women for Trump" placard during a rally at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump during the town hall debate at Washington University Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Kevin Lake of Jefferson, Iowa, wears a wall outfit in honour of Donald Trump's pledge to build a wall along the Mexico border Scott Morgan/Reuters Donald Trump holds two-year-old Hunter Tirpak, who is dressed as Trump, during a rally at Mohegan Sun Arena Christopher Dolan/The Citizensi Voice via AP Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump during the town hall debate at Washington University Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images Ken Bone found himself going viral after his attention-grabbing question during the town hall debate at Washington University Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Donald Trump's daughters-in-law Lara Trump and Vanessa Trump and daughter Tiffany Trump Scott Olson/Getty Images Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump leave the stage after the first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images Melania (L) and Ivanka (C) Trump sit next to Republican vice presidential nominee Governor Mike Pence ahead of the first debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Joe Raedle/Pool/Reuters Hillary Clinton shakes hands with husband and former U.S. President Bill Clinton after the first Presidential Debate Joe Raedle/Getty Images Donald Trump with wife Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr.'s wife Vanessa Trump, Eric Trumps wife Lara Yunaska, and Eric Trump Paul J. Richards/AFP US actresses Lena Dunham and America Ferrera speak at the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Peter Foley/EPA Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live Hillary Clinton attempts to open a pickle jar on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Andy Holmes/ABC Donald Trump greets supporters at a rally at Ladd-Peebles Stadium Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images Denis Leary and James Corden on The Late Late Show CBS Donald Trump reacts to the cries of three-month-old Kellen Campbell, of Denver, right, while holding six-month-old Evelyn Keane, of Castel Rock, Colorado Joe Mahoney/Getty Images Bill Clintonon on the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mike Segar/Reuters Alicia Keys performs at he Democratic National Convention Shawn Thew/EPA Meryl Streep at the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center Alex Wong/Getty Images Donald Trump hugs his daughter Ivanka Trump at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump's run for the Republican presidential nomination Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images Donald Trump during a campaign stop on the campus of the University of Central Florida Joe Raedle/Getty Images Now the Brex factor is felt at the table I planned to do some early Christmas shopping in New York while waiting for a night flight but then I worked out the exchange rate. Plus tips with everything. Stores such as Harvey Nichols are reporting a boost in trade as foreign customers flock back to London. The capital is also regarded as relatively safe, so lets hope that lasts. Next, we will start eating British. The fact that the price of parmesan should be a casualty of Brexit is a hit on the metropolitan elite. Last week, at the Evening Standard food forum, Ruth Rogers, founder of the River Cafe in Hammersmith, said an admirable way to overcome food waste is by eating local and seasonal. As for wine, I am taking Nyetimber to dinner parties. Brexit change is coming. Here and in the US, roots get left behind In Washington and New York, people ask me about Brexit as a parallel to the Trump vote. I try to explain that at its best Brexit is about freedom and wider engagement. At its worst it could be a retreat from globalisation. Yes, quite like Trump. The best book about the alienation within America is called Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D.Vance, who grew up in Ohio in a dysfunctional family. There is a cast list of fathers, chaos, drugs and alcohol while everyone has trigger tempers. When Vances grandfather comes home late and drunk, Vances grandmother does not rebuke him, she sets fire to him. Local industry wanes and the compensating welfare kills aspiration. Vances fairytale story became Yale, via the Marines, thanks to his grandparents interest in his education. His subsequent calm and stable marriage seems a miracle. He says it chills him even now to think how close he was to the abyss. He concludes that we are witnessing a loss of faith in the American Dream. This is also what Theresa May identified in the Brexit vote. A country can pay for leaving people behind. * Yesterday I joined a panel at the Foreign Office to discuss Global Britain with an audience of foot soldiers in our embassies around the world. What is clear is that the Brexit conversation we are having among ourselves is being heard around the world. Therefore, we Remainers have a responsibility. If we keep saying Brexit stands for nostalgia, bigotry and a failing economy, that is the message the world hears. If disaster is not self-fulfilling we have to try harder and smile more brightly. David Davis reportedly said he was the policy and Boris Johnson was the mood. For now, the policy is the mood. It is sunny uplands or bust. B oris Johnson broke into Italian at the dispatch box in the House of Commons saying "all Italians are welcome in London". His outburst came in response to a question from Alberto Costa, the Conservative MP for South Leicestershire, who asked for assurances that Italians will be able to remain in the UK after Brexit. Responding in broken Italian the Foreign Secretary said: "All Italians are welcome in London." Returning to English, Mr Johnson added that EU citizens would be able to remain in the UK but there was a need for for British citizens living on the continent to be offered the same treatment. This is not the first time Mr Johnson has showed off his linguistic skills in public. During the EU referendum campaign in May he sang Ode to Joy in German in an attempt to prove that he is a liberal cosmpolitan. Mr Johnson was speaking during an organised audience in the House of Commons where Members of Parliament can put questions to the Foreign Secretary. Review at a glance H es not as big in the UK as he is in his native Ireland, where his recent third album went to number one, but there are still strong feelings for James Vincent McMorrow here. Ive rarely seen a more genuine desire for an encore from a London crowd that usually knows its stars are going to return regardless. Perhaps its only the most intensely faithful who have followed McMorrow on his journey from folky, understated troubadour to the kind of bold soul voice that gets sampled on the latest Drake album. Here his sound was constructed from four keyboards, two drum kits (one standard, one electronic), guitar, bass and most importantly, five voices that swooped and fluttered in blissful unison. He could have performed alone and still raised the roof with a falsetto that had dizzying height and power too. When the band departed briefly halfway through, both Lost Angles and his breakthrough cover of Steve Winwoods Higher Love held attention absolutely. He may still be in transition. He described one segment, beginning with Gold and its synthesised horn blasts, as the funk portion of the show? without sounding completely convinced. But on Down the Burning Ropes, holding an extraordinary high note before a blazing wall of red lights, he was commanding. As far as a complete experience goes, he lacks any faster songs, and is really an artist to sit down to, but the music shifted between different levels of intensity and rarely lost its grip. McMorrow seemed as thrilled as everyone else to have hit on such a rich, varied seam of funk/soul/folk creativity. Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout I t was in 2014 that Jonathan Cox came up with an idea to sell granola pots. A trained chef, Cox had been making his own at home, and realised there was a gap for a healthy breakfast option at Brockley Market. At the time he was working for the Mother Flipper burger business, working at the market every weekend. But it wasnt until nearly a year later - during which time he was developing the idea and the brand for what ultimately became his business The Crunch - that he did his first trading day in April 2015. I started with two granolas, the Classic and The Honey Badger, and pots with yoghurt. It was very basic at the time. Ive grown a lot since. Here he describes the life of a London granola maker and tells us why he set up his small business. Why did you start the business? I was making granola for myself, devouring it with yoghurt whenever I had time off. Then I decided I should try and do some of my own. I really enjoyed it, thought it was really good, and I played around with some other things, and then it took off I dont have financial help - its all my own money. How many products do you make now? I now have four bags: the Classic, the Honey Badger, the Vegan coconut and banana and a muesli. I also have breakfast bowls, including an acai bowl, and I sell my own incredible branded honey, made by a lady who has hives in Nunhead, Bermondsey, Lewisham and Beckenham, who also does a lot of teaching about bees and honey. Ive also got my own cashew and coconut butter, and plan to do more. Did you always want to work in food? Straight out of secondary school I went to Westminster Kingsway College to do a professional chefs diploma, and then my first job was at Chapter One restaurant in Farnborough, which then had a Michelin star. Ive worked in lots of places. Dinner by Heston restaurant was the last really professional place Ive worked in. Whilst I was developing The Crunch, I also worked with Mac & Wild restaurant for a year, which was really good fun. I was helping them set up, and developing their menus, then came away and spent a lot more time just doing markets and street food again to make some money. So Ive now been in the industry for about 10 years. How many products have you sold since you started? I started off selling more bags than bowls and ready-to-eat food. Now Im probably doing more than double of everything in total. Ive kept it very small and easy to make because Im always doing other things too. Where do you sell your products? I only do Brockley Market on Saturday and Maltby Street market on Sunday as well. So my weekends are now full! London's best markets 1 /16 London's best markets Covent Garden Visit for an eclectic selection of gifts, jewellery, clothes, art and crafts. As well as the main piazza, check out the Jubilee Market which has more stalls and is less touristy. Education Images/UIG via Getty Images Portobello This Notting Hill institution specialises in antiques, and is a good bet for either rare collectibles or unusual bargains. You'll also find clothes, jewellery, art, street food and more. Marco Secchi/Getty Images Borough Market Borough Market is all about the food from street food and high-quality grab-and-go delicacies to some of the finest hams, cheeses, oils, vinegars and confectionery that the world has to offer. Go early to avoid the crowds. flickr Editorial/Getty Images Columbia Road Flowers, flowers everywhere that's what you'll get at this Hackney market not far from Shoreditch. In recent years some street food has also been added to the lineup, so there's no need to go hungry. Moment Editorial/Getty Images Camden Market Not so much one market as many, Camden offers an array of weird and wonderful good, from antiques and paintings to jewellery, prints, exotic ornaments and everything Gothic. Camden Lock Market also does a decent line in food and drink, which is far superior to the offerings in the Stables Market. Oli Scarff/Getty Images Brick Lane It's often said that you can find anything on Brick Lane Market, and it's true. Whether its books, beatboxes or beat-up old suitcases you're after, you'll likely find something to suit your needs. Indian and Bangladeshi food abounds in the area, and more recently a host of other street food options have also risen up. Jean-Marc Zaorski/Getty Images Broadway Market, Hackney Artisan food, high-quality produce and hipster coffee dominates this busy Hackney market. It's slightly less busy than Borough, but not by much. If you need a break from the bustle, the area is flanked with pubs, as well some picturesque canal-side seating. Rex Southbank A food market runs at weekends around the back of the Southbank Centre, selling food-to-go, beers and wines and artisan baked goods. Up front, by the river, you'll find stalls selling books and prints as well as more food. Gaztronome Brixton Village Along with sister-site Brixton Market, the Village is home to a host of restaurants as well as some shops and stalls, mainly selling African and Caribbean produce. As for the restaurants, pretty much every cuisine is covered from burgers and fried to chicken to Colombian, Indian and Japanese. It's easy to see why people talk about gentrification in the area. Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images Maltby Street This vibrant and relatively recent addition to London's market scene is a sort-of sibling to Borough Market, which is just a short walk away. It came about when a few traders at Borough felt squeezed out by rising rents and decided to set up their own foodie hub. It has gone from strength-to-strength and become a destination in its own right, where bars and restaurants rub shoulders with produce-sellers, deli stalls, street food and even a gin distillery. Graham Jepson New Covent Garden Flower Market This flower market near Vauxhall is primarily for trade, and mainly serves florists and other businesses, but you can still pay it a visit. You'll just have to be early its primary operating hours are from 4am-10am. If you do visit you'll find the largest selection of flowers, plants and foliage anywhere in the UK. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Greenwich Set within a World Heritage site, and just a stone's throw from the historic maritime attractions of the area, Greenwich Market is a rightly popular destination for both London locals and tourists. It specialises in independent and boutique shops, with all manner of arts, crafts, jewellery, homewares and clothes being sold by the people who make them. Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images What has the reaction been like? At the market, a lot of people come up and try the bowls, and then come back and buy a bag, which works really well. I get a lot of fitness people who drop by after their runs, too. Sometimes I do samples of different granolas in shot glasses as I get a lot of people who dont know about the specific ingredients - especially the chia seeds, cacao, bee pollen - and how I make things. People dont know what things are or what they can do for you so they point and ask, and I explain. Its nice, its good fun, I enjoy that. Are there any ingredients that have been made in London? Ive got London honey, which I use on the granola as well. The rolled jumbo oats that I like are from Scotland, but Im trying to get some that are made nearer. Obviously sugar and chia seeds and most nuts are not from England, but everything else is. Where I can, I will. The Crunch's Jonathan Cox As a Londoner, was it important to start a London business? Its hard to say. Ive always lived in London, and I grew up in South Croydon, but at one point I was toying with opening up in Berlin as I have a friend out there with an incredible vegan cafe. I think now I want to keep it local and small in London, and probably then branch out. Have you had good support running your business in London? Other than the logo, Ive done everything else myself in terms of branding. Its nice - you get to learn it all; I now know how to build things out of wood, and things like that. As for setting it up, the support Ive had (from Toby at Brockley Market and traders including Manuel from Mother Flipper, and Josh from Bill or Beak) has been amazing. The negative side of a London business is that London is so expensive, and its very hard to run your own business and still pay rent. One of the biggest things [in that respect] is the cost of my product, which people will sometimes comment on. They say its expensive, but I say: I make it, and this is me. Im not a big company. And as soon as people start to understand that, its fine. Do you still eat your granola? Yes every Saturday at the market I will have an acai bowl and maybe one other time during the week. London's top foodie influencers 1 /14 London's top foodie influencers Click through the gallery to find out who London's top foodies influencers are 1. Clerkenwell Boy @clerkenwellboyec1 Followers: 146k 2.Giulia Mule @mondomuli Followers: 56k 3. James Thompson @food_feels Followers: 77k 4. Leyla Kazim @thecutlerychronicles Followers: 86k 5. Chris Fynes @wethefoodsnobs Followers: 15.5k 6. Throughly Modern Milly @millykr Followers: 6k 7. Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley @hemsleyhemsley Followers: 265k 8. Rosie Birkett @rosiefoodie Followers: 50k 9. Tun Sin Chang @tschang Followers: 101k 10. KS T @ks_ate_here Followers: 44k Do you find time to eat and drink out for pleasure now? Sometimes. I went out on Saturday night as another trader at Brockley Market had a pop-up based around flavours of Spain, and it was incredible. Lovely food - Spanish tapas - and incredible wine. Other than that, I probably get to go out once a month, if Im lucky. Can you describe the life of a The Crunch maker? There isnt a typical day, and there is always something different, because Im often out working for other traders and chefs. On a market trading day, Im up at 6.30am, get to the unit, load my car, blend all of the acai, and Im at the market from 9am setting up everything up. The market runs from 10am until 2pm, and Im normally slow because I end up talking or having a beer with all the other traders. Thats the beauty of it - you get to stop and talk, and see how their week is going. After that if Ive bought anything from the market Ill probably just eat it, as it will have been the first time Ive stopped all day. And then Ill start setting up for the next days market at Maltby. On a non-trading day, Id get to the unit, things will either have been delivered that Id ordered, or Ill have gone to get special ingredients. Ill make my first batch and Ill have it in the oven, during which time Ill be labelling my bags and drinking loads of coffee from Browns of Brockley. Its a slow process cooking granola - you have to keep turning it for 45 minutes just for one tray, and because I have a big oven I can do about 5-6 trays at once. At home I used to only be able to do a few and Id sit there staring at it. It now takes a quarter of the time to do double the amount. Which other London producers do you admire? I would say Pritesh Moody of World of Zing has done so well with growing his business and I love buying and cooking with his spices and having the odd pre-mix cocktail of his now and then. Find Jonathan Cox selling his granola on Saturdays at Brockley Market, Lewisham, or on Sundays at Maltby Street Market; follow The Crunch on Twitter for more information @thecrunchuk A man has been sectioned after stabbing the family dog 11 times in a north London knife rampage. Police rushed to Beaconsfield Road in Friern Barnet on Sunday night after reports the Staffordshire bull terrier had been attacked. Inside the home, police found a man in his 40s with the badly injured animal. Officers performed first aid on the dog before taking him to a vet in Hendon for emergency care. A spokesman for the police said: "The male at the address was arrested for criminal damage. "He was later sectioned under the mental health act by a Home Office forensic medical examiner and recalled to hospital. "Medivet confirmed the next day the dog had suffered 11 stab wounds luckily none were serious. "He has undergone surgery and should make a good recovery." T wo men were arrested after shoppers at Westfield London in Shepherds Bush were chased by a killer clown armed with a replica knife. Police were called to the shopping centre at 9pm yesterday after reports from customers. Witnesses reported one of the men chasing members of the public with a rubber machete while his friend filmed the stunt. When police arrived the two pranksters had abeen detained by security staff at the shopping centre. A Met spokesman said: The men - aged 18 and 20 - were arrested by police on suspicion of a Section 4 Public Order Offence. The incident happened at Westfield in Shepherd's Bush / Jessica C/Flickr The arrests come amid a killer clown epidemic sweeping the UK which has led to a deluge of calls to Childline from scared youngsters. A 10-year-old boy in Plymouth was threatened by a clown who jumped out of a bush carrying a hammer, while in Workington, Cumbria, a clown brandishing an axe chased an 11-year-old girl. Kent Police reported 59 clown-related incidents between October 7 and 10, Thames Valley Police had 14 reports in 24 hours, and on Wednesday South Yorkshire Police said it had received 61 reports since September 21, including two of clowns with knives. Armed officers from Scotland Yards aviation unit arrested a suspect wearing a clown mask and carrying a fake gun five miles from Heathrow Airport. Suffolk Police said anyone carrying out activities that may scare members of the public could be committing public order offences and may be subject to arrest. A man has been charged over the murder of a teenager in Wembley, police said today. Mussa Abid will appear in Hendon Magistrates Court over the killing tomorrow. The 19-year-old from Northolt was charged with murder by detectives this morning. He was also charged with possession of a knife. The male victim, 18, named locally as Moumen Settar, was stabbed at a property on Buddings Circle, a housing estate in Wembley. The London Ambulance Service rushed to the scene at around 1.35pm on Saturday and called police. Officers attended along with the London Air Ambulance but the victim was pronounced dead shortly before 2pm. A post-mortem was carried out yesterday and gave the cause of death as stab wounds. A woman had her hijab grabbed in a bid to snatch it from her head as she walked down Oxford Street in a new hate crime assault in London. The woman, in her 40s, was walking alone on Britain's busiest shopping street when she was approached by a man who repeatedly told her to remove her hijab. When she refused the man became more aggressive and grabbed the womans headscarf and attempted to remove it by force. The man managed to unpin the scarf but did not succeed in removing it. The woman managed to run away and the man walked off towards Marble Arch, police said. Detectives today appealed for witnesses to the incident at 8.15am on Tuesday, 4 October. Police say the victim was not injured but was shocked and distressed by the incident. Scotland Yard said it was treating the attack as an Islamophobic hate crime. The incident comes after a Muslim woman had her hijab pulled off as she walked with a friend on a busy street in Haringey last month. The suspect in the latest case is described as a white man, aged between 30 to 40 years, with short black greased back hair. He was approximately 5ft 5ins tall and of medium build. He was wearing a grey sweatshirt and light blue jeans. Detective Sergeant Steve Stamp of Westminsters Community Safety Unit said: This was an unprovoked and hate filled attack in broad daylight in the middle of a busy street. The woman was targeted by this suspect purely based on what she was wearing. Racially and religiously motivated crimes will not be tolerated I would appeal to anyone who witnessed this attack to contact police. Anyone with information is asked to contact Westminster Police via 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. P olice are hunting a man after an 11-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on a London bus before being followed into a shop. Scotland Yard released an image of a man they want to speak to after a girl was attacked as she got off the top deck of a route 25 bus in south London. A man sat next to the girl shortly after she boarded the bus in Walworth Road and assaulted her as she passed him to get off at her stop. The girl then went into a Superdrug branch in Butterfly Walk shopping centre at Camberwell Green where she saw the man had followed her inside. When she left the shop she noticed the man waited at a nearby bus stop and did not follow her when she walked the opposite way. The incident took place on Wednesday, July 31 at around 1.15pm. Police described the man as aged between 35 and 45, 5ft 8in tall, and of medium build. Anyone with information, or who recognises the man in the image, is asked to contact PC Andrew Barrenger from the Roads and Transport Policing Command on 07826 536183 or via 101. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 S ir Cliff Richard said he will be forever tainted after he was wrongly accused of sex abuse offences. The musician spoke to MPs and peers on Monday as part of a campaign to guarantee anonymity for sex crimes suspects. Sir Cliff, who is suing the BBC and South Yorkshire Police after his home was raided live on television, said he feared he will be forever linked with the coverage. He told an audience: The TV circus took away from me all hope of ever being what I had been before, a confident and respected artist, and an ambassador for Great Britain. "Had I not been 'named' worldwide I feel I would still have been able to look people in the eye and not feel afraid that they might be thinking that there is 'no smoke without fire'. Speaks out: Sir Cliff Richard said he suffered depression after his home was raided live on television / Anthony Devlin/PA Instead, I fear I will forever be tainted by the lurid and intrusive coverage I received. "I have had to bring civil proceedings to obtain redress for these appalling invasions of my privacy by the police and the BBC. But that can never undo all the damage I have suffered. It would have been so much better never to have been in this position at all." In a separate written statement, the 76-year-old said seeing the raid on his home in August 2014 was "like watching my home being broken into - on television". He added he was not given the benefit of being presumed innocent until proven guilty. The statement read: "It is no exaggeration to say that on 14 August 2014, everything in my life changed. Unless this is something which a person has been through themselves, it is difficult to put into words the immediate physical reaction experienced, when in my case I learnt that my home was being raided by police officers, and that the BBC was on the scene with a helicopter filming overhead. "The situation was made more distressing by the fact that I had to sit by and helplessly watch police officers go through my possessions. I just collapsed. "The fact of the raid; the false insinuation that I was guilty, knowing that I was innocent; and of course the worldwide press coverage that followed the BBC's decision to cover the raid, caused me a long period of distress, humiliation, anxiety and illness. "As you would expect, I had trouble carrying on with life as normal. The stress was physical and not just mental." He said that during the 22-month investigation he suffered from bouts of depression. "I felt as though I was in a hole and I had no means of escape. It was the first thing that I thought of in the morning, and the last at night. It takes a horrible toll on you. A widow is appealing for help after thieves stole the bicycle her husband gave her for their honeymoon when they cycled 2,000 miles together. Postgraduate student Amy Driskells bike was taken from University College London last Wednesday two days before the fifth anniversary of husband Wills death from cancer. He gave her the bicycle for their two-month trip from Vancouver to San Diego in 2009. Mr Driskell was diagnosed with lymphoma two years later. The disease spread aggressively through his body and he died shortly after the diagnosis, aged 34. The Specialized Dolce which thieves took from outside UCL A group of thieves cut the Specialized Dolce road bicycle out of a bike stand at the university. She said: My bike means so much to me and the special memories Will and I had together and on our honeymoon. It was one of the most precious things he gave to me. To have it stolen is heartbreaking, especially so close to the anniversary of his death. It would mean so much to get it back. 'Heartbroken': Amy Driskell (Nigel Howard) Her friend Kate Turner told the Standard that the theft had come at the worst possible time for Ms Driskell, 38, and everyone who knew her was determined to see it returned to her. She said: We are desperate to recover the road bike given its huge sentimental value, especially at this time. Were trying to do everything to say Amy is devastated would be an understatement. It feels like such a terrible loss at such a terrible time. The bike, which was stolen from outside the Wolfson Centre in Mecklenburgh Square, is pink and grey with black handles and has a white seat with a swirl pattern. A Metropolitan police spokesman confirmed that the force had been made aware of the incident and was investigating. A Conservative aide has been arrested over an alleged rape in the Houses of Parliament. The 23-year-old was named in reports as Sam Armstrong, who is chief of staff to Tory MP Craig Mackinlay. It is alleged that he took a woman to the South Thanet MPs office after a drinking session in a bar within the Palaces of Westminster in the early hours of Friday morning. A source told The Sun: There were a group of Tory advisers and female guests drinking there all night. Some were very drunk indeed." The alleged incident is said to have happened after a group were drinking in a taxpayer-subsidised bar on the House of Lords terrace overlooking the River Thames. Sam Armstrong was reportedly arrested on Friday Mr Mackinlays parliamentary office was raided by police on Friday and sealed off as a potential crime scene. A spokesman for Mr Mackinlay told the Standard: On Friday morning Mr Mackinlay was made aware of an allegation against a member of staff. Following a request made by the police and Parliamentary officers, he granted full access to his Westminster office. Mr Mackinlay is currently awaiting further information from police, he added. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Detectives from the sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command are investigating an allegation of rape at the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of Friday, 14 October. "A 23-year-old man was arrested that same day on suspicion of rape. He has been bailed pending further inquires to a date in mid-January 2017." A House of Commons spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident on the parliamentary estate which is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service. "Parliament is working closely with the police on their investigation and we cannot comment further while this is ongoing." Mr Armstrong has yet to respond to the reports. A n Uber driver who punched a woman in the face and called her a black c*** during a row over drop-offs walked free from court today. Taleka White, 27, was dragged out of a minicab and hit twice across the face after her driver, Shahab Akbar, 33, flew into a rage in Addiscombe, south London. Her face smashed into the ground after she was sent flying by the second blow, Croydon magistrates' court heard. Akbar, who had been an Uber driver for just under two years on the night of the incident on November 29 last year, was handed a 16 week suspended prison sentence and a community order at a hearing today. How does Uber work and why is it so controversial? He was found guilty of one count of racially aggravated common assault after a trial at the same court on September 23. Guilty: Shahab Akbar / Guilty: Shahab Akbar Non-emergency paramedic Ms White, who has a four-year-old son, was left terrified and injured after the attack, with a lump on her head, bruising to her face and a bloodied wrist and knuckles. In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms White said: "This has been a nightmare part of my life and has left me broken in a way and I never thought that was possible. Prosecutor Angela Mahadeo told the court the two women had taken a lift using the Uber minicab app after a night out in Croydon town centre on Saturday November 29. Injuries: Her reddened hand / Taleka White She said Akbar grew angry when he became confused over where to drop her friend. He then began to insult Ms White and called her a black c**** as she continued the journey alone, she said. Ms Mahadeo told the court that when he arrived at her mothers house he got out of the minicab and opened the passenger door. He grabbed Ms White by the arm and started to pull her out of the vehicle, Ms Mahadeo said. Whilst he was doing that he spilled her can of coke. She said 'what the f*** have you done that for'? He then punched Ms White in the face. He punched her in the face again which pushed her down onto the floor. Ms White was left with a bruised face after the attack She recalls seeing the minicab speeding away. Her mother opened the door and saw her outside bleeding. Akbar, who is married to a teacher, had his private hire vehicle licence revoked after the incident and no longer drives for Uber. He maintains that he is innocent. Mitigating, Ernest Aduwa told the court it was an isolated incident and that Akbar, of Lampits, Hertfordshire, was of a man of good character with no previous convictions. Whilst he doesnt accept that he committed the offence. He does accept that the behaviour alleged is unacceptable, Mr Aduwa said. He would like me to tell the court that this whole experience has been embarrassing for him and has been quite traumatic and left him feeling ashamed. Sentencing District Judge Roscoe said: The court found you guilty of pulling her out of the car, punching her twice in the face and calling her a black c***. There is no excuse for that whatsoever. You have shown limited remorse. He added: Your conduct on this night will have a lasting effect on Ms White. The injuries may heal but she has been left with an apprehension and a worry and fear that things might happen if she takes a minicab again, which will live with her for much longer. Akbar was sentenced to a 16 week prison sentence suspended for two years and a 200 hour community order. He was ordered to pay 500 in compensation to the victim, an 150 victim surcharge and 600 in costs. A spokesman for Uber said: We were appalled by this horrific incident. Uber does not tolerate violence or discrimination of any kind. "We assisted the police with their investigation and immediately stopped this licensed driver from being able to use our app." A banker who underwent heart surgery at one of Londons top private hospitals died after a key piece of machinery was apparently turned off, an inquest heard Robert Entenman, a 57-year-old American with children aged eight and 10, went into cardiac arrest at London Bridge hospital a week after a 99 per cent safe operation to repair a heart valve. His life support machine was turned off on May 30 last year after tests showed that oxygen starvation during the 15-minute arrest had left him with a very significant brain injury. Southwark coroners court was told yesterday that Mr Entenman, a New York-born department head at UniCredit bank in London, had been placed on a ventilator in intensive care following the heart operation on May 15. The operation had lasted 10 hours after surgeon Interpaul Birdi was forced to abandon plans to carry out the procedure by keyhole surgery and moved to plan B - opening the chest in the traditional way - after encountering a series of hurdles. An intensive care doctor looking after Mr Entenman said he believed the pipe to his airway became blocked with sticky mucus because a humidifier designed to prevent secretions building up had been switched off. Dr Duncan Wyncoll, a consultant intensivist, told the court that he saw a 5cm blockage in the endotracheal (ET) airway tube when it was replaced during the bid to save his life. There was a thick mucus plug at the tip of the ET tube, he said. I think it was most likely that that, in retrospect, was the cause of the arrest. He added: I feel the absence of the humidifier for a prolonged period of time had made them (secretions) sticky leading to the tube blocking. Pathologist Dr Simi George gave the primary cause of death as hypoxic ischaemic brain injury. Mr Entenman, who lived near Chislehurst, had type-2 diabetes and weighed 22st with a BMI above 40, making him technically obese. Medical records read in court suggested he drank 18 pints a week, though higher and lower figures were also mentioned. He wanted the heart repair to enable him to go on to have a hip replacement operation. Coroner Henrietta Hill QC said letters his wife Athina sent after his death to Mr Birdi and the hospital, run by private healthcare firm HCA, raised a range of concerns about her husbands treatment. Mr Birdi told the court that the probability of repairing the heart valve was in excess of 95 per cent. He added: I quoted it as 98 per cent, though I updated it as 99 per cent. There was a very high likelihood we would be able to repair his valve. After the operation, Mr Entenman was placed on a heart and lung ventilator. Recalling a visit to his patient on May 22, Mr Birdi said he had been well enough to shake his hand. I was so pleased to see Mr Entenman, Mr Birdi said. His eyes were open. He was attempting to speak to me round the tube in his windpipe. "I thought it was only a matter of time before Mr Entenman would be off the ventilator. I reassured him that all was going to be fine. Mrs Entenman had some concerns about the room. The temperature in the room was very high. The court heard that a humidifier was being used to moisten the gases supplied via the ventilator. If the air is too dry, this can cause secretions to block the tube. The coroner said: We may hear evidence to suggest there was a 19-hour period of time when the humidifier was offline. Around 6am on May 23, Mr Entenman went into cardiac arrest. Dr Andreas Marnerides, who presented the report, said Mr Entenman died because there was not enough oxygen to the brain. The reason for that was the blockage of the ET tube. Dr Wyncoll said Mr Entenman had suffered complications after the heart surgery. He was agitated, suffering a significant inflammatory response and his kidneys were failing. Dr Wyncoll said: Six to seven days after his operation, he still needed intensive care. Though I would hope we would be able to get him through, he was by no means out of the woods. Mrs entenmans lawyer, Paul McNeil, of Fieldfisher, is investigating whether to bring a High Court negligence claim at the conclusion of the hearing. The inquest resumes today and is expected to last until the end of the week. D rinks giant PepsiCo is to slash the amount of sugar in its soft drinks in response to concern about their contribution to the obesity epidemic. At least two thirds of its drink brands which include Pepsi, Tropicana, Lipton and 7Up will have their added sugar content reduced to 100 calories or fewer in a standard 12 ounce can. However, the move will not come into force until 2025. Sales of standard carbonated drinks have been falling, particularly in the huge US market, because of the health fears. A sugar tax on fizzy drinks is set to come into force in the UK from 2018 as a central part of the Governments childhood obesity strategy. PepsiCo also pledged that at least three quarters of the foods it sells including Walkers crisps and Doritos tortilla chips will not exceed 1.1 grams of saturated fat per 100 calories by 2025, and will limit salt content. T he husband of an interior designer who died after doctors at an overcrowded, under-staffed casualty unit failed to spot sepsis today said he hopes serious lessons are learned. Cheryl Cope, 51, suffered flu-like symptoms for 10 days before collapsing and being admitted to the Whittington Hospital on February 27. An inquest heard the 280-capacity hospital in Archway had 320 patients at the time, and it took several hours for doctors to realise Mrs Cope had sepsis, or blood poisoning, because of a staff shortage and faulty equipment. She died the following day. Her husband Jonathan said today: They had chances to spot sepsis more quickly but they were missed. Mistakes were made and I hope serious lessons are learned and I believe they will be. The inquest at Poplar coroners court was told that a nurse tried to carry out observation tests but could not complete them because of a faulty blood pressure monitor. She then took Mrs Cope to the urgent care centre where she asked a colleague to repeat the tests, but this took longer than hoped because staff there also struggled to get a blood pressure reading. Coroner Jacqueline Devonish said the cause of death was natural, but added: In this case I have accepted there was a failure to prioritise Mrs Cope and this was due to the exceptional overcrowding at the hospital at the time of her admission. The inaction did not give Mrs Cope the best chance. Mr Cope today said that because of the overcrowding and staffing levels the staff who were working were extremely busy and because of that basic mistakes were made. As basic mistakes as not being able to take her blood pressure properly. I dont blame the medics for her death but I find it difficult to understand that they didnt give her the best chance. Now after attending the inquest its clear the department was struggling and the hospital has admitted that mistakes were made I believe through Cheryls case the people in the hospital have learnt and I dont believe they will make those mistakes again. Mr Cope, head of UK construction at burger chain Five Guys, said losing his wife had left a massive hole. Cheryl was not only my wife but she was my best friend. We were the ultimate team, we did everything together and theres not a moment that goes past that I dont think of her. Sepsis affects 150,000 people every year in the UK, resulting in 44,000 deaths, but can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed quickly. A spokeswoman for the Whittington Hospital said today: We would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Mrs Cheryl Cope. Following Mrs Copes tragic death, we conducted a full investigation into the emergency treatment we gave her when she came to the Whittington Hospital. We recognise that we did not treat Mrs Cope as quickly as we should have done, and we are extremely sorry for this. A man who bought tickets worth 250 for Londons Crystal Maze experience was allegedly refused a rescheduled visit despite his grandmother being on her deathbed. Joseph Sherry had bought tickets for himself, his brother, sister and brother-in-law to go to the hit Islington attraction as a Christmas present last year. But, with the date looming on Sunday, his grandmother 82-year-old Marie Sherry fell ill with two strokes as he rushed to the hospital to be with his family. He emailed See Tickets on Friday, explaining he would not be able to make it and asking if they could reschedule for later in the year. But the company allegedly wrote back, saying: I am very sorry to hear this however regrettably tickets are purchased on a non-transferable and non-refundable basis. Family: Mr Sherry with his grandmother before she became more seriously ill / Joseph Sherry Sorry for any inconvenience caused. However, Mr Sherry has now received a refund after bosses at the attraction intervened in the case. A Crystal Maze spokeswoman said: See Tickets handle all customer service issues of which there are very few. "Management are not made aware of every case but on this occasion they have intervened to make sure Joseph gets a full refund and our condolences for the situation with his grandmother. "We thank you for bringing this to Tom, Ben and Greg's (directors of the attraction) attention as had they known about it, it would have been dealt with sooner. Mr Sherry, 30, told the Standard he was left dissatisfied after he contacted the online ticketing company to switch to another date. He said: With the prognosis as it was I emailed them. I said heres the situation, theyve started end-of-life care for my grandmother. I wasnt in the frame of mind to be going and having fun in truth, and also I didnt want to be away from my family I hadnt said can we have the money back but I asked if they could change the date. I got that email back in response to me which I just thought was pretty poor form. After a shocked Mr Sherry posted the reply on Twitter last night, Ilford North MP Wes Streeting said the response showed a lack of compassion. Mr Sherry, from Stevenage, said: I appreciate the ticketing policy but there needs to be a human side too. I imagine Im not the only first person to have a reason like that. It was in excess of 250 for the four tickers so Im not talking small change. I think it shows a lack of compassion in all honesty, he said. The Standard has approached See Tickets for a comment. A 25-year-old Londoner who died of cervical cancer felt she was "fobbed off" when she went to her GPs with worrying symptoms, the High Court has heard. Sophie Hague died at her Surbiton home in November 2011 after enduring a hysterectomy, two unsuccessful cycles of chemo-radiotherapy and emergency surgery from which she never recovered. Her mother Suzanne and fiance, David Rich, claim there was an inappropriate delay in diagnosing Ms Hague, who visited Langley Medical Practice in November 2009 and February 2010 complaining of pain and bleeding - but was not physically examined on either occasion or referred. Ms Hague was not diagnosed until June 2010, after she told her mother that she felt "fobbed off" by Dr John Dalzell and Dr Daniel Fish and a scan was arranged. On Tuesday in London, the family's counsel, Adam Korn, told Mr Justice Lewis that it was alleged that the GPs wrongly and negligently failed to take seriously enough Ms Hague's complaints and make an onward referral for specialist diagnosis and treatment. "Such referral would have led to early surgery and, on the balance of probabilities, it would have led to Sophie being cured of her disease." Tragic: Sophie Hague / PA Mr Korn said both doctors had admitted breach of duty and it was accepted that Ms Hague should have had a pelvic examination. But, there was a dispute between experts for both sides as to legal causation, with the defence contending that earlier diagnosis and treatment would have made no difference to the outcome. The defence case was that the tumour was so aggressive that Ms Hague would have died whenever surgery was performed. While the family's experts did not dispute that the tumour was highly aggressive, they maintained that, if caught early enough, the prognosis was positive. Mr Korn said that the sole issue for the judge was whether or not, on the balance of probabilities, Ms Hague would have lived if the GPs had treated her appropriately and she had gone to surgery earlier. He told the judge: "We say that, if she had, we are talking about a complete cure - five years, ten years, and thereafter the prognosis of the population in general." At the start of the three-day hearing, the judge told members of Ms Hague's family sitting in court: "No-one is unaware of the huge tragedy that has happened here, whatever the legal rights and wrongs." The hearing was adjourned until Wednesday. Additional reporting by the Press Association. T housands of people lined the pavements of Trafalgar Square today to give a heroes' welcome to Great Britain's Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Stars including Max Whitlock and Nicola Adams joined the 90-minute ceremony in central London. They are due to meet the Queen tonight at a reception at Buckingham Palace. The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, will host the event for the medal winners of the 2016 Games in Rio. The Princess Royal, who is president of the British Olympic Association, will meet athletes at the reception with Princess Eugenie and the Duke of York are also expected to attend. Rio Olympians parade in London Heroes' return: Celebrations were kicked off in Trafalgar Square / Jeremy Selwyn William, Kate and Harry said the team was an "inspiration to us all, young and old" after their summer success. "London 2012 was a hard act to follow, but you have made the entire country proud of everything you have accomplished," the Duke and Duchess said in a statement released in August. Fun and games: Members of the crowd mixed with GB heroes including Paralympic judo star Jack Hodgson (right) / Alex Lentati Tributes: Crowds celebrated GB's successful sporting summer / Jeremy Selwyn "We all know that this success does not come easy and is the culmination of years of hard work, passionate commitment, sheer grit and determination." The Queen, who previously praised the Team GB squad for the "magnificent" and "outstanding" performance in Rio, hosted a similar celebration after London 2012. Today's celebration comes after Team GB recorded their best-ever medal haul from an overseas Olympics with 27 golds among their total of 67. GB stars: Adam Peaty and Siobhan Marie O'Connor in Trafalgar Square / Alex Lentati Following on from the success, the Paralympics GB squad returned from Rio with 147 medals, including 64 golds. National celebrations: Londoners were called on to recreate the spirit of 2012 at the parade / Getty Images Swim star: Paralympian Ellie Simmonds at the celebrations / Jeremy Selwyn Celebrations were held in Manchester where roads were closed for a procession of trucks carrying Team GBs Olympic and Paralympic athletes. On Monday, gold medal winning boxer Nicola Adams called on Londoners to recreate the spirit of 2012 as the parade moved south to the capital. Thumbs up: The victory parade moved to London after it was held in Manchester on Monday / PA WIRE She told the Standard: Its such an amazing feeling to know the country is just as proud as we are of winning. This is the best weve ever done at an away Games so we just want to see everybody there enjoying themselves and having a good time. I used to train in London so its going to be amazing coming down after Manchester. Its like having my cake and eating it. Its a great chance to recreate the spirit of London 2012 and I think people will. U p to 300 more refugee children are expected to arrive in London from the Calais Jungle camp over the next week to be reunited with their families. London Councils, which represents all the town halls in the capital, has put in place emergency measures to make sure the children are looked after. The first 14 to arrive in Croydon yesterday were said to be teenage boys aged from 14 to 17 although some critics claimed the group looked much older. Many of the children still to come will be younger, and will include girls as well. Borough leaders, directors of childrens services and social work teams across London worked over the weekend to prepare their local areas for the new arrivals. It is unclear which boroughs the children will be settled in as Home Office officials are still establishing the location of families. A small number might be relocated outside the capital. Every London council will get at least 24 hours notice if a child is expected to join family members in their area under the Dublin system of international rules. Many will be from Afghanistan and Syria. As their ordeal in the squalid camp, which will be shut down by the French authorities within weeks, comes to an end, the children will be taken to an asylum unit in Croydon. The local authorities will assess relatives - usually aunts, uncles and siblings rather than parents - for suitability to care for the child before they are reunited. Children were welcomed as they stepped of the coach in London / Alex Lentati Children under 16 and girls will be given emergency foster care if there are any delays while older boys will get other accommodation. More than 40 town halls in the UK had offered up to 3,000 places to provide a home for vulnerable youngsters in the camp and other parts of Europe under the Dubs arrangements. There are already 1,440 unaccompanied asylum seeking children who arrived by other means in the care of London boroughs. Claire Kober, chair of London Councils said: London has a long and proud history of being one of the most diverse cities in the world. Communities, families and individuals have settled here over many years and are part of what makes London such a unique and vibrant place to be. London boroughs already support and re-settle many vulnerable children and young people who arrive here - but ahead of the Calais camp clearance, we are stepping up our efforts to ensure that as many as possible are resettled here safely and quickly. This is a huge challenge, but we will help to ensure these children are safe and looked after. M Ps would "most likely" have to be consulted before the Prime Minister launches the process to start Brexit, Government lawyers revealed today. Campaigners from many walks of life have mounted a historic High Court challenge to argue that Theresa May lacks power to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to leave the European Union without the prior authorisation of Parliament. Mrs May announced at the Conservative Party conference that she intends doing so by the end of March 2017. In final submissions heard at the court today, Government lawyers revealed that any new treaty agreement with the European Union following Brexit would "very likely" have to be ratified by Parliament. A Government QC said the "view at the moment" was that ratification was likely if the royal prerogative was used, without prior parliamentary approval, to launch the Brexit process. They added that if the challenge succeeds, the Government "could not give effect to the will and decision of the people, as clearly expressed in the referendum, to withdraw from the EU without further primary legislation". At the end of the three-day hearing, judges with the task of ruling on the historic Brexit legal challenge aim to give their decision "as quickly as possible". Because of the urgency and constitutional importance of the case, any appeal is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court before the end of the year. A group of senior Conservative MPs calling for a Parliamentary vote on Brexit have seized on a Government declaration made six years ago that all referendums are merely advisory. David Camerons Government agreed in 2010 that referendums cannot be legally binding in the UK because of the sovereignty of Parliament. The forgotten pledge is being drawn upon, the Independent reports, as Theresa May seeks to bypass Parliament and trigger the Article 50 EU withdrawal process this spring. In October 2010, in response to a House of Lords committee ruling, then-constitutional reform minister Mark Harper agreed: Under the UKs constitutional arrangements, Parliament must be responsible for deciding whether or not to take action in response to a referendum result. However the 2010 report by the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution also stated on referendum results: It would be difficult for Parliament to ignore a decisive expression of public opinion. Now Nicky Morgan, the former Education Secretary, believes that promise could strengthen the case for a Parliamentary vote on triggering Article 50. The Loughborough MP said: The referendum was advisory and Parliament has to be responsible for deciding whether or not to take action in response to that result. What is Article 50? - Explained The 2010 Government made that important commitment and although the complexion of the Government has changed since - the current Prime Minister was a very important part of that Government. Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, added: It is the case that all referendums are advisory thats absolutely, abundantly clear. The Government doesnt have a blank cheque on what model we pursue as we come out of the EU, or our future relationship with the European Union, because the electorate made no pronouncement on that whatsoever. Former Tory Cabinet minister Ken Clarke also backed calls for a vote, labelling the 2010 document sensible. A spokesman for the Prime Minister, said: Parliament voted by a majority of six to one to hold the referendum and it is a manifesto commitment of the Conservative Party to deliver on its outcome. Triggering Article 50 is therefore something for the Government to deliver. In response to pressure form MPs last week, Mrs May said Parliament would have every opportunity to debate and challenge her strategy for leaving the EU. J eremy Corbyn has been accused of blocking plans to delay the EU referendum which could have avoided defeat for the Remain campaign. A senior SNP source claimed the Labour leader wanted it over and done with, infuriating a cross-party group of MPs who had wanted to push the referendum date back to autumn this year. Crucially we had a number of Tories backing us and it looked as though we were going to get it through, the source said. The delay, to cater for the Scottish school holidays and counter voter fatigue from the London mayoral, Scottish, Welsh and Irish elections, was vital to avoid contaminating the result, MPs said in February. However, it is claimed the cross-party plans were thwarted by Mr Corbyn, which meant MPs did not back a DUP motion to postpone the June vote. Shadow Europe minister Pat Glass told the SNP that the message from Mr Corbyn was that he was not interested in a delay, said the source. She told us Jeremy Corbyn just wanted to get it over and done with as quickly as possible, the source said. When the motion was debated in February Ms Glass said she wanted an early referendum so workers could get on with their lives. The Labour Party declined to comment. M argaret Thatcher has been voted the worst Prime Minister of the last 100 years with David Cameron coming a close second. Baroness Thatcher was condemned for her neo-liberalism, deindustrialisation, selling council houses and failing to act on early stages of global warming", as part of the vote. The Iron Lady was given the thumbs-down by 11 of 45 historical writers surveyed. But the choice was disputed by former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown, who told the Harrogate History Festival that she was "a great and necessary destroyer". "I put her down as one of the most successful PM's of all time, not because I agreed with her, but because she laid out her stall and she achieved it, and Britain in many ways was stronger afterwards - although in many ways it was also weaker, particularly our sense of communities," said Lord Ashdown. Almost 100 days after leaving office, Mr Cameron was voted the worst PM of the last 100 years by 10 authors. Imogen Robertson, chairwoman of the Historical Writers Association, accused Mr Cameron of "sleep-walking us into Brexit". Author Tom Harper also gave Mr Cameron his vote, saying: "Neville Chamberlain had to contend with Hitler, Eden with Nasser: Cameron couldn't see off Nigel Farage." Mr Chamberlain was ranked third in the worst PM stakes, with eight votes, and was Lord Ashdown's choice for his policy of appeasing Nazi Germany. "I think Chamberlain could have personally prevented the Second World War," said the Lib Dem peer. Tony Blair was the Labour PM featuring highest on the list, with five votes, followed by Gordon Brown on four. Tory Sir Edward Heath also got four votes while Andrew Bonar Law, Herbert Asquith and Sir Anthony Eden got a single vote each. T ory MPs voiced alarm today after Downing Street blocked Boris Johnson from appointing a long-standing aide as his chief of staff. One MP said it was irregular for No 10 to interfere with the Foreign Secretarys appointments to his own office, and feared it was a sign of Downing Street throwing its weight around. Will Walden, who was previously Mr Johnsons 130,000-a-year director of communications at City Hall, had been expected to be confirmed in a more senior role in Whitehall as strategic adviser and chief of staff. However, Mr Walden has now withdrawn his application after it became clear that the Prime Ministers office was refusing to sign it off. Downing Street would not comment or explain its refusal today. A Tory MP said the incident would alarm backbenchers. It is a big surprise that the number three in the Government is not being allowed to appoint his own staff, said the MP. It is quite irregular. The dispute comes after signs that No 10 wants to keep tight control over rival ministers and their special advisers. It emerged today that Mr Walden had been working unpaid in Mr Johnsons office while his official status was discussed. He offered to work for a substantial salary cut after No 10 initially questioned his proposed remuneration, and then proposed a reduced title when the objections changed. Although he had a Foreign Office pass and accompanied Mr Johnson on official trips, he was unable to get a parliamentary pass because of the situation. After three months of uncertainty, and with no final response from No 10, he is understood to have concluded that he was unlikely to be confirmed and decided to formally withdraw his job application. A No 10 spokesman said: Will Walden has withdrawn his application. We have no comment to make. A friend of Mr Johnson said: Boris wanted Will to stay and fought hard for him. But at the end of the day he had to respect the situation. The affair comes at a time of high Cabinet tensions over Brexit talks. Downing Street yesterday expressed full confidence in Chancellor Philip Hammond after a weekend of sniping from rival ministers who said he was being too cautious about leaving the European Union. A ncient skeletal remains unearthed in an Australian park show a man was killed by a boomerang, researchers said. The 800-year-old skeleton, named Kaakutja, was dug up in Toorale National Park in New South Wales two years ago - but scientists have only recently revealed their findings. They said trauma wounds, including a large slice on the skull, were consistent with injuries caused by a sharp-edged metal weapon such as a fighting boomerang. The discovery puzzled researchers as radiocarbon dating showed Kaakutja died in 13th century 600 years before European settlers first saw the weapon. It is believed another Aboriginal delivered the fatal blow with possibly a wooden instrument. The findings were published in the Antiquity journal. A summary on the Antiquity website states: Analysis indicates that the wooden weapons known as Lil-lils and the fighting boomerangs (Wonna) both have blades that could fit within the dimensions of the major trauma and are capable of having caused the fatal wounds. Paleoanthropologist Michael Westaway, of Griffith University in Queensland, told the New York Times Kaakutja could be the first known boomerang victim. He said: This is the first time weve found evidence of someone possibly killed by a fighting boomerang. These hardwood weapons leave similar trauma patterns to steel weapons; that was unexpected. A Nigerian man who has 97 wives has dismissed rumours of his death, saying he is very much alive - and ready to marry more women. Mohammed Bello Abubakar is infamous in the African country for marrying over 100 women and having 185 children. He has clashed with authorities in the past, with them describing his family as a cult. But he insists he is doing Gods work. After media reports circulated saying that the 87-year-old had died after a brief illness, he told Nigerias Vanguard newspaper: My dear, I am very much alive, hale and hearty. The rumour is baseless and can best be described as the work of my detractors because they envy what God has done and what He is still doing for me. What I am doing is divine. It is an assignment and I will keep doing it till the end, he added. The cleric is said to have married a total of 107 women, but has divorced 10 of them. Mr Abubakar has come under fire because Sharia Law dictates a Muslim man can have up to four wives at a time. But he has told journalists in the past that God has asked me to do it. In 2012 there were other suggestions that he had died after which he said he was not finished marrying yet. He said: My large number of wives? I only have 97 wives. I am still going to marry more. I will keep marrying them for as long I am alive. Left for me, I would have married maybe two wives, but what I am doing is divine. I just want to advise those fighting against the number of my wives to stop because such people are waging war against God, their creator. Nine States with Ballot Initiatives, Marks Emerging Growth MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / October 18, 2016 / Novus Acquisition and Development Corp. (OTC Markets: NDEV), the nation's first healthcare insurance carrier in the medical cannabis field and property and casualty sector, provides its status and positioning on the upcoming November 8 state ballots and cannabis healthcare. Novus CEO Frank Labrozzi offers a summary update to the upcoming cannabis state ballots and his view and the company's positioning for the future of cannabis in the United States. On November 8, less than a month away, marijuana state ballot initiatives are all pointing toward voter approval. These ballot initiatives will likely reshape the cannabis industry in the U.S. with legalization and recreational proposals in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada and medical marijuana proposals in Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota. According to the Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, polls show that approval percentages in Arizona are over 50%, Nevada 57% and California overwhelming 60%, Maine and Massachusetts with over 53%. In fact, a recent September 12, 2016 Cowen and Company Collaborative Insights Report titled, The Cannabis Compendium: Cross-Sector Views on a Budding Industry, believes that California passing recreational has an 80% probability. Novus shareholders should know that Novus's footprint in the cannabis sector is Washington, Oregon, Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado and Michigan. Additionally, the states that are up and coming that Novus will be entering into post election are Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Maine. Novus is well-positioned to take advantage of increased legalization of cannabis, both recreational and medical. If all five state ballot initiatives were to pass, the percentage of U.S. population and GDP captured by recreational states would be 23% and 26%, respectively. A California recreational approval, which is already estimated to be a $1 billion medical marijuana market, would add an approximate 39 million people to the number of Americans living in a state legalized for recreational cannabis, tripling the market in the U.S. Story continues These aforementioned states, the percent of the U.S. population and GDP covered by recreational states would grow expenditally. While Novus' full business potential in legal cannabis space and in the healthcare sector is now well into focus, early indicators suggest that the potential is considerable. Indeed, it is arguably in healthcare that legal cannabis could make its first big crossover to the mainstream marketplace. Despite the current barriers that hinder the progress of cannabis healthcare what is encouraging is consumer demand for existing medical cannabis products primarily for pain. Giving our government and healthcare professionals comfort to know that is can significantly reduce addiction to, and deaths from, opioid painkillers could bolster cannabis's credibility as a legitimate healthcare product as an opioid replacement. As full federal legalization maybe some time in the future, policy is already shifting with relaxed restriction coming from the DEA it will now be up to Congress to make cannabis part of the healthcare mainstream. And when this happens, history has shown the one thing that biotechnology and pharmaceuticals have in common is they are always dove tailed within health insurance. NDEV 2nd Quarter Financial Filing: http://bit.ly/2cJ3Efj Website: http://www.getnovusnow.com Investor Relations Website: http://www.getnovusnow.com/ndev/investor_page About Novus Novus Acquisition & Development Corp. (NDEV), through its subsidiary WCIG Insurance, provides health insurance and related insurance solutions within the wellness and medical marijuana industries in states where legal programs exist. Novus has positioned itself to gain market share within many lines of insurance business within and outside of the MMJ sector. Novus will work as outside developers and will not cultivate, handle, transport grow, extract, dispense, put up for sale, put on the market, vend, deliver, supply, circulate, or trade cannabis or any substances that violate the United States law or the Controlled Substances Act, nor does it intend to do so in the future and will continue to follow state and federal laws. The statements made about specific products have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. All information provided on these press releases or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional. Once a push notification is competed the transaction is solely between the state-licensed dispensary and the registered patient. The state laws are in conflict with the federal Controlled Substances Act. The current administration has effectively stated that it is not an efficient use of resources to direct federal law enforcement agencies to prosecute those lawfully abiding by state designated laws, allowing the use and distribution of medical marijuana. However, there is no guarantee that the current administration, nor any future administration, will not change this policy and decide to enforce the federal laws strongly. Any such change in the federal government's enforcement of current federal laws could cause significant financial changes to Novus Medical Group. While we do not intend to harvest, distribute or sell cannabis or cannabis related products, we may be harmed by a change in enforcement by federal or state governments. For more information, check out: http://www.getnovusnow.com For NDEV 2nd Quarter Financial Filing: http://bit.ly/2cJ3Efj Learn How Insurance Companies Are Evaluated: http://bit.ly/2ddIYva Forward-Looking Statements This release includes forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflects management's current expectations. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Some of these factors include: general global economic conditions; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; increasing competition; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of services; changes in the economy; changes in laws and regulations, includes codes and standards, intellectual property rights, and tax matters; or other matters not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. Novus Medical Group disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact Information Corporate: Chairman and CEO Frank Labrozzi frank@ndev.biz 855-228-7355 Investors: Hayden IR hart@haydenir.com 917-658-7878 SOURCE: Novus Acquisition and Development Corp. The African Union headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. Ethiopia, home to the third largest number of diplomatic missions in the world, only after New York and Genevahas limited foreign diplomats from traveling beyond a 40-kilometer radius (25 miles) out of the capital Addis Ababa. Its part of new stringent laws published in the wake of a nation-wide state emergency. The government said the diplomats shouldnt travel without official permission for reasons related to their own security, as the country grapples with renewed protests and a security crackdown. The new rules also prohibit making contacts with groups labeled as terrorists, posting updates about the current state of the country, and introduced a dusk-to-dawn curfew around farms, factories, and government institutions. The new directives are the governments response to the protests that have engulfed the country since Nov. 2015, which have led to the death of more than 500 people, according to international human rights organizations. Protests started over plans to expand the capital, Addis Ababa. Protests started over plans to expand the capital, Addis Ababa. The new raft of measures has come as a surprise to many, who have viewed Ethiopia as an economic success and a bastion of stability in a turbulent region. As the continents oldest nation state, observers say the country cannot afford the current ethnic unrest to derail its economic progress. This is a state of emergency and we expect repressive measures, a western diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity on Monday. But we also expect an opening of the political space for the opposition as stated by the president in front of the parliament. This is not what seems to be happening. The bustling capital of Addis Ababa is also known as the political capital of Africa, and hosts the seat of the African Union. The bodys $200 million headquarters is also the tallest building that dominates the skyline of Addis Ababa. The city was first recognized s Africas capital after Ethiopias then leader Emperor Haile Selassie, convened leaders from around the continent for an African Summit in May 1963. Story continues Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, poses with African heads of state in Addis Ababa in May 1963 at the end of their summit conference. Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, poses with African heads of state in Addis Ababa in May 1963 at the end of their summit conference. Ethiopia also hosts the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and is home to more than 100 foreign embassies, according to Embassy Pages, which assembles a directory of foreign embassies and consulates. The new wave of unrest has worried the AU, which has called for restraint from all parties and encouraged dialogue to address the socio-political and economic issues motivating the protests. Members of the Oromo and Amhara communities have been protesting economic and political marginalization from the Tigray-dominated government. The UN secretary general also expressed concern on Monday (Oct. 17) regarding the recent developments in the country, and urged authorities to ensure the protection of fundamental human rights. As part of the emergency laws, political parties are also banned from issuing pressers that may incite any violence. Security forces are also not allowed to resign or go on holidays during the six-month emergency period. Those who break the terms of the state of emergency risk jail terms of three to five years. Cell phone internet access has also been reportedly cut for weeks in most parts of the country. Sign up for the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief the most important and interesting news from across the continent, in your inbox. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: This page may have been moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable. To help you find what you are looking for: Enter Search Term(s): Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. To report a broken link or other problems with the website, please include the URL. Thank you for visiting state.gov. 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Eight years later, Knapp is now a member of the Dove House staff, and is the face of a new program aimed at giving children tools to become their own safety advocate. Knapp, speaking at the sixth annual Childrens Voice Luncheon at the Cove Church in Mooresville on Tuesday, talked about her new role as the Dove Houses safety and education advocate. Knapp is taking her message of personal safety to first- and fifth-graders throughout Iredell-Statesville Schools with a program called Safety First. Its something Knapp knows about personally. From the age of 4 to 15, she was sexually abused by a family member. She said she didnt disclose the abuse for 11 years because her abuser convinced her it was their little secret. A ninth-grade health teachers lesson was the first time she realized what was going on was wrong and it wasnt her fault. She talked to a school resource officer and the next day she walked through the doors of the Dove House for the first time. Knapp said the support and compassion of the Dove House staff literally saved her life. Knapp said she was on the verge of suicide before she disclosed her abuse. Now, Knapp said, shes proud to be a part of the Dove House family and looks forward to helping educate children about sexual abuse and much more. If I had had Safety First, my abuse would have ended when I was 6, she said. Knapp said Safety First, which began in I-SS this school year, is about more than teaching children about sexual abuse. It covers, in an age-appropriate lesson, about Internet safety and other aspects of safety with three simple words Stop, Run, Tell. Superintendent Brady Johnson said he sat in on one of Knapps first classes with fifth-graders at Central Elementary School. He said she was a skilled teacher. Every child in that classroom was engaged, he said. This is going to make a big difference for kids. Johnson said he believes this program will likely lead to more disclosures of sexual and other forms of abuse but it will also give children more of a voice in their own safety. It is teaching children to advocate for themselves, he said. He said he is pleased the Dove House is taking this step toward prevention. Increasing the successful prosecution of those charged with sexually abusing children, providing a safe haven for children and non-offending family members and offering therapy and advocacy are all important, Johnson said, but are reactive. Safety First, he said, is a proactive step. I am very proud of Dove House for ratcheting it up, he said. Dove House Director Jackie Bumgarner and board member Brenda Deal appealed to those gathered to help the advocacy center continue to provide these services free to children and non-offending family members. Deal told the group about Dove Houses successes since it opened in 2002 including increasing the successful prosecution rate from below 20 percent in 2002 to nearly 90 percent today, and providing services to more than 200 children per year in Iredell and Alexander counties. Deal said Knapp is one of the success stories for the Dove House. She earned her bachelors degree with a 4.0 GPA and is on a fast track course to receive her masters degree next year. Knapp, Deal said, is a vibrant and well-adjusted young lady. Bumgarner closed out the annual luncheon by asking members of the audience to contribute to the continued mission of the Dove House, something many did, filling out envelopes on the tables. About a dozen people stood to indicate they would donate $500 toward the Safety First program. The Dove House, which moved into a new state-of-the-art facility in 2009, retired the mortgage on the building, leaving it without debt, said Jack Grossman, director of development for the Dove House. Supporting the ongoing programs of Dove House and enabling it to offer services at no charge, Bumgarner said, is dependent upon the generosity of people in the community, such as those attending the luncheon. When Whitney Gilbert and Shadese (DeeDee) Griffith began dating more than a year ago, neither could have expected that they and their family w By MARK EVANS mevans@stegenherald.com Bloomsdale will probably host a major fireworks display. The pyrotechnics will not take place until 2024, however. During the Oct. 12 board of aldermen meeting, Kevin Wehner and city officials again discussed the possibility of a July 4 fireworks display at the youth soccer fields on land leased by the city President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday said that the platform presented by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos is "very good" and that, most likely, the latter wants "to go further." "This platform presented by Mr Dacian Ciolos is a very good platform. It includes matters we all want, there are principles which it is good to be guided by in the political and economic life. Overall, it is a platform of principles and values which I find good. (...) I suppose Mr Ciolos hasn't come up with this platform only to show the world he has a healthy way of thinking, but he wants to show that he is willing, at least this is what I understood, to go further. On what position? This, of course, is up to the elector, in the first place," Iohannis replied when asked about the platform of principles launched by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos. President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday is paying a visit to the Nuclear Power Plat of Cernavoda. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on Monday evening launched the Romania 100 Platform, a platform reviewing ten principles "of a governance for the citizens," accompanied by several national projects about which the PM in office believes "should be continued or initiated by the next government." agerpres. Pfizer Inc. PFE announced that its Inflectra injection, a biosimilar version of Johnson & Johnsons JNJ blockbuster drug Remicade, will be available in the U.S. in late November. Inflectra is the first and only biosimilar monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy and only the second biosimilar to be launched in the U.S. Pfizer plans to start shipments to wholesalers at a 15% discount to Remicades present wholesale prices. Inflectra is approved for use across all eligible indications of the reference product, Remicade, which include reducing signs and symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, adult ulcerative colitis, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and adult and pediatric Crohns disease. Remicade scooped up sales of $2.9 billion (including U.S. exports) in the U.S. in the first six months of 2016 and $4.5 billion (U.S.) in 2015. PFIZER INC Price PFIZER INC Price | PFIZER INC Quote We remind investors that Celltrions biosimilar version of Remicade, Inflectra, had gained FDA approval in April. Pfizer has exclusive commercialization rights to Inflectra in the U.S. and certain other territories. Inflectra is already available in Europe and many other markets outside the U.S. In August, the District of Massachusetts Federal Court ruled in favor of Celltrion and Hospira in an ongoing patent dispute with J&J and said that U.S. Patent No. 6,284,471 for Remicade ('471 patent) is invalid. J&J then said it intends to appeal the decision (Read: J&J Remicade Patent Invalid, Pfizer to Launch Inflectra?). Pfizers launch would be before a resolution to the dispute. Pfizers Sep 2015 Hospira acquisition expanded its portfolio of biosimilars. Notably, biosimilars of Herceptin, Rituxan/MabThera, Avastin and Humira are in phase III development while biosimilars of Neupogen and Neulasta are in phase I. Pfizer believes that the market for biosimilars is huge and can grow to $17$20 billion by 2020.In the second quarter of 2016, Pfizer recorded biosimilars revenues of $78 million. Story continues In fact, the pharmaceutical industry is set for the approaching wave of biosimilars, which are essentially generic versions of expensive biologic drugs. Several pharma as well as biotech companies are involved in the development of biosimilars. The first biosimilar to gain approval in the U.S. was Sandozs (Novartis AGs NVS generic arm) Zarxio, a biosimilar version of Amgen Inc.s AMGN Neupogen. Zarxio was launched in the U.S. in Sep 2015. Other approved biosimilars include Sandozs Erelzi, a biosimilar to Amgens Enbrel (etanercept) and Amgens Amjevita, a biosimilar version of Abbvies Humira. Several other companies like Merck, Biogen and Allergan are also targeting the highly lucrative biosimilars market. J&J and Pfizer are both Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stocks. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report PFIZER INC (PFE): Free Stock Analysis Report NOVARTIS AG-ADR (NVS): Free Stock Analysis Report JOHNSON & JOHNS (JNJ): Free Stock Analysis Report AMGEN INC (AMGN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Ernst & Young will pay $11.8 million to settle charges over failed audits of oil services company Weatherford International, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Tuesday. An Ernst & Young partner who coordinated the audits and a former tax partner who was part of the audit team were also charged in the SECs order, the agency said in a statement. Under the settlement, both agreed to suspensions from working as accountants in SEC-related matters. The two disregarded significant red flags during the audits and reviews, the SEC said. The charges followed a $140 million penalty on Weatherford announced last month to settle charges it inflated earnings in its 2007-2010 financial statements. Weatherford, which had been promoting its favorable tax rate to analysts, restated its earnings in 2011. Ernst & Young neither admitted nor denied the SEC findings. Audit quality is central to EY and all of our stakeholders, said Ernst & Young spokeswoman Amy Call Well in a statement. Since the time of the Weatherford audits, and as referenced in the SEC Order, EY has taken significant steps in improving audit quality. The SEC found that Ernst & Young classified Weatherford audits as high-risk but repeatedly failed to detect the companys fraud until it had continued for more than four years. The Ernst & Young audit team knew of accounting adjustments that Weatherford was making to significantly lower the amount it set aside at the end of each year for income taxes, but the auditors relied on Weatherfords unsubstantiated explanations instead of performing required audit procedures to scrutinize Weatherfords accounting, the SEC said. Weatherford became an Ernst & Young client in 2001, quickly gaining a reputation as a particularly risky and difficult client, according to the SEC settlement. Updated at 8:35 a.m. NEW YORK Goldman Sachs' earnings soared in the third quarter, driven largely by trading and investment gains. The results easily surpassed analysts' estimates. The New York-based company said Tuesday that it earned $2.1 billion, or $4.88 per share, up from $1.33 billion, or $2.90 per share, in the same period a year earlier. Wall Street analysts were expecting Goldman to earn $3.82 a share, according to FactSet. While the firm's investment banking division reported flat revenue, Goldman's trading desks and the division where it invests its own money did exceptionally well. Revenue in Goldman's fixed income, currencies and commodities division jumped 34 percent to $1.96 billion. Goldman benefited from similar forces that helped boost trading of other major Wall Street banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of America. Wall Street banks benefited from volatility in bond and currency markets in the third quarter as Britain voted to leave the European Union, sending the pound swinging wildly, and as investors tried to guess when the Federal Reserve will begin raising interest rates. The firm's return on common equity, a measure of profitability that is closely watched by analysts, was a strong 11.2 percent in the quarter. "We saw solid performance across the franchise that helped counter typical seasonal weakness," said Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein in a prepared statement. Goldman's investing and lending division, where the firm puts its own money into a myriad of investments from stocks, bonds and venture capital, had a strong quarter as well. Revenue there rose to $1.4 billion from $670 million. The firm set aside $3.21 billion to compensate its employees, up 36 percent from a year earlier, which is not a surprise with how well Goldman's trading and investment businesses did. Goldman's staff are largely paid in bonuses that accumulate throughout the year, and it's generally the firm's largest expense each year. Goldman shares rose 1.5 percent in pre-market trading. Fair St. Louis is returning to Forest Park for the fourth year. The 2017 dates of Fair St. Louis are July 2, 3 and 4. Its the 37th annual Independence Day celebration. The move to Forest Park from the Gateway Arch grounds was necessary because of renovations continuing on the Arch grounds. Fair St. Louis has also announced volunteer leaders James Boldt, 2016 vice chairman, as general chairman for the 2017 event, and David Estes, 2016 venue management chairman, as vice chairman. In a statement, Boldt said: With nearly 235,000 attendees and a dozen entertainers at Fair Saint Louis 2016, were looking forward to an even bigger and better 2017. Volunteers interested in helping fight the mosquito-borne Zika virus can now enroll in a vaccine trial at St. Louis University. The school is recruiting 90 people ages 18 to 49 to test a vaccine that was developed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Maryland. Testing is expected to start this month, when volunteers will get the first of two doses of either the vaccine or a placebo. They will then be followed for about a year to see if they develop antibodies to fight the virus. The vaccine contains inactivated virus, meaning you cannot catch Zika from it. We need a vaccine for Zika. As weve seen, unfortunately, if pregnant women are infected there can be devastating consequences for the baby, said Dr. Sarah George, the trials principal investigator and an associate professor of infectious diseases at SLU. George said the Zika virus also poses a public health crisis because of its ability to be sexually transmitted. Most people who catch Zika have no symptoms or mild fever, joint pain, rash and pink eye. But the virus can cause severe birth defects and brain damage in babies if a woman is infected during pregnancy. The virus has primarily spread through Latin American and Caribbean countries but last summer reached Florida, where there have been 128 reported local cases. And state officials in Florida announced Thursday that the virus had turned up in a second Miami neighborhood. U.S. health officials do not expect widespread outbreaks, mostly because the country is more sparsely populated and the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries Zika does not circulate nationwide. The mosquito most commonly found in the St. Louis region, the Culex, is not believed to carry Zika. The Zika vaccine to be tested at SLU was modeled on a vaccine designed to fight Japanese encephalitis, a similar virus also spread by mosquitoes. It was developed from Zika virus that was isolated in Puerto Rico, grown in the lab and then deactivated. The vaccine has been successfully tested in animals. Monkeys who got vaccinated were protected against Zika when they were later exposed to the virus. The tests on humans will first study the safety of the vaccine and will then move into effectiveness. Pregnant or breast-feeding women cannot participate in the initial trials. The trial is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Congress recently approved a budget bill that includes $1.1 billion to fight the Zika virus, including $152 million to the NIH for vaccine development. At least five potential vaccines including the one at SLU are under development nationwide. The vaccine at SLU will also be tested at Walter Reed, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and at NIH facilities in Maryland. Another trial in partnership with SLU will start next year in Puerto Rico, where there have been more than 25,300 reported cases of Zika. If the vaccine proves safe and effective, it could reach the market by 2018 or 2019. George said she hopes Zika will go the way of rubella, a virus that caused an epidemic of similar birth defects in the 1960s before the development of a vaccine in 1969 virtually eliminated the disease. The goal is to have a Zika vaccine so we can stop this epidemic and this outbreak, and we can give the vaccine to younger people before they enter their childbearing years, she said. If you can use Zika vaccine widely as part of the immunization schedule, you dont have to worry about horrible things happening to babies in the womb. There have been more than 3,700 reported cases of Zika in the U.S. including 30 in Missouri and 75 in Illinois, all acquired through travel in Latin American and Asian countries where the virus is circulating. An additional 128 cases have been transmitted in parts of Miami. Of the Zika cases in the U.S., 837 are among pregnant women. About two dozen babies have been born in the U.S. with birth defects linked to the virus. Volunteers in the vaccine trial will be compensated about $1,000 for 13 medical visits and four phone calls during the 14-month study. To learn more about the study, call 314-977-6333 or visit vaccine.slu.edu. The Associated Press contributed to this report. JERSEY COUNTY A Caseyville man was killed and a woman critically injured Monday afternoon when their motorcycle hit a car that pulled out in front of them on the Great River Road near Lockhaven. Keith Berry, 58, and Deborah Sereday, 55, both of Caseyville, were ejected from their motorcycle in the crash just after 1 p.m. on th eGreat River Road (Route 100) near Lockhaven Road. Berry was pronounced dead at the scene. Sereday was airlifted to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in critical condition. Police issued a ticket for failing to yield at an intersection to Michael Heitzig 24, of Jerseyville, after the crash. Berry and Sereday were northbound on the Great River Road on an Ultra custom motorcycle when Heitzig tried to cross the river road at Lockhaven Road. Heitzig failed to yield to the pair and pulled out in front them, police said. Berry and Sereday were both ejected from the motorcycle when it hit Heitzig's Ford pickup truck. The northbound lanes of the river road were closed for about 3 hours after the crash. The crash remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit. No other details were available. Updated at 4:04 p.m. Tuesday to include the city's response. WOODSON TERRACE A former Woodson Terrace police officer sued the city, police chief and several officers Monday for what she says was her wrongful firing after she complained of gender discrimination within the department. Judy Garner, who was the only female officer during her employment in the department from May 2008 to April 2016, alleges that she was called derogatory names based on her gender, ridiculed for her weight and appearance, was passed over while less experienced male officers got promoted and ultimately fired for filing multiple complaints of gender discrimination. Policemen are supposed to be family, Garner said in an interview Monday. And I felt betrayed and humiliated. It was horrible. The city denies Garner's allegations, according to a statement provided to the Post-Dispatch Tuesday afternoon. "The City of Woodson Terrace, the Mayor and the Citys police department strenuously deny Ms. Garners allegations of retaliatory discharge, gender discrimination, harassment, and hostile work environment directed against her," the statement reads. The city claims Garner was fired because she failed a lie detector test during an internal investigation into her allegations and because she failed to "adequately investigate and report" a home burglary. Garner's lawsuit alleges that Police Chief Butch Mayberry, former Chief Robert Dowling, Capt. Randy Halstead, Lt. Dan Hunter, Sgt. James Simonpietri and Officer Robert Kolberer all subjected Garner to a hostile work environment because she is a woman. The lawsuit also names Mayor Lawrence Besmer as a defendant. Garner alleges that, among other incidents, Dowling regularly called her misogynistic expletives and derogatory names, including b and crack whore. Garner found offensive pictures on her desk, including a sign reading Old Hag Zone and a picture that read Fixed My Ass shortly after Garner had a baby. When Garner complained about such behavior to Mayberry, he laughed or asked her if she was on her period, the suit says. Garner also alleges she was passed over for a promotion to sergeant because Mayberry told her that male officers would not like taking orders from a woman. A less-experienced officer was promoted instead, the lawsuit claims. The suit demands that Garner either be reinstated as a police officer or be awarded lost wages and benefits and at least $25,000 for damages, including emotional pain and suffering ... loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation and loss of personal and professional reputation. Garner says the department, which had 17 officers while she worked there, has a history of hiring almost all white men. The departments most recent African-American officer, Ray Baker, sued the city and others for racial discrimination and retaliation in June 2014 for being the only black employee hired in the citys history and for being passed up for promotion even though he was more qualified, according to Garners lawsuit. Bakers suit was settled for $94,789.97, according to Garners lawsuit. Woodson Terrace is a predominantly white city near Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. A federal judge has denied a new trial to two St. Louis police officers whom a jury in August ordered to pay $600,000 for using excessive force in an arrest. U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White also ordered the officers to pay the plaintiffs attorney fees of $186,000. In a lawsuit filed in 2014, Calvin Fletcher, now 39, alleged that the two St. Louis officers were among four police officers who targeted him for a false arrest because he is black, then repeatedly shocked him with a Taser and beat him, breaking bones in his face and damaging a kidney. He also alleged that video cameras in a police van at the scene were deliberately turned off so the attack would not be recorded. After the arrest, Fletcher was held in the St. Louis Justice Center for nearly a week while his kidneys shut down, according to the suit. Police sought charges of possession of a controlled substance, assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest, but the office of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce did not file any. The officers named in the suit were Joseph Tomlinson, Joseph Carroll, Nicholas Martorano and John Moton. Fletcher won a verdict against Martorano and Moton for $600,000, which included $200,000 in actual damages and $400,000 in punitive damages. No damages were awarded in the case against Carroll or Tomlinson. The defendants argued for a new trial because during the trial, Fletchers lawyer read into court statements from a doctor who had given a deposition in support of a co-defendant in the case, but who was unavailable to testify in person. The judge rejected claims by the officers lawyers that they did not have an opportunity to cross-examine the doctor as a plaintiffs witness. Moton separately argued for a judgment in his favor because there was no evidence he injured Fletcher; White said Moton had needed to make that argument before the case went to the jury. The Missouri attorney general's office, which represented the officers, said it had no comment, and referred a reporter to the police department. The police department said to call the attorney general's office. ST. LOUIS Efforts to nix key evidence against accused members of a violent St. Louis drug ring have revealed a Justice Department investigation of claims that a Georgia DEA official had sexual relationships with paid informers. The target, a DEA supervisor in Atlanta, allegedly was involved with two confidential informers and paid one of them $212,000 in agency funds, according to court documents obtained by the Post-Dispatch. Much of the court material is under seal. The woman who received the funds testified for hours Monday in the closed courtroom of U.S. Magistrate Judge Shirley Padmore Mensah in St. Louis. Reporters were kept out, although Mensah promised to make a redacted transcript of the testimony available later. Defense lawyers say in a pending motion that questionable information from the woman, known as CS1 for confidential source 1, laid the foundation for the investigation of Dionne L. Gatling, Andre Alphonso Rush, Timothy Lamont Rush and Lorenzo Gibbs. The four were subsequently indicted, in 2014, on various federal drug-related charges. The charges against Gatling and Andre Rush allege they were involved in two murders here. Based on information provided to them by federal prosecutors, the lawyers said in the documents that the Atlanta-based supervisors subordinates admitted helping him justify payments to CS1 by falsely claiming her information was used to advance criminal investigations. Defense attorneys documents say the supervisor had used CS1 to launder information agents obtained illegally, or their hunches, by claiming it came from her. The money was paid starting in 2011, including two DEA bonuses, of $55,000 and $80,750. The woman said she had no idea why she received bonuses, according to court filings. DEA money was at one point used to pay roughly the amount of CS1s monthly rent after she moved closer to the supervisor, defense lawyers indicated that prosecutors told them. None of the DEA staffers, who also are based in Atlanta, has been criminally charged, but an internal investigation is underway, the filings say. The supervisor reportedly has denied all the accusations. James Shroba, head of the St. Louis DEA office, said Monday the agency takes these allegations extremely seriously and vowed that they would be thoroughly investigated. He declined to comment on other aspects of the case or on the status of the Atlanta supervisor. The U.S. attorneys office in Atlanta did not respond to a reporters questions about the case. Practices faulted before The DEAs use of informers was faulted in a report released last month by the Justice Department Office of Inspector General. The report says that management and oversight of the confidential source program needed significant improvement. It complains that there is not adequate oversight of payments, which exposes the DEA to an unacceptably increased potential for fraud, waste, and abuse, particularly given the frequency with which DEA offices utilize and pay confidential sources. It also says the DEA had over 18,000 active confidential sources between Oct. 1, 2010, and Sept. 30, 2015, who were paid a total of $237 million. The agency also has been accused of failing to discipline agents accused of misconduct. Federal prosecutors allege that Gatling led a drug trafficking organization linked to the Black Mafia Family, dealing cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine in the St. Louis area. A superseding indictment filed in 2015 says that Gatling, then 47, and Rush, then 50, also were involved in two murders. Prosecutors say Gatling orchestrated the shooting of Theodis Howard, 41, in St. Louis on April 5, 2010, because Howard cooperated in an investigation that led to a prison sentence of more than 17 years for Gatlings brother, Deron Gatling. Prosecutors also say the pair then killed Terrance Morgan, 41, in St. Louis on May 2, 2013, because they feared he would cooperate with authorities against them. CS1 was the original source of information about drug dealing by Gatling and the others, according to DEA agents in Atlanta in 2012, court documents show. They called her a reliable confidential source who had been working with the DEA for at least two years. She reportedly introduced Gatling to a source of drugs. In 2012, DEA agents in St. Louis used that information to apply for a series of wiretaps on Gatling that led to his indictment and the others. But defense lawyers say in court filings that CS1 actually knew Gatling from a prior business relationship and that at the time the DEA sought the wiretaps, she did not have the knowledge agents claimed about drug dealing. Allegations of misconduct In 2015, prosecutors disclosed to defense attorneys that an Atlanta supervisor was under investigation by the Justice Departments Office of Inspector General, and that he and two others were under internal investigation by the DEA. The supervisor allegedly had personal and sexual relationships with two confidential sources, made improper payments to CS1 and falsified DEA reports to justify the payments, the defense lawyers were told. Others were under investigation for allegedly falsifying the reports, and reportedly said they did it at the supervisors direction, the documents say. The defense argues that since the entire investigation began with DEA claims about what CS1 knew, and those claims are wholly or partially false, all evidence obtained as a result of the wiretaps should be tossed out. With many documents under seal, its not clear how prosecutors have responded. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean Hoag obtained an order closing the courtroom for CS1s testimony Monday, saying that she, and even her daughter, had been threatened. Prosecutors claim that Gatling had summoned others on social media to watch the testimony, possibly so they can identify her by sight. Gatling has already disclosed CS1s name, prosecutors said. The accused supervisor testified in another case that he has been an agent since 1999. His current employment status is unknown. ST. LOUIS Police are searching for the man who robbed a U.S. Bank Monday afternoon in the Downtown West neighborhood of St. Louis. The robbery was just before 3:30 p.m. Monday at the U.S. Bank at 301 North Tucker Boulevard. Police released surveillance photos Tuesday and asked anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477. He is described as a black man, 30 to 35 years old and 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8. He had a mustache and goatee. He was wearing a gray t-shirt with white lettering, blue jeans and tan Timberland boots. After he handed the teller a note, she gave him an undisclosed amount of money. He didn't show a weapon, and no one was hurt in the robbery. When he left the bank, police aren't sure which way he went. A circuit court judge in Butler County soon will decide if a prisoners statements about a murder confession will be allowed as evidence in the retrial of a man who has long said he didnt shoot and burn his wifes 67-year-old grandmother in rural southern Missouri. Michael Amick, 40, was convicted of second-degree murder and second-degree arson in the 2008 death of Leona Maxine Vaughan near Myrtle, a tiny town on the Arkansas border, close to the Eleven Point River. The area is about 160 miles southwest of St. Louis The Missouri Supreme Court overturned the Oregon County jury verdict in 2015 because of a violation of the law pertaining to juries. An alternate juror was called back to deliberate hours after being dismissed. A new trial for Amick is set for Nov. 28. The venue has been changed to Butler County. Meanwhile, James Higdon, 52, who has been in prison since 1991, has come forward with new information that could affect Amicks case. Higdon is serving 38 years for forcible sodomy, forcible rape and having a controlled substance in a correctional facility. According to court records, Higdon said a fellow prisoner at South Central Correctional Center in Licking, Mo., named David Youngblood confessed to killing Vaughan with the help of a teenager. Youngblood, 52, is serving life without parole for the death of four older adults who were killed in two separate incidents in 2010. Those victims were burned, some of them shot, in their homes about 30 minutes from where Vaughan died. Amicks defense attorney, Adam Woody, said he recorded a 42-minute statement from Higdon. This month, Higdon testified at a hearing about the matter in Poplar Bluff, the county seat of Butler County. Youngblood declined to testify. Circuit Judge Michael Pritchett has not ruled whether Higdons statement will be admitted as evidence at Amicks new trial. According to court records about Higdons recorded statement, Higdon said he and Youngblood were housed near each other in prison and became friends. Higdon said Youngblood confided in him about what happened to Vaughan in December 2008. Mr. Higdon discussed with great detail exactly what was told to him by David Youngblood, Amicks attorney wrote in court documents. Mr. Youngblood exhibited detailed knowledge of the disturbing facts that were not in any of the reports available to the public. Amicks attorney explained in court documents the following scenario gleaned from Higdon: Youngblood and a teen who owed him a favor went to a home in search of a tenant because of a dispute over methamphetamine. Instead, they encountered Vaughan at the residence who threatened to call police if they didnt leave. The teenager apparently panicked and shot Vaughan twice in the head; Youngblood shot her four more times. Believing the person they were looking for was still in the home, they set fire to it in an attempt to flush her out, as well as cover up evidence. Assistant Attorney General Kevin Zoellner and Oregon County Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer Crask declined to comment. David Youngblood, his wife and daughter are in prison for the deaths of their relatives, Loyd Eugene Piatt, 77, and Gladys Irene Piatt, 80, who were found dead on June 23, 2010, in their burned Doniphan, Mo., home, as well as the deaths of Edgar Atkinson, 81, and Bonnie Chase, 69, found dead July 10, 2010, in their burned home in Current View, Mo. Keith A. Boyles, 24, of Doniphan, the former boyfriend of Youngbloods daughter, has also been charged for the four deaths. His trial is set for May 30, also in Judge Pritchetts court. Amick, who formerly worked for the BNSF Railway, could face life in prison without parole for Vaughans death. He is being held in the Oregon County Jail in lieu of posting $1 million bond. He and his wife, Vaughans granddaughter, have three children and remain married. The evidence against Mr. Amick is circumstantial and inferential, Woody, his attorney, recently argued in court filings. There is no physical or scientific evidence tying Mr. Amick definitively to the home where the crime took place. Amicks first conviction the one later thrown out by the Supreme Court was partly held together by a witness who testified to seeing Amicks pickup parked in front of the home where Vaughan was staying. Vaughan was also late making payments to Amick and his wife on a car loan. Vaughan had also recently moved off their property. Witnesses for the defense testified that they had been with Amick for lunch or seen him at a restaurant the day Vaughan died, and he looked normal and didnt smell like smoke or accelerant. JEFFERSON CITY As the clock ticks down on the campaign season, a state lawmakers fight to stay on the November ballot is not over. In a ruling handed down Friday, a state appeals court overruled an earlier decision dismissing a lawsuit alleging Rep. Keith English lives in Jefferson City rather than in the Florissant-based district he represents. In September, St. Louis County Circuit Judge Joseph Dueker tossed out the residency challenge by Jermond Jay Mosley of Florissant, saying it had not been filed in a timely manner. But, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District found the Democratic candidate for the seat had beaten a five-day deadline based on when the courts were open that week. Contestant Mosley's petition was timely filed, and the trial court erred in dismissing the petition as untimely, the court noted. Mosley is trying to unseat English, who was elected as a Democrat but became the Legislatures lone independent member in 2015. Under the Missouri Constitution, members of the House and Senate must live in their districts. In his original lawsuit, Mosley said English lives in Jefferson City with his wife, not at a rental house he lists as his voting address in Florissant. A Post-Dispatch review of Englishs housing arrangement in June and July found he filed a statement with the Missouri Ethics Commission saying he lived at 470 S. Castello Street in Florissant. Records filed in 2014 note he lived at 755 Pelican Lane in the same city. He filed his paperwork with the Missouri Secretary of States office in August listing his address as 745 Pelican Lane. He said he has rented an apartment there since February. English said he and his wife, Kelly Sullens, are in the process of purchasing a historic home in Florissant. Records show Sullens has a house in Jefferson City where she works for the state. A date for the next court action was not immediately available Tuesday. JEFFERSON CITY Most Republicans running for statewide offices in Missouri are beating their Democratic foes when it comes to raising money. In reports filed this week with the Missouri Ethics Commission, GOP candidates for attorney general, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and treasurer showed a fundraising lead heading toward the Nov. 8 election. Thats not the case in the race for governor, where Democrat Chris Koster had $6.6 million in his bank account, compared to Republican Eric Greitens $2.7 million as of the Sept. 30 reporting deadline. The numbers dont account for large sums coming in since the end of the period, including a $2.7 million contribution received by Greitens on Monday from the Republican Governors Association. Fueled by mega-donors and political action committees, the Republican candidates are attempting to replace four Democratic statewide officeholders who are vacating their posts, Gov. Jay Nixon, Koster, Secretary of State Jason Kander and Treasurer Clint Zweifel. Heres a rundown: ATTORNEY GENERAL Republican Josh Hawley entered the final month of the campaign with $4.3 million in his bank account, compared to Democrat Teresa Hensley, who had $1.1 million. Hawley, who is on leave as a University of Missouri law professor, received most of his largesse from the Republican Attorneys General Association, which is now the subject of a formal complaint filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission. The complaint, filed by St. Louis Alderman Scott Ogilvie, alleges that the GOP group failed to register in Missouri and report its donors. The complaint could be heard by the commission as soon as Friday. Hensley, the former Cass County prosecutor, raised $1.1 million during the filing period, but spent $400,928 as she tries to raise her profile with voters. Most of her money went toward a $283,000 ad blitz that is currently airing across the state. The seat is open because Koster is running for governor. LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Republican state Sen. Mike Parson of Bolivar is leading in fundraising Democrat Russ Carnahan in the race to replace Republican Peter Kinder as lieutenant governor. Parson reported $501,066 after raising $525,183 during the period. Carnahan, a former member of Congress, raised $306,606 and had $209,793 heading into the final weeks of the campaign. Carnahan outspent Parson during the period, with most of it going toward a $445,000 advertising buy. SECRETARY OF STATE Democrat Robin Smith, a former TV news anchor from Eureka, and Republican Jay Ashcroft are in a virtual tie when it comes to money left to spend in the stretch run of their campaign to replace Kander, who is running for the U.S. Senate. Ashcroft, the son of former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, reported having $397,129 in his war chest, compared to $349,641 for Smith. TREASURER Republican Eric Schmitt holds a massive fundraising lead over Democrat Judy Baker in the race to replace Zweifel, who is leaving the post because of term limits. Schmitt, a senator from Glendale, has $2.5 million in his account, compared to $350,314 for Baker, a Columbia resident who was a member of the Missouri House. UPDATED at 6:30 p.m. with funeral arrangements. SOUTH ROXANA The mayor of this small Madison County village, Kenneth Kenny Beasley, died Sunday at Alton Memorial Hospital of undisclosed ongoing medical problems, the village said. He was 69. Beasley had been mayor for 16 years, and also served as building inspector, auxiliary police officer, and board member of the South Roxana Fire Protection District, wrote Bob Coles, city administrator and chief of police, in an email announcing the death. Coles wrote that Beasley could be seen donating his time doing manual labor projects by fixing potholes in our streets (and) pouring concrete throughout various village products. Mayor Beasley was a spokesman for the people, advocate for mental health, and had a true passion to making this village a better place to live, Coles wrote. The Village of South Roxana would like to express our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to his family, Coles added. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday at Bethalto Church of God at 800 East Bethalto Drive, followed by at 6 p.m. A casual comment on Facebook has caught Abigail Buhr in the whirlwind that is Donald Trumps presidential campaign. She now owns all the unpleasantness attached to defending Trumps indefensible position on sexual abuse. Buhr is the state victim advocate coordinator for the Missouri National Guards sexual assault prevention and response program. She should need no reminding that getting involved in politics is an extremely bad idea, especially when it directly intersects with her official duties. Buhrs job involves raising the consciousness of military personnel, including officers, about the crime of sexual assault. As the Post-Dispatchs Tony Messenger wrote Monday, Buhr stepped into the thick of the issue by commenting on Facebook that all this talk of Trumps sexual abuse of women bores me. If Buhr is so bored by the subject, she should find another job, and perhaps Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., can provide a quick assist. McCaskill is among the most active women on Capitol Hill in trying to reform the way the Pentagon handles sexual assault claims. This is a pressing issue because women are a growing presence throughout the military ranks, and men of higher ranks including generals are being called out for harassing behavior and sexual abuse. All officers and enlisted personnel need to be aware of the problem. Victims of sexual harassment or abuse must know their claims will be addressed promptly. Which is what Buhrs job is all about. The issue for the military specifically relates to ways in which those in positions of authority abuse their rank in order to make underlings submit sexually. And if the victim complains, rank becomes a means of silencing an accusation. This is exactly the issue at hand with Trump, who stated in a 2005 recording that he believed his star power gave him a kind of right to sexually abuse women. Several women have come forward to say that they were victims and that they didnt speak out because of Trumps position as billionaire businessman, television personality and owner of beauty pageants. This is the tapes from 2005? Old news, Buhr wrote on Facebook. He owned it and apologized. I just think they need to find current issues. This old stuff bores me, she added. At least one Missouri group, the St. Louis chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, has called for Buhr to be fired. McCaskill has devoted much of the past two years working to make it easier for military women to step forward and make abusers account in court for their actions. The senator says sexual assault is under-reported in the military because victims still are too afraid to speak out. Buhr is supposed to be on the side of women in the Guard. If they come forward, they now risk boring her. 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? 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 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 $25. 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, 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 Rex Sinquefield Multimillionaire financier Rex Sinquefield, a pioneer in index fund investing, says theres one reason to vote for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumphis tax policy. What Trump is proposing is the right thing: a massive reduction in taxes. Hell get the same results as John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush, Sinquefield, 72, said in an interview with Yahoo Finance. Sinquefieldthe co-founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors, which oversees more than $350 billion in assetsis among 100 business leaders who signed an open letter supporting Trump. He called the last seven-and-a-half years under President Barack Obama the worst economic recovery in Americas history, pointing out that private domestic investment has been incredibly low. He blamed this on huge tax increases passed in the early years of the Obama Administration. Specifically, he pointed to the increase in capital gains from 15% to 20% and an increase in the top bracket income tax from 35% to 39.6%. He also called out the 3.8% tax on investment income in the Affordable Care Act. Many investments are no longer attractive, he said. New investments are not made. This is why he praises Trumps proposals to cut capital gains and personal income taxes. Theyre what we need to correct the abysmal decisions made by Obama and the Democrats, he said. Sinquefield warned that a Clinton presidency would just be a continuation of Obamas tax policies. Its good for everyone all around, he reiterated said about Trumps tax platform. More people will be working. There will be less on welfare. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. September 19, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Trumps other ideas are fairly bad Other than the tax proposals, Sinquefield characterized Trumps other proposals as fairly bad. He highlighted Trumps trade policy as an example. Sinquefield added that Trumps very restrictive foreign trade policy would never happen with the Republicans in Congress, and it would never become law. Hes proposing some not very good ideas in foreign trade. He has incredibly good fiscal policy. His tax policythat overrides everything else. Nothing else compares in importance to that. Story continues Trumps character flaw Currently, a Clinton presidency looks more certain as Trumps campaign has taken a hit in recent weeks with questions being raised about his conduct, particularly in regards to his treatment of women. When asked how to persuade voters to look past the video from 2005 and subsequent allegations of inappropriate touching by multiple women, Sinquefield was unsure how Trump could overcome these personal issues. Even in the Republican primaries, I said this guy has a character flawan unbridled need to insult someone, which is really unfortunate. Sinquefield believes that what Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton did to women was far worse. She brutally targeted and tormented his victims, all women. Unbelievable. What she did was far worsereally trying to destroy these people. Another issue thats been raised surrounding Trumps candidacy is whether or not he paid federal income taxes. The New York Times published a few pages from Trumps 1995 tax returns that suggested he may not have paid for 18 years due to a $916 million loss he claimed that year. Sinquefield said the issue over Trumps taxes is just trivial importance compared to his fiscal policy. A stock market guru-turned-mega donor A well-known mega-donor in Missouri, Sinquefield didnt start supporting Trump until after the real estate businessman secured the Republican nomination. During the primaries, Sinquefield was sure that Trump wouldnt last and that he would implode in a heartbeat. His first choice was New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. His second choice was Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Sinquefield was raised in an orphanage in St. Louis. He first got interested in politics back in high school, reading Bill Buckleys Up From Liberalism and Barry Goldwaters Conscience of a Conservative. Rex Sinquefield (left) He graduated from Saint Louis University and earned his MBA from the University of Chicago. While at the University of Chicago, he studied under Eugene Fama, the father of the efficient market hypothesis. After graduate school, he helped launch the first index funds in 1972. Sinquefield retired in 2005, returning to his home state of Missouri. He co-founded the Show-Me Institute, a free-market think tank. Hes also a big supporter of Let Voters Decide. He also co-authored a book called An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of States, which he described as a go-to book for evidence regarding the effects of tax policy on the performance of states. Its driven by evidence. The same thing that drove me to start index funds is that markets work well and its impossible to beat them. Youre better off trying to buy the whole market. You will get market returns, theyre for the taking. Its all evidence-driven. Its the same with tax policy. He said his views on taxes have nothing to do with the fact hes achieved financial success. For Sinquefield, tax policy is the one big issue this election. Tax policy is going to drive everything. Its whats determined the last 7 years of dreadful economic performance. Hes not counting out a Trump victory just yet either. A lot can happen in the last weeks, he said, noting that when Reagan ran against Jimmy Carter he was trailing in the final week. And if Trump isnt successful, Sinquefield has also expressed his admiration for Trumps vice president pick, Indiana Governor Mike Pence. If Trump doesnt win, it wouldnt surprise me seeing Pence getting the ticket four years from now. Hes a great guy, very smart, with all the personal characteristics deep moral character, devoutly religious, and really understands economic and public policy. Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Read more: Leon Cooperman had an epiphany about the hedge fund industry after hearing a futurist speak Boone Pickens: Obama has been a complete loser for energy (Updated - October 18, 2016 4:50 PM EDT) S&P Global Ratings said today it revised its outlook on Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) and the company's main operating subsidiaries, including Wells Fargo Bank N.A., to negative from stable. At the same time, we affirmed the 'A/A-1' issuer credit ratings on Wells and the 'AA-/A-1+' issuer credit ratings on Well's main operating subsidiaries. The group credit profile remains 'a+'. "Our outlook revision reflects the increased business risks for Wells over the past few weeks, stemming from accelerated reputational issues from the Sept. 8 news of the company's retail accounts sales misconduct over recent years," said S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Barbara Duberstein. Uncertainty has increased, in our view, regarding the scope and ramifications of the misconduct, the duration and magnitude of the reputational damage, the possible impact on the company's customer flows, and the potential consequences of ongoing legal and regulatory investigations. Additionally, the company's management team and retail business model are unexpectedly in transition as a result of this misconduct, and this may lessen our view of the company's business stability relative to highly rated peers. Wells will likely continue to face significant business challenges for at least several months. We believe that the company's settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Los Angeles City Attorney of $185 million, which is very small relative to the company's financial strength, may not sufficiently capture the damage caused by the retail sales misconduct. A number of ongoing internal and third-party investigations could reveal additional inappropriate practices at the retail bank, given the company's very large size and aggressive sales culture and emphasis on cross-selling that has persisted for several years. For example, the company's independent directors have hired a law firm to assist in an independent investigation. The company has also expanded the scope of its customer account review and remediation to include 2009 and 2010. Importantly, the company disclosed that the U.S. Justice Department, state attorneys general, and U.S. Congressional committees have undertaken formal or informal inquiries, investigations, or examinations regarding the retail sales practices. We continue to believe that any additional fines and legal restitution will not be large relative to the company's substantial earnings. Still, these investigations will likely be prolonged and could cause additional reputational damage, which is not reflected in our current ratings. In addition, we believe that Wells could be subject to more intensified regulatory scrutiny overall. Our negative outlook reflects the possibility that we could lower our ratings on Wells over the next two years. We could lower the ratings if the retail sales practices issue becomes even more material to the company's overall credit profile. This could occur if investigations reveal additional misconduct or risk management lapses, if we expect any substantial additional fines that are large relative to earnings, or if other sizable compliance or governance weaknesses surface. We could also lower the ratings if reputational risks intensify, if customer flows in key businesses show negative trends for a sustained period, if trends at the retail bank become less stable, or if additional management turnover increases strategic uncertainties. We could also lower our ratings if Wells displays a sustained, elevated risk appetite that is not consistent with the high rating; for instance, if loan growth accelerates or if the company pursues additional substantial loan portfolio acquisitions (which we do not believe is feasible at this time). In particular, we would negatively view accelerated growth in higher risk areas such as nonprime auto, leveraged lending, or capital markets businesses. We could lower the ratings if nonperforming assets or credit losses rise significantly or if capital ratios decline as the result of more aggressive dividend or share buyback policies. Over the longer term, we could revise the outlook to stable if we expect that the outstanding investigations will not adversely affect our view of the company's otherwise very strong business position, if reputational issues subside and legal issues appear manageable, and if the company's customer flows and market share are stable. Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf testifies before a Senate Banking Committee hearing on the firm's sales practices on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 20, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron/File Photo (Reuters) - John Stumpf resigned from the boards of Chevron Corp (NYSE: CVX) and Target Corp (NYSE: TGT) a week after he quit Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE: WFC) as chief executive bowing to pressure over its sales tactics. Stumpf resigned for personal reasons and not as a result of a disagreement with Chevron, the second largest U.S.-based oil producer said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday. (http://bit.ly/2eqiJAg) Chevron said on Oct. 3 that it supported Stumpf despite concerns about his leadership at Wells Fargo. Target did not give a reason for Stumpf's resignation. (http://bit.ly/2dlzQqT) Stumpf joined the boards of Chevron and Target in 2010. Stumpf, who notified the companies' boards on Monday that he intends to resign, still serves on the board of Financial Services Roundtable, an advocacy group for the U.S. financial industry. Wells Fargo said on Oct. 12 that Stumpf, 63, was retiring and would be replaced by President and Chief Operating Officer Tim Sloan. Stumpf's fall from grace started with a $185 million regulatory settlement among the bank, regulatory authorities and a Los Angeles prosecutor over its staff opening as many as 2 million accounts without customers' knowledge. The misconduct, carried out by low-level branch staff to meet internal sales targets, shattered the bank's image and a raft of federal and state investigations followed. (Reporting By Sudarshan Varadhan in Bengaluru) CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cyprium Partners, a non-control private equity firm, is pleased to announce its new subordinated debt and equity investment in Irvin Automotive Products, Inc. (Irvin). The investment was used to facilitate an acquisition of the business by Detroit entrepreneur Vinnie Johnson from Takata Corporation. Irvin will operate separate from Piston Group, another automotive business owned by Mr. Johnson, and will continue to be run by Irvin's current management team led by Joseph Finn. This investment was the twelfth transaction from the firms Cyprium Investors IV fund, which closed in December 2014. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005337/en/ Founded in 1922 and headquartered in Pontiac, Michigan, Irvin is a leading manufacturer of automotive seat covers, headrests, sun visors, armrests and cargo shades with operations in Del Rio, Texas; Acuna, Mexico, and Sabinas, Mexico. It also has a growing business providing seating products to customers in the mass transit, airline and furniture industries. See www.irvinautomotive.com. Cypriums experience in providing junior capital to entrepreneur- and family-owned businesses made this a natural fit for both Irvin and Cyprium, said Dan Kessler, a Partner at Cyprium Partners. We are impressed with the high quality of the companys operations and its strategic role in the North American automotive supply chain. Irvins management team should be complimented on the companys success. Providing capital into such a compelling transaction is a privilege for Cyprium and we believe that the participation of Mr. Johnson will be an extraordinary catalyst for growth. We look forward to working with Mr. Johnson, Mr. Finn and the rest of the Irvin team over the coming years. About Cyprium Partners Cyprium Partners is a private equity firm focused on non-control (minority ownership) investments. Cyprium utilizes a combination of subordinated debt, preferred stock, and/or common stock to enable privately-held businesses, entrepreneurs, and management teams to achieve their financial and strategic objectives. With offices in Cleveland, New York, and Chicago, the firm invests $10 million to $60 million per transaction in U.S. and Canadian companies with $8 million or more of EBITDA. Learn more about Cyprium Partners at www.cyprium.com. About Irvin Automotive Products Irvin Automotive Products, Inc. is a leading producer of automotive trim products, including seat covers, headrests, cargo shades, center and door armrests, sun visors and bolsters. The company also supplies products to a variety of aerospace, medical, military and mass-transit customers, as well as consumer goods for the furniture and apparel industries. Irvin utilizes the latest in 3D modeling and rapid prototyping and its technologies include sonic welding, heat transfer, embroidery and programmable sewing, as well as robotic applications. With annual sales of approximately $500 million, the company employs 7,000 people with headquarters in Pontiac, Michigan, and facilities in Del Rio, Texas; Acuna, Mexico, and Sabinas, Mexico. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005337/en/ Cyprium Partners Dan Kessler Partner 216-453-4500 [email protected] Source: Cyprium Partners CHICAGO, IL -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- The number of insurance agency mergers and acquisitions over the first ninth months of the year rose from 338 in 2015 to 344 this year, OPTIS Partners' new quarterly report reveals. There were 108 deals announced for the quarter, up from 104 in 2015. "M&A activity continues to increase," said Timothy J. Cunningham, managing director of OPTIS, an investment banking and financial consulting firm specializing in the insurance industry. OPTIS Partners' proprietary M&A database covers U.S. and Canadian agencies selling primarily property-and-casualty insurance, agencies selling both P&C and employee benefits, and those selling only employee benefits. "Achieving organic growth is challenging, so acquisitions are key growth strategy for many firms, especially those backed by private-equity capital," he added. The report breaks down buyers into five groups: private-equity backed brokers, privately held brokers, publicly held brokers, banks, and all others. Private-equity-backed firms continue to drive the M&A market, accounting for more than half of all reported transactions over the first three quarters. One firm, Acrisure, made 44 acquisitions. Overall, there's been a slight increase in the privately owned broker group and more slippage in the public broker activity levels in 2016. "Perhaps surprisingly, bank acquisitions are up almost 50 percent from last year," Cunningham said. Looking at deals by seller type, property-casualty agencies continue to be the focus of acquisitions, accounting for 53 percent of the deals year to date. Sales of employee benefits brokers have picked up in 2016, making up 19 percent of the total. Strike While Iron Is Hot "This period of insatiable buyer appetites and aggressive pricing won't last forever," said Daniel P. Menzer, CPA, partner with OPTIS. "If you are a potential seller, consider acting sooner than later while the irons are hot and the pricing is favorable." "If you are a buyer, make sure you are doing your homework on the potential seller and have fully evaluated their risk and growth potential. Don't overpay," he said. Despite the furious pace of M&A, most agency owners aren't interested in buying or selling at any given point. For them, patience is a virtue. "If you're neither buyer nor seller, ignore all the hyperbole and focus on growing your agency and improving your metrics every day. Keep your long-term plans in sight and take the necessary steps to position yourself to achieve your goals," Menzer said. The full report can be read at www.optisins.com/articles_and_thought_pieces/read.php?id=31. Focused exclusively on the insurance distribution marketplace, Chicago-based OPTIS offers merger & acquisition representation for buyers and sellers, including due-diligence reviews. It provides appraisals of fair market value; financial performance review, including trend analysis and internal controls; and ownership transition and perpetuation planning. OPTIS Partners (www.optisins.com) has been ranked as the fifth most active agent-broker M&A advisory firm in 2014, 2015 and 2016 to date by SNL Financial. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/10/17/11G118284/Images/mw1av9kfkla1kl35vatsl15odgh2-33d2c4eebf66a31bb74b7eee02594da9.jpg Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/10/17/11G118284/Images/mw1av9kdfdm4mbph13uf1d41bdu2-360ed03ccec5a9ccadbbaab9f0ad831a.jpg Source: OPTIS Partners Orbital ATK Antares Launch Operations Return to NASAS Wallops Flight Facility S.S. Alan Poindexter Cygnus Spacecraft Operating as Planned Early in Mission; Arrival at International Space Station Scheduled for Oct. 23 DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, successfully launched its AntaresTM rocket carrying a CygnusTM spacecraft today at 7:45 p.m. EDT, marking its return to flight operations from NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. The launch is Orbital ATKs sixth cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station for NASA. During the mission, designated OA-5, Cygnus will deliver vital equipment, supplies and experiments to astronauts aboard the space station, as well as conduct scientific experiments onboard Cygnus following undocking from the space station. Todays success is a credit to the dedication and hard work of the Orbital ATK employees who support our Antares and Cygnus programs, said Dave Thompson, Orbital ATK CEO. They worked many long hours to successfully execute a plan that enabled us to continue to deliver cargo for NASA while implementing several upgrades to our Antares rocket. The Antares medium-class rocket launched approximately 5,300 pounds (2,400 kilograms) of cargo to the crew of six that will be aboard the space station later this week. Following a nine-minute ascent, the S.S. Alan Poindexter spacecraft, named in honor of the late astronaut, was successfully deployed into orbit. Orbital ATKs engineering team confirmed that reliable communications have been established and that the vehicles solar arrays are fully deployed, providing the necessary electrical power to operate the spacecraft. The Antares team has worked tirelessly over many months to prepare for this launch, said Scott Lehr, President of Orbital ATKs Flight Systems Group. Congratulations to the entire Orbital ATK and NASA team on a successful launch. Frank Culbertson, President of Orbital ATKs Space Systems Group, added, As a company headquartered in Virginia, we are proud to again launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASAs Wallops Flight Facility. We are well prepared to continue delivering essential cargo to the International Space Station for years to come. Cygnus will be grappled at approximately 7:05 a.m. EDT on Oct. 23. The spacecraft will remain attached to the International Space Station for approximately one month before departing with roughly 3,700 pounds (1,700 kilograms) of disposable cargo for a safe, destructive reentry into Earths atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. Cygnus large-volume and pressurized disposal cargo capability, a critical service to NASA, is unique among Americas commercial cargo providers. For the current Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission, Cygnus is carrying the Saffire II payload experiment to study combustion behavior in microgravity, further demonstrating its versatility in conducting science experiments in space. Data from this experiment will be downloaded via telemetry. In addition, a NanoRacks deployer will release Spire Cubesats used for weather forecasting. These secondary payload operations will be conducted after Cygnus departs the space station. Under the CRS-1 contract with NASA, Orbital ATK will deliver approximately 66,000 pounds (30,000 kilograms) of cargo to the space station through 2018. NASA will manifest a variety of essential items based on space station program needs, including food, clothing, crew supplies, spare parts, laboratory equipment and scientific experiments. Beginning in 2019, Orbital ATK will carry out a minimum of six initial cargo missions under NASAs recently awarded CRS-2 contract. The partnership is cultivating a robust American commercial space industry, freeing NASA to focus on developing the next-generation rocket and spacecraft that will enable humans to conduct deep space exploration missions. The Cygnus system consists of a common service module and pressurized cargo module (PCM). The service module was built and tested at Orbital ATKs manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia. The enhanced Cygnus also uses Orbital ATKs UltraFlexTM solar arrays, which are the latest in lightweight, space-qualified, electrical power technology. Orbital ATK manufactured the arrays and composite structures at its Goleta and San Diego, California, facilities, and the propellant tanks for the Cygnus spacecraft at its Commerce, California, site. The upgraded Antares rocket includes new RD-181 engines from Energomash, a core designed by Yuzhnoye and manufactured by Yuzhmash, as well as the Castor 30XL solid rocket motor second stage that is manufactured at Orbital ATKs facility in Magna, Utah. B-roll and animation footage for the mission can be found here: http://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/bmc/# Please note that media will need to request a PIN for access. About Orbital ATK Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs approximately 12,000 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in several international locations. For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161017006604/en/ Antares Media: Trina Helquist, 801-699-0943 Launch Vehicles Division Public Relations Orbital ATK [email protected] or Investors: Barron Beneski, 703-406-5528 Public and Investor Relations Orbital ATK [email protected] or Cygnus Media: Vicki Cox, 410-409-8723 Space Systems Group Public Relations Orbital ATK [email protected] Source: Orbital ATK Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 18, 2016 According to a new report from eMarketer, cross-border ecommerce--internet purchases from merchants in other countries--is growing in popularity in China. By 2020, a quarter of the Chinese population, amounting to more than half of all the nation's digital buyers, will be shopping either directly on foreign-based sites or through third parties such as Alibaba's Tmall Global and JD.com's JD Worldwide.1 "This represents a tremendous opportunity for global entrepreneurs," said Cleveland Brown, CEO of Payscout, Inc., a leading global payment processing provider. "We encourage small to medium-sized businesses in particular to prepare themselves for taking advantage of the growing Chinese appetite for goods from abroad." Brown noted that cross-border digital shopping in China, according to eMarketer's figures, grew by more than 70% in 2015 alone. This is due, in part, to a higher standard of living in China, along with a greater exposure to--and knowledge of--foreign products. The cross-border ecommerce boom in China is only one part--albeit a very large and important part--of a growing global trend. The global business-to-consumer ecommerce market, which amounted to $230 billion in 2014, will balloon in size to $1 trillion in 2020, according to a report from global consulting firm Accenture and AliResearch, Alibaba Group's research arm. In the report, researchers forecasted cross-border ecommerce will see compound annual growth of 27.4% over the next five years, double the rate of worldwide B2C shopping as a whole.2 By 2020, more than 900 million people around the world will be international online shoppers, with their purchases accounting for nearly 30% of global B2C transactions. By then, according to the Accenture-AliResearch report, China will become the largest cross-border B2C market.Over 200 million Chinese consumers are expected to be cross-border shopping within five years, with a transaction volume of imported goods purchased online reaching $245 billion. One reason China is expected to drive so much of the growth in cross-border ecommerce is because its large and growing middle class is hungry for authentic, high-quality foreign products. China's middle class today, according to McKinsey & Co., is equal in size to the entire U.S. population, and is expected to reach 630 million by 2022.3 According to Brown, the explosion of cross-border ecommerce in China--and indeed, worldwide--is a classic win-win situation. It creates a greater breadth of shopping experiences for what in some ways have been underserved markets, and it creates opportunity for thousands and thousands of global entrepreneurs eager to serve these markets. To make the most of this growth opportunity, Brown believes cross-border ecommerce entrepreneurs will need a robust, secure, and flexible payment infrastructure--which Payscout has been helping to build since its inception. It will also require entrepreneurs to be able to move quickly. "If you're trying to enter a global market on your own, the process can be long, frustrating, and expensive," said Brown. "We understand global markets, we have extensive experience in China, and we have developed a turnkey process--safe, secure, and used by thousands of merchants around the world--that allows a vendor to enter a new market quickly and without friction. Our advice to entrepreneurs is to focus on sales and production, and let an expert focus on payments." About Payscout, Inc.: "Payscout Supports the Entrepreneurial Dream One Transaction at a Time." Payscout is a global payment processing provider covering six continents by connecting merchants and consumers via credit, debit, ATM and alternative payment networks. What differentiates Payscout is its mission "to support the entrepreneurial dream one transaction at a time." Payscout achieves this by being a thought leader in the payments industry. Its "Go Global Now" technology platform gives merchants instant access to 100+ countries, billions of consumers and trillions of dollars. Payscout offers payment processing solutions for brick-and-mortar and eCommerce transactions, and has earned acclaim as a new-generation provider of merchant banking services, specializing in online/eCommerce retailers with a predominant proportion of card-not-present (CNP) transactions; it is one of the few providers to deliver a true global payment solution that encompasses all merchant risk verticals. Customers can access Payscout's credit card processing services via a state-of-the-art, web-based user portal and through direct interactions with highly-trained experts. In addition to supporting thousands of clients across a multitude of industries and all 50 American states, Payscout maintains global partnerships with VISA USA, Bank of America Merchant Services, VISA Europe, VISA Latin America, VISA Asia Pacific, MasterCard Worldwide, China Union Pay, Deutsche Bank, First Data and Payscout Brazil. Payscout was recognized as one of America's fastest-growing privately-held companies in 2014, 2015, and 2016, ranking #2,416 in 2014, #434 in 2015, and #383 in 2016 on Inc. Magazine's Inc. 500/5000 list. Within the financial services industry, Payscout placed #140 in 2014 and #24 in 2015. For more information, visit http://www.payscout.com. 1. "China Embraces Cross-Border ecommerce," eMarketer, June 14, 2016. http://www.emarketer.com/Article/China-Embraces-Cross-Border-ecommerce/1014078. 2. Erickson, Jim, "Cross-Border ecommerce to Reach $1 Trillion in 2020," Alibaba Group, June 11, 2015. http://www.alizila.com/cross-border-e-commerce-to-reach-1-trillion-in-2020/. 3. Barton, Dominic, Chen, Yougang, and Jin, Amy, "Mapping China's middle class," McKinsey Quarterly, June 2013. http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/mapping-chinas-middle-class. Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/10/prweb13770735.htm SAN DIEGO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Readerlink Distribution Services, LLC ("ReaderLink") and Trusted Media Brands, Inc. ("TMBI") today announced that ReaderLink has acquired certain assets relating to the children's book publishing business of TMBI, Studio Fun International, Inc. ("SFI"), which was formerly known as Reader's Digest Children's Publishing, Inc. The transaction, which closed on Friday, October 14 at 11:59 pm EST, does not include any of TMBI's other magazine or adult book properties, such as Reader's Digest or Taste of Home. ReaderLink is the largest full-service book distribution company in the United States, selling one out of every three trade books and servicing over 66,000 locations. Customers include virtually every significant retailer that is not a traditional book store, including mass merchants, warehouse clubs, grocery chains, drug chains, online sellers, specialty retailers, transportation centers and U.S. military installations worldwide. In addition, through its Printers Row Publishing Group, ReaderLink is, itself, a leading publisher. Studio Fun is known for its premium novelty formats, notably its Movie Theater Storybook & Music Player series. SFI's current trade list includes many titles licensed from Disney, Disney*Pixar, Marvel, and LucasFilm properties, as well as books under license from Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Mattel, Hasbro, and Sesame Workshop. One of its most recent launches is a series with the ASPCA, part of a move over the past two years to supplement its core preschool list with more titles for older children. The assets acquired by ReaderLink include Studio Fun branded and non-branded trade and religious formats, packaging formats, international co-edition formats, inventory, vendor and customer lists, and books and records relating to SFI's business. In addition, ReaderLink will be assuming certain license agreements with some of SFI's licensors, and will be working toward entering into its own agreements with remaining key licensors going forward. The Studio Fun International imprint will be consolidated into ReaderLink's Printers Row Publishing Group, which has its general offices in San Diego, California, and will be added to PRPG's existing imprints, Silver Dolphin, Thunder Bay, Canterbury Classics and Portable Press. No immediate effects of the transaction should be apparent to trade customers, insofar as the fall schedule is being published as planned, and sales, billing and fulfillment for trade sales will remain with Simon & Schuster. In addition, SFI will continue to fulfill special and custom edition orders through the remainder of 2016. On a transitional basis, some SFI employees will continue to perform similar duties and tasks under a transitional arrangement with ReaderLink. Regarding the transaction, Dennis E. Abboud, ReaderLink's President and CEO said, "We are very excited to be acquiring the Studio Fun International imprint and formats. This transaction provides us with potential new licensor relationships and hundreds of additional, high-quality titles to expand and enhance our existing title list. We look forward to being able to leverage our world-class distribution network to help perpetuate the Studio Fun International brand and grow our publishing business." Bonnie Kintzer, Trusted Media Brands President and CEO said, "We are pleased to have identified the right buyer for the Studio Fun assets and are certain the brand and its customers are in good hands. This transaction with ReaderLink allows us to focus on growing Trusted Media Brand's core businesses as we continue to evolve our brands and as a company." The transaction has no effect on TMBI's previously announced plans to close Studio Fun International offices in White Plains, NY and Bath, UK. About Readerlink Distribution Services, LLC Readerlink Distribution Services, LLC is the largest full-service book distributor to non-trade booksellers in North America, selling approximately one out of every three trade books, and is a recognized leader in distribution logistics, value-added category management services, field services and business analytics. ReaderLink also owns San Diego-based Printers Row Publishing Group, a leading trade, children's and special markets publisher. ReaderLink is located in Oak Brook, IL. For more information, go to www.Readerlink.com. About Trusted Media Brands. Inc. Trusted Media Brands, Inc. is a visionary, brand-driven multiplatform media company, home to iconic brands like Taste of Home, the world's largest circulation food media brand; Reader's Digest; The Family Handyman, America's leading source for DIY; a suite of highly targeted brands including Birds & Blooms, Country, Country Woman, Farm & Ranch Living and Reminisce; and digital properties which include EnrichU, the Taste Community and Haven Home Media. Trusted Media Brands, Inc. reaches active consumers who genuinely connect with our blend of uplifting and enduring expertly-curated family, food, health, home improvement, finance and humor content -- digitally, via social media, magazines and books, and events and experiences. Founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace as The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., one of the first user-generated content publishers, Trusted Media Brands, Inc. is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit TMBI.com. Source: ReaderLink AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Burundi's parliamentary vote last week to leave the International Criminal Court poses "a setback in the fight against impunity," the court's governing body said on Tuesday. Burundi's parliament voted overwhelmingly on Oct. 12 to withdraw from Rome Statute, the 1998 treaty establishing the global court, which would make it the first country to quit. [nL8N1CI4LQ] The head of the ICC's governing body, Sidiki Kaba, said he was concerned that would undermine "efforts towards the objective of universality" and called on Burundi to "engage in a dialogue. The ICC, which opened in July 2002 and has 124 member states, is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. But several African countries have expressed concern that its focus has been on Africa rather than anywhere else in the world. The ICC opened a preliminary investigation in April into Burundi, looking into killings, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, as well as enforced disappearances. Burundi's parliamentary vote will go into force one year after it has submitted a formal withdrawal notification to the United Nations. The country would still be required to cooperate with any ongoing cases before the court. (Reporting by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Tuesday jailed a senior police officer for 18 years, on charges of corruption and illegal possession of guns, after he led an investigation that resulted in a teenager being executed for a murder he did not commit. In 2014, a court posthumously acquitted Huugjilt, an ethnic Mongol who used a single name, after he had been executed for raping and killing a woman in a public restroom, a miscarriage of justice which sparked widespread public anger in China. Another man was later sentenced to death for the crime. In February, state media said 27 people had been penalized over the wrongful conviction, most of them receiving administrative punishments. However Feng Zhiming, former deputy head of police in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, and the head of the investigation that led to Huugjilt's execution, was later criminally charged. The court in the Inner Mongolian city of Hulunbuir found Feng guilty of taking 3.9 million yuan ($584,800) in bribes, engaging in real estate speculation and illegal possession of four guns. The court made no direct mention of Huugjilt's case, in a brief statement about the case carried on its microblog. Many ethnic Mongols in China go by a single name. It was not possible to reach any of Feng's relatives or lawyers for comment. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) PARIS (Reuters) - Package delivery company FedEx Corp (NYSE: FDX) said on Tuesday it would invest 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to double the capacity of its logistics activities at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in the Paris suburb of Roissy. The initial investment by the U.S-listed firm will amount to 200 million euros ($220 million) for the extension of its facility in Roissy, the remaining 1.2 billion euros representing the guaranteed total amount of rent over 30 years. Under the plan, the U.S. group plans to open a new package sorting facility in 2019, creating between 200 and 400 jobs, according to a document handed out during a visit by President Francois Hollande. "The opening of this facility is an additional sign of France's attractiveness," Hollande said. "With the decision by Britons to leave the European Union, it should lead us to attract even more investments," he added. The extra 25,000 square meters of space will make FedEx's Roissy center its second biggest in the world after the one in Memphis in the United States. Delivery service company TNT Express, which was bought in May by FedEx, also plans to open a new facility in the Parisian region, according to the same document. (Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; Writing by Mathieu Rosemain; Editing by Andrew Callus and Mark Potter) BERLIN (Reuters) - A man suspected of an apparent criminal shooting in the western German town of Dueren was found dead by police special forces who also rescued an injured woman believed to have been his hostage, a police spokeswoman said. Police had blocked roads leading to the town center after shots were reported at what German media said was a hair salon. Germany has been on high alert after two attacks this summer claimed by militant group Islamic State. "Police special forces found the body of a man who was seriously injured and later died of his injuries. They also found an injured woman who may have been his hostage," the spokeswoman said. She declined to say if the man had killed himself or whether he had been shot by police. The local prosecutor's office, which has taken over the case, could not be reached for comment. The Aachener Nachrichten newspaper said the man had entered the hair salon, called for a woman and fired shots. He then hid in the building housing the salon, taking the woman with him. (Reporting by Matthias Inverardi; Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Catherine Evans) Demonstrators hold placards during a protest for Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy in London, Britain January 8, 2016. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth By Allison Lampert MONTREAL (Reuters) - Imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, whose public flogging in the kingdom last year generated a global outcry, now risks a new round of lashes, a co-founder of a Canadian foundation advocating his release said on Tuesday. Evelyne Abitbol, who founded the Raif Badawi Foundation with Badawi's wife, said a "reliable source" in Saudi Arabia claims he faces a new flogging after being sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 1,000 lashes in 2014 for breaking the kingdom's technology laws and insulting Islam. Saudi embassy officials in Ottawa and Saudi government officials in Riyadh were not immediately available for comment. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the source's claims. Abitbol declined to name the source but said it was the same person who had alerted Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haidar, in 2015 before he received his first 50 lashes, the only part of the flogging that was reportedly administered. The source did not indicate when the flogging would take place. "Unfortunately, it could happen at any time, if it happens," Abitbol said by phone in Montreal. Abitbol said that Haidar has asked countries with ties to Saudi Arabia, including the Canadian government, to intervene on the blogger's behalf. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said in Ottawa that his department is trying to confirm whether the claims are true and has urged the Saudi government to allow Badawi to join his family in Canada. "We are trying to have the most accurate information possible, because if this information is true, it would be shameful," Dion told reporters on Tuesday. "Canada completely condemns this type of lashing." Haidar, who was in Germany to present a journalism award on Wednesday in her husband's name, could not be reached for comment. She was granted asylum in Canada, where she lives with the couple's three children in the province of Quebec. Abitbol, the foundation's director, wants Saudi Arabia to withdraw the flogging punishment, strip Badawi of his Saudi citizenship and let him leave the country for Canada. Last December, the European Parliament gave Badawi the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. (Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal. additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa; editing by Steve Orlofsky and Jonathan Oatis) Journalists look over the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV after it is unveiled during a General Motors keynote address at the 2016 CES trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Steve Marcus SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Chem Ltd <051910.KS>, a battery supplier for General Motors Co's (GM) (NYSE: GM) upcoming Bolt electric vehicles, said on Tuesday it expected the U.S. automaker to sell more than 30,000 of the cars next year. LG Chem vice president Kang Chang-beom made the projection during a conference call to discuss the firm's third-quarter earnings. GM will be launching its subcompact Chevrolet Bolt EV in the coming months and is seen as a key test of whether the technology can go mainstream in the United States. The car will have an average driving range of 238 miles on a full charge. (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Jane Chung; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) A Russian serviceman walks past Russian Iskander-M missile launchers before a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade, with the Moscow International Business Center also known as "Moskva-City" seen in the background, at a range in Moscow, Russia, May 5, 2016 HELSINKI (Reuters) - Russia's transfer of nuclear-capable missiles to its western outpost of Kaliningrad this month was an aggressive move against the whole of Europe, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said on Tuesday. The presence of Iskander-M missiles in the Kaliningrad enclave between NATO members Lithuania and Poland means the western military alliance should seek greater security cooperation with non-members Sweden and Finland, she said. Russia has said the transfer of the missiles was part of routine drills. Some modifications of the Iskander can hit targets 700 km (450 miles) away. Russia and NATO are both building up their military capability across eastern Europe, spurred by the conflict in Ukraine which has prompted officials on both sides to talk of the risk of a new, Cold War-style confrontation. "Knowing that Iskanders are not defense but offense equipment, that means an aggressive, open demonstration of power and aggression against not the Baltic states but against European capitals," Grybauskaite said at a news conference after meeting her Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto. "What is important today for all of us is to have deep comprehensive partnership with non-NATO members Finland and Sweden... What matters is not the memberships, but real cooperation," she said. NATO launched its first annual naval exercise with Finland last June. Niinisto, noting his country has a large conscription army, said Finland was keeping the door open for possible NATO membership, while it also seeking to reduce tensions in the Baltic Sea area. "We are cooperating very keenly with Sweden, directly with the United States, and we are enhancing our partnership with NATO. But we do have a dialogue with Russia, the neighbor." (Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl; Editing by Tom Heneghan) A visitor is silhouetted next to a pair of binoculars as he looks at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s (TEPCO) Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant, which is the world's biggest, at an observatory of its exhibition hall in Kashiwazaki November 12, 2012. REUTE By Kentaro Hamada NIIGATA, Japan (Reuters) - Shares in Tokyo Electric Power <9501.T> fell 8 percent on Monday after an anti-nuclear candidate won an upset victory in a Japanese regional election, in a blow to its attempts to restart the world's biggest atomic power station and a challenge to the government's energy policy. The election of Ryuichi Yoneyama, 49, a doctor-lawyer who has never held office, is a setback for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's energy policy, which relies on rebooting reactors that once met about 30 percent of the nation's needs. All but two are shut down in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Reviving the seven-reactor giant, with capacity of 8 gigawatts, is key to saving Tepco, which was brought low by the Fukushima explosions and meltdowns, and then the repeated admissions of cover-ups and safety lapses after the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Yoneyama won the vote on Sunday after a campaign dominated by concerns over the future of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power station and nuclear safety, beating Tamio Mori, 67, who was backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and initially favored for an easy victory. "As I have promised all of you, under current circumstances where we can't protect your lives and your way of life, I declare clearly that I can't approve a restart," Yoneyama told supporters at his campaign headquarters. Tepco shares were down by 7.4 percent at 385 yen at 0100 GMT (09:00 p.m. EDT) after falling further earlier. The Nikkei 225 was up by 0.5 percent and other utilities were mixed. Yoneyama had more than 500,000 votes to about 430,000 for Mori with 93 percent of the vote counted in the region on the Japan Sea coast, public broadcaster NHK said. Mori, a former construction ministry bureaucrat, apologized to his supporters for failing to win the election. Yoneyama, who had run unsuccessfully for office four times, promised to continue the policy of the outgoing governor who had long thwarted the ambitions of Tepco, as the company supplying about a third of Japan's electricity is known, to restart the plant. As the race tightened, the election became a litmus test for nuclear safety and put Abe's energy policy and Tepco's handling of Fukushima back under the spotlight. "The talk was of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, but I think the result will affect nuclear restarts across the country," said Shigeaki Koga, a former trade and industry ministry official turned critic of nuclear restarts and the Abe administration. Koga told Reuters it was important that Yoneyama join forces with another newly elected governor skeptical of nuclear restarts, Satoshi Mitazono of Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan. "Without strong support from others, it won't be easy to take on Tepco," he said. TROUBLES Tepco spokesman Tatsuhiro Yamagishi said the company couldn't comment on the choice of Niigata governor but respected the vote and would strive to apply the lessons of the Fukushima disaster to its management of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. The government wants to restart units that pass safety checks, also promoting renewables and burning more coal and natural gas. Only two of Japan's 42 reactors are running more than five years after Fukushima, but the Niigata plant's troubles go back further. Several reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa have been out of action since an earthquake in 2007 caused radiation leaks and fires in a disaster that prefigured the Fukushima calamity and Tepco's bungled response. Niigata voters opposed restarting the plant by 73 percent to 27 percent, according to an NHK exit poll. Yoneyama, who has worked as a radiological researcher, said on the campaign trail that Tepco didn't have the means to prevent Niigata children from getting thyroid cancer in a nuclear accident, as he said had happened in Fukushima. He said the company didn't have a solid evacuation plan. The LDP's Mori, meanwhile, was forced to tone down his support for restarting the plant as the race tightened, media said, insisting safety was the top priority for Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, while promoting the use of natural gas and solar power in Niigata. (Reporting by Kentaro Hamada; Writing by Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by William Mallard and Ros Russell) Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions ( see General Instruction A.2. below): biotricity Receives an FDA 510(k) Clearance Marks Major Milestone in Path to Commercialization REDWOOD CITY, CA, October 18, 2016 bio tricity inc. (OTC.QB: BTCY), a healthcare technology company dedicated to delivering innovative, medically relevant biometric remote monitoring solutions has received a 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a key component of its solution. This clearance is another watershed moment in the companys quest to market its remote cardiac monitoring solution comprised of the bioflux software and device. By developing medical remote monitoring solutions that help diagnose and manage chronic diseases, bio tricity seeks to revolutionize the health industry by bridging the gap in chronic care management. Waqaas Al-Siddiq, Founder and CEO of bio tricity said, Achieving an FDA clearance validates the capability of bio tricity to meet its vision of developing a series of clinically accurate medical devices that are applicable in both medical and home-based settings. Receiving a 510(k) clearance is a significant accomplishment towards our goal of enabling physicians to remotely monitor and diagnose patients with cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. More importantly, it is yet another step to making this vision a reality." biotricitys mission is to develop multiple solutions for a variety of chronic illnesses by designing monitoring devices paired with chronic care management tools. Upon commercial availability, the device will be used by physicians and hospitals in the diagnostic process and then by patients for long-term care management. This is particularly important because traditional healthcare diagnostic solutions are generally restricted to the physicians office or inside of the hospital. biotricitys focus is to develop solutions that improve patient compliance, and empowers the individual to take better care of their health in order to facilitate chronic disease management for long-term care. While wrist-worn fitness devices are incredibly popular and valuable for the fitness and lifestyle markets, they are not applicable for chronic patients. The reality is they are not cleared by the FDA, and we believe some of them may not be capable of reliably measuring heart rates , said Al-Siddiq. Unlike these light weight lifestyle/fitness devices, we aim to impact the healthcare by targeting at-risk patients and to do that you need medically relevant devices. About biotricity, Inc. biotricity is a modern medical technology company focused on delivering innovative, remote biometric monitoring solutions to the medical and consumer markets, including diagnostic and post-diagnostic solutions for chronic conditions and lifestyle improvement. biotricitys R&D continues to focus on the preventative healthcare market, with a vision of putting health management into the hands of the individual. The company aims to support the self-management of critical and chronic conditions with the use of innovative solutions to ease the growing burden on the healthcare system. To learn more, visit www.biotricity.com. 1 Important Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements regarding (i) the plans and objectives of management for future operations, including plans or objectives relating to the design, development and commercialization of bioflux or any of the Companys other proposed products or services, (ii) a projection of income (including income/loss), earnings (including earnings/loss) per share, capital expenditures, dividends, capital structure or other financial items, (iii) the Company's future financial performance and (iv) the assumptions underlying or relating to any statement described in points (i), (ii) or (iii) above. Such forward-looking statements are not meant to predict or guarantee actual results, performance, events or circumstances and may not be realized because they are based upon the Company's current projections, plans, objectives, beliefs, expectations, estimates and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and other influences, many of which the Company has no control over. Actual results and the timing of certain events and circumstances may differ materially from those described by the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties. Factors that may influence or contribute to the inaccuracy of the forward-looking statements or cause actual results to differ materially from expected or desired results may include, without limitation, the Company's inability to obtain additional financing, the significant length of time and resources associated with the development of its products and related insufficient cash flows and resulting illiquidity, the Company's inability to expand the Company's business, significant government regulation of medical devices and the healthcare industry, lack of product diversification, existing or increased competition, results of arbitration and litigation, stock volatility and illiquidity, and the Company's failure to implement the Company's business plans or strategies. These and other factors are identified and described in more detail in the Company's filings with the SEC. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this release. ### Media Contacts McCoin & Smith Communications Inc. Chris McCoin, [email protected] , 508-429-5988 Richard Smith, [email protected] , 978-433-3304 Investor Relations: Michael Koehler Liolios Group, Inc. [email protected] 949-574-3860 2 The United Nations special envoy for Yemen has announced a three-day ceasefire in war-hit Yemen. According to a statement, released by Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on Monday, the truce will begin on 23:59 local time on Wednesday and continue for 72 hours. "The special envoy welcomes the restoration of the cessation of hostilities, which will spare the Yemeni people further bloodshed and will allow for the expanded delivery of humanitarian assistance," added the statement. Read more: US, Britain urge immediate ceasefire in Yemen It notes that assurances have been received from all Yemeni parties engaged in the conflict and that the given time period is subject to renewal. A Yemeni inspects the rubble of a destroyed building following Saudi airstrikes on the capital Sanaa on October 8, 2016. On Sunday, the US, UK and the UN called the warring sides in the conflict in Yemen to declare an immediate ceasefire. Also read: Saudi-led air strikes on funeral in Yemen dead over 160 The call was made following a meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and Cheikh Ahmed in London. Earlier, former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir both announced they are willing to take part in a ceasefire if Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement is also willing to do so. More than 10,000 people have died since Saudi Arabia launched a campaign to crush the Ansarullah movement and their allies and reinstate the resigned president, Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says the Islamic Republic supports the Iraqi government in its fight against terrorism amid an offensive to drive out Daesh terrorists from Iraqs northern city of Mosul. We support any campaign by the Iraqi government against terrorists to drive them out from the country and as we have repeatedly announced, we will stand by the Iraqi government and nation until Iraqs full liberation [from terrorists] and the establishment of stability in the country, Bahram Qassemi said on Monday. He added that Iran would strongly support any sincere campaign against terrorism and respect any decision by the independent Iraqi government, saying, We have no intention whatsoever of interfering in the countrys internal affairs. He emphasized that Iran has always respected and attached great significance to Iraqs territorial integrity and national sovereignty and said, This is an unchangeable stance. We want a stable and developed Iraq which enjoys peace and stability and is capable of defending its territorial integrity and national sovereignty, the Iranian spokesperson said. Qassemi added that the fight against terrorism has always been among Irans core and unchangeable policies and emphasized that the Islamic Republic would always seriously play its role in the campaign against extremism. He urged countries which are participating in operations to drive terrorists out from Iraq upon the request of and in coordination with the countrys government to show goodwill and make up for their mistakes in the past by pursuing a serious and sincere approach to the fight against terrorism. Iraqi government forces launched an offensive on Monday to retake Mosul, the last Daesh terrorists major stronghold in the country, after the Takfiri group seized the city some two years ago. The operations are advancing from three directions, namely the south, the east, and the northeast of the city. In a televised address in the early hours of Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the beginning of the assault against terrorists in Mosul. "Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh," Abadi said. Iraqs al-Sumaria news website said the Daesh terrorists had begun transferring the groups assets and cash money out of Mosul. It quoted local sources as saying that Daesh operatives were loading cash and valuables on trucks destined for the city of Raqqah, the de facto capital of the Takfiris in neighboring Syria. The Takfiri group unleashed its campaign of death and destruction against the country in 2014, seizing the northern city of Mosul and declaring it as its so-called headquarters. A large and multi-faceted operation is due to liberate the city. The Mosul operation comes as Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again rejected calls by Baghdad for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Iraqi territory. He said on Monday that it would be unthinkable for Ankara not to participate in the Mosul operation, stressing Turkey will certainly be part of the offensive to retake the city. Senior Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said on Monday that Turkey must not intervene in the operation to retake Mosul, stressing the Mosul operation is exclusively within the domain of the Iraqi army and Turkey and others have no right to use the battle as a way of settling scores with others. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Billionaire Peter Thiel's $1.25 million backing of Donald Trump's presidential campaign has caused rifts in Silicon Valley. Over the weekend, news broke that Thiel co-founder of PayPal and chairman of start-up Palantir had donated $1.25 million in support of Trump. Thiel already voiced his support for Trump at the Republican National Convention. But his donation is an outlier in the tech world, which had donated around $8 million to the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, versus $300,000 to her rival, according to Recode , citing Crowdpac data. Thiel is a part-time partner at Y Combinator, a major Silicon Valley start-up accelerator run by Sam Altman, who tweeted on Sunday that Trump's views are an "unacceptable threat to America." But Altman added that he would not fire Thiel because it's a "dangerous path to start down." Altman's comments about Thiel drew the ire of Ellen Pao, co-founder of Project Include, a company working to help tech organizations become more diverse. Pao was the former chief executive of Reddit the site that bills itself as the "front page of the internet." Last year, Pao was locked in a discrimination lawsuit against her former employer, venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which she subsequently lost. In a blog post on Monday, Pao hit out at Altman's decision not to fire Thiel, as well as the latter's support for Trump. "While all of us believe in the ideas of free speech and open platforms, we draw a line here. We agree that people shouldn't be fired for their political views, but this isn't a disagreement on tax policy, this is advocating hatred and violence," Pao wrote. "Giving more power to someone whose ascension and behavior strike fear into so many people is unacceptable. His (Trump's) attacks on Black, Mexican, Asian, Muslim, and Jewish people, on women, and on others are more than just political speech; fueled by hate and encouraging violence, they make each of us feel unsafe," she wrote. Story continues Trump was caught up in a storm earlier this month when a recording obtained by NBC News showed him boasting about groping women . Trump apologized for these "foolish" remarks, chalking them up to "locker room talk." Pao's Project Include works with the start-ups that come out of Y Combinator to help them build diverse organizations. The firm runs a program called "VC Include," which has venture capital firms on board. They make a commitment to promote diversity in the start-ups they back. Pao said she had invited Y Combinator to be a contributor to the VC Include program. But now, Pao said, her company is going to cut ties with Altman's firm. "Thiel's actions are in direct conflict with our values at Project Include. Because of his continued connection to (Y Combinator), we are compelled to break off our relationship with YC. We hope this situation changes, and that we are both willing to move forward together in the future. Today it is clear to us that our values are not aligned," Pao said. More From CNBC President Rodrigo Duterte's state tour to China, his first outside of Southeast Asia, is a stern test for the leader's strongman image as he attempts to navigate a hot-button territorial conflict while luring investments from the mainland. The former Davao City mayor, the first Philippine leader to visit China since 2011, arrived Tuesday in a visit that he called a "key turning point in both our [nation's] histories." The 71-year old, who recently marked 100 days in office, has been increasingly cozying up to the mainland to gain Chinese funds and distance his country from the U.S., which has criticized the extra-judicial killings under his war on drugs. Duterte, who previously said he would ride a jet ski to the Scarborough Shoalthe South China Sea island claimed by both Beijing and Manilato stake his country's claim, has recently adopted a friendly attitude towards the world's second-largest economy, dubbed the 'China pivot'. This comes even after President Xi Jinping's administration refused to recognize the Philippines' legal victory regarding the territory. Now, the big question is whether Duterte will use the state visit to bargain away his country's assertion of sovereignty in the Scarborough Shoal in return for greater mainland investment. So far, it's unclear whether the 71-year old leader, nicknamed 'The Punisher' and 'Duterte Harry' for his hard stance on crime , will raise the matter during his four-day stay. On Monday, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay announced that the conflict wouldn't be "specifically discussed" during bilateral meetings, local media reported. "The President has made it clear that maybe this is not the time to talk about resolving the South China Sea dispute as we are still continuing to build trust and confidence between the two countries," Yasay was quoted as saying. Duterte's 'China pivot' is essentially economic in nature, CSIS explained. "He would like Chinese aid to develop badly needed infrastructure, including a railroad in his native Mindanao, and he has said Beijing has offered him a 25-year loan to buy weapons from China." Story continues Just this month, China reversed a four-year ban on Philippine bananas, a billion-dollar industry for the Southeast Asian nation, as Beijing took note of Duterte's newfound attitude. A contingent of around 250 business executives also accompanied the President to Beijing, and is expected to ink a slew of deals. Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chairman and CEO of Ayala Corporation (Philippine Stock Exchange: AC-PH), one of the largest Philippine conglomerates, told CNBC it would be building on existing linkages it held with Chinese multinational Huawei. Economic motivations aside, warming up to China has other advantages. "While much of the international community reprimands Duterte's anti-drug campaign, China offers its support and collaboration....China's non-interference in Duterte's anti-drug campaign may serve as a push toward a stronger tilt to China as it supports the Philippines aims of steering a more independent course," CSIS noted. Political scientists widely believe the tough-talking Duterte will make a compromise on territorial claims. "Duterte risks playing directly in to Beijing's hands. At best, he will be able to strike a deal for some kind of joint development of Scarborough and other disputed territories, but under Chinese sovereignty. This would be in return for various forms of economic assistance," Bates Gill, professor of Asia-Pacific Strategic Studies at Australian National University, told CNBC. Chinese state-run newspaper The Global Times echoed that view in an editorial on Tuesday, stating that China can adopt a flexible policy on the Philippines' fishing rights by enabling the return of Filipino fishermen. "In exchange, Beijing would no doubt like to see Manila continue to distance itself from Washington," Gill added. Duterte, who said he wants to adopt an independent foreign policy, has already vowed to "break up with America," threatening to end a key U.S.-Philippine military pact. The move away from the U.S. is aimed at quashing the Philippines' "self-perceived identity as the little brown brother of the United States," CSIS said. That's a sharp turnaround from his predecessors, including Benigno Aquino III, who traditionally viewed Washington as their closest ally. However, if Duterte panders too heavily to Beijing, it could drastically transform regional geopolitics by allowing China to deepen its grip on Southeast Asia. "The reconfiguration of the archipelagic nation's foreign policy will certainly alter the balance of power in the South China Sea," the Council of Foreign Relations said in a note on Friday. A soft Philippine stance on the Scarborough Shoal could also impact Duterte's alpha-male reputation at home, where he rode to power on a populist campaign that catered to nationalist sentiment. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. More From CNBC No more than light slime is the new mantra for boat owners when it comes to checking their hulls for marine pests. Bay of Plenty Regional Council staff and contractors are expecting to check up to 2000 boat hulls this summer in their efforts to stop the spread of marine pests. Theres a real risk of marine pests being introduced to Tauranga Harbour by recreational boats that travel here from pest infested waters such as Aucklands Hauraki Gulf, says Bay of Plenty Regional Council Biosecurity Officer Hamish Lass. If we find any pest-infested hulls, the boat owners will be asked to haul out and have their hull cleaned. Local boaties can help protect the harbours they love by keeping their moored boat hulls clean and anti-fouled. A harbour full of clean hulls will slow the spread of pests if they do manage to hitch a ride on a visiting boat. No more than light slime, all the time, is the golden rule so that marine pest spores cant latch on and grow unseen in the fouling fuzz. It also pays to double-check your hull and inspect any underwater nooks and crannies on your boat before you head off somewhere new. Sea-faring visitors can prevent holiday hassles if they clean their hull before heading to the Bay of Plenty. Some marinas also require proof of recent cleaning so it pays to call ahead and check what they need, says Hamish. Bay of Plenty swing mooring holders are required to notify the Harbourmaster before loaning out their mooring to a visiting vessel. Weve been working hard to prevent fanworm and other unwanted marine pests from establishing here. Their aggressive growth habits mean they can interfere with fisheries, ruin our fabulous underwater environments and create problems for boat owners and marine-based businesses. This summers hull checks are an extension of marine pest surveillance work that Regional Council has been leading around Tauranga Harbour, Whakatane and several off-shore islands since a single Mediterranean fanworm was first detected in Tauranga Harbour in 2013. It complements Ministry for Primary Industries border detection work which focuses on high-risk areas associated with the Port of Tauranga. In the past three years, marine pests have been detected and removed from the hulls of 11 recreational boats in Tauranga Harbour. The boats had all been brought to Tauranga from Auckland or Northland, without prior hull cleaning. University of Waikato have been contracted to assist with Regional Councils marine pest work. Theyll be helping with underwater searches and installing new monitoring tools like passive monitoring More people committed suicide in the 2015/16 year than were killed on New Zealand roads, according to suicide statistics released today by the Chief Coroner. Chief Coroner Judge Deborah Marshall has today released the annual provisional suicide statistics, which show 579 people died by suicide in the 2015/16 year. For the 12 months to October 18 2016 there were 329 road deaths. It is the highest number of suicide deaths since the provisional statistics were first recorded for the 2007/08 year, and follow last years total of 564, which was then the highest. But on a population basis, the suicide rate has fallen slightly to 12.32 per 100,000 population, compared with 12.65 per 100,000 for the 2010/11 year. Judge Marshall says the rate remains constant and that New Zealand has a long way to go to turn the unacceptably high total around. There needs to be more discussion about suicide prevention and how family, friends and colleagues can identify someone at risk and help them get professional support, says Judge Marshall. Everyone should recognise the importance of taking suicidal thoughts seriously and knowing where to get help. Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson says theyre deeply saddened by the provisional statistics. On behalf of the organisation, he sends their deepest condolences to the families, whanau, colleagues and friends who have lost someone they loved to suicide. Its not uncommon for people who feel suicidal to believe their loved ones would be happier without them, that they are a burden to their families. Today its important to acknowledge that this is profoundly untrue. The foundation strongly agrees with the Chief Coroner that family, friends and colleagues need to be assisted to support loved ones they are concerned about. And while the numbers are distressing, the Shaun and the foundation is encouraging people to remember that suicide is preventable. Factors which contribute to people feeling suicidal include experiencing depression or other mental health problems, poverty, family violence, abusing substances such as drugs or alcohol and not being able to access support to cope with distress. To prevent suicide in New Zealand, we must take a hard look at these factors and work to address them. We know some people have lost hope that things can get better - too many of us have come to accept the way things are for our most vulnerable people and to believe that things cannot change. Having suicidal thoughts or feelings is not uncommon. Many people will think of suicide at some time in their lives, and the vast majority will recover. In most cases friends, whanau, workmates and neighbours will provide support along with professional services, and people will recover and live well. THE FIGURES: More women are ending their lives. Traditionally the ratio has been about one woman for every three men. Thirty four women more committed suicide this year, while male suicides dropped by 19. The ratio of female to male suicides is 1 : 2.41, which is the closest since records began in 2007/08. More people are waiting until their mid-twenties to end it all. The 25-29-year-old age cohort recorded the highest number of suicide deaths (66), with the 20-24-year-old cohort behind on 60 suicide deaths. Last year the 20-24-year-old cohort had the highest number of suicide deaths with 61, followed by the 40-44-year-old cohort with 58 suicide deaths. While Maori suicide numbers are down by one from last year at 129, more Maori women are committing suicide than ever, up from nine last year to 47, the highest on record. Maori male suicide has dropped by 10 from last year. Canterbury, based on the DHB geographic region, recorded its highest suicide total since records began before the 2010 earthquake in 2007/08. Seventy eight people committed suicide in 2015/16. The previous highest total was 74 in 2009/10. The most common method was hanging, strangulation, suffocation at 59 per cent of all suicides, followed by poisoning by overdose at 14 per cent, and poisoning by gases and vapours at eight per cent. Firearms or explosives and jumping off high places are even at five per cent, closely followed by transport at four per cent. The suicide statistics relate to provisional suicide figures and differ slightly from the Ministry of Health figures. They include active cases before Coroners where intent has yet to be established therefore may eventually be found not to be suicides. In addition Ministry of Health figures are recorded by calendar year. Police have confirmed a man has been killed following a light plane crash at Matamata Aerodrome this morning. In a statement, a police spokesperson says the man was the only occupant of the aircraft at the time of the crash and the cause is now being investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene at 11.15am. A Matamata District Council spokesperson says the council had been informed of the accident and had sent staff to the scene. All they know at this stage was there had been a crash at the airport and emergency services were at the scene, reports Fairfax. Located at Waharoa, several businesses and clubs operate from the Matamata Aerodrome including Matamata Aero Club, Piako Gliding Club, Matamata-Piako Model Aero Club, Sky Venture Flight Training and the New Zealand Aviation Flying School. Additional reporting from stuff.co.nz Tauranga Musica closed its 2016 season to a large and appreciative audience with a stunning concert from Marimba and Percussion Duo Yoshiko Tsuruta and Jeremy Fitzsimons at Tauranga Park Auditorium on Sunday afternoon. The two musicians kept the audience spellbound with their superb programme. The concert opened with Dialogue by New Zealander Gareth Farr, commissioned by Jeremy Fitzsimons in 2004 with funding from Chamber Music NZ. The Introduction delighted with shimmering cascades of sound perfectly illustrating the ability of the two instruments to blend into one. We were then gently eased into jazz with David Friedmans Lunch with Pancho Villa (arr. Fitzsimons). Here was masterful playing, superbly balanced with relaxed and seemingly effortless ease. The first half concluded with Tango Suite by Piazzolla, the second movement containing the softest of pianissimos, totally captivating the audience. The second half began with Wooden Music by OMeara, who is best known for his marimba compositions. This was written in the early 1980s when marimbas had a smaller range and used only the top four octaves of the modern marimba. From here we heard delightful and familiar Three Tangos by Gardel, Desde El Alma by Melo and El Choclo by Villoldo. The concert culminated in Marimba Spiritual by Miki, written with a strong feeling for the starvation in Africa. This moving piece started with a marimba solo from Yoshiko showcasing her outstanding musical ability and finesse with mesmerising dancelike movements. Part way into the piece she was joined by Jeremy masterfully taking on the role of three percussionists. This piece finished the programme perfectly, showing the absolute togetherness and communication of the Duo present throughout the programme. The audience were brought gently back to earth with an encore featuring a magical arrangement of Bachs Chorale BWV 306. Well done Tauranga Musica for bringing such top quality performances to Tauranga. We look forward to your 2017 season. The Bay of Plenty and Lakes district health boards are set to benefit from a third medical school at the University of Waikato. The newly-proposed Waikato Medical School will be a community-engaged, graduate entry medical school based in the Waikato and at about 15 regional clinical education sites throughout the central North Island. The schools been proposed in response to health workforce shortages, and in particular, shortages of primary care doctors and specialists in provincial and rural centres and hospitals. Given the expected pattern of retirement of doctors practicing outside the main centres these workforce shortages are expected to worsen in the future unless a new medical school is created. The medical school is being proposed as part of a strategic alliance between the University of Waikato and the Waikato District Health Board which aims to ensure a close alignment between medical education and health workforce needs in the central North Island. The medical school will focus on selecting graduate students who are committed to meeting the health care needs of New Zealanders living outside main centres in small cities, provincial towns and rural areas, and particularly high-needs communities. During their education students will be trained in the use of new technologies for providing health care and will gain practical experience of community-based health and social service partnerships. University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley says with only two medical schools, New Zealand currently has one of the lowest ratios of medical schools to population in the OECD and very limited diversity in approach to medical education. New Zealand is the most heavily dependent OECD country on overseas-trained doctors, each year importing 1100 doctors to meet medical workforce shortages. Based on any of those comparators New Zealand should be well advanced in developing a third medical school, and against Australian and UK standards we would already have a third medical school and be considering a fourth, says Neil. A business case for the medical school was presented to the government on October 17. For more information on the proposed medical school, see the website: www.waikato.ac.nz/about/medical-school In the market for a rental property in New York City? Donald Trumps childhood home in Queens, NY, will soon be available. The five-bedroom Tudor-style home in Jamaica Estates will be on the market for between $3,500 to $4,000 per month, according to broker Jason Friedman of Coldwell Banker. The home was sold at auction by Paramount Realty USA for $1.39 million in December 2016, just weeks after Trump was elected to be the 45th president of the United States. Just three months later, the new owner flipped the property at 85-15 Wareham Place to another investor for $2.14 millionthats a hefty premium to the average selling price of $979,400 for similar homes in the area. The home is listed as the presidents address on his birth certificate. The home is more like a piece of art, sports memorabilia or something with intangible value, Misha Haghani, founder of Paramount Realty USA told me at the time of the auction. Before the house was put on the auction block, its then-owner, Issac Kestenberg, gave me a tour of the home. (See the video above) During my tour, which was four months before the presidential election, Kestenberg told me he believed the property had more value because Trump once lived there. Theres something in the walls. Its a presidents house, he predicted at the time. Trumps father, Fred, built the 2,500-square-foot brick-and-stucco home in 1940. It boasts a lot of original details, including a carved oak fireplace and staircase, plus a mahogany paneled library. But, its a far cry from Trumps palatial triplex at Trump Tower on Manhattans Fifth Avenue and his current address, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. When Trump was four years old, his family upgraded and moved around the corner into a stately 4,182-square-foot brick Georgian Revival. United States Navy destroyer USS Sampson has been given clearance to visit New Zealand next month by Prime Minister John Key. The USS Sampson, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer and the first US military ship to visit New Zealand in 32 years, will be talking part in the Royal New Zealand Navys International Naval Review in November. Under New Zealands nuclear free legislation I am required to be satisfied that any foreign military ship entering New Zealand is not nuclear armed, says John. I have granted this approval after careful consideration of the advice provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. New Zealands legislation also does not allow ships which are nuclear propelled into New Zealand and the advice I received from officials is that the USS Sampson is not nuclear powered. He explains the process for considering the visit by the USS Sampson is the same for all ships attending the International Naval Review and has been used for all military ships visiting New Zealand since the legislation was enacted. New Zealand looks forward to the USS Sampsons participation in the International Naval Review to mark the Royal New Zealand Navys 75th anniversary. The visit is a further reflection of the depth of the bilateral relationship with the United States. The International Naval Review is being held in Auckland on November 17-22. At least 15 countries will participate in the review to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Navy. On Tuesday The New Zealand Defence Force released a list of defence and security forces that are sending ships, personnel or aircraft to the International Naval Review and preceding exercises. The Chief of Navy Rear Admiral John Martin says the RNZN and the NZDF were looking forward to welcoming the ships and personnel from the countries taking part. The International Naval Review starts on Thursday 17 November, with the entry of the fleet into Waitemata Harbour. Vessels will then berth either at Ports of Auckland or Devonport Naval Base. This year the Royal New Zealand Navy is celebrating 75 years of service to our nation and contributing towards the prosperity and security of New Zealand, says Rear Admiral Martin. We celebrate the nations commitment to its Navy, honour and acknowledge the service of New Zealanders who have served at sea and look forward with confidence and excitement to the next 75 years. The Navy is committed to advancing New Zealands interests and making a difference at home and abroad. As well as the entry of the fleet into Waitemata Harbour on 17 November, a 1000-sailor march down Queen Street is planned for November 18. Then on November 19 the formal International Naval Review will be held, during which the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Dame Patsy Reddy will review the assembled ships in a centuries-old naval tradition. Its a significant exercise to host such an event; one that will showcase the Navy, the NZDF and New Zealand, says Rear Admiral Martin. On Sunday November 20, an open day will be held, during which the public will be able to board participating naval vessels. The Royal New Zealand Navy appreciates the attendance of our allies, friends and partners at our celebrations, said Rear Admiral Martin. They have come a long way, and we look forward to welcoming them to New Zealand. For more information visit the Royal New Zealand Navys website at: nznavy75.co.nz SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE RNZN On October 1, 1941, His Majesty King George VI approved the designation Royal New Zealand Navy, creating the independent maritime force that is the RNZN today. Since then, many thousands have served in the Navy. This year is the Navys opportunity to celebrate its achievements while increasing awareness of the importance of the RNZN in maintaining the security and prosperity of New Zealanders and showcasing the Service as a worthwhile and fulfilling career. The year-long nationwide programme of commemorative events and activities reflects the Navys strong connection with New Zealand and is collectively named Operation Neptune which highlights the greatest single loss of life sustained by our Navy. HMS Neptune, a sister ship to HMNZS Achilles of River Plate fame, was being prepared for transfer to the RNZN when she was lost in an enemy minefield in the Mediterranean on December 19, 1941, with the loss of all but one man, including all 150 of the New Zealanders who had already joined the ship. The year will culminate in December with a memorial service at the National War Memorial in Wellington for those lost in HMS Neptune. COUNTRIES PARTICIPATING IN THE NAVAL REVIEW: Country Preceding Exercise Activity 13-16 Nov International Naval Review 17-22 Nov New Zealand HMNZS CANTERBURY, OTAGO, WELLINGTON, TE KAHA, TE MANA, ENDEAVOUR, MANAWANUI 2 x inshore patrol vessels; P3K2 Orion; 2 x Seasprite helicopters All Assets & Senior Officers Australia Frigate HMAS DARWIN & submarine HMAS DECHAINEUX; SH60R Sea Hawk helicopter All assets and Senior Officer Brunei 4 x Staff Officers; 1 x Boarding Party To be confirmed Canada Frigate HMCS VANCOUVER; CH124 Sea King helicopter HMCS VANCOUVER & Flag Officer Cook Islands Police Patrol Vessel TE KUKUPA TE KUKUPA & Senior Officer Chile Tall Ship BACH ESMERALDA ESMERALDA & Senior Officer China Frigate PLAN Ship YAN CHENG; Z-9 Dolphin helicopter YAN CHENG & Senior Officer Fiji Senior Officer France Guardian FA20 maritime patrol aircraft Senior Officer Germany Senior Officer India Offshore Patrol Vessel INS SUMITRA INS SUMITRA Indonesia Landing Platform Dock KRI BANDA ACEH KRI BANDA ACEH Japan Destroyer JS TAKANAMI; SH60J(K) Sea Hawk helicopter; P1 maritime patrol aircraft JS TAKANAMI, helicopter; maritime patrol aircraft & Senior Officer Papua New Guinea Planning Officers Samoa Police Patrol Vessel SPB NAFANUA SPB NAFANUA and Senior Officer Singapore Landing Platform Dock RSS RESOLUTION RSS RESOLUTION and Senior Officer Republic of Korea Frigate ROKS CHUNGBUK; Super Lynx or SH60 Sea Hawk helicopter; P3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft ROKS CHUNGBUK, helicopter & maritime patrol aircraft (TBC), Senior Officer Thailand 2 x Staff Officers Senior Officer Tonga Patrol Vessel VOEA PANGAI VOEA PANGAI & Senior Officer Timor Leste Senior Officer UK Senior Officer & Band USA P3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft Destroyer USS SAMPSON Vietnam 2 x Staff Officers To be confirmed About 35 per cent of the adult population in Malaga province are obese and half are overweight, worrying statistics which are higher than the Spanish average Federico Soriguer, speaking earlier this month. :: Alvaro Cabrera Obesity has become a serious health problem. The number of obese people is growing faster than ever before and preventive measures which have been put into effect do not seem able to slow down this worrying increase. Some experts now consider obesity to be a problem of almost pandemic proportion. About 28 per cent of the adult Spanish population is now obese and in Andalucia and Malaga the number is even higher, at around 35 per cent, according to statistics provided by endocrinologist Federico Soriguer, based on his own research. About half the adult population of Malaga province is overweight, and the figure is similar in the rest of the provinces in Andalucia. The causes in Andalucia in general and Malaga in particular, are believed to be greater social inequality and a lower GDP, lower standards of education, higher unemployment and a higher than normal number of deaths from ischemic heart disease. Education In Malaga city, there are some areas where the rate of obesity is even higher: Federico Soriguer gives the example of La Palma-La Palmilla district, where the number of obese people is higher than in the eastern districts of the city (Limonar or Pedregalejo). The reason for this is associated with economic and cultural factors. People with higher levels of education and standards of living tend to have a more balanced weight. Federico Soriguer believes the history of medical treatment, and especially prevention, has been a failure. He recently defended this argument at a talk he gave upon joining the Malaga Science Academy, titled: The fat and the thin, obesity a century after Maranon. He was welcomed to the Academy by pharmacology professor and director of the Institute of Biomedical Research in Malaga (IBIMA), Maribel Lucena. The event took place in the Hall of Mirrors at Malaga City Hall. The book by Dr Maranon Federico Soriguer considers that nothing has changed since Dr Maranon published his book Gordos y flacos in 1926. The story of the treatment of obesity is partly a story of failure; nothing has advanced since Maranon, he told the gathering. He said that although some people who consult their doctor because they want to lose weight do manage to do so, preventive policies are an absolute failure. In his opinion, the solution to the pandemic of obesity should not only be seen from a clinical point of view but also in educational programmes which aim to change peoples lifestyles. To tackle this problem effectively, a change is needed in the model of society. This modification should be accompanied by a reduction in inequalities and a cultural advance in the oldest and most classic sense, so that the population as a whole becomes more cultivated, according to Dr Soriguer. He believes there is another fundamental element in weight loss: recovering the sense of austerity and frugality, in other words avoiding excesses. If we dont take this route, the future will be even worse, with an infocapitalist society (in which IT and the new technologies predominate), one in which people have more free time; this excess of leisure will encourage a sedentary lifestyle in the short term, he pointed out. To prevent this happening, education is the key so people know how to enjoy their free time by taking exercise instead of watching television or eating whatever is most convenient. There is a great deal of talk about having to change lifestyle habits, but what we have to do first is transform society and then modify lifestyles, he emphasised. During his talk, Dr Soriguer reiterated that obesity is not just a biomedical problem; it is above all a historic problem. As he pointed out, rather ironically, the best indication of how effective methods to lose weight are in the long term is that doctors continue to prescribe them, which means their success is highly questionable. The endocrinologist also stressed that trying to resolve the pandemic of obesity by educating people on an individual basis is as naive as believing that wars can be ended by teaching peace in schools. Syracuse, N.Y. An Atlanta company is proposing to build a 604-bed student apartment building a few blocks from the Syracuse University campus. Blue Vista Student Housing Acquisitions LLC, an affiliate of Peak Campus, of Atlanta, has filed plans with the city to construct a seven-story apartment building at the northwest corner of East Genesee Street and South Crouse Avenue. The 81,535-square-foot building would have 244 apartments (studio, 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom units). The building would have a mix of residential, retail and parking on the ground floor and apartments on floors 2 through 7. It would have parking for 274 vehicles. (That's a net increase of 128 spaces for the property, which currently has parking for 146 vehicles.) The project continues a trend of companies building (or proposing) large, private, off-campus student housing projects, often featuring upscale amenities, near the SU campus. Blue Vista is seeking variances from front and side yard setback and maximum lot coverage requirements from the city's Board of Zoning Appeals. The board will hold a public hearing on the request at its meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday in Common Council chambers at City Hall. The project would require the demolition of three buildings a two-story building housing Arthritis Health Associates at 310 S. Crouse Ave., a two-story building housing Liberty Deli at 323 Irving Ave. and The Crogen, a three-story medical office building at 945 E. Genesee St. Franco's Pizzeria at 901 E. Genesee St. and Dolce Vita bar and restaurant at 907 E. Genesee St. would be left alone. Operating through a group of affiliated companies, Peak Campus is a property management and development company focused exclusively on the student housing industry. In August, Inc. Magazine named it among the fastest growing companies in the country for the third consecutive year. According to its website, Peak Campus has developed student housing containing more than 15,000 beds and manages student housing with over 51,000 beds. The housing it manages has a combined valuation of more than $3 billion nationwide, making Peak Campus the second largest private operator of student housing in the country, the company said. Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Peak Campus had shown the city an alternative plan with a smaller building. The plan was a parcel map that included no alternative building size. Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 vchart4jpg-044fa640f5fd37bd.jpg (Jo Ellen Corrigan/The Plain Dealer) More than 2,000 Verizon Wireless customers complained last month to the Federal Communications Commissions that their outrageously high bills had to be wrong. Now, they're starting to get results. In some cases, Verizon is wiping out their entire bill for cellphone data overages. In other cases, Verizon is offering to dramatically reduce customers' bills for supposedly using too much data. In still other cases, Verizon is responding to customers quickly about their FCC complaint but is not necessarily taking immediate action. Cellphones use data for things like sending emails, checking the weather or stocks or using social media apps. Companies like Verizon charge based on the amount of data used. In the most dramatic case, Verizon on Friday agreed to wipe out a $20,300 bill to a Cleveland non-profit for supposedly using 1,300 gigabytes of data in one month. David Smith, executive director of Horizon Education Centers, had been battling Verizon for three months over the bill, which was 10 times higher than the normal bill. Verizon insisted that one phone used a whopping 1.3 terabytes in 10 days and Verizon refused to budge on the bill. That amount of data is impossible for a phone to use in that period of time; Verizon originally claimed Horizon's employee took out the SIM card and shared it with other cellphones. Smith complained to The Plain Dealer and then the FCC. Last week, Smith said Verizon backed off of that claim and blamed the usage on something else. "I was so excited about the credit that I did not really care what new excuse they were coming up with," Smith said. He said he's simply relieved this nightmare is over, after countless hours wasted on the phone with Verizon and an unimaginable amount of stress. Joy Griffin, a middle school teacher in Cordele, Georgia, also wants to move past the stress of dealing with Verizon. Griffin this month got about $500 in overages wiped out by Verizon, after she received a bill for $833 in September. She too had complained to The Plain Dealer in September and then filed a complaint with the FCC. Griffin said she was upset not just about overages that she believed were incorrect, but also that Verizon didn't send her text message alerts about the mounting data tab, as the company had done in months past if she had hit 75 percent or 90 percent of her data allotment for the month. Verizon later claimed the alerts were sent to her "jetpack" box, which provides Wi-Fi for her home. Verizon had never done that before, Griffin said, so she had no reason to look at the box on the shelf. The company also said it wasn't sure how to reach her, except that it texted her to cellphone when her $833 bill was due. Verizon told The Plain Dealer last month the text alerts are a "courtesy," not a guarantee. After Griffin complained to the FCC, Verizon 10 days ago agreed to bring her account current with a deal that amounted to knocking off about $500 from her $700 in overages. "I was contacted by a very apologetic fellow with customer service," Griffin said. "He claimed his call was purely regarding my FCC complaint. I still don't understand. I don't think he knew what he was apologizing for either." She said she was afraid to hold out to try to get the entire overage eliminated. "I accepted his offer," she said. "I just felt anxious to turn it down and then get stuck with the full amount." Eliot Fischer fared better. "Complaining to the FCC did indeed work," said Fischer, of Huron, west of Cleveland. Fischer's problem involved the phone his company pays for. In a recent month, his phone used 25 times more data than he'd ever used in a month. Although he never was on the hook for his overage, he was still upset. "I was very concerned about data usage. This is the kind of thing that gets people fired," he said. "While I don't think my current employer would do that without at least asking me for an explanation first, unpleasant experience has taught me to be both extremely cautious and absolutely vigilant where employment is concerned." After he filed his complaint with the FCC, he heard from Verizon again within a week. The Verizon employee told Fischer his "spike . . . was unprecedented." Fischer's best ammunition to fight back: He had a copy of his boarding pass for a flight he was on during the time when Verizon claimed his usage was surging. Fischer's phone was turned off during the flight and a heavy download while in flight likely would have been impossible even if the phone had been on. Fischer said the Verizon employee "agreed something must have happened" and wiped out the overage. Down in Phenix City, Alabama, Andrew Kehoe is still waiting for resolution. In September, he received a bill for $1,364, when his normal bill for his family's four lines is $275. Verizon told him he used 91 gigabytes, when his plan is for only 24 gigabytes. "There is no way that's possible," Kehoe said. The first time he called to complain, the Verizon rep offered to knock off $250. When Kehoe said no, Verizon threw out $500. "They offered me $500 basically to get me off the phone.. . . I told them I was more interested in finding out how I was being charged a 71 gigabyte overage," said Kehoe, who'd never had a major problem with Verizon in 13 years. "They told me I could request an investigation, which I did," he said. A week later, he still hadn't heard from Verizon. So he filed a complaint with the FCC. Verizon then sent him an email about his complaint. He replied to the email three times and also called the number in the email three times before reaching someone, he said. "They claimed they had been calling back the wrong number," he scoffed. Verizon offered him a $512 credit. He turned it down. "I want proof of an investigation they supposedly conducted. An investigation (that finds something) other than, 'The towers said you used 91 gigabytes.' I want to know why I've been dealing with this for a month and continue to be put off or set aside and I kept using all of my free time dealing with this issue." Last Wednesday, Kehoe got letter from the FCC that Verizon had requested, and been granted, a 14-day extension to get back to him. Chris Steiner of Fairlawn, near Akron, has tried to get in touch with Verizon representatives for nearly a month. He has seen a spike in data and a $75 increase in his monthly bill after he and his family got a new plan in January. He filed a complaint with the FCC on Sept. 14 and immediately heard from Verizon. Since then, it's been a dizzying flurry of emails and voicemails with different Verizon employees. Everyone he talks with insists only Jessica can help him. And she's never available. "I find it absurd that a phone company can't take calls, return calls or emails or handle a situation any better than stonewalling,'' Steiner said. David Lake of Casper, Wyoming, was at least able to connect with Verizon after filing his complaint last month because his usage jumped by 50 percent. Soon after filing the complaint, he received a call from a Verizon official, who told him the company's engineers would look at the usage to see whether the bill was correctly calculated. He got a second company from the Verizon official days later, telling him that his plan was billed correctly and the usage was accurate. Though he is upset that his bills remain higher that what he said they should be, Lake said the complaint served its purpose. "They definitely took notice,'' Casper said. "It got Verizon to call me, and I expressed my point of view. (The Verizon official) told me that there had been a whole lot of complaints recently. But we're more careful than we ever have been, and we're still going over.'' A spokesman for the Federal Communications Commission said the agency reviews all complaints. They generally are sent to the company and may also be turned over to the agency's enforcement bureau or be used to set policy, he said. Companies contacted by the FCC about complaints have 30 days to respond. But Verizon isn't able to make that deadline in many cases, and it's asking for extensions. John Culpepper of Georgia filed a complaint with the FCC following two months of overages. After his usage jumped from 15 gigabytes to more than 20, he increased his plan to 26 gigabytes. "Verizon basically made me feel like I needed a larger data plan. I took it so I wouldn't go over again," Culpepper said. In addition, he turned one device totally off to see whether it would help. It didn't. His usage continued to soar and he went over his data limit again, costing him an extra $45. "I see what they are doing," he said, "and I put that in my complaint to the FCC." Last week, the FCC sent Culpepper an email saying that Verizon has asked for a 14-day extension before they respond back. Indeed, dozens of consumers who filed complaints last month told The Plain Dealer that Verizon asked the FCC for extensions to respond to their cases. All were notified by the FCC last week; most were notified Wednesday. "I think the reason (Verizon) needs an extension is because it is buried in complaints,'' said Ed Mierzwinski, the consumer program director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group in Washington D.C. "Your reporting has shown that there are thousands of complaints.'' Last week, the FCC said complaints against Verizon skyrocketed tenfold in September, to 2,079, compared with an average of 180 in other months this year. Verizon hasn't responded to questions about the issue since Sept. 9. Colleen Boothby, a telecommunications regulatory lawyer in Washington, D.C., said Verizon's requests for extensions may be a reason for optimism. "It's unusual for a company to ask for an extension,'' Boothby said. "But that's a good sign, as it shows Verizon is digging in to get this handled. (Verizon officials) might not tell you that you are right, but it's a sign that they are looking into this.'' Jennifer Schiebler of Kirkville, New York, isn't just interested in a refund as her bills have jumped by nearly $50 a month as her usage has mysteriously jumped from 8 gigabytes a month last year to 30 gigabytes a month now. Then she complained to the FCC. "Verizon called me and said they are done with their research and will report back to the FCC that my usage is correct. They recommended turning off auto play features , Wi-Fi assist and background app refresh which I did months ago," she said. Then, last week, Schiebler was surprised to get a notice from the FCC that Verizon requested a 14-day extension to respond in her case. She'd like a lower phone bill but she has a bigger issue she wants Verizon to respond to: "Why is my data usage being used so much faster today than it did a year ago or even 6 months ago with me doing the same stuff I've always done?" Susan Grant of the Consumer Federation of American in Washington D.C., said most consumers unfortunately will have to live with whatever answers or refunds they get from Verizon. A complaint to the FCC or their own state attorney general is pretty much the end of the line. "They have no other recourse, especially since their service agreements probably include provisions for forced arbitration, preventing class-action (lawsuits)," said Grant, the director of consumer protection and privacy for the non-profit organization. "And whatever adjustments people are getting are all over the map, there is no consistency. The FCC urgently needs to investigate and take whatever action it can to get the problems fixed and consumers' overpayments back." She added that it's important for consumers to continue to exercise their rights to file complaints so that regulators realize there's a larger problem with Verizon. To file a complaint with the FCC To file a complaint about your cell phone data use with the FCC: Online: https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us By phone: 1-888-225-5322 (888-CALL-FCC) __________________________________ Amanda Ingram of Dyersburg, Tennessee, opted for another way to fight back against Verizon. Her family's data usage doubled since July. Verizon wasn't helpful, she said. The company offered excuses and blame. Ingram did file an FCC complaint but she's not waiting for a response. "We grew so tired all the way around of Verizon overcharging on everything that we left them and went to Sprint," she said. "We now have unlimited everything so no worries about going over limits or being overcharged." Plain Dealer reporter John Caniglia contributed to this story. NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. -- A Washington man died Monday night after he was hit by a car in Oneida County. Charles A. Maier, 46, was in front of the Sunoco Gas Station in New Hartford around 8:45 p.m. when he stepped off the curb into the path of oncoming traffic on Route 5 near Oakdale Avenue, said the New Hartford Police Department. Maier was hit by an eastbound 2008 Chrysler, police said. He was unconcious in the roadway when police arrived. Maier was rushed by Edwards Ambulance to St. Elizabeth's Hospital. He was pronounced dead shortly after. Before the crash, Maier last lived in Bremerton, Washington, police said. The Chrysler was driven by Michelle Murphy-Azzarello, 41, of New Hartford, police said. No tickets have been issued. Investigators aren't sure why Maier, who was wearing dark-colored clothing, stepped off the curb. Police said there was pedestrian crosswalk about 75-feet west of where the fatal crash happened. The eastbound lanes of Route 5 were closed for about three hours while police investigated the accident. Chloe Calhoun, in the center, with her Auburn Softball team mates. Calhoun died on Wednesday, July 27, 2016, when a driver struck her car on Route 38A in Owasco, NY. Chloe Calhoun, in the center, with her Auburn Softball team mates. Calhoun died on Wednesday, July 27, 2016, when a driver struck her car on Route 38A in Owasco, NY. (Provided) Dain R. Schneider (Provided photo) AUBURN, N.Y. -- The man responsible for a drunken crash that killed high school student Chloe Calhoun is headed to prison. But for the mother of the Auburn teenager, the prison sentence does not stop the pain of her loss. It does not change the reality that Calhoun, at 18 years old, is gone. Dain R. Schneider was sentenced Tuesday morning in Cayuga County Court to spend up to 24 years in prison for Calhoun's death, said Cayuga County Assistant District Attorney Diane Adsit. Schneider's sentencing came about two months after he admitted he was drunk and speeding in July when he crashed into the back of Calhoun's vehicle in Owasco -- killing Calhoun. The prosecution and defense used the same word to describe the sentencing appearance: Heart-wrenching. Beth O'Hara, Calhoun's aunt, spoke on behalf of the family and read a statement written by Calhoun's mother, Rori Calhoun. "It was pretty heart-wrenching about how raw everything is and how none of this is going to make it go away," said Adsit, the prosecutor. Schneider, 33, of 6977 Owasco Road, Owasco, had a blood alcohol limit nearly three times the legal limit on July 27 when drove his truck north on East Lake Road, Adsit said. When he approached the Tom Thumb Drive In, he was driving his truck at close to 99 mph. Calhoun had just pulled out of Tom Thumb when Schneider crashed into the back of her SUV. The high-speed collision pushed Calhoun's SUV more 300 feet forward into a speed limit sign -- leaving a rectangular-shaped dent on the vehicle, Adsit said. Her vehicle was almost completely crushed, she said. "It was a huge, powerful impact, and there was no way to survive it - no matter what," Adsit said. Calhoun, who was wearing a seat belt, died later that night. Calhoun was a recent Auburn High School graduate and softball player. She planned to attend Utica College this fall and study journalism. When given a chance to speak at his sentencing, Schneider tearfully apologized, Adsit said. David Elkovitch, Schneider's defense attorney, said his client has been "remorseful and sorrowful" since the fatal crash. "He doesn't talk about 'oh, whoa is me' or 'I'm not going to see my kids grow' since they're very small," he said. "It's always 'look how I ruined a family.'" Schneider was sentenced to serve seven to 24 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision for aggravated vehicular homicide. For aggravated driving while intoxicated, he was sentenced to serve a concurrent 1 1/3 to four years in prison and pay a $2,000 fine. Elkovitch said Schneider plans to seek help as soon as he enters prison. Schneider also wants to use his experience to convince others to not repeat his mistakes. Adsit noted the Cayuga County community has been touched by Calhoun's death. She hopes the tragedy will remind people what can happen when people drink and drive. "I hope they will all think about Chloe," she said, "and not get behind the wheel of a car." ROME, N.Y. -- An Oneida County teenager warned some of his fellow students not to go to school after making a threat, police say. A 17-year-old boy who attends Rome Free Academy posted a terroristic threat on social media, said the Rome Police Department on Tuesday morning. He then sent the threat to "several" of his high school peers, warning the students not to go to school on Tuesday, police said. The boy was charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony. He is being held at police headquarters. Police did not release the boy's name, citing the possibility that he may be eligible to be treated as a youthful offender. Police did not say where the threat was posted and declined to release details of the "full threat." Classes at the Rome high school will continue without interruption, police said. "Rome police advise that the school will be operating on its regular schedule and at this time, no students or faculty members are at risk due to this social media threat," police said. Kevin Johnson mugshot Kevin D. Johnson (Provided by Syracuse Police Department) Kimberly Rhoades, in an undated photo Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse man who has already spent three stints in prison is accused of violently targeting a 47-year-old woman by smashing her head and face onto a concrete floor, according to court records. The attack in the woman's home, which also included repeated punches to her face, ultimately led to Kimberly Rhoades' death a day after the Friday assault, police said. When police arrived at the scene on Eureka Street around 1 a.m. Friday, Rhoades was bleeding from her head and complained of pain to her ribs and abdomen area, police said. But the mother of three later lost consciousness and the criminal complaint said the attack caused "severe bleeding on the brain." A repeat criminal, Kevin D. Johnson, 47, of 611 Ash St., turned himself in to police Monday, Police Chief Frank Fowler said Monday night. Johnson was charged with first-degree manslaughter -- intending to cause serious physical injury and causing death -- as well as first-degree burglary. Johnson is accused of entering the victim's 134 Eureka St. residence through a first-floor window. He attacked Rhoades by "punching her repeatedly in the face and also smashing her head and face against the concrete floor," Detective Thomas Skardinski wrote in court papers. "This assault on the victim caused her to sustain severe bleeding on the brain resulting in her ultimately dying from these injuries caused by Johnson." Police have not yet said what connection Johnson had to the victim, other than that he came to the residence for the purpose of attacking her. Rhoades had been attacked three weeks ago, as well, but never reported it, family said. It's not clear if Johnson is suspected in that attack as well. Police said Johnson has a lengthy criminal record. Most recently, that included a misdemeanor assault conviction in 2013 and resisting arrest convictions in 2008 and 2010. He served local jail time for those crimes. But his criminal career stretches back much further. His first known brush with the law came in 1991, when he was charged with running a drug operation while driving a bus for the city schools, according to Syracuse.com archives. Police seized roughly $20,000 in cocaine from Johnson and a co-defendant. But Johnson was given another chance, pleading to felony attempted drug possession and 5 years of probation. Johnson didn't make it, though. He violated probation twice in 1993, the second time being sent to local jail for a year, according to court records. Johnson's first stint in state prison came in December 1994 after being convicted of drugs again. This time, he got a 2- to 4-year prison sentence as a repeat felon. A judge hoped to fix Johnson's drug problem: he sentenced Johnson to drug treatment in prison. Johnson graduated drug treatment in August 1995 and was released to spend the rest of his sentence on parole, according to prison records. But he violated parole and was sent back to drug treatment in prison. He graduated drug treatment again and was released in April 1999, according to prison records. Johnson was arrested again in 2003 on a cocaine charge. He pleaded guilty in May 2004 to attempted drug possession again was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in prison. He was paroled again in November 2006, according to prison records. In September 2007, Johnson's city residence was raided on a search warrant. Police confiscated cocaine, drug paraphernalia, crack pipes and $1,290 from Johnson himself, according to police reports. Johnson attempted to dispose of the drugs, but an officer pulled the floating drugs out of the toilet, the report stated. Johnson also refused to put his hands behind his back during the arrest and officers punched him several times to get him to comply, the police reports stated. Police took unused sandwich bags from bedroom, two glass smoking pipes and one metal smoking pipe with white residue in the kitchen and more drugs from a co-defendant. Johnson pleaded guilty to drug possession again in 2008 and was sentenced to more drug treatment in prison. He graduated drug treatment a third time and was released to parole to finish his 4-year sentence, according to prison records. But Johnson violated parole in January 2011 for possessing a weapon (no further info available) and was sent back to jail. He was released after serving his full four-year sentence in 2012. The misdemeanor assault conviction came after his 2012 release from prison. No more details were immediately available. It does not appear Johnson was on probation or parole at the time of Rhoades' death. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter and possibly more if a judge decides the burglary was a separate crime. He remains in jail with no bail. Kevin Johnson mugshot Kevin D. Johnson (Provided by Syracuse Police Department) Kimberly Rhoades, in an undated photo SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A 47-year-old Syracuse woman died this weekend after she was badly beaten at her home, Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler announced at a news conference Monday night. Kimberly M. Rhoades, of 134 Eureka St., was attacked in her home around 1 a.m. Friday, Fowler said. Neighbors called 911 at 1:05 a.m. after hearing a woman scream, Fowler said. When police arrived, Rhoades was bleeding from her head and complained of pain to her ribs and abdomen area, police said. American Medical Response ambulance took her to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where she later lost consciousness. Rhoades was pronounced dead Saturday, the police chief said. Syracuse police collected evidence and interviewed witnesses, Fowler said. Syracuse police on Monday arrested Kevin D. Johnson, 47, of 611 Ash St., Syracuse, in connection with Rhoades' death, Fowler said. Johnson, who police said has a lengthy criminal past, turned himself in to police, the chief said. Johnson was charged with first-degree manslaughter and first-degree burglary, both felonies. More charges are pending. "Additional charges may very well be forthcoming against Kevin Johnson regarding his connection and relationship with our current victim and other females, as well," Fowler said. Rhoades and Johnson knew each other, Fowler said. Johnson was not at Rhoades' home when police arrived early Friday, however "there are witnesses to the crime," the chief said. "Our suspect came to the house and entered the house unlawfully for the purposes of attacking our victim," Fowler said. The police investigation revealed Rhoades suffered multiple head injuries and internal bleeding to her brain. Family members said they don't think this was the first time Johnson assaulted Rhoades, a divorced mother of three whose married name was Kimberly Samson. She was assaulted about three weeks ago, but never reported it to police, according to a family member. Syracuse police said they are looking into possible motives to find out why Johnson assaulted Rhoades on Friday. Police said no weapon was used in the attack. They are looking into whether the victim's prostitution arrest last year could be somehow connected to her death. "You're asking if her murder and her connection to Kevin (Johnson), if that had anything to do with her prior arrest of prostitution?" Fowler responded to a question at the news conference. "It very well could be. That's one of the avenues that we are exploring." Johnson was arrested for third-degree assault and unlawful imprisonment in June 2003, according to syracuse.com | The Post-Standard archives. In October 2003, he was arrested for resisting arrest and two drug charges. The disposition of those arrests was not available. After Johnson turned himself in to police Monday, he spoke with detectives briefly, but then asked for a lawyer, Fowler said. Johnson was arrested and sent to the Onondaga County Justice Center, where he is waiting to be arraigned on the manslaughter and burglary charges Tuesday morning. "It's just a sad occasion when a member of our community has lost their life," Fowler said. "I'm sure the family and loved ones of this victim are extremely saddened. Hopefully by this rather quick arrest, this will help them at some point along the way to bring closure." Rhoades' death marks the 24th homicide so far this year in the city of Syracuse. "It's always tough to find the words when someone has lost their life," Fowler said. "I can't stand here at this podium or any place else and foster any magic words that's going to make a difference because the worst has already been done. Someone took another person's life in the city of Syracuse. That's extremely sad." Syracuse police are asking anyone with information to call them at (315) 442-5222. ONONDAGA NATION TERRITORY -- The Onondaga Nation will host the "Water is Life" benefit concert and rally on Saturday to support the Standing Rock Sioux Nation and the protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Thousands of Native Americans from across the country and other supporters have joined the protest against the proposed nearly 1,200-mile pipeline that would transport crude oil from North Dakota to Iowa. The Standing Rock Sioux Nation believes the pipeline will pollute its drinking water and destroy numerous cultural sites. The benefit concert, which will start at 3 p.m., will feature several local performers, including Joe Driscoll, The Fabulous Ripcords, Johnny Ray & the Stone Throwers and others. The rally will also feature several speakers. The event is open to the public. Parking is free and admission is free with a donation of a winter sleeping bag or gear. Monetary donations will also be accepted. All proceeds will be sent to Standing Rock. The event will also feature food trucks, a silent auction with donated items from the Native Roots Artist Guild, raffles and merchandise for sale. The event will be held at the Tsha' Thon'nhes Arena, the Onondaga Nation's new field house that is located off of Route 11A and north of Hemlock Road. Thousands of people, including dozens from Central New York, have joined the Lakota at multiple prayer camps along the pipeline. Solidarity events, such as the flash mob that was held Oct. 10 at Destiny USA, are taking place around the world. "The struggle to protect their water resonates deeply with the Haudenosaunee, whose sacred waters of Onondaga Lake have been badly polluted by outside industry over the past 130 years, depriving them, and the residents of Central New York, of safe use of these waters," according to organizers of the event. "The need for the world to stop burning fossil fuels in order to avoid catastrophic climate change is also a driving force in peoples' support for the defenders." The Onondaga Nation issued a solidarity statement on Aug. 24, and many Onondagas and other Haudenosaunee have made the trip to Standing Rock with supplies for the camp. A prayer circle with more than 75 people was held on the shores of Onondaga Lake in early September. "Our goal is to raise money for financial support but to also raise awareness of this movement that is happening in North Dakota and to show solidarity with the Water Protectors, the Standing Rock Sioux Nation and all supporters of NoDapl," said Awhenjiosta Myers, one of the organizers of the event. For more information on the concert, visit the Water is Life event on Facebook. Walmart employees Walmart is becoming a better place to shop because it started paying employees more. For many years, the company was plagued by widespread complaints about poor customer service at its stores. That was until last year when Walmart, under pressure from investors following several quarters of same-store sales declines, decided to invest billions of dollars in wage increases and training for workers. Specifically, Walmart committed to investing $2.7 billion over two years in higher wages, scheduling improvements, and employee training, following in the footsteps of companies like Costco. Walmart's efforts so far have translated into a pay raise of about 16% to $13.69 per hour for non-managerial full-time employees, The New York Times reports. In the meantime, widespread issues in Walmart stores such as empty shelves and cleanliness have significantly improved. Three out of four Walmart stores now meet the company's own customer service standards, according to the Times. A couple years ago, just 16% of its stores met those goals. It turns out that paying people more may have made them better employees. Shoppers look at merchandise at a Walmart store in Secaucus, New Jersey, November 11, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson "Associates are feeling a little bit more engaged," Walmart US President Greg Foran told reporters earlier this year. The company is even seeing sales and traffic improvements. Walmart recently reported its eighth consecutive quarter of same-store sales increases in the US. In the most recent quarter, Walmart's US same-store sales rose 1.6%, driven by a 1.2% increase in traffic. The changes aren't going unnoticed by customers. "Our customer satisfaction scores continue to improve," Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said on an earnings call in August. Walmart has said it's raising wages because "it's the right thing to do," however one recent pay hike appears to be the result of President Obama's new overtime rule, which takes effect December 1. Story continues The rule requires employers to pay overtime to salaried workers earning less than $47,500 a year. Last week, Walmart announced that it would raise starting salaries from $45,000 to $48,500 annually for full-time employees. walmart checkout cashier shopping The strategy of investing more in training and career development has proven to be massively successful for companies like Costco, which gets high ratings from both employees and customers. Costco's minimum wage is no less than $13 an hour, which is among the highest starting salaries in the retail industry. By comparison, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Walmart's investments have brought its starting wages to $10 an hour, according to the company. At Costco employees also get to advance quickly. It takes about four years for employees to reach the top of Costco's hourly pay scale, according to Bloomberg. Labor groups argue however that Walmart and others still have a long way to go in improving pay and working conditions for their employees. The union-backed group Making Change At Walmart has been pushing Walmart to raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour. The group claims that not all Walmart's workers are making a minimum of $10, as the company claims. "We continue to hear from Walmart workers who have been making less than $10 for months," Making Change At Walmart spokeswoman Jess Levin said last month. NOW WATCH: We tried the trendy restaurant that could become the Chipotle of Greek food More From Business Insider NYSYR-20131216-112750-mahon.JPG Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney, right, and Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner announce plans to work on local government consolidation in a 2013 file photo. Their relationship sank to a new low today as they disagreed over economic development priorities. (Tim Knauss) SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney today issued a withering response to Mayor Stephanie Miner after the mayor complained about county economic development initiatives. The gist of the letter: Good riddance. Mahoney accused Miner of political posturing, breaking agreements and mispresenting the facts as she responded to Miner's announcement that city employees would move out of the county's economic development office. "Your unilateral dismantling of a co-located economic development office without even the courtesy of a telephone call puts your interests ahead of the people we serve,' Mahoney wrote. "Our administrations are about more than politics and posturing and your actions belie that.'' The exchange appeared to represent a new low in the relationship between the two leaders, who started off as strong collaborators. As recently as three years ago, Miner and Mahoney actively sought new ways to combine city and county services. But Mahoney's letter today leaves little promise of further cooperation between the two. "We are seeing the results of our hard work and making real progress in Onondaga County,'' Mahoney said. "It would be nice to do it with your help but, rest assured, we will do it without you if we have to.'' Miner had issued a letter earlier today that complained about county economic development priorities, notably the county's decision to award lucrative tax breaks to Cor Development Co. on the Syracuse Inner Harbor project. The mayor complained that the county undercut city efforts to negotiate a community benefit agreement, including job training and hiring requirements. Mahoney said Miner was being insincere. The city and its Syracuse Industrial Development Agency have never demanded a community benefit agreement from Cor or any other developer, Mahoney said. "You seem to have conveniently forgotten that it was you and your administration that gave the land in the Inner Harbor to Cor Development without any of the requirements that you now say you would have imposed,'' Mahoney wrote. Less than three years ago, Miner and Mahoney drew praise from Gov. Andrew Cuomo for their efforts to consolidate city and county government. Cuomo called attention to their effort during his 2014 State of the State Address. "We wish them well and we hope other leaders follow their example,'' Cuomo said. In today's letter, Mahoney accused Miner of reneging on an agreement not to form a local development corporation to compete with the Onondaga Civic Development Corp., which pays the rent for the joint economic development office out of fees it charges. When Syracuse formed a competing entity, the county decided to charge the city half the rent for the office, Mahoney said. Mahoney bitterly recounted her efforts as county executive to improve the lot of Syracuse and its residents, efforts that benefited Miner and her administration. "My administration led the renegotiation of the sales tax sharing formula that saved the city,'' Mahoney wrote. "The city faced bankruptcy during your term had the old agreement continued and it is economic development projects that generate the sales tax.'' "My administration advocated for the Say Yes to Education endowment and as a result it is fully funded,'' she continued. Mahoney announced earlier this year that state officials set aside $20 million for Say Yes from the $500 million that Central New York won in the Upstate Revitalization Initiative. "My administration stepped up to eradicate lead in city homes when your administration failed to get funding,'' Mahoney said. The federal government last year cut off funding for the Syracuse lead program. Contact reporter Tim Knauss anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-3023 Onondaga County Executive Joannie Mahoney's response to Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner by The Post-Standard on Scribd 81options.JPG The New York State Department of Transportation has narrowed down its choices for rebuilding aging Interstate 81 in Syracuse to two options. One option is a community grid as represented in the upper drawing. It reroutes through traffic around the city on Interstate 481 and sends vehicles with destinations in Syracuse onto city streets. A second option is to rebuild the viaduct. It is represented in the lower drawing. (New York State Department of Tra) To the Editor: I went to the Oncenter meeting about the Interstate 81 viaduct on Oct. 6, studied the two plans carefully for two hours, and came away completely convinced that we should firmly reject them both. Like most people who favored a tunnel, my top two priorities have always been to preserve a north-south, nonstop thoroughfare through downtown, and to avoid further destruction of Syracuse's historic downtown buildings. The engineers have now determined, once and for all, that a tunnel is too expensive and complex. So they have left us with a "Sophie's Choice": Either sacrifice a dozen cherished architectural gems, or sever forever a transportation artery that represents, for many local businesses, their lifeblood. The Scoping Report prepared by the New York state Department of Transportation sadly proves that planners never explored another useful option. That is, they could simply rebuild the viaduct along the existing route, using modern materials and improved aesthetics, but without adding more ramps or straightening -- possibly also without widening or elevating -- so as to avoid destroying any more beautiful and historic downtown buildings. Safety could be improved by maintaining or even reducing speeds a bit, and by protecting the viaduct from snow accumulation. Indeed, this is an option that was duly reported as a comment (C3-186) from the public in the Scoping Report: "Maintain the viaduct as is, but if necessary, downgrade its designation and reroute interstate traffic to I-481. Encourage the hospitals to build mixed-use buildings with connections that straddle and cover the highway, protecting it from snow." DOT's terse dismissal (R3-186): "This concept would not meet the project's need, purpose, and objectives, and therefore, it is not being considered further." In a similar vein, comment C3-129 asked the planners to consider "a dedicated pedestrian/bike connection between Syracuse University and Downtown, such as an elevated ... walkway/bikeway that goes over the viaduct or a skyway that could include commercial space." The confusing objection indicated by the DOT response (R3-129) was that this might (somehow) require the viaduct to be too high to allow access ramps "to local streets without severing local thoroughfares." In fact, the Scoping Report states one of the project's objectives was to "maintain or enhance the vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle connections in the local street network within the project area to allow for connectivity between neighborhoods, the downtown business district, and other key destinations." The inclusion of the phrase "in the local street network" guaranteed that making use of the space above the viaduct could never be considered, since this would clearly be "outside its objectives." But why was that phrase included? Likewise, nowhere in the objectives is any mention of the need to retain historic downtown buildings. Nor is there a mention of a need to coordinate the construction of a retained viaduct with future tall buildings on either side of it. Anyone with a broad view of the city's future should recognize this as the easiest way to permit adding the structural support needed to put a roof over the viaduct and protect it from snow. Coordinated construction could also give another state agency (SUNY Upstate) more usable space for expansion, above and close to the highway. The "need, purpose and objectives" of the study were thus formulated without a sufficiently broad vision. It is clear they were also clumsily interpreted. But just as clearly, changing or even questioning those objectives is completely outside the mind-set of the traffic engineers doing these studies. The miserable choice we now face was therefore baked in from the start. Unnamed, unelected and unaccountable leaders defined its "need, purpose and objectives," and now reject any possibility of changing them. The Scoping Report might just as well have summed up all the responses to public comments more tersely, and more accurately, as "we are just following orders." I suggest we stop this juggernaut in its tracks right now. Let's stick with the no-build option for at least a few more years, to give us all time to re-define more carefully the "need, purpose and objectives" of this project. Of course, this suggestion does not stand a chance unless someone with serious political power champions it. Unfortunately most of our local state legislators are running unopposed this November, so they can feel safe in maintaining their current minimalist leadership on this issue.They say, "Leave the choice up to the people." But they have been content to sit back and let unelected officials define the "need, purpose and objectives," thereby circumscribing our choices very narrowly from the start. In this regard, they are just like the political leaders of the 1950s, when the viaduct was first built. If we let this play out according to the current momentum, then the destruction is inevitable. Fifty years from now, local politicians will again lament the lost buildings and/or commercial disruptions, and even more the lost opportunities for Syracuse that will have been produced by turning the city core over to professional road builders. And the future governor himself will be able to smugly offer cheap hindsight criticism of the project as "a classic two-thousand-teens blunder." Such inspired leadership ... Mark Braiman Cazenovia NY-22mashup.jpg Democrat Kim Myers, left, third-party candidate Martin Babinec, and Republican Claudia Tenney are campaigning for the 22nd Congressional District seat. The election is Nov. 8. WASHINGTON, D.C. - The three-way race for Congress and the seat of retiring Rep. Richard Hanna has turned into an $8.8 million battle, making it one of the most expensive House races in New York, new federal campaign finance records show. Democrat Kim Myers, Republican Claudia Tenney and third-party candidate Martin Babinec have raised a combined $4.2 million in the race for the 22nd Congressional District, the records show. Outside groups that include political parties and super PACs have spent even more money on the open seat, totaling $4.6 million, according to Federal Election Commission records. Among New York's 27 congressional districts, only one race has seen a bigger flow of money from independent groups. The groups have spent almost $6 million on the 19th District race between Democrat Zephyr Teachout and Republican John Faso in the Hudson Valley. The 19th District race and the three-way race in the 22nd District have attracted national attention and money because they are among the 35 most competitive House races in the nation, according to political analysts. In the 22nd District, polls show Myers and Tenney locked in a tight race, with Babinec a close third. Heading into the campaign's final weeks, Babinec and Myers have a financial advantage over Tenney, according to FEC disclosure reports their campaigns filed over the weekend. Babinec had more cash on hand ($529,623) than Myers ($420,623), while Tenney trailed with $169,124 left in her campaign bank account, the FEC records show. Tenney also lists $170,000 in debt. Babinec, a businessman from Little Falls who formed the Upstate Jobs Party, has mostly self-financed his campaign with $2.2 million in personal funds, according to his disclosure report. He has raised only $16,999 in campaign donations. Myers, a Broome County legislator from Vestal, has raised about $1.4 million through Sept. 30, the records show, including a $540,000 personal loan to the campaign. Tenney, a state Assemblywoman from New Hartford, has raised about $607,000, including $60,000 in personal loans to her campaign before the Republican primary she won June 28. Among outside groups, the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of the House GOP, has committed to spend about $2 million trying to win the seat for Tenney. House Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC, says it will spend about $1.8 million on broadcast, cable and digital platforms in support of Myers. That's an increase from initial plans to spend $1.1 million. The 22nd District seat opened when Hanna, a three-term Republican from Oneida County, said last year that he would retire at the end of his term. Hanna has been a leader among GOP moderates during his six years in the House. He is the only Republican in Congress to say he will vote for Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. New York's 22nd District covers all of Madison, Oneida, Cortland and Chenango counties and part of Oswego, Broome, Herkimer, and Tioga counties. Contact Mark Weiner anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 hillaryanddonald.jpg With Donald Trump's path to electoral victory appearing increasingly narrow, Hillary Clinton is confidently advancing into states the Democrats haven't won in decades, as Trump attempts to focus attention on new allegations about the investigation into her email. (AP) WHITE PLAINS, New York (AP) -- With Donald Trump's path to electoral victory appearing increasingly narrow, Hillary Clinton is confidently advancing into states the Democrats haven't won in decades, as Trump attempts to focus attention on new allegations about the investigation into her email. Clinton's campaign has launched new efforts aimed at expanding her lead and helping her party win back control of Congress. There's a new $2 million push in Arizona, aides said Monday, including a campaign stop in Phoenix by first lady Michelle Obama, one of Clinton's most effective surrogates. An additional $1 million is going into efforts in Missouri and Indiana, both states with competitive Senate races, and a small amount of TV time is being bought in Texas and media appearances are scheduled in Utah. At the same time Clinton is showing new signs of confidence, she faced fresh revelations about her use of a private email server as secretary of state and hacked emails from a top campaign official's personal account. FBI records released Monday show that a senior State Department official unsuccessfully sought to lower the classification level of an email found on the server. At an evening rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Trump labeled the move "collusion" and declared it even worse than Watergate. "This is one of the great miscarriages of justice," he said, "in the history of our country." As Trump kept up the criticism, Clinton's team was looking for ways to press her advantage. With her lead increasing, Clinton is unlikely to need any of the normally solid-red states to win the White House. But her team believes that a wide presidential margin of victory would help end Trump's political movement and undermine his intensifying claims that the election is rigged. On the other side, Trump's campaign dramatically expanded its ad buys in seven battleground states and announced plans to launch a $2 million advertising blitz in long-shot Virginia. Trump kept up his rhetoric about the legitimacy of the election system. In a Monday morning blitz of tweets, he lashed out at Republicans who have tried to tone him down, calling his own party's leaders "so naive" and claiming without evidence that major fraud is real. There is no evidence to back up Trump's claims about the integrity of the U.S. voting system. A study by a Loyola Law School professor found that out of 1 billion votes cast in all American elections between 2000 and 2014, there were only 31 known cases of impersonation fraud. Clinton spent the day with advisers near her home in New York, preparing for the final presidential debate Wednesday night. Her email use is certain to return as a topic. According to FBI records released Monday, State Department Undersecretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy, a close aide to Clinton during her time as secretary of state, contacted an FBI official seeking to change an email's classification. Notes on the conversation describe discussion about a "quid pro quo" in which the email's classification would be changed and "State would reciprocate by allowing the FBI to place more agents in countries where they are presently forbidden." The records indicate that Kennedy made that suggestion, but both the FBI and State Department said Monday that it was the unidentified FBI official. Neither the declassification nor the increase in agents occurred. In an online video, Trump called the records proof of collusion between the FBI, the Justice Department and the State Department "to try to make Hillary Clinton look like an innocent person." Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said it is well known that there was disagreement among various government agencies "about the decisions to retroactively classify certain material in emails sent to Secretary Clinton. ... and we were not part of these disagreements that played out inside the government." Dr. Quentin Wheeler, who is the fourth president of the State University of New York Enviromental Sciences and Forestry College in Syracuse, New York. Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com Dr. Quentin Wheeler, who is the fourth president of the State University of New York Enviromental Sciences and Forestry College in Syracuse, New York. Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com (Dick Blume | The Post-Standard) SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- SUNY ESF President Quentin Wheeler said Tuesday that a no confidence vote being prepared against him was a small group's effort to undermine his work and the reputation of the college. "The behavior I'm seeing by a group of chairs and some faculty is not befitting of a leading institution," Wheeler said. Wheeler spoke at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry's regular meeting of the Academic Governance committee, the faculty body poised to hold the no confidence vote. Faculty members have raised concerns about Wheeler's leadership style, hiring practices and development of an academic strategic plan. The proposed vote is the culmination of growing dissatisfaction among faculty since Wheeler took over as president of the university in January 2014. Within about a year on the job, Wheeler announced financial problems at ESF and a subsequent hiring "chill." What some faculty members see as failures of Wheeler's presidency, Wheeler said he sees as two years of obstruction preventing his efforts. Wheeler said he was "astounded by the unprofessional conduct" of some of his colleagues, who he characterized as an "old boy network conspiring in the shadows," seeking "to undermine the direction I want to move the college." He said the group's criticisms and the no confidence vote were driven by "seriously inaccurate and misleading information." Reading from prepared remarks, Wheeler addressed some of the criticisms levied against him and his administration. He distributed a list of the university's accomplishments to demonstrate some of his work over the last 2 1/2 years and show that he was paying attention to faculty successes. "There is much evidence to suggest that we are on the right path," Wheeler said. He said many of the concerns surrounding the college's finances were out of his control. ESF has seen its state aid reduced by 20 percent, or $5 million a year, since 2008, he said. He took decisive measures to meet payroll, he said. Wheeler also said that just because the university is going through rapid changes does not mean he doesn't appreciate the the history of the college, as some have said. He spoke of his research in taxology, or scientific classification, and shared that his hobbies include wood-working and restoring old homes. He emphasized the need to modernize ESF and meet the challenges of the 21st Century without losing sight of the college's history. Wheeler singled out one professor, who he not did identify by name, for spreading misinformation about the sudden departure of an administrator. Vice President of Enrollment Management and Institutional Research Bob French left the university in June. University officials have declined to comment on his departure. Wheeler said he could not "correct the record" to clarify how and why French left because of the college's policy not to comment on personnel matters. Wheeler repudiated some faculty for their treatment of Valerie Luzadis, who Wheeler appointed as interim provost. Faculty members have been critical of Wheeler's handling of the appointment and other executive staff appointments. Wheeler's remarks focused mainly on the damage a vote of no confidence could do to the college's reputation. He asked the faculty to consider how much could have been and still could be accomplished if everyone supports his efforts. "It's easier to criticize," Wheeler said. "It's much harder to be a leader. Destruction with no design for the future is not a viable plan." Wheeler questioned the purpose of a faculty no confidence vote, which has no particular outcome. A no confidence vote is symbolic and sends a message to the university's board of trustees, but the faculty does not have the power to fire Wheeler. "Regardless of what people say of other colleges that have gone through this, a vote of no confidence will do great damage to the reputation of ESF," Wheeler said. "It is already hurting us as colleagues and friends, and pulling us apart when we need to come together." The vote is set to move forward in the coming weeks. Academic Governance scheduled a closed-door meeting for Nov. 1, at which faculty will discuss and consider amendments to the resolution for a vote. From there, the vote is expected to move forward quickly via online ballot. That's despite some objections from faculty who strongly support the president or are fighting against the vote on procedural grounds. Wheeler made a final plea to faculty as they consider how to vote. "I defend your right to do what you wish with a vote of no confidence, but please ask yourself what you will achieve by adding one more obstacle in the path to the future." Reporter Julie McMahon covers Syracuse University and Syracuse city schools. She can be reached anytime: | | 315-412-1992 A pizza delivery man in Western New York was robbed at gun point by a man in a clown mask, police say. Buffalo Police are investigating the latest creepy clown-related incident, which happened Saturday night on Gorton St., WKBW-TV reported. The delivery man reported being approached by a man in a clown mask and dark clothing. He said the man displayed a handgun and demanded money before he fled. Incidents and reports of people dressed as so-called "creepy clowns" have been making headlines in Upstate New York since late September, when several sightings were reported in the Capital Region. Since then there have been well over 20 sightings, reports and police investigations, including some instances of death threats being made against children and schools. In another recent case, two girls were chased by a creepy clown in Trenton. moon-roger.jpg Roger Moon. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) -- Authorities say a western New York man has admitted he sexually abused a toddler for more than two years. The Monroe County District Attorney's Office says Roger Moon pleaded guilty on Monday to sexually abusing the child multiple times from August 2013 to September 2015. Prosecutors say the 33-year-old Rochester man will be sentenced to 12 years behind bars and two decades of post-release supervision. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 4. West York, Pa. The mayor of a small town in Pennsylvania is resigning after posting racist images on his Facebook page. Mayor Charles Wasko will step down effective Oct. 21. The West York borough council accepted his resignation Monday, according to Reuters. The town is about 100 miles west of Philadelphia. The mayor didn't show up to the meeting and didn't answer his door when a reporter went to his home, according to WITF in Pennsylvania. West York Mayor Charles Wasko resigns #CBS21News https://t.co/QdoDgAwu1g CBS 21 News (@CBS21NEWS) October 18, 2016 The council voted unanimously earlier this month to censure him over the images. Wasko posted an image in June of five orangutans in a wheelbarrow with the caption "Aww...moving day at the Whitehouse has finally arrived," Reuters said. Another image showed actor Clinton Eastwood holding a noose in a scene from a movie, according to Reuters. The caption read "Barry, this rope is for you. You wanna bring that empty chair over here!" President Barack Obama used Barry as a nickname in his youth. That particular posted was deleted, but others remain, according to the Washington Post. The episode embarrassed residents. "He left no one behind in his hate," said Shawn Mauck, the borough council president, according to the Post. "I don't think there's a protected class or group that he did not hate on. When I saw the posts, I wanted to throw up." Mauck will fill out the rest of Wasko's term, which runs until the end of 2017, according to Reuters. The mayor's position in West York is unpaid and only has voting power in case of a tie. The position does have some authority over the police department, WITF said. Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Google + | 315-454-2112 Bill Baroni,Jennifer Mara Bill Baroni, second left, looks up while walking with his attorney Jennifer Mara, second right, as they leave Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Courthouse after court proceedings, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, in Newark, N.J. Baroni, a former executive with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a defendant in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing trial contradicted the government's star witness Monday, testifying Republican Gov. Chris Christie wasn't told about the alleged political motive behind a scheme to use traffic jams to punish a mayor who didn't endorse Christie during his successful re-election campaign in 2013. (AP Photo/Mel Evans) (AP) NEWARK, N.J. -- When Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, halted a week of lane closures at the George Washington Bridge in September 2013, Bill Baroni received a message: Fix it. David Samson, the Port Authority's chairman and one of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's closest confidants, ordered Baroni, the deputy executive director, to persuade Foye to close the lanes -- and "to punch Pat Foye in the face," Baroni testified Monday. At the same time, David Wildstein, another top Christie loyalist at the Port Authority, was impressing upon Baroni how vital it was that a purported traffic study continue. Wildstein "was very clear the governor wanted this test completed, and I had to get this test completed," Baroni told jurors during three hours of direct testimony. "And I believed David Wildstein when he said that, because he spoke for Chris Christie." Foye, an appointee of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's, did not change his mind. Baroni's version of what happened -- told for the first time in a federal courtroom here -- suggested that some of the highest-ranking officials at the Port Authority and the governor's office were complicit in the bridge scheme and the alleged cover-up. According to the testimony Monday, it was Samson who told Baroni in November 2013 to write a report that the agency planned to release describing what happened during the lane closures from Sept. 9 to 13. The Port Authority did not end up publishing a report, but the material became the basis for Baroni's Nov. 25 testimony before a New Jersey legislative committee that was reviewing the lane closures. Among those who helped Baroni prepare that testimony, he said, were Phil Kwon, a Port Authority attorney and longtime Christie ally; Philippe Danielides, Samson's top aide; Wildstein; Charles McKenna, Christie's chief counsel; and Regina Egea, director of the governor's Authorities Unit. Baroni disputed Wildstein's testimony that Baroni had bragged to Christie about the lane closures during a Sept. 11 memorial service while the lanes were closed in 2013. Wildstein "discussed with the governor a traffic study that was going on at the bridge" -- but nothing related to the motive alleged by the government: political retribution against a local mayor, Baroni testified. Christie has repeatedly denied having contemporaneous knowledge of the lane closures and has said he did not recall the conversation as recounted by Wildstein. Taking the stand in his own defense as family and friends observed the proceeding, Baroni portrayed himself as an honest public servant who tried to keep the peace at a "toxic" multibillion dollar agency where New York and New Jersey officials were in constant conflict Prosecutors allege that Baroni conspired with Wildstein and former Christie aide Bridget Anne Kelly to cause major traffic backups in Fort Lee to punish Mayor Mark Sokolich for his refusal to endorse Christie's re-election campaign. Baroni and Kelly are charged with misusing Port Authority resources, wire fraud, civil rights violations and related conspiracy counts. Wildstein, who pleaded guilty in 2015 to conspiracy charges, testified that he ordered Port Authority personnel to close lanes at the bridge under Kelly's direction and with Baroni's approval. Then they covered up the scheme by claiming it was a traffic study, Wildstein told jurors. In a separate Port Authority case, Samson pleaded guilty in July to a federal bribery charge. He faces sentencing in December. Baroni suggested he was duped by a pathological liar, Wildstein. "David said to me, 'Let me handle it,' " Baroni said, referring to the traffic study and queries from Sokolich about why the town wasn't notified about the lane diversions. "I listened to him. I have regretted it ever since." A former Republican state senator who frequently broke with party orthodoxy, Baroni said he believed Christie appointed him to the Port Authority in 2010 to try to "break some logjams" on stalled projects. But soon Christie sent Samson, whom Baroni described as the governor's best friend, to the agency as well, and the chairman made clear that he was to be Christie's point of contact. Christie also instructed Baroni to hire Wildstein, who would assume the title of director of interstate capital projects, according to Baroni. Wildstein has testified that his job title was made up. The governor has said that it was Baroni who wanted to hire Wildstein and that he simply approved the decision. Wildstein was responsible for hiring and firing personnel, Baroni said, and attended to Christie's chief interests at the agency. "Who did he report to?" Jennifer Mara, one of Baroni's lawyers, asked her client. "He was below me on a flow chart, but he reported to Trenton and the governor," Baroni said. When Baroni's assistant sent him an email Sept. 9 conveying Sokolich's message about an "urgent matter of public safety," Baroni forwarded it to Wildstein. "Radio silence," Wildstein responded. Baroni said he called Wildstein to ask what he meant. "I've got to call the mayor back," Baroni said he told Wildstein. "Absolutely not," Wildstein replied, saying the study would be "ruined" or "skewed" and was "too important." "And I believed David Wildstein," Baroni told jurors. Even as he obeyed Wildstein's command to ignore Sokolich, Baroni said he made attempts to verify whether the mayor's concerns were true. For example, when he received a letter from Sokolich on Sept. 12 complaining about "complete gridlock" and wondering whether "punitive overtones" were associated with the lane closures, Baroni said he confronted Wildstein face-to-face. "David, tell me right now, is this true? Is there anything to this?" Baroni said, pointing his finger at the jury as he recounted the interrogation. "He looked me in the eye and said, 'Absolutely not.' " Prosecutors homed in on Baroni's own actions. Among other messages, Sokolich had left Baroni a voice mail on Sept. 10. "He mentioned these things: total gridlock, children getting to school, who's mad at me," Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Cortes said. "And you didn't call him back?" This page no longer exists or may have been moved.If you believe this is a mistake please email Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. For Immediate Release Chicago, IL September 16, 2016 Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses the Alternative Energy, including JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (JKS), JA Solar Holdings. Inc. (JASO), Trina Solar Ltd. (TSL) and Canadian Solar Inc. ( CSIQ). Industry: Alternative Energy Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/90640/alternative-energy-outlook---september-2016 The U.S. renewable energy sector witnessed a number of important decisions last year from both state and federal governments. These decisions continue to play a key role in determining this industrys future growth trajectory. Governments, businesses and cities around the world are making concerted efforts to speed up the evolution of energy use. As the global energy system transformation is the backbone of climate action, the world has come closer under a set of major cooperative initiatives. It is these environmental considerations that are driving the demand for alternative energy sources. A U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report projects that electricity generation from renewable sources will increase 9.5% in 2016 and 5.8% in 2017 in the country. Generation from renewables other than hydropower is forecast to climb 11.8% in 2016 and 11.1% in 2017. A more comprehensive study by the Department of Energys National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows that the country will be able to generate most of its power requirements from renewable sources by 2050. These favorable demand growth trends notwithstanding, the abundant availability of fossil fuels and the resultant drop in oil prices have emerged as key competitive challenges for the industry. The industrys long-term fundamentals, nevertheless, remain favorable. Here, we discuss some of the major alternative energy sources: Solar A major growth area in the renewable space is solar energy. An EIA report indicates continued growth in utility-scale solar power capacity, which is projected to average almost 13.3 gigawatt (GW) in the 20162017 period. In spite of the rapid uptake, solar will still be just 1% of the total U.S. utility-scale generation in 2017, indicating room for immense growth. Story continues Solar growth has historically been concentrated in customer-sited distributed generation installations. The EIA expects utility-scale solar capacity to expand over states like California, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and Georgia. The solar industry in the U.S. is booming. The solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) has gone a long way in providing the industry stability and expansion. In the last 10 years, solar has witnessed a compound annual growth rate of almost 60%, with the cost of installation dropping by over 70%. Over the past few years, utility-scale solar has represented almost two thirds of the market, and this trend will likely continue through 2016, given the huge pipeline of projects under construction. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), expects the U.S. solar market to witness strong growth in 2016 with installations peaking 14.5 GW DC, representing almost double the capacity over 2015. At the end of this decade, there will be vigorous growth across all three market segments, attaining a 20 GW annual solar market. Solar in China: Although Chinese economic woes continue to hurt the market, the longer-term prospects for solar in China remain intact. The country has established itself as the worlds largest market for solar panels and will likely be the home to a quarter of the planets new energy capacity from solar panels in the years to come. China is speedily adding as much power generation as possible, and solar is just one source of the new energy generation coming up in the country. In Mar 2016, China released its 13th Five-Year Plan that outlined considerable investments in the renewables sector. The countrys National Energy Administration (NEA) announced plans to triple capacity over the next five years, to reduce Chinas carbon emissions and become the worlds leader in clean energy. The nation is aiming for 110150 GW of capacity by 2020. China had earlier pledged to attain peak carbon emissions by 2030 or earlier if possible. The country had set a daunting target of boosting the share of non-fossil fuels to 22% of its energy mix by 2030. The following leading Chinese solar stocks are sure to make the most of the favorable government stimulus: JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (JKS) , JA Solar Holdings. Inc. (JASO) and Trina Solar Ltd. ( TSL) . Ontario, Canada-based solar product manufacturer, Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ) is also well positioned with its diversified manufacturing base and project portfolio in Canada, China, Japan and the U.S. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Industry Outlook, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report JINKOSOLAR HLDG (JKS): Free Stock Analysis Report JA SOLAR HOLDGS (JASO): Free Stock Analysis Report TRINA SOLAR LTD (TSL): Free Stock Analysis Report CANADIAN SOLAR (CSIQ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Salesforce has agreed to acquire its Marketing Cloud partner Krux, which offers a data management platform. Salesforce will pay US$340 million in cash and issue between 3.4 million and six million shares of common stock to consummate the deal, according to documentation filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday. Thats worth an estimated $700 million in all. Benefits to Both Krux will extend the Salesforce Marketing Clouds segmentation and targeting capabilities to power consumer marketing with even more precision at scale, said Krux CEO Tom Chavez. Further, Krux will feed Salesforces new artificial intelligence system, Einstein, with billions of new signals, providing corporations with more data about their users. Krux will continue supporting its partner ecosystem. The acquisition was absolutely needed and expected, said Sheryl Kingstone, a research director at 451 Research. Its a great addition to not just the data cloud, but also the marketing cloud, as the world demands contextual 1:1 intent-driven engagement, she told CRM Buyer. Its all about the data for the future of intelligent business applications. Salesforce is making a big push into AI, having developed Einstein to integrate AI into all of its products and serve as a nervous system across its entire business. Einstein includes product recommendations; Predictive Sort, which turns up sort and search results based on how likely customers are to make a purchase; and Commerce Insights, which helps retailers understand product purchase correlations to help improve their store planning and merchandising. Data lies at the heart of those efforts, and that is just what Krux offers. Through its data management platform, it serves as an intelligent marketing center that corporations can leverage to deliver media, content and commerce experiences to deepen customer engagement, strengthen At the Crux of Krux Every month, Krux interacts with more than 3 billion browsers and devices, supports more than 200 billion data collection events, processes more than 5 billion CRM records, and orchestrates more than 200 billion personalized consumer experiences. Krux uses AI to analyze all of those signals to identify audiences for targeted marketing and advertising efforts. Clients include Kellogg, ConAgra, JetBlue, Time Warner and Peugeot-PSA. Happier Together When Salesforce unveiled its next-generation marketing cloud last year, Krux was one of the partners in its digital marketing and digital advertising ecosystems. Krux earlier this year deepened its integration with the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, empowering advertisers to match third-party data with customer information on their Salesforce instances. Krux also entered the Salesforce independent software vendor partner program, which enables customers of both firms to use their customer data to target consumers on the open Web, while also enriching their customer profiles with online engagement data. The resulting two-way data exchange between the data sets let Salesforce clients consistently increase the value of both their online and offline data. It made sound business sense for Salesforce to extend the partnership by purchasing Krux. Kruxs technology has real-time access to extensive customer data, which is crucial to understanding the process a consumer goes through when making a purchase, said Anne Moxie, a senior analyst at Nucleus Research. Salesforce will be able to leverage this data with its artificial intelligence offering, Einstein, she told CRM Buyer, to potentially either make its marketing campaigns more dynamic, so that it can respond to consumer actions in real time, or for highly granular customer segmentation. It will make targeting more accurate, Moxie noted, because the neural networks and deep learning models in Einstein can use the real-time data thats collected from Krux for improved campaigns. Federal authorities have been investigating reports that hackers targeted the mobile phones of a handful of Democratic Party staffers, according to a Reuters article published last week. The news follows a series of breaches in recent months that revealed emails and other personal information of party staffers and other Democratic officials. The FBI has launched an investigation into the attacks, which party officials believe are linked to Russia. Several members of Congress have raised suspicions in recent weeks that Russia might be attempting to interfere with the U.S. elections. In addition to cyberattacks on Democratic Party operatives, recent breaches of state election systems are suspected of having Russian connections. Possible targets were asked to turn over their phones so an image could be made of the devices, the latest reports indicated. Data retrieved from Democratic Party staff emails may have been used to access the mobile phones. CrowdStrike, a Cybersecurity firm that investigated prior cyberattacks involving the DNC and other targets, declined to comment for this story. The alleged mobile phone hacks reportedly involve malicious software infecting the devices. The data probe could involve photos, contacts, text messages, phone logs and other items. DNC officials did not respond to our request to comment for this story. FBI officials declined to comment. High Alert A variety of means can be used to infect software, said Christopher Budd, global threat communications manager at Trend Micro. For mobile, the one unique vector is getting people to install what they believe are legitimate apps from spoofed or otherwise misrepresented app stores, he told TechNewsWorld. However, theres no indication that a malicious app was involved in this case. Its a little harder to get malicious software on a mobile device, but it can be done. News of the investigation adds to the heightened state of alert about the integrity of various U.S. election systems. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, recently released a statement on alleged Russian hacking activity against various systems. Based on briefings we have received, we have concluded that the Russian intelligence agencies are making a serious and concerted effort to influence the U.S. election, they said. At the least, this effort is intended to sow doubt about the security of our election and may well be intended to influence the outcomes of the election we can see no other rationale for the behavior of the Russians. The orders for such activity could only come only from very senior levels of the Russian government, Feinstein and Schiff maintained, and they called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to order an immediate halt to the activity. Shoring Up Defenses In wake of attacks on election databases in Illinois and Arizona, 18 states have accepted an offer from the Department of Homeland Security to help them make sure their election systems are secure, Secretary Jeh Johnson testified in a Senate committee hearing last week. In those cases, suspected overseas hackers compromised the personal information of up to 200,000 voter records in Illinois and also attacked the election infrastructure in Arizona. However, no individual records were compromised. The Illinois breach involved a suspected SQL injection attack, officials confirmed. Arizona election officials have linked the attack there to suspected Russian actors. DHS last month issued a warning to state election officials about possible threats to their respective systems and offered to provide additional security measures, including cyberhygiene scans of their respective Internet-facing systems, and risk and vulnerability scans by on-site experts. The public should have confidence in the election system, despite concerns about recent attacks on the DNC and infrastructures in Arizona and Illinois, said Thomas Hicks, chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Because of the decentralized nature of the American election administration system, there is no single, uniform national system that would affect the outcome of election results for the November 2016 presidential election, he testified late last month before the Subcommittee for Information Technology for the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Suspected Russian hackers, including the teams known as Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear, have been implicated in earlier hacks on the DNC and other federal agencies. A spearphising attack on Bellingcat, a website backed by a group of citizen journalists involved in the probe of MH 17, carries the hallmarks of Fancy Bear, according to ThreatConnect. The attacks, which date back to last year, targeted individual emails, and were similar to the attack on White House staffer Billy Rinehart, whose stolen information recently was splashed onto DCleaks, suspected of being a Russian-influenced operation. There is no way to easily tell the intentions of the hacks targeting Bellingcat and its journalists, said Kyle Ehmke, senior threat intelligence researcher at ThreatConnect. Certainly there are a range of actions that could be enabled, he told TechNewsWorld, based on the information they are seeking to secure. Senior citizens are often labeled as being the most vulnerable targets for fraudsters but new research from Microsoft challenges that preconceived notion. As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Microsoft conducted a global survey in which it found that a staggering two out of three people have experienced a tech support scam in the last 12 months. If you haven't experienced such a scam yet, chances are you know someone who has. Of those surveyed, one in five continued with a potentially fraudulent interaction after first being contacted. What this means is that 20 percent of people visited a malicious website, downloaded dangerous software, gave a scammer remote access to their device or provided them with credit card information. Here's where things get interesting. Of those that continued with a fraudulent interaction, only 17 percent were older than 55 while 34 percent were between the ages of 36 and 54. Surprisingly enough, half of millennials - those between the ages of 18 and 34 - continued with a fraudulent interaction. The reason that more millennials are falling victim to tech support scams is directly related to the evolving tactics used by fraudsters. Whereas most scams used to originate from phone calls, fraudsters these days are leveraging pop-ups, unsolicited e-mails and scam websites as entry points. Regardless of the method used to snare victims, the goal of tech support scams remains the same - use fear and deception to convince a user that they need help, obtain remote access to the user's device and provide a phony sales pitch to convince victims to fork over money for unnecessary services. After two cases of explosive Note 7 recalls, the U.S. Department of Transportation banned all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones from airplanes in a press release dated Oct. 14. As per a new Emergency Restriction/Prohibition Order, flying with the device on board is now a federal crime. The Federal Aviation Administration issued the order on Friday, Oct. 14, prohibiting all flight passengers from carrying a Note 7 device on board. Passengers are restricted from carrying the device "on their person, in carry-on baggage, in checked baggage, or as cargo," as stated on Emergency Restriction/Prohibition Order No. FAA-2016-9288. Furthermore, if a passenger by inadvertent circumstance brings a Note 7 device on an aircraft, the carrier must immediately turn the device off, refrain from using or charging the device while aboard and avoid activating and powering on the device. Passengers who fail to comply will be subject to civil penalties, racking up to $179,933, for each violation, and each day they are found to be in violation. Moreover, any person who fails to abide by the rules may be subject to criminal prosecution which could "result in fines under title 18, imprisonment of up to ten years, or both (49 U.S.C. 5124)." "We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority," said Anthony Foxx, Transportation Secretary, speaking about the ban on Friday. If you happen to still own a Note 7 device all things considered, then you should keep this in mind to avoid any inconvenience if you plan on traveling by plane in the future. If you attempt to board a plane with a Note 7, you will be denied boarding. If you hide the device in your luggage to circumvent the ban, you will be subject to criminal prosecution and respective fines as mentioned above. Samsung has officially halted production of the Note 7 devices, following an estimated $17 billion loss from the debacle, essentially declaring it dead on its tracks. Samsung administered a tumultuous recall program, hastening it in some countries to put the device back in shelves. The replacement units, however, were still laden with the same life-threatening problems that the first devices were replaced for, adding insult to injury. Upon numerous reports of exploding Note 7 devices, the consequent narrative had been strained by a messy recall program, fault replacement units, another recall program, and the eventual production halt of the devices. As a recourse, Samsung's refocusing its efforts on the Galaxy S7, ramping its production up to recoup profit losses. Samsung, however, is still expected to fully disclose what exactly went wrong with the Note 7 in the coming weeks. The company is doubling its efforts to patch things up with loyal customers who still may have growing panic of their products causing serious inconveniences. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Even with Nexus, Google has worked to ensure that its smartphones are as open as possible, giving their users the freedom to customize and do whatever they can with their devices. The tech company is again underscoring this principle when it confirmed that the Pixel smartphones will not only be bootable but they will also ship with an unlockable bootloader. To the uninitiated, the bootloader serves as the door to root a mobile device. There are many people who do this because it effectively opens the phone to more functionalities. Now, most Android phones have bootloaders and a number of manufacturers actually support them. This means that, in most cases, using a bootloader to flash custom ROMS will not void the devices' warranty. Apple fans would probably find this surprising since jailbreaking their iOS devices is simply not allowed. Now, here are some caveats with respect to rooting the Pixel smartphones. First, the bootloader will only be available to Pixel phones purchased directly from Google's store. Those sold by carriers will probably not enjoy the same perks. Verizon has already planted its foot down on this issue. Second, once a Pixel phone is rooted, it will no longer enjoy the so-called seamless update feature that comes with Android Nougat. This entails a streamlined approach to the download and installation of over the air (OTA) updates. Previous Android versions usually begin with a notification, some user actions and long waiting period for the update to get downloaded, unpacked and installed. With seamless update, everything happens in the background. The system will merely inform the user that an upgrade is ready and will be implemented after a reboot. A user can no longer enjoy this feature if he roots his Pixel. "Rooting involves modifying partitions on the phone," Iska Saric, a spokesperson for Google told Wonder How To. "If the partitions are modified the OTA will fail to apply." Some observers, however, believe that the very active Android developer community could find a work around to this specific hurdle and that it will only be a matter of time before such solution surfaces. Overall, fans are mollified that Google despite assuming the mantle of an OEM company is not closing the Pixel out. There are already grumblings from among the Nexus crowd that the phone is expensive and that Google seems determined on ensuring that the company is seemingly bent on imposing the kind of Google that it wants its Pixel users to experience. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Apple's playing catch-up in the race for artificial intelligence, joining many others headlining the development toward products capable of machine-learning. Egged on by Samsung's recent acquisition of the team behind Siri, the company has chosen Ruslan Salakhutdinov, a formidable computer science professor from the esteemed Carnegie Mellon University, to be the director of artificial intelligence research at Apple. Excited about joining Apple as a director of AI research in addition to my work at CMU. Apply to work with my teamhttps://t.co/U2hQl2GdhA Russ Salakhutdinov (@rsalakhu) October 17, 2016 Salakhutdinov won't abandon professorial duty. He may continue to work on Carnegie for research and tinker with Macs and iPhones simultaneously. It remains unspecified what the job description exactly is for someone helming Apple's AI research front, but as per Recode's observations, it'll most likely study the context behind questions that users ask Apple's voice-activated virtual assistant Siri. The professor's latest research that dabbles with contextual derivatives behind a user's' voice input supports this. Salakhutdinov's involvement may spell a significant improvement for Siri, often the target of critics, claiming that its slow evolution period is modest compared with Google's own Google Assistant, which offers a more sophisticated and functional voice command technology. Artificial intelligence may help refine the algorithm, combing voice commands in search of context clues to understand better what a person is asking. Google is well-versed in this arena, and it has even gone beyond the "smart" functionalities of a voice assistant. It has also exerted a great deal to make the assistant vulnerable and friendly, as if users are really engaging in a conversation with another person. The inherent robotic vibe of virtual assistants is often the reason users trip on uncanny valley territory, so more efforts to humanize them in a natural way are also considered significantly. However, Salakhutdinov may also bleed onto other features of iOS 10 that takes advantage of AI and not just Siri. Apple has packed these devices with machine learning capability for object and face recognition, and the Carnegie Mellon professor may very well develop that further too. Exact goals of Apple are up to speculation, but it's clear that the company is betting big on AI as an investment for its future. Less than a month ago, it was reported that Apple had acquired Tuplejump in June, an Indian machine learning company, with speculation that it's supposed to help beef up Siri and the company's cloud services, among other things. Salakhutdinov joined Carnegie Mellon early this year, after stints at the University of Toronto and MIT. Microsoft, Samsung and Google are just some of the top-tier companies who have funded his research, according to his profile. Jack Clark, who works for OpenAI, a non-profit AI research firm, said that Salakhutdinov is a "huge get" for Apple, noting that Salakhutdinov does amazing research on AI. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Reports have come in about references made in certain parts of the Apple website to a mysterious Apple Watch Victory, spawning rumors that there might be a new Apple Watch model coming soon. The mentions of the device were found in an AppleCare+ support page for the United Arab Emirates, as warranty options were presented for the Apple Watch and the Apple Watch Victory. References to the Apple Watch Victory have since been taken down by Apple, but not before rumors that the company will soon launch a new Apple Watch model surfaced. These rumors were quickly shot down though, as when comparisons were made with AppleCare+ support pages for other countries, the devices listed were the Apple Watch and the Apple Watch Nike+. It is highly likely that the Apple Watch Victory name is nothing more than a codename or an alternate name that Apple was thinking of for the smartwatch collaboration with Nike. The Victory name aligns with Nike, as Nike is the goddess of victory in Greek mythology. The appearance of the Apple Watch Victory name on the company's website is possibly due to an error within Apple's website development team, with the old name used instead of the unveiled Apple Watch Nike+. Still, it provides a glimpse into Apple's process of branding its products, with a name that the company may have considered but decided not to use. The Apple Watch Nike+ is a special edition of the Apple Watch Series 2 that will be released on Oct. 28. Designed for health and fitness-minded users, Nike has created special software for the smartwatch that will power it alongside Apple's watchOS 3. Apps for regular Apple Watch models will be compatible with the Apple Watch Nike+, which will feature the Nike+ Run Club app that tracks runs and sets reminders for running activities, along with special Nike-themed watch faces. The Apple Watch model will also come with a flexible perforated wristband designed for breathability while the wearer sweats from running. The Apple Watch Nike+ will come with 38mm and 42mm models, and can now be preordered for $369 and $399, respectively. The release of the Apple Watch Nike+ could be part of Apple's strategy to try to prevent the expected lower sales for the smartwatch this year. Famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities expects sales figures of between 8.5 million units and 9 million units for the Apple Watch this year, compared with the previous expectation of between 10 million units and 10.5 million units. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Silicon Valley is in turmoil after rumors surfaced that Peter Thiel will fund Donald Trump's campaign. The venture capitalist took the floor at the Republican National Convention in July when it endorsed Trump for President of the United States. Insider information shows that Thiel is preparing to donate $1.25 million, divided between the campaign and a pro-Trump Super PAC. A direct result of the rumor was that Project Include, an important diversity initiative from the Valley, has axed cooperation with the Y Combinator venture incubator, as Thiel is a prominent part-time partner of the startup accelerator. Project Include cofounder Ellen Pao labeled Thiel's donation as a way to create hate and instill fear. In a blog post, Pao commended Y Combinator's approach to assuring workforce diversity. She goes on to say that YC companies demonstrated allegiance to crafting "vibrant and diverse organizations." Despite Project Include cutting its ties with YC directly, Pao affirms that she is prepared to keep working with YC companies, but strictly on a business-to-business level. "We hope this situation changes, and that we are both willing to move forward together in the future," she notes. Pao was with the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins before she sued the enterprise on accounts of gender discrimination. She then took the reins of Reddit, but a surge of hatred leading to user revolt caused her to leave the message board platform. Keep in mind that Y Combinator's president, Sam Altman, already affirmed his support for Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton. However, he explains in a blog post why he thinks keeping Thiel on board is a good idea. Altman stands by his choice of keeping the controversial venture capitalist in his team. Also, he points out that Trump getting the nomination is the result of the country's problems and not what caused them. He searches for the middle ground and urges people to cooperate more, despite the polarizing political differences that are tearing the country apart. "The [...] two parallel political realities is not good for any of us. We should talk to each other more, not less," he notes. Matt MacInnis, CEO at startup Inkling, explains why more people in the Valley are embarking on the political clash. He observes that until 2016, elections have maintained a reasonable level of rationality. "This election isn't presenting two rational worldviews," he affirms. The custom in the Silicon Valley used to be that investors and entrepreneurs do not get involved in the meanders of political positioning, but this year's election is a game changer. MacInnis points out that the prospect of having Trump as president caused a lot of Valley people to go public with their political views, regardless of business consequences. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. New Macbooks Coming To The Market Later This Month | TechTree.com After the hype of the iPhone 7, it is time for the Macbook to be in the court of rumors. According to a Chinese source quoted in Japanese media, Apple could be releasing a new line of Macbooks as early as October itself, and the distribution for the same could start by as early as the end of the month. This upcoming lineup of Macbooks could be a new series, which would replace the existing lineup which many say, is in urgent need of an overhaul. Rumors also point out to the fact that USB Type-C or Thunderbolt 3 could be main connectivity option for the Macbook, hence users are advised to stock up on adapters before the demand surges during the sale of the new Macbooks. What this would also mean is, there will be no MagSafe to protect the laptop from being caught up with the chord and bringing the entire package down with it, should such an event. Other than that, the reported development points out to the 11-inch Macbook being done away with completely. Apple reportedly feels, that the iPad Pro fulfils the gap left by the absence of the 11-inch edition of the Macbook, and wants to divert most of its attention to the upcoming 13-inch model of the Macbook Air laptop. Other rumors also suggest that an insider called Foxxconinsider revealed on Reddit, that the company is contemplating the use of the Magic E-Ink keyboard, but will not appear on the scene immediately. It is expected to be replace the existing Grayscale keyboards, but not until the middle of 2018. The rumored release date for the Macbook, is stated to be October 27, which is a day later than the Microsoft event. Microsoft is expected to talk about the Surface PC and the rumored Surface smartphones, which as known to be on the cards for a while now. However, with Apples new Macbooks being slated for the launch, Apple just might steal the thunder, so to say, from Microsoft for the event, but it sure will be worth the watch, considering Microsoft will be looking to get hold of the market, where Macbook has traditionally ruled through the years. TAGS: Apple MacBook, Apple, Microsoft Qualcomms new Snapdragon 830 processor will feature new X16 LTE modem to users surf at 1Gbps speeds If your next smartphone features Qualcomms new 830 Snapdragon processor, you may be blazing down the Internet highway at 1Gbps speeds. A speed unheard for smartphones as of today would be a certain reality in 2017. Making the announcement at its 4G/5G Summit in Hong Kong, the Qualcomm stated that its upcoming Snapdragon 800 series processor which is likely to be called Snapdragon 830, will feature its X16 LTE modem, which will allow users to download files at speeds of up to 1 Gbps. This means that Android smartphones could allow users 1Gbps data speeds from 2017-18 however, the corollary remains your carrier network has ability to support it. Since such ability exists only in 64 percent of carriers in the world and most of them from South Korea, Japan, and Scandinavia, users from other countries shouldnt get too excited about the news. Theres also the question of data caps, as theres no point having superfast speeds if all it busts the data cap in a single day. Qualcomm refused to reveal when the Snapdragon 830 will be available for smartphones. The chipmaker usually releases a new flagship processor every year, its likely we can expect to see something in 2017. Qualcomm-powered 5G devices may arrive in first half of 2018 The company announced its very first 5G modem, the Snapdragon X50, which will support download speeds at up to 5 Gbps in the 5G arena. X50-powered devices are expected to be available during the first half of 2018. Qualcomm said that X50-powered devices are expected to be available during the first half of 2018. Do remember that 5G standard for smartphones is supposed to arrive at the same time. Qualcomms X50 modem is designed for early 5G deployments and we can see the 5Gbps speed gradually increase substantially. X50 modem will deliver whopping 5 Gbps download speed 800 MHz bandwidth in the mmWave spectrum. Though the mmWave frequency has limited penetration range, Qualcomms X50 modem will make use of MIMO antenna technology with intelligent beam forming and beam tracking to bounce signals off walls, in order to go around obstacles. Itll be years before we go fully 5G so early deployments will likely have limited coverage, but dont worry, as the X50 can seamlessly switch between 5G and Gigabit LTE, so long as its paired with a Snapdragon processor with an integrated Gigabit LTE modem like the X16 announced earlier this year. Such a boost in connection speeds will let us look forward to new use cases in the mobile world real-time augmented reality plus virtual reality, super. With 5G standard slated to arrive in first half of 2018, it will years before we have 5G standards world over. Looks like 2017-18 is going to be a great year for mobile telephony! Yahoo to lose search engine partner StartPage StartPage CEO says We can no longer have confidence in them. Europe-based StartPage, a search engine that focuses on user privacy has canceled its partnership with Yahoo. In an announcement made on Monday, StartPage said it will be dropping Yahoos aggregate search results from its metasearch platform Ixquick.eu by the end of the month. Commenting on the recent news, StartPage CEO Robert Beens said: We are not the only ones disturbed by Yahoos lack of openness about major privacy violations. Even though Ixquick.eu cant be affected by Yahoos government ties because of our strict privacy protections and our location outside US jurisdiction, we no longer feel comfortable partnering with them. He added, We can no longer have confidence in them. Beens expects that while his company is the first to part ways with Yahoo, others will likely follow suit. In September, Yahoo admitted to a 2014 breach wherein the account details of 500 million users, which included email addresses, passwords, and birthdates had been leaked. Earlier this month, Yahoo was confronted for secretly helping the U.S. government to install a program on its servers to scan emails of users in order to find out if they were accused of wrongdoing or not. While Yahoo is in the midst of a $4.83 billion sale to Verizon, the wireless company seems to be having second thoughts about going through with the transaction. The digital rights group Fight for the Future has now launched a Dump Yahoo campaign advising users to delete their Yahoo accounts. Yahoo has made it easy to walk away, said Beens. Most of our users have already switched to our flagship private search engine StartPage.com for superior search results. Beens said StartPage has become so popular because it delivers the best of two worlds: Google search results, and StartPages own privacy safeguards. StartPage doesnt collect any personal data, like IP addresses, and doesnt pass on any personal data to third parties, including Google, Beens said. This way users get Web results from the most popular search engine with protection from the worlds most private search engine. StartPage, which is located in the Netherlands, is another reason for its popularity. The search engine is not subject to U.S. laws like the Patriot Act, and cannot be forced to obey the U.S. dragnet surveillance programs, like PRISM. The Yahoo scandal illustrates why being based outside US jurisdiction is so important to our customers, said Beens. People who care about privacy know that its very hard to trust U.S. Internet companies with their data because the government can force them to spy on customers. The organization notes on its website that it received support from the Ford Foundation and Knight Foundation. It also lists DuckDuckGo, a StartPage rival, as a $25,000-or-more funder. Listed as a funder of $10,000 or more is Yelp, with whom Yahoo entered a partnership in 2014 to include the review sites listings and reviews into Yahoo search results, per the report. Users of Yahoos major search partners such as Firefox and DuckDuckGo have already started showing their displeasure. Recently, DuckDuckGo removed mentions to its partnership with Yahoo. Environment Minister Eide described Lula's electoral triumph as something good for both Brazil and the whole world. | Read More Ten-part drama The Young Pope, starring Jude Law, has been sold to Japan by FremantleMedia International. The Kadokawa Corporation has picked up all rights to the Paolo Sorrentino series, which will see the company take the drama to all platforms across Japan. The series is a joint production of Sky, HBO and Canal+ and is produced by Wildside, in which FremantleMedia has a majority stake, and co-produced by Haut et Court TV. The series has been placed by FremantleMedia International with C More (Pan-Scandinavia), MNET (Pan-Africa), HBO (Pan-CEE), BETV (Belgium), OTE TV (Greece), 365 (Iceland), Sky (New Zealand), Hot (Israel), TV4 (Sweden), Videoland (Netherlands) and FOX (Netherlands). TCB Media Rights has struck US and European sales and pre-sales for Combat Trains (8 x 60 mins) and Combat Ships (10 x 60 mins), produced by Bob & Co indie Woodcut Media. Among the broadcasters to have acquired one or both of the series are Smithsonian Channel in the US and RTL Germanys news and documentary channel n-tv. The deals have also prompted TCB Media Rights and Woodcut Media to enter into a strategic development partnership, under which both parties will work together to co-create, fund and distribute new factual projects with international appeal and high revenue potential. Mattel Creations has struck multiple deals in China for Thomas & Friends. Chinese state television broadcaster, China Central Television (China) has taken series 16 to 18, as well as LeEco, China Mobile and Air Media have acquired the feature Thomas & Friends: Sodors Legend of the Lost Treasure. A Thomas & Friends channel recently launched on Youku. Other Asian broadcasters onboard to take new Thomas & Friends content include NHK (Japan), Global TV (Indonesia), GMA (Philippines), KBS (South Korea), TVNZ (New Zealand) and TVB (Hong Kong). Red Arrow International has secured a number of deals for its new social experiment format Look Me in the Eye which launched at Mipcom. Created by CPL Productions, and commissioned by ProSiebenSat.1 in Germany, the format has been picked up by TF1 Group in France and Endemol Shine for SBS in Australia. In this format, estranged people are brought back together to share two minutes of silent eye contact, in a bid to help them to reconcile their relationship where all other efforts have failed. Share this story Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. It was perhaps an odd place to find U.S. Senate candidate and conservative Republican Rob Maness campaigning for votes front row of the LSU Union Theater where an openly gay British man, dressed in full drag down to the high heels, delivered an hourlong speech about the importance of "fat shaming." The speaker was Milo Yiannopoulos, an "alt-right" conservative and Breitbart News editor who has made headlines across the country for his offensive remarks about liberals and minorities as part of a statement about conservatism and the value of free speech. The event was particularly popular with young Donald Trump supporters, which in large part explains why Maness was there. The retired Air Force colonel, with a 33-year career in the military, considers Trump supporters an integral part of his voter base in the state. Many Republicans in the crowded 24-candidate race have offered only tepid support of the presidential nominee, but Maness has given a full-throated endorsement. Although other Republican Senate candidates and officeholders ducked media calls about the tape of Trump describing how he aggressively kissed and grabbed women, Maness was the first Louisiana GOP politician to say he continued to support his party's presidential nominee. "You're here to see Milo? Then you're my kind of voter," Maness said as he shook hands of students waiting in line for tickets to the event, many wearing "Make America Great Again" hats. "I like your shirt, man," he said to someone whose shirt read "Hillary for Prison." Before the show, Maness was interviewed by LSU student reporters, who asked why he would come to an event that so many found offensive. "You have to try to get past the haze of what your professors might have told you," said Maness, who has two master's degrees, one from Harvard University. "What he says is what America is about." Concerns about what is politically correct, Maness said, are ruining the country by eroding the U.S. Constitution. "Unfortunately, we live in a society that has this thing called 'politically correctness,' he said, "which, in my view, is an oppression and tyranny against free speech." He said people like President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton refuse to blame Islamic jihadists for acts of domestic terrorism, just to be "politically correct" and not offend anyone. A longtime military intelligence official, Maness said that kind of inaction chips away at the First Amendment and weakens national security. Military career Maness is the son of a noncommissioned officer who as a child bounced around the country from base to base. Maness joined the family business, enlisting in the U.S. Air Force when he was 17. For nine generations, dating to the Revolutionary War, his family has been involved in the military, he said. In his own career, Maness specialized in bomb disposal and still wears the unit's pin on his lapel. Maness rose through the ranks to become a bomber squadron commander in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and then to command the 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. Maness also worked in the Pentagon as a high-ranking nuclear operations officer and adviser to the president and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And in 2001 when terrorists hijacked airliners on Sept. 11, flying one passenger plane into the walls of the Pentagon, he was there. The attack killed 125 people in the Pentagon; more than 2,800 other lives were lost on the planes and at the World Trade Center in New York City. As fire and smoke filled the corridors, hundreds of people were evacuated from the Pentagon. But Maness stayed back with other volunteers to search for survivors and salvage evidence and classified materials. He remembers re-entering the building, covering his face with his dampened shirt to keep from breathing the smoke. He and the others walked in a line with hands on one another's shoulders to guide them as they searched for victims. "I saw the cockpit," he said. "I saw the people still strapped in their seats that were not alive." The attack became both a turning point in the way the country and Maness would view issues of national security. "That was a really crystallizing moment for me that the Islamic jihadis are really at war with us, and we really need to take the right steps and make sure our resources are focused, or else Western civilization could really be in jeopardy," he said. "From that point on, my family and I saw things through that lens." Maness said too many Americans have been killed in mass shootings on U.S. soil by people with Islamic ties, specifically citing the Orlando, Florida, nightclub massacre, where 49 people were slain by Omar Mateen, a Muslim man born in New York. Officials said Mateen pledged his allegiance to the militant Islamic State group. "The federal government's No. 1 job is to defend this nation," he said. Maness said that's why border security is so important to him and is the reason he strongly believes in Trump and his plan to build a wall on the Mexican border. Critics have called the wall unrealistic and cost prohibitive, and the president of Mexico has rejected Trump's insistence that the country must pay for it. "He'll get the wall built, and he'll probably even get Mexico to pay for it," Maness said. "And I'll help him do that. I also have the intelligence background to advise him on things like other technology and innovations that can be done to make the security of that wall most effective. Maness said he would push for Congress to officially declare war on the Islamic State. He also said the defense budget needs to be reprioritized. "I'm the only person in this race who understands how weak our military forces really are," he said. Conservative platform This is Maness's second time running for the U.S. Senate. In 2014, he came in third against then-U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, a fellow Republican, and the Democratic incumbent, Mary Landrieu. It was his first bid for public office. But staking out political ground to the right of Cassidy and with the support of tea parties and conservative favorites such as Sarah Palin, Maness got 14 percent of the 1.47 million votes cast. From his own polling and communications with his base the 200,000 or so voters who backed him in 2014 Maness said he believes about 84 percent of his voters will support him again. That's why he rejects the recent polls that have put him at 4 percent, roughly in sixth place behind two Democrats and three other Republicans. His low polling already has excluded him from major televised debates. Maness, who lives in Madisonville, also is a member of the St. Tammany Parish Republican Party Executive Committee, which was the first parish party in the state to officially come out against Common Core, another issue he's passionate about. He claims to be the most conservative Republican in the race, noting that state Treasurer John N. Kennedy, considered the front-runner by many, was a registered Democrat until 2007. Maness said he'd fight Common Core and the Affordable Care Act, dubbed by conservatives as "Obamacare." Maness said voters can count on him to uphold conservative values in Congress. He vowed that he'd never support a single budget that includes funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides abortions and women's health services. Maness carries around with him a pocket-size copy of the U.S. Constitution as a reminder of what he's fighting for. But he also feels motivated by his five kids and his four grandkids. "I have a 12-year-old son," he said. "I have to be able to look them in the eyes one day and say I went beyond my military service and used my experience and skills to further try to protect this Constitution of the United States so they get to inherit a country that is following these laws." Early voting for the Nov. 8 primary begins Tuesday, Oct. 25, and continues through Tuesday, Nov. 1. Should no candidate win a majority in the Nov. 8 election, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will face off in a Dec. 10 runoff. The top five candidates vying for the U.S. Senate will square off Tuesday night in the first televised debate of the primary campaign, in a race that has yet to fully engage the public. Only three weeks before the primary election on Nov. 8, all five have a path to making the two-person runoff. The five who qualified for the 7 p.m. debate are three Republicans State Treasurer John Kennedy, U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany and U.S. Rep. John Fleming and two Democrats: Foster Campbell, a member of the Public Service Commission, and Caroline Fayard, an attorney. Louisiana judge refuses challenge to U.S. Senate debate criteria; only 5 of 24 candidates allowed in debate A Baton Rouge state judge refused Thursday to either block Tuesday's scheduled televised U.S Louisiana Public Broadcasting will air the 90-minute event statewide, and stream it on its website, before a live audience at the Howard Center for the Performing Arts at Louisiana Tech in Ruston. The debate is important because we have such a crowded and competitive candidate field that the margin between making the runoff and not making the runoff is very, very small, said Joshua Stockley, a political science professor at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. This is a critically important opportunity to distinguish themselves. Youll come in with certain themes and messages you intend to articulate, but you never truly know whats going to happen and what people will say when the lights come on. A second Senate debate will take place on Nov. 2 at Dillard University in New Orleans, sponsored by Raycom Media, which has four stations in Louisiana. To qualify, candidates will have to receive at least 5 percent in a poll being conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, said Vicki Zimmerman, Raycoms regional news director. She expects the polling company to release the results on Friday. In all, the Senate field includes 24 candidates, but such candidates as retired Air Force colonel Rob Maness and white supremacist David Duke both Republican did not make the cut Tuesday night. The five candidates who will appear have been prepping for the debate in recent days. Campbell, for example, prepared while at his farm near Elm Grove, which is south of Bossier City. Were making a pitch to undecided voters who want to see someone who will operate with common sense principles, said Mary-Patricia Wray, the campaigns spokeswoman. Campbell is airing a television commercial that features an on-camera endorsement by Gov. John Bel Edwards, his most prominent supporter. Campbell, 69, a former state senator, has held elected office longer than Fayard, 38, has been alive, a point in her core message. Louisiana is ready for a new generation of leadership and a new kind of leader, said her spokesman, Beau Tidwell. Fayards most prominent supporters are Mary Landrieu, who served 18 years in the Senate, and Mitch Landrieu, New Orleans mayor. Fayard, who lives in New Orleans, lost the 2010 race for lieutenant governor, her only bid for elected office. Fayard has said she will vote for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, while Campbell has been reluctant to say who he will support. Campbell has said that humans are responsible for climate change while Fayard has been reluctant to ascribe blame. Most polls in the race have showed Kennedy with the lead, but other surveys have shown that he has dropped and is running neck-and-neck with other candidates. All three Republican candidates have said they will vote for Donald Trump, the partys presidential nominee, but Fleming and Kennedy have not been shy about endorsing the businessman and his populist message while Boustany has offered only tepid support. Asked to describe his message Tuesday night, Kennedy said, I would like to demonstrate that I understand the issues and will stand up for Louisiana values. Kennedy, an attorney who switched to the Republican Party in 2007, has the most campaign experience of any candidate in the race, having won five elections for treasurer and lost two for the Senate. He ran the 2004 race for Senate when he was still a Democrat in a year in which he endorsed the Democratic presidential candidate, then-Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. Kennedys Democratic past is likely to be one of Flemings talking points. Youre going to see a message that hes the one true and trusted conservative in this race, said Matthew Beynon, Flemings spokesman. This is an opportunity for voters to see differences among the candidates. Dr. Fleming is very eager to make that contrast. Fleming, a family practice physician, represents northwest Louisiana and lives in Minden, which is about 40 miles west of Ruston. Boustany, a heart surgeon from Lafayette, represents southwest Louisiana and most of the coastal parishes. To appear in Tuesday nights debate, candidates had to poll at least 5 percent and to have raised $1 million. The debate moderators will be Beth Courtney, the chief executive officer of Louisiana Public Broadcasting, and Barry Erwin, a former television news reporter who is president and chief executive officer of the Council for a Better Louisiana, a pro-business advocacy group in Baton Rouge. The four reporters asking questions are: Kelly Spires from LPB; Elizabeth Crisp from The Advocate; Jeremy Alford from LaPolitics.com; and Greg Hilburn from Gannett Newspapers. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cash, guns and stolen property have been seized from criminal syndicates in Canberra after a 15-month police operation. Twenty-seven people have been charged in relation to Operation Ronin, which targeted the link between property offences and methamphetamine trafficking in the ACT, Detective Sergeant Mark Steel said. Property, drugs and cash were seized during more than 50 raids in Canberra over the past 15 months. Credit:ACT Policing "Over this 15 month period Operation Ronin members executed over 50 search warrants. As a result of that property was seized including five kilograms of illicit drugs, $200,000 in Australian currency, over 20 firearms and half a million dollars in stolen property," Sergeant Steel said. Those arrested range in age from 19 to 62 and have been charged with more than 70 offences. James Stewart nominated Essendon as his preferred destination on Tuesday, but the Bombers remained locked in a standoff with Melbourne over a price for Michael Hibberd. Hibberd one of the 34 current and former Dons banned in January by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for the 2016 season is contracted for 2017, but requested a trade in August, with the Bombers saying then that they would not stand in his way. Hibberd last month said he wanted to head to the Demons, however with less than two days left in the trade period, the two clubs have been unable to reach a deal for the defender. Essendon want Melbourne's second-round pick (currently No. 29) in exchange for the backman, but the Demons are unwilling to part with the selection their only pick in the first 56 spots of this year's draft. Melbourne who must pick three players in this year's draft have offered their second-round selection next year. The Bombers are no strangers to protracted trade talks, with deals for Paddy Ryder (2014) and Jake Carlisle (2015) both dragging deep into trade period. The Demons are without a first-round pick this year having traded it to Gold Coast last year. Fringe Greater Western Sydney forward Stewart is expected to join the Bombers in a deal involving a late pick or picks, or in the pre-season draft. The decriminalisation of abortion is as close as it has ever been to a serious parliamentary debate. But beware holding your breath. As professors Douglas and de Costa have pointed out, Queensland's criminal legislation remains little changed from its 1899 wording, which was borrowed from an 1861 British Act. Abortion is not only, "women's business". Its availability touches many lives, with emotional and economic ramifications for couples and families. Credit:iStock For doctors, the formal law states: 'Any person who, with intent to procure [a miscarriage] unlawfully administers any poison or other noxious thing, or uses any force of any kind is guilty of a crime.' Maximum sentence, 14 years. The very next section is titled "the like by women with child". It sets a seven-year maximum for the pregnant woman. Later on, we find a defence for medical treatment that is reasonably necessary 'to preserve the mother's life'. Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese has refused to endorse Kimberley Kitching for a plum Senate seat, placing him at loggerheads with Labor leader Bill Shorten. Ms Kitching, a key ally and friend of Mr Shorten, was parachuted in to fill the Senate vacancy created by the retirement of Stephen Conroy, with the Opposition's Leader support, on Friday. But in a thinly veiled reference to the behind-closed-doors decision to install Ms Kitching to the role, Mr Albanese a former deputy prime minister who stood against Mr Shorten in the 2013 leadership contest said ALP members should be given a greater say in Senate preselections. Mr Albanese also slapped down Victorian Labor senator Gavin Marshall, who on Monday foreshadowed he would work to unseat Albanese ally and Labor MP Andrew Giles and possibly frontbench health spokeswoman Catherine King. Tony Abbott has publicly criticised Malcolm Turnbull's failure to rule out trading away elements of Australia's gun laws in exchange for crossbench support for its key industrial relations legislation. Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm said on Tuesday the government had reneged on a deal to end the ban on importing the controversial Adler lever-action shotgun into Australia. Senator Leyonhjelm warned he wouldn't vote to reinstate the government's construction industry watchdog unless Mr Turnbull agreed to allow the gun to be imported into Australia. Labor moved to suspend standing orders in the House of Representatives, emboldened by comments from Mr Abbott over the Australian Building and Construction Commission legislation. A pilot program aimed at reducing delays in the state's busiest criminal trial court is producing "spectacular" results, the chief crime statistician in NSW says, prompting calls for it to be rolled out more widely. The District Court, which handles the bulk of serious criminal matters in the state, has been buckling under the pressure of a growing workload over the past three years. NSW Attorney-General Gabrielle Upton says the government has committed to the trial in the 2016-17 budget. Credit:James Brickwood Warnings by the NSW Law Reform Commission of a looming "crisis" has led the Baird government to appoint new judges and introduce a range of measures aimed at tackling chronic delays. One of those was a trial Rolling List Court, which assigns a dedicated District Court judge former criminal defence barrister-turned-judge Ian McClintock along with prosecution and defence teams to manage criminal cases from an early stage. The jury considering the verdict in the trial of accused balcony killer Gable Tostee has been told not to speculate about a silver item he carried in his hand as he left his Gold Coast unit. Mr Tostee, 30, has been on trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court charged with murdering New Zealand tourist Warriena Wright in the early hours of August 8, 2014. The six male and six female jurors had been deliberating for almost four hours when they asked Justice John Byrne four questions about the trial. The questions included Mr Tostee's age at the time of the alleged offence, if they should consider how drunk Ms Wright was and an item in Mr Tostee's hand seen on CCTV footage after she died. Major changes to Queensland's education system that will see the OP score for high school graduates scrapped have been delayed by one year. The plan, announced in March and to replace the overall position (OP) system with an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), would have taken effect after the graduating class of 2018 but will now be pushed back to 2019. The graduating class of 2018 will get an OP score, due to a delay in changes to the ranking system. Credit:Virginia Star "I want what is best for Queensland students so I will take the advice of our key education stakeholders and won't risk rushing this reform process," Education Minister Kate Jones said on Tuesday. The reforms to senior assessment and tertiary entrance will now begin with Year 11 students in 2019. Victoria is demanding an overhaul of national workplace laws to make family violence leave a mandatory provision in all employment contracts. The overhaul of the Fair Work Act, if agreed to by the Turnbull government and other states, would mean employees who are victims of family violence would be able to apply for the new form of leave under a clause to be built into all enterprise agreements. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews don't see eye to eye. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Under the plan, the entitlement would be for paid leave for permanent employees and unpaid for casual employees. Premier Daniel Andrews has also written to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull asking for consideration of a special Medicare item number for family violence counselling, and an overhaul of an existing banking code to include family violence as grounds for financial hardship. A drug trafficker has told a jury he was an "idiot" in falsely claiming to an associate he had shot Toby Mitchell, in a bid to be freed of an alleged $50,000 drug debt. Arthur Vouthas was left owing $350,000 in December 2010, after his plan to sell one kilogram of cocaine he allegedly bought from Rocco Arico went wrong, when Mitchell never paid the agreed $375,000 asking price, the County Court heard on Tuesday. Underworld boss Rocco Arico. Credit:Jason South Mr Vouthas told the court when he gave the cocaine to Mitchell, he was directed to get the $375,000 from under a tree. He said when he went to the tree there was no money and just a box of magazines. Mitchell had by that stage driven away. The illegal destruction of a historic Carlton pub can be traced back to a development company with tens of millions of dollars worth of projects under way across Melbourne. And one of the firm's companies, which appears to have knocked down the pub, had previously been sued by a property owner because one of its sub-contractors demolished the wrong house. Planning Minister Richard Wynne on Tuesday branded the company that wrecked the 159-year-old Leicester Street pub "cavalier cowboy developers" who had acted "reprehensibly". And Robert Doyle said the razing of the historic pub on the weekend was "the most brazen and wanton act of destructive vandalism that I have seen in my time as lord mayor". Police have executed a series of raids across Melbourne's south-east as part of an operation investigating bikie gangs. Four people were arrested after the search warrants early on Tuesday morning in the suburbs of Dandenong, Beaconsfield, Endeavour Hills and Lyndhurst. The raids came after an investigation into an affray in Dandenong last week and were executed by the anti-bikie Echo Taskforce with Dandenong Crime Investigation Unit detectives. Drugs and clothing were seized at an address in England Street Dandenong South, where a 33-year-old man was arrested. The site of the Perth construction worker fall on October 10. Credit:Michael Genovese - 9 News Perth She said vital law reform was tied up in "endless consultation". A WorkSafe WA spokeswoman said while the fatality rate did worsen from 2014-15, comparing a single year to the next did not constitute a trend. Lee Buzzard died this year at Rio Tinto's Channar mine. Credit:Facebook "The rate of work-related fatalities in WA actually fell by 68 per cent between 1988-89 and 2013-14," she said. Commerce Minister Michael Mischin said the union was being gratuitous, inaccurate and totally misleading about the causes of workplace deaths. He said there had been a 46 per cent reduction since 2000-01 and the five-year average also showed a downward trend. "However, the extreme volatility associated with fatalities, given the low numbers, makes any increase easily politicised," he said. "Claims that different legislation, more money, or more union safety officers on site, would enhance safety are proved false by analysis of the actual circumstances surrounding the deaths." By way of an example, he provided details of the 2014-15 fatalities: A truck driver (owner operator) appears to have driven his vehicle across to the other side of the road and hit a steel barrier. The truck then rolled over the barrier, coming to rest upside down on a steep embankment, killing the driver. An employee was unloading steel from a truck with a HIAB crane. The load appears to have shifted causing the load to swing toward the truck crushing the deceased between the truck and the load. A pilot and station manager died when their helicopter collided with terrain and caught fire. A truck driver was driving a truck with a semi-trailer that rolled over, trapping the driver, who later died at the scene. An employee was found dead about 1.1 kilometres from his truck after it became bogged. It's suspected he died due to lack of water combined with exposure to high temperatures. A casual farm hand was killed as the front and rear dual wheels from one side of a tractor were being carried on the fork attachment of a front end loader. The load hit a high spot in the track causing the larger rear wheel assembly to topple forward off the forks landing on the deceased. "It is impossible to find trends we can't put a WorkSafe inspector into each vehicle or in each workplace. The legislation in operation in WA is still recording better injury outcomes year on year," the minister said. The "endless consultation" situation the union referred to goes back to 2008, when the Council of Australian Governments agreed to nationalise occupational health and safety laws. But the impact on the states was not detailed to the satisfaction of the WA government, which decided to carry out its own report, released in 2012, based on public, industry and union consultations. In 2014, it stated the national model would be detrimental to workplace safety in WA, with Minister Mischin saying a review of the national model would continue alongside development of a WA version of the legislation. Quito: Ecuador's government acknowledged on Tuesday it had partly restricted internet access for Julian Assange, the founder of anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks who has lived in the South American country's London embassy since mid-2012. WikiLeaks said Assange lost connectivity on Sunday, sparking speculation Ecuador might have been pressured by the United States due to the group's publication of hacked material linked to US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. "The government of Ecuador respects the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states," according to a statement released by the government in Quito. "It does not interfere in external electoral processes, nor does it favour any particular candidate." London: The British politician who claims he was punched by a party colleague has quit the UK Independence Party, telling the BBC that UKIP is "in a death spiral" and that there is "something rotten" in the party, which is riven with "infighting". After Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union, UKIP leader Nigel Farage quit as leader of the party, which has experienced a comedy of errors ever since. Steven Woolfe, the favourite to lead the party, was disqualified from the leadership race when he got his application in too late, blaming a faulty PayPal connection. Diane James, who won, lasted only 18 days before resigning and causing Farage to come back as temporary leader. Then, this month, an argument during a meeting of UKIP members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, got out of control, and Woolfe wound up in a hospital for three days. He said he had been hit by another party member, reportedly after saying that with the referendum won, he was considering quitting UKIP and rejoining the Conservative Party. Veronica Dunne, the star of the Disney Channel's K.C. Undercover, made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre on October 17. She will be in the musical until November 26. In addition to her work on the Disney Channel, Dunne recently wrapped production on the Lionsgate film The Ninth Passenger with Jesse Metcalfe. The actress got her start onstage in the Lythgoe Family Production of Cinderella with Broadway veterans Shoshana Bean and Jennifer Leigh Warren, and went on to star in the stage productions of Into the Woods, Chicago, Cabaret, and most recently, the world premiere of Joe Iconis' new musical, The Black Suits. Loading... Featuring classic tunes by John Kander and Fred Ebb, Chicago tells the story of Roxie Hart, a nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media, and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago's slickest criminal lawyer to transform her crime into a barrage of sensational headlines. Recipient of six 1997 Tony Awards, the revival is directed by Walter Bobbie. For tickets and more information, click here. Hyundai Looks for Impressive Performance at 2016 SEMA Show At the 2016 SEMA Show worlds premier automotive specialty products trade event Hyundai Motor America will show four exciting show cars in collaboration with strong partners The nitrous-based Rockstar Santa Fe Concept, the race-ready Gurnade Veloster Concept, the ARK Road Racer Elantra Concept, and the Santa-Fast Santa Fe Strong partners: Rockstar Performance Garage, Gurnade Inc., ARK Performance and Bisimoto LAS VEGAS - October 18, 2016 At the 2016 SEMA show in Las Vegas, Hyundai Motor America displays four exciting show cars, the nitrous-based Rockstar Santa Fe Concept, the race-ready Gurnade Veloster Concept, the Road Racer Elantra Concept, and the Santa-Fast SUV with 1,040 PS. To develop these impressive cars, Hyundai Motor America joined forces with Rockstar Performance Garage, Gurnade Inc., ARK Performance and Bisimoto. The 2016 SEMA show is worlds premier automotive specialty products trade event taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 1 through 4. Serious off-roading conveying the iconic Rockstar design attitude: The Rockstar Santa Fe Concept The nitrous-powered Santa Fe capable of serious off-roading was developed by Hyundai Motor America and the Rockstar Performance Garage. Rockstar is world-renowned for the boundless energy it brings to any product concept or event, and the Rockstar Santa Fe Concept follows that reputation with a nitrous-powered, Hyundai-based 3.3L Lambda V6 engine driving all four wheels through any terrain via a raised Santa Fe off-roading setup. Combined talents to develop the race-ready Gurnade Veloster Concept Hyundai Motor America and Gurnade Inc. combined talents to develop the race-ready Gurnade Veloster Concept for the 2016 SEMA show. The Gurnade Veloster Concept takes the fundamentally aggressive stance of the Veloster and magnifies it further with integrated flares, front splitter, racing canards, 3-piece lightweight forged wheels and a custom rear spoiler. The ARK Road Racer Elantra Concept: an aggressive yet fully integrated appearance For the 2016 SEMA show Hyundai Motor America and ARK Performance have partnered once again to create the ARK Road Racer Elantra Concept. This ARK Elantra Concept takes the practical yet sporty lines of the Elantra sedan and infuses it with an alternate persona, with integrated flares, bulging forged racing wheels and custom new front and rear fascia designs for an aggressive yet fully integrated appearance. SANTA-FAST: 1,040 PS rear-wheel drive Santa Fe Another established partner of Hyundai Motor America is Bisimoto. This time they joined forces in developing a 1,040 PS, rear-drive Santa-Fast. Bisimoto is renowned for awe-inspiring street, show and race vehicles. With no fear of the unknown, Bisimoto is always on the cutting edge of automotive technology, and the Bisimoto Santa Fast Santa Fe is no exception, pumping out the power from a flex-fuel turbocharged, Hyundai-based 3.8L Lambda V6 powerplant making reliable power, positioned longitudinally and driving the rear wheels. Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi... Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Portfolio Monitoring Top Stock Lists Premium Reports Stock Screeners Live News Feed Premium Support Free for your first month. ICL Group Ltd, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty minerals and chemicals company worldwide. It operates in four segments: Industrial Products, Potash, Phosphate Solutions, and Innovative Ag Solutions (IAS). The Industrial Products segment produces bromine out of a solution that is a by-product of the potash production process, as well as bromine-based compounds; produces various grades of potash, salt, magnesium chloride, and magnesia products; and produces and markets phosphorous-based flame retardants and other phosphorus-based products. The Potash segment extracts potash from the Dead Sea; mines and produces potash and salt; produces Polysulphate; produces, markets, and sells magnesium and magnesium alloys, as well as related by-products, including chlorine and sylvinite; and sells salt. The Phosphate Solutions segment uses phosphate commodity products to produce specialty products; produces and markets phosphate-based fertilizers, as well as sulphuric acid, green phosphoric acid, and phosphate fertilizers; and manufactures thermal phosphoric acid for various industrial end markets, such as oral care, cleaning products, paints and coatings, water treatment, asphalt modification, construction, and metal treatment. It also develops and produces functional food ingredients and phosphate additives for use in the processed meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, beverage, and baked goods markets; and produces milk and whey proteins for the food ingredients industry. The IAS segment develops, manufactures, markets, and sells fertilizers based primarily on nitrogen, potash, and phosphate, including water soluble specialty, liquid, soluble, and controlled-release fertilizers. It sells its products through marketing companies, agents, and distributors. The company was formerly known as Israel Chemicals Ltd. and changed its name to ICL Group Ltd in May 2020. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. The following companies are subsidiares of PerkinElmer: 2Cure LLC, Analytica of Branford, Applied Biosystems, Arnel Inc., ArtusLabs, Beijing Huaan Magnech Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Testing Lab Co. Ltd., Beijing OUMENG Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Bio Evolution SAS, BioLegend, BioLegend CNS Inc., BioLegend China Beijing Ltd., BioLegend Europe B.V., BioLegend France SAS, BioLegend GmbH, BioLegend Inc., BioLegend Japan KK, BioLegend Shenzhen Ltd., BioLegend Taiwan Ltd., BioLegend UK Ltd., BioLegend Ventures LLC, Bioo Scientific Corporation, Biosense Technologies Pvt Ltd., Boulder Diagnostics Europe GmbH, Caliper Life Sciences, Caliper Life Sciences Inc., Cambridge Research & Instrumentation Inc., CambridgeSoft, Ceiba Solutions, Chengdu PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Cisbio Asia Pacific Ltd, Cisbio Bioassays SAS, Cisbio China Ltd., Cisbio.com, DIA.Metra S.R.L., DNA Laboratories Sdn. Bhd., Dani Analitica S.r.l., Dexela, Dharmacon Inc., EUROIMMUN AG, EUROIMMUN Brasil Medicina Diagnostica Ltda., EUROIMMUN Diagnostics Espana S.L., EUROIMMUN France SAS, EUROIMMUN Hangzhou Medical Laboratory Diagnostics Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Italia Diagnostica Medica S.r.l., EUROIMMUN Japan Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics Canada Inc., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics China Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Laboratory Diagnostics South Africa Pty Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG, EUROIMMUN Polska Sp. z o.o., EUROIMMUN Portugal Unipessoal Lda., EUROIMMUN Schweiz AG, EUROIMMUN South East Asia Pte Ltd., EUROIMMUN Tianjin Medical Diagnostic Technology Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Turkey Tibbi Laboratuar Teshisleri A.S., EUROIMMUN UK Ltd., EUROIMMUN US Inc., EUROIMMUN US Real Estate LLC, Geospiza, Guangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Hangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Horizon Diagnostics Limited, Horizon Discovery, Horizon Discovery Biosciences Limited, Horizon Discovery Group Ltd., Horizon Discovery Inc., Horizon Discovery KK, Horizon Discovery Limited, Horizon Genomics GmbH, IDS Brasil Diagnosticos Ltda., Immunetics Inc., Immunodiagnostic Systems, Immunodiagnostic Systems Deutschland GmbH, Immunodiagnostic Systems France SAS, Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings Limited, Immunodiagnostic Systems Inc., Immunodiagnostic Systems Limited, Immunodiagnostic Systems SA, Inochem S.A. de C. V., Integromics S.L., Jiangsu Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., LabMetrix Technologies, Labtronics, Nexcelom Bioscience, Nexcelom Bioscience Holdings LLC, Nexcelom Bioscience Instruments Shanghai Co. 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Ltd., Signature Genomic Laboratories, Singapore Biosciences Pte Ltd., Solus Scientific Solutions Ltd., SonoVol Inc., Suomen Bioanalytiikka Oy, Surendra Genetic Labs, Suzhou PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Suzhou Sym-Bio LifeScience, Suzhou Sym-Bio Lifescience Co. Ltd., Synthetx Limited, Tulip Diagnostics, Tulip Diagnostics Pvt Ltd., Vanadis Diagnostics, Vanadis Diagnostics AB, ViaCell, ViaCord LLC, VisEn Medical, VisEn Medical Inc., Wallac Oy, Wellesley B.V., Xenogen Corporation, ZeLab SAS, and chemagen Biopolymer-Technologie AG. Read More If the mounting allegations of rape, sexual assault, and sexual misconduct against Donald Trump are true, Kathleen Willey still plans to support his candidacy for president of the United States, she told The Daily Beast in an interview on Monday afternoon. Ive never not voted, you know? she said, when asked the question. I think its one of the most important things you can do. Yes, I will vote for him, because I will never vote for Hillary Clinton. Asked to clarify that she was saying she would vote for Trump even if depictions of him as a sexual predator were accurate, she said, Thats a very hard question. I would not vote for Hillary Clinton, let me put it that way. I would not vote for Hillary Clinton. She also would not, she said, vote for Gary Johnson. I want Donald Trump to win, she said. In 1997, Willey accused President Bill Clinton of inviting her to his hotel room during the 1992 campaign (a request she claims she declined) and then, in 1993, sexually assaulting her during an Oval Office meeting in the White House, where she was a volunteer. Incidentally, the day of the alleged assault, her husband, who was under financial distress, committed suicide. Clinton denied the accusations under oath, during a 1998 grand jury testimony, saying, I didnt do any of that she was not telling the truth. With Clinton and Willey the only witnesses to the alleged crime, it came down to a he said-she said, and Clinton was never charged. Interestingly, the White House responded to Willey in the same way the Trump campaign responded to one of his recent accusers, Summer Zervos, a former Apprentice contestant: by producing a friendly letter Willey wrote to Clinton after the alleged assault took place as proof that it must not have occurred as she said it did. Whatever happened that day in 1993, Willey has become an important tool for the 2016 Republican presidential nominee as a seemingly endless stream of (mostly blond) women has emerged to accuse him of acting on that now famous proclamation that his star power allows him to grab women by the pussy without repercussions. Along with Juanita Broaddrick, who claims then-Attorney General Clinton raped her in Arkansas, and Paula Jones, who says then-Governor Clinton sexually harassed her in his office, Willey has appeared at a press conference with Trump, a presidential debate as his guest, and on Fox News, for a sit-down special with the exceedingly sympathetic Sean Hannity. Willey said she has no plans to attend the final presidential debate in Las Vegas, but since she received only 12 hours notice that shed be attending the last one in St. Louis, she isnt ruling out the possibility entirely. It was during that interview that Willey statedincorrectlythat she had not been contacted by any mainstream media outlets for interviews, when The Daily Beast and The Washington Post, among others, had reached out to her. Willey apologized for that during our phone call Monday, which she began by somewhat angrily accusing The Daily Beast of being responsible for a Daily Caller headline, Does Kathleen Willey Deserve Four Pinocchios?" I learned the hard way. They turn everything that I said, they turn it around and made itand worked it all against me, and made me look like a fool, she said. Hannity, she told The Daily Beast, is a safe space. I trust him, you know? she said. Theres not a lot of people I trust in media anymore. That distrust is mutual. Of all of Clintons accusers, Willey has the distinction of making the most outlandish claims. That ol Bubba is a sexual predator has never felt like all that much of a stretch, but a conversation with Willey, I learned Monday, features casual references to henchmen and secret police who she believes do all of her dirty workher being Hillary Clinton. Willey has said all sorts of hard-to-believe things, like accusing those henchmen of killing her cat, trying to kidnap her dogs, threatening her childreneven a son she told me she had to put up for adoption when she was a young womanand stabbing three of her car tires with a nail gun. She also appears to be an unreliable narrator. During our conversation, while on the topic of not giving interviews, she told me she hadnt been interviewed by Roger Stone, Trumps former aide, for his book The Clintons War on Women, in which shes featured prominently. He didnt interview me for that book, which actually shocked me, she said. I just said [to Stone], Didnt you ever think to interview me? And you know what his answer was? Well, I couldnt find you. Later, when I went back to my copy of the book while writing this story, I realized she actually wrote the books foreword. A subsequent call placed to Willey for an explanation was not answered. Stone did not immediately respond to a request for clarification. Willey said she believes all alleged victims of sexual assault deserve to be heard, but she questioned why so many women were coming out at once to accuse Trump so close to the election. Asked if she thought maybe they felt a civic duty, or felt like they were more likely to be believed now because there were so many other accusers, she said, If thats the case, where are all the women that Ive pleaded with to come out and tell their stories about Bill Clinton? She went on, Look, look, if what these things being said are trueand we will probably never know the truthheres my one question: Has he ever raped anybody? Informed that Trump was accused of rape by his ex-wife Ivana, who later recanted, Willey said, Has anybody accused him of rape besides his wife? Informed again that, yes, there is another accusation of questionable merit, made in court anonymously as Jane Doe, claiming Trump raped her when she was 13, Willey said, If thats true, lets hear her story. Lets hear her describe the rape like Juanita described it. She added, Its been really hard. You have no idea how hard it is to be called the namesbimbos and whores and skanks and slutsyou name it, and they all come from Hillary Clinton, and dont tell me that they dont, because I know that they do. Whether Clinton is saying those things behind closed doors, nobody can know. But we do know that, in the 10 days since Trump was caught on tape boasting about his ability to sexually assault women, he has attempted to tear down his accusers by claiming that they are not attractive enough for him to sexually assault or they are lying because they want fame or money. Since Friday, Oct. 7, Trump has been accused: by Zervos of abusing his power by making unwanted sexual advances; by Kristin Anderson, who said Trump put his hand up her skirt and touched her vagina at a nightclub in the 1990s; by Rachel Crooks, who claimed Trump kissed her on the mouth without her consent at Trump Tower in 2005; by Jessica Leeds, who said Trump groped her breasts and tried to put his hand up her skirt while sitting next to her on an airplane in the early 1980s; by Jill Harth, who said Trump sexually harassed and assaulted her in 1992; by Cathy Heller, who said in 1997, Trump grabbed her and kissed her on the mouth at a Mothers Day brunch at Mar-a-Lago; by Temple Taggart McDowell, who claimed Trump kissed her on the lips without permission in 1997, while she was competing in the Miss USA pageant; by Mindy McGillivray, who said Trump grabbed her butt at Mar-a-Lago in 2003; by Cassandra Searles, who said Trump grabbed her butt and invited her to his hotel room in 2013 while she participated in the Miss USA pageant; and by Natasha Stoynoff, who said Trump grabbed her and kissed her without consent in 2005 at Mar-a-Lago, where she was reporting a story for People magazine. What day is it? Willey said, half-joking. Its been a crazy week. Its been a really crazy week. It sure has. Locker-room talk has now been upgraded to boy talk. In her first major interview since the release of a 2005 tape in which her husband brags about sexually assaulting women, Melania Trump sat down with CNNs Anderson Cooper on Monday and blamed the whole thing on Billy Bush. Donald Trump, who she described as a teenage boy, was nothing but a victim of peer pressure and the left-wing media. Asked what she thought when she first viewed the video, Trumps third wife told Cooper, I said to my husband that the language is inappropriate, its not acceptable, and I was surprised, because that is not the man that I know. She went to say she doubts her husband even knew his microphone was on at the time, because shes never heard him engage in boy talk like this before. Then, she suggested Trump was egged on by Billy Bush to say dirty and bad stuff. CNNs Anderson Cooper has been at the center of Donald Trumps 2005 tape scandal from the moment he asked his first question at the second presidential debate a week ago. Are you saying that what you said on that bus 11 years ago, that you did not actually kiss women without consent or grope women without consent? Cooper asked Trump. He had to repeat some form of that question two more times before Trump asserted, No, I have not. It was that claim that has prompted numerous women to come forward over the past several days and accuse Trump of sexually assaulting them. Last week, Cooper interviewed both the first woman to speak out, Jessica Leeds, and the actress Arianne Zucker, who Trump and Billy Bush ogled in the 2005 video. On Monday, he got his chance to chat with Melania Trump, who was pregnant with the couples son Barron when her husband talked about grabbing women by the pussy. In a separate interview with Fox News Ainsley Earhardt set to air Tuesday morning on Fox & Friends, Melania Trump defended her husbands attempts to shift the focus off of himself and onto Bill Clintons past behavior with women. Theyre asking for it. They started from thefrom the beginning of the campaign putting mymy picture from modeling days, she said, seeming to blame the Clinton campaign for the nude photos of her that ended up on the cover of the right-wing, pro-Trump New York Post earlier this summer. That was my modeling days and Im proud what I did. I worked very hard. In addition to laying blame on Billy Bush, who just this afternoon lost his job at the Today show as a result of the tape, Melania Trump suggested that a media conspiracy was responsible for the timing of its release. Its many people from the opposite side and they want to damage the campaign, she said. And why now? Why after so many years? Why three weeks before the election? She blamed NBC, Access Hollywood, and the rest of the left-wing media for essentially sabotaging her husbands campaign. (Editors Note: Access Hollywood is not a part of the so-called left-wing media.) The opposition doesnt want to talk about WikiLeaks and the emails and Benghazi and all the rest of the stuff, they dont want to talk about it, Trump added. So they said lets do something so we can hurt his campaign. As for two of Donald Trumps favorite targets, The New York Times and The Washington Post, she asked, When didnt we hear or read any great stories about my husband or about me? All she sees is bashing, bashing, bashing. When Cooper asked Melania Trump to weigh in directly on the locker-room talk excuse that her husband used in the second debate, she said, Yeah, its kind of like two teenage boys, actually, they should behave better, right? Cooper had to remind her that Trump was 59 years old at the time of the tape. Sometimes I said I have two boys at home: I have my young son and I have my husband, she said, laughing. But, I know how some men talk and that's how I saw it, yes. Melania Trump also responded to first lady Michelle Obamas powerful speech last week in a way Donald Trump has so far resisted the urge to do. While the first lady labeled the behavior described by Trump on the tape as sexual assault, Melania Trump said, No, thats not sexual assault, and relayed stories about women giving her husband their phone numbers in front of her. As Cooper read additional quotes from Obamas speech, Trump shot back, Im not surprised. I mean, she should also look maybe the people who supported her, what theyre doing. So Im not surprised she said that. Asked if she believes all nine of the women who have made sexual assault accusations against her husband are lying, she repeated the same statement two times: I believe my husband. I believe my husband. What does she think about the way Trump has demeaned their looks at his rallies, saying one of the women wouldnt be his first choice? In Melania Trumps words, Thats him. Hes raw. He will say it as he feels it. So, you know, I know he respects women, but hes defending himself because theyre lies. Melania Trump might not be able to control her teenage husband, but she is still trying to retain some semblance of normalcy for their young son, Barron. We talk a lot, a lot about the campaign. We talk about the language because I dont allow that he uses bad language, she told Cooper. Hes in that age, and older boys are in that age, that, yeah, they say some bad words and its very normal. Theyre growing up. But I tell him that, you know, there are consequences as well and he needs to be careful about the language he uses. Its a lesson she may have learned from her husband, a man who has never been careful about the language he uses and will most likely face some consequences on Nov. 8. By the end of the first day of the highly anticipated offensive for the Iraqi city of Mosul, there were two warsthe one on the battlefield and the one fought in words by officials seeking to shape the most important battle ever against the self-proclaimed Islamic State. On Monday, some officials were eager to promote that even as ISIS had slowed ground troop advances with mortar fire and smoke billowing from burned oil fields, its loss was inevitable. Iraqi officials reportedly said they reclaimed 17 villages. The U.S. repeatedly insisted the Iraqis are in the lead, even as they privately conceded that the fight for Mosul could put U.S. troops in harms way. And as the days fighting subsided, Kurdish leaders said that despite past tensions, Arab and Kurd forces would find common ground through this battle. This is the first time the blood of the Peshmerga and the Iraqi forces are mixed. We hope its a good start to create a bright future for both sides, Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan region, said Monday. Meanwhile, at the Pentagon, spokesman Peter Cook said Day 1 of the campaign was ahead of schedule but did not say how. A U.S. defense official told The Daily Beast that Iraqi and Kurdish forces expected to meet more resistance than they did. Some defense officials suggested that while they were happy with Mondays outcome, they would not be ready to celebrate until Iraqi and Kurdish forces had moved into the city center, which would be the ultimate metric of ISISs willingness to fight for the Iraqi capital of its so-called caliphate. Together, Arab and Kurdish forces make up at least 45,000 troopsand as many as 80,000that are confronting an estimated 5,000 ISIS fighters in Mosul, according to U.S. estimates. The U.S.-led coalition also is conducting airstrikes on behalf of Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, including four such strikes Monday, according to a coalition press release. Several hundred U.S. ground forces are at headquarters in the back of the frontline troops, defense officials said, advising and giving local forces intelligence, forward air controllers, and other support. So far, those forces have remained behind the front line, defense officials said, staying with the headquarters units that are the caboose of the Iraqi Special Forces moving north toward Mosul and Kurdish forces moving westward. It remains unclear, however, U.S. officials said, how much risk U.S. forces will face in what could be a months-long battle for Mosul. Could U.S. forces enter Mosul, alongside their Iraqi counterparts? Speaking before reporters Monday Cook at first said it was possible, noting he did not want to rule anything in or out. Later he said: Americans are again playing an adviser role, an enabler role for these Iraqi forces Most of the American forces in Iraq are not anywhere close to the front line. The role of the US forces today is no different than up to this point of the two-year U.S. involvement in Iraq supporting the fight against ISIS. Even before the battle for Mosul began, there has been a general sense of inevitability about the outcome in favor of the Iraqi and Peshmerga forces. The worry is about what happens after, when the spoils of the largely Sunni and Kurd oil-rich city are divided among the Shiite-led government, the Shiite militias that are joining the battle, the Iraqi forces, the Peshmerga, and states like Turkey and Iran, which has played a role in the battle against ISIS. Perhaps because of that, some are trying to shape the outcome even before it happens through rhetoric, hoping todays words will mitigate tensions in post-ISIS Mosul. Cook said that in the next two days, the coalition would be dropping 7 million leaflets for the roughly 1 million civilians trapped in Mosul, urging them to stay inside and hunker down such that they are not confused with ISIS fighters. U.S. officials said they were not aware of any Kurdish or Arab force deaths, or civilian casualties, during the first day of fighting. Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, fell under ISIS control June 10, 2014, when the terror group easily claimed the city as Iraqi forces shed their uniforms and fled. Wresting Mosul from ISIS would effectively mark the end of the group inside Iraq, as it has lost control of nearly every Iraqi city once under its control, including Fallujah, Ramadi, Baiji, Tikrit, and Hit. The only place left for ISIS to flee, should Mosul fall, is the nearby city of Hawijah. So far, officials said, there is no indication that ISIS fighters have fled there since the operation began. We will know in the next few days how much they are willing to fight, one defense official concluded. Trevor Noah attempted to open The Daily Show Monday night by talking about the recent conflict in Yemen, but he quickly admitted, I get that most Americans are tired of hearing about wars in the Middle East, especially when you have your own war at home against the Tic Tac-sucking pussy monster. So from there, he really had no choice but to pivot to Donald Trump. As Trumps chances of winning the 2016 presidential election continue to shrink, the Republican candidates claims that the system is rigged have only grown louder. Theres a reason everything is going wrong for Donald Trump, Noah said. Its because he is a terrible man, who has done terrible things, and has a terrible plan for the country. But according to Trump, its because everyones against him, including international banks, the blacks, and most of all the thing he cant live without: the crooked media. Oh, Donald Trump, the media is not rigged against you, Noah said. Theyre just recording what you say and playing it back. If anything, youre rigging your own campaign. Noah suggested that perhaps Trump doesnt realize that hes the one on TV saying the things that make him look bad, thinking, Whos that guy? He makes me look like shit! He compared him to a gorilla that doesnt recognize itself in a mirror. But, perhaps wanting to avoid the lawsuit Trump brought against Bill Maher for a similar joke, he clarified, Trump is not a wild animal, because if he was, his sons would have killed him by now. Seriously, Donald Trump, the media has given you billions of dollars of free air time, you realize that? Billions of dollars! Noah said. How are they rigging it against you? Even your empty podium has been on TV more than Gary Johnson and Jill Stein combined. Like a particularly unpleasant onion, Donald Trump continues to reveal new, deeper layers of bias and repugnancy. As a man who jump-started his political career through the birther movement, Trump has unsurprisingly run on a platform of barely concealed racism. And while Donalds disdain for Mexicans, refugees, and inner cities is well-documented, he has reached new lows by adding a serious serving of misogyny to his campaign cocktail of white tears and xenophobic fears (but seriously, ladiesdont drink a Donald Trump cocktail). The recently released tape of Donald Trump bragging about groping women has non-consensually inserted itself in the national political discourse, introducing us all to some new phrases we wish we could forget. In addition to forever changing the way we look at Tic-Tacs, Trumps brags about grabbing women by the pussy and kissing them without permission have reignited the conversation surrounding sexual assault. In past election cycles, this issue has been discussed primarily as a concern on college campusesor worse, not at all. If Trumps locker room talk has a single silver lining, aside from increasing pepper spray sales and decreasing the televised presence of Billy Bush, its a heightened awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual assault and sexually predatory behavior. As Americas first female almost-president, Hillary Clinton is uniquely qualified to steer this traumatic tape towards a crucial conversation. Clinton understands, more than any major presidential candidate before her, that women arent just wives and mothers. Theyre people whose concerns are just as valid as the other half of the populations. And theyre also voters. In a new video produced by the group Hillary for Humanity, the Clinton campaign centers these consistently underrepresented voices through compelling video testimonials. The spot intersperses womens stories with egregious sound bites from the Republican nominee himself. Donald Trumps hateful speech, which has made so many peoples lives harder, is an undisputed boon for the masterminds tasked with producing Clintons viral content. In the age of receipts, former Secretary Clinton has an oversized purse full of ammo just waiting to take down her competition. The video begins by focusing in on Trumps leaked conversation. In and of itself, this noxious bravado has been enough to convince many undecided voters and registered Republicans to reconsider their approach to the ballot box. Next, Oscar-nominated director Liz Garbus (What Happened, Miss Simone?) gives the mic to women, who share personal stories that range from street harassment to sexual assault. These women, like Donald Trump, dont shy away from vulgar languageof course, in their case, its used to illustrate how locker room talk routinely seeps into the real world in the form of threats, cat calls, and sexual violence. While these stories vary in topic, snaking along a spectrum from routinized harassment to rape, they share the same tone of fear, anger, and futility. From Donald Trumps tapes to the normalization of rape and everything in between, these women speak to the constant reminder, blaring from our streets and our television sets, that our bodies are not our own. In the world of politics, Trumps disgusting statements mark a new nadir. But in the world of female experience, this brand of banter and the actions that often accompany it are all but universal. As actress Amber Tamblyn, one of many featured female celebrities, explains, I think people like Donald Trump will never understand the correlation that women understand between words and actions. Especially when youre a man in a position of power, and you talk that way publicly, and you say those things. You are telling the world, you are telling everyone that its ok to behave that way. Another woman flashes onscreen: Its not just words, it happens every day. Its happened to me more times than I can count. As voters continued to be triggered by the callous brags of a proud groper, team Trump decided to go on the offensive. The Hillary video samples clips of the toxic candidate dismissing allegations of sexual assault, proclaiming, Theyre pure fiction and theyre outright lies. Of course, this approach was anything but reassuring to survivors, who are accustomed to having their experiences mocked and dismissed. Fittingly, we hear women recall times when they were not believed; when their voices were silenced and their attackers were found innocent. Unfortunately, Trumps non-apology tour isnt the first time weve heard a man shame victims and vilify women in an attempt to deflect blame. The video closes on another one of Hillarys strengthsA-list celebrities. In addition to the usual high-profile suspects, the clip highlights the words and experiences of stars who have been particularly vocal on the issue of sexual assault. It features Rose McGowan, who just called on Hollywood players to blacklist abusers, as well as Amber Tamblyn, who came forward as a survivor in the wake of the Trump tapes controversy, and Amy Schumer, who recently opened up about her own sexual assault in her funny and poignant memoir. These famous faces are just a few of the thousands of women who have recently spoken out about their own sexual abuse, fighting back against a history of silence and shame. At the end of the clip, stars including Lena Dunham, Meryl Streep, and Whoopi Goldberg join forces against sexual assault and harassment, insisting that Its not ok. Its a compelling catchphrase, capturing the strange mix of intense backlash and exhausted futility thats characterized the culminating months of this surreal campaign. Until October 6, corrections officers knew exactly where to find Christopher Bubba Padgett. If the convicted murderer so much stepped outside the range of his house-arrest ankle monitor, the machine would notify the Hamilton County, Tennessee Corrections Department. But when Padgett, 22, cut his ankle monitor and went on the run, the Hamilton County Corrections Department was sleeping. Since 2011, the department has only tracked its ankle monitors during business hours, an investigation by the Chattanooga Times Free Press found. On weekends, holidays, and night hours, parolees had a figurative hall pass. And during one unsupervised evening shift, a murderer disappeared into the night, his absence unnoticed until the morning. Christopher Padgett was supposed to land in prison on October 7, when a Chattanooga jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery. Instead, the state has now slapped him on Tennessees 10 Most Wanted list. The night before his final court appearance, where he was found guilty in absentia, Padgett cut off his ankle monitor and went on the lam. He remains at large, convicted of the brutal murder of a cab driver. The Hamilton County Corrections Department uses ankle monitors from SCRAM Systems, which alerts corrections officers if the strap on an ankle monitor is severed. An immediate alert is sent to whoever has been set up to get the alerts. They can choose whether to get a text or an email or both, SCRAM spokesperson Kathleen Brown told The Daily Beast. She added that its possible for a person to cut a monitor from their ankle. Its not easy-easy with scissors, but it needs to be removable, she said. If someone is in a car accident or the emergency room, they need to be able to get it off. Were not making them out of titanium its not super-easy, but you can get it off with scissors. In theory, police would be notified as soon as the monitor was cut. But the high-tech notification system only matters if someone is logged on and reading the alertsand after 2011 budget cuts, Hamilton County stopped checking the monitors outside normal business hours. Any issues that take place outside of business hours are addressed the following [business] day, Chris Jackson, director of Hamilton County Corrections Department told the Times Free Press.If not for a text message, the corrections office might not have learned of Padgetts escape until employees logged into their work computers the next morning. Jackson told the Times Free Press that he asked SCRAM Systems to send him notifications about any suspicious activity from Padgett, who was entering the final days of his murder trial. But when a 1:40 a.m. text message announced that Padgetts monitor had been cut, Jackson was sleeping. He wouldnt see the alert until 6 a.m., over four hours after Padgett is believed to have fled his home. Jackson brought the severed ankle monitor to the final date of Padgetts trial the next morning, where he testified that he had no idea where the fugitive was. Padgetts aggravated defense attorney wheeled the missing mans chair to the back of the courtroom. After two hours, the jury found Padgett guilty of the 2012 murder of Nathan Deere, a Chattanooga taxi driver who was found barely alive in the drivers seat of his cab. Deere had been shot in the back of the head, robbed, and left to die. He passed away in a hospital the next morning. Despite his absence from the courtroom, Padgett was sentenced to life in prison on murder and robbery charges. Prosecutors said if Padgett had bothered to show up, he might have had a better chance at winning his case. It was a case based largely on circumstantial evidence, prosecutor Cameron Williams told Chattanoogas News 12. I think that they got to hear about him running, him cutting off the band, and I think that was another piece of circumstantial evidence. Padgett had only been on house arrest a week before his escape. Arrested for Deeres murder in 2012, Padgett was freed on bail, then sent back to jail in 2015 after it was determined that he violated the terms of his parole. On September 30, 2016, just four days before his trial was set to start, Padgetts mother bailed him out again. She testified that she sold two cars to make a $30,000 payment to four bond companies, which combined to pay Padgetts $350,000 bond. After Padgetts escape, the companies are on the hook for the six-figure sum. And the Hamilton County Corrections Department is on the hook for the 23 people wearing Padgetts brand of ankle monitors, as well as another 109 people wearing an older make of house arrest anklet. Reached by phone Tuesday, neither the Corrections Department nor the mayors office would answer whether they plan to hire employees to watch ankle monitors during off-hours, or if parolees would be free to skip house arrest after corrections officers log off at 6 p.m. Donald Trumps supporters need to understand that his campaign isnt about making their lives better. Donalds campaign is about fueling his narcissism. Id argue its also about healing a wound inflicted on Donald back in 2011 at the White House Correspondents Dinner. There, President Barack Obama and Seth Meyers teased Donald relentlessly as cameras captured him swallowing their jibes with obvious bitterness. That fateful night, I believe, is when his campaign started. I believe he is that narcissistic and shallow. I believe its a driving motive behind his shameful campaign, which has convinced half of the country to throw away everything that we stand for. The single greatest threat to our country and our way of life is our tendency to focus on what divides us. Both parties are guilty of it. Thats why Ive been an Independent since the early 90s when I left the Republican party. Most Americansboth parties seem to forgetsit in the middle 25% of the political spectrum. This election cycle, I endorsed John Kasich who I considered our best hope for bringing unity to a bitterly divided nation. Faced with the threat posed by Donald Trump, I endorsed Hillary Clinton in August, the first time I've ever publicly endorsed a Democrat. Watching Donald implode these past few weeks, I endorse Clinton more strongly now than even then. Donald Trumpand the discord hes sownis not who we are. The man bragged about sexually assaulting women. He can call it locker room talk, but even if the remarks had been made in a locker room, they are still inexcusable. And they're not who we are. Donald Trump has boasted about inviting himself in to dressing rooms at the beauty pageant he owns, using his power as its owner to gawk at women in various states of undress, and, in other instances allegedly gone beyond just inappropriate talk. And thats not who we are. Donald Trump led a campaign to prove that the first black President of this country was born in Africa and therefore illegitimate. He called the President a secret Muslim, questioning his Christian faith. He is racist and beneath contempt. And that's not who we are. Donald Trump continues to assert the guilt of the Central Park Five, who've been wrongfully imprisoned, one for 13 years. The Five have been vindicated by a judge but Trumpa stubborn narcissist who refuses to be wrongstill denies their innocence. Thats not who we are. At long last, Trump's campaign is imploding. But Trump and his "enablers in chief" Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway and Jason Miller are deploying a new and despicable plan urging supporters to intimidate minority voters at polling places. Does that sound familiar? Jim Crow was a dark period in our nation's history. And its not who we are today. Ive long warned that nominating Donald Trump would be a grave danger for my former party spelling the demise of the Party of Lincoln. Ive long warned that Donalds profound narcissism leaves him emotionally incapable of leadership. It's that narcissism that leads him to admire totalitarianism and dictators like Vladimir Putin and Saddam Hussein who employ brutal repression, jailing, torture, and execution of their opponents. But he doesnt just admire themsomewhere deep in his psyche he fantasizes about a reality in which few dare criticize them. I understand that a significant portion of this country feels left behind. I understand frustration with Washington. Many of us share those same frustrations. I understand, too, that a rapidly changing, diversifying country creates anxiety for some. Hillary Clinton was wrong to say that 50% of Donalds supporters belong in a basket of deplorables. (I'd estimate the number at 15-20%). But most of his supporters have simply been tricked into believing untruths spread by America's profit-driven conservative media. Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter and many like them have a clear financial interest in a Hillary Clinton victory, which would be a financial boon for them. Similarly self-interested, many of Donalds surrogates dont truly support him. They are simply taking advantage of lucrative cable news jobs that would've been off-limits to them otherwise. Even Mike Pence, Donalds Vice Presidential nominee seems to be banking on Donald losing as he eyes the 2020 Republican primary. Conservatives must understand that Donald is a liberal. Thats why Donald has yet to defend conservatism on a national stage, when the cameras are on and where the words are coming from his mouth for us to see. Instead, he prefers to stoke people's fear and their irrational hate for the Clintons, Mexicans, Muslims, various reporters and even a real-life baby. Thats not conservatism. Donald Trump can never be President the ramifications of his election would be existential to the Republic. Hes the antithesis of everything good about America and Americans. We saw this on full display in the last debate with Hillary standing poised and composed, as Donald loomed creepily over here. And what was the topic? Donald defending his sexual abuseand his vile comments about women. This is not who we are. And no, Ive gotten nothing from the Clinton campaign or its allies. My endorsement wasnt solicited by the campaign. This is about appealing to our better angels so that together we can fight off the existential threat to our Republic presented by Donald and his reckless behavior. This is about the oath I took more than 40 years agoas a United States Marineto support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Hillary Clinton is imperfect, and I hesitated at first in supporting her. But the past two weeks have proven it was the right choice; and indeedthe only choice. There remain only a few weeks until this election is finally over. And barring some momentous yet unforeseen news, Donald Trump will be defeatedperhaps soundly sogiving America its first-ever woman president in Hillary Clinton. But any celebration of that historic milestone no doubt will be tempered by the psychic costs this nation has endured through this election. On the day after voting, even assuming calm prevails, many of you will be wondering outright: What now? Over the last 16 months, we collectively watched the tone of this campaign descend, from uncivil to outrageous to outright dangerous. Mr. Trump has played cynically to our darkest instincts, and hes done much to draw us farther apart politicallyeven those within his own party. The forces he has rallied, and the sentiments he has stirred, are likely to infect our public discourse well past this election. He has led us down a course from which many worry we cannot readily turn back. Forgive me for playing the age card, but let me assure younger readers of this: In my eight decades as an American, I have seen worse. Many of you know that my family lost our home and spent years in an internment camp because of the very kind of rhetoric and fear that Mr. Trump deploys today. Many forget that it was a Democratic president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who issued the executive order that set the internment in motion. And few realize that it was a liberal icon, then-Republican California Attorney General Earl Warren, who stoked prejudice and panic in my home state around Japanese Americans, riding a wave of populist hysteria all the way to the governors office. Back then, as now, this was not a partisan issue. It was a human one. Related: George Takei on How the LGBT Community Can Lead America to a Sane Gun Policy I mention Warren because I believe that even the greatest human minds are fallible, sometimes dangerously so. But I also believe that, in a nation that values redemption, both for itself and its inhabitants, we may rightfully hold out hope that the greatest transgressors and offenders might one day come to regret their actions and atone for their mistakes. It is both ironic and reassuring that the politician Warren, who once contributed to so much racial animus and misery, should become Chief Justice Warren of the U.S. Supreme Court, the architect of desegregation in the seminal case of Brown v. Board of Education. I have to believe that it was partly the shame he bore from his earlier actions that led him to more compassionate and just decisions. Thus, out of the pain and devastation of the internment arose an impactful voice and force for racial harmony and equality. As for my family and my community, though we were shattered by our incarceration, we rebuilt and recovered as best we could. More critically, the attitude of our fellow Americans changed markedly once the war was over. While many still harbored strong biases against us for years, in time the virulent hatred, which once drove a country to lock up 120,000 of its own without charge or trial, became a more distant pain. Today, it is hard for any young person to conceive that America once despised and feared us because we happen to look like the people who bombed Pearl Harbor, or that Japan was once our sworn enemy at all. I recount this not to minimize but rather to highlight the dangers of racial, religious and ethnic profiling, which sadly continue to bear strong currency in todays political cycle. Yet I take heart not only in past mistakes overcome, but in the bright future I know lies ahead. You see, I am ever an optimist. A poll taken in August of voters aged 18-34 showed that the vast majority favored Clinton over Trump64 percent to 29 percent. That split tells me the same thing that the polls for same-sex marriage told us years ago: Over time, reason and fairness will win out, while bigotry and hatred literally would die off. In 20 years, you will all be in charge, and demonstrate far less appetite or patience for Trumps brand of nativist rhetoric and race baiting. Trump and his supporters understand they are on borrowed time, and while they may seem resurgent today, this in fact could be their last chance to take control. Our country is rapidly moving on from their discredited and archaic worldview. Perhaps that is why the death throes of their campaign are so spectacular. You are in many ways wiser to the world than your older counterparts. You came of age in a time where there was greater cause for skepticism, and youre accustomed to the non-stop barrage of social media. Unlike your parents, you understand that we all live in an echo chamber, and that it is up to each of us to depart from it to hear alternative points of view. You are more likely to place your trust in science and embrace diversity, to reject hate while celebrating love in all its manifestations. You are more focused on racial justice and equality of opportunity than the two generations before you. And contrary to common myth, you are not disengaged. In this election cycle, millions of young voters made their concerns heard and very nearly succeeded in realigning the entire election. Nor are you impractical; even when your favored candidate did not succeed, you stuck by your convictions and goals, and in overwhelming numbers now support the party that will best advance them. Related: George Takeis 9 Favorite Star Trek Memes You have also absorbed the lesson of your peers in the United Kingdom. If the Brexit vote taught anything, it is that the future can only hold great promise if we do not wholly upend the present. Younger British voters favored remaining in the European Union by a large measure. Had they not taken the Remain vote for granted, had they turned out in big enough numbers to support it, their future would have stayed their own. Instead, an older and more fearful demographic got its way, throwing the nations entire future into doubt. It is at these very turning points, these moments of great decision, when the young must stake out their claim and seize their own future. I have no doubt that young Americans everywhere intend to do just that, and will indeed turn out in force to defeat the threat that Trump represents. And I have no doubt that through the years that follow, you will also take the lessons of 2016 to heart, and never again permit America to teeter on the brink. I have such confidence because I have seen and heard often from so many of you, each day on social media. You give me much cherished hope, through your heart and your passion and your commitment to the future, to this nation, to this planet. I am privileged to have been taught by you, and I look forward to the day you are in charge. The funniest, most original voice on TV this fall belongs to an awkward black girl: Issa Rae, creator and star of HBOs singular new comedy Insecure. Rae is the first black woman to create and star in her own show since Wanda Sykess Wanda at Large went off the air in 2003. Shes aware of the significance of her job title, and why its celebrated by those who champion diversity and inclusion on TV. Her success is testament to the slow, incremental erosion of the barriers still facing creators of color. But the joy surrounding Insecure, which airs its third episode this Sunday, is rooted in much more than the fact of Raes existence. Its in the particularity of her perspective and the profane wit of her humor. (The shows pilot alone will leave the phrase broken pussy reverberating in your head for days.) And, at a time when conversations about diversity often boil down to mere visibilitywhos seen onscreen, who speaks, who survives their storyline without dipping into reductive tropes or stereotypesRae does the industry one better: She normalizes. On Insecure, race is a distinct yet almost casual fact of life. Characters date, work and navigate life in South Los Angelesa black and Latino-dominated section of the city often ignored on TVthe same way white characters do on other millennial-driven prestige sitcoms: as flawed, fully realized human beings. Theres a slacker with a heart of gold; a dating app-addicted lawyer; a non-profit worker still dreaming of what might have been and what could beeach with quirks, fascinations, and anxieties universal enough for anyone to relate to. Theyre real characters, says Rae, who embrace their race as part of their identity yet arent necessarily burdened by it, or living with race as a consequence. Theyre normaljust a different kind of normal than the one you usually see on TV. Rae, a Stanford graduate who caught HBOs attention with the success of her hit web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, chalks up the absence of more narratives like theseones told through an unapologetically black lens yet not beholden to race-specific issuesto the misguided belief that mainstream (white) audiences find it difficult to relate to people of color. The notion makes her laugh. It was like, were just living, like you! she says. Even as a person of color, there are instances where you do talk about race, but there are lots of instances where you dont. Youre just like, How am I gonna pay this bill? Or What is this job? What am I doing in life? Tapping into real-life anxieties about ordinary life stuff, she says, was one of the easiest parts of her job. The existential panic of nearing ones thirties; the ennui of long-term relationships; the dread of wasting ones life in the wrong careerall incisively and hilariously reflected through Raes onscreen alter-ego, a slightly narcissistic youth liaison also named Issa. Issa Dee raps soliloquies about the days events in front of her bathroom mirror. She tries on new personas with every lipstick. Shes five years deep into a relationship with a man shes not sure shes in love with anymore. And shes best friends with a beautiful, high-powered lawyer (played by Yvonne Orji) whom she calls the Will Smith of corporate for her enviable code-switching abilities. (White people looove Molly. Black people also looove Molly, Issa intones in voiceover.) She weathers the occasional micro-aggression from clueless white coworkersand nightmare questions from the middle-schoolers she works with like, Why you talk like a white girl? But being aggressively passive in response is her thing: ask Issa what on fleek means, that is, and shell smile innocently and say she doesnt know. Insecures casual deftness at skewering this particular kind of interaction is a hard trick to pull off, even for Rae, who practically perfected the art in Awkward Black Girl. Just as a person sometimes, youre so used to the micro-aggressions that you hear, or conversations where you feel like youre being undermined, that stuff like that I dont really have at the front of my mind, she says. Tapping into those experiences in the writers room became a task in itself, if only because the very nature of being a person of color is always having your eyes open and being like, Well, this is whats gonna happen. People are going to perceive me a certain way, but Im used to it, she explains. And while depicting everyday racism on television isnt new, Raes knack for writing it into a script with such offhand specificity is. Her approach, as she sees it, is to turn the experiences into casual elements of the storyline, as opposed to like, Now everythings changed because shes had this racist moment! Its like, no, life goes on. The result is an effortless, authentic look through the eyes of an everyday American of color, one Rae likes to call autobiographical fiction. She estimates 80 to 85 percent of her real personality is in Issa, though shes careful to add, Im just more empathetic. Another important distinction: I know what I want to do, career-wise. Rae has been a performer since her teenage years at a magnet high school in the South L.A. neighborhood of Windsor Hills. At Stanford, she majored in African and African-American studies and wrote and produced her own stage adaptation of Spike Lees School Daze. It was also there that she began making web videossilly ones at first, mostly parodies of music videosand posting them on a then-brand new site called YouTube. Shed planned to pitch her first web seriesa low-budget, Real World-like mockumentary she made with friends called Dorm Diariesto MTV or BET after graduating and moving to New York City in 2007. But that dream was dashed when thieves broke into her apartment, making off with every camera and laptop she owned, and even her scripts. It was around this time, as she found herself in debt, depressed, and directionless, that she created a sketch character based on herself: a misanthropic, funny black heroine named J (Raes full name is Jo-Issa Rae Diop), who became the star of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. The viral success of Awkward Black Girlthe series has amassed more than 25 million views and 200,000 subscribers since its first episode posted in 2011and the freshness of its perspective on black life led to an offer from HBO for Rae to develop her own series, under the guidance of sitcom veteran Larry Wilmore. The two immediately clicked and got to work writing a pilot. A year and a half into the development process, however, Comedy Central came knocking and stole Raes mentor away to become the new host of The Nightly Show. That worried Rae, and left her unsure if she was up to the task on her own. She was also becoming impatient: I was like, I can produce this right now and put it out there and there would be an audience! she remembers. Now, three years after starting her new gig, Rae is relieved Insecure took the time it did. Shes got a solid showrunner in Prentice Penny, another celebrated TV veteran, and a license to change the way black women are seen on TVor at least, to add a different, more grounded reality to whats already in pop culture. Issa and Mollys best friendship, for instance, is the kind rarely seen between black girlfriends on TV. Each is immensely supportive, neither hesitates to call bullshit when warranted, and their squabbles dont devolve into hair-pulling screaming matches. Rae loves reality shows, she says, but after enough time of seeing the same depictions over and over again, youre like, ugh, my friends arent like that. Other cultures are seeing this and its kind of rising to the top of pop culture and people think that this is it for us, she says. And I just wanted a balance. Its OK that those shows exist, but when youre not seeing anything else youre kind of like, Eh, lets put something else out into the universe. Humanizing a part of L.A. often sold to white audiences as the hood or the ghetto also ranked high on Raes list of priorities. She grew up in South L.A. and now lives and keeps production offices in Inglewood. I wanted to make it sexy, she says, and show that, yes, theres poverty there, there are gang members there, but theres also affluence, theres middle-class, and everybody meshes together. Theres so much beauty there and so much richness in that area. So I wanted to give it more context. Mostly though, Rae just wants her audience to relate to the characters onscreen; to prove risk-averse TV execs wrong when they fret about whether white people will relate to black or brown characters. So far, the plan is workingthe response from fans both new to Raes work and ABG diehards has been enthusiastic. And why wouldnt it be? TVs been starved for a perspective like Raes for years. Now she hears people gush at how much of themselves and their world they see in her work: Oh my gosh, thats how me and my girlfriends talk, or oh my gosh, Im living through that! Those things make me feel like were hitting a regular person nerve, Rae says, a smile seeping into her voice. And I love that. ROME A fuzzy photo shows the decapitated marble head of an ancient Roman statue; the grainy image is standing in for the gilded sales bills usually displayed in the worlds finest auction houses. There are no certificates of authenticity or patrimony for these artifacts either, just maps with red markings. This is no ordinary art show. The maps in question show ancient Roman and Greek tombs that have been pillaged in Libya. These artifacts have been put on the market by Italys Calabrian Ndrangheta, who are working with the Neapolitan Camorra criminal gang. The showroom is a Mafia-controlled salami factory in southern Italy. The photos of the stolen loot were shown to Domenico Quirico, an undercover journalist from La Stampa newspaper who was posing as an art collector. He was working with Italys Patrimony Police, who have been trying to break an illicit art-for-weapons ring that has been thriving in southern Italy for months. The marble head, which dates back to the days of the Roman Empire, is going for just $66,000. Another statue, much larger and much older, dating back to ancient Greek times, is going for more than $1 million, but the dealers told Quirico he could have it for $880,000. Quiricos expose uncovered an elaborate ring that is apparently operating in plain view. The illicit art is brought into Italy on Chinese-flagged cargo ships coming from Sirte to the Calabria port of Gioia Tauro, easily the most dangerous port in the country characterized by a mass of illegally constructed buildings mostly made out of abandoned ship containers. It is here that the Ndrangheta has, for years, run the biggest drug-smuggling business in Europe. On Monday, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano confirmed La Stampas reporting, adding that the Italian government is acutely aware the illegal ring of art-for-arms funds jihadi terrorism in nearby Libya. We have studied the GDP of terror and we know that one of the components is the commercialization of stolen art, he told reporters. The stolen artifacts feed ISIS and contribute to the GDP of terror. The Italian criminal gangs reportedly acquire the artifacts from jihadi tomb raiders in Libya in exchange for a wide range of weaponry, including Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades that the Camorra have in great supply from a long-standing arms-trafficking racket with Russia, Moldova, and the Ukraine. The weapons are either smuggled back to Libya on the same container ships or left in Europe to be picked up by foreign fighters here. In September, Italys financial police discovered what they called a veritable arsenal of the Camorra in a stolen car in an abandoned parking lot in a slummy suburb of Naples. In the trunk, divided among duffel bags, were eight pistols, four sub-machine guns, an assault rifle, and 650 rounds of ammunition along with silencers for the weapons. The serial numbers had been scratched off all the weapons, according to police sources. The car was left unlocked, the weapons apparently ready for pickup by someone who could have easily smuggled them into Northern Europe. Once the art-for-weapons exchange is made, the artifacts are sold on the black market to art collectors who dont care about provenance. According to Italys patrimony police, the bulk of the loot stolen from Libya ends up in private collections in Russia, China, and Japan. Quirico was told that if he didnt buy the marble statue head, it would go to someone in the United Arab Emirates who had been looking for just such a piece. He was also told that a famous American actor had sent someone snooping around for some Greek or Roman artifacts for under $50,000, that they hadnt found yet. It is no secret that ISIS has been in the illegal-artifact business for years. Loot pillaged from Iraq and Syria often ends up on the black market. Last April, Vitaly Churkin, Russias ambassador to the United Nations, warned the UN Security Council that the trafficking of illegal ancient artifacts was funding terrorism. Around 100,000 cultural objects of global importance, including 4,500 archaeological sites are under the control of the Islamic State... in Syria and Iraq, Churkin wrote. The profit derived by the Islamists from the illicit trade in antiquities and archaeological treasures is estimated at US$150-200 million per year. Those treasures were trafficked through Turkey and sold directly to private collectors. Now it is clear that the illicit trade also extends to Libya, where the Italian gangs have been trying to make inroads into the lucrative terror-supply business for years and where, according to La Stampa, special militias in Libya have enslaved local archeologists to do the digging and dirty work for them at all five of Libyas UNESCO World Heritage sites. According to art historian and journalist Luca Nannipieri, whose book The Art of Terror was released in Italy last week, much of the looted art sold by the self-declared Islamic State ends up in museums, universities, and foundations after it has been effectively laundered and given false provenance documents that allow it to legally enter the mainstream market. Nannipieri spent two years following the trail of several antiquities known to come from sites under ISIS control. The market finances a network of smugglers, profiteers, and tomb raiders linked to Islamist fundamentalism in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Egypt, he says. He also found evidence that some ancient tombs in Tuscany and Lazio have ended up in the hands of ISIS smugglers who have connections in Italy. It is said that beauty will save the world, he said. That is false. Beauty and art are often the reason for murders, destruction, oppression, and devastation. It really ought to be obvious now to anyone that Donald Trump has nothing to do with any traditions of democracy and civil society on which we pride ourselves. No connection at all. This isnt just a political or ideological matter. Political and ideological matters are normal. We run into them all the time. So-and-so is against or for the Voting Rights Act; against or for abortion rights; views an unfettered free market as desirable or dystopian. Thats the terrain we usually fight on. We fight very hard on this terrain. These are important matters. But this year, theyre dwarfed. Now the terrain isnt higher taxes vs. lower taxes, growth vs. inequality, cultural tradition vs. cultural freedom. This year, its democracy vs. something that isnt democracy. Thats the choice thats before America. Can anyone doubt at this point that if Trump actually were to be elected, and a situation arose that he could address most expedientlyand most efficaciously to the greater glory of Trumpby suspending a section of the Constitution, or by announcing that he has determined (he, who knows nothing about such things and is proud of it!) that a certain court precedent is wrong and simply wont obey it can anyone say with a straight face that he wouldnt do these things? It answers itself. And now, here is the real question. What are Republican leaders doing about this? Your voters have nominated a man who exists outside our democratic rules and norms. You all know it. What are you doing about it? A number of them have done something. Theyve said theyre not backing him or withdrawn their support. Good for them. But the fact is that most leading Republicans still endorse Trump. They know he is a sexist, a racist, a xenophobe, a man whose narcissism is pathological and dangerous, and a man who when confronted with a choice between honoring the Constitution and asserting his own dominion over others will choose the latter. And they persist in not saying it. Now Trump is blaming his problems on the media. Its an age-old right-wing trick. An age-old fascist trick. Your supporters will believe you that much more ardently because you have identified for them one more group to hate and to blame. Its all ridiculous whining. Trump said what he said to Billy Bush. And these women came forward. Whats the media supposed to do, ignore them in the interest of balance? When such women come forward, whether they are accusing a Republican (Robert Packwood) or a Democrat (Bill Clinton), they have their day in the sun. If hard evidence emerges to support their contentions, the story gains new life. If it doesnt, it fades away. But no one can seriously argue that nine different allegations against a major-party presidential nominee a month before an election isnt news. And the flip side, that the media are in Hillarys pocket. Lord. The New York Times has been after her since 1992, with its Whitewater stories. The Times broke the email server story in March 2015. Is that the act of a paper conspiring to get her elected? Where Trump alleges a conspiracy of liberals, what in fact exists is a conspiracy of factsfacts that simply do not damn Clinton in the way that he and his supporters believe they should. Take the new story, about the FBI and State and the alleged quid pro quo. As all the news stories state plainly, eventually, in the sixth or seventh graf, there was no quid pro quo. The email in question wasnt de-classified, as the State official had requested. And the original suggestion of a quid pro quo came not from State but from the FBI person, an international operations division official (read the eleventh and twelfth paragraphs of this story closely to see what I mean). So evidently Hillary was so powerful in those days that she got an employee of an entirely other agency to do her mesmeric Wiccan bidding. Okay. I will clear my throat and allow for the 10 percent chance that theres a real story here, but the truth will probably be as follows: Nothing will be provable with respect to Clinton, because there is nothing to prove. Its like the story from August with the Lebanese-Nigerian businessman, who never got his requested meeting at State. Here we have an email that was never de-classified and a quid that was never quod. Nothing happened. Its a conspiracy of facts. On Trump, meanwhile, we have plenty of facts. No, we dont know for certain that he accosted those women. Its their word against his. But his alleged sexual predation isnt the most important fact about him. Its the one TV has latched onto, because TV is TV, and this story line includes visuals in the form of the women willing to speak before the camera. I do not, obviously, mean to minimize their trauma. Assuming theyre telling the truth, and hes lying his gelatinous ass off, what they went through is horrifying. But Im just saying that his more important predation is against all of us; against this country. He is a constitutional predator. He will defile and rape our Constitution whenever the moment requires it, if hes elected. The fact that he probably wont be elected will allow the Republicans who arent standing up to him to skate away without blame; after all if Hitler had never come to power, and Weimar had been handed over instead to some milquetoast Christian Democrat and the little corporal had remained a fringe figure, we would not today know the names of the quislings as we do. Republicans from Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan on down are counting on this forgetfulness. I urge you to remember. With less than three months to go before he leaves the White House to one of two very different potential successors, President Barack Obama made what could well be his first and last appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (not counting a brief cameo on Colberts post-Super Bowl show). But instead of sitting down for the type of thoughtful interview that Colbert conducted with Vice President Joe Biden during his first week on CBS, Obama participated in a taped mock job-interview sketch with Randy, Colberts office-manager character. I dont see any promotions for the last eight years, thats not always good. Can you explain that? Colbert asked, to which Obama replied, Honestly, there wasnt a lot of room for advancement in my last job. The only one with a more powerful position was my wife. Asked why hes leaving office in January, Obama explained that its required by the 22nd Amendment. But as Colbert told him, When you say that staying at your old job would be unconstitutional, what employers hear is that you stole office supplies. When he asked where the president was born, Obama just stared at him for a few seconds before asking, Really? Looking back on his time in office, Obama told Colbert, I brokered international deals that slowed the impact of climate change and prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. When Colbert asked him why he received the Nobel Peace Prize, Obama quipped, To be honest, I still dont know. Obama also found a way to work in his sincere message to millennials: I tell them straight-up that this is the most important election of their lifetimes, that they have the opportunity to make history, and that the results in November could change their lives forever so they have to get out there and vote. While Colbert did not ask Obama to make an official presidential endorsement on this show, he did ask him to pick between two snack options. In one hand was an extra-fiber nutrient bar, which has traveled to more than 100 countries. In the other was a shriveled tangerine, covered in golden retriever hair, filled with bile, that I wouldnt leave alone with the woman I love. The choice was obvious. Obama summed up his feeling about the sketch when Colbert asked him, Ultimately, what do you want to be? and he replied, Done with this interview. Its 7:50 in the morning, and eight news trucks, four cameras, three cops, two bored-looking local news reporters, and one miscellaneous thick-limbed man in a suit that runs too tight across the chest and shoulders are clustered around the entrance of Trump Tower on Manhattans Fifth Avenue. A block away, the sound of a crowd of female voices shouting swells as it approaches. Clad in all black, 100 women (and a handful of men) hoist signs that range from straightforward, vintage second waveKeep Your LAWS off my BODY! to full-on in-your-face third waveGrab my pussy Muhf**ka I dare you. The protesters range in age to barely-beyond-teenagers to college professor types who appear to be in their 60s. Fifteen similar #GOPHandsOff protests are taking place today in front of various Trump campaign headquarters around the country. Yong Jung Cho, who helped organize the protest in New York, tells The Daily Beast that those gathered came together organically, that organizing began on the Tuesday after a 2005 recording of Donald Trump bragging to Billy Bush about how easy it is for him to commit sexual assault surfaced. On one hand, this shows just how many women were offended enough by an Access Hollywood episodethe one that will ever be of any historical consequenceto follow a dress code, make signs, and register their discontent in a public protest. On the other, it serves as a reminder of just how far-reaching Trumps brand is, of how successful he became despite a decades-long trail of public misogyny. Even though hes flagging in the polls, around 40 percent of the country still supports him, including many GOP leaders who have condemned his comments but refused to disavow the candidate. The women march in orderly rows to the entrance of the building, chanting GOP, hands off me! and If Trump thinks he runs this town, pussy came to shut it down. They sit right in front of the entrance to Trump Tower, adjusting their signs so the media gathered to witness can get clearer shots of their mostly homemade creations, some of which were thoughtfully pre-censored. (A yellow Dont Tread On My Pussy sign is not.) Pre-protest materials noted the crowd would be blocking the entrance of the building where Trump and his family live in garish luxury, but people are still going in and out. Bystanders gather to peer at the commotion. One man, who looks almost exactly like late comedian Bill Hicks if Bill Hicks gained about 50 pounds and replaced his Georgia drawl with a Staten Island chip on his shoulder, leans against the police blockades. What, are you for him? Are you against him? he barks at women sitting on the periphery of the group. One woman responds to his first question before returning her attention to the series of speakers and performers addressing the media. Theyre diverse in age, race, and even national origin. One sings, one tells a story of her mother, one talks about her daughter. Theyre not second or third or even fourth wave. This is the Trump wave of feminism. The man is undaunted. Im for Trump, he said, to nobody in particular. Im with him. The speakers, many of whom refer to their own sexual assaults, demand that GOP leaders unendorse Donald Trump before the third presidential debate Wednesday. The gathered protesters cheer supportively. A woman adjusts her sign that reads F**K YOU, CHEETO VOLDEMORT so its easier to photograph. The bizarro Bill Hicks Trump supporter seems bothered they arent paying attention to him. Theatrically hoisting his cell phone, he begins filming, walking close behind the back row as an unlit cigarette dangles from his mouth. He stands close to them, looms over them. His attempted intimidation is met with indifference. Frustrated, he gives up up, shaking his head and muttering to himself as he and his unlit cigarette make their way up Fifth Avenue. The protest concludes with an a cappella rendition of Sam Cookes A Change is Gonna Come, and the women stand, resume chanting, and march north to the stairs in front of the Apple store. A cab driver honks appreciatively and gives the women a thumbs up. They stand in a circle holding hands as one organizer congratulates them on an awesome, awesome job. Another collects pans and wooden spoons. Make sure you hug somebody today, says the organizer. Everybody hugs and parts ways, but if these women are still pissed off in 24 hours, they neednt be apart for long. This was the first of two female-driven pussy-themed protests slated to take place in front of Trump Tower New York this week. The next one, organized by a different group, is tomorrow. From her home in the Indian city of Bhopal, Safia Akhtar listens in on her neighbors most intimate dramas. As often as three times a week, women pass through her door to complain of deceitful husbands, evil in-laws, abandonment, and abuse. Akhtar, a grandmother, hears from both sides of each dispute before dispensing justice, according to the teachings of the Quran. She is a female Sharia judge. There are few in India, but that is changing as a movement of Muslim women, fed up with misogynist practices in their communities, take matters of Islamic justice into their hands. Zakia Soman, a prominent activist, is among the women leading the charge. Her organization, the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, or BMMA, has been fighting for Muslim womens rights for nearly a decade and is now training what it says is Indias first class of female qazis Islamic judges who oversee marriage, divorce, and other personal matters in Muslim communities. Akhtar is part of the inaugural class of 30 women. There is now an alternative voice within Indias Muslim community which is demanding justice and equality for women. And the most important thing is that more and more Muslim women are coming forward in support of [this change], Soman said. Though India is a secular democracy, the government allows each religious group to manage its communitys personal affairs, like marriage, divorce, and inheritance. For Indias nearly 180 million MuslimsIndias largest minority group and the largest population of Muslims in any country besides Indonesiathese matters are often settled by male qazis who, Soman argues, perpetuate barbaric and un-Quranic practices like polygamy and child marriage. Soman and her colleagues have witnessed the devastating consequences of these customs and concluded that the problems that plague Indias Muslim women have nothing to do with Islambut with men. The Quran has provided gender justice to women, Soman said, arguing that the most notorious anti-women practices associated with Islam are nowhere sanctioned in the Quran. Aiming to rebalance the gender scales, Soman and her colleagues launched the Darul Uloom Niswaan, an Islamic theology center offering a qazi training program for women, which started last year. The yearlong program begins with a deep dive into the countrys laws and constitution with a special focus on legal protections for minorities and women. It then moves on to the study of Islam and the Quran from a humanist and gender-just perspective. We take them through how the entire affair of interpreting the Quran and laying down the Islamic principles has been in the hands of male scholars. We then focus on verses pertaining to womenabout marriage, divorce, polygamy, guardianship, a womans [role] in societyand verses of the Quran that put across very clearly that men and women are equal in the eyes of Allah, Soman said. By the end of the year, a diverse group of women from 10 statesa third of whom completed their formal educations and four of whom have masters degreeswill finish their training and, if they havent started already, begin conducting marriages and settling domestic disputes. The initiative is not without controversy. Akhtar, a longtime advocate for womens rights, has been likened in local media to Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasrin, a feminist Bangladeshi writer in exile who fled death threats for her criticism of Islam. Certain factions of society say female qazis should not be part of Islam and that this is un-Islamic and we should be thrown out, Akhtar said. While she says she does not fear for her safety yet, she has stirred up angry reactions in the press. Its a new concept for most of the Muslims in this city, because they have never seen female qazis. They are used to seeing a man with a beard and a turban as a qazi, so it was a shocker for a lot of people, her son, Saud Akhtar, said. The criticism doesnt only come from hardline clerics and their followers, but also from proponents of a strictly secular system that eliminates Indias parallel judicial system. India must have one constitution, and only those judges and courts that work under it, wrote Tufail Ahmad, author of Jihadist Threat to India: The Case for Islamic Reformation by an Indian Muslim, adding that in the current era, Muslim womens liberty cannot be subject to the [Quran]. Yet Soman argues that the overwhelming majority of nearly 5,000 Muslim women her organization surveyed across the country in 2013 said they wanted qazis to maintain a judicial role in family affairs. Even morenearly 90 percentsaid they wanted the system standardized and reformed with practices like polygamy forbidden. The BMMAs work was further validated this summer when it released a petition calling for the abolishment of instant triple-talaq divorce, a contested Islamic practice, in which a manand only a mandivorces his spouse by simply repeating the word talaq Arabic for divorce, three times in a row. The petition racked up more than 50,000 signatures from Muslim women across the country, prompting a separate declaration of support from Muslim men, signed by everyone from students to Bollywood stars. A lot of ordinary Muslims understand that there is gender justice in the religion and it is a patriarchal misinterpretation which has come in the way of that, Soman said, noting that she was inundated over the summer with phone calls and messages of support. The success of the BMMAs various initiatives, especially the training of female qazis, will depend on the level of acceptance they receive at the local level. There is no standardized qazi training or certification system recognized universally among Indias Muslims. The acceptance of a person as a qazi is ultimately subjective. The authority comes socially, Soman said. This flexibility allowed Akhtar to begin practicing as a qazi even before she began her training course. After years of Quranic study and activism with the BMMA, she was confident enough to offer her services to settle disputes. Her new training is only adding to her credibility. The 65-year-old says she now sees between 10 to 15 cases a month that illustrate to her the misconceptions in society about Sharia law. Recently, for example, a woman sought her help after her husband divorced her while she was asleep. When she got up, her in-laws informed her, You are no longer the wife of our son because when you were sleeping he gave you talaq, Akhtar explained. There was no witness, nothing. Akhtar ruled the divorce invalid, citing the more common Quranic interpretation that requires three months before a divorce is finalized, with an eye toward reconciliation. She also recently settled cases of triple-talaq by social media (not valid, she ruled) and another in which a man refused to give his ex-wife any financial support following their divorce. Akhtar said she helped the woman secure 1 million rupees (roughly $15,000) in compensation. No one is bound by her decisions. Families are ultimately free to reject her rulings and seek a second opinion somewhere else, whether within the countrys legal system or by another religious authority whose interpretation might suit them more. But Akhtar and Soman are both confident that the simple presence of female qazis in Indian society will help move the gender justice dial in the right direction. This morning, a naked statue of an overweight Hillary Clinton being suckled by the head of a banker was erected outside of the Bowling Green subway station in lower Manhattan, where it stood for almost two hours. According to news reports, a verbal scuffle ensued and a woman who identified herself as only Nancy called the police, who compelled the artist to remove the statue on the grounds that he had no permit to put a statue there. From here, the plot thickens. The artist identified himself as 27-year-old Anthony Scioli, according to all of the news reports that named him. But a search for Anthony Scioli didnt yield any websites promoting the alleged artists work. While an art critic might assess the quality of allegedly-Sciolis magnum opus as displaying middling levels of skill and creativity at bestand thus reflective of an artist without a large body (pun intended) of workalmost every artist who makes his living by creating promotes themselves on the web. At the very least, theyve put on a gallery show thats been advertised on the web. A search for Sciolis work turned up nothing. Further, a call to Sciolis house was met with frustration and dismay. Listen, said the woman who answered, and who identified herself as Sciolis mother. I dont know who you are or where youre calling from. But this isnt funny anymore. She told The Daily Beast that Scioli wasnt even in town when the statue was erected. He just flew in this afternoon, from California, she said. He wasnt even there! Weve got somebody camping outside the house! This isnt funny! Whoever did it used his name! If Anthony Scioli didnt sculpt a lactating and behooved Hillary Clinton and somehow place it in front of one of the busiest foot thoroughfares in Manhattan, right as rush hour was speeding up, then who did? And why did they give Anthony Sciolis name and correct age to the press? While one might not associate the right wing and artistic creation, a small, prolific alt-right art community exists. Sabo, the L.A. artist responsible for depictions of then-Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis as Abortion Barbie and of one of the most overly handsome depictions of Ted Cruz of all time, once appeared on a panel called Reclaiming Cool at CPAC. Earlier this month, a pro-Trump art show starring tiresome self-anointed provocateur Milo showed in Chelsea. But none of the usual suspects were taking credit, or alluding to credit, for this. While his frazzled mother seemed genuinely terrorized by her sons name appearing in news stories alongside statues of a grotesque and nude Hillary Clinton, the real Anthony Scioli seemed to have different ideas. Reached by The Daily Beast, Scioli wrote [sic], I can not confirm nor deny being this particular artist of interest. I will however say how much I appreciate the exposure this piece is garnering. It is a firm personal belief that satire brings us closer to the root of the truth of issues and I find it rather unfortunate that in these divisive times, rather then spur a healthy, more lighthearted debate, it only seems to have led to more strife. Further,In these times of self-satisfying shameless self-promotion, perhaps the artist would rather let the piece stand on its own and not make it about themselves; or Maybe your artist will come forward and tell their side, maybe they will not, maybe it's not any one individual, but rather a movement, a collective, an idea. But isnt satire designed to challenge the status quo? And what is so challenging about a depiction of a powerful but despised woman as fat and grotesque? Havent men used womens bodies to demean and shame them for thousands of years? The real Scioli, who may or may not have created (but probably didcome on) a mediocre statue of a naked woman and placed it in a public space, did not clarify any further. The likelihood that this is but a tragic case of mistaken identity is slim. Theres only one 27-year-old Anthony Scioli listed on Nexis. The phone number where the woman who identified herself as his mother picked up is associated with a woman whose name appears on comments on the Facebook page of the Anthony Scioli who communicated with the Beast. Either there are two 27-year-old Anthony Sciolis with mothers with the same name, or this is the guy. And what became of Giant Satan Hillary? Police instructed the man who identified himself as Scioli to remove it. According to the NYPD, there was no arrest or summons issued. Onlookers, according to the New York Post, wondered how the statue would be removed without the aid of a forklift. Neither Scioli nor the New York Police Department provided details of how the statue was removed. Is 27-year-old suspiciously inexperienced artist Anthony Scioli With Her? Its certainly possible. Could this be 2016s answer to the Solange vs. Jay Z elevator scuffle? TMZ is reporting that there is video footage of the Azealia Banks vs. Russell Crowe fight after all. The website reports the scuffle spilled out into the hallway of the hotel roomand CCTV may have captured the two combatants. The incident has the potential to become a major embarrassment for Crowe if the video supports Bankss claims. She alleges Crowe choked her while removing her from his Beverly Hills Hotel suite, and then spit on her in the hallway. The local Beverly Hills Police Department has launched an investigation after Banks filed a battery report. She did so on Sunday afternoon after Crowe refused to apologize for the incident in which, he admits, he grabbed her in a bear hug and physically removed her from his hotel room, after Banks allegedly issued bizarre threats and used the n-word. Azealias previous form, you may remember, includes putting a curse on Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, launching a racist, homophobic rant against One Directions Zayn Malik, and calling a Delta flight attendant a fucking faggot. But Crowe is no pacifist. He once threw a cellphone at a New York hotel concierge, and threatened a BBC executive who cut short his BAFTA Best Actor acceptance speech. (The unlucky London fellow was allegedly pinned to a wall by Crowe, who jabbed him in the chest and shouted: You ***** piece of ****. Ill make sure youll never work in Hollywood.) TMZ reports the trouble started when Azealia laughed out loud at Russells music selection, and then called him and at least one other guest boring white men. A female guest jumped to Russells defense and suggested Banks pipe down. TMZ claims Banks then threatened Crowe and the woman, You would love it if I broke my glass, stabbed you guys in the throat, and blood would squirt everywhere like some real Tarantino s***. According to TMZ, witnesses say she dropped a few n-bombs, but when she reached for her glass, cocked it back the Cinderella Man star grabbed her in a bear hug and carried her out of the suite, before calling hotel security. Azealia posted a very different version of events on her Facebook page, claiming Crowe called her the n-word, choked her, and spit on her. To recap my night, I went to a party at Russell Crowes suite, at which he called me a n****r, choked me, threw me out and spat at me, Banks wrote in a post, which has since been deleted. Last night was one of the hardest nights of sleep Ive had in a long time, she said. The men in the room allowed it to happen. I feel terrible today. In another message, Banks said she wished she had someone to beat [Crowe] up for her. LONDON The Royal Bank of Scotland Group just sent a powerful message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. As of December 12 this year, all British bank accounts belonging to Russia Today that pro-Kremlin information agency posing as the news channel RTwill be frozen. In a few simple words NatWest Bank, a division of the Royal Bank of Scotland, informed RT of their irrevocable decision: We have recently undertaken a review of your banking arrangements with us and reached the conclusion that we will no longer provide these facilities. The bank insisted it was not prepared to enter into any discussion over the decision. RTs editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, tweeted: Theyve closed our accounts in Britain. All our accounts. The decision is not subject to review. Praise be to freedom of speech! She also claimed that the personal accounts of some senior staff working in the UK were similarly blocked. Well, tough luck. A wingnut tendency has emerged in our politics of late. In the name of critical thinking and being anti-establishment, populists have been denying and undermining the credibility of most mainstream media outlets. The situation has gotten so bad that facts are now frequently viewed with disdain, as part of an establishment conspiracy to silence dissent. Without a sense of irony, self-described patriots on the populist right, and democrats on the far-left have taken to regularly citing the state media services of foreign despots. And like the pauper once did when seeking affordable remedies from quacks, the disaffected have been resorting to alternative media outlets such as RT to findthe real truth. Yes mainstream media outlets all have their failings, but no honest or serious comparison can be made between these imperfect platforms, and state-owned broadcasters run by autocrats. The shills of despotism claim to see no difference between the BBC and RT. Really? Lest we forget, it was the BBC that exposed Tony Blairs claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. They claim mainstream television networks are tools of government and corporate interests. But it was CBS 60 Minutes that broke the story about American abuse of Iraqi prisoners of war in Abu Ghraib. RT breaks nothing but praise for Putin. For all their faults, the BBC in Britain and PBS in the United States are independent public broadcasters, funded by taxpayers and grants, and overseen by public trusts. And despite their numerous flaws, privately owned broadcasters such as CNN, Fox, and other networks have even less to do with the state. It is supremely ironic that, while doubting anything that stems from mainstream mediaor MSM biasour populists are relying not only on all manner of conspiracy theory sites and alternative blogs, but state-owned information agencies such as Irans Press TV as their critical news sources. And with around half a million weekly viewers in the UK, over 1 million Facebook likes, and at one point the most YouTube videos on the planet, RT has very rapidly become the media equivalent of the go-to quack. And heres why we should be losing absolutely no sleep over NatWests alleged affront to free speech: Russia Today was never free to begin with. RT is a state broadcaster. This means that it is owned, financed, controlled, and directed by the Russian regime. The difference between this and our mainstream platforms is so significant that only misanthropes suffering from first world problems could possibly fail to see it. Yet many do. That RT was to act as a mouthpiece for the Kremlin was clear from its inception. Responding to its founding, a Putin spokesman named Dmitry Peskov explained Russia Needs More Propaganda. He continued, "The tool of propaganda is an integral part of any state. It is everywhere. And Russia should use it as well. Propaganda in the good sense of the word. These comments came in 2013 as Putin decreed the dissolution of the Kremlins international radio station Voice of Russia, and the RIA Novosti channel, which had in turn directly succeeded the Cold war era Soviet Information Bureau (Sovinformburo). Both were to be replaced with a major global news agency called Rossiya Segodnya, or Russia Today now known as RT. Putins decree stated that RTs role would be to transmit information to foreign audiences about the "Russian Federations state policy and public life in Russia. RT was so important to Putins propaganda wars that when his finance ministry sought to reduce its annual budget of more than $340 million, the Russian president directly vetoed the cut, going on to encourage RT to break the monopoly of Anglo-Saxon media on the worlds news. RTs first director general was Dmitry Kiselev, an infamous Russian anchor known for his extreme anti-Western and homophobic views. Kiselev had previously compared Kremlin opponents at home and abroad to Nazis, and said of gays live on air: "They should be banned from donating blood and sperm, and if they are killed in a car crash their hearts should be buried in the ground or burned as unfit for helping to prolong anyones life. With such an impeccable character at its head, RT went on to regularly give a platform to European Neo-Nazis, holocaust deniers, and self-invented slavery justifying Muslim social media community leaders. In short, anyone who was anti-West. But perhaps one of its darkest moments came when it aired a program that claimed the BBC had staged its footage depicting a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian regime against its own people. Russia, of course, backs the Syrian regime. This report led to the BBC filing a complaint to the U.K.s independent media regulator Ofcom, which ruled against RT, stating that its report had been "materially misleading. Yep, theres that real truth again, found only alternative media. Merely one day before NatWest froze their accounts, U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in London. The two leaders warned Russia of harsher sanctions due to its ongoing aerial bombardment of Aleppo in Syria. NatWests decision and this joint U.S./U.K. announcement a day prior mayor may nothave been linked. Regardless, a member of the upper house of Russias parliament, Igor Morozov, immediately called for the BBCs bank accounts in Russia to be "arrested" in revenge. But NatWest didnt freeze the accounts of Russias equivalent of the BBC. It froze the accounts of the Kremlins foremost propaganda tool being used in the ongoing information war being waged by Putin upon the Syrian people in particular, and against the West in general. No, RT is no BBC. It is more like Orwells Ministry of Truth. Theres perhaps no city more important to cocktails than New Orleans. Not only is it the birthplace of classics from the Sazerac to the Hurricane, but its also been a staunch supporter of the mixological arts, even when they werent popular during the 70s and 80s. And today, the city not only offers a range of innovative bars but it also hosts the annual Tales of the Cocktail conference. And who better to ask for where to drink in the city than celebrity chef John Besh? Hes a native of south Louisiana and has dedicated much of his career to celebrating the foods (and drinks) of his homeland. Starting with the stunningly romantic Creole boite August in 2001, hes built an empire of 15 restaurants (many of which are in Nola), including Louisiana-seafood showplace Borgne. Hes also branched out with several collaborations with other top chefs, like modern-Mexican hotspot Johnny Sanchez and artisanal pasta and pizza palace Domenica. Thats not to mention the 2016 James Beard Best New Restaurant winner Shaya, an Israeli small-plates restaurant helmed by Alon Shaya, himself a culinary hotshot (and a partner in three of Beshs restaurants) who had already earned a Beard Award at Domenica. On top of all that, Besh has published four cookbooks, hosted a trio of television shows (Chef John Beshs New Orleans and Chef John Beshs Family Table on PBS and Hungry Investors on Spike) and started a charitable foundation that funds micro-loans to local farmers and culinary-school scholarships supporting diversity in kitchens. Yet somehow, he still finds the time to enjoy a cocktail now and then. We asked Besh for his current top three drinks in the Big Easy. French 75 at Arnauds French 75 Bar When an establishment is named after a drink, you should probably order that drink. Thats certainly the case at this French Quarter spot, which opened way back in 1918. For nearly 15 years, its been helmed by Chris Hannah, a talented bartender who specializes in old-school concoctions like his bars namesake, which is a mix of Cognac, lemon, sugar, and Champagne. Besh says the French 75 is the perfect version of the classic, and iconic New Orleans. Sazerac at Cure Cure is high on the dont-miss list for visitors to New Orleans, but its a relative newcomer, having opened in 2009. It features one of the most creative drinks menus on the planet, but Beshs tastes run more traditional: Their seasonally rotating cocktail list is always thoughtfully curated and well-balanced, but I almost always go Sazerac! he says. Tried and true and always perfectly executed. The Sazerac is essentially a rye-whiskey Old Fashioned that incorporates Peychauds Bitters and an absinthe-rinsed glass. Cure offers two options: the standard, made with the appropriately named Sazerac Rye Whiskey and Herbsaint; and the reserve option, employing the hard-to-find Col. E.H. Taylor Rye and the top-of-the-line Nouvelle Orleans Absinthe. Paris Between the Wars at Compere Lapin New Orleans is arguably as much a part of the Caribbean as it is Louisana, and Compere Lapin expertly showacses this unique mash-up of both cultures cuisines. In 2015, its bar was taken over by Abigail Gullo who won Heaven Hills Bartender of the Year contest earlier this year. Besh calls Gullos drinks equally exceptional to the food and especially recommends the Paris Between the Wars, a mix of Scotch, lemon, honey, and pear cider thats perfect for fall. Check out our complete Three Drinks travel guide to cocktails. Remember the 7 million ink-dipped forefingers. The hue varied from blue to indigo to purple, but each dyed digit signified a voter who had braved the murderous Taliban to participate in the 2014 presidential election in Afghanistan. The 58 percent turnout rate equaled that in the 2012 presidential election in the United States, which involved no physical jeopardy at all. 7 of 12 million flip the Taliban the finger, announced one tweeter at #AfgElection2014. And 35 percent of the Afghan voters were women despite onerous cultural obstacles that made them doubly heroic. Take that, Taliban! We, the women, are here to build our country, read another #AfgElection2014 tweet. One photo on Twitter showed a long line of women in traditional dress under unrolled plastic sheeting. Double veil for many of themrain couldnt stop these women from voting, the accompanying tweet read. Another photo showed an elderly woman in a dark blue headscarf, holding up a forefinger dyed indigo down to the knotted second knuckle. 80yrs oldfeeling proud to support democracy in Afghanistan, that accompanying tweet announced. Tweets concerning the voting by both genders read, Proud to have voted in my countrys elections. Way forward with ballots not bullets, and What an inspiration! and Voted, and an incredible feeling, but still stuck at the mosque, someone stole my sandals. A tiny price, and simply, Best day ever! A teacher tweeted, Have loved seeing my students blue-dyed fingers from voting. Little world changers. A bomb detonated near a school that served as a polling place in Logar province. A suicide bomber was stopped as he tried to enter a polling place in Faryab province. The Taliban kidnapped and killed a local candidate along with nine other people in Sar-i-Pul province. The voting continued in those places and throughout the country, interrupted only where the turnout so far exceeded expectation that the polling place ran out of ballots. Everyone is winner today but Taliban, declared yet another tweet. The long lines and exultation in the face of murderous threats should have been all the more inspiring for an American because the Afghans were themselves inspired by the electoral system at the heart of our democracy. So, imagine how the little world changers and the doubly heroic women and the resolute men must feel to see the very different tweets coming from Donald Trump as we near this years American presidential election. The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillarybut also at many polling placesSAD, reads a typical Trump tirade. Anybody who has followed Trump over the years knows that in his view dishonest reporters are those who report things about him that he does not like, no matter how truthful those reports might be. We are now coming to learn that in Trumps view a rigged election is one where he is not polling in the lead. He became the Republican nominee while inciting bigotry and telling unending lies even regarding 9/11, but bragging about sexual assault does not appear to be part of the formula for electoral victory in America. RIGGED! Trump declares. Trump can say what he wants about reporters, who have come to understand that being called dishonest by him is in fact a high compliment. He turns dangerous when he calls into question the integrity of the America electoral system. He is then offering aid and comfort to the Taliban, along with ISIS and Putin and all the other enemies of democracy. The word for this is treason, though it is treason that is protected by the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution that Trump seems to respect only when it suits his immediate purpose. In the Afghan election in 2014, there was actual rigging, but the voting was in itself a pure act of courage carrying the implicit hope that true democracy will eventually prevail there, just as it does in America. Maybe the thing to do here in the craziness of 2016 is dip your index finger in ink, blue, or indigo or maybe purple. That way, you can remind yourself and everybody you encounter about those 7 million Afghans who braved death threats to vote as we will be voting come Nov. 8. I admit it. Im a needy Latino. In fact, this election year, I have so many needs that I had to make a list. Wait until you hear it. But first, John Podesta was really onto something when the Clinton campaign chairman was caught whining, in a hacked email released by WikiLeaks, that the Democratic nominee had to make phone calls to schmooze with needy Latinos. The horror. Democrats should stop complaining when they actually have to exert some effort to earn the support of Latinos, instead of just inheriting it because Republicans are so boneheaded about what they say and do. After all, I thought the process of making calls to ask people for support in an election was called whats that word? Oh yeah politics. Apparently, the way Democrats see it, when you call Wall Street bankers or prominent elected officials or union bosses to ask for votes or financial support, thats perfectly fine. But when you have to debase yourself to consort with the lowly brown people whose support youre supposed to have already, well, then, thats simply asking too much. Why dont Podesta, and other Democrats who feel the way he does, just say what they really mean? It probably goes something like this: Why are Latinos so needy? Why dont they quiet down, eat their tacos, and vote how we tell them to vote? Which brings me to whats making me so needy these days. I need Democrats to stop taking Latino voters for granted, and finally act in ways that show they deserve this support. Its not enough for Democrats to simply scare off Latinos from voting for Republicans. They should spend money, create outreach efforts and abandon the cheap and easy chips and salsa approach to courting Americas fastest-growing group of voters. I need Democratic Party leaders to show some respect for Latino voters, who have given a majority of their votes to the Democratic nominee in the last 14 presidential elections. When a corporation has a customer that loyal, they shower them with perks, rewards, and upgrades. Only in politics does loyalty work against you by sending the message that you have nowhere to go. I need for Democratic operatives to treat Latino leaders with reverence. In one email, Podesta said that Bill Richardson can be a dick but urged that Hillary Clinton call the former New Mexico governor for a formal endorsement anyway because Richardson is still on TV a lot, especially on Univision and Telemundo. That is, Podesta said, if it wasnt too galling for Clinton to approach her Election 2008 rival for his support. Clinton eventually made the call, and Richardson endorsed her. I need for Democrats to stop pressuring Latino leaders who refuse to play along. Podesta also suggested that Clinton call Federico Pena, who served as secretary of transportation and secretary of energy under President Bill Clinton. Pena was holding out and refusing to endorse Clinton, despite personal appeals from Ken Salazar, who served as secretary of the interior under President Obama and as a Democratic senator from Colorado. Podesta chalked up Penas reluctance to offer an endorsement not to any failing on Clintons part, of course, but to Penas personal baggage and lingering hurt feelings that no one in Clinton World had been there for him during his divorce in the 1990s. To this day, Pena has still not endorsed Clinton. I need for both political parties to stop telling Latinos what theyre going to do for them (which they usually never do anyway) and start asking them what theyd like done. While politicians and the media seem to think that immigration is the top issue of concern for Latinos, thats not true. According to numerous surveys, the top three issues for Latino voters are typically education, jobs/the economy, and health care. If politicians want to make inroads with Latino voters, they can start there. I need for the media to stop dealing from the bottom of the deck and give as much attention to the WikiLeaks story as it has the revelations about Donald Trumps vulgar language and boorish behavior. What were learning from the emails isnt just idle gossip. Its newsworthy material. For instance, it matters that former CNN contributor Donna Brazilewho was at the time the vice chair of the Democratic National Committeeappears to have leaked a town hall question to the Clinton camp but not to the camp of Clintons rival for the Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders. Doesnt the public, especially those Sanders supporters who still havent committed to Clinton, deserve to hear the truth? I need for the media to regain its focus and stop trying to keep Trump away from the White House, not because this is not a worthwhile goal but because this is not its role. Americans have always known the Fourth Estate leaned to the left and had a knack for helping liberal Democrats win elections. But were in uncharted territory now that newspapers and broadcast networks have pushed aside the Democratic nominee for president and dedicated itself to defeating the Republican nominee itself. I need for Republicans to learn a lesson from the failing Trump campaign, and kick once and for all their horrible habit of exploiting the fear and anxiety caused by changing demographics to scare up votes from nervous white people. Its not in the GOPs best interest to continue to have as an enemy a Latino community that is expected to make up as much as 25 percent of the U.S. population by 2030. Most of all, as an American voter, I need a better system for choosing presidential candidates and better choices in future elections. No one should be forced to accept this much mediocrity on one ballot. Whomever wins this election is going to be hobbled out of the starting gatenot just by the resentment of opponents, but also by the ambivalence of those supporters who simply voted against the other person. Did you get all that, Mr. Podesta? Now instead of cooking up schemes and dishing insults, how about dedicating your best efforts to meeting some of those needs? Trump Once Again Asks SCOTUS to Help Shield His Tax Returns ROUND AND ROUND WE GO The House Ways and Means Committee has been trying to get its hands on the returns for three years. Press Promotion Glen Moray releases Elgin Heritage range Bardinet's Glen Moray has released a premium Elgin Heritage range, featuring three single malts, focussing on affordable luxury. A 12 year old, a 15 year old and an 18 year old make-up the collection. The 12 and 18 year olds have been matured in American oak casks. However the 15 year old brings together two cask styles, that of sherry and American oak. Master distiller, Graham Coull, whose involvement in the range is celebrated in the bottle design, has watched each of the single malts. The focus of the range is not solely affordable luxury, but also to create products that are clearly originated from Glen Moray and Speyside. Coull says: Glen Moray's Elgin Heritage Collection has been carefully matured to create a smooth, sweet character combined with subtle oak flavours. Our unique Speyside climate gently influences these whiskies to produce a well-rounded character and complex finish. The design of the bottle has been created to capture the essence of Glen Moray. There is an emphasis on quality, with a modern and contemporary approach used to make the Elgin Heritage Collection stand out. However features such as the blue on both the boxes and each of the labels means that the range comfortably fits alongside the rest of its products. Master distiller, Graham Coull, whose involvement in the range is celebrated in the bottle design, has watched each of the single malts. The focus of the range is not solely affordable luxury, but also to create products that are clearly originated from Glen Moray and Speyside.Coull says: Glen Moray's Elgin Heritage Collection has been carefully matured to create a smooth, sweet character combined with subtle oak flavours. Our unique Speyside climate gently influences these whiskies to produce a well-rounded character and complex finish.The design of the bottle has been created to capture the essence of Glen Moray. There is an emphasis on quality, with a modern and contemporary approach used to make the Elgin Heritage Collection stand out. However features such as the blue on both the boxes and each of the labels means that the range comfortably fits alongside the rest of its products. The signature of Graham Coull figures on each of the bottles and boxes, whilst the age variant and product description is clearly featured. Brand manager Raphaele Delerue says: With our Elgin Heritage Collection, we aim to create an accessible slice of luxury that doesn't need to be saved for special occasions - it's there to be savoured and enjoyed. Our whisky encompasses nearly 120 years of expertise honed at our distillery in the heart of Speyside where there's an immense pride in the integrity of the brand. The range is available to consumers worldwide, with a focus on the UK, US and Australian markets. The Glen Moray Elgin Heritage 12 year old, 40% ABV has an RRP of 35, the 15 year old, also 40% ABV, RRP of 45 and the 18 year old, ABV of 47.2% has a RRP between 65-70. 18 October 2016 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, editorial assistant Last month proponents of the US-EU TTIP trade and investment deal turned against the agreement. Government ministers in France, Germany and Austria said it was time to declare the deal dead, given the wave of anger and protest it had caused throughout Europe. Today, the EU Council, the EU's senior body made up of member state leaders and senior ministers, followed up TTIP's apparent defeat by blocking CETA, the equally dangerous trade deal between the US and Canada. Negogiators and lobbyists have been desperate to push it through as their last hope to cement in the entire agenda of corporate deregulation and empowerment, restricting the ability of state governments to regulate for health, environment and labour standards. And they believed they would succeed, as CETA negotiations have already concluded and the full text is agreed. All that CETA needed to become law was the final sign off of the EU Council and ratification by the European Parliament. In the lead up to today's meeting, negotiators were touring Europe to convince sceptical politicians that the problems around CETA can be managed. They even wriote a special document to accompany the deal which (they claim) makes it absolutely clear that states retain their so-called 'right to regulate'. But critics weren't buying it. The only words that matter, they argue, are those in the official 1,500 page agreement. But today the CETA boosters failed - for now. Unexpectedly, EU governments failed to sign off CETA, putting a temporary halt to the process. This is big news as a trade deal has never before in history experienced such difficulties in the EU Council. Plucky Belgium to the rescue ... Today's meeting of the EU Council was not only supposed to give the final approval from European government for CETA, but to agree to the 'provisional implementation' of the deal. This would mean CETA would come into effect as soon as the European Parliament has voted on it - probably later this year - before member state parliaments like Westminster get a say. In Belgium, regional parliaments, most importantly the Walloon Parliament, have taken a strong stance against CETA. On Friday the head of the Walloon government Paul Magnette announced that he would block Belgium's support for CETA in today's meeting. Because of Belgium's federal structures, this meant Belgium could not vote in favour of CETA. Of his refusal to accept the deal, he said: "I consider this a request to re-open negotiations so that European leaders could hear the legitimate demands which have been forcefully expressed by an organized, transparent civil society." In other words, the setback is only a temporary one, delaying but not stopping the deal. Austria, which had opposed CETA, has now backed down. Romania, Bulgaria and Slovenia remain sceptical - but largely because of visa issues for their citizens, rather than on the substance of CETA. On 22nd October, activists against coal, against forest destruction for bioenergy, and for climate justice will be protesting outside the UK's biggest power station: Drax in North Yorkshire. 10 years ago, Drax was the site of the first Climate Camp, a direct action movement against the root causes of climate change. Several hundred people camped in a field 'in the shadow of Drax' to take part in a week of discussions, workshops and - above all - protests against the country's single biggest carbon emitter. It was the start of six years of annual Climate Camps and year-round actions and protests against those most responsible for causing climate change in the UK, and experience which has continued to inspire and inform ongoing actions for climate justice. Drax has been burning millions of tonnes of coal every year since 1974. In 2008, Drax started to ramp up what had previously been relatively small-scale co-firing of biomass. Since 2013, Drax has been gradually converting half its units to wood pellets. Drax's subsidised biomass allows it to keep on burning coal But far from replacing coal, Drax's partial biomass conversion is allowing the plant to avoid closure under EU emissions regulations, and to continue to burn millions of tonnes of coal a year, long-term. The UK Government has announced a phase-out of coal burning for electricity by 2025 - which of course would mean ten more years of coal burning in power stations, which could and should be stopped immediately. Even this unambitious aim is far from a firm government commitment - and Drax represents one of the biggest obstacles to any phase-out of coal burning for electricity. In 2015, Drax's biomass subsidies amounted to around 470m, while its profits were a mere 46m. Without the subsidies, it would not be economically viable for Drax to remain open. And even if Drax's biomass burning was carbon neutral and sustainable - which is far from the case - stopping the 1.3 million biomass subsidies which the company receives every single day would still be vital for ending coal burning in the UK. But Drax's biomass burning is far from carbon neutral or sustainable. It relies on the same extractive model as coal mining, with similarly disastrous effects: Drax is burning some 7 million tonnes of wood a year - more than the UK's total annual production. Biodiverse wetland forests reduced to pellets Virtually all of the wood is imported, most of it from the southern US. There, conservation NGOs such as Dogwood Alliance are campaigning against the destruction of some of the last remaining coastal wetland forests to make pellets which are shipped to Europe. Environmental lawyers ClientEarth are bringing the UK government back to the High Court today (October 18) and tomorrow (October 19) for failing to deal with illegal levels of air pollution in the UK. ClientEarth will be fighting the government on its failure to tackle the national air pollution crisis for the second time in as many years. ClientEarth CEO James Thornton said: "Defra's latest figures estimate there are 40,000 early deaths across the UK every year because of air pollution. The government is acting unlawfully by refusing to turn this situation around. It is failing morally and it is failing legally to uphold our right to breathe clean air. "The government must come up with far bolder measures, ready to face this issue head-on. "Air quality in this country is nothing short of a public health crisis." ClientEarth won its case in 2015 in the Supreme Court, which ruled that the UK government must come up with plans to combat the crisis and bring pollution down to legal levels "as soon as possible". But the plans adopted in December last year outlined vague proposals that wouldn't have secured compliance until at least 2025 and even this relied on hugely overoptimistic assumptions about emissions from diesel vehicles. The original deadline for compliance was 2010. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has joined the case after being named as an interested party in the case and his legal representatives will appear in court today too. Measures for the government to consider in an improved air quality plan (AQP) should include: A national network of Clean Air Zones (CAZs) A retrofitting scheme for buses and HGVs A diesel scrappage scheme A consumer labelling scheme to show which vehicles meet legal emissions limits Reconsidering tax schemes that favour diesel purchases ClientEarth has launched a wave of clean air cases around Europe in recent weeks, including Brno and Prague in the Czech Republic, and Brussels in Belgium. It has already won cases in Poland and Germany. Domestic violence cases increase in Des Moines County this year Advocates say there was a spike in domestic abuse cases in Des Moines County this past year. But not all incidents are being reported to police. We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK The line wrapped down the sidewalk and around the block outside of Collins Funeral Home on Monday as community members waited to pay their respects to a much-beloved Marvin Elementary School teacher who died late last week. Those who knew her called third-grade teacher Kara Kovlakas a beautiful person with a contagious laugh and one of the strongest, funniest and most kind people they knew. She was a hard worker and well liked by staff and students, said Sue-Ellen Barrett OShea, the principal of Marvin Elementary. She had a smile that would light up a room. Kovlakas died Thursday, leaving behind her husband, Officer Andy Kovlakas, of the Norwalk Police Department , and two children Aydan, 4, and Ari, 9 months. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington ruled the cause of death as suicide. Kovlakas was a native Norwalker who taught at Marvin School for 11 years and would have turned 33 Friday, officials said. Over the past several days since her death, community members have rallied together online in support of her family. By Monday evening, roughly 900 people had raised over $100,000 on a GoFundMe page for Kovlakas established by the Norwalk Police Union as a tribute to her life and to help defray the challenges that lay ahead for her husband and two young children. Andy Kovlakas, a 24-year-old Norwalk police veteran, is a former K-9 handler and serves on the union executive board. "Andy is not only well-liked, but is also a highly-respected police officer," said David Orr, Norwalk Police Union president, who created the fundraising page. "This page was started to help alleviate Andy's financial burden on a long-term basis," Orr said. The familys reach within the community made itself evident Monday, as large crowds showed up to Kovlakas wake, held from 4-6 p.m. About 15 minutes before doors opened, the line was already 100 people deep, OShea said. That goes to show you how loved and respected Kara was, OShea said. She will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Less than an hour after the wake started, hundreds were lined up outside the funeral home and police were called in to direct traffic. Mayor Harry W. Rilling, Norwalks former police chief, and his wife, Lucia, attended the wake. Its a tragedy for the Norwalk police family, for the Marvin School family, and certainly our hearts and prayers are with them. Theres just really no words, Rilling said. They both have been a large part of the Norwalk community for many years, making a difference in peoples lives, Andy as a police officer and Kara as a teacher who helped shape and mold the future of our children and who gave of herself and did so with passion and a tremendous amount of dedication. Former Norwalk Mayor Richard Moccia shared his condolences on the GoFundMe page for Kovlakas. Words are never enough to express the sadness over the loss of such a young vibrant person, Moccia wrote. I know how much she loved the children at Marvin, and her own kids. John Kydes, a Norwalk Councilman and Andy Kovlakas cousin, conveyed a mix of appreciation and sympathy. "The outpouring of support for Kara's family has been tremendous, Kydes said. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Kovlakas family and everyone affected by this tragedy." Norwalk Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik revealed the sadness of those on the police force. "The men and women of the department came together from the outset to support Andy and his family during such a difficult time," Kulhawik said. "This impacted all of us as we are more than simply coworkers but an extended family. The support of the women and men of the department as well as the community as a whole has been incredible. As time moves forward I know both his friends and family and all of us at NPD will be there to continue to support him and his children as they cope with such a tragic loss." Officials closed Marvin Elementary School on Tuesday so that students, families and staff could attend the services for Kovlakas. Her funeral is at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Georges Greek Orthodox Church, 238 West Rocks Road, Norwalk. Leslie Lake contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK Cold case investigators are seeking the publics help in solving a 20-year-old robbery-related homicide of a Norwalk man in his West Cedar Street apartment. On Aug. 17, 1996, Norwalk police received a 911 call from 153 West Cedar St. reporting an unresponsive male. Officer Frank Holland responded to the scene and was met by Jerome Butler, the nephew of the victim, 63-year-old Jake Keels. Butler informed Holland that he was sent to Keels apartment to check on his uncle since he was not answering his phone and had not been heard from that morning. Butler was able to pry open the bathroom window and see Keels feet in the hallway so he went around to another window and climbed in only to find the man deceased and called 911. The Detective Bureau assumed the investigation and the autopsy ruled Keels death to be a homicide by blunt force trauma and stab wounds. Police said that Keels was well liked and known to be a generous man, often helping people out with money. He ran the daily street numbers and was known to carry cash. The motive for the crime is believed to be robbery since some of Keels jewelry was missing and his wallet was tossed on a cabinet in the apartment and no cash was located. The original investigation identified Jesse Bailey as a person of interest, as several witnesses provided information and statements about Bailey having cash and jewelry on the morning of Aug. 17 in the area of The Hill of Carlton Court and made comments about robbing Keels. Bailey was interviewed and provided an alibi for the night of the murder. There was a lack of sufficient probable cause for an arrest warrant. In 1998, Jesse Bailey was arrested along with Deric Frank for the kidnapping and murder of Shaneika Price after her body was discovered in her burned vehicle in the Bronx, N.Y. In 2014, Lt. Art Weisgerber began to review the Jake Keels homicide case and examined the collected evidence. Some evidence was sent to the State of Connecticut Forensic Laboratory for updated testing, especially evidence used in the murder or found in the apartment that did not fit. The results for some of the evidence showed a DNA match for Bailey and contradicts statements he made during the original investigation, Weisgerber said. In December 2014, Weisgerber and Sgt. Alex Tolnay went to the Federal Correctional Center in Otisville, N.Y. to collect a confirmatory DNA sample from Bailey, who is serving a life sentence for the kidnapping and murder of Price. Bailey refused to be interviewed at that time. Based upon a review of the case, it is believed that Bailey may have been assisted by a second person who let Bailey into Keels apartment for the purpose of a robbery. Police are looking for this person to come forward with their information and explain the circumstances in which they went to Keels apartment. Investigators are also looking for any other person with knowledge of this crime or knowledge concerning the jewelry stolen during this crime to come forward with information that will complete the murder investigation. The case file is currently under review that the States Attorneys Office in Stamford. Anybody with information is asked to contact Weisgerber of the Cold Case Unit at 203-854-3028 or aweisgerber@norwalkct.org. Anonymous internet tips can be sent through the Norwalk police website at norwalkpd.com. Anonymous text tips can be submitted by typing NPD into the text field, followed by the message and sending it to CRIMES (274637). llake@hearstmediact.com In 2016 Americans are feeling anxious. Its not that we are experiencing criseswe are neither in total war nor economic depression. Yet 2016 has forced us to rethink all we thought we knew. A Socialist made a credible run for the Democratic nomination and succeeded in moving the Democratic Party platform farther left than it has ever been. A maverick businessman and reality TV star who has shown no loyalty to the GOP or conservative principles succeeded in winning the Republican nomination. Whole new factions of Americans who have been left out in the economic cold are supercharged for change. As a result, the establishments of both parties have been taking a thrashing. One billion dollars are being spent on this presidential contest, and millions of those dollars are being used on television buysto no effect. Meanwhile, tweets are moving mountains. All this was unthinkable just eighteen months ago. No one saw it coming. What has not changed is that the center does not hold: Anomic forces continue to coarsen and cleave our culture. In this exploding landscape, in this Waste Land of the Kardashians, we find ourselves in an Age of Anxiety. Theres been anxiety about the left, with its open declarations of victory in the culture wars. Theres been anxiety about the right, with its lurch toward populism, nativism, and protectionism. Now theres anxiety in everyone about what comes next. Moments ago in his paper, Lee Edwards outlined five necessary conditions for a political realignment to occur: (1) crisis, (2) demographic change, (3) the serious weakening of a party, (4) a strong third party rising, and (5) new leadership and ideas.[1] Since Dr. Edwards did such a good job, Id like to veer in a different direction and ask that you consider two cultural pointsone of which looks back, the other of which looks forward. Looking back, lets remember the achievement of postwar conservatism. America was fortunate to have men and women of imagination who knew what it would take to counter the excesses of the New Deal in our political economy and of the sixties revolution in our culture. It began with the vision of a propheta leader of a remnant who could keep the embers of freedom glowing (Albert Jay Nock). It grew to include the intellectual leaders of various little platoons (Russell Kirk among the traditionalists, Milton Friedman among the libertarians, and Whittaker Chambers among the anti-communists). It then relied on the fusionists who could forge a movement (William F. Buckley Jr. and Frank Meyer). Next came the politician who could stitch together an electoral majority that included Republicans, Independents, and Democrats (Ronald Reagan). Finally came the statesman who could actually govern the nation (again, Ronald Reagan, who had the ability to work not just with Republicans but also with Democrats and Independents). Each step of the way, the ever-enlarging scale required greater and greater skill at forging common ground. It is how realignments on the scale of 1860 or 1980 take place. Butin the process of enlarging their sphere of influence, conservatives began to have second thoughts, the same second thoughts that occur to people the morning after an exciting liaison. Maybe the conservative hookup with the GOP wasnt all it was cracked up to be. In fact, a lot of conservatives began to realize they had gotten left out in the cold. Russell Kirk, Friedrich von Hayek, Richard Weaverthey were quoted in set pieces yet, truth be told, most all their books were relegated to the status of historic curios. Thats why we sense anxiety among our conservative friends about even a favorable political realignment. As noted above, weve seen a favorable realignment before, with less than satisfactory results. A distinguished member of the Philadelphia Society now deceased, Stephen Tonsor, put it to me this way some three decades ago, back in the heyday of the Reagan era: Mr. Whitney, he intoned, Do not become corrupted by the Imperial City. Its where scholars go to die. As for the conservative movementwell, it died when it put on a blue suit and went to Washington.[2] (This led the inimitable Stan Evans to formulate the Law of Perfidy: When our people get to a place where they can do some good, they quit being our people![3]) To his students and to previous audiences of the Philadelphia Society, Dr. Tonsors drumbeat was: Dont be seduced by power. Dont neglect the culture. Keep doing the necessary work of building up the culture. Dr. Tonsors message was similar to that of the controversial activist Paul Weyrich, who wrote a now-famous letter to conservatives in 1999 that stirred up considerable discussion in this Society. Mr. Weyrich believed that conservatives had made a Faustian bargain: They were winning political battles but losing the cultural war. Permit me to quote from that lightning rod of a letter: In looking at the long history of conservative politics, from the defeat of Robert Taft in 1952, to the nomination of Barry Goldwater, to the takeover of the Republican Party in 1994, I think it is fair to say that conservatives have learned to succeed in politics. That is, we got our people elected. But that did not result in the adoption of our agenda. The reason, I think, is that politics failed because of the collapse of the culture. In truth, I think we are caught up in a cultural collapse of historic proportions, a collapse so great that it simply overwhelms politics. Thats why I am in the process of rethinking what it is that we, who still believe in our traditional, Western, Judeo-Christian culture, can and should do under the circumstances. Please understand that I am not quarreling with anybody who pursues politics, because it is important to pursue politics, to be involved in government. It is also important to try, as many people have, to re-take the cultural institutions that have been captured by the other side.[4] I think Dr. Tonsor, Mr. Weyrich, and others made a profoundly important argument, even more penetrating today than it was two, three decades ago. They remind us that even a good political realignment must be accompanied by a better cultural realignment if favorable political change is to stick, if our pursuit of happiness is to have real meaning. My second point looks forward, to a revolution that is proving to be every bit as far reaching as the French and Industrial revolutions. And its not finished, and we are starting to see it as a driver of realignment. We cannot even wrap our minds around this upheaval that, for convenience, we shall call the digital revolution. Johns Hopkins fellow Alec Ross points to a stunning fact: Every two days as much data has been produced as all the information humans produced between the cave paintings and 2003. The applications of a world coded in zeros and ones are dizzyingdriverless cars, precision agriculture, artificial intelligence, robotics, the digital transfer of entire libraries.[5] Did you know that every six hours, the National Security Agency (NSA) is gathering as much information as is stored in the entire Library of Congress?[6] And that it can fit in an object smaller than a key fob?[7] I should think that fact alone would make everybody anti-statist! Mr. Ross also notes that you can divide the digital revolution into two phases: the worlds last trillion-dollar industry that arose from digital coding, and the worlds next trillion-dollar industry that is coming from genetic coding; the genomic therapies that are being developed now will soon be eliminating diseases and extending life by three to five years. The digital revolution is breathtaking to those who have the education and skills to access and manipulate it; and it is heartbreaking to those who do not. While many industries and communities are making the digital pivot, not all will. Those that successfully pivot and embrace the digital revolution will prosper. Those that dont will become slums of despair. The people in the slums of despair will be susceptible to radicalization by the far left and the far right. The truck drivers, the janitors, the hotel maids, the people who fold clothesif they are not part of the digital revolution, they might become part of a counter-revolution, and tear down what they cannot build up. Mr. Ross illustrates what is happening with a powerful anecdote. There is a businessman in China who owns factories that used to employ almost one million people on assembly lines. He made the digital pivot and brought in robots to work the assembly line. As he said, robots dont ask for raises, they dont steal from the company, they dont get sick, they dont get tiredthey work 24/7 with nary an HR issue. The robots were so successful that this factory owner let go 600,000 people. Ladies and gentlemen, scaled to America, such layoffs could generate a lot of realignment. As my friend Joe Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center, likes to say: Here come the robots and the pitchforks arent far behind. When thinking about the consequences of the digital revolution, its not a failure of understanding that worries me; its a failure of imagination. To visualize what a digital dystopia might look like, Id recommend you read Kurt Vonneguts first novel, Player Piano. It was written in 1952 and describes a world in which physical labor is eliminated, a world in which people whose vocation it is to work with their hands are left out in the cold. Kurt Vonnegut understoodconservatives understandthat in the face of any revolution, the digital one included, there is the need for a party of conservation to push back against the party of innovation. Push back how? For starters, by serving as the collective cultural memory of those things that are needed to be fully human. In an age of change, it is the conservatives who remind us of continuity. In an age of matter, it is the conservatives who remind us of spirit. In an age of becoming, it is the conservatives who remind us of being. In an age of science, it is the conservatives who remind us of letters. In an age of liberty, it is the conservatives who remind us of virtue. In an age of equality, it is the conservatives who remind us of natural aristocracy. In an age of conformity, it is the conservatives who remind us to be a contradiction. In an age of strident tribal identities, it is the conservatives who remind us of our universal bonds of dignity. In conclusion, while there is a lot of anxiety about the state of our politics and culture, it would not hurt to follow Russell Kirks lead and let a little cheerfulness break in. In the first place, conservatives should not look upon political and cultural realignment passively, as if we were victims powerless to bring about change. We are volitional. We are intentional. Im looking at Winston Elliott who is doing great things at The Imaginative Conservative. Im looking at Annette Kirk who lengthens the legacy of a towering conservative at the Russell Kirk Center. Im looking at Glenn Arbery who is inspiring the rising generation at Wyoming Catholic College. Im thinking of Brad Birzer whose prize-winning biography of Russell Kirk we will celebrate later this evening. These leaders are men and women of imagination. Each in his or her own way is anchoring their good work to the permanent thingsto the true, the good, and the beautiful. They are a contradiction to our age. They are tending to the cultural realignment that must occur for a favorable political realignment to come about. As for conservatives who are allied to the Republican brand: Whatever the status of the party at the national level, at the local and state levels the GOP is fielding outstanding men and women who are fiscally conservative problem solvers. They are tapping into the energy for change across the land and channeling that energy into good policies. They are winning many of the elections in local and state races. Thats why Republicans hold a solid majority of governorships and state houses. We must remain on the lookout and cultivate these outstanding young leaders. So in a spirit of cheerfulness, I conclude with the words of Alexis de Tocqueville who, in Democracy in America, argued that A new political science is needed for a world altogether new. Indeed: To instruct democracy, if possible to reanimate its beliefs, to purify its mores, to moderate its movements, to substitute little by little an understanding of affairs for its inexperience, and knowledge of its true interests for its blind instincts; to adapt its government to time and place; to modify it according to circumstances and mensuch is the first duty imposed on those who would guide society in our day.[8] Im looking out at a lot of great guides, and that gives me hope. Books on the topic of this essay may be found in The Imaginative Conservative Bookstore. This essay was delivered at the 2016 fall meeting of the Philadelphia Society. Notes: [1] Lee Edwards, Is 2016 a Critical Election? remarks to the panel, Democrats and Republicans Today: Chances of Realignment Looking Forward, Philadelphia Society 2016 Fall Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, October 1, 2016. [2] Gleaves Whitney Tonsor #5Where Scholars Go to Die. History Gadfly: September 22, 2016. [3] M. Stanton Evans, quoted by George H. Nash, Philadelphia Society luncheon Address, Philadelphia, PA, October 1, 2016. [4] Paul M. Weyrich, Letter to Conservatives. National Center for Public Policy Research: February 16, 1999. [5] Alec Ross, A Look at Industries of the Future and the Disruptive Trends and Changes Happening in Business, speech presented to the West Michigan Policy Forum and Economic Club of Grand Rapids, September 26, 2016. [6] Dan Nosowitz, Every Six Hours, the NSA Gathers as Much Data as Is Stored in the Library of Congress. Popular Science: May 10, 2011. [7] Tom Hickey, Entire Library of Congress. Outgoing: June 21, 2015. [8] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, vol. 1, authors Introduction. Montgomery County woman gets prison sentence in Bensalem drug death Corrine Smith will spend up to 10 years in prison for providing the drugs that killed a man in Bensalem in 2020. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rendy Satria Dalimunthe (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Rapid economic and human development leading to increased life expectancy will eventually put Indonesia on the brink of a new social phenomenon: an aging population. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) has revealed that within the next four years, Indonesias aging population will reach 11.34 percent of the total population. The figure will increase by almost four times in 2050, which statistically means that one in four Indonesians will be over 65 years of age. The progress in prolonging human life, if combined with unhealthy lifestyle choices, makes people more likely to develop non-communicable diseases such as stroke, cancer, heart disease or diabetes as they get older. That will undoubtedly place considerable pressure on Indonesias health-care system in the future, as an unwelcome addition to the governments already increasing social security burdens. In short, todays health care is unsustainable and will not be up to future challenges. A new approach to obtaining better outcomes at lower costs is needed. Fortunately, our country is not alone in this unfamiliar journey. Other parts of the world, especially developed countries, have begun to cope with increasingly aging populations, creating more integrated health-care approaches that rely on data, technology and connectivity. It is simply called connected care. The idea of connected care starts with the notion that health is not only the responsibility of health-care providers but also patients. Currently, patients tend to be passive, visiting doctors only when their health starts to deteriorate, leaving relatively few choices for treatment and, hence, increasing the cost of health care. A connected care approach, on the other hand, encourages patients to be more involved in managing their own health. Connected care enables information sharing between all parts of the health system. On the very lowest level, this involves a smart watch or mobile application that tracks a persons key health indicators such as heartbeat, nutrition, calories burned, or even sleep routine. On a higher level, this data is collected, analyzed and interpreted by sophisticated algorithms, so that whenever abnormal health results even the slightest ones are detected, the app can quickly alert the person while at the same time sending a notification to a doctor or hospital for further follow-up. In that way, people will become more empowered and health conscious, so they can adjust their lifestyles to become healthier long before a disease develops in their body. In addition, data integration with hospitals or a centralized healthcare system enables doctors to retain patients complete health information in order to provide appropriate feedback on disease prevention and make the right decisions when medical treatment is necessary. Despite being promising, the implementation of connected care in Indonesia could face significant hurdles such as technology adoption and legal implications. In order for connected care to be successfully implemented, both patients and health-care professionals must be willing to learn and be comfortable with technology. This may be a challenge especially for elderly people or those living in rural areas. However, the quick adoption of mobile technology among the younger generations will eventually take care of this problem in the long run. The challenges from the legal perspective are bigger and have also been experienced by developed countries in their efforts to promote a connected care approach. Security compromises, data privacy and information breaches are among the top concerns that could preclude the adoption of connected care in the health system. These hurdles require special treatment by the government in the form of an appropriate and balanced regulatory framework in order to foster patient trust. People must have confidence that their data will not be shared irresponsibly or be used against them. Otherwise, they will be reluctant to share their user-generated information. The regulation should also remove doubts and concerns among health-care professionals who handle the data. Although challenging and requiring a lot of effort, connected care may be the answer to ensure Indonesia is ready to address its aging population in the future. It should be recognized that health care is a matter of national financial stability. Thus, citizens must play an active role in maintaining their own health. The start of implementation does not have to be huge or involve significant resources. For instance, the government could set up pilot projects in certain cities, with the assistance of local authorities and in cooperation with medical companies. Once successful, it could be replicated in another places until the whole nation is integrated. By starting early, we can ensure that the nation is ready to handle the social phenomenon of an aging population when it occurs. *** The writer is a business tech consultant and investment practitioner focusing on the IT, fintech and healthtech sectors. The views expressed are his own. --------------- We are looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia or international events. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com. For more information click here. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin George Jahn (Associated Press) Vienna Tue, October 18, 2016 The house where Adolf Hitler was born will be torn down and replaced with a new building that has no association with the Nazi dictator, Austria's government announced Monday as it moved to eliminate the property's pull as a place of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis. The plan still has to be formalized in legislation and voted on in Parliament. But the Interior Ministry said demolition was recommended by a government-appointed commission. With the Social Democratic and centrist People's Party in the majority, and most opposition parties expected to support the plan, passage was likely no more than a formality. Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said that "a thorough architectural remodeling is necessary to permanently prevent the recognition and the symbolism of the building." Ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck said that means that except for its foundations, nothing will be left of the house in the western town of Braunau and that a new structure will be erected in its place. A ministry statement emailed to The Associated Press quoted Sobotka saying he wants to ensure that any association with Hitler is eliminated at the site, adding that he could conceive of it being repurposed to house either government or social agency offices. The statement said the commission had recommended against leaving the site empty, which could be interpreted as an attempted "denial of Austrian history." The government this year launched formal legal procedures to dispossess the home's owner after she had repeatedly refused to sell the building or to allow renovations that would reduce its symbolic impact as Hitler's birthplace and its draw for admirers of the Fuhrer. (Read also: Effort to recognize World War II spies hung up in Congress) The statement said the Interior Ministry planned to finalize a draft law making the house state property before putting it to a vote in Parliament by the end of the year. Vienna's Jewish community and a government-supported anti-Nazi research center support tearing down the imposing three-story yellow house, where Hitler was born on April 20, 1889. But some historians argue that the house and the apartment inside where the Hitler family lived briefly should be preserved specifically because they are among the few surviving structures linked to the Nazi leader. A house in nearby Leonding, where Hitler lived as a teenager, is now used to store coffins for the town cemetery. There, the tombstone marking the grave of Hitler's parents, another pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis, was removed last year at the request of a descendant. A school that Hitler attended in Fischlham, also near Braunau, displays a plaque condemning his crimes against humanity. The underground bunker in Berlin where Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, was demolished and the site left vacant until the East German government built an apartment complex around it in the late 1980s. The apartments overlook the German capital's monument to victims of the Holocaust. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Indonesian jazz prodigy Joey Alexander has been listed as among Next Generation Leaders by Time magazine. The list consists of creators, storytellers and advocates who are considered to have important roles and the ability to influence others in future generations. Praised as "The Master of the Keys and one of the youngest jazz stars, the 13-year-old pianist is included on the list alongside youths from all around the world, such as designer Apiche "Madaew" Atirattana from Thailand and Irish actress Saoirse Ronan. I really dont think Im a genius or a prodigy, he told Time. I want people to dig my music, and not care about who I am. A devoted Christian, Joey believes his music is a gift from God. My music, its a gift from God, and its a gift Ive had to learn. It takes hard work and focus. Renowned jazz musician and Joeys mentor, Wynton Marsalis, expresses his admiration toward him. I like his music, rhythm, confidence and understanding about music, said Marsalis as quoted by kompas.com. (Read also: Ismail Marzuki, Van Lith, Martha Tilaar on cultural award winners list) Born in Denpasar, Bali, in 2003, Joey was the youngest nominee at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in 2016. He was nominated in two categories for his debut album My Favorite Things. Currently residing in New York with his parents, Joey performed in front of US President Barack Obama at the White House. During his concert in Jakarta in May, he performed traditional Jakarta song Kicir-kicir on the request of Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who attended the concert. Joey recently released his latest album, Countdown. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura Mon, October 17 2016 Papua Police have arrested three people for alleged criminal activities and their involvement in a separatist organization, the Papua National Liberation Force (TPN), in Paniai. The suspects, identified as Demianus Magai Yogi, Jemi Magai Yogi and Aloysius Kayame, had been hunted by the police for the past year. Police have also arrested another suspect, Jonah Wenda, who acted as the groups spokesman. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 17 2016 President Joko Jokowi Widodo is slated to visit Papua today to inaugurate a new airport in the impoverished Yahukimo regency, deep in the mountains of the countrys easternmost region, which comprises the provinces of Papua and West Papua. The visit is the latest of his many trips to the region since he took office two years ago, all part of his outreach to Papuans, 70 percent of whom voted for him during the presidential election. The new airport has extended the list of infrastructure programs that his administration has initiated in the region. The government is also finalizing a plan to set up a special body that will be given authority to integrate infrastructure and development programs in Papua. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 17 2016 It never crossed the mind of Maria Putri that after the myriad places she had visited and tons of people she has met, her soulmate was just one right-swipe away. It was at the end of 2014, I had just got back to Jakarta after an overseas business trip when my friend suggested that I install Tinder, Putri said about the application, which was launched in 2012 and is now one of the worlds most well-known online dating apps. Initially, I didnt know what it was for. So I just used it for fun. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru, Riau Tue, October 18, 2016 Fifteen police personnel have been caught red-handed accepting pungli (illegal levies) during operations conducted by the Riau Police in the last two months. They could be fired if proven guilty, the police said. Riau Police spokesperson Adj.Sr.Comr.Aryo Tejo said personnel from the police's Internal Affairs Division (Propam) had caught the 15 police officers receiving the illegal fees through various methods. They were involved in nine cases that Propam is currently handling, he said on Tuesday. Four of the 15 personnel are from the Pekanbaru Polices traffic unit (Satlantas), followed by four from the Riau Polices traffic division (Ditlantas), two Satlantas members from the Siak Police, two Sabhara personnel from the Rumbai Pekanbaru Police, two Sabhara officers of the Bengkalis Police and one Sabhara member from the Pelalawan Police. Aryo said 10 out of the 15 police personnel were arrested for allegedly taking illegal fees from drivers. They asked drivers of trucks passing the trans-Sumatra highway to pay between Rp 2,000 [15.36 US cents] and Rp 5,000 per person. Some of them were also found to have asked money from motorists netted during traffic operations, he said. Two other personnel were arrested for acting as drivers license middleman in Pekanbaru. Two Sabhara members in Pelalawan and Siak were arrested for allegedly being involved in safeguarding cockfight gambling and vessels smuggling shallots from Malaysia. Another officer was a security and public order agency member in Bukit Batu district, Bengkalis. He was suspected to have protected illegal logging activities in the Giam Siak Kecil-Bukit Batu biosphere reserve, said Aryo. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 State-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura I (AP I) is looking for external financing of Rp 26.4 trillion (US$2.02 billion) to expand five of its airports, especially those in Yogyakarta and Semarang where the number of passengers is already three times over capacity. AP I technical director Polana Banguningsih Pramesti said the five major airports with the most severe overcapacity were Achmad Yani Airport in Semarang, Adisoetjipto Airport in Yogyakarta, Syamsudin Noor Airport in Banjarmasin, Juanda Airport in Surabaya and Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar. In addition to the construction of new passenger terminals, AP I will build a new airport in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta to replace the overcrowded Adisoetjipto Airport. In 2020 all five airports are targeted to handle up to 70.6 million passengers, 2.79 times the current number of 25.3 million passengers. "The new terminal in Ahmad Yani airport in Semarang will be operational in 2018, while the first phase of the new Yogyakarta airport will be operational in 2019, one year ahead of the 2020 target," she said in Jakarta on Monday. To partly finance the expansion, AP I will issue conventional and Islamic bonds worth Rp 3 trillion as the government has revoked its initial capital injection plan worth Rp 1.5 trillion. Managing 13 airports in central and eastern Indonesia, AP I had an average passenger growth of 6.96 percent per year between 2011 and 2015: higher than the national growth of 5.64 percent and that of its sister company AP II with 3.91 percent. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 State-run airport operator Angkasa Pura I (AP I) is set to sell debt papers to finance the development of five airports in Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. The company, which operates 13 airports in central and eastern Indonesia, hopes to generate Rp 3 trillion (US$229.81 million) in fresh funds, consisting of Rp 2.5 trillion from the sale of conventional bonds and Rp 500 billion from Islamic bonds or sukuk. The proceeds will help finance the development of Yogyakartas new airport in Kulon Progo and improvements at Ahmad Yani International Airport in Semarang, Central Java; Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java; Syamsudin Noor International Airport in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, and Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi. As much as Rp 7 trillion is needed for the five projects by the end of this year. In total, AP will need Rp 39 trillion for the next four years. AP I technical director Polana B. Pramesti said on Monday the projects in Semarang and Banjarmasin aimed to accommodate up to 6 million passengers and would be completed in the middle of 2018. Meanwhile, the construction of the new airport in Yogyakarta is expected to begin in 2017. We have disbursed around Rp 2.1 trillion in funds from the Rp 4.1 trillion allocated for land purchase. I hope the process can be completed by the end of this year, Polana said on the sidelines of a press conference on the bond issuance. The new airport will be able to accommodate 15 million passengers. President Joko Jokowi Widodo has called on the company to finish the construction of the new airport by 2019 as passenger traffic continues to rise at the current Adisutjipto International Airport, which is a military airfield shared for commercial purposes. The Adisutjipto airport has an intended capacity of only of 1.5 million passengers annually but in fact serves 3.5 million passengers per year. Expansion work at the airports in Surabaya and Makassar is expected to be completed by 2020. AP will expand the existing terminal at Sultan Hasanuddin and construct one new terminal and two additional runways at Juanda. However, it says it needs to carry out feasibility studies to obtain proper projections. AP I finance and ICT director Novrihandri said 75 percent of the bond issuance proceeds would be allocated for the expansion of the five airports, while the remaining 25 percent would be used to improve the quality of current services at those airports. We also want to upgrade our existing services by providing more parking areas and Wi-Fi, he said. The book building period of the bond sale will run until Oct. 31, while the offering period will be from Nov. 14 to 15. The debt papers will be listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) on Nov. 21. AP I has appointed Bahana Securities, Danareksa Sekuritas, Mandiri Sekuritas and BCA Sekuritas as underwriters for the bonds, which consist of three series. The A series will offer between 7.45 percent 8.20 percent in coupon rate and will mature within five years. The B series carries a coupon of 7.95 percent to 8.70 percent and will be due after seven years. The C series will comes with a coupon of 8.10 percent to 8.85 percent and a maturity period of 10 years. The company secured Rp 4 trillion worth of syndicated loans from five financial institutions in August for a number of new construction and renovation projects. The institutions are state infrastructure financing companies Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (SMI) and Indonesia Infrastructure Finance (IIF), state-owned lenders Bank Mandiri and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) and private lender Bank Central Asia (BCA). (wnd) : 9 2013 . 9 . . Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) New Delhi Tue, October 18, 2016 A fire broke out late Monday at a private hospital in a city in eastern India, killing at least 23 people, India's federal health minister said. Minister J.P. Nadda disclosed the death toll from the fire at the Sum Hospital in the city of Bhubaneswar in an interview with the Times Now TV news station. Doctors at two local hospitals told the Press Trust of India news agency that 22 people were dead on arrival at their facilities. They said more than 20 people were being treated for injuries. The slight discrepancy in casualty figures could not be resolved. B.B. Patnak, the director of Capital Hospital, told PTI that most of the victims were patients being treated at Sum Hospital's first-floor intensive care unit who were using ventilators and suffocated after the fire spread to the ICU. Police and fire fighters broke windows and worked with hospital staff and volunteers in a massive rescue operation to evacuate more than 500 patients from the hospital, an eyewitness and hospital officials told PTI. Ramesh Manjhi, a senior fire official, told the New Delhi Television news channel that the fire had been brought under control by late Monday night. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the victims in a Tweet and called the tragedy "mind numbing." Authorities in Odisha State directed local hospitals to take in patients from Sum Hospital and ordered an investigation into the fire, PTI said. Incidents like this aren't unheard of in India, where public safety norms are routinely flouted. In 2011, a major blaze engulfed AMRI Hospital in the city of Kolkata, killing 89 people. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gerry Shih and Rod McGuirk (Associated Press) Beijing Tue, October 18, 2016 The major shareholder in Australia's largest casino operator voiced concerns on Tuesday after the Chinese government announced that a senior executive and two other Australians had been detained in an investigation of suspected gambling crimes, in an apparent crackdown on overseas tours for high rollers. The head of Crown Resorts Ltd.'s VIP International team, Jason O'Connor, is believed to be one of 18 Crown employees being questioned by Chinese authorities, the company said in a statement on Monday to the Australian Securities Exchange. James Packer, an Australian gaming mogul with a personal fortune estimated by Forbes business magazine at US$3.6 billion, said on Tuesday that he had sought regular updates on the detentions and had asked Crown to do everything possible to contact the employees and to support their families. "As the major shareholder of Crown Resorts, I am deeply concerned for the welfare of those Crown employees detained in China," Packer said in a statement. "Crown will do whatever it can to support our employees and their families at this difficult time. Our number one priority is to be able to make contact and to ensure they are all safe," added Packer, who founded the Australian casino operator. Packer said he was respectful that the detentions had occurred outside Australia and were subject to Chinese rules and investigative processes. The Chinese foreign ministry said in a regular briefing on Monday that Australians have been detained in Shanghai for suspected involvement in gambling crimes, but did not provide further details. Fairfax Media reported over the weekend that police took the three Australians, who were visiting China on business, and local Chinese employees based in several Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, away from their homes late Thursday and detained them. O'Connor was among the Australians. The raids were part of an apparent crackdown on the firm's operations to lure high-worth Chinese gamblers to its Australian casinos, Fairfax said. Casino gambling is illegal on the mainland and Chinese law prohibits agents from organizing groups of more than 10 Chinese citizens to gamble abroad. The crime is punishable by up to three years' imprisonment. The industry has been known to skirt the ban by touting destination packages. Casino operators have sought to lure Chinese high-rollers who have avoided Macau since President Xi Jinping's ongoing corruption crackdown deters visits to the offshore enclave that is the only place in China where casinos are legal. In 2015, police arrested 13 South Korean casino managers and 34 Chinese agents for selling packages with free tours, free hotels and sexual services. Crown declined to say why O'Connor was in China. Crown has said in recent financial disclosures its "International VIP" business segment has surged in recent years thanks to ramped up overseas marketing. It was not clear whether any of the staff had been charged. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it had been notified Monday by China of the detentions and said consular officials were arranging visits. The department said the Australians had legal representation. Crown said it was supporting the Chinese and Australian families of the detained employees. Headquartered in Melbourne, Crown has gambling interests in Australia, Macau, Manila, Philippines, and London. Crown shares fell 14 percent to close on Monday at AU$11.15 (US$8.47), the biggest single-day decline in the company's history. Grant Govertsen, a Macau-based analyst at Union Gaming, a gambling-focused investment bank and advisory firm, said such crackdowns are common in China. "I think what people are losing sight of is the fact that these arrests happen all the time, several times a year with the Koreans, and it's been going on like that for years," Govertsen said. He said that the detention of the Australians "could represent a sea change, but it could also be business as usual." ___ McGuirk reported from Canberra, Australia. Associated Press writer Kelvin Chan contributed from Hong Kong. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Desy Nurhayati (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali Tue, October 18, 2016 The verdict hearing in a child abuse case involving an Australian defendant in Bali has been postponed by one week. Robert Andrew Fiddes Ellis, who has been charged with sexually abusing girls aged between eight and 17 years in Bali, insisted that he was innocent and should be acquitted. I havent done anything serious to be imprisoned. I have no sexual relation with any of those girls, he told reporters while he waited for his trial to begin at the Denpasar District Court on Tuesday. The court had been scheduled to hand down its verdict in the case on Tuesday, but the trial was adjourned until next Tuesday. In the previous session, prosecutors had demanded the courts panel of judges sentence Ellis to 16 years in prison. Its excessive injustice, Ellis said about the indictment. The defendant stands accused to have paid children in return for sexual abuse he had committed. Commenting on the allegations, Ellis said, Ive completely settled with the girls. I gave them generously [without requiring them to give anything to me in return]. Bali Police arrested Ellis in his house in Tabanan regency in January based on information provided by child protection organization Lentera Anak Bali Foundation. He is suspected to have sexually abused at least 11 children in 2014 and 2015. He reportedly lured his victims with money and gifts. Police conducted a joint investigation with the foundation, the Denpasar administration's Integrated Service Center for the Empowerment of Women and Children (P2TP2A) and Bali-Terre des Hommes Netherlands, starting in December last year, which ended with Ellis arrest. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Michelle Faul and Oyekanmi Olalekan (Associated Press) Tue, October 18, 2016 Nigeria's government is negotiating the release of another 83 of the Chibok schoolgirls taken in a mass abduction two-and-a-half years ago, but more than 100 others appear unwilling to leave their Boko Haram Islamic extremist captors, a community leader said Tuesday. The unwilling girls may have been radicalized by Boko Haram or are ashamed to return home because they have married extremists and have babies, chairman Pogu Bitrus of the Chibok Development Association told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Bitrus said the 21 Chibok girls freed last week in the first negotiated release between Nigeria's government and Boko Haram should be educated abroad, because they will probably face stigma in Nigeria. The girls and their parents were reunited Sunday and are expected to meet with Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday or Wednesday, Bitrus said. Buhari flew to Germany on an official visit the day of the girls' release. Some 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped early on and at least half a dozen have died in captivity, according to the newly freed girls, Bitrus said. All those who escaped on their own have left Chibok because, even though they were held only a few hours, they were labelled "Boko Haram wives" and taunted, he said. At least 20 of the girls are being educated in the United States. "We would prefer that they are taken away from the community and this country because the stigmatization is going to affect them for the rest of their lives," Bitrus said. "Even someone believed to have been abused by Boko Haram would be seen in a bad light." One Chibok girl, Amina Ali Nkeki, escaped in May. Chibok Parents' Association chairman Yakubu Nkeki said the young woman has been reunited with her freed classmates, all of whom are being treated by doctors, psychologists and trauma counsellors at a hospital in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, run by the Department of State Security, Nigeria's secret service. Human rights advocates and the Bring Back Our Girls Movement have been asking if the girl is a detainee of the government and have been demanding she be allowed to return home, as she has requested. The newly freed girls have told their parents they were separated into two groups early on in their captivity, when Boko Haram commanders gave them the choice of joining the extremists and embracing Islam, or becoming their slaves, Bitrus said. The girls freed and those whose release is being negotiated, numbering 104, are believed to be in the group that rejected Islam and Boko Haram, he explained. The freed girls said they never saw the other girls again. Bitrus said the freed girls were used as domestic workers and porters but were not sexually abused. He said that was why only one girl in the freed group is carrying a baby, and her parents have confirmed that she was pregnant when she was kidnapped. An aid worker had told The Associated Press that he had seen the girls on their release and that all but three carried babies. Bitrus said that report was incorrect. Previous negotiators in talks that failed also had corroborated that more than 100 of the girls did not want to return to their parents, Bitrus said. Chibok is a small and conservative Christian enclave in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria, where many parents are involved in translating the Bible into local languages and belong to the Nigerian branch of the Elgin, Illinois-based Church of the Brethren. Nigeria's government has denied reports that the girls were swapped for four Boko Haram commanders, or that a large ransom was paid. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Local authorities of West Halmahera regency in North Maluku province deploy 157 people to search for two missing passengers of a speedboat accident over the weekend in Matui village of Jailolo subdistrict, an official said on Tuesday. Two people are still missing, the National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul said on Tuesday as reported by Antara. In an effort to search for the victims, local authorities deployed 50 members of the West Halmahera Police, 17 personnel of Indonesian Military (TNI), 30 members of Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), 30 personnel of National Search and Rescue and 30 local people to search for the missing people. The search team combed the shore areas of Gorea, Matui and Tuada villages and the shores of Bobo Saria and Idamdehe villages, Martinus said. As of Tuesday afternoon, four people had died from the accident. Three injured victims were taken to the Jailolo Regional Hospital while 47 others involved in the accident had returned to their respective homes. The accident took place at 3:30 p.m as the speedboat transporting people from Jailolo to Ternate caught fire from its outboard engine. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Hundreds of former members of controversial group Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar) in Surakarta, Central Java, has demanded the government stop the discrimination against them. We want the government to fulfill its promise. It said we will be regarded as equals with other citizens and not be discriminated against. But we are encountering difficulties in administration processes in our neighborhoods, Harmanto, 43, a former Gafatar member said Monday in a press conference. He said former Gafatar memberslabelled by religious authorities as deviantfound it hard, for example, to acquire letters of domicile from their respective neighborhood, community, subdistrict and district heads. Some other members claimed they were being ping-ponged around when making an ID card. The former Gafatar members formed a new group called the Communication Forum of Evicted Independent Farmers. The forums lawyer, Badrus Zaman, urged Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo to settle these problems. He cited the Constitution, in which Article 28(I) stipulates that the government is obliged to protect, improve and fulfill the citizens human rights. Everyone is entitled to protection for themselves, their family, their honor and their property. This includes former Gafatar members, no exception, Badrus said. He said his clients were forced to leave Kalimantan, where they had started working on agriculture. They bought the land from locals, but were evicted before they could harvest. They left at least 120 motorcycles, four cars, and hundreds of hectares of land belonging to members originally from Surakarta, Badrus went on. Now that they are here, they cannot even get an ID card. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18 2016 After almost two months of plain sailing, patrol authorities have again found foreign boats encroaching the countrys waters for fish. The governments bold move to sink 71 foreign vessels for poaching to celebrate the 71st anniversary of Indonesian independence on Aug. 17 had quieted the seas for a while. But entering October, the poachers had returned, especially in Natuna, raising doubts on the effectiveness of the sinking policy. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Bekasi Tue, October 18 2016 Bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle), are set to hit Bekasi, West Java, in the near future as the city administration is expected to issue a regulation as the legal basis for the vehicles operation. Bekasi Transportation Agency head Yayan Yuliana said Monday that the transportation minister had recently issued regulation No. 32/2016 on the operation of community transportation in housing and particular areas. The regulation, he said, would be the basis for the city administration to issue a regional regulation for bajaj. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Jakarta deputy governor candidate Sandiaga Uno has said that if he is elected in the upcoming gubernatorial election, he will donate his salary and allowances to charitable organizations such as Dompet Dhuafa and Rumah Zakat. Sandiaga, a businessman and Gerindra Party politician, said his savings were enough to support his family. "If I'm elected deputy governor, my income from the city administration will be donated to orphans and those less fortunate," Sandi said in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, on Tuesday. He also that he did not mind spending billions of rupiah to support his campaign with running mate Anies Baswedan. Sandiaga revealed previously that he had spent Rp 29.3 billion (US$2.25 million) in 10 months to introduce himself to Jakarta voters. "For me, it [the salary and allowances] is not important because Allah has been so good to me. I feel that I haven't contributed much to Jakarta," he said. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Indonesia has called on the Muslim world to empower women through education, stressing that women's access to education is their fundamental right. It is unfortunate to see that in the 21st century, many women still have no access to education. Indonesia is ready to contribute to ensure equal rights for women in education," Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said in a statement on Tuesday. She was speaking at the Organization of Islamic Cooperations (OIC) 43rd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Retno said women were key agents of change, who should play greater roles in tackling challenges in the Muslim world today, including addressing terrorism, radicalism and extremism. "Women as primary educators of children have the ability to encourage and strengthen the values of tolerance and culture of peace to the Islamic community," she said at the annual meeting, which this year focused on education. The minister emphasized the importance for member countries to realize its commitment into a set of concrete programs to ensure women could have access to education and to increase commitments on funding for education. Islamic countries should ensure that the principle of education for all could become part of their national policy and ensure there could be sufficient funding for education at the national level, Retno said. The minister said education had been a priority issue since the establishment of the OIC. Cooperation on education, science, technology, innovation, empowerment and the advancement of women's role were key points in the OIC 2025 Program of Action, she added. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Tue, October 18 2016 Many people already know what general insurance or loss or liability insurance is. However, data from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) reveals that out of the 257 million citizens of Indonesia, the penetration of general insurance had only reached 0.50 percent in the first quarter of 2016. This shows that only a small number of people have general insurance policies in the country. Many are still doubtful about purchasing insurance policy. What exactly does one get out of insurance? Insurance is there to help face risks you may run into. With insurance, you dont need to worry about your assets, like property, health and life, and education, said a business observer Agung Prabu Sadjarwo at Ahmad Dahlan University, Yogyakarta. For instance, education insurance. By having an education insurance policy, you dont need to worry about the high cost of education for your family members. Education is important, so having education insurance policy is a sound decision for the future, he said. He cited another example, Health insurance is helpful for when you are struck by illness. The insurance company will cover the cost of medication, which we know can be astronomical and really burden the family. Remember, we also have our daily expenses to think about. Another example is property insurance. This product is to insure your luxurious possession, including private plane, car, house, shop, or any of your favored possession. Especially those related to your business, like shop building, requires good safety net. Good financial management He further explained that by insurance customer needs to pay a certain premium set by the insurance company since the onset. At first sight, customers may see this as additional expense -- a burden -- even though it is not. Insurance can help manage familys finance. How so? Insurance is like a savings product. You pay the premium, which is just like saving, for future needs, he said. You may ask why it should be insurance. Why not just saving? The answer is that by having to pay the premiums you learn to be disciplined, he added. This is different from saving. Are you sure you can do it routinely, and that you can be disciplined or consistent? We know that the urge to money, for shopping, for example, is one we have problem controlling, he explained. Efficiency and Effectiveness He further described the benefit of insurance related to efficiency and effectiveness. We know insurance helps mitigate risks. Insurance offers ease and low cost so that its more efficient and effective to guarantee our security compared with bearing all the risks ourselves; that would be troublesome, he said. For example, God forbid your shop is affected by an earthquake. Youll need to rebuild the shop, which will require much money. Its better if from the beginning we already have our shop insured. This will be more effective and cost efficient, he explained. He further said many were overly optimistic, thinking that disasters will not affect them, thus, paying insurance premiums is an additional burden, as they may never need to make any claims. These people preferred to allocate their money for other necessities, he added. So, should a disaster really strike, they experience a bigger loss. We dont know what tomorrow will bring. We can, however, do something to minimize risks. So, why dont we do that? Bank Loan He said insurance was notably beneficial if an insurance customer wants to own a business and is opting for getting a bank loan. Banks usually will be more ready to provide a loan if your assets are insured. Before agreeing to a credit proposal, a bank needs asset guarantee, he explained. The logic is that if your assets are not insured, then something happens which renders the assets valueless and you cannot fulfil your obligations to the bank, what can the bank seize? The bank will have this in mind as they also have to protect their interest. If you cannot fulfill your obligations, the bank needs to seize the collateral. But if your assets usefulness is questioned, how can the bank grant your credit application? So, it is important to insure your assets, he explained. With insurance you can also be free from worries and fear of loss. Besides, many companies nowadays offer insurance products with low premiums and simple requirements. Property sector Meanwhile, Agnes Juwita, retail & commercial manager at GMT Commercial, said that loss insurance provided a guarantee against risks due to third party losses caused by unexpected events in the future. Referring to the characteristics of the insurance, its nature is more oriented toward anticipation of uncertainty. For businesses, especially those in the property sector, its very important that they protect their assets, Agnes stated. Agnes further explained that understanding loss insurance would be practically beneficial to those in the property business, namely the owners, contractors or operators. With good understanding, they have reference to choose a competent insurance company. Loss insurance has a strategic value as it can be the last line of defense in the property business, she said as quoted by bisnis.com. Liability business consultant and expert, Enoch Setiawan said property business operators need a clear understanding of the principle of loss insurance. They must have good faith in cooperating with insurance providers, including brokers, agents and users. Generally, the principle is reflected in the wording that the cooperation will be based on. All parties need to have good understanding about this, Enoch said. He added that other principles were also the foundation of the cooperation, among others, reinstatement of value, indemnity, repairmen and replacement. In application, the principles of liability insurance can be the reference for settling claims and their variants in business practices, he concluded. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Batam Tue, October 18 2016 Batam Police investigators have released two Chinese nationals accused of theft on a Garuda Indonesia flight from Jakarta to Batam, Riau Islands, citing insufficient evidence and no victims coming forward. The crime and intelligence unit chief of Batam Police, Comr. Memo Ardian, told The Jakarta Post on Monday that based on their investigation no evidence nor victims were uncovered in the alleged theft case. Garudas crew held them back but had no evidence to prove the two committed theft, as well as no police report [was made by supposed victims], said Memo. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post) Dekai, Papua Tue, October 18, 2016 After bearing the burden of high fuel prices for decades, people living in Papua and West Papua can now buy fuel at affordable prices. On the second day of his working visit to Indonesias easternmost region on Tuesday, President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced the One Fuel Price policy. The policy aims to make the price of fuel in Papua and West Papua the same as prices in other areas across Indonesia. Under the new policy, premium sells at Rp 6,450 (49 US cents) per liter while diesel and kerosene are priced at Rp 5,150 and Rp 2,500 per liter, respectively. Residents can now buy premium at Rp 6,450 per liter while diesel is sold at Rp 5,150, far lower than the previous rates, which ranged between Rp 50,000 to Rp 100,000 per liter, Jokowi said during the launch of the One Fuel Price policy for Papua and West Papua in Dekai, Yahukimo, Papua, on Tuesday. The President hopes the policy will directly impact peoples prosperity. The prices should not be more than Rp 10,000 per liter. I will continue to monitor this. We should not let just one or two people enjoy the fuel prices enjoyed by other parts of the country, while others have to buy fuel at a higher price, said Jokowi. With the One Fuel Price policy, the President said state-run oil and gas firm Pertamina must allocate Rp 800 billion in subsidies every year. The most important thing is not about the money, but about social justice for all Indonesians, he said. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 On the second day of his working visit to Papua, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is scheduled to inaugurate Nop Goliat Dekai Airport in Yahukimo, Papua. The President is also set to launch the governments one-price fuel program for people in the region. Jokowi and his entourage departed for Yahukimo on board the presidential airplane from Sentani Airport in Jayapura, on Tuesday morning. In Yahukimo, President Jokowi is also scheduled to witness the operation preparations for Air Tractor AT-802, an aircraft operated by state-run energy giant Pertamina to support fuel distribution in remote areas across Papua, the Presidential Press Bureau said in a statement. From Yahukimo, Jokowi and First Lady Iriana will depart to Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, North Sulawesi, to hand over land certificates to people as part of the 2016 national strategic program. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura Tue, October 18, 2016 President Joko Jokowi Widodo, accompanied by First Lady Iriana, has again visited Papua, inaugurating several infrastructure projects in a move aimed at winning the hearts and minds of people in the countrys easternmost provinces. In the two-day visit starting on Monday, Jokowi inaugurated projects including six power facilities in Papua and West Papua worth a total of Rp 988 billion (US$76 million). The six facilities are the 20-megawatt (MW) Orya hydropower plant (PLTA) in Genyem; a 3.5-MW micro hydroelectric power plant in Prafi, Manokwari, West Papua; the Genyem-Waena-Jayapura 70-kilovolt 174.6-kilometer high voltage line (SUTT); the Holtekamp-Jayapura 43.4-km SUTT; the 20-MW Sentani-Waena substation; and the 20-MW Jayapura substation. Jokowi said Papuas geographical conditions were very tough but should not be seen as an obstacle for completing the infrastructure projects on time, and should instead be viewed as a challenge to accelerate development. Just now, I spoke with the [state electricity firm] PLN president director and he said the electrification program across Papua and West Papua would be completed by 2020. I said dont make it too long; if possible it should be completed by 2019. I know the geographical conditions of Papua are very tough, but the target should still be met, not just for electricity projects but all infrastructure projects in Papua, said Jokowi. The inauguration was marked by Jokowi, along with Papua Governor Lukas Enembe, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno and PLN president director Sofyan Basir, pressing a button at PLNs Nendali village substation in Sentani, Jayapura, Papua. The two SUTT and two substation projects are the first in Papua. The operation will also save as much as Rp 161 billion in fuel annually, said Sofyan. Sofyan said the current total power capacity in Papua and West Papua was 294 MW and 242 MW at peak load for 521,000 customers, with an average 8 percent growth annually. With the completion of the projects, the power capacity in Papua and West Papua will increase twofold by 2019 and PLN is ready to make the 2020 National Games (PON) in Papua a success, he said. He added that PLN had to work around the clock to complete the electrification of 15 regency capitals across Papua and West Papua and to provide an adequate power supply for outer islands and border areas by 2019. Lukas expressed his appreciation to Jokowi for making four visits to Papua, including two trips this year, since becoming president. President Jokowi is the first president of Indonesia who has reached interior regions of Papua. Its [a moment of] such pride and honor for us Papuans to see Mr. Presidents eagerness in developing Papua, Lukas said. Jokowi made his first visit to Papua during Christmas 2014, despite calls from a number of local church leaders to cancel the visit as an expression of their disappointment over the governments slow response to a shooting in Enarotali, Paniai, in which five civilians were reportedly killed. During the visit, Jokowi promised to develop traditional markets in the province, which still sees rampant cases of armed conflict. At the end of December last year, Jokowi again visited Papua and West Papua provinces and marked the turn of the year to 2016. His visits have been warmly welcomed not only by local officials, but also by informal leaders. Papuan community leader Franzalbert Joku also expressed appreciation for Jokowis four visits to Papua since taking office. We hope the situation can be maintained so Papuans can feel the greatness of the republic, he said. We hope blackouts will no longer take place and PLN will further improve its services, said Sentani resident Yunice. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Keita Ikeda and Takayuki Fuchigami (Japan News/ANN) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 An old train shipped from Japan to Indonesia connected two men by chance, thanks to a smartphone lost on the train. Shota Noda, 21, a university student from Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, lost his smartphone on the train while it was in operation in Japan. The phone was found about 5,800 kilometers away in Jakarta and returned to Noda this summer, seven months after he lost it. Since then, Noda has promoted his friendship with Syahri Rochmat, 24, the Indonesian railroad employee who found the phone. At a Jakarta port in late December last year, Rochmat, an engineer of the capitals metropolitan railway company PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (KCJ), came across the smartphone when he was checking and cleaning the used train shipped from Japan before it runs in Indonesia. The train used to operate on the JR Nanbu Line connecting Kawasaki Station with Tachikawa Station in Tokyo. When Rochmat removed a bench seat to check inside, he saw a smartphone fall to the floor. It had apparently been stuck between the seat back and the bench. He also found a student identification card kept in the pocket of the smartphone case. It must have belonged to a Japanese person since the train came from Japan, but Rochmat could not read Japanese. So he posted a thumbnail photo of the ID card on Twitter asking tweeters to help find the man. Rochmat is a Japanese railway enthusiast, even making T-shirts with prints of Japanese trains and wearing them at his workplace. He also has Japanese friends living in Asia. He tweeted in Indonesian, and his fellow rail fanatics found his tweet. One of them contacted the university Noda attends. Message from afar On Jan. 11, Noda, a senior at Yokohama National University, received a message in English on his Facebook page. His photo on the student identification card was attached. The message asked if the card belonged to him. Noda quickly understood what the message meant. He had lost his smartphone and identification card on a Nanbu Line train on Dec. 5, 2015. He had called the train operator daily and had even turned in a report on the lost items at a police station, but all in vain. Noda had given up, asking the university to reissue his ID card while using an old smartphone. Only later did Noda discover why his phone was found in Indonesia. According to East Japan Railway Co.s Yokohama Branch Office, last year the company sold 120 used 205 series train cars to Indonesia and the smartphone was found on one of those cars. The train car Noda had been riding in on Dec. 5 was being prepared for shipment to Indonesia the very next day for its second life. Syahri Rochmat (left) in this Twitter profile picture.(Twitter.com/Syahri Rochmat) In-person pickup Noda tried to ask Rochmat to send the smartphone back via international mail, but soon gave up because he could not clearly convey his request translated by online machine translation. He decided to go to Jakarta to pick up the phone directly as he had finished job hunting in June. On July 27, the two met at a station in Jakarta for the first time and Noda received his smartphone and ID card from Rochmat. They took a picture together using the miracle smartphone to commemorate the meeting. In August, Rochmat visited Tokyo and Noda took him around the city. In a twist of fate, Rochmat accidentally left his bag of souvenirs on a trains overhead rack, but the bag was sent to a lost and found office of a nearby station, Rochmat said. The friendship between Rochmat and Noda became an internet topic. Noda has even received friend requests from a number of Indonesian railway fans on his Facebook page. This smartphone and new friendship are precious to me, Noda said. Reusing trains globally Japanese railway companies have shipped used trains to countries around the world at the time of model changes to higher-end cars. Indonesia used to import new trains. However, the country suffered financial difficulty caused by an economic crisis in the late 1990s and switched to importing used train cars from Japan. Since 2009, KCJ has received 844 train cars that used to operate on the Nanbu Line, the Toei subway lines and other lines, with or without having to provide compensation. Meanwhile, old trains that used to operate on the Tokyo Metros Marunouchi subway line have been running on a subway line in Buenos Aires. Japanese trains are highly evaluated globally in terms of their safety and energy-saving capability, an official of the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry said. The Japanese government has positioned the export of infrastructure as a pillar of its growth strategy. The amount of orders that Japan received from overseas in 2014 was about 19 trillion yen and the government aims to boost the figure to about 30 trillion yen in 2020. Of that amount, 7 trillion yen is expected to be procured from the transportation field. TheJakartaPost Please Update your browser Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below. Just click on the icons to get to the download page. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Michael Astor (Associated Press) Tue, October 18, 2016 The military operation to wrest Mosul from the Islamic State group could potentially become the single largest, most complex humanitarian operation in the world in 2016, a UN official said Monday. Speaking via video-link from Iraq, Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said that in the worst case scenario, some 1 million civilians could flee the city with 700,000 of them requiring shelter overwhelming emergency sites that currently only have the capacity to hold 60,000 people. "Our capacity to support 700,000 people in the short-term we couldn't do it. And certainly if we had to mount a response over the intermediate-term, if they couldn't go back to Mosul quickly, if there was too much damage in the city, then it would test us to the breaking point," Grande said. She said that the UN was especially concerned about the safety of the estimated 1.2 to 1.5 million civilians inside Mosul who may get caught in the fighting. She said officials were also concerned that IS had already booby trapped parts of Mosul and positioned snipers within the city. "In the worst case scenario, we can't rule out the possibility that there may be a chemical weapons attack. We also fear that ISIL, as they did in Fallujah, may try and hold civilian populations either as human shields or forcibly expel huge numbers of civilians in the face of an attack by the Iraqi security forces knowing the Iraqi forces will not fire on their own people," Grande said, using another acronym for the Islamic State group. Grande said she has heard reports of people charging as much as US$10,000 to smuggle people out of Mosul ahead of the operation to retake the city that was launched Monday. She said that, so far, the UN hasn't detected any population movements but that they were expected within the coming days. Largely due to a lack of funding from the international community, the UN and its partners have only set up six emergency sites with a capacity to hold some 60,000 people. But Grande said in the next few weeks 22 emergency sites should be in place with a capacity to hold over 400,000 people far short of the 700,000 people who could potentially flood out of the city. "We're still short and everyone who's working on this operation knows that. We're continuing to discuss with authorities what might have to happen," Grande said. Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, fell to IS in the summer of 2014. Weeks later the head of the extremist group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque. If successful, the liberation of Mosul would be the biggest blow yet to the Islamic State group. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 President Joko Jokowi Widodo has said the governments one-price fuel policy in Papua and West Papua aims to bring social justice to all Indonesians. During the launch of the program at Nop Goliat Dekai in Yakuhimo, Papua, on Tuesday, Jokowi said the government should not let injustice in Papua continue. With this program, he said, people residing in the countrys easternmost provinces could enjoy fuel sold at the same price in western and central parts of the country. The premium [fuel] price is now Rp 6,450 [49 US cents] per liter. All this time, for decades, premium was selling at Rp 50,000 per liter, and sometimes even as high as around Rp 60,000 to 100,000 per liter," Jokowi said as quoted in a Presidential Press Bureaus press statement. Jokowi said he had instructed State Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno and state-run energy firm Pertamina to immediately implement the one-price fuel policy, which was also aimed at boosting economic growth in Papua and West Papua. Both transportation and logistics costs will be cheaper, so commodity prices will drop. This is indeed a 'step-by-step' process," he went on. To implement the program, Pertamina's subsidiary Pelita Air Service, which operates the Air Tractor AT-802an aircraft with a capacity of 4,000 literswill use the aircraft specifically to distribute fuel to remote areas. Pertamina has also designated nine fuel distribution agents in 8 regencies in Papua and West Papua. With the one-price fuel policy, premium is now priced at Rp 6,450 per liter while diesel and kerosene are sold at Rp 5,150 and Rp 2,500 per liter respectively. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Jakarta Police have denied that murder suspect Jessica Kumala Wongso was detained in a luxury detention room, away from other detainees during interrogation at the Jakarta Police headquarters. There is no luxury detention room. All detainees get the same information, room type and treatment, said Jakarta Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Suntana in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com, responding to a statement made by prosecutors during a court hearing on Monday at the Central Jakarta District Court. Reading the prosecutors response to the defense from Jessicas camp, prosecutor Maylany said Jessica had demanded a special detention room. It is the most luxurious room for a detainee, said Maylany in response to Jessicas claim that she was detained in a dirty detention room. Suntana declined to comment further on the statement made by the prosecutors and the photos showed during Jessicas trial. Just ask the prosecutors, Suntana added. During the trial, prosecutors showed four photos, two of which showed Jessica laying on a sofa. The other photos show Jessica chatting with another woman and undergoing interrogation. Jessica has been accused of putting a deadly dose of cyanide into a drink consumed by her friend Wayan Mirna Salihin when they met at Olivier restaurant in Central Jakarta on Jan. 6. Prosecutors have demanded a 20-year prison sentence for Jessica. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Jakarta deputy governor candidate Sandiaga Sandi Uno said he intends to create 200,000 new, young entrepreneurs in the city should he secure the victory in the 2017 election. "We set a target that in each subdistrict, there will be at least one center of entrepreneurship. So next year there will be 200,000 new entrepreneurs in the city," Sandi said at Gelanggang Remaja in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, on Tuesday. Sandi added that digital technology would be a promising sector for young people to start their business. Creative sectors like fashion, tourism and cuisine will become the backbone of the city's economy in the future, he added. To prepare the young entrepreneurs, Sandi planned to provide business training and internships for them, starting at the high school level. Once they begin their business, the administration will mentor, assist through funds and provide facilities to the new entrepreneurs, Sandi said. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Tue, October 18, 2016 Singaporean consul general in Medan, Mark Low, has said North Sumatra has huge potential in various fields, attracting Singaporean investors to form investment partnerships with relevant parties in the province. We invited Singaporean businesspeople of the International Enterprise Singapore (IES) to visit North Sumatra to see opportunities from which they can form a partnership, he said after a meeting between North Sumatra Governor T.Erry Nuradi and IES businesspeople on Monday. Among IES representatives attending the meeting were Yao Sheng, Demse Pereira, Lee Jin Sheng, Mami and Berlian. Low said with the visit, the North Sumatra administration could hopefully give input and information on the companies Singaporean investors could potentially partner with. During the meeting, Erry discussed a number of areas in North Sumatra that the Singaporean businesspeople could explore, including Lake Toba, which the central government aims to develop into an international tourist destination. Erry said through Presidential Regulation No.49/2016, the government had created the Toba Lake Authority Agency, which manages areas around the lake. We hope companies from Singapore can invest in the development of Lake Toba, said the governor, adding the agency would ease procedures for investors. Erry said the Sei Mangkei special economic zone (KEK), a strategic zone for the processing of oil palm and its derivatives, was another North Sumatra potential investment Singaporean businesspeople could tap into. KEK Sei Mangke is prepared for the development of factories to process oil palm and its more than 160 derivatives. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) say they want comprehensive information on tax amnesty before making a decision to join the nationwide program, as longed for by the government. Working nonstop on his calculator and invoices, Edy Bong, 35, a textile wholesaler at the crowded Tanah Abang Market in Jakarta, says that recent declining sales have not affected his willingness to participate in the amnesty. The countrys weak economy has impacted his business and caused fluctuations each month, resulting in a minimum monthly turnover of Rp 30 million (US$2,310) and maximum Rp 60 million. However, the Jakarta resident Edy still plans to participate in the tax amnestys second phase that spans from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 as he did not have enough time to participate in the first phase. He showed no reluctance, claiming it was important to be a compliant taxpayer. As a citizen of this country, I think it is an obligation [for me to participate]. So, I will certainly join the second phase because I was late in joining the first one, he said on Monday. Tata, 23, another textile wholesaler at Tanah Abang Market, said she was also willing to participate in the tax amnestys second phase. But for both Edy and Tata, information will be key to making sure that the program is as they expect. I want to participate, but I dont know much about the program, she said. Lucky for them and thousands of other wholesalers, the Finance Ministrys directorate general of taxation is planning to hold a public campaign on tax amnesty at the Tanah Abang Market next week. Banners, chairs and desks were being prepared to facilitate the vendors and their employees, as observed by The Jakarta Post on Monday during a one-hour impromptu visit paid by Taxation Director General Ken Dwijugiasteadi. He was accompanied by businessman Djan Faridz, a United Development Party (PPP) politician who is also the developer of several blocks of the market. Ken visited several shops and exchanged pleasantries with their owners. Sir, have you heard about the tax amnesty? Come, Sir, lets join, Ken told one vendor. The campaign is deemed crucial to get the wholesalers to join the program, considering that the market is the largest textile trade center in Southeast Asia that also records trillions of rupiah in daily transactions. The government has set Rp 165 trillion in penalty payments as an expected target from the program to help plug this years widening state budget deficit. As of Monday, total penalty payments stood at Rp 93.7 trillion, still 40 percent off the target. The amnesty program itself offers special redemption rates for SMEs, which are defined as an individual or a business entity with an annual turnover of Rp 4.8 billion or lower. The penalty rates both for declaration and repatriation are set at 0.5 percent for SMEs with total assets of Rp 10 billion and 2 percent for those with total assets above Rp 10 billion, and will remain flat throughout the program until it ends in March 2017. The rates for SMEs are lower than ones set for big taxpayers, where the latter also face higher rates in the second and third phases. Wahyu K. Tumakaka, Central Jakarta tax office head, said the tax body could not set a specific target for the upcoming public campaign in Tanah Abang Market as most of the shop owners were already registered taxpayers. We have received positive responses from businesspeople at Tanah Abang Market toward the amnesty program as they have admitted feeling burdened in paying 1 percent income tax, he said. The tax body is now trying to facilitate SMEs with new rules. They will be allowed to submit handwritten reports instead of electronic ones, if their assets and debts are below a certain benchmark, and will also be allowed to submit their reports collectively through representatives. Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis (CITA) executive director Yustinus Prastowo said the government should prepare specific strategies to lure SMEs to the program, for example, by offering incentives. ________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Indonesias trade surplus hit the highest level in over a year in September due to a temporary spike in iron, steel and tin exports. However, overall exports and imports remain in the red amid weak global trade. At US$1.1 billion, the trade surplus for September reached a 13-month high backed by a 94 percent month-on-month surge in iron and steel exports and a 68 percent increase in tin shipments overseas, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released Monday. This is due to our surging exports for iron and steel to Australia and Thailand. The increase is very big we hope they also expand to other markets to sustain this, said BPS deputy head of distribution and statistics Sasmito Hadi Wibowo. However, iron and steel businesspeople expressed concerns that the bright sales were only temporary. Krakatau Steel corporate secretary Iip Arief Budiman acknowledged improved shipments of hot rolled plate raw materials for construction, roads and household equipment to Australia but the neighbor may ban cheaper iron and steel products from Indonesia in the future, pending approval from the World Trade Organization (WTO). As for Thailand, the surge in September shipments was a special case because major steel producer BlueScope Thailand undertook a one-month production overhaul, forcing it to import some products. Krakatau Posco [subsidiary of Krakatau Steel] and BlueScope Indonesia are exporting galvanized steel [for roof structures] to Thailand while the local producer there is doing an overhaul, Iip explained. Nevertheless, Krakatau Steel is continuing efforts to improve its current exports to Australia and Malaysia and Krakatau Posco plans to diversify export destinations to India, Middle East and Europe. Despite the record-high trade surplus in September, the value of exports and imports still declined along with the lackluster global economic growth and slow recovery of commodity prices. (-/-) Overall exports in September stood at $12.51 billion, down 0.59 percent year-on-year (yoy), while exports for the January to September period totaled $104.36 billion, a 9.41 percent decrease. Imports were also weak, with the September value reaching $11.3 billion, down 2.26 percent yoy, while total imports for the first nine months of the year were at $94.66 billion, a 6.09 percent drop. New BPS head Suhariyanto brushed off concerns about the decline in trade activity, saying it was still at a healthy level and was better than world averages. Our declining trade pattern is not at a concerning level because the decrease is slight. We just hope that for the remaining three months, exports will start going up, he said, expecting the government to realize its plan to diversify export products and markets to jack up growth. President Joko Jokowi Widodo has dared exporters to penetrate non-traditional markets like Africa, Central and South Asia, Central and East Europe and South America as well as improve product quality, design, packaging and promotion. (-/-) The strategy is aimed at avoiding an export value decrease from the $150.2 billion achieved last year. However, Bank Central Asia (BCA) chief economist David Sumual estimated that this years exports would only reach a maximum of $140 billion. With only three months left and our exports around $11 billion to $12 billion per month, I think its difficult to maintain last years figure, he said. CIMB Niaga chief economist Adrian Panggabean shared a similar view, saying exports were unlikely to reach the 2015 level due to weak global demand resulting in a lower trade volume, especially for commodity trade. The lower imports of raw materials also indicate a weak manufacturing sector and weak economy in general, he added. _____________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 The touching story of Syahri Rochmat, 24, a maintenance worker at PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (KCJ), returning a lost phone to its Japanese owner has come under international spotlight. This sweet story of cross cultural friendship was first published on Japan News, the English language media of Japans Yomiuri Shimbun group. Later Singapores The Straits Times picked up the story and local media followed suit on Tuesday. Depok resident Syahri said it all started in December 2015, when he was cleaning the interior of a used train from Japan. He found a small pouch containing a cell phone and a Japanese identity card under a bench. I secured the phone and told my Japanese friend, whom I knew from Twitter, to find the owner of the cell phone," Syahri told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. After seeing the ID, his friend called Yokohama University, which was attended by the owner. Without result, his friend told him to just throw away the phone because it could not be used in Indonesia. Syahri did not want to give up and asked his friend what was the phone owners name because he could not read Japanese, which was Shota Noda. Syahri tried to find Noda's account via Twitter but his struggle came to no avail as most accounts of Japanese users use Japanese characters. He tried to find Noda in Facebook and luckily found him, thanks to the profile picture, which looked like the photo on the ID card. By using Google Translate, Syahri sent a message in English to Noda and informed him that he had found his cell phone. Shota replied afterwards by asking Syahri to send back his phone to Japan. Considering the expensive fee to send goods to Japan, Syahri told Noda to send some money to him for the delivery. However, Noda left Syahri's request unanswered for some time. Read also: Lost phone in commuter train sparks Jakarta-Tokyo friendship In March, Noda told Syahri that his friend would come to Jakarta to pick up his phone. However, his mission to return the phone remained unaccomplished as Syahri who waited at Manggarai station from morning until 9 p.m. that day, could not find Noda's friend. In the seven months since Syahri first made contact with Noda, the two maintained their correspondence via Facebook messenger. The topic of conversation was always about the lost phone. In July, Noda decided to retrieve his phone by visiting Jakarta himself. On July 27, they finally met. Syahri recalled Noda's face, which seemed puzzled, as he could not believe that he was getting his phone back after such a long time. "Noda asked me why I didn't sell the phone. I told him, its selling price was not that high and I also could not use the phone in Indonesia," he said. To show his gratitude, Noda gave Syahri an ID card holder with a picture of Syahris favorite AKB48 member, Mayu Watanabe. Syahri reciprocated the gift by giving Noda a T-shirt with the picture of an old Japanese train he designed himself. He said he was a railway enthusiast who once had an ambition to be a train machinist like his late father and brother. I didnt reach that ambition though, he said. A warm friendship between them was established after that. Noda even accompanied Syahri when he visited Tokyo in August this year. Their friendship became news across the internet and Noda then also made Indonesian Facebook friends with railway enthusiasts similar to Syahri. This smartphone and new friendship are precious to me, Noda said as quoted by Japan News. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ahmed Al-Haj (Associated Press) Sanaa Tue, October 18, 2016 The warring parties in Yemen have agreed to a 72-hour cease-fire that will take effect shortly before midnight Wednesday, the UN special envoy to Yemen sai\Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he hopes the temporary truce can lead to "permanent and lasting end to the conflict." Ahmed said in a statement Monday that he received assurances from all parties to the conflict o cease hostilities at 11:59 p.m. local time on Wednesday for an initial period of 72 hours that is subject to renewal. The warring factions agreed to follow the conditions of a temporary April cease-fire agreement, he said. The agreement requires them to "to allow free and unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel" to all parts of Yemen, he said. The war in Yemen began in 2014 when Shiite rebels known as Houthis based in the north seized the capital, Sanaa. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies launched a campaign of airstrikes against the rebels. The Saudi-led coalition and the United States are backing the internationally recognized government of Yemen's president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. More than 4,000 civilians have been killed and 3 million of the country's 26 million people have been driven from their homes by the fighting. Hunger has become widespread in the Arab world's poorest country. The southern city of Taiz is one of the hardest-hit areas. Foreign Minister Abdel-Malak al-Mukhlafi demanded late Monday that a months-long siege of the city be lifted and relief supplies delivered to its residents without conditions. "Peace is our permanent choice," he said. The cease-fire agreement was announced late Monday, a day after Ahmed, the UN envoy, met in London with US Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. "This is the time to implement a cease-fire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," Kerry said after Sunday's meeting. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Caracas Tue, October 18, 2016 Venezuela's government-stacked courts have dealt another blow to the opposition's attempts to unseat President Nicolas Maduro. In a decision Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that opponents must collect signatures from 20 percent of registered voters in each of Venezuela's 24 states in order to force a recall referendum. The opposition had argued it needed to garner only 20 percent nationally to trigger the vote. The ruling will make it harder for opponents to mobilize support, especially in rural states dominated by the government, when it attempts next week to collect and electronically verify 4 million signatures over three days allotted for the petition drive. Polls show Venezuelans overwhelmingly want to cut short Maduro's term. But the embattled socialist still has control over key institutions including courts and the electoral council. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Paris Tue, October 18, 2016 WikiLeaks says that founder Julian Assange's Internet access has been cut by an unidentified state actor. Few other details were immediately available. Assange has been up holed up at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for more than four years after skipping bail to avoid being extradited over sex crimes allegations. The cramped quarters haven't prevented the Australian transparency activist from working and WikiLeaks continues to deliver scoops, including revelations that have rattled Hillary Clinton's campaign for president as the U.S. election enters its final stretch. Calls, texts and emails left with WikiLeaks weren't immediately returned Monday. A woman who picked up the phone at the embassy said: "I cannot disclose any information." Ecuador's Foreign Ministry released a brief statement that didn't mention the Internet cut off, but reaffirmed its decision to grant Assange asylum. "Faced with the speculation of the last few hours, the Government of Ecuador ratifies the validity of the asylum granted to Julian Assange four years ago," the Foreign Ministry said. "We reaffirm that his protection by the Ecuadorean state will continue while the circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain." London's Metropolitan Police declined comment. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Seth Borenstein (Associated Press) Washington Wed, October 19, 2016 Earth's 16-month sizzling streak of record high temperatures is finally over, according to one group of federal meteorologists. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last month's 60.6 degrees (15.9 Celsius) was merely the second hottest September on record for the globe. That's ever so slightly cooler a few hundredths of a degree than the record set in 2015. But it was quite a bit warmer 1.6 degrees (0.9 Celsius) than the 20th century average. Global average temperatures include both land and sea surface readings. And while oceans were cooling off a tad, global land temperatures in September still set a record high, NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden said. It was an unusually hot month in much of Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. NASA, which averages global temperature differently, considers last month as record hot . But the space agency didn't have a big consecutive hot streak because it didn't consider last June as record hot. "It's kind of nice to see it cool down a little bit even though it will go back up again," Blunden said. "It may not be a record now because we have natural variations in weather and climate. There's always going to be ups and downs but that doesn't mean global warming isn't happening." The fact that despite the end of El Nino a warming of the central Pacific that tends to spike global temperatures the world came close to setting another heat record "is quite a feat and offers evidence that global climate change is contributing to these monthly records/near records," University of Oklahoma meteorology professor Jason Furtado said in an email. The end of El Nino will "just give us a brief respite, since the global trend will continue mercilessly until we stop it by getting off fossil fuels," said climate scientist Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute in Germany. Burning coal, oil and gas puts heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the air, a main contributor in climate change. Blunden said this year is still on pace to be the hottest on record, beating the mark set in 2014 and then broken last year. Meteorologists said three record hot years in a row would be unprecedented. Through September, this year is 1.6 degrees warmer than the 20th century average and nearly a quarter of a degree warmer than the first nine months of 2015. Records go back to 1880. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin D Kanyakumari (The Star/ANN) Tue, October 18, 2016 A total of 137 people have been detained to date for their involvement with the Islamic State (IS) terror group. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday said the number included those who had attempted to leave the country to join IS. We detained those who were going to join [IS], those who returned from there [Iraq and Syria] as well as those who were funding their activities, he said. Zahid, who is also Home Minister, added that his ministry currently is keeping track of all IS-linked individuals, especially Malaysians. We exchange intelligence with international agencies and we have a suspects list as well as a list of those involved with Daesh [another name for IS]. I can give assurance that security is not only at airports. Borders and rabbit holes are being watched as well, not only by border security but external agencies as well, he said. Zahid said that at present Malaysia is attempting to emulate Saudi Arabia with regard to its deradicalization programs. They have a deradicalization program where they attach electronic monitoring devices to the offenders. We have spoken about this to the Attorney-General, he said. On Sunday, the IS stronghold in Mosul, Iraq was breached and countries like Turkey and the United States as well as Malaysia are anticipating the return of militants to their respective countries. Defense Minister Hishamuddin Hussein on Monday said that Malaysia is on high alert following the breach. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Trinna Leong (The Straits Times/ANN) Kuala Lumpur Tue, October 18, 2016 Malaysia's Parliament began its final sitting for the year Monday with the "hudud bill" submitted by Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) close to being put to a vote. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's private member's bill is aimed at expanding the powers of the country's syariah, or Islamic, courts, but the move has run into opposition from several quarters, particularly among non-Muslims. There are fears that the bill, if passed in the federal Parliament, would lead to the enforcement of hudud or the Islamic penal code which includes amputations and whipping as punishments. Non-Muslim communities are concerned about the legislation's potentially overarching impact on other races, while politicians say it goes against the Constitution. "We will make sure this bill is not debated," Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said on Sunday. Liow, who heads the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a party in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), said the coalition has reached a consensus on PAS' proposal, but did not elaborate on what it was. Given the fierce backlash to its bill, PAS has denied that the amendments are intended to introduce hudud in Kelantan state, which it controls. In a bid to alleviate people's fears, the opposition Islamic party also sought to reassure non-Muslims that the law applies only to Muslims. But other opposition parties have insisted that PAS' vague explanation has failed to convince the people. "We have asked for clarification on issues that can be misinterpreted or have different meanings," said Khalid Abdul Samad, an MP from Parti Amanah Negara, a splinter party from PAS. "But he [Hadi Awang] hasn't answered our questions." On its part, Amanah has submitted a counter-proposal which it said contains a more holistic approach and is acceptable to all. PAS is seeking to expand the jurisdiction of syariah courts through amendments to Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965. The proposed changes include allowing the courts to mete out punishments permissible under syariah law, except for the death penalty. If the amendments are passed, it could pave the way for state governments to introduce hudud. For Malay-Muslim politicians on both sides of the divide, the topic has been a sensitive one. The opposition Pakatan Harapan alliance comprising Amanah, jailed leader Anwar Ibrahim's Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the Chinese- based Democratic Action Party (DAP) has not stated its official stand. While the DAP is clearly opposed to the Bill, the issue of religion, even in a legal context, remains a thorny subject for its Malay-centric partners. Similarly, Umno's three non-Muslim allies in the BN MCA, the Chinese-led Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian Congress have all opposed the bill. Umno itself has been tight-lipped over what its official stance is. The party is having to juggle between upholding its image as a standard-bearer for "moderate" Islam and winning back Malay voters ahead of the next general election. A recent poll shows that Malaysia is becoming increasingly Islamized. A Pew Research Centre report published in April showed that 52 percent of Malaysians believe the country's laws should strictly follow the Quran. A Pew survey in 2013 showed that 86 percent of Malaysian Muslims favor making Islamic law the country's official law. Umno has 86 MPs and PAS has 14 which is 12 short of a simple majority of 112 votes needed for the hudud bill to be passed. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Beijing Tue, October 18, 2016 China's state news agency says this week's visit by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte points toward a restoration of trust between the sides following recent tensions over their South China Sea territorial dispute. Xinhua said that Duterte's arrival on Tuesday would be a step toward ending years of estrangement between the countries. Duterte has said he wants to reduce contacts with treaty ally the US in favor of closer ties with the rising Asian superpower. Xinhua said Duterte's visit shows the "bad blood between Beijing and Manila has finally begun to give place to good faith." It said a verdict issued by an international arbitration panel in the Netherlands that denied China's claims in the South China Sea had no bearing in discussions between the sides. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jim Gomez and Christopher Bodeen (Associated Press) Manila Tue, October 18, 2016 MANILA, Philippines (AP) After lashing out at longtime ally America, the new Philippine president is making a state visit to China in a charm offensive that will help define how far he wants to shift allegiance from treaty ally the US to an Asian superpower locked in a territorial standoff with his small, impoverished country. It's a high-stakes gamble for brash President Rodrigo Duterte. While he recalibrates Philippine relations with the world's big powers, his country's 65-year alliance with the United States a key pillar of President Barack Obama's rebalance to Asia hangs in the balance. China will likely move to regain lost ground in a Southeast Asian nation that won a major arbitration lawsuit against Beijing's massive territorial claims in the South China Sea just three months ago. Below is a look at some of the issues surrounding Duterte's four-day visit to China that begins Tuesday and will include meetings with President Xi Jinping and other officials. WHY IS DUTERTE PURSUING A MAJOR FOREIGN POLICY SHIFT AND WHAT DOES HE WANT FROM CHINA? Duterte's desire to chart a foreign policy independent of the United States apparently stems from a variety of reasons, including the history of American colonialism in the Philippines. He was also angered by a 2002 incident in which he accused FBI agents of spiriting out of the country an American blamed for a hotel room blast in Davao city, where Duterte served as longtime mayor. More recently, he has told Barack Obama "to go to hell" in a speech after the US president criticized his deadly anti-drugs crackdown. He has declared plans to scale back engagements with US forces whose presence, he said, has inflamed Muslim restiveness in the south and has failed to help uplift his country's anemic military. "I am not a fan of the Americans," he said last month. Duterte wants to make progress on the South China Sea territorial dispute between the two countries and expand defense cooperation with China, which could be a new source of weapons for the Philippines. WILL DUTERTE RAISE THE THORNY SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTES IN CHINA? Before embarking on his trip to Brunei and China, Duterte said the territorial conflicts would be taken up, including a July 12 decision by an international arbitration tribunal that invalidated China's claim, based on historical grounds, to virtually the entire South China Sea. While he pledged he would "not bargain" over Philippine sovereignty and stick to his country's claims, Duterte said "there will be no hard impositions." In his outreach to China, Duterte says he primarily wants Filipino fishermen to regain access to Chinese-held Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea that both sides claim, and boost trade and investment after years of frigid relations. It's been suggested that he might seek China's assurance that it will halt any more island-building plans in disputed areas. A few days before his state visit to China, the two sides still haven't agreed on proposed paragraphs concerning the disputes in a joint statement that may be issued at the end of Duterte's visit in Beijing, according to a Philippine official privy to efforts to draft the statement. WHAT IS THE US ATTITUDE TOWARD DUTERTE'S BOOSTING RELATIONS WITH WASHINGTON'S KEY ASIAN RIVAL? The US says it wants to see better relations between the Philippines and China, wary that any major downturn could harm regional stability and possibly force the Washington to take action under its 1951 mutual defense treaty with the Philippines. Yet, it doesn't wish for that to come at the expense of its relations with Manila, and a marked deterioration of ties would likely be viewed with alarm, since the Philippines remains a key part of the US chain of alliances in Asia running from Japan and South Korea to Australia. Any effort by Duterte to enhance defense ties with China will also likely unsettle the US military if it feels the security of American military personnel and operations could be compromised. Connections between the US and the Philippines run deep, represented in their century-old relationship and the more than 3 million Americans of Filipino descent. Such links are likely to ensure that relations remain close, no matter what direction foreign policy takes under Duterte. China's relations with its neighbors, meanwhile, often stagger from crisis to crisis, raising the possibility that the next dust-up over the South China Sea could result in new economic or diplomatic retaliatory measures from Beijing. In such a case, the US will be likely standing by, eager to remind Manila of who its true friend is. WHAT DOES CHINA HOPE TO GET OUT OF THE VISIT AND ANY CHANGE OF COURSE BY DUTERTE? While China has expressed openness to Duterte's efforts to boost trade and seek financing for railways and other infrastructure, it remains uncertain if China will back away from its longstanding South China Sea sovereignty claims, including at Scarborough, where the Chinese coast guard continues to block Filipino fishermen. China would be expected to applaud any diminishing of US influence among Asian nations since that creates more room for it to increase its economic, political and military influence. Beijing was caught off guard by the US "pivot" to Asia of which stronger ties with the Philippines was a key element so a change of course by Manila serves Beijing's goal of negating Washington's bid to shore up its influence. Beijing is also eager to consign the Hague arbitration panel's ruling to history and resume its approach of discussing territorial disputes on a bilateral basis with the countries concerned. The ruling bore the spirit of multilateralism that would reduce China's relative heft vis-a-vis the other claimant countries and brought the sort of outside intervention that Beijing has long condemned. Finally, warmer ties with the Philippines might also provide opportunities for the Chinese economy, particularly the newly established Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank that Beijing has backed as an alternative to the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other global financial institutions. Chinese companies would move aggressively to snap up any major infrastructure projects that become available, especially road and rail construction. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Danson Cheong and Lim Yan Liang (The Straits Times) Singapore Tue, October 18, 2016 Heavily armed troops from the police and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) turned out in force from Monday to the early hours of Tuesday across the island, from Marina Bay to Jurong East, to seek out and neutralize a mock terror threat in the country's largest counter-terrorism exercise yet. The 18-hour operation involved over 3,200 officers, including those from the Singapore Civil Defense Force and other Home Team agencies. It climaxed at malls in Bishan and Tampines, where "terrorists" armed with M-16 rifles and explosive vests took hostages, including in a cinema, before being subdued early Tuesday morning. Speaking to reporters at its conclusion, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said the multi-agency exercise was important as it stress-tested the Home Team and SAFs coordination procedures developed to nullify terror attacks should they occur here. Over the last several months, both the Home Team and the SAF have worked together to develop new SOPs, joint procedures, and todays exercise was an opportunity for them to exercise and validate them, said Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security. There are also lessons to be learnt, which they will take back and improve. Teo called on Singaporeans to take the terror threat seriously and to stay alert, as the first few minutes of a terror situation are crucial. No matter how fast the security forces react, there will always be the first few minutes, where whatever you do yourself is important, to protect yourself, your friends and those around you, he said. Earlier on Monday, joint patrols between police and the SAF's Island Defense Task Force which protects key installations here, were stepped up at over 360 locations such as the financial center, public transport nodes, shopping malls, residential areas and immigration checkpoints - after receiving intelligence about an imminent attack. There are two reasons for the exercise, said the police. One is to test the combined response between the Home Team and SAF to a terror attack. The other is to raise public awareness of "the current threat landscape and to encourage continued vigilance". Deputy Commissioner of Police Lau Peet Meng said the exercise has given officers greater confidence in dealing with simultaneous terrorist attacks. The exercise had allowed us to become more familiar with each others operating procedure, instilling confidence from our ground troops to the command elements, and also with the community, he said. With the conclusion of this exercise, we are now better prepared to deal with such a contingency together. Over 50 community volunteers also took part in the operation, which began at 10 a.m. on Monday and ended at 4 a.m. on Tuesday. The exercise comes as Singapore's ramps up its readiness in tackling terror attacks. On Sept 24, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong launched SGSecure, a nationwide movement which aims to increase the public's preparedness and resilience. Last Saturday, DPM Teo launched an SMS alert system, which will notify people if there is a major emergency, such as a fire or a terror attack, nearby. The police in June also launched its Emergency Response Teams, which comprise police land division officers, trained in counter-assault skills. They took part in Monday's exercise. These developments are a response to the growing terror threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group and self-radicalized lone wolves to Singapore and the region, which is at its highest level in recent times. Last week, Malaysian police announced that they arrested 16 terror suspects following a two-week operation that spanned six states. The country faced its first ISIS attack in June when two men threw a grenade into a nightspot in Puchong, Selangor, injuring eight people. In January, there was also an attack aimed at a popular mall in the Indonesian capital. Eight people died, including four terrorists. Closer to home, Indonesia arrested five members of a terror cell in Batam two months ago. The cell's leader had been planning a rocket attack on Marina Bay. Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, said large-scale exercises such as Monday's are critical in testing the readiness and coordination of various agencies which need to work together in a terror attack. He highlighted how it has also been set up to replicate the more common terror scenarios seen today, in which small groups of terrorists hit public places at the same time, such as in the Paris attacks last November. He said: "With ISIS, the attack methodology has changed. Such exercises seek to emulate these attacks." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Julliane Love de Jesus (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) Manila Tue, October 18, 2016 Police leaders from other Southeast Asian countries are praising the Philippines for its relentless campaign against illegal drugs and criminality despite the rising number of drug war casualties, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director Gen. Ronald Bato Dela Rosa said on Monday. Dela Rosa said even the Indonesian police wants to model its anti-drug campaign with that of the Philippines, particularly the PNPs Oplan Tokhang, where policemen knock on the doors of drug personalities and ask them to change their ways. Like in Indonesia, the (Indonesian police commissioner) is being pressured by the people to copy what the Philippines is doing right now in our war on drugs particularly Oplan Tokhang. He told me that all other countries say they are congratulating us for what we are doing, Dela Rosa said. Dela Rosa flew to Thailand last October 12 to attend the anniversary of the Royal Thai Police. He returned to the Philippines last Sunday. There, Dela Rosa discussed with Police General Chakthip Chaijinda, Commissioner General of the Royal Thai Police, the experience of Thailand in its harsh policy against drug offenders during the time of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He said that during the time of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the campaign against drugs was good. The rate of crime went down. Like Dela Rosa, he said the Thai national police chief shares his view that crimes are related to drugs, and that solving the drug problem could significantly reduce criminality. We are unison by claiming that most of the crimes happening are drug-related." Their campaign against drugs was great back then. When their administration changed, the policy against drugs also changed. So in Thaksins time, there were good results and they are very happy to inform us that they had positive outcomes from their campaign, he said. Early 2003, Shinawatra waged a hardline war on drugs after promising to solve the drug menace in three months. For the first three months, almost 3,000 people were killed. The bloody drug war in Thailand also led to prison congestion while reports of human rights abuses increased. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Bali has officially become a favored holiday destination for the Japanese. As many as 154,597 Japanese tourists visited the island between January and August 2016, a significant upsurge of 7.98 percent from the same period last year. However, although there has been an increase in volume, Japanese tourists slumped to third place in the ranking of countries that supply the most number of tourists to Bali. The region's Central Statistics Agency head Adi Nugroho told Antara news agency that China had advanced to second place, taking over the previous position held by Japan. Australia still places first as the country with the most tourists visiting the island. (Read also: Over 1 million foreign tourists visit Indonesia in July) In addition to breathtaking landscapes, Balinese culture is thought to be one of the highlights of the island for Japanese visitors. Adi said many Japanese tourists visited Bali to learn how to play tabuh (traditional percussion) and to learn Balinese dances. "And they usually return to Bali the following year to continue their lessons in tabuh and Balinese dance," said Adi. (mra/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Citilink, the low-cost arm of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, is set to open two international routes from Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Riau Islands, in 2017. The airport's general manager Suwarso told Antara news agency that the airline planned to fly to China and Korea every Monday and Thursday, respectively, using an Airbus 320 that could accommodate 180 passengers, in a bid to support tourism in the region. "Flights could be added if the number of passengers increases," said Suwarso in Batam on Tuesday, adding that the airport was also ready to expand its international terminal, which currently has around a 600-seat capacity per day. (Read also: Citilink to expand network to Papua) "We are ready to serve international flights. All facilities are available, including a 24-hour operational airport," he said. The airport currently only serves one international flight from Lion Air's Malaysian subsidiary, Malindo Air, which flies to Malaysia once per day. Riau Islands provincial administration has cooperated with tour and travel agencies in China and Korea to attract more tourists. Visitors from both countries do not need to apply for a visa to enter Indonesia. (fmn/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Garuda Indonesia has issued a ban on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 for all its flights starting from Monday due to safety issues. This move ensues the recent ban by US Department of Transportation on the device, including its recalled and replaced units, after reports of the smartphone catching fire. Garuda Indonesia VP corporate communications Benny S. Butarbutar said in a press release Monday that passengers in possession of a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 would not be permitted to board the aircraft. Bringing the device through carry on baggage, checked-in luggage, or cargo was also strictly prohibited. This is the second ban issued by the airline regarding Samsung Galaxy Note 7. In early September, it banned the use of the device during flights as well as warned passengers not to charge the battery or store the smartphone in checked baggage. Samsung has already been forced to recall more than 2.5 million devices due to faulty batteries. The company has instructed users to power down and stop using the device, and announced the permanent end of its production last week. (mra/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Singapore Tue, October 18, 2016 Those traveling to Singapore and looking for something new can opt to visit the National Gallery Singapore's current exhibition dubbed Artist and Empire: (En)countering Colonial Legacies. Inspired by the Artist and Empire exhibition at London's Tate Britain last year, the Singapore showcase adopts a contemporary perspective to critically examine artworks produced in relation to the colonial experience as well as the rise of modern art in former colonies in the Asia-Pacific region, especially Australia, Brunei, India, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore. Slated to be held until March 26, the exhibition features many outstanding artworks, such as Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (1817) by George Francis Joseph, the British Infantry Advance on Jerusalem, 4th of July 1879 (2015) installation by Andrew Gilbert and The Remnants of an Army (1879) by Elizabeth Butler. Aside from those, here are some other artworks that you should not miss. Untitled (Raffles) (2000) Untitled (Raffles) (2000) by Lee Wen.(JP/Ni Nyoman Wira) As the first thing that you see upon entering the exhibition space, the Untitled (Raffles) (2000) by Lee Wen portrays a statue of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, a colonial figure who is regarded as the founder of modern Singapore. Placed at a higher level, the statue seems to look down at visitors who approach it. The gallerys curatorial, collections and education director and the exhibitions curator Low Sze Wee told The Jakarta Post that the statue's position portrayed the kind of relationship that existed during the colonial period between the colonizer and the colonized. However, Lee Wen also built scaffolding next to the statue and, as part of his piece, invited people to come up and be at eye level with Raffles to view things from a different perspective. General Gordons Last Stand (1893) General Gordon's Last Stand (1893) by George William Joy.(JP/Ni Nyoman Wira) In General Gordons Last Stand (1893) by George William Joy, the figure of Gen. Charles George Gordon is memorialized as fiercely resisting his attackers in Sudan. In this painting he was depicted in an almost heroic [way], like he was at the top of the stairs, while the unruly mob of attackers were at the bottom, said Low. It then became an extremely famous painting, not talking about the defeat of the British but how General Gordon was such a symbol of bravery and loyalty toward the British Empire. Unfortunately, the general was later killed by local forces during a massacre in which his body was mutilated and his head was paraded around the streets. (Read also: Singapore exhibition explores British Empire's artistic legacy) Meeting of Generals Yamashita and Percival (1942) Meeting of Generals Yamashita and Percival (1942) by Miyamoto Saburo.(JP/Ni Nyoman Wira) Commissioned by the Japanese army, Meeting of Generals Yamashita and Percival (1942) by Miyamoto Saburo immortalizes probably one of the darkest moments in the British history. In 1942, the Japanese government sent Miyamoto Saburo to Singapore to create a painting based on the surrender incident. But he did not witness the actual surrender; he came after it was done, said Low. Therefore, he made sketches of the room where the event took place. He also had the chance to make detailed sketches of Yamashita and Percival. However, some elements of the painting are fictitious. We know that the British were carrying a white flag and a British flag, but they were not allowed to bring those flags into the room where the ceremony took place, said Low. However, the flags were later inserted into the painting at the request of Japanese military authorities. In addition to the actual event, the painting became proof that Japanese art is equally as impressive as Western works. One idea that we want to bring forward in the exhibition is [that] painting is a subjective expression for artistic activity. So we have to understand how the arts were produced, [by] whom they were produced, and why they were produced, Low explained. The Secret of Englands Greatness (Queen Victoria Presenting a Bible in the Audience Chamber at Windsor) (1863) The Secret of England's Greatness (Queen Victoria Presenting a Bible in the Audience Chamber at Windsor) (1863) by Thomas Jones Barker.(JP/Ni Nyoman Wira) The Secret of Englands Greatness (1863) shows how British artist Thomas Jones Baker represented a popular story that circulated in England in the mid-19th century. In the painting, an African envoy meets with Queen Victoria to ask about the secret of Englands greatness as an empire. Instead of naming her armies or navies, she hands over a Bible. [The] Bible is the secret of Englands greatness to her. Religion, Low said. Aside from the portrait, the painting also contains a carved, open Bible that contains the words: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. I think this story nicely encapsulated another aspect about why the British were so keen to study and document other species, people, as well as flora and fauna. It is because they have a particular attitude toward people who are different from themselves, Low explained. In the 19th century there were anthropological kinds of theories that tried to place people from different parts of the world into a kind of evolutionary order. So Europeans, being the most civilized, were at the top of the order, while the others who were different from the Europeans in terms of place, language and education were placed below the evolutionary order. Therefore, it could be perceived that the British as well as other Europeans felt they had a moral if not religious duty to bring civilization and education to places that they colonized. Malayan Culture I & II (1957) Malayan Culture I & II (1957) by Chuah Thean Teng.(JP/Ni Nyoman Wira) This pair of works by Malayan artist Chuah Thean Teng is located in the exhibitions third room, which shows how art developed during the transition as the British Empire declined and its colonies started to move toward independence. The gallery also takes a look at subjects that mattered to and were created by artists during the period, some of which were related to daily life. Chuah Thean Teng made these studies about Malayan culture, said assistant curator Melinda Susanto, pointing at the left painting. This was actually a study that was supposed to be made into large scale murals for the House of Representatives in Malaysia in 1963. So he would've included a range of culture and society from different ethnic groups in Malaysia. Meanwhile, the second painting depicted the trade industry and Malaysian people during that time. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 18, 2016 Japan has been one of Asia's most popular tourist destinations, including for Indonesian visitors. Last year, the country saw an increase of almost 50,000 tourists from Indonesia compared to 2014. As for this year, Japan expects to attract at least 250,000 Indonesian citizens to explore its gorgeous landscape and interesting culture. For first-timers who are planning a trip to Japan, check out the list below before you go. (Read also: Popular onsen to visit in Japan) Visa waiver Indonesian e-passport holders are eligible to enter Japan without a visa for 15 days. This visa waiver option can be used both for business and sightseeing purposes. However, do note that you need to apply first and have the visa waiver approved by the embassy prior to departure. Standard visa regulation applies if your application is rejected, and for those who do not have an e-passport. Japan Rail pass Japan Rail pass may come in handy for those who plan to have a long-distance journey by train in Japan. Not only does it allow short-term travelers to enjoy unlimited use of Japan Railways Group (JR) trains, it is also comes with the benefit of riding the Tokyo monorail from or to Haneda Airport, Shinkansen, JR Ferry to Miyajima, as well as JR buses. The pass is only available for foreign tourists for 7, 14 or 21 days and can be purchased in designated vendors in your home country prior to departure. (Read also: The sneakerhead's guide to sneaker-hunting in Shibuya, Japan) Check local calendar If a tourist wishes to enjoy a specific festivity in Japan, it would be better to check the local calendar before going. For example, people who want to enjoy the hanami or flower viewing season should consider planning their trip in early April, while those interested to enjoy the tanabata or star festival may want to travel in July. Electricity compatibility It is important to take note that the voltage in Japan is 100 volts and electricity plugs are of the parallel flat-two pin type. While packing, make sure you include a universal adapter to be able to easily charge all your devices. (kes) BREAKING: Female journalist 'raped by knife-wielding migrants' at Calais Jungle camp By Nick Gutteridge Tue, Oct 18, 2016The Daily ExpressThe terrified 38-year-old was robbed by three armed men from the Jungle, one of whom raped her whilst the other two threatened her colleague with a blade.The unidentified woman, who was helping a journalist from a French news broadcaster, was attacked in the early hours of this morning at the entrance of the notorious shanty town.French prosecutors today confirmed that they had "proof" the woman was raped, and said they have collected DNA evidence to help them find the attackers.She was living in Paris, although originally from Afghanistan, and had been employed to interpret for migrants speaking the Pashtun language which is common in her homeland and neighbouring Pakistan.The shocking incident is just the latest example of the extreme violence plaguing the Calais migrant camp, and comes just a day after journalists from Sky News were attacked by asylum seekers hurling rocks.In a statement local prosecutor Pascal Marconville said: "A 38-year-old interpreter from Afghanistan, who is living in Paris, was accompanying a freelance journalist from a production company who was preparing a documentary for [a French news channel] on unaccompanied minors."He said the pair were attending a pre-arranged meeting with migrants inside the Jungle when they encountered "three individuals, speaking Pashtun, armed with a knife".He added: "They attacked them and stole their equipment and their camera. While two of the individuals threatened the journalist with a knife, the third raped the young female interpreter."The woman was immediately taken to hospital after the attack to be checked over, and she then filed a complaint of rape at the police station in Calais.Journalists and aid workers have been frequently warned about the dangers of working in the Jungle camp, which contains a small hardcore of serious criminals amongst its approximately 6,000 refugees.This week Sky News journalist Mark Stone revealed how he and his crew suffered a terrifying ordeal in Calais when they were attacked by a gang of migrants hurling rocks.The TV reporter and his crew were left cut, bruised and without one of their cameras after being ambushed in the middle of the night near a petrol station on a road leading to the town's port.He said: We had been welcomed earlier by the migrants, we felt no threat.We spotted them and filmed briefly, but then two dozen turned up. Rocks were thrown followed by a sustained attack with knives and sticks until we reached our car - cut, bruised and without one of our cameras.What we experienced last night was frightening. These men are evidently violent and they're dangerous. They wrestled us to the ground and they hit us.He added: It is not unusual. It is happening here on a nightly basis. (Andreea Alexandru/AP) The sites actual name in Bran Castle, and two people will be able to sleep there on October 31st thanks to a promotion by Airbnb. (Andreea Alexandru/AP) The guests will be wined and dined, then left alone to lie down in red velvet-trimmed coffins just as Dracula did in the Bram Stoker horror novel which popularised the legend. The castle is famous for its connection to Vlad the Impaler, a real-life prince who stayed there in the 15th century and had a habit of using stakes to impale his victims. Vlad inspired Stokers story of Count Dracula. (Andreea Alexandru/AP) (Bonhams/Press Association Images) The Airbnb competition to find guests for the night was launched today. Entrants were asked to use their vampiric wit to imagine what they would say to Count Dracula if they met him. Winners will be flown to Romania and then taken to the castle set dramatically in the Carpathian Mountains. If they are too spooked to sleep in the coffins, beds are on hand. The castle is one of Romanias top tourist attractions, with more than 630,000 visitors a year. Hosting the one-off Airbnb event is a descendant of Bram Stoker, Dacre Stoker.I want to make it both realistic and show the legend in the wonderful country that birthed the whole thing, Mr Stoker said. He will play the role of Jonathan Harker, a character from the novel who encounters Dracula at the castle. When the winners arrive in a horse-drawn carriage, he plans to greet them using the same words Dracula used in his ancestors story: Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring! The winning pair will tour the castle, then be treated to a candlelight dinner of chicken paprikash, the same meal described in the novel. (Andreea Alexandru/AP) Bran Castle was originally a military fortress, strategically set on a highway that links Transylvania to southern Romania. After the First World War, the castle was given to Queen Marie in gratitude for her role in unifying Transylvania with the rest of Romania. She bequeathed it to her youngest daughter, Princess Ileana. The Communists seized it from Ileana in 1948. In 2006, years after communism ended, the castle was returned to Ileanas son, Dominic Hapsburg, a retired New York architect. His sisters spent their childhood there. A Romanian company manages the castle which is rented for weddings, soirees and corporate events. Mr Hapsburg plays an active role in the site, but nobody has stayed overnight there since he and his family were exiled from Romania. Did he really die at end of the novel when he was stabbed with knife? Bram leaves the question ambiguous, Mr Stoker said. But if hes still floating around, he would make an appearance. (Pornhub screenshot) (Pornhub screenshot) In apost, the website claimed there have been more than 100,000 clown-related searches on Pornhub in the past 30 days. Weve discovered many times before that increased media coverage will often result in more searches on Pornhub, the blog states.It turns out that over the last few weeks searches relating to clowns have increased as much as 213%. The site claims the most popular search is clown porn followed by clown girl and clown gangbang. In addition, the adult site also seems to have its share of horror-loving searches, with killer clown, scary clown and crazy clown surpassing other favoured keywords such as birthday clown, clown midget and clown fart.Pornhubs statisticians also claim that women are 33% more likely to search for clown porn than men. Meanwhile, the killer clown craze sweeping the UK has seen a deluge of calls to Childline from youngsters left terrified by the sinister phenomenon. In just one week, the charity was contacted 120 times by children scared by people dressed up in frightening clown costumes to scare passers-by. Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. 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There are about 2 million unpaid family caregivers in Michigan, and as the population ages and medical care given at home becomes more complex the number will grow. While caregiving comes from love and can be deeply rewarding, the caregiver may at times feels exhausted, alone, overwhelmed, says Shawn Bennis, R.N. and Family Caregiver Coordinator for Henry Ford Health System. Our support groups operate on the same principle as most support groups: People just need someone to talk to and to be listened to. Often, that makes life easier not only because of the emotional support it offers but because people living in similar circumstances can share very practical, helpful information and experience with one another. Henry Ford Health System has championed caregivers by being the only health care system in Michigan to testify on behalf of the CARE Act, a state law that affects all hospitals and aims to avoid unnecessary hospital readmissions and patient complications. The law provides a system where patients can designate a caregiver, and it requires hospitals to inform and explain patient home care needs to the designated caregiver. The hospital must also notify the caregiver of discharge and facility transfers. Henry Ford has gone beyond the requirements of the law by launching a Family Caregivers Initiative, which includes the support groups and caregiver education classes as well as a website, www.henryford.com/familycaregivers, which provides resources and direction on a wide range of caregiver concerns and needs and other online and in-person support. The first support group meets Oct. 20 at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital. The Wyandotte support group will meet the third Thursday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. in Dining Room H, Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, 2333 Biddle Avenue, starting Oct. 20. Support group participants will determine the course of the discussions and what format works best while a facilitator guides the meeting. Caregiver education classes, which are led by an expert and address specific caregiver concerns, are being offered in Plymouth and Canton. Visit www.henryford.com/familycaregivers for more information on classes. Classes and support groups are free. Register by calling 313-874-4838 or email caregiverresources@hfhs.org. Source: Henry Ford Health System Carlson High School and the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Michigan are teaming up to host a flu shot clinic Nov. 4 at the school. The shots will be available to anyone in the community. Anyone under 18 has to have parental permission. The clinic will be open from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the main entrance to the school, 30550 W. Jefferson, in Gibraltar. The shots are $33 each, unless covered by insurance. Flu vaccinations may be available at no charge through the following insurances: Messa; Medicare Part B; HAP; Priority Health; Blue Care Network and others. ELKHORN Plattsmouth students delivered successful melodies Saturday at an area marching band contest. The Blue Devils earned a first-place honor at the Elkhorn Sounds of Excellence Marching Invitational. Plattsmouth finished first in Class A in the preliminary round of the regional competition in the early afternoon. The group was unable to stay in Elkhorn for the finals later Saturday evening. Plattsmouth Band Instructor Zac Konrad said students and staff were pleased about the honor. This was our first time receiving first in our class, so we were very happy with the results, but are excited that there is still much improvement to be had as we head into our final week of marching band, Konrad said. Plattsmouth is preparing for its performance in the state contest this weekend. The 34th annual Nebraska State Bandmasters Association State Marching Contest will take place at Seacrest Field in Lincoln. Plattsmouth is scheduled to play at 4:15 p.m. The festival-style state contest will feature 24 bands in Classes AA, A, B and C. Eight judges will evaluate each bands effort with a rubric that includes points for musical and visual general effect, ensemble-wide performance and individual performance. Judges will then award trophies to schools for scores of I (superior) or II (excellent). Plattsmouth earned a superior rating in Class A at last years state contest. This years judges hail from three states. The list includes Bill Kellett of Fremont, Roger Groth and Larry Rathbun of Omaha, Randy Neuharth of Norfolk, Doug Phillips of Schuyler, Jason Rygg and Daniel Sailer of Sioux Falls, S.D., and Chad Quamme of Milwaukee, Wis. 2016 NSBA State Marching Contest Schedule @ Seacrest Field, Lincoln Class C 1:30 p.m. Lincoln Christian 1:45 p.m. David City Aquinas 2 p.m. Bishop Neumann 2:15 p.m. Judges break Class B 2:30 p.m. Syracuse 2:45 p.m. Ashland-Greenwood 3 p.m. Wahoo 3:15 p.m. Wayne 3:30 p.m. Platteview 3:45 p.m. Fort Calhoun 4 p.m. Judges break Class A 4:15 p.m. Plattsmouth 4:30 p.m. Waverly 4:45 p.m. Bennington 5 p.m. Seward 5:15 p.m. Beatrice 5:30 p.m. Judges break 5:40 p.m. Awards for Classes A, B and C 6 p.m. - Dinner break Class AA 6:30 p.m. Lincoln Pius X 6:45 p.m. Lincoln East 7 p.m. Omaha Westside 7:15 p.m. Fremont 7:30 p.m. Papillion-La Vista 7:45 p.m. Lincoln High 8 p.m. Lincoln Southwest 8:15 p.m. Lincoln Northeast 8:30 p.m. Lincoln North Star 8:45 p.m. Lincoln Southeast 9 p.m. Exhibition performance by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Marching Band 9:30 p.m. Awards for Class AA PLATTSMOUTH A Louisville man will spend time in Cass County Jail for assaulting a female victim last winter. Joshua A. Debrie, 18, appeared in Cass County District Court Monday morning for sentencing on one Class I misdemeanor count of third-degree domestic assault. Debrie pled guilty to the charge in August as part of a plea bargain. The state agreed to dismiss a felony charge of strangulation in exchange for the guilty admission. Deputy County Attorney Steven Sunde told the court Debrie and a female victim began arguing during a text-message conversation in late December. Sunde said Debrie came to the female victims place of employment and choked her twice during a physical confrontation. He said Debrie also kicked the female in the ribs while she was on the ground. Sunde said he felt a jail sentence was appropriate because of the nature of the offense. He said the victim had been emotionally scarred from the experience. I would also tell the court that the victim asked for a statutory sentence as well, Sunde said. She has suffered a lot of mental and emotional damage from this. She was afraid for her life. Sunde said the state was also concerned about Debries recent criminal history. Debrie began serving 12 months of probation on Sept. 1 for convictions of shoplifting and unauthorized use of a financial transaction device. Sunde said Debrie stole a credit card from his probation officers purse while she had briefly stepped out of her office during an appointment with him. He used the credit card to purchase more than $100 worth of items. Debrie was arrested Sept. 7 on charges of burglary and possession of burglars tools. The state is alleging that he attempted to illegally enter the American Family Insurance location on Main Street in Louisville. Debrie pled not guilty to the charges during arraignment proceedings earlier Monday morning. Defense attorney Donald Schense told the court he felt Debrie was a suitable candidate for probation. He said his client was remorseful for his actions and wanted to begin therapy and counseling sessions. Interim District Court Judge Paul Korslund said he was concerned about Debries actions during the domestic assault incident. He said he was also troubled about Debries involvement in the other criminal incidents over the past 18 months. Unfortunately the factors here weigh against you being placed on probation, Korslund said. Korslund ordered Debrie to serve a term of 365 days in Cass County Jail. Debrie must also pay all court costs after he is released from jail. 32 bodies found in Myanmar ferry disaster as death toll mounts MYANMAR: Searchers have recovered 32 bodies after an overloaded ferry sank in central Myanmar and expect to find dozens more dead, officials said yesterday (Oct 17), as workers began raising the boat from the riverbed. accidentsdisastersdeathmarinetransport By AFP Tuesday 18 October 2016, 10:06AM Rescue personnel transport a victims body after an overloaded ferry sank in central Myanmar. Photo: AFP A total of 154 people were rescued alive after the ferry sank early Saturday (Oct 15) on the Chindwin River, about 72 kilometres north of the city of Monywa. But rescuers have found only bloated corpses floating in the water since then, and fear the toll could reach 100 once they raise the craft. So far we have recovered 32 dead bodies, said Sa Willy Frient, director of the local relief and resettlement department who is overseeing the operation. We are trying to raise the boat using a crane after tying it with strong ropes. After we lift it out, the death toll will be higher. Sa Willy Frient estimated 240-250 people around 100 more than its capacity were on the boat, along with heavy cargo. Survivor Hnin Lei Yee, a 27-year-old schoolteacher, was travelling with her husband and one-year-old daughter to celebrate the Buddhist Thadingyut festival with her family. Her baby was killed in the disaster. She still does not know her husbands fate. It happened very fast, she said. The window was open so I had a chance to get out of the boat. I cannot swim so I had to hold on to a plastic float and finally the rescue boat came to save my life. In the morning, I heard there was a dead child in the hospital and I went there. I saw my daughter dead, she said, weeping. Some 30 teachers were thought to be among the passengers, along with dozens of students from Monywa University and workers heading home for Thadingyut. "I am really so sorry, said Sai Khaing Myo Tun, vice president of Myanmars teachers federation. This incident has terrified us very much. The teachers often have to use such unsafe transportation, especially when they (come to) get their monthly salary. Four of the boats staff have been arrested and will face legal action. Authorities are still hunting for one crew member and the ferrys owner. Local lawmaker Shwin Htay said people were devastated by the scale of the disaster as he called for the boat operators to face justice. I have never known of a boat sinking where so many people have died in this area, he said. Boat accidents are common in Myanmar. People living along the nations long coastline and flood-prone river systems rely heavily on often overcrowded ferries for transport. At least 21 people, including nine children, died in April after a boat capsized off the coast of Myanmars western state of Rakhine. In March last year at least 52 people lost their lives off the west coast when an overloaded ferry sank in rough waters. Autopsy results show respiratory, circulatory failure caused Frenchmans death in Phuket PHUKET: The Patong Police officer investigating the death of a French tourist found dead in his hotel room in Patong on Oct 8 has told The Phuket News today (Oct 18) that respiratory and circulatory failure were to blame and that police will cease their investigation into the case. deathpolicepatong By Tanyaluk Sakoot Tuesday 18 October 2016, 07:02PM Forensic police examine Mr Renia's room following the discovery of his body. Photo: Patong Police The body of Sylvain Bernard Renia, 27, from Montreuil, France, was discovered by staff at The Nest Resort on Nanai Rd at 9:30am on Oct 8. Mr Renia checked in to the hotel on Oct 6 and was found naked, collapsed against a set of drawers in the rooms hallway. (See story here.) Lt Sirinath Cheuchutakulthong of the Patong Police told The Phuket News today, I received the autopsy result from the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Surat Thani of the 27-year-old French tourist on October 13. The results state that respiratory and circulatory failure were the only causes of death. There are no details in the results which mention chemicals or poisoning as part of the cause of death, she said. I will not investigate any further into this case as we have now medical confirmation of the cause of death and there are no suspicious circumstances. In addition, Mr Renias family are not questioning the cause of death. Mr Renias body has been transferred to France by the French embassy, she added. Illegal Chinese tour guide arrested in Phuket PHUKET: A Chinese man was arrested yesterday (Oct 17) for working illegally in Thailand as a tour guide while he was on a tour bus with 26 Chinese tourists heading to Phuket Town. Chinesecrimepolicetransporttourism By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 18 October 2016, 12:28PM Ruikai Chen, 30, (left) is questioned by tourist police at the Phuket Checkpoint. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Phuket Tourist Police Chief Col Srisak Kampeeraphan led his team of officers to arrested Ruikai Chen, 30, at the Phuket Checkpoint (Tha Chatchai) in Mai Khao at 6:30pm yesterday. A statement issued by police states that Ruikai was arrested for working as an illegal tour guide and living in Thailand illegally. Police seized from him a tour program and a name list of tourists in his group. The arrest of Ruikai came as police at stationed at the checkpoint were stopping incoming vehicles to check for anyone breaking the Tourist Act in Phuket. Col Srisak explained, Ruikai came on a bus registered in Nakorn Prathom with a group of 26 Chinese tourists. They came from Phang Nga and were entering Phuket via the chekpoint. When officers stopped the bus Ruikai came forward as the tour leader for the group. Officers asked to see his identification and work permit the latter of which he could not provide. The police statement also states that Ruikai said that he is a tour leader for the group not a guide so he did not have a guide permit with him. Ruikai was taken to Tha Chatchai Police Station to be charge with working as an illegal guide and living in Thailand illegally. Phuket continues to mourn passing of King Bhumibol PHUKET: Thousands of residents and tourists including children are continuing to gather at Saphan Hin and Patong and Karon beaches every night following the death of His Majesty the King last Thursday (Oct 13). culturedeath By The Phuket News Tuesday 18 October 2016, 10:57AM Mourners gather at Saphan Hin to show their respects for His Majesty. Photo: Udom Tao Jampathin Several thousand residents and tourists dressed in black attire gathered in front of the Saphan Hin (Giew Tien Geng) shrine in Saphan Hin last Friday night (Oct 14) at 7pm for a candlelight ceremony to pay respect to King Bhumibol. Many built sandcastles resembling a number nine and surrounded them with a heart, this symbolizing that King Rama IX is the heart of Thai people. At 8pm, along with tears and sorrow, the crowd sang a song praising His Majesty. Kusoldharm rescue worker, Mr Chakkris Sithichai, who also helped organise the candlelight event last Friday told The Phuket News, We are gathering here every night because we want to reflect all the hard work that His Majesty has done for us. All his life he worked so hard for his people and now he has passed away and this causes us much grief. We asked all our friends to come out on the night of October 13 to light candles for King Bhumibol after we heard the sad news. But in fact many people besides our friends showed up at Saphan Hin with the same intention, so we agreed to continue this activity at 7pm for nine days until October 21, he said. We brought our own candles the first night, but now there are a couple of groups of people giving out candles for free to all mourners. They also provide snacks and water to those who attend the activity, he added. A group of tourist led by Mr Jens Platzdasch also came for the candle light ceremony. Mr Platzdasch said he loved Thailand and loved King Rama IX. I come to Thailand every year and this year is the eighth time. When I heard the news of King Bhumibol passing I asked my hotel manger if we could join a ceremony to pay our respect for the late King and he told us we could come here, he said. People are also continuing to visit Patong and Karon beaches at night to light candles and pray for the late King. Meanwhile, all of Phukets 14 honorary consuls visited Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon to sign a book of condolence for King Bhumibol. Vice Governors Theera Anansaereewittaya and Siwaporn Chuasawatand were on hand to welcome the chief and representatives of the 14 foreign consulates from France, Austria, Brazil, United Kingdom, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland and Denmark. In addition, officials from Phuket International Airport also paid their respects to His Majesty the King yesterday at the third floor of the new International Terminal. DR. CLARENCE JIM GARRISON 1934-2016 Clarence Jim Garrison, 82, of Corvallis, Oregon, passed away on Sept. 29, 2016, peacefully in his sleep, after a long battle with Alzheimers disease. He was an engineer, structural architect, professor, innovator, and beloved husband, father, and grandfather. Jim loved building and remodeling; landscaping; playing the stock market; European cars and being captain on his sailboats. He was always a wealth of mid-west sayings, easy-going, light-hearted and constantly working on some project. He believed in hard work and education, and enjoyed relaxing with a beer and a sunset. He was our beloved beacon of reason and kindness. Jim was born in Weeping Water, Nebraska, the youngest of ten children of Fred and Amanda Garrison. He served in the US Army during the Korean conflict. Thereafter, he earned a bachelors and masters degree in engineering from the University of Nebraska, and a doctorate from the University of Washington. His academic career included professorial positions at Texas A & M University, the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California, and Oregon State University, Department of Ocean Engineering (Civil Engineering). He was principal of C.J. Garrison & Associates, an international consultant to the offshore industry since 1970. In 2009, the American Society of Civil Engineers inducted Dr. Garrison into the ASCE Hall of Fame for his, Pioneering Innovation and Lasting Impact. He is survived by his wife Catherine of Philomath, Oregon; daughter Carolyn of Carmel; son Brad of Salinas; and grandson Hunter Garrison of Chico, California; sisters Eunice Cade and Norma Jones of Lincoln, Nebraska; and stepchildren Bruce Claremont, Rita Claremont and Ruth Baker. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Joanne Garrison. Condolences may be written to the family at www.mchenryfuneralhome.com Phuket Governor wants face recognition technology, eight lane checkpoint PHUKET: The new Phuket Governor is to use existing budget from the OSM Andaman (Andaman provinces group) for face recognition technology to scan drivers and vehicles passing through the Tha Chatchai checkpoint in the north of Phuket. constructiontechnologytransport By The Phuket News Tuesday 18 October 2016, 11:48AM Gov Chockchai wants to introduce face recognition technology at the Tha Chatchai checkpoint. Photo: Maraparacc/wikipedia He will use some of the budget to extend the checkpoint from four to eight lanes. Gov Chockchai Detjamornthan announced his proposal at his first Governor Meets Press meeting held last Thursday (Oct 13) at Provincial Hall and stated that he is sure the government will approve the budget and that Phuket will have new face recognition technology in place to help support the islands security. I talked with officials last week about security improvements for the island and we agreed to utilize the OSM Andaman (Andaman provinces group) for a project to improve Tha Chatchai checkpoint which is our city gate. We will install face recognition technology to scan drivers of vehicles entering or leaving via the checkpoint. This is a project which former governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada studied. In addition, the project will include road expansion at the checkpoint from four to eight lanes. Provincial Police will set up additional police stations and provide more police officers to support this area, Gov Chockchai said. The budget needed for this project is around B100 million or so which will come from OSM Andaman because the group has large amount of unused budget available due to many projects which have not come to development. Phuket is the leader of the OSM Andaman so we have to push for this project. I believe this project will help bring convenience to the public especially residents and tourists. Any investment like this in our province will also boost the islands economy, he added. Phuket rescue workers hand out black ribbons to mourners PHUKET: Kusoldharm rescue workers at Baan Thareua in Thalang have handed out more than 1,000 handmade black ribbons to residents who do not have black attire to wear every day so that they can use them as symbol of mourning during the mourning period of His Majesty the King who passed away last Thursday (Oct 13). deathculture By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 18 October 2016, 05:34PM Rescue workers hand out ribbons at Heroines Monument. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Kusoldharm rescue workers led by Mr Krisana Kamphung today assembled more than 1,000 black ribbons with safety pins to give away to residents who do not have a black top to wear every day of the week. Mr Krisana said, We handed out black ribbons around Heroines monument to local residents. They can pin them on the left side of their sleeve to show they a mourning the death of HM King Bhumibol. My team and I want to do this charity work in honour of His Majesty. This is a very small thing compared to what he has done for us, but it is one way of giving back to His Majesty, he said. Most people do not have enough black clothing to wear every day so we decided to make a ribbons to give to them, he added. Prayut: At least 15 days mourning before royal succession BANGKOK: Thailand must observe at least 15 days of mourning for King Bhumibol Adulyadej before his successor can ascend the throne, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said today (Oct 18). culture By Bangkok Post Tuesday 18 October 2016, 03:00PM A woman checks out T-shirts of mourning colours in Bangkok today (Oct 18). Photo: Bangkok Post On the matter of succession, in accordance with the constitution, citizens in Thailand and abroad should not be worried or concerned, Gen Prayut told reporters after a cabinet meeting. After at least 15 days of mourning, it will be the appropriate time to enact Section 23 of the constitution, he added, referring to clauses relating to the succession. The prime minister said last week that the coronation of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn would take place after the cremation of his father, which will follow a year of mourning. However, the prince can become king before his official coronation. The prime minister also confirmed the roadmap to restore democratic rule, which includes a general election in 2017, will not be affected by the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej last week. Nothing has changed, he told reporters after a cabinet meeting. The policies of this government, the laws including elections will be according to the roadmap. Dont ask me when or how it will occur, the roadmap is the roadmap. Read original story here. Princess to have final say over pyre BANGKOK: His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has given his assent for Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to make the final decisions in the construction of a Phra Meru for the royal cremation, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam disclosed yesterday (Oct 17). culturedeathreligion By Bangkok Post Tuesday 18 October 2016, 08:48AM As planning for next years funeral begins, massive crowds continue to assemble to pay their respects to King Bhumibol. Photo: Pattanapong Hirunard The cabinet will today (Oct 18) discuss arrangements for the royal funeral ceremony and guidelines to manage the huge number of people expected to flock to the Grand Palace to pay their respects to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, he said. Mr Wissanu said the Crown Prince mentioned the building of the Phra Meru, a royal cremation pyre, for his late father to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who recently had an audience with him. The Crown Prince wants HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to have the final say in the matter, Mr Wissanu said, adding that the building of the Phra Meru requires details such as design and size to be agreed upon. The deputy premier said he had informal discussions with Chirayu Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, the Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household Bureau, who mentioned that several structures would be built at Sanam Luang for the royal funeral ceremony. In addition to the Phra Meru, royal pavilions and pavilions for monks and mourners among others will be built at Sanam Luang. The delicate task will be under the supervision of the Fine Arts Department. Mr Wissanu said arrangements for the royal funeral ceremony for His Majesty are on todays cabinet agenda and will include measures and guidelines on how best to direct people visiting the palace. Large crowds of mourners are expected to travel to Bangkok this long weekend. The numbers are expected to swell following the Royal Household Bureaus announcement that it will allow people to pay homage to the late monarchs urn at the Grand Palace after the 15-day merit-making ceremony is complete. The deputy prime minister touched on a number of questions raised by the public yesterday to ensure proper conduct during the national mourning period. One is Fathers Day which falls on Dec 5. He said Thai embassies in foreign countries are allowed to hold activities to mark Fathers Day as long as they do so in an appropriate manner. He said the national mourning period is set for one year. Mr Wissanu played down a debate as to how the late monarch should be addressed, but urged the public to address him properly, and as advised by the Royal Household Bureau if possible. He added that the public may continue with His Majesty for the time being. Its not time to criticise whos wrong. And we should not criticise those who arent wearing black. We all feel the same. Ill also ask officials concerned to find a proper place for those who want to light candles thats a Western tradition, he said. Prime Ministers Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana, who chairs a government committee monitoring the situation, said large crowds are expected to travel to Bangkok from Oct 22-24 to pay respects to His Majesty, with authorities making efforts to accommodate them by proving transportation and a place to sleep. Mr Suwaphan said the government has asked temples nationwide through the Supreme Patriarch Council to conduct religious ceremonies to make merit for the King. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has set aside Sanam Luang and two other locations in Bangkok to provide accommodation to crowds of mourners from the provinces. Col Pichai Kriangwattanasiri, director of the BMAs City Law Enforcement Office, said the BMA has opened two more venues Keelavet 1 Building at the Thai-Japanese Stadium in Din Daeng district which can accommodate 500 people, and Baan Imjai welfare shelter in Pomprap Sattruphai district which can accommodate 120 people to serve as shelters for mourners. According to Bangkok Council member Prasopchoke Prommool, the Royal Turf Club in Nang Loeng, the Navy Club at Tha Chang, and temples around Rattanakosin island are being asked to provide shelter if need be. The Education Ministry has opened centres in Bangkok and across the country to demonstrate how to dye clothes black. Read original story here. Thais seek new ways to show love for King NATIONWIDE: One common answer among people when asked what they will do for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej to commemorate his passing is that they will do good deeds and follow the Kings teachings on a sufficient way of life. deathculture By Bangkok Post Tuesday 18 October 2016, 09:11AM More than 1,500 officials, students and employees formed a giant black mourning bow for the late King outside Khon Kaen provincial hall yesterday (Oct 17). Photo: Jakkrapan Nathanri To express their love for the King, some inked the number nine in Thai numerals or the words I was born in the reign of King Rama IX on their bodies in remembrance of the late Father of the Nation. Winai Udompol, 60, from Bang Yai district in Nonthaburi, arrived at the Grand Palace to pay his respects to the late King. He said that as one of the late Kings subjects, he will follow His Majestys sufficiency guideline for the rest of his life because its the best way for someone like him to show respect to the monarch. Our late king had so many good qualities. He was an excellent sportsman, a talented musician and most importantly a great developer. He did so many good things for our country. The best expression of bereavement and loyalty to His Majesty is to follow in his footsteps, Mr Winai said, referring the Kings sufficiency economy philosophy. Sujira Putthawong, 21, a fashion design student in Bangkok, said she planned to design T-shirts with the words We Love the King and We Will Follow In The Kings Footsteps printed on them to encourage Thais to follow His Majestys example. She said she would give the T-shirts to friends and family, and maybe donate some to those in need. The King set many good examples of how to lead a sufficient way of life and now it is up to us to take heed of what he showed us and follow him to lead better lives, she said. Weerachai Banthaisong, a 40-year-old artist from Taling Chan district, yesterday (Oct 17) drew a huge portrait of His Majesty and stood in front of Siriraj Hospital holding the image over his head for hours to offer his condolence. He almost fainted at one point, but still held the Kings portrait to his chest. I want Thai people, especially young the generation, to know what His Majesty did for us, he said. Mr Weerachai said his artwork is not 100 per cent complete yet. At first, he intended to draw a portrait to wish His Majesty the King good health, but he didnt expect the bad news to come so fast. However, he promised to continue working on his art to show his reverence to his beloved King. Ketsararat Kwankaew, a 27-year-old orchardist from Chumphon province, said she would start a tree growing activity in her home town along with her community to honour the reforestation project pioneered by the late King. People in my community all remember the grace of His Majesty the King who worked hard for all Thai people. So we want to do some good by planting more trees, she said. Krittapas Chaipimon, a 32-year-old photographer from Nakhon Sri Thammarat province, sported a brand new quote tattooed on his right arm. He said it represented his love, respect and loyalty to the late King. My friends and I decided to get a permanent mark on our bodies immediately after we heard the bad news. His Majesty means a lot to Thai people. We are all proud to have been born under his reign, he said. He said his heart broke while listening to the announcement last Thursday (Oct 13) and decided he needed to do something in honour of the late King. When he arrived at the tattoo studio, many of his friends were already there. I personally chose to ink the words I was born in the reign of King Rama IX on my arm, Mr Krittapas said. Suthipol Karngann, a 31-year-old private employee from Lat Phrao district, said he planned to get the late Kings face tattooed on his chest so he could feel the King is in his heart at all times. If my children ask me about my tattoo in the future, I will tell them the story of the greatest man who ever lived and show them what he looks like, he said. And of course, I will teach them to follow the Kings teaching on sufficiency. Read original story here. Public safety is one of my top priorities as your governor. One of the tools law enforcement needs to keep our families and communities safe is laws that are tough-on-crime. Criminal penalties like mandatory sentencing laws, three-strikes laws and the death penalty act as deterrents and provide justice. Last year, the Legislature passed Legislative Bill 268 to abolish the death penalty. There was an immediate effort to allow Nebraska voters to decide the issue on the ballot. During the summer of 2015, enough petition signatures were gathered not only to allow the people to vote, but also to prevent LB268 from going into effect until after the vote of the people this November. Next month, voters will decide whether to abolish or keep the death penalty. The question on the ballot pertains to retaining or repealing the bill the Legislature passed. A vote to retain the bill passed by the Legislature will abolish the death penalty in Nebraska. A vote to repeal the bill passed by the Legislature will keep the death penalty in Nebraska. I am a strong advocate to keep the death penalty because it is a critical tool for law enforcement and criminal prosecutors to protect public safety. First, the death penalty protects our corrections officers and law enforcement. Every week, numerous men and women go to work in our corrections system. They risk their lives to provide security at our prisons as well as to deliver programming to help inmates become productive members of society upon release. In prison management, the death penalty is a safeguard against violent criminals who are already behind bars. Without the death penalty, an inmate sentenced to life in prison has nothing to lose by taking the life of a correction office. In fact, there have been a number of law enforcement and corrections officers who have thanked me for my support of the death penalty. The death penalty also helps protect our communities. Those working to abolish the death penalty argue that life in prison will protect our communities, however, consider the story of Laddie Dittrich. In 1973, Laddie Dittrich was convicted of burglary and first degree murder. He received a life sentence. Prior to my administration, the Pardons Board commuted Dittrichs sentence to 80 years to life. Subsequently, Dittrich was paroled in 2014. Later that year, Dittrich was arrested for third degree sexual assault involving a 10-year-old girl. A life in prison sentence does not guarantee an offender will stay in prison, and it did not protect the community from Dittrich. As we approach the vote, there is an increasing amount of misinformation. For example, out-of-state advocates are discussing wrongful convictions and the possibility of putting innocent people to death. This is an important conversation to have, however, nobody is claiming that any of Nebraska's 10 death row inmates are innocent. In fact, three of them are on video murdering five people in the attempted robbery of a Norfolk bank. Checks and balances in Nebraska ensure that the death penalty is used sparingly and applied justly, and rapid advancements in DNA technology will help to ensure accuracy in future cases. Anti-death penalty activists paid a researcher for a study that said the death penalty costs the state more money. The study relies on out-of-state data rather than Nebraska statistics. Attorney General Doug Peterson identified serious inaccuracies in the study, noting that the study suggests Nebraska incurs 20 times the costs realized by other states. In fact, the Appropriations Bill advanced from the Unicamerals independent legislative fiscal office found zero dollars in cost savings associated with abolishing the death penalty. In the next couple of weeks, Nebraskans will weigh the arguments to abolish or keep the death penalty, and its important people have the facts instead of bad information. Its also critical that you read the ballot language very carefully. A vote to retain LB 268 will abolish the death penalty in Nebraska. A vote to repeal LB268 will keep the death penalty in Nebraska. Hope Frey is taking steps to move a local organization forward. Last spring, the Fremont woman launched a self-advocacy group for people with disabilities. The group is called People First of the Platte River Valley Who Never Give Up. The group meets at 5 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. Starting in November, the group will begin alternating its gathering place. The group has been and will continue to meet at the Deerfield Apartments Club House, 1021 S. Howard St., Fremont. But every other month, starting in November, the group will gather at the Pizza Hut in Blair. Since its beginning, the locally based group has had fundraisers and special speakers. Group members even traveled to Kearney for a conference earlier this month. Remarkable stuff has happened with People First, said Frey, the local groups president. People have donated toward shirts which have the groups logo. Restaurants have had fundraisers for the group. Last June, Frey went to Topeka, Kan., for a self-advocacy convention. She attended a leadership conference in Kansas City, Kan., in August. Officers of the group went to a Nebraska People First conference Oct. 7-9 in Kearney and Frey spoke during the conference. I gave my whole story and how I overcame to do this group, because I want to help people with disabilities, she said. Walking has been difficult for Frey, who also has limited use of her right hand and arm. Despite the challenges, shes made strides. In 2004, she spoke to senators at the State Capitol and then to congressmen in Washington, D.C., regarding state funding for people with disabilities. She received the Volunteer of the Year award through Gentiva in 2012. Frey said shes always wanted to be an advocate for those with disabilities. I have a disability and I just want to advocate for myself and teach people how to advocate for themselves, she said. The People First of Nebraska, Inc. website said it is the only statewide disability rights organization run by and for people with all types of disabilities. Individuals in local chapters meet to learn from each other and practice advocacy skills. People First believes that people with disabilities should be treated as equals and given the same decisions, rights, choices, responsibilities, and chances to speak up and empower themselves, the website states. Frey said the group she leads is for anybody with disabilities whether theyre with or without provider service. About 10 people regularly attend meetings. Most are from Blair, but Frey hopes more Fremont area residents will begin attending as well. Just like we grow in our faith, I hope this group grows in a way that is remarkable, she said. Frey appreciates the sponsors whove provided funds for T-shirts for members and for the group itself. Runza on 23rd Street in Fremont had a fundraiser for the group in June, she said. Coffee drinkers at Scooters donated fund for the group last month. Pizza Hut is having a fundraiser for the group this month. Frey said donations help provide funds for T-shirts and pens. The contributions provide money for people who want to attend conferences, but dont have the funds to go. The conference in June was valuable to attendees. It helped them learn more about People First and about importance of being a self-advocate and seeing their own abilities, she said. Frey and Tammy Ritthaler of Sheep Gate Ministries in Cedar Bluffs conducted the first worship service during the Nebraska conference. Another time, members attended a worship service at the Sheep Gate church when Frey presented an award to Ritthaler for always believing in me. The group has had various guest speakers during its meetings. Ginger Apprich of Kindred Hospice spoke about volunteerism at one of the meetings. A personal trainer talked about exercise and a member of the Fremont Fire Department spoke on fire safety for people with disabilities. Frey said the group gets members out of the house and provides fellowship. It helps them gain confidence. When the group reaches its one-year anniversary, Frey plans to have a special and fun outing. She hopes more people will join the group. My group tells me every time that we meet, they enjoy this group and appreciate what Im doing, she said, adding that shes enjoyed just seeing my group have fun and grow in a way that I never imagined. 11AAA semis will be awesome and more from HS football quarterfinals In this photo released early Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 and provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, rescue workers trying to remove a boy stuck in the debris of a building in the neighborhood of Qaterji in rebel-held east Aleppo following an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria. Syrian activists are reporting that airstrikes on a rebel-held, eastern neighborhood in the city of Aleppo have killed at least 13 people, including children. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the airstrikes hit the Marjeh neighborhood. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP) Television crews set up outside of the presidential debate site Monday Oct. 17, 2016 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Las Vegas as preparation continue for the final debate between Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. (AP Photo/J. David Ake) The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, launches Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va. Orbital ATK's sixth contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station is delivering over 5,100 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) The Commander of the Joint Military Operation Commander, Army Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in in the town of Khazer, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. He praised the role of the U.S.-led International Coalition as "very important" through carrying out airstrikes and sharing intelligence. Citing intelligence information, he claimed some IS militants were fleeing Mosul to Syria along with their families. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close But the tribe has a long way to go Despite the festival season, demand for gold has not spurred among Indian buyers this time. The subdued consumer demand is apparently due to the government's additional levies, that is keeping the yellow metal out of reach for most buyers. "The government is aware of the situation and a working group had been formed to review the existing regulatory policies related to gold," said Dr Saurabh Garg, joint secretary (investments), department of economic affairs, finance ministry. The working group will consist of secretaries of other finance ministry departments like revenue and financial services as well. Economists and experts representing institutions like IIM-Ahmedabad, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) would also constitute the working group. "The focus of the group will remain multifarious. Primarily, it would be to see if a multitude of taxes like higher import duty (10 per cent), entry tax, octroi, excise duty and VAT have impacted gold demand. If these had made gold out of bounds for the poor. These would be some of the issues for deliberations in the working group,"said Arvind Sahay, head of India Gold Policy Centre (IGPC) of IIM-Ahmedabad, who had been selected by the government as a member of the gold review panel. ''The increase in customs duty to 10 per cent is one of the big issues,'' said Sahay. The higher customs duty was imposed in the year 2013 when the government was keen to address the growing gap in its current account, caused by higher gold imports. India imports close to 99 per cent of the gold it consumes while a mere one per cent gold consumption is met from mining of the yellow metal domestically. Addressing a senior economists' roundtable, jointly organised by the IGPC and NIPFP, on Monday, Saurabh Garg from the finance ministry, said that the working group would also seek to address the issue that is higher taxation has probably resulted in a spike in smuggling of gold into the country. He said the government was committed to bringing more transparency into the gold industry and be able to keep record of every gold transactions made in the country. With FTA agreements in place to import gold from ASEAN countries at a concessional import duty of 0.96 per cent, the experts felt, that these concession agreements became a threat for the gold sector, as it was likely being misused by getting gold articles melted and converted into bullion bars by unscrupulous players. With the roll out of the uniform indirect tax regime, GST, that is proposed to be between 4-6 per cent and customs duty at 10 per cent, the consumer will need to pay taxes to the extent of 14 to 16 per cent on their gold purchase. A number of gold industry associations, including bullion banks, bullion traders, gold retailers are lobbying for GST 4 to 5 per cent from the government. "We will have to keep in mind always the price differential between domestic and imported gold after GST kicks in. If indeed, prices remain at such high tax levels, it would affect final price of gold for consumers, and it could also have a further cascading impact on the industry and consumer behaviour," said Rathin Roy, director, NIPFP. Recently, a consumer research across 11 largest gold consuming states in India with a sample size of 1,150 gold buyers suggested that family functions and festivals are the main drivers of gold purchase. Strong sentiments are associated by Indians with jewellery in 70 per cent of the households sampled. More than 70 per cent of households preferred to keep more than half their jewellery at home. And finally 90 per cent of the sample had not heard of the government's Gold Monetisation Scheme that allows gold owners to deposit their gold with the government and earn a steady flow of interest on the deposit. The scheme had found few takers and the gold policy review group would also look to make the scheme more invester-friendly. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd will invest 19.7 billion rupees ($295.83 million) to expand its plant in northern India, the company said in a statement. The plant in Noida, near the Indian capital New Delhi, makes mobile phones, refrigerators and televisions. An MoU was signed on Monday between the Uttar Pradesh government and mobile major Samsung to expand its manufacturing unit in Noida by investing Rs 1,970 crore, officials said. The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samsung officials. The Chief Minister said the production of refrigerators, televisions and mobile phones in the state would be a big boon for its people. Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar said the expansion of the Noida manufacturing plant would allow Samsung to double its production of mobile phones. Vice President Hamid Ansari on Tuesday kicked off his two day visit to Algeria with his meetings with the presiding officers of the two houses of Parliament witnessing a reaffirmation of the determination by both India and the north African country to make a new start in the bilateral relationship. Ansari held meetings with President of Algerian National People's Assembly Mohamed Larbi Ould Khelifa and President of Council of Nations Abdelkader Bensalah and discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral interest. The meetings, a senior official said, stressed on the need to make a new start in the relationship between the two countries as bilateral contacts had plateaued in the last two decades. During his meeting with Khelifa and Bensalah, Ansari focused on how the relations between the two countries could be strengthened and how people-to-people contacts be encouraged. The vice president had earlier said that there was a cooling off period in the relationship between India and Algeria, but that is over now. "They (Algeria) want cooperation and we want cooperation. Both sides want the relations to be strengthened," he had said. Ansari arrived in Algiers last night from Budapest, with the north African nation being the second stop in his two nation tour. He began the visit by laying a wreath at the Martyrs Memorial, which has been built to commemorate the Algerian war for independence from French occupation. Ansari also visited Ketchaoua mosque, a UNESCO world heritage site located at the foot of the Casbah, which was built during the Ottoman rule in the 17th century. He also visited Wilaya Tipaza, which is located along the Mediterranean sea, 68 km west of the capital Algiers, and is famous for its Roman ruins that date back to 6th Century BC to 6th Century AD. The vice president is scheduled to hold a meeting with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal and other senior leaders on Wednesday. At the start of the two-nation tour, Ansari had said he would focus on the need to fight terrorism in his meetings with the leadership of both Hungary and Algeria. He had said India could cooperate with Algeria in counter-terrorism, as the north African country has successfully dealt with the scourge of terror. Algeria is of interest to India on account of its oil and gas reserves as well as its rich phosphate deposits. While the visit will take forward Indias efforts in oil diplomacy, it will also see India explore possibilities of setting up a fertilizer plant to tap the phosphate reserves and find a source of cheap fertilizers. Bilateral trade between India and Algeria stood at 1.5 billion per annum, majority of which are related to importing oil and oil products to India. Culture Minister Mahesh Sharmas visit to Ayodhya to inspect the site of central government project to build a Ramayana Museum kicked up a row with the opposition parties accusing him of milking the issue ahead of the assembly elections in the state. Sharma announced his visit on twitter on Monday. My visit to Ayodhya has nothing to do with UP assembly elections. It should not be linked to politics but is part of government's effort to improve tourism in Ayodhya and all over the country. The visit is part of government's developmental agenda," he had said. Before making inspection of the proposed site, Sharma visited the makeshift Ram temple at the disputed site. He also took views of Ramjanmabhoomi Trust head Nritya Gopal Das in building the museum. Sharma said he was honoured to work for RamLala. "This was the first time that people were getting opportunity to work for Ram. Our government will make efforts to take the message of Ram, the Ramayana to the world. The museum will help in taking the message to the world and boost tourism," Sharma said on Tuesday. But, the timing of the visit was enough to spark off a debate. First salvo came from within the BJP as its Rajya Sabha MP and ardent Ram temple campaigner Vinay Katiyar said that Hindus would be satisfied with nothing less than a beautiful and grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He termed governments move to build a Ramayana museum merely a ''lollipop''. Kaityars comments were aimed at further escalating demands for the construction of the temple. Though, the issue of building Ram temple has yet to become a poll issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set off a debate last week by raising chants of Jai Sri Ram at a Dussehra rally in Lucknow. The chant was used as a war cry during the Ram Janambhoomi movement. Interestingly, fearing a polarisation on the issue, the Samajwadi Party government in the state has announced setting up of an international Ram Lila theme park along the banks of the Sarayu in Ayodhya. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow. Reports quoted a government spokesperson as saying, The completion of the project will benefit tourism, generate employment opportunities and promote Indian culture nationally as well as globally. While Congress accused the BJP of remembering Lord Ram during elections, BSP supremo Mayawati hit out at the BJP and the SP for raking the issue ahead of elections. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday cited studies he said showed rampant voter fraud, saying the November 8 election was "rigged" against him even as Republican lawyers called his allegations unfounded. Trump, a New York businessman making his first run for public office, has sought to raise fears of a flawed election as he has fallen in opinion polls against Democrat Hillary Clinton. "They even want to try to rig the election at the polling place," Trump told a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. "So many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is very, very common." Trump cited Pew Trusts research from 2012 that called for updates to the voter registration system because about 24 million registrations were inaccurate. He also referred to a 2014 article by two political scientists in the Washington Post that said non-citizens who voted could have accounted for Democratic victories in a few close elections in 2008, although the authors acknowledged the sample size of their study was small. Numerous studies have shown that voter fraud in US elections is very rare. Republican campaign lawyer Chris Ashby said Trump's charges could foment unrest and were unfounded and dangerous. "When you say an election is rigged, youre telling voters, your supporters, their votes do not matter, Ashby said in an interview. "I think some of Donald Trumps comments could cause unrest at the polls." Some Republicans have urged Trump to drop the assertions. Early voting and voting by mail have already begun in many states. Mark Braden, partner at Baker and Hostetler and former chief counsel for the Republican National Committee, said that any sort of election rigging at the national level just is impossible, citing the various systems in place that would make such an endeavour complicated and unfeasible. Our system is principally a system based upon each side watching the other side, Braden said in an interview. Our system is dependent on local volunteer participation. Our system has worked very well because we have people who get involved in the process and perform these functions. Trump also pounced on the release on Monday of Federal Bureau of Investigation documents that he alleged showed "felony corruption." The documents cited an FBI official as saying a senior State Department official sought to pressure the bureau in 2015 to drop its insistence that an email from Clinton's private server contained classified information.. Clinton's decision to use a private server while secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 has drawn criticism that she was careless with national security. "This is worse than Watergate, what's going on with this," said Trump. He also proposed a package of ethics reforms, saying that if elected he would ban his administration officials from lobbying government for five years after leaving government. 'Not going to be rigged' Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said Trump's assault on the voting system was an act of desperation. "He knows he's losing and is trying to blame that on the system. This is what losers do," Mook told reporters. The RealClearPolitics average of national opinion polls shows Clinton currently leading Trump by 7.1 percentage points, at 46 percent to 38.9 percent. The country's top elected Republican, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, tried to counter Trump's message about election fraud. Spokeswoman AshLee Strong said Ryan "is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity." In the traditionally hard-fought state of Ohio, the top elections official, a Republican, said concerns about widespread voter fraud were simply not justified. "I can reassure Donald Trump: I am in charge of elections in Ohio and they're not going to be rigged, I'll make sure of that," Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted told CNN. In a report titled "The Truth About Voter Fraud," the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law cited voter fraud incident rates between 0.00004 percent and 0.0009 percent. An August study by the Washington Post found 31 credible cases of impersonation fraud out of more than 1 billion votes cast in elections from 2000 to 2014. Arizona State University studies in 2012 and 2016 found similarly low rates. A number of Republican-led states, citing the need to prevent voter fraud, have passed laws with stricter ID requirements. But several have been struck down by courts that ruled they were designed to hinder minority voting. Melania Trump speaks out Trump's campaign has been shaken since the release 10 days ago of a 2005 tape showing him lewdly bragging about kissing and touching women without their permission. A series of women have since come forward with allegations about such behaviour on his part, but he has denied those accusations. "They want to put nice sexy headlines up even though nothing happened," Trump said, blaming the media for trying to "poison the minds of the voters." On Monday, the allegations were in the headlines again after Trump's wife, Melania Trump, spoke publicly for the first time about the "Access Hollywood" tape. A former model who has mainly stayed off the campaign trail, Trump told CNN she was surprised by her husband's language and said she thought he had been "egged on" to "say dirty and bad stuff," calling it "boy talk." Melania Trump told CNN that the allegations of unwanted touching from women were "all organised from the opposition" and said media did not "check the background of these women." In a separate interview with Fox News Channel, she said she had forgiven her husband for the comments in the tape. "Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. And he apologised to me," Melania Trump said in an excerpt released by Fox News Channel. "I accept his apology. And we are moving on," she said. A major investigation today exposes the alarming security flaws in contactless cards. In controlled tests with experts, Money Mail discovered that criminals can swipe money off these cards as you're walking down the street, sitting in a restaurant or browsing in shops. We discovered that crooks using card reading equipment can also steal information from your card that they can then use to steal your identity. Fraud on these new bank cards which you can use without entering your PIN is currently rare. And if you do fall victim, your bank will typically refund you the full amount. Sly swipe: Morgan Rothwell shows how easily he can steal Victoria's money with a card reader But our tests found fraudsters only have to get within a few inches of where you keep your wallet to scam you. Fraud was even possible when contactless cards were in bags and jacket pockets. The equipment needed to commit these crimes is available for as little as 30 online. These machines work even when concealed inside a shopping bag which gives criminals the ability to target victims without them realising. There is no suggestion these devices are being widely used by crooks. But our findings raise serious safety concerns about the rollout of contactless cards by all major banks. HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF When using contactless cards the most important thing is to be aware of your surroundings and anything suspicious. Contactless cards have a circuit around the edge. Cutting off the top right-hand corner breaks the circuit and stops it sending a signal to a payment machine. You can still use the card to make Chip and Pin payments, however. Beware that cash machines can detect the fault and may swallow the card, so it's not an ideal solution. Another option is to wrap the card in foil. The metal acts as barrier, blocking the contactless signal emitted by the card. However, foil can rip easily and may need to be replaced often. Some companies have launched special products that will protect your card. Defender Note offers A5 pieces of plastic that can be cut to size and placed inside wallets (7.50, defendernote.co.uk). Just like the tin foil, it blocks any signals so the contactless technology won't work unless you take it out. You can also buy special wallets that work in the same way (from 35, houseoffraser.co.uk). Advertisement Almost all new debit and credit cards are now contactless, with 92 million currently in use. The technology allows you to pay a bill of up to 30 without typing in your PIN at the checkout. You just tap the card against the reader. One in five card payments in the UK is now contactless, according to the UK Cards Association, and the industry is in discussions about raising the spending limit to 50. But associated fraud has risen from 516,500 in the first six months of 2015 to 2.9 million in the same period this year. That is still low compared to other types of financial crime but experts fear it could worsen. Morgan Rothwell, director of fraud prevention firm Defender Note, says: 'If someone stole 500 out of your bank account you'd notice straight away. 'But many people may not miss 30 until they check their bank statement at the end of the month. 'By then they may just assume they've just forgotten what they bought, and not report it. In the meantime the fraudster could have pocketed thousands of pounds by trawling up and down high streets and train station platforms, targeting hundreds of unsuspecting victims.' You can request a non-contactless card, but some issuers, such as Barclaycard, will refuse. To test the safety of the cards we conducted a series of experiments with the help of fraud protection experts. In the first set, we tested how far away you need to be from a card reader for a contactless card to register. The Assheton Arms gastro-pub in Lancashire agreed to let us borrow its machine. It does not have to be connected to a till by a wire, so allows staff to take card payments from customers sitting at tables. The machine has a range of a only few hundred metres so will not work outside the building. We also tested mobile devices. Many tradesmen such as plumbers, locksmiths, builders and market stalls now use card machines that work wherever you get a mobile signal. Rowland Hayward, of Silver Fox Wines, who uses a mobile card reader for wine-tasting events in people's homes, allowed us to test his device in Preston. Any money taken using either of these machines will go directly into the business's bank account. There's nothing to stop a criminal setting up a legitimate business and then using it to steal money on the side. Risk: Our tests found fraudsters only have to get within a few inches of where you keep your wallet to scam you You would expect almost to have to touch the card against the readers for them to take a payment. But in our experiments the machine beeped when the card was around 4in away and the printer started rolling out a receipt. This means a criminal could steal money from you in a shop or cafe without even brushing against you. In a public place a criminal would be unlikely to get away with such a brazen act. But many people will keep their bags on the floor and jackets on the backs of seats in pubs and restaurants. We placed the contactless card inside a wallet, a purse and loose in a leather bag to test whether a machine could take a payment through the material. In every case, the card could be read when it was 2in away. The best protection was keeping the card in a woman's purse with a clasp fastener inside a leather bag. When we waved the reader over the bag, it could not pick up any signal. So if you leave your bag unattended, you will be vulnerable to fraud unless your contactless card is buried away inside. If a criminal is using one of the mobile machines, they could steal your cash while you're on a train, walking down the street or at a bus stop though to get away with it in broad daylight they'd need to conceal the machine. However, we discovered it could read a card even while hidden inside a material shopping bag or plastic carrier bag. The exception was when we conducted the tests with more than one contactless card; the machine just beeped and a message flashed up saying: 'Please present one card only.' So if you have more than one contactless card in your wallet, you are less at risk because the machine may not know which one to pick. The other big risk is keeping a card in your pocket. In our tests, we put a contactless card inside the back pocket of some jeans and the card reader only needed to be an inch away to work. We got the same result when the card was placed inside the pocket of a jacket. Even when the card was in a wallet inside a pocket, it could be read without the machine touching the material. You can request a non-contactless card, but some issuers, such as Barclaycard, will refuse This was one of the most concerning results because it shows you are vulnerable in crowded places. Martyn James, formerly of the Financial Ombudsman Service, says: 'This shows that you should never carry your card loose in a jacket, or keep your wallet in the back pocket of your trousers. 'A fraudster could bump up against you or rifle through the cloakroom and you'd be robbed of up to 30 without even realising.' Industry experts say it would be hard to get away with this type of fraud because every machine is registered to a business. A fraudster could bump up against you or rifle through the cloakroom and you'd be robbed of up to 30 without even realising Companies undergo strict checks, providing proof of identity and address, including photos of their premises. Banks also watch for suspicious transactions for example, if a business that usually takes five payments a day suddenly takes 50, a red flag would be raised. Currently, if you are the victim of contactless theft, your losses are limited. Card machines can take only 30 a time. Even if crooks repeatedly try to swipe your card, the machine will ask for a Pin after around ten attempts, so you're unlikely to lose more than 300. You are at much greater risk if they get hold of your personal details. Once in possession of your name, card number and expiry date, a crook with the right equipment has enough to commit identity fraud in shops and online. We conducted our second set of tests with Kevin Loveman, of payments firm Universal Smart Cards, at a retail park in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. Kevin says it's possible to buy card-reading machines known in the industry as RFID or NFC readers for just 30 on Amazon or eBay. These are not intended for criminal use as some are also used to scan concert tickets. Kevin demonstrated how a card reader the size of a smartphone could be concealed in the palm of his hand. It had to be attached to a laptop by a wire but this could be threaded through jacket sleeves to a computer in a backpack. A crook can even turn off the bleeping sound made by the machine when it scans a card. As with standard card readers, the machine needed only to be within four inches of a contactless card to work. We tested the machine with the card in a wallet, purse, bag and a pocket, and it read perfectly every time. The only exception was when the purse was inside a bag. When we put two contactless cards inside a wallet it recorded the details of either one or both of them. Kevin says crooks have started using smartphones to scan cards as they are less conspicuous. We downloaded a free card-reading app on to a smartphone. It was unreliable and didn't work every time. When it was successful it needed to be within an inch of the card to record the long number on the front and the expiry date. Other apps claim they can capture additional data, such as the last ten transactions on the card and even how many more times the PIN can be entered before the card is blocked. Justin Modray, director of Candid Financial Advice, says: 'Once a fraudster has this sort of information they are incredibly dangerous. 'Even if they don't go on to make purchases using your card, they can sell your details online to other criminals with ulterior motives.' Criminals can also use the data they gather to make a clone of your card. Our investigation found card-reading kits were on offer for just $200 on the 'dark web' a hidden part of the internet used by criminals. For this sum, a crook receives a card-reader that can scan up to 15 contactless cards at once, plus a pack of blank cards to transfer the details on to. Even if they don't go on to make purchases using your card, they can sell your details online to other criminals with ulterior motives Under the advertisement, visitors to the site had written comments such as 'Let the shopping begin. Whoop' and 'Xmas shopping done haha'. On the dark web criminals can also buy printers that make blank cards look just like normal ones given out by banks. Most online retailers ask for the three-digit security number on the back of your card known as the card verification value (CVV) number. This cannot be picked up by a card-reader. But you would not need this to spend with the card in a shop. Richard Koch, head of policy at The UK Cards Association, says: 'We are aware of examples where card information has been harvested in laboratory tests, but there has never been a verified real-world case of these types of fraud. 'Contactless cards are very safe and anyone who is a victim of fraud will get their money back.' Insurers are calling for the Government to commit to reforms to compensation for minor whiplash injuries - saying delays to the promised crackdown are costing honest motorists nearly 3 million a day. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has piled pressure on the Ministry of Justice for failing to produce a consultation paper setting out how to implement changes to crackdown on fraudulent motor insurance claims - a report that was finalised six months ago. Today the ABI followed up the calls with a report stating five scenarios that need to take place in order for car insurance costs to come down. The ABI said previous reforms to compensation for minor whiplash injuries saved insurers 1bn in total - savings that should have been passed on to motorists During last year's Autumn Statement, t hen Chancellor George Osborne promised that the Government would tackle the nation's claim culture - one of the reason car insurance premiums have risen by more than 10 per cent in the last 12 months. According to the ABI, the rising cost of personal injury claims has helped drive up insurance premiums - along with the big increases in insurance premium tax, rising from six to ten per cent in the last year. James Dalton, director of general insurance policy at the ABI, said: 'The Ministry of Justice seems to be rowing back from much needed reform to the civil justice system that will save motorists up to 50 a year on average. 'The UK has one of the most abused systems in Europe and the reforms would tackle the excesses of the compensation culture. 'Without action, claims management companies will continue to nuisance call and text honest motorists encouraging them to make fraudulent and exaggerated claims through claimant law firms. 'Every day of delay costs honest motorists across the UK nearly 3 million.' The ABI said previous reforms introduced in 2013 saw 1 billion in reduced costs passed on to motorists, but claims companies have found loopholes in the rules that have lead to a resurgence in personal injury claims. It said the Government's proposals would cut out incentives for those 'who want to rip off the system'. Among the plans, injured people would still be compensated for their losses, such as the cost of medical treatment and loss of earnings, but 'general damages' - cash payments on top of these losses, for pain and suffering - would be limited for minor injuries. Rob Townend, UK claims director at insurance giant Aviva, said, 'The news of a delay to planned government whiplash reforms is a blow to families and honest motorists who have already been hit with an IPT increase, rising petrol prices, and now face paying for lawyer profits and criminal acts by fraudsters. 'The lack of action on reforms is basically a charter for more nuisance calls; last year claims management companies bombarded consumers with more than 720 million calls, and we firmly expect this number to grow. WHAT THE ABI SAYS IS NEEDED TO MAKE PREMIUMS FALL The ABI's report, Lifting the Bonnet on Car Insurance, sets out five things that need to happen to help tackle higher insurance premiums being faced by many UK motorists: 1. Further reforms to the personal injury compensation system: While plans to stem frivolous and exaggerated personal injury claims have stalled, with the number of soft tissue injuries rising, the Government needs to push much-needed reform higher up their to do list. 2. No further rises in Insurance Premium Tax: Successive rises have seen IPT jump by two-thirds in just under a year to 10 per cent.These recent rises alone are likely to add an extra 16 a year to the cost of the average comprehensive motor policy. The Government must not increase this raid on the responsible, which hits people who have done the right thing in taking out insurance. 3. Making young drivers safer: The Government should introduce changes to how young people learn to drive, such as Graduated Driver Licensing. This could help make them safer drivers, and help lower their motor insurance costs. 4. Incentivising the development of safer vehicles: Autonomous Emergency Braking is proven to reduce the frequency and severity of vehicle collisions, and the Government should consider making AEB compulsory for all new vehicles. Insurers already recognise this safety feature through a cheaper insurance group. Autonomous vehicle technology could further improve road safety, which is why insurers support its development. 5. Tackling insurance fraud: In 2015 insurers detected 70,000 fraudulent motor insurance claims valued at 800 million. This is 800 million saved for honest customers. The industry will step up its clampdown on the cheats to protect honest customers, and the Government should implement the recommendations of the Insurance Fraud Taskforce. Aviva said future reforms could save drivers 50 on their car insurance premiums He added: 'More worryingly, the 'do nothing' option is an invitation to crash for cash gangs to 'carry on frauding'. 'The reforms are ready to go. We would urge government to push ahead with the reforms, which will cut costs for motorists by 50 a year, stop fraudsters in their tracks, and hang up on nuisance calls.' The RAC also urged the Government to 'accelerate consultation' on illegal claims. Its insurance director Mark Godfrey said: 'Law-abiding motorists are sick to the back teeth with bogus whiplash and other fraudulent activity contributing to higher insurance premiums. 'We need the Government to step up and accelerate consultation on this so that appropriate changes can be put in place to ultimately help reduce insurance premiums for every motorist. 'It is difficult to understand what the delay has been, but it essential that the Government works with the industry in a consultation process to identify actions which will have the desired effect of reducing fraud while, at the same time, providing adequate protection and support for those injured parties with legitimate claims. WHY INSURERS WANT THE REFORMS Previous reforms introduced in 2013 saw 1 billion in reduced costs passed onto customers, proving the insurance industry is true to its word when it says it will pass on savings to consumers. Under the Governments plans, injured people would still be compensated for their losses, such as the cost of medical treatment and loss of earnings, but 'general damages' cash payments on top of these losses, for pain and suffering would be limited for minor injuries. The reforms will also tackle the incentives for claims farming by claimant solicitors by increasing the Small Claims Court limit, where claimant lawyer fees are not recoverable, from 1,000 to 5,000. However, not everyone is in agreement that fraudulent whiplash claims are behind the recent increase in car insurance costs. Thompson Solicitors has accused insurance firms of profiteering from honest motorists. According to Thompsons, car insurance claims costs fell in 2015 the fifth consecutive year of falling costs and were more than 30 per cent lower than in 2010, giving the insurers a 2.5 billion windfall. Tom Jones, Head of Policy at the law firm said: 'This latest information that has been sat on by the ABI completes a picture they would rather not have out there - of a booming industry with healthy profits and cash reserves paying out huge dividends. 'If there is fraud it should of course be tackled but the issue is being cynically manipulated. 'Fraud is being repeatedly used as a battering ram for reform that would actually mean only more profit for insurers. 'The insurers are taking the British public for fools they havent defined fraud, they havent provided any independent evidence that it actually exists at the levels they claim and they arent reporting it to their shareholders as a material risk. 'In our view fraud is being cynically exaggerated to attack the rights of honest motorists and to justify premium increases. 'Its high time the insurance industry stopped their manufactured hysteria about fraud and concentrated on providing greater transparency so consumers can see if the ever growing premiums are justified.' A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'The number and cost of whiplash claims remains too high, increasing premiums for ordinary motorists. Government said it is 'unacceptable' that the German carmaker has kept affected cars owners in the dark for more than 12 months The Government has pulled no punches in a new report slamming the VW Group for the dieselgate emissions scandal, promising UK owners it will fight for them to receive compensation. The Transport Committee's scathing report dubbed Volkswagen's actions as 'unacceptable' and roasted the manufacturer for showing 'a cynical disregard for emissions limits which exist to protect human health from dangerous pollutants'. But it was comments regarding the Department for Transport's continued drive to secure compensation for UK car owners that stood out, with statements suggesting owners continue with their own private legal actions against the car brand. 'Unacceptable': The Transport Committee's latest report has slammed Volkswagen for failing to repair UK cars affected by the dieselgate scandal and has criticised the carmaker for keeping owners in the dark regarding the ongoing issue The Transport Committee released 'Volkswagen emissions scandal and vehicle type approval: Government response to the Committees Third Report of Session 201617' on Monday. The standout paragraph in the 13-page report read: ' The Government will continue to fight for compensation for UK consumers and continue our work to ensure that Volkswagens serious action of cheating type approval tests is met with the appropriate consequences. 'The Government has also made clear in its most recent engagement with VW that in relation to costs incurred by the taxpayer and proposed fixes for affected vehicles, respectively, financial reimbursement and warranties are matters of high and urgent priority.' The appropriate consequences could mean legal action for the Volkswagen Group, which has already forked out nearly $15 million in the US to repair damages caused by the dieselgate issue. 'Prosecuting authorities from across Europe are liaising and coordinating their investigations', the Transport Committee's statement read. 'The Department [for Transport] is engaged in this process and is considering all possible options to reach a resolution on this issue.' Despite these remarks, there was restraint in offering any more information on the moves, with the report concluding: I't would be premature and potentially damaging to any prospective legal action, to comment further at this point.' Matthias Mueller, chief executive officer of German automaker Volkswagen AG, said in July that European customers would not be compensated for the dieselgate scandal However, the report also added: 'Prosecuting authorities from across Europe have met to discuss and coordinate their investigations. 'Officials have been part of those coordinating efforts and continue to monitor the progress of those investigations. 'This is a complex area as the wrongdoing by the multinational Volkswagen Group is likely to have taken place in various jurisdictions. 'We understand that investigations in Germany (where the Volkswagen Group is based and the relevant engines were developed) require the review and assessment of vast amounts of material. 'The government wants to ensure that the Volkswagen Group faces appropriate legal consequences for its manipulation of emissions tests and is continuing to consider how best to do this. We have not ruled out opening our own investigation.' Although US owners face some reimbursement, Volkswagen has remained adamant that it won't be doing the same in Europe, claiming a free repair of all affected cars by the end of the calendar year would solved the issue for drivers in the UK. The government strongly agrees that the treatment of UK consumers has not been acceptable and that vehicle owners should be compensated for the inconvenience However, the ambitious schedule to implement these repairs by the end of 2016 now looks very unlikely, meaning some UK motorists will still be driving vehicles emitting illegally high levels of pollution 15 months after the scandal broke. Back in July, CEO Matthias Mueller said: 'In the U.S. the [emissions] limits are stricter, which makes the fix more complicated. And taking part in the buyback is voluntary [for customers], which is not the case in Germany, for example.' Referring to the pay-off for owners on the other side of the Atlantic, Mueller added: 'You don't have to be a mathematician to realise that compensation at arbitrarily high levels would overwhelm Volkswagen. 'We need to be patient, this transformation process will not be completed tomorrow. 'We need to show when modifying cars in the workshops that we have understood [the problem] now. We must succeed at convincing our customers again.' But the Transport Committee appears unconvinced by the VW Group's actions, blasting the brand for keeping affected car owners in the dark for well over a year. Volkswagen is currently in the process of trying to rebuild its reputation, however, the latest report from the Transport Committee is unlikely to shine any positive light on the brand 'The government strongly agrees that the treatment of UK consumers has not been acceptable and that vehicle owners should be compensated for the inconvenience, uncertainty and worry caused by Volkswagens cheating as well as for any loss in the value of affected vehicles which may become apparent,' the report continued. 'We also find it unacceptable that Volkswagen has avoided this issue for so long and has failed to adequately engage with customers on this matter and respond to their valid concerns. 'Ministers have summoned Volkswagen UK to a further meeting in order to reiterate these views and remind Volkswagen that they expect the company to treat UK consumers fairly.' The report was also used to seemingly urge owners to continue with their own private action against the VW Group. 'The government notes the Committees comments regarding the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and agrees that vehicle owners may have recourse under the Act,' the statement said. 'The government is not privy to the content of contracts between vehicle owners and the relevant dealerships and so is unable to comment further. 'However the government would make clear that the Department of Transport has engaged, and will continue to engage, with consumer groups and legal firms and stands ready to provide any reasonable assistance to consumers who seek compensation directly from Volkswagen.' Goldman Sachs bankers pocketed an average 75,000 each for three months work as the US firm's profits bounced back. The financier made 2.4billion in the quarter to September 30 some 40 per cent more than a year earlier. Its investing and lending division put in a particularly strong performance as the American economic recovery gathered pace, with revenues more than doubling. Goldman Sachs made 2.4bn in the quarter to September 30 40 per cent more than a year earlier And there was a 90 per cent fall in costs for bad behaviour such as fines and compensation, which dropped to 37.4million from 338.5million. The bank has reduced staff numbers in the past 12 months, cutting 2,000 jobs, but its quarterly wage bill rose from 1.9billion to 2.6billion. Chief executive Lloyd Blankfein said the figures showed his business had made encouraging progress. 'We saw solid performance across the franchise that helped counter typical seasonal weakness,' he said. Getting a mortgage remains an arduous and paper-heavy task, despite the technology changing our everyday lives. So why isn't it easier to get a mortgage online - and just how far can you take the process? We spoke to borrowers, brokers and two cutting edge mortgage start-ups to find out. According to research just a quarter of those aged 18 to 35 want to do their mortgage online As any homeowner knows, getting a mortgage is not only a nail-biting experience, it's also a logistical, practical nightmare usually requiring at least a full day off work. Mandatory face-to-face interviews can last more than three hours, having the right paperwork in paper form in the right place at the right time can cause delays lasting weeks, and it's not uncommon to see your broker fax (yes, fax) that paperwork to the mortgage lender. Even so-called 'online' options and 'digital solutions' are usually email and telephone (or Facetime) dressed up as fancy schmancy tech. You can shop online, renew your insurance online, order a taxi and pay for that taxi online, book dinner at a restaurant, order food to your door, book a hotel or a stay in someone's house on the other side of the world, educate yourself to degree standard, get a new mobile, talk to friends in any time zone for free, update your entire social circle, post photos and videos, publish books, listen to music, watch TV, become a landlord or a business investor, file your tax return, trade stocks and shares, move money between bank accounts, pay people, pay companies, scan documents - the list is endless. But get a mortgage online? No. Dice. Lenders and mortgage advisers would have you believe that this is because customers don't want to get a mortgage online. And while there is certainly a keen demand for more of the mortgage process to be able to be completed from the comfort of your phone, tablet or laptop, there is some evidence that bears this out - even among the tech-hungry younger generation. Research commissioned by a tech firm specialising in mortgages called EDM Mortgage Support Services, found that 72 per cent of millennials - those aged between 18 and 35 - expect to take out a mortgage or remortgage in the next five years or more. Poll Would you prefer to get a mortgage online without speaking to a mortgage broker or lender at all? Yes No Would you prefer to get a mortgage online without speaking to a mortgage broker or lender at all? Yes 200 votes No 65 votes Now share your opinion But, apparently, 57 per cent of these millennials want personal contact when they negotiate a mortgage whereas just 26 per cent said they wanted to arrange their mortgage online. So how far should lenders take online mortgages? The traditional route Lucy Randall, aged 27 and a business manager working in IT in Derbyshire, is a staunch supporter of face-to-face mortgage advice. 'I bought my first house last year with my boyfriend and honestly think I couldn't have done it without the support and guidance given to me by my mortgage broker - Karen Cain from Mortgage Advice Bureau,' she says. 'None of my friends had a clue about how to get a mortgage and my parents have lived in the same house for 22 years - they had no recent experience of how to approach it. I really wanted someone to talk to and guide me.' Lucy Randall, 27, and her partner Michael Owen, 28, used a traditional mortgage broker Lucy is glowing about the advice she received and seems particularly impressed by the support she was given that had little to do with the mortgage itself. 'It's so frustrating having gone through the educational system and coming out with no idea of how to pay a bill or buy a house,' she says. 'Karen helped me with all of that and before we even talked about the mortgage she helped me understand that I'd need insurance to pay for it if I got ill and couldn't work - that's something that hadn't even occurred to me.' But even Lucy admits that she started the journey to find a mortgage online and only got in touch with her broker after failing to find enough information or help online. 'I used comparison sites but there was nothing that helped me understand exactly what I could borrow in my personal situation,' she says. Mortgage lenders and brokers have been very slow to go digital There is a question as to whether the shortage of support for borrowers looking for a mortgage online leads to the suggestion that millennials aren't interested in applying online. That is the view taken by Joe Pepper, director at the firm that carried out the research. He says: 'Millennials have grown up immersed in technology and like to use their smartphones for all kinds of purposes, including their banking. 'However, smartphones are still largely absent from the mortgage-buying process and the industry certainly hasnt kept up in providing the technological experience that its customers enjoy elsewhere.' One in four millennials said they would take out a mortgage online or deal with an automated adviser based on artificial intelligence His research also found that a substantial minority, some 41 per cent, of millennials said they would be willing to use an app to buy a mortgage if one were to exist. One in four millennials said they would take out a mortgage online or deal with an automated adviser based on artificial intelligence. This choice has very recently become available with two 'online' mortgage advisers starting up in the past year - Trussle and Habito. Ishaan Malhi, founder of Trussle, explains: 'We've already seen how technology has enhanced other sectors like transport and accommodation, empowering consumers with choice and gifting them with convenience. One of Trussle's customers applied from their mobile at 7am while on a treadmill 'It's this change in consumer behaviour that led me to be frustrated when looking for my own mortgage and inspired me to build Trussle. 'We've created a system where people can be sure they're getting the best deal available, when it's most convenient for them. Last week, one of our customers applied from their mobile at 7am whilst on a treadmill.' Habito's version is also online. Customers fill in their details online from the mobile or other device through a series of interactive questions about their preferences and personal finances. The system, which uses machine learning and artificial intelligence, then recommends a mortgage that's suitable for them. The firm's founder, Daniel Hegarty, explains: 'We follow this part of the process up with a short live chat or phone call to verify customer details and eligibility before running the credit check needed to generate an agreement in principle. I anticipate well be able to automate the entire process in the next few months, making the process even more efficient for customers. 'Customer service is a key part of the Habito experience, thats why human brokers will always be involved in the process, especially for complicated cases or whenever the consumer wants to speak to someone.' We got our mortgages online Juwon Layiwola: 'I want to be able to sort my mortgage out on my mobile like I would do anything else.' One of Habito's customers is Juwon Layiwola (pictured), 26 and a project manager at a City of London-based investment bank. He has just bought his first property and moves in at the end of the month. For him, using an online mortgage broker was a no-brainer. 'I do everything on my mobile online including all my banking and managing the investments I have. I'm looking for quick, easy services which I can use at a time that suits me - I want to be able to sort my mortgage out on my mobile like I would do anything else.' He originally approached a traditional mortgage broker who wanted to arrange a face-to-face meeting with him. 'That's just impossible for me to do Monday to Friday because of my job,' he says. 'Habito was simple, self-explanatory and offered good rates - why would I go elsewhere? Sharing my income and borrowing needs online doesn't phase me plus when it came to sending over my payslips and other really personal documentation, I was dealing with a person so I felt comfortable.' Dexter Lowe and his fiance Maria Chapman are both 25 and used Trussle last year to secure their first mortgage Trussle's customers have similar stories to tell. Dexter Lowe and his fiance Maria Chapman (pictured right) are both 25 and used Trussle last year to secure their first mortgage. Both are developers in IT and work in London. 'We started off by approaching an online and telephone-only bank which seemed to be offering the cheapest rates,' says Dexter. 'It was supposed to be easy but after - I am not exaggerating - three hours on the phone with them, they wanted to organise another phone call and for me to have paper copies of my payslips and bank statements and other documents. I don't do anything with paper - everything is online. Plus I have a job where it's just not practical to speak to someone during the day for hours and hours.' He gave up. And after some searching online found Trussle. 'They were quick, they were convenient, I could fill in the details in my own time, at my own pace and save all the information,' says Dexter. 'If I didn't know something I could leave it and come back to it, not have to arrange yet another phone call. Their rates may have been slightly more than the first bank but it was a tiny price to pay for the convenience they offered.' Craig Simms, 27 and in sales, and his partner Imogen Ebanja, 24 and a teacher, with the keys to their new home in Oxfordshire Craig Simms (pictured right), 27 and in sales, and his partner Imogen Ebanja, 24 and a teacher, also arranged their mortgage online through Trussle. 'It was really easy,' says Craig. 'We could do the whole thing in the evenings after work and we didn't have to go out of our way to see a broker.' Why won't lenders offer mortgages purely online? If so many of this generation are keen to deal with their mortgage digitally, why is it still impossible? Some of the high street banks and building societies are beginning to offer 'remote' advice - where customers can speak face-to-face with a real adviser over a Skype-like connection. The interview process still takes some time, but Halifax, for example, says demand for this service has ballooned in the short time it has offered it. It's a step in the right direction but a big problem with fully automating mortgages is that banks and building societies alike have technology sitting in the background that is often more than 20 years old. Because no-one has offered customers an automated service, no-one has lost business and customers have been forced to go through antiquated processes involving reams of paper, postal services, faxing documents and traipsing across cities having taken time off work to organise the finance to buy their home. Bankers and brokers who enjoy sitting amid heaps of paper files, behind dust-ridden desks, telling themselves that using email constitutes 'digital', can no longer rely on customers having brand loyalty - challenger banks are becoming more attractive to younger borrowers Challenging times are here to stay Worryingly, for those mortgage bankers and brokers who enjoy sitting amid heaps of paper files, behind dust-ridden desks, telling themselves that using email constitutes 'digital', they can no longer rely on customers having brand loyalty. Not so long ago people banked with the same company for life. They opened an account, started to save, and got and then paid off a mortgage over the course of about 40 years. Now EDM's research suggests over half of millennials would consider taking out a mortgage with one of the new challenger banks - names many haven't heard of such as Shawbrook Bank, Aldermore Bank, Precise Mortgages or Metro Bank. Juwon is one of them: 'Younger customers couldn't care less about banking brands or staying with one provider. I want to know what services they offer, what I can do online and how quick and convenient it's going to be to deal with them,' he says. 'I am much less interested in rates and whether I recognise the brand name.' Younger customers couldn't care less about banking brands or staying with one provider. I want to know what services they offer, what I can do online and how quick and convenient it's going to be to deal with them He's quite happy getting a mortgage from a challenger bank he's never heard of; perhaps more interestingly, he's also just as happy putting his savings into a tech start-up firm that allows him to manage his account or investments online without having to speak to an adviser. Moreover, he wants to be able to figure everything out from a bank's website - and no, that doesn't mean reading the 'frequently asked questions' from top to bottom. 'I want to message a person or an automated messenger directly on the site using my mobile and get personal answers so I know what I can and can't do,' he says. Trussle's Malhi sums it up: 'Some people may still prefer to make decisions over the phone or face-to-face but the social shift we've seen in recent years has seen a growing number embrace exclusively online transactions in much of what they do, including managing their finances.' A decision to build parts in Spain for Britain's newest taxpayer-backed wind farm has sparked outrage. Scottish Power, which is owned by Spanish giant Iberdrola, has awarded 150million of contracts to build the foundations of a 2.5billion wind farm off the coast of East Anglia to a shipyard in Spain which is backed by the Spanish government. It flies in the face of the Government's strategy to support British jobs, and it has caused a crisis at Newcastle-based OGN Group which had hoped to secure the investment and 2,000 jobs. Scottish Power has awarded 150million of contracts to build the foundations of a 2.5billion wind farm off the coast of East Anglia to a shipyard in Spain Mary Glindon, Labour MP for North Tyneside, said: 'If the Government wants to ensure work comes to British workers they have to take a stronger line with these companies. 'Why should the British taxpayer give money to support companies unless there's some material benefit to the UK? It's not international aid, it's business.' Scottish Power will receive millions in taxpayer-funded subsidies over the 15-year project. OGN is asking the Government to deliver on its promise to support British business and the Northern Powerhouse. Scottish Power said it awarded the contract following an open tender process, and the company Navantia was selected based on its technical and economic competitiveness. A spokesman added: 'We are working with a range of UK suppliers and supporting major investment in UK infrastructure. Gildan Activewear Inc. manufactures and sells various apparel products in the United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. It provides various activewear products, including T-shirts, fleece tops and bottoms, and sports shirts under the Gildan, Gildan Performance, Gildan Hammer, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, Alstyle, and GoldToe brands. The company also offers hosiery products comprising athletic; dress; and casual, liner, therapeutic, and workwear socks, as well as sheer pantyhose, tights, and leggings under the Gildan, Under Armour, GoldToe, PowerSox, Signature Gold by Goldtoe, Peds, MediPeds, Therapy Plus, All Pro, Secret, Silks, Secret Silky, and American Apparel brands. In addition, it provides men's and boys' underwear products, and ladies panties under the Gildan and Gildan Platinum brands; and ladies' shapewear, intimates, and accessories under the Secret and Secret Silky brands. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors, screen printers, and embellishers, as well as to retailers and lifestyle brand companies. The company was formerly known as Textiles Gildan Inc. and changed its name to Gildan Activewear Inc. in March 1995. Gildan Activewear Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company provides solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data seamlessly in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. The company offers general purpose servers for multi-workload computing and workload-optimized servers; HPE ProLiant rack and tower servers; HPE BladeSystem and HPE Synergy; and solutions for secondary workloads and traditional tape, storage networking, and disk products, such as HPE Modular Storage Arrays and HPE XP. It also offers HPE Apollo and Cray products; and HPE Superdome Flex, HPE Nonstop, HPE Integrity, and HPE Edgeline products. In addition, the company provides HPE Aruba product portfolio that includes wired and wireless local area network hardware products, such as Wi-Fi access points, switches, routers, and sensors; HPE Aruba software and services comprising cloud-based management, network management, network access control, analytics and assurance, and location; and professional and support services, as well as as-a-service and consumption models for the intelligent edge portfolio of products. Further, it offers various leasing, financing, IT consumption, and utility programs and asset management services for customers to facilitate technology deployment models and the acquisition of complete IT solutions, including hardware, software, and services from Hewlett Packard Enterprise and others. Additionally, the company invests in communications and media solutions. It has a partnership with Striim, Inc. to offer high performance and mission-critical solutions with real-time analytics. It serves commercial and large enterprise groups, such as business and public sector enterprises; and through various partners comprising resellers, distribution partners, original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors, systems integrators, and advisory firms. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, and markets biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, neuroscience, and covid-19 diseases. The company's products include Revlimid, an oral immunomodulatory drug for the treatment of multiple myeloma; Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; and Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis. It also provides Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia; Yervoy for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma; Abraxane, a protein-bound chemotherapy product; Reblozyl for the treatment of anemia in adult patients with beta thalassemia; and Empliciti for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In addition, the company offers Zeposia to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; Breyanzi, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma; Inrebic, an oral kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with myelofibrosis; and Onureg for the treatment of adult patients with AML. It sells products to wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, retailers, hospitals, clinics, and government agencies. The company was formerly known as Bristol-Myers Company. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in New York, New York. WABCO Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, supplies electronic, mechanical, electro-mechanical, and aerodynamic products worldwide. The company engineers, develops, manufactures, and sells braking, stability, suspension, steering, transmission automation, and air management systems primarily for commercial vehicles. The company's products include pneumatic anti-lock braking systems, electronic braking systems, electronic stability control systems, brake controls, automated manual transmission systems, and air disc brakes; and various conventional mechanical products, such as actuators, air compressors, and air control valves for medium and heavy-duty trucks, buses, and trailers. It also offers pneumatic and hydraulic braking and control systems for off-highway vehicles; conventional braking systems; electronic and conventional air suspension systems; steering technologies; and vehicle electronic stability control and roll stability support products, and advanced driver assistance systems. In addition, the company supplies electronic suspension controls and vacuum pumps to the passenger car and SUV markets, as well as provides remanufacturing services. Further, it offers replacement parts, fleet management solutions, diagnostic tools, training, and other expert services for commercial vehicle aftermarket distributors and service partners, and fleet operators. The company sells its products primarily to truck and bus original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), trailer OEMs, and car manufacturers; and manufacturers of heavy duty and off-highway vehicles in agriculture, construction, mining, and other industries. WABCO Holdings Inc. was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. Under Armour, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the developing, marketing, and distributing performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youth. The company offers its apparel in compression, fitted, and loose fit types. It also provides footwear products for running, training, basketball, cleated sports, recovery, and outdoor applications. In addition, the company offers accessories, which include gloves, bags, headwear, and sports masks; and digital subscription and advertising services under the MapMyRun and MapMyRide platforms. It primarily offers its products under the UNDER ARMOUR, UA, HEATGEAR, COLDGEAR, HOVR, PROTECT THIS HOUSE, I WILL, UA Logo, ARMOUR FLEECE, and ARMOUR BRA brands. The company sells its products through wholesale channels, including national and regional sporting goods chains, independent and specialty retailers, department store chains, mono-branded Under Armour retail stores, institutional athletic departments, and leagues and teams, as well as independent distributors; and directly to consumers through a network of 422 brand and factory house stores, as well as through e-commerce websites. It operates in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Under Armour, Inc. was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The page may have moved, you may have mistyped the address, or followed a bad link. Visit our homepage, or search for whatever you were looking for By Larry Penner There is more to A Solution At LGA (Editorial Oct. 7). The recent presentation by the Port Authority before the Queens Borough Board missed the current status of the accompanying LaGuardia Airport Train to the Plane project. Gov. Cuomo continues to be overly optimistic concerning building a train to the plane for LaGuardia Airport. Success for this project is dependent upon the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and MTA working well together. Fifteen years after 9/11, the Cortland Street World Trade Center #1 IRT subway station is still several years away from being back in service. If there are no new delays, perhaps the station will reopen by December 2018. The Port Authority and MTA fought for years over budget, funding sources, scope and schedule. Construction for the MTA portion of the project just started in 2015. Everyone has long forgotten that the successful Air Train, which currently runs between the LIRR Jamaica Station and Kennedy Airport was supposed to continue proceeding north along the Van Wyck Expressway and connect with LaGuardia Airport. The Port Authority did not have sufficient funding to complete the original full scope of the project. This original extension to LaGuardia Airport could also have connected with the LIRR and No. 7 subway line at the Mets-Willets Point Station. Construction primarily within existing highway right of way would have eased any local community opposition from those who owned homes and or businesses adjacent to the route. Too bad the Port Authority choose instead to spend billions in non-transportation investments during this same time period instead of completing the Air Train to LaGuardia Airport. The estimated cost of $450 million for construction of the LaGuardia Air Train is just a concept based upon a planning feasibility study. A full 21 months have passed since Cuomo announced this project with little progress to date. There are no environmental documents or any preliminary design and engineering efforts necessary to validate any actual construction costs. The anticipated final potential cost for the LaGuardia Airtrain could end up several hundred million dollars above Cuomos estimated figure of $450 million. Costs will be further refined by the award of construction contracts followed by change orders to the base contracts during construction. There will be significant conflicts when the LaGuardia Airtrain is built and open for service with connections to both the Mets Willets Point subway and LIRR stations. Why would any LaGuardia Airport-bound travelers with luggage attempt to squeeze in on already packed morning and afternoon rush hour subway and LIRR trains? Cuomo apparently never considered how this issue would be resolved when contemplating this project. Cuomo in 2014 promised that the LaGuardia Airtrain would be up and running within five years by 2019. Now he has said this will occur by 2021. To build a train to the plane from the Mets-Willets No. 7 subway and LIRR station to LaGuardia Airport within five years for $450 million as promised by Cuomo is a planners dream. In reality it will be a nightmare for both taxpayers and riders. You can count on cost overruns in the hundreds of millions and multi-year delays in construction before it is a reality. Larry Penner Great Neck (Larry Penner is a transportation historian and advocate who previously worked 31 years for the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration Region 2 NY Office). Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Bill Parry The city is refuting Mondays claim made by three lawmakers that an East Elmhurst hotel has been earmarked by the Department of Homeless Services to be partially converted into a shelter for the homeless. Calling it a troubling development, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) and Assemblyman Francisco Moya identified the Courtyard by Marriott, located at 90-10 Ditmars Blvd. across the Grand Central Parkway from LaGuardia Airport, as having been potentially slated to house a population of up to 60 homeless single men. There are currently no plans to convert this hotel into a shelter or to temporarily rent rooms to help meet our legal and moral obligation to shelter homeless New Yorkers, DHS spokeswoman Lauren Gray said. We do have an open-ended RFP and are always looking to review strong proposals, but the Department of Homeless Services has not received a proposal for this location. Crowley, Peralta and Moya said that while their communities remain sympathetic to the ongoing issue of homelessness in New York, their neighborhoods already carry a fair share of the problem by hosting no less than five shelters. Q&A with PA-16 candidates Robert Matzie and Rico Elmore Both Beaver County natives, Matzie and Elmore have expressed their interest in making Beaver County a better place in their own unique ways. SHARE By John Ingle of the Times Record News A new taste of the Mediterranean will soon open its doors in Market Street Plaza in Wichita Falls with The Simple Greek, a reinvented family-owned business based in Pennsylvania. According to the company website, the chain was first opened as My Big Fat Greek Gyro in Pittsburgh, and the struggling business was featured on the cable television show "The Profit." Marcus Lemonis, known as the "business turnaround king," partnered and invested in the restaurant, re-branding it as The Simple Greek. The restaurant concept features gyros, salads, sides and a yogurt bar created fresh for customers in an assembly line style and enjoyed in a casual setting. A hallmark of the new chain is meats and ingredients that are prepared fresh daily. Dr. Hossein Ghanbari, the local franchise owner of The Simple Greek, said he was watching the show about My Big Fat Greek Gyro about two years ago and spoke to his wife, Cathy, about opening a franchise in Wichita Falls. After a couple weeks of deliberation, he submitted an application to the company. Several months later, they were invited to visit The Simple Greek in Chicago. "We were fascinated," he said. "This food was delicious. The concept was great because of the fresh food. People now like fresh food, they don't want spicy, greasy food. They don't want frozen food. This is fresh food." Ghanbari said he looked throughout Wichita Falls for a location, but finally decided on Market Street Plaza at 3701 Fairway Blvd. as the spot for the company's first franchise store in the country. The target time to have the remodeling complete, staff hired and doors open for business is the end of November. Operating hours will be 11 a.m.-10 p.m. A news release by The Simple Greek indicates more than 50 franchises in 20 markets are expected to open nationwide in the next several months in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Wisconsin. Lemonis said, "Coming from a Greek family, I am particularly excited to expand The Simple Greek dining experience across the country and give our customers convenient access to delicious and health food with reasonable prices. We look forward to meeting customers when we open our doors for the first time in each new city, and to have them sample our wonderful authentic food." Troy The Troy Business Improvement District Foundation's dinner cruise to raise money for the downtown tree planting program is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, on the Capt. JP. San Francisco Netflix is testing the financial limits of its streaming video service as the rising cost of producing original programming pushes up subscription prices. The latest reminder came Monday with the company's third-quarter earnings report, which revealed that Netflix added 370,000 U.S. subscribers. That marks its second consecutive quarter of slowing U.S. growth since lifting a two-year rate freeze and increasing prices by as much as 20 percent for more than 20 million existing subscribers. While the latest quarterly subscriber gain exceeded management's modest projections, it fell far below the 880,000 U.S. customers that Netflix picked up at the same time last year. The deceleration occurred even though the latest period included the July debut of "Stranger Things," which turned into one of the summer's surprise hits. Netflix is now faring far better overseas as it tries to diversify its video library to suit the tastes of 189 other countries. The company added 3.2 million international subscribers in the third quarter, surpassing the 2.7 million it gained at the same time last year when it was operating in about 130 fewer countries. Investors were thrilled with the international progress and the better-than-expected showing in the U.S. Netflix's stock surged nearly 20 percent to $119.49 in extended trading. The drop-off in U.S. subscriber gains underscores the delicate balancing act the company is trying to pull off as it tries to retain and attract customers while also financing an ambitious expansion overseas amid fierce competition from Amazon and HBO. It's an expensive challenge, which is why Netflix raised the price for its most popular U.S. plan from $8 to $10 per month. And the pressure to continue increasing rates every few years seems likely to continue. On average, Netflix said, it is collecting 10 percent more for its subscribers worldwide than a year ago. About 25 percent of the U.S. subscribers still covered by the rate freeze imposed in 2014 will have their prices raised by year's end. "With more revenue, we can reinvest to further improve Netflix to attract new members from around the world, while continuing to delight our existing customers," Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wrote in a letter reviewing the results. After spending $5 billion on original programing and licensing rights to other shows this year, Netflix has earmarked another $6 billion for next year. Netflix expects to offer 1,000 hours of original shows and movies next year, up from 600 hours this year. GLENVILLE - Two LC-130s and air crews with the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing departed Tuesday for McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The flights will support the 29th season of Operation Deep Freeze, the logistical support that the military provides to the National Science Foundation-managed U.S. Antarctic research program. ALBANY A parole officer has been arrested in Greene County and charged with burglary and assault following a domestic incident in Coxsackie, State Police said. Kerri L. Hughes, 42, of Feura Bush, is accused of assaulting and menacing the victim after she allegedly "forcibly entered" a home at Schnare's Farm in Coxsackie, police said in a news release dated Oct. 10. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SCHENECTADY A psychologist testifying for prosecutors Tuesday scoffed at the insanity defense used by former mixed martial arts fighter James Hilton and said it should not excuse his brutal attack on a Schenectady police officer last year. Jacqueline Bashkoff, a forensic psychologist in practice since 1982, told jurors she found no evidence to support Hilton's contention that he experienced an "out-of-body experience" when he attacked Patrolman Mark Weekes on Aug. 1, 2015. "I believe that's a fabrication for his defense," Bashkoff testified, upon questioning by Assistant District Attorney Christina Tremante-Pelham. Hilton, 33, of Lake George contends he was not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect when he struck Weekes 28 times, fracturing the officer skull and beating him into unconsciousness, during he attack. Hilton is charged with multiple charges of felony assault on a police officer. On Monday, Hilton, who served in the Marines in Iraq, testified that he was in Iraq some 10 months and witnessed a soldier accidentally blow himself up and die in Iraq. His defense is based on the argument that he suffers from episodic psychosis, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Bashkoff testified Hilton told her during a June 8 examination that he was only in Iraq a few months and saw no combat. She said she has information Hilton's testimony about witnessing the soldier's death "is fabricated." To prove he is not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, Hilton must show by a preponderance of the evidence that he lacked the mental capacity to appreciate his actions and knew he was wrong. Bashkoff said Hilton has no definitive diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and only a low history of PTSD. "He does not suffer from any type of psychiatric disorder which would mitigate or excuse his blameworthiness at the time of the commission of this crime," Bashkoff told the jury, looking directly at the jury. "He understood his actions and the consequences and he understood that the behaviors he engaged in were wrong." The psychologist said the more accurate explanation for Hilton's conduct was that he has a "history of violence, dangerousness, acting out, domestic incident reports, extreme alcoholism" and past drug experimentation. She said Hilton displayed features of an anti-social personality and narcissism. Tremante-Pelham called Bashkoff as a rebuttal witness to contrast the testimony of Lawrence Avery, a psychologist who testified for the defense on Monday. Avery had testified that Hilton was "probably psychotic" at the time he fought Weekes. He diagnosed Hilton with bipolar disorder and PTSD. Bashkoff, more than once, harshly questioned the findings of Avery who was in the courtroom and visibly simmering. Bashkoff said bipolar disorder would not, in any case, be cause to excuse a defendant from his actions. Several testy exchanges took place during Bashkoff's testimony between the witness and Hilton's attorney, Lincy Jacob. Bashkoff noted she usually testifies for the defense. After she testified, Jacob recalled Avery as a surrebuttal witness Hilton was arrested after Weekes stopped him for singing into a traffic come near the corner of Broadway and State Street. Hilton testified Monday he "reacted out of fear," adding, "All I was thinking was, 'Eliminate the threat.'" Attorneys will deliver closing arguments Wednesday. Acting Supreme Court Justice Frank Milano will then give the case to the jury. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GREENWICH, CT When President Barack Obama last month designated the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of New England, Caroline Bailey felt a swell of pride. Bailey spent the summer leading boat tours around Eastern Egg Rock off of Maine as part of her work with Audubons Project Puffin. The program led Audubon to add its name to the long list of advocates for the national monument designation, which protects about 5,000 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean. It still feels surreal, said Bailey, a graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, and a new intern with Audubon Connecticut in Greenwich. I know I am just one of the people involved, but still to have been a part of that team and advocating for that and have that go through and really happen is just so amazing. Im really still feeling happy and in a glow. Project Puffin has been researching the birds activity and working to reintroduce them to areas they were pushed out of years ago. Puffins spend much of the year at sea. They can feed, sleep and even mate on the surface of the water, Bailey said. The only things they cant do are lay eggs and raise chicks. It is easy for scientists to track where they nest, especially because they return to the spot where they were raised to rear their own young. The more difficult task is figuring out where they congregate during the rest of the year. Scientists raised a group of young puffins on Eastern Egg Rock, an area where the birds used to live, and they attached bands to the birds so they could track where they went when they werent rearing offspring. That turned out to be an area that was encompassed in the proposed national monument site, and Bailey began educating patrons of her boat tours about the effort to get the federal government to protect the region. I always mentioned on all of my tours the marine monument and how we are trying to get that passed, Bailey said. Bailey began her post-secondary education at art school, but soon transferred when she realized she wanted to integrate her passion for science with her art. While attending Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., she spent four months living in the jungle in Australia and studying Bowerbirds. During her senior year, she conducted her own research about how local songbirds interacted with different colors and patterns in their food sources. After graduating, she found work teaching classes at the Saratoga Clay Arts Center. I discovered how much I loved teaching and also interacting with the public because I would host a lot of gallery events, Bailey said. In the courses I designed I would always include conservation themes and take my students outside with me to pull inspiration from the outdoors. She decided she wanted to take another step in the direction she was moving, away from art and into public outreach. She found the job guiding boats with Project Puffin, and it seemed like the perfect fit. The opportunity with Project Puffin was affirming, she said. Now shes developing that passion even further with Greenwich schoolchildren through her new post at Audubon. Nature and having these wonderful experiences should be accessible to everyone, Bailey said. She said there is a disconnect between people and the environment that she wants to work to mend. Its not something thats happened intentionally, Bailey said. Modern technology in life is a wonderful thing, but unfortunately by spending less time outside, people are not as aware. pfrissell@hearstmediact.com; @PeregrineFriss Albany State University of New York officials appear poised to fight efforts by Alain Kaloyeros to return to the SUNY Polytechnic Institute faculty or allow him any role in managing research grants for the school jobs that made Kaloyeros one of the most highly compensated public employees in the state and a millionaire several times over. Last week, in a letter announcing his resignation as president of SUNY Poly following his arrest on state and federal criminal corruption charges, Kaloyeros said he would resume his job as a professor of nanoscale science and engineering along with the $801,700 annual salary. But whether Kaloyeros, who has denied any wrongdoing, will ever make that type of money again his salary was more than double any professor in the entire SUNY system while he earned millions from SUNY Poly's research programs remains to be seen. More Information Doctor "K" pay The following is a list of Alain Kaloyeros' pay as a professor at the University at Albany in the 11 years before the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering was spun off from UAlbany and merged into SUNY IT in Utica. Kaloyeros has been on leave from the post since early 2014 when he was appointed to lead the merged schools. Figures are the highest salary figure for each calendar year. Kaloyeros earned additional compensation each year from the SUNY Research Foundation not listed here. 2013: $801,700 2012: $801,200 2011: $801,200 2010: $793,200 2009: $755,000 2008: $729,484 2007: $695,810 2006: $525,000 2005: $496,693 2004: $427,438 2003: $385,560 Source: Office of the New York State Comptroller See More Collapse SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and SUNY Chairman H. Carl McCall appear to be doing everything in their power to stop Kaloyeros from working at SUNY Poly again. In a joint statement last week, McCall and Zimpher said they "are evaluating (Kaloyeros') request to return to his faculty position" while moving forward with an investigation into his "practices and actions" as described in parallel criminal complaints filed by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Kaloyeros has been on unpaid leave from his faculty post since May 2014. That's when SUNY approved the merger of the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering with the SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica. Kaloyeros led the combined schools that year and was officially named president of what became SUNY Poly in January 2015 with his yearly salary set at $801,700 to mirror what he made as a professor. Under the terms of his 2015 appointment as president of SUNY Poly by the SUNY board of trustees, Kaloyeros is allowed to "automatically" resume his teaching duties if he quit his job as president. But SUNY officials won't say how they plan to block Kaloyeros from returning to teaching, although they could move to fire him, which SUNY can do, even to tenured faculty. "It's too early to comment at this time," SUNY spokeswoman Holly Liapis said Monday when asked about how SUNY would keep Kaloyeros off the SUNY Poly faculty. There is also the question of the grants that Kaloyeros has brought into the SUNY system and whether or not Kaloyeros will still be eligible for compensation in connection with those grants, which have totaled nearly $2.3 billion over the past 10 years. It is not uncommon for SUNY research professors to earn extra summer pay for being the principal investigator on grants awarded to SUNY. But Kaloyeros appears to have been the biggest beneficiary of grant funding in the entire SUNY system, earning slightly more than $5 million as a principal investigator over the past nine years from the SUNY Research Foundation, the entity that manages SUNY's external grant funding, according to data compiled by the Empire Center. When that SUNY Research Foundation compensation is added to his SUNY pay as a professor and later college president, Kaloyeros' total pay over the past nine years for his work building and expanding SUNY Poly totals nearly $12 million, according to data from the state Comptroller's Office and the Empire Center. To put Kaloyeros' pay in perspective, the average total compensation of a full professor at the University at Albany is $164,100 a year, while nationally, including both public and private universities, it is $172,213, according to the American Association of University Professors survey for the 2015-16 academic year. Kaloyeros used to make money in that range back in 1998 when his professor pay at UAlbany was $152,214. But between 1998 and 2014, records from the state Comptroller's Office show, Kaloyeros received raises and salary increases that average out to about $43,000 a year. The highest paid professor in the SUNY system currently is John Morgan, the founding director of the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics at Stony Brook University on Long Island, who earned $357,661 in 2015, according to the Empire Center. If SUNY were to allow Kaloyeros to return to the faculty at SUNY Poly, it's questionable if he would still be paid money from the SUNY Research Foundation as well. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. It is unclear exactly how Kaloyeros' SUNY Research Foundation compensation has been determined over the years and how closely it was tied to research grants. However, Schneiderman's criminal bid rigging complaint against Kaloyeros and Albany real estate developer Joe Nicolla says that between 2010 and 2015, Kaloyeros was eligible for a bonus of up to $500,000 from the SUNY Research Foundation based on the "portfolio" of grants that he oversaw at SUNY Poly. And that bonus system or something like it appears to have been wrapped into Kaloyeros' pay when he was appointed SUNY Poly president as well. SUNY agreed to pay $490,000 of Kaloyeros' presidential salary with the rest $311,700 being picked up by the SUNY Research Foundation. But the SUNY board also allowed Kaloyeros to continue to serve as principal investigator on "the ever-expanding externally sponsored grants and contracts" awarded to SUNY Poly and that he would "remain eligible to receive additional compensation" from the SUNY Research Foundation "in connection" with the grants, according to SUNY documents. For instance, Kaloyeros' pay through the SUNY Research Foundation as a principal investigator was $877,098 in 2016, according to the Empire Center, money that includes some of his pay as president, but presumably extra pay due to grant funding. (The Times Union asked the SUNY Research Foundation last week to provide annual compensation figures on Kaloyeros dating back to 1998, but the foundation is still working on assembling the data.) SUNY Research Foundation spokesman Peter Taubkin indicated that when Kaloyeros was suspended and later resigned, he became ineligible for extra SUNY Research Foundation pay as well. "His Research Foundation compensation was tied to his appointment as president," Taubkin said. "SUNY is evaluating his request to return to his faculty position so any decision on compensation relating to that is to be determined." lrulison@timesunion.com 518-454-5504 @larryrulison Albany The state's long campaign against a potato-destroying pest is getting a boost from $1.2 million in state aid for a new research center at Cornell University. The grant will rebuild an aging, World War II-era center that focuses on the battle against the golden nematode, a microscopic, subterranean worm native to South America that has been in parts of Long Island since the 1940s. It is also found in several upstate counties west of the Finger Lakes region. Part of Cornell's research includes development of 22 varieties of nematode-resistant potatoes, first used in the 1960s as part of efforts to push pack the worm. State and federal agriculture offices also have placed areas of potential infestation under quarantine. The worm destroys the roots of potatoes, which are a $70 million annual crop in the state about half being used in the production of potato chips in New York and Pennsylvania. And so far, there is no reason to believe that chip lovers ought to be worried. While a variety of nematode that can feast on resistant potato varieties was found in the state two decades ago, said Walter de Jong, associate professor of plant breeding and biology at Cornell, it has not spread due to years of quarantine measures. "We are on top of this," he said. Cornell also developed a new potato variety known as NY-140 that can resist the new nematode, but so far, its use has remained in testing fields. Last year, about 380,000 acres of potato fields in eight counties remained under quarantine by state and federal agriculture officials, according to online information from the U.S. Agriculture Department. That is down from more than 1.2 million acres. In 2012, the state Department of Agriculture and Markets removed 300,000 acres from quarantine after nematode infestations appeared to have been eradicated. At that point, the state announced a goal to remove another 850,000 acres from quarantine by 2015. No updated information on the quarantine effort from state officials was available from the department by deadline. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Quarantine controls involve the use of nematode-resistant potatoes and decontaminating of potentially contaminated soil from farm equipment before it can leave a quarantine area. Once nematodes can no longer be detected on a farm, the quarantine can be lifted. The nematode can spread through the shipping of infested potatoes and movement of farm machinery. In 2006, the sudden discovery of another type of nematode in eastern Idaho a state whose license plates bear the motto "Famous Potatoes" led to import bans by Canada, Japan, Mexico and South Korea. "We cannot risk the survival of our potato growers because we fail to contain the golden nematode that is the industry's greatest threat," said state Sen. Tom O'Mara, a Republican from Elmira. bnearing@timesunion.com 518-454-5094 @Bnearing10 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Albany Cash-starved Albany is seeking financial agreements from large nonprofit institutions to close its budget gap. Large exempt properties, led by the billion-dollar-plus Empire State Plaza, pay nothing in property taxes, yet are costly to city taxpayers who must provide money to fund police, fire and snowplowing services. Some tax-exempt properties, like Albany Med, have made deals to make payments, but the funds generated fall short of the need. "We are looking at ways we can work together through (nonprofits') fiscal years," Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said. "I understand that these large institutions create jobs and have economic benefit, but that benefit is dispersed throughout the region, but the city of Albany has to provide ... support services for all these institutions." More Information Top tax-exempt properties by assessed value Empire State Plaza: $1.3 billion Gov. W. Averell Harriman State Office Campus: $827.8 million SUNY Polytechnic Institute: $711 million University at Albany: $600 million St. Peter's Hospital: $352.6 million Albany Medical Center: $151.6 million Capital District Psychiatric Center: $137 million Albany Stratton VA Medical Center: $134 million Source: Albany County tax rolls for the city of Albany See More Collapse When Sheehan unveiled her proposed $176.98 million budget for 2017 earlier this month, it featured an increase of $250,000 for voluntary payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) from nonprofits and $12.5 million from the state in the form of a capital city grant, which Sheehan said she wants to make at least a three-year commitment. If the city can't secure permanent funds to close the gap, Albany services could be cut drastically leaving pothole-filled roads unplowed in winter, for instance or residents could see future tax hikes. Just across the river, the mayor in Troy has proposed a 28 percent increase for 2017. Now Albany is missing out on even more revenue with the assessed value of untaxable properties growing by more than 5 percent in the past five years, from 57.6 percent of total assessed value in the city in 2011 to 63.04 percent this year. The growth has made pursuing more payments from tax-exempt properties more pressing. The city has thousands of tax-exempt properties, from large state institutions and schools, to churches, other nonprofits and entities that have secured tax abatements through the city's Industrial Development Agency. State-owned land makes up more than half of the tax-exempt properties with the sprawling Empire State Plaza being the largest tract. Others include the Gov. W. Averell Harriman State Office Campus, the University at Albany and SUNY Polytechnic Institute as well as St. Peter's Hospital and Albany Medical Center. Part of the reason for the uptick in the value of tax-exempt properties was a citywide reassessment, Assessment Commissioner Keith McDonald said. But the rise is also due to the development or expansion of large tax-exempt properties like SUNY Poly and Albany Med. While improvements to those properties mean jobs and services here, their tax-exempt status adds to costs Albany property taxpayers must shoulder. So city administrators are trying to urge nonprofits to provide financial contributions, are seeking more state aid and proposing often controversial new revenue streams, like the trash fee imposed on small apartments and red-light camera fines, to help fill the growing budget gap. The answer "is not so much curbing expansion (of tax-exempt properties) as it is understanding the impact that it has on the city of Albany," Mayor Sheehan said. "If they want to be a viable institution, they have an interest in the general welfare of the city. We are all in this together, and we need to work together." Cities across the state, where many nonprofits and tax-exempts are clustered, have had to get lean and creative when it comes to balancing budgets. Albany receives a share of sales-tax revenue from Albany County as well as state aid, but rising personnel costs, like health care, pension and workers' compensation, present a continuing challenge for city officials especially as they try to remain under the state tax cap. PILOTs on board One way municipalities have captured funding from tax-exempt entities is through special agreements, or PILOTs. A 2013 report written by a panel that included officials from The College of Saint Rose, Albany Med and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany and commissioned by the Albany Common Council has led to some agreements between the city and nonprofits. In 2015, Sheehan struck agreements with Albany Med, Fuller Road Management Corporation one of SUNY Polytechnic Institute's nonprofit development arms and the Port of Albany. Each contributes $500,000 annually to the city to help alleviate the burden of providing emergency services to the large property owners. Each was a three-year deal that expires at the end of 2017, and Sheehan said officials are in talks over how to proceed in the years to come. "Albany Med took the lead in recognizing Albany's financial challenges by providing a significant voluntary payment to the city in hopes that other nonprofit organizations would follow suit," hospital spokesman Jeffrey Gordon said. "We remain committed to working with other nonprofit entities to help Albany address its fiscal challenges." Nonprofits say they recognize the challenges for cities that service large tax-exempt institutions, and want to work on solutions with Albany's administration and other nonprofits. "We certainly believe that having a city which is financially viable and sustainable is an important thing," said Elmer Streeter, spokesman for St. Peter's Hospital in Albany. While the hospital doesn't provide an overall PILOT, Streeter said the entity does pay a PILOT on a lease with Columbia Development for administrative offices on New Scotland Avenue. It paid $3,299 this year in city and county taxes, and $12,420 in school taxes, according to the city Treasurer Darius Shahinfar. The PILOT, established in 2012, extends through 2021, at which point the hospital would pay full taxes on the property. St. Peter's is in discussion with city officials on other solutions. But convincing nonprofits to provide financial assistance can be challenging since they're under no obligation to pay anything. In Syracuse which hovers at 50 percent tax-exempt Mayor Stephanie Miner landed an agreement with Syracuse University to provide $7 million over five years. But she said right now all she has is the power of her arguments, but a stronger message to compel entities to contribute to city services may be necessary. "Until the city has some leverage or some ability, or frankly, until there's a crisis the nonprofit institution doesn't get the kind of fire protection that it wants then this message (of the need for financial commitment) will be driven home," she said. Nonprofit leaders sometimes point to their own fiscal limits, suggesting there may be other ways institutions can help cities. Streeter said continuing the dialogue among nonprofits may bring creative solutions. He pointed to Troy Redevelopment Foundation made up of nonprofits, of which St. Peter's participates which contributes to the city through purchases of needed equipment and other things. For example, the foundation contributed $637,000 to help fund Troy's citywide comprehensive plan. "It allows the not-for-profits to get together and, as a group, really know what each is doing and get a common purpose," Streeter said. "We'd love to see something like that happen in Albany." Beyond financial assistance, other nonprofits have worked closely with Albany and provided ancillary services that benefit the tax base: The College of Saint Rose has improved streetscape around its campus; UAlbany provides programs to the community and recently teamed with the city to reinvent the neighborhood surrounding the state university's downtown campus. The goal is to come up with a plan on how to develop the corridor between UAlbany's downtown campus and The College of Saint Rose. Wringing out state aid For years, Albany has relied on state money to help fill budget gaps, primarily from "spin-ups" an advance on what the state owes the city in a PILOT intended to cover the Empire State Plaza's exemption from taxes. The city received a $12.5 million spin-up this year to help fill the gap, which was in addition to 2016's scheduled $15 million state payment. In 2006, the state increased the term of the PILOT payments to 33 years and the total value of the revenue stream to over $507 million, according to the state Division of the Budget. For the 2017 budget, Sheehan again will pursue a permanent $12.5 million dubbed "capital city funding." She tried to secure this type of funding for 2016, but the state granted the additional revenue as a spin-up only. Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy of Albany supports getting a long-term state commitment for the city, adding Sheehan has done her due diligence in trying to address the problems in other ways, such as signing on to the state Financial Restructuring Board. But next year's budget negotiations will be challenging, she said. "We will certainly advocate and do all we can to be supportive," Fahy said. "A lot of upstate is hurting. Every upstate municipality is trying to get more and more creative with balancing the books and meeting the serious financial challenges." The lines of communication remain open, however, Fahy said. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. The city also receives about $12.6 million from the state Aid & Incentives for Municipalities program. Albany officials, as well as many other local leaders statewide, have often said the funding isn't distributed fairly. The state has had a revenue sharing program for cities dating to 1970, which was largely based on population. But during Gov. George Pataki's tenure, some cities were given additional money due to fiscal stress. In 2005, the AIM program combined revenue-sharing and additional money as its base level. This locked in the inequities. Albany received $128.84 per capita in aid this year. By comparison, Utica received $258.87 and Troy received $244.96. Talks have failed to adjust the program. City leaders say that when it comes to state aid, the conversation has to happen on a statewide level. "A fix for Albany would have to be part of a broader conversation about AIM in general, and I think that's very difficult," Sheehan said. Tough decisions City leaders also have had to cut jobs through attrition or impose often unpopular fees to help close budget gaps. Most recently, Sheehan budgeted a variety of fees in 2016 that haven't panned out, like for false fire alarms and double power pole fees. For 2017, revenue expectations have been scaled back or completely eliminated, while no new fees have been introduced, according to Sheehan's budget proposal. No money was budgeted in revenue from red light cameras in 2017, because the last two years haven't generated money, leaving gaps in previous budgets. Common Councilman Frank Commisso Jr., who has been a vocal critic of Sheehan's budgeting practices and is a potential rival for the mayoral seat, said more can be done to address the inequities between tax-exempt properties and taxpaying residents. "When you look at the overall activity of tax-exempt entities, it's still far short of what we would like to achieve," Commisso said. He pointed to continued PILOTs on new construction, such as the private dorms on Washington Avenue across from UAlbany and the Park South project spearheaded by Albany Med, as part of the problem. The assessed value of properties in Albany that are tax exempt through the Industrial Development Agency has increased from $194 million in 2015 to $323 million in 2016, an increase that represents only about 3.9 percent of the total exempt entities in the city. In Syracuse, Mayor Miner said she overhauled how economic development was subsidized when she took office, honing in on what kind of development the city needed and what was appropriate to subsidize, which has helped create savings. "We will no longer be the kind of city that developers can come in and be given the kind of tax deal that they want," Miner said. "There is more development going on in our downtown than we ever had before as well as development not incentivized." However, the harder stance the city has taken has backfired at times. Some developers who didn't get what they wanted from the city IDA have sought it out from other sources including county government, Miner said. Commisso also suggested a complete evaluation on tax-exempt property, and whether the practices on the property warrant the tax-exempt status. Most recently, SUNY Poly's ZEN building has come under fire in a state investigation over private industries located in the tax-exempt property while paying higher rents to Fuller Road Management Corporation. "I think it's incumbent upon us as elected officials at the city, county and school district level, that we need to get contributions from these folks, review their operations to make sure they're in compliance," he said. afries@timesunion.com 518-454-5353 @mandy_fries [October 18, 2016] E Ink's ePaper Signage Solutions Enhance the Learning Experience at the Estonian National Museum E Ink Holdings, "E Ink" (8069.TWO), the leading innovator of electronic ink technology in the world, today announced its ePaper signage solutions have been deployed at the Estonian National Museum, displaying valuable exhibit information to visitors. Each display application interacts with RFID tickets, which are provided to attendees prior to entering the exhibit. After programing their language of choice, visitors then glean useful information in their chosen language when they are near a display. The solutions are part of the museum's larger goal of enabling visitors to learn about Estonian culture effortlessly. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005465/en/ E Ink's ePaper Signage Solutions Enhance the Learning Experience at the Estonian National Museum (Photo: Business Wire) The museum will use over 600 of E Ink's 32", 9.7" and 6.8" black and white signs throughout the 5,000 square meter exhibit space. The 32" signs will be used mainly for providing wayfinding information around the museum to guide visitors along the way, while the smaller signs will be used to describe artifacts. "The new National Museum embodies the Estonian spirit and is a shrine for all people to learn about the country's rich, colorful and sometimes painful past," said Kaarel Tarand, head of public and foreign relations at the Estonian National Museum. "In seeking a partner that will help us promote a deeper understanding of Estonian culture, E Ink was a natural choice for us. Its displays not only complement the museum's aesthetics, but it also offers our visitors a personalized experience and allows us to go digital in a sustainable manner." "With the completion of this building, our debt to those individuals who cared deeply about the preservation of Estonian culture and language and who built a foundation for our independence has been repaid," said Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of the Republic of Estonia. "The EstonianNational Museum will support us in coping, enduring and growing in the modern world. Museums have long ceased to be mere repositories for antiques. A museum is a center for learning and progress. In the same way, every culture and language must develop if it is to last." Having the same ultra-low power properties as all E Ink displays, along with being lightweight and readable in all light conditions, the displays seamlessly blend into the museum environment, allowing pieces of art and artifacts to remain the main focal point, while aiding visitors gain a deeper appreciation for Estonian culture. Working with 3 + 1 Architects on the concept and Artec Design on development, E Ink leveraged its 32" displays which are specifically designed for signage applications. The low power, Quad HD (2560 x 1440) high resolution displays are ideally suited for the bright and airy decor of the museum. The smaller 6.8" and 9.7" displays are less than 2mm thin and each weigh less than 100g making them extremely easy to deploy and take up minimal footprint in the museum. The 6.8" and 9.7" displays are powered using Power Over Ethernet (POE) eliminating the need for multiple cables for delivering power and data. "This is one of the first large-scale commercial deployments of E Ink's signage in museums. It is a testament to the unique value proposition of E Ink's display technology which can enable digital updates without taking any focus away from the artwork," said Harit Doshi, head of the signage business at E Ink Corporation. "Our warmest congratulations go to the Estonian National Museum, 3 + 1 Architects and Artec Design for a successful opening and implementation of ePaper signage. Thank you for the privilege to support you in your noble cause." The Estonian National Museum is now open to visitors. For more information, please visit: http://www.erm.ee/en to learn more about E Ink technology, click here. About E Ink Holdings Founded in 1992 by Taiwan's leading papermaking and printing group YFY (1907.TWSE), E Ink Holdings Inc. (8069.TWO), based on technology from MIT's (News - Alert) Media Lab, has transformed and defined the eReader market with its ePaper technology, enabling a new multi-billion dollar market in less than 10 years. Its corporate philosophy aims to deliver revolutionary products, user experiences, and environmental benefits through advanced technology development. This vision has led to its continuous investments in the field of ePaper displays as well as expanding the use of its technologies into a number of other markets and applications. Its EPD products make it the worldwide leader for ePaper. Its FFS technologies are a standard for high end consumer electronic products. Listed in Taiwan's Taipei Exchange (TPEx) and the Luxembourg market, E Ink Holdings is now the world's largest supplier of displays to the eReader market. For corporate information, please visit www.einkgroup.com; for EPD information, please visit www.eink.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005465/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Fitch Rates Virginia Public Sch Auth's $92MM Sch Financing Bonds (1997 Resolution) Ser 2016B 'AA+' Fitch Ratings has assigned a 'AA+' rating to $92.1 million of Virginia Public School Authority's (VPSA) school financing bonds (1997 resolution). The bonds are expected to price via competitive sale on Oct. 25, 2016. The Rating Outlook is Stable. SECURITY VPSA school financing bonds are secured by general obligation (GO) bond payments from participating localities that are pledged by the authority to the bonds. A sum-sufficient appropriation for any shortfalls in debt service that is available from the Commonwealth of Virginia's literary and general funds enhances credit quality and provides the basis for the rating. KEY RATING DRIVERS Analytical Conclusion The 'AA+' rating on the VPSA bonds, one notch below the Commonwealth's 'AAA' Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR), is based on the availability of a 'sum sufficient' appropriation for debt service deficiencies from the Commonwealth's literary fund and, if necessary, the general fund. Economic Resource Base Virginia's economic profile remains strong with a diverse mix of industries and high wealth levels, and Fitch expects the Commonwealth to absorb the negative effects of federal contraction and maintain economic growth. Government and professional and business services are the leading sectors. Government employment has been flat to declining for the past several years, but professional and business services employment has grown rapidly since mid-2014 declines, driving overall gains in the Commonwealth's employment levels. Growth prospects are solid with above-average population growth and high education levels signaling a well-positioned workforce. Revenue Framework: 'aa' factor assessment Fitch expects that Virginia's revenues, primarily income and sales taxes, will continue to reflect the depth and breadth of the economy, but also its volatility. The Commonwealth has complete control over its revenues, with an unlimited legal ability to raise operating revenues as needed. Expenditure Framework: 'aaa' factor assessment The Commonwealth maintains ample expenditure flexibility with a low burden of carrying costs for liabilities and the broad expense-cutting ability common to most U.S. states. As with most states, Medicaid remains a key expense driver but one that Fitch expects to remain manageable. Long-Term Liability Burden: 'aaa' factor assessment Virginia's long-term liability burden is low and well-managed. Debt issuance is carefully monitored through both constitutional limitations and more stringent policy and institutional practices. Despite a budget-driven deferral of pension contributions that weakened the funded position, the Commonwealth's unfunded obligations remain below those of most states. Operating Performance: 'aaa' factor assessment The Commonwealth remains extremely well-positioned to deal with economic downturns, with exceptionally strong gap-closing capacity in the form of its control over revenues and spending and a demonstrated willingness to restore financial flexibility at times of recovery. RATING SENSITIVITIES IDR LINKAGE: The rating on the bonds is sensitive to changes in the Commonwealth's IDR, to which it is linked. SOLID FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: The Commonwealth's IDR is sensitive to shifts in Virginia's fundamental credit characteristics including its history of timely action to address budgetary challenges, as demonstrated most recently in the response to the 2014 revenue shortfall. CREDIT PROFILE The series 2016B bonds are being issued pursuant to the 1997 resolution, which includes a 'sum sufficient' appropriation from available moneys of Virginia's literary fund and, if those are not adequate, the Commonwealth's general fund. The appropriation, which the governor must request from the general assembly pursuant to statute, provides credit enhancement to the local government loan repayments that are the primary source of security. Additional strength derives from state law providing for the withholding of state payments to local governments in the event of a local loan payment default, along with Virginia's fundamental credit strengths and the state commitment to education. Under the 1997 resolution, the Commonwealth uses VPSA bond proceeds to purchase GO bonds issued by Commonwealth localities for school capital projects. Local repayments of principal and interest on the locally issued GO bonds will be used to pay debt service on the VPSA school financing bonds. No local government has defaulted in VPSA's history, but in the event of a default, state law requires the intercept of state payments due to the local unit until the default is cured. Local payments are due approximately 15 days in advance of bond payments, allowing time for implementation of the intercept. Finally, if required, the sum-sufficient appropriation would be used. Current Developments Economic and revenue performance lagged the forecast in fiscal 2016. General fund revenues increased modestly but fell 1.5% ($268.9 million) short of the forecast. Weakness in personal income tax (PIT) withholding and sales and use tax revenues accounted for nearly the entire shortfall - both sources increased but well below forecast levels. The Commonwealth attributed the performance to federal sequestration's continued dampening effect on Virginia's broad industry of federal contractors, and more rapid growth in lower-wage versus higher-wage jobs. Unlike recent experience in other PIT-dependent states, nonwithholding revenues were not a driver of the general fund revenue shortfall. After a fiscal 2014revenue shortfall, Virginia implemented measures to limit the budget forecast's exposure to nonwithholding PIT revenues. Absent those measures, the revenue shortfall would have been nearly $200 million larger in fiscal 2016. The weaker fiscal 2016 revenue collections triggered a reforecast and downward adjustment of revenue for the current fiscal 2017-2018 biennium. In August, the state estimated a 3.1% shortfall ($1.2 billion) versus the official revenue estimate used for the enacted biennial budget. The governor recently proposed a 2017 savings plan to address the combined fiscal 2016 and 2017 revenue shortfall of $861.4 million. The plan relies heavily on a $392.3 million draw from the Revenue Stabilization Fund (RSF), as well as spending reductions that include a $125.1 million pullback on planned employee pay increases and $73 million in agency savings. Draws on the RSF require legislative approval although the Commonwealth will also make a required $605.6 million deposit to the RSF in 2017 (triggered by robust revenue growth in prior years), leading to an expected net increase in the RSF balance at year end. The governor will propose additional budget measures to address the forecast $632.7 million fiscal 2018 revenue shortfall in December before the next legislative session. Within the budget appropriation act, the governor retains authority to withhold up to 15% of general fund agency appropriations to maintain fiscal balance. For further information on the state, please see 'Fitch Rates Virginia Public Bldg Auth's 2016 Revs 'AA+'; Outlook Stable' dated Sept. 9, 2016, available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Date of Relevant Rating Committee: Apr. 21, 2016 Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. In addition to the sources of information identified in Fitch's applicable criteria specified below, this action was informed by information from Lumesis and InvestorTools. Applicable Criteria U.S. Tax-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 18 Apr 2016) https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/879478 Additional Disclosures Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1013294 Endorsement Policy https://www.fitchratings.com/regulatory ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. 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Fitch receives fees from issuers, insurers, guarantors, other obligors, and underwriters for rating securities. Such fees generally vary from US$1,000 to US$750,000 (or the applicable currency equivalent) per issue. In certain cases, Fitch will rate all or a number of issues issued by a particular issuer, or insured or guaranteed by a particular insurer or guarantor, for a single annual fee. Such fees are expected to vary from US$10,000 to US$1,500,000 (or the applicable currency equivalent). The assignment, publication, or dissemination of a rating by Fitch shall not constitute a consent by Fitch to use its name as an expert in connection with any registration statement filed under the United States securities laws, the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000 of the United Kingdom, or the securities laws of any particular jurisdiction. Due to the relative efficiency of electronic publishing and distribution, Fitch research may be available to electronic subscribers up to three days earlier than to print subscribers. For Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea only: Fitch Australia Pty Ltd holds an Australian financial services license (AFS license no. 337123) which authorizes it to provide credit ratings to wholesale clients only. Credit ratings information published by Fitch is not intended to be used by persons who are retail clients within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018006265/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] The Northern California Laborers' Union Provides $225,000 in College Scholarships The Northern California District Council of Laborers (NCDCL) awards $225,000 in college scholarships through the Northern California Laborers' Scholarship Foundation. Now in its 25th year, this foundation has provided $75,000 in scholarship monies to 75 students for the 2016 academic year. "We know the students that have received a scholarship have the potential to take their academic achievements and turn them into impactful careers in the future," said Oscar de la Torre, Northern California District Council of Laborers (NCDCL) Business Manager and LIUNA Vice President. "The Laborers' Union is proud to provide opportunities to our members and their families throug this scholarship foundation. Many of the recipients are the first people in their family to attend college, and we are pleased to help them achieve their goals." In order to be eligible for the scholarship contest, applicants must submit an official transcript, write an essay, and provide letters of recommendation. All parts of the application including community service, school activities, GPA, and recommendations are considered during the selection of scholarship recipients. This non-profit foundation's sole purpose is to raise monies for the dependent children of Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) members in Northern California to attend post-secondary institutions. Since its inception in 1992, the foundation has provided over 1,076 scholarships worth more than $2.7 million. Student recipients have attended local community colleges and universities throughout California and across the country. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005540/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Ysios Capital Raises 126,4 M ($140 M) for Its Second Fund, Ysios BioFund II Innvierte Ysios Capital, a leading biotechnology venture capital firm in Spain, today announced the final closing of its second fund, Ysios BioFund II Innvierte FCR, raising a total of 126,4 M and exceeding its initial target fund size of 100 M. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005486/en/ Ysios Capital Directors Josep Ll. Sanfeliu (top left), Joel Jean-Mairet, Karen Wagner, Julia Salaverria (left to right), and Cristina Garmendia (right bottom). (Photo: Business Wire) Ysios BioFund II Innvierte has a strategy similar to predecessor fund Ysios BioFund I,(currently under divestment) in that it aims to invest in biotech, medtech and diagnostic companies across Europe with a special interest in Spain. The fund will finance up to 15 early-stage (start-up) and development phase companies with disruptive products, platforms or technologies that address unmet medical needs. Ysios BioFund II Innvierte has a strengthened and expanded investor base, attracting both returning investors as well as new investors. These include institutional investors both at a national and international level, including CDTI (Spanish Ministry of Economy) through its Innvierte program; the European Investment Fund (EIF) and the European Commission through InnovFin SME Venture Capital, a financial instrument developed under the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020; pension funds such as Orza and Lagun Aro; Banc Sabadell (BIDSA) and private investors. "We have exceeded our initial closing target. Ysios BioFund II Innvierte has become one of the biggest specialized biotechnology funds in southern Europe," said Julia Salaverria, partner at Ysios Capital Partners. "We are very grateful to have the backing of many exceptional investors who have shown confidence in Ysios Capital's work and in the potential of the biotechnology sector." Ysios BioFund II Innvierte has invested in five compnies to date: Sanifit, the largest transaction in the history of the sector in Spain; Minoryx Therapeutics, the largest transaction in the history of the sector in the Barcelona area; Aelix Therapeutics (Spain); Prexton Therapeutics (Switzerland); and Aura Biosciences (U.S.). It expects to announce new investments before year end. "The success of our second fund is the result of the excellent work of a committed international and multidisciplinary team," added Joel Jean-Mairet, partner at Ysios Capital. "With our recent investments we have been able to attract specialized international funds and corporate venture funds to Spain, which represents an inflection point for the countrys biotech sector. In 2015 alone, Ysios Capital portfolio companies in Spain have been capitalized with 100 million euros." Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said: "Thanks to the equity products developed under Horizon 2020, the EU today invests directly into some of Europe's most promising companies in the biotech, medtech and diagnostic sectors. By providing finance for innovation in this way, we support the development of tomorrow's healthcare solutions." "This new deal with Ysios Capital targets small and medium sized businesses, which often lack accessible financing options. With its unique position in the market, Ysios Capital will play a valuable role in helping Spanish start-ups and spin-outs. The EIF is pleased to be working with this fund, whose objectives are in line with our mission to support innovative small and medium sized businesses across Europe," said Pier Luigi Gilibert, chief executive at the European Investment Fund. About Ysios Capital Ysios Capital, founded in 2008, is an independent venture capital firm providing private equity financing to early through late-stage human healthcare and biotechnology companies, with special focus on pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and medical devices. With the new fund Ysios BioFund II Innvierte, Ysios Capital manages almost 200 M across two funds. The Ysios Capital team has 13 international professionals and offices in both Barcelona and San Sebastian. For more information, please visit http://www.ysioscapital.com. About InnovFin SME Venture Capital InnovFin SME Venture Capital is an early stage equity product offered in cooperation with the European Investment Fund aims at improving access to risk finance by early-stage RDI-driven SMEs and small midcaps through supporting early-stage risk capital funds that invest, on a predominantly cross-border basis, in individual enterprises. SMEs (and small midcaps) located in Member States or in Horizon 2020 Associated Countries are eligible as final beneficiaries. The aggregate investments to venture capital funds made out of InnovFin SME Venture Capital are expected to support between EUR 1.6 to EUR 2 billion of equity financing to final beneficiaries. InnovFin SME Venture Capital is part of InnovFin - EU Finance for Innovators, the new generation of EU financial instruments and advisory services developed under Horizon 2020 to help innovative firms access finance more easily. "InnovFin - EU Finance for Innovators" will help to inject up to EUR 48 billion in investments in Research and Innovation across Europe. About EIF The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the EIB Group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth, and employment. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005486/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 17, 2016] Philippines Logistics Market Outlook to 2020 - Driven by Customized Logistics, E-commerce Activities and Changes in Freight Forwarding LONDON, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Executive Summary The report titled "Philippines Logistics Market Outlook to 2020 Driven by Customized Logistics, E-commerce Activities and Changes in Freight Forwarding" provides a comprehensive analysis of logistics market in Philippines. The report covers various aspects such as market size (transaction volume, revenue generated, cargo handled) of logistic market, domestic and international express delivery, third party logistics, e-commerce logistics, Filipino Freight Forwarding and Balikbayan Box Market. The report also provides competitive landscape and profiles of major players operating in Logistic market of Philippines. The future analysis of overall Philippines Logistic market and by segments has also been discussed in each of the sub segment. The report is useful for domestic and International logistic players, e-commerce logistics companies, freight forwarding companies and other stakeholders to align their market centric strategies according to ongoing and expected trends in the Logistic industry. Philippines Logistics Market Philippines logistics market has evolved in recent years with the rising globalization which is one of the key driving factors responsible for the growth of logistics market. The total logistics market recorded transaction volume worth USD ~ million in 2015 which grew from USD ~ million in 2010. The third party logistics market in the Philippines has observed an increase in revenues from USD ~ million in 2010 to USD ~ million in the year 2015 at a CAGR of ~ during 2010-15. The strong economic growth in the country has driven the logistics sector thereby leading to an increased demand of efficient distribution channels in the country. The growth of export and import activities in the Philippines has significantly contributed to the growth of logistics market. The key service offered by the logistics service providers in the Philippines included the movement of documents, parcels, freight within a definite transit time. Philippines logistics market is segmented by industry type and includes freight transport by road, sea and air, storage and warehousing, and value added services. The logistics market in the country was largely dominated by road freight forwarding industry in 2015. Freight transport by road has been mainly utilized for domestic transport of goods and commodities by various industry sectors in the Philippines. The demand of logistics services in which orders have been placed online through booking through the internet, has gained little popularity amongst the masses. The revenue generated in the ecommerce logistics segment of the Philippines logistics industry witnessed an increase from USD ~ million in 2009 to USD ~ million in 2015. Express Delivery Market Express delivery which comprises of services for documents, mails, parcels and couriers at a premium price for faster delivery times has gained significant popularity amongst the Filipino population The express delivery systems have created a door to door linkage across domestic and international markets and have developed advanced shipment tracking facilities to cater to the time sensitive needs of the logistics sector. In the year 2009, the express delivery market in the Philippines was recorded as USD ~ million. During this year, these services were observed to comprise ~% of the overall logistics and freight forwarding market. The infrastructural growth and development in the country has complemented the express delivery market in the country with an escalated preference of business and consumers to transport goods in shorter amount of time. The express delivery market registered a CAGR of ~% during the time period 2010-2015. The Philippines express sector has majorly utilized two modes of transportation, namely, air and road networks. In the year 2015, road express systems registered the major share of the express delivery market with a percentage share of ~% by revenues. The air express comprised of only ~% market share. One of the major reasons of the lower share of air express has been the low traffic capacity and less number of orders for same day delivery due to higher logistics cost relative to reasonable cost normal delivery/ courier/ parcel services. In the year 2015, the revenue generated from the international express delivery market of the Philippines was recorded at USD ~million. DHL was observed as the major player with a market share of ~% in terms of revenues and was followed by FedEx at ~%. A larger volume of trade has been observed to take place with the availability of international express delivery services. It can also be noticed that international express services comprises of ~% of the market in 2015. A higher share of international express services has been accounted for a large number of B2B transactions. Philippines Balikbayan Box Market The Balikbayan box market has been observed to increase from USD ~ million in 2010 to USD ~million in 2015. Despite of a large number of Filipinos working in foreign nations, this market has grown at a CAGR of ~%. The major factor that has been responsible for the slow growth of Balikbayan box market has been a reduction in shipments. Variables such as global economic recession and delayed shipments have swayed foreign workers to deliver Balikbayan boxes themselves on a visit to the native country. Balikbayan boxes are basically ridged container boxes which contain various goods sent by overseas Filipino workers, also known as Balikbayans, to the homeland. Balikbayan boxes have been majorly standardized into three sizes, namely, medium (18x16x18 inches), large (18x18x24 inches) and extra large (24x18x24 inches). The size of these boxes has been confined to certain dimensions to obtain better packaging and easier logistic services. E-commerce Logistics Sector The Philippines e-commerce logistics market has showcased steady growth over the years. The market has witnessed an astounding compounded annual growth rate of ~%. This segment has witnessed an increase in revenues from USD ~million in 2010 to USD ~million in 2015. The major factor behind the immunity of this industry during a slump in the international market was the high local demand from the Filipino population. The growing awareness among consumers about global brands as well as preferences for improved and up to date fashion and technologies has heightened the demand. Use of advanced mobile applications and banking solutions for the customers has made it easier for them to shop online which further intensified the e-commerce logistics market. Filipino Freight Forwarding Market The freight forwarding market registered revenues worth of USD ~ million in the year 2010 and expanded to USD ~million by 2015, growing at a CAGR of ~% during this period. The steady increase in trade volumes in the past five years has supported the elevation of freight forwarding sector. Road transport has played a key role in handling freight movement in the country. The total revenue generated by the road freight forwarding market has grown at a CAGR of ~% during 2010-2015. Freight transport by road market witnessed transaction volume worth USD ~million in 2010, which grew to USD ~million in 2015. The total revenue generated by the Philippines sea freight forwarding market in 2015 was USD ~million. The market has grown at a CAGR of ~% during 2010-2015. The sea freight market held a share of ~% in the logistics market in the Philippines during 2015. Air freight forms an essential part of the logistics market in the Philippines, providing an important link between the capital cities and economic hubs in the country, and major destinations across the world. The revenue generated by the air freight forwarders reached USD ~million in 2015, growing from USD ~million in 2010. The overall air freight market in the Philippines has grown at a CAGR of ~% during 2010-2015. Third Party Logistics Market The third party logistics market in the Philippines has observed an increase in revenues from USD ~ million in 2010 to USD ~million in the year 2015 at a compounded annual growth rate of ~% during the time period 2010-2015.Third party logistics market has evolved significantly over the period of 2010-2015 as a result of globalization. The key 3PL providers in the country are Fast Logistics Group, Li and Fung Limited, Synnovate Logistics and DHL Supply Chain. Fast Logistics Group is one of the leading 3PL players in the Philippines. The Third Party Logistics market in the country has been observed as a critical support to the overall logistics and express delivery industry in the Philippines. The market has been projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.3% during 2015-2020. With the increasing globalization, a large number of multi-national companies are expected to source and manufacture goods on a large scale globally. Key Topics Covered in the Report: ? The market size of the Philippines Logistic market. ? Market segmentation of the Philippines Logistic market on the basis Type of services, By B2B and C2C clients ? The market size of Philippines Warehousing and Value Added Services. ? The market size of Philippines Cargo Handling Market ? The market size of the E-commerce Logistic. ? The market size of Philippines Third Party Logistics Market ? Logistics and Forwarding Market Entry Barriers ? The market size of Filipino Freight Forwarding Market ? Market segmentation of the Filipino Freight Forwarding market on the basis of Road Freight, Air Freight, Sea Freight ? Market Share of Major Players in Domestic Air Freight Forwarding Market ? Market Share of Major Players in International Air Freight Forwarding ? Market Share of Major Players in Sea Freight Forwarding Market ? Philippines Balikbayan Box Market size ? Market segmentation of the Balikbayan Box Market by Seasonal demand ? Philippines Express Delivery Market ? Market segmentation of the Express Delivery Market on the basis of Domestic express delivery market and International express delivery market ? Competitive landscape of major companies in Domestic express delivery market ? Competitive landscape of major companies in International express delivery market ? Market Drivers and trends of Philippines Logistic market ? Future outlook and projections of Philippines Logistic market on the basis of Domestic market and International market ? Analyst Recommendation ? Macro Economic factors ? Philippines Infrastructure segmentation by Road network, Airport and ports Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4068874/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/philippines-logistics-market-outlook-to-2020---driven-by-customized-logistics-e-commerce-activities-and-changes-in-freight-forwarding-300346341.html SOURCE ReportBuyer [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 17, 2016] Orbital ATK Successfully Launches Sixth Cargo Delivery Mission to International Space Station Orbital ATK (News - Alert), Inc. (NYSE:OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, successfully launched its AntaresTM rocket carrying a CygnusTM spacecraft today at 7:45 p.m. EDT, marking its return to flight operations from NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. The launch is Orbital ATK's sixth cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station for NASA. During the mission, designated OA-5, Cygnus will deliver vital equipment, supplies and experiments to astronauts aboard the space station, as well as conduct scientific experiments onboard Cygnus following undocking from the space station. "Today's success is a credit to the dedication and hard work of the Orbital ATK employees who support our Antares and Cygnus programs," said Dave Thompson, Orbital ATK CEO. "They worked many long hours to successfully execute a plan that enabled us to continue to deliver cargo for NASA while implementing several upgrades to our Antares rocket." The Antares medium-class rocket launched approximately 5,300 pounds (2,400 kilograms) of cargo to the crew of six that will be aboard the space station later this week. Following a nine-minute ascent, the S.S. Alan Poindexter spacecraft, named in honor of the late astronaut, was successfully deployed into orbit. Orbital ATK's engineering team confirmed that reliable communications have been established and that the vehicle's solar arrays are fully deployed, providing the necessary electrical power to operate the spacecraft. "The Antares team has worked tirelessly over many months to prepare for this launch," said Scott Lehr, President of Orbital ATK's Flight Systems Group. "Congratulations to the entire Orbital ATK and NASA team on a successful launch." Frank Culbertson, President of Orbital ATK's Space Systems Group, added, "As a company headquartered in Virginia, we are proud to again launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. We are well prepared to continue delivering essential cargo to the International Space Station for years to come." Cygnus will be grappled at approximately 7:05 a.m. EDT on Oct. 2. The spacecraft will remain attached to the International Space Station for approximately one month before departing with roughly 3,700 pounds (1,700 kilograms) of disposable cargo for a safe, destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. Cygnus' large-volume and pressurized disposal cargo capability, a critical service to NASA, is unique among America's commercial cargo providers. For the current Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission, Cygnus is carrying the Saffire II payload experiment to study combustion behavior in microgravity, further demonstrating its versatility in conducting science experiments in space. Data from this experiment will be downloaded via telemetry. In addition, a NanoRacks deployer will release Spire Cubesats used for weather forecasting. These secondary payload operations will be conducted after Cygnus departs the space station. Under the CRS-1 contract with NASA, Orbital ATK will deliver approximately 66,000 pounds (30,000 kilograms) of cargo to the space station through 2018. NASA will manifest a variety of essential items based on space station program needs, including food, clothing, crew supplies, spare parts, laboratory equipment and scientific experiments. Beginning in 2019, Orbital ATK will carry out a minimum of six initial cargo missions under NASA's recently awarded CRS-2 contract. The partnership is cultivating a robust American commercial space industry, freeing NASA to focus on developing the next-generation rocket and spacecraft that will enable humans to conduct deep space exploration missions. The Cygnus system consists of a common service module and pressurized cargo module (PCM). The service module was built and tested at Orbital ATK's manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia. The enhanced Cygnus also uses Orbital ATK's UltraFlexTM solar arrays, which are the latest in lightweight, space-qualified, electrical power technology. Orbital ATK manufactured the arrays and composite structures at its Goleta and San Diego, California, facilities, and the propellant tanks for the Cygnus spacecraft at its Commerce, California, site. The upgraded Antares rocket includes new RD-181 engines from Energomash, a core designed by Yuzhnoye and manufactured by Yuzhmash, as well as the Castor 30XL solid rocket motor second stage that is manufactured at Orbital ATK's facility in Magna, Utah. B-roll and animation footage for the mission can be found here: http://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/bmc/# Please note that media will need to request a PIN for access. About Orbital ATK Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs approximately 12,000 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in several international locations. For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161017006604/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 17, 2016] INGDAN.Com Appears in Shenzhen Maker Week HONG KONG, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cogobuy Group ("Cogobuy" or the "Company," stock code: 400.HK), the largest e-commerce platform serving the electronics manufacturing industry in China, is pleased to announce that INGDAN.com, the Company's intelligent hardware innovation platform, participated in the second Shenzhen Maker Week, which kicked off on October 12, 2016. INGDAN.com presented on stage, representing "new commercial activities" companies, and was also selected with just six other promising tech companies for a special meeting with senior government officials who also attended the event. Under the theme of this year's event, "Develop New Economies and Foster New Economic Drivers," a reported 800 plus companies and hundreds of thousands of makers came to exhibit and experience new technologies, products, commercial activities, and business models. During the special meeting with INGDAN.com, a government representative shared his thoughts on the tech industry, as well as feedback and guidance. A number of tech industry leaders also joined the event, including Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc.; Pony Ma, co-founder and CEO of Tencent; Jack Ma, co-founder and executive chairman of Alibaba. INGDAN.com boasts hundreds of high-quality projects in cutting edge industries, namely smart cars, robotics, smart homes, healthcare, and virtual reality. For example, in the area of smart cars, INGDAN.com helped Zhiche Youxing-Qidan Vehicle match with international top suppliers, including Mobilee and Panasonic. The platform enabled Zhiche Youxing-Qidan Vehicle to quickly adapt to market changes and start mass production. INGDAN.com also helps traditional manufacturing companies in China, including YYD Robot, an ODM, OEM foundry. Through INGDAN.com, YYD Robot was able to match with Intel's Artificial Intelligence technology, and was able to transform into a successful robotics manufacturing business. YYD Robot also distributed and sold its products in overseas markets with INGDAN.com's assistance. Mr. Jeffrey Kang, CEO of Cogobuy Group, said, "We are honored INGDAN.com was on stage representing 'new commercial activities' companies at this year's Shenzhen Maker Week. Through INGDAN.com, we have enabled thousands of innovative Chinese startups to easily find and work with high-quality global resources, and also provide them the best in supply chain services. We are proud to be changing the nature of entrepreneurship, by making even the smallest ideas big through mass production. We are pleased to be helping traditional manufacturing companies in China like YYD Robot find their new developmental direction, work with leading technologies from Fortune Global 500 companies, and expand into overseas markets. We are proud to be assisting the upgrade of China's enormous traditional manufacturer industry and manufacturing capabilities. Relying on the success of Shenzhen Maker Week, we expect more favorable policies to be introduced for start-ups and company transformation. And we also believe Cogobuy is well-positioned to capture the growth opportunities of these favorable policies, which will further enhance our business in terms of GMV and customer numbers." About Cogobuy Group Cogobuy Group is the largest e-commerce service platform serving the electronics manufacturing industry in China. Through the e-commerce platform, which includes a direct sales platform, an online marketplace, and a dedicated team of technical consultants and professional sales representatives, the Company provides customers with comprehensive online and offline services across pre-sale, sale and post-sale stages. The Company serves mainly SME electronics manufacturers. For further information, please refer to the Company's website at http://www.cogobuy.com/ About INGDAN.com INGDAN.com is a platform dedicated to connecting global intelligent hardware entrepreneurs and China-based supply chain resources. The platform provides information on hardware innovation, supply chain data and supply chain demand docking for global IoT innovators and entrepreneurs. It is a one-stop hardware innovation business platform with its core being the "supply chain." For further information, please refer to the Company's website at http://www.ingdan.com/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Insomnia Cookies Celebrates 100 Stores with Free Cookies Raise your milk in celebration of Free Cookies! Insomnia Cookies now has 100 locations serving warm, delicious cookies to 29 states and will celebrate with all of their customers on Monday, October 24th, 2016. During the one-day celebration, all cookie lovers will receive a Free Traditional Cookie with any purchase. "We couldn't have made it to 100 stores without the efforts of our team members and the immense loyalty of our fans across the country," said David Lasus, Chief Operating Officer. "What better way to celebrate the occasion than by giving away free cookies." Insomnia Cookies began in 2003 in a dorm room at the University of Pennsylvania and has grown steadily over the last thirteen years. Because of Insomnia Cookies' dedication to its local communities, the brand has become the cookie choice for college students, parents, professionals and the like. As a result of incredible team work and community support, it seems only natural for the brand to celebrate this exciting milestone. Insomnia Cookies will also be celebrating by giving away prizes throughout the day on their social media platforms for fans sharing the celebratory hashtags. Be sure to share how you are celbrating by using the hashtag #ICelebrate100 across social media. You can interact with Insomnia Cookies on Facebook (News - Alert) (insomniacookies), Twitter (News - Alert) (@InsomniaCookies), Instagram (@InsomniaCookiesOfficial), and on Snapchat (@CookiesVIP). For additional information please visit InsomniaCookies.com/Newsroom INSOMNIA COOKIES - Insomnia Cookies is a rapidly expanding late-night bakery concept with offices in both New York and Philadelphia. Founded in a college dorm room in 2003 at the University of Pennsylvania, by then student, Seth Berkowitz, Insomnia Cookies has been feeding the insatiable hunger of its fans ever since. The company specializes in delivering warm, delicious cookies right to the doors of individuals and companies alike. Whether you're feeding a craving or a crowd, Insomnia Cookies' offerings of cookies, brownies, cookie cakes, ice-cream and even cold milk, has you covered. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161017006524/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] The Upcoming Guzhen Lighting Fair Offers More Tailor-made Service for Overseas Buyers ZHONGSHAN, China, Oct. 18, 2016 /CNW/ -- From October 22 to 26, 2016, the 18th China (Guzhen) International Lighting Fair (Guzhen Lighting Fair) will be held at Guzhen Convention and Exhibition Center of Guzhen Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. Starting from today, the online registration entry will be closed in 2 days; visitors can visit the official website of the fair (http://www.gzlightingfair.com/en) and pre-register online with their mobile numbers. Registered visitors don't have to pay 100 yuan for admission and will be entitled to multiple VIP services such as business matching service and other free travel incentives. Mass display of lighting exhibits in nearly 1.5 million sqm hall Together with five sub-venues, the total exhibition area reaches 1.5 million sqm this year, with a year-to-year growth of 20%. 2,000 exhibitors will mak this fair an unprecedented activity. Ten lighting product categories covering the whole supply chain will definitely meet all procurement demands. Business Matching Meetings - Reduce cost in finding suitable suppliers in Guzhen Over 100 carefully chosen exhibitors that have the ability to conduct international trade businesses will participate in the matchmaking meetings. The organizer is dedicated to helping global customers identify and screen for the most potential business partners through their practical procurement requirements. In this way, overseas buyers will be able to purchase in the most efficient manner possible, thus achieving a win-win result. Each overseas buyer is offered with the most personalized services: apply for invitation letter and hotel reservation online; enjoy free airport pick-up and drop-off service, free daily shuttle service and free lunch buffet at the resting area. In addition, more splendid events will be concurrently held in Guzhen this year, the second "Lighting Cultural Festival" will be using more advanced lighting technology to demonstrate the vivid 3-dimensional lighting show in Guzhen Town. Besides, famous Italian Architect, Francesco Sani, has been invited to deliver the speech 'Original Design as the Way to Success', giving participants a panoramic view on why and how to develop original designs. In October of the golden autumn, Guzhen Lighting Fair will reach a higher level in terms of exhibiting scale, number and quality of exhibitors, professional audience and exhibition service to make a wonderful international lighting feast. Website: http://www.gzlightingfair.com/en Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428715 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428716 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-upcoming-guzhen-lighting-fair-offers-more-tailor-made-service-for-overseas-buyers-300346429.html SOURCE China (Guzhen) International Lighting Fair [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Ascom 'Integrated Workflow Intelligence' Solution Chosen by Major Healthcare Provider in Normandy, France Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Elbeuf, Louviers and Val de Reuil (CHIELVR) is an integrated system of hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities serving 160,000 people and has a 1,000 plus bed capacity across different municipalities in Normandy, northwest France. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161017005650/en/ Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Elbeuf (Photo: Business Wire) In 2012 CHIELVR asked Ascom (News - Alert) to help modernize its information and communication systems. Ascom was the natural choice for the task, having provided CHIELVR with assisted living and nurse call solutions since 2004. But the challenge posed in 2012 was a significant step forward in scope and sophistication; involving the phased integration of clinical, technical and personal safety systems via the Ascom middleware platform. "Put simply," says Cyril Dufresne, Director of Solutions at Ascom France, "we are implementing an 'integrated workflow intelligence' solution. This means we help mobilize and distribute multiple types of mission-critical data and communications to individual caregivers' mobile devices. This information is prioritized, distributed and made traceable by Ascom middleware-helping to improve patient care, workflow efficiency, and worker safety." The integrated communications solution for CHIELVR is built around Ascom's IP-DECT (News - Alert) system, which combines the conenience and low capital costs of IP technology with the proven reliability of DECT telephony. "This is a major and ongoing project," says Dufresne. Linking nurse call, wander control, lone worker and technical alarms into one seamless solution calls for smart and resilient technology." Buildings talk now CHIELVR can listen Technical alarms are a crucial part of the Ascom solution for CHIELVR. Alerts concerning equipment and/or building failures now go directly to the handsets of assigned responders. The same goes for fire and leak alarms. Alerts go straight through to the right people, helping to ensure the fastest, most appropriate response. "The new communication solution connects all our teams and brings true intelligence to the management of critical information-it strengthens the efficiency of our organization," according to the technical services manager at CHIELVR. "Patient safety and comfort has improved. As has the response and travel times of caregivers and technical staff." Event traceability is another key element in the overall solution. The location and duration of every nurse and caregiver response to patients' calls are now automatically logged. This provides CHIELVR with valuable analytical data, and also provides proof of care. "Such proof is increasingly important in today's hospitals," says Ascom's Dufresne. "It can help reassure patients' families that their loved ones are receiving appropriate care." CHIELVR uses approximately 600 Ascom IP-DECT handsets. Technical support staff are currently being upgraded to the Ascom d41 model. While caregivers are receiving the Ascom d81. The solution also includes special, discreet transceivers worn as pendants by Alzheimer patients and others at risk of wandering. "We have with the new solution achieved some key objectives at CHIELVR," says Dufresne in conclusion. "We have brought new services to staff and patients. Workflow efficiency has been boosted. Access to information is better. Caregiver responsiveness has been enhanced. Communication and collaboration among care teams has improved. Staff-particularly lone workers-are safer. And CHIELVR is better able to harvest and analyze key data." About Ascom Ascom is a global solutions provider focused on healthcare ICT and mobile workflow solutions. The vision of Ascom is to close digital information gaps allowing for the best possible decisions - anytime and anywhere. Ascom's mission is to provide mission-critical, real-time solutions for highly mobile, ad hoc, and time-sensitive environments. Ascom uses its unique product and solutions portfolio and software architecture capabilities to devise integration and mobilization solutions that provide truly smooth, complete and efficient workflows for healthcare as well as for industry, security and retail sectors. Ascom is headquartered in Baar (Switzerland), has subsidiaries in 15 countries and employs around 1,300 people worldwide. Ascom registered shares (ASCN) are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161017005650/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Matomy Media Group Ltd. Update Regarding Strategic Review LONDON and TEL AVIV, Israel, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Matomy Media Group Ltd. (LSE: MTMY, TASE: MTMY.TA, the 'Company' or 'Matomy'), one of the world's leading digital advertising companies, announces that it has engaged RBC Capital Markets, LLC as its financial advisor to lead a review of strategic alternatives. This appointment forms part of a process initiated by the directors of the Company (the 'Board') in June 2016 and the intention is that all opportunities for maximising shareholder value will be considered (the 'Strategic Review'). Notwithstanding the recent progress against strategic milestones and the Company's financial strength, the Board determined it was appropriate at this juncture to evaluate all opportunities to maximise value for shareholders. Subject to the conclusion of the Strategic Review, the Board will continue to deliver demonstrable progress against its existing strategy and these strategic initiatives are expected to drive growth and build shareholder value. No decision has been made to enter into any transaction at this time, and there can be no assurance that the consideration of strategic alternatives will result in any transaction. There is no set timetable with respect to the Strategic Review, and the Company does not expect to make further public comment regarding these matters unless and until the Board approves a specific action or otherwise concludes its review. The Company has also extended the scope of its existing corporate broking relationship with Canaccord Genuity Limited. The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. About Matomy Media Group Ltd. Matomy Media Group Ltd. (LSE: MTMY, TASE: MTMY.TA) is a world leading media company delivering smart technology solutions and a personalized approach to advertising. By providing customized performance and programmatic solutions supported by internal media capabilities, 'big data' analytics and optimization technology, Matomy empowers advertising and media partners to meet their evolving growth-driven goals. Matomy offers a single gateway to digital media channels including mobile , video, display, social, email marketing, search marketing (SEM, SEO, and ASO) anddomain monetization. Founded in 2007, with headquarters in Tel Aviv, growing presence in the USA and six offices around the world, Matomy is dual listed on the London and Tel Aviv Stock Exchanges. Learn more about Matomy at www.matomy.com. For more information: www.Matomy.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/MatomyMediaGroup Follow Matomy on Twitter: @MatomyGroup LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/matomy-media-group Enquiries: Matomy Media Group Lipaz Kloper, Head of Investor Relations lipaz.k @matomy.com +972-77360-6161 KCSA Investor Relations Elizabeth Barker / Garth Russell [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Global Nerve Repair & Regeneration Market Worth USD 15.7 Billion by 2024 - Analysis, Technologies & Forecasts Report 2016-2024 - Vendors: AxoGen, Boston Scientific, Polyganics - Research and Markets Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Nerve Repair And Regeneration Market Analysis By Product, By Surgery And Segment Forecasts to 2024" report to their offering. The global nerve repair and regeneration market is expected to reach USD 15.7 billion by 2024, according to this new report. The demand for neurological disorder devices and therapies is expected to exhibit an upsurge over the forecast period owing to the rising awareness, the increasing incidence rate, the favorable government funding and reimbursement policies, and the continual technological advances offered by the key players of the industry. According to the American Physiological Society, approximately 12,000 spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) are recorded every year in the U.S. The majority of these injuries take place due to sporting accidents, gunshot wounds, car accidents, and falls. The neurostimulation and euromodulation segment dominated the product segment of the market due to the increasing awareness about the devices coupled with the surgingnumber of central nervous system disorders in the population According to the report published by the Florida University, annually,more than 2 million people sufferfromtraumatic injuries of the brain in the US and a minimum of 10,000 people suffered with spinal cord injuries.The CNS injuries are a consequence of incompletely elucidated biochemical pathological phenomenon. This lack of complete understanding in the field drives the urgency for ramping up R&D efforts to develop novel neurotherapeutic approaches. Companies Mentioned: AxoGen, Inc. Baxter International, Inc. Boston Scientific, Inc. St. Jude Medical, Inc. Cyberonics, Inc. Integra Lifesciences Corporation Medtronic plc. Stryker Corporation Polyganics B.V. Report Structure: 1. Methodology and Scope 2. Executive Summary 3. Nerve Repair and RegenerationIndustry Outlook 4. Nerve Repair and Regeneration Product Outlook 5. Nerve Repair and RegenerationSurgery Outlook 6. Nerve Repair and Regeneration RegionalOutlook 7. CompetitiveLandscape For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/v7bw23/nerve_repair_and View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005811/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Capital Senior Living Corporation Announces Release Date for Third Quarter 2016 Financial Results Capital Senior Living Corporation (NYSE:CSU) will host a conference call with senior management to discuss the Company's third quarter 2016 financial results. The call will be held on Tuesday, November 1, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The Company's earnings announcement is scheduled to be released to news services after the market closes on Tuesday, November 1, 2016. The call-in number is 913-312-1481, confirmation code 2308411. A link to a simultaneous webcast of the teleconference will be available at www.capitalsenior.com through Windows Media Player or RealPlayer. For the convenience of the Company's shareholders and the public, the conference call will be recorded and available for replay starting November 1, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, until November 10, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To access the conference call replay, call 719-457-0820, confirmation code 2308411. The conference call will also be made available for playback via the Company's corporate website, www.capitalsenior.com. About the Company Capital Senior Living Corporation is one of the nation's largest operators of residential communities for senior adults. The Company's operating strategy is to provide value to residents by providing quality senior housing services at reasonable prices. The Company's communities integrate independent living, assisted living, and home care services, to provide residents the opportunity to age in place. At the time of the Company's second quarter press release, the Company operated 126 senior living communities in geographically concentrated regions with an aggregate capacity of approximately 15,800 residents. For information about Capital Senior Living, visit www.capitalsenior.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005482/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] HealthTap Celebrates Five Billion Doctor-Answers Served by Launching a New Smart Health Search HealthTap, the world's first Global Health Practice providing 24/7 immediate access to doctors via video, text, or voice, today announced Smart Health Search, an entirely new way for people to find health information that's personalized and relevant to them. Before today, searching for health information online was an impersonal experience. Who you were and your health background didn't matter - you received the same general search results to your questions as the next person. However, most doctors would often begin their answers to health questions with the words "it depends," since they didn't know your personal history or the context of your question. But this shouldn't be. Dr. Geoffrey Rutledge, HealthTap's Chief Medical Information Officer and double board certified doctor, who has been seeing patients physically and virtually for more than 36 years, explains: "On HealthTap, a 24-year-old woman will see different search results from the ones a 70-year-old man receives to a question like 'should I take iron supplements,' or when searching symptoms like 'swollen ankles and weight gain.' That's because women may benefit from iron supplements when menstruating, and swollen ankles and weight gain may be symptoms of pregnancy." Over the past five years, HealthTap built the world's largest online library of doctor-created or curated health content, and has served more than five billion answers and health tips in response to queries for health information. Combining HealthTap's new enhanced search technology with the world's most comprehensive health ontology - created with a network of more than 100,000 U.S. doctor - users can now leverage HOPES, HealthTap's proprietary Health Operating System, to combine data from a personal health record with a search query to receive more tailored, relevant, and helpful doctor insights from HealthTap's library of health information. HealthTap's new Smart Health Search algorithms take into account a variety of information about the user such as age, gender, comorbidities, pregnancy status, and other relevant indicators stored on the asker's HealthTap personal health record (PHR) to match queries with answers, tips, and checklists provided by doctors to people similar to the user. This is done with the explicit permission of the user, and the answers are only available to the user himself or herself, and to doctors and caregivers the user explicitly authorized. Now, HealthTap's Enterprise customers (healthcare systems, hospitals, insurance companies, and large self-insured employers) will benefit from even more advanced personalization for their user populations through HealthTap's Health Operating System (HOPES). These customers now receive individually tailored content from HealthTap's vast library that also incorporates pharmacy, lab, EMR, and engagement data to enhance search applicability and results. "The advent of the Internet gave people an entirely new way to find a huge quantity of health information that was organized by publishers for mass distribution and mass consumption," observes Ron Gutman, HealthTap Founder and CEO. "Over the past five years, HealthTap has served more than five billion trustworthy, instant health answers and tips from top U.S. licensed doctors to hundreds of millions of people all over the world. Today, HealthTap makes another giant leap forward, providing people worldwide with quality health information that's automatically personalized for them by applying an extra layer of automated personalization. In a world of ballooning healthcare costs and of slow to no access to high-quality doctors, highly affordable access to bespoke health information can help billions everywhere live healthier, happier, and longer lives." About HealthTap HealthTap, a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, is the world's first Global Health Practice. HealthTap delivers immediate, world-class healthcare 24/7 from Query-to-Cure. Through video, voice, and text chat on any mobile device or personal computer, HealthTap connects hundreds of millions of people everywhere with the most trusted health advice from a network of more than 103,000 top U.S. doctors. HealthTap's proprietary, robust, and secure Health Operating System (HOPES) and proprietary triaging technology enable healthcare systems, payers, employers, and technology companies worldwide to provide the right care at the right time at the right price. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005681/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] RizePoint's Brenna Hill Named One of Utah Business Magazine's 20 in Their 20s SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RizePoint, the global leader in software solutions that proactively safeguard enterprise compliance, is pleased to announce that the company's Sales Development Team Lead, Brenna Hill, has been named to Utah Business Magazine's "20 in their 20s," an honor recognizing young and ambitious professionals who are taking the business world by storm. "Brenna is playing a critical role in our success," said Michelle Suzuki, Vice President of Marketing for RizePoint. "Her ability to prospect and sell is exceptional. She makes the most out of every opportunity to build the business and justify costs and that has been paramount to her success." Hill is making her mark in the competitive world of technology sales. She joined the RizePoint team in November 2015 to build a new Sales Development function for the fast-growing SaaS startup. In less than a year, Hill has grown the volume of active leads exponentially, and increased qualified sales opportunities by 300 percent. "It is a true honor to be recognized among this impressive group of finalists," said Hill. "I'm proud of the Sales Development team and the extraordinary bottom-line results we've contributed to RizePoint." Hill was selected by an independent panel of judges, recognized for her accomplishments of identifying, developing, and creating new business opportunities tat result in closed business. Prior to RizePoint, Hill worked as a business development representative at LANDESK. She holds a Kinesiology and Exercise Science degree from Brigham Young University. RizePoint At-a-Glance RizePoint mobile and cloud-based software helps organizations improve the quality, safety, and sustainability of their products, services, and facilities. RizePoint's software is used by 5 of the top 8 hospitality brands and 5 of the top 8 food service brands. RizePoint serves more than 285,000 users in 120 countries and territories, speaking 40 languages: 105,000 food service restaurants 27,000 hotels and resort properties 13,000 grocery and retail stores About RizePoint RizePoint formerly Steton Technology Group is the global leader in software solutions that proactively safeguard enterprise compliancefor both internally-imposed standards and externally-imposed regulations. RizePoint software builds and protects brand equity by enabling a consistent customer experience. Our customers gather better data, see necessary actions earlier, and act faster to correct issues before they become costly liabilities. Considered the industry standard for food service, hospitality, and retail, RizePoint mobile and cloud-based solutions serve nearly 2 million audits with 200 million questions answered annually. RizePoint is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, visit RizePoint.com. About Utah Business Magazine 20 in Their 20s This program honors dynamic, ambitious professionals in their twenties who are already taking the business world by storm. Whether they are entrepreneurs, dedicated executives, or passionate leaders, these individuals are going above and beyond to make their mark on the Utah business market. Winners will be announced November 10, 2016 at an awards luncheon. Press Inquiries: Whitney McCarthy 801.285.9827 Email To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rizepoints-brenna-hill-named-one-of-utah-business-magazines-20-in-their-20s-300346561.html SOURCE RizePoint [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Stesalit Gets Selected by METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) Japan, for Showcasing its IoT Offerings in CEATEC KOLKATA, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Stesalit Systems Ltd (http://www.stesalitsystems.com ) headquartered in Kolkata was the only company from the Eastern part of the country to be chosen among the 10 technology companies in India to be invited to participate by the Govt. of Japan in the CEATEC 2016, Japan. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160809/396656LOGO) METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Japan) together with NASSCOM Center of Excellence for IoT made this selection through voting by Japanese companies and organized through Deloitte, Japan. Stesalit showcased the IoT Gateways, IoT Sensor Nodes, and Rugged handheld computers with integrated IoT sensors in the exhibition. The event organized interactions with top companies in Japan such as Softbank, Sony etc. The opening speech for CEATEC was given by the Honorable Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe. In his address, Hemant Khemka, MD of Stesalit said, "It's a privilege and honor for our company to be selected by the Japanese Government to showcase our IoT products in Japan, the leader in these technologies." Stesalit is also the winner of 'Top 100 Technology Companies in Asia' by Red Herring this year. In addition, Stesalit was featured by the CIO Outlook Magazine among the 25 most promising public sector solutions providers in the Asia Pacific region. Hemant Khemka added, "This initiative will bring global recognition for technology companies like Stesalit and would change the perception towards transforming technology in India and is also a significant milestone for growing Japan-India cooperation in the field of emerging technologies." About Stesalit: Stesalit means spreading light. 'Stesa' means rising or spreading in Italian and 'Lit' means light. Consequently, Stesalit stands for Smart Technology. With core competence in positioning technology, Internet of Things, and intelligent electronics, Stesalit is into creating and implementing technology for a smarter world, while having all these indigenous technology developed in-house. Stesalit's technology spread are for smart cities, mobility and transportation, utility and grids, natural resources including land, soil, forest, agriculture, and mining. The assets of an enterprise are spread geographically, living or non-living. We make the assets intelligent, making your life simpler, with higher returns from the assets. Stesalit is a SEI-CMM-Level 3 company with presence all over India. For more information, visit: http://stesalitsystems.com Media Contact: Saibal Bishnu Marketing, Stesalit Systems Ltd [email protected] +91-33-69000185 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Bristol, Tennessee Strengthens 911 Call Handling with Total Response CACH MADISON, Conn., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bristol Tennessee Emergency Communications District 911 has upgraded their 911 call handling operations with PowerPhone's Total Response protocol and call handling system. This upgrade includes the computer aided call handling system (CACH), which provides fully integrated call handling protocols for police, fire and medical emergency calls. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429381 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429380LOGO Previously, Bristol Tennessee 911 used three separate call handling protocol systems. There was a separate system for police, one for fire, and one for the medical calls. Now, using PowerPhone's Total Response system, the protocols are integrated with police, fire and medical so only one protocol is used regardless of what response service is dispatched. The PowerPhone system is interfaced with the 911 District's TriTech computer aided dispatch system. When the 911 call is answered, the information automatically downloads into the compuer aided dispatch system and then will interface with the Total Response protocols. All information obtained by the dispatcher when applying the protocols is automatically recorded into the CAD record. This total integration streamlines the quality improvement processes for the center. "We made the decision to adopt Total Response for several reasons," said Virginia Smelser, Bristol Tennessee 911 Director. "First, we are saving travel time and money by using online training for the dispatchers which is actually more hands-on. The purchase and maintenance of the total system was significantly less than the purchase and maintenance of three separate protocol systems. CACH is easy to use and can be configured to suit Bristol's particular needs. Finally, the one stop integration of police, fire and EMS call handling protocols has really streamlined our response and provided a higher level of quality and continuity to the services we provide to our community." This new protocol system is easily adaptable to the changing needs of our community and the emergency services we serve. About PowerPhone: PowerPhone, a 32-year-old privately-held Connecticut corporation, is a leading provider of emergency communications technology, consulting and training. PowerPhone's single-system Total Response approach to emergency communications ensures consistent call handling and the highest standard of care. As the first organization to develop integrated protocols for police, fire and emergency medical dispatch, PowerPhone has helped raise standards for call handling throughout the world. For more information, visit www.PowerPhone.com. Contact: Chris Gaffney, Marketing Manager 203.364.5264 Email To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bristol-tennessee-strengthens-911-call-handling-with-total-response-cach-300346445.html SOURCE PowerPhone [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Passport Systems Inc. Receives Massport Security Innovation Award NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Passport Systems, Inc. today announced that it has received the Security Innovation Award from Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) for helping to revitalize the Port of Boston. Passport Systems has developed two state-of-the-art detection systems that are helping to keep the world safer from Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) threats. Massport, the port authority of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, held the event on September 19 to thank Governor Charlie Baker and the Massachusetts federal, state, and local delegations for their support of the revitalization of the Port of Boston. At the event, which was held at Massport's Conley Terminal, Massachusetts' Senator Edward J. Markey presented the award to Dr. Robert Ledoux, President, CEO and Director of Passport Systems, Inc. "Dr. Bob Ledoux and the team at Passport Systems have created a truly remarkable cargo inspection system capable of detecting potentially dangerous material and other contraband," said Senator Markey. "This potentially life-saving technology represents both ingenuity and progress as we look to prevent threats on our shores. I applaud Dr. Ledoux and Passport Systems for their commitment to innovation, that uniquely Massachusetts tradition, and congratulate them on receiving the Security Innovation Award." Also in attendance were Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Congressmen Stephen Lynch and Mike Capuano, State Senators Linda Dorcena Forry, Thomas McGee, and John Keenan, State Representative Nick Collins, Boston City Councilor Bill Linehan, and Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty. "We are honored to have received this award," said Dr. Ledoux. "Passport Systems is committed to delivering technological solutions that significantly enhance security. It is our mission at Passport to develop advanced products which are part of the global architecture and provide public safety. We take this responsibility very seriously." Lisa Wieland, Director of the Port of Boston, cited the important contributions that local companies have made to revitalize the port. "Massport's commitment to safety and security across the Authority benefits from the type of ingenuity demonstrated by local companies like Passport Systems," she said. "The progress and growth seen in the Port of Boston over the past few years is attributable to both the strategic investments made by Massport and the continued innovation brought forth by our partners." Dr. Ledoux affirms that Passport Systems has developed state-of-the-art radiation detection technology that may help domestic and foreign seaports thwart nuclear terrorists seeking to transport nuclear materials. He says Passport's advanced scanning technology could play a major role in protecting people and property in the U.S. and in foreign countries. "Our objective is to work with government agencies and private industries around the world to protect the public and property from CBRNE threats," said Dr. Ledoux. "The world gets more dangerous every day. But our team is hard at work developing technology to counter these threats, and keep people safe." (To schedule print or broadcast interviews with Dr. Ledoux, please contact Michael K. Frisby at 202-625-4328 or [email protected]. For product information contact Paul Hurd, 978-263-9900 x2217; and for investor relations contact Bruce Garcia, CFO, 978-263-9900, x2205.) About Passport Systems Passport Systems was founded to develop and commercialize new technologies to address the threats facing the world in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Founded by a team of MIT technologists and entrepreneurs, Passport Systems has proudly developed two cutting-edge product lines: The SmartScan 3D Automated Cargo Inspection System, based on nuclear resonance fluorescence technology, and the SmartShield Networked Radiation Detection System, using advanced data fusion algorithms. For further details on Passport Systems and its products and services, please visit www.passportsystems.com, and follow us on Twitter at @PassportSys and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PassportSys/. Contact: Michael K. Frisby 202-625-4328 [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/passport-systems-inc-receives-massport-security-innovation-award-300346662.html SOURCE Passport Systems, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Rancher Labs Introduces Global Partner Network Rancher Labs, a provider of container management software, today announced the launch of the Rancher Partner Network, a comprehensive partner program designed to expand the company's global reach, increase enterprise adoption, and provide partners and customers with tools for success. The program will support consultancies and systems integrators, as well as resellers and service providers worldwide, with initial partners from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. As the only container management platform to ship with fully supported commercial distributions of Kubernetes, Docker Swarm and Mesos, Rancher is unique in its ability to enable partners to deliver container-based solutions using the customer's choice of orchestration tool. "Community interest in Rancher's open and easy-to-use container management platform has shattered expectations, with over a million downloads and over ten million Rancher nodes launched since this year alone," said Shannon Williams, co-founder and vice president of sales and marketing at Rancher Labs. "To help us meet demand within the enterprise, we're partnering with leading DevOps consultancies, system integrators and service providers around the world. We're excited and humbled by the strong interest we've seen from the partner community, and we're looking forward to working with our partners to help make containers a reality for our joint customers." The Rancher Partner Network The Rancher Partner Network provides tools and support to meet the unique needs of each of type of partner. The Network includes: Consulting partners such as consultancies, system integrators (SIs), and agencies focused on helping customers successfully embrace digital transformation and rapidly deliver software using modern, open processes and technologies. Resellers and OEMs that include Rancher in solutions they deliver to customers. Managed services providers (MSPs) and cloud providers offering Rancher-based Containers-as-a-Service (CaaS) environments to end-users. Application services providers (ASPs) delivering Software-as-a-Service (SaaS (News - Alert)) and hosted applications on a Rancher-powered platform. Partners benefit from a variety of sales, marketing, product, training and support programs aimed at helping them ensure customer success while capturing a greater share of the rapidly growing container marketplace. Additionally, members of the service provider program can take exclusive advantage of a unique pricing model specifically designed for and exclusively available to that community. Prospective partners can learn more about the program and apply by visiting www.rancher.com/partners. Customers can visit the same page to identify Rancher-authorized consultancies, resellers and service providers in their area. Supporting Quotes "At Apalia, we have extensive experience delivering software-defined infrastructure and cloud solutions to a variety of enterprise customers in France and Switzerland. As those customers began looking to take advantage of containers, we needed a partner that supported the full range of infrastructure we deliver, as well as emerging options in the space. We're thrilled to be partnering with Rancher to do so." Pierre Vacherand, CTO, Apalia "As a container and cloud company our clients have diverse levels of expertise and support workloads utilizing Mesos, Kubernetes and Docker. Wih Rancher's ease-of-use and excellent support for multiple schedulers this partnership was a natural fit for us." Steven Borrelli, Founder & CEO, Asteris "Our business is delivering mission-critical infrastructure and software solutions to government and enterprise customers in Brazil. To do this, we partner with a variety of IT industry leaders such as Oracle, IBM, Microsoft (News - Alert) and Amazon Web Services. Adding the capabilities of Rancher Labs complements all of these and allows us, as a service provider, to easily support the emerging container needs of these customers." Helvio Lima, CEO, BRCloud "Since 2001, Camptocamp has established itself as a leading supporter of, and contributor to, open source software. Our infrastructure solutions team uses open source to deliver a full range of cloud migration, IT & DevOps automation, and application deployment solutions to customers in Switzerland, France, Germany and beyond. Rancher helps us deliver modern, containerized applications across a wide range of cloud and on-premises infrastructure, and easily works with the other open source products we like." Claude Philipona, Managing Partner, Camptocamp "Containers are an important element of the emerging enterprise execution platform. Rancher's Application Catalog allows Data Essential customers to deploy custom applications as well as big data and analytics software with a single click, allowing their staff to get more done, more quickly. As one of Rancher Labs' first partners in Europe, the relationship has been invaluable in helping us address this need." Jonathan Basse, Founder, Data Essential "At Industrie IT, we are committed to helping companies succeed with, and benefit from, top technologies available today. Containers and DevOps have become a major part of this, and we're thrilled to be partnering with Rancher Labs to enable customers to take advantage of the benefits." Ameer Deen, Director of On Demand Platforms, Industrie IT "We were quick to recognize the extremely vibrant community that has formed around Rancher and its products, having leaned on it for support during an early deployment. Establishing ourselves as experts through active contributions in the community has led to a number of opportunities for us in Europe and Asia. We're excited to take advantage of new ways to engage with Rancher through this program." Girish Shilamkar, Founder and CEO, InfraCloud "Nuxeo is a fast-growing company offering an open source, hyperscale digital asset platform used by customers like Electronic Arts, TBWA, and the U.S. Navy. Containers are an important part of our cloud strategy, and we depend on our partner Rancher to make them easy to use and manage. The Service Provider program provides a flexible product with an equally flexible pricing model and support, making it a perfect & future-proofed fit for our cloud computing efforts." Eric Barroca, CEO, Nuxeo "Object Partners has been developing custom software solutions for our clients since 1996. Our solutions enable our clients to leverage the latest in language, framework, and cloud technologies to lower costs and maximize profits. Rancher is helping us to bring the latest in container technologies to our clients. Its intuitive, comprehensive, and easy-to-manage platform is enabling our clients to create scalable, highly available, and continuously deployed platforms for their applications. Rancher's new partner program will be a great resource for us as we continue to grow our DevOps business." John Engelman, Chief Software Technologist, Object Partners "The Persistent 'Software 4.0' vision is about helping enterprises in healthcare, financial services and other industries put the people, processes and tools in place in order to build software-driven businesses and manage software-driven projects at speed. The container technology that Rancher has developed is enabling DevOps teams in realizing this vision." Sudhir Kulkarni, President Digital at Persistent Systems "Our engineers and consultants have come to love Rancher's open source product, leading to multiple successful customer deployments and happy customers. We're excited for the launch of Rancher's formal partner program and looking forward to continued success with their team." Josh Lindenbaum, VP, Business & Corporate Development, Redapt "Treeptik is building upon an extensive history of delivering cloud and Java/JEE-based solutions for European enterprises, helping customers transform all aspects of the software development process. We were early to recognize the significance of containers, and our team has been early pioneers of using Docker, Mesos and Kubernetes. We're big fans of Rancher because it makes this easier than any other tool out there, and we're excited to be a part of the company's partner program." Fabien Amico, Founder & CTO, Treeptik Supporting Resources Introducing the Rancher Partner Network Partner Network Program page Partner Network directory Company Blog Twitter LinkedIn About Rancher Labs Rancher Labs builds innovative, open-source container management software for enterprises leveraging containers to accelerate software development and improve IT operations. With commercially-supported distributions of Kubernetes, Mesos, and Docker Swarm, our flagship Rancher platform allows users to manage all aspects of running containers in development and production environments. For additional information, please visit www.rancher.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005375/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Former Hootsuite and Yammer Exec Dee Anna McPherson Joins mom.life as Co-founder, President and CMO SAN FRANCISCO and PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Oct. 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mom.life, the app for modern moms, has named Dee Anna McPherson as co-founder, president and CMO. In this capacity, she is responsible for marketing, sales and business development. The company also raised an extension to its seed round of financing, bringing total funding to $1.5 million, led by AltaIR Capital and QD Ventures. The seed funding, combined with advertising revenue generated in Europe, will be used for product innovation and U.S. market growth. Mom.life began selling advertising in Europe in Q3 2016 and has a revenue run rate of more than $1 million USD. Previously, McPherson was vice president of marketing at Hootsuite and Yammer where she helped both companies grow from their early stages to valuations of more than $1 billion. Prior to Yammer, McPherson was a partner at Horn Group, a digital communications agency, where she led the San Francisco office. Before that, she led worldwide public relations for PeopleSoft and was a senior vice president at global PR firms Edelman and Ogilvy. Dee Annas passion for creating a supportive community of moms combined with her expertise in building category-leading brands and track record in high-growth startups makes her the perfect addition to our team, said Sergey Shenderov, CEO of mom.life. The opportunity to help build mom.life was one that spoke to my head and my heart. As a mom, I know what a positive impact a supportive group of mom friends can have as you navigate a new ife stage, says McPherson. From a business perspective, the next revolution in mobile apps is upon us with messaging apps now bigger than social networks. Our mom.life community members spend an average of 59 minutes per day in the app -- thats higher engagement than you see in Facebook, Instagram and Messenger combined. Mom.life was originally launched in 2014 as Preggie, a pregnancy tracker app. As the community grew, it became apparent that moms valued the support of other moms and continued to stay active in the app past childbirth. This led to the decision to re-brand the app to mom.life in June 2016 to better reflect the expanded focus on moms and moms-to-be. Expanded Team To bolster its leadership team in the U.S. market, Nicole Hempeck has joined as head of content and social media. Previously, Hempeck worked at BabyCenter and EverydayFamily managing content and social media programs. Before that, she worked as a freelance social media manager, editor and writer. Mom.life also named Ulli Appelbaum as a strategic adviser focusing on global brand partnerships and advertising product development. Appelbaum, who is currently executive vice president at space150, has had a distinguished career as brand strategist and senior client officer at some of the worlds largest and most prestigious advertising agencies including Leo Burnett and BBDO. He has led award-winning work for global consumer brands such as Wrigley, Nestle Purina, Procter & Gamble, Philip Morris, Kellogg, Unilever and Hallmark. About mom.life Mom.life was founded in 2014 in Europe by the team behind the leading European parenting site, Babyblog. With more than 700,000 downloads and growing, mom.life is the app for modern moms. Mom.life features a news feed, messaging, dedicated groups for special interests and parenting content. Mom.life users spend an average of nearly one hour per day in the app. The company is operated by teams in San Francisco, Moscow and Prague with deep tech and business experience. Additional Information Download the mom.life app: Apple App Store or Google Play App Store Connect with mom.life in social media: mom.life blog: https://mom.life/en/blog mom.life Twitter: @mom_life_app mom.life Instagram: mom.life.app Mom.life Pinterest: mom.life Upcoming mom.life events: Type-A Parent Conference, Orlando October 27-29 Q&A with Karen Alpert, New York Times best-selling author and Baby Sideburns blogger on October 20, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. PDT. See our blog for more information and to register. Contact [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] General Dynamics Awarded Contracts Totaling $170 Million for Hydra-70 Rocket Program ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), was recently awarded two contract modifications by the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, Ala., for production of the 2.75"/70mm Hydra-70 air-to-ground rocket system for U.S. military services and Foreign Military Sales customers. The option exercised is part of a supplies contract originally awarded to General Dynamics in 2014. General Dynamics has been in continuous production of the Hydra-70 rockets since 1996. More information on General Dynamics Ordnance and Tatical Systems is available at www.gd-ots.com. More information about General Dynamics is available at www.generaldynamics.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140428/81320 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/general-dynamics-awarded-contracts-totaling-170-million-for-hydra-70-rocket-program-300346585.html SOURCE General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems [October 18, 2016] Rue La La Offers Global Online Shopping with Ecommerce Solutions from Pitney Bowes Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI), a global technology company providing innovative technology solutions to power commerce, announced today that Rue La La now has a globally optimized retail site for members around the world, as part of its international online expansion strategy. By using the Borderfree Retail solution from Pitney Bowes, Rue La La will provide a seamless, localized shopping experience for their members in 219 countries and territories around the world. The Borderfree Retail solution delivers an end-to-end technology and services platform that attracts new consumers, provides a localized shopping experience, handles payments and landed costs, and ensures that deliveries reach customers efficiently. "We're excited to extend Rue La La to new markets. Providing phenomenal experiences while serving up great brands at amazing values is what Rue does so well in the United States. It's thrilling to be able to share our brand and capabilities to a new audience," said Mark McWeeny, CEO, Rue La La. "Our passion is to help consumers around the world shop fashion-forward retailers like Rue La La," said Lila Snyder, President, Global Ecommerce for Pitney Bowes. "We are looking forward to working together to help them reach new members around the globe." In the 2016 Pitney Bowes Global Online Survey, shoppers around the world chose online retailers for a personalized customer experience, brand loyalty and better quality products. Attributes synonymous with retailers like Rue La La. The Pitney Bowes Borderfree Retail Solution is available as part of the Pitney Bowes Commerce Cloud, a commerce enabler, providing access to solutions, analytics and APIs across the full commerce continuum with speed and agility. About Rue La La Rue La La strives to be the most engaging off-price, online style destination connecting world-class brands with the next generation shopper. Each day, Rue La La Members discover the most desired men's, women's, and children's apparel and accessories; home decor and accents; and exclusive destinations and experiences. Rue La La's engaging approach to retail has brought theater and excitement to online shopping, creating a captivating e-commerce destination that strategically supports its brand partners and inspires its Members daily. Rue La La is ranked #8 on Internet Retailer's 2016 Mobile 500 List. Visit us at www.ruelala.com. About Pitney Bowes Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI) is a global technology company powering billions of transactions - physical and digital - in the connected and borderless world of commerce. Clients around the world, including 90 percent of the Fortune 500, rely on products, solutions and services from Pitney Bowes in the areas of customer information management, location intelligence, customer engagement, shipping, mailing, and global ecommerce. And with the innovative Pitney Bowes Commerce Cloud, clients can access the broad range of Pitney Bowes solutions, analytics, and APIs to drive commerce. For additional information visit Pitney Bowes, the Craftsmen of Commerce, at www.pitneybowes.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018006166/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] First Data's Connected Commerce Experts on Display at this Year's Money 20/20 Show As the world of payments, commerce, and FinTech descends upon Las Vegas this month for the annual Money 20/20 conference, leading commerce-enabler First Data (NYSE: FDC) will take center stage for a mainstage presentation and a variety of panel opportunities. "This is the fourth year that First Data has played a prominent role at Money 20/20, and we are delighted to once again have so many of our colleagues showcase their expertise at one of the leading industry conferences," said Guy Chiarello, President, First Data. "Since our keynote address last year, First Data has made significant headway in providing cutting edge commerce-enabling technologies to our clients, including eCommerce, mobile, and 'Universal Commerce' solutions that enable businesses to better connect with their customers while facilitating safe, secure and fast transactions." "First Data is one of the most active and important companies in the ecosystem and this is clearly represented throughout this year's event," said Sanjib Kalita, Chief Marketing Officer for Money 20/20. "From the hackathon to the exhibit hall and to track and keynote sessions, First Data is actively engaging with the industry. Support from companies like First Data have been a critical driver of Money 20/20's growth and success." John Beatty, co-founder and CTO of Clover, a First Data company, will present on the main stage in a session entitled "Next Generation Point-of-Sales." The session will explore the latest updates in the POS industry, including the newest additions to the Clover product portfolio. John has played a critical role in the development of the Clover platform which now has more than 225,000 devices shipped and nearly 200 apps in the Clover App Market. Barry McCarthy, EVP, Head of Network and Security Solutions at First Data, is appearing on two panels during the course of the show. On Sunday, Barry will join Hala Moddelmog of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, an organization First Data frequently partners with in its hometown of Atlanta, and others for a discussion on how FinTech represents an important economic development opportunity for cities around the world. Barry will also present with First Data partner Feedzai on a panel entitled 'Machine Learning, Omnidata & Fraud Mitigation.' During the session, Barry and Feedzai's Chairmn and CEO Nuno Sebastiao will discuss how they are leveraging artificial intelligence to combat fraud by leveraging First Data's unparalleled transaction data. As head of First Data's Network and Security Solutions group, Barry oversees the STAR (News - Alert) Network and a range of technology solutions for businesses and financial institutions that are designed to ensure transactions are fast, secure and efficient. Jack Stephenson, SVP of Digital Commerce, will take the stage with other panelists to discuss the role of digital technology in the evolving in-store customer experience, a topic that is especially pertinent with the holidays around the corner. During the panel, Jack will cover Universal Commerce, which he oversees at First Data. Universal Commerce is a seamless, personalized mobile purchase experience for today's connected consumer. First Data has implemented solutions for major brands across several industries, including QSR, automotive, and petroleum, in the form of mobile apps that simplify checkout and make the overall buying experience seamless. Money 20/20 also has a panel dedicated to how POS solutions have evolved over the years to meet the unique needs of small business owners. Jim Allen, SVP of Small Business Solutions, will present alongside four other panelists on how the Clover platform addresses pain points for small business owners - from inventory and personnel management to data and analytics. Also on the topic of data and analytics, Sandeep Garg, VP of First Data's Information and Analytics group, will join a panel on how permissioned data can be leveraged to create great customer experiences across channels. At First Data, Sandeep's group is responsible for an innovative set of cloud applications that provide actionable business and consumer insights for small businesses and large retailers. Finally, First Data will again sponsor the Money 20/20 Hackathon. Last year, First Data had 24 developers build 24 commerce solutions in 24 hours during the Hackathon. Information about First Data's prize and challenge this year can be found at money2020.com/hackathon. To learn more about Money 20/20 and view the schedule of First Data's speakers, visit money2020.com/speakers. First Data's products and solutions will be showcased at booth #3210, where the theme for this year's show is "Commerce for a Connected World." About First Data First Data (NYSE: FDC) is a global leader in commerce-enabling technology and solutions, serving approximately six million business locations and 4,000 financial institutions in 118 countries around the world. The company's 24,000 owner-associates are dedicated to helping companies, from start-ups to the world's largest corporations, conduct commerce every day by securing and processing more than 2,500 transactions per second and $1.9 trillion per year. First Data is proud to be one of more than 100 FinTech companies in metro Atlanta cementing Atlanta as the global capital for financial technology. To learn more on how metro Atlanta and Georgia's FinTech ecosystem is driving more than $30 billion in annual revenues visit www.fintechatlanta.org. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018006170/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Barbados Light & Power Selects Landis+Gyr for Advanced Metering and Grid Management Project ATLANTA, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Landis+Gyr announced it has been selected by Barbados Light & Power for a comprehensive smart grid technology project that includes advanced metering and data management solutions. A full-service generation and distribution utility for the independent island state, Barbados Light & Power is deploying Landis+Gyr's Gridstream AMI solution and meter data management. "We hope to gain a number of operational and customer service advantages with advanced metering and the tools to effectively use the metering data," said Charles Harris, Senior Manager Business Solutions at Barbados Light & Power. "We see this technology as the key to reaching our goals for improving efficiency, power quality and reliability." Barbados Light & Power is installing E350 FOCUS AX-SD and E650 S4x polyphase advanced meters, and plans to add distribution automation devices, all operating on Landis+Gyr's RF network. The utility's grid management priorities include improved outage response, line loss reductions, and solar integration from both solar farms and rooftop installations. "A growing challenge for us is integrating intermittent renewables and balancing load to reduce generation costs," Harris said. "An advanced metering network is a first step to being better able to balance these energy sources, while being able to respond to changes in peak demand. Furthermore, the Landis+Gyr network willallow Barbados Light & Power to meet its long-term goal of establishing a 100-percent clean energy power grid across the island by 2045." The Gridstream AMI solution connects utilities with data from critical points across the distribution system, and interfaces with existing utility systems and applications to more effectively manage billing, operations, engineering and customer service. The network enables two-way communications with meters, sensors and switches to provide interval load and voltage data, and enable net metering, outage management and remote service connection capabilities. "Barbados has a number of strong business cases to support smart grid technology," said Abe Ortega, Vice President of International Sales and Marketing at Landis+Gyr. "This project demonstrates how the Gridstream solution goes beyond advanced metering to support widescale grid management efforts." About BLPC The Barbados Light & Power Company Limited provides electric power and related services to 125,000 customers on the island of Barbados. As a leading utility in the Caribbean, Light & Power is focused on providing a safe, reliable electricity service and on maintaining excellent customer service standards. Light & Power, in keeping with the strategy of parent company Emera Inc., is dedicated to establishing the most cost-effective, clean generation mix and to charting a path towards 100% renewable energy for Barbados. About Landis+Gyr Landis+Gyr is the leading global provider of integrated energy management solutions for the utility sector. Offering the broadest portfolio of products and services to address complex industry challenges, the company delivers comprehensive solutions for the foundation of a smarter grid including; smart metering, distribution network sensing and automation tools, load control, analytics and energy storage. Landis+Gyr operates in 31 countries across five continents as an independent growth platform of the Toshiba Corporation (TKY:6502) and is also 40% owned by the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ). With annualized sales of more than US$1.5 billion, the company employs 5,700 people with the sole mission of helping the world manage energy better. More information is available at landisgyr.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/barbados-light--power-selects-landisgyr-for-advanced-metering-and-grid-management-project-300331803.html SOURCE Landis+Gyr [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] China Mobile Hong Kong and Huawei Hong Kong Announce Strategic Partnership for LTE-Advanced Pro Network HONG KONG, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited ("CMHK" or "the Company") and Huawei International Company Limited (or "Huawei Hong Kong") announced a strategic partnership for establishing a LTE-Advanced Pro network. Leveraging Huawei's innovative network technology, CMHK's existing TD-LTE / LTE FDD converged network will be fully upgraded to a 4.5G network. CMHK, in collaboration with Huawei Hong Kong, is ambitious to create a milestone in 4.5G network and forge ahead towards the new era of 5G technology, further strengthening its competitive advantages by providing customers with an unparalleled mobile network experience. World leading 4.5G technology innovates a new era of Hong Kong mobile network development In October 2015, 3GPP officially named LTE-Advanced Pro as the new LTE standard, which is also the official name of 4.5G. Following the implementation of a number of robust network optimization projects in 2016, CMHK has ambitiously kicked off its 4.5G network roadmap by employing Huawei's industry leading 4.5G technology and network solution under the strategic partnership agreement. The upgrade is aimed at innovating a new milestone in mobile network development in Hong Kong, offering customers a superior user experience, as well as advancing towards the 5G technology evolution. Mr. Sean Lee, Director and Chief Executive Officer of CMHK, said: "After stringent selection processes, we firmly believe that Huawei's world leading network technology and equipment have made it the ideal partner for CMHK's 4.5G network upgrade. As one of the leading mobile network providers in Hong Kong, CMHK has spared no efforts in network enhancement and technology innovation. We are very pleased to work with Huawei to upgrade our 4G mobile network to 4.5G for significant network capacity optimization and speed improvement, as well as achieving superior user experience for consumers and commercial customers." Mr. Zou Zhilei, President of Carrier Business Group, Huawei, said: "With the 4.5G network capacity upgraded to LTE network, the vision of offering enterprise and industry (B2X) business, ultra-broadband Gbps network, better voice and video experience, as well as more connectivities, will empower CMHK's network with differentiating competitiveness in its network development history. Our advanced 4.5G technology will enable CMHK to capitalize on the emerging new devices, new businesses and new experiences, offering excellent Mobile Video experience for customers in Hong Kong, as well as enhancing its capability in expanding enterprise and industry (B2X) customer base. All these are aimed at reinforcing CMHK's market leader position. Together we are building a better Connected Hong Kong and the World." Further optimizing user experience Moving towards 5G technology evolution Mr. Lee added: "In order to meet the explosive growth in demands and mobile network users, as well as users' higher expectation of network quality and device products, our partnership with Huawei Hong Kong not only upgrades our existing 4G network to 4.5G, but also offers customers unparalleled service of higher seed and lower latency through the introduction of Network Functions Virtualizations (NFV), enabling a more advanced mobile communication experience." In the network era of pursuing leading-edge technology, CMHK is confident in the future development of mobile networks, and will continue to be customer-focused, seize the 4.5G network-driven opportunities to offer smoother and innovative services, as well as solidly moving forward to the new era of 5G network by leveraging NFV technology. Link to Photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B_zLkOoE2WhoaThtem5ETmFNSXM?usp=sharing Photo Captions: Photo 1) & 2): Front row (From left to right): Mr. Sean Lee, Director & CEO of China Mobile Hong Kong and Mr. Tony Cao, General Manager of Huawei Hong Kong Representative Office, represent the two companies to conduct the "China Mobile Hong Kong and Huawei Hong Kong Strategic Partnership for LTE-Advanced Pro Network" Agreement Signing Ceremony. Back row (From left to right): Mr. Max Ma, Director & Vice President of China Mobile Hong Kong; Mr. Li Feng, Chairman of China Mobile Hong Kong; Mr. Zou Zhilei, President of Huawei Carrier Business Group and Mr. Jimmy Yang, Deputy Representative of Huawei Hong Kong Representative Office jointly witnessed the Agreement Signing Ceremony of the two companies. Photo 3): Mr. Sean Lee, Director & CEO of China Mobile Hong Kong said in the signing ceremony that China Mobile Hong Kong will upgrade the current TD-LTE/LTE FDD converged network to 4.5G network leveraging Huawei's cutting-edge network technology. About China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited ("CMHK") is the wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile Limited (HKEx: 941) (NYSE: CHL), which ranks 55 on the Fortune Global 500. CMHK was incepted in January 1997 and was the first mobile network operator to launch PCS services in Hong Kong. CMHK's 4G LTE service covers two major standards LTE FDD and TD-LTE, and launched the world's first converged commercial LTE network in 2012. The Company offers innovative and comprehensive communications services, including voice, data, IDD and international roaming through 4G LTE, 3GHSPA, GPRS, EDGE and other technologies. In 2016, CMHK became the first mobile operator* to provide 4G network coverage in 16 tunnels throughout Hong Kong. CMHK is committed to extending its business in the multimedia value-added services market. In 2012, the Company launched the cross-platform CMHK SOLITON music service and UTV mobile TV service. In 2013, CMHK launched Me Mobius e-book service, innovative and simple mechanism 4G Pro tariff plan and 2cm (2nd exchange market), the first-ever data trading platform in the market, making data more valuable than ever. With the strong support of its parent company China Mobile, CMHK has launched a series of cross-border mobile services for customers travelling between Hong Kong, China and around the world. Its '1-Card-Multi-Number' (1CMN), Multi-SIM data sharing, Data Roaming Zone and BlackBerry service plans are especially welcomed by frequent travelers. In May 2014, CMHK became the first service provider in Hong Kong to provide 4G data roaming service in Mainland China, creating a new era for cross-border mobile services. To align with parent company's new brand launch, the Company launched a new corporate logo and commercial brand "and!" in December 2013. "and" not only means "connection and "communication", but also denotes the notion of pursuing "A New Dream" -- the first three letters form the acronym of the new brand slogan. China Mobile Hong Kong will continue to provide innovative and customized services in a hope to build "a new dream" with customers. The Company has been named as a "Caring Company" since 2002, and a recognized merchant under the "Quality Tourism Service" scheme since 2004. For more information, please visit: www.hk.chinamobile.com. *According to the "Test Report on Mobile Networks in Hong Kong Tunnels Available for Customer Use" (as of 26th May 2016). About Huawei Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. As a responsible robust operator, innovative information society enabler and win-win cooperation industry contributor, Huawei is committed to building a Better Connected World. Through joint innovation and open collaboration with our partners and peers, we have established a competitive ICT portfolio of end-to-end solutions in telecom networks, enterprise networks, terminals and cloud computing. With more than 170,000 dedicated employees worldwide, we create value for our carrier customers, enterprise customers and consumers, offering competitive ICT solutions, products and services. At present, Huawei has operations in more than 170 countries and regions, serving one-third of the world's population. Huawei was established in1987, it is a private enterprise with all shares held by employees. For more details, please refer to the official website of Huawei: www.huawei.com Latest information can also be obtained through the following channels: http://www.linkedin.com/company/Huawei http://www.twitter.com/Huawei http://www.facebook.com/Huawei http://www.google.com/+Huawei http://www.youtube.com/Huawei [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] New Survey Finds Most Americans Feel Unsafe Online and Find Online Privacy Protections Inadequate WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey has found that more Americans than ever distrust social media when it comes to protecting their privacy online, and many have little or no trust that social media networks or current laws will protect them. The survey, conducted by Washington-based Rad Campaign and Lincoln Park Strategies, and supported by the Craig Newmark Foundation, updated a similar survey conducted in 2014. It found that while 80% of Americans now say they are using social media daily, 96% do not have a lot of trust social networks will protect their privacy. An infographic detailing poll results is available here. "Use of social media is up, but so is distrust," said Craig Newmark, the founder of craigslist, who helped sponsor the survey. "And many people don't think our current privacy laws are strong enough." Key findings of the survey include: -- The percentage of Americans who trust social media has decreased over the past two years; -- Only 7% of Millennials have a lot of trust that social media sites will protect their privacy and personal information. Their trust of social media sites is down 9% from two years ago. -- Adults 65+ have the least trust; -- Of those who use social media the most at least foursocial media sites only 14% have a lot of trust in them; Further, while about a third (38%) believes that current privacy laws provide reasonable protections; nearly as many (33%) find them to be inadequate. Only a very few (5%) believe current privacy laws are too strict or hindered their online activities. The online privacy threats that Americans are most concerned about include downloading a virus or malware (80%), identity theft (75%), tracking cookies placed without consent (72%), and too much personal information being made public (71%). "These numbers have barely budged over the past two years," said Allyson Kapin of Rad Campaign. "It appears almost no one believes any progress is being made to protect people's online privacy. Social networks need to be good corporate citizens and be fully transparent about how people's personal data are being used and take the necessary steps to protect their data." "As more and more stories are in the news of data being breached, we have not seen any meaningful effect in the number of people using social media sites," said Stefan Hankin of Lincoln Park Strategies. "We are however seeing a rising skepticism people hold around the ability for these companies to do the right thing when it comes to privacy and data. Social media need to do the necessary work to build more trust among users," said Stefan Hankin, president of Lincoln Park Strategies. The poll's margin of error is plus/minus 3.07% at the 95% confidence level. Millennials are defined as people ages 18-35. ABOUT THE PRINCIPALS Rad Campaign is a social change web agency that provides web development and researches trends on Internet culture. Lincoln Park Strategies is a full-service analytic research firm based in Washington, DC. MEDIA CONTACT: Bruce Bonafede 760-831-5080 Email To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-survey-finds-most-americans-feel-unsafe-online-and-find-online-privacy-protections-inadequate-300346801.html SOURCE craigconnects [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Bomgar Demonstrating Benefits of Chat, Integrated Remote Support at TSW 2016 Bomgar (News - Alert), a leader in secure access solutions, is presenting at the Technology Services World Expo being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, October 17 - 19. Bomgar will lead a session featuring tips for enhancing the customer support experience through integrated chat technology. Although chat is an excellent channel to improve service desk productivity, when organizations implement it as a standalone solution, they often fail to realize its full potential and ROI. This session will outline how to the increase the value and power of chat through integration with your current environment, and offer real-world examples of successful chat implementations. Who: Doug Patel (Solutions Engineer) Doug Patel (Solutions Engineer) What: Screen Sharing is Worth 1,000 Chats Screen Sharing is Worth 1,000 Chats When: October 18, 2016; 2:40 - 3:20 PM PDT October 18, 2016; 2:40 - 3:20 PM PDT Where: Las Vegas (MGM Grand Resort) An exhibitor of the event, Bomgar is also showcasing its remote support and chat solutions at booth No. 16. Learn more about Bomgar's chat support technology and Ten Steps to Reap the Rewards of Chat Support on www.bomgar.com. About Bomgar Bomgar is the leader in Secure Access solutions that empower businesses. Bomgar's leading remote support, privileged access management, and identity management solutions help support and security professionals improve productivity and security by enabling secure, controlled connections to any system or device, anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 organizations across 80 countries use Bomgar to deliver superior support services and reduce threats to valuable data and systems. Bomgar is privately held with offices in Atlanta, Jackson, Washington D.C., Frankfurt, London, Paris, and Singapore. Connect with Bomgar at www.bomgar.com, the Bomgar Blog, or on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018006330/en/ [October 18, 2016] Studio Science presents People-Powered Innovation: Forum on CX Design INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Studio Science, Indianapolis' leading design and innovation firm, announced their involvement in Design Indy Month with a forum on customer experience design featuring Natalie Schneider on October 25, 2016, at The Bureau. Schneider directs consumer priorities across the 53,000-person company to affect changes to consumer strategy, design, innovation and culture. Over the past three years, she led Anthem's consumer transformation which resulted in a dramatic increase in Net Promoter Score. "We couldn't be happier to present a speaker of the caliber of Natalie Schneider and from the response that we have had to the event so far, it is clear that people are excited to hear from her," said Chris Belli, Director of Business Development. Natalie is an accomplished speaker who combines the art of storytelling, thought-provoking insights and humor to engage and energize audiences. In addition to Natalie Schneider, Studio Science has convened a panel of marketing, design, and innovation experts from Indianapolis' fortune 1000 comanies to contribute to a robust conversation about how customer experience design is driving business innovation. Panelists include Marco De Polo, Head of Portfolio Strategy & Global Market Insights at Roche Diabetes Care, Inc. and Patrick Flanagan, Vice President of Digital Marketing & Strategy at Simon Property Group. The event focuses on designing customer journeys that deliver better services and drive business innovation. Studio Science is one of many participating in Design Indy Month to make a difference. Indianapolis Mayor Joseph Hogsett proclaimed October to be Indianapolis Month of Design. "Representatives from design firms, professional organizations, state government, and universities have come together to promote design throughout Indianapolis to show residents and visitors how design impacts their daily lives," commented Design Indy. About Studio Science: Studio Science, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a leading design and innovation consultancy focused on using people-centered research to help brands create better products, build more meaningful experiences, solve bigger problems, and become more successful businesses. For more information: studioscience.com or on Twitter at @studioscience. About Design Indy: Design Indy is a grassroots initiative started by a small group of folks who have a passion for design, and a vision of revealing the impact of design to everyone in the Circle City. For more information go to www.designindy.us 2016 Studio Science. All rights reserved. Contact: Abby Fox 317-640-7546 [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/studio-science-presents-people-powered-innovation-forum-on-cx-design-300346837.html SOURCE Studio Science [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Hospice of the West Cites Economic and Social Consequences of Over-Medicalization at End-of-Life Hospice of the West (HOW), a leading community-based hospice and palliative care organization in Maricopa County, Arizona, points to the high cost of end-of-life care (EOL) on the healthcare system, highlights its devastating impact on patients and families, and offers solutions for easing the economic fall-out while improving quality and patient/caregiver satisfaction. As payers, policy makers and individuals cope with the impact of costly treatments for those with advanced chronic conditions or life limiting illnesses, HOW offers solutions to Medicare Advantage Plans and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to alleviate this problematic situation. "A staggering 30 percent of annual healthcare spending goes to unnecessary services," says Dr. Ashish Sachdeva, associate physician, Hospice of the West. "Aggressive care during the last year of life, while well intentioned, may not lead to an improved quality of life." Dr. Sachdeva states that the overall economic burden is overwhelming, "Approximately 35 percent of Medcare fee-for-service spend occurs in the last year of life, and the second to last year of life represents 13 percent of the total fee-for-service Medicare spend." He adds that the burdens on patients and caregivers are equally daunting, "Medical costs are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy, a trend that will intensify as baby boomers transition into their Medicare years." Furthermore, patient/caregiver satisfaction is eroding as EOL care is rarely congruent with patients' wishes. "The medical system is inadvertently geared to provide aggressive interventions to patients with life-limiting illnesses, despite high cost or outcome," explains Dr. Sachdeva. "This inclination, combined with patient/caregiver lack of understanding of prognosis, and reluctance to discuss if a test, procedure or treatment will improve quality of life or longevity, results in individuals with advanced illness receiving inappropriate or unwanted care." Dr. Antonio Uvas, associate physician, Hospice of the West, concludes that their model, which identifies and addresses issues earlier in the improves care across the continuum, holds the key to resolving these issues. "The process begins with earlier identification of advanced illness, which triggers the provision of home-based supportive palliative illness management (PIMTM) and the appropriate use of healthcare services during the last 12-14 months," says Dr. Uvas. "This also results in a better patient/caregiver orientation and an earlier, more appropriate use of the Medicare Hospice Benefit." About Hospice of the West Hospice of the West is a community based Hospice and Palliative Care organization based in Maricopa County, Arizona and is committed to serving the unique needs of individuals facing a serious illness and providing ongoing support to patient families and loved ones. http://hospicewestaz.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018006413/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] DVIRC 2016 Greater Philadelphia Manufacturing Summit: Making SMART Connections The DVIRC annually convenes an eclectic event to meet the needs of the vibrant community of small and mid-sized manufacturers (SMMs) within the five counties of southeastern Pennsylvania (Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia) - making vital connections. There are approximately 4,500 manufacturers representing very diverse industry sectors - the largest include food, industrial chemicals, fabrication, machinery, pharmaceutical, bio, & medical device, and electronics and computer components. Last year, there were over 400 attendees representing regional manufacturing, economic development, community and academia leaders and students. This year, we anticipate more than 400 attendees, and a full agenda addressing key topics, beginning with Jim Carroll, futurist and trend expert, and Adele Ratcliff, a senior Department of Defense manufacturing and innovation leader. Ms. Ratcliff also led DoD's National Network of Manufacturing Institutes; panelists are made up of regional manufacturing leaders. Student participation is equally important as the future source for innovation and skills required to compete nationally and globally, as well as numerous manufacturing exhibits and displays. This year, schools include Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, Rowan University, as well as MaST Community Charter School, and Philadelphia Technician Training Institute (PTTI). Key topics this year include advanced manufacturing technologies and the workforce - talent needed to leverage advanced technologies represented by industry 4.0. This event is a growing and vitally important event. It is convening a diverse community essential to economic growth and innovation - 318 million Americans cannot compete one-on-one with the growing educated population of developing economies. Small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers are essential to the supply chain representing innovation and a vertical supply to the advanced technology needs of OEMs. WHAT: DVIRC's 5th Annual Manufacturing Summit WHO: Keynote speaker: Jim Carroll (News - Alert), Futurist, Trends and Innovation Expert Guest speaker: Adele Ratcliff, Director, International Manufacturing & Innovation, U.S. Department of Defense Panel speakers: Keith Rolfe, CFO & Vice President, Aerzen USA Abby L. Sacunas, ESQ., Member, Cozen O'Connor Michael Araten, President & CEO, K'NEX Brands John Shegda, President, M&S Centerless Grinding, Inc., Merion Medical Thomas S. Breeden, Special Agent, FBI - Philadelphia Cyber Security Division Robert Shumoski, General Manager, Infiana USA, Inc Pat A. Picariello, J.D., Cstd, Director, Developmental Operations, ASTM International Charles Sgrillo, II, Senior Information Security Specialist, Kreischer Miller Jim Williams, All Points Additive, Former President, Paramount Industries; VP 3D Systems; DVIRC Board of Directors, Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Committee Chair Bill Cowan, Tuckahoe Trading, EOS Channel Representative Lou Librandi, Principal, Deloitte (News - Alert) Consulting LLP Susan Mayer, Innovation Advisor, RTI International Chris Scafario, Director, Marketing Services, DVIRC Brenna Sniderman, Senior Manager, Deloitte Center for Integrated Research Mary Beth Biddle, Mechanical Engineer, Lockheed Martin (News - Alert) Space Systems Company; President, Philadelphia Chapter Society of Women Engineers (SWE) JM Hasson, President, HPT Pharma, LLC Michael Cardone III, CEO, Cardone Industries, Inc. Brent Ford (News - Alert), Director of HR, PTR Baler and Compactor Company Bob Cohen, President, Acme Corrugated Box (News - Alert) Company Matthew Sullivan, CEO, Dunmore Corporation Anuj Singh, Manager, Production Engineering, Leonardo Helicopters WHERE: Drexelbrook Catering & Special Event Center 4700 Drexelbrook Drive, Drexel Hill, PA 19026, 610-259-7000 WHEN: Wednesday, October 19, 2016 - 9:00 am - 3:30 pm About DVIRC: DVIRC is a private, not-for-profit corporation with a public purpose - to support the profitable growth of small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers. Our staff of experts applies substantial industry expertise to help you develop and implement successful business solutions. We support manufacturers through three practice areas: Consulting Services, Executive Network Groups, and Training and Education. DVIRC is one of seven (7) Industrial Resource Centers in Pennsylvania under Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development, and one of fifty-nine (59) affiliates of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) / Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) under the U.S. Department of Commerce. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018006470/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] AutoGravity Names Lukas Wickart as Chief Financial Officer IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoGravity, a FinTech pioneer on a mission to transform car financing by harnessing the power of the smartphone, today announced the appointment of Lukas Wickart as Chief Financial Officer. Wickart joins the company's executive team and will be responsible for investment strategy, accounting, financial analysis and planning. "Lukas is a great addition to AutoGravity's dynamic leadership team," said Andy Hinrichs, founder and CEO of AutoGravity. "He brings extensive industry experience and excellent business acumen. We are confident that he will prove invaluable to the company as we embark on our next phase of intensive growth." Wickart brings more than a decade of financial and accounting experience to the company. Prior to joining AutoGravity, he worked at Surf Airlines as vice president of corporate strategy and finance, enhancing economic performance of the company by driving commercial and operational efficiency initiatives. Before Surf Airlines, he served as project leader at The Boston Consulting Group, where he advised leading Fortune 500 and Global 500 corporations on strategy development with a focus on business expansion and operational excellence. His extensive experience in financial servces spans across Asia, Europe and the Americas. "AutoGravity is revolutionizing the auto finance industry by realizing the full potential of smartphone technology to change the way people pay for their cars," Wickart said. "I look forward to accelerating AutoGravity's rapid momentum in the FinTech industry by working alongside the best minds in the business. I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get started." Wickart holds an MBA in leadership and entrepreneurial management from Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of St. Gallen. About AutoGravity AutoGravity is a FinTech pioneer on a mission to transform car financing by harnessing the power of the smartphone. AutoGravity partners with the world's leading banks and financial services companies to give consumers direct control over how they finance their cars. Available as a native iOS, Android and web app, AutoGravity offers a secure and convenient platform that empowers customers with multiple finance offers within its network of trusted car dealerships. Based in Irvine, California, AutoGravity was founded in 2015 by an international team of digital natives and industry veterans. For more information on AutoGravity, please visit www.autogravity.com and follow @AutoGravityHQ on Twitter. MEDIA CONTACTS: Kent Barrett, [email protected] Priyanka Banerjee, [email protected] 310-373-0103 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161004/415317LOGO Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429556 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429555 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/autogravity-names-lukas-wickart-as-chief-financial-officer-300346877.html SOURCE AutoGravity [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Niman Ranch Awards $85,000 in Scholarships Niman Ranch awarded 23 scholarships totaling $85,000 through its annual Next Generation Scholarship Fund. Scholarships are presented to students from Niman Ranch's independent farm families during its Farmer Appreciation Dinner. The scholarship is designed to raise awareness around the loss of traditional farming and ranching practices, and to ultimately help maintain this way of life by providing funding for college. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the average age of farmers has steadily increased to 58-years old over the last 30 years. With student loan debt affecting two thirds of college graduates today, paying for college is a substantial barrier for young farmers and ranchers who face continually rising land costs. The number of beginning farmers in America fell by 20 percent between 2007 and 2012 alone. Niman Ranch recognizes that combatting the burden of student loan debt is crucial to helping new farmers stay on the land. "Initiatives like the Next Generation Scholarship Fund within the Niman Ranch farm community contribute to keeping the average age of its farmers at 47-years old, which is more than ten years below the national average," states Niman Ranch General Manager Jeff Tripician. "We're proud to support the next generation of farmers with the funds needed to get a higher education." Applicants receive awards regardless of theirmajor, but those in an agricultural-focused degree program are eligible for the David Serfling Memorial Scholarship, the highest award available to students. This year's recipient was Jaclynn Knutson of Centerville, South Dakota. Jaclynn is currently seeking a double major at South Dakota State University in Animal and Agricultural Sciences, with minors in Ag Business, Marketing and Agronomy: "Thank you to all employees, producers, distributors and consumers for making the Niman way possible. I am very honored to receive this award and excited to use my college experience to advance the pork industry." Other Next Generation Scholarship recipients are from Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota and South Dakota. All will have a greater chance of returning to the farm after college with the funds awarded to help pay for their education. The Next Generation Scholarship is made possible by donations from Niman Ranch's business partners, which includes chefs and family-owned food distributors in America and the Cayman Islands. Businesses raise funds through a wide range of events, sales from special menu items and private contributions. Donors include: Bob & Heather Whirley Burgerville Chipotle Mexican Grill DeBragga & Spitler Inc. Gateway (News - Alert) Market Chef Gio Osso of Nico Heirloom Kitchen Halperns' Purveryors of Steak & Seafood Chef Jason Cline of The Birchwood Chef Jeffrey Hileman, The FarmTable Kitchen Lone Star Foodservice Marczyk Fine Foods Natco Food Service Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa & Chef Alice Gonzalez Perdue Farms Progressive Distributors Rebecca & Mark Davis (News - Alert) Results Sales & Marketing Sterling Food Service Tonali's Meats Tony's Fine Foods Turtle Beach Food Service Trevor Ortman & Sharen Hauri Chef Tyson Grant of Parkshore Grill Wasatch Meats With more than 40 years as an industry leader, Niman Ranch is a community of more than 720 independent family farmers and ranchers who raise livestock traditionally, humanely and sustainable to deliver the finest-tasting meat. All Niman Ranch pork, beef, lamb and prepared products are certified under the Certified Humane program and available nationwide at both food service and retail locations. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005293/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Kano's Pre-Sale Reaches over $500,000 for New Creative Computing System Kano, the London-based creative computing company, has surpassed its $500,000 funding goal on Kickstarter for the manufacturing and production of its new creative computing system, which includes the Camera Kit ($129.99), Pixel Kit ($129.99), Speaker Kit ($129.99), and a new way to code them called Kano Code. "Kano's global community of makers, technologists, teachers and beginner-level coders from 86 countries continues to drive our mission to be the first-ever end to end computing platform for all ages," said Alex Klein, the co-founder and CEO of Kano. "We are overwhelmed by the positive response to our new computing system, and look forward to bringing physical and digital creative computing concepts to even more people around the world." Kano's Kickstarter campaign received return supprt from notable backer Steve Wozniak (News - Alert), the co-founder of Apple, and new support from Nile Rodgers, the Grammy-winning composer and producer. Kano's original Computer Kit for all ages became one of the top funded educational products launched on Kickstarter. The current campaign will end on October 27 at 11am ET/4pm BST, with The Pixel Kit being the first product to ship in January 2017. To support Kano on Kickstarter, please visit: http://kano.me/kickstarter. To use Kano Code, please visit: http://kano.me/code. Visit Kano World at http://world.kano.me and to see art creations made with code, please visit: http://art.kano.me. Follow @TeamKano on Twitter (News - Alert) and Kano Computing on Facebook (News - Alert). About Kano Kano is a London-based company that empowers people of all ages to make, learn and play with computing, with its system of kits and open coding platform. Its first "computer anyone can make" has shipped to 86 countries around the world to people, ages 6 to 81, who have used it to make PCs, screens, radios, artwork, music, games, Minecraft hacks and more. More than 19 million lines of code have been shared in its online community, Kano World, where anyone can try out Kano's apps for free. Kano was founded by Alex Klein, Yonatan Raz-Fridman and Saul Klein and has raised $19 million in funding, from its initial record-breaking Kickstarter campaign to investors that include Jim Breyer, Marc Benioff (News - Alert), Martin Sorrell, Index Ventures, James Higa, Troy Carter and Shana Fisher, among others. To learn more about Kano, please visit: http://kano.me. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018006556/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Waterpower Confirmed as key to Ontario's Climate Change Strategy Power of Water Canada Conference Once Again Largest in the Country NIAGARA, Oct. 18, 2016 /CNW/ - The Ontario Waterpower Association's (OWA) 16th annual Power of Water Canada conference and tradeshow, being held this week in Niagara-on-the-Lake, is now underway. Once again the conference is the largest gathering of the hydroelectric sector in Canada. This year's opening keynote speaker, the Honourable Kathryn McGarry, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) confirmed the "all government" approach to addressing the intersection of energy and climate change policy. "Renewable energy is an important part of Ontario's climate change strategy and waterpower is uniquely positioned to help the province achieve our climate change objectives," said Minister McGarry. "Ontario's waterpower industry is already recognized as a global leader. Now, you ave the opportunity to help lead the province's transition to a lower carbon economy." "I am extremely pleased with the Minister's recognition of and support for waterpower," said Paul Norris, President of the OWA. "It is clear that planned hydro expansion can play an integral role in the achievement of the province's energy and environmental objectives." Minister McGarry also took the opportunity to inform participants of an important advancement in MNRF's continued modernization of approvals under the Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act (LRIA). "I am pleased to announce that earlier this month my Ministry released an LRIA Technical Bulletin to provide clarity and certainty to your industry and stakeholders", added Minister McGarry. "This new technical bulletin sets out the ministry's expectation for water management plans to be maintained as long term resource management and regulatory documents, and my ministry will work with dam owners to transition existing plans to these new requirements." The Power of Water Canada Conference is an annual event attracting participants from across Ontario and Canada, the United States and around the globe. An estimated four hundred (400) delegates and over sixty vendors make the forum the premier of its kind in the country. The OWA was founded in 2001 to represent the common and collective interests of the province's original green energy sector waterpower. More than 160 members are committed to advancing resource management and sustainable development. www.owa.ca. SOURCE Ontario Waterpower Association [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Ability to Mirror Cyber-Criminals' Movements Online Will Ensure Reputation and Data Security for Highly Exposed Australian Organisations ThreatConnect, Inc., provider of the leading intelligence-driven defense platform announces its strategic alliance with Content Protection, a cyber research and intelligence gathering organisation. The alliance will combine Content Protections real-time visibility of a company's compromised data with ThreatConnect's ability to coordinate and prioritize security operations identification, prevention and response efforts by integrating with existing security infrastructure. This enables organisations to block threats faster by automating actions with their defensive tools or teams. "This partnership will enable Australian organisations to beat cyber-criminals at their own game," said Jamieson O'Reilly, Director of Threat Intelligence at Content Protection. "ThreatConnect strengthens our service by connecting to our customers' own security infrastructure, enriching our offering. This will enable our customers to rapidly detect and defend their security position." Adam Vincent, ThreatConnect CEO said, "We're excited about this partnership as it represents a big step forward in expanding ThreatConnect's current presence in Australia. We chose a strategic alliance with Content Protection due to their local knowledge, and understanding of Australia's unique security requirements for both private and pblic sector organisations." About ThreatConnect ThreatConnect unites cybersecurity people, processes and technologies behind a cohesive intelligence-driven defense. Built for security teams at all maturity levels, the ThreatConnect platform enables organizations to benefit from their collective knowledge and talents; develop security processes; and leverage their existing technologies to identify, protect and respond to threats in a measurable way. More than 1,200 companies and agencies worldwide use ThreatConnect to maximize the value of their security technology investments, combat the fragmentation of their security organizations, and enhance their infrastructure with relevant threat intelligence. To register for a free ThreatConnect account or learn more, visit: www.threatconnect.com. About Content Protection Content protection is a cybercrime intelligence service that uses human driven adversary engagement in order to identify customer data and vulnerabilities actively being sold and used against customers. Content Protections unique value is in evolving cybercrime communication channels where technology is not capable of engaging threat actors and identifying or obtaining intelligence. For more information, go to www.contentprotection.com.au or watch us on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA_kKKpSmHM. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018006642/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] New VC Fund Specializes in Cryptographic Assets and Blockchain Network Services NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Iterative Instinct ("i2"), a Manhattan-based venture fund, announced it had secured $1.4M in capital commitments for its $2.0M debut fund. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429948LOGO I2 has a specific investment mandate to seed and develop products, services, and assets that utilize the three core technologies of the blockchain paradigm. Those technologies are cryptographic hashing, asymmetric cryptography, and peer to peer (P2P) distributed computing. The fund also has capital earmarked for a secondary mandate: to actively manage a portfolio of crypto-assets. Over the last year, the i2 technology team has built a proprietary level 2 trading interface to amplify its investment capabilities. The fund was founded by emerging managers Chris Dannen (31) and Brandon Buchanan (31), each a General Partner of the fund. Mr. Buchanan was previously the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of a $100M AUM venture fund in New York. Mr. Dannen is a self-taught creative technologist who has worked in corporate strategy and media. Mr. Buchanan's expertise in securities law, venture financings and corporate governance will be a valuable asset in helping i2 and its portfolio companies navigate the nascent regulations around distributed crypto-economics. He has worked with the SEC, FINRA and CBOE in the past in his capacity as a securities and broker/dealer lawyer at WilmerHale. As a Corporate Associate at Gunderson Dettmer, he was counsel to a number of startups and venture funds with respect to formation, corporate governance, and financing matters. He also spent time as an M&A investment banker at Credit Suisse AG. Mr. Dannen's unique approach to product development, which places a strong emphasis o narrative, purpose, and message, will help i2's portfolio companies attract grassroots growth and top talent. He has created and executed multi-year editorial and creative campaigns for Quartz, Fast Company, Soho House, Wired, General Assembly, Bloomberg, Samsung, and Microsoft. He currently advises two startups: Loomia, a smart fabrics company run by Thiel fellow Madison Maxey, as well as M-RAD, an award-winning architecture and design firm based in Los Angeles. "Introducing Ethereum and Solidity," Mr. Dannen's fourth book, will be one of the first programming guides for the Solidity language when it is published by Apress Media on January 17, 2017. The fund has an internal technology team. Creative director and full-stack developer Christopher McClellan is responsible for the i2 user experience across the fund's many interfaces, including its trading suite. He is backed by a senior engineer with 25 year's experience building large-scale Wall Street trading systems. Fintech, software services, blockchain-accessible hardware, and cryptographically-secured software and assets will be the focus of i2's seed-stage venture activity. To guide the way for highly specialized portfolio companies, the fund has added Mackenzie Millar, practitioner of venture design and strategy at Frog Design in New York and San Francisco, as its advisor for financial products and growth. Market-making activity and commodity asset strategy will be advised by Cody Hoffman, a former vice president of oil derivatives trading at JPMorgan in New York, London, and Canada. Dr. Solomon Lederer will be the fund's blockchain engineering advisor. He was trained in the Air Force and has a PhD in large scale sensor networks from Stonybrook University. Today he works as a software engineer for the Wall Street Journal, and operates the Coinspace, a blockchain education venue. I2 organizes a monthly meet-up on the emerging field of crypto-economics, held at Coinspace, which is located in the Industry City complex at Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Legal counsel for i2 was Kirkland & Ellis. The Iterative Instinct branding kit was designed by the Brooklyn-based studio, Ensemble. For questions, email [email protected]. Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg image3.jpg Related Links Homepage Medium This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-vc-fund-specializes-in-cryptographic-assets-and-blockchain-network-services-300346913.html SOURCE Iterative Instinct [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] Canada and United States Launch Joint Clean Heat and Power Project at CanmetENERGY Ottawa OTTAWA, Oct. 18, 2016 /CNW/ - At a time when the world is making a historic transition to a low-carbon future, international collaboration is vital to supporting innovation and making progress. Kim Rudd, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Jim Carr, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, together with officials from the United States Department of Energy (DOE), today officially launched a new clean heat and power demonstration project that could have significant benefits for the environment and the economy. The project produces power from biomass or fossil fuels and has the potential to capture 98 percent of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. Natural Resources Canada's CanmetENERGY laboratory in Ottawa was chosen to host the project because of its exceptional facilities and the scientific expertise of its staff. Of the nearly US$12 million awarded by the DOE to the Gas Technology Institute, CanmetENERGY received close to US$4.6 million for the project's construction and demonstration. Canada and the U.S. continue to cooperate on clean energy and climate change initiatives and are demonstrating continental leadership in advancing efforts toward a low-carbon economy. Both countries are among the founding members of Mission Innovation, an international partnership of 21 members that have all committed to doubling their investments in clean energy research and development. Quotes "This project demonstrates the important role clean energy technologies play in our transition to a lower-carbon economy. Canada and the United States share a bold vision for our continent: a vision based on collaboration, and one that secures North America's place as one of the world's most dynamic energy regions. We will continue to work together to meet our climate change objectives, increase competitiveness and support employment opportunities." Kim Rudd Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources Related Links Mission Innovation in Canada CanmetENERGY Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.news.gc.ca. SOURCE Natural Resources Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Delphi man arrested in killings of Libby German, Abby Williams Richard Allen of Delphi, Indiana, was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of two teen girls who had been hiking. MASON CITY | The prize for winning a raffle at the Mason City Fire Department last weekend was a special ride to school for six Hoover Elementary students. As they waited at a house on Monroe Avenue around 8 a.m. Tuesday, a group of Mason City firefighters pulled up in a 1939 decommissioned fire truck. according to firefighter Mitch Smith. Hoover student Jayda LaSalle, 8, won the raffle and invited siblings and friends to join her on the ride Tiffany McKenzie, 8; Adison Hanson, 8; Ava Harms, 6; Dhalia LaSalle, 6 and Delon LaSalle, 5. Firefighters had to refill the truck with a cylinder gas canister before the final trip to the school. "Everyone's going to be jealous," said Adison Hanson, 8. Meredith Colias NASHUA A Charles City man suspected of killing a retired Clarksville grocer has had his life sentence overturned. Randy Patrie was never charged in the 2012 death of Carl Ken Gallmeyer, who was found dead in his ransacked rural Nashua home. But authorities found Gallmeyers guns, tools and TV set in Patries home during a 2013 search. Federal prosecutors charged Patrie with weapons crimes because his criminal record barred him from handling firearms, and authorities pushed to sentence him under the Armed Career Criminal Act, which took what would have been a 20-year prison sentence and made him eligible for life behind bars. The act allows for additional prison time for firearm charges when the defendant has three or more prior convictions for a violent felony, including burglary, arson or extortion.Patrie had prior burglary convictions, and in June 2014 Judge Linda Reade sentenced Patrie to life in prison on a felon in possession of a firearm charge with a concurrent 10 years for possession of a sawed-off shotgun. Patrie challenged the life sentence, and his arguments gained traction earlier this year when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-3 decision that Iowas burglary law was overly broad and ordered convictions under the states burglary statutes cant be used for an Armed Career Criminal Act sentence. The Eighth District U.S. Court of Appeals on Friday ruled the Supreme Court ruling applied to Patries case and ordered he be resentenced.A sentencing date hasnt been scheduled. Since the U.S. Supreme Court opinion, dozens of other defendants who were sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act in Iowa have petitioned for resentencing. Having released her self-titled EP in 2014, Nussy is back with her gorgeous new slow pop jam Just Just. The Melbourne artist makes no effort to paper over her charming Australian inflection as she eases us into things over an extended buildup of warm, throbbing synth a slow and steady ascension towards slightly darker textures that emphasise the thrust of the track: the slow realisation that life is not a fairytale. Having kept busy on the live stage supporting LANKS, Yeo, Asta and Sophie Lowe, and youll be able to catch Nussy launching Just Just with AYLA at the Penny Black on October 22. Kristy Lee Peters, better known to the music-loving masses as KLP, is back with a brand new single and EP, both entitled Ember. The EP came out last week and we managed to steal some time front he very busy Peters, who took us through the release track by track. The EP has been a long time in the making and features collaborations with the likes of Julian Hamilton (The Presets), Andy Mak (Vera Blue), Thom Mack (Vera Blue), Nate Donmoyer (Passion Pit), Mereki (A-Trak, Sky Ferreira, Goldroom), Cassian (RUFUS, Hayden James), and more. Meanwhile, the single was co-written and co-produced with homegrown powerhouse M-Phazes (Meg Mac, Illy, Thelma Plum) and Jason Gilbert. Ive been a friend and massive fan of M-phazes after we met at a song writing camp in Bali a few years back, said Peters. This year we both attended the camp again and were paired up together to write along with Jason Gilbert. The two of them went back and forth on the beat, adding drums and layers to the loop while I worked on lyrics, and then Phazes took a line I sang Youve got it all and then flipped it. Peters went through the rest of the EP just for Tone Deaf readers and you can check it out below. EMBER Have you ever been in a situation, or been watching someone in a situation and you sit there and think this could be way simpler. If only this happened or if only this person knew this, or if I could just change this one thing! Theres only so much you can give out before you need the other person to start giving something back and meet you half way. Ember stems from this idea of burning yourself out when you constantly give give give. BACK IN THE ROOM Every single word I write in my music has to come from a very real place. I cant bullshit and I cant make stuff up. I often find myself trying to get in some highly emotional states to find things to write about, be it really happy or feeling low as fuck if Im comfortably numb then I struggle to find things to say. For anyone (or especially a partner) witnessing me put myself through this rollercoaster process in order to make music, its a little crazy to watch. Back In The Room is written from that persons perspective, watching me digging deep to lose my mind and create, all the while knowing that once its done Ill come back and be present and stable. MINDSET (TOOK A LITTLE WHILE) When I walked into the room and first met Andy and Thom Mak, they asked me so whats going on in your life, tell us all your problems. I think it was a bit of a joke but its also a pretty standard question when starting a writing session. I had had a great morning and so without thinking too much I replied something like nothing. Im happy in all my unhappiness. Took a while but Im cool right now. And there you go; the song kind of wrote itself from there on. FLIGHT I have a friend who was going through a really shitty time and I was really trying to check in as much as possible and encourage her to let go of the past and try new shit out. I would be a complete idiot and text funny things, sayings, quotes, photos etc. Whatever I could do to break her out of the dark place she was in. This song started as a message to her to become more fearless, and then along the way it picked up some meaning from a few other friendships I have with people I would fight for and try anything to make them feel good. ALREADY THERE A year or so ago I had a few close friends of mine leave Australia and move overseas. While they were running around internationally, I was running through the process of letting them go and trying to be cool with the idea of having to make new friends and meet new people. It made me think about how everything always changes, we are always looking for the next thing, the thing that we think we need to make us complete. When I stop and think, I know that we are actually all already there in that happy place if we choose to be. Our surroundings, our friends, our possessions, and our jobs none of that shit actually truly makes us deeply happy. Im no master at it yet, but I try every day to realise that I am Already There if I want to be RECOVER {FT. REMI} A few years ago, close friends did some really mean shit to me in the name of business and one of them said something to me along the lines of youll never make it without me. Well I totally made it out of that situation and I was stronger and happier on the other side. I stayed angry for a long time, then hurt, and finally got the stage where I didnt care and I could wish them well. I decided to take it as a gift that they had given to me ammunition to be better and do well! I explained the idea to Remi when he was writing his verse and he too had had some similar things happen and saw it as a thing that only gives you more drive. It can only make you stronger. Don't Fear Arrest At Another Kansas City Library Chat Tonight!!! Sunflower State Prez Debate Show-Me Koster Against German Autos Conservative Election Assurances Local Obamacare Cutbacks Scare For Suburban Parents Celebrate Kansas City Crackhead News Once again we start our early Tuesday with a peek at probablyAnd of course, here's a quick collection of Kansas City news to keep our blog community informed about topics closer to home. Take a look:And this is thefor right now . . . SHOULD JACKSON COUNTY VOTERS SUPPORT THE COMBAT TAX DESPITE THE CURRENT 10-YEAR-HIGH CRIME SPIKE??? What's worse is that a great many groups funded by the COMBAT TAX are working to support anti-gun efforts. So local taxpayers who might disagree with the gun-grabber agenda are forced to provide funding in the name of public safety. Caveat to start discussion of this question . . .A very smart local power broker once reminded our blog community that Kansas City politicos and their rip-off consultants often falsely claim overwhelming support for their schemes and candidates when there'sopposing their efforts.Example . . . We can talk debate the E-tax but there were only less than a half dozen homemade yard signs opposing the effort. Everybody else was promised their cut and voted accordingly.And now . . .renewal has the support of local law enforcement and just about every community group in KCMO. But just like anonymous comments, our secret ballot offers protection for those unwilling to tow the party line.The question . . .More to the point . . .As always, you decide . . . MASON CITY The City Council will consider three more proposals for forgivable loans Tuesday through a program designed to help residents to fix up their businesses. Randy and Lisa OTool, registered owners of Rusty Scooter LLC, are requesting a loan of $23,152 to do exterior repairs and upgrades to their business, Real Deals Home Decor, 21-23 Fifth St. S.W. The project includes roof repair, window and door replacement, parking lot repairs, installation of a screen fence, adding a decorative stone to the facade and replacing broken concrete. Total cost of the renovations is $46,304. The owners are seeking a forgivable loan for half the total and their bank has verified it supports they have the resources to meet the 100 percent match requirement. A second request, this one for $30,000, comes from Scott and Jaylin Anderson for upgrades to Scottys Auto Service, 1103 N. Federal Ave. They intend to build a 1,361-square-foot addition to their main office and service building. Total cost of their project is $72,000. The $30,000 they are seeking is the maximum allowed in the forgivable loan program. Their bank has verified they have the resources for the match that is required. The third request is from Harold and Beverly Platts, owner of Northtown Apartments at 720, 724 and 804 N. Federal Ave. They are seeking $28,583 to do exterior repairs and upgrades including parking lot repairs, new concrete in front of the garages and construction of two six-foot fences. They are seeking half of the total cost of the project, $57,166, and have the resources to cover their part of the loan, according to their bank. The loans are possible through the citys Corridor Revitalization Loan Program (CoRL). Steven Van Steenhuyse, director of development services, said the program provides a forgivable loan of up to $30,000 for improvements that improve the aesthetic appearance of the area and raise property values. The loan must have a 100 percent match. If the owner maintains ownership and maintains the improvements for seven years, the loan is forgiven. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is scheduled to visit Brussels on Wednesday, where he will begin a series of meetings with European leaders and community players over the debt. At the same though, the government is in touch with US officials who have access to Christine Lagarde. As reported by Ta Nea, the Greek government is trying to understand the IMFs intentions in relation to the bailout program, to determine the prospects of the countrys creditors taking a decision for a settlement of the debt. Although the USA has offered assurances that it will pressure for a solution on the debt by the end of the year, Greece cannot overlook Germanys refusal to enter any talks on debt relief measures before their upcoming elections. Although Greece has a compelling argument by fulfilling its bailout obligations, the creditors have to provide solution for the debt there are few within the European Union willing to sidestep Germany. According to sources from the Greek government, the Prime Minister is expected to meet with the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and possibly VP Valdis Dombrovskis. There is also a possibility of meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande. In his upcoming meetings the PM will attempt to gauge the intentions of European leaders and institutions, while pressuring for a solution on the debt. It is also a given that he will underline the Greek governments desire to conclude the second bailout review as soon as possible. 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 Cyprus problem and bilateral relations between Cyprus and Ireland in commerce, economy and tourism were discussed during the meetings Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades had at the Parliament of Ireland The Cyprus problem and bilateral relations between Cyprus and Ireland in the fields of commerce, economy and tourism were discussed during the meetings Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades had on Tuesday at the Parliament of Ireland. According to an official press release, Anastasiades held separate meetings with the Chairman of the Lower House of the Parliament of Ireland Sean OFearghail and the Chairman of the Senate Denis ODonovan, at the Parliament building in Dublin. Special reference was made to the interest of Ireland in the Cyprus problem considering that Ireland is the third largest contributor to the Committee of Missing Persons in Cyprus, and is also one of the first countries that maintained a contingent in UNFICYP, the peacekeeping force in Cyprus. During the meetings, the President of Cyprus informed his interlocutors about the latest developments on the Cyprus problem and the efforts to find a solution. At the meeting with the Chairman of the Lower House, the Irish side briefed the President on the plans to set up a Friendship Group between the Irish Parliament and the Cyprus House of Representatives. Commemorative gifts were exchanged during the meetings. President Anastasiades presented the Chairman of the Lower House with a silver copy of an amphora from the Kyrenia Ship, whereas the Chairman of the Lower House presented the President with a silver decorative clock containing the emblem of Ireland. President Anastasiades presented the Chairman of the Senate with a silver plate containing a printed image of a mouflon, and the Chairman of the Senate presented the President of the Republic with a copy of an Irish small ship. Source: CNA 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 German holidaymakers stayed away from their traditional designations of Turkey, Egypt and north Africa due to terrorist attacks opting for the safer countries of Greece and Spain According to a report published by Deutsche Welle, German holidaymakers stayed away from their traditional designations of Turkey, Egypt and north Africa due to terrorist attacks and political instability in the regions, opting for the safer countries of Greece and Spain, as well as Germany. The German consumer research company GfK noted a 7% drop in revenue for the countrys largest travel agencies at the end of this seasons summer period. Many Germans preferred to spend their holidays in Spain, Portugal and Germany, with Spain gaining the lions share from inbound German tourism, according to the Spanish Statistical Body that recorded 10 million visits of Germans only during the month of August. Greece also featured prominently in the travellers choices, as an upward trend was recorded, according to data from German Association of Travel Agents (DRV). The tourist flows diverted from north Africa and the eastern Mediterranean towards the west, the president of the Federal Association of the German Tourist Industry, Michael Frenzel noted. 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 Rising challenges in the Saudi construction sector will lead to a surge in nonperforming loans (NPLs) and higher provisioning costs for the country's banks, said ratings agency Moody's Investors Service in a report published today (October 18). The exposure of the kingdom's banks to the building and construction sector increased by 19.7 per cent year-on-year as of June 2016. This is well above the 8.9 per cent increase in total bank credit over the same period and has contributed to a material increase in the sector's indebtedness, stated the Moody's report, entitled "Banking - Saudi Arabia: Challenges in the Saudi Construction Sector Pose Risks for Saudi Banks." The NPLs associated to the building and construction sector is already the highest when compared to other sectors, at 3.1 per cent of gross loans as of year-end 2015 (up from 2.8 per cent as of year-end 2015) versus a total reported NPL ratio of 1.2 per cent, it added. "The Saudi construction sector has been negatively affected over the last two years by slowing economic activity and fiscal consolidation measures, stemming from a lower oil prices environment. We expect the pressures to continue as the Saudi government aims to reduce its large fiscal deficit," explained Olivier Panis, a vice president and senior credit officer at Moody's. "As a result, the building and construction sector will likely contribute materially to the increase in nonperforming loans at Saudi banks. We expect NPLs to rise to around 2.5 per cent of gross loans in 2017, from around 1.5 per cent estimated as of June 2016," he added. Panis pointed out that the country's building and construction sector was already the main contributor to NPL formation at Saudi banks over the past five years and it was likely to remain the same in the coming quarters. "This is indicated by the increasing proportion of NPLs in this segment, accounting for SR4.1 billion ($1.09 billion) or 27 per cent of system NPLs as of year-end-2015, up from SR1.9 billion ($290 billion) or eight per cent of system NPLs as of year-end 2010, and a number of leading indicators of asset-risk trends monitored by Moody's point to rising pressures that will stem from the construction sector in next 18 months," he stated. "While we expect Saudi banks to face increased problem loans and higher provisioning costs over the next 12 months, we expect the magnitude of the asset quality deterioration to be within the banks' profit margins," he added. Moody's pointed out that in addition, the banks' high capital buffers can absorb a material stress from downside scenarios in the building and construction sector. Loan-loss provisions are strong, representing around 178 per cent of reported NPLs. Capital adequacy ratio and Tier One ratio stood at 18.3 per cent and 16.4 per cent, respectively, as of June 2016, it stated. Moody's says that all else being equal, the reported coverage ratio would still remain strong at around 150 per cent if the NPL ratio in the building and construction sector were to increase to 4.5 per cent from 3.1 per cent as of year-end 2015 (representing SR1.9 billion - $506.2 million - in additional NPLs), it added.-TradeArabia News Service Nakheel, a leading Dubai-based developer, will be showcasing some of its upcoming Dubai projects at an exclusive roadshow in Singapore. Among the projects are The Palm Tower, a 52-storey, luxury residential and hotel complex with a rooftop infinity pool 220 m above ground and Palm 360, a twin tower landmark featuring 12,000 sq ft penthouses complete with private infinity pools, gymnasiums and cinemas. During the two-day event, to be held at the Four Seasons Singapore on October 22 and 23, Nakheel will highlight the benefits of owning a property in Dubai - including annual rental yields that significantly outperform the likes of Sydney, New York, London, Singapore and Hong Kong. Annual return on investment from rental income on Dubai real estate averages 7.6 per cent - over four times that of Hong Kong (1.8 per cent) and more than double the return in London (3.2 per cent) and Singapore (3 per cent), according to global real estate advisory research. Rental yields in Sydney average 4.1 per cent, and, in New York, 4.2 per cent, it stated. Nakheel will also offer a variety of other projects - some of which are ready for handover - in several unique locations at varying price points. Investors from Singapore and other parts of South-east Asia and the Far East have already bought around 500 villas, apartments or land plots from Nakheel, spending a combined Dh900 million ($245 million) in the process. The company aims to boost these numbers by showcasing unique, iconic projects and sharing valuable insight into investing in Dubai, said a top official. "Since our formation in 2001, Nakheel has played a pivotal role in transforming Dubai into a global destination for living, tourism and trade, and a magnet for overseas investors," said Nakheel chairman Ali Rashid Lootah. "Home to the worlds busiest airport, host of Expo 2020, an increasingly-popular tourism hotspot and with a population expected to double by 2030, Dubai offers countless new opportunities for investors who want to be part of the citys exciting future," he noted. Lootah pointed out that Dubais excellent transport, education, trade and recreational facilities already entice millions of people to live, work and spend leisure time in the emirate. Nakheel has recorded year-on-year net profit increases for the last six years a clear sign of investor trust and confidence in Dubai real estate, he stated. "As the city continues to grow, so does the need for more accommodation and attractions for residents, tourists and businesspeople. All of this means more new and lucrative opportunities for investors," he added.-TradeArabia News Service UAE-based Leminar Air Conditioning Company, a leading heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) distribution company in the Middle East, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. The company hosted a gala dinner for all its employees at Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, earlier this month. The event also marked the companys robust growth in the period between June 2015 and June 2016, said a statement from the company. Some of Leminars key achievements during the financial year include the inauguration of its 168,000-sq-ft Central Logistics Centre in Ras Al Khor, the opening of its new showroom in Deira, and the addition of a new warehouse in Kuwait, it said. Navin Valrani, CEO of Leminar, and Pramodh Idicheria, general manager, unveiled the companys new logo on the occasion, which was witnessed by over 320 people including employees and their families. The silver jubilee celebrations featured childrens performances, songs and music, group dances and a fashion show. Another highlight of the evening was the award ceremony for recognising the best employees for their performances in 2015. Employees who completed 10 and 20 years of service were also felicitated for their long-term commitment to the company, said a statement. Valrani said: Over the course of 25 years, our company has grown from a small business representing a single brand to an industry leader with over 20 global brands in its product portfolio. We have also expanded geographically and have a significant presence in Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, in addition to the UAE, he said. Our success can be attributed to the companys genuine commitment to exceed customer expectations by not just bringing to market best-in-class HVAC products, but also by introducing distinctive services such as maintenance programmes, stress analysis, seismic analysis and plant room calculations, he added. Idicheria added: Our business revolves around three factors - our staff, our brands and our customers. We are fortunate to enjoy the trust and loyalty of all the three. Our staff, some of who have been with us from the very beginning, is the key reason we are able to engage and retain brands that are among the top three in their respective categories, he added. TradeArabia News Service DES MOINES Members of the state Environmental Commission voted 8-0 Tuesday to deny an appeal by Cerro Gordo County officials regarding a hog confinement facility proposed to be built near Ventura. Unless the county decides to pursue the case further in district court, the facility would now have the go-ahead to begin construction. Cerro Gordo County Administrative Officer Tom Drzycimski agreed that the proposal from River Edge Farms LLC to build a 4,992-head hog facility near Ventura met the requirements under a state master matrix for confinement animal feeding operations. However, Drzycimski said, the county had environmental, odor, health and other concerns about the project and its location near sensitive wildlife areas and nearby homes. On Aug. 16, supervisors held a public hearing in which 23 people spoke, 20 of whom were vigorously against the River Edge application. That prompted the county Board of Supervisors to recommend denial of the application, but that recommendation was rejected by the state Department of Natural Resources. The county then appealed that decision. Des Moines attorney Eldon McAfee, at the appeal hearing Tuesday, said the DNR had properly granted the permit. River Edge Farms owner Matt Roenfanz said he has operated a separate 6,000-head hog operation for 14 years without problems. He read a letter from state Rep. Terry Baxter, R-Garner, who lives near that facility, stating, I can vouch that it will be a top-notch operation with the best possible management. Before the vote, Drzycimski said asked the commissioners to at least consider modifications or setting some conditions for the project if they rejected the countys appeal. The commission declined. Drzycimski said the countys next option would be an appeal to district court, but, Well have to weigh our options and determine whether its worth it to move forward with that. Tom Willet, a member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement from Mason City, who attended the hearing, said, Folks in Cerro Gordo County voiced overwhelming opposition to this massive hog factory farm. Its a major threat to water, public lands and neighbors. We dont want it, and we are appalled that the DNR and EPC didnt respect our wishes, Willet said. After the meeting, DNR Director Chuck Gipp said the state agency had no option but to approve the project because the landowner had complied with all the regulations. It was disingenuous to put it in our laps because we dont have any legal authority to do that once they approve the master matrix. We dont get to make the law. We follow the law, Gipp said. Also Tuesday, the commission adopted legislative changes to state regulations governing large-scale livestock confinement operations that drew praise from industry representative, but displeased citizen and environmental groups that wanted tougher standards. Gipp said, again, the commission was simply following the law set out by the Legislature. The commission approved changes supported by cattle, pork and farm organizations related to separation distances for livestock buildings, hauling dried nutrients for use as fertilizers and other changes enacted by lawmakers that the panel put into rules. But opponents said commissioners should close what they consider to be a loophole that confinement operations use to build facilities in close proximity, but keeping the numbers under the threshold triggering permit and design regulations. The industry has had five years to implement best practices, but what do we see instead? Business-as-usual and voluntary compliance continues to be a colossal failure after two decades, said Cherie Mortice of Des Moines. Commissioners LaQuanda Hoskins and Joe Riding opposed the rules revisions, with Riding expressing concern that lakes were no longer part of the definition for public use area which protects them from new factory farm construction. Omans UMS Group (UMS), a top marketing organisation, along with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and National Training Institute (NTI), has established Ishraaq Oman Digital Academy to develop skilled human resources for the digital age. The Academy was formally launched recently at Oman Forum by Talal Al Rahbi, deputy secretary general, Supreme Council for Planning, in the presence of Sheikh Salim Bin Mustahail Al Mashani - vice chairman of Muscat Overseas Group, the parent company of UMS. The Academy will train Omani youth and help launch a career in social media communication and marketing. Ishraaq is a 12-month training programme designed to develop students into highly competent social media executives, who will help add significant value to the digital communication initiatives of enterprises in Oman. This year, 15 young Omanis will acquire social media skills for application in the business world. It will include 1,440 hours of training on effective use of various social media platforms and communication tools that will help businesses enhance brand awareness, generate leads and drive sales. At the end of the course, the top performers will receive on-the-job experience, certification and placement support from UMS, which is one of Oman's pioneers and leaders in media, advertising & digital communication. Sandeep Sehgal, chief executive, UMS Group, said: With over 27 years of experience in brand and corporate communication, UMS is a pioneer in digital media in Oman. Ishraaq is designed to use our expertise and domain knowledge to build the potential of young Omanis and encourage them to be an active participant in the nations economy. We are very thankful for the support from our partners PDO and NTI who have committed themselves to this endeavour in creating digital leaders of tomorrow. TradeArabia News Service Oman's Sohar Port and Freezone is working on an ambitious master-plan that will secure its continued growth over the next 25 years, a key executive of the industrial port said in a report. The 2040 Master-Plan, currently under finalisation, envisions new capacity expansions on both the land and marine sides of the existing 2,000-hectare industrial port, Mahdi Al Lawatia, assets development manager, Sohar Port and Freezone, was quoted as saying in an Oman Daily Observer report. Addressing the Port Development Middle East Conference, which opened yesterday (October 17) in Musacat, Al Lawatia said that with 95 per cent of the Sohar Industrial Port Area already developed or leased to investors, we have started our master-planning activities that will continue to support the growth of the industrial port well into the future. He added that since coming into operation just over a decade ago, the port has snagged an impressive $26 billion in investment, underscoring its continuing appeal as an industrial and logistics hub. Al Lawatia noted that international consultants Halcrow have been roped in to assist in the smart-planning of the port expansion, and that future infrastructure development will proceed only when a sound business case for such investments is firmly established. The UAE-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries recently invited Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to the UAE, to visit its head office in Ras Al Khaimah. Tissafi was welcomed by Sheikh Faisal Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, chairman of Julphar; Sheikh Abdullah Bin Faisal Al Qasimi, member of the board; and Dr Ayman Sahli, chief executive officer of the company, said a statement from Julphar. During her meeting, Tissafi was briefed on Julphar and had the opportunity to visit the companys Insulin and Liquid Orals plants, it said. The 20,000-sq-m Julphar Insulin plant, one of the most modern biopharmaceutical manufacturing plants, is designed for producing recombinant human insulin and insulin analogues crystals (rDNA) and has the capability to produce 40 million vials of insulin per year, it stated. The Liquid Orals plant manufactures liquid dosage forms using sophisticated, world-class equipment and is fully automated to produce syrups, suspensions and drops with minimal human intervention at any stage of the production, said a statement. The guided tour emphasised the importance of Julphar in the pharmaceutical industry, and was the opportunity for the company to showcase its latest development of business activities and operational innovations, it added. TradeArabia News Service Emirates Steel, the only integrated steel plant in the UAE, owned by Senaat, is taking part in the Arab Steel Summit 2016 and the associated International Iron and Steel Exhibition 2016 which opened in Dubai yesterday. The three-day annual specialised forum is being organised by the Arab Iron and Steel Union. Leading iron and steel companies in the Arab region such as Emirates Steel, Sabic, Rajhi Steel, Ezz Steel and other leading steel companies from Morocco, Algeria, and other Arab countries producing steel, are taking part in the event being held at Conrad Dubai Hotel. More than 160 delegates from around the region are taking part in the event which concludes tomorrow (October 19). On the opening day, Emirates Steel gave a presentation about the steel sector in the Arab region with focus on trade, regulations and co-operation. The presentation also discussed the issues of steel exports and imports, consumption and capacities. Leading industry experts tackled topics related to competitive position and growth strategies within the Arab steel sector besides highlighting the opportunities and trends of investment and prospects for the world steel industry in 2016 and the impact of oil price fluctuation on the development of the steel industry investments and many other issues, said the organisers. Meanwhile, the first day of the International Iron and Steel Exhibition 2016 witnessed positive participation from exhibitors, as a prominent platform to display iron and steel products, solutions and technologies, and provided a great networking opportunity for producers, customers and stakeholders. Emirates Steel said its keenness to be part of the specialised forum, was aimed at reinforcing its leadership position in the iron and steel industry within the region, considering the current conditions dominating the sector in the region and the whole world. The event also served as an ideal forum to exchange insights and ideas, and co-ordinate among the unions members on all levels.-TradeArabia News Service White Nights in Dubai, the first ever musical festival of its kind in the Middle East, has revealed a line-up of the biggest stars from the world of music who will take part in the event set to run from March 30 to April 8 at Dubai Opera. Celebrities include Katherine Jenkins, Alfie Boe, Jonas Kaufmann, Angela Gheorghiu, Jamie Cullum, David Garrett, and Khatia Buniatishvili, a statement said. White Nights in Dubai, supported by Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), is the first ever project of United Stage Middle East, a subsidiary of United Stage AB, Sweden's biggest booking agency. The company has been in the music business for over 30 years and expanded to London in 2015 and to the Middle East in 2016 with a view to expand their reach internationally. "We are hoping that by bringing these world-class talents, we also attract guests both locally and internationally; and contribute to the overall growth of the vibrant and diverse arts and cultural environment of the Middle East region," said Brian Lane, CEO of United Stage International, who across his career has managed artists as diverse as Katherine Jenkins, a-Ha, It Bites, the A*Teens, Heather Small, YES, Vangelis, Asia, and Rick Wakeman that altogether have sold in excess of 120 million records. Ahlam Bolooki, senior manager, Events Marketing at Dubai Tourism said: "We are delighted with the announcement that White Nights in Dubai will be hosting some of the most globally recognised artists of the world of classical and jazz music in the emirate at Dubai Opera next year. Hosting Welsh superstar Katherine Jenkins and jazz and pop sensation, Jamie Cullum amongst other talents, plays a key role in strengthening Dubai's position as a regional arts and culture hub as well as solidifying our standing as a global events and festivals destination." Tickets are being sold from October 12 on the Dubai Opera website, the statement said. TradeArabia News Service BP Oman recently signed an agreement with Nafath Energy, a renewable energy company, to promote understanding of sustainable energy among college and university students, a report said. The Social Investment Programme (SIP) aims to educate 100 students through workshops held by Nafath Energy, reported Oman Observer. Nafath Energy will organise two five-day workshops to college and university students in Al Dakhiliyah and Al Dhahirah, providing information on various energy sources, including the renewables industry in Oman. It will also highlight the latest developments in solar and wind power and have the opportunity to get hands-on experience in the design and installation of a hybrid renewable energy system. BP Oman is supporting this initiative as part of our vision to develop young Omanis and local Omani companies. In this energy intensive world, were keen to encourage the next generation to understand the role of renewable energy sources its just one of the ways we are investing in the future of Oman, Shabib al Maamari, communication and external affairs manager, BP Oman, was quoted as saying in the report. Etihad Airways today announced its Abu Dhabi Madrid route will operate daily with the introduction of three new flights each week, effective June 1, 2017. The additional frequencies underscore the airlines commitment to offer guests greater choice and more travel options. Continuing to operate with a two-class Airbus A330-200 offering 22 Business and 240 Economy Class seats, the daily service will strengthen the air bridge between the two capital cities and appeal more to corporate and leisure travellers. The extra flights will provide connections to key markets across the Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent, Asia and Australia. Popular connecting destinations via Abu Dhabi include Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Mumbai and Delhi. From Madrid, travellers are able to connect to the network of Etihad Airways codeshare partner Air Europa to seven cities in Spain, including Barcelona, Bilbao, Gran Canaria, La Coruna, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife and Vigo. Guests can connect with Air Europa beyond Madrid to destinations in South America and the Caribbean, including Asuncion, Cancun, Lima and Santo Domingo. Etihad Airways also offers links with codeshare partner Avianca between Madrid and the Colombian capital Bogota. One of the airlines 22 European destinations, Madrid has grown in popularity since Etihad Airways launched scheduled passenger services to Spain in March last year. Kevin Knight, Etihad Aviation Group chief strategy and planning officer, said: Our expanded Madrid operation is in line with Etihad Airways strategy to offer more choice, greater frequency and additional travel options when aircraft availability and market conditions permit. The extra flights will cater to the strong demand between the two capital cities, and connect our diverse international network even more with the Spanish capital and destinations across Spain and beyond, through our partners. The additional services will provide a further 36 tonnes of freight capacity and boost visitor numbers to the heart of Spains tourism industry. They will also drive and support growing trade and cultural ties between the UAE and Spain, with many industries benefitting, including fashion, petrochemicals, construction, education, health care, transportation and tourism. - TradeArabia News Service Marriott International has announced plans to debut Element Hotels, the stylish eco-incubator brand, in Egypt in early 2019. Located in Cairo's upscale Heliopolis district and slated to be the largest Element Hotel in the Middle East and Africa, Element Cairo is being developed by Abraj Misr Urban Development and is owned by Middle East Real Estate for Development (MERED), an Egyptian limited liability company. Element Cairo will be part of The Gate Project, the new iconic ecofriendly development featuring the largest housing, administrative, commercial facility in Egypt and the Middle East. The hotel will feature 344 light-filled rooms and an atmosphere designed to fuel a life in balance and on the move. "Egypt is one of our key markets and we are excited to introduce a new brand to the capital's city center," said Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. "Element Cairo will be a highly-anticipated addition to our rapidly growing portfolio presenting travellers an appealing, new option for short and long stays in this market. We believe travellers deserve more than a place to stay so we don't compromise on comfort or quality for guests." Engineer Ali Rabie, chairman of the Board of Directors of Abraj Misr Company, said: "It is with great pride that we announce the inking of an agreement to bring Element Hotels to Egypt as part of one of the foremost real estate projects by our company. Our collaboration is a continuation of the company's strategy of working with reputed international brands to redefine the lifestyle landscape. We are confident that this project with its modern and outstanding architectural design will be the first choice for those seeking uniqueness of experience and tranquility." Located within easy access from the airport, downtown Cairo as well as New Cairo, Element Cairo will be part of a landmark mixed-use project with a high-end retail mall housing Egypt's largest indoor theme park and unbranded residences. Spacious studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom suites at Element Cairo will offer a fluid design of modular furniture, fully equipped kitchens, the signature Heavenly Bed and spa-inspired bathrooms. Hotel amenities will include fast and free wi-fi, complimentary bikes to borrow, a state-of-the-art 24-hour fitness center, 668-sq-m of flexible meeting space and a fully equipped business center and an all-day dining cafe. Guests can fuel their day with the healthy Rise breakfast and wind down with the Relax evening wine reception - both complimentary. A recognized industry leader in the eco-space, Element offers travelers a fresh interpretation of the traditional hotel experience with natural light, modern design, healthy options and eco-minded sensibilities. This reimagined extended-stay experience is perfect for the traveller who is visiting for a few days or a few weeks. Element continues to grow at a phenomenal pace with hotels slated to open in numerous markets by the end of 2017, including Austin, Dallas, and Katy, Texas (US); Gainesville, Florida (US); Moline, Illinois (USA); Des Moines, Iowa (US); Chandlers, Arizona (US), Redmond, Washington (US); Huntsville, Alabama (US); Palmdale, California (US); Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta (Canada); Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Bali Ubud, Indonesia; Hebei and Foshan, China; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. - TradeArabia News Service Especially in this election, we need more impartial poll workers not partisan poll watchers, and certainly not poll stalkers working for Donald Trump. In his latest assault on our democracy, Trump is recruiting his own election observers and telling his supporters that a rigged election by a corrupt political and media establishment is the only way he can lose. Republican legislators and governors have passed stricter election laws, including voter ID requirements. And because the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, the Justice Department is allowed to send observers only to parts of five states under court order compared to more than 780 personnel to 23 states it dispatched in 2012 to monitor any possible civil rights violations. Taken together, these developments are a recipe for ugliness at precincts on Nov. 8, especially in the battleground states of Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, where Trump told his legions last week: We dont want this election stolen from us. Even more shamefully, Trump is riling up supporters in mostly white cities to watch out for voter fraud in other communities, an unmistakable reference to minority areas. Go to your place and vote, and then go pick some other place, and go sit there with your friends and make sure its on the up-and-up, he said Sept. 30 in Michigan. Experts say voting fraud at polling places is virtually nonexistent; the Brennan Center for Justice says the bigger threat comes from ballot security operations that challenge and intimidate legitimate voters, often African-Americans. In a joint statement Monday, top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California and top Senate Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada called on all leaders to affirm the fairness of our elections. This issue is bigger than any of us and bigger than this election, the statement said. This is about each of us doing our part to ensure the continued functioning of our democracy. Though Trump grudgingly said at the first debate that he would accept the will of the voters, he continues to suggest the exact opposite on the campaign trail. To distract from daily allegations that he groped women, he is intensifying his vitriol, claiming that the accusers are part of a global conspiracy, in cahoots with Hillary Clinton. Clintons campaign is predicting a record turnout because voters will see through Trumps shameful attempts to undermine the election. President Barack Obama sought Friday to dismiss Trumps talk of a rigged election and a grand conspiracy. Some Republican election officials, who are in charge of the vote count in some key states, also are pushing back, including Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate. If theres something else, please Mr. Trump, tell us what it is and I will have my staff immediately look into it and pursue it with all the vigor and authority that this office has, and that applies to anybody, because the last thing I want is an Iowan who thinks that their vote doesnt count, Pate said. Theyre not demonstrating theres any proof that theres these issues. What theyre doing is trying to distract, in my opinion, from what the real election issues are. Voting is far too important. Paul Ryan, the Republican House speaker, and Gov. Mike Pence, the vice presidential nominee, are dialing back Trumps claims and trying to bring us back from the brink. But it wont be enough to calm Trumps army until the candidate himself stops the crazy talk. And theres no sign of that. He keeps stoking the fire in a daily barrage of tweets, including one Monday: Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before Election Day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive! Of all the horrendous things that Trump has said and done in this unprecedented campaign, this is the most dangerous to the republic. Close confidant Roger Stone has been even more reckless, warning that if theres widespread voter fraud, there will be a constitutional crisis, mass civil disobedience, even a bloodbath that somehow would be nonviolent. No matter who you support, thats the last thing any of us should want. Foon Rhee is a columnist for the Sacramento Bee. Readers may email him at frhee@sacbee.com. Lawmakers join Senator Elizabeth Warren's appeal for US to 'step in' on illegal Airbnb hotels. According to MSN, a joint letter marks the boom of a growing campaign for Airbnb to eliminate illegal hotels that take affordable housing off the market. The letter, also signed by advocates in Los Angeles, Oakland, Denver and Boston, argued that the companies have opposed efforts to intensify transparency, have provided misleading data and continue to allow advertisements for illegal rentals even when cities ban commercial operations. The push comes months after Warren urged the FTC to examine Airbnb, an unprecedented step in US lawmakers' scrutiny of the booming "sharing economy". The Guardian also detailed that New York state has had a law on the books regulating short-term rentals. Accordingly, the said law is intended to prevent illegal hotels, particularly in areas (like New York City), where there is a limited supply of affordable housing. Short-term rentals can incentivize landlords to choose tourists over residents and introduce transitory visitors in residential neighborhoods. As lawmakers take aim at Airbnb, rental hosts carry the burden. Airbnb is stumbles upon voluminous resistance as its market expands. The hotel industry is not happy with the boom of Airbnb and is unpleased with the innovative company. It would appear that Airbnb is dignified to take a sizable chunk out of hotel revenues in major cities across the globe. There is also reports from CNNMoney that in 2013, new owners of a four-unit building in Los Angeles evicted their tenants, some of whom had lived in the building for decades, in favor of offering the properties as Airbnb rentals. In addition to the probable inopportune eviction, cities and municipalities fear a potential influx of short-term renters who will turn residential neighborhoods into little more than unregulated hotels. Regulators and city and municipality officials aren't happy in addition to the fact that the battle over taxes, permits and zoning laws, and friction between Airbnb and city officials is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. According to the Guardian, Airbnb, which has developed a powerful lobbying arm, has argued that it is not legally liable when its users post listings that violate city housing laws. Local efforts to tighten restrictions and force the company to disclose uniform statistics have led to litigation and political fights. "This is a national problem, and it needs a national response," New York City council member Helen Rosenthal said in an interview. "It all comes back to Airbnb not having to take responsibility for the actions of its hosts." See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 In a year marked by intriguing political races, Iowa has been the focus of one of the more interesting campaigns longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley against Democratic political activist Patty Judge. The race became a lightning rod for national attention when Grassley, as head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, blocked hearings on President Obamas Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, saying the next president should be able to make that nomination. Since then, there has been the expected political bantering, charges, countercharges, attack ads and countless press releases from both sides. Wednesday night, Grassley and Judge participate in their only televised debate a prime opportunity for Iowans to see and hear the candidates views on the Supreme Court and other important issues. Its the prelim, if you will, to the presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump which starts at 8 p.m. and will be televised nationwide. Unfortunately, the Senate debate wont even be televised statewide. Scheduled for 7 p.m. at Morningside College in Sioux City, it is being televised live by four Quincy Media stations, including KTTC in North Iowa (channel 10 or 810 on Mediacom cable). You can also check out coverage of the debate from our state bureau Wednesday evening at globegazette.com and on Thursday in the Globe Gazette. Both sides say the other side is to blame for the limited debate schedule. Whatever the case, the table has been set this TV debate and one on WHO Radio out of Des Moines which is expected to be broadcast statewide. Its hard to imagine any surprises emerging Wednesday night. A story by our Des Moines Bureau quoted Buena Vista University Political Science Professor Bradley Best as saying the Supreme Court hearing will be an obvious topic. He also believes Judge is likely to insist that Grassleys 36 years in the Senate are enough, that Grassley has strayed from the common sense pragmatism Iowans expect from their elected officials, Best said. Grassley will use his lengthy service to Iowans as his strong suit, including his Full Grassley tour of Iowas 99 counties every year. In other words, many are expecting a fairly predictable debate and say it may not matter, anyway, given Grassleys substantial lead in the polls nearly 16 percentage points when the polls are averaged out. But, Best said, This race is perceived to be and is in fact more competitive than is usually the case when Grassley seeks re-election. So we urge those able to watch the debate to do so then to read as much as they can about the candidates in making their decision. There is too much at stake not to pay close attention. Heralded as Leading Serviced Apartment Brand and Best Serviced Residence Group in Asia amongst other highly acclaimed titles (TRAVPR.COM) SINGAPORE - October 18th, 2016 - CapitaLands wholly owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), received the top honours of Leading Serviced Apartment Brand in Asia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Vietnam at the prestigious 2016 World Travel Awards ceremony for Asia & Australasia. Voted by travellers and travel professionals globally, World Travel Awards is widely hailed as the Oscars of the travel industry, recognising the ultimate hallmark of quality. Ascott also clinched the coveted Best Serviced Residence Group at Travel Weekly Asias 2016 Readers Choice Awards. Honouring the finest in the travel industry, the awards were presented to outstanding companies for their first-class products, excellent service and their achievements that have helped boost the travel industry. Mr Tony Soh, Ascotts Chief Corporate Officer, said: Being voted the number one serviced residence brand in Asia, and recently the leading brand in Europe and the Middle East, motivates us to further push the boundaries of excellence. We thank all our staff for their passion in caring for our guests to ensure they have an extraordinary experience, and for upholding Ascotts reputation as a world class brand. We will continue to stay on top of industry trends, be it embracing technology, tailoring our customer experience and transforming our business model to place Ascott in an even stronger position for the years ahead. Ascott received accolades in the following categories: World Travel Awards 2016 Asia's Leading Serviced Apartment Brand The Ascott Limited Hong Kong's Leading Serviced Apartment Brand The Ascott Limited Indonesia's Leading Serviced Apartment Brand The Ascott Limited Vietnams Leading Serviced Apartment Brand Somerset Serviced Residence Vietnams Leading Serviced Apartments Somerset Grand Hanoi Thailand's Leading Serviced Apartments Ascott Sathorn Bangkok Travel Weekly Asia 2016 Readers Choice Awards Best Serviced Residence Group The Ascott Limited In its 23rd year, World Travel Awards is highly contested with many luminary players in the industry vying for top honours. Ascott was recently conferred the title of Middle East's Leading Serviced Apartment Brand; Ascott Park Place Dubai was named Dubais Leading Serviced Apartments and Somerset West Bay Doha garnered Qatar's Leading Serviced Apartments. Ascott also took home six accolades at the World Travel Awards ceremony for Europe last month, including Leading Serviced Apartment Brand in Europe, France and Germany. La Clef Tour Eiffel Paris was bestowed France's Leading Serviced Apartments while Citadines Michel Hamburg and Citadines Sainte-Catherine Brussels were awarded Leading Serviced Apartments in Germany and Belgium respectively. About The Ascott Limited The Ascott Limited is a Singapore company that has grown to be the world's largest international serviced residence owner-operator. It has over 29,000 operating serviced residence units in key cities of the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, as well as over 18,000 units which are under development, making a total of more than 48,000 units in over 300 properties. The company operates three award-winning brands Ascott, Citadines and Somerset. Its portfolio spans more than 100 cities across 27 countries. Ascott, a wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Limited, pioneered Asia Pacific's first international-class serviced residence with the opening of The Ascott Singapore in 1984. Today, the company boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning serviced residence brands that enjoy recognition worldwide. Ascotts achievements have been recognised internationally. Recent awards include World Travel Awards 2016 for Leading Serviced Apartment Brand in Asia, Europe and the Middle East; Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards 2016 for Best Serviced Residence Brand; Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2016 for Best Serviced Apartment Company; Business Traveller UK Awards 2016 for Best Serviced Apartment Company; TTG China Travel Awards 2016 for Best Serviced Residence Operator in China; DestinAsian Readers Choice Awards 2016 for Best Serviced Residence Brand and Business Traveller China Awards 2015 for Best Serviced Residence Brand and Best Serviced Residence. For a full list of awards, please visit http://www.the-ascott.com/ascottlimited/awards. About CapitaLand Limited CapitaLand is one of Asias largest real estate companies headquartered and listed in Singapore. The company leverages its significant asset base, design and development capabilities, active capital management strategies, extensive market network and operational capabilities to develop high-quality real estate products and services. Its diversified global real estate portfolio includes integrated developments, shopping malls, serviced residences, offices and homes. Its two core markets are Singapore and China, while Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam have been identified as new growth markets. The company also has one of the largest real estate fund management businesses with assets located in Asia. CapitaLands listed real estate investment trusts are CapitaLand Mall Trust, CapitaLand Commercial Trust, Ascott Residence Trust, CapitaLand Retail China Trust and CapitaLand Malaysia Mall Trust. Visit www.capitaland.com for more information. Issued by: The Ascott Limited Website:www.the-ascott.com ### Missed your chance to plan a visit to the U.S. wine regions during harvest season? Head to Chile during the southern hemispheres summer months, November through March, to enjoy a customizable tour of Chiles wine regions. For optimum harvest fun, visit during February or March. Fly into Santiago (SCL), the perfect base for visiting the surrounding wine regions. The Maipo Valley is about an hours drive from the city. Pick from quite a few wineries to see during your tour, many of whom are famous for their Cabernet Sauvignons and Syrahs. If you prefer white wine, youll want to head to Casablanca Valley, where a handful of wineries are known for Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. If you like small wineries that offer a unique experience you wont find anywhere else, drive a few hours north of Santiago to the Aconcagua Valley. While youll find several wineries, youll also enjoy the gorgeous scenery the valley is known for, including La Campana National Park and Termas de Jahuel hot springs. Another nearby valley offering great wines plus even more attractions is Colchagua, the origin destination of Chilean cowboy culture. Explore the areas historic traditions and bustling food scene, in addition to the array of red wines and annual harvest festival. If youd rather someone else take care of all the planning, you can find many tour operators in the region who can either guide you around a particular area, or create a custom itinerary based on your interests. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 18 Following instances of fraudulent transactions coming to light, country's largest bank SBI and its associated banks have advised their customers to change debit card Personal Identification Number (PIN) as a precautionary measure. In many cases, the cards were blocked where the customers failed to change their PIN within stipulated time. However, the quantum of number of cards blocked in the northern region could not be ascertained. Many customers also complained that their cards were blocked without prior notice. However, the bank authorities said the customers were informed about the same via SMS. The bank also said those customers with obsolete cards should apply for new cards soon. SBI and associated banks claimed that it sent SMS to their customers to change their PIN. The bank authorities said they were doing this in the wake of number of ATM frauds. A senior official in SBI confirmed the development and said it had come to light that certain fraudulent transactions took place in the US and China, so the bank has sent the SMS to their customers to change their PIN as a precautionary measure. Echoing similar sentiments, a senior official in State Bank of Patiala said, "Some fraudulent transactions were reported in Agra and Kochi. Taking cognisance of this development, we have asked our customers through SMS to change their debit card PIN." Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh (retd) Intergovernmental club memberships differ in composition, objective and criteria's - they may exist as forums for propagating specific commercial interests (e.g. G-8, OPEC), common causes (OIC) or reflective of emerging aspirations (Group of Five or BRICS) etc. The timidity and generalities of "promoting international co-operation", as in the case of the United Nations with 193 active members, is increasingly being criticised for lacking efficacy and representation with the exclusive preserve of the five permanent members (who have the critical "veto" power) to disallow any legitimate case. For instance, China has cocked a snook at the Indian efforts to declare Maulana Azhar Masood a terrorist by becoming the only UNSC member to veto the application. Inability to prevent conflicts or espouse meaningful causes, given the haphazard size and construct of the UN, has led to more focused and limited bodies of interested countries. If G-7 (or G-8, once Russia returns from its suspension for annexing Crimea) is the grouping of the most advanced economies, the G5 is the club of the five largest emerging economies, who have a unique set of aspirations and challenges from say, that of the G-8. The post-cold war era has seen commerce triumph over security, as the principal rationale of national groupings. The acronym, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is attributed to the mercantile vision of the then Goldman Sachs Asset Management Chairman, Jim O'Neill. He foresaw a certain growth trajectory and an inherent scale and potential of the member-states to play a major role in the global order. Representing over 3.7 billion population or half of mankind, 22 per cent of Gross World Product and an inherent growth energy that is fundamentally more powerful than the global growths - it has been posited as the growth engine of the world. However, perhaps more than any other multinational grouping, the dissimilarities of cultural-diplomatic-geographical dimension amongst the BRICS members, is the most pronounced of all groupings? It is perhaps the only club that is based on the promise of tomorrow, as opposed to the immediacy of today. The groupings are also reflective of the times that be, even though the genealogical economic honeymoon of the BRICS has ebbed considerably with Brazil and Russia facing deflation (or stagnation at best), and the fundamentals in China coming under extreme pressure and international hawk eye. BRICS remains an invaluably relevant forum for Russia, which faces international isolation from other multinational platforms, following Crimea and Syria. For India and China, this is a more interactive and focused forum which forces certain positions to be taken. For South Africa and Brazil. as the sole representatives from two continents, it offers "white spots" of commercial arrangements. While not a ranking-based or a region-based composition, it suffers from an "emotional" bind amongst members that could afford the BRICS to take powerful and united positions on global issues. Importantly, all four top heads of states who attended the first BRIC (later BRICS, with the addition of South Africa in 2010) summit in Yekaterinburg in Russia ---- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, Manmohan Singh of India and Hu Jintao of China are not in leadership roles, anymore. The recently concluded BRICS summit in Goa, took place against the dark backdrop of Uri-related "surgical strikes" and the accompanying national narrative of cross-border terrorism. As hosts of the summit, an obvious advantage of steering the "Goa Declaration" had the nations eyeballs stuck on the non-trade related aspects of the summit declaration. It is here, a more sobering verdict emerged with the familiar tactic of "veto" by China, and the reiteration of the cold logic of BRICS, as yet another forum that does not necessarily lead to any immediate thawing, dilution or movements from already established positions. The newsroom-led soap opera led to a premature and exaggerated 'thumbs-up' accorded to the trite and rote language of the forum accepting that there cannot be any political or religious justification to terror. This is not surprising, as China faces Islamist issues in Uighur province, while Russia has the same in Chechenia. It was the missing fine-print of the term "cross-border terrorism," which has singular and damaging implication for Pakistan or the fact that specifics of terror organisations found a mention of "Islamic State", but not the more pertinent and topical, Jaish-e-Mohammed. Ostensibly, a familiar hand of China "vetoed" the consensus of the original draft. Further, China dampened the spirits by retorting to India's attribution to Pakistan as the, "mothership of terrorism", by stating that China was against, "the linking of terrorism to any specific country, ethnicity or religion" and that, "Everyone knows that India and Pakistan are victims of terrorism. Pakistan has made huge efforts and great sacrifices in fighting terrorism. I think the international community should respect this". The lessons from the BRICS summit Goa is to nuance our expectation from every multinational meeting according to the realities of real politik that ultimately prevails over jingoistic fervour and unnecessary expectations. Some issues, however personal and burning to individual nations (like Pakistan-led terrorism for us), are only important to reiterate and state unambiguously, but not necessary to resolve conclusively. A lot of other relevant issues like commerce gets hijacked and become thevictim of the accompanying heat. China's intransigence on India's entry to the NSG, stand on Pakistan or Maulana Azar Masood are complex and rooted in diplomatic calculus of chessboard diplomacy. Like we insist that Pakistan should move beyond the so-called "core issue" of Kashmir to discuss trade, commerce and poverty eradication, likewise expectations from BRICS must set the commercial goalpost of unleashing meaningful trade opportunities. These should not be hampered by minefields of other sensitive issues facing individual member countries. Overt importance to semantical formulation of joint declarations is a frustrating task and the favourite pastime of prime-time news analysts. We must not peg all our efforts and expectations to the vexatious issues of the Sino-Pak relationship, which has logics, doctrines and strategic cords for the two countries, beyond the "non-conflicting" issue of terror, amongst themselves. China is not naive to the role of Pakistan in terror mechanisations, neither is it naive enough to accept the same. BRICS is still a very powerful and transformatory idea, albeit, an unnatural one that is beyond the confines of emotionality. We should play to its cold economic realm and not allow the individual national aspirations to let this grouping become another BRIC in the wall. The writer is a former Governor of Puducherry. Parvesh Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 18 The Haryana Cabinet on Tuesday approved Charkhi Dadri as a new district in the state. Besides, the state Cabinet approved 10 sub-divisions, 10 tehsils and three sub-tehsils during its meeting here. Haryana Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar informed the media about this after the meeting. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) He said the new district would initially have two assembly constituencies. Dhankar said they would give a notice in the newspapers and ask villages to submit proposals if they wanted to be included in the new district. The cabinet also approved new blocks in Jind, Karnal, Kurukshetra and some other districts; a total of 14 new blocks were approved. The new name of Gurgaon as Gurugram was also approved. The Cabinet gave approval to changing the name of the food and civil supply department. It was decided that on November 3 Haryana would organise a meeting of all former MLA and MPs in Chandigarh. The cabinet also approved the appointment of wrestler Geeta Phogat as DSP. Dhankar said the Ambala police commissionerate system stood scrapped; it was done for better policing; whereas Panchkula would remain a police commissionerate. Gurgaon, October 18 Unidentified gunmen shot dead Manish Gujjar, elder brother of jailed gangster Binder Gujjar, here last night. Sources said Manish, 42, was going to collect cash from one of his liquor shops in a car when nearly four-five assailants fired at him in New colony. Manish, his driver Sukhbir and aide Liyakat were injured and rushed to a private hospital where Manish succumbed to his injuries, the police said. Sukhbir and Liyakat were undergoing treatment in the hospital. Four-five gunmen waiting near the liquor vend fired at him while he was in the car. Manish, his driver and another person were rushed to the hospital where Manish died, said a police spokesperson. Manish was a liquor trader and operated several liquor vends in the district. The police said nearly 15 rounds were fired and suspected that the murder was a result of an inter-gang rivalry. Manishs younger brother Binder, a rival of slain gangster Sandeep Gadoli, is serving a term in Bhondsi jail in connection with the murder of property dealer Raju Sethi on November 10, 2015. Agencies Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 18 The ongoing probe into Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwars alleged manhandling took a curious turn today with party MLAs telling senior leader Sushil Kumar Shinde that they wont be able to work with the incumbent state leadership anymore. In a meeting that lasted over two hours, 12 Haryana Congress MLAs minus former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Randeep Surjewala, Kuldeep and Renuka Bishnoi, told Shinde that Tanwar and Congress Legislature Party Leader Kiran Choudhry had vitiated and fabricated the atmosphere so much that it was no longer possible or conducive for them to work with the present state dispensation. The MLAs told Shinde they would not attend the Haryana CLP meeting even though the winter session is starting on November 3. They also said they wont attend any state meeting convened by Tanwar. The lawmakers are learnt to have blamed Kiran and Tanwars irresponsible conduct after the latters October 6 manhandling, with one MLA saying: Instead of controlling the situation, the CLP leader fuelled it to the partys detriment. Shinde had called the MLAs to hear their version about the alleged thrashing of Tanwar by Hooda supporters. The MLAs are learnt to have said that Tanwars supporters had caused sufficient provocation for a clash on October 6 by first not allowing any Hooda hoardings at Bhairon Temple, the site of the clash, and later encouraging his aides to dismantle whatever hoardings there were. Although the MLAs told Shinde what happened with Tanwar was unfortunate and wrong, they asserted that the matter was blown out of proportion with Kiran Choudhry acting as a catalyst. A majority of the MLAs today gave an indirect call for the replacement of Kiran and Tanwar. Many of them also demanded a probe into the scale of Tanwars injuries. Dipender Manta Tribune News Service Mandi, October 18 Launching a veiled attack on Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in the light of the serious corruption charges faced by him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said Himachal had failed to gain from the liberal financial assistance extended by the Centre for which the Congress was answerable to the people. Addressing a well-attended Parivartan rally here, he said it was like homecoming for him who had a close and long association with the state having remained a BJP in-charge of Himachal for six years. He dedicated to the nation three power projects, Kol Dam (800mw), Parbati-III (520 mw) and Rampur project (412 mw). While the two BJP chief ministers Shanta Kumar and PK Dhumal will go down in history for providing water to every home and strengthening road network, I dont need to say what Virbhadra will be known for, he said hitting out at Virbhadra who had been under fire for serious corruption charges. With Assembly elections due in the state the next year, Modi put the entire blame for tardy progress of several projects on the Congress regime. It is owing to the failure of successive Central governments, especially those led by the Congress, that I have been forced to create a special archaeology cell in the Prime Ministers Office to dig out the buried files of announced projects so that they could be initiated, he stated. He hit out at the previous UPA regime for failing to expand the much-needed rail network in Himachal. The state has immense potential in power and tourism sectors and to give a fillip to them we have pushed the Bhanupali-Manali-Leh rail line, he said. The people must ask the Congress regime about the unfulfilled promises and poor governance. Striking an emotional chord with the serving and retired Army personnel, Modi said Himachal was not just Dev Bhoomi, but Vir Bhoomi as every family had given a soldier to the Army. He patted the Army for the surgical strikes and said India had today shown the world its power. All political parties promised one rank-one pension and even allocated Rs 500 crore but when we assessed the situation, the burden was over Rs 10,000 crore. I requested the Army that my regime would give it in four installments and in the first installment Rs 5,500 crore have already been released, he said. Elaborating on the projects sanctioned by his regime for Himachal, he said 61 national highways and four four-lane projects had been sanctioned, besides restoring the special status Himachal enjoyed earlier. The complacency of the state government can be gauged from the fact that hardly any Development Project Report (DPR) of these projects had been prepared so far, he lamented. The Prime Minister said the Centre would provide Rs 72,000 crore to Himachal as allocation under the 15th Finance Commission, which was merely Rs 21,000 crore under the 13th Finance Commission during the UPA regime. He said Himachal is a hilly state, where farmers grow fruit and other cash crops and the Central Government was providing liberal funds to promote food processing units and better packaging system, cold storage, transportation and e-marketing facility. He was accompanied by Union Health Minister JP Nadda, Union Minister of Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal, former Chief Ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar and Himachal MPs Ramswaroop, Virender Kashyap, Anurag Thakur and BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur. Much delayed project NTPCs Kol Dam is one of the costliest and delayed projects. It was conceived in 1962. The project was started in 2000 by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The NTPC has commissioned the Kol Dam on July 18, 2015. The cost of construction has turned out to be Rs 8.75 crore per megawatt that makes it one of the costliest projects in the state. Parbati-III behind time The cost of the NHPC-run 520 mw Parbati-III has turned out to be Rs 2,300 crore that costs the NHPC about Rs 4.42 crore per megawatt. It ran four years behind its schedule. The regulator has yet to the fix the cost as the NHPC has not filed its petition. Rampur unique project The SJVNL-run 412 mw Rampur project on the Satluj in Shimla district is a unique project as it has no dam. It is using the tail water of the Nathpa Jhakri project. Its cost has turned out to be about Rs 4.9 cr per mw Sidelights Himachaliyon ka dil Himalaya se bhi vishaal hai Reminiscing his old association with Mandi, Modi said he was worried that the people of Himachal must be thinking that it took him two-and-a-half years to come to the state. The kind of reception that you have accorded to me here has not just dispelled all my fears but also proved that that Himachaliyon ka dil Himalaya se bhi vishaal hai, he said to the cheering crowd at the Paddal Ground. Mandi aya hoon to sepu vadi to yaad ayegi hei, he said remembering the local dish he savoured often when he was BJP in-charge of Himachal for six years. Akin to Lord Ramas visit to Ayodhya: Dhumal Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal said both BJP Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi considered Himachal as their second home and were fond of the state. Equating Modis visit with Lord Ramas visit to Ayodhya after killing Ravana, he said it was after giving befitting reply to Pakistan by conducting surgical strikes that Modi has come to Mandi. Meri to Sudama wali stithi hai: Ram Swaroop The BJP leaders looked disappointed as not even a single new announcement was made by the PM for the state. The leaders tried to hide their disappointment by stating that Himachal doesnt need to ask for anything as it was already getting preferential treatment as Modi considered the hill state as his second home. Meri to Sudama wali stithi hai jise bin mange he sab kuch mil gaya hai, remarked Mandi MP Ram Swaroop. Stresses on cleanliness Lauding Mandi for doing a great job in the cleanliness campaign, Modi reminded party workers to ensure that the rally venue after the function should be free from plastic bottles and garbage. Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Boniyar (Uri), October 18 The most senior Army officer in Kashmir on Tuesday said the force was prepared to deal with any misadventure from across the Line of Control. The Army is prepared to deal with any misadventure from across the Line of Control, whether it is by the regulars or otherwise, General Officer Commanding of the 15 Corps Lt Gen Satish Dua told reporters on the sidelines of a function in the border area. On the LoC, our preparation has only increased, so we are prepared for both maintaining the sanctity of the LoC and the counter-infiltration. This was Lt General Duas first media interaction after one of the deadliest attacks in Kashmir left 19 soldiers dead. The Special Forces under the command of the 15 Corps executed the surgical strikes on militant launching pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 29. Lt General Dua, however, chose not to divulge any details about the operation. The appropriate authorities have already given out the details, I obviously dont have any different point of view, he said. When asked whether the surgical strikes had made any difference on ground zero, the Corps commander said: We do see a presence (of militants) across the LoC. The very fact that they are infiltrating in different places and several such encounters have taken place is ample proof that they are still there and they continue to make attempts to infiltrate. But we are ready for any challenge, the General said, adding that there has been a spurt in infiltration attempts from across the LoC. I do admit that some infiltration has taken place, but the encounters along the LoC and the number of militants eliminated shows the preparedness of the Army, he said. He said Uri was a sad incident and all necessary precautions had been taken to avert such attacks. Whenever there is any operation or attack, the Army has its mechanisms to learn lessons for improvement. All those things for improvement have been done, he said. The General said a majority of the youth were with the forces and there was no trust deficit between the two. While there were some misguided youths who take part in protests, the majority are with the armed forces. Recently, one of our vehicles met with an accident and our jawans were trapped inside the vehicle. It was the local youths who extricated the jawans. We have conducted some anti-militancy operations recently and the youths did not indulge in stone-throwing after the purpose of the operation was explained to them, he said. M Aamir Khan Tribune News Service Srinagar, October 18 As the BJP held its first convention here today ever since the eruption of the ongoing unrest, Valley-based ground workers spoke about their woes to senior party leaders. The BJP Kashmir unit cadre claimed that it faced security-related problems and was snubbed by the government during the unrest. While the BJP cadre had held a closed-door meeting on October 5, the party held its first major convention today that was attended by all district presidents and several party workers ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wanis killing on July 8 threw normal life out of gear. The BJP Kashmir unit had earlier claimed that 19 of its workers were attacked while others faced security threats as the ongoing unrest entered its 102nd day today. Even though street protests have subsided considerably, the BJP ground workers said they were still facing problems. BJP district president Shopian Javid Qadri said the district officials refused to acknowledge his pleas during the early days of the unrest. We were completely ignoredI was told BJPs ground is in Jammu.even Hurriyat leaders are provided security, he said. Other district presidents of the party too shared similar tales of bureaucracy being inaccessible amid threats to their life during the unrest. However, partys Srinagar district president Fayaz Bhat said it was a matter of happiness that the party had regrouped. Our meeting today is a matter of happinessit means that we stood like a rock, he said. Despite facing problems, Bhat pointed out that nobody from the BJP Kashmir resigned from the (political) party like others. BJP state president Sat Sharma promised the party workers that their concerns would be looked into so that they did not face similar problems in the future. He told the workers that the BJP was still in infancy in Kashmir and they needed to differentiate between the party and the government. BJP general secretary (organisation) Ashok Koul said it was imperative that the workers did not lose patience in testing times while adding that they had to devise a strategy to neutralise the situation. Pertinently, the BJP was endeavouring to strengthen the party base before the eruption of the unrest and had claimed that it had enrolled over 3.3 lakh members in the Valley. The party had even fielded 34 candidates in the last 2014 Assembly elections from the Kashmir region but all of them lost. Srinagar, October 18 Security forces found Chinese flags in raids conducted on suspected militant hideouts in Kashmirs Baramullah on Tuesday, the first time such a recovery has been made in the Valley. Teams that consisted of armymen, police, BSF and CRPF troopers searched more than 700 houses in 10 sensitive areas in the old town of Baramullah among them Qazi Hamam, Ganai Hamam, Taweed Gunj and Jamia that were reportedly being used as "safe havens by terrorists on October 17. Forty-four people were arrested for their suspected involvement in terror-related activities" in the raids that lasted 12 hours. "A large quantity of incriminating material such as petrol bombs, Chinese and Pakistani flags, Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) letter head pads, unauthorised mobile phones and seditious anti-national publicity material were seized," an army spokesperson said. PTI Tribune News Service Jammu, October 18 The Pakistani army again violated the ceasefire agreement on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Nowshera sector by firing 82-mm mortars, automatics and small arms on Monday night. The firing started around 8.30 pm on Monday and continued till 1.30 am today. Public Relations Officer, Defence, Lt Col Manish Mehta said Pakistan resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in the Nowshera sector on Monday night. The firing continued till 1.30 am and the Indian Army responded appropriately. There was no casualty on the Indian side, Lt Col Mehta said. This is the second ceasefire violation since Sunday. The Pakistani army has resorted to unprovoked firing in the Nowshera and Balakote sectors on Sunday in which soldier Sudees Kumar was killed. The Pakistani army has kept the LoC hot since the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on militant launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 28 night. Due to the increasing tension on the LoC, border residents had to relocate to safer places. However, as the situation started improving, people went back to their homes. As Pakistan has again resorted to ceasefire violations, border residents are panicked. There was intense firing and shelling last night. Though there was no loss to life or property, there is panic among the people living close to the LoC, said Surinder Choudhary, MLCfrom the Nowshera area. Tribune News Service Jammu, October 18 Jammu and Kashmir Bank (JKB) plans to restructure its loan recovery mechanism keeping in view the current unrest, especially in the Kashmir valley, and has approached the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for approval. Addressing a press conference, Parvez Ahmed, Chairman and CEO, J&K Bank, said the bank was conscious of the losses suffered by the trade, tourism and other sectors in the state during the last four months, complicating the financial situation in J&K. Executive presidents Vagish Chander and SS Sehgal and senior president Abdul Rashid were also present in the press meet. We have moved an application for appropriate measures to RBI in this regard and the bank is committed to supporting traders and borrowers to tide away the impact of unrest in Kashmir which has hit every aspect of the economy, the chairman said. Describing women as key enablers of empowerment, the chairman announced that the bank in line with Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftis vision would soon be establishing two business units (branches) exclusively for women, one each in Srinagar and Jammu cities. These branches will be run only by women staff and specific schemes will be introduced for women with a special focus on promoting and nurturing entrepreneurship. The loans offered to women will be at concessional rates of interest, Parvez said. On recovering non-performing accounts (NPA), which is close to 10 per cent at the moment, the chairman said the Bank had come up with a new strategy to recover it to improve its balance sheet. The plan includes legal recourse, one-time settlements and Asset Reconstruction Company to improve NPA recovery. Our focus is consolidation and recovery and we are moving towards it, Parvez said. He said specific products for pilgrims from across the country coming for the Amarnath yatra and Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage would be devised on priority. Our focus from now on will be future. We will concentrate on developmental initiatives, potential business areas, social banking, micro-financing to streamline financing structure and customer service upgrade, the chairman said. He stressed on the banks plans to encourage social and cultural enterprises as also entrepreneurship with a view to giving boost to rich art forms, handicrafts and cultural heritage of the state. Maintaining that empowerment is subservient to education, he outlined his strategy to give boost to education finance by making it hassle-free, offering competitive rates of interest, entering into tie-ups with reputed academic and professional institutions across India. Laying emphasis on customer service, Parvez Ahmed announced the establishment of Customer Grievances Redressal Cell in Jammu with immediate effect. On demands from various sections to introduce the Islamic banking system, Parvez Ahmed said J&K Bank was willing to offer Islamic banking to its customers, but proposal had to be first approved by RBI. Dipender Manta Tribune News Service Mandi, October 18 Prime Minister Narendra Modi today equated the Indian Armys surgical strikes across the LoC with Israels exploits. Speaking at his first public meeting in the state on becoming PM, he said the success of these strikes had proved to the world that the Indian forces were second to none. A strong signal has been sent out to the world that the Indian Army is no less than any other in prowess and ability.... it is a proud moment not only for the Army but also for all ex-servicemen and countrymen and my salute to the Army for its valour and courage, the PM said. He was here to dedicate to the people of the state three mega hydel power projects Kol Dam (800 MW), Parbati Stage-3 (520 MW) and Rampur hydel project (412 MW). Underscoring his commitment to the welfare of armed forces, Modi said his government had fulfilled its promise of one-rank, one-pension (OROP) scheme for ex-servicemen, an issue which had been hanging fire for over 40 years. The UPA, he pointed out, had failed to make adequate budgetary provision for the scheme. Himachal Pradesh has a sizeable population of ex-servicemen. The PM blamed successive governments at the Centre for failure to complete projects. I have had to create a cell in my office to trace buried files and give shape to pending projects, he said. With a little over a year left for the HP Assembly elections, Modi hit out at Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. While Shanta Kumar and PK Dhumal are remembered for providing clean drinking water and improving the road network, do I need to mention what Virbhadra Singh will be remembered for, he remarked, an oblique reference to the corruption cases against the CM. Make khadi a fad: PM in Ludhiana Ludhiana: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) had a key role to play in transforming economy. Modi, who was at Punjab Agricultural University to launch the SC/ST Hub and ZED (Zero Defect, Zero Effect) scheme, presented awards to 225 MSME entrepreneurs and gave away wooden charkhas to 500 women. He said the hub aims at promoting entrepreneurship among the SC/ST population and enabling the SC/ST-owned enterprises to participate more effectively in public procurement. Addressing industrialists, he said khadi should be given a boost and SC/STs encouraged to turn entrepreneurs instead of being job-seekers. Khadi for nation was the mantra during the freedom struggle, he said, adding that today, it must be khadi for fashion. He urged the people to buy at least one khadi item this Diwali. Minna Zutshi New Delhi, October 18 Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar told a Parliamentary panel on Tuesday that although the Army had carried out counter-terrorist military strikes in the past, this was the first time the central government made such a military exercise public. The bureaucrat told the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs that the Indian Army has previously carried out such "professionally done, target-specific, limited calibre counter-terrorist operations" strikes across the LoC, sources present at the meeting said. The statement appears to contradict claims of "never-before" strikes made by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Last week, the minister had rejected Congress's claims of having conducted similar military exercises under the UPA regime, calling the previous operations locally executed by commanders without involving the government. Jaishankar also told the committee that although India had been in touch with Pakistan even after the September 29 surgical strikes, they had no calendar drawn up for future talks with Pakistan, sources said. Soon after the operations had ended, the Director General Military Operations of the Pakistan Army was informed about the strikes, the sources claimed. During the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Bipin Rawat also gave details of the strikes targeting terrorist launch pads across the LoC. Government representatives are believed to have told the panel that the strikes have fulfilled their purpose and they would always make Pakistan wary of them. Jaishankar however parried a question on UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistans statements that it witnessed no such strike, instead saying that he would not say anything since the panels chairman Shashi Tharoor had been associated with the body. PTI Singapore, October 18 An Indian-origin man in Singapore was sentenced to six weeks in prison for not performing his national service obligations. Jay Kamal Shah, 22, was handed out the punishment on Monday for not performing the National Service, a statutory requirement for all male Singaporeans to serve in the defence service for two years, The Straits Times reported on Tuesday. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) He completed his studies in India and returned to Singapore in April last year and enlisted for national service about a month later. Shah, who could have been fined up to 10,000 Singapore dollars (USD 7,206) and/or jailed for up to three years, was jailed for six weeks. His lawyer Rajan Supramaniam said in litigation that Shah chose to wait until he had completed his examinations before returning to Singapore to surrender himself so that he would not be considered a drop-out. Requesting the court to impose a fine, the counsel said Shah had done well in national service, and might be considering a career in the army. He also said Shah did not have the benefits and privileges of possessing a Singapore citizenship, having spent his entire life in India. Earlier, he was also given a one-week concurrent jail term for failing to enlist for national service in March last year. His Singaporean mother had tried to apply for his national service deferment, which was rejected. She had also e-mailed the authorities that she wished to renounce her sons Singapore citizenship. PTI Mandi, October 18 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday likened the armys anti-terror surgical strikes to Israels exploits saying the Indian forces had shown they are no less than anybody. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Our armys valour is being discussed across the country these days. We used to hear earlier that Israel has done this. The nation has seen that the Indian army is no less than anybody, he said. Israel is known for its targeted military strikes against enemy countries and militant outfits. Read: Forces have carried out strikes across LoC in past, says Foreign Secretary Modi was speaking at a rally here as he inaugurated three hydro-power projects. The issue of surgical strikes has snowballed into a political row with the opposition accusing the BJP and its government of milking it for political benefits. The charge has been rejected by the BJP, which has insisted that it is taking the issue to the masses to boost the armys morale and highlight the strong political will of the Prime Minister. Underscoring his commitment to the welfare of armed forces, Modi said his government had fulfilled its promise of one rank, one pension for ex-servicemen, an issue which, he said, had been hanging fire for over 40 years. Previous governments, he said, duped the people by making tall claims and some of them even allocated Rs 200 crore-500 crore in this regard but never did an analysis of cost burden and how it could be executed. I did it and was puzzled to find that the economic burden kept rising. It worked to be more than Rs 10,000 crore, he said, adding that it was difficult for any government to make such a big allocation in one go. Modi said he spoke to armed forces and offered to release the money in four instalments to which they agreed. Over Rs 5,500 crore in first instalment has been given. The rest will be too. A promise hanging fire for the last 40 years has been kept, he said. At the Parivartan Rally, Modi also targeted Virbhadra Singh, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, where elections are due late next year, saying BJP chief ministers dedicated themselves to causes like drinking water and roads while the Congress leader was concerned about his own welfare. The BJP has accused Singh of being involved in corruption but the Congress leader has rejected the charges and claimed that he was a victim of political vendetta. PTI Sydney, Australia , Oct. 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heron Resources Limited (ASX:HRR TSX:HER, Heron or the Company) is pleased to provide further assay results from the drilling program recently completed at its wholly-owned Woodlawn Project, located 250km south-west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Significant high-grade assays received from shallow intercepts in the G2 Lens hanging-wall zone:- 8m @ 28% ZnEq [1] from 107m (8.7% Zn, 0.5% Cu, 5.2% Pb, 4.0g/t Au, 326g/t Ag) WNDD0110 Including 3.7m @ 56% ZnEq (18.7% Zn, 1.2% Cu, 10.0% Pb, 6.9g/t Au, 650g/t Ag) WNDD0110 0m @ 10% ZnEq from 140m (7.9% Zn, 0.2% Cu, 0.7% Pb, 0.2g/t Au, 13g/t Ag) WNDD0110 9m @ 9% ZnEq from 160m (5.1% Zn, 0.3% Cu, 2.8% Pb, 0.5g/t Au, 11g/t Ag) WNDD0111 Intercepts represents a significant new high-grade discovery in the hanging-wall of the G2 Lens position Shallow position provides important potential early production benefits for the underground project Drill program continues to demonstrate the Woodlawn mineral system remains open to north-west and south A program of eight diamond holes for 2,527m was completed in early September 2016, targeting extensions to the B Lens at depth and a number of positions around the shallow G2 Lens to add to the early mine inventory. Final assay results for this drilling have now been received. Commenting on these latest results, Heron Resources Managing Director and CEO, Mr Wayne Taylor, said: The zones targeted in this drilling program represent only a small number of the open positions that exist within this extensive mineral system and we are extremely pleased with the results. Notably, they provide evidence that Woodlawn remains open both to the south and north-west. This campaign has been very successful in demonstrating the expansion potential that exists with the delivery of an extension to the B Lens to the north-west, extensions to the shallow G2 Lens south and now the discovery of a high-grade hanging-wall position in the G2 Lens at shallow depth. In addition the very high precious metal content in the hanging-wall is a unique feature to this stratigraphic horizon and remains open in a number of directions. G2 Lens Drilling The G2 Lens is located to the south of the Kate Lens, and adjacent to the planned route of the decline between 100-200m below the surface. Recent drilling has targeted this area for its ability to add immediately to the early mine inventory. New assay results for this area include: 8m @ 28% ZnEq from 107m (8.7% Zn, 0.5% Cu, 5.2% Pb, 4.0g/t Au, 326g/t Ag) WNDD0110 Including 3.7m @ 56% ZnEq% (18.7% Zn, 1.2% Cu, 10.0% Pb, 6.9g/t Au, 650g/t Ag) WNDD0110 0m @ 10% ZnEq from 140m (7.9% Zn, 0.2% Cu, 0.7% Pb, 0.2g/t Au, 13g/t Ag) WNDD0110 9m @ 9% ZnEq from 160m (5.1% Zn, 0.3% Cu, 2.8% Pb, 0.5g/t Au, 11g/t Ag) WNDD0111 The G2 mineralisation typically consists of stringer zinc sulphides (sphalerite) with lesser lead and copper sulphides. However, the upper intercept in WNDD0110 is more typical high-grade polymetallic sulphides (Figure 1) within a broad shallow dipping mineralised envelope that contains the other intercepts (Figures 2 and 3). This represents a new zone of high-grade mineralisation and demonstrates again the discovery potential of the Woodlawn system, in this case, in the sparsely drilled south-western sector. Due to the very high sphalerite content of the high-grade sulphides, this zone returned a weak down hole electro-magnetic (DHEM) response (sphalerite has very low conductivity) and so at this stage without further drilling the size of this high-grade zone is poorly constrained. This high-grade sphalerite occurrence with weak DHEM response may have implications for other areas of prior work. Interestingly, the intercept has some of the highest gold and silver grades recorded at Woodlawn and is representative of a well-defined zone of precious metal enrichment at the G2 Lens hanging-wall contact. The lower intercept (from 140m) in WNDD0110 is more typical G2 Lens stringer sphalerite and is associated with an off-hole EM conductor below the hole (Figure 3) which provides a clear target for future drilling. The intercept in WNNDD0111 is in the plane of the main G2 Lens and provides for continuity of the lens in the down-dip direction. Interpretation The drilling program has expanded the strike extent of the Woodlawn mineral system and results demonstrate that it remains open both to the south and the north-west. This is significant in expanding the lateral footprint from which to make further discoveries and potentially draw new mine production from. Both the B Lens north and G2 Lens positions can be serviced by existing planned capital development as contemplated in the Woodlawn Feasibility Study providing areas for leveraged additions to the mine inventory. The Company is continuing to work on defining the next phase of work to follow-up these results. Figure 1: Selected core from shallow depth in drill hole WNDD0110 showing individual assays of high grade massive sulphides above a zone of stringer sulphides from 113.84m http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a1e13055-e293-4ebd-82cb-c741b68dc135 Figure 2: G2 Lens long-section showing existing lens shape and recent drilling. http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3dced541-cf1a-4c01-85d7-97155f9accee Figure 3: G2 Lens cross-section showing location of DHEM modelled plates. http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a72c8cba-8c4d-495a-a09e-7b8b2bf85fbe About Heron Resources Limited: Herons primary focus is the development of its 100% owned, high grade Woodlawn Zinc-Copper Project located 250km southwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In addition, the Company holds a significant high quality, gold and base metal tenement holding in New South Wales and Western Australia. [1] ZnEq % used in this release refers to the calculated Zn equivalent grade based on the Zn, Cu, Pb, Au and Ag grades, the formula for which is provided at the end of this report. Compliance Statement (JORC 2012 and NI43-101) The technical information in this report relating to the exploration results is based on information compiled by Mr. David von Perger, who is a Member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (Chartered Professional Geology). Mr. von Perger is a full time employee of Heron Resources Limited and has sufficient experience, which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results and qualified person as this term is defined in Canadian National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). Mr. von Perger has approved the scientific and technical disclosure in the news release. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This report contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this report. This forward-looking information includes, or may be based upon, without limitation, estimates, forecasts and statements as to managements expectations with respect to, among other things, the timing and amount of funding required to execute the Companys exploration, development and business plans, capital and exploration expenditures, the effect on the Company of any changes to existing legislation or policy, government regulation of mining operations, the length of time required to obtain permits, certifications and approvals, the success of exploration, development and mining activities, the geology of the Companys properties, environmental risks, the availability of labour, the focus of the Company in the future, demand and market outlook for precious metals and the prices thereof, progress in development of mineral properties, the Companys ability to raise funding privately or on a public market in the future, the Companys future growth, results of operations, performance, and business prospects and opportunities. Wherever possible, words such as anticipate, believe, expect, intend, may and similar expressions have been used to identify such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is given, and on information available to management at such time. Forward-looking information involves significant risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking information. These factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in currency markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, the ability of the Company to access sufficient capital on favourable terms or at all, changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls, regulations, political or economic developments in Canada, Australia or other countries in which the Company does business or may carry on business in the future, operational or technical difficulties in connection with exploration or development activities, employee relations, the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, obtaining necessary licenses and permits, diminishing quantities and grades of mineral reserves, contests over title to properties, especially title to undeveloped properties, the inherent risks involved in the exploration and development of mineral properties, the uncertainties involved in interpreting drill results and other geological data, environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding, limitations of insurance coverage and the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, and should be considered carefully. Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can affect the Companys actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company. Prospective investors should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Although the forward-looking information contained in this report is based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure prospective purchasers that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither the Company nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. No stock exchange, regulation services provider, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this report. Appendix 1 Drill hole details for diamond drill holes completed as part of the Phase III drill campaign. Hole No. WMG East (m) WMG North (m) WMG RL (m) Surface Dip WMG Surface Azimuth EOH Depth (m) Target WNDD0105 8973 19718 2786 -70 076 633.7 Northern B Lens horizon WNDD0106 9187 19202 2795 -60 115 167.0 G2 Lens down plunge WNDD0107 9187 19202 2795 -67 088 170.0 G2 Lens down plunge WNDD0108 8974 19720 2786 -75 090 633.8 B Lens south WNDD0105 WNDD0109 9153 19217 2791 -68 132 255.7 G2 Lens down-dip WwwwWWWNDD0106 WNDD0110 9175 19206 2795 -72 105 222.7 G2 Lens down-dip WNDD0111 9170 19211 2795 -72 83 205.1 G2 Lens down-dip WNDD0110 CHDD0001 10541 21967 2825 -60 80 238.8 Targeting EM plate Notes: WMG = Woodlawn Mine Grid Assays results for diamond drill holes completed as part of the Phase III drill campaign. Hole No From (m) To (m) Downhole Width (m) Estimated True Width (m) ZnEq% Zn (%) Cu (%) Pb (% Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) WNDD0105* 526.0 527.5 1.5 1.2 5.2 3 0.2 1.1 0.1 18 WNDD0105* 537.7 542.2 4.5 3.6 5.8 2.3 0.8 0.5 0.2 13 WNDD0106* 132.7 143.6 10.9 8.7 11 6.3 3.3 0.5 0.1 10 WNDD0107* 121.0 122.0 3.0 2.4 2.9 1.7 0.18 0.11 0.28 10 WNDD0107* 141.0 144.1 3.1 2.4 2.0 1.2 0.1 0.06 0.22 3.0 WNDD0108* 552.2 554.6 2.5 2.0 20 7.7 1.3 3.9 1.8 100 WNDD0108*^ 569.4 580.6 11.2 9.0 8.4 3.4 0.94 1.7 0.12 21 Including: WNDD0108*^ 574.9 580.6 5.7 4.6 14 6.1 1.4 3.2 0.18 35 WNDD0110 107.2 117.0 9.8 7.8 28 8.7 0.5 5.2 4.0 326 WNDD0110 139.7 145.7 6.0 4.8 10 7.9 0.2 0.7 0.2 13 WNDD0110 161.4 162.6 1.2 1.0 8.9 6.2 0.8 0.2 0.0 4.5 WNDD0111 160.3 163.2 2.9 2.3 9.0 5.1 0.3 2.8 0.5 11 CHDD0001 200.0 206.7 6.6 5.3 4.7 1.8 0.4 0.6 0.5 25 Notes: True width is an estimate of the actual thickness of the intercept based on interpreted lens orientation (approximately 80% to 90% of downhole width, with 80% used in this table as a general guide); unless noted grades are weighted average grades, weighted by length of samples intervals downhole, which are nominally 1 metre. No weighting was applied for differences in specific gravity; * Previously reported results; ^ SG weighted grades used due to significant differences in SG of individual samples. Zinc equivalent calculation The zinc equivalent ZnEq calculation takes into account, mining costs, milling costs, recoveries, payability (including transport and refining charges) and metal prices in generating a Zinc equivalent value for Au, Ag, Cu, Pb and Zn. ZnEq = Zn%+Cu%*3.12+Pb%*0.81+*Au g/t*0.86+Ag g/t*0.03. Metal prices used in the calculation are: Zn US$2,300/t, Pb US$ 2,050/t, Cu US$6,600/t, Au US$1,250/oz and Ag US$18/oz. It is Herons view that all the metals within this formula are expected to be recovered and sold. JORC 2012 Table 1 Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data (Criteria in this section applies to all succeeding sections) Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Sampling techniques Nature and quality of sampling (eg cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling. Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used. Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report. Samples from the diamond-core holes are being taken from mostly HQ3 and NQ3 sized core and sampled on a nominal 1 metre basis taking into account smaller sample intervals up to geological contacts. The core is cut in half along the core orientation line (where available) and in massive sulphide zones one portion is quartered for assaying, half the core is preserved for metallurgical testing and the remaining quarter is retained as reference material in the core trays. In non-massive sulphide material half core is sampled. These sampling methods are standard industry methods and are believed to provide acceptably representative samples for the type of mineralisation encountered. Drilling techniques Drill type (eg core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc) and details. Diamond-core drilling is being undertaken by Sandvik UDR650 rigs with mostly HQ3 sized core being drilled. Various techniques are employed to ensure the hole is kept within limits of the planned position. The core is laid out in standard plastic cores trays. Drill sample recovery Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed. The core is transported to an enclosed core logging area and recoveries are recorded. Recoveries to date have been better than 95%. The core is orientated where possible and marked with 1 metre downhole intervals for logging and sampling. Logging Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies. The diamond core is geologically logged by qualified geologists. Geotechnical logging is also being undertaken on selected sections of the core. Samples for metallurgical testing are being kept in a freezer to reduce oxidation prior to being transported to the metallurgical laboratory. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique. All core samples are crushed then pulverised in a ring pulveriser (LM5) to a nominal 90% passing 75 micron. An approximately 250g pulp sub-sample is taken from the large sample and residual material stored. A quartz flush (approximately 0.5 kilogram of white, medium-grained sand) is put through the LM5 pulveriser prior to each new batch of samples. A number of quartz flushes are also put through the pulveriser after each massive sulphide sample to ensure the bowl is clean prior to the next sample being processed. A selection of this pulverised quartz flush material is then analysed and reported by the lab to gauge the potential level of contamination that may be carried through from one sample to the next. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total. Nature of quality control procedures adopted (eg standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (ie lack of bias) and precision have been established. Sample preparation and assaying is being conducted through ALS Laboratories, Orange, NSW with certain final analysis of pulps being undertaken at the ALS Laboratory in Brisbane QLD. Gold is determined by 30g fire assay fusion with ICP-AES analysis to 1ppb LLD. Other elements by mixed acid digestion followed by ICP-AES analysis. Laboratory quality control standards (blanks, standards and duplicates) are inserted at a rate of 5 per 35 samples for ICP work. Verification of sampling and assaying The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel. Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols. Discuss any adjustment to assay data. An internal review of results was undertaken by Company personnel. No independent verification was undertaken at this stage. All field and laboratory data has been entered into an industry standard database using a contract database administrator (DBA) in the Companys Perth office. Validation of both the field and laboratory data is undertaken prior to final acceptance and reporting of the data. Quality control samples from both the Company and the Laboratory are assessed by the DBA and reported to the Company geologists for verification. All assay data must pass this data verification and quality control process before being reported. Location of data points Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation. The drill collars were initially located with a combination of handheld GPS and licenced surveyor using a DGPS system, with accuracy of about 1m. The final drill collars are picked up by a licenced surveyor with accuracy to 1 centimetre. While drilling is being undertaken, downhole surveys are conducted using a downhole survey tool that records the magnetic azimuth and dip of the hole. These recordings are taken approximately every 30 metres downhole. Where possible holes are also being surveyed with gyroscopic methods, with some 80 percent of holes drilled in the current program also surveyed by this method after drilling has been completed. Data spacing and distribution Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results. Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied. Whether sample compositing has been applied. The diamond drilling is mostly following-up in various directions from previous intercepts with a nominal spacing in the range 30-40m. This drill hole spacing will be sufficient to provide Mineral Resource estimates in the future. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type. The drilling orientation is designed to intersect the mineralised lenses at a close to perpendicular angle. The mineralised lenses are dipping at approximately 50-70 degrees to the west and the drilling is approximately at 60 degrees to the east. This will vary from hole to hole. Sample security The measures taken to ensure sample security. Samples are being secured in green plastic bags and are being transported to the ALS laboratory in Orange, NSW via a courier service or with Company personnel/contractors. Audits or reviews The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data. A review and assessment of the laboratory procedures was under taken by Company personnel in late 2014 resulting in some changes to their sample pulverising procedure. Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results (Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.) Bhubaneswar, October 18 Four people have been arrested in connection with a huge fire at a private hospital that killed 22 people, police said on Tuesday. Superintendent of Sum Hospital was among the four detained, police said. Odisha Government registered two FIRs for negligence against the hospital. It has also instituted an administrative inquiry into the incident. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) ACP PK Patnaik said that some organisations such as the NSUI have also lodged complaints against the hospital. Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the Joint Director of DMET lodged the FIR against the hospital for alleged violation of provisions under Odisha Clinic and Establishment Act, 1992. The DMET's decision to file FIR with police was taken at a meeting attended by the minister, health secretary, DMET and RDC, said a senior official. "The DMET had earlier issued guidelines to hospitals and clinical establishments across the state asking them to put in place fire safety measures. Licenses of those found flouting these guidelines will be cancelled," he said. The FIR lodged by Fire Service alleged negligence on the part of hospital authorities and claimed that fire safety norms were violated. Fire extinguishing equipment and water storage as per fire safety guidelines issued to hospitals and clinical establishments by the fire service department in 2013 were inadequate at the fire- ravaged hospital, it claimed. Director General (Fire Services) Binay Beherasaid a report about the incident would be submitted to the government very soon. PTI Amir Tantray Tribune News Service Jammu, October 18 Violating the ceasefire, Pakistani troops fired from small arms and shelled mortar bombs on forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from Indian troops. There was ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Naushera sector of Rajouri district, a Defence spokesman said. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Pakistani troops fired 82 mm mortar bombs, used small and automatic weapons in the firing on forward Indian posts in Laam Battalion area in Naushera from 2030 hours to 0130 hours, the spokesman said. Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured. A few rounds were also fired in Naushera sector late Monday night. There have been 29 ceasefire violations along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes by the Army in PoK to dismantle terror launching pads. On October 16, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire twice along the LoC in Naushera and Rajouri sectors in which one jawan was martyred. On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along the Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Poonch district resulting in injuries to a jawan. Pakistani troops on October 5 had violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts. Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shells in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts. They shelled mortar bombs and opened fire from small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district. Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times and restored to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district. On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling along the LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district. On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS. With PTI New Delhi, October 18 A Delhi court on Tuesday decided against summoning Union Minister Smriti Irani, who has been accused of lying about her educational qualifications to the Election Commission of India. In June last year, freelance writer Ahmer Khan had accused Irani of providing contradictory affidavits about her educational qualifications during different elections. Following the courts direction, Delhi University had also submitted that the documents pertaining to Iranis BA course in 1996, mentioned by her in an affidavit filed during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, were yet to be found. However, while filing affidavit in her Rajya Sabha nomination papers from Gujarat in 2011, she said her highest educational qualification was B Com, Part 1 (correspondence course) from Delhi University. ANI Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 18 Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi today arrived in the capital on a State visit and met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and President Pranab Mukherjee. Suu Kyi had attended the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach Summit in Goa over the weekend and her visit to the capital assumes significance in light of the fact that she has already visited China where she was accorded a welcome usually reserved for Heads of State. For India, Suu Kyis visit provides a perfect opportunity for both nations to build a foundation for the future, even as the shadow of China grows in the region. During her meeting with the President, Mukherjee congratulated her on her partys victory in the general elections held in Myanmar last year and also complimented her on the role she played in Myanmars path to democracy. She will meet PM Narendra Modi tomorrow. New Delhi, October 18 Myanmars State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi will call on President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. She will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the last day of her visit on Wednesday. After attending the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit in Goa on Monday, Suu Kyi met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence. Suu Kyi is accompanied by several ministers and senior officials and her visit will provide an opportunity to discuss issues of mutual interest and seek to further strengthen the close and friendly ties that exist between the two countries. ANI Simran Sodhi Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 18 India today again used the BRICS forum to hit out at Pakistan for state-sponsored terrorism. Addressing a BRICS forum today, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said there must be a cost for those who support terrorists and make a false distinction between good and bad terrorists. Her remarks were an obvious reference to Pakistan and her speech reflected a continuation of Indias policy of targeting Pakistan at the BRICS platform. But what should give India a cause to pause is the fact that among the BRICS grouping Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa two main countries Russia and China have refused to go along with India on this line. Sources in the government confirm that China was the main opposition to Indias attempts to include Pakistan-based terrorist groups in the Goa Declaration. While India was keen to have the names of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in the declaration, it was China that wanted a more general statement on terror. In the case of Russia, India expected some form of backing but to its surprise, Russia maintained silence on the Indian line against Pakistan. Even after the fiasco in Goa where both China and Russia made it clear that they were unwilling to go along with India on its anti-Pakistan tirade, the continuation of the policy by Swaraj today was a surprise. At a media forum in the capital, Swaraj said: The BRICS Summit saw a growing recognition that there cannot be business as usual when it comes to dealing with terrorism. There is a growing recognition that terror has become a truly global challenge. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, over the weekend, raised the issue of Pakistan terror repeatedly using the BRICS and later the BRICS-BIMSTEC Summits as international fora to highlight cross-border terrorism. That is a different story that there were few takers for Indias line. Mumbai, October 18 Under pressure over opposition to the upcoming release of his film "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" that features a Pakistani actor, director Karan Johar on Tuesday said he will not engage with talent from Pakistan in future and made a fervent appeal against stalling the blockbuster. Raj Thackeray-led MNS and some other political parties have opposed release of films with actors from Pakistan after the Uri terror attack, putting a question mark on the fate of Johar's movie, slated for a pre-Diwali release on October 28. The Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India too decided not to screen films with Pakistani actors in four states -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. In a short video statement, Johar, 44, said his country comes first for him and while he understands the sentiments, hampering the release of the movie will actually hurt 300-strong Indian crew of the movie. "I understand the sentiments because I feel the same. Going forward, of course, I would like to say that I would not engage with the talent from the neighbouring country given the circumstance. "But with that same energy I beseech you that over 300 Indians in my crew have put their blood, sweat and tears in my film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' and I don't think it is fair to them to face any kind of turbulance on account of other fellow Indians," he said. Johar's film starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is facing trouble for Pakistani actor Fawad Khan's extended cameo. Johar also said he stayed silent because he felt a "deep sense of hurt and pain" to be questioned about his patriotism. Johar said the country comes first to him and he has always kept that over and above everything, so, it is wrong to question his patriotism. "There has been some talk about why I have remained silent for past two weeks. Today I would like to clarify that the reason why I remained silent is because of the deep sense of hurt and pain that I felt. There are few people who actually believe that I am being anti-national. "I need to say this and I say this with strength that for me my country comes first. Nothing else matters to me but my country. I have always felt that the best way to express your patriotism is to spread love and that's all I have ever tried to do through my work and my cinema, he added." "When I shot my film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' in September to December last year, the climate was completely different, the circumstances were completely different. There were efforts made by our government for peaceful relations with the neighbouring country and I respected those endevours and efforts then and I respect the sentiments today," Johar said. Johar said he condemns any form of terrorism and salutes the Indian army for their role in protecting the nation. "I respect the Indian Army, I salute the Indian Army for everything they do to protect us in our environment. I respect them with all my heart and I say that I condemn any form of terrorism and especially the terrorism that would affect people of my country and me." MNS has threatened to vandalise multiplexes if "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" is screened. Considering the threat, a team from Johar's Dharma Productions along with filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt and Vijay Singh of Fox Star Studios met Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar and Joint Police Commissioner (law and order) Deven Bharti, and sought protection for the theatres to screen the film. Mukesh is the president of Film & Television Producers Guild of India while Fox Star Studios is distributing the film. Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe assured that "Mumbai police will provide adequate protection to cinema theatres as and when required." After the ultimatum by MNS and mounting Indo-Pak tension, Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association passed a motion to ban artistes from Pakistan but they said the ban will not affect the films that were already made. PTI The 160 files related to the Lahore Conspiracy Case of 1929, in which Bhagat Singh and his 15 comrades faced trial, have finally been accessed by an Indian historian at the Punjab State Archives in Lahores Anarkali Bazaar. The Tribune, in the second of a four-part series, throws light on the notes prepared by the president of the special tribunal on the martyrs and co-accused Sarika Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 17 Sukhdev is an old revolutionary. Acting behind the scenes as organiser, had influence over Bhagat Singh brought many recruits into conspiracy, driving force behind, not physically courageous, responsible for organising principal of Saunders murder. That is how GC Hilton, president of the special tribunal constituted for the trial in the 1929 Lahore Conspiracy Case, described martyr Sukhdev in his notes. Though some of Hiltons observations, which made it to the judgment order under which Bhagat Singh and his comrades were hanged, were brought in the public domain by Chandigarh-based historian Malwinderjit Singh Waraich and publisher Harish Jain in their series of books, The Hanging of Bhagat Singh, it wasnt known that all his notes were part of official records. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) This is part of file 64-II Manuscript Notes of the Honourable President Mr Justice Hilton Ending on 7/10/30 and is one of the 160 files lying at the Punjab State Archives, Lahore. Dr Aparna Vaidik, associate professor of history at a private university in Haryana, has gained access to the files for the first time. Hiltons notes number 1,042 pages. Hilton alludes to the extent of Sukhdevs influence over Bhagat Singh. He writes that one of the two leaders in Punjab, Sukhdev had great influence over Bhagat Singh. Sukhdev the brains, Bhagat Singh the right arm. Bhagat Singh connected with every place from Rawalpindi to Calcutta and with every scheme. The life soul of the conspiracy, Saunders murder, main thing against him Part of the above note was in the judgment order. Addressing martyr Rajguru, with his partys code name M, he writes: M comes in to [be] a gunman to commit murder. He has guns wherever he goes. Vaidik found that Hilton also wrote that BK Sinha was an organiser, suggestive speaker, cross-examiner and a man of ability (a journalist) who arranged the Delhi meeting. However, he notes that the evidence [is] not voluminous in proportion with his importance. Judges private notes never come to public domain. Even Hiltons notes are not available anywhere. There can be interesting information in them, says Waraich. Besides Hiltons notes, the files contain details of the people who were issued passes to attend the trial proceedings. File 86 has a list of around such 110 people. They included press reporters and family members, along with members of the defence committee that comprised prominent citizens to run campaigns in the revolutionaries defence. Passes were issued with the photograph pasted on them. The files also contain zimni (interim) orders passed by the magistrate on the revolutionaries applications and petitions and the day-to-day events. Manish Sirhindi Tribune News Service Patiala, October 18 The court of Additional Sessions and District Judge Mohammad Gulzar on Tuesday acquitted Kobad Ghandy, an alleged leader of banned CPI (Maoist), of all charges in a six-year-old case. He was booked by police in 2010 for delivering two anti-national speeches at Punjabi University. After his acquittal by the court, Ghandy disassociated himself from the banned outfit. I was never a member of any banned outfit and this has been proved both in Delhi and Patiala courts, he said. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Arguing for Ghandy, defence counsel Brijinder Singh Sodhi brought to fore the shoddy credentials of one of the prosecution witnesses, who he claimed was already facing multiple criminal cases and had even been awarded life term by a court. Sodhi pleaded that such witnesses had personal interests of getting concessions from the police and they had given statements under pressure. Another witness refused to identify Ghandy as the one who had delivered a speech on the university campus. The defence also challenged the prosecutions failure of producing even a single university employee to testify against Ghandy. The prosecution had a list of 13 witnesses out of which one could not be produced and was shown as untraceable. Ghandy had been booked in January 2010 by Patiala Sadar police under Sections 10, 13, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Sections 419 and 120-B of the IPC for holding meetings on the premises of Punjabi University in April and May 2009 to allegedly promote the Maoist ideology. He was brought here from Cherlapally Central Jail, Telangana, on September 27 this year and the case was concluded in 20 days as the hearing was held on day-to-day basis. Earlier in May, one of his associates, Bacha Yadav who was also facing charges under UAPA was discharged by the same court for want of prosecution sanction, which was to come from by the Union government. He was released from Central Jail, Patiala, in June. Ghandy was arrested by the Delhi police in September 2009. He had later moved a bail plea in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which was rejected. He had pleaded that he was booked for delivering a lecture on the Punjabi University campus in April and May 2009 and at that time CPI (Maoist) was not banned. The organisation was banned in June 22, 2009, he had argued. In June this year, a Delhi court had also acquitted Ghandy of charges under Section 20 and 38 (member of banned outfit and furthering its activities) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), but convicted him of cheating, forgery and impersonation under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Following conviction, he was shifted to Cherlapally Central Jail. Jupinderjit Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 18 A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the death sentence of two men convicted of kidnapping and killing the son of a Hoshiarpur-based goldsmith in 2005. The two convicts, Jasbir Singh and his brother-in-law, Vikram Singh, whose mercy petition was recently rejected by the President, were due to be hanged this week. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The two were convicted of kidnapping and then murdering Abhi Verma (16), son of goldsmith Ravi Verma in 2005. The bench headed by Justice Deepak Mishra, including Justice AM Khanwalkar and Justice Amitav Roy, stayed the death sentence. The bench is hearing a review petition of their mercy plea. The Punjab Prison Department had summoned a hangman from Uttar Pradesh to carry out the execution later this week. BS Baloria, advocate for the convicts, said the court had stayed the sentence till further orders. Jasbir and Vikram Singh, along with formers wife Sonia, had been awarded death sentence by a Hoshiarpur court in September 2005. They had demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh from Abhis father Ravi Verma. Abhi was injected with chloroform and fortwin in heavy doses after tying his both hands and legs and sealing his mouth with a tape to prevent detection of offence. Trial demonstrates capability of next-generation copper technologies to deliver future high-capacity ultra-broadband services and applications Technology positions nbn for network evolution to meet future ultra-broadband demand Espoo, Finland - Nokia and nbn have announced the successful completion of an XG-FAST trial that achieved throughput speeds of 8 Gigabits per second (Gbps) in lab conditions. The lab trial demonstrated the capability of XG-FAST to meet nbn's future demands for high-quality Internet services using widely deployed copper infrastructure. XG-FAST, a Nokia Bell Labs-developed extension of Nokia's commercially available G.fast technology, enables service providers to generate fiber-like speeds of more than 10Gbps over short distances using existing copper infrastructure. With a significant proportion of nbn's nationwide broadband network rollout being completed using existing copper networks, XG-FAST is being tested as a potential asset for future upgrades. The XG-FAST trial conducted in nbn's North Sydney-based lab facilities generated peak aggregate data throughput speeds of more than 8 Gbps over a 30-meter twisted-pair copper cable typically deployed in field. A 5Gbps peak aggregate speed was achieved over 70 meters of twisted-pair copper cable. Dennis Steiger, CTO at nbn said: "Although XG-FAST is still in its very early stages of development, the lab trials we have conducted demonstrate the huge potential that the technology offers. XG-FAST gives us the ability to deliver multi-gigabit speeds over copper lines - virtually on a par with what is currently available on Fiber-to-the-Premises - but at a lower cost and time to deploy. We are really thrilled to be the third operator in the global market to run lab trials of XG-FAST, following in the footsteps of BT last year and Deutsche Telekom in February. This shows that nbn is committed to delivering Australians the best possible broadband experience on the nbn(TM) network." Federico Guillen, president of Nokia's Fixed Networks business group, said: "nbn's flexible approach to network architecture makes it perfectly suited to future upgrades based on emerging technologies like XG-FAST, which is designed to provide high-quality, multi-gigabit broadband over short cable distances. We are committed to further developing the technology to eventually support 2Gbps or more at 100 meters, enabling longer distances to effectively cover buildings and clusters of homes without the need to rewire. Nokia will continue to work with nbn to ensure they see the latest developments and technology innovation to evolve their network and deliver ultra-broadband to more people sooner." Did you know? Technologies such as G.fast and XG-FAST use the last section of existing copper networks to deliver fiber-like speeds to homes and offices. XG-FAST is in the early stages of lab testing, but has exceeded expectations in trials with several customers so far. Nokia has over 42 G.fast customer trials and deployments worldwide including commercial deployments with BT Openreach, Chunghwa Telecom, Telekom Austria and Energia XG-FAST was successfully tested by BT and Deutsche Telekom. About Nokia Nokia is a global leader in the technologies that connect people and things. Powered by the innovation of Nokia Bell Labs and Nokia Technologies, the company is at the forefront of creating and licensing the technologies that are increasingly at the heart of our connected lives. With state-of-the-art software, hardware and services for any type of network, Nokia is uniquely positioned to help communication service providers, governments, and large enterprises deliver on the promise of 5G, the Cloud and the Internet of Things. http://nokia.com Media Enquiries: Communications Phone: +358 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com Chicago, October 18 In another gaffe, an Indian-origin Sikh in the US was misidentified as a Muslim supporter of Donald Trump in flyers distributed by the Republican presidential nominees campaign, a media report said on Tuesday. Gurinder Singh Khalsa, a resident of Fishers city in Indiana who immigrated to the US from India, featured in the handbill advertisement with the word Muslim superimposed above his picture, WTHR TV channel reported. The flyers, distributed in Ohio to canvass for Trump, claimed that Khalsa was a Muslim Trump supporter. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) I am not Muslim and I am not supporting Trump, he was quoted as saying by the channel. He (Trump) is putting my picture, saying Muslims support him and I have nothing to do with it. I do not support Trump. Nobody even asked me to put that picture there. It was shocking, disturbing and this will create more confusion among people because they are sending it nationwide, he said. Khalsa, who founded the Sikh Political Action Committee--a non-partisan group encouraging state lawmakers to include Sikhs in the conversation--said Sikhs had been mistaken as radical Islamists and had been targeted by hate crimes. He said the committee wanted to teach the public who they were, why they had beards and wore turbans. It is designed to help Americans understand the differences between his Sikh religion and others from around the world. Khalsa said he knew he had to work to educate the general public, but now we have to work hard to get national-level politicians and the presidential candidate, he does not know the difference between Muslims and Sikhs and that is most disturbing. There have been many gaffes from Trump, 70, and his campaign in the past. Earlier, Trumps refusal to back same-sex marriage on the basis that he only supported traditional unions was undermined when a TV journalist asked him what was traditional about marrying three times. Trump had created an uproar when he said, When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. PTI Singapore: An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to six weeks in prison for not performing his national service obligations. Jay Kamal Shah, 22, was handed out the punishment for not performing the National Service, a statutory requirement for all male Singaporeans to serve in the defence service for two years. PTI Tallest lego building structure in Dubai Dubai: An amusement park in Dubai claims to have unveiled the worlds tallest lego building structure, a model based on the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, designed and built using 4,39,000 lego bricks with a height of 17 metres. Weighing a tonne and built in over 5,000 hours, the replica is part of Dubai Parks and Resorts, the integrated theme park destination. PTI London, October 18 Son of a former Sri Lankan cabinet minister studying at the prestigious London School of Economics was found dead after a brief illness here in the UK. Adhil Bakeer Markar, a masters student tipped to become future leader of Sri Lanka, was found lying unconscious in his room by his friends last week and later declared dead, police said. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) He was the son of Sri Lankan politician Imthiaz Bakeer Markar, chairman of the countrys National Media Centrea project established to monitor the countrys media. His father has also served as Sri Lankas cabinet minister of media. According to a report, the LSE student who represented the next generation of Sri Lankan political leaders, was found dead in his room after going to bed complaining of a fever. Friends became worried about Markar when he did not answer phone calls. When they went to his dorm residence, they opened the door with the help of university officials and found him sprawled on the floor. Markar had complained of being ill, but when he spoke with one of his brothers last Tuesday, had said, I am recovering and will be OK. Markar was attending the University on a Chevening Scholarship, a prestigious award for future leaders funded by the UKs Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He had just begun studying for a Masters in Comparative Politics in September. Last year, he had represented the Sri Lanka Youth Delegation at the UN. Other Sri Lankan youth delegates posted a video calling his death a great loss for our nation and community. Scotland Yard is not investigating his death and believe it is not suspicious. His body was discovered on October 12. The LSE posted a memorial online. Sri Lanka lost one of talented young future leaders and academics, wrote a member of the UKs Sri Lankan community. PTI Paris, October 18 UNESCO's executive board approved a resolution that Israel says denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem, Temple Mount and Western Wall, and that has angered Israel's government and many Jews around the world. The board adopted the measure by consensus at its morning session at Paris-based UNESCO. A draft form of the resolution had already been approved by a commission last week. The resolution is not expected to have direct impact on Jerusalem itself, but it deepened tensions within UNESCO, which is also facing a diplomatic dispute between Japan and China that threatens funding. The resolution, titled "Occupied Palestine," is the latest of several measures at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation over decades that Israelis see as evidence of ingrained anti-Israel bias within the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters. Israel's concern has mounted since UNESCO states admitted Palestine as a member in 2011. Israel last week suspended its ties with UNESCO over the draft resolution, which uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims. The site includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray. Israel had already suspended its funding to UNESCO when Palestinian membership was approved, along with the United States, which used to provide 22 percent of the agency's budget. The longstanding dispute is also linked to Israel's refusal to grant visas to UNESCO experts to go in the country and assess the level of preservation of the holy sites in Jerusalem. And now Japan, UNESCO's second-biggest funder, is threatening to halt funding. Japan announced last week it has withheld its annual UNESCO dues, saying it wants to make sure the UN body properly functions to foster trust among member nations. The decision is believed linked to UNESCO's listing last year of Chinese Rape of Nanking documents as a memory of the world. AP Press Release Nokia to modernize STC's mobile broadband network, expand coverage and capacity, and optimize network resources using 4.5G features such as carrier aggregation Initial deployment supports millions of visitors to Mecca, meeting peak 4G traffic demands which increased by 600 percent compared to 2015 18 October 2016 Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Nokia and STC have signed an agreement to expand high-speed mobile broadband capacity and coverage in Saudi Arabia using Nokia's 4.5G technology. The enhanced network will meet the ever-increasing demands of subscribers across the country, including the millions of visitors who travel to the cities of Mecca and Medina each year, particularly during the Hajj and Ramadan seasons. Nokia's 4.5G technology leverages techniques such as carrier aggregation to optimize network resources and boost speeds to meet growing data demands. Data traffic has increased in Saudi Arabia following the expansion of 4G, with the network in Mecca and Medina in particular experiencing spikes in demand. Nokia has already completed the first phase of the deployment in Mecca and Medina, where the company was asked to dramatically increase capacity. Using 4.5G technology, including Saudi Arabia's first indoor small cells deployment, STC managed the huge traffic demands during this year's Hajj pilgrimage, which during peak times recorded an increase in 4G traffic of 600 percent compared to 2015. Nokia will continue to deploy its 4.5G macro and small cell radio access network and microwave packet radio technology to provide ubiquitous coverage and faster access to the Internet across the country. This will allow STC to launch new services and expand the delivery of voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) to more subscribers. This agreement continues a long history of collaboration between Nokia and STC. Nokia has defined a path to 5G that allows leading operators such as STC to take advantage of major increases in speed and capacity where and when they need it using 4.5G, 4.5G Pro and 4.9G technologies. About the solution: Expansion of 4G network using Nokia 4.5G radio access network technology with macro and small cell base stations and software upgrades across the installed network base including TD-LTE carrier aggregation techniques Nokia Microwave Packet Radio Nokia turnkey services, network implementation and network planning and optimization, Care and Managed Services. Nokia NetAct network management technology Dr. Khaled Biyari, STC CEO, said: "We are committed to delivering the best possible customer experience to our subscribers. By delivering the latest mobile broadband technology from Nokia, we can meet the demands of the people of Saudi Arabia as well as the millions of visitors that arrive in the country each year." Amr El Leithy, head of Middle East and Africa at Nokia, said: "At Nokia we are constantly innovating to help customers optimize resources as they evolve to meet subscriber demand in the most cost-effective way. Our 4.5G technology is an example of this, and by employing our deep-rooted services expertise we will quickly roll out the technologies that will allow STC to meet the next phase of subscriber demand." Photo: Nokia and STC sign agreement Resources: Connect with Nokia: Subscribe to receive information on specific areas of interest Website Blog LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Instagram Periscope YouTube Glassdoor Tags: LTE, LTE-A, TD-LTE, 4G About Nokia Nokia is a global leader in the technologies that connect people and things. Powered by the innovation of Nokia Bell Labs and Nokia Technologies, the company is at the forefront of creating and licensing the technologies that are increasingly at the heart of our connected lives. With state-of-the-art software, hardware and services for any type of network, Nokia is uniquely positioned to help communication service providers, governments, and large enterprises deliver on the promise of 5G, the Cloud and the Internet of Things. www.nokia.com Media Enquiries: Kannan K Media Relations Phone: +971 529 823 406 E-mail: kannan.k@nokia.com Communications Phone: +358 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com MIAMI, Oct. 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cellacore, Inc., the automotive industrys leading provider of Product Information Management (PIM) software, today announced that ThyssenKrupp BILSTEIN of America, Inc. has selected Product Desk to power and manage their online product catalog. By standardizing product data on one enterprise platform, Product Desk offers real-time access to product data for improved search and delivery capabilities across automotive application and fitment data. BILSTEIN will implement Product Desk as the foundation to their online catalog and customer ordering portal. The enhanced online catalog will go-live early Q2 2017 allowing both end consumers and BILSTEIN dealers to find their products faster with enhanced product content. Product Desk will allow us to manage our product data coming from multiple systems on the same platform that will drive our online catalog, stated Stan Demas, Head of Product Management, ThyssenKrupp BILSTEIN of America, Inc. The technology and toolset behind Product Desk allows us to enhance our online catalog with new ways to search, enhanced digital asset content, improved customer portal interactions to streamline product and sales information. Cellacores approach to product search powered by Product Desk is something we have not seen before in the automotive aftermarket industry. Powering online product data catalogs is just one way companies can use Product Desk to revolutionize their business, said Tony Minock, CEO & Co-Founder of Cellacore. With the modern architecture of Product Desk, we can serve up product data, fitment application data, and digital assets to any destination, including online catalogs, print catalogs, and much more. We are empowering companies to take control of their product data and distribute it simply, accurately, and easily. Product Desk is a web-based enterprise business application that is built specifically for the automotive industry. For more information about Product Desk and Cellacores services visit www.cellacore.com. About BILSTEIN Founded in 1873, BILSTEIN is the worlds leading manufacturer of monotube gas pressure shock absorbers. With their main headquarters located in Germany, BILSTEIN is an original equipment supplier to BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, GM, Chrysler, Ford, Toyota and many others. Driven by a passion for motorsports, BILSTEIN continues to push the boundaries in all disciplines of racing, from the hairpin turns of the Nurburgring to the wide open deserts of Baja. Today, BILSTEIN of America has grown to nearly 875 employees located in three locations around the United States and distributes more than 3,000 part numbers into the U.S. aftermarket. BILSTEIN operates within thyssenkrupp Component Technologies Group. For more information, please visit www.bilsteinUS.com. About Cellacore Cellacore is a leading business applications development and consulting services organization to automotive companies. Based on a foundation of advanced technology and industry specific business knowledge, Cellacore has developed key business applications for the automotive manufacturing, distribution, and retail markets. Cellacore is headquartered in Miami, Florida and has offices in Tampa, Florida and Toronto, Canada. For more information visit www.cellacore.com. Rolf Lockwood Now that the initial brouhaha has died down after the news broke of the Volkswagen Truck & Bus investment in Navistar last month, there is probably one big question that still needs an answer in a lot of North American minds: Like, who the heck is Volkswagen? Well of course, folks will say, thats the German outfit that makes Beetles and Rabbits and designs a flowerpot into the dash? Sure is, but its a lot more than that. In fact its list of shareholdings is 19 pages long. On the car side, Volkswagen AG also owns Audi and Porsche. Lots of people will know that much, but did you know that it also owns Englands Bentley brand? And Italys Bugatti and Lamborghini. And the Czech Republics Skoda. And Spains Seat. All of them are VWs in a way. Even the famous Italian motorcycle brand Ducati is in the stable. Many people will be surprised to know that it also makes VW-branded medium- and heavy-duty trucks, sold outside Europe but in some 35 countries, from a base in Brazil (more on that in a bit). That company is Volkswagen Caminhoes e Onibus Ltda. But VW also owns Swedens Scania and Germanys MAN, and the latter will be especially important in helping Navistar move forward on these shores. All told, Volkswagen Truck & Bus (spun off from the mother company last year) produces trucks at 25 sites in 17 countries. Both MAN and Scania produce their own engines. Scania also makes transmissions, its Opticruise automated manual being well regarded. The Swedish outfits 16.4-liter V-8, making as much as 730 hp, was available two years before the date called for by the Euro 6 emissions mandate. MAN also makes engines, and in fact Navistars own 13-liter diesel is the result of technology sharing with the German firm. That long-established relationship paved the way in some respects for the new alliance, and that long-existing link will likely be at the core of the new partnership with Navistar. Scanias involvement will be minimal, according to one expert commentator. To confuse matters, Scania has also had its own long-standing cooperation with Cummins, particularly on fuel-injection technology. If you were to look at those 19 pages of VW shareholdings, youd find Cummins-Scania XPI Manufacturing LLC based in Columbus, Ind. Its a 50/50 partnership. That raises questions about the future that Cummins might have in International trucks. Its now a major partner with Navistar, supplying both engines and emissions aftertreatment systems. But well leave that speculation alone for now. Going back a bit, VW also produces a truck engine, the 9.3-liter NGD 370 for use in its very tall cabover, the Constellation, built in Brazil. The engine is good for up to 367 hp, and the truck can handle gross weights up to 125,000 pounds or so. You can also power that truck with a Cummins ISC. Transmissions by ZF and Eaton. But let me clarify, if thats the right word to use. VW did indeed design that NGD 370 engine, but its actually built by MWM International Motores, which is the Brazilian subsidiary of...wait for it...Navistar International. Now, wait for this one...VWs Brazilian truck-building operation was sold to MAN in 2008. But VW Truck & Bus in Germany has been busily buying an increasing share of MAN and now owns it all. Is everything clear now? MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Oct. 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Value-based healthcare is creating demand for clinical transparency and quality outcomes reporting that directly impacts a senior care organizations bottom line. Today, PointClickCare, the leading cloud-based software platform for the senior care continuum, and COMS Interactive, the clinical care and quality improvement leader in the senior care market, are collaborating to answer this demand. The partnership between PointClickCare and COMS Interactive will offer a standardized approach to care by integrating evidence-based clinical content from COMS Interactive directly into the PointClickCare electronic health record (EHR) platform. The result will allow LTPAC providers to generate quality management and reporting, improve care coordination, identify and reduce exposure in value-based contracts, and enhance clinical decision making. When clinicians have the right information at the right time and place, they can make more confident decisions and offer residents better care, said Jim Riemenschneider, Founder of COMS Interactive. This is why we have made it our mission to empower care providers with clinical content including assessments and care guides. Our partnership with PointClickCare will help our customers across North America adopt and maintain our evidence-based content, which will ultimately reduce costs to providers through efficiencies and accuracy. As technology, economic incentives and regulatory requirements continue to evolve, this new integration will help to facilitate the transfer of knowledge into practice. PointClickCare will be working closely with COMS Interactive to embed their rich clinical content directly into the EHR platform. As a result, care providers can make more accurate and faster care decisions with confidence that they are delivering the safest care at all times. We recognize that the basis for quality management and reporting, as well as better clinical outcomes, is a standardized approach to clinical care driven by evidence-based content, said David Belbeck, senior vice president of corporate development for PointClickCare. Having the rich clinical content of COMS Interactive built directly into the PointClickCare platform will be the catalyst for clinical value making our mutual customers preferred care continuum partners. About COMS Interactive COMS Interactive is advancing Post-Acute Care through quality improvement. With the ability to work with or without your EMR system, the COMS product suite is distinctly different, focused on helping clinical staff assess and provide care based on evidence based best practices while ensuring everyone involved from doctors and nurses to corporate management and insurers have complete visibility. Changing the overall face of quality, one resident at a time. For more information, visit www.comsinteractive.com. About PointClickCare PointClickCare is advancing senior care by enabling long-term post-acute care (LTPAC) providers to achieve the business results that matter enriching quality of life for their residents, improving financial and operational health, and mitigating risk. Recognized as the 2015 #1 long-term care software vendor by KLAS Research, PointClickCare offers a portfolio of cloud-based software and services designed from the ground up to help providers manage the complex requirements of senior care. With a suite of fully integrated applications powered by an interoperable, mobile friendly, and regulatory compliant electronic health record and revenue cycle management platform, PointClickCare helps providers connect and collaborate within their care network, achieve and demonstrate higher quality outcomes, optimize financial performance, and simplify their regulatory burden. Over 13,000 skilled nursing facilities and senior living communities use PointClickCare today, making it the North American healthcare IT market leader for the senior care industry. For more information on PointClickCares ONC certified software solutions, please visit www.pointclickcare.com. The battle to free Iraqs second-largest city gathered pace Monday as Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army pounded Daesh positions from the east and south of Mosul. By Monday afternoon, Peshmerga forces were 7 kilometers (4 miles) east of the city while the army had started penetrating the Al-Kuwer area to the southeast, military sources told Anadolu Agency. The latest developments came within the context of a broad Iraqi army operation -- launched early Monday -- to clear the beleaguered city of the Daesh terrorist group. Peshmerga forces, which are deployed along the Al-Kazir axis east of Mosul, began their advance at dawn, capturing eight villages on the citys outskirts, according to Maj. Mustafa Sarhank. The advance is continuing; we are now near the intersection of the Al-Hamdaniya district some 7 km east of Mosul, he told Anadolu Agency. The captured villages are located along the road linking Mosul to Erbil, the capital of northern Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region, Sarhank said. Daesh militants had torched several oil wells in Al-Hamdaniya as they retreated, he added. The U.S.-led anti-Daesh air coalition had continued to strike Daesh positions along the Al-Khazir line. Meanwhile, the armys 9th Armored Division penetrated Al-Kuwer from two areas and were facing resistance from Daesh, Lt. Yassin al-Nuaimi said. The operation to retake Al-Kuwer would take some time, Nuaimi added due to mined and booby-trapped roads, buildings and other sites in the area. Daesh had also deployed snipers in strategic areas on the citys outskirts. - No coalition warplanes Nuaimi also pointed out that, as of 1 p.m. local time (1000GMT), coalition warplanes had not participated in the operation to capture Al-Kuwer. In some of the first reports of casualties, five Peshmerga fighters were killed by a suicide car-bomb -- and ten others injured -- to the east of Mosul, according to a Peshmerga officer. The officer, who spoke to Anadolu Agency anonymously due to restrictions on talking to the media, said the son of the Kurdish Regional Governments vice president had been among the injured. Meanwhile, four Iraqi soldiers were killed while fighting Daesh south of Mosul, according to an Iraqi military source, who said advancing troops were encountering fierce resistance. A senior U.S. general on Monday said the battle will likely continue for weeks, possibly longer. We cant predict how long it will take for the Iraqi security forces to defeat Daesh in Mosul but we know they will succeed, just as they did in Bayji, in Ramadi, in Fallujah and, more recently, in Qayyarah and Sharqat, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the U.S.-led coalition, said in a pre-recorded video message. The coalition is supporting Iraqi forces with air support, artillery, intelligence, advisers and forward air controllers, according to Townsend. This may prove to be a long and tough battle but the Iraqis have prepared for it and we will stand by them, he said. The offensive is likely to be complicated by Daeshs use of deeply unethical and dangerous tactics to try to hold on to that city, the White House said. This is an important operation but one that we anticipate is going to take some time given how significant the city is both strategically and symbolically, how large the city is and how long ISIL has had to dig in and fortify their defenses in that city, spokesman Josh Earnest said, using an alternative acronym for Daesh. He stressed that the U.S. was mindful of ensuring that the operation is consistent with the need to look out for basic universal human rights and to ensure that these operations are not being used as a cover to carry out retribution against other religious groups. - Sectarian tension Sectarian strife between Mosuls largely Sunni Muslim population and Shia Muslim militias, who have been accused of carrying out atrocities against Sunnis in other parts of Iraq, is a major concern for those taking part in the operation. On Monday, Peshmerga fighters prevented pro-government forces from joining the frontline at Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, because they were brandishing Shia banners. An Anadolu Agency reporter at the scene said they were only allowed to continue after taking down the flags. The much-anticipated army operation to "liberate" Mosul from Daesh, which overran the northern city in June 2014, was announced by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi early Monday morning. In a statement, the Kurdish Regional Governments Peshmerga Ministry announced that at roughly 6.00 a.m. local time (0300GMT) a large-scale, coordinated operation was launched by Peshmerga forces in Al-Khazir east of Mosul while Iraqi security forces mobilized from Al-Kuwer and Al-Qayyarah south of Mosul. The twin moves, the statement added, constituted a first step toward clearing Nineveh province of Daesh terrorists. Mosul is the capital of Nineveh. Along with army and federal police personnel, Peshmerga forces, the Hashd al-Shaabi pro-government Shia militia, the mainly Sunni Hashd al-Watani militia and the international coalition are taking part in the campaign. Recent months have seen the army, backed by local allies on the ground and coalition air power, retake much territory. Nevertheless, the terrorist group remains in control of several parts of the country, including Mosul. The army and its allies have staged a gradual advance on the city, which officials in Baghdad have vowed to free by the end of the year. An international summit on the operation will be held in Paris on Oct. 25, the French Defense Ministry said. Following the launch of the operation, Turkish Airlines said flights to Najaf, Sulaymaniyah and Basra in Iraq had been suspended. Anadolu Agency Sorry! This content is not available in your region The Minister of Local Government.. says when the local government legislation comes into effect.. regional corporations can better service their communities. He made the remark.. during the San Juan Laventille Corporation's interfaith service and military parade.. as the corporation turns 30 years. Gourmet Farmers Matthew Evans returns to SBS this week with a new series, For the Love of Meat with Matthew Evans. In this series he discovers that eating meat ethically and sustainably is more complicated than it seems. Australians have a massive appetite for eating animals, and after the US, we consume more meat per person than any other country. Worldwide the average person eats 34kg of meat per year, but in Australia its almost three times that a whopping 90 kilograms*. In new series For The Love Of Meat with Matthew Evans, Matthew pulls apart Australias love affair with meat and investigates what this carnivorous enthusiasm is doing to our health, the animals we eat, and to the planet. Ex-chef, food critic and Gourmet Farmer Matthew Evans is not out to stop people eating meat in fact he loves cooking it and eating it. Matthew wants to connect the average person to the animals they eat so they can better know where their meat comes from from the paddock to the supermarket shelf, all the way to their dinner plate. Over three weeks beginning Thursday 20 October 7.30pm on SBS, Matthew looks at Australias favourite proteins; chicken, pork and beef. Free-range, organic, RSPCA-certified what do these labels actually mean for a chicken? In episode one, Matthew visits several farms to try and better understand the conditions under which our chicken is produced. Matthew tries to help a large fast food brand Guzman y Gomez swap to serving only free range chicken, and takes to the streets of Western Sydney for a chicken burger social experiment. A boutique free-range pig farmer himself, Matthew Evans wants to know how the majority of pigs are farmed in Australia. In episode two, after months of trying, Matthew Evans finally finds a pig farmer who will let him into their farm. Matthew takes a farrowing crate to Federation Square in Melbourne to put a piggy moral question to the public. Matthew then meets up with chef Adam Liaw to learn about how other cultures cook and eat nose to tail. Hero of the Aussie barbie, steak is the quintessential Aussie meat. In the final episode, Matthew follows one cow all the way through the process to discover in front of a live audience how our favourite cuts are actually a tiny portion of the whole animal. He also reveals how much land is being cleared every day so we can graze cattle, and what impact 25 million cattle has to the environment. In For the Love of Meat, Matthew discovers that eating meat ethically and sustainably is more complicated than it seems. It means choosing meat that comes from animals that have been reared humanely and ethically. It means using the whole beast, not just a particular cut. It means considering the environmental impact, and choosing native and sustainable animals. And sometimes it means eating less meat, or skipping the meat altogether. Matthews mission is to get Australians to really look behind the farm gate and find out where our meat comes from, so that we can make informed decisions and choices about the meat we eat. 7:30pm Thursday October 20 on SBS. Shaynna Blaze renovates a home in her new Foxtel series Deadline Design to the tune of a whopping $500,000 but claims the high price tag is not representative of the whole series. Every budget is different. Thats their budget and what they want, but the next budget is $120,000 and the next is $60,000, she insists. We only have two that are (that high). For the Blackburn home makeover, Blaze is joined by builder Mike Griggs and emerging designer Yasmine Ghoniem delivering a two storey renovation for a couple who are becoming empty nesters. But isnt a $500,000 budget out of touch with middle Australia? They havent touched the house in 10 years, Blaze continues. So its out of touch to the everyday person if you put it in that perspective. But if you have people who want to reach towards that it becomes like a Grand Designs thing. So its a case of aspiring to elements within it that you can take away. So its about aspiration. You dont have to have the whole lot. You can have a room that gets inspired by something else. Id been chatting with Foxtel for a couple of years to get my own show Deadline Design becomes the third ongoing show for Blaze, whose popularity on Selling Houses Australia saw The Block come knocking on her door. Id been chatting with Foxtel for a couple of years to get my own show and World of Design was the start of that process to see how it would work, she explains. Then we talked about the types of shows and I came up with the process of being a show about my own design studio. We took it further with Beyond and Foxtel and brainstormed it to where we are now. The show features 10 Melbourne homes -in order to fit into her busy schedule- with renovations completed before a looming deadline. Everybody wants a deadline. If I want something done around the house I have to give my husband a deadline, like a party or something like that. Renos can go on for a year and people need to have a reason to do it other than I just want my room done,' she says. Were using their money. So they would be potential real clients for me, using their budget and working out how theyre going to live in this home for the next 10 20 years. So its very personal which makes it very different to Selling Houses and The Block. Im working to their design lifestyle, their brief, just as I would with a client. Its about having a show on design, which is what I do I my real world. Its making interiors fit the person rather than the other way around. People hang for the Before & After! Like all good property shows, it includes the all-important Before & After shots. Is it possible to do a show without them? Never! People hang for the Before & After! she laughs. A Before & After show how far youve come, as well as going from drab to fab. It shows you how much things have changed. Even as youre renovating its very hard to remember what it looked like before. So its a reminder of what it was. Blaze also denies that the show is a dressed-up advertorial for her own design business, saying Mike and Yasmine are not part of her company. No its not an advertorial at all. Its showing people that if you want a Designer then why are you paying somebody, what does that engage, what do they do? she asks. So its showing how I go about it and how I make decisions on personal emotions and design styles, to make forever homes. We get so caught up in saleable looks rather than focussing on our own home. And I cant take on any more business! Some of the comments are a little bit tired and I think Really?' Blaze is currently filming the upcoming tenth season of Selling Houses Australia, due in 2017, while The Block is still going gangbusters for Nine. On the renovation competition, she has come in for her fair share of criticism from irate contestants. If you break down Darren and Neils comments they say just the same as me, Blaze insists. But whatever. Some of the comments are a little bit tired and I think Really? You can do better than that. They are playing to win and if they dont win they get really angry. And if they do win, you never hear a peep! Funny that. Meanwhile if Deadline Design carves out its own audience her next challenge could be finding the time for a second season. Blaze believes the show has something for high and low budgets, even if the first is wildly over the top. The first home is very Hollywood classic but then the next week is very minimalist, and then we have a couple who cant make up their mind which is what a lot of people go through, she adds. And we even do a one bedroom apartment! Deadline Design with Shaynna Blaze airs 9:30pm Wednesday October 19 on LifeStyle. Leicester keep up their perfect debut; Porto beat Brugge in added time Madrid, Dortmund, Juventus and Sevilla on verge of last 16 after wins Igor Akinfeev denied first competition clean sheet in a decade by late Monaco equaliser Watch video highlights of every game on UEFA.com The reverse fixtures will be played on Wednesday 2 November Groups A to D continue on Wednesday Group E Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur Leverkusen dominated but could find no way past Hugo Lloris as the home side recorded their third draw in the group. At the other end Vincent Janssen hit the bar for Spurs, still a point in front of third-placed Leverkusen. CSKA Moskva 1-1 Monaco Igor Akinfeev came within three minutes of his first UEFA Champions League clean sheet since 1 November 2006, a 40-match run, only for Bernardo Silva to take that wretched spell past the decade mark. On-loan Lacina Traore had scored against his parent club but Monaco remain top and CSKA in fourth, albeit only split by three points. AFP/Getty Images Group F Real Madrid 5-1 Legia Warsawa Legia gave as good as they got early on, but they are still without a point while Madrid moved on to seven. It went from 0-0 to 2-1 in a seven-minute first-half period as Gareth Bale's superb finish and a Legia own goal were countered by Miroslav Radovic's penalty. Marco Asensio made it 3-1 before the break and Lucas Vazquez and substitute Alvaro Morata did the rest. Sporting CP 1-2 Borussia Dortmund Dortmund joined Madrid on seven points, four clear of Sporting, as first-half goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Julian Weigl proved enough for victory despite Bruno Cesar pulling one back from an indirect free-kick inside the box after a back pass. Another Dortmund win next time would confirm their progress. Group G Leicester City 1-0 Kbenhavn A neat flick by Riyad Mahrez late in the first half sufficed for the English debutants to produce their third victory in the group and open up a five-point lead over second-placed FCK. A repeat success in Copenhagen in a fortnight would rubber-stamp Leicester's round of 16 ticket. AFP/Getty Images Club Brugge 1-2 Porto Andre Silva converted a penalty deep in added time to take Porto level with FCK in second and keep Brugge without a point. The Belgian champions had been in front until Miguel Layun equalised with 22 minutes to go; Jelle Vossen had got Brugge's first goal in the group early on. Group H Lyon 0-1 Juventus Substitute Juan Cuadrado's excellent angled drive with 14 minutes left gave ten-man Juventus victory and a four-point cushion over third-placed Lyon. Gianluigi Buffon saved a first-half penalty from Alexandre Lacazette and then, after Mario Lemina's 54th-minute dismissal, the Juve veteran denied Nabil Fekir in even more brilliant style. Dinamo Zagreb 0-1 Sevilla Samir Nasri's 38th-minute strike kept Sevilla level with Juve on seven points and condemned Dinamo to a third defeat without a goal. A home win against Dinamo for Sevilla would send them through and end any possiblity of a fourth straight UEFA Europa League title. Hefty price tags can weigh down a man. Fernando Torres said that dealing with the expectation that followed his 50m (57.5m) move to Chelsea in January 2011 was like "swimming in wet clothes". Now put yourself in Wayne Rooney's boots in September 2004, ahead of his Old Trafford debut against Fenerbahce in the UEFA Champions League. He was 18 and had just arrived at Manchester United from Everton in a deal initially worth 25m (29.6m), dubbed "the best young player this country has seen in 30 years" by Sir Alex Ferguson no bad judge. No one would have begrudged the youngster some first-night nerves; even the more demanding fan might have understood if the burden had weighed heavily on his broad shoulders, restricting his legs like fetters. Yet at a venue the locals call the 'Theatre of Dreams', Rooney put in a command performance. One for the ages. Watch Rooney's 2004 debut hat-trick against Fenerbahce United favourite Sir Bobby Charlton had managed two goals on his club debut as an 18-year-old back in 1956; Rooney went one better. He was untouchable, showing no ill-effects after three months out with a broken foot in a dazzling demonstration of pace, poise, power and precision. His first strike in United colours came on 17 minutes, firing in from just outside the area following good work by Ruud van Nistelrooy. He created the second for himself not long after, sidestepping the challenge of visiting skipper Umit Ozan to rifle in from the edge of the box. A free-kick before the hour completed the hat-trick. Fenerbahce never gave up, scoring twice themselves, but simply had no answer to Rooney. The teenager showcased his selfless side late on to tee up David Bellion for the final goal in a 6-2 triumph. "Rooney, Rooney, Rooney," chanted the Old Trafford faithful. Twelve years on, that refrain still echoes around those parts; so does that display. Round of 16: 9/10 November & 16/17 November Quarter-final & semi-final draw: 25 November Quarter-finals: 22/23 & 29/30 March Semi-finals: 22/23 & 29/30 April Final (Cardiff City Stadium): 1 June The ties (9/10 and 16/17 November) Lyon (FRA, holders) v FC Zurich (SUI) Lyon, now chasing a joint-record fourth title, met Zurich at Stade de Gerland in the 2008/09 second qualifying round and won 7-1. Lyon also beat Zurich 9-3 in a friendly last year, Pauline Bremer scoring a hat-trick. Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) v BIIK-Kazygurt (KAZ) BIIK have become the first team from Kazakhstan to reach this stage but have a tough task against the 2014/15 runners-up. Still, in the last three years BIIK have held FFC Frankfurt and Barcelona, and beaten Verona, in home legs. Bayern Munchen (GER) v Rossiyanka (RUS) Bayern are in this round for just the second time, having fallen in 2009/10 to Montpellier, making them unique among five German entrants to this competition in having failed to win the title on debut. Rossiyanka, Russian champions, are three-time quarter-finals, losing on each occasion to German opposition. Eskilstuna United (SWE) v Wolfsburg (GER) For the second season running, Wolfsburg's last-16 rivals knocked out Glasgow City in the round of 32, with Eskilstuna following the 2015/16 example of Chelsea (the side eliminated by the Wolves earlier this month). This is the Swedish club's maiden European campaign and on Sunday their win against Rosengard decided the Damallsvenskan title (in favour of Linkoping rather than themselves!). Barcelona (ESP) v FC Twente (NED) When these teams met at this stage last autumn, Barcelona won 1-0 both home and away. The 15,637 attendance for their encounter at FC Twente Stadion is a record for the round of 16 and remains in the top ten in the competition's history. Manchester City (ENG) v Brndby (DEN) City, recently crowned English champions, knocked out former finalists Zvezda-2005 in their debut tie and now take on a side who have got to the last four three times. Slavia Praha (CZE) v Rosengard (SWE) The only tie to involve two of last term's quarter-finalists. Slavia previously tackled Swedish opposition when they were ousted from the 2003/04 second qualifying round 2-1 by Umea, who went on to retain the trophy. Brescia (ITA) v Fortuna Hjrring (DEN) Like Barcelona and Twente, these sides met in the round of 16 last season, Brescia winning 1-0 at home then going through after a 1-1 draw in Denmark with a last-minute Lisa Boattin goal, the only time she has scored in eight European outings. That result meant 2002/03 finalists Fortuna maintained their unique record of losing in the round of 16 every year since the format was introduced in 2009/10. Russian-backed militants launched 29 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbas over the past day. This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center. As reported, the enemy violated ceasefire 20 times in Mariupol direction. The militants used 122mm artillery and mortars to shell Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) and Vodiane (16km north-west of Donetsk). Ukrainian troops near Krasnohorivka (29 km west of Donetsk) came under grenade launcher and small arm fire. In Luhansk direction, six attacks were launched on ATO troops. The militants shelled Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk), using 82mm mortars. Novooleksandrivka (65km west of Luhansk) and Zolote (67km north-east of Luhansk) were shelled, using grenade launchers, machine guns, and small arms. Three more attacks were launched on Ukrainian positions in Donetsk direction. In particular, ATO troops near Verkhniotoretske (22km north-east of Donetsk) came under 82mm mortar fire. The militants also fired at Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk) and Avdiyivka (18km north of Donetsk), using grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms. ol The launch of Antares OA-5 rocket, the first stage of which contains Ukrainian-made components, demonstrates the deepening of relations between the US and Ukraine in the field of space and the need to occupy the niches in the industry, which Russia has left. Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Valeriy Chaly said this at the Wallops Flight Facility launch site in Virginia, where the rocket was launched. "It is a truly momentous event. The rocket launch has apparently crowned the serious work of the Pivdenne (Yuzhnoye) Construction Bureau, the Yuzhmash Machine-Building Plant , and the Americans," the Ukrainian Ambassador said. He stressed that space cooperation between the US and Ukraine deepened. "We should really occupy those niches, which Russia is leaving for some reasons" Chaly said. ol Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has called on French businesses to take part in the privatization of Ukrainian state enterprises. The PM stated this during a meeting with the heads of French companies in Ukraine, the Government portal reports. "We would be grateful if the French business takes part in privatization of the plant. I guarantee that it will be the open, public competition and privatization," he said. As noted by the Prime Minister, there are 3,800 state-owned enterprises in Ukraine. "A hundred, maybe, two hundred companies are of strategic importance, the rest must be sold for investments," he added. In addition, the Government will continue corporatization and changing the management of state-owned companies, he said. Groysman also informed that the decision on start of privatization of the Odesa port plant would be made by the Government at its meeting on Wednesday. ol On the night in Tuesday, October 18, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko arrived in Norway on the first official visit. This is reported by the press service of the Head of State. The program of the visit provides for meetings with the Prime Minister and the President of Norway, the Head of the Parliament, as well as the audience with the King of Norway. The President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Norway will chair the Ukrainian-Norwegian business forum. It is planned to sign several bilateral documents aimed at deepening cooperation between Ukraine and Norway. ol The leaders of the Normandy format states will meet in Berlin on October 19. The relevant agreement was reached during the telephone conversation on Tuesday between President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, President of France Francois Hollande, and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, the press service of the Ukrainian President reports. The interlocutors agreed to conduct a meeting of the Heads of State in the Normandy format in Berlin on October 19 in order to induce Russia to fulfill the security part of the Minsk agreements, the statement reads. As noted, the phone conversation in trilateral format was held during stay of President Poroshenko in Norway on the official visit. The parties discussed the security situation in Donbas. The Ukrainian President emphasized the importance of common position of Ukraine and the EU countries on the eve of the European Councils Summit that will take place in Brussels on October 20-21, 2016 and consider the strategy of relations with Russia, the statement says. ol Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze discussed with the PACE Monitoring Committee delegation the impossibility of holding elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This is reported by the press service of the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine. "This part of the Minsk agreements currently cannot be performed due to the security situation. Even the OSCE mission cannot get access to certain areas in eastern Ukraine, so how can the Ukrainian Government hold elections there?!" the Vice Prime Minister wondered. The interlocutors also discussed granting Ukraine visa-free regime with the EU. Klympush-Tsyntsadze emphasized that Ukraine had fully implemented the action plan on visa liberalization and stressed that Ukraine had demonstrated that migration was not a threat to the EU, despite the Russian aggression. ol Ukraine and Norway have signed the declaration of partnership, which, inter alia, condemns the Russian occupation of Crimea and ongoing aggression in Donbas. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko stated this at the joint press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg in Oslo, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "Norway has been our reliable friend and strategic partner in the difficult times for Ukraine. And I have been very pleased to sign today with Mrs. Prime Minister the Declaration of Partnership between Ukraine and the Kingdom of Norway," Poroshenko said. He noted that in this document the Norwegian side "clearly and unequivocally" condemned Russia with respect to the illegal occupation of Crimea and ongoing aggression in Donbas. "Norway has assured of support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine," the President stressed. While addressing the Head of the Norwegian Government, President Poroshenko expressed belief that such a clear position would also be an example for the EU Member States. ol Russia must fulfill its obligations under the Minsk agreements and facilitate the peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg said this at the joint press conference with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in Oslo, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "We have discussed the situation in eastern Ukraine, and we are concerned about the lack of security in Donbas. It is difficult to imagine the negotiation process of political settlement without stable truce. The decisive factor is observance of the Minsk agreements by all parties. We urge, in particular, Russia to fulfill its part of the agreements and to facilitate political and peaceful settlement," the Norwegian Prime Minister said. Solberg assured of "Norways support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders." "I have also confirmed that Norway will continue to support Ukraine in implementing reforms and will contribute to the economic and political stability of the country," the Head of the Government of Norway stressed. ol It is no secret that pro-Russian lobby in industrial circles of Germany is one of the main forces in the European Union striving to cancel economic sanctions introduced against Russian aggression. They appeal to significant economic losses incurred by the German economy and other European countries that have strong traditional ties with the Russian Federation. In an exclusive interview with Ukrinform correspondent in Brussels, MEP from Germany, representative of the European Conservatives and Reformists political group, Hans-Olaf Henkel shared his opinion about possible return to such business as usual with the country-aggressor, as well as prospects of visa liberalization and difficult path of Ukrainian reforms. NORD STREAM 2 IS A BIG MISTAKE THAT MUST NOT HAPPEN - Mr. Henkel, you are a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. Therefore, the question I would like to ask is in the sphere of your direct responsibility as a German politician. It is well known that it is Germany that will get greatest benefits in the EU from the construction of Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2. And what is your attitude to this project? - I've worked all my life in the industry. I had been the president of the Federation of German Industry for six years. Now I am in politics and, therefore, Ive come to a conclusion that the Nord Stream 2 project is a big mistake that must not happen. BAN ON TRAVELLING TO THE COTE D'AZUR IS A SIGNIFICANT BLOW TO SANCTIONED RUSSIANS - Continuing the EU's policy towards Russia, it should be noted that consequences of sanctions imposed against Russia is also painful for German industrial circles - I support these sanctions. Many of my colleagues from German industrial circles are against them. But I see no other means that could be used against the aggressive policy of Vladimir Putin. We cant wage a war. Therefore, the only way that has an effective impact on Russia is sanctions. - In your opinion, how effective the European sanctions against Russia are? - I want to note personal sanctions against Russian officials and other figures. The inability for them to come to their apartments, for example, on the Cote d'Azur, sail yachts, or visit estates in New York, or have access to bank accounts in London - all these deliver a considerable blow. So, this is the only language that Putin understands. Thats why Im for sanctions, and I voted for them. UKRAINE WILL FACE HARD TIMES UNTILL REFORMS IMPLEMENTED - The current issue for Ukrainians is to complete the process of abolishing visas with the EU. When this issue will be put for vote at the European Parliaments plenary session, what will be your decision? - I will clearly vote for the abolition of visas for Ukrainians. I am convinced that we must support Ukraine in all matters we can: economically, morally, and also possible free travels in the European Union. - How do you assess Ukraines readiness for deepest integration with the European Union, the final goal of which must be the acquisition of membership? - I think that the Ukrainian democracy has not been fully developed yet. I mean corruption that is one of the biggest problems in Ukraine. But we must help Ukraine so that it can move independently to the European Union, or become a NATO member. And it should not be a decision made by Putin. Therefore, I and my party will vote in favor of Ukraine. - As a representative of industrial circles of the largest economy in the EU, how do you assess the progress of economic reforms in Ukraine? - It is necessary to objectively acknowledge that the Ukrainian economy still doesnt function as a real market system should work. Ukraine still has large state-owned companies, or such companies that are supported by the state. I think that Ukraine, if we compare with Poland, has lost 20 years on its way of economic reforms. I would advise the Ukrainian government to invite several very famous and successful leaders from Europe that managed to promote economic reforms in their own countries, for example in Poland. Also, it should be noted that the time period, between the launch of reforms till the moment of achieving certain results from these transformations, is very hard. This may lead to an increase in unemployment, as happened in East Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania. And Ukraine, unfortunately, will not escape these negative trends. Andriy Lavrenyuk, Brussels Many Thanks to our Advertisers When choosing between competing products and services, please consider our advertisers, who help support Brand New. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi speaks with a displaced family in their tent at Debaga camp in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. UNHCR/Ivor Prickett DEBAGA CAMP 2, Kurdistan Region of Iraq After fleeing her hometown near Mosul, which came under the control of extremists for more than 16 months, Rusul spoke of the fear and destruction she and other displaced Iraqis left behind. There is still fear, the young Iraqi woman said. Our houses were burned and destroyed. Thank God, life here is better. Theyve been very good to us. She was speaking to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi in a tent at this camp complex for displaced people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, as a small baby slept in the arms of his mother Maali. Grandi discovered the babys name is Ahmed and heard the story of his turbulent first days. He was just five days old when we left, Maali said. We still havent got the birth certificate. The family delayed their flight until he was born. There was shelling, she said. When we left I couldnt take all our things. We just started moving. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visits Debaga Camp 2. Grandi was visiting Debaga Camp 2 in the midst of a major military offensive by Iraqi and Kurdish forces to retake the city of Mosul. He stressed that the highest priority must still be paid to protecting civilians. Such a policy would help prevent a new flood of displaced people from Mosul and its surrounding areas in the conflict-torn region of northern Iraq. The more civilians will feel protected inside Mosul, the less they will be displaced, Grandi said during the visit. And for those who feel they have to go because it is dangerous, they have to be treated with dignity, and in full respect of their rights. The more civilians will feel protected inside Mosul, the less they will be displaced. The High Commissioner is on a four-day visit to Iraq during which he has repeatedly highlighted the need to safeguard civilians as the Iraqi military battles to retake the countrys second city, which was captured by militants in June 2014. The grave dangers faced by thousands of civilians fleeing Mosul and its surrounding villages were echoed by other recently-arrived displaced people at the vast Debaga complex, which is just 40 kilometres from the front line. We had to leave, we just wanted to save our lives, Mnifah said. She is a woman who fled Hawiga just last week. Together, she said, three families paid a total of US$5,600 to a guide to show them the way. They walked for seven hours along roads that had been strewn with mines and improvised explosive devices. The complex of three camp sites at Debaga now houses almost 30,000 people in rows and rows of UN Refugee Agency tents on a flat, dusty plain under a hot sun. Temperatures have begun to plummet at night. A displaced child stands on the edge of Debaga camp in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The camp lies just 40 kilometres from the front line in the military push to retake Mosul. UNHCR/Ivor Prickett UNHCR has five camps open and ready to shelter 45,000 people in the region. It hopes to have a total of 11 camps ready in the coming weeks, camps which could shelter 120,000 people. Speaking during his visit to Iraq, which also included high level meetings in Baghdad and Erbil - including Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi - Grandi stressed that UNHCR and its partners must think and plan beyond the short-term in this crisis. UNHCR and many partners are focusing on building up our stocks of tents, shelter material and relief items to help people in the initial phase of what happens, but also through the winter. So we have to make sure they get assistance for the winter. The High Commissioner stressed more than once that the key now was to agree with the regional governmental authorities on sites that could house those uprooted by the offensive. Sites have to be safe, meaning not close to the fighting, Grandi said. And sites have cannot be contaminated, that is, without mines and other military ordnance. Donate now 20160519_UNICEF_ITALY_0019 ROME/GENEVA, 18 October 2016 Three newborn babies, two born on Italian Coastguard boats in the Central Mediterranean and one at port, are among the newest arrivals of refugee and migrant children in Italy, as numbers of children hit record levels, says UNICEF. In the first nine months of 2016 more children arrived by sea in Italy than in all of last year. This year more than 90 per cent of the children travelled alone while in 2015 the unaccompanied accounted for 75 per cent. This year has also seen an increase of children from Egypt but most still come from West Africa. From January to October 2016 it is estimated that more than 20,000 unaccompanied and separated children arrived by sea to Italy. This is already more than in 2015 when there were in total 16,500 child arrivals, of whom 12,300 were unaccompanied and separated children.* According to a UNICEF team on the ground the situation of refugee and migrant children in Italy is increasingly desperate and the Italian child protection system is overstretched. Each week hundreds of children arrive here, every one of them has real burning needs from the fragile newborn babies to the teenagers travelling alone who have no idea what to expect in a foreign land, said Sabrina Avakian UNICEF child protection officer currently in Calabria, Italy to assess the needs of refugee and migrant children especially the new arrivals. Some of the children are deeply distressed from the journey, they witnessed drownings, some have terrible chemical burns from the fuel on the dinghies, the babies and their mothers need special care in breastfeeding, they all need proper protection and accommodation and it is just taking far too long for them. Tragically in the ongoing drama of life and death at sea, a Nigerian mother remains in a state of total shock after her two little boys, aged three and four, slipped from her arms and drowned on the deadly sea crossing from Libya. More than 3,100 people have drowned so far in 2016 in the Central Mediterranean, making it the most dangerous year on record. An unknown number of children have died at sea. The three newborn Eritrean babies and their young mothers are said to be in good health, their births had been registered and they are being cared for by health workers in Catania. On boats managed by the Italian Coastguards, UNICEF has set up child friendly spaces for small children while for teenagers, the UNICEF team, is helping with the psycho-social support to young boys and girls on their arrival. Together with partners such as UNHCR and the Italian social services, UNICEF is working to speed up the appointment of guardians and improve reception conditions. The high number of foreign children has led to significant delays sometimes up to a year in appointing guardians or providing legal support. Note to editors: As of 12th October 144,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Italy, according to the Italian authorities. According to IOM and UNHCR estimates 20,000 unaccompanied and separated children arrived by sea. The total number of all children is not yet established. This year unaccompanied and separated children have made up 91 per cent of all those arriving through Italy. In 2015 there were 16,478 child arrivals, of whom 12,360 (or 75 per cent) were unaccompanied and separated children. ### Download broadcast quality photos and b-roll. Read our latest blog on children on the move. A scorching-hot chili paste, harissa is one of the most famous culinary products of Tunisia, and is sometimes dubbed as the national condiment of Tunisia. It is traditionally drizzled over a host of North African and Middle Eastern cuisines, such as meat or fish stew, couscous, soups, vegetables and salads. The production of harissa dates back to the 17th century, and today, recipes vary between countries and regions, but it is widely accepted that the Tunisian recipe is the most authentic one. The country is also the biggest exporter of harissa. It is estimated that the harissa value chain, which covers chili pepper farmers, collection centres, small-scale producers and industrial companies, creates employment for around 25,000 people in Tunisia. Harissa has become the second most important export product of the countrys canned food sector, both in terms of value and quantity. The spicy and aromatic paste has long gained fame on international market, especially in Europe. But popularity also attracts imitation. Many foreign merchants tout their hot sauces as "harissa on the international market, in spite of their products only remotely resembling the original one. But in the recent two years, original Tunisian harissa sold on the international market can be easily distinguished by a special logo which reads Food Quality Label Tunisia on the package. With this label, customers can be guaranteed of an authentic Tunisian harrisa recipe, made from fresh, quality ingredients. In addition, this label ensures food safety because behind it, a food traceability system has been set up along the whole supply chain. This improvement was made possible thanks to the technical assistance provided by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Since 2014, with funding worth a total of CHF 5 million (around EUR 4,6 million) from the Swiss State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO), UNIDO, together with the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture of Tunisia, has been implementing a project (called PAMPAT in French acronym) to protect and promote the geographical indication of Tunisias harissa and two other products, figs and prickly pears, thereby ensuring that local producers reap the full benefit of their national agro-food products. Within the framework of the project, a voluntary labelling standard, Food Quality Label Tunisia was created, and a relevant certificating and control system was set up by UNIDO, the Ministry of Industry and the Tunisian Group for Canned Food Products (GICA). Companies interested in certifying their agro-food products under this food quality label must meet stringent product specifications and undergo a double check from the managing body of the label, GICA and an external certification institute. This enables them to sell their products at a premium price on the international market thanks to the recognition of the quality label and geographical indication. To-date, five Tunisian companies (SICAM, JOUDA, COMOCAP, CARTHAGE FOOD and STICAP), which account for one third of total industrial harissa production in the country, are producing harissa with the certified label. By complying with the requirements of the quality label and geographical indication, the companies have improved their competitiveness on the export market, and the Tunisian harissa has been positioned on a higher-end market, which increases the revenues and employment opportunities along the value chains, says Fabio Russo, who manages the project at UNIDO. As the certified harissa production requires the use of special peppers, this also brings an income increase for pepper farmers. In 2015, farmers growing chilies for the labelled harissa experienced a price increase of 17 per cent, compared to standard chili sales. The project also focuses on supporting young entrepreneurs, women and small producers from disadvantaged regions. For example, it has been supporting the operation of a female cooperative - the only one of its kind in Tunisia. The cooperative consists of over 160 rural women workers and produces harissa based on an ancestral recipe, using special sun-dried chili peppers. Currently, UNIDO is assisting the cooperative in gaining a foothold on the niche market for its high-quality product. The cooperatives members used to produce harissa at home only for family consumption, today they have made it into a business and started exporting their harissa to the Swiss market, under the cooperatives registered trademark ERRIM. We are convinced that rural women can achieve big goals by working together within a cooperative. There is a big market for traditional products of regional origin, but for individuals to start such a business is difficult. We are grateful that UNIDO has supported us in every regard, including management, production and market access. Today, our cooperative receives visits from groups of women who are inspired by our success, said Najoua Dhiflaoui, president of the women cooperative. The project also introduced a collective marketing approach to position the Tunisian product on the foreign market. Together with the Ministry of Industry and other national institutes, the Tunisian harissa has been promoted under one label during many international food events in several countries, including in the U.S.A. (Fancy Food Show New York), Germany (ANUGA Cologne and the International Street Food Festival Cologne), Russia (World Food Moscow), France (SIAL Paris and European Tradefair Strasbourg), Italy (EXPO Milan), Spain (Alimentaria Barcelona), and Switzerland (Swiss Competition of Local Food Products). Similarly, other agro-food value chains have also benefitted from the food quality labels and collective promotion strategies. For example, the project helped fig producers from a village in the northwestern region set up a cooperative to sell their products under the geographical indication, Fig of Djebba. With this indication, farmers have been able to sell their figs at a price 80 per cent higher than standard figs. By ZHONG Xingfei For more information on the project, please contact: Fabio Russo UNIDO Senior Industrial Development Officer email Iranian courts indict 1,000 people involved in protests over Amini's death 31 Oct 2022 | 8:01 PM Tehran, Oct 31 (UNI) Tehran provincial courts have indicted at least 1,000 people who played a significant role in nationwide protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in mid-September, Iranian Prosecutor General Ali Alqasimehr said on Monday. see more.. China's Huawei may permanently leave Russian market 31 Oct 2022 | 7:59 PM Beijing, Oct 31 (UNI) Chinese IT giant Huawei may permanently leave the Russian market as the company has reportedly ceased the delivery of its equipment to the country, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported on Monday, citing sources. see more.. Shanghai Disney visitors trapped in lockdown 31 Oct 2022 | 5:29 PM Shanghai, Oct 31 (UNI) Shanghai Disney has become the latest high-profile venue to shut its gates coutesy China's strict zero-Covid policy, trapping visitors inside. see more.. NZ imposes sanctions on Russian defense, security sectors 31 Oct 2022 | 5:19 PM Wellington, Oct 31 (UNI) New Zealand has imposed new sanctions against Russia, targeting 14 individuals and seven entities of the country's defense and security sectors, as well as media outlets, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Monday. see more.. Leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia to meet on Minsk agreement BERLIN, Oct 18 (Reuters) The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to meet to discuss the implementation of the Minsk peace plan that was supposed to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine and to consult on further steps, a German government spokesman said. Steffen Seibert said today that Merkel had invited the other leaders to Berlin for the talks on Wednesday evening - just over a year after the four leaders last met in this so-called "Normandy" format. The Minsk agreement was negotiated by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France in February 2015 to end the fighting which broke out in eastern Ukraine after the fall of a Moscow-backed president and the arrival in power of a pro-Western leadership. Google Pixel phones are almost perfect according to most reviews and it is perceived that Android lovers most especially the Nexus users will make a dramatic shift. However, that is not the case for there are reasons why Android users won't buy the high-end Pixel and Pixel XL Handsets. Most Users Choose Cheaper But Reliable Android Phones Samsung and Apple are not Google's biggest challenge when it comes to smartphones but it's the Android community itself. According to Forbes, most users will choose cheap but reliable android-operated smartphones over an unknown and untested Pixel brand. Example of this is the Spark X manufactured by a British company Wileyfox. The phone runs Cyanogen OS and is considered as the top tier device of 2016 that runs a MediaTek 6735 chipset in its processor, 16GB on-board storage, 2GB of RAM and micro-SD support. Spark X specs and features may not be as remarkable compared to Google Pixel phones but the phone can do day-to-day tasks that a user expects for a smartphone to be able to do. Cheaper phones like Spark X is a competent tool for mundane tasks such as web browsing, social media, answer e-mails and respond to texts and calls. Price is not Practical For an average Android user, Google Pixel phones features may not be as appealing as Nexus. Since Google positioned the newly launched phones under high-end category, aside from the premium price, the new technologies and features of the phone might intimidate users. Besides, according to Express, the physical design is not worthy of its price. It's About the Brand If an Android user may decide to shift to premium phones, basically, he would jump off to the shift of Apple. The Cupertino-based company is known as the world's manufacturer of high-caliber products such as MacBook Pro, iPad and iPhones lineups. Furthermore, Apple is doing an excellent job in associating the brand association to luxury and status in life. There are a lot of colleges in the United States that excel in academics as well as research and innovation. This has been a great year for Stanford University which has been deemed as one of the best universities in the United States. Stanford has recently topped Reuters' list of the World's Most Innovative Universities. The school has recently nabbed the top spot in The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education's college rankings list. It also topped College Factual's top California Colleges list. It is followed by Harvey Mudd College, which is based in Claremont. The California Institute of Technology (CalTech) took the third place in the list. However, Stanford was overtaken by an Ivy League institution as the college which has the most Nobel laureates this century. Times Higher Education reported that Princeton University has produced the most number of Nobel Prize winners. Aside from Stanford, Princeton also overtook Columbia University and the University of California - Berkeley. Harvard University also joined the top 10 list, in eighth place. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology nabbed the fifth spot. U.S. universities got the top spots in THE's report. Technion Israel Institute of Technology was the only university outside of the United States to make it to the top 10, in 10th place. It is followed by Germany's Max Planck Society, in 11th place. It was also noted that no universities from the U.K. made it to the top 10. The University of Manchester and the University of Cambridge both tied at 14th place. This is the same position that they had last year. Each institution got one Nobel Prize this century. The University of Oxford, which recently revealed its sample interview questions to "demystify" the application process, did not have any Nobel Prize winner this century. Other universities in the list are the University of Chicago, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the University of California - Santa Barbara. When United States First Lady Michelle Obama calls on everybody to support her campaign towards education, Meryl Streep answers. The veteran actress, Meryl Streep, heeds the First Lady's call in the recent CNN Documentary, "We Will Rise." Michelle Obama has been very vocal about the need to elevate global educational opportunities for young girls and women everywhere. And to make sure her campaign gets some more attention, Meryl Streep steps up, according to Gulf News. Emma Watson and Michelle Obama are not the only ones traveling to different countries to fight for girls' right to education. Streep travels to Marrakesh, Morroco where she sits down with young women about their struggles. What hinders them from pursuing an education? There are cultural, safety, economic and health challenges that prohibits them from getting an education. According to the US Agency for International Development, over 62 million girls around the world are not in school. Streep expresses her commitment to the film and campaign's cause. The actress confesses that she is involved and has always been interested with these issues for a long time. She has worked and continues to work with different organizations that promotes Equality and Women. Such as Equality Now, Donors Direct Action, Women for Women International and Women in the World. This Academy Award winning actress steps up as a correspondent in "We Will Rise: Michelle Obama's Mission to Educate Girls Around the World." "We Will Rise" is a documentary film that is going to premiere on Wednesday night on CNN. "We Will Rise" is a CNN Films and Documentary Group production. Meryl Streep hopes that the film inspires people to get involved and that everybody wakes up and heed the call. For Streep, if they have one person in their lives who says, "I think you can do this," that's all they need. Watch out for the documentary film "We Will Rise" on CNN this Wednesday night. The iPad Air 2 is nearing its 2nd birthday. Consumers are asking when Apple will release the iPad Air 3. Rumors started circulating last June that the release of the iPad Air 3 is imminent since retailers are beginning to sell the almost two-year-old 128GB iPad Air 2 at up to $250 discount. However, Mac World UK says they believe the discounted price of the product has no bearing to be accepted as a gauge towards the release of the iPad Air 3. They said Apple doesn't really discount products prior to a new release. A more plausible scenario for the delay is that Apple might be killing the Air line. Thinner than the iPad Air 2 The first rumor that came out is that the iPad Air 3 will be thinner than its predecessor. Mac World notes that if batteries are getting smaller, couldn't Apple just retain the size of the battery and replace it with a higher capacity unit giving the user extended time of use away from the charger? The iPad Air 2 is already thin by any standard and having a much thinner iPad Air 3 at 6.1mm poses a question of how sturdy the unit would be in a normal daily use and abuse. iPad Air 3 body design and colors Since the unit will be of thinner design than that of its predecessor, a rumor from Tampa Bay Review says the iPad Air 3 might come in a 7000-series aluminum body that's effective in dispelling heat as well as provide for a stronger panel. It is rumored that the iPad Air 3 will come in 4 colors: Space Grey, Rose Gold, silver, and gold. iPad Air 3 rumored tech specs 9.7-inch screen; 3112x2334 resolution at 401ppi Rumored processor chip A9 or A9X, some say it could be an A10 or the A10X It will have more RAM A 12MP camera with True Tone flash Some rumors say it will support 3D Touch, others don't Highly likely, the 3.5mm jack will be gone following the iPhone 7 All design and specs are still rumors as of press date and still subject to verification once the unit is officially unveiled. The iPad Air 3 is rumored for release in March 2017. Rob Jenkins of the Chronicle of Higher Education answers 8 major questions about "free community college" and its authenticity with rhetoric answers and even bigger questions. One of the featured questions goes, "How does it impact the 4-year institutions"? In line with some U.S. government sectors' tying both ends of the rope over realizing its ambitious project of launching a two-year free education program, some academics give out their individual stands on the matter. Of all this slew of staunch academic figures, Rob Jenkins is the most prominent. The truth is that as much as there are minuses to the "free community college" plan by HE sectors, there are also undeniable benefits. While it's too early to judge, such that some proposals are yet to be approved after being tried at a few states like Oregon and Tennessee, it would be best to address 8 significant questions that would certainly define its outcome, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Here are the questions Rob Jenkins tackled in his article: 1. What qualifies a "community college"? 2. How will it affect 4-year institutions? 3. Is it just a gimmick? 4. Who would qualify? 5. Will it be adequately funded? 6. Will students value it? 7. Will the education itself have value? 8. How will we define success- and, at what cost? Here are the corresponding answers: 1. Community colleges include colleges that shorten the supposed 4-year degree course to 2-year courses. Most of the courses offered herein are technical and vocational courses. Nonetheless, the definition of a "community college" eventually depends on a community's immediate need. There is a need to contextualize it before concluding the range of its free offers. 2. It affects 4-year institutions by impressing an unsupported lure to students, as per relevance to its jam-packed 2-year course. This should not always be the redeeming case. Once and for all, if the situation requires student to take either a 2-year of a four-year course, then the student should choose with the utmost wisdom and maturity and not be lured by the promise of a free 2-year academic course. 3. It may end up as a gimmick as it merely focuses in turning heads to its free education slogan, with the "free education offer" long given as due benefit. Perhaps, it too could stand as a serious move of the government to veer low-income students away from state universities. 4. More questions follow- will it only be available for the ones included in the lowest-income brackets or will it also include the middle class? How will the middle be defined in the context of education then? 5. "Will free community college suffer the same fate? Will it initially cover everyone, until the money starts to run out, after which only certain students will qualify? At that point, how will we decide who gets to go to community college free and who doesn't?", Jenkins stated in the Chronicle of Higher Education. 6. Having to pay for the education will increase the chance that students value it. 7. Education may end up having a very poor record when it comes to free offerings being taken abusively by failing students. First off, the number of times a failing student can retake a course shall have to be defined. 8. There is no definite answer. We have to think and feel unhurriedly. All along, free education isn't always a good idea. Under the surface of all these inquiries and reflections, the Tennessee Promise boldly waves its flags as it sets off with its "Drive to 55' under the leadership of Gov. Bill Haslam, Johnson City Press reported. Portmanteau is an interesting part of the English language, a product of combining two words. We use them often but it's a joy to discover how these words come into out English vocabulary. Portmanteau Since it is about portmanteaus, it is interesting to note that the word itself is a description of its nature. Portmanteau is a combination of two French words 'porter' and 'manteau' which means 'to carry' and 'cloak' respectively. It earned its popularity when Lewis Carroll used it in his novel Through the Looking Glass where Humpty Dumpty explained to Alice the strange words she hears in Wonderland. "Like a portmanteau - there are two meanings packed up into one word," he said Turducken Ever wonder what a 'turducken' is? It is actually a dish which is a combination of three birds: turkey, duck, and chicken. Specifically, it is a deboned turkey, stuffed with a deboned duck that has a deboned chicken inside it. Got it? Velcro Almost everybody knows and has used velcro, the fastener which is made up of two opposing pieces of fabric. George de Mestral invented velcro in 1948; however, he only gave the name much later from a combination of two French words, 'velours' and 'croche,' to describe his invention. Velcro means 'hooked velvet' although it may not feel like a velvet. Smog Most, if not all, know what smog is, the chemical-smoke-infused fog that covers most major cities in the world nowadays. The word was coined by Dr. Henry Des Voeux in 1905 to distinguish the difference between real fog and the dangerous smoke fog emitted by coal factories in London during that time. Spork Spork is that hybrid utensil which combines a spoon and a fork. It was invented and patented by Samuel W. Francis in 1847. However, his original invention included a knife on the edge. Imagine if the design survived, it would not just be spork but, most probably, kniforkon. Spork, on the other hand, entered the English language in 1909. Brunch The word 'brunch' entered the English language when an English columnist wrote a piece titled "Brunch: A Plea" which asked for a mid-day meal on Sundays which, he said, would make the lives of Saturday night carousers much easier because it gives them enough time to rest and sleep rather than be force to wake up early just to eat breakfast. Thus, we have to thank those Saturday revelers for bringing us this wonderful meal into our lives and our vocabulary as well. Madcap This "crazy" portmanteau came from combining an Old English and Latin word together. The old English word gemaedde which means 'out of one's mind' and the Latin caput for 'head.' It came into use in the English language way back in the 1580s. When it comes to education and studying, the first things that come to mind are homework and exams. If a student has to succeed, he or she has to focus on studying and not on playing. However, the Finnish school system works the opposite. Put premium on play first to produce successful students and it appears like they are succeeding in doing that. In Finland, children do not go to school until they are seven years old. Children below that age are given a lot of opportunity to play and enjoy just being kids. A typical day for children who are six years old and below often spend their day at a day care while their parents work. There, children play, eat their meals, and engage in various activities, such as nature trips every week for at least two hours. "We think children under seven are not ready to do academic work. They need time to play and be active its a time for imagination and creativity," said Tiina Marjoniemi, head of a day care center in Helsinki. Finland has provided subsidized full-time daycare until they are seven since 1996. Parents have the option to avail of it or not. The Finnish government does not require families to pay more than 290 every month for daycare while those who belong to low-income families pay less as well. Finnish parents contribute only 14 percent of the total cost for early childhood education. When children turn seven, they then go to a basic or primary comprehensive school until they are 16 years old. After that students choose whether they will go to university or a vocational college. However, almost half of the students decide to get higher secondary education while most of the rest go to vocational upper school and proceed to a polytechnic college. There are a lot of gadgets available in the market today. Google has recently unveiled its new flagship Google Pixel phone which is believed to be a rival to Apple's iPhone 7. It was previously reported that the Google Pixel phone has a smarter assistant that can help college students. With this, students can set reminders for project deadlines and ask for directions. It is claimed to be smarter since it understands your conversation. Another key feature of the Google Pixel phone is the quick charge which is rumored to allow for seven hours of use with just 15 minutes of charging. Its unlimited cloud storage feature for videos and photos is also beneficial for students. The Week collated a list of the different features and specs of the Google Pixel phone and Apple's iPhone 7. Check out the features below to see which one is best for college students. 1. Design It was noted that the iPhone 7's design has "barely evolved" in the last years. However, the Google Pixel phone looks similar to Apple's device with its aluminum casing with rounded edges. The Pixel is also a bit taller, wider and heavier than the iPhone. Apple's removal of the headphone jack could also be an important factor for students in choosing which phone to buy. The iPhone 7 does come with an IP67 water and dustproof rating while the Pixel only has an IP53 rating. 2. Display Both devices come in two sizes: a standard and a phablet-style size. Google Pixel has a larger display than the Apple iPhone 7, though. It also uses AMOLED technology and has a full HD display, with 1080 x 1920 resolution. 3. Hardware The iPhone 7 has Apple's latest A10 Fusion chipset with 2 GB RAM in the standard size and 3 GB RAM in its Plus version. The Pixel, on the other hand, has a Qualcomm chipset with the new Snapdragon 821 chip. It has a higher RAM size at 4 GB for both sizes of the phone. According to Cheat Sheet, though, Apple's iPhone 7 beats the Google Pixel phone in terms of performance. This is based on AnTuTu's rankings for September which showed that Apple's A10 Fusion processor enables the iPhone 7 to "significantly outperform the LeEco Le Pro 3," which is a phone that has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor found in the Google Pixel phone. Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, donates a whopping $500 million to the University of Oregon. With the gift, the school will be launching a new science campus. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Nike co-founder's gift is the largest amount ever given to a public flagship institution. The University of Oregon will be creating the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, which will focus on coming up with real-world applications for basic scientific discoveries. The school expects to build three research facilities in the coming years. It will be situated across its current science complex in Eugene, Ore. The university has also announced that they will hire 30 new research scientists as well as add more positions for 250 graduate students and 150 postdoctoral researchers. "This act of philanthropy from Penny and Phil Knight is breathtaking," President Michael Schill said in an official statement. "This is a seminal moment for the University of Oregon, an inflection point that will shape the trajectory of the university and this state for the next century and beyond." This is not the first time that the Nike co-founder and his wife donated money to back research. Back in 2013, the couple announced a $500 million matched gift to the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland for cancer research. The school was able to meet the challenge last year. In February, the Knights announced a $400 million donation to Stanford University. This was for the school's graduate scholars program. According to Oregon Live, the school is expected to formally announce the donation at a news conference on Tuesday morning at the Ford Alumni Center on campus. Phil Knight also admitted that he and his wife were "delighted" to give to the university "in an age of declining public support for scientific research generally and declining public higher education support specifically." "While not without risk, we believe the expected societal returns from such investments are high," he added. "And here at home in Oregon, we believe the potential to arm our talented young people with the skills and tools they will need to have a lasting impact on the world and to pursue rewarding careers makes such investments essential." October 18 2016 A trio of infrastructure and development projects in East Renfrewshire have taken a step forward with the commission of a hat trick of new artists impressions.Under the Glasgow City Region City Deal East Renfrewshire Council will progress improvements to the road network between Barrhead, Newton Mearns and the M77, a transport interchange at Auchenback and a visitor centre for Darnley country park.The 4m visitor centre and shoreline boardwalk, designed by Barton Willmore, is planned for land on the north shore of Balgray Reservoir and is scheduled to open by 2018. At Auchenback meanwhile an 11m rail and bus interchange could complete by 2019.The remainder of the funding pot will be allocated to a program of road improvements.In a statement councilor Tony Buchanan, said: The City Deal projects will play an important part in developing East Renfrewshire's local economy, as well as creating jobs and improving business opportunities. We are committed to delivering a better future for all of our residents and these projects will play a major part in helping us to achieve this goal. Page Content By Bailey Harbit When Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump visited Green Bay Monday night, the audience heard more about his ongoing claim that the election will be rigged. Last week Trump called the election one ugly fix, and one big, ugly lie, before sending out a tweet Sunday that mirrored his earlier comments. John Blakeman, Chair of the Political Science Department at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point said that while Trumps latest comments were likely meant to stir up sentiment from his supporters, it could have an effect on others as well. It could keep some undecided voters away from the polls. It could keep people in general away from the polls. MORE: STORY and VIDEO SBDC Workshop to Focus on Matchmaking with Federal Contracting Officers Businesses involved in government contracting, or those thinking selling to the government might be a good market, may want to attend a workshop sponsored by the Wyoming Entrepreneur Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Matchmaking with Federal Contracting Officers is scheduled Wednesday, Nov. 16, from 2-4:30 p.m. at the Laramie County Public Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave., in Cheyenne. Contracting officers from six different federal agencies will be on hand to discuss their processes to purchase products and services from small businesses. The SBDC is a partnership among the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Business Council and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBDC focuses on educating small-business owners and potential owners on how to successfully start and operate small businesses. The SBDCs main office is located at UW. At this event, small-business owners will have the opportunity to meet one on one with representatives from six federal agencies and obtain tips about how their business can best market to the federal government. Small businesses also will learn about the free assistance available from the Wyoming Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) to help Wyoming businesses obtain government contracts; and about the U.S. SBAs contracting and business development programs. Invited agencies include the Bureau of Land Management, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, General Services Administration, the U.S. Forest Service, Western Area Power Administration and SBA. This is a good opportunity for Wyoming small businesses to meet one on one with the folks who actually do the purchasing for the federal government in this region, says Cindy Unger, business adviser for the Wyoming Entrepreneur SBDC. There is no charge to attend but, to ensure a seat, register at http://www.ptassist.com/services/ptac_web_register.php?id=3CC2C48756. For more information, call Brett Housholder at (307) 234-3203 or email him at brett.housholder@uwyo.edu. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. For more information, call the PTAC at (307) 234-3203. The Wyoming SBDC Network is a business advising group of the Wyoming SBDC, Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Market Research Center and Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Initiative. The networks mission is to help Wyoming entrepreneurs succeed. Advising and most market research activities are free of charge to Wyoming residents. The SBDC is funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA. Additional support is provided by the Wyoming Business Council and UW. Darwin Barney, hair flopping and knee busting past the first-base line, slammed his helmet onto the Toronto turf. Second baseman Jason Kipnis had made a delightful pick up the middle, firing it to first for the closing out of Game 3 of the ALCS. Unbelievably, the Toronto Blue Jays were sulking over a gut-wrenching loss, while the Cleveland Indians were swaying in celebration by the pitcher's mound. Bullpen blues Toronto had entered their second home playoff game of 2016 in desperation mode. Down 2-0 in the ALCS, they needed a win to get back on track. But the Blue Jays' playoff lives were depleted, even after Indians starter Trevor Bauer reopened his drone-caused finger cut in the first inning. Red-scarred and slip-fingered, Bauer was forced to hand Game 3's baton to the Cleveland bullpen -- and they delivered: Cleveland Indians Bullpen in Game 3 Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO Dan Otero 1.1 2 1 1 0 0 Jeff Manship 1.1 1 0 0 0 1 Zach McAllister 1.0 1 1 1 0 0 Bryan Shaw (W) 1.2 2 0 0 0 2 Cody Allen (H) 1.2 0 0 0 1 2 Andrew Miller (S) 1.1 1 0 0 0 3 The Tribe wasn't without timely hitting, either. 1B Mike Napoli drove in two runs with a two-out RBI double in the 1st inning, and also tacked on a 4th inning solo homer. Tied 2-2 in the sixth, the Indians took the lead for good; 2B Jason Kipnis led off with a solo shot to right-center, and 3B Jose Ramirez immediately followed Blue Jay starter Marcus Stroman's departure with an RBI single. Mike Napoli, shadowed by his team's jubilant dugout, celebrates the final out of Game 3 (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Miller time From then on, it was the bullpen's game. Cody Allen, Cleveland's usual closer, entered in the 7th and wiggled out of a first-and-second jam by forcing a Josh Donaldson lineout. After Allen secured two outs in the eighth, on came Cleveland's sparkling bullpen-stud, Andrew Miller. A pivotal mid-season trade acquistion, Miller was his usal self, silky slider and abusive fastball scratching and swaying past Blue Jay batters. The Toronto bats were raking in the dirt and flailing above helmets. Even though Dioner Navarro sneaked a pinch-hit single to right in the 9th, the offense was lifeless against Miller. They had no chance. With his three punchouts on Monday night, Miller set a new record for strikeouts by a reliever in the ALCS. He finally swpt away the dusty Blue Jays with a groundball towards the middle, where Kipnis picked and threw for the final out; the Blue Jay faithful were sullen and silenced as they packed up and trudged out the exit tunnels. Toronto's bats have shockingly cooled down since the ALDS. After powering past the Texas Rangers, thet yhave scored three measly runs in three games against Cleveland. A Michael Saunders homer and a Ryan Goins RBI groundout was all the home team had in store. To survive, however, the Blue Jays need much more. Ezequiel Carrera blasts a 5th inningtriple off Indians pitcher Zach McAllister. He would score on Ryan Goins' RBI groundout. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Up next Game 4 of the 2016 ALCS is right around the corner with a 4:00PM EST start time tomorrow at Rogers Centre in Toronto. Corey Kluber, 2014 A.L. Cy Young Winner and now a lights-out postseason performer, will take the hill for the Indians. 24-year-old Aaron Sanchez will start for the Blue Jays. A Cleveland win would clinch their first American League Pennant since 1997, and a Blue Jay win would extend the series to a Game 5 in Toronto on Wednesday. HEXX Chocolate + Confexxions, located in Paris Las Vegas, will celebrate the spirit of the holidays by holding its second annual toy drive, beginning Monday, Nov. 7 through Friday, Dec. 16 (Photo credit: Anthony Mair). Throughout the drive, the Strip-side retail store and candy shop will be collecting new and unused toys to be donated to popular childrens charity, Toys for Tots. HEXX will also give donors the opportunity to purchase toys onsite with selections ranging from $5 to $25. Guests that choose to donate will receive 15 percent off their in-store purchase that day and will be entered into weekly raffles, making them eligible to win retail items or gift certificates to the store. On Tuesday, Dec. 20, one lucky donor will be chosen to receive a grand prize basket, valued at $500. The multi award-winning Sin City Comedy & Burlesque, now in its 8th consecutive year on the Las Vegas Strip, has announced some exciting new changes to its format, production team and cast (Pictured: Lisa Landry). The show will now be anchored by the veteran comedian Lisa Landry who was described by Punchline Magazine as an incredibly skilled comedian, a controlling presence onstage and a master of pacing and delivery. Landry came up through the famed New York comedy circuit to become an audience favorite at clubs, colleges and theaters all over the country. She starred in her own half-hour special, Comedy Central Presents Lisa Landry. And a nationwide vote catapulted her special to third place out of 100 top comedians in Comedy Centrals Stand Up Showdown. She was the first woman to ever place in the top three. Lisa will also be featured in an upcoming episode of the A&E channel reality series Little Funny about an eleven year old comic, from executive producer Ellen Degeneres. Landry has appeared on CBS The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, ABCs Comics Unleashed, Stand Up In Stilettos on The TV Guide Network and was told she is the edgiest comic to appear on The Bonnie Hunt Show on NBC. Im originally from New Orleans, so I too live like a Saint, but lets face it, Im hardwired for Sin City, said Landry. My agent warned me not to work with animals or kids, but he never mentioned Burlesque dancers! Landry will co-headline Sin City Comedy & Burlesque at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino with nationally touring headliner Greg Vaccariello whose impressive resume includes appearances on The King of Queens, Hope and Faith, Law and Order: SVU, and on the big screen in Paul Blart Mall Cop 2. The dual headliners will be joined by a rotating series of well-known comedians; and as is the cornerstone of the Sin City Comedy & Burlesque concept some of Las Vegas sexiest, high-energy, modern burlesque dancers. Its been a tumultuous year for the longest running Comedy Show in Las Vegas; Producer John Padon announced in September that the show would be closing; however original development partner Pete Housley, negotiated a long term licensing deal through his production company Disaster Productions; which also produces Sam Tripolis Naughty Show. Lisa never fails to make me laugh; audiences adore her because her comedy style is personal and relatable. Alongside Vaccariello, a lineup of rotating hilarious comedians and brand new provocative burlesque dance numbers all in Vegas sexiest and intimate showroom. Its a spicy intoxicating cocktail of laughter and sultry, said Pete Housley executive producer. Sin City Comedy & Burlesque will also be adding Special Household Name Guest Headliners Quarterly; the first will be announced later this week to appear November 10, 11, and 12 for a limited 5 show engagement. Sin City Comedy & Burlesque also sponsors the weekly Las Vegas Local Comic Showcase We Got Jokes on Tuesday nights immediately following the show at 10:30pm. This free event, hosted by John Hilder, showcases the best new comedic talent in Las Vegas with 2 for 1 drinks throughout the event. By: South-East Asia IPR SME Helpdesk On June 8, 2016, Vietnams Ministry of Information and Communication and the Ministry of Science and Technology issued a Joint Circular on the amendment and recovery of domain names which breach the law on intellectual property. The Joint Circular introduces a set of administrative proceedings that are available under the Vietnamese Law on Intellectual Property, for companies experiencing internet domain name infringement disputes. Such measures include clear deadlines for infringers to ensure they stop their activities and return the domain names to their rightful owners, as well as steps that the authorities can take if the infringers refuse to obey these regulations. Understanding these regulations will be of great benefit to a variety of investors keen on tapping into Vietnam. Context: Online Infringements and Internet Domain Name Disputes in Vietnam Although the internet acts as a gateway for SMEs to Vietnam, it is also an ideal platform for infringers to sell counterfeit products and commit fraud. The internet provides a low-cost method for reaching consumers around the world without revealing the identity or origin of the operation, and therefore allowing infringers to operate almost anonymously. As Vietnam boosts one of the highest number of internet domain name registrations, compared to many ASEAN countries, it also experiences one of the highest rate of domain name infringements. The most common form of domain name infringement is known as cybersquatting, whereby a person or entity with no legal rights to a particular domain name, consciously (in bad-faith), registers a domain name identical or similar to a third party company name, product name, or trade mark in order to sell the domain name to its rightful owner at an inflated price, says Valentina Salmoiraghi, IP Advisor of the South-East Asia IPR SME Helpdesk. Other factors may also motivate infringers to register similar domain names to third parties. In recent years, monetisation of domain names has become quite common. Typically, this refers to registering a domain name with misspellings, or typos of famous brands, or company names. The registrant or the domainer benefits from the traffic generated when people mistype a URL (web address) into a browser. This practice of registering domain names with either legitimate attractive generic domains or misspellings of brand names has increased significantly and is known as typosquatting. They are both key contributors to the growth of domain name registrations in Vietnam and across the globe. It is also very common for unscrupulous companies to register similar domain names if they are selling similar products and can therefore benefit from the reputation of a famous brand. Domain Name Infringement Disputes In the case of domain name infringement dispute, Vietnamese laws offer four ways for enforcing IP rights. According to the Law on Information Technology and its implementing regulations, domain name infringement disputes can be resolved through: negotiation, conciliation, arbitration or litigation at the competent court. Furthermore, the Law on Intellectual Property and its various regulations, allows enforcement through administrative proceedings, with the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Ministry of Science and Technology. The administrative proceedings are generally thought to be the fastest and most cost-effective way for resolving domain name infringement disputes. However, the administrative proceedings have, until now, lacked specific measures enabling the competent authorities (the ministries) to request the Vietnam Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC) to remove the infringing domain names or return them to their rightful owners. IP expert Valentina Salmoiraghi, say that it is a promising sign that the Joint Circular has now created these measures to try and combat domain name infringements. New Measures Introduced by the Joint Circular The remedial measures introduced by the Joint Circular, when a domain name infringes intellectual property rights include: Deleting content on the website of the infringing domain name. Within 30 days of the administrative penalty, the infringer must delete the infringed information published on the website of the domain name, or remove the infringed IP within the domain name. Return the domain name to its rightful owner. Within 30 days from the effective date of the administrative penalty, the infringer must return the domain name to the original rights owner. original rights owner. Recover the domain name. If an infringer has not complied with any of the above, then a competent authority (the Ministries) may send a request to the domain name management body (the VNNIC) to recover the infringed domain name for the original rights holder. These measures cover the cases where (i) a domain name is identical or confusingly similar to the registered IP, going along with the infringing content posted on the websites associated with the domain name; (ii) a domain name that is [though not identical or confusingly similar but] used for publishing contents that infringe IP laws. Implications for SMEs These new measures allow SMEs, who may experience domain name infringements, to effectively resolve their disputes using cost-effective administrative proceedings under the Law on Intellectual Property, in the case where an unscrupulous company has registered a similar domain name in order to sell similar products. The administrative authorities are now equipped with measures to request the VNNIC to eventually recover the infringed domain name to its rightful owner. SMEs can also now benefit from the new deadline of 30 days. On the other hand, in such cases of cybersquatting or typosquatting, SMEs will not be able to use administrative routes to resolve their domain name disputes, as it is required that IP holders are able to prove cases of infringement on the associated websites. Administrative authorities will only resolve serious website content infringement, while cybersquatting and typosquatting have to be managed by civil courts or through arbitration and conciliation mechanisms provided by the Law on Information Technology in Vietnam. About South-East Asia IPR SME Helpdesk The South-East Asia IPR SME Helpdesk, co-funded by the European Commissions Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry under the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme, supports European Union (EU) small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to both protect and enforce their Intellectual Property (IP) rights in or relating to South-East Asia, through the provision of free information and services. These take the form of jargon-free, first-line, confidential advice on intellectual property and related issues, plus training, materials and online resources. Annual Audit and Compliance in Vietnam 2016 In this issue of Vietnam Briefing, we address pressing changes to audit procedures in 2016, and provide guidance on how to ensure that compliance tasks are completed in an efficient and effective manner. We highlight the continued convergence of VAS with IFRS, discuss the emergence of e-filing, and provide step-by-step instructions on audit and compliance procedures for Foreign Owned Enterprises (FOEs) as well as Representative Offices (ROs). Navigating the Vietnam Supply Chain In this edition of Vietnam Briefing, we discuss the advantages of the Vietnamese market over its regional competition and highlight where and how to implement successful investment projects. We examine tariff reduction schedules within the ACFTA and TPP, highlight considerations with regard to rules of origin, and outline the benefits of investing in Vietnams growing economic zones. Finally, we provide expert insight into the issues surrounding the creation of 100 percent Foreign Owned Enterprise in Vietnam. Tax, Accounting and Audit in Vietnam 2016 (2nd Edition) This edition of Tax, Accounting, and Audit in Vietnam, updated for 2016, offers a comprehensive overview of the major taxes foreign investors are likely to encounter when establishing or operating a business in Vietnam, as well as other tax-relevant obligations. This concise, detailed, yet pragmatic guide is ideal for CFOs, compliance officers and heads of accounting who must navigate Vietnams complex tax and accounting landscape in order to effectively manage and strategically plan their Vietnam operations. photo source Zing On October 16, the man was announced to have won VND92.03 billion ($4.04 million), subject to a 10 per cent tax. This is the biggest jackpot amount ever after 39 draws since Mega 6/45s debut in July. The prize value has been reset to the original value of VND12 billion ($540,000). In July, Berjaya, through its subsidiary Berjaya Gia Thinh Investment (Berjaya GTI), launched the first phase of its Vietnamese lottery business. Berjaya had won over five international companies to become the first foreign investor to tap into the Vietnamese lottery market in January. Accordingly, Berjaya and Vietnam Lottery One-member Limited Liability Company (Vietlott), the only company in Vietnam authorised to sell computerised lottery tickets, were awarded a $210.58-million, 18-year contract to exclusively invest in and operate a computerised lottery project. Mega 6/45 is the first product rolled out by Berjaya GTI. Other products that will be on offer are Lotto Games, Digit Games, and Fast Draw Games, which will be distributed through various channels, such as computerised terminals, telephones and mobile phones, and the internet. In Mega 6/45 players have to select six numbers from 1 to 45, and can win the jackpot, starting at VND12 billion ($540,000), by matching all six winning numbers from the draw. The jackpot prize keeps growing until there is a winner. Each ticket costs VND10,000 (40 cents). Vietlott deputy general director Nguyen Thanh Dam told local media that from the beginning of the year to the end of September, the company earned VND159 billion ($7.1 million) in revenue. He added that 55 per cent of the revenue is put into a fund used exclusively to cover the prizes. After paying tax and commission to agencies and a part of the revenue to the state budget, the company has not made profit in the past three months. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump listens to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the second presidential debate in St. Louis, Missouri on Oct 9, 2016. (AFP/Paul J. Richards) Trump, whose campaign has been reeling in the face of lewd comments about women and accusations of sexual assault, has doubled down on claims of "large scale voter fraud" in the US election, despite denials from within his own party. And his team has deployed his wife Melania in a media blitz to try to tamp down the furore over the allegations, with interviews set to air late Monday on CNN and early Tuesday on Fox News. "Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. And he apologised to me. And I accept his apology. And we are moving on," Trump told Fox, in an excerpt released by the network. The Republican nominee takes the stage Wednesday with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in their final debate before voters make their choice on Nov 8. Clinton leads Trump by 12 points - 50 per cent to 38 per cent - among likely voters nationwide, in a four-way contest with third-party candidates, a poll by Monmouth University showed. Among registered voters, her lead is 11 points. Meanwhile, a survey from Quinnipiac University showed Clinton leading in several key battleground states - Colorado, Florida and Pennsylvania - and even with Trump in Ohio. A CNN poll puts Trump ahead by four points in Ohio, but gives Clinton a slight lead in North Carolina and Nevada. Her leads in key states corresponds to her advantage of 6.4 percentage points in an average of recent national polls given by RealClearPolitics. The polls indicate that the allegations swirling around Trump have taken their toll. Monmouth University found that six in 10 voters believe he made unwanted sexual advances towards women - claims he vehemently denies. Trump, who was headed to Wisconsin for a rally, is scheduled to hold two events on Tuesday in Colorado. 'SEE WHAT HAPPENS' After the first debate, Trump said he would respect the election result. But he backtracked in an interview with The New York Times last month, saying, "We're going to see what happens." And since then, he has unleashed a litany of complaints about the nation's election system, and also blamed the media for his woes, raising concerns about possible unrest should he lose. "Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day," Trump wrote on Twitter, without offering corroborating evidence. "Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!" Trump's running mate Mike Pence sought to ease tensions, insisting his camp would accept defeat if voters reject the Republican ticket at the polls. "We will absolutely accept the results of the election," he told CBS on Sunday. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican who oversees election operations in his state, insisted Monday that Trump was being "irresponsible" for warning of voter fraud. "If there is a systemic problem, please identify it. Don't just make an allegation on Twitter. Tell me," Husted said on CNN. For Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook, Trump is "desperately trying to shift attention from his own disastrous campaign." "He knows he's losing and he's trying to blame that on the system. This is what losers do," Mook said during a press call on Monday. STOLEN? But Trump's warnings may be having an impact. A new poll by Politico and Morning Consult reveals that some 41 per cent of voters believe the election could be "stolen" from Trump through massive voter fraud. More than seven in 10 Republicans believe the election could be taken from them, while 17 per cent of Democrats agree with the potential for serious ballot box fraud. The poll of 1,999 registered voters was conducted on Oct 13-15. The nation's top elected Republican, House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has declared that he would no longer "defend" the party's nominee, rebuked Trump over his comments questioning the validity of the election process. Ryan is "fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity," his spokeswoman AshLee Strong said. CLINTON LOW-KEY BEFORE DEBATE Clinton is lying low ahead of the final debate, apparently relying on Trump self-destructing. "She is trying to avoid issues for the next 22 days in the hopes that this will just end up being about Mr Trump," his campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN on Monday outside of Trump Tower in New York. Phuc Long IP offers many advantages to investors, including ready-to-use facilities and a convenient location Japanese investors are exploring investment opportunitities at Phuc Long Industrial Park Opportunities arise Among the investor community, Long An province is seen as an ideal landing place for a new wave of investment. Long An has been a leading destination for investment into the Mekong Delta for many years. This increased investment has been developing the local economy. In relation to other provinces in the region, Long An does not have the best investment flow, but it has room for bigger growth. The province has many advantages in human and land resources, especially in conditions which help Long An to develop both industry and agriculture in a sustainable manner. Long An offers an open environment for investors, and is ranked highly in the Provincial Competitiveness Index. Provincial policies and administrative procedures have been continuously improved, with a team of active leaders who accompany businesses in tackling any problems. Now Long An is shifting from a market defined by its potential to a more competitive market, one with a rapidly improving infrastructure and location connecting Ho Chi Minh City with other Mekong Delta provinces. The province now is home to four national roads and one expressway. In the future, many other transport projects will also be built, including two railway routes and ring roads No3 and 4 of Ho Chi Minh City. Phuc Long Industrial Park - an attractive destination for investment The park has recently become one of the most outstanding destinations for investment in Long An province. Many foreign investors have chosen the park as a base for their factories to enter the Vietnamese market, and as a staging point to enter the ASEAN market. Among these include Yu Yuang Vietnam Textile factory, which has invested $58 million in a textile and dyeing project. Licensed in 2014, this project will be put into operation ahead of the entry into force of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. The factory is the largest foreign-invested project in Phuc Long. When fully operational, it will offer production capacity of more than 16,000 tonnes of fabric per year, which will be sold in both domestic and export markets. In a recent talk with VIR, Hsieh Ming Der, director of Yu Yuang Vietnam, said that his group believes in the potential of the Vietnamese market - the investment environment of Vietnam in general and Long An province in particular. The reason this firm chose Phuc Long for its factory was because of the parks convenient location and good infrastructure system. Phuc Long is not only attractive for large-scale investors, but also for small- and medium-sized ones. To accommodate the new investment wave from small- and medium-sized Japanese enterprises, Phuc Long has devised a format of ready-built factories for lease. With this format, the park has already attracted many 100 per cent foreign-invested small- and medium-sized investors from Asia and Europe. Among these investors are SAN-EI VN specialises in metal pressing and design; Koei Kiko Vietnam working in metal framing and valve production; Cellutane Vietnam, a sofa manufacturer; Ushiwaka MG, a producer of machinery appliances and support accessories for cars; and Halvo Vietnam, a water purification company. According to Yoshimoto Shingo, director of SAN-EI VN, apart from a strategic venue, Phuc Long Industrial Park has a good landscape and top-tier services, including legal and administrative support to deal with business procedures. The parks owners always listen to the tenants needs in providing facilities and services at the best level. We at SAN-EI VN are always offered prompt and qualified legal support, tailored to our development strategy, from the parks owner, Shingo said. A representative from Pilosio Asia Pacific, another tenant at the park, said that the company has also been well-supported by the parks owner. Pilosio Asia Pacific started leasing 4,000 square metres of a ready-built factory in May 2015, with an initial registered capital investment of $1.5 million. The facilities here are good. We have just exported our first batch of goods. By the end of 2017, we will expand our operations to increase our capacity to 5,000 tonnes per year, said the representative. This investment is also key to our movement to shift production activities from Italy to Vietnam to meet the increasing market. Phuc Long has so far attracted 27 investment projects. Of these, 13 are with foreign direct investment, with total investment capital of $62 million. Fourteen are domestic companies, registered at more than VND600 billion ($26.9 million). With a occupancy rate of more than 62 per cent, Phuc Long was among the top three industrial parks in investment attraction in Long An province last year. Ready to welcome investors One of the biggest advantages the park offers is that all facilities are ready for immediate investment. Phuc Long has an ideal and strategic placement. Located right at the centre of Ben Luc town in Long An province, the park is a bridge between Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta provinces. This unique location offers the most comfortable, quick, and low-cost situation for companies trading in the region. Moreover, Phuc Long is also located next to key transport facilities such as National Road 1A, Vo Van Kiet boulevard, ring roads around Ho Chi Minh City, and the expressways of Trung Luong-Ho Chi Minh City, Ben Luc-Long Thanh, and Ben Luc-Hiep Phuoc. The park also has convenient access to Bourbon port (three kilometres), Hiep Phuoc port (18km), Cat Lai port (25km), Tan Son Nhat International Airport (22km), and the soon-to-be-built Long Thanh International Airport (61km). The park is also 22km far from Long An International Port which will become operational in 2017. In its first phase of 80 hectares, Phuc Long Industrial Park is invested with VND625 billion ($28 million). According to Mai Tri Hieu, director of Phuc Long Construction and Investment Company - the owner of Phuc Long - the park has been fully invested with infrastructure systems for power and water supply, internal transport networks, and a fire prevention system. The park is also equipped with a wastewater treatment system with a capacity of 1,300 cubic metres per day. All of these ready-to-use facilities mean we are ready to welcome investors right now, Hieu said. Having already paid the leasing tax and duties for the projects entire lifespan of 50 years, the park is ready for processing all administrative procedures. For investors who want to be supported with financial packages, banks are ready to serve. Moreover, we have reserved a land lot of seven hectares for investors to lease in their first phase, to explore the market before making a bigger investment into Vietnam, Hieu said. The park also offers other support facilities, such as a condominium for workers, Phuc Long Mart, a sport playground, office space for lease, accommodation for experts, and customs and logistics services. The park owners also offer support on legal procedures for investors, to help them save time and cost for investment processes, from preparing and submitting investment certificates to putting their factories into operation. Last month, Phuc Long Industrial Park put its automatic environmental monitoring station into operation, to transfer wastewater data to the Long An Department for Natural Resources and Environment. Hazardous waste, industrial waste, and household waste are collected by professional collectors under strict regulations. Environmental controls are tightly enforced. In addition, work is near finishing on the Phuc Long power station, which consists of two turbines with a capacity of 126 megavolt amperes, to transfer power via the 110 kilovol Phu Lam-My Tho transmission line. Together with the two other power stations already in use, Phuc Long power station will have sufficient capacity to power the whole park. Phuc Long IP is now preparing for the implementation of a second phase of more than 300ha in the very near future. More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011. (AFP Photo/Youssef Karwashan) The United Nations and European Union welcomed the announcement, but said Thursday's planned pause in fighting needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. In the latest violence, dozens of civilians including 12 members of the same family were killed in heavy bombardment of rebel-held eastern sectors of the embattled city, a monitoring group said. "We have taken a decision not to waste time and to introduce 'humanitarian pauses', mainly for the free passage of civilians, evacuation of the sick and wounded and withdrawal of fighters," senior Russian military officer Sergei Rudskoi told a press briefing in Moscow. The ceasefire would run from 0800 to 1600 local time (1.00pm to 9.00pm Singapore time) "in the area of Aleppo", Rudskoi said. "During this period the Russian air force and Syrian government troops will halt air strikes and firing from any other types of weapons." Russia's announcement, to which there was no immediate reaction from rebels, came as the EU condemned the ferocious air war waged on Aleppo over the past three weeks. "Since the beginning of the offensive by the regime and its allies, notably Russia, the intensity and scale of the aerial bombardment of eastern Aleppo is clearly disproportionate," EU foreign ministers said in Luxembourg. "The deliberate targeting of hospitals, medical personnel, schools and essential infrastructure, as well as the use of barrel bombs, cluster bombs, and chemical weapons, constitute a catastrophic escalation of the conflict ... and may amount to war crimes," they said in a statement. 'POSITIVE STEP' The EU ministers said they would also press ahead with extending sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, but stopped short of threatening measures against Russia. EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini called Moscow's announcement "positive" but not long enough to allow humanitarian aid to reach the besieged city. "It can be a start ... for sure it is a positive step," she told reporters at the close of the ministerial meeting in Luxembourg. "The latest assessment from the aid agencies (however) is that 12 hours is needed so work is needed to find common ground," she added. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also welcomed the truce announcement but stressed the "need for a longer pause in order to get the aid in". Once Syria's thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by air raids and intensifying clashes as regime forces fight to capture the rebel-held east. Russian air support for the onslaught - which has destroyed hospitals and other civilian infrastructure - has spurred the accusations of potential war crimes. Monday's air strikes on Aleppo killed 13 civilians in the rebel-held district of Marjeh, including 12 members of the same family, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "Nine of the family members were minors, including a 17-year-old girl and her newborn," said the Britain-based group's head Rami Abdel Rahman. The deaths brought to 47 the number of people killed since Sunday morning in east Aleppo, the Observatory said. The deadliest raids were overnight on a residential block in Qaterji, where the Observatory said Russian strikes killed 18 civilians. DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS "There are still families under the ruins. We pulled out seven or eight bodies and dozens of wounded," said ambulance driver Abu Mohamed. "The hospitals are full of casualties. It's a disaster." More than 430 people have been killed in bombardment on the eastern half since the assault on Aleppo was announced on Sep 22, according to the Observatory. Another 82 people have died in rebel fire on government-held neighbourhoods in the west. Further west in Aleppo province, Russian raids killed 23 people in the village of Uwaijal on Monday, said the Observatory. US Secretary of State John Kerry met his counterparts from Russia, Iran, and Syria's neighbours in Switzerland on Saturday, and travelled on to London for meetings with the British and other European foreign ministers. Kerry said the Lausanne meeting produced new ideas on reviving a Syrian truce, after a ceasefire jointly brokered by Moscow and Washington broke down last month, but said high-level contacts to flesh them out would continue Monday. Syria's war has devolved from a widespread protest movement against Assad's rule to a multi-front war between rebels, militants, Kurds and regime forces. Turkish-backed rebels dealt a major symbolic blow to the Islamic State jihadist group on Sunday by overrunning the northern Syrian town of Dabiq. Across the border in Iraq, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the launch on Monday of a long-awaited operation to recapture Mosul - IS's last major stronghold in the country. In June 2014, IS declared a self-styled Islamic "caliphate" in territory straddling Syria and Iraq. The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has proposed reducing the corporate income tax (CIT) from the current 20 to 17 per cent, applicable to small and medium sized enterprises during 2017-2020. Why such a limited timescale? The Party and the State always pay due heed to the development of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in the formulation of tax policies. Accordingly, during 2014-2015, SMEs incurred a CIT rate of 20 per cent, whereas bigger ones shouldered 22 per cent. From January 1, 2016 onwards, a CIT rate of 20 per cent is equally applied to all businesses, irrespective of size. On April 29, 2016, leaders of the government as well as authorised management agencies and sectors attended a meeting with Ho Chi Minh Citys business community and set forth the target of having at least one million businesses by 2020. To realise this goal, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) is busy compiling a specialised Law on supporting SMEs. The government has just enacted Resolution 35/NQ-CP on business support and development to 2020, in which the MoF was assigned to consider CIT reduction to help SMEs overcome hardships. The 20 per cent rate was regulated in the Law on CIT, the resolution, therefore, can not set a new long-term CIT rate. Thereby, the MoF has proposed a limited timescale for the preferential 17 per cent applicable to SMEs. We are considering a revision of the Law on CIT, focusing on issues such as the plausibility of a common CIT rate and whether preferential CIT rates will be further applied and to whom, and all these contents will be submitted to the National Assembly (NA) for a final decision. Will this affect the state budget? This largely depends on the criteria defining SMEs. If the SME definition would include a maximum revenue of VND20 billion per year, as currently regulated in the CIT Law, the state budget would lose VND473 billion ($21.5 million) per year as, at present, businesses satisfying this criterion make up 86.2 per cent of the total number of businesses, but only contribute VND2.74 trillion ($125 million) in taxes per year. If SMEs were described as those generating at most VND100 billion ($4.56 billion) in annual revenue, as stated in the draft version of the Law on supporting SMEs, the state budget would lose around VND1.5 trillion ($68.4 million) as businesses meeting this requirement make up 95.2 per cent of the total and contribute VN8.7 trillion ($397 million) in taxes annually. Generally, the loss in taxes would not be significant, whichever definition and criteria are applied. By contrast, through applying the tax incentive, tens of thousands of new businesses would be set up each year, making greater contributions to state coffers that would more than offset the losses. The MoF also proposed applying the 17 per cent CIT rate to start-up businesses. What is a start-up? This issue was under discussion at a recent monthly government meeting because business start-ups have only emerged in Vietnam several years ago, leaving us no legal precedent as to their definition. The government has just assigned the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) to set concrete criteria for start-ups. Does this mean that the 17 per cent CIT rate might not be immediately applicable to start-ups when the NA approves on providing tax measures to help businesses overcome hardships, because we need to wait for the MoST to present a workable definition for start-ups? As most start-ups are of small and medium size, they will enjoy the preferential 17 per cent CIT rate immediately after the NA approves the Resolution. In reality, the national programme to support an innovative start-up ecosystem to 2025 has regulated that support will be given to individuals and individual groups with start-up projects and start-up businesses having high growth potential based on new technology or business models. The MoF piqued the interest of the business community when it proposed allowing firms to take profits from real estate transfers to offset losses incurred from business activities. Could you elaborate on this? In reality, many businesses are operating across multiple sectors. It is encouraging that today many leading players, such as Vingroup, Hoa Phat, or SSI, began to venture into agriculture. Agricultural investment proves highly risky, as its success depends not only on the output market, but on entirely external factors, such as the climate or the ebb and flow of epidemics. To encourage agricultural investment, multiple support measures and policies need to be put in place. Therefore, in the financial field, we have proposed using profits from the transfer of real estate or investment projects to fill up the losses incurred in other production and business activities to help alleviate firms difficulties. The avant-garde VietJets emergence is the single greatest factor in the facelift of Vietnams aviation industry, making this transport mode more widely popular with Vietnamese people, said Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia at a recent meeting between the fledging private carrier and Ministry of Transport (MoT) leaders. The MoT chief said that VietJet Airs entry into the field in late 2012 broke the monopoly which existed for years in the domestic aviation market, and laid the foundation for a healthy market competition. The carrier also gave 30 per cent of its passengers their first flying experience, many of whom could not afford the costs of higher-priced airlines. In the past three years, VietJet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao has met with leaders of global airline groups Airbus and Boeing to sign multi-billion dollar contracts on aircraft purchases, catching the attention of the global aircraft manufacturing industry. Thao, who is affectionately called the aviation princess by VietJets cabin crew members, is well known in the investors circles through a string of major merger and acquisition deals in the financial and real estate markets. She was the founder of Vietnams first commercial joint stock bank and is the owner of Danangs Furama Resort, one of premier resort properties in Vietnam. She is also the owner of Phu Long Real Estate JSC, the developer of the upscale Dragon City urban area in Ho Chi Minh Citys South Saigon area. VietJet, with its fleet of iconic red-and-yellow planes, has been Thaos most famous brand. In 2007, when Vietnam announced that it was opening the sky to businesses from assorted economic sectors, Thao and her associates founded VietJet Aviation JSC with the ambition to be named among the nation and regions most prestigious airlines. After receiving a licence to operate flight services - and amid Vietnams robust economic development in the first years of international integration - VietJet conceived of growing into a five-star airline. Staff was recruited at a generous pay rate, leading domestic and foreign experts in the aviation industry were invited to work for the company, and aircraft chartering contracts were signed. But the global economic recession of 2008 changed the companys course. In the circumstances of the global financial crisis, VietJet paused to carefully consider its business plan and find a more suitable growth path, Thao said. The new path began with a shift from a five-star business model to a new-generation airline model, allowing the passengers to self-select the services they wish to use, instead of including everything in the base ticket cost. Sorting out the right growth model is crucial to the success of an airline. Indochina Airlines and Air Mekong, two other domestic airline ventures that launched in those heady days, are now defunct. VietJet, on the other hand, was shortlisted in its first year for Top 5 Best New Route Launch at Londons Budgies and Travel Awards ceremony. The airline posted profits in its second year of operation, and in the third year, VietJet became the first private Vietnamese airline to fly to international destinations and form foreign joint ventures. Its revenue in its fifth year tripled that of its third year. VietJets success is meaningful to the Vietnamese aviation market, validating the governments open-door policy. Thanks to the policy, air travel has reached every Vietnamese locality without the need for state capital investment, helping to propel economic, investment, and tourism sector growth in relevant locations. A friendly workplace VietJets core values are safety, fun and friendliness, affordable price, and punctuality. By pursuing a community-oriented business philosophy, targeting passengers happiness, and giving Vietnams people a chance to fly, Thao and her associates spun a legend for the aviation sector. The rhetoric of being a renovation in the aviation industry was backed by the strong figures the company posted since its debut. Now, after nearly five years of operation, VietJet has led the domestic aviation market share, and more than 90 per cent of those who fly with the company become regular customers. The private budget carrier has also brought changes to the domestic aviation market, and a heightened standard that has improved service industrywide. In parallel with an improving national infrastructure, the Vietnamese aviation has enhanced its status in the regional and international arenas. Besides being a steadfast negotiator and a careful planner, Thao has also shown a high consideration for labour. This value is now enshrined into VietJets business philosophy. People have asked us what our recipe is for success. We point to our heart. It is our commitment, consensus, and passion in realising our business plan, and the dream of all people flying, which has driven us to surmount all hardships. We love our workplace, where team spirit and collective strength take priority, said a VietJet executive. This business culture is visible everywhere at VietJets workplace, where the concept of friendliness translates into sincerity and a willingness to listen to customers, colleagues, and family members. Aircraft maintenance workers told a moving story of a field visit made by Thao and some other executives, at an airport in the peak season in a year-end night. During that trip, Thao did the cleaning work on her own with a vacuum cleaner, even picking up debris from the aircraft floor. And, after learning of the diligence of one veteran staff member, she immediately called human resources and asked them to increase the employees salary. Thao is very connected with her employees. When having celebrations, she would prepare meals for the staff and sing for them. We believe in having a bright future in the sky, and we are striving to build up good values for this future, through new breakthroughs in aviation services, making flying more and more popular to Vietnamese people, finding new markets, and altogether flying to future, Thao said. Representatives of Vietnam Airlines at the ceremony to convert the corporation's operation from a State-owned enterprise to a joint stock company. - Photo The airline will next undertake procedures to list its shares on the stock exchange in the near future. Speaking at a ceremony held in Ha Noi on October 14, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Nhat said the ministry appreciated the VNA's implementation of equitisation, which was seen as a turning point for the corporation. He said the corporation had not only successfully completed equitisation, but had also called for strategic shareholders, especially ANA Holdings Inc., among the largest aviation groups in Japan and in the world. Pham Viet Thanh, secretary of the Central Businesses Bloc's Party Committee, said the corporation needed to complete procedures to raise charter capital and sell its shares for its tangible shareholders as well as undertake steps to list its code soon on the stock market. Vietnam Airlines was established as a State-owned single member limited company, but it was equitised in 2014. It was given a Skytrax four-star rating in July this year and is striving to become a five-star airline by 2020. The corporation generated an estimated consolidated revenue of more than VND52.5 trillion (US$2.34 billion) in the first nine months of this year, up six percent year-on-year. Consolidated pre-tax profit during the period reached VND2.6 trillion, the company said in its latest press release. Photo : nasa.gov The US space agency had already pushed back the launch by a day to Tuesday. If technicians are able to finish their repairs as planned, Discovery and its six American astronauts will now launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 3:52 pm (1952 GMT) Wednesday, NASA test director Jeff Spaulding said. The flight to the orbiting International Space Station is the fourth and final shuttle flight of the year, and the last scheduled for Discovery, the oldest in the three-shuttle fleet that is being retired in 2011. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Cambodias late King Norodom Sihanouk was a monarch of many talents: Father of his countrys independence from France, shrewd politician, international statesman, as well as a prolific filmmaker and popular songwriter in his leisure time. One of the late Kings better-known musical compositions pays homage to China - the country that gave him shelter following a coup that ousted him from power in 1970. The lyrics of "Nostalgia of China" praised Beijing for defending Cambodias equality, independence and freedom. You are a great power, moving to the top with supremacy. you know how to act humble and treat us without discrimination, the song proclaims. In 2012, four years ago on Saturday, Norodom Sihanouk passed away during one of his regular extended stays in Beijing. He was 89. On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the late Kings death, Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Cambodia on a state visit. The Chinese president arrived bearing promises of debt cancellation and new loans, and signed 31 agreements covering everything from finance, agriculture and trade to infrastructure development, health and military assistance. First established by Norodom Sihanouk decades ago, Cambodias traditional friendship with China was elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2010. Prime Minister Hun Sens Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) has now raised that relationship even further, to an unprecedented peak, the partys spokesman Sok Eysan told VOA Khmer. Though we are not as big as a Chinese province, China respects us and offers us the sense of being of equal value as a country, Sok Eysan said. It doesnt play around with us like other countries. At the end of Xis visit to Phnom Penh on Friday, the two countries issued a joint statement that praised the late Kings legacy and his close friendship with Chinese leaders of an earlier generation. Both Beijing and Phnom Penh, the statement said, would deepen their ties further and their mutual stance on regional issues to provide mutual benefits. Cambodia so closely shadows Chinas position on international affairs that Phnom Penh has been accused of doing Beijings bidding within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), particularly on the South China Sea dispute. Earlier this year, Phnom Penh fiercely opposed ASEAN releasing a statement in support of the International Court of Arbitrations ruling against Chinas claims in the South China Sea. China is Cambodias main aid donor, foreign investor, and major lender of loans. CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said that it was not right to claim that Chinas largess and loans and bought Cambodias influence within ASEAN. China has not tried to divide ASEAN through its alliance with Cambodia, said Sok Eysan, praising Chinas foreign policies, which, he said, respected the sovereignty of others. Prince Sisowath Thomico, a former personal secretary to Norodom Sihanouk, said China and Cambodia have ancient trade and diplomatic relations. However, it was the friendship between the late King and Chinas then-Premier Zhou Enlai that led Phnom Penh and Beijing to establish formal diplomatic ties in the 1950s, Prince Thomico said. Newly independent from France in 1953, Norodom Sihanouk steered Cambodia toward membership of the Non-Aligned Movement and sought the friendship of China as a means of protection within the region. From His Majestys perspectives, though China at that time was not very economically developed, it had a position as a regional power that we needed to stay connected to, the prince said. Additionally, China was involved in the Indochina war in Vietnam. It was expected that connecting to China would prevent the fire of war from crossing over into our country, he said. By the mid-1970s, however, Cambodia was engulfed in the flames spreading from the conflict in neighboring Vietnam. As the former secretary to Norodom Sihanouk, Prince Thomico said he has observed a fundamental difference between the current Cambodian government and the late King in their relationships with China. Norodom Sihanouk moved towards China in the 1950s to protect Cambodias territorial integrity and maintain peace, he said. The current government, the prince said, has placed more importance on the economic benefits of its friendship with China. Pheng Ang has lived in Lowell for nearly three decades. In all those years, the 71-year-old has not seen the local Cambodian-American community, the second largest in the US, as fractured by politics as it is today. The US Presidential election is just weeks away, but the dispute here in Lowell is not between Democrats and Republicans. It is between supporters of two political parties many thousands of miles away in Cambodia. Before, there were some fractions, Pheng Ang told VOA Khmer in a recent interview, explaining how politics in Cambodia casts a long shadow on life in Massachusetts. But when the Cambodian Peoples Party [CPP] came to indoctrinate people here, there was a severe fracture in the community which, already, rarely had unity even among [Buddhist] monks, he said. Pheng Ang escaped as a refugee to the US from war-torn Cambodia in 1987 and has resided in Lowell ever since. The father of five said the deepening division among Cambodian-Americans in Lowell has intensified since a visit to the city in April by Hun Manet, a son of Cambodias long-time Prime Minister Hun Sen. Hun Manet, a senior military figure in Cambodia and often rumored to be his fathers choice of successor, was greeted by loud and angry protests who accused him of having a role in human rights violations and repression of the political opposition: the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP). Large numbers of Cambodians began arriving as refugees in the northeastern state of Massachusetts, and predominately in the city of Lowell, in the 1980s as war gripped the tiny Southeast Asian nation following the devastation of the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. Lowell is now estimated to be home to more than 30,000 ethnic Cambodians. Rithy Uong, a former Lowell city councilor, said the Cambodian-American community in Lowell was caring and unified when he arrived as a refugee in the early 1980s. It is not that way now, he said. In the past, we could talk to each other easily. But now there are the CPP, the CNRP, the existing Sam Rainsy Party and other smaller parties, Rithy Uong told VOA Khmer. We can still talk of course, but its just hard because the other party said if they are associated with us, they would be in trouble, he said. Importing division from Cambodian politics to the US has had consequences for local politics in Lowell, explained Rithy Uong, who served two terms in the Lowell City Council in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was the first Cambodian elected to the nine-member council. His electoral success, however, has not been replicated in recent years. Division among Cambodian-Americans over politics back in Cambodia has left them divided over support for candidates in Lowell local politics, Rithy Uong said. Voting power has been split between competing candidates leading to an overall decline in the representation of Cambodian voices in the city council, he said. Currently, there are no Cambodians on the city council. So how can we be hopeful? Rithy Uong asked. Cambodian-American Veasna Nuon was elected as a city councilor in 2011 but only held the position for a single two-year term. Veasna Nuon and three other Cambodian-American candidates were all unsuccessful during the city council elections last year. Two other Cambodian-Americans Kamara Kay and Dominik Hok Y Lay were unsuccessful last year as candidates running for election to Lowells school committee. Although there is a sizable Cambodian population here, the community itself is divided or fractured, I think, sometimes by the political issue back in Cambodia, Lowell Mayor Edward Kennedy told VOA Khmer. Because of that, they dont always vote as a bloc, Kennedy said. So, maybe, their voice at the polls is not as loud as it would be if they vote in unison. Residents in Lowell said the first generation of Cambodians who migrated here more than three decades ago focused on building a better life. Politics was not high on their agendas. Eventually, Cambodian domestic politics followed the refugees to Lowell. The community became factionalized even within religious institutions, which lead to the separation of Buddhist temples, division among physical structures used by the community, and separate local leadership roles. Residents told VOA Khmer that newly arriving Cambodian immigrants have come with their political beliefs, which has, to a degree, exacerbated further divisions already present in the Lowell community. Sovann Ou, the Cambodian governments honorary consul general in Lowell, declined to comment for this article. Tolayuth Ok, a representative of the ruling CPPs youth movement in Lowell, said it was not the intention of Cambodias ruling party to shake up the unity of the local community. Most of the CPP members I know live here [and] also have families here, and they regard this city as their home too. So there is no intentions to break the community, he said. We all love our society and our nation too. On the other side of the political divide, Sok Paul Pen, president of CNRPs youth movement in the US, said it was time for stakeholders in the Cambodian-American community, especially the non-political Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA), to take a leading role in reuniting the fractured Cambodian-American community. I would like to appeal to the CMAA that they have to think of [the issue] and step into the political sphere to solve this, he said. That seems unlikely to happen. CMAA Executive Director Sovanna Pouv said his associations mission was focused on Cambodian people in Lowell, and not politics in Cambodia, or its local manifestation. If we focus a lot on what is happening in the country [Cambodia], which we have high respect for, and we respect everyone that is connected to the country, it pulls away from our true work here in the US, he said. What is taking place in Lowell is much like the weather, said Sidney Liang, a community leader, using the example of a storm, which would soon pass to make way for clear skies. Cambodian-Americans might be in disagreements over different political viewpoints, but it did not amount to a fracture in the community, Sidney Liang said. Outsiders may think that the people in Lowell must be divided when they saw a protest taking place here, but in fact thats not true, he said. The Lowell community will quickly recover and reunite after the storm has passed, he added. Rady Mom, the Cambodian-born State Representative for the 18th Middlesex district in Massachusetts, also downplayed the talk of divisions and fractures in the community, saying it was simply the expression of different political views in a democratic country. If we often mention the fracture or division, thats not correct, said Rady Mom, who is running for a second term as a State Representative in November. We should get rid of that term, he said, adding that the construction of two pagodas in Lowell did not mean the community was divided; it was just growing in size. If you just look at our pagodas we built, those came from our unity, he added. Political parties and their respective supporters need to focus on mutually beneficial debates rather than destructive political dispute, said Tararith Kho, a former Harvard fellow and current Khmer literature lecturer at Lowell Community College. I am aware of the division, Tararith Kho said. But, I would just like to tell the Khmer community in this city that we should learn how to quarrel with each other in a constructive manner and not in a way [that] furthers their fracture. Editors Note: Dr. John Ward is a research scientist at the Mekong Region Futures Institute specializing in integrated natural resource management. He spoke with VOAs Neou Vannarin about the future of the Mekong, the effects of climate change, hydropower development, and the impact on the environment and people of the region. VOA: So, Based on your experience, what are the main problems for the Mekong river as a whole? JW: I think that the most important question with any river system is how much is society prepared to modify the Mekong system? And by modify I mean building dams, how much to take away and how much water is required to maintain the river as a functioning system. This is really something we havent looked at very carefully. Then we have different societies, we have Cambodian society and the Chinese society, Laos society. They need to discuss within those countries whats needed to be resolved on this and how much to modify the system. At the moment, it is very much an ad hoc process. There is perhaps some planning within countries but there is very little planning within countries and between countries. So thats where this trans-boundary problem starts to arise, and what we are seeing now is that with the very latest severe El Nino, those problems have become accelerated, exacerbated and much more amplified, and we have to see those, for example, as with the Tonle Sap and also Thailand. with the most severe drought that we experienced. And what sort of happens is that its going beyond the adaptive capacity of countries to manage this, particularly with small farmers, rural households. It exceeded their capacity to manage this process. That, to me, is the problem. We dont have those arrangements to actually coordinate between countries and within countries. VOA: Do you think water diversion projects will have negative effects across the Mekong region? JW: Its gonna change. Its very dependent on where people are located and what they are doing on the Mekong river. Really, for a very long time, the Mekong was a relatively unmodified system. There was nothing like irrigation, particularly upstream. There werent a lot of dams. Its been very rapid development. All of the sudden, very rapidly they have to manage a hardly developed river system. At the moment the institutions arent capable of managing that very well. So up to now, we have essentially a voluntary arrangement where countries manage the river according to the [Mekong River Commission] 1995 Agreement, which is okay for a while. But now, we start to see bilateral arrangements starting to come out, which go beyond the MRC agreement, it would seem. And the institution that we have, the legal system, the legal framework, both between countries and within countries, isnt sufficient to manage this very rapid mobilization and development of resources. This is really the problem that we have to address at the moment. The MRC has done a very good job as a technical advisory body. But it has never the executive power, its never had the capacity to enforce or to manage whatever happen to the river. VOA: Do you think the MRC has worked? JW: At the moment, there are unilateral decisions and also some bilateral arrangements and agreements, which seem to be starting to occur. Previous to that, the MRC agreement would have prime notification and some consultation would have been required. Now, the Laos government insists that they went through that process. Similarly with the Thai [government] with the water diversion. Their argument is that it doesnt actually require prime notification. So I think there has been a different interpretation as to what the MRC agreement was about. And the non-defined agreement allows the different interpretations to occur because there is no rights sanctions or enforcement or rights to veto. There is no organizing body to manage the whole MRC agreement. VOA: What are the major problems with the MRC? JW: Countries down the Mekong, they want to develop their economy . They want to go from least developed country status to developed country status. And the Mekong water resource is seen as a vital part in achieving that, whether its industry or agriculture. But of course the environment has a legitimate claim as being one of the uses of the river. So its a dependent ecosystem and so forth. They also have a right to claim the water of the Mekong. And, unfortunately, the environment does not have a voice at the moment, or at least it has a very quiet voice. So as far as all this process goes. We have all these competing interests, competing requirement of the countries as to how the Mekong is used. But the environment is already one part and has a very quiet voice in how the Mekong is utilized. When we talk about some of the rights of the river, the environment also has the right to the water of the river. And that hasnt been negotiated very well at all. VOA: Should Mekong Subregion countries learn from other countries? JW: Absolutely, yes. Other countries have gone through this. They have gone through a relatively unmodified river system to a highly developed one. And there are lots of lessons to learn from that. In other words, how to avoid all the problems in the first place. Its very difficult once you have a very developed system, for example, how do you get rid of the dam? What has the dam been doing? Its very difficult to get rid of it. So better to avoid the problems in the first place. Certainly in the US, in Europe, in Asia and Australia, there are a lot of examples where they have trans-boundary problems like the Mekong and lots of lessons to be learned. How to avoid the problems in the first place. VOA: There are a lot of claims that mega projects like the Thai water diversion project and the Xayaburi dam in Laos will benefit only the rich. What is your view on that? JW: I have heard these claims. This is commonly articulated. We dont know enough about the program of the diversion, of where its going to go at this stage to make any sort of claim about that. In other words, theres not enough information to make an impartial judgment. This is from a scientific perspective. We dont have enough information simply to say who will benefit or who wont benefit. Having access to that information, that would be very useful. VOA: What should Mekong countries do in terms of policy and strategy? JW: Its not really what they should do. Its experience that were seeing that has been successful in other places. I mean if youre going to copy someone or use information from other countries. Its good to look that whats worked and do that and avoid things that havent worked. So we mustnt say should or shouldnt. Im saying look at the evidence thats around and use that in the best possible way. The world's longest reigning monarch is dead. The king of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, died at age 88 on Thursday, according to the bureau of the royal household. The king had been in poor health for a long time, primarily spending his last years in a Bangkok hospital. Worries about the king's condition heightened after a Sunday night health bulletin was issued by the palace, stating that his medical team had performed kidney dialysis and replaced a tube used to drain fluid from his lung when his blood pressure dropped, and placed the monarch on a ventilator. Even after the procedures, his condition was "not stable," the palace said. Hundreds of Thais dressed in pink prayed for the king's recovery Wednesday and Thursday outside Siriraj hospital in Bangkok. The death of the highly revered monarch is a stunning blow for the kingdom of 67 million people, most of whom have known no other sovereign. King Bhumibol, also known as Rama IX, came to the throne as an 18-year-old in 1946 after the mysterious shooting death of his 20-year-old brother, King Ananda Mahidol. Thailand's prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, announced that the heir to the throne has been designated for many years, and the cabinet will inform parliament of the decision. Government officials in the country will observe one year of mourning starting Friday. Parliament was expected to convene Thursday at 9pm. The 70th anniversary of his accession was celebrated in Thailand on June 9 with millions of his subjects donning yellow shirts for the day. Revered in Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States, a grandson of one of the Kingdom of Siam's most revered monarchs, Chulalongkorn, or Rama V. Throughout the last half of the 20th century, Rama IX became the most familiar king Thailand had ever known with the advent of mass media portraying him as a wise and compassionate head of state, working effortlessly to improve the lives of his mostly rural subjects. The king was revered as a semi-deity in the deeply Buddhist country. His rule provided a bedrock of stability in a country faced with many social and economic challenges, including a fragile democratic system. The kingdom now is governed by a military junta, which took power in a bloodless coup on May 22, 2014, ousting a weak civilian government beset by sometimes violent street protests. During his reign there were frequent military coups. Bhumibol acted as the ultimate arbitrator over feuding generals, defusing dangerous situations and sometimes consenting to the army's request for the overthrow of elected governments. The death of the monarch, who was always the critical political institution in the kingdom, creates "a shift in the Thai political landscape," says associate professor Pavin Chachavalpongpun of Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies. "Whether it's smooth or violent remains to be seen. From now on we might see a more prominent role of the military." Heir apparent His son, the 63-year-old crown prince, is heir apparent. The prince also inherits properties said to be worth in excess of $35 billion. Prince Vajiralongkorn, however, has never achieved the esteem enjoyed by the king and Queen Sirikit, who has been in poor health for years. The prince remains a rather remote figure, especially compared with his popular younger sister, Princess Sirindhorn, known for being humble and active with charitable work. Some Thais have quietly spoken of having the princess succeed her father. But she has not been designated a possible heir and most Thai political analysts say the powerful military backs the crown prince. The succession can not be openly discussed in Thailand. The kingdom has harsh lese majeste laws, and any perceived criticism of the monarchy or its top royals can result in quick arrest and long prison terms. Thailand is now expected to enter into a long period of official mourning. Analysts say that will put on hold any quick return to civilian government, indefinitely extending the military's rule. In Photos: The Reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej About 30,000 government troops and about 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are participating in an offensive to retake Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, from Islamic State. The U.S. military is helping the mission by providing training, advice and air support. Analysts as well as politicians express no doubt Mosul will be recaptured, but as Zlatica Hoke reports, some fear for the future of the city in a country riddled with sectarian divisions. The Taliban has formally refuted reports of secret meetings with Afghan government officials, insisting there has been no change in the group's policy for holding peace negotiations. The Guardian newspaper, in an exclusive article published Tuesday, quoted anonymous Afghan officials and sources within the Taliban as confirming at least two interactions between the warring sides in September and early October. It said the meetings took place in Doha, capital of the Gulf state of Qatar, where Taliban political negotiators are based. A source within the Afghan government in Kabul also confirmed the meetings to VOA, without sharing further details. Afghan presidential spokesman Dawa Khan Menapal, without directly commenting on the Doha meetings, told VOA the government is making "all possible efforts" to engage with groups that are ready for peace talks, in order to promote stability in the country. Afghan intelligence chief Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai reportedly led the discussions with Mullah Abdull Manan Akhund, brother of the deceased Taliban founder, and long-time leader Mullah Omar. "We strongly reject reports about any such meetings and talks. Representatives of Islamic Emirate [the Taliban] have neither met Stanekzai nor any other officials of the Kabul regime," the insurgency's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said late Tuesday. In a statement sent to media, including VOA, Mujahid said the Taliban's policy about holding peace talks is "very clear and has not changed." He also urged the media to refrain from publishing unfounded reports. The Taliban condemns President Ashraf Ghani's coalition government as a "puppet regime" and has vowed not to engage in any peace process until all foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan. The British paper quoted an unnamed Taliban official as claiming a senior American diplomat was present at the Qatar meetings, although the U.S. government has not commented on the reported claim. Earlier, the Doha-based spokesman for the Taliban's so-called political office, Sohail Shaeen, also rejected any contacts with the Afghan government. A preliminary round of peace talks between the warring sides took place in Pakistan in July 2015. U.S., Chinese and Pakistani officials were also present, but that process broke down after it was revealed that Taliban chief Mullah Omar had been dead for more than two years. The killing of Omar's successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, in a U.S. drone strike this past May in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan diminished any remaining hopes for resuming the Afghan peace process. The Taliban under its new chief, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada has since intensified insurgent activities across Afghanistan, inflicting heavy casualties on Afghan security forces and making significant territorial gains. Ghani has recently concluded a peace deal with the Hizb-e-Islami insurgent faction led by controversial warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Under the agreement, the second-largest rebel group has agreed to abstain from violence in return for allowing its fugitive leaders, including Hekmatyar, to return to Afghanistan and participate in the national political process. The Afghan president was able to secure financial pledges of around $15 billion at this month's donors' conference in Brussels to sustain the Afghan reconstruction process for the next four years. But partner nations at the meeting underscored the need for a peaceful settlement through an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue to ensure long-term stability in Afghanistan. In Stephanie Leichty's civics class one September morning, eighth-graders wrestled with the question of whether teachers should be armed. Debating grown-up issues is part of the curriculum in her classes at Bluestone Middle School in rural Skipwith, Virginia, just north of the North Carolina border. Leichty's brown bob and glasses frame a face that radiates competence, but with an undertone of warmth. "I think this is the most important class they have. We talk about the real world in here," she said. It's about more, however, than current events. Leichty aims to instill in her students a rare skill in a politically polarized nation: how to disagree without being disagreeable. This quality has been in remarkably short supply in the 2016 presidential campaign, as the debates between the candidates illustrate. Candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will face each other in the third and last debate Wednesday night. It's one more reason Leichty and teachers like her want to bring back civil discourse. Political classrooms Their approach to teaching is based on research by two University of Wisconsin-Madison education experts, Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy. The goal of their 2015 book, "The Political Classroom," is to better equip educators to teach students how to deliberate the contentious issues they will face as adults. McAvoy notes that the polarization of American society goes beyond politics. Over the past several decades, Americans have sorted themselves into increasingly like-minded communities. That means "the less likely we are to even encounter people who disagree with us," she said. "And then when we do, often our instinct at the dinner party with your friends is to just avoid politics if we know we're going to disagree with each other." That's bad for democracy, she adds. Fixing the problem, though, could start in civics class. "With the help of the teacher, [students] can learn that disagreement is normal, that we can still be friends even if we disagree with each other politically." Setting the tone Many teachers worry that if they bring politics into the classroom, the class will devolve into a shouting match. "But teachers can set a really clear tone," McAvoy said. Leichty runs her class with a firm but kind hand. Students start off with a news story from shortly after the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that lays out arguments for and against arming teachers. They read additional material that adds more arguments, pro and con. Leichty splits them into groups and assigns them a side to debate. "Be knowledgeable," she tells them to back up their arguments. "Have a 'why.'" Each side gets a set time to make its arguments. Before the other side can respond, she has them recap what they heard. This is one place where things could go badly. So Leichty sets the tone. "Are you going to scream at them?" "No," the students answer. "Are you going to say mean and hurtful things, like, 'That was stupid?'" "No." "What's a really nice way to respond to somebody?" "That is not exactly what I said," one student offers. Respectfully disagree Leichty's teaching students good ways to continue a conversation when it takes a negative turn, without letting it get out of hand. "They need to remember that the person across from them is another human being with maybe some different thoughts and opinions," she said. "And just respecting that person is the most important thing they can do in that moment." Also, she said, "I see a lot of kids that realize ... that they have to learn to listen to other people." The students really seem to enjoy it. And McAvoy's research shows "when students discuss, and they're reading and comparing a lot of material and hearing from each other, they actually end up learning more" than they do in conventional class lectures. McAvoy doesn't think better civics classes alone will save American politics. "I'm not idealistic enough to think that if people can just discuss with each other, then the entire political system is going to change," she said. "The adults in the system need to work on their behavior." McAvoy said she does think it should help students become better citizens. "They become habituated that [they] should pay attention, and that it's fun to talk about this with other people and hear what they have to say," she noted. Leichty has bigger ambitions. She dreams of seeing her students run for office. "I want to be voting for my kids one day," she said. Pedestrians pause to take in the towering gold spires of Russias latest export, sitting in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Tape still fences off the gleaming white complex that houses an Orthodox cathedral, cultural center and school. Yet even before its inauguration Wednesday, the new $187 million Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center has provided the backdrop for high drama, underscoring geopolitical tensions, partisan sniping and the complicated relations among the Russian diaspora here. 'Saint Vladimir' Some see the complex as underscoring Russias spreading influence under its leader, Vladimir Putin, at a time of chilling relations between Moscow and the West. In Saint Vladimir, as the center is dubbed by the local media, Putin is sending the message, Im here, we are here in the heart of Paris, broadcaster RTL concludes. Others disagree. People shouldnt read all of Russian politics through this cathedral, says Orthodox theologian Jean-Francois Colosimo. Its much more complex. In all Orthodox countries, cultural diplomacy passes through religion. French-Russian ties were on the upswing when the center was conceived in 2007 under former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The Patriarchate counts half of the Orthodox world among its faithful, Colosimo says. So it needed a site that was exemplary. That was before hostilities in Ukraine led to European Union sanctions against Moscow, and before Russias intervention in Syria deepened tensions with the West. There is no chance of red carpet treatment today. Last week, Putin canceled his Paris visit after French President Francois Hollande suggested Russia might be subject to war crimes over its bombing of Aleppo and made it clear there would be few diplomatic niceties should he visit. Hollande himself has not emerged unscathed. Coming during an election season, his snub to Putin was quickly seized on by his political foes. I have disagreements with Putin, but how do you find a solution when you dont talk?" said Sarkozy, who is again seeking office and who called Hollandes actions irresponsible. Parishioners view The political sniping seems a universe away from the Church of the Three Doctor Saints, a Russian Orthodox church a couple kilometers from the new complex. A handful of parishioners gather for the two-hour morning Mass, some kneeling in prayer. A woman reverently kisses a shrine balancing on a chair. Others stand in line for confession before a trio of priests clad in golden robes. Its a wonderful idea to have a new Russian Cathedral in Paris, said 31-year-old Alexandra Lastovka, who describes herself as French-Russian. I definitely will go see it. I hope the life of the Orthodox community there will be as rich and harmonious as our other parishes. Not everyone shares her sentiments. Russias diaspora is riven by historical and religious divides, with some of its churches loyal to Moscow and others to the rival Patriarchate of Constantinople. Over the years, Russia has steadily gained control over former church property in France that dates to czarist times. That includes a stunning, century-old Orthodox cathedral in the Rivera city of Nice. Moscow won a court case against its former occupants, whose forbears arrived in France after Russias 1917 revolution. The Russian church is now eyeing other property, including a cemetery in the city partially managed by the old diaspora. Similar tensions also exist in Paris, where the new Orthodox cathedral has an older rival near the Champs Elysees. Built in the 19th century and now covered with scaffolding, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral similarly broke with the Moscow church after the revolution. No religious issue But some Parisians, stopping to stare at the new center, arent interested in the tangled history that surrounds it. Were a secular country, so I dont see why politics should enter into the debate, says Benedicte Leroy, who finds the complex beautiful. Trader Laurent Belot agrees: Each person has the right to his religion. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will host a meeting with the Russian, Ukrainian and French presidents Wednesday in Berlin in efforts to reactivate the stalled Minsk peace agreements aimed at reaching a political settlement in eastern Ukraine. Amid escalating tensions between the West and Russia, Merkel arranged the talks to "assess the implementation of the Minsk (peace) agreements since the last meeting and discuss further steps,'' Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said Tuesday. The four leaders have held sporadic meetings to discuss the Minsk accords, the last of them in Paris on October 2, 2015. The 2015 Minsk deal, mediated by France and Germany, has helped reduce the intensity of battles between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine but clashes have continued, and efforts to reach a political settlement have stalled. "From the cease-fire, which is not really one, to the stalled political process, a lot really is not satisfactory at all... but Minsk is the only thing we have, the only thing everyone can call on, and that sets out a peaceful and political road for everyone,'' Seibert said, downplaying chances of a breakthrough. Wednesdays visit will be Putin's first to Berlin since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict in 2014 and comes one day before the 28 leaders of the European Union are due to convene to discuss relations with Russia, including sanctions related to its involvement in Ukraine, which are due for renewal at the end of the year. The EU summit in Brussels is also expected to discuss Russia's role in Syria, which sparked frictions between Russia and France last week, after which Putin canceled a visit to Paris. One day into the Iraqi-led operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State terror group, a hopeful Pentagon proclaimed the effort ahead of schedule, well aware the outcome could have a significant impact on U.S. strategy in the region. About 30,000 Iraqi troops and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters began advancing on Mosul from the east Monday, quickly clearing villages in surrounding areas while encountering some resistance from IS fighters. Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far and that they are ahead of schedule, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters. This is going according to the Iraqi plan. That plan includes support from as many as 200 U.S. special operations forces, some positioned just behind the front lines, working in what U.S. defense officials have described as an advise and assist role. Some may even be helping to call in airstrikes. Most U.S. officials say that despite their confidence and the initial success, they expect the fight to liberate Mosul will be long and possibly bloody, with some warning IS will try to turn Iraqs second largest city into hell on earth. This is a significant test," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday. Dislodging them [IS] from the city would be a significant strategic gain. It also could validate the Obama administrations counterterror strategy, which has sought to build up and empower local forces to take on jihadist groups like Islamic State with the help of U.S. air power and a minimal U.S. military footprint on the ground. It is a strategy that has so far seen sporadic success, making progress in places like Yemen, only to see those gains recede. Still, U.S. officials have been encouraged by the steady momentum of the anti-IS campaign in Iraq, inflicting defeats on the terror group in one city after another, slowly shrinking its self-declared caliphate. And they are confident Iraqi forces will be able to liberate Mosul, just as they did with Ramadi, Fallujah and other cities and towns across Iraq. Its promising in certain aspects, Institute for the Study of War Iraq analyst Patrick Martin said of the early stages of the campaign to free Mosul. Theyve faced some minor resistance and it looks like theyve been able to stave that off, he said. The fact that the Iraqi Security Forces and Peshmerga were able to come to the table and reach a political agreement regarding the composition of forces in the area prior to launching the operation is encouraging. But just how long that cooperation can be maintained is an open question, especially because there is no political agreement yet on how to govern Mosul once it is liberated. If that isnt actually taken care of prior to the clearing of the city then we should expect this area to suffer from significant complications going forward, Martin said. It is a concern shared by some in the U.S. intelligence community. Over the long term, the Iraqi governments main challenge will be fostering a governance system that is inclusive of Sunnis, one official told VOA on condition of anonymity. ISILs rapid spread in 2014 was due in part to its appeal to the disenfranchised and marginalized Sunni population. Michael Pregent, a former intelligence officer now with the Hudson Institute, is not optimistic. You need a lasting buy-in. You need lasting trust with the population centers tying them to Baghdad, Pregent told VOA from Iraq. Baghdads perfectly comfortable not nurturing that trust. And there are questions about whether the Iraqi government has done enough to build trust with those still inside Mosul. Despite reaching out via radio and television broadcasts, and plans to drop as many as 7 million leaflets over the next 48 hours to communicate with the citys civilians, aid groups worry fear of Iraqi forces is rampant. In a statement Monday, the United Nations refugee agency warned that as many as 100,000 Iraqis from Mosul could flee toward Syria and Turkey as the fighting draws near. And there is concern Islamic State is still well positioned enough to exploit that mistrust, as well as differences among its enemies. You have all these groups going into Mosul for different reasons and number three is to defeat ISIS, Pregent warned. Numbers one and two is to make sure nobody else gets more than the other group. Still, the Pentagon remains convinced that the operation to liberate Mosul can serve as a crucial stepping stone, and allow Iraqs various factions to set aside their differences What we see happening in Mosul and the movement of Iraqi forces today, in some respects, signifies the cooperation those various groups within Iraq are actually engaged in to defeat IS, the Pentagons Peter Cook said. 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. Belgium has charged four people with participating in and aiding a terrorist organization, by funding it and recruiting people to fight with Islamic State in Syria. The Federal Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday the charges followed a police raid of 15 homes in the cities of Antwerp, Ghent and Deinze, during which 15 people were taken in for questioning. The statement said no arms or explosives were found and the raids had no immediate connection with the IS-claimed attacks on the Brussels airport and a metro station, which left 32 people dead in March. Belgium has been on alert since the March attacks by home-grown jihadist extremists. Some of them, who grew up in central Brussels and were known to Belgian authorities, also took part in the November Paris attacks that left 130 people dead. The political parties taking part in the national dialogue in the Democratic Republic of Congo have adopted an agreement which delays elections by nearly two years to April 2018 and puts in place a power-sharing government to rule the country in the interim. But the main opposition coalition has rejected the deal. Emilie Iob reports from Kinshasa. European countries will not impose sanctions against Russia for its military actions in Syria. Instead, the European Union wants to start talks this week about the future of Syria with neighboring countries and opposition groups. This was decided during a meeting of European foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday. Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia will be invited for talks on post-conflict Syria by the European Union this week, says foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. This is why we decided to launch a dialogue with key regional partners and key actors in the region. To start looking at where political transmission might end up. What the regional players and the European Union can do to start preparing for a post-conflict in all its different strands, she said. Mogherini underlines that these new talks, which are to include opposition parties and civil society groups, are not to substitute for other ongoing initiatives. Although the EU strongly called upon Russia to stop the bombings, it did not impose any sanctions on Russia, which has been fighting alongside the Syrian regime. Mogerhini said no EU member state wanted to impose sanctions on Russia. "I have seen this has been very much in the media, but not in our meetings. In none of our meetings the issue was raised by any of the member states. But we have sanctions on the Syrian regime as you know and there are discussions on that for sure, that could be possible," said Mogerhini. Russia announced an 8-hour cease-fire for this coming Thursday, but humanitarian agencies have said they will need a minimum of 12 hours to provide aid. The EU also called for an end to all military flights over Aleppo, an immediate cessation of hostilities and countrywide humanitarian access. Eighty-six American law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2015, a Federal Bureau of Investigation report released Tuesday said. About half of the deaths occurred in accidents. But 41 were felonious acts, the vast majority committed with firearms down from 51 in 2014. Of the 41 who died in 2015, eight were investigating suspicious persons or circumstances, seven were involved in tactical situations and six were conducting traffic stops. More than 50,000 police officers were assaulted that year, though less than 30 percent of them were injured in the assaults. Most of the assaults were committed with "personal weapons," the FBI said. Police officers are under increased scrutiny in the U.S. because of allegations of brutality, many of them involving the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of law enforcement. Last month, protests erupted in Charlotte, North Carolina, following the fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott by police officers, whose department then was slow to release body and dash camera footage to the public. Though the 2014 and 2015 police death tolls were significantly higher than the figure from 2013, when just 27 officers were killed in felonious acts, they did not differ much from statistics over the past decade. The figure from 2013 was the lowest since the 1980s. U.S. government officials deny that any deal was proposed between the State Department and the FBI to change the classification of a Hillary Clinton email in exchange for allowing more of the bureaus agents to be posted overseas. We dispute the assertion that there was any kind of quid pro quo involving the case of upgrading an email in exchange for additional slots for FBI officials in Baghdad, said deputy spokesman Mark Toner. During intense questioning by reporters at the departments daily briefing Monday, Toner called any insinuation of a proposed deal insulting. According to summaries of interviews with FBI officials released earlier in the day, a bureau official told investigators that Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy pressured the FBI to declassify information in one of the emails from the private server of Clinton from the time she served as secretary of state. Downgrading the emails classification level for archiving would have allowed it, as Kennedy is quoted as saying, never to be seen again. The particular email related to the 2012 attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans died in the siege, including then-Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Since the incident, conservative critics of Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, have fiercely attacked her for allegedly ignoring security warnings and engaging in a cover-up. The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from the state of Utah, and Devin Nunes, a California Republican and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Monday called for the president and secretary of state to immediately remove Kennedy from his post, calling the career diplomats actions "extremely disturbing. Pat Kennedy is going to remain at his job and he has the full confidence of the secretary of state, Toner said when asked about the congressmens request. The revelation is the latest chapter in the email controversy that has vexed Clinton. Her main opponent, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, on the social media platform Twitter, Monday characterized the newly released documents as unbelievable and evidence of corruption confirmed. The notes released a total of 100 pages and are the FBIs fourth release of materials related to its now-closed investigation of Clintons use of a private email server. The FBI, in a statement, said no deal was proposed in a discussion between Kennedy and one its officials, whose name was redacted from the released documents and has since retired. Having been previously unsuccessful in attempts to speak with the senior State official, during the same conversation, the FBI official asked the State Department official if they would address a pending, unaddressed FBI request for space for additional FBI employees assigned abroad. Following the call, the FBI official consulted with a senior FBI executive responsible for determining the classification of the material and determined the email was in fact appropriately classified at the Secret level, according to the statement, which added that although there was never a quid pro quo, these allegations were nonetheless referred to the appropriate officials for review. A spokesman for the Clinton presidential campaign, Robby Mook, characterized the FBI-State Department conversations about the Benghazi email as one of numerous, routine disputes regarding classification. Its not uncommon for officials within a department to fight over classification, Mook told reporters. The flow of foreign fighters traveling from Latin America to join Islamic State forces in the Middle East has been significantly curtailed, a top U.S. admiral said Tuesday. Navy Admiral Kurt Tidd, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees American military activities in Central America, South America and the Caribbean, told reporters that the outflow of foreign fighters had diminished because of significant success in Iraq and Syria by the U.S.-led coalition. The admiral came to the Pentagon this week to take part in an international conference, hosted by General Joe Dunford, that looked at the global security landscape after Islamic State is driven out of Mosul, its most populated stronghold in Iraq. The goal of the conference, Tidd said, was to make sure IS doesnt squeeze out of Iraq and Syria and go to other places. It literally was to put in place a global network to be able to be mindful, watchful, he said. In March, the admiral had told reporters that the total number of foreign fighters traveling to IS-controlled territory from Latin America was about 100 to 150. He did not provide reporters with an updated number Tuesday. The curtailed flow of foreign fighters has not necessarily led to a reduction of threats of Islamic State attacks. IS has been advocating in recent months for recruits to conduct attacks in their homelands if they are unable to travel to the Middle East. Tidd said that many U.S. partners in Latin America now recognize that attacks by self-radicalized individuals can pop up almost anywhere and with little warning. I dont think its safe for anybody to now say, 'Well, it will never happen here,' " Tidd told reporters. Its a phenomenon that were just going to have to wrestle with. Concerned about the outcome of the U.S. presidential race, the world has been watching closely as Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump tout their plans for handling terrorism and other global issues. A former secretary of state who has advocated a more assertive U.S. policy in Syria, Clinton says she wants to use "all the tools of power" from diplomacy to development to support American foreign policy. "I believe in strong alliances, clarity in dealing with our rivals and a rock-solid commitment to the values that have always made America great," Clinton said in a foreign policy speech in June. "And if America doesnt lead, we leave a vacuum and that will either cause chaos, or other countries will rush in to fill the void." Jeremy Mayer, a professor of political science at George Mason University, calls Clinton an "internationalist" and "multilateralist" an advocate of American global leadership in the mold of President Barack Obama. "Where shes different from Obama is, I think, shes more willing to use force," Mayer says. Though his opposition to "nation building" and other positions put him in the realist camp of foreign policy, Trump is seen as a unilateralist and even an isolationist his pledge to put America first harkening back to another period of American isolationism. "To our friends and allies, I say, America is going to be strong again, America is going to be reliable again," Trump said in a major foreign policy speech April. "Were going to finally have a coherent foreign policy based upon Americas interests and the shared interests of Americas allies." Invoking a phrase popularized by Ronald Reagan, Trump vowed to project "peace through strength" by restoring American military might, a theme that resonates with his ardent backers. A Trump presidency "will strike fear in the hearts of those that have been taking advantage of us," says Sidney Shachnow, a retired Army general who joined 87 other former generals and admirals in endorsing Trump last month. NATO Of all the foreign policy differences between Clinton and Trump, few are as revealing as their discord over Americas commitment to NATO and other alliances. Trump set off a firestorm this summer when he suggested he would not automatically come to the aid of NATO allies if they came under an attack by Russia. The comment drew a sharp rebuke from across the political spectrum, but Trump has not softened his insistence that NATO members pay "their fair share" on defense and focus on combating terror. The differences came into sharp relief during the second presidential debate earlier this month. "Weve got to work more closely with our allies, and thats something that Donald has been very dismissive of," Clinton said. Trump responded by saying that America has been "working with them for many years, and thats why we have the greatest mess anyone has ever seen." To critics, that hints at a failure to recognize the importance of an alliance that has served as a bulwark of American security for nearly 70 years. "What [Trump] fails to understand is NATO is in our interests," says James Jeffrey, a former senior diplomat who has endorsed Clinton. "It undergirds our security. Without NATO, we would be back like we were in 1917 or 1940 without Britain." Trump supporters say their candidate has no intention of abandoning NATO or America's other alliances. Trump "will pressure the participants in the alliance to carry their fair share of the burden and ease the burden for the American budget," Shachnow says. "But overall, the alliances [that] have served us well will serve us well in the future." Russia With the Kremlin accused of meddling in the U.S. presidential elections, Russia will remain a major foreign policy challenge for the next president. Trump has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a strong leader and said he wants to build a relationship with him if only to fight the Islamic State terrorist group. Trumps running mate, Mike Pence, took a harder line during the vice presidential debate, calling Putin "a small and bullying" leader and saying Russian provocations "need to be met by American strength." But Trump has stuck to his guns even as he's advocated European diplomatic pressure on Moscow. "I dont know Putin," he said during the second presidential debate. "I think it will be great if we get along with Russia because we could fight ISIS together as an example." National security experts from both political parties have pilloried Trump for taking a soft line toward a resurgent adversary that is threatening American interests in Europe and beyond. "He dismisses any threat of Russia," Jeffrey says. "And this is totally factually wrong and extremely dangerous." Pledging to be "firm but wise with our rivals," Clinton has said she wants to strengthen sanctions on Russia imposed over its annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine, expand U.S. missile defense systems in Europe, and help European nations break their dependence on Russian energy "I stood up to Russia," she said during the second debate. "Ive taken on Putin and others, and Id do that as president." China If Clinton wants to stand up to an aggressive Russia, Trump vows to take on a rising China whom he has accused of "an economic assault on" the United States and of stealing well-paying jobs. Trump has called for punishing Beijing for unfair trade practices, designating China a currency manipulator, stepping up U.S. military presence in the South China Sea, getting China to rein in North Korea and countering Chinese cyberattacks. "China respects strength," Trump said in April. "By letting them take advantage of us economically, theyve lost respect" for the United States. Trump went on to warn that the two world powers could either mutually "benefit or we can go both our separate ways." Clinton is far from soft on China last week, she made headlines by suggesting a missile defense "ring" around China but shes also warned against unilateral U.S. action in any trade dispute. Mayer, of George Mason University, says managing Americas increasingly complex relationship with China will remain a challenge only surpassed by Russia for the next president. "The Trump vision on China is for aggressive challenging militarily as well as economically, whereas the Clinton approach to China is again to be a military stop what youre doing policy. But she wants to work with China in a more multilateral and diplomatic way whenever possible," Mayer says. Iran The 2015 international deal with Iran to halt its nuclear program remains another point of contention between the two candidates. Clinton has taken credit for laying the groundwork for the deal, saying it has made the world safer. However, Clinton, who as secretary of state built international support for sanctions on Iran, also said she wants to re-impose and strengthen them if Tehran fails to comply "I'm proud that we put a lid on Irans nuclear program without firing a single shot," Clinton told the Democratic National Convention in July. Like most Republicans, Trump is a vociferous critic of the deal and has vowed to revoke it as soon as hes elected. "When I look at the Iran deal and how bad a deal it is for us, its a one-sided transaction, where were giving back $150 billion to a terrorist state, really the No. 1 terrorist state," Trump said during the second debate. "Weve made [it] a strong country from, really, a very weak country just three years ago." The Republican Party platform calls the agreement "a personal agreement between the president and his negotiating partners and not binding on the next president." Islamic State On the foreign policy issue most Americans care about the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria the policy differences between Clinton and Trump appear hardly distinguishable at first glance. Both want the U.S. to step up airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria; both advocate a no-fly zone over parts of Syria to prevent the Syrian government from targeting civilians and rebels; and both say theyll work with an international coalition of Western and Middle Eastern countries to fight ISIS. But the similarities end there. Clinton does not favor sending more ground troops to Syria and Iraq and has advocated taking a hard line on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Contradicting his running mate on countering Russian "provocations" in Syria, Trump suggested during the second debate that there was no need to confront the Syrian regime, Russia and Iran as they were all fighting ISIS. Trump sees the Islamic State as part of a larger threat facing America, which he calls "radical Islamic terrorism." He faults Clinton and Obama for refusing to "name the enemy." "And unless you name the enemy, youll never, ever solve the problem," Trump said in April. He says hell establish a commission on radical Islam if hes elected but he has offered few other details about his larger plan to defeat ISIS, leaving many critics wondering how he'd take on the group. The 2016 election campaign is unusual on many fronts, but one aspect of it is truly historic. For the first time, a major U.S. party nominated a woman Democrat Hillary Clinton - as its presidential candidate. Since the United States is at the forefront of efforts to promote womens empowerment and advancement around the world, why has it taken so long to nominate a female presidential candidate? And how do assumptions about a womans role affect the publics response to a woman candidate? Attitudes and gender bias Criticism is partly rooted in gender bias and sexism. Michele Swers, a Georgetown University government professor and co-author of "Women in the Club," about females in the U.S. Senate, says people associate toughness and leadership qualities with male leadership. "A woman travels in a narrower lane," she says, "so that women in politics have to prove both that they hold masculine qualities of leadership but still also hold feminine personality traits that people assume women have. Clinton is often criticized for being too cold and calculating. But when she shows her softer side, so as not to seem "unwomanly," she elicits the opposite reaction, says Sonya Michel, a professor emerita at the University of Maryland. The more she tries to avoid those kinds of criticisms, people say, Well is she strong enough? Is she firm enough? You know, how could she operate on a world stage? The role of the political system The factors that have denied a woman this milestone so far in the United States are varied and complex, and they relate to how the political system operates in the United States. When it comes to presidential nominations," Swers says, "you need to not just work your way up through the party, but you need to build your own coalition, your own coalition of donors, your own coalition of connections to various state party leaders. And all these things have been dominated by men over time, so its harder for a woman to have those connections and to break in." Thats probably why the first woman to get so close to the presidency is one who has developed those connections as former first lady, former senator and former secretary of state. "In Europe, especially in the countries that have parliamentary systems, its really [that] people vote for the party. They dont necessarily vote for the candidate; they dont vote for the person who is going to become prime minister," says Michel, who has focused her research on the history of women and gender. She cites, as examples, Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May in Britain and Angela Merkel in Germany. Women candidates face double standards even in countries that have had female leaders. People just have this image that they are so tough, [which is] unfair, and its just because they are in a position of power," says Dori Toribio, a Washington correspondent for the Spanish broadcasting group Mediaset. Double standard versus legitimate criticism Swers cautions that the criticism leveled at Clinton isn't only because of gender bias. "I think the criticisms related to the email servers and the campaign donations to the Clinton Foundation are legitimate in that they question values that we hold about transparency, about honesty, about character in our leadership," she says, noting previous candidates have faced similar concerns. However, Swers adds, its easy for those questions to seep into gender bias, because women candidates are supposed to be more honest, more trustworthy, more likable. And more prepared, says Toribio. "Thats the thing with women in politics. You have to be older, you have to be tougher and in my point of view you have to be 10 times better than a man so that you can get to that point. You have to prove yourself all the time. Reasons for the different reactions toward Clinton are varied and reflect the fact that the country is diverse and differentiated. On November 9, the world will know whether U.S. voters have chosen a female president, shattering the highest of glass ceilings. Ghanaian police officials plan to meet with leaders of the Muslim community this week as part of an effort to ensure peaceful presidential, legislative and local elections scheduled for Dec. 7, according to Cephas Arthur, spokesman for the police. Arthur also said police representatives would meet with other stakeholders before the upcoming polls. Arthur said the police have also launched a nationwide education campaign using mass and social media platforms to engage the public regarding the need to ensure a peaceful general election. We see all these groupings are veritable stakeholders to these elections and that if we are able to bring all of them on board to jaw-jaw to find amicable solutions to all concerns that we have as far as this election is concerned, Arthur said, then we are sure that we will be watching the election through the same spectacle. And that we shall surely succeed in having a peaceful election come December 7, [and] that is why we are taking all these steps. In addition, Arthur added, the police are preparing as an institution, where we are set as far as our logistics and equipment and everything is concerned. Arthur said the police have a two-prong strategy. One is being headed by the community policing unit of the police service, which is touring communities across the country, meeting with people at their homes, marketplaces, churches, mosques, and explaining police operations, police activities to them as far as election is concerned and also seeking their concerns so that we integrate it or consider it in our plans, he said. The second approach is by the national election security task force, the media and communication subcommittee, which has also embarked upon public events, outreach programs whereby we meet with the people and we are doing this with the help of the Police Band. We go out to open public places and they play, and when they play we draw a lot of people and then we speak to them. We [urge] them to ask questions, Arthur said. The police have withdrawn the officers assigned to protect 12 presidential candidates who will not be participating in the upcoming elections. The electoral commission disqualified the candidates for failing to meet requirements stipulated by the electoral body. The electoral body says the presidential candidates who are qualified to participate in the elections include: incumbent President John Dramani Mahama; Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo from the New Patriotic Party (NPP); Ivor Kobina Greenstreet of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP); and Jacob Osei Yeboah, an independent candidate. Supporters of the disqualified presidential candidates have criticized the police for withdrawing the officers, saying it was premature. They contend that because some of the parties are challenging the disqualification in court, the police administration should have waited for a court decision. Arthur disagreed: The police had meetings with the political parties and it was agreed that although they hadnt been accepted or otherwise by the electoral commission, once their political parties had selected them, they were going to start their campaign, so they needed some protection and the police agreed to assign them those security details to take care of their security. It was agreed that if the electoral commission disqualified anybody, the police were going to withdraw such security detail, because then the danger for which the person was going to be granted the security detail ceases to exist and it was understood. The prisoner who wrote Guantanamo Diary, a memoir recounting his daily life as a detainee in a controversial U.S. military prison, has been released from captivity after 14 years. Mohamedou Ould Slahi, 45, has gone home to his native Mauritania after spending more than a decade at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Mauritanian had been held without charges since 2002. On July 14, Ould Slahi was approved for release from the detention center at the U.S. base in Cuba. The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed his transfer Monday. Ould Slahi became one of Guantanamos most prominent inmates with the 2015 publication of a prison memoir in which he described years of detention and interrogation, including being subjected to harsh techniques widely considered torture. Ould Slahi was originally suspected of being a senior recruiter for al-Qaida. But his lawyers contended that his links to militants were limited to the early 1990s when he fought in Afghanistan with mujahideen anti-communist insurgents. I feel grateful and indebted to the people who have stood by me, Ould Slahi said in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union. I have come to learn that goodness is transnational, transcultural, and trans-ethnic. Im thrilled to reunite with my family. With his release, there are now 60 detainees at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. That includes 19 who have been approved for release and are expected to leave in the coming months before President Barack Obama leaves office. Obama had sought to close the detention center but was blocked by Congress, which enacted legislation forbidding the transfer of detainees to the U.S. We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today An Iranian-American businessman and his 80-year-old father have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran for espionage, Tehran's prosecutor said Tuesday. The Mizan news agency reported Siamak Namazi and his father, Baquer Namazi, both dual citizens, were convicted of "cooperating with the hostile American government." Siamak Namazi was detained in October 2015 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while visiting his family in Iran. His father, a former UNICEF representative who once served as governor of Iran's Khuzestan province under the U.S.-backed shah, was arrested in February. The U.S. State Department expressed their deep concern at the convictions Tuesday, saying that Siamak Namazi was unjustly detained. "We join recent calls by international organizations and U.N. human rights experts for the immediate release of all U.S. citizens unjustly detained in Iran, including Siamak and Baquer Namazi, so that they can return to their families," deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said. UNICEF expressed its sadness at Baquer Namazi's arrest Tuesday. "He worked tirelessly on behalf of children in all those positions, often in highly difficult circumstances," its statement read. "He deserves a peaceful retirement." The statement also expressed their concern for Baquer Namazi's health, stating that at his age he should be released "on humanitarian grounds." Four others were convicted of espionage along with the Namazis, according to the Fars news agency. Nizar Zaka, a permanent American resident from Lebanon, was among those sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was arrested November 2015 and accused on state television of "numerous deep links to the U.S. military intelligence community." Beneath the barrage of weaponry being unleashed on Islamic State forces in Mosul live an estimated one-and-a-half million people, and aid agencies in Iraq are bracing for a humanitarian catastrophe. Up to a million civilians are expected to flee the fighting, adding to the already desperate refugee situation. An exodus of such proportions would threaten to overwhelm a nation already at the breaking point. Sarah Case, the director of planning at the International Rescue Committee, who has been working alongside the charity AMAR International in refugee camps, told VOA that the government lacks funds to pay for doctors and nurses. "Over three million people are internally displaced right now. And in Iraq itself, to date over 10 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. So it is really a humanitarian catastrophe on a humanitarian catastrophe," Case said. Refugees have fled towns surrounding Mosul. They describe horrific conditions under Islamic State. One man said he and his family fled at night and walked for more than six hours. He says they managed to escape the bombs and Islamic State also shot at them. He said people were suffering from starvation and dying in droves. Around a quarter-million people are expected to flee to Duhok in northern Iraq, which already hosts 25 refugee camps. Physical, mental health challenges Duhoks director of healthcare, Doctor Nezar Ismet Taib, told VOA many of the refugees are likely to be suffering from very poor mental and physical health. The first objective is to prevent an outbreak, to prevent infections. And this will be mainly on prevention. They may bring more diseases with them. They may be heavily traumatized, especially the women and the children. So we are expecting a very bad psychological situation for these people, he said. Doctor Nezar added the international community must step up to avert a disaster. We are out of budget, and we cannot pay salaries, so how can we cope with all this burden that the people came, and the camps, and the war? Just escaping Mosul will be the first challenge. The United Nations warns civilians are at extreme risk from crossfire and artillery barrages, as well as snipers. There are fears Islamic State fighters could use civilians as human shields or stage a chemical weapons attack on those trying to flee. Aid agencies in Iraq are bracing for a humanitarian catastrophe, as the assault on the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul gets under way. Up to a million civilians are expected to flee the fighting, adding to the already desperate refugee situation. The director of healthcare in the region, who has been working alongside the charity AMAR International in refugee camps, told VOAs Henry Ridgwell the government lacks the funds to pay for doctors and nurses. More than 100 American troops are accompanying Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga forces in their push to take back the city of Mosul from Islamic State forces. Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters Tuesday the Americans are assisting about 10,000 Kurds, 18,000 Iraqi Security Forces and another couple thousand Iraqi police as they face an Islamic State force that has been hunkered down in the second-largest Iraqi city for more than two years. Estimates of IS fighters in Mosul range from about 3,000 to 5,000 fighters, but U.S. officials say Mosul is home to greater skilled IS fighters who are more dedicated to the fight and more ideologically zealous. Davis said the more than 100 U.S. forces are embedded with Iraqi Security Forces at the division headquarters level. They also are embedded with Kurdish and Iraqi counterterrorism commandos at levels considered below the division level. U.S. officials have stressed that embedded American forces will remain with Iraqi and peshmerga counterparts who are involved in coordinating and decision making, rather than at the frontlines of combat. But U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has said U.S. troops are still in harm's way. Iraqi and Kurdish forces say they have retaken a dozen villages outside Mosul, and Davis said there are four major points from which the offensive is pushing into the city. Kurdish peshmerga units are advancing on Kurdish villages from two points east of Mosul, with Iraqi Security Forces following behind. ISF forces are advancing from the north from the Qayarrah West base, and another ISF team is pushing into Mosul from the southeast. Much of the west is still controlled by Islamic State, prompting U.S. officials to suggest that the IS leadership may look to flee west to Raqqah should Mosul start to fall. These officials say they have so far seen some IS family members flee west, but they have not seen foreign fighters coming in or out of the city recently. The long-awaited offensive, backed by airstrikes from a U.S.-led coalition and involving Sunni tribal forces and Shiite militias, remains on the outskirts of Mosul. IS fighters have burned tires and oil to obscure their movements, but officials say the tactic hasn't degraded air support by the coalition, which carried out four strikes against IS forces in and around Mosul on Monday. President Barack Obama, speaking Tuesday in Washington, said Mosul will be a "difficult fight," but he expressed confidence that IS will be defeated in the city. "Perhaps a million civilians are still living there, so in addition to rooting out ISIL, our focus jointly is on the safety and humanitarian aid for civilians who are escaping the fight. That's going to be a top priority for both our governments," he added, using an acronym for Islamic State. East of Mosul, the Kurdish peshmerga forces advanced quickly, with U.S. officials saying Tuesday that the Kurds had seen less resistance than anticipated. Iraqi armed forces to the city's south have been making slower progress because they have more ground to cover, having begun their operations 40 kilometers from the edge of Mosul. On the first day of the offensive, Iraqi regulars along with Shiite militiamen overran three villages. Their target Tuesday is the village of Zawiya. Kurdish President Masoud Barzani has declared that "Mosul will be liberated," adding that his fighters are doing their best to keep the city from becoming like war-battered Aleppo in Syria. Iraqi officials say there will be no sustained airstrikes on the city center to avoid high casualties among the more than 1 million civilians still in the city. This is the largest and most complex military operation in Iraq since U.S. combat forces left the country five years ago. It will involve Iraqi-led troops, Kurdish peshmerga, Iraqi police, and Sunni and Shiite militias. However, it is raising concerns about the safety of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the area, and aid agencies are warning of a likely humanitarian crisis. 'Ahead of schedule' A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said Tuesday the operation is "on or ahead of schedule," and that the militants are not able to stop the Iraqi and Kurdish forces with small arms and improvised explosives. While they can't stop the advances, they can slow them. Movement forward by all coalition forces is methodical, with commanders opting for caution as they come under mortar and sniper fire. On the southern front, Iraqi troops are moving painstakingly into the village of Abbas, which is larger than most of its neighbors. Pockets of IS militants have been mounting lightning attacks. Iraqi troops are also fearful of improvised bombs, which have been planted in the main thoroughfares. In the east, there were conflicting reports about why some Kurdish peshmerga appeared to have paused their advance Tuesday. Some Kurdish commanders said they had done so to allow Iraqi forces, who are earmarked to enter the city, to move forward. Others said they were in the process of re-ordering their own units. Spokesman Davis said that pauses would need to occur throughout the fight so that anti-IS forces could conduct clearing operations or wait for logistics. "It would be absolutely crazy to suggest on day two that we're stalled already," Davis said. Peshmerga commander Bakhtyar Sadeeq told VOA: "There is no halt in our operation. The peshmerga forces paused moving forward because we coordinate with the Iraqi military. We have achieved our goal in the first day. Now the Iraqi army will take it from there. In fact, Iraqi troops have made significant advances today." There have been several reports of IS suicide bombers driving cars packed with explosives at their foes. Soon after the peshmerga offensive began early Monday with Kurdish troops moving over dirt mounds marking the frontline between them and IS fighters on the eastern or Khazir front, IS offered stiff resistance, trying to strike back with mortar fire and car bombs. Two cars driving at the Peshmerga were destroyed by airstrikes, but another managed to get close to the Kurds before being detonated, according to commanders. Long fight expected U.S. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the coalition's ground commander in Iraq, tamped down expectations of a quick victory at Mosul. "This may prove to be a long and tough battle, but the Iraqis have prepared for it and we will stand by them," he said. The peshmerga Chief of General Staff, Jamal Iminiki, also cautioned reporters not to expect a rapid collapse of IS resistance. IS militants have had plenty of time to prepare for the fight and have constructed elaborate defenses, including a network of tunnels, in the city. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Monday that U.S. troops are on the Mosul outskirts in a support role, but that "Iraqis are in the lead." Monday and Tuesday, Iraqi planes continued to drop leaflets warning civilians in Mosul and outlying villages of the offensive, urging them to stay indoors and to avoid any IS positions, which may prove difficult, with IS fighters throughout the city. The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs called on all participating forces to ensure the safety of civilians in Mosul, and Iraqi commanders say they are taking steps to help civilians escape. Aid agencies are sounding the alarm about severe food insecurity throughout northern Cameroon as a result of the Boko Haram conflict. This month, 70 children suffering from malnutrition have needed medical attention at the Minawao refugee camp. However, says nurse Irene Mbarga, the hospital has limited resources to treat them. The families are not able to provide enough food, she says, and malnutrition is making other health conditions worse. Mbarga told VOA that about three quarters of the cases the hospital sees are related to malnutrition. When the hospital is running short on supplies, she says, the staff can only provide first aid. The Minawao camp is home to more than 50,000 refugees, a majority of them women and children. More displaced people live in host communities. Dr. Abdoul Mustapha of the Cameroon medical council in Mokollo, far northern Cameroon, says local residents also have been bringing their children to the refugee camp hospital. Local health clinics are not set up to deal with malnutrition. The rate of simple malnutrition has increased from 7 percent last year to nearly 12 percent now, Mustapha says. Cases of severe acute malnutrition also are on the rise, signaling an emergency. Cameroon's Ministry of Public Health and the United Nations say more than 100,000 children in northern Cameroon currently suffer from acute malnutrition. This part of Cameroon was already grappling with high rates of chronic malnutrition, as much as 30 percent among children, before the Boko Haram conflict arrived in 2014. The mass displacement, including the influx of refugees from neighboring countries, has only made the situation worse. In addition, insecurity has made farming impossible in some areas, while herders have lost their animals to insurgents. "The situation of malnutrition, or food insecurity, reflects not only the fact that we are not able to grow sufficient or enough food, but we do not have the access to that and we do not have sufficient means in order to maintain access to health services, in order to maintain and address young people when they have diarrhea, for example, said Barbara Sow, the Cameroon representative of the U.N. Fund for Population Assistance. So the challenge for the U.N. is making the link between a humanitarian response today, bringing it food so that young children and families can eat today, but making sure that they have the means by which tomorrow, they are not in the same position," she added. U.S. President Barack Obama has welcomed Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to the White House, hosting the final official state visit by a foreign leader of his presidency. The Italian leader and his wife were greeted Tuesday on the lawn of the White House with, as is the custom, full military honor honors, as invited groups of Italian Americans looked on. "When it comes to Italy and the United States, the underlying conditions could not be more clear. We are united not only by our interests but by our values. By our love of liberty, by our commitment to the dignity of every human being. Which is why I can say without hesitation that Italy is one of our strongest allies and our closest friends." Obama said. In his remarks, Renzi gave Obama credit for turning around a country "hit by crisis:" "Day after day, you made changes that have improved lives, helped the environment and create opportunities for poor people. I think there a lot of people who think that politics is only about screaming, fighting each other, hate, create division. You are different, Mr. President, we are different," he said. Following the ceremony, the two leaders held bilateral talks in the Oval Office. A retired U.S. Marine general who at one time was the nations second highest-ranking military officer, pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he lied to investigators about leaking classified information. General James Cartwright, a retired 4-star general, is a former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Investigators wanted to know if he was the source of the leak to journalists about a computer virus the U.S. and Israel used to disrupt Irans nuclear program. A computer virus called Stuxnet caused Iranian centrifuges enriching uranium to spin out of control in 2010, possibly setting back Irans efforts to build a nuclear bomb. The information was spelled out in the book Confront and Conceal by New York Times reporter David Sanger. Cartwright could face up to five years in prison, but reports say his lawyer and government prosecutors have agreed on a six-month sentence. At least eight people, including six Somali government officials, were killed Tuesday in a heavy al-Shabab attack on Afgoye, a town 30 kilometers west of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Among those killed were the commander of custodial corps (prison guards) Colonel Hassan Hashi Mohamed, the deputy commander of the town's police force Captain Ahmed Abdulkadir, senior police officer Abdulkadir Abdulle Gorod and head of regional department of finance Mohamud Dahir Qoley. The governor of the Lower Shabelle region, Ibrahim Aden Ali, confirmed the deaths of the officials to VOA Somali. He said Mohamed was killed in a firefight with al-Shabab fighters in his office. The other officials were killed in a massive car bomb detonated by the militants near the town's police station. That was followed by a heavily armed infantry attack. Ali said the militants had loaded a mini-bus with vegetables and other farm produce to disguise the explosives. "After the explosion, they attacked three security checkpoints around the town simultaneously," he said. Ali praised the fallen commander of the prison guards, Mohamed, who he said fought off several al-Shabab attacks on his town. "He was a career officer who worked with the previous government, at least 65 years old, a brave, honest officer," Ali said. Al-Shabab fighters pulled out of Afgoye late Tuesday after brief control, as the government forces regrouped on the outskirts. Al-Shabab claimed killing up to 40 "apostates" in the attack. Al-Shabab, which has been fighting the Somali government since 2006, has vowed to disrupt upcoming Somali elections. Afgoye was one of nine towns that Somali security officials had said were at risk of al-Shabab attacks, along with Afmadow, Qoryoley, Dafed, Marka, Dinsor, Beled Hawo, El-Bur and Bulobarde. Twenty-eight-year old Nurto Ahmed Abdullahi stands beside the dusty airstrip at Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp, preparing to board a charter flight to Mogadishu. She is one of tens of thousands who after years of seeking refuge in Kenya are going back to their native Somalia as part of a "voluntary repatriation" program backed by the United Nations and the Kenyan government. But Abdullahi and others say the process is hardly voluntary, and accuse Kenya of forcing refugees back to an unsafe country. Kenya plans to shut the 25-year-old Dadaab refugee camp, which houses nearly 300,000 people, by the end of the year, citing the economic burden and concerns that the camp is a recruiting ground for al-Shabab militants. The shutdown comes amid cutbacks in health services and food rations in Dadaab that have pushed some refugees who are dependent on aid into destitution. Business people who once brought goods into the camp arent coming either, further reducing the supply of food. "If someone is complaining about you, you cant say, I have to stay in his house, so you have to decide to leave his house. So Kenya is now going to close Dadaab, and we have to leave Dadaab, says Abdullahi, who came to the camp in 2011 because of conflict in Mogadishu. IN PICTURES: Life in Kenyas Dadaab Refugee Camp Meanwhile, those who have returned to Somalia say they're worse off than they were in Dadaab. Now, many are pointing the finger at the U.N. and Kenya's government for pushing refugees back to their homes before Somalia is ready to take them. A preference for Kenya Over 80 percent of Dadaab residents want to stay put, says Doctors Without Borders, including 48-year-old Fatuma Mahad Samatar, who came to the camp in 2011 from Gedo. Im not ready to go back to Somalia, says Samatar, who says she has been pleased with the free education for her children, free health care and good security in Dadaab. Going to Somalia is particularly problematic for the many Dadaab residents born there since the camp opened in 1991, like Mohamed Abdullahi Jimale, 24. He's never actually been to the war-torn country of his parents, who are both deceased, and has four young siblings to care for. I dont feel like the decision was nice to somebody like me who was born in the camps. And I dont feel like going. I want to stay here in Kenya. Even if we are forced, I want to die here, pretending to be a Kenyan, he says. For those who do sign up to return, the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, offers a return package, including cash. Thousands have opted to take what they can get before the end of November and hope for the best in Somalia. But it appears that what they receive may not live up to what was promised. Empty promises UNHCR Kenya head Raouf Mazou told VOA that each returnee receives $200 upon leaving Dadaab. But VOA saw returnees receiving only $150 each at the Dadaab airstrip. A bit more, about $30, is given for those with special needs, said a UNHRC worker at the airstrip. There is also confusion about what awaits them in Somalia. Mazou said that returning refugees should receive health, education and other essential services in Somalia. Returnees tell a different story. Hubi Abdillahi Aden fled Somalia's war with her husband and newborn in 1991 for Dadaab, where she gave birth to six more children. The family returned to Somalia earlier this year. Now in Kismayo, the family of nine lives in an overcrowded camp for displaced people on a trash-strewn beach. Their dwelling is a tiny hut of cardboard, a far cry from the house with curtains Aden beams about inhabiting in Dadaab. "We were promised a lot of things," Aden says. "There will be a house, and provide us with the basics. Now there's no toilet, there's no water, theres no house, the promises that were made by the U.N. education, the health, job creation, anything that would move our lives forward there was nothing." Health workers say their clinics in Kismayo are overcrowded and there aren't enough drugs to go around. Vouchers provided by the World Food Program are often not honored by local vendors. Without enough clean water in the camps, aid workers worry of cholera outbreaks in the rainy season. Aden's main concern is education for her seven children. She says she can't afford education fees in Kismayo, and she says the schooling in Kismayo is at a far lower standard than it is in Kenya anyway. "I would like to go back to Kenya to take them back to the school, but the situation does not allow me," she says, lamenting she expects her children to grow up to be shoe shiners if things don't improve. "I really, really regret [coming back to Somalia] so much." Overwhelmed The problem is that war-torn Kismayo can't accommodate the thousands of new arrivals. The city's residents are still recovering from the war, while drought and active conflict in the hinterlands have forced some 40,000 displaced Somalis into camps in town in recent years. "People who live in Kismayo were already vulnerable," says Adam Ibrahim Aw Hirsi, the Jubaland region justice minister who oversees the returnee program. "So you have vulnerable people, on top of IDPs who are more vulnerable, on top of them over 16,000 and counting new refugees from Kenya." Abdi Adan Salat, who runs the American Refugee Committee's aid operations in Kismayo, including health, education and jobs programs, says relief organizations are overwhelmed. "The projects now we have in Kismayo are not enough to meet the needs to the returnees, the IDPs and the host community, so there is a huge gap," Salat says. "Intervention from respective donors is highly required to avoid deterioration of the situation." UNHCR Somalia spokesperson Julien Olivier acknowledges there arent enough health and education services in Kismayo, because UNHCR's main focus has been getting people out of Dadaab. "We have to be better. We have to be more services-oriented to the population," Olivier says, noting there have been indications that donors will support more reintegration programs. Lawlessness and al-Shabab Another problem is that much of Somalia remains unsafe. Though Kismayo is relatively calm, there is fighting in other parts of Jubaland where some returnees have gone. Abdullahi Mohamed Aden, 47, went back to Jubaland in May but returned to Dadaab soon afterward because of violence. The place we went, there was no security, no health, no education, no water. It was a tough place," he told VOA in Dadaab. "At night, armed men would come to you, they will tell you to give them what you have. We had to leave. While frustration mounts at the lack of services in Kismayo, others are pointing the finger at Kenya, saying authorities there were too quick to close Dadaab. "To the Kenyan government, to be honest, we are thankful. We are requesting, as your brothers and your neighbors, that you have taken care of us for over 20 years, you don't end an old relationship in a shameful way," says Ahmed Mohamud Abukar, the chairman of the returnees in Kismayo. "Since you have taken care of these people for almost 30 years, please take care of them the way you did before, until our government has put its feet on the ground." For those whove already returned to Somalia, there is little recourse. Back in Dadaab, there is only uncertainty. Kenya's government has stood by its wish to see Somali refugees go home, meaning that come November 30, the future of Dadaab residents is in limbo. Cheating on exams is not new. What is new is how students are doing it theyre not writing answers on their hand anymore. Smart technology has transformed cheating, and stopping it requires smart, comprehensive solutions. Smart cheating High-tech devices are everywhere. Technology and social media expert Nile Nickel says thats one of the major reasons teenagers are cheating with portable technology. When you look at a recent Pew survey, you find that 98 percent of the teenagers have mobile phones. Thats up from 33 percent just in 2011. So its available and easy to use. If I dont get caught and everyone else is doing it, guess what? They do it as well. The problem can seem overwhelming. Just take the cellphone or even the programmable calculators, there are so much information that can be stored on these devices, he said. We also have things like Google Glass as well as smart contact lenses that have the ability to capture video and transmit it to a remote site and with things like smartwatches where they could now look at their wristwatch basically for answers to a question. Earlier this year, he said, several Thai students were caught using that technique to cheat on entrance exams to a top medical school. So what they were doing was they were looking at the test with their glasses on, he said. It was capturing the exam questions, transmitting them to some associates they have outside the classroom. And they were getting the answers to the questions on their smartwatch. That obviously created a big problem especially when you think about medical students and what theyre tested for. Other high-tech devices that facilitate cheating include a watch that appears to display nothing, but when you wear special glasses sold with the watch, the screen becomes visible and you can see any uploaded content. Youve also had Bluetooth devices, Nickel said. Theyre using some super high-frequency ring tones on their phones that only young people could hear. In fact, if youre much over the age of 30, or 35, you cant hear it. So they are able to answer their phone where nobody knows they are answering a phone. And theyre not talking, they are just getting the answers in their ear. Why cheat? Cheating is a symptom of a bigger problem in education, said Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at Stanford University and co-founder of Challenge Success, an organization that works with schools and families to improve student well-being and engagement with learning. Its not the kids you would think will normally cheat, she explained. These are kids who are doing well in school, and theyre still cheating because they need to keep up their grades. They feel the pressure to maintain a really high grade point average. So a lot of the kids would say (there is) too much work to be done and there is not enough time to do it. Some of the kids would say they have to do that because everybody is cheating and if they dont cheat, its actually like youre being punished for not cheating! To combat cheating in the age of smart technology, educational institutions are coming up with innovative strategies, from banning devices from testing rooms to screening for radio signals. But Pope says improving the learning and testing process can be more effective. Instead of trying to chase the problem, to get in front of it, Pope said. What I mean by that is to create assignments where its almost impossible to cheat. Ill give you some examples: asking kids to turn in the multiple drafts of their essays or their projects. So that you can know that this is their own homework and you can give them feedback. This is not just a way to stop cheating, Pope said, its a better way to teach. Teachers also can stop cheating if they change the way they test their students. When it comes to tests and assessment, its much more difficult to cheat on what we call constructed response assessment where you actually writing the response as oppose to circling or filling in, which is much, much easier to cheat and you have no idea if the kids did it on their own or guessed or copied from a neighbor. Inviting teachers, students and their parents to openly talk about the problem can be part of the solution. Pope said engaging students and emphasizing a high standard for honesty also can help prevent cheating. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is arguably the least essential hall of fame in the worldworse than The National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame, the Insurance Hall Of Fame, and of course, the New Jersey Hall of Fame (which should just be a shrine to Bruce Springsteen and nothing else, if we're being honest). But it has two things going for it: cranky music stars give great drunken speeches at the ceremony, and it is an annual reminder that we are all getting old, so very old, so very quickly. And this year's crop of nomineesincluding Pearl Jam and 2Pacare especially timely on that front. This is the first year of eligibility for both Pearl Jam and Tupac Shakur, whose first albums were both released in 1991, which is 25 years ago, which means you are so goddamn old it isn't funny. They are joined on the nomination list by Depeche Mode, Bad Brains, Janes Addiction, Electric Light Orchestra, and Joan Baez. Previous nominees Kraftwerk, Janet Jackson, Chic, Chaka Khan, MC5, and the Cars were nominated once again as well. There are a few glaring absences on this year's ballot: Nine Inch Nails and The Smiths, who were both nominated the last two years, are missing this time. We can't imagine Morrissey is torn up about there being no cause for speculative Smiths reunion stories this year though. Also missing is Phish, which has for decades been ahead of the curve on the value of live music in a struggling industry. Either way, five of the nominated artists will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in an April 2017 ceremony whose location and exact date will be announced in December. Hopefully one of them will challenge Mick Jagger to a fight. Oh, and because we know you were wondering about this: only current Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron and co-founder Dave Krusen will be included if they are inducted. Sorry Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abbruzzese and Jack Irons! Seven-year-old Bana Al Alabed tweeted that the city of Aleppo was quiet Tuesday in the wake of overnight bombing by Syrian and Russian forces. The lull in airstrikes gave her the chance to step outdoors and enjoy some early autumn rain. With the help of her mother, a teacher, Bana began tweeting about the hardships of life in Aleppo in late September, earning thousands of followers across the globe. But the lull in fighting came too late for other children in the city. According to Syrian civil defense, eight children, all members of a single family, were killed when their home was targeted by an airstrike on Monday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that Syrian and Russian warplanes carried out several strikes in Aleppo and the surrounding countryside overnight. One Twitter user posted video purporting to show the use of cluster bombs in Orem al-Kobra, west of the city. Tuesday's lull in bombing gave civilians and rescue workers--known as the White Helmets--a chance to dig through rubble for the dead or wounded. In this YouTube video (below) by the Aleppo Media Center (AMC), a White Helmet volunteer complains about the difficulty of performing search and rescue operations without the proper equipment. Last week, AMC posted harrowing video showing the extent of the devastation in the besieged city. The U.S. has accused Russia and Syria of committing atrocities in Aleppo. "The people of Aleppo have been subjected to near-constant bombardment and airstrikes...over the past years, but most intensively the past month or so," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Monday. "Its killed scores of civilians, its leveled much of the civilian infrastructure in the city in what, at best, can only be perceived as a way to starve out and to drive out the opposition and civilians who have held on there for so long." Russia has said it and Syria will stop all airstrikes on Aleppo for a period of eight hours Thursday in a gesture of "goodwill" that will allow civilians to leave the city through select corridors. Toner said a pause in bombing would amount to "too little, too late." The United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen announced a 72-hour cease-fire to begin Wednesday night, after he received commitments from all of the countrys warring factions. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the cessation of hostilities will begin at 8:59 p.m. UTC Wednesday and could be renewed after the initial three-day period. Earlier Monday, Yemens Foreign Minister Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi said, The president agreed to a 72-hour cease-fire to be extended if the other party adheres to it, activates the DCC (De-escalation and Coordination Committee) and lifts the siege of Taiz. The DCC is the United Nations-backed military commission responsible for overseeing cease-fires in Yemen. The announcement came a day after the United States, Britain and the United Nations peace envoy to Yemen urged the warring parties in the countrys two-year civil war to declare a cease-fire they said could start within days. U.N. envoy Ahmed said he had been in contact with the lead negotiator for the rebel Houthi militia, which controls the capital, Sanaa, and with President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadis government, which operates from the southern city of Aden. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said earlier Monday that the kingdom, which is leading a military coalition in support of Hadi, also agreed to a new cease-fire if the Houthis agreed to one, but he said he was skeptical about peace efforts after previous cease-fire attempts had failed. Mondays announcements follow the firing of missiles Saturday at the American destroyer USS Mason in the Red Sea, which analysts said came from Houthi-controlled territory. The rebels have denied the attacks. The Iran-backed Houthis, who also are supported by troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, have taken control of much of northern and western Yemen. Secrecy laws imposed by the Australian government have effectively put a gag on officials and restrict access to government information, a U.N. investigation found. Michel Forst, the U.N.'s special rapporteur on human rights defenders, urged Australia on Tuesday to re-examine its secrecy laws, including the Border Force Act, which forbids officials from making unauthorized disclosures about conditions at an Australian-run immigration camp in Nauru. The immigration department has gone to extraordinary lengths to curb whistleblowers, public servants or contractors, to share information in the public domain about serious human rights abuses in offshore detention centers, he said. Under the law, any entrusted person, including whistleblowers, contractors or doctors working at the detention center, could face a two-year prison term if they were to disclose protected information. The law came about last year as part of an Australian policy that sends all asylum seekers attempting to reach Australia by boat to the nearby island nations of Nauru or Papua New Guinea. There are currently more than 1,100 asylum seekers living on Nauru. During his two-week visit to Australia, Forst said officials assured him no one had yet been charged under the Border Force Act, but he was still skeptical. This may well be the case, but the Act's existence and government actions aimed at censoring and intimidating advocates has had a chilling effect on the disclosure of information about violations in off-shore processing, he said in a statement. The U.N. Security Council has strongly condemned North Korea's recent failed missile launch, threatening additional measures against the communist country. The council said in a statement Monday after an emergency closed-door meeting that the attempted launch was in "grave violation" of several past U.N. resolutions. It said North Korea must refrain from further testing of ballistic missiles and nuclear devices. Council members said they would continue to "closely monitor the situation and take further significant measures." North Korea tried to launch an intermediate range ballistic missile Saturday, but the missile exploded after liftoff. The launch was the latest in a series of launches and nuclear tests this year in defiance of U.N. resolutions. South Korea also strongly condemned the launch attempt, saying it was "a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions" and an "illegal act of provocation." Officials in Washington stressed the United States' continuing vigilance "in the face of North Korean provocations," and the nation's "iron-clad" commitment to working together with allies South Korea and Japan to maintain security in northeast Asia. U.S. military officials said the North Korean missile was presumed to be a Musadan intermediate range rocket, and its launch point was near the city of Kusong. In addition to already conducting an unprecedented two nuclear tests this year, Pyongyang has advanced its land-based and submarine-based ballistic missile capabilities with numerous launches in the last six months. Vietnams fast-growing economy, even as global trade slows, has been hailed as a success story in Asia. But experts say the nation's rapid growth is coming at a rising cost to the environment. Senior Vietnam officials are warning air pollution levels in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City alone could soon match the deteriorating air quality of Beijing. And the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has warned Vietnams rapid industrial growth means that absolute levels of land, water, and air pollution are rapidly increasing. In a study covering 2011 to 2015, Vietnams environment ministry revealed a deterioration in air quality in many urban areas, especially the capital Hanoi and Ha Long as well as Ho Chi Minh City. Chief concern is rising concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2); in Hanoi NO2 was measured at up to 1.3 times above permitted levels, and in Ha Long by 1.2 times above. In Ho Chi Minh City, the commercial capital of the south, it was reported at twice the permitted levels. Nitrogen dioxide is especially harmful for children and elderly, because of their weaker lungs, leading bronchitis and other respiratory problems. The deputy director of Vietnams Environment Administration, Hoang Duong Tung, told local media that traffic and industrial activities were the main cause of air pollution in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In Ha Long, the problem was coal mining and power plants. More wealth, more cars Vietnams growing wealth means more people can afford to buy cars and motorbikes. Hanoi traffic police say an average of 19,000 new private vehicles are registered each month. A 2013 National Environment Report showed air pollution in Hanoi over 265 days of the year air quality was graded from unhealthy to hazardous. Deputy Hoang said unless rising pollution levels were addressed, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City may become as polluted as Beijing in the not too distant future. Pollution is beginning to affect livelihoods. In April, fishing communities angrily protested when more than 100 tons of dead fish were found off the coast of four central provinces. Investigations found Taiwan-owned steel plant, Formosa Ha Tinh, was the source of a toxic wastewater discharge. In June the company accepted full responsibility and pledged to pay $500 million in damages. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently issued an official order for the compensation to the victims of the pollution to be paid by the company. The government said the funds - ranging between $130 and $1,600 per person - began arriving this month. But a Vietnamese court rejected hundreds of law suits filed by the fishermen who sought additional payment from the plant. Jonathan London, a lecturer of global political economy at Leiden University in the Netherlands, says Vietnams increasingly free-wheeling economy raises concerns over the environmental impact. He said the immediate past government represented "a much more free-wheeling high stakes -- by some accounts corrupt model of economic governance that tries to promote more aggressively foreign investment and has fewer qualms about ownership. London said the outcomes of this strategy had not always been successful, including when it comes to environmental protection, and he pointed to the Formosa Ha Tinh plant wastewater discharge as an example. Challenges for government The government under its long-term planning (2011-2020) has set environmental sustainability among other goals of structural reforms, social equity, and macroeconomic stability. Xavier Depouilly, the general manager for the firm Indochina Research, says the deteriorating environmental conditions are just one of several challenges facing the government. Up to now its all OK. People have food to eat, something to drink. But other issues, such as pollution this is making the population very serious (angry). To some extent, the government has more to improve on that level, Depouilly said. Still, Vietnams economic outlook remains positive for foreign investors. Economists with the London group Capital Economics estimate Vietnams economic growth rate, which slowed from 6.7 percent in 2015 to 6 percent this year, is set to rebound to 7 percent next year. Looking ahead, we think Vietnam will quickly regain its position as one of the fastest growing economies in the region, said Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist with Capital Economics. The government says in 2015, foreign direct investment into Vietnam rose 12.5 percent to $22.8 billion. In the coming years, more investment is expected from China, as businesses seek cheaper alternatives to China's rising business costs. The leading foreign investors include South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, the United Kingdom and Taiwan. Voice of America has signed a content sharing agreement with the Democratic Voice of Burma, which will see VOA Burmese language service content broadcast on DVB channels. DVB, one of the fastest-growing television networks in Myanmar, has its roots in the Southeast Asian countrys exiled student movement. The network makes radio and television news broadcasts about current events in Myanmar for a domestic audience. These TV and broadcast entities have played a great role in bringing democracy to Burma, said Rangoon Division Prime Minister U Phyo Min Thein, addressing a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony at Rangoons Royal Park Hotel, which was attended Sunday by four top VOA officials and several parliamentarians. They have provided accurate news to our people, Thein added. This latest agreement will help VOAs TV programs reach a wider audience in Burma. [VOA and DVB] have the same mission of bringing fair, objective, credible news and information to the people, VOA Director Amanda Bennett said of the partnership, which will see DVB rebroadcast VOA Burmese news programming twice daily. Im very happy that well be joining with another organization that has the same high journalistic standards that we have, and that this partnership will enable us to reach even more people in this country than before. VOA and Burmese officials also discussed a possible media exchange program that would include journalism training for VOA affiliates in the region. On Monday, Bennett and other VOA officials also met with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of Myanmars armed forces, whose army-run Myawaddy TV Channel already rebroadcasts some VOA Burmese TV programs. We discussed the possibility of expanding our placement of our Learning English programs on the armys television station, Bennett said, referring to VOAs captioned video and audio programs that provide news and information for English learners worldwide. They like the Learning English programming, and what we were talking about was giving them more of this type of content and perhaps even supplying some news to their TV broadcast. We feel like we have a special mission, and that is the providing of fair and objective journalism, Bennett added. I think there are still a lot of challenges and sensitivities in terms of what the domestic press can and cant write about and where journalists can and cant go but, nonetheless, it seems like its pointing in the right direction. VOA Burmese Language Service Chief Than Lwin Htun said Hlaing reiterated well-worn talking points that convey the armys support for democratization and the newly established civilian government, but that he declined to discuss political issues. Asked whether Hlaing would comment on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State, one of Myanmars poorest regions, Htun said the army chief parried. He didnt talk much about Rakhine this evening. However, he talked about the peace process, Htun said, referring to an investigatory commission led by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which is conducting a fact-finding mission into the bitter ethnic and religious strife that has left the majority of an estimated 125,000 stateless Rohingya Muslims confined to temporary camps following waves of deadly violence between Buddhists and Muslims. VOAs meeting with Hlaing followed the October 7 announcement of President Barack Obamas decision to lift sanctions on Myanmar, citing the Southeast Asian countrys advancements in promoting democracy. That decision to lift sanctions has rankled some human rights activists, who say the government has yet to do enough to address the Rohingyas longstanding persecution. The World Health Organization warns that war-torn Yemen is facing the threat of a cholera epidemic. The WHO is urgently appealing for $22.35 million to prevent the deadly disease from spreading throughout the country. The World Health Organization reports 340 suspected cases of acute watery diarrhea. It says 18 of the cases are confirmed to be cholera. WHO Spokeswoman Fadela Chaib says fortunately, none of the sick have died. Thanks to our local staff and NGOs [non-governmental organizations] working on the ground, we were able to catch the first cases of cholera and to be able to respond partially, said Chaib. "But, without more generosity from the international community, we may see more cases of cholera spreading in the country in a country where the health system is really in a very bad situation. The WHO reports more than 7.6 million Yemenis are living in areas affected by acute watery diarrhea and cholera. It warns more than three million people displaced by the war are especially vulnerable to the outbreak. Chaib says peoples ability to fight off disease is low because food shortages have sapped them of energy and increased malnutrition. As a result of the ongoing conflict, two thirds of Yemenis do not have access to clean water and sanitation services, especially in cities, further increasing the risk of catching cholera, said Chaib. "This is further aggravated by a decline in the national health systems capacity to respond to the cholera outbreak due to critical shortages in resources. WHO reports less than half of Yemens health facilities are functional due to shortages in health staff, medicine and medical supplies. A United Nations-brokered 72-hour cease-fire is supposed to go into effect in Yemen Wednesday, subject to renewal. The World Health Organization and other aid agencies hope the break in the fighting will allow them to import food, medicine, fuel and other basic and emergency relief supplies into Yemen. Ecuador's government admitted Tuesday that it had temporarily restricted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's internet access at its London embassy after the site published documents from Hillary Clinton's U.S. presidential campaign. A foreign ministry statement said that while it stands by its decision in 2012 to grant Assange asylum, it does not interfere in foreign elections. Leftist President Rafael Correas government said it was acting on its own and not ceding to foreign pressures. The Foreign Ministry didn't specify how Assange's internet access had been restricted; it said only that the curbs wouldn't affect WikiLeaks' journalistic ability. WikiLeaks, in tweets Tuesday morning, alleged that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had asked Ecuador to stop Assange from publishing documents about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. State Department spokesperson John Kirby categorically denied the assertion. While our concerns about WikiLeaks are longstanding, any suggestion that Secretary Kerry or the State Department were involved in shutting down WikiLeaks is false, Kirby said. Reports that Secretary Kerry had conversations with Ecuadorian officials about this are simply untrue. Period. WikiLeaks claimed Monday that Assanges internet connection had been "intentionally severed by a state party." Writing on Twitter, WikiLeaks later said it had "activated appropriate contingency plans" for Assange, who has been holed up in Ecuador's London embassy since 2012 to avoid arrest. Sweden is pressing to have the 45-year-old Australian national extradited over an alleged sex offense. A WikiLeaks spokesman, in comments to AFP, linked the severed connection to "our ongoing publications revealing the associations and positions of U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton." The Clinton campaign reported in July that the emails of the Democratic National Committee had been hacked by Russia, and WikiLeaks later began publishing the contents of the hacked documents. Moscow has denied involvement. The most recent batch of hacked documents included a 2013 Clinton speech to a conference of investment bankers. In the speech, she said she urged China to do what it could to control North Koreas nuclear threat, saying You either control them, or were going to have to defend against them. WikiLeaks also published emails purportedly linked to Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, who said last week an FBI probe of that breach is part of a wider investigation into an alleged Russian hacking campaign ahead of November 8 elections. Podesta also claimed that Roger Stone, a key adviser to Republican candidate Donald Trump, had advance knowledge of the leaks. That accusation follows predictions from Stone in August that WikiLeaks would attack both Clinton and Podesta in the coming weeks. The latest WikiLeaks disclosures, focusing exclusively on the Clinton campaign, have prompted some analysts to speculate that Russia has teamed up with WikiLeaks in an attempt to subvert Clinton's presidential bid. Despite its recent Clinton focus, WikiLeaks also has rankled the leaders of several foreign governments, key among them Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In July, the Turkish leader ordered a nationwide blockade of WikiLeaks' website, after the group released 300,000 emails hacked from Erdogan's ruling party. WikiLeaks touted those emails as describing Turkey's political power structure. The release came as the Erdogan government moved to crush a domestic political uprising widely seen as an attempted military coup. A group of Nigerian parents was reunited Sunday with 21 schoolgirls kidnapped by militants more than two years ago. Nearly 300 girls were taken from their school in 2014 in Chibok in northeastern Borno state, where Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state, killing thousands and displacing more than 2 million people. Last week, the rebels released 21 girls in the first negotiated release brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government. The girls were released Thursday and flown to Abuja, Nigeria's capital, but it took days for the parents to arrive from their remote region. One of the freed girls was Rebecca Mallam. "I want to thank everyone for this wonderful thing they have done. I never imagined that I would ever see my parents again, but God has helped me see them so I want to say 'thank you' and may God comfort all of us," she said. Dozens of schoolgirls escaped in the first few hours after the kidnapping, but after last week's release, 197 remain captive. The government says negotiations are continuing to win their freedom. In recent days, the Nigerian military has been carrying out a large-scale offensive in the Sambisa forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram, which last year pledged loyalty to the Islamic State militant group. Boko Haram controlled a swath of land around the size of Belgium at the start of 2015, but Nigeria's army, aided by troops from neighboring countries, has recaptured most of that territory. Dr. Allen Manasseh describes the moment when one of his cousins first saw him on Sunday at the official reunion ceremony for Chibok families in Abuja. "When she saw me, she could not say anything. She was just crying," he recalls. "And she was saying it was just like a dream, as if it was something they had given up on [returning home safely to their loved ones]." The doctor reunited Sunday with two of his cousins - Gloria Dame and Maryamu Lawan - who were kidnapped by Boko Haram in April 2014 from their secondary school in Chibok. "They never thought they would make it through," he says, "but lo and behold they are out and that smell of freedom was something else." Suffering, food deprivation Manasseh's says he was overwhelmed when he first saw them because they looked like they had suffered. "It is difficult to describe the feeling," he says, searching for the words to convey his emotions, adding "they look leaner than [before] they were abducted." Manasseh is grateful that none of his cousins came back with any children, and says they told him they were not forced to marry any Boko Haram members. But their lean bodies are a testament to the food deprivation they suffered while in captivity - Manasseh's cousin Gloria said some of the girls had no food to eat for 40 days. Doubt surrounds effort to find other captives Meanwhile, the Nigerian government says talks are continuing to bring back another 83 of the nearly 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram. Whether or not a ransom was paid for the 21 released last week remains unclear. The Nigerian government denied a report from the Associated Press that millions of dollars were paid by the Swiss government on behalf of Nigeria. The Nigerian government also says no imprisoned Boko Haram members were exchanged for the girls. But Emman Shehu, one of the leaders of the Bring Back Our Girls movement that has advocated for the kidnapped girls' release, doubts the government's story. "We think that something happened. Even when the government said officially nothing happened, it turns out that something did happen," Shehu says."That has always been the history of negotiating for hostages in the hands of terrorists." Won't give up Shehu says the group will watch for the rest of the month to see if other girls are rescued. If not, Bring Back Our Girls will continue to pressure the government. For now, Chibok families are relishing the memory of what it felt like to hold their daughters for the first time in two years. Hey! Ho! Photo: Archie Comics Any serious student of the Ramones can tell you that, despite their jagged-edge exterior and punk pioneership, much of their sound was inspired by unassuming bubblegum pop. Similarly, the Hernandez brothers groundbreaking underground comics series Love and Rockets, despite pushing boundaries miles away from the commercial mainstream, had heavy visual influences from some of the most mild-mannered stories in comic-book history: those contained in the pages of Archie Comics. So its only fitting that the art of the Ramones and Love and Rockets should intertwine the way they do on the cover of next months Archie Meets Ramones reprint, drawn by Jaime Hernandez. The one-shot comic written by Alex Segura and Matthew Rosenberg, with art from Gisele Lagace was first released earlier this month and quickly sold out. It features a slightly surreal tale in which the Riverdale gang travels back in time to meet the original Ramones lineup in late-70s New York. The second printing will be available on November 16, but you can get an exclusive first look at the cover below. Zucker, Bush, and ODell. Photo: Getty Images Even though it wasnt official until Monday afternoon, Billy Bushs nascent career as the Today shows 9 a.m. co-anchor was probably over the moment the Washington Post published audio of his now-infamous conversation with Donald Trump, in which he could be heard in a leaked Access Hollywood tape from 2005 giggling and egging on the now-presidential candidate as he bragged about sexually assaulting women. Senior NBC management may not have immediately realized it, but most folks outside the 30 Rock bubble immediately saw how having someone who said the things Bush said continue to host a fluffy, feature-packed hour meant to appeal to middle-aged female viewers was ridiculous. And yet, as awful and damning as the audio tape was for Bush, its his behavior since that has made me question what sort of future he has in mainstream TV. Specifically, its what Bush has failed to do, even 11 days after the fact: Offer a specific and sincere apology to both Nancy ODell and Arianne Zucker, the women whom he and Trump verbally degraded on tape. Sure, Bush had a publicist put out a statement saying he was very sorry, coupling a blanket expression of embarrassment and shame with the ridiculous non-excuse excuse that he was younger and less mature 11 years ago. Nowhere, however, did Bush acknowledge he had personally mistreated a co-worker (ODell) and an interview subject (Zucker). Trumps casual bragging about the ease with which he sexually assaults women has (rightfully) overshadowed everything else on the tape. But remember: At the very start of the conversation, Bush is heard saying of ODell, She used to be great. Shes still very beautiful. Bush and ODell were co-workers on Access Hollywood for years, but he apparently had no problem objectifying his co-anchor as a woman who used to be great. He didnt just stand by as Trump described his failed attempts to bed ODell; he added his own assessment of her physical worth. Whats more, at least according to the audio that has been released, it is Bush not Trump who initiates the verbal assault on Zucker. Sheesh, your girls hot as shit. In the purple, Bush says, referring to the Days of Our Lives actress waiting just outside the bus. Yes, yes! The Donald has scored! Bush may think his all-purpose apology sufficiently expressed regret for his actions. Had he and Trump been talking about women in general, perhaps they would have been. But Bushs biggest sin isnt that he engaged in what Trump likes to call locker-room talk, or that, as Melania Trump claimed on Monday, he egged on Trump. What is so awful is that Bush, someone who has played a journalist for more than a decade, felt okay engaging in such talk about a longtime professional colleague and an interview subject. Then, when he got caught, he didnt see a need to apologize for those specific transgressions or to offer any acknowledgement of the very specific pain they caused. As women in Hollywood, ODell and Zucker almost surely encountered sexism and probably harassment of some sort long before they heard Bush and Trump treat them like meat. But imagine being ODell two Fridays ago, hearing the man who likes calling himself Bushy, the man who stood next to you for years on the set of Access Hollywood, saying you used to be great. Put yourself in the shoes of Zucker, who now knows Bushs on-camera attempt to get Trump and Zucker to kiss was preceded moments before by Trump telling Bush about how he grabs women by their genitals. If you were ODell, you might feel just a bit better if Bush had taken the time to tell the world that he had worked side-by-side with you for years and that he thought you were a smart, professional co-worker who deserved more respect than he had shown. If you were Zucker, the audio tape might sting a bit less if Bush acknowledged that you werent just a body to be objectified but a successful actress with a hugely loyal fan base. Instead, all you got was a CYA PR apology from Bush, followed Monday by an even more worthless statement of non-regret: I am deeply grateful for the conversations Ive had with my daughters, and for all of the support from family, friends and colleagues, he said. Its possible Bush has reached out to ODell and Zucker privately, but whether he has or not is beside the point. Bushs comments were broadcast to the world, and they caused particular, and public, pain to both women. His response so far has been to express ambiguous regret. I look forward to what lies ahead, Bush concluded in his Monday statement. Hopefully that future includes a lot of soul-searching. During Monday nights Late Show, host Stephen Colbert took time away from his guests, Fresh Off the Boats delightful Randall Park and Fox News far-less-humorous Bill OReilly, to offer help to a man who is on the brink of unemployment: President Barack Obama. Taking on his alternate middle-manager persona, Randy, Colbert led Obama through several normal interview questions like, Why are you being forced out of your current position? And, Where were you born? Colbert even offered a tip that really all current job-seekers should probably remember: When you say staying in your job would be unconstitutional, what employers hear is that you stole office supplies. To find out which snack POTUS prefers, a fiber bar or a shriveled tangerine covered in golden retriever hair filled with bile that I wouldnt leave alone with the woman I love, watch the video above. Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Turner Last Friday, Rose McGowan posted on Twitter that she had been raped by an unnamed film studio executive, saying the assault was an open secret in Hollywood/Media and that they shamed me while adulating my rapist. Today, she followed up that disclosure with an open letter of sorts in which she pleaded with industry professionals to stop working with colleagues who are known sexual predators. You can read her full comments below. Photo: Freeform Well, you cant say Pretty Little Liars isnt going out with a bang. Following confirmation that fellow Rosewood troublemaker Julian Morris will be returning to PLL as the delightfully smarmy Wren Kingston, THR is reporting that Torrey DeVitto, better known as the mysterious Melissa Hastings, will also return for the shows final season in April. (Nothing better than two scorned lovers reunited, eh?) The news comes as a happy surprise for Liars enthusiasts, as showrunner I. Marlene King previously expressed doubts that DeVitto would be able to appear on the show again owing to her strict contract with NBCs Chicago Med. Because this is PLL, no plotlines involving the duo have been divulged, although an executive producer of the show has opined that Wren showing up in Rosewood is part of the ultimate final twist in the final episode. So, update your A ranking, folks! Were in for quite a doozy. This post originally ran on Oct. 18, 2016. We are re-running it ahead of the Twin Peaks revival. Spoilers ahead for the series finale of Twin Peaks, as well as Mark Frosts new novel, The Secret History of Twin Peaks. The second-season finale of the seminal, kooky TV drama Twin Peaks which later turned out to serve as the shows series finale capped off with inarguably one of the most frightening ending scenes in television history. Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), now possessed by the demonic entity known as BOB after narrowly escaping the Black Lodge, calmly squeezes a tube of toothpaste into a bathroom sink before smashing his head into a mirror, where BOBs diabolical reflection stares back at him. (In the process, he coins a chilling catchphrase: Hows Annie?) Aside from that nightmare-inducing sequence and its unknown aftermath, though, there were other potential plotline outcomes to unpack: What happened with the explosion at the bank? Were Bens injuries life-threatening after Doc Hayward whacked his head against a fireplace? Did Leo ever escape Windoms pesky tarantula trap? In his novel, The Secret History of Twin Peaks, series co-creator Mark Frost gives us an extensive and fascinating look at the history of the northwestern town and fills in some characters backstories. In the process, he also clears up a few questions about what happened after the events of the finale. Here are five new things we learned from the book, though well have to wait until the new season begins on Showtime Sunday to find out how it all turned out. Related Stories The Twin Peaks Character Backstories We Learn From Mark Frosts New Novel Audrey was the only survivor of the bank explosion. This was probably assumed by most fans given that the actors who played Andrew Packard, Pete Martell, and bank manager Dell Mibbler have been dead for many years, and Sherilyn Fenn, who portrays Audrey, is confirmed to appear in the upcoming series. But the details surrounding the explosion are expanded on in more detail in the book. After the blast, Miss Horne was found unconscious but alive in the rubble of the basement, an article in the Twin Peaks Post reads. (Frost himself does not narrate the novel. The towns story is told through fictional letters, newspaper clippings, government correspondences, and detailed notes by an unknown archivist and modern-day FBI agent.) She has been transported to the ICU at Calhoun Memorial Hospital, where she is listed in critical condition a first responder later confirmed to this reporter that Miss Horne has been found near the open vault door, but that it may have shielded her at least partially from the explosion. He also confirmed that Miss Horne may have been intentionally shielded by one of the victims of the blast, Pete Martell, who was found lying on top of her. She ended up having a slow recovery. Audrey had left a note for her father, Ben, at the Great Northern Hotels front desk the morning of the explosion, in which she chastised him for his role in destroying the town with his plans to turn the forests into shopping centers and apartments. (She even brought secret copies of her fathers development ideas with her to the bank, which she wanted to share with news sources. They were destroyed in the explosion.) Consumed with guilt and sadness, Ben didnt leave Audreys hospital bedside for days, although he still proceeded with his plans he bought the Packard Mill and parts of the Ghostwood National Forest from Catherine. The aftermath of the bank explosion turned Catherine into a recluse. As Andrew and Pete had died in the explosion, Catherine was officially given sole ownership of the Packard Mill and all of its associated properties. With her husband, brother, and sister-in-law, Josie, dead and with no living heirs or relations she grieved the loss of her family and became a recluse for the remainder of her life, choosing to never speak or write about what happened. She ended up abruptly closing the mill and, as mentioned, sold it and its properties to Ben her former lover after a mysterious fire gutted its central facilities. Piper Laurie, who portrayed Catherine, will not be appearing in the upcoming series. Hank was killed in prison. Normas husband was last seen in prison, where he was brought in for parole violations related to international drug trafficking, assault, and attempted murder. He also tried to bribe Norma into giving him an alibi in exchange for a divorce, but she refused. Hank ended up pleading guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 25 years in the Walla Walla state penitentiary. Three years after his sentencing, Hank was fatally knifed in the prison weight room by a distant cousin of the Renault family. On his deathbed, he wrote a letter confessing to his various crimes, which included his role in helping fake Andrews death. You all tried to help me so many times, and get me back onto the way of whats good and right, he wrote. Im so ashamed to admit that I betrayed you all so many times. I knew better. I knew I was doing wrong and couldnt help myself. No excuses. I have nothing left to give except to say how sorry I am for any hurt or sorrow I ever caused you. Shortly after writing the letter, he died in the prison hospital. Dr. Jacoby was suspended from practicing psychiatry in Washington. Visiting Kauai to scatter his brothers cremains in the ocean, Dr. Jacoby finalized his case notes on Laura Palmers murder. At this time, his treatment of her had been under review by the Washington State Medical Association. He wrote that he holds himself responsible for all that followed after he began treating Laura and expressed regret that he didnt bring up the concerns he had with her family (he specifically knew about Lelands sexual abuse) to law enforcement sooner. After consideration of his case, the State Medical Review Board chose to indefinitely suspend his license to practice medicine as a psychiatrist in Washington. Please be aware that any violation of this revocation, of any subsequent attempt to practice medicine without a state-issued license, can and will result in criminal charges, the associations chairman wrote to him. No longer a doctor, he decided to move to Hawaii (presumably with his wife) to work on his memoirs. The events following Agent Coopers mirror-smash become even more mysterious. Major Garland Briggs who, in the novel, becomes quite a pivotal figure in the otherworldly folklore of the town sheds light on what happened after Agent Cooper smashed his head into the bathroom mirror. (As explained in the book, Briggs had been recruited to track and analyze extraterrestrial activity in the northwest by Douglas Milford, who spearheaded highly classified government programs related to UFOs and alien lifeforms.) Waking up from a dream that made him realize Cooper held the answers to the mysterious events surrounding Twin Peaks, Major Briggs attempted to contact him before being alerted by Sheriff Truman that he had gone missing in the woods the prior evening. In a frenzy, Briggs began to prepare elaborate mayday protocols at the Listening Post Alpha (LPA), which was the secret code name for the equally secret building where he searched for intelligent life. Shortly thereafter, Truman called Briggs to let him know Cooper had returned safely and was resting in his Great Northern Hotel room; Briggs asked him to tell Cooper to call him immediately. As written in Briggss final dossier entry: Only moments ago, while writing the previous passage [in his dossier], Cooper called, as I had requested. Hes on his way to the house right now the bell just rang, hes here. Betty is letting him in 12:05 PM MARCH 28, 1989 He just left. Somethings wrong. The message holds the answer, just as I thought, but Ive misinterpreted it. Protocols are in place. I must act quickly. Im heading to the LPA alone. * M * A * Y * D * A * Y * The FBI agent in charge of analyzing the case in 2016 wrote that whatever happened next to Major Briggs and Agent Cooper was never publicly known. Their respective files are designated as many levels above top secret. Underneath the Gowanus Expressway, in an area generously included in Sunset Park but really not much more than a detritus-strewn, completely forgotten, and rarely traversed stretch of 3rd Avenue, sit a curious collection of shops, glass windows and brick walls routinely rattled as 18-wheelers hurtle by just 10 feet above. Along on a stretch between 39th and 24th Streets, there are eight of these shops, a rate of nearly one per block. Sunset Video, Video City, Candy Hookah Love, Golden DVDthe names are different, but they're all the same inside. They're sex shops, like the ones you could once find in Times Square. The kind that advertise private viewing booths for when the laptop is busted and the WiFi is out and the lock on your bedroom is broken and the bathroom is in use and your imagination is unable to conjure up anything and you get what I'm getting at. Who the hell uses these things in 2016? More importantly, how do these places, with a clearly dying business model, sustain themselves? And why did they all wind up so close together? I spent a week trying to figure it all out. It's a matter of zoning: In 1998, when the city's new regulations for adult shops went into effect, the businesses were banned from residential areas. This sent many of the shops in Manhattan to areas zoned for commercial and manufacturing, including this part of Sunset Park. There were a number of strip clubs not far offmost of which are now goneso they had a bit of a seedy community thing going on. Many of the shops are owned by immigrants from Sri Lanka. Indeed, two stores include Sinhalese in their names. The clerks, too, when I went, were almost exclusively of Sri Lankan descent. The largest Sri Lankan population in the city is in Staten Island, which makes for a quick commute back and forth over the Verrazano. The owners are elusive: I figured this wasn't like walking into a Starbucks with the expectation of seeing Howard Schultz. These are small, independent businesses, and you'd think at one point in seven days, making regular visits, you'd have one encounter with the head honcho. But in trips to all of them, talking to dozens of counter workers, not a single one professed to know the owner. The answers ranged from the plausible, "This is my first day," to the laughable. "This is my first day," said the same employee the next day when I popped in. Others were circularly evasive. "He'll be here at 10 tonight," a clerk at Jayoda Video told me on a Monday morning. When I arrived that night, another said he always came in at "10 a.m." The next morning, the clerk from the previous day said he was there last night. Sunset Video. (David Covucci) One shop was closed at the appointed hour I was set to meet the owner, despite a sign attesting to its 24-hour nature. On my third trip, the clerk at Golden DVD ("best prices in 3rd Avenue"), said the owner had "just" told him the shop was going out of business "tomorrow," after two days of my hectoring him. It's still open, though I wouldn't be shocked if it did close tomorrow. With the redevelopment of this area of Sunset Park, these businesses may all soon be gone. In 2000, when streaming video and online purchasing didn't exist, people couldn't get their porn any other way. The technological innovations of the past 15 years have obviously not been kind to the adult video store industry. At almost every shop, the people I spoke to said they averaged fewer than five paying customers a day. Whether changing hands to avoid paying taxes or rent, or rebranding to be more appealing, the businesses constantly turn over. What was Blue Door Video in 2005 is now Video City. Nilwala Video in 2011 became Candy Hookah Love, with the exact same signage and colors, just a different name. Customers are few and far between. In the eight shops I visited over seven days, I saw scarcely more than 30 patrons total. I never saw more than one person in a store at a time. Only once did I see a patron make a purchasea lone DVD at Video City. The customers aren't in the mood to talk: "I don't know anything about that," said one man, when I asked him why he had just been in a private booth, as he waved me off. "I don't know anything about them." Not a strange reaction, really. Speaking of those booths: They are always "out of order," though nothing seems to be broken. When I asked about the booths in the back, how many people used them, or how they worked, I almost always got the same answer. While each store has a sign out front explicitly advertising booths, the clerks all denied the booths were there. At one shop, after being told there were no booths, I walked back to see the booths, then returned to the counter and said, "I thought said you didn't have them." The clerk continued to forcefully deny they existed. That may have been because because the booths have a reputation as a spot where people can very discretely hook up. I must have seemed like a horny 16-year-old, inquiring whether this was where I get the sex. After a while you start feeling like the pervert: At Sunset Video, when I asked why anyone would still use a public-private masturbation booth like that, one clerk said maybe people can't do it at home. What had initially struck me as odd (why leave your house to masturbate?) made a lot more sense. If you have a family or share a room with someone, you can't exactly come right home and have a quick jank to calm yourself down, like us single masturbators like to do. Swinging by one of these shops isn't that odd a thing to do if its your only chance to rub one out in peace. You might even think it's strange that other people have moved away from this model of self-gratification. If you masturbated for the longest time in the privacy of a locked room far away from family and roommates, in a spot where no one bothers you, why would you switch to using your own device at home. Why risk dirtying your computer when someone else's screen will do? What's to be ashamed of? Indeed, the few patrons I saw didn't give me sheepish glances or avert their eyes. The only person who was embarrassed was me. Perhaps there's a lesson in that. Still, I have no clue how they make rent. David Covucci is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn. I am offering the solution to a problem most Republicans don't know they have -- that they can be outmaneuvered and thrown on the defensive endlessly, on nearly any issue, because they accept as true Democrat lies about the Republican Party. To correct that misperception and to help the Republican Party get 'back to basics' is why I'm a man on a mission. A few years ago, after one of my speeches, a man told me "Do you know what your problem is? You're too far ahead of your time!" My efforts to show Republicans how they would benefit from celebrating the heritage of our Grand Old Party have been arduous, but if this were easy someone else would have already done it. Among my speech topics are Reconciling the Tea Party and the GOP; Barack Obama, the Worst President Ever; Socialism, the new Slavery; Appreciating the Heritage of our Grand Old Party; Returning to the Founding Principles of the United States; The Womens Rights Achievements of our Grand Old Party; Abraham Lincoln, Republican; Frederick Douglass, Republican; Martin Luther King and the Republican Civil Rights Legacy. Homes with eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms apiece will fill a small subdivision taking shape near the Baylor University campus, with local developer Ryan Lindsey choosing an agent with Chip and Joanna Gaines Magnolia Realty to market the homes priced at about $525,000 each. The Gaineses, who star in the hit show Fixer Upper on HGTV and attract 35,000 people a week to their Magnolia Market at the Silos, are not involved in the housing project planned for land between South 15th and South 16th streets on James Avenue, but Magnolia Real Estate agent Harris Arnhart often works with Lindsey. I hope to begin construction in the next couple of weeks, and I hope to have all six homes ready within six months, said Lindsey, who said he is operating as Diamond Bear LLC on this project. Judging by the interest and inquiries were already receiving, I wouldnt be surprised if the homes are all sold by the time they are finished. Merck Contracting and its president of construction, David Mercer, will build the homes that have received permitting from the city of Waco. Mercer began his career 10 years ago, when he specifically focused on the student housing market in Waco. The past six years he has aided in the development of more than $500 million in real estate to accommodate 9,000 beds primarily near colleges and universities in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Lindsey, meanwhile, gets involved in residential and commercial developments around Greater Waco, including near the Baylor campus. He was instrumental in placing a commercial center at 1508 Speight Ave., where Baylor Flowers, Jimmy Johns, Herbert Amos Clothier and Barefoot Campus Outfitter operate. That place is completely full, and has been for two years, said Lindsey. The tenants are doing well, and there is a lot of synergy going on there. Nearby, at 1600 Speight Ave., a traditional dining favorite among students, Viteks BBQ serves sizable crowds daily, including gameday weekends. And near these areas Lindsey will place what he believes will become another popular venue for those partial to the green and gold. The homes are not exclusively for Baylor students, but by the nature of where they are, my thinking is they will show the most interest, said Lindsey. They will be very nice, very well done. The community will be gated, and there will be private parking and private entrances. Arnhart said he could envision the parent of a Baylor student buying a home and renting space to seven of his or her friends. We will break ground before November, he said, and probably sell at least a couple of homes before the end of fall. Lindsey said monthly rental rates for homes in the Baylor area typically run $625 to $700 per bed, making our homes a sound investment. Kathy Schroeder, vice president of residential services at Coldwell Banker Jim Stewart Realtors, said the practice of parents with students at Baylor University acquiring property near campus is not a new one, but she has noticed an uptick the past couple of years as Baylors enrollment and profile has become greater. I know of a prospect coming to Waco on Tuesday because he likes to buy property in college towns. Thats his business now, Schroeder said, adding, Baylor parents who are real estate savvy get a couple of kids through school and then add a property to their portfolio or sell it and move on. She said properties in Waco and its environs indeed are priced lower than comparable homes on the east and west coasts, and out-of-state investors visit Waco to see these bargains for themselves. The pheonomenon has been fueled in part by Fixer Upper, in which the Gaineses say they remodel the worst homes in the best neighborhoods. But some find that homes in Waco are a little pricier than what they see on TV, and that people may not have as much to spend as where they came from, Schroeder said. Lindsey said other subdivisions that have occupied his time include the 134-home Flat Rock Village in China Spring, and two new sections of Badger Ranch in Woodway. Pretty soon well be rolling out The Parks at McGregor, a 400-home subdivision near Cotton Belt Parkway and U.S. Highway 84, he said. Harris Arnhart, who works Austin and Waco for Magnolia Realty, said the company also has a presence in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. If there had been any doubt, it has now become clear that this election campaign is about more than the selection of a president: The values that support American democracy are deteriorating. Large numbers of Americans across party lines have lost faith in their democracy and many will not accept the legitimacy of this election. Those were the stark findings from a survey we performed from Oct. 6 through Oct. 8 of more than 3,000 registered voters, fully 40 percent of whom say: I have lost faith in American democracy. Six percent indicate theyve never had faith in the system. Overall, barely more than half just 52 percent say, I have faith in American democracy. Most respondents completed the survey before the Oct. 7 release of the video in which Republican nominee Donald Trump bragged of groping women, but responses of those surveyed afterward were indistinguishable from those who answered the day before. This cynicism is widely shared across the electorate, but significant partisan differences emerge on this question, as on so many others. More than 6 in 10 voters backing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton express faith in U.S. democracy, compared with just over 4 in 10 of those backing her Republican rival. Most of Trumps supporters say theyve lost confidence in the basic mechanism of governance in the United States. One of the hallmarks of faith in democracy is a willingness of the defeated to accept the results of elections. Democracy, after all, is not about the selection of particular leaders but the notion that citizens have the power to select them at all. It relies on the assumption that todays electoral losers will live to fight another day, so that their faith in the system of democratic selection weathers temporary setbacks. But in this election, we find that a surprising share of the electorate is unwilling to accept the legitimacy of the election of their non-preferred candidate. When asked in this SurveyMonkey Election Tracking poll if they would accept the result should their candidate lose in November, just 31 percent say they definitely would see the outcome as legitimate. Nearly as many (28 percent) say it is either unlikely that they would accept the result or that they definitely would not. Again, Trumps supporters were more apt to say they would question the legitimacy of a Clinton victory than vice versa, but sizable shares on both sides, representing tens of millions of Americans, indicate they would not accept the legitimacy of the next president of the United States. It would be easy to chalk up this erosion of democratic values to the extraordinarily dispiriting presidential campaign we are witnessing. But the problems go much deeper than current events or even attitudes about government. The bonds of social trust that serve as the support structure for our democracy are deteriorating. Americans lack of trust in government is representative of declining confidence in institutions across the board. For 40 years, Gallup has measured levels of confidence in an array of institutions, such as the news media, organized religion, public schools, banks, unions and big business. Congress may regularly receive the lowest rating, as only 9 percent expressed a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in it in the most recent survey, which was released in June. But most institutions within and outside government are at or near historic lows. And yet the problem is even worse. Americans do not trust each other either. In our survey, we found that only 31 percent say that most people can be trusted, whereas fully 67 percent say you need to be very careful in dealing with people. Of even greater concern, its the youngest voters who are most wary of others: Seventy-nine percent of those 18 to 24 say people should be careful of others, compared with just more than half (52 percent) of those 65 and older. This question on social trust has been asked around the world for decades. These response rates place the United States toward the lower end among other advanced democracies. That said, the recent rise of illiberal political parties in Europe demonstrates that the loss of democratic faith in the United States may be part of a worldwide trend. Just to be clear, even though faith in democracy may be waning, things have been worse (during the Civil War, for example) and we are not close to where infamous European regimes were when they traded democracy for dictatorship. In fact, our poll shows that almost all Americans continue to support the basic constitutional feature of separation of powers, for example, and oppose rule by a single leader. But while we are a long way from reaching Weimar Republic levels of alienation and distress, Americans are nonetheless pessimistic about the likelihood that our divisions can be bridged. A whopping 80 percent of voters say that the United States is more divided today than ever before, and most of those believe these divisions are likely to continue far into the future. For all the talk about this election being the most important in our lifetimes, it is critical that political leaders understand that the election itself will not heal the divisions the campaign has revealed. It may be fashionable to think of this election as a referendum on a style of politics or vision of government. But referendums produce concrete results by proving which position more voters support. When a large share of the population is unwilling to grant legitimacy to the process of even asking the question, we should not be surprised when they refuse to accept the answer. Nathaniel Persily is a professor at Stanford Law School. Jon Cohen is chief research officer for SurveyMonkey. LINCOLN County election officials are busy with early voting, both by mail and at their offices. Secretary of State John Gale says of counties that have reported totals to his office thus far, 41,938 ballots have been returned or cast in person at county election offices through October 14. One of the things were anxiously watching is how the percentage of early voting plays into the number of voters who turnout overall, said Gale in a press release. He noted that voter registration has reached 1,198,546 which far exceeded even his expectations. Initially, I was hoping for around 1,185,000 registered voters. When the number gets that high, you hope that turnout increases as well. That would be a tremendous milestone in the history of Nebraska elections. Gale isnt the only one talking in terms of milestones. Election Commissioner Wayne Bena said more than 21,000 voters have requested an early voting ballot in Sarpy County. This presidential election has the potential to break all previous early voting records in my county. In fact, by the end of the week more people will have requested an early voting ballot than voted in the primary election. Dave Shively, election commissioner for Lancaster County, reported mailing 22,000 ballots from his office by Monday. Nearly 900 people have appeared in person to vote early. Shively said he expects volume to stay steady. My staff and I have been extremely busy processing all of the requests and know that well continue to be just as busy in the next three weeks. By contrast, Hitchcock County clerk Margaret Pollmann said she has had only three people show up at her office to vote. Many more have stopped by to take a ballot home with them. The majority of early voting has been by mail. Aside from the presidential and statewide contests, Pollmann said there was plenty to motivate early voting on the local ballot alone. We have several contested races and a recall question, both of which will likely increase our overall turnout for the general election. Hall County Election Commissioner Dale Baker said as of Monday, her office had issued 3,000 ballots and that in-office had been very steady. She felt certain that total early voters would surpass 10 percent of all eligible voters in her county. Our voter registration increased from 32,000 to 33,000 in the last two weeks, noted Baker. Im confident that trend is due to the ease of online voter registration. Voter registration, both online and by mail will end at the close of business on October 21. If anyone wishes to register after that, they will have to appear in person at the county election office by October 28 at 6:00 p.m. Gale reminded voters of additional deadlines, with regard to early voting: Registered voters can request an early ballot be mailed to them up until the close of business on October 28. Applications are available on the Secretary of States website at www.sos.ne.gov under the tab Voter Forms. Early in-person voting will continue through November 7 at any county election office. All early voting ballots must be received by the county election official by the close of polls on November 8. That includes those dropped off in person or mailed. That means that voters shouldnt wait if they plan to mail their ballot back, warned Gale. During the primary election, the U.S. Postal Service cautioned that the volume of mail might cause delays prior to the election. Thats certainly to be a factor this time as well. Gale also reminded by-mail voters to make sure their ballot was placed in the proper envelope, sign the envelope and add the correct postage. Brian Kruse, Douglas County election commissioner, said a record number of people in his county were choosing to vote early. The primary reasons seem to be convenience and the ability to research candidates and issues while voting. Of the total ballots returned by mail and those cast in person, breakdown for the top five counties as reported to the Secretary of States office on Monday were as follows: Douglas County 17,872 Lancaster County 8,095 Sarpy County 5,899 Gage County 1,146 Hall County 1,066 As the Philippines braces for its second major typhoon in just five days, a Canadian glacier spawns a giant iceberg and eastern Australia mops up from a record wet spell, climate scientists can pick from a world of weird weather to highlight evidence of global warming under way. Just days after nations agreed to curb production of greenhouse gases 10,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide and a fortnight before the Paris climate agreement comes into force on November 4, many regions are experiencing bizarre conditions. September continued the run of exceptional global warmth, with last month narrowly edging last year as the hottest September on record, NASA, the US space agency, said overnight. After data adjustments, NASA said 11 of the past 12 months had set monthly high-temperature records. (See chart below). This year is on course to smash previous records for annual heat set in 2015 and in the year before that. MPs could soon be able to vote in Canberra without leaving their green leather seats. Just by swiping a smart card. How marvellous. No counting off votes by whips. Perhaps even no damning or humiliating pictures of the nation's privileged representatives being seen to line up like sheep on an issue, and being accountable to constituents and/or colleagues for their actions. Nup. Swipe a card, press a button. Matter dispatched. Problem resolved. That's right, with all the challenges facing this country from entrenched poverty, to national security, from homelessness, to runaway pharmaceutical costs, species loss, and aged care, the Turnbull cabinet has put "The Fixer" on to the pressing urgency of establishing electronic voting in the House of Representatives. London: A first busload of teenagers arrived in Britain on Monday from the "Jungle" camp near the French port of Calais as the British government started to act on its commitment to take in unaccompanied migrant children before the camp is destroyed. The fate of children staying in the Jungle, a squalid camp where up to 10,000 people fleeing war or poverty in the Middle East and Africa have converged seeking ways to cross to Britain, has been a political problem for the British government. A young migrant waves as leaves the headquarters of UK Visas and Immigration in Croydon, south London, on Monday. Credit:AP Religious leaders, refugee rights campaign groups and opposition parties have accused the government of dragging its heels on helping to move unaccompanied children out of the camp, which France has said it will soon demolish. Fourteen children, the first whose cases have been processed, arrived by bus in Croydon, south London, to be reunited with relatives already living in Britain. Faith leaders and aid workers were on hand to welcome and assist them. North Carolina: With a slew of new polls tilting in Hillary Clinton's favour, her campaign has begun operating in states considered absolutely unwinnable to the Democratic Party in normal circumstances. The campaign has spent $US2 million on advertising in the Republican stronghold of Texas this week. No strategists seriously believe Mrs Clinton can win the state, and observers are divided over whether the campaign is seeking to simply unsettle the embattled Trump campaign with its confidence or lay the groundwork for Democratic gains in the state in the coming years. It has long been a dream of Democrats to take the vast state from Republicans, effectively putting the White House out of reach of the GOP. The Clinton machine is also spending money in the deeply conservative state of Arizona, a state where Mr Trump has made much out of his alliance with the hard-line anti-immigrant elected sheriff, Joe Arpaio, who championed the so-called "birther movement" with the candidate. The campaign has dispatched some of its most powerful spokespeople to campaign in the in the state, including Michelle Obama, Chelsea Clinton and Bernie Sanders. George Donald Mueller, longtime Lewistown resident, historian, rattlesnake hunter, paleontologist, curmudgeon, friend, beloved uncle, and philanthropist, died at age 94 on October 15, 2016. The son of Oscar and Josephine Mueller, George was born in Lewistown, Montana on November 4, 1921. His childhood was spent playing on Little Casino Creek and enjoying family picnics on summer afternoons in the Snowies, Judiths, and Little Belts. He graduated from Fergus County High School in 1939, spent two years at Montana State College, where he become a dedicated Bobcat, and then joined the Army and served in World War II. After returning to finish college, he began his career with the U.S. Weather Service in Meacham, Oregon and later in Great Falls, Montana. Throughout his life, most of his letters and conversations began with this is the driest year on record since 1919 If encouraged, and often when not, he would spout unfailingly accurate historical weather statistics for various locations around the state. On retirement, he moved to the family home on West Watson Street in Lewistown, back to the house and the town he has always loved. Besides meteorology, Georges main interest was local and state history. He was active in the Central Montana Historical Association, the Sons and Daughters of the Montana Pioneers, and was a member of the Montana Historical Society. He wrote many articles on local history for the Lewistown News Argus and was published in the Montana Magazine of Western History. George always shared his historical knowledge with other historians and any other audience he could muster. George had a marvelous sense of humor. He loved to tell jokes, often dozens of times. Occasionally, he wouldnt make it to the punchline before dissolving into giggles, which always provoked more enjoyment than the joke itself would have done. He was an ardent supporter of Lewistown. He was a member of the Masons, the Shrine, the Lewistown Rotary Club, and the Outlook Club. He served as Sergeant of Arms for the Lewistown Rotary Club for many years, and eventually enjoyed the status of being its oldest member. He generously supported many local organizations, including the Lewistown Library (through the Oscar and Josephine Mueller Endowment), the Central Montana Medical Center, and the Lewistown Boys and Girls Club. George had many friends. For many years, he spent holidays with Paul and Eunice Nelson and their extended family. In his later years, he was adopted by Jason and Marci Butcher and their extended family. Although understandably reluctant to leave his home and the independence it afforded him, George moved to the Caslen Living Center three years ago, where he found another true home. The staff and residents welcomed him, fed him, and provided him with a fresh audience for all his jokes and stories. Thanks to the love and care he received, his years at Caslen were unexpectedly happy and fulfilling ones before he ultimately died of complications from prostate cancer. The family would also like to thank the Fergus County Council on Aging, the staff of Home Health/ Hospice of Central Montana, the Central Montana Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and others throughout the community who supported George, particularly in his later years. George was preceded in death by his parents, Oscar and Josephine Mueller, and by his older brother Charles Mueller. He is survived by brother and sister-in-law, Glenn and Helen Mueller of Kalispell, his nieces Glenda Christenson (Tim), Sally Mueller (Richard Opper), and Ruth Mueller (Daniel Poli), 10 great- nieces and nephews and their children. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Shrine Hospital for Children, the Central Montana Foundation, or one of the many other organizations that George supported. Visitation will be held Friday, October 21, 2016 at the Creel Funeral Home Chapel from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Interment, prior to the service at the church, will be held on Saturday, October 22, 2016, 12:00 p.m. at the Lewistown City Cemetery with Military Honors and Masonic Rites. The Funeral will be at 1:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church. Arrangements are under the care of Creel Funeral Home. Georges family and friends can share memories and condolences at www.creelfuneralhome.com Brussels, 18 October 2016 Press Release The 1987 Montreal Protocol, considered by many to be the most successful multilateral environmental agreement, is an international agreement which contributes towards the substantial reduction in emissions of substances that deplete the ozone layer, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which were phased out under the Protocol. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which were designed to replace CFCs and are widely used in refrigerants, have recently been the subject of criticism as they are also highly potent greenhouse gases more potent that carbon dioxide (CO2). The use of HFCs is on the increase, especially as air conditioners and other cooling devices become more affordable. As a result, governments have attempted to amend the Montreal Protocol for the past seven years to end the use of HFCs, to which there are already a number of alternatives. This has culminated in a New Deal, reached in October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda, where the governments of 150 countries settled on a compromise agreement to phase out HFCs. It is believed that this agreement will contribute towards curbing global warming by as much as 0.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, and is estimated to be equal to halting the worlds fossil fuel CO2 emissions for more than two years. Developed countries will start phasing-down the use of HFCs from the beginning of 2019, and developing countries, with a few exceptions, will freeze their HFC consumption levels as of 2024. By the late 2040s, all countries are expected to consume no more than 15-20 per cent of their baseline levels. Countries usually monitor the consumption of such products through a quota allocation system, product stewardship, compliance inspections, and a licensing system. Customs administrations are key actors in these control schemes as they are the ones largely responsible for collecting all the trade data needed to monitor and control the trade, and to detect and prevent any illegal trade. As the phase-out of HFCs progresses in the coming years, the vigilance and dedication of Customs officers will be heavily relied upon to facilitate legal trade, and to combat illegal trade. In this regard, the WCO, in its continued effort to fight global warming, will continue to support Customs officers around the world through its Green Customs Initiative, launched in 2001 alongside its partner organizations: the Secretariats of the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions; the Secretariats of the CITES, Montreal and Cartagena Protocols; the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW); the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); and INTERPOL. Under the Green Customs Initiative, Customs officials are sensitized and trained towards the common goal of halting global warming, and making certain that the movement of goods with the potential to damage the environment are done within current legal frameworks, ultimately ensuring the continued success of the Montreal Protocol. This mornings (Sunday's) IR and the Your Turn article by the Mayor and White Sulfur Springs Council regarding the Helena Citys proposed resolution concerning the Smith River was long overdue and certainly timely. A separate Your Turn article supporting the Helena Citys possible resolution by a few Helena business owners was equally telling. The Smith River has become a playground for a privileged few and a rallying cry for the environmental movement in Montana. Those floating the river do not contribute to the Meagher County economy in any sense. Instead, Meagher County provides access over county maintained roads. Tintinas mining proposal, which is the basis for all the hue and cry, appears to be well done and completely transparent to see with offers of project tours to any and all. How many of the detractors have actually taken the tour? The future benefits to Meagher County are manifold and certainly supported and desired by those in White Sulfur Springs. Their rights certainly should be respected and considered instead of a select few who in all probability do not live or have any real interest in Meagher County other than to play. In my opinion, the city of Helena has no business inserting its nose into another countys affairs. If the city is going to approve a matter such as this, which in effect, taints all the city residents there should be a determining vote for support beforehand. The fact that one member of the commission, with an obvious environmental background, can lead the commission into this action without public support is disturbing. Sincerely yours, Giles E. Walker Helena BILLINGS -- A Democrat has been Montanas Superintendent of Public Instruction every year since 1988. But that streak could be in jeopardy, according to a statewide poll commissioned by Lee Newspapers. Republican Elsie Arntzen holds a slight lead over Democrat Melissa Romano, with a large chunk of voters still undecided, according to the poll of 1,003 likely voters contacted from Oct. 10 through 12. To the question: "If the 2016 election for Superintendent of Public Instruction were held today, would you vote for Melissa Romano, the Democrat, or Elsie Arntzen, the Republican?" The poll shows Arntzen receiving 42 percent to Romano's 38 percent, with 20 percent still undecided. The margin of error for statewide figures is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. Its unusual territory for a Democrat running for the states highest educational office. Then-incumbent Denise Juneau held a 5-point lead in Lee's 2012 poll. That race ended up as a narrow victory for Juneau. Romano, a political newcomer, emerged early as a teachers union-backed Democratic candidate. Arntzen, a state legislator and retired teacher, also had a clear field on the Republican side. Romanos campaign has already spent about $247,000, according to available campaign filings, dwarfing Arntzens $123,000. But Montana teachers union spending on the race is unprecedented. In 2012, MEA-MFT, through its Committee on Political Education, spent about $35,000 supporting Juneau. In 2008, it contributed about $50,000 to Juneau's bid. This year, MEA-MFT has spent almost $300,000, according to campaign filings, fueled in part by a pair of $100,000 contributions from national teachers unions. Combined with candidate spending, this years superintendent race appears to be the most expensive ever. Back in 2012 we had a proven incumbent running, said MEA-MFT president Eric Feaver. Despite the fact that she was an accomplished incumbent, she barely won. Obviously we couldnt sit back in the election. Arntzen launched a brief primary campaign for Montanas lone U.S. House seat in 2014, which Ryan Zinke eventually won, and has been a state legislator since 2004. Romano is a political newcomer. We knew she was going to need a lot of help running against a candidate who may have some statewide recognition, Feaver said. He said he wasn't concerned by current poll results. History Traditionally, Democrats have had an advantage in Montanas superintendent race. The Democrat superintendent candidate usually receives more votes than the Democrat in the governors race in recent decades; some people who usually vote Republican cross over in the superintendent race. Education tends to be more prominent in Democrat's platforms, especially when talking about equity in education, a major trend in recent years. That tends to be the kind of gospel that you have more often at that end of the spectrum, said Tom Halverson, director of the education policy program at the University of Washington. That Democrat-leaning trend was obscured by Brian Schweitzers landslide victory in 2008, but it appeared it could be waning in 2012; Juneau received fewer votes than Steve Bullock, while her Republican opponent received more votes than the Republican gubernatorial candidate. Romanos campaign has focused more on its message than name recognition, which internal polling showed wasnt a concern, said campaign manager Derek Ketner. Our strategy basically was to raise enough money that we could have our budget planned out before October, he said. It wasnt really a strategy of getting her name out there I think at the end of the day, voters want to know that their OPI candidate is going to be supporting public schools. A public-private distinction has been a major attack on Arntzen this year, as opponents have seized on legislative votes like support for a tax credit program for donations to private, religious schools and support for education savings accounts, which would divert per-student state money away from public schools. Democrats have also criticized Arntzen, whose husband is the CEO of Century Gaming, for pumping about $71,000 of her own money into her campaign. Her personal contributions essentially pale in comparison to (union spending), said former Montana GOP executive director Chris Shipp, who works with Arntzen. "Special interests" Arntzen has criticized longstanding Democrat control of the superintendents office and the influence of special interests, as shes often characterized MEA-MFT. It has been 30 years since theyve been in control. The tie between Helena and Washington, D.C. has been strengthened, she said. Feavers got no problem with the special interest label, with context. You bet were interested in seeing that we have quality schools and quality government, he said. There dont appear to be third-party groups campaigning for Arnzten. An Americans For Prosperity-backed school choice advocacy group popped up in July, with education savings accounts as a top priority. Both campaigns will likely continue to hit the airwaves. Artnzen spent little during the last reporting period in late August and September, but had more than $120,000 left in her campaign coffers, more than twice what Romano had. Several of Romanos media contracts run through Election Day. Among the 20 percent of undecided voters in the Lee poll, 11 percent consider themselves Democrats, 25 percent consider themselves Republicans and 23 percent identify as Independents. Ketner said that Democrats wanted to get out Romano's message before ballots were mailed out. Thats when a lot of Montana voters are making their decisions. BILLINGS -- A large chunk of Montanas economy will be at stake when Congress begins work on a new farm bill, and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., is warning the states farm and timber workers to be prepared. Montanas senior senator met Monday with agriculture leaders in Billings. He said current U.S. politics will make it tough to advance big ticket farm bill programs like crop insurance and land conservation. Montana farmers need to be ready for the debate. Theres a lot of pressure out there to do away with subsidies, and theres a lot of pressure to make sure were not giving subsidies to the wrong people. Tester said. Its going to take some time, to have those debates to make sure that it actually provides a safety net, nobodys getting rich off it and it supports farmers down the road. Agriculture has contributed as much at $3 billion annually to Montanas economy in recent years, making it the states single largest economic sector, enough so that the farm bill is often called a jobs bill by Montana advocates. But the farm bill provides more than a safety net for agriculture. It sets terms for forestry on public land, assists school lunch programs, and establishes nutrition programs for the poor. The bill also includes the Conservation Reserve Program, the federal governments largest effort to protect land for wildlife, soil and water quality. The nation is scheduled for a new farm bill every five years, and the last one, passed in 2014, weighed in at nearly $1 trillion. It was written as farmers and ranchers experienced historic increases in commodity prices. But that commodity bubble has since burst. Theres real concern among farm groups that the next farm bill script recognizes the challenges that farmers and ranchers now face. Wheat prices are at their lowest point in more than a decade. Wheat farmers are qualifying for subsidies only available when crops are selling for a loss. Calves are worth roughly half what they were 18 months ago. Farm leaders told Tester federal crop insurance programs needed to be more responsive. Payments to cover losses to price and weather usually show up a year later. That delay puts farmers in a tough spot is they grapple with the cost of putting in a new crop, which can cost $1 million for some. It is really difficult to budget when not only do you not know what youre going to get, youre not going to get it until next year, said Michelle Erickson Jones of the Montana Grain Growers Association. The risk of a federally subsidized program that doesnt work, Erickson-Jones said, is that older established farmers who can afford to self-insure will back out. That exit would increase the programs costs for heavily leveraged younger farmers who need crop insurance to qualify for operating loans. Several farmers and ranchers mentioned the need to expand the federal Conservation Reserve Program. In 2014, as farmers responded to high prices by plowing land that that hadnt been touched in years, federal lawmakers chose to cut the Conservation Reserve Program dramatically. CRP is intended to take marginal, erodible land out of production to minimize soil erosion and improve water quality. Its also intended to create wildlife habitat. The cuts in 2014 winnowed CRP from 32 million acres to roughly 24 million. As the number of conservation acres has declined, its become increasingly difficult to get Montana acres into CRP, said Bruce Nelson, Montana Farm Service Agency director. CRP acres are locked into conservation for several years, during which the farmer is paid for land conservation efforts. Next year, contracts will expire on roughly 392,000 Montana CRP acres. The decline is not only a challenge for farmers, but also wildlife advocates. Conservation programs are expensive, Tester said, which will make them a hard sell in the next farm bill. Theres some highly erodible land, land thats impacted by alkali that it would be better for the environment, and youre not going to raise that much wheat on that stuff anyway if it goes to salinity, to put it back in, Tester said. But there is no appetite to do that in Washington, D.C., because of the cost. It would take a very concerted coalition of agriculture and wildlife folks to go back and make that happen, and it would be a heavy lift. Tester will continue his discussion on the farm bill before month's end in northwestern Montana, where timber will be the focus. InterXion Holding N.V. provides carrier and cloud-neutral colocation data center services in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. The company enables its customers to connect to a range of telecommunications carriers, cloud platforms, Internet service providers, and other customers. Its data centers acts as content, cloud, and connectivity hubs that facilitate the processing, storage, sharing, and distribution of data between its customers. The company offers colocation services, including space and power to deploy IT infrastructure in its data centers; a range of output voltages and currents; connectivity services that enable its customers to connect their IT infrastructure to exchange traffic and access cloud platforms; and systems monitoring, systems management, engineering support, and data backup and storage services, as well as installs and manages physical connections running from its customers' equipment to the equipment of its telecommunications carriers, Internet service providers, Internet exchange customers, and other customers. It provides its services to telecom operators, Internet service providers, and content delivery networks; content and cloud providers; and enterprises through direct sales forces, as well as through tradeshows, networking events, and industry seminars. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 51 carrier and cloud neutral colocation data centers in 13 metropolitan areas in 11 countries. The company is also involved in real estate management/holding businesses. InterXion Holding N.V. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands. The following companies are subsidiares of Arrow Electronics: A.E. Petsche Belgium BVBA, A.E. Petsche Canada Inc., A.E. Petsche Company, A.E. Petsche Company Inc., A.E. Petsche Company S De RL, A.E. Petsche SAS, A.E. Petsche UK Limited, ACI Technology, AKS Group Nordic AB, ARROWECS Portugal Sociedade Unipessoal, ARROWECS Sociedade Unipessoal LDA, ARW Electronics Ltd., ARW Enterprise Computing Solutions S.A., ARW Portugal Unipessoal LDA, ASI Dedicated Services LLC, ASI Electrical Services LLC, ASI Managed Services LLC, ATM Electronic, ATM Electronic Corp., ATM Electronic Corporation (HK) Limited, ATM Electronics Hong Kong Limited, ATM Electronics Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, Addex Distribution AS, Adilam Pty. Ltd, Aiqi Xinxing (Beijing) Information Technology Co. Ltd., Altimate Belgium BVBA, Altimate Group, Altimate ND Belgium BVBA, Altimate Netherlands B.V., Annuity Systems Pty Ltd, Arrow (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Arrow Altech Distribution (Pty) Ltd., Arrow Altech Holdings (Pty) Ltd., Arrow Argentina S.A., Arrow Asia Distribution Limited, Arrow Asia Pac Ltd., Arrow Brasil S.A., Arrow Capital Solution BVBA, Arrow Capital Solutions Inc., Arrow Capital Solutions Nederlands BV, Arrow Capital Solutions SAS, Arrow Capital Solutions UK Ltd, Arrow Central Europe GmbH, Arrow Central Europe Holding Munich GmbH, Arrow Chip One Stop Holdings GK, Arrow Componentes ACCR S.R.L., Arrow Components (M) Sdn Bhd, Arrow Components (NZ), Arrow Components Mexico S.A. de C.V., Arrow Components Sweden AB, Arrow Denmark ApS, Arrow Denmark ApS, Arrow ECS (Ireland) Limited, Arrow ECS (NI) Limited, Arrow ECS AG, Arrow ECS ANZ Limited, Arrow ECS ANZ Pty Ltd, Arrow ECS Asia PTE. Ltd, Arrow ECS Australia, Arrow ECS B.V., Arrow ECS Baltic OU, Arrow ECS Brasil Distribuidora Ltda., Arrow ECS Canada Ltd., Arrow ECS Central GmbH, Arrow ECS Denmark A/S, Arrow ECS FZCO, Arrow ECS Finland OY, Arrow ECS GmbH, Arrow ECS Internet Security AG, Arrow ECS Internet Security S.L., Arrow ECS Kft., Arrow ECS Ltd., Arrow ECS New Zealand Limited, Arrow ECS Nordic A/S, Arrow ECS Norway AS, Arrow ECS Pty Ltd., Arrow ECS SA/NV, Arrow ECS SAS, Arrow ECS SPA, Arrow ECS Sarl, Arrow ECS Services Sp.z.o.o., Arrow ECS Singapore Pte. Limited, Arrow ECS Sp.z.o.o., Arrow ECS Support Center Ltd., Arrow ECS Support Center Morocco S.A.R.L.A.U, Arrow ECS Sweden AB, Arrow ECS a.s., Arrow ECS d.o.o., Arrow Eastern Europe GmbH, Arrow Electronice S.R.L., Arrow Electronics (CI) Ltd., Arrow Electronics (China) Trading Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Jersey) Limited, Arrow Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Sweden) KB, Arrow Electronics (Thailand) Limited, Arrow Electronics (U.K.) Inc., Arrow Electronics (UK) Ltd., Arrow Electronics ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd., Arrow Electronics Asia (S) Pte Ltd., Arrow Electronics Asia Limited, Arrow Electronics Australia Pty Ltd., Arrow Electronics B.V., Arrow Electronics Canada Ltd., Arrow Electronics China Ltd., Arrow Electronics Components (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics Czech Republic s.r.o., Arrow Electronics D.O.O., Arrow Electronics Danish Holdings ApS, Arrow Electronics EMEA Group GmbH, Arrow Electronics EMEASA S.r.l., Arrow Electronics Estonia OU, Arrow Electronics FC B.V., Arrow Electronics Funding Corporation, Arrow Electronics GmbH & Co. KG, Arrow Electronics Hellas S.A., Arrow Electronics Holdings Vagyonkezelo Kft, Arrow Electronics Hungary Kereskedelmi Bt, Arrow Electronics India Ltd., Arrow Electronics India Private Limited, Arrow Electronics International Holdings LLC, Arrow Electronics International Inc., Arrow Electronics Italia S.r.l, Arrow Electronics Japan GK, Arrow Electronics Korea Limited, Arrow Electronics Labuan Pte Ltd., Arrow Electronics Ltd., Arrow Electronics Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Arrow Electronics Norwegian Holdings AS, Arrow Electronics Poland Sp.z.o.o., Arrow Electronics Russ OOO, Arrow Electronics Services S.r.l., Arrow Electronics Slovakia s.r.o., Arrow Electronics South Africa LLP, Arrow Electronics Taiwan Ltd., Arrow Electronics UK Holding Ltd., Arrow Electronics Ukraine LLC, Arrow Elektronik Ticaret A.S., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions Inc., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions India Private Limited, Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions Ltd., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions S.A., Arrow Finland OY, Arrow France S.A., Arrow Global Asset Disposition Inc., Arrow Global Supply Chain Services Inc., Arrow Holdings (Delaware) LLC, Arrow Iberia Electronica Lda., Arrow Iberia Electronica S.L.U., Arrow International Holdings L.P., Arrow International Holdings Limited, Arrow Nordic Components AB, Arrow Norway A/S, Arrow S-Tech Norway AS, Arrow SEED (Hong Kong) Limited, Arrow Systems Integration Inc., Arrow UEC Japan KK, Arrow United Holdings LLC, Arrow United International Holdings LP, Arrow Value Recovery ApS (fka Greentech Denmark ApS), Arrow Value Recovery Belgium BVBA, Arrow Value Recovery Czech Republic sro, Arrow Value Recovery Denmark ApS, Arrow Value Recovery EMEA BV, Arrow Value Recovery Finland Oy (fka Greentech Finland OY), Arrow Value Recovery France SAS, Arrow Value Recovery Germany GmbH, Arrow Value Recovery Netherlands BV, Arrow Value Recovery Norway AS (fka Greentech AS), Arrow Value Recovery Sweden AB (fka Greentech Sweden AB), Arrow Value Recovery UK LTD, Arrow eCommerce B.V., Arrow/Artlink Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, Arrow/Components (Agent) Ltd., Arrow/Rapac Ltd., Artlink Technology Co. Ltd., Aspen Labs LLC, Aspencore China Investment LLC, Aspencore LLC, Aspencore Media GmbH, Aspencore/IDG China Investment LLC, Asplenium SA, Asset Recovery Corporation, B.V. Arrow Electronics DLC, Beijing AIQI Technology, Beijing Arrow SEED Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing Canon Advertising Co. Ltd., Broomco (4184) Limited, COMPUTERLINKS, COMPUTERLINKS (UK) Ltd., COMPUTERLINKS Belgium BVBA, COMPUTERLINKS Denmark A/S, COMPUTERLINKS Nederland B.V., COMPUTERLINKS S.A., CSS Computer Security Solutions Erwerbs GmbH, CSS Computer Security Solutions Holding GmbH, CSS Computer Security Solutions Ltd., CT3 Europe Limited, Centia Group Ltd, Centia Ltd., Channel Support Pty Ltd, ChiWan Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Chip One Stop, Chip One Stop (Hong Kong) Ltd., Chip One Stop (Shenzhen) Ltd., Chip One Stop Inc., Commtech Solutions (UK) Limited, Components Agent (Cayman) Limited, Components Agent Asia Holdings Ltd., Components Distribution Business - Achieva, Conrac Asia Display Products Pte. 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Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Becton, Dickinson and: Accuri Cytometers, Accuri Cytometers Inc., Alverix Inc, Alverix Inc., Atto Bioscience Inc, BD Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., BD Infection Prevention BV, BD Kiestra BV, BD Kiestra Total Lab Automation, BD Rapid Diagnostic (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., BD San Luis Potosi S.A. de C.V., BD Switzerland Sarl, BD Ventures LLC, BD West Africa Limited, BDX INO LLC, Bard (Thailand) Limited, Bard ASDI Inc., Bard Access Systems Inc., Bard Acquisition Sub Inc., Bard Australia Pty. Limited, Bard Benelux N.V., Bard Brachytherapy Inc., Bard Brasil Industria e Comercio de Produtos Para a Saude Ltda., Bard Canada Inc., Bard Chile S.p.A., Bard Czech Republic s.r.o., Bard Devices Inc., Bard Dublin ITC Limited, Bard EMEA Finance Center Sp.z o.o., Bard European Distribution Center N.V., Bard Finance B.V. & Co. 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(Isialys) Societe a responsabilitie limitee, PT Becton Dickinson Indonesia, PharMingen, PharMingen., Plasso Technology Ltd, PreAnalytiX GmbH, Pristine Access Technologies Inc., ProSeed Inc., Procesos para Esterilizacion S.A. de C.V., Productos Bard de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Productos Para el Cuidado de la Salud S.A. de C.V., Puls Medical Devices AS LC, PureWick Corporation, Roberts Laboratories Inc., Rochester Medical Corporation, Rochester Medical Ltd., Saf-T-Med Inc, Safety Syringes Inc., Scanwell Health Inc., Sendal S.L.U., SenoRx Inc., SenoRx LLC, Shield Healthcare Centers Inc., Sirigen Group Limited, Sirigen II Limited, Sirigen Inc., Sistemas Medicos ALARIS S.A. de C.V., Specialized Cooperative Corporation, Specialized Health Products Inc., Specialized Health Products International Inc., Specialized Health Products International LLC, Staged Diabetes Management LLC, Straub Medical AG, Straub Medical AG, Surgical Site Solutions Inc., TVA Medical Inc, TVA Medical Inc., Tepha Inc, Tepha Inc., Tissuemed Ltd., Tri-County Medical & Ostomy Supplies Inc., TriPath Imaging Inc., Tru-Fit Marketing Corporation, Vas-Cath Incorporated, Vascular Pathways Inc., Velano Vascular, Velano Vascular Inc., Venclose Inc., Venetec International Inc., Venetec International LLC, Visitec, Y-Med Inc., Y-Med LLC, and ZebraSci Inc.. Read More If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 16, 2016 | 10:25 PM | MURRAY, KY After a year's absence, kilts and bagpipes will return to Central Park in Murray this weekend. The Murray Highland Festival will take place from 9 am til 4pm Saturday, featuring a pipe band, Scottish food, the Highland Games and the wee bairns' games for children. Animals often associated with Scots and Scotland, such as the long-haired, long horned Highland Coos and shepherding collies will be on hand, along with dance demonstrations, clothing and memorabilia. The festivities will kick off Friday with a free concert featuring the folk/rock bank Highland Reign will be held at the Rotary Amphitheater located on Arcadia Circle in Murray. The West Kentucky Highland Society organizes the festival, which harkens back to the last century when it began in Paducah. Admission is free to the public thanks to a grant from Independence Bank of Murray, and with the help of the Murray-Calloway County Parks and Recreation. On the Net: By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 17, 2016 | 10:43 PM | MURRAY, KY A Murray man faces burglary and other charges following his arrest Saturday. The Murray Police Department said officers responded to a burglary complaint Saturday morning at a home on North 16th Street. The resident told police he found 25-year-old Brandon Hobbs standing in his kitchen. The two men had reportedly been in an argument over a separate issue. According to police, Hobbs made threatening comments, but left the home without any further incident. Officers followed up on the complaint by going to see Hobbs at his home on North 18th Street. Upon locating Hobbs, he allegedly tried to flee from officers, but was quickly taken into custody without incident. While at the scene, a nearby neighbor notified officers that he had discovered Hobbs in his home earlier the same day. He reportedly told Hobbs to leave and he did. Hobbs was arrested and charged with burglary, criminal trespassing, fleeing or evading police and alcohol intoxication in a public place. No Powerball winner means next jackpot is $1 billion Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world As if you didnt think that Rafael da Silva was a loveable little scamp anyway, its been revealed that the ex-Manchester United full-back made a lovely charitable gesture after tearing his thigh muscle last season. After succumbing to the injury while playing for Lyon in September of 2015, Rafael specifically asked to meet with the Ligue 1 clubs top brass and request that he not receive any salary while he was sidelined. Due to the terms of the Brazilians contract, Lyon were legally unable to oblige him but they were able to find a solution by agreeing to donate the money to the clubs in-house childrens charity foundation. Rafael agreed and even chose that the money be used to purchase a mobile robot that allows hospitalised kids to attend matches and talk with players via webcam on matchdays. Apparently Rafael also refused to discuss the story at the time as he didnt want to make a fuss, but has since told LEquipe: I like playing and I like getting paid for it, but I was not playing. Im glad I made money for the kids, but it was also good for me. It did me good. Smashing. MISSOULA -- A Missoula man faces a felony charge of assault with a weapon after he was arrested over the weekend. John Duane Nelson, 72, was set a $25,000 bail during his initial appearance in Missoula County Justice Court on Monday after he was arrested Oct. 15. Court documents say Nelson and his wife were arguing when he took out a gun. In an interview with police, the woman said she had come home from work and told Nelson she would make dinner, then took a phone call. Nelson allegedly repeatedly approached her asking when she was going to make dinner, until she eventually said she wasnt and went into the bedroom. Nelson told the woman she needed to move out, before leaving the room and returning with the gun, according to court documents. She covered herself with a blanket and heard a shot, according to a court affidavit. The woman then ran out of the room, with Nelson continuing to ask her about dinner. As she fled the house, he allegedly said that if she called the police, I will kill you myself. In court Monday, deputy county attorney Amber Henning requested a $50,000 bail, while public defense attorney Robert Greenwell asked for Nelson to be released on his own recognizance. I never intended on hurting her, Nelson said by video from the jail. Justice of the Peace Marie Andersen set bail at half what the prosecutor asked for, and told Nelson if released, he is not to return to the home, have contact with the woman or possess any weapons. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitobans might get a sense of deja vu from Channel Zero: Candle Cove, which premieres tonight at 8 p.m. on Showcase. The horror series, produced for the American cable network SyFy, is about disturbing doings in a small town, precipitated decades earlier by an unsolved rash of child murders. Mike Painter (Paul Schneider of the series Parks and Recreation) is a child psychologist damaged by the incident as his twin brother was among the victims, although his siblings body was never found. After suffering a breakdown, he returns home where he and his mother, Marla (Fiona Shaw), are obliged to turn into sleuths when more children are endangered. Apparently, the next generation of kids has become creepily obsessed with a kids puppet show titled Candle Cove, a mysterious series that appeared on broadcast TV stations decades earlier and seems to be having a resurgence. ALLEN FRASER / SYFYI Nothing but the tooth: A demonic human known as Tooth-Child, with teeth covering its entire body, is just one of disturbing images from the new TV show Channel Zero: Candle Cove. The series may ring familiar for two reasons. One is that it was shot in Manitoba earlier this year, and attentive viewers will see some Manitoba locations including the quarry in Stony Mountain and Manitoba Avenue in Selkirk (a frequent location since it so closely resembles the typical American small town). A few local actors who appear on the show include Marina Stephenson Kerr as Marlas best friend (and a woman with her own disturbing secrets), David Brown as a sketchy lawman and Gwendolyn Collins as a waitress who figures in all the mayhem. The other recognizable feature is that, in tone and structure, it resembles Stephen Kings It, a novel-turned-miniseries in which a group of adults are compelled to take on the evil clown entity that haunted their childhoods. (A remake of that is in the works.) It would be unfair to call Channel Zero: Candle Cove a ripoff. The series was based on an online creepypasta story by Kris Straub, the form being a story that is passed around and embellished by its online audience. (The story of an innocent kids show with a nightmarish undercurrent was reportedly inspired by a bogus news story in The Onion about a grown man traumatized by the early-70s Sid and Marty Krofft sentient-hat TV series Lidsville.) The first two episodes of the series are compelling in a low-key way, a gathering storm of horror illuminated with lightning flashes of the bizarre, including an entity credited as the Tooth-Child, a demonic human with teeth covering its entire body. Director Craig William Macneill eschews overly stylized horror in favour of a straightforward, deadpan approach that allows viewers to stew in their own anxieties. (Another horror vet in the credits is writer-producer Don Mancini, who directed the Childs Play sequel Curse of Chucky in Winnipeg a few years back.) Designated for a 2017 berth, the second season, Channel Zero: The No End House, is being shot in Manitoba with stars Amy Forsyth and John Carroll Lynch. One has reason to expect some juicy terror. Perhaps the most satisfying thing about the series is that the Stephen King small-town milieu of books such as It, Salems Lot and Pet Sematary dovetails so nicely with Manitoba locations. Its time Hollywood filmed another King adaptation here. Sorry, the goofy 1997 chiller Trucks doesnt count. randall.king@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @FreepKing If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more. Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A major investigation by Winnipeg police that recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen property has raised national security concerns after blank passports were among the items officers found. On Tuesday, police announced that Project Heavy Metal identified 20 suspects, including nine arrested in Manitoba, who are facing 140 charges in connection with a theft ring that operated across Western Canada. Calgary and Edmonton police as well as the RCMP helped with the investigation that recovered more than $300,000 worth of goods stolen during break-ins and other thefts. Two RCMP uniforms and police equipment were recovered after a search warrant was executed at a Calgary residence in September, Insp. Barry Kostchuk said. Vehicles, camper trailers, snow blowers, lawn care equipment, new tires, tools, key cutting machines, and electronics were recovered. The most alarming items discovered among the stash of stolen goods may be the blank passports and birth certificates. Winnipeg police werent ready to comment Tuesday about the blank identity documents how many were found, if they were taken from government offices or are fakes, like bogus Canadian passports that are offered for sale online for less than $200. JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES A former RCMP officer is accused of pursuing an intimate relationship with an underage girl he met while he was on duty. The theft of genuine blank Canadian passports has opened doors in the past for criminals such as human traffickers and raises concerns about dangerous people being allowed into the country. In 2002, the RCMP foiled a scheme to sell 246 stolen blank Canadian passports but not before some of them found their way into the hands of international people-smuggling rings. An informant tipped off RCMP that the black-market books, stolen in June, 2002, from the Scarborough passport office, were being sold on the streets of Toronto for $1,000 apiece. Police recovered 183 passports in a sting operation two years ago, intercepted two in a package mailed from Thailand and in 2004 discovered as many as 33 more in possession of Sri Lankan human smugglers in the Caribbean and Europe. In a separate case in 2014, a Citizenship and Immigration Canada employee in Toronto was charged with breach of trust and 96 other counts including selling identity documents, passport forgery and making false statements. Criminals will go to great lengths to obtain fake or fraudulent passports to allow them the freedom to travel throughout the world, Sgt. Louie Casale of the Toronto West Serious and Organized Crime Team said at the time in 2014. It is very important to maintain the reputation of the Canadian passport and the RCMP will diligently investigate those responsible for passport fraud. The RCMP did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada formerly Citizenship and Immigration Canada was not prepared to comment about the latest discovery of blank passports announced by Winnipeg police Tuesday. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Only a few months after its initial takeoff, ultra low-cost airline NewLeaf Travel Co. is already busy tweaking its schedule, adding and deleting destinations. Launching from its base at Winnipegs Richardson International Airport, NewLeafs original routes included secondary markets Kamloops, Moncton, Hamilton and Abbotsford as well as Winnipeg, Edmonton and Victoria. On Monday, it started flights into Calgary on a temporary basis from Dec. 16 to Jan. 8 and hinted at adding sun destinations in time for this years winter getaway season. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Theres been some good news and some bad news at NewLeaf Travel Co., which uses Flair Airlines to provide flights: Calgary has been added as a destination, but Regina and Saskatoon have been deleted. Adding Calgary brings the number of Canadian destinations it flies into to 12. NewLeaf is the sales and marketing company with its partner, Kelowna-based Flair Airlines, operating the aircraft. We actually didnt anticipate to be operating from Calgary within the first five months of operation, however there is a big demand from Calgarians. So, we are thrilled to provide southern Albertans with low fares for the holiday season, said Jim Young, NewLeaf president and CEO. Company spokeswoman Julie Rempel said the decision to get into the Calgary market so quickly was at least partly opportunistic. It worked out both from a market standpoint and (because of) the availability of aircraft, so we decided to do it earlier, she said. But next month, NewLeafs roster of destinations is likely to decline by two. Rempel said NewLeaf is rethinking its two Saskatchewan destinations and will suspend flights to and from Regina and Saskatoon at least throughout November. It has also dropped some other routes, including Winnipeg to Victoria. Rempel said there are plans in the works to get the Saskatchewan destinations back onto NewLeafs route map, and she hinted there will be some warm winter destinations in the works. Were coming up with some announcements that will put some toes in the sand, she said. As for Saskatchewan, she said efforts are being made to figure out routes that make sense for the operations 737 jet service. Currently, the only destinations for travellers flying out of Regina or Saskatoon are Hamilton and Kelowna. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Jim Young, NewLeaf president and CEO, said demand from Calgarians has been surprising. Saskatchewan is a wonderful market and the people there are so fantastic, Rempel said. We are trying to figure out the best Canadian route for them that they will want to travel to. We have not turned our backs on them. NewLeaf now has four planes working its routes and Rempel said the company has had great support from the travelling public. However, it is still dealing with professional airline agitator and former University of Manitoba mathematics professor, Gabor Lukacs. Lukacs originally filed a claim against NewLeaf taking exception to the manner in which it partnered with Flair. NewLeaf relies on Flairs operating certificate with the Canadian Transportation Agency. That process delayed NewLeafs inaugural flights by several months. In March, the CTA ruled in NewLeafs favour but Lukacs appealed the ruling. That appeal is scheduled to be heard by the Federal Court of Appeal in December. In the meantime, NewLeaf has sued Lukacs over Twitter and Facebook posts it argues were designed to harm the companys reputation and discourage potential customers. martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Students fear plans by the Pallister government to put more money into bursaries and scholarships could make it more difficult for smaller schools to offer more student aid. The Tories plan to increase the money available in the Manitoba Scholarship and Bursary Initiative fund from $5 million to $6.75 million. The catch is the province would no longer match dollar-for-dollar new money raised privately it would add $1 for every $2 a school raises privately. BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Universities such as the University of Winnipeg may have to work harder to make fundraising and bursaries pay off. Potentially, the pot available for scholarships and bursaries would increase annually from $10 million to just over $20 million. Established in the late 1990s, the initiative distributes provincial money proportionally among the seven public universities and colleges in Manitoba. Smaller schools have a harder time getting money. The university has to focus its time on fundraising instead of other things, said Michael Barkman, Manitoba representative for the Canadian Federation of Students. Barkman said the federation already believes the Conservatives will lift the cap that keeps tuition increases from rising beyond the cost of living. More financial aid may make a tuition jump more palatable, Barkman said, but some scholarships and bursaries are based on academic achievement instead of financial need. Its not addressing the question of access in a cohesive way. Public money should be going to students who have need, he said. Last year, students accessed only $4.8 million of the available $5 million in public money, Barkman said. Theres a lot of confusion on how to access the money thats out there, he said. NDP education critic Wab Kinew said Monday raising $2 for each $1 in provincial money will be a concern for smaller schools: Theres a limited donor pool in Manitoba a lot of institutions feel the donor pool is tapped out. Theres some donor fatigue. Kinew predicted the increase in the provincial money is setting the stage for tuition hikes, but will help only a relatively small number of students, not all of whom have financial need. University of Manitoba communications manager John Danakas said talks are ongoing with the province about the implementation of changes to the bursary initiative. The university wants to let those talks play out before commenting, he said. An official at the University of Winnipeg said, we are aware, and meet regularly with the minister, and are working in a collaborative manner. At Brandon University, an official said the impact is hard to judge. We have been informed of the planned changes. In terms of the impact, it is difficult to quantify, other than that fundraising will remain a priority as it has been in the past. Meanwhile, a spokesman for University College of the North could not find anyone on staff Monday who is aware of the impending changes. One source, who asked not to be named, said in practice, each public university and college has been told each year how much matching money is available, then geared its fundraising campaign to try to find new private dollars to access that matching money. The premiers office said Brian Pallister made the governments intentions known in May, following up on a promise made during the election campaign. That came in a five-paragraph news release about a meeting Pallister had held with business leaders in Brandon. An investment in Manitoba students is an investment in the future of our province, said Pallister. By increasing scholarship and bursary funding, we can ensure students have every opportunity to pursue a quality education that will position them to contribute to a better province. The Brandon meeting was the first step toward the new Government of Manitobas commitment to partnering with business to double the amount of scholarship and bursary funding available for students. Pallisters staff said the government is committed to raising the total funding available to over $20 million by increasing the Manitoba Scholarship and Bursary Initiative fund to $6.75 million, with a one-third matching component from government to allow for more private donors; working with post-secondary advisory councils and industry to promote scholarship and bursary programs with strong labour market outcomes and employability potential; and working with public and private-sector partners to develop an effective long-term plan integrating financial needs of students with quality job opportunities. Meanwhile, Education Minister Ian Wishart expressed concern recently 80 per cent of gifts to universities for student aid go into endowment funds that pay out only annual interest he wants to see more of that money paid out as cash to students. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The University of Manitoba wont write off the current academic year if professors walk off the job, students are being assured. Last week, members of the U of M Faculty Association gave union leadership an 85.6 per cent strike mandate, but no date has been set. Professors have been without a contract since March 31. The U of M Faculty Association has asked for a 6.9 per cent increase for a one-year deal, along with improved benefits and working conditions, while the university has offered seven per cent over four years, including a 17.5 per cent total wage raise for about one-third of the faculty eligible for incremental raises. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Some U.S.-based companies are threatening to take University students to court if they don't pay a settlement fee for copyright infringement. The intent is that the academic year will be successfully completed, says a statement on the U of M website. Makeup of missed classes will depend on the length of the disruption. In the worst-case scenario, the commencement of the winter term may be delayed until classes and examinations of the fall term are completed. The statement says the university has plan to assess the continuation of classes on a case-by-case basis if there is a work stoppage. The university has told students that not all teaching staff will be on strike, and that even some UMFA members will continue to teach: Only those individuals who are members of UMFA and choose to participate will be on strike. Many academic staff are not members of UMFA, including sessional appointees, teaching assistants and certain members of the Max Rady College of Medicine. These individuals will continue with academic duties. All administrative, support and managerial staff will report to work as usual. Meanwhile, UMFA is advising students that whatever decision they make about crossing picket lines, they will not face consequences from the university or union; once a strike is over, professors will help students catch up on course work. We understand students have legitimate fears. Please keep in mind that no job action at the U of M has ever resulted in students losing their credits, the union said in a statement. We know that in addition to going to class, students live, play and exercise on campus, so they will be physically crossing the picket line. The administration does not require you to attend classes during the strike. However, you will be responsible for keeping up with all assigned class work. There will be picket lines coming in to campus. This can mean delays in getting onto campus, because UMFA members will be talking to those coming on to campus about why we are striking, said UMFA. It was not immediately clear Tuesday how UMFA would treat members of the public entering the grounds to access SmartPark, recreational activities and facilities, or events such as Winnipeg Blue Bombers games. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA The federal governments plan to slow the growth rate of health-transfer payments to the provinces isnt going to cut it against the fast-rising costs of an aging population and increasing numbers of people living with chronic diseases, Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen said Monday. Goertzen is in Toronto for two days of meetings with provincial health ministers and a session with federal counterpart Jane Philpott today that is expected to be tense. The provinces are angry about the Liberals intention to follow through with the Harper governments plan to cut the six per cent annual growth rate in the Canada Health Transfer in half. It will mean instead of sharing $38.2 billion for health care next year, the provinces will share $37.2 billion. Manitobas transfer will increase $39 million instead of $78 million. Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press Health Minister Jane Philpott answers a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. It is significant, Goertzen said. Thirty-nine million dollars amounts to less than one per cent of the provinces entire health budget, but it could pay for almost 400 nurses or build almost four new MRI suites, such as the one recently opened at Grace Hospital. It could even build a new hospital; a $40-million facility was recently announced for Pimicikamak Cree Nation. Manitoba has an aging population and a significant rate of chronic disease, both of which put pressure on the health budget. The strain could get worse around budget time next year if the federal health transfer formula kicks in while contract negotiations are underway with nurses, hospital support workers and diagnostic services technicians. Goertzen wouldnt speculate on which areas of Manitobas system would take a hit in that scenario, but he said Ottawa has to accept medicare was supposed to operate with a 50-50 funding model with the provinces. The $1.3-billion transfer to Manitoba this year will cover one-fifth of the health budget. The six per cent escalator in the old health-care accord saw Ottawas share of Manitoba health spending grow from 18.7 per cent to 20.1 per cent since 2009. Ottawa now spends $997 on health care for each Manitoba resident, up from $788 a decade ago. Cutting back on the growth rate is going to reverse that trend, said Goertzen. Obviously they are not going to restore (the 50-50 balance) in a year but we are looking for a fair partnership, he said. Manitobas health budget has increased an average of five per cent a year for the last decade, so if Ottawas annual increase is less than that, the imbalance will get even bigger, said Goertzen. The provinces want Philpott to shelve any final decisions on the health transfer and have Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hammer out a new health-care accord with the premiers. Philpott was firm Monday that if she is going to go back to Ottawa to ask Finance Minister Bill Morneau for more money for health care, the provinces are going to have to accept strings on that money. I have a responsibility as the health minister for Canada to invest in health, to help improve health systems, she said. But when we are going to my finance minister to ask for more money, I need to be able to tell that finance minister it is going to be used for health, she said. My ears are open, she said. If they have great ideas about how they want to improve systems I am open to listening to that. I need to hear how they want to do that before I can consider where there can be further investments. If we are going to make more investments, they need to go to health. With files from The Canadian Press mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Pallister government has introduced legislation to make provincial laws compliant with the Supreme Court ruling on assisted dying. Bill 17 (The Fatal Inquiries Amendment and Vital Statistics Amendment Act) specifies that an inquiry by the provinces chief medical examiner is not required in cases of medically assisted dying. As well, the death would not be recorded on a death certificate as a homicide or suicide, but would reflect the persons underlying medical condition such as cancer. SEAN KILPATRICK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES The Supreme Court ruled in early 2015 that Canadian law must permit some form of physician-assisted dying. Were not in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling as it stands right now until these changes are made, Justice Minister Heather Stefanson said Tuesday. Bill 17 would also allow the provincial cabinet to develop regulations on the collection and sharing of information or statistics on assisted dying in Manitoba. The Supreme Court ruled in early 2015 that Canadian law must permit some form of physician-assisted dying. A new federal law governing assisted death was passed In June. A dozen Manitobans have ended their lives with the help of medical professionals since the law changed. Another four dozen Manitobans have applied for medical assistance in dying, among whom 14 were turned down. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. It was a mid-morning on an October Saturday in the Exchange District and the slightly-built young man in the black hoodie and sweatpants was walking towards us. Even from a distance, the way he crossed the street and headed directly for my wife appeared to signal what he wanted; as did his hollowed-out cheeks that we only noticed when he got closer. He had a question for us. Kevin Bissett / The Canadian Press files A question that would later lead me to a question for you. The soft-spoken young man said he was trying to put together the $11 for a bed at the Salvation Army. Could we help him? That was the implied question, even though he didnt ask directly. I reached for my wallet, but there was no cash, so Athina opened her purse. While she was looking to see if we had anything for him, I asked the young man where he was from, and how old he was. He was 27, he replied, from Fairford First Nation. With that he left with $5. Thinking back, I dont recall him saying thanks, but if he didnt, Im sure that was implied, too. What I do recall him saying before he walked away was he was hungry. Another ask without a direct question. A short time later, while still strolling the area, we saw him again and this time it was me who approached him. I wanted answers to a few more questions, this time about his life on the street. Again, the answer I remember most came indirectly; it was the chemical smell on his breath that hadnt been there before we gave him the five bucks. Later, when I thought about his gaunt look and those hollowed-out cheeks, I wondered why I chose to ignore a look that should have told me why he really wanted the money. Why was I so quick to want to give him anything when, at other times, in other places, I simply walk by a panhandler? Or, even more often, drive by the ones marching up and down the median with their anything helps cardboard signs. Sometimes, of course, its because I dont have any spare change. Or the traffic light changes. Or theres something that intuitively tells me not this one. None of those answers address the deeper question about why this young man got the five bucks, when so many others I have encountered have got less or nothing at all? Maybe it was the soft-spoken way he approached us. Definitely, it was what he said about needing a place to sleep and the preciseness of the $11 he said the Salvation Army charges. That amount rang true to me from past stories about the homeless. As I learned when I called the Sally Ann to check, while they used to charge $11, they dont anymore. Residential-services manager Mark Stewart confirmed a bed at their emergency shelter is free now, and so is breakfast the next morning. Anyway, even if I didnt know that for sure when I encountered the panhandler, I still chose to ignore what was obvious even initially. That he was a drug addict and the money we gave him was about getting a fix in the morning, not a bed for the night. Or maybe I really didnt ignore the signal that had literally been staring back at me from his sickly face, because, looking back, I think thats what moved me to open my wallet and my heart to the young man in the black hoodie. I saw him as a human being; not a panhandler. So heres the question for you? What moves you to give to people on the street? And if you dont Brother, can you at least spare an answer? gordon.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/10/2016 (2205 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Smile, you could be caught on camera the next time you argue with an enforcement officer over a parking ticket. The Winnipeg Parking Authority will ask the city for over $200,000 over two years to equip its enforcement officers with body-worn cameras at Tuesdays committee for innovation meeting. Officials with the arms-length authority argue the benefits will be two-fold: it will make officers safer and make the ticketing process easier. DARRON CUMMINGS / AP FILES Colin Stewart, a policy analyst with the authority, says officers have tested the cameras and found once Winnipeggers know they are being filmed, their attitude towards the officer softens. While a direct assault on an officer is rare, Stewart said they are accosted on a daily basis. He said the officers who are contracted out and not a part of the Canadian Union of Public Employees welcome the cameras. You would get surprised how emotional people get. When at the end of the day, it is just a simple parking ticket. Stewart said. They (the officers) said even just the presence of the camera has changed the dynamic of the public interaction when there is video, people interact differently. It would begin as a pilot project which would see a request go out for the purchase of the cameras this year and by 2017 all officers would be equipped with the cameras. Bad news for Winnipeggers is that the cameras are expected to allow officers to write an additional $80,000 worth of parking tickets each year. The reason? The cameras take away some of the uncertainty officers feel when issuing a ticket, which means less warnings will be given to motorists, explained Stewart. If an officer questions whether a ticket is needed, they currently have to either explain it verbally to a supervisor over the phone or wait hours for a supervisor to arrive to visually assess the situation. With a body-worn camera, an officer could directly send in the video to the supervisor, who could assess it from any location, Stewart said. Video is going to let us resolve the issue quicker, he said. It is about improving and ensuring the integrity of the entire process we dont want to issue a bad ticket. A new Winnipeg Parking bylaw effective Sept. 1 allows officers to enter on to private properties to issue penalties. The request also outlines the cameras will allow the officers to capture video evidence in cases where a citizen complaint occurs. If approved, the implementation would cost the city $177,660 in 2017 and $32,501 this year for the pilot project/evaluation. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/10/2016 (2205 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Speaker Myrna Driedger laid down the law to MLAs Monday to start behaving themselves though she ruled that two recent controversial incidents did not violate any members privileges. The first was the shaming of Conservative women MLAs by several NDP men as the Tories voted on a New Democrat private bill on sexual assault on campus. The second was an allegation that the NDPs Nahanni Fontaine had questioned Driedgers impartiality during an interview with The Canadian Press. Driedger has still to rule whether the NDPs Rob Altemeyer yelled Take your pants off or Take a pass on it when Culture MInister Rochelle Squires was speaking on Thursday. JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS NDP House leader Jim Maloway: 'I thought the rulings were perfect, they were very well-balanced.' Tory MLA Sarah Guillemard had charged she felt intimidated and vulnerable when several New Democrats yelled Shame! as the Conservative women voted on a sexual assault bill last week. This could be considered a form of intimidation that is not acceptable in the legislature or any other workplace, Driedger told the legislature Monday afternoon, but it didnt meet the definition of denying Guillemard her right as an MLA to speak or vote. Nor had Guillemard raised it at the earliest opportunity, Driedger said. The Speaker said New Democrats James Allum and Andrew Swan had shown humility in apologizing. As for Fontaines interview, Driedger said, Comments made outside the chamber are not grounds for parliamentary privilege. But what Fontaine was reported to have said, Driedger told the MLAs, if true, could undermine the Speakers credibility and be harmful to her office. They are a reflection on the office of Speaker and on legislature staff. She is the Speaker of the legislature, not the Speaker of the government, Driedger emphasized. She chastised MLAs from both the Conservatives and NDP for repeatedly giving interviews to the media on the controversies after Driedger had several times told the members not to discuss them in any way or in any forum until shed ruled. I look forward to your future co-operation, said Driedger, who also told the MLAs she doesnt want to hear a single voice during votes other than the legislative page calling out the members name and the member responding yes or no. In a statement released by the Tory caucus, Guillemard said: In her ruling, the Speaker made it very clear that she took this matter seriously and expects a higher standard of conduct from all members in the house. I concur with this sentiment, and sincerely appreciate the apologies offered by the members opposite. I believe we have all learned from this incident and are ready to move forward. I am confident that all MLAs will work to improve decorum in the Legislative Assembly, Guillemard said. We all need to take it as a lesson, Premier Brian Pallister later told reporters. Admonishing misbehaving members is a positive thing, said NDP house leader Jim Maloway. I thought the rulings were perfect, they were very well-balanced. Maloway said the NDP will not heckle in future while votes are being conducted. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The flurry of activity around Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus announcement of a federal carbon tax last Monday was followed the next day by the release of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy. The FSDS received much less attention, because it was not greeted with the provincial petulance about federal decisions that tends to generate headlines. To be fair, there isnt a lot of drama surrounding this document. Intended as an open working framework covering the next three years (to 2019), it identifies 13 strategic areas for Canada to focus on in relation to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. I was glad to see the ongoing intention to revise and extend it much wiser than attempting a strategy that tried to paper over its inevitable flaws and there are some interesting tidbits buried in among the some of the unfortunate efforts to encourage sustainable consumption (like suggestions to unplug appliances and not let taps run). For example, for Manitoba, there is a promise to continue funding the Experimental Lakes Area; another to contribute toward the reduction of phosphorus in Lake Winnipeg; money to fix the Lake St. Martin watershed problem; money for municipalities to fund infrastructure improvements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and so on. There was also the welcome intention to sign on again, as soon as possible, with the global initiative to combat desertification that Canada shamefully abandoned a couple of years ago. But this strategy, however initial its steps, just does not go far enough. Nor does the $10-a-tonne federal carbon tax do much to save the planet, as critics have complained. So why bother? Who cares about carbon? First of all, it is clearly carbon-hunting season. Announcing a federal carbon tax is like firing off a warning shot in a marsh it startles the less experienced ducks into flying straight up into the gunsights of the hunters. Bluster and splutter all they liked afterward, the premiers who demanded their environment ministers fly home from the conference right away made themselves into easy targets. In the aftermath of our failure to meet Kyoto Accord goals, it is obvious that something not nothing needs to be done to meet the Paris goals. No one would claim that the $10 warning shot is enough, but it did serve to flush out the opposition. As the Manitoba government moves toward coming up with its own plan hopefully, it will also be an open framework that can adjust to a rapidly changing situation, but with enough specifics that we can get to work right away there are a couple of key things to consider. First, there needs to be some reason for the numbers that are advanced, either as emissions targets or to justify the amount of a carbon levy. We could take a minimalist approach Manitobas share of Canadas reductions and ignore any other argument about how we have contributed to the problem over time, or how many of our emissions are displaced to other locations because we buy what they manufacture. That would be simple, but unfair to people elsewhere who can afford far fewer alternatives than we enjoy. It also reflects no real hope that there will be enough of a planetary shift in how people live to make a difference for future generations. Minimalism means ignoring the problem with the foundation by slapping on a new coat of paint letting the person who buys your house watch it fall down around them while you escape with the cash you should have spent to fix it. Premier Pallisters decision for a Made-in-Manitoba solution has the potential for something more than this minimalist response, however. We could be global leaders, not provincial stragglers, if we developed a carbon policy intended to inspire cooperation rather than merely imposing a carbon tax to coerce it. Our numbers need to be based on making Manitoba a carbon-negative province. If we consider all the dimensions of the Manitoba landscape, we have many different resources to mobilize and develop to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while we develop ways to take more carbon out of the air than we emit. Second, the carbon tax by itself will not enable us to reach any goal, however minimalist. It would need to be something like $300 a tonne to have significant effects on consumer behaviour. Even then, that tax would not be of much use if there were no alternative ways to get to work or to heat our houses. The tax will put some pressure on business and consumer behaviour to reduce their GHG emissions, but the money should be used to create alternatives; to promote the research, development and deployment of green technologies and to nudge people and their communities to take responsibility for how they choose to live. After all, the society that lives for today at the expense of tomorrow has no future, while the society that lives for tomorrow at the expense of today will never survive to reach it. We need to balance these two realities, in a pragmatic and timely fashion, right here at home in Manitoba. Peter Denton teaches the history of technology at the University of Winnipeg and chairs the policy committee of the Green Action Centre. Question: We have a debate about the pedestrian law in our house. Is a pedestrian standing curbside considered a "crossing pedestrian" if they are giving all indications they are planning to cross? Are motorists required to stop for such a curbside pedestrian if they can do safely? Answer: This is a great time of year to review this law as the days get shorter and the nights longer. The fall months tend to be the deadliest months for pedestrians. Preliminary figures show that 41 pedestrians have been killed so far this year. In comparison, there were 41 pedestrians killed and 904 injured in 2015 and 17 deaths and 837 injuries in 2014. Pedestrians must not enter a crosswalk if a vehicle is approaching and it is impossible for the driver to stop. There is no defined distance that a pedestrian must abide by before entering the crosswalk; use common sense. Motorists and pedestrians should always watch out for one another. Drivers must stop for crossing pedestrians at marked crosswalks and at all intersections without crosswalks or stop lights. A pedestrian standing curbside not in the crosswalk or intersection is not considered a crossing pedestrian. Pedestrians must obey traffic signs and signals at all intersections. Vehicles stopped for pedestrians can proceed once the pedestrian has completely crossed the lane in front of the stopped vehicle. When a vehicle is stopped at an intersection to allow pedestrians to cross the roadway, drivers of other vehicles approaching from the rear must not pass the stopped vehicle. Read the full statute: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=169.21 With Halloween right around the corner it is important to dress your children properly so they are visible to motorists. It is important for kids to carry a flashlight, wear bright colored costumes or add reflective tape so it is easier to be spotted by motorists. Kids should travel in groups and also have close adult supervision. New grant money was approved in the ongoing efforts to make Winona a safer and more livable area for people with dementia. The Winona City Council unanimously authorized a grant agreement for $7,000 to go towards surveying businesses and others in Winona to gauge the level of knowledge people have regarding those with dementia and promotion of the efforts to make Winona dementia friendly. Winona is one of 30 cities across Minnesota that have formed an action team through ACT on Alzheimers, a statewide collaborative that began in 2011. Alzheimers alone affects an estimated 91,000 people in Minnesota and an estimated 900 people in Winona County. A few years ago, Alzheimers was the sixth-leading cause of death in the state. Dementia is the generic term for a group of disorders Alzheimers among them that cause permanent memory loss. Malia Fox, Winona Friendship Center director, said a group of both students and others from the center will evaluate community strengths and where there are gaps in care are through community responses on questionnaires exploring community attitudes and options. We will analyze all of that and take it back to the community, Fox said. Fox said that student volunteers will be calling businesses and organizing interviews. This practical experience theyre coming with such passion, Fox said. They want to do this, and most of them are not doing it for credit hours. Council member Al Thurley said the efforts will improve the already existing support for aging people in Winona. We are as a community grateful for the resources in our community, Thurley said. The number people in the community who could potentially need those services is also on the rise. Currently roughly 25 percent of Winonans are eligible for membership at the Friendship Center, with the requirement being 55 years of age or older. The money approved Monday night will sustain the project through to the last step of the process, at which point Fox said theyd be eligible for another $7,000 from the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging. The information collected over this fall and winter will be used to formulate and implement goals by June 2017 for making the city a dementia friendly community, though exactly what those goals and actions may be. The group will host a kick-off event Tuesday, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Friendship Center. The event will feature Joyce Simard, social worker and geriatric consultantspecializing in dementia care. She has written extensively on Namaste Care a program designed to improve the quality of life for people with advanced dementia. According to the Namaste Care website, Namaste, is a Hindu term meaning to honor the spirit within and was selected to describe a program that brings honor to people who can no longer tell us who they are or who they were or care for themselves without assistance. The kick-off event is open to the public. A long-time representative and first-time candidate are facing off in a House race that has drawn statewide attention and cash. Thomas Trehus, DFL-Spring Grove, is working to unseat Greg Davids, R-Preston, who has served for 12 terms. Davids has held the seat with little competition for decades, outside of losing it in 2006 to Ken Tschumper, and then winning it back two years later. The race has attracted both money and attention from state political committees, with reports at the end of September showing Trehus has pulled in just over $113,000 in support from the DFL-aligned group Alliance For a Better Minnesota. Republican fundraisers have responded in kind, with over $50,000 in anti-Trehus ads, including the Pro-Jobs Majority, an affiliate of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, which has contributed over $36,000, according to the reports. The candidates, for their part, say theyre continuing to try and convince undecided voters and talk to people about the issues in person. Trehus said his core campaign issues have remained focused on strengthening rural towns, schools and small farms through investments in education and infrastructure, including both traditional road and bridge funding and newer strategies, like expanded broadband. There are a lot of issues that need fixing, Trehus said. People know what were doing in St. Paul isnt working. Trehus said that the campaign has been an uphill battle against an entrenched, long-time incumbent, but since he declared he was running over a year-and-a-half ago, he has created a closer race than Davids has seen in some time, something he said is evidenced by the money and support. Trehus, 26, has previously worked for the office of U.S. Sen. Al Franken and is a member of the Spring Grove Public School Board. Davids said he has enough face recognition to weather ads aimed against him. Davids has held a number of leadership positions in the House over the years, including serving as the Tax Committee chair during the 2015-16 biennium. He said hes continued to work for lower taxes and believes MNsure costs are one of the most immediate problems facing Minnesotans, and they have to admit that it didnt work and move away from it. He conflated the Minnesotan system with the federal Affordable Care Act it was launched under, and said both are failed ideas. Before you fix a problem you have to admit there is one, Davids said. Its so unfortunate ... Obamacare is crushing Minnesotans. Davids is continuing to advocate for an immediate special session to address that and other issues, including the tax and bonding bills, which were stymied at the end of this years legislative session, as well as rural economic development. Saint Marys University will host the 16th annual Halloween Fun Night from 5-7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24. Elementary and preschool children from the Winona area are invited to attend the event. Young trick-or-treaters should start out the evening at the Hall of Fame Room, located in the Toner Student Center, where tattoos and stickers, a coloring station, and other fun games will be offered, and the Cardinal mascot Big Red will greet pint-sized ghosts and goblins. From there, Saint Marys students will lead groups of trick-or-treaters through the residence halls of the university, where they can go door to door for candy. Last year more than 750 youth participated in this free, safe, and fun event, sponsored by the Office of Residence Life. Participants should stop at the guard booth at the main entrance of the Winona Campus for directions on where to park. When politicians talk about health care, too often the discussion is more about politics than health care. The result in Congress, and the Minnesota Legislature, is that progress is halted. Meanwhile, frustrated Minnesotans look at premium increases wondering why their leaders cant work together to solve the problem. That needs to change, and it needs to change now. So what is the problem with the individual market? The problem is that Minnesotans on the individual market are experiencing massive premium increases. Its a crisis for those families and we should work as Democrats and Republicans to solve this both in the short-term and long-term. What is causing these increases? House Republicans are eager to blame the Affordable Care Act and MNsure. But blaming MNsure isnt the full story, and it doesnt lead to a productive solution. One of the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act forbids insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. This has helped dramatically reduce the number of uninsured Minnesotans, which means fewer uninsured Minnesotans are receiving care in emergency rooms the most expensive form of health care (which is paid for by all of us). But a consequence has been more high-cost patients in the individual market many more than insurers anticipated. Additionally, the cost of health care continues to rise. The escalating price of prescription drugs and other procedures is driving up the cost of health care for everyone whether they are on the individual market or receiving insurance through their employer. As a result, the 5 percent of Minnesotans on the individual market will experience significant premium increases in 2017. Its not all bad news. A majority of those Minnesotans will qualify for federal tax credits on the MNsure exchange. These tax credits will reduce the premium increases significantly and in many cases actually lower premium costs. Democrats and Republicans have a responsibility to inform their constituents about these potential savings. I realize that Republicans dont like MNsure and wish the ACA never became law. But if Republicans truly believe this is a crisis for families, I hope they will inform their constituents about every possible way that they can reduce their health care costs including purchasing their insurance through MNsure. So what is the solution? First, we must provide immediate relief to the Minnesotans who are being gouged by excessive premium increases. House Democrats have introduced a plan that would provide a rebate to Minnesotans who are not eligible for federal tax credits under the Affordable Care Act and ensure that no Minnesotan in the individual market would pay more than 10 percent of their annual income on health insurance. For example, a family of four in Mankato making $120,000 per year is facing an annual premium of $18,804. That family would qualify for a rebate in 2017 of $6,804. This is the only plan to date that would provide immediate assistance to these families. It does not require a federal waiver or complex analysis. This plan simply provides relief to individuals and families who need it now. Second, we must stabilize the individual market. Scrapping MNsure entirely, as Republicans have favored, would not solve the underlying instability of the individual market. Rather, we should consider Minnesota-driven solutions. For example, to reduce costs we could spread the cost of the sickest Minnesotans across a larger group of Minnesotans through a reinsurance fund. We could also improve competition and choice by allowing Minnesotans to purchase insurance directly through MinnesotaCare regardless of income. It would be naive to say this is an easy problem to solve. We should work together as Democrats and Republicans to solve it. Finally, we must pursue reforms to reduce the increasing cost of health care, which, of course, drives up the cost of health insurance. We should get tougher with prescription drug manufacturers and demand price transparency to lower the cost of prescription drugs and get tough on insurance companies that engage in surprise billing practices. I was pleased to work on a bipartisan basis with Gov. Tim Pawlenty to deliver the last set of cost containment reforms in 2008, which saved Minnesota hundreds of millions of dollars. We should commit to this bipartisan work again. Identify the problem. Work together on solutions. And keep the political blame game to the side. I think thats what Minnesotans want us to do, and its time we listen. WAUPUNSt. Josephs Catholic Church in Waupun will celebrate 150 years Sunday. Church records show it was started by mostly Irish families escaping the potato famine. The earliest books show almost entirely Irish names as members, names such as Duffy, ONeil, Boyle, Murphy, Doyle, Drummy and Mahoney. The location has always been the same, 118 W. Main St. Over the years a rectory and school with six classrooms were added. The school closed in 1969 due to rising operating costs. In 1880 53 families made up the congregation. Today there are over 400 families. Honored guests at Sundays celebration will be the longest member of St. Josephs Catholic Church Bev Balgie, who has been a member since 1927 when she was baptized the day after she was born, and the oldest member, 97-year-old Esther Braun who has been a member since 1941 when she and her husband came to Waupun, joined the church, and started Brauns Restaurant. The Rev. Father John Radetski will be wearing vestments priests used in the last century. Visual artifacts will be on display. Mass is 10:30 a.m. The festival starts at 11 a.m. The City of New Lisbon is looking for new members to join its room tax committee. On Monday, the citys common council discussed changes to the room tax ordinance. Mayor Lloyd Chase said he would like to see language changed in the ordinance to allow hotel/motel owners who are in good standing with the city to join the committee. In the ordinance, Chase suggested changing the wording so 70 percent of collected proceeds from room tax will be forwarded to the commission, while the remaining 30 percent will be put into the citys general fund. I am looking for suggestions for people to be on the committee, Chase said. Five people currently serve on the room tax committee. Lake maintenance reserve fund The council tabled a resolution to create a lake maintenance reserve fund to adjust wording in the resolution. Weve worked with the DNR for six or seven years on what could be done to maintain the lake (Lemonweir River flowage) and have a suggested plan from them. Weve done the weed study, depth study, and fish study, we just have a $2 million price tag to go with that, Chase said. It would be nice to somehow publicize that and if we could get some donations into this fund, then the first step would be to apply for a planning grant. New street name The small street entering the new Dollar General in New Lisbon is only 66 feet long, so on Tuesday, the council came up with an appropriate name: Short Street. The name is temporary; the city is thinking about holding a contest to name the street. Other possibilities included, Route 66, Dollar Street and Money Avenue. Early voting available In the city clerk/treasurer report, Lisa Vinz said city hall is offering early voting. She said its a good opportunity to beat the rush and long lines that are expected during Election Day on Nov. 8. Voters can come in and vote absentee until Friday, Nov. 4, Vinz said. Vinz said city hall recently implemented a new credit/debit card system. She said the system can be used for tax filing. The city is also finalizing its 2017 budget, which will be ready for publication review on Nov. 3. Festival Foods donates to library fund In council members reports, Karren Elsing said Festival Foods donated $5,000 to the New Lisbon memorial library fund. Elsing said the fund continues to grow. It has currently generated more than $1 million for the large library renovation project. The New Lisbon Friends of the Library is overseeing the project. City trying to build new well Public Works Director Bob Anderson said the city is trying to finish its Well No. 7 project, but is getting backlash from the states public service commission. The Wisconsin DNR said the city has to put in the new well, but the service commission believes the city should look into other options, such as water conservation. Anderson said the city would like to begin drilling before the winter when boring into the ground will be more difficult. Wa Du Shuda appointees The city renewed the terms of Wa Du Shuda Committee appointees Gary Cowen and Colleen Woggon and accepted Andy Hare as a new member. Monica Zuberbuehler, 52, Mauston Monica Zuberbuehler, 52, of Mauston, passed away Friday, Oct. 14, 2016. She quietly left us after so many years of turning her broken body into the most significant source of love I have ever known. Monica was born Feb. 28, 1964, in Ft. McClellan, Alabama, the daughter of Ernest and Hildegard (Schachtner) Zuberbuehler, Jr. She earned a Bachelors degree in graphic arts from the University of Whitewater and a Masters Degree in personality at Gods U. Monica lived life beyond boundaries and never knew defeat. Her energy is glue. It gets on you, in you and makes you realize what it means to stick together. You know her; and she you. Monica is survived by her parents, Ernest and Hildegard of Mauston; brothers, John (Liz) of Union Grove, Ernie Lee of Sturtevant and Tony of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and their families. She is also survived by a legion of valued friends. Monica was preceded in death by her grandparents; and a nephew. A Memorial Funeral Service will be held at 1: 30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Mauston, with Pastor Bob Thacker officiating. Visitation will be held from 1 p.m. until the time of the service at 1:30 p.m. A Celebration of Life Luau will follow the service at the Burton Koppang American Legion Post #81 in Mauston in Monicas honor. The Conway-Picha Funeral Home and Crematory of Lyndon Station assisted the family with arrangements. For online condolences and information, go to www.pichafuneralhome.com. Dr. Alan Christian, an associate professor and director of environmental studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, is one of eight UW-Oshkosh alumni who will receive Distinguished Alumni Awards during this years homecoming festivities Oct. 21-22. The UW-Oshkosh Alumni Association, sponsor of the award program, states, The Distinguished Alumni Award, created in 1964, is the highest and most prestigious award the Alumni Association can bestow upon its alumni. The award is presented to alumni who have demonstrated a record of distinguished service and achievement to a particular discipline, organization or cause that has brought distinction to the University. Dr. Christian is the son of Dennis (Butch) and Pat Christian of Spread Eagle, Wis. He is the grandson of the late Ruben and Edna Christian of Columbus and the late Pete and Bernice Tinsley of Florence, Wis. Dr. Christian resides in Quincy, Mass., along with his wife Dr. Robyn Hannigan and daughter Camilla. A Sauk County judge Monday set bail for a man accused of shooting a Sauk County Sheriffs Department deputy at $15,000. William S. Abate, 56, of Baraboo, appeared in Sauk County Circuit Court by video from the Sauk County Law Enforcement Center. He was arrested on charges of attempted homicide Oct. 10 following an incident at his West Pine Street apartment. Deputies were called to the apartment after they received a 911 call about a suicidal person who wanted police to shoot him. Authorities said Abate was prepared for a gun battle when deputies arrived at his home. It appears he had an armed weapon in every room of his apartment, Sauk County Assistant District Attorney Sue Mueller said. Prosecutors allege Abate shot through his door at a Sauk County deputy who was in the hallway. A BB from his shotgun allegedly hit the deputys finger, injuring him. Mueller said during Mondays bail hearing that Abate has a criminal record in other states. He is apparently a U.S. Air Force veteran who was honorably discharged in 1983, and has lived in Arizona, Illinois, Colorado, and Wisconsin. Baraboo public defender David Susens, who represented Abate at the hearing, said the Baraboo man is battling post traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, and has been receiving treatment at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. He asked Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Wendy Klicko to set bail at between $10,000 and $12,000, noting that Abate does not have a history of violence or failing to appear in court, and has family ties to Wisconsin. But Klicko set bail at $15,000, the amount requested by Mueller. She noted the serious nature of the charges and the fact that Abate is facing a possible 60-year prison sentence. If he were to post bail, Abate would not be allowed to consume alcohol or use drugs without a valid prescription. He also would be prohibited from possessing any weapons. PEORIA Caterpillar chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman will step down from his leadership role and retire, effective March 31. Peoria-based Caterpillar made the surprise announcement Monday. The company's board of directors said Oberhelman will be replaced as CEO by Jim Umpleby, presently serving as group president with responsibility for its energy and transportation division. Umpleby will actually take hold of the corporate reins sooner, stepping into the CEO job from January 1, and will also join the Caterpillar board. Oberhelman will stay on as executive board chairman until his official March 31 retirement date. But, in another surprise move, the company is splitting up Oberhelman's jobs as both CEO and chairman of the board. The chairmanship is being handed to Dave Calhoun, an investment company executive and current member of the Caterpillar board. In a statement, Caterpillar was full of praise for Oberhelman, who has been with the company for 41 years and CEO since 2010. Caterpillar cited the highlight of his tenure as leading the firm to the biggest sales and revenue peak in its 91-year history with record profits in 2012. Oberhelman also made sure Caterpillar looked after shareholders by paying consistently high dividends. The stock price is up 46 percent under his watch. But that 2012 high-water mark for revenues also marked the beginning of a steady downward spiral in profitability and Caterpillar is now facing its fourth straight year of plunging sales, another record in its long history. Oberhelman had bet heavily on the once-booming mining sector, plowing millions of dollars of investment into plants like Decatur, which produces the biggest off-road dump trucks in the world, a favorite with miners. Fortune did not favor Oberhelman's roll of the dice, however, as commodity prices fell off a cliff and strapped miners cancelled orders and cannibalized old machinery for parts to save cash. Caterpillar kept shareholders sweet with stock buybacks and those healthy dividends, but workers suffered. Repeated layoffs have hit the Decatur workforce and, company-wide, about 20 percent of Caterpillar employees, amounting to 30,000 jobs, have been axed since 2012. Some critics have been complaining, with increasing intensity, that it was high time for a new direction for Caterpillar and new strategic thinking at the top of the company. But Caterpillar didn't dwell on the bad news in a long statement announcing the 63-year-old Oberhelman's departure two years before the traditional cut-off age for top executives of 65. Referring to the peak year of 2012, the company praised Oberhelman's leadership and said... And, since that time, (he) has successfully led the company through the unprecedented downturn affecting our key industries. Oberhelman, a Millikin Unversity graduate noted for his financial savvy, is quoted as saying running Caterpillar had been an honor and a privilege. He described the last four years as confronting Caterpillar with unprecedented global economic conditions hammering its key customer industries, like mining. Faced with these challenges, our employees have responded like champions, Oberhelman added. ...The future is bright. But the future hasn't been so bright for his colleagues without jobs. The latest round of company-wide layoffs hit the company's Decatur plant in August and a Wall Street Journal story Sunday said the Decatur production workforce stood at 800, its lowest level in half a century. The job cuts have been a key part of Caterpillar's coping mechanism which manages falling revenues by slashing costs. Announcing second quarter results in July, where sales and revenues were off 16 percent from the 2015 second quarter, Caterpillar said layoff costs would now hit $700 million in 2016, up from a previous total of $550 million. Umpleby, 58, is now the man chosen to put the vast Caterpillar ship on an even keel. He has been with the company for 35 years, and had previously worked for a San Diego gas turbine firm called Solar Turbines which later became a wholly owned Caterpillar subsidiary. Umpleby is described as experienced in engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing and customer service, and has extensive experience working abroad. I look forward to leading our dedicated team as we build upon the accomplishments of those that have come before us, said Umpleby. In the meantime, his own financial accomplishments are set to take a big jump Jan. 1. Umpleby's annual salary will rise to $1.2 million and his executive bonus, if he meets targets, will leap from 115 to 150 percent of his base salary. Calhoun, who takes over March 31 as board chairman, is a senior managing director and head of private equity portfolio operations of the Blackstone Group, L.P., an investment firm. Calhoun, 59, co-author of a book called How Companies Win, is described by Blackstone as overseeing a team focused on creating and driving added value initiatives with Blackstone portfolio company CEOs. Calhoun thanked Oberhelman for his work and said Umpleby reflects the best attributes of Caterpillar's culture and leadership. He added: I am honored to take on these new responsibilities with Caterpillar, an iconic and global leader. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne on Tuesday cleared the Madison police officer who fatally shot a man with a history of mental illness after the man broke into a Near East Side home in June and started smashing things. Michael William Schumacher, 41, ran toward Officer Hector Rivera with a garden pitchfork after emerging from the home in the 1300 block of Morrison Street. Schumachers mental illness was known to the department through case files, Ozanne noted, but the officers at the scene of the shooting on June 30 did not know the man charging Rivera was Schumacher. Police have said Schumacher, who was identified by his fingerprints in an autopsy the next day, ignored several shouted orders to stop moving toward Rivera, who then shot him. In this incident, the officer was faced with a subject who had broken into a residence, armed himself with a pitchfork, and was not responding to commands as he advanced upon the officer, Ozanne said. Responding to that threat with deadly force is permitted under the law. Video released Tuesday from the squad-car dashboard camera of Madison Police Officer Nicholas Eull, the second officer to arrive at the house, shows the shooting. Rivera is seen backpedaling out of the homes front door with his rifle pointed inside while Schumacher, facing him, follows close behind. As Eulls police car pulls up to the scene, Rivera fires two shots in close succession and Schumacher collapses to the ground just outside the doorway. Eull then joins Rivera holding Schumacher at gunpoint as Schumacher, whose body is partially obscured by pixellation in the video, appears to struggle to get to his feet. He lifts and lowers his head and torso for 30 to 40 seconds while officers yell for him to stay on the ground, then appears to remain still as two more officers arrive. Eull appears to kick something away on the ground next to Schumacher and officers begin tending to him. An autopsy by Dr. Kathleen McCubbin of the Dane County Medical Examiners Office on July 1 found Schumacher had three gunshot wounds, one of them believed to have been caused by a bullet fragment. Ozannes clearing of Rivera of any criminal liability for the shooting was based on the findings of an independent investigation by the state Department of Justices Division of Criminal Investigation. Outside investigations are required by state law for officer-involved fatal shootings. But Ozanne also stressed the community must do more to work with and support individuals with mental illness. I mention this because this is the 15th officer-involved shooting which I have had to make a decision in over the past six years, he said. In these OIS incidents, mental health issues have been present in far too many of them. This is a fact we cannot ignore if we hope to learn from each incident to hopefully prevent the loss of other lives. Ozanne also credited Madison police for taking a number of proactive steps to deal better with residents suffering from mental illness, including the creation last year of a five-officer team that works exclusively in that area and the addition this year of a civilian crisis worker to the team. Ozanne said programs like that needed to be expanded to law enforcement throughout the county as a means of better connecting people with needed treatment and potentially preventing criminal problems from arising. Schumacher, who lived in Fitchburg, was described after the shooting as not a dangerous person but someone who struggled with his illness by Dean Loumos, executive director of Housing Initiatives, an independent living program that provides housing and support services to people suffering from mental illnesses. Schumacher had been a client of the program since 2008. His mental illness took hold shortly after he graduated from UW-Madison and he endured ups and downs with it for 15 years, Loumos said. Schumachers death marked the third officer-involved fatal shooting in the citys Marquette neighborhood since late 2012. Paul Heenan and Tony Robinson also were killed in police shootings in which the officers were cleared. Robinson was under the influence of drugs when police said he attacked an officer in a narrow stairwell, while Heenan had been drinking prior to a late-night struggle with a neighbor whose home he had entered and an altercation with the officer who responded. Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said Tuesday that Rivera remains on paid leave pending the outcome of an internal review that will look to see if he followed our policies, procedures and training. He said Police Chief Mike Koval would likely withhold comment on the Schumacher case until that review is complete. Rivera joined the Madison Police Department in 2013 and was assigned to the Central District at the time of the Schumacher shooting. He previously had worked as an officer for UW-Madison police, starting in 2008. Materials released to the public by the state DOJ Tuesday included 631 pages of police reports from the investigative file for the Schumacher case, a seven-page cover letter from Assistant Attorney General Paul Ferguson and a three-page investigative synopsis of the case findings. The incident involving Schumacher began shortly after 9 p.m. June 30, when a neighbor called 911 to report that a man identified after the shooting as Schumacher was chest-deep in Lake Monona near the 1300 block of Morrison Street and behaving strangely, including talking to himself and slapping the water. The caller then saw Schumacher walk up onto the shore behind his neighbors lakefront home and break a window by throwing a rock through it, causing the residents to run outside and also call 911. Schumacher entered the home through the broken window, Ozanne said. In that call, one of the homeowners reported that the lower level of their home had been broken into, that the caller and the spouse had fled the home, and that a male voice could be heard inside the home, yelling incoherently and apparently smashing windows. The first 911 caller, who stayed on the line with the dispatcher providing updates while officers were en route, also reported seeing a man inside the home holding a shovel, and said he was talking, swearing and smashing stuff inside the home, according to the case file synopsis. Rivera was the first officer to arrive at the home, where he was told by one of the homeowners that someone was inside the residence, according to the synopsis. Rivera retrieved his AR-15 rifle from his squad car and began to approach the front door of the home. As he did, the homeowner told him the person inside had a stick or something, according to the case synopsis. Rivera opened the front door, he said, and positioned himself outside it on the hinge side. He called out, Police department, show yourself, according to the case synopsis, and heard a male voice respond by loudly repeating an obscenity several times. At the same time, Rivera said, the sound of the mans footsteps inside the house seemed to be getting louder and closer. Suddenly, a male holding a pitchfork was facing (Rivera), according to the synopsis. Officer Rivera said the male held the pitchfork with the tines facing (Rivera), as if it was a lance or a spear. Rivera said the male had an angry posture, insane look, and was yelling something incoherent. Rivera said the male moved towards him in a motion that (Rivera) described as the start of a sprint. Eull, who had just arrived in his squad car, described Schumacher as running as fast as he could at Officer Rivera. Rivera fired twice at Schumacher, who fell to the ground as Rivera backpedaled, the synopsis said. Another officer, Eull, then came up and moved the pitchfork away from Schumacher. Rivera told investigators he then called for emergency medical services for Schumacher and helped obtain first aid materials for Schumacher prior to EMS arriving. Rivera had no recording devices with him during the incident, investigators said. Investigators led by Special Agent Lisa Wilson and secondary investigator Lourdes Fernandez also interviewed several witnesses, yielding information they said was consistent with the interviews of Madison officers and the evidence at the scene, including two rifle shell casings and a four-tined garden pitchfork. They also documented damage to the home, including broken windows and areas inside with four-hole punctures. Items are listed under the day of the event only, running as space permits prior to the event. To submit items, call 745-3511, email jcutsforth@capitalnewspapers.com or visit www.portagedailyregister.com. Include name and phone number. TODAY Job fair: 2 to 7 p.m. Job fair at Cascade Mountain, Portage. Meet the managers of the departments you are interested in and get all of your questions answered. Full-time and part-time seasonal jobs are available. Library event: 10 a.m. Preschool Story Time for children ages 3 to 5 (siblings welcome), Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Were celebrating Cloudy Days with stories, songs, finger plays and a cloudy craft. Registration recommended and can be done by calling 742-4959 ext. 211 or online at www.portagelibrary.us. Library event: 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tech Tuesday, Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. This is a drop in session where patrons bring their tablets, phones, gadgets, Overdrive questions, etc. for help. Portage Family Skate Park public meeting: 5 to 6:30 p.m. Gerstenkorn Administration Building, 305 E. Slifer St., Portage. All interested people are welcome to attend. If the Portage Schools are closed or released early the PFSP meeting will be canceled and announced on our Facebook page with a new meeting location as soon as possible. Zumba Toning: 4:30 p.m. Woodridge Primary School, Portage. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 19 Bingo: 5:30 p.m. 131 Restaurant, North Main Street, Pardeeville. Bingo will be played every Wednesday, except the first one of the month. Clinic: 9 a.m. to noon, St. Vincent de Paul free medical clinic, Wilz Drugs lower level, 140 E. Cook St., Portage. No appointments needed. Information needed is name, date of birth and a contact number. A chiropractor is available from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays. A foot clinic is available every week. The clinic can do exams and prescribe medications. Physical therapist available. Discounted medications are available at Wilz and Wal-Mart. Call Bonny Oestreich, RN, at 608-234-0159 for information. Friendship Supper Club: 6:30 p.m. Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2100 Highway 33 East. This month will feature tasty, healthy macaroni and cheese. Come, enjoy, and make new friends. Feel free to bring a friend or spouse. There is no charge. For more information, call 608-742-3322. Library event: 10 a.m. Preschool Story Time for children ages 3 to 5 (siblings welcome), Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Were celebrating Cloudy Days with stories, songs, finger plays and a cloudy craft. Registration recommended and can be done by calling 742-4959 ext. 211 or online at www.portagelibrary.us. Meet the candidate: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Angie Williams Cox Public Library, Pardeeville. Doug Kammer, candidate for Columbia County district attorney, will be available to discuss the issues and take questions. Public political forum: 12:40 p.m. Lodi High School, Sauk Street, Lodi. Hosted by the Lodi Optimist Club. Senate District 13: Luther Olsen (R) and Brian Smith (D). Questions may be directed to Bill Haupt, forum organizer and moderator, at 608-592-4278. Texas Hold em card tournament: VFW Hall, 215 W. Collins St., Portage. Register at 6 p.m. Cards begin at 6:30 p.m. Entry fee is $20. One hundred percent payout. Open to the public. For information, call the VFW Hall at 742-5350. TLC Community Clothes Closet: 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, corner of East Cook and Main streets, Portage. Screening: 1 to 5 p.m. Free blood pressure screenings, Divine Savior Healthcare, 2817 New Pinery Road, Portage. No appointment necessary. Call 745-6405 for more information. Do not eat, smoke, drink caffeine or exercise for 30 minutes prior. Senior meal: 11:30 a.m. Portage Area Senior Citizens Group, Municipal Building, 115 W. Pleasant St., Portage. The meal will be provided by the Columbia County Nutrition Center. If you wish to have a meal, call Lois Williams at 608-697-5800 by noon Tuesday to register. The cost is a cash donation which will be directly put back into the nutrition program. The meeting will start at noon with cards to follow. Writing workshop: 10:30 a.m. Palm of the Hand Memoir Writing Workshop, Heritage House, 2865 Airport Road, Portage. The public is welcome to join. This is a group that is all about memories and less about writing skills. We brainstorm ideas, share stories and spend some time in quiet reflection. This workshop runs on the third Wednesday of each month. More information can be found at: https://spiritblogs.uwc.edu/memoirs/. People of all abilities are welcome, whether you consider yourself a writer or not. Zumba/Zumba Toning: 5 p.m. Montello. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com. Zumba: 5:30 p.m. 1208 Northport Road (the former Freedom Carpeting building). This is a $5 drop-in class. For more information, contact Deb at DJMACK00001@yahoo.com or Rena at 697-6713. THURSDAY, OCT. 20 Card party: Open Texas Hold em, 7 p.m. Sport Club 22, Pardeeville. For information, call 566-9655. Endeavor Lions Club Bingo: 6:30 p.m. Endeavor-Moundville Fire Department, Endeavor. Family Child Care Certification: Start-up meeting, 6 p.m. Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Start you own in-home child care business and learn the advantages of being certified. Be a stay-at-home parent while earning an income. Earn additional income with the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program. Receive parent referrals through the 4-C Family Services Department and gain access to a wide variety of resources. Hiring Fair: 6 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 6 p.m. Aldis grocery store hiring fair, Best Western, 2701 county Highway CX, Portage. Ice Age Trail Alliance Lodi Valley Chapter: 7 p.m. Lodi Medical Clinic, 160 Valley Drive, Lodi. Join us to learn more about what is happening with the Ice Age Trail. For more information, call Joanna at 608-577-9984. Library event: 9:30 or 10:30 a.m. (choose one time slot), Toddler Thursday Story Time for children ages 18-36 months, Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Were having a Pumpkin Party! Toddlers (and adults) are encouraged to wear their Halloween costume and be ready for some pumpkin fun with a story, a finger play and a special craft. Registration recommended and can be done by calling 742-4959 ext. 211 or online at www.portagelibrary.us. Museum: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Portage World War II Museum, 119 E. Cook St., Portage. Free tours for veterans every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The tours take 2 1/2 hours. For information, call 608-697-3690. Wing Ding Night: Knights of Columbus Hall, Silver Lake Drive, Portage. The wing baskets include wings, bread stick, coleslaw, French fries or sweet potato fries. The four piece basket is $10 and the two piece basket is $6. The bar is open at 4 p.m. and serving runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. FRIDAY, OCT. 21 Art exhibit: Portage Center for the Arts at Tivoli presents Mother Nature: The Original Artist photography exhibit by Kari Lorenz, Tivoli, 2805 Hunters Trail, behind Divine Savior Healthcare, Portage. Join us and meet the artist from 4 to 6 p.m. Exhibit runs through December. Free and open to the public. Laverne W. Hawley Laverne W. Hawley, 78, of Pardeeville, passed away Oct. 17, 2016, after battling Alzheimers disease for several years, ending up with pneumonia, at the Columbia Health Care Center in Wyocena. Laverne was born to Glen and Violet (Domes) Hawley on May 3, 1938, in the village of Wyocena. After going to grade school in Wyocena, he graduated from Pardeeville High School in 1956. He worked for Tom Killoran Plastering until the late 1970s and then went to work at Oscar Mayer in Madison until he retired in 2002. On Jan. 23, 1960, he was united in marriage to Suzaunne (Sue) Ades at the First Presbyterian Church in Pardeeville. They celebrated 56 years of marriage this year. Laverne put in several years with the Army National Guard Company B High Rangers, having spent time in Fort Lewis, Washington, in 1961 and 1962. He was an avid hunter for many years and loved spending time on his hunting land in the town of Scott in rural Pardeeville, plus cutting and splitting wood on his land for the fireplace. He was an active member of the Pardeeville Fire Department for many years, achieving the title of first assistant chief when he retired. He was also a longtime member of the First Presbyterian Church in Pardeeville, taking care of the sound system during worship service for many years. He collected antiques, such as old gas pumps, guns, toy tractors and antique cars, notable a 1930 Model A Ford Coupe and a 1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible. Laverne and Sue spent many times with the Badger Antique Auto Club and the Pardeeville Wednesday night Cruiser bunch. Laverne is survived by his wife, Sue; daughter, Joanne Bender of Waunakee; grandson, Dimitri Burt and son-in-law, L. Mathew Burt, both of Winona, Minnesota; sister, Glenda (Gordon) Sutfin, sister-in-law, Sandra Hawley, and brother-in-law, Kim (Pam) Ades, all of Pardeeville; nieces, nephews, cousins, and many wonderful friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Cindy Burt; brother, Eldon Hawley; mother-in-law, Margaret Ades; and brother-in-law, Kerry Ades. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the First Presbyterian Church in Pardeeville, 105 S. Main St., with the Rev. Sandra Neurenberg officiating. Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. until the time of services. Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church. Many thanks to Grasse Funeral Home for its assistance, also the Rev. Sandra Neurenberg, the Remington House in Pardeeville, and Columbia Health Care Center in Wyocena. Also special thanks to our wonderful friends and church members and Kim Ades. Grasse Funeral Service of Pardeeville (www.grassefs.com) is serving the family. Phillip Keiser, 60, of Sauk City, passed away from natural causes, Saturday, October 15, 2016, at his home. He was born Oct. 17, 1955, in Nappanee, Indiana, the son of Roger and Thyra (Snider) Keiser. He had a deep appreciation for his rural roots and how that contributed to the hardworking, humble man he was. Phil attended Northwood High School in Nappanee and graduated from Manchester College. He spent his life working in the restaurant industry most recently as president and CEO of Culver Franchising System, Inc. in Prairie du Sac. Phil had more than 35 years of food industry and strategic restaurant management experience. He brought drive, focus and youthful sense of humor to the office every day. He joined the Culvers organization in 1996 holding several other positions including director of operations, vice president of operations and president and chief operating officer. Phil was named president and CEO in 2015. Prior to joining Culvers, he held various management positions with Burger Chef and Hardees. Phil was a driving force in the development and expansion of the Culvers organization. With well-known phrases like keep the main thing the main thing, Phil grew the system from 44 restaurants in 1996 to its current size of over 580 restaurants in 24 states. Additionally, the restaurant support team has grown from 14 to more than 100 team members. Affectionately called Farmer Phil, he had a passion for agriculture, Culvers Thank You Farmers program, tinkering in his yard and John Deere tractors. He was constantly trying to educate himself and the Culvers team to better understand the supply chain that feeds the millions that come to Culvers every year so in turn, Culvers could better educate their guests. A strong advocate of education and community involvement, Phil was a member of the Manchester University Board of Trustees, the Sauk Prairie Health Care Board of Directors, and the Wisconsin Restaurant Association Board of Directors. Phil had a deep level of respect, love and pride for his family. You couldnt leave an interaction with him without hearing at least one of them mentioned. It was clear to everyone who knew him that Betsys partnership and support was deeply felt and appreciated by him. Phil is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Betsy (Best); their three children, Nathan (Bethany), Nicholas (Maria), and Kelsey; four grandchildren, Caprina, Linea, Landon, and Harper; his mother, Thyra; his brother Dann (Lynn) Keiser; mother-in-law, Maryellen Best; brother-in-law, Randy (Karen) Best; sisters-in-law, Cyndi Heckaman, Cathy Stuntz; and many loving nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Roger; and father-in-law Richard Best. Visitation will be held from 1-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 at Graceway Church in Prairie du Sac. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 at the River Arts Center in Prairie du Sac. With Phils passion for the agricultural community, in lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Heifer International or FFA National Foundation. There will be one less owner present when the Baraboo-Wisconsin Dells Airports ownership group holds its next meeting, on Nov. 4 in Baraboo. The Wisconsin Dells Common Council voted Monday evening to withdraw from the inter-governmental agreement and co-ownership of the airport that bears the citys name but actually exists wholly in the Town of Delton and has been co-owned and co-operated by those two municipalities plus the city of Baraboo and the village of Lake Delton. Delton, Lake Delton and Baraboo remain as the airports owners, and the representatives from each municipality will have to decide how best to proceed as a three-municipality ownership group, Delton Supervisor Larry Volz said Monday prior to the Dells Common Council vote. Were going to have to discuss what were going to do, Volz said. Well have to have a new agreement. Were going to have to thrash that out. The unanimous vote by the Dells Common Council was recommended last week by the citys Finance Committee. Wisconsin Dells departure from the group could serve to break a 2-2 deadlock among the owners during its September meeting, regarding a proposal to spend $800,000 to widen the runway. The city of Baraboo and village of Lake Delton voted to rebuild the runway and widen it 25 feet; the city of Wisconsin Dells and town of Delton voted to rebuild, but not widen, the runway. Volz said Monday that he still believes the debt required for such an expenditure is not the best idea for a town with other pressing infrastructure issues. We dont have $200,000 just to do that (participate financially in the airport upgrade) when we have roads to fix, he said. With the more expensive upgrades in the offing, Dells leaders decided that the citys money would be better put to use elsewhere, rather than for an airport that does not serve the community directly. The people flying in and out are not coming to Dells businesses, said Wisconsin Dells Mayor Brian Landers following the monthly Common Council meeting at the Dells Municipal Building. Most people flying in are conducting business with the large resorts in Lake Delton or conducting business with the factories in Baraboo. I understand the need for them to increase their runway, it (the airport) just doesnt have an economic effect on the city. Neither Volz nor Village of Lake Delton Trustee Tom Diehl, who has served as an active and interested observer in the groups efforts to both expand and lengthen the airports runway in concert with an upcoming Federal Aviation Administration-funded resurfacing project, indicated alarm or even concern about the citys withdrawal from ownership and operation of the facility. They obviously feel they have a better utilization of their excess resources working on their downtown rather than worrying about the airport, Diehl said Monday. Theyve taken the high road, and I think its going to work out very well. Landers agreed. It shouldnt have any negative effect, the mayor said. They understand where were coming from, and whenever there are less people at the table, things can be done more efficiently. Thats what this allows them to do. Researchers collaborate to develop bird's eye view of rural community health A network of health and demographic surveillance sites will enable understanding of how poverty, inequality and unemployment impacts rural South Africans. Scientists from the Wits School of Public Health, the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) at UKZN and the University of Limpopo have established a network of surveillance sites to study health and demographics in rural communities. The data will deepen understanding of the impact of poverty, inequality and unemployment. This South African network of Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) sites is an integrated national platform for population data collection and analysis. The initiative is one of 13 projects that make up the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap funded by the Department of Science and Technology and the European Union. Research infrastructures (RIs) refer to large scale facilities, resources and related services that the scientific community uses to conduct research. Dr Mark Collinson, Senior Researcher in the Medical Research Council (MRC)/Wits University Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) and HDSS champion, says: Establishing this research infrastructure is an important step towards understanding how poverty, inequality and unemployment impacts South Africans lives, and how to design better interventions to remedy the situation for an improved future." The surveillance system will enable real-time longitudinal studies of South Africas fast-changing poorer communities as well as national datasets on health, education, employment and socio-economic well-being. This evidence-based data will inform cost evaluations and policy towards improving health and well-being interventions for the poor. Furthermore, the surveillance sites will serve as interdisciplinary research platforms for local and international collaboration. This will increase capacity for conducting research in the social sciences - crucially needed in South Africa. The project will begin by integrating and standardising three existing surveillance sites in South Africa: MRC/Wits Agincourt HDSS in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, established in 1992 (current population 115,000); University of Limpopo Dikgale HDSS in Dikgale, Limpopo, established in 1996 (current population 35,000); and AHRIs Population Intervention Platform in uMkhanyakude, KwaZulu-Natal, established in 2000 (population 100,000). Another network of surveillance site nodes will be added to include Gauteng (urban), eThekwini (urban), Eastern Cape (rural) and Western Cape (urban). This expanded platform, representing over 1% of the national population (55,6 million) will enable unprecedented understanding of emerging populations as well as of the bi-directional migration flows that link poor, rural communities with urban centres. Dr Kobus Herbst, AHRI Deputy Director and HDSS champion says: From our perspective, ill health is a cause [of people returning to rural homes]. If one can study the dynamic between rural and urban populations and better understand the impact of ill health and lack of access to services, and its relationship to inequality and poverty, we will be better able to measure the impact of government policies and intervene to address these issues. Update: Student in court and concerned black staff protest Academic programme goes ahead with no reports of disruptions. Dear Students and Colleagues ACADEMIC PROGRAMME We have had no reports of disruptions to the academic programme. All University activities go ahead tomorrow. STUDENT IN COURT A student arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrates Court today. His application for bail has been postponed until tomorrow. CONCERNED BLACK STAFF PROTEST Concerned Black Staff for Free, Quality, Decolonised Education held a silent protest outside the Wits Great Hall today. They were joined by groups of students and workers and indicated that they would hand over a memorandum to management. COMPUTER LABS THAT CAN BE ACCESSED AFTER 10PM CHANGE TO VENUE Following the requests of many students to continue using learning venues and computer labs after 10pm, the University has agreed to keep the following venues open and available to students. Students will have to be in these venues before 10pm and on completion of their use of the facilities, will be escorted back to their residences by Campus Control, who will be stationed at the door of these facilities. The venues are: Braamfontein Campus East CNS PG Lab SH1029, 1st Floor, West Wing, Senate House CNS UG Lab SH1101, 1st Floor, West Wing, Senate House Braamfontein Campus West CNS UG Lab FNB 2B, Ground Floor, FNB Building D Lab Ground Floor, Chamber of Mines Building Wits Education Campus CNS UG Lab- GLASS LAB01, Marang Block, Ground Floor Wits Health Sciences Campus CNS UG Lab MS-01A, 3rd Floor, Medical School Wits Management Campus Computer laboratories open for postgraduate students as normal. EAST-WEST TUNNEL We apologise to all those affected by the West Campus Tunnel closure. This is an interim security measure. We will reopen it as soon as the situation fully stabilises. ENGAGEMENT We remain open to engagement and negotiation with student leaders as we believe that the issues that they have raised can only be resolved through negotiated outcomes. Our primary focus is on the completion of the academic programme in the next week. Thank you SENIOR EXECUTIVE TEAM 18 OCTOBER 2016 (17:00) Fall often means many changes to your local pharmacy. Seasonal allergy sufferers fill the aisles, flu shots are available, and Medicare Part D Open Enrollment kicks off. Dale's Southlake Pharmacy and Colee's Corner Drugs offers individual Medicare Part D Enrollment counseling during the Open Enrollment period, to help customers navigate the many changes to the health plans from year to year. Customers receive one-on-one assistance navigating the Medicare.gov website, where they can enter their prescription drug information and see what drug plans are offered for next year. The Medicare Part D Open Enrollment period runs from October 15-December 7th. If you are 65 and older, this Open Enrollment period is critical because this is the only time you can select your prescription drug plan for the next year. Before you enroll, Dale's Southlake Pharmacy's Patient Advocate, Andrea Living, has gathered some tips to help you or a loved one during this Open Enrollment season. 1. Utilize your Pharmacy Staffs Knowledge On the Medicare.gov website, you will need your updated medication list to see what medication each available plan covers. Your pharmacist can be a very knowledgeable resource for you during Open Enrollment. Andrea suggests checking with your local pharmacy to see if any brand name drugs you currently take will be available in a generic option during the next year, as that can influence what drugs each plan covers. 2. Explore Your Options The Medicare.gov site allows you to see what your co-pay for each drug you take will be next year, and compare multiple plans at once. The website also allows you to see what your monthly premium would be if you chose a high vs a low deductible plan at your preferred pharmacy. Andrea says remember the insurance companies set the drug co-pay price, but prices can vary at different pharmacies based on their preferred contracts. The website should also be able to tell you what drugs require a prior authorization from the doctor before covering, or if the plan prefers an alternative drug to the medication you are currently taking. 3. Watch Out for Penalties The magic age for Medicare Part D Enrollment is 65. If you qualify for Medicare Part D insurance, even if you do not take any prescription drugs currently, you should consider enrolling in a low cost plan now to avoid penalties later. Andrea warns that there is a penalty for every month you are not enrolled in a Part D plan after you become eligible when you do attempt to enroll later. Once Enrollment season ends, you cannot change plans again until next October. Remember, each drug plan is unique to what medication the individual is currently taking. Just because your spouse or neighbor is enrolled in a specific plan does not mean that is the best option for you. Dont miss your opportunity to have the best prescription plan for next year. Contact Dales Southlake at 217-429-5165 to book your appointment today. DECATUR Patti Janes jokes that she's worked at South Shores School for 150 years and knows everybody by now. As a family liaison, her favorite thing is home visits, but she does everything from driving a parent to the doctor or picking them up for a parent-teacher conference to helping families find assistance in paying their power bill. The job of family liaison was created in 1992 when then-Gov. Jim Edgar announced a new initiative, Project Success. The idea was for someone to do the things teachers didn't have time to do in building relationships and helping families connect to the services and help they need. At first, only two schools in Decatur were part of the pilot program, but as it grew, it encompassed nearly all the schools. Each building has a discretionary budget and the principal can choose to spend some of it on a family liaison, so not every building has one. We work with the homeless, that's pat of our job, to get them into school, and signed up with agencies that they need, Janes said. We do family events, set up events here at school, just a little bit of everything. Some of the kids come down to take a cool off period. The teacher will say, 'Go see Miss Patti. It'll be OK.' Many parents also come to her first when they have a problem, she said, because she's the person they know best. Her job is to be that person, the familiar and friendly face to serve as the go-between. You make a connection with them, she said. A lot of people are intimidated to go into a (school) building because they didn't have a good experience in school. Cinamen Potts holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and worked as a caseworker before becoming family liaison at Oak Grove School. Social worker Abby Steele said they work closely together and she doesn't know what she'd do without Potts. One of the things the women do together is organize and maintain the stash of clothes at the school that are available in case a child needs something. One rack holds winter coats, most donated through coat drives, but some bought by the women at garage sales, or donated by parents whose children have outgrown them. Northwest Christian Church provides backpacks of food for kids who might not have food at home for weekends and school breaks, and Potts handles the school side of that. She organizes the annual fall festival alternative to trick-or-treating, and sells snacks to raise money for the Booster Club. Mostly she's a resource for kids and their families. I just love the kids, she said. That's why I do it. Allie Hammel, one of the district-wide family support coordinators, said family liaisons usually work with around 75 percent of the families at any given school. First contact is often because a child is missing too much school, and a liaison conducts a home visit to find out why, and to offer help. Right now, liaisons are working on compliance with immunization and medical requirements that have to be met or a child won't be allowed in school under state law. That usually means helping the family connect with health providers. And like Janes, she enjoys the home visits. I like to go to the house and have that face-to-face contact, and just kind of be a friendly face at the school they can call if they need help, Hammel said. DECATUR The need to fully fund pensions for the villages police officers will likely equal another increase in the Mount Zion tax levy. Though it will not officially vote on the measure until December, the village board of trustees have told Village Administrator Julie Miller to go ahead and prepare next years budget to include a tax levy of $1.16 million. The increase would be an additional $10.61 in taxes for the owner of a $75,000 home. All levies are being kept level with the current year, with the exception of the Mount Zion Police Pension Fund, which at $377,904 is a 28 percent increase from this year. The bind for the village is that, when its population reached 5,000 in 2011, it was required by state statute to establish a Mount Zion Police Pension Fund and to fully fund the request from the police pension board each year. Board members had two choices during its Monday evening meeting, with one option to keep the levy nearly level from the current year. Under that option, the police pension would have been short about $46,000. The shortfall would have been covered by taking money out of the villages general fund. But Mayor Mark Wells expressed hesitation that several board members had about that plan, as it could have hampered the villages ability to handle unforeseen circumstances. If we kick in that $46,000, then if something happens... to a piece of equipment then we wont have the money to do anything, he said. The board is set to vote on the levy, along with the budget for the fiscal year that begins Jan. 1, at its first meeting in December. In other business, the board unanimously approved a change to the village ordinance that would increase the penalty for underage drinking from $25 to $150. The move was seen as a way to provide officers with a quick and efficient way to handle the handful of underage drinking cases they deal with on a monthly basis. In addition, issuing ordinance violations to underage drinkers can help the young drinkers from having long-term damage to their future prospects. With this we can send a message without giving them a criminal record, Miller said. Officers have discretion when dealing with underage drinkers, which can include issuing misdemeanor tickets in cases of repeat offenders. 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. The following companies are subsidiares of Vodafone Group Public: 360 Connect S.A., 3@ Telecom, A-ccelerator B.V., A-ccelerator Holding B.V, AAA (Euro) Limited, AAA (MCR) Limited, AAA (UK) Limited, Acorn Communications Limited, Africonnect (Zambia) Limited, Ag Mercantile Company Private Limited, Al-Amin Investments Limited, Amsterdamse Beheer- en Consultingmaatschappij B.V., Apollo Submarine Cable System Limited, Array Holdings Limited, Asian Telecommunication Investments (Mauritius) Limited, Aspective Limited, Astec Communications Limited, Autoconnex Limited, Aztec Limited, BelCompany BV, Bluefish Apac Communications Pte. Ltd, Bluefish Communications, Bluefish Communications Limited, Business Serve Limited, C&W Worldwide Nigeria Limited, C.S.P. Solutions Limited, CCII (Mauritius) Inc., CGP India Investments Ltd., CGP Investments (Holdings) Limited, COOP Mobil s.r.o, CT Networks Limited, CWGNL S.A., CWW Operations Limited, Cable & Wireless Access Limited, Cable & Wireless Americas Systems Inc., Cable & Wireless Aspac Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Services Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Svyaz LLC, Cable & Wireless Capital Limited , Cable & Wireless Communications Data Network Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Starclass Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Technical Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd (Beijing Branch), Cable & Wireless Europe Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless GN Limited, Cable & Wireless Global (India) Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Business Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Holding Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Telecommunication Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Holdco Limited, Cable & Wireless Networks India Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Trade Mark Management Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Waterside Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Pension Trustee Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Voice Messaging Limited, Cable & Wireless a-Services Inc, Cable & Wireless a-Services Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited Indian Branch Office, Cable and Wireless Nominee Limited, Cable and Wireless Worldwide South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cavalry Holdings Ltd, Celfocus Solucoes Informaticas Para Telecomunicacoes S.A, Cellops Limited, Cellular Operations Limited, Central Communications Group Limited, Central Telecom (Northern) Limited, Centurion GSM Limited, Chelys Limited, City Cable (Holdings) Limited, Cobra do Brasil Servicos de Telematica ltda., Commnet Cellular Inc., Complete Network Technology, Connect (India) Mobile Technologies Private Limited, Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited, Dataroam Limited , Device Insight, Digital Island (UK) Ltd, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, East Africa Investment (Mauritius) Limited, Emtel Europe Limited, Energis (Ireland) Limited, Energis Communications Limited, Energis Holdings Limited, Energis Local Access Limited, Energis Management Limited, Energis Squared Limited, Erudite Systems Limited, Esprit Telecom B.V., Eudokia Limited, Euro Pacific Securities Ltd., Eurocall Holdings Limited, Europolitan Holdings AB (now Europolitan Vodafone AB), FB Holdings Limited, FM Associates (UK) Limited, FinCo Partner 1 B.V., FireFly Networks Limited, Flexphone Limited, GS Telecom (Pty) Limited, Gateway Communications Africa (UK) Limited, Gateway Communications Tanzania Limited, General Mobile Corporation, Generation Telecom Limited, Ghana Telecommunications, Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited, Global Cellular Rental Limited, Globe Limited, GrandCentrix GmbH, Grupo Corporativo ONO S.A.U., H3ga Properties (No 3) Pty Limited, HBO Nederland Cooperatief U.A., HBO Netherlands Channels sro, HBO Netherlands Distribution B.V., Hellas Online, How2 Telecom Limited, Hutchison Essar Ltd, Indus Towers Limited, Intercell Communications Limited, Internet Network Services Limited, Invitation Digital Limited, Ipergy Communications NV, Isis Telecommunications Management Limited, Jaguar Communications Limited, Jaykay Finholding (India) Private Limited, Jupicol (Proprietary) Limited, KABELCOM Braunschweig Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, KABELCOM Wolfsburg Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, Kabel Deutschland, Kabel Deutschland Holding, Kabel Deutschland Holding Erste Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Holding Zweite Beteilgungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Neunte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Siebte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabelfernsehen Munchen Servicenter GmbH & Co. KG, LG Financing Partnership, LGE HoldCo V B.V., LGE HoldCo VI B.V., LGE HoldCo VIII B.V., LGE Holdco VII B.V., LLC Vodafone Enterprise Ukraine, Le Bunt Holdings Limited, Legend Communications Limited, Liberty Global, Liberty Global Content Netherlands B.V., London Hydraulic Power Company, M-PESA Foundation, M-PESA Holding Co. Limited, ML Integration Group Limited, ML Integration Limited, ML Integration Services Limited, MV Healthcare Services Private Limited, Mannesmann AG, MetroHoldings Limited, Mezzanine Ware Proprietary Limited (RF), Mirambo Limited, Misrfone Trading Company LLC, MobiFon S.A., Mobile Commerce Solutions Limited, Mobile Phone Centre Limited, Mobile Wallet VM1, Mobile Wallet VM2, Mobile by Sainsburys Limited, Mobiles 4 Business.com Limited, Mobileworld Communications Pty Limited, Mobileworld Operating Pty Ltd, Mobilvest, Motifpros 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Multi Risk Indemnity Company Limited, Multi Risk Limited, ND Callus Info Services Private Limited, Nadal Trading Company Private Limited, Nat Comm Air Limited, National Communications Backbone Company Limited, Navtrak Ltd, Netforce Group Limited, Netgrid Telecom SRL, Number Portability Company (Proprietary) Limited, ONO, Omega Telecom Holdings Private Limited, Oni Way Infocomunicacoes S.A, Oskar Mobil S.R.O., Oxygen Solutions Limited, P.C.P. 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KG, TNAS Limited, TSM NZ Limited, Talkland Airtime Services Limited, Talkland Australia Pty Limited, Talkland Communications Limited, Talkland International Limited, Talkland Midlands Limited, Talkmobile Limited, Tele2 Italia SPA, Tele2 Spain, Telecom Investments India Private Limited, Telecommunications Europe Limited, Ternhill Communications Limited, The Cobra Group, The Eastern Leasing Company Limited, The Old Telecom Sales Co. 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Read More LEBANON, Ohio (AP) An Arizona man has admitted killing a rival furniture salesman in Ohio in 1992 and has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison. Sixty-eight-year-old Sam Perone pleaded guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter and gross abuse of a corpse in the death of Richard Woods. The body of the 41-year-old Dublin, Ohio, man was found with gunshot wounds to the head in a ravine near Perone's Lebanon store. Blood was found on carpet in the store. Warren County Common Pleas Judge Donald Oda sentenced Perone to 11 years in prison. He was arrested a year ago at his Phoenix home. Perone had previously pleaded not guilty to murder charges and denied involvement in Woods' death. Members of Woods' family, including his widow, were in court Tuesday. Have I been sleeping in a cave for 100 years? It sure feels like it. I just read that Americans are expected to spend $75.8 billion getting their kids outfitted to go back to school this year. And by outfitted I mean set up with electronic gear, shoes with all the bells and whistles (I like those sneakers with little wheels embedded in the soles), backpacks and, of course, school supplies. That's a whole lotta money. Granted, I don't have school-aged children anymore, but come on. The average elementary school kid's must-haves this year totaled $649. For middle school students that number jumped to $941. And for high school kids the number is $1,402 each, according to the ninth annual Backpack Index Survey from Huntington Bank in Columbus, Ohio. Look, I'm open to being proven wrong. But is this anywhere close to reasonable? Perhaps if you felt you had to purchase an entire school year's worth of pencils, pens, crayons, paper, notebooks, binders, calculators, printer cartridges, shoes, jeans, slacks, sweaters, blouses, shirts, socks and undies. But I find that to be a little ridiculous in that kids grow and styles change. And quite frankly, who wants to do all that laundry? Spreading the cost of these items over the course of the school year seems more reasonable to me, except for notebook paper, notes, pens and paper. Those items are so cheap at office supply stores at the start of a new school year that you would be smart to stock up for the entire year. So am I missing something here? I'd love to go head on with any family to prove that I could get the kids looking mighty fine and get them all the stuff they need for a lot less than the statistical per-child average. While we're on the subject of school, let's throw fundraisers into the discussion. Every year about this time, I get a flood of messages that are some variation of the following: "I am so sick of my kids bringing home catalogs full of cheap, overpriced stuff that the school expects us to sell. How can we deal with this? I'd love some advice and insight on how other parents do it." I remember those days. Of course, I wanted my kids to win the prize for being the best little fundraisers, which added to the pressure we already felt from the school and Little League. I pity all of my co-workers, neighbors, friends and relatives who got caught up in my web of obligation. I'm married to a guy who is a big old softy when it comes to children bearing boxes for sale to raise money for their schools and teams. I think we still have some World's Finest Chocolate bars left in the refrigerator from last season, and probably a tub or two of cookie dough in the freezer, too. Oh, and gift wrap and candles. Now that I think about it, maybe I haven't moved beyond the pressure of fundraiser season, after all. So, how do you deal with fundraisers? I can't think of a better place to unload, share, question or plead your case for your fundraiser of choice than by joining the conversation on EverydayCheapskate.com. New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Cloudy with showers. Low 59F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Cloudy with showers. Low 59F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. History made: W&M dedicates first buildings named for people of color Dedication: Hundreds of alumni, students, faculty, staff and administrators gathered on Jamestown Field Saturday for the dedication ceremony. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Dedication: Jody Allen (fifth from left) and Leah Glenn, co-managing director of the Lemon Project unveil the plaque for Lemon Hall with others who have been involved with the project. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Dedication: Members of the Caroll F.S. Hardy's family unveil the plaque for Hardy Hall with Chief Diversity Officer Chon Glover (right) and President Taylor Reveley (third from right). Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Dedication: Ruth Jones Nichols '96 talks about the influence that Hardy had on her life. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Dedication: Students were among the crowd of more than 300 that gathered for the ceremony. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Dedication: Chief Diversity Officer Chon Glover (left) presents replicas of the Hardy Hall plaque to members of Hardy's family. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Dedication: Two of the ceremony's attendees stand near the sign for Hardy Hall. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Dedication: Many current members and alumnae of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. attended the event. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Photo - of - Hide Caption History was made at William & Mary over Homecoming weekend when the first two buildings named for people of color at the university Lemon and Hardy Halls were dedicated. More than 300 students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members gathered in a field embraced by one of the retitled residence halls for the Saturday morning ceremony in honor of Lemon, a man enslaved by the College in the 18th century, and Carroll F.S. Hardy, a longtime administrator who made monumental strides in diversity at William & Mary. {{youtube:medium:left|Jn-jt8tzgKs, Dedicating Lemon & Hardy Halls}} Weve come together to recognize, to honor, to celebrate a large group of William & Mary people who have never had a campus building named for them despite their importance to the Colleges existence and success since literally 1693, said President Taylor Reveley. For hundreds of years, they have worked to sustain our institution, he continued. Theyre the William & Mary people, African Americans, who suffered the hammer blows of the Colleges traffic in slavery, secession and segregation. And what we do today as part of our journey is remember them and repent for how badly they fared at the hands of Alma Mater of the Nation. W&M Chief Diversity Officer Chon Glover M.Ed.'99; Ed.D.'06, who credits any success she has had at the university to Hardy, thanked the Task Force on Race and Relations for making the renaming possible. Last semester, the task force, which Glover chaired, put forth a report and 51 recommendations, including one that buildings on campus be named to more fully reflect the diversity of the W&M community. In addition to the task force, Glover credited the realization of that proposal to Reveley, Provost Michael R. Halleran and the members of the Board of Visitors who unanimously and without hesitation approved the renaming of the Jamestown Residence Halls. Today, we add a new chapter to the history books of William & Mary, said Glover. For the first time in our history, we are naming two buildings for African Americans. That in itself, is worth a celebration. Remembering Lemon Lemon worked at both William & Marys Nottoway Plantation near Emporia, Virginia, and on its Williamsburg campus. But he was also an entrepreneur, Reveley said, noting that Lemon farmed his own plot and sold produce to the College. In 2009, W&M established a long-term research project in Lemons name to explore the Colleges involvement in slavery and segregation and its continued relationship with the African-American community. The dedication of Lemon and Hardy Halls is a very special moment for William & Mary and for all the people who understand that what we communicate in our space matters, said Jody Allen, co-managing director of the Lemon Project. Having Lemons name on a building is an important step toward not only acknowledging but embracing the history of the black experience at the College. Lemon represents himself, but also a host of people whose names we dont know and may never know, but their contributions helped to build and grow the College and they must be remembered. I like to think that Lemons name will always spark the question, Why is this hall named after a lemon? And that the person asked will answer, Well, let me tell you who Lemon was." In naming a building for Lemon, W&M joins a very small group of universities that have named buildings in recognition of enslaved people, Glover said. "Thats a really unique group, so I am very proud that we are in that group as we honor Mr. Lemon," she said. Remembering the dean Hardy, known to many as Dean Hardy, began working at W&M in 1980 and served in multiple roles until 1995, including dean of multicultural affairs and associate vice president for student affairs. She helped found the Hulon Willis Association, established the National Black Student Leadership Conference, created summer enrichment programs and helped launch 15 multicultural student associations at W&M, said Reveley. Carroll Hardy worked tirelessly to increase diversity at W&M and to improve the experience of people of color who came here, he said. To those who were doing well, Dean Hardy was quick with an encouraging word. For those who were struggling, Dean Hardy pushed, pulled, cajoled until a degree was in hand. She cared for all, and she was beloved by all. Catherine Faddis 91, who attended Saturdays event, was one of the many students at W&M who found a mentor and more in Hardy. She attended programs started by Hardy and worked as a student in Hardys office during all four of her years at W&M. When Hardy found out that Faddis, an accounting major at William & Mary, had been accepted into Harvards M.B.A. program, Hardy was beyond proud. She was so elated, said Faddis. It was like her own daughter had gotten in. She was incredible. When Faddis started working as an auditor, Hardy took her shopping and made her buy the best suits possible. And when Faddis moved to Williamsburg to begin a new job as a chief financial officer, Hardy gave her a place to live. She was just always there encouraging us, said Faddis. She had full confidence in each of us. She somehow knew we were capable of much more than we knew we were capable of. Hardy was a selfless giver, Faddis said, and I am proud of the school that they are honoring her in this way. Continuing a legacy Like Glover and Faddis, Ruth Jones Nichols life was never the same since her first interaction with Hardy over the phone as a high-school junior. Speaking at Saturdays dedication ceremony, the 1996 graduate remembered how Hardy opened the door to W&M with a scholarship for a pre-collegiate program at the university. I knew that if I could just get to William & Mary, there would be a person who would look out for me, Nichols said. We all have our own unique story about how we arrived at William & Mary and the different ways that Dr. Hardy impacted our lives while we were here. The common thread in each, Im sure however, is the manner of in which she embraced our diverse talents and potential to help mold us into future leaders. Building that legacy was Hardys calling in life, Nichols added, the thing she lived for. The College has done its part to honoring Dr. Hardy by bestowing her with an honorary doctorate and naming a building in her honor, she continued, but what will we do to continue Dr. Hardys legacy at our institution of higher learning? Earl Granger III '92, M.Ed. '98, associate vice president for development and another person who worked closely with Hardy, has been looking to create an endowment in Hardys name, Nichols noted, asking those gathered at the ceremony to consider how they might be a part of that effort. William & Mary is our institution, and its our community to own, Nichols said. At the end of every day, Dean Hardy would always remind her mentees and students that the only way we can repay her is to do for others what she did for us. I challenge all of you to think about what you can do not just in the communities where you live now but what you can do for the College of William & Mary. Dean Hardy, I know, is very proud of all that we are and all that we have become, but if she could say anything to us today or something to me, she would say, Sister girl, you know that your work is not done. Not in vain At the end of the ceremony, people involved with the Lemon Project and several of Hardys family members helped Reveley and Glover unveil plaques for the renamed residence halls. John Stuart, Hardys brother, thanked the W&M community for the special recognition of his sister. Carroll was so encouraging, supportive she treated all people with dignity and respect, he said. Thats something we all should do. Stuart recalled the lyrics of a hymn theyd often sing: If I could help somebody along the way, my living shall not be in vain. She really walked that, he said. Her living shall not be in vain, right here. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this special occasion, this special moment for her. VIMS professor inducted into IGFA Hall of Fame International Game Fish Association honors Graves The International Game Fish Association the global authority on recreational fishing with 22,000 individual members and 321 member clubs worldwide has inducted John Graves of William & Marys Virginia Institute of Marine Science into its Fishing Hall of Fame, an illustrious group that includes Zane Gray, Ernest Hemingway, Izaak Walton and Ted Williams. The IGFA induction recognizes Graves, chancellor professor and chair of fisheries science at VIMS, as an internationally renowned expert in fish genetics with more than 30 years of experience in research and advisory service. An induction video lauds his leadership in game fish research and unwavering commitment to conservation, and notes If you are an offshore angler, you can rest assured that Dr. John Graves research has had an impact on your fishing. Rob Kramer, IGFA President, says, John has been a leader in the field of billfish research for many years now and his work has been instrumental in the ongoing efforts to conserve game fish populations worldwide. Anglers today owe him a great deal of gratitude and we were honored to induct him into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame. Graves has contributed to the saltwater angling community in numerous ways. His research with pop-up satellite tags has led to the use of circle hooks for billfish, sharply increasing the survival rate of marlin, swordfish and sailfish in the catch-and-release fishery. His genetic studies of billfish have allowed federal fisheries officials to distinguish Pacific blue marlin from illegally sold Atlantic blue marlin. Graves has also been the tournament scientist for the entire 25-year history of the Mid-Atlantic $500,000 one of the top billfishing competitions in the world and produces an annual report for participants that highlights major changes in billfish management and recent scientific discoveries. By analyzing tissue samples collected during the event, Graves and colleagues in his Fisheries Genetics Lab have also re-ordered the billfish family tree, and provided encouraging signs of a rebound in the Atlantic population of white marlin. On his induction, Graves says, I think its a tribute to all fisheries scientists and fisheries managers that the IGFA Hall of Fame Selection Committee recognized contributions in these areas. I feel quite humbled to be included with my five fellow inductees, as well as previous inductees to the Hall of Fame, each of whom has had a profound impact on recreational fishing. John Wells, VIMS dean and director, adds, Johns induction is a testament to his many years of leadership in the offshore fishing community and a shining example of the international scope and stature of research at VIMS. I can think of no one more deserving of this prestigious honor. In addition to benefitting anglers directly, Graves research has enriched the scientific literature on which fisheries conservation and management depends. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications many dealing with recreational and commercially important fish species in leading scientific journals such as Fishery Bulletin, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Molecular Ecology and Science. Graves has also played a key role in advising policymakers, serving as chair of the U.S. delegation to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) for the past 22 years and as a member of the National Marine Fisheries Services advisory panels for Billfish and Highly Migratory Species. He has also served on the Department of Commerces Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee, the nations top advisory body for management of commercial and recreational fisheries in U.S. waters. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. UK considers how to use small reactor opportunity 18 October 2016 Share Small modular reactors offer significant benefits to the UK, experts have said, but government must clarify whether it wants near-term deployment or maximum value to domestic industry, while industry has to efficiently mass produce to realise economic savings. "All SMRs share advantages over large nuclear in terms of siting flexibility, potential operational flexibility, grid stability, and potential use of heat," Richard Beake of Atkins told a London conference today. He was presenting to the Nuclear Energy Insider Small Reactor UK Summit on Atkins' contribution to a Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) on SMRs commissioned by the UK government, and due to be published soon. The report is meant to inform government, he said, "as to the potential of SMRs to contribute to the generation of low-carbon electricity at affordable prices in the UK". It is technology neutral, having taken and anonymised vendor input on 15 reactor designs originating from five countries. It found that of all the designs, the integrated pressurized water reactors are most technologically ready with a view to deployment before 2030. They are also the most compatible with existing UK nuclear infrastructure in terms of fuel manufacturing, waste disposal and regulatory experience. However, the less-developed designs offer more potential for UK intellectual property and economic gain in the longer term, which is also attractive for government in setting its strategy. "The government is not yet decided on policy balance between getting nuclear capacity online soon, or maximising the economic impact and UK intellectual property," said Andrew Sherry, chief scientist of the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory. Publication of the TEA, clarity on the policy balance, and a roadmap for deployment of SMRs in Britain are all expected to come at once towards the end of this year or early in 2017. The matter has been delayed by the reorganisation of the UK government, and in particular the incorporation of the former Department for Energy and Climate Change into the new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. One size doesn't fit all Existing large nuclear reactor designs are designed for economies of scale, producing up to 1700 MWe, whereas SMRs would produce only up to 300 MWe each, some designs much less than that. The success of SMRs therefore depends on rebalancing the equation of nuclear economics away from economies of scale and towards economies of volume. On this subject Miranda Kirschel spoke for EY, which has carried out the economic aspects of the same government Techno-Economic Assessment. Kirschel said SMRs offer a better opportunity for learning than large reactors, for example greater modularisation, higher volume of deployment and greater pace of deployment. And across a country, the most optimal level of operation can be reached with less overall capacity. She said that vendors and manufacturers must get organised now with an integrated supply chain, design their reactor units for 'Nth of a kind', and optimise their business model for delivery. Kirschel concluded, "Given what we know about learner rates and detailed economic analysis - our findings show that the UK market alone is not big enough to realise the true economic benefits of SMRs." There are several aspects of nuclear plant development, for example licensing, in which smaller reactors have no advantage over large units and could even be more challenging for novel designs. Alongside other vendors, Rolls-Royce took the opportunity to reveal more details of its SMR offering, which the company's director of engineering and technology, John Molyneux, said would be a light-water reactor "ideally at the higher end of the power levels". Rolls-Royce foresees itself potentially deploying 7 GWe of its SMR in the UK, starting before 2030, with a "conservative" further 9 GWe internationally. This means something like 54 of the units Rolls-Royce proposes to design as leader of consortium of British firms and universities. Rolls-Royce said a predominantly British product like its concept could generate 188 billion for the country's economy and employ 40,000 people at peak. Globally, the National Nuclear Laboratory considers the potential market for SMRs of all kinds to be up to 85 GWe by 2035. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics Sudan is a country in the northeastern region of Africa. Sudan and South Sudan were once a single unified country until the independence of South Sudan in 2012. The capital city of Sudan is Khartoum while Juba is the capital city of South Sudan. Sudan borders seven countries, and they are Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan. It also borders the Red Sea and covers an area of 1,861,484 square kilometers, which is equivalent to one-fifth the size of the US. The terrain of the country is flat, featureless plains and desert dominates the northern part. The country has a mean elevation of 568 meters, and the lowest point is on the Red Sea with an elevation of 0 meters above sea level. The highest point in the country is on Jabal Marrah with the elevation of 9,980 feet (3,042 meters) above Sea level. Deriba Caldera This peak rises to 9,980 feet high and is located on the Jabel Marra Mountain. The mountain experiences a temperate climate and high precipitation. Jabel Marra stretches covering an area of almost 12,800 square kilometers. Waterfalls, volcanic lakes, and the Mediterranean climate allows for the growth of an abundance of vegetation, including sorghum, citrus, apples, millet, and clusters of forest trees. The vegetation on this mountain has led to agricultural development over the years. Armed rebels maintained prolonged control over the territory of Jebel Marra. The plants in Jebel Marra face a threat of human settlement Idwa The mountain rises up to 7,375 feet in elevation, and is located in the Central Darfur state of Sudan. Idwa is situated at a longitude of 24.2361 Degrees East and a latitude of 12.9953 Degrees North. The mountain has crater lakes and a dense forest. The forest acts as a source of timber in the area. Idwa Mountain has fumaroles from which gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen chloride were emitted. Mogulduma The elevation of Mogulduma Mountain reaches up to 7,110 feet high. The mountain is located in Gulobei, a town in Darfur region. Lakes are evident on the mountain, and the vegetation is mainly green due to the supportive temperate climate. The habitats of the mountain have been largely protected because of their inaccessibility. Mogulduma is at latitude of 12.5523 Degrees North and a longitude of 24.1924 Degrees East. The lakes on this mountain are a habitat for the crustaceans and moss beds. Jabal Dara The highest peak of Jabal Dara is 6,824 feet above sea level. The favorable climate of the mountain that supports a variety of life on it is evident due to its coordinates, which are 25.1183 Degrees North and 56.08 Degrees East. Rivers and lakes are present on the mountain which acts as a source of water to people living near the mountain. The water bodies are also used to generate hydroelectric power. The renewable energy promotes economic development in rural areas around Jabal Dara. Besides the earlier mentioned mountains, Sudan holds several other high peaks as well. These include Jabal Ubbor at 6,814 feet, Dala at 6,594 feet, Jabal Wullor at 6,526 feet, Jabal Tannur at 6,184 feet, Jabal Kuro at 6,138 feet, and Jebel is at 6,076 feet. Mountain Tourism and Ecology These mountains also act as tourist attractions for Sudan, and as such help the country receive an influx of foreign income. The mountains are important because they influence regional weather conditions and climate. The mountains are also sources of both major and small rivers in Sudan and play a major role in the water cycle. Mountains are prone to land degradation, deforestation, and climate change. Angola is a tropical African nation with a wide variety of ecosystems and microclimates. Arid coastal lowlands give way to green hills and mountains further inland, rising into the high and dry savannah region, eventually leading into northern rain forests. Because of this regional diversity, the country is home to a number of endemic plant species, including grasses, herbs and a couple of highly unique plant specimens. Living Fossils And Succulent Trees Welwitschia, also known as tree tumbo is endemic to the arid coastal regions of Namibia and Angola. It is a remarkably long-lived plant, with specimens exceeding 1000 and perhaps even 2000 years in age, which is why it is commonly referred to as a "living fossil". Welwitschia produces only a single pair of leaves, which grow continuously throughout its lifespan. The plant absorbs groundwater through a long taproot, and also takes in moisture from fog and precipitation. Male and female plants are characterized by distinctive reproductive cones: smaller pinkish-red for the male, and a combination of larger pink and greenish-blue for female plants. Because of its low reproduction rate and limited habitat, Welwitschia is vulnerable to threats such as overgrazing, damage by off-road vehicles and disease. Namib sprokieswoud succulent trees are endemic to Namibia and southwestern Angola. These highly decorative, deciduous trees can be found in deserts and arid savannahs, as well as along rocky escarpments bordering the Namib Desert. Other distinctive characteristics include smooth, silvery bark, droopy bark, and white flower sprays, followed by pods which split to release winged seeds. Succulent stems store water and nutrients to sustain trees during the dry winter months. Edible fruits, leaves and stems provide nourishment to wildlife including elephants, springbok and porcupines. Herbs Angolan arammi is a biennial herb which is endemic to tropical Angola, with finely divided leaves and flower sprays that are similar in appearance to Queen Annes Lace. Angolan benguellia is a genus of plants in the Lamiaceae family. It is a perennial herb which grows in marshy regions, with narrow opposite leaves on sparse, glabrous stems. Newton's groundsel, or senecio vulgaris, is a flowering annual herb which is part of the Asteraceae daisy family. This flowering annual herb is commonly found throughout Europe, northern Asia and parts of North Africa, where it is considered a weed. Grasses Angolan streptolophus is a genus of plants in the grass family. Its only known species is Streptolophus sagittifolius, endemic to Angola. These annuals have a rambling growth pattern, with primary clusters of spikelets ending in flattened bristles. Angolan Piptophyllum Grass is a perennial grass endemic to Angola, with slender leaves growing out of a base which tends to be densely covered with the fibrous remains of old leaf sheaths. Spikelets produce groups of fuzzy florets. New Discoveries Because of sparsely-populated areas, remoteness and civil unrest resulting in tens of thousands of uncleared land mines throughout the country, a comprehensive survey of Angola's plant life was not published until 2008. 6,735 plant species have been recorded, 1,000 of them endemic, and more are being discovered to this day. Romelson Faustin By: Wayne Morin (Scroll down for video) A man in Florida, was arrested after sending a text message to his victim, apologizing for an armed robbery. Police arrested 20-year-old Romelson Faustin, 20, after he entered a car dealership with another man and a woman, and robbed the owner. Anthony Spinella of Power Motors Auto Brokers, Inc. in Bonita Springs, said that Faustin came into the business and pointed the gun at his brother, and demanded he hand over all the money he had in his pocket. His brother did as he was told and handed over $400 before the suspects fled. Spinella said that he knows Faustin as he was their customer. Faustin bought a car and he was making payments towards it. He already put a $600 down payment on it weeks before the robbery. About 45 minutes after the incident, Faustin sent a text message to Spinella, apologizing for the robbery. In one message he wrote: aBrother, I was in Molly.a In the next message he wrote: aIam sorry.a Faustin was later arrested, and he faces charges of robbery with a firearm and possession of cocaine. Spinella said that he was surprised over the armed robbery as Faustin awas a nice young kid.a Dr. Dennis Chirinos speaks about the case By: Feng Qian (Scroll down for video) A man in Honduras, was rushed to a hospital after his private parts were stuck inside a soda bottle for several days, doctors said. The 50-year-old man, who was not identified, told doctors that he occasionally used a soda bottle to pleasure himself as he was unable to get it on with women. However, last week, things went horribly wrong. After the 50-year-old man forced his private parts into the soda bottle, he was unable to remove it. He was very embarrassed, and refrained from seeking help. After four days, his private parts turned black and began to decay as a result of necrosis. He checked himself into a hospital, where doctors had no choice but to remove his private parts. The man can no longer have sex, but he is still able to urinate. Dr. Dennis Chirinos, who treated the man, said that the patient admitted that he had no wife or girlfriend. Timothy Rossell By: Wayne Morin (Scroll down for video) A man was arrested after conning women into buying him luxury cars, including a Lamborghini and Corvette. Sadly, the women were left humiliated and in huge debt. Police in Missouri, said that Timothy Rossell, 28, came up with an elaborate scheme to defraud unsuspecting women. Rossell was dating several women at the same time. He met the women through the dating website aPlenty of Fish.a He told the women from Pennsylvania, Florida, and Union, Missouri, that he was a U.S. Marshal, and he had fake badges and an official looking car to prove it. Police said that he persuaded the women to buy luxury cars for him in their names. He drove the luxury cars before selling them and claiming that the vehicles were stolen. His scheme was uncovered after his fiancee found out that he had opened credit cards in her name without her consent and he racked up $20,000 in debt. She also found some federal IDs with his photo, but they had a different name. Rossell was charged with four counts of identity theft and one count of impersonating a federal officer. A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took Reassurance Offered After Concerns Over Pen Y Maes Health Centre This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Oct 18th, 2016 The local health board say they are working hard to rebuild the GP team at a local health centre after several patients voiced their concern after being unable to book appointments. In September Wrexham.com reported that temporary changes to appointments at Pen Y Maes Health Centre, Summerhill, were to come into force while the management of the facility changes hands. As part of the changes a sign was displayed in the health centre advising patients that they would not be able to prebook appointments while the transition period was underway. The temporary changes come as a result of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board taking over Pen Y Maes at the start of October after the long-serving GPs at the Pen Y Maes announced they would be terminating their contract at the start of year. However concerns over the current system have been raised by some patients after they were unable to book at GP appointment last week. Others have said they are considering changing to a new health centre. However the Health Board have offered assurances that a new lead GP has been appointed to the surgery. Wrexham.com queried with the Health Board if there were any details on how many doctors are currently available at the surgery and when the rotas will be finalised. We also asked if there was any indication on when patients will be able to book appointments in advance. A spokesman for the Health Board said: We are working hard to rebuild the GP team at Pen y Maes surgery. We have appointed a lead GP to oversee the day-to-day running of the surgery, who will start next week, and we remain committed to recruiting more GPs on a full time basis. In the meantime we are employing locum GPs and other health professionals to maintain clinical cover. We hope to reintroduce advanced bookings at the practice in the coming weeks. We also want to thank practice users for their patience during this transitional period. Amnesty International, the global human rights organisation, issued a detailed report on Monday in which it indicted the Australian government for carrying out the torture of refugees, many of them children, in its offshore detention centre on the Pacific Ocean island of Nauru to the north-east of the country. The report, extending for more than 60 pages, was based on first-hand research carried out by Amnesty between July and October this year, including interviews with some 58 refugees, the gathering of video and audio evidence and the examination of documents. It also conducted interviews with people who had worked for companies and organisations under contract to the Australian government and its Immigration and Border Protection department. Summing up its findings, the report made clear that the Nauru regime was not a result of violations of government policy but of their implementation. The inescapable conclusion is that the abuse and anguish that constitutes the daily reality of refugees and asylum-seekers on Nauru is the express intention of the government of Australia, it stated. In pursuance of its policy of deterring people from seeking asylum by boat, the government had instituted intolerable cruelty and the destruction of the physical and mental integrity of hundreds of children, men and women and was in breach of international human rights and international refugee law. The conditions on Naururefugees severe mental anguish, the intentional nature of the system, and the fact that the goal of offshore processing is to intimate or coerce people to achieve a specific outcomeamounts to torture, it said. But the Australian government has made clear that the present regime will continue, despite the detailed findings in the Amnesty report. Speaking in a radio interview this morning, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull rejected the reports conclusions and claimed his governments commitment to refugees was compassionate and strong, as he emphasised that no asylum seekers found to be refugees would ever be allowed to settle in Australia. Turnbulls claims are refuted on almost every page of the report. It said mental illness and incidents of self-harm among refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru are shockingly commonplace and that nearly all of the people its researchers had met reported mental issues of some kind, with almost all saying these problems began when they were transferred to the island. Among the cases cited was a man who told the interviewer that he had twice tried to kill himself in the previous 10 weeks, once in May when he had bought petrol and poured it on himself and on another occasion in July when he swallowed washing-up liquid and had to be hospitalised. Another man revealed how his pregnant wife had tried to hang herself and that he had found her in the bathroom with rope marks on her neck. In another case, a man described how his wife began having mental health problems as soon as she arrived. A week after their daughter had been born, she witnessed a young Iranian man set himself on fire after which she lost her breast milk and has barely talked or left her living quarters since. The report said people were driven to such levels of despair because while they are technically not detained and are able to move about the island they are in a detention-like environment. Their psychological state is undermined by the fact that they have no idea of what their future is to be, even after their bona fides have been established. Nauru is to all intents and purposes an open-air prison that people cannot leave, even when they have been officially recognised as refugees, the report said. Those interviewed by Amnesty detailed how they or their friends had been subject to attacks and verbal abuse outside and inside the Refugee Processing Centre. The extent to which child refugees are subjected to abuse on Nauru is chilling, the report stated. Children who are refugees or are seeking asylum have been assaulted both by staff of companies hired by the Australian government and by private individuals on Nauru, the report said. And this abuse is officially sanctioned by the Australian government, as the report made clear. The abuses on Nauru have been facilitated by the deliberate policy of secrecy, again established by the government of Australia. Australian law gives the government the power to prosecute and imprison doctors, nurses and child welfare professionals who speak out about conditions in immigration detention. This has had a chilling effect on disclosures about human rights abuses, and many service-providers and asylum seekers were too scared to speak with Amnesty International researchers. The report also pointed to the international ramifications of the Australian policy, explicitly designed to inflict incalculable damage on hundreds of men, women and children, noting that Australian politicians had sought to sell their model to other countries. The latest of these efforts was a major speech by Prime Minister Turnbull in the lead up to the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly last month. The Australian model of deterrence had already harmed global standards on refugee protection, the report declared. Because it violates peoples human rights in so many serious ways, the Australian model had shifted the parameters of what governments view as acceptable so disgracefully far out of line that many governments are now routinely breaching international human rights law and international refugee law. In other words, Australia has now become a world leader in inflicting torture and human rights violations upon some of the most defenceless and powerless people in the world. The responsibility for this situation rests with the entire political establishment, stretching back over a quarter of a century. It was the left immigration minister Gerry Hand who first introduced mandatory detention for asylum seekers in 1992 under the Keating Labor government. Since then, the policy has been extended and made even more repressive. In 2013, it was the Labor government of prime minister Kevin Rudd which re-opened detention centres on the islands of Manus and Nauru, with the claim that this was necessary to break the people smugglers model and prevent drownings at sea. But the government did not act alone. It directly relied on the votes of the Greens in parliament, while outside the parliamentary arena it required the crucial support of so-called public intellectuals such as the academic Robert Manne, who claimed the new regime was necessary to save lives. Abandoning previous misgivings, they swung behind the government because of their fundamental agreement with the doctrine of border protection and the reactionary logic that flows from itthat ever-more repressive measures must be used to enforce it. These justifications for the present torture regime are directly refuted in the Amnesty report. It said the attempts of the Australian government to justify its regime in the name of a fair and controlled immigration policy, or even to claim that it saves lives, is untenable. No state can justify subjecting some people to cruelty and abuse to prevent loss of life, never mind to reduce migration numbers. Ends do not justify such means and such arguments lead down a very dark path. The World Socialist Web Site has continually pointed out where that dark path leads, noting that a state apparatus that has no compunction in its attacks on powerless refugees will inevitably develop such methods against broader sections of the population should it consider that to be necessary. RED opened in August at 316 W. Washington Ave. The restaurant moved from a smaller location on King Street into the larger space late this summer. Brazils Workers Party (PT), which, until PT President Dilma Rousseffs impeachment at the end of last August, had ruled the country for 13 years, suffered a major rout in municipal elections held on October 2. Brazilians went to the polls to elect the mayors and city councils in all of the countrys 5,570 municipalities. Voting is mandatory under Brazilian law for every citizen between 18 and 65 years old, with absenteeism punishable by the automatic withholding of documents necessary to apply for jobs, travel and education. Nonetheless, in major cities, on average 22 percent of voters failed to show up at the polls. A further 15 percent cast spoiled ballots, setting historical highs for both categories since return of civilian rule in 1985 and the end of voter exclusion for illiteracy in 1988, the last barrier to full enfranchisement in the country. These absent and spoiled ballotswhich in many cases outnumbered those cast for candidates placing first and second in the electionswere widely interpreted as an expression of deep mistrust and disgust toward the entire political system, particularly given that the number of spoiled ballots had consistently declined since 1985 with general improvement in education levels. Along with record abstention and spoiled ballots, the most significant feature in the elections was the sweeping rejection of the candidates of the countys former ruling Workers Party. The PT saw its share of the vote shrink to its smallest since the 1980s, the decade of its foundation. Additionally, the party succeeded in electing only 40 percent of the 638 mayors it placed in office in the last elections, in 2012. It lost up to 130 of these positions even before voters went to the polls as a result of defections and the removal of officials found guilty of corruption. In parallel with the PTs decline, there was a sharp increase in votes for right-wing populist and even fascistic candidates, the most important of which is Sao Paulos mayor-elect, Joao Doria, of the grossly misnamed and right-wing Brazilian Social Democracy Party. Set to replace the PT incumbent, Fernando Haddad, who finished with just 17 percent of the vote, Doria is widely dubbed the Brazilian Donald Trump, having even hosted the Brazilian version of The Apprentice. He fraudulently boasted of being a self-made-man and anti-politician, despite having grown up in an oligarchic political family from the countrys backward northeast and having held various secondary executive political positions. He campaigned criticizing the PT as the ally of the rich. Likewise, populist right-wingers reduced the PT to a distant fifth, and even seventh place, in most of the large industrial cities that surround Sao Paulo and constitute the largest industrial concentration in South America. These formerly rural cities, which grew through mass immigration and industrialization in the 1960s and 1970s under the US-backed dictatorship, were the birthplace of the PT itself, which emerged in 1980 in a wave of mass strikes that shook the regime. Following the return of free elections, they were described as the red belt, constituting a PT stronghold. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazils second-most populous city and its former capital, the PT proved unable to even present its own candidate, instead supporting the candidate of the Communist Party, who finished in seventh place with just 4 percent of the vote. Also in the historically left-leaning southern capital of Porto Alegre and the northeastern capital of Salvador, where the PT holds the state governorship, the party registered historic losses. The PT was hard hit by the Lava-Jato (Carwash) investigation into a bribes-for-contracts scheme at the countrys sate run oil giant, Petrobras. It was disproportionally targeted by the media in the run-up to the impeachment vote, despite the fact that virtually every party, as well as some of the countrys most powerful businessmen, have also been charged in the investigation. Nonetheless, continued attacks on social conditions over the last three years by the PT government as well as the political alliances it made with the various extreme right-wing forces, which later ousted it, had made the party virtually indistinguishable from its rivals. The elections also followed the PTs distancing itself even from the middle-class protests of August and September against Rousseffs impeachment. Former PT president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva infamously declared that the party didnt want to set fire to the country with resistance to the process, appealing instead to businessman and foreign organizations deeply tied to imperialism, such as the Organization of American States. With the victory of the regional-chauvinist Joao Doria, the election in Sao Paulo shows that, as in the United States with Trump and in Europe with various far-right forces, the right wing has been the main beneficiary of widespread hostility to the status quo under conditions in which the nominal left is closely tied to big business, be it Wall Street, the City of London, Brussels or the Brazilian Banking Federation. Also in Brazil, as internationally, the right wing has been aided by the pseudo-left, which in many cases embraced the anti-corruption hysteria that paved the way to impeachment. The best example is the candidacy of Luciana Genro of the Morenoite MES, a political tendency that functions inside PSOL (Socialism and Liberty Party, a parliamentary splitoff from the PT) and holds observer status in the Pabloite United Secretariat. Despite gaining more than 1.5 million votes as PSOLs candidate for president in 2014, and having held state and federal parliamentary posts for 16 years, Genro finished fifth with roughly 90,000 out of almost a million votes cast in the race for mayor of Porto Alegre. PT mayors had previously run the city for 16 years. Porto Alegre is also the capital of the only state to have given four straight presidential victories to the PT up to their first national victory in 2002. From 2014 until the final impeachment vote on August 31, Genro consistently supported the right-wing campaign against Rousseff and the PT, including through a series of extra-constitutional court measures and political leaks that generated widespread rejection within layers of Brazilian society. While she was formally criticized by her own party, it never questioned her status as its candidate, with the PSOL hoping that her overtures to the right would help it win control of Porto Alegres city council. Later, on the campaign trail, one of the most notable demands by Genro was for the thorough militarization of the city by the National Guard amid a wave of violence. With the catastrophic results suffered by the PT and its apologists, all the attention of the pseudo-left has been focused on Rio de Janeiros mayoral run-off, in which the PSOLs Marcelo Freixo, having finished a distant second, is to face the frontrunner, Marcelo Crivella, a Christian fundamentalist. Freixo, a former PT member and longtime state-level Rio legislator, gained national and even international notoriety for leading a 2008 commission of inquiry in the state legislature that found hard evidence of widespread police involvement in vigilante groups (known as militias) in Rios impoverished industrial northern sector. The inquiry led to several arrests as well as death threats against Freixo, culminating in his 15-day self-exile in Spain, at the invitation of Amnesty International, until a plan had been worked out for his security. In the run-up to this episode, the criminal judge Patricia Acioli was assassinated in retaliation for accepting charges against members of the militias. Later, with the support of a section of the police hierarchy, Freixo was the inspiration for the depiction of an unlikely human rights champion and hero in the 2010 Brazilian blockbuster Tropa de Elite 2, the third-most watched movie in the history of the countrys film industry, with roughly 7 million theater viewers. This is Freixos second run for mayor. In this years first round, the PSOL candidate won only 60 percent of the votes he garnered in 2012. While he scored well in the citys upper-middle-class southern zone, he finished a distant fifth place in the working class and gang-ridden northern sectors of the city, where his previous investigation was focused. Political intimidation by the militias may have played a role in his poor performance in these areas. This election saw a record 13 candidates for local councils assassinated by gangs in Rios poverty-stricken outskirts, many in connection with local crime syndicate disputes. Most notably, the citys historic Madureira district saw the murder of the districts most prominent candidate for city council, Marcos Vieira de Souza, known as Falcon, who was the president of the legendary Samba club Portela, which has won Rios annual Carnival samba competition 21 times, more than any group. The samba club was the artistic birthplace of some of Brazils most important popular composers. Whatever the role of violence and the militias, Freixos political positions have certainly played a major role in reducing his votes. Even in the northern regions, in 2012 he came in second, with double the votes he won in 2016. Like Luciana Genro, he has moved sharply to the right since 2012 in an attempt to occupy the political space left by the PTs debacle, while working to block workers from drawing any political conclusions from the partys evolution. A critic of the impeachment process, he has consistently presented himself as a true, old school PT candidate, and the viable left choice in the face of PTs collapse. At the same time, Rios PSOL has embraced the most reactionary forms of identity politics, ostensibly in the name of the citys large black population. While this served to win support from a layer of the upper-middle class that constitutes the partys most important base, it only further alienated the working class. Meeting in Luxembourg yesterday, European Union (EU) foreign ministers adopted a statement denouncing the actions of the Russian and Syrian regimes in NATO's now five-year-long war for regime change in Syria. In another reactionary move yesterday to boost pressure on Moscow, British banking authorities suspended the bank accounts of Russia's English-language state broadcaster Russia Today (RT). Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) later denied having frozen RT's accounts, but RT officials cited a RBS letter that declared, We have recently undertaken a review of your banking arrangements with us and reached the conclusion that we will no longer provide these facilities. RBS called the decision final and said it was not prepared to enter into any discussion in relation to it. The Luxembourg statement aligns the EU with the flood of anti-Russian propaganda emanating from Washington. As US-backed Islamist militias in Aleppo face imminent defeat at the hands of the Syrian army and the Russian air force, the US media are denouncing Moscow. Top US military officers have publicly advocated imposing no-fly zones over Syria to ground Russian warplanes, acknowledging that this would require a war with Syria and Russia, a nuclear-armed power. The EU statement echoes this mendacious war propaganda. It calls for the ending of all flights over Aleppo and denounces Moscow for possible war crimes, while covering up NATO's arming of Al Qaeda-linked militias, like the Al Nusra Front (now also known as Fateh al-Sham), in Syria. It writes, The Syrian regime has the primary responsibility for the protection of the Syrian population. The EU therefore strongly condemns the excessive and disproportionate attacks by the regime and its allies, both deliberate and indiscriminate, against civilian populations, humanitarian and health care personnel, and civilian and humanitarian infrastructures and calls on them to cease indiscriminate aerial bombardment. The EU condemns the continued systematic, widespread, and gross violations and abuses of human rights and all violations of international humanitarian law by all parties, particularly the Syrian regime and its allies. The summit also agreed on financial aid to the Lebanese and Jordanian regimes, who host Syrian refugee camps, and for youth employment in Tunisiawhere, five years ago, mass protests against joblessness turned into a working class uprising that toppled the NATO-backed dictatorship. The EU statement's appeals for intervention on the basis of humanitarian imperialist arguments drip with cynicism. It acknowledges that the opposition is guilty of systematic, mass violations of human rights. Armed and backed by NATO, the opposition has in fact carried out hundreds of terror bombings, sectarian massacres, and mass executions of prisoners, as well as looting factories and granaries, forcing over 10 million Syrians to flee their homes. The EU's propaganda method is selective outrage. Covering up its own politically criminal role in backing the opposition militias, it simply asserts that outrage must focus only on Moscow and Damascuseven as Washington and the EU back a military assault on Mosul, which could provoke an even larger bloodbath, by the US puppet regime in neighboring Iraq. There is nothing progressive in the Russian and Syrian regimes' attempts to retake a larger sphere of influence in Syria, from which they aim to negotiate better relations with imperialism. Nonetheless, their actions, including the bombing of eastern Aleppo, are a response to a CIA-led war. The EU's condemnation of Moscow reeks of hypocrisy. The EU enthusiastically endorses the right of EU member states to suspend democratic rights and impose a state of emergency, as in France, in response to Islamist terror attacks. In 2014, after backing the installation of a far-right, anti-Russian regime in Ukraine by a putsch in Kiev, it supported the new Kiev regime's bloody military suppression of opposition in Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine. Yet they denounce the Assad regime's attempts to defend itself from a far larger military threatthe direct intervention of the CIA and the European intelligence agencies, funded by the Persian Gulf oil sheikdoms, to back Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militiasas a war crime. European foreign ministers, particularly of Britain and France, made stark moralistic appeals in support of the EU statement. The pressure must be strong, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said of EU relations with Russia. The more the European Union shows unity and determination, the more we can move forward in what is a moral obligation: to stop the massacre of the population of Aleppo. Similarly, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the Russian bombing operation over Aleppo shames humanity and denounced Moscow as the Syrian government's puppeteers. Nonetheless, there were also indications of deep tensions between the EU and Washington and within the EU itself, in the negotiations leading up to the issuing of the EU statement. The statement distances itself from more aggressive Pentagon demands for military escalation. The EU firmly believes that there can be no military solution to the conflict, it declares, calling for negotiations so Washington and the EU can oust Assad without risking all-out war with Russia. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini stressed this at her press conference yesterday evening on the EU declaration: The EU supports and encourages all efforts in all formats not only to stop the bombing on Aleppo, but also supports all efforts to avoid any further military escalation and any further direct confrontation on a military level. The EU meeting also rejected calls from Washington for stepped-up sanctions against Russia, which were explicitly criticized by several EU powers, led by Germany. At present I don't see how sanctions, which may have a long-term impact, should help here to improve the provision of the [Syrian] civilian population, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. Similar criticisms emerged in Hungary, Greece, Cyprus and Austria, whose foreign minister, Sebastian Kurz, said: The idea to have additional sanctions against Russia would be wrong. We do not need a further escalation. Since the British vote to leave the EUas Berlin, Rome and Paris demanded a common military policy of the remaining EU statesdemands for an independent EU military policy have continued to rise. The US war drive against Russia and China faces opposition from sections of the European ruling class. In the longer term, they are considering the possibility of designing war policy independently of, that is potentially against, Washington. The European bourgeoisie is carrying out a massive military build-up, plunging tens of billions of euros more each year in military spending; its conflicts with Washington do not reflect pacifism. It fears, however, that the US war drive will destabilize Europe and provoke a major war before they are prepared. These issues emerged in a recent paper, titled America's Russia policy and the European security order, by the German think-tank Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP). US-Russian relations remain central to the European security order, the SWP complained, adding: Strong social and economic interests in a stable cooperative relationship have not succeeded in developing. This has resulted in a situation, the SWP added, where Washington increasingly faces the alternatives of either accepting a [Russian] sphere of influence in the interest of global cooperation and the avoidance of war risks, or of power rivalries with a high potential for escalation. Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) workers, who have been on strike for 12 days over health insurance and wages, continued to picket outside the Science Center Friday. The struggle has received widespread support among students and faculty, with hundreds of students participating in a lunchtime class walkout and rally Monday, gathering by the John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard. Despite this support Harvard has remained intransigent on demands for a minimum annual wage of $35,000 and opposition to changes in health care that would impose significant increases in copays for HUDS workers, many of whom earn less than $30,000 a year. WSWS reporters spoke to workers about the ongoing struggle. Ulisses Cabral, who has five years with HUDS, said, Its the second week now of the strike. We still dont have any answers to any of our proposals from the university. They havent even talked to us for the last week. We dont know whats going on. We have to stay strong. The proposal they tried to give us we simply cannot afford. We cant do it. We just want health care for our families, to keep what we have now. They want to raise the price, its not so much that we mind that, but theyre cutting the benefits. The copay we had is $15; they want to raise it to $25. And they want us to pay $100 every time we go to the emergency room. Like me, I have three kids and a wife so my family, if something happens, my paycheck wouldnt even cover for that. So, whats the point of working? Laquesha Rainey, a HUDS worker for three years, said the reason for the strike is twofold: Its the increase in the cost of the health insurance and the fact that we dont work year-round. So theres the summertime and then we have the winter break in January, when we dont work, and we dont have income. She said they had gotten a lot of support from the students. Im actually kind of surprised at the support weve gotten, but Im happy to see that we have so much support coming from the students and faculty and everybody else here on campus. I guess the only people that are against us are the administration. Rainey said students are already worried because theyre going away to school and they have to keep up with their studies. Students become part of a whole other different community and family when youre here, she said, because youre interacting with the other students and teachers. And then you interact with your regular dining service workers, from your dining hall. You see them every day; you talk with them everyday. They become your family, or your home away from home. And then they find out that the workers arent being treated fairly. Its almost like one of your family members are not being treated fairly. Its like, Whats going on? Why? Asked why she thought the university was being so intransigent, she replied, I just think theyre greedy, that they think we probably should just be grateful for what we have. But I personally make less than $30,000 a year. You cant survive on that in Boston. Theres no way. World Socialist Web Site reporters discussed the recent strike of the Minnesota nurses and the Verizon strike earlier this year. And there was the Taj Mahal casino strike in Atlantic City, she said. Its crazy that we have to go through this to be treated fairly. I think a lot of people underestimate us because we work in a kitchen, that it cant be that hard. Those kinds of comments hurt me, because Im one of the cooks in the kitchen. And its part of my job to make sure the students have those options available to choose from, whether theyre vegetarian, or they have allergies, or anything like that. It hurts me to hear that a lot of my students are now going hungry, or they dont know where to go to eat because were out here. If I knew a way to feed them while were out on strike, I would. It bothers me that we care about it, but the administration doesnt seem to care. Students assembled at the John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard after a call had been issued for a class walkout at 12:30 p.m., chanting, Harvard, Harvard, you cant hide. We can see your greedy side, and We love HUDS! Support the strike! Harvard professor Tim McCarthy, Harvard Kennedy School and Faculty of Arts and Sciences, addressed the students: Historic strikes bring together historic solidarity. When students are in solidarity with the workers its a good thing. I came here today in the spirit of one Harvard in supporting the dining hall workers during this strike. He read from a faculty petition to the Harvard administration that has been circulating, which reads in part: To date, Harvard has failed to address employees concerns of affordable health care and a sustainable annual income. HUDS workers fear increases in health care costs will mean that they and their families wont be able to afford a trip to the doctors office. While asking workers to pay more for health care, the Harvard administration has also refused to guarantee a basic income of $35,000 a year for dining service workers. Faculty members have experienced the effects of Harvards health care changes first hand. But we are among the most privileged members of this community. It is unjust to expect HUDS workers, who on average earn less than $35,000 annually, to shoulder the increasing costs of health care. The crowd swelled to several hundred as striking workers marched through Harvard Yard to join the students. Eli Langley told the assembled workers and students: I come from a small town, and when I came here they said everyone in the North was mean. So you can imagine my surprise when I walked into Annenberg Hall and was greeted with graciousness, kindness and compassion, even when I was in a hurry. They took the time to learn my name and they made me feel so welcome in this community. They made this feel like a home. So I was angry when I heard that the administrators and directors of the Harvard Corporation were trying to make the school profitable on the backs of those people that serve us every day, and work harder than anyone. There is clearly a lot of support for the strike among students and faculty. In addition, as previously reported, a group of alumni has pledged to stop donations to the university and instead direct monies into the unions Hardship Fund. The Crimson reported last week, A number of alumni are now circulating a pledge to not donate to the University until HUDS workers settle a fair contract, and instead redirect any donations to the Local 26 Hardship Fund. The fund will pay the striking employees $40 a day, according to Local 26 President Brian Lang, though they have yet to actually receive the pledged amount. As of Friday, strikers we spoke to confirmed they had yet to receive any strike pay. With no apparent movement on the issues of health care and a guaranteed minimum wage, it seems Harvard could be hoping to wait out the strike and starve workers back to work. With this section of workers among the lowest paid in the city, this is a real danger so long as the strike remains isolated. UNITE HERE is a union of 270,000 workers across Canada and the United States. Local 26 alone has over 7,000 members working in some of Bostons top hotels and in food services for universities such as Harvard and MIT, as well as Sky Chefs, British Airways and Lufthansa lounges at Logan Airport. Nothing has been done to mobilize these workers in support of the strike. Rather, UNITE HERE and the AFL-CIO and Change to Win labor federations have kept the striking workers isolated. Local 26 President Brian Lang sits on the Fiscal and Management Control Board of the MBTA, the regions rapid transit system. An article on the union web site boasts, Our President Brian Lang has been appointed by Governor Baker to serve on the MassDOT Board, which oversees the MBTA. This is the body currently paving the way for the wholesale privatization of the system known as the T. HUDS workers must break the isolation of their struggle. Sympathy strikes and protests should be mobilized throughout the area, fighting for the support of other sections of workers coming into struggle, such as Boston Public School teachers, who are currently working under an expired contract and face a fight over job security and working conditions, as well as MBTA workers fighting privatization. The Obama administration has now given explicit and emphatic support for Indias highly provocative and illegal September 28-29 military strikes inside Pakistan. The strikes, which New Delhi claims inflicted heavy casualties on anti-Indian Islamist terrorists and their protectors, have been celebrated by Indias Hindu supremacist BJP government and corporate media as marking the end of Indias policy of strategic restraint vis a vis its arch nuclear-armed rival. Prior to September 29 India had not publicly admitted to carrying out military action inside Pakistan for more than four decades, due to concern that this would trigger a dynamic of strike and counter-strike that could rapidly escalate into all-out war. Every country has a right to self-defence, Peter Lavoy, the senior director for South Asia on Obamas National Security Council (NSC), told an audience at the Center of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) last Wednesday, when questioned about Indias surgical strikes inside Pakistan. In justifying the Indian strikes, Lavoy cited the attack Islamist militants had mounted on the Indian military base at Uri in disputed Kashmir on September 18one of New Delhis pretexts for its multi-pronged, Special Forces raid on Pakistan. The Uri attack, said Lavoy, was a clear case of cross-border terrorism. We condemn this act of terrorism. It was a horrific attack. We share with India, continued the NSC official, the concern for preventing any future attack. We empathize with the Indian position that it needs to respond militarily to the cross-border threat of terrorism. But we also advise caution. Noting that the there is a heavily militarized relationship between India and Pakistan and that they have experienced three wars, Lavoy recommended caution and restraint going forward. But far from showing caution and restraint, Washington is itself playing an incendiary role in world affairs. Over the past quarter-century, it has waged one illegal war after another and is currently pursuing military-strategic offensives against nuclear-armed Russia and China. In the case of South Asia, its drive to build up India as a counterweight to China and transform it into a frontline state in its anti-China Pivot to Asia has overturned the balance of power in the region, encouraging India to pursue a hardline, belligerent stance against Pakistan, while greatly exacerbating tensions between New Delhi and Beijing. The Indian media was quick to trumpet Lavoys remarks, citing them as proof of Pakistans strategic isolation and Indias ability to aggressively assert its interests. White House backs Indias right to self-defense, proclaimed the title of what was the lead article on the Indian Express web site for much of October 13. From the get-go, the Obama administration signaled its support for the Indian surgical strikes. However, till Lavoys remarks of last week that support was only implicit. State Department representatives repeatedly evaded questions about whether the US approved of the strikes or viewed them as cutting across its attempt to defuse tensions in the region. Yet in so doing, they made certain to echo Indian demands that Pakistan must do more to prevent its territory from being used by terrorists. Meanwhile, a chorus of former officials in the Obama and George W. Bush administrations went on record as supporting the Indian strikes, many comparing them with the USs own repeated violations of Pakistani sovereignty, in killing Osama Bin Laden and summarily executing alleged Taliban terrorists via drone strikes. With Lavoys remarks, the Obama administrations implicit support for Indias strikes and, no less importantly, its jettisoning of strategic restraint has been made explicit. Coming under conditions where New Delhi was already crowing about Islamabads strategic isolation, the Obama administrations endorsement will only encourage India to act still more aggressively and recklessly. Last week the Indian Express reported, The government, at its highest levels, is convinced that Pakistan is demoralised by the global reaction. The article went on to cite senior government sources as saying: The world has accepted that India was justified in responding to cross-border terror in this manner. This acceptance makes it easier for us to take action the second time. But the option chosen the second time could be totally different. It will depend on calculating the counter costs of any action. But any action from our side will always have three characteristics: speed, skill and surprise. The same report cited senior government sources as saying that India isnt seeking war, but that does not mean that we wont fight and win a war if it is forced upon us. In his appearance at the CSIS function, Lavoy also pointedly rejected a claim that had been made by two envoys of the Pakistan government to US audiences the previous week. The envoys, who were tasked with highlighting the Indian governments repression in Indian-held Kashmir and appealing to Washington to help resolve the seven-decade old Kashmir dispute, had said that it would be impossible to end the war in Afghanistan without resolving the Kashmir issue. We certainly do not believe, said Lavoy, that the situation in Afghanistan is linked with Kashmir. The NSC official then went on to boast about the increasing collaboration between the US and India in Afghanistan, saying it had significantly increased in recent years. Lavoy noted that the US commander in Afghanistan travels to New Delhi regularly for consultations and the US, India and Afghanistan are now holding trilateral consultations. Afghanistan has long been an arena of intense strategic competition between India and Pakistan. Because of the Pentagons dependence on Pakistans logistical support to wage war in Afghanistan, Washington has long placed limits on Indias involvement in Afghanistan. But in a further sign of the extent to which the US is now allied with India and how frayed relations are between Washington and Islamabad, those limits are increasingly being tested, if not set aside. Significantly, the amplification of the USs support for Indias new aggressive anti-Pakistan stance was made at a public event organized by CSIS, a think-tank closely tied to the Pentagon, to promote a report calling for a further strengthening of Indo-US military-strategic ties. Titled US-India Security Cooperation: Progress and Promise for the Next Administration, the CSIS report lavishes praise on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP government for integrating India much more fully into Washingtons anti-China pivot since coming to power in May 2014. It urges Obamas successor to prioritize establishing a strong relationship with Modi and expanding the Indo-US global strategic partnership. Specific recommendations include: pressing New Delhi to sign agreements facilitating interoperability between the US and Indian militaries; assisting India in enhancing its naval capabilities within and beyond that Indian Ocean; and drawing India into a US-led quadrilateral alliance, embracing Washingtons two principal Asia-Pacific allies, Japan and Australia. As the new academic year begins at German universities this week, the IYSSE is distributing the following statement to freshman students. Dear first year students, You are beginning your studies today at a time which will be as turbulent and crisis-ridden as the first half of the last century. Like our grandparents and great grandparents, we are entering a period which will be dominated by wars, major social upheavals and revolutionary struggles. The war in Syria is threatening to escalate before our very eyes into a nuclear conflict between the United States and Russia, which would encompass large areas of Europe. The ruling elite in Germany is responding to this by proclaiming the end of military restraint, implementing a major rearmament programme, participating in the wars in the Middle East and Africa and playing a leading role in NATOs military buildup against Russia. The European Union (EU), which was presented for a long time as a bastion against a relapse into nationalism and war, has been exposed as a hotbed of xenophobia and militarism. The EU is stopping refugees fleeing wars at the borders, detaining them in inhumane camps or driving them to their death in the Mediterranean Sea. Like Trump in the US, right-wing and fascist parties are once again raising their heads in Europe, including the National Front in France, FPO in Austria, UKIP in Britain or the AfD in Germany. The IYSSE (International Youth and Students for Social Equality) is not prepared to stand idly by in the face of the return of war and militarism, the growth of poverty and inequality and the rise of the far right. Our standpoint is that the struggle against war, social inequality, the strengthening of the state apparatus and xenophobia requires the abolition of the capitalist system and the adoption of an internationalist and socialist programme. As the youth and student organisation of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), we fight for the unity of all workers, regardless of origin, nationality, skin colour or religion and are constructing an international anti-war movement. In this, we base ourselves on classical Marxism as it was developed by Marx and Engels, Rosa Luxemburg, Lenin and Trotsky. Universities play an important role in this struggle. They are being transformed, as was the case prior to World War I and II, into state-directed training centres for right-wing and militarist ideologies. We oppose this and campaign for them to remain places of scholarship. This demands an ideological and political struggle against postmodernism and the Frankfurt School, which reject a scientific understanding of history. Over the past two and a half years, the IYSSE has fought in Berlin against the transformation of Humboldt University (HU) into a stronghold of war propaganda. Two professors played a central role in this drive: Herfried Munkler (political theory) and Jorg Baberowski (history of Eastern Europe). Both attempted to relativise the responsibility of German imperialism for the First and Second world wars. Munkler called for Germany to become the hegemon within Europe, play the role of taskmaster and wants to draft a real geopolitical strategy for Germany in the 21st century to combat the challenges of our time. Baberowski downplays the historic crimes of National Socialism. In Der Spiegel in early 2014 he indicated his support for the now late Hitler apologist Ernst Nolte and claimed Hitler was no psychopath and not vicious. In his books, he presents the war of annihilation in the east as a reaction to the violence of the Bolsheviks and denies any responsibility on the part of the National Socialist ideology. In October 2014, Baberowski appealed for methods to be used in the struggle against Jihadi terrorism which violate all norms of international law. He stated, And if one is not prepared to take hostages, burn down villages and hang people and spread fear and terror like the terrorists do, if one is not prepared to do that, then such a struggle cannot be won, then it is better to stay out of it. Since last summer, Baberowski has used his position at the HU in order to advance far-right positions in newspaper articles, interviews and public appearances. He agitates against the acceptance of refugees, calls for the closure of Germanys borders and claims that illegal migrants from foreign cultures are destroying the fundamentals of society. His crude theses on the origins of violence are well suited to his calls for a strong state and more police, while justifying dictatorial forms of rule. Munkler and Baberowski are part of an entire layer of German professors responsible for jointly drafting German imperialisms war plans and providing them with ideological justification. The work on the official White Paper 2016 on security policy and the Future of the German Army, which, among other things, called for the domestic deployment of the army, the expansion of foreign interventions, a European war policy dominated by Germany and a major rearming of the German army, included over a dozen professors, among them Gunther Hellmann (Frankfurt), Joachim Krause (Kiel), Klaus Naumann (Hamburg) and Sonke Neitzel (Potsdam). When the IYSSE campaigned publicly against the positions advanced by Munkler and Baberowski, the right-wing media responded with a witch-hunt campaign. They denounced political criticism as ideological terrorism and an inquisition. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung titled its piece Mobbing: Trotskyist. The conflict was documented in the book Scholarship not war propaganda published by Mehring Books last year. But the IYSSE was not intimidated. At the last election to the student parliament (StuPa) at HU, we were able to more than triple our support by securing 6 percent of the vote and four seats in the parliament. Resistance to the rightward shift is developing among students. At the beginning of the year, students and academic staff protested at Leipzig University against the right-wing law professor Thomas Rauscher. At the University of Bremen, the general students committee is demanding that the university withdraw an invitation extended to Baberowski and is outraged that the downplaying of right-wing violence is given any space at all. The IYSSE welcomes all measures and initiatives which seek seriously to prevent the rightward shift in politics and at the universities. This also requires a political reckoning with the SPD, the Greens, the Left Party, trade unions and pseudo-left organisations in their environs. Like the Greens 18 years ago, the Left Party is in the process of transforming itself into an openly pro-war party. Events over the summer break have shown that there is no longer any doubt about this. As the first Left Minister President in the state of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow, told Der Spiegel, the Left Party is not pacifist. Sahra Wagenknecht, who regularly agitates against refugees in the manner of an AfD politician, noted reassuringly in the ARD summer interview, Germany will of course not leave NATO on the day we enter government. If a red-red-green coalition is established at the federal level following the model in the state of Berlin, the Left Party will represent the same anti-working class politics as the SPD and Greens, the parties of Hartz IV welfare reform and war, or their Greek sister party Syriza. The Left Party does not represent the interests of the working class, but privileged sections of the middle class which are moving sharply to the right under the pressure of growing class tensions and support austerity and militarism. The historic crisis of capitalism will produce great class struggles. Our work in the new semester is aimed at acquainting young workers and students with the history and political experiences of the unfinished 20th century, winning them to a socialist programme and preparing for a revolution. Only through the intervention of hundreds of thousands into political events can the drive to dictatorship and war be stopped. We warmly invite you all to contact the IYSSE, attend our meetings, follow our website (iysse.de) and read the World Socialist Web Site daily. As the youth and student organisation of the Partei fur Soziale Gleichheit (PSG, Socialist Equality Party) and the ICFI, we collaborate closely with our sister organisations around the world. International Youth and Students for Social Equality IYSSE meetings Goethe University Frankfurt Philosophy and politics in periods of war and revolution Saturday, 22 October, 6:00 p.m. Campus Westend, Horsaalzentrum (lecture hall HZ 3) Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 5, 60323 Frankfurt Humboldt University Berlin What is the IYSSE? Wednesday, 26 October, 6:30 p.m. Seminar building (room 1.303) Dorotheenstrae 24, 10117 Berlin The online newspaper Voice of San Diego, in conjunction with the San Diego State University School of Journalism and Media Studies, held a Politifest 2016 event on campus last month. This years keynote speakers were the right-wing author and executive editor of National Review, Reihan Salam, and DeRay Mckesson, a leading member of the Black Lives Matter movement and the interim chief human capital officer for the Baltimore public school district. The event attracted city officials and union bureaucrats, including from the United Food and Commercial Workers union, one of the events sponsors. Also present were various county officials advocating for new California propositions and members of the feminist organization Run, women, run, which encourages women to run for office. The daylong event drew a crowd of over 1,200 people. The different sessions that made up the event generally reflected the spectrum of bourgeois politics in the United States. There were no sessions devoted to issues such as unemployment, poverty, economic inequality or war. The complete prostration of academia to the ruling establishment was on full display. This was perhaps best expressed in the exaltation of identity politics throughout the event, personified in the main attraction, DeRay Mckesson. His session, A Conversation with DeRay Mckesson, drew over 300 people. Mckesson spoke on a number of topics including his personal experiences in the Black Lives Matter movement, methods of organizing, the 2016 election, his new role in the Baltimore city education system, and for-profit policing. The broader theme under which each of these topics was discussed was that of the complexity of identity, above all race. Mckesson commented that one of the great achievements of the Black Lives Matter movement has been the promotion of a public conversation about blackness, adding that we are talking about identity in ways that are really powerful. We have to keep these conversations about identity at the forefront. His entire keynote presentation was focused on the twin abstractions of whiteness and blackness, as though racial identity was an absolute and all-encompassing definition of a human being. What these rigid categories would mean for a biracial or multiracial person is incomprehensible. Mckesson claimed, One of the interesting things about whiteness is this idea that whiteness has to be present in everything. ... One of the things that the white lives matter or all lives matter campaigns sort of does is that it forces white people to even be a part of the oppression, that black people dont even get to be upset in their own space. The insistence by figures like Mckesson that the identity of an individual is determined by social constructs such as race, nationality, ethnicity or religion, serves only to obscure the fundamental class divisions in society. Depicting the black community as a cohesive, classless element of society conceals the fact that it is the capitalist class of all races, black included, that oppresses and exploits the black working class in this country. In fact, the black community is among the most economically unequal and class-divided in todays society. By one estimate, a black family in the top 1 percent is worth a staggering 200 times that of an average black family. The race-based view of politics presented by the ostensibly left speaker, Mckesson, was of a strikingly similar character to the observations of the events right-wing representative, Reihan Salam of the National Review. He commented in his presentation, there are a few different paths Republicans can take, one of which is to try to become a whites-only party that represents affluent as well as working class whites. Another path is for it to be the part of the middle, including the Hispanic middle and some component of the black middle as well. Both Republican and Democratic parties use race as a tool, to divide the working class, and to implement policies that only benefit the ruling class and the upper echelons of the middle class. The political establishment uses pundits like Mckesson and Salam seek to inundate the population with a picture of a starkly divided America on the verge of a race war. This is simply not true. Mckesson and others who attribute police violence wholly to racism ignore that fact that it is the capitalist system that produces both. It was notable that at one point Mckesson expressed skepticism about reports of police killing of whites, suggesting that the victims were really Latinos who had been miscoded. He also cited an incident in which a police officer did not shoot to death a mentally ill white man who was brandishing a weapon. Mckessons role as an appendage of the political establishment became more evident once the topic of the presidential election was broached about halfway through the session. He openly denounced Trump and sent a clear signal that he was supporting Hillary Clinton. Referring to people's concerns over Hillary Clinton he said, You should have concerns. But this is not about the lesser of two evils. There is one evil, i.e., Trump. He went on to denounce anyone who would refuse to vote for Clinton on the grounds they would be harming African-Americans. A Trump administration will grind certain people to ashes, poor and black people, he said, adding, Im not voting for a candidate, Im voting for myself. He then spelled out what this meant: Hillary cannot win and cannot form government without black people. Trump can do both. In other words, a Clinton administration will have high-paying positions and privileges for people like Mckesson, while a Trump administration will do without them. The orientation of a privileged layer of blacks to the Democratic Partyregardless of the anti-working-class and reactionary character of its policiescould not be expressed more crudely. Mckessons own political record demonstrates his orientation to the ruling elite. After being arrested this July in Baton Rouge for protesting the police killing of Alton Sterling, Mckesson joined other figures at a White House meeting with Obama to discuss concrete actions to mend relations between police officers and black communities. Underscoring his friendly relations with Obama, Mckesson reminisced at his San Diego appearance about the incredible campaign of 2008. Ignoring the deeply reactionary policies and record of the Obama administration, he said, the landscape of hope has changed. For the broad mass of workers and youth, including and with particular severity black workers and youth, the Obama years have seen a further descent into poverty and social deprivation. The social position of African-American workers has fallen disastrously precisely over the period in which the policies of affirmative action and the politics of race and gender have been elevated to essential props of capitalist rule in America. Obama has changed the landscape of hope, however, for a narrow, highly privileged layer of middle class blacks, Hispanics, women, gays, etc., who have been allotted a share of the increased wealth and profit mined from the increased suffering of the masses. Mckesson, currently making a comfortable six-figure salary in a position where he is in charge of human resources for the Baltimore schoolshandling, among other things, disability and workers compensation claimsis a representative of this self-satisfied and corrupt social layer. The reactionary character of racialist politics and the Black Lives Matter campaign is proven by the very fact that this tactic of division by race is fully embraced by the entire political, academic, and media establishment. While the police continue day in and day out to brutally murder working class and poor people of all races, the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement insist on begging for reforms from the very powers who employ this body of armed men to protect their interests. They demand only to have more racial diversity among the oppressorsmore black police, police chiefs and mayorsnot to abolish the system of oppression. The grievances of the social forces who form the backbone of Black Lives Matter have nothing to do with the increasingly desperate plight of working class people, black or white. They could care less. It has to do, rather, with envy and frustration over the unequal distribution of income and wealth within the top 10 percent and demands for more money, more power and more prestige for the lower rungs of the wealthy upper-middle class. The first 24 hours of the US-directed assault on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-held city of Mosul in Iraq has shed further light on the calculated and murderous character of the operation. Tens of thousands of Kurdish and Iraqi Army forces have begun a slow advance on the city, tightening a noose around the estimated 5,000 ISIS fighters and up to 1.5 million civilians, including 600,000 children, who are trapped inside. American Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, the commander of US and allied forces in Iraq and the de-facto commander of the entire operation, stated yesterday that the siege of Mosul will likely continue for weeks, possibly longer. A time frame as long as three months has been raised by Kurdish military commanders. The increasingly clear intent is to use air strikes, starvation and desperation to weaken what remains of ISISs fighting strength. The consequences for civiliansdeprived of safe water supplies and adequate food, unable to access medical services, and enduring continuous bombardmentwill be catastrophic. Thousands will most likely die. More accurate details have begun to emerge of the full extent of the military forces that have been arrayed against Mosul. The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has up to 10,000 of its Peshmerga militia deployed in an arc to the north and east of the city, with some 4,000 involved in initial offensive operations yesterday. Anti-ISIS Christian and Yazidi militias are fighting alongside them. In the first day, the Peshmerga seized nine villages some 30 kilometres from the centre of Mosul and about 200 square kilometres of territory. ISIS offered some resistance, with suicide bombers attacking the Kurdish forces with explosive-rigged vehicles. Oil wells were set ablaze by ISIS to cover their retreat. The Iraqi Army has deployed over 50,000 troops. One large force is pushing toward Mosul from the south, but is still well over 30 kilometres from the city. Other units have been dispatched to join Kurdish troops and advance from the north. Some 9,000 anti-ISIS local police and Sunni tribal militia are being kept in the wings, to be sent into the city to establish order once it falls. Shiite militiamen, the so-called Popular Mobilisation Units which stand accused of sectarian massacres of Sunnis after the western city of Fallujah was retaken from ISIS, are being kept out of the actual offensive. They have been deployed to the west of Mosul, to block escape routes toward Syria. Turkish Army units, with tanks and heavy artillery, are occupying the heights of Mount Bashiqa to the north-east of Mosul in defiance of Iraqi government demands to leave. Turkey has armed and trained a 1,500-strong ethnic Turkmen militia to assist its military forces. Both Iraqi Army and Kurdish units are being accompanied by special forces and advisors from the imperialist powers. General Townsend acknowledged yesterday that hundreds of American personnel are on the frontlines acting as Joint Terminal Air Controllers to help target air strikes. British and Australian advisors are also with Iraqi units. Canadian, German and Italian troops are reportedly operating with the Kurdish militia. US Marine and French artillery batteries are taking part in the assault. At least 100 aircraftincluding American, British, French, Australian, Canadian, Jordanian and Iraqiare providing air cover. The US has made available B1 heavy bombers, F-18 fighter-bombers, A-10 ground attack aircraft and Predator drones. The Combined Task Force claimed yesterday that recent air strikes in Mosul have destroyed tunnel entrances, radio repeater towers and antennas, solar electricity generators, vehicles, ISIS mortar positions and a bridge over the Tigris River connecting the western and eastern suburbs of the city. Seventeen air strikes were carried out yesterday in support of the Kurdish advance. For weeks the Obama administration, its European allies and virtually the entire western media have accused Russia and the Syrian government of war crimes for the desperate conditions that face civilians in Aleppo, due to the offensive being waged against Islamist rebels who control the east of the city. What has begun in Mosul is a war crime of even greater dimensions. The US-directed Iraqi government assaults on the western cities of Fallujah and Ramadi left them in ruins by the time they were recaptured from ISIS. Mosul, a far larger city, whose history goes back over 3,500 years to the Assyrian Empire, now faces the same fate. The United Nations and aid agencies are continuing to make alarmed warnings about the plight of civilians trapped in the city and for greater action to prepare for the predicted exodus of hundreds of thousands of starving and sick people. UN humanitarian affairs and emergency relief official Stephen OBrien issued a press release on October 16, calling on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and ensure they have access to the assistance they are entitled and deserve. After warning that as many as one million people may be forced to flee their homes in a worst-case scenario, OBrien noted that shelter is currently available for only 60,000, with camps to house an additional 250,000 still being erected and supplied. Funding, he declared, has been insufficient to prepare fully for the worst-case scenario. The same media outlets that have devoted enormous coverage to indicting Russia and Syriasuch as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and the major British, French, German, Canadian and Australian broadcasters and newspapersare reporting only US and Iraqi government propaganda about Mosul. The prospect of large-scale casualties is being almost universally ascribed, including by the UN relief agencies, to ISIS using people as human shields, covering the city with explosives and minefields, and being prepared to wage a fanatical fight to the death. No attempt is being made in the pro-imperialist media to assess how ISIS came to take control of Iraqs second largest city in the first place. It is the direct outcome of the brutal repression of the Sunni minority in the country, first at the hands of the US military occupation forces and then by the forces of the Shiite-dominated government that rules in Baghdad. ISIS, which gained its initial strength in Syria from the CIA-sponsored campaign to arm Islamist militias to fight the Russian-backed Assad regime, was able to cross into Iraq in 2014 and portray itself as the liberator of Sunni communities. ISISuntil then a de-facto US proxy in Syriaonly came to be viewed as an obstacle to American strategic interests because of the threat it posed to both the Iraqi government and the pro-US Kurdish region. In June 2014, barely 1,000 ISIS fighters were able to rout as many as 30,000 Iraqi government troops, take over Mosul and capture vast quantities of vehicles, weapons and ammunition, as well as some $500 million in cash and gold. The reality that now faces the civilian population of Mosul, as US imperialism directs the recapture of the city by its puppet government, is that no escape routes have been negotiated with ISIS and every male aged 14 or over who leaves the city will be detained and questioned on suspicion of ISIS affiliation or sympathies. In Fallujah, as is well known in Mosul, hundreds of men were massacred or subjected to savage abuse by militias or troops of the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government. Of some significance, Kurdish Regional Government reported that no internally displaced persons arrived at refugee camps from the villages its forces seized yesterday. Civilians appear to have fled into the city, not away from it into Kurdish lines. The contrast between the portrayal of the siege of Aleppo and the assault on Mosul has entered into the annals of imperialist hypocrisy and deceit. One of final legacies of the eight-year Obama administrationelected in November 2008 in large part due to the anti-war sentiment among the American people but which has presided over continuous war since taking officeis shaping up to be a bloodbath in northern Iraq. The US media and political establishment have been consumed over the past two days with denunciations of Republican candidate Donald Trumps allegations that the presidential election is rigged in favor of his rival, Hillary Clinton. There is an increasingly racist and fascistic character to Trumps charges, which combine attacks on the media for pushing allegations of sexual abuse with sweeping claims of vote-rigging, particularly in minority neighborhoods. Trump is urging his supporters to turn out en masse to monitor the polls, creating the possibility of violence on Election Day. As always, Trumps statements are a mixture of half-truths and lies. While there is no doubt that the media establishment has lined up behind Clinton, Trump is using the rigged election claim to lay the basis for declaring the election to have been stolen. He is preparing to use the stolen election as the rallying cry for the development of an extra-parliamentary, far-right movement after November 8. This does not, however, lend the slightest credibility to the self-righteous and hypocritical response of the Democratic Party and the political establishment in general. Their indignation over any suggestion that something could be amiss with the pristinely democratic American electoral system is absurd. Trumps charges resonate well beyond the relative minority of his supporters who respond to racist agitation because his claims correspond to the bitter experience of broad masses of people with what passes for American democracy. This is, after all, a country that had a stolen election. The US Supreme Court shut down a vote recount in Florida and awarded the 2000 election to George W. Bush, who had lost the popular vote to Democrat Al Gore. This was followed by the 2004 election, when George W. Bush was reelected based on disputed voting in Ohio and widespread charges of voter suppression. The question, however, goes far beyond vote-rigging. Even by the standards of other major capitalist countries, the electoral system in the United States is among the least democratic. The two-party system is institutionalized, enforcing a political monopoly of two right-wing parties entirely beholden to the financial aristocracythis in a vast and diverse country of 320 million people! State ballot access and election laws impose prohibitive requirements, including the collection of tens of thousands of signatures, making it virtually impossible for third party and independent candidates to mount an effective campaign. This political duopoly is reinforced by the unrestricted role of corporate money in US elections, corrupting the entire process to a degree, and with a brazenness, unmatched by any other major industrialized country. It is estimated that campaign spending by presidential and congressional candidates this year will hit a new record of more than $7.3 billion. For all practical purposes, to win high office in America one must either have billionaire backers or be a multi-millionaire oneself. The corporate-owned media does its anti-democratic part, depriving coverage to alternative parties. In this election, Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party, who are respectively polling 7 percent and 3 percent nationally, are excluded from the televised presidential debates, not to mention Jerry White, the candidate of the Socialist Equality Party. The result is a political system that is increasingly unviable because it is unable to address any of the concerns of the vast majority of the population. The fact that barely half of the electorate bothers to vote is a devastating commentary on the US electoral system. The bitter experience of the Obama administration, brought to power on a wave of popular hatred for Bush and revulsion over his wars and attacks on working class living standards, has further convinced tens of millions of people that neither their needs and concerns, nor their votes, have any impact on the policies pursued by the government. The candidate of hope and change, mistakenly believed to be an agent of progressive change because of his ethnicity, continued and deepened the policies of war and corporate plunder of his predecessor. In the current election, the internal rot resulting from decades of economic decay and political reaction, presided over by both parties, has erupted onto the surface, placing a question mark over the survival of the two-party system. One measure of the systems bankruptcy is the fact that an election cycle in which millions of people cast votes for a candidate who claimed, falsely, to be a socialist and opponent of Wall Street, Bernie Sanders, now presents the people with the choice between a billionaire quasi-fascist and a corrupt stooge of Wall Street and the military/intelligence establishment. The transcripts of Hillary Clintons speeches to Goldman Sachs, released by WikiLeaks, show the real relationship that exists between the politicians and Wall Street. They are the paid servants of the financial oligarchs who run the country. The fundamental and gigantic fraud that dominates the election is the total disconnect between the populist claims of both candidates and the reality of the programs they intend to implement. The real agenda, regardless of which one wins in November, is war, austerity and repression. Is the election rigged? Of course it isto produce an outcome acceptable to the ruling class. The entire political system is rigged and fundamentally undemocratic because capitalism is a system of class exploitation in which real political power is concentrated in the hands of a corporate-financial oligarchy. Four hundred conductors employed by Southern GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway) begin their second three-day strike today in opposition to plans to force them to accept roles as On Board Supervisors (OBS). The conductors have been protesting the plans since April and have held a number of strikes. Southern GTR has issued three-month termination of contract notices to all conductors who refuse to sign the new contracts by December 31. The Rail, Maritime Transport union (RMT) have advised its members to accept the new contracts without even putting it to a vote. The legal advice came ahead of a three-day strike that began October 11 and is the most blatant effort yet by the RMT to end strikes at Southern GTR and enforce the changes demanded by management. The OBS role will remove conductors control over safe passenger door operations and impose Driver Only Operation (DOO) throughout the network, before eliminating conductors jobs altogether. Conductors at present have a responsibility for over 35 safety procedures including door operation, to derailments, chemical spills, on board fires, evacuation procedures and many more. The RMTs announcement followed Southern GTRs refusal, backed by the Conservative government, to budge an inch in a series of negotiations requested by the union. The RMTs aim was to find a deal to call off strikes by forcing the dispute into binding arbitration through the state conciliation service ACASthe graveyard of many previous workers struggles. Southern GTR has rejected each entreaty, as they seek to decisively defeat rail workers in order to intimidate conductors nationally. Conductors should reject the RMTs proposal. The aim of the private franchise owners and the government is to remove the remaining 5,700 conductors from Britains trains. Southern have used the courts to block two massive strike votes by Southern GTR drivers. If Southern is successful, all private rail franchises will escalate their own attacks. RMT General Secretary Mick Cash couched his proposal to sign the new contracts as if it were the only responsible thing to do to protect jobs. Once the OBS contracts are signed, however, and trains can move without a conductor on board, the workers will be powerless to resist future attacks. The RMT has helped establish the conditions where 50 percent of Southern trains are already driver only operated and 30 percent are throughout the country. Southern workers are demanding an escalation of the strike, and among other railworkers there is widespread support for a national strike against DOO. But the RMTs proposal to accept binding arbitration and its sending of begging letters to CEO Charles Horton show that the serious fight required to protect jobs and safety cannot be pursued under its leadership. The fate of London Overground conductors, where the RMT, in 2013-2014, helped London Overground Rail Operations Limited eliminate 130 conductors, entirely transforming the whole network into driver only operation, stands as a salutary warning. The RMT is now trumpeting a deal it agreed with ScotRail earlier this month as a way forward. The deal removes door-opening procedures (not closing) from the conductor and imposes it on the drivers. Conductors jobs and safety role are under assault throughout the country, yet the RMT have forced conductors in the same company as those striking to work during the stoppages. At Govias London Midland franchise, which operates trains from London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Crewe and Coventry, the rail unions even agreed a productivity deal this summer, incentivising conductors and drivers to work overtime. The pseudo-left Socialist Workers Party and Socialist Party have lauded Cash for turning to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) for support. The reality is that, as with all such appeals, the TUC has done nothing to mobilise workers. Equally, RMT protests outside company offices and outside Parliament have achieved nothing. The support of senior Labour Party politicians, such as leader Jeremy Corbyn and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, resulted in an offer to bring in Transport for London experts, fresh from closing all London Underground ticket offices, to run Southerns lines into London. Both Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who was the RMTs parliamentary group coordinator, have barely raised the plight of Southern conductors. Instead, they have used the virtual collapse of the Southern GTR franchise to call for the Conservative governmentthe very force behind the assault on the conductors jobsto take it over. The RMT also turned to Conservative MPs from the areas affected by Southern GTR, who would later turn around and attack the strikes. Above all, the RMT have sought to prevent the rail strikes becoming a focus for a political conflict with the hated Conservative government. As Southern conductors engaged in a bitter three-day strike October 11, the RMT called off a series of other strikes or prevented unified strikes on the railways over job losses. In its role as an arm of management, there is nothing particularly unusual about the RMTs actions. Unions carry out the same betrayals in every sector of the economy. Their role is to police the working class and suppress the class struggle. The most important strike carried out by workers in Britain over the last year was that of junior doctors. Earlier this year, 50,000 junior doctors overwhelmingly rejected an inferior contract, demanded by the government, that is detrimental to their pay, terms and conditions and jeopardises the safely of the public who rely on the National Health Service. After a series of strikes, the doctors union, the British Medical Association (BMA), endorsed the contract and then attempted to foist it on their members. The doctors continued to reject the contract. In response, last month the BMA called off all planned strikes. As a result, the government is imposing the contract, as planned, from this month. The Socialist Equality Party calls on Southern conductors to reject the RMTs recommendation to sign the new contracts. Delegations of Southern GTR strikers must appeal for solidarity from workers throughout the Southern GTR franchise and from workers at rail companies nationally. Support must be won from workers and youth everywhere, including those under assault in the National Health Service and education sectors. Southern GTR workers must take the strike out of the hands of the RMT and establish rank-and-file committees, independent of the union bureaucracy. But they must also recognise that the fight for the most basic rights such as a secure job and safe working conditions confronts workers with a fight against the entire capitalist class, their courts, media and political parties. And this requires the building of a new political leadership for the working class. The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) held two election campaign meetings last week in South Dakota: the first, on October 13 at the Rapid City Public Library in Rapid City, and the second the following afternoon at the Oglala Lakota College (OLC) on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The meetings were the first SEP meetings held in South Dakota, and the latter was the first held on an American Indian reservation. Both meetings were addressed by SEP vice presidential candidate Niles Niemuth. The Rapid City meeting was attended by students from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology who were eager to discuss the perspective of the SEP. In this meeting, Niemuth emphasized the role of Senator Bernie Sanders in corralling opposition back into the confines of the Democratic Party, the record of Hillary Clinton as an agent of imperialist aggression, and the necessity for building a working class antiwar movement to oppose war. He encouraged the students to attend the SEPs November 5 conference against war at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. At one point in the meeting, a student expressed doubt about Niemuths claim that Clinton is one of the most right-wing candidates in history. Pointing to Clintons key role in supporting war in Libya and Syria, and her support for assassinations of US citizens and extrajudicial killings, Niemuth made it clear that Clinton was far from the lesser of two evils. Hillary Clinton has a long historyfrom her time as a senator when she voted for the invasion of Iraq in 2002, to her time as secretary of state when she led the charge in waging war in Libyawhich indicates the right-wing warmongering policies she would pursue as president, Niemuth remarked. South Dakota is a strongly Republican state with very restrictive voting laws that prevent most third parties from appearing on the ballot. Despite this, there is strong support for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson who is polling at 19 percent, only 10 points behind Clinton. Rapid City is located in the Black Hills region in the far west of South Dakota. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of approximately 70,000. Though there are some light manufacturing industries, mining, educational and health facilities in Rapid City, the major employer is the federal government, in particular Ellsworth Airforce Base, which is home to MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator drone pilot squadrons. In contrast to the rest of the state, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is historically one of the most reliably Democratic voter blocs in the United States. Despite this history, however, attendees at the meeting expressed their deep dissatisfaction and anger with the Democratic Party and their disgust with Clinton in particular. The meeting at the reservation was held at the Woksape Tipi Library at the Oglala Lakota College near Kyle. The small library serves the college and is also the reservations only public library. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation encompasses an area of about 3,500 square miles. Population numbers are inexact, but it is estimated that the reservation is home to 30,000 to 60,000 people. It is one of the poorest regions in the United States, with unemployment estimated at 80-89 percent. In 2007, life expectancy was 48 for males and 52 for females, the lowest for any population in the Western Hemisphere outside of Haiti. The meeting, titled War and the 2016 Elections, was attended by OLC staff and faculty and filmed by the local public access station KOLC TV for later broadcast throughout the reservation and on the stations YouTube channel. The presentation centered on the danger of war, a topic ignored in the election campaigns of all major candidates and in the debates. The ruling classs plans for war all over the world are deliberately being kept out of the elections to keep the American people from having a say in opposing plans for a massive escalation of the wars in the Middle East, along with plans for war with Russia and China, Niemuth warned. The dangers and effects of war are very real to the residents of Pine Ridge. With virtually no other avenue to obtain a college education or career, Native Americans enlist in the armed services at much higher rates than other groups. The US Veterans Administration estimates that Native Americans constitute 1.7 percent of active duty forces, while their proportion of the US population is only 0.8 percent. Niemuths presentation was followed by a wide-ranging discussion. When asked about the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, Niemuth replied that access to clean drinking water, a clean environment, and other social rights cannot be guaranteed outside of the fight against capitalism. Efficient and scientific distribution of societys resources based on need rather than profit can only be guaranteed under socialism. Niemuth also stressed that the unity of the working class across ethnic or racial lines was the only means to achieving a high standard of living for those on the reservations. After the meeting, the WSWS spoke with Margaret, an instructor at the college. In the course of the conversation, Ross indicated that even though she has a relatively good job, she does not currently have running water in her house and has to haul it inside in buckets. When asked what she thought of the meeting, Margaret said she came because she is sick of the Democrats and wants to see drastic change. Theyre all liars, she said. Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. US Socialist Equality Party (SEP) presidential candidate Jerry White will speak twice in Toronto this week. On the afternoon of Thursday, October 20, White will address a meeting at York University organized by the York chapter of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE). He will also speak in downtown Toronto on Saturday, October 22. See meeting details below. Whites campaign has enormous significance for workers and youth around the world. It is directed at arming the American working class with a socialist perspective and uniting its struggles with those of workers in Canada, Mexico and around the world in a common offensive against capitalist austerity and imperialist war. The 2016 US elections exemplify the manifest failure of capitalism and the ruling elites embrace of war and reaction. The American people are being asked to choose between two right-wing representatives of the corporate and financial aristocracy: Democrat Hillary Clinton, the preferred choice of Wall Street and the Pentagon, and the billionaire and fascistic Republican nominee, Donald Trump. Regardless of who wins the November election, the ruling class is preparing a massive campaign of military violence abroad and an intensification of the assault on the working class at home. After experiencing the catastrophic consequences of the crisis of the capitalist systemwars, rampant social inequality, unemployment and economic insecurity, growing state repressionmillions throughout the United States and all over the world are beginning to ask the question: What is socialism? The US SEP has intervened in the US elections to answer this question and, in preparation for a resurgence of class struggle, to build among workers and young people a genuine socialist leadership. WSWS readers and those interested in a genuine socialist alternative should make plans to attend one of the Toronto-area meetings. A discussion period will follow Whites report. Meeting details: York University Thursday, October 20, at 4 p.m. Stedman Lecture Hall C, 4700 Keele St. Downtown Toronto Saturday, October 22, 2 p.m. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) Room 4426 (4th floor), 252 Bloor Street West (Near St. George Subway Station) Morning briefing: Trump suggests Paul Ryan doesn't want him to be president because of Ryan's 2020 ambitions SANFORD, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man who fired at George Zimmerman's vehicle during a road-rage confrontation has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Orlando Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/2elGjhx ) that at the sentencing hearing Monday morning, Zimmerman said 38-year-old Matthew Apperson showed no regard for human life during the May 2015 confrontation, and even seemed joyful because he mistakenly thought he'd killed Zimmerman. Zimmerman is the former neighborhood watch volunteer who was acquitted of second-degree murder after fatally shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012. Apperson was convicted by a Seminole County jury last month of attempted second-degree murder, armed aggravated assault and shooting into a vehicle. Apperson testified at trial that he acted in self-defense after Zimmerman flashed a gun. Zimmerman disputed that. (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) GEORGIA (WTXL) - Sex trafficking is a serious and present issue, and to combat it, the Georgia branch of the FBI has announced that it has joined international efforts to attack sex trafficking head on. 239 arrests have been made, and 82 children have been rescued from sex trade operations over the course of three days in what the FBI is calling Operation Cross Country. In Georgia, the Atlanta Exploitation Task Force arrested 15 sex traffickers, arrested 54 adult prostitutes, confiscated seven guns, and rescued one juvenile victim in Lake City. For the first time ever, the initiative, which has been happening for ten years now, has expanded beyond the borders of the United States, into the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Canada. JACKSON COUNTY, FL (WTXL) - Deputies in Jackson County said they arrested a 55-year-old club owner for illegally selling alcohol. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that they were investigating into Club Secrets due to numerous customer complaints. During the investigation, deputies said they sent in undercover officers to the club and they said they were able to buy alcohol from the business, though the business was never registered to be able to sell alcohol. In fact, officers said that the establishment had not been licensed to operate as a business in the first place due to building compliance issues. After confirming that the club was selling alcohol illegally, officers went to the club and placed 55-year-old Granville Harvey Sr. under arrest for the sale of alcohol without a license with other charges pending. When the officers came in, they said club attendees began to come out, rapidly exiting and leaving 10 separate bags of weed. Deputies also said they found and took 24 bottles of liquor and 95 bottles of beer. Prior to the arrest, officers said Club Secrets had been the source of many loud music complaints by citizens in the neighborhood and said several sexual assaults and shootings have occurred there as well. TALLAHASSEE, FL (The News Service of Florida) - In a blistering decision little more than three weeks before Election Day, a federal judge has ruled that a Florida law that could lead to the rejection of thousands of vote-by-mail ballots is unconstitutional. The 30-page ruling Sunday by U.S. District Judge Mark Walker focused on situations in which voters' signatures submitted with mail-in ballots do not appear to match signatures on file with county supervisors of elections. Under a 2004 law, such mail-in ballots are rejected. But siding with the Florida Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee in a lawsuit filed against Secretary of State Ken Detzner, Walker issued a preliminary injunction ordering a process that would allow voters to resolve questions about such "mismatched signature ballots" --- and have the ballots counted. Walker called the state law "indefensible" and said it threatened to disenfranchise voters. "During this election cycle, millions of voters across the state will march happily to their mailbox and attempt to exercise their fundamental right to vote by mailing their vote-by-mail ballot," Walker wrote. "After the election, thousands of those same voters --- through no fault of their own and without any notice or opportunity to cure --- will learn that their vote was not counted. If disenfranchising thousands of eligible voters does not amount to a severe burden on the right to vote, then this court is at a loss as to what does." A key part of Walker's ruling was that state law has allowed voters a process to fix --- or, in legal parlance, "cure" --- vote-by-mail ballots that do not include signatures. But it has not allowed a similar process for when signatures do not appear to match. "It is illogical, irrational, and patently bizarre for the state of Florida to withhold the opportunity to cure from mismatched-signature voters while providing that same opportunity to no-signature voters," Walker wrote. "And in doing so, the state of Florida has categorically disenfranchised thousands of voters arguably for no reason other than they have poor handwriting or their handwriting has changed over time." The ruling came as Democrats and Republicans try to round up every possible vote before the Nov. 8 general election, as Florida plays a critical role in the presidential race. It also came just days after Walker ordered that Florida's voter-registration deadline be extended a week because of interruptions caused by Hurricane Matthew. In a document filed Saturday, an attorney for Detzner argued that the vote-by-mail lawsuit should be dismissed. In part, the document said county election canvassing boards --- not Detzner --- are responsible for carrying out the law dealing with mismatched signatures. As a result, it argued that Detzner should be shielded from the lawsuit under the legal concept known as sovereign immunity. "In sum, the secretary of state is not 'responsible' for carrying out the comparison mandated by the challenged statute," the document said. "That responsibility is given to county officials and boards. Nor has the secretary attempted to carry out or second guess a comparison of signatures. Nor does the secretary have the power to simply issue orders to the independently elected supervisors of election or canvassing boards to take specific action with respect to the comparison of signatures. The alleged injury complained of would not be inflicted by the secretary, but by these local officials." But Walker rejected that argument, writing it is, "at best, disingenuous" for Detzner to contend he could not direct local elections officials to comply with a court order on the signature issue. Walker also rejected the possibility that the law could be needed to prevent voter fraud. "Indeed, this court is not being asked to order that any specific vote be counted, let alone those that are fraudulent," he wrote. "Rather, this court is simply being asked to require that mismatched-signature voters have the same opportunity to cure as no-signature voters. In fact, letting mismatched-signature voters cure their vote by proving their identity further prevents voter fraud --- it allows supervisors of elections to confirm the identity of that voter before their vote is counted." LEON COUNTY, FL (WTXL) - Leon County schools are taking time out on Tuesday to recognize Partners for Excellence, which are community organizations and businesses that contribute to and promote education in the area. Tuesday, the Council on Culture and Arts (COCA), in Leon County, was named Outstanding District Partner of the Year for their work with Leon County students. All of the businesses that were recognized, give to students in different ways, something that Superintendent Jackie Pons said was great for the district in the long run. "Here's something for everybody. You know a lot of the business give monetary donations to the school. They [COCA] volunteer their time they judge history fairs, whatever is called upon the business community, they support our school system," said Jackie Pons. More than 600 local businesses are a part of the program. TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - Police said they have arrested a couple and took nearly 100 pounds of weed and over $150,000 from their Tallahassee home. The Tallahassee Police Department said that they have arrested Nicholas and Katherine Bruijn for the possession and sale of the marijuana. Police said though they made the arrest on Monday, they started the investigation back in August. Police received a tip in August about a man named "Nick" who was traveling to the west coast to pick up large amounts of drugs. As the investigation continued, officers were able to identify Nick's true identity as Nicholas Bruijn. Officers began tracking Bruijn and noticed that he went to Northern California at least four times from May to September. Eventually, officers got a warrant to search their home on Caldwell Drive. When police searched the home they found almost 100 pounds of weed in multiple large duffel bags. They also said they found multiple guns to include rifles, a vacuum sealer and vacuum seal bags, and almost $180,000 in cash. Based on the amount of weed found in the house, police said they determined that the Bruijns had traveled together to purchase the drugs. Officers also said they found Xanax and Adderall inside a rental car that Nicholas Bruijn was driving before police searched his home. Both Bruijns were charged with trafficking marijuana in excess of 25 pounds, possession of narcotics, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and other charges related to the sell and purchase of drugs. TALLAHASSEE, FL (The News Service of Florida) - The Florida university system has set an ambitious goal of having the equivalent of 40 percent of its full-time undergraduate students taking online classes by 2025. That would more than double the usage of online classes from the 2013-14 academic year, under a goal set by the system's Board of Governors. A key factor in that transition will be cost, with the idea that students may have an incentive to shift to online classes if they receive breaks on tuition or fees. A new report discussed by the Board of Governors' Innovation and Online Committee, which met Monday in Tampa, showed that students have actually paid more for taking online classes at six state universities when compared to the cost of taking regular classes on campus. The reason was a distance-learning fee, which until this year ranged from $15 per credit hour at the University of West Florida to $53.33 at Florida International University, for taking online classes. The Legislature capped the distance learning fees at $30 an hour beginning this year. But even with the cap, a student taking a three-credit online class at the University of North Florida will pay $729.39, including the $30 per hour distance-learning fee, compared to $639.39 for the same class on campus. Through the 2015-16 academic year, other schools charging per-credit hour distance learning fees for online classes included the University of South Florida, Florida Atlantic University and the University of Central Florida, the report showed. "Most (university system) institutions assess a distance-learning fee to cover the incremental costs of developing and delivering distance education courses," the report noted, adding that 37 other states also use distance-learning fees. Gov. Rick Scott, who has called on universities to increase the number of students graduating within four years, has opposed the distance-learning fees. "Many students work and go to school full time and they should not be penalized for choosing to take online classes which can be more convenient than driving to campus," Scott said at an education summit in May. "In fact, online education should cost less." The University of Florida and Florida State University charge lower tuition and fees for students taking only online classes. UF, under a legislative mandate, charges $129.18 per credit hour for online-only students, compared to the regular $212.71 charge. FSU charges $180.49, compared to $215.55, the report showed. But FSU and UF students taking a combination of on-campus and online classes do not receive tuition breaks for the online classes, paying the regular tuition and fees. The Board of Governors as well as a working group of some two dozen university leaders are looking at ways to reduce the cost of online classes. The report shows one system-wide advantage of encouraging more students to opt for online classes is that it will reduce the need for classroom construction across all 12 universities. The report projects $184 million in potential savings if online enrollment over the next five years meets projections. The report also showed that students who take online classes, on average, graduate at a faster rate. Students earning bachelor's degrees in the 2014-15 academic year took 4.3 years to graduate if they did not take online classes, while students taking more than 20 percent of their classes online graduated in four years. Among the cost-savings recommendations that will be considered are efforts to share online courses and programs across the entire university system. The report also recommends sharing services, such as instructor training, through the Florida Virtual Campus, which is designed to support online efforts at the state universities as well as the 28 state colleges. Other proposals include the use of flat fees for online courses, reducing other fees and using block tuition. John Nichols: Filming protests is not a crime, so why was Rebecca Kemble arrested? Fierce resistance on first day of push toward Mosul, then Iraqi forces advance You are the owner of this article. The William O. Douglas Heritage Trail crosses the Naches River and winds through Selah Gap near Selah Ridge, left, on in Yakima, Wash. on Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. The trail foundation is raising funds to protect 30 acres of Selah Ridge and is accepting donations until Dec. 25. (SHAWN GUST/Yakima Herald-Republic) The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will hold a new vote on a draft resolution that failed to acknowledge a Jewish connection to the Temple Mount because of a request by Mexico that is set to reopen discussions on it. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter According to the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, which voted in favor of the contentious resolution, his country has taken issue with a section of the resolution which refers to Jerusalem's holy sites only by their Islamic names. Mexico is therefore seeking to withdraw and change its previous vote just one day before the UNESCO executive board was set to close proceedings on the resolution. However, the draft resolution still has a majority and is expected to pass again as it is unlikely there will be a change in other countries' votes. The Temple Mount (Photo: AP) Mexico had changed their representative to UNESCO following a diplomatic debacle in which the Mexican ambassador Andres Roemerwho is also Jewishrefused to vote in favor of the resolution and was subsequently fired. Roemer attended the funeral of Israel's ninth president Shimon Peres earlier this month, following which he promised current President Reuven Rivlin and other officials in the Israeli Foreign Ministry that he would vote against the draft resolution. Mexico's former ambassador to UNESCO Andres Roemer But when it came time to vote, he received instructions from his government to vote in favor of the resolution, leading him to leave the room in protest and allowing a more junior representative to vote in his stead. His decision raised ire among the Jewish community in Mexico, with some calling him a "traitor." He was fired as a way to calm the anger in the Jewish community. Jerusalem's Old City (Photo: Reuters) "We will not give up and fight to the end against all odds," said Israel's envoy to UNESCO, Carmel Shama-Hacohen. "I spoke to the Mexican envoy who touched my heart and informed me in our last conversation that his dismissal is inevitable, but at least we can smile because we succeeded in changing Mexico's position in the future. His dismissal is not good news for us, as he is a true friend of Israel, but a change in the historical voting pattern of Mexico is a moral and diplomatic achievement for Israel and a continued trend of erosion for support of the resolution." On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon distanced himself from the resolution, coming out against the failure to reference the site using its Jewish epithet. "The Secretary-General reaffirms the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions and stresses the importance of the religious and historical link of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian peoples to the holy site," said a statement read by the UN Spokesperson on behalf of Ban. "The Al Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram al-Sharif, the sacred shrine of Muslims, is also the Har HaBayitor Temple Mountwhose Western Wall is the holiest place in Judaism, a few steps away from the Saint Sepulcher church and the Mount of Olives, which is revered by Christians," Ban added. In March 2015, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said: We have information that Iran is supporting the Houthis in Yemen and that Hezbollah is sending them aid from Lebanon. In August 2016, the Shia Houthis fired Zelzal-3 missiles - which are supplied to Hezbollah by Iran - on Saudi Arabia. Last Wednesday, Shia around the world marked the Ashura festival - the most important day on their calendar. Pictures of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Shia revolt in Yemen, were raised side by side at Beiruts Dahiyeh quarter, a Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter How are the two organizations connected? Is Israels problem Saudi Arabias problem as well? Both Shiite movements have similar goals. Houthis supporters celebrate the Day of Ashura with a picture of Nasrallah (Photo: EPA) Death to America, death to Israel, curse the Jews This is the Houthi Yemeni Shias' slogan. Why are the Houthis, who live some 2,200 kilometers away from Israel, cursing the Jews? The answer can be found in the history of the al-Houthi family, which took over the Zaidi Shias in Yemen. Their movement is called Ansar Allah (Partisans of God), which is not incidentally similar to the name Hezbollah (Party of God). The creation of both movements was inspired by the Iranian Shia revolution, whose slogan was Death to America and death to Israel. The colors of the Houthi flag are similar to the colors of Irans flag, and both feature the call Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest). This year, incidentally, Yom Kippur took place at the same date as the Day of Ashura, the beginning of Islamic year 1438. On this day, the Shia (about 15 percent of all Muslims) mourn the murder of Husayn ibn Ali, Prophet Muhammads grandson. Shias around the world believe that this incident, which took place about 1,300 years ago, was the Sunnis fault and cannot be forgiven. On the Day of Ashura, the Shias beat themselves to a pulp in order to feel and identify with the suffering of Husayn, who was murdered mercilessly in Karbala, Iraq, 100 kilometers south of Baghdad. Hate Israel, the US and Saudi Arabia (Photo: Reuters) The Sunnis are well aware of the Shias' need to avenge this event and of the hundreds of years of oppression the Shias underwent at the hands of the Sunnis. Ever since the Iranian revolution in 1979, there has been a feeling in the Sunni world that the Shia revenge is taking shape and turning into an Iranian battle to take over the Middle East with the help of the Shia minorities (such as the Druze and the Alawites). There are Shia groups in Lebanon and Yemen which make up a significant part of the population (about 40 percent in both). Iran established Hezbollah in Lebanon in the 1980s, and it supported the creation of the Ansar Allah organization in Yemen in the 2000s. While the Houthis, unlike Hezbollah, deny any link to Iran and claim that their weapons were obtained independently, the two organizations basically function as arms of Iran. Hezbollah and Ansar Allahs similar goals The two organizations in Lebanon and Yemen were established due to of blatant discrimination, poverty and deprivation of the Shia sect by the ruling regime. But when their power increased, they raised their aspiration to two supreme goals taking over the state, and becoming the spearhead in Irans battle against its two main enemies: Israel and Saudi Arabia. Houthis fire missiles at an American destroyer While Israel is the Small Satan, Saudi Arabia is the leader of the eternal enemy the Sunni Arab world. The Saudi kingdom is controlled by a king who represents the Saudi Sunni school, which is the most radical and most hostile towards the Shias. According to the Iranian perception, this is a religious-political battle between the Shias and the Great Satan, the United States which stands behind Israel and Saudi Arabia over control of the Middle East. Iran trying to gain control of Yemen The wave of Arab revolutions did not skip Yemen and led to the countrys disintegration into tribalism and anarchy. The Houthis saw this as an opportunity to realize their dream to take over Yemen, thereby reaching an even higher position than Hezbollah in Lebanon which only acts as a state within a state. Al-Houthi left his stronghold in the northern city of Sadah and gradually gained control of areas in western Yemen. In early 2015 he crossed several red lines by conquering and occupying the Yemini capital of Sanaa and progressing towards the port cities in the south, such as Mocha and Aden. If it were not for the Sunni-Arab world, led by Saudi Arabia, Yemen would have fallen into the Houthis hands (Photo: AFP) Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi fled his residence in Sanaa, seeking urgent help to save Yemen. The country appeared to be turning into an Iranian-sponsored Shia stronghold, threatening Saudi Arabia from the south and the sailing routes of the oil tankers leaving the Persian Gulf. This situation could have affected not only the stability in the region, but also the entire world economy. Saudi Arabia doesn't want to become like Israel Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabias relatively new king, decided for the first time in the kingdoms history to initiate a war using modern American weapons. The Saudis did not want to be in Israels situation, in which a Shia organization controls a state with a shared border, occasionally fires missiles at their communities, and threatens the kingdom any time Iran is interested in stirring up trouble. Despite the impressive coalition established by Saudi Arabia against the Houthis, the kingdoms nightmare began realizing itself: Missiles were fired as early as last year at Saudi territories, and Saudi soldiers were kidnapped by the Houthis and interrogated in front of cameras. Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Leading the deposed government from the southern port city of Aden (Photo: Reuters) Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemens retiring president, teamed up with the Houthis against Saudi Arabia, which had protected him in the past and offered him medical care. The Saudi coalition, however, demonstrated an impressive ability to unite the Sunni states: Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. The Saudis are fighting the Houthi rebels using American weapons (Photo: AFP) The war saved Yemen from falling into the Houthis hands and restored Hadis rule in the eastern part of the country, centered in the southern port city of Aden. But the war took too long, and the Houthis demonstrated surprising determination. The international criticism over the coalitions bombings which have caused the death of hundreds of Yemeni civilians, mostly poor people, and destroyed the countrys infrastructures increased and reached its peak in the past few months. In March 2016, 22 Yemeni children were killed in a Saudi bombing. Last week, more than 155 people were killed in a bombing on their way to a funeral . The sultanate of Oman has been trying to reach a compromise, but has been unsuccessful so far and the war continues. Syria and its allies claim that Saudi Arabia is committing a genocide in Yemen (Photo: EPA) In Syria, the regime and its allies are constantly criticizing what they refer to as a genocide committed by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, while they are themselves incessantly murdering the Syrian people. In fact, the two wars Saudi Arabias war in Yemen and the Assad regimes war in Syria with Hezbollahs help are being carried out with unusual cruelty and without differentiating between civilians and terrorists - and the world is keeping silent. The Houthi rebels deny that they are receiving weapons from Iran (Photo: AFP) If the Americans had any doubts about their support of the Saudis, the Houthis attempts to fire missiles last week at American Navy destroyer USS Mason reminded them of the magnitude of the Shia danger. In response, the Americans bombed Houthi radar sites for the first time. On Wednesday, in his Day of Ashura speech, Nasrallah created a link between Irans two enemies Saudi Arabia and Israel and the murder of Yemenis and what he referred to as the oppression of the Palestinian people. The Houthis in distant Yemen are insisting that Israel is behind the hostility against them. Is there something they know about the relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia that we dont know? At the moment, Hezbollah is helping the Houthis, but its safe to assume that if Saudi Arabia fails to eliminate the Houthi entity, the day will come when the Houthis start helping Hezbollah. If that happens, Saudi Arabias problem will be Israels problem as well. Israel is preparing for a series of large-scale projects with Egypt after many years of separation in economic cooperation between the two countries. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The joint discussions on the projects reflect not only a rapprochement between the two countries, but also an urgent need for improved infrastructure in Egypt given the severe economic crisis that threatens the political stability of the country. After the signing of the 1979 peace agreement, economic cooperation between the two countries saw a significant boost, which was gradually reduced after Egypt expressed little interest in its renewal. The Nile River (Photo: shutterstock) More recently however, Egypt has raised interest in several projects with Israelamong them, desalinization of sea water to address concerns over water levels in the Nile River, which could lead to a dramatic shortage of water available for drinking and irrigation. Israel is also preparing to provide cooperation and assistance to Egypt in the fields of solar energy, electricity production, agriculture, irrigation and gas. Additionally, Egypt is also examining the possibility of extending its cooperation to the tourism sector, as the billions invested in an expansion program in the Suez Canal have yet to yield the expected revenue. Suez Canal (Photo: Reuters) One of the major factors providing the impetus to the new cooperative efforts stems from political factors which intimately affect Israels security. Indeed, in talks recently held between senior Israeli and American officials, concerns were raised over the stability of the Egyptian regime, with the two allies agreeing that in the absence of any fundamental improvement in the Egyptian economy, social unrest could precipitate the pouring of Muslim Brotherhood forces into the streets to undermine the rule of General al-Sisi. Similarly, heads of government in Egypt view the economic crisis as a major strategic threat to their country and, as such, they are placing emphasis in Egypt and abroad on efforts to increase revenue and expand infrastructure. Egypt's economic crisis has been greatly exacerbated by the ongoing fighting raging in Sinai and Libya as well as its support to Saudi Arabia in Yemen. In addition, only a portion of the financial commitments from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait have been received. Furthermore, the request to the IMF for $12 billion was granted on a series of conditions regarding a reduction of bureaucracy, increasing taxes and reducing subsidiesmeasures which, in the short term, could incite the Egyptian public. Where are we headed? A letter of response to M. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Let me start by saying that I believe you. You really and truly believe that the war 50 years ago is the source of our current problems. A Pyrrhic victory, you called it in the letter you sent me. The root of all evil. Thus, even before we begin arguing about the present, we begin by arguing about the past. After all, it all begins with memory and the way we choose to shape it. A wall built a decade ago placed more than 100,000 Arabs outside Jerusalem. Within a decade, they will probably no longer be Israeli citizens (Photo: AFP) Do you understand? In my opinon, the Six-Day War is a defensive war which ended with a huge victory. A glance at the writings of the volunteers who dug thousands of graves in anticipation of the worst allows one to understand the concept of survival. The small and beleaguered Israel survived and succeeded for the first time, 19 years after its establishment, to loosen up and sit comfortably on the sofa of history. We occupied Sinai, the Golan Heights and Samaria. We expanded our narrow waistnot in the name of a messiah, but in the name of strategy. Yes, even in the era of sophisticated missiles, the land is important and wars are primitive. And if we skip forward to the present and try to be more accurate, the problem is no longer that war, but that which subsequently transpired. The presence in Judea and Samaria is what bothers you. The settlements. The Judea Kingdom, as you put it, which is being established under the nose of secular, liberal Israel. The troubling relationship with the Palestinians. The threat of a binational state You noted that you do not expect the Golan Heights to bring peace. Thats because you are a rational person. There is no one to make peace with, there are no settlers there and no Palestinians. But what was your stance 20 years ago? Lets leave that question open. Well, in order to answer you, allow me to ask you to fly high because you have wings of the spirit, as Rabbi Kook wrote. And no, I am not mentioning this because I am predisposed to a messianic doctrine as a result of my childhood in a settlement, but because you shared your personal story at the beginning of the letter. You served as a combat pilot in the Air Force for many years and you are a successful businessman, a man who has contributed to the state (as you rightfully noted), who has done everything in his power to ensure its security both for today and for the next generation. I appreciate that and I at least believe that I can identify with the feelings in battle, the loss of friends and the tears that were shed. I also identify with your pain vis-a-vis the public discourse. I know that there are all kinds of good-for-nothings who scornfully call you a leftist and a traitor. I have nothing in common with them. They are not my brothers in arms, you are. Having said that, it should be mentioned that politically, you really are a leftist. A proud patriotprobably as much as I ambut a leftist, and this is the root of our argument. One binational state, you wrote to me, is the threat to the Zionist project. The Arabs will become a majority within a few decades. A binational state will be created from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. And you are not a leftist because you love Arabs but because you love Jews, as you explained. You want a clear Jewish majority, you are afraid of the two people living together. You dream of a Western, advanced state, in which not a single woman walks around with a Taliban dress. Neither Arab women nor Jewish women, as can be seen sometimes in Jaffa and in Beit Shemesh. A state which talks about high-tech, not about religious commands. Flying and swimming Climb 300 feet and look down at our map since the states establishment and you will notice a clear and gradual transformation by which Israel is becoming a binational state. I, on the other hand, observe a completely opposite trend. One of us is wrong, and I dont have the privilege that you have of flying and looking from above. I only know how to swim, walk and read books. Contrary to what you say, Israel is in the process of separating from the Palestinians. I am acknowledging this precisely as a person who opposed part of the moves. Your numbers are erroneous. Israel is separating from the Gaza Strip and from two million Palestinians who live there. The first person who tried to do so was Menachem Begin in the peace agreement with Egypt. My relatives, who used to live there, still talk about the preparations for the initial struggle against the prime minister, preparations which disappeared when the Egyptians refused to accept the Gaza Strip. A decade before the disengagement, Israel separated from most Palestinians in Judea and Samaria when it created the Oslo Agreements and handed the Palestinian Authority 40 percent of the territory. That was also a process which sparked demonstrations and protests on the right, but in the end, all Israeli governments are maintaining the separation, transferring funds to the PA, and despite declarations here and thereit doesnt look like anyone is planning to cancel this reality. Security barrier next to Beit Jala (Photo: AFP) I know that Oslo was described as temporary agreements, and that people like you believe a permanent agreement can be reached, but more than 20 years have passed since then and it appears to be convenient for everyone. Israel doesnt have to deal with the educational system in Ramallah or in Nablus and doesnt have to solve clan conflicts, yet is in fact in control of security. Idling away From the pilots flight, you can see that contrary to the talk about a status quo or a binational state, Israel is separating itself from the Palestinians wherever it can. In Jerusalem - where you fear the rise of an Arab mayor - a wall was built which placed more than 100,000 Arabs outside the city. While they are still called Jerusalemites, they are surrounded by a wall and roadblocks and receive most services from the PA. Within a decade, I assume they will no longer be Israeli citizens either. Yes, we dont talk about it, but with the absence of decisions things are dictated by reality. Forget about Naftali Bennett , who is sometimes in favor of separation based on the annexation of Areas C, and sometimes talks about annexing everything in an act of self-sacrifice (and no, that is not a jihadist term). Forget about Benjamin Netanyahu and the two states for two people . Forget about all politicians and look at the map. At the end of the day, we are returning to a limited Allon Plan and separating ourselves from the Palestinians wherever we can. Without the peace you talk about because there is no one to make peace with but with a strategic logic of the power of inertia. You are right, Israels governments dont make decisions. They idle away. They neither build nor annex a single inch of land (against my opinion). But is this what a binational state looks like? Get used to the settlements. They are there. And to the Palestinians with the PA, which is already acting like an enemy state, with embassies around the world and a hostile Hamas state in Gaza. Thats what we have. Its inconvenient, its imperfect, but its realistic. And by the way, when addressing reality rather than dreams, there little difference between us. You are wrong, we are intertwined. Two of the four species. Chag Sameach. Two women brought together by fate under unfortunate circumstances years ago have met again. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter In 2000, Nicole Hodovsky, who was three years old at the time, was shopping with her mother in a mall in Be'er Sheva when the two became separated. While searching for her mother, a deranged woman grabbed Nicole's hand and attempted to force her onto a bus to Tel Aviv. Moriah and Nicole (Photo: Ohad Zweigenberg) Upon arriving at the bus, the kidnapper asked for money from pedestrians. One of those pedestrians was Moriah Barnas, 35, who was then a soldier. Moriah, now a mother herself, recalls, "The woman claimed she was the child's sister and the mother was waiting for them. Something bothered me. I told her I would give her money, but first I wanted to see the mother. The kidnapper decided to give up, but I insisted on wanting to see the mother. She picked up the girl and started to run. I ran after her yelling 'kidnap!' until she dropped the child." Nicole grew up, was drafted into the IDF and now serves in the military police. Recently, she told her friends that serve with her that she wants to meet the woman that saved her. The IDF offered its assistance to help find Moriah, who turned out to live near the checkpoint that Nicole serves at, and an emotional meeting was organized. Photo: Ohad Zweigenberg "Moriah saved my life. Who knows what could have happened had she not bumped into me," said Nicole. ISLAMABAD -- The Taliban and the Afghan government restarted secret peace talks in September and have held two rounds of discussions in Qatar, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing anonymous sources. Citing a Taliban official, the Guardian said a senior American diplomat was present at the meetings in Qatar, where the Islamist group has a diplomatic office. The newspaper said the talks were attended also by Mullah Abdul Manan, the brother of Afghan Taliban founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, who died in 2013. Officials in Kabul could not be immediately reached for comment. Thousands of followers of an Iraqi Shiite cleric are marching in front of the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad demanding the withdrawal of Turkish troops from a base near the northern city of Mosul. Turkey says the troops are training Iraqi fighters to help retake Mosul from ISIS, and that they are there with the permission of the Iraqi government. Baghdad denies it granted permission and has ordered them to withdraw -- a call Ankara has ignored. At Tuesday's rally in Baghdad, the followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr chanted: "Get out, Get out, occupier," and "Yes, yes, for Iraq." Sheikh Majid al-Fartousi, a Sadrist representative, says: "We condemn Turkish interference in Iraqi affairs. No one should trespass and occupy Iraqi soil." GENEVA -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called on all sides in the battle for the Iraqi city of Mosul on Tuesday to spare civilians and allow wounded to be evacuated. The ICRC has reinforced medical centres, including to treat any patients contaminated by chemical weapons, Robert Mardini, regional director for the Near and Middle East, told a Geneva news briefing. The neutral aid agency hoped to monitor treatment of people detained or screened by the Iraqi government as they flee the northern city held by Islamic State, he said. The ICRC is in contact with Iraqi and Kurdish authorities and the US-led coalition, but still hoped to have a dialogue with ISIS about "the basic rules of war". UNESCO's executive board formally adopted a controversial resolution Tuesday morning which Israel has said denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalemand that has angered Israel's government and many Jews around the world. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The board approved the measure in its morning session at Paris-based UNESCO with a majority of its members, as required, voting for the adoption. The resolution is not expected to have direct impact on Jerusalem itself, but it deepened tensions within UNESCO, which is also facing a diplomatic dispute between Japan and China that threatens funding. Jerusalem's Old City (Photo: Reuters) The resolution, titled "Occupied Palestine," was the latest of several measures at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization over decades that Israelis see as evidence of ingrained anti-Israel bias within the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters. Israel's concern has mounted since UNESCO states admitted the Palestinians as members in 2011. Israel last week suspended its ties with UNESCO over the draft resolution, which uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims. The site includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray. Jews pray at the Western Wall (Photo: AFP) Jews refer to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City as the Temple Mount. Muslims refer to it as al-Haram al-Sharif, Arabic for the Noble Sanctuary, and it includes the Al-Aqsa mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Israel had already suspended its funding to UNESCO when Palestinian membership was approved, along with the United States, which used to provide 22 percent of the agency's budget. Now Japan, UNESCO's second-biggest funder, is threatening to halt funding. Japan announced last week it has withheld its annual UNESCO dues, saying it wants to make sure the UN body properly functions to foster trust among member nations. The decision is believed to be linked to UNESCO's listing last year of Chinese Rape of Nanking documents as a memory of the world. A vote cast on Thursday for the draft resolution resulted in the same outcome as Tuesdays decision. However, a second vote was called after Mexico, which originally voted in favor of the contentious resolution, announced that it had taken issue with the sections only refermcing the holy site by it Islamic names. Mexico therefore sought to withdraw and change its previous vote just one day before the UNESCO executive board was set to close proceedings on the resolution. However, Mexicos apparent mea culpa never raised hopes in Israel that the decision would be reversed in a second vote since the majority of states required to pass the resolution maintained their stance. The dance begins after every act of terror: Who is to blame for terror? The Left blames the Rights policy, the Right continues to accuse the Left of giving them rifles, the radical right accuses the judge who released the terrorist and Minister Gilad Erdan blames Facebook. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Most of these arguments are foolish, because when the Left was in power and gave hope, there was just as much terror, and now that the Right is in power terror continues. When there is no Facebook there are countless other ways to incite. The judge who released the terrorist is not guilty of anything, because many others have been released and have not gone out to murder Jews. The ones who are guilty of terror are those who carry out acts of terror, those who incite to these acts and those who support them. Scene of last week's deadly attack in Jerusalem (Photo: Gil Yohanan) The ones who are guilty of terror are those who carry out acts of terror, those who incite to these acts and those who support them. It has nothing to do with either the left or the right. The terrorists dont care about this exchange of accusations between us. They are someplace else. Terror continues because there are those who incite and there are those who support and there are those who fund and there are those who brainwash. Billions of dollars funneled from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to almost every place in the world, even in the West, have created a jihad awareness. Those who fund anti-Israel propaganda, including Western states which support bodies that are part of BDS, carry some responsibility for the incitement that leads to terror as well. England, in a surprising move, halted funding to the Palestinian Authority last week because the money is also being used to fund terrorists. There are terror and supporters of terror also in Germany, which is embracing Muslims, and there is terror in northern Nigeria, in areas controlled by the Sharia law. Of jihads 1,165 victims in September around the world, just two, only two, weren't Muslim. There will always be someone who will argue that jihad is carrying out a mass murder, mainly against Muslims, because of the occupation, but those raising these claims are worthy of hospitalization, not a serious response. *** UNESCO is also advancing the propaganda which serves terror. This is a body which is supposed to engage in education, culture and science, but like all other international bodies, it is controlled by a majority of dark states too. In the past year, it adopted a resolution that the Jewish people have no ties to the Temple Mount. Here we have it: Hamas and jihad propaganda receiving international aid. Germany, the United States and Britain voted against the resolution. Sweden and France voted with the dark majority. The French president, prime minister and Senate president issued statements of regret. Last week, an allegedly softened motion was raised for discussion, talking about the three religions ties to Jerusalem. But the motion includes the usual anti-Israel propaganda, including many words about the destruction of Palestinian education by Israel. Destruction? Gabi Baramki, former president of Birzeit University, admitted that before June 5, 1967, no universities existed in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. Under Israeli rule, and with Israeli encouragement, 11 universities, 13 university colleges and 19 communal colleges developed there. Forty-three higher education institutions. There are results. According to a Palestinian, study, The Palestinians have the highest rate of university graduates in the Arab world. But UNESCO is calling it destruction. As I write these words, it is unclear how France voted on Thursday. Israel too supports a body which serves the propaganda of terror. Yes, Israel. The Miluimnikim BaHazit (Reservists on Duty) movement, led by Amit Deri, recently published a comprehensive document on Israel Social TV a media outlet which accuses, or whose leaders accuse Israel of terror, support refusing orders, join petitions calling for a boycott against Israel and basically support the fantasy called the right of return. The channels representative, Yehudit Ilani, escorted the Zaytouna boat which tried to reach Gaza, likely not just as a journalist. She also serves as Knesset Member Hanin Zoabis assistant. In other words, Israel Social TV, under any objective standards, belongs to the BDS circles. If not officially, then definitely propaganda-wise. The thing is that Israel, not Iran, not Sweden, provides this body with governmental funding. From 2008 to 2014, the channel received $250,000 in support from the New Israel Fund (which officially opposes BDS and basically funds bodies serving the BDS campaign) and $669,000 from European foundations and states. So far, there is nothing new here. The absurdity lies in the fact that the Israeli Ministry of Communications not the Palestinian one transferred to this body $25,000 in funding. And the Council for Cable TV, it should be added, allotted a cable channel for this anti-Israel propaganda. UNESCO is supposed to engage in education, culture and science, but is also advancing the propaganda which serves terror (Photo: AP) When Amir Deri released the report about the channel, claims of silencing where immediately raised. Well, Israeli democracy can and should allow such bodies freedom of expression. But it is only in a foolish country that such a body, which is ideologically located between BDS and Balad, can receive funding from the Israeli government and four (!) national service positions. Forget about the Right. After all, it is a right-wing government which is funding this body. Where the hell is the Zionist left? Why is it not clarifying that this is an absurdity? Why is it not setting red lines? *** The Culture Ministry has decided to allow Einat Weizmans play, Palestine Year Zero, to participate in the Acre International Fringe Theater Festival. Lets put the content of the play aside for a minute. Even critical, and very critical, plays have the right to exist. The more fascinating issue is how Weizman managed to receive funding from a public body, Mifal HaPayis, and find a way into a state-funded festival. Weizman does not conceal her opinions. She is active in an NGO which opposes a Jewish state, she is in favor of Apartheid Week created by the BDS, and she is in favor of boycotting Israel. The play was written with the help of that same NGO she is active in, which supports Israels destruction through the right of return. There are more moderate voices in the Palestinian Authority than the voices of this NGOs members. If and when progress is made towards peace, Inshallah, the members of this NGO will be part of the Palestinian rejectionist front. They will not settle for less than eliminating the Zionist criminal. Most left-wing artists voice legitimate opinions. They can be supported and they can be opposed. Few hold ultra-anti-Zionist opinions like Weizmans, who endorsed the Joint Arab List before the latest elections. So the problem is not what the culture minister will say or wont say. The question is how can someone who supports a boycott against Israel, and who is basically against the states existence, think that she is entitled to any aid from the state in order to promote her agenda, which is based on the states destruction. Where the hell does she get this nerve? As for its content, it is unnecessary to mention that this play belongs to the propaganda which characterizes the anti-Zionist left, the kind of propaganda which provides justifications for anti-Israel hatred and terror. And the State of Israel is funding it. I have said it before and I must say it again: What a foolish state. The remains of Abu Jihad, the former deputy to Yasser Arafat head of the armed wing of Fatah who was assassinated by Israel in 1988, will not be transferred to Palestinian Authority territory for burial. Head of the Coordination for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai made the decision final on Tuesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The Palestinian Authority made the request to transfer the remains after the cemetery in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus - where Abu Jihad is buried - was destroyed by ISIS. Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai (Photo: Chaim Tzach) Abu Jihad, who is also known as Khalil Ibrahim al-Wazir, was born in 1935 in the city of Ramla, between Jerusalem and Jaffa. His family relocated to Gaza following the War of Independence. Abu Jihad was studying at Alexandria University in Egypt where he became friendly with a young Yasser Arafat in the 1950s. The two would later found the Fatah movement. He would lthen ater become one of the chief architects of attacks against Israel, orchestrating the Savoy hotel attack in March 1975 and the coastal road massacre in March 1978. Yasser Arafat and Abu Jihad (Photo: AP) Abu Jihad's wife, Intissar al-Wazir, was also active in Fatah and was the manager of a fund which supported the families of those killed in operations against Israel. Their eldest son was murdered by Syrian intelligence in Damascus in 1976 as a result of disagreements between Abu Jihad and the local government. Abu Jihad wandered among the capitals of Arab countries who agreed to host him for most of his life. He lived in Damascus until the murder of his son, and then moved to Beirut, which he left for Amman in 1982 following the IDF invasion of Lebanon. He eventually settled in Tunis with the rest of the PLO's leadership after being deported by Jordan in 1986. Headline the day Abu Jihad was assassinated (Photo: Yedioth Ahronoth) On the night of April 16, 1988, Abu Jihad was assassinated by Israeli commandos at his home in Tunis. According to sources, the assassination was carried out by the elite IDF units Sayeret Matkal and Shayetet 13 in concert with the Mossad. The assassination of Abu Jihad badly hurt Fatah's relations with other organizations and their ability to organize attacks against Israel. Two Israelis were evacuated to Hadassah Medical Center in light condition Tuesday afternoon after rocks were hurled at their vehicle in the Jerusalem At-Tur neighborhood in the Mount of Olives. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Illustration In a separate incident next to the Lions' Gate in Jerusalems Old City, another individual was injured after being struck by a rock and was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center During scours of At-Tur, policemen and Israel Border Police identified a 15-year-old resident of the neighborhood fleeing the scene after throwing stones. As the security personnel pursued the assailant, he continued to throw rocks in their direction before eventually being apprehended and taken in for questioning. Last Saturday a Border Police officer was stabbed near Har Adar, outside Mevaseret Zion and was taken to the hospital in what authorities described as fair condition. According to the Border Police, during operational activities conducted by the Border Police by the fence encircling Har Adar, the attacker burst out of bushes where he had been hiding, and stabbed the officer before fleeing the scene. A Palestinian was handed a death sentence in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Monday on charges of spying for Israel, a court source said. "The military court in Gaza decided upon death by hanging for the convict, 54, on charges of spying for the Israeli occupation," the source said. The court said the man had allegedly been linked to the Israelis since 1987 and had provided a large amount of information to them since then. The case was held behind closed doors and the defendant was referred to only by the initials E.A. Another alleged spy was sentenced to 10 years in prison. It's Sunday, about 7:20am, at the HOf HaCarmel Railway Station in Haifa. The new Jezreel Valley Train comes in, its destination written on a sign at the front: Beit She'an. On the platform, people are exited: It's not every day that a line comes back into use after a 65-year pause. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The train leaves Haifa and travels through the fields of the Zvulun valley, the Jezreel Valley, and the Beit She'an Valley. Parents and children who woke up early to take part in the new line's first journey read the morning views. The new Valley Train. (Photo: Gil Nechushtan) This line feels different. When the train stops near Kfar Baruch and the scents of cowsheds and chicken coops fills the train cars, you really feel that you're in a rural area. Nahum Levy, director of the Jezreel Valley Train museum in Elroy, summarized his journey, saying, " I traveled on this historic train as a child in town, and now I'm traveling on it again. It's a fantastic experience for which I've waited 65 years." Ride times between Haifa and Beit She'an are about 50 minutes in each direction. They are free for now, and will still be at a 50 percent discount rate for valley area residents during early November. Israel Railways CEO Boaz Tzafrir said the debut voyage of the old-new line was a celebratory occasion. "The Jezreel Valley Train will constitute a bridge for peace. It will connect the Haifa Port to the Jordan River Crossing (Sheikh Hussein Bridge), on the way to Amman." The Tel Aviv Municipality released upcoming changes in traffic on Tuesday that will take place as part of a project aimed at lowering the famous Dizengoff Square back to its original, street level position. The project, whose estimated cost will be roughly NIS 60 million and should take about two months, includes not only demolishing the current elevated square and erecting a new one, but also redoing the surrounding roads and sidewalks, refurbishing the underground infrastructure, installing a statue in lieu of the existing fire-breathing, music playing, mobile water-fountain, and add a bicycle lane. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The planned construction is due to create massive traffic jams in the Central Tel Aviv area. Tel Aviv Municipality's Engineering Department has met with representatives of Tel Aviv Police Department in preparation for the noise, street closures and traffic. Work will be scheduled to take place 16 hours a day, from 07:00 until 23:00. An illustraion of street level Dizengoff Sq. (Photo: Tel Aviv Municipality) During the first stage of the project, the area around Dizengoff Sq. will be divided into four sectors, each of which will be blocked off so that the work could take place: Arlozorov and Frishman streets will block the northern routes leading to the square. Ibn Bvirol, King George and Bar Kochba streets will block the east and south directions leading to it. Esther Hamalka St. will become a one-way street between Shulamit and Reines streets. And portions of Esther Hamalka and Reines will become culs-de-sac. The current state of Dizengoff Sq. (Photo: Motti Kimchi) The overall project will also include the uprooting of over several ficus trees that are over 70 years old, a move that has raised criticism from local residents, some of whom went as far as to post obituaries on the trees themselves. Protests over the matter are planned to take place with the commencement of the project. An obituary placed on one of the 70-year-old ficus trees due to be uprooted The square was inaugurated in 1938 and was named after Zina Diznegoff, the wife of Tel Aviv's first mayor, Meir Dizengoff. The square was elevated in 1976 to ease some of the traffic caused by traffic passing through it. A few years later, sculptor Yaakov Agam's now-famous "Fire and Water" mobile fountain was set up at its center. The decision to return the square to ground level was reached earlier this year. Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai referred to the project, saying, "Dizengoff Sq. is a symbol of the industry of days past, when the world preferred private vehicles by taking an urban street and turning it into a public interchange. Lowering the square back to street level holds an important public statement, which can have a very substantial contribution to public space." The birthrate in Germany reached the highest level in 33 years last year, boosted mainly by babies born to migrant women, the Federal Statistics Office said on Monday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The rate was 1.5 births per woman in 2015, up from 1.47 births a year earlier, and the highest figure since 1982 when it was 1.51. It was also the highest rate recorded since the 1990 reunification of east and west Germany. Years of economic growth and government support have helped raise the birthrate in Germany. But the figure is still below the 2.0 births per woman that demographers define as the minimum fertility rate needed to ensure a population replaces itself. Germans protesting against Muslims (Photo: EPA) Germany and other advanced European economies have some of the world's lowest birthrates. Twenty-eight percent of the German people are aged 60 years or over, leaving Germany with the world's second most aged population, after Japan. The birthrate among migrant women only was 1.95, up from 1.86 in 2014. Some 70 percent of the almost 900,000 migrants who entered Germany last year seeking asylum were Muslims, who tend to have larger families than widely secular, European-born citizens. The rate rose to 1.43 births per woman from 1.42 among Germans. Daud, a six-year-old boy from the Bedouin city of Rahat in the Negev, was saved on Friday by doctors at Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva, after a trinket in the shape of a star of David was lodged in his esophagus. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Daud used to play with the trinket, which his family had in the house. Suddenly, while speaking with his sister, Daud accidentally swallowed the small jewelry piece. "His father tried to perform the Heimlich maneuver on him," Daud's mother, Ilana, remembers, "He slapped him on the back a few times, and followed with presses on the chest, but the boy was still in distress." Daud's x-ray, in which the star of David trinket can be seen. Daud was taken to the city's emergency medical center, and from there to Soroka. The doctors at the emergency room performed an x-ray scan, in which the trinket can be seen lodged in the boy's throat. He was taken into surgery, where the doctors performed an esophagoscopy, pulling out the Star of David. "This kind of situation is a risk to one's life, explains Dr. Bentzi Yehoshua, an otolaryngologist (nose, ear, and throat specialist) who performed the procedure on Daud. "The tips of the star of David could have caused tears in the esophagus, both during swallowing and during the procedure itself, when it was taken out. These tears can risk (the patient's) life quickly, and cause significant bleeding." "It's a miracle from god that my boy came out healthy," Daud's mother said, "We make sure to leave dangerous things away from little kids, but there's no doubt we'll be a lot more attentive to it now." More than 200 women and several men took part in a rally on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border on Tuesday. The rally was organized by Women Wage Peace, a social movement working "to bring about a viable peace agreement," as their Facebook page states. The group has already organized peace rallies and marches throughout the country. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Tuesday's rally was located outside the now closed Good Fence, through which Lebanese Maronites would regularly pass into Israel for work and medical care until Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon in 2000. Israel absorbed some 15,000 Maronites, who were predicted to have been massacred by Hezbollah on charges of collaboration with Israel were they to have stayed in Lebanon. Women Wage Peace march from the Good Fence to Metula (: ) X The Good Fence protest rally was attendedby , among others, Liberian Leymah Gbowee, whose work of non-violent persistence on women's rights won her the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Wmen Wave Peace walking to Metula (Photo: Avihu Shapira) Gbowee said she is moved to be standing in a place called "good," instead of having it described in a negative fashion. She mentioned that Liberia has a large Lebanese community of its own, and that she will happily return to her country and tell people about the Israeli women's initiative. Liberian Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee (Photo: Avihu Shapira) She was greeted with enthusiastic applause at the rally. "It is my actual first time hearing about the Good Fence," she said at the rally. "You always hear about the negative things coming out of countries that have gone through war, so I am happy to be at a place called 'good,' especially in a world where people want to talk more negative than talk positive." She continued by saying, "Just being here and going back to my country, I will highlight the fact that it is not just a desire of the people of Lebanon, but also a desire of women and people of Israel that peace should be established in the region." She added that Liberians, too, had fought for peace, and that while it was not easy, no children should die on either side of the border due to war. Photo: Avihu Shapira The IDF, Israel Police and UN provided security for the event, while Lebanese Police forces could be seen on the Lebanese side of the border. The rally's organizers said that a month ago, while going on a preparatory tour of the area, that they saw women from the Lebanese side waving at them. A protester carrying a sign with Mencahem Begin, Anwar Sadat and Jimmy Carter sign the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty (Photo: Avihu Shapira) After the rally, the women marched toward the northern town of Metula, raising signs that featured then prime minister Mencahem Begin, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and US president Jimmy Carter sign the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in 1979, with the words "Yes. It's possible" written above. The organization is due to carry out another protest in front of the Prime Minister's House in Jerusalem on Wednesday. NEW YORK- A New York City college student died last November fighting for Islamic State in Syria, where he had traveled earlier in the year with the assistance of an Arizona man he met online, according to US prosecutors. The death of Samy Mohammed El-Goarany, who was 24 when he traveled to Syria, was disclosed in papers filed by prosecutors late on Monday in Manhattan federal court in a case against the Arizona man, Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal. The details came as prosecutors sought approval to introduce evidence at the Dec. 5 trial of El Gammal, who is charged with conspiring to provide material support to Islamic State by helping El-Goarany travel so he could join the militant group. Patrick Kraemer was declared mentally competent Monday to face trial in January for the April 2013 death of Traci Rataczak, his then live-in girlfriend. Kraemer, 48, appeared in Columbia County Circuit Court following transfer from the Columbia County Jail to Mendota Mental Health Institute for treatment and for competency recommendation. Judge W. Andrew Voigt ordered Kramer to be transferred to Mendota in a competency hearing on March 14 in which Kraemer argued for representing himself through his upcoming trial. Throughout proceedings, Kraemer told the court that given the opportunity, he would present facts that would speak for themselves. In 2013 the Columbia County Sheriffs Office responded to a call from a man a neighbor who had stopped by who, on the evening of April 8, told officers he went into the basement of the house and halfway down the stairs, saw the 43-year-old Rataczak hanging by an extension cord from one of the floor joists. On Sept. 11, 2014, a warrant was issued for Kraemers arrest and four days later he was charged with first-degree homicide and jailed on a $450,000 cash bond. Complicating the April hearing was Kraemers disorganized delivery and occasional cryptic comments referring to Rataczak and other members of the family. The hearing also came after a request by Kraemer to have a speedy trial within 60 days of request, shifting the timeline by months, a request that was later dropped as Kraemer also dismissed defense attorneys Steven Sarbacker and Gerald Boyle. On Monday the prosecution side of the court was filled with friends and family of Rataczak, with family of Kraemer sitting behind the defense table. I went out to Mendota with the report and we discussed it, said defense attorney Mark Frank, and he and I are both in agreement with the recommendations made within the report. Before an official decision was made, Frank asked that Kraemer be directly addressed. Mr. Kraemer, my recollection is that you claimed to be competent at all times during this proceeding and it was really only after some exploration that we went down the road that we went, said Voigt. What is your position today, do you believe that you are competent or not? Yes, I do judge, Kraemer said. Then, I have heard from everybody I could hear from about the topic and will find that Mr. Kraemer is competent to proceed at this time, said Voigt. Before moving on, Frank pointed out that in the competency report, the doctor diagnosed Kraemer with a severe bi-polar condition in partial remission. I think Mr. Kraemers ability to focus and stay on topic has a lot to do with medications he has been receiving in Mendota, said Frank. So, just to indicate for the record, I agree with the doctor, he needs to continue with those medications and if there is a failure at the jail, he could become incompetent. Voigt agreed with Frank in being hopeful of continued treatment, but that he would not make any orders of the jail or Columbia County Sheriffs Office before any indication of an imminent issue. Moving on to the trial, scheduled for Jan. 17 to Jan. 27, Voigt asked Frank, Do you think that first, the nine days will be enough time? Yes. Is it too much time? I think you would have to talk to the prosecutor on that, said Frank. Its not too much time, judge, said Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General Robert Kaiser, going on to suggest a lengthening of the court day by an hour. We would think we can do it in that amount of time. We would hope if we start at 8:30 a.m. we can go until 5:30 p.m. That would help. So youre concerned that nine days isnt enough, asked Voigt. No, I think we can do it assuming we can put in that size of day. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) appealed to all sidesincluding ISISon Tuesday to show humanity on the battlefield and spare civilians in the Iraqi city of Mosul, as the Mosul offensive, made up of Iraqi government forces, allied militias, Iraqi Kurdistan, limited US ground forces and US and allied air support prepare themselves for an attempt to re-take the city of 1.5 million from ISIS rule. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter ICRC Regional Director Robert Mardini said the agency had reminded the allies trying to dislodge the militants - the Iraqi government, Kurdish authorities and the US-led coalition - of their duties under international humanitarian law. Iraqi soldiers on their way to fight ISIS in Mosul (Photo: Reuters) "But our ambition," said Mardini. "And we will do everything we can, (is) to establish dialogue with this group because it is holding the city of Mosul, and we absolutely need to have this dialogue kick-started. So all I can say now is we will continue to try and try harder," Mardini said. Photo: Reuters He did not say what channels the ICRC might use to contact the militants. "We need to keep hope, and maybe the situation in Mosul is a point in time when also all parties to the conflict, including ISIS, will see the benefits of having the basic rules of war and the basic rules of dignity prevailing in the battle because it gives guarantees for humane treatment of all." An Iraqi soldier on his way to Modul (Photo: Reuters) Iraqi and Kurdish forces closing in on Mosul said on Tuesday they had secured some 20 villages on the outskirts of the city in the first day of a US-backed operation to retake what is ISIS's last major stronghold in Iraq. Aid agencies are bracing for what they fear could be a humanitarian catastrophe. Some 900 ICRC staff are deployed across Iraq and have spent months gearing up for its response to the crisis, said Mardini. In the first phase of fighting, the ICRC is poised to provide food, water and shelter for nearly 270,000 people fleeing Mosul. While responding to the possibllity of ISIS using chemical weapons, Mardini said that the agency had reinforced 13 medical centers in areas surrounding Mosul, including one prepared to treat any victims of gas attacks. Explaining what he meant by the basic rules of warfare, Mardini said, "It means not targeting civilians, it means not targeting civilian infrastructure, it means not attacking medical facilities and medical personnel, it means avoiding use of heavy explosive weapons in densely populated areas." "Our message to those who are fighting is very simple: put civilians first. Preserve your humanity in the heat of battle, show that humanity matters to you." In the two years since it captured large tracts of Iraq and Syria and declared an Islamic caliphate, ISIS has become known for mass atrocities, including rape and beheadings, and Mardini acknowledged that appealing to its humanity might seem idealistic. "It might sound naive in the wake of what we have seen so far, but our position is to firmly pursue the same line and to bet on the humanity in each and every group involved in the fighting," he said. Activists who were aboard the Marmara flotilla that attempted to reach the Gaza Port in 2010 issued a statement Wednesday, saying they fear a Turkish court is set to halt a case brought by them because of a deal to restore ties between Israel and Turkey. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Relations between Israel and what was once one of its Muslim allies crumbled after Israeli marines stormed the Mavi Marmara ship in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Women at a pro-Palestinian protest outside the Israeli Embassy at Ankara (Photo: EPA) The court case has been brought on behalf of hundreds of people who claim they were wounded, assaulted or imprisoned during the raid. A still image from the IDF's takeover of the Mavi Maramara flotilla (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) An Istanbul high court will hold a hearing in the case, representing 740 activists from 37 countries, on Wednesday, four months after the two nations normalized relations. Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit "Our concern on behalf of the victims, who have all participated in this criminal case, is that it will be stopped by the court as a result of the treaty," said human rights lawyer Rodney Dixon. Turkish officials on Monday declined to comment on the case. Ya'akov Bolinet Alniak, a protestor who beat IDF soldiers aboard the Maramara and was later killed by a US airstrike in Syria Israel, which had already offered apologies for the raid one of Turkey's conditions for a deal, and one which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had initially refused agreed to pay $20 million to the families of those killed aboard the flotilla by IDF soldiers. A senior Turkish official has called the deal a "diplomatic victory." Under the accord, the naval blockade of Hamas-run Gaza, which Ankara wanted lifted, remained in force, but humanitarian aid was to keep going into Gaza via Israeli ports. Dixon said the agreement also specified that there would be no further criminal or civil proceedings over the raid. But he said halting the case would be contrary to international law and the European Convention on Human Rights. "If they end the case, then there could be legal avenues pursued both in Turkeyincluding before the constitutional courtand internationally including before the European Court of Human Rights," he said. The Pentagon seems to be pleased with how the Iraqi government's operation to free the city of Mosul from ISIS control is going, but even a successful blow to the global terrorist organization would have concerns of its own. The Syrian military fears that ISIS fighters fleeing into the country from Mosul could significantly impact fighting in the country's east. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter In addition, the European Union (EU) is also worried of the operation possible results. European Commissioner for the Security Union Julian King expressed concern that the retaking of Mosul could lead to many jihadists flowing into Europe. King stated that over 2,500 people have left Europe to join ISIS on different fronts, and that even the return of just a small number of them would be a threat. Iraqi troops participating in the Mosul operation. (Photo: Reuters) Indications are that Iraqi forces are advancing well, and are even ahead of schedule. Coalition forces have reportedly established posts near the city, and are preparing for another advance to come. The operation to retake Mosul is the largest conducted in Iraq since the US withdrew its forces from the country in 2011. The US Department of Defense emphasizes that no American soldiers are on ground, and that US forces are merely assisting in an advisory capacity. MOGADISHU- Somali police say at least seven are dead after hours of clashes as Somali and African Union troops pushed back al-Shabab extremists from a town near Mogadishu. The attacks in Afgoye started when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a Somali police station and African Union base. Gunmen then attacked military bases. Capt. Abdullahi Ali, a senior Somali military officer, says troops have now fully secured the town and the extremists have fled. This has been a long time in the making, but in our continuing pursuit to bring only the best of firearms, 2nd Amendment and defence related news to our readers, we are very excited to announce the next step in our evolution as a company. As of 2020, Minuteman Review is now the proud owner and operator of Your Defence News, a website with a long history of breaking huge news stories and investigative journalism. We hope you are equally as excited as us. This means that now the teams of Minuteman can combine with the firepower of Your Defence News to stay at the absolute forefront for our readers. Keep an eye. Big things are coming soon. We couldn't be more excited. In the meanwhile, here are some of our most popular posts and categories to keep you busy. Happy shootin' my friends! Buying Guides: Firearms Firearm Accessories Ammunition Gun Safes Scopes & Optics Hunting Air Rifles Best AR-15 Best AR 15 Scope Best Hunting Rifle Best Gun Safe Best AK 47 Best AR 10 Best Glock Triggers Best Glock Best Home Defense Shotgun A Georgia man killed his girlfriend and staged her death as a suicide outside her sisters rural Crawford County house earlier this month, according to court records. Prosecutors Monday charged Jimmy McDaniel, 49, in Crawford County Circuit Court with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Linda Kline, 53. Klines sister called 911 about 12:15 a.m. Oct. 5 after McDaniel said he found her hanging from a bird feeder in the backyard of her house on Velvet Lane in the town of Bridgeport. Police found McDaniel kneeling near Klines head trying to revive her with chest compressions. Kline was pronounced dead on scene. Klines body was under a T-shaped bird feeder with one end of an extension cord tied to the feeder, which broke when a sheriffs lieutenant tugged the loose end. McDaniel told authorities Kline said she was going outside to clear branches about 8:30 p.m. Oct. 4, according to the complaint. He told her they would finish the chore in the morning and walked to the bedroom. McDaniel said he went looking for his girlfriend about 15 minutes later when she wasnt on the couch and discovered her hanging from the bird feeder, according to the complaint. He said he lifted her body, slipped the cord from her neck and put her on the ground before pounding on the door for her sister to call 911. McDaniel could not account for the 3-hour gap between when he began searching for Kline and when he found her dead. Kline died of blunt force trauma to her head and face, according to the complaint. She also had finger marks on her neck and defensive wounds on her hands and forearms. Police arrested McDaniel Oct. 6 at a Prairie du Chien hotel while he was waiting for a ride to the La Crosse Regional Airport for a flight back to Georgia. Stiri pe aceeasi tema - A preliminary investigation of damages to the two Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Danish part of the Baltic Sea shows that the leaks were caused by powerful explosions, Copenhagen Police said in a statement on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Further investigations into the September 26 ruptures of - Salome Zourabichvili, the President of Georgia, will be received, on Tuesday, at the Cotroceni Palace by the President Klaus Iohannis, on the occasion of her official visit to Romania. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro - Salome Zourabichvili, the President of Georgia, will be received on Tuesday at the Cotroceni Palace by President Klaus Iohannis, on the occasion of her official visit to Romania. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro Help - President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that Romania's National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) has made great progress, becoming a model at the European level for a provider of expertise and best practices in the fight against corruption, although its journey was not free of obstacles, setbacks - President Klaus Iohannis declared, on Tuesday, at the UN General Assembly, that the war in Ukraine has global consequences and emphasized that Romania will continue to support this country. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro - Studies conducted by the World Bank on the decoupling of electricity prices from gas prices would be useful in making decisions in this regard, President Klaus Iohannis said Tuesday, at a bilateral meeting with the president of the World Bank Group, David R. Malpass, a press release from the Presidential - President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that the waste of energy must be avoided. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro Help your friends know more about Romania! Share this article on Facebook Share - The legal committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved, on Tuesday, the draft whistleblower law, under review at the request of President Klaus Iohannis, the Save Romania Union (USR) amendments being rejected, even though they would have facilitated the disclosure of irregularities in public institutions, JUNEAU A 20-year-old Randolph man accused of assaulting Randolph Police Chief Michael Klavekoske while being observed at Beaver Dam Community Hospital made his initial appearance in court on Monday. Brandon M. Washburn faces a felony charge of battery to a law enforcement officer, and misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. If he is found guilty he faces up to six years and seven months in jail and $11,500 in fines. Washburn appeared before Dodge County Circuit Court Commissioner Steven Seim who set a $1,000 signature bond. As a condition of his bond, Washburn may have no violent or abusive contact with anyone and may not use or possess any controlled substances or drug paraphernalia. According to the criminal complaint, one of Washburns family members contacted Randolph police on May 16 because of concerns over his mental health. The woman said that Washburn had told her that he had walked with his dog to a house seven miles away on May 13 after his dog had told him to break into the house to save a girl. Randolph police located a home near Cambria that had a break in similar to what the woman described. The woman said Washburn became upset with the dog because there was no girl to be found at the home. Officers had previous contact with Washburn. Officers were called to Randolph High School on May 12 because of a disturbance Washburn was causing at the school. According to the criminal complaint, Washburn told officers that he was at the school to get his transcripts. Randolph Police contacted Dodge County officials and they agreed to do an emergency detention on May 16. When police went to Washburns house, he admitted to possessing marijuana. Washburn was taken into custody and was taken to Beaver Dam Community Hospital. Washburn was calm initially, but became irritated and told officers that there was sinning going on and he wanted to leave the hospital. Washburn got out of his handcuffs several times. According to the criminal complaint, one of the times Washburn got out of the handcuffs he swung and punched Klavekoske. A struggle began and Washburn tried to grab Klavekoskes gun. Klavekoske gained control of the situation and a Dodge County Deputy drew his Taser in order to resolve the situation. Washburn was taken to Winnebago Mental Health Facility. He will appear in court again for a review hearing on Nov. 9 at 8:15 a.m. and again on Dec. 8 at 8:30 a.m. for a preliminary hearing. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Washington: Just as the 2016 US election is heading into the homestretch, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump clashed with Democrats and his own party on whether the election was rigged. "The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," Trump tweeted on Sunday. While he had brought up the possibility of a rigged election in the past, he stepped up the accusation recently after about a dozen women accused him of sexual assaults in the past, which the Trump campaign denied, Xinhua news agency reported. Trump's running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence meanwhile joined Trump in highlighting the idea that the election was being rigged against the GOP ticket. But in a speech on Sunday, Pence said he and Trump would "absolutely" accept the results of the election. Trump's claim of a rigged election was met with immediate rejection from the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the White House. Calling Trump's claim of a rigged election a tactic of desperation, the Clinton campaign over the last weekend issued a statement expressing confidence of the fairness of the election. "Participation in voting should be encouraged, not dismissed or undermined because a candidate is afraid he's going to lose," said the statement. "This election will have record turnout, because voters see through Donald Trump's shameful attempts to undermine an election weeks before it happens," it added. Green Bay/Washington: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday cited studies he said showed rampant voter fraud, saying the Nov. 8 election was "rigged" against him even as Republican lawyers called his allegations unfounded. Trump, a New York businessman making his first run for public office, has sought to raise fears of a flawed election as he has fallen in opinion polls against Democrat Hillary Clinton. "They even want to try to rig the election at the polling place," Trump told a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. "So many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is very, very common." Trump cited Pew Trusts research from 2012 that called for updates to the voter registration system because about 24 million registrations were inaccurate. He also referred to a 2014 article by two political scientists in the Washington Post that said non-citizens who voted could have accounted for Democratic victories in a few close elections in 2008, although the authors acknowledged the sample size of their study was small. Numerous studies have shown that voter fraud in U.S. elections is very rare. Republican campaign lawyer Chris Ashby said Trump`s charges could foment unrest and were unfounded and dangerous. "When you say an election is rigged, youre telling voters, your supporters, their votes do not matter, Ashby said in an interview. "I think some of Donald Trumps comments could cause unrest at the polls." Some Republicans have urged Trump to drop the assertions. Early voting and voting by mail have already begun in many states. Mark Braden, partner at Baker and Hostetler and former chief counsel for the Republican National Committee, said that any sort of election rigging at the national level just is impossible, citing the various systems in place that would make such an endeavour complicated and unfeasible. Our system is principally a system based upon each side watching the other side, Braden said in an interview. Our system is dependent on local volunteer participation. Our system has worked very well because we have people who get involved in the process and perform these functions. Trump also pounced on the release on Monday of Federal Bureau of Investigation documents that he alleged showed "felony corruption." The documents cited an FBI official as saying a senior State Department official sought to pressure the bureau in 2015 to drop its insistence that an email from Clinton`s private server contained classified information.. Clinton`s decision to use a private server while secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 has drawn criticism that she was careless with national security. "This is worse than Watergate, what`s going on with this," said Trump. He also proposed a package of ethics reforms, saying that if elected he would ban his administration officials from lobbying government for five years after leaving government. `NOT GOING TO BE RIGGED` Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said Trump`s assault on the voting system was an act of desperation. "He knows he`s losing and is trying to blame that on the system. This is what losers do," Mook told reporters. The RealClearPolitics average of national opinion polls shows Clinton currently leading Trump by 7.1 percentage points, at 46 percent to 38.9 percent. The country`s top elected Republican, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, tried to counter Trump`s message about election fraud. Spokeswoman AshLee Strong said Ryan "is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity." In the traditionally hard-fought state of Ohio, the top elections official, a Republican, said concerns about widespread voter fraud were simply not justified. "I can reassure Donald Trump: I am in charge of elections in Ohio and they`re not going to be rigged, I`ll make sure of that," Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted told CNN. In a report titled "The Truth About Voter Fraud," the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law cited voter fraud incident rates between 0.00004 percent and 0.0009 percent. An August study by the Washington Post found 31 credible cases of impersonation fraud out of more than 1 billion votes cast in elections from 2000 to 2014. Arizona State University studies in 2012 and 2016 found similarly low rates. A number of Republican-led states, citing the need to prevent voter fraud, have passed laws with stricter ID requirements. But several have been struck down by courts that ruled they were designed to hinder minority voting. MELANIA TRUMP SPEAKS OUT Trump`s campaign has been shaken since the release 10 days ago of a 2005 tape showing him lewdly bragging about kissing and touching women without their permission. A series of women have since come forward with allegations about such behaviour on his part, but he has denied those accusations. "They want to put nice sexy headlines up even though nothing happened," Trump said, blaming the media for trying to "poison the minds of the voters." On Monday, the allegations were in the headlines again after Trump`s wife, Melania Trump, spoke publicly for the first time about the "Access Hollywood" tape. A former model who has mainly stayed off the campaign trail, Trump told CNN she was surprised by her husband`s language and said she thought he had been "egged on" to "say dirty and bad stuff," calling it "boy talk." Melania Trump told CNN that the allegations of unwanted touching from women were "all organised from the opposition" and said media did not "check the background of these women." In a separate interview with Fox News Channel, she said she had forgiven her husband for the comments in the tape. "Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. And he apologised to me," Melania Trump said in an excerpt released by Fox News Channel. "I accept his apology. And we are moving on," she said. Washington: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released some 100 pages relating to its investigation of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's use of a private e-mail server during her tenure as Secretary of State. Clinton, while acknowledging in hindsight that she made a mistake in bypassing the official communications channels, has insisted she did not knowingly send or receive classified information via the server, located in the basement of her home in Chappaqua, New York, EFE news reported. One of the documents published on Monday cites an FBI agent saying that the State Department's top administrative official sought to persuade investigators to retroactively declassify a classified item found in the e-mails. The agent, whose name was redacted, "indicated he had been contacted by Patrick Kennedy, Undersecretary of State, who had asked his assistance in altering the e-mail's classification in exchange for a 'quid pro quo'," the FBI document stated. "In exchange for marking the e-mail unclassified, State would reciprocate by allowing the FBI to place more agents in countries where they are presently forbidden," the document said. The e-mail in question had to do with the September 2012 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the deaths of the ambassador and three other Americans. There was "no quid pro quo", State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Monday when asked about the document during his daily session with reporters. Toner added that disagreement among agencies about the proper classification of documents is common. The FBI likewise denied any notion of a quid pro quo. Clinton's opponent, Republican Donald Trump, was not convinced by the assurances from the State Department and the FBI, reacting to the Kennedy document with a one-word tweet: "Unbelievable". A Trump ally, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, said the new documents "provide undeniable proof that Clinton colluded with the FBI, Department of Justice and State Department to cover up criminal activity at the highest levels." "If any person had done a fraction of what she (Clinton) has done with our sensitive information, they would be criminally charged and those in our military would be court-martialed," the former head of the Defence Intelligence Agency said in a statement. District of Columbia: The United States on Tuesday denied charges from WikiLeaks that Washington asked Ecuador to cut the Internet connection of the website`s founder Julian Assange. WikiLeaks on Monday alleged that Assange`s Internet access was cut Saturday after it published private speeches by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to Goldman Sachs. Assange has been staying at the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012 to evade prosecution by Sweden over a rape allegation. In a series of tweets beginning late Monday, the anti-secrecy site said it learned from "multiple sources" that Ecuador cut off Assange`s internet connection at the behest of US Secretary of State John Kerry. But State Department spokesman John Kirby, in a brief statement, denied that Washington had played any role in the move. "While our concerns about WikiLeaks are longstanding, any suggestion that Secretary Kerry or the State Department were involved in shutting down WikiLeaks is false," Kirby said. "Reports that Secretary Kerry had conversations with Ecuadorian officials about this are simply untrue. Period." On Saturday, WikiLeaks published three private, paid speeches Clinton made to Wall Street investment giant Goldman Sachs, after she left her position as secretary of state and before launching her White House bid. Clinton`s campaign team, which has not contested the authenticity of the documents, accused WikiLeaks and the Russian government leaking them in an effort to help Donald Trump, her Republican rival for White House. Karachi; A Mirage fighter jet of Pakistan Air Force crashed on Tuesday while on a routine training flight, killing the pilot. The French-made fighter jet took off from Masroor base and crashed during flight at Musharraf colony, about 16 km from the base, a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) spokesman said. The pilot was killed while trying to steer away the aircraft from residential localities, he said. "The flight was on a routine training mission when it crashed. Orders have been issued for an inquiry into the crash," he said. Police said the aircraft crashed near Musharraf colony which is close to the Masroor airbase in Karachi. "It crashed at a desolate spot so there was no casualties or damage on ground," the official said. Rescue teams have reached the site of the crash. In September, a PAF fighter jet had crashed and its pilot killed in the country's northwestern Khyber agency bordering Afghanistan. Last year, a double-seat version of F-7PG PAF fighter jet, which was on a routine training mission, caught fire and crashed near Mastung district of Baluchistan province. Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was on Tuesday re-elected the President of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) unopposed as the nomination papers of his only rival were rejected. During scrutiny, the nomination papers of another candidate Sardar Prince Baloch were rejected by Chief Election Commissioner Chaudhary Jaffar Iqbal, The News International reported. Sharif lambasted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan after being re-elected as the president of the ruling party, saying the PTI leadership spent its time on containers (a reference to Imran Khan making a container his base during an agitation) and dancing instead of serving Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. "Today the people of KP are searching for their elected leader. They are searching for those who promised them a 'Naya Pakistan' but they are only found on containers," he said. Senior party leader Raja Zafarul Haq was elected PML-N chairman. Dhaka: Seven operatives of Bangladesh's outlawed JMB were arrested here over charges of robbery, police said today, amid a security clampdown following the July 1 worst terror attack at a cafe. "Our Counter Terrorism Unit arrested them last night from Tejgaon area with huge golden ornaments... They are believed to be members of JMB (Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh) and currently involved in robbery to run their activities," a police spokesman told PTI. The special police unit also seized from them four pistols, a laptop, several lakhs of taka and valuables which they were believed to have looted earlier, he added. The development came amid an anti-militancy security clampdown since the July 1 terrorist attack on a Dhaka cafe when 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed. MADISON The Lands End Shop at Sears at Madisons West Towne Mall will close on Oct. 23. The company said its location at Prairie Towne Center, 209 Junction Road in Madison remains open. As of July 29, Lands End operated 224 shops at Sears stores around the U.S., which is five fewer than it had through July 31, 2015. Sears Holdings has been closing Sears and Kmart stores around the country in an effort to boost company profitability. Lands End said in its Sept. 1 10-Q filing that the success of its retail segment depends on the performance of its Lands End Shops at Sears. The Sears store at West Towne is being shrunk down to 56,000 square feet, which is about half its current size, and redeveloped for other tenants, according to a plan announced in July. About 31,000 square feet of the redeveloped space will be occupied by the gaming and restaurant chain Dave & Busters. Lands End products also can be purchased through the companys website at www.landsend.com. Wellington: A US Navy warship will visit New Zealand next month for the first time since the 1980s, ending a 30-year-old military stalemate between the countries that was triggered when New Zealand banned nuclear warships. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced today that he had given clearance for the destroyer USS Sampson to visit during celebrations marking the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th anniversary. The visit marks a continued thaw in military relations, which turned frosty when New Zealand enacted its nuclear-free policy in the mid-1980s. The policy prevents ships that have nuclear weapons or are nuclear powered from visiting. Because the US won't officially confirm or deny if its ships have nuclear capabilities, New Zealand had imposed a blanket ban on US ships. But Key said he'd taken advice from his own officials and was "100 per cent confident" the USS Sampson wasn't nuclear powered or carrying nuclear weapons. "I think it's a sign of the fact that the relationship between New Zealand and the United States is truly in the best shape it's been since the anti-nuclear legislation was passed," Key said. "All of those last vestiges of the dispute that we had have really been put to one side." Key said he didn't think the result of the upcoming US presidential election would affect the relationship. The dispute began in 1985 when the New Zealand government refused to allow a US destroyer to visit. The US responded by downgrading its military ties. New Zealand passed its nuclear-free law in 1987. The relationship improved after 2001, said Rear Admiral John Martin, the chief of the New Zealand Navy, when New Zealand agreed to send special forces and later a reconstruction team to Afghanistan. The US and New Zealand signed defence agreements in 2010 and 2012. "We've been working with the US Navy for many decades and we're looking forward to hosting them down here," Martin said. "A birthday is not complete without your friends." Mark Gilbert, the US ambassador in Wellington, said the visit helped clarify the improvement in the relationship. He said the US and New Zealand shared similar values and had much in common, from culture to tourism. Patna: Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday termed all Bihar government advisors as "white elephants" and asked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to sack them. "All advisors to the Bihar government are white elephants...They are not doing anything worthwhile but some of them have been found to be flexing muscle to obstruct development works," he alleged. A white elephants refers to a possession whose cost is out of proportion of its usefulness. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of 'Janata Durbar' at his official residence, Sushil said the chief minister should sack all the advisors to the state government at once as none of them were making meaningful contributions to development works. The Nitish Kumar government has three prominent advisors, namely Prashant Kishore who advises the Chief Minister on policies and programme implementation; P K Rai, Energy Advisor to the Chief Minister and retired IAS official Sudhir Kumar, an advisor to Road Construction Department headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav, the younger son of the RJD supremo Lalu Prasad. Modi claimed that Kishore had not bothered to come to Bihar in the past five months and thus one could make an appraisal about his contributions in advisory role. "It is due to Kumar's adamant attitude to brazen it out with the Railway Ministry on grant of sanction for six ROBs that the construction of 90 ROBs in Vaishali and Saran districts has not started over the past 18 months," the former Deputy Chief Minister alleged. Demanding immediate intervention of the chief minister to ensure speedy construction of the ROBs, he said the construction would boost connectivity in the two districts and beyond. Raipur: A naxal was today killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the outskirts of a town in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said. "The skirmish took place in the wee hours close to Pota Cabin school under?Konta police station limits leaving one Maoist dead," Sukma Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elesela told PTI. Villagers had informed police last night that 5 to 6 armed men were spotted near the school in Konta town, located around 500 kms away from here, he said. Acting on inputs, a joint team of district force and CRPF's 217 battalion launched a search operation in the region. While they were cordoning off a patch close to the school at around 4 AM, a gun battle broke out between the two sides, the SP said, adding that the rebels, however, fled from the spot taking the advantage of darkness and forest. During search, the body of a male Maoist beside a country- made pistol and a muzzle loading gun was recovered from the spot, Elesela said. A search is still underway. The identity of the killed ultra is yet to be ascertained, he added. Prima facie it appears that the ultras might have planned to target surrendered cadres or security forces in the town, he said, adding, the exact details will be known after investigation. New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday directed Delhi government to convene a meeting of concerned authorities to come up with a solution to tackle the worsening air quality in the national capital, after being told that the odd-even scheme has not helped in curbing pollution. The direction to hold such a meeting soon was given by a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar to the Delhi Chief Secretary, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and other stakeholders. The order came after Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said there was no improvement in air quality in Delhi during the second week of the odd-even scheme in April. In fact, as per its report, the ambient air quality in Delhi during the odd-even implementation period was found to have deteriorated further than the level when the restriction was not in force, it said. "The counsel appearing for CPCB on instructions says there has been no improvement in ambient air quality of Delhi during implementation of odd-even scheme...The Chief Secretary, NCT of Delhi shall conduct a meeting in relation to ambient air quality in Delhi," the bench said. The matter was listed for next hearing on November 16. Earlier, the apex pollution monitoring body had told NGT that the decline in vehicular emission in the second week of odd-even was not a dominant enough factor to impact the pollution levels. The CPCB had monitored several pollutants between April 1-14 before the odd-even period and April 15-30 during it, to arrive at the conclusion. The NGT was hearing a petition filed by scientist Mahendra Pandey who had sought independent monitoring of air quality index and alleged that vehicular emission was not a major contributing factor to pollution. In his petition, while referring to an IIT Roorkee study, Pandey had claimed that no significant change in air quality was registered during the first phase of the scheme which was earlier in force between January 1 and 15. New Delhi: Rejecting Delhi Police application seeking remand of Aam Aadmi Party MLA and party in-charge of Gujarat affairs Gulab Singh Yadav, who was recently arrested from Surat in an extortion case, a Delhi court on Tuesday sent him to 14-day judicial custody. Yadav, who was arrested from Gujarat and brought to New Delhi on transit remand, was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Kishor Kumar who remanded him to judicial custody. The police sought five-day custody of Delhis Matiala legislator saying they needed to interrogate him as it seemed that an organised extortion racket was being run. The police plea was opposed by Yadavs counsel who said the other accused in the case have already been granted bail. Last month, two property dealers, Deepak Sharma and Rinku Diwan, had alleged that Satish and Devinder, who worked in Yadavs office, and an associate Jagdish were extorting money from them by threatening to get a building, where the property dealers were operating from, demolished. A case under section 384 (punishment for extortion) IPC was registered at Bindapur police station on September 13. Following this, a non-bailable warrant was issued against the MLA on October 14 for allegedly not joining probe. Police had alleged that the MLA was arrested under charge of running an extortion racket and there was concrete evidence against him for his arrest. It had alleged that the probe and statements by the arrested accused have revealed that it was an organised extortion syndicate with links to Yadav and he was the kingpin of the extortion exercise and its management. New Delhi: JNU administration has requested all relevant Central agencies, including National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) and CBI for help in tracing a student who has been missing since Saturday even as the campus continued to be on the edge with protests continuing for the fourth day. Classes were also boycotted due to the strike called by the JNU students union. A student of School of Biotechnology, Najeeb Ahmed, allegedly went missing on Saturday following a brawl on the campus the night before. An FIR for kidnapping and wrongfully confining a person was lodged at Vasant Kunj North police station yesterday after the police received a complaint from the student's guardians. Asserting that the university is seeking help from all relevant Central agencies to help trace Ahmad, JNU said in a statement, that "Delhi police have been approached to investigate the matter and the administration is regularly in communication with the police. Police has informed that they have already registered a case under section IPC 365 and doing the investigations". "All PCR vans in Delhi and all SSPs throughout India have been alerted and efforts are being made to trace the student. Further, the police has intimated all the six neighbouring states and put the information on Zip-net in Northern Zone. Moreover, all relevant central agencies, including NCRB and missing section of CBI have been requested for help," it added. The situation remained tense with the left-backed JNUSU and ABVP levelling allegations and counter-allegations. ABVP alleged that there is inconsistency in the statements of the JNUSU president Mohit Pandey and the roommate of Najeeb Ahmad and demanded a probe. Meanwhile, a group of students of Mahi-Mandvi wrote to the chief proctor specifying nine names claiming that they came to the hostel on Friday night and assaulted him. Also former JNUSU joint secretary, Saurabh Sharma, an ABVP member has been asked by the chief proctor to appear on October 21 for some clarification. However, the reason behind the summon is not clear from the letter. ABVP also staged a protest at the administrative block demanding efforts from the administration and police to find Ahmad. London- A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of rape following an alleged incident inside Britain's Houses of Parliament, London police said on Tuesday. The attack reportedly took place in the early hours of last Friday and the suspect, who police have not named, was detained later that day. Police said he was not a lawmaker, he had been released on bail until January pending further inquiries. A spokesman for the House of Commons, one of Britains most recognisable buildings on the banks of the River Thames in Westminster, said they were aware of the incident and parliament was working closely with police. Delhi: All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi met Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit in Delhi on Tuesday. They discussed the situation in J&K, as per ANI. Meanwhile, the situation in unrest-hit Kashmir, which continued to be curfew-free for third day today, was by and large peaceful as security forces foiled separatists' plans to hold protests in the city and elsewhere. Many shops and business establishments including petrol pumps were open in Sanat Nagar, Jawahar Nagar, Rajbagh and Bishembar Nagar, though outlets remained closed in commercial hub of Lal Chowk and adjoining areas, a police official said. "The situation across Kashmir Valley is by and large peaceful. There are no reports of any untoward incident from anywhere," a police official said. A large number of roadside vendors set up their stalls on the TRC crossing-Batamaloo axis passing through Lal Chowk while a good number of private vehicles were plying. The movement of traffic was thin compared to yesterday apparently due to burning of two commercial taxis by unidentified youths in Parimpora area on Srinagar-Baramulla national highway yesterday. Kashmir continued to be curfew-free for third day but security forces were deployed in strength at various spots prone to protests and street violence, officials said. "Security forces have been deployed in sensitive areas to maintain law and order as also to instill a sense of security among the people so that they can carry out their day to day activities without fear," they said, as per PTI. However, reports of minor clashes were reported from Rahmoo in Pulwama district of south Kashmir and Naugam in Chadoora area of central Kashmir's Budgam district after some people tried to stage demonstrations in response to the separatists' call. The separatists had asked people to "assemble and occupy" roads including in Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the city. Authorities foiled the separatists' plan by deploying security forces in strength in and around Lal Chowk and other vulnerable areas. The shutdown has affected schools, colleges and other educational institutions which continued to remain shut in the Valley, which is struggling to return to normalcy following the violence which erupted after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani. The unrest which has left 84 people dead and several thousand injured has dealt a severe blow to the economy and the development works with major projects now in limbo. Over 300 persons have been booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) for the violent protests. (With Agency inputs) Bhubaneswar: The death toll in the Bhubaneswar's Sum Hospital fire has risen to 24. PM Narendra Modi has spoken to Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and assured all possible support from Centre. Spoke to CM @Naveen_Odisha about the distressing hospital fire tragedy. Assured all possible support from the Centre. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 Also spoken to Minister @dpradhanbjp and asked him to ensure all possible help to the injured and affected. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 Spoke to Minister @JPNadda & asked him to facilitate transfer of all those injured to AIIMS. Hope the injured recover quickly. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 A major fire had broken out at the Sum Hospital here on Monday evening, in one of the worst such incidents involving a medical facility in Odisha. "Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. The tragedy is mind-numbing. My thoughts are with bereaved families (sic)," PM Narendra Modi tweeted. Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. The tragedy is mind-numbing. My thoughts are with bereaved families. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 While 14 patients were received 'brought dead' at the Capital Hospital, eight were 'brought dead' to AMRI Hospital from the fire-struck private medical facility, officials said. The Capital Hospital Superintendent Dr Binod Kumar Mishra said, "We have received 14 dead bodies, while five other patients have been shifted from Sum Hospital." Meanwhile, AMRI Hospital (Bhubaneswar) unit head Dr Salil Kumar Mohanty said, "A total of 37 patients were received at our casualty ward. Our doctors have declared eight persons as brought dead." "Most of the victims were in the first floor ICU of the ill-fated Sum Hospital," a doctor at the Capital Hospital said. Voicing "serious" concern over the fire incident at the Sum Hospital, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik described the mishap as "very tragic". He directed the government hospitals to provide necessary treatment to patients shifted from Sum Hospital and requested all private hospitals to extend treatment to the patients from ill-fated medical facility. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of the private hospital which spread to the nearby Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The fire rapidly spread to other areas on the same floor of the four-storeyed hospital building. The commissionerate of police and fire brigade personnel along with volunteers and hospital staff launched a massive rescue operation as more than 500 indoor patients were trapped in the building, hospital officials said. At least seven fire tenders were pressed into service to control the blaze and over a dozen ambulances deployed to shift the critical patients to other hospitals. Many patients were rescued by breaking window panes, an eyewitness said. Meanwhile, the state government has ordered a high-level probe by the Director, Medical Education and Training, into the incident. New Delhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday expressed grief over the loss of lives in the fire mishap at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. Gandhi extended her condolences to the families of those who were bereaved in the "most unfortunate tragedy" that happened last night leaving 22 dead. She has instructed the Pradesh Congress Committee and workers of the party to reach out to the victims and their families, the Congress said in a statement. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of the private hospital which spread to the nearby Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A Janesville man who was honking his horn in Beloit Monday night was arrested for his alleged seventh drunken driving offense. Robert Maciulis, 50, was taken into custody on the felony charge, Beloit police said. A resident called police with a noise complaint on Bluff Street. He dropped someone off on Bluff Street and was honking the horn waiting for the person to come back out," police said. Arriving officers talked to Maciulis about the noise, and arrested him for alleged drunken driving. "Thanks to the folks who called in the noise complaint," police said. "Your actions helped us take a person, who can be just as dangerous as a person firing a gun into a crowd, off the street." London: The British government will on Tuesday extradite a 40-year-old man, wanted in India in connection with the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat, to stand trial. Scotland Yard had arrested Samir Vinubhai Patel in west London in August on a Red Corner Notice issued by the Indian authorities. His extradition order was signed by UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd on September 22 and now the "surrender arrangements" have been finalised. It marks the first extradition from the UK since the signing of the India-UK Extradition Treaty in 1992. Patel was arrested in India but released on bail. He jumped bail and escaped to the UK. "Following Government of India's request for extradition, Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, an Indian national, is being extradited on 18th October 2016 to face trial in India," the Indian High Commission said in a statement on Monday. "Patel is facing trial in connection with post-Godhra riots in India in 2002. He is charged with the offence under Section 302 of the IPC, along with 43 other accused. The offences include being member of an unlawful assembly; rioting and murder. The accused was arrested in India and was on bail and after jumping bail had escaped to the UK," the statement added. According to the Gujarat Police, Patel is wanted in connection with riots in Ode village of Anand district. A team of officials from India will take him into their custody to fly back to India today. "On September 22, the Secretary of State (Amber Rudd), having carefully considered all relevant matters, signed the order for Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel's extradition to India. "He is accused, whilst being part of a rioting mob, of three counts of murder, two counts of using unlawful violence with others for a common purpose and one count of arson," a UK Home Office spokesperson had confirmed last week. On March 1, 2002, 23 people from the Muslim community were burnt alive in a house in Pirwali Bhagol area of Ode village. Patel along with two others, who are still at large, is accused of being part of the riot mob at that time. Patel's whereabouts were traced to a home in Hounslow, west London, after which Scotland Yard arrested him on August 9. "On August 9, officers from the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) extradition unit attended an address in Beavers Lane, Hounslow and arrested Samir Vinubhai Patel, aged 40, on a warrant issued under section 71 Extradition Act 2003. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on August 10, 2016," a Scotland Yard statement said. "We can confirm that Patel has consented to his extradition to India. However, we are unable to comment on any surrender arrangements as this is an operational matter for the police," a UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) statement added. (With Agency inputs) New Delhi: One of Indian Army's top commander in Jammu and Kashmir, Tuesday, assured the nation of the preparedness of his forces to deal with any misadventure from across the LoC. Lt Gen Satish Dua, GOC 15 Corps, said, Indian army is prepared to deal with any misadventure from across the LoC. On the surgical strikes carried out Indian Army special forces, Lt Gen Dua said, Appropriate authorities have given out their opinion,I obviously don't have any different point of view. Ever since the surgical strike on Sep 29, Pakistani forces have violated the ceasefire a number of times but the Indian Army has also given a strong response to such acts of aggression. Yesterday, Pakistani troops fired from small arms and shelled mortar bombs on forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from Indian troops. "There was ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Naushera sector of Rajouri district", a Defence Spokesman said. Pakistani troops fired 82 mm mortar bombs, used small and automatic weapons in the firing on forward Indian posts in Laam Battalion area in Naushera from 2030 hours to 0130 hours, the spokesman said. Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in the ceasefire violation. Few rounds were also fired in Naushera sector late last night. New Delhi/Ayodhya: Amid intense politics over his Ayodhya visit, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said on Tuesday that he is honoured to have visited the holy city and assured that a grand Ram Temple is not far from turning into a reality. Addressing a huge gathering in Ayodhya, Sharma said, It is my honour to visit Ayodhya and work for Ram Lalla.'' He also assured the saint community and the majority Hindus that though the purpose of his Ayodhya visit is 'development', there is no one denying that a grand Ram Temple would be built here sooner or later. Sharma also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending him to Ayodhya to explore how the holy city could become a major tourist centre and create job opportunities for unemployed local youths. PM Narendra Modi, who is being recognised as global leaders by even the most powerful leaders of the world, has already initiated the process for construction of a Ram Temple here, he added. Sharma arrived in the holy city this morning and said that promoting tourism and development of the area is his key priority. Talking to reporters shortly after his arrival here, Sharma said, I have come here to explore the prospects of developing the area, creating more employment opportunities for youths and promoting the city as a key tourism centre.'' When quizzed about his planned visit to the disputed Ram Temple site, Sharma said, ''I will meet everyone including the saints, listen to their suggestions and then proceed to inspect a site for construction of a Ramayana museum dedicated to Lord Ram.'' Mahesh Sharma, however, confirmed that he would be visiting the makeshift temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex later. "My visit to Ayodhya has nothing to do with UP Assembly Elections. I am visiting Ayodhya as a Tourism Minister. It should not be linked to politics but is part of government's effort to improve tourism in Ayodhya and all over the country. The visit is part of govt's developmental agenda," he had said earlier. However, coinciding with Sharma's Ayodhya visit, hard-boiled Sangh leader Vinay Katiyar today said that Hindus would be satisfied with nothing less than a beautiful and grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Katiyar, who is also the Bajrang Dal national president, termed the move to construct a Ramayana museum as a ''lollipop''. Wherever I go, saints ask me when will the construction of Ram Temple start, he said. Pitching for a grand Ram Temple, Katiyar said that efforts are being made to divert attention from main issues by the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government in Uttar Pradesh. What is the point in making two museums - one by Samajwadi Party government and the other by Centre in the name of Ram Lalla, he asked. Must Read: Mahesh Sharma to inspect site in Ayodhya today Katiyar, however, said that sincere efforts should be made for the construction of Ram Temple, not just fancy announcements aimed at wooing the electorate. Though Sharma downplayed any political motive behind his Ayodhya visit, the move is being seen as an attempt to woo pro-Hindutva elements over the contentious issue of Ram temple ahead of Uttar Pradesh polls in 2017. The proposed museum has revived the demand for construction of Ram temple, with BJP hardliners like Union Minister Uma Bharti too pitching for it on Monday. Katiyar yesterday went on to demand tabling of a legislation in the Lok Sabha where the BJP-led NDA has a "massive majority". "Why only Subramanian Swamy, every devotee of Ram wants the temple to be constructed soon. Until that happens we cannot live in peace. Be it through a bill in Parliament, through dialogue or a court verdict, the government has to find a solution. Must Read: Ramayana museum 'lollipop' not acceptable, need a Ram Temple in Ayodhya: Vinay Katiyar "Of course, we don't have a majority in the Rajya Sabha, but a bill for construction of the temple can be brought in the Lok Sabha where we have a massive majority. The Ram temple was also a part of BJP's election manifesto," he said, adding "no deadline can be set for the government on this issue". Uma Bharti, another stormy petrel of the Ram temple movement, said, "The issue is what we, the agitators, were claiming as the place where Lord Ram was born was indeed that place or not. A three-judge bench (of Allahabad High Court) agreed with our contention. "What is under challenge is the dispute over land between the Waqf Board and Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, not that whether Ram was born there or not," she said Earlier, BSP supremo Mayawati, a major contender to power in the key battleground state, Congress and the DMK criticised the move, saying it was being made for "electoral benefits". The land for the proposed museum has been provided by the Uttar Pradesh government. "Developing tourism in Ayodhya is good but, how come the Narendra Modi government thought of developing the Ramayana Sangrahalay (museum) and the state government of Ramleela theme park just before the Assembly polls," she said in a release in Lucknow. "Linking religion with politics and electoral gains by these governments is condemnable...had they really been so concerned about these issues, they would have thought about them long ago," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. Congress leader and former Union minister RPN Singh too accused the Modi government and BJP of invoking Ram months ahead of the assembly polls due early next year for deriving political mileage out of it. Muzaffarnagar: Members of the National Commission for Minorities have criticised the report of National Human Rights Commission on the alleged migration of several families from Kairana in Shamli district, saying people had left the town for their businesses. Last evening two reporters of the minorities panel Praveen Davar and Farida Abdulla Khan said the report of National Human Rights Commission is not based on facts but on "communal flavour". The members, who had visited Kairana and Muzaffarnagar, said the migration of Kairana was not of communal nature. They said people of both Hindu and Muslim communities had left Kairana to pursue better business opportunities in other places. They said the people had not migrated due to fear from a particular community. The NHRC probe team had found that many families "migrated" from Kairana due to threats pertaining to "increase in crime" and "deterioration" of law and order there. It was found that in 2013, after resettlement of about 25,000-30,000 members of Muslims community in Kairana town from Muzaffarnagar, the demography of Kairana town changed in favour of the Muslim community", becoming the "more dominating and majority community". "Most of the witnesses examined and victims feel that the rehabilitation in 2013 has permanently changed the social situation in Kairana town and has led to further deterioration of law-and-order situation," said the team's findings. At least 24 witnesses said the youths of a "specific majority community" in Kairana "pass lewd/taunting remarks" against the females of a "specific minority community" as per the NHRC findings. Due to this, females of the specific minority community in Kairana avoided going outside frequently. "Some of the displaced persons also verified that it was one of the reasons for their migration from Kairana town," the NHRC said quoting the team's findings. Jehanabad (Bihar): A mob on Monday set the 'Vajra Vahan' (anti-riot vehicle) of police on fire after a minor boy was crushed to death by the police vehicle in Bihar's Jehanabad district. Fifteen-year-old Chhotan Manjhi was going to his village Yadubigaha from Naihalpur on bicycle when he was crushed to death by the police vehicle near Naihalpur village under Paras Bigaha police station area of the district, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Ashfaque Ansari said. "Following the incident, villagers of Yadubigaha, Naihalpur and other adjoining areas set the police vehicle on fire in protest against the incident and also blocked the NH-110," the SDPO said. The police team which went to clear the blockade had to retreat after local villagers hurled stones in which a sub-inspector, R N Yadav suffered minor injuries. Later, SDPO Ashfaque Ansari and Sub-Divisional officer Nawal Kishore Choudhary reached the spot with heavy reinforcements and cleared the blockade after chasing the villagers. The officers also talked to the family members of the deceased in order to clear the blockade. "The body of the deceased has been sent for post-mortem to Jehanabad Sadar Hospital," Ansari said adding that the police are identifying those involved in arson and stone pelting. New Delhi, Oct 18 Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday called on President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. Suu Kyi, the Myanmar Foreign Minister, also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan where she was accorded a ceremonial reception earlier. "State Counsellor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi calls on the President Pranab Mukherjee, at Rashtrapati Bhavan," the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting tweeted. Suu Kyi, who is on three-day visit here post the Brics-Bimstec Summit in Goa, also met with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "Boosting ties with Myanmar. Ceremonial welcome for State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is followed by a meeting with Sushma Swaraj," spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry, Vikas Swarup tweeted. She also visited Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. , who is on three-day visit here post the BRICS-BIMSTEC Summit in Goa, also met with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "Boosting ties with Myanmar. Ceremonial welcome for State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is followed by a meeting with Sushma Swaraj," spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry, Vikas Swarup tweeted. She also visited Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. New Delhi: The Patiala House Court will on Thursday pronounce its order on whether to summon Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani on a complaint filed against her for allegedly giving false information regarding her academic qualifications. Irani had given information about her educational qualifications in affidavits to the Election Commission to contest various elections. In June last year, a case was filed by freelance writer Ahmed Khan, who accused Irani of providing contradictory affidavits about her educational qualifications during different elections. Khan's lawyer had informed the court that Irani, in her affidavit for 2004 Lok Sabha elections, stated her educational qualification as B A from Delhi University (school of correspondence). However, while filing affidavit in her Rajya Sabha nomination papers from Gujarat in 2011, she said her highest educational qualification was B.com, Part 1 (correspondence course) from Delhi University. Panaji: In an apparent reference to Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said, state sponsored and state protected terrorism is the biggest challenge, the international community is facing today. Briefing the press on the recently concluded BRICS Summit, the Union Minister asserted that terrorism is universally recognised as a key threat to peace and has become a global challenge. BRICS Summit saw a growing recognition that there cannot be business as usual when it comes to dealing with terrorism, Swaraj said. In the wake of several SAARC nations coming out in support of New Delhi following the Uri attack and the subsequent cancellation of the bloc's summit in Islamabad, India on Monday said Pakistan has been isolated due to its own policies and it has nothing to do with it. "If someone has been isolated, it is due to the country's own policies. India has had nothing to do with it," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said at a press briefing after the 8th BRICS Summit here. He was asked whether India had embarked on a drive to isolate Pakistan after the Pathankot attack as the decision to hold the BIMSTEC Summit alongside the BRICS Summit here was taken in April itself. "All SAARC nations unitedly said the SAARC Summit cannot take place in Islamabad in an atmosphere of terror," Swarup said. However, to India's dismay, China strongly defended Islamabad, its "all-weather" friend, for making "great sacrifices in fighting terrorism". The Chinese support to Pakistan came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without naming Pakistan at the Goa BRICS Summit, said the "mothership" of terrorism was in India's neighbourhood. Srinagar: Pakistan violated ceasefire twice overnight by resorting to firing and shelling along the Line of Control in Jammu region's Rajouri district, said the Indian Army on Tuesday. "The shelling and firing in the Naushera sector began at 8.30 pm on Monday night and continued till 1.30 am today (Tuesday)," defence sources told news agency IANS. "They used 82 mm mortars and automatics. No damage or casualties were reported." One Indian soldier was killed when Pakistani troops started firing in the same area on Sunday. Srinagar: In a major success for the security forces, terrorist hideouts were busted in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla sector on Tuesday. Other than recovering bombs, flags of China and Pakistan, letterheads of Pakistan-based terrorist outfits Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad were seized by the forces. Also, 44 people were arrested for their alleged involvement in "terror-related activities". "Over 700 houses were searched in a span of 12 hours on October 17 in an extensive search operation in old town in Baramulla, during which 44 persons involved with terror related activities have been apprehended," an Army spokesman said. The security forces sanitised the area and a number of hideouts were busted during the operation, the spokesman said. "A large quantity of incriminating material such as petrol bombs, Chinese and Pakistani flags, LeT and JeM letterhead pads, unauthorized mobile phones and seditious anti-national publicity material were seized," he added. He said the operation was jointly carried out by teams of army, police, BSF and CRPF in 10 sensitive localities including Qazi Hamam, Ganai Hamam, Taweed Gunj, Jamia and other mohallas reportedly being used as "safe havens by the terrorists", as per PTI. Recovery of such materials is a serious concern for the administration, as the ongoing unrest in Kashmir Valley is said to be fuelled by Pakistan. For over 100 days, the Valley has been witnessing un-ending violence, which was triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces. The unrest, which began a day after Wani was killed in an encounter in south Kashmir on July 8, has left 84 people, including two cops, dead and several thousand injured. The relations between India and Pakistan hit a new low after Indian Army conducted surgical strikes along the Line of Control and destroyed LeT camps. The strikes came after terror attack on an Army camp in Uri town of Kashmir on September 18 in which 19 soldiers were killed. India has blamed Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group for the attack. Meanwhile, India's diplomatic blitz has isolated Pakistan in the region as well as in the international community, on the issue of harbouring terrorists and sponsoring terrorism. Not only this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mention of human rights violations issue in Balochistan has further cornered Islamabad. Chennai: A day after accusing BJP of raking up the Cauvery issue for electoral gains in Karnataka, DMK on Tuesday made a similar charge against the ruling Congress in the neighbouring state. Referring to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah's insistence on building a dam across Cauvery river at Mekedatu, DMK President M Karunanidhi said both Congress and BJP were doing such things with an eye on the 2018 Assembly elections. While the Mekedatu project was initially proposed to address the drinking water needs of Bengaluru, "Chief Minister Siddaramiah now says there are plans to produce 400 MW of power also," he said. "Congress and BJP have already started fighting to win the elections and Congress' present activities are only a part of that," he said in a statement. Criticising the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre on the issue of constituting the Cauvery Management Board, Karunanidhi said it had not acted in Tamil Nadu's favour in this matter, adding "How can it be expected to act fairly on the Mekedatu" issue. The Centre has come under widespread criticism in Tamil Nadu after it sought modification of a Supreme Court directive on constitution of the CMB. Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water a day to Tamil Nadu till further orders. At the same time, the apex court also asked both the states to maintain peace and harmony. Saying that a sense of citizenry must prevail in two states, SC said, 'morality of respect' should exist among their people. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, which commenced the crucial hearing on various issues arising out of the dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over sharing of Cauvery waters, said it first intended to adjudicate the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by both the states and Kerala against the tribunal's 2013 award. "We intend to first adjudicate issue of maintainability of appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. At this juncture, the interim order dated October 4 directing Karnataka to release 2000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu will continue till further orders," the bench also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and AM Khanwilkar said. The court also noted the submission of Karnataka that it has complied with the earlier order of releasing 2000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu said they were in dire need of water, which was even supported by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi. During the hearing, Rohatgi submitted that the apex court-appointed Supervisory Committee, formed to inspect Cauvery basin to assess the ground realities in the region, has submitted its report. The bench said it would first go into the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry against the award of tribunal and then hear the arguments on the report filed by the committee. The Attorney General said the appeals filed by the states were not maintainable as per article 131 and 262 of the Constitution and the provisions of Inter-state River Water Disputes Act, 1956. He said as per the constitutional provisions, a decree passed by a tribunal will be like a decree of Supreme Court which cannot hear the appeals against its own order. Senior advocate and noted jurist Fali S Nariman, appearing for Karnataka, said the appeals are maintainable as Supreme Court can only adjudicate the disputes between two states. The SC had on October 4 directed Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs Cauvery water every day to Tamil Nadu from October 7 to 18 and deferred its earlier order asking the Centre to set up Cauvery Water Management Board (CWMB) till it finally decided on appeals relating to the age-old water dispute. The apex court had agreed to the suggestion that a Supervisory Committee, comprising officials and technical experts from the Centre, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry, be set up to inspect Cauvery basin for assessing ground realities. On September 30, SC had directed Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs water from October 1-6, warning it that no one would know when the "wrath of the law" would fall on it. Also Read - Why there is no option but to share Cauvery water Yesterday, a high-level panel had suggested doing away with "outdated and unscientific water application techniques" to resolve the wrangle, saying both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were facing water shortage, creating unemployment and financial hardship for the people. The apex court-appointed Supervisory Committee, formed to inspect Cauvery basin to assess the ground realities in the region, had said that the neighbouring riparian states needed to appreciate interest of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to protect their established irrigation and Karnataka's aspirations for development and educate their people accordingly. The panel in its 40-page report had noted that farmers in both states were in severe distress and adequate crop compensation must be provided to them. "There has been large number of suicides reported in Karnataka's Mandya district," the report had said in its assessment of the social aspects of the situation in the Cauvery basin, as per PTI. However, the technical assessment of the ground reality had stated that "the water application techniques are outdated and unscientific and the value of water is not realised. The water applied to the field is on the concept of flooding from one field to another adjacent field and as such the water consumption is on the higher side and during period of distress, this becomes very significant depending upon the soil condition." "The infrastructure to deliver water to the farmers is century old and has very low conveyance efficiency. This needs to be modernised for optimal use of scarce water. The conveyance efficiency can be further improved by piped distribution network and application efficiency by micro irrigation and precision irrigation. In addition, on-farm development works may be provided to ensure equitable distribution of water to individual farmer's field," the report had said. (With PTI inputs) Pune: A 31-year-old married woman was hacked to death allegedly by a stalker in Kothrud area here on Tuesday when she was on her way to work, police said. Shubhangi Khatavkar, was a resident of Karve Nagar and used to work as domestic help. Police said the accused, Vishwas Kalekar, used to harass her on a regular basis and was trying to establish proximity with her. However, she had objected to his advances and was even chided by her husband. "Kalekar, who was angry over being reprimanded by Khatavkar's husband, followed her in the morning when she was on her way to work on a moped. He attacked her on her neck with a sharp weapon and later escaped on her vehicle. He also took away two SIM cards from her mobile phones," an officer of Alankar Police Station said. A case of murder has been filed against the accused and a manhunt has been launched to nab him. Mumbai: In an unfortunate incident, at least two persons reportedly died after a huge fire broke out in Maker Tower in Cuffe Parade area in Mumbai. Here is all what happened at the spot:- - Situation is now under control - The 20th floor apartment belonged to Bajaj Electricals Chairman and Managing Director Shekhar Bajaj - Bajaj`s family of around 10 were rescued safely from the conflagration. - The victims were believed to be domestic helpers, the officials added. - In the Bajaj family flat, some family members and domestic help were stuck. All have been rescued without injury, confirms Mumbai Fire Brigade - Two persons died due to fire in Maker Tower, confirms news agency PTI - 11 rescued so far in fire in the high-rise building in South Mumbai - Fire broke out at 20th and 21st floor - The fire tragedy happened around 6 AM on Tuesday morning - Fire broke out in A wing of the Maker Tower - 17 fire tenders are at the spot to douse the flames - The flat that was gutted in Maker Tower in Cuffe Parade area in Mumbai belonged to Shekhar Bajaj (MD, Bajaj Electricals). - Reportedly, two died in the fire that broke out in Maker Tower in Cuffe Parade area in Mumbai. - Spot visuals of fire broke out in Maker Tower in Cuffe Parade area in Mumbai - Fire broke out on Tuesday morning after which fire-tending vehicles were rushed to the spot. Two people were rushed to the hospital and were declared dead on arrival. Imphal: Irom Sharmila, who is also known as Manipur's 'Iron Lady', on Tuesday launched a new political party 'the Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance' (PRAJA) to contest assembly elections in Manipur due to be held early next year. Her party, the 44-year-old said, would be based on the principles of justice, understanding, love and peace. Sharmila will reportedly contest polls from two assembly seats - Thoubal and Khurai. The rights activist expressed hopes that she would field at least 20 candidates for Manipur's 60 seats. Interestingly, Thoubal is the assembly constituency of Okram Ibobi Singh of the Congress, who has been the state's chief minister since 2002. Although Sharmila had ended a 16-year-long fast in protest against alleged army atrocities in Manipur two months ago, she had vowed to continue her crusade politically. She also intends to take on Chief Minister Singh. She has since visited capital Delhi and sought advice on how to defeat major political parties from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi Party swept the Delhi elections last year, decimating both the BJP and the Congress. She had also expressed her desire to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "good advice." Sharmila had launched her hunger strike in 2000 after 10 people were killed in firing by security forces. She fasted for the next 16 years demanding the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA that gives the army sweeping emergency powers to search, enter property and shoot at sight. Bhubaneswar: In a tragic incident, at least 22 persons were killed and over 20 others injured in a fire that broke out at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar on Monday evening. While the government-run Capital Hospital's officials confirmed receiving 14 bodies, eight bodies were received by the AMRI Hospital in Bhubaneswar. "A total 22 persons have died. While 14 have died in Capital Hospital, eight died in AMRI Hospitals," said Akhila Bihari Ota, Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central). Over 50 patients were rescued from the dialysis ward and the adjoining Intensive Care Unit, the officials said. The rescued patients were shifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Bhubaneswar and other hospitals, said Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak. Meanwhile, SUM Hospital suspended three employees and formed an internal inquiry committee to probe the lapses. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of the private hospital which spread to the nearby Intensive Care Unit. The fire rapidly spread to other areas on the same floor of the four-storeyed hospital building. Many patients were rescued by breaking window panes, an eyewitness said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who visited Capital hospital to oversee treatment of evacuated patients, ordered a Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC)-level probe into the whole incident. Expressing his grief over the incident, he said free treatment would be provided to the injured persons. The Chief Minister also spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed about efforts towards treatment of injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep anguish over the deaths in Odisha capital Bhubaneswar. "Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. The tragedy is mind-numbing. My thoughts are with bereaved families," he tweeted. Odisha Health Secretary Arti Ahuja said an inquiry committee has been constituted to inquire into the fire and whether the hospital authorities had taken safety measures or not. The probe team comprises the Khurda Collector, Director of Medical Education and Training and the District Fire Officer, she added. The cause of the fire is said to be an electrical short-circuit. The fire broke out in the intensive care unit (ICU) of dialysis ward of the hospital, said sources. About seven fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire. Fire Service Director General Binay Behera said fire personnel were engaged to control the fire and carry out rescue operation. "Rescuing the patients and those present in the hospital is our priority. We are yet to assess the damage and ascertain the source of the fire," Behera said. Modi said he spoke to Union Health Minister JP Nadda and asked him to facilitate transfer of all the injured to All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Bhubaneswar. "Hope the injured recover quickly," Modi said. Nadda tweeted: "Deeply saddened by the fire incident in Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar. My condolences rest with the bereaved families." Talking to CNN News 18, Nadda said: "We have told the State Government that whatever help is required, will be extended by the Central Government. If there is any situation where the patients need our help we are ready for that too. Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan informed that he spoke to Odisha Health Minister and offered all possible help to deal with this tragic incident. The government has set up a helpline number: 9439991226. Bhubaneswar: A day after 24 people lost their lives in a major fire, a FIR was filed against SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar for negligence. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of the private hospital which spread to the nearby Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The fire rapidly spread to other areas on the same floor of the four-storeyed hospital building. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) probe into the incident. Patnaik visited the Capital Hospital last night, where most of the injured were brought in and declared free treatment for the patients. Meanwhile, the authorities of Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University, which runs the Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital, today announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the victims' families before suspending four of its staff members. "The authorities will pay an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of the kins of the deceased persons and bear all medical expenses of the injured," SOU vice-chancellor Amit Banerjee told reporters here. Rejecting allegation that the high casualty was due to wrong evacuation process, Banerjee said, "We have followed the best of the evacuation protocol. Had we not followed the casualty would have been more." Banerjee claimed that the fire safety parameters were checked properly only three weeks ago and there was no lacuna on the part of the hospital authorities in the maintenance of the electrical equipment. Expressing deep concern over the incident, the VC said that the staff had to take extra precautions while shifting the patients under the support of ventilators. Also Read - Bhubaneswar fire: Short circuit likely to be reason; three SUM Hospital employees suspended "There were nine to ten people under the ventilator support," he said adding that most of the people died due to asphyxia. Assuring full cooperation to the two government probes, one headed by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), Central Division and another by DMET (director of medical education and training), Banerjee said the authorities have placed four of its staff under suspension. The suspended officers include one fire officer, two engineers and one hospital manager, Banerjee said rejecting allegation that there was any irregularity in the management of the hospital. "We have suspended four officials as part of hospitals bid to maintain transparency. Tomorrow no one should accuse that evidence was tampered with," Banerjee said, as per PTI. He said that the SOA announced a seven-day mourning. The classes will remain suspended for one day today, he said. (With Agency inputs) Bhubaneswar: A day after more than twenty people were killed in a major tragedy in Odisha, the superintendent of Sum Hospital and three others were arrested by Khandagiri police for the incident. Those arrested are Superintendent of Sum Hospital, Pushpraj Samantsinghar, Electrical Maintenance Engineer Amulya Sahu, Fire Safety Officer Santosh Das and Junior Electrical Engineer Malay Sahu, said Commissioner of Police YB Khurania. Khurania said the officials were arrested on the basis of the preliminary inquiry report of the fire officer and the FIR filed by the Fire Services department at the Khandagiri police station where a case in this regard has been registered today. The four were booked under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire and combustible materials) and 34 (common intent) of the IPC, Khurania said. Meanwhile, Director General of Fire Service, Binay Behera submitted a report to the state government on the fire that ravaged parts of the private hospital last night in which 20 people died and many were injured. Behera in his report has mentioned that fire safety norms as per the 2013 guidelines were not followed by the hospital authorities, an official said, as per PTI. A senior police official said more arrests in the case cannot be ruled out at this stage. Most of the deaths in the four-storey hospital took place due to suffocation and asphyxiation, a senior official said, adding that majority of the patients at the ICU were on ventilator support. The authorities of the Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University (SOU), which runs the Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital, announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the victims' families. SOU vice-chancellor Amit Banerjee told reporters that ICU and dialysis unit of the hospital have been sealed to ensure a proper investigation. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor which spread to the nearby ICU. Also Read - Odisha hospital fire: Deeply anguished by the loss of lives, says PM The fire rapidly spread to other areas on the same floor of the hospital building. The state government has already ordered a high-level probe by the Director, Medical Education and Training, into the incident. In addition, a probe by the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) has also been ordered, an official said. Rejecting allegation that the high casualty was due to wrong evacuation process, Banerjee said, "We have followed the best of the evacuation protocol. Had we not followed it the casualty would have been more." On the other hand, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited some of the hospitals, including AIIMS and AMRI Hospital, to inquire about the condition of the patients undergoing treatment. He said that expenses for treatment of the injured persons in the fire incident would be borne by state government from CM relief fund. Visited Capital hospital to oversee treatment of evacuated patients from fire in private hospital in Bhubaneswar; condole loss of lives Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 Spoke with PM @narendramodi, briefed about efforts towards treatment of injured. Senior Ministers, officials monitoring. Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 Ordered Revenue Divisional commissioner to enquire in to this very tragic incident 2/2 Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 Expenses for treatment of the injured persons in the fire incident to be borne by State Government from CM relief fund 1/2 Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 Visited evacuated patients at AMRI and AIIMS hospitals and enquired about their wellbeing. Assured no let up in treatment and care for them pic.twitter.com/lnajNzUhZl Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 18, 2016 (With Agency inputs) The owners of longtime Downtown bathhouse Rising Sun, along with the business accountant, were charged late Monday with conspiring to keep a place of prostitution, capping an investigation that started almost seven years ago when police raided the business. A criminal complaint, filed three days before a seven-year statute of limitations was to expire, charges owners Charles Prindiville, 64, his ex-wife, Catherine Prindiville, 56, both of Middleton, and the accountant for the business, Donald W. Goodweiler, 69, of Madison, with operating the bathhouse at 117 W. Main St. as a place where customers paid money for sex acts, described to police by former Rising Sun workers as running the gamut from touching and fondling to intercourse. Refusing to have sex with clients would get them fired, the former Rising Sun workers told police, according to the complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court. The crime, a felony, carries up to six years of combined prison and extended supervision. The investigation was launched on Oct. 20, 2010, when police raided the Rising Sun and the Middleton home that the Prindivilles shared at the time, seizing cash and records. Several other search warrants were issued in the ensuing years as the investigation went on, including storage lockers rented by figures in the investigation and at Goodweilers office. Arrest warrants were issued for the Prindivilles and for Goodweiler. Charles Giesen, lawyer for Charles Prindiville, said Tuesday that he will ask that the charges against Prindiville be dismissed due to inordinate prosecutorial delay. The earliest criminal activity alleged in the complaint took place in February 2003, Giesen said, and charging a crime that old is unconscionable. I am extremely surprised that theyve brought these charges at this late date, Giesen said. They did a search warrant in 2010, and if they had evidence then I assume they would have charged a crime. He said he doesnt believe Charles Prindiville has been involved in the Rising Sun since 2010. The Dane County District Attorneys Office has had the case since 2013, Giesen said, and theyve done nothing with it until three years later. If they had evidence in 2010, they would have charged. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne could not immediately be reached for comment. Goodweiler, reached Tuesday afternoon, wasnt aware of the charges and said he would consult with his lawyer. No contact information could be found for Catherine Prindiville. According to the complaint: In 2008, police executed a search warrant at the apartment of a woman, looking for evidence of prostitution. Documents pertaining to the Rising Sun, along with Butterfly Tub & Sauna, which was the corporation entity name for the Rising Sun, were found there, and she told police that she worked at the Rising Sun. The woman was charged for a related crime and convicted in October 2009. The following year, a Madison police detective working undercover visited the Rising Sun and paid for a session with the woman, and she was later arrested for prostitution. Police note that the male detective had no sexual contact with the woman. In September 2010, police spoke with a man who told police that he regularly paid for sex with the woman at the Rising Sun. Police also spoke with another former Rising Sun worker who described the means by which she and others were paid by their boss, Charles Prindiville. Then, on Oct. 20, 2010, police raided the Rising Sun and the Prindivilles home, finding logs that indicated payments for employees for sexual activity with Rising Sun clients, for which the employees received a small cut. Former Rising Sun employees told police that when they started working at the business they were sent to the office of a Madison lawyer, Daniel Stein, where they watched a video about what was allowed at work and what was not allowed. Some told police they were also videotaped stating that they would not perform sex for money or do drugs while working at the Rising Sun. Another former worker, hired because the management at the Rising Sun knew she had experience as a prostitute, said she promised on video not to talk about what went on at the Rising Sun. The women generally said they had to have sex with clients or they couldnt work there. The owner covered his butt by us going on camera, knowing what we were doing and if we didnt we couldnt work there, one former employee told investigators. That woman said she was told one day to leave work after she refused to do full service. Another woman, interviewed in February 2012, told police that she was fired from the Rising Sun because she wasnt doing the programs properly having the client shower, followed by a back rub, then by whatever else followed, including sex. She said that while working at the Rising Sun she had sex with clients at least 60 times. Police interviewed another woman who worked at the Rising Sun from 2003 to 2005, who said Charles Prindiville taught her how to tell if a client was a police officer. Another former employee told police that she was assigned to Goodweiler, the accountant, as a regular client whenever he came to the business. I would call our time together the boyfriend experience, the woman said, because in addition to sex, they also talked about their personal lives. She said that after three months, Charles Prindiville gave the two permission to date in public. She said Goodweiler set strict rules about how she was to act and what she was to say on those occasions. But they never went out. I think he liked to talk about going places with me so it would seem like he just wasnt paying for sex, like we were in a relationship, the woman told police. In October 2011, police executed a search warrant at Goodweilers office and seized records related to the Rising Sun, Butterfly Tub & Sauna and MJCP, the corporate entity that would replace Butterfly Tub & Sauna in 2011. Other employees at Goodweilers accounting firm told police that Goodweiler personally handled that account. Investigators for the state Department of Revenue, reviewing records seized during the execution of search warrants and state tax records, found that Goodweiler prepared corporate tax returns for Butterfly Tub & Sauna and personal returns for Charles and Catherine Prindiville. Catherine Prindiville was listed as sole shareholder of Butterfly on tax returns in 2002, 2003 and 2005 through 2010 returns, and on the 2004 return, she and Charles Prindiville are listed as 50 percent shareholders. The couple divorced in 2013. Catherine Prindiville had told investigators that she was not directly involved in the business and said her husband gave her money. She also said she believed there was prostitution occurring at the Rising Sun. Goodweiler also performed payroll services for the company. About 30 percent of the salaries and wages were paid to female employees, DOR investigators found, with remaining amounts paid to Charles and Catherine Prindiville and to John Prindiville, Charles Prindivilles brother. Also receiving money were Charles Prindivilles sons, Dustin and Mario Prindiville, who are described in the complaint as managers at the Rising Sun. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the bail plea of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu till October 24. A medical board of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had on October 3 told the apex court that the health condition of Asaram Bapu was stable. Asaram, who was accused of rape, had refused to undergo several tests. The seven-member board also said in its report filed before the bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and N.V. Ramana. On August 11, the top court had denied interim bail to Asaram in a rape case and directed AIIMS to set up a medical board to ascertain his health condition before taking up his regular bail plea. The Rajasthan High Court had earlier rejected Asaram's bail plea citing that the case had reached its "fag end" and thus it was not "appropriate" to grant him bail.This was his ninth regular bail application to be rejected. In 2013, a minor girl had alleged that Asaram had sexually assaulted her at his ashram in Jodhpur. The self-styled godman was subsequently arrested on August 31, 2013, and has been in jail since then.Asaram`s counsel had sought bail citing that the accused has been suffering several ailments. New Delhi: The BJP, which is eyeing a comeback in Uttar Pradesh, has decided to rope in Prime Minister Narendra Modi for back-to-back pre-poll rallies in six different politically crucial zones across the state. The UP BJP, also, meanwhile announced yesterday that party will not name any Chief Ministerial candidate ahead of the crucial assembly polls. According to a Times of India report, the prime minister is expected to address about six to eight rallies during the months of November and December, which would set the tone and the tenor ahead of the assembly elections in UP. Must Read: BJP not to project CM face for 2017 UP assembly polls The BJP game plan is hold one Modi rally every 10-15 days during the two months. This is what we desire to achieve," a senior UP BJP official was quoted as saying. However, the party is yet to decide the location and dates of the Modi rallies. It is expected that a decision in this regard could be taken as BJP's Parivartan Yatras, starting early next month, progress across the state. Interestingly, the party has already planned to hold a mega rally in Lucknow after the completion of ''Parivartan Yatras'' in the last week of December. Although it is still unconfirmed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address a rally in Mahoba in Bundelkhand region of the state on October 24 which will be followed by a visit to his Lok Sabha constituency - Varanasi. BJP's plan for back-to-back Modi rallies follows Narendra Modi's previous pattern of starting early to mobilise the electorate during 2014 Lok Sabha elections as well as in the run up 2015 Bihar assembly elections. Narendra Modi had addressed eight pre-poll rallies across UP in the run up to 2014 Lok Sabha elections to set the electoral pitch for the BJP. The party undertook similar exercise in 2015 as well when as PM Narendra Modi addressed four pre-poll rallies in four different zones of Bihar in the run up to state assembly elections. Modi has already addressed public meetings in Saharanpur, Ballia, Gorakhpur and Allahabad since May this year. Rival BSP supremo Mayawati, in this backdrop, advanced her pre-poll rallies and have held five rallies - Agra, Azamgarh, Allahabad, Saharanpur and Lucknow - across the state during end August to early October. However, ruling Samajwadi Party has not been able to organize big rallies of Mulayam Singh Yadav due to the ongoing feud in the veteran Socialist leader's family. Its scheduled rally on October 7 was postponed indefinitely while CM Akhilesh Yadav has been touring the state on various government related programmes to sell party's developmental works. Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh: The family of martyred jawan Sudees Kumar has decided to not perform his last rites until Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav doesn't pay them a visit. The family and members of his Gurjar community have alleged a bais on the part of the CM when it comes to honouring martyrs from the state. Community leaders said that Akhilesh should personally come to the village of the slain soldier to register his respect or the braveheart. Sudees of 6 Jat regiment was killed in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir. 24-year-old Kumar is survived by his elderly parents, wife and a four-month-old daughter. He had joined Indian Army in 2013 and became the first person from his village to do so. "He was a thorough professional and loved his job to the core. The nation will remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and his devotion to duty will continue to motivate the future generations," a defence spokesman said. Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati targeted arch rival and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday and accused him of "enacting a drama" to save the skin of his Chief Minister son Akhilesh Yadav. Referring to the ongoing power struggle in the ruling party, the Dalit leader told reporters that it was clear that the father-son duo were trying to deflect the mind of the people of Uttar Pradesh from their "utter failures in the past four years". "First some ministers are sacked then taken back in the cabinet," she said while suggesting that the developments were scripted. She also alleged that the ruling dispensation very well knew that the party was in for a massive drubbing in the forthcoming assembly polls scheduled for early next year and hence "it was indulging in all these diversionary tactics". She also claimed that Irrigation Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav was made the state unit chief of the Samajwadi Party to "insulate Akhilesh from direct attacks" after the party loses at the hustings. Alleging the state was facing anarchy and complete breakdown of governance, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said people are seeing through the strategy of the SP and would boot them out in the polls. New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee has okayed an inquiry into allegations of financial and other improprieties against Aligarh Muslim University's (AMU) vice chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah. Notably, the President is also the Visitor to the University. Mukherjee gave the go ahead on a proposal from the Ministry of Human Resource Development to which former Janata Dal MP Wasim Ahmed had given a memorandum seeking a probe into allegations against the Vice Chancellor. Mukherjee's action also follows approval of a similar probe against Allahabad University Vice Chancellor RL Hangloo. Ahmed, a member of the AMU executive council, welcomed the approval for probe against the AMU Vice Chancellor, saying it was long overdue. The key allegation against Shah is financial irregularities amounting to Rs 120 crore. Shah, on the other hand, has denied all allegations against him, saying some vested interests were carrying out a campaign against him. Lucknow: As the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government plan two separate Ramayana museums in Ayodhya, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Vinay Katiyar on Tuesday termed the museum proposals a lollipop. Commenting on the Centre's and Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government plan to have a Ramayana Museum in Ayodhya, the fireband leader categorically stated, sincere efforts should be made to build a Ram temple and one should not not hand over a lollipop in the name of a museum. We want a Ram Mandir, and nothing else, the face of the 90s Ram temple movement said adding, I am not speaking on the issue because of 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. When asked to comment on BJP leadership's announcement that development will be the main poll plank for the high-voltage UP polls, Katiyar said, Development should be there, but a grand Ram Mandir is a must in Ayodhya. Launching a scathing attack on Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, the BJP MP said, the state government is doing nothing regarding the Ram temple, and it is the same government which once killed the 'kar sevaks', who were vouching for the mandir. The former Faizabad MP, in which Ayodhya falls said, everybody, including Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is trying to provide a lollipop in the name of a Ram mandir. In a direct message to the BJP leadership, Katiyar said, There is a majority in Lok Sabha, the government should bring a legislation to build a Ram temple. On the stand taken by the NDA, which cites lack of majority in Rajya Sabha for not going ahead, Katiyar said, "Let it be brought in Lok Sabha where the government has thumping majority and then place it in Rajya Sabha and people be apprised of what all the government has been doing to keep its promise of Ram Temple. When asked why he didn't paid a visit to the temple town, along with Union Minister Mahesh Sharma, he replied: Wherever I go in Ayodhya, saints ask me when will Ram Mandir be built, so it's good I did not go today. Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma today visited Ayodhya to inspect the proposed site for setting up a Ramayana Museum. Also Read - Ramayana Museum: Mahesh Sharma downplays Ayodhya visit The BJP leader said that the museum will be a part of the Ramayana Circuit for which the Centre has sanctioned Rs 225 crore, with Rs 151 crore exclusively for Ayodhya, which is the hub of the circuit. He said the government has identified three circuits-- Ramayana Circuit, Krishna Circuit and Buddhist Circuit-- to boost religious tourism. Meanwhile, a source said, the UP government has identified a 25-acre plot for the museum which is some 15 km away from the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex. Though the BJP has been insisting that Ram temple will not be an electoral plank in the UP elections to be held early next year, the proposed Ramayana museum and related activities are being seen as an attempt to keep pro-Hindutva elements in good humour. Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia has time and again expressed hope for the construction of Ram Temple. "We hope that a law will be passed in the parliament for construction of Ram temple during the remaining three years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, Togadia had recently said. While advocating for a the Ram temple in Ayodhya, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on had the construction of a grand mandir will be in the interest of the country. Earlier, BJP`s Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy demanded a decision on the vexed issue of the Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and urged the government to make a statement on the day-to-day hearing of the case in the Supreme Court. Click here to share your views on the story. Lucknow: Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma on Tuesday inspected 25 acres of land earmarked for a proposed Ramayan museum in Ayodhya and said the project had nothing to do with 'Ram Mandir' politics ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. However, he did add that those who get to do 'Ram ka kaam' (serve Ram) were fortunate. "If anyone gets a chance to work for Bhagwan Ram he is most fortunate... It will be good fortune if Bhagwan Ram gives us a chance to do 'Ram ka kaam' and this responsibility has been given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the country," Sharma said. "Mann ban chuka hai, mahaul ban chuka hai (we have made up our mind, a conducive atmosphere has also been created). The beginning has been made and we have got the directives from Ram Lala," Tourism Minister said, adding, "We are the Lord's children and so have to do his work of spreading education". Insisting that Ram temple was not on the Modi government's agenda, Sharma said Ayodhya's development would get a big push from the Rs 151 crore allotted for developing the proposed museum, which will present the life of the deity as portrayed in sage Valmiki's epic. He said there was no politics behind the proposed museum being constructed as part of the Ramayana Circuit. Similarly Krishna Circuit and Buddhist Circuit were also being developed, Sharma said. He said Ram temple was an "issue of faith" for millions of people, but it was not on BJP's electoral agenda, as per PTI. Also Read - Modi government to build Ramayana museum in Ayodhya; Opposition cries foul The minister said the government would try to have the museum inaugurated before Uttar Pradesh votes to elect a new government. Opposition slams BJP The Modi government, however, came under attack from the Congress over the issue with party general secretary Digvijay Singh alleging the museum and Ram temple were being raked up with an eye on the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh due early next year. "Come election, come Ram Mandir issue. This is what BJP has as a strategy. Nobody is against the temple. I am a practising Hindu, but even Lord Ram would not have wanted a temple in the atmosphere of dispute. BJP has been trying to fool all the people all the time," Singh said. Singh said Modi's chant of "Jai Shri Ram, Jai Jai Shri Ram" at a Dussehra event in Lucknow was "obviously" intended to polarise Hindu votes in favour of the BJP. On the other hand, two major Left parties--CPI-M and CPI--criticised the Modi government's decision of setting up the Ramayana museum and accused BJP of seeking to "again exploit" the public sentiment for electoral gains and termed it an attempt to distract people's attention from the party's "failure" in delivering on poll promises. "The BJP has continuously exploited people's sentiment about Lord Ram for electoral purposes. That's exactly what they are doing once again. "So, that's the desperation they fall back upon. They have not been able to deliver on a single promise made during the last Lok Sabha elections," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said. Terming the move as an attempt to distract public attention from BJP's "failure" to keep poll promises, Yechury said people will not fall for the "games" the saffron party is playing this time around. Echoing his views, senior CPI leader Atul Anjan said the museum has been proposed keeping an eye on the elections in Uttar Pradesh "where BJP is searching for political ground". Also Read - It is my honour to visit Ayodhya and work for Ram Lalla: Mahesh Sharma "Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma had gone to inspect the site in Ayodhya. In fact, he had gone to find political land for BJP and not for the proposed museum. They don't want to construct Ramayana museum, but vote museum," Anjan said. Meanwhile, yesterday, the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh had decided to construct a Ramleela Theme Park, also in Ayodhya. BSP chief Mayawati had criticised both the central and the state governments and said the decisions were taken only for electoral gains. "The decision to build a Ramayan Museum and Ramleela Theme Park in Ayodhya by the BJP and the SP respectively just before the assembly elections shows their intentions," the BSP chief had said in a statement. Ramayana museum project a 'lollipop', says Katiyar The proposed museum, to be built on a 25-acre plot given by the UP government nearly 15 km from the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex, has reignited demands by 'hardliners' like Vinay Katiyar for building a Ram temple at the site where the Babri mosque stood before being pulled down in 1992. Katiyar on Tuesday dubbed the proposed government project to build a museum as a "lollipop" and said instead, people want a "Ram temple". "This museum is nothing but a lollipop and people don't need this. People want a Ram temple at Ram's Janmbhoomi and nothing short of that will suffice," Katiyar told IANS. "Where is the land for this museum? Moreover, the model election code of conduct will come into force in two months, so how will they build it," asked Katiyar, a member of the Rajya Sabha. Also Read - Congress accuses BJP of selling Lord Ram's name to win UP Assembly Elections "On one hand there is proposal of this museum, and on the other, (UP CM) Akhilesh Yadav has declared constructing Ramleela Theme Park. But, where is the land? People want Ram Mandir... nothing else. If it needs to be done through a bill in parliament, so be it. We have the majority. Building the Ram temple is in our party manifesto. We should not forget it," Katiyar said. (With Agency inputs) Berlin: Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to Berlin on Wednesday for a summit on Ukraine amid escalating tensions between Moscow and the West over Russia's role in Ukraine as well as Syria. The meeting between the Russian, German, French and Ukrainian leaders will evaluate the implementation of the Minsk peace accords for Ukraine, Berlin and Paris said Tuesday. Putin's first visit to the German capital since the Ukraine conflict broke out in 2014 will come the day before the 28 leaders of the European Union are due to discuss relations with Russia including sanctions over Ukraine, which come up for renewal at the end of the year. The EU summit in Brussels is also expected to discuss Russia`s role in Syria, which sparked a furious row between Russia and France last week that prompted Putin to cancel a visit to Paris. Wednesday's Ukraine summit will also "discuss the next steps in the process towards ending the crisis in eastern Ukraine," the French president`s office said Tuesday. All sides agreed to a peace deal brokered by Germany and France in February 2015, but while the so-called Minsk accords reduced the intensity of fighting, they failed to stop it. Even before the meeting convened, Kiev and Moscow tamped down hopes for a breakthrough. "Let`s not have very high expectations on this meeting," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on a visit to Oslo. "Am I optimistic enough? Yes I`m very optimistic about the future of Ukraine but unfortunately not so optimistic about tomorrow`s meeting." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin believed there was "no alternative" to implementing the Ukraine accords. "We know that on this point, the situation leaves much to be desired," he said. "For the moment, Kiev is doing nothing." The summit, set in a flurry of telephone consultations, will be the first since a Paris meeting in October 2015 under the so-called "Normandy Format" grouping the four countries.French President Francois Hollande last week called on all parties in the Ukraine conflict to draw up a roadmap to end the crisis. The aim would be to help Ukraine regain control of its borders with Russia, he said after speaking by telephone with Poroshenko. Hollande had spoken Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Putin about organising a summit on the conflict. Russia, which annexed Ukraine`s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, backs a separatist, pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives. Moscow has denied accusations that it has sent troops and weaponry across its border with Ukraine to fuel the conflict, which erupted in April 2014, destroying much of Ukraine`s eastern industrial heartland. Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has monitors in eastern Ukraine. Although focused on Ukraine, the Berlin meeting comes against the backdrop of the Syrian regime`s Moscow-backed assault on Aleppo, which the EU has warned could amount to a war crime. EU foreign ministers said Monday they would press ahead with extending sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad`s regime, but stopped short of threatening measures against Russia. Moscow on Monday announced an eight-hour "humanitarian" ceasefire in Aleppo later this week, as friction with the West has intensified. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned earlier this month that mounting tensions between the United States and Russia have created a situation that is "more dangerous" than the Cold War. Relations between the two have nosedived since a Syria ceasefire they agreed to in September fell apart in less than a week. Washington has also accused Damascus and Moscow of staging war crimes in Aleppo. At least 250,000 people are living under siege in rebel-held east Aleppo, and facing almost-daily heavy bombing since the Russian-backed Syrian army launched an offensive to retake the city last month. BEIJING: China on Tuesday jailed a senior police officer for 18 years, on charges of corruption and illegal possession of guns, after an investigation it was found that a teenager was executed for a murder he did not commit. In 2014, a court posthumously acquitted Huugjilt, an ethnic Mongol who used a single name, after he had been executed for raping and killing a woman in a public restroom, a miscarriage of justice sparked widespread of public anger in China.Another man was later sentenced to death for the crime. In February, state media said 27 people had been penalised over the wrongful conviction, most of them receiving administrative punishments. However Feng Zhiming, former deputy Head of police in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, and the head of the investigation led to Huugjilt's execution,and was later criminally charged. The court in the Inner Mongolian city of Hulunbuir found Feng guilty of taking 3.9 million yuan ($584,800) in bribes, engaging in real estate speculation and illegal possession of four guns. The court made no direct mention of Huugjilt`s case, as in a brief statement about the case carried on its microblog.Many ethnic Mongols in China go by a single name. It was not possible to reach any of Feng`s relatives or lawyers for comment. Berlin: The EU`s security commissioner warned Tuesday that Europe must be prepared for a new influx of Islamic State jihadists if Iraqi forces retake the group`s stronghold of Mosul. "The retaking of the IS` northern Iraq stronghold, Mosul, may lead to the return to Europe of violent IS-fighters," Julian King told Die Welt daily in remarks published in German. He said even a handful of jihadists returning would pose a "serious threat that we must prepare ourselves for". Iraqi forces are advancing in an offensive aimed at retaking Mosul and dealing a death blow to the IS group`s "caliphate" in the city where it was declared two years ago. Some 30,000 federal forces are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long and difficult assault on IS`s last major Iraqi stronghold. The jihadists have suffered a string of territorial defeats this year in both countries, and the retaking of Mosul would all but end their presence in Iraq as a land-holding force. An 18-year-old Madison man was sentenced Tuesday to 2 years in prison for a robbery a year ago at a Southwest Side convenience store, one of four robberies in a three-week period for which he was charged. Cameron X. Smith apologized for the Oct. 18, 2015, robbery at the PDQ store at 3153 Maple Grove Drive and for three other robberies, including a second at the same PDQ store. The choice I made was highly inappropriate, he said. Smith pleaded guilty in July to one armed robbery charge. Charges involving other robberies on Oct. 20, 2015, at Family Video, 5134 Maple Grove Drive; on Oct. 26, 2015, at Walgreens, 6601 McKee Road; and the second robbery of the PDQ store, on Nov. 6, 2015, were dismissed but could be considered by Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke in sentencing Smith. Ehlke said he agreed with two people who spoke on Smiths behalf Tuesday who said that prison would not be the best way to put Smith on the right track in his young life. But he said the robbery spree was too serious not to warrant some punishment. During the robberies, Smith displayed a gun that turned out to be a pellet gun, but looked like a real handgun. Deputy District Attorney Matthew Moeser asked for a sentence of four years in prison followed by six years of extended supervision, saying that Smiths juvenile record going back to age 13 showed that the only thing that appeared to stop him from committing crimes was confinement. State Assistant Public Defender Stan Woodard, asking Ehlke to give Smith a chance, requested the same sentence as Moeser, but asked Ehlke to stay the sentence and place Smith on probation, with one year in jail instead. He said that Smith would then have the chance to work with Anthony Cooper Sr., of the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development and with Dr. Algernon Felice, a psychologist and director of Cultural Bridges, to improve himself. Both spoke for Smith on Tuesday. Washington: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is leading Republican rival Donald Trump by 12 percentage points, according to a new national poll, up 8 points from a similar survey conducted last month. The Monmouth University poll released on Monday put Clinton ahead of Trump, 50 per cent to 38 per cent, Politico news magazine reported. The former Secretary of State`s lead was up significantly from the 4-point advantage she held in September`s Monmouth poll. This latest poll is the first to be conducted entirely since the accusations of sexual assault against Trump began to emerge. Sixty-two per cent of voters said they believed the allegations against Trump were credible while 58 per cent said they were not surprised by what they heard the real-estate mogul said on the recording. Clinton`s favourability rating remained poor but steady relative to the previous poll, with just 38 per cent of voters holding a favourable opinion of her and 52 per cent holding an unfavourable opinion. The number of respondents with a favourable opinion of Trump dipped 6 points, from 32 per cent to 26 per cent, while his unfavourable numbers climbed 4 points, from 57 per cent to 61 per cent. The Monmouth University poll was conducted from October 14-16, reaching 805 registered voters nationwide via telephone with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.5 per cent. Of the 805 registered voters reached, 726 were determined to be likely to vote in the November 6 election, with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.6 per cent. Al-Shura: Iraqi forces are "ahead of schedule" in an offensive aimed at retaking Mosul and dealing a death blow to the Islamic State group, but the battle will be difficult and protracted, the Pentagon has said. The start of the long-awaited assault raised deep concerns for hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Iraq`s second-largest city, with aid groups warning of a massive humanitarian crisis. Some 30,000 federal forces are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long assault on IS`s last major Iraqi stronghold. Iraqi forces readied weapons and ammunition as columns of armoured vehicles headed towards Mosul from the town of Al-Shura, some 45 kilometres (30 miles) south of the city. The Pentagon said late Monday the operation had begun well but warned it would be a "difficult campaign that could take some time". A top US general earlier said it would take several weeks or even longer. "Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far, and that they are ahead of schedule for this first day," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had announced the beginning of the assault in a televised address earlier in the day. "Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh (IS)," Abadi said. IS seized control of large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in mid-2014, declaring a cross-border "caliphate" and committing widespread atrocities.The jihadists have suffered a string of territorial defeats this year in both countries, and the retaking of Mosul would all but end their presence in Iraq as a land-holding force. Iraqi forces have been closing in on Mosul in recent weeks but the battle begun Monday could be the toughest yet against IS. IS forces are vastly outnumbered, with the US military estimating 3,000 to 4,500 jihadists in and around Mosul. But they have had months to prepare and will seek to use hit-and-run tactics, ambushes, snipers, bombs, berms and trenches to slow down and bleed Iraqi forces. In an online statement after the assault began, IS claimed it launched a series of deadly suicide car bombings against Iraqi forces. Early Monday, federal forces moved from their main staging base of Qayyarah, south of Mosul, as peshmerga forces from the autonomous Kurdish region advanced from the east. Around 4,000 Kurdish peshmerga took part in a push to reclaim villages once inhabited by members of the Christian and Kakai minorities, a statement said. Several villages were promptly recaptured and peshmerga forces had moved to the edges of Qaraqosh and Bartalla, two Christian towns IS seized in August 2014, commanders said.The UN`s humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, told reporters that an exodus could begin within a week and some aid groups worried about preparedness. "It is estimated that as many as 200,000 people could flee from the city in these first weeks, though there are currently only 60,000 tents available in seven emergency camps," the International Rescue Committee said. In London, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Riyadh had urged Iraq`s government not to let Shiite militias enter Sunni-majority Mosul, fearing "mass atrocities". "It could add fuel to the sectarian fires raging in the region and so we have urged the Iraqi government not to use the Shia militias. That is the greatest danger that we see," he said. Iraqi forces advancing on multiple fronts are some distance from Mosul and are expected to eventually take up positions on the city`s edge and lay siege before breaching its boundaries and directly engaging die-hard jihadists. "This operation to regain control of Iraq`s second-largest city will likely continue for weeks, possibly longer," warned Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition. Most of the coalition`s support has come in the shape of air strikes and training, but US, French and British special forces are also on the ground to advise local troops. "This is a decisive moment in the campaign to deliver ISIL a lasting defeat," US Secretary of Defence Ash Carter said, using an alternative acronym for IS. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday indicated that Turkey would also play a role in the offensive despite concerns raised by Baghdad.As the biggest Iraqi military operation since the 2011 withdrawal of US troops unfolded, a Turkish delegation arrived in Baghdad for talks and coalition defence ministers agreed to meet in Paris on October 25 to take stock. IS once controlled more than a third of Iraq`s territory but its self-proclaimed "state" has been shrinking steadily. It lost its emblematic bastion Fallujah in June, the Anbar provincial capital Ramadi months earlier and on Sunday Syrian rebels retook the town of Dabiq, which held special ideological significance for the group. If Mosul falls, only Raqa in Syria would remain as the last major city in either country under IS control. But even the recapture of Mosul will not mark the end of the war against IS, which is likely to increasingly turn to insurgent tactics as it loses more ground. Just hours after the offensive began, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing targeting an Iraqi army checkpoint south of Baghdad that killed at least 10 people. District of Columbia: Islamic State jihadists were barring civilians from leaving Mosul on Tuesday and using them as human shields, as the battle for the Iraqi city entered its second day, a Pentagon official said. "We know they are being used as human shields, absolutely," Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters. "They are being held there against their will. We have not seen any change in the last day of people leaving or fleeing." Authorities and aid agencies are bracing for a massive flow of civilians fleeing Mosul as the fight progresses. Currently, the action has largely been in villages surrounding Iraq`s second-largest city and the remaining IS stronghold in the country. President Barack Obama warned of "significant" displacement but said the United Nations and other aid groups were ready. "We have put together plans and infrastructure for dealing with a potential humanitarian crisis that are as extensive as the military plans," Obama told reporters earlier. United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said an estimated 200,000 people are expected to be displaced in the first weeks of the offensive, growing to as many as one million under a worst-case scenario. But "what you are not seeing is a mass exodus of civilians, and that`s because they are being forcibly held there," Davis said. The fighting so far has been fairly light, mainly focused on traditionally Kurdish villages east of Mosul that Kurdish peshmerga fighters are reclaiming from IS. Davis said jihadists were deploying suicide-car attackers and had been attempting to thwart air raids and intelligence drones by igniting giant pits full of oil and tires to create thick smoke clouds to hide their movements and positions. "We`ve seen very good progress," he said. "It`s going to be a while. There`s a lot of movement they have to do to get in (to Mosul) but it`s very much under way." Jerusalem: An investigation has found that Israel`s military was unprepared for the threat posed by tunnels dug by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip in the 2014 war between them, reports said Tuesday. The findings are likely to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced criticism from political rivals over allegations that not enough was done to prepare for the tunnel threat. Militants in Gaza, run by Islamist movement Hamas, used the tunnels during combat in the 2014 war, including to carry out cross-border attacks. Tuesday`s reports cited leaked findings from an internal military investigation, which was not released publicly. Israel`s army radio said the probe found that military brigades were not prepared for the magnitude of the threat the tunnels posed. It also said that the "enemy`s command and its capacity to fire rockets remained intact continuously until the end of the operation and the number of Hamas victims was lower than would have been expected given the firepower used". Israel`s Army said in a statement late Tuesday: "The conclusions of the investigation have been implemented." "The IDF recognises underground warfare as a major challenge in modern warfare, and has placed it as its top priority," it said, referring to the Israeli military. Despite the findings, the Gaza Strip suffered an overwhelmingly higher number of victims and amount of damage in the 2014 war. The 50-day conflict killed 2,251 Palestinians and left 100,000 homeless. On the Israeli side, 73 people were killed, most of them soldiers. A UN report said both Israel and Palestinian militants may have committed war crimes, decrying "unprecedented" devastation and human suffering. Israel`s preparations ahead of the Gaza war have faced criticism before. In May, Israeli media reports said a draft of a separate inquiry by the state comptroller found that "the security establishment did not have a comprehensive plan for dealing with Hamas`s offensive tunnels". Netanyahu has defended preparations ahead of the conflict, saying his cabinet repeatedly discussed the tunnel threat beforehand. Bangkok: Thai police have arrested a man alleged to be a member of a group that was planning to plant three bombs in Bangkok and adjoining provinces. On Monday, police and the army raided the suspect's house in Samut Prakan, south of the Thai capital, and recovered four boxes of what might be raw material to make bombs, area police chief Thammanoon Trithippayaphong told Efe news. The arrest comes after the police earlier this month had warned of a possible attack in the capital city between October 25 and 30. The police have since then beefed up security at popular tourist areas in the city, near embassies and airports. Last week, 11 people were arrested for purportedly collaborating with the Muslim insurgency active in the southern part of the country to carry out a string of bomb blasts in August in several southern provinces of the country. Between August 11 and 12, fourteen bombs exploded in six Thai provinces, including at popular tourist spots in Phuket and Hua Hin, killing four and injuring 35, including ten foreign nationals. The attacks were later claimed by the Barasan Revolusi Nasional, the country's largest armed rebel group. Aleppo: Russia has announced an eight-hour "humanitarian" ceasefire in Aleppo later this week, as the EU warned that the Syrian regime`s Moscow-backed assault on the city could amount to a war crime. The United Nations and European Union welcomed the announcement, but said Thursday`s planned pause in fighting needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, dozens of civilians including 12 members of the same family were killed in heavy bombardment of rebel-held eastern sectors of the embattled city on Monday, a monitoring group said. "We have taken a decision not to waste time and to introduce `humanitarian pauses`, mainly for the free passage of civilians, evacuation of the sick and wounded and withdrawal of fighters," senior Russian military officer Sergei Rudskoi said in Moscow. The truce would run from 0800 to 1600 local time (0500 GMT to 1300 GMT) "in the area of Aleppo", Rudskoi said. "During this period the Russian air force and Syrian government troops will halt air strikes and firing from any other types of weapons." Russia`s ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin also announced that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey had agreed to participate in talks with the US and Russia to try to separate moderate and extremist opposition in Aleppo and boost hopes of prolonging the truce. The announcements came as EU foreign ministers condemned the ferocious air war waged on Aleppo over the past three weeks. "Since the beginning of the offensive by the regime and its allies, notably Russia, the intensity and scale of the aerial bombardment of eastern Aleppo is clearly disproportionate," a statement said. "The deliberate targeting of hospitals, medical personnel, schools and essential infrastructure, as well as the use of barrel bombs, cluster bombs, and chemical weapons, constitute a catastrophic escalation of the conflict... and may amount to war crimes," they added.The EU ministers said they would press ahead with extending sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad`s regime, but stopped short of threatening measures against Russia. EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini called Moscow`s announcement "positive" but said the truce was not long enough to allow humanitarian aid to reach the besieged city. "It can be a start... for sure it is a positive step," she told reporters at the close of the ministerial meeting in Luxembourg. "The latest assessment from the aid agencies (however) is that 12 hours is needed so work is needed to find common ground," she added. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also welcomed the truce announcement but stressed the "need for a longer pause in order to get the aid in". Once Syria`s thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by air raids and intensifying clashes as regime forces fight to capture the rebel-held east. Russian air support for the onslaught -- which has destroyed hospitals and other civilian infrastructure -- has spurred the accusations of potential war crimes. Monday`s air strikes killed 13 civilians in Aleppo`s rebel-held district of Marjeh, including 12 members of the same family, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "Nine of the family members were minors, including a 17-year-old girl and her newborn," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based group. Unverified online video footage showed the bodies of eight children said to have been killed in Marjeh, wrapped in white cloth and lined up before their burial. At least 47 people have been killed since Sunday morning in east Aleppo, the Observatory said. The deadliest raids were overnight on a residential block in Qaterji, where the Observatory said Russian strikes killed 18 civilians."There are still families under the ruins. We pulled out seven or eight bodies and dozens of wounded," said ambulance driver Abu Mohamed. "The hospitals are full of casualties. It`s a disaster." More than 430 people have been killed in bombardment of the eastern half since the assault on Aleppo was announced on September 22, the Observatory said. Another 82 people have died in rebel fire on government-held neighbourhoods in the west. Further west in Aleppo province, Russian raids killed 23 people in the village of Uwaijal on Monday, said the Observatory. US Secretary of State John Kerry met his counterparts from Russia, Iran and Syria`s neighbours in Switzerland on Saturday, before flying to London for talks with the British and other European foreign ministers. Kerry said the Lausanne meeting produced new ideas on reviving a truce, after a ceasefire jointly brokered by Moscow and Washington collapsed last month. Syria`s war has devolved from a widespread protest movement against Assad`s rule to a multi-front war between rebels, jihadists, Kurds and regime forces. Aleppo: Russian warplanes pounded rebel-held areas of Syria`s battleground second city Aleppo on Tuesday hours after Moscow announced a humanitarian pause in its bombardment for later this week, a monitor said. "Russian airplanes carried out intensive air strikes after midnight, targeting many districts of east Aleppo" the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based monitor had no immediate word on casualties. The group, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved. Syrian government aircraft have also carried out intensive air strikes on rebel areas since Damascus launched an offensive to recapture the whole city on September 22. The former commercial and industrial hub has been divided by a front line slicing through its historic heart since rebels seized eastern districts in summer 2012. One of Tuesday`s pre-dawn strikes flattened an apartment block in the rebel-held Bustan al-Qasr district, an AFP correspondent reported. The raids came just hours after Russia announced it would halt its bombing campaign from 0500 GMT to 1300 GMT on Thursday to allow in relief supplies to the more than 250,000 civilians believed to be trapped in rebel areas. The United Nations welcomed the pause but said it was not long enough to allow aid deliveries or the evacuation of those civilians who wished to leave. Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday executed a member of the royal family for murder, in a rare case involving one of the thousands of members of the House of Saud. Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabir was put to death in the capital Riyadh for shooting dead Adel al-Mahemid, a Saudi, during a brawl, the interior ministry said in a statement. Kabir was the 134th local or foreigner put to death this year, according to an AFP tally of ministry statements. The Arab News reported in November 2014 that a court in Riyadh sentenced an unnamed prince to death for killing his friend. He lost his life and another person was injured in an exchange of gunfire following a dispute at a camp on the edge of Riyadh in December 2012, the newspaper said. Desert camps are popular gathering places for Saudis. When the killer realised that his victim was a friend and colleague, he informed the police, the Arab News said. The sentence reflected the kingdom's "fair justice system," Arab News quoted the victim`s uncle Abdul Rahman al-Falaj as saying. Most people put to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded with a sword. Saudi Arabia has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death. Amnesty International says the kingdom carried out at least 158 death sentences in 2015, making it the third most prolific executioner after Iran and Pakistan. Amnesty`s figures do not include secretive China. Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47 people were put to death for "terrorism" on a single day in January. Rights experts have raised concerns about the fairness of trials in the kingdom but the government says the death penalty is a deterrent. Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday executed a member of the royal family for murder, in a rare case involving one of the thousands of members of the House of Saud. Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabir was put to death in the capital Riyadh for shooting dead Adel al-Mahemid, a Saudi, during a brawl, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Kabir was the 134th local or foreigner put to death this year, according to an AFP tally of ministry statements. The Arab News reported in November 2014 that a court in Riyadh sentenced an unnamed prince to death for killing his friend. He lost his life and another person was injured in an exchange of gunfire following a dispute at a camp on the edge of Riyadh in December 2012, the newspaper said. Desert camps are popular gathering places for Saudis. When the killer realised that his victim was a friend and colleague, he informed the police, the Arab News said. The sentence reflected the kingdom's "fair justice system," Arab News quoted the victim's uncle Abdul Rahman al-Falaj as saying. Most people put to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded with a sword. Saudi Arabia has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death. Amnesty International says the kingdom carried out at least 158 death sentences in 2015, making it the third most prolific executioner after Iran and Pakistan. Amnesty's figures do not include secretive China. Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47 people were put to death for "terrorism" on a single day in January. Rights experts have raised concerns about the fairness of trials in the kingdom but the government says the death penalty is a deterrent. Ankara: Turkish jets have not yet been used in the offensive to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from Islamic State, but will be deployed when the time comes, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was quoted as saying on Tuesday. Yildirim was cited by news channel NTV`s website as also telling reporters there was agreement on Turkey taking part in the coalition in Iraq. Yildirim`s office confirmed his remarks. Earlier he said Turkish warplanes were involved in the operation. Iraqi and Kurdish forces closing in on Mosul said on Tuesday they had secured some 20 villages on the outskirts of the city in the first day of an operation to retake the militant Islamist group`s last major stronghold in Iraq. The public will have its chance to weigh in on the 2017 Dane County budget at a special meeting Wednesday night. The Dane County Board will take testimony from the public regarding County Executive Joe Parisi's $634.3 million spending plan at the hearing in Room 201 of the City-County Building, beginning at 7 p.m. "This is a chance for the public to express their views to the County Board, and influence the process," said County Board Chairman Sharon Corrigan. "Tell us what you like, what you don't like, in the proposed budget." The budget includes $169.4 million in property tax funding, which would raise property taxes by a little less than $20 on the average Madison home valued at $255,000. County Board committees will deliberate amendments to the budget by early November, and a vote by the full board is expected in mid-November. London: Days ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May's India visit, the UK on Tuesday hailed Pakistan's "significant sacrifices" in combating terror while responding to a petition calling on the British government to "strongly condemn" Pakistan for providing a safe haven for terrorists. The petition titled 'UK Government to strongly condemn Pakistan or providing safe haven for terrorists' on the official government website had crossed the 10,000 signatures required to make it incumbent upon the UK government to respond. "Pakistan has made significant sacrifices in opposing terrorism. The UK has regularly raised with Pakistan the need to take consistent action against all terrorist groups operating within its borders," the response from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) read. "The UK regularly highlights to Pakistan, at the highest level, the importance of taking effective action against all terrorist groups operating in Pakistan, as Pakistan has committed to do," the response said. "We recognise the significant sacrifices that Pakistan and its people have made in combating terrorism. We are helping Pakistan develop its capacity to protect itself and prosecute those who plan and commit terrorist attacks," it said. The petition, authored by an Indian-origin professional Naman Paropkari, was launched with the aim of gathering as many as 100,000 signatures by the March 29, 2017, deadline so that the issue is considered for a parliamentary debate in the House of Commons. "Pakistan continues to double speak on issue of terrorism. It has aided and 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," the petition said. The 19,429 signatures gathered so far on the UK-wide petition have come largely from London and northern regions of England with heavy Indian-origin populations. May is scheduled to arrive in India on November 6 for a three-day visit, which will include a bilateral dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The UK's lauding of Pakistan's "significant sacrifices" in combating terrorism comes a day after China staunchly defended its all-weather ally from Prime Minister Modi's terming of Pakistan as a "mothership of terrorism", saying it is against linking any country or religion with terror. China also asked the world to acknowledge Pakistan's "great sacrifices". "We are strongly against terrorism of all forms, maintaining that terrorism should not be linked to certain country, ethnic group and religion," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had told a media briefing in Beijing while responding to questions on Modi's criticism against Pakistan at the BRICS Summit in Goa. HANOI; Vietnam`s prime minister ordered the military to launch a rescue mission after a helicopter went missing on Tuesday during a training flight, the government said, in the latest in a series of aviation setbacks. The Airbus EC 130 T2 helicopter was carrying an instructor and two trainee pilots when it disappeared off radar screens in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, the government said on its website. The defence ministry issued a statement but did not indicate whether those aboard were military or civilian. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc instructed the military to find the victims and review procedures to ensure safety and asked rescue units and provincial staffs to help. The incident comes after a succession of deadly accidents involving military planes and helicopters, at a time when Vietnam is adding to its shopping list as part of its biggest military buildup since the Vietnam War. Defence experts and arms firms say the country is on the lookout for anything from fighter jets and helicopters to surveillance planes, radar and surface-to-air missiles. The air force lost two fighter jets, in June and August. After the earlier crash, a CASA 212 coastguard plane hunting for the pilot and wreckage of a Russian-made Sukhoi SU-30 went down in bad weather, killing all nine people aboard. It has also had two helicopters crashes since July 2014, killing more than 20 people. On the latest round of statewide tests, fewer than half of Wisconsin public school students in grades three through eight scored proficient or better in English language arts or math. The results, released Tuesday by the state Department of Public Instruction, showed 42.5 percent of students scored in those top two categories in English language arts, while slightly fewer, 42.3 percent, scored proficient or advanced in math. The state simultaneously released scores from the ACT college readiness assessment, now required of all high school juniors in Wisconsin. In this second year of the requirement, the composite ACT score for public school students was 20.1 out of a possible 36, up one-tenth of a point from the prior year. The test in the lower grades, administered last spring, is called the Wisconsin Forward Exam. Its equivalent for students with significant cognitive disabilities is called the Dynamic Learning Maps exam. The statewide scores reported by DPI include results from both tests. The Forward Exam replaced the problematic Badger Exam, which was used only once and had itself replaced the long-running Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam. Because of this upheaval three tests in three years state officials say comparisons across years should not be made. While the latest results generally show scores lower than those on the Badger Exam, the decline does not mean students are losing ground, said Viji Somasundaram, director of DPIs student assessment office. The Forward Exams cut scores the methodology used to determine categories of achievement align with the states increased expectations for students and are thus more stringent than before, she said. The state also released results Tuesday from the much smaller pool of students who took the Forward Exam in private schools that are part of the states controversial voucher program. At these choice schools, as they are called, only 19.1 percent of students in grades 3-8 scored proficient or advanced in English language arts and only 14 percent scored proficient or advanced in math. Jim Bender, president of School Choice Wisconsin, said those scores dont tell the full story. Choice programs are composed predominantly of low-income students, so their scores should be compared to the subset of public school students who are economically disadvantaged, he said. When we make those comparisons, voucher students actually score higher on every metric across every program, he said. To cite one example, 19 percent of voucher students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program scored proficient or advanced in English language arts, compared to 14.9 percent of economically disadvantaged students in Milwaukee Public Schools, Bender said. It was all part of a day that saw a huge amount of achievement data released by the state, including scores in social studies in grades four, eight and 10 and in science in grades four and eight. About half of public school students passed the science and social studies portions. Achievement gap Scores from both the Forward Exam and the ACT continued to reflect stark achievement gaps across racial, ethnic and income groups. Gaps also are apparent for English language learners and students with disabilities. For instance, while 50.9 percent of white third-graders tested proficient or advanced in English language arts, the comparable figures were 15.1 percent for black students and 26.5 percent for Hispanic students. Economically disadvantaged students had a composite ACT score of 17.4, compared to 21.3 for those students who are not economically disadvantaged. I remain troubled by the achievement gaps that persist in Wisconsin, State Superintendent Tony Evers said in a statement. As a state and within our communities, we must work together to raise awareness of this problem and implement policy-driven solutions. It is not an issue of one student or one school district, it is an issue that impacts us all. Local results Scores on the Forward Exam in the Madison School District were lower than state averages, though last years high school juniors in Madison improved on prior ACT scores in the district and exceeded state averages. In grades three through eight, 34.5 percent of Madison students scored proficient or advanced in English language arts, while 35.4 percent scored proficient or better in math. Student results are given one of four labels advanced, proficient, basic or below basic. Andrew Statz, executive director of accountability for the Madison School District, said the district continues to rely more heavily on its internal testing through the Measures of Academic Progress test, or MAP, than on a statewide assessment. Thats in part because MAP measures a students growth over time, not just proficiency, and it can be given at intervals throughout the year, he said. Also, like so many other assessment officials in districts throughout the state, Statz said the instability in statewide tests continues to make year-to-year comparisons difficult for now. In the first year of any test, its always wise to be cautious, he said. Were seeing some good movement in the right areas on the (MAP) tests were using, and we think that, given time, we might see the same movement on the Forward Exam. We certainly have a very concerted planning effort in place to improve student achievement and narrow gaps. The Forward Exam data will become much more useful once we have another year or two of trends, said Tim Schell, director of curriculum and instruction for the Waunakee School District. Im really hoping the states able to stay with a consistent assessment for a few years. That absolutely will be the case, said DPI spokesman Tom McCarthy. State officials signed a 10-year contract with Minnesota-based Data Recognition Corp. to provide the Forward Exam. On the ACT, 45.8 percent of Madison juniors scored proficient or advanced in English language arts, up from 44.3 percent the prior year and better than the state average of 40.8 percent. In math, 38.7 percent scored proficient or advanced, up from 36.8 percent the prior year and above the state average of 34.8 percent. Opting out The percentage of Wisconsin students opting out of statewide testing dropped but was still sizable in some districts, including Madison. The number of opt-outs had ballooned during the 2014-15 school year, part of a national movement of parents souring on standardized testing. In Madison, 737 elementary and middle school students chose not to take the Badger Exam, about 7 percent of eligible students. Statewide, about 2.7 percent of students opted out that year. For the Forward Exam, 492 Madison students in grades three to eight opted out, about 4 percent of the tested student body, Statz said. Thats still a pretty big percentage, he said. He speculated that more parents are willing to sign on to the Forward Exam because it appears it will be around for a while. I think the one-time nature of the Badger Exam caused some people to say, Why bother? he said. So they took a pass. Statewide, about 98.8 percent of public school students took the Forward Exam, DPI said. In the first year of any test, its always wise to be cautious. Andrew Statz, executive director of accountability for the Madison School District GREEN BAY Republican Donald Trump laid out proposals to combat government corruption here Monday in an effort to turn the glare of the presidential election spotlight back on Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump expressed confidence that he will become the first Republican presidential nominee since 1984 to carry Wisconsin -- despite trailing in several recent polls and lacking the enthusiastic backing of top state Republicans. At least four protesters were removed from the raucous rally, which featured derogatory chants from the crowd about House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville, with whom Trump has been sparring in recent weeks. But the billionaire real estate mogul didn't mention Ryan or urge support for U.S. Ron Johnson of Oshkosh, who is in a tough re-election rematch against Democrat Russ Feingold. "Im here because everyones calling saying were going to win Wisconsin," Trump said. Ryan, Johnson and Gov. Scott Walker didn't attend the rally. Trump downplayed polling showing Clinton ahead in Wisconsin, claimed "the media is an extension of the Clinton campaign" and continued to insinuate the election outcome will be rigged. He cited the many issues facing Clinton, including her use of a private email server while Secretary of State, deleted emails, allegations of favoritism to donors to the Clinton Foundation and the recent revelation that a state department official had offered a "quid pro quo" to the FBI to declassify a Clinton email. "Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt person ever to run for the presidency of the United States," Trump said to applause from a not-quite-capacity 3,200-person crowd at the KI Convention Center. "This is worse than Watergate." Declaring "we are going to end government corruption," Trump announced proposals to ban executive branch officials from lobbying for five years, including a permanent ban on lobbying for foreign governments. He also wants to expand definition of lobbyist to close loopholes that allow members of Congress to act as "consultants" for lobbying firms, and change campaign finance laws to limit foreign contributions. Before Trump took the stage, there were chants of "Paul Ryan sucks" as state GOP chairman Brad Courtney spoke. Courtney issued a statement after the event saying, "The Republican Party of Wisconsin is incredibly proud and fully supportive of Speaker Paul Ryan and the work he does for the conservative movement here in Wisconsin and across this great nation. He has always and continues to inspire Republicans all across our state with his principled leadership and bold conservative solutions." Trump popular in NE Wisconsin The Green Bay area is one part of the state where Trump has been leading Clinton in the Marquette Law School Poll 18 points in the latest poll, though that figure is based on a small 160-respondent sample. Statewide he is trailing Clinton by seven points among likely voters. The poll was conducted in the two days before and after an 11-year-old video surfaced showing Trump making predatory comments about women. In response to the video, Ryan disinvited Trump from a previously scheduled campaign appearance in Elkhorn on Oct. 8. Ryan later said he wouldn't defend nor campaign with Trump, prompting Trump to respond with tweets critical of Ryan's leadership. Trump tweeted over the weekend that Ryan -- whom he stiffly endorsed in August in Green Bay -- was a "man who doesn't know how to win" and a party leader who is "always fighting the Republican nominee." "Paul Ryan does zilch!" Trump also tweeted. In the speech Monday, Trump addressed allegations brought by several women in the last week that he touched them inappropriately. "The media is trying to rig the election by giving credence to false stories that have no validity," he said. Top Wisconsin Republicans have said Trump's comments were indefensible, but none has rescinded an endorsement. Democrats called on them to repudiate Trump. Do they stand with the Republican Party of old? The party of Lincoln. The party of Teddy Roosevelt. Or do they stand with Donald Trump? said U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison. Too many of our Republican leaders in this country are failing that moral test. Responding to the speech, Brad Woodhouse, president of pro-Clinton Super PAC Correct the Record, said Trump claiming elections are rigged is not only disrespectful to Americans, it attacks our country at its core. It is dangerous for Donald Trump to peddle lies and conspiracy theories to mislead his supporters and cast doubt on our democratic elections, Woodhouse said. Its shocking that this type of rhetoric is now in the stump speech of a major presidential candidate -- Donald Trumps words are a threat to democracy. 'Pitchforks and torches time' Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, a nominal Democrat who has increasingly backed Republicans, told the crowd: "It is pitchforks and torches time in America." Diane Cegelski, 55, an accounts receivable analyst from Green Bay, volunteered to hand out Trump-Pence signs at the rally, but was visibly emotional as she talked about the election. She's upset at Clinton and the media, but she's also upset at Trump, for not making her decision any easier by continuing to focus on himself. She said she's also upset at local officials like Johnson and Ryan for not supporting Trump by attending the rally. "I'm to the point where I might vote for president, but not the down ticket because I'm just sick of them all," Cegelski said. Susan Bloom, a psychologist in her late 50s from Mount Pleasant who got her "Wisconsin Women Love Trump" poster signed by Trump at the rally, said she thinks Ryan should support Trump more than he has been, but she doesn't blame the Speaker for his reticence. "I think he wants to pull the team together, but he doesn't want to focus on all the bad stuff," Bloom said. Sandy Duckett, 58, a nonprofit CEO from Green Bay and past president of Brown County Republican Women, said Trump is getting support in the Fox Valley area because "people are tired of business as usual." She said in the wake of Trump's comments about women, she went to a local party office and was "pleasantly surprised" to see it still bustling. "I think maybe people did take pause," Duckett said. "But looking at the choices we have and where he stands I think many people are frustrated we're not learning more about those other things against the other candidate." More than 37,000 people in Wisconsin are expected to lose health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Acts federal exchange next year because some insurers are leaving the exchange, the state Office of the Commissioner of Insurance said Tuesday. However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says most of the residents will be able to choose plans from other companies. About 224,000 people in Wisconsin were insured through the exchange as of March. Several health insurers are exiting the exchange in parts of the state next year, including Physicians Plus in Dane County. County residents seeking insurance on the exchange will be able to choose among various plans from three carriers: Dean Health Plan, Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin and Unity Health Insurance. The federal government, under a new policy, will choose health plans for people whose insurers have left the exchange unless those people choose a plan on their own or opt out of the exchange. Insurance commissioner Ted Nickel, who has criticized the auto re-enrollment policy, announced seven town hall meetings around the state, including one from 4-5:30 p.m. Oct. 27 at Madison College, 1701 Wright St., Madison. These consumers will unfortunately endure the harms of auto re-enrollment unless they understand their options moving forward, Nickel said in a statement. To alleviate confusion, we will be traveling the state to provide information on the 2017 open enrollment and strongly encourage consumers who will be affected by auto re-enrollment to opt out and shop for health care coverage either on or off the exchange. Premiums will go up an average of 15.9 percent next year for Wisconsin health insurance plans on the exchange, the insurance commissioner said earlier this month. The federal government said most consumers wont have to face steep hikes themselves because the vast majority receive tax credits to help pay premiums and consumers can shop around for cheaper plans. Open enrollment on the exchange begins Nov. 1. The vast majority of people in Wisconsin are insured through their employer or the government programs Medicare or Medicaid, and dont use the exchange. Among the estimated 353,000 people who remain uninsured in Wisconsin, 82,000 are eligible for tax credits on the exchange and 124,000 are eligible for Medicaid, the Kaiser Family Foundation said Tuesday. By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Iranian court has sentenced an Iranian-American businessman and his elderly father to 10 years in prison on charges of cooperating with the United States, Iranian media reported on Tuesday, the latest sign of an intensifying crackdown against Iranians with ties to the West. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in October 2015 detained Siamak Namazi, a businessman in his mid-40s with dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship, while he was visiting family in Tehran. The IRGC in February arrested his 80-year-old father, Baquer Namazi, a former Iranian provincial governor and former UNICEF official who also has dual citizenship. Both men were sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying and cooperating with the U.S. government, said Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, according to the Fars news website, without specifying when exactly the sentences had been handed down. The U.S. State Department's deputy spokesman, Mark Toner, said the father and son had been "unjustly detained" in Iran, and called for their immediate release. The sentences were the latest against dual nationals directed by hardliners who are powerful in Iran's judiciary and security forces, in the aftermath of Iran's historic nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers last year. Washington and Tehran have not had formal diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed shah. Babak Namazi, Siamak's brother and Baquer's son, called the sentences unjust. "My father has been handed practically a death sentence," Babak Namazi said in a statement. Baquer Namazi has a serious heart condition and other medical issues requiring special medication, his wife wrote on Facebook in February. On Tuesday, UNICEF called for his release on "humanitarian grounds." Baquer Namazi previously served as UNICEF's representative in Somalia, Kenya and Egypt. He also ran Hamyaran, an umbrella agency for Iranian non-governmental organizations. Siamak Namazi, who was born in Iran and educated in the United States, worked as a business consultant in Iran for several years, and was well-known in Washington circles. He most recently worked for Crescent Petroleum, an oil and gas company in the United Arab Emirates. Mizan, the Iranian judiciary's official news site, published on Sunday video images of Siamak, set to dramatic music and spliced together with images of U.S. President Barack Obama and Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who was released from an Iranian jail in January after more than 18 months in detention. The video showed Siamak's U.S. passport and identification card from the United Arab Emirates, where he previously lived. It then showed him standing and holding his arms outstretched, as if being searched, while being filmed by at least one other cameraman. The website said the video depicted "the first images of the moment of Siamak Namazi's arrest." The father and son were each given a single court session lasting a few hours before the sentences were given, Babak Namazi's statement said. HARDLINE BACKLASH Iran's deal with world powers lifted most international sanctions and promised Iran's reintegration into the global community in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. The potential detente with the West has alarmed Iranian hardliners, who have seen a flood of European trade and investment delegations arrive in Tehran to discuss possible deals, according to Iran experts. Security officials have arrested dozens of artists, journalists and businessmen, including Iranians holding joint American, European or Canadian citizenship, as part of a crackdown on "Western infiltration." Four other Iranian-Americans, including Rezaian, were released from Iranian prisons in January as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. The arrests have undermined Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's goals of reviving Iran's business and political ties with the West, as well as pushing for more political and social reforms at home, Iran experts and observers said. In a 2013 visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, his first as president, Rouhani told an enthusiastic crowd of Iranian-Americans that his government would make it easier for them to visit Iran. He has criticized his hardline opponents, saying they sought their own interests, not those of the Iranian people. (Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Will Dunham) Student Management Temple U Adopts Management Software for Non-Credit Programs and Students Temple University in Philadelphia, PA has implemented a university-wide software platform designed for managing non-traditional education programs. Temple University offers more than 100 non-credit programs administered through more than 50 offices and supporting more than 43,000 students each year. Previously, the university had no centralized repository for storing data related to these programs and students, and the administration wanted to provide students with a more consistent experience while improving business processes. The university selected Destiny One from Destiny Solutions because it "fit our wide range of programs and requirements" and "gave our staff the tools to administer those programs with very little central overhead," said Nicole Westrick, associate vice provost of University College at Temple University, in a case study published on the company's site. At the same time, the university opted for Destiny One's Conference Manager tool to support branded registration sites for conferences, customized schedules and group-pay options for attendees. According to the company's site, Destiny One supports automated workflows for enrollment, curriculum, system administration, marketing, finance and reporting, and it integrates with other campus systems, including student information systems (SIS), learning management systems (LMS), authentication, payment processing and financial systems. Individuals can access the system through portals for the public, students, faculty, staff and administrators. The university is rolling out Destiny One in phases. Eight departments, including the Intensive English Language Program and the Office of Non-Credit and Continuing Education implemented the system in phase one. Since then, 55 additional departments have implemented the system. According to Destiny Solutions, "it only takes seven weeks to get a full noncredit program up and running with Destiny One, and only three weeks for a single course or conference." Implementing Destiny One has made it "easier and quicker" for staff to respond to student inquiries, and students, faculty and staff now have "consistent and structured access to the information they need across the institution," said Westrick in a news release. She added that the implementation has also "eliminated many lengthy manual procedures" and provided "integration points with our existing backend computing infrastructure." The system also allows students to browse, enroll in and pay for courses from their mobile device. TUESDAY, Oct. 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is earmarking millions of dollars to prepare states and cities for future Zika virus outbreaks, and to track the effects of the virus on the unborn. The CDC will steer $25 million in recently approved funding to states and some cities for Zika preparedness and response efforts, agency Chief Operating Officer Sherri Berger said Tuesday. The agency also plans to provide $70 million to $120 million to state health departments, for use in detecting and tracking the Zika virus, Berger added. In addition, the CDC will provide $10 million for states and cities to develop programs that will track Zika-affected babies born with microcephaly or other related birth defects, she said. The CDC already has ongoing efforts to track Zika-affected births in the United States, which include a Zika pregnancy registry covering all the states and all U.S. territories except Puerto Rico, said Dr. Denise Jamieson, co-lead of the CDC Zika Virus Response Team's Pregnancy and Birth Defects Team. Puerto Rico has been suffering the worst U.S. outbreak of Zika, with 25,355 locally acquired cases reported as of Oct. 12, according to the CDC. A more in-depth Zika pregnancy registry has been established there, which involves active medical record reviews, Jamieson said. The CDC also is supporting studies of Zika-affected pregnancies in Colombia and Brazil, the epicenter of the outbreak, she added. Zika is the first mosquito-borne virus known to cause terrible birth defects, most of them brain-related. The most common defect is microcephaly, in which a child is born with an abnormally small brain and skull. Thousands of babies have been born with Zika-linked microcephaly, most of them in Brazil, since an outbreak began in South America in April 2015. The expenditures discussed Tuesday by the CDC are part of $1.1 billion in Zika response funding approved by Congress late last month. Because of the Congressional spending package, the CDC also will be restoring about $44.25 million in public health emergency preparedness money that had been re-routed to pay for early Zika response efforts, said Dr. Stephen Redd, director of the CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response. The money already had been awarded to all 50 states, four cities and eight territories, but was diverted to Zika response when Congress did not promptly approve a request by President Barack Obama in February for additional Zika funding, Redd said. All of the grantees "will receive their notices of award by the end of the day," Redd said. The emergency preparedness money can be spent to prepare for Zika, or for any other potential public health threat, Redd said. It includes $2.6 million awarded earlier to Florida, which the state can use in its Zika response efforts. Florida is the only state to report local cases of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes, but health officials have warned in the past that mosquitoes could transmit the virus in other Gulf Coast states such as Louisiana and Texas. Caitlyn Miller, director of the Division of Discretionary Programs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said about $75 million of the newly approved money will be used to cover the cost of treating uninsured people in states and territories with active Zika infection. Another $66 million will be directly targeted at Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories, including $40 million to expand delivery of health care services, Miller said. More information For more on Zika virus, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This Q&A will tell you what you need to know about Zika. To see the CDC list of sites where Zika virus is active and may pose a threat to pregnant women, click here. New research led by UC San Francisco scientists has revealed that mutations in a gene linked with brain development may dispose people to multiple forms of psychiatric disease by changing the way brain cells communicate. The new study -- published October 18, 2016 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry -- combined genetic analysis of more than 9,000 human psychiatric patients with brain imaging, electrophysiology, and pharmacological experiments in mutant mice to suggest that mutations in the gene DIXDC1 may act as a general risk factor for psychiatric disease by interfering with the way the brain regulates connections between neurons. The new finding is the latest evidence supporting a growing precision medicine model of psychiatric disease in which disruptions of certain genes during brain development contribute to a person's risk for multiple psychiatric disorders, with other genetic or epigenetic drivers, random developmental events, or environmental influences determining the specific disease an individual develops, said senior author Benjamin Cheyette, MD, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry and a member of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences and the Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neurosciences at UCSF. WNT pathway implicated as general psychiatric risk factor Since the mid-1990s, Cheyette has been interested in the role of WNT signaling -- a molecular pathway involved in early brain development and later, more refined brain wiring -- in the genesis of psychiatric disorders. At the time, he says, most psychiatrists believed that psychiatric disorders were caused by imbalances in the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. "Antidepressant drugs worked by increasing serotonin levels. Antipsychotics worked by blocking dopamine receptors. So it seemed obvious to most psychiatry researchers that problems with serotonin and dopamine levels must be causing depression and psychosis," Cheyette said. "The idea that psychiatric disorders were caused by problems in brain development was a little bit radical. Now it's hardly even a question." In particular, growing evidence has pointed to defective WNT signaling as a key driver of multiple psychiatric diseases. On one hand, a number of recently identified genetic contributors to schizophrenia and autism interact closely with the WNT system. In parallel, other studies have suggested that lithium salts -- perhaps the oldest psychiatric drug in existence -- may be successful in treating certain forms of bipolar disorder because they mimic activation of the WNT pathway in the brain. Mutations seen in people with autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder cause loss of synapses in mice In their new paper, Cheyette and his team examined the gene DIXDC1 -- a key piece of the WNT signaling pathway that is active in tissues of the brain and interacts with DISC1, a gene implicated in schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorders. Through multiple different lines of experimental evidence, they built a strong case that DIXDC1 mutations may predispose people to multiple psychiatric disorders by altering WNT signaling in the brain. First, an analysis of genomic data from 6,000 patients with autism spectrum disorders, 1,000 patients with bipolar disorder, and 2,500 patients with schizophrenia by co-first author Pierre-Marie Martin, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in Cheyette's lab, revealed that disruptive mutations in the main neuronal form of DIXDC1 were present about 80 percent more often in psychiatric patients (0.9 percent had mutations) compared to healthy controls (0.5 percent had mutations). To understand how DIXDC1 mutations put normal brain function at risk, Cheyette's team turned to mutant mice that lacked a functioning copy of the gene. Martin conducted behavioral tests showing that, though the mutant mice were normal in many ways, they exhibited heightened anxiety, loss of motivation, and reduced interest in social interactions, all of which are reminiscent of symptoms seen in human psychiatric disorders. Studies of individual neurons in dishes of cultured neurons and in brain slices by co-first author Robert E. Stanley, a graduate student in the lab, revealed that neurons in the mutant mice had decreased numbers of dendritic spines, an important part of the synapses that neurons use to communicate with one another. These findings were confirmed by two-photon imaging of neurons in the brains of living mice by the lab of collaborator Yi Zuo, PhD, a neuroscientist at UC Santa Cruz, as well as electrophysiological recordings from neurons in brain slices by the lab of collaborator Vikaas Sohal, MD, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry at UCSF. Lithium treatment restores synapse numbers, improves psychiatric symptoms in mutant mice As expected, biochemical experiments in the Cheyette lab revealed that DIXDC1 mutations impaired WNT signaling in neurons from affected mice. Remarkably, giving animals injections of lithium salts --which mimics WNT signaling by inhibiting the molecule GSK3 -- or giving animals a more specific GSK inhibitor, the researchers were able to restore normal synapse and spine numbers and also improve some of the most significant psychiatric-like behavioral abnormalities in these mice. "That's the key finding," said Cheyette. "It suggests that lithium could have its well-known therapeutic effect on patients with bipolar disorder by changing the stability of spines in the brain." According to Cheyette, this is some of the strongest evidence to date that WNT signaling could play a key role in driving psychiatric disease, and that it works through changes in synaptic communication between neurons. "It's rare in psychiatry to go from human genetics to animal behavior and pharmacological rescue," said Martin, the post-doc who co-led the research team. "Maybe each one of these lines of evidence on its own would not have been a slam dunk, but taken together, you see that all the evidence points the same way. It's pretty compelling." The fact that DIXDC1 mutations were rare, even in psychiatric patients, is not a surprise to Cheyette, who says research psychiatrists now believe that -- much like in cancer biology -- many different risk factors combine in each individual patient to trigger neurological and psychiatric symptoms and need to be individually identified to personalize precision treatment. "Oncologists' growing understanding that what may clinically appear to be similar cancers can be driven by very distinct molecular pathways has led to drugs that are magic bullets for certain patients," Cheyette said. "I think psychiatry is moving in the same direction. This paper is one more step towards a precision medicine understanding of what drives psychiatric disorders." ### Additional authors on the paper were Adam P. Ross, PhD, Andiara E. Freitas, PhD, Audrey C. Brumback, MD, PhD, Jillian Iafrati, PhD, Kristina S. Stapornwongkul, Sky Dominguez, Saul Kivimae, PhD, Kimberly A. Mulligan, PhD, and Stephan J. Sanders, PhD, BMBS of UCSF; Caitlin E. Moyer of UCSC; Mehdi Pirooznia, MD, PhD, and Peter P. Zandi, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University; W. Richard McCombie, PhD, of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; James B. Potash, MD, MPH, of the University of Iowa; and Shaun M. Purcell, PhD, of Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine. The research was supported by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (Grant 329269 and an Undergraduate Summer Research Award), the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (formerly NARSAD), the National Institute of Mental Health (T32 #5T32MH089920-05, R01MH104227, R01MH094449), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01 supplement R01HD55300-S), the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke (R01NS078791), the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, and the UCSF Department of Psychiatry. About UCSF: UC San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences; and a preeminent biomedical research enterprise. It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises two top-ranked hospitals, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco, and other partner and affiliated hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Bay Area. Please visit http://www.ucsf.edu/news. chips off the old block Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Tennessee Bank is expanding its focus on businesses with specialized banking needs by hiring bankers with extensive experience in four areas: franchise finance, healthcare finance, music industry banking and structured equipment finance. By attracting experienced bankers with established relationships to lead these specialty areas, First Tennessee will expand its expertise and grow its business throughout Tennessee and with selected customers across the country. The new specialty areas and executives who will lead the teams: Franchise Finance First Tennessee has hired Todd Jones, former senior managing director for brand management for General Electric Capital Corp., to lead the franchise finance team. With the hiring of Jones and expansion of the team of bankers experienced in meeting the unique needs of franchise finance customers, First Tennessee is significantly expanding its franchise finance business following the acquisition of approximately $537 million in restaurant franchise finance loans from GE Capital. Healthcare Finance Brooks Hubbard has joined First Tennessee to lead a specialty healthcare finance group focused on sponsor-backed healthcare transactions in Tennessee and throughout the United States. Before joining First Tennessee, Hubbard was managing director of healthcare banking for one of the countrys 25 largest banks. Music Industry Banking Andrew Kintz, one of the leading bankers on Nashvilles Music Row, is establishing First Tennessees first dedicated music industry banking group. Kintz and his team will spearhead a new strategy focused on music industry businesses and individuals including publishers, management firms, agencies, labels, producers, artists, songwriters, attorneys and other music industry centers of influence in Tennessee, the Southeast and nationally. Structured Equipment Finance Lee Palm, a financial industry veteran experienced at developing successful de novo business segments, will lead First Tennessees new structured equipment finance banking group. Palm and his team will focus on business aviation, construction, marine, rail and trucking finance. Banking is a relationship business, and weve been able to attract some very talented bankers who have developed great relationships and deep expertise in a variety of specialized finance areas, said David Popwell, president of banking for First Tennessees parent company, First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE: FHN). Our specialty banking businesses have traditionally been among our strongest, and we are building on that success with these new members of the talented First Tennessee team. About First Tennessee First Tennessee Bank, the largest bank headquartered in Tennessee, was founded during the Civil War in 1864 and has the 14th oldest national bank charter in the country and one of the highest customer retention rates of any bank in the country. First Tennessee and FTN Financial are part of First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN), which has 4,300 employees. First Horizon has been recognized as one of the nation's best employers by Working Mother and American Banker magazines. More information is available at www.FirstTennessee.com. FHN-G DENVER, Oct. 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Pulse Beverage Corporation (Pulse) (OTCQX:PLSB) announced today that it has secured placement of Natural Cabana Lemonade/Limeade in 340 Walmart Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets in the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and West Texas. The sets will be completed by the end of October. As part of the Walmart rollout Pulse adds KeHE Distributors LLC to assist in the distribution of its products into Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Northern California. The KeHE network includes 17 North American warehouses and 470 trucks with daily routes serving nearly half of the top 100 retailers from coast to coast. Pulse to sell Natural Cabana Coconut Water through 29 Dierbergs Markets, one of the dominant grocery store retailers in the St. Louis area. Robert Yates, CEO of Pulse, said, When we team up with major retailers like Walmart, consumers easily find our prominently displayed products thereby increasing revenue and earnings for our shareholders; we estimate annual sales from this new listing of over $1,000,000. Mr. Yates went on to say, KeHE will help us with other major retailers we were not able to get to with our existing distribution network. About The Pulse Beverage Corporation Pulse Beverage Corporation is an emerging beverage company that offers beverage brands that are great tasting, good-for-you, refreshing, low-calorie natural drinks. Combining all-natural ingredients, essential vitamins and minerals, Pulses line of beverages provides consumers with high-quality, healthy alternatives at a reasonable price. For more information, please visit: www.pulsebeverage.com or email info@pulsebeverage.com. Follow Pulse Beverage on Twitter at https://twitter.com/drinkpulsebev. Become a Pulse Beverage Facebook Fan at https://www.facebook.com/PulseBeverageCorporation. Forward-Looking Statements http:/ir.pulsebeverage.com/forward-looking- statements 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 But of equal interest is what will happen in any interregnum between the election and inauguration day. If Trump wins will we finally see the Establishment realize that the people have spoken? Or will we see multiple attempts to derail Trump before Inauguration Day? This is the more likely outcome I think. It is likely that, no matter the consequences, Donald Trump will now, over the next three weeks, fully prosecute the case that political correctness has so long proscribed us from doing an indictment of the entire corrupt and rotten to the core political establishment in Washington DC, regardless of party. This has been a long time in coming and because of that buildup the damage will be severe and permanent. This civil war in the GOP may very well end the party if Trump loses. His supporters are in no mood to acquiesce to a leadership that supports open borders or free trade or globalism. If Trump wins the Democrats will be in disarray and the Clintons may very well be investigated leading to a political battle unlike anything this Republic has ever seen. It is really quite scary in some ways. If Clinton wins, will Trumps supporters accept the results? Trump and his top supporters have stated that they will accept the election results and that it is the media who is rigging the elections in its shamefully biased reporting of the campaign. But if there is actual video evidence of voter fraud across the country is several key battleground states, will Trumps supporters accept the outcome? That is hard to tell. I think in some ways the Rubicon has been crossed here. But lets say Trump wins. What are the ways that the election can be contested or an override of the results be attempted? It seems that Trump has bi-partisan enemies in this arena and the battle may just be beginning on November 8. The first area for a challenge is in the state elections themselves. Recounts in close states would be funded. Lawsuits would be filed as to the validity of the vote in some states as Im sure that some Democrats will accuse Republicans of voter suppression in some areas. The election of 1876 provides a sort of template for this sort of challenge. In 1876, Democrat Samuel Tilden won the southern states of Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana on election night after the votes were counted. But the Republicans cried foul and said that many former slaves had their votes suppressed. The 20 electoral votes of those states were in dispute. Congress created an Electoral Commission to investigate and determine how to award the disputed votes. This Commission of 15 members had 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats on it. Of course, in the end, it voted along partisan lines and awarded all 20 electoral votes to Republican candidate Rutherford B Hayes and he became our 19th President by a margin of 1 electoral vote (185-184). The South extracted Home Rule in this bargain and the Jim Crow era began in earnest. Another alternative for opponents of Trump is to convince the Electors themselves to vote differently than their states voted. Well over 99% of the Electors in our countrys entire history have voted as they pledged. The sheer political pressure is enormous on them to conform to the wishes of their fellow citizens. But only about half of the states have laws requiring these pledges be upheld. So, in an election like this, there could be faithless Electors who might be persuaded to keep Mr. Trump from 270. These Electors meet in their respective state capitals to cast their votes on the same day. In some states these proceedings are open to the public. Regardless, given the sheer hatred of some toward Donald Trump, if he wins there will likely be members of both parties who will call for the Electors to change their votes and save the country. But lets say that the Electors hold true to form and vote the way that their states wish and this is overcome. There is still another way for the opponents of Trump to make an attempt at stopping him. And that is on, January 6, 2017, several days in to the new Congress. After members are sworn in, a joint session of Congress is held and the President of the Senate(Vice-President Biden in this case) leads an official tally of the actual sealed Electoral Vote Certificates as presented by the Electoral College. Each states votes are recorded alphabetically. But after the reading of this tally, the Vice-President then asks if there are any objections to any of the votes. These objections must be written and signed by at least one Representative and one Senator. Both Houses then return to their respective chambers to a maximum two-hour debate on the merits of each objection. Both Houses must agree on the challenge to overturn the states results with separate majority votes in both chambers to effectively knock the Electoral Votes off of the originally winning candidates total count. Any candidate must win a majority of the entire Electoral College, or 270 votes. This action actually happened recently in January 2005 as the electoral votes of the state of Ohio were challenged. Both Houses failed to concur though and the Electoral Votes were indeed awarded to President Bush and Vice-President Cheney. But given the acrimony of this year, if Trump wins any states by small margins and he just squeaks by in the Electoral College, can we really expect a likely Republican House to back him up on this? That may seem like political suicide. But if Trump can be knocked below 270 electoral votes and Clinton can also be kept below that amount, then the House of Representatives elects the President. The Vice-Presidential race might wind up differently as the electoral votes for each office are made and counted separately. Imagine the electoral votes for Trump in one State being challenged but Pences votes not being challenged! In this case, Pence would be elected Vice-President Elect and then become Acting President on January 20 if no President as been chosen. If Pence failed to reach 270, the Senate, which would likely be Democratic given current polling trends, would get to select the Vice-President from the two candidates with the most Electoral Votes (either Pence or Kaine). This new Vice-President would serve as Acting President starting January 20, 2017 if the House was unable to reach agreement on a new President in time. 26 state delegations are needed. Some states might have deadlocked House delegations and a tie vote in a State makes it essentially an Abstention. In 1800, the House needed to cast 35 ballots before finally deciding on Thomas Jefferson as our third President. Even more arcane is the Senate rule that fully 51 Senators must approve the potential Vice-President in a contingent election. So if the Senate is split 50-50 and the partisanship holds, there is no tie-breaker from the current Vice-President on January 6 (Biden) In this case the Speaker of the House would serve as Acting President until the House decides on a President. The Speaker would have to resign both as Representative and Speaker to do this (hmm, thats one way to end Paul Ryans career). The House eventually though selects the President from the top three candidates who receive the most Electoral Votes. So if Gary Johnson can win New Mexico or Evan McMullin can win Utah, they would be on this ballot. Who would have thought?! But even more bizarre, if Pence is Acting President would a Republican House even vote for President? The political pressure would be enormous but whether that is enough to overcome some of their disdain for Donald Trump remains to be seen. Bottom line, the above is very byzantine and convoluted. But given the very heated rhetoric and passions involved in this election season, I see an interregnum potentially more interesting than any in my lifetime. But our country has had such interregna before. In 1824 we had the Corrupt Bargain. In 1860 President Lincoln had to arrive in DC hidden in a special train dressed as a woman it was so intense. In 1876 we had the aforementioned Hayes-Tilden battle. And in 1932 the economy was so grim banks were failing and unemployment plumbed new depths. The Year 2000 brought us quite a controversy too. Political parties didnt survive all of them, but the Republic did. Expect it to survive again this time, no matter the outcome. CHICAGO - Chicago law enforcement officers, like others throughout the nation, have watched closely over the past several months when police involved in shootings lost their jobs, their livelihood, faced prison sentences and even dealt with death threats. All that was on the mind of a female Chicago police officer that chose spontaneously to suffer head trauma and hospitalization rather than defend herself with her firearm against a suspect violently resisting arrest. In the released video, the cops say over and over that the taser they had employed wasn't working. Chicago police Supt. Eddie Johnson said the officer feared for her life and also feared the community backlash if she were to shoot Huff with her weapon. Ed Clarke lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan and works as a consultant to high technology companies. During his career, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for three high technology, middle market, privately owned companies with responsibilities in accounting and finance, human resources, information technology, operations and contracts. Before working as CFO, Ed was a consultant with Arthur Andersen & Co. working on information systems and internal control projects. Early in his career, Ed was an officer in the US Army Signal Corps with tours in Vietnam and at the signal corps product development and research laboratory at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. In addition to being a CPA, Ed earned degrees in Engineering from Harvard and Stanford and an MBA from the University of Chicago. I first met Ed Clarke, the youngest of three children of Elizabeth and Edwin Richards Clark II, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth R. Clarke. Here is the Link to my article published on Tuesday, August 30, 2016, at Illinois Review, Heartland hosts tribute to Illinois conservative Patriot Elizabeth A. Clarke. It was Ed Clarke's early career as an officer in the US Army Signal Corps, with time spent in Vietnam, coupled with his career as a consultant and a finance and accounting expert, that prompted me to take seriously the unpublished articles Ed shared recently with me, articles which set forth original perspectives the public needs to know when voting in this very important November election. Ed Clarke qualified to render judgment As Ed explained in the first of his shared article, although he didn't work for Donald Trump, he did work for people like Trump who were bombastic, egotistical, energetic, at times vulgar, but at other times generous and gracious, a person much like General George Patton. Ed reminded us to remember Pattons signature look of polished riding boots, riding crop and pearl-handle pistols on each hip. Remember how vulgar and demanding but charismatic Patton was? Trump, Patton and each of the people Ed worked for were charismatic in their own way. Ed then expressed surprise at the number of people who would leave the employment of such a person only to later return. The Trumps of the world are very demanding. They respect those who can hold their own and will stand up to them but had little time for those who would not. Reflections of Trump as a businessman, entrepreneur and real estate developer In the words of Ed Clarke: The undeniable record of Donald Trump as a businessman, entrepreneur and real estate developer is that he found ways for contending parties to work together to accomplish goals. Think what it would be like to be a high profile real estate developer. Besides needing a vision of a market opportunity for a specific property and sketching out what that might look like with planners and an architect, the developer has to convince a planning/zoning board to approve it. She/he has to negotiate with suppliers who can deliver the products needed to the specifications, price and time-line required. She/he has to work with the building trades to get the building built. Deadlines are missed, material is substandard, weather causes delays, there is contention and rancor among the trades, and there are always financial constraints and penalty clauses for being late. At each step, there is no correct answer and often no good answer. The developer must find a way forward that the contending participants support sufficiently to agree and carry it out. Ed Clarke tells of how he once sat in on a construction meeting for a large building in which the construction superintendent had to navigate through the arguments among the trades as to who was responsible for what and how to prioritize the work when materials were not available on time. This is the world in which Donald Trump has been successful. As such, Clarke believes Trump would do the same as President. He will get people from all sides of an issue together (including Democrats), listen to the opposing points of view and provide the leadership to find a sensible way forward. About stiffing suppliers Ed writes: We read that the Donald stiffed some suppliers. We cannot know all the facts. Certainly there can be many legitimate reasons for not paying a supplier everything billed. Construction is a rough and tumble business. It is probably true that Trump did not pay every supplier for everything the supplier wanted to be paid. There are at least two sides to every story. If Trump really made a habit of treating suppliers unfairly, no one would sell to him. But the reality is that lots of people do work with the Trump organization so these claims of non-payment cannot be as egregious as claimed. About Exploitation of Tax Code "Some people complain the Donald 'exploited the tax code' by deducting losses from around 1990 against income from later years. But you never read that the real estate market in the late 1980s had fallen apart, due largely to bad government policies. Most capital intensive businesses lost big money during those years," Clarke said. He went on: I was working for a building products company at the time. In one year, the business lost $100 million dollars on revenue of $450 million. The company could not give away an empty office building they owned in Texas. As for the tax code, Trump is vilified for following the tax code that was passed by the same politicians who are now claiming his actions are somehow wrong. In fact, the tax code makes lots of sense." As a CPA, I know that measuring profit is pretty arbitrary, especially in capital intensive industries like real estate development. Of course losses in one year should be offset against income in subsequent years! Writers who claim to be qualified on such subjects make it sound as though depreciation, as a non-cash item, is a subterfuge for reducing taxes that is only available to real estate developers. Such nonsense! Of course depreciation is a non-cash item but the capital spending from which the depreciation is derived is a big cash item. All businesses, not just real estate, are required under the tax code to depreciate capital spending. Depreciation is just a way to spread the capital asset expenditure over a period of time arbitrarily defined by politicians. And of course losses in one business are used to offset profits in other businesses. Instead of being vilified, Trump should be admired for persevering through this extremely tough time and finding a solution that worked for his creditors as well as for himself. Lots of people had to sign off on each step of the way. Trump is vilified for following the law and Clintons are excused over and over again for violating the law. About Use of Bankruptcy "We read that many of the businesses started by Donald Trump failed; some went into bankruptcy. That is what entrepreneurs do. They start businesses. If you dont have some businesses that failed, you have not tried often enough. It takes vision, tenacity and often times luck. Rather than emphasize the failures, people should emphasize the successes. People that lost money on these ventures knew they were taking a risk. If what you are doing is not working 'cut bait' and try something else. We could use some political leadership that takes this approach," Clarke said. About Character as Reflection of Children "Another measure of a mans character is the children he has raised. The Trump children and their spouses are people to emulate: confident, independent, well-spoken and each successful in their own right and all very loyal and supportive of their father. Think how many prominent public citizens cannot say the same." Ed Clarke reflects on Trumps national defense strategy According to Ed: Pundits make this way too complicated. Osama bin Laden showed us the way. He said that people will follow the strong horse. Makes sense to me. And that is what people in the Middle East have been doing, following the strong horses of ISIS, Iraq and Russia. President Obama and the Democrats have chosen to 'lead from behind' (who likes a back seat driver?), dramatically cut defense spending, drive dedicated warrior-officers and religion out of the military and make the military into an experiment in diversity. Talk to people who recently left the military and you will find that standards have been lowered, morale is down and good people are leaving. All this looks like a very weak horse to me! Obama deploys troops in just sufficient numbers to insure they fail. Teddy Roosevelt is reported to have said the US 'should walk softly and carry a big stick.' Sounds to me like the same thing Bin Laden said. While Trump does not seem to have the patience to explain it this way, that is what he is advocating when he emphasizes rebuilding the military. If the US were a strong horse, domestic Jihadi violence would decline, Clarke said. "So would Jihadi recruitment. No one wants to back a loser. The best recruiting message for ISIS is Obama and Clinton." For your considerationwe have a new First-Page submission from one of our writers. Thanks, dear writer, for taking part in our TKZ critiques. We all learn from this! My general comments will follow and then I will revert to red because this works best for me when I can treat it like I do the pages from my critique group pals (we use Track Changes.) PJ Parrish Caribbean nights One block away from the suggested tourist area and the town of Falmouth, Jamaica reverted to its true form. Decades old cars, competing with bikes and pedestrians filled the streets. Half naked children darted about. Old women hung out of windows from upstairs apartments. Rail thin girls with tight fitting shorts looked for the next patron in need of human companionship by the hour. Young men with hungry eyes and menacing faces clustered on corners. The sun burned bright in the Caribbean sky yet there was no joy to be found here. It was for no small reason tourists were reminded to stay with their group. Jordan Noble walked down the broken pavement of the hilly street. His eyes constantly moving head on a swivel. It was a poor neighborhood and he dressed as accordingly as he could. His Tag Heuer stayed in his stateroom. In its place, an eleven-year-old G-Shock. He wore a white wife beater and dark green shorts. Nothing could be done about the Maui Jim sunglasses if they attracted attention, he would just have to deal with it. At a corner he stopped to orientate himself. One corner was a market of sorts. Opposite it, a bar, long boarded up and closed. Yes, this was the place. He turned at the bar and went down an alley. Immediately, in the shade of the buildings, the temperature dropped at least twenty degrees. He had just made it to the middle, when two young men appeared at the opposite end. One was shirtless, all lanky and wiry. His companion wore track pants and a Bob Marley T-shirt. Shirtless stepped into the alley. His eyes were wide the whites completely surrounded the coal black pupils. Hey there, mon, he said. You looking lost. Jordan didnt break stride. Im good. Thanks. Shirtless looked back to Bob Marley then to Jordan. Hey, no problem, mon. No problem, mon. Still, sometime we lose our way, ya know. It happens, ya see. Bob Marley walked a step or two to the right. Between him and Shirtless the exit was blocked. Jordan came to a stop and sized them up. If they had just jumped him, it may have been a fight. But now, their body language suggested no formal combat training or, for that matter, general good health. They were counting on their superior numbers to put the fight in their favor. Lets start with some general reaction and comments. Things I like about this: There is no confusion about where we are in the world and who is the center of attention ie the assumed protag Jordan Noble. (given that name, how can we NOT think hes the hero?). I dont even mind the fact that the crucial first graph is given over to description (but more on that in a moment as to how I think it could have been tweaked to strengthen intrigue). The physical movements of the characters are clear and concise. I only mention all this because one of my pet peeves on our First Page submissions is plain old confusion over who, what, and where things are going. But this writer is moving through the narrative with efficiency, signaling that we are watching a guy we should assume is the hero en route to something bad. (he seems vaguely wary about somethingmore on that later). Here is where I think things could have been better: First, this is sort of a cliche opening in thrillers I ASSUME Noble, being noble, is some kind of good-guy operative (CIA, lone wolf, PI, James Bond) walking toward a situation. But Ive read this opening a thousand times. How do you think an editor or agent is going to feel? There isnt much fresh here including the style, which feels a little dated and that is a problem in todays mystery/thriller marketplace. In the old days when you only had a handful of writers competing for shelf space and the hero-world wasnt overpopulated, this might have worked. But not now. The stakes are so much higher. Your protag cant be prosaic. You have to write something unique or write it uniquely. Also, while there is a sense of something impending, it is very vague and isnt very interesting. A guy (unarmed and with no defined mission) is walking through a maybe-dicey neighborhood and comes upon two men whom he sizes up as rag-tag. The only threat he apparently feels is losing his expensive watch because he decided to leave it back on a boat. The men dont even really confront him. Except for a dilated pupil or two, they come across as harmless. They could be sizing him up to ask if hes looking to buy some Ganja. He used a vape, but he doubt they had any vape carts to help him out. Now lets get specific. About the opening graph: At first, I didnt mind that it opened with pure description. But the more I re-read it, I realized I was wrong. If you open with description, it has to be dazzling and somehow enhance the storys tone. This first graph is too Frommers travel guide and generic. (naked kids, old cars, prostitutes). I dont feel this, or smell it, or even really see it. Worn phrases like men with hungry eyes and menacing faces are not yours to use; others got first decades ago. (see pulp detective mags from the 40s). Now lets look closely at the opening: One block away from the suggested tourist area and the town of Falmouth, Jamaica reverted to its true form. (Not sure what this all means. Falmouth is a nice tourist town with cruise ships etc. So do you mean if you step one block outside the city limit? And what does true form mean? Slums?) Decades-old cars, competing with bikes and pedestrians filled the streets. Half naked children darted about. Be specific and use all the senses when you describe. How about something like: A rusty Buick Rendezvous crawled through the maze of brown kids on bikes and thin women balancing baskets on their heads. Above, old women perched like crows on the railings watching the painted girls in tight shorts prey on white men in Bermudas and ball caps. Thats not great but its specific. Old women hung out of windows from upstairs apartments. Rail thin girls with tight fitting shorts looked for the next patron in need of human companionship by the hour. Young men with hungry eyes and menacing faces clustered on corners. I would lose this because you say it with real action coming up. The sun burned bright in the Caribbean sky yet there was no joy to be found here. It was for no small reason tourists were reminded to stay with their group. That last line: You already said this and its sort of stating the obvious. Dont TELL us SHOW us. Now lets look at your second to the last line above, because I think its a lost opportunity. The sun burned bright in the Caribbean sky yet there was no joy to be found here. First off, its a good technique to end your opening graph with a great kicker. The writer ALMOST had it! The writer was working toward a metaphor that although everything is sunny and bright, darkness is just around the corner. But this is, again, a little cliched. And I dont think joy is the right word here at all. If you are going to go for the weather-sun metaphor, the light-vs-dark metaphor, you better make it sing. And yes, the sun IS different in the tropics it comes at you harsh and more direct the closer you go to the equator, quite unlike the sun in say, Paris, which makes everything pinkish and pearly. In Jamaica, there is no room for soft shadows. The sun burned white-hot in this place, so fierce and direct overhead that the shadows were cut deeper and darker, with no room in between to hide. Thats the best I could come up with on short notice but you see my point? Make the metaphor (or weather if you use it) STAND for something. Maybe the hard light in the tropics stands for the mission of this white-hat hero? Or does it stand for the black-and-white morality of a Sam Spade anti-hero? Its not just weather I would suggest you re-order your opening two graphs. Maybe give us one really great zinger line about the light-vs-dark. Then go right to Jordan Noble walked out of the sun and into the shadows of whatever street Then give us a juicy graph of what HE is seeing (and smelling?) as he walks. Or start right out with his name: Jordan Noble walked out of the sun into the shadows. This way you are shifting the point of view from you the writer (mediocre telling) to him the hero (great showing. yay!). And this is important put us in his head, not yours, and show us this neighborhood from HIS consciousness. It would begin the process of the reader bonding with him. By introducing him by name and THEN going into a description of this scene from his perspective, you are accomplishing two things at once: establishing your setting and letting the reader get to know your hero. Where, for instance, does he live or work before this? Is he a man of experience and world-travel? Is this is first trip to the tropics after living in Montreal all his life? The only thing you tell us about his man is that he apparently has expensive taste. Thats not enough. We dont need his life resume here, but dont miss small chances to weave in tidbits of backstory about your characters. Noble would see this scene in Jamaica and thus describe it for the reader through THAT prism of experience. Lets move on down these mean streets Jordan Noble good! We get his name. walked down the broken pavement of the hilly street. What street? Cmon, you can find one on Google Streetview!. His eyes constantly moving head on a swivel. Why is this a fragment? And why in quotes? It was a poor neighborhood your description should SHOW me this; you shouldnt TELL me and he dressed as accordingly as he could. Not sure I know what you mean by this? That he tried to dress to blend in? His Tag Heuer stayed in his stateroom. I tripped over this and had to do a Google to figure this out. I thought at first you were talking about guns, then realized it is merely a watch! Must say I was a tad disappointed because I thought the guy was packing heat which at least made him more interesting. In its place, an eleven-year-old G-Shock. He wore a white wife beater I find this off-putting. Cant we just call it tank-top? and dark green shorts. Nothing could be done about the Maui Jim sunglasses I dont get this: couldnt he just have left them back on the boat with the watch? Now if you want to use it to say something about your hero, thats coolie, he could ditch the watch but he wasnt about to give up his Maui Jim sunglasses, even for this job if they attracted attention, he would just have to deal with it. At a corner he stopped to orientate himself. One corner was a market of sorts (sorts? what sort?). Opposite it, a bar, long boarded up and closed. Yes, this was the place. Okay, this is the FIRST HINT of intrigue. And its not enough. He could be looking for a hamburger given the nonchalance here. We have to turn up the heat a little here. Give me a reason to care about what is going on. Hint about the mission; why is he here? You dont have to spill it all and you shouldnt. But we have to be teased. He turned at the bar and went down an alley. Immediately, in the shade of the buildings, the temperature dropped at least twenty degree. Theres that sun/weather metaphor again but nothing is done with it. He had just made it to the middle, when two young men appeared at the opposite end. One was shirtless, all lanky and wiry. His companion is he chubby by contrast since you mentioned the others stature? wore track pants and a Bob Marley T-shirt. Shirtless This is also something of a cliche in crime fiction, differentiating nameless characters via descriptive shorthand. stepped into the alley. His eyes were wide the whites completely surrounded the coal black pupils. You have him moving on toward the men so he cant possibly see the pupils yet. Hey there, mon, he said. You looking lost. Jordan didnt break stride. Im good. Thanks. Shirtless looked back to Bob Marley then to Jordan. Hey, no problem, mon. No problem, mon. Still, sometime we lose our way, ya know. It happens, ya see. Need new graph here. Bob Marley walked a step or two to the right. Between him and Shirtless the exit was blocked. Jordan came to a stop and sized them up. how close is Noble now? Now is the the time for the line about the eyes and now they might be pin-balling nervously around. Plus you really need to make these dudes threatening. If they had just jumped him, it may have been a fight. But now, their body language suggested no formal combat training or, for that matter, general good health. They were counting on their superior numbers to put the fight in their favor. Okay, back to my comments again: Again, nothing is really happening here and I get no sense of danger from Shirtless and Marley. And you havent taken us at all into Jordans thoughts as to why he should be fearful. Maybe if we knew something about why Jordan is here and what is going to happen when he gets to the place, we might feel involved and interested. As I mentioned in the red comments, I thought he was at least carrying a gun but even that isnt true. Why do I care about this man? He seems like just a tourist who has lost his way. In conclusion: This isnt a bad opening. It is clear and capable. But Jordan feels like a cardboard hero at this point because we get no sense of him as a man and no hint at what his mission is or what the stakes might become. As I said, in todays market, this isnt enough. Suggestions: Rework that crucial opening graph so its less a travelogue and a give us a reason to read on. We need at least a hint of tension, intrigue or danger. Get more specific in your descriptions. Get inside Jordans head. We want to see this scene from his point of view, not yours. At least hint at what this guy is doing here and what the stakes are. Something has to happen. Something must be disturbed. Thanks brave writer! Ive been maybe a little hard on you not because this is bad but because it is good and shows some real promise. This is a good startjust needs some spice. Hope this is helpful. Googles Pixel smartphones represent a new beginning for the company in a lot of ways. While Google has been working with hardware partners to release Nexus phones since 2010, the 5 inch Google Pixel and 5.5 inch Google Pixel XL are the first phones that are Google all the way. They ship with the latest version of Android. Theyre the first phones with the new Google Assistant software baked in. Customers who use the cameras on these phones get unlimited cloud backup for full-quality photos and videos thanks to Google Photos. And if you open the Settings app on the phone, youll find a tab for 24/7 support provided by Google. Sure, the phones are actually manufactured by HTC. But Google representatives say the hardware design is as much Googles doing as the software. And aside from a G on the back of the device, theres no branding at all on the phones. Google is also making a big advertising push for the new phones, spending millions of dollars on internet, print, and TV ads. After years of pushing Nexus phones for enthusiasts and developers, it looks like Google finally has a phone itd like to see compete with the latest iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, and other flagship phones. The Pixel phones also have flagship-level price tags: a 5 inch Google Pixel with a 1080p screen sells for $649 and up, while the 5.5 inch Pixel XL with a 2560 x 1440 pixel screen sells for $769 or more. You can pay in monthly installments if you dont have that much money lying around right now. So are the new phones worth the money? Google loaned me a Pixel XL so I could find out. The short answer? Yes there are features that truly make this a great phone capable of competing with the latest flagships. But that doesnt necessarily mean you need to spend $649 or more to get a great phone. The Pixel X and Pixel XL are launching at a time when there are some stellar options in the sub-$400 smartphone space. You just might not get the same bleeding edge hardware or software if you opt for one of those cheaper options. Overview The Pixel XL is the larger of Googles new Pixel phones, but its a bit smaller than last years flagship, the Nexus 6P, which had a 5.7 inch display. And if youre looking for something even smaller, the 5 inch Pixel has nearly identical features, except for a lower-resolution screen and a smaller battery. Googles Pixel XL measures 6.1 x 3 x 0.34 and weighs about 5.9 ounces. The case is made of anodized aluminum and Corning Gorilla Glass, and the phone feels very comfortable when held in one hand or two but its a bit too large for me to reach my thumb all the way across. So while there are some things I can do while using the phone single-handed, I need to either poke the screen with a second hand or shift my grip in order to swipe down from the top of the screen, among other things. From the front, the phone looks well, an awful lot like an iPhone. But if you look at the sides and back, it looks more like an HTC 10, thanks to the chamfered edge on the front (although the edge on the back of the phone is rounded). The power and volume buttons are both on the right side of the phone, and the power button has a textured finish that makes it easy to feel which key your finger is resting on without looking at the phone. Along the bottom edge theres a USB 3.0 Type-C port in the middle and two openings on the sides, although only one actually houses a speaker. Thats right, this is a $769 smartphone with just a mono speaker. Its a reasonably loud speaker, but youll definitely want headphones or a Bluetooth speaker if you plan to jam out to music that doesnt sound like its coming from a tin can. Its also very easy to accidentally cover the speaker with your hand while holding the phone and playing games or watching videos. This can either result in muffled audio, or effectively mute the phone altogether, depending on how tightly the phone is pressed against your palm. Theres a 3.5mm headset jack on top of the phone, and the Pixel XL also supports Bluetooth 4.2 for wireless headphones or speakers. Other wireless capabilities are pretty much what youd expect, including support for 802.11ac WiFi, NFC, GPS, and 4G LTE with support for all major US wireless networks as well as many global networks. On the left side of the phone is a nano SIM card tray. Above the screen theres a headset speaker with an RGB LED notification light (thats disabled by default, but which you can turn on in the phones settings) hidden underneath, and an 8MP camera. And on the back, there s 12.3MP camera with LED flash and the Pixel Imprint fingerprint sensor. The phone has 3 microphones (two on the front and one on the back) with noise cancellation support. In other words, the phone has more microphones than speakers, but that makes sense when you consider that the mics arent just for making phone calls, but also for detecting your voice when you use OK Google commands to talk to the Google Assistant software. The model Googled loaned me to review features a 5.5 inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. Its white on the front, but has silver on the back and sides. Google also offers black or blue color options, and an option for 128GB of storage (which adds $100 to the price). This model has a 3,450 mAh battery. Google ships the phone in a box that also contains a USB Type-C 18W charging adapter, a USB Type-C to Type-C cable, a USB Type-C to Type-A cable, and an OTG dongle that you can use to connect USB A cable or other accessories to the phone. If youre switching from another phone that has a USB-C port, you can also use the included C-to-C cable to connect the two phones while running the Quick Switch software during the initial setup of the phone. Theres also support for importing iCloud appointments, contacts, messages, music, photos, and videos if youre moving from an iPhone to a Google Pixel. During the initial setup, the phone will also ask you if youd like to train Google Assistant to recognize your voice and set up the fingerprint sensor and lock screen pasmisword, pattern, or PIN and enable or disable various Google services. Well get to some of those services in the software section below. Pixel vs Nexus phones of yesteryear Google may be positioning the Pixel and Pixel XL as an entirely new line of smartphones, but its hard not to compare them to Nexus phones of the past. Want the latest Android software without any embellishments from third-party companies, software and security updates delivered directly by Google, and an unlockable bootloader? You get all of that with a Pixel phone, just as you did with Nexus phones before them. The Pixel also has a few features that seem like theyre ripped straight from last years Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P smartphones, including the Nexus Imprint fingerprint sensor on the back of the phones (the sensor looks and acts pretty much exactly the same on the 2015 Nexus and 2016 Pixel phones) and some camera features. Last years phones had some pretty great cameras. This years has an even better camera. Its still super-fast at focusing and snapping pictures and it still does a nice job in low-light environments. But the new phone also has support for hardware-accelerated HDR+ Auto mode, allowing it to capture and process high dynamic range pictures very quickly. Like the Nexus 6P, the Pixel phones can also record slow-motion videos at 120 or 240 frames per second, and it includes support for Electronic Image Stabilization, which does a pretty impressive job of keeping your videos steady even if youre shooting them with shaky hands or while walking. Theres also a SmartBurst mode for capturing multiple images at once to created animated GIFs (and highlight the best looking single-shots from those bursts of nearly 10 frames per second). Well get into camera performance below, but the point I wanted to make here is that the new phone has a faster processor, an updated design, and some camera improvements over last years Nexus phones. But in a lot of ways, the phones are still pretty similar to the last Nexus phones Google released. Pixel phones have faster processors, ship with Android 7.1 at a time when older Nexus phones have Android 7.0, and have a few exclusive software features. But heres a little secret: I ordered a Nexus 5X smartphone shortly before Google shipped me a Pixel XL review unit. They arrived on the same day, and Ive been using them kind of interchangeably. For the most part, the two phones feel a lot alike. I kind of wish Google had shipped me the 5 inch Pixel, since I prefer a phone that can be used with one hand. But Ive been pleasantly surprised to note that the Pixel XL isnt that much larger than a Nexus 5X. Both phones are capable of handling any app or game I can throw at them, but the Pixel XL has a substantially faster processor and twice as much RAM, which means it generally feels more responsive and does a better job of keeping apps in memory while multitasking. And even though the Nexus 5X has a great camera, Im impressed with how much more quickly the Pixel XL can process HDR+ photos and with how well video stabilization works. Im not quite regretting my decision to buy a Nexus 5X yet: It was on sale for $250, or less than 1/3rd the price of a Pixel XL. But theres no denying that if youre willing to pay more, you get a better phone. A few of my favorite things There are a lot of things that I could talk about when it comes to the Pixel XL, including some features that are exclusive to this phone for the moment, and some that may be exclusive forever. For the purposes of this review, Ill just focus on a few of my favorite things. Pixel Camera First up, the camera is stellar. I mean, thats true of the camera on my Nexus 5X too (in fact, most of the pictures of the Pixel XL in this review were taken with the Nexus 5X camera). But the Pixel XL camera is better. In fact, the camera ratings experts at DxOMark give the Pixel and Pixel XL cameras the highest marks of any camera phones to date. Im not a pro photographer, but I did try to take a bunch of pictures in a variety of environments to give you an idea of what this phones camera is capable of. For starters, here are a few shots taken in bright sunlight. Keep in mind, even crappy cameras can often take good shots in good lighting, but the level of detail in these photos is particularly good, and the camera snapped and processed each picture very quickly. Now lets take a look at some night shots: That last photo, by the way, was captured using the Pixel Cameras Lens Blur feature, which allows you to add a bit of depth perspective to the shot by moving the camera slightly. More often than not, it just adds a bit of ugly distortion to a picture, but I really liked the way that particular image turned out. Here are some indoor shots designed to show off the HDR+ and low-light features. The first was taken with the overhead room lights turned off and the LED flash turned off. The second was taken with the room light off and the flash on. The third was snapped with the room lights on, and the flash off. While the best picture is clearly the image with the overhead lights turned on, the HDR+ Auto manages to do a pretty good job of softening the harsh studio lighting. The LED flash washes out the microphone a bit, which is one of the reasons I rarely use flash when shooting pictures. But while the lights off/flash off image isnt necessarily the best picture of the bunch, its the one Im most impressed with, because the mic, mixing board, and everything else in the frame are clearly visible even without much ambient light. The Pixel camera doesnt have optical zoom features like the new iPhone 7 Plus, but it does have digital zoom that doesnt suck. Here are two pictures taken from the same distance from the subject: And finally, some cat photos (because this is the internet, after all): Note that the second picture of Puck (the black cat) was one in a series of shots I tried to snap while Puck was sitting with a window in the background. They all had the same halo/haze effect. Clearly, the camera can do a lot to make up for poor photography technique, but theres no such thing as a foolproof camera. If you dont frame the shots properly, youre going to suffer the consequences. Another nifty feature of the Pixel Camera is its Electronic Image Stabilization, which uses software to keep your videos steady, even if the camera is in motion. Heres a video showing what a walk through Philadelphias Rittenhouse Square Park looks like with EIS enabled and with it turned off (in the second half of the video). The Pixel and Pixel XL also have a new camera app which allows you to tap the screen to focus, and then use a slider on the right side of the screen to adjust brightness. There are also options to adjust the color temperature/white balance and enable or disable HDR+ or Auto HDR+ modes. Of course, having a great camera is only useful if you have room to store all the photos and videos you plan to shoot. Folks have been lamenting for years that Google Nexus phones dont have microSD card slots for removable storage and the Pixel and Pixel XL carry on the tradition. But the good news is that both phones are available with up to 128GB of storage. The less good news is that youll have to add $100 to the price of either phone to get that much storage. Entry-level models come with 32GB. The even better news, though? Pixel owners get unlimited cloud backup of their photos and videos. Google actually lets anyone using Google Photos to backup all the photos and videos on their phone for free. But in order to quality for free storage, you have to agree to let Google use data compression on your files to save server space. Pixel owners get unlimited, uncompressed, full-resolution photo and video uploads for free. Theres also a Smart Storage option that can automatically delete older photos or videos from your device when youre running low on storage, after first confirming that theyve already been backed up to the cloud with Google Photos. By default, only media thats more than 90 days old will be cleared, but you can adjust this setting, or turn it off entirely. Pixel Imprint OK, so this feature is actually almost identical to the Nexus Imprint feature from last years phones. But I still find it incredibly useful. Register your fingerprint with the phone and you can use a finger to quickly unlock the device at any time, without pressing the power button first. Ive come to think of that sensor on the back of the phone as a power button, since it makes turning on the phone so fast and simple. Theres no swiping, PIN entering, or anything else required. Of course, its not really a power button: you still have to press the button on the side of the phone to actually turn off the screen. And the first time you go to unlock your phone after a reboot, youll still be asked to enter a PIN or pattern, even with Pixel Imprint enabled. But the fingerprint sensor isnt just for unlocking your device. Its also useful for a handful of other activities. Use Android Pay? This is how you authenticate a purchase. Personally, my favorite features is the ability to add fingerprint protection to password manager LastPass. LastPass allows me to manage hundreds of unique passwords for all the different services I interact with on a regular basis. But entering my LastPass password every time I want to login to a website or app on my phone is a pain in the behind. Using a fingerprint to login to LastPass makes things happen much more quickly, and then LastPass taps into Googles accessibility service to auto-fill passwords in web pages or mobile apps. Sure, its not quite as secure as some other options, and if youre concerned about government invasions of privacy, US law currently allows law enforcement to compel you to use a finger to unlock your phone, but officials cannot require you to provide a password against your will. But some security is better than no security and the ease of use of LastPass + Nexus Imprint makes it that much less likely that Id be tempted to reuse a password or just stay logged into LastPass for a set period of time. Battery Life Im not going to say that the Pixel XL gets the best battery life of any modern flagship smartphones because I dont review a lot of smartphones and dont have a lot of basis for making a comparison. I will say that my 3-year-old Nexus 5 smartphone can barely make it through half a day without recharging, so its nice using a phone that can run all day or longer without needing to be plugged in. Overnight there is a bit of battery drain: When I put a fully charged Pixel XL on my night stand at before heading to bed, it tends to have around 91 or 92 percent of its power left when I wake up around 8 hours later. But my aging Nexus 5 would be on deaths door if I left it uncharged that long. As with any phone, battery life will vary depending on what you do with the Pixel XL. Web surfing and video streaming dont use up as much juice as playing graphics-heavy games, for instance. And the display can be adjusted to be very, very bright, or very, very dim. Ill let you guess which option will drain your battery quickly and which will let you squeeze some extra run time out of the device (while you squint at the screen). But if you do need to stop and charge the phone, you might not have to stop for that long. The phone comes with a rapid charger that Google says should give you around 7 hours of battery life from a 15 minute charge. It takes closer to an hour to go from nearly 0 to 100 percent full. Itll take a lot longer than that if you dont the included rapid charger or a compatible 5V/3A charger. Moves Want to launch the camera without first unlocking our phone? Just double-tap the power button. Want to quickly switch from the rear camera to the selfie camera? Flick your wrist twice while holding the phone. Dont want to use either of those features? You can turn them off in a new section of the Android Settings menu, called Moves. The Pixel phones also have one brand new Move: the ability to view your notifications by swiping down on the fingerprint sensor instead of swiping from the top of the screen. This can come in handy if youre holding the phone in one hand, since it may be easier to reach the fingerprint sensor with your index finger than it is to reach the top of the phone with your thumb. Notification swiping only works when the phone is unlocked, so you wont be able to preview notifications without unlocking your phone (unless you allow the phone to display sensitive notification data on the lock screen, which I wouldnt recommend and which has nothing to do with Moves). What about my least favorite things? Alright, so those are a few of my favorite things about the Pixel XL. If youre wondering about my least favorite, its a pretty short list: the Pixel XL is a bit larger than Id like (but fortunately, Google does offer a smaller model with a 5 inch screen) and the high price tag. Im not saying the phone isnt worth the high asking price. Its just more expensive than the phones I usually buy. But if youre the sort of person thats willing to spend $650 or more on an iPhone, Samsung Galaxy Phone, or other high-end phone every 2-3 years, then the Pixel XL is definitely worth considering. Say hello to Google Assistant, the Pixel Launcher, and Android 7.1 The Pixel and Pixel XL are the first phones to ship with Android 7.1, but the latest version of Googles mobile operating system will be available for other devices in the coming months. Google is reserving some special features for the Pixel lineup though, at least for now. But a few features will be available to all phones, as long as they have the hardware to support the features. Android 7.1 features for everybody! Some new features include support for Daydream VR mode on phones that have fast processors and low-latency displays, among other things, and support for quicker operating system updates through a new Seamless Update process that automatically downloads and installs new versions of Android in the background. Another new feature is called Night Light. It reduces blue light emanating from your screen at night time. The Night Light feature can be a bit jarring at first. It makes everything more orange. While colors dont exactly look natural with the blue light removed, it is a lot less jarring to look at an electronic screen in pitch dark when everything has that orange tint instead of a full range of colors. Some folks swear that this sort of software color filter makes it easier to fall asleep, since you can stare at a smartphone screen without its colors disrupting your circadian rhythms. I didnt test that claim extensively, but I do know that when I woke up in the middle of the night and grabbed the phone to check my email, the white screen seemed blindingly light. When I switched on Night Mode, my eyes adjusted quickly and found the screen a lot easier to look at. You can enable or disable Night Light from the Display settings or set up a schedule so that it automatically switches on at sunset or another designated time. Or you can add a Night Light tile to your Quick Settings panel. Pixel exclusive features Pixel exclusives include the camera app with Electronic Image Stabilization, HDR+ support, and Smartburst, unlimited cloud backup for high-quality images and videos, and Smart Storage for freeing up space by deleting older photos and videos that have already been backed up. The phones are some of the first to ship with Googles Duo video chat app and Allo text-based chat app pre-installed and Hangouts is installed, but disabled by default. You can re-enable it by opening the Hangouts page int he Play Store and tapping the Enable button. The Pixel phones will also be the only phones to ship with Googles new digital assistant software backed in, the only phones to feature the new Pixel Launcher home screen and app launcher, and the only phones to come with 24/7 customer support via phone or chat (all you have to do is open the Settings app and select the Support tab to get started). Theres also a new wallpaper gallery with a series of high-quality landscapes, textures, and Live Wallpapers. The default is a Live Wallpaper called Aurora that changes throughout the day. Pixel Launcher While Google has offered a Google Now launcher for Nexus and other Android phones for a while, the Pixel and Pixel XL ship with a brand new home screen and app launcher called Pixel Launcher. It features a new home screen layout featuring a G icon in the top left corner instead of a search bar that stretches across the screen. On the right side theres a weather widget that shows the current temperature and location. Tap the G icon and a search box opens up, showing your recent search history below the text box. Or tap the weather widget and youll get taken to Googles weather forecast page. There are three other features that make the Pixel Launcher different from the Google Now launcher: round folders, app shortcuts, and a new way to access the app drawer. Google has been rolling out round icons for many of its apps, and the new launcher has round folders to match. Im not convinced that they look better than the icon stacking view used in the Google Now launcher. But you do get previews of four apps in each circle, whereas it was hard to see more than two apps using the old launcher. App shortcuts are a nifty new feature that lets you long-press on some icons to see quick links to associated features. For instances long-pressing on Maps brings up Home and Work links. Doing the same thing with the Play Store icon brings up My Apps. And YouTube includes Trending, Subscriptions, and Search links. You can either press one of those links to jump to that section of the app, or long-press the shortcut and drag it to your home screen to create a new icon that will let you launch that app feature with a single-click in the future. While many Google-branded apps already have shortcuts, Google has also provided developers with an API that will allow them to add up to 5 shortcut options to their apps, so expect to see more of these as developers adopt the platform in the future. Want to see a full list of all your apps? Instead of pressing a button in the center of the dock at the bottom of the screen, you now just swipe up from the bottom to get a view with a search bar, quick links to frequently-used apps, and a scrollable index of all the apps installed on your phone, arranged alphabetically. This arrangement gives you space to add one more item to the dock. Google Assistant At first glance, Google Assistant looks a lot like the OK Google voice service thats been available for years. If you opt in, you can say OK Google to ask your phone questions, set reminders, or search the web. But Google Assistant is next-gen stuff. Its smarter, more tightly integrated into Google services, and has a few new tricks. Itll also be available on the upcoming Google Home connected speaker thing and a version of it is already baked into the Allo chat app available for Android and iOS. You can launch Google Assistant on a Pixel phone either by saying OK Google (if the feature is enabled), or by long-pressing the home button. Once its open, you can talk to your phone by asking it all sorts of questions or telling it to do things. Unlike some other virtual assistants, its able to handle follow-up questions. For example, I was able to get satisfactory answers to the following questions, one asked after the other: What time is it in New Zealand? Whats the temperature there? What about this weekends forecast? How about here? Google assistant told me the time in Wellington, New Zealand, followed by the current temperature, the forecast for the upcoming weekend, and then the forecast for Philadelphia, where Im currently typing these words. A few other things Ive asked Google Assistant to do are show me nearby Sushi restaurants, remind me to feed the cats tonight at 6:00, whats on my calendar, and show me my photos of music. That last one is pretty cool, because Google Assistant searched through my Google Photos library for pictures Ive taken at concerts. None of those pictures were tagged. Google just figured it out through machine learning algorithms that help it understand what I was looking for when I asked for my photos of music. It also threw in a few photos that werent at concerts, but I understand why it was confused in most situations (one photo was taken of friends at a poorly lit bar, for example, where the red lights looked a lot like those you might see on a stage). Here are some of the other things Google Assistant can do: Play Music (such as music in a genre, or by an artist) Set a reminder Set an alarm Get the news Answer questions about sports scores, schedules, and news Find flights, hotels, or other travel information Translate words to another language Make a call Send a text message Open an app Navigate with Google Maps There are also some quirky features. Ask it to tell you a joke, and Google Assistant will tell you a different joke each time (at least, I havent heard the same one twice yet). Youll probably want to look away from the screen though, since the punchline tends to show up in text before Assistant delivers it by voice. You can also ask Google Assistant to play a game. Some will open as apps, such as the Geography Quiz. Others are audio games, including a silly (and sometimes surprisingly challenging) Game Show that you can play either by single player or with friends. Heres Google Assistant in action. Personally, Im not a big fan of voice interface for day-to-day activities. I often find typing to be faster and more efficient not to mention less disruptive to the folks around me. But Im also a city dweller who doesnt spent a lot of time in cars, where a hands-free way to get directions, set reminders, and perform other tasks would probably be a (maybe literal) life saver. Having spent a little time playing with Googles earlier voice recognition software and Microsofts Cortana software, I will say that Google Assistant does seem like one of the best implementations Ive tried so far. But I also have very limited experience with Apples Siri or Amazons Alexa, so while I can see how Googles software would be useful, I cant necessarily say if its the best voice-based virtual assistant around or not. Performance The Pixel XL is one of the first smartphones to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. It has a reasonably large battery, plenty of RAM, and the latest Android software. So its no surprise that it feels very fast, gets good battery life, and manages to run any app or game that Ive tried, including Riptide GP2, Evoland, Rayman Jungle Run, and Smash Hit, all of which look great and play smoothly. The phone is certainly much faster than my Nexus 5X or Nexus 5, but given its much higher price tag, thats not surprising. What is a little surprising is that the Antutu benchmark reports that several phones with slightly slower Snapdragon 820 chips (including the Xiaomi Mi 5 and LeEco Max2) score higher in this CPU and GPU test. Thats not to say that the Pixel XL is slow its just not necessarily the fastest phone around, according to this one test. There are a bunch of other benchmarks I could run, but Id rather talk a bit more about what it feels like to use the phone when youre not spending time comparing it to other top-tier devices. The Pixel XL boots quickly, loads apps quickly, and generally feels like it responds quickly to most things I ask it to do. You probably dont need a phone with a bleeding edge processor to run most Android apps: since most phones are slower than this, developers make sure their apps and games can run on less powerful hardware. But its nice to have one of the most responsive Android phones around, especially if you want something that wont feel sluggish in a few years when models with even more powerful specs are available. The extra speed and processing power can be especially noticeable when taking advantage of a feature introduced in Android 7.0: split-screen multitasking. You can now run two Android apps in side-by-side Windows by dragging one to the side of the screen from the Recents view and then selecting a second app to view in the other window. Not all apps support this split screen, multi-window mode, so you probably wont be able to play two games at once, for instance. But you can watch a video while surfing the web, chatting, or performing other activities, and the Pixel XL handles that kind of double-duty like a champ. The back of the phone can get a little warm while charging, and a little hotter when running the Antutu benchmark, but I never really noticed any excessive heat while playing video games or watching videos but keep in mind, Ive only been testing the phone for a little under a week. Early reviews of the Galaxy Note 7 gave no indication that Samsungs phone was going to catch fire. I almost finished writing this review before I remembered theres one other performance area I should comment on: yes, the Pixel XL works nicely as a phone. The thing I did least frequently with this phone was make calls, but when I did, the audio quality was crisp and clear while routed over Verizons network (Google provided me with a SIM card to use during this review). I also had no problems sending or receiving SMS and MMS messages. Verizon, by the way, is the exclusive carrier partner for the Pixel phones in the United States. But that just means its the only carrier that will sell you the phone. If you buy the phone from the Google Store it will still support all major networks, including Verizon. And you can get financing through Google if you dont want to pay for the phone all at once. In fact, theres pretty much no advantage to ordering from Verizon, and there is a potential down side: there are indications that models purchased from the carrier will not have unlockable bootloaders. My only real performance-related complaint? It seems silly to launch a $769 smartphone that has just a mono, bottom-facing speaker thats easy to block silence with your hand when holding the phone with a 2-handed grip in landscape mode and playing games or videos? Its largely a non-issue for me, since Ive been using a Nexus 5 for three years. That (much cheaper) phone had an awful speaker, so I bought Bluetooth earbuds and a Bluetooth speaker for listening to music, podcasts, and internet radio at home and on the go. Both of those accessories work just fine with the Pixel XL. But seriously, how hard would it have been to put a second speaker in there, or configured the headset speaker so it could be used to provide stereo sound? Verdict The Pixel XL is something we havent really seen from Google before: its a flagship phone with a flagship price thats positioned to go up against the iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy S7, HTC 10, LG V5, and other premium smartphones. In some ways its an extension of the Nexus program: the phones software is pure Google, with software and security updates provided straight from the maker of the operating system. Its hackable, thanks to an unlockable bootloader. And its probably the best device for trying out new Google/Android features as soon as theyre available, without waiting for your phone maker to integrate them into TouchWiz, Sense, LG UX, EMUI, or some other skin. But the Pixel and Pixel XL also come with exclusive features that arent yet available for any other phone, including Googles branded fingerprint sensor, special camera features, Google Assistant, and the Pixel Launcher. Is this a phone thats worth $769 (or $649 if you opt for the smaller model)? If you compare it to the other flagships from major phone makers, yes, I think its reasonably priced and offers a lot of bang for your buck especially on the software front. But were not living in a world where $650+ smartphones are the only options. The Pixel and Pixel XL also have to compete with sub-$400 phones like the OnePlus 3, ZTE Axon 7, and Honor 8, all of which have received strong reviews for balancing top-tier specs and mid-range prices. What you dont get from any of those phones is a Google Phone. Personally, Im a fan of stock Android software and Im reluctant to consider any phone that has a custom skin not only because they look different, but also because it probably means delays in getting new features and security updates. Ive been hanging onto a Nexus 5 since 2013. Google still delivers security updates to that phone, but its not going to get an official update to Android 7.0. I could install a custom ROM on it, but the aging phones battery life is so bad that Ive resorted to carrying around a 6,000 mAh battery pack to recharge it whenever I know Ill be away from a wall jack for more than a few hours. And the camera on that phone was never anything to write home about. So I had been looking forward to this years Pixel phones, and I was really excited when I learned thered be a 5 inch model. Then we learned about the prices. Yes, I totally think the Pixel and Pixel XL can hold their own against similarly high-priced phones. But thats more money than I was looking to spend. So I bought a $250 Google Nexus 5X from eBay. I got an unlocked international model, but Googles Project Fi is also selling the US version of the phone for the same price if you sign up for the companys wireless plans). The Nexus 5X isnt as fast as the Pixel XL. The camera isnt quite as impressive and it lacks official support for image stabilization. And odds are that Google will stop supporting it a year before it gives up support on the first-gen Pixel phones. The same goes for the Nexus 6P smartphone, which is often available for around $400 or less the days. Its faster than the Nexus 5X, has a better display, and a few bonus features. And itll likely be supported for at least as long as its smaller sibling. I just didnt want a 6 inch phone. Anyway, my point is that for about 1/3rd the price of a Pixel XL, I got a phone that feels remarkably similar in terms of software and features (like the camera and fingerprint sensor), if not necessarily in terms of design, build quality, and performance. And while the Pixel and Pixel XL have a few exclusive features for now, hackers have already started porting some of them to run on older phones like the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X. The Pixel XL is a great phone. But you can get some pretty good phones for a lot less money, which is what I did. Maybe by the time Im ready for another new phone, the Pixel will be available for half price. Id buy it then in a heartbeat. Your calculation may be different. though perhaps not in Canada - Stratford, Ontario. The festival is truly outstanding theater and reasonably priced, especially if the Canadian dollar is down. There is a lazy river where you can rent pedal boats and kayaks and try to figure out where the swans are nesting. Or you can just stroll along the banks on a well maintained path that loops along both sides. There are some nice playgrounds for letting the kids run around if you bring them with you (some of the shows are very child friendly). There are lovely little shops from toys to books to clothes to leather goods, to local crafts and a *really* amazing first peoples art gallery. There are several really high quality chocolate shops - one is open late for theater goers to grab something for intermission and the other is so good it is still open even though it *doesn't* stay open late. Food ranges from fine dining to the local sandwich shop where "The Othello" has always featured local goat cheese. You can make up your own, or go someplace else casual where they will sprinkle in a few sweet potato fries with the regular ones just because it looks better. The people at the information booth are cheerful. The town seems to hire the entire population of the local high school to keep the public areas immaculate - rolling green lawns, flower beds and flower baskets abound. There is all sorts of antiquing outside of town. And it is a long but doable one day drive from here. Other than that, fly to Toronto and take a shuttle bus. You won't need a car in the tourist areas. Oh, and once I brought my luggage to the Samsonite factory because one of the wheels had stopped turning and I couldn't find anyone to fix it at home. They replaced the entire wheel assembly for me while I waited, gave me a spare in case the other side had a similar problem and refused to take any money even though I had no proof that it was still under warranty. Checking Account or Credit Card Authorization I authorize WFYI to deduct my Sustaining donation from the bank account or credit card submitted on this form. The first deduction will occur on or shortly after today's date and continues monthly until I notify WFYI that I wish to change or end this agreement. WFYI can be reached by phone at 317-715-2009 or by email at membership@wfyi.org German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "no miracles" were achieved on the Ukraine crisis Thursday, but talks with the country's leader and his Russian and French counterparts did lead to some progress on ending a deadlock in the peace process. After a five-hour summit billed as "difficult", Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said all sides had agreed to draw up a roadmap for applying the frayed 2015 Minsk peace accords following months of impasse. "Between now and the end of November we have to approve a roadmap. It will be a document on the implementation of all the Minsk accords," he said in a press conference after the Berlin gathering, according to Russian news agencies. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a separate press conference that the talks "didn't achieve miracles" but that progress was made "with the creation of a so-called roadmap". "There's much work left to do," she added, flanked by French President Francois Hollande. Russian President Vladimir Putin, on his first visit to Berlin since the conflict erupted, stressed that the Minsk accords remained the best path towards a lasting resolution to war in eastern Ukraine. The talks came just hours before an EU summit in Brussels over relations with Russia, where European leaders will discuss the question of sanctions over Ukraine, which come up for renewal at the end of the year. The roadmap agreed to in Berlin will be now be further thrashed out and discussed by the countries' foreign ministers, the leaders said. "You have to respect the successive steps of the Minsk accords," Hollande told reporters. - Thorny issues - Putin had not visited Berlin since Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, sending relations with the West plunging to their lowest point since the Cold War. Russia backs a separatist, pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives. But it denies accusations that it has sent troops and weapons across its border with Ukraine to fuel the conflict. The Minsk accords, signed in February 2015 with French and German mediation, call for a ceasefire along with a range of political, economic and social measures to end the conflict between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels. While the accords reduced the intensity of fighting, they have failed to stop it. On a key sticking point -- the issue of holding possible local elections in rebel-run regions, Poroshenko said no polls could take place without "the unconditional withdrawal of foreign armed forces". Putin for his part wants partial autonomy for rebel-held parts of eastern Ukraine like Donbass and Lugansk, while Kiev wants reassurances that fair and free elections would be held there. None of the four leaders meeting in Berlin had expected a breakthrough, but Germany and France had argued that it was important to return to the negotiating table more than a year after the Minsk agreements were signed. Putin, speaking separately to reporters after the talks, was vague on the details of the roadmap but confirmed that the four were in favour of widening the role of the European OSCE observer mission. According to Poroshenko, that meant an agreement had been reached on deploying an armed OSCE mission to the east. Putin, who wants to assure the supply of provisions to rebel regions, said the talks had focused heavily on security matters but on humanitarian issues "we unfortunately didn't make much progress". The Berlin summit was overshadowed by Moscow's role in the Syrian civil war, which the leaders of France, Germany and Russia discussed separately after concluding the Ukraine talks. So you want to start a business congratulations! Once you get over the initial excitement, its time to break down the process of launching your startup into manageable chunks. You might get overwhelmed with the sheer number of items on your to-do list. But not to worry; Ive broken down this startup checklist into the primary tasks you need to do now, and those that you can defer until later. What You Need to Do Now Do the following tasks either before launch or during the early days of your startup. 1. Determine viability Be brutally honest. Your startup needs to be something you can make a profit doing or delivering. Ask yourself: would you buy it? Run the numbers: will customers pay enough so that you can cover costs and make a profit? Here is a list of 29 more questions to ask, attributed to noted investor Paul Graham. 2. Create a business plan Its easy to convince yourself that you dont need a business plan, but creating a business plan with financial projections forces you to think through details. Keep your plan a living breathing thing that you revisit and adapt regularly. 3. Figure out the money Most startups take a lot more time to get off the ground than you expect. Know where your living expenses for the first year will come from (savings, a job, spouses income, etc.). If you need financing for the business start investigating as soon as possible. 4. Get family behind you Spend time to make sure your spouse and other close family buy into your startup. Youll have enough challenges without resistance from family. 5. Choose a business name You want a name that will stick in your target audiences heads. And it shouldnt already be taken by another company. Do Google searches and use a corporate name search tool to see if the name you have in mind is unique. Check at the state and Federal level. 6. Register a domain name Get a matching domain to your business name. An AOL email address or a website with free hosting and a name like mysite.wordpress.com makes it seem like either (a) you are not running a real business or (b) you dont plan to be around long. 7. Incorporate / figure out legal structure Incorporating your startup can protect your personal assets. Talk over structure (corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship) with your attorney and accountant. 8. Apply for an EIN An Employer Identification Number (EIN) helps you separate yourself from your business. Youll need it if you plan to incorporate your business or open a business bank account. Plus, with it you can avoid giving out your social security number (an opening to identity theft). EIN numbers are free; apply online. 9. Investigate and apply for business licenses You may need one, if not several, business licenses for your startup, depending on your industry and where you are located. Most licenses are at the state or local level. Here in the United States, the SBA has a helpful business license and permits tool. 10. Set up a website Get your website up and running as soon as possible. Today, its necessary for credibility. Even if your product is not yet built, you can start with company information. 11. Register social media profiles Getting set up on the major social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, to start) will make marketing on them later easier. Also, its important to reserve your brand as a profile name. Try Knowem.com to reserve the names. 12. Start your revenue stream Start generating revenue as soon as possible. At the early stages of a startup there is never enough money resist the temptation to wait until things are perfect. Oh, and get your lawyer to create any customer contract forms necessary. 13. Rent retail or office space If youve got a brick-and-mortar business, youll need to sort this out early. If you plan to run a retail business, pay attention to foot traffic, accessibility, and other factors that will affect the number of people that will walk in your store. EXCEPTION: If you dont have a brick and mortar or retail business, then hold off renting an office as long as possible to avoid saddling your startup with lease payments. 14. Order business cards As a startup founder, youll be doing a lot of networking, so order plenty of business cards. They are inexpensive enough that you can reorder them later if things change. Without cards you lack credibility. 15. Open a business bank account Its all too easy to use your personal bank account to pay for business expenses, but it becomes a gnarl to untangle later. 16. Set up your accounting system Once you have your bank account set up, choose an accounting program. Start as you intend to go. Few things will doom your business faster than books that are a mess. 17. Assign responsibilities to co-founders If you have one or more founders, its imperative that you decide who will do what up front. Put it in writing. Co-founder disagreements can destroy your business. What You Can Do A Bit Later While you dont want to put off these tasks too long, they dont need to be checked off your list before you launch. 18. Upgrade your smartphone and choose apps As an entrepreneur you are going to be on the go a lot. I cant emphasize enough how useful a good phone with good business apps can be, in running your startup. Get a credit card swipe device to accept payments, too. 19. Find free advice Your local SBA office, SCORE, and other small business resources can provide you with free advice, access to business templates, and other tools. 20. Consult your insurance agent and secure coverage Depending on the type of business youre starting, you may need insurance of one kind or another, like liability, workers comp, or health insurance, especially if you hire full-time staff. 21. Hire your first employee Depending on the type of business you have, you may need staff from day one (retail) or you may be able to outsource to freelancers, interns, and third-party vendors for a while (service and tech businesses). Just remember, trying to do everything yourself takes you away from growing the business. 22. Line up suppliers and service providers Finding a good source of inventory is crucial, especially in certain types of businesses (retail, manufacturing). Beyond inventory, line up good reliable suppliers and service providers so you dont have to sweat the details. 23. File for trademarks and patents The best thing to do is consult an attorney early about the need for patents, especially. Get the advice early. Then you may be able to defer filing for a while, depending on the nature of your business. 24. Work your network Reach out to former co-workers and colleagues, as well as friends and family. Dont pressure them to buy your products or services. Instead, tap into them for introductions and help with other things on this startup checklist. 25. Dont waste time on partnerships Be careful about wasting time on business partnership discussions. Your business wont be attractive to potential partners unless and until you start making headway. Focus your precious time to make sales and get customers. 26. Refine your pitch You need a good elevator pitch for many reasons: potential investors, customers, prospective new hires, bankers. If you cant persuasively and clearly pitch your business, how can you expect key stakeholders to buy in? 27. Refine your product, and marketing and sales approach As you go along you will learn more about the marketplace. Use customer feedback to refine your product and service offerings, and your go-to-market approach. 28. Secure your IT Whether youre running a tech company or not, you likely have sensitive data on computers and devices that you want protected. Protect it from intrusions and disasters. Back it up! IT problems can derail a fledgling company. 29. Get a salesperson or sales team in place In many startups the business owner starts out as the chief sales person. But to grow you need a dedicated sales function, so you can focus on activities other than day-to-day sales. 30. Get a mentor Its all to easy easy to work in your business rather than on it. As Michael Gerber tells us in The E-Myth, we need to be working on our businesses if we want them to grow and flourish. A mentor who has succeeded in your industry can provide you with priceless advice and serve as a sounding board. Your checklist might be longer than this, but organizing what needs to be done before you launch and what you can take care of down the road makes it easier to prioritize your tasks. How much time do you spend on marketing each week? If you spend 20 hours per week on marketing your business, on average, then youre not alone. So do other small businesses, according to a recent survey by Constant Contact. For many, the extra effort has paid dividends across several metrics. But the report also vividly illustrates the challenge marketing is presenting to small businesses. The challenge comes from the sheer number of venues and channels where small business owners can reach their customers. Theres been an explosion in online marketing choices, along with the traditional offline marketing options. Its online marketing thats consuming most of a small business owners time, the survey (PDF) found. Constant Contact CEO Gail Goodman pointed out how overwhelming marketing can be, given how many channels a typical small business may engage in: With the greater opportunities presented by multi-channel marketing come some challenges. Most small business owners are not marketing professionals and many tell us that the flood of new marketing tools, along with the need to be everywhere their customers are, from search engines, to mobile devices, to friends newsfeeds, can really be overwhelming. A small business owner along with another employee will spend an average of 20 hours per week on marketing, according to the survey. Most of the business owners surveyed (82 percent) say they market their business across multiple platforms. That includes Web, email and social media, mostly. In addition, Constant Contact learned that 49 percent of the small business owners surveyed were using 3 or 4 vendors to help achieve their marketing goals. The good news is that a large majority of those business owners who are devoting so much time to marketing across multiple platforms are reaping some benefits. Those benefits include new customers (57 percent), more Web traffic (54 percent), and increased revenues (40 percent). Those who arent getting benefits point to the drawbacks of using multiple platforms including: not knowing how to use all the various tools; taking too much time; not being sure their customers are using all the channels the business is involved in; and not knowing how to measure success across different platforms. Constant Contact surveyed just more than 1,300 small business owners who are part of its Small Biz Council, for the report. The survey was designed to highlight the Constant Contact Toolkit, which is intended as a one-stop tool for a small businesss marketing campaigns. Constant Contact with its Toolkit is part of a growing movement among marketing vendors to attempt to simplify and make marketing more efficient for small business owners dealing with so many different marketing choices today. Presidential candidate Donald Trump announced the formation of a Small Business Advisory Panel this week. The panel, consisting of 17 business leaders, says it will give advice on small business issues. According to the announcement on the Trump website: The Council is geographically, gender and ethnically diverse. It represents a cross section of the Small Business Community. Members are Small Business people with an interest in policies that make it easier for Small Businesses to hire, invest, build, grow and produce in America. They also want to be on a level playing field to compete globally creating jobs here, not overseas. The panels role appears to be that of identifying key small business issues. The panel also will help formulate solutions and positions, according to the announcement. The panel has identified five key small business issues: Top Issues Affecting Small Business Owners today: Overregulation and costs associated with government record keeping and mandates (RED TAPE). Businesses are being stifled by over the top regulation and reporting requirements. No industry seems to have been saved from this issue over the last seven years. The burden in cost and time alone can put a Small Business out of business. ObamaCare is a drag on the economy in general and especially on Small Business. In addition to cost, mandates and record keeping the, businesses are being forced to make poor business decisions as to number of employees, hours worked and part-time vs. full-time. (Bad for both employer and employee) Taxation and accounting requirements Many small businesses are taxed as individuals on the owners 1040 so the rates can be higher and deductions are limited or eliminated. Payroll and FICA accounting and reporting can be very costly and one mistake can lead the owner into great legal trouble. Labor issues like minimum wage, overtime rules, and union organizing all take their toll. It seems to many Small Business Owners out here in flyover land that the insiders in DC have it in for them. And they probably do. They tell you what you have to pay, set your work rules, mandate benefits and make it impossible to get a fair organizational vote. Availability of capital Banking regulations favor large national banking organizations which typically do not lend to Small Businesses. Dodd frank made this worse. Community Banks are disappearing or being consolidated thus losing the local lender. SBA has gotten much harder to deal with and is not as viable for many businesses. If these small business issues sound like ones youve heard before, its because the issues actually havent changed much in years. A common complaint is that small business issues dont ever seem to get solved by politicians. Thats despite promises in hundreds of local, state and federal campaigns across America over the years. The announcement does not lay out detailed solutions to the five small business issues. However, Trump has addressed most of the concerns multiple times in his speeches. (All of Trumps rallies and speeches are available on RSBN Networks YouTube channel.) We previously pointed out quotes from Donald Trump on small businesses. Quotes from candidate Hillary Clinton about small businesses are here. Embedded below is the full statement of the Trump small business advisory panel. This map shows locations where the impacts of bad repositories (Bars) occur. Credit: Credit: Xiaojing Liao, Georgia Tech A study of 20 major cloud hosting services has found that as many as 10 percent of the repositories hosted by them had been compromised - with several hundred of the "buckets" actively providing malware. Such bad content could be challenging to find, however, because it can be rapidly assembled from stored components that individually may not appear to be malicious. To identify the bad content, researchers created a scanning tool that looks for features unique to the bad repositories, known as "Bars." The features included certain types of redirection schemes and "gatekeeper" elements designed to protect the malware from scanners. Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Indiana University Bloomington and the University of California Santa Barbara conducted the study. Believed to be the first systematic study of cloud-based malicious activity, the research will be presented October 24 at the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security in Vienna, Austria. The work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation. "Bad actors have migrated to the cloud along with everybody else," said Raheem Beyah, a professor in Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "The bad guys are using the cloud to deliver malware and other nefarious things while remaining undetected. The resources they use are compromised in a variety of ways, from traditional exploits to simply taking advantage of poor configurations." Beyah and graduate student Xiaojing Liao found that the bad actors could hide their activities by keeping components of their malware in separate repositories that by themselves didn't trigger traditional scanners. Only when they were needed to launch an attack were the different parts of this malware assembled. "Some exploits appear to be benign until they are assembled in a certain way," explained Beyah, who is the Motorola Foundation Professor and associate chair for strategic initiatives and innovation in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "When you scan the components in a piecemeal kind of way, you only see part of the malware, and the part you see may not be malicious." In the cloud, malicious actors take advantage of how difficult it can be to scan so much storage. Operators of cloud hosting services may not have the resources to do the deep scans that may be necessary to find the Bars - and their monitoring of repositories may be limited by service-level agreements. While splitting the malicious software up helped hide it, the strategy also created a technique for finding the "bad buckets" hosting it, Beyah said. Many of the bad actors had redundant repositories connected by specific kinds of redirection schemes that allowed attacks to continue if one bucket were lost. The bad buckets also usually had "gatekeepers" designed to keep scanners out of the repositories, and where webpages were served, they had simple structures that were easy to propagate. "We observed that there is an inherent structure associated with how these attackers have set things up," he explained. "For instance, the bad guys all had bodyguards at the door. That's not normal for cloud storage, and we used that structure to detect them." The researchers began by studying a small number of known bad repositories to understand how they were being used. Based on what they learned, they created "BarFinder," a scanner tool that automatically searches for and detects features common to the bad repositories. Overall, the researchers scanned more than 140,000 sites on 20 cloud hosting sites and found about 700 active repositories for malicious content. In total, about 10 percent of cloud repositories the team studied had been compromised in some way. The researchers notified the cloud hosting companies of their findings before publication of the study. "It's pervasive in the cloud," said Beyah. "We found problems in every last one of the hosting services we studied. We believe this is a significant problem for the cloud hosting industry." In some cases, the bad actors simply opened an inexpensive account and began hosting their software. In other cases, the malicious content was hidden in the cloud-based domains of well-known brands. Intermingling the bad content with good content in the brand domains protected the malware from blacklisting of the domain. Beyah and Liao saw a wide range of attacks in the cloud hosted repositories, ranging from phishing and common drive-by downloads to fake antivirus and computer update sites. "They can attack you directly from these buckets, or they can redirect you to other malicious buckets or a series of malicious buckets," he said. "It can be difficult to see where the code is redirecting you." To protect cloud-based repositories from these attacks, Beyah recommends the usual defenses, including patching of systems and proper configuration settings. Looking ahead, the researchers hope to make BarFinder available to a broader audience. That could include licensing the technology to a security company, or making it available as an open-source tool. "Attackers are very clever, and as we secure things and make the cloud infrastructure more challenging for them to attack, they will move onto something else," he said. "In the meantime, every system that we can secure makes the internet just a little bit safer." Explore further SEISE tool uses semantic gaps to detect website promotional attacks More information: Xiaojing Liao, et al., "Lurking Malice in the Cloud: Understanding and Detecting Cloud Repository as a Malicious Service," ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS). Quan Truong (light blue T-shirt), CEO and Co-founder of Beeketing Vietnam has been long known to be one of the worlds top software outsourcing centres for large companies in the US, Europe, and Japan. Thats the old Vietnam. In this post, I will cover the new Vietnam. In the past couple of years, I have experienced a new class of startups built by young Vietnamese founders with engineering backgrounds. Some of them have gained a certain level of success. Grokking, a Vietnamese software engineer support organisation has nailed the vision one which I have completely bought into. The Grokking team believes that Vietnam would become a tech-hub not only in Southeast Asia but also in Asia and the world in the future. And we would be eager to become a part of the big bright vision. Trung Hoang, co-founder and CEO of Lozi a discovery platform for Vietnamese food lovers is an example of why I believe the Grokking mission statement. When I first met Trung in Singapore, I was impressed with his grit when he pitched his vision to some 30 developers in order to recruit a tech co-founder for joining his startup. In 2012, Trung dropped out after spending a year of study at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology to go back to Vietnam and launch his own startup. Late 2015, Lozi scored a 7-digit funding round from Golden Gate Ventures. Trung was nominated as one of the Forbes 30-under-30 2016 Vietnam recipients. Quan Truong is another example of an engineering-entrepreneur. Quan is the CEO and co-founder of Beeketing, a platform of marketing apps that focuses on increasing sales and conversion rates. Prior to Beeketing, Quan started an outsourcing company while he was still in university. Late 2014, he participated in the early-stage pre-accelerator Founder Institute Hanoi and started Beeketing. The company is one of the very few rare cases of startups founded in Vietnam by Vietnamese and incubated by 500 Startups in the Valley. Story continues Besides these two examples of Vietnamese founders with backgrounds in engineering, I also come across more and more Vietnamese engineers holding key roles at tech startups in Singapore. Lately, some of the renowned Singapore-based tech startups such as Grab, Garena, HonestBee have been driving recruiting campaigns to bring engineers from Vietnam to work in Singapore. Therefore, Vietnamese engineers are becoming an important part of the workforce, particularly in contributing to the success of Singapore-based companies. Challenges hindering the talent pool of Vietnamese engineers However, the promising opportunity of tech talent pool in Vietnam also has key challenges. I have done a number of conversations with employers both in Vietnam and Singapore who have hired Vietnamese engineers to nail down the problems. Communication skills. The first problem lies with weak English communication skills among the majority of Vietnamese engineers. The curriculum of software engineering, among other disciplines, at most of the universities in Vietnam is still carried out in Vietnamese. That forces students to invest their own time and money into picking up English skills if they can afford it. But many Vietnamese who pursue engineering degrees come from low-income family backgrounds and therefore could not afford English lessons. There was a case with a talented engineering student who failed an internship interview at Google because he could not understand what the interviewer was saying. In todays modern world, English is considered as a passport for building a good career path at an international level. Weak English skills have taken away many opportunities from Vietnamese engineers and founders alike. Soft skills. The next challenge involves weak soft skills, including presentation skills, teamwork spirit, interpersonal skills and the like, among the majority of Vietnamese developers. From what I recall from my time training in Vietnam before, there was neither a subject nor extra-curriculum activities to build up these skills among engineering students. Tech employers in Vietnam typically require engineering graduates to go through a training period of about three to six months before they can fully participate in the company. Usually, its only the students who have already done a few internships during their formal education perform better in those aspects. I once observed a Vietnamese engineering-founder struggle to pitch about his startup in English at the Tag.pass Watson accelerator programme in Singapore. His product was a platform that connected native language trainers (including English trainers) with students. It seemed really ironic to me. Culture and team dynamics. Another problem lies with the culture. Vietnamese engineers can work efficiently alone or in a small team, but when it comes to working with a larger team, it is really hard for them to get along well, in order to produce better output. Long-term planning. The problem comes next is short-sighted planning for career paths. I had a conversation lately with a Viet Kieu (overseas Vietnamese) who is a Canadian expat but originally born in Vietnam. He had been building a small tech team out of Saigon for a year. He shared with me that one of his engineers was willing to move to another company because the engineer was offered a US$50 salary difference. He pointed out that Vietnamese engineers at least those who are working for him are not willing to take these risks and think of the box. In another conversation with a Singaporean entrepreneur who built a tech team of 20 developers in Saigon, I was told that it is very common to encounter CVs of developers who change jobs every single year. Somehow, he has fostered a good company culture, which helps retain developers. Although some of his developers get better offers by other companies, they still want to continue working for him. As someone who used to live in that situation, I could say on behalf of the majority of Vietnamese software developers that we do not know how to get ourselves ready for a good starting salary right after graduation. To compensate for this, we tend to job hop frequently in order to negotiate a higher salary. Perhaps foreign employers in Vietnam are not willing to pay higher. They still consider Vietnam as a good place to produce cheap software developers. It is very common to come across Vietnamese developers working on a couple of side projects to earn extra money. That factor has also distracted them from focusing on their main job in order to build up their career path. Brain drain. Lastly, a lot of talented Vietnamese engineers have left the country to work in developed countries such as the US, Australia, Japan, Singapore, and in Europe. Thus, once foreign companies come in to set up tech teams in Vietnam, it becomes really hard to find senior engineers with great experience in engineering and leadership skills. However, I have observed some employers working around this problem by assigning Vietnamese engineers to work in Singapore for some years then sending the engineer back home to lead the local team. We have good hopes With the challenges highlighted, I have observed a pay-it-forward culture from the grassroots communities for developers such as Grokking, TechSoup, GeekyWeekend. Grokking and GeekyWeekend are organised by engineers who share the common denominator of having worked in Singapore. Therefore they have injected a certain level of vibrancy to the local tech community in Saigon. Grokking has been organising high-quality tech talk events every month since 2014. The talks include speakers who are senior engineers from companies both in Vietnam and overseas. They share their knowledge on important topics of software engineering and tech product development. Lately, they are venturing into skill acceleration for engineers by putting together an eight-week long big data bootcamp. A Grokking talk event A Grokking talk event Meanwhile, TechSoup is active in hosting monthly events with speakers to discuss different aspects of soft skills and interpersonal skills. These are targeted at helping engineers grow and excel in their career path. On October 23rd, I am bringing some friends who help recruit engineers for tech startups in Singapore to speak at the TechSoup event. GeekyWeekend has also been hosting weekly meetups every Saturday since September 2016. These meetups are a mix of Grokkings and Techsoups, in they way that they hold different mini talks covering tech and career development topics for engineers. With support at the grassroots level, I humbly expect to see more and more Vietnamese engineers with a strong foundation in both tech and soft skills in the years to come. - Son Le Thanh is Vietnamese. He got his bachelors degree in computer science from the National University of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City in 2003 and master degree in software engineering from National University of Singapore in 2010. After graduation in Vietnam, he worked for local companies for three years. In 2006, he made his way to Singapore and have been staying in the sunny island since then. In June 2012, Son made his foray into the Singapore startup scene by kicking off the Startup Grind community after an exploration trip to Silicon Valley. Since then, he has made regular trips back home to Vietnam, as well as interacted with various kinds of entrepreneurs in Singapore. In the past three years, Son helped a couple of startups in Singapore get their products built by individual developers or digital agencies in Vietnam. The views expressed here are of the authors, and e27 may not necessarily subscribe to them. e27 invites members from Asias tech industry and startup community to share their honest opinions and expert knowledge with our readers. If you are interested in sharing your point of view, submit your article here. The post The hard truth about Vietnams software engineering industry appeared first on e27. * Triggering Article 50 is irrevocable, attorney general says * No way back to EU membership after divorce is triggered * EU leaders have said UK can reverse its decision if it wants * May to trigger Article 50 by the end of March (Adds EU's Tusk saying withdrawal can be halted, pars 2, 10) By Michael Holden LONDON, Oct (HKSE: 3366-OL.HK - news) 17 (Reuters) - Once Britain triggers its formal divorce from the European Union by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, there is no going back on the decision, the government's top lawyer told the High Court on Monday. As Britain moves towards exiting the world's biggest trading bloc after June's vote that shocked financial markets, there is debate over how one of the most complex negotiations in recent history will work. London's view that Article 50 cannot be reversed is also at odds with recent statements from Brussels. The government is facing a legal challenge by claimants who say that only parliament can decide when, how and whether to trigger the formal divorce by invoking Article 50. Prime Minister Theresa May's government says that it has the right to decide when to start the divorce and that Article 50 will be invoked by the end of March next year, ushering in a two-year negotiating period to decide Britain's exit terms. At a hearing, Attorney General Jeremy Wright told the High Court that a notification invoking Article 50 - probably with a letter from May - was irrevocable. "We do not argue that an Article 50 notice can be revoked, and we invite the court to proceed in this case on the basis that a notification ... is irrevocable." Asked by Lord Chief Justice John Thomas, Britain's most senior judge, if that meant the notice could not be conditional, Wright said: "We accept that." His guidance appears to resolve one of the biggest questions of the Brexit negotiations: Whether Britain could at some point decide to revoke its intention to leave after negotiations begin. Article 50 of the EU's 2009 Lisbon Treaty, which was drafted by a former British ambassador to the EU, has never been used, providing no legal precedent for how it works. Story continues Donald Tusk, the European Council president who will oversee the Brexit negotiations, said last week that Britain was free to simply withdraw unilaterally its proposal to leave at any point before the two-year notice period ends. May, who has repeatedly said that "Brexit means Brexit" and that she will make a success of the move, suggested earlier this month that those who say parliament should first approve triggering the divorce were "not standing up for democracy, they're trying to subvert it". Investment manager Gina Miller, the lead claimant in the case, said she had received death threats, and Justice Thomas warned those responsible they would face the "full vigour of the law". "It is simply wholly wrong for people to be abusive of those who seek to come to the queen's court," he said. LEGAL CHALLENGE The argument for parliamentary approval before invoking Article 50 is based on an analysis of the authority for EU law in the United Kingdom. Under this reasoning, EU law applies in Britain because of the European Communities Act of 1972, and the executive cannot undermine rights given by parliament to the people of Britain by triggering Article 50. Government lawyers dispute that and say the executive alone has the right to notify the EU of Britain's intention to leave. The government has rejected a petition signed by more than four million people demanding a second referendum. Wright said there was an established principle that governments had the right to make or withdraw from international treaties using the ancient power known as royal prerogative. He said the argument from the claimants was not a narrow legal challenge and suggested they were seeking to overturn the referendum result. "It seeks to invalidate the decision already taken to withdraw from the EU and to require for that decision to be taken by parliament," Wright said. A verdict in the case is expected by the end of the month. It is likely that the matter will be appealed to the British Supreme Court for a final decision before the end of the year. If the court challenge is successful, the government could be forced to pass legislation authorizing Article 50 to be triggered, requiring a vote by lawmakers, the majority of whom voted to Britain to remain in the EU. (Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Larry King and Hugh Lawson (Frankfurt: 502337 - news) ) PARIS He is straight out of Shakespeare, driven by the desire to recapture the throne and, at the very least, his dignity. After a humiliating defeat in 2012, Nicolas Sarkozy a very French blend of tabloid celebrity and professional tough guy wants to be president again. In a France plagued by economic malaise and an unprecedented security threat, the nominally center-right politician has launched a campaign that is a textbook example of an increasingly global phenomenon: mainstream politicians pushed to the right to court voters from powerful populist fringes. As conservative contenders for Frances top job went live in their first primary debate Thursday night, the country finds itself in the throes of a contest that already resembles the American election. While Republicans are pressed to defend Donald Trumps endless controversial comments, Sarkozy, 61, has started parroting Marine Le Pen, saying things that, before 2016, only the leaders of her extremist National Front ever dared to utter. Radical rhetoric is now as much a reality in France as in the United States. Nowhere is this clearer than in the former presidents frequent proclamations against Muslims, Frances largest religious minority. Muslims, Sarkozy would have his followers believe, are at the root of the countrys recent string of terrorist attacks as well as its apparent crisis in national identity. With a stagnant French economy and the country situated in an increasingly troubled euro zone, Sarkozy has chosen national identity as the central theme of his presidential campaign. His goal, as he explained in a blockbuster book released in January, is the restoration of the nation. But his definition of that restoration seems to require the explicit stigmatization of French Muslims. It is not with religions that the Republic has difficulties today, but with one of them that has not done the work, necessary as well as inevitable, to integrate, he wrote. Across the spectrum of French politics, this is rapidly becoming a consensus in the wake of terrorist attacks linked to or inspired by the Islamic State. Even Francois Hollande, Frances Socialist president, has conceded that France has a problem with Islam. But only Le Pen has ever said anything as direct. No other religion is causing problems, she declared during the social drama of the burkini, the bathing suit that shook the foundations of Frances secular values in late August. In that affair, too, Sarkozy projected the image of a conservative largely in line with the National Front. When observers around the world recoiled in horror over the widely disseminated images of armed French police officers forcing a Muslim woman to undress on a beach near Nice, he emerged as the most stalwart defender of the controversial burkini ban. Even after Frances highest court ruled in favor of a womans right to dress modestly on a beach, Sarkozy called the burkini a provocation and promised that, as president, he would extend the ban even further, from a few districts to the entire nation. I refuse to the let the burkini impose itself in French beaches and swimming pools . . . There must be a law to ban it throughout the Republics territory, he said at a rally in late August. But he went further, painting the swimsuit as a broader threat to the French nation: Our identity is under threat when we accept an immigration policy that makes no sense. Again, his principal political ally was the National Front a party he claimed to have eradicated altogether when he won the presidency in 2007. Analysts explain Sarkozys recent turn toward the far right as the last resort of a politician trailing the conservative front-runner, the more moderate Alain Juppe. Juppe is currently leading Sarkozy by 8 to 14 points in the most recent polls taken after Thursdays debate. More than a month before the primary, Sarkozy is already in crisis mode. Once loathed for what the French still call his bling-bling lifestyle and his pursuit while in office of the supermodel Carla Bruni, who is now his third wife, he is currently facing allegations of major accounting fraud in his last campaign. In Thursdays debate, he was on the defensive, twitching on camera, fending off attacks from the other contenders, four of whom were former ministers in his own Cabinet. Some say Sarkozys embrace of more extreme positions illustrates the rising power of a political faction that is no longer fringe. The National Front has become a force to be reckoned with in French politics, said Bruno Cautres, a political scientist at Sciences Po in Paris. In any number of democracies around the world, we are seeing a rejection of globalization, which in France has opened up so many divides inside. The message of the National Front is that its possible to live against forces of globalization and modernization. For French Muslims, the former president has begun to seem a French version of Donald Trump, a candidate behind in the polls who, in their eyes, has opened up a Pandoras box of harsh rhetoric that will survive even if his candidacy does not. Imagine that Donald Trump loses the election, said Marwan Muhammad, the director of the Collective Against Islamophobia in France. You cannot take away the reality that this person has been occupying all this media attention and destroying something we share together. In France, he added, these debates have been so toxic that it will have a lasting effect. There is no coming back from it. france WESTCLIFFE, Colo. A wind-driven wildfire in southern Colorado destroyed one structure Monday and forced residents to flee 130 homes, authorities said. The fire was reported about 3:30 a.m. Monday some 25 miles west-southwest of Pueblo, the Custer County Emergency Management Office said. It had grown to 21 square miles by Monday evening, said El Paso County sheriffs spokeswoman Gail Perez. High wind gusts grounded water-dropping aircraft, she said. The cause was unknown. At least one structure was destroyed, Perez said. People in the small town of Beulah, which was evacuated by another wildfire earlier this month, were told to be ready to leave. Firefighters from throughout the state headed to the blaze to assist crews from Custer and Pueblo counties. About 80 personnel were on the scene, and three air tankers were deployed. The fire sent up large plumes of smoke, which led to a health advisory for people living as far east as Pueblo. A stretch of dry, warm weather has raised the fire danger in much of Colorado, especially on windy days. The fire that evacuated Beulah is believed to have been started by a state-operated excavator working in a ditch, possibly by creating a spark. To the north, firefighters contained more than 50 percent of a 14-acre wildfire in Pike National Forest about 10 miles northwest of Colorado Springs. No structures were damaged. Oscar Martinez, a district ranger with the U.S. Forest Service, said he hoped crews could fully contain the fire on Tuesday. The fire was reported Monday afternoon near Rampart Reservoir. Its cause was unknown. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. One of NASAs main delivery companies made a triumphant comeback seen up and down the East Coast on Monday night, launching its first space station shipment from Virginia since a rocket explosion two years ago. It was the first flight of Orbital ATKs unmanned Antares rocket since the Oct. 28, 2014, blast that wrecked the pad and destroyed everything on the space station supply run. The launch provided a show for sky gazers along much of the East Coast. Reports poured in via Twitter from observers in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and even Raleigh, North Carolina. For Antares long-awaited return, the pad underwent a $15 million restoration, and the rocket got new Russian engines to replace the vintage ones from a half-century earlier. As the Antares streaked through the night sky from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility, it appeared as though all the work had paid off. Launch controllers applauded when the supply ship reached orbit and victory was declared. It is great to be back, said Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATKs space systems group. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden described the launch as magnificent and personally thanked the Orbital ATK team. Its been a very difficult two years, and I cant imagine what those of you in the Orbital team went through. I cant imagine how long you were holding your breath tonight, Bolden told the launch control crowd. But you know, we made it and thats whats all important. Getting a lift from the Antares was Orbital ATKs Cygnus capsule, loaded with more than 5,000 pounds of food, equipment and research, including some experiments to study flames in space and the robotic toy ball Sphero, part of an educational effort. The Cygnus named after the swan constellation will have to hang around in orbit until Sunday before delivering the goods. Thats because three astronauts are awaiting launch from Kazakhstan on Wednesday, which would get them to the space station on Friday. NASA wants the new crew to settle in before the Cygnus pulls up. This will be the sixth Cygnus to arrive at the orbiting outpost since 2013. While the Antares was being redesigned, Orbital ATK made good on two deliveries using another companys rockets flying from Cape Canaveral. NASAs other commercial shipper, SpaceX, has made nine station deliveries since 2012, but is currently grounded, pending an investigation into last months rocket explosion during prelaunch testing at Cape Canaveral. Given the riskiness of space flight, Culbertson and other Orbital ATK officials expressed nervousness before the launch, but said they had full confidence in the rocket. Although it took longer to resume flights at Wallops than expected, he noted, it was done right, and that was the most important thing. NASA has been relying on Orbital ATK and SpaceX to keep the space station stocked ever since the shuttles retired in 2011. Next up will be private flights for the station crews, as the space agency works on getting astronauts to Mars in the 2030s. SpaceX and Boeing are building capsules to carry U.S. astronauts to the 250-mile-high station; those launches are expected in the next couple of years. Until then, NASA will keep flying its astronauts on Russias Soyuz spacecraft. The space station is currently home to an American, a Russian and a third astronaut from Japan. They will be joined by an American and two Russians. Orbital ATK weathered brief hurricane delays over the past 1 weeks, then a bad cable at the pad on Sunday bumped the launch by a day. ___ Online: Orbital ATK: http://www.orbitalatk.com/ NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html WASHINGTON A former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff pleaded guilty Monday to making false statements during an investigation into a leak of classified information about a covert cyberattack on Irans nuclear facilities. Retired Marine Gen. James Cartwright entered the plea at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, convened just a few hours after the Justice Department announced the charges. The plea ends a Justice Department investigation that began after the 2012 leak to reporters of information about use of a computer virus called Stuxnet that disabled equipment the Iranians were using to enrich uranium. The offense carries a maximum of five years in prison, but under a plea agreement, the government is recommending a sentence in the range of zero to six months. Cartwright is scheduled to be sentenced on January 17, and it will be up to Leon to decide the sentence. Cartwright, 67, falsely told investigators that he did not provide or confirm classified information contained in a news article and in a book by New York Times journalist David Sanger, according to charging documents unsealed by prosecutors. Neither the book nor the classified subject is identified in court papers. But Sanger wrote in his 2012 book Confront and Conceal about the classified operation to attack Irans nuclear facilities. The charging documents also say Cartwright misled prosecutors about classified information shared with another journalist, Daniel Klaidman. Wearing a dark suit, Cartwright stood with his attorney and answered a series of procedural questions from the judge. Youre pleading guilty because you are in fact guilty, is that right? Leon asked. Yes, sir, Cartwright said. In a written statement released to reporters after the hearing, Cartwright stressed that he was not the initial source of the leak about Stuxnet but spoke to reporters about material they already knew. It was wrong for me to mislead the FBI on Nov. 2, 2012, and I accept full responsibility for this, Cartwright said. He added that his only goal in talking to reporters was to protect American interests and lives. Cartwrights attorney, Gregory Craig, said in a statement that his client had spent his whole life putting the national interest. Thats why he talked to the reporters in the first place to protect American interests and lives in a story they had already written, the statement said. In his conversations with these two reporters, General Cartwright was engaged in a well-known and understood practice of attempting to save national secrets, not disclosing classified information. The plea agreement said that between January and June of 2012, Cartwright provided and confirmed classified information to Sanger. Cartwright also confirmed classified information in February 2012 to Klaidman that was included in an article for Newsweek magazine, the agreement said. U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein of Maryland declined to comment after the hearing. In a statement Monday, the Times said it would not discuss the sourcing of any information published in the newspaper or by Sanger. We are disappointed that the Justice Department has gone forward with the leak investigation that led to todays guilty plea by General Cartwright, the Times said. These investigations send a chilling message to all government employees that they should not speak to reporters. The inevitable result is that the American public is deprived of information that it needs to know. Cartwright was vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 until 2011 and was considered a key adviser to President Barack Obama. A former fighter pilot, the Marine general was known for his expertise in the more highly technical areas of cyberwarfare and Americas nuclear enterprise. The New York Times reported in 2012 that Cartwright was a crucial player in the cyber operation called Olympic Games, started under President George W. Bush. The Times had said that Obama ordered the cyberattacks sped up, and in 2010 an attack using Stuxnet temporarily disabled 1,000 centrifuges that the Iranians were using to enrich uranium. Iran has publicly blamed the United States and Israel for the computer virus, but neither country has officially acknowledged a role in the attack. Congressional leaders had called for a criminal investigation into who leaked the information, and some Republicans said senior administrational officials had disclosed the details of the cyber operation to bolster the presidents national security credentials during the 2012 campaign. Obama said he had zero tolerance for such leaks. The Justice Departments investigation into the disclosure of classified information was one of several national-security leak probes conducted during the Obama administration, including ones involving The Associated Press and Fox News. ___ Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report. Imagine getting an associate degree, a bachelors degree in liberal arts and a masters of business administration in five years, and paying as little as $20,000 for the entire trio. Thats the crux of the 2+1+2 Program, created by University of New Mexicos Innovation Academy in partnership with UNM and Central New Mexico Community College. The $20,000 cost applies to students who remain qualified on the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship program. Those who do not qualify for the lottery would pay just under $30,000 for the three degrees. Robert Delcampo, director of the Innovation Academy, said at a news conference Monday that either way is a bargain considering that the average debt of a New Mexico resident receiving a four-year undergraduate degree is $28,000 itself a bargain in view of the cost of out-of-state MBA programs sanctioned by the AACSB, or Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, which range from $45,000 to $60,000 for the graduate degree alone. Im very excited for the students in our community, said CNM President Kathie Winograd. This new agreement provides an expedited, pre-set path for students to earn a CNM associate degree, a UNM bachelors degree and a UNM masters degree in just five years, which will save them valuable time and money. UNM President Bob Frank noted that fewer than one in seven students from a community college goes on to complete a bachelors degree. This program is not just a pathway, its more of a speedway to completion of a masters degree, he said. The 2+1+2 program allows UNM and CNM to organically grow our students, keep them here and give them jobs to change our communities. Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry said its collaborations like these that will propel Albuquerque forward as a national thought leader on education. Students may be admissible to the program after completing 12 credit hours of CNM coursework, with at least a 3.0 grade point average. They then complete the state of New Mexico General Education Core and the requirements for their CNM associate degree of choice. This reserves a space for them in UNMs liberal arts bachelors degree program. After one year at UNM, students begin their MBA coursework that will count toward their bachelors degree and MBA requirements. They will work full-time on their MBA in their fifth year, culminating with their MBA degree. Meantime, back at Guantanamo Chances are you havent thought of that American gulag or, for that matter, of extraordinary renditions, CIA black sites and torture for a long time. Not everyone has the luxury of forgetting. In the last few days, some compelling reportage has reminded us of that. In The Miami Herald, we met 48-year-old Mustafa al Hawsawi, a Gitmo detainee who was scheduled for rectal surgery to repair damage done when, his lawyer says, he was sodomized by his captors 10 years ago. As reporter Carol Rosenberg explains, this sodomy was, in fact, a quasi-medical process of rectal rehydration and rectal re-feeding, i.e., providing nourishment through a tube in the rectum. The lawyer says this was a means of punishment. It left Hawsawi with whats called a rectal prolapse. He has to manually push tissue back up into his anus every time he defecates. He has bled from the injury for 10 years. Hawsawi, you should know, faces the death penalty for his alleged part in the Sept. 11 attacks that took nearly 3,000 lives. And maybe you will find that sufficient to insulate you from feeling, well anything at his plight. One wonders what you would make, then, of two New York Times reports documenting how torture, both at Gitmo and at CIA black sites around the world, destroyed the mental health of numerous detainees, many of whom turned out to be innocent of terrorism. Reporters James Risen, Matt Apuzzo and Sheri Fink introduce us to men who were slammed into walls and had foreign objects shoved into their rectums, who were beaten, kept awake, housed in never-ending darkness or light, forced into stress positions, subjected to nonstop music at ear-splitting levels, injected with drugs, menaced by dogs, locked in boxes the size of coffins and laid out shackled and nude on tarps as gallons of ice cold water were poured down on them to simulate drowning. One prisoner described being used as a human mop, dragged through his own urine. Now, former prisoner Suleiman Abdullah Salim struggles with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. He was released five years after he fell into U.S. custody when it was determined he posed no threat. Majid Mokhtar Sasy al-Maghrebi will fly into a rage at the sound of music from a passing car. It takes him back to the prison where music was used to torture him. Hussein al-Marfadi has a permanent headache. Lutfi bin Ali has a recurrent nightmare of suffocating at the bottom of a well. Younous Chekkouri hates to go outside because people in the crowd turn into guards from Gitmo. For at least one prisoner, what made all this worse is that it was America doing it to him. America, the world champion of human rights. America, the nation of laws. It is very, very scary when you are tortured by someone who doesnt believe in torture, said Ahmed Errachidi. You lose faith in everything. He was released without charges after five years. Civilization is a word we use for the rules we impose upon ourselves to protect against our most brutish instincts. And America is fond of thinking itself the most civilized of nations, especially as compared with those countries that breathe terror like air. When the history of this epoch is written, it will tell how our civilization, our righteousness, came under assault by an army of ragtag barbarians one sparkling September morning. It will tell how we swore to defend all that made us what we were. But these reports remind us how readily we gave it all away. Copyright, The Miami Herald; e-mail to lpitts@miamiherald.com. After years of declining apprehensions of illegal immigrants, the trend has jumped dramatically along the border with Mexico. Hundreds of thousands of people from other countries come here on visas and simply dont leave. And the Obama administration wants to bring in tens of thousands of refugees from the turmoil it has helped create in the Middle East. All this begs an important question. What exactly are these people going to do? The United States Labor Force Participation Rate the percentage of the American population that is either working or actively seeking work was 62.9 percent in September, according to the Labor Departments Bureau of Labor Statistics. That means nearly a third of working-age American adults are unemployed and not seeking work. The bureau reported the unemployment rate for September was 5.0 percent but that doesnt include all those people who simply have given up or dont want to try to get a job. The percentage of American men ages 25 to 54 in the workforce is smaller than it was in 1940, near the end of the Great Depression, according to a column by Journal syndicated columnist George Will. At that time, the overall unemployment rate was above 14 percent. Will notes that many of the men of prime working age who are not in the workforce have chosen a lifestyle that doesnt include looking for a job. Many are on some kind of public assistance, opting for getting by on Medicaid, food stamps, disability payments and other benefits instead of trying to climb a career ladder or at least bring home some bacon. Some have just given up looking for work after not finding any jobs they were interested in. Meanwhile, a flood of immigrants competing for mostly lower-level jobs further holds down wages that might lure more Americans back to work. Many of the jobs being created are low-pay service or retail explaining the lefts obsession with converting minimum wage to living wage. Back on the border, the Border Patrol has taken into custody 18,500 people illegally crossing into New Mexico in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2016 compared with 11,216 for all of fiscal 2015. About 7,900 of these people came from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Brazil. Driving the Central American migration to the United States are gang-fueled violence and extortion, poverty, high prices for basic goods, a lack of jobs and low wages if one is lucky enough to have a job. But the big difference in recent years is the perception that people fleeing north into the U.S. can stay. Despite Obama administration protests to the contrary, that perception essentially is correct. Many are released to sponsors or relatives in communities around the United States where they can remain for years while their cases wind through the clogged immigration court system. Then what do we do? Send them back after all that time living here and settling in? Even with our economic doldrums, opportunities and pay are much better here than in most places south of the border. So the lure of taking jobs that many Americans dont want continues to bring illegal immigrants in large numbers to work and send money home. That includes the more than half a million who entered the country on temporary visas in 2015 and were supposed to leave, but didnt. Many are from India and China. Then there are the refugees. The Obama administration has pledged to take in 110,000 in 2017 from around the world, with 40,000 allotted from South Asia and the Near East, which includes Syria. Though the plight of refugees is great, and it is morally right to try to help them, the situation raises questions. Can we absorb this flood of people? Where are they going to work? Would heeding calls for a so-called living wage attract even more immigrants and drive more American-born citizens into a life apparently satisfied with welfare status? Can the U.S. afford to increase the dole? And how does this immigration stew work from an economic point of view? It doesnt because the economy cant absorb everyone. Long overdue immigration reform must be at the top of the to-do list by the next president and Congress. Neither Donald Trumps wall nor Hillary Clintons open borders is the answer. First and foremost, immigration has to work for America. No more broken promises by politicians. No more passing the buck, because there is nowhere for it to go. 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. Its been nearly two years since the Department of Justice shocked the University of New Mexico community by telling the school it would investigate the way it handles sexual misconduct. That was in the winter of December 2014. Administrators waited in limbo while federal investigators reviewed UNM books, conducted interviews of rape victims and pored over administrative policies. In April of this year, the feds found UNM had failed to comply with federal gender anti-discrimination laws. The DOJ findings included criticisms of UNMs labyrinthine policies on sexual assault, and lengthy and inadequate investigations. UNM has been largely powerless since spring, but it did simplify policies and tweaked training on how to deal with sexual assault. And now, in the fall in 2016, UNM finally has a road map of where its going, a three-year calibration with the Department of Justice that will hopefully make UNM a safer place to be. We are deeply committed to civil rights enforcement, and sexual assault and sexual harassment are civil rights issues, said U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez of the District of New Mexico in a Monday statement. Students have the right to live and learn in a safe educational environment, and this agreement provides the foundation that UNM will build on to ensure that this right is both recognized and respected. UNM was just the second school to be investigated by the Justice Department for how it handles sexual misconduct. Earlier this year, UNM administrators shared the result of a 3,000-person survey that found nearly one in 10 students said they had been sexually assaulted while at UNM and that nearly one in four reported they had been sexually harassed within the past year. Under the agreement, the Justice Department will not sue UNM through federal anti-gender discrimination laws. In return, UNM will work with justice for the next three years, revamping policies, training efforts and investigation methods. President Bob Frank said meeting the DOJs criteria will be challenging, but hes confident UNM can do it. This is not an ending, Frank said. This is the beginning. As part of those efforts, UNM will vastly increase the number of face-to-face training sessions on sexual misconduct. Currently, new freshmen take the training, but the DOJ report notes UNM will offer this type of training to all students. The university has until Feb. 1 to build the infrastructure to make the training possible. And the training will be mandatory for all new students starting in the 2017-18 school year. This includes transfer and graduate students who may not have participated in the face-to-face training. The federal government will require UNM to generate a spreadsheet to track every incident of sexual harassment or assault. By Dec. 1, the university will have to submit its plans for any revised policies and procedures dealing with handling sexual assault to the Justice Department. The department will then review those suggestions, and offer comments and potential changes. Then, the university will have about a month to notify students about the changes. The agreement also calls for UNM to share its policies, training curriculum and surveys about safety on campus with the DOJ in the years to come. Frank said he was pleased with the quickness with which the agreement was met. And he said he knows it doesnt help the people who were already victimized on campus. I hope theyll look at this with new eyes and say, Yeah, were doing better, Frank said. And I hope theyll accept our profound apology and sense of recognition that we know people were hurt previously. Copyright 2016 Albuquerque Journal U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Tyson Reams took off from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, with his search-and-rescue squadron just hours after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake unleashed a massive tsunami that slammed into the Japanese mainland in 2011. Within hours, we were mobilized, wheels up, in route to the mainland, said Reams, who trained in 2007 as a flight engineer with the 58th Special Operations Wing based at Kirtland Air Force Base. We were doing search-and-rescue missions about 24 hours after the event. Over the next 30 days, Reams and his wife, Air Force Staff Sgt. Veronica Reams, flew rescue-and-relief missions to devastated communities along Japans northeast coast, delivering food and supplies, and seeking survivors among the rubble. Veronica Reams was an operations intelligence analyst assigned to her husbands squadron. Both now are instructors for the 58th Special Operations Wing, which became fully operational at Kirtland in October 1976, 40 years ago. It was otherworldly, said Veronica Reams, a native speaker of Japanese who served as a translator. We saw houses that were on fire, but floating on the ocean. Dubbed Operation Tomodachi, the Japanese word for friend, the mission involved some 24,000 U.S. service members and 189 aircraft that provided disaster relief in the weeks after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Operation Tomodachi defines the type of mission for which the 58th SOW trains flight crews, wing members said. The unit trains about 2,000 airmen a year at Kirtland for special operations and combat search-and-rescue missions. When these missions happen, they are unexpected and have to have strategic impact, said Col. Dagvin Dag Anderson, former commander of the 58th Special Operations Wing. You cant make a mistake. The need for highly trained special operations flight crews has grown in response to the evolving nature of warfare in recent decades, Anderson said. The 9-11 attack crystallized where the world was heading, he said, with many non-state actors and regional powers in the Middle East and Africa. The most recent example is the rise of IS, the self-proclaimed Islamic State, in remote areas of Iraq and Syria. The 58th SOW trains flight crews for two kinds of helicopters and four variations of the C-130, a four-engine turboprop military transport plane. It also trains crews for one of the nations newer military aircraft, the tiltrotor CV-22 Osprey, a helicopter-airplane hybrid. 58th Special Operations Wing aircraft numbers 7 Tiltrotor CV-22 Ospreys, helicopter-airplane hybrid 12 HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters 6 UH-1N Iroquois helicopters Fixed-wing aircraft: 3 MC-130H Combat Talon II 3 HC-130J Combat King II 4 MC-130 Commando II Designations: C transport H search and rescue M special operations Editors note: This is part of a series of stories about New Mexico election races. SANTA FE Albuquerques Senate District 15 was a solidly Republican seat for nearly three decades, until 2009. Now, Democrats are trying to keep their hold on it in a volatile election season as the GOP minority takes aim at the swing district. The incumbent is first-term Democratic Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, a lawyer who has represented the near-Northeast Heights district since 2013. He succeeded Democrat Tim Eichenberg, who served one term, decided not to run again, and is now state treasurer. Ivey-Sotos Republican opponent is newcomer Eric Burton, a lawyer and business owner. Democrats currently have a 24-18 edge in the Senate, and for Republicans to turn that around is a long shot. But District 15 is among a handful of seats the GOP is pinning its hopes on, despite the Democrats edge in voter registration and recent voter performance. Ivey-Soto has been under fire from the Republican super PAC run by Gov. Susana Martinezs top political adviser, Jay McCleskey, as well as the state Republican Party. Ivey-Soto is a moderate Democrat, a former prosecutor and teacher who describes himself as pro-business and has the backing of labor and conservation groups as well as the Association of Commerce and Industry. He also is a former New Mexico elections director in the Secretary of States Office. He currently is the executive director of the county clerks affiliate of the New Mexico Association of Counties. Burton practices law in the areas of trust, estates and federal income tax, and co-owns a licensed trust company and an insurance company management firm. He worked during this years legislative session as the chief of staff for the Judiciary Committee in the GOP-run state House. I would put myself in the category of a free-market capitalist conservative who leans libertarian on social issues, he said. In fact, in what may be a bellwether of where New Mexico is headed someday, both candidates in the District 15 race support legalizing recreational marijuana. Issues Ivey-Soto touts a range of bills he got passed in his first term. Among them: a comprehensive criminal records database for background checks; prosecution for not reporting child abuse; dual credit for high school students taking college classes; and electronic campaign reporting. He also successfully sponsored legislation allowing the developer of Albuquerques Winrock Town Center to restructure existing tax increment districts, reviving the project and, according to Ivey-Soto, ensuring 2,000 jobs. The Legislature passed Ivey-Sotos constitutional amendment to allow school elections to be held with other local, nonpartisan elections which he says would boost voter turnout but it was deemed to have failed statewide because it lacked 75 percent voter approval. Ivey-Soto took the issue to the state Supreme Court on behalf of the League of Women Voters and won. The high court ruled that it and another constitutional change from a previous year had passed after all. Burton tells voters that New Mexico is in economic peril. We really need to focus on turning our economy around and creating some jobs, and through that economic growth well be able to expand the tax base and generate revenues to address education, crime and the states social ills, Burton said. He would start with baby steps: enacting right-to-work legislation, repealing the law requiring the prevailing wage effectively, the wage paid under collective bargaining agreements for government-funded projects, and deregulating business by reducing the number of occupations that are required to be state licensed. He also would speed up the states permitting process and reduce the permit cost for hard rock and copper mining. He also favors repealing the states gross receipts tax and replacing it with a lower-rate, broad-based sales tax. Criticism Burton, as well as the Republican Party in a complaint filed with the attorney general, contends that its a conflict of interest for Ivey-Soto to work for the clerks while he sponsors election-related legislation they support. Ivey-Soto said that although the clerks did support election law cleanup and other proposals, the Association of Counties opposed other bills he sponsored for example, making agendas public 72 hours before a meeting and requiring oral public comment at meetings. Im not sure it benefits the people of New Mexico to have legislators park their knowledge at the door, Ivey-Soto said. He said he consulted with a lawyer specializing in conflicts of interest before he was elected who determined no conflict would exist, but that no part of his evaluation, continued employment or pay could depend on what happened to legislation. Ivey-Soto says the complaints are groundless and were filed for their publicity value. The GOP is also criticizing the Democratic candidate on the matter of an ethics commission. A House-passed constitutional amendment creating a commission ran into a barrage of questioning in a Senate committee this year, with Ivey-Soto among the most outspoken critics. The House sponsor said proposed Senate changes would unacceptably weaken the measure, and he backed off. Ivey-Soto said he is working now on his own version of an ethics commission bill for next year. The incumbent has outraised the challenger, according to campaign finance reports filed last week. Ivey-Soto reported raising $155,930 and spending $101,675, and Burton reported raising $107,182 and spending $86,888. Candidate positions on Legalizing recreational marijuana use: Ivey-Soto Support Burton Support Reinstating capital punishment for certain cases: Ivey-Soto Support only if it deters crime, increases public safety Burton Support Taking more money from the states largest permanent fund for early childhood programs: Ivey-Soto Support only as last resort Burton Oppose Enacting a so-called right-to-work law: Ivey-Soto Dubious Burton Support Clinton pays the price for stereotyping of women I AM SUDDENLY acutely aware that white male editorial journalists numerically dominate every conversation about this election. The election is being defined by white males! Should be no surprise, but it shows how complicit women are in the process. We are submissive, compliant even in our most courageous moments! First lady Michelle Obama diagnosed the situation. This election is about women in power. Hillary Clinton, the woman in question, is being airbrushed away. Usual expectations of women include warmth, buoyancy, optimism smiles! These attributes are not required of male candidates. Hillary dares to be serious, competent, conscious and not always warm and smiling. But, do we want someone smiling as they hit the nuclear code for the last time? Lets update the rhetoric, review our prejudices. Give Hillary equal time, credit for competence! Balance number of reporters and journalists genderwise. Hillary is unpopular because she is a competent woman. Women arent supposed to be experienced, competent, best-prepared. Hillary deserves her half of the coverage in the media, because she actually makes sense and has thought about consequences. America is already great, more than good enough, on the global screen. And we all know in our hearts that we are stronger together. We trust the hand that rocks the cradle, and it is the same one we can trust to rule our land. EDI POWERS Albuquerque Liberal control of courts worse fate than Trump ALL THOSE conservatives saying they will not vote for Trump because of all of his stupid remarks are not thinking of the future of the nation if (Hillary) Clinton is elected. She will be able to pack the Supreme, district and appellate courts with liberals who will dramatically change our nation for one or two generations. We may never recover from that. (Donald) Trump is certainly not ideal, but the alternative is much, much worse. JOE STEHLING Angel Fire Dont give Clinton a pass because shes a woman THE WOMENS liberation movement of the 1960s focused on achieving equal rights for women equality in the workplace, society and politics and anywhere else inequality existed. Essentially, they fought for women to be treated as equals to men. Over time, the movement succeeded. Hooray! Feminists today are different. Naturally, they are big supporters of Hillary Clintons campaign for president. No surprise there. After all, having a women become president of the United States is like getting the brass ring. And, considering the fact that Hillary is a feminist, its understandable why they want to see her win. As a woman, I am thankful that we have achieved this level of equality. But Im flabbergasted by the numerous women who say they want Hillary to win because shes a woman. The double standard condemned by women years ago is now what they stand by? These same supporters are also willing to ignore the corruption and secret dealings Hillary has done to get to this stage. I wonder if they would be supportive of a male candidate with the same behavior and record as Hillarys. Would they support a male candidate if he erased thousands of top secret emails created on a private server, placing the country at significant risk? Would they support him if he openly ran a pay to play foundation to acquire millions of dollars, then hid the money to avoid paying taxes? Would they support him if that same charitable foundation actually designated only 10 percent of the funds to charities, while the rest was diverted to support a lavish lifestyle and fund his trusts? And finally, would they support a male candidate because hes a man? History will be made when we elect a woman as president and the first one to achieve this will be remembered for a lifetime. Do we really want to settle for Hillary Clinton? As women, we are smarter than this. Lets not settle for a lesser candidate just because shes a woman. SHERYL INGLAT Albuquerque Trump or Pence should drop out of contention I WATCHED THE debate (on Oct. 9) and (Donald) Trump did not seem to care about public opinion about his comments to (Billy) Bush while on a bus in 2005. He would rather attack another woman Hillary Clinton with a comment that he would have her jailed! This male is out of control and does not realize that he should walk away from this presidential race. Many women married to Republican men will vote against Trump, period. No matter what the men in their lives have to say. All women with young ladies at home should be ashamed of such a male candidate. Mark my words, (Trumps running mate) Mike Pence will not be on the ticket past this next week. If he is truly a religious man, then he will bow out. JAMES PADILLA San Antonio LITTLEFIELD, Ariz. Four pigs escaped and several were killed when a tractor-trailer rig carrying 172 hogs crashed into a barrier wall along Interstate 15 in a gorge in northwestern Arizona. The Monday afternoon accident closed southbound I-15 well into Monday evening and the Arizona Department of Transportation says the lefthand lane remained closed Tuesday morning because of crash damage. The Department of Public Safety says motorists helped corral pigs that got onto the highway in the Virgin River Gorge between Mesquite, Nevada, and St. George, Utah. DPS spokesman Bart Graves says the truck driver was not injured in the crash. I-15 cuts across Arizonas uppermost northwest corner as it connects Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. WASHINGTON The Latest on the U.S. presidential race (all times EDT): 7:24 p.m. Donald Trump says he wants congressional term limits of six years for House members and 12 years for the Senate. Trump outlined his term limits ideas Tuesday as part of his ongoing emphasis on a proposed federal ethics overhaul. His vice presidential running mate also mentions Trumps ethics proposals. But Mike Pence didnt mention term limits at all Tuesday during multiple stops in North Carolina. The Indiana governor happens to be a former member of Congress himself. He served 12 years in the House, twice as long as what his boss now says is appropriate. ___ 7:05 p.m. Donald Trumps campaign is bringing President Barack Obamas half-brother to the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday. The campaign confirms that Obamas Kenyan-born half-brother Malik will be in the audience during the final showdown between Trump and rival Hillary Clinton. Malik tells the New York Post that hes excited to be at the debate and says, Trump can make America great again. Trump also tells the paper that Malik, gets it far better than his brother. The candidates have been using their debate guests as a tool to try to get inside their rivals heads. Clinton is bringing frequent Trump critic and billionaire Mark Cuban and Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman. Trump invited to the most recent debate three of the women who accused former President Bill Clinton of sexually harassing or assaulting them years ago. ___ 7:00 p.m. Mike Pence is campaigning on the idea that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would run a more ethical administration than Hillary Clinton. The Republican vice presidential nominee told North Carolina supporters Tuesday that the Wikileaks hack of John Podestas emails confirms an avalanche of scandals and pay-to-play politics in Clintons world. Trump has proposed barring anyone from federal lobbying activity within five years after leaving a congressional seat, a congressional members staff or an executive branch post. Trump also added a call for term limits on members of Congress. Pence didnt discuss that detail in North Carolina. He was a House member for 12 years. ___ 6:33 p.m. Hillary Clintons biggest super PAC helper is following her lead and trying to help deliver a Democratic Senate. Priorities USA says it is beginning television advertisements aimed attacking Pennsylvania Sen. Patrick Toomey and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. The two Republicans are in tight contests with Democratic hopefuls. The ads will also target Clintons opponent, Donald Trump. Feeling comfortable with her lead, Clinton has increased her down-ballot focus in these final weeks of the race. The super political action committee has spent more on TV than anyone other than the Clinton campaign itself. Priorities also said Tuesday that it will spend more than $1 million trying to make a case to elect her in typically Republican-leaning Georgia. ___ 6:09 p.m. Donald Trump says the media is more crooked than crooked Hillary, Clinton, his Democratic presidential rival. The comment in Grand Junction, Colorado, comes as Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence, have complained that the Nov. 8 election is going to be, rigged. They say there are two reasons: One, the news media is colluding with Clinton by reporting that multiple women accuse him of sexually assaulting them. Trump additionally insists there will be fraud at the polls on Election Day. Trump earlier advised his supporters to ignore mainstream news outlets and instead read the internet. ___ 6:06 p.m. Donald Trump says that he doesnt believe polls showing hes lagging rival Hillary Clinton in Colorado. Trump tells a rally crowd at an airplane hangar in Grand Junction, Colorado, that everywhere he goes, he draws crowds of thousands and thousands of people. And hes predicting hell win one of the greatest victories in political history. Elections veterans caution that drawing large crowds doesnt equate to winning a general election. ___ 5:55 p.m. Even Nobel prize winners make very public math mistakes, and this year it happened when they dabbled in presidential politics. A group of Nobel prize winners sent out a public letter of endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president with a note saying that 70 of them signed on. The letter had 69 signatures. Oops. Nobel chemistry prize winner Martin Chalfie of Columbia University said he had left off the 70th Nobel laureate, neuroscientist Paul Greengard of Rockefeller University, because he was late addition. When a reporter pointed out the counting mistake, Chalfie sent out a correction with a math joke: There are three types of people in the world: those that can count and those that cant. I am clearly in the latter category. ___ 5:23 p.m. Mike Pence is joining Donald Trump in relentlessly hammering the national media coverage of the presidential race. The Republican vice presidential candidate told supporters Tuesday in Wilmington, North Carolina, that the election is not exactly a fair fight because the media out there is doing half of Hillary Clintons work for her every day. Pence said the media is busy chasing other stories besides controversies surrounding the Democratic nominee. The Indiana governor went on to quote from a front-page USA Today story detailing the nexus among private companies, Hillary Clintons State Department and the Clinton Family Foundation. The Indiana governor then cited ABC News reporting suggesting Hillary Clintons State Department aides in 2010 played favorites with vendors and other entities during recovery efforts for a Haiti earthquake. The story cited emails showing aides concerned with identifying groups close to former President Bill Clinton. ___ 5:21 p.m. Donald Trump is encouraging his supporters to ignore the mainstream news media in the final stretch of the presidential race because he believes theyre trying to take him down. Trump tells supporters at a rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado to, forget the press, read the internet, study other things, dont go for the mainstream media. He said that, when it comes to the internet, you do get some dishonesty, too, but at least you can separate. At least you have a choice. ___ 3:23 p.m. Hillary Clintons campaign says Donald Trump is warning of a rigged election to distract from bad press about his treatment of women and discourage Democratic voters. Clinton aide Jen Palmieri says Trump is losing and he wants to blame somebody else and thats what losers do. The Clinton campaign says they expect voting to run smoothly. Palmieri says Trump is trying to turn off Clinton backers. Theyre not gonna be deterred, she says. ___ 3:08 p.m. Tim Kaine says hes proud Hillary Clinton hasnt backed away from the promises she made during the Democratic primary. The Democratic vice presidential nominee made the comments Tuesday while highlighted Clintons progressive economic agenda during a speech at a Detroit job training center. The Virginia senatgor said hes proud that Hillary hasnt backed away from the bold, principled commitments that she made when she won a very fairly, and vigorously contested Democratic primary. Battling Sen. Bernie Sanders in a heated Democratic primary, Clinton tacked left on trade and other economic issues. But in private speeches to Wall Street firms she expressed a philosophy that clashes in some ways with the progressive vision she has articulated while campaigning. The private speeches were disclosed by Wikileaks. ___ 2:58 p.m. Billionaire Mark Cuban and Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman will attend Wednesdays last presidential debate as guests of Hillary Clinton. Both have been outspoken backers of the Democratic presidential candidate. Cuban is famous for his role on a television game show and has questioned Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps business acumen. Whitman is one of Clintons highest-profile Republican backers. Trumps campaign has invited as a guest Pat Smith, whose son, Sean, was one of four Americans killed during the 2012 attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, when Clinton was President Barack Obamas secretary of state. Smith gave an emotional speech the Republican National Convention blaming Clinton for her sons death. Republicans have tried to make Benghazi a central issue in the campaign. ___ 2:50 p.m. Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence is struggling to defend his running mates assertions that the Nov. 8 election will be rigged. Pence once again said that Donald Trump was talking about biased media. The Indiana governor was speaking to reporters Tuesday in Hillsborough, North Carolina. But reporters noted that Trump has made frequent, though unsubstantiated, claims that there will be widespread voter fraud. Pence responded that there have been documented instances of voter fraud in the past. He suggested that Trump is only encouraging his supporters to respectfully participate at the polls to ensure the integrity of the election. Pence did not directly answer when asked whether the Trump campaign wants more than the longstanding tradition of having poll watchers from the Democratic and Republican parties at every precinct. ___ 2:30 p.m. People magazine is reporting that six people have come forward to corroborate its former writers account of being sexually assaulted by Donald Trump. Trump has denied the accusations by the writer, Natasha Stoynoff. Stoynoff wrote last week that Trump grabbed her and kissed her in 2005 while she was working on a story about the celebrity businessman and his wife for the magazine. The magazine posted a story Tuesday quoting six of Stoynoffs friends who say the writer told them about the alleged attack soon after it happened. One of them, Liza Herz, said she was with Stoynoff when she ran into Melania Trump in the weeks after the attack. Mrs. Trump has denied that she encountered Stoynoff and has demanded a retraction from the magazine. ___ 2:15 p.m. Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence is condemning the firebombing of a local Republican office in North Carolina as an act of political terrorism and an attack on the American political system. The Indiana governor on Tuesday toured the charred interior of the Orange County GOP office on his way to two rallies elsewhere in the state. He praised Republican volunteers Hillsborough, North Carolina, for their courage and resilience. Pence noted political figures across the spectrum have condemned the act committed over the weekend. But he complained that national media have paid little attention. He speculated that a similar attack on a Democratic office would get much wider coverage. No one was hurt, and police are still investigating. ___ 1:48 p.m. Bill Clinton is headed for North Florida to campaign for his wife in an area that is whiter and more conservative than other parts of the state. Hillary Clintons campaign says the former president will start in Orlando on Friday and continue in Jacksonville and the Florida panhandle on Saturday. Its Bill Clintons second Florida swing this month. Hes also had recent bus tours in Iowa and Ohio. The former president has a complicated legacy in South Floridas Cuban community because of his handling of the Elian Gonzalez case in 2000. The Clinton administration sided with the young boys Cuban father in a custody dispute with other relatives in South Florida and returned the boy to the communist island. ___ 1:40 p.m. Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence is visiting a local North Carolina Republican Party office that was damaged by a firebomb. The Indiana governor is meeting Tuesday with local Orange County Republicans ahead of two rallies elsewhere in North Carolina. North Carolina has emerged as key battleground and is a must-win state for Republican Donald Trump. No one was injured in the bombing last weekend. Police are still investigating. Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton have condemned the attack. Orange County is a heavily Democratic county at the edge of the Raleigh-Durham metro area. President Barack Obama won 70 percent of the vote there in 2012, though he lost the statewide vote. ___ Copyright 2016 Albuquerque Journal Khawla Abdel-Haq said she felt like shed been undressed when Gill Parker Payne pulled the hijab off her head during a flight to Albuquerque in December, He violated me, not just took off my scarf, she said in an interview after the hearing. I felt like he took off my shirt, my pants in front of everybody. In May, Payne, who lives in North Carolina but travels frequently for his sales job, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of obstructing a persons free exercise of religious beliefs. He was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to a year of probation, including two months of home confinement. U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Yarbrough also ordered Payne to pay a $1,000 fine, along with a nearly $4,000 fee. Payne, 37, apologized during Tuesdays hearing and said he has taken online courses to familiarize himself with other religions and recently toured a mosque in hopes of learning more about Islam. Im embarrassed, he said. Im 100 percent embarrassed. Payne said he was drunk on the flight and doesnt fully remember everything that happened. But Abdel-Haq remembers. Im not gonna forget it, she said. Its going to be with me every minute of every day of my life. She was sitting in an aisle seat on the Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Albuquerque after a trip to Ohio to help her daughter shop for a wedding dress when Payne approached her about 30 minutes before the flight landed, she said. He was standing beside me and I looked up to him and he looked down at me, she said. I was minding my own business. He went and he grabbed my scarf, my hijab, and he told me, Take it off. Take that shit off. This is America. A shaken Abdel-Haq pulled the scarf back onto her head. She met with police after the flight landed, and the FBI launched an investigation. Abdel-Haq told Yarbrough that she spent three weeks stuck in her own home after the attack, too afraid to leave. Even now, she said, shes too scared to go out on her own. She takes one of her children with her. You hurt me. You disrespected me. You violated me, Abdel-Haq said in court. I was scared, and it shouldnt be like that. Before he announced the sentence, Yarbrough said he had taken into account Abdel-Haqs willingness to forgive along with the public shaming Payne endured and his recent efforts to learn about world religions. I hope that that has made an impact on the way you see the world, Yarbrough said. Payne and his attorney, Amber Fayerberg, declined to comment on the sentence after the hearing. U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez said at a news conference that it was crucial a statement be made through this prosecution. We all as community members want to be treated as we would treat other folks, he said. And, in essence, we all want to be treated with human dignity. And in this instance it didnt happen. Abdel-Haqs attorney, Ahmad Assed, said the family is considering a civil lawsuit, but for now Abdel-Haq is focused on moving past the incident. For now, they hope the case sends a message. Religious freedom is important. Tolerance is important, he said at a news conference. But also, quick swift justice will come to bear if you do violate somebodys rights. VIENTIANE, Laos Sometimes the men just wanted to talk with the North Korean women. Face cam, its called. But most of the time, they wanted the other option: body cam. Watching through a smartphone app, the men would ask the women, some of the unknown thousands of North Koreans sold to Chinese husbands and living secretly in northern China, to show their breasts or their backsides, to touch themselves or perform sex acts on one another. Most of the time, the women did as requested. They needed the money even if it amounted to only a few dollars a day. In the beginning, I didnt think it was going to be a big deal. I thought it would be OK because I wasnt actually sleeping with anyone, said Suh, who, until dreams of escape brought her to this dingy room in Laos, had been one of the legions of North Korean women performing online sex work in back rooms in China. But then I found out how many perverts there are out there. Suh, a 30-year-old who escaped from North Korea in 2008, resorted to doing video chatting after her second child was born and her husbands meager construction earnings wouldnt stretch any further. There are some people who just want to look at your face, but the majority of them are there for their sexual desires, Suh said, putting her head down so her long hair covered her cherubic face. I felt so disgusting. Together with two women from her village in northeastern China who were also doing chatting work, Suh fled over the summer. She made the heart-wrenching decision to leave her 5-year-old daughter with her Chinese husband. The women traveled by bus and car down through China to the border with Laos, which they crossed illegally in the black of night, Suh carrying her 18-month-old daughter, Ji-yeon, on her back. The women made it to Vientiane, the Laotian capital, where a Washington Post reporter spent two days with them as they paused on their journey to what they hoped would be a better life. The women talked for hours about their lives in North Korea and in China but, unlike some defectors who exaggerate their stories to make them more sensational, they appeared to play down their experiences, apparently out of shame. Most of their stories could be verified with the pastor and broker who were helping them escape, and it was clear that the women, faced with no other options, had resorted to performing on camera for men. The women had a friend film them at work before they left, so they could prove what they had been doing. The videos showed the women sometimes in brightly colored underwear, sometimes naked sitting against a low bed covered with a purple Hello Kitty quilt in front of two computers on a low table. Men, sometimes visible, sometimes not, gave them instructions. Most of the men they chatted with online were in South Korea, but a few were in America and even Africa. Safely out of China, the other two women, both called Kim, wanted to get to South Korea, but Suh had her heart set on a more ambitious destination: the United States, the strongest country on Earth. I think my daughter is one lucky baby, Suh said, sitting on the bed in a grimy room in Vientiane and looking at Ji-yeon as she slept, snoring lightly. Their few possessions were in plastic shopping bags, save for the clothes drying on coat hangers dangling from the light fittings. The baby had not even one toy. All the suffering is worth it. Our destiny has changed, Suh said. Defections such as that of Thae Yong Ho, North Koreas deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom who fled to South Korea over the summer, make headlines because they are so rare. But less sensationally, a steady if diminishing stream of North Koreans is making their way out, down through China, across to Laos, then into Thailand and eventually to South Korea. Most are women from the northern provinces, considered down-and-out even by North Korean standards, and face an extremely precarious life in northeastern China. Many had been sold some knowingly, thinking life couldnt get any worse. But other women had been tricked into thinking they were heading to jobs in China, only to find that the man who offered to help them escape, paying bribes to border soldiers and arranging passage, turned out to be a trafficker, selling the women and pocketing the profits. The buyers are men in the countryside who are too poor or unappealing to get a wife any other way, and the women are stuck in remote villages where they cannot communicate with the locals if they are permitted to leave the house, that is. Since Kim Jong Un took control of North Korea at the end of 2011, security has been tightened, and it has become increasingly difficult to escape. That has driven up prices. Women ages 15 to 25 are the most prized, fetching between $10,000 and $12,000, brokers and humanitarian workers say, while women in their 30s can be acquired for half that. Increased prices mean that some Chinese families are spending their entire life savings to buy a North Korean woman, and as a result the women are sometimes shackled inside the house. But even if the women are allowed out and even after they learn some Chinese, venturing into the open is a risky business. If theyre caught by the Chinese police, they face repatriation to North Korea and, at a minimum, time in a labor camp. These North Korean women in China faced a dire dilemma, either having to remain hidden and submit to this kind of sexual exploitation, or risk working outside of their residence with the very real possibility that Chinese authorities could arrest them at any time and force them back to North Korea, said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch. The State Departments 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report noted that North Korean women and girls are subjected to sexual slavery by Chinese or Korean-Chinese men, forced prostitution in brothels or through Internet sex sites, or compelled service as hostesses in nightclubs or karaoke bars. The State Department reported that the Chinese government does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Although some women take the risk of working outside the home, shuttling between cleaning and babysitting jobs or working behind the scenes in restaurants, an increasing number feel they have no choice but to try to make money behind closed doors. That is where video chatting comes in. About one-fifth of the North Korean women living in hiding in China are involved in this kind of online sex work, said Park, a broker who works to get women out. The Post agreed to withhold Parks full name to avoid jeopardizing this highly sensitive work. The newspaper also agreed to use the womens family names only, partly to protect relatives in North Korea. If youre working in a restaurant or outside, you run the risk of being asked for your papers by the police. So doing this work is safer and the money is better, Park said. In the village where they lived, every North Korean woman does this. Its so normal to be doing this. Some North Korean women in China are forced into this work, essentially held prisoner by pimps. The women The Post met were not forced, as such. But they had few other opportunities. Suh was sold eight years ago to a man in northern China who, she said, treated her well he beat her only a few times. But the arrival of their second child made a tough financial situation untenable. She heard about video chatting through a friend of a friend and began chatting with South Korean men at night when everyone in her house was asleep. On her first day she earned $3. In her best week, she netted $120. A few months ago, Suh decided she couldnt take it. I wondered why I had to do this. Im a human being, the same as everyone else, Suh said, breaking down into heaving sobs. I wanted to be a good mother, a strong mother for my daughters. She decided to try to leave, along with the two others. They found out about Park and Kim Sung-eun, a pastor from the Caleb Mission, a church in South Korea that helps bring defectors to safety, and asked to be helped out. For the second time in their lives, they escaped, this time to a safe house in northern China, and from there they made the journey to the border, then walked to Laos. I was so scared, but I kept on going, I just kept on going, Suh said. I kept walking toward Pastor Kim and Park. Laos was safer but still somewhat of a gray area; they may be sent back. Once they got to Thailand, the fear of repatriation to North Korea would be gone. While waiting to cross the Mekong River, the women talked about the difficult decisions they had had to make. Suhs 5-year-old is listed on her Chinese fathers family register, which gives her legal status in China and enables her to go to school. But by the time Ji-yeon was born, the back channel for registration involving bribes to willing officials had closed. The baby doesnt legally exist. So when Suh decided to flee and realized she could only manage to take one child with her, she knew it had to be Ji-yeon. She thinks Ive abandoned her, Suh said, breaking down into another torrent of tears as she recalled telling her older daughter she would be back soon. The day they were to cross into Thailand, the women were full of nervous excitement. But things soon went wrong. Heavy rain had swollen the Mekong, and their boat missed the drop point. They were discovered by local police and taken to a prison. They were terrified and sent an endless stream of messages to Park, asking if they would be sent back to North Korea. One photo they sent showed Ji-yeon standing in a cell, looking out through the bars. Instead, they were taken to Bangkok, where they are now being held at a detention center, the pastor said. Suh has applied for asylum in the United States, even though she speaks no English and knows she will receive little support, unlike in South Korea. Officials from the American Embassy in Bangkok have met with Suh and her daughter, the pastor said. He estimated that it would take about four months for their asylum claims to be processed. An embassy spokeswoman in Bangkok declined to comment. The United States has accepted 74 refugees from North Korea since Kim took power, according to State Department data. During the pause in Vientiane, the relief of being out of China had washed over the women, and the challenges ahead loomed. The women had begun to dwell on the handicaps that North Koreans face. I have no passport, no papers, nothing, Suh said. Why are our lives so different, just because of where we are born? nkorea-women Fear of an imminent terrorist attack is one of the top concerns of people across the globe, with most expecting extremist groups will acquire weapons of mass destruction, according to a new poll conducted in eight countries. The survey, commissioned by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), showed that many people think their governments are not doing enough to combat violent extremism. And a majority in every country polled, including the United States, overwhelmingly approved all 21 options presented to them among them, requiring identification cards for citizens and visitors; rigorous screening of immigrants; bans on incendiary religious speech; and monitoring of phone calls, emails and social media. Though most respondents consider the problem of violent extremism solvable, the poll underscored the challenges governments face as they confront radicalism at home and abroad. It shows there is so much fear and anxiety about terrorism and the reach of terrorism groups, people are willing to try just about anything, even give up constitutional protections on free speech, and identity cards, though its not even clear what that would do, said Shannon Green, head of the CSIS Commission on Countering Violent Extremism. Thats where governments and experts have to take a survey, and put it through the lens of whats going to be acceptable and legal, then decide which solutions make the most sense. The survey involved roughly 1,000 respondents in each of eight countries the United States, France, Britain, Turkey, Egypt, China, India and Indonesia. An effort was made to balance the responses demographically by age and gender, although in Egypt, four men answered for every woman. It was conducted online, so in some countries the respondents tended to be affluent, urban and better educated. The poll found differences in perceptions unique to each country. In Turkey, 7 out of 10 said terrorism was their No. 1 concern,as did 4 out of 10 in France. In the United States, it was the second-most important issue, after the economy. Indians also placed it second, after corruption. In virtually every country, at least 3 in 4 said they expect a terrorist attack to occur within the next year. China was the outlier, with barely half thinking an imminent attack is likely. The French were the most concerned, with 94 percent calling it very or somewhat likely. In the United States, 89 percent said it was probably coming. The pervasive trepidation has changed behaviors, particularly in countries that are largely Muslim. In Indonesia, where almost 6 in 10 people said they personally know someone who has been a victim of violent extremism, more than half the respondents said they avoid visiting certain places more than they used to. In Turkey, where 4 in 10 know someone touched by terrorism, 6 in 10 avoid public gatherings. In France, Britain and the United States, in contrast, the percentages were significantly lower. There was a striking gap in perceptions of the root causes of violent extremism between respondents in nations where Muslims are a majority and those where they are a minority. In the three Western nations of France, Britain and the United States, majorities blame radical Islamic fundamentalists and think anti-Western sentiment contributes to radicalization. In the three Muslim-majority nations, blame was pointed at those who want to make Islam look bad. It speaks to how polarizing the issue is, Green said. People view the issue really differently, depending on which societies they come from and what their religious beliefs are. In every country, terrorism was viewed as a potentially existential threat, with majorities, ranging in age from young adults to senior citizens, saying they expect that within their lifetimes, violent extremists will use weapons of mass destruction. The United States has led a coalition of more than 60 countries that are fighting Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq. Many respondents, particularly in the West, said military efforts have not been very effective and may be creating a backlash. The largely Muslim countries reflected more nuanced views, supporting economic, social and mass-media programs as effective counterterrorism measures. But in Muslim and non-Muslim countries alike, there was strong support for using military force to combat the most well-known militant groups: al-Qaida, the Islamic State (or ISIS), the Taliban and Boko Haram. About 8 in 10 favor using remote drones to hunt down and destroy terrorist leaders wherever they are hiding and even sending ground troops to safe havens for terrorists. There also is widespread support for other measures. The respondents overwhelmingly favor policing the Internet and banning religious speech condoning violence. They want Muslim religious leaders to denounce violent extremism in general and the concept of a caliphate, as the Islamic State has declared in Syria and Iraq. They want Internet companies to shut down all content from radical extremists and favor schools teaching that violent extremism is wrong. The least popular idea is to allow the government to monitor all phone records, email and social media for contacts with terrorists. But overall, 7 in 10 people deem it a good idea. Even in the United States, where the idea had less support, 6 in 10 back it. Mark Penn, a former pollster for President Bill Clinton who is on the Commission on Countering Violent Terrorism, said the poll reflects the demand for using soft and hard power. Theres a widespread frustration with the problem, he said. People agree that whats needed is a comprehensive solution. Military force, particularly against groups like ISIS, makes sense. But in terms of stopping violent extremism, that cant do it alone. terror-poll WASHINGTON FBI official Brian McCauley had been trying for weeks to get his contact at the State Department to approve his request to put two bureau employees back in Baghdad. Around May 2015, Patrick Kennedy finally called back. He said, Brian. Pat Kennedy. I need a favor, McCauley recalled in an interview Tuesday. I said, Good, I need a favor. I need our people back in Baghdad. Then Kennedy, a longtime State Department official, explained what he wanted: Theres an email. I dont believe it has to be classified. The email was from Hillary Clintons private server, and Kennedy wanted the FBI to change its determination that it contained classified information. McCauley and others ultimately rejected the request, but the interaction which McCauley said lasted just minutes over maybe two conversations has become the latest focal point of the bitter 2016 presidential campaign. The Democratic candidates critics have suggested that the conversation between the State Department and the FBI demonstrated inappropriate collusion to benefit Clinton. In an hour-long interview with The Washington Post, his first public comments on the matter, McCauley acknowledged that he offered to do a favor in exchange for another favor, but before he had any inkling of what Kennedy wanted. The FBI and the State Department have denied that McCauley and Kennedy ever engaged in a quid pro quo. McCauley, who has since retired from the FBI, said he asked Kennedy to send him the email in question and then inquired with another bureau official about it because he had only a partial understanding of the request. McCauley said that when he learned the missive concerned the attack on the U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, he told Kennedy he could not help him. I said, Absolutely not, I cant help you, and he took that, and it was fine, said McCauley, who was the FBIs deputy assistant director for international operations from 2012 to 2015. In a statement released by the State Department, Kennedy said he reached out because he wanted to better understand a proposal the FBI had made to upgrade one of former Secretary Clintons emails prior to its public release, and that McCauley raised the topic of FBI slots in Iraq as an entirely separate matter. He said he could not speak to McCauleys recollection but insisted: There was no quid pro quo, nor was there any bargaining. At no point in our conversation was I under the impression we were bargaining. Kennedy also said in the statement his motivations were never political. I have served as a member of the Foreign Service for some 40 years serving both Democratic and Republican administrations, Kennedy said. My sole aim was to ensure that we were responsive to our legal obligations under FOIA. The FBI and the State Department have said the bureau did not get the personnel in Iraq it was seeking, and the State Department ultimately did not persuade the FBI to change its position that the email be classified as secret. The purported quid pro quo between McCauley and Kennedy was first reported over the weekend by the Weekly Standard and confirmed Monday when the FBI released dozens of interview summaries from its criminal investigation into Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. The interview summaries showed that Kennedy lobbied multiple bureau officials to change their minds about classifying one email on Clintons server. At the time, the State Department was reviewing Clintons emails for release under the Freedom of Information Act, and had sent several to the FBI for review. The bureau determined one of them contained classified information. The determination came before the FBI had launched its criminal investigation into whether Clinton and her aides had mishandled classified information, though it was nonetheless significant. If the bureau and other agencies had found no classified material on Clintons private server, she probably would have avoided the criminal investigation altogether. There is no evidence that Clinton knew about Kennedys and McCauleys discussion, and McCauley said Kennedy never even invoked Clintons name. In March 2015, Clinton said there was no classified information on her private server. Agents investigating Clintons use of a private server would ultimately interview McCauley, and said in their summary of that conversation that McCauley told Kennedy he would look into the email matter if Kennedy would provide authority concerning the FBIs request to increase its personnel in Iraq. McCauley said in an interview that when he agreed to look into the matter, he was just being kind and polite. And he said there was no contingency binding his looking into the email classification to Kennedys agreeing to approve his request for FBI personnel in Iraq. He had a request. I found out what the request was for. I absolutely said emphatically I would not support it, McCauley said. But one of his colleagues at the FBIs records division told investigators that McCauley relayed his conversation with Kennedy in a way that suggested Kennedy had offered a quid pro quo, according to a summary of that officials interview. McCauley disputed that characterization. Thats a reach, McCauley said. I said, Hey, what is this about? Kennedy would eventually press the FBI records official and others to change the classification of the email, absent any deal, the records official alleged. In one meeting of government agencies, when someone asked whether any emails were classified, the records official told investigators that Kennedy remarked, Well, well see, and spent 15 minutes afterward debating the classification of a message. Kennedy said in his statement that he believed the email should have been redacted but not because it was classified. We take very seriously our responsibility to decide whether our documents are classified or not classified, he said. We cant simply cede that responsibility to another agency, as it is my signature or one of my senior officers signature which goes on the classification action and it is the State Department which must prepare the legal justification if we are challenged in court. The State Department and Clinton allies have sought to cast disagreement over what should be classified and what should not as routine. Brian Fallon, a Clinton campaign spokesman, said in a statement: It is well known that there was strong disagreement among various government agencies about the decisions to retroactively classify certain material in emails sent to Secretary Clinton. Agencies that took issue with this overclassification did so based on their own beliefs, and we were not part of these disagreements that played out inside the government. McCauley said Kennedy never pressured him and that he was unaware of Kennedys conversations with others. McCauley said he worked with Kennedy fairly often when the bureau needed to move personnel overseas for investigations, and he speculated that their prior relationship was why Kennedy reached out to him. McCauley said, though, he had no authority to actually change classification. We got along, and I was always going to him, McCauley said. I was a regular name, regular face. Maybe he thought I was in a position where I could support him? One, I wasnt, and two, I wouldnt. U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chair of the House Oversight Committee, called the interaction stunning. He said while it was particularly troublesome that Kennedy had pressed to change the FBIs classification decision, the bureau was not clean in this either. The fact that theyre even having this discussion is potentially a violation of law, Chaffetz said. I do give [the FBI] credit for ultimately saying no, but why were they talking to these people? Its because Patrick Kennedy knew that they wanted something from the State Department. Chaffetz said his committee planned to push the FBI to release more documents related to the Clinton probe and that it would also consider issuing subpoenas to witnesses. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said in a video statement that the episode was an example of collusion between the FBI, Department of Justice and the State Department, to try and make Hillary Clinton look like an innocent person, when shes guilty of very high crimes. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a Trump supporter whom McCauley said he considers a friend, issued a statement saying the FBIs interview summaries provide undeniable proof that Hillary Clinton colluded with the FBI, DOJ and State Department to cover up criminal activity at the highest levels. McCauley said that was his friends opinion and when something is said like that, there has to be proof. Listen, there was no collusion, there was absolutely no collusion, McCauley said. Thats illegal. Something that was underhanded, illegal, I would not do it. No one in the FBI would do it. Its a matter of integrity. McCauley said he was never disciplined for the exchange nor interviewed by the FBIs Office of Professional Responsibility or the Justice Departments inspector general. He said he left the bureau for health reasons in the summer of 2015. He was not a part of the criminal Clinton email investigation. clinton-email-1stld-writethru Social studies teachers have long used presidential elections to provide engaging, real-time lessons about democracy, helping them bring to life what students read in textbooks about American politics, history and civics. But this election cycle, unique in so many ways, also has proven to be a dicey challenge for classroom consumption, with teachers struggling to explain and dissect developments that have at times been far too lurid for young minds. Just the language of the campaign including allegations of sexual assault, lewd comments about women, attacks on each candidates supporters would be the kind of talk that would land a child in the principals office. This is the first time Ive really said to myself, I cant cover this election like I want to because its not school-appropriate, said Kris Goldstein, who teaches government to seniors at Tokay High School in Lodi, California. It was a realization he had after Republican nominee Donald Trump attacked a critic by urging people to watch her sex tape. Theres certain things I dont want to be talking about. Many teachers say they have shifted their lesson plans to keep things G-rated and to ease anxiety among minority and immigrant students, some of whom feel like they are in the line of fire. Some teachers have avoided classroom discussion of the election altogether; others say their students are too captivated to avoid it. They want to assign students to watch the third presidential debate scheduled for Wednesday night, but they also fear what their students may see and hear. During the most recent presidential debate, audience member Patrice Brock noted that much of the back-and-forth could be rated for mature audiences, and she asked Trump and Hillary Clinton whether they feel theyre modeling appropriate and positive behavior for todays youth, noting that some teachers assign the debates as homework. Brock, 42, of Eureka, Missouri, said in an interview that her question arose from concern for her nieces ages 12 and 15 who have been watching the debates. Brock said she thinks those who seek public office should be role models for young children, but the acrimonious tone and lack of manners in the first presidential debate disturbed her. I want our kids to think that our president is cool and that theyre good, Brock said. At Burgundy Farm Country Day in Alexandria, Virginia, Scout Osborne, who teaches a class of fourth- and fifth-graders, asked students to watch 15 minutes of the debate with their families as homework. She also told parents that they could screen the debate ahead of time and pick which 15 minutes students would watch to avoid inappropriate topics. The election has proven deeply polarizing among her young students, who started the school year bickering about politics in the classroom. She decided to turn the election into an extended lesson on how to argue respectfully, including listening to classmates without interrupting and not raising their voices. The presidential debates have provided important teaching moments but not in the way she would have hoped. After the first presidential debate, her students noticed that the candidates regularly interrupted each other, Osborne said: They picked up pretty quickly thats not how we would do things in our classroom. And some teachers say the lack of substance in the presidential campaign has been frustrating. Goldstein, in California, asked his students to watch the debate, identify four policy issues and then write each candidates stance on them. Several students found they couldnt complete the assignment, and Goldstein couldnt blame them: He found that there wasnt much national policy to analyze. Many civics teachers remain nonpartisan in the classroom and urge their students to do their own research and exploration to develop their views. But now they also have to underscore that children should not necessarily emulate or even repeat the talking points of certain candidates. Teachers have cautioned their students against speaking disrespectfully about any group, whether it be emulating Trump by calling Mexicans rapists and drug dealers, or parroting Clinton, who called some Trump supporters deplorables. The challenge that this election has presented is that sometimes the things that are said during the course of the campaign occasionally will conflict with how I like my students to conduct themselves in class, especially with regards to treating each other respectfully, said Michael Palermo, who teaches government at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia. If youre going to express your views in class, you have to do so in way that is respectful of your classmates and doesnt demean any individual or any group. In a post on his blog, where he gave tips for how to teach the election, Palermo said he would still treat a student chanting Build a wall! at a group of Hispanic students as bullying, even though it has become a regular chorus at Trump rallies. Just because its part of the political discourse now doesnt make it any more acceptable, Palermo said. Teachers cite Trumps stances on immigration as raising anxiety among immigrant students who fear they could be deported should he be elected president, and Palermo said what theyre hearing related to the election is trauma-inducing to some students. It was such a concern among teachers in Arlington an overwhelmingly Democratic stronghold with a growing population of immigrant students that the school system organized a professional development session on how to help teachers whose students might be unsettled. Teachers aiming to elevate the conversation and to focus on the issues are grappling, too, with whether to address comments by the Republican nominee captured in a leaked videotape in which he spoke of groping women. Shannon Geraghty, a teacher at Forest Park High in Woodbridge, Virginia, said she picked up a copy of the New York Daily News the day after the scandal broke and noted that the tabloids headline GRAB THEM BY THE PY, with images of cats filling the space between the P and the Y might be off-limits for the classroom. When I couldnt even bring in the newspaper to show my students, thats just a different level, a different low, Geraghty said. Presidential politics has at times been too prurient for the classroom, but rarely during a campaign. Palermo started his teaching career just as the news of President Bill Clintons affair with a White House intern was unfolding. He found it difficult to ignore in class when Clinton faced impeachment, but he said he managed to avoid the racier aspects of the story, instead focusing on the mechanics of impeaching a president. For other teachers, the election has proved too polarizing and too juvenile for them to turn it into an educational lesson. Mary Akeley, a fifth-grade teacher at Burgundy Farms Country Day, decided to shift from contemporaneous elections and instead focus on elections in the Iroquois nation. Although Burgundy Farms had a schoolwide mock election in 2012, some classes are avoiding talk about the candidates this time, Akeley said. Instead, a mock election in her classroom will feature three other well-known figures: suffragette Susan B. Anthony, abolitionist Frederick Douglass and environmentalist Rachel Carson. And although the election has proven a challenging topic, some teachers admit its unusual nature has had a positive side effect: Students are enthralled in ways teachers have never seen. Geraghty said one student hosted a debate-watching party for his classmates; another came to school early after the first debate, eager to dissect it with her. Osborne said even her most shy students have come out of the woodwork to share their views. Goldstein said he thinks an educated citizenry is central to a functioning democracy, but he wishes there were a more civil presidential campaign on which to model it. Its not what I would want them to see from our political process, honestly, Goldstein said. But it is captivating their attention. election-school FORT WORTH, Texas A convicted sex offender has been sentenced to more than 14 years in federal prison for having sex with two West Texas girls he met online and transported to his Fort Worth home. Robert Blaine Harris was sentenced Tuesday in Fort Worth after having previously pleaded guilty to a charge of enticement of a minor and aiding and abetting. Prosecutors say the 50-year-old Harris in December began an online relationship with a 13-year-old girl from Abilene. Harris in January traveled to Abilene and picked up that minor, plus another 13-year-old girl. Investigators say Harris had sex with both girls during the week the children were at his residence before the teens were located by Fort Worth police. Harris originally was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child and kidnapping. As ambitious Washingtonians begin angling for nominations in a potential Clinton or Trump administration, theres one issue they should have on their minds. Its simple. Do you submit payroll taxes for your nanny? For harried power couples who need help with child care, this question can dash ambitions of a political appointment before the official vetting process even gets underway. Some might remember the case of Zoe Baird, President Bill Clintons initial choice for attorney general, whose 1993 nomination was withdrawn after it was revealed that she and her husband employed two undocumented immigrants as nanny and part-time driver and paid them under the table. Or more recently, the nanny and tax problems that were said to have derailed Caroline Kennedys bid for Hillary Clintons old Senate seat. A 2009 investigation by The Washington Post revealed more than a dozen officials whose career hopes were complicated or thwarted by tax and other problems involving household employees. And according to individuals involved in the current process, the presidential transitions standards for compliance have become more strict, not less, in the past eight years. No wonder theres a cottage industry of firms willing to handle compliance. Fears of another Nannygate scandal might be part of the reason Washington-area residents are more likely to pay household employee taxes than other Americans. (No fewer than three-quarters of all household employers are currently failing to pay their nanny taxes, a 2010 study concluded, looking at the whole country.) But lawyers involved in vetting for high-level government positions say they regularly encounter candidates and other senior D.C. professionals surprised by the federal and state tax requirements that come with household employees. For some, their warnings come too late. But for those starting to hire caretakers for children, here are two common areas of confusion. First, according to the IRS, if you paid cash wages of $2,000 or more to a single household employee in 2016, you owe employment taxes. Second, it is easy to mistakenly assume your nanny (or other household worker) is an independent contractor, especially if you share the nanny with another family. This is not the case if you can control not only what work is done, but how it is done, according to the IRS. If the worker is following your specific instructions in doing their job, it is very likely they count as your employee for tax purposes. Worker advocates urge families to comply with these rules, despite the perceived low risk of tax penalties. (Remember, household workers paid under the table fail to build enough recorded earnings to qualify for Social Security and other benefits as they age.) But if altruism doesnt motivate you, let ambition do so. After all, in this town, you never know what your next job offer might be. transition-administrations HOLBROOK, Ariz. Navajo County authorities say two men are in custody for alleged human smuggling. They say a county sheriffs deputy made a traffic stop Tuesday on Interstate 40 near Holbrook and found 14 people inside the vehicle who are in the country illegally. Sheriffs officials say 34-year-old Felipe Sales-Melendez and 22-year-old Jose Garcia were booked into the Navajo County Jail at the request of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Its unclear if they have lawyers yet. Authorities say the 14 occupants of the vehicle are residents of Guatemala, Ecuador and Mexico. One of them told deputies that he had paid $15,000 to be smuggled into the United States. The 14 have been turned over to the Department of Homeland Security. SANTA FE Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence will return to New Mexico for a Thursday campaign stop in Albuquerque, according to Donald Trumps official campaign website. Pence, the governor of Indiana, previously held August campaign events in Albuquerque and Roswell to rally support for Trump. Several prominent state GOP officials, including U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, appeared at one or both of those rallies. During his previous Albuquerque stop, Pence vowed the GOP presidential ticket would put New Mexico on the board, despite the states recent Democratic tilt in presidential elections. Pence, in more recent comments, has defended Trump, calling recent sexual assault claims against the Republican nominee unsubstantiated allegations. He has also raised questions about media coverage of the presidential election but has said he will accept the elections results. The Thursday rally will be held at 6 p.m. at Embassy Suites Hotel and Spa in Albuquerque. Doors for the event will open at 4 p.m. and tickets are available online on a first-come, first-served basis. Trump himself has not been back to New Mexico since a May rally in Albuquerque that drew a crowd of 8,000 people and prompted protests, including late-night violence that led to multiple arrests and national media attention. WASHINGTON The Washington, D.C., Council will take up legislation to allow doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill residents on Nov. 1, lawmakers decided Tuesday. The council opted to put the matter on its legislative agenda at the start of next month, when it will hold the first of two required votes on the bill. The council chambers were filled with people on both sides of the issue, but the lawmakers did not debate or discuss it or raise any questions. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announced that the legislative body would take action next month. The bill would authorize doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to patients who are mentally sound and have been diagnosed with having less than six months to live. It is unclear whether Mayor Muriel Bowser, D, will sign the bill. She has not taken a position on it, although her top health official has testified against it, saying it violates the Hippocratic oath. The mayors staff offered amendments that would allow the citys health department to offer training for physicians and to provide patients with information about various lethal drugs and their side effects. Mendelson said the lack of questions about the legislation suggested minds were already made up. Most of the members already know where they are on the bill, Mendelson said. Im sure there will be a robust debate. Eight members a majority of the 13-member council have expressed support for the legislation. The nations capital would be the sixth jurisdiction to authorize the long-controversial practice that has gained increasing acceptance among elected officials and the public. Advocates say the measure would allow terminally ill patients to choose the timing and manner of their deaths and to avoid prolonged suffering. But the practice is opposed by many who say aid-in-dying violates their religious beliefs, advocates for the disabled who fear people will be steered to premature death and medical professionals who say it violates the Hippocratic oath. And it faces particular opposition from African-Americans, who make up nearly half of the Districts population and are among the most likely to oppose such legislation. Some African-Americans say they are unsettled by the practice because of historical abuse by the medical establishment and concerns that they may be steered to an early death. Council member LaRuby May, a supporter of the legislation, has said constituents from her poor and predominantly black district deserve the same health care and end-of-life options as people living on the West Coast, where physician-assisted suicide is legal. She dismissed concerns that inequalities in the health-care system would mean minorities would be steered to early deaths. You cant create a racist system when you are already living in a racist system, May said. Advocates are hoping that passage in the District will allow them to break through a racial barrier in their national campaign. To date, physician-assisted death has been authorized in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont states with mostly white populations. In June, a right-to-death law took effect in California, despite opposition from Latinos and Catholics. But even if the council and mayor approve the legislation, Congress has the power to review and strike down D.C. laws which could turn the emotionally charged issue into a broader political fight. A spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., did not return requests for comment. dc-righttodie Health officials reported the states first two flu cases today and urged New Mexicans to get an influenza vaccine if they havent done so. A Bernalillo County man and a Valencia County women, both 64, have laboratory-confirmed flu, the New Mexico Department of Health said. With the first influenza cases reported, I want to remind New Mexicans about the importance of getting influenza vaccine as the best way to protect yourself, loved ones, and the community from flu, Health Secretary-designate Lynn Gallagher said in a written statement. The annual flu vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. The vaccine is especially important for pregnant women, Native Americans, children under 5, adults 50 and older, people with chronic illnesses or compromised immune systems, or those who live with people in those high-risk groups. October and November are the best months to get a flu shot. The vaccine protects against the flu strains expected to be most common in the 2016-2017 flu season. Common symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, headaches, and fatigue. Vomiting and diarrhea are often seen in children. Antiviral medications are available to treat flu as prescribed by a health care provider. Tech and government investment specialist Veritas Capital has made another deal in the wake of its weighty $10.65bn Fund VIII close from earlier this month with the buyout of analytics provider Verisk's energy business. Modified On Oct 18, 2016 04:39 PM By Alshaar for Audi A3 Its been more than two years since the launch of Audis smallest offering the A3 in India. And barring the introduction of a convertible variant, the brand with four rings has hardly imparted any new updates to the sedan. But the mid-life facelift, which is available in the global markets, is slated to arrive in India by early 2017 and is likely to be powered by the 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbocharged mill. The German carmaker has successfully mounted this powerplant on the latest iteration of its best-selling entry-level luxury sedan, the Audi A4, and will be looking to repeat it with its smaller sibling. Though considerably smaller than the 2.0-litre and 1.8-litre engines, the 1.4-litre motor on the A4 is still able to dish out a healthy 150PS of power and 250Nm of torque. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG transmission and the same set-up is expected to feature on the new A3. Currently, the petrol Audi A3 that is sold in India is powered by the 40TFSI 1.8-litre petrol motor that is good for 180PS and 250Nm. It comes mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox as the A3 Cabriolet also gets optional paddle shifters. The torque rating remains constant in both the mills but there is a straight 30PS loss in power, which could attract a family buyer but repel the enthusiast. Apart from the engine, the 2017 A3 is also set to receive cosmetic updates in line with Audis new design philosophy. This would include restyled bumpers, wider front grille, and revised taillights. Talking money, the prices are set to go south from the current Rs 27.1 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) because of the smaller engine. This would mean even better affordability for the Audi A3, and even tougher competition for the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLA. Source: EVO India Read More on : A3 price Scientists are now able to better track the giant ice sheets movements Scientists say the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica may be melting faster than in past years, raising concerns about the consequences if it shrinks faster than expected. Its actually nicknamed the doomsday glacier because of what could happen if it began to rapidly add water to the ocean. In a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, researchers suggest the massive ice sheet could begin melting twice as fast as in the past. To make their projections, the scienti... The notion that bigger is better has even translated into the world of data. Too often, the perception is that big data alone provides all the answers community financial institutions (FIs) need when it comes to their business and their consumers. However, small data is equally important when it comes to delivering real-time insights. Small data serves as the foundation for big data. It contains the real informationthe traces of consumer behavior left behind by actions taken every second of every day. Together, big data and small data can help community FIs deliver superior consumer experiences. Below is an excerpt from my recent white paper on this topic: Credit unions and community banks are in the enviable position of having access to consumer behavior indicators in real time. By looking first at user-level detail, then enhancing the results with trend data from larger groups, a community financial institution may get closer to achieving truly customized, individual services. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo put state-chartered banks and credit unions on official notice to ensure employee incentive arrangements do not spawn another Wells Fargo fraud fiasco. Cuomo announced last week the New York State Department of Financial Services has issued new guidance directing all state regulated financial institutions to ensure any employee incentive arrangements do not encourage inappropriate corporate practices. The inappropriate behavior we have seen at institutions like Wells Fargo are the same ones that led to the 2007 financial crisis and there must be zero tolerance for reckless policies that foster greed and put New Yorkers financial futures at risk, Gov. Cuomo said. State-chartered banks are now on notice of their obligations, and it is their responsibility to ensure their employees are acting in the best interests of their customers. This precautionary measure, as the governor called it, follows a record $100 million fine and other penalties levied against Wells Fargo Bank by the federal government for programs that encouraged employees to boost sales figures by engaging in this type of behavior. This daily digest focuses on Yuan rates, major Chinese economic data, market sentiment, new developments in Chinas foreign exchange policies, changes in financial market regulations, as well as market news typically available only in Chinese-language sources. - The Yuan has gained more than 0.6% against a currency basket over the past week despite losses against the U.S. Dollar. - The gap between M1 and M2 growth narrowed and home loans dropped in September. - Chinas State Council approved special supports to the Northeast region with the slowest growth in China. To receive reports from this analyst, sign up for Renee Mu distribution list. Yuan Rates - The PBOC strengthened the Yuan by +76 pips or +0.11% against the U.S. Dollar to 6.7303 on Tuesday. Both the onshore and offshore Yuan remained below the guided level: the USD/CNY was trading around 6.7400 and the USD/CNH was retracing around 6.7428 as of 11:35am EDT. Over the past two weeks, the Yuan has lost more than -0.8% against the U.S. Dollar onshore and over -0.9% offshore; however, the Chinese currency has gained over +0.55% against a basket of currencies during the same span of time. In specific, the CFETS Yuan Index, BIS Yuan Index and SDR Yuan Index, measures for the Yuan to a currency basket, increased +0.61%, +0.62% and +0.82% respectively from October 7th to 14th, amid the weakness in Pound, Euro and Yen. The PBOCs current exchange rate target is to maintain the Yuan relatively stable against a basket of currencies. If the regulator wants to offset Yuans gains in the currency basket, the Yuan may need to devalue further against the U.S. Dollar, which means that the USD/CNH and USD/CNY could reach new highs over the following periods. Data downloaded from Bloomberg; chart prepared by Renee Mu. Key Economic Indicators The gap between the growth in M1 and M2 continued to narrow in September, according to a report released by the PBOC on Tuesday. The spread has dropped to 13.2% in September following 13.9% in August and a record-high level of 15.2% in July. As we discussed earlier, wide gaps between the growth in M1 and M2 in recent months mostly result from a lack of investment opportunities; this has become a major constraint for the PBOC to introduce additional easing measures. A narrowed gap indicates that more companies and individuals began to spend their money rather than holding it in banks. Data downloaded from Bloomberg; chart prepared by Renee Mu. Chinas New Yuan Loans rose to 1.220 trillion Yuan in September, larger than 949 billion Yuan in the month prior; the print is also well above a consensus forecast of 1.000 trillion Yuan from Bloomberg. More importantly, new home loans dropped to 574.1 billion Yuan from 675.5 billion Yuan in August; the proportion of home loans to total new lending also fell to 47.1% from 71.2% in August. Property loans became the sole driver to banks loans in the past two months, which increased the risk of price bubbles in the housing market. Chinese regulators have introduced a series of tightened regulations, including restrictions on mortgage issuance, in the effort of cooling the overheated housing sector. Data downloaded from Bloomberg; chart prepared by Renee Mu. Total outstanding funds for foreign exchange held by Chinas Central Bank dropped -337.5 billion Yuan in September, the largest monthly decline since January. Under Chinas current policy, foreign currencies cannot be used directly within the country and must be converted into Yuan. Yuan funds outstanding for foreign exchange is the amount of the Yuan spent by the PBOC to purchase foreign currencies from financial institutions. A decline in the indicator means that the Central Bank receives less foreign currencies and may hint at capital outflows. Data downloaded from Bloomberg; chart prepared by Renee Mu. Looking forward, China will published the Third Quarter GDP print tonight, which is a primary driver for Yuan rates. The Chinese economy is mostly likely to remain a steady growth of 6.70% in the third quarter, the same as what was seen in the previous two quarters. The full calendar can be found here Market News China Finance Information: a finance online media administrated by Xinhua Agency. - Chinas State Council approved a national strategy designated to promote the development of Northeast region. The region, once famous for its heavy industries, is in the middle of a crisis amid production cuts and increasing defaults. In the first half of 2016, the regional economy only expanded 2.2%, far less than the national growth of 6.7%. In specific, Liaoning province, one of the three provinces in the region, contracted -1.0% in the first half; this is the only Chinese province with a negative growth rate. As a result, the Central Government puts the region in focus and provides multiple supports. To receive reports from this analyst, sign up for Renee Mu distribution list. One of Dalhousies researchers is Atlantic Canadas sole recipient this year of a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship. Brendan Haley was awarded the fellowship by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for his project studying hydroelectric power and other renewable energy sources. His fellowship will be based at Dals School for Resource and Environmental Studies (SRES), where he will be supervised by Associate Professor Michelle Adams. I am surprised and thrilled to receive this honour so early on in my post-doctoral career, says Dr. Haley. It will enable me to conduct important research that Ive wanted to do for years. The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program provides funding to the very best postdoctoral applicants, both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to the country's economic, social and research-based growth. Those selected for Fellowships exemplify world-class research capacity at an internationally competitive level of funding. Recipients receive $70,000 a year for two years. I would like to congratulate Dr. Haley on his tremendous achievement, says Dr. Adams, His decision to take up the fellowship here at the School for Resource and Environmental Studies, both highlights and perhaps more importantly further enhances the level of scholarship found in our unit, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with him both as a scholar and a colleague. Transitioning to a low-carbon economy After the United Nations Climate Conference in 2015, countries around the world are looking for new ways to reduce their carbon footprint and create opportunities for their citizens. Canada is currently the second largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world, and is one of the few places to produce the majority of its electricity (60%) from hydroelectricity. The countrys successful transition to a low-carbon economy could be determined by how strategically the hydroelectric resource is used. Dr. Haleys research project, titled Maximizing Canada's hydroelectric advantage to promote low-carbon systems of innovation: lessons from the renewable energy sector. will examine if the current public policies in Nova Scotia promote complementary linkages between hydroelectric imports and other renewable energy technologies. His project is a timely one. Currently, a hydroelectric transmission link is being built between Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and the Muskrat Falls hydro development in Labrador. It aims to enable future hydroelectric exports to the Maritime provinces and the United States, lower the reliance on fossil fuels and create a back-up for other renewable energy sources. The Nova Scotia energy transition story needs more attention, says Dr. Haley. I hope my research informs Nova Scotia energy policy, and provides early warnings or policy best practices for other provinces considering importing hydroelectricity to transition to a low-carbon economy. Over the course of his two-year fellowship, Dr. Haley plans to analyze the provinces policy mix, survey the business strategies of Nova Scotia renewable energy firms and draw pan-Canadian lessons from the Nova Scotia experience. This fellowship gives me the opportunity to build on my PhD research and improve my research skills by exploring Nova Scotia energy policy, said Dr. Haley. Dalhousies Resource and Environmental Studies department is the ideal place to do this. The faculty, staff, and students have been very welcoming. The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship were announced on Monday, October 3. More information and a full list of recipients is available on the website. WASHINGTON, DC: Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM), a procedure in which women with early-stage breast cancer in one breast opt to undergo a more aggressive operation to remove both breasts, is performed at more than double the rate now than it was 10 years ago. However, the reasons why this may be happening are not always well understood. To learn why many patients were choosing to undergo this invasive procedure, and to see what kind of information patients were sharing with each other about it, a research team from the University of California, San Diego, looked at postings in an online health community. The team learned that fear of recurrence was the most frequently identified reason for choosing CPM, according to study results presented at the 2016 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. Lead study author Rebecca Marmor, MD, a general surgery resident in the Department of Surgery at the University of California, San Diego, and a clinical informatics fellow in the Division of Biomedical Informatics, said the rising rate of CPM is interesting when you consider the historical context of breast cancer surgery. Until about the 1980s, mastectomy was considered the standard of care. However, Dr. Marmor said, "as large trials came out demonstrating the efficacy of breast conservation, I think a lot of surgeons assumed that breast conservation would be patient's preference. We want to understand what is motivating some women who are choosing CPM, and sometimes even demanding it in the face of resistance from their own surgeons and oncologists." The increased use of CPM is noted among all stages of breast cancer, even in patients with ductal carcinoma in-situ (stage 0). Recent data suggests that up to 25 percent of newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients are undergoing CPM, representing up to half of women undergoing mastectomy. Only about 5 percent of women with breast cancer received CPM in 2006, representing about 10-15 percent of mastectomies performed in that particular year.* To conduct the study, the team did a keyword search in one online breast cancer community using the terms "contralateral," "prophylactic," and "double mastectomy" to identify relevant posts. Of the 20,189 posts, their search results returned 1,120 posts. Of those results, 541 were relevant from 286 posters. The researchers in turn found that 226 of those posters were the patients themselves, and 197 of them had previously made the decision to undergo CPM, while 29 were undecided. Among posters who identified reasons for choosing CPM, fear of recurrence was the most frequently identified reason. After fear of recurrence, Dr. Marmor said, another reason was the perception that CPM is the best treatment for breast cancer. Some patients had already experienced a recurrence of breast cancer, so they opted for CPM because they wanted to stop the cancer from returning for good, Dr. Marmor said. Others said plastic surgeons recommended CPM to them to optimize their cosmetic reconstruction outcomes. Dr. Marmor said previous studies have looked at the increase in CPM, but her team's study was unique because they were able to see the actual communication between patients themselves. "Now we have a better understanding of what beliefs some patients hold, which is that CPM is the best treatment for breast cancer. We also were able to study what patients are saying to each other about CPM. Now that we have a sense of what they're saying to each other, we want to work to correct their misconceptions," Dr. Marmor said. She said the team is currently performing the analysis on another health community to make sure the results are consistent. Then, she said, they're hoping to develop a tool to aggregate patient experiences so women can learn about different treatment options from other patients similar to themselves. Dr. Marmor's co-investigators for the study include Anna R. Schoenbrunner; Sarah L. Blair, MD, FACS; and Jina Huh, PhD, University of California, San Diego. "FACS" designates that a surgeon is Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. ### *Angelos, P., Bedrosian, I., Euhus, D.M. et al. "Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy: Challenging Considerations for the Surgeon," Ann Surg Oncol (2015) 22: 3208, accessed September 1, 2016, doi:10.1245/s10434-015-4758-y. http://citations.springer.com/item?doi=10.1245/s10434-015-4758-y About the American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 80,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit http://www.facs.org (.) Cancer patients often turn to the Internet to find information about treatment options, but not all websites are created equal. Websites featuring pancreatic treatment modalities differ significantly in the way they present information based on therapy type, according to new findings presented at the 2016 Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. Websites from non-profit organizations focusing on surgery or radiotherapy are easier to understand and potentially increase patient knowledge the most, compared to websites discussing other therapies such as clinical trials and chemotherapy, researchers report. "We know from our prior work that patients are utilizing the Internet to obtain health information, so as physicians advocating for pancreatic cancer patients we want to know that this online information is accurate and understandable," said lead study author Alessandra Storino MD, a general surgery resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. Previous research evaluated the quality of online information on pancreatic cancer, but the analyses were based on accuracy as rated by health care professionals.1 This study is the first one to assess how the information is perceived by the general public. "Our previous work demonstrated that users have to have a high level of education to understand the information," Dr. Storino said. For this study, Dr. Storino and colleagues recruited 10 community volunteers who were not pancreatic cancer patients. Volunteers were asked to evaluate 50 websites discussing five treatment modalities for pancreatic cancer. The therapies included alternative therapies, chemotherapy, clinical trials, radiotherapy, and surgery. To evaluate each site, volunteers used what's called the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) instrument. For each site, volunteers addressed the following factors: overall suitability (defined as how appropriately health information increases patient knowledge and facilitates decision making); readability; accuracy; and likelihood to be recommended. Based on volunteer feedback, each website was assigned a SAM score regarding the website's layout, how appropriate and readable the content was, the quality of visual aids, learning stimulation, and cultural appropriateness. Additionally, volunteers reported how likely they would be to recommend the website to someone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. According to study findings, clinical trials websites had lower SAM scores, despite having the highest accuracy. Surgery websites had higher SAM scores, compared to alternative therapies, chemotherapy, and clinical trials websites. Surgery and radiotherapy websites were recommended more than other treatment modalities and non-profit websites were more strongly recommended than private websites. Interestingly, the strength of the recommendation and suitability scores were influenced most by the presence of videos and pictures. At the same time, the accuracy of medical information correlated weakly with strength of recommendation. "The most important finding is that the volunteers focused on how user-friendly the websites were and if they had pictures or not. The fact that having a friendly layout was what got the attention of patients is a shocking finding," Dr. Storino said. "This finding is important because it implies that patients select user-friendly websites and assume they are accurate, relying on website creators to obtain accurate information" About 229 million Americans--72 percent of all Internet users--look online for health information,2 yet few carefully evaluate their sources. "This type of research, which looks at what type of information might help patients participate in their own care, is crucial. Having easy access to more appropriate information could not only improve their health outcomes, but it should improve their ability to participate in decision making, for themselves and their family members," said study coauthor Tara S. Kent, MD, MS, FACS, assistant professor of surgery at Havard Medical School, Boston. Moving forward, the study authors plan to use these study results to help cancer patients navigate the most effective websites. "We now know that pictures are important to online users so we could identify or create websites that provide accurate information and enhance usability with pictures; and as a surgeon, I can suggest websites to patients and families that I have already vetted for accuracy, and that I think they would like," Dr. Kent said. "Overall, good online sources of medical information can help prepare patients for the discussion of what their treatment should be." ### Other study participants include Camila R Guetter; Manuel Castillo-Angeles, MD; Ammara A Watkins, MD; Joseph D Mancias, MD, PhD; Andrea J Bullock MD, MPH; A James Moser, MD, FACS. "FACS" designates that a surgeon is Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. This study was supported by a grant to Dr. Tara Kent from the Alliance of Families Fighting Pancreatic Cancer (http://affpc.org/). 1 TS Kent et al. Assessing the Accuracy and Readability of Online Health Information for Patients With Pancreatic Cancer. JAMA Surg. 2016 Sep 1;151(9):831-7. 2 Pew Research Center. Health Fact Sheet. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/health-fact-sheet/. Accessed September 14, 2016. About the American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 80,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit http://www.facs.org. (Boston) -- Sudha Seshadri, MD, professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), has been awarded three grants this year totaling nearly $20 million from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The three multi-year awards will allow her to continue her work researching healthy brain aging, stroke, Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and dementia in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), identifying blood and imaging biomarkers for stroke, dementia and rare AD genes. Seshadri has been an investigator at the FHS since 1998, leading the clinical neurology and neurogenetics cores since 2005. Specifically, her research involves exploring the cumulated and age-specific impacts of a wide variety of genomic and environmental risk factors underlying stroke, dementia and brain aging across generations of participants. According to Seshadri, while the total number of persons with AD is increasing as the population ages, data from four decades of FHS research suggests that the risk at any given age for AD actually is declining. "We plan to study the reasons for this hopeful trend in detail through continuing our surveillance for dementia and cognitive impairment, collecting cutting-edge brain imaging (amyloid and tau-PET, volumes, connectivity and perfusion on MRI) in the dementia-free (preclinical AD), and using sophisticated analysis of very extensive genetic data already collected on Framingham subjects. This could help us better understand AD trends and biology and identify new biomarkers and treatment targets," she explained. Seshadri has been especially focused on the role of reversible lifestyle, vascular and metabolic risk factors in determining dementia risk with a special focus on understanding the causal pathways and biomarkers, as well as genomic and epigenetic variations underlying brain aging, stroke, AD and vascular cognitive impairment. Among her many significant research contributions, she is responsible for the development of the concept of lifetime risk as applicable to dementia and other chronic diseases; she helped establish plasma homocysteine as an important risk marker for dementia and AD; she has described novel genes associated with stroke and AD and is a principal investigator (PI) on several large international consortia. ### Seshadri completed her MBBS from the Christian Medical College, Madras University, and her MD in Internal Medicine and DM in Neurology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Additionally, she completed her residency in neurology at the BUSM and a fellowship in the Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer Disease at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and the FHS. As a clinician, she sees patients with dementia and other neurological conditions and teaches residents. As a research mentor, she guides over a dozen post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty conduction research using data collected on the FHS participants. The NIA is one of 27 Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health. It leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. NIA is the primary federal agency supporting and conducting Alzheimer's disease research. The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. Contact: Gina DiGravio 617-638-8480 ginad@bu.edu Paris, Oct. 18, 2016 - The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) is proud to announce that its annual congress will be held in Paris at the end of August 2019. The ESC Congress is the world's premier cardiovascular congress, attracting more than 30,000 healthcare professionals from more than 140 countries during a five-day scientific programme. "We are delighted to be returning to Paris, a destination which contributed to one of the greatest successes of the ESC," said Chief Executive Officer of the ESC, Isabel Bardinet. "The ESC Congress 2011 that was held in 'The City of Light' will be remembered as one of the most productive and well attended ESC events. We hope that this future edition will encounter even greater success in this very attractive capital." Bernard Jomier, Deputy Mayor of Paris for Health, Disability and relations with the APHP, welcomed this good news for Paris: "After the success of the 2011 edition, Paris is very honoured to once again host the annual congress of the ESC. It is an excellent opportunity to increase the efforts undertaken by the City of Paris for the prevention of cardiovascular disease risks." This enthusiasm is also shared by Jean-Francois Martins, Deputy Mayor for Sport and Tourism, who added: "Paris will assure the best conditions to make this major event a success. Once again, Paris proves its capacity to host such world-class events and is going to intensify its work to attract more congresses in the years to come." Pierre Schapira, Chairman of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, praises: "the daily work carried out by the Convention Bureau teams to increase the attractiveness of the destination, offering help and advice to planners of major events in the capital; work which has been crowned today with this good news." Michel Dessolain, CEO of Viparis, is delighted to host the ESC Congress at Paris Convention Centre: "We are proud to contribute to the international appeal of Paris. Paris Convention Centre will provide an optimal setting for major events such as this one. This represents a real vote of confidence for the future Convention Centre of the Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles, which will be the biggest in Europe." ### Notes: About the European Society of Cardiology The European Society of Cardiology brings together health care professionals from more than 120 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people to lead longer, healthier lives. For further information: http://www.escardio.org/ About the ESC Congress The annual congress of the ESC is the world's largest gathering of cardiovascular professionals; it contributes to disseminating information on the latest clinical guidelines and major scientific discoveries. For more information, please contact the ESC Press Office: Tel: 33-0-4-89-87-24-83 - press@escardio.org About the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau The Paris Convention Bureau encourages and supports professional associations that wish to propose Paris as a host destination and was proud to count more than 1,000 congresses in 2015. It works alongside Parisian professionals to make the destination even more appealing to associations. More information on its dedicated website: http://www.convention.parisinfo.com Press contact - 33-0-1-49-52-53-27 - press@parisinfo.com About Paris Convention Centre The opening in 2018 of Paris Convention Centre at the Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles -- which is managed by Viparis -- will make it possible to keep Paris as the world's top destination for international business travellers. The possibilities provided by the structure's 72,000 sq. m - including a main conference room with openwork roof capable of accommodating up to 5,200 seats, directly connected to 44,000 sq. m of exhibition space -- will make Paris Convention Centre the biggest congress centre in Europe, able to meet the needs of the most demanding conferences. http://www.paris-expoportedeversailles.com Viparis also manages 10 exceptional venues in Greater Paris, and is the leader for congress and trade shows in Europe. http://www.venuesinparis.com Press contact: Sabrina Disarbois -- 33-0-6-35-16-70-86- Sabrina.disarbois@adkimist.com Two new studies coordinated by SISSA reveal important details about the physiological function of the prion protein, the non-pathological form of the notorious prion, the degenerate protein responsible for several diseases including "mad cow disease". According to the new findings, the protein in its physiological form serves the important function of promoting the growth of neurites, the neural projections along which nerve impulses travel. The two studies ideally complement each other in that one, published in the Journal of Cell Science, provides a general overview and the other, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, focuses on a specific stage in the process, which it describes with unprecedented completeness and detail. The prion protein has two diametrically opposed faces: sadly notorious for its "degenerate" form that causes severe and incurable neurodegenerative diseases such as "mad cow disease" in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob syndrome in humans, in its physiological form the prion protein (PrPC) serves a vital function for the brain. Its positive action had, however, never been clarified until now. Two new studies, both coordinated by Giuseppe Legname, professor at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste, finally provide a detailed description of the biochemical processes through which this protein stimulates and guides the growth of neurites, the neural membrane projections (axons and dendrites) that are all important for the conduction of nerve signals. The first paper, an extensive and elaborate study, has just been published in the Journal of Cell Science. "In this study, carried out in collaboration with the Optical Manipulation Lab (CNR-IOM, Trieste), we used a novel technique that allowed a close-up view of the interaction between PrPC and growing neurites". The method, developed by Dan Cojoc, SISSA/CNR-IOM research scientist, involves inserting the PrP into micro-vesicles that were then placed close to the growth cones of hippocampal neurons with the aid of optical tweezers. Growth cones are the "active" portions of the neural membrane, where neurite growth takes place. Once positioned, the vesicles were "opened" with short bursts of UV light so as to release the protein close to the growth cone. "By using this high-precision technique we were able to observe how the growth cone reacted to low concentrations of prion protein. In the experiments, the presence of PrPC triggered the rapid growth of neurites and re-orientation of the growth cone towards the area of maximum concentration of prion protein," explains Legname. "In later stages of the same study we also saw that when PrPC is anchored to the cell membrane rather than being free and dissolved in the extracellular fluid, it acts as a receptor that binds to other free prion proteins, which can take part in different biochemical processes". When a molecule interacts selectively with other identical molecules, as is the case here, the interaction is called "homophilic". "In this study we also found that it's precisely these homophilic interactions that guide the neurite growth process, through the intervention of specific molecules known as neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM)", continues Legname. Focus on the interaction And it's this last step in the process that was investigated by the second study, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry and chosen as the cover story of the current issue. "Together with Janez Plavec's group of the Ljubljana nuclear magnetic resonance centre we conducted a structural analysis of the interaction between PrPC and NCAM", explains Legname. "We saw that NCAM binds tightly to the N-terminus of the prion protein", explains Gabriele Giachin, former SISSA student and researcher, now at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility of Grenoble in France, and co-author of the study together with SISSA PhD student Giulia Salzano. PrPC is in fact made up of two domains: a tightly folded portion which by its very nature does not interact with other molecules and an unstructured free portion, the N-terminus, which is the active region of the molecule. "Our observation shows that NCAM promotes neurite growth through its interaction with PrPC, and specifically by binding to its unstructured portion", continues Giachin. The two studies complement each other in that one offers a general overview of the whole process and the other focuses on an important stage in that process, resulting in a coherent picture. "We are very satisfied with this major endeavour that brought together highly different competences and views, as well as groups from a variety of countries", concludes Legname. The SISSA scientist also adds that the findings do more than add to our knowledge about the physiological workings of PrPC: "now that we know more about the normal action of the prion protein, we have more clues to help us understand what happens when the process is disrupted and the pathological action of PrPC is triggered", he concludes. ### Young children who reside with adults who work on large industrial hog operations in rural North Carolina had a higher prevalence of antibiotic-resistant in their nasal passages than children who live with adults who live in the same community but do not work on such operations, a new study suggests. While no children or adults participating in the study became sick, the researchers say the findings raise concerns because of how many children living with hog workers carried potentially harmful antibiotic-resistant S. aureus--methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and multidrug-resistant S. aureus (MDRSA) --in their noses. The study, which will be published online Oct. 18 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, also raises the question of whether the bacteria might be able to travel home on the protective clothing and equipment worn by the workers. In Europe, studies have shown that children living with industrial hog operation workers are at risk of acquiring drug-resistant staph from their parents, carrying these strains in their noses and also developing staph infections. This has led the European Union to restrict the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics that promote pig growth to ready them for market sooner. "Before this study, we didn't know how common it was for children living with industrial hog operation workers in North Carolina to carry antibiotic-resistant S. aureus in their noses. Now that we know how prevalent MRSA and MDRSA are, important next steps are to learn how children are becoming exposed and whether there are implications for their health," says study leader Christopher D. Heaney, PhD, MS, an assistant professor in the Bloomberg School's departments of Environmental Health and Engineering and Epidemiology. Although children tend to be susceptible to developing staph infections, the researchers caution that none of the children or adults participating in the study reported becoming sick during the course of the study. They say it is too early to draw any conclusions about possible infection and transmission, but note the high prevalence in children's nasal passages warrants further studies of possible connections between nasal carriage and infection. Antibiotic-resistant S. aureus carriage is a concern in health care settings, including hospitals, because it can increase chances of infection and transmission to other patients. Patients are often tested for MRSA carriage so precautions can be taken. The study, a collaboration among researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health and community organizers at the Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help in Duplin County, NC, enrolled 400 adult-child pairs in the top 10 hog-producing counties in North Carolina, the second largest hog-producing state in the United States. One set of 198 pairs included an adult who worked at an industrial hog operation and a child under age seven living in the same household. The other 202 pairs consisted of an adult community resident who did not work on any type of livestock operation and a child under age seven living in the same household. The research team collected nasal swabs from all participants during home visits between March and October 2014. Adults in both groups also completed a questionnaire about themselves and the child participating in the study. The researchers found that 23 percent of children living with industrial hog operation workers were carrying MDRSA, meaning the S. aureus was resistant to three or more antibiotic drug classes, as compared to eight percent of children who lived with adults who weren't livestock workers. Meanwhile, 14 percent of children who lived with an industrial hog operation worker were carrying MRSA compared to six percent of children who lived with adults who weren't livestock workers. The researchers also found that children who lived with an industrial hog operation worker who reported bringing home personal protective equipment such as masks, coveralls, boots and/or hats from the hog operation had a higher prevalence of carrying MRSA and MDRSA in their noses than children who lived with a hog operation worker who did not bring this equipment home. The researchers couldn't confirm whether the children were carrying antibiotic resistant S. aureus from pigs because they didn't have access to sample pigs at industrial hog operations. Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health crisis, with an estimated two million people in the United States getting sick and thousands dying, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The use of antibiotics in livestock - as much as 80 percent of antibiotics sold in the United States are used in livestock production - is thought to be a contributing factor for increased antibiotic resistance. Last month, all 193 United Nations states pledged to combat the spread of antibiotic-resistance and related infections. "Our hope is that this study raises awareness about antibiotic resistant S. aureus exposures among children living with industrial hog operation workers and initiates more discussions about antibiotic use and resistance in communities with a high density of hog production," says study author Devon Hall, executive director of the Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help, located in Duplin County, North Carolina. ### "The Prevalence of Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage among Industrial Hog Operation Workers, Community Residents, and Children Living in their Households: North Carolina, USA" was written by Sarah M. Hatcher, Sarah Rhodes, Jill R. Stewart, Ellen Silbergeld, Nora Pisanic, Jesper Larsen, Sharon Jiang, Amanda Krosche, Devon Hall, Karen Carroll and Christopher D. Heaney. Funding for this study was provided by the Thrasher Research Fund, the National Science Foundation (NSF) (1316318), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (5T32ES007141-30 and T32ES007018), the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE-114408) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (1K01OH010193-01A1). Scientists from the Faculty of Physics, the Lomonosov Moscow State University have worked out a new and more eco-friendly method of silicon nanowires obtaining, which allows to replace hydrofluoric acid (HF) by ammonium fluoride (NH4F). Silicon nanowires are streamlined, almost parallel to each other nanostructures, looking like wires. Nanowires diameter varies from 50 to 200 nm, and the distance between structures - from 100 to 500 nm. Nanowires length, depending on etching time, could be from 100 nm and up to 10s of microns. Interest for silicon nanowires is caused by perspectives of their application in micro- and optoelectronics, photonics, PV, sensorics. They could be used even in biomedicine as silicon nanostructures are biodegradable materials, what means that they self-destruct in an organism after some period of time. Besides that, in limited concentrations nanostructures are not toxic for an organism. However, hydrofluoric acid (HF), used by conventional method in order to produce silicon nanowires, is extremely toxic. Obtaining of silicon nanowires with the help of metal-assisted etching becomes possible due to chemical etching of a silicon wafer, where metal nanoparticles (for instance, silver nanoparticles) activate etching. Kirill Gonchar, a Junior researcher in the Low Temperature Physics and Superconductivity Department, the Faculty of Physics, at the Lomonosov Moscow State University, describes the whole scheme of nanowires elaboration. He says: "We've used a two-step method of etching. At the first stage silver nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of a silicon wafer. But this deposition didn't produce a level layer but different island regions. At the second stage the silicon wafer was etched right in the places, covered with silver. Because of this, those silicone sheet places, which were uncovered with silver, turned into nanowires. Silver nanoparticles fell into the silicone sheet. And the more etching was lasting the longer nanowires were got at the output. At the end silver was removed with the help of nitric acid." Researchers from the Lomonosov Moscow State University have replaced dangerous and toxic hydrofluoric acid by ammonium fluoride at all stages of chemical etching. Moreover, they have studied optical properties of silicon nanowires, produced with the help of this method, and compared them with nanowires, received on the basis of conventional method, rested on hydrofluoric acid usage. Kirill Gonchar shares, how this idea to use ammonium fluoride in nanowires synthesis has emerged. He clarifies: "The idea of ammonium fluoride application wasn't new, it was borrowed from experiments of porous silicon obtaining, which took place 20 years ago. Ammonium fluoride was also used there instead of hydrofluoric acid. There were similar projects where nanowires were produced in ammonium fluoride, however, there was no replacement at all etching stages. We've studied optical properties of the nanowires we got and proved that they don't differ much from nanowires, obtained by conventional method." Silicon nanowires, produced by metal-assisted etching, could be used for creation of new photonic devices and silicon based sensors. Kirill Gonchar clarifies, that nanowires are promising as sensory elements of optical sensors for different substances. This happens due to, first of all, increase of Raman effect signal intensity, which is a "finger print" of a substance. And, secondly, due to sensitivity to different gases presence, for instance, oxygen (the relevant patent has been already registered). Moreover, structures, containing silicon nanowires, could be used in antireflection coating for solar cells. While ordinary silicon reflects in visible range about 30% of incident light, there could be obtained silicon nanowires which reflect 1-2%. ### Information could be the key to winning the race against antibiotic resistance. If we lose, a UK-funded analysis predicts a frightening future where drug resistant bacterial infections kill more people worldwide than cancer. The lack of progress in creating "new drugs for bad bugs" (a term coined by the European Commission's Innovative Medicines Initiative) is due, in part, to a lack of information--especially in one particular area known as translocation. Translocation is the action an antibiotic must take to penetrate the outer membrane of a bacterial cell in order to reach--and destroy--its target. In Escherichia coli (E. coli), for example, the OmpF channel (porin) provides a translocation pathway for small molecules, water, and ions inward and outward through the outer membrane. So, which compounds are able to penetrate the outer membranes of bacteria, and which ones cannot? That, according to Wonpil Im, is the mystery. Solving such a mystery by amassing the necessary information is especially important when it comes to the "Big Bads" of bacterial infections known as Gram-negative pathogens like "superbugs". These are the bacterial species that are resistant to multiple drugs and are increasingly resistant to most available antibiotics. The infections that result can be lethal. A few examples: some strains of the Gram-negative pathogen E. coli can cause serious food poisoning and certain strains of the Gram-negative bacteria called Vibrio cholera cause cholera, an infectious--and often fatal--disease of the small intestine. Im, professor of biological sciences and bioengineering and Presidential Endowed Chair in Health - Science and Engineering at Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA), is an expert in molecular simulation systems, which are very useful in the quest to solve such mysteries and provide the crucial missing information. His CHARMM-GUI, a web-based graphical user interface designed to model complex biomolecular systems, aids in simulation design to produce models that usually require considerable experience and time (even several weeks) in just a few minutes or hours. Now, through modeling and simulation, Im and his team have revealed the bilayer properties of 21 distinct Lipid A types from 12 Gram-negative bacterial species. Im and his colleagues from the University of Kansas, University of Maryland and Stockholm University investigate the differences and similarities of the membrane properties such as the area per lipid, the hydrophobic thickness, and acyl chain order. In addition, different neutralizing ion types (Ca2+, K+, and Na+) were considered, to examine the ion's influence on the membrane properties including lipid diffusion coefficients, ion residence times, and compressibility modulus that are experimentally comparable. Their results have been published today in an article in Biophysical Journal titled: "Bilayer Properties of Lipid A from Various Gram-negative Bacteria." Lipid A is one of three regions that make up lipopolysaccharides (LPS), an integral component of the outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria where they function as a shield and barrier to environmental threats to the bacterium. It is the LPS that make the outer membrane more impermeable to antibiotics. So, understanding and then manipulating LPS membrane stability could be an effective way to develop new Gram-negative antibiotics. Lipid A is the anchoring region of LPS--and is responsible for the toxic effects of Toxic Shock Syndrome and sepsis. "The more information we can provide about the properties of the outer membrane of these so-called 'bad bugs,' the quicker researchers can determine which compounds might penetrate and effectively target a specific protein--even turn it off," said Im. From the study: "...the resulting characteristics of different Lipid A obtained in this study form a basis toward the modeling and simulation of the outer membranes (with and without outer membrane proteins) of various Gram-negative bacteria. In particular, all Lipid A models in this study are available through LPS Modeler in CHARMM-GUI, so that these models can be used to further our understanding of the structure, dynamics, and function of various bacterial outer membranes." "My dream," he adds "is that one day pharmaceutical companies could come to my lab with 100 compounds with the potential to kill a given Gram-negative bacteria and ask: which ones should we try? And we could tell them." To advance this notion, Im has assembled a workshop titled "Workshop to Take Aim at Bacteria" to take place at Lehigh University on November 18, 2016. The workshop is designed to bring experts in research and policy (including a leader in the Innovative Medicines Initiative) to help speed antibiotic drug development. ### New Rochelle, Oct. 18, 2016 -- The existence of microbial life on Mars remains highly controversial, but recent evidence of water, complex organic molecules, and methane in the Martian environment, combined with findings from the 1976 Viking mission, have led to the conclusion that existing life on Mars is a possibility that must be considered, as presented in an article in Astrobiology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Astrobiology website until November 15, 2016. In "The Case for Extant Life on Mars and Its Possible Detection by the Viking Labeled Release Experiment," coauthors Gilbert V. Levin, Arizona State University, Tempe, and Patricia Ann Straat, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (retired), clearly outline the evidence to support the "biological hypothesis", which argues that the results of the 1976 Viking Labeled Release experiment were positive for extant microbial life on the surface of Mars. Further, Drs. Levin and Straat evaluate the "non-biological hypotheses" to explain the Viking results, which many scientists support, but the authors conclude that the experimental evidence supports a biological explanation and the likelihood that microorganisms were able to evolve and adapt to be able to survive in the harsh conditions of the Martian environment. "Even if one is not convinced that the Viking LR results give strong evidence for life on Mars, this paper clearly shows that the possibility must be considered," says Chris McKay, PhD, Senior Editor of Astrobiology and an astrobiologist with NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. "We cannot rule out the biological explanation. This has implications for plans for sample return from Mars and for future human missions." ### About the Journal Astrobiology, led by Editor-in-Chief Sherry L. Cady, a Chief Scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and a prominent international editorial board comprised of esteemed scientists in the field, is the authoritative peer-reviewed journal for the most up-to-date information and perspectives on exciting new research findings and discoveries emanating from interplanetary exploration and terrestrial field and laboratory research programs. The Journal is published monthly online with Open Access options and in print. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Astrobiology website. About the Publisher Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers) is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including New Space and High Altitude Medicine & Biology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers) website. Most women who used an experimental vaginal ring for HIV prevention report that the physical act of sex was largely unaffected by using the product, which is inserted monthly for continuous wear. This finding is among several insights gleaned about experiences of women who used the ring during the ASPIRE study, also known as MTN-020, announced today at the HIV Research for Prevention (HIVR4P) meeting in Chicago. ASPIRE evaluated whether the ring, which continuously releases the anti-HIV drug dapivirine, could safely reduce HIV infection among 2,629 women aged 18-45 years living in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Among participants randomized to receive the dapivirine ring, risk of HIV infection fell by 27 percent. A further analysis found that the ring reduced the risk of HIV infection by at least 56 percent among women who used it with greater frequency, and up to 75 percent or higher among those who used it consistently. Further exploration of the ring's clinical potential began in July 2016 through the large-scale HOPE (HIV Open-Label Prevention Extension) study, also known as MTN-025. ASPIRE, HOPE and their ancillary studies were primarily funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides developed the dapivirine ring and supplied it for the studies. "Women need an HIV prevention modality that offers safe, effective protection and is practical for use in their daily lives," said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "Women enrolled in the MTN-020/ASPIRE study reported that the experimental vaginal ring generally did not interfere with sexual intercourse, which is an encouraging sign that this product could appeal to a larger group of women at risk for HIV infection." The ASPIRE study staff interviewed 214 participants who used the ring to obtain qualitative data about their sexual experiences during the trial. A team led by Nicole Laborde, Ph.D., M.P.H., of RTI International in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, analyzed the participant responses. While most of these women found that the ring did not negatively affect the physical act of sex, some women said they were continually preoccupied with how their partners would react if they felt or discovered the ring. To address this issue, some women removed the ring before sex, a practice not recommended by study investigators. Other women limited sexual activities that they believed might heighten their partners' awareness of the ring, such as certain sexual positions and receptive oral or digital sex. Some women reported greater sexual satisfaction partially due to perceived protection provided by the ring. Other women reported diminished sexual pleasure associated with the worry that their male partners would notice the ring during sex. Additional analyses of the ASPIRE data revealed other patterns of experience among study participants. Because women who face intimate partner violence and other social harms more often find it difficult to adhere to the clinically proven once-daily antiretroviral drug Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, researchers investigated the connection between consistent use of the ring and these issues. While fewer than 5 percent of all ASPIRE study participants reported incidents of intimate partner-related violence or other social harms, women who did report violence or social harm within a month of the interview were nearly 2.5 times more likely to have low adherence to the ring. Younger age at enrollment, having a new primary partner and not disclosing study participation or ring use to the primary partner were significantly associated with reporting social harms. These findings, reported by a team led by Thesla Palanee-Phillips, M.Med.Sci, Ph.D., M.Sc., at the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa, indicate that more research is needed to determine strategies to mitigate low adherence in the context of intimate partner violence and other social harms in future studies of female-controlled prevention methods. The potential for women to suffer social harm and violence by sexual partners, along with other qualitative data from HIV prevention studies, suggest that some women may prefer methods of HIV protection undetectable by sexual partners. Additional new data revealed that a majority of women--64 percent--disclosed the use of the ring to their male partners at the outset of the study, while 13 percent of study participants never revealed that they were using the ring. The investigators, led by Lulu Nair, M.B.Ch.B., M.P.H., of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre at the University of Cape Town, found that neither disclosing nor concealing use of the ring affected women's adherence to the product. "Sub-Saharan African women have a broad range of sexual experiences and relationship dynamics, and we are learning more about how these diverse behaviors and circumstances influence the use of the ring," said Dr. Palanee-Phillips, director of Network trials at the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa and protocol co-chair on the ASPIRE study. "While we have found that most women do disclose ring use to their primary partners, it is reassuring that adherence is not affected for the significant minority of women who choose to use it more discreetly." Researchers led by Ariane van der Straten, Ph.D., M.P.H., of RTI International also found that women's concerns about using an experimental vaginal ring for HIV prevention decreased significantly over the course of the study. At clinical visits, women were asked, "How worried are you about having a vaginal ring inside you every day for at least a year?" While 29 percent of women reported this concern at the start of the study, only 4 percent of participants did so at their final follow-up clinic visit. Specific concerns related to use, health, hygiene, sexual enjoyment and social approval also decreased significantly between the start and the end of the study. As research on the ring continues in the HOPE study, investigators will collect both quantitative and qualitative data from women at risk for HIV infection. All participants in HOPE will receive access to a package of HIV prevention services, including condoms, partner testing and counseling, and will be able to stay in the study regardless of whether or not they choose to accept the ring after their initial clinic visit. The study investigators believe this approach will shed light on the critical questions of whether participants like using the ring, and why. ### The ASPIRE study was funded by NIAID, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Mental Health, all part of NIH, and conducted by the NIH-funded Microbicide Trials Network. For more information about the dapivirine ring, visit http://www.IPMglobal.org. Learn more about ASPIRE by visiting ClinicalTrials.gov using study identifier NCT01617096 or about HOPE by using study identifier NCT02858037. NIAID conducts and supports research--at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide--to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website. About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov. While the last species of the termite genus Proneotermes has been discovered more than a hundred years ago, now scientists have discovered a new and a third one. Part of the fauna living in the dry forests in Colombia, its name was inspired by the magic realism of the fictional town of "Macondo" from the novel 'One hundred years of solitude' by Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Termitologists Robin Casalla, Freiburg University, Germany, and Universidad del Norte, Colombia, Dr Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, University of Florida, USA, and Prof Dr Judith Korb, Freiburg University, discovered a termite species and described it as new based on its unique shapes and colors, as well as its genes. The new termite is published in the open access journal ZooKeys. Furthermore, there is a story behind the name of this new species, called Proneotermes macondianus. "Macondianus" refers to the fictional town of "Macondo" in the novel 'One hundred year of solitude' written by Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Macondo stands for a forgotten microcosm in the history of Colombia with unimaginable events. According to the story, the magical realm was eventually wiped off the map by gigantic storms of the Caribbean as a form of divine punishment to the violation of the biblical laws of genetics, incest. "P. macondianus may have been one of those characters playing in the novel during the destruction of Macondo, remaining unrecognized until today," comments lead author Robin Casalla. In Colombia many species still await their discovery, either in the wild, or frozen in time in museum cabinets and lacking a name. The only way to refer to them, is by pointing to them with your finger. But now, P. macondianus has been described in ZooKeys. The soldiers of this species have a characteristic elongated, rectangular heads, about 5 - 7 mm long, ranging in color from black (at the tip) to ferruginous orange (at the back). P. macondianus has a voracious appetite for drywood, especially thin branches of less than 2 cm in diameter, and lives in small colonies of about 20 individuals. Although few drywood termites are considered pests in some urban areas, P. macondianus lives only in the wild and prefers tropical dry forests. The termite P. macondianus 'sentenced' to over a hundred years of 'solitude', has now been given a second chance to not be forgotten again, being recognized as part of the Colombian natural ecosystem. ### Original source: Casalla R, Scheffrahn RH, Korb J (2016) Proneotermes macondianus, a new drywood termite from Colombia and expanded distribution of Proneotermes in the Neotropics (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae). ZooKeys 623: 43-60. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.623.9677 Partnership to enrich drug and clinical trial content in the AdisInsight platformPartnership to enrich drug and clinical trial content in the AdisInsight platform Adis, a leading global provider of drug information, has entered into a partnership with Amplion, market-leaders in biomarker information, to enrich drug and clinical trial content in the AdisInsight platform with curated biomarker data. The new data is fully integrated into the AdisInsight platform meaning that users can perform quick or advanced searches across the data, view biomarker information within drug and trial profiles, and include it with exports and alerts. Existing customers will automatically benefit from the addition of biomarker data as part of their subscription. Mirko Walter, Director of Product Management for Adis Business Intelligence states: "It is very important for us to work with a partner that shares our commitment to providing scientifically accurate content. The work that Amplion does in this space with BiomarkerBase is unparalleled and we are proud to be working with them to deliver an even more valuable service to our customers." Established in 2012, Amplion have quickly grown to dominate the global biomarker business intelligence market. Their flagship product, BiomarkerBase is the leading source of information about biomarkers used in drug development and diagnostic tests, tracking almost 80,000 biomarker uses worldwide by over 800 companies across 20 therapeutic areas. "Working with Adis will allow us to distribute our information in a context that will help pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies better leverage biomarkers to triple clinical trial likelihood of approval and to improve top lines through improved product portfolio management," says Amplion's CEO, John Zicker. "As a growing company we are ecstatic to be working with such a strong partner." This exclusive combination of data sets will support greater efficiency in R&D programs as users will be able to identify key biomarkers associated with a drug and understand how they were used in clinical trials to improve outcomes, and to reduce timelines. The enriched data will also provide greater insights into drug and disease landscapes, helping companies to identify new opportunities. Biomarkers play a vital role in drug development and therapy. During the clinical phases, they can cut trial timelines through the use of progression and predictive markers and increase likelihood of approval by refining patient selection. In addition, they can be used to identify new drug targets for research and development. In the clinic, biomarkers are critical to patient care with advanced diagnostic tools and the development of precision medicines tailored to individual patients. Adis will also provide Amplion with granular drug information to enable more sophisticated analyses within BiomarkerBase. For example, users of BiomarkerBase will be able to organise their results by Drug Class, Mechanism of Action or Indication to assess how a biomarker fits within a therapy landscape. Users of AdisInsight will also have the option to follow links to BiomarkerBase to seek out further information. ### Amplion is the leading biomarker business intelligence company, and its flagship product BiomarkerBase, along with biomarker data mining and analytical services, deliver insights that inform key strategic decisions for drug and diagnostic test developers. Since 2012 Amplion has helped large and small companies alike make the best use of biomarkers in advancing precision therapeutics and next generation diagnostics. Adis is part of Springer Nature, a leading global research, educational and professional publisher, home to an array of respected and trusted brands providing quality content through a range of innovative products and services. Springer Nature is the world's largest academic book publisher, publisher of the world's highest impact journals and a pioneer in the field of open research. The company numbers almost 13,000 staff in over 50 countries and has a turnover of approximately EUR 1.5 billion. Springer Nature was formed in 2015 through the merger of Nature Publishing Group, Palgrave Macmillan, Macmillan Education and Springer Science+Business Media. Visit http://www.springernature.com and follow @SpringerNature. Los Angeles, CA (Oct. 18, 2016) Tired of a divisive campaign season full of mudslinging but lacking substantive discussion of important topics? Frustrated at government officials who seem to prioritize gridlock and partisanship over problem solving and progress? If you're mad as hell at the political process and don't want to take it anymore, you're not alone. In 2015, a Pew Charitable Trusts survey found that 74 percent of Americans believed that most elected officials didn't care what people like them thought. In the 2016 presidential election, people have vented those frustrations with their votes. Republicans nominated a wealthy real estate developer and former reality show host who had never before run for office, and until recently was best known for his sharp rhetoric on immigration and his questioning the current president's birthplace. Democrats nearly nominated a self-described socialist who criticized previous trade agreements and the influence of big money in politics. While it is not surprising that Americans would channel their frustrations into contenders pledging to end business as usual, you don't have to pin your hopes for change on any one candidate. Nor should you throw in the towel on democracy, and simply assume that you can't fight City Hall. In AMERICA, THE OWNER'S MANUAL: You Can Fight City Hall and Win (CQ Press/SAGE Publishing; October 18, 2016; $33.00), former U.S. Senator Bob Graham and attorney/long-time public servant Chris Hand show us how to discover, build, and flex our citizenship muscles. As Graham and Hand write, the book explores "what it truly means to be a citizen in our democracy, including the power to engage government directly and move it in a different direction." Citizens "do have a say about what the government does--if they learn, master, and practice the skills of effective citizenship." In their step-by-step guide, Graham and Hand empower Americans to become change agents for the betterment of their communities. Each chapter focuses on a specific citizenship skill -- such as persuading decision makers, forging coalitions, or engaging the media - and provides step-by-step instructions for citizens to use that skill in making government respond. The chapters also provide practical advice from experienced civic experts. AMERICA, THE OWNER'S MANUAL contains 35 "Tips from the Pros" offered by people who have served as governors, Cabinet members, members of Congress, mayors, county commissioners, school board members, appointed officials, journalists, public finance professionals, political consultants, non-profit leaders, and business advocates. But as Graham and Hand write, "[t]he worst mistake we could make in writing this book would be to provide the 'how to' of active democratic engagement -- a lecture on paper -- without showing you how citizens have succeeded in making government respond." That's why the book is filled with stories of everyday people who have moved government. These stories include: A Georgia Tea Party founder who formed an unlikely alliance with environmental activists and solar power advocates to demand more solar power from the state's largest utility; Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), which started around a California kitchen table, and in a few short years achieved an increase in the legal drinking age from 18 to 21; University of Missouri football players who took a stand and refused to play until college administrators took serious action to address racial issues on campus; LGBT advocates and business leaders who joined forces and persuaded a reluctant county commission to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity; The Boston public health clinic which utilized effective traditional and social media outreach to build the public and financial support needed for an updated facility; Four students who came to the United States as undocumented immigrant children and marched a "Trail of Dreams" to highlight the challenges facing DREAMers like them A sportswriter who learned that African children needed mosquito nets to prevent malaria, and rallied a broad base of donors whose efforts have saved millions of lives Graham and Hand hope the reader will see themselves in these examples of citizens who chose to be participants rather than spectators in the arena of democracy. Is your goal to clean up a local river? Persuade your school board to invest in needed classroom equipment? Start a city bike share program? By the end of AMERICA, THE OWNER'S MANUAL, you will have new confidence that you can make governments work for you, not the other way around. "When it comes to the state of American democracy, are you a doer or a complainer? Bob Graham and Chris Hand don't just urge more Americans to be better citizens. They provide the instructions on how to do it." -- Chuck Todd, NBC "Meet the Press" "Sen. Graham & Chris Hand provide an important read to those who want to see citizens restore governing values in democracy." - Ana Navarro, CNN &ABC commentator "Bob Graham and Chris Hand's book is an exciting, energizing and hope-giving guide to effective citizenship." - Donna Brazile, interim Democratic National Committee chair "Bob Graham and Chris Hand have provided a how-to manual complete with clear examples, simple rules of the political road and smart strategies for Americans ready to get off the couch and get results from their government." - Rick Wilson, Republican media consultant "Combining expert advice with relevant and timely examples, this is a straightforward and accessible 'how to' guide to working for change." - Annise Parker, former Houston Mayor ### About the Authors Following 12 years of service in the Florida Legislature, Bob Graham was elected governor of Florida in 1978. During two successful terms as governor, Graham was nationally recognized for reforms in education, environmental protection, and economic diversification. Upon concluding his two terms as governor, Graham left office with an 83% approval rating from the people of Florida. Graham was elected to the United States Senate in 1986, serving three consecutive terms. As a member of the Senate Finance, Environment and Public Works, and Veterans Affairs Committees, he was a leader on health, trade, tax, water and infrastructure issues. One of Graham's most important Senate contributions came as chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, a role which led him to co-chair the congressional joint inquiry into the 9/11 attacks. In 2016, Graham received international attention for successfully urging President Obama to declassify and make public 28 pages redacted from the final joint inquiry report. Graham also authored the 2004 book Intelligence Matters and the 2011 novel Keys to the Kingdom, both revealing serious faults in the U.S. national security system. He currently leads efforts to enhance citizen engagement and train future leaders at the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida. Chris Hand is an attorney with a long record of public service. He previously served as speechwriter, press secretary, and campaign press secretary for Senator Graham and as Chief of Staff for the consolidated City of Jacksonville, Florida -- the largest city by area in the contiguous United States and the 12th largest by population in the entire nation. In 2008, Hand was one of 27 Florida electors in the United States Electoral College. He graduated with honors from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and the Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the University of Florida. At Princeton, Chris was honored with the Daily Princetonian Award for his successful efforts to reform the university's then century old Honor Code. At the University of Florida, the law school student body elected Hand as president of the student bar association. For more information on AMERICA, THE OWNER'S MANUAL, click here. AMERICA, THE OWNER'S MANUAL: You Can Fight City Hall and Win By Bob Graham and Chris Hand October 18, 2016 328 pages ISBN: 978-1-5063-5058-5 Print Price: $33.00 eISBN: 978-1-5063-7139-9 Sara Miller McCune founded SAGE Publishing in 1965 to support the dissemination of usable knowledge and educate a global community. SAGE is a leading international provider of innovative, high-quality content publishing more than 900 journals and over 800 new books each year, spanning a wide range of subject areas. Our growing selection of library products includes archives, data, case studies and video. SAGE remains majority owned by our founder and after her lifetime will become owned by a charitable trust that secures the company's continued independence. Principal offices are located in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC and Melbourne. http://www.sagepublishing.com Contact: Camille Gamboa camille.gamboa@sagepub.com Tel: 805-410-7441 Tiffany Medina tiffany.medina@sagepub.com Tel: 805-410-7612 Today, world leading digestive health experts are presenting a pioneering new program that could have a significant impact on the quality of life of young adults living with inflammatory bowel disease (Vienna, October 19, 2016) Today, world leading digestive health experts are presenting a pioneering new programme that could have a significant impact on the quality of life of young adults living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Experts believe that the programme could help combat the poor and, in some cases, life-threatening care offered to young IBD patients across Europe. IBD can be an extremely debilitating condition and one of the key issues concerning clinicians is the transition from paediatric to adult care. This is fraught with difficulty and, with the incidence of paediatric IBD currently rising, many young people enter adult care with extreme and complex forms of the disease which is often mismanaged. The lack of support and effective management during the transition can have severe consequences for both the individual and the healthcare system. The Berliner TransitionsProgramm (BTP), established in Germany, has reported its first successes in the safe and effective transition of childhood IBD patients into adult care. The programme lasts two years for each child and involves close collaboration between paediatricians and adult care colleagues. Professor Britta Siegmund, a member of the BTP Task Force discussed the encouraging findings at UEG Week 2016. "Following the success of results in other disease areas, IBD was incorporated into the programme two years ago. Transitioning programmes are initiated in the paediatric setting and involve a gradual process aimed at building the young person's understanding of their condition to help prepare them and their families for a move into adult care. So far, our experience demonstrates that the young people who have taken part have arrived into adult care very positively." One in four cases of IBD are diagnosed during childhood and over 50% of sufferers believe that IBD negatively effects their education. "With the change of care occurring at such a crucial age for our patients, it highlights the importance of a smooth and supportive transition to enable young adults to lead normal lives and prevent the disease from impacting their education and lifestyle" says Professor Siegmund. As well as IBD, the BTP also includes other long-term paediatric conditions, such as juvenile diabetes, epilepsy, arthritis, kidney disease and asthma. When a patient is included in the programme, a case manager is assigned who takes care of all the practical issues, maintains contact with the patient throughout the process and ensures that they are comfortable throughout the programme. Where needed, the patient can see both their paediatrician and their new treatment team during the transition. Providing all the materials, structure and support required to transition children safely, Professor Siegmund hopes that the success of the programme will provide a framework that can be incorporated across the rest of Europe. She explains, "The BTP can serve as a role model that can be adapted to the health service of each country. One of the critical success factors for the programme is to ensure that children are transitioned into the care of specialists who really understand adolescents and are willing to invest the time in them. All physicians who agree to take part in the programme fulfil this requirement and are committed to the success of the project." ### For more information on the BTP, please visit: http://www.drk-kliniken-berlin.de/westend/krankenhaus-westend/berliner-transitionsprogramm/ References 1. UEG EU Affairs. Paediatric Digestive Health Across Europe: Early Nutrition, Liver Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Available at: https://www.ueg.eu/epaper/UEG_Paediatric_Digestive_Health_Report/index.html 2. Baldassano RN, Piccoli DA. Inflammatory bowel disease in pediatric and adolescent patients. Gastroenterol Clin North Am 1999;28:445-58. 3. Trivedi I, Holl JL, Hanauer S et al. Integrating adolescents and young adults into adult-centered care for IBD. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 2016;18:21. 4. The IMPACT Survey, 2011, EFCCA. Available at: http://efcca-solutions.net/ Notes to Editors For further information, or to arrange an interview with Professor Britta Siegmund, please contact Luke Paskins on +44 (0)1444 811099 or media@ueg.eu About Professor Britta Siegmund Professor Siegmund is from the Medical University of Berlin and is a member of the Berliner TransitionsProgramm in inflammatory bowel disease. Her interests include contributing towards the understanding of inflammatory bowel disease and identifying possible novel therapeutic targets. About Professor Gigi Veereman (UEG Spokesperson) Professor Veereman is a member of the UEG Public Affairs Committee and Secretary General at the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. About UEG Week UEG Week is the largest and most prestigious gastroenterology meeting in Europe and has developed into a global congress. It attracts over 14,000 participants each year, from more than 120 countries, and numbers are steadily rising. UEG Week provides a forum for basic and clinical scientists from across the globe to present their latest research in digestive and liver diseases, and also features a two-day postgraduate course that brings together top lecturers in their fields for a weekend of interactive learning. About UEG UEG, or United European Gastroenterology, is a professional non-profit organisation combining all the leading European societies concerned with digestive diseases. Together, its member societies represent over 22,000 specialists, working across medicine, surgery, paediatrics, gastrointestinal oncology and endoscopy. This makes UEG the most comprehensive organisation of its kind in the world, and a unique platform for collaboration and the exchange of knowledge. To advance standards of gastroenterological care and knowledge across Europe and the world, UEG offers numerous activities and initiatives, including: UEG Week, the biggest congress of its kind in Europe, and one of the two largest in the world. UEG Education, the universal source of knowledge in gastroenterology, providing online and classroom courses, a huge online library and delivering the latest GI news, fostering debate and discussion Training Support, funding for innovative training and educational programmes, as well as international scientific and professional co-operations UEG Journal, published bi-monthly, covering translational and clinical studies from all areas of gastroenterology EU Affairs, promoting research, prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of digestive diseases, and helping develop an effective health policy for Europe Find out more about UEG's work by visiting http://www.ueg.eu or contact: Luke Paskins on +44 (0)1444 811099 or media@ueg.eu PathMaker Neurosystems ("PathMaker"), a clinical-stage neurotechnology company developing non-invasive neurotherapy systems to treat neuromotor disorders, has been named as the Recipient of the Universal Biotech Innovation Prize 2016 in the global competition that offers "a glimpse of the future of life sciences." The Innovation Prize awards were announced following presentations during Innovation Days, an international event gathering leading companies and researchers in the Life Sciences field, held October 3-4, 2016, at the Maison de la Chimie in Paris, France. The international competition, started in 2009 by Universal Biotech and now in its eighth year, honors the world's most innovative startups and the best academic research groups that are "developing cutting-edge technologies in the field of life sciences." Of the 259 entrants from 38 countries this year, PathMaker was selected after four evaluation rounds as Innovation Prize 2016 Laureate, with awards given out in both the MedTech and Biotech categories. Companies were analyzed according to the scientific quality of the innovation, intellectual property, quality of their human resources, project feasibility, and market access strategy. The entrants included applications from the Biotech, Medtech, e-health and diagnostics segments of the life sciences field. The jury included leading and prominent experts from major healthcare companies, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology societies, and legal firms with extensive experience reviewing novel technologies. "At PathMaker, we are tremendously honored and excited to have been awarded the Innovation Prize 2016," said Nader Yaghoubi, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of PathMaker. "This prestigious prize reflects not only the rapid progress our expert team has made in translating fundamental discoveries into novel therapeutic devices but the human impact our non-invasive technology will have for patients with paralysis, muscle weakness and spasticity. As the leading company developing non-invasive neuromodulation products for the treatment of neuromotor conditions, we are seeing major interest in our technology from leading clinical institutions and other groups." To treat these conditions, PathMaker has exclusively licensed intellectual property from the City University of New York developed by neuroscientist Zaghloul Ahmed, PhD, Professor and Chairman, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Staten Island and Professor of Neuroscience, Center for Developmental Neuroscience and CUNY Graduate Center. As PathMaker's scientific founder, Dr. Ahmed commented, "We are very pleased to see the international recognition that our groundbreaking technology and world-class team at PathMaker is getting. We are working to bring the novel treatments enabled by our technology to patients as rapidly as possible." PathMaker is developing breakthrough non-invasive systems that treat patients suffering from neural pathway disruptions such as stroke, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. PathMaker's first product, MyoRegulator, provides an innovative treatment for muscle spasticity and is now in IRB-approved human clinical trials. This intervention suppresses the hyper-excitable spinal circuits that characterize spasticity, normalizing function in previously untreatable muscles. The company's second product, MyoAmplifier, provides an advanced non-invasive platform that treats paralysis and muscle weakness. ### About PathMaker Neurosystems Inc. PathMaker Neurosystems Inc. is a clinical-stage neurotechnology company developing non-invasive neurotherapy systems based on Coordinated Multi-site Neurostimulation. With offices in Boston (US) and Paris (France), PathMaker is moving forward a trans-Atlantic strategy to rapidly bring to market entirely novel, breakthrough approaches to non-invasively treating neuromotor disorders. More than 48 million patients in the US, Europe, and China suffer disabilities due to stroke, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders. At PathMaker, we are opening up a new era of non-invasive neurotherapy for patients suffering from chronic neuromotor conditions. Visit the company website at http://www.pmneuro.com. About CUNY The City University of New York is the nation's leading urban public university. Founded in New York City in 1847, the University comprises 24 institutions: 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, and additional professional schools. The University serves nearly 275,000 degree-credit students and 218,083 adults, continuing, and professional education students. For more information, please contact Shante Booker (shante.booker@cuny.edu) or visit http://www.cuny.edu/research Among patients undergoing incisional hernia repair, the use of mesh to reinforce the repair was associated with a lower risk of hernia recurrence over 5 years compared with when mesh was not used, although with long-term follow-up, the benefits attributable to mesh were offset in part by mesh-related complications, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2016. Elective incisional hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed general surgical operations. In the United States alone, there were about 190,000 inpatient abdominal wall hernia repairs performed in 2012. Prosthetic mesh is frequently used to reinforce the repair; it's done in at least half of the abdominal wall hernia repairs performed in the United States. The benefits of mesh for reducing the risk of hernia recurrence or the long-term risks of mesh-related complications are not known. Dunja Kokotovic, M.B., and Frederik Helgstrand, M.D., D.M.Sc., of Zealand University Hospital, Kge, Denmark, and Thue Bisgaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., of Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark, conducted a study that included 3,242 patients with elective incisional hernia repairs in Denmark from January 2007 to December 2010. The researchers compared outcomes for hernia repair using mesh performed by either open or laparoscopic techniques vs open repair without use of mesh. Among the patients (average age, 59 years; 53 percent women), 1,119 underwent open mesh repair (35 percent), 366 had open nonmesh repair (11 percent), and 1,757 had laparoscopic mesh repair (54 percent). The median follow-up after open mesh repair was 59 months; after nonmesh open repair, 62 months; and after laparoscopic mesh repair, was 61 months. The researchers found that the risk of the need for repair for recurrent hernia following these initial hernia operations was lower for patients with open mesh repair (12 percent; risk difference, -4.8 percent) and for patients with laparoscopic mesh repair (10.6 percent; risk difference, -6.5 percent) compared with nonmesh repair (17.1 percent). For the entirety of the follow-up duration, there were a progressively increasing number of mesh-related complications (such as bowel obstruction, bowel perforation, bleeding, late abscess) for both open and laparoscopic procedures. At 5 years of follow-up, the cumulative incidence of mesh-related complications was 5.6 percent for patients who underwent open mesh hernia repair and 3.7 percent for patients who underwent laparoscopic mesh repair. The long-term repair-related complication rate for patients with an initial nonmesh repair was 0.8 percent (open nonmesh repair vs open mesh repair: risk difference, 5.3 percent; open nonmesh repair vs laparoscopic mesh repair: risk difference, 3.4 percent). "Mesh implantation prevented the need for subsequent reoperation in relatively few patients, suggesting that the benefits associated with the use of mesh are partially offset by long-term complications associated with its use. This observation, however, should be interpreted with caution because of the risk of selection bias. Larger, more complicated hernias are likely to be repaired with mesh, and small, simple hernias with little likelihood of long-term problems tend to be repaired without mesh," the authors write. "The present study highlights the need to assess the long-term safety of interventions before making definitive conclusions about their benefits. Demonstration of long-term safety is required for drugs in the United States but not for some devices, such as hernia meshes, which are not subject to similarly strict documentation. In the United States, most hernia mesh is approved for use by the 510(k) mechanism. This requires only that these materials have similarity to existing products on the market without the need for clinical trials to demonstrate safety or efficacy. Thus, the complete spectrum for the risks and benefits of mesh used to reinforce hernia repair is not known because there are very few clinical trial data reporting hernia outcomes as they pertain to mesh utilization. This highlights the need for more long-term studies of mesh repair using high-quality registries such as the one in Denmark." (doi:10.1001/jama.2016.15217; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website) Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc. Editorial: New Findings in Ventral Incisional Hernia Repair "Although the study by Kokotovic and colleagues is one of the most comprehensive long-term studies in hernia surgery, many questions remain about the optimal approach for repairing ventral hernia," writes Kamal M. F. Itani, M.D., of the VA Boston Health Care System, Boston University, West Roxbury, Mass., in an accompanying editorial. "To provide more rigorous data to better understand optimal approaches to this common clinical problem, surgeons will need to design large multicenter pragmatic trials with long-term follow-up. When commercial entities want to test a product, they should fund an independent research group to conduct the trial to avoid the perception of bias. Because hernia is so common and the evidence base supporting its treatment is so limited, there is a pressing need to design, fund, and conduct these trials." (doi:10.1001/jama.2016.15722; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website) Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including financial disclosures, funding and support, etc. ### To place electronic embedded links to these articles in your story These links will be live at the embargo time: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.15217 http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.15722 Ancient DNA research has revealed that Ice Age cave artists recorded a previously unknown hybrid species of bison and cattle in great detail on cave walls more than 15,000 years ago. The mystery species, known affectionately by the researchers as the Higgs Bison* because of its elusive nature, originated over 120,000 years ago through the hybridisation of the extinct Aurochs (the ancestor of modern cattle) and the Ice Age Steppe Bison, which ranged across the cold grasslands from Europe to Mexico. Research led by the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) at the University of Adelaide, published today in Nature Communications, has revealed that the mystery hybrid species eventually became the ancestor of the modern European bison, or wisent, which survives in protected reserves such as the Bia?owie?a forest between Poland and Belarus. "Finding that a hybridisation event led to a completely new species was a real surprise - as this isn't really meant to happen in mammals," says study leader Professor Alan Cooper, ACAD Director. "The genetic signals from the ancient bison bones were very odd, but we weren't quite sure a species really existed - so we referred to it as the Higgs Bison." The international team of researchers also included the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), Polish bison conservation researchers, and palaeontologists across Europe and Russia. They studied ancient DNA extracted from radiocarbon-dated bones and teeth found in caves across Europe, the Urals, and the Caucasus to trace the genetic history of the populations. They found a distinctive genetic signal from many fossil bison bones, which was quite different from the European bison or any other known species. Radiocarbon dating showed that the mystery species dominated the European record for thousands of years at several points, but alternated over time with the Steppe bison, which had previously been considered the only bison species present in Late Ice Age Europe. "The dated bones revealed that our new species and the Steppe Bison swapped dominance in Europe several times, in concert with major environmental changes caused by climate change," says lead author Dr Julien Soubrier, from the University of Adelaide. "When we asked, French cave researchers told us that there were indeed two distinct forms of bison art in Ice Age caves, and it turns out their ages match those of the different species. We'd never have guessed the cave artists had helpfully painted pictures of both species for us." The cave paintings depict bison with either long horns and large forequarters (more like the American bison, which is descended from the Steppe bison) or with shorter horns and small humps, more similar to modern European bison. "Once formed, the new hybrid species seems to have successfully carved out a niche on the landscape, and kept to itself genetically," says Professor Cooper. "It dominated during colder tundra-like periods, without warm summers, and was the largest European species to survive the megafaunal extinctions. However, the modern European bison looks genetically quite different as it went through a genetic bottleneck of only 12 individuals in the 1920s, when it almost became extinct. That's why the ancient form looked so much like a new species." Professor Beth Shapiro, UCSC, first detected the mystery bison as part of her PhD research with Professor Cooper at the University of Oxford in 2001. "Fifteen years later it's great to finally get to the full story out. It's certainly been a long road, with a surprising number of twists," Professor Shapiro says. ### *The Higgs Boson is a subatomic particle suspected to exist since the 1960s and only confirmed in 2012. Images and captions can be found in Dropbox here. Media Contact: Professor Alan Cooper, Study leader. Phone: +61 8 8313 5950. Mobile: +61 (0)406 383 884, alan.cooper@adelaide.edu.au Dr Julien Soubrier, lead author. Mobile: +61 (0)432 974 373, julien.soubrier@adelaide.edu.au Robyn Mills, Media Officer. Phone: +61 8 8313 6341 Mobile: +61 (0)410 689 084, robyn.mills@adelaide.edu.au Dr. Lorne Babiuk, a world-renowned virologist, highly acclaimed for his international leadership in vaccine development and research in veterinary infectious disease control, particularly zoonotic diseases, was presented with the 2016 World Agriculture Prize, which recognizes "exceptional and significant" lifetime achievements of a faculty member from a university working in the disciplines relating to the agricultural and life sciences. The prize is bestowed by the Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences (GCHERA) and was presented to Dr. Babiuk at a ceremony during the 5th Biennial Conference of the Regional Universities Forum for capacity Building in Agriculture in Cape Town, South Africa. "Dr. Lorne Babiuk is a most deserving recipient," said John Kennelly, president of the GCHERA. Each year, it bestows this prestigious award, which is sponsored by the Education Development Foundation of Nanjing Agricultural University. "Dr. Babiuk has been responsible for major advances in our understanding of the biology of infectious diseases and the role of vaccines in their control, he has been a mentor and an inspiration to other scientists, and his vision and leadership resulted in the development of a world-class research and teaching facility at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada whose scientists continue to develop vaccines that make important contributions to animal health on a global basis." Babiuk currently serves as the vice-president of research at the University of Alberta in Canada. Babuik devoted his career to safeguarding the health of animals and people worldwide, primarily through the development of vaccines. He consistently fulfilled the promise he showed very early on in his career as a virologist when he worked on rotavirus, which causes animals to suffer acute diarrhoea. The issue was a major problem for the livestock industry, costing it approximately $300 million annually. Babiuk devised a new technique to grow the virus and then developed a vaccine to control the disease in calves. It was the first of six vaccines Babiuk played a major role in developing over the years. Like many other accomplished scientists around the world, Babiuk often questioned assumptions and always looked for different and better ways to find solutions to complex infectious disease issues. For example, in the early 80s, at a time when few people thought biotechnology would have any application in the animal health industry, he and his team of researchers developed the world's first genetically engineered vaccine for shipping fever, a disease that was causing the North American cattle industry $1 billion a year. A few years later, Babiuk again broke scientific ground when he espoused that understanding the fundamentals of vaccine formulation and delivery rather than antigen production was the key to increasing the efficacy of vaccines. Since then, this theory has become accepted knowledge throughout the scientific community. Whilst Babiuk is a most fruitful researcher, who has published more than 500 peer-reviewed papers and has more than 22,000 citations, he has always been committed to ensuring that his research results are exploited in practice and where appropriate commercially adopted. That was evident while he helped build the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan from 1975 onwards and led it from 1993 to 2007, building it into an international research powerhouse that, to date, has produced eight vaccines. Babiuk's commitment to mentoring the next generation of researchers is equally impressive as he not only supervised more than 50 PhD students and more than 50 Post-doctoral fellows, he also created a unique-in-North America graduate program in vaccinology with ethical and social concerns arising from the production and use of vaccines in various populations. BACKGROUND The World Agriculture Prize The Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agricultural and Life Sciences (GCHERA), with Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU), established the GCHERA World Agricultural Prize in 2012 to recognise the contribution of a faculty staff member from an agricultural and life science university who has significantly contributed to the mission of the university through education, research and knowledge transfer for the benefit of society. This annual award is given for the fourth time in 2016. The Education Development Foundation of Nanjing Agricultural University generously sponsors this prize. The award of the prize to Dr. Lorne Babiuk is announced at Nanjing Agricultural University, PR China on the 20 September 2016 and the award will be made to Dr. Lorne Babiuk at a ceremony at the RUFORUM Biennial Conference on 18 October 2016 in Cape Town, South Africa The Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agricultural and Life Sciences (GCHERA) The Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences (GCHERA) was established in 1998 but in 2011 the governance structure was changed so that instead of individual university membership, its membership is now made up of 14 worldwide higher education associations who themselves represent individual universities in the agricultural and life sciences areas. For example, China is represented by the Education Professional Committee of the Chinese Association of Agricultural Sciences Societies, Europe is represented by the Association for European Life Science Universities, USA is represented by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and Canada is represented by the Association of Canadian Faculties of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. The Mission of GCHERA is to encourage and support global co-operation among agricultural and life sciences higher education associations, and their member universities, so as to enhance innovation and leadership in education, research and outreach. GCHERA provides a forum for sharing of best practices as well as being a global voice on some of the most pressing challenges facing the world today. Agricultural and life science universities have a critical role to play in providing the human resources and the research and innovation needed to meet the challenge of feeding a rapidly growing world population whilst reducing the environmental footprint of our food and non food production systems. See http://www.gchera.com for more details ### Paleontologists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Park Service found the first dinosaur bones in Denali National Park during an expedition in July. They also discovered several new dinosaur trackways, which are fossilized impressions left by ancient animals walking through mud that eventually became rock. Pat Druckenmiller, curator of Earth sciences at the University of Alaska Museum of the North, is leading a collaborative project with Denali National Park over the next several years to explore additional areas and make new discoveries. "This marks the beginning of a multi-year project to locate, document and study dinosaur fossils in Denali National Park," Druckenmiller said. "This is a world-class site for tracks of dinosaurs and other animals that lived in Alaska during the Cretaceous Period. Now that we have found bones, we have another way to understand the dinosaurs that lived here 70 million years ago." The research team found four different fragments, including one ossified tendon. The largest is a few inches long. They are clearly parts of bigger bones from a large animal. This rules out other animals with a backbone known from this geological period, including mammals, birds and even flying reptiles. Because they are parts of much bigger bones, Druckenmiller expects more complete remains may be found in the park. "Finding these bones opens a new chapter in the story of Denali dinosaurs," he said. "That story is still being written as we find new sites, new kinds of dinosaurs and evidence of their behavior." Before 2005, there was no known dinosaur record in Denali. That year, UAF students discovered the first track in the Cantwell Formation near Igloo Creek. Since then paleontologists have catalogued thousands of tracks. Still, this is the first time scientists have found identifiable bones left by animals that populated the area during the Late Cretaceous Period. Park geologist Denny Capps said Denali National Park was created to protect the present intact ecosystem 99 years ago. "We now know that it protects an ancient ecosystem, as well," Capps said. "Visitors could discover a fresh bear track next to a 70-million-year-old dinosaur track or potentially even a bone. Thankfully, these resources are protected within the Denali wilderness for all to enjoy." Heather MacFarlane, a UA Museum of the North research assistant, discovered the first bone. She and other researchers recognized the fragments as bones rather than sedimentary material based on the surface and internal structure. These fossils closely resemble other plant-eating dinosaur bones found in Alaska. Paleontologist Cassi Knight, physical science technician for Denali National Park, was with MacFarlane when the discovery was made. "It is significant because it answers a question that has been standing for the past 11 years; 'Are there dinosaur bones preserved in the Cantwell Formation?'" Knight said. "We have a great record of dinosaurs inhabiting this area, and now we finally know that their bones are preserved, too." Gregory Erickson, a Florida State University researcher who specializes in the use of bone and tooth histology to interpret the paleobiology of dinosaurs, was also part of the discovery team. He is preparing thin sections of some of the fossils. Scientists can examine these delicate slices under high-powered microscopes to determine the type of animal that left the bones behind. Annual growth lines and other patterns can also reveal the animal's age. Based on the shape and structure of the fossilized tendon discovered by the team, Erickson and Druckenmiller determined that it is from a large ornithopod dinosaur, probably a hadrosaur. These duck-billed, herbivorous dinosaurs were probably the most abundant large animals in Alaska. They were also the primary track-makers in the park during this time period. Another larger fragment is composed of spongy bone originating from the end of a large animal's limb. This microstructure shows the bone didn't come from a crocodile or other slow-growing, cold-blooded animal. It is clearly from a medium-sized to large dinosaur, they said. Druckenmiller and Erickson previously published documentation suggesting that during this time period, a distinct, polar fauna existed in what is now Alaska. Then, a polar forest covered the Arctic because the climate was much warmer. The dinosaurs had to contend with months of winter darkness and cooler temperatures than environments typically associated with dinosaurs. ### ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Pat Druckenmiller, UAMN curator of earth sciences, 907-474-6954 (office), 907-799-9608 (cell) or psdruckenmiller@alaska.edu; Denny Capps, Denali National Park geologist, 907-683-9598 or denny_capps@nps.gov; Cassi Knight, Denali National Park physical science technician, 907-683-9591 or cassi_knight@nps.gov. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AND VIDEO: http://bit.ly/denalidinobones Researchers from the department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Granada have utilized alperujo and used cooking oil for elaborating surface active agents, specifically biosurfactants and monoglycerides A team of researchers from the department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Granada (UGR) has managed to successfully use some of the waste produced in the olive-oil industry to elaborate surface active agents, specifically biosurfactants and monoglycerids, which are molecules with countless applications in chemical and food industries. It's the first time alperujo is used for the production of biosurfactants, molecules of biological origin which possess an excellent environmental compatibility and have many applications in fields such as cosmetics, medicines, food, detergents and natural environment. Surface active agents, or surfactants, are molecules with a liposoluble (dissolvable in oil) section and a hydrosoluble (dissolvable in water) section. The partial solubility in both oil and water allows the surfactant to occupy the interface. This reduces surface tension and interface tension between individual molecules, and it has emulsive properties. Alperujo is the waste generated during olive oil extraction by the two-phase method (the most common in Spain nowadays). Although the implementation of said system has significantly improved the environmental impact associated with the production of olive oil by merging and reducing waste streams, alperujo is still a first-class environmental and management problem for the regions where oil is elaborated, due to its polluting load and the immense quantities in which it is produced. Used cooking oils, for their part, are also generated in great quantities in restaurants, hotels and homes. Even when there are companies authorized for its collection and its collection rate is increasing, it's difficult to find a use for this contaminating byproduct. Nowadays, both wastes are being used for producing energy, either by direct combustion (alperujo) or by its previous conversion into fuel (cooking oil). Because of that, UGR researchers aim to give them an added value, as mentioned above. For said conversion, the researchers have used biotechnological methods. They have fermented alperujo using the same microorganisms used for producing biosurfactants, in collaboration with two teams of researchers from Ulster University (North Ireland) and the Regional University of Blumenau (Brazil). The researchers have managed to produce this kind of substances using strains of Bacillussubtilis and Pseudomonasaeruginosa, and alperujo as the source of carbon, for the first time. This may be a breakthrough for obtaining this kind of biosurfactants at a lower cost. Used cooking oil, by its part, has been converted into monoglycerides and diglycerides by enzymatic hydrolysis, which allows to have very light reaction conditions. The process has been carried out in microemulsion, a nanostructured system with high interfacial area, which makes possible to maximize enzyme action. ### This research has been funded by the Regional Government of Andalusia (Project P10-TEP-6550) and the University of Granada (Project PP2015.08), and it has been the subject of a doctoral thesis. The collaboration with the University of Blumenau has been fostered by a Hispano-Brazilian interuniversity cooperation project (PHB2012-0277-PC), which has been funded by the educational authorities from both countries. A new UT Dallas study finds that resolving border disputes gives rival nations the best hope for moving toward peace. The study, recently published online in Conflict Management and Peace Science, concludes that settling territorial conflicts had a greater impact on rival nations' relations than democratization or ending civil wars. "We looked at how you move from a situation where states are rivals with each other and very hostile, ideally to where they're friends. Or, even if they're not friends, how do you get to the point where they're not enemies?" said one of the authors, Dr. Paul F. Diehl, Ashbel Smith Professor of Political Science. Neighboring countries that settle their boundary conflicts have a 122 percent greater chance of transitioning from rivalry to what is called negative peace, or the absence of military conflict. Ending military hostilities also has a preventative effect, the study found. Nations in negative peace that have resolved border issues are 73 percent less likely than nations with unsettled border issues to transition back into contentious relationships, according to the findings. Diehl and two co-authors used data on interstate relationships from 1946 to 2001 to study how the resolution of boundary issues improved the relations between rival nations. Overall, nations with settled boundaries were 30 percent more likely to be at negative peace, the study found. The study used Bolivia and Paraguay as an example. Both nations entered the Chaco War over control of a mutual border before they reached an agreement in 1938. Current border disputes exist between nations including India and Pakistan, and Israel and its neighbors. Border disputes create a threat that prompts citizens to give their leaders greater autonomy in exchange for protection, Diehl said. That leads to a more aggressive foreign policy and militarization. The research describes peace as a continuum, with negative peace being the middle stage between rivalry and more cooperative relations called positive peace, which exists in the European Union. Achieving negative peace opens up the road to positive peace. "Most countries are not fighting a war, but there are ways to improve relations that don't get a lot of attention," Diehl said. "Avoiding war is good, but it shouldn't be the end point. We're looking at how you can move in a more peaceful direction. "If you move away from being enemies, you open up some possibilities to ultimately being friends," he said. Diehl, associate provost and director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, is an expert in the causes of war, peacekeeping and international law. He served as director of the Correlates of War Project, the largest data collection effort on international conflict. He is co-author, most recently, of The Puzzle of Peace, The Evolution of Peace in the International System, published in 2016 by Oxford University Press. Dr. Andrew P. Owsiak, of the University of Georgia, and Dr. Gary Goertz, of the University of Notre Dame, were co-authors of the study. ### ATLANTA The Georgia Lottery Corp. today announced record profits for education for the first quarter of fiscal year 2017. Profits transferred to the State Treasurys Lottery for Education Account will amount to $273.6 million, surpassing last years record first quarter transfer by $19.7 million. The Georgia Lotterys first quarter profits bring the total raised for educational programs in the state of Georgia to more than $17.8 billion since the lotterys inception in 1993. Were pleased that our fiscal year is off to a record-breaking start, said Georgia Lottery President and CEO Debbie D. Alford. Our robust performance is excellent news for the Georgia Lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship and Grant Program and Pre-K Program. Our success has a direct impact on Georgias students and families who benefit from these important programs. The Georgia Lotterys record first quarter follows a record fiscal year. In fiscal year 2016, the Georgia Lottery reached the milestone of $1 billion raised for education for the first time in a single fiscal year. The first quarter of the Georgia Lotterys fiscal year spanned from July 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2016. Fiscal year 2017 first quarter profits also include funds generated from coin operated amusement machines (COAMs) in Georgia. Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $17.8 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs, including Georgias HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgias Pre-K Program. More than 1.7 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.4 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program. For more information on the Georgia Lottery Corp., please visit: www.galottery.com The Jihadi face of Communist China exposed in BRICS ultimately RSN Singh | HENB | New Delhi : The radicalism has its no limit whether it is engrossed in Communism or Jihad. The Jihadi face of Communist China exposed in BRICS ultimately for its blatant support to its natural ally Pakistan by contradicting Indian move to name JeM and LeT in the Terror list for incorporating it in BRICS proclamation against terror. The eighth BRICS summit in Goa had its anti-India reverberations in the Kashmir Valley. Anti-national elements in Baramullah hoisted Pakistani and Chinese flags after Friday prayers. This coincided with the arrival of Xi Jinping on the Indian soil. The coincidence was lost out on none. The messaging for Chinas help by the separatists and the militants in Baramulla injects a new dimension to militancy and jihad in Kashmir. On this very land, how many kinds of flags have been waved or hoisted flag of Islamic State, of LeT, of Pakistan and now of China. What kind of Kashmiryat is this and what kind of Islam? Invariably, all anti-national demonstrations in the Valley are staged after Friday prayers. Prayers have become a passport or vehicle to violence. When prayers are abused for anti-national activities, it is indicative of the abysmal level that a society has sunk into. It is the level of self-destruction. A society, that compromises with the sanctity of religious arena and its ancestors will never have love for the land. On this very land, how many kinds of flags have been waved or hoisted flag of Islamic State, of LeT, of Pakistan and now of China. What kind of Kashmiryat is this and what kind of Islam? The youth of the Valley could be least concerned or aware about an International meet on the Indian soil in Goa. The flag hoisting, it is well understood, has been orchestrated by Pakistan and with backing of China. Jihadis in Kashmir are now trying to intimidate India by flexing China card. It is an attempt to sellout Kashmiri land to a new buyer. China is desperate to see the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) though. It is desperate for the corridor to make strategic thrust into the Persian Gulf by way of Gwadar. It therefore needs the land of Pakistan as well as the land of J&K. In J&K, to be more specific, China needs the land of Gilgit-Baltistan. This is the land of India inhabited by the Shia majority, who has fought alone the depredations of Islamabad since 1947. Majority in that land love India. In the year 1980, an erudite gentleman from Kargil, now a pilot, went to Gilgit-Baltistan to meet his relatives, separated after the 1947-48 war in J&K. He found that every signboard carried the name of village or place are in Devnagri script (Hindi) apart from Arabic script and English. The Devnagri feature was added by the locals in the fond and certain hope that it would assist the Indian Army once it came to their rescue from the clutches of Pakistan. There was a practice in every home of Gilgit-Baltistan to make 10 additional roti (bread) in anticipation of the Indian Army. It is to assist the Chinese in the CPEC that Chinese flags have been hoisted in the Valley. It is indeed true that the Kashmir Valley never had any soulful linkage with the other parts of J&K like Jammu, Kargil, Leh-Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan. All Chief Ministers of J&K have been Valley centric. All of them have been Pakistan centric, as if there were no borders of the state with China. The China facet of J&K was left entirely to New Delhi. This has been a strategic ploy to ingratiate Pakistan. We now need to accept the reality that a new poison has been injected in the J&K discourse, i.e. China and CPEC. Now, not formally, but in reality and effect, J&K has become an area of strategic competition between three countries. Partly, this attitude of the Valley oriented administration and the leaders could be attributed to the geographical isolation and harsh terrain of the high-altitude regions. New Delhi too is guilty of having being seduced by the pro-Pak Chief Ministers in this regard. Army formation commanders posted in the state confined themselves to their respective areas of operational responsibility, and never treated the State as one integral geographical entity. The same narrative impacted people outside J&K, who thought that the Valley constituting only 7 percent of the area was the entire State. The cumulative consequence of these narratives was that countrys leadership and instruments of governance had come to treat the present territorial arrangement of J&K between India and Pakistan as fate-accompli. Gilgit-Baltistan without which the CPEC is not possible occupied an increasingly blurred space in their mental and strategic horizon. The result was Kargil. The surgical strike on POK terror camps may have disabused this mindset. Nearly 800 km Line of Control when treated in a holistic and offensive perspective, has reincarnated itself as a strategic bonanza, because of the magnitude of cross LoC options it generates and the infinite deception methods it offers. LoC is no longer a burdensome defensive proposition. We now need to accept the reality that a new poison has been injected in the J&K discourse, i.e. China and CPEC. Now, not formally, but in reality and effect, J&K has become an area of strategic competition between three countries. It is also a foregone consequence that such a strategic competition arising out of Chinas thrust to Persian Gulf, running parallel and close to the Indian frontier will be contested not only by India but other powers as well. This may be the new geopolitical reality bearing on J&K. What is reprehensible and unpardonable, is that some of the Kashmiris in the Valley, on behalf of whole of J&K have taken upon themselves to further Chinas strategic interests vis-a-vis India. If the CPEC becomes a reality, it would become a critical lifeline for Western China. As a matter of fact, entire Pakistan would have become lifeline for Western China. It needs to be underscored that the CPEC, which is essentially a strategic linkage between Pakistan and China, is predicated on POK. POK being Indian territory has collaterals with J&K as a whole, thus causing grave anxiety in China and Pakistan. What is reprehensible and unpardonable, is that some of the Kashmiris in the Valley, on behalf of whole of J&K have taken upon themselves to further Chinas strategic interests vis-a-vis India. The CPEC is not only a territorial embrace between Pakistan and China, but it has also engendered a strategic partnership between Islamists and Communists. This strategic partnership manifested in the hoisting of Chinese flag in Baramulla and earlier in the form of anti-India slogans in the JNU. Why would then China want Masood Azhar and his JeM to come in harms way, internationally? Similarly, why would the separatists in Kashmir and the communists in India want Masood Azhar to suffer? Amongst the people, most rattled by Indias surgical strike in POK have been the communists, who are now on an overdrive to push India into talks with Pakistan. Only recently, intelligence agencies in India have warned that the jihadis controlled by Pakistan and the Maoists have planned to coordinate their activities and operations in Indias hinterland. This has been vindicated a week later by arrest of six Maoists in Noida, in the NCR. These Maoists belong to different states and are adept at assembling bombs. Reportedly, they were planning some major attacks in and around the national capital. Possibly, one of their targets was Hindon Airbase. Both China and Pakistan are leveraging on their ideological constituents within India. These constituents also comprise Maoists and the jihadis respectively. Both China and Pakistan are ideological states. Both are leveraging on their ideological constituents within India. These constituents also comprise Maoists and the jihadis respectively. Their convergence has dangerous consequences. Indias undoing has been that we did not crush these foreign ideologies. We did not develop any counter ideology. For some reason, could be due to reasons of suffering slave status for years, we have always been shy or apprehensive about evolving uncompromising nationalist ideology. Indeed, if we had, Chinas and Pakistans proxies would not have made the daring tryst in JNU, and nobody would have dared to hoist Chinas and Pakistans flags in Baramulla. In absence of a cogent nationalist ideology, the psychological and physical unity of the country will continue to suffer. Interestingly, China has its own internal problem involving the radicalism in Islam. In Xinjiang, the Chinese authority stopped many Mosques and even interfered in Islamic customs of Roja, Burqa, Skull Cap, sporting beard etc in many places of China. In some places the local Chinese authority imposed ban on travelling 5 Muslim men together in a bus or in public cab. But, China is playing with fire by promoting Pakistani Jihad in India tagging the separation of Kashmir from India. This is an ultra motive of China to endanger Indian safety and security eyeing to the growing Indian supremacy in Indian subcontinent. The unfurling of Chinese and Pakistani flags side by side in Baramulla hints the joint hands of Pakistan and China in the militant scenario of Kashmir. The Jihadis in Kashmir are using the arms made in Pakistan and China both. The situation in Kashmir divulged that China was promoting Pakistani Jihad in the valley. In BRICS summit in Goa, Chinese role favoring Pakistani terrorism in India and Jihadi violence in Kashmir valley is totally exposed. The present context clearly says, Communism and Radical Islam are two sides of an anti-Indian coin. Source : Hindu Existence 10/19 WCCSD Press Conference And Rally In RichmondDefend Public Education-STOP Ron Bellers Caliber High School In RichmondWednesday October 19, 2016, 5:15 PMBefore WCCSB Meeting at 6:00 PMDeJean Middle School3400 Macdonald Ave, Richmond, CA 94805Fight For Strong Public High Schools In Richmond And Keep Them OpenStop Union Busting And PrivatizationFailed billion-dollar UK Peloton hedge fund op- erator Ron Beller and his wife Jennifer Moses are now trying for a take-over of public education in Richmond and the West Contra Costa School Dis- trict. They tried to set up a sweet-heart deal to buy the Adams Middle School with 8 acres for $60,000. After a community and labor campaign, the school board voted to reject this deal. Now privatizer Beller is back with a new proposal to build a charter high school in West Contra Costa County.How many high schools does Richmond Need?There are already enough high schools in Richmond and they need more support. Richmond High and others are desperately short of supplies and finan- cial support. These schools have long time teachers and staff who are doing their best to keep their schools going, and make them the most successful schools in the community. WE need to support these schools and make them great for our kids.Beller has told people in Richmond that he wants every school to be a charter run by private operators like himself. If the school board votes to open up an- other non-union anti-labor charter school, this will likely lead to the closure of one of our public schools in Richmond and further segregate our schools. All school teachers, staff and parents and students need to stand up to protect our public high schools in Richmond.The NAACP has called for a moratorium on all new charters because of their racist policies, and the ACLU has exposed that these schools illegally cherry pick students in California. The charter operators in West Contra Costa County and their supporters such as Tom Panas and Miriam Stephanie have al- ready received over $100,000 to buy the elections and bring in more charter schools.Come to the press conference and rally on Wednes- day, October 16 at 5:15 to defend our public high schools and oppose the Beller Caliber charter high school, which is being funded by billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and the Gates Foun- dation. These multi-billionaires dont want to pay more taxes, and at the same time, they are helping to shutdown public education so they can turn schools in to profiteering centers run by private corporate boards that want to use our public taxes money for making money operation with more computers and testing like blended learning.Its time to Stand Up For Public Education and Equality For All.Wednesday October 19, 2016, 5:15 PMBefore WCCSB Meeting at 6:00 PMDeJean Middle School3400 Macdonald Ave, Richmond, CA 94805Sponsored By: Defend Public Education NOW!For information https://www.facebook.com/groups/1779211105630359/ Retired UTR Teachers Carlos Taboada & Eduardo Martinez Rally For Striking SEIU1021 Costra County Social Service Workers In RichmondCarlos Taboada who is a retired teacher and running for the West Contra Costa School Board and Eduardo Martinez who is the Vice Mayor of Richmond California attended a rally for 1300 striking SEIU 1021 Contra Costa County Social Service Workers. The workers are fighting poverty wages and for more staffing to provide services to poor and homeless people in Contra Costa County.Taboada and Martinez both oppose more charters in Richmond and Contra Costa County and the Ron Beller Caliber High School which is being pushed.The rally took place on Friday September 30, 2016 in Richmond.For more media:For more information on Carlos TaboadaProduction ofLabor Video ProjectStop The Sale Of WCCCUSD Adams Middle School In Richmond To Caliber Charter Operator Ron BellerLabor and community people spoke out on June 12, 2016 at a press conference to oppose the sale of the West Contra Costa County Unified School District Adams Middle School which is located in Richmond to former Goldman Sachs hedge fund speculator Ron Beller who is now the "non-profit" owner of the Caliber Charter School chain.Speakers reported that Beller had lied to the community and wants to have a union free operation.Additional information:Additional mediaProduction of Labor Video Project Illinois Wesleyan Named to Community Service Honor Roll for 7th Straight Year Over spring break in 2016, students traveled to West Virginia to volunteer with Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity. Oct. 18, 2016 BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Illinois Wesleyan University has again been named to the Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This marks the seventh consecutive year on the Honor Roll and its eighth in the nine years of the designation. Illinois Wesleyan students volunteered 82,000 community service hours during the 12-month period covered by the Honor Roll. Illinois Wesleyan embraces a strong institutional commitment to service going back many generations, according to President Eric Jensen. The universitys mission statement includes a charge to prepare students for democratic citizenship and life in a global society, and a commitment to diversity, social justice and environmental sustainability, he said. We live those ideals, as an institution and as individuals. In one example of institutional commitment to service, the Action Research Center (ARC) has been a leader in making local nonprofits stronger and more effective for more than a decade by providing research, data analysis, and training technical support for local organizations, with students engaging in this work in various roles. As one example, ARC places students on nonprofit boards including the YWCA and the West Bloomington Revitalization Project. Lisa Mishra 15 (far left) led the initiative to create a multifaith meditation room on campus. Other Illinois Wesleyan initiatives include the student-created nonprofit Tool Library, which provides homeowners in low-income areas with access to tools; curricular opportunities for service learning, including Hispanic Studies students working with local ESL elementary students; and a student-led initiative to create a multifaith meditation room. The Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes institutions of higher education that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships. Institutions nationwide were honored for their work in one of four categories general community service, interfaith community service, economic opportunity and education. Illinois Wesleyan was honored for the universitys efforts in general community service. CNCS, the nations largest grant-maker in support of volunteering and service, has administered the award since 2006 in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education, Campus Compact, and the Interfaith Youth Core. CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Oct. 18, 2016) - Mkango Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:MKA)(AIM:MKA) (the "Corporation" or "Mkango"), is pleased to announce that the Government of Malawi has granted a further two-year renewal for Exclusive Exploration Licence ("EPL") 0284 ("the Phalombe Licence"), in south-east Malawi. Mkango's flagship project, the Songwe Hill rare earth project ("Songwe"), for which an updated Pre-feasibility study was completed in November 2015, is located in the Phalombe Licence, as are the Nkalonje, Mantrap, Knoll and Namangale prospects. Songwe and the Nkalonje, Mantrap and Knoll prospects were recently visited by a large delegation of international and Malawian geology and geophysics experts in connection with the EUR5.4 million HiTech AlkCarb research project led by the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter and funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme in which Mkango (through its wholly owned subsidiary, Lancaster Exploration) is an industry partner. The scope of the research project encompasses building exploration expertise in hi-tech raw materials, improving and developing interpretation of geophysical and downhole data. Of particular relevance to Mkango is the opportunity to better understand the potential for large but unexposed mineralised bodies of carbonatite (the host rock for rare earth mineralisation) on either a prospect or regional scale. Based on work to date, such targets within the Phalombe Licence may include the summit of Songwe hill (which lies outside and to the south of the Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate at Songwe) and the Nkalonje vent system, where, in both cases outcrop is largely fenite (altered country rock) with occasional carbonatite, but there may be potential for underlying and larger zones of mineralised carbonatite. Rare earth mineralisation and mineral assemblages for both the fenite and carbonatite will be evaluated in the context of the geophysics covering the areas, to further assess their potential as future drill targets. Subsequent visits by some members of the HiTech AlkCarb team together with Mkango management were also made to Namangale in the Phalombe Licence and also Little Ngona and Chikoleka uranium, tantalum and niobium prospects in the Thambani Licence. Alexander Lemon, President of Mkango, stated: "The renewal of the Phalombe Licence is a strong validation by the Government of Malawi of Mkango's strategy and progress to date at Songwe, where we have invested significant funds to advance the project from an early stage to a pre-feasibility study. We much appreciate the continued support of the Malawian Government, the Ministry of Natural Resources Energy and Mining, the Geological Survey, the Mines Department and local stakeholders as we continue to progress the project and foster capacity building and collaboration between Malawi and the international community." About Mkango Resources Ltd. Mkango's primary business is the exploration for rare earth elements and associated minerals in the Republic of Malawi, a country whose hospitable people have earned it a reputation as "the warm heart of Africa." Mkango holds, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lancaster Exploration Limited, a 100% interest in two exclusive prospecting licenses in southern Malawi, the Thambani licence and the Phalombe licence. The main exploration target in the Phalombe licence is the Songwe Hill rare earths deposit, which features carbonatite hosted rare earth mineralisation and was subject to previous exploration in the late 1980s. Mkango completed an updated Pre-feasibility study for the project in November 2015. Mkango's strategy for Songwe is to further optimise the project with a view to maximising efficiency and reducing costs, thereby providing a strong platform both for entering into partnerships, marketing and offtake arrangements. The main exploration targets in the Thambani licence are uranium, niobium and tantalum. In January 2015, Mkango announced the first set of assay results of 142 soil and rock chip samples from 9 trenches, which returned variably anomalous uranium, niobium and tantalum values in most trenches, ranging up to 4.70 % U 3 O 8 , 3.25 % Nb 2 O 5 in soil and up to 0.42 % U 3 O 8 , 0.78 % Nb 2 O 5 and 972 ppm Ta 2 O 5 in rock chips. In July 2016, the Corporation announced the results of an airborne geophysical survey covering approximately two thirds of the licence area, highlighting a number of significant radiometric and magnetic anomalies. The company's corporate strategy is to develop new sustainable sources of rare earth elements and other minerals geared to growth in the low carbon "green" economy, technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur, which may cause actual performance and results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, without limiting the foregoing, delays in obtaining financing or governmental or stock exchange approvals. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the Corporation disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities law. Additionally, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed above. The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any equity or other securities of the Corporation in the United States. The securities of the Corporation will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold within the United States to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Oct. 18, 2016) - Callinex Mines Inc. (the "Company" or "Callinex") (TSX VENTURE:CNX) (OTCQX:CLLXF) is pleased to announce a new high-grade zinc, gold, silver and copper discovery at the Company's Pine Bay Project, located near HudBay's operations in Flin Flon, Manitoba (See Figures 1, 2 and 3). The discovery hole, 284-3-93-DPN, intersected 10.3m grading 13.1% zinc equivalent mineralization ("Zn Eq.") containing 6.0% Zn, 1.8 g/t Au, 60.4 g/t Ag, 0.7% Cu and 0.4% Pb including a higher grade interval over 4.2m grading 20.8% Zn Eq. containing 11.8% Zn, 2.4 g/t Au, 73.8 g/t Ag, 0.7% Cu and 0.7% Pb. The discovery was made by extending a historic Placer Dome drill hole by 38 meters. The historic drill hole, which ended in copper-bearing sulphide mineralization, was initially drilled as part of their mandate to discover a 30 million tonne Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide ("VMS") deposit at the Pine Bay Project. Max Porterfield, President and CEO, stated, "We are very encouraged by this new discovery which indicates potential for a large, high-grade deposit located within the existing mining lease at Pine Bay. This exploration success comes at a time when the current processing facility in Flin Flon, which has operated for more than 90 consecutive years, has less than four years of ore remaining. In terms of context, the new intersection has encountered the most significant gold and silver results from over 80 years of exploration including 625 holes drilled on the property." Jim Pickell, Chief Geologist, stated, "Having seen several discovery hole intersections over the years, including at the 777 Mine, I'm particularly impressed with this one because of where it sits, its high grade nature and its width. I've always been intrigued by the special geological environment in the Pine Bay area and its likely ability to host a prolific volcanogenic massive sulphide system." Many of the largest deposits within the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt have been discovered at depth, such as the 777 Mine that was the discovered at a down-hole depth of 1,278m and the Lalor Mine that was discovered at a down-hole depth of 781m. HudBay's nearby 777 Mine has proven and probable reserves totaling 6.3 Mt grading approximately 11% Zn Eq. over an average width of 8 meters to a vertical depth of approximately 1,500m. Exploration efforts have reportedly been unable to extend the life of mine. The existence and abundance of zinc, gold and silver indicates that the hole may have intersected the edge of the VMS system. The high-grade nature and strong continuity of gold and silver, with assays including 2.4 g/t Au and 74 g/t Ag over 4.2m suggests that the system is long-lived and robust (See Table 1). In addition, the geophysical interpretation also supports the geological interpretation, showing the majority of the target is at depth (See Figure 4). The Company's geophysical target is modeled to have similar conductance as the intersected zone and extends for approximately 700m along strike and 1,050m in vertical extent, almost entirely below the hole (See Figure 4). The intersected zone consists primarily of lower conductivity or non-conductive metals including zinc, gold and silver. Several historic deposits at the Pine Bay Project, along with the Centennial Mine to the south, are poor geophysical conductors. After reviewing drilling results from earlier this year, Callinex theorized that the Cabin Zone Horizon may not have actually been intersected at depth by historic drilling. Several previously drilled holes including 284-3-93 and 95-02 were selected for deepening as part of the ongoing drilling campaign. Placer Dome had interpreted that the Cabin Zone Horizon was intersected at a down-hole depth of 923m, approximately 77m before where we now know the horizon is located (See Figure 1 and 2). Despite Placer Dome's incorrect interpretation that the down-plunge portion of the Cabin Zone Horizon had been tested, they continued to recommend additional drilling to the south where they believed that the most prospective area remained. This target area is coincident with the newly detected, large (700m wide by 1,050m deep) borehole geophysical target identified from hole 284-3-93-DPN that intersected the newly discovered mineralization. Placer Dome's final hole, 284-5-93 was drilled to test this area but was abandoned due to drilling difficulties and represents an upcoming drill target. This discovery hole is located within the Baker Patton Felsic Complex, one of the largest and most highly altered accumulations of felsic rocks within the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt. A major alteration zone had previously been identified at surface and spans 1,100m by 700m as defined by values of more than 90 using the Hashimoto (Ishikawa et al.) Alteration Index (See Figure 2), a quantitative approach to evaluate alteration trends that ranges from 0 to 100. Since the huge alteration zone seen at surface is structurally overturned, the exploration thesis is that the massive sulphides associated with this mineralizing event would be preserved at depth. Typically, there is a correlation between the size of an alteration zone and the size of VMS deposit it is associated with. The exploration model for large VMS deposits within the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt, such as the Lalor and 777 deposits, includes having several smaller deposits in close proximity to a large alteration system within a major felsic volcanic centre. Historic and recent exploration has identified three VMS deposits, along with the new Pine Bay East Zone, known to exist in close proximity to the huge Baker Patton alteration zone. Inmet Mining Corporation also attempted to test the Cabin Zone Horizon with hole 95-02, which was drilled 400m along strike to the south of hole 284-3-93 but was stopped short of the horizon. Callinex is currently deepening this hole to test the down-plunge extension of the recently discovered Pine Bay East Zone (See News Releases Dated March 7th, 2016 and May 31st, 2016). Table 1: 284-3-93-DPN Assay Results Hole (1)-(4) From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Zn Eq. (%) Zn (%) Cu (%) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Pb (%) 284-3-93-DPN 998.80 1010.26 11.46 12.23 5.61 0.68 1.65 56.38 0.35 Including 999.26 1009.59 10.33 13.06 6.00 0.71 1.78 60.39 0.35 Including 999.80 104.00 4.20 20.77 11.82 0.70 2.43 73.77 0.73 Including 999.80 102.50 2.70 26.35 16.37 0.86 2.57 79.21 0.98 Notes(1)(2)(3(4): Dip and azimuth for hole 284-3-93-DPN is -85 and 317 Az. The 1,101m deep diamond drill hole is located at the following Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates using the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) within UTM Zone 14N: 332882m East and 6071554m North. The collar of the hole is 321m above sea level. Zinc equivalent grades are based on the following metal prices: zinc US$1.00/lb, copper US$2.50/lb, gold US$1,300 per oz, silver US$18.00 per oz, lead US$0.90/lb. Metal recoveries of 100% are applied in the zinc equivalent calculation. The zinc equivalent calculation is as follows: ZnEq = 100 ((Au Price in (g) x Au Grade) + (Ag Price in (g) x Ag Grade) + (Pb Price*2204.6 x (Pb Grade(%)/100) + (Cu Price*2204.6 x Cu Grade(%)/100) + (Zn Price*2204.6 x (Zn Grade(%)/100))/Zn Price*2204.6 The numbers may not add due to rounding. True widths are not currently known. Figure 1: Overview of Flin Flon Area Properties Figure 2: Plan Map of the Northern Pine Bay Area Figure 3: Cross Section of the Northern Pine Bay Area with 3-D Surface Figure 4: Longitudinal Section of the Cabin Zone Horizon and Geophysical Target QA/QC Individual samples were labeled, placed in plastic sample bags, and sealed. Groups of samples were then placed in security sealed bags and shipped directly to SGS Canada Inc in Vancouver, B.C. for analysis. Samples were crushed to 75% passing 2mm and pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns in order produce a 250g split. All copper, zinc and silver assays were determined by Aqua Regia digestion with a combination of ICP-MS and ICP-AES finish, with overlimits (>100 ppm Ag, >10,000 ppm Zn, and >10,000 ppm Cu) completed by fire assay with gravimetric finish (Ag) or Aqua Regia digestion with ICP-AES finish (copper and zinc). All samples were analyzed for gold by Fire Assay of a 30 gram charge by AAS, or if over 10.0 g/t were re-assayed and completed with a gravimetric finish. QA/QC included the insertion and continual monitoring of numerous standards and blanks into the sample stream at a frequency of 1 per 10 samples, and the collection of duplicate samples at random intervals within each batch at a frequency of 1 per 10 samples. SGS Canada Inc carried out some or all of following methods to obtain the assay results for Callinex: G_LOG02 Pre-preparation processing, G_WGH79 Weighing and reporting, G_PRP89 Weigh, dry, crush, split, pulverize, G_SCRQC QC for crush and pulverize stages, G_CRU22 Crush >3kg, G_DRY11 Dry samples, GE_FAA313 @Au, FAS, AAS, 30g-5ml (Final mode), GE-IC14A Aqua Regia digestion/ICP-AES finish, GE_IMS14B Aqua Regia digestion/ICP-MS package, GE_IMS14 Aqua Regia digestion, GO_FAG303 30g, Fire assay, gravimetric finish (Au)(Final Mode), GO_FAG313 30g, Fire assay, gravimetric finish (Ag)(Final Mode), G0_ICP13B Ore Grade, Aqua Regia digest/ICP-AES. Ag >10ppm was analyzed by ICP and GO_XRF77B-pyrosulfate fusion. James Pickell, P.Geo, a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 and a consultant to Callinex, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release. About The Pine Bay Project The Pine Bay Project is located 16km east of HudBay's 777 Mine and processing facilities near Flin Flon, MB. The project area spans 6,000 sq. ha. and covers a significant portion of the Baker Patton Felsic Complex, one of the largest and most highly altered packages of felsic volcanic rocks within the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt. Historic exploration activities have outlined four mineral deposits, three of which are located within a mineral lease that has advanced permitting status and includes the right to conduct mining activities. The Pine Bay deposit, the largest of the four historic deposits, has a 212m vertical shaft with significant underground workings from previous exploration activities. The project has two distinct areas with VMS mineralization, the northern Pine Bay area and the southern Sourdough area. These areas are each related to historic deposits and occur along an approximate 10km NE-SW VMS trend near the top of the Baker Patton Felsic Complex. The Sourdough area is immediately adjacent to HudBay's past-producing Centennial Mine. Callinex has recently intersected new VMS zones in both the Pine Bay and Sourdough areas. During the 1990s, majors including Placer Dome Inc. and Inmet Mining Corporation conducted limited exploration programs in the Pine Bay area to define a large VMS deposit at depth. A review of historic work has confirmed that several proposed drill holes and targets outlined by Placer Dome that were never completed. The property position was recently consolidated for the first time combining several large claim blocks previously operated by companies including Placer Dome, Inmet, Newmont, HudBay and Cameco. Previous to Callinex' modern geophysical and geological exploration programs, very limited work was conducted between 1996 and 2014. Callinex has digitally compiled more than 1,000 mostly shallow drill holes and has completed large airborne and ground geophysical surveys to identify and evaluate the most prospective drill targets. Pine Bay Historic Resources(1)(2) (3) Deposit Tons Cu Eq%(2) Cu % Zn % Au g/t Ag g/t Pine Bay 1,113,200 2.76 2.76 N/A N/A N/A Sourdough 291,150 2.98 1.46 1.71 1.03 29.8 Cabin 125,000 2.18 0.84 4.02 N/A N/A Baker Patton 95,000 3.66 0.80 5.28 0.83 56.0 Total 1,624,350 2.81 2.26 0.92 0.24 8.9 Notes: (1) Values have been converted from the imperial to metric system (2) Historical resource estimates include (a) a Cerro-Mining-Guggenheim Joint Venture report titled "Feasibility Study for 550 ton per day mine & mill", prepared by Wright Engineers Limited in 1971, reported a "geological ore reserve" 1,113,200 tons at 2.76% Cu at the Pine Bay deposit, (b) a Keys report in 1963 reported a historical resource estimate of 291,150 tons at 1.46% Cu at the Sourdough deposit, (c) a Pine Bay Mines report in 1976 reported a historical resource estimate of 125,000 tons at 0.84% Cu at the Cabin deposit and (d) a Macmillan report in 1968 reported a historical resource estimate of 95,000 tons at 0.80% Cu at the Baker Patton deposit. The historical "geological ore reserve" and resource estimates cited above is mentioned for historical purposes only and uses terminology not compliant with current reporting standards. The reliability of these historical estimates is unknown but considered relevant by the Company as it represents a significant target for future exploration work by the Company. The assumptions, parameters and methods used to calculate this historical resource estimate are not known to the Company. The qualified person has not made any attempt to re-classify the estimates accordingly to current NI 43-101 standards of disclosure or the CIM definitions. In order for these resources to be current, the Company will be required to conduct additional drilling on the Pine Bay Property. The Company is not treating this estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves as defined in NI 43-101. Although the Historical resource estimate was also designated as "ore" it cannot be compared to mineral reserves as it is not supported by at least a current pre-feasibility study. (3) Copper equivalent grades are based on metal prices of: copper US$3.00/lb, zinc $1.00/lb, gold US$1200 per oz, silver US$20 per oz. Metal recoveries of 100% are applied in the copper equivalent calculation. CuEq = 100 ((Au Price in (g) x Au Grade) + (Ag Price in (g) x Ag Grade) + (Pb Price*2204.6 x (Pb Grade(%)/100) + (Cu Price*2204.6 x Cu Grade(%)/100) + (Zn Price*2204.6 x (Zn Grade(%)/100))/Cu Price*2204.6 About Callinex Mines Inc. Callinex Mines Inc. is focused on discovering and developing zinc and copper rich mines within prolific Canadian VMS mining jurisdictions. The Company is actively exploring its Pine Bay Project, located in the Flin Flon mining district of Manitoba, which hosts significant historic VMS deposits that are within close proximity to a processing facility. The larger project portfolio hosts three significant zinc rich mineral resources including the Point Leamington, Nash Creek and Superjack Projects located in Eastern Canada. TORONTO, ON--(October 18, 2016) - Gran Colombia Gold Corp. (TSX: GCM) announced today that it produced a total of 39,111 ounces of gold in the third quarter of 2016, up 14% from the third quarter a year ago, bringing the total production for the first nine months of 2016 to 108,829 ounces of gold, up 25% over the first nine months of 2015. With the trailing 12 months' total gold production increasing to 138,879 ounces as of the end of September 2016, the Company remains on track with its production guidance for the 2016 calendar year of a total of 135,000 to 145,000 ounces. At the Segovia Operations, third quarter 2016 gold production totalled 33,552 ounces, up 20% from the third quarter a year ago, despite some disruption to the Company's operations in the latter part of September due to a civil strike that impeded the ability of many of the Company's workers from safely reporting to work. Gran Colombia processed an average of 790 tonnes per day ('tpd") with head grades averaging 14.5 g/t at Segovia in the third quarter of 2016, an improvement from 599 tpd at an average head grade of 16.1 g/t in the third quarter a year ago. For the first nine months of 2016, gold production at the Segovia Operations totalled 91,435 ounces, up 32% from the first nine months last year. As of the end of September 2016, the trailing 12 months' gold production from the Segovia Operations totalled 115,303 ounces. At the Marmato Operations, tonnes processed averaged 966 tpd in the third quarter of 2016, up 11% compared with the third quarter last year. This helped to partially mitigate the impact of lower head grades, which averaged 2.4 g/t in the third quarter this year, and lower mill recovery on gold production which amounted to 5,559 ounces in the third quarter of 2016, down 13% from the third quarter a year ago. For the first nine months of 2016, gold production at the Marmato Operations totalled 17,394 ounces, down 2% from the first nine months last year. As of the end of September 2016, the trailing 12 months' gold production from the Marmato Operations totalled 23,576 ounces. Third Quarter 2016 Results Webcast The Company announced today that it will release its financial results for the third quarter of 2016 after market close on Monday, November 14, 2016 and will host a conference call and webcast on Tuesday, November 15, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the results. Webcast and call-in details are as follows: Live Event link: http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/d9fhybnu Toronto & International: 1 (514) 841-2157 North America Toll Free: 1 (866) 215-5508 Colombia Toll Free: 01 800 9 156 924 Conference ID: 43623958 A replay of the webcast will be available at www.grancolombiagold.com from Tuesday, November 15, 2016 until Thursday, December 15, 2016. About Gran Colombia Gold Corp. Gran Colombia is a Canadian-based gold and silver exploration, development and production company with its primary focus in Colombia. Gran Colombia is currently the largest underground gold and silver producer in Colombia with several underground mines in operation at its Segovia and Marmato Operations. Gran Colombia is in the midst of an expansion and modernization project at its Segovia Operations. Additional information on Gran Colombia can be found on its website at www.grancolombiagold.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains "forward-looking information". Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Gran Colombia to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated as of March 30, 2016, which is available for view on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Gran Colombia disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Oct. 18, 2016) - GMV Minerals Inc. (the "Company" or "GMV") (TSX VENTURE:GMV) is pleased to announce that it has now received all necessary drill permitting for its fall drill program. The Company intends to commence operations in the next two weeks which is specifically designed to expand mineral resources to the west, east and south of the existing Mexican Hat gold resource. Approximately 15 drill holes, each up to 300m in depth, will test structures as deep as 100m below historical drilling and where a 262 metre mechanical trenching program (see NR July 25, 2016) confirmed surface mineralization 370 metres along strike to the southeast of the established resource. The Company also announces it has completed its geochemical survey in a highly prospective zone to the south and east of the Mexican Hat gold discovery. These 700+ samples were systematically collected up to one kilometre away from the known resource, significantly extending the Company's potential. Distinctive zones of hematized and altered red-coloured soils were identified along the projected strike of the mineralization. The established resource is constrained to re-altered (hematized) fractures that cross cut Tertiary volcanic rocks. The samples are being shipped to Bureau Veritas Laboratories in Richmond, B.C. for multi-element analysis, and results are expected soon. The Company has also engaged Arizona-based Zonge International, Inc. ("Zonge") to conduct a geophysical test using robust geophysical methods (audio frequency magnetotellurics) which will be utilized to identify potential future drill targets. This is designed to identify weakly conductive units (fractured rocks with associated alteration) to depths of 300m to 600m. This is of particular importance as, to date, all known mineralization is either exposed at surface or is within 100m depth of exposed structures. Such structures were easily identified by VLF-EM surveys completed in the past, but VLF-EM cannot penetrate overburden covered areas. This geophysical program may identify these types of structures in areas of limited or no exposure, such as those identified in the recently completed geochemical survey. Zonge will have a field crew onsite within two weeks. About GMV Minerals Inc. GMV Minerals Inc. is a publicly traded exploration company focused on developing precious metal assets in Arizona. GMV, through its 100% owned subsidiary, has a 100% interest in a Mining Property Lease commonly referred to as the Mexican Hat project, located in Cochise County, Arizona, USA. The Mexican Hat property contains an inferred mineral resource of 23,452,000 tonnes grading 0.70 grams of gold per tonne hosting 531,400 troy ounces of gold. The project was initially explored by Placer Dome (USA) in the late 1980's to early 1990's. GMV is focused on developing the asset and realizing the full mineral potential of the property through near term gold production. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ian Klassen, President Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management of the Company regarding future events or results. Such statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements except as may be required by law. HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA / TheNewswire / October 18, 2016 - Oceanus Resources Corporation (TSXV:OCN) ("Oceanus" or the "Company") reports additional assay results from the ongoing diamond drilling program on its 100% owned El Tigre Property in Sonora, Mexico. Highlights from the drilling include the following: Hole ET-16-092 - 95.6 meters of 1.35 g/t gold equivalent consisting of 1.17 g/t gold and 13.2 g/t silver; including 42.1 meters of 2.62 g/t gold equivalent consisting of 2.40 g/t gold and 17.1 g/t silver. Hole ET-16-096 - 74.2 meters of 0.96 g/t gold equivalent consisting of 0.80 g/t gold and 11.6 g/t silver; including 28.7 meters of 1.26 g/t gold equivalent consisting of 1.06 g/t gold and 15.1 g/t silver. Hole ET-16-095 - 95.5 meters of 0.77 g/t gold equivalent consisting of 0.42 g/t gold and 26.3 g/t silver; including 8.3 meters of 1.70 g/t gold equivalent consisting of 1.59 g/t gold and 8.0 g/t silver. The true width has not been calculated for the intercepts, but true width is generally estimated at 75-90% of drilled width. Drill assays were composited by length-weighted averaging into intersections using a 0.2 g/t gold equivalent cut-off grade. The gold equivalent ratio is based on a gold-to-silver price ratio of 75:1. Oceanus has now completed 19 holes totaling 3,127 meters of HQ size core. Results from the first 7 drill holes were announced in the Oceanus News Release dated September 14, 2016. Today's news release provides the results for the next 9 drill holes (ET-16-090 to ET-16-98). The purpose of the drilling program is to determine the full extent of the mineralization in the hanging wall and footwall of the deposit, to confirm the geological continuity of the mineralization, to test the oxidized zone to a vertical depth of 200 meters and to collect fresh core for metallurgical test work. The table below provides details of the significant intersections for the 9 drill holes. The holes were drilled between Sections 4300N and 3950N in the central portion of the 1.6 kilometer long deposit. Additionally, Hole ET-16-088, originally reported in the Oceanus News Release dated September 14, 2016, was deepened from 126.3 to 178.9 meters using NQ drill core. The hole was originally suspended at an open stope (126.3 to 130.1 meters). The mineralization continued in the footwall below the first opening and two more stopes were discovered at 154.1 to 157.6 meters and 163.7 to 166.7 meters. No grade was assigned to those intervals when calculating the average grades for the intersections. Glenn Jessome, President and CEO of Oceanus, commented "These drill results further exhibit wide oxidized zones of precious metals mineralization that outcrop at surface, supporting our hypothesis that El Tigre could be another significant bulk tonnage project in the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico." Drill Section Hole ID Comment From To Length (1) Au Ag AuEq (2) (meters) (meters) (meters) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) 4000 ET-16-088 22.6 30.0 7.5 0.82 1.3 0.84 and 64.7 154.1 89.4 0.48 9.5 0.61 including 98.2 107.3 9.1 1.15 19.5 1.41 including 146.6 154.1 7.5 1.18 1.1 1.19 and 166.7 168.1 1.4 0.07 397.3 5.37 4000 ET-16-090 43.1 51.8 8.7 0.62 0.6 0.62 and 65.9 69.7 3.8 0.36 1.7 0.38 and 96.2 125.3 29.1 0.46 3.0 0.50 including 112.0 120.3 8.3 0.95 3.4 0.99 and 149.8 153.2 3.4 0.04 16.6 0.26 4200 ET-16-091 33.4 146.3 112.9 0.39 9.9 0.52 including 64.0 146.3 82.3 0.44 11.2 0.59 including 123.2 139.0 15.8 0.98 6.8 1.07 3975 ET-16-092 0.0 95.6 95.6 1.17 13.2 1.35 including 0.0 42.1 42.1 2.40 17.1 2.62 3950 ET-16-093 39.4 57.8 18.4 0.37 3.3 0.41 including 40.6 44.0 3.4 0.99 4.2 1.04 3900 ET-16-094 0.0 94.7 94.7 0.35 11.7 0.51 including 60.0 73.8 13.9 1.00 2.7 1.03 and 114.0 118.7 4.7 0.09 77.9 1.13 3975 ET-16-095 27.8 123.2 95.5 0.42 26.3 0.77 including 27.8 43.9 16.2 0.88 1.8 0.91 including 48.7 57.0 8.3 1.59 8.0 1.70 including 69.9 80.4 10.5 0.40 67.5 1.30 including 106.5 109.5 3.0 0.25 410.4 5.72 4250 ET-16-096 9.0 34.0 25.0 0.33 5.2 0.38 and 43.0 117.2 74.2 0.80 11.6 0.96 including 54.0 59.4 5.4 1.71 29.4 2.11 including 81.0 109.7 28.7 1.06 15.1 1.26 and 140.2 142.8 2.7 1.16 0.7 1.16 Drill Section Hole ID Comment From To Length (1) Au Ag AuEq (2) (meters) (meters) (meters) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) 4300 ET-16-097 0.0 25.0 25.0 0.23 17.7 0.46 including 18.5 22.8 4.3 0.40 67.2 1.30 and 34.2 58.5 24.4 0.34 17.7 0.57 and 68.5 74.5 6.0 0.51 3.5 0.55 and 85.2 91.8 6.6 0.45 192.4 3.01 and 110.0 125.0 15.0 0.44 2.2 0.47 3750 ET-16-098 20.6 27.8 7.2 0.24 2.8 0.27 and 35.6 43.6 8.1 0.75 7.9 0.86 including 37.8 42.1 4.4 1.19 13.4 1.37 and 53.6 100.9 47.3 0.42 2.7 0.46 and 112.4 115.4 3.0 0.18 15.1 0.38 and 125.4 153.7 28.3 0.22 7.0 0.32 including 125.4 135.7 10.3 0.35 6.3 0.44 Notes: True width has not been calculated for each individual intercept, but true width is generally estimated at 75-90% of drilled width. Metallurgical recoveries and net smelter returns are assumed to be 100% Gold Equivalent ratio based on gold to silver price ratio of 75:1 Ag:Au. The following table provides the drill hole locations for the Oceanus drill holes completed to date: Hole ID Northing Easting Elevation Azimuth Dip Length(meters) ET-16-083 3384150 671110 1862.0 90 -65 197.1 ET-16-084 3384975 671113 1885.0 90 -45 142.3 ET-16-085 3384125 671097 1958.2 90 -45 260.7 ET-16-086 3384175 671122 1961.0 90 -45 151.1 ET-16-087 3384225 671149 1965.6 90 -50 199.9 ET-16-087A 3384225 671149 1965.6 90 -45 62.3 ET-16-088 3384000 671074 1905.7 90 -48 178.9 ET-16-089 3384050 671164 1951.0 90 -55 144.9 ET-16-090 3384000 671051 1904.0 90 -45 220.7 ET-16-091 3384200 671104 1904.0 90 -50 157.1 ET-16-092 3383975 671141 1900.0 90 -45 150.9 ET-16-093 3383950 671080 1872.0 90 -45 137.0 ET-16-094 3383900 671136 1876.0 90 -45 144.5 ET-16-095 3383975 671091 1893.0 90 -45 199.5 ET-16-096 3384250 671112 1949.0 90 -50 178.3 ET-16-097 3384300 671129 1964.0 90 -45 150.1 ET-16-098 3383750 671157 1942.0 90 -45 153.7 ET-16-099 3383800 671187 1934 90 -45 150.5 ET-16-100 3383875 371151 1986 90 -45 148.3 Total meters 3,127.4 As press released on September 8, 2016 Oceanus has mobilized a second drill rig to the El Tigre Property. The second drill rig will begin drilling at El Tigre in October, 2016. Lab Preparation and Assay The diamond drill core (HQ size) is geologically logged, photographed and marked for sampling. When the sample lengths are determined the full core is sawn with a diamond blade core saw with one-third of the core being bagged and tagged for assay. The remaining two-thirds portion is returned to the core trays for storage and/or for metallurgical test work. The sealed and tagged sample bags are transported to the ActLabs facility in Zacatecas, Mexico. ActLabs crushes the samples and prepares 200-300 gram pulp samples with ninety percent passing Tyler 150 mesh (106?m). The pulps are assayed for gold using a 50 gram charge by fire assay (Code 1A2-50) and over limits greater than 10 grams per tonne are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code 1A3-50). Silver and multi-element analysis is completed using total digestion (Code 1F2 Total Digestion ICP). Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Data Verification Quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") procedures monitor the chain-of-custody of the samples and includes the systematic insertion and monitoring of appropriate reference materials (certified standards, blanks and duplicates) into the sample strings. The results of the assaying of the QA/QC material included in each batch are tracked to ensure the integrity of the assay data. All results stated in this announcement have passed Oceanus' QA/QC protocols. Qualified Person David R. Duncan, P. Geo., V.P. Exploration of the Company, is the Qualified Person for Oceanus as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Duncan has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release and has reviewed the Technical Report. About Oceanus Resources Corporation Oceanus Resources Corporation is a gold exploration company operating in Mexico. Oceanus is managed by a team of mine finders with extensive experience in exploring and developing large hydrothermal gold projects in Mexico. Oceanus is currently focusing on the El Tigre Property in the Sierra Madre Occidental. For further information, please contact: Glenn Jessome President and CEO 902 492 0298 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, resources and reserves, the ability to convert inferred resources to indicated resources, the ability to complete future drilling programs and infill sampling, the ability to extend resource blocks, the similarity of mineralization at El Tigre to the Ocampo mine, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of Oceanus, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "may", "is expected to", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans", "projection", "could", "vision", "goals", "objective" and "outlook" and other similar words. Although Oceanus believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Oceanus's expectations include risks and uncertainties related to exploration, development, operations, commodity prices and global financial volatility, risk and uncertainties of operating in a foreign jurisdiction as well as additional risks described from time to time in the filings made by Oceanus with securities regulators. Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Tasca Resources Ltd. ("Tasca", TAC or the "Company") (TSX Venture symbol: TAC) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire the Bleiberg zinc-lead-germanium-fluorite project, located in southern Austria, west of the city of Villach (the Bleiberg Property). The Bleiberg Property consists of 116 mining concessions in the land registry municipalities of Bad Bleiberg, Notsch im Gailtal, St. Stefan im Gailtal and Paternion in southwestern Austria. The Bleiberg Property hosts an extensive mining infrastructure with more than 1150 kilometres of tunnels and 3 mine shafts. Historic production was about 500,000 tons per year, and it was one of the 6 largest Germanium producers in the world while it was in production. Average grades were 6 percent zinc, 1 percent lead and 200 parts per million (ppm) germanium. Source: ARCHIV FUR LAGERSTATTENFORSCHUNG DER GEOLOGISCHEN BUNDESANSTALT, Arch. f. Lagerst.forsch. Geol. B.-A. ISSN 0253-097X Band 18 S. 533 Wien, Juni 1995, Austrian Resource Potential of Specialty Metals (Ga, In, Tl, Se, Te, Cd) in Lead-Zinc and Other Ores Numerous scientific papers, for instance: Immo Cerny, Carinthia II, 181. Jahrgang, p 119 129, Klagenfurt 1991 suggest a geological target of 30 to 50 million tons at grades of approximately 6 percent zinc and 1 percent lead, similar to historic grades, remain within the Bleiberg Property. Tasca cautions investors to note that the potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature, there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if future exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. Mineralization consists of stratabound galena and sphalerite within Triassic limestones and intercalated carbonates. The sphalerite also carries average values of 200 parts per million germanium and 2000 parts per million cadmium. The historically mined mineralized bodies were stratiform zones ranging from 1 metre thick and 100 metres in diameter to 5 metres thick and several hundred metres in diameter. Mineralization was developed to 900 metres vertical depth. (Source: Mineral Deposits of the Eastern Alps by H.F. Holzer and E.F. Stumpel. International Geological Congress 26th Session Excursion 080C dated 1980.) The last mine shut down in 1992 as a result of falling metal prices. Along with the increasing prices for zinc and lead, the increasing demand and price for germanium makes the Bleiberg Property an attractive asset for Tasca. Clive Massey President and CEO of Tasca Resources commented, The significance of the acquisition of this Property cannot be understated, with the demand for Germanium expected to continue to strengthen as the market for semiconductors and fibrotic cable grows, it makes this a particularly interesting addition to our property portfolio. Germanium is a semimetal element with numerous specialty applications, mined primarily from sphalerite, with lesser amounts recovered commercially as a by-product from silver, lead, and copper mineralization. Germanium is used as a semiconductor in transistors and various other electronic devices. Historically, the first decade of semiconductor electronics was based entirely on germanium. Today the largest percentage of Germanium production is used for the manufacturing of fibre-optic systems, infrared optics, solar cell applications, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Germanium compounds are also used for polymerization catalysts and have most recently found use in the production of nanowires. This element forms a large number of organometallic compounds, such as tetraethylgermane, useful in organometallic chemistry. Samarium Tennessine Corp., a Vancouver based company owns 100% of the Bleiberg Property through one of its subsidiaries Samarium Borealis Corp (SBC) and has agreed to the following terms and conditions: Tasca will have 90 days from the signing of the LOI to complete its due diligence on the Bleiberg Property in order to enter into a definitive acquisition agreement with SBC whereby Tasca would acquire a 100% right, title and interest in the Property. The Companys QP, R. Tim Henneberry, P.Geo. (BC) has been dispatched to Austria to commence the due diligence process. The closing of a definitive acquisition agreement will be subject to Tasca receiving all necessary approvals as well as the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange in order for Tasca to issue 4 million common shares and pay CAD$150, 000 as consideration for the Bleiberg Property. Finders fees will be payable subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. R. Tim Henneberry, P.Geo., Advisor to Tasca Resources Ltd. is the Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, who has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Oct. 18, 2016) - B2Gold Corp. (TSX:BTO)(NYSE MKT:BTG)(NAMIBIAN:B2G) ("B2Gold" or the "Company") reports that the Masbate Gold Project ("MGP") has received the results of the DENR Audit Report. We had previously received a Preliminary Notice detailing the Audit Findings on September 27, 2016 (see news release dated September 27, 2016). Over the past three weeks, management of the MGP has developed responses and an action plan based on the Preliminary Notice and ongoing communications with DENR representatives. We have received and analyzed the comprehensive Audit Report findings and determined that they are broadly consistent with the Preliminary Notice and the action plan developed to date. The points raised are principally related to administrative and regulatory compliance issues which B2Gold is confident will be resolved by continuing to work closely with the appropriate government agencies. The Company is well positioned to respond to the matters raised in the Audit Report and expects to do so by Friday, October 21, 2016, which is within the seven-day timeframe provided in accordance with DENR guidelines. The Audit Report also provides a number of additional recommendations that we fully support. That includes creation of an Integrated Area Development Plan, new undertakings with SDMP (Social Development Management Plan) funds with community and MGB support, greening work at the mine and small miner initiatives. Many of these recommendations align with the MGP and B2Gold corporate philosophies. We look forward to working with the DENR, EMB and MGP on their implementation. Meanwhile, operations continue uninterrupted. The MGP is the largest single investment in the Province of Masbate and the largest producing gold mine in the Philippines. The MGB operations are ISO 14001 compliant so that our environmental management systems demonstrably meet Philippine requirements. The MGP continues to maintain an outstanding Safety Performance record and recently completed one year (6,000,000 man-hours) of accident free operation. ON BEHALF OF B2GOLD CORP. "Clive T. Johnson" President and Chief Executive Officer For more information on B2Gold please visit the Company website at www.b2gold.com. The Toronto Stock Exchange neither approves nor disapproves the information contained in this news release. This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation, including statements with respect to future events or future performance; the expected resolution of the issues raised in the DENR Audit Report; the Company responding to the issues raised in the DENR Audit Report within the seven day timeline provided in accordance with DENR guidelines; the implementation of the additional recommendations contained in the DENR Audit Report; the Company's environmental management systems meeting Philippine requirements and our operations continuing uninterrupted. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond B2Gold's control, including the uncertainty whether the Company's response to the issues raised in the Audit Report will be satisfactory to the DENR and whether the issues raised in the DENR Audit Report will be resolved in a timely manner; the uncertainty of estimates regarding the costs of construction and the timing and amount of production; risks associated with the volatility of metal prices and currencies; risks and dangers inherent in exploration, development and mining activities; uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates; financing risks; risks related to hedging activities; the ability to obtain and maintain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for mining activities; shortages or cost increases in necessary equipment, supplies and labour; regulatory, political and country risks; litigation risk; risks related to environmental regulations or hazards and compliance with complex regulations associated with mining activities; the ability to replace mineral reserves and identify acquisition opportunities; unknown liabilities of companies acquired by B2Gold; fluctuations in exchange rates; availability of financing and financing risks; risks related to operations in foreign countries and compliance with foreign laws; risks related to remote operations and the availability adequate infrastructure; fluctuations in price and availability of energy and other inputs necessary for mining operations; risks related to reliance upon contractors, third parties and joint venture partners; challenges to title or surface rights; dependence on key personnel; the risk of an uninsurable or uninsured loss; changes in tax laws; community support for our operations including risks related to strikes and the halting of such operations from time to time; as well as other factors identified and as described in more detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in B2Gold's most recent Annual Information Form and B2Gold's other filings with Canadian securities regulators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which may be viewed at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, respectively. The list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits or liabilities B2Gold will derive therefrom. The Company's forward looking statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Oct. 18, 2016) - Coro Mining Corp. ("Coro" or the "Company") (TSX:COP) is pleased to announce the results of the final 23 reverse circulation (RC) holes from the 39 hole, 8530m hole drill program completed at its Marimaca copper project, located 22km E of the port of Mejillones in the II Region of Chile, (Fig. 1). Previous drill results from Marimaca were released on April 28, May 6, September 6 and October 4 2016. Alan Stephens, President and CEO of Coro commented, "As with the prior results, these final holes intersected attractive mineralization and confirm the extent and continuity of the deposit as we step out from the original drilled area. Only 2 holes out of the entire resource definition drill program did not intersect mineralization and they define the SW margin of the body, which remains open in other directions. Its geometry is confirmed as a 150-250m thick, gently ESE dipping, slab of strongly fractured Jurassic diorite formed at the intersection of the major N striking Marimaca structure and NE striking mineralizing feeder zones. Hypabyssal diorite intrusives are associated with the introduction of chalcopyrite (mainly as veinlets), which was subsequently largely supergene enriched to chalcocite and covellite. The resulting secondary enrichment blanket has been almost completely oxidised to green copper oxides (mostly brochantite and chrysocolla), with lower grade copper wad and black oxides deposited at the peripheries of the deposit during oxidation. The deposit is cross cut by unmineralized late and post mineral dykes and sills. "Metallurgical column test work is underway and the initial resource estimate is scheduled for completion in November. Due diligence for the acquisition of Minera Rayrock, owner of the ~10ktpy Cu Ivan SXEW plant located ~20km S of Marimaca, (see our August 4 2016 news release), is almost complete. Various development scenarios for the project are being evaluated." Drilling Results Latest results are shown on Tables 1 where %CuT means total copper. Drill hole locations are shown on Fig. 2 and a typical cross section on Fig. 3. Acid solubilities for all samples in the oxide zone are good at 72% for all assays > 0.1%CuT and rising to 79% for >0.3%CuT. Table 1: Intersections Hole TD From To m %CuT Type MAR-32 200m 98 118 20 0.17 Oxide and 134 148 14 0.19 Oxide 188 200 12 0.17 Oxide MAR-33B 200m 98 142 44 0.49 Oxide and 160 188 28 0.39 Enriched MAR-34 270m 152 254 102 0.79 All including 152 192 40 1.28 Oxide 192 196 4 1.77 Enriched 196 208 12 0.97 Primary 208 246 38 0.23 Oxide 246 254 8 0.28 Primary MAR-35 250m and 114 198 84 0.31 Oxide 224 232 8 0.49 Primary MAR-36 200m 130 192 62 0.42 Oxide MAR-37 200m 162 178 16 0.22 Oxide MAR-38 200m 0 32 32 0.51 Oxide and 114 142 28 0.40 Oxide MAR-39 400m 82 164 82 0.83 All including 82 142 60 0.86 Oxide 142 164 22 0.74 Mixed and 192 242 50 0.49 Oxide MAR-40 200m 54 104 50 0.49 Oxide and 118 140 22 0.43 Oxide 150 160 10 0.44 Oxide MAR-41 200m 22 78 56 0.44 Oxide and 142 170 28 0.28 Oxide MAR-42 200m 36 78 42 0.36 Oxide and 106 172 66 0.79 All including 106 152 46 0.51 Oxide 152 172 20 1.42 Mixed MAR-43 200m 4 66 62 0.31 Oxide 74 86 12 0.62 Oxide and 98 150 52 0.45 Oxide MAR-44 200m 16 28 12 0.58 Oxide and 68 92 24 0.32 Oxide 102 132 30 0.51 Oxide 150 200 50 1.31 All including 150 166 16 0.80 Oxide 166 178 12 1.43 Mixed 178 198 20 1.17 Oxide 198 200 2 6.08 Enriched MAR-45 200m 2 194 192 0.83 All including 2 126 124 0.70 Oxide 126 140 14 1.28 Primary 144 190 46 1.12 Oxide 190 194 4 0.58 Primary MAR-46 150m 0 134 134 0.67 All including 0 84 84 0.56 Oxide 84 90 6 5.30 Enriched 90 134 44 0.25 Oxide MAR-47 150m 34 94 60 0.26 Oxide and 118 132 14 0.22 Oxide MAR-51 250m 98 108 10 0.20 Oxide and 134 204 70 0.26 Oxide MAR-52 250m 86 104 18 0.47 Oxide and 122 156 34 0.40 Oxide MAR-53 250m 2 64 62 0.49 Oxide and 102 112 10 0.43 Oxide 126 154 28 0.68 All including 126 134 8 0.67 Oxide 142 148 6 1.98 Primary 148 154 6 0.21 Oxide MAR-54 200m 32 84 52 0.88 Oxide Holes MAR-48 to 50 tested geochemical anomalies to the E of the outcropping mineralization. They intersected spotty copper values consistent with their location in the hanging wall pyrite halo of the deposit, now strongly leached to limonite. Agreement Terms Coro has the right to earn a 75% interest in the property as follows; 51% interest earned in Compania Minera Newco Marimaca (CMNM) with a $125k payment together with completion of a NI43-101 resource estimate and engineering study that demonstrates the technical and economic feasibility of producing a minimum of 1.5ktpy Cu cathode by August 6th 2018 at Coro's cost, Additional 24% interest in CMNM earned by Coro upon obtaining financing for the project construction The owner's interest will comprise a 15% interest free carried to commencement of commercial production and a 10% participating interest subject to dilution. The owners at their election may request Coro to loan them the equity portion corresponding to their 10% interest, if any, recoverable by Coro from 100% of the project's free cash flow after debt repayments Coro retains a first right of refusal Sampling and Assay Protocol True widths cannot be determined with the information available at this time. Coro RC holes were sampled on a 2 m continuous basis, with dry samples riffle split on site and one quarter sent to the Geolaquim laboratory in Copiapo, Chile by Coro personnel for preparation and assaying. A second quarter was stored on site for reference. Core from DDH holes was photographed, logged, split and sampled on site by Coro personnel and one half of the core sent to Geolaquim. Samples were prepared using the following standard protocol: drying; crushing to better than 85% passing -10#; homogenizing; splitting; pulverizing a 500-700g subsample to 95% passing -150#; and a 125g split of this sent for assaying. All samples were assayed for CuT (total copper) and CuS (acid soluble copper) by AAS. A full QA/QC program, involving insertion of appropriate blanks, standards and duplicates was employed with acceptable results. Samples showing significant secondary sulphides will be assayed for CuCN (cyanide soluble copper) in due course. Pulps and sample rejects are stored by Coro for future reference. Sergio Rivera, Vice President of Exploration, Coro Mining Corp, a geologist with more than 32 years of experience and a member of the Colegio de Geologos de Chile and of the Instituto de Ingenieros de Minas de Chile, was responsible for the design and execution of the exploration program and is the Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101. Alan Stephens, FIMMM, President and CEO, of Coro Mining Corp, a geologist with more than 40 years of experience, and a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101, is responsible for the contents of this news release. CORO MINING CORP. Alan Stephens President and CEO About Coro Mining Corp.: Coro's strategy is to grow a mining business through the discovery, development and operation of "Coro type" deposits. These are defined as projects at whatever stage of development, that are well located with respect to infrastructure and water, which have low permitting risk, and which have the potential to achieve a short and cost effective timeline to production. Our preference is for open pit heap leach copper projects, where we will seek to minimise capital investment rather than maximise NPV, where we will prioritise profitability over production rate, and finally, where the likely capital cost is financeable relative to our market capitalization. The Company's assets include its 65% interest in SCM Berta including the Berta and Salvadora deposits; the Marimaca drill stage project; the Planta Prat project; the Llancahue prospect; and a royalty on the San Jorge copper-gold project located in Argentina. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements or information, include but are not limited to those with respect to the geological potential and size of Marimaca. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are beyond Coro's ability to predict or control and may cause Coro's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any of its future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, the operation of the Nora Plant, copper price volatility, and changes in debt and equity markets. Such forward-looking statements are also based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time with the securities regulators in the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Coro undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements contained herein whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Were excited to announce that metalbulletin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving metals market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets. Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials. If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details. Phillies rookie right-hander Zach Eflin had season-ending surgery Friday to repair his right patella tendon, Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com writes. The Phillies have also moved Eflin to the 60-day DL. He will likely require a similar surgery on his left knee in about six weeks, GM Matt Klentak said. The Phillies are hopeful hell be ready for Spring Training. Eflins knee issues landed him on the DL earlier this month, but his knee troubles go back further much further, according to Klentak. This is an issue hes been fighting since he was a kid. I think he told me since he was 11 years old, he first started battling knee problems. The hope here is that its going to alleviate the problem, Klentak says, via Lawrence. And in just talking candidly with Zach last night, while not excited to undergo the knife today, he was pretty excited about the possibility of coming to Spring Training next year pain-free for the first time in his life. Eflin came up through the Padres system, then headed to the Phillies in December 2014 via two quick trades first to the Dodgers in the Matt Kemp / Yasmani Grandal deal, then to Philadelphia in the Jimmy Rollins swap. The 22-year-old emerged as a big-league rotation candidate this year with a strong showing at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he posted a 2.90 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 68 1/3 innings. He struggled after being promoted, with a 5.54 ERA, 4.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 63 1/3 innings with the Phillies. Eflin isnt the only young starter the Phillies have lost to injury recently. Earlier this week, they shut down Aaron Nola with a UCL sprain and flexor strain. Theyre currently going with a rotation of Jeremy Hellickson, Jerad Eickhoff, Vincent Velasquez, Jake Thompson and Adam Morgan. Every country and culture have their different ways to wooing women and dating practices. The ones we see in foreign films are second nature to them and the ones in Nigerian films, we can relate with. However, some romantic gestures can be misconstrued if a person is not used to it. t;s like when a comedian said Nigerian women will not accept flowers because they are 'grass'. It is important to know your boo and find out what works with them so you don't end up scaring them because they think it is witchcraft. Legit.ng has compiled five hilarious times Nigerian Twitter users showed the witchcraft side of some romantic gestures: 1. When the man has watched to many love scenes in foreign movies. In films, it's cute to wake your girlfriend up in he middle of the night just to show her love and say you were missing her. We even do that but usually via midnight calls and all. However, if you are not careful, someone will think you have come with a concoction at the appointed time by your native doctor, lol, so be careful. READ ALSO: Awesome! Read what this couple did for the past 12 years (photo) 2. When the woman takes the lead. These days, women can use Feminism to take the lead in society. Some women can even take the lead and ask the man out or propose a relationship. This is a refreshing train of thought but some men wonder if you are a 'mami water' or something dangerous which is why you chase men and they don't chase you. READ ALSO: 4 habits of highly happy marriages 3. When even Church cannot save him Some men can go to Church but have still not let Christ into their life. They will fight you, treat you anyhow and you will try to justify it because he goes to Church. Look for the man who loves Christ so much you see it in him and not the one who reminds you that he loves Christ when you don't see it. They say even the devil knows the Bible. READ ALSO: 9 Wizkid song lyrics you can use to easily toast any Nigerian woman 4. Silent charms When something out of the ordinary happens, people assume there was some supernatural intervention. Here, Cinderella got her man without having sex and someone had to remind everyone that magic aka juju was involved, lol. READ ALSO: 6 DEMONIC ways Nigerian girls make guys fall in love 5. 50 shades of not going to happen! Wikipedia say BDSM is sa variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism. Apparently, you have to be careful the way you tie someone while in bed before they assume you are going to deliver them to a native doctor and use them for blood money. Source: Legit.ng Subscribe | What is RSS Date: October 18, 2016 Contact: October 18, 2016 Michael Barber , 252-475-9032 Starting this November, the historic Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center will undergo a rehabilitation project to preserve and restore its existing architecturally significant features and to rehabilitate its mechanical and electrical systems. A temporary visitor center will be available for visitors during the rehabilitation. While the rehabilitation project is taking place, the park will also be completing the design of new interactive exhibits, relevant to todays audiences, that will replace the current 1960-era exhibits. The reproduction 1903 Wright Flyer will be loaned to the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh during the duration of the rehabilitation project. The Flyer will become part of a current lobby exhibit on the Wright Brothers which already includes a full scale reproduction of the Wright Brothers 1911 Glider. According to Ken Howard, Director of the North Carolina Museum of History, The North Carolina Museum of History is excited to be working with the National Park Service to provide a temporary home for their reproduction of the Wright Brothers 1903 Flyer while the Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center is rehabilitated. The flights of the Wright Brothers in North Carolina are some of the most important events in our states history. Upon completion of the project, the 1903 Flyer will return to Wright Brothers National Memorial, where it will be prominently displayed in the Visitor Center Flight Room. The Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 3, 2001. Both the rehabilitation project and interpretive exhibit upgrades are expected to be completed during the summer of 2018. During the second presidential debate on Oct. 9, interrogator Martha Raddatz passed along the following questionostensibly submitted by Diane from Pennsylvaniato both candidates: If you were president, what would you do about Syria and the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo? Isnt is a lot like the Holocaust when the US waited too long before we helped? Leaving aside the fatuous invocation of the Nazi holocaust (Im shocked the ADL hasnt issued a statement branding Diane from Pennsylvania anti-Semitic), lets take a look at our next presidents response, which is of course entirely predictable. There is a determined effort by the Russian Air Force to destroy Aleppo in order to eliminate the last of the Syrian rebels who are really holding out against the Assad regime, Hillary said, neglecting to mention that the rebels she implicitly glorifies are in fact Wahhabi gangsters affiliated with al-Qaeda (a fact she acknowledges in private, as well see presently). And she followed up that bit of doublespeak with an outright lie: Russia hasnt paid any attention to ISIS. Thats a rather bold statement for Hillary to make, given that during the debates she repeatedly called on the fact-checkers at home to vet her opponents fabrications. This particular canardthat Damascus and Moscow tolerate ISIS while going after civilians and moderate rebelsis every bit as egregious, and every bit as refutable, as any of Trumps numerous lies. Its also exasperating, because it illustrates how confident our representatives are that the American people wont bother to verify what theyre being told. After all, one needs merely to utilize Googles search bar (or, if one values ones privacy, some other search bar like DuckDuckGo) to glean the truth: The Syrian and Russian militaries are hitting ISIS very hard, with significant results. Take the ancient city of Palmyra, captured and largely destroyed by ISIS in May of 2015. The world looked on with disgust as videos and images surfaced showing ISIS fighters demolishing the citys most treasured cultural monuments and artifacts. But it was more than a symbolic loss; Palmyra is strategically located in central Syria and provided ISIS with an important supply route to its headquarters in Raqqa. It was an invaluable addition to the so-called Caliphate. With that in mind, closely read the following from journalist Patrick Cockburn, whose broad coverage of the ongoing wars in Syria and Iraq should be read by anyone wishing to understand either conflict: A striking feature of the Isis victory in [Palmyra] last year was that its fighters were able to advance without being bombarded by US aircraft because the US did not want to be accused of doing anything that would help the Assad government, whom it accused of never fighting Isis. The claim was in part propagandistic since the Syrian army had suffered a series of defeats at the hands of Isis in 2014 as was shown by Isis atrocity videos in which Syrian soldiers taken prisoner are shown being decapitated or shot. (Emphasis added.) Now, try to reconcile that with the rhetoric emanating from the State Department and its mouthpieces in the mainstream media, about Assad avoiding ISIS. Cant be done. In fact, at least in this case, it was the U.S. that was avoiding ISIS. In March, as you may or may not have heard, Palmyra was recaptured from ISISby the Syrian army, with close air support from Russia. This was a major victory; it constituted a watershed moment in the fight against ISIS, and lo, it was all but ignored by the Western press. Why? Simple. It belied their narrative and exposed the mendacity of their agenda. More recently, in September, Russian airstrikes wiped out over 200 ISIS militants and 15 armored vehicles outside Palmyra. Once again this contradicted the Western refrain; once again it was ignored. Meanwhile, the taking of Manbij from ISIS in August was celebrated across our media, in spite of the fact that the tactics employed by the US-led coalition bear a striking resemblance to those being employednotoriouslyby the Syrian army and Russian air force in Aleppo. Does the reader sense a pattern here? It is against these bare facts that Hillary Clinton asserted, to millions of people on national television, that Russia hasnt paid any attention to ISIS. If this Trump-level (read: Goebbels-level) counterfactual was exposed as such by any major media outlet, I must have missed it. With Russia properly slandered, Hillary proceeded to articulate her prescription for deescalating the Syrian calamity. When I was Secretary of State, she said, [I] advocated, and I advocate today, a no-fly and safe zones. We need some leverage with the Russians because they are not going to come to the negotiating table for a diplomatic resolution unless there is leverage over them. Russia, of course, already desires a diplomatic resolution in Syria (and has all along), hence the regular meetings between John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. So Hillary has lied again, for the benefit of no one and nothing. But lets not tarry on that. Her talk of a no-fly zone over Syria, while mad, is nothing new; shes been saying it since her campaign began. Its worth noting now, however, in light of the recent publication via WikiLeaks of her private speeches to Goldman Sachs, which were conveniently forgotten about after she secured the nomination. During these cloak-and-dagger meetings, particularly the one dated June 4, 2013, Hillary takes a more judicious, realistic line on Syria than she ever has publicly, raising questions about her actual intentions. At one point, for instance, she says the following: To have a no-fly zone you have to take out all of the air defense, many of which are located in populated areas. So our missiles, even if they are standoff missiles so were not putting our pilots at risk, youre going to kill a lot of Syrians. So all of a sudden this intervention that people talk about so glibly becomes an American and NATO involvement where you take a lot of civilians. Hold the phone! Is this Clinton acknowledging that a no-fly zone in Syrianow her official policy, asserted without reservation or nuancewould necessarily result in the killing of a lot of civilians? Is this 2013 Hillary accusing 2016 Hillary of glibness? Recall that in 2013, when the forgoing remarks were made, Russia was not flying combat missions over Syria, meaning the situation was not nearly as explosive. Even so, Hillary made sure to emphasize the complexities of implementing a no-fly zone, and warned against adopting that policy. Fast forward to October 2016: Russia is conducting airstrikes against opposition strongholds on an hourly basis, and Clinton is prescribing, without a trace of unease, the implementation of a no-fly zone. What gives? Is a once-lucid Hillary going the way of Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper? Will she start talking about our precious bodily fluids soon? Or could this be an example of her now-famous (thanks again to WikiLeaks) maxim: You need both a public and private position? If so, what is her purpose in cutting all nuance from her public position on Syria? To whip up jingoistic, anti-Russian sentiment among the electorate? To pad her well-earned reputation as a war hawk? Why in the hell would she choose to present herself as more belligerent than she actually is? These are questions that Clinton should, but will not, be made to answer. In another speech, dated Oct. 24, 2013, Hillary concedes that the Syrian government and its allies are being taken on by indigenous rebels but increasingly a collection of jihadists who are funded by the Saudis, funded by the Emiratis, funded by [Qatar]. (Emphasis added.) Yes, thats Clinton confirming that our allies in the Middle East directly sponsor and finance terrorists, and moreover that said terrorists, all the way back in 2013 (before ISIS was a major factor), made up a significant percentage of the armed opposition in Syria, which we still support. The conclusions to be drawn here are not palatable (nor are they surprising): For the American Empire, combating Islamic terror is merely an afterthought. First comes preserving global hegemony though a variety of projects, e.g. isolating Iran and Russia, controlling the distribution of natural resources, globalizing Mideast economies, and so on and so forth. If realizing these aims presupposes supporting jihadistswhether its the Mujahideen in Afghanistan or the Army of Conquest in Syriaso be it. The resulting terrorist attacks on US and European soil, which rock our societies to their core and give life to dangerous demagogues like Donald Trump, are a small price to pay. Most will agree that the stakes now are the highest theyve been since the most volatile periods of the Cold War (some say theyre higher). This is no joke: our next president is enthusiastically prescribing a course of action that would result in direct military confrontation with Russiaan unthinkable prospect. The best we can do now is hope that cooler heads, like the one Clinton apparently possessed in 2013, prevail. Otherwise it could very well be curtains. Last Monday, an obviously flustered Brian Fallon, press secretary for Hillary Clintons campaign, took to Twitter to confront Julian Assanges whistleblower group, Wikileaks, over its recent releases of emails from Clinton campaign chair, John Podesta: If you are going to write about materials issued by @wikileaks, you should at least state they are product of illegal hack by a foreign govt Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) October 11, 2016 Russia actively trying to boost Trump is way more important than how our campaign's tweets are crafted, but is getting fraction of coverage Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) October 11, 2016 Media needs to stop treating Wikileaks like it is same as FOIA. Assange is colluding with Russian government to help Trump. Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) October 11, 2016 Wouldn't it be good reading to see internal discussions abt Trump's taxes? Yes but Wikileaks isnt targeting Trump. That tells you something. Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) October 11, 2016 Obviously cannot wish away reporter curiosity in campaign's inner workings but for God sakes, Roger Stone admitted meeting with Assange Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) October 11, 2016 How about probing possibility of Trump associates directly coordinating with Russia and Wikileaks? That is the thing that shd cause chills Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) October 11, 2016 @brianefallon They aren't. But since you bring up media illicitly co-ordinating with campaigns and PACs, try: https://t.co/pjX9tmxjF1 WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 11, 2016 @brianefallon Yes. It tells you that we are an award winning media organization and not 'hackers'. We don't "target" anything. WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 11, 2016 .@wikileaks You are no media organization. You are a propaganda arm of the Russian govt, running interference for their pet candidate, Trump Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) October 11, 2016 @brianefallon False. Spewing lies does not increase your campaign's credibility. Who we are is well documented: https://t.co/hgo2xg3ukr WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 11, 2016 Over the course of several months, Assange has been a thorn in the side of the Clinton campaign, dumping thousands of documents reportedly obtained by the hacker Guccifer 2.0, who also hit DNC, and is accused of being a Russian agent (though the allegations are unproven and highly speculative). Though it is possible that the leaks are of foreign origin, their impact could actually be positive because what they uncovered is so importantespecially as it relates to our political systems systemic problems. There are undoubtedly dangers inherent to foreign entities (governmental or otherwise) selectively releasing information that supports one sidewe dont want our elections influenced by who has the best hackersand the best criticism of the Wikileaks hacks is that they almost unilaterally attack Clinton while leaving Trump unscathed. Nor do the profound systemic issues the leaks raise justify voting for a demagogue like Trump; they merely shine a light on ways in which our government fails us. That said, information of the kind theyve released belongs in the public realm, and weve learned several valuable lessons from these leaks. The leaks confirm that political machines have returned to American politics. Through the thousands of pages of documents, Americans get a glimpse into the inner workings of the most powerful one in DC. Emails reveal how Clintons team tracks loyalty, and uses fundraising and access as a means of securing it from an extensive web of operatives including members of Democratic leadership, journalists, wealthy individuals, businesses, and outside organizations. Clinton operatives offered meetings with the Democratic presidential candidate as a means of securing endorsements. Tom Nides, an executive at Morgan Stanley who served as Clintons deputy Secretary of State, helped secure an endorsement from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in this way. Disloyalty was promptly retaliated against. Former vice chair of the DNC, Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down to make her endorsement of the Vermont Senator, was contacted by two agents of the influential Creative Artists Agency, Darnell Strom and Michael Kives, who alerted her that they would no longer help her fundraise over her decision. Strom and Kives then forwarded their email, titled Disappointed, to Podesta. From the leaked documents it is plain to see that the Clinton political machine holds a vice grip on the Democratic establishment, and many of the state parties. Not every politician is Tulsi Gabbard. Money has become of paramount importance in politics following a series of Supreme Court decisions from Buckley v. Valeo, which held it to be a vehicle for speech, to the controversial Citizens United v. FEC, which held corporations and unions have the same free speech rights as individual people, and its progeny. Congressmen and women today spend half of their time fundraising. According to Politico, Clintons fundraising network is the largest and most robust ever, comprising of federally registered lobbyists (following the lifting of a ban by the Democratic Party on accepting their money), celebrities, billionaires, and Wall Street and industry types. As Clintons campaign manager, Robby Mook, once wrote to Podesta, [T]he Clintons wont forget what their friends have done for them. All of this helps explain why what started as mere speculation based on a suspicious debate schedule set by Clintons former co campaign chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, blossomed into a full blown embarrassment for the Democratic Partyas Senator Elizabeth Warren put it. Back in July, leaked emails showed top DNC officials coordinating with the Clinton campaign to downplay a potentially damaging story from Politico about how, in spite of attacking her opponent for not helping down-ballot Democrats, the money raised by the joint fundraising effort between Clintons campaign and the DNC was going almost exclusively to the former. The DNC was careful in its selection of spokesperson to go on television to discuss the potential scandal, out of concerns for blowback against Clinton. And that was the tip of the iceberg. Combing through one of the new batches of Podesta emails, Jordan Chariton of The Young Turks found that the Democratic primary debate schedule was largely a result of influence from Clintons campaign. An email marked April 27, 2015 revealed that the campaign had determined it is was in their best interest to, among other things, limit the number of debates, start them late as possible, not have them between February 1 and February 27, and allow the later ones to be cancelled if the race were, for practical purposes over,and have a format that allowed equal time to all candidates. The danger here is that, because the parties are private entitiesnot bound to be democraticthe 2016 primary will set a precedent about what is acceptable going forward. This is especially true if Clinton wins the presidency. Many already suspected that the media establishment was in the tank for Clinton given the coverage gap between the former Secretary of State and her opponent, as well as some obvious examples of bias like the Washington Post publishing 16 negative stories about Sanders in 16 hours and The New York Times stealth editing a pro-Sanders piece to make it more negative. Now, however, Americans have a window into the inner workings of that relationship. While fundraising was its primary means of influencing politicians, access was the Clinton machines primary means of influencing the press. Her team kept track of loyalty. Emails show staffers would routinely flag reporters like Maggie Haberman formerly of Politico, now with the New York Times, or John Harwood of CNBC, with whom the campaign had good relationships, and had not disappointed with negative coverage. Those reporters were rewarded with access and inside information. As The Intercept reports: One January 2015 strategy document to plant stories on Clintons decision-making process about whether to run for presidentsingled out reporter Maggie Haberman, then of Politico, now covering the election for the New York Times, as a friendly journalist who has teed up stories for them in the past and never disappointed them. Nick Merrill, the campaign press secretary, produced the memo, according to the document metadata: On another occasion, Dominic Lowell, the campaigns LGBT outreach director, wrote to his colleagues regarding heat Clinton was taking over her support for the Defense of Marriage Act signed by her husband. The problem was that the explanation she gavethat the signing was necessary to stop a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriagewas historically inaccurate. In the email, Lowell cautions his colleagues that journalists were picking up on it, and that there werent many friends who would back the campaign up on that point. It is clear he was referring to members of the press. The impact of this kind of score keeping speaks for itself. One email from Harwood from November 24, 2015, shows the CNBC correspondent and New York Times contributor blatantly offering positive coverage for access to Clinton. On another occasion, he warned Clintons campaign about Ben Carson, writing Ben Carson could give you real trouble in a general and linking clips from his recent interview with the former neurosurgeon. And it doesnt stop there. As The Observer reported: Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress which publishes Think Progress, wrote in a January 2016 email, But I should say that I would do whatever Hillary needs always. I owe her a lot. And Im a loyal soldier. Now-Interim DNC chair Donna Brazile, while she was a contributor at CNN, fed the Clinton campaign announcements sent to her by the Sanders campaign regarding strategy, as well as a question before a town hall debate to allow the former Clinton time to prepare her answer on a topic she struggled with: the death penalty. Though Brazile denied the latter allegation, Politico reported that the wording and capitalization of the question she sent to Clinton is identical to one of the questions Roland Martin, one of the co-hosts of the town hall, sent to CNN producers. Whats more, Martins email was sent the day after Braziles. The problem with this system is that the free press is meant to be a last check on government outside of the three-branch structure. In order for it to function as intended, it must maintain an antagonistic relationship with politicians and their campaigns. Thus far the reaction to these leaks has been disappointing. For one thing the mainstream media has barely covered them, choosing instead to focus on Donald Trumps history with women (which, granted, is beyond troubling). The cable outlets like CNN, FOX, and MSNBC have left the story alone as it relates to our political system. This is unsurprising given the lack of focus on campaign finance this election (since Bernie Sanders dropped out). Even print media like the Washington Post, which broke the 2005 audio of Donald Trump spewing vulgar rhetoric, has been largely silent. This of course, begs the question when political machines are left free to operate without the condemnation of American media, who protects citizens? Most disturbing has been the Democrats reaction to these leaks. Rather than call for greater transparency, or acknowledge the flaws in the primary, or even caution against throwing blame around without definitive evidence, the party has ramped up the anti-Russian rhetoricreminiscent of the Red Scareas Brian Fallons Twitter tirade demonstrates. The narrative is simple: Russia wants Trump to win. In an interview on FOX News Sunday, Clintons running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine, even compared the hacks to the Watergate Scandal, saying, At least in my lifetime, I cant think of a precedent of a foreign nation trying to destabilize an American election. Authors note: Relations with Russia are already strained, which should be a warning considering that most U.S. foreign policy disasters and entanglements can, to one degree or another, be traced to the Cold War. The problem with focusing on Russias potential influence in Americas election, besides lack of concrete evidence, is the fact it diverts attention away from how much corruption exists in our country. There would have been nothing for Russia to utilize if the DNC hadnt cheated Bernie Sanders, or if political machines did not dominate American politics. Rather than blaming Russia for interfering in our elections, perhaps it is time to acknowledge that there is enough corruption in our system for transparency to be weaponized. Taking all of these points into consideration, even though the hacks are obviously partisan, and possibly foreign in origin, thus far they have done a service to American democracy: exposing not only the most powerful and connected political machine currently in Washingtonin a move is akin to cutting off the head of the serpentbut the 2016 election for what it really is as well. This is not to say Americans should normally welcome foreign meddling in our elections, but the timing in this case is ideal. The new progressive movement is in its early stages, and these leaks have fanned its flames. It is clear that if this culture continues to exist where influence is power, and money is influence, we will lose our democracy. That is because, generally speaking, the kinds of moral and ethical infractions uncovered by the leaks are not unique to the Clinton political machine. That is what makes these releases so important in the first place: They have exposed the fundamental problems of system post-Buckley and post-Citizens United, and started an important dialogue that would not otherwise have happened. More importantly, they have shown a need for independent election monitors, and greater transparency. Update, 10/21 : Esquires article from October 20, 2016 titled, How Russia Pulled Off the Biggest Election Hack in U.S. History, makes a compelling case that Russia is indeed behind the Democratic Party hacks. It appears that there is ample evidence, and that is something to take into consideration. Should we jump to Russia is doing this to elect Trump? No. The only evidence for this wild theory is that Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the Republican presidential candidate for seeking a better relationship with Russia, and that is hardly enough to jump off the deep end. As of now there is no reason to suspect that there is any motivation other than embarrassing and warning the United States. With the leaks it is important to keep in mind that the problems exposed are not unique to the Democratic Party, so much as they are systemic. Many of the things Democrats have been exposed for doing are surely going on with the GOP. That is why, overall, I believe the leaks will help us fix our political system by revealing exactly what is wrong with it. Merida is a photogenic town located on Mexicos Yucatan peninsula with buildings as colorful as a box of Crayola crayons. Its streets are no less lively thanks to constant impromptu music and dance. This is the heart of the Mayan world, so its a great base for exploring must-see archeological ruins from this mystical civilization. Meridas steamy temperatures and sultry nights give it a seductive Caribbean flair. And while its not undiscovered, you wont really notice the other travelers thanks to its generous size and abundance of narrow streets and wide plazas to get lost in. Think of it as Quintana Roos super cool aunt who always has awesome stories to tell. If youre looking for an authentic Mexican experience, this lively city should top your list. Allison is a travel and food writer based in NYC. Her work has been published in The New York Times, off Metro, Daves Travel Corner and Family Travel Forum. 1 of 7 1. Cenotes in Dzibilchaltun Thousands of freshwater, free form pools called cenotes dot the lush landscape, presenting unbeatable aquatic possibilities. The Dzibilchaltun Cenote is situated in the shadows of mystical Mayan archeological ruins, adding history to your afternoon swim. Dzibilchaltun was once a great Mayan city seven miles north of Merida and is now accessible via public bus right from the center of Merida. Enter through a landscaped path flanked by shady trees that leads to the pristine Temple of the Seven Dolls. After you've had your fill of exploring historical vestiges, cool off with an invigorating dip in the refreshing turquoise water. Photo courtesy of Yucatan Travel 2 of 7 2. Merida en Domingo Merida's tree-lined Plaza Grande is the heart of this vibrant city. While there are almost always live music and performances, the square really comes alive for the city's cherished Merida en Domingo event. Each Sunday, visitors are enticed here with the sounds of live mariachi and marimba bands. The entertainment is homegrown fabulous, ranging from abuelos doing the mambo and cha-cha to professional folkloric dancers. Select streets are closed to traffic Sunday, so rent a bike and enjoy the merriment from your two-wheeled perch. Photo courtesy of Yucatan Travel 3 of 7 3. El Gran Museo del Mundo Maya The Yucatan is home to one of the world's largest Mayan populations and their legacy can be explored at the engaging and interactive El Gran Museo del Mundo Maya. It presents a comprehensive historical overview of these complex people. A rich and detailed collection of artifacts plus high-tech, multimedia exhibits help to seamlessly carry the past into the present. Photo by Allison Tibaldi 4 of 7 4. Catedral de San Ildefonso Built in the 16th century on the site where the Maya temple once stood, the Catedral de San Ildefonso was the first cathedral to be completed on the American mainland. Much of its original adornments were stripped away by angry protesters during the Mexican Revolution, so its hulking exterior and white stone interior are austere, lacking the golden gaudiness often associated with Mexican churches. Some of the stone from the original Mayan temple has been incorporated into the imposing structure. Photo courtesy of Yucatan Travel 5 of 7 5. Lucas de Galvez Market For a taste of local flavor, the Lucas de Galvez Market is a joyfully chaotic ode to Mexican commerce. Vendors sell a range of goods, from exquisite handmade crafts to dime store junk. Street food was practically invented in Mexico and you'll find plenty of zesty options for a midday nibble at this market. It's a convivial mish-mash of fresh produce, warm tortillas, clucking chickens and grassroots entrepreneurial energy. Photo courtesy of Yucatan Travel 6 of 7 6. La Chaya Maya Merida's visual beauty is sublime, but the tantalizing aromas wafting through its vibrant plazas and candy-colored streets are catnip for hungry tourists. Locals lusting for authentic homegrown taste favor the easy-on-the-budget La Chaya Maya. This temple of traditional cooking is heavy on classics like Cochinita Pibil (pictured), pork marinated in a sauce of annatto and sour orange before being slow-roasted in banana leaves, resulting in a fork-tender dish with soul-satisfying flavor. For the local potent drink of choice, try Xtabentun, better known as the liquor of the gods. Its flavor profile is heavy on the honey and anise; think Fernet-Branca on steroids. Photo courtesy of Yucatan Travel 7 of 7 7. Casa Lecanda Casa Lecanda is one of the many fine hacienda hotels in Merida. This former in-town colonial estate has been lovingly transformed into an intimate boutique property. It retains many original details without skimping on 21st century comforts, so you'll effortlessly soak in traditional decor, food and hospitality without sacrificing luxury. The lap pool, breezy hammocks and house cocktails infused with tropical fruit make it a true sanctuary. Photo courtesy of Yucatan Travel The weather is here, wish you were beautiful. That was my dads go-to correspondence while he was away on various business trips, taking him around the country. When my turn to travel the world came, I found myself in dodgy souvenir shops handing coins to a clerk in exchange for my favorite token of travel: a postcard. The love people have for postcards now comes largely from feelings of nostalgia. Recognizing this, the Belize Tourism Board has launched a project encouraging Americans to pick up their pens and write, rather than post on social media or email. The idea is for Americans to send a postcard from their hometown to the Belize Tourism Board with a short message, perhaps describing the town (according to the rules, kindly avoid rude and/or offensive messages). All postcards received by the Belize Tourism Board between now and November 9th will, in turn, receive a response from a local Belizean. One of these responses will name a winner for a free trip to Belize. The winner will receive round-trip airfare to Belize for two people, four nights in a 3-star (or higher) hotel. All this can be yours, for only the price of a postage stamp. Grace Williamson is a travel intern with Paste and a freelance writer based out of Athens, Georgia. MVP National Title, a leading provider of premium title insurance, settlement services, and risk solutions for the real estate and mortgage industry, strengthens the company's leadership. By: MVP National Title Contact Justin Hart ***@mvptitle.com Justin Hart End -- MVP National Title announces an addition to the company's leadership and realigns the management of day-to-day operations.Candice Cooper has become Co-Owner of the company and has also been promoted to Vice President after spending the last 10 years with the MVP National Title Company as a Closing and Funding Agent. Cooper is responsible for managing the daily operations of the business while spearheading the execution of the company's overall strategic vision."Over the last 10 years Candice has always been the epitome of our company's core values," said Jeanene Christy, President and Co-Owner of MVP National Title. "Her diligence and commitment to our clients directly aligns with the strategic vision of our business and under her leadership I'm confident we'll continue our growth as a company."Under Cooper's management and leadership the company is already reporting substantial increases in both title orders and closings. During the third financial quarter of this year, MVP National Title experienced a 75% increase in orders and a 50% increase in closings compared to the previous year. Additionally, the company has posted their highest revenue for four consecutive months dating back as far as 2012."We have always built our reputation one real estate transaction at a time and making sure our clients remain the most valuable people," said Cooper. "We also continue to position ourselves as a premier title service provider because of our relationship-driven approach to exceeding our client's expectations in every facet of their experience with us."In addition to strengthen the company's relationship with the real estate community, MVP National Title also contributes their recent growth to their technology based value-added tool known as TitleCapture App. This web-based app is free and provides instant title service quotes for realtors, lenders, home buyers, and home sellers."The TitleCapture App has really helped us connect with the real estate community because it is convenient, reliable, and easy-to-use with no-obligations for the users," Cooper said.Under the new dynamic leadership and cooperative ownership realignment, the company plans to integrate more technology with their relationship building approach to servicing their clients. MVP National Title believes that by focusing on the client experience and introducing the real estate tools that make every real estate transaction seamless will be the key in continuing the company's growth.About MVP National Title CompanyMVP National Title Company is a leading provider of premium title insurance, settlement services, and risk solutions for the real estate and mortgage industry. Since 2003, the company has provided assistance in all types of real estate transactions and specializes in full-service escrow assistance. Headquartered in Greenwood, Indiana, MVP National Title Company has an A+ Better Business Bureau accreditation rating and was the 9largest title company in Indianapolis in 2011. The company can be reached toll free at 1-866-795-4710 or online at mvptitle.com. The U.S. Department of State offers warnings and alerts for citizens traveling outside of the U.S. Ultimate Excursions: Taking Your Projects from Beginning to End Contact Ultimate Excursions ***@ultimateexcursions.net Photo: https://www.prlog.org/ 12594863/1 Ultimate Excursions End -- The Department of State issued an alert for travel in certain regions of Laos due to unstable security concerns. Reports of violent crimes have been reported in these areas and U.S. citizens in Laos should take extreme precautions for their safety and keep updated on local developments in these regions.A travel warning was issued on October 5 recommending people avoid travel to Afghanistan because of threats by terrorist activities against U.S. citizens. Recent attacks include kidnapping, landmines, explosive devices, hostage taking and suicide bombings. Public places where large numbers of people gather such as restaurants, hotels, airports and schools should be avoided.An alert issued on October 6, 2016, coincides with the South Pacific Tropical Cyclone Season that begins on November 1st and ends April 30, 2017. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggests people be ready and prepared at anytime for a quick evacuation. Tropical storms can develop rapidly making it imperative to act swiftly. For more information on tropical storms, visit the Joint Typhoon Warning Center website.The October 6th warning for Yemen is due to the ongoing threat of terrorism. The warning advises against all travel to Yemen and for those U.S. citizens living in Yemen, to depart as soon as possible. The threat of kidnappings and holding hostages along with rebel groups detaining U.S. citizens in Sanaa is high and the local government is limited to the assistance it can provide. U.S. citizens have been detained for up to a year with no ability to reach out to loved ones. In addition, the infrastructure of Yemen is severely compromised, limiting travel and the basic supplies of food, water and medicine.A warning was issued on October 7th for Pakistan due to the significant threat of violent crimes and terrorists' activities that continue to target U.S. citizens throughout Pakistan. Terrorists groups in the area are known to resort to kidnapping Americans for ransom.On October 7th, The U.S. Department of State issued a warning of ongoing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Armed groups are responsible for recent murders, kidnappings, and robberies in some major cities. Local authorities are limited to respond due to the poor infrastructure that exists throughout the country.As of October 11th, no part of Syria is considered safe and The U.S. Department of State is urging all U.S. citizens to depart immediately. Extreme terrorist groups are responsible for bombings, chemical warfare and kidnappings that have been directed at U.S. citizens throughout Syria. Ultimate Excursions is a leader in the resort marketing and development industry. Contact Tile Factory Outlet ***@tfo.com.au Tile Factory Outlet End -- What's in a name? In the tiling world it encompasses all that a manufacturer is and aspires to be. It also inspires confidence and creativity in their patrons. By this definition, Pamesa Ceramica has emerged as a leader in innovative tile design, production and quality. Why? Being the first to introduce porcelain tiles to Spain means their reputation requires it.That self-same quality, creativity, and commitment to excellence and craftsmanship is seen in their new collection brought to you by TFO. Introducingthe Arezzo collection.What makes these tiles a must have? Spanish porcelain is acclaimed the world over for its artistic quality, unique patterns and textures. Consider one member of this stunning line of tiles, the Arezzo Perla Spanish porcelain tile collection.The attention to detail is seen in the lustrous sheen created by the polished finish. The subdued ambient light reflected from the surface breathes life into your decor. The artistry characteristic of Spanish tiles is evident in the intricate pattern that writhes its way through the tiles. Each and every tile captures your eye with a mesmeric texture of smoky grey, dusky whites, and hints of silver and ivory that subtly vie for your attention.Arezzo MarengoThe striking beauty of this new line is accented by the fact that the tiles are rectified, each tile mathematically cut to precisely the same size. What benefits to you? Virtually invisible joints and grout lines. Your installation gets a sleek, seamless, modern look that bespeaks elegance. Your decor will have a natural unbroken flow that draws the eye.What of the grey hue? Your creativity is maximized by the fact that the tiles are a neutral colour. You are not forced to choose a colour you don't love just to match your tiles, but your options for room furnishings and decorations are limited only by the extent of your creative vision.What is more, the contemporary grey colour is one of the most sought after hues this year, showing that Pamesa is on top of the latest trends. Moreover these large format tiles contribute to the modern feel of your decormaximum tile surface, minimum joint lines.At TFO we bring you this exquisite collection at prices you will find hard to match let alone beat. That is the TFO way, and it's Pamesa's way.Stop in at our Sydney TFO showroom, peruse our stock, see the difference and be amazed at our low prices. Not in Sydney? Check out our products online, compare prices and get savings unmatched. The Award Winning Health Brand is making lives better worldwide Contact Ms Chan ***@zane.sg Ms Chan End -- Nobody in the world imagined a single refreshing drink with countless benefits in health and wellness. As a recognition and reward for achieving this mega feat of excellence, ZANE won the 2016 Asia Pacific Super Health Brand Award for the production of its Finest Cordyceps Tea that has been patented and perfected by the company. The patented technology by ZANE has changed many lives and has improved the lifestyle of many satisfied people regardless of their ages, genders, and conditions. The testimonials have been phenomenal, and the company is looking to expand its area of distribution to the rest of the world following its successful launch in Asia Pacific. The health chain stores, retailers, and wholesalers in North America, South America, Europe, and Canada will be distributing ZANE to benefit their local population with this amazing invention."We feel honored to have received this award and are thankful for the jury and the users of our Cordyceps Tea." Said Kevin Chia, Chairman, and Founder of ZANE. "Our mission is to empower people to live a healthy lifestyle and this accolade is a great show of support towards this." He added. The award won by ZANE is from Asia Pacific Super Health Brand from the Global Business Media Group. The Global Business Media Group is also the publisher of "Asia's most influential corporate branding magazine," the Global Business Magazine.' Said Kevin Chia of ZANE while expressing his gratitude for the award.ZANE's Finest Cordyceps Tea is being used globally and has a variety of benefits for everyone. The finest Cordyceps is extracted and cloned from the very best of the best species of the Tibetian Wild Cordyceps having all the active ingredients. Wild Cordyceps are a globally renowned medicinal mushroom that increases energy along with stimulating the immune system. Overall, the tea acts as a tonic for the human body and enhances the quality of life like nothing else. ZANE did not create Cordyceps but has perfected it to produce this effective tea with cutting edge patented technology that resulted in 3 to 6 times higher active ingredients than wild Cordyceps (backed with Singapore test report). This tea is a Product of Singapore and all natural with no added preservatives, manufactured under GMP Quality Standards and ISO 22000 & HACCP Food Quality System Certified. This patented and proprietary formula is portable and easily absorb into the body to reap great benefits."I had been suffering from a severe condition of insomnia as well as hair loss, but ZANE has changed my life." Said Zhou Sai Jin, a satisfied Malaysian customer of ZANE. Karen Tan, a 33-year-old female from Malaysia stated that she improved her asthma condition by using this tea it also helped her lose weight. Frequent night urination, high blood pressure, sleep deprivation and backache problems of Mr. Keith Koh from Singapore were also improved with ZANE tea, according to his testimonial. Mr. Lam Ha, a 75-year-old Vietnamese improved diabetes and high blood pressure with this tea and Safre Wong, a 57-year-old Singapore male improved his thyroid condition dramatically. There are countless other testimonials on the website of ZANE sharing success stories of ZANE Finest Cordyceps Tea.Headquartered in Singapore, the company has a primary vision of achieving excellence through innovation and changing lives. Not everywhere in the world do people find only one product to solve all their issues and ZANE is just the right refreshment for a healthy life. The tea has been gaining massive popularity worldwide. After the success of its business model in Asia, the company is expanding its distribution globally to USA, Canada, Europe collaborating with distributors, health chain stores, pharmacies, spa, retailers, and wholesalers.Media ContactContact Person: Ms ChanContact email: press@zane.sg Phone Number: +65 88091355Website: www.zane.sg Contact iWork&Travel - Chris Perkins ***@iworkandtravel.com iWork&Travel - Chris Perkins End -- Good news for those dreaming of a working holiday in Canada! The Canadian working holiday season has officially rolled over and applications for the 2017 season are now open.The International Experience Canada (IEC) visa allows young Australians to live & work in Canada for up to years. This unique cultural exchange has become increasingly popular in recent years as masses of Aussies take advantage of the opportunity to experience the Canadian way of life.Australia is one of the lucky countries that has anavailable for its citizens. The IEC program is open to Australian passport holders, aged 18-30 years of age who don't have any criminal convictions or serious driving offences and no dependent children accompanying them.andpassport holders are also able to participate in the IEC but visa granted per annum is capped.The world-class cities, incredible natural landscape, friendly locals, multicultural communities & proximity to the USA are just some of the factors than make a working holiday infor Aussies.Canada is one of the few countries that allow applicants to receive theirthrough an. The application isand while it is generally straight forward when complications arise sorting it out can get confusing.Visas arewhen completed correctly but applicants can be left waiting up to 20 weeks if they don't do the necessary processes at each stage or provide the required documentation.The increase of working holidays undertaken has also seen a significant rise in the use of working holiday service providers like Gold Coast-based iWork&Travel who assist travellers in streamlining the process to achieve ato their gap year.Connecting with aensures travellers have someone to guide them through the& help them with every aspect of their relocation to Canada on a working holiday.While thousands of Aussies head over to Canada every year there are a large portion who find themselves back in Australia sooner than expected.Havingfor the processes required to be able to work such as getting a bank account, Social Insurance Number and in most cases waiting until they land to start searching for a. Without employment opportunities lined up upon arrival they spend weeks applying &iWork&Travel in particular boastsfor the entire duration of a travellers 2 year working holiday. Directors Chris Perkins & Will Quinlivan said, "having travelled ourselves we know how daunting it can be landing in a new country & having to set up your life by yourself"."We saw a gap in the market for atailored to every individuals preferences & ongoing support as long as they choose".2017 is sure to be another huge season for Australians heading to Canada on a working holiday based on the 2016 season and shows no sign of slowing in the future. Contact Al Thuraya Tower 2 ***@expotrade- me.com Al Thuraya Tower 2 End -- Expotrade, organizers of the Smart Data Summit, the leading big data analytics event in the Middle East region, today announced the dates of its 2017 edition of the event. Taking place on 34 April, 2017 at Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa, the 4Annual Smart Data Summit will be a platform for over 300 senior IT, marketing and business intelligence specialists to come together to discuss the opportunities and challenges arising in big data, analytics and cloud computing.The summit held under the themewill feature sessions that emphasize on the power of big data in transforming business. Consisting a mix of keynote presentations, panel discussions and case study presentations from leading experts in the field of big data and analytics, the summit agenda will cover over 20 sessions across two days.Announcing the summit,, said, "We are pleased to announce the dates of the fourth edition of the Smart Data Summit. Year after year we have witnessed an increase in attendance from participants across the GCC. With the upcoming edition of the summit highlighting the significance of data-driven business decisions, we are confident that the 2017 edition will achieve greater heights in bringing effective insights and perspectives to our participants."With countless networking opportunities available, the summit fosters an environment for learning and knowledge-sharing. At the networking lounge, delegates will have access to new age products, solutions and tools that will help optimize business efficiency and performance.This year's edition of the summit saw renowned experts and sector specialists from FCSA, Apple, Dubizzle, LinkedIn, Ajman Municipality & Planning Department, Etihad Airways, IKEA and Saudi Telecom share key insights with the delegates in attendance.The summit received favourable feedback from speakers and delegates alike with Ahmed Al Ahmed, CIO, Nakheel, commenting, "."Irina Kornysheva of ACIS Information Technology stated, "."For more information on the 4Annual Smart Data Summit, please log on to http://www.bigdata-me.com. Follow the Summit on social media with the hashtag #SDATAS2017.Expotrade is a global conference and event organizer with its head office based in Melbourne, Australia and a regional office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Expotrade has delivered some of the largest, most successful B2B industry conferences and events. For almost 15 years, our unique blend of knowledge, experience and flexibility has accomplished an array of consistently top quality events. Today, Expotrade events enjoy such a distinctive edge, they are amongst the best patronized in the calendar.For more information, visit www.expotradeglobal.com Lakshmi RamarajanExpotrade Middle East FZ-LLCTel: +9714-4542135Email: marketing@expotrade- me.com Karex Berhad has the worlds largest condom production line. Church & Dwight's Trojan condom brand is the number one condom brand in the U.S. Healthcare-Condom Market-Beige Market Intelligence TB Contact Beige Market Intelligence ***@beigemarketintelligence.com Beige Market Intelligence End -- A recently released report "Global Condom Market Strategic Assessment and Forecast till 2021" at Beige Market Intelligence has identified the top vendors, their key strategies and the key opportunities.Ansell founded in 1929, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia is a protection solutions company. The company designs, develops and manufactures a broad range of clothing, condom and hand and arm protection solutions SKYN brand has increased the sales n helped in establishing a strong position for Ansell in emerging markets like China.Ansell is planning to strengthen their market position and improve their technological advantage with strategic and disciplined mergers and acquisitions. They are also planning on gaining high returns on Capital expenditure by making manufacturing efficient and strategic capital deployment for continued growth of dividends and opportunistic buybacks.Ansell's sexual wellness global business unit is planning to move the core business team to Australia from New Jersey, USA. This move would eventually create an opportunity for Ansell to remain closer to the high growth markets that are mostly in the APAC region.Church & Dwight Co.Inc., founded in 1846, headquartered in New Jersey, USA is a manufacturer of sodium bicarbonate, popularly known as baking soda.The company operated in three business segments which include Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty products.Church & Dwight's Trojan condom brand is the number one condom brand in the U.S., and has been in the market for 100 years. Church & Dwight also intends to grow its product sales geographically (in an attempt to mitigate the impact of weakness in any one area), and maintain an offering of premium and value brand products (to appeal to a wide range of consumers).Innovation is one of its key strength of the company. The expansion in theTrojan condom line provides the greatest opportunity for the brand to cater tovarious segments.Reckitt Benckiser Group, founded in 1819, headquartered in England, UK is a multinational consumer goods company. It was formed after the merger of the UK based Reckitt & Colman and Benckiser NV, a Netherlands-based company in 1999. The company has operations in 60 countries worldwide and markets its products in more than 200 countries.Durex is the condom brand of the company and it is acquired by SSL International, a UK-based company in 2010. Durex condom products have started in 1915 and now they are marketed in more than 150 countries.Reckitt Benckiser Group's business is organized in two geographical regions ENA (Europe, North America, and Australia) and DVM (Africa, Asia and Latin, America). This helps them to segregate the countries in various stages of development.Reckitt Benckiser Group's strategy toward innovation has driven the sales of the company in the past. The health vertical has contributed an innovation in the form of Durex Real Feel and invisible condoms in 2015. Following similar strategy to grow their brand portfolio and innovating new products is a key strategy for the company.The consumer health market is extremely fragmented, which gives Reckitt Benckiser Group the opportunity to acquire strong brands that can improve its portfolio. In recent years they made important acquisitions, which enhanced their organic growth platform and provided high returns for shareholdersThe Female Health Company founded in 1896, headquartered in Chicago, US, is a female condom company. It manufactures and markets female condom (FC2). FC2 is the only currently available female controlled condom product approved by the USFDA. The company operates in only one segment, which includes the development, manufacture and marketing of consumer healthcare products. The company is located in the US, the UK, and Malaysia.The company strategizes to fully develop FC2 global markets by relying and improving upon their contacts with various health sector organizations such as WHO, UNFPA, UNAIDS, country-specific health ministries, NGOs, and various commercial partners in multiple countries.FC2 being the only female condom with this privilege, has an opportunity to reach to a greater audience. This would also increase the affordability of FC2 in the US market and hence enhance the overall sales in the country.Karex Berhad based in Port Klang, Malaysia, manufactures and markets condoms globally. It started as a family business with a manufacturing capacity of only 60 million pieces of condom per annum and now has 3 manufacturing facilities across Pontian, Johor, Port Klang Selangor, and Hat Yai, Thailand. The company has annual production capacity of six billion pieces of condom, which is the largest in the world.Karex Berhad has the world's largest condom production line with a capacity of six billion condoms per annum. With three manufacturing facilities and a workforce of 2,000 personnel, Karex Berhad dominates the latex condom industry.Karex Berhad has made a string of acquisitions in the past two years. The company adopts this strategy to build its brand in untapped markets. Acquisitions by Karex are aimed to expand its business through horizontal integration.Other prominent vendors are Medical-Latex (DUA) , Innolatex, HLL Lifecare Limited, Fuji Latex, Convex Latex Pvt. Ltd. BILLY BOY, MTLC Latex, Sagami Rubber Industries, Shandong Ming Yuan Latex, Thai Nippon Rubber Industry TNR.For more information, click here: Stonewall Cable, Inc. Contact Stonewall Cable, Inc. ***@stonewallcable.com Stonewall Cable, Inc. End -- When lives are on the line, precision, durability, and reliability can mean the difference between life and death. Stonewall is a premier manufacturer of communication cables sold to government and industry. Some of Stonewall Cable's top customers deal with life threatening situations daily.In the operating room and trauma centers, the performance of life saving equipment is vital to saving the lives of patients. Some of the top hospitals in North America utilize and rely on data cables made by Stonewall. Hospitals such as Johns Hopkins Hospital, Mass General Hospital, the Mayo Clinic, UCSF Medical Center, Stanford Hospital, Duke University Hospital, Bringham & Women's Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, NYU Langone Medical Center, and University of Michigan Hospital, to name a few, utilize Stonewall's cables made specifically for critical and precision applications. Without properly performing equipment, doctors cannot fully take advantage of the medical advancements that might just save a life.Stonewall's premium cables can also be found in top Children's hospital around the country including Children's Hospital Boston, Children's Hospital San Diego, Children's Hospital of Georgia, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and Phoenix Children's Hospital. Stonewall is in talks with Children's Hospital at Dartmouth to offer cables for exoskeletons which will help negate the expenses to the families of children with spinal muscular atrophy.Medical professionals have also contracted Stonewall to engineer and build customized cables for use in state of the art medical technology such as the da Vinci Surgical System which is a precision surgical robot designed to be more precise and capable than even the world's best surgeons. The complex Surgical System, made by Intuitive Surgical, consists of advanced computers, robotic arms, specially developed software, and precision control consoles. Surgeons and hospital directors found that they were restricted to particular motions of the robotic arms and required specialty cables from Stonewall to allow more adequate movements.In addition to the operating room, Stonewall also manufactures cables to help our soldiers stay safe on the battlefield. Communication is vital to gaining an advantage on the enemy in battle and bring our troops home safely. From the front lines to data centers, Stonewall provides a variety of data cables that can also be found on ships, submarines, tanks, control towers, drones, jets, planes, and so much more. The US Navy and their contractors utilize proprietary retro-fit adapters which allows information systems to be upgraded while maintaining existing cabling, saving months of labor and enormous costs. Recently, Stonewall Cable introduced a new top US government contractor to their client list. Stonewall now sells to 9 of the top 10 US government contractors.Stonewall's commitment to quality ensures that our nation's defenses are equipped with the best quality communication, data, and encryption cables which will ensure performance during combat, on missions, and during training. Arming soldiers with the highest quality components is vital to the success of our military and allows our soldiers to come home safely. This is something that Stonewall takes dearly to heart. "We're forever in debt to those that put their lives on the line to defend our nation," said Anthony LaMonica, "and in return, we develop, design, and manufacture the highest quality cables which the military will put to the test in the most rugged and demanding environments. Beyond bringing soldiers home, we're proud to know that we're helping keep peace worldwide."Closer to home, police professionals that protect our neighborhoods often use cables made by Stonewall. The FBI, US Marshals, State Police Agencies, and Local Police Departments order customized cables to use in communication devices which are used to ensure that agents and officers are armed with information promptly and reliably. Police use advanced equipment for communicating, updating and receiving records, locating suspects, dispatching, analyzing evidence, and so much more. Information, which can be life saving, can change instantly and the ability for police agencies to communicate and share data is vital to protecting our streets.Beyond building life saving cables, Stonewall is also committed to providing computing power to help cure diseases such as AIDS, Cancer, and the Zika virus. The IBM World Community Grid distributes complex equations to computers that are networked within the grid and when volunteered computers are not being used, the CPU solves the equation and returns results to the grid where it is analyzed. Stonewall has been part of the World Community Grid since 2007 and remains in the top 3% of contributors worldwide. Without the World Community Grid, these calculations would take hundreds or thousands of years to complete. Together, organizations and individuals are teaming up to help cure life-threatening diseases.Stonewall Cable also works with first responding contractors such as DTECH Labs which builds and provides deployable and tactical communications products for disasters such as hurricanes. For instance, in 2008, DTECH contacted Stonewall to manufacture specific cables that were needed to provide communications support for Hurricane Katrina recovery operations. It's critical for Stonewall to respond quickly and adhere to strict deadlines and guidelines to ensure that everything is done to recover from disasters. Cherokee County Electric Coop relied on Stonewall in 2015 to manufacture cables used to restore power to customers after a tornado and heavy storms ravaged the area. Stonewall has an impeccable track record for responding quickly and expediting critical orders.###To learn more about Stonewall's capabilities or to inquire about a quote for an upcoming project, please contact Stonewall Cable at 1-800-525-3303 or visit http://www.stonewallcable.com Stonewall Cable has been manufacturing cables since 1985. At their facility in Rumney, New Hampshire, they manufacture computer and network cables and harnesses for government, commercial, and industrial applications. FOTO LAS MONJAS Contact Carlos Lopez ***@enroutecommunications.com Carlos Lopez End -- Mexico's San Miguel de Allende closed a successful awards season today with the announcement thatmagazine has named the UNESCO World Heritage site fifth in the overall "Best City in the World" category at this year's Readers' Choice Awards.The accolades come four months after the colonial city was named the No. 1 city in Mexico and Central and South America and No. 3 in the World's Best Cities category atmagazine's World's Best Awards 2016.readers also honored San Miguel de Allende's accommodations infrastructure by voting three of its hotels into the, in first place;, in second place; and, in fourth place. Hotel Matilda also ranked as #3 in the world listing."San Miguel de Allende is a top Mexican destination, attracting international travelers to our city because of its meticulous colonial architecture,"said Ricardo Villarreal, Mayor of San Miguel de Allende. "The fact that Conde Nast Travelers recognize the authenticity of our city is a sign that we are maintaining the city properly."We welcome all visitors to come and experience an authentic Mexican city, and continue to strive to provide a unique one-of-a-kind destination in Mexico and Latin America," he added.Located in the Bajio region of Mexico, in the state of Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende has a mystical quality. Its picturesque cobblestone streets and colonial architecture combined with colonial-era traditions both religious and secular, a spectacular natural setting and Mexico's vibrant culture are only enhanced by the embrace of all its many facets by both the friendly locals and the diverse, melting-pot population comprised of hundreds of expats, representing 63 nationalities, who have made San Miguel de Allende their home.In 2008, the city was named a UNESCO World Heritage site, under the title of "Protective Town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesus Nazareno de Atotonilco."The distinction was granted due to the city's cultural significance, its architectural contribution to the Mexican Baroque art and architecture movement, and also the role it played in the fight for Mexican independence.readers took part in the 29th annual Readers' Choice Awards survey by submitting millions of ratings and tens of thousands of comments to help us create a list of winning favorites.San Miguel de Allende HD Photos: click ( http://enroutecommunications.us13.list- manage1.com/ track/... press contact: carlos@enroutecommunications.com AEW has acquired a high quality retail asset in central Rome on behalf of the City Retail Fund. This transaction is the first Italian acquisition for the fund which launched in November 2015 and has since raised 215 million from several institutional investors. The asset, acquired from a private vendor, [] Back in August last year, reports emerged that a few bikers, who had paid advance amount for their superbike purchase at SNK Palm Beach, an authorized Kawasaki India dealer in Mumbai, had not got delivery of their bikes. When checked, about a dozen such bikers were there who in spite of paying in full, for their bikes, had not got delivery of their bike even after six months of waiting. The situation was such that the bikers were now getting together to file legal case against Kawasaki India and the said dealer. Soon the news spread, and India Kawasaki Motor got involved. After some talks, it was revealed that Satyen Karandikar, the owner of the dealership, will either deliver the bikes, or return the money of customers (with interest) before 31st August. Kawasaki SNK Palm Beach dealer That did not happen. Instead, Satyen went missing and stopped replying to emails and phone calls. Before the affected bikers could comprehend the situation, on 1st Sep 2016, Kawasaki India released official statement that SNK Palm Beach is no longer an authorized dealer. Whatever promises, transactions, liabilities of SNK Palm Beach had made, is not a responsibility of Kawasaki India. This statement shocked the living daylights out of those dozen customers who did not know what to do next. For this, Kawasaki India received a lot of negative publicity. As they were accused of leaving their customers hapless, for no fault of theirs. But that was not the case. In fact, Kawasaki India was working actively with those dozen bikers and working on a way out of this mess. Kawasaki India managed to invite all those bikers in Pune, and has delivered the said motorcycles to them, along with paying a compensation to each biker for all the trouble caused. All customers have now withdrawn their complaints. So what about the rogue dealer, SNK Palm Beach. Kawasaki India has revealed that they are taking strict legal action against SNK. Kawasaki had also revealed that they are in talks with some enthusiasts for opening a new dealership in Mumbai. Now, after about a gap of 4 months, Kawasaki India has revealed that they have opened their new dealership in Mumbai. Kawasaki Motors showroom in Mumbai located along the Western Express Highway in Andheri suburb is bigger and better than the Vashi facility. It houses a display arena and lounge area besides a service center and back office. Deliveries of motorcycles are set to commence from January 25, 2017 while price lists have been revealed. Price List Kawasaki Z250: INR 3.72 lakh Kawasaki Ninja 300: INR 4.34 lakh Kawasaki ER6n: INR 5.65 lakh Kawasaki Ninja 650: INR 5.99 lakh Kawasaki Versys 650: INR 7.91 lakh Kawasaki Z800: INR 9.82 lakh Kawasaki Z1000: INR 15.93 lakh Kawasaki Ninja 1000: INR 16.62 lakh Kawasaki Versys 1000: INR 17.10 lakh Kawasaki Ninja Zx10R: INR 23.99 lakh Kawasaki Ninja Zx14R: INR 25.06 lakh Kawasaki Ninja H2: INR 44.05 lakh Kawasaki Ninja H2 Carbon: INR 52.58 lakh Kawasaki Ninja H2R: INR 76.66 lakh All prices are on-road with octroi, Mumbai. Having a dedicated dealership in Mumbai, which is an important market for Kawasaki bikes in India, is particularly noteworthy for the Japanese manufacturer. Kawasaki also plans to end its sales and service alliance with Bajaj from April 2017. As on date, the company sells its bikes upto 650cc through KTM outlets in India while CBUs are sold via dedicated Kawasaki dealerships. From April 2017, all Kawasaki bikes will be on sale exclusively through India Kawasaki Motor showrooms. New generation Honda Accord has made a come back to the Indian auto industry. The car was launched today, and is now available across India. Honda Accord will only be offered with a hybrid powertrain. This is in the form of a i-VTEC 4-cylinder 2.0-liter and electric motor powered by an 1.3 kWh Li-Ion battery pack. The peak combined power output stands at 215 PS which is sent to the wheels via E-CVT. A total of three driving modes are on offer EV Drive, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive. Price of the car starts from INR 37 lakh, ex-sh Delhi. Exterior features include LED headlights, LED taillights, LED foglights, LED DRLs, four colour options (Lunar Silver Metallic, White Orchid Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl and Modern Steel Metallic), electric sunroof, 18 inch alloys. Interior features on offer are two hi-resolution colour screens on central dashboard, one is a 7-inch Advance touch-screen display audio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; while the second is a 7.7-inch intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID). It also gets electrically adjustable front seats with memory function for driver seat, Ivory colour leather seats, rain sensing wipers, auto high-beam headlights, keyless entry, Cruise control, i-Dual Zone Automatic Climate Control with Plasma Cluster, Auto-dimming mirror, Remote engine start, ANC Active Noise Cancellation. Below are some fun facts about the new Honda Accord Hybrid 1) You can start your Honda Accord Hybrid with a remote, to pre-cool the car in summer and pre-heat in winter 2) Honda Accord Hybrid has a 2 motor hybrid system 215 PS peak power, yet 23.1 kmpl 3) Accord Hybrids AC automatically adjusts temp, blower speed where sunlight enters the cabin! 4) Honda Accord Hybrid can run on Hybrid mode, pure electric or engine only. It has a sport mode for very quick acceleration. 5) Honda Accord Hybrid has sound proofing & Active Noise Cancellation so all that youll hear from outside is absolute nothing! 6) Honda Accord Hybrid has LaneWatch A camera on rear view mirror to show extended view of other lanes, on screen. 7) Safety features on offer are 6 airbags, Parking sensors, ISOFIX mounting points, Honda LaneWatch, Reverse camera, ABS, BA, VSA, HSA, etc. News Release Honda Accord Hybrid Photos Honda Accord Hybrid Launch Presentation This engine has been manufactured by Madhepura Electric Locomotive Pvt. Ltd. (MELPL) as a part of the Make in India initiative The Indian Railways gets its most powerful 12,000 hp engine. Manufactured by French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom at the Madhepura Electric Locomotive Pvt. Ltd. (MELPL) in Bihar, this locomotive was put into operation from Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn Station (previously known as Mughalsarai) on Monday. This launch makes India the 6th country to join the club of producing the high horsepower locomotive indigenously. Following this successful run, MELPL will now manufacture 800 units of 12000 HP Electric Freight Locomotives over the next 11 years. The train, consisting of 11 wagons, departed from Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn Station on its maiden journey to Shivpur on Monday at 2.08 pm. It travelled along the East Central Railway line to Barwadih via Dehri-on-Sone Garhwa Road stations. This train with its powerful engine can take on heavy consignments of freight and will be used along with Dedicated Freight Corridor. Watch the video of the engines recent run, shared by Ministry of Indian Railways, below. The locomotive is produced as a part of the Make in India initiative. The Medhepura plant is the largest Green Field factory and is built as per highest standards of quality and safety spread over an area of 250 acres. It has production capacity of 120 locomotives / train engine. The locomotive has fully air conditioned drivers cabins on either ends, a well equipped regenerative braking system which offers substantial energy saving during operations and can be tracked via GPS through embedded software and antennae. The project will help to create over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in the country. These high horsepower locomotives will help to decongest the saturated tracks by improving the average speed of freight trains. The Indian Railways has also entered into procurement cum management agreement with MELPL as part of largest foreign direct investment project. The project was initiated in 2018 when PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the project on 10th April 2018 after the first prototype was delivery in March 2018. As a part of the agreement, following the first prototype, the company was to delivery four more locomotives in 2018, 35 locomotives in FY19-20 and 60 in FY 20-21 and thereon 100 each year till the completion of the 11 year delivery period. Alstom could not make timely deliveries after the initial prototype failed test trials twice and as per recovery plan was to supply 10 locomotives by March 2020. Alstom has confirmed that they have delivered 8 electric locomotives to date while the remaining two have been dispatched from the Medhepura facility. To achieve the Dutch government's objective of realizing a circular economy in the Netherlands, it is essential to maintain the productivity of the country's farmland. Healthy soil produces renewable raw materials for biobased products. However, declining carbon levels in arable Dutch soil is inhibiting our ability to meet this objective, and continued global warming is standing in the way of a circular economy. Lijbert Brussaard, professor of Soil Biology and Biological Soil Quality at Wageningen University & Research, addressed this issue in his valedictory speech on 6 October. The amount of organic matter in Dutch soil appears to be relatively stable, particularly in grasslands, with only sandy soils experiencing a net loss. 'But appearances can be deceiving,' says the soil biologist. 'The depletion of organic matter is being masked by the manure surplus we've experienced in recent years. And that surplus is largely the result of the large-scale import of animal feed, such as soya, from foreign countries. The declining level of soil organic matter will therefore manifest itself soon in the Netherlands. This will undoubtedly be the case if climate change worsens, as higher temperatures accelerate the breakdown of soil organic matter and increase CO 2 emissions,' says the Wageningen professor. Circular economy In order to achieve the Dutch government's objective of achieving a circular economy by 2015 without depleting our natural resources, and to achieve the 50% interim target by 2030, we need to exchange fossil fuels for renewable biobased resources derived largely from farmland crops. This not only includes crops intended for human consumption, animal feed and fibres, but also green raw materials for fuel, flavours, fragrances and so on. 'In order to meet increasing demands, we need to maintain the productivity of the soil. To do so, we need to take into account the quality and the quantity of residual materials to be returned to the farmland. This needs to be anticipated on throughout the chain,' explains Professor Brussaard. 'Failure to do so will cause the biobased economy to miss the circular economy boat.' Rich soil life Organic matter derived from plant residues is extremely important for maintaining healthy soil. This soil organic matter determines the structure and porosity of the soil and ensures the gradual release of water and nutrients for plants as mediated by the soil biota. Stimulation of the soil biota can in a natural way reduce the impact of human interventions, such as ploughing and drainage. 'Maintaining soil organic matter is an important part of sustainable soil management,' says Professor Brussaard in his valedictory speech titled, De bodem onder ons bestaan ('The ground beneath our feet'). Carbon storage Professor Brussaard also stresses that increasing the carbon content of the soil can help reduce the greenhouse effect, as the French demonstrated during last year's COP21 climate negotiations in Paris. They are committed to achieving a global annual increase of 0.4% in soil organic matter stock for the upper 40 cm of the soil. According to their calculations, this seemingly minor increase can offset the greenhouse effect in the long term. This demonstrates the enormous potential of good soil management. In The Netherlands examples are known of carbon storage as high as 1.5% per year. 'This is an outstanding achievement in terms of reducing the amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere,' says Professor Brussaard. A mild sedative could greatly reduce the risk of people experiencing delirium after an operation, according to new research. The study, by scientists at Imperial College London and Peking University First Hospital, suggests sedating patients after they undergo an operation may reduce the risk of post-operative delirium by up to 65 per cent. The condition may affect up to one in three people who have a major operation, causing confusion and hallucinations -- with the over-65s particularly at risk. The team, who published their study in The Lancet, believe the sedative may help the brain 'recover and reset' after surgery. Post-operative delirium usually strikes within the first two days of a person waking from general anaesthetic. The symptoms range from relatively mild, such as a person not knowing their name or where they are, to more severe, such as aggressive behaviour, believing people are trying to harm them, or even hallucinations. advertisement Professor Daqing Ma, co-lead author of the new study from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, said: "Post-operative delirium is a huge challenge for the medical community -- and incredibly distressing for patients and their families. In many cases patients become almost child-like, and do not understand where they are, what is happening, and become very upset. Hospital staff have also been injured by delirious patients becoming aggressive. However we currently have no treatments options available for this condition." The causes are unknown, but one theory is that major surgery can trigger inflammation throughout the body, which in some cases can spread to the brain. The risk of the condition increases with age, and it seems to strike more often when patients undergo major, lengthy operations. The delirium can last from a few hours to a couple of days, and some research suggests it may be linked to an increased risk of elderly patients later developing dementia. In the new study, co-led by Professor Dongxin Wang at Peking University First Hospital, researchers assessed 700 patients age 65 or older who were about to undergo major surgery at the Beijing hospital. advertisement Half received a low dose of a type of sedative called dexmedetomidine after the operation, as an infusion directly into a vein in their arm, while half received a placebo salt-water infusion. The patients received the infusion of sedative or placebo around an hour after surgery, and for the next 16 hours. This sedative, which is commonly used for medical procedures and in veterinary medicine, leaves a patient relaxed and drowsy, yet conscious. The drug is considered safe as it doesn't affect breathing. Both groups received the same general anaesthetic before undergoing their operation. They were then assessed for symptoms of delirium every day for a week after their procedure. The results revealed that nearly one in four patients in the placebo group -- 23 per cent -- developed delirium. However only just under one in ten patients -- 9 per cent -- who received the sedative developed the condition. Scientists are still unsure how the sedative works, but one theory is it allows the brain to rest and recover immediately after surgery, explained Professor Ma. "Previous studies have shown that patients who struggle to sleep after their operation -- perhaps because they are in pain or on a busy, noisy ward -- are at increased risk of delirium." He added that the sedative dexmedetomidine seems to not only trigger sleep, but actually mimics the natural state the brain enters during sleep. "Although other sedatives induce sleep, they do not trigger the natural 'sleep state' the brain requires to rest, reset, and recover." Professor Ma added that previous research have suggested the sedative may help prevent delirium, but this is the largest study to show such beneficial effects. The study also confirmed there were no side effects of the sedative. Further results showed the patients given the sedative had fewer post-operative complications than the placebo group, and were discharged from hospital earlier. The team will now assess if the sedative has long-term benefits, beyond the seven-day study period. Professor Ma added: "There is still much more work to do around post-operative delirium, as we still don't fully understand what is happening in the brain, and why some patients are more at risk. However these findings suggest this sedative may be a potential method of preventing post-operative delirium in some patients." The same hotspot in Earth's mantle that feeds Iceland's active volcanoes has been playing a trick on the scientists who are trying to measure how much ice is melting on nearby Greenland. According to a new study in the journal Science Advances, the hotspot softened the mantle rock beneath Greenland in a way that ultimately distorted their calculations for ice loss in the Greenland ice sheet. This caused them to underestimate the melting by about 20 gigatons (20 billion metric tons) per year. That means Greenland did not lose about 2,500 gigatons of ice from 2003-2013 as scientists previously thought, but nearly 2,700 gigatons instead -- a 7.6 percent difference, said study co-author Michael Bevis of The Ohio State University. "It's a fairly modest correction," said Bevis, the Ohio Eminent Scholar in Geodynamics, professor of earth sciences at Ohio State and leader of GNET, the Greenland GPS Network. "It doesn't change our estimates of the total mass loss all over Greenland by that much, but it brings a more significant change to our understanding of where within the ice sheet that loss has happened, and where it is happening now." Earth's crust in that part of the world is slowly moving northwest, he explained, and 40 million years ago, parts of Greenland passed over an especially hot column of partially molten rock that now lies beneath Iceland. The hotspot softened the rock in its wake, lowering the viscosity of the mantle rocks along a path running deep below the surface of Greenland's east coast. advertisement During the last ice age, Greenland's ice sheet was much larger than now, and its enormous weight caused Greenland's crust to slowly sink into the softened mantle rock below. When large parts of the ice sheet melted at the end of the ice age, the weight of the ice sheet decreased, and the crust began to rebound. It is still rising, as mantle rock continues to flow inwards and upwards beneath Greenland. The existence of mantle flow beneath Greenland is not a surprise in itself, Bevis said. When the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites began measuring gravity signals around the world in 2002, scientists knew they would have to separate mass flow beneath Earth's crust from changes in the mass of the overlying ice sheet. "GRACE measures mass, period. It cannot tell the difference between ice mass and rock mass. So, inferring the ice mass change from the total mass change requires a model of all the mass flows within Earth. If that model is wrong, so is the ice mass change inferred from GRACE," he explained. Models of this rock flow depend on what researchers can glean about the viscosity of the mantle. The original models assumed a fairly typical mantle viscosity, but Greenland's close encounter with the Iceland hot spot greatly changed the picture. To the GNET team, the 7.6 percent discrepancy in overall ice loss is overshadowed by the fact that it concealed which parts of the ice sheet are most being affected by climate change. The new results reveal that the pattern of modern ice loss is similar to that which has prevailed since the end of the last ice age. advertisement "This result is a detail, but it is an important detail," Bevis continued. "By refining the spatial pattern of mass loss in the world's second largest -- and most unstable -- ice sheet, and learning how that pattern has evolved, we are steadily increasing our understanding of ice loss processes, which will lead to better-informed projections of sea level rise." Computer models can give a good estimate of mantle flow and crustal uplift, he said, and GNET's mission is to make those models better by providing direct observations of present-day crustal motion. That's why the GNET team includes GRACE scientists and earth modelers as well as GPS experts and glaciologists. The team used GPS to measure uplift in the crust all along Greenland's coast. That's when they discovered that two neighboring stations on the east coast were uplifting far more rapidly than standard models had predicted. "We did not expect to see the anomalous uplift rates at the two stations that sit on the 'track' of the Iceland hot spot," Bevis said. "We were shocked when we first saw them. Only afterwards did we make the connection." He added that the discovery holds big implications for measuring ice loss elsewhere in the world. For instance, GNET has a sister network, ANET, that spans West Antarctica. It employs roughly similar numbers of GPS stations, but spread out over a vastly larger area. Unless more stations are added to ANET, anomalous rates of uplift may go undetected, Bevis cautioned, and analyses of GRACE data will lead to inaccurate estimates of ice loss in Antarctica. A new type of atomic force microscope (AFM) uses nanowires as tiny sensors. Unlike standard AFM, the device with a nanowire sensor enables measurements of both the size and direction of forces. Physicists at the University of Basel and at the EPF Lausanne have described these results in the recent issue of Nature Nanotechnology. Nanowires are extremely tiny filamentary crystals which are built-up molecule by molecule from various materials and which are now being very actively studied by scientists all around the world because of their exceptional properties. The wires normally have a diameter of 100 nanometers and therefore possess only about one thousandth of a hair thickness. Because of this tiny dimension, they have a very large surface in comparison to their volume. This fact, their small mass and flawless crystal lattice make them very attractive in a variety of nanometer-scale sensing applications, including as sensors of biological and chemical samples, and as pressure or charge sensors. Measurement of direction and size The team of Argovia Professor Martino Poggio from the Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI) and the Department of Physics at the University of Basel has now demonstrated that nanowires can also be used as force sensors in atomic force microscopes. Based on their special mechanical properties, nanowires vibrate along two perpendicular axes at nearly the same frequency. When they are integrated into an AFM, the researchers can measure changes in the perpendicular vibrations caused by different forces. Essentially, they use the nanowires like tiny mechanical compasses that point out both the direction and size of the surrounding forces. Image of the two-dimensional force field The scientists from Basel describe how they imaged a patterned sample surface using a nanowire sensor. Together with colleagues from the EPF Lausanne, who grew the nanowires, they mapped the two-dimensional force field above the sample surface using their nanowire "compass." As a proof-of-principle, they also mapped out test force fields produced by tiny electrodes. The most challenging technical aspect of the experiments was the realization of an apparatus that could simultaneously scan a nanowire above a surface and monitor its vibration along two perpendicular directions. With their study, the scientists have demonstrated a new type of AFM that could extend the technique's numerous applications even further. AFM -- today widely used The development of AFM 30 years ago was honored with the conferment of the Kavli-Prize beginning of September this year. Professor Christoph Gerber of the SNI and Department of Physics at the University of Basel is one of the awardees, who has substantially contributed to the wide use of AFM in different fields, including solid-state physics, materials science, biology, and medicine. The various different types of AFM are most often carried out using cantilevers made from crystalline Si as the mechanical sensor. "Moving to much smaller nanowire sensors may now allow for even further improvements on an already amazingly successful technique," Martino Poggio comments his approach. Humpback whales can migrate thousands of miles to reach feeding grounds each year, but a new study concludes that their fidelity to certain local habitats -- as passed on through the generations -- and the protection of these habitats are key to understanding the ultimate recovery of this endangered species. The study documents the local recruitment of whales in Glacier Bay and Icy Strait in Alaska over a 30-year period. The researchers found that contemporary whales that utilize these rich feeding grounds overwhelmingly are descendants of whales that previously used the area. In other words, the population recovery of humpback whales in the region depends on cultural knowledge of migratory routes passed on from mothers to their calves; it is not a product of whales from outside the area suddenly "discovering" a rich feeding ground. Results of the study are being published this week in the journal Endangered Species Research. "Humpback whales are recovering from exploitation on an ocean-wide basis, but ultimately their individual success is on a much more local scale," said Scott Baker, associate director of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University and a co-author on the study. "Humpback whales travel globally, but thrive locally." The study compares records of individual whales returning to Glacier Bay. The first, referred to as the "founder's population," included whales documented by a local high school teacher, Charles Jurasz, beginning in the 1970s. Jurasz was one of the first researchers to realize that individual whales could be identified by photographs of natural markings -- a technique now widely used to study living whales. advertisement Over the years, other researchers -- including the authors of this study -- continued to record the return of these whales by photo identification and they later collected small genetic samples to confirm the relatedness between individual whales. Using a large database maintained by Glacier Bay National Park and the University of Alaska Southeast, the records of the founding population were then compared to records of the "contemporary population" returning to Glacier Bay, more than 30 years after Jurasz's initial studies. The results were striking. Of the 25 "founding females" that were also sampled for genetic analysis, all but one was represented in the contemporary group -- either as still living, or by a direct descendant, or in many cases, both. Several of the founding females were even grandmothers of individuals in the contemporary population. "We looked at three possibilities for population increase over a 33-year period including local recruitment from Glacier Bay/Icy Strait, recruitment from elsewhere in southeastern Alaska, and immigration from outside the region," said Sophie P. Pierszalowski, a master's student in OSU's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and lead author on the study. "It is clear that the contemporary generation of whales is based on local recruitment, highlighting the importance of protecting local habitat for recovering species, especially those with culturally inherited migratory destinations." Humpback whales in the North Pacific were once estimated to number more than 15,000 individuals based on catch data before commercial whaling took a toll, reducing the population to less than a thousand by 1966. Humpback whales were first protected by the International Whaling Commission in 1965, then listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1973. advertisement Since the protection, the oceanic population has increased to an estimated 21,000 individuals based on photo-identification studies and other evidence. The recovery has been slow, in part because humpback whales can live to be 70 years of age and their recovery is driven primarily by local fidelity and recruitment. "Limiting vessel traffic in important habitats is one way to help protect humpback whales," Pierszalowski said, "along with maintaining legal distances by vessels, reducing the risk of entanglement with fishing gear, and maintaining stranding networks that have the capacity to quickly disentangle whales." OSU's Marine Mammal Institute is based at the university's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Ore. The most complete ice age mastodon skeleton found in Michigan since the 1940s was recovered this month from the state's Thumb region by a University of Michigan-led team that included Tuscola County teachers who volunteered for the dig. More than 75 complete or nearly complete bones, accounting for 60-70 percent of the extinct mammal's skeletal mass, were recovered during the four-day dig at the Fowler Center for Outdoor Learning near Mayville, in Michigan's Thumb region. The dig ended Sunday. Most of the animal's long limb bones, both shoulder blades, the entire pelvis, the skull, many vertebrae and most of the ribs were recovered. The tusks, the lower jaw and most of the foot bones were not found. Mastodons are extinct relatives of the elephant. Over the decades, pieces from roughly 300 mastodons have been found in Michigan. But fewer than 10 of those specimens are as complete as the one recovered in Mayville, said Daniel Fisher, director of the U-M Museum of Paleontology and leader of the dig. "This is the most complete Michigan mastodon skeleton in many decades," said Fisher, who is also a professor in the U-M Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. "I think the last time a mastodon this complete was found in Michigan was in the 1940s. That was the Owosso mastodon, the mature female skeleton mounted at the U-M Museum of Natural History. As I recall, she was about 80 percent complete." The excavation was a joint project between U-M and the Fowler Center. The dig team included 10 Tuscola County teachers, as well U-M undergraduate and graduate students and staff members from the school's Museum of Paleontology and its Museum of Natural History. advertisement The bones have been donated to the Museum of Paleontology for further study. The specimen will be known as the Fowler Center Mastodon. This individual was a male believed to be about 30 years old at the time of death, based on the stage of its molar development and wear. It probably lived 11,000 to 13,000 years ago; a radiocarbon age analysis will be conducted to pin down the date to within a century or less, Fisher said. The Fowler Center bones were discovered two years ago eroding from a stream bank. Preliminary studies of the initial bones suggested that the mastodon's carcass may have been processed by early human hunters or scavengers, Fisher said. The work conducted this month supports that idea, he said. "I would say it is roughly 80 percent likely that humans were involved and responsible for major portions of what we see at this site," Fisher said. "The preponderance of evidence favors this interpretation." Some of the recovered bones were fully articulated when found, meaning they remained in the same positions, relative to each other, as when the animal was alive. Some fully articulated sections were separated from other parts of the carcass, as if placed in separate piles. advertisement Such a pattern is unlikely to develop when a large animal dies of natural causes and its carcass is exposed to the elements, Fisher said. In that case, scavengers typically pick apart the carcass and scatter the bones. At the Fowler site, it looks like early human hunters or scavengers may have stored mastodon meat at the bottom of a pond that no longer exists, Fisher said. The bones were preserved in fine-grained pond sediments believed to have been deposited at the close of the last ice age. The cold, low-oxygen environment of the pond bottom would have helped preserve the mastodon meat. Fisher said he has previously investigated more than a dozen of these prehistoric pond-storage sites in the Great Lakes region. In Ann Arbor, members of Fisher's team will wash the bones and examine them for cut marks and other evidence of human butchery, or any other kind of postmortem modifications. In addition to the radiocarbon analysis, roots of one of the animal's wisdom teeth will be examined using microCT and growth-increment analyses to determine season of death. U-M researchers and Fowler Center staff members decided to invite local teachers to be part of this month's dig as a way to share the discovery with the surrounding community. In addition, many locals gathered at the dig site this month to watch the excavation's progress. "A big part of the Fowler Center's mission is to enhance personal growth through outdoor adventures that provide an opportunity for learning by doing. And that's exactly what this partnership with local teachers and U-M researchers is all about," said Kyle Middleton, executive director of the Fowler Center. Built-up areas on Earth have increased by 2.5 times since 1975. And yet, today 7.3 billion people live and work in only 7.6% of the global land mass. Nine out of the ten most populated urban centres are in Asia, while five out of the ten largest urban centres are in the United States. These are some of the numbers calculated by a new global database which tracks human presence on Earth, launched on 18 October 2016 by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III). Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) While the growth of the global population is closely monitored by statistical offices, until now there has been little consistent, open and detailed information on the spatial distribution of people, and hardly any information on built-up areas with complete and global coverage. For the first time, the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) developed by the JRC with the support of the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) makes it possible to analyse in a consistent and detailed manner the development of built-up areas, population and settlements of the whole planet over the past 40 years. The GHSL is the most complete, consistent, global, free and open dataset on human settlements from villages to megacities. The datasets are based on more than 12.4k billions of individual image data records collected by different satellite sensors in the past 40 years. It combines satellite imagery on built-up areas, green areas and night lights with census data on population. The GHSL can be used to check where and how people live, to measure the size of built-up areas and map their growth of over time, to calculate the density of cities and to analyse how green or how exposed to disasters urban centres are. It also provides a practical tool for the monitoring of the implementation of international frameworks. Built-up area increasing globally, strongest growth in low-income countries The GHSL shows that over the past 40 years, built-up areas increased by about 2.5 times globally, while the global population increased by a factor of 1.8. The changes in population and built-up areas show major regional differences. The strongest growth can be observed in low income countries. For example, over the past 40 years, the population of Africa tripled and the built-up area quadrupled. During that same period, the population of Europe remained stable, while the built-up area doubled. advertisement Much of the expansion in population and built-up areas has taken place in locations that are at risk to natural disasters. For example, the world urban population of coastal areas has doubled over the last 40 years, from 45 to 88 million people. Most densely populated urban centres are in low-income countries Today, most of the world's population is living in agglomerations with a density greater than 1.500 people per square kilometre and with more than 50,000 inhabitants. The GHSL counts more than 13,000 of these urban centres from the data for the year 2015. The ten most populated urban centres in the world are Guangzhou/Donguan, Cairo, Jakarta, Tokyo, New Delhi, Kolkata, Dhaka, Shanghai, Mumbai and Manila. Thus, nine out of the ten most densely populated urban centres are in Asia and seven are in low-income countries. Urban centres with biggest built-up area are in high-income countries Los Angeles is the largest urban centre in the world, with its built-up area extending over 4 734 km2, followed by Tokyo, Jakarta, Guangzhou/Donguan, New York, Chicago, Johannesburg/Pretoria, Dallas, Miami and Osaka. Consequently, eight out of the ten largest urban centres are in high-income countries and five of them are in the United States. advertisement The different growth trends in the different continents lead to an unequal distribution of built-up per capita globally, the built-up area per capita in urban clusters in Northern America being almost ten times that of Asia. Vegetation in urban clusters increased by 38% in 25 years Large regional and income inequalities are reported in accessing electricity, as observed from night light emissions of urban centres. At the same time, a relative decline of night light emissions can be observed in urban centres of high income countries, possibly related to the implementation of environmental protection and energy saving policies. According to the evidence collected by the GHSL, our urban centres, towns and suburbs are becoming greener: the average intensity of vegetation associated to built-up areas in the whole urban clusters of the planet has increased by 38% in the past 25 years. Atlas of the Human Planet The GHSL is the core baseline data supporting the first release of the "Atlas of the Human Planet," an international collaborative effort within the Group of Earth Observation (GEO) Human Planet initiative. It aims to support the monitoring of the implementation of the post-2015 international frameworks: the UN Third Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III, 2016), the post-2015 framework on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (DRR). European Commission's Joint Research Centre experts presented the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) open data tools and the analytical findings included in the "Atlas of the Human Planet 2016" at the Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador, on 17 -- 20 October 2016. If you type on your desktop or laptop computer's keyboard while participating in a Skype call, you could be vulnerable to electronic eavesdropping, according to researchers at the University of California, Irvine and in Italy. In a new study published online at arXiv, they describe a security breach whereby keystroke sounds, or acoustic emanations, can be recorded during a Skype voice or video call and later reassembled as text. "Skype is used by a huge number of people worldwide," said co-author Gene Tsudik, Chancellor's Professor of computer science at UCI. "We have shown that during a Skype video or audio conference, your keystrokes are subject to recording and analysis by your call partners. They can learn exactly what you type, including confidential information such as passwords and other very personal stuff." He specified that such an attack is not possible with touch-screen or holographic keyboards and keypads. And since data transfer over Skype is encrypted, it's extremely difficult for someone who's not part of a call to pilfer keystrokes. However, he outlined scenarios in which this cybersecurity threat could be all too real. "The interesting thing is that people who talk on Skype are not always friends and do not always have mutual trust," Tsudik said. "Imagine a call between lawyers on opposite sides of a legal case -- or business competitors or diplomats representing different countries." Security experts have long known of attackers' ability to capture acoustic signals from typewriters and computer keyboards for nefarious purposes. Various brands of keyboards, from Apple to HP to Logitech, emit distinct sounds. That information combined with some knowledge of a user's typing style could be enough to allow a spy to re-create whole texts. advertisement "It's possible to build a profile of the acoustic emanation generated by each key on a given keyboard," Tsudik said. "For example, the T on a MacBook Pro 'sounds' different from the same letter on another manufacturer's product. It also sounds different from the R on the same keyboard, which is right next to T." He said that if the sound of someone typing is recorded, each keystroke can be analyzed and matched to a key using machine learning techniques. The challenge in such attacks has been finding a way to place a recording device near a victim's computer keyboard. Now the recording can be done remotely if a person is typing while utilizing a voice-over-internet-protocol application, such as Skype, Google Hangouts or Vonage. The study found that if attackers have some knowledge of the typist's style and information about the keyboard, they have a 91.7 percent rate of accuracy in guessing a key pressed by the victim. If snoops are oblivious to both the typing style and keyboard, they still have a 41.89 percent chance of identifying which keys are being struck, since the English language has a well-known frequency distribution of letters. "Our work is yet another nail in the coffin of traditional physical keyboards that are common in modern laptop and desktop computers," Tsudik said. "It clearly shows previously unnoticed privacy dangers of using popular VoIP technologies in conjunction with such keyboards." The touch-screen keyboards on many smaller devices, such as smartphones and tablets, are not susceptible to these attacks. Laser projection, or holographic, keyboards are also immune. The report can be found online at: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1609.09359.pdf Some people were night fishing off the coast of Bermuda after Hurricane Nicole when they noticed something tangled in a fishing line - but they had no idea it would end up being a "sea monster." One of the men, Tristan Loescher, swam out to untangle a fishing line from a mooring. "He found this massive lobster hooked in the toe," Sanctuary Marine Bermuda, the boating company, told The Dodo in a Facebook message. "We brought him to shore to untangle him," they said. Weighing him, they discovered he was 14 pounds. "We decided he was the biggest lobster we had ever seen." The fishermen couldn't help but snap a few photos of the amazing creature. LUXEMBOURGEuropean Union nations are unlikely to back a landmark trade deal with Canada as scheduled on Tuesday, but remain optimistic they can do so by next week, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is due to fly over to sign it. Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said that divisions within his nation over the deal remained even as EU foreign trade ministers were gathering for what should have been a meeting to sign off on the deal. Instead, Reynders was looking to make further progress at a two-day summit of EU leaders that starts Thursday. The goal is to be able to progress at the summit at the end of the week, he said. Trudeau is due to travel to Brussels to sign the agreement on Oct. 27. EU Foreign Trade Commissioner Margot Malmstroem said there was still time to overcome Belgian objections right up to when the prime minister needs to book his tickets from Canada. The trade pact requires backing from all 28 member states, and Belgium can only back it if all of its regions do so. The francophone southern region of Wallonia of 3.5 million again rejected the deal last week. EU and Belgian officials are now working on an interpretive text that goes with the agreement to pull them on board and save the deal between 500 million EU citizens and 35 million Canadians. I remain cautiously optimistic about CETA but at this point the ball is very much in the European court, International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters Monday in Ottawa. Were working hard with the Europeans . . . Everyone I talked to today said: Hang on in there, we believe this is going to happen. Wallonia fears that its farmers will be priced out of the market with cheap Canadian produce and that many of the labour standards they fought for will be swept away. Many Walloons also say it will be a precursor for a similar deal with the United States, the so-called TTIP, which they fear will cut even further into their livelihoods and consumer and environmental standards. Canadian and EU officials have been racing to persuade the Walloons to ditch their opposition to the agreement. (Tuesdays) vote will be very key, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said in Montreal. We renegotiated the rules of the deal so that we fully clarified that governments can legislate, on their own, progressive social and environmental policies. Freeland added that if the deal fails it would be a real shame. It would also say something quite significant about Europes ability to conduct trade policy if they cant get it done, she said. But were working hard and theres still a little bit of time. When asked if she thinks the central Belgian government will be able to convince the Walloons, Freeland said there were no guarantees. But I know that all of Europe except for Wallonia want this accord, she added. Last week, Freeland dispatched special trade envoy Pierre Pettigrew, a former Liberal trade and foreign minister, to meet with Paul Magnette, Wallonias leader. EU countries fear that the bloc will lose credibility if a deal of this size can be scuppered by a member states single region. If we dont agree with Canada, with whom are we going to agree? I dont understand, said Slovak Minister Peter Ziga, who chaired the meeting. Belgium is a country that built the European Union from the very beginning, when trade was key to creating the bloc, he said. I dont understand it. Tuesdays initial deadline for the so-called Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada was slipping fast out of reach as Wallonia Minister President Paul Magnette raised last-minute objections. We will need a few more days, he said late Monday. Germany remained confident that the deal would eventually be approved. I dont think that the agreement can fail, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said. Even if some other EU nations dont feel fully comfortable with the agreement, it is only Belgiums approval that is missing, officials said. The deal is expected to yield billions in added trade through tariff cuts and other measures to lower barriers to commerce. At the same time, the EU says it will keep in place the regions strong safeguards on social, environmental and labour issues. With files from The Canadian Press SHARE: OTTAWAThe head of a group of Chinas most powerful business leaders says they plan to call on Justin Trudeau to open Canadas trade and investment doors even wider to the Asian superpower. Several members of the exclusive China Entrepreneur Club which is often referred to as the billionaires club will meet the prime minister on Tuesday for the second time in less than two months. Club president Ma Weihua tells The Canadian Press that the entrepreneurs will urge Trudeau to ease what they see as excessively rigid rules that hold back Chinese investors. Ma also says the group will voice its concerns over British Columbias new tax that targets foreign real estate investors in the sizzling Vancouver housing market. The China Entrepreneur Club is made up of 50 top Chinese firms that earn a combined $585 billion of annual gross income. Ma says the group members are on an eight-day Canadian tour to build business relationships and trust. Trudeau has shown considerably more openness to doing business with the worlds second-biggest economy than the previous Conservative government and hes even committed to launching exploratory free-trade talks. Ma says the group wants to create a win-win situation for both countries by helping combine Chinas vast market and capital with Canadas wealth of human talent and cutting-edge technologies. SHARE: Johnson & Johnson shares dropped Tuesday, despite the health-care bellwether boosting its third-quarter profit 27 per cent. Investors apparently are worried about unexpectedly early competition to the companys longtime top seller. The maker of Band-Aids, medical devices and prescription drugs beat Wall Streets expectations, maintained its 2016 revenue forecast, raised the lower end of its profit forecast and said its on track for the approval and launch of 10 new medicines between 2015 and 2020. But on a conference call after the results were released, analysts peppered J&J executives with questions about how it will prevent Pfizer Inc.s Inflectra from siphoning off sales of J&Js biologic immune disorder drug Remicade, which has earned J&J tens of billions of dollars since its 1998 launch. On the eve of J&Js results announcement, Pfizer said Monday it will launch a near-copy of the injected biologic drug, called a biosimilar, in late November in the U.S. Many analysts didnt expect that competition until 2018, because Pfizer and J&J are still fighting in the courts over whether the U.S. patent protecting Remicades monopoly is still valid, said Ashtyn Evans, an analyst at Edward Jones. If Pfizer loses that litigation, it could have to pay J&J three times the U.S. profits it makes on Inflectra, she noted. Investors are beginning to price in the competition to Remicade, driving down J&Js price, Evans said. In midday trading, J&J shares fell $2.36 (U.S.), or 2 per cent, to $116.13, as the broader markets rose. Remicade, for treating rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohns disease and colitis, is one of J&Js most profitable drugs, with sales of $5.34 billion in the first three quarters. Inflectra will be priced 15-per-cent less than Remicades roughly $2,600 monthly list price and is sure to cut into Remicade sales, as biosimilars have already done in Europe and Canada. J&J executives told the analysts that about 70 per cent of patients taking Remicade are doing well and unlikely to change drugs, the company has a strong patient assistance program and its offering sizeable discounts to insurers. I think on top of market share loss, youre going to see lower prices offered on Remicade as many new patients opt for Inflectra due to the lower price, Evans predicted. The worlds biggest maker of health-care products on Tuesday reported a net income of $4.27 billion, or $1.53 per share, up from $3.36 billion, or $1.20 per share, in 2015s third quarter. Restrained spending and soaring prescription drug sales more than offset a dip in consumer product sales. Adjusted earnings, which exclude one-time items, amounted to $1.68 per share, three cents better than analysts expected. The New Brunswick, N.J.-based company posted revenue of $17.82 billion in the quarter, up from $17.1 billion a year ago and above the $17.72 billion analysts expected. Sales of prescription drugs, J&Js largest business, jumped 9.2 per cent to $8.4 billion, led by $1.8 billion for Remicade. Xarelto, for preventing strokes and heart attacks, saw sales jump 15 per cent to $529 million in the quarter, while sales of biologic psoriasis drug Stelara soared 33 per cent to $814 million and sales of new leukemia and lymphoma treatment Imbruvica nearly doubled to $349 million. Medical device sales edged up 1.1 per cent to $6.16 billion, while sales of consumer health products such as Tylenol and Motrin pain relievers fell 1.6 per cent to $3.26 billion. Johnson & Johnson said it expects full-year adjusted earnings in the range of $6.68 to $6.73 per share, up from its July forecast of $6.63 to $6.73 per share. It affirmed its earlier forecast for revenue of $71.5 billion to $72.2 billion. SHARE: ST. JOHNS, N.L.Long-standing protests over the Muskrat Falls hydro project are escalating including nine arrests Monday, a march on the provincial legislature and a hunger strike as reservoir flooding in Labrador is set to start. You cant do this to people. This is still Canada, said Denise Cole of Goose Bay. She helped organize a peaceful protest followed by a sit-in that temporarily limited public access to the legislature in St. Johns. At issue are concerns raised by Harvard University researchers that the flooding as part of dam and powerhouse construction may contaminate fish and other wild foods with methylmercury. The resulting reservoir will cover an area of about 41 square kilometres near Happy Valley-Goose Bay. It will also be upstream from 2,000 Inuit in the Lake Melville region who rely on fish and seal meat. Those are my people that are getting arrested and its the downstream population ... whose health is being threatened, said Cole. The demonstrators left the legislature voluntarily after about five hours, saying their requests to meet with government officials were ignored. Labrador Liberal MP Yvonne Jones, who is also parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, called the arrests unfortunate. Im disappointed that people were arrested, said Jones. I know these people personally. Theyre absolutely outstanding citizens and they have legitimate concerns. Jones said she wants to see Premier Dwight Ball and Nalcor sit down and look at how the concerns can be addressed before any flooding is done. There is time to really look at what needs to be done here to help mitigate any impact, she said. Researchers have suggested clear-cutting the land and removing top soil could limit the risks of methylmercury. The neurotoxin is created as mercury blends with bacteria and is linked to heart issues, intellectual problems in children and other effects. The province has so far balked at full clearance. Crown corporation Nalcor Energy says its monitoring mercury levels but has said its projections indicate contamination in Lake Melville will be diluted to no measurable effects. Gilbert Bennett, Nalcors executive vice-president in charge of power development at Muskrat Falls, said Monday in a statement that preparation continues before reservoir flooding begins later this month. Water levels are expected to gradually rise this fall by about 1 metre per day to 25 metres, he said. After that, levels will go up to 39 metres by 2019. Gilbert said provincial officials recently met with the Nunatsiavut Government, representing five Inuit communities in Labrador, to discuss its request to fully clear the reservoir. Nalcor has subsequently undertaken additional water quality monitoring and we are working with both governments on this program. Environment Minister Perry Trimper said in a statement Monday Nalcor has obligations to supply energy to Nova Scotia and complete the project under terms of a federal loan guarantee. Nalcor Energy has $7 billion in contractual and legal commitments, he said. Still, Trimper said the Nunatsiavut Government, Innu Nation and the NunatuKavut Community Council representing Inuit-Metis in southern Labrador will be part of an independent advisory committee. It will discuss further clearing of the reservoir between the 25 to 39 metre mark. Nunatsiavut president Johannes Lampe isnt waiting. He wrote Monday to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the premier calling for a halt to any flooding. He said Harvard University research funded in part by the independent National Science Foundation in the U.S. with support from his government is not being used to inform the monitoring program. This is extremely disappointing and has added to the level of frustration with the province, he said in a statement. NunatuKavut president Todd Russell called the arrests Monday a heavy-handed affront to democratic rights. We continue to be shocked at the intransigence of the provincial government and Nalcor to not do the right thing. NDP member Gerry Rogers said the previous Progressive Conservative government, which lost power last fall, was deaf to concerns about a project touted as a cleaner energy option. The Liberal government has said that they have to deal with the mess that was left behind. They, too, will not listen to scientific evidence. Angus Andersen from the Inuit community of Nain in northern Labrador stood before the legislature early Monday near a woman holding a baby and a sign: Please dont poison me. Its wrong from the start, and its wrong now, he said of Muskrat Falls, a troubled project that with financing has soared to an estimated $11.4 billion from $7.4 billion four years ago. First power is now delayed until 2019. Nine people protesting at the construction site in Labrador were arrested early Monday after Nalcor got an injunction Sunday forbidding obstruction of its main entrance. RCMP said they each face one count of disobeying a court order. Their arrests came on Day 4 of a hunger strike by Inuk artist Billy Gauthier of North West River near Happy Valley-Goose Bay. He posted a video to his Facebook page Thursday night of what he said will be his last meal until Nalcor agrees to fully clear the reservoir area. He ate wild salmon from Rigolet. I feel as though in a way this is an attack not just on me, not just on my family, but also on my culture which is Inuit, he says in the video that has been viewed almost 35,000 times. Its also an attack on every Labradorian who actually respects the land. SHARE: HALIFAXThe Liberal government may have made history by nominating a Newfoundlander to Canadas top court but disappointed advocates say a more critical opportunity has been missed to add racial diversity to Canadas predominantly white judiciary. Its another white male . . . Its the exact thing weve been doing for years, said Koren Lightening-Earle, president of the Indigenous Bar Association, adding she would have been borderline happy with any person of colour. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that Justice Malcolm Rowe from Newfoundland and Labrador has been nominated for the Supreme Court of Canada. If formally named to the court, it will be a historic first for the province. However, scholars and aboriginal jurists had hoped Trudeaus new selection process might set aside the constitutional convention of regionally based appointments, and focus on putting an aboriginal or black judge into the job. Lightening-Earle said while Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have waited a number of decades for a representative on the court, aboriginal Canadians have deeper historic claims to a place in the judiciary. They (Newfoundland and Labrador residents) have been waiting a long time, but weve been waiting a little bit longer, she said. Lightening-Earle said in a telephone interview a rare opportunity has been missed, and indigenous lawyers are wondering why they bothered applying to the governments advisory board for the position. A report in Policy Options magazine estimated earlier this year that just one per cent of Canadas 2,160 judges in the provincial superior and lower courts are aboriginal, while 3 per cent are racial minorities prompting a Dalhousie University law professor to describe the Canadian bench as a judiciary of whiteness. Robert Wright, a black social worker who has served on a Nova Scotia board that recommends judicial appointments, said the announcement is a disappointment given the Trudeau governments earlier signals it might adjust the system. There are an increasing number of Canadians who . . . are not caught up in what I call the historical regional nature of the various Canadian identities we used to focus on, he said in a telephone interview from Halifax. Wright argues the principle of diversity that lies beneath appointing people from different regions needed to be shifted to recognize the increasing number of Canadians from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. He said as a black Nova Scotian he would have been content to see a black person from any part of the country elevated to the bench, and he also would have been very pleased if an aboriginal judge was appointed. Wright and Lightening-Earle say the country is losing out on the opportunity to gain from indigenous perspectives on everything from constitutional issues to sentencing to the factors that lead to crime. Jeffery Hewitt, a legal scholar at the University of Windsor, said he doesnt accept arguments that there may be a lack of qualified candidates. Tell us who applied. Give us the list. Talk to us about . . . whether there were any indigenous people in there? said Hewitt, a Cree who has provided legal advice to First Nations. A spokeswoman for the federal Justice Department said the independent advisory board that recommends candidates to the prime ministers office will be reporting on this information one month from (an) appointment. Hewitt said hes hopeful that going forward, the Liberals will make more appointments to the superior courts in the provinces. In Quebec, the Policy Options study noted three visible minority judges out of more than 500, despite bar society figures showing more than 1,800 of its roughly 25,000 lawyers identify themselves as being from visible minority groups. The province said it doesnt keep figures. In Ontario, one of the few provinces where the judicial advisory body keeps figures on the lower court appointments, there were 24 visible minority judges out of 334 judges, even though one quarter of the provinces overall population identifies as a visible minority. There are no visible minorities on the bench in Newfoundland and Labrador, which by constitutional convention was the likeliest province to be tapped for the next Supreme Court of Canada appointment. Rowe, who was first named a trial judge in 1999 and has been a judge of the provincial court of appeal since 2001, replaces Justice Thomas Cromwell, previously a Nova Scotia Court of Appeal justice, who retired Sept. 1, 2016. His legal work in private practice and on the bench has included constitutional matters, foreign relations, the arbitration of maritime boundaries, and the negotiation of conventional law through the United Nations. Rowe says he is fully bilingual, a qualification which the Liberal government said was mandatory for the appointment. MP and senators will have a chance to question the nominee on Oct. 25. SHARE: OTTAWAHere is a much abbreviated list of the current and former Canadian politicians who believe that when it comes to cultural diversity, Canada should be exporting its live-and-let-live model, not looking for inspiration from countries such as France that have put in place coercive measures to affirm their national identity. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sees cultural diversity as one of the great strengths of modern-day Canada. From his perspective, the Canadian identity is a fluid work in progress, not a static feature in need of proactive measures to ensure its preservation. He thinks of it as a living tree, not a dried flower stuck between two pages of history. The prime minister is convinced that Canadas cultural diversity enriches and renews its fabric. On that basis, Trudeau abhors, among other coercive measures, the notion of submitting prospective immigrants to a cultural correctness test. As it happens, so does his Conservative vis-a-vis Rona Ambrose. She finds the notion that a government could appoint itself as the arbiter of collective values impracticable. With the notable exception of Kellie Leitch, who champions the idea of vetting the values of newcomers to this country, those who would succeed Stephen Harper are similarly disinclined to go down that road. In their days as Quebec and federal ministers of the environment, Thomas Mulcair and Stephane Dion found much to disagree on. As NDP leader, Mulcair emerged as the leading federalist critic of some of the features of Dions post-referendum clarity law. But on the worthiness of Canadas inclusive model, they are on the same page. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is sold on the merits of cultural diversity. So are Tory leader Patrick Brown and his NDP opposition counterpart Andrea Horwath. Over in Alberta, Jason Kenney, the former immigration minister who is seeking to reunite the right in that province, spent his federal career of reaching out to Canadas diverse communities. As mayors go, Montreals Denis Coderre, Torontos John Tory and Calgarys Naheed Nenshi have very different styles, but they have in common a conviction that cultural diversity is key to the success of their respective big cities. On this, they speak the same language. In Quebec, Premier Philippe Couillard gets flak for what his critics describe as a blind devotion to Canadas multicultural model. He does seem to believe the best discussion of immigration is no discussion at all. And yet on notions such as a ban on the wearing of burqas and niqabs in public or the screening of the values of would-be immigrants, Couillard finds himself in the same camp as former PQ premier Lucien Bouchard, former Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe . . . and Quebecs iconic bard, Gilles Vigneault. None of them see Quebecs collective identity as an either/or proposition. This is not an exhaustive list, but it is an eclectic one. And yes, it includes most of what one could describe as the countrys political elite. Canadas federal, provincial and municipal leaders do sit at the top of the pyramid. But it is voters that put them there. All this is to say that Canada should embrace rather than brace for a challenge to its immigration and integration model. It is not as if the discussion is going to go away just because it has the potential to be divisive. This is a debate that already invited itself in the last Quebec and federal elections. If anything, the refusal of many proponents of Canadas approach to cultural diversity to argue for it on its merits only weakens their case. One cannot simultaneously set Canada up as a model to the world and refuse to defend the countrys approach to cultural diversity at home for fear of shattering the societal consensus that sustains it. In the late 80s, the Reform party threw down the gauntlet at the supporters of official bilingualism. Preston Manning believed he could tap in to the frustrations of a silent (unilingual) majority. The Reformers opponents castigated them for calling for a debate on Canadas language policy. This is a boat they said that no responsible politician should want to rock. And yet the discussion the Reform party forced on its rivals ended up strengthening Canadas linguistic duality. In time, Manning lost his leadership in no small part because he was unable to become bilingual enough to campaign efficiently in French and unable to convince enough Canadians that it should not matter. Chantal Hebert is a national affairs writer. Her column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Read more about: SHARE: MONTREALBrian Mulroney is no fan of Donald Trumps promise to rip up NAFTA, but the former prime minister says Hillary Clintons shift to the left is bad for Canadian trade, especially if the Democrats regain control of the Senate. The former Conservative leader told the Montreal Board of Trade that Clintons decision to accept the wacky arguments about trade put forward by socialist former rival Sen. Bernie Sanders is troubling. Clinton has come out against the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement she worked on as secretary of state and criticizes NAFTA, which her husband enacted as president. Her positions make the situation more complicated, Mulroney said. If the Democrats retake control of the Senate, which seems to be the case, it will be a defeat for Canada in the area of international trade. Mulroney is a fervent defender of free trade as one of the architects of the 1988 deal with the United States and subsequent extension to include Mexico. He called Trumps call to cancel the North American Free Trade Agreement illusory. Mulroney said the Republican nominee would face political blowback from senators in 38 states that depend on trade with Canada to support 11 million jobs. And despite Trumps anti-Mexican rhetoric, he said NAFTA is having the desired impact since for the first time in 25 years, more Mexicans are returning home from the U.S. to chase prosperity. Mr. Trump doesnt yet understand that. The treaty at the same time resolved economic questions and problems surrounding immigration, Mulroney said. International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said protectionist forces in the U.S. should worry Canadians, especially relating to challenges in securing a new softwood lumber agreement. It was always complicated for Canada and the United States, but its a challenge that has become more complex because of the protectionist wind that currently blows, she told reporters in Ottawa. Read more about: SHARE: HALIFAXDalhousie University is apologizing after two men performed a mock striptease at a university function. Brian Leadbetter, Dalhousies communications director, said Tuesday the pair stripped at the 50th anniversary party of the School of Health and Human Performance, a key alumni event during homecoming last Friday. According to the CBC, the men one current and one retired faculty member undressed down to flesh-coloured underwear, accompanied by Def Leppards song Pour Some Sugar On Me. Im aware that disrobing did occur, I cant confirm to which song, Leadbetter said. If you were to look at community standards of acceptable behaviour, a striptease at an event like this which is celebrating the long and storied history of a program . . . is simply not acceptable behaviour. Leadbetter said he has heard a number of complaints from staff, faculty and alumni at the event, but said it is premature to discuss any possible punishment. Based on the information that Ive heard thus far, it certainly does seem like there was some inappropriate behaviour and on behalf of the university yesterday I apologized to anyone in attendance who was offended by that action. He said Alice Aiken, dean of the faculty of health professions, sent an email Monday to the fewer than 100 people in attendance apologizing directly to them. Leadbetter said some attendees may have found it fun and not been offended, but the issue hes addressing is what is what would be considered acceptable within a university-sanctioned enterprise. We have to still further look into this, but we do have expectations of members our community to observe standards of appropriate behaviour and we want to fully determine what transpired here, he said. In 2014, Dalhousie was the target of protests over its handling of a misogynistic Facebook group among students at its dentistry school. SHARE: AUSTIN, PA.The wreckage of a small plane that lost contact with flight controllers as it was flying from Virginia to Canada has been found in Pennsylvania, with all three occupants dead, a coroner said Tuesday. The Piper PA-28 took off Sunday from Richmond International Airport and was headed to St. Catharines/Niagara District Airport in Ontario, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The wreckage was found late Monday in Keating Township, said Kevin J. Dusenbury Sr., the Potter County coroner. The FAA lost contact with the flight over Potter County at about 7 p.m. Sunday, according to a statement from the agency. Emergency dispatchers in nearby McKean County said they were contacted by the FAA after the aircraft changed course to avoid a thunderstorm. They lost radio contact with the plane when it was near the mountainous, remote area of Keating Summit. The Civil Air Patrol released information on Monday afternoon concerning the aircraft, prompting a search near Route 155 in Keating Township. McKean and Potter county emergency officials were joined by volunteer fire departments, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania State Police. The National Transportation Safety Board is heading the crash investigation. The victims names wont be released until their relatives are notified, Dusenbury said. SHARE: On Saturday, scores of otherwise ordinary people will descend on Manhattans Tompkins Square Park, with their dogs in tow, for the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade. The event, sponsored by Purina Beggin, (the makers of the popular canine treat Purina Beggin Strips Bacon) is, according to CNN, the largest dog costume parade in the entire world. (And here I assumed it was the only one. Silly me.) What, you may ask, happens at the largest dog costume parade in the world? If you answered that dogs wear costumes, youd only be half right. In fact, dogs and dog owners dress up in costume at the T.S.H.D.P, usually together, as a theme. The winners of last years event, to illustrate, were a man and a woman who staged a chilling Day of the Dead tableau with their chihuahuas. Mind you, if I had judged the parade, I would have given first prize to my favourite contestant: a bulldog in blond wig and pearls, i.e., Marilyn Monroe. As for the be-wigged lapdog dressed up as Caitlyn Jenner in a sultry white number eerily similar to the frock the real-life Jenner donned on the cover of Vanity Fair, I have no words. This may be because the dogs owner, meanwhile, wore a USA tracksuit and imitation gold medal. (Presumably, he was channelling the ghost of the pre-Caitlyn Jenner, Bruce.) All this is to say, with a universal eye roll, that people love their dogs (and possibly their pets in general) a lot. So much so, it turns out, that in exhibiting their love for their dogs, they tend to sacrifice their dignity in the process and as some of the scenarios above suggest, the dignity of their animals, too. Until recently, I would have considered this sacrifice of dignity to be all in good fun. Notwithstanding the questionable Caitlyn Jenner lapdog getup, the whole Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade would have registered as a perfect example of a dignity-defying, weirdly healthy good time. Even the matchy-matchiness of the whole dog-owner pairings would have given me a good laugh, not unlike the laugh so many people got when Fido the phone company ran their now world-famous ad campaign in the late 1990s featuring dogs and owners who happened to look exactly like each other. But theres a difference between the Fido ad animal/human likenesses and the Halloween dog parade likenesses: the first were happy accidents; the latter are calculated constructs. The former were coincidental; the latter are intentional. And the culprits behind the intent are us, the human half of the pair, the animal-owners. I say us advisedly. I am about to realize a lifelong ambition and become a dog-owner myself. And my impending ownerhood a kind of parenthood has me thinking that seeing our pets as extensions of ourselves may not be such a terrific idea after all. The negative effects of this particular brand of anthropomorphism (ascribing human qualities to animals) are already there if you look for them. In an article last month titled Is Your Dogs Halloween Costume Sexist? the Washington Post noted, tongue-in-cheek, that while retailers had finally started to abandon gender bias in Halloween costumes for young human girls, pet outlets like Petsmart or Baxterboo.com are still apparently gender-rigid in their Halloween togs, hyping certain costumes for male dogs (firefighter and police officer) and others for females (sweetheart nurse or French maid). That this was a ludicrous thing to be outraged by (something the right-wing site Breitbart pointed out, not getting the tongue-in-cheek part) was obvious, but it hid a kernel of truth: Its easy to overlook the indignity of dressing up your Scottish terrier as an extension of yourself for Halloween, but when we start extending our gender bias to pets, too, it starts feeling kind of creepy. Really, French maid dogs? Other effects of human-to-dog extension are more substantially questionable. Just this past week, CBC news reported that between 40 and 50 per cent of all owned pets in Canada are overweight. The percentage of Canadian people over the age of 18 who are overweight? Between 40 and 50 per cent. Not only does Rovers face resemble ours these days, it seems; so does his spare tire. And Australian cities have been experiencing a minor epidemic of abandoned pets in the recent past, at least partly the result of foreign students studying in Australia who neglect to take their dogs with them when they return home. These dogs arent feral, just homeless, but to be homeless, you have to initially be given a home to lose. And who gives pets homes? Us. So, I hereby make a pledge: I will do everything in my power not to make my dog homeless. And I will do everything I cannot to make him obese. But when it comes to Halloween, I make no promises. Tompkins Square Dog Parade, here I come. Emma Teitel is a national affairs columnist. Read more about: SHARE: OTTAWAAn event that reportedly saw students at the University of Ottawa encouraged to perform lewd acts in exchange for points has been cancelled indefinitely as organizers apologized to anyone who was negatively affected by the experience. The schools Science Students Association, which hosted the so-called Vets Tour earlier this month, called the event ill-conceived and wrong, adding it unconditionally condemns any actions, attitudes and discourse that contribute to, promote or normalize sexual violence and rape culture on campus. The university itself also denounced the event, in which it said some students were encouraged to behave disgracefully, and said the incident is a reminder that sexual violence is a societal problem. The statement from the university came after its French-language student newspaper published a report on a pub crawl where students were allegedly encouraged to rack up points by carrying out a list of activities, such as taking off their clothes and having sex with event judges. The newspaper reported that the event has been a tradition for many years and many participants are involved in student politics. It also quoted a past participant who said she signed up thinking it was just a regular pub crawl only to find herself pressured to take off her clothes and be groped by a teammate. A source reportedly told the paper the events slogan has long been Its not peer pressure, its just your turn. The Science Students Association apologized to anyone who felt unsafe or pressured to do anything at any of our events. The SSA takes many precautions and actively works to promote positive and inclusive spaces while ensuring that activities that take place during our events are of consensual and non-violent natures. However, we realize that regardless of the precautions taken, certain events present the risk for sexual violence or harassment to occur, it said. The group urged anyone who felt they had experienced sexual harassment or violence to come forward and take advantage of the universitys resources. The university, meanwhile, called on the campus community to help change what it called such disgraceful behaviour and stressed it has policies in place to prevent sexual violence. When asked Tuesday whether the administration would conduct an investigation into the event, a spokeswoman said she would not comment beyond the official statement. Sexual violence has been a hot topic at the school, where a sexual assault investigation led to a two-year suspension of the varsity hockey program. The team returned to the ice this fall after being put on hold for the 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons. Following the initial suspension of the team, the school launched an internal investigation and said it would implement new behaviour guidelines. The results of the universitys internal investigation into the team were not made public two years ago. Read more about: SHARE: Fraudsters are infamous for taking peoples money, spending it and leaving a slew of victims in their wake. Steven Morrison wasnt prepared to be a victim. In spring, a handyman who had advertised on Kijiji visited Morrison to talk about building a backyard deck. Morrison said he was immediately confronted with a request for a $2,500 deposit so the carpenters could get to work. Morrison paid $500, withholding the other $2,000 until post holes were dug the following day. He says that was the last time he saw the Vaughan handyman at his home. After calling the mans cellphone over and over again, Morrison says hed get responses like: What are you going to do about it? Sue me and Have a nice day. I might have just let it go, but he was taunting me, the subcontractor from Burlington said. Im Scottish we never let anything go. Police told him that because work had technically been done on his backyard project, the homeowners complaint was a civil matter. Morrisons next move was to call the man a scam artist in posts on Kijiji, to which a number of other victims in Mississauga, Toronto and Markham responded. Eventually Kijiji banned Morrison, suggesting he was a rival contractor trying to smear the mans name. So he turned to posting details on consumer websites and began a calling campaign against the man, ringing his countless phones and businesses names over and again. After he found out where the man lived, Morrison even knocked on his door, snapping a photo of the man while the two argued on what Morrison called the mans rented million-dollar Concord property. After weeks of the campaign, the handyman eventually called Morrison, saying hed pay back the money, noting that he was costing him a fortune. But the money never came. Morrison eventually gathered five of the handymans alleged victims and they went to Halton police as a group. They were told to make police reports in their own jurisdictions; then, Toronto police acted, charging Eugene Ostrovski, 29, with fraud under $5,000, forgery and uttering forged documents. Read more about: SHARE: Canadian Morgan Wienberg spent the past two weeks in the centre of Haitis hurricane disaster zone, and she has a dire warning. Typhoid, cholera, famine it hasnt even started yet, said Wienberg, 24, on Sunday. People who didnt die (in the storm) are going to start dying. Wienberg lives in Les Cayes, where she has run Little Footprints, Big Steps, a child rescue organization since 2011. Her Haitian home bore the brunt of Hurricane Matthews fury, which claimed the lives of at least 1,000 people on Oct. 4. She said the devastation looks like a war zone. (Haitians) are survivors, but at the same time its really hard. People dont really have hope. Even the social services agents are homeless or hospitalized right now, she said. I have staff members who are homeless, and Im asking them to go out and help other people. Its extremely overwhelming. Wienberg spoke to the Star via telephone from the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince as she prepared to board a plane for Toronto. Shell take part in WeDay celebrations here on Wednesday. Wienberg said she was shocked at the slow response from international NGOs who claimed to be prepared for the storm. It was extremely frustrating, she said. The afternoon after the hurricane, there were absolutely no NGOs or foreigners that I saw in the streets at all. It was like, where are the people who should be reacting to this? No one was doing anything, except locals trying to get to their loved ones. Claudia Blume, a spokesperson for the Canadian chapter of Doctors Without Borders, said that NGO sent four emergency response teams by helicopter to the region immediately following the storm. While teams in Haiti were unreachable Monday afternoon, an internal update email shared with the Star showed that Doctors Without Borders staff were on the ground in the Les Cayes area by at least Oct. 6. A Doctors Without Borders statement issued Oct. 9 said there were 25 staff deployed to the disaster zone, but teams are still struggling to reach some remote communities cut off by Matthews fury. According to Wienberg, the lack of response wasnt due to a lack of resources. She and her staff attended civil protection meetings with other NGOs in the days after Matthew hit. All of these major NGOs were saying These are the resources that we have available, but they were just sitting there explaining what was available and no one was doing anything, she said. And in the meantime you have these temporary shelters filled with people who have lost everything and they dont even have clean water yet. And Im talking a week later. Wienberg said her organization, along with UNICEF and local government workers, left the planning meetings and started working together on their own to get as much aid flowing as possible. Though her organization doesnt normally do emergency response, she and her staff have spent every day since the storm doing exactly that. Wienberg and her staff started buying and distributing clean water. She hired local doctors and set up a mobile clinic at one emergency shelter, and bought $500 worth of medicine and baby formula on credit from a friendly local pharmacy. Many of the orphans in Haiti have at least one living parent or relative, but their families are often too poor to support their children. So the kids are either given up or left to live on the streets. Wienbergs organization focuses on getting children off the streets, into transitional safe houses and where possible reconnected with their families. They work with 250 families around Les Cayes, each with between five and eight children of their own. But given the scale of the hurricanes destruction, Wienberg cant limit her outreach to only those families. If I have five or 10 families that we work with who are misplaced, I cant walk into a shelter with three hundred people who are misplaced and hand food to only five families, she said. Thankfully, none of the children LFBS works with were killed in the storm itself, though Wienberg worries that if more aid particularly clean water and food arent delivered soon, her kids and everyone else will be at risk. Now, two weeks after the storm, Wienberg said aid is starting to flow into Les Cayes and the surrounding area, but there are still rural communities that remain cut off. The situation appears to be getting desperate. On Sunday Reuters reported that the UN base in Les Cayes was shut down after desperate Haitians looted World Food Program trucks carrying supplies. Les Cayes area is a key agricultural region for the country, but crops and infrastructure have been destroyed. Wienberg said if shelter, food and clean water dont start reaching rural areas soon, the death toll from the looming health crisis could overtake those lost to the hurricane itself. Wienberg was 18 when she first travelled to Haiti in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in 2010 to volunteer with Mission to Haiti Canada. She spent 10 weeks in the country teaching English, tending to post-surgery amputees, and comforting children at the nearby Good Samaritan Orphanage. But after seeing children abused and forced into servitude at orphanages in the country, she decided she had to go back. She co-founded Little Footprints Big Steps in 2011 and has been there almost constantly since then. Read more about: SHARE: The case of a psychiatrist in London, Ont., who was stripped of his medical licence on Monday raises the question of why a licence cant be yanked immediately after a doctor is found guilty in criminal court of sexually assaulting a patient. Robert Crozier pleaded guilty in court in October 2014 to sexually assaulting Patient A and was sentenced to four months in jail and two years probation. He had voluntarily ceased to practise medicine in February of that year, about two months after his arrest. On Monday, two years after his criminal conviction, a discipline hearing at the Toronto headquarters of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) heard that Crozier hugged Patient A after an appointment in December 2013, before proceeding to fondle her breasts, including placing his hand under her shirt and touching her nipple, according to an agreed statement of fact. He asked her if she liked what he was doing, to which she replied No. He then asked if she had experienced an orgasm before advising that it relieved stress, according to the statement. This is not timely justice, medical malpractice lawyer Paul Harte told the Star. I think most members of the public would find a delay of two years following a conviction to be unacceptable. It would be my view that, where there is a criminal conviction for sexual abuse of a patient, that should lead to automatic revocation. He suggested that government pass a regulation to grant the colleges registrar the power to revoke the licence after a criminal conviction for sexual assault on a patient. As it stands, most forms of sexual abuse, including penetration, oral sex and masturbation, lead to the mandatory revocation of a physicians licence by the discipline committee. But yanking a licence for groping still remains entirely at the discretion of the panel. The government has promised to introduce legislative amendments this fall to ensure that all forms of sexual abuse lead to mandatory revocation, something the CPSO supports. A college spokesperson, Kathryn Clarke, said even if the amendment passes, a hearing would still be required to establish a finding of professional misconduct. We are unaware of any jurisdiction where a physicians licence can be revoked without holding a hearing, given the regulators obligation of procedural fairness in administering its duties, she said. In Ontario, a criminal finding leads to an investigation, and where the finding can be established to be relevant to the practice of medicine, a hearing is held. The result in Croziers case before the colleges independent discipline committee also stands in stark contrast with that of Toronto Dr. Javad Peirovy. On Monday, after Crozier was stripped of his licence, a five-member panel of the committee told him: There is no place for a physician who sexually abuses their patients in our profession. Yet a differently constituted panel of the discipline committee chose to suspend Peirovy for six months in April, rather than revoke his licence, after he was found to have sexually abused four female patients by groping them. In a rare public rebuke, the college expressed disappointment with the committee over that decision, and has appealed to the Divisional Court, arguing the public was at significant risk while Peirovy practised at a Toronto walk-in clinic. (He has always denied the allegations against him before the committee.) It sends a mixed message to the profession, when they need to have a clear-cut message to the profession that sexual abuse is never tolerated, said Harte, the medial malpractice lawyer. The college said it had nothing further to add on the Peirovy case. Crozier pleaded guilty on Monday before the discipline committee to sexually abusing Patient A and Patient B, and of demonstrating disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct in both cases, as well as in that of Patient C. A visibly upset Crozier stood in front of the panel and, in a barely audible voice, said he wanted to sincerely apologize. His lawyer, Joshua Koziebrocki, said his client feels remorseful and has accepted responsibility for his actions. Aside from revoking his licence, the committee ordered he turn over a letter of credit for about $32,000 to cover therapy costs for the two patients he was found to have sexually abused, as well as pay the college $5,000 for the cost of the one-day hearing. While the committee recognizes that you are remorseful for your actions, nevertheless, you have shamed and disgraced not only yourself but the profession as a whole , discipline panel chair Dr. Eric Stanton told Crozier. Dr. Crozier, you will now leave this chamber a disgraced physician. The psychiatrist admitted that within hours after he was arrested for sexually assaulting Patient A in December 2013, he violated his release conditions by calling her 11 times, begging for forgiveness.. I have had days that I hoped and prayed that God would take me home to heaven, Patient A said in a victim impact statement read by college lawyer Alice Cranker. With regards to Patient B, Crozier admitted to hugging her and touching her breast twice. Dr. Crozier told Patient B that she had been through so much and that he wanted to give her another hug, said the agreed statement of fact. Dr. Crozier indicated that he was thinking that Patient B could take off her top. Patient B replied that she felt this was highly inappropriate. The womans husband submitted a victim impact statement on her behalf, saying she recently suffered a relapse from the condition for which she was receiving treatment from Crozier. A person who was in charge of her care completely violated her trust and sent her spinning back into the deep depression she was desperately trying to climb out of, said the statement, read by Cranker. Finally, Crozier admitted to inappropriate conduct regarding Patient C. She began seeing him as a patient in 1993, and a few years later offered comfort to Crozier after his family difficulties, according to the statement. He sat next to Patient C on the couch during sessions and held her hand, and accepted comforting touches on the shoulder on at least one occasion. Patient C later told him she had developed feelings for him. The colleges lawyer said Crozier did not take steps to discharge Patient C from his practice until 2006. Patient C, over the years she was Croziers patient, demanded money so she wouldnt report his boundary transgressions with her to the college. He estimated he paid her about $150,000 until 2013. SHARE: Toronto police say they have received reports of more razor blades found hidden in a downtown park Tuesday afternoon, a day after two parks were littered with blades. Just before 6 p.m. on Monday, officers responded to a report of a suspicious incident at June Callwood Park, near the Fort York condo buildings on Fleet St. They said a woman was walking her dog in the area when she noticed razor blades scattered throughout the park, some hidden and mixed in with gravel. According to the reports, the woman said she had seen the razor blades in the park a number of times in the past week. On the same day at around 10:30 p.m., police say they also responded to a call for razor blades found scattered throughout Lisgar Park located in the Queen West neighbourhood. After investigators cleared the scene on Monday, they returned once again Tuesday afternoon to June Callwood Park after receiving a call for additional blades being located, said Const. Steve Hammond, spokesperson for Toronto police. Police are investigating whether or not the blades found on Tuesday were missed by investigators on Monday or were placed there once again, said Const. Hammond. A forensic team is on scene at June Callwood Park assessing the situation, said Const. Hammond, who added the parks remain open. Police have released a photo of the razor blades that were located in the park. No injuries have been reported. Investigators are asking the public to be alert and are urging any one with more information to contact police at 416-808-1400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477). With files from Alina Bykova SHARE: WASHINGTONDonald Trumps ugly, deceitful and intensifying attacks on the integrity of Americas democratic system have alarmed experts on dictatorships, who say his words resemble those of foreign fascists and authoritarians. As voting day approaches, Trump has descended into a conspiratorial darkness he had not previously approached during a presidential campaign always marked by dishonesty and demonization. His false and outlandish claims have reminded scholars of those of illiberal leaders from Italys Benito Mussolini to Venezuelas Hugo Chavez. And they can potentially lead to violence, in particular if the followers take this seriously, said Pippa Norris, an elections authority at Harvard University who is director of the Election Integrity Project. I actually cant believe all of the parallels, said Erica Frantz, a political-science professor at Michigan State University who studies dictatorships. I actually cant believe that its happening here. Norris said she was very worried about what will happen on and after Nov. 8. Trumps claim that the election is rigged against him, she said, is the kind of statement usually limited to autocratic states in Central Europe and in Africa by people who dont want to give up power. She warned of global consequences. Its not just the damage that happens to America as a result of this but the damage that happens to the reputation of democracy worldwide. Where dictators say, Well, if Americas going to do this, then so can we. So it really encourages the worst abuses of human rights, she said. In the last three weeks, Trump, a Republican who trails substantially in every poll, has falsely claimed that the election is plagued by large-scale voter fraud. He has said he will use the powers of the presidency to have opponent Hillary Clinton prosecuted. He has urged supporters to go watch the polling booths in other communities, a clear reference to racial minorities. He has lashed out at disloyal former allies like House Speaker Paul Ryan. And he has alleged that he is the victim of multiple conspiracies involving such disparate entities as the FBI, the media, and international banks he declares to be plotting the destruction of U.S. sovereignty. There is no precedent in American history, four professors said in interviews Monday, for Trumps claim that the election is rigged. In fact, said prominent fascism scholar Stanley Payne, even 20th-century European fascists did not go so far. Even back in the era of great conflict, back in the 30s, things were not this pointed and clear-cut, said Payne, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin. The (British Union of Fascists) did not make that kind of charge in England. Nor would you have found it in Northern Europe. Nor did the Nazis really make that kind of charge in Germany. Payne thought of one precedent. Trumps pledge to try to imprison Clinton, he said, was somewhat reminscient of the rhetoric of Spains left-wing Popular Front in the 1936 election just before the Spanish Civil War, when they said they wanted to turn the tables and put the people who had repressed them in jail. Experts on fascism say Trump does not meet the definition of a fascist, and there are, of course, massive differences between him and European dictators. But Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history and Italian studies at New York University, said there are some great parallels between Trumps victimhood narrative and that of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who took power in 1922. You create the appearance of a conspiracy of forces that is trying to ruin the nation. And on the other you build yourself up as: I alone can fix it, she said, repeating one of Trumps phrases. The man of destiny. Trump, referring to Clintons speeches to Wall Street companies, employed anti-Semitic tropes when he alleged last week that she held secret meetings with international banks to plot the destruction of U.S. sovereignty in order to enrich these global financial powers. Mussolini, Ben-Ghiat noted, used similar code when he railed against the international plutocracy. Frantz said her thoughts keep returning to Venezuela, where Chavez won a legitimate presidential election in 1998 and then cracked down on dissent and accumulated control over the media and the courts. Most dictatorships, she said, begin when individuals vie for power, win an election democratically, and then slowly crack down on the institutions. And the way in which they do it, she said, is starting to generate distrust among the citizens about the strength of the institutions, the reliability of democracy. And it generates a feeling of distrust, which can be effective in enabling these types of individuals to clamp down on power. She said Trumps words about prosecuting Clinton were a scary development. Jailing ones opponent, she said, is usually the first indicator that a democratically elected leader is going to clamp down on the opposition. Trumps spokespeople and allies have repeatedly insisted that he is being misinterpreted. His campaign manager, for example, suggested on CNN on Monday that he was merely talking about the media when he claimed the election was rigged. And then, immediately after, Trump made clear that he meant the election was really, truly rigged. Of course there is large-scale voter fraud happening on and before election day, he falsely claimed on Twitter. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive! Ben-Ghiat said she is quite sure that he is an authoritarian leader, and he would rule that way if he were able to. The question, she said, is the extent to which he will be constrained by Americas democratic system. Read more about: SHARE: BEIRUTRussian and Syrian forces will halt hostilities for eight hours in the eastern districts of Aleppo, Russias military announced on Monday, a day on which opposition activists said the forces airstrikes killed at least 36 people, including several children, in and around the divided city. The two militaries will observe a humanitarian pause between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursday to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of Russias general staff said in Moscow. Militants, the wounded and sick would be allowed to evacuate to the neighbouring rebel-held province of Idlib. United Nations humanitarian officials have pleaded with combatants to observe weekly 48-hour ceasefires to allow humanitarian relief into the citys besieged eastern districts, but Russian and Syrian forces have only escalated their aerial and ground assault on the rebel-held areas in recent weeks. The airstrikes have claimed hundreds of lives, wounded many, flattened apartment buildings and laid waste to the already crippled medical sector. But Russian and Syrian leaders are now capitalizing on a proposal made by the UNs envoy earlier this month to allow Al Qaeda-linked militants to leave in exchange for peace and local administration for the eastern districts. Rebels in the east, along with many residents, spurned the proposition, citing their distrust of the government side. And Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution mandating an immediate ceasefire. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington, noted that the people of Aleppo have been subjected to near constant bombardment and airstrikes that have killed many civilians and levelled much of the citys infrastructure in an effort to starve out and to drive out the opposition and civilians. If there is actually an eight-hour pause in the unremitting suffering of the people of Aleppo, that would be a good thing. But frankly, its a bit too little, too late, Toner said. Mondays Russian announcement did not include any promises of an extended ceasefire or local administration. It followed a bloody day of airstrikes on rebel-held districts in and around Aleppo. At least 23 people were killed in airstrike that also wounded dozens in the village of Oweijel, just west of Aleppo, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Another monitoring group, the Local Coordination Committees, said the air raid was carried out by Russian warplanes and put the death toll at 30. More than a dozen people were also killed in the Marjeh neighbourhood in eastern Aleppo. The Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, said those killed included 11 people with the same family name of Qabs, ranging from a month-and-a-half-old baby girl to a 25-year-old man. The Observatory said at least 50 civilians, including 18 children, were killed in airstrikes on the eastern part of the city in the 24 hours before the Russian announcement. Also Monday, Syrian state media claimed 49 rebels were killed and wounded in fighting in the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Saeed and Shurfa on the southern edges of Aleppo. In the nearby province of Idlib, a U.S.-led coalition drone struck a car in the provincial capital that carries the same name, killing all inside, according to the Observatory and a jihadi official. It was not immediately clear who was in the vehicle, but such attacks have previously targeted officials with Al Qaedas affiliate in Syria, known as Fatah al-Sham Front. The Observatory said the attack targeted a faction commander. An official with Fatah al-Sham Front, formerly known as Nusra Front, said all those in the car were martyred. The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said it was not clear if members of his group were targeted. Read more about: SHARE: Humanitarian-aid officials warned that as many as 700,000 of Mosuls 1.2 million residents may flee the fighting after Iraqs military, backed up by Kurdish forces, began a long-promised offensive to retake Daeshs last major stronghold in the country. (Daesh is also known as ISIS or ISIL.) Depending on what happens in Mosul, in a worst-case scenario it could be the single largest, most complex humanitarian situation in 2016, Lisa Grande, the United Nations humanitarian co-ordinator in Iraq, told reporters via a video link from Baghdad. More than two years after Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi swept into the northern city and declared a so-called caliphate at a local mosque, thousands of Iraqi ground troops backed by Kurdish fighters advanced toward Mosul early on Monday. The U.S.-led coalition against Daesh said its backing the campaign with airstrikes, artillery, intelligence and advisers. We will soon meet at Mosul to celebrate the victory and will all stand together to punish Islamic State, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, wearing a military uniform, said on state television. We will restore order and stability in Mosul. Victory by Iraq and its allies in Mosul would all but end Daeshs control over territory in OPECs second-biggest producer just as the group faces defeats elsewhere in the region. Hours before Abadis speech, Syrian rebels backed by Turkish forces captured Dabiq, a town of symbolic significance to Daesh because some Muslims believe a final battle with infidels will take place there. And in Libya, gunmen captured Sirte, a coastal city that had been the groups main stronghold in the oil-rich country. Dropping Leaflets Iraqi officials are working to assure the besieged residents of Mosul that help is on the way and to tell them that staying put may be safer than fleeing. At the Pentagon, spokesman Peter Cook told reporters Monday that 7 million leaflets will be dropped over 48 hours to deliver that message and specific guidance such as the safest place to be in a house. We are extremely worried that civilians are at grave risk, Grande of the UN said. She said the UN expects as many as 200,000 people to flee Mosul in the first week of fighting alone. Six existing emergency sites for refugees can take only 60,000 people, she said, but plans are under way for 20 camps that could hold 400,000. Residents who choose to flee may not have any good options. Iraqs Kurdish region and Turkey have both accommodated large numbers of refugees and will be reluctant to take in those fleeing Mosul, fearing they could have been infiltrated by Daesh, according to Renad Mansour, a fellow at Chatham House in London. Inside Iraq, Baghdad is essentially shut to Sunnis through the kafeel (sponsor) program, which is an attempt to keep it Shiite dominated, Firas Abi Ali, principal analyst at IHS Country Risk, said in a phone interview from Dubai. Decisive Moment Abadi said military and federal police forces were leading the operation, in an apparent effort to ease concern that the participation of pro-Iran Shiite militias might spark a sectarian conflict in the Sunni-dominated city. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said in a statement that the offensive is a decisive moment in the campaign to deliver Daesh a lasting defeat. We are confident our Iraqi partners will prevail against our common enemy and free Mosul and the rest of Iraq from ISILs hatred and brutality, Carter said, using a common abbreviation for the terrorist group. About 4,000 Kurdish troops known as Peshmerga made advances east of Mosul, while the Iraqi military took up positions south of the city, according to a statement by the joint command of the armed forces of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. No Revenge I would like to reassure the people of Mosul of the coordination between the Peshmerga and Iraqi army, Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish Regional Government, said in a televised speech. We hope it will be successful, that there will be no kind of revenge and that their dignity will be protected. Television footage showed Iraqi tanks advancing, with plumes of black smoke billowing in the distance. Dead bodies were shown lying next to burned out vehicles that the Kurdish Rudaw news network said belonged to Daesh. They were screaming in Arabic, said one Peshmerga fighter. I killed them. Only one fought back, he said. Long live the Peshmerga! Daesh dug trenches and rigged roads and buildings with explosives ahead of the expected offensive. Captain Jeff Davis, a U.S. Defense Department spokesman, said last week that while the campaign will be difficult, Daesh is demoralized and is facing difficulties exercising command and control over their own forces. Stephen Royale, a Middle East analyst at Control Risks, said he expects the city to fall within two months. Complicated IS forces are not prepared to stand and take bombardment in the city areas so they tend to move into the periphery, Royale said. However, the politics and the aftermath will be a lot more complicated than the actual offensive itself. The campaign is likely to stoke tensions between Baghdad and neighbouring Turkey. Officials in largely Sunni Turkey last week said their military would join the mission in Mosul, warning of a sectarian civil war if Shiites took the lead role. How can Turkey not enter Mosul? President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul on Monday. Turkey is not responsible for the consequences of an operation in which it wasnt included. Read more about: SHARE: Humanitarian-aid officials warned that as many as 700,000 of Mosuls 1.2 million residents may flee the fighting after Iraqs military, backed up by Kurdish forces, began a long-promised offensive to retake Daeshs last major stronghold in the country. Depending on what happens in Mosul, in a worst-case scenario it could be the single largest, most complex humanitarian situation in 2016, Lise Grande, the United Nations humanitarian co-ordinator in Iraq, told reporters via a video link from Baghdad. More than two years after Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi swept into the northern city and declared a so-called caliphate at a local mosque, thousands of Iraqi ground troops backed by Kurdish fighters advanced toward Mosul early on Monday. The U.S.-led coalition against Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, said its backing the campaign with airstrikes, artillery, intelligence and advisers. We will soon meet at Mosul to celebrate the victory and will all stand together to punish Islamic State, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, wearing a military uniform, said on state television. We will restore order and stability in Mosul. Victory by Iraq and its allies in Mosul would all but end Daeshs control over territory in OPECs second-biggest producer just as the group faces defeats elsewhere in the region. Hours before Abadis speech, Syrian rebels backed by Turkish forces captured Dabiq, a town of symbolic significance to Daesh because some Muslims believe a final battle with infidels will take place there. And in Libya, gunmen captured Sirte, a coastal city that had been the groups main stronghold in the oil-rich country. Iraqi officials are working to assure the besieged residents of Mosul that help is on the way and to tell them that staying put may be safer than fleeing. At the Pentagon, spokesperson Peter Cook told reporters Monday that 7 million leaflets will be dropped over 48 hours to deliver that message and specific guidance such as the safest place to be in a house. We are extremely worried that civilians are at grave risk, Grande of the UN said. She said the UN expects as many as 200,000 people to flee Mosul in the first week of fighting alone. Six existing emergency sites for refugees can take only 60,000 people, she said, but plans are under way for 20 camps that could hold 400,000. Residents who choose to flee may not have any good options. Iraqs Kurdish region and Turkey have both accommodated large numbers of refugees and will be reluctant to take in those fleeing Mosul, fearing they could have been infiltrated by Daesh, according to Renad Mansour, a fellow at Chatham House in London. Inside Iraq, Baghdad is essentially shut to Sunnis through the kafeel (sponsor) program, which is an attempt to keep it Shiite dominated, Firas Abi Ali, principal analyst at IHS Country Risk, said in a phone interview from Dubai. Abadi said military and federal police forces were leading the operation, in an apparent effort to ease concern that the participation of pro-Iran Shiite militias might spark a sectarian conflict in the Sunni-dominated city. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said in a statement that the offensive is a decisive moment in the campaign to deliver Daesh a lasting defeat. We are confident our Iraqi partners will prevail against our common enemy and free Mosul and the rest of Iraq from ISILs hatred and brutality, Carter said, using a common abbreviation for the terrorist group. About 4,000 Kurdish troops, known as Peshmerga, made advances east of Mosul, while the Iraqi military took up positions south of the city, according to a statement by the joint command of the armed forces of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. I would like to reassure the people of Mosul of the coordination between the Peshmerga and Iraqi army, Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish Regional Government, said in a televised speech. We hope it will be successful, that there will be no kind of revenge and that their dignity will be protected. Television footage showed Iraqi tanks advancing, with plumes of black smoke billowing in the distance. Dead bodies were shown lying next to burned-out vehicles that the Kurdish Rudaw news network said belonged to Daesh. They were screaming in Arabic, said one Peshmerga fighter. I killed them. Only one fought back, he said. Long live the Peshmerga! Daesh dug trenches and rigged roads and buildings with explosives ahead of the expected offensive. Captain Jeff Davis, a U.S. Defense Department spokesperson, said last week that while the campaign will be difficult, Daesh is demoralized and is facing difficulties exercising command and control over their own forces. Stephen Royale, a Middle East analyst at Control Risks, said he expects the city to fall within two months. IS forces are not prepared to stand and take bombardment in the city areas so they tend to move into the periphery, Royale said. However, the politics and the aftermath will be a lot more complicated than the actual offensive itself. The campaign is likely to stoke tensions between Baghdad and neighbouring Turkey. Officials in largely Sunni Turkey last week said their military would join the mission in Mosul, warning of a sectarian civil war if Shiites took the lead role. How can Turkey not enter Mosul? President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul on Monday. Turkey is not responsible for the consequences of an operation in which it wasnt included. Read more about: SHARE: WASHINGTONWhen Scott Farris wrote a book on the legacy of U.S. presidential-election losers, he began with a chapter paying tribute to the concession speech that moment of grace that greases the engine of self-government. Its one of the things that makes American democracy work, says Scott Farris, author of Almost President: The Men Who Lost The Race But Changed The Nation. Our democracys a bit more fragile than we think. It wouldnt take a lot to really put the country in turmoil, if people thought the election was completely illegitimate. His book starts with John McCain, cooling an upset crowd after a heated campaign. People at 2008 rallies had screamed of Barack Obama, Kill him! and terrorist! McCain silenced boos on election night, by hailing the election of Americas first black president. Farris book profiles other history-shaping losers like William Jennings Bryan, Thomas Dewey, and Barry Goldwater. Now Farris wonders whether this years events will prompt him to update the book. Hes slightly worried. What alarms him is how this years loser might potentially shape history: By refusing to concede. Donald Trump has ridiculed concession speeches as phony. Lately, hes been more into resentment speeches. Hes travelling the country telling Americans their democracy is a sham. Trump warns of elections being fixed by financial elites, the media, illegal immigrants, and crooked Democrats: The election is rigged. Its rigged like youve never seen before. His partys leaders have made futile efforts to steer him away from the message which they fear will hurt not only capital-R Republicans by depressing voter turnout, but the public trust that underpins republican democracy itself. Some like Paul Ryan have flatly contradicted him. His running mate, Mike Pence, adds a qualifier: Trump is just complaining about bias from the media, he says, not the actual voting system. But Trump contradicted his ally Monday he says he means it. Trump alleged voter fraud on a large scale, based on extremely flimsy evidence: People that have died 10 years ago are still voting. Illegal immigrants are voting . . . Voting fraud is very, very common. The clearest proof he cited was a survey of 339 non-citizens from the 2008 election which suggested a number may have voted illegally. Meanwhile, a comprehensive study at Loyola Law School found a mere 31 credible cases of voter fraud since 2000 from one billion votes cast. Democrats say if anyones cheating, its the other party. Its primarily Republicans packing minority voters into gerrymandered districts; stripping ex-felons of voting rights; and passing ID laws that disproportionately hurt youth and minorities. Yet Trumps message is another blast of distrust, blowing into a perfect storm. U.S. voters are divided, into two deeply polarized camps. Among those with a favourable opinion of Trump, half told an Associated Press poll they have little or no confidence in this election result. Trust in institutions is at historic lows. Gallup polling finds it for members of Congress, the media, the justice system, public schools the number of people who profess a great deal, or, quite a lot, of trust in them ranges between nine and 30 per cent. Only the military holds steady above 70 per cent. A foreign government really is working to undermine confidence in U.S. democracy, says American intelligence. It says Russians are stealing and leaking emails showing cozy relations between Hillary Clinton and banks, media, and Democratic party figures that favoured her over Bernie Sanders. Attempts have been made to hack into voter databases in several states Illinois, Arizona and Florida have reported such attempts. State officials downplay these concerns voting machines themselves arent connected to the Internet. But if there are flickers of distrust, a major party nominee is now fanning them. Hes already (telling people) this was a fraud, that they got screwed, Farris said. That means Secretary Clinton, if she is the next president, is going to have some legitimacy issues in some peoples minds. Theyll think she stole the election. Potentially that could be the most destructive thing Trump does to be a bad loser. Scholars studying this issue say theyre not worried yet. Three political scientists who research trust in political institutions say its a troubling, but likely limited, trend. The margin of defeat is a factor, one says. Trump wont persuade many people that he was robbed if he suffers a solid, multi-state drubbing which, according to recent polls, is a possibility. If the election was close, it might be a problem. It does not appear that its going to be close, said Marc Hetherington, a Vanderbilt University political scientist and co-author of, How Trust Matters. His book trends a decline in trust since the 1960s interrupted briefly during economic boom times or foreign-policy crises. (But) we are in uncharted waters. Imagine if Al Gore had taken an approach like this in 2000, Hetherington said. Our political institutions continue to work because of the norms observed by people who serve rather than because of the application of hard and fast rules. Trump has been a giant norm violator. SHARE: SAN DIEGOFor some, the apology went too far. For others, it didnt go far enough. For many, it was just right. The president of one of the largest police organizations in the United States on Monday apologized for historical mistreatment of minorities, calling it a dark side of our shared history that must be acknowledged and overcome. Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, said at the groups annual conference that police have historically been a face of oppression, enforcing laws that ensured legalized discrimination and denial of basic rights. He was not more specific. Cunningham said todays officers are not to blame for past injustices. He did not speak in detail about modern policing, but said events over the past several years have undermined public trust. His comments come as police shootings of black men have roiled communities in Ferguson, Missouri; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota; and as black shooters have targeted officers in Dallas, the St. Louis suburb of Ballwin and Baton Rouge. While we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we must change the future, Cunningham said. We must forge a path that allows us to move beyond our history and identify common solutions to better protect our communities. For our part, the first step in this process is for law enforcement and the (International Association of Chiefs of Police) to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in societys historical mistreatment of communities of colour, he said. Cunningham received a standing ovation for his remarks from thousands of law enforcement officials before he introduced U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who largely avoided the topic. He has been police chief since 1999 in his hometown of Wellesley, Massachusetts, an affluent, overwhelmingly white, low-crime suburb near Boston. He served three years as vice-president of the police chiefs association before becoming president in 2015 for a one-year term. David Alexander III, police chief in Pensacola, Florida, said recognizing historical injustices is key to addressing race relations, just as acknowledging domestic violence was a step forward. When you dont know the history and you say, Well, there is no problem, then you pretty much present yourself as insensitive to the issues, said Alexander, who is black. The issue of racial tension has been a part of American history since its settlement. Delrish Moss, who has been police chief of Ferguson, Missouri, since May and is black, said he had negative encounters with police when he was growing up, including being called racial epithets. There are communities that have long perceived us as oppressors, there are communities that have long perceived us as the jackbooted arm of government designed to keep people under control, and thats one of the things we have to work hard to get past, Moss said. Im glad its being addressed ... because the only way to get past it is to first acknowledge the existence of it. Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement were less enthusiastic. Campaign Zero co-founder DeRay Mckesson said he looked forward to Cunninghams comments being backed up by deep, structural changes to policing and the criminal justice system. Lt. Bob Kroll, head of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, thought Cunninghams statement went too far. In his city, two white officers fatally shot a black man last November. Our profession is under attack right now and what we dont need is chiefs like him perpetuating that we are all bad guys in law enforcement, Kroll said. I think its an asinine statement. ... Weve got officers dying on almost a daily basis now because of this environment, and statements like that dont help. SHARE: ABUJA, NIGERIANigerias government is negotiating the release of another 83 of the Chibok schoolgirls taken in a mass abduction two-and-a-half years ago, but more than 100 others appear unwilling to leave their Boko Haram Islamic extremist captors, a community leader said Tuesday. The unwilling girls may have been radicalized by Boko Haram or are ashamed to return home because they were forced to marry extremists and have babies, chairman Pogu Bitrus of the Chibok Development Association told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Bitrus said the 21 Chibok girls freed last week in the first negotiated release between Nigerias government and Boko Haram should be educated abroad, because they will probably face stigma in Nigeria. The girls and their parents were reunited Sunday and are expected to meet with Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday or Wednesday, Bitrus said. Buhari flew to Germany on an official visit the day of the girls release. Some 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped early on and at least half a dozen have died in captivity, according to the newly freed girls, Bitrus said. All those who escaped on their own have left Chibok because, even though they were held only a few hours, they were labelled Boko Haram wives and taunted, he said. At least 20 of the girls are being educated in the United States. We would prefer that they are taken away from the community and this country because the stigmatization is going to affect them for the rest of their lives, Bitrus said. Even someone believed to have been abused by Boko Haram would be seen in a bad light. One Chibok girl, Amina Ali Nkeki, escaped in May. Chibok Parents Association chairman Yakubu Nkeki said the young woman has been reunited with her freed classmates, all of whom are being treated by doctors, psychologists and trauma counsellors at a hospital in Abuja, Nigerias capital, run by the Department of State Security, Nigerias secret service. Human rights advocates and the Bring Back Our Girls movement have been asking if the girl is a detainee of the government and have been demanding she be allowed to return home, as she has requested. One father of a newly freed girl, Emos Lawal, said his daughter was praying that let the rest of them have the chance to come out. The freed girls have told their parents they were separated into two groups early on in their captivity, when Boko Haram commanders gave them the choice of joining the extremists and embracing Islam, or becoming their slaves, Bitrus said. The girls freed and those whose release is being negotiated, numbering 104, are believed to be in the group that rejected Islam and Boko Haram, he explained. The freed girls said they never saw the other girls again. Bitrus said the freed girls were used as domestic workers and porters but were not sexually abused. He said that was why only one girl in the freed group is carrying a baby, and her parents have confirmed that she was pregnant when she was kidnapped. An aid worker had told The Associated Press that he had seen the girls on their release and that all but three carried babies. Bitrus said that report was incorrect. Previous negotiators in talks that failed also had corroborated that more than 100 of the girls did not want to return to their parents, Bitrus said. Chibok is a small and conservative Christian enclave in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria, where many parents are involved in translating the Bible into local languages and belong to the Nigerian branch of the Elgin, Illinois-based Church of the Brethren. Nigerias government has denied reports that the girls were swapped for four Boko Haram commanders, or that a large ransom was paid. Read more about: SHARE: When I was an undergrad at the University of Western Ontario in 1989, geneticist and broadcaster, David Suzuki, debated professor of psychology, Phillipe Rushton. Rushtons published research showed genetics plays a role in intelligence and, more controversially, that some people groups were born with greater general intelligence than others. Certain groups on campus were outraged by Rushtons findings and when none of the other psychology faculty at Western would take up the challenge, they petitioned Suzuki to step in and debate him. Even though I personally witnessed the debate in Alumni Hall, theres little I remember of either mans presentation of facts on the issue. What I do remember is Suzukis repeated scolding of the university administration and certain media outlets for giving Rushton a forum at which he might speak. To great applause, Suzuki proclaimed, I do not believe we should dignify this man and his ideas in public debate. Maybe because I was a philosophy major and had just read John Stuart Mills essay On Liberty or some other such testament to free speech, I found Suzukis comments incredibly alarming much more so than anything issuing from the mouth of Rushton. I am alarmed that today more people, including some university faculty and administrators, are beginning to fall in line with Suzukis thinking. Currently, the administration at the University of Toronto is deciding how to deal with a controversial professor, Jordan Peterson. Via media interviews and self-produced YouTube videos, Peterson has gone public with his concern that ideology is trumping factual evidence in academia; he contends that when certain facts offend the sensibilities of historically marginalized groups, the facts are required to change or be suppressed. While his observations and arguments about the state of university culture are numerous and nuanced, what has generated the most media attention, and the most outrage from some groups on his own campus, is his public declaration that he will not use genderless pronouns such as they if asked to do so by a student who does not identify as he or she. Last Wednesday, the U of T students union sent an open letter to administration demanding they wring an apology from Peterson and get him to remove his lectures from YouTube. Administrators were also told that in the future they must defend students against prejudiced comments from tenured professors. It is my hope that U of T administration has the good sense to ignore these demands. Not because Peterson is right (I reserve judgment there) but because stifling free expression is wrong and it is heinously wrong when a university a place supposedly dedicated to the free exchange of ideas is the arbiter of that oppression. Beyond the fact that freedom of expression is the key defence against totalitarianism, there is another reason U of T administrators should allow Peterson to continue unabated. Simply put, it is better for the students who are protesting. University, at its best, tries to create opportunities to stretch students intellectual abilities. Here is such an opportunity and it has arisen organically. If Peterson is wrong, let these protesting students mount an intellectual offensive that is factually superior to his. It is intellectually lazy and worse, cowardly, to ask the administration to do their homework for them. Rather than call for administration to deny Peterson his outlets for free speech, why dont they ask the administration for a forum where they can present their own arguments? From Suzukis call to ban ideas that offended him back in 1989 to the similar comments of U of Ts student leaders today, it may seem little has changed. But there have been some substantial legal changes since my days as an undergrad. For instance, back then if what you said was supported by factual evidence you were safe from legal prosecution. As of 2013, our countrys Supreme Court has ruled that Truthful statements can be presented in a manner that would meet the definition of hate speech, and not all truthful statements must be free from restriction. In light of this and other rulings of lower courts, tribunals, and councils, I wonder: Would the Suzuki-Rushton debate of my youth be allowed to take place at any university campus in Canada today? How the academic leaders at the University of Toronto handle this situation with Peterson will give us a sense of which way the wind is blowing. Theres already a chill in the air. David M. Haskell is an associate professor, Digital Media and Journalism/Religion and Culture at Wilfrid Laurier University, Brantford Campus. SHARE: NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Coty (COTY) were up in mid-morning trading on Monday after the beauty company agreed to purchase ghd, a premium brand in hairstyling appliances, for about $510 million. The all-cash transaction is expected to close by the end of 2016 and be immediately accretive to Coty's earnings, according to a company statement. London-based ghd will become part of Coty's Professional Beauty unit, where it will be managed by CEO Anthony Davey and his team as a standalone business. Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates the stock as a "hold" with a ratings score of C. Coty's strengths such as its revenue growth, notable return on equity and expanding profit margin are countered by weaknesses including a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself, deteriorating net income and generally higher debt management risk. You can view the full analysis from the report here: COTY TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this article's author. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Exxon Mobil (XOM) were down in late afternoon trading on Monday as the company requested that the U.S. District Court in Fort Worth throw out a subpoena from New York State for decades of documents related to Exxon's comments on climate change. The subpoena is part of an investigation led by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman into allegations that the Irving, TX-based energy company misled investors about the dangers of climate change. Exxon has argued that the probe, in addition to a similar investigation by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, is politically motivated. The company also challenged the Massachusetts subpoena in June, Reuters reports. Additionally, oil prices were lower this afternoon amid growing concerns of a global supply glut, Reuters notes. Crude oil (WTI) was down 1.03% to $49.83 per barrel this afternoon while Brent crude was falling 0.92% to $51.47 per barrel this afternoon. Separately, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings rated this stock as a "hold" with a ratings score of C. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its reasonable valuation levels, solid stock price performance and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including feeble growth in the company's earnings per share, weak operating cash flow and poor profit margins. You can view the full analysis from the report here: XOM Ironically, it's Tim Sloan's wealth of experience at Wells Fargo (WFC) that's turning out to be a concern for one major customer. The new CEO has spent nearly three decades at the San Francisco-based bank and was being groomed to succeed John Stumpf well before Stumpf's abrupt retirement in the midst of a scandal involving as many as 2 million accounts that employees trying to meet ambitious sales goals set up for customers who never authorized them. With such a resume, California treasurer John Chiang said in a Monday letter to Sloan, "it is not unreasonable to wonder whether you are the change agent Wells Fargo needs to effectuate an about-face, or if this is just a politically expedient move that will amount to no more than a shifting of the deck chairs on the Titanic." Wells Fargo demurred, pointing out that Sloan had risen primarily through the company's wholesale banking business, which gives him a fresh perspective. "In his new role as CEO, he is focused on rebuilding trust with customers and key stakeholders and taking strong actions to build a better Wells Fargo," the bank said in a statement. Chiang, who's seeking the Democratic nomination to succeed Jerry Brown as California's governor in 2018, has already halted some of the state's most profitable business dealings with Wells Fargo for 12 months and said he would push for corporate governance reforms through two state pension plans -- the California State Teachers Retirement System, or CalSTRS, and the California Public Employees Retirement System, or CalPERS -- which are stockholders. The treasurer's latest query, which asked more than a dozen questions about the scandal and Sloan's plans for rebuilding customer trust, added to an already challenging week for the new CEO. Sloan fielded a barrage of questions from analysts and investors when Wells Fargo reported quarterly earnings on Friday, the same day that Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined Illinois, California and the city of Chicago in pulling business from the bank. Kasich, who fought unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for president, said he would bar Wells from participating in debt offerings and financial services contracts with agencies under his supervision for a year, barring progress in "restoring a culture of integrity." EXCLUSIVE LOOK INSIDE: Wells Fargo is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells the stock? Learn more now. The 164-year-old bank, which closed at $44.50 in New York on Monday, has given up 11% of its market value since the bogus accounts -- which stretched over at least a five-year span -- were disclosed in a $185 million settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other regulators in September. While Stumpf ended sales targets that included as many as eight products per customer in the retail bank as of Oct. 1 and refunded $2.6 million in fees, he was lambasted in two Congressional hearings on why thousands of front-line workers were fired and no senior executives were held accountable. The 63-year-old eventually forfeited $41 million in unvested stock awards, while former consumer banking chief Carrie Tolstedt gave up $19 million. The independent directors of the bank's board have retained law firm Shearman & Sterling for a thorough review of the fake accounts and how they were handled and haven't ruled out further personnel actions, according to a person familiar with the matter. "We had serious problems in our retail bank, where products became the focus rather than the relationships with our customers," Sloan told analysts and investors on Friday's earnings call. "Our senior management could have and should have done more. I am fully committed, along with the entire leadership team, to fixing these issues and taking the necessary actions to restore our customers' trust." In addition to rebuilding relationships with employees and grappling with the U.S. Labor Department's probe into whether bank employees who worked after hours to meet sales goals were properly compensated, Sloan is dealing with a backlash that's likely to reverberate across Wall Street. A bill by U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling that would ease some of the regulations imposed by the Dodd-Frank reform law after the 2008 financial crisis will have to overcome a much higher hurdle now, according to Richard Bove of Rafferty Capital Markets, and a Federal Reserve proposal to increase capital reserves at the biggest banks will face far less resistance. To repair customers' broken trust and succeed as CEO, Sloan will have to provide much more "than your predecessors' scripted words of contrition," California's treasurer wrote, urging answers to queries such as exactly what policies and compensation incentives prompted the cross-selling abuses, whether the board accepted any responsibility and if the company will claw back all compensation paid to executives who knew -- or should have known -- about the bank's "abusive consumer practices." NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Philip Morris Int'l (PM) were rising in early morning trading on Tuesday after the company posted earnings for the 2016 third quarter that topped analysts' estimates and raised its quarterly dividend. Before the opening bell, Philip Morris reported adjusted earnings of $1.25 per diluted share, topping Wall Street's projections of earnings of $1.24 per share. Additionally, the New York City-based cigarette company raised its regular quarterly dividend to $1.04 per share from $1.02 per share in the previous quarter. Revenue for the third quarter was $6.98 billion vs. analysts' estimates for revenue of $6.99 billion. Cigarette shipments slid 5.4% year-over-year to 207.1 billion units in the period. For the full year, Philip Morris reiterated its prior projections for adjusted earnings per diluted share between $4.53 and $4.58. Wall Street expects adjusted earnings of $4.52 per share for the year, according to FactSet. Separately, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings rated this stock as a "hold" with a ratings score of C+. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its expanding profit margins and solid stock price performance. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income and weak operating cash flow. You can view the full analysis from the report here: PM NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Twitter (TWTR) were higher in mid-morning trading on Tuesday as Walt Disney (DIS) decided against bidding for Twitter partly due to trolling on the social media site, sources told Bloomberg. Disney expressed concerns that acquiring San Francisco-based Twitter could impact Disney's image as a wholesome family company, sources added. TheStreet's Jim Cramer said recently that issues with trolling and bullying have hampered Twitter's sale discussions. "The bad is driving out the good and intimidating people," Cramer noted. But Disney had listened to a presentation from Twitter's management and hired investment banks JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Guggenheim to advise it on a potential deal, Bloomberg notes. Twitter stock has slumped about 28% from early October as potential buyers lost interest in the company. Salesforce.com's (CRM) CEO Marc Benioff told the Financial Times last week that the cloud solutions company would not explore a bid for Twitter. Earlier this month potential suitors Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google unit and Apple (AAPL) both decided against pursuing an acquisition, Recode reported. Twitter plans to conclude sale negotiations by October 27, Reuters reported. Separately, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated Twitter stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings rated this stock as a "hold" with a ratings score of C. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its impressive record of earnings per share growth, robust revenue growth and good cash flow from operations. However, as a counter to these strengths, we find that the stock has had a generally disappointing performance in the past year. You can view the full analysis from the report here: TWTR Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ) CFO Dominic Caruso told investors on a Tuesday morning conference call that its future dealmaking possibilities don't rely on the passage of international tax reform, though he did say he views there being more bipartisan support for such legislation than in the past. At the same time, the exec voiced his opposition to the California drug pricing ballot measure known as Prop 61. Besides having plenty borrowing capacity, Caruso said on the company's third quarter earnings call that J&J has had the benefit of being able to structure transactions by effectively using foreign earnings kept abroad in an effective manner. That cash would be subject to tax on repatriation, but U.S. companies can borrow against it. "Whether or not we do a major transaction would not be dependent on waiting for international tax reform," Caruso told investors on the call. Still, when asked about the likelihood of tax reform, Caruso did say that from his perspective, the post-election climate is more positive than it has been in the last year or so. If the company did look to do a transformative acquisition, it would likely be to add another leg to its existing five therapeutic areas of focus: oncology, immunology, neuroscience, infectious diseases and vaccines, and cardiovascular and metabolism. While J&J has largely focused on building out its existing five therapeutic areas through collaborations, licensing transactions and other partnerships, Caruso stated that an "acquisition-type strategy" would likely be pursued should it deem another therapeutic area important. J&J has already expressed the growth it sees in ophthalmology, agreeing in September to fork out about $4.3 billion in cash to acquire Abbott Medical Optics. Within its consumer business, J&J's primary focus will be expansion into international and emerging markets, and particularly in Asia, while it will eye strong brands, over-the-counter medications, and assets in the beauty space, the CFO said. On the medical device front, Caruso said company will continue to look for additional bolt-ons to its existing orthopedics and general surgery businesses. Other areas within cardiovascular seem attractive, though he emphasized that J&J will remain disciplined about deals considered from a valuation perspective. On other matters of political referendum, executives of the New Brunswick, N.J.-based health care giant expressed their opposition to California ballot measure Proposition 61, a drug price standards initiative designed to restrict the amount any state agency could pay for drugs, tied to the price paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "We would prefer to have pricing more related to outcomes," Caruso said, emphasizing the company's support for evidence-based pricing. Joaquin Duato, J&J worldwide chairman, pharmaceuticals, added that Prop 61 would be difficult to operationalize and would create access to barriers, calling it a "misguided action". According to Ballotpedia, polls indicate that support for the law sits at about 69.5%. Prop 61 supporters include Sen. Bernie Sanders and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and could potentially be the ballot measure with the most money spent on it ever in California's history, according to Ballotpedia. J&J shares retreated about 2.3% to $115.76 during Tuesday's trading session, even while the company reported better-than-anticipated earnings results. The company posted earnings per share of $1.68 on revenue of $17.8 billion, ahead of the Street's projections of earnings per share of $1.65 on revenue of $17.74 billion. While the company defended its blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Remicade drug on Tuesday's conference call, the product does face competition. Notably, Pfizer PFE just announced its plans to launch a cheaper biosimilar version of Remicade. Netflix (NFLX) is surging on Tuesday after handily beating expectations for global subscriber growth in the 3rd quarter. Investors, always eager to jump on a bandwagon, were fueling an eye-popping 19% gain in the stock to $118.91. Yet for media analyst Michael Nathanson of New York-based MoffettNathanson Research, such enthusiasm smacked of irrational exuberance. Yes, Netflix beat expectations as my colleague Eric Jhonsa laid out here, and the numbers certainly look good: Netflix added 3.6 million net subscribers in the third quarter, bringing its grand total to 86.7 million (83.28 million paid, the rest on free trials). Analysts had expected a net jump of 2.3 million. In the U.S., subscribers grew by 370,000, beating the company's own guidance of 300,000. Total U.S. subs hit 47.5 million at the end of September. In the all-important higher-growth international market, subscribers grew by 3.2 million, beating company guidance of 2 million. International subs now total 39.25 million. All told, Netflix subscriber base is 25% higher than a year ago. That sounds good, Nathanson acknowledges. But at what cost? Netflix's better-than-expected third quarter results follows two previous quarters in which the company missed analyst expectations leading to declines in its stock price, and laments by CEO Reed Hastings that the stock was feeling the unfortunate effects of volatility. Exceeding forecasts for the third quarter came at a steep price, Nathanson says. Netflix's free cash flow burn totaled $506 million in the quarter, and the company said Monday that it expects free cash flow losses for 2016 to reach $1.5 billion, a figure that exceeds estimates. From what Hastings said on Monday in a conference call with analysts, cash flow losses are to be similar in 2017 as Netflix prepares to spend $6 billion on original programming and many millions more on marketing. "We continue to be surprised that no one seems to care that Netflix, which has impressively grown to 83 million paying subscribers, will still lose about $1.5 billion in cash in 2017," Nathanson in an investor note. Yet the market appeared to be far less concerned with cash burn than with subscriber growth even though Netflix lowered its own forecasts for international subscriber growth in July, and then handily beat those forecasts by 1.1 million net additions. But this beat was a set-up, says Nathanson, who has a neutral rating on Netflix shares. Back in July, Netflix said total net international subscribers would number about 2 million in the third-quarter, half of what MoffettNathanson had modeled for the September quarter. The same is true for its 2016 totals. On Monday, Hastings said Netflix expects to add about 13 million international customers this year compared to 11.7 million in 2015. Yet when 2016 began, Nathanson said, "most analysts -- ourselves included -- assumed a materially higher run rate." Looking into 2017, Nathanson is forecasting international subscriber growth of 12 million, a million less than 2016. But given Hastings comments on Monday that first quarter results will be hard pressed to match the numbers from a year ago when Netflix launched in Spain, Italy and Portugal, the company's 2017 international expansion may be even less than currently forecast. To be sure, Netflix has shown that it can disrupt the media industry despite a very low return on capital. It's net income remains razor thin at 12 cents a share, for the third quarter. Amazon (AMZN) has used a similar strategy to become the world's largest online marketplace. But Amazon accomplished this feat by moving into a variety of other business lines. It didn't remain only a bookseller for very long. Netflix, meanwhile, is spending money a ton of money without having to show much in the way of profits. It's a very disruptive model but at some point Nathanson warns that growth will slow, putting more pressure on profits. If Tuesday's jump is any indication, Netflix investors are betting that the days of no growth are still a long way away. 10/18/2016 Detailed poll results and analysis are available at www.uml.edu/polls. Read content about the poll and election by millennials at http://bit.ly/2dLqaT2. UMass Lowell and Odyssey representatives are available for interviews about todays poll. Contacts: Christine Gillette, UMass Lowell, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu; Michelle Bower, Odyssey, 315-473-8293 or michelle@theodysseyonline.com Nearly a quarter of Americans ages 18 to 35 would rather see a giant meteor strike the Earth than see either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in the White House, according to the new UMass Lowell/Odyssey Millennials poll released today. The poll asked millennials to choose their preference between Clinton as president, Trump as president, a random lottery to choose the president from all U.S. citizens, Barack Obama appointing himself to a life term as president or a giant meteor striking Earth and extinguishing all human life. Over a Clinton or Trump presidency, 39 percent of those surveyed said they preferred Obama serve a life term; 26 percent prefer a random lottery to choose the next president and 23 percent (nearly 1 in 4) prefer a giant meteor strike. The national poll conducted Oct. 10 through Oct. 13 asked millennials about their attitudes and opinions on the upcoming election, from some irreverent options to the candidates to serious issues such as race relations, immigration and legalization of marijuana. We do not take our respondents at their word that they are earnestly interested in seeing the world end, but we do take their willingness to rank two constitutional crises and a giant meteor ahead of these two candidates with startling frequency as a sign of displeasure and disaffection with the candidates and the 2016 election, said Prof. Joshua Dyck, co-director of UMass Lowells Center for Public Opinion, who wrote and analyzed the independent, nonpartisan poll. Fellow contributors to the poll are Prof. John Cluverius, Center for Public Opinion research fellow, and Michael Luciano, director of editorial innovation for Odyssey, the social media platform that democratizes how news and other content is created and consumed, enriching peoples lives with new, honest, meaningful ideas and enabling businesses to build relationships with more engaged audiences. By a 3-to-1 margin, millennials who are likely voters prefer Democrat Hillary Clinton to Republican Donald Trump in a head-to-head race for president, 66 percent to 22 percent with 12 percent undecided. When third-party candidates are included, Clinton gets 61 percent of likely voters support, Trump stays at 22 percent, Libertarian Gary Johnson gets 9 percent, Jill Stein of the Green Party gets 5 percent and only 3 percent are undecided. The poll found that millennials dislike Trump and have reservations about Clinton. Trump is viewed favorably by only 25 percent of registered voters surveyed, compared to 72 percent who view him unfavorably. Only 19 percent view him as level-headed, 20 percent said he had the right experience to be president and 23 percent believe he cares about people like them. Majorities of respondents also said they view Trump as dishonest, lacking leadership and someone who would not bring the right kind of change to the country. Sixty-three percent of likely voters said he should drop out of the presidential race. When it came to Clinton, 56 percent of those surveyed said they view her favorably, far less than the approval rating for Bernie Sanders (73 percent) and Barack Obama (71 percent). Clintons biggest liability, according to the millennials surveyed, is honesty (only 36 percent say she is honest) and 46 percent said she takes responsibility for her mistakes. Seventy-one percent said they believe she is intelligent (compared to 35 percent for Trump), 67 percent said she has the right experience to be president (compared to 20 percent for Trump) and 60 percent said she is level-headed (compared to 19 percent for Trump). However, millennials are split on whether Clinton cares about people like them (55 percent said yes, 45 percent said no) and whether she would bring the right kind of change to the country (51 percent yes to 49 percent no). Millennials were also asked how they would vote if Bernie Sanders was the Democratic candidate instead of Hillary Clinton. In a head-to-head matchup between Trump and Sanders, 67 percent of millennials would choose Sanders compared to 23 percent for Trump and 10 percent were undecided, the same margin (44 percentage points) by which Clinton leads Trump in a head-to-head matchup of likely voters. However, among those surveyed who said they were not likely to vote, Sanders leads Trump 63 percent to 15 percent, with 22 percent undecided, compared to Clinton leading Trump 42 percent to 21 percent with 37 percent undecided among the same group. The results could be an indicator that Sanders supporters in the millennial age group are still unwilling to support Clinton and may not plan to vote in the election as a result. However, among Sanders supporters who do intend to vote, they are choosing Clinton over Trump. Survey respondents were also asked who they would vote for if it was Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence, rather than Trump, facing Clinton for the presidency. The poll found Clinton leads Pence among likely voters 63 percent to 21 percent, a margin that is almost identical to her lead over Trump. These results could indicate that, regardless of who the candidates are, millennial voters preferences are influenced by party identification. Millennials are identifying as Democrats by a nearly 3-to-1 margin. This trend may be a troubling one for the Republican Party if millennials continue on the same ideological path. In the 2004 election, young voters were closely divided: Democrat John Kerry won 18- to 29-year-olds by 11 points. But since 2008, we have seen a significant shift, with millennials abandoning the GOP in large numbers. The nomination of Donald Trump appears only to have made things worse for Republicans, with fewer than 1 in 4 likely voters 18 to 35 years old supporting the candidate, said Dyck. Since party identification is something that people tend to carry with them throughout their lives, the GOP is not just digging a hole in this election, but also setting the stage for future losses as millennials get older and become a bigger part of the electorate. Luciano echoed that opinion. Among millennials, Hillary Clinton is beating Donald Trump by a significantly larger margin than we saw Barack Obama beat John McCain and Mitt Romney in 2008 and 2012, respectively. As the largest demographic in the country, millennials are going to play an increasingly bigger role in elections in the coming years. If Republicans want to be competitive in future presidential races, they need to reverse what they should consider a troubling trend among the millennial generation. Other findings from the poll include: All but 8 percent of likely voters who are millennials have heard about the recording of controversial remarks about women made in 2005 and 56 percent have watched video or listened to the recording of the conversation. Forty-one percent of those polled said it makes them less likely to support Trump, but 11 percent of respondents said it makes them more likely to support Trump, including 18 percent of white men surveyed. Forty one percent of those surveyed said that the number of immigrants in the U.S. should be decreased while 30 percent said the number should be increased and 29 percent said they are undecided. On the issue of race, 46 of millennials say the federal government treats whites better than blacks, compared to 44 percent who said they are treated about the same. On Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback who kneels during the National Anthem as a statement about racial discrimination, 46 percent of white respondents said they dislike him compared to 21 percent of black respondents. Fifty-eight percent of those who support Trump said they dislike Kaepernick. Fifty-eight percent of millennials polled said they support making marijuana legal for recreational use compared to 27 percent who are opposed. Results of the UMass Lowell/Odyssey Millennials Poll are based responses from a random sample of 1,247 American adults ages 18 through 35, including 966 registered voters and 680 likely voters, gathered via an online survey from Oct. 10 through Oct. 13. Final results are weighted to correct known demographic discrepancies based on age, gender, race, education and region. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percent for all respondents, plus or minus 3.6 percent for registered voters and plus or minus 4.3 percent for likely voters. More information on the poll methodology, as well as detailed polling data, is available at www.uml.edu/polls. About UMass Lowell UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,500 students bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu About Odyssey Odyssey is the social media platform that democratizes how news and other content is created and consumed, enriching peoples lives with new, honest, meaningful ideas. Launched in 2014, the platform empowers more than 14,000 local, millennial creators to express whats important to them and share it organically across their own social networks. As a result, Odyssey exposes its readersmore than 30 million strong and growing rapidlyto broader, more honest perspectives on topics they care about. For advertisers, that means building relationships with more engaged audiences. For more information, visit http://www.theodysseyonline.com. A camera equipped with facial-recognition software in the intake processing center at the Pinellas County jail in Florida. (Edward Linsmier for The Washington Post) The growing use of facial-recognition systems has led to a high-tech form of racial profiling, with African Americans more likely than others to have their images captured, analyzed and reviewed during computerized searches for crime suspects, according to a new report based on records from dozens of police departments. The report, released Tuesday by the Center for Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Universitys law school, found that half of all American adults have their images stored in at least one facial-recognition database that police can search, typically with few restrictions. The steady expansion of these systems has led to a disproportionate racial impact because African Americans are more likely to be arrested and have mug shots taken, one of the main ways that images end up in police databases. The report also found that criminal databases are rarely scrubbed to remove the images of innocent people, nor are facial-recognition systems routinely tested for accuracy, even though some struggle to distinguish among darker-skinned faces. The combination of these factors means that African Americans are more likely to be singled out as possible suspects in crimes including ones they did not commit, the report says. This is a serious problem, and no one is working to fix it, said Alvaro M. Bedoya, executive director of the Georgetown Law center that produced the report on facial-recognition technology. Police departments are talking about it as if its race-blind, and its just not true. [State photo-ID databases become troves for police] The 150-page report, called The Perpetual Line-Up, found a rapidly growing patchwork of facial-recognition systems at the federal, state and local level with little regulation and few legal standards. Some databases include mug shots, others drivers-license photos. Some states, such as Maryland and Pennsylvania, use both as they analyze crime-scene images in search of potential suspects. At least 117 million Americans have images of their faces in one or more police databases, meaning their resemblance to images taken from crime scenes can become the basis for follow-up by investigators. The FBI ran a pilot program this year in which it could search the State Departments passport and visa databases for leads in criminal cases. Overall, the Government Accountability Office reported in May, the FBI has had access to 412 million facial images for searches; the faces of some Americans appear several times in these databases. Several law enforcement agencies also have expressed interest in real-time facial-recognition technology, potentially giving police the ability to instantly identify people walking by a camera posted on a city street or attending a political protest that authorities are recording, the report says. A coalition of civil rights and civil liberties groups, provided with advance copies of the Georgetown report, plans to deliver a sharply worded letter to the Justice Departments civil rights division on Tuesday calling for investigation into the use and possible abuse of facial-recognition technology. The groups note the technologys deployment during protests after the police-involved death of a black man in Baltimore and warn that unregulated use could make African Americans reluctant to attend events where facial images might be captured, chilling their rights to free speech and assembly. The report said protesters arrested for minor crimes such as trespassing can end up in facial-recognition databases for their rest of their lives, exposing them to an enhanced level of police scrutiny even if charges were later dropped. Face recognition technology is rapidly being interconnected with everyday police activities, impacting virtually every jurisdiction in America. Yet, the safeguards to ensure this technology is being used fairly and responsibly appear to be virtually nonexistent, wrote the American Civil Liberties Union and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, an umbrella group with more than 200 member organizations. More than 40 civil rights and other groups signed the letter. The FBI said facial-recognition technology is a valuable tool for fighting crime. The technology provides leads that investigators can pursue but does not by itself single out people for arrest. The bureau also said that concerns about racial disparities are misplaced. Facial recognition algorithms are developed in the computer vision field, based solely on pattern matching techniques, the FBI said in a statement. Facial recognition algorithms do not actually compare faces and they do not consider skin color, sex, age, or any other biographic. Yet the uneven impact of surveillance tools is a source of growing concern for civil liberties and civil rights groups. Experts say that a wide range of technologies body cameras, cellphone tracking, facial recognition and others is creating what amounts to feedback loops that reinforce and amplify traditional forms of police bias. Virginia State Police, for example, can search a mug-shot database with 1.2 million images that skews toward African Americans because they are twice as likely to be arrested than the overall population in that state, the report said. Maricopa County, Ariz., uploaded the entire drivers-license and mug-shot database from the government of Honduras, a major source of immigration to Arizona. In Pinellas County, Fla., a pioneer among police forces using facial-recognition systems, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri called allegations of disparate racial or ethnic impact a bunch of nonsense. Floridas database of 11 million law enforcement photos, Gualtieri said, helps Pinellas County deputies identify robbers captured in bank videos, uncooperative people in routine police stops and even victims of fatal accidents or killings. All of the images are public record; the facial-recognition technology only helps investigators compare existing images more efficiently, he said. When asked about racial disparities in arrest rates, Gualtieri replied, Thats a whole different discussion. His countys system, he said, is not capturing any [people] other than those who are charged with crimes. Yet he acknowledged that the database had not been audited for accuracy or racial disparities. People represented in some databases can seek court action to have their images removed, but the process typically is arduous. Research from experts increasingly has found disproportionate racial impact in advanced surveillance technologies. The problem is not the technologies themselves but the underlying bias in how and where they are deployed, said Sakira Cook, counsel at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. That is especially true when arrests as opposed to successful prosecutions are key factors in determining whose images appear in databases. A higher arrest rate, Cook said, doesnt necessarily mean that African Americans are committing crimes at higher rates. It just means that they are being policed, surveilled and arrested at higher rates. It compounds the issue of racial profiling. The stakes may be highest for freedom of political expression. One activist, Chris Wilson, was arrested for trespassing after blocking entrance to the Florida State Fair to protest the death of a black teenager shortly after he was released from police custody on a dangerous roadway. The charges against Wilson were dropped in exchange for community service and a fine, but the booking photos made their way into the Pinellas County face database and potentially into the FBIs national database as well. That is worrying, said Wilson, who is African American and in North Dakota protesting a pipeline construction project. It worries me so much that I cover my face when I go out and protest, Wilson said. It really is scary to think that theyre tracking you. Pierre Etaix in 1963, following the release of his feature-length debut, Le Soupirant (The Suitor). (Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) Pierre Etaix, a French clown and filmmaker whose stylish acrobatics and melancholy manner made him an Academy Award-winning master of slapstick comedy, died Oct. 14 in Paris. He was 87. The cause was complications of an intestinal infection, his wife, Odile Etaix, told the Agence France-Presse. Although Mr. Etaix directed and starred in only five feature films and several shorts including Heureux Anniversaire (Happy Anniversary), which won the Oscar for best live-action short in 1963 he was considered one of the most brilliant physical comedians of the past half-century. With and without dialogue, he charted simple stories and routines with a practical elegance rarely seen since the silent era, the film critic Nicolas Rapold wrote in 2012 in the New York Times. A trained clown who performed in circuses and cabarets, Mr. Etaix was supporting himself as an illustrator when he met filmmaker Jacques Tati in 1954. The actor-director was so impressed with Mr. Etaixs drawings that he offered him an apprenticeship on the set of his 1958 comedy Mon Oncle, for which Mr. Etaix drew storyboards, developed gags and designed the films distinctive, brightly colored poster. Pierre Etaix at his home in Paris in 2015. (Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images) He made his directing debut with the 10-minute short Rupture (1961), a nearly wordless comedy about a jilted lover played by Mr. Etaix who attempts to respond to his girlfriends perfumed breakup letter. The film and its follow-up, Happy Anniversary, about a husbands increasingly frantic preparations for a dinner with his wife, were co-directed by novelist Jean-Claude Carriere, whom Mr. Etaix met through Tati. Carriere later became a favorite collaborator of director Luis Bunuel and co-wrote Mr. Etaixs first features: Le Soupirant (The Suitor, 1963), Yoyo (1965), Tant quon a la Sante (As Long as Youve Got Your Health, 1966) and Le Grand Amour (1969). In Yoyo, one of Mr. Etaixs most popular works, he played the dual roles of an unhappy millionaire and the millionaires son, who becomes a popular clown named Yoyo. Le Grand Amour, about a married factory owner who pines for his new secretary, featured one of Mr. Etaixs most memorable gags: a dream scene in which country roads are filled not with cars but with floating beds, with each bed-driver comfortably dressed in nightclothes. Mr. Etaixs film career collapsed after the release of Pays de Cocagne (Land of Milk and Honey, 1971), a satirical documentary about French consumerism following that countrys May 1968 demonstrations. After the film was scorned by critics and audiences, Mr. Etaix found it difficult to obtain new producers for his work and returned to the stage. A restrictive early contract kept his films out of view until 2009, when a petition signed by tens of thousands of fans and filmmakers such as Jerry Lewis, Jean-Luc Godard and Woody Allen helped prompt their rerelease at festivals and in theaters. The petition included a note from Lewis, who had cast Mr. Etaix in his unreleased film The Day the Clown Cried. Twice in my life, Lewis wrote, I understood what genius meant: the first time when I looked up the definition in a dictionary, and the second time when I met Pierre Etaix. Pierre Etaix (pronounced ay-TEX) was born in Roanne, in Frances Loire region, on Dec. 23, 1928. His father was a merchant and his mother a homemaker. Captivated by clowns and the films of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, Mr. Etaix practiced magic tricks and music, learning to play the concertina, mandolin, saxophone and trumpet. He made his debut as a clown at 16, taking the name Paro, according to a remembrance by Odile Etaix and Richard Mowe, director of French Film Festival U.K. Mr. Etaix had several small roles outside his own films, beginning with a part as a thiefs accomplice in Robert Bressons Pickpocket (1959). He married the clown and actress Annie Fratellini after her appearance in Le Grand Amour, and with her founded the National Circus School in France in the early 1970s. She died in 1997. Survivors include his second wife, the former Odile Crepin; and a son from his first marriage, Marc Etaix. Mr. Etaix made a brief return to film in the 1980s, directing the television film adaptation of his play LAge de Monsieur est Avance (1987) and Jecris dans lEspace (1989), which used an early form of 3D effects, but he focused mainly on his stage shows. The simplest situations are the funniest, he said in 2010, explaining his comic method during a screening of his films in Montreal. The more you go looking for something exceptional, the more you get sidetracked to nowhere. Alex Jones, the conspiracy-theory-pedding radio host who is a favorite source of Donald Trump, speaks to a crowd near the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in August. (Brian Blanco/European Pressphoto Agency) Consider the source is a good rule in life, and even more so in the realm of news. In recent days, Donald Trump stood in front of riled-up crowds and argued that both candidates should undergo drug tests before the final presidential debate Wednesday. Why? Because Hillary Clinton, he claimed, is taking performance-enhancing substances. I dont know whats going on with her, but at the beginning of her last debate, she was all pumped up at the beginning, and at the end it was like take me down, he said. She could barely reach her car. He provided no evidence for any of this. In fact, he seemed to be purposely mixing up Clintons debate performance with her recent bout with pneumonia. (In a much-viewed video, her knees buckled as she departed early from a 9/11 commemoration in New York.) But heres how Roger Stone, Trumps ally and longtime dirty-trickster, described Clintons second debate behavior, in a recent interview with Alex Jones, the syndicated radio host and proprietor of InfoWars, a website that thrives on far-right conspiracy theories. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump believes theres a global conspiracy to stop him from becoming president but its not the first time hes pushed unfounded theories. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) Look, of course she was jacked up on something. I assume some kind of methamphetamine. [Its time for TV news to stop playing the stooge for Donald Trump] It sounds like a perfect circle of disinformation: Stone provides unfounded allegations to InfoWars, and lately, Trump has been using InfoWars like a news source. Lets be clear: If InfoWars is news, the yowling of feral cats is classical music, and Trump University the best place to invest your hard-saved tuition dollars. InfoWars was founded by Jones, a purveyor of various crackpot notions, including that the Sandy Hook massacre of tiny children in 2012 was a government hoax intended to promote gun control. (It was all done with actors, Jones claims.) And the California drought? Made up. InfoWars is also a great place to go for 9/11 truther rumors; Jones proudly calls himself a founder of those. But Trump seems to be a fan: He did an interview with Jones last year, telling the host his reputation is amazing. Which is indeed true, but not in the complimentary way Trump intended it to be taken. [What could a future Trump TV venture look like? Tune in here.] InfoWars is poisonous, and its journalistic value is negative, said Rick Perlstein, the historian who has chronicled the modern conservative movement in books about Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon. He called the circularity of Trump referring to Roger Stones interview in InfoWars as a burlesque version of Dick Cheneys planting a story in the New York Times in the run-up to the Iraq War and then citing that story on NBCs Meet the Press. Perlstein wrote about the Jones/Trump connection in Salon in the spring, calling Jones a lunatic, observing that Trump was citing Joness denials of a California drought. Its well known, of course, that Trump increasingly is campaigning against what he calls the corrupt media, slamming news organizations for false stories, all made up . . . lies, lies. He calls reporters scum and insists that they are all tools of the Clinton campaign. Still, he makes a few exceptions. He borrowed his top campaign executive, Stephen Bannon, from Breitbart News, the far-right website which is practically a wing of his campaign, often referred to as Trump Pravda. [When Trump went low, Steve Bannon found a new direction: Lower.] He has repeatedly suggested that the National Enquirer, the supermarket tabloid that sometimes pays for news stories, should have won a Pulitzer Prize for exposing the existence of former North Carolina senator John Edwardss love child. Trump also used the Enquirer as the basis of his discredited claim that Ted Cruzs father was linked to the assassin of President John F. Kennedy. The Enquirer returns the love its one of the very few newspapers in the nation that have endorsed Trump for president, while many papers that have never backed a Democrat are endorsing Clinton or at least warning their readers off Trump. (The Enquirers chief executive, David Pecker, and Trump reportedly have a personal friendship.) And in recent weeks, Trump has retreated almost entirely to Fox News, largely to the open arms of Sean Hannity, who has taken to professing that hes not a journalist. Given all this, where does the Republican nominee for president get his news? I asked Jason Miller, a senior communications official for Trump, that question by phone and email Tuesday. And, I asked, does the candidate think as highly of Alex Jones and InfoWars as it seems? Theres been no response, but the evidence is there for all to see. Trumps embrace of the worst in American journalism, and his scorn for the best, is absurd. But its not actually funny. If he loses on Nov. 8 and his next act truly does turn out to be Trump TV filled with wild-eyed conspiracy theories, checkbook journalism and conjecture presented as fact no one can say he didnt warn us. For more by Margaret Sullivan, visit wapo.st/sullivan Mary Klein, 68, has urged D.C. Council members to pass legislation allowing doctors to prescribe fatal medication to terminally ill patients such as herself. Klein, shown with her dog Adina, has ovarian cancer. (Fenit Nirappil/The Washington Post) The D.C. Council will take up legislation to allow doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill residents on Nov. 1, lawmakers decided Tuesday. The council opted to put the matter on its legislative agenda at the start of next month, when it will hold the first of two required votes on the bill. The council chambers were filled with people on both sides of the issue, but the lawmakers did not debate or discuss it or raise any questions. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) announced that the legislative body would take action next month. The bill would authorize doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to patients who are mentally sound and have been diagnosed with having less than six months to live. It is unclear if Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) will sign the bill. She has not taken a position on it, although her top health official has testified against it, saying it violates the Hippocratic oath. The mayors staff offered amendments that would allow the citys health department to offer training for physicians and to provide patients with information about various lethal drugs and their side effects. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) authored right-to-die legislation. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post) Mendelson said the lack of questions about the legislation suggested minds were already made up. Most of the members already know where they are on the bill, Mendelson said. Im sure there will be a robust debate. Eight members a majority of the 13-member council have expressed support for the legislation. The nations capital would be the sixth jurisdiction to authorize the long-controversial practice that has gained increasing acceptance among elected officials and the public. Advocates say the measure would allow terminally ill patients to choose the timing and manner of their deaths and to avoid prolonged suffering. But the practice is opposed by many who say aid-in-dying violates their religious beliefs, advocates for the disabled who fear people will be steered to premature death and medical professionals who say it violates the Hippocratic oath. And it faces particular opposition from African Americans, who make up nearly half of the Districts population and are among the most likely to oppose such legislation. Some African Americans say they are unsettled by the practice because of historical abuse by the medical establishment and concerns that they may be steered to an early death. [African Americans resist right-to-die in nations capital: Its really aimed at old black people] Council member LaRuby May (D-Ward 8), a supporter of the legislation, has said constituents from her poor and predominantly black district deserve the same health care and end-of-life options as people living on the West Coast, where physician-assisted suicide is legal. She dismissed concerns that inequalities in the health-care system would mean minorities would be steered to early deaths. You cant create a racist system when you are already living in a racist system, May said. Advocates are hoping that passage in the District will allow them to break through a racial barrier in their national campaign. To date, physician-assisted death has been authorized in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont states with mostly white populations. In June, a right-to-death law took effect in California, despite opposition from Latinos and Catholics. But even if the council and mayor approve the legislation, Congress has the power to review and strike down D.C. laws which could turn the emotionally charged issue into a broader political fight. A spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) did not return requests for comment. D.C. resident Beth Marcus walks away from the microphone after addressing the New Columbia Statehood Commission on Friday, June 17, 2016. D.C. may hold an entirely new constitutional convention if it achieves statehood. (Christian K. Lee/The Washington Post) A divided D.C. Council voted Tuesday to accept a constitution largely drafted by Mayor Muriel E. Bowsers office as the foundation for its bid to become the 51st state. But lawmakers also required the possible future state to hold a constitutional convention to allow residents to tweak the document as they see fit. It was a win for longtime statehood activists who criticized Bowser for drafting a state constitution with limited community input. And it basically turns her constitution into a placeholder document. Bowser and the council plan to petition Congress and the president for statehood if D.C. voters approve a referendum Nov. 8. The changes to the proposed constitution, made Tuesday and approved 8 to 5, would require a constitutional convention with elected delegates held two years after statehood becomes official. Any changes would go directly to voters for approval, bypassing lawmakers. The D.C. Council also separately agreed to scrap New Columbia as the name for the 51st state, preferring instead to call it State of Washington, D.C. D.C. would stand for Douglass Commonwealth, in honor of the abolitionist and D.C. resident Frederick Douglass. Beverly Perry, a senior adviser to Bowser, said the mayor welcomed both the new name and a full constitutional convention. The mayor did not want to have one now, because there was no time if we wanted to send this to the president and to the Congress in January, Perry said. But a lot of people wanted this. The mayor could see that. Shes happy about it. Ongoing debates about the constitution cover a range of issues, including the number of lawmakers that would constitute a state legislature, how budgetary powers would be distributed and whether state offices that run elections and manage finances should be independent from the mayors office. [People dont like New Columbia. Here are other names for D.C. if it becomes a state] Before the council voted Tuesday to guarantee a future constitutional convention, D.C. voters would have been asked Nov. 8 to essentially forfeit the right to decide anything about the future state its organization, governing structure and even what it is named. Critics complained that District officials were not elected to design a new government and were possibly conflicted because they were making choices that could affect their own authority. Its important to me, in the name of democracy, to allow the people to move forward with [constitutional changes] without us meddling, said D.C. Council member David Grosso (I-At Large). [Council opens debate on constitution weeks before it goes to voters] Still, some are opposed to turning the responsibility of writing a constitution over to residents. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) said lawmakers, immersed in day-to-day governing, are better suited to handle the nuanced details of a constitution. For instance, some residents may be inclined to strip civil liberties in times of fear, she said. I know its easy to use the rhetoric of trust the people, Cheh said. Sometimes, the people act out of instincts that may not be superior. The odds for achieving statehood are still long. Bowser is banking on Hillary Clinton winning the presidential race and Democrats taking control of Congress, necessary political conditions for the effort to move forward. Teachers Erin Kelly, left, and Dana Lespierre lead a second-grade class in a lesson about good citizenship at Burgundy Farm Country Day School in Alexandria, Va. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) Social studies teachers have long used presidential elections to provide engaging, real-time lessons about democracy, helping them bring to life what students read in textbooks about American politics, history and civics. But this election cycle, unique in so many ways, also has proven to be a dicey challenge for classroom consumption, with teachers struggling to explain and dissect developments that have at times been far too lurid for young minds. Just the language of the campaign including allegations of sexual assault, lewd comments about women, attacks on each candidates supporters would be the kind of talk that would land a child in the principals office. At Burgundy Farm Country Day School in Alexandria, Va., fifth-grade students made comments about the Sept. 26 debate and posted them in the classroom. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) This is the first time Ive really said to myself, I cant cover this election like I want to because its not school-appropriate, said Kris Goldstein, who teaches government to seniors at Tokay High School in Lodi, Calif. It was a realization he had after Republican nominee Donald Trump attacked a critic by urging people to watch her sex tape. Theres certain things I dont want to be talking about. [Liberty University students protest association with Trump] Many teachers say they have shifted their lesson plans to keep things G-rated and to ease anxiety among minority and immigrant students, some of whom feel like they are in the line of fire. Some teachers have avoided classroom discussion of the election altogether; others say their students are too captivated to avoid it. They want to assign students to watch the third presidential debate scheduled for Wednesday night, but they also fear what their students may see and hear. During the most recent presidential debate, audience member Patrice Brock noted that much of the back-and-forth could be rated for mature audiences, and she asked Trump and Hillary Clinton whether they feel theyre modeling appropriate and positive behavior for todays youth, noting that some teachers assign the debates as homework. Brock, 42, of Eureka, Mo., said in an interview that her question arose from concern for her nieces ages 12 and 15 who have been watching the debates. Brock said she thinks those who seek public office should be role models for young children, but the acrimonious tone and lack of manners in the first presidential debate disturbed her. I want our kids to think that our president is cool and that theyre good, Brock said. [How to teach our kids not to hate, despite all the hate theyre exposed to in this election] Burgundy Farm Country Day School second-grader Juliet Burwell holds a clipboard with a handout about citizenship. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) At Burgundy Farm Country Day in Alexandria, Va., Scout Osborne, who teaches a class of fourth- and fifth-graders, asked students to watch 15 minutes of the debate with their families as homework. She also told parents that they could screen the debate ahead of time and pick which 15 minutes students would watch to avoid inappropriate topics. The election has proven deeply polarizing among her young students, who started the school year bickering about politics in the classroom. She decided to turn the election into an extended lesson on how to argue respectfully, including listening to classmates without interrupting and not raising their voices. The presidential debates have provided important teaching moments but not in the way she would have hoped. After the first presidential debate, her students noticed that the candidates regularly interrupted each other, Osborne said: They picked up pretty quickly thats not how we would do things in our classroom. [Heres how Americas kids view the presidency in an age of Donald Trump] And some teachers say the lack of substance in the presidential campaign has been frustrating. Goldstein, in California, asked his students to watch the debate, identify four policy issues and then write each candidates stance on them. Several students found they couldnt complete the assignment, and Goldstein couldnt blame them: He found that there wasnt much national policy to analyze. Many civics teachers remain nonpartisan in the classroom and urge their students to do their own research and exploration to develop their views. But now they also have to underscore that children should not necessarily emulate or even repeat the talking points of certain candidates. Teachers have cautioned their students against speaking disrespectfully about any group, whether it be emulating Trump by calling Mexicans rapists and drug dealers, or parroting Clinton, who called some Trump supporters deplorables. [Clintons deplorables remark sums up a deplorable election season] The challenge that this election has presented is that sometimes the things that are said during the course of the campaign occasionally will conflict with how I like my students to conduct themselves in class, especially with regards to treating each other respectfully, said Michael Palermo, who teaches government at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Va. If youre going to express your views in class, you have to do so in way that is respectful of your classmates and doesnt demean any individual or any group. Fifth grader Ben Abbruzzese and other students write character traits on a board. His class at Burgundy Farm Country Day School in Alexandria, Va., is having a mock election using three literary characters from Wabi, a book they read, rather than using political candidates. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) Fifth-graders Nick Foster, Graham Haberl and Daniella Amintinat write character traits on a board at Burgundy Farm Country Day School, using literary characters as presidential candidates to learn positive and unfavorable character traits rather than applying the same lessons to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) In a post on his blog, where he gave tips for how to teach the election, Palermo said he would still treat a student chanting Build a wall! at a group of Hispanic students as bullying, even though it has become a regular chorus at Trump rallies. Just because its part of the political discourse now doesnt make it any more acceptable, Palermo said. Teachers cite Trumps stances on immigration as raising anxiety among immigrant students who fear they could be deported should he be elected president, and Palermo said what theyre hearing related to the election is trauma-inducing to some students. It was such a concern among teachers in Arlington an overwhelmingly Democratic stronghold with a growing population of immigrant students that the school system organized a professional development session on how to help teachers whose students might be unsettled. Teachers aiming to elevate the conversation and to focus on the issues are grappling, too, with whether to address comments by the Republican nominee captured in a leaked videotape in which he spoke of groping women. Shannon Geraghty, a teacher at Forest Park High in Woodbridge, Va., said she picked up a copy of the New York Daily News the day after the scandal broke and noted that the tabloids headline GRAB THEM BY THE P---Y, with images of cats filling the space between the P and the Y might be off-limits for the classroom. When I couldnt even bring in the newspaper to show my students, thats just a different level, a different low, Geraghty said. [Trump recorded having extremely lewd conversation about women in 2005] Presidential politics has at times been too prurient for the classroom, but rarely during a campaign. Palermo started his teaching career just as the news of President Bill Clintons affair with a White House intern was unfolding. He found it difficult to ignore in class when Clinton faced impeachment, but he said he managed to avoid the racier aspects of the story, instead focusing on the mechanics of impeaching a president. For other teachers, the election has proved too polarizing and too juvenile for them to turn it into an educational lesson. Mary Akeley, a fifth-grade teacher at Burgundy Farms Country Day, decided to shift from contemporaneous elections and instead focus on elections in the Iroquois nation. Although Burgundy Farms had a schoolwide mock election in 2012, some classes are avoiding talk about the candidates this time, Akeley said. Instead, a mock election in her classroom will feature three other well-known figures: suffragette Susan B. Anthony, abolitionist Frederick Douglass and environmentalist Rachel Carson. And although the election has proven a challenging topic, some teachers admit its unusual nature has had a positive side effect: Students are enthralled in ways teachers have never seen. Geraghty said one student hosted a debate-watching party for his classmates; another came to school early after the first debate, eager to dissect it with her. Osborne said even her most shy students have come out of the woodwork to share their views. Goldstein said he thinks an educated citizenry is central to a functioning democracy, but he wishes there were a more civil presidential campaign on which to model it. Its not what I would want them to see from our political process, honestly, Goldstein said. But it is captivating their attention. Get updates on your area delivered via email A statue of Thomas Jefferson stands in front of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia. (Norm Shafer/For The Washington Post) When a University of Virginia student confided in Nicole Eramo that she had been gang-raped at a fraternity, Eramo says she took the shocking account seriously so seriously that she referred the student to police, twice. Eramo says she then endeavored to do everything she could to persuade the student to report the incident to authorities, including the students claims that two other women had similarly been gang-raped at the same fraternity. If true, women on campus were in danger, and it was Eramos job to protect them. The student, Jackie, then came to her again with a concern, Eramo said: She had spoken to Rolling Stone magazine about her rape. Rolling Stone was writing a story. Rolling Stone appeared to be misrepresenting her account. Rolling Stone was going to make Eramo look bad. Eramo testified in federal court Tuesday that the story that Rolling Stone published in November 2014 did more than make her look bad. She said the magazine willfully ignored facts, didnt seek the truth and sought to distort reality to fit a predetermined narrative, ultimately destroying her credibility, costing her a position helping sexual assault victims at U-Va. and creating emotional turmoil. By alleging that Eramo was indifferent to rape that she essentially was covering up what was happening at U-Va. the story dismantled her lifes work, she said. And a photo illustration accompanying the story, she said, appeared to be manipulated to make her look like the Devil. She received hundreds of threatening emails, including one with the subject line Dean of Rape in which someone said they hoped she would burn in hell for your role in your Universitys sickening rape culture. I was stunned, Eramo testified here Tuesday in her defamation case against Rolling Stone. Eramos voice cracked at times, her words sometimes giving way to weeping. They made me into something they wanted me to be for their own narrative. . . . Its not right. Its not fair. After the article published, Eramo said, the university decided to assign her sexual assault cases to other administrators. [Jackies friends challenge Rolling Stone account of alleged sexual assault] The story A Rape on Campus was searing, recounting in detail a rape that authorities say never happened and that Jackies friends say appears to be a fantasy aimed at winning the affections of another U-Va. student. Rolling Stone ultimately retracted the story, saying that it put faith in Jackie and believed her, faith that eroded after the article published. [Our worst nightmare. Legal filings detail reporting of Rolling Stones U-Va. gang rape story] The trial this week focuses on the articles impact on Eramo, who was the universitys top sexual assault prevention advocate and someone to whom Jackie turned for help after the alleged Sept. 2012 gang rape. Eramo says Rolling Stone pressured Jackie into participating with the story, failed to fact-check her account and then published knowing the story was false; Rolling Stone has said it believed the story was true and that federal findings related to U-Va. and sexual assault have made similar allegations of indifference against Eramo and U-Va. [In her own words: Rolling Stones Sabrina Rubin Erdely on experience with Jackie] In a statement, Rolling Stone said Eramos testimony shows that Jackies account was believable at the time: Throughout Eramos testimony, it was abundantly clear that she believed in the credibility of Jackie, whom she counseled for many months. Rolling Stones attorney, Elizabeth McNamara, said that U-Va.s lack of response to the allegations underscored the main point of the article, that the school was not doing enough to alert the broader community to some allegations of sexual assault. The article recounted Jackies tale, alleging that she was gang-raped at a fraternity as part of hazing ritual, with several men attacking her in an upstairs bedroom while a party raged below. Jackie told the magazine that she had been on a date with an upperclassman who took her to the party and supervised the rape. She said she told three friends about what had happened immediately afterward and that they encouraged her not to report it or go to the hospital, lest it ruin their reputations. The article alleged that U-Va. was indifferent to Jackies situation. Under cross examination, McNamara questioned Eramo about U-Va.s response to Jackies claims, pointing out that Eramo never pulled the roster of lifeguards at U-Va.s recreation center even though Jackie said a co-worker was an assailant. McNamara also said U-Va. never issued an alert about the assault. Eramo testified that she declined to investigate Jackies workplace because the student steadfastly refused to identify her attacker; Jackie also declined to identify her attacker to Rolling Stone. Eramo also said she was not responsible for campuswide alerts and that the alleged rape was eight months old by the time she learned about it. When the article first published, it shocked the public flagship universitys campus and the nation spurring outrage, protests, vandalism and a police investigation. The university suspended all fraternity activities, and members of the fraternity where the rape allegedly happened fled campus as it faced public scrutiny. Within days, The Washington Post reported that the fraternity had not had a party on the night of the alleged rape, that Jackies friends disputed her account and that key details did not hold up to scrutiny. The alleged perpetrator of the attack whom Jackie identified as junior Haven Monahan to friends was determined to be a fiction, using a photograph of someone she knew in high school. [Catfishing over love interest might have spurred U-Va. gang-rape debacle] A police investigation could not substantiate the rape allegations, and a Columbia Journalism School probe found serious flaws in the reporting of the story. The defamation trial is expected to rehash the reporting and unraveling of the article, much of which has been thoroughly examined publicly during the past two years. The case does hold the possibility of publicly hearing from Jackie for the first time beyond her already-published interviews with Rolling Stone and The Post; she sat for a video-recorded deposition in Eramos case. Eramos attorney said the jury could hear a taped deposition from Jackie later this week. The court has not identified Jackie beyond her nickname, which she used in Rolling Stone. The Post generally does not identify people who say they were victims of sexual assaults, and The Post has not identified Jackie as part of an agreement with her not to report her full name. Eramo testified that she believes her work as a sexual assault prevention advocate was important and that it is especially important to her that survivors feel supported and believed. Over time, I had developed a reputation as someone to come to if someone needed resources and support, said Eramo, who called it a privilege that students would come to her in their darkest moments. It was incredibly rewarding and very special. She said she took Jackies allegations seriously and detailed numerous efforts to get Jackie to report the attack to police. She said Jackie also told her that some young men from the fraternity had come after her, throwing a bottle at her face, an allegation that police later discounted. Eramo said her multimillion-dollar lawsuit aims to show the real result of something like this. A motorcyclist was killed in Fairfax County Tuesday afternoon in a collision with a car, police said. At around 3:50 p.m., officers responded to the report of an accident in the area of Leesburg Pike and Towlston Road, a Fairfax police spokesman said in an emailed statement. A preliminary investigation showed the motorcycle collided with a Chevrolet Cobalt, and the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said. The motorcyclist and the driver of the car, who was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. were not identified, and information about the cause of the crash was not immediately available. Police said that Route 7 was closed in both directions at Towlston Road and asked people to avoid the area until at least 7 p.m. D.C. police charged Kyla Jones with the stabbing death of Kaelia Minor, 17. Police say Minor and Jones got into an argument on Oct.18 while aboard a Metrobus headed to Petworth that escalated into a physical fight. (WUSA) D.C. police charged Kyla Jones with the stabbing death of Kaelia Minor, 17. Police say Minor and Jones got into an argument on Oct.18 while aboard a Metrobus headed to Petworth that escalated into a physical fight. (WUSA) Kaelia Minor had finished dance rehearsal at Coolidge High School and was riding the No. 62 bus home from Takoma to Petworth. It was about 8 p.m. Monday, and the bus ride was anything but peaceful. Authorities said Minor, 17, and another young woman got into an argument about a cellphone, the latest flare-up in a long-running dispute. The shouting continued when the bus reached Minors stop at Emerson Street and Kansas Avenue, three blocks from the Coolidge seniors home in Northwest Washington. In seconds, D.C. police said, Minor was stabbed in the chest, and detectives were searching for a young woman with a knife. Minor died at 8:29 p.m. at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, the Districts 110th homicide victim of 2016. An arrest was announced by D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) at a news conference Tuesday. Police identified the suspect as Kyla Jones, 18, of Northwest. They said that she was charged in a warrant with second-degree murder while armed and had turned herself in. Details of the dispute that authorities said preceded the stabbing were unclear Tuesday night. But whatever it was about, it was not important enough for a 17-year-old to be dead and for a second person to have signed her life away, the mayor said. In addressing the overall issue of violence in the District, Bowser said, We are trying like crazy to find solutions. We dont value other peoples lives no more, said Minors cousin, Bobleto Latta, 44, who lives in Anacostia and heard about the stabbing while working the night shift as a plumber at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. He raced to the stabbing scene at 2 a.m., not knowing whether Minor was alive or dead, or even if the report was true. I just dont understand this. D.C. police said the fight started with an argument aboard the Metrobus between Minor and another teenager or young woman. Police said the two knew each other and had been feuding for a long time. Latta said Minor had told relatives about trouble with another teen but had not gone into detail. Police said they were reviewing surveillance video from the bus as part of the investigation. The news sank in Tuesday. A school system official confirmed that Minor attended Coolidge, in Takoma, about 11/2 miles from her home off New Hampshire Avenue near Fort Totten. References to the school and to dance, her passion, fill her Facebook page, and she posted on Twitter her plans for an exciting future: college in a few months and im just like damn im really . . . outta dc im so excited. Latta said Minor had been accepted to Drexel University in Philadelphia and to other colleges that he could not recall. She hadnt picked one yet, the cousin said. Dance was the top thing that she really loved. He said she captained the schools dance team, and a Twitter account set up in her memory showed classmates hanging a banner honoring her achievements. One student tweeted: Coolidge aint the same today. Other relatives, including her mother, did not respond to interview requests. She has two brothers in their early 20s, and she lived most of her life in Northwest. Richard Jackson, the principal at Coolidge, declined to speak to a reporter about Minor. Though just 17, Minor had filled out an online resume that listed completed community service hours and leadership positions in dance groups. It also said she was on the honor roll. Latta said that when word spread about the stabbing Monday night and early Tuesday, he hoped the news was wrong. I was driving up there, and all this stuff was swirling in my head, the cousin said. I didnt know if it was true, and was hoping it was not. When he went to the scene and saw the crime scene tape , I knew, unfortunately, it was true. Jennifer Jenkins, Perry Stein and Martin Weil contributed to this report. Authorities in Maryland said they arrested and charged two men in connection with a scam in which they would flag down drivers passing by, fake that they were stranded and then ask for cash. The incidents happened throughout the state, including in Prince Georges, Montgomery, Howard, Harford and Anne Arundel counties, police said, and the men would often do it near exit ramps along highways. Maryland State Police arrested and charged Aron Miclescu, 29, and Constantin Stan over the weekend in Baltimore County. They are both from Baltimore. [Highway scammers faking breakdowns to ask drivers for cash, police warn] Police said the men would pretend that their vehicles had broken down and would flag down passing drivers. They would ask for money and give fake jewelry in exchange. The incidents caused some major traffic delays and, in a few cases, crashes nearby. Miclescu and Stan were charged with reckless endangerment, walking on a highway and criminal disorderly conduct, among others. Earlier this month, a 32-year-old Baltimore man was charged after allegedly flagging down vehicles on a ramp along Route 50, near Route 301, in the Bowie area of Prince Georges County. In that case, police arrested and charged Alexandru Dumitru. According to police, Dumitru told a person inside a Jeep that stopped to help him that he had run out of gas, was stranded and needed money, police said. But when troopers checked Dumitrus car, they found that he had a full tank of gas. A woman and child were with him at the time. Dumitru faced charges of disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and other traffic violations, police said. Mary Hart walks behind J. Charles Jones during the June 1966 march around the Beltway to bring attention to fair-housing issues. (Steve Szabo/The Washington Post) Mary Beth Waits took one look at my Oct. 12 column and said to herself, Thats Aunt Mary! My story that day was about J. Charles Jones, the Howard University-trained lawyer and civil rights activist who in June 1966 led a four-day march around the Capital Beltway to protest segregated housing. Jones was a member of ACCESS, the Action Coordinating Committee to End Segregation in the Suburbs. He and his fellow protesters had been fighting white apartment owners who refused to rent to African Americans. The Beltway protest attracted a multiracial group of marchers, including Mary Beths aunt Mary Hart, who was standing behind Jones in the photo that ran with my column. [I feel as if I own this road: A civil rights figure who was in it for the long haul] Mary Beth has vivid memories of the activism of her Aunt Mary. I remember picketing with her in Virginia outside of an Arlington apartment complex called Buckingham, she wrote. We marched up and down the street singing songs. One song, Eyes on the Prize, had a specific lyric that we added: Black men die in Vietnam but cant live in Buckingham. Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on, hold on. During the Beltway march, the protesters saw banners hung on overpasses, some critical, some encouraging. She related that some of the Movements opponents threw rocks and other projectiles at the walkers, causing them to approach all overpasses with trepidation, Mary Beth wrote. The trip was daunting both physically and emotionally. Mary Beth thinks her aunt may have been the only woman who walked all 64 miles of the Beltway. She was a big woman almost six feet tall big in the hips, outspoken and commanding both physically and verbally, Mary Beth wrote. Mary Hart died in 1984. Her name adorns a day-care center in Rockville, Md. Shed been a day-care professional all her adult life, and when the Poor Peoples Campaign came to Washington in 1968, she helped organize the service that looked after the protesters children. Mike Tabor was also on the march around the Beltway. A native New Yorker, his eyes had been opened in 1963 after a class at the University of Maryland, where he was in graduate school. I turned to another kid from Brooklyn who was sitting next to me, who was black, and said, Lets go down to get a beer in College Park and talk about being in this strange place, Mike said. After they sat down in a bar, the waiter told them that Mike could stay but his friend couldnt. He said, This is College Park, and its segregated, Mike remembered. This pulled me into something I had no intention of getting pulled into. But pulled Mike was, and hes spent the rest of his life involved in social justice activism. He worked for a while for the federal government but quit after Richard Nixon was elected. I felt, ethically, I could not stay in the federal government with Nixon as my boss, he said. I searched for an alternative. The alternative was farming. Mike and his wife, Esther Siegel, operate Licking Creek Bend Farm in Fulton County, Pa. They helped found the Adams Morgan farmers market four decades ago and are now involved in a project called Lessons of the Sixties. Its a close look at the activism of the 60s in Washington, said Anne Gallivan, the projects coordinator. They are collecting archival materials pamphlets, posters, articles and have conducted more than 50 oral history interviews with people active in the civil rights, antiwar, fair housing and womens movements. It will all be archived at George Washington University. The group is hoping that at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15, people who were involved in womens rights issues and the feminist newspaper Off Our Backs will bring their artifacts to the Institute for Policy Studies, 1301 Connecticut Ave. NW. We dont know how many people are coming, but were prepared to catalogue their papers and scan them, Anne said. For information, visit lessonsofthesixties.wixsite.com/lessonsofthesixties or email DCproject60@gmail.com. Twitter: @johnkelly For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly. Metro staff manage the morning rush at Minnesota Avenue station as shuttle buses carry riders around SafeTrack work on June 20, 2016. (J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post) Even before Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld releases his fiscal 2018 budget, some riders and elected officials are crying foul about a cost-cutting proposal because it would disproportionately affect communities of color. The idea presented to the Metro board last week among several ways to close a projected $275 million budget shortfall would shutter 20 of some of the lowest-performing stations during non-peak hours. The presentation included a map of the stations, which are split about evenly among the District, Maryland and Virginia. But many of the stations are clustered on the eastern ends of the Silver, Blue, Orange and Green lines, in Prince Georges County and east of the Anacostia River in the District. In fact, about half are east of the Anacostia. I saw that map, and my jaw hit the floor, said Justin A. Lini, a 36-year-old D.C. resident whose home station is Minnesota Avenue, one of the stations on the list. I couldnt believe what I was looking at. [These stations and bus routes face service cuts if Metro cant balance its budget] In short, the stations appear to be clustered in communities of color in Northeast and Southeast Washington, as well as Prince Georges County. Immediately, I thought of the racial inequality the map showed, said Lini, who is an Advisory Neighborhood commissioner. If you took a map of the citys African American communities and overlaid it on a map of these station closures, it would be a 100 percent match. On Monday, Metro said it considered the map purely illustrative and one of several hypothetical scenarios for addressing next years budget gap. The presentation also included information on savings that could be gained by raising fares, eliminating bus routes and increasing the headway (or time) between trains. Lini said some Metro customers who live on the eastern ends of the Orange, Blue and Silver lines have abandoned the system because of irregular service, especially on weekends. Many residents opt for buses that are slower but cheaper and more reliable. Cutting off-peak service would further send a message that their communities are not a priority for Metro. These are communities that historically have been underserved by transit. And CityLab noted that Metros own data show that Metrorail passengers who make less than $30,000 a year are more likely to ride during off hours. Others suggested that Metro put the drastic suggestion out there in an effort to squeeze more money from the District, Maryland and Virginia to help make up the budget gap. Whats really upsetting about this is that it feels like were getting thrown out there as a bargaining chip, Lini said. Some Metro board members were equally appalled by the optics. But Metro could have a worse problem than optics if it tries to implement the off-peak closures. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, transit agencies enacting such significant changes in service must prepare an equity analysis a report that outlines the way that proposed changes would affect riders, and what types of riders would bear the greatest costs. And theres a long history of civil rights lawsuits and federal complaints aimed at transit agencies that disproportionately affected poor communities or black communities with their service cuts. In 2012, the federal government ordered the Los Angeles transit system to conduct such a review of its proposal to cut bus service. Metro spokesman Richard Jordan said any Metro proposal would be subject to a full Title VI analysis to evaluate the impact on low-income and minority communities before consideration. [Metro hints at fare hikes and service cuts to balance $275 million budget shortfall] Prince Georges County Council member Todd M. Turner (D-Bowie) said that he is concerned about the potential effects of any service cuts on his constituents but that its premature to make any assumptions about Metros final budget-balancing plan. Obviously, theres a concern to make sure theres equity across the entire system as part of any review related to budget matters, said Turner, who chairs the councils Transportation, Housing and Environment Committee. Were going to keep an eye on it. Dennis Anosike, Metros chief financial officer, said the map just identifies some options of what service cuts may likely be on the table. Metro board member Malcolm Augustine, who represents Prince Georges, said he was troubled by Metros lack of data to support such closures. He requested more information about the potential impact and the projected savings. Youre making these kinds of proposals they have a real chilling impact on people, without a doubt, Augustine said after last weeks meeting. I mean, this is serious you cant just put information out there, something as serious as that, and not have some real numbers . . . [that say] this is what the impact is going to be. Thats what Im deeply concerned with. [Metro board members dont see light at the end of the SafeTrack tunnel] Augustine said he isnt opposed to making tough decisions in budget season, but he needs more information than just a map. Listen, I know its going to be some shared pain. Were going to have to deal with that, he said. All Im suggesting is, we be really clear and very cautious with what were doing because this is serious. This is very serious to people. You cant just put things out there, talking about youre going to close stations, and not have something to back it up. Board member Catherine Hudgins, who also is a Fairfax County supervisor, said she understands that the agency needs to look at making operations more efficient, but not to the detriment of riders who rely on the service. Weve understood that people dont go to Arlington Cemetery all the time. Guess what, the train passes through there often during the day, Hudgins said. There may be other options somewhere in the system, if its going to help us save maintenance and employee costs thats savings and that gets us a chance to look at the budget. Asked whether the proposed closures disproportionately target communities of color, she hedged. It just depends. I look at [the 20 stations] and I say Okay, they probably are in one part (of town), Hudgins said. I guess what we need to know is, what is the reason? Is there under- utilization? Lets talk about that. Wiedefeld is expected to release his proposed budget next month. Faiz Siddiqui contributed to this report. Region Three heat records set in two days Three heat records were set Monday and Tuesday at two of the regions official measuring sites. A record for the date was set at Dulles International Airport on Tuesday for the second successive day. Tuesdays record high was 85 degrees; Mondays was 84. At Baltimore- Washington International Marshall Airport a record of 84 was set Tuesday. No records were set at Reagan National Airport. But it was still warm in Washington, with an unautumnal 82 on Tuesday. Martin Weil MARYLAND Victim in weekend crash identied Police identified Jaylen Williams, 21, of Upper Marlboro as the man killed in a crash early Saturday in southern Prince Georges County. The crash occurred at Indian Head Highway and Berry Road in the Accokeek area. Police said the crash occurred as Williams drove north on the highway toward the intersection of Berry Road. He drove into the intersection against a red signal and hit two vehicles, police said. Dana Hedgpeth Casino opening will likely carry trafc tab Officials say traffic to the MGM National Harbor casino in December could require nearly 200 county police officers to manage the congestion for the Dec. 8 grand opening and for 30 to 45 days afterward. The operation is likely to cost Prince Georges County hundreds of thousands of dollars, they said. Police Chief Henry P. Stawinski III said officers will work round-the-clock to facilitate traffic flow to the resort, and an agency helicopter will be in the air all the time. The event is likely to be much more complex than the 2013 opening of Tanger Outlets, when police spent $600,000 on traffic management to support the mall launch in its first six weeks, police spokesman David Coleman said. Tanger Outlets reimbursed the county $200,000, leaving the county to cover the balance. Costs of managing traffic to the casino, open 24 hours a day, all week, could significantly exceed the costs incurred at the mall launch. The county is in talks with MGM about contributing but will probably foot the bill, officials indicated. Luz Lazo Police: Two charged in highway scam Two men have been charged in an alleged scam in Maryland in which they pretended to be stranded on a highway with a disabled vehicle and then sought cash from passersby they flagged down. Incidents were reported in Prince Georges, Montgomery, and other counties, police said. Maryland State Police charged Aron Miclescu, 29, and Constantin Stan, both of Baltimore, with reckless endangerment, walking on a highway and criminal disorderly conduct, among other counts. Dana Hedgpeth The District Arrest in Tenleytown diner robbery A man was arrested in Mondays robbery of an all-night diner on Wisconsin Avenue NW in Tenleytown, D.C. police said. Police said Willie Quinones, 26, of Southeast Washington was charged with armed robbery. Martin Weil Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William wants gun owners to be able to take their weapons with them to polling places, as long as its permitted by state law. (AP Photo/Richmond Times-Dispatch, Bob Brown) (Bob Brown/AP) The Prince William County electoral board, wary of the heated atmosphere of the coming Election Day, considered seeking a one-day ban on weapons at polling places located on private property but was rebuked by a gun-friendly state legislator. Late last week, Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William) sent a letter to the board pointing out that it has no power to ban guns from polling places except for schools and courthouses, where weapons are prohibited by state law. Election officers across the state say they are worried about conflicts at the polls after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump urged his supporters to watch others at the voting booths, while also asserting that the election is rigged. So go to your place and vote, and then go pick some other place, and go sit there with your friends and make sure its on the up and up, Trump said at a recent rally in Michigan. Because you know what? Thats a big, big problem in this country, and nobody wants to talk about it. Nobody has the guts to talk about it. So go and watch these polling places. Virginias election officials have been discussing on their private email list the possibility of intimidation or violence Nov. 8 and talking about what to do about unruly observers. State law makes it a criminal offense to use a weapon to intimidate, hinder or interfere with a voter. Several officials said that unless someone is causing a disturbance, that person should be left alone. If theres a problem and the gun owner refuses to comply with requests, election officials should call authorities, wrote Russ Boraas, secretary of the Hanover County Electoral Board. Cameron G. Sasnett, registrar for Fairfax County, said in an interview that the issue is on the radar of his office to ensure voters security. We have full faith and trust that [gun owners] will control those weapons in a manner that is consistent with state law . . . Were extremely confident we will have a smooth Election Day in Fairfax County. Keith A. Scarborough, the Prince William Countys electoral board secretary, said that many election officers, who are legally barred from carrying weapons, were concerned that heated campaign rhetoric might infect the normally calm civic atmosphere at the polls. Its not a majority by any means, but weve had several election officers who said . . . they are worried something is going to happen on Election Day, Scarborough said in an interview Tuesday. Ive even heard some voters say, Im going to vote absentee because I dont want to be in the polling place on Election Day. Seventy of Prince Williams 91 polling places are in schools, with the remaining 21 in churches, fire halls and community centers. Firearms are allowed in county government buildings, such as fire stations, libraries and community centers, the countys communications officers said. Private landowners can voluntarily ban weapons from their property. Scarborough said that the local registrar, Michele L. White, told the board that her staff doesnt have the resources or authority to ask church-based polling places to ban guns. White did not return several requests for comment. Scarborough, a Democrat who has held his electoral board position since 2007, said the county has not had any incidents of issues with gun-toting voters or observers at the polls in the past. In a written response to Marshall, Scarborough said that all voters and electoral officers deserve the same level of protection that they will have at schools and that the board was seeking a consistent policy across all the precincts. He said the board has discussed the matter twice and knows it is completely up to the private facility to decide whether to bar firearms. His preference, he said, is that all polling places in Virginia should be gun-free zones on Election Day, and he suggested that Marshall introduce a bill to that effect in the next legislative session. In an interview, Marshall said he expressed concern on behalf of a constituent who complained to him that voters legally carrying guns would not be allowed into polling places. A civil rights group filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday to force Virginia to extend its voter registration period after the states online system crashed Monday, the last day to register, preventing an unknown number of voters from getting on the rolls. One registrar estimated that tens of thousands of Virginians had been unable to register by the cutoff at 11:59 p.m. Monday, although the state elections commissioner, Edgardo Cortes, said the number was unknown. The meltdown prompted a Washington-based civil rights group to file the lawsuit on behalf of Kathy and Michael Kern, a Charlottesville couple who tried multiple times Sunday and Monday to register without success. Two nonprofit groups involved in voter-registration drives New Virginia Majority Education Fund and Virginia Civic Engagement Table also are plaintiffs. The right of eligible Virginians to vote should not be victim to a technological failure that is no fault of their own, said Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which is representing the plaintiffs along with attorneys from the Washington firm Arnold & Porter. The suit, filed Tuesday night in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, names Cortes and other state election officials as defendants. But Cortes said the deadline is specified in state code, which provides no option for an extension. We dont have any legal authority to extend the registration deadline, he said. Clarke said her group would file a complaint in federal court to compel the state to extend its registration window. Since the last presidential election, Virginia has rolled out a system that allows citizens to register to vote and update their registrations online. Four years ago, the state had an entirely paper-based system. The shift to online was hailed as a more modern and efficient approach, but registrars have complained in recent months about recurring glitches and severe slowdowns. Problems resurfaced Sunday, after Facebook and Google alerted Virginians to the states looming registration deadline. The Department of Elections online voter registration system is experiencing an unprecedented activity level that has caused it to slow down and sometimes be completely unresponsive, the department said on its Facebook page. Visitors to the page were advised to wait a few minutes and try again. It was no use. The problems worsened Monday, even after Cortes directed registrars around the state to stop using the system to free up capacity for citizens trying to log in. It got inundated to the point where it was useless for everyone, said Greg Riddlemoser, registrar in Stafford County. His office received hundreds of phone calls on Monday from voters unable to register online. He estimated that the number of citizens who had been unable to register statewide was in the tens of thousands. It is not clear how many voters tried and failed to register through the system because there is no record of those who could not complete the task, Cortes said. But judging by the drop-off in registrations, the number appeared to be in the thousands in some large jurisdictions alone, such as Fairfax County. In Fairfax in recent weeks, as many as 6,000 people a day have registered online as new voters or updated their addresses, Registrar Cameron Sasnett said. On Monday, the number was less than half that: 2,729. Not a single person in Fairfax succeeded in accessing the system after 7 p.m., he said. Sasnett called the situation chaos wrapped inside an implosion. Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) criticized state-level elections officials for the troubles. We have every confidence in Virginias local registrars, but we are concerned that Governor [Terry] McAuliffes Department of Elections has barely recognized, let alone responded to, the registrars concerns about the technical systems needed to administer the elections, he said. The administration needs to take immediate corrective action to ensure that local registrars have the necessary technical and support resources for the November election. Sasnett put part of the blame on procrastinating citizens. The system itself failed, but this wasnt the only opportunity or mechanism for somebody to register, he said. We had 364 more days to register as well. The state, which has 5.5 million voters on its rolls, has seen last-minute registration spikes in other presidential years. Just under 430,000 Virginians registered in October 2012. While results for this month are not known yet, the spike seems even sharper this time around amid a bitterly contested race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. More than 490,000 Virginians registered in September, compared with 260,000 in September 2012. I dont think the system was quite ready for prime time, Riddlemoser said. Im not sure why we didnt predict we would get crushed. The state launched its online voter registration system in 2013. Until this year, the largest number of registrations submitted in a single day was about 2,200, Cortes said. That single-day online registration record has been broken three times this year in response to social-media campaigns urging Virginians to register: 8,000 signed up one day in February, ahead of the deadline to register for the primary; 17,000 on Sept. 23, ahead of National Voter Registration Day; 21,000 managed to do so on Monday, despite the days technical issues. This level of activity for our system is just unprecedented, Cortes said. As a state agency, we dont have the ability to just scale up. Make it stop. Wont somebody, please, make it stop? I realize my plea is in vain. We have three more weeks of this appalling spectacle in which a ridiculous comic-book villain a cross between the Joker and the Penguin is trying his best to destroy American democracy. Yes, Donald Trump, Im talking about you. Three weeks. Thats normally the blink of an eye, but the time between now and Election Day yawns like an eternity. How many new outrages will test our capacity to be outraged? How many more quisling Republicans will stand before microphones and pretend their partys nominee for president is fit for the office? How many early-morning tweet storms will a certain set of unusually short fingers unleash upon a weary and anxious nation? Look, I happen to believe Hillary Clinton would be a good president. You may disagree, but no one seriously doubts her ability to do the job. By contrast, does anyone really believe it would be safe, let alone wise, to put someone as impulsive and thin-skinned as Trump in command of the most powerful military machine the world has ever known? The thought would be laughable if it were not so frightening. So yes, this is a scary election. And no, it is not safe to take anything for granted. The bottom should have fallen out from under Trumps poll numbers long ago, but it hasnt. For those who see Trump the way I do, it is unfathomable that he would have the support of 40 voters, let alone 40 percent of the electorate. At a campaign rally in Portsmouth, N.H., on Oct 15, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said the election was being rigged by "corrupt media" and added that the media is pushing "false allegations" and "lies" regarding sex assault claims against him. (The Washington Post) I understand being tired of politicians and politics as usual. I understand frustration at Washingtons perpetual gridlock and stasis. I even understand the appeal of a candidate who promises to be a wrecking ball, demolishing the old system so we can start over. But Trump is not a revolutionary who just happens to be an egomaniac. He is an egomaniac who says what his supporters want to hear so that they will bathe him in the adulation he pathologically craves. He isnt doing this to make peoples lives better. As Lady Gaga sang, he lives for the applause. He decided early on that racism, bigotry and xenophobia would be major planks in his platform. He rails against losing American jobs to China, although thats where his garish Donald J. Trump neckties are made. He invites Russian cyberwarriors to interfere with our election process by hacking into Clintons emails. He refuses to learn anything about domestic or foreign policy, offering nothing but patriotic slogans and some desultory plans with numbers that dont remotely add up. Ill enjoy having the luxury of four years to explore the complex societal factors that led to the rise and fall of the Trump phenomenon. But first things first: We have to make sure it falls. Which means we have to make it through the next three weeks. The passage of days will indeed be painful. As Clinton extends her lead in most of the swing states that will decide the election and even challenges in reliably red states such as Utah, Arizona and Georgia Trump becomes increasingly unmoored from reality. On Monday morning, he took to Twitter to make such pronouncements as: Cant believe these totally phoney [sic] stories, 100% made up by women (many already proven false) and pushed big time by press, have impact! And: Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive! And: WikiLeaks proves even the Clinton campaign knew Crooked mishandled classified info, but no one gets charged? RIGGED! He was referring to the highly credible claims by numerous women that Trump groped or kissed them against their will, which he bragged about doing on the now-infamous Access Hollywood tape; his own unsubstantiated, indeed wholly imaginary, claims of voter fraud; and his unrequited wish for some kind of smoking gun in the hacked emails released by WikiLeaks. Trump isnt campaigning, hes flailing. Three more weeks. We have another debate to survive, though I cant imagine at this point why either candidate would look forward to the experience. Trump lost the first two encounters, according to every scientific poll, which means he probably will lose the third as well. And Clinton could have a more meaningful policy discussion with an Irish setter. We are a resilient nation. We have survived worse, though perhaps not weirder. Soon we get to tell an unfunny clown what we think of his act. Read more from Eugene Robinsons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A. Regarding Dana Milbanks Oct. 16 Sunday Opinion essay, How we can atone for Trump: There is another sin for which we in the United States share a collective guilt: deliberate neglect of the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing violence in Syria. I had a very emotional response to watching The Diary of Anne Frank this past weekend at Olney Theatre Center. The United States has a long and tragic history of turning a blind eye to many groups in danger of being annihilated, such as Native Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries and European Jews in the 20th century. Because of anti-Semitism and xenophobia, all refugees from Germany and German-held countries were virtually barred from the United States after 1941. Americans did not take to the streets to try to change this policy. Syrians are risking their lives (indeed, many drown in rickety boats) to get to Europe. They wind up in camps in Greece and northern France with barely more than a plastic bag protecting them from the coming winter. But because they are the other Muslim and therefore perceived as potential terrorists, we look the other way. How many children trapped in Aleppo dream of knowing something other than war and fear, as did Anne Frank? We are committing one of the worst sins: deliberate neglect. We are willing to watch these people die rather than to live up to what is written on the Statue of Liberty. Isnt acting on those words paramount to who we are as Americans? Carol Bouville, Gaithersburg How very ironic that Dana Milbank invoked the idea of collective guilt and the associated concept of the scapegoat in this of all election seasons. In modern jurisprudence and ethics, guilt is individual, not collective. The Nazi leaders were tried as individuals, not as a group. The group is no more responsible for the crimes of the individual than the sons are guilty of the sins of the fathers. Collective guilt has been used to stigmatize and persecute vulnerable groups throughout history. Christians, notoriously, used it to justify anti-Semitism. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is assigning collective guilt to Mexicans (for the deeds of individual criminals) and to Muslims (for the deeds of individual terrorists). Collective guilt and scapegoating are part of the problem, not part of any solution. Like the stoning of adulterers and the burning of witches, they have no place in the 21st century. Adam Fairclough, Washington Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, represents Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate. Cratering in the polls, besieged by sexual assault allegations and drowning in his own disgusting rhetoric, Donald Trump has been reduced to hollering that Novembers election is rigged against him. His proof? It looks like hes going to lose. Senior Republican leaders are scrambling to distance themselves from this dangerous claim. But Trumps argument didnt spring from nowhere. Its just one more symptom of a long-running effort by Republicans to delegitimize Democratic voters, appointees and leaders. For years, this disease has infected our politics. It cannot be cured until Republican leaders rethink their approach to modern politics. Anyone with children knows that whining about imaginary cheating is the last refuge of the sore loser. But GOP leaders have served up such a steady diet of stories about imaginary cheating that an Economist-YouGov poll shows that 45 percent of Republican voters believe voter fraud is a very serious problem, and 46 percent have little or no confidence that ballots will be counted accurately. They hold these views even though there is literally no evidence none, zero, zip that widespread voter fraud is a factor in modern American elections. A recent study looked at around a billion ballots cast in the United States from 2000 through 2014 and found only 31 instances of impersonation fraud at the polls. Republican leaders and even Trumps running mate have tried to tiptoe out of the room when Trump makes ever-wilder claims of a rigged election. But as much as these Republicans would like everyone to believe that this is a Trump-only problem, its not. For years, Republican leaders have pushed the lie that voter fraud is a huge issue. In such states as Kansas and North Carolina , and across the airwaves of right-wing talk radio and Fox News, Republican voters have been fed exaggerated and imagined stories about fraud. Interestingly, all that fraud seems to plague only urban neighborhoods, minority communities, college campuses and other places where large numbers of people might vote for Democrats. The purpose of this manufactured hysteria is obvious: to delegitimize Democratic voters and justify Republican efforts to suppress their votes. [Trump supporters are talking about civil war. Could a loss provide the spark?] The voting-fraud lie has been used to justify the passage of dozens of voter ID laws, typically rammed through state legislatures by Republican partisans. A study by political scientists at the University of California at San Diego recently concluded that strict photo-identification requirements disproportionately suppress turnout by Democratic voters especially blacks and Latinos. Meanwhile, after a key provision in the Voting Rights Act protecting minority voters from discrimination was unceremoniously declared defective by a right-wing majority on the Supreme Court in 2013, those same Republican leaders who seem so concerned about threats to the integrity of our elections have largely remained on the sidelines. Trump also didnt invent ominous appeals for partisans to patrol certain areas and go and watch these polling places where citizens often vote for Democrats. More than three decades ago, the Republican National Committee was caught orchestrating expansive efforts to intimidate individuals at polling places in minority neighborhoods. Federal courts have barred the RNC from engaging in poll-watching activities relating to ballot integrity, ballot security or other efforts to prevent or remedy vote fraud in minority areas ever since. Its not just voters, either. Trumps effort to delegitimize federal officials and political opponents also shares a long-standing Republican pedigree. After Trump was sued for fraud over Trump University, he attacked the legitimacy of the federal judge with Mexican heritage presiding over the case, claiming that Trumps own bigotry undermined the judges neutrality. Paul Ryan tsk-tsked, but Trump was simply joining a long line of Republicans in Congress who have spent years assaulting the federal courts. For years, the Republicans have blocked scores of nonpolitical lower-court nominees who havent pledged their allegiance to the financial interests of the rich and powerful. These attacks culminated in a national campaign of slime against the presidents highly respected choice to fill a vacant Supreme Court seat. Its no surprise Trump would conclude that federal judges are fair game. 1 of 60 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail View Photos The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November. Caption The GOP presidential nominee is pressing his case ahead of Election Day. Nov. 7, 2016 Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. [Trump is rigging the election: No matter who wins, America loses] Similarly, some Republicans pretended to be shocked when Trump asserted that he would follow two-bit tyrants such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Irans Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and imprison his political rival after the election. But for years, congressional Republicans have focused most of their resources on finding some way to brand Hillary Clinton a criminal. A party that wastes millions of taxpayer dollars on eight separate Benghazi investigations and shouts itself hoarse attacking an FBI director who served as a senior political appointee in a Republican administration when he concludes that no reasonable prosecutor would bring charges against Clinton over her emails shouldnt feign astonishment when its presidential nominee echoes their efforts to criminalize American politics. Democrats and Republicans disagree about a lot of issues. We both fight hard to win elections. But winning isnt everything. Al Gore understood that when he stood down after the 2000 election. Now Republican leaders seem increasingly concerned that when Trump loses, he wont follow that example. But Trumps words and deeds are merely the latest and loudest examples in a long line of Republican tactics that are poisoning our political system. IT IS profoundly depressing to watch Americans of honor and goodwill surrender to toxic partisanship and become part of the problem. Listen, for Exhibit A, to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday. I promise you that we will be united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton, if she were president, would put up, Mr. McCain said on a Philadelphia radio show. I promise you, he repeated. Before the past year, the notion that presidents deserve a measure of deference in selecting Supreme Court nominees was among the nations essential political norms. Then, Senate Republicans ignored President Obamas nomination of Merrick Garland, among the best Supreme Court picks of the past half-century, supposedly on the principle that the next president should get to fill the Supreme Courts open seat. Now Mr. McCain is suggesting that that justification was simply pretext for a partisan blockade that he would like to continue. Rachael Dean, Mr. McCains communications director, attempted to soften the senators statement later Monday, writing in an email that Mr. McCain will, of course, thoroughly examine the record of any Supreme Court nominee put before the Senate and vote for or against that individual based on their qualifications as he has done throughout his career. But Ms. Dean also wrote that you can only judge people by their record and Hillary Clinton has a clear record of supporting liberal judicial nominees, implying once again that no Clinton nominee would be acceptable. Ms. Dean did not respond when we asked what Mr. McCain would do if Ms. Clinton renominated Mr. Garland. Even if Ms. Clinton tapped someone considered more liberal than Mr. Garland, that nominee would deserve a fair hearing. Senators should accept presidential nominees unless they are either truly unqualified or true ideological extremists. The functioning of government depends on speedy and open-minded judicial confirmations. In the past, Mr. McCain, who ran for president in 2008 and recognizes the importance of a sound appointment process, was a voice of restraint on these matters. Now he recklessly encourages Republican voters to expect that GOP senators will refuse any Democratic Supreme Court nominee. This is a dangerous road. If the Republicans keep the Senate majority next month, acting on such an expectation will establish the precedent that the judicial branch can be staffed only when the president and the Senate are of the same party. If the Democrats take control, GOP intransigence could lead them to quash the filibuster on Supreme Court nominees, which would further politicize the judiciary and poison the process. Like many Republicans, Mr. McCain hit a professional low when he endorsed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump this year, an endorsement he retracted only after seeing a video of Mr. Trump boasting about sexually assaulting women. His vow to further politicize the judicial nomination process is another sad marker. WHAT HAS allowed the United States to last for so long as a democracy, when so many other countries have failed? There are many factors, but none is more fundamental than this: When we hold elections, the losing party acknowledges the legitimacy of the winner, and the winner allows the loser to survive to fight another day. Now, for the first time in modern history, a major-party candidate rejects both sides of that equation. If he loses, Donald Trump says, it will be due to cheating that makes the result illegitimate. If he wins, he will imprison his defeated opponent. Many Americans may not have given much thought to what a breathtaking departure this represents, because until now we have had the luxury of never having to think about such things. We have been able to take for granted the quadrennial peaceful transition of power. We watch from a distance when political parties in one foreign country or another take up arms after losing an election. We look, as at something that could never happen here, when a foreign leader sends an opponent to jail or into exile. This can happen in Zimbabwe, we think, or Russia, or Cambodia, but not here. Not in the United States. The Republican nominee is saying that he will make it happen here. He tells Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, that if he were president, youd be in jail. He nods approvingly and chimes in when his crowds chant, Lock her up. He warns that a vast if fuzzily defined conspiracy of global bankers, media companies and election officials is gearing up to steal the election. The election is rigged, he says. Its rigged like you have never seen before. Theyre rigging the system. We have endorsed Ms. Clinton for president, contending that she is well qualified, well prepared and likely to do a good job. But to voters who disagree who have never voted for a Democrat, say, or who question our assessment of her qualifications we would argue that Mr. Trumps challenge to the very core of our democracy nonetheless provides strong reason to vote for her. At a campaign rally in Portsmouth, N.H., on Oct 15, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said the election was being rigged by "corrupt media" and added that the media is pushing "false allegations" and "lies" regarding sex assault claims against him. (The Washington Post) You may disagree with Ms. Clinton about Obamacare, Russia policy or Planned Parenthood. She may, as president, take actions that deeply upset you. But you can be certain that if Republicans take issue with her, she will not order them jailed. With Mr. Trump, if the candidate himself is to be believed, there is no such certainty. A voters first obligation should be to preserve the republic which has been, for so long, the envy of the world. At a campaign rally in Portsmouth, N.H., on Oct 15, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said the election was being rigged by "corrupt media" and added that the media is pushing "false allegations" and "lies" regarding sex assault claims against him. (The Washington Post) At a campaign rally in Portsmouth, N.H., on Oct 15, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said the election was being rigged by "corrupt media" and added that the media is pushing "false allegations" and "lies" regarding sex assault claims against him. (The Washington Post) Given even the lowest expectations, Donald Trump still has the capacity to surprise. In recent days, Trump has sneered at the looks of a woman who accuses him of sexual assault, denigrated the appearance of Hillary Clinton, proposed to drug-test his opponent, used his campaign to promote what appears to be a Russian covert operation, asserted that Clinton has held secret meetings with international bankers to plot the destruction of U.S. sovereignty, attacked Saturday Night Live, promised to jail his opponent and contended that the whole election is being rigged. Which means that Trump is sickeningly cruel, boorish, bonkers, subversive, conspiratorial, obsessive, authoritarian and reckless with the reputation of American democracy. [When the facts dont matter, how can democracy survive?] This is quite a closing argument for a presidential candidate. I imagine it did not emerge from focus groups. So what does all of this mean? Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump believes there's a global conspiracy to stop him from becoming president but it's not the first time he's pushed unfounded theories. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) (1) It means that the Republican nominee for president is frighteningly unstable under pressure. He is easily baited, highly sensitive to slights, prone to using faulty information from the Internet, hyperbolic and vengeful. Now imagine those characteristics during a confrontation with China in the South China Sea. (2) It is an indication of the quality of his closest, non-family advisers. Stephen Bannon and Rudy Giuliani are not attempting to keep Trump in check. They are feeding his manias. Trump is completely unmoored from restraining influences, and would be as president. (3) Trumps closing case is a version, not of movement conservatism or tea party conservatism, but of crackpot conservatism an alt-right rage against a vast, scheming establishment that includes the liberal media, global financiers and a growing list of women making accusations of sexual assault. All this was previewed during Trumps political rise, which included birtherism, vaccine denialism and insinuations of foul play in the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. GOP leaders can hardly pretend to be surprised by this bent given that Trump accused Clinton in May of possible complicity in the death of Vince Foster. (4) It is a further indication (as if we needed it) that Trump has no commitment to the American political system. He is perfectly willing to delegitimize democratic institutions as a campaign tactic, squandering a civic inheritance he does not value. Even before his current troubles, he said that an electoral loss would be prima facie evidence of fraud and encouraged supporters to monitor majority-black polling stations in Pennsylvania. Now he is entering uncharted territory. By preemptively questioning the legitimacy of his forthcoming shellacking, Trump is stepping outside the four corners of the constitutional order, on the model of autocratic strongmen he has publicly admired. [The Trump Demogorgon devours Paul Ryan] (5) Trumps descent into ideological psychosis is tainting the reputation of all who were foolish enough to associate with him. Consider vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence. Interviewed recently on Face the Nation, he defended the Republican nominees verbal assault Trump has called them sick, horrible and phony on women who accuse Trump of sexual assault. This reaction is justified, Pence said, because of Clintons deplorables comment. Here is one of the chief promoters of Christian morality in politics employing the ethical reasoning of 9-year-olds in the schoolyard. Someday Pence (and others) will look back on their shattered standards and ask: For this cause? For this man? (6) Trumps final appeal is also corrupting a portion of the public and crossing moral lines that wont be easily uncrossed. There are certain qualities of heart and mind that allow for self-government civility, tolerance and mutual respect. In his rage and ruthlessness, Trump is inviting Americans to drink from a poisoned well. One problem is the risk of physical violence the possible influence of unhinged rhetoric on an unbalanced mind. The broader result is radical polarization in which citizens question the legitimacy of elections and view some fellow citizens as enemies. 1 of 60 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail View Photos The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November. Caption The GOP presidential nominee is pressing his case ahead of Election Day. Nov. 7, 2016 Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. (7) Practically, Trumps downward spiral means that House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus will need to repudiate the nominee before the end after they have shed the last of their credibility. The political argument against repudiation is admittedly strong. It could ignite a self-destructive civil war within the GOP just before an election. But history generally does not remember good political arguments. It remembers acts of conscience in the face of them. It is time, and past time, for Republican leaders to do the right thing. Trumps crackup complicates American political life in a variety of ways but simplifies one point: This man is temperamentally, ideologically and morally unfit to be president of the United States. Read more from Michael Gersons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook . As the grotesquerie masquerading as a presidential campaign slouches toward its end, a final spectacle a debate is slated for Wednesday. It is hard to imagine a worse circumstance. Trump, more at ease with insults than ideas, is in the midst of a mortifying public self-immolation. The Clinton campaign has heated itself into a faux Cold War lather over WikiLeaks release of hacked campaign emails. And as a final measure, the moderator, Chris Wallace, is supplied by Fox News, a virtual guarantee that the scandalous will supplant the substantial. It is probably a fools errand to suggest that Wallace explore real issues rather than raking the muck over again. But opinions have already hardened on everything from Clintons damned emails to Trumps predation. Rather than ask Trump about his libido or Clinton about the deplorables, why not pose fundamental questions that have received far too little attention in this campaign? Wallace has already released a list of topics for the debate: debt and entitlements, immigration, economy, Supreme Court, foreign hot spots and fitness to be president. Of course, previous debate moderators also released seemingly substantive lists of topics, to no avail. That said, though weve already heard a lot about immigration (Build the wall), the Supreme Court and fitness for the presidency, some of these could be used to frame real concerns. For example, foreign hot spots might start with the hottest spot of all: the Earth. Bizarrely, we are headed into the last debate without a single question on climate change, and there were no questions on the topic in the 2012 debates either. Last year was the hottest year on record; this year is worse. The Pentagon considers climate change a clear and present danger that will destabilize far more countries than al-Qaeda and its offshoots will. The two candidates have totally contrasting positions that voters should hear. The Democratic platform calls for a World War II style mobilization against climate change a phrase often used by Clintons primary opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.). Is Clinton ready to lead that charge, and if so, what will it entail? Trump says climate change is a hoax and calls for unleashing oil and coal production. What would he do about global warming: ignore it, deny it or choose to act? On the economy, Wallace could probe the issue where the two candidates stand united against the bipartisan elite consensus of the past decades. Both oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership that President Obama and Republican leaders in Congress support. Both say it is a bad deal. Both say our trade policies havent worked for working people. So ask, Would you urge the Congress to vote down the TPP? How would you change trade strategies going forward? Finally, it would be a true disservice to the country if the debate doesnt center on the growing fears that the United States is careening into a reckless face-off with Russia and lurching deeper into war in the Middle East. So ask Clinton: The Obama administration has broken off discussions with Russia about Syria, saying there is nothing more for the United States and Russia to talk about. Secretary of State John F. Kerry has called for a war-crimes investigation of Russia and Syria. Vice President Biden boasts that the United States will send a message at the time of our choosing to Vladimir Putin to retaliate for the alleged Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and your campaign emails. The Russian Ministry of Defense warned Washington against carrying out airstrikes aimed at Syrian forces. Yet you have called for establishing a no-fly zone and enforcing safe zones in Syria, which you admit will entail severe Syrian civilian casualties and could risk war with Russia. Are you willing to take that risk? Do you think we should ramp up or cool down tensions with Russia? Do you agree that there is nothing to talk about, or should we listen to allies who are pleading with us to talk with the Russians? Ask Trump: In the last debate, you criticized the Obama administration for not being serious about the Islamic State. You argued that the United States should cooperate with Russia, Iran and the Syrian government to take out the Islamic State. How is that a more effective approach to fighting the terrorist group? We need a debate worthy of the challenges we face as a nation. Trump prefers tweeting on the weight of Miss Universe or the guilt or innocence of the Central Park Five. The Clinton campaign wants to turn the hacking of documents that ended up in the hands of WikiLeaks into the next Watergate. But the next president will have to deal with real crises, not campaign detritus. After 14 years of war, the United States seems to be getting drawn in even deeper into endless conflicts. It may be impossible to have a policy discussion amid all the spitballs, but surely it is worth a try. Read more from Katrina vanden Heuvels archive or follow her on Twitter. Kahlida Lloyd can explain her reasons for voting for Hillary Clinton, even if she is not especially excited about them. But she has a hard time making the case to obstinate friends why they should support the Democratic presidential nominee. Lloyd, 31, a lawyer, sought advice from other black millennials during a recent lunchtime gathering in downtown Washington. What should she say to encourage young black voters, who rallied in 2008 and 2012 to help Barack Obama make history as the first African American president, to show a little of that enthusiasm for Clinton? I just dont want the first woman president to be elected because the other person sucks, but thats where I think we are, Lloyd said in an interview after the event last week hosted by #WeVote, a new effort aimed at mobilizing young black voters. People either say, Donald Trump is not where its at, so Im going to vote for Hillary. Or you have people say, Donald Trump is not where its at; Im not going to vote at all. And thats not cool. Younger African Americans, like many millennials, are not excited about this years presidential election. The Clinton campaign, which has sought to reassemble the Obama coalition, has struggled to connect with a key piece of it: voters under 30. Turnout among African Americans under age 30 spiked from 49 percent in 2004 to 57 percent in 2008, but it dipped to 53 percent in 2012, according to Census Bureau data. While 43 percent of Obama supporters under age 40 were very enthusiastic about him in 2012, just 24 percent of Clinton supporters under age 40 feel the same way about her now, according to September averages of Washington Post-ABC News polls from four years ago and this year. At an Oct. 13 Hillary Clinton campaign event, first lady Michelle Obama grew emotional while talking about allegations of sexual assault against Republican nominee Donald Trump. Black women in particular praised the first lady for speaking out about sexual harassment. (Youtube/Hillary Clinton) Black activists and organizers, frustrated with the Clinton campaigns inability to engage young voters, have taken it upon themselves to challenge their peers to consider the consequences if Republicans take the White House and keep control of both houses of Congress. They also have encouraged young voters to focus on state and local elections, because those officials make decisions about how police departments and schools are run, issues that more directly affect their lives. [For Black and Engaged millennial activists, politics is local] Voting rights were an important victory of the civil rights era, and because Trumps campaign has laid bare racist attitudes, the seeming indifference of black millennials to the election has sparked broad discussion within the African American community. But young people who say that the political system has failed them argue that they dont owe it to anyone not even the often-cited warriors of the civil rights movement to participate in the presidential election. Many are critical of some black political leaders for framing the election as a choice between an archenemy and an old friend rather than talking about the issues, such as what they view as broken economic and criminal justice systems. We know what the issues are. What we cant seem to get is candidates to talk about them in a nuanced way, said Lauren Brown, 34, a public relations professional who said she has not been moved by Clintons talking points on addressing police violence against black people or economic equity for women of color. This election cycle is more about who you hate more than who you like. Brown decided to vote for Clinton after taking part in a discussion during an event, hosted last month in Philadelphia by a civic project called Black and Engaged, about the stakes in the campaign. Trumps debate performances also helped sway her. Carmen Berkley, director of civil, human and womens rights for the AFL-CIO, said many black millennials have to stop waiting to have that same level of excitement they felt for Obamas campaign. If I had my choice of who would be the president, it probably would be Michelle Obama, but shes not running for president. Hillary Clinton is. But the first lady and the president could be effective surrogates to persuade young black people to put aside their doubts about voting for Clinton. Although Michelle Obamas well-regarded speech taking on Trumps vulgar comments about women was made before a largely white audience in New Hampshire, it was widely shared and discussed on social media, and black women in particular praised the first lady for speaking out about sexual harassment. [Black women are most worried about the outcome of the 2016 election, poll finds] Denise Horn, a spokeswoman for the campaign, said the Obamas are among several surrogates, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), who are popular among millennial voters and will continue to make the case for Clinton. Berkley, 31, said some black millennials are being overly critical of Clinton, for instance, by continuing to criticize her for supporting her husbands 1994 crime bill and using the term super predator to describe some young offenders. They dont give her credit for having apologized, or for pledging to work to achieve criminal justice reform. Here, you have a candidate who says, I messed up, and Im willing to change. Berkley said. I think that is powerful. We have as activists, organizers and everyday people the power to bring pressure on political leaders to get what we want. Symone D. Sanders, 26, a top aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders during his Democratic primary campaign, co-founded #WeVote along with three other millennial activists to urge their peers to register and vote. Lloyd was among about 145 people who attended the Washington event. Similar gatherings are planned around the country. Other efforts to engage millennial activists include BlackPAC, which got funding from the pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA to do outreach in Florida, and the Color Of Change PAC, which got money from the progressive For Our Future super PAC to court voters in battleground states via text message. I think its extremely important that the message we take from this room, when were going out into our individual networks, is that this is not the election to sit on the sidelines, Sanders said during last weeks discussion. There are so many things, as President Obama has said, that are on the ballot: Our progress as a country is on the ballot, criminal justice reform and the future of criminal justice reform in this country is on the ballot, our economy and who will be able to get a job is on the ballot. So if those are the things you care about, that is why we have to go to the polls. But Lloyd told Sanders and members of the panel that she had been having trouble convincing others that they should vote for Clinton. After the first African American president of the United States of America, we cannot afford not to vote, said panelist Mary-Pat Hector, national youth director for the National Action Network and a student at Spelman College in Atlanta. We cannot risk [Supreme Court] justices that are going to push us back. All of the things that weve worked so hard for, not only as African Americans, but as women, can be gone tomorrow. We cannot allow someone who does not care about us win. So if that means voting for Hillary Clinton, then so be it. DeRay Mckesson, a prominent leader in the Black Lives Matter movement also on the panel, said the campaign has not offered a compelling, affirmative reason to vote for Clinton, nor a credible surrogate who can speak to young black voters in the way that Atlanta rapper Killer Mike represented Sanders. I dont know who is out there like that for Hillary. Trump drives us all nuts, but we know Trump wants to build a wall, Mckesson said. Im an insider in the criminal justice space, and sometimes Im, like, What is it Hillarys going to do? That is a problem. [Republican Party beefs up staff to woo African American voters] Clinton campaign aides say she has not only talked about issues affecting communities of color but has offered detailed proposals to address such concerns as criminal justice, income inequality and infrastructure in neglected neighborhoods. Addisu Demissie, director of national voter outreach, said the campaign has been doing extensive outreach to black voters including millennials in their communities, and in recent weeks African American celebrities and athletes have been more active on the trail. Over the weekend, hip-hop artist Pusha T joined fellow Virginian and Clinton running mate Tim Kaine for a campaign event in Liberty City, a predominantly black, low-income community in Miami. Maya Harris, senior policy adviser, said Clintons economic agenda touches on various issues that are related to wealth and income inequality, specifically addressing the African American community. Does that mean there are not more policies that we could or should pursue if she is fortunate enough to be elected president? Of course not, she said. But is her policy agenda one that recognizes the specific circumstances and challenges and lack of opportunities in the African American community, not only recognizes it, but puts forth solutions to begin to address those issues and create opportunities? Absolutely. Lloyd, who said she gave money and volunteered for Obamas campaigns, had not been active for Clinton. The #WeVote discussion inspired her to sign up for a text-a-thon. She sent messages to more than 500 mostly black voters in Pennsylvania. I definitely think that event ignited something in me, made me want to take advantage of opportunities to share with others, she said. Emily Guskin contributed to this report. Hillary Clinton holds a decisive advantage over Donald Trump in the competition for votes in the electoral college, leading in enough states to put her comfortably over the 270 majority needed to win the presidential election in November, according to a new SurveyMonkey poll of 15 battleground states conducted with The Washington Post. Based on the results from the 15 state surveys, along with assumptions of the likely outcomes in other states that have consistently voted for one party or the other, Clinton, the Democratic nominee, holds leads of four percentage points or more among likely voters in states that add up to 304 electoral votes. Trump, the GOP nominee, has the advantage in states with an estimated electoral vote total of 138. Arizona, Florida, Ohio and Texas, which account for 96 electoral votes, remain as toss-ups. All results in the 15 state surveys are based on ballot tests that include Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein. The results underscore the importance for Trump of Wednesdays final presidential debate, in Las Vegas. National polls have moved in Clintons direction since the exchanges began in late September. Her current average margin is seven points in polling averages from the Huffington Post Pollster and RealClearPolitics. The most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll put her national lead over Trump at four points. The effect of the shift toward Clinton in national polls is evident in the new 15-state study. In late August, The Post, using SurveyMonkeys online methodology, conducted individual polls in all 50 states among registered voters. At that time, Clinton led in states that added up to 244 electoral votes, while Trump led in states accounting for 126. Toss-up states equaled 168 electoral votes. [Clinton holds four-point lead in aftermath of Trump tape] The SurveyMonkey surveys also included polls of Senate and gubernatorial races, where applicable, in the same 15 states. The results show two things. First, many Republican Senate candidates are outperforming Trump in their states. Second, that still may not be enough to maintain the GOPs majority in the chamber. Democrats need a net gain of five seats to take outright control of the Senate, four to exercise control if Clinton becomes president. The results showed Democrats with leads of four or more points in three states with GOP incumbents: New Hampshire, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Republican incumbents lead in Florida and Ohio, in the latter by a wide margin. Meanwhile, races in Nevada, for a seat currently held by Democrats, and Pennsylvania, for a seat now in Republican hands, continue to be close. Pennsylvania is emblematic of the problem for GOP Senate incumbents trying to survive in states where Trump is struggling. Clinton leads Trump by six points in Pennsylvania, but the Senate race is even at 47 percent apiece for Republican incumbent Patrick J. Toomey and Democrat Katie McGinty. Illinois was not included in the survey, but based on other polls, its contested Senate seat appears to be one of the likeliest to shift from Republican to Democrat in November. Republicans also are defending seats in Indiana and Missouri, both of which now have highly competitive races but neither of which was included in the 15-state survey. The 2016 campaign has produced apparent shifts in several states battlegrounds and non-battlegrounds that could foreshadow more permanent changes in future elections. Demographic trends have moved several swing states more strongly in the direction of the Democrats Colorado and Virginia are prime examples. [A 50-state poll shows exactly why Clinton holds the advantage over Trump] States such as Arizona, Georgia and possibly Texas show predicted signs of shifting from traditional GOP strongholds to potential future battlegrounds. The demographic changes would put Republicans at an even greater disadvantage in the future if they cannot find a way to appeal to a changing electorate. At the same time, the electoral map looks somewhat different from past campaigns, owing to the uniqueness of Trumps candidacy the coalition he has attracted and the voters who are repelled by his message and temperament. His relative strength in states with high percentages of non-college graduates and of white voters, such as Iowa and Ohio, is an example of the former. Utah, which has been scrambled this year by Trumps candidacy, is an example of the latter. Utah was not included in the SurveyMonkey analysis. But recent public polls suggest that this traditionally rock-solid Republican state is now a competitive battleground. Trump can hardly afford to lose the states six electoral votes, given his current disadvantage. Overall, the results of the 15-state survey underscore Clintons wider margin for error in the state-by-state competition over the final three weeks of the campaign, as well as the increasingly tortuous path for Trump to cobble together an electoral-college majority. Clinton has many paths to 270; Trump has few. This has been the case for some time, based on all available evidence from state and national polls. Trump now needs a clear shift nationally and then a strategy for converting that into state-by-state victories. Among the states that have moved in Clintons direction since the previous 50-state survey are Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Of those, the results in Georgia differ from the current average of all recent polls in that state. The Huffpost Pollster average in Georgia gives a Trump a four-point lead, while the SurveyMonkey poll puts Clinton ahead by four points. Texas is another state that, by historical results, should end up in Trumps column. The SurveyMonkey results show the state splitting 44 percent for Trump to 42 percent for Clinton. The average of other public polls shows Trump with a larger, although single-digit, lead there. But with virtually the entire Bush family on the sidelines and with an endorsement of Clinton by the Dallas Morning News, Texas has proved to be a more competitive battleground than anyone expected. The SurveyMonkey results also put Clinton in a stronger position in New Hampshire and North Carolina than other public surveys. Public polls in North Carolina show her with a low single-digit advantage. In New Hampshire, public polls show her ahead but not by the 11-point margin in these findings. None of that negates the obstacles for Trump. If he were to win all the toss-up states, plus hold on to Georgia, which has consistently voted for Republican presidential candidates since 1996, he would still be 20 electoral votes short of the 270 needed to win. Were he to eke out an additional victory in North Carolina, which has 15 electoral votes, that still would not be enough. Trumps campaign has claimed for a long time that, because of his support among white, blue-collar voters, he would be able to make inroads in traditional Democratic territory such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The new findings underscore the degree to which he is falling short in those Midwestern battlegrounds. He trails Clinton in Michigan 45 percent to 37 percent, in Pennsylvania 46 percent to 40 percent and in Wisconsin 43 percent to 38 percent. [Voters with daughters are much more likely to support Clinton] Two states remain among Trumps best among the battlegrounds. He leads Clinton by five points in Iowa and by four points in Nevada, a state where other polls have shown Clinton with a slight edge. In Ohio, the results are Trump at 44 percent and Clinton at 41 percent. But traditionally Republican Arizona is equally close, with Trump at 44 percent and Clinton with 41 percent. In state after state, Trump appears to have a relatively low ceiling to his support. Of the 15 measured, he garners 45 percent in two states and at or below 40 percent in eight. Clintons lowest is 40 percent in Iowa and Nevada, but she is at 45 percent or more in six states, topping out at 49 percent in Virginia. The demographic contours of support for Clinton and Trump show some variance from state to state, but there are consistent patterns, beginning with gender differences. Among women, Clinton leads Trump by four points or more in 14 of the 15 states surveyed. Averaging across all 15 states, her lead over Trump among women is 49 percent to 35 percent. Among men, Trump leads by four points or more in 12 of the 15 states and by 10 points (47 percent to 37 percent) on average across all 15 states. Trump has comfortable leads among white men in all states except New Hampshire, where he and Clinton are tied. Clinton leads by four points or more among white women in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump leads among white women in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. The two are running nearly even among white women in Nevada, Ohio and Virginia. Racial divisions are stark. In Georgia, Trump leads among whites by more than 30 points. Among nonwhites, Clinton leads by just over 70 points. In Michigan and Pennsylvania, whites split almost evenly while nonwhites back Clinton overwhelmingly. In Virginia, Clintons lead of more than 50 points among nonwhites easily overcomes Trumps five-point advantage among white voters. Educational achievement remains a clear dividing line and one of the potential mold-breakers of this campaign. Republicans have generally won the votes of whites with college degrees and those without. This fall, among white voters without college degrees, Trump leads by four points or more in 14 of the 15 states surveyed, most by sizable margins. Clinton, however, leads among whites with college degrees in 12 of the 15 states. Trump leads narrowly among white college graduates in Georgia, and the two are running about even in Florida and Texas. In Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, Clinton leads Trump by double digits among white voters with college degrees, helping offset losses among those without degrees. In these battlegrounds, Clinton holds a higher percentage of Democrats than Trump holds among Republicans. Averaging across the 15 states, she wins 92 percent of self-identified Democrats while Trump has support from 85 percent of Republicans. Trump leads among independents by six points (38 percent to 32 percent), while Johnson, the libertarian, averages 20 percent among independents. The SurveyMonkey poll was conducted online Oct. 8 to 16 among 17,379 likely voters across 15 states, with between 569 and 1,702 respondents in each state. No margin of sampling error is calculated, as this statistic is applicable only to randomly sampled surveys. Emily Guskin contributed to this report. In her first interviews since her husband's lewd comments on a 2005 "Access Hollywood" bus were made public, Melania Trump told CNN and Fox News that the "left-wing media" is responsible for the tape's release. She defended his character and said he apologized to her. (The Washington Post) In her first interviews since her husband's lewd comments on a 2005 "Access Hollywood" bus were made public, Melania Trump told CNN and Fox News that the "left-wing media" is responsible for the tape's release. She defended his character and said he apologized to her. (The Washington Post) The last time the country heard from Melania Trump, she was discovered to have been channeling Michelle Obama, in a political convention speech that turned into a plagiarism controversy. On Monday night, the glamorous, reclusive wife of the Republican presidential nominee went before a national television audience again but this time her role model appeared to be Hillary Clinton. Melania Trump did not actually utter the words vast left-wing conspiracy, of course. But her argument echoed one that the then-first-lady used in the days after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke. Donald Trump, his wife told CNNs Anderson Cooper, was not the perpetrator but the victim of a television personality determined to egg on his guest to say dirty and bad stuff, of the left-wing media, and of a smear all organized from the opposition. Until now, Melania Trump has declined to fulfill the mundane tasks of political wives, saying her duties to her young son are more important than the demand that a spouse go along for the ride to humanize a candidate. In this video from 2005, Donald Trump prepares for an appearance on "Days of Our Lives" with actress Arianne Zucker. He is accompanied to the set by "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush. The Post has edited this video for length. (Obtained by The Washington Post) It was my decision not to be on the campaign trail, the Slovenian native insisted in English so heavily accented that CNN posted subtitles on some versions of the interview. I dont listen [to] anybody about what to do, what to say, when to say it, when to do interviews. If it would be, for example, for my husband or the campaign, they will have me on the trail all the time. Now, however, Melania Trump has found herself in a time-honored duty for a political wife when a sex scandal hits cleanup. It falls to her because no one else can do it. Sometimes, they perform the role mutely, standing dolefully at a husbands side as he confesses and promises never to do anything like that again. I forgive him, the wifes presence is supposed to say, so you should, too. Melania Trump made that declaration herself. Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate, she told Fox and Friends host Ainsley Earhardt in a second interview, which aired Tuesday morning. And he apologized to me. I accept his apology, and we are moving on. [Melania Trump blames media for husbands woes] But the more serious charge is that Donald Trump actually engaged in the kind of sexual assault that he boasted about on the now-infamous leaked audio from 2005. 1 of 10 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Life with Donald: Melania Trump View Photos The billionaire real estate mogul is often out and about with his wife by his side. Caption The billionaire real estate mogul is often out and about with his wife by his side. March 24, 2015 Real estate mogul and billionaire Donald Trump, and his wife, Melania Trump, attend golf legend Jack Nicklaus's Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue. Though at least nine women have now come forward to say that they have been the victims of precisely that kind of behavior, his wife says his word is enough for her. It is the tack that Lee Hart took, when her husband, Gary, the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic nomination, was discovered to have been on a yacht named Monkey Business with a woman who was not her: When Gary says nothing happened, nothing happened. I believe my husband. I believe my husband, Melania Trump said. This was all organized from the opposition and with the details that they go did they ever did they ever check the background of these women? They dont have any facts. She added that, when she heard the language her husband used on the video, I was surprised because that is not the man I know. [The growing list of women who have accused Trump of touching them inappropriately] If it is true that she had not seen that side of Donald Trump, it reveals only that she has never tuned into his many interviews on Howard Sterns radio show. The timing of her interviews with Cooper and Fox News was inexplicable, given that it adds a few more news cycles to a story that had begun to die down and comes at a moment when his campaign strategists are desperate to change the subject. The New York Times has reported that Melania Trump had resisted entreaties by his aides and his children to do a joint interview with her husband shortly after the Access Hollywood tape became public, in hopes that it would put the campaign back on track, as the Clintons had by sitting down with 60 Minutes when allegations of infidelity threatened to derail Bill Clintons 1992 bid for the White House. Instead, Melania Trump issued a written statement. And when the allegations of sexual assault began, her response was to threaten a lawsuit against a former People magazine reporter not over the central allegation that Donald Trump had pinned her against a wall and kissed her, but over a peripheral point in the first-person account. She wrote in the same story about me that she saw me on Fifth Avenue, and I said to her, Natasha, how come we dont see you anymore? I was never friends with her. I would not recognize her, Melania Trump told Cooper. Thats why I sent them the letter, because it discredited the story. On Tuesday, however, People posted a story in which it quoted six friends and co-workers of writer Natasha Stoynoff corroborating her story. One of them, her college friend Lisa Herz, said she was present at the chance encounter, and that Stoynoff and Trump had chatted in a friendly way. Even as she defends her husband, Melania Trump is willing to go only so far. In a moment where the script would appear to call for her to share a little more about the man I know, she offered no personal glimpses of their lives. There was nothing more revealing than what one might hear in a campaign ad outside, perhaps, her observation that she feels like she is living with two boys, not one. As I always said, as my husband said as well, for a successful businessman, entrepreneur, entertainer . . . achieving so much in his life, being in so many shows, so many tapes, its very hard to run for public office, Melania Trump said on Fox. And he did this anyway, she added. He said, I want to help American people. I want to keep America safe. I want to bring back jobs, bring back economy, so our children, our futures will be the best way possible. Strategically odd is how Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a political communication expert at the University of Pennsylvanias Annenberg Public Policy Center, described Melania Trumps appearances. She is certifying the public person who is Donald Trump, Jamieson said. Shes not certifying her personal experience with him as an individual with the kind of stories you would ordinarily expect the defending spouse to be telling. But maybe thats because Melania Trump agrees with Hillary Clinton on another point. In a better world, Clinton wrote in her White House memoir, this sort of conversation between a husband and a wife would be no ones business but their own. Kigeli V Ndahindurwa, a Rwandan king who spent less than two years on the throne and more than a half-century in exile, living in penury as he decried the atrocities visited upon his people and seeking a restoration that never came, died Oct. 16 at a hospital in the Washington area. He was 80. His death was announced by the Rwandan government. Guye Pennington, his private secretary, said the cause was an apparent heart ailment and that for security the kings office was keeping the precise location of his death under wraps. Kigeli the name he took as king had lived for the past 24 years in the United States, where he obtained political asylum. According to a 2013 profile in Washingtonian magazine, he resided in Section 8 housing in Oakton, Va., subsisting on government assistance, proceeds from the bestowal of honorific titles and the generosity of Rwandan refugees and others moved by the plight of a king without a crown. Kigeli descended from the Tutsi dynasty that ruled Rwanda for centuries. He was in his early 20s when he ascended to the throne after the unexplained death of his half-brother Mutara III Rudahigwa in 1959. Shortly after Kigelis coronation, the majority Hutu ethnic group launched an uprising against the ruling Tutsis. By the next year, social unrest had driven Kigeli from the country. In 1961, the Belgians removed him in response to the uprising, said Timothy Longman, director of the African Studies Center at Boston University. The monarchy was abolished, Rwanda became a republic and in 1962, it obtained independence from Belgium. Kigeli in Washingtons Union Station in 1994. (Chris Kleponis/AFP/Getty Images) So began Kigelis years in exile. Deprived of his riches, which consisted mainly of large holdings of land and livestock, Kigeli approximated the duties of a king. In Nairobi, where he lived for many years, he held court on Sundays outside a movie theater. As a symbol he was very important, Longman said, particularly for the tens of thousands of Tutsis who had fled Rwanda during the 1960s. In 1992, Kigeli settled in the United States. He lived first in Takoma Park, Md., before moving to Oakton. Assisting him was his chancellor, Boniface Benzinge, who sold mattresses at Sears, Washingtonian reported, while not serving as the kings aide-de-camp. You will meet the king at the stroke of noon outside the grocery store on Flower Avenue, Benzinge once told a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch who had requested an interview. You will recognize the king: He is 7 feet tall. Other accounts reported his height as 7 feet, 2 inches. Two years after Kigelis arrival in the United States, Rwanda descended into the genocide in which Hutu extremists murdered an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Kigeli sought to draw attention to his countrys suffering and raise money to support Rwandan orphans. My heart, which beats with both Tutsi and Hutu blood, grieves, Kigeli told guests at a Red Cross function that year in Vancouver, according to the Vancouver Sun. Rwanda must go back to the future, he said. Now the time has come to restore what has been good in the past. Two years later, he embarked on a peace tour sponsored by the International Monarchist League, an organization based in Britain that promotes monarchies and monarchical principles. He sought a return to his country, but only, he said, if Rwandans wanted him. I am hoping to go back, he once told USA Today, but I have no desire to impose myself on the people. Rwandan President Paul Kagame reportedly advised Kigeli that he was free to return to the country, but as a private citizen, not as a monarch. Kigeli remained in the United States. He was born Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa, one of numerous children of King Yuhi V Musinga, in Kamembe, Rwanda, on June 29, 1936. He said that he grew up poor in Congo, where Belgians had exiled his father. Kigeli later returned to Rwanda, where he was educated in Catholic schools before serving in the colonial administration. He said that he was utterly unprepared for his selection as king. In the beginning, I was just shocked, he told Washingtonian. I asked: How can this have happened? But then I said, okay, this is my responsibility. I have to be courageous. I cant go back. Ive been given a responsibility. I have to fulfill it. Kigeli did not marry, in deference to a rule that kings take no wives in exile. Pennington declined to provide a complete list of survivors, citing security reasons. An heir has been selected and is expected to be announced in the next week, he said. Among neighbors at his Oakton housing complex, Washingtonian reported, Kigeli was known as the king of Africa. Suh, a 30-year-old woman who fled North Korea in 2008, cradles her 18-month-old daughter Ji-yeon as they make the difficult journey from Laos to Thailand. I fell several times and the baby woke up and started crying, Suh said after they arrived in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. I was so scared but I kept on going, I just kept on going. (Sin Huh ) Sometimes the men just wanted to talk with the North Korean women. Face cam, its called. But most of the time, they wanted the other option: body cam. Watching through a smartphone app, the men would ask the women, some of the unknown thousands of North Koreans sold to Chinese husbands and living secretly in northern China, to show their breasts or their backsides, to touch themselves or perform sex acts on one another. Most of the time, the women did as requested. They needed the money even if it amounted to only a few dollars a day. In the beginning, I didnt think it was going to be a big deal. I thought it would be okay because I wasnt actually sleeping with anyone, said Suh, who, until dreams of escape brought her to this dingy room in Laos, had been one of the legions of North Korean women performing online sex work in back rooms in China. But then I found out how many perverts there are out there. Suh, a 30-year-old who escaped from North Korea in 2008, resorted to doing video chatting after her second child was born and her husbands meager construction earnings wouldnt stretch any further. There are some people who just want to look at your face, but the majority of them are there for their sexual desires, Suh said, putting her head down so her long hair covered her cherubic face. I felt so disgusting. Together with two women from her village in northeastern China who were also doing chatting work, Suh fled over the summer. She made the heart-wrenching decision to leave her 5-year-old daughter with her Chinese husband. The women traveled by bus and car down through China to the border with Laos, which they crossed illegally in the black of night, Suh carrying her 18-month-old daughter, Ji-yeon, on her back. The women made it to Vientiane, the Laotian capital, where a Washington Post reporter spent two days with them as they paused on their journey to what they hoped would be a better life. The women talked for hours about their lives in North Korea and in China but, unlike some defectors who exaggerate their stories to make them more sensational, they appeared to play down their experiences, apparently out of shame. [North Korea claims it has made warheads with higher strike power] Most of their stories could be verified with the pastor and broker who were helping them escape, and it was clear that the women, faced with no other options, had resorted to performing on camera for men. The women had a friend film them at work before they left, so they could prove what they had been doing. The videos showed the women sometimes in brightly colored underwear, sometimes naked sitting against a low bed covered with a purple Hello Kitty quilt in front of two computers on a low table. Men, sometimes visible, sometimes not, gave them instructions. Most of the men they chatted with online were in South Korea, but a few were in America and even Africa. Safely out of China, the other two women, both called Kim, wanted to get to South Korea, but Suh had her heart set on a more ambitious destination: the United States, the strongest country on Earth. I think my daughter is one lucky baby, Suh said, sitting on the bed in a grimy room in Vientiane and looking at Ji-yeon as she slept, snoring lightly. Their few possessions were in plastic shopping bags, save for the clothes drying on coat hangers dangling from the light fittings. The baby had not even one toy. All the suffering is worth it. Our destiny has changed, Suh said. Suh, a 30-year-old woman, carried her 18-month-old daughter Ji-yeon on her back as they illegally crossed the border from Laos into Thailand at night. I think my daughter is one lucky baby. All the suffering is worth it. Our destiny has changed, Suh said after theyd arrived in Vientiane. (Sin Huh) Lives at risk Defections such as that of Thae Yong Ho, North Koreas deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom who fled to South Korea over the summer, make headlines because they are so rare. But less sensationally, a steady if diminishing stream of North Koreans is making their way out, down through China, across to Laos, then into Thailand and eventually to South Korea. Most are women from the northern provinces, considered down-and-out even by North Korean standards, and face an extremely precarious life in northeastern China. Many had been sold some knowingly, thinking life couldnt get any worse. But other women had been tricked into thinking they were heading to jobs in China, only to find that the man who offered to help them escape, paying bribes to border soldiers and arranging passage, turned out to be a trafficker, selling the women and pocketing the profits. The buyers are men in the countryside who are too poor or unappealing to get a wife any other way, and the women are stuck in remote villages where they cannot communicate with the locals if they are permitted to leave the house, that is. Since Kim Jong Un took control of North Korea at the end of 2011, security has been tightened, and it has become increasingly difficult to escape. That has driven up prices. Women ages 15 to 25 are the most prized, fetching between $10,000 and $12,000, brokers and humanitarian workers say, while women in their 30s can be acquired for half that. Increased prices mean that some Chinese families are spending their entire life savings to buy a North Korean woman, and as a result the women are sometimes shackled inside the house. But even if the women are allowed out and even after they learn some Chinese, venturing into the open is a risky business. If theyre caught by the Chinese police, they face repatriation to North Korea and, at a minimum, time in a labor camp. These North Korean women in China faced a dire dilemma, either having to remain hidden and submit to this kind of sexual exploitation, or risk working outside of their residence with the very real possibility that Chinese authorities could arrest them at any time and force them back to North Korea, said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch. The State Departments 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report noted that North Korean women and girls are subjected to sexual slavery by Chinese or Korean-Chinese men, forced prostitution in brothels or through Internet sex sites, or compelled service as hostesses in nightclubs or karaoke bars. The State Department reported that the Chinese government does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Although some women take the risk of working outside the home, shuttling between cleaning and babysitting jobs or working behind the scenes in restaurants, an increasing number feel they have no choice but to try to make money behind closed doors. That is where video chatting comes in. [These North Korean missile launches add up to something very troubling] Online sex work vs. escape About one-fifth of the North Korean women living in hiding in China are involved in this kind of online sex work, said Park, a broker who works to get women out. The Post agreed to withhold Parks full name to avoid jeopardizing this highly sensitive work. The newspaper also agreed to use the womens family names only, partly to protect relatives in North Korea. If youre working in a restaurant or outside, you run the risk of being asked for your papers by the police. So doing this work is safer and the money is better, Park said. In the village where they lived, every North Korean woman does this. Its so normal to be doing this. Some North Korean women in China are forced into this work, essentially held prisoner by pimps. The women The Post met were not forced, as such. But they had few other opportunities. Suh was sold eight years ago to a man in northern China who, she said, treated her well he beat her only a few times. But the arrival of their second child made a tough financial situation untenable. She heard about video chatting through a friend of a friend and began chatting with South Korean men at night when everyone in her house was asleep. On her first day she earned $3. In her best week, she netted $120. A few months ago, Suh decided she couldnt take it. I wondered why I had to do this. Im a human being, the same as everyone else, Suh said, breaking down into heaving sobs. I wanted to be a good mother, a strong mother for my daughters. [After nuclear test, a push to stop North Korea from sending workers abroad] She decided to try to leave, along with the two others. They found out about Park and Kim Sung-eun, a pastor from the Caleb Mission, a church in South Korea that helps bring defectors to safety, and asked to be helped out. For the second time in their lives, they escaped, this time to a safe house in northern China, and from there they made the journey to the border, then walked to Laos. I was so scared, but I kept on going, I just kept on going, Suh said. I kept walking toward Pastor Kim and Park. The women make the treacherous journey from southern China to Laos, walking across the border in the dark. The path through Laos and Thailand is now a well-known escape route for North Koreans seeking freedom in South Korea and, in some cases, in the United States so they have to take extra precautions to avoid detection by police. (Sin Huh) Laos was safer but still somewhat of a gray area; they may be sent back. Once they got to Thailand, the fear of repatriation to North Korea would be gone. While waiting to cross the Mekong River, the women talked about the difficult decisions they had had to make. Suhs 5-year-old is listed on her Chinese fathers family register, which gives her legal status in China and enables her to go to school. But by the time Ji-yeon was born, the back channel for registration involving bribes to willing officials had closed. The baby doesnt legally exist. So when Suh decided to flee and realized she could only manage to take one child with her, she knew it had to be Ji-yeon. She thinks Ive abandoned her, Suh said, breaking down into another torrent of tears as she recalled telling her older daughter she would be back soon. The day they were to cross into Thailand, the women were full of nervous excitement. But things soon went wrong. Heavy rain had swollen the Mekong, and their boat missed the drop point. They were discovered by local police and taken to a prison. They were terrified and sent an endless stream of messages to Park, asking if they would be sent back to North Korea. One photo they sent showed Ji-yeon standing in a cell, looking out through the bars. [Reaching a South Korean audience by finding laughs from North Korea] Instead, they were taken to Bangkok, where they are now being held at a detention center, the pastor said. Suh has applied for asylum in the United States, even though she speaks no English and knows she will receive little support, unlike in South Korea. Officials from the American Embassy in Bangkok have met with Suh and her daughter, the pastor said. He estimated that it would take about four months for their asylum claims to be processed. An embassy spokeswoman in Bangkok declined to comment. The United States has accepted 74 refugees from North Korea since Kim took power, according to State Department data. During the pause in Vientiane, the relief of being out of China had washed over the women, and the challenges ahead loomed. The women had begun to dwell on the handicaps that North Koreans face. I have no passport, no papers, nothing, Suh said. Why are our lives so different, just because of where we are born? Read more North Koreas deputy ambassador to Britain defects from London Another North Korean execution, but is this a sign of instability or strength? As Pyongyang celebrates, ordinary North Koreans must flee to survive Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world An Iranian news agency report said Iranian American businessman Siamak Namazi (pictured) and his 80-year-old father, Baquer Namazi, a former UNICEF representative, were convicted of cooperating with the hostile American government. It did not elaborate. (Handout/Reuters) An Iranian American businessman and his father have been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran, a state-run judicial news agency reported Tuesday, the latest dual nationals imprisoned since last years nuclear deal. The announcement by the Mizan news agency came a day after it released footage of businessman Siamak Namazi. The video was a sign of the power still wielded by Iranian hard-liners opposed to the nuclear deal, which the moderate administration of President Hassan Rouhani negotiated with Western powers. The Mizan report said Namazi and his 80-year-old father, Baquer Namazi, a former UNICEF representative who once served as governor of Irans oil-rich Khuzestan province under the U.S.-backed shah, were convicted of cooperating with the hostile American government. It did not elaborate. A Namazi family statement posted online described the sentences as beyond comprehension. My father has been handed practically a death sentence and it will be a criminal act by me, his only able son, not to fight for my fathers life and freedom as well as that (of) my brother, wrote another son, Babak Namazi. The State Department said it was deeply concerned by reports of the sentencing. The Mizan report said Nizar Zakka, a U.S. permanent resident from Lebanon, also received a 10-year prison sentence. It said two others had been convicted as well, without naming them or identifying their nationalities. Later Tuesday, the semiofficial Fars News Agency quoted Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi as saying three Iranians were sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage and cooperating with the U.S. government. He named them as Farhad Abdesaleh, Kamran Ghaderi and Alireza Omidvar, without elaborating. It was unclear whether they were among the two previously mentioned by Mizan. The Namazi family fled after the 1979 Islamic revolution but appears to have kept business ties in Iran, and the younger Namazi traveled back several times. He also wrote several articles calling for improved ties between Iran and the United States and urging Iranian Americans to act as a bridge between the rival governments. Still, Siamak Namazis efforts raised suspicions among hard-liners in Iran. On Monday, Mizan released a video of the younger Namazi, the first images of him since his detention in October 2015. It showed Namazis U.S. passport, his United Arab Emirates ID card and a clip of him in a conference room, his arms extended at his sides. Iran does not recognize dual nationalities, meaning those detained cannot receive consular assistance. Women hold posters reading "No to terror" during a march for peace and against terrorism in Lima, Peru, on Sept. 29. (Rodrogo Abd/AP) Fear of an imminent terrorist attack is one of the top concerns of people across the globe, with most expecting extremist groups will acquire weapons of mass destruction, according to a new poll conducted in eight countries. The survey, commissioned by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), showed that many people think their governments are not doing enough to combat violent extremism. And a majority in every country polled, including the United States, overwhelmingly approved all 21 options presented to them among them, requiring identification cards for citizens and visitors; rigorous screening of immigrants; bans on incendiary religious speech; and monitoring of phone calls, emails and social media. [A hidden world, growing beyond control] Although most respondents consider the problem of violent extremism solvable, the poll underscored the challenges governments face as they confront radicalism at home and abroad. It shows there is so much fear and anxiety about terrorism and the reach of terrorism groups, people are willing to try just about anything, even give up constitutional protections on free speech, and identity cards, though its not even clear what that would do, said Shannon Green, head of the CSIS Commission on Countering Violent Extremism. Thats where governments and experts have to take a survey, and put it through the lens of whats going to be acceptable and legal, then decide which solutions make the most sense. The survey involved about 1,000 respondents in each of eight countries the United States, France, Britain, Turkey, Egypt, China, India and Indonesia. An effort was made to balance the responses demographically by age and gender, although in Egypt, four men answered for every woman. It was conducted online, so in some countries the respondents tended to be affluent, urban and better educated. The poll found differences in perceptions unique to each country. In Turkey, 7 out of 10 said terrorism was their No. 1 concern, as did 4 out of 10 in France. In the United States, it was the second-most important issue, after the economy. Indians also placed it second, after corruption. In virtually every country, at least 3 in 4 said they expect a terrorist attack to occur within the next year. China was the outlier, with barely half thinking an imminent attack is likely. The French were the most concerned, with 94 percent calling it very or somewhat likely. In the United States, 89 percent said it was probably coming. [15 years after 9/11, the Islamic militant threat looms larger than ever across the globe] The pervasive trepidation has changed behaviors, particularly in countries that are largely Muslim. In Indonesia, where almost 6 in 10 people said they personally know someone who has been a victim of violent extremism, more than half the respondents said they avoid visiting certain places more than they used to. In Turkey, where 4 in 10 know someone touched by terrorism, 6 in 10 avoid public gatherings. In France, Britain and the United States, in contrast, the percentages were significantly lower. There was a striking gap in perceptions of the root causes of violent extremism between respondents in nations where Muslims are a majority and those where they are a minority. In the three Western nations of France, Britain and the United States, majorities blame radical Islamic fundamentalists and think anti-Western sentiment contributes to radicalization. In the three Muslim-majority nations, blame was pointed at those who want to make Islam look bad. It speaks to how polarizing the issue is, Green said. People view the issue really differently, depending on which societies they come from and what their religious beliefs are. In every country, terrorism was viewed as a potentially existential threat, with majorities, ranging in age from young adults to senior citizens, saying they expect that within their lifetimes, violent extremists will use weapons of mass destruction. The United States has led a coalition of more than 60 countries that are fighting Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq. Many respondents, particularly in the West, said military efforts have not been very effective and may be creating a backlash. The largely Muslim countries reflected more nuanced views, supporting economic, social and mass-media programs as effective counterterrorism measures. But in Muslim and non-Muslim countries alike, there was strong support for using military force to combat the most well-known militant groups: al-Qaeda, the Islamic State (or ISIS), the Taliban and Boko Haram. About 8 in 10 favor using remote drones to hunt down and destroy terrorist leaders wherever they are hiding and even sending ground troops to safe havens for terrorists. There also is widespread support for other measures. The respondents overwhelmingly favor policing the Internet and banning religious speech condoning violence. They want Muslim religious leaders to denounce violent extremism in general and the concept of a caliphate, as the Islamic State has declared in Syria and Iraq. They want Internet companies to shut down all content from radical extremists and favor schools teaching that violent extremism is wrong. The least popular idea is to allow the government to monitor all phone records, email and social media for contacts with terrorists. But overall, 7 in 10 people deem it a good idea. Even in the United States, where the idea had less support, 6 in 10 back it. Mark Penn, a former pollster for former president Bill Clinton who is on the Commission on Countering Violent Extremism, said the poll reflects the demand for using soft and hard power. Theres a widespread frustration with the problem, he said. People agree that whats needed is a comprehensive solution. Military force, particularly against groups like ISIS, makes sense. But in terms of stopping violent extremism, that cant do it alone. Read more: Five counterterrorism strategies for the next president As the nation debates the place of Islam, CIAs Muslim officers fight terrorism Fifteen years after 9/11, the Islamic militant threat looms larger than ever A woman joins hundreds wearing black shirts and bearing red tape on their mouths during the third annual Walk for Freedom against modern slavery in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Saturday. The event is run by A21, a global anti-trafficking organization. (Hector Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images) Ronny Marty came to the United States from the Dominican Republic six years ago, in debt bondage to a human trafficker who promised him a good job with opportunities. It ended, as these things often do, in a round of lousy jobs in the Deep South with so many deductions taken from his pay that he had to turn to soup kitchens to eat. But after escaping the traffickers threats, Marty eventually found his opportunity. Today, he is a bookkeeper and is on the path to citizenship. He is also a member of a federal advisory council on human trafficking that on Tuesday produced a report recommending steps to reduce the practice in the United States. This report was our first victory, Marty said in a telephone interview. The report was written by 11 survivors of human trafficking, both in labor and the sex trade. Last year, they were appointed to the panel and asked to recommend improvements in federal policies and practices. [Is human trafficking widespread in the United States?] The council suggested that survivors of trafficking help train law enforcement officers and develop public awareness campaigns. It called for more money to create safe houses where survivors can stay while they overcome their trauma and prepare for an independent life. It said more money should be made available for job training, education and financial counseling. There should be more safe houses for survivors and support groups for older victims of trafficking who are now adults who grew up in this life and who are not seen as victims, but as perpetrators, said Nancy Cabrera-Chacon, a survivor from Miami who was quoted in the report. Instead of being seen as victims they are seen as prostitutes. Marty said improvements are needed to overcome the fear that stops most victims of human trafficking from escaping. People are afraid to report it, he said. Theyre threatened by traffickers. Theyre afraid for their families and for their lives. We want them to know they wont be judged because of what happened to them. Martys own story illustrates the dimensions of the problems, but with a Cinderella twist. He was 33 and a front desk manager at a hotel in the Dominican Republic when he paid a recruiter $4,000 borrowed from family and friends for a visa and a flight to Kansas City, Mo. When Marty arrived with two dozen other job aspirants, they were told that no jobs were available. So they were packed into two vans and driven to Alabama. He was charged an additional $50 for the van, $250 for a visa extension and $300 as a deposit for a small one-bedroom apartment he shared with two other workers. They worked packing DVDs at a manufacturer, Marty said. Once the money to repay the agency was deducted from his pay, he netted just $40 a week. In my own country, I was living in better conditions, he said. I cried like a baby. Marty found another agency online and agreed to pay $650 for a visa extension. Again he got a string of poor jobs with minuscule pay and had to put up with the first trafficker repeatedly calling him making threats. Eventually, on the advice of a volunteer at a faith-based organization where he went to get food, he was put in contact with an unlikely savior an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agent helped him get a work visa squared away and directed him to a legitimate charity that helped him find lodging. He studied English while working in hotel housekeeping, then moved to a Florida resort, where he rose to assistant executive housekeeper. Today, he has been joined by his wife and two children. He has a green card, and when five years elapse, he wants to become a U.S. citizen. Few human trafficking victims have such a happy outcome, he said. I might be one in 100, he said. I got all the help I needed. It doesnt happen to everyone. My case was out of this world. Now, he said, whenever he checks into a hotel, he asks the staff about their jobs and their lives, looking for people he can help. My mission is to encourage other survivors, to make them realize theres a way out, he said. We can help to combat human trafficking. Read more: An annual demand to end human trafficking around the world Hunting for sex traffickers abroad, by posing as johns Human trafficking around the world, hidden in plain sight There is no evidence Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton knew of discussions between the State Department and FBI about the classification of emails on her server. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) FBI official Brian McCauley had been trying for weeks to get his contact at the State Department to approve his request to put two bureau employees back in Baghdad. Around May 2015, Patrick Kennedy finally called back. He said: Brian. Pat Kennedy. I need a favor, McCauley recalled in an interview Tuesday. I said: Good, I need a favor. I need our people back in Baghdad. [Documents show State Dept. official pressed FBI to change classification of one of Clintons emails] Then Kennedy, a longtime State Department official, explained what he wanted: Theres an email. I dont believe it has to be classified. The Posts Matt Zapotosky explains how a State Department official tried to pressure the FBI into changing the classification of an email from Hillary Clintons server. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post) The email was from Hillary Clintons private server, and Kennedy wanted the FBI to change its determination that it contained classified information. McCauley and others ultimately rejected the request, but the interaction which McCauley said lasted just minutes over maybe two conversations has become the latest focal point of the bitter 2016 presidential campaign. The Democratic candidates critics have suggested that the conversation between the State Department and the FBI demonstrated inappropriate collusion to benefit Clinton. In an hour-long interview with The Washington Post, his first public comments on the matter, McCauley acknowledged that he offered to do a favor in exchange for another favor, but before he had any inkling of what Kennedy wanted. The FBI and the State Department have denied that McCauley and Kennedy ever engaged in quid pro quo. McCauley, who has since retired from the FBI, said he asked Kennedy to send him the email in question and then inquired with another bureau official about it because he had only a partial understanding of the request. McCauley said that when he learned the missive concerned the attack on the U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, he told Kennedy he could not help him. I said, Absolutely not, I cant help you, and he took that, and it was fine, said McCauley, who was the FBIs deputy assistant director for international operations from 2012 to 2015. In a statement released by the State Department, Kennedy said he reached out because he wanted to better understand a proposal the FBI had made to upgrade one of former Secretary Clintons emails prior to its public release and that McCauley raised the topic of FBI slots in Iraq as an entirely separate matter. He said he could not speak to McCauleys recollection but insisted: There was no quid pro quo, nor was there any bargaining. At no point in our conversation was I under the impression we were bargaining. Kennedy also said in the statement his motivations were never political. I have served as a member of the Foreign Service for some 40 years serving both Democratic and Republican administrations, Kennedy said. My sole aim was to ensure that we were responsive to our legal obligations under FOIA. 1 of 57 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail View Photos The Democratic presidential nominee hits the road as Election Day nears. Caption Hillary Clinton loses to Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Nov. 9, 2016 Hillary Clinton speaks in New York while her husband, former president Bill Clinton, applauds. Melina Mara/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. The FBI and the State Department have said the bureau did not get the personnel in Iraq it was seeking, and the State Department ultimately did not persuade the FBI to change its position that the email be classified as secret. The purported quid pro quo between McCauley and Kennedy was first reported over the weekend by Fox News and the Weekly Standard and confirmed Monday when the FBI released dozens of interview summaries from its criminal investigation into Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. The interview summaries showed that Kennedy lobbied multiple bureau officials to change their minds about classifying one email on Clintons server. At the time, the State Department was reviewing Clintons emails for release under the Freedom of Information Act and had sent several to the FBI for review. The bureau determined one of them contained classified information. The determination came before the FBI had launched its criminal investigation into whether Clinton and her aides had mishandled classified information, though it was nonetheless significant. If the bureau and other agencies had found no classified material on Clintons private server, she probably would have avoided the criminal investigation altogether. There is no evidence that Clinton knew about Kennedys and McCauleys discussion, and McCauley said Kennedy never invoked Clintons name.In March 2015, Clinton said there was no classified information on her private server. Agents investigating Clintons use of a private server would ultimately interview McCauley, and said in their summary of that conversation that McCauley told Kennedy he would look into the email matter if Kennedy would provide authority concerning the FBIs request to increase its personnel in Iraq. McCauley said in an interview that when he agreed to look into the matter, he was just being kind and polite. And he said there was no contingency binding his looking into the email classification to Kennedys agreeing to approve his request for FBI personnel in Iraq. He had a request. I found out what the request was for. I absolutely said emphatically I would not support it, McCauley said. But one of his colleagues at the FBIs records division told investigators that McCauley relayed his conversation with Kennedy in a way that suggested Kennedy had offered a quid pro quo, according to a summary of that officials interview. McCauley disputed that characterization. Thats a reach, McCauley said. I said, Hey, what is this about? Kennedy would eventually press the FBI records official and others to change the classification of the email, absent any deal, the records official alleged. In one meeting of government agencies, when someone asked whether any emails were classified, the records official told investigators that Kennedy remarked, Well, well see, and spent 15 minutes afterward debating the classification of a message. Kennedy said in his statement that he thought the email should have been redacted but not because it was classified. We take very seriously our responsibility to decide whether our documents are classified or not classified, he said. We cant simply cede that responsibility to another agency, as it is my signature or one of my senior officers signature which goes on the classification action, and it is the State Department which must prepare the legal justification if we are challenged in court. The State Department and Clinton allies have sought to cast disagreement over what should be classified and what should not as routine. Brian Fallon, a Clinton campaign spokesman, said in a statement: It is well known that there was strong disagreement among various government agencies about the decisions to retroactively classify certain material in emails sent to Secretary Clinton. Agencies that took issue with this overclassification did so based on their own beliefs, and we were not part of these disagreements that played out inside the government. McCauley said Kennedy never pressured him and that he was unaware of Kennedys conversations with others. McCauley said he worked with Kennedy fairly often when the bureau needed to move personnel overseas for investigations, and he speculated that their prior relationship was why Kennedy reached out to him. McCauley said, though, he had no authority to actually change classification. We got along, and I was always going to him, McCauley said. I was a regular name, regular face. Maybe he thought I was in a position where I could support him? One, I wasnt, and two, I wouldnt. U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, called the interaction stunning. He said while it was particularly troublesome that Kennedy had pressed to change the FBIs classification decision, the bureau was not clean in this, either. The fact that theyre even having this discussion is potentially a violation of law, Chaffetz said. I do give [the FBI] credit for ultimately saying no, but why were they talking to these people? Its because Patrick Kennedy knew that they wanted something from the State Department. Chaffetz said his committee planned to push the FBI to release more documents related to the Clinton probe and that it would also consider issuing subpoenas to witnesses. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said in a video statement that the episode was an example of collusion between the FBI, Department of Justice and the State Department, to try and make Hillary Clinton look like an innocent person, when shes guilty of very high crimes. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a Trump supporter whom McCauley said he considers a friend, issued a statement saying the FBIs interview summaries provide undeniable proof that Hillary Clinton colluded with the FBI, DOJ and State Department to cover up criminal activity at the highest levels. McCauley said that was his friends opinion and when something is said like that, there has to be proof. Listen, there was no collusion, there was absolutely no collusion, McCauley said. Thats illegal. Something that was underhanded, illegal, I would not do it. No one in the FBI would do it. Its a matter of integrity. McCauley said he was never disciplined for the exchange or interviewed by the FBIs Office of Professional Responsibility or the Justice Departments inspector general. He said he left the bureau for health reasons in the summer of 2015. He was not a part of the criminal Clinton email investigation. Read more: Clinton PR man says he talked to Justice about civil email case. That might not be bad. One of Clintons biggest critics in email case says hed tell Trump not to jail her FBIs attempt to show Clinton probe was nonpartisan keeps running into politics 1 of 48 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad The battle for Mosul View Photos Iraqi forces continue their most ambitious fight against the Islamic State. Caption Iraqi forces continue their most ambitious fight against the Islamic State. Iraqi Federal police celebrate in West Mosul. Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue. To defend a few miles of unremarkable road in northern Iraq, flanked by farmland, the occasional factory and flyspeck hamlets and villages, the Islamic State militants seemed to spare no effort. They loaded a Volkswagen with explosives and secreted remote-detonated bombs into the roads median strip. They burned tires and dug large tunnels in houses, to obscure their positions. They placed crude mortar launchers on the roads shoulder, pointed in the direction of any approaching force. The arsenal ultimately failed to protect the militants as thousands of Kurdish soldiers known as peshmerga swept down the road Monday as part of a broader offensive to drive the militants out of Mosul. But it seemed to slow down the action Tuesday, tying up a large contingent of Iraqi soldiers for the better part of the day as they tried to clear the road and surrounding villages of booby traps, a few wearying feet at a time. There were still 12 grueling miles left to travel before reaching the citys outskirts. The struggle for Mosul which involves U.S. air power and an array of Iraqi ground forces is the largest and most complex so far in the battle against Islamic State militants, who have been digging in for a fight. Residents who have recently fled the area and Iraqi officials with contacts inside the city say the Islamic State has been erecting concrete barricades and filling trenches with oil that can be set on fire to slow advancing forces. Its going to be a tough fight and a difficult fight, President Obama said Tuesday at a news conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. It is Iraqis who are doing the fighting. And they are performing effectively and bravely, and taking on significant casualties. There will be ups and downs in this process, but my expectation is that ultimately it will be successful. Despite the looming challenges, Iraqi and American officials have praised the early success of the operation and said that on its first day, the thousands of Kurdish and Iraqi army soldiers taking part had met their initial objectives. The offensive is a rare collaboration between the two forces, who answer to the frequently feuding governments in Baghdad and Irbil, the capital of the semiautonomous Kurdish region. On Tuesday, the Iraqi militarys 9th armored division also said it had advanced, breaking into the district of Hamdaniya and besieging the Christian town of Qaraqosh, about 10 miles southeast of the outskirts of Mosul, according to the commander, Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Maliki. We will storm it any minute, he said Tuesday evening. [Signs of rebellion in the heart of Islamic States self-proclaimed caliphate] Iraqi army and police forces are also advancing from Qayyarah air base south of the city. Col. Abdel Rahman al-Khazali, a spokesman for federal police, said his forces had reached Shora, 20 miles south of Mosul. But Kurdish commanders also said they had delayed a planned push toward the Islamic State-held town of Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, for reasons that remained unclear. Several of the commanders blamed the Iraqi army, saying it had failed to immediately take up defensive positions in territory that was captured on Monday. Brig. Gen. Haider al-Obeidi, an Iraqi special forces commander, said the Iraqi forces were waiting for the peshmerga to finish their job. We are waiting for them to reach the areas they were supposed to reach under the military plan, so that we can move, he said. Whatever the reason, the consequences of the delay were immediately apparent: Militants around Bashiqa repeatedly fired mortars at a peshmerga base Tuesday, soldiers at the base said. The complex military battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State has begun. Here is what you need to know about the ancient Iraqi city. (Ishaan Tharoor, Kareem Fahim, Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) When it does come time to clear the town, the militants are likely to mount a more formidable defense than they did around the much smaller villages on Monday, according to Lt. Col. Sanger Abubaker, the commander of a Kurdish support unit. For sure, there will be resistance, he said. The town, with its proximity to Mosul, is important to them, he added. The Islamic State claimed to have carried out 12 suicide attacks on the first day of the offensive, according to its affiliated news agency, Amaq. Jabbar Yawar, a spokesman for the peshmerga forces, said eight Kurdish soldiers were killed Monday and 16 injured. Three peshmerga soldiers, including two in Shaqouli, were killed while trying to detonate leftover explosive devices Tuesday, local media reported. The determination of Islamic State fighters to hold territory came into sharp focus Tuesday, on the stretch of road the Kurds had captured. Near the village of Sheikh Amir, parts of the two-lane road had been gutted by burrowed explosives. Mortar shells sat in a guardhouse outside the village, near smoldering tires that had blackened a small field. [How almost everyone wants a piece of Mosul] Mohamed Emad, a de-miner with Iraqs counterterrorism forces, scoured the sides of the road for hidden bombs, looking for clues in the texture of the dirt. By lunchtime, he had uncovered at least 30, he said, as he fiddled with a remote detonator from one of the explosive devices. Nearby, a crumpled car sat at the side of the road, next to some freshly dug earth. Dana Dara, a 29-year-old Kurdish soldier, narrated the tableau, saying that five Islamic State militants had been inside the car, which was loaded with explosives, when the peshmerga fighters stopped it with a rocket-propelled grenade. The soldiers moved the car off the road, and dug a grave right beside it, for the five men from the Islamic State. Morris reported from Irbil. Aaso Ameen Shwan in Shaqouli, Mustafa Salim in Irbil and Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report. Read more: 10 new wars that could be unleashed as a result of the one against ISIS Battle for Islamic State stronghold could trigger new refugee crisis Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Following the intensification of the military conflict in Syria, the German media have switched to war mode. Editorial writers try to outdo each other in their expressions of moral outrage, calling for military action and calling for toughness against Russia. Unrestrained demagogy is mixed with outright lies and the suppression of basic facts. Reading some of these editorials, one could believe that the Middle East was a haven of peace before Moscow decided to intervene militarily a year ago in the Syrian civil war on the side of the Assad regime. The devastating wars of the US and its allies in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, which have claimed millions of victims and driven millions more to flee are ignored, just like the support for jihadist groups by US allies Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. In Libya as in Syria, the United States is relying on militias close to Al Qaeda to bring about regime change. Before the Iraq and Libyan wars there had been no Islamist terrorist groups in Iraq or Syria. The German media has made Moscow solely responsible for the failure of the last truce agreed between the US and Russia, despite the agreement failing because American fighter jets bombed a Syrian government base, killing 60 soldiers, and because the so-called moderate rebels were not ready to split from the Syrian Al Qaeda offshoot, the Al Nusra Front, recently renamed Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which provides most of the combat units among the Assad opponents. A similar campaign of lies and disinformation in the German media was conducted in the spring of 2014, denying the leading role of fascist militias in the Kiev protests, glorifying the coup against the elected Ukrainian President Yanukovych as a democratic revolution and presenting his successor, the corrupt, pro-Western oligarch Poroshenko, as the embodiment of democracy. A bloodthirsty editorial in the latest edition of Der Spiegel compares Aleppo with Srebrenica, where a brutal massacre was perpetrated in the Bosnian waralso fuelled by the US and Germany. The Srebrenica of today is called Aleppo. Its just much bigger, writes Clement Hoges, who has worked for the news magazine for over 25 years. Can Europe and the USA look on again when this time, Shiite mercenaries from Iran slaughter Sunni civilians in the rebel territory of Aleppo, once Putin and Assad have bombed the way clear for them? It does not get more mendacious! The incitement of hostility between Sunnis and Shiites is one of the most important tools of the Western powers, since these began to subjugate the oil-rich Middle East militarily. For example, in Iraq, the United States bombed a Shiite regime to power, whose thuggery against the Sunni minority significantly contributed to the growth of the Islamic State. In contrast, in Libya, they worked with Sunni terrorist militia to overthrow the Qaddafi regime. Some of these then moved on to Syria, where they reinforced the opposition to the Alawite (Shiite) Assad regime. But that leaves the moralisers in the German media as cold as the slaughter of Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen by the Saudi air force. They celebrate the battle for Mosul, which has recently begun, as a liberation, although observers expect more than 1 million refugees and a wave of ethnic cleansing following the use of Shiite and Kurdish militias against the primarily Sunni city. Where Kaiser Wilhelm once invoked German greatness and honour before the bloody colonial war against the Boxer Rebellion in China, Hoges now introduces nothing less than the ideals of the West, and even more: the ideals of modern civilization to justify his warmongering and the call for new, expanded sanctions against Russia, and perhaps against Iran. He scornfully derides three state premiers from eastern Germany, who with an eye to agricultural exports from their region had spoken against further sanctions: If they are not even willing to give up cheese exports, they betray their ideals in front of the whole world. Richard Herzinger writes in a similarly aggressive manner in Die Welt. For him, it is not just moral issues that are at stake in Syria but the geopolitical consequences of a Putin victory. The Russian president is using Syria as a test of how far he can go in his mobilization against the West. In Syria, Moscow is demonstrating that international law and rules do not apply to it. Herzinger is not content with calling for sanctions against Moscow, but also argues for the supply of trapped Syrian rebels with air defence weapons and exemplary strikes against the positions of the Assad regimea recipe for unleashing a third, nuclear world war. Against the reservations that exist in broad sections of the population and even in some political circles against such a suicidal course, he writes angrily: In Germany, however, there continues to be a prevailing mood of downplaying the greatest acute threat to freedom. ... A form of equidistant thinking is running rampant that makes the US and Russia equally responsible for the Syrian catastrophe without any factual basis. As an example of the great success of the Kremlins strategy of subversion, whichin the old Soviet traditionaims at the decoupling of Europe from America, Herzinger cites the mass demonstrations against the transatlantic free trade agreement TTIP and Ceta on German streets. Where Die Welt stirs up animosity, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) is not far behind. Rainer Hermann criticizes the war-weary [sic!] America, for not having the strength to consider smaller military interventions in parallel with the failed negotiations. He does not consider sanctions against Russia to be advisable, with the remarkably honest reason: because they would then have to be imposed against Saudi Arabia for its war crimes in Yemen. His colleague Reinhard Veser, however, sees things differently. He accuses the West of helplessness, on which the Kremlin is building, and therefore urges new sanctions against Russia. The loudest warmongering is that of the parliamentary group leader of the Greens, Katrin Goring-Eckardt, in the FAZ. She too compares the Syrian-Russian offensive to retake Aleppo with the massacres in Srebrenica and Rwanda. The Green politician, who as a former president of the Synod of the Evangelical Church is well versed in questions of double standards, then called for the war in Syria to be escalated in the name of more than 350,000 Syrian refugees and millions of volunteers who help them here. This directly linked Germany to the suffering in Syria, she declared. We cannot be indifferent to what happens there just on moral grounds. There follows a long list of the political and military escalations: sanctions against Russia, a joint Syrian strategy of the European Union, putting more pressure on Assad and Putin, establishing a no-fly zone and the prosecution Assad for crimes against humanity. The Green Party Chairman Cem Ozdemir raised similar demands in an interview with Spiegel Online. He accuses Assad of the most serious war crimes and violation of international humanitarian law. Putin wants to keep a mass criminal in power who actually belongs before the World Criminal Court in The Hague and demonstrates the incapacity of the West and Washington. Therefore, the EU must extend its economic sanctions against Russia. Ozdemir calls for a comprehensive international threat of a no-fly zone, if necessary without a UN mandate, and also supports the war policy of the United States retrospectively: Im not a radical pacifist. I still think its wrong that Germany stood aside in the Libya intervention and I have agreed to the military mission in Afghanistan. It is significant that it is the former pacifists of the Green Party who are today among the most vociferous warmongers, and that as well as conservative papers such as the FAZ and Die Welt, also liberal outlets such as Der Spiegel and the Suddeutsche Zeitung bang the drum for war. The latter published an editorial on Monday headlined, Against Putin, only toughness helps. They speak for better-off middle class layers, who have turned sharply to the right in the face of growing national and social tensions in Europe. A strike that began October 12 at the Libbey Glass factory in Toledo, Ohio is continuing with no progress in negotiations reported. Members of the International Association of Machinists Lodge 105 and Glass Workers and Pottery Workers Local 59 struck when their contract extensions expired. Two other local unions affiliated with the United Steelworkers (USW) had agreed to extend their contracts until midnight October 17, but have been honoring picket lines. A distribution center in Perrysburg, Ohio is also affected by the walkout. All told, some 750 workers are involved in the job action. The company had reportedly offered a miserable 4.5 percent wage increase over three years. Workers are also angered by mandatory overtime, downsizing, increases in health care costs and work rule changes. The walkout followed overwhelming contract rejection votes by plant workers, who gave a resounding thumbs down to a management proposal accepted by the unions. Local officials have called for a fair deal, without specifying union demands. But it is clear that workers are upset with the miserly pay increase offered by management under conditions where Toledo-based Libbey remains highly profitable, earning $66.3 million in 2015. The company is attempting to continue production during the walkout using management personnel as strikebreakers. A management statement declared, Libbey is fully committed to return to the table and resume negotiations. Libbey is prepared to run the Toledo plant and distribution centers without interruption during the strike period and will continue to provide its customers with the excellent service they have come to expect. Pickets told the Toledo Blade that three of 11 production lines were in operation. For their part, the unions involved in the walkout have refused to mobilize workers in the city behind the striking workers, leaving them isolated on the picket line. The USW has refused to sanction an official strike despite the walkout by the other two locals and the fact that the USW contracts have expired. Indeed, the USW indicated it might agree to terms of a separate agreement in the midst of the walkout. This is a repeat of the USWs 2015 betrayal of the three-month strike by oil workers at the BP-Husky refinery in Oregon, Ohio, just outside of Toledo. Strikers must make a broad appeal to workers in Toledo and reach out to other Libbey Glass workers nationally and internationally. Toledo has a large industrial working class, including some 6,000 workers employed at the Jeep complex and some 4,000 workers employed in glass and glass parts production in Toledo and surrounding counties. The city is the site of the powerful 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite strike, led by socialists, which along with the mass struggles in Minneapolis and San Francisco paved the way for the organization of the industrial trade unions. Libbey has two other factories, one in Shreveport, Louisiana and another in Monterrey, Mexico. Workers in Shreveport have a separate contract from workers in Toledo and have continued to work during the Toledo walkout. In March 2015 the United Steelworkers pushed through an agreement at the Shreveport plant following four rejection votes by plant workers, each by a greater majority. Workers in Shreveport reportedly earn $2 to $6 an hour less than workers in Toledo depending on their skill. There are 427 workers at the facility. In 2013, Libbey Glass announced 200 job cuts at its Shreveport facility, with some of the work relocated to Monterrey and Toledo. The USW offered no opposition to the cuts, merely offering to discuss severance and health benefits with the company. In conversations with the Toledo Blade, strikers expressed concern over excessive executive compensation and a change of culture within the company in recent years. According to salary.com, Libbey CEO Stephanie Streeter pocketed $3.07 million in executive compensation in 2015. That included $792,000 in base pay and $728,000 in bonus and incentive. Stock awards and options added on another $1.48 million. Workers indicated as well that they expected more of a pay increase to offset the impact of concessions surrendered in the wake of the 2008 financial crash. We want our jobs, we want our insurance, But were not going to take peanuts anymore, one worker told the Blade . In 1998 Glass Molders Local 59 waged a 12-day strike against Libbey Glass over the question of staffing changes that threatened job losses. Libbey Glass began operations in Toledo in 1888 after the city offered to help relocate an already existing factory in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company eventually became successful and profitable, with its cut glass featured at the 1904 St Louis Worlds Fair. The success of Libbeys helped spark the location of other glass production in Toledo, which came to be known as the Glass City. The citys big four glass firms include: Owens-Illinois Glass Company, Glass Fibers Inc., now Johns Manville, Libbey Glass Co., and Owens Corning Fiberglass. Workers in the glass industry have a militant tradition as well. In 1936, a strike by flat glass workers, which supplied the automotive industry, shut down glass production nationwide, including Libbey facilities in Toledo. In 1965, a strike by the glass molders union involved 32,000 workers and shut down 85 percent of glass production east of the Rockies. It won a 15 percent wage increase. Another strike in 1968 involved 47,000 glass workers and shut down 95 percent of glass factories. Founded in 1878, the American Flint Glass Union, with headquarters in Toledo, was one of the oldest unions in the country. It merged with the United Steelworkers in 2003. The Glass Molders union voted this year to likewise merge with the USW, which has pursued such acquisitions to offset the loss of hundreds of thousands of steelworkers jobs due to its corporatist and nationalist policies. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena issued a warning to the United National Party (UNP)-led government functioning under him that he will take action against the Bribery Commission and the police, which he alleges are working on a political agenda. Speaking at a military event in Colombo last Wednesday, Sirisena declared he opposed the Bribery Commissions decision to take three retired navy commanders and former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse to court. On September 30, they appeared in a Colombo magistrate court on charges of making losses of around 11 billion rupees ($US74.9 million) for the state through the activities of a private company, Avant Garde. This company was established, while the previous government of President Mahinda Rajapakse was in office, to provide security for ships. Sirisena also condemned the Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID), which is investigating financial misappropriations by former government leaders. Sirisena criticised the polices Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for keeping four military intelligence officials in remand for 16 months as suspects in the disappearance of journalist, Pradeep Eknaligoda. The president proclaimed: I will not do anything to weaken the military. I will not allow the military to be weakened. He said he had been silent in the past but now felt forced to talk regarding them in public. I will have to initiate action as well openly. The UNP led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is the main party in the Colombo unity government of which Sirisenas Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) is also a partner. A faction of the SLFP, led by Mahinda Rajapakse, opposes the ruling alliance and has organised what is known as the joint opposition. The Bribery Commission and the police function under independent commissions set up by a Constitutional Council established under the 19th constitutional amendment enacted by the parliament after Sirisena came to power in the presidential election in January last year. It was no ordinary election but involved a concerted regime change operation orchestrated by the Obama administration and backed by Wickremesinghe and former president Chandrika Kumaratunga to remove Mahinda Rajapakse. The US hostility to Rajapakse was not because of his autocratic rule and gross abuses of democratic rights but because he had developed close relations with China. During the election campaign, Sirisena presented himself as champion of good governance, democratic rights and peace and reconciliation after the protracted communal war by successive Colombo governments against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Sirisena was only able to perpetrate this political fraud with the assistance not only of Wickremesinghe, Kumaratunga and various Tamil parties but also a host of pseudo-left organisations and middle class groups such as Citizens Power who painted him in bright colours as a democrat. In reality, Sirisena had been a prominent member of Rajapakses cabinet until the election was announced and was thus politically responsible for all of its crimes and abuses. As for Wickremesinghe, he had been a minister in previous UNP-led governments that were responsible for starting the war and were just as autocratic as that of Rajapakse. Both Sirisena and Wickremesinghe have been using the Bribery Commission as well as the FCID and CID to mount a witch-hunt against political opponents, particularly Rajapakses joint opposition, and as a means of diverting attention from growing popular discontent with the government. However, after nearly two years of rule, Sirisenas remarks last week seeking to distance himself from the institutions he helped set up as examples of good governance and his commitment to fight corruption, reveal acute tensions within the so-called unity government. The government faces an explosive political situation, which is underscored by ongoing protests and sporadic strikes in the plantations involving 200,000 workers. It was forced to postpone the IMFs austerity measures in June as mass opposition among workers and the poor was developing. However, it now has to implement the IMFs demands or face the withholding of a promised IMF loan that would create major financial problems. Rajapakse and his joint opposition have been seeking to capitalise on mounting hostility to the government by presenting themselves as defenders of living standards and democratic rights. The former president has also vehemently denied that he or his government were responsible for war crimes that involved the deaths of thousands of civilians. In doing so, he presents himself as a defender of the military and its war heroes. The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government has also sought to prevent any serious investigation of war crimes and with the assistance of Washington stymied an attempt to establish an independent international inquiry. Despite the fact that the governments own investigation will be a whitewash, Rajapakse is continuing to denounce the government for seeking to punish the military. In this context, Sirisena is now seeking to present himself as the champion of the military and is threatening to use the autocratic powers of the executive presidency, which he campaigned against in last Januarys election. Sirisena declared in his speech that although the Bribery Commission and the police function under Independent Commissions he must be kept informed of their decisions. He insisted that as he was the Executive of the country, it is the duty of the heads of the Commissions to inform the President who is the Defence Minister. Sirisena justified his use of those powers as special consideration needs to be given in the management of the state taking into consideration the special situation. In reality, he is seeking to convert the independent commissions into an appendage of the executive president. The Sunday Times reported that prior to his speech, Sirisena expressed his views to some ministers and the prime minister and insisted that he would stick to his criticism of the Bribery Commission. Sirisena concluded his speech by saying that the government was strong and that no one could topple it. The media is speculating that the president could assume control of the police, which is currently overseen by a UNP minister. Former president Rajapakse declared that he was surprised by Sirisenas speech but that even a late change of mind was good. He will undoubtedly seek to exploit the governments crisis. A few days earlier Rajapakse had openly declared his readiness to challenge the government to establish a new administration. Sirisenas statements have thoroughly exposed the claim by the pseudo-lefts and various middle class civil society groups that Sirisena and Wickremesinghe are champions of democracy, good governance and corruption free rule. Purawesi Balaya or Citizens Power, which was in the forefront of campaigning for Sirisena last year, has hypocritically condemned him. Sarath Wijesuriya, a professor at Colombo University and convener of the National Movement for Social Justice, claimed that the president had been misled by the army intelligence chief and the defence secretary and demanded their immediate removal. This is a crude attempt to paint Sirisena as the innocent victim of evil individuals and to hide the real political reasons for his threats. A Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) statement declared: The president seems to have challenged the wishes of 6.2 million people who voted for good governance and democracy on January 8, against the fraud, corruption and criminal acts during the Rajapakse regime. It added that Sirisenas remarks discourage investigations into fraud, corruption and crimes, and [go] against the spirit of the mandate of the people. The JVP is another party that campaigned for Sirisena as the alternative to the Rajapakse dictatorship. In the first four months of Sirisenas rule, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake participated in the National Executive Council set up by Sirisena to oversee the governments actions. Having helped promote Sirisena as a democrat, the JVP is now seeking to exploit the growing opposition to the government. It appears, at least for the time being, that Sirisena and Wickremesinghe have been able to patch up relations. After speaking to Sirisena last Thursday, UNP chairman Kabir Hashim told the media that the president and Wickremesinghe were on the same page and that both agreed on the need for strong government. Under the impact of the worsening global economic crisis, the ruling elites in every country are turning towards more autocratic methods of rule. Whatever the immediate reason, Sirisenas remarks are a warning that the Sri Lankan ruling class will, as in the past, use police state measures against the developing opposition of workers and the poor. The Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers approved the release of 2.8 billion to the Greek government last week, after the Syriza-led coalition met the deadline for implementing further austerity and privatisation measures. he bulk of the latest measures were fast-tracked through parliament in a so-called multi-bill at the end of September. They are part of the overall bailout package outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding Syriza signed in August 2015 with the European Union (EU), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)the so-called troika. This agreement marked the pseudo-left partys final betrayal of the landslide rejection of austerity by Greek workers and youth in the referendum held a month prior. The funds will be released in two tranches1.1 billion immediately, and 1.8 billion at the end of the month, on condition that Athens provide the necessary data linked to the payment of arrears for which the money is earmarked. Greeces state debt is still over 300 billion. One of the new measures is a universal 6.95 percent levy on gross income for public health care, which, from the start of next year will replace all concessions and discounts previously available to certain groups of people. One such group are the self-employed, who currently pay a flat monthly fee of 90 to receive health care coverage. This means that from next year, a self-employed worker on just 20,000 a year will pay nearly 116 euros a month, almost a third more. Farmers will be hit hard: the new levy on health will nearly double their current contribution. The multi-bill earmarks a series of state-owned companies for privatisation, including the Thessaloniki and Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Companies, the Public Power Company, the Athens Metro and ELVOa bus and army vehicle manufacturer. The sale of these assets will be overseen by the Hellenic Company for Assets and Participation, a super-fund established in May to which all Greek state assets will eventually be transferred, to be sold off. A brainchild of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, the super-fund is to have a life span of at least 99 years; half of all its revenues are to go to service Greeces debts, and the rest to the development and investments of the fund. The chair of the Supervisory Council has been named as Jacques Le Pape, a former aide to IMF Chief Christine Lagarde while she was French finance minister. Another leading figure involved is a former head of the IMF Mission to Brazil, David Vegara, more recently a senior figure in the European Stability Mechanism Fund. In a speech to Greek parliament a few days before the bill was passed, Syriza Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said that while the fund could theoretically be used as a vehicle for privatisation, he saw it as a tool for restructuring Greeces public assets in the interests of the Greek people. We are not obliged to carry out privatisations, he declared, vowing that water and electricity will remain in public hands so long as were in government. He suggested that as finance minister, he can veto any prospective privatisation proposals. Such rhetoric is worthless from a government that came to power in January 2015 vowing to end austerity, only to sign a third bailout agreement with the troika eight months later. Were Tsakalotos to exercise his veto, Greeces creditors would again pressure Syriza to do its bidding, by threatening to push the country into bankruptcy. The global financial elite view Syriza as a reliable partner in enforcing austerity. Just how far the Syriza-led government went to accommodate Greeces creditors is underscored by the praise heaped on Tsipras and Syriza after last weeks Eurogroup meeting. EU Commissioner on Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici praised Syrizas tremendous work in implementing difficult reforms for the Greek economy and society... I think we must recognise those efforts. The efforts referred to by Moscovici are seven years of unprecedented social carnage. Since the eruption of the financial crisis in 2008, Greeces economy has shrunk by almost 30 percenta decline unparalleled in peacetime, outside the collapse of the economy of the former Soviet Union amid the restoration of capitalism in the 1990s. The three austerity programmes imposed on Greece since 2010 led to a 40 percent cut in pensions and wages, as taxes were hiked by around 25 percent. Now, 30 percent of Greeks report that they cannot afford to heat their homes in winter. A Doctors of the World report states that budget cuts to health care have led to a humanitarian crisis, with 25 percent of Greeks no longer having any access to health coverage and a 51 percent increase in infant mortality in the last three years. A main factor for this is the countrys high unemployment rate of 28 percent overall and 50 percent for youth under 25. This has slashed social security payments to Greeces contributory-based public health system, while the health care budget was also cut in half. This led to an extreme rationing of health care, with hikes in out-of-pocket expenses and access to health care for the unemployed being limited to a maximum of 12 months. Syriza is now widely despised. In a two-week poll conducted for Syriza-affiliated newspaper Avgi, nine out of 10 voters expressed dissatisfaction with Syriza. Most recent polls show Syrizas approval rating has plummeted to 15 percent, nearly 6.5 percent below the conservative New Democracy. As the measures enacted this year begin to take effect, there is every prospect that there will be an explosive growth of the class struggle. A foretaste of this was seen two weeks ago in Athens, when riot police brutally attacked a protest by Greek retirees in Athens against recent pension cuts. With private sector economists predicting anaemic economic growth of 0.6 percent for 2017, there is already talk in some quarters of a fourth bailout package by 2018. At the Thessaloniki Summit, Zsolt Darvas, a senior economist at the Bruegel Institute, stated, there will be a fourth financial assistance programme, as Greece will not be able to borrow from the markets. Syriza is desperate to negotiate a haircut of Greeces gigantic debt of 330 billion, over 180 percent of GDP. This has proved to be a sticking point for Berlin, which has rejected any talk of a haircut before 2018. The IMF, whose role in Greeces third bailout has not yet been formalised, supports a haircut in return for further attacks on the workers. In particular, as a condition for its participation in the austerity programme, the IMF demands the legalisation of lock-outs, the end of collective bargaining, and stripping away legislation protecting workers against unfair dismissal. The author also recommends: Syriza government assaults Greek retirees [5 October 2016] Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Rioting inmates beheaded their rivals and bodies were burned in an explosion of violence in two Brazilian jails that left at least 18 people dead on Monday, authorities said. Prisoners also took women visitors hostage, a regional official told Brazilian television. It was the latest eruption of gruesome violence to hit the country's underfunded and overcrowded prison system. The clash between two rival factions in a prison in the far northern state of Roraima killed 10 on Sunday, regional government media spokeswoman Jessica Laurie told AFP. "The inmates were armed with stones and pieces of wood that they ripped from the walls. They used those bits of wood to decapitate their rivals. It was very brutal," she said. "At first, the police thought there were more dead," she said. "Seven bodies were found burned and three others beheaded. Three inmates were lightly wounded and were treated." On Monday a fresh riot, thought to be linked to the Roraima carnage, broke out at a jail in the northwestern state of Rondonia on the Bolivian border, a local police spokesman said. "There are thought to be eight people dead but the bodies are burnt and the medical authorities will have to confirm" the toll, he told AFP. Human rights groups have long complained about the deplorable conditions in Brazilian prisons, where fights and riots are frequent. - Knives, clubs, hostages - In the first riot in the Roraima state capital Boa Vista, the bloodshed began when inmates of one wing of the Agricola de Monte Cristo prison broke into another wing. Prisoners were armed with knives and wooden clubs, an inmate's wife who was in the prison when the riot broke out told news channel G1. Roraima state Secretary of Justice Uziel Castro said that the fight erupted during visiting hours, and some 100 relatives of inmates were briefly held hostage. The rioters demanded that a judge come to hear their demands. Instead, special operations police stormed the prison, freed the hostages and regained control of the site by sundown. "All the hostages were released," Castro said, adding that most of them were women. The prison, some 3,400 kilometers (2,100 miles) northwest of Rio de Janeiro, is in a state that borders Venezuela and Guyana. - Violent, overcrowded prisons - Joana Moura, head of the union of Roraima penal workers, told the Folha de Boa Vista newspaper that the incident "is a reflection of the lack of interest from the state government" towards the prison system. According to Moura, "there is no security equipment, there are not enough personnel for the tasks, and the prison officers are working beyond their capacity." As of the end of 2014, there were 622,000 people imprisoned in Brazil, according to a Ministry of Justice report, which added that most of the prisoners are black males. Brazil has the world's fourth largest prison population, the report said, after the United States, China and Russia. Human rights groups have long complained about the deplorable conditions in Brazilian prisons. In late May, 14 inmates died in prisons in the northeastern state of Ceara. That led the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to issue a statement urging structural reforms. In a separate incident in September, some 200 inmates rioted and escaped the overpopulated Jardinopolis prison in Sao Paulo state. Tehran (AFP) - An Iranian-American businessman, his 80-year-old father and four others have each been given 10 years in prison for espionage, Tehran's prosecutor said Tuesday. "Baquer and Siamak Namazi, Farhad Abd-Saleh, Kamran Ghaderi, Nezar Zaka and Alireza Omidvar have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage and collaboration with the American government," said prosecutor-general Abbas Jafari Dolat-Abadi, according to the Fars news agency. Siamak Namazi, a well-connected business consultant who has supported reformist politicians in Iran, was arrested as he arrived in Tehran a year ago. His father, Baquer, was detained in February when he came to Iran to seek his son's release. He is a former UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) employee and served as a governor of the Iranian province of Khuzestan before the Islamic revolution of 1979. UNICEF issued a statement last month saying it was "deeply concerned about his health and well-being". Zaka is a Lebanese-American who was arrested in November 2015 and accused on state television of "numerous deep links to the US military intelligence community". The hardline Kayhan newspaper has described Omidvar as an "associate" of Namazi. - Hardliners criticise Namazis - Conservative media have criticised Siamak Namazi's links to the National Iranian American Council, a Washington-based NGO created by Iranian nationals aimed at boosting ties between the two countries. At the time of his arrest last year, he was working for Crescent Petroleum, an energy firm based in the United Arab Emirates, which is involved in an ongoing legal dispute with Iran over a failed gas deal, and is seeking billions of dollars in compensation. Video footage of Namazi's arrest was published by Mizan, which is linked to the judiciary, earlier this week. It was presented with dramatic music alongside images of his US passport and shots of Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian who spent two years in prison on espionage charges. Mizan published a long article in February, criticising the Namazi family's efforts to "influence internal events in Iran" through its financial contributions to NGOs. It also criticised their role in promoting ties between Iranian and Western businesses during the rule of reformist president Mohammad Khatami. Rezaian was released in January at the same time as a nuclear accord with world powers came into force, lifting sanctions on Iran. Washington helped to airlift $400 million worth of Swiss francs and euros to Iran shortly afterwards -- part of the money owed by the US because it cancelled defence sales at the time of the revolution. The White House has denied accusations from hardline critics that this amounted to a hostage ransom for Rezaian and four others released at the same time. Jetsetting fashionistas take note: Karl Lagerfeld is officially launching his own hotel brand. After high fashion, short films and editorial magazine spreads, the creative director of Chanel and Fendi is making a grand but perhaps predictable leap into the hotel industry with an international hospitality brand that will bear his name. Karl Lagerfeld Hotels & Resorts will include hotels, residential properties, restaurants and private clubs. The venture into hotels is in partnership with Brandmark Collective BV. The move comes as little surprise given Lagerfeld's lengthy list of design collaborations with luxury hotels. One of the most hotly anticipated hotel openings of 2017, for instance, is the Karl Lagerfeld Hotel in Macau, which he has designed in its entirety. Part of Lisboa Palace, the Karl Lagerfeld Hotel will be comprised of 270 guestrooms and suites. The palatial resort will also house a wing designed by another iconic fashion label, Versace, with the Palazzo Versace Macau. All told, the destination resort will house 2,000 hotel rooms, Michelin-starred restaurants, a retail mall, wedding pavilion and multi-purpose theater. The resort will also feature 700 gaming tables and 1,200 slot machines. Lagerfeld has also been tapped to lend his impeccable taste and vision to design luxury suites and hotel interiors around the world. At the recently reopened Ritz Paris, Lagerfeld designed the Coco Chanel suite, paying homage to one of the hotel's most famous residents with Asian lacquer, gilded mirrors and the simple pairing of black and white. Other hotel design collaborations include the Sofitel So Singapore and the Patrick Hellmann Schlosshotel in Berlin. (VATICAN CITY) Pope Francis canonized Argentinas gaucho priest Sunday, bestowing sainthood on the poncho-wearing pastor with whom the first Argentine pope shares many similarities, from a taste for mate tea to a dedication to bringing the ministry to even the most isolated people. Francis honored Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero along with six others in a Mass before a crowd of 80,000 in St. Peters Square, saying the new saints, thanks to prayer, had generous and steadfast hearts. The saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer. Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit pray and struggle in them, the pope said. Also made into saints were two Italian priests, Lodovico Pavoni and Alfonso Maria Fusco, French martyr Salomone Leclercq, French nun Elisabeth of the Trinity, Spanish bishop Manuel Gonzalez Garcia and Mexican layman Jose Sanchez del Rio. Born in 1849 in the province of Cordoba, Brochero was one of the most famous Catholics in the Argentina of Francis youth. He died in 1914 after living for years with leprosy that he was said to have contracted from one of his faithful. Brochero was beatified in 2013, after Pope Benedict XVI signed off on a miracle attributed to his intercession. Francis moved Brochero closer to sainthood soon after being elected pope, and cleared him for sainthood earlier this year. At the time of Brocheros beatification, Francis wrote a letter to Argentinas bishops praising Brochero for having had the smell of his sheep. Thats a phrase Francis has frequently used to describe his ideal pastor: one who accompanies his flock, walking with them through lifes ups and downs. He never stayed in the parish office. He got on his mule and went out to find people like a priest of the street to the point of getting leprosy, Francis wrote. A papal biographer, Austen Ivereigh, says Brochero exemplifies Francis idea of a priest. Among the parallels shared by the two Argentines is Brocheros spirituality, which is deeply rooted in the Jesuit spiritual exercises dear to Francis. Francis, who like Brochero adores his mate tea, has exhorted his pastors to travel to far-flung peripheries to minister to the poor, as Brochero did on his trusty mule Malacara. Argentinians, many waving flags, made the journey themselves to Rome to see Brochero elevated to sainthood, including Argentine President Mauricio Macri and his wife. Our saint, he took all that he had off in order to go ahead and in order to help people, in particular the poor ones, especially in the middle of mountains, said Patricia Elena Zabala, from Villa Gobernador Galvez in Argentina. He went there with a mule. Thats why hes represented riding a mule, going along villages and helping people. ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Two Taliban officials said on Tuesday that the militant movement held informal, secret peace talks with the Afghan government earlier this month in Qatar, but a Taliban spokesman denied they took place. The Afghan Taliban officials, based in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the talks had yielded little. They added that U.S. officials were part of the process, although they did not specify whether they were directly involved in the talks. Afghan and U.S. officials demanded that the Taliban declared a ceasefire, laid down arms and started formal peace talks, said the UAE-based official. In response, he said, Taliban officials demanded that the group be officially recognized as a political movement, its leaders' names be removed from a UN blacklist and all prisoners be released. "Like our previous meetings, it was a waste of time and resources, as we could not achieve anything from the meeting," said the UAE-based official. Mark Toner, deputy spokesman at the State Department, said the United States supported a negotiated settlement to the Afghan conflict, but declined to comment on the reported talks. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed reports of the meeting, saying they were propaganda aimed at creating divisions within the insurgency. He was responding to an article earlier on Tuesday by Britain's Guardian newspaper that cited anonymous sources saying the Taliban had held two rounds of discussions, some of which included U.S. officials. According to the Guardian, the officials said the talks were attended by Mullah Abdul Manan, brother of the Afghan Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, who died in 2013. A spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani would not confirm or deny any recent talks in Qatar when asked by Reuters, but added: "We will use all possible ways in order to reach a lasting peace in the country". Previous Pakistan-brokered peace talks have yielded little progress, and ground to a halt when news of the death of Mullah Omar was confirmed in 2015. Efforts to revive the talks collapsed when the United States killed former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistan in May. Under new Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, fighting has raged across Afghanistan, with the Taliban attacking the northern city of Kunduz and threatening Helmand's provincial capital Lashkar Gah in the south. No Pakistani official took part in the latest talks, according to the Guardian. Relations between the governments in Kabul and Islamabad have deteriorated over the past year, with Afghanistan and the United States accusing Pakistan of harboring the Taliban and not doing enough to bring the group to the negotiating table. Pakistan denies providing the Taliban a safe haven. (Additional Reporting by Jibran Ahmed in PESHAWAR; Writing by Drazen Jorgic and Asad Hashim; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Mike Collett-White) Washington (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday demanded the release of an Iranian-American businessman and his 80-year-old father who were handed tough sentences in Tehran on espionage charges. "We are deeply concerned about reports that US citizens Siamak Namazi and Baquer Namazi have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. "We join recent calls by international organizations and UN human rights experts for the immediate release of all US citizens unjustly detained in Iran, including Siamak and Baquer Namazi, so that they can return to their families." Siamak Namazi, a well-connected business consultant who has supported reformist politicians in Iran, was arrested as he arrived in Tehran a year ago. His father, Baquer, was detained in February when he came to Iran to seek his son's release. He is a former UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) employee and served as a governor of the Iranian province of Khuzestan before the Islamic revolution of 1979. UNICEF voiced its "deep sadness and personal concern" over the sentence, appealing for his release on humanitarian grounds. The US also expressed concerns about reporters of the "declining health" of the elder Namazi. In its statement, the State Department also raised the case of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent and ex-CIA contractor who went missing on Iran's Kish Island in 2007. "We also respectfully underscore the importance of Iran cooperating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Mr Robert Levinson," Toner said. "As President (Barack) Obama stated last January, we will not rest until the Levinson family is whole again." From Cosmopolitan Donald Trumps latest unsubstantiated salvo against rival Hillary Clinton charges she might have been on drugs during their last debate and challenges her to join him in undergoing a pre-debatedrug test ahead of their third and final clash. The unfounded claim that the Democratic nominee needed pharmaceutical help took some attention away from whether voters would believe the women who claim that Trump sexually assaulted them or instead accept the Republicans flat denials. Also overshadowed by Trumps accusation was the release Saturday of yet more emails hacked from accounts of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The latest batch showed the campaign worrying whether Sen. Elizabeth Warren might endorse Bernie Sanders and wrestling with how to respond to revelations about her private email use. Another subject: lining up materials to respond to fresh accusations from Juanita Broaddrick, who accused Bill Clinton of raping her decades ago. He denied the rape accusation, which was never adjudicated by a criminal court. After surmising that Clinton was getting "pumped up" ahead of Wednesdays debate rather than preparing for it,Trump told supporters: "I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate, cause I dont know whats going on with her." He added: "But at the beginning of her last debate, she was all pumped up at the beginning. And at the end, it was like ... she could barely even reach her car." Trump also returned to familiar ground, reiterating his claims that the presidential contest is rigged against him and vowing anew to jail Clinton if hes elected. "The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing completely false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect her president," Trump said, referring to the several women who have come forward in recent days to say thatTrump had sexually assaulted them. He has called the women liars. In a country with a history of peaceful political transition, Trumps challenge to the elections legitimacy - as a way to explain a loss in November, should that happen - was a striking rupture of faith in American democracy. He has repeatedly claimed without offering evidence that election fraud is a serious problem and encouraged his largely white supporters to "go and watch" polling places in certain areas to make sure things are "on the up and up." Story continues Peter Kostruba, a Trump supporter who traveled to his Portsmouth rally from Barnet, Vermont, with his 10-year-old son, said hes not expecting riots to break out if Clinton wins, but he sees sharper divisions in the country. "It definitely feels like the odds are stacked, whether its the legal system or the voter system," Kostruba said. "I dont think youre going to see all of this group here arm themselves and mobilize, but, you know, were probably not too many years away from that if things keep going the way were going." On a similar theme, a prominent Trump supporter who spoke at the GOP convention last summer, Sheriff David Clarke Jr. of Wisconsins Milwaukee County, tweeted Saturday: "Its incredible that our institutions of gov, WH, Congress, DOJ, and big media are corrupt & all we do is bitch. Pitchforks and torches time." House Speaker Paul Ryan, whose decision not to campaign for Trump angered the GOP nominee, made clear he does not share the candidates concern about the elections legitimacy. "Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity," said AshLee Strong, speaking for him. The idea the election is unfairly tilted against Trump has become a resurgent theme for the New York billionaire and many of his supporters in the past several days as hes slipped in preference polls and faced allegations of sexual misconduct. Campaign money is tight, too, at least in comparison with Clintons resources. Trump began October with $75 million in his campaign and joint party accounts, he said Saturday in a statement. Thats exactly half of what the Clinton team said it had on hand - a worrisome financial disadvantage for the Republican side. There was trouble in Ohio, too, where Trump severed ties with the states Republican Party chairman, Matt Borges, who had become openly critical of the nominee at times. That crack in unity comes in a critical battleground state, where Republican Gov. John Kasich is also not behind Trump. You Might Also Like the crown netflix Good morning. Here's everything you need to know in the world of advertising today. 1. Netflix's stock shot up 20% after a big earnings beat. Its net international subscriber growth was 3.2 million, and Wall Street was only forecasting 2 million. 2. BuzzFeed is making a "major" investment in two branded content studios in London. BuzzFeed is more than doubling the size of its London headquarters after getting a taste for branded video from channels including Proper Tasty. 3. The maker of a $700 juicer has hired a former Coca-Cola president to be its new CEO. Juicero founder Doug Evans is stepping down. 4. Uber tested drones carrying ads over cars in Mexico City, but it won't be a regular event. The drones were part of a marketing effort by Uber in its busiest city. 5. T-Mobile's CEO says reinventing himself was key to transforming the company's culture. "I snapped," says John Legere. 6. Facebook has paused ads in Thailand out of respect for the country's late king. "Out of respect for the passing of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, were temporarily not showing ads in Thailand," Facebook said on its FAQ website for advertisers. 7. Google used to ask these interview questions, but they're so tricky they were banned. Questions include: "Why are manhole covers round?" 8. Facebook is inching closer to TV. Facebook users can now watch videos posted on the social platform on their TVs through Apple TV or Google Chromecast. 9. Disney is partnering with food brands to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. Disney has teamed up with Dole Food Company to create a line of fresh produce featuring Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel characters. 10. Pepsi is releasing plans to slash the sugar in its drinks. By 2025 at least two thirds of its drinks will have 100 calories or fewer from added sugar. NOW WATCH: Stephen Hawking warned us about contacting aliens, but this astronomer says it's 'too late' More From Business Insider A column by Andrew Ross Sorkin in The New York Times two weeks ago wondered why Donald Trump didnt have much business backing if he was such a great businessman. Mr. Trump has campaigned as a successful businessman, a brilliant negotiator He has contended that his economic policies will unleash unheard-of levels of growth as much as 6 percent, wrote Sorkin. And yet here we are: Many of the most successful business people in the country refuse to support him or do business with him, either. Now the Trump campaign has answered back. Related: Trumps Rigged Election Poll Watchers Could End Up in Jail An open letter signed by 100 business leaders including a dozen women bypasses the recent controversy over the GOP presidential nominees comments about and behavior toward women and focuses on his economic plan. The Trump economic plan is comprehensive and far-reaching. It cuts taxes, stops trade cheating, reduces regulations, unleashes Americas powerful energy sector and eliminates our growth-draining trade deficit, the letter says. This potent combination of tax, trade, energy and regulatory reforms will accelerate our GDP growth rate, create millions of jobs, and trillions of dollars in new additional income and tax revenues. The so-called leaders include Irma Aguirre, the owner of a Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas; Kathy Carr, vice president of sales and marketing for the Howie Carr Show, a syndicated radio talk show starring her husband; and Bradley Crate, deputy chief financial officer for Mitt Romneys 2008 presidential campaign and founder of a service that helps campaigns and political-action committees comply with Federal Election Commission rules. But there are big names on the list, too, some of whom have voiced their support for Trump earlier in the campaign. Among them are: New York Jets owner Woody Johnson; oil and gas billionaire Harold Hamm; tech billionaire Peter Thiel; former Nucor CEO Dan DiMicco; Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus; Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants (which owns the Carls Jr. chain), who served as an economic advisor to the Romney campaign. Story continues Related: If Trump Loses, Will He Keep the Nation Divided? Wall Street is well represented, with activist investor Carl Icahn; bottom-fisher Wilbur Ross; investor John Paulson, who won big in the housing meltdown; former Goldman Sachs General Partner Lew Eisenberg; former investment banker Charles Glazer; and Anthony Scaramucci, co-managing partner of hedge fund SkyBridge Capital. In a separate op-ed, DiMicco and Puzder bemoaned the sluggish recovery from the financial crisis. In 2010, the White House projected that GDP growth would accelerate in 2011 to 3.8 percent and exceed 4 percent per year in 2012-2014, they wrote. However, GDP has averaged about 2 percent since the recession ended, producing the worst economic recovery since World War II. DiMicco and Puzder predict that a Hillary Clinton presidency would be an economic disaster, enlarging the oppressive regulatory state, stifling the energy industry, driving up electricity and gas prices, and continuing the bad trade deals that have generated our massive trade deficits NAFTA, China's entry into the World Trade Organization [and] the 2012 South Korean deal. Worst of all if Clinton is elected, they warned the Trans-Pacific Partnership would end manufacturing as we know it in America. Related: How Americas $19.6 Trillion Debt Would Rise or Fall Under Trump, Clinton They make no mention of the fact that Clinton has withdrawn her support of TPP. There was also nothing said about the U.S. Chamber of Commerces rebuttal of Trumps trade policies. The op-ed said Trump would encourage business investment large and small, lower corporate and individual taxes, bring the foreign earnings of U.S. companies home, slash regulatory burdens, bring jobs back to America, cut massive trade deficits and repeal Obamacare. And the open letter asked: Whats next in the messy complexity of Obamacare, which is unraveling for millions of Americans before our eyes? It clearly is, as even Bill Clinton has put it, the craziest thing. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: The Daily Beast STRINGER/ReutersVideo footage shows pedestrians attempting to sway an Indian suspension bridge in the moments before it catastrophically collapsed, leaving at least 141 people dead as of Monday.Rescuers expect the death toll to continue to rise after the bridge fell apart in the western state of Gujarat on Sunday. The majority of those killed were women, children, or elderly people, a local official told the BBC. Almost 180 people were successfully rescued, however, in an overnight operation inv Lubumbashi (DR Congo) (AFP) - Pygmy-Bantu clashes over a caterpillar collection tax have left 20 people dead in DR Congo and sparked fears of a new flare-up in trouble that over the past two years displaced tens of thousands of people. Local MP Kalunga Mawazo told AFP on Tuesday that the fresh fighting was triggered by a dispute over the caterpillar harvest, a common food staple for the hunter-gatherer Pygmy people of the Tanganyika region in northern Katanga province. "The attacks since Sunday left four (Bantu) Lubas and 16 Pygmies dead in a row over the tax traditionally paid to the Bantus by the Pygmies," Kalunga said. A local priest who asked not to be named said that "the Pygmies believe they now have the same rights as citizens as the others. They refused to pay this illegal tax and shot two Luba people dead with arrows when they demanded payment." Another two Lubas, who are Bantu people, were killed in revenge attacks. The bodies of 16 Pygmies were also found, the priest said. Tanganyika governor Ngoy Kitangala said that security forces were being dispatched to the area where tension remains extremely high. Pygmies from the local Twa group have long complained of being marginalised, exploited and despised by Bantu people living in farming communities, saying they treat them like second-class citizens. - Love affair leads to war - But it was a love affair between a Bantu and his Pygmy mistress that served as the trigger to repeated clashes between the two communities that broke out in 2013 in northern Katanga, a region as big as Spain. "A Bantu was surprised in flagrante delicto of adultery with a Pygmy woman," a Bantu village chief told AFP at the time. Due to the long simmering problems between the two peoples, the fighting in one of the world's poorest regions quickly degenerated, unleashing a cycle of revenge killings, looting and the burning of entire villages. More than 200 people were reported dead in the 2014-2015 violence and tens of thousands fled fighting that pitted bows and arrows against machete blades. Story continues Cohabitation has never been easy between the two communities, with the land-owning Bantus accused of exploiting the hunter-gatherers, paying them meagre wages, or paying them in alcohol and cigarettes for labouring the land. For generations the Pygmies have wandered the bush and tropical forests of DR Congo, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Gabon. But their millennial lifestyle is increasingly under threat from deforestation, mining and extensive farming. Tension with the Bantu people had eased in recent months thanks to mediation efforts by local authorities and UN officials. But in September new clashes near the eastern town of Kabalo left eight dead. On Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016, Yahoo News and Finance Anchor Bianna Golodryga talks with Yahoo Senior Political Correspondent Jon Ward on the latest flare-ups from the campaign trail, specifically Donald Trumps continued allegations that our election system is rigged. Many in the Republican establishment have distanced themselves from those claims. Yahoo News Now Special Edition: 2016 The Choice Every weekday until the election, well be coming to you live from the Yahoo Studios in New York City, bringing the latest information and analysis of the days most compelling storylines in the race for the White House. drew barrymore scream ghostface Every Halloween, people flock to haunted houses, dress up as terrifying ghouls, or curl up on the couch with a few horror movies. The compulsion to scare oneself for fun seems counterintuitive, but it shows up across most cultures. So why do some people do it? It turns out it's all about how fear is experienced though, of course, not everyone feels the same about it. 1) People who like being scared may feel rewarded by it. scared haunted house screaming There's evidence that people who enjoy watching horror movies have brain chemistry that differs from people who would rather not spend an evening binging on "The Exorcist" and "Evil Dead," according to psychiatrist David Zald. Dopamine is responsible for feelings of accomplishment and rewards, but it's also been linked to averse emotions like fear and dread, according to a 2008 study from the University of Michigan. Zald's research at Vanderbilt University expanded on how dopamine works with fear, and found that those who enjoyed fearful or risky situations tend to have brain cells that aren't able to regulate their brain dopamine release as well so their brains end up soaking in dopamine for longer periods of time, according to National Geographic. In other words, they tend to get more out of being scared out of their gourds because they end up with higher levels of dopamine. "Think of dopamine like gasoline," Zald told National Geographic. "You combine that with a brain equipped with a lesser ability to put on the brakes than normal, and you get people who push limits." Adrenaline, which is also released during dangerous moments, is also perceived as enjoyable by some hence the term "adrenaline junkies" for people who love skydiving and other extreme activities. According to National Geographic, "the chemical release generates a feeling of exhilaration that continues after the threat has passed ... for some people, that adrenaline rush can become a reward the brain seeks." Story continues 2) Emotionally intense situations are more memorable and can bring people together. scared bros halloween nightmares fear factory People have been telling scary stories around the campfire for a long time. But fear, rather than scattering people screaming into the night, might actually make them huddle closer together. Intense fear, when experienced with other people, can be very memorable, according to Margee Kerr, a sociologist at Robert Morris University and Chatham University. "We build a special closeness with those we are with when we're in an excited state, and more important, that it can be a really good thing," Kerr told the Atlantic. "We're social and emotional beings we need each other in times of stress, so the fact that our bodies have evolved to make sure we feel close to those we are with when afraid makes sense." 3) It has to be the right kind of fear in the right place. Walking Dead Zombie Haunted House The fun of Halloween is that you can experience the thrill of fear without any real threat. Kerr, who studies what scares people at a Pittsburgh haunted house called Scarehouse, and a new pet project called The Basement, told the Atlantic that there's a limit to how fear can be safely experienced. "It's all about triggering the amazing fight-or-flight response to experience the flood of adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine, but in a completely safe space," Kerr told the Atlantic. "Being scared lost in the woods alone with no help in sight bad; being scared lost in a haunted house with your friends, with professionals no more than twenty feet away ready to whisk you out of danger good!" The thrills of a haunted house or a scary movie can also provide a boost of self-esteem, Kerr said. "Lots of people also enjoy scary situations because it leaves them with a sense of confidence after it's over," she told the Atlantic. "Think about the last time you made it through a scary movie, or through a haunted house. You might have thought, 'yes! I did it! I made it all the way through!' " So if you're a fan of the macabre, go all out. You might make some friends, and feel a lot better about yourself. Guia Marie Del Prado wrote a previous version of this article. NOW WATCH: Here's why this image disgusts some people More From Business Insider Prepaid cards have gained popularity. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in 2012, prepaid cards had $65 billion uploaded on them; by 2018, that amount is expected to spike to $112 billion. It's easy to understand their appeal. Younger people like prepaid cards because they see it as cheaper than having a high-interest credit card or a checking account, which comes with maintenance costs and potential overdraft fees. [See: Best Credit Cards: Find the Right Card for You.] Banks love prepaid cards because they're less expensive to maintain than a traditional bank account, the associated fees can generate additional revenue and until recently, they haven't been heavily regulated. The lack of regulation will change in about a year. The CFPB just announced new rules for prepaid cards that will begin in Oct. 2017. If you're trying to make sense of it all, here's a roundup of some of the changes coming down the pike for prepaid cards. More transparency. Starting Oct. 1, 2017, consumers will be given more paperwork in easy-to-understand language with disclosures spelled out, including relevant fees. That would be a major improvement over the current system, says Stephen Lesavich, a Kenosha, Wisconsin-based attorney and author of "The Plastic Effect: How Urban Legends Influence the Use and Misuse of Credit Cards." "Under current regulations, many consumers lost the money they placed on the prepaid cards over time because they were not aware of the charges and fees," Lesavich says. [See: 25 Fast Financial Fixes.] Better protection if your money is lost or stolen. If your wallet is stolen with a $1,000 prepaid card inside, starting in Oct. 2017, you'll be able to get most of it back. No matter how much is stolen, the most you'll be on the hook for is $50 (as long as you report the card stolen or lost within two business days). That puts a prepaid card on par with a credit or debit card, but it isn't enough for some industry watchdogs. Story continues Andrea Luquetta, director of policy and research at the California Reinvestment Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for fair and equal access to credit, says that all of these rules are "a good start" but points out that prepaid card issuers won't be required to have FDIC insurance. So if you upload $1,000 onto a prepaid card and the next day the company goes out of business, you're out of luck. Better overdraft protection. Most prepaid cards don't allow you to spend more than you have. That's one of their biggest draws. Many users like knowing that they won't accidentally spend more than they have and be charged an overdraft fee. The problem is, some prepaid cards do allow consumers to spend more than they have, which takes their prepaid cards into negative numbers. Critics say that letting consumers go into overdraft with a prepaid card is akin to giving them high-interest payday loans; supporters say that it allows consumers to have a short-term, albeit expensive, loan, which could be helpful if you're in a financial jam. In any case, the CFPB is limiting how deeply you can go into overdraft. For the first year of having a prepaid card, the total cost of going into overdraft can't exceed 25 percent of your card's credit limit. So if you're allowed to go $100 into overdraft, you won't get more than $25 in overdraft fees. Fewer fees. Not all prepaid cards have these fees, but you could choose a prepaid card that has an activation fee, a point of sale fee, a customer service fee, an inactivity fee, ATM fees, upload fees, card replacement fees, online bill pay fees ... Next fall, when the regulations kick in, prepaid card companies will be required to send you a monthly statement similar to what you receive for having a credit card or checking account. Smart users will review their statements regularly to ensure they aren't being consistently hit with perplexing charges, like a point of sale fee, which means you're being charged for using the card to buy something. And if your prepaid card has gone into overdraft, you'll be given 21 days to pay back your debt, allowing you to hopefully avoid yet another fee -- a late fee. Some cards give consumers a grace period of one day. [See: 10 Easy Ways to Pay Off Debt.] Fewer opportunities to be in a debt trap. Many people get prepaid cards to avoid going into debt. But as Lesavich says, that hasn't been the case for everyone. Some people have stumbled into those overdraft traps with their prepaid card, and because they couldn't pay the card back in time, would accrue more fees; ultimately the money they owed the prepaid card would be reported to their credit bureau, dinging their credit score. All from having a prepaid card. But the new rules will make it harder for that to happen. For one, prepaid companies will be required to make sure consumers have the ability to pay any debt before offering the ability to spend more than they have on the card. Companies also won't be allowed to issue this credit feature on a prepaid card until a cardholder has had the account for 30 days. The idea? Consumers will get some experience using the card first. Another helpful change will be the ability to fight back when you think your issuer is being unfair, Lesavich says. "In the past, dispute resolution for duplicate charges and fraudulent charges on a prepaid card was difficult for a consumer," Lesavich says. "Under the new rules, prepaid card issuers must cooperate with customers to investigate or resolve dispute incidents in a timely manner. If the dispute process can't be completed within 10 business days, the card issuer will be required to temporarily credit the disputed amount to the consumer's card." None of this means it'll be impossible to get into trouble using a prepaid card. But prepaid cards are often marketed as a helpful tool to avoid getting in debt. In a year, they may actually live up to that promise. More From US News & World Report For many aspiring homeowners in Chicago, buying a condo is a way to break into the market without breaking the budget. Condos offer the rewards of ownership with less maintenance than a single-family home, and they're often the best option for those looking to buy in highly desirable neighborhoods. However, with Chicago's real estate market only growing hotter, condo buyers need to do their due diligence to ensure they're making a worthwhile investment. According to some of Chicago's top real estate agents as identified by OpenHouse Realty, a real estate data company (and a U.S. News partner), here are six things to consider before buying a condo in Chicago. Keep track of the renters. While the ability to rent your condo could be valuable if you're in a pinch or buying as an investment, renters occupying too high a percentage of a building can have a negative effect. "If it's over 50 percent rented, you could have trouble getting a loan," says Jennifer Mills Klatt with the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices KoenigRubloff Realty Group. [Read: Get the Best Price on a Lakefront Condominium in Chicago.] Even if you are able to get a loan, moving into a building with a lot of renters may not be an ideal situation. Haakon Knutson, director of sales for The MC Group, notes that renters don't always have the same level of care for their units as property owners, which could ultimately affect your common space. "Owners, especially in smaller, self-managed buildings, have a vested financial interest in making capital improvements to a property along with investing their own sweat equity," Knutson explains. "On the other hand, part of the benefit to renting is that a tenant is not typically responsible for making improvements to the property or doing things like shoveling snow, raking leaves or cleaning the common hallways." Meanwhile, a high renter-to-owner ratio can also limit your ability to get things fixed around the building, as owners who aren't living on-site may be less likely to vote to spend money on improvements. This could make selling your condo more difficult in the future. Story continues Check the parking. Finding a place to park your car is rarely easy in Chicago. So even if a seller (or a seller's agent) tells you parking will be no problem, don't take his or her word for it. For buyers who will depend on street parking, Knutson recommends driving to where you will be parking at the time you expect to arrive home from work. And he recommends doing it more than once. So much can vary with Chicago parking. Parking in places like Wrigleyville can be impossible during a Cubs game but easy in the offseason, so it's always best to check out the parking situations on various days. "One individual's definition of 'easy street parking' may vary from another's, so it's always best to confirm in person," Knutson says. Even if your condo purchase includes a designated parking spot, Knutson advises actually pulling into the spot before finalizing the deal. Some buyers may not notice how tight a spot is, or if there is a dumpster or column nearby that may limit the size of the car you park. Review the condo association meeting minutes. Purchasing a condo can take a lot of work, which doesn't end once you go under contract. When Mills Klatt's clients hit the attorney review stage, she has one final piece of advice: Check the condo association's meeting minutes. "That's when you're really going to find out the low-down with the building," she says. [Read: A First-Time Buyer's Guide to Chicago.] Because residents report complaints to the condo association, meeting minutes will often let you in on the secrets of the building, such as the presence of loud dogs, crazy neighbors or consistent phone calls to the police department. Consider the neighborhood. As you're looking for the perfect location, it's best to check things out for yourself as opposed to relying on what you think you may know about a neighborhood. Emily Sachs Wong, real estate broker with @properties, tells her clients to take a deep dive into the neighborhoods they like and get to know specific areas within each. "Every four blocks in Chicago is its own little micro neighborhood," she says. This will help you decide which environment is right for you. For example, do you want to live right in the middle of the hustle and bustle, or be a few blocks away on a tree-lined street? These are all important aspects to identify. "Get out of your car and walk around," Sachs Wong recommends. "Then, if you like that location or intersection, then draw and circle around there" and limit your search to that area. Look into the assessments. Many Chicago condo buildings have a lot of extra bells and whistles -- such as gyms, pools and doormen -- that can be attractive to buyers. But it's important to consider the cost. Some Chicago high-rises have assessments of $1,000 per month or more. Knutson notes, "That cost gets up there pretty quick." If you don't mind investing in a gym membership or shoveling your own walk in the winter, you can save a lot of money. The monthly costs can be daunting on their own, but special assessments can do even more damage to your bank account. If things like an elevator or roof need work, condo owners may be hit with special assessment costs reaching tens of thousands of dollars. Before making a purchase, Knutson recommends looking into a condo association's monetary reserves to see if it could absorb the cost of a big project. Inspect before you sign. Some homebuyers make the mistake of conducting a walk-through of the condo after they've already signed a contract. Instead, hire a professional to conduct a thorough inspection of the property before you finalize the sale. That way, you learn about any issues before you agree to buy the property -- and any fixes you need to negotiate into the contract. [Read: 4 Real Estate Trends to Know Before You Sell Your Chicago Home.] While hiring an inspector has become commonplace for condo buyers, not everyone is bringing in an inspector with the latest and greatest technology. For example, Mills Klatt makes sure her buyers hire an inspector who uses an infrared gun, which indicates temperature differentials that could potentially show moisture penetration that could lead to mold problems. Looking for a real estate agent in Chicago? Our Find an Agent tool can match you with the person who's most qualified for the job. More From US News & World Report New York (AFP) - Rock pioneer Chuck Berry turned 90 on Tuesday with the surprise announcement that he plans to release his first album in decades. Berry said he recorded the album -- entitled simply "Chuck" -- at studios around his native St. Louis and will release it sometime next year. Considered one of the creators of rock 'n' roll, Berry helped define 1950s youth culture and shape the future of music by bringing together rhythm and blues, country guitar and consummate stage showmanship. His 1958 song "Johnny B. Goode" is one of the most recognizable in popular music and was selected to represent rock music for potential extraterrestrial listeners on the Voyager spacecraft. "Chuck" will be the first album in 38 years by Berry, who has gradually cut back on live performances as his age advances. Chuck Berry dedicated the album to his wife of 68 years, Themetta Berry. "My darlin', I'm growing old! I've worked on this record for a long time. Now I can hang up my shoes!" he said in a statement. Berry recorded the album with his backup band -- which includes his son Charles Berry Jr. on guitar -- from his two decades of shows at the Blueberry Club in St. Louis. The band "fell right into the groove and followed his lead," the younger Berry said. "These songs cover the spectrum from hard-driving rockers to soulful thought-provoking time capsules of a life's work," he said. Chuck Berry, who was in the first round of inductees when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1986, will hold events to promote the album that will be announced later, his label said. (Reuters) - Rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry celebrated his 90th birthday on Tuesday by announcing that his first album of new music in 38 years would be released next year. Called simply "Chuck," the album will consist mostly of new, original material recorded and produced by Berry, his record company said. Berry's children, Charles Berry Jr. on guitar and Ingrid Berry on harmonica, form part of his backing band on the record. The specific date of the album's release was not mentioned. "What an honor to be part of this new music," Berry Jr. said in a statement. The St. Louis band, or as dad called us the Blueberry Hill Band, fell right into the groove and followed his lead. These songs cover the spectrum from hard-driving rockers to soulful thought-provoking time capsules of a life's work." Berry said he was dedicating the new album to his wife of 68 years, Themetta. "My darlin Im growing old! Ive worked on this record for a long time. Now I can hang up my shoes! the musician said in a statement. With songs like "Maybellene," "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Johnny B. Goode" in the late 1950s, Berry helped lay the foundation for modern rock music and was a major influence on scores of 1960s bands, including the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The St. Louis, Missouri, songwriter and guitar player was given a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 1984 and was in the first class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees in 1986. (Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bill Trott) Aamir Khan wins hearts in Bhutan as he poses with these adorable kiddos Aamir Khan wins hearts in Bhutan as he poses with these adorable kiddos We know that Aamir Khan does his best to give back to society. This time, he has joined hands with UNICEF to work towards the betterment of kids in Bhutan. Donning the real life role of an ambassador, Aamir Khan has headed to Bhutan to work on ensuring a healthy future for their little ones. Recommended Read: Aamir Khans Dangal trailer to release on October 20! Aamir is seen here posing with some moms and their babies. He said, I am here as the ambassador from UNICEF. I am so happy to be here and meet the people of Bhutan. I have heard so many good things about the progress that Bhutan has been making. But there is always scope for improvement. And were concerned about reaching every last child. That is commendable, isnt it? PARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - AccorHotels, Europe's top hotels group, cut back the upper end of its 2016 profit target rantge after French and Belgian operations were hit by security fears in the third quarter. The world's fifth-largest hotel group said these two countries remained a major point of vigilance for the group even though it achieved robust growth in most of its key markets. AccorHotels, undergoing an overhaul begun by Chief Executive Sebastien Bazin in 2013, said it was now forecasting a 2016 operating profit of between 670 million and 690 million euros. This compared with a previous range of 670 million euros and 720 million euros for 2016 and against 665 million euros in 2015. Third quarter sales rose 1.8 percent to 1.538 billion euros ($1.69 billion)like-for-like, a slight deceleration from 2 percent growth in the second quarter. The French business, which makes 30 percent of group sales, was hurt by safety fears following Islamist attacks in Europe, with sales in the country down 4.7 percent in July-September. ($1 = 0.9097 euros) (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon) Oslo (AFP) - Environmental groups filed a lawsuit against energy-rich Norway on Tuesday to stop oil drilling in the Barents Sea. Greenpeace Nordic and Norwegian group Natur og Ungdom (Nature and Youth) accused the government of violating the Paris agreement on climate change and Norway's constitution by allowing companies to drill for gas and oil in the Arctic waters. "The constitution obliges the state to guarantee a healthy environment, and definition of a healthy environment is linked to the commitments of the Paris agreement," Greenpeace Norway head Truls Gulowsen told AFP. "We will argue in court that the Norwegian government has an obligation to keep its climate promises and will invoke the people's right to a healthy environment for ours and future generations," Nature and Youth head Ingrid Skjoldvaer said in a joint statement with Greenpeace. "It will be against the people of the Arctic," she said. - 'Act of hypocrisy' - Norway, whose oil revenue is declining, in May provided 10 production licences covering a total of 40 blocks to 13 companies, including national oil major Statoil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips of the US, Germany's DEA, Japan's Idemitsu, Swedish Lundin, Austria's OMV and Lukoil of Russia. The government believes it is abiding by the constitution and that the "validity of the licences cannot therefore be attacked on this basis," energy ministry spokesman Ole Berthelsen told AFP. The three most disputed licences are located in a currently unexplored maritime border area, over which non-OPEC states Norway and Russia were bitterly at odds before reaching an agreement in 2010. One of these areas is the northernmost ever open for exploitation, and environmental groups are concerned about its proximity to the disputed limits of sea ice. Norway was one of the first countries to ratify the December Paris agreement, which aims to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Story continues "Signing an international climate agreement while throwing open the door to Arctic oil drilling is a dangerous act of hypocrisy," Gulowsen said in a statement. "By allowing oil companies to drill in the Arctic, Norway risks undermining global efforts to address climate change," he said. Largely ice free due to the Gulf Stream, the waters now open for exploration are considered promising by the oil industry as Norway's crude production continues to decline since it reached a peak in 2000. Adibah Noor will not work in a production that insults Islam and Malays. 18 Oct Adibah Noor Mohamed Omar, or more famously known as Adibah Noor, has voiced her disappointment with the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia (LPF), following the latter's decision to reject her movie, "Fundamentally Happy". The reasons given were unfair, said the actress. LPF had rejected the movie as it was deemed sensitive to local audiences especially Malays, and the storyline was not suitable. "The movie is not about religion or races. Instead it revolves around forgiveness and internal conflict," said the actress, as quoted by Harian Metro. She also questioned why Hollywood movies about terrorism, which are often related to Islam, can be given the green light but not her said movie. The "Hoore! Hoore!" actress added that the movie was not made for profit, but out of passion and sincerity in presenting a work of art. The actress said that she would never be involved with the movie if it insulted Islam and Malays. Meanwhile, Chairman of LPF, Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid, stated that the movie was declined showing because it does not meet criteria. One of the reasons that led to its rejection was the paedophiliac plot involving a Malay man and a 10-year-old Chinese child. Abdul Hamid stressed that LPF watched the movie twice before deciding to reject it. However, the production can still enter a plea for further assessment if they wish to do so. (Photo source: Adibah Noor's Instagram | Fundamentally Happy's Facebook) Vienna (AFP) - A new row erupted Tuesday over Austria's plans to raze the house where Adolf Hitler was born, with experts saying they opposed the demolition only a day after a decision was announced. After a lengthy legal battle with the current owner, Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said Monday the listed property in the northern town of Braunau would be "torn down" to stop it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine. A new building on the site would be used by a charity or the local authorities, he told Austrian media. Sobotka said the decision was based on recommendations from an expert committee. But several of the panel's 13 members denied Tuesday that the commission had backed the push to bulldoze the yellow corner house where Hitler was born on April 20, 1889. "The demolition option had been explicitly mentioned in the (government's) proposal and was not approved by us," said Clemens Jabloner, the ex-president of Austria's highest administrative court, in a joint statement with historian Oliver Rathkolb. Instead, the committee had suggested a "profound architectural redesign". "A demolition would amount to negating Austria's Nazi past," the pair said. Braunau mayor Johannes Waidbacher, another panel member, also said there had been "no mention of demolition" in the report. Responding to the criticism, Sobotka on Tuesday insisted the main goal was to destroy any "resemblance" to the current house, "especially its outer appearance". Whether this process would an involve an actual demolition could be discussed, he told journalists in Vienna. The government would put the new building design out to tender, Sobotka added. A copy of the commission's report showed the experts had been "against leaving an empty space instead of a building". "A complete transformation or removal of the building is in principle suited to erase the place's ideological connotation and dissolve the emotional ties with Hitler. But... a historical contextualisation remains necessary," the report read. Story continues - 'Never again fascism' - Although Hitler only spent the first few weeks of his life at Number 15 Salzburger Vorstadt Street, the address has been a persistent thorn in Austria's side, drawing Nazi sympathisers from around the world. Every year on Hitler's birthday, anti-fascist protesters organise a rally outside the building, next to a memorial stone reading: "For Peace, Freedom and Democracy. Never Again Fascism, Millions of Dead Warn." The dilapidated property in the historic town centre has been empty since 2011 when the government became embroiled in a dispute with owner and local resident Gerlinde Pommer. Her family has owned the 800-square-metre (8,600-feet) building for more than a century, except for a brief period during the Nazi regime. In 1972, the Austrian government signed a lease with Pommer and turned the premises into a centre for people with disabilities. But the arrangement came to an abrupt end five years ago when Pommer refused to grant permission for much-needed renovation works. The famously elusive owner also rejected a purchase offer made by the increasingly exasperated interior ministry. In July, the government approved a legislation amendment to seize the house from Pommer who continues to net 4,800 euros (around $5,300) in rent every month. The expropriation bill, which includes compensation for Pommer, was to be debated in parliament later Tuesday. Sobotka earlier said it could enter into force by the end of the year. The issue has also sparked debate among Braunau's 17,000 residents. Some want the building to become a refugee centre, others a museum dedicated to Austria's liberation from Nazi rule. "Whether the house stays or not changes nothing in our responsible dealings with history," said district commissioner Georg Wojak on Tuesday. "Braunau doesn't deserve to be reduced to Hitler's dictatorship." This adorable dog was mistaken for a home intruder by its owners and we cant stop LOLing Even though he doesnt look like hed hurt a flea, this adorable dog who was mistaken for a home intruder by its owner almost wound up with a criminal record. Sonoma County Sheriffs officers responded to a 911 call from an 18-year-old California man who reported strange noises inside his home. While he panicked and called for backup, his other dogs barked at the mysterious sounds, which obviously meant there was a burglar ransacking his homeexcept that actually wasnt the case at all. Upon arriving on the scene of what they believed to be a crime in progress, police told The Dodo that it wasnt long before they traced the source of the noises to the owners Great Dane that was spotted poking his head through the skylight. As it turns out, the precious pooch was indulging in a little solo doggie chill time and the other barking dogs wanted in. TFW youre caught red-handed: And you have absolutely no clue why the whole world is watching your every move: One of the deputies outside the house heard this scratching noise, Sheriff Spencer Crum said. He shined his light around the house and saw this dog sticking his head out a skylight on the roof. The deputy said and I quote At that point we ditched all tactics and died laughing.' Aw, poor doggie! Weve been there, though. We too have gone to extreme lengths to get some alone time so you totally have our sympathy. The post This adorable dog was mistaken for a home intruder by its owners and we cant stop LOLing appeared first on HelloGiggles. UAE giants Al Ain progressed to the final of the AFC Champions League at the expense of Qatar's El Jaish after a 2-2 draw in their semi-final second leg in Doha ensured a 5-3 aggregate victory on Tuesday. El Jaish needed to raise their game a few notches to overcome a two-goal deficit following their 3-1 defeat in the first leg, but despite Brazilian Romarinho's double the Emirati giants held their nerve to clinch a last-gasp draw with Mohamed Abdulrahman finding the net in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Al Ain, the champions in 2003 and the runners-up in 2005, will in all likelihood take on South Korea's Jeonbuk Motors in the final as they hold a massive 4-1 advantage over Seoul ahead of their semi-final second leg match on Wednesday. Following a goalless first half which saw both teams miss several chances, Omar Abdulrahman put the Emiratis ahead in the 57th minute with a low shot into the bottom left corner of the net after combining with Brazilian Ciao to split the El Jaish defence with an exchange of precision passes. El Jaish, however, equalised 10 minutes later when ex-Barcelona star Seydou Keita found Romarinho and the diminutive midfielder's shot from the edge of the area found the net after taking a deflection off Ismail Ahmed. Romarinho, who has modeled himself on his idol, the Brazilian legend Romario, then put El Jaish ahead almost in similar fashion, with Keita providing him with the vital assist yet again in the 81st minute. Things then got desperate as Ciao went close in the 84th minute and Mohamed Abdulrahman saw his header blocked by El Jaish goalie Khalifa Ababacar. With three minutes remaining, Al Ain's Mohammed Fayez threw himself down to thwart Sardor Rashidov's strike from the right and Ciao also missed another chance to register his name on the score sheet. However, Mohamed Abdulrahman found the net more than four minutes into stoppage time to put Al Ain on course for a possible second continental title. MILAN (Reuters) - Top managers at Alitalia and Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) have not met to discuss the idea of the German airline buying a stake in the Italian flagship carrier, an Alitalia spokesman said on Tuesday. "Alitalia managers did not meet with those from Lufthansa to talk about the German company entering (our) capital," the spokesman said. On Tuesday Italian daily Il Messaggero said talks were under way between Alitalia CEO Cramer Ball and CFO Duncan Naysmith with Lufthansa managers. The talks were aimed at finding a deal that could see Air Berlin being given to Lufthansa in exchange for the German carrier buying into Alitalia, the paper said. United Arab Emirates airline Etihad owns 49 percent of Alitalia and 29.2 percent of Air Berlin. (Reporting by Alberto Sisto, writing by Stephen Jewkes) We expect financial transaction services provider Alliance Data Systems Corporation ADS to beat expectations when it reports third-quarter results on Oct 20, before the market opens. Why a Likely Positive Surprise? Our proven model shows that Alliance Data has the right combination of two key ingredients to beat estimates. Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is +0.24%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate of $4.18 is pegged higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.17. The positive ESP is a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely earnings beat. Zacks Rank: Alliance Data carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating on earnings. The combination of Alliance Datas Zacks Rank #3 and +0.24% Earnings ESP makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Conversely, the Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 and 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement. What is Driving the Better-Than-Expected Earnings? Alliance Data has likely witnessed growth, both in terms of revenues and earnings, in the to-be-reported quarter owing to lower yield compression at Card Services segment, lower loss rates and better performance at Epsilon. Moreover, Alliance Data is likely to report revenue growth at BrandLoyalty in the third quarter. An increase in the number of short-term loyalty programs as well as rapid expansion into new markets like South Africa and New Zealand is expected to have contributed to the upside. Further, the companys digital and technology platforms business is anticipated to have experienced revenue growth driven by its automotive platform, Conversant Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and continuous offerings in the digital space. However, the financial transaction services provider is expected to report a rise in expenses, mainly due to higher cost of operations and increased general and administrative expenses. With respect to earnings trend, the company delivered positive surprises in three of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 1.39%. Story continues ALLIANCE DATA Price and EPS Surprise ALLIANCE DATA Price and EPS Surprise | ALLIANCE DATA Quote Stocks to Consider Here are some financial transaction services providers that you may want to consider as these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Cardtronics plc CATM has an Earnings ESP of +3.61% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is set to report third-quarter earnings on Oct 27. WEX Inc. WEX has an Earnings ESP of +0.95% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is slated to report third-quarter earnings on Oct 27. FleetCor Technologies, Inc. FLT has an Earnings ESP of +1.72% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to report third-quarter earnings on Nov 2. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report CARDTRONICS PLC (CATM): Free Stock Analysis Report FLEETCOR TECH (FLT): Free Stock Analysis Report WEX INC (WEX): Free Stock Analysis Report ALLIANCE DATA (ADS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. SAN DIEGO (AP) -- America's Cup officials released the full schedule for the 2017 regatta in Bermuda while continuing to remain silent about an arbitration panel decision that reportedly went against organizers and could cost them several million dollars. Racing is scheduled to begin May 26 with the double round robin qualifiers. For the first time, the defender, Oracle Team USA, will compete against challengers before the America's Cup match itself. If the challenger that wins the qualifiers advances to the match, it will begin with a one-point advantage. Likewise, if Oracle, owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison, wins the qualifiers, it will begin the match with a one-point lead. The qualifiers originally were to be sailed in Auckland, New Zealand, but were pulled after Emirates Team New Zealand supported another syndicate in a dispute over an unprecedented midcourse downsizing of the boats. Emirates Team New Zealand, the hard-luck loser of the 2013 America's Cup, took its case to the arbitration panel. Organizers have attempted to keep the panel's deliberations shrouded in secrecy, with violators facing draconian penalties. However, Sail-World.com, citing four sources it didn't identify, reported last month that the panel ruled in favor of ETNZ against the America's Cup Event Authority, and that a penalty phase has yet to be held. Since it's too late to schedule a regatta in New Zealand, Team New Zealand likely is seeking to recoup the millions of dollars in government funding it lost when the qualifier was pulled from Auckland. San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club, the cup's trustee, and a majority of challengers, excluding the Kiwis, voted in June to prohibit teams and individuals from discussing or even confirming the existence of a dispute before the arbitration panel. Doing so could draw sanctions including censure and a fine of up to $1 million. On Tuesday, an America's Cup spokesman cited the confidentiality rules in declining to say whether there has been a decision. Story continues Russell Coutts, who heads both the event authority and Oracle Team USA, didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the panel's decision. Coutts also is one of three people with Oracle connections on the GGYC's five-member America's Cup Committee. The qualifiers will eliminate one of the five challengers. The remaining four will then go into the ''playoffs'' to determine which team will face two-time defending America's Cup champion Oracle in the best-of-13 match scheduled to begin on June 17. The match is scheduled to be contested over two weekends, June 17-18 and 24-25, with racing on June 26 and 27 if necessary. The top team in the America's Cup World Series will carry two points into the qualifiers, while the second-place team will carry one point. The final ACWS regatta is next month in Fukuoka, Japan. Britain's Land Rover BAR, led by Sir Ben Ainslie, leads Oracle by 14 points in the overall standings, with Team New Zealand in third, three points behind the American-sponsored defender. Rounding out the field are SoftBank Team Japan, Sweden's Artemis Racing and Groupama Team France. Oracle started the 2013 match in San Francisco with a two-point deficit against Team New Zealand as part of its punishment for being caught in a cheating scandal. After the Kiwis reached match point, Oracle won eight straight races to retain the oldest trophy in international sports. Coutts then chose to defend the Auld Mug in Bermuda rather than the United States. --- Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson A settlement has been reached between a group of animation workers and DreamWorks Animation in a class action lawsuit alleging that DreamWorks and other companies violated antitrust laws by conspiring to set animation wages via nonpoaching agreements. According to documents filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose on Monday, the settlement provides for a cash payment of $50 million to a settlement fund. The named plaintiffs, Robert Nitsch, David Wentworth, and Georgia Cano, already had reached settlement agreements with Sony ImageWorks and Blue Sky Studios. Other defendants in the case are the Walt Disney Co., Lucasfilm, Pixar and ImageMovers. Tjose cases are still pending. Under the terms of the proposed DreamWorks settlement, the class includes certain animation and visual effects workers who worked at DreamWorks from 2004 to 2010; Pixar from 2004 to 2010; Lucasfilm from 2004 to 2010; The Walt Disney Co. from 2004 to 2010; Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks from 2004 to 2010; Blue Sky from 2005 to 2010; and ImageMovers from 2007 to 2010. The plaintiffs attorneys may ask for up to 30 percent of settlement funds for attorneys fees. If the court approves, each of the named plaintiffs would receive up to $10,000 each. Exact payments for each employee will be based on a formula, posted on the class action website. The settlement still must be approved by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 19. The lawsuit was filed by Nitsch, a former DreamWorks Animation senior character effects artist; Wentworth, a former ImageMovers Digital production engineer; and Cano, a digital artist who held jobs at Rhythm & Hues, Walt Disney Feature Animation and ImageMovers Digital. In its settlement, Sony agreed to pay $13 million to the settlement fund, and Blue Sky agreed to contribute $5.95 million. The workers contend that the roots of the anti-poaching agreements go back to the mid-1980s, when George Lucas and Ed Catmull, the president of Steve Jobs newly formed company Pixar, agreed to not raid each others employees. Story continues Other companies then joined the conspiracy, the suit contended, with agreements on such things as cold calling and notifying each other when making an offer to an employee of another company. Lucasfilm and Pixar were already targets of a Justice Department antitrust lawsuit in 2010, along with Apple, Google, Adobe Systems, Intel Corp. and Intuit, in which the government contended that their no solicitation agreements prevented highly skilled employees from commanding better wages and job opportunities. The companies settled the litigation by agreeing to end such practices for a period of five years. In a settlement of a class action civil suit that Koh approved in May 2014, Lucasfilm and Pixar agreed to pay $9 million, and Intuit agreed to pay $11 million. But during the litigation, emails were disclosed that appeared to link other companies to the no poaching agreements. The animation workers filed their own class action lawsuit in December 2014. Related stories Sam Mendes' 'Voyeur's Motel' Movie Finds Writer 'Kung Fu Panda 3' Previews Prompt Pandemonium in Italian Distribution Patterns Michael Wright Re-Ups as CEO of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Partners There are a few things that are always guaranteed when you travel with close friends: new inside jokes, at least a few embarrassing stories, and (probably) more alcohol consumed than anyone will care to admit. On Sundays episode of Parts Unknown, Anthony Bourdain took his good friend (and longtime guest on the show) Eric Ripert on his first trip to China to explore the countrys cuisine. But because Bourdain is no ordinary friend, Riperts first experience was in Sichuan. Sichuan province, in southwestern China, is known worldwide for its extremely spicy food. Ripert is the Michelin-starred chef at New Yorks Le Bernardin. He is also very French, and fairly sensitive to hot food. Bourdain did not go easy on his friend. They dove into spicy noodles, spicy fish, spicy chicken in a non-stop whirlwind of sichuan peppercorn and facing heaven chillies. The spices cause confusion in your nervous system, Bourdain explained to his friend. I feel like my face is changing, Ripert confessed over an especially spicy dish. Like my eyes are in a different position. Anthony Bourdain in Sichuan Bourdain just laughed and kept eating. Ripert blew his nose and felt the room spin. And Bourdains tormenting did not stop there: While in Sichuan, the pair sampled rabbit head, seemingly endless rounds of Baijiu (a traditional Sichuan liquor), and an ear-cleaning from a man in a park. At a dinner with friends, Ripert eyed Bourdain over a bubbling vat of Sichuan hot pot. He has taken me on this trip to kill me slowly, Ripert told one of their dinnermates. Despite all challenges I loved my adventure in Chengdu w@Bourdain @PartsUnknownCNNpic.twitter.com/VCjZ0X4VrN Eric Ripert (@ericripert) October 17, 2016 In the drinking culture of China, you enjoy torturing your friends, the man replied and congratulated Bourdain on his assimilation into Chinese culture. Perhaps it was his altered state from the spicy food and limit-testing alcohol, but by the end of the episode Ripert seemed fully at ease in Sichuan. He ate spicy pig intestine and downed a beer in one gulp while an onlooker commented, You become more and more Chinese now. Story continues But when Bourdain asked which man he would rather see in a SpeedoWolf Blitzer, Dr. Sanjay Gupta or Anderson CooperRipert did not have an answer. You disappoint me, Eric, Bourdain said, smiling. You really do. There are just some friends that live to torment. London (AFP) - After crumbling at the first sign of pressure far too often in recent years, Arsenal are finally showing signs of developing a steely spine and Theo Walcott is the unlikely standard bearer. Arsene Wenger's side have been guilty of squandering numerous chances to mount Premier League title challenges and go deep into the Champions League due in a large part to a woeful lack of backbone. Yet Saturday's 3-2 win over Swansea at the Emirates Stadium was the latest sign of a more resolute nature taking hold among Wenger's squad. With Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets visiting north London on Wednesday, Arsenal have an opportunity to show their attacking talents, but it was the way they dug deep to see off Swansea that was more encouraging for Gunners winger Walcott. Walcott scored twice in the first half against Swansea before Mesut Ozil's goal put them 3-1 ahead in the 57th minute. However, Swansea reduced the deficit and Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka was sent off moments later to leave the hosts forced to play the last 20 minutes with 10 men. It was the kind of perilous situation that may well have induced a fatal wobble from Arsenal in the past, but Wenger's men battened down the hatches and, with Walcott working tireless along across the forward line, they managed to hold on for a victory that moved them level on points with leaders Manchester City. Since the glory days of Wenger's 2003-04 'Invincibles', who won the Premier League without losing a single match, the ability to produce that kind of gritty performance has been missing from Arsenal's mental make-up. - Matured - But Walcott, in the past a fragile underachiever himself, feels the Swansea result and a late win at Burnley in their previous match, provide proof the current group has matured and is ready to challenge for honours. Asked if Arsenal now had a new mentality, Walcott said: "The Burnley game, they were very well organised and we found it very difficult. But we all stuck in, showed patience and in time we got the win which was really important. Story continues "Again against Swansea, we had to be diligent, be patient at times... but we still got the win even if it would have been nice to take the ball home on a personal note. But that's not the case. "The Burnley match was a game where we had to grind it out. This game, when we went down to 10 men, we tend to lose, to be honest. There's some things that are slowly getting better. "I don't look at the table. I genuinely don't. I feel all we can do is control ourselves and not really hope that other teams get results on our behalf. We can only control ourselves, if we play well we win games and that's all we can do. "We've been in this situation (top of the table) before. We started off this season before than we have recently. There's always some sort of blip but hopefully we're not going to have that this year. "With the squad we have, if we keep players fit, with players coming back, then who knows... You can't really call the Premier League this year. It's so unpredictable." Walcott is now just eight away from a century of goals for the Gunners, but he would gladly sacrifice personal glory for team success. "It would be nice to reach 100 goals, obviously," he said. "It's a long season ahead. I'd be very disappointed if I don't make that "But then again I'd rather the team performs and we win something rather than a personal goal." It's been 10 years since High School Musical debuted on the Disney Channel, but it looks like the cast is still super close. Zac Efron turned 29 years old on Tuesday, and his co-star, Ashley Tisdale, celebrated by sharing a super cute photo of the two together. "Happy birthday buddy! @ZacEfron you will always be the Troy to my Sharpay," Tisdale sweetly wrote alongside a pic of Efron giving her a piggyback ride, referencing their High School Musical characters. "[Heart emoji] you brother!" WATCH: Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens' Original 'High School Musical' Auditions Are Beyond Adorable Happy birthday buddy! @ZacEfron you will always be the Troy to my Sharpay. you brother! pic.twitter.com/Fim9q6oRAK Ashley Tisdale (@ashleytisdale) October 18, 2016 Monique Coleman (Taylor) also Instagrammed a cute throwback of Efron and herself on his special day, writing, "Happy Birthday @zacefron. I'm always proud of you, always rooting for you & eternally grateful for all the memories. I hope your last 20 is your best yet! Xx." Happy Birthday @zacefron I'm always proud of you, always rooting for you & eternally grateful for all the memories. I hope your last 20 is your best yet! Xx A photo posted by Monique Coleman (@_moniquecoleman) on Oct 18, 2016 at 9:14am PDT Although Efron's HSM boys have yet to publicly wish him a happy birthday, the Neighbors 2 star made it clear earlier this month that he, Corbin Bleu (Chad) and Lucas Grabeel (Ryan) are still in touch, when the three reunited at Bleu's Broadway debut in Holiday Inn. "#Theboysareback," Efron tweeted alongside a black-and-white selfie of the trio. @MrGrabeel and I saw @corbinbleu DANCE on AIR ala Fred Astaire last night. Lit the stage on ! Check out #HolidayInnMusical. #theboysareback pic.twitter.com/mB8puTAwOa Zac Efron (@ZacEfron) October 5, 2016 In May, Efron delighted fans with a throwback pic with Tisdale, Bleu, and his ex-girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgens. Story continues "So grateful I came across this picture With the o.g. crew during one of the most cherished and exciting times of my life. Love you guys forever," he captioned the snap. So grateful I came across this picture... With the o.g. crew during one of the most cherished and exciting times of my life. Love you guys forever. #fbf A photo posted by Zac Efron (@zacefron) on May 27, 2016 at 5:42pm PDT PICS: EXCLUSIVE: 'High School Musical' Turns 10! Cast Reflects on Surprise Disney Smash ET spoke with Tisdale in January about the cast's close friendships. "I just love that we all still love each other and love hanging out with each other and have that connection, you know?" Tisdale told ET exclusively. "It was a really special moment in our lives." Watch below: Related Articles A new, lengthy trailer arrives for the Michael Fassbender movie "Assassin's Creed," ahead of a December debut for the lavish video game adaptation. Conspiracy, virtual reality, and martial arts proficiency mix in the second trailer for "Assassin's Creed." Michael Fassbender stars as Callum Lynch, a convicted criminal whose bloodline has been traced back to a clandestine organization of Assassins. That's brought him to the attention of Abstergo Industries, a high-tech corporation pioneering full-body, immersive experiences via the Animus Project, but harvesting its subjects' genetic memories in the process. What happens in the Animus doesn't stay in the Animus; Lynch's experiences as a deadly, rooftop-running secret agent in 15th century Spain translate well into the modern day, where an ongoing struggle is taking place between the Assassins and their timeworn enemies, the Templars. "Assassin's Creed" draws heavily on its video game inspiration, Ubisoft's ten-year-strong franchise of the same name that has taken players to recreations of 12th century Israel and Syria, through Renaissance-period Florence, Venice, Rome, and Constantinople, to revolutionary-era France and America, the 18th century Caribbean and New Orleans, and Victorian era London. Ubisoft set up its motion picture division following the success of Jake Gyllenhaal-led action film "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," whose 2010 effort was based on a predecessor to the "Assassin's Creed" games. And while "Assassin's Creed" is to mark Ubisoft Motion Pictures' feature film debut, it's the first of half a dozen projects currently set for feature-length adaptation. Alongside two-time Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender, who's become a fixture of the "X-Men" franchise and played tech guru Steve Jobs in a 2015 biopic, there are Oscar-winners Marion Cotillard ("Inception," "The Dark Knight Rises,") and Jeremy Irons ("Batman v Superman," "The Lion King,") triple Golden Globe nominee Brendan Gleeson ("In Bruges," "Edge of Tomorrow,") and Michael K. Williams ("12 Years a Slave," "Boardwalk Empire.") Story continues Behind the camera, there's Australian helmer Justin Kurzel of another historical epic, "Macbeth," which also had Fassbender and Cotillard as its leads. "Assassin's Creed" is due in theaters from December 21, when it starts a worldwide theatrical rollout in the USA, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore, with Australia and Germany among territories following soon after. The UK and Ireland, the Netherlands, and various European and South American countries are earmarked for a January release. Assassin's Creed Official Trailer 2 - youtu.be/4haJD6W136c Contrary to popular belief, birth defects may actually be less common in babies born to mothers aged over 40 and conceived by IVF (in vitro fertilization) than in babies born to women of the same age and conceived naturally. These findings come from an Australian study, published in the International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (BJOG). Babies conceived naturally and born to mothers over the age of 40 are exposed to higher risks of birth defects than those born to younger mothers. Women who undergo assisted reproduction also have an increased rate of birth defects compared to women who conceive naturally. However, against all expectations, researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia observed a surprising inverse phenomenon in women over 40 who conceived by assisted reproduction, although the scientists aren't able to fully explain their findings. "There's something quite remarkable occurring with women over the age of 40 who use assisted reproduction," says lead author Professor Michael Davies from the University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute, "[our findings] show that infertile women aged 40 and over who used assisted reproduction had less than half the rate of birth defects of fertile women of the same age, while younger women appear to be at an elevated risk." The scientists found that the prevalence of birth defects in babies born to mothers over 40 and conceived by IVF was 3.6% compared with 9.4% for women under 30 having conceived by IVF or ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection). On a global scale, ICSI is used in 70% of cases of infertility and involves inseminating eggs by sperm microinjection. The study found that irrespective of the mother's age, the average prevalence of birth defects was 5.7% among babies conceived naturally, 7.1% for babies conceived by IVF and 9.9% for babies conceived by ICSI. The scientists studied more than 301,000 naturally conceived births, 2,200 IVF births and almost 1,400 births from intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), recorded between 1986 and 2002. Story continues Among babies conceived naturally, the corresponding prevalence of birth defects was 5.6% for young women, rising to 8.2% for women aged 40 and over. The researchers suggest that hormonal stimulation, a preliminary treatment phase for assisted reproduction, could help reverse the age-related decline in ovulation. The study is available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.14365 A Bangladeshi Islamist party allied to the opposition has elected a new chief untainted by war crime allegations, seeking to turn the page after the execution of several of its top leaders. Jamaat-e-Islami said in a statement late Monday it had sworn in former school teacher Maqbul Ahmed as its leader after a secret ballot of party members. Ahmed takes over from Motiur Rahman Nizami, who was hanged in May after a controversial tribunal convicted him of murder during the country's 1971 war of independence with Pakistan. Four other top leaders, including the party's secretary general, its two joint secretaries and its main financier, have been executed since 2013 following trials that rights groups have condemned as unfair. They were tried by the same war crimes tribunal set up by the secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which said Jamaat leaders had to be prosecuted to heal the wounds of the war. Sources close to Jamaat said Ahmed, believed to be in his early seventies, had been chosen from a panel of three senior party officials who had not been tainted by war crimes. In his debut speech he paid tribute to Hasina's father, who led the war of independence against Pakistan, in a sign the party is looking to break from its past policies. "He is an experienced leader and a very good organiser," said Abul Asad, the editor of the pro-Jamaat Bengali daily Sangram. "He has said he wants to forget the pains and sorrows of the past and wants to look forward." Jamaat, Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, was barred from contesting the 2014 general election, effectively disenfranchising millions of its supporters. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party -- allied to Jamaat -- subsequently boycotted the polls, which became a one-horse race held against a backdrop of violent protests. Many observers believe the lack of genuine democracy in the country has contributed to a recent upsurge in Islamist violence, including a deadly siege at an upmarket Dhaka cafe in July. Story continues Jamaat opposed Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, but denies its leaders were involved in genocide, murders and rapes during the nine-month long conflict. The conviction and execution of Jamaat officials plunged Bangladesh into one of its worst crises in 2013, when tens of thousands of Islamist activists clashed with police in protests that left some 500 people dead. In the same year the government launched a nationwide crackdown on Jamaat activists in which tens of thousands of Islamists were either detained or charged over the protests. Virtual reality startup Baobab Studios has raised a $25 million Series B round of funding from Horizons Ventures, Twentieth Century Fox, Evolution Media Partners, Chinas Shanghai Media Group, Youku Global Media Fund and LDV Partners. Original investors Comcast Ventures, HTC and Samsung also contributed to the funding. Baobab is best known for Invasion!, an animated VR short that stars two aliens who encounter a lovable bunny as they attempt to invade earth. The animated VR experience features narration by Ethan Hawke, and has become one of the most popular titles on Gear VR and other virtual reality headsets. News of the funding comes just one week after Baobab previewed Asteroids! as a sequel to Invasion! on Gear VR, and two weeks after Roth Kirschenbaum Films announced a deal to adapt Invasion! for a full-length movie. It shows the market validation of what we are doing, said Babobab Studios co-founder and CEO Maureen Fan about the new funding. Fan worked at mobile game company Zynga before founding Baobab in 2015 together with Eric Darnell, who is best known for directing Antz as well as the Madagascar franchise at Dreamworks. In addition to the new funding, Baobab also announced Tuesday that it has promoted Larry Cutler to the role of CTO. Cutlers previous stints include more than a decade at Dreamworks and four years at Pixar, where he was technical director for Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc. Thanks to Darnell and Cutler, the company is uniquely positioned to tell its own stories, as opposed to license characters from other companies, said Fan. We are focused on creating original IP. She added that Baobab is working on multiple projects in addition to Asteroids! Asked about her take on the state of the industry, Fan wasnt ready to talk about VR going mainstream just yet. Im more cautious, she said. Its gonna take longer than everybody thinks. Baobab Studios, which is based in Redwood City, Calif., employs a team of 20. Including this latest round, the company has raised a total of $31 million of funding. Story continues Related stories This Latest Oculus Acquisition Could Kickstart Its Standalone Headset Plans Virtual Reality in Depth: Inside Google's Quest to Bring Back 3D Video (EXCLUSIVE) Facebook Taps 'The Sims' GM Rachel Rubin Franklin as Head of Social VR President Barack Obama is about to be out of work after eight years of service, so Stephen Colbert took it upon himself to help the commander-in-chief bulk up his resume for his upcoming job hunt. In a pre-taped interview on Monday's The Late Show, Colbert surprised Obama in the White House, and put on his persona of "Randy, the Office Manager" to help the president with a practice job interview. Grilling the president with a string of questions that anyone who just lost their job might face when sitting down with a future employer, Randy wasted no time in helping Obama find the right way to present himself and his skills. WATCH: President Barack Obama Talks Emotional Final Months in Office, Slow Jams the News With Jimmy Fallon Randy, who started the mock interview by reminding Obama that age 55 is "a tough time to start over for a man," pointed out that the president hasn't had "any promotions for the last eight years," which isn't a good sign. "Honestly, there wasn't a lot of room for advancement in my last job," Obama explained. "The only one with a more powerful position was my wife." Randy then asked why he's leaving his previous job, since he wasn't terminated but "it sounds like he can't stay." "I've leaving because it's required by the 22nd amendment of the United States Constitution," Obama explained. "Okay, little tip, when you say staying at your job would be unconstitutional, what employers hear is that you stole office supplies," Randy replied. Obama went on to explain that he'd like to work in "a nice corner office. Or at least an office that has corner in it." WATCH: President Obama Writes Powerful Op-Ed on Feminism, Raising His Daughters: 'This is What a Feminist Looks Like' After going over a few of his biggest accomplishments as president (which included reopening political relations with Cuba, overhauling healthcare and saving the American auto industry, among others), Randy asked if he had any awards or commendations. Story continues "Well, I have almost 30 honorary degrees, and I did get the Nobel Peace Prize," Obama explained. Although when asked what he got the coveted award for, he joked, "To be honest, I still don't know." Obama also touted his 77 million Twitter followers as evidence of his social media prowess, adding that he got so many followers through "executive order, and pictures of cats." All joking aside, Obama made it very clear how important it is for the youth of the nation to vote on Election Day (Nov. 8), to decide the fate of their own futures. WATCH: President Barack Obama Helps 'Hamilton' Star Lin-Manuel Miranda Freestyle Rap in the Rose Garden However, since The Late Show is a network television program, Randy said he couldn't allow Obama to openly endorse a candidate. However, he did ask the president about his "choice of snacks," before presenting him with two different options. "Would you care for an extra fiber nutrient bar, which has traveled to more than 100 countries," Randy asked, clearly eluding to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. "Or this shriveled tangerine, covered in golden retriever hair, filled with bile, that I wouldn't leave alone with the woman I love?" "I think I'll go with the fiber nutrient bar," Obama responded. Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama sat down with Colbert where she opened up about the current election season and showed off her flawless impression of her husband. Check out the video below for a look at her hilarious Late Show appearance. Related Articles Brussels (AFP) - The twitter account of Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders was hacked on Tuesday, his ministry said, just hours after EU ministers failed to agree on a trade deal with Canada due to opposition by Belgium. "The personal twitter account of MFA Didier Reynders was hacked. The recent messages that are published on this account are not his," the Belgian ministry of foreign affairs said in a tweet. The posting by Reynders in question featured a photo of former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, emblazoned with "Hey Canada, Fuck You!" The ministry told Belga news agency that "everything was being done to fix the problem." Three hours after the offensive tweet, the message was still the most recent post on the Reynders account. The hack took place just hours after the EU set a Friday deadline for the small Belgian region of Wallonia to accept the EU-Canada trade deal. Reynders, a conservative who represents Belgium's federal government, is a staunch supporter of the deal, known as CETA, but the socialist-led regional government of Wallonia has blocked approval of the accord. The head of region Paul Magnette on Tuesday said he still refused to agree to greenlight the massive free trade deal for signature by the EU despite intense international pressure to back down. Magnette's refusal has endangered the formal signature of CETA, putting the whole deal in limbo and drawing huge praise from activists who are worried about the accord's consequences to the environment. Signature of CETA was originally planned to take place during a visit by the current Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the end of October in Brussels. By Philip Blenkinsop LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - EU governments failed on Tuesday to approve a free trade agreement with Canada, as continued opposition from French-speaking southern Belgium threatened the entire deal. Almost all 28 EU governments, whose ministers were meeting in Luxembourg, now back the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which would be the bloc's first trade accord with a G7 country. Failure to strike a deal with such a like-minded country would call into question the EU's ability to forge others, and offer a pointer to the difficulties Britain might face in seeking a new trade relationship with the EU after it leaves. Romania and Bulgaria were still demanding Canada allow visa-free travel for its citizens. But the biggest risk to finding unanimity was opposition from Belgium's Wallonia region. "A formal agreement was not possible because Romania, Bulgaria and Belgium still have reservations," German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters after the meeting, adding these issues could be resolved in the coming days. In Ottawa, Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said she was cautiously optimistic. "We appreciate European politics is complicated ... ultimately this is a European decision. I am both hopeful - and I also hope - that Europe and Europeans can come together to make this decision," she told reporters. CETA's supporters say it will increase bilateral trade by 20 percent and boost the EU economy by 12 billion euros ($13 billion) per year and Canada's by C$12 billion ($9 billion). Belgium's center-right coalition government is in favor, but the country's particular structure means it cannot sign without backing from all five sub-federal administrations representing its regions and linguistic communities. Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said he hoped to find a solution by the time EU leaders met in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. However, Walloon premier Paul Magnette told a committee of the Walloon parliament that there were too many unresolved problems to be able to find a solution by the end of the week. Negotiators sealed an accord in 2014 after five years of talks. Since then they have revised a contentious section on investment protection and drafted a binding declaration to show the agreement's limits. The latter won over most doubters, including wavering Austria. But Belgium's French speakers continued to say 'Non!'. TRUDEAU VISIT The EU trade ministers had been due to approve CETA on Tuesday, enabling it to be signed at an EU-Canada summit attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Oct. 27. EU trade commissioner Cecelia Malmstrom said EU and Belgian officials would see if Walloon concerns could be answered by the existing declaration or if it needed to be expanded. She ruled out reopening the treaty. Gabriel said EU authorities had done well to insert binding guarantees, adding: "The agreement cannot fail". However, Walloon parliament president Andre Antoine said the concerns went beyond what could be resolved with a declaration, with terms on agricultural exports, for example, unbalanced. With support from EU governments and the European Parliament, CETA could come into force provisionally next year. This would allow an immediate removal of import tariffs on 98 percent of goods while leaving out the most contentious aspect of the deal - a court to protect foreign companies' investments. Critics say the court - which would come into being only after the pact is ratified by all national parliaments - would allow big business to dictate government policy by threatening legal action. They say the deal would start a 'race to the bottom' in labor and environmental standards. The deal would be the first time Canada's provinces and municipal governments have committed to opening their markets for procurement to EU suppliers. It would also allow Canadian farmers to export much more pork, beef and wheat to Europe. (Additional reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek and Julia Fioretti in Brussels, Andrea Shalal in Berlin and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Andrew Hay and John Stonestreet) Brussels (AFP) - Belgium on Tuesday charged four people with involvement in terrorism after 15 early morning raids in the northern cities of Ghent, Antwerp and Deinze, the federal prosecutor's office said. "Those persons have been indicted for participation in the activities of a terrorist group," a statement said. "Some of them are suspected of recruiting people with a view to departing to Syria and joining Islamic State there," it added. The prosecutor said no arms or explosives were found and the raids had no immediate connection with the deadly IS-claimed attacks on the Brussels airport and metro which left 32 people dead in March. In all, 15 people were taken in for questioning initially, the statement added. Belgium has been on high terror alert since the March attacks which appear to have been organised and carried out by home-grown jihadist extremists. Some of them, who grew up in central Brussels and were known to the authorities, also took part in the November Paris attacks, which claimed 130 lives and left hundreds injured. There has been a series of incidents since March despite a much increased security presence on the streets, the latest early this month when two police offers were stabbed in the Schaerbeek area of Brussels. Prosecutors charged the suspect in that case with "attempted murder in a terrorist context and participation in the activities of a terrorist group." Two months earlier, two policewomen were wounded in the southern city of Charleroi by a machete-wielding man who shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest). LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - The Belgian federal government hopes it can persuade regional authorities to back its approval of an EU-Canada free trade deal by the time EU leaders meet at a Brussels summit this week, its trade minister said on Tuesday. "We are continuing to work with certain regions," Didier Reynders told reporters on arrival at a meeting of EU trade ministers in Luxembourg. He noted that the French-speaking region of Wallonia was the main bar to Belgium giving a green light to a deal approved by the other 27 EU states and Canada. "I hope that by the time of the summit at the end of the week we'll be in a position to allow things to go ahead," said Reynders, who is also foreign minister. EU leaders gather in Brussels on Thursday and are due to discuss trade on Friday. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; editing by Robert-Jan Bartunek) Berlin (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "no miracles" were achieved on the Ukraine crisis Thursday, but talks with the country's leader and his Russian and French counterparts did lead to some progress on ending a deadlock in the peace process. After a five-hour summit billed as "difficult", Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said all sides had agreed to draw up a roadmap for applying the frayed 2015 Minsk peace accords following months of impasse. "Between now and the end of November we have to approve a roadmap. It will be a document on the implementation of all the Minsk accords," he said in a press conference after the Berlin gathering, according to Russian news agencies. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a separate press conference that the talks "didn't achieve miracles" but that progress was made "with the creation of a so-called roadmap". "There's much work left to do," she added, flanked by French President Francois Hollande. Russian President Vladimir Putin, on his first visit to Berlin since the conflict erupted, stressed that the Minsk accords remained the best path towards a lasting resolution to war in eastern Ukraine. The talks came just hours before an EU summit in Brussels over relations with Russia, where European leaders will discuss the question of sanctions over Ukraine, which come up for renewal at the end of the year. The roadmap agreed to in Berlin will be now be further thrashed out and discussed by the countries' foreign ministers, the leaders said. "You have to respect the successive steps of the Minsk accords," Hollande told reporters. - Thorny issues - Putin had not visited Berlin since Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, sending relations with the West plunging to their lowest point since the Cold War. Russia backs a separatist, pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives. Story continues But it denies accusations that it has sent troops and weapons across its border with Ukraine to fuel the conflict. The Minsk accords, signed in February 2015 with French and German mediation, call for a ceasefire along with a range of political, economic and social measures to end the conflict between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels. While the accords reduced the intensity of fighting, they have failed to stop it. On a key sticking point -- the issue of holding possible local elections in rebel-run regions, Poroshenko said no polls could take place without "the unconditional withdrawal of foreign armed forces". Putin for his part wants partial autonomy for rebel-held parts of eastern Ukraine like Donbass and Lugansk, while Kiev wants reassurances that fair and free elections would be held there. None of the four leaders meeting in Berlin had expected a breakthrough, but Germany and France had argued that it was important to return to the negotiating table more than a year after the Minsk agreements were signed. Putin, speaking separately to reporters after the talks, was vague on the details of the roadmap but confirmed that the four were in favour of widening the role of the European OSCE observer mission. According to Poroshenko, that meant an agreement had been reached on deploying an armed OSCE mission to the east. Putin, who wants to assure the supply of provisions to rebel regions, said the talks had focused heavily on security matters but on humanitarian issues "we unfortunately didn't make much progress". The Berlin summit was overshadowed by Moscow's role in the Syrian civil war, which the leaders of France, Germany and Russia discussed separately after concluding the Ukraine talks. WITNEY, England (Reuters) - Larry Sanders, elder brother of former U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie, was pressing the flesh in his own campaign on Tuesday as he took to the streets ahead of an election this week in rural Oxfordshire, central England. Sanders, 81, is standing as a candidate for the left-leaning Green Party in Witney, an affluent seat left vacant by the resignation of former Prime Minister David Cameron after June's EU membership referendum. The vote on Thursday will be the first electoral test of his successor Theresa Mays Conservative government. Brooklyn-born Larry Sanders, an academic who has lived in Britain since 1969, is the Greens' national spokesman on health affairs and has been the leader of the county council's Green group for the past eight years. He faces a daunting task - the Greens have only one seat in Britain's 650-seat parliament and Cameron won over 60 percent of the vote in Witney at the last general election in 2015. But he admits the Sanders name helps. "It opens the doors," he told Reuters. "People think this guy exists, we know about him, he has some place in the world. Green Party candidates don't always get that advantage." The genteel campaigning in one of Britain's wealthiest countryside areas is very different from that his brother, a U.S. Senator from Vermont, experienced. "The Bernie experience is mass politics, meetings with 25, 30,000 people, all of whom know his policies because he had a year and a half to explain them," he said. "Here it's a few weeks and it's very much retail politics, person by person." But the issues, he feels, are not so different. Many people, he said, are fed up with not having a decent place to live or a decent health service. "People are angry about that," he added. Sanders spent 12 weeks on the U.S. campaign trail with Bernie, and says his younger brother connected with millions of Americans. Bernie Sanders finally endorsed former rival Hillary Clinton for president after a hard-fought campaign that surprised many with his success. Larry says he will also reluctantly vote for Clinton on Nov. 8 to keep out her Republican rival Donald Trump. (Reporting by Stuart McDill; writing by Stephen Addison; Editing by Richard Balmforth) From Town & Country Students beginning their semester at Stanford have reason to celebrate-the Palo Alto university was just named the number one school in the country. Educational institution data company Niche, which today released its ranking of the best colleges across the country, says its numbers are "based on rigorous analysis of academic, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni." The ranking compares more than 1,000 top colleges and universities in the U.S. Here are the top 10: 1. Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 3. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 4. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 5. Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 6. Rice University, Houston, Texas 7. Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine 8. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 9. Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 10. Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island To see the full list, check out Niche.com. You Might Also Like From Redbook The Presidential election gets closer and closer each day, possibly coating your entire body in a blanket of sweaty anxiety if you're an American adult who's able to vote. But - what do kids think about what's been going on lately? A recent Reddit thread put a call out for elementary school teachers to share what their students have said about presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Parents, preschool teachers, and more responded with what kids have been saying, and one thing is clear: The candidates and this election are definitely leaving impressions upon the youth of America. Here are some highlights. 1. "No, Hillary!" "One of my 3rd graders enthusiastically yells 'Trump' sometimes for no reason. Usually one of the girls will yell back 'NO, HILLARY' I don't think they care all that much." -YourArchNemesis 2. "The world will end and we will all die." "5th grade teacher here, in a red state. I work in a school that is 95% Hispanic. I hear a lot of 'Trump hates Mexicans' or 'if Trump wins they will kick my parents out of the country.' As for Hillary, many students hate her also, and one student has referred to her as the devil. A few students have informed me that no matter who wins, the world will end and we will all die." -dev4115 3. "Dad says we're not allowed to talk about that." "3rd grader on Trump: Dad says we're not allowed to talk about that." -Cow Tipper- 4. "The principal had to address it at the last assembly." "At my daughter's elementary school the kids are telling the Mexican kids that if Trump is elected he'll deport them. It's enough of a problem that the principal had to address it at the last assembly." -jesusice 5. "Donald Trump is dickless." "Got this gem from a friend who teaches 2nd grade. [A] little boy said 'Trump is dickless. My friend reared back and asked student to explain what he meant. [The] boy answered something to the effect, 'Trump wants to build a wall all around the country and it's dickless.' Upon digging deeper, [my] friend realized that the kid meant to say 'ridiculous' not 'dickless.' -trepping Story continues 6. "Donald Trump hates women and Hillary has secret emails." "My nephew said, 'Donald Trump hates women and Hillary has secret emails.' I thought he thought about rainbows and candy corn." -WackyDetective 7. "She's tired of hearing [Trump] being on the morning news when she's eating breakfast with her dad." "4th grade kids I taught were positive that Trump will immediately and deliberately start World War 3 once he's in office. I had one girl declare that she hates Trump but only because she's tired of him being on the morning news when she's eating breakfast with her dad." -Doctor-Amazing 8. "She wore red." "My daughter (7) watched the first debate. She's picking Hilary because she wore red." -JessicaBecause 9. "He screams and yells like I do." "My preschool-aged daughter has seen both on the news a lot and we have talked about them both a little bit to her. When asked who she would vote for she said, 'I want Hillary to be President but I like Trump a little bit.' Why? 'Because he yells and screams like I do.'" -WeGetBetter 10. "How many fingers did he get stuck?" "I'm not a teacher, but I help in a school library. One little boy was singing: 'Donald Trump picking his butt how many fingers did he get stuck?!' I laughed and said: 'Shhhhh.'" -Argueswithchildren 11. "He'll be America's first orange President." "My son's classmate said if Trump becomes president he'll be America's first orange President." -Rawblen 12. "He wants to send our friends back to Mexico!" "Not a teacher. One day over the summer a couple neighborhood boys, maybe around 10 years old, came to my office. I have an office dog, so if it's slow they can hang out for a bit. One of them asked me who I was going to vote for. I said I don't know yet. Boy 1: Well I want Trump to win.Boy 2: No way! He wants to send our friends back to Mexico!Boy 1: Oh yeah, never mind." -sibtalay 13. "I don't care for that guy." "My nanny kid is five and she gets to watch YouTube videos for a bit in the morning, she usually watches the same Minecraft videos but this day she accidentally pressed a Trump video and she blurts out, 'Donald Trump?! I don't care for that guy' nonchalantly. [I don't know] if she knew who he was or not (the video said his name) but I thought it was funny." -Lizziloo87 14. "Now she does want her to win because Donald Trump is mean." "I travel for work. My 8 year old son asked me if I have to go to Chicago ever again. I said not right now. He said, 'good, because Donald Trump said people get shot while walking down the street there' My 6-year-old daughter didn't want Hillary to win because my daughter wants to be the first girl President, but now she does want her to win because Donald Trump is mean." -fixtr 15. "Donald Trunk is a bad man." "I teach Pre-K and a little girl very seriously informed me that, 'Donald Trunk (yes, she said Trunk) was a bad man because he tells people he has lots of good surprises but he's really a big liar.' My other favorite was a little boy who said, 'I like the lady one because when she talks real loud her turkey gobble under her chin wiggles.'" -bearfoxmousemushroom 16. "My third graders HATE Trump." "I am an elementary teacher and my third graders HATE Trump. Any time anything election-driven gets brought up, they remind me not to vote for him because he wants to build a wall and hates Mexicans. Most of my students are Mexican-American." -kerpandilla 17. "He's real?" "Not an elementary school teacher, but during the first debate, my 5-year-old son said, with dismay, 'Donald Trump the bad guy? He's real?' Guess he figured Trump was a super villain. Don't really know where he picked it up, since we don't watch the news or anything at home." -darth_mol_eliza 18. "Trumpty Dumpty said, 'Build that wall!' "My mom is a 5th grade gifted teacher who had her students come up with political cartoons about the current election. This was the clear winner: Trumpty Dumpty said, 'Build that wall!' Trumpty Dumpty was destined to fall. All of the leaders that once were his friends, Vowed they would never back Trumpty again." -enseofcents 19. "Well, you're a Trump." "I teach in a museum. We have a monthly competition where the educators send in the best conversations they've overheard from kids. This gem won a few months back while kids were building straw structures. 6yo: Mine's bigger! You're a loser!8yo: Well, you're a Trump.6yo, as if somebody had insulted his mom: I am NOT a Trump!" -MsFoxTrott (Answers have been lightly edited for spelling and grammar.) You Might Also Like The eight years of the Obama presidency have offered us a natural experiment of sorts. Not all U.S. presidents are similar on foreign policy, and not all (or any) U.S. presidents are quite like Barack Obama. After two terms of George W. Bushs aggressive militarism, we have had the opportunity to watch whether attitudes toward the U.S.and U.S. military forcewould change, if circumstances changed. President Obama shared at least some of the assumptions of both the hard Left and foreign-policy realists, that the use of direct U.S. military force abroad, even with the best of intentions, often does more harm then good. Better, then, to do no harm. This has been Barack Obamas position on the Syrian Civil War, the key foreign-policy debate of our time. The presidents discomfort with military action against the Syrian regime seems deep and instinctual and oblivious to changing facts on the ground. When the debate over intervention began, around 5,000 Syrians had been killed. Now its close to 500,000. Yet, Obamas basic orientation toward the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has remained unchanged. This suggests that Obama, like many others who oppose U.S. intervention against Assad, is doing so on principled or, to put it differently, ideological grounds. Despite President Obamas very conscious desire to limit Americas role in the Middle East and to minimize the extent to which U.S. military assets are deployed in the region, there is little evidence that the views of the hard Left and other critics of American power have changed as a result. (Yes, the U.S. military is arguably involved in more countries now than when the Obama administration took office, butcompared to Iraq and Afghanistan before himObamas footprint has been decidedly limited, with a reliance on drone strikes and special-operations forces.) As for those who actually live in the Middle East, a less militaristic America has done little to temper anti-Americanism. In the three countriesEgypt, Jordan, and Lebanonfor which Pew has survey data for both Bushs last year and either 2014 or 2015, favorability toward the U.S. is significantly worse under Obama today than it was in 2008. Why exactly is up for debate, but we can at the very least say that a drastic drawdown of U.S. military personnelprecisely the policy pushed for by Democrats in the wake of Iraqs failuredoes not seem to have bought America much goodwill. Story continues Despite the fact that Assad and Russia are responsible for indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, many leftists have viewed even the mere mention of the U.S. doing anything in response as warmongering. We have had the unfortunate situation of someone as (formerly) well-respected as Jeffrey Sachs arguing that the U.S. should provide air cover and logistical support to Bashar al-Assad. We have had Wikileaks attacks on the White Helmets, who have riskedand, for at least 140, losttheir lives in the worst conditions to save Syrian lives from the rubble of Syrian and Russian bombardment. Of course, it is not an absurd position to be skeptical of any proposed American escalation against Assad, and many reasonable people across the political spectrum have made that case. But it is something else entirely to apply such skepticism selectively to the U.S. and not to others, especially when the others in question deliberately target civilians as a matter of policy. It can be a slippery slope. While no one would accuse Obama of liking Putin, coordinating with and enabling Russia in Syria is effectively U.S. policy. As the New York Times columnist Roger Cohen noted in February, well before the current disaster in Aleppo: The troubling thing is that the Putin policy on Syria has become hard to distinguish from the Obama policy. In Iraq, civil war happened after the U.S. invasion. In Syria, civil war broke out in the absence of U.S. intervention. The Left has always had a utopian bent, believing that life, not just for Americans, but for millions abroad, can be made better through human agency (rather than, say, simply hoping that the market will self-correct). The problem, though, is that the better, more just world that so many hope for is simply impossible without the use of American military force. At first blush, such a claim might seem self-evidently absurd. Havent we all seen what happened in Iraq? The 2003 Iraq invasion was one of the worst strategic blunders in the history of U.S. foreign policy. Yet, its not clear what exactly this has to do with the Syrian conflict, which is almost the inverse of the Iraq war. In Iraq, civil war happened after the U.S. invasion. In Syria, civil war broke out in the absence of U.S. intervention. What all of this suggests is that attitudes toward the U.S. military, and by extension the United States, are often inelastic, meaning that what the U.S. actually does or doesnt do abroad has limited bearing on perceptions of American power. As a general proposition, many leftists, for example, seem to believe that there is something intrinsically wrong with the use of military force by the United States. In other words, when America does it, it is a bad thing, irrespective of the outcomes it produces, and therefore should be opposed outright. There is rarely any real effort to explain why its badafter all, if it were purely a moral stand against the killing of innocents, the use of Russian or Syrian military force would have to be considered much worse. Recommended: It Could Happen Here But, for the use of American power abroad to be intrinsically wrong or immoral, all uses of military force would have to be either immoral or ineffective, or both. However, as a factual matter, this is simply not the case. There was no way to stop mass slaughter and genocide in Bosnia or Kosovo without U.S. military force, buttressed, as it should be, by broad regional or international consensus. In those two cases, a U.S.-led coalition acted. In those cases where the international community did not act, genocide did, in fact, occur, as we witnessed in Rwanda. What became clear thenand what has become clear once again in Syriais that a world where others than the U.S. take the initiative to stop such slaughter does not exist, and is unlikely to exist at any point in the foreseeable future. While they may be less common, there are also cases where dictators will not only kill their own people but try to forcefully invade and conquer their neighbors. As in the first Gulf War, the gobbling up of Kuwait could not have been prevented without a U.S.-led coalition, again with broad international support. The list goes on. From a moral standpoint, no one should have to suffer under the indignities of ISIS rule. From a strategic standpoint, having an extremist state the size of Indiana in the middle of the Middle East, needless to say, does not suggest the coming of a better, more secure world. While Obama was late to act against the organization and while the anti-ISIS campaign has been deeply flawed, the amount of territory that ISIS controls has been reduced significantly, due in large part to U.S. airstrikes, intelligence, and special-operations forces. No one, not Turkey, Saudi Arabia, or anyone else, was going to seriously confront ISIS without U.S. coordination and leadership, and its U.S. coordination and leadership that is facilitating the current battle for the Islamic States Iraqi stronghold in Mosul. This is the faultyand ultimately quite dangerouspremise behind one of the founding assumptions of Obamas foreign policy: that if the U.S. steps back, others will step in. Even when others do step in, the results are often destructive, since Americas allies and adversaries alike do not generally share its values, interests, or objectives. Recommended: Donald Trump Is the First Demagogue of the Anthropocene Of course, U.S. military force may be necessary, but it can never be sufficient on its own. This is where the judgment, morality, and strategic vision of politicians and policymakers can make the crucial difference. The United States has not been the force for good that many Americans would like to think its been. There is a tragic history of intervention abroad that more Americans should be aware of, whether its overthrowing democratically elected leaders in Latin America or backing brutal dictators in the Middle East. There is no reason to think the U.S. is necessarily doomed to repeat those mistakes indefinitely. But even it was, there would still be instances where only U.S. military force could be counted on to stop genocide. The alternative to a proactive and internationalist U.S. policy is to do no harm, and this might seem a safe fallback position: Foreign countries and cultures are too complicated to understand, so instead of trying to understand them, lets at least not make the situation worse. The idea that the U.S. can do no harm, however, depends on the fiction that the most powerful nation in the world can ever be truly neutral in foreign conflicts, not just when it acts, but also when it doesnt. Neutrality, or silence, is often complicity, something that was once the moral, urgent claim of the Left. The fiction of neutrality is growing more dangerous, as we enter a period of resurgent authoritarianism, anti-refugee incitement, and routine mass killing. Recommended: Why Stephen Colbert Isn't Connecting This is the built-in contradiction of what might be called the anti-imperialist Left. They are against empire, and there is only one country powerful enough to reasonably be considered imperial. (Russia, of course, engages in bloody imperial ventures, but it gets a pass since it is acting against the United States.) But to insist that the fundamental problem in todays world is American imperialism is to have only the most outdated principlesprinciples that, in the case of Syria, Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, and even Libya, have left, or would have left, the most vulnerable and suffering without any recourse to safety and protection. If the United States announced tomorrow morning that it would no longer use its military for anything but to defend the borders of the homeland, many would instinctively cheer, perhaps not quite realizing what this would mean in practice. But that is the conundrum the Left is now facing. A world without mass slaughter, of the sort of we are seeing every day in Syria, cannot ever come to be without American power. But perhaps this will prove one of the positive legacies of the Obama era: showing that the alternative of American disinterest and disengagement is not necessarily better. For those, though, that care about ideologyholding on to the idea that U.S. military force is somehow inherently badmore than they care about actual human outcomes, the untenability of their position will persist. That, too, will be a tragedy, since at a time when many on the Right are turning jingoistic or isolationist, there is a need for voices that not just believe in U.S. power, but believe that that powerstill, for now, preeminentcan be used for better, more moral ends. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. UPDATE 9:30 PM: You could tell it was a Broadway crowd because the evenings biggest roars came, first, for Bill Clinton and second for Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. With the election three weeks away, a coalition of Democratic party activists, led by producer Harvey Weinstein and theater owner Jordan Roth, pulled off a fundraiser Monday night at Roths St. James Theatre, with meaty portions of star-bait to bring a new round of contributions to the campaign coffers of Democratic contender Hillary Clinton. Dubbed Stronger Together and live-streamed by the Clinton campaign, the evening was a high-energy mash-up of star turns (Josh Groban sang Over The Rainbow and Anne Hathway teamed with Kelli OHara to recreate the legendary Judy Garland/Barbra Streisand duet Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again), weighty monologues (Helen Mirren as Eleanor Roosevelt, Angela Bassett as Sojourner Truth delivering her famous Aint I A Woman? speech from 1851; Jon Hamm and Jake Gyllenhaal in a scene from Sinclair Lewis 1935 It Cant Happen Here) and Broadway razzmatazz (Stephen Schwartz dueting with OHara on For Good, from his Wicked score; former Annies Andrea McArdle and Sarah JessicaParker belting Tomorrow, Miranda and Renee Elise Goldsberry performing a retailored The World Was Wide Enough from Hamilton; Bernadette Peters and Emily Blunt, Sondheiming with No One Is Alone and Children Will Listen). Problems with microphones nearly sent emcee Billy Crystal off the deep end at one point, but otherwise, the 2-1/4 hour show was a brisk affair with few glitches and several high points: following a heartfelt welcome from Chelsea Clinton, the brilliant tap dancer Ayodele Casel performed While I Have The Floor, a dazzling tribute to her art that ended poignantly with a litany of the names of the great women tappers who came before her but who rarely achieved the fame of their male contemporaries. (Special kudos here to the camera work, which miraculously focused on Casels astonishing feet, something you almost never see in televised performance). Story continues Julia Roberts came on to read the words of the late great political columnist Molly Ivins, but first she sprinkled the room with F-bombs and challenged the audience to cough up $500 per. For the finale, Tony winner Cynthia Erivo turned The Battle Hymn Of The Republic into a gospel roof-raiser. The evening had begun with Crystal jaunting through Hillary Tonight, a rewrite of Stephen Sondheims A Funny Thing Happened on The Way To The Forum opener devised by Marc Shaiman, with lines like Nothing with Trump, nothing with Pence/Theyd make Joe Stalin feel intense. He also had a great line about the Republican nominee demanding to see his bris certificate. Pretty good show, Crystal commented. It was. And yes, if Donald Trump pulls off a similar showbiz feat, well be there. EARLIER: Broadways St. James Theatre tonight was a runway of stars, hosted by Billy Crystal and the voice of Barbra Streisand subbing for God at a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Sienna Miller joined Joel Grey for the opening and title song from Cabaret, Sarah Bareilles sang about bravery, Neil Patrick Harris performed with a brilliant cast of dancers and, in a surprise appearance just before the break, former president Bill Clinton addressed the crowd in the most persuasive terms about the people his wife will represent as President. Its been a good week for us aging Baby Boomers, he said, noting that Bob Dylan had won the Nobel Prize for Literature and quoting Forever Young as an apt anthem. He recalled that the late Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres had told an interviewer hed preferred to think not about a legacy, but to look to the future. Added Clinton, We just want to tear down the social totem poles so that we can all rise together. Related stories Stephen Colbert Asks Obama If He Will Vote For High-Fiber Bar Or Tangerine That Can't Be Trusted Around Women Tonight's Hillary Clinton Fundraiser To Stream Globally Larry David Curbed His Enthusiasm For Hillary & Bernie, Says Hacked Email To Donald Trumps fans, hes a take-no-guff tough guy. To his critics, hes a skin-thinned crybaby. And at least one Trump-friendly pundit, Fox News Bill OReilly, wants him to retire the act. On Mondays Late Show with Stephen Colbert, OReilly said the Republican presidential candidate should quit whining at the debate and instead focus on a few issues that matter to him. The third and final presidential debate between Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is set to take place Wednesday night at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Stop whining. Stop that and say, Look, I got three things I want to say to you tonight: bang, bang, bang, OReilly told Colbert. Its rigged, its rigged, its rigged, the late-night host replied. Thats whining, OReilly said. He should have a little buzzer that whenever he whines baaa! OReilly suggested that Trump and Clinton would have a chance to win over voters if they could convince the American people that they can help them. He said his Fox colleague Chris Wallace, who is moderating the debate, should press Trump on the specifics of his various proposals, such as taking oil from ISIS or making Mexico pay for a massive border wall. Colbert joked that Trump would not answer the question and instead talk about the importance of being tough. Heres what we do, OReilly said. We have your band, and as soon as he starts that, they start playing. As soon as he starts that stuff, that band starts playing. Donald Trump at a rally in Green Bay, Wis., Monday. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP) OReilly also offered some advice to Clinton. He suggested she ignore Trump, look straight into the camera and say that shes not as bad as others have portrayed her: Im not this dragon lady. I really want to help you, and heres how I want to help you. Trump frequently appears on OReillys television program, The OReilly Factor, where the Fox host will sometimes press Trump while giving him advice. Last week, OReilly directly told Trump that he was behind among female voters, though Trump said he didnt believe it. This is despite the fact that the Washington Post had just unearthed a bombshell 2005 video of Trump boasting about forcibly kissing and groping women. Story continues OReillys Monday advice was somewhat similar to what the Fox host told Trump last year: You are too thin-skinned. You want to be president, OReilly told him in December of 2015. Tweet about Putin. Tweet about ISIS. I mean, it looks petty. It looks petty. Dont you think it looks petty? Dont you think it looks petty? Last year, Trump conceded on CNNs New Day that he does whine and hes not happy when hes losing: I am a whiner and I keep whining and whining until I win. HOPING AND PRAYING Born and raised in Walnut, Calif., King grew up planning to be a doctor on the advice of her father, who told her to pick a career where you will always be necessary. But the sight of blood made her queasy. So instead, King chose acting, earning a degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she was the only black woman in her program, before heading east to the Yale School of Drama. It was a given at UCSB that if there was a role that called for a person of color, it was going to be handed to me, she says. There were certain times when maybe I didnt try as hard. Going to Yale was a way more diverse experience. After Yale, King spent three years in New York City juggling waitressing jobs with auditions, but finding a balance was tricky. Physical exhaustion often impeded her ability to prepare for auditions. I was getting in my own way, says King, who finally left the service industry when she nabbed a recurring role on the short-lived ABC series Black Box. I would quit jobs and step out on hope and faith, and pray to God that I would book something that would allow me to just continue to act. HERO WORSHIP Her prayers were answered in 2014 when she landed the role of Michaela Pratt, an overachieving law student on the Shondaland thriller How to Get Away With Murder. It gave her the opportunity to work with Viola Davis, one of her idols. At first it was terrifying, King admits. I remember the first day shooting in a room with Viola and only thinking, I just want her to think Im good.' GRAPPLING WITH CONTROVERSY For her highest-profile film role to date, King plays Cherry, the wife of Nat Turner (Nate Parker), in The Birth of a Nation, a movie thats garnered headlines following news of a 17-year-old rape case against Parker. (He was acquitted.) King, who previously praised the filmmaker, now has complicated feelings. He has empowered me to find my voice, and that has been invaluable, she says. Love is a complicated emotion because you can learn something or hear something that goes against what you have come to know personally. It can be very challenging to what you believe. King is still hopeful the film can spark conversations about race in America. We deserve to be able to walk and live and breathe freely, and we still have to be so fully aware of how powerless we are, she says. We can stand up and speak out and be brave, and this should remind us of that. The Black List is ready to make a reservation. The screenwriter-focused organization, which has been publishing its annual list of unproduced screenplays since 2008, and Autograph Collection hotels are forming a unique partnership that will kick off January 2017 at the Sundance Film Festival. Hotel Park City, an Autograph property, will host a social space at the Utah-based festival with writer-focused programming. "Sundance is arguably the reason why I wanted to work in this industry," said Black List founder Franklin Leonard, who served on the jury for the 2016 iteration of the festival. "To be able to have a space at Sundance for writers - I am just incredibly excited." "We try to shine a light on independent, boutique hotels and I felt like, in that way, the values of the Black List were so in line with that of Autograph," said Amanda Altree, senior director of brand marketing for Autograph. "It takes a wonderful script to be a wonderful movie and it's the same thing with hotels - it takes a visionary to bring a hotel to life." Read more: The Black List Opens Database to Student Producers and Directors This partnership is a part of Autograph's larger Independent Film Initiative, which includes an Independent Film Channel that will be available to hotel guests, and will be curated by the indie distributor FilmBuff from its 1,500 titles. Autograph says it will utilize its advantageously placed properties for more of the 2017 film festivals, including its Venice, Berlin and London locations. Leonard and Altree are currently in England at the BFI London Film Festival, working out the details of their Sundance kickoff. Beyond Park City, the boutique hotel chain will sponsor the event series Black List Live! and Black List Table Reads, where Black List scripts are brought to life onstage by talent that has included John Cho, Jessica Alba and Don Cheadle. The Black List Screenwriter Lab - the weeklong intensive workshops - and the Black List Happy Hours will be hosted at the hotel's properties. Story continues "I think of growth in terms of our ability to be supportive of writers who are doing great work," explained Leonard "With Autograph, we will be able to have a great global reach, across borders, finding stories wherever they exist." Helping with that global reach will be the hotel chain's writer residency program - labeled Autograph Collection Hotel Residencies - that will allow five writers from the 2016 annual Black List the opportunity to research and write out of a hotel of their choosing over the course of 2017. Of the program, Leonard said: "We will have the ability to offer writers to travel around the world to write their next, great scripts." Read more: The Black List for Female Directors? New Survey to "Shine a Spotlight" on Rising Talent (Exclusive) Have plans for the weekend before The Walking Dead returns for its seventh season October 23? If you want to treat yourself to some smart and enticing TV, those plans should include a binge of Season 3 of Black Mirror on Netflix and the debut of Dirk Gentlys Holistic Detective Agency on BBC America. With the third season of the Charlie Brooker-created anthology launching its six episodes October 21 on the streaming service and the eight-part Max Landis-penned adaptation of Douglas Adams deliciously epigrammatic novels premiering October 22, a British invasion of sorts is coming to the small screen. And as I say above in my video review of the two series, both are winners. deadline-review-badge-dominic-patten Teeming with a night sky of stars including Bryce Dallas Howard, Wyatt Russell, Halt And Catch Fires Mackenzie Davis, House Of Cards Michael Kelly, Malachi Kirby and Kelly Macdonald, Black Mirror seemingly has more money than when it was on the UKs Channel 4. But rest assured, the first half of the 12-episode deal that the series executive produced by Brooker and Annabel Jones made with the streaming service is as biting and sometimes unsettling as ever. Still performing an autopsy of our addiction to technology and the dire fallout that has become the new normal, Black Mirrors Season 3 is a little bit more Americanized. However, especially with the wonderful 1980s-set San Junipero episode starring Davis and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, it is also shouldering a new sense of optimism and hope while remaining no less insightful. RelatedBlack Mirror Creator On Terrifying Donald Trump, Season 4 Plans, Tech Fetish & Netflix NY Comic-Con Meanwhile, the latest adaptation of Adams, Dirk Gentlys Holistic Detective Agency, also shoulders a lot of something special as it plays with the wonderfully absurd amidst a thriller involving a millionaires murder, a black cat and vampires in vans. Those are just a few of the elements that come together in this tasty gumbo starring Samuel Barnett as Gently and Elijah Wood as his reluctant sidekick. Story continues Where Landis has played it smart is to avoid what has trapped other Adams adaptors by trying not to imitate the Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy author. Instead, in channeling Adams, Landis and showrunner Robert Cooper have let their freak flag fly and the result is a ton of fun with some agile choices and witty twists. Part of that is an excellent supporting cast of Hannah Marks as the ailment-plagued sister of Woods character Todd; Mpho Koaho as a beleaguered hacker; Jade Eshete as a security officer having a really bad day; and the devilish Fiona Dourif as a seemingly unkillable assassin who really wants to kill Dirk Gently himself. So, click on my video review of Black Mirror Season 3 and Dirk Gentlys Holistic Detective Agency and check out what you should be doing with the first part of your weekend. RelatedDirk Gently Going Full Weird, Max Landis Tells NY Comic-Con This review originally ran on October 17, 4:49 PM. Related stories Netflix Adds $800M In Debt To Fuel Original Content And Global Growth 'The Walking Dead' Season 7 Preview: Who Does Negan Kill? Is It [Spoiler]? Netflix Emma Stone-Jonah Hill Series 'Maniac' From Cary Fukunaga Finds Writer BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) reported quarterly earnings that beat analysts' expectations on Tuesday, though revenue missed estimates. The world's largest asset manager posted fiscal third quarter earnings of $5.14 a share on $2.84 billion in revenue. Analysts expected the asset management giant to report earnings of about $5 a share on $2.88 billion in revenue, according to a consensus estimate from Thomson Reuters. "In the third quarter, even as investor preferences continued to migrate from equity to fixed income and cash, and away from active strategies, the diversity of our platform drove nearly $70 billion of total net inflows," CEO Larry Fink said in a statement. "Our $55 billion of long-term net inflows were positive across both active and index strategies, and positive across every asset class and region," he said. BlackRock's iShares exchange-traded funds business took in $51.26 billion in new money, up from $23.3 billion a year earlier. The lion's share invested in ETFs went into stocks. Fink said that regulatory change continues to have an material impact on the industry. He also said that its iShares "captured the [number] 1 market share of net new business" in the U.S. and elsewhere. The company reported a 4 percent increase in base fees year-over-year. BlackRock ended the latest quarter with $5.12 trillion in assets undermanagement, up from $4.89 trillion in the second quarter ended June 30. Earlier this month, BlackRock said it is cutting fees for 15 of its exchange-traded funds, helping it better compete with offerings by rivals like Vanguard and State Street. The asset manager is the biggest provider of ETFs in the world through its ownership of the iShares franchise. BlackRock's stock is up 4.13 percent year to date. CNBC's Bob Pisani and Reuters contributed to this report. More From CNBC By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani ABUJA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which last week freed 21 of more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls it kidnapped in April 2014 in northeast Nigeria, is willing to negotiate the release of 83 more of the girls, the president's spokesman said on Sunday. Around 220 girls were taken from their school in 2014 in Chibok in northeastern Borno state, where Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state, killing thousands and displacing more than 2 million people. The main faction of Boko Haram led by the group's established figurehead Abubakar Shekau released 21 of the girls last week after the Red Cross and the Swiss government brokered a deal. Boko Haram has split with a big group moving away from shadowy leader Shekau over his failure to adhere to guidance from the Iraq- and Syria-based Islamic State. The part of Boko Haram under the control of Shekau said the rest of the kidnapped Chibok girls - estimated to be around 115 - were with the Islamic State-allied splinter group, according to Garba Shehu, spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari. "These 21 released girls are supposed to be tale bearers to tell the Nigerian government that this (Shekau) faction of Boko Haram has 83 more Chibok girls," Shehu told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. "The faction (of Shekau) said it is ready to negotiate if the government is willing to sit down with them," said Shehu, adding that the state is prepared to negotiate with Boko Haram. Boko Haram last year pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which in August named Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the group's leader for West Africa in its weekly magazine, al-Naba. But that appointment was later dismissed in a 10-minute audio clip on social media by a man purporting to be Shekau, exposing divisions within the jihadist group that has plagued Nigeria and neighbours Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Information Minister Lai Mohammed last week denied reports the state had swapped captured Boko Haram fighters for the release of the girls and said he was not aware if any ransom had been paid. He said a Nigerian army operation against Boko Haram would continue. In recent weeks, the Nigerian army has been carrying out an offensive in the Sambisa forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram. The militants controlled a swathe of land around the size of Belgium at the start of 2015, but Nigeria's army has recaptured most of the territory. The group still stages suicide bombings in the northeast, as well as in neighbouring Niger and Cameroon. (Reporting By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, Editing by Kieran Guilbert; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org) By Nita Bhalla NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Popular Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra on Monday apologised for a glossy travel magazine cover after it sparked outrage with social media users accusing her of insensitivity towards refugees and migrants. The 34-year-old former Miss World is featured on the cover of the October edition of Conde Nast Traveller India wearing a white t-shirt with the words, "REFUGEE", "IMMIGRANT" and "OUTSIDER" crossed out in red -- leaving only the word "TRAVELLER". Conde Nast Traveller tweeted the cover photo on Oct. 7 with the tagline "Bold and fearless, @priyankachopra makes a statement on our 6th anniversary issue cover. #WhyWeTravel" The message on her t-shirt sparked a flurry of criticism on the microblogging site twitter, with users accusing Chopra of belittling the plight of refugees forced to leave their homes. Chopra - who was named as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential people and is an ambassador for the U.N. children's agency UNICEF - said the message was aimed at addressing racism and had been misunderstood. "They (Conde Nast) specially got this (t-shirt) made and implored me to wear it. They said they were addressing xenophobia which is a big issue that is happening," Chopra told NDTV in an interview. "So their idea was that. And I bought into it, I guess. And I am really, really apologetic about the fact that sentiments were hurt ... The point the magazine wanted to make was actually something good." Some 1.3 million refugees and migrants fleeing war, poverty and persecution in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere arrived in Europe last year, creating the continent's biggest migrant crisis since World War Two. Without safe routes to seek sanctuary, thousands more have drowned at sea. "Maybe your editors need taste editing. I get what you are trying to say. But you just trivialised a serious refugee issue," said one tweet from @1plur1. "Extremely insensitive in midst of biggest #refugeecrises. All other options listed are forced on people not chosen" said another tweet from @savita_pawnday. Other twitter users took to photoshop, changing the struck out words on the Chopra's t-shirt to "COMPASSION", "EMPATHETIC" and "INCLUSIVE" -- leaving only the word "OFFENSIVE". Conde Nast Traveller said in a statement the message was aimed at challenging stereotypes and how the labelling of people as immigrants, refugees and outsiders is creating a culture of xenophobia. "At Conde Nast Traveller, we believe that the opening up of borders and the breaking down of walls can help us discover the world, and open up our minds and hearts,' said the magazine. "So, when we had actor Priyanka Chopra wear a t-shirt we created on the cover of the 6th anniversary issue, we had a point to make." Chopra is one of the Hindi film industry's biggest stars and one of only a handful of Indian actors who have broken into mainstream Hollywood, starring in the TV series "Quantico" and in the upcoming film based on the "Baywatch" series. (Reporting by Nita Bhalla; Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org) Bollywood actresses these days are not satisfied with just being in front of the screen, and are dabbling in other avenues of the profession. While they mostly focus on putting their best acting skills in front of the camera and their most stylish foot forward every time they step out for an event or outing, actresses are also using their skills for something bigger and better. Actresses like Pooja Bhatt, Dia Mirza, Preity Zinta, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Lara Duta, Juhi Chawla and Sushmita Sen proved that they are beauty with brains when they started their own production houses. Here are some of the top reigning current actresses, who have now turned into producers. Anushka Sharma: Anushka Sharma turned into a businesswoman in 2014 when she established her own film production and distribution company called Clean Slate Films with her brother Karnesh Sharma. After producing the acclaimed film NH10 in 2015, Anushka is now producing Phillauri, which will release in 2017. Priyanka Chopra: To promote regional movies and new talents such as writers, actors, directors and technicians, Priyanka started her production company Purple Pebble Pictures in 2015. Although her first three ventures, a Bhojpuri film, a Marathi film and a Punjabi film failed to create waves in the industry, she will now produce a Bollywood film, to be directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. Deepika Padukone: After ruling the Bollywood film industry for a couple of years in a row, Deepika is now all set to make her Hollywood film debut soon, working on projects in the West alongside Bollywood films. But thats not it. The actress has often showed interest in starting a production house of her own, and is thinking of taking it up seriously now as she is reading scripts to roll her first project soon. Sonam Kapoor: Sonam might have focussed only on acting till now, but with sister Rhea at the helm of her latest project, we hear that Sonam is also interested in the filmmaking aspect of movies as she hopes to put her experience to good use and turn producer soon. Story continues Sonakshi Sinha: The latest entrant in the bandwagon of actresses turning producers. The actress confirmed it when she spoke to the media recently and said, That is the next step, given my experience in the industry. I was waiting for a story that appeals to me strongly. I want to back films that have performance-oriented roles. Also read: Watch: A very young and shy Sonakshi Sinha presenting an award to Karan Johar Katrina Kaif cried because she wasnt part of this movie! Glasgow (AFP) - Borussia Monchengladbach face a test of fire as they travel into the cauldron of Celtic Park on Wednesday with a first Champions League Group C win at stake for both sides. Celtic's raucous fans carried the Hoops to a 3-3 draw with Manchester City last time out and coupled with Gladbach's poor away record the crowd could be a bankable asset again. Andre Schubert's Gladbach, who fell to Man City (0-4) and Barcelona (1-2), are sitting bottom of the group. They return to a city where they endured their heaviest European defeat, an 8-0 loss to Rangers in the 1960/61 European Cup Winners' Cup, but boosted by the knowledge that Celtic are traditionally beaten by German opponents. Celtic are unbeaten at home in 21 games and manager Brendan Rodgers is counting on the crowd again to lift his side whose hopes of qualifying for the last 16 looked to be over after a 7-0 mauling at the Nou Camp. Another mismatch of epic proportions looked on the cards when Pep Guardiola's City visited Celtic Park looking for their 11th straight victory. However, the critics were made to eat their words as City were forced to come from behind on three occasions to grab a point following a thrilling 3-3 draw in Glasgow. "Our objective was to look to be in Europe after Christmas," Rodgers said. "We felt it would be great if we could do that from such a strong group. "The home games are very important for us so this game against Borussia will be vital. "If we can come out of the back-to-back games with four points it would put us in a great position." The Scottish champions have a formidable home record in Europe's elite competition. In 25 Champions League group stage games at Celtic Park, the Hoops have lost just three, drawn six and won 16. And having achieved his primary aim of restoring his side to the group stages of the competition, Rodgers now has his sights on further progression in Europe. "They'll be tough and it will be a rollercoaster but, being realistic, that is what you have to aim for. You look to win your home game and get something away from home, though it is not a disaster if you don't. "You have to earn every single point in the Champions League. We are delighted to be in this competition and will try to rinse everything we can out of it." From Esquire It takes a brave soul to venture into the contemporary watchmaking field these days-a bold, entrepreneurial spirit with a keen sense of adventure. Solid advice often advocates starting a business as a labor of love, so for this weekend's Wind-Up Watch Fair, over 30 independent brands from around the world are coming together to showcase the fruits of that labor: a slew of inventive new watches with a deep sense of creativity and passion. The Wind-Up Watch Fair was put together by three partners from Worn & Wound, a website-slash-online-shop where accessibly priced watches often take center stage, with the primary focus being value, aesthetics, and technical innovation. Bringing all these like-minded brands together was the next logical step, with the second annual three-day watch fair taking place from October 21-23 at New York's Chelsea Market. "This is truly the only fair of its kind in the world," Blake Malin, a Worn & Wound co-founder, says. "Watch aficionados and newcomers can discover new and exciting brands that they would otherwise never hear from." A new wave of young entrepreneurs is looking to bring back American watchmaking with amazing creativity-featuring clever designs inspired by auto racing, camera equipment, contemporary art, even industrial espresso machines. While many brands exhibiting are firmly established, quite a few had more humble beginnings, often using Kickstarter to fund projects and get new creative ideas off the ground. Helping establish a new generation of watchmakers is an exciting prospect for any collector. "We are very proud of the versatile roster of independent watchmakers participating," says event cofounder Zach Weiss. "Everyone is sure to find something they love". For more information on the Wind-Up Watch Fair-including opening hours-check out the website. Unable to attend the show in New York? Here's a look at some of the latest offerings from the enterprising American brands that will be on display. Story continues (Lead image: Foto Nouveau, Autodromo, Sablier) You Might Also Like A key player in Bravo's scripted expansion is transitioning into a different role at the cabler. Lara Spotts has exited her post as senior vp development at the NBCUniversal-owned cable network, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The executive who helped spearhead Bravo's entry into scripted with Marti Noxon's Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce and Odd Mom Out will instead take over as showrunner on the latter series, the cabler's first scripted comedy effort. Spotts' development role has yet to be filled. She takes over the showrunning reins on Odd Mom Out from Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky, who decided not to return for season three. Read more: 'Odd Mom Out' Renewed for Season 3 at Bravo Spotts' move comes a month after Bravo renewed Jill Kargman vehicle Odd Mom Out for a third season. "Led by Jill Kargman, the incredible cast and crew of Odd Mom Out delivered comedy gold in season two that culminated in an epic cliffhanger, leaving our viewers desperate for more," Spotts said in making the renewal announcement last month. "Another season of this hilarious and sophisticated gem further demonstrates Bravo's commitment to unique and high-quality scripted programming." The move marks a return to the writers' room for Spotts, who is a member of the WGA and counts a writing gig on Showtime's The L Word among her credits. Next up for Bravo is dark comedy My So-Called Wife with Uma Thurman. Sao Paulo (AFP) - Embattled former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva insisted Tuesday that he played no role in Brazil's huge corruption scandal, accusing his opponents of damaging Brazil's democracy. Lula, who faces three corruption-related court cases that could sink his hopes of returning to power in 2018 presidential elections, wrote in Folha de Sao Paulo that he was the victim of "political persecution." "I can't keep silent in the face of the abuses committed by agents of the state," he wrote. Prosecutors, he said, intend "to destroy the basis of democracy in Brazil." Lula's declarations came amid persistent rumors of his possible pre-trial detention, although officials have said nothing to indicate that this is imminent. Lula, 70, was a hugely popular president for two terms before handing over to his protege Dilma Rousseff in 2014. However his reputation has been badly damaged by the revelation of a vast corruption scheme that flourished during his time in office at the state flagship company Petrobras. Rouseff was ejected from office in an impeachment trial on separate charges this year and Lula's leftist Workers' Party was hammered in municipal elections earlier in October. "I never practiced, never authorized or benefited from illegal acts at Petrobras," he wrote. One of the few upshots for Europe after Britain decided to leave the European Union was the possibility that Londons financial center, know as The City, would relocate to the European mainland to avoid the regulatory nightmare to come. Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt were all possibilities. However, as the aftermath of the Brexit vote unfolds, it appears as if the real beneficiary from financial services departing the U.K is on the other side of the Atlantic. As global investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley consider how to deal with Brexit, its becoming clear that only one city has the regulatory framework necessary to handle the complexities of international finance: New York City. As Bloomberg recently noted, London is typically an investment banks largest or second-largest headquarters. The same can be said of New York. Rather than move operations to Europe, it makes more financial sense to simply move to New York, because it would be cheaper to move operations than set up new ones. British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to invoke Article 50, the clause that would actually start unwinding the U.K.s legal ties with the EU, by May of next year. If she does so, she risks losing a sector that accounts for 8 to 10 percent of national GDP. Industry insiders already sense the move to the States rather than mainland Europe is coming. Speaking at a conference in Washington earlier this month, Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman said, The big winner from Brexit is going to be New York and the U.S. Youll see more business moving to New York. He was joined by Xavier Rolet, the London Stock Exchange chief, who said recently that Wall Street was the only place with the capacity to handle clearing of the 17 major world currencies. Very little of that [ex-London] business is likely to go to Europe, Rolet claimed. Part of the reason is regulatory. Its not clear whether the EUs massive bureaucracy would be able to cope with an influx of applications to move investment banking operations to Europe. This is one reason, among so many, that banks were anti-Brexit before the June vote. There is now uncertainty about how the European Union will work with Britain to finalize the divorce, and what that will mean for how banks will do business there and in Europe. There is no such worry in the Big Apple. Story continues Another part is cultural. According to the Global Financial Centres Index, published by the consultancy Z/Yen Group, London ranks first of the list of places where financial workers want to live. New York ranks second, while Frankfurt comes in at 19th and Paris at 29th. In a report published Monday, Open Europe, a think tank that did not take a stance on Brexit, found that for finance types, New York, Singapore, or Hong Kong would be preferable to moving to mainland Europe. And another reason is that London could lose access to the European common market, which allows good, services, and people to flow across Europe without restriction. Many in Europe, including Germany, want to restrict access to it post-Brexit. Without it, banks would lose easy access to a market with 500 million customers. May doesnt have to look further than Sir Jon Cunliffe, a deputy governor of the Bank of England, to know where such a financial capital might migrate. When asked earlier this month whether banks will likely depart the U.K for the United States, he said, Could it be transported to New York? Well of course, it already exists in New York. Photo credit: VICTOR FRAILE/Getty Images (Adds Heathrow comment) By Kylie MacLellan LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Britain will make a long-awaited decision next week on where to allow airport expansion near London, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokeswoman said on Tuesday, with ministers who oppose it given the rare opportunity to publicly voice their dissent. The decision will be subject to public consultation before it is put to parliament for its backing late 2017 or early 2018. The government will either support plans for a new runway west of London at Heathrow, the busiest airport in both Britain and Europe, or at Gatwick to the south. The decision has been debated for more than 25 years. May's cabinet discussed the options for more than an hour on Tuesday, her spokeswoman said, but the decision will be made by a smaller group of ministers. "It was not for cabinet to take a decision today. That will be taken by the cabinet sub-committee on airports, which is due to meet next week and will select a preferred option," the spokeswoman told reporters. "There was a strong consensus about the importance of this decision for the country, the need to get on and make a decision ... and what it would mean for the UK economy and the nation that we want to be as we leave the European Union." The sub-committee, chaired by May, does not include key opponents of Heathrow expansion such as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Education Secretary Justine Greening. Media reports have said it will meet next Tuesday, Oct. 25, but the spokeswoman declined to specify the date. In 2015 a three-year independent inquiry set up by the government recommended building a new runway at Heathrow, subject to a list of conditions over night flights, noise and air quality, and it is seen as the front-runner. Heathrow said in a statement the process was in line with its expectations, and that if given the go-ahead it would apply for planning approval following the parliamentary vote. In a break with normal procedure that ministers must support the government position, May took the rare step of promising colleagues who oppose the decision that they would be allowed to publicly air their views. Story continues Media interpreted this as a strong signal the government would back Heathrow, as there are no high profile ministers who oppose Gatwick expansion. In a letter to ministers published on Tuesday, May said the exception would only apply to those who had previously expressed strong opinions or had a directly affected constituency. Ministers would have to seek her approval to oppose the government and would not be able to actively campaign against the decision, speak against the government in parliament or criticise the decision-making process itself, she said. (Additional reporting by William James, Editing by Stephen Addison) Paris (AFP) - Britain must fulfil its duties towards unaccompanied migrant children in the Calais "Jungle" camp, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in an article published Tuesday, just a day after more than a dozen teenagers were transferred to the UK. "(The) French government has now decided to dismantle the Calais camp for good," Cazeneuve said in an opinion piece for British newspaper The Guardian, adding that neither London nor Paris wants "to leave people with the right to refugee status in the cold and the mud -a women and children least of all". The makeshift settlement in Calais has become a focal point in France of Europe's migrant crisis, the subject of heated debate among politicians and a constant source of tension with Britain, which is where many of the migrants want to go. The minister said that "because they share a moral responsibility towards them, the governments of France and the UK are determined to succeed with this operation together". "The British government has pledged to help solve this crisis by taking in some unaccompanied minors, the vast majority of whom have expressed the wish to go to the UK," he added. "The UK government now needs to intensify this effort, so that every unaccompanied minor can benefit from fair, lasting protection. In the longer term, neither the UK nor France can abdicate our responsibilities regarding the migration crisis across our continent." The interior minister warned the "humanitarian operation must be supported by long-term measures aimed at making the border impenetrable at Calais and other Channel ports". He said that "thanks to the cooperation between our police services, 33 illegal immigration networks smuggling people into the UK have already been dismantled in France since the beginning of this year". His comments came as 14 unaccompanied teenagers who had been living in the Calais "Jungle" were reunited with relatives after being transferred to Britain on Monday, ahead of the demolition of the French migrant camp. The children, who Britain said were aged between 14 and 17 and from countries including Syria and Sudan, are due to be followed by dozens more in the coming days. They are entitled to move to Britain under EU law due to family ties with those already in the UK. But campaigners and faith leaders warned there were many more left behind who also deserved the country's help. LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - British Olympians and Paralympians marked their successful run at the Rio Games at a celebration in London's Trafalgar Square on Tuesday. Crowds attending the "Heroes Return" event waved flags and cheered when athletes such as gold medallists boxer Nicola Adams and gymnast Max Whitlock took to the stage in the central London square. "Team GB" won 67 medals in Rio de Janeiro, including 27 gold, coming in second in the medals table after the United States. The "ParalympicsGB" team won 147 medals, including 64 gold, and came in second after China. "Team GB and ParalympicsGB, you smashed it," London mayor Sadiq Khan told the athletes at the event. "We are now a sporting superpower." On Monday, the athletes took part in a street parade in the city of Manchester. They will meet members of the British royal family at a reception with Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip later on Tuesday. (Writing By Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Angus MacSwan) LONDON -- Last June, 52 percent of United Kingdom voters opted to pull their country out of the European Union. But while the outcome was close, it was also clear. And there's no turning back, right? Well, probably not. But, then again ... As it happens, hearings wrapped up this week in Britain's High Court in a case that could ultimately result in leaving the door open -- just a crack -- for Parliament to quash the referendum result. The case is a power struggle between Parliament and the Conservative government of Prime Minister Theresa May. For the British exit, or Brexit, from Europe to happen, the process has to be triggered by the U.K. formally notifying the EU that it's leaving, according to Article 50 of the union's constitution. May says the government has the power to do that without Parliament's approval. Lawmakers can debate the issue, she says, but not vote on it. (Although on Tuesday, the government said it was "very likely" that Parliament could vote on any final treaty it reaches with the EU. But that's not the issue that's before the court, because even if Parliament rejected the treaty, by then it would be too late to stop Brexit from going ahead.) May says she'll kick-start Brexit at the end of next March. The decision and timing is the government's, Downing Street says, thanks to royal prerogative, an ancient process that ultimately devolved non-legislative powers from the monarch to the government on areas such as negotiating treaties. Or in this case, un-negotiating one. Parliament begs to differ, although the court case was actually filed by two members of the public. Several high-powered law firms are arguing the claimants' case -- which cites the 1689 Bill of Rights -- that leaving the EU affects statutory law. Hence, the government cannot trigger Brexit until Parliament says it can. It's a complicated issue in part because the U.K. doesn't have a written constitution. "The verdict will be as political as it is legal, as the law's not clear," says Michael Dougan, a University of Liverpool law professor. Story continues The High Court is expected to issue a ruling early next month. It's highly likely that the case will then go directly to the nine-member Supreme Court, which will probably rule around mid-December. Jo Eric Khushal Murkens, an associate professor of law at the London School of Economics, suspects the government could lose. "This is not rocket science. The courts have ruled on royal prerogative before, and it's not gone the government's way." [READ: The Unlikely Brits Who Caused a Revolution] But Matt Williams, a politics lecturer at the University of Oxford, calls a government victory "very likely. It would be too politically sensitive for the courts to get in the way of a referendum result," even though, legally, the vote was advisory. If Parliament does win the right on whether to trigger Brexit, would lawmakers -- who are mainly pro-EU -- void the referendum? Probably not. That's because, Murkens says, too many of them come from constituencies whose voters backed Brexit. Still, requiring an act of Parliament would get lawmakers more involved in shaping Britain's negotiating terms. And that whole process would take time -- perhaps as much as a year. So the end result may not kill Brexit -- just delay it. The devastated brother of a 22-year-old woman who was shot dead by a stranger in front of her two children in what police have called 'a fit of road rage' has spoken out. Read: Adults at Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Parlor Erupt Into All-Out Fistfights and Hair-Pulling Dylan Gray told InsideEdition.com that his sister, Whitney Gray, was a loving person who did not deserve to die, especially with her two kids watching. Christopher Taylor, 39, was arrested in South Dakota in the aftermath for the killing and charged with second-degree murder, according to the Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker. Gray had her 8-month-old and 3-year-old as well as another 16-year-old relative in the car with her at the time of the shooting. "My sister was the most loving mother I know," Dylan Gray told InsideEdition.com. "She truly did an amazing job with those two boys and they loved her so dearly." He added: "I just can't believe a sick individual would do such a thing and I hope he gets everything he deserves and so does the whole family." Gray said the man who allegedly shot his sister was a complete stranger. "The three children in the car... they are all safe and unharmed, needing a lot of love right now," he said. According to documents released by the prosecutors office, Whitney Gray was shot after leaving the grocery store just before 8 p.m. Sunday, October 16. While driving her minivan on Sterling Avenue in Independence, Taylor was allegedly tailgating Gray and tried to hit her car on the right side, nearly causing a crash. Gray reportedly threw some type of bottle at the front of Taylors Toyota, according to witnesses, and the next thing witnesses heard was a gunshot. In the incident that prosecutors have called a fit of road rage, Taylor allegedly shot Gray once in the chest while she was driving, a wound that would prove fatal. Story continues Officers said Gray was lying face up on the sidewalk when they arrived, covered in blood. Paramedics tried to revive her, but couldnt. She was pronounced dead the scene. Witnesses then told police that Taylor's vehicle may have been involved after they saw news reports of the shooting on TV, police said. Taylor uncharacteristically did not show up for work on Monday, according to his boss. Taylo'rs family members told officers they became more suspicious that Taylor was involved in the Sunday shooting after it appeared he had packed up many of his belongings and left his home. A car dealer helped police track Taylor's white Toyota Sequoia to a hotel in Box Elder, South Dakota, where Taylor was taken into custody Tuesday. Taylors dad described him as a "loner who was paranoid of the government and made every effort to stay off the grid." Read: Mom Says She Smothered Her Two Children to Keep Them Safe: 'They're in Heaven Now' "'We all pray the justice system gives this man everything he deserves. My sister was a young beautiful soul and did not deserve to have her life robbed from her in such a nasty way," Dylan Gray said. Prosecutors have requested a bond of $100,000 cash. Taylor has yet to appear in court, according to reports. Grays family has created a GoFundMe page to help offset the cost of funeral expenses. She will be laid to rest this Saturday. Watch: Mom Just Returning from Maternity Leave is One of 2 Officers Killed on Duty Related Articles: NAIROBI (Reuters) - President Pierre Nkurunziza signed a decree on Tuesday for Burundi to quit the International Criminal Court, after parliament voted overwhelmingly last week to remove the country from the court's jurisdiction. The move is unprecedented in a continent whose leaders often complain that the court disproportionately targets Africans. On Oct. 12, only two lawmakers voted in favour of staying under the jurisdiction of the Dutch-based ICC, while 94 voted against and 14 abstained. In April, the ICC opened a preliminary investigation into Burundi, focusing on killings, imprisonment, torture, rape and other sexual violence, as well as enforced disappearances. Burundi's government was infuriated last month by a U.N. report that named officials accused of orchestrating the torture and killing political opponents. Since then, Bujumbura has banned three U.N. investigators from its territory and condemned a U.N. decision to set up a commission of inquiry to probe the violence, which began last year after Nkurunziza decided to seek a third term in office. Opponents said his candidacy violated the constitution and a peace agreement that ended a civil war in 2005. The opposition mostly boycotted the polls and Nkurunziza won a third term. The ICC said in April that political violence had killed about 450 people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. Earlier on Tuesday, the head of its governing body, Sidiki Kaba, said he was concerned that would undermine "efforts towards the objective of universality" and called on Burundi to "engage in a dialogue. Since it was set up under the 1998 Rome Statute, the court based in The Hague has focused on prosecuting such politically-motivated crimes as genocide and crimes against humanity. Most of its investigations and indictments have been of Africans, stirring criticism from many governments on the continent. Nine out of 10 situations under investigation by ICC prosecutors are African. All five verdicts have dealt with African suspects from Congo, Central Arican Republic and Mali. The decree signed by Nkurunziza, published in the presidency's website, said the decision would "come into immediate effect". (Reporting by Aaron Maasho, Editing by Angus MacSwan) Bujumbura (Burundi) (AFP) - President Pierre Nkurunziza on Tuesday signed legislation enabling Burundi to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). A copy of the law seen by AFP and dated October 18 allows "the Republic of Burundi's withdrawal from the Rome statute", the ICC's founding treaty. The next step will be for the country to officially notify the United Nations, launching a year-long departure process that will make the country the first ever to quit the tribunal. Burundi's lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favour of the move on October 12, its latest snub of the international community after the release of a damning UN report in September detailing atrocities and warning of "genocide". Burundi was plunged into crisis in April 2015 when Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term in office, which he went on to win. A vicious government crackdown on protests and widespread violence followed, which some rights organisations estimate has left more than 1,000 people dead. Burundi's move to leave the Netherlands-based court comes amid rising resentment in Africa against the ICC, whose leaders accuse it of unfairly targeting Africans for prosecution. (Adds analyst reaction, details) By David Ljunggren OTTAWA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Canadian manufacturing sales in August jumped much more than expected on widespread strength, reinforcing expectations that the country's economy will rebound in the third quarter after shrinking in the second. Statistics Canada said on Tuesday that sales rose by 0.9 percent from July to hit C$51.12 billion ($39.02 billion) as eight of the country's 10 provinces recorded increases. Market analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.2 percent gain. Sales advanced in 15 of 21 industries, representing 69 percent of the manufacturing sector, while in volume terms sales climbed by 1.2 percent. The Bank of Canada, which releases its latest forecasts on Wednesday, is projecting a healthy third-quarter recovery after a major wildfire in the oil-producing province of Alberta in May caused the economy to contract in the second quarter. "(The report) will provide even more reassurance to the Bank of Canada that third quarter GDP growth rebounded strongly," Capital Economics economist Paul Ashworth said in a note to clients. The central bank cut interest rates twice last year to help compensate for falling oil prices and is not expected to move again until early 2018. Sales in the petroleum and coal products industry rose by 2.5 percent to C$4.38 billion in August, the second consecutive monthly gain. "(This) does suggest we are probably seeing some of the resumption of activity in Alberta trickle through into August," said Andrew Kelvin, senior rates strategist at TD Securities. Sales in the food industry rose by 1.7 percent in August to a record C$8.57 billion, while the primary metals industry posted a 3.6 percent gain to reach C$3.89 billion. Derek Holt, vice president of Scotiabank Economics, said the manufacturing data were "a decent signal for August GDP growth" but noted new orders had fallen by 0.9 percent, the second consecutive drop. "This may signal that the momentum of the manufacturing sector's acceleration is a transitory phenomenon in keeping with concerns about the durability of a third quarter pop," he said in a note to clients. Story continues Sales of transportation equipment, the largest of the 21 industries, dropped by 1.1 percent to C$10.55 billion as unusual one-week shutdowns at some automobile assembly plants cut sales of motor vehicles. Plants usually schedule closures in July. ($1=$1.31 Canadian) (Additonal reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto; Editing by W Simon and Meredith Mazzilli) By Kate Holton and Simon Jessop LONDON/TORONTO (Reuters) - William Hill (WMH.L) and Canadian online gambling company Amaya Inc (AYA.TO) (AYA.O) have abandoned merger talks, leaving the British bookmaker struggling to find a partner in a fast consolidating industry. Amaya, operator of the PokerStars website, and William Hill, one of the best-known British gambling brands, said earlier this month they were in talks about a merger of equals but the deal was thrown into doubt days later when a leading investor in William Hill said it would oppose the plan. The Canadian company said it had decided it could best deliver shareholder value by remaining an independent company, while William Hill said it decided to walk away after canvassing its biggest investors. Amaya shares tumbled 8.3 percent. William Hill investor Parvus Asset Management, which came out against the Amaya deal last week, welcomed the news. "We're pleased that the board has decided to cancel the talks with Amaya, and, from our perspective, we're looking forward to working constructively with the board with regard to creating shareholder value for William Hill owners," Parvus co-founder Mads Gensmann said. William Hill is looking increasingly isolated after European rivals Paddy Power (PPB.I) and Betfair joined forces, while Ladbrokes (LAD.L) agreed to unite with unlisted Gala Coral. Betting companies are facing tighter regulation and higher taxes in countries such as Britain and need to adapt to an environment in which younger and more tech-savvy gamblers are increasingly betting online or via smartphone. Amaya, which had been evaluating strategic alternatives since earlier this year, said it has ended that process. It had also received interest from GVC Holdings (GVC.L) and private equity firms, sources have told Reuters. "It was a pretty intensive process, and we had a number of interested parties at various stages and in various depths," Amaya spokesman Eric Hollreiser said. Story continues "It was the conversations with William Hill that progressed the furthest," he said. "We thought at the time, and in fact still think at this point, that there's a lot of strategic and industrial logic to the potential pairing." LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVES William Hill appears to have lost momentum after long-serving Chief Executive Ralph Topping left the company two years ago. His successor James Henderson departed in July after the board said he was failing to deliver enough growth in online and international gambling. The company subsequently rejected a joint takeover approach from smaller online rival 888 (888.L) and casino and bingo hall operator Rank Group (RNK.L) in August. That turned the tables on William Hill which had made a 720 million pound ($895 million) bid for 888 last year. In a statement on Tuesday, William Hill said it was focusing on the priorities set out by interim CEO Philip Bowcock: online, technology, efficiencies and international. It said the company would "continue to consider strategic alternatives where they have the potential to create shareholder value." Its shares added 1.5 percent to 309.6 pence, valuing the company at around 2.65 billion pounds. Amaya said it had been informed by its former chief executive, David Baazov, that he remained interested in buying the company but that the firm had not received an offer capable of resulting in a transaction. Amaya said in February it had received a non-binding proposal from Baazov to take the company private, but the formal bid never came. Amaya also said on Tuesday it expects to report full-year revenues of between $1.13 and $1.16 billion, lower than the average forecast of $1.17 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The company expects earnings to be between $1.71 and $1.82 per share, compared with an average forecast of $1.72. ($1 = 0.8042 pounds) (Additional reporting by Matt Scuffham, John Tilak and Alastair Sharp in Toronto; Editing by Keith Weir, Frances Kerry and Meredith Mazzilli) By Nia Williams CALGARY, Alberta, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Laurentian Bank of Canada, the country's seventh-biggest lender, is setting up an energy investment banking team in Calgary, Alberta's oil capital, a bank official said on Tuesday. Wade Felesky, Head of Energy at Laurentian Bank Securities said Montreal-based Laurentian Bank had been seeking an opportunity to open an energy-focused banking arm for years and the prolonged slump in Canadian oil and gas offered a chance to jump into the industry at a low point in the cycle. "We have been in a protracted depressed commodity environment for longer than we would like and what that has allowed is the opportunity to get good people and allowed them (Laurentian) to look at this from a counter-cyclical standpoint," Felesky said in an interview. "It's the hallmark of their success historically." The energy team Laurentian Bank Securities will be a subsidiary of the parent bank and Felesky expects to hire around 10 people between now and the end of 2017. Felesky, previously a managing director at Calgary-based GMP Securities, said the team would focus on junior and mid-sized oil and gas companies, which have been struggling to secure capital and credit during the more than two-year crude price downturn. Laurentian Bank Securities will also offer a merger and acquisition advisory service, a sector that Felesky said he hoped would pick up further, although he declined to offer any prediction on the direction of oil prices. There have been 63 merger and acquisition transactions in Canada's energy sector so far this year, according to the latest figures from ATB financial, compared with 90 in all of 2015 and 151 in 2014. The expansion by Laurentian Bank is likely to be welcomed in Calgary, which has been hit hard by the global crude slump and seen tens of thousands of job losses since mid-2014. The bank already has commercial lending, real estate, infrastructure and agricultural banking operations in the city. Unlike its bigger rivals, Laurentian Bank until as recently as the second quarter had no direct exposure to the oil and gas industry. Many lenders saw profits crimped in recent quarters as energy clients struggled to repay loans. (Editing by G Crosse) If you were an ordinary citizen of Azerbaijan, youd have little reason to doubt the official casualty count from your countrys recent skirmishes with Armenian separatists. Long used to a state-sanctioned narrative of events, you might have taken part in wave of patriotism that subsequently washed across the country. After all, your strongman president, Ilham Aliyev, painted the fighting last April the latest flare-up in nearly three decades of hostilities over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as a military success. But one scrappy media outlet did the math. Meydan TV, an independent website headed by Azeri dissidents that casts itself as one of the few critical voices reporting on Azerbaijan, reached out to the directly affected families. The numbers that the ministry of defense was giving did not match the numbers we were receiving from people who had lost their loved ones, says deputy program director Zarona Ismailova. Per Meydan TVs count, the real number of dead was about three times higher than the 31 reported by the government. The outlet published the full list of names on its website, which was then shared more than 17,000 times on Facebook. And it coordinated the effort from its base in Berlin. Doing so from inside Azerbaijan, an ex-Soviet republic which democracy watchdog Freedom House classifies as Not Free, wouldve been all but impossible. Critics say the Aliyev government has used its vast oil reserves to fund an increasingly corrupt and authoritarian regime that muzzles the media and jails political dissidents and others who dare to speak out. Earlier this year, prominent investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova was released from prison after a year-and-half behind bars for her reporting on the widespread corruption in the Aliyev family. Such are the circumstances that prevent Meydan TV from operating freely inside the country. A brainchild of political exile Emin Milli, the project was first launched in 2013 as a television station broadcasting into Azerbaijan from Germany. Having been repeatedly jailed in Azerbaijan for his public criticism of the regime, Milli moved to Berlin in early 2013 and received political asylum there. But the program lasted only a week before the authorities jammed the signal, forcing Milli to change tack. Thats when it turned into an operation that has grown, in his words, from a bunch of bloggers into a professional online media outlet that focuses on hard-hitting reports. Recently, it gained attention for an interactive project that illustrated how various sights along last Junes Formula 1 route in Baku were tied to instances of official malfeasance. But Meydan TVs case also illustrates an important if somewhat disheartening point: In countries ruled by authoritarian regimes, such as those of the former Soviet Union, remote media projects are often the only source of critical or accurate information. Stifling restrictions on free speech and media mean that journalists inside those countries cant report openly, at least not without taking on massive risks. Instead, outlets like Meydan TV are forced to rely on the Internet and often anonymous stringers to gather information. In so doing, they serve curious though usually still small audiences determined to break out from behind their governments information blockades. Reaching out to audiences in authoritarian states from afar isnt exactly a new principle. During the Cold War, the U.S. government used outlets like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America to break through the Iron Curtain and counter Soviet and Warsaw Pact propaganda. After a new generation of autocrats took over across much of the post-Soviet space, they built regimes that incorporate many features of their Soviet predecessors. In states such as Azerbaijan or the closed autocracies of Central Asia, the executives rule is absolute and the state exercises virtually total control over the media. If an activist, critical journalist, or any other free-thinker speaks out, criminal charges usually manufactured are filed against them. The main goal is to force a person to stay quiet, says Daniil Kislov, editor of a Moscow-based website, Fergana News, that reports on the countries of post-Soviet Central Asia. Meydan TVs success is due in large part to a growing network of what it calls citizen journalists locals who feed editors news tips, stories and other developments that would never make it into state-controlled media. For instance, when the government sought to downplay a deadly oil rig fire in the Caspian Sea last December, Meydan TV posted a report featuring relatives of missing workers complaining about ineffective officials and conflicting information. It even obtained footage of the fire apparently from a rescuer dispatched to the scene. The Aliyev regime has taken notice. It has launched a criminal investigation into the outlet and levied travel bans, as well as other forms of harassment, against local Azeri journalists who have contributed to it. While access to Meydan TV isnt blocked inside Azerbaijan, it has experienced a number of DDoS attacks that crashed the website for several hours at a time. But Milli says thats a good sign: Every attack against us is an acknowledgment of our success, and no attack against us will stop us from doing what were doing, which is just journalism nothing less, and nothing more. Some believe its more complicated than that. On one hand, the outlet provides a desperately-needed counterbalance to powerful state propaganda. On the other, Azerbaijans restrictive atmosphere creates such a sense of desperation that simply getting the information out is often a high-stakes act of bravery for those on the ground. Katy Pearce, an assistant professor at the University of Washington who studies communication in post-Soviet regimes, points out that much of Meydan TVs most resonant work has come during times of crisis such as the oil rig fire when the urgency of the situation can trump the ability to verify every piece of information. Milli and his colleagues say they fact-check their stories and are committed to the standards of professional journalism. But their goal, according to Pearce, is more than just journalism. These are people who are activists first, she says. As with virtually any modern media organization, finding adequate funding is a challenge. For now, Meydan TV relies largely on grants from NGOs. The outlets leadership was disheartened by Germanys refusal last year to provide federal funding on the basis that it might damage diplomatic relations with the Azeri regime. In the long term, Milli hopes to wean his outlet off donor funding and onto a more sustainable social business model, in which it would build partnerships with non-media businesses or invest in other wealth-creating projects. Ultimately, Meydan TV and other outlets like it rely on a local readership thats hungry enough to seek out alternative sources of information. Milli estimates that, in one way or another, Meydan reaches up to 20 percent of the population in Azerbaijan. By comparison, Western broadcasters such as RFE/RL, Voice of America, and the BBC reached up to 25 percent of adult population by the final decade of the Soviet Union, according to a recent book-length study. But observers hope that, in an increasingly connected world, the desire for accurate information will win out over authoritarian governments information blockades. I think the audience understands, most of the time, what is right and what is wrong, says Kenan Aliyev, executive editor of Current Time, a news program produced by U.S.-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and beamed into Russian-speaking countries of the former Soviet Union. Propaganda can be useful to a certain degree, but in the long run, people figure out whats actually going on. In the photo, Emin Milli, director of Meydan TV, speaks at an event hosted by the Heinrich Boll Stiftung in Berlin on April 27. Photo credit: ANDI WEILAND (Flickr) Felix Rappaport Casino It's not always easy to bet on yourself even when you're in the casino business. Foxwoods Resort Casino president and CEO Felix Rappaport recently discussed the biggest gamble he's ever made in his career with Business Insider. Before taking the helm at Foxwoods two years ago, the industry veteran spent over three decades working in hospitality industry. In the early 1990s, he was working for businessman Steve Wynn at the Mirage and Treasure Island. He dealt solely with the hotel aspects of the resorts never with the casinos. Then, an interesting opportunity popped up in 1996. Rappaport was given the chance to run a resort casino for Station Casinos. "So instead of just being responsible for the-hotel related departments like I had in the past, I was now in charge of all departments from marketing, to gaming, to food and beverage and beyond," he says. He took a chance and accepted the offer. The risk paid off. Today, Rappaport is running the largest casino resort in North America. However, taking that first step was hard. He says it was difficult to leave Wynn's organization, where he felt comfortable and enjoyed his time. Sometimes, however, it's important to venture beyond your professional comfort zone. "It was a tough decision, but ultimately allowed me to broaden my skillset and my scope," Rappaport says. NOW WATCH: Steve Wynn is making a big bet on this new luxurious $4 billion casino in China More From Business Insider It's been 10 years since CBGB, the infamous birthplace of punk, closed its doors for good to the public. The country blues-turned-punk club officially shut down Oct. 15, 2006, after a losing a deal to renew the lease with their landlord, Bowery Residents' Committee. The final concert was headlined by Patti Smith. With legendary bands that got their start thanks to CBGB owner Hilly Kristal, including the Ramones, Blondie and the Police, it's no wonder music fans across the world continue to mourn the loss of an iconic venue. Forty-three years later, history still lives on at the 315 Bowery location in New York City. Take a glimpse back into the making of music history with these seven iconic performances that defined the lifetime of CBGB: 1. Patti Smith, "Elegie" (2006) 2. Beastie Boys, "Egg Raid on Mojo" (1983) 3. The Ramones, "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" (1977) 4. Blondie, "X Offender" (1977) 5. Green Day, "Welcome to Paradise" (2000) 6. Hole, "Garbadge Man" (1991) 7. Guns N' Roses, "Patience" (1987) Hugh Laurie as Dr. Eldon Chance in Hulus Chance (Credit: Hulu) He is playing with fire, Hugh Laurie says of his character in Hulus new drama Chance. Gretchen Mol is playing the role of fire in this analogy. Will it warm him or will it burn down the house? Laurie stars as San Francisco-based forensic neuropsychiatrist Dr. Eldon Chance and Mol as Jaclyn, a patient who may or may not be suffering from multiple personality disorder but definitely appears to have an abusive husband who is also a police detective. Streaming weekly on Wednesdays, starting Oct. 19, Its a story of obsession, Laurie says. A man whose life stands to be either destroyed or rescued by his obsession. After eight seasons as the titular doctor on Foxs House, Laurie admits that he had reservations when he was sent novelist Kem Nunns psychological thriller upon which the series is based. About five pages in I thought, Well, this is great, but its a bit of a shame I cant do it because its medical,' he says. Then about 10 pages in, Id completely forgotten that, and I was absolutely absorbed by the character and the tone of the story. Here, he offers us a preview. The opening moments of the series establish very quickly that the show isnt going to pull any punches as we hear about the traumatized patients Chance has evaluated who never recover. The audience has to know how dark Chances life and work is so we understand why hed respond to someone like Jaclyn, who appears to have a bit of fight left in her. What does he see in her? I suppose what he sees is just enigma. He cannot figure her out, and I hope the audience will have the same sort of response: Is she for real? Is she genuinely the damaged creature whos coming to him for help, or is she a sort of figment of his rather fevered imagination? How much of this is he imposing on her through his own fantasies of rescuing someone from the clutches of the monster, which is, I suppose, every adolescent males fantasy? When I say adolescent male, I mean, of course, male, because adolescent male fantasies dont really change very much through adulthood, Im sad to say. Story continues She is the unanswerable question. I watch Gretchen Mol do this, and I have no idea. Shes just so fantastically enigmatic. Its a rather exciting thing not to have the answers. In a way, one could say one of the premises of the whole story is that human beings certainly dont know each other, but they dont even know themselves. We dont know why we do things. We have an illusion of conscious control, that were driving the machine, but in actual fact, so much of what we do, and so many of the ways we respond to things, is happening at a level that we are actually not aware of and not in control of. It makes for some very interesting exchanges. If Gretchen delivers a particular word while looking at me, it means something very different than if she delivers that word, say, looking down at her hands. The scene then becomes something utterly different. That kind of subtlety is absolutely fascinating to explore. Gretchen Mol as Jaclyn (Credit: Hulu) What was it about Eldon Chance that you wanted to explore? Well, its a story of almost unremitting melancholy, and that appealed to me. Maybe Im a melancholy soul, or maybe Im just so cheerful that melancholy appears exotic to me. I leave you to draw your own conclusions. Which am I? No, all right, Im the first: Im the melancholy soul, and Im drawn to that kind of contemplation. Hes sort of adrift, has lost his way, and is on the point of becoming overwhelmed by the suffering he not just sees around him, but actually deals with as part of his professional life. Human beings come to him damaged, they come to him out of control, looking for help, and he has become overwhelmed by his inability to do anything. Its an interesting thing. My father was a doctor, a general practitioner. I remember come Christmas time, some grateful patient would knit him a pair of socks or someone would send him a bottle of wine. I spoke to a forensic neuropsychiatrist in London, and I said, Does that ever happen to you? Do patients send you birthday cards and Christmas cards? He said, No, they dont. Because ultimately I dont heal anybody. There was something so mournful in this confession that the best a psychiatrist can hope for is to manage a problem, not solve it. No ones leaving his office turning cartwheels saying, Thank you, Doctor. Im now healed. The best you can hope for is the least bad option. Its just trying to find the least bad option in a sea of misery and damage and pain. Thats the world Chance is in. I dont think Id last a week. It probably takes a very particular kind of temperament to actually be able to survive that; I can honestly say that I dont have that temperament, but mercifully there are people who do. But even Chance, I think he reaches a part of his life where he is just weighed down by it, and overtaken by despair, and is looking for some sort of human contact, some sort of spark of life and joy and love that can make it all make sense. Ethan Suplee as D (Credit: Hulu) Without spoiling too much, theres another interesting relationship forming by the end of the first episode, an unexpected friendship between Chance and a man named D (Ethan Suplee). How would you describe that? I think Chance has a sort of immediate crush on D. I think D represents to him a sort of physical confidence, a physical certainty about life and how to navigate it, that Chances life has not brought him. He has lived so long in grey areas of nuance and gentleness and trying to pick your way through complicated problems without making things worse while delicately handling the sensibilities of this vast system of mental health care. Then he comes across someone for whom life is frankly much less complicated, somebody whos decided to make life less complicated. We will subsequently discover that actually that, too, is an illusion, that D has his own levels of complication. But in the first instance, D appears not to have a moments doubt about the path hes chosen through life. I think Chance is all about doubt, and he sees this beacon of certainty and its incredibly attractive to him. Hugh Laurie explains how different the doctor he plays in #Chance is. #chancepremiere #hughlaurie A video posted by Yahoo TV (@yahootv) on Oct 17, 2016 at 8:31pm PDT Coming off of your Emmy-nominated turn in The Night Manager, in which the various locations were integral in building that story, it seems like youve found another project where the setting is key. San Francisco is almost a character in Chance. Its fantastic to be [filming] in San Francisco, but I will honestly say it doesnt come without its set of problems. Shooting in real locations is a tricky thing, and it can be frustrating at times. Where the hell do you park the vehicles? The city doesnt want you there, and they tell you that you cant shine bright lights after 8 p.m. and all that kind of stuff. Its complicated, but theres no substitute for being in a real building of brick and mortar with real people on the streets, and real people in the bar and the coffee shop, whatever it might be. It gives a sort of texture to the thing that is very, very hard to replicate on a Burbank soundstage, although people do it. Im not saying that people dont pull it off; they do. One of the interesting things is when I was on Veep, I noticed that the stage we were shooting on at Paramount was the stage where theyd shot most of Vertigo. When I first read the novel Chance, I kept thinking of Vertigo and that sort of weird obsession with this mysterious woman that pulls James Stewart down a rabbit hole. It was so odd to see that Vertigo had actually been shot on the stage. Hitchcock shot for about four or five weeks in San Francisco, and then the rest of the movie was made in L.A., but were doing it all in San Francisco. Were going the whole way. You mentioned Veep. You were so brilliant as Tom James. Will we see him again? I have no idea. All I can say is, it was just such a thrill to be a part of it. I think thats one of the most extraordinary casts on television, maybe ever, actually. I think its an incredible assembly of performers, and to have a front row seat and watch those guys do what they do, and in particular to watch Julia [Louis-Dreyfus] do what she does I mean, shes as good as Ive ever seen. No, better. The best Ive ever seen. Its just breathtaking to get to see her at work up close. So if I had the chance to do it, I absolutely would, but I will understand if they tell me theyve sucked that character dry and theyve decided to go in another direction. Chance premieres Oct. 19 on Hulu, with new episodes streaming weekly on Wednesday. While investigators are yet to ascertain the reason for the fire, the toll has reached 20 The injured were rushed to different city hospitals. (Photo: PTI) By India Today Web Desk: A day after a devastating fire broke out at the Institute of Medical Sciences and S.U.M Hospital in Bhubaneshwar that has so far claimed 20 lives, the medical facility at the hospital has been sealed. Investigators and hospital administration are tying to probe the reason behind this mishap. While the hospital has denied negligence on its part, it has reportedly suspended three officials in the wake of the incident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered that the injured be shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). advertisement HOW IT ALL BEGAN According to initial reports, the fire was first spotted at the hospital's dialysis ICU and operation theatre on the first floor around 7.30 pm. What started as a flame soon engulfed the entire floor, spreading chaos in the ICU and dialysis centre, with the smoke choking patients, attendants and staff. The fire raged on until it was put out by 10.15 pm. Spoke to CM @Naveen_Odisha about the distressing hospital fire tragedy. Assured all possible support from the Centre. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 A short-circuit is believed to have triggered the fire. Its intensity was such that even five five tenders could not completely douse the flames in three hours. Some unconfirmed reports have said that three-four people died in the hospital itself. ALSO READ: Bhubaneswar hospital fire: CM forms probe panel, Centre promises all help Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner YB Khurania rushed to the spot to oversee the rescue operations at the hospital. DEATH TOLL CLIMBS As many as 106 patients were shifted to different hospitals in Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack from the 120-bed SUM hospital. "Fourteen people were declared dead at the Capital Hospital and five succumbed to injuries at the AMRI Hospital," said Health Secretary Arti Ahuja. Another patient succumbed to his injuries today morning taking the death toll to 20. Rest are currently undergoing treatment. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited the Capital Hospital to meet the injured. Expenses for treatment of the injured persons in the fire incident to be borne by State Government from CM relief fund 1/2 Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 HIGH-LEVEL PROBE The state's Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said that a thorough investigation has been initiated into the incident. He said the government's first priority is to ensure proper treatment to the patients shifted to other hospitals. The Odisha government has ordered a high-level probe by the Director, Medical Education and Training into the incident. ALSO READ: Fire breaks out in ICU in Bhubaneshwar hospital, 22 dead advertisement In addition, a probe by the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) has also been ordered, an official said. RDC AB Ota said, "The Odisha CM gave an order for inquiry into the incident. I'll register the inquiry order and submit the report soon." CENTRE EXTENDS HELP Meanwhile, Union Health Minister JP Nadda has said that the Centre is providing all necessary support to the Odisha government in the wake of the mishap. Deeply saddened by the fire incident in Inst. of Medi Sciences & SUM hospital Bhubaneswar. My condolences rest with the bereaved families. Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) October 17, 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted on the incident. The Prime Minister said that he had spoken with Health Minister Nadda and "asked him to facilitate transfer of all those injured to AIIMS. Hope the injured recover quickly." ALSO READ: Mumbai: Fire breaks out in 20th-storey flat of Shekhar Bajaj in Cuffe Parade, 2 dead, 11 rescued ALSO READ: On the eve of Durga Puja, fire breaks out in Kolkata's Tangra area, 3 die ALSO READ: Fire breaks out at Hiranandani Tower in Mumbai --- ENDS --- bii alt lending small business forecast JPMorgan Chase is more than doubling its Small Business Forward program with a $75 million commitment over the next three years, the bank announced Monday. The money will support small businesses owned by women, minorities, and veterans. The $75 million includes a $1.9 million grant to the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), which links small business owners with alternative funding when they cannot qualify for standard loans. Recent research from ICIC shows small businesses are more likely to hire from distressed neighborhoods where unemployment is high, reinforcing that small businesses are critical for employment, said Janis Bowdler, Head of Small Business Initiatives, Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase. Increasing access to capital to underrepresented small businesses is vital to economic growth and the communities they serve. Small Business Forward will support a wide, diverse base of entrepreneurs so that economic growth is shared by all. On top of this, Chase has also extended its collaboration with nonprofit lender LiftFund with a $4.6 million grant for its new LiftUP Initiative, create more opportunities for diverse small businesses in Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans and Atlanta. This grant will provide quicker and less expensive loans to small business owners through an online program, with the goal of shortening loan approval time from an average of five weeks to just four days. Small businesses represent 99% of US companies, 54% of total sales, and 55% of all jobs, according to the US Small Business Administration. These businesses need capital in order to grow, but small businesses are underfunded only half of small businesses with $100,000 to $1 million of annual revenue received at least some of the financing they applied for from large banks in late 2015. This is partially because banks have retreated from this segment because issuing loans to small businesses using the traditional underwriting model is expensive. This leaves a massive amount of unfulfilled loans that we estimate reached $96.5 billion in Q4 2015. Story continues Alternative lending companies have stepped in to capitalize on the opportunity available in helping meet more small business' lending needs.Alternative small business lending platforms use machine learning and digital tools to extend credit to a wide array of small businesses quickly and efficiently, particularly to those that have been rejected by banks. Alternative small business lending companies provide digital platforms that connect small business borrowers to capital using nontraditional means. We estimate that alternative small business lenders originated $5 billion and had a 4.3% share of the small business lending market in the US in 2015. But alternative small business lending platforms will originate $52 billion and gain a 20.7% share of the total market by 2020, driven by the continued growth of new players, increased borrower awareness and interest, and most importantly, major partnerships with big banks. Evan Bakker, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on small business alternative lending that analyzes the market opportunity for alternative lenders, forecasts the market share and volume growth of alternative lending platforms, profiles key players, and addresses the main industry risks. Here are some key takeaways from the report: Alternative lending platforms are in a position to capitalize on this underfunding and also take share from banks. These companies use machine learning and digital tools to extend credit to a wide array of small businesses quickly and efficiently. We estimate that alternative lending companies' share of the small business lending market in the US will reach 20.7% by 2020. Alternative lenders are now partnering with banks and this will propel growth going forward. New lenders are finding opportunities to offer white-label services to major banks. We expect banking partnerships, like the one between JPMorgan and OnDeck, to add 7.7 percentage points to the alternative lending industry's market share by 2020. A flurry of new lenders have entered the market, but it's still early innings. A handful of small business lenders, from Funding Circle to Credibly, have entered the market and this is creating challenges as customer acquisition costs rise and alternative lending companies struggle to differentiate themselves. In full, the report: Forecasts the market share and volume growth of the small business alternative lending sector, and breaks down the main growth drivers. Explains why small businesses are underfunded, and quantifies the market opportunity for alternative lenders. Defines the different types of platforms that alternative lenders employ, including their revenue models. Lists the advantages and disadvantages that alternative lenders have compared to traditional players. Overviews the key players in the industry and identifies their growth factors as well as the pain points limiting their growth. Pinpoints the key risks that could undermine the success of alternative platforms To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options: Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, youve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of small business alternative lending. More From Business Insider By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani and Kieran Guilbert ABUJA/DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The 21 Nigerian schoolgirls freed by Boko Haram militants last week after two-and-a-half years' captivity urgently need support to reintegrate into their communities where they risk abuse and rejection, aid groups and psychologists said on Tuesday. Around 220 girls were seized from their school in 2014 in Chibok in northeastern Borno state, where Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state, killing thousands and displacing more than 2 million people. The militants released 21 of the Chibok girls after the Red Cross and the Swiss government brokered a deal, and are willing to negotiate the release of 83 more, President Muhammadu Buhari's spokesman said on Sunday. Yet the freed girls could face stigma, rejection and further trauma when they return home, according to Patricia Grey, head of women's protection and empowerment for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in northeast Nigeria. "Women and girls held by Boko Haram have fear and anxiety about how their families and communities will receive them ... people being scared of you is traumatizing in its own right," Grey told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "People often call former captives Boko Haram supporters or the enemy, and this could hinder girls getting the help they need as they fear the abuse will be even worse if they do so." Many Nigerians fear those abducted by Boko Haram have been radicalized and may recruit others once home, and that their children born of rape may have been tainted by the "bad blood" of the militants, according to a report by International Alert and the U.N. children's agency (UNICEF). This fear has been fueled by a surge in the use of children in suicide bombings by Boko Haram in West Africa, leaving those born of rape at even greater risk of being ostracized, said Gianfranco Rotigliano, acting representative for UNICEF Nigeria. "SUFFERING IN SILENCE" The freed Chibok girls will be assessed by health workers to identify issues such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, said psychologist Fatima Akilu, who used to run a state deradicalization program for Boko Haram members. "They will be feeling very unstable, very bewildered and overwhelmed," Akilu said. But the girls may face less stigma than others abducted by Boko Haram because of widespread support and the worldwide attention on their plight, she added. The Islamist militants have kidnapped at least 2,000 girls and women since 2014, turning them into cooks, sex slaves and fighters, according to rights group Amnesty International. It is unclear what will happen to the freed Chibok girls in the long-term. Amina Ali, the first of the Chibok girls to be released from Boko Haram captivity in May, has since been held in a house in Abuja for what the state has called a "restoration process". She said in August that she "just wanted to go home". Psychologist Somiari Demm, who counseled former Boko Haram captives sponsored to go to the United States to study, said Nigeria's mental health services were lacking. "As a result, we end up with girls and women that are suffering in silence," said Demm, adding that support must also be provided to the girls' families after years of uncertainty. "Any attempts to reintegrate these girls into an unstable environment will only create more instability, and exacerbate their trauma," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. A group of U.N. human rights experts said in a statement that providing support for the girls was not only a moral duty but also a legal obligation under international law. Boko Haram controlled a swathe of land around the size of Belgium at the start of 2015, but Nigeria's army has recaptured most of the territory. The group still stages suicide bombings in the northeast, as well as in neighboring Niger and Cameroon. (Reporting By Kieran Guilbert, Editing by Emma Batha. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org) By Dominique Vidalon PARIS (Reuters) - French food group Danone reported a slowdown in quarterly sales growth on Tuesday that was slightly worse than expected as difficulties in China hurt its baby food and water divisions. The world's largest yoghurt maker kept its full-year guidance, however, and said it was confident about its goal to stabilise dairy sales in Europe, while adding its medical nutrition business was strong. "Even if the China transition weighs on the growth of the quarter, the rest of our platforms continue to feed solid growth, fully in line with our agenda," Chief Financial Officer Cecile Cabanis told a call with journalists. "We are in an environment that remains uncertain with a lasting transition in China. We are not looking for short-term growth at any price. We look to strengthen our model and increase our margin before we re-accelerate growth," she added. Danone said third-quarter sales reached 5.54 billion euros (5.06 billion pounds), with like-for-like growth of 2.1 percent against 4.1 percent in the second quarter. The performance came below the company-compiled average of analyst estimates of 2.2 percent growth in group sales. Baby food sales rose 1.7 percent like-for-like, a sharp slowdown from second quarter's 7.2 percent growth. In July, Danone had flagged that in Europe indirect demand from Chinese consumers buying baby formula online was declining due to changes in the Chinese regulatory environment. "The impact of the indirect channel transition will continue until the new regulations are fully enforced," Danone said. Danone also said slowing consumption in China hit sales in its waters division, which fell in the quarter. Sales of its Mizone drink continued to suffer from high year-go comparables while floods also created some disruption. Overall like-for-like sales of dairy, which make up the bulk of Danone's business, rose 2.2 percent, as a 4.5 percent rise in prices offset a 2.3 percent decline in volumes. Story continues "We remain confident on our ability to sequentially improve and stabilise dairy sales in Europe in line with our target," Cabanis said For 2016, Danone kept its targets of like-for-like sales growth of 3-5 percent, and a rise in operating margin of 50-60 basis points from 12.91 percent in 2015 Emmanuel Faber, who took over as CEO in October 2014, has vowed to return the French company to "strong profitable and sustainable growth" by 2020, reviewing its business in China and overhauling its dairy division where it has cut costs and launched new products. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Mathieu Rosemain and Mark Potter) BEIJING (Reuters) - China is looking to expand trade with the Philippines during President Rodrigo Duterte's visit this week, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday, as the two sides seek new commercial ties to soothe years of hostility. Duterte will travel with at least 200 business leaders during his four-day trip beginning on Tuesday, which could signal a transformation in a relationship dogged by rival territorial claims in the South China Sea. The move to engage China, just a few months after an arbitral ruling in the disputed waters sparked fears in the region of a backlash by Beijing, marks a striking reversal in Philippine foreign policy since Duterte took office on June 30. China has welcomed the shift in tone, which has put Manila's relations with Washington under strain. Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said China's tropical fruit imports from the Philippines was one area of trade the two sides would look to expand during the visit. China will strengthen trade links with the Philippines, encourage businesses to invest there, strengthen bilateral infrastructure construction and human resources training, Shen told a regular news briefing. "China looks forward to Philippine President Duterte's visit, further consolidating and strengthening bilateral trade relations, and continuously elevating the scope of bilateral cooperation to bring more practical benefits to both peoples and countries," Shen said. Duterte has said his trip to China represents a turning point in bilateral ties, but has acknowledged some public concern about his rapid rapprochement moves. On Sunday, he said he would raise the controversial South China Sea ruling with China's leaders and vowed not to surrender any sovereignty or deviate from the July award by the tribunal in the Hague that dealt a blow to China's extensive maritime claims in the region. Beijing has refused to recognize the case and has chided any country telling it to abide by the ruling. China's official Xinhua news agency said in a commentary that the verdict had no place in negotiations, but that years of "bad blood" was giving way to "good faith". "Should he demonstrate his good faith, the trip will present a long overdue opportunity for the two nations, which enjoy longstanding friendship, to heal the wounds of the past few years and steer their relationship back to the right course," Xinhua said. (Reporting by Yawen Chen and Michael Martina; Editing by Kim Coghill) Today, Brown v. Board of Educationwith its ruling in favor of equalityis known as the definitive Supreme Court case about the segregation of American schools. But three decades earlier, a Chinese family in the Mississippi Delta region brought their own school-segregation case to the Supreme Courtand not only lost, but set a painful precedent in favor of segregation. In a new book about on their case, Water Tossing Boulders: How a Family of Chinese Immigrants Led the First Fight to Desegregate Schools in the Jim Crow South, author Adrienne Berard explores how the Lum daughters found themselves discriminated against in Rosedale, Miss., and why their attempt to fight the system had unintended consequences. When students learn about the Chinese-American experience, the lessons often focus on the West Coast, the railroads, the history of the 1882 Immigration Act, the riots, Berard tells TIME. But the history of Chinese-Americans in the South goes back just as far. Shortly after Emancipation, Chinese migrants were brought in as part of the Coolie trade to replace slave labora coerced, if not forced, migration of indentured servants. Jeu Gong Lum was part of a wave of immigrants who tried to get around the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act (which prohibited Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S.) by sneaking across the Canadian border. He fled to the South, where he had a relative, and where he was less likely to be caught by patrol officers. He came to America as an adult, but married a woman who had come over as an indentured servant at age 10 or 11, Berard estimates. That woman, Katherine Wong, grew up thoroughly acclimated to the American South, socializing with white southerners at church, cooking southern food and speaking and writing English fluently. After they married, they opened a small grocery storea popular choice for many Chinese immigrants in the South, as it made them merchants and therefore carried special permissions that were prohibited to Chinese laborers. They primarily served an African-American clientele. Their children attended white schools, and when they moved to Rosedale their second daughter, Martha Lum, excelled academically. (She had already been keeping the books for her familys grocery store since she was 5 or 6.) Still, when she and her older sister Berda arrived for the first day of school in 1924, their second year in Rosedale, they were told to leave and attend the black school in town insteadthey were now considered colored. Story continues Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter The Lum family sued to get their daughters back into the white school, making the argument that it was discriminatory to force Asian students to attend a school in which colored otherwise meant black. But when a lawyer who was passionate about 14th Amendment issues took on their case, it became something bigger: Earl Brewer wanted to strike a blow against segregation laws in general. Brewer chose to make Martha the focus of the case since she was such an exemplary student. The state collects from all for the benefit of all, he told the Mississippi Supreme Court. Martha Lum is one of the states children and is entitled to the enjoyment of the privilege of the public school system without regard to her race. But, though he won the case on a local level, he lost in the state Supreme Court. His work was imperfect, Berard points out. He changed his argument several times, he didnt really know what angle he was going at, some of the things he said were really, really racist rhetoric, so I dont want to paint him as the perfect hero in this story, Berard says. But I will say he put a lot on the line. Brewer had handed the case to another lawyer by the time it made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, and that attorneywho had never filed a 14th amendment case in his lifeput in little effort. He lost in 1927, and the decision was devastating not only for the Lums, but for people of color throughout the country. The unanimous ruling let Mississippi schools regulate themselves however they want, and define race of their students however they want, Berard says. Thats the really horrible thing about this decision: the Lum family aside, this created a precedent for segregation that broadens it, gives it more power. By the time Brown v. Board of Ed was fought nearly three decades later, the precedent established in Lum v. Rice was a big challenge for civil rights lawyers to overcome. Part of the reason Lum v. Rice isnt better known is that the Lum family lost, Berard says, but their place in history may also be affected by the fact that the family wasnt fully on the side of civil rights for all. They, like their lawyer, make flawed heroes. You want to stand behind the family in one way, because they are making a decision for their children, says Berard, who interviewed descendants of the Lums for her book. But at the same time they are clearly making a racist decision. Whether its part of what was considered normal at the time or not, I dont think you can let them off the hook for that very obvious fact that they did not want their daughters going to school with black children. By Mini Dixit: With his debut novel Immortals of Meluha, author Amish Tripathi fascinated some and intrigued many. And why shouldn't he have. It isn't everyday that a IIM Kolkata graduate with a career in finance musters up the courage to translate his love for history, philosophy and mythology into a full-fledged career. Tripathi's debut novel was a bestseller. Coupled with creative promotional strategies, the Immortals of Meluha introduced many to the world of mysticism where Shiva was a mere mortal. Picture courtesy: Amazon advertisement Counted among one of country's most eminent storytellers today, Tripathi's Shiva Trilogy is believed to be India's fastest selling book series in the history of Indian publishing. But his journey was replete with its fair share of disappointments and rejections. Pretty much like every success story, Tripathi too was rejected by at least 20 publishing houses before a collaborative effort between him and his agent, Anuj Bahri led to the inception of his first book. And as they say, rest is history. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Amish Tripathi Also Read: 8 quotes by Matilda writer Roald Dahl, that will make you believe in the magic of words Having brainwired a string of firsts in the country's literary universe, Tripathi's debut novel was the first to have a dedicated YouTube trailer to its credit. Tripathi also went on to write history by conceptualising an original soundtrack album for a book. Picture courtesy: Amazon And now, as Tripathi continues to invest his literary and philosophical prowess into penning the story of Shiva's creator, Lord Rama the first part of which, Scion of Ikshvaku has already managed to make space into the bookshelves and hearts of millions, here's wishing him a very happy birthday! --- ENDS --- A Christian movie opening Friday that re-creates a portion of the Columbine massacre has taken some criticism from atheists, sight unseen, objecting to the premise that Rachel Joy Scott, the first student killed that day, is deemed a Christian martyr. In the film, killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold approach Scott as she's lunching with a friend, Richard Costaldo, on a school lawn. After the pair are shot multiple times, they chastise Scott for her faith in God before finishing her off. The filmmakers provided the scene, embedded below, to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie, I'm Not Ashamed, is based on Scott, who became an outspoken Christian before she was murdered. What some are objecting to most is the conversation she had with her killers that day, given there's no mention of it in official police reports. But the conversation is based in large measure on testimony from the only surviving witness: Costaldo, who was in a coma while police collected evidence. When he awoke, he told his mother what he heard before the killers took the shot that killed Scott. "They were yelling at her about God and do you believe in God. That was literally the last minute of her life," Costaldo's mother told Rachel Scott's brother, Craig, in a conversation captured by NBC for a Dateline special. On that fateful day, April, 20, 1999, Craig Scott, a sophomore, was in the library, where most of the shooting at Columbine High School took place. "I heard the shot that took my sister's life. I thought it was a prank - that some seniors brought fireworks to school," Craig told THR. "When I escaped the library, I actually ran right past her body and didn't realize it." In the movie, which Pure Flix opens on Friday, Harris asks: "Well, Rachel, where's your god now?" "What would Jesus do?" says Klebold. "Do you still believe in God?" asks Harris. "You know I do," Rachel answers. Story continues "Then go be with him," Harris says before firing the fatal shot. But the conversation is complete fiction, some counter. ThatAtheistShow.com, for example, says of the filmmakers: "It is shameful that they are framing the entire premise of this movie around allegations that do not have any evidence to support them. The accounts of that day, actually, directly contradict them." In fact, though, Costaldo told a newspaper that not only did the killers ask Rachel about her faith but that he, too, was asked if he believed in God, and he answered truthfully that he did not, and his life was spared. Craig Scott says the conversation between the killers and his sister rings true to him because he witnessed a similar exchange in the library. "I know from the library how brave it was for my sister to say yes, because, what happened there, was a girl simply said, 'Oh God,' and that's what caught their attention," Craig recalled. "She was crying and begging for her life. They asked her four times if she believed in God, and finally she said yes, and that's when I heard gunshots. Her name was Val Schnur." Adding to the confusion over what was and was not said that day is that the words spoken by Schnur, who survived her wounds, were initially attributed to Cassie Bernall, who was killed in the library. Bernall was the sixth of 13 people Klebold and Harris murdered before they committed suicide. Most of the victims were in the library, where two of Craig's friends were shot, one after the killers hurled racial slurs his way, then Harris and Klebold left the area. "I think they figured they did enough damage in that area. They were kind of playing God, deciding who should live and who should die. They killed this person, then that person, then moved on," said Craig Scott. "I thought I was going to die. One of them said, 'I wonder what it would be like to use a knife on somebody,' then they threw a little bomb toward me. It bounced off a table. I pretended to be dead," he said. Those who object to the movie lobbied YouTube to take down the official trailer posted by the filmmakers, and the Google-owned company complied for 11 months before acknowledging it was wrong to do so. "With the massive volume of videos on our platform, sometimes we make the wrong call on content that is flagged by our community," YouTube told THR. "When this is brought to our attention, we review the content and take appropriate action, including restoring videos or channels that were mistakenly removed." Atheism-is-Unstoppable, a YouTube channel with 71,000 subscribers, also objects to I'm Not Ashamed, and posted a 24-minute scathing review of the film's trailer. The review belittles Christians, and some complain it also demeans minorities and special-needs kids. See the video here. "This is a real event and they want it told the way it happened, and I can respect that," said Craig Scott. "But they're not privy to the information we have. All they have are police reports and news articles." Craig Scott and his mother are also attacked online for profiting from the death of Rachel Scott, given they tour schools nationwide telling her story. "We've stopped a dozen school shootings and 500 kids said we helped prevent their suicides. Money has never been our motivation. It's a mission," said Craig Scott. "I have friends from Columbine who ask, 'How can you still talk about this?' If they go on one trip with me, they'd understand." Craig Scott said he met Harris and Klebold only once, at the home of a mutual friend. "I felt really intimidated by them. They were in a dark basement, and Eric took me to a computer and said, 'Hey, check this out.' They were looking up how to build a pipe bomb. I thought it was for Fourth of July, so I said, 'cool.' I had a really bad vibe when I walked out." Of the controversial scene in the film, Craig Scott maintains it is true to life, even if the dialog isn't verbatim. "Eric and Dylan knew her, and that conversation happened," said Craig Scott. "There is audio tape of them calling her a 'stuck-up Christian bitch.' She may have died anyway, but in that moment, she was killed for her faith." HONG KONG, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc's tie-ups with e-commerce companies in Asia such as ride-hailing firm Grab and online retailer Lazada Group are boosting revenues at its consumer business in the region, the boss of Citigroup Asia said. Revenues at Citi's Asia consumer division rose 3 percent in the third quarter from a year ago, helped by a 4 percent rise in credit card sales which was aided by partnerships with more digital technology-focussed firms, Asia CEO Francisco Aristeguieta said in an internal memo to staff on Tuesday seen by Reuters. "We now acquire one out of every four new cards online and over 46 percent of our credit card payments in China are now settled via digital partners," he said in the memo. A Citigroup spokesman in Hong Kong confirmed the content of the memo. For Western banks, digital banking is a cheaper and faster way to grow in Asia than traditional banking channels because they can offer loans, fund management and payment services via mobile Internet. Citgroup, the fourth-biggest U.S. bank by assets, last week beat expectations for third-quarter net profit. The U.S. bank last month added Grab and Lazada to its network of credit card partnerships, which include Alipay, the biggest online-payments platform in China, and Chinese messaging app WeChat. (Reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee. Editing by Jane Merriman) HONG KONG (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc's tie-ups with e-commerce companies in Asia such as ride-hailing firm Grab and online retailer Lazada Group are boosting revenues at its consumer business in the region, the boss of Citigroup Asia said. Revenues at Citi's Asia consumer division rose 3 percent in the third quarter from a year ago, helped by a 4 percent rise in credit card sales which was aided by partnerships with more digital technology-focussed firms, Asia CEO Francisco Aristeguieta said in an internal memo to staff on Tuesday seen by Reuters. "We now acquire one out of every four new cards online and over 46 percent of our credit card payments in China are now settled via digital partners," he said in the memo. A Citigroup spokesman in Hong Kong confirmed the content of the memo. For Western banks, digital banking is a cheaper and faster way to grow in Asia than traditional banking channels because they can offer loans, fund management and payment services via mobile Internet. Citgroup, the fourth-biggest U.S. bank by assets, last week beat expectations for third-quarter net profit. The U.S. bank last month added Grab and Lazada to its network of credit card partnerships, which include Alipay, the biggest online-payments platform in China, and Chinese messaging app WeChat. (Reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee. Editing by Jane Merriman) HONG KONG (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc's (C.N) tie-ups with e-commerce companies in Asia such as ride-hailing firm Grab and online retailer Lazada Group are boosting revenues at its consumer business in the region, the boss of Citigroup Asia said. Revenues at Citi's Asia consumer division rose 3 percent in the third quarter from a year ago, helped by a 4 percent rise in credit card sales which was aided by partnerships with more digital technology-focussed firms, Asia CEO Francisco Aristeguieta said in an internal memo to staff on Tuesday seen by Reuters. "We now acquire one out of every four new cards online and over 46 percent of our credit card payments in China are now settled via digital partners," he said in the memo. A Citigroup spokesman in Hong Kong confirmed the content of the memo. For Western banks, digital banking is a cheaper and faster way to grow in Asia than traditional banking channels because they can offer loans, fund management and payment services via mobile Internet. Citigroup, the fourth-biggest U.S. bank by assets, last week beat expectations for third-quarter net profit. The U.S. bank last month added Grab and Lazada to its network of credit card partnerships, which include Alipay, the biggest online-payments platform in China, and Chinese messaging app WeChat. (Reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee. Editing by Jane Merriman) By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An Ohio police officer charged in the death of an unarmed 18-year-old burglary suspect pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to misdemeanor negligent homicide. Cleveland patrolman Alan Buford, 49, who entered the plea in Cleveland Municipal Court, had been charged with fatally shooting Brandon Jones after the officer and his partner responded to a report of a break-in at a Cleveland convenience store in March 2015. Jones and Buford both are black. Police said Buford had his gun drawn when he encountered Jones and a struggle ensued. Jones was shot once in the torso and died later that day in the hospital. Cleveland police union officials previously said the shooting was an accident. Prosecutors had said that although Jones was exiting the store carrying a bag of stolen items including coins, cigars and cigarettes, use of deadly force was not merited. If convicted of the misdemeanor charge, Buford, who is out on bond, faces a maximum of six months in jail. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 2. Buford's attorney, Henry Hilow, could not be reached to comment. Jones' mother, Tonya Brown, filed a federal wrongful death suit April 18, 2016, against Buford and his partner Greg King and the city of Cleveland. Cleveland police currently operate under a 2015 consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice after a report found Cleveland police systematically engaged in excessive use of force. In 2014, a white officer in Cleveland shot and killed 12-year-old African-American Tamir Rice, who was carrying a replica gun that shoots plastic pellets. Rice's case was one of a number of deaths that led to nationwide demonstrations against the use of excessive force by police. (Reporting by Kim Palmer; Editing by Ben Klayman and Bill Trott) From House Beautiful We all have that one neighbor on the block who goes beyond the call of duty in terms of making the neighborhood festive for the holidays. And in Cleveland, Ohio that person is Amanda Destro Pierson, who turned her ordinary garage into something, dare we say, spooktacular. (Sorry, we had to...) Pierson, who is a product designer for a craft company, posted a video of her, as she calls it, "Monster House," on Facebook. Within a day, it received more than 100,000 views, and it's clear to see why - it's pretty genius. And the best part is, she completely designed it herself. Just take a look at what happens when the garage door goes up: While we tend to like a little more, um, subtlety when it comes to Halloween decorations, we can't help but love this design, and we kind of want to try it out for ourselves. And we're not the only ones. The concept has gotten so big, that Pierson is in the process of creating "Monster House" kits so that you too can have a monster on your garage door. The kits should be available sometime next year and you can sign up here to get updates. In the meantime, check out this other "monster" garage from Alessandra Millican in Houston. If you're feeling really crafty, try to DIY this idea yourself by using these instructions as a starting point. You Might Also Like One Hillary Clinton fundraiser says the real person has not really come out so far on the campaign trail. Despite the negative light that some leaked WikiLeaks emails have shed on the former Secretary of State, Alan Patricof said he believes Americans will see a more nuanced individual if she were to be elected President. It will come out when she is President Clinton, because she has a very warm personality, shes very relaxed as a person, she does not need to be programed, shes her own person and shes very, very smart, has her very good ideas. And I think that unfortunately, being on camera all the time, she has to be a lot more circumspect about every single word and every action, he explained. Patricof used the example of the Trans-Pacific Partnership to emphasize his point. I think she will find some areas that can be hopefully improved and declare victory and say Ive got what I wanted. This is a better deal than we had originally. There are some things that obviously people would like to see improved. On a personal note, he said: I think if we dont pass TPP I think it will be a real shame for American business and it will be fighting in a world with one hand behind our backs. Related Articles Washington (AFP) - Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign considered tapping Apple chief executive Tim Cook to be her running mate, according to hacked emails published Tuesday by WikiLeaks. In an email dated March 17 to Clinton, campaign chairman John Podesta also proposed the mega-billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, his wife Melinda and General Motors chief executive Mary Barra as possible Democratic vice presidents. "Let me know if there are people you would like to see added or removed," Podesta wrote, enclosing a list of more than 30 names. "I have organized names in rough food groups." The email also identified well known military figures -- such as Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Marine Corps General John Allen, the former commander of US forces in Afghanistan -- as well as Clinton's opponent for the Democratic nomination, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and other lawmakers. Podesta also suggested billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as well as more conventional political choices, such as Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. Clinton ultimately settled on Virginia Senator Tim Kaine to campaign with her. Podesta has not publicly verified that the emails are authentic, but told reporters earlier this month that he believed that "Russian intelligence agencies" had hacked into his email account as part of efforts to favor Republican nominee Donald Trump. US officials have formally blamed state-sponsored Russian hackers for the exposure of internal emails from the Democratic party and other prominent people and institutions. The author made the announcement on the occasion of his birthday today. By India Today Web Desk: Having introduced us to the unexplored terrains of Indian mythology, author Amish Tripathi is all set to release not one, but two new books in 2017. The Shiva Trilogy author whose words have a knack for weaving mysticism and magic made the announcement on the occasion of his birtday today, October 18. Tripathi took to his official Twitter account and thanked his fans for the birthday wishes and subsequently went on to declare two new titles. advertisement Also Read: Happy Birthday Amish Tripathi, India's literary popstar who dared to see the gods as mortals "A special message for my readers @WestlandBooks #ComingSoon," tweeted Tripathi alongside the announcement video. The year 2017 will see Tripathi release his first non-fiction book and the second title from the Lord Rama series. Known as India's literary popstar, it's safe to say that this announcement comes as a pleasant and very promising surprise for those who've appreciated Tripathi's Shiva Trilogy and Scion of Ishvaku. --- ENDS --- CHICAGO, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures turned lower on Tuesday after investors pocketed profits after recent gains while awaiting cash prices later in the week, said traders. * At 09:35 a.m. CDT (1435 GMT) October was 0.800 cent per pound lower at 96.475 cents, and December down 0.400 cent to 98.700 cents. * Early-week cash sales at smaller sale barns in the U.S. Plains were $96 to $100 per cwt, said industry sources. Last week the bulk of slaughter-ready, or cash, cattle brought $97 to $98. * Extremely profitable packer margins and 7,400 fewer cattle for sale than last week might embolden feedlots to hold out for more money, said traders and analysts. * They said wholesale beef values may be close to bottoming out as supermarkets consider featuring other meat proteins after the conclusion of October Pork Month. * Those in the cash and futures markets will pay a bit more attention to the newly-established Fed Cattle Exchange (FCE) that will have close to 13,400 head of cattle for sale on Wednesday, an analyst said. * The number cattle for sale on the FCE is growing, but 40,000 to 60,000 head may be needed to bring it closer in line with the number of animals typically sold over a 5-state region, an analyst said. FEEDER CATTLE - October was 0.725 cent per pound lower at 120.975 cents, on profit-taking and live cattle market selling. LEAN HOGS - December was up 0.250 cent per pound to 41.850 cents. February was down 0.050 cent to 48.875 cents, and April down 0.125 cent to 56.950 cents. * CME December lean hogs was underpinned by Monday's generally steady cash prices and higher wholesale pork values, said traders. * They said investors bought December futures and simultaneously sold deferred contracts on worries that increased supplies in the coming months might strain slaughter capacity at that time. * Monday's USDA hog slaughter data suggests Smithfield Foods' East Coast hog plants are fully operational after being idled by Hurricane Matthew. * But some analysts and traders said it could take as long as a week for the hog industry to process as many as 200,000 hogs that may have backed up on southeastern U.S. farms as a result of the storm. (Reporting by Theopolis Waters in Chicago) Millennials might not watch as much cable news as their parents, but when they do, the majority of adults age 18-34 prefer CNN over rivals Fox News and MSNBC. Among that group, CNN has dominated the election cycle, averaging 50,000 millennial-aged viewers compared to 39,000 for Fox News and 28,000 for MSNBC from July 2015 through Oct. 4, 2016. CNNs millennial audience grew 52 percent over that time period, with Fox News growth at 22 percent and MSNBCs at 17 percent. Only 64 percent of millennials actually pay for cable, while 26 percent have never had pay TV, according to a USA Today study from last December. It should be noted that USA Today considered millennials adults age 18-29 as opposed to 18-34, but the bottom line is that young people watch less TV than their parents. Also Read: Anthony Bourdain Says No to Dining with Donald Trump: 'Absolutely F--ing Not' (Exclusive) It appears the youngsters who actually spring for cable flock to CNN. During primetime, the network averaged 109,000 millennial-aged viewers, outpacing Fox News 89,000 and more than doubling MSNBCs 49,000. CNN grew 106 percent among millennials during primetime, while Fox News and MSNBCs growth was at less than 50 percent. CNN and its cable news rivals have additional competition to deal with nowadays. Voters can receive information on their phones, and various streaming services provide extensive election coverage. The Young Turks YouTube page has over three million subscribers, while CNNs YouTube page has 1.6 million. The Pew Research Center recently noted that baby boomers and previous generations dominated every presidential election since 1980, but Generation X eligible voters and millennials will be more important than ever when it comes to deciding the next president and could mark the beginning of a new era for U.S. presidential elections. Also Read: Why HLN's Robin Meade Isn't Celebrating Her Work Anniversary Pew also noted that Millennials views of national news media have grown more negative, with only 27 percent of the youngest demographic of voters claiming the news has a positive impact but at least theyre watching. Story continues Millennials arent the only people watching CNN. The network finished the week of Oct. 10-16 as the third most-watched network in all of cable, behind only Fox News and Nickelodeon. Related stories from TheWrap: Cable Ratings: Only ESPN Tops Fox News, CNN in Primetime Debate Ratings: CNN Dominates Fox News, MSNBC With 11.2 Million Viewers Anderson Cooper's New CNN Deal Takes Him Out of Running for 'Live with Kelly' ANKARA (Reuters) - United States-led coalition warplanes killed 20 Islamic State militants in Syria over the last 24 hours, the Turkish military said on Tuesday, nearly two months into a Turkey-backed rebel operation to drive the jihadists away from the border. Turkey pushed on with the Syrian operation as Iraqi forces launched a U.S.-backed offensive to expel Islamic State (IS) from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The 11 coalition air strikes in Syria targeted the areas of Kar Kalbayn, Ghuz, Hassajik and Tiltanah and destroyed two IS defensive positions and three vehicles, the army statement. Separately, Turkish warplanes also carried out air strikes and destroyed several IS targets, it said. Since the Turkey-backed operation, dubbed 'Euphrates Shield', was launched on Aug. 24, the rebel forces have seized control of some 1,240 square kilometers (479 square miles) territory from the jihadists, according to the statement. Ankara says thousands of Turkey-trained forces are also participating in the assault to push IS out of Mosul, despite a row with Baghdad over the presence of Turkish forces in Iraq. (Reporting by Orhan Coskun; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Shri Navaratnam) By Anthony Esposito SANTIAGO/LA SERENA, Chile, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Unionized workers at Chile's state-owned copper miner Codelco are mulling going on a company-wide strike, possibly by mid-November, if the government does not make progress on a number of demands, union leaders told Reuters on Tuesday. Codelco, the world No. 1 copper producer, returns all its profits to the state and is funded by a mixture of capitalization and debt. The recent sharp downturn in the copper price has hit it hard when it needs to invest in new projects to keep output flowing, forcing it to scale back ambitious expansion plans. The Copper Mining Federation (FTC), which serves as the umbrella organization for Codelco's unions, will ask Chile's government for permanent capitalization for the company and to overturn a law that requires that 10 percent of Codelco's revenues support Chile's defense budget. "By (mid-November) we could be organizing a strike if we don't have a response from the government," said Marcelo Perez, director of the Caletones union at Codelco's underground El Teniente mine. Codelco declined to comment. According to Perez, the unions have not decided how long the strike could last. However, Liliana Ugarte, who heads one of the unions at the open-pit Chuquicamata mine, said on Friday that if workers were to go on strike it would likely last 24 hours. "We're going to get in touch with the Senate, Finance Ministry and the President of the Republic and following all those conversations we will again meet no more than 15 days later and see if our demands have been met. If not we will call for a 24-hour national strike, as a warning," said Ugarte. Codelco produced 843,000 tonnes of copper in the first half of the year. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Bernard Orr) Bogota (AFP) - The Colombian army said Monday it had killed an ELN rebel and captured four others in an operation days before peace talks between the leftist guerrillas and the government are set to open. The operation targeted the public order and financial wings of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in the northeastern department of Casanare, the military said in a statement. The captured rebels included three commanders, one of whom was wounded, it said. A separate operation in the western department of Choco resulted in the "demobilization" of 24 guerrillas, the defense ministry said on Twitter. The ELN did not immediately comment. The operations could deal a blow to peace talks due to open in the Ecuadoran capital Quito on October 27 between the rebels and President Juan Manuel Santos's government. Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize this month for his efforts to end a half-century conflict in Colombia. But he is struggling to save a peace deal with a larger rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), after voters rejected it in a referendum. The FARC and the government have been observing a ceasefire since August 29. Santos extended it last week until the end of the year while the two sides seek a new deal more palatable to opposition voters who want to see former rebels do jail time. But there is no ceasefire in place with the ELN. "The two sides are going to keep fighting each other" as long as that is the case, said political analyst Carlos Medina of Colombia's National University. The latest operations were not likely to jeopardize peace negotiations, he added, but urged the ELN to declare a unilateral ceasefire to reduce tensions in the run-up to the talks. There had been signs of growing trust between the government and ELN in recent days. The rebels freed three civilian hostages and vowed to release the two others they are still holding before the talks. And the government agreed to free a group of imprisoned guerrillas so they could take part in the peace negotiations. Story continues The FARC and ELN have been at war with the state since 1964. The ELN is estimated to be about a quarter the size of the FARC, with some 1,500 fighters. The Colombian conflict has killed more than 260,000 people and left 45,000 missing. By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A gunman deemed mentally unfit to stand trial for killing three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado last year said in a courtroom outburst on Tuesday that he is being "forcibly" drugged at a state hospital. Robert Lewis Dear, 58, made the claim as he was being led into an El Paso County courtroom for a hearing on issues related to his criminal case, which has been on hold while he undergoes treatment in an effort to restore him to mental competency. Dear is charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and assault stemming from the November 2015 shooting rampage at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs that also left nine others wounded. He surrendered after a bloody five-hour siege and standoff with police. Shackled and appearing much thinner than in previous court appearances, the bearded South Carolina native said the judge has put me in the nuthouse; forcibly medicated me, and was going to censor the media. At issue during Tuesdays hearing was what of Dears medical records the state hospital has to turn over to prosecutors. A hearing was conducted in a different county last week about whether he should undergo involuntary treatment. El Paso County District Attorney Dan May declined after Tuesdays hearing to discuss the outcome of those proceedings, so it is unclear if Dear was forced to take medications against his will. Dear has interrupted every proceeding where he has been present with outbursts about his anti-abortion views, including one instance where he proclaimed his guilt and said he was a warrior for the babies. The rambling statements led El Paso County District Court Judge Gilbert Martinez to order Dear to undergo a competency examination. Two state psychologists concluded that the onetime self-employed art dealer suffers from a psychotic delusional disorder that renders him incapable of meaningfully assisting in his own defense. Martinez agreed, and in May ruled that Dear was incompetent and ordered him to undergo treatment at the state mental hospital in Pueblo in an effort to restore him to competency. Under Colorados competency statute, the state hospital must report back to the judge every 90 days on his progress. Dear is due back in court next month for a second review of his mental status, and other issues including a motion by defense lawyers that seeks to bar him for speaking to the news media. (Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Tom Brown) EXCLUSIVE: Looking to elevate the cinema-going experience, Matthew Shreder and James Andrew Felts Concourse Media is launching Concourse Cinema Ventures. The new company is aimed at developing innovations for the premiere theatrical window which it intends to maximize by providing moviegoers with engaging products that enhance the cinema experience both in, and outside, the theater. CCV is designed to act as a research and development arm, as well as an incubator, for creating new customer experiences for the major studios and exhibitors. An oft-heard refrain from exhibitors is that offering moviegoers something extra is a means to getting them out for a night in an increasingly option-filled world. Data regarding habits, engagement and loyalty is a key component to that end. CCV says that by utilizing results from internal research campaigns, it can define moviegoer value in new and exciting ways. Its first initiative will be unveiled next year. Shreder says CCV tasks itself with expanding communication with moviegoers through content delivery vehicles that appeal to consumers of all ages and demographics. The hope is to draw outside of the lines. Moviegoers are the most curated media consumer in todays landscape demanding the most premium experience and willing to pay a premium price for it. By keeping consumers engaged, we are constantly reminding them of the cinema experience and its foundational connection to movies. Concourses core business is dedicated to feature film marketing and distribution. Its Concourse Film Trade division is a global film licensing company that represents and finances six-eight movies a year including this years The Little Hours. Its Industry & Company division is a marketing firm that engineers creative release campaigns and audience engagement strategies for feature films across North America. CCV will act as a standalone company and has ambitions to expand internationally. Story continues Related stories Sales Veteran Kevin Hoiseth Heads To Concourse Media Wave Of The Future? How A Smart Computer Is Helping To Craft A Horror Film Concourse Media Pacts With Productivity To Finance Films Beyond 'The Little Hours' KINSHASA (Reuters) - The Constitutional Court in Democratic Republic of Congo said on Monday it had approved a petition by the electoral commission to delay a presidential election set for November, allowing President Joseph Kabila to remain in office until April 2018. Kabila was due to step down in December when his two-term mandate expires and his opponents say they fear he intends to first prolong his term in office and then change the constitution to enable himself to run again. The ruling coalition and part of the opposition say the vote should be held in April 2018 and on Monday their agreement was ratified by delegates at cross-party talks in the capital, one party leader said. Most opposition parties have boycotted the talks and called for a general strike on Wednesday to put pressure on Kabila. They are likely to be further angered because the court appeared to breach its own quorum rules in reaching Monday's decision. European Union foreign ministers said on Monday they would prepare economic sanctions against Congo unless it held presidential and parliamentary elections next year. Kabila says he will respect the constitution but has not made clear if he plans to find a way to run again. Last year, the presidents of neighbouring Congo Republic and Rwanda won referendums to change their constitutions to stand for third terms. (Reporting by Kenny Katombe; Writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; Editing by Kevin Liffey) By India Today Web Desk: Anurag Kashyap is an angry man. And he's fed up of clarifying his stance on the Pakistani artists' ban. And that's why he ranted in a series of tweets to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking pertinent questions about why an art form should suffer when there is geo-political unrest which wasn't foreseen. And after he put out those tweets, the media had a field day, going on to mention how Kashyap had 'demanded an apology from PM Modi'. advertisement Anurag has now clarified his stance and the reason behind his tweets through a Facebook post: "I am tired of the film industry being soft targets. We are damned if we do, damned if we don't! When we don't involve ourselves, they ask "why is Bollywood quiet now?" When we involve ourselves, we become the scapegoats to distract you from the real news. Either way they use us to sensationalise news. Still, I'd rather put my opinions out there on my own platform, then give the media a bite. NO, Anurag Kashyap did not "ask the PM to apologise"( which most of the headlines would want you to believe, no one has their mind anyways) ,I merely questioned the fairness in judgement of a situation: the PM visited Pakistan for talks at the same time that a filmmaker was working with a Pakistani actor. Neither was aware of future events or mood. Yet only one pays the price. I'm also well aware that the government did not cry "BAN" or demand that Pakistani artists be sent back. Just as I'm aware that the PM himself doesn't censor my films. But we elected them and so it is their responsibility to protect us from bullies - media or political parties. And when the governing party's designated members don't respond in hours of crisis because they are second guessing the mood of the PM then I would rather talk straight to the PM himself. There was also sarcasm in the tweet that followed; 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' was for those mindless trollers who constantly ask for proof of your patriotism. Apparently thats all it takes. It was a jibe at them. Patriotic slogans don't absolve you from it all. I hope this explains .. (sic)" He even went on to slam the media who had misquoted his tweets and has refused to speak any further to them. He posted this screen-grab, where a mediaperson was trying to get him to comment for a TV channel / publication. He called the media 'headline-seeking, irresponsible'. Kashyap took down the screen-grab shortly after putting it up on his FB timeline. --- ENDS --- Constellation Brands Inc. STZ has long been focused on expanding operations toward achieving business growth. The companys consistent focus on brand building and its initiatives to include new products in its portfolio are the key revenue drivers for the stock. In line with this strategy, the company made a series of announcements, aimed at concentrating on areas with high-growth potential, alongside boosting shareholder value. Notably, Constellation Brands is witnessing robust depletion trends and increasing market share in the U.S. wine and spirits category. This was demonstrated by double-digit depletion growth, at each of its recently acquired wine brands, in second-quarter fiscal 2017. Building on its wine portfolio, the company announced plans to buy Charles Smith Wines collection for roughly $120 million, which is expected to be concluded in October itself. This deal will bring Charles Smiths five premium wine brands, including Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Velvet Devil Merlot, Boom Boom! Syrah, Eve Chardonnay and Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon in Constellation Brands kitty. These brands, which have displayed double-digit volume growth over the last three years, enjoy solid market demand and are likely to strengthen Constellation Brands existing position as the second leading supplier of Washington State wines. Moving to Constellation Brands focus on solidifying its spirits portfolio, we note that this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company recently acquired a minor stake in the largest American new whiskey distillery Bardstown Bourbon Company. This move represents the companys efforts to enhance innovations in the brown spirits space. Also, it closed the previously announced buyout of Utah-based High West Distillery. Boasting a robust portfolio of unique, award-winning premium American straight whiskeys and other spirits brands, High West has achieved double-digit volume growth for three straight years now. Its addition to Constellation Brands ambit is likely to be profitable for the company by helping it enter and expand in the superior craft whiskey space. Apart from undertaking acquisitions, Constellation Brands also inked a deal to sell its Canadian wine operations to Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, which is Canadas largest single-profession pension plan. The sale will include Canadian wine brands like Jackson-Triggs and Inniskillin, vineyards, facilities, wineries, offices, along with Wine Rack retail stores. Valued at nearly C$1.03 billion, the deal is anticipated to close by the end of this calendar year. Further, the company envisions receiving roughly C$750 million as cash proceeds, after accounting for debt repayment. The company also expects to record an after-tax gain for fiscal 2017, which will be excluded during the calculation of its comparable diluted earnings per share. In connection with its focus on high margin brands, Constellation Brands first announced plans to assess the impact of an initial public offering for part of its Canadian wine space, in Apr 2016. However, the aforementioned deal reflects the companys move of doing away with its entire Canadian wine business, in an attempt to enhance its value. Clearly, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan is likely to be a perfect growth opportunity for these Canadian wine brands, given the formers robust experience. Nonetheless, Constellation Brands will retain the ownership of its Black Velvet Whisky and the associated production facility located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Story continues CONSTELLATN BRD PRICE CONSTELLATN BRD Price | CONSTELLATN BRD Quote Stocks to Consider Other well-ranked stocks worth considering in the alcohol-beverage space include Castle Brands Inc. ROX, Molson Coors Brewing Company TAP and Craft Brew Alliance, Inc. BREW, each with a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here. Castle Brands has seen positive estimate revisions for the current fiscal year over the past 90 days. The company is expected to report second-quarter fiscal 2017 results sometime in November. Molson Coors has to its credit a long-term EPS growth rate of 6% and positive estimate revisions over the past 30 days. Craft Brew Alliance, with a long-term EPS growth rate of 25%, has witnessed positive estimate revisions for 2016, over the past 60 days. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report MOLSON COORS-B (TAP): Free Stock Analysis Report CASTLE BRANDS (ROX): Free Stock Analysis Report CONSTELLATN BRD (STZ): Free Stock Analysis Report CRAFT BREW ALLN (BREW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Tuesday said the government would "very soon" submit proposals to parliament for constitutional changes bolstering the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The government is seeking a three-fifths majority for the proposals in parliament, which would allow the calling of a referendum to let the people have the final say. The chances of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) cobbling together such a majority increased on Tuesday when the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) indicated he might back the changes. "The necessary constitutional changes offered by the AKP will be presented to parliament very soon," Yildirim told a meeting of his party in parliament in Ankara. He said that the changes were needed to "eliminate confusion from the system". Erdogan, prime minister since 2003, was in August 2014 elected president, the first time the Turkish head of state was chosen by universal suffrage. He has since transformed what in recent years had become a more ceremonial post, concentrating powers in what opponents have said is a violation of the existing constitution. AKP officials say the constitutional changes are needed to legalise what has become a de facto situation: the president becoming the country's number one executive figure. Erdogan has ridiculed complaints that the changes will make him a dictator, saying presidential systems exist in France and the United States and noting the existing constitution was drawn up after the 1980 military coup. The AKP needs a majority of 330 out of the 550 seats in the parliament to call the referendum. It currently holds 317 seats (316 excluding speaker Ismail Kahraman). - 'March-April referendum' - MHP leader Devlet Bahceli, whose party controls 40 seats in the parliament, on Tuesday gave his firmest indication yet he could back the referendum. He said a "healthy" outcome could be achieved if the AKP submits a proposal to parliament that is "sensitive" to the concerns of the MHP. Story continues The MHP is the fourth party in parliament by seats. Its support would be enough to allow the referendum to go ahead even if it is opposed by the secular Republican People's Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). A super majority of two-thirds -- 367 seats -- would approve the changes directly without a referendum. But with polls looking positive, the government appears more than happy to go to a referendum and seek a show of popular support in the wake of the defeated July 15 coup. The political uncertainty has increased pressure on the Turkish lira after it initially weathered the storm in the wake of the coup. On Tuesday, the lira lost 0.3 percent against the US dollar and has lost over four percent in value since the start of the month. "Since the parliamentary process of such a change will take time... we think that the earliest possible month to hold referendum is March/April 2017," said Ozgur Altug, economist at BGC partners in Istanbul in a note to clients. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said he believed the public would support the changes if there were a referendum but dismissed rumours of an early election, saying it was not on the ruling party's agenda. Credit Suisse Credit Suisse traders are prepping one of the biggest hedge fund launches this year. Qube, a quantitative-oriented hedge fund owned by Credit Suisse, has just opened its doors for business. The fund, which is led by Pierre-Yves Morlat, started approaching investors about raising funds in the last few months and now has $800 million committed to the fund, according to people familiar with the matter. It started trading at the start of this month with a little less than half that, or about $375 million, according to the people. It is planning to take on the remaining sum of committed capital at the start of November, one of the people added. The fund is expected to manage as much as $1.2 billion by early next year. Qube was incorporated in the UK in November 2015 as Credit Suisse Quantitative and Systematic Asset Management Limited, a regulatory filing shows. Laurent Laizet is listed as chief investment officer, with Sean Rhie as chief operating officer and Christina Wilgress as chief risk officer. Morlat is CEO. A second fund owned by Credit Suisse, QT, is prepping a launch slated for the first quarter of next year, according to one of the people. That fund is led by Nick Branca in New York, and will target $600 million. Together with Qube, the strategy is expected to manage around $1.8 billion by early next year. The two funds are trading in quant strategies with a focus on equities, a person close to the matter said. Quant trading has become one of the biggest trends in hedge funds, with investors increasingly allocating capital and funds hiring fresh talent. Established firms like Paul Tudor Jones' Tudor Investment Corp., for instance, have contemplated using more systematic strategies, while traditional analysts are incorporating more algorithmic models to parse a new world of data. Credit Suisse will be backing and wholly owns both funds, and the funds will be open to a very small number of investors, according to the people familiar with the situation. Story continues The launches are a culmination of the bank's decision last year to start moving Morlat's team, the systematic market-making group, out of Credit Suisse's global markets unit and into its asset management arm. That was partly as a result of regulation after the 2008 financial crisis, and is one tactic the bank used to retain proprietary traders. Morlat headed SMG with Branca. Morlat joined Credit Suisse in 2009 as the head of proprietary arbitrage trading for Europe and Asia, and before that was the global head of equity derivatives trading at Societe Generale. Branca joined the bank in 1997 in equities and sales trading. A spokesman for Credit Suisse declined to comment. NOW WATCH: Ken Rogoff explains why he's been advocating to eliminate the $100 bill More From Business Insider By Igor Ilic ZAGREB (Reuters) - Croatia's Prime Minister-designate Andrej Plenkovic said on Tuesday he had chosen ministers for his cabinet and would seek parliamentary approval this week. His government's main tasks will be to fix fragile public finances and boost moderate growth in the newest European Union member, one of the bloc's weakest economies. "I believe it's a choice of people who are ready to give their utmost in the coming years for the benefit of the country," Plenkovic, a 46-year old former diplomat and leader of the conservative HDZ party, told reporters. He did not provide the names of all the ministers, but said there would be four deputies, one of whom would be Martina Dalic in charge of the economy. She was briefly the finance minister in a previous HDZ government five years ago. The parliament is expected to vote on Plenkovic's proposal for new cabinet on Wednesday. Zdravko Maric has retained his position as finance minister as expected, state television reported. Markets are likely to welcome the news as his efforts in a previous cabinet made it possible for Croatia to cut the budget gap to below three percent of gross domestic product for the first time in almost a decade. "Stronger growth and further fiscal consolidation with more focus on the spending side should be priorities for the new government," said Hrvoje Stojic, an analyst from Addiko Bank. Croatia's economy is expected to grow this year slightly more than 2.5 percent, but analysts largely believe that without measures to significantly improve the business climate the country is unlikely to perform any better in the coming years. The new government, comprising the HDZ and its junior centre-right reformist partner Most (Bridge), will have 19 ministries, one less than the previous HDZ-Most cabinet which collapsed in June after just five months due to bickering over a conflict of interest involving a former HDZ leader. HDZ, which has vowed to boost growth to five percent by the end of the four-year term, won 61 out of 151 seats in a snap election on Sept. 11. Besides a coalition deal with Most, which will run four ministries, it has also secured support from ethnic minorities. (Reporting by Igor Ilic; Editing by Angus MacSwan) By Sarah Marsh HAVANA (Reuters) - Catherine Conley, the first American full-time student at Cuba's prestigious National Ballet School, hopes to gain an edge back home by learning the powerful Cuban style with its dazzling turns and jumps. "(Cuba has) an acrobatic style of dance, and I think I could use some of that," said Conley, 18, wearing a black leotard, her wispy blond hair pulled back in a bun, in an interview at the school housed in a colonial-era palace in Old Havana. Communist-led Cuba is renowned for its rigorous, state-subsidized ballet education and has produced an outsized share of dance stars, such as Carlos Acosta and Jose Manuel Carreno, for a small island of 11 million inhabitants. Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB), which claims to be the world's largest with 3,000 students, has long trained many foreign dancers. But no American had joined its full-time program during the half-century long conflict between Cuba and United States. That looks set to change in the wake of the detente announced nearly two years ago by U.S. and Cuban Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro. "I think Catherine is the first of many American students to study in Cuba," said Victor Alexander, the director of the Ruth Page Center for The Arts in Chicago, where Conley had studied ballet since she was a child. For the past two years, Alexander, a Cuban emigre, has been organizing week-long exchanges of students and teachers between his school and ENB. The detente made getting all the approvals and sponsorship easier, he said. Cuban ballet has fused the best from the Russians, French, Italians, English and Americans with Latino flair and Afro-Cuban sensuality. But the style has also been criticized as dated, based on the approach of the school's 94-year-old founder Alicia Alonso, a principal dancer in the 1940s with the company now known as American Ballet Theater. Alexander said he wanted his students to see what made Cuban dancers unique. "We live the passion everyday. We are not afraid to express on stage, we just let it go," he said. Cuban ballet could also benefit from some fresh input, he added. ENB director and founder Ramona de Saa, 77, said she recalled a time when Cuba had many American dancers. One of them married her twin sister, who defected in the 1960s shortly after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution and founded the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet. Living parallel lives on different sides of the Florida Straits, the twins did not see one another for nearly four decades. "To have this experience (with the Ruth Page School) is to relive things," she said. "It is very emotional." For Conley, it felt "surreal" to be a pioneer in the one-year program, she said before a rehearsal for the school's next show, in one of its high-ceilinged classrooms with a wall of mirrors. "I hope it will give me an edge." (Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Richard Chang) Curt Schilling for Senate 2018? Only if his wife approves. The former Phillies pitcher told Rhode Island radio station WRPO host John DePetro that he has decided to officially challenge Democrat Elizabeth Warren for her U.S. Senate seat in 2018, but with one important caveat. So, I've made my decision. I'm going to run," Schilling said Tuesday morning. "But I haven't talked to Shonda, my wife. And ultimately it's going to come down to how her and I feel this would affect our marriage and our kids." When asked by the Boston Globe about a possible matchup against the former Red Sox pitcher in September, Warren reportedly laughed out loud and said, He can certainly try. Two recent polls show Warren with a large lead over Schilling in a hypothetical match-up in the Massachusetts race. A WBZ/UMass poll released last month put Warren at 47 percent and Schilling at 28 percent. Warren did even better against Schilling in a WBUR poll released in mid-September, topping the two-time World Series champ, 54 percent to 29 percent. Im not worried it doesnt scare me. Listen, I was a part of the team that came back to beat the Indians from being down three games to one Ive beaten the real ones before," Schilling said, a dig at Warren's self-proclaimed Native American heritage. "So Im not worried about that. Schilling, a strong supporter of Donald Trump, has mostly made the news during his election cycle by his repeated gaffes and odd statements since being fired from ESPN over comments he made on Facebook about transgender people. Today he told WRPO that he did a "piss-poor job" defending Trump last week over footage from 1992 that shows the Republican presidential nominee talking to a 10-year-old beauty pageant contestant at Trump Tower and bragging, I am going to be dating her in 10 years. Story continues I have a daughter, my daughter has friends. Ive seen my daughters friends, Im a man. Wow, shes a beautiful young lady. I dont immediately jump to molesting her, Schilling told Fox Business host Trish Regan. Schilling was instrumental in the Phillies' 1993 surprising, but ultimately unsuccessful, World Series bid. He later went on to win two World Series, one with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, and one with the Boston Red Sox in 2004. This is a breaking news report. Check back for updates. Most Popular on Philly.com PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech ministers and senior parliamentarians held a private meeting with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Tuesday, risking upsetting China just as Prague is trying to boost ties with Beijing. By contrast, the country's four highest-ranking officials kept their distance from the meeting and issued a rare joint statement stressing that the Czech Republic accepted Tibet as part of China and wanted to maintain good bilateral relations. The Dalai Lama met Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Belobradek, Culture Minister Daniel Herman and the deputy speakers of both houses of parliament during a visit to an annual conference launched by the late Vaclav Havel, the country's first president. Havel had close personal links with the now 80-year old monk and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The ministers and deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament are Christian Democrats, junior partner in the ruling centre-left coalition, and the upper house speaker is allied with them. The meetings were labelled as private. The Chinese embassy did not respond to a request for comment. Beijing usually scolds countries for giving any recognition to the Dalai Lama, whom it accuses of promoting independence for the Himalayan region. China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday it would retaliate after Slovak President Andrej Kiska met the Dalai Lama. [L4N1CN2Z4] In their joint statement released by the office of President Milos Zeman, the four highest-ranking Czech officials said: "Personal activities of some Czech politicians do not express a change of the official policy of the Czech Republic and we would regard as unfortunate if anybody saw it as such." The Czech government has been keen to boost ties with China. China was grateful for Zeman's attendance as the only western leader at a military parade in Beijing in 2015 marking the end of World War Two. Chinese president Xi Jinping visited Prague in March to forge a "strategic partnership" with the Czech Republic. (Reporting by Jan Lopatka and Robert Muller; Editing by Tom Heneghan) By PTI: Amaravati, Oct 18 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh today committed itself to attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and working towards ending poverty by 2030. "We commit ourselves to attain SDGs, end poverty by 2030," Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said today. Andhra Pradeshs Vision 2029 document says the state would "adopt the globalSustainableDevelopmentGoals2030 to direct and drive the social and economicdevelopmentpolicies and programmes". advertisement SDG2030 contains 17goalsand 169 targets like ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, making cities moresustainableand combating climate change. "As some of thegoalsand targets in SDG2030 are not of direct relevance to AP, the state government has customised them into 12goalsand 115 targets that are directly consequential and on which the state will initiate action," the Vision document said. Global Citizens India, a social movement for bringing an end to extreme poverty, handed over a petition on SDGs containing over 90,000 signatures of activists to AP Chief Secretary Satya Prakash Tucker here today. "While congratulating APs leadership for joining the SDG movement, we request other states in the country to follow suit," Global Citizen India spokesperson Bhavya Bishnoi said on the occasion. PTI DBV NRB IKA --- ENDS --- Warning: This recap of the October 17 episode of Dancing With the Stars contains spoilers. Welcome to DWTS Latin Night, where the waters warm, the flesh is glistening, and a huge glittery pinata is begging to shoot off life-affirming sparkles at any given moment. Aside from an unpalatable side dish featuring a striptease from guest judge Pitbull, this was potentially Planet Mirrorballus most explosive meat feast to date! After the final platter of shimmychangas had been licked clean, Amber Rose and her professional partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy were eliminated with zero fanfare. The activist could not scoot out of there fast enough, while the ass-tivist was getting pretty fed up with her lack of effort so voters certainly made the right call. The pairs final dance, appropriately set to a song called Bla Bla Bla Cha Cha Cha, barely registered once their tension-filled rehearsal segment made it clear Amber wasnt willing to endure how emotionally and mentally grueling the competition can be. Its a bittersweet ending for Maks, who announced hell be sitting out at least the next season on diaper duty with soon-to-be mom and fellow pro Peta Murgatroyd. No one has been this excited for diaper duty ever. Calvin Johnson and Lindsay Arnold landed in jeopardy alongside Amber and Maks, but of course that doesnt necessarily mean they were in the bottom two. Everyone knows by now that the red light of doom/expired salsa can be a major liar. Will the judges please reveal their scores? Carrie Ann Inahhhhh-ber! Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko: 40/40 Many fans might lunge clear across the prop beds they share with Gleb in their dreams to proclaim Jana and Glebs Argentine tango the new Kelly and Vals surfer flamenco. But heres the thing about the official bedazzled DWTS encyclopedia: it doesnt exist. Therefore, its as hair-whippingly expansive as the terrain of Our Pros abs, or the internet, or life itself. And the more you try to compare the two, the clearer it will be that both cesspools of sexiness deserve their own chapters. Story continues Possibly inspired by the waterfall from his own underwear ads, Gleb designed a shower scene so enticing, so nonsensical, so NC-17 that Julianne wished she had an 11 paddle to award them! Meanwhile, head judge Len Goodman, who invented the mythical 11 paddle, would have gone out of his mind with all that messin about come shower time. But hey, every judge is different. Pitbull, for example, was so turned on that he requested Jana go ahead and toss her soaking wet dress over his way. Um NO. Then there was Bruno, pulsating with lust, driven by the insatiable desire to splay his limbs all over the judges table. At least he kept it to himself. Sort of. Maybe not. James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess: 38/40 After their rumba, Julianne proclaimed the Indy car driver the best male dancer weve ever had on this show. Hmmm. Is that right? Ill admit I spent most of this dance focusing on Sharnas butt muscles in lieu of the overly lacy James, but I have trouble seeing him as better than Gilles Marini, Emmitt Smith, Nyle DiMarco, Alfonso Ribeiro, or Mario Lopez and those are just a few rhinestone cowboys off the top of my head. Oh, God, now Nick Carter and Kyle Massey are giving me sad looks from opposing corners. Its too much. I need to stop spinning. Julianne still wanted to see more chemistry between James and Sharna this despite their endless deep stares into each others eyes, multiple displays of Sharnas favorite Friends-inspired smell-the-fart acting technique (exceedingly intimate even though the point is to avoid eye contact), and a miraculous move in which he lifted her up from a full split using only the sheer force of the bond between them plus whatever spray tan residue had been left on her thighs. Really? Thats not close enough? James girlfriend and her best brave face beg to differ. Laurie Hernandez and Valentin Chmerkovskiy: 37/40 With a little help from her friends and DWTS alums Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, Laurie is approaching normalcy in terms of letting loose and shaking her hips in front of Val, even though hes shhhh.. a BOY! The beauty of the televised ballroom, Shawn calmly advised her, is that unlike in gymnastics, youre actually allowed to make mistakes. Certainly a difficult discipline for a teenage perfectionist to follow. This is, like, some Rihanna stuff right here, said the 16-year-old quesadilla enthusiast as she tentatively dipped into the salsa. I just have to not be so weird about it. Mission accomplished: Bruno was so head over heels for the little cheeky salsa devil, unleashed with deadly accuracy! that he nearly lost his footing again. Carrie Ann noticed just a few missteps, but compared Laurie to an invigorating B12 shot. Mmmm. Latin food. Calvin Johnson Jr. and Lindsay Arnold: 37/40 At first, an Argentine tango set to the Eagles Hotel California seemed both too wild and too tame but then again, isnt it in that very sweet spot that Megatron continues his slow, low-lit burn towards possible mirrorball glory? The couple transitioned beautifully between death-defying lifts and perfectly grounded poses throughout the routine. It was sexy, magnetic, intense and perhaps most importantly, Fons-approved. Backstage with only a rather un-refreshing hand towel to his name, a deliciously sweaty Calvin wished Jana and Glebs shower was still set up thats how freaking hot he was right then. Amen, muttered Erin Andrews, speaking for us all. Marilu Henner and Derek Hough: 34/40 The unthinkable has occurred: Derek Hough has finally taken a backseat to his celebrity. Well, this week, anyway, while he reeled from the drama of a crush on his mama. Shes like, my moms age, our bewildered pro realized in a confessional once hed openly drooled about his partners long, elegant legs. I shouldnt be looking at her, right? Thats weird. No, dont talk about it! Thats so weird. This conversation between Derek and himself couldve gone on for hours, and Ill tell you whats truly weird: I wouldve watched. You managed to be graceful, yet sexy, cried Bruno after this weeks gam-tastic cha cha. Dont think hed neglect all those other body parts, though: I loved the armography! Terra Jole and Sasha Farber: 32/40 Sasha = fierce, especially given this weeks puffed-up purple pirate sleeves. But we already knew that. Sadly, Terra couldnt measure up to her partner in the crucial skill of faking anger in the paso doble. She cant help it shes just that benign of a person. Say what now? Excuse me while I sparklebarf for a spell at the notion that a bona fide reality TV star has declared herself unable to simulate rage. Sometimes I really dont know what this alternate universe is coming to. Nevertheless, Terra couldnt summon even a local vagabond evil spirit from somewhere in the crowd (we all saw Season 19 alum Jonathan Bennett and his huge, incredulous eyes begging for it), and their paso suffered under her one-dimensionality. It was a little bit try-hard, Julianne said ever so sweetly. But I appreciate your fire. Maureen McCormick and Artem Chigvintsev: 31/40 No convincing samba moves? No problem! Blazing colors in the background, a costume-size replica of the mirrorball pinata, and some excessive feather work provided by the Troupe helped cover up Maureens tentativeness after a rough week of rehearsals. Even Pitbull could tell that the hot-and-cold star whod moments ago proclaimed herself a fearless flamingo was overthinking this dance. Ryan Lochte and Cheryl Burke: 30/40 Bless Our Pro for trying so hard with Ryan, and props to the Olympian for diving into the minefield of confusion that is a fast-paced salsa while wearing a highlighter-yellow ruffled shirt so hideous you just knew it had to come off. It takes a big man to stand up and be spray-tanned without getting lost in the maze of reflective decals splattered across his body. Still, those KNEE PADS. Oy! Not to mention his thud-like excuse for footwork. You need, like, energy, Carrie Ann attempted to explain the obvious, nicely. Related: Ryan Lochte Previews DWTS Week 6 And His Spicy Latin Night Dance As neither Maureen nor Ryan is winning us over with their routines, next weeks elimination may come down to which nostalgic entity viewers love more: The Brady Bunch or Cheryl. Meanwhile, sorely missed head judge Len Goodman will be back for Mondays Eras Night, in which each of the eight remaining teams will portray a different era from the 1920s-1990s. Plus: Team Dances. Also: Halloween. A dazzling data overload awaits. See you then! XOXO, Fringe Fairy Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of DWTS on Yahoo View. From Harper's BAZAAR When you reflect back on some of the most incredible runway hairstyles of all time, you're probably thinking of hairstylist Guido Palau's work. He's the man responsible for the hair season after season at shows like Prada, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Givenchy, and Alexander Wangto name a small few. Never one to play it safe, Palau lives his life fighting the mediocrity of pretty; the banal existence of the conventional. "I think the things I most admire in designers and anyone creative is when they are daring," says Palau. "Without daring you don't move on you don't move forward." To Palau, drastic coloring, chopping, and sculpting of hairand then wearing it with unabashed confidence is what makes any and all hair daring. He's not afraid of an elegant braid (just look at any Valentino show), but it's his more eccentric work that is often the most memorable. Photo credit: Getty Images Last year, he cut and dyed model Katie Moore's hair into a jagged red bob with baby bangs for the Alexander Wang show (see above, left). The style, while not classically beautiful, catapulted Moore into top-model status within the fashion community. "When you're cutting somebody's hair, sometimes you're doing it and you think, 'god, this girl is going from [her shoulders] to an orange short bob," he says with a nervous laugh. "A lot of the models are like, 'it's fine'. You have to be daring to push boundaries." Palau's styles aren't always well-received by the masses. Just last month, his colorful dreadlocks at the Marc Jacobs spring 2017 show made waves when the internet accused him of cultural appropriation. "Marc Jacobs was quite daring, but it wasn't meant to be. But it became daring," reflected Palau. He also made news this season when he chopped and bleached the hair of 18 models for the Alexander Wang show into messy shags. Story continues Photo credit: Redken The thing about Palau is that he so often sources inspiration from real women and street culture. So while one of his styles might be offensive, or ugly, or appropriative to some people, it's actually coming from a place of utmost respect and appreciation. "Growing up I was always attracted to things that were unconventional. Because I didn't feel like I could conform to anything. I wasn't that person. I couldn't relate to them. It was street culture, music, and the alternative that attracted me. So I always try to present that," says the hairstylist, who is also the Global Creative Director for Redken. Photo credit: Getty Images When asked what his most daring runway hairstyle was to date, Palau recalled the Alexander McQueen spring 2010 show. "I loved the last show I did with Lee that was I think called Atlantis. It was like two fins of hair and braids. And there were these big armadillo platforms. It was a great moment for him in some ways but obviously not in others," he recalls. Palau says that we all know what "pretty looks like," so what's interesting about being boxed-in to the idea of beautiful hair? "I think people need to affronted with things so they question it. If we just see beauty, beauty, and more beauty, we're in this funny bubble because there are different people out there. There are different kinds of beauty," he says. So take a fearless leap and just do it already, whether that's cutting bangs, going blonde, or chopping all your hair off. As Moore said after her transformative cut: it's just hair. You Might Also Like Amnesty Internationals condemnation of Australias practice of holding asylum seekers arriving by sea in offshore detention centers on Nauru as torture in an open-air prison has attracted the ire of the countrys Prime Minister. I reject that claim totally, Malcolm Turnbull told an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio program Tuesday, calling it absolutely false. Based in part on field visits conducted in July and interviews with 58 detainees on the island, the Amnesty report claims that asylum seekers detained in the Pacific island nation were susceptible to attacks by locals and guards alike, did not receive adequate medical attention and were suffering from a wide range of mental health conditions. The report, published Monday, also says that attempts by detainees to harm or even kill themselves were shockingly commonplace. The human rights group says that the appalling conditions in the detention center are part of an Australian policy designed to be punitive for asylum seekers arriving by sea, and that it amounts to torture, alleging that the country may have violated the U.N.s 1951 Refugee Convention by pursuing this line of action. Turnbull, in turn, called his governments commitment compassionate and strong in the ABC interview. Australia has kept the situation in so-called regional processing centers one on Nauru and another now-closed centre on Papua New Guineas Manus Island shrouded in secrecy, rarely granting access to journalists. The Guardian notes that conditions in these camps have attracted routine criticism across the international community, from different U.N. agencies to foreign governments and NGOs like Amnesty and Human Rights Watch. In August, leaked confidential documents revealing the extent of physical and sexual violence in the detention centers obtained and published by the Guardian but not verified by TIME led to vigorous denials from Australia and Nauru. Here comes the ballet bride! Glee star Dianna Agron saluted her childhood dance roots with a stunning, Valentino gown inspired by ballet dancers at her wedding to Mumford & Sons banjoist, Winston Marshall, on Saturday. NEWS: Dianna Agron Marries Mumford & Sons Singer Winston Marshall The gorgeous actress walked down the aisle wearing the elegant, bead and sequin-embellished, tulle dress and a crown of silver stars for the couple's nuptials at the Beldi Country Club in Morocco. The high-cut, long-sleeved gown, worth $20,500, is part of Valentino's Fall 2016 collection and described as "just as graceful and elegant as the ballet dancers who inspire it." Agron started ballet at the age of 3 and even showed off her ballerina moves in the final season of Glee. Her groom, meanwhile, wore black pants, a brocade jacket and a turban. WATCH: 'Glee' Star Dianna Agron is Reportedly Engaged Beautiful as hell, her wedding is so special like her, perfect wedding dress #DiannaAgron A photo posted by Darren is Hedwig (@gleecastnew) on Oct 17, 2016 at 8:04am PDT . . #diannaagron A photo posted by E L I S E (@queendiannaagron) on Oct 16, 2016 at 4:56pm PDT The festivities are said to have lasted three days, with Agron snapped wearing a peacock-embroidered Gucci gown and white turban at another event. Guests reportedly included Carey Mulligan, who is married to Marshall's bandmate, Marcus Mumford, and Vogue editor Selby Drummond. RELATED: Dianna Agron Plays a Great Scorned Housewife In New Sam Smith Video . . #diannaagron A photo posted by E L I S E (@queendiannaagron) on Oct 17, 2016 at 8:01am PDT Moroccan magic A photo posted by S T E P H A N I E .C. (@stephyclark) on Oct 17, 2016 at 6:29am PDT Inseparable. Or, pretty girls in pretty dresses. A photo posted by Kyle Hotchkiss Carone (@kylehotchkisscarone) on Oct 16, 2016 at 9:46am PDT Agron, 30, was first spotted with Marshall, 27, in July 2015 and the pair reportedly became engaged over the holidays. Agron showed off her engagement bling during London Fashion Week in February. Story continues See more on the couple in the video below. Related Articles The director of Divergent has some pretty bummer things to say about the TV movie In 2017, were getting a fourth Divergent movie, which is right now titled Ascendant. While were always happy and game for another installment of the Divergent franchise, this movie isnt coming to us quite like we expected: Instead of opening in theaters, the latest, and final, Divergent movie will instead air as a made-for-TV movie, and weve got lost of feelings about this. Were never going to say NO to a Divergent movie, but the decision to bypass theaters and head straight for television did not go over well with many, namely the the stars of the film, like Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller. Shailene, in particular, has been pretty outspoken when it comes to the decision to turn the movie into a TV-movie, and right now, it doesnt sound like shell be stepping into Tris boots ever again. Now, theres another voice who has weighted in, with the director of the OG Divergent movie calling the whole thing, sad. I think its sad, Neil Burger (who also directed Limitless and The Illusionist) explained to The Hollywood Reporter at the New York Film Festival. I was just talking to the people at Lionsgate [the studio who distributes the Divergent movies] about something else recently, and its just that they got themselves into a difficult bind through various circumstancesI dont think they feel like they shouldve split [the last book] into two [films]. If they hadnt, they wouldve been in much better shape, but at the time Im sure they were excited and they saw some potential there. Just think: If the last part of Divergent, Allegiant, hadnt been split, the film franchise would already be done. Now it might not happen at all. Burger also praised the actors and the movie itself, continuing, Its just too bad because I love all those actors, and they were very loyal to it. Theyre still really trying to figure out what theyre gonna do with it. Everything about the movie is very up in the air right now, and hopefully they figure it out soon seeing as how the movie actually already has a release date: June 9th, 2017. Hopefully well get some form of a Divergent movie that daycross your fingers. The post The director of Divergent has some pretty bummer things to say about the TV movie appeared first on HelloGiggles. With DreamWorks Animation reaching a multi-million deal today, it is now really just Disney who hasnt settled with animation workers in the long running class action suit over wage-fixing and anti-poaching allegations. On Monday, the now NBCUniversal owned home of the How To Train Your Dragon franchise filed paperwork to start ending its part in the over two-year long action with a proposed $50 million settlement up to 30% of which could end up going to lawyers. The settlement here was reached after arms length negotiations, drawing on the expertise of informed, experienced counsel who have been deeply involved in this litigation since its inception, and it reflects the risks associated with both parties continuing to litigate this case, said the motion for preliminary approval put forth in federal court in San Jose Monday (read it here). In particular, counsel have been informed and guided by the rulings and settlement valuations deemed fair and reasonable in both this action and the High-Tech litigation, the 16-page document from lawyers for original plaintiffs Robert Nitsch Jr., David Wentworth and Georgia Cano added. A January 19, 2017 hearing has been penciled in for Judge Lucy Kohs courtroom on the motion, which essentially covers animation workers who were at the toon studios from around 2004 to 2010. Foxs Blue Sky Studios was the first defendant to break ranks back on March 31 and reach a nearly $6 million settlement in the potentially sprawling case and Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. and Sony Pictures Animation Inc. came to a $13 million settlement in May. A hearing on the final approval of the Sony settlement is set for November 11 in front of Judge Koh. Image (3) TheWaltDisneyCompanyLogo__121119232402__140225054413.jpeg for post 688834 That means with DWAs deal today, all that is left is the Walt Disney Company and its Lucasfilm and Pixar divisions plus the Robert Zemeckis founded ImageMovers which begs the questions, are they getting ready to settle too or fight to the last appeal, as is the House of Mouse way? RelatedJeffrey Katzenberg To Host Obama At Final Hollywood Fundraiser Before Election This all started when ex-DWA visual effects artist Nitsch first filed his case on September 8, 2014 with Wentworth and Cano putting their paperwork before the courts soon afterwards. The Defendants themselves have explained the purpose of the conspiracy and in doing so, articulated the harm and injury caused by it to their workers. George Lucas explained under oath that the purpose of the non-solicitation agreement was to suppress wages and keep the visual effects industry out of a normal industrial competitive situation, alleged Nitschs highly animated 27-page filing in the fall of 2014. The agreement was explicitly intended to avoid a bidding war with other companies because we dont have the margins for that sort of thing. With wide ranging implications for the animation industry and a pulling back of the veil of the way business is conducted, the matter has been pursued, tossed, revived and consistently opposed since Nitsch first took action in the fall of 2014. The animation studios involvement in this antitrust behavior came out of the corporate depths in the Judge Koh overseen and now settled $415 million Department of Justice investigation into tech companies Apple, Google, Intel, Adobe and Intuit. They all had an agreement to not pluck each others employees and to keep wages at a certain level one replicated in the toon world. With one defendant after another abandoning their once united front and contention the case was meritless, DWA just made Disney the last toon house standing for now. Daniel A. Small of DCs Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC; Steve Berman of Seattles Hagens Berman Sobel Shapiro LLP; and Marc Seltzer of LAs Susman Godfrey LLP are the main lawyers for Wentworth, Nitsch and Cano in the case. Related stories Disney's Bob Iger Inks Book Deal At Random House 'The Boss Baby' Trailer: Alec Baldwin As 'The Apprentice' Host-In-Training? Disney's Live-Action 'Lion King' Taps Jeff Nathanson As Writer Another Divergent alum is displeased by the news that Lionsgate is planning the final Divergent film as a TV project. The fourth pic was initially dated for theatrical release on June 9, 2017, but after the franchise's third installment - Allegiant, starring Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, Octavia Spencer, Naomi Watts, Miles Teller and Jeff Daniels - earned just $66 million domestically, the studio began to rethink its strategy for the fourth film based on Veronica Roth's book series. The format, and its participating cast, has yet to be announced. "I think it's sad," Neil Burger, who helmed the first movie, told The Hollywood Reporter during last week's New York Film Festival. "I was just talking to the people at Lionsgate about something else recently, and it's just that they got themselves into a difficult bind through various circumstances. I don't think they feel like they should've split [the last book] into two [films]. If they hadn't, they would've been in much better shape, but at the time I'm sure they were excited and they saw some potential there. Read more: Shailene Woodley Arrested During Protest of Dakota Access Pipeline "It's just too bad because I love all those actors, and they were very loyal to it," added the Divergent director, who has discussed the situation with a few of the franchise's actors. "They're still really trying to figure out what they're gonna do with it." Woodley has said that she "didn't sign up to be in a television show," but would definitely return as Tris in the fourth film if it gets a theatrical release. "I signed up to tell the whole story of Tris, and I would love to be able to do that. Nothing would make me happier," the actress said last month. Likewise, Teller has said of the news, "Things do change anytime they're messing with something that was not the original intention. We all signed on for it in hopes that it'd be released in theaters, and we all had every intention of finishing [the franchise]." Story continues Burger, who did not return to direct the franchise's follow-up films and is currently helming a remake of the French film The Untouchables with Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart, said that the toughest part about working on a YA franchise is "the expectations of the fans who come with it - that's a real advantage in a way, because you have a built-in audience, and it's always hard to find an audience these days, but of course, they have big expectations. And any kind of adaptation - and you've seen it with all of these franchises - the books are built in one way and the movie has certain obligations in a different way. They're often difficult to meet at the same time." Still, Burger believes the Lionsgate TV project, dubbed Ascendant, can fulfill its potential as a spinoff series: "People show up if the project is good." Read more: Miles Teller on 'Divergent' TV Movie: "It Caught Us All by Surprise" By PTI: Amaravati, Oct 18 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh today committed itself to attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and working towards ending poverty by 2030. "We commit ourselves to attain SDGs, end poverty by 2030," Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said today. Andhra Pradeshs Vision 2029 document says the state would "adopt the globalSustainableDevelopmentGoals2030 to direct and drive the social and economicdevelopmentpolicies and programmes". advertisement SDG2030 contains 17goalsand 169 targets like ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, making cities moresustainableand combating climate change. "As some of thegoalsand targets in SDG2030 are not of direct relevance to AP, the state government has customised them into 12goalsand 115 targets that are directly consequential and on which the state will initiate action," the Vision document said. Global Citizens India, a social movement for bringing an end to extreme poverty, handed over a petition on SDGs containing over 90,000 signatures of activists to AP Chief Secretary Satya Prakash Tucker here today. "While congratulating APs leadership for joining the SDG movement, we request other states in the country to follow suit," Global Citizen India spokesperson Bhavya Bishnoi said on the occasion. PTI DBV NRB IKA BAS --- ENDS --- By Timothy Large LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From life imprisonment for human traffickers to forcing pimps to pay compensation to their victims, Britain has some of the world's toughest sanctions against modern slavery. Passed a little more than a year ago, Britain's Modern Slavery Act has been hailed as a milestone in the anti-slavery fight, combining harsh penalties with progressive measures such as better protections for people at risk of being enslaved. It also requires companies to disclose what they are doing to make sure supply chains are free from slavery, a crime that affects some 46 million people worldwide, with up to 13,000 in Britain. Last week, British Prime Minister Theresa May warned traffickers: "We are coming after you." But does Britain's approach to fighting slavery live up to the hype? Is it a model for other countries to follow? Does it offer the right balance of carrot and stick to ensure meaningful change on the front lines of the anti-trafficking fight? As Britain marks Anti-Slavery Day, a day set by parliament to raise awareness of slavery and trafficking, we asked experts for their views on the effectiveness - or otherwise - of the Modern Slavery Act. Here are their responses. KEVIN HYLAND, UK INDEPENDENT ANTI-SLAVERY COMMISSIONER: When I meet with representatives of different organisations across the world, people do talk about the Modern Slavery Act as being groundbreaking and being world-leading... The legislation is seen as capturing all areas, from looking after the victims, from real rule of law, from prevention, from accountability and then from bringing in the private sector as well. AIDAN MCQUADE, DIRECTOR, ANTI-SLAVERY INTERNATIONAL: Anti-Slavery International has lobbied for a law like the Modern Slavery Act for nearly two decades, so it's a strange feeling now to feel rather unsatisfied. We have argued for years that providing a comprehensive support and protection to all victims of modern slavery should be at the heart of anti-slavery law and practice. Sadly, this is the area that is still lacking the most. Too often victims are still not believed, don't get the support they need, or are treated as immigration offenders and deported rather than protected. ANDREW WALLIS, CEO, UNSEEN: What's needed is a complete overhaul where the focus is on how we help survivors long-term from a position of vulnerability to a place of resilience. Most survivors we work with want to thrive, despite the trauma of modern slavery, but the current system is perfectly designed to deliver the results we have: a safety net temporarily arresting the plunge down the side of a cliff. NICK GRONO, CEO, THE FREEDOM FUND: The UK transparency provisions are light touch - in the sense that companies can comply simply by saying they have no policies in place to deal with forced labour or slavery (assuming that's the case). And the provisions are not backed by any meaningful sanctions. But their power comes from the fact that they require directors and management to turn their mind to issues of forced labour and modern slavery - often for the very first time. GEORGETTE MULHEIR, CEO, LUMOS: Tackling human trafficking is vital in destination countries such as the UK, to identify and support victims and prosecute offenders. The Modern Slavery Act provides the backbone for this work by many statutory agencies and NGOs. But if we fail to address the problem in source countries, then the number of people who go through the trauma of being trafficked will not reduce. PHIL BLOOMER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BUSINESS & HUMAN RIGHTS RESOURCE CENTRE: No company wants slavery in its supply chain. The Modern Slavery Act allows us to compare companies' commitments to eliminate this scourge that was supposed to be abolished 150 years ago. Our Modern Slavery Act Registry of over 750 company statements enables investors and consumers to reward the leading companies, and press the laggards to improve. So far, only a handful of companies, such as M&S and SAB Miller, Burberry, Ford and Mothercare, have produced statements to be proud of. GORDON MILLER, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, SUSTAIN WORLDWIDE: The Transparency in Supply Chains clause is genius ... All this doesn't mean some companies will still treat it as a 'tick box exercise'. But, equally, it does, at the very least, compel them to consider how their business impacts on the broader human rights of people working in their entire supply chain and not only those employed in their direct business operations. BRANDEE BUTLER, HEAD OF JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS, C&A FOUNDATION: Governments seeking to eradicate slavery should take note of the UK's leadership, and learn from its flaws. The act requires only that companies report on their actions, and imposes few consequences for non-compliance with even this basic requirement. Early reporting shows that few companies have fully complied. There is tremendous opportunity to build upon the UK government's efforts to crack down on slavery in supply chains. In consultation with business and civil society, legislators in other countries should craft policies that demand meaningful action to combat slavery and address the impacts of business practices on the lives and liberty of workers. TJ BIRDI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HELEN BAMBER FOUNDATION: The Modern Slavery Act has been lauded by politicians as a 'world leader in the fight against modern slavery'. However, the only way to fight such a serious and prolific crime is by setting effective standards for the identification, support and sustained recovery of victims ... The experience of the Helen Bamber Foundation over decades has shown that if victims are not recognised and assisted, they remain vulnerable to further slavery and serious harm. HOUTAN HOMAYOUNPOUR, TECHNICAL SPECIALIST, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION: Globally, there are at least 21 million people in situations of forced labour, and other forms of modern day slavery, generating $150 billion in illicit profits annually. It is in the context of this harsh reality that the UK continues to take a strong stance in the fight against slavery, by passing the Modern Slavery Act at home, as well as ratifying the ILO Protocol on forced labour. These are both giant steps towards the elimination of slavery and helping millions of children, women and men reclaim their freedom and dignity. (Reporting by Timothy Large @timothylarge; editing by Ros Russell) Barack Obamas half-brother Malik will show his support for Donald Trump at the third presidential debate on Wednesday. The Kenyan-born man, who is also a U.S. citizen, announced in July he would vote for the Republican nominee. Now he tells the New York Post he is excited to attend the debate in Las Vegas and believes Trump can make America Great Again. Trump tells the Post his guest gets it far better than his brother. The Trump campaign confirmed to TIME that Malik would be the candidates guest. Malik told the Post he does not believe the women who have come forward to accuse Trump of sexual misconduct, asking, Why didnt they come forward before? He found fault with Hillary Clintons work as Secretary of State, claiming that Muammar Gaddafi had been a friend and adding, Check out the situation in Libya now. He says his most recent visit with his half-brother at the White House in 2015 was a hands-off kind of thing, very businesslike, very formal. Malik has expressed resentment that Barack Obama has not helped him with his foundation to support the familys village of Kogelo, Kenya. In 2013, he unsuccessfully ran for governor of the western Kenyan county of Siaya. [New York Post] GettyImages 614911436 Donald Trump cut into the media on Monday evening, repeatedly alleging at a Wisconsin rally that journalists are poisoning the minds of voters with false information. Trumps first comments came after the Green Bay crowd broke out into a CNN sucks chant. Well, they really do, Trump agreed. I mean, they want to poison the mind. The Republican nominee offered up coverage of a spate of recent sexual-assault allegations against him as supposed evidence the media was rigged against him. Trump has strongly disputed the claims and alleged without proof that they were fabricated and pushed by the Hillary Clinton campaign. As the crowd chanted for the media to tell the truth, Trump again reiterated his claims against the press. They poison the minds of voters, he said. [T]hey are poisoning the minds of voters. Trump has had a contentious relationship with the press since he first launched his White House bid last summer. Some observers have speculated that his goal may be to undermine the integrity of the media in order to launch his own TV news network at the conclusion of the campaign. A report on Monday revealed that Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, informally approached a New York City-based bank about such a possibility. NOW WATCH: Clinton opens up a massive lead against Trump, with lopsided support from a key voting demographic More From Business Insider At a rally in Wisconsin Monday night, Donald Trump unveiled a new ethics plan to reform the relationship between the government and the lobbying industry. In a statement, Trump said his proposals would drain the swamp in Washington, D.C. and make our government honest once again. But he isnt the first presidential candidate to propose or attempt these changes. Heres how Trumps plan stacks up to what Hillary Clinton has supported this election season and what President Barack Obama implemented in office. 1. Temporary bans on former government officials lobbying the government Trump: Trump would institute a 5-year ban on administration officials lobbying the government after they leave their jobs. He would also ask Congress to institute its own 5-year lobbying ban on former congressmen and congressional staff. Clinton: In 2015, Clinton said she supported a bill introduced by Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin that would prevent people leaving government service from taking a job for two years at a company they oversaw. Obama: When he took office, Obama issued an executive order barring any of his political appointees from working for an agency they had lobbied within the past two years. (Obama took flak, however, for issuing multiple exceptions to this rule.) During his first campaign, Obama also said that no political appointee who left the government would be allowed to lobby the executive branch during the remainder of his administration. 2. Closing title loopholes Trump: Trump says he would expand the definition of lobbyist so former government officials who have titles like consultant or advisor, but are lobbyists in practice, will still be subject to these rules. Clinton: The measure Clinton supports would also close this loophole. In an op-ed, Clinton and Baldwin wrote that the bill would clamp down on people working under different titles to try to avoid legal requirements that lobbyists have to meet. Story continues Obama: Obamas rules only apply to registered lobbyists. The law defined the term lobbyist, and it made sense to start there, former White House counsel Robert Bauer, who helped draft Obamas executive order on this issue, told the Washington Post last year. Federal law requires people to register as lobbyists if they spent 20% of their time lobbying, leaving potential leeway for those who do not officially register or work under a different title. Theres a whole cadre of folks who are not required to register under [Lobbying Disclosure Act] and yet who are purveying special interest influence, Norm Eisen, White House head of ethics from 2009 to 2011, told the Post. The influence industry has grown since the executive order was signed, so the new president is going to need to figure out a way to address that. 3. Lobbyist cash Trump: Trumps campaign has not taken any money from registered lobbyists, the Washington Post reports, or at least has not taken more than $17,600 from lobbyist bundlers, at which point they would have had to disclose names. Avoiding donor influence has been a central pledge of Trumps campaign. (He does, however, have various lobbyists as advisers to his campaign, especially in relation to energy policy.) Clinton: Lobbyists have raised about $7 million for Clintons 2016 campaign so far, the Washington Post reports. On a different side of the money issue, the legislation Clinton supports would prohibit golden parachutes, or bonuses for private sector employees who take government jobs. Obama: In 2008, Obama pledged as a candidate not to take money from registered lobbyists. As president, he banned registered lobbyists or lobbying firms from giving gifts to executive branch employees. The super PAC supporting his re-election, as well as congressional and gubernatorial campaign committees, however, have taken the cash. 4. Foreign governments Trump: Two of the five bullet points in Trumps ethics plan concern the influence of foreign governments in the American system, an issue Trumps campaign has run into trouble with. (Trumps former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, resigned this summer amid controversies surrounding his relationship with Russian-backed politicians in Ukraine, and he worked as a longtime lobbyist for multiple foreign regimes.) Under Trumps proposed plan, there would be a lifetime ban on senior executive branch officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government. He would also ask Congress to pass campaign finance legislation that would prevent American lobbyists who work for foreign clients from raising money in American elections. Clinton: A recent batch of Clinton campaign emails released by Wikileaks showed aides in 2015 agreeing to accept money from U.S. lobbyists working on behalf of foreign governments. Campaign manager Robby Mook wrote that he was ok just taking the money and dealing with any attacks, and campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri wrote, Take the money!! Obama: The presidents revolving door executive action did not include provisions specifically about foreign interests. With additional reporting by Sam Frizell and Philip Elliott British journalist and editor Jemima Goldsmiths costume featuring a groping Donald Trump is up for sale on eBay, and the proceeds will benefit Syrian refugees. Goldsmith (also known as Jemima Khan) dressed as Melania Trump being groped by her husband, a plastic Donald Trump, for the UNICEF Halloween Ball 2016. Now the controversial costume, dubbed Original Trump Groper Halloween Costume, is up for auction online, described on eBay as easy to wear, [with] straps on either side like a backpack in order to wear Donald on your back. As of Tuesday, the costume had received six bids and was up to 122. The money raised is going to Muslim Syrian refugees via UNICEF as thats what The Donald would want, the eBay post said. My Trump Groper Halloween costume now on ebay. Money to Syrian refugees because thats what Donald would want. RT xhttps://t.co/HdnGCaSGqL Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) October 18, 2016 The Republican candidate has come under fire after a 2005 video was released showing him bragging that he can grope women because hes a celebrity, comments Trump dismissed as locker room talk. Since then, several women have come forward to say Trump groped or kissed them without his consent. Trump denies the allegations. Donald Trump said that the controversy surrounding Hillary Clintons emails, specifically the recent revelation that a State Department staffer asked to change the classification level of an email from her private server, is worse than Watergate. Speaking in front of a rowdy crowd in Green Bay, Wisconsin Monday night, Trump referred to Clintons dealings with the State Department and the FBI as a criminal enterprise. The Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy illegally pressured the FBI to un-classify emails from Hillarys illegal server, Trump said. Thats a lot of illegality in that one statement. He focused on newly released FBI documents showing State Department Under Secretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy contacting an FBI official (whose name was redacted) in 2015, asking that the agency reclassify an email related to the 2012 attacks in Benghazi to make the email never to be seen again. Notes from an interview the FBI conducted with an official in its records management division say that Kennedy had asked assistance in altering the emails classification in exchange for a quid pro quo. This is magnitudes worse, in my opinion and in the opinion of many people in law enforcement, this is worse than Watergate, Trump said, referencing the series of events that began with an election-season break-in at a Democratic National Committee office in Washington, D.C., and ended with the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974. And what does she get out of it? She gets to run for the presidency of the United States. The State Department denies the existence of a quid pro quo. This allegation is inaccurate and does not align with the facts, State Department spokesperson Mark Toner told Politico in a statement. To be clear: the State Department did upgrade the document at the request of the FBI when we released it back in May 2015. When it comes to making outrageous comments, Donald Trump Jr. might be nearly as accomplished as his father. CNN has unearthed audio of Trump Jr. making some eyebrow-raising remarks on the Opie & Anthony radio show back in 2012, including a joke about the shooting massacre at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater on the day it happened. After a tape was played of a witness describing the shooting in a crowded theater playing The Dark Knight Rises, the son of GOP nominee Donald J. Trump declared, Overall I give the movie two thumbs up. The Trump campaign has not responded to TheWraps request for comment. Also Read: How Hillary Clinton's Team Tried to 'Steer' Maureen Dowd (Exclusive) Earlier that year on Opie and Anthony, Trump Jr. complained that political correctness had made it socially unacceptable to crack fat jokes. When one of the hosts noted that obesity was now considered a medical problem, Trump Jr. scoffed, Everythings a disease. Criticizing President Obama is also difficult, he said, because that makes you a racist. And Trump Jr., like his father, was also not happy with the appearance of some of the people involved in beauty pageants. He complained that all the mothers on the reality show Toddlers and Tiaras were fat and ugly. Also Read: Bill O'Reilly Offers Donald Trump Debate Advice: 'Stop Whining' (Video) Earlier this year, the younger Trump got into hot water for cracking a Holocaust joke and comparing Syrian refugees to candy that would kill you. Trump Jr., now 38, seems to come naturally by his talent for blurting outrageous remarks into nearby microphones. His fathers presidential campaign was sent reeling earlier this month by the leak of a 2005 videotape in which the elder Trump bragged about grabbing women by their private parts. And during his campaign, he has openly attacked Mexican immigrants, military families, GOP rivals and of course his Democratic White House challenger, Hillary Clinton. Story continues Related stories from TheWrap: Skittles Clarifies 'Refugees Are People' After Donald Trump Jr. Compares Them to Poisoned Candy Anti-Defamation League Blasts Donald Trump Jr.'s 'Out of Line' Holocaust Joke One day after he unveiled a new ethics plan, Donald Trump added one more potential reform to his wish list: A Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress. If Im elected president, I will push for a Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress, Trump said at a campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Tuesday afternoon, to sustained cheers from the crowd. Right? Theyve been talking about that for years. Trumps campaign elaborated on the proposal in a press release emailed during the speech. Decades of failure in Washington, and decades of special interest dealing, must come to an end, it says. We have to break the cycle of corruption, and we have to give new voices a chance to go into government service. The time for Congressional term limits has arrived. His campaign proposed a six-year limit for the House and a 12-year cap for the Senate. Trump is correct that Republicans have been kicking this idea around for years. It traces back to the Contract With America that congressional Republicans proposed in 1994, which included a measure that would have imposed a maximum term of 12 years for both senators and members of the House. The measure failed; it didnt win two thirds of both the House and Senate required for passage. Newt Gingrich was House Speaker at the time and pushed for the term limit amendment, and hes now a close adviser to Trump. Under the Constitution, the president plays no formal role in approving constitutional amendments. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday that the relationship between the U.S. and Russia is the worst situation that weve had with Russia since the end of the Cold War and that, should he win the election in November, he could see meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to beginning his term in office. The candidates relationship with Russia has made news throughout the election season, but it goes back much further than that. And these most recent statements are not the only time he has discussed negotiating with Russian leaders from a position outside of public office. In 1987, Trump traveled to the Soviet Union to investigate building a hotel there. He also said that he had read Mikhail Gorbachevs 1987 book Perestroika because, while he didnt find it particularly exciting or enjoying, he felt an obligation to do so. (He does not believe, though, that he needs many such exercises to get on in the world, TIMEs Otto Friedrich noted. I can sit down with the most sophisticated people in the arts in New York and get along fabulously with them, he says. If I want to, I can convince them that I know as much about something as they do, and I dont.') Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter The hotel didnt pan out, but in 1988, when Gorbachev planned a visit to New York City to meet with the U.N. and with Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, there was a surprising stop on his planned itinerary: Trump Tower. As TIME reported that December, Donald Trump and his then-wife Ivana had invited the Soviet General Secretary to visit the building and sit down to dinner. A Soviet official had responded to the invitation directly, in the affirmative, and indicated that it would be a private meal for just the Trumps and the Gorbachevs. Trumpwho does not discourage talk of his presidential ambitions and who buys newspaper ads laying out his plans for world nuclear disarmament, as TIME then put itsaid that he hoped to act as a representative of the American people in showing the Communist leader all that Capitalism had to offer. The visit, however, didnt pan out: Gorbachevs plans changed and before he arrived, and Trump was nixed from the line-up. After links of adult dating sites got shared from CEA Arvind Subramanian's Twitter handle, Subramanian came forward to apologise and clarify that his account had been hacked. CEA Arvind Subramanian apologised after links to adult site was tweeted from his verified account By India Today Web Desk: It's one thing to catch a political figure guilty of an awkward act, but it's worse when one is forced to apologise for an embarrassing stint he isn't even responsible for. Earlier yesterday, some links of adult 'dating' sites got shared from Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Arvind Subramanian's Twitter handle, asking his followers to "Let the passion into" their lives by clicking on the bait. Source: Arvind Subramanian/ Twitter screenshot advertisement Though Subramanian was quick to apologise and clarify that his account had been hacked, Twitterati was quicker. With nearly 43,000 followers, tweets expressing shock, advice and trolls came tumbling in. Also read: No, Ratan Tata didn't share Modi-Ambani joke, his account was hacked Also read: India post's Twitter account hacked, criticism against Arvind Kejriwal tweeted The 'salacious' tweets were later deleted from his Twitter account. My twitter account was hacked. My profuse apologies for the nuisance/offensive tweets that were sent out as a result. arvind subramanian (@arvindsubraman) October 17, 2016 Last month, Twitter accounts of industrialist Ratan Tata and TRAI Chairman RS Sharma were also hacked. Also read: Arvind Subramanian's Twitter account hacked Also watch: --- ENDS --- The Donald Trump who raged against big moneys influence on politics is back. Trump on Monday night released a slate of lobbying and campaign finance proposals, catching reform advocates by surprise and pressuring Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to detail her own lobbying reform positions. Trump called for five-year bans on lobbying by executive branch officials, and a similar ban that would apply to members of Congress and congressional staff. He also proposed tightening the definition of lobbyists under the law so more people would be covered by the requirements that apply to lobbyists. In addition, Trump said he would call on Congress to prohibit lobbyists for foreign governments from fundraising for American political candidates and seek a constitutional amendment to impose congressional term limits. What Trump didnt say: Most of the proposals prospects range from unlikely to inconceivable. If elected, Trump could issue an executive order restricting the ability of former employees to lobby his administration, but anything permanent or any ban that applies to the legislative branch would have to be passed by Congress, historically a tough proposition. Consider that the last major lobbying reform legislation passed by Congress was the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, adopted nearly a decade ago in the wake of notorious ethics scandals and itself ridden with loopholes. Constitutional amendments, meanwhile, are exceedingly rare and difficult to ratify. The most recent, the 27th amendment, which deals with congressional salaries, passed in 1992. Since 1993, Congress has considered more than 1,000 constitutional amendment proposals all have failed. This story is part of Buying of the President 2016. Tracking the candidates, political committees and nonprofits that are making this presidential election the most expensive in history. Click here to read more stories in this investigation. Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. And much of Trumps proposed lobbying reforms would hinge on exactly how Trump is proposing to define a lobbyist. The definition would determine who is subject to restrictions and disclosure requirements. Story continues It would be a terrific debate question if someone asked Mr. Trump, in 25 words or less, what would be your definition of a lobbyist, said Nicholas Allard, the dean of Brooklyn Law School and a former head of the public policy practice at law firm Patton Boggs. Allard was a member of a 2011 American Bar Association task force on lobbying law that made a series of recommendations aimed at updating lobbying laws. Some of Trumps proposals sound good, said Robert Kelner, chairman of the election and political law practice group at law firm Covington & Burling. But, I am very skeptical that they would actually be implemented in a robust way, especially because his proposal is very weak on details, Kelner said. Despite Trumps criticism of big-moneyed interests earlier in the campaign, his plan includes little in the way of campaign finance reform proposals, suggesting only that he would move to restrict fundraising by lobbyists working on behalf of foreign nations not lobbyists representing domestic interests. Tangled history Trumps reform proposals are also saddled with his campaigns own history. In June 2015, Trump launched his campaign by promising he wouldnt be in hock to lobbyists and special interests unlike most other politicians. Theyre controlled fully by the lobbyists, by the donors, and by the special interests, fully, Trump said. But as the campaign wore on, lobbyists entered the Trump inner circle. Paul Manafort, who lobbied and consulted for a wide range of foreign governments and entities, at one point ran Trumps campaign. And the political influence game proved Manaforts undoing: He left the campaign in August while facing questions about whether he had fully disclosed all his lobbying work abroad, as required by law. Related story: Shadow candidates: Whos more transparent, Clinton or Trump? Trump, meanwhile, backed off his anti-big money rhetoric, even as Clinton and her primary opponent, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, pushed detailed proposals for campaign finance overhauls. His proposals follow WikiLeaks release of Clinton campaign emails that show Clinton staff debated whether the campaign should accept money from lobbyists working for foreign governments. After initially hesitating, campaign manager Robby Mook wrote he was ok just taking the money and dealing with any attacks. In his prepared remarks for a speech delivered Monday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Trump described the exchange as top officials in the Clinton campaign scheming to take massive sums of money from foreign lobbyists. Clinton's lobbying ties As for Clinton, she has voiced support for legislation that would extend the so-called cooling off periods that apply to some government employees from one year to two years, and would also change the definition of lobbyist so those evading restrictions on registered lobbyists would be forced to register and disclose more about their activities. The legislation Clinton endorsed would also limit companies ability to pay bonuses to employees leaving to go into government. Clinton has also reportedly restricted lobbyists from joining her transition team, according to Politico. Neither candidate has said whether they would restrict lobbyists from joining their administrations, as President Barack Obama did, though several lobbyists received waivers from that rule. In addition, neither candidate has refused to take campaign contributions from registered lobbyists or lobbyists registered to lobby on behalf of foreign governments. This month, Clintons campaign filed a report showing lobbyists raised nearly $300,000 for her campaign during the most recent quarter alone, something campaigns are required to disclose. Trump has not disclosed having any lobbyist fundraisers. Yell 'lobbyist!' Advocates of campaign finance and lobbying reform generally hailed Trumps proposals as a good step, but said they were either insufficiently detailed or didnt go far enough to address the influence of money and special interests in politics. "Were glad that Donald Trump is finally offering policies to address the broken system he has spent months criticizing, but this proposal is not nearly enough to address voters concerns about our broken campaign finance system, said David Donnelly, president and CEO of Every Voice. Said Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for advocacy group Public Citizen: The fact that Trump is coming out and proposing some strict revolving door restrictions, as well as campaign finance limits on lobbyists, thats a welcome position. Related story: Two very different Donalds, one White House goal Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. Lawrence Noble, general counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, a group that advocates for ethics and campaign finance reform, said he didnt see anything in Trumps proposals that he disagrees with. Nonetheless, he said, lobbying reform without campaign finance reform isnt enough to solve the problem of money in politics. Anytime you want to distract people from issues of corruption, you yell lobbyist! and everyone goes running off chasing the lobbyist, he said. Lobbyists are part of the problem, but just going after the lobbyists isnt going to solve the problem. John Pudner, a former Republican political consultant who now heads a nonprofit group focused on moneys role in politics, Take Back Our Republic, said he met with representatives of the Trump campaign before the first presidential debate and provided suggestions, including some aimed at keeping foreign money out of elections. The theme we laid out was we have got to stop foreign money from getting in, he said, adding that he was encouraged by the proposals. As for the prospect of a five-year ban, Pudner said Trump probably realizes they wouldnt go that far, but start with that as your negotiating point. Meredith McGehee, another member of the American Bar Association task force on lobbying who is now chief of policy, programs and strategy for reform group Issue One, said the recommendations were put into legislative form, but despite efforts, she has been unable to find a Republican co-sponsor. McGehee said she hoped Trumps proposals would give the idea of reform momentum. But Trumps key advisers on money and politics issue havent tended to favor new restrictions. McGehee pointed to Trumps deputy campaign manager, David Bossie, who is on leave from the nonprofit group Citizens United, and his campaigns lawyer, Donald McGahn, a former Federal Election Commission chairman known for resisting restrictions on money in politics. I take these proposals with a grain of salt because the folks he has surrounded himself with are folks who have not been supportive of this kinds of issues in the past, McGehee said. This story is part of Buying of the President 2016. Tracking the candidates, political committees and nonprofits that are making this presidential election the most expensive in history. Click here to read more stories in this investigation. Related stories Copyright 2016 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C. From ELLE A few months before the fateful Gore v. Bush election of 2000, I broke up with my college boyfriend. We'd been living together in New York City while he went to law school and I tried to get my writing career off the ground, surviving on cheese sandwiches, spaghetti, and a mutual antagonism so gonzo that I still sometimes miss the intensity of it. It was War of the Roses in a shitty walk-up apartment with nothing at stake. Once he was gone, without the boundaries of his disapproval, I was at sea. I ricocheted into a romantic entanglement with a friend and then was humiliatingly dumped. I spent too much time in bars with my girlfriends. I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't eating, and, after that initial rebound relationship, I seemed to have become invisible to men. Looking back, I was a walking red flag: A weepy wraith with red wine teeth and smoker's breath-because, yes, I started smoking, too. I regret every single one of those Parliament Lights now-if I die prematurely of lung cancer and don't get to see how everyone's tattoos and piercings look when they're in the nursing home, I am going to be so mad at myself-but smoking is not the worst choice I made that year. Not even close: I voted for Ralph Nader. I protest voted for Nader. Smoking is not the worst choice I made that year. I voted for Ralph Nader. I protest voted for Nader." I was a liberal Democrat and I'd voted for Bill Clinton in 1996 despite my opposition to welfare reform. But by 2000, I was, like many other Nader voters, tired of triangulation and tired of negotiating with Newt Gingrich and the Republican congress he led. I was young, I was unhappy, I wanted Big Changes for myself and my country-none of this time-intensive, slogging-through-it, compromising, incrementalist crap. Susan Sarandon and Patti Smith were supporting Nader, which seemed cool. Now, I was an idiot, but I wasn't delusional. Obviously Nader wasn't going to win. I knew there were really only two candidates in the race who had any chance of being president: George W. Bush and Al Gore. And between the two, in my heart of heart, I thought Gore was the better candidate. But-God, how I hate to admit it-I went along with Nader's contention that Gore and Bush were interchangeable corporate puppets-"Tweedledee and Tweedledum," as he called them. He said that it might almost be preferable if Bush won because a "bumbling Texas governor would galvanize the environmental community as never before." It was like smoking: I knew it was dangerous, but it felt good. Story continues Besides, I lived in New York-a safe state for Gore. My vote didn't matter, I told myself, even as many progressives (the old, lame Baby Boomer ones, in my mind) began to criticize Nader for campaigning in swing states and trying to peel away voters from Gore. I thought my Green Party vote would serve as a reminder to Gore that his base was restless. When I went to the polls, I defiantly pulled the lever for Nader. My date was awful. He was obviously coked up and broke the ice by telling me a long, graphic, gynecological story about female ejaculation. On election night 2000, I was at a dive bar on a blind date. Earlier in the evening, the election had been called for Gore. As I expected, Gore had handily won New York State. Conscience clean, right? My date was awful. He was obviously coked up and broke the ice by telling me a long, graphic, gynecological story about female ejaculation. I remember he was exhorting me to be open-minded about the "possibilities of your body" as the ticker on the TV above his head retracted Gore's victory in Florida and thus his victory overall. In the end, it would turn out that Gore lost Florida, and the election, by 537 votes. Nader got 97,488 votes in Florida, the majority of which are projected would have gone to Gore if he'd gotten out of the race. So. Was that my fault? No. I didn't vote in Florida and I took no part in the political machinations that ultimately stopped the recount short and handed the election to Bush. But I do feel responsible for being a part of the movement that took enthusiasm away from Gore. The largest group of voters behind Nader were young liberals, like myself. I was a huge stakeholder in the next decade-it would be the period that I entered my prime earning years, that I would get married, start a family, buy a house, and begin my life in every meaningful sense. I do feel responsible for being a part of the movement that took enthusiasm away from Gore. But when I should have been supporting Gore-campaigning for him, canvassing for him, talking about him to friends, getting out the vote, writing about him-I was thumbing my nose at him for not being the perfect vessel for all my hopes and dreams. I mean, Nader wasn't the perfect vessel either, but I gave him a pass because I knew he couldn't win. Instead, we all got W., who then led us into a specious, expensive, family-shattering war in Iraq, damaged our standing internationally, helped to turn a $1.9 trillion budget surplus into $1.2 billion in debt, and mangled the response to Katrina. Many surveys of historians place W. among the ten worst presidents ever. Bush cast a pall over the rest of my youth, the beginning of my life as a grown-up. When he won again in 2004, I went for a long run in Central Park, crying openly like a crazy lady, listening to R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It" over and over. And then I had a comfort food dinner party at which I served bacon in every course. (Totally unrelated fun fact: Then-Congressman Anthony Weiner came as a friend's date and made us all go around the table at dinner and say our porn names, which at the time my husband and I found a little surprising, coming from a Congressman among a group of strangers, but now makes so much sense.) It wasn't the end of the world, of course. But, my millennial chickadees, if the Nader voters in Florida hadn't been as short-sighted as I was ... just think of all the American lives that would not have been lost in Iraq; of the progress we might have made on climate change with an environmental activist like Gore at the helm; of the judges Gore might have appointed to the Supreme Court in place of Samuel Alito and John Roberts. Citizens United probably would have been struck down by the Supreme Court and this whole terrible election we're all living through would have been different. My failure to take the 2000 election seriously and make my vote and voice count had serious consequences that we and all of our children-and the children of mothers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and all over the world-will be feeling for decades or maybe even centuries, when you think about the environment. If you are frustrated with the two-party system and want to bolster outside views, the best place to do that is locally. Parties are built from the ground up, not top-down. The Working Families Party is a great example of a group doing this work. If you want to push a potential Clinton administration further to the left (or the right! Shout out to my #NeverTrump conservative peeps!), stay involved after the election, join advocacy groups working for changes you want to see. Vote in midterms. Run for office! Please, just don't stay home in disgust and don't Nader us this year. Like sex-banter at a dinner party with Anthony Weiner, the novelty of that scenario has worn off. You Might Also Like Senate candidates Katie McGinty, a Democrat, and incumbent Republican Sen. Pat Toomey prepare for their debate in Pittsburgh Oct. 17. (Photo: Jared Wickerham/AP) Down Ticket is Yahoo News complete guide to the most fascinating House, Senate and governors races of 2016. Coming to you every Tuesday and Thursday until Nov. 8. What you need to know today. _____ PITTSBURGH Some of the most competitive Senate races in the country have seen their first rounds of debates during the past week. Considering the relatively low profile of these events, its likely that most wont matter in the final tally, but they provide a chance for candidates, who have been unloading on each other with a deluge of ads, to deliver those same attacks face-to-face. The key debate task for candidates: Do no harm. They must avoid any statements that might find their way into fresh commercials or proliferate on social media. Some Republicans who have yet to fully withdraw their support from Donald Trump also face the issue of attempting to delicately walk the line of disavowing his most controversial statements while stating they still believe he should be in the White House. Yahoo News photo illustration. Photos: (clockwise from top) Jared Wickerham/AP (2), Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images (2), M. Spencer Green/AP, Nam Y. Huh/AP Pennsylvania is home to one of the tightest and most expensive Senate races, with incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey defending his seat against Democratic challenger Katie McGinty. At least $89 million has been spent by the candidates and outside groups backing them, and that number is likely to continue rising, as polls show a dead heat. Between Pennsylvanias swing-state status in the presidential race and the Toomey-McGinty race, its difficult to listen to the radio or watch television in the Keystone State for more than a few minutes without being exposed to some sort of campaign ad a fact Toomey acknowledged. Its getting hard to watch TV, he said Monday afternoon while speaking in Pittsburgh, the location of the first of two scheduled debates with McGinty. Democratic Senate candidate Katie McGinty speaks with members of the media following the debate with Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in Pittsburgh. (Photo: Jared Wickerham/AP) The two spent much of their hour at KDKA studios rehashing attacks that have been used on the airwaves, but there were other clear goals for the candidates. For Toomey, it was attempting to continue to walk that fine line of his Trump stance: supporting the nominee without a full endorsement or saying whom he will actually vote for on Nov. 8. For McGinty, a relative novice in just her second campaign after falling in 2014s Democratic gubernatorial primary, her goal was to look polished in her first general-election debate. Story continues Toomey reiterated his awkward Trump position repeatedly over the course of the hour and again in a post-debate media availability. The senator said that although he has many issues with Trumps candidacy, he believes a President Trump would be willing to sign Republican-backed legislation to help Americans. When pressed by McGinty and moderator Ken Rice on whether hed ever let Pennsylvanians know his choice for president, Toomey said, At some point I probably will. Later, when asked about Trumps comments regarding voter fraud in Philadelphia and the sanctity of the election, Toomey delivered a strong rebuke about the importance of trust in the electoral process and honoring the results. In recent days, Trump has repeatedly suggested that there was a global conspiracy rigging the November election against him. Our elections may not always be completely perfect, but they are legitimate. They have integrity, and everyone needs to respect the outcome, said Toomey. Toomey and McGinty also discussed gun safety regulation, which has been a curveball factor in their race. After joining Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia in an attempt to expand background checks in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, Toomey earned the support of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords anti-gun-violence PAC. (Bloombergs PAC, Independence USA, has spent $3 million on the Pennsylvania Senate race.) McGinty claimed during the debate that after the Manchin-Toomey gun amendment failed, Toomey gave up too quickly on the push for legislation. Republican incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey speaks to members of the media following the debate with Democrat Katie McGinty in Pittsburgh. (Photo: Jared Wickerham/AP) The only potential gaffe from the afternoon taping came when the conversation turned to police/community relations. After Toomey had reeled off a list of law enforcement agencies that had endorsed him, McGinty whose father was a police officer said she had also been endorsed by such agencies. She didnt specify which one during the debate, but her campaign said she was referring to the Pennsylvania chapter of the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA). The national chapter of that organization endorsed Toomey in March, and there is no Pennsylvania chapter, but the Pittsburgh unit did endorse McGinty earlier this year, per the group. In a normal race it would seem unlikely such a minor slip-up could be used for attack-ad fodder, but with the amount of money coming into Pennsylvania, it would be unwise to rule anything out. But Toomey vs. McGinty was not the only competitive and expensive Senate race in a swing state to have its first debate on Monday. In Florida, incumbent Republican Sen. Marco Rubio attempted to reassert his lead in his race with challenger Rep. Patrick Murphy, a two-term Democratic congressman. Polls show Rubio leading by roughly 4 points, with the race has tightening slightly in recent weeks. Rubio, who competed with Trump for the Republican nomination, has criticized the Manhattan developers individual actions and character traits but still says he still supports him for the presidency. Much like their Pennsylvania counterparts, Rubio and Murphy spent the first 10 minutes bashing each other on the presidential race. Murphy mentioned Trump in his opening statement and then again in his first answer. Rubios first and second questions were about Trump. The senator said that while he disagrees with Trump on many things, he disagrees with Democrat Hillary Clinton on everything and wished America had better choices. After Rubio mentioned Clintons email server, he was asked Would you trust Donald Trump with classified information? by moderator Jonathan Karl, eliciting laughter from the crowd. (Rubio had previously said he would not trust Trump with the nuclear codes.) Murphys campaign quickly shared video of the exchange: When asked later about Trumps claims of a fixed election, Rubio echoed Toomey in saying the nominee should stop making those allegations. This election is not being rigged, Rubio said. He cited as impediments to Trumps conspiracy theories the impossibility of rigging an election in Floridas 67 separate counties and the states Republican governor . There is no evidence behind any of this, so this should not continue to be said, he added. Rubio was also pressed on whether he would serve a full term in the Senate or run for president again in 2020. Its an issue in Florida because the senator had said throughout the 2016 presidential primary that he would not run for re-election for the Senate. But after Trump clinched the GOP nomination, Rubio re-entered the race just before the June deadline. At the Monday debate, he promised to serve his full six-year term. Im going to be a senator for the next six years on behalf of the state of Florida, said Rubio when asked a fourth time. You cant be a senator and president at the same time. So I am running for the United States Senate. Im going to serve six years, God willing. Murphy attempted to mention Trump at every instance, but found himself under attack by Rubio for his seemingly opportunistic jump to the Democratic Party and change in district prior to the 2012 election, when Murphy launched his congressional career. In an echo of Toomeys attempt to paint McGinty as being too partisan because she supported her partys nominee without reservation, Rubio mocked Murphy for having 100 percent faith in Clinton despite the various controversies surrounding her. If these Senate debates are any sign of what to expect in the next three weeks, candidates will increasingly tie their rivals to Trump or Clinton at the top of the ticket. Both McGinty and Murphy responded to a variety of attacks by bringing up Trump, foreshadowing their stretch-run strategy, while Toomey and Rubio are expected to try to paint their independence against whoever wins the White House as a positive. Both campaigns will feature at least one more debate, including one conducted between Rubio and Murphy in Spanish. ______ Tribune endorsement a sucker punch to Senator Kirk On Friday, the right-leaning Chicago Tribune editorial board chose to endorse Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth in the 2016 Illinois Senate race. The papers provocative argument was not that it disagreed with incumbent Republican Sen. Mark Kirks policies, but that its editorial board members were concerned he had not fully recovered from a 2012 stroke. Republican Sen. Mark Kirk leaves the Chicago Tribune Tower after meeting with the editorial board. He and Democratic Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth debated Oct. 3 at the newspapers offices. (Photo: Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune via AP) We are saddened to say we did not see that energetic, policy-driven Kirk when we met with him Oct. 3 for an endorsement interview, read the editorial. Youll find the video of that meeting here: chicagotribune.com/senatedebate. Additional reporting confirmed that the senator isnt as influential an advocate in Washington as he was for more than a decade. It continued: While a stroke by no means disqualifies anyone from public office, we cannot tiptoe around the issue of Kirks recovery and readiness. His health is a fundamental component of this race a hotly contested matchup that could return control of the U.S. Senate to Democrats. We arent physicians; Kirks doctor attests to his good cognitive health. But we are voters. And our reluctant judgment is that, due to forces beyond his control, Kirk no longer can perform to the fullest the job of a U.S. senator. We are unable to endorse him for another six-year term. Kirk flatly rejected the editorials position on his health. Last I checked they hadnt gone to medical school, said Kirk, who returned to work in 2013 following a year of rehab. The people on the ed. board didnt understand what they were talking about. A low-blow and cheap shot by the Chicago Tribune that is not based on fact or reality, said Kevin Artl, Kirks campaign manager. Rep. Tammy Duckworth departs the Tribune Tower on Oct. 3 after a debate against Republican Sen. Mark Kirk, criticizing his judgment on national security issues and his endless controversial statements. (Photo: Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via AP) The latest polling in the race, conducted mostly in September, showed Duckworth averaging a 7-point lead. The Tribune had previously endorsed Kirk, a former congressman from the northern suburbs of Chicago, in six general elections. Never in its history had the paper endorsed a Democrat for president prior to doing so twice for Barack Obama. This year it endorsed the Libertarian Partys Gary Johnson for the White House. _____ Countdown _____ Tokyo (AFP) - Dozens of Japanese lawmakers visited a controversial war shrine on Tuesday in an annual pilgrimage criticised by China and South Korea, which see it as a painful reminder of Tokyo's aggressive past. The group of about 85 politicians arrived at the leafy Yasukuni shrine in central Tokyo during a four-day autumn festival. Led by priests, the dark-suited lawmakers entered the main shrine building to pray for Japan's war dead as they bowed at the threshold. The visit comes a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe -- often criticised for what some see as revisionist views on Japan's wartime record -- sent an offering to the shrine, but avoided a visit. Yasukuni honours millions of Japanese war dead, but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes after World War II. The indigenous Shinto religious shrine has for decades been a flashpoint for criticism by countries that suffered from Japan's colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century, including China and Korea. South Korea in a statement expressed "deep concern and disappointment over the fact that (lawmakers) have once again sent offerings to and paid tribute at the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's past war of aggression". Seoul called on Japanese politicians to "demonstrate through action their humble self-reflection and sincere remorse for Japan's past wrongdoings". - Paying respects - While Japan-China relations have been on the mend, Beijing also had a frosty response to the lawmakers' visit. "We hope Japan's politicians can maintain a correct view of history, and do more to promote cooperation with and win the trust of neighbouring Asian countries," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. Earlier Tuesday four Chinese coastguard ships entered Japan's territorial waters close to disputed islands that have been a thorn in the side of diplomatic relations for years. Story continues Visits to Yasukuni by senior Japanese politicians routinely draw an angry reaction from Beijing and Seoul. More controversial than the shrine itself is an accompanying museum that depicts Japan as a liberator of Asia and a victim of the war. Abe and other nationalists say Yasukuni is a place to remember fallen soldiers and compare it to Arlington National Cemetery in the United States. "Every country pays respects to people who died for his or her country," said Hidehisa Otsuji, who headed the group of lawmakers. The site attracts many ordinary visitors who come to pay their respects to friends and relatives who died in military conflicts. "I heard that my grandfather died in the battlefield so I came here to comfort his spirit," said Kazuya Ono, a 40-year-old businessman, who visited Yasukuni on Tuesday. "I prayed for him to be well in heaven." Abe visited the shrine in December 2013 to mark his first year in power, a pilgrimage that sparked fury in Beijing and Seoul and earned a diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United States which said it was "disappointed". He has since refrained from going, sending ritual offerings instead. Kinshasa (AFP) - The Democratic Republic of Congo's main opposition party firmly rejected a deal signed Tuesday which would keep President Joseph Kabila in power until 2018 by postponing this year's presidential vote until April 2018. The UDPS, led by veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, "rejects" the proposal mooted Monday to delay the vote as a "flagrant violation" of the constitution, the party's secretary-general Jean-Marc Kabund told AFP. The idea was agreed by the authorities and fringe opposition groups taking part in a "national dialogue" held to reduce tensions triggered by fears that Kabila has no intention of stepping down when his mandate ends in December. On Tuesday, the leaders of the groups that took part in the dialogue gathered for a ceremony in Kinshasa to sign their 24-page accord. Kabund said the postponement plan "unilaterally imposes Mr Kabila in flagrant violation of the constitution which sets the end of his mandate at December 20." French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the election postponement plan was "no response to the crisis". "There's only one way out of the crisis, and that is for the president (Kabila) to announce that he will not run again, and for an election date to be set," he added. The plan emerged after the EU threatened sanctions if the country did not hold elections in 2017. The main opposition coalition -- "Rassemblement" (Gathering) -- has boycotted the "national dialogue" talks, branding them a ploy by Kabila to stay in power beyond the end of his term. It has also called for a general strike on Wednesday across the vast central African nation, to give Kabila a "yellow card". Kabila first took office in 2001, and in 2006 a new constitutional provision limited the presidency to a two-term limit which expires in December. By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said on Monday that its founder Julian Assange's internet was shut down by the government of Ecuador, deflecting blame from the U.S. or British governments which have sparred with Assange for releasing sensitive material. "We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access Saturday, 5 pm GMT, shortly after publication of (Hillary) Clinton's Goldman Sachs speechs (sic)," the statement from WikiLeaks said. Assange has lived and worked in Ecuador's London embassy since June 2012, having been granted asylum there after a British court ordered him extradited to Sweden to face questioning in a sexual molestation case involving two female WikiLeaks supporters. WikiLeaks said Assange lost internet connectivity on Sunday night. "We have activated the appropriate contingency plans," added the Twitter message on Monday. People close to WikiLeaks say that Assange himself is the principal operator of the website's Twitter feed. The Ecuadoran government offered no immediate comment on the question of internet access, but the country's foreign minister, Guillaume Long, said Assange remained under government protection. "The circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain," Long said in a statement late on Monday. The government of leftist President Rafael Correa has long backed Assange's right to free speech, though the Wikileaks saga has caused some strain in relations with the United States, including the expulsion of diplomats in 2011. Correa, whose term will end next year, has said he is behind Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who he says he knows personally, in the U.S. presidential election. "For the good of the United States and the world ... I would like Hillary to win," Correa told broadcaster Russia Today last month. Over the last two weeks, Democratic Party officials and U.S. government agencies have accused the Russian government, including the country's "senior-most officials," of pursuing a campaign of cyber attacks against Democratic Party organizations ahead of the Nov. 8 election. WikiLeaks has been one of the most prominent internet outlets to post and promote hacked Democratic Party materials. While denying any connection with a Russian hacking campaign, Assange has refused to disclose WikiLeaks' sources for hacked Democratic Party messages. Sources close to both the Democratic Party and WikiLeaks say they believe WikiLeaks has acquired as many as 40,000-50,000 emails hacked from the personal accounts of John Podesta, the former White House advisor who now chairs Clinton's presidential campaign. Despite Assange's complaint that his internet connection was cut, WikiLeaks posted on Monday afternoon what it said was a fresh batch of Podesta's emails. According to a summary of the latest emails posted on Russia Today, a media outlet with close links to the Russian government, highlights include campaign staff discussions about "galvanizing Latino support" and about how to handle media queries about Clinton's "flip-flopping" on gay marriage. (Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Additional reporting by Alexandra Valencia in Quito and Girish Gupta in Caracas; Editing by Tom Brown and Mary Milliken) Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh leader Asadul Islam Arif was hanged on Sunday at the district jail of Khulna. By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: The Bangladesh government executed the death sentence of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) leader Asadul Islam Arif. He was hanged at the district jail of divisional city of Khulna on Sunday. A Jhalkathi court awarded death sentence to Arif in connection with the killing of two judges in 2005. Earlier, six condemned militants were executed in different prisons in the same case. advertisement Jail official Qamrul Islam said that the death sentence of Arif was executed at 10:30 pm at Khulna District Jail. Arif was buried at his father-in-law's house at Udaypur village of Mollahaat upazila, Bagerhat on Sunday night. BOMB ATTACK Senior assistant judges Jagannath Panre and Sohel Ahmed were killed in a bomb attack while going to Jhalkathi district court on November 14, 2005. Ahmed was killed on the spot and Panre succumbed to injuries while being rushed to hospital. Also read: China's $24 billion boost to Bangladesh, a year after India gave $2 billion Additional District and Session judge Reza Tarique Ahmed awarded death sentence to seven people on May 29, 2006, in the murder case. Six militants were executed in different prisons on March 29, 2007, in the same case. The other six who were hanged include Shaykh Abdur Rahman, Bangla bhai, Iftekhar Hossain Mamun, Khaled Saifullah alias Faruq, Shaykh Rahman's brother Ataur Rahman Sunny and his son-in-law Abdul Awal. Arif was in Khulna District Jail since 2008. On August 28, 2016, the appellate division upheld his death penalty. It is alleged that that the militant outfit JMB grew under the state umbrella of the BNP-Jamaat government which was in power since 2001 in Bangladesh. The militant organisation carried out bomb attacks in all districts of the country at the same time. Also read: Chief financier of terror in Bangladesh dies after RAB drive --- ENDS --- From Cosmopolitan Every four years, the presidential election campaign inevitably sparks some awkward dinner-table conversations between family members or friends with different political views. But for Cosmopolitan.com readers this year, tensions over the candidates go far beyond dueling bumper stickers on a shared car or even a heated Facebook debate over the issues. In a new survey, 42 percent of 1,097 women between the ages of 18 and 34, randomly selected from among Cosmopolitan.com newsletter subscribers who said they are likely to vote in November, said the 2016 presidential campaign has negatively affected their relationship with someone close to them. Regardless of which candidate they are planning to support, there was a strong consensus among these respondents to the survey, which was conducted in partnership with John Della Volpe, CEO of SocialSphere and director of polling at the Harvard Institute for Politics, that this years campaign had provoked some of the most uncomfortable and acrimonious conversations in recent memory. Savannah, a 21-year-old student in Colorado who hasnt decided who shell be supporting in November, said shes used to being more politically conservative than her friends. But when people found out she was considering voting for Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, they often jumped to attack her. Theres this immediate, very strong assumption that if youre thinking about voting Republican this year, you must be a horrible person who condones everything that Donald Trump says and agrees with him on every point, she said. The election has created tensions with some of her friends, with whom she says she no longer discusses politics. Its really frustrating because before this year, I felt like people wouldnt necessarily hold it against me if I was voting for someone they didnt like, she says. Its always been civil before. Ive never felt this kind of rift. Cindy Magana, a 33-year-old attorney from California, typically votes Republican but decided she couldnt vote for Trump after watching the leaked video of his conversation with Billy Bush, where he discussed groping and kissing women without their consent. Some people who are close to her, though, are still likely to vote for Trump - a prospect that is very upsetting, she said. Weve had discussion, back and forth, about how they really shouldnt support him. I normally never disagree with [them] on politics, but this year I just dont understand how they could support him - theyre conservative, they have high moral standards, and hes just so far from that. Story continues Some Cosmopolitan.com readers said they hoped the leaked video and the flood of sexual assault and harassment allegations against Trump that began to appear in the days after the second presidential debate would sway their family members views. Alyssa Schmidt, 29, a graduate student in Florida whos supporting Hillary Clinton, said she planned to talk to her conservative father about the tape. My father is Republican and we disagree about pretty much everything, but he has four daughters and I am really hoping that hes going to think again about Trump because of this, she said. Were a Christian family and we believe that you say the right thing no matter who is listening or watching. I sure hope hes upset about those comments. Schmidt, who grew up in Idaho, added that she had been forced to unfollow old friends on Facebook because of the political views they were sharing. I get that Idaho is a more conservative place and my worldview is different, but the things people post are just so hurtful, they make me really angry, she said. People use derogatory terms for our current president, they say Hillary Clinton just wants to help people in the ghetto Im a person of mixed-race, and I have to believe they wouldnt say that to my face. Her perspective - that Facebook and other forms of social media had become a toxic forum - was widely shared among Cosmopolitan.com readers. Maggie Mahoney, a 32-year-old legal assistant in Columbus, Ohio, who plans to vote for Clinton, deactivated her Facebook to avoid conflict with family members who live in more rural parts of the state. Others who do choose to engage with friends and family on Facebook said they rarely felt like they were having productive conversations. It makes me so angry Im still defending myself against men who dont understand why we should all be outraged about what Trump said on the leaked tape, said Caitlin Dowd, 30, a Clinton supporter who lives in New York City and works at an auction house. I hate that Im having to have to list out all the sexual violence, subtle or explicit, that I and other women are systematically subjected to throughout our lives. The personal rifts that the 2016 campaign has caused may prove difficult to mend, even after the election is over. Amy, a 24-year-old student in Oklahoma who is supporting Clinton, said she stopped speaking to a close friend during the Republican primary because he agreed so enthusiastically with Trumps views on immigration. Shes also been shaken by family members vocal support for Trump. This divide is so much deeper than just policy, she said. In a way, its really about character. You want to keep people out who are fleeing their countries because theyre scared and hurt and dont have basic human needs food, water, a roof over their heads. It seems like were trying to keep them out because were worried about our own comfort, and I truly cant fathom that. Amy said she doesnt know what it will take to heal these relationships. They truly believe these things, and I cant ask them not to feel what they feel, she said. Im hoping time will help make things civil and friendly again, but I do wonder if Ill be able to see these people in the same way. Follow Amelia on Twitter. You Might Also Like What Were Following The Battle for Mosul: Backed by U.S. airstrikes and Kurdish fighters, Iraqi forces today began operations to retake the Iraqi city from ISIS. The terror group has controlled Mosul since 2014, and since then humanitarian groups have had no access to the cityleaving the 1.5 million trapped civilians particularly vulnerable right now. What else is going on in the world? Our news team is live-blogging the days biggest stories all in one place: Ecuador cutting Julian Assanges internet connection, the economic cost of Brexit, record high-school graduation rates, and more. Corrosive Claims: Donald Trump spent the weekend asserting that the 2016 election is rigged by the media, by potential voter fraud, andmuch more disturbinglyby the electorate itself, thus sowing deep suspicion of the American system. His claims are absurd, but the stakes are high: Democracy itself depends on the losers accepting defeatwhich Al Gore and even Richard Nixon did despite dubious election results. Recommended: Why Stephen Colbert Isn't Connecting The Pop Culture Is Political: One piece of evidence Trump cites for a rigged election? Saturday Night Live making fun of him. The comedy show also turned its gaze on his wife Melania, with a complicated parody thats both empathetic and insulting. Meanwhile, at an Amy Schumer show in Florida, about 200 people walked out when she criticized Trump, some saying they didnt want to hear the comedian get political. Of course, the dividing line between art and politics is blurry, but if youre looking for a little more escapism, were marking the weeks before Election Day with a political movie club. This weeks choice is Wag the Dog, and you can join the discussion with Megan Garber via hello@theatlantic.com. What we covered this weekend: The same-sex marriage bans on Native American reservations, the two faces of Trump and his audiences, a groundbreaking album by the South Asian rappers Swet Shop Boys, the tax code of the ultra-rich, behind-the-scenes photos from Bollywood, the women who want neither Clinton nor Trump, and what its like to be a first-generation college student. Story continues Snapshot Budgies perch on a visitors hands at the Ocean Park theme park in Manila, Philippines, on September 10, 2016. See more animals in the news here. (Romeo Ranoco / Reuters) Evening Read Emily Goldberg on childrens mental health: Across the United States, up to one in five children suffers from a mental disorder in a given year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Giving children access to mental-health resources early in their education, however, can play a key role in mitigating negative consequences later in life, said David Anderson, the senior director of the ADHD and Behavior Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute. Its during childhood and adolescence where we have a large concentration of mental-health issues, and school is where many kids are spending a large portion of their day. That makes school the perfect place to focus mental-health resources, Anderson said. Waiting too long to pay attention to student mental health can easily lead to school dropouts or other problems later in life. Yet the majority of the nations youngest students dont have access to mental-health resources at school. Keep reading here, as Goldberg discusses how some teachers are working to fill the gap by incorporating mental-health topics into their classroom activities. Recommended: Is a Better World Possible Without U.S. Military Force? What Do You Know? 1. In 2012, the average American ate ____________ pounds of avocado, compared to about 1.5 pounds per year in the 1990s. Scroll down for the answer, or find it here. 2. The original SAT, administered in the 1920s, had 315 questions and a time limit of ____________ minutes. Scroll down for the answer, or find it here. 3. On average, for every dollar earned by a man, a Latina woman in the U.S. earns ____________. Scroll down for the answer, or find it here. Reader Response A reader in Missouri can relate to a recent article on why the safe space debate is a problem for adjuncts: Im a 31-year-old female and have been an adjunct instructor for about nine years, at two giant state schools and a community college. I have been in and out of full time Non-Tenure Track (NTT) status. Like most of my adjunct colleagues, I have cobbled together as many courses as I could while juggling health problems and constantly shifting access to health insurance. When it comes to safe space, [Oliver] Batemans article really hit the nail. As he mentions, Ive seen a whole range of reactions/responses from my fellow adjuncts over the years. What most of us have not thought about enough is how our own lack of safety contributes to our classrooms. Keep reading here. If youre an adjunct professor, tell us: Have concerns about your job security influenced the way you handle controversial topics in classor the way you respond to students objections? Wed like to hear from you: hello@theatlantic.com. Recommended: The Secret to Love Is Just Kindness About Our Ads Kimberly Lau introduces a new feature on TheAtlantic.com: In a lot of ad-blocking peoples minds, security, privacy, and inconvenient user experiences seem to justify bypassing ads. Yet for our publication to continue to grow and be sustainable, we need to create an environment where readers can accept and feel good about ads alongside our workor else support it in alternative ways. So today were rolling out a series of initiatives aimed at continuing to improve the security and user experience of our website, along with a new ad-free subscription option. Read about it here. Look Back On this day in 1931, Al Capone was convicted of tax evasion. If that sounds anticlimactic, at the time it was a victory: Past attempts to prosecute him for his violent crimes had failed. As Virgil W. Peterson wrote in our April 1945 issue: During Capones regime, at times Chicago was practically in a state of anarchy. Gang murders were commonplace events. Hundreds of murders were attributed to Capone and his henchmen. Yet, Capone was completely immune. The deputy commissioner of police of Chicago, explaining his helplessness in the situation, said, Ive arrested Capone a half dozen times, and each time found guns on him. The same goes for a hundred other gangsters around town. But what happens? The minute you get them before a municipal court judge, the defense attorney makes a motion to suppress the evidence. The policeman is cross-examined, and if he admits he didnt have a warrant for the mans arrest on a charge of carrying concealed weapons, the judge declares the arrest illegal and the hoodlum is discharged. Read the whole article here. Verbs Galileo challenged, ghost blimp bewilders, global moods mapped, Nobel voicemails ignored. The Atlantic Daily is written by Rosa Inocencio Smith. To contact us, email hello@theatlantic.com. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. From Esquire Over the weekend, The Omaha World-Herald endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for president of the United States. This is the first time that the newspaper has endorsed a Democratic candidate for president since 1932, when it supported Franklin D. Roosevelt over the Republican incumbent, Herbert Hoover. (Even then, the Omaha paper was an outlier. FDR garnered the endorsements of only 41 percent of America's newspapers.) At that point, between the Great Depression and a prolonged drought, impoverished Nebraska farmers were setting up roadblocks to keep produce from reaching markets, occasionally battling police over their tactics. FDR carried the state with 62 percent of the vote. Four years later, after the New Deal and everything else, the newspaper returned to form. It endorsed Alf Landon, who lost 46 states, winning only Maine and Vermont, but losing Nebraska 57 percent to 40. This year, the World-Herald abandoned its 84-year tradition for the second time, writing: With that much on the line, the prudent vote would go toward the least risky candidate for president. Put another way, the candidate who would have the best chance to implement changes by working with Congress, foreign and domestic leaders and military leaders under normal circumstances as well as during a crisis. That candidate is Hillary Rodham Clinton. Don't go too far out on that limb there, folks. This endorsement comes after careful consideration and with some trepidation. Secretary Clinton, if elected, will need to gain the trust of a significant portion of Americans who are concerned about her private email server and attendant deleted emails, her handling of the Benghazi crisis and her longstanding quest for a single-payer health care system in the United States. How did that last one get in there? Has HRC really been on a "long-standing quest for a single-payer health-care system in the United States"? Surely, her proposed health-care plan in 1993 wasn't anywhere close to that. If she's flirting toward that now, it's only in the context of fixing the Affordable Care Act rather than blowing it up entirely and returning to the status quo ante. Story continues The risk of a Donald Trump presidency is simply too great. Can't argue with them there. This year's presidential election has been the country's most polarizing race in decades. If Secretary Clinton is elected, Americans will need her to be a uniting president, working from the center, and not advancing an agenda that will further alienate moderates and conservatives. OK, no. That's not her first job, because this is not 1992, and she's likely going to be elected with a majority of the popular vote, and not with a plurality, which put her husband's presidency in a defensive crouch almost from Inauguration Day, a majority that he even failed to achieve in 1996, when he was running against Bob Dole, who was the closest thing to an Honorary Nominee as we've ever had. Not alienating moderates and conservatives ought not to be an exclusive priority. She will have more of a popular mandate than he did, so her priorities should be different. Not alienating the progressive wing of her party should be at the top of the list as well. It's no secret that HRC is not my first choice to be the next president. My opinion of the first Clinton presidency has changed enough in the intervening 20 years to make me dubious of a second. (This also is why I didn't vote for her in 2008.) Even absent the hacked e-mails in which her presidential campaign has been exposed as a presidential campaign-Breaking!-she still impresses me as too quick on the trigger as regards war and peace, too cozy by half with discredited centers of political and financial power, and a half-step too slick on issues like trade and environmental protection. (Can we please have a straight answer, please, on TPP and fracking?) However, and this is a big however, I think you make your decision this time around based on how deeply she understands the changes that have been wrought in the country and in its people in the days since the twin catastrophes of the Iraq War and the near-destruction of the world economy eight years ago. Does she know that the political world has changed, and that the universe of options available to a Democratic president is wider now even than it was when Barack Obama took office? My call, strictly from the elbows, is that she does. She has a good, tough plan to pursue further reforms in the financial sector. She has gone far out on a limb publicly regarding the TPP agreement and the need for urgent action on the climate crisis. Now, it's easy to dismiss these as empty campaign promises to be broken sub rosa once she's elected, but there's another factor in play here that wasn't in play when her husband first was sworn in. [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="The%20Clinton%20Campaign%20Is%20Flawed,%20So%20Is%20WikiLeaks" customimages="" content="article.49627"] In 1992, Bill Clinton climbed into the presidency over the bleached bones of progressive liberalism. He'd spent much of the campaign outmaneuvering Jesse Jackson. Triangulation was an effective strategy because it could be attacked effectively only from the right, which made Clinton's moves toward the center-right look reasonable. The objections of the Democratic Party's left flank could be safely ignored. This is a luxury that a President Hillary Rodham Clinton will not have. There is now an active, powerful progressive counterweight both within the Congress in Washington and within the party in the country. Triangulation on certain issues will not be possible. If HRC wins, she will have won on more of a platform than the World-Herald thinks she has. She will not win simply because the Republicans have nominated a maniac, although there will be spinning to that effect almost immediately after the race has been called. She will have won because people like Elizabeth Warren, and Sherrod Brown and, most of all, Bernie Sanders, worked for several years to create a force that broke up the coronation and pushed her off easy positions and in the direction that HRC's most earnest admirers insist she wanted to go all along. (Remember that, all during the first Clinton presidency, it was something of an article of faith that HRC was a leading liberal voice within the administration.) Should she renege on TPP, for example, or the Keystone XL pipeline, there will be hell to pay in and out of Congress, and there will be a political price to pay that her husband never had to consider. If there isn't, then that's on the people who should force her to pay it, not on her as president. Photo credit: Yana Paskova/Getty Back in 1932, when the Omaha World-Herald got all giddy and endorsed that Roosevelt fella, the country was a mess, but FDR ran a cautious campaign, largely because the country was a mess and Hoover was taking most of the blame for it. He was genial and he made people feel very good, but he was deliberately vague about what he planned to do if he got elected. Most famously, 84 years ago this Wednesday he delivered an economic speech in Pittsburgh that was a masterpiece of misdirection. (This speech was the central pivot of an episode in the third season of The West Wing.) The speech was very long on the perfidy and neglect of the incumbent administration. But it also contained a thwacking attack on "government spending" that would not have been out of place in the mouth of any conservative, Third Way, Pete Peterson fanboy Democrat in the 1990s. The most obvious effect of extravagant Government spending is its burden on farm and industrial activity, and, for that nearly every Government unit in the United States is to blame. But when we come to consider prodigality and extravagance in the Federal Government, as distinguished from State or local government, we are talking about something even more dangerous. For upon the financial stability of the United States Government depends the stability of trade and employment, and of the entire banking, savings and insurance system of the Nation. To make things clear, to explain the exact nature of the present condition of the Federal pocketbook, I must go back to 1929. Many people throughout the land - rich and poor - have believed the fairy story which has been painstakingly circulated by this Administration, that the routine spending of our Federal Government has been kept on a fairly even keel during these past five years. It was perhaps easy to give this impression because the total outlay each year up to the emergency appropriations of this year did not increase alarmingly. But the joker in this is that the total outlay includes interest and sinking fund on the public debt; and those charges were going down steadily, right up to this year. Once he got into office, of course, he electrified the country by virtually reinventing government spending. Then there was World War II and then there was a long economic expansion during which the modern American middle class was created. Why it was almost as though, the day FDR got up in Pittsburgh, he had a public and private position on the critical economic issues of the day. It's almost as though presidents can do things once they get elected that they don't talk about on the campaign trail. It's almost as though being politically adept doesn't necessarily mean being politically duplicitous. It's almost as though not being "transparent" doesn't necessarily mean being corrupt. It's almost as though there is some sort of subtlety required to being president of the United States. It's almost as though, while every child should be able to dream about being president, not everybody can do that job. [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="America%20Has%20Been%20Waiting%20for%20Donald%20Trump" customimages="" content="article.49415"] I believe there are forces in play that are substantial enough to allay the fears of progressives that HRC will turn into Max Baucus once she takes office. I believe she's smart enough to realize that these forces can work to the advantage of a Democratic president in a different political atmosphere than the one that greeted her husband when he was sworn in. I think she has run a steady campaign in a political year long gone to Bedlam. I think that counts for something more than simple ambition. I also think that electing the first woman president to follow the two terms of the first African-American president would be an altogether remarkable event and that it's the best argument against the notion that electing HRC would be a demonstration of the status quo. So, in the end, I guess I'm with her. Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page. You Might Also Like This week in theA Dancing With the StarsA ballroom, the competitors performed some seriously sexy Latin routinesA a and host Erin Andrews followed suit on the sidelines, wearing a daring Alamour The Label gown with (two!) thigh-high slits and a deep V neckline. Andrews told PeopleStyle that the burgundy number was so comfortable to run around in despite all the fashion tape used to keep the plunging halter in place. Having two long slitsA on both sides of the legs, it was so easy to move in, she added. RELATED PHOTOS:A Celeb-Inspired Beauty Trends Youall Fall For However, the stars behind-the-scenes getting-ready process was far from drama free. Lisa AshleyA put body makeup on one of my legs because we were under the impressionA that there was one slit.A But when I started walking, I yelled, Oh no, thereas another slit! Andrews said. Poor Lisa had to jump on the floor and paint my other leg really fast. We were all cracking up. For her hair, Andrews hair stylist Ryan Randall created a modern mohawk. Erin was really kept in the dark A until showtime, he said. We agreed on hair up, and she let me play. In the end, she loved the finished look! //players.brightcove.net/416418724/rJSWQ1RE_default/index.min.js To achieve this look, rough dry your hair andA embrace your natural texture, Randall advises. Then, pull the hair back into four ponytails in a mohawk-like shape down the back of the head. Randall then simply twisted each pony into a knot, pinned and sprayed the look with his trustee Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray and R+Co Outer Space Flexible Hairspray. When it came to the stars smoky eye makeup moment this week, her pro Lisa Ashley was inspired by the nights Latin theme. Story continues For this smudgy smoky eye look, Ashley applied a thick layer of black kajal eyeliner on the upper lash line (she used Bobbi Browns Smokey Eye Kajal Liner in Black Amethyst) and blended it out with a pretty plum LOreal cream shadow. Then, she continued the liner and shadow along the lower lash line, with extra pigment on the outer edges to achieve this angular look. What didA you think of Andrews leg-revealing gownA this week onA DWTS? Share your thoughts below! Luxembourg (AFP) - The European Union gave Belgium until a leaders' summit on Friday to approve a troubled free trade pact with Canada which has been blocked by its small French-speaking region of Wallonia. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said a planned visit by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to sign the deal next week would not go ahead unless the federal Belgian government is able to endorse it. "Yes there has to be an agreement. Our Canadian friends need to know whether they should book their ticket or not," Malmstroem said, when asked after EU trade ministers met in Luxembourg whether Friday's summit was the deadline. "There are lots of things to discuss with our Canadian friends but if we don't manage to have this trade agreement there will not be (a visit by Trudeau) at this occasion," she said. The parliament of the region of Wallonia last week voted to block the deal, known as CETA -- meaning that Belgium cannot sign up to the pact and leaving the deal in limbo after seven years of negotiations. Slovak Trade Minister Peter Ziga, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said he was "optimistic" that Belgium and the EU would find a way to overcome the reservations expressed by Wallonia. "Quite frankly I can't really imagine that the final stumbling block would be Belgium and I do believe pragmatism will open the way to an agreement," Ziga told a news conference with Malmstroem. - 'High stakes' - Wallonia's head of government Paul Magnette rejected the EU's ultimatum at a hastily organised commission hearing at the regional parliament after the EU talks. "There are too many problems to be resolved to find a deal by Friday," Magnette said, according to Belga news agency. Magnette said differences remained on thorny issues, including a contested investor protection system that has become a hot-button issue for the anti-CETA movement. Story continues EU ministers fear that if CETA were to fail, it would send a signal to the world that it is difficult if not impossible to reach trade deals with Europe. "Everyone is aware how high the stakes are for the EU," a senior EU official said ahead of the two-day leaders' summit in Brussels that starts Thursday. "It's important that we are working to find a solution that is satisfactory for everyone including Wallonia, to put it bluntly," the official added. The struggle to close the deal is also a worry for Britain, with many seeing CETA as a potential model for EU ties with the UK after Brexit. "If we can't make it with Canada I'm not sure we can make it with UK," Malmstroem said. Except for a few sensitive agricultural products, CETA abolishes virtually all tariffs between Canada and the EU. Its backers say the deal will boost trade in goods and services between Europe and Canada by more than 20 percent, and total EU GDP by about 12 billion euros ($13.4 billion) per year. But it is opposed by a wide array of groups, who say it is a test model to push through the even more controversial EU-US trade deal, still in negotiation. - 'Out of touch' - Belgium's pro-CETA Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said his EU counterparts "couldn't believe" the resistance by the Walloons. "There is now an agreement of 27 countries, and we can practically say 27 and a half countries since the federal government and the Flemish government want to move forward," he said. Belgium's complex political system includes parliaments for the regions of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels, as well as legislatures for the Dutch, French and German-speaking communities. The trade ministers' meeting was held as four activists from the international environmental group Greenpeace suspended themselves by rope in protest from the top of the conference centre where the talks were held. Greenpeace sees the Canada deal as a Trojan horse for the far more ambitious free trade accord between the EU and US, known as TTIP. The group has campaigned against both CETA and TTIP, saying they threaten both environmental and consumer protection. "The disagreements between ministers show how out of touch most of them are with their citizens," Greenpeace's trade policy adviser Shira Stanton said in a statement. PARIS (Reuters) - Train operator Eurostar wants to cut 80 jobs this year as it struggles with weak traffic on the service that links Britain with continental Europe after a string of deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The company could not confirm British media reports saying Eurostar would cut two daily trains to Paris and one to Brussels when it unveils its 2017 timetables in December, the spokeswoman said. "Nothing has been finalised yet," she said. "We're looking at all the different options." "But we are offering voluntary redundancies, that's true. We are looking at cutting 80 jobs this year," she added. Eurostar introduced new, bigger trains last year, with more seats, which means the reduced number of services may not have an impact on the total seat capacity between London and the continent, British newspaper the Independent said last week. In July, the train operator, majority-owned by France's SNCF, reported a 3 percent drop in passenger numbers in the second quarter compared with the same period last year, while revenue fell 10 percent. Britain's decision to leave the European Union has also taken its toll, Eurostar has said. "In the run up to the EU referendum we experienced a slowdown in business travel and the uncertainty following the vote to leave, combined with the Brussels terrorist attack, has continued to dampen demand," Chief Executive Nicolas Petrovic said in July. Foreign tourists have avoided France since militant Islamist gunmen killed 130 people in an attack in Paris last November. In July, an assailant drove a truck into crowds celebrating the Bastille Day national holiday on July 14 in the city of Nice, killing 86. Foreign tourist arrivals to France could fall 4-5 percent this year, which would be the steepest decline in 40 years, according to Alliance 46.2, a group representing firms that rely on foreign visitors. (Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Alison Williams) From Town & Country We find ourselves in the final weeks of perhaps the most fraught and painful election season in our beloved democracy's 240-year history. Respectful disagreement has gone the way of powdered wigs and petticoats, to be replaced by insult hurling on television and social media, as each side warns that electing the other will usher in THE APOCALYPSE. Ugly words have even led to violence and acts of vandalism, a truly terrifying development. Can our union survive? Can our relationships? These will only endure if we allow ourselves to be guided by reason and compassion, rather than self-righteous rage. Herewith please find a helpful guide to, in Kipling's words, "keeping your head when all about you are losing theirs." To speak or not to speak, that is the question: A note: For many, politics, like religion, is still a private matter. If you know you will only find yourself surrounded by a stone hurling mob when you identify your affiliation, you are well within your rights to counter the question, "Whom are you voting for?" With, "Did you have sex last night?" When your questioner picks their jaw up off the floor, you smile and say, "None of my business, right? I feel the same way about politics." However, sometimes you wander into a political conversation without realizing you're on quicksand. Perhaps you're at a party and you discover your host is a rabid supporter of the candidate you oppose on matters of deepest principle. Do you offer your contrary opinion, or drown your outrage in the glass of Chardonnay he's just handed you? (If said Chardonnay is a good vintage, the answer is quite obvious: in vino "happitas.") At a dinner party, you are more or less trapped, and while you may feel conscience dictates you counter your host's "odious" views, you must consider the other guests, and the potential collateral damage of speaking your piece-which will probably not result in your host's suddenly seeing the light of truth in any case. Story continues Much also depends on your host's nature. Is he or she a contrarian who relishes verbal sparring with a worthy opponent, or does he/she prefer to remain in an echo chamber of violent agreement? You can usually tell by the tone in which questions are asked. If it is a calm, "What are your thoughts?" they may be genuinely interested in hearing your point of view. If they stand looming over you, red faced and eyes bulging, bellowing, "Do you disagree?" chances are they believe anyone who does should be guillotined. Defuse the "opinion bully," and the situation by saying, "I know what I think, but I'm much more interested in your take." Use this as an opportunity to learn what drives your political adversaries, then resolve to offer counter arguments to the voters you'll go to register the next day, when you put all the passion you've stored up tonight to good use. Use this as an opportunity to learn what drives your political adversaries, then resolve to offer counter arguments to the voters you'll go to register the next day. However, if the person's statements are a breach of fundamental human decency, and you feel that silence is tantamount to complicity, then you must respond. The point is to do so in such a way that your offender can actually hear you and have pause to think. Take a moment or two or three before responding to an offensive verbal assault. Your silence will unsettle them as well as give you the chance to calm your emotions and gather your thoughts (to say nothing of your arsenal of choice words.) If the attack felt personal, then say so. Take a deep breath, smile-this will disarm them further-and say, "As a Jew/Catholic/Muslim/Latino/Transgendered person/liberal/conservative/christian/feminist (etc.), I disagree with everything you've said. I welcome open discussion and debate, but this was outright bigotry." As your insulter's eyes widen in horror, excuse yourself-don't await their back pedaling reply-and walk away, leaving them to wallow in their embarrassment. If a person's statements are a breach of fundamental human decency, and you feel that silence is tantamount to complicity, then you must respond. If it's someone you've known a while, who thinks they're in safe territory with you because said issue "doesn't affect you," then show them you are indeed affected. Try something like: "Penny, you're a fine person, but when you speak that way about that group (or topic) it truly offends me." When "Penny" trips over her own words in apology add, "It's actually not me to whom you owe an apology." In both instances, if the person has a shred of humanity, which they probably do, however well hidden, they will ponder your words. If they don't, at least you will not have condoned their comments and let bigotry and ignorance march about unchecked in the 21st century. Susan Fales-Hill is an author, arts advocate, and host of the New York Public Radio podcast "Icons and Innovators." A member of the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame, she lives in Manhattan with her husband, her teenage daughter, and a labrador/pit bull rescue who has had the grace never to demolish a pair of her shoes. Now that's manners. Have a question about manners, mores, or style that you'd like answered? Email us here and we'll take it on! You Might Also Like Joint teams of Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, BSF and CRPF conducted search operations in ten sensitive localities in the Baramulla district reportedly being used as safe havens by the terrorists. By Ashraf Wani: An extensive search operation was launched by the security forces in Old Town, Baramulla during the wee hours of Monday. Joint teams of Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, BSF and CRPF conducted search operations in ten sensitive localities including Qazi Hamam, Ganai Hamam, Taweed Gunj, Jamia and other mohallas reportedly being used as safe havens by the terrorists. advertisement The security forces sanitised the area searching over 700 houses in a span of 12 hours. Based on specific inputs, 44 persons involved in terror related activities have been apprehended during the operation. Large quantity of incriminating material such as petrol bombs, Chinese and Pakistani flags, LeT and JeM letter head pads, unauthorised mobile phones and seditious anti-national publicity material were seized during the raids. In addition a large number of suspected hideouts were busted during the prolonged search operations. --- ENDS --- For many former Republican and Democratic lawmakers, the road to retirement from Congress has been paved with gold. Scores of former lawmakers with proven expertise and easy access to their one-time colleagues on Capitol Hill are frequently in demand by special interests. But while Washington has long been known for its revolving door that has shuttled outgoing members of Congress and senior staffers into lucrative lobbying and consulting jobs on K Street, a less noticed but equally profitable venture for many has been to secure seats on major corporate boards. Related: Revolving Door Between Congress and Lobbyists Is Speeding Up Former Speaker of the House John Boehner last month joined the board of tobacco giant Reynolds American. While the company did not disclose his compensation in making the announcement, its directors made at least $300,000 in fees and stock grants last year. Boehner, by comparison, earned a salary of $223,500 as House speaker. Another case in point: Former GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, who lost to an obscure conservative college professor in a stunning primary upset in June 2014. Cantor quickly was hired as a vice chairman, managing director and board member at Moelis & Company, a boutique Wall Street firm. Although Cantor brought limited practical financial experience to his new posts, he raked in $2 million in 2015 for his service on the board. According to a new Bloomberg analysis of former House and Senate members who made their way to top corporate directorships, Cantor was the highest paid board member last year among former senators or House members. On the Democratic side, former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri earned about $1 million in directors fees last year. The 14-term former House member also tops the list of overall earnings since his retirement in 2005. He has picked up a total of $10.8 million in director compensation since then, according to the Bloomberg analysis, by sitting on a number of prestigious corporate boards including those of Ford Motor Co., U.S. Steel, Centene Corporation and CenturyLink. Story continues Ive learned a lot from this board experience, Gephardt told Bloomberg. In fact, I would wish that any member could have board experience and labor experience before taking office. Indeed, there are probably many sitting lawmakers who would eagerly agree with Gephardt on the value of sitting on corporate boards. Related: Trump Claims His Ethics Reforms Will End Government Corruption The current crop of corporate directors who once served as members of Congress is evenly split between 31 Democrats and 33 Republicans, according to the Bloomberg data. The former GOP members last year averaged $382,535 in board compensation while the Democrats averaged $330,194. That is not a bad haul for former lawmakers who earned just a fraction of that through public service. The current annual pay for senators and House members is $174,000, although members of the leadership make more. Among other the former members who scored big pay days in 2015 as corporate directors: Tom Ridge, the first secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and a former Republican House member and governor from Pennsylvania, who earned $1.4 million. Former Republican Sen. Spencer Abraham of Michigan made $1.1 million. Former Democratic senator and governor Evan Bayh of Indiana took in $939,400. Others capitalizing on corporate directorships include former Republican senators Wyche Fowler of Georgia ($847,400), Olympia Snowe of Maine ($781,700) and Bill Frist of Tennessee ($588,700). And one-time Democratic House member Leon Panetta, who went on to become secretary of defense and director of the CIA, received $591,800. One of the virtues of traveling that path is that outgoing lawmakers arent restrained by ethics rules that require former House members to wait a year before lobbying their former colleagues and force senators to wait two years before attempting to influence sitting members of Congress. According to research by Harvard and Boston University, 44 percent of senators and 11 percent of House members landed jobs in corporate boardrooms after departing Capitol Hill since 1992. Related: How Big Pharma Lobbyists Make the Opioid Crisis Worse These lucrative corporate payments can sometimes be a double edged sword, though. Bayh, for example, is paying a steep political price for having accepted corporate largesse since leaving Congress as he struggles to try to regain his Senate seat. Although he at first appeared to be a shoe-in this fall, Bayh has been relentlessly attacked by his opponent, Republican Rep. Todd Young, as a political insider beholden to special interests following reports that he earned $3.8 million serving on four corporate boards after leaving the Senate in 2011. Corporate Board Compensation for 2015 Source: Data compiled by Bloomberg from company filings. Additional work: Michael Keller Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: By Benjamin Kang Lim and Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - China will consider giving Filipino fishermen conditional access to disputed waters in the South China Sea after the presidents of the two countries meet in Beijing this week, two Chinese sources with ties to the leadership said. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte plans to raise the plight of Filipino fishermen when he meets his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Thursday, a Philippine official told Reuters. China seized Scarborough Shoal - claimed by Beijing as Huangyan island and by Manila as Panatag - in 2012, denying Philippine fishermen access to its rich fishing grounds. The seizure formed part of a case the Philippines took to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, which in July rejected China's territorial claims over much of the South China Sea, including its assertion of a 200-mile (320 km) exclusive economic zone around the disputed Spratly Islands. China immediately declared the ruling "null and void" but said it was time to get talks started again between the countries directly involved in the territorial disputes to reach a peaceful resolution. Arriving at his hotel in Beijing, Duterte told reporters he expected to achieve "plenty of happiness for my country" during his trip to China. Asked about the South China Sea dispute, he said: "No, that is not one of the topics on the agenda. It might crop up but it is going to be a soft landing for everyone. No impositions." "EVERYBODY CAN GO" Beijing is now considering making a concession to Duterte, whose rapprochement with China since taking office on June 30 marks an astonishing reversal in recent Philippine foreign policy. "Everybody can go, but there will be conditions," one of the Chinese sources who speaks regularly with senior officials told Reuters, referring to Chinese and Filipino fishermen. Asked what the conditions were, the source said: "The two countries would have to form working groups to iron out details." It was unclear, however, if China would agree to joint coastguard patrols. The sources did not say what, if anything, China might demand from Manila in exchange for the fishing concession. "It will be a return to the Arroyo days," the second Chinese source said, referring to the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001-2010), when fishermen from both countries had access to waters near Scarborough Shoal. If all goes according to script, fishery cooperation would be one of more than 10 broad framework agreements the two countries would sign during Duterte's visit, the sources said, without giving further details. The Philippine foreign ministry said it had "no comment at this time". FREE NAVIGATION China has overlapping claims in the South China Sea with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The United States, along with Japan and other powers, want to ensure Beijing doesn't interfere with free navigation in the strategic South China Sea, which connects the Indian and Pacific Oceans and through which flows $5 trillion of trade a year. U.S. Navy ships have conducted "freedom of navigation" operations around artificial islands China has been building in the disputed Spratly Islands, which mostly consist of coral reefs and tidal features in the South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi did not answer directly, when Reuters asked on Tuesday whether China would offer any concessions to the Philippines on the South China Sea, including fishing rights around Scarborough Shoal. "China's position on the South China Sea is clear and consistent. There is no change and there will be no change. This position accords with historical facts and international law," Wang said at a news conference with his New Zealand counterpart. "HISTORIC VISIT" Wang, however, was upbeat about Duterte's trip. "This will be a historic visit and a new beginning in China-Philippines relations," the foreign minister said. China's ambassador to Manila, Zhao Jianhua, said last Friday a budding bilateral friendship could boost chances of removing one of their biggest bones of contention in the South China Sea. But on Sunday, Duterte said he would raise the Hague ruling and vowed not to surrender any sovereignty, comments that will not sit comfortably with Beijing. Philippine Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio warned that Duterte could be impeached if he gives up the country's sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal, according to Philippine media. China's objective is to jointly develop resources in the South China Sea with its neighbors, said Lu Xiang, an international relations expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think-tank. "Disputes with any neighbor are not conducive for China," he said, when asked what China wanted in exchange for any concession to Duterte. "We need a better external environment," Lu said. (Additional reporting by Natalie Thomas; Editing by Bill Tarrant) A dozen years have passed since Hugh Laurie first made a splash on U.S. television as the endearingly acerbic Dr. Gregory House. But it's his choices since the show ended in 2012 that have been refreshingly unexpected, which have included acclaimed runs on Veep and The Night Manager, the latter of which he received an Emmy nomination. "I don't have any concept of a surgence [sic] or a resurgence," the veteran British actor told ET during a sit-down interview in Beverly Hills, California, downplaying his eccentric resume since House. Though it may seem to the average person that Laurie was seeking roles far removed from the character he made famous for eight years, it's far less calculated than that. The 57-year-old joked that he "stumbles" from one job to the next "in a completely chaotic, unplanned fashion." RELATED: 'Night Manager' Star Hugh Laurie Is OK Being the Bridesmaid at the Emmys "I can tell you it doesn't feel that way," Laurie said when asked if he's been picking the right characters as of late. "We look at other people's lives and we always assume that other people's lives are planned or the results are inevitable -- that of course, they wind up doing such and such thing." "It feels like a giant game of pinball. I don't have a master plan and it doesn't feel like clever choices," he continued. "I'm living in a state of perpetual anxiety that I'm going to basically f**k it up." It's that healthy dose of doubt that keeps Laurie, who toplines Hulu's new drama, Chance, continuously looking to perfect his craft -- even if perfection is a fool's goal. "I think if you ever start thinking, 'I know how to do this,' that probably means you don't," he noted. "To actually be constantly afraid that you're going to mess it up is a good thing." That's exactly how Laurie felt when he joined Veep, HBO's Emmy-winning political comedy, in which he portrayed the charming Senator Tom James, Selina Meyer's (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) running mate, in the fourth and fifth seasons. Story continues RELATED: Hugh Laurie and George Clooney Revive 'ER,' 'House' Roles "I'm such an admirer of the show and the opportunity to actually go [and be on it], honestly, I felt like a spectator on Veep. I had the best seat in the house," Laurie reminisced. "I could never turn that down even though I was thinking, 'God, I hope I don't screw this up.'" Veep creator Armando Iannucci named one of Laurie's spontaneous jokes in a season four episode, which would become a running gag, as one of his favorite moments of the series. Upon hearing Iannucci's praise, Laurie was humbled. "That's amazing to hear," he said, a hint of red creeping up in his cheeks at the compliment, before redirecting his admiration to the rest of the cast. "The moment when Selina realizes she's going to become president, and Julia and Tony Hale are laughing at the absurdity of what's happened. I marvel at how they've created this believable, but incredibly funny state of hysteria." In Chance, based on the novel by Kem Nunn, Laurie plays yet another complex doctor at the center of the tale, San Francisco-based forensic neuropsychiatrist, Dr. Eldon Chance, who gets pulled into a dangerous world of mistaken identity, police corruption and mental illness. Unlike House, though, Chance isn't jaded about his field of work. RELATED: 'Veep' Creator Recalls Spontaneous Hugh Laurie Gag Hulu "[He] doesn't claim to have all the answers," Laurie said. "He's a man who's overwhelmed, if anything, by his job, and the problems that confront him and the patients who come to him with these terrible afflictions that he can't heal." As a young a boy, Laurie recalled Christmas cards his father -- a doctor -- would receive from patients thanking him for healing their ailments. "When I spoke to a neuropsychologist, I asked, 'Does that ever happen to you? Do you ever get Christmas cards?'" he said. "And he said, 'Nope, because I don't heal anybody.'" "There's no equivalent of keyhole surgery for the brain, and that's the defeated position he's in," Laurie added of Chance's depressed mindset. "He's overwhelmed by the suffering he's seeing every day and he's losing his way and he's losing his will, until this patient [a woman possibly struggling with multiple personality disorder, played by Gretchen Mol] arrives, who lights a spark and shows him hope of finding meaning again, finding joy, finding human connection." Laurie admits Chance is a "bleak" and "melancholic" story, but that's exactly what drew him to the project, which will air at least two 10-episode seasons. "That's one of the things I love about it. I like it for its humanity," he said of the Bay Area-based production, in which their home base is an abandoned cheese factory. "Storytelling now is so heightened -- it's about grand concepts of time travel or 'the nuclear bomb is going to go off' and the stakes have to be [big], but that's not the way we live our lives. That's not what matters to us, really. I mean, if a nuclear bomb goes off, it will matter of course, but that's not what makes our lives our lives." RELATED: Is Hugh Laurie Happy With the 'House' Series Finale? So far, Laurie's post-House career couldn't be going any better. As he continues to add to his already impressive list of accomplishments, he is comfortable now in looking back on all that he's done. "I get prouder as time goes by. I can look back at things I did, which I probably hated 25 years ago, and I look at it now and go, 'Actually, that wasn't so bad. There's some good stuff in there,' and I'm getting to the point where I look back with immense pride at House, I really do," Laurie said of the role he's proudest of. "Some of the stories we did managed to be funny and tragic and farcical and subtle. There were moments when the show, I felt, was genuinely profound." Chance premieres Wednesday on Hulu. Related Articles No Tomorrow may have pulled off one of the most romantic gestures ever! On Tuesday's brand new episode, Xavier (Joshua Sasse), aka "Xavier with an X," presents Evie (Tori Anderson) with an epic birthday surprise: a cake for every birthday to come, and ET has the exclusive sneak peek at the extraordinarily sweet moment. RELATED: 'No Tomorrow' Star Tori Anderson Is About to Win You Over Of course, there's an apocalyptic-sized twist. "Ladies and gentlemen, because our lovely Evie is so special to us, I decided why celebrate only one birthday when we should celebrate all of them!" Xavier declares, as he presents Evie with his unusual gift (spoiler: goggles!), in front of her family and friends. "You're going to need them," he tells Evie as he's pummeled in the face with one of the decadent cakes. "Food fight!" But the cakes! RELATED: Meet the 6 Breakout Stars You Will Absolutely Fall in Love With "To Evie," Xavier begins his toast after the massive cake fight. Then, things get weird when the apocalypse truther -- who believes the world will end in a little over eight months -- reveals his true colors. "I truly hope that this, your final birthday -- before Asteroid 2000OEX354 collides with Earth and wipes out every last living thing on it -- was the best one ever," the charming Brit toasts to stunned silence. Crickets. Recently, Sasse sat down with ET in Beverly Hills, California, to explain why Xavier staunchly believes the world is coming to an end. RELATED: The 6 New Shows You Cannot Miss This Fall "For him, it's an empirical truth and that makes a big difference," the 28-year-old actor said of Xavier's doomsday outlook. "And it's how everyone else is going to approach that, whether they do believe it or don't. That might be just about to happen. We just don't know. That's a lovely question to pose and it brings out a certain thing in people." Story continues The former Galavant star was eager to play a character that serves as a catalyst for change in Evie's life and those around her, through his fearless attitude on life and the creation of the "apocalist," a bucket list of everything you want to do before the end of the world. "He's got nothing but good intentions. He just wants to bring out the best in people. He wants them to bring out the best in their day," Sasse said. "It's non-stop energy. He's got past the point where he gets sad about things and he just has no time for that at all. That's something I've tried to work on and experiment with because we do waste too much of our time being miserable. He's full of light and love and joy and positivity and it's great." No Tomorrow airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. For more on why Tori Anderson is one of ET's fall TV breakout stars, watch the video below. Related Articles Paris is one of the world's top destinations, but with so many highlightsfrom the Eiffel Tower to the Louvreit can be a challenge to get past the attractions and experience the city like a local would. Lisa Anselmo, an American who fell in love with Paris on frequent visits, took a big step after her mother passed away in 2011. She bought an apartment in the City of Light. In her new memoir, My (Part-Time) Paris Life, the city is more than a backdrop for her own narrativeit's an active character that contributed to her personal growth. Travel + Leisure spoke to Anselmo about the book and her new series, about what she's learned not just visiting but living in Paris, and how she encourages responsible travel to the city. Travel + Leisure: What is the one experience a trip to Paris is incomplete without? I think it's less about what you have to do, and more about what not to dowhich is create a list of things to do. Okay, yes, you're going to want to go to the Eiffel Tower, but I would argue you get better views walking the 16th arrondissement instead of going up in the tower. Don't go running around museums. Pick one museumI would say the Orsay or the Carnavalet. Then spend the rest of your time walking around, exploring the neighborhoods, sitting in cafs and watching the city go by. Paris is an amazing walking city. Explore the canals of the 10th. Have a crepe but have it in the 14th. Have Chinese food in the 19th. Get out and go and move. Don't have a plan, it's not about checking things off a list. Leave the to-do list at home, and don't be afraid to sit in a caf where no one speaks English. They're not going to think you're a tourist, because you're in their neighborhood. What has been the difference between visiting and living in Paris? I moved to Paris, and I thought this would be living the dream. But I realized when I got there my life was hugely changed...I wasn't on vacation anymore. Paris is not an easy city to live init's like New York City. The dream was a nightmare in the beginning, but now I'm two years into it. It wasn't what I expected when I first moved there, because my expectations were unrealistic and based on a fantasy. But it's turned out to be more than I had ever hoped. Story continues My Part-time Paris Life It's made me a braver person, a bolder person. I've learned to speak the language. In many ways it's taught me to take in life in a more leisurely way, where I'm really able to find the joy in the small things in life now. Sitting in a cafe and watching the world go by, that's the true richness of life. In the book you write, The minute I landed in Paris...my Paris self would turn on. How were you different than when you're in the U.S.? What effect do you think different cities have on travelers? I noticed Paris' effect on me after a few years of going there. I would be happier, more free, more social. I found when I went to the city, I would open myself to an anything-can-happen state of mind. It's so important when you travel to leave behind the expectations of your own home country, and allow the cityor the site or the culture or the peopleto imprint themselves on you. That's when travel becomes really enriching. The energy in Paris, the more relaxed quality of life, the food, the ability to see the skyall of those things would open me up. I found that I when I was in Paris, it was the one place where I could escape whatever expectations were upon me by my family, my job or myself. Is getting out of your comfort zone essentialfor traveling? For me, travel is an opportunity to expand yourself, and to challenge yourself, and to embrace the world at large. If you go to a place you've never beenand that can happen in your own countryyou don't have to be an adventure traveler to have an adventure. Even if you're going for two weeks, if you go to a place that feels a little out of your comfort zone, and then you arrive there willing to take in what happens, you will come out of that trip enriched and changed. It's inevitable. You don't have to live in Paris to have a locals-only experience there. What does it take to really know a city? I don't know if it's about time spent or frequency of visits. Or if you canbefore you goplan the trip in a way that you do immerse yourself in local neighborhoods, and explore the local markets and the local great dining experiences. I think you could go to Paris for 10 days, and if you go with that in mind, I think you could leave feeling you have a real impression. But I wonder if you can ever really understand a city fully, because it's always changing, and you're always changing. As someone in New York City, I do feel like a local but there's always something new to learn and see. It's really about your willingness to immerse. [In my web series], I want to encourage people not to be tourists. I want to encourage them to be travelers, shopping in a local market, even walking around a local neighborhood. Let's say you were staying in a hotel in the Marais, tourist central, and then you took the train to my neighborhood and walked around. You'll immediately see the difference. Note: This interview has been edited for length. Related Articles Laughter and tears flowed in equal measure on Monday afternoon as the fashion industry filled Carnegie Hall to celebrate the life and work of everyone's favorite - and the original - street-style photographer, Bill Cunningham. Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Vera Wang, Naomi Campbell and Cynthia Rowley were among those to attend the event, presented by The New York Times. Since 1978 the paper had been running Cunningham's "On the Street" pictorials, which presented fashion via Cunningham's highly democratic eye. "Bill always said, 'I look at the fashion first, then I look at who's wearing it.' He honestly didn't care if they were famous," remembered photographer Patrick McMullan, who worked alongside Cunningham on red carpets and at parties and fashion shows for almost four decades. Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, agreed. "I often sat next to him at fashion shows, and once in Europe, an unnamed celebrity came in; all the press was going crazy, but Bill just sat there," Kolb recalled. "He turned to me and said, 'I don't care about personalities. I care about the clothes.' And you saw that always in his work." The 87-year-old Cunningham passed away on June 25th following a stroke. On the Carnegie Hall stage Monday afternoon, a podium was placed next to a streetlamp bearing the sign installed at 57th Street and 5th Avenue (his favorite corner) in his honor, as well as Cunningham's bicycle, his signature blue jacket draped over its handlebars. New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. welcomed the audience, noting, "I'll particularly miss him calling me kid," as many in the audience laughed, thinking about all the times Cunningham had referred to them in a similar manner. "I will miss him saying, 'Hello, child,'" Jenna Lyons said before the event. Read more: New York Fashion Week Pays Homage to the Late Bill Cunningham Story continues The most poignant moment came early in the ceremony. "I chose this poem to read because it reminds me of the joy I'd always feel seeing Bill out on his rounds on a magical New York night," said Anna Wintour, her voice quavering as she read Lord Byron's, "So We'll Go No More a Roving." (You couldn't not choke up as Wintour spoke the lines, "Though the night was made for loving/And the day returns too soon/Yet we'll go no more a roving/By the light of the moon.") While writing in 2002 about his career at the Times, Cunningham called Wintour his muse - in the 2010 documentary Bill Cunningham New York, Wintour returned the compliment, remarking, "Everyone dresses for Bill." Speakers were a mix of social and fashion luminaries - in addition to Sulzberger and Wintour, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sandy Weill, Carnegie Hall board president, also spoke - as well as Cunningham's colleagues at the Times, John Kurdewan and Joanna Nikas, and his niece, Patricia Jarvis Simonson, who told anecdotes of growing up in Boston and enjoying Christmas visits from "Uncle Billy." "I like the fact that the speakers were so genuinely his friends, his most intimate associates," said journalist and former Allure EIC Linda Wells after the event. "He could have had much more dazzling people onstage, but it was such a wonderful mixture of people who really understood his gift." Wells added that she was forever grateful for how Cunningham took her "under his wing, introducing me to everyone at every party" when she first joined the Times as a reporter in 1985. "He was an extraordinarily generous person, and I loved seeing the world through his eye." Following the 90-minute ceremony, everyone spilled onto the sidewalk outside Carnegie Hall, though no one seemed too eager to dash into a cab or a waiting Uber; rather, everyone hugged and shared their stories of Bill. The scene resembled the exit of any high-profile fashion show - and while one person was decidedly absent, he was present in spirit. "Bill Cunningham was a first-rate photographer, but he was a better man," Sulzberger said. "I'm very happy to call him my friend." Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claimed the steel flyover project has been totally transparent and 73 per cent of the people have favoured the bridge. By Indo-Asian News Service: Defending the state government's decision to go ahead with the infrastructure project, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said construction of the 6.7-kilometer-long steel flyover in the city would soon begin, as it had public support. "The steel flyover project has been totally transparent, as its details were put up on the website of the BDA (Bangalore Development Authority) and 73 per cent of the people have favoured the bridge," claimed Siddaramaiah after inspecting the thoroughfare over which the steel flyover has been planned. advertisement Accompanied by Bengaluru Development Minister K J George, the party's lawmakers from the city and officials, Siddaramaiah also inspected alternative routes to the airport at Devanahalli. Also read: Let math not come in the way of building a bridge in Bangalore THREE ALTERNATIVE ROUTES TO BE DEVELOPED "We will also develop three alternative routes to the airport to decongest the roads choked with heavy vehicular traffic towards Devanahalli," asserted Siddaramaiah. Recalling that the steel bridge was proposed in 2010 when the BJP was in power in the state, the Chief Minister said the project was announced in the state budget for fiscal 2014-15. "The project cost had to be revised as its estimate was made two years ago on schedule rates of 2014-15. We re-negotiated with its developer (L&T) and reduced it to Rs 1,791 crore from Rs 1,800 crore," pointed out Siddaramaiah. BENGALUREANS PROTEST CONSTRUCTION OF STEEL FLYOVER About 5,000 Bengalureans on Sunday staged human chain to protest the proposed 6.7-kilometer-long steel flyover for a signal-free ride to the airport on the city's northern outskirts. Also read: Why we need lush, green parks for our children to play Unfazed by the protests and ignoring the advice of urban experts, the state cabinet on September 28 awarded the project to L&T Ltd as the lowest bidder for the tender to build the steel bridge from Chalukya circle to Hebbal circle, which connects the airport road and the busy National Highway number 7 towards Hyderabad. Though the country's third busiest airport is located about 40 kilometer from the city, the stretch of the main road where the flyover has been planned is bedevilled with heavy vehicular traffic as it connects the city's south, east and west suburbs. ALSO READ: Karnataka: Steel flyover to be constructed, Siddaramaiah inspects alternate roads --- ENDS --- By Babak Dehghanpisheh DAQUQ (Reuters) - (In this October 17 story, corrects the location of the UNICEF field office to Erbil from Daquq in paragraph 20. The head of the Erbil field office was speaking at a Daquq camp.) Shi'ite irregulars will help storm a smaller city in northern Iraq while government troops launch their upcoming offensive against Islamic State's biggest stronghold Mosul, raising fears among Iraqi officials and aid workers of sectarian retribution. The decision to steer the Popular Mobilisation Forces away from Mosul to Hawija 100 km (60 miles) away is intended to ease sectarian animosity during the fight for Mosul, expected to be the biggest battle in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. The PMF units, formed from Shi'ite militia groups who now have official status from Baghdad, have been accused by the United Nations and others of carrying out killings and kidnappings in some other areas freed from Islamic State. Their presence at the frontline is often bitterly resented by Sunni civilians in Sunni-majority areas the government hopes to free from Islamic State control, and authorities want to keep them off the battlefield in Mosul. But they are also battle-hardened fighters with powerful supporters in Baghdad, and keeping them out of the fight altogether would be politically difficult. A senior diplomat who has followed the planning for the assault on Mosul said the compromise to send the PMF to Hawija instead was the result of tough negotiations. I dont think that was an easy agreement, said the senior diplomat, giving details that were not public on condition of anonymity. There was a lot of leaning and a lot of heavy lifting by a lot of people. But the diplomat acknowledged that the compromise had caused concern about abuses being carried out in the smaller city. Were really worried, the diplomat said. The PMF says civilians in Hawija have nothing to fear. Our role will be liberating them from Daesh tyranny, said Ali al-Hussaini, a PMF spokesman, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. We will make sure to save the families from any harm and preserve their dignity. We are their brothers, we are not an enemy. FLEEING UNDER FIRE Mosul, with a pre-war population of around 2 million, is five times bigger than any other city Islamic State militants have held, and the battle for it is seen as an existential fight for the group's self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq. Hawija, with around 200,000 people, is an important provincial city in its own right. Residents who have managed to flee say the fighters have imposed draconian rule there, growing increasingly violent as the expected battle looms. Everyone is trying to escape, said Um Kamal, a woman in her fifties who swam to safety with her three children across a river in pitch black darkness last Tuesday night as Islamic State fighters fired at them from the shore. A woman nearby was hit by the gunfire but Um Kamal and her family reached territory held by Kurdish security forces. The militants, clearly aware of an impending attack, have become even more brutal in recent weeks, those who flee say: executions take place daily and corpses are hung on light posts as a warning to anyone who challenges the caliphate. Um Yaqoub, another Hawija resident, tried to escape earlier this summer with members of her extended family but they were caught by IS fighters. They executed my cousin in front of us, she said. My kids saw it. She finally made it to Kurdish-controlled territory on her third escape attempt a month ago. In a single night last week, approximately 800 people escaped Hawija. Many of those leaving are transferred to a camp near the town of Daquq, one of several camps in the region which aid agencies are expecting to fill when the military operations in Mosul and Hawija kick off. This is the beginning of a massive emergency we are preparing for, said Maulid Warfa, the head of the United Nations Childrens Funds (UNICEF) Erbil field office, speaking at the Daquq camp. He noted that some 200,000 people are expected to be displaced within the first two weeks of fighting in and near Mosul. Aid workers worry that fear of retaliation by Shi'ite fighters could cause more panic and worsen the situation. The United Nations said in July it had a list of more than 640 Sunni Muslim men and boys reportedly abducted by a government-affiliated Shiite militia during the battle for the Islamic State-held bastion of Falluja. About 50 others were summarily executed or tortured to death. The PMF have said that there have been individual abuse cases but that it was not systematic and the government has promised to punish anyone involved. Hawija residents have already experienced violence from Shiite-led security forces. In 2013, dozens were killed when Iraqi security forces raided an anti-government protest camp in the city, fuelling resentment that residents say eased Islamic States takeover of the town the next year. Iraqi officials, aware of the sensitivities of sending Shiite fighters into a predominantly Sunni town, are trying to temper the role the PMF will play in Hawija, according to former finance and foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari. The hope is that more disciplined PMF units will be paired with the Iraqi army to create a sectarian balance in the fighting force. No one will condone any atrocities, Zebari said. In past battles, PMF units have not received air support from the U.S.-led coalition that assists the Iraqi army. Some PMF members fought against American troops in Shi'ite militias during the U.S. occupation of Iraq. However, Hussaini, the PMF spokesman, said coalition forces were expected to provide air support and intelligence during the assault on Hawija. Asked about support for PMF units, coalition spokesman Col. John Dorrian said: It would be appropriate to say we help the Iraqi security forces. As far as the specific disposition of whos involved there I probably wouldnt get into that. Um Kamal, now safely out of Hawija with her family, said she is looking forward to the day she can return. I want to go back to my house and my life, she said. But we are waiting. People are waiting to see what happens with the military operation. (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Maher Chmaytelli in Baghdad; editing by Peter Graff) Berlin (AFP) - Europe faces a new influx of Islamic State jihadists if Iraqi forces retake the group's stronghold Mosul, officials and analysts warned Tuesday, adding to fears on a continent battered by a string of Islamist attacks. Thousands of Europeans have left for Iraq and Syria over the last two years to wage jihad, but after the IS suffered a string of territorial defeats this year in both countries, some of its fighters have begun returning to the continent. As Iraqi forces press their offensive in Mosul, the "caliphate" declared two years ago by the IS, experts urged Europe to prepare itself for more battle-hardened jihadists ready to launch attacks back home. "The retaking of the IS' northern Iraq stronghold, Mosul, may lead to the return to Europe of violent IS fighters," the EU's commissioner for security Julian King told German daily Die Welt. King thought it was unlikely that there would be a mass exodus of IS fighters from Mosul to Europe but he stressed that even a handful of jihadists returning would pose a "serious threat that we must prepare ourselves for". Around 2,500 European fighters are still in the conflict zones, said King. - 'Guerrilla attacks' - The IS may become less appealing to potential recruits if its Iraqi stronghold were to crumble, but fighters left without a "home" would pose dangers for the West, said Raffaello Pantucci, Director of International Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute. "Rudderless but without a sense of revolutionary purpose, they will present a menace to security officials around the world for years to come," he wrote in the Daily Telegraph. The IS group "has shown a capacity to send fighters back hidden among the refugees coming to Europe. If it is threatened in Iraq and Syria it may step up the number of those 'returnees' to establish networks or even launch attacks," he warned. Story continues The IS is "entering a new phase," said Chris Phillips, managing director of counter-terrorism consultancy Ippso, adding that as the group loses its "caliphate", "it would force them into more guerrilla or terrorist actions". With the retaking of Mosul, "I think we will see a growth of terrorist attacks across North Africa and the West," he said, adding that fighters could take cover in the routes used by refugees to slip in. A French security source said anti-IS coalition forces must do everything to trap the jihadists in Mosul, and prevent them from seeking refuge elsewhere. The threat posed by returnees is wider than Europe and extends also to Russia as well as North African and South-East Asian nations, experts said. A French security source noted that although around 400 French nationals are still in the war zones, "that significant contingent should be taken in perspective compared to the Chechens for instance." Thousands of Tunisians have also fought for the IS, making them the biggest group by nationality. - 'Deradicalisation very difficult' - France is particularly jittery about potential Islamist returnees, as it has been hit by several terror attacks, including the November 13 assault in Paris in which jihadists coming back to Europe from Syria claimed 130 lives. More than 10 officers are needed to monitor each returnee around the clock -- resources that overstretched European security agencies simply do not have, security sources said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also pointed to the "very difficult work of deradicalisation" to set back on the right track children who had been taken by their jihadist parents to Syria or Iraq, but who return radicalised. In Germany, which took in around 900,000 asylum seekers last year along, skepticism is running high over the newcomers particularly after two attacks in July committed by refugees in the name of the IS group. The country's head of the domestic spy agency, Hans-Georg Maassen, has raised the spectre of another problem -- that of the radicalisation of newcomers to Germany. Some 340 cases have already been recorded of Islamists posing as aid workers to gain access to asylum seekers in shelters, he said, but noted that the actual number could be far bigger. PARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Package delivery company FedEX Corp said on Tuesday it would invest 1.4 billion euros ($1.54 billion) to double the capacity of its logistics activities at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport in the Paris suburb of Roissy. The initial investment by the U.S-listed firm will amount to 200 million euros ($220 million). Under the plan, the U.S. group plans to open a new package sorting facility in 2019, creating between 200 and 400 jobs, according to a document handed out during a visit by President Francois Hollande. The extra 25,000 square metres of space will make FedEx's Roissy center its second biggest in the world after the one in Memphis in the United States. Delivery service company TNT Express, which was bought in May by FedEX, also plans to open a new facility in the Parisian region, according to the same document. ($1 = 0.90785) (Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; Writing by Mathieu Rosemain; Editing by Andrew Callus) PARIS (Reuters) - Package delivery company FedEx Corp (FDX.N) said on Tuesday it would invest 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to double the capacity of its logistics activities at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in the Paris suburb of Roissy. The initial investment by the U.S-listed firm will amount to 200 million euros ($220 million) for the extension of its facility in Roissy, the remaining 1.2 billion euros representing the guaranteed total amount of rent over 30 years. Under the plan, the U.S. group plans to open a new package sorting facility in 2019, creating between 200 and 400 jobs, according to a document handed out during a visit by President Francois Hollande. "The opening of this facility is an additional sign of France's attractiveness," Hollande said. "With the decision by Britons to leave the European Union, it should lead us to attract even more investments," he added. The extra 25,000 square meters of space will make FedEx's Roissy center its second biggest in the world after the one in Memphis in the United States. Delivery service company TNT Express, which was bought in May by FedEx, also plans to open a new facility in the Parisian region, according to the same document. (Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; Writing by Mathieu Rosemain; Editing by Andrew Callus and Mark Potter) PARIS (Reuters) - Package delivery company FedEx Corp (FDX.N) said on Tuesday it would invest 1.4 billion euros (1.22 billion pound) to double the capacity of its logistics activities at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in the Paris suburb of Roissy. The initial investment by the U.S-listed firm will amount to 200 million euros ($220 million) for the extension of its facility in Roissy, the remaining 1.2 billion euros representing the guaranteed total amount of rent over 30 years. Under the plan, the U.S. group plans to open a new package sorting facility in 2019, creating between 200 and 400 jobs, according to a document handed out during a visit by President Francois Hollande. "The opening of this facility is an additional sign of France's attractiveness," Hollande said. "With the decision by Britons to leave the European Union, it should lead us to attract even more investments," he added. The extra 25,000 square metres of space will make FedEx's Roissy centre its second biggest in the world after the one in Memphis in the United States. Delivery service company TNT Express, which was bought in May by FedEx, also plans to open a new facility in the Parisian region, according to the same document. (Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; Writing by Mathieu Rosemain; Editing by Andrew Callus and Mark Potter) (Adds details on Contrafund's past Wells Fargo holdings in paragraph 6) By Tim McLaughlin BOSTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Top Fidelity stock picker Will Danoff beat the drum for big tech stocks in his latest quarterly commentary but stayed silent on the unauthorized accounts scandal surrounding Wells Fargo & Co, one of his top holdings. Danoff has a $2.7 billion bet on the lender in his $108 billion Contrafund portfolio. The Boston-based fund is the third-largest mutual fund investor in Wells Fargo, behind two index funds run by Vanguard Group, according to Thomson Reuters data for the end of August. Wells Fargo is the only bank in a Contrafund top 10 holdings list dominated by tech companies. It dragged on Contrafund's third-quarter performance, falling nearly 6 percent amid disclosure its branch staff opened as many as 2 million accounts without customers' knowledge. Danoff did not mention Wells Fargo in his widely read commentary released on Tuesday. Before the account scandal became a crisis for Wells Fargo, Danoff had 2.5 percent of his fund in the bank's stock, according to Contrafund's August holdings report, the latest available. Danoff was not available to comment. In August 2015, Danoff singled out Wells Fargo and said the bank "could benefit materially" from a rise in U.S. interest rates. But since the end of December, he has cut his position in the company by 22 percent, to 52.65 million shares at the end of August from 67.45 million shares, Fidelity fund disclosures show. Meanwhile, his big sector bet on information technology companies, including Facebook Inc, Google parent Alphabet Inc and Amazon.com Inc, paid off in the third quarter as they were among the top contributors to a market-beating performance. Contrafund, the largest U.S. stock fund run by a single manager, advanced 5.21 percent in the quarter, compared to the S&P 500's return of 3.95 percent. "Exposure to tech increased this quarter and it remained the fund's largest sector allocation in both absolute and relative terms," according to the fund's investor commentary. "We continue to believe many top companies here have the potential for significant growth." Story continues Danoff has about 37 percent of his portfolio in information technology companies, compared to a weighting of about 21 percent in the S&P 500 Index. Contrafund has been underweight in the energy and utility sectors, avoiding benchmark heavyweights such as Exxon Mobil Corp, AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc . Danoff has been unenthusiastic about what he describes as capital-intensive telecom and utility stocks. (Reporting By Tim McLaughlin; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Bill Trott and Meredith Mazzilli) Mogadishu (AFP) - Fighting between Somali troops and Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab fighters was ongoing Tuesday in the key town of Afgoye, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) northwest of the capital Mogadishu, a security source and a witness said. "There is heavy fighting going on at several bases in Afgoye district and one of the bases was attacked with a car loaded with explosives," Abdulakir Ahmed, a local security official, told AFP. A Shabaab statement said the group had recaptured the town, which it evacuated in May 2012 after coming under attack from the Somali army and African Union peacekeepers. "The Mujahedeen fighters have secured control of Afgoye town after heavy fighting and they put up the Islamic flag over the enemy bases," said the statement. "The infidel soldiers who stayed in town have fled" and "tens of the enemy forces have been killed," it said. There was no independent confirmation of the reported capture of the town. Residents said the target of the bomb attack was the local police station. There was a suicide car bomb attack targeting the police station and heavy fighting is going on," said resident Amin Moalim. He said the town had been taken by surprise and "people are hiding in their houses and those who stayed outside have fled." "I saw wounded civilians and Somali soldiers as well, he added. "We dont know who is controlling the city so far because heavy exchange of gunfire is going on." The Shabaab has fought to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu since 2007, losing control of the capital in 2011 before losing other bastions such as Afgoye. The final presidential debate is on Wednesday night, and you can feel the excitement in the air. No, wait: thats not excitement its exhaustion. Thats what you can feel in the air, and on the air: People are tired of this election, both regular citizens and the citizens-elite who bring regular citizens the news. Certainly, the debate will be a significant event, because whatever crazy stuff Donald Trump says or does will dominate the news cycle for at least the, oh, 24 hours that follow that is, until Trump says or does something else that has no foundation in reality but stirs up the populace and the TV talking heads. The final debate will be moderated by Chris Wallace, THE FIRST FOX NEWS HOST TO MODERATE A PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE. Ive capitalized that factoid to convey just how much Fox News wants you to know about Wallaces achievement. They are very enthused about Wallace moderating, in every Fox day-part, from Fox and Friends to The Kelly File. (From Sean Hannity, there is muted acceptance one senses that Sean thought his pal Donald was going to rig this one so Hannity could moderate it, but, oh darn, it just didnt work out.) Beyond Foxs exciting Chris Wallace news, the debate seems to be inspiring little more than professional dread from everyone on TV except Alec Baldwin and those Saturday Night Live writers wholl be pre-popping bowls of popcorn to be ready to transcribe Wednesdays debate for this Saturdays cold-open sketch. In these days leading up to the debate, theres a certain amount of exasperation leaking through the screen. There are times when Id swear poor Jake Tapper is biting a hole in his CNN cheek when he has to listen to the robotic chatter of Trump surrogate Kayleigh McEnany rattle through her talking points for the umpteenth time. Related: I Agree With Trump About SNL On Mondays Late Show, Stephen Colbert asked Bill OReilly what advice he would give the candidates for Wednesday night. OReilly said that Clinton should ignore Trump. If only the rest of us could. Bill said Hillary needs to directly address viewers to say, Im not as bad as Ive been portrayed. Im not this Dragon Lady.' OReilly agreed with Colbert that Trump tends not to answer questions asked of him, although neither guest nor host acknowledged that this does rather put a crimp in what do they call it? the rules of debate. Story continues I get the feeling that right now, the viewing audience just wants to get out and vote, and get this damn thing over with. Of course, covering the voting process is only going to open up new cans of worms. On Monday on MSNBC, Chris Jansing was on the ground in early-voting Georgia, noting the long lines. Did any viewer doubt that these eager voters were lining up to cast their pre-dawn, morning-in-America ballots for Trump? Alas, no such post-vote analysis that might answer this question was offered. On Wednesday night, I predict a Trump-Clinton exchange about impending voter fraud Trump will assert it, Clinton will point out it barely exists, and Chris Wallace will beg both candidates to please answer the question he really asked, which was about Iraq and the retaking of Mosul. Its been that kind of debate season. The final presidential debate airs Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET on all major networks. The Naveen Patnaik government has formed an inquiry committee to probe the fire mishap in the ICU ward of the Institute of Medical Sciences and S.U.M Hospital in Bhubaneswar. A victim of the Bhubaneswar hospital fire mishap being rushed to a nearby clinic for medical aid. By India Today Web Desk: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has condoled the loss of lives in the fire that broke out in a hospital in Bhubaneswar yesterday evening. At least 23 people were killed and several others severely injured after fire broke out at the ICU of the Institute of Medical Sciences and S.U.M Hospital in Odisha's capital. The fire broke out due to a short circuit, the fire officials said. advertisement HEALTH DEPARTMENT FORMS PROBE PANEL Odisha Health Secretary Arti Ahuja has ordered a departmental inquiry into the incident. The health department has formed an inquiry committee consisting of the State Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET), Fire Safety Officer and Khurdha Collector as its members. A committee to inquire into the cause of the fire and whether there was any lapse on the part of the hospital authorities. CM ORDERS INQUIRY Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered the Revenue Divisional commissioner to enquire into this very tragic incident. I am deeply grieved by the hospital fire, the Odisha CM tweeted. Deeply grieved by the hospital fire, have ordered an inquiry: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik pic.twitter.com/ET32CKT1x0 ANI (@ANI_news) October 17, 2016 He was quoted as saying, "Visited Capital hospital to oversee treatment of evacuated patients from the fire in private hospital in Bhubaneswar. I condole the loss of lives,Spoke with PM @narendramodi, briefed him about the efforts towards treatment of injured." Revenue Divisional Commissioner AB Ota has said, "Odisha CM gave an order for inquiry into the incident. I'll register the inquiry order and submit the report soon." Also read: At least 23 dead in fire tragedy at Bhubaneswar's top hospital VICTIMS BEING GIVEN BEST TREATMENT All people being treated at various hospitals are being given the best, free treatment, said Ota. All people being treated at various hospitals are being given the best, free treatment: AB Ota (Revenue Div Commissioner) pic.twitter.com/wpxbVlBuzr ANI (@ANI_news) October 18, 2016 The near and dear ones of the victims can enquire about them on the following helpline Numbers. Capital Hospital: 9439991226, AMRI: 0674-6666600. Tho victims, both those dead and injured in the S.U.M. Hospital fire tragedy being shifted to Capital Hospital (Bhubaneswar), postmortem being carried out in hospital. Victims (dead& injured) of Sum Hospital fire tragedy being shifted to Capital Hospital (Bhubaneswar), postmortem being carried out in hosp. pic.twitter.com/z8VHrbria0 advertisement CENTRE PROMISES ALL HELP Meanwhile, Union Health Minister JP Nadda has said the Centre is providing all necessary support to Odisha where at least 22 patients died and several were injured in a fire that broke out at the Sum Hospital in Bhubaneswar. Yesterday, Prime Minister Modi had conveyed his ''deep anguish'' at the loss of lives, calling the incident "mind-numbing". Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi had also expressed grief on the mishap. --- ENDS --- The first group of civilians fleeing Mosul reached safety in al-Hud village, just south of the city, on Tuesday, October 18, Kurdish news outlet Rudaw reported. The United Nations has warned of an impending humanitarian crisis as Iraq launches a campaign to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State. The UN Refugee Agency said it had stepped up efforts to assist hundreds of thousands of people displaced from Iraqs second-largest city. Speaking in Baghdad on Monday, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi sought assurances from the Iraqi government that civilian protection would be part of the military strategy for retaking Mosul. The organization has warned that the offensive could force an additional one million people to flee. Some 3.3 million Iraqis have fled their homes in the last two and a half years, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Credit: Facebook/Rudaw Photo: AFP News The first Zika cluster at Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive was closed on 9 October after no new cases were reported in the area for two weeks, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a statement on Tuesday (18 October). NEA will continue to keep the area under close surveillance until 31 October. Residents are urged to continue eliminating mosquito breeding habitats, as there could still be mild, undiagnosed cases which might lead to further transmission of the virus if there are mosquitoes in the area, NEA said. The largest cluster in Singapore was first notified on 27 August and a total of 298 Zika cases were reported. NEA had conducted inspections in residential premises and outdoor areas and destroyed 128 mosquito breeding habitats. Two active Zika clusters remain - at Ubi Avenue 1 and Jalan Chengkak/Jalan Raya, which were notified last Thursday (13 October) and Monday (17 October), respectively. Sporadic cases continue to be reported in Singapore, indicating the presence of the Zika virus within the community. MP Tin Pei Ling, who is the adviser to MacPherson Grassroots Organisations, said, NEA warns that there could still be asymptomatic or mild, undiagnosed cases in the area. As such, mosquito prevention and control remain key to preventing the transmission of the Zika virus. Americans saving for retirement and new retirees need to have a longer investment time horizon, BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) Chairman and CEO Larry Fink told CNBC on Tuesday. It's all about math, said Fink, the leader of the world's biggest money manager, which looks after more than $5 trillion in client assets. "Statistically now, if you're 60 and in good health you're going to live to 90," Fink told "Squawk Box." "So you have 30 more years," he stressed, advocating a heavier investment in stocks for longer, in order to generate the kind of returns needed to live on in retirement. Fink said a generation ago when employees left their jobs they had the security of a pension to fall back on. But nowadays, as seen in the 2008 financial crisis, he said many people who lost their jobs walked away with a defined contribution plan that they need to manage over the long haul, without the benefit of a pension in retirement. "Most people have panicked over time. They overinvest in bonds, overinvest in cash, [and] underinvest in equities," Fink said. "I think that's one of the contributions to this fear and anger" many Americans are feeling as they face an uncertain future about how to pay for their golden years, he added. More From CNBC The former People magazine writer who accused Donald Trump of forcing himself on her at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2005 said in a new interview that she shared her story because women cannot be silent anymore. Women are talking about this, and they need to, Natasha Stoynoff, 51, said in an interview with People, published on Tuesday. We cannot be silent anymore. I didnt tell my story for politics, I told it for women. In a personal essay last week, Stoynoff said she remembered Trump pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat during a 2005 interview at his Mar-a-Lago estate, in Palm Beach, Fla. Stoynoff is one of several women in the past week who accused Trump of inappropriately touching or kissing them without consent. Trump has dismissed all the accusations as outright lies. Its possible he just doesnt remember it, Stoynoff told People. It was over 10 years ago and I assume I am one of many, many women. At rallies last week, Trump attacked the credibility and appearance of some of his accusers. Take a look, you take a look. Look at her, look at her words. You tell me, what you think. I dont think so I dont think so, Trump said about Stoynoff on Thursday. In a speech on Friday, Trump encouraged supporters to look her up on Facebook. Check our her Facebook page, youll understand, he said. I was obviously good-looking enough for him at the time to force-kiss me and insist that we were going to have an affair, Stoynoff told People. By Gary Robertson CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Reuters) - An attorney for a former associate dean of students at the University of Virginia accused Rolling Stone magazine of defaming her in a retracted 2014 story about an alleged gang rape on campus in the first day of a federal court trial. Nicole Eramo, who is seeking $7.9 million in damages, has accused the magazine of painting her as the villain in a story of a freshman named only as "Jackie" who described being sexually assaulted by seven men during a fraternity party. "This case is about a journalistic failure. It's not about rape or sexual assault," Eramo's attorney, Thomas Clare, said in opening statements in federal court in Charlottesville, Virginia. The story, "A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA," set off a firestorm of protests and debate about rape on college campuses, but an investigation by the Charlottesville police found that the attack described never actually occurred. Rolling Stone retracted the article in April 2015, in an embarrassing blow to the magazine founded by Jann Wenner in 1967. Clare accused Rolling Stone of not checking its facts and publishing even when it had questions about the reliability of the primary source of the rape account. Eramo, who now works in an administrative role at the school, testified on Tuesday that Rolling Stone had reported she told Jackie that it was hard to find statistics on the prevalence of sex assault at the school because "nobody wants to send their daughter to the rape school." Eramo denied having said that and said no one at the magazine contacted her to ask. She also said that before the article's publication, Jackie had expressed concerns that it would contain inaccuracies and that her efforts to correct them had been unsuccessful. Rolling Stone's attorney, Scott Sexton, argued that because Eramo was a public figure, the article could not be defamatory unless she could prove that they were made with actual malice. The magazine's staff believed that the story was true when they printed it, he said, admitting that they had put too much faith in Jackie. "It's a case about what was in (their) head," Sexton said of Rolling Stone's staff. "Whether Jackie's rape story was true or false is not the issue." Sex assaults remain a major concern on U.S. college campuses, with some reports estimating that one in five female students will be victims of sex assault during their college years. (Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Mary Milliken, Bernard Orr) Thirty-five teenage girls--juniors and seniors at Orange County high schools--outfitted in blazers and business casual wear descended on the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit Monday, prepared to network. And they did, speed-dating style. Each young woman conducted five, 5-minute one-on-one interviews with high-profile business leaders, including Group Worldwide Chairman Sandi Peterson, Instagram COO Marne Levine, Ulta Beauty CEO Mary Dillon, and Build-A-Bear Workshop founder Maxine Clark. In one of her interviews, Gabriela Jimenez, a senior at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, snagged the email address of Ann-Marie Campbell, executive vice president of U.S. stores for . Jimenez and her fellow teenage networkers are interested in STEM fields--she aspires to work in financial technology--and they are members of Girls Inc., a non-profit focused on confidence-building in girls. They were also this years participants in Fortune's Notebook Mentoring program, a 7-year-old initiative to mentor girls. The young women were accepted into the program after writing essays about technology and engineering. Jimenez wrote a piece on the leader in STEM she admires most, Sheryl Sandberg, who will speak Tuesday at the conference. As part of the program, which is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, the girls each received $250 to spend on a professional wardrobe. J&J also provides each of them a mentor, for a year of Skype calls and individualized attention. Heidrick & Struggles, the executive search firm, gave each of them an iPad. The participants also got a dose of inspiration from Campbell, the Home Depot EVP, who told the young ladies of her own improbable trajectory--from cashier to executive at the home goods store--and advised them to be their best selves. The girls, who described the experience as #amazeballs and #lifechanging were treated to a standing ovation at the opening reception of Fortune's Most Powerful Women summit. Story continues See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A suicide attacker rammed a bomb-laden car into a police station in the Somali town of Afgoye on Tuesday, killing at least four police officers, and militants then stormed the area, local authorities said. "Many militants have entered the town. Heavy fighting is taking place," police major Nur Osman told Reuters. Afgoye is about 30 kilometres southwest of the capital Mogadishu. The al Shabaab militant group, which has been carrying out a series of deadly bombings throughout Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group is fighting to topple the Western-backed government in Mogadishu. "Now most of the town is under our control," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operations spokesman, told Reuters. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh; Writing by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Catherine Evans) Paris (AFP) - France on Tuesday confirmed that the French, Russian and German leaders will hold a "working meeting" on the Syrian crisis in Berlin. The meeting Wednesday will be aimed at "giving the same message to Vladimir Putin on Syria: a durable ceasefire in Aleppo and humanitarian access so that the devastation of this city can end," an aide to French President Francois Hollande said. Hollande, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will turn to the Syrian conflict after a summit on the Ukraine crisis that will include that country's president, Petro Poroshenko. The Berlin talks were announced as Moscow said Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo ahead of a brief truce, a move the Kremlin said showed "goodwill" as it faces mounting criticism for backing a brutal regime offensive. Russia had said Monday there would be an eight-hour "humanitarian pause" in the battered city on Thursday, a move welcomed by the United Nations and the European Union which nevertheless said the ceasefire needed to be longer to allow the delivery of aid. Russia's role in Syria sparked a furious row between Moscow and Paris last week, prompting Putin to cancel a visit to France that had been set for Wednesday. Paris (AFP) - France will host an international meeting Thursday on the future of Mosul, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on the second day of a major offensive to retake Iraq's second city from the Islamic State group. "We must anticipate, plan for the 'day after', and the stabilisation of Mosul after the military battle," Ayrault said Tuesday, adding that Iran -- which wields substantial influence in Iraq -- was not invited to the talks. "We must win the war but also look at everything that will enable us to win the peace," he said. The French foreign minister said the international coalition fighting IS also had a "responsibility" to retake Raqa, in Syria, which would be the last major city in either country under the group's control if Mosul falls. "Not to go on to Raqa would be a bad mistake," Ayrault told reporters. "If we want to fight effectively against terrorism it is essential to take this city." The long-awaited offensive on Mosul was launched on Monday, with some 30,000 forces involved in Iraq's largest military operation since the pullout of US troops in 2011. The US military, which is leading a coalition providing air and ground support, said Iraqi forces looked "ahead of schedule" but warned the battle would be long and difficult. The coalition's defence ministers will meet in Paris next Tuesday to assess progress in the battle for Mosul. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter will be among 13 ministers at the talks, an aide to French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. Le Drian said Tuesday the battle for Mosul could take "several weeks" or even months. The ministers are also expected to stress the importance of routing the jihadists from Raqa. The coalition is concerned that IS will attempt to move fighters and military equipment from Mosul to Syria as the offensive intensifies. Although the coalition includes around 60 countries, the meeting will comprise only Western nations providing air support. They are: United States, France, Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Norway, Denmark and New Zealand. By India Today Web Desk: Tantrik baba Om Swami's controversial remarks will manage to offend one and all on Day 2, including his 'follower' Lopamudra Raut, who initially seemed impressed with the self-styled godman. From threatening Lopamudra to questioning Akanksha's intention towards Gaurav, he will hurl harsh comments at every contestant. On Day 2, he will be part of maximum fights in the house. advertisement Here's a look at all the tiffs that will take place on Day 2. Fight No. 1: Manoj Punjabi vs Karan Mehra and Lopamudra Raut Manoj Punjabi will complain about the quality of food to Karan Mehra saying that the food is vahiyaat. This will lead to an argument. Lopamudra Raut will jump into the conversation and join the argument. Fight No. 2: Priyanka Jagga vs Bani Judge Priyanka Jagga who's clearly enjoying her job of bossing around, will reprimand sevaks for not following her orders. She will say that she asked Bani for Appy Fizz five times, but to no avail. Bani will ask her to show her some courtesy and use the word 'please' while ordering around. Priyanka, however, takes offense, which will lead to a heated argument. Fight No. 3: Navin Prakash vs Swamiji Commoner Navin will irk Swamiji with his actions after which Swamiji will claim that his health is deteriorating because of Navin's torture. Also read: Aam aadmi vs celebs: A look at the biggest fights on Day 1 of Bigg Boss 10 Fight No. 4: Swamiji vs Lopamudra Lopamudra who initially bonded with Om Swami, will be seen getting into a full-blown fight with him on Day 2. Accusing him of dadagiri, Lopa says that she hasn't seen any saint talk like this. Fight No. 5: Swamiji vs Mona Lisa Right before when the celebrities decide to retire for the night, Swamiji will wake them up and ask them to make food for him. Shocked by his behaviour, Mona Lisa will get into an argument with him. Exhausted and tired, the celebs will first crib about following his orders but ultimately decide to give in. Also read: Bigg Boss 10: Gaurav Chopra, Mona Lisa, Manoj Punjabi, Priyanka Jagga get nominated on Day 1 Later in the day, Bigg Boss will announce a new task called Raaz. As per the task, the celebs will have to guess the secrets of Indiawale contestants and if most of their guesses are correct, they will become the maaliks of the house and commoners will become the sevaks. Bigg Boss 10 airs Mon-Fri at 10:30pm and Sat-Sun at 9pm on Colors. --- ENDS --- advertisement Frankfurt (AFP) - The Frankfurt book fair opened Tuesday with a plea for Turkey to release acclaimed author and rights activist Asli Erdogan, jailed along with other journalists in a post-coup crackdown. European Parliament President Martin Schulz, in a speech at the annual fair's opening ceremony, said he stood in "full solidarity" with the novelist, "and all authors and journalists languishing in Turkish jails". "Hear my clear appeal to the Turkish government: set these people free," he said. At the same ceremony, the head of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association Heinrich Riethmueller read out a letter from Erdogan he said had been smuggled out of her Istanbul prison. "I cry out to you from behind stones, concrete and barbed wire," he quoted her as saying. "Conscience is being trampled upon in my country... they are trying to kill off truth." Riethmueller urged the European Commission and the German government to press for her release, and said visitors to the fair would be able to sign a petition calling for her freedom. Erdogan was arrested on August 16 and remains in jail pending trial for writing articles for a pro-Kurdish newspaper, which the government says has ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Some 20 journalists were detained along with her, a month after the failed July 15 coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan which led to a purge within state institutions. The 49-year-old writer is accused of being a member of an illegal organisation as well as publishing "propaganda for a terrorist organisation" and for "incitement to disorder", her lawyer told AFP last month. Erdogan's novels have been translated into several languages and her latest book, "The Stone Building", describes the difficulties of detention in Turkey. The five-day Frankfurt fair, which opens to the public on Wednesday, is the world's largest publishing event. From Cosmopolitan Photo credit: Flickr/zcar.300 Already suspended after several members were accused of using racial slurs against black students, the University of Missouri chapter of the Delta Upsilon fraternity has been accused of telling pledges to give date-rape drugs to women as part of the initiation process for joining the frat. After the racist incident that got the fraternity suspended, which already came after the frat was put on probation for unrelated alcohol violations, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch submitted a records request for all disciplinary records since fall 2015 regarding Delta Upsilon at Mizzou. According to the Post-Dispatch, the request yielded 79 pages of documents, including a letter from Ellen Eardley, Mizzous Title IX administrator, that details an additional allegation made against the frat: Eardley said her office received a report that on or about Monday, August 22, 2016, active members of Delta Upsilon fraternity allegedly provided each new member with three pills and instructed them to drug women for the purpose of incapacitating them prior to engaging in sexual activity. It has been alleged that new members are required to engage in such conduct in order to complete the initiation process. Three weeks later, city police responded to at least four incidents in one night, two of which involved party-goers who drank too much, according to Mizzou police officer Steve Verble. A letter written by Eardley confirms that the fraternity that those allegations werent and are not under investigation. "Should my office receive information indicating that there is any veracity to the allegations that Delta Upsilon promoted sexual misconduct and hazing, an investigation will begin immediately," she wrote. Upon publication of the Post-Dispatchs report, Justin Kirk, the national executive director for Delta Upsilon, released a statement vehemently defending his fraternity against these newly surfaced allegations. "The allegations that Fraternity associate members received pills to be used to incapacitate and rape women were rumors found to be unsubstantiated by the university," he wrote. "No formal charges were filed against the chapter. Such rumors are disgusting and egregious." Story continues Additional defense for Delta Upsilon has been provided in the form of a post on Total Frat Move, which attempts to debunk the validity of the date-rape drug accusation with the argument that youd have to be an idiot to believe a fraternity might include date-rape in its initiation process. Unrelated, previous studies have found that fraternity men are three times more likely to rape than college men who arent in fraternities. In 2013, the Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter at the University of Texas-Arlington was shut down after three sexual assaults were reported in less than a month. In 2014, the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity at Georgia Tech was disbanded over an email with the subject line "Luring your rapebait" was circulated by a member. But anyway, as Eardley wrote in the letter obtained by the Post-Dispatch, if any information is given to the Title IX office (maybe something like a text message, like the one provided in the Total Frat Move blog post debunking these rumors as fodder for "idiots"), her office will begin an investigation immediately. Follow Hannah on Twitter. You Might Also Like Washington (AFP) - It's at the heart of Hillary Clinton's fight against charges that she will say anything to get elected: a history of flip-flopping over free trade that has proven powerful ammunition for rival Donald Trump. Three weeks before US voters choose their next president, Democrat Clinton has yet to explain her former support for the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact championed by outgoing President Barack Obama. She needs to: Republican Trump will certainly raise the issue in Wednesday's last debate as he tries to gain the upper hand over the White House front-runner. The 12 Pacific Rim countries agreed on the ambitious deal to cut trade and investment barriers last year, and the only thing now blocking its implementation is ratification by the US Congress. That makes the TPP a potent election issue, and huge opposition from US voters left and right has rendered support for ratification poisonous for the candidates. - TPP 'gold standard' - As Obama's secretary of state during 2009-2013, Clinton supported TPP. In October 2012 she said it "sets the gold standard in trade agreements to open free, transparent, fair trade." But she made a 180 degree turn after entering the presidential race and her primary opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders, took a strong stand against TPP, saying it cost US jobs. "Based on what I know so far, I can't support this agreement," she said last year. "The risks are too high that, despite our best efforts, they will end up doing more harm than good for hard-working American families." Since she won the Democratic nomination, Trump, also a strong critic of TPP, has repeatedly put Clinton on the spot over her previous view. Clinton denies flip-flopping. But a leaked 2015 email from Clinton speechwriter Dan Schwerin suggests she is less opposed to TPP than her public position. "This is indeed a hard balance to strike, since we don't want to invite mockery for being too enthusiastically opposed to a deal she once championed, or over-claiming how bad it is, since it's a very close call on the merits," he wrote. Story continues Trump's campaign immediately took up the email as a point of attack. "Now We Know Clinton's TPP Flip-Flop Was Just Another Cynical Political Ploy By The Most Cynical Politician In American History," the campaign declared in a statement Sunday. - Shifting views - It is not the first time Clinton has faced challenges over her shifting views on free trade agreements. In the 2008 presidential primaries, Obama attacked Clinton over her support for Nafta, the 1994 US-Mexico-Canada free trade pact pioneered by her husband Bill when he was president. "She said great things about Nafta until she started to run for president," Obama said at the time. In fact, Clinton's position on Nafta has substantially evolved as critics in her own Democratic Party alleged the treaty accelerated the erosion of the US industrial base and the loss of jobs. Originally, she wrote that Nafta results in the United States "reaping the benefits, not the burdens, of globalization." But in the 2007 race she said that Nafta "was a mistake to the extent that it did not deliver on what we had hoped it would." Those changes are not necessarily signs of weakness or proof of duplicity, said John Hudak, an expert on politics at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "Secretary Clinton has certainly evolved on trade over time, thinking a little bit more closely about its impact on the average American worker," he told AFP. "Certainly, there is political calculus behind this. But the idea that everyone who evolves on an issue is inherently a problem is misleading." Yet the question remains: what does Clinton, possibly the next US president, think about free trade? While she was a senator representing New York in 2001-2006, she voted in favor of almost every trade agreement that came across her desk. Today she publicly stresses the need for "smart, fair trade deals," even as the Wikileaks documents showed her less reserved, expressing hope for a common market across the western hemisphere. "You need both a public and a private position," she said in a private 2013 speech revealed by Wikileaks. Freeform just ordered a show called Brown Girls, and were celebrating! There arent too many shows that feature Indian Americans and while Aziz Ansari did a beautiful job diversifying our television screens with Master of None last year (which we need a second season of, stat) there still arent a lot of television programs that showcase Indian women. Freeform just gave a pilot green light to a show called Brown Girls, a comedy starring Shilpi Roy and Nastaran Dibai. And since Dibai and Roy are also writers on the show, we can imagine that itll be compared to Broad City a lot. (Fingers crossed that the two totally form a BFF bond, since love the connection that Abbi and Ilana have.) The two will be playing characters named Rimmi and Devi Rimmi is a beauty vlogger in the making, and Devi is a recent transplant from India. The show aims to illustrate and navigate the differences between the two girls. While not official, theyre currently trying to get Mark Cendrowski to help direct the series. We love this odd couple comedy not just because it is a sophisticated, funny show but we are thrilled to tell a story about part of the American experience that isnt really on TV today, said Freeforms Karey Burke. I would like to thank everyone for the well wishes today. It wasn't my birthday.... but it kinda felt like it! Shilpi Roy (@Iplish) October 18, 2016 Were so happy that shows are finally being produced that include cast members of all shapes, sizes, and colors and having two women lead this show in particular is just incredible. Good choice, Freeform! The post Freeform just ordered a show called Brown Girls, and were celebrating! appeared first on HelloGiggles. CALAIS/LILLE, France (Reuters) - France transferred another dozen mostly Afghan teenagers to Britain on Tuesday as efforts to rehouse the most vulnerable migrants of the "Jungle" camp in northern France accelerated ahead of its demolition. The departures, which still amount to a small portion of an estimated 1,000 youngsters unaccompanied by adult family members, came as a court rejected a request by 11 charities that the closure of the Jungle be postponed. A first busload of children arrived in Britain on Monday from the "Jungle" camp near the French port of Calais as the British government started to act on its commitment to take in unaccompanied migrant children before the camp is destroyed. The court in Lille rejected the plea by local charities for more time to organize rehousing of the thousands who live there. "It's now just a matter of days," Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told parliament after the closure ruling was announced. "We are now nearing the moment when the operation will begin." A 16-year-old Afghan named Azizullah was delighted to be leaving the camp that has come to symbolize the plight of war refugees. "My dream came true because I want to see my brother, I miss him," he said as he readied to leave. He planned to join his 36-year-old brother, who works in a pizza restaurant on the other side of the Channel. President Francois Hollande, facing an election in April, has promised to shut down the camp under local pressure. His government has already started rehousing thousands of Jungle inhabitants in dozens of towns and villages across France. Regarding the specific issue of unaccompanied children and teenagers who have fled war zones such as Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan, the transfers to Britain are taking place under EU family reunification rules known as the Dublin regulations. Charities has accused Britain of dragging its heels on such transfers, prompting a Franco-British meeting last week which has been followed by transfers of a dozen migrants like Azizullah in the past two days. (Reporting by Pierre Savary in Lille, Lucien Libert in Calais and Sophie Louet in Paris; Writing by Brian Love) PARIS (Reuters) - Hundreds of French police officers staged an unauthorized protest overnight in Paris against anti-police violence, driving their vehicles down the Champs Elysee boulevard with sirens and flashing lights. French security forces are already under immense pressure following a string of deadly Islamist militant attacks in the past 18 months. Police say they face staff and equipment shortages, and are frequently forced to work overtime. Police unions complained angrily a week ago about the risk of being sent into gang-ridden "no-go zones" after two officers were injured in a petrol bomb attack on their patrol car in notoriously crime-ridden zone 30 km south of Paris. Local TV channels LCI and BFM TV broadcast interviews with the police officers who said they had decided to organize the protest spontaneously, without official backing of their labor unions. Their job was becoming impossible, the officers, whose identities were concealed, told the television stations. National police director Jean-Marc Falcone condemned the protest action in a statement on Tuesday. "Police officers cannot transgress the responsibility their status imposes and which underpins the legitimacy of their police and public service mission as well as the laws of the republic," Falcone said. An internal investigation will establish who was responsible, he said. The government of Socialist President Francois Hollande, who faces presidential and legislative elections in the first quarter of 2017, has started restoring thousands of police posts axed by former President Nicolas Sarkozy. But it has also deployed thousands of police and soldiers in a bid to boost security at sensitive sites such as schools, synagogues and train stations in the wake of militant attacks. (Reporting By Brian Love; Editing by Mathieu Rosemain and Raissa Kasolowsky) Victor Miller, the screenwriter of Friday the 13th, has responded to a lawsuit over rights to the 1980 horror classic with two consequential motions. In June, Miller sent a notice of termination to producers with the aim of grabbing back rights to Friday the 13th. In doing so, Miller looked to exploit changes that Congress made to copyright law in 1976. Back then, lawmakers lengthened the copyright term, but, in recognition of authors who had signed over their rights to publishers and studios without much bargaining power, allowed these authors to reclaim rights in the latter stages of a copyright term. Specifically, authors have to wait 35 years to cancel rights hand-offs, and here, Miller wants to effectuate a Friday the 13th copyright termination in July 2018, which potentially would allow him to license the franchise to other studios. In late August, producer Horror, Inc. and Manny Company filed a lawsuit in Connecticut federal court upon receiving Miller's notice of termination. The copyright termination provisions has an exception for a "work made for hire," that is a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment. Under this scenario, the employer is deemed to be the statutory author. Horror, Inc. and Manny Company, a successor to Georgetown Productions, claims in its suit that this is what happened in the development of the original Friday the 13th. Miller's friend Sean Cunningham had wanted to capitalize on the success of the film Halloween, and worked with Miller to develop ideas. Miller signed an agreement to write the screenplay in exchange for a lump- sum payment. But in a motion to dismiss filed Monday (read here) by Miller's attorney Marc Toberoff - no stranger to copyright termination battles after litigating Superman, Lassie and other works - the argument is put forward that Friday the 13th was hardly a "work made for hire." "While the Screenplay was clearly commissioned by Manny for use as part of a motion picture, the Film, Plaintiff never alleges that a written instrument signed by Manny agreeing the Screenplay shall be considered a 'work made for hire,' " states the motion. "And the Agreement attached to the Complaint, and alleged by Plaintiffs to be Miller's operative agreement, does not contain any such express agreement, nor even the phrase 'work made for hire' or 'work for hire.' " Story continues The absence of an express agreement in writing providing that Miller's screenplay was to be considered a work made for hire dooms the claim, the defendants argue. Miller also addresses whether he was an "employee" at the time, saying that the seminal 1989 Supreme Court case (CCNV) on the topic referred to a conventional employment relationship. "CCNV drew a clear distinction between an 'employee' and an independent contractor, stating that 'when Congress has used the term 'employee' without defining it, we have concluded that Congress intended to describe the conventional master-servant relationship as understood by [the federal] common-law agency doctrine.' " Several cases before the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Connecticut, have since refined the tests for an employment relationship, including the Toberoff-driven lawsuit over Jack Kirby's Marvel works. That one was almost reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court before being settled without the high court's added guidance over how to interpret who is an "employer" for commissioned works. As the Friday the 13th lawsuit proceeds, a judge may look at factors including the producer's right to control the manner and means of creation. In the Friday the 13th lawsuit, the plaintiffs spoke about the producer's "bold risk" to finance the production and how Miller worked on the script with direction, but Miller's motion to dismiss states that plaintiffs have only alleged on information and belief "indirect benefits and right to control," and furthermore, tell the judge, "CCNV cautions against placing too much weight on the right of control. In fact, CCNV was prompted by attempts to shoe-horn specially commissioned works...covering traditional employees, just as Plaintiffs do here." Miller also points out there's no allegation he was paid a salary, had taxes and social security withheld, and worked on the producer's premises in the writing of Friday the 13th. He says he was hired for just one skilled task and provided his own tools. If the first motion deals with plaintiff's work-for-hire and employee ownership theories, the second one addresses the need to protect Miller's First Amendment rights. Miller's motion to strike (read here) is a bit more nuanced insofar as it asks a Connecticut judge to apply California's anti-SLAPP statute, which gives recourse to those whose First Amendment activity on public interest subjects are being deterred by frivolous legal actions. When most people think of the First Amendment, they think of free speech or free press or freedom of religion. Less recognized is the right to petition, and here, Miller argues that his termination notices constitute such protected petition activity. California courts have accepted this proposition, but whether or not a Connecticut judge will apply California's anti-SLAPP statute is a bit more thorny. Miller asserts he's a "long-time resident of California," for whatever that's worth. If Miller is able to convince the judge that the lawsuit falls within the ambit of California's anti-SLAPP statute, then the judge would address whether Horror, Inc. and Manny Company have a likelihood of prevailing before moving the case any further. For the reasons articulated above, Miller tells the judge that the plaintiffs cannot show a reasonable probability of success on their ownership theories nor do plaintiffs' separate breach of contract, slander of title and unfair competition claims survive being preempted by federal copyright law. The plaintiffs are represented by Bonnie Eskenazi at Greenberg Glusker, who has some copyright termination experience too. In fact, she and Toberoff squared off against each other in the termination case over Lassie. Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre shocked the mixed martial arts world on Monday, not by returning to the UFC, but by leaving it. St-Pierre announced that, at least from his perspective, he is now a free agent. Right now, Im free agent. My lawyer terminated the contract with the UFC, St-Pierre declared on Mondays edition of The MMA Hour. UFC officials have not commented on the situation. The former champ went on to explain that his team had been in negotiation with the UFC, primarily with former owner Lorenzo Fertitta, since February. Despite some ups and down, St-Pierre felt that the negotiation had gotten close to a resolution before everything came crumbling down. Things fell apart, he said, when the UFC was sold to new ownership, who allegedly scrapped the Fertitta forged contract. I believe if Lorenzo had been there maybe it would have been different, because we were making a lot of progress towards the end when we were talking to Lorenzo, but when the new owners came, all the offers were off the table. It was a big step back. It was insulting. TRENDING > Cris Cyborg: If I Fight Ronda Rousey, Shed Have To Do Surgery After It was a harsh slap across the face, which led St-Pierre to hire attorney James Quinn and, eventually, to declaring his UFC contract terminated. Even if he were able to keep emotion out of the business dealings, St-Pierre said it was disappointing that a deal couldn't made, particularly with his heart set on returning at UFC 206, when the promotion makes its return to Toronto for the first time in three years. Im very sad for to not be fighting in Toronto, said St-Pierre in Monday's interview. I truly believe it would have been a win-win scenario if I had fought in Toronto. They would have made a lot of money. I would make good money. It would have been win-win scenario. But, unfortunately, because its not happening, Im losing, I believe UFC is losing, but the biggest loser in all that is the fans. Story continues As he frequently stated, St-Pierre tries not to take things like negotiating a contract personally. After all, it is simply business. But in today's business climate, particularly in the UFC, fights frequently get negotiated through public venues such as social media, interview, and the like. UFC president Dana White has long taken the public stance that he doesn't believe St-Pierre really wants to fight again. St-Pierre, of course, realizes this could simply be White's way of attempting a bit of a Jedi mind trick on him to get him to acquiesce to the promotion's terms. That didn't really bother him, but when the allegations turned towards the insinuation that St-Pierre was simply manipulating the system to do things like try and keep sponsors on board, it started to get to him. They never called me, but a lot of things has been said in the media. I try to not take these things personal, but I feel a little bit attacked on a personal level when things are said like I tried to manipulate the system and stuff like that, St-Pierre admitted. I truly believe in what I stand for. I truly believe what I asked for was totally reasonable. For me, its completely illogical that the fight did not happen in Toronto. We would have been winners on both sides, but now we are all losers, especially the fans. We are all losers. Follow MMAWeekly.com on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's telecommunications and IT industry association expects slowing growth next year as a boom in demand for expensive smartphones ends, sales of PCs and notebooks slow and price competition and regulation dampen telecom operators' revenues. Industry revenues are expected to grow 1.2 percent to 162 billion euros ($181 billion) in 2017, industry association Bitkom said on Tuesday, reiterating its forecast for 1.7 percent growth in 2016. Bitkom represents companies employing a total of 1 million people, more than any other sector in Germany bar engineering. Major employers include SAP, Deutsche Telekom and United Internet. "Considering economic turbulences such as Britain's decision to leave the European Union or recent concerns about the banking sector, it is good news that we are able to confirm our forecasts that we made in spring," said Bitkom President Thorsten Dirks, who is also chief executive of Telefonica Deutschland. Software will continue to drive growth, Bitkom said, with sales up 6.2 percent in 2016. Network operators - who account for one-third of Bitkom's total industry sales - are expected to spend 2.1 percent more on infrastructure next year but make 0.6 percent less in revenue. ($1 = 0.8928 euros) (Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Mark Potter) By Rohit Kumar Singh: In a bid to clean up the rot within the Bihar School Examination Board Chairman Anand Kishore de-recognised 68 inter-colleges and 19 schools across the state. The crackdown is part of series of steps being taken by the BSEB after India Today exposed how undeserving students were securing merit positions in exams after paying hefty amount of money. The topper scam was exposed by India Today in May earlier this year. advertisement The BSEB has been, after the India Today's expose, carrying out a detailed check on all 212 schools and inter-colleges which were granted affiliation during the tenure of Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, then Chairman of the BSEB under whose tenure toppers scam happened. MORE ACTION TO FOLLOW "As part of the clean up process within the BSEB, we have cancelled affiliation of 68 inter-colleges and 19 schools. More action will happen in days to come", said Anand Kishore, Chairman, BSEB. READ| Bihar topper scam: Someone else wrote exam for Ruby, claims forensic report At present Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh and his wife Usha Sinha, both accused in this scam are lodged inside the jail. More than three dozen people including public servants have been arrested in connection with the toppers scam and are in jail. Baccha Rai, the Director of the dubious Bishun Rai college from where this scam started is also in jail. WHAT IS THE BIHAR TOPPER SCAM ABOUT? Toppers scam had hit international headlines in May this year when two toppers Ruby Rai (Arts Toppers) and Saurabh Shrestha (Science Topper) failed to reply to basic questions relating to their subjects Arts and Science. In fact, Ruby Rai had described one of her subjects political science as "prodical science" which was regarding cookery. BSEB has taken a slew of measures as course correction after the expose. READ| Bihar topper scam: Ruby Rai fails re-examination, arrested --- ENDS --- BERLIN (Reuters) - A man suspected of an apparent criminal shooting in the western German town of Dueren was found dead by police special forces who also rescued an injured woman believed to have been his hostage, a police spokeswoman said. Police had blocked roads leading to the town center after shots were reported at what German media said was a hair salon. Germany has been on high alert after two attacks this summer claimed by militant group Islamic State. "Police special forces found the body of a man who was seriously injured and later died of his injuries. They also found an injured woman who may have been his hostage," the spokeswoman said. She declined to say if the man had killed himself or whether he had been shot by police. The local prosecutor's office, which has taken over the case, could not be reached for comment. The Aachener Nachrichten newspaper said the man had entered the hair salon, called for a woman and fired shots. He then hid in the building housing the salon, taking the woman with him. (Reporting by Matthias Inverardi; Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Catherine Evans) LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Tuesday he did not expect a planned free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada to fail, but it could take some time to answer questions raised by Belgium and other countries. "I don't think the agreement can fail," Gabriel told reporters before a meeting of EU trade ministers in Luxembourg. "But Belgium and Romania, for example, still have questions that perhaps can be answered today. Perhaps we will need a bit more time." All 28 EU governments now back the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which would be the bloc's first trade accord with a G7 country. But the French-speaking region of Wallonia in the south of Belgium opposes the deal, and the country's peculiar governing structure means it cannot sign up without backing from all its constituent parts. Gabriel said the EU Commission had taken a big step forward by issuing a legally binding declaration in the past month that showed the accord would not lead to reduced consumer protection standards, weaker workers' rights or pressure to privatise firms. "That should reassure many people in Germany, for example," he said. A positive vote by the EU would allow the deal to be signed at an EU-Canada summit attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Oct. 27. (Reporting by Reuters TV, Rene Wagner and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Michelle Martin and Mark Trevelyan) Chocolate_Bhut_Jolokia_Ghost_Pepper Our competitive nature may be the thing that pushes us to achieve things never before accomplished and to test the limits of human potential, but that nature can also easily backfire sometimes with dangerous or deadly consequences. Recently, a 47-year-old man who showed up at a San Francisco emergency room perfectly demonstrated that fact. A ghost pepper challenge people do this sort of thing on YouTube frequently left him with a hole in his esophagus. That injury could have killed him, but luckily he received treatment first. Ghost peppers, or Bhut Jolokia, reliably come in near the top of rankings of the hottest, most-painful to consume chilies in the world. (They've been surpassed on the Scoville scale, a measure of the "heat" brought by these carefully cultivated instruments of pain, by several others, including the Naga Viper, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, and Carolina Reaper.) Before arriving at the hospital, the patient had been "at a local restaurant featuring a hamburger topped with ghost pepper puree as part of an eating contest," according to a case report published in the journal Clinical Communications by University of CaliforniaSan Francisco emergency department personnel. Upon arriving at the ER, doctors noted that he was experiencing severe abdominal and chest pain after the challenge had left him violently "retching and vomiting." For whatever it's worth, the patient had successfully finished the burger. Potentially deadly consequences Six glasses of water had done nothing for his pain, unsurprisingly. A medically administered "gastrointestinal cocktail" also failed to alleviate his symptoms, including a heart rate of 106 beats per minute. The doctors write that he continued to grow more and more hypoxic, meaning that not enough oxygen was reaching his organs. They took him into surgery to put a tube into his chest and collected fluid containing "hamburger, onions, and other green vomitus material," and at the same time, they noticed an esophagal tear just about one inch long. In total, he required three chest tubes and one gastric tube before he began to recover. Story continues The chest tubes were removed after 14 days and he began to be able to tolerate fluids on day 17. After 23 days, the patient was able to leave the hospital, though he he still needed to eat through the gastric tube. The spontaneous rupture in the esophagus that the patient experienced is known as Boerhaave syndrome, caused by trauma from vomiting. With treatment, 20 to 40% of Boerhaave patients die. Without that treatment, mortality rates approach 100%, according to the case report. The researchers write that even though hot chilies are known to be "unpleasant," there hadn't been any reason to think more serious side effects like this were possible. So the next time a friend asks if you are interested in a ghost pepper challenge, you now have a very good reason to say no. NOW WATCH: 'This was such a bad idea': We tried the spiciest tortilla chip in the world More From Business Insider It signed a total of 218,000 sqm of new leases. A strong demand from the e-commerce industry has led to Singapore mainboard-listed fund manager, developer and logistics solutions provider Global Logistics Properties (GLP) to ink three new lease agreements to companies in China, United States and Japan. In a statement, GLP announced that it has sealed a 218,000-sqm deal of new leases in the three countries. This includes a 153,000-sqm with four leading third-party logistics providers serving a major e-commerce platform in China. It also comprises a 55,000 sqm of new and renewal leases with a leading global e-commerce company in United States, and a 10,000 sqm new lease signed with a software company for online sales in Japan. GLP CEO Ming Z. Mei said the strong growth trend from these e-commerce players is expected to continue driving demand for the group's modern logistics facilities globally. "Our comprehensive network and high quality specifications are well suited to accommodate the strong growing demand of e-commerce and we look forward to growing with our customers globally as they continue to expand, Mei said. More From Singapore Business Review If youre looking for an alternative to toothpaste and to add a little bling to your mouth, The Doctors might have what you need! But, how well does it work? We look into Lushs toothpaste alternative Bling!, which is a pill you chew and then brush your teeth with. It contains papain extract, Brazilian orange oil, almond oil, frankincense oil, guarana seed powder and edible gold. Plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon put the product to the test and reports back with, [My teeth] feel very good. It feels a little bit like baking powder I dont mind the taste at all I kind of like the feeling it leaves in your mouth. Watch: What Orange Tongue Says about Your Health But is using a product with edible gold good for your oral health? The Doctors speak with dentist Joe Willardsen to find out if its worth swapping it for your traditional paste. Dr. Willardsen questions if the gold used is real gold, saying, I dont think [the gold] is doing anything positive I dont want any metal in my mouth." According to the companys website the gold is made of potassium aluminum silicate, titanium dioxide and iron oxides. Watch: How Hard You Should Brush Dr. Willardsen adds, "If youre looking to whiten your teeth, I dont think this is the product." Tell us, would you swap your toothpaste for these gold tablets? Dr. and Mrs. Guinea Pig Present The Only Guide You'll Ever Need to the Best Anti-Aging Treatments is published by Ghost Mountain Books, which is owned, in part, by The Doctors Executive Producer. ZURICH, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / October 18, 2016 / Today, Golden Dawn Minerals Inc. (GOM.V) announced the 100% acquisition of Kettle River Resources Ltd. ("KRR"), which makes Golden Dawn the owner of most historic mines and deposits in British Columbia's historic Greenwood Mining District. Golden Dawn has recognized the opportunity for renewed exploration activities to add resources and to consolidate the entire district. Just at the right moment, management took advantage of the gold price pullback and has acquired KRR's mines and land positions to add more value to the company and its shareholders. KRR discovered a high-grade silver zone with up to 1'044 g/t silver over 6.2 m and a near-by high-grade gold zone with 30.2 g/t gold over 7.3 m and 9.8 g/t gold over 9.8 m. Prior to that, KRR discovered another deposit and delineated a (historic) resource averaging 8.6 g/t gold. These 3 separate zones/deposits alone are projected to become additional sources for feeding Golden Dawn's Greenwood Mill. Today's announced acquisitions add significant mineral rights and upside potential to the Golden Dawn's 100% owned May Mac, Lexington and Golden Crown Mines, all within a 15 km radius of its 200/440 t/d Greenwood Mill. In early September, Bob Moriarty hit the nail on the head when assessing the value of Golden Dawn's modern processing facility, which is currently being reactivated to start production in early 2017: "The increase in the price of silver and gold has made several other small-scale mines in the Greenwood district economically viable and the company may do toll milling or simply buy out the owners." The full report can be accessed with the following links: English (PDF): http://rockstone-research.com/images/PDF/GoldenDawn6en.pdf English (web version): http://rockstone-research.com/index.php/en/research-reports/1880-Golden-Dawn-acquires-several-major-past-producing-mines-and-becomes-largest-land-holder-in-the-Greenwood-District-next-to-Kinross Story continues German (PDF): http://rockstone-research.com/images/PDF/GoldenDawn6de.pdf For smartphones, an APP from Rockstone Research is available in the AppStore for Apple devices and in the GooglePlayStore for Android devices. Recently, Zimtu Capital Corp. launched the Beta Version of its Advantage APP, in which all interlisted stocks (i.e. all public companies listed in Canada and Germany) can be tracked. After a cost-free registration, the full features of the APP are unlocked, e.g. sorting all stocks with the biggest daily trading volumes on all German or Canadian exchanges (see instructions in the section "How To Use"): www.zimtuadvantage.com Rockstone Report introducing the Zimtu Advantage App: http://rockstone research.com/images/PDF/Zimtu6en.pdf Disclaimer: Please read the full disclaimer within the full research report as a PDF as fundamental risks and conflicts of interest exist. SOURCE: Rockstone Research By Olivia Oran and Sruthi Shankar (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc reported a 58 percent jump in third-quarter profit on Tuesday as bond trading rebounded and the Wall Street bank managed to keep a lid on expenses. Goldman reported nearly $2 billion in revenue from trading fixed income, currency and commodities, making it the biggest contributor to overall revenue. Strong bond issuance and better conditions in credit and mortgage markets helped the bottom line, Chief Financial Officer Harvey Schwartz said on a conference call with analysts. But he noted that the business only seems to be doing so well because it performed so poorly in the year-ago period. "It wasn't so much about tailwinds as it was about not having so many headwinds in the quarter," said Schwartz. "It translated nicely for us." He noted that while credit and mortgage trading results were better, currencies were flat and rates declined slightly. Goldman, the fifth largest U.S. bank by assets, has historically been more reliant on bond trading than its peers. That helped the bank earn big profits leading into the 2007-2009 financial crisis, but financial reform rules imposed since then have hindered the business. In an effort to buoy profits, Goldman launched an efficiency program earlier this year, with the goal of reducing annual expenses by $700 million. That program was evident in its third-quarter results, with operating expenses up just 10 percent, compared to a 19 percent rise in net revenue. Staff levels were down 5 percent compared to the third quarter of 2015. Goldman shares, which had fallen 6.2 percent this year through Monday's close, were up 1.3 percent in morning trading, to $171.19. Overall, Goldman generated $2.1 billion in net income for common shareholders, up 58 percent from the year-earlier period. It was the bank's second straight rise in quarterly profit after four quarters of decline. Earnings per share rose to $4.88 from $2.90, partly because Goldman bought back roughly 22 million of its own shares over that time. Analysts on average had expected earnings of $3.82 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Story continues In a statement, Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein described it as "solid performance." Goldman's return-on-equity a closely watched measure of how well a bank uses shareholder money to generate profit was 11.2 percent in the quarter. Those returns have been weighed down by higher capital requirements imposed following the 2007-2009 financial crisis. Analysts and investors generally expect big banks to produce returns of at least 10 percent to meet their basic cost of capital. Goldman has been trying to shift its business model over the last several years to rely less on trading and more on stable businesses like investment management. That division generated revenue of $1.49 billion, up 4 percent from the year-ago period. The bank has also dived into consumer lending, launching an online platform called Marcus last week. Goldman is taking a "slow and methodical" approach to building that business, Schwartz said. Investments and loans Goldman makes with its own balance sheet were another bright spot in the quarter. The bank's revenue from investing and lending more than doubled to $1.4 billion, due to higher stock market values. Investment banking revenue, which includes income from advising on mergers and acquisitions as well as underwriting bond and share offerings, fell 1.2 percent to $1.54 billion. Goldman topped all banks globally in M&A fees in the quarter, a slow one for deals, but trailed JPMorgan in revenue from underwriting bond and equity offerings, according to Thomson Reuters data. Its equities-trading revenue rose 2 percent to $1.78 billion. Goldman's results echoed trends reported by Wall Street rivals including JPMorgan Chase & Co , Citigroup Inc and Bank of America Corp . Its chief rival, Morgan Stanley , is due to report results on Wednesday. (Reporting by Olivia Oran in New York and Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Writing by Lauren Tara LaCapra in New York; Editing by Ted Kerr and Nick Zieminski) Hillary Clintons Goldman Sachs speeches were released over the weekend, and the conventional wisdom is that theres nothing in them that could be considered disastrous for her presidential campaign. You can play a kind of scavenger hunt to collect all the pundits mouthing some variation on the idea that Clinton should have just released the transcripts in the spring when Bernie Sanders asked for them. But it may be more illuminating to look at these events from the other side, from the perspective of what Goldman Sachs wanted to get out of them. That reveals something interesting about how large corporations try to secure market advantage through their access to the corridors of power. Related: Five Big Stories You Missed Because You Were Reading About Trump These werent exactly speeches, but question-and-answer sessions, where a representative of Goldman Sachs on two occasions CEO and Chairman Lloyd Blankfein, and once Tim ONeill, global co-head of investment management discussed the issues of the day with the former secretary of state. All of the presentations took place in 2013, the year Clinton left the government. Goldman paid Clinton $225,000 a pop for these discussions. What were they after? Well, since their top executives asked the questions, we can actually answer that question. As an example, in the first speech in June 2013, Blankfeins first five questions were about Asia the rise of China, whether other countries in the region would gravitate to the U.S., the situation in the South China Sea, the nuclear disposition of Japan and how to handle North Korea. Both of the other speeches cover China and the Pacific Rim extensively. Goldman Sachs executives had a good reason to ask about Asia: They were in the process of rapidly expanding their footprint there. They redeployed resources to the region that year, poaching Morgan Stanleys Asian investment banking head and Citigroups electronic trading chief. Were used to the economic team in China. We go there all the time, Blankfein said in his first discussion with Clinton. Story continues Related: This Goldman Sachs Case Exposes Just How Rigged the System Can Be What they werent used to was insight into the geopolitical situation in Asia. Thats part of what they were buying from Clinton. As Goldman expanded, executives wanted to know about regional trouble spots, what countries could be in conflict, where might be a safer place to operate. The typical term for this is political intelligence. Companies probe current or former politicians for information to help dictate where to invest. The higher-level the politician, the more valuable the information. And it doesnt get any more valuable than the recently departed secretary of state. A close dive into these speeches suggests that Goldman kind of got ripped off. Clinton didnt really offer insights that were anything you couldnt read in a Brookings Institution white paper. I dont think there was a lot of inside dope in these speeches. But the assumption that they came from an authoritative source was enough for Goldman Sachs to drop six figures on talking to Clinton three separate times, if for no other reason than the prestige of having her in the room, giving them her perspective. Related: This Dreadful Election Is Taking a Toll on Consumer Confidence Political intelligence has in recent years been seen as dangerously close to insider trading. Third-party firms that peddle intelligence to corporate clients have been under significant scrutiny. The SEC penalized a number of these firms for transferring inside information to their clients. Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley has repeatedly introduced legislation to inject transparency into the process by forcing political intelligence firms to register as lobbyists. Im not suggesting that any material non-public information traveled from Secretary Clinton to Goldman Sachs. But this was a subtler form of political intelligence gathering. First of all, Goldman eliminated the middleman; instead of employing a firm it went directly to the politician. Second, instead of seeking information on active legislation or treaties, it sought the advice of someone who recently left the government. This is actually pretty common: Former members of Congress, cabinet members or even staffers have a wealth of knowledge to impart to willing corporations. Third, Goldman wanted a broad view of the world, focused on Asia but also the Middle East and Europe, that might inform its long-term decision making, where to place its money over the next 10 or 20 years rather than a hot stock tip for the next week. Related: Clinton Warned US Would 'Ring China with Missile Defense' Heres a real-world application of this: a paper from three European professors that looked at 400 British, French and Swedish firms in the wake of the Eurozone crisis in 2012. Firms that had significant economic ties inside the Eurozone were heavily engaged in monitoring the geopolitical situation and sought to diversify their systems. At one level this sounds completely intuitive: A problem inside the Eurozone necessitates the need to diversify. At another level it shows the value of political information, enough that companies thirsting for that information will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars just to get a taste. What does this say about a future Clinton administration? I think that misses the point. We have this concentration of big firms that can summon political officials to download information to them. They are not only intertwined with the government through appointments through the revolving door, they are plugged into any changes happening within the government, and I doubt that just extends to formal discussions with former officials. This informal merger of the public and private should concern us as a society. It should lead us to consider breaking up big firms so their political power doesnt grow along with their economic power. It should lead to some serious questions about the financial industrys share of the economy. It should make us probe deeper whether the U.S. is putting its thumb on the scale internationally on behalf of U.S. firms, penalizing them less for improprieties than their foreign counterparts. Related: Goldman Feels the Heat in Asia as IPO Engine Slows The story has an amusing ending. The huge scandal with the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, and Goldman Sachs deep involvement in it, not only led Goldmans top man in Asia to resign, but occasioned a pullback from the region entirely. One of the biggest set of questions Goldman Sachs had for Clinton in these discussions turned out to be irrelevant, made so by an unrelated corruption scandal. Maybe Goldman should have maintained a semblance of management over its foreign operations instead of sitting down with Hillary Clinton for an hour of banalities. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: A BJP delegation on Tuesday met Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kobind demanding action against top cops in the districts that witnessed communal clashes of late. By Rohit Kumar Singh: A BJP delegation on Tuesday met Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kobind over the role of Shahabad DIG Md. Rehman in the communal clashes that took place in Piro in Bhojpur. The delegation led by State BJP President Mangal Pandey and Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar demanded that the Governor intervene in the incidents of communal clashes that have occurred in more than a dozen districts. advertisement Since Dussehra and Muharram, there have been communal clashes in various districts of the state. BJP has alleged that a section of people from a community was targeting the other community, leading to violent clashes. SHAHABAD DIG UNDER SCANNER Especially, in Bhojpur district, the role of Shahabad DIG Md. Rehman has come under the scanner with BJP alleging that the senior cop, instead of controlling the situation, only incited a communal flare-up. Also read: Bihar: BJP demands setting up of all-party committee to probe communal tensions "Md. Rehman instigated anti-social elements to attack people from the other group. He is a local from the area and incited tension in Piro. He should be removed immediately. An FIR must be registered and an inquiry ordered against him", demanded Mangal Pandey. Similarly, the role of Bihariganj DSP Rehmat Ali in Madhepura and Kishanganj SDO Shafiq Alam has also come under scrutiny for supporting troublemakers and creating an atmosphere of communal tension. DMs, SPs OF VIOLENCE-HIT DISTRICTS MUST BE PUNISHED "DMs and SPs of the affected districts should be taken to task and action must be taken against them", said Pandey. The BJP delegation demanded that an inquiry monitored by the Governor be conducted in all the incidents of communal tension that have taken place in the last one week. Also read: Nitish government responsible for communal tension in Bihar, says BJP leader Sushil Modi "The Government has acted in a partisan manner against a particular community and therefore a thorough probe into the matter is required", said Bihar BJP President. --- ENDS --- Here are some of the stocks the Yahoo Finance team will be watching for you today: Goldman Sachs (GS) shares were up sharply in early trading. The Wall Street bank reporting stronger-than-expected earnings and revenue for its quarter ending September 30th. Profit soared about 58% driven largely by revenue from bond trading, commodities and currencies, which jumped 34%. Netflix (NFLX) shares surged this morning after the company delivered earnings on Monday that blew away Wall Street expectations. Revenue also topped estimates. The streaming video giant added 3.2 million international customers during the quarterfar more than the 2 million it had forecast. In the last year, Netflix has expanded into more than 130 countries. Thats taking some of the pressure off the US, where subscriber growth is slowing as Netflix raises prices and faces more competition. Even so, the companys US subscriber growth topped estimates by 20% in the third quarter. Visa (V) is in the spotlight following news late yesterday that the companys Chief Executive Charles Scharf is stepping down on December 1st after leading the payment processor for four years. Scharf said hes resigning because he can no longer spend enough time in San Francisco to do his job effectively with his family living New York. Former American Express President Alfred Kelly will take over the CEO spot. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) raised its profit outlook for year after delivering a beat on both its top and bottom lines for the third quarter. Revenue rose more than 4% from a year ago thanks to strong sales of some of its blockbuster drugs and medical devices, which helped offset weaker-than-expected consumer sales. IBM (IBM) shares fell in early trading. Thats even though Big Blues earnings and revenue topped estimates for the third quarter. Revenue fell for the 18th consecutive quarter. However, IBMs newer businesses such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence saw strong growth. Chios (Greece) (AFP) - Standing with a group of children outside a refugee camp on the Greek island of Chios, little Roza can't wait to get an early start to her day. "Good school, good school!" she beams, her backpack on and pigtails bobbing. Roza, a Syrian Kurd, is one of a small group of children in Greece's island camps fortunate enough to get some schooling. Thousands of others count education as just another loss in the long list of deprivations on the harrowing road from home. Roza is one of some 270 children who are learning English, mathematics, arts and creative skills with "Be Aware and Share" (BAAS), a Swiss NGO which has been active on Chios since May. Operating out of a converted former restaurant in the island's port capital, the 20-strong team runs classes for children from the age of six, as well as workshops for teenagers about cooking or going to the supermarket. The school also promotes acceptance of other national backgrounds. And hygiene, including toothbrush use. "We're not here to replace mainstream school," says Nicholas Millet, a British volunteer and one of the founders of the BAAS school. "We provide an academic curriculum (but) for us, this is about children feeling like children again." BAAS project manager Jacob Rohde says the programme provides "a drop of normality" for children who also experience regular outbreaks of violence in the camp. - 'A sense of safety' - But he believes that getting children into mainstream Greek schools is an "absolute necessity." "Going to a normal school would provide these children with so much more of a sense of structure, safety and normality," the 28-year-old German told AFP outside the school. Inside, a teacher can be heard strumming a guitar for youngsters in class. At the makeshift Souda camp, 28-year-old Djeneba from Mali is one parent who has agreed to send her child to the Swiss volunteer programme. Story continues "I want what is best for my child, she is the reason I'm here," says this divorced mother, who fled Mali after her firstborn daughter died from the effects of genital mutilation. There are more than 60,000 refugees and migrants in Greece. Among them are thousands of children, including around 2,000 who are entirely on their own -- many under the age of eight. More than half of these unaccompanied minors -- 1,200 in all -- are staying on the islands of the eastern Aegean. According to the UN children's agency UNICEF, refugee children in Greece have on average missed 20 months of school. - 'A very big mistake' - On the mainland, the Greek education ministry last week began after-hours classes for some 1,500 refugee children in 20 schools around the country. However, there are currently no classes on offer at schools on several islands housing migrant camps. The education ministry says children in island camps, many of whose parents have applied for asylum and are waiting to be relocated to the mainland, are on hold as their transfer could be imminent. But Matina Katsiveli, a former magistrate who helps run a refugee support group on the island of Leros, says such a procedure could take up to six months. "These children cannot mill about all day doing nothing... this is a very big mistake," she says. "And keeping them indoors with nothing to do will be difficult, especially now that winter is coming," adds Katsiveli, part of an Aegean refugee support network which had been nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. For some, the notion of allowing refugees to attend Greek schools, even at different hours from the local children, is difficult to accept. Earlier this week, parents at a Chios school circulated a makeshift questionnaire about refugee children receiving after-hours classes there, the tone of which was clear from the preamble. "(There is) a difference of culture, socially-acceptable behaviour, religious expression and habits, but it is chiefly a matter of hygiene," it said. - 10,000 to start school - Despite assurances by state officials that no child will be allowed to join the programme without vaccination, objections have also been raised at a few other schools on the mainland. Last week, police had to escort refugee children into a school in Oreokastro near Thessaloniki because around 40 Greek parents were protesting outside. The education ministry has said more than 10,000 refugee children will enter Greek schools on the mainland by the end of October. Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants who braved a perilous sea crossing from Turkey were left stranded in Greece earlier this year after several countries shut their borders, closing off their route to northern and central Europe. Among them are thousands of Syrians fleeing war who are waiting for asylum approval or relocation elsewhere in the European Union. But that procedure has been held up by the reluctance of many EU states to accept Muslim refugees after a spate of jihadist attacks in Belgium, France and Germany. Washington (AFP) - Islamic State jihadists are trapping Mosul's civilians to use as human shields, the Pentagon said Tuesday as President Barack Obama warned of "significant" potential displacement as the offensive for the Iraqi city progresses. Authorities and aid agencies are bracing for a massive flow of civilians fleeing the northern Iraqi city as the fight to seize the last remaining IS stronghold in the country progresses. The battle, which began Monday, has so far focused on the villages surrounding Iraq's second-largest city, most of which are traditionally Kurdish. Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said IS had for weeks kept Mosul's estimated population of 1.5 million from escaping, with the start of the offensive offering them no respite. "We know they are being used as human shields, absolutely," Davis said. "They are being held there against their will. We have not seen any change in the last day of people leaving or fleeing." Although there has been no mass exodus of civilians so far, Obama warned of "significant" displacement in the coming weeks, saying the United Nations and other aid groups were ready to respond. "We have put together plans and infrastructure for dealing with a potential humanitarian crisis that are as extensive as the military plans," Obama told reporters. United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said an estimated 200,000 people are expected to be displaced in the first weeks of the offensive, growing to as many as one million under a worst-case scenario. For now at least, Iraqi authorities and the US-led coalition want civilians to stay put, fearing they will be executed if they are caught leaving. A US B-52 superbomber dropped thousands of leaflets giving advice to the people of Mosul, explaining how to minimize risks to life and property during the battle. - Masked by smoke - The fighting so far has been fairly light, mainly focused on villages east of Mosul that Kurdish peshmerga fighters are reclaiming from IS. Story continues Davis said jihadists were deploying suicide-car attackers and had been attempting to thwart air raids and intelligence drones by igniting giant pits of oil and tires to create thick smoke to hide their movements and positions. "We've seen very good progress," he said. "It's going to be a while. There's a lot of movement they have to do to get in (to Mosul) but it's very much under way." A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the smoke clouds hadn't had any tactical effect. Estimates vary for the number of IS fighters inside Mosul, where they have had two years to dig in, build tunnels and booby trap countless roads and buildings. Davis said a high-end maximum number of jihadists in the city and surrounding areas was a little more than 5,000. Officials fear the jihadists may attempt to use rudimentary chemical agents, as they have previously, particularly in the battle's later stages. Military planners also acknowledge it may take weeks for Iraqi security forces to arrive in Mosul proper, as the roads into the city are expected to be very heavily mined. Approximately 10,000 Kurds are moving in on the city, with another 20,000 Iraqi security forces and police following behind. The plan is for the Kurds not to enter Mosul itself, as it is a Sunni-majority city. The US-led coalition has trained tens of thousands of Iraqi fighters and is providing continual air and artillery cover. About 100 US advisory troops are on the ground near Mosul but are staying away from the front lines, Davis said. Director Gus Van Sant gave Casey Affleck his first acting job at 19as one of the high school students Nicole Kidman seduces in To Die Forand they later became friends that collaborated on Good Will Hunting and Gerry. For this weeks cover story on Affleck and his performance in Manchester by the Sea, Van Sant talked to Variety about working with the actor, now 41, over the years. To Die For (1995): It was set in New Hampshire, and the Boston accent was semi-accurate to the area. It was actually Matt Damon who had come in for an interview about the role of Jimmy [later played by Joaquin Phoenix], and he said that we should meet. Casey just seemed really great for the character of Russel. There were a couple things about not casting Matt. He was older. The character was 16, and Matt was 23. And also, Matt was very all-American looking and the character Jimmy was supposed to be damaged by his life. Casey was quite young compared to Matt. Even though he seemed like a regular guy, he had a history of a lot of different things, because his dad worked in a famous theater group. He had been in and out of workshops and plays. I guess all that was paying off. Good Will Hunting (1997): Mark Tusk at Miramax brought me Good Will Hunting. We were talking about Boston in the 70s, which led to this South Boston story. I had just read the script, and I called Casey to get in touch with Ben. Casey was going to school. I got him in his dorm room and he gave me Bens number. Everyone was a big fan of Caseys, and Casey was around when we were working on it. Casey wanted to make a film about making Good Will Hunting. He was going to make a documentary. Somehow that got pushed aside. We just assumed that he would play this character [one of the townies, Morgan OMally], because he was that guy. He was always part of any raucous discussion. He was a natural, but he said he didnt want to play the character. It was kind of up to us to beg him. He also didnt have an agent, which was funny. He didnt see why he needed one. We had to go directly to him to persuade him. Gerry (2002): I was looking for a place to live in New York, and he was living in New York. He knew of a place next door. It was empty, and I rented it. While I was there, the upstairs space became for sale. I bought that and moved to New York. I was his neighbor for two or three years. I was always going out to breakfast or dinner with him and his friends. Matt had come over and had the idea of getting two guys lost in the desert. And Gerry was born from one of those dinners we had. Related stories Matt Damon on 'Manchester by the Sea' and the Future of Movies How Casey Affleck Found the Role of a Lifetime in 'Manchester by the Sea' Casey Affleck Directing, Starring in Survival Drama 'Light of My Life' Author of The Sale of a Lifetime, Harry Dent told FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney he predicts a market selloff beginning in the next three months. I cant tell when a bubble is going to burst, when a grain of sand is going to cause an avalanche. But what I can tell you is when the trends are down, and theyre down very strongly over the next three years, Dent said on Varney & Co. Tuesday morning. He cited what he calls a bubble in Chinese real estate, coupled with global banking issues from giants like Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) contributing to the instability. This is going to come to a head and the markets are just going to keep going up until something hits them that they cant deal with and central banks cant print their way out of, he said. Dent said the next market downturn will be deeper and longer than the one seen in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. And he predicts central banks will have less influence this time around. But he said it could be a buying opportunity for long-term investors. Were going to see a once-in-a-lifetime buy opportunity for investments long term. But Im telling people right now, its better to be safesell a bit early because bubbles crash much faster than they build. Just look at China last year, he said. Related Articles He said, "BJP is the mothership of violence... 12,000 local riots have taken place after 2014. The communal graph is rising in the Modi era... ," and alleged that the PM was polarising the country. By India Today Web Desk: Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Kapil Sibal has lashed out at the BJP calling the ruling party "mothership of violence". He also criticised the BRICS' Goa Declaration and termed it "weak" because of India's failure to have Pakistan mentioned as a nation supporting terror. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to gain political mileage out of the surgical strikes conducted in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. advertisement However, Sibal, in an exclusive interview to India Today TV in Karan Thapar's 'To The Point' programme, lauded India's defence deals with Russia on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. He sought to defend Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the "khoon ki dalali" remark, made in the context of the surgical strikes, by saying one should understand his intent. Also read: Khoon ki dalali: Rahul says he supports surgical strikes but slams use of Army in BJP posters Also read: Our jawans conducted the surgical strikes, gave their blood. You (PM Modi) are hiding behind their blood: Rahul Gandhi VIOLENCE The former Law Minister slammed Modi and called the BJP-led NDA government "communal". He said, "BJP is the mothership of violence. Twelve thousand local riots have taken place after 2014. The communal graph is rising in the Modi era. There has been a 17 per cent increase in 2015 and 2016," and alleged that the PM was polarising the country. In one of his tweets he said that Pakistan 'mothership' of terror BJP 'mothership' of communal 'fasad' love jihad , beef politics , conversions... to polarize UP politics Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) October 17, 2016 BRICS SUMMIT On the BRICS Summit in Goa, Sibal accused Modi of mishandling it. He said there was no focus on terror and more specifically there was no agreements on terror exported by Pakistan. He alleged that Modi was misleading the nation on terror as there was no mention of terror attacks in Uri, Pathankot Gurdaspur, cross border terror, Pakistan and terror groups such as Jaish and LeT. "The Goa Declaration was weak. It's not a theatrical performance. China snubbed Modi. Hence, the BRICS meet was disappointing," he said. Also read: BRICS Summit: PM Modi calls Pakistan 'mothership of terror' Also read: Sushma Swaraj: BRICS recognised 'state-protected terror as biggest challenge' DEFENCE DEAL WITH RUSSIA However, the Congress leader praised India and Russia for signing a deal for procurement of S-400 Triumf air defence systems by the former in Goa. That was the only positive comment on the NDA Government which he made throughout the programme. "Triumf deal is an achievement," he said. Also read: India, Russia ink deal to jointly produce 200 Kamov 226T helicopters; all you need to know advertisement SURGICAL STRIKES On surgical strikes, he said no one should question them but he said no one should politicize them either. He accused Defence Minister Mahohar Parrikar of politicising the strikes. He claimed that strikes had happened in 2011 too during the Congress-led UPA government but it was not publicised. He alleged that Modi was trying to gain political mileage out of the operations. Also read: Credit for surgical strikes goes to PM Modi, only helped in planning: Parrikar OPERATION GINGER On Operation Ginger, which took place in 2011, he expressed ignorance, saying he was not a part of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). However, he said the Congress did not politicise the issue. Even in hindsight, he sought to defend the Manmohan Singh's government of not making the earlier strikes public. He said India will stand to lose internationally by making the surgical strikes public. RAHUL GANDHI'S 'KHOON KI DALALI' REMARK While Sibal was on the aggressive on surgical strikes and BRICS Summit, he was seen completely on the defensive on Rahul's "khoon ki dalali" remark. Without going into much detail, he said, "It's the intent that matters and the message has been conveyed to the people." advertisement Also read: Dalali part of Congress vocabulary: Amit Shah tears into Rahul Gandhi's 'khoon ki dalali' remark BAN ON PAKISTANI ARTISTES On the ban on Pakistani artistes in the aftermath of a spate of terror attacks from across the border, the former Union minister was of the view that politics was being played on it. According to him, it was wrong to ban the Pakistani artistes. He said the PM should stop giving visas to Pakistani artistes if the Centre has to ban them. Also read: MNS threatens to beat filmmakers who work with Pakistan artistes Also read: See what we do then: MNS warns Karan Johar against casting Pakistan artists Sibal also said the PM should stop buying Chinese goods. "The government is trying to get political mileage. It is a pure politics by the government on ban," he said. Watch the full interview here: --- ENDS --- The president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) apologized on October 17 for the role police officers played in societys historical mistreatment of communities of color. Speaking at the IACP Annual Conference and Exposition in San Diego, California, Terrence M Cunningham, also Chief of Police in Wellesley Police Department, Massachusetts, spoke about the positive and darker side of policing history. Credit: YouTube/TheIACP By Svea Herbst-Bayliss BOSTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Former Macquarie portfolio manager David Meneret has secured financial backing from Protege Partners for his new hedge fund, Mill Hill Capital, the fund and firm said on Tuesday. New York-based Mill Hill Capital, which will focus on investments in corporate and securitized assets including bonds and collateralized loan obligations, plans to start trading in November. Neither the fund nor the firm would say exactly how large Protege's investment will be. Protege has spent between $50 million and $125 million on each of its most recent deals. "This relationship will provide Mill Hill Capital the opportunity to gain critical mass and foster the growth of the firm," Meneret said. Raising money for hedge funds has become tougher as some big investors such as pension funds are rethinking their commitments in the wake of poor returns and high fees. This has prompted many smaller startups to try to obtain so-called seed money. As a trained engineer with degrees from Columbia and the Ecole Centrale Paris, Meneret has spent the last year readying the new fund's launch with the help of former colleagues from global investment banking group Macquarie. Mill Hill now employs six people and will be largely numbers oriented, relying heavily on data and building models to make all types of trading decisions, Meneret told Reuters. Meneret's team includes former Macquarie colleagues Gaurav Singhal, Hongwei Cheng and Robert Perdock. They have experience running a so-called market-neutral relative value credit hedge fund that seeks to exploit differences in the price or rate of similar securities, after having worked at the Macquarie Credit Nexus Fund. David Modiano joined Mill Hill as head of business development and investor relations early this year. Meneret also worked at UBS as a trader from 2006 to 2008 where he made successful bets against financial institutions. Meneret said Mill Hill will be able to make money in markets that rise and fall, and that his only fear is that nothing moves. The average relative value oriented hedge fund has gained nearly 6 percent this year, data from Hedge Fund Research shows. "In a world dominated by beta, this is a refreshing change," said Adil Abdulali, senior managing director at Protege Partners, said about Mill Hill's strategy. (Additional reporting by Lawrence Delevingne; Editing by Will Dunham) Helen Mirren is no fan of Donald Trump. The Oscar-winning actress said that the Republican presidential nominee is part of a generation of misogynists that is nearing its expiration date, while expressing hope that younger women will have more opportunities than she did when she was beginning her career in the 1960s. Its dinosaurs, Mirren said at a New York luncheon for her film Eye in the Sky. I think theyre dying out, honestly. I think there are a few old dinosaurs left and I think that Mr. Trump is one of them. During a question and answer session moderated by former New Yorker editor Tina Brown, Mirren poked fun at Trumps physique, dismissing him as having an enormous body, small head, and noting that he had, dinosaur-y hands. Mirrens comments came the day after she appeared at a Broadway fundraiser for Hillary Clinton, during which she recited a speech by Eleanor Roosevelt. In Eye in the Sky, Mirren plays a seasoned military officer debating whether or not to launch a drone strike. It was a role that was originally written for a man until director Gavin Hood decided that Mirren had the bearing and commanding screen presence to nail the part. Mirren believes that the gender shift is evidence of a groundswell of opportunities for women both in front of and behind the camera. Ten years ago, I dont think I would have been cast in this movie, said Mirren, adding, To me what is the most exciting is to see women arriving behind-the-camera. Not just as great directorsbut cinematographers, boom operators, in the electrics department. In all of the departments, suddenly you see one or two or three women on the set. That is the real change. Thats huge. Trump has attracted a wave of blistering media coverage after a tape leaked showing the real estate developer and politician making light of sexual assault with Access Hollywood host Billy Bush. In the past, Trump has said disparaging remarks about the likes of Rosie ODonnell, Megyn Kelly, and Miss Universe winner Alicia Machado, that many people found sexist. Despite the controversy surrounding the Republican standard bearer, Mirren chose to be optimistic. Story continues I believe in the young, and I certainly believe in young women, said Mirren. I think young women are entering into a very different world to the world I entered in. I think the dinosaurs will die out, she added. Related stories People Magazine: 6 Others Corroborate Writer's Story of Trump's Attack Matt Lauer Addresses Billy Bush's Departure From 'Today' Michael Moore Unveils Secret Donald Trump Movie As a confirmed #NeverTrump conservative from day one, I should be ecstatic at the way Donald Trumps campaign has cratered since the Oct. 7 revelation of an audiotape in which he boasted of groping women. Numerous women have now come forward to testify that this was not, as the Republican nominee claimed in the second presidential debate, an empty boast. The Real Clear Politics average has Hillary Clinton 7.0 points ahead nationally in a two-way race; a landslide is becoming increasingly likely. And yet, although Im relieved that Trump is unlikely to be our next president, I remain profoundly disturbed and depressed that so many of my fellow Republicans continue to back him despite the growing evidence of his degeneracy and lunacy. Their position in the campaigns waning days sitting on the Trump Train as it hurtles toward the precipice bodes ill for the future of the Republican Party. Sensing his impending downfall, Trump has been ranting that the election is rigged against him, hinting that his opponent is high on drugs, and demanding that she be locked up. Even more disturbing is his claim that Clinton is engaged in a conspiracy with a shadowy cabal of international banks to plot the destruction of U.S. sovereignty in order to enrich these global financial powers, her special interest friends, and her donors language that echoes centuries of anti-Semitic slurs. Trump has also been issuing empty threats to sue the New York Times and vainly trying to rebut the sexual assault charges against him for instance, by putting forward a notorious British fabulist and self-proclaimed pimp to assert that he was on the very same flight, in the very same first-class cabin, nearly 40 years ago when Trump was alleged to have groped a female passenger and that absolutely nothing untoward happened. The more Trump talks, the more demented he sounds. At the rate he is going, he will end the campaign in a psychiatric ward or on his own TV channel, which is pretty much the same thing. Story continues And yet all of his unhinged harangues have barely dented Trumps support among his slavishly loyal base. A recent Fox News poll showed Clinton ahead of Trump by 7 percent overall, but Trump is still getting 80 percent of the Republican vote only 10 points lower than John McCain, a war hero, received in 2008. A Washington Post-ABC News poll found 72 percent approve of his threats to imprison Clinton a violation of the most basic norms of democracy. A survey by Public Policy Polling observed that among Trump supporters in Florida, 40 percent say Clinton is literally a demon a claim advanced by the crackpot talk-radio host Alex Jones, who says the Democratic nominee stinks of sulfur. These surveys suggest that most of the GOP base is so disfigured by pathological, unreasoning hatred of Clinton a flawed candidate, to be sure, but also a centrist Democrat with ample qualifications for the presidency that they will embrace any alternative, no matter how vile. Most Republican leaders know better than their followers how unqualified Trump is for the highest office, yet precious few are willing to act on their inner conviction. Sens. John Thune and Deb Fischer finally called on Trump to drop out after the release of the Access Hollywood audiotape but then, after he thrilled the base with his out-of-control performance in the second debate, they announced that they will still vote for him. Huh? Their stance is as incoherent as that of Sen. Marco Rubio, who said Trump could not be trusted with the nuclear arsenal and then, without retracting that grave (and accurate) accusation, endorsed Trump anyway. So now Rubio thinks that the nuclear codes should be given to a man who cannot be trusted with them? Rubio is part of the vast majority of Republican officeholders who have refused to abandon Trump even as disturbing details of his behavior toward women have come to light, on top of his already well-known racism and xenophobia and his ignorance, avarice, and dishonesty. Those still endorsing Trump include Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, though the latter has tried to have it both ways by saying he would not campaign for Trump. Long known as the champion of principled conservatism, Ryan looks increasingly opportunistic. Far more repulsive has been the behavior of Trumps most devoted surrogates, who are willing to say or do anything, no matter how meretricious, to advance their masters ambitions. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Jeff Sessions, Gov. Chris Christie, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, and of course Gov. Mike Pence, Trumps running mate, have been enthusiastically parroting the campaigns risible claims that Trump is a genius for not paying taxes, that his boasts about grabbing womens genitalia are just locker room talk, that all of the sexual assaults detailed by numerous accusers couldnt possibly have happened, that WikiLeaks (a front for Russian intelligence run by an accused rapist) is a wonderful source of information, and that the election is being rigged by some mysterious, all-powerful force. Gov. Paul LePage of Maine went even further when he said the United States needs a President Trump to show authoritarian power. (He subsequently claimed he misspoke he meant authoritative, which doesnt make much sense.) Precious few Republicans will emerge from this past year with a shred of integrity intact. The honor roll of #NeverTrump politicos includes Mitt Romney, the Bushes, Sens. Jeff Flake, Ben Sasse, and Lindsay Graham, as well as Govs. John Kasich, Larry Hogan, and Charlie Baker, among just a few others. A few more Republicans who had previously endorsed Trump have very belatedly turned against him, including Sens. Mark Kirk, John McCain, Kelly Ayotte, Rob Portman, and Cory Gardner. Thats it. Thats the small remnant upon which the Republican Party will have to be rebuilt if it is not to become Trumps party in perpetuity and, Kasich aside, there is no one in the bunch who has been spoken of as a likely presidential contender. Almost all of the politicos who are rumored to be eyeing 2020 a group that includes Sen. Tom Cotton, Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. Scott Walker, Ryan, and Rubio have been tainted by their embrace of the least qualified and most dangerous presidential candidate in U.S. history. As someone who has been laboring in my own small way to advance conservative principles since the 1980s (I have written for all of the major conservative publications and served as a foreign-policy advisor to the McCain, Romney, and Rubio campaigns), I am shellshocked to find that so many people who were supposedly on my side are actually on Trumps side or are simply unprincipled power-seekers who will be on the side of anyone who promises to deliver votes for them. Am I still a Republican? Im not sure, because I dont know what the Republican Party stands for anymore. Is it still the party of principled conservatism, promoting freedom at home and abroad, or has it permanently become the party of conspiracy-mongering, authoritarianism, and white power? Im not sure I want to know the answer to that question. Photo credit: JOE RAEDLE/Getty Images There's a stupid, absolutely false myth circulating on the racist internet: the idea that black men disproportionately rape white women, and white men never rape black women. Again, this claim is demonstrably untrue. And yet it's popular enough, as the sociologist Philip Cohen noted in a recent blog post, to have turned into a repugnant meme: racist stupid false meme Now of course, it's not worth responding to every idiotic meme that circulates in the backwater swamps of the racist internet. But, as Cohen notes, this one seems to have become unusually viral. And we're in an election year that racists have claimed as a victory for their violent imaginations. David Duke, America's most famous ex-KKK leader, recently repeated a version of the meme's central lie in a video streamed live to 8,000 people on Facebook. The meme has likely gone viral because it deals in an old, blood-soaked lie of white supremacists that black men pose a particular, sexual threat to white women and because it cites an official government document as its source. So how did a US Department of Justice report end up the sole citation on a meme circulating on the white supremacist internet? Fuzzy math. A 2008 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) really does seem to state that zero black women were raped by white men in the US that year, and imply that 19,293 white women (that's the 16.4% in the chart below) were raped by black men. (The chart below also seems to show that many more white women about 88,000 were raped by white men.) bad statistic As Cohen notes, there are tiny little asterisks sprinkled all over this table. But you have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to figure out what they mean. bad statistics You read that right. Just 10 or fewer women made up some of the samples surveyed for this report, and their small number of experiences has been extrapolated to represent tens of thousands of assaults. Story continues Here's what Cohen has to say about this: I cant believe were talking about this. The most important bottom line is that the BJS should not report extrapolations to the whole population from samples this small. These population numbers should not be on this table. At best these numbers are estimated with very large standard errors. (Using a standard confident interval calculator, that 16% of White women, based on a sample of 69, yields a confidence interval of +/- 9%.) Its irresponsible, and its inadvertently (I assume) feeding White supremacist propaganda. In other words, a sample size this tiny simply cannot be understood to tell us anything about what's going on at the population level. The odds of picking any 10 or fewer women out of a crowd whose experiences have nothing to do with what's typical are far, far too high. In an email to Business Insider, Lynn Langton, the researcher who oversees victimization statistics for BJS, acknowledged that the methods of the 2008 report no longer meet the Bureau's standards. "These posts and memes rely on data that is eight years old," she wrote, "because 2008 was the last year that BJS published Criminal Victimization in the US - Statistical Tables. Many of the estimates in the 100+ tables (not limited to Table 42) do not meet our current standards for reporting so we no longer report out this information on an annual basis. " As Cohen writes in his blog post, there are also a number of reasons why this table would tell a misleading story even if the data-gathering methods were improved. First of all, the report uses a household sample. That means that at least one demographic is left out entirely: prisoners. A 2011 to 2012 survey of inmates found that about 3,500 women are subjected to "staff sexual misconduct" in jails and prisons every year with black women 50% more likely to report this than white women. "So Im guessing the true number of Black women sexually assaulted by White men is somewhat greater than zero, and thats just in prisons and jails," Cohen writes. Second, most perpetrators of sexual assault are close to their victims. And a full 27% are current or former partners of their victims. As Cohen notes, 2% of white women are married to black men, and 5% of black women are married to white men. Because of differences in population sizes, that means there are far more white women married to black men than black women married to white men. That means that even if white men and black men raped their spouses at exactly symmetrical rates, we'd expect more white women to report rapes by black men than black women by white men. All of which is to say: If you hear that lie parroted around that black men are targeting white women with sexual violence you should know that it's 100% false. And despite the citation, the Bureau of Justice Statistics does not exactly stand by the numbers, which are based on samples far too small to apply to the general population. In 2017, Langton wrote, the BJS will release a new report, based on firmer data gathered over the last eight years. NOW WATCH: 'STOP WHINING': Obama bashes Trump's claims of a rigged election More From Business Insider High tech is an emerging digital landscape. Only the most ardent futurist circa 1968 -- the year "2001: A Space Odyssey" was released -- could've predicted the dramatic, digitized landscape that is 2016. "There are lots of new technologies that hold massive potential for change," says Jason Meil, managing director of new products and innovation for management consultants SSA & Co. "The question is which will actually have a meaningful impact on businesses and consumers, and therefore be around for the long term." Once the answers become apparent, investors will follow, backing companies that make those technologies spring to life. Here's a look at seven areas of high tech to pay attention to for their rich investment opportunities. Financial technology: Fintech is "in" tech. Even the biggest banks must reckon with fintech's power to reshape financial services. Zacks Investment Research reports that corporate investments in fintech in the second quarter of 2016 hit about 33 percent, compared to 23 percent this time last year. Expect mobile and electronic payments companies, along with peer-to-peer lenders, to lead the charge -- though that doesn't mean champagne for all. Since going public, Lending Club (LC) has seen share prices tumble almost 80 percent; the stock trades just above $5 per share. The tech investor's drug of choice. Biosimilars are the generic equivalents of "biologic" drugs. "Historically, drugs have been made from naturally occurring or synthetic chemical compounds. Biologic drugs, by contrast, come from living cell lines grown in labs," says Charlie Smith, principal and CIO of Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh. "When patent protection runs out on these biologic drugs, we get what are called biosimilars. Firms such as Amgen (AMGN) and Pfizer (PFE) have significant opportunity in this market because they have manufacturing expertise." Lithium leads the charge. An element discovered in 1817 might seem as low-tech as it gets -- until you stop to consider the role it plays in rechargeable batteries that populate a host of digital and sophisticated gadgets. "We are bullish on lithium as an important high-tech sector," says Jay Jacobs, director of research for Global X, a New York-based issuer of exchange-traded funds. "As electric vehicles and renewables grow in popularity, lithium consumption could possibly take off to help meet demand for car batteries and renewable energy storage." Story continues The next level of video game tech. It's easy to dismiss gamers as kings and queens of arrested development, but more accurate to credit their uncompromising standards for today's graphics-rich, high performance computers. Today's leading edge of gaming tech includes mobile gaming, virtual reality and augmented reality, says Andrew Chanin, CEO of PureFunds, based in New York. Yet just as with areas such as cybersecurity and drones, "it's difficult to predict which companies will be the leaders, which is why we take the indexed approach to offering exposures to many," Chanin says. Big data still adding up. Though "big data" has become a big catchphrase of the digital age, it's still a work in progress so far as investment goes. Says Meil: "Big data has been hyped for years, but I'd argue it still hasn't quite delivered on the promise -- yet. There is no question that the potential is enormous." In its 2016 international survey on big data, DNV GL reports that 76 percent of organizations plan to increase or maintain their big data investment over the next two to three years. Cloud computing is improving. Investment in this sector has even come from conventional companies. Ford Motor Co. (F) recently announced an investment in Pivotal Software, a private cloud computing and software company valued at $2.8 billion. "The enterprise cloud is also one of the most competitive spaces with rivals such as Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Oracle (ORCL)," says K.C. Ma, director of the George Investments Institute at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. "But if this is a fight of providing corporate customers support, then it's led by Microsoft (MSFT) and IBM (IBM)." Frontier tech: The future is wow. This term refers to a loose collection of technologies ranging from artificial intelligence to self-driving cars (or, if you like, autonomous autos). "It's called frontier tech for a reason. These technologies are still in nascent stages," says Minal Hasan, founder and general partner of the venture capital firm K2 Global. "Despite being the direction the tech sector is headed in, they won't gain critical consumer mass -- or for that matter investing interest with the public -- for many more years." More From US News & World Report M&T Bank Corporation MTB is scheduled to report its third-quarter 2016 earnings on Wednesday, Oct 19, 2016, before the market opens. In the last quarter, M&T Banks net operating earnings of $2.07 per share lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Higher expenses and a rise in provision for loan losses were primarily responsible for the earnings miss. Nevertheless, revenues experienced growth driven by increase in net interest income, which benefited from the Hudson City Bancorp acquisition. Nonetheless, the company has a decent earnings surprise history, as evident from the chart below: M&T BANK CORP Price and EPS Surprise M&T BANK CORP Price and EPS Surprise | M&T BANK CORP Quote Will M&T Bank be able to overcome challenges this time and post an earnings beat? Or will a challenging backdrop hurt its financials this earnings season? Lets see how things have shaped up for this announcement. What to Expect in Q3? Higher Expenses: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has imposed a surcharge on large banks to recapitalize the deposit insurance fund, which started in the third quarter. Therefore, management estimates such surcharge to increase the assessment expense by $5 million per quarter, starting in the third quarter itself. Moreover, the company is also expected to have incurred escalated legal expenses during the quarter. Nonetheless, M&T Bank intends to keep core expenses relatively controlled, despite continued investment spending, including technology investment. Also, the company is focused on recording a positive operating leverage. Net Interest Income to Remain Stable: Including the acquired loans from the Hudson City merger, M&T Bank expects total loans to grow. The increase will be likely driven by a higher growth rate in commercial and consumer loan portfolios, partially offset by the narrowing of the residential mortgage loan portfolio, as the company expects the Hudson City portfolio to be continued to be paid down. As such, management does not anticipate any growth in net interest income in the quarter. Story continues NIM May Improve: M&T Bank projects net interest margin (NIM) to be stable or slightly improve year over year, due to reduced cost of funding the assets and continued growth in commercial loans. Non-interest Income to Benefit from Mortgage Business Strength: Non-interest income might get a lift, driven by improvement in the companys mortgage banking revenues. This in turn is projected on the back of normal seasonality in the third quarter and strength in the housing sector. Notably, activities of M&T Bank during the quarter were inadequate to win the analysts confidence. As a result, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter remained stable at $2.04 per share over the last seven days. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively predict that M&T Bank is likely to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the third quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or at least 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. Unfortunately, this is not the case here as elaborated below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP for M&T Bank is 0.00%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate of $2.04 is on par with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Zacks Rank: M&T Banks Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we need to have a positive Earnings ESP to be sure of an earnings beat. Stocks That Warrant a Look Here are some finance stocks you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Raymond James Financial, Inc. RJF is slated to release results on Oct 26. The company has an Earnings ESP of +2.04% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks Rank #1 stocks here. The Earnings ESP for T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. TROW is +0.85% and it carries a Zacks Rank #3. The company is scheduled to release its third-quarter results on Oct 27. Lazard Ltd. LAZ has an Earnings ESP of +3.90% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. It is scheduled to report results on Oct 27. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report M&T BANK CORP (MTB): Free Stock Analysis Report RAYMOND JAS FIN (RJF): Free Stock Analysis Report T ROWE PRICE (TROW): Free Stock Analysis Report LAZARD LTD (LAZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Tim Cook and John Podesta A stolen email leaked by WikiLeaks shows that Apple CEO Tim Cook was on a short list for vice president. John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, sent an email in March discussing a "first cut of people to consider for VP," Gizmodo spotted on Tuesday. "Cheryl, Robby, Jake, Huma, Jennifer and I also did a first cut of people to consider for VP. I have organized names in rough food groups," Podesta wrote. The "food group" of business leaders included Cook along with both Bill and Melinda Gates and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York. The Clinton campaign planned a meeting with Cook, who is CEO of the world's most valuable company, in June 2015, but a staffer said the meeting was "one we should proceed cautiously." Cook is "supportive but new to this so I think we shouldn't come on too strong," a staffer wrote. The meeting was about fundraising, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Cook eventually hosted a fundraiser for Clinton in August of this year. It's unknown whether Cook is a Republican or a Democrat, though he has taken public stances on issues such as gay rights and climate change that more closely align with those of the Democratic Party. But Cook has also hosted a fundraiser for Paul Ryan, the current Republican speaker of the House. Apple declined to comment. The Clinton campaign ultimately selected Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia to serve on the ticket for this year's election. Here's the entire list of VP candidates Podesta suggested in the email, as he wrote them: Javier Becerra Julian Castro Eric Garcetti Tom Perez Ken Salazar Tammy Baldwin Kirsten Gillibrand Amy Klobuchar Claire McKaskill Story continues Jeanne Shaheen Debbie Stabenow Elizabeth Warren Michael Bennet Sherrod Brown Martin Heinreich Tim Kaine Terry McAuliffe Chris Murphy Tom Vilsack Steve Benjamin Corey Booker Andrew Gillum Eric Holder Deval Patrick Kasim Reed Anthony Foxx John Allen Bill McCraven Mike Mullen Mary Barra Michael Bloomberg Ursula Burns Tim Cook Bill Gates Melinda Gates Muhtar Kent Judith Rodin Howard Schultz Bernie Sanders NOW WATCH: Countries around the world are pouring billions of dollars into France's revolutionary nuclear fusion reactor More From Business Insider Hisyam Hamid wants to work with other production companies. 18 Oct Actor Hisyam Hamid has clarified that he is not an exclusive Astro artistes, and is allowed to take offers from other production companies who would want to work with him. The Singaporean-born actor said so after certain companies have declined to work with him, thinking that he was working only exclusively with Astro. "Since being managed by Astro, I admit that I have gotten less offers from companies that produces drama series for other private stations apart from RTM. "Some thought I was its exclusive artiste but no, I can still work at any television stations. They just have to get in touch with my management," said the actor to mStar. The 31-year-old also explained that his management does not prohibit him from working with any other productions. Hisyam, however, lays no blame on his management, even voicing his satisfaction with the management that has further improved his career. The actor is currently working with actress Erra Fazira in a new drama series, "Andartu Bidadariku". (Photo source: Media Hiburan) A Myanmar refugee couple was booked under the Juvenile act for putting chains on the feet of their son so that he does not run away from a madrasa in Jammu. By India Today Web Desk: A picture of a young boy chained in a madrasa in Jammu has been doing the rounds on the internet and prompted police to take action against his parents. The police booked the 11-year-old boy's parents, a Myanmar refugee couple, under the Juvenile act. The couple and Abdul Gafoor, head moulvi at the madrasa, were charged for putting chains on the feet of their son so that he does not run away from a madrasa in Bhatindi, reported PTI. advertisement They said that the boy had earlier ran from the madrasa and hence chains were put on his feet. "I have chained my son as we were fed up with his running away from home and madrasa frequently", the boy's mother said. Also watch: A local resident had taken a photograph of the chained boy and posted it on social media. The boy was taken to the local police post to get the chain removed and his parents were warned before the police handed over the boy to them. "The mother was carrying a chain. She put it on her son's feet and gave us the keys," the head moulvi said admitting that it was an inhuman act but was carried out because the boy had earlier run away from the madrasa and the teachers refused to take him back. The couple had come to India through Bangladesh and settled in Jammu three years ago. The madrasa where the boy was chained provides boarding and lodging facilities to 160 children of Myanmarese refugees. This is not the first time such an incident took place, a 10-year-old madrasa student was found chained in Nalgonda district of Telangana. He was tied with iron chains for trying to escape the madrasa. Also watch: --- ENDS --- It's safe to say Genki Kawamura is Japan's hottest producer. Responsible for a string of hits including Mamoru Hosoda's The Boy and the Beast, Japan's 2015 box-office king, and the current smash Your Name., a teen body-swapping drama that is on course to gross $200 million, Kawamura, 37, is on quite a hot streak. He also will have a major presence at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival, with Boy and the Beast and Your Name screening alongside his latest release, the murder mystery Rage starring Ken Watanabe, and the animated short Moom, based on one of his three children's books, directed by US-based Tonko House's Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi. As if that weren't enough, Kawamura is a successful author (he has written three novels). His 2012 debut novel, If Cats Disappeared From the World, has sold 1.3 million and was made into a film this year by the studio Toho, his employer, while a Chinese film based on his second novel Million Dollar Man is in the works. Kawamura spoke with THR about redefining the traditional role of the producer in Japan, why he loves "weak" characters and how his Midas touch also is a curse. What do you see as the major differences between the roles of producers in Japan and Hollywood? Producers in Hollywood are basically independent and contract with studios for projects, but in Japan we're nearly all studio employees, myself included. Directors mostly work independently in Japan, so their risk and sense of urgency are much greater, but realizing truly unique projects is a challenge in Japan for producers who are employees. One of the major issues is the way directors' and producers' roles are so clearly defined and separated in Japan. In America you have people like J.J. Abrams who direct, produce and write scripts, and it's not a problem. In Japan I'm thought of as strange because I do a variety of things. Read more: Tokyo: Festival to Honor Martin Scorsese and Horror Legend Kiyoshi Kurosawa But you do work on your own projects outside your studio I work on writing books and music projects etc. all independently. My novel If Cats Disappeared from the World has sold about 1.3 million copies. It's been published all over Asia, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Singapore, and is now scheduled to be released in France, Germany, Spain and Italy. When you wrote the novel were you thinking of it being made into a film? I wasn't thinking of that at all. Really? Seriously, I'll explain why. If you think of the title If Cat's Disappeared from the World, now try to imagine that in film - a town or world which cats had disappeared from - how would you shoot that? As I was writing a novel, I wanted to do a story that would be difficult to express in a film. Though it's often stories that seem like they wouldn't work on screen that turn out to be the most interesting films. Confessions (Kokuhaku) was like that, based on a novel with five main characters who just talk to themselves. [Produced by Kawamura in 2010, it was a box office and critical hit, winning a slew of awards and making the shortlist for the best foreign-language Oscar in 2011]. Nobody would have thought the novel Oil! would become There Will be Blood or that a conceptual story like No Country for Old Men could be made into such a good film. The films you have produced are so varied in genre and style. From your point of view, is there a common theme? People who don't lead happy, successful lives, who aren't heroic, that's maybe the common theme. Beginning with Train Man (2005) and carrying on with Confessions and Love Strikes! (Moteki, 2011), they were weak characters who don't become heroes but live intelligently. I guess I'm interested in the disappointing aspects of human nature. It really comes out when I'm writing novels. If Cats theme was how when people are facing death they really start to live. My second book Million Dollar Man was about people who are desperate to be rich, but as soon as they get money they become unhappy. Money is created by humans but ends up being stronger than them. My third book April Come She Will, from the title of the Simon and Garfunkel song, is coming out in November and is about love in a time when romance is disappearing from urban life. Those are the three main themes of my films too, because no matter how clever people are they can never really deal with those three; humans have been battling with those three since the time of Socrates and Plato and nobody has found the answer. Your Name. is a huge hit. Why do you think it has captivated audiences? As of today, 10 million people have seen it. No non-Miyazaki anime has [become a blockbuster], so it's like Hayao Miyazaki versus the world. He's such a giant in the field and has influenced everybody, but it was something completely different that caught the imagination. Makoto Shinkai, who animates by himself using digital technology and isn't attached to an anime studio, together with myself as a storyteller, introduced new ideas that made people want to go and watch it. THR: And do you still have the Midas touch? [In 2010, THR wrote that Kawamura had the Midas touch due to the string of hits he'd already produced] I don't think I do. People who have the Midas touch really know what they're doing to attract audiences - I'm always surprised when the films succeed. [Your Name. director] Makoto Shinkai's last anime only did $1.5 million, and we thought no matter how hard we tried we could only do a maximum of 10 times that, so the budget and marketing expenses for Your Name. were kept pretty low. We never imagined we could do 100 times that. You know in the original story of the Midas touch it was a curse? I know, In that sense, I suppose I may have the touch. People expect everything I do to become a huge hit. Read more: Oscars: 85 Foreign-Language Film Contenders Unveiled by Academy A version of this story first appeared in the Oct. 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. The previous version of this article contained a number of inaccuracies, including the title of Kawamura's second novel, the number of novels he had written and saying he wasn't interested in working on international projects. THR regrets these errors. * Sale key for Hanjin in efforts to pay off creditors * Potential bidder interest in the assets unclear * Container ships, data systems included in sale (Adds analyst comment, estimated ship values) By Joyce Lee and Keith Wallis SEOUL/SINGAPORE, Oct 18 (Reuters) - South Korea's Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd said on Tuesday it may submit a preliminary bid for Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd assets used in Asia-to-U.S. routes - a sale seen as key to Hanjin's prospects for paying off creditors. Hanjin, the first major shipping line to be dragged down by global industry overcapacity and low freight rates, put up manpower and logistics systems, five container ships and 10 overseas businesses, for sale last week. The extent of other bidding interest in the assets was unclear but shipping sources were doubtful that there would be a rush of buyers. "Container shipping is a service business and anybody acquiring it would be worried about potential legal suits as well despite the sale being ring-fenced," said Rahul Kapoor, director at Drewry Financial Research Services. "Why would one pay for a ghost network when the credibility of that network has been under threat," he said. Kapoor said the only assets with any value would be the 8-10 year old container ships which could be worth $15-18 million each. South Korean shipping sources also said that established shippers would be unlikely to show any interest in the manpower and logistics systems as they would have their own, although a newcomer to the industry might find them valuable. A Hyundai Merchant Marine spokesman said that while the firm was considering the bid it had not made a final decision. A bid by Hyundai Merchant Marine would be looked on favourably by the South Korean government if it helps Hyundai Merchant Marine expand market share or normalise its business, government sources have said. The court overseeing Hanjin Shipping's receivership said the five container ships up for sale each had a cargo capacity of about 6,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Story continues Container ships of that size are fit to serve routes between Asia and the Middle East and India, which are operated by shippers such as Hyundai Merchant Marine or Singapore's Pacific International Lines (PIL), the sources said. They declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to the media. PIL did not immediately respond to questions asking if it would be interested in buying the Hanjin ships and other assets. A Seoul-based ship broker said the vessel sales would be done by Hanjin's internal ship sales department rather than handled by independent ship brokers. None of Hanjin Shipping's interests in port terminals around the world are included in the sale at the moment. Hanjin, which filed for court receivership on Aug. 31 after its creditors cut off financial support for the firm, had total debt of 6.03 trillion won ($5.4 billion) as of end-June. (Reporting by Joyce Lee and Keith Wallis; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) International Business Machines Corp IBM reported third-quarter 2016 results wherein both non-GAAP earnings of $3.29 per share and revenues of $19.23 billion comfortably surpassed the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.21 and $19.01 billion. After declining for 17 consecutive quarters, revenues were almost flat on a year-over-year basis driven by strong growth from strategic imperatives and cloud. However, earnings declined 1.5% from the year-ago quarter due to a lower gross margin base and higher research & development expenditure. IBM has been moving away from its traditional businesses to newer (read lucrative) business avenues like cloud and data analytics. Though IBMs strategic imperatives are performing well, third-quarter results showed that these are not sufficient to compensate for the weakness in its traditional businesses yet. Segment Revenue Details Total software revenue increased 3% year over year to $5.7 billion. Cognitive Solutions (solutions software and transaction processing software) revenues grew 4.5% year over year to $4.24 billion. Software solutions registered growth of 8%, driven primarily by analytics (Watson platform, Big Data, Information Integration). Cloud was up an impressive 74%. Acquisitions continue to cushion growth. Revenues at the Global Business Services (includes consulting, global process services, application management) segment were $4.19 billion, roughly in line with the year-ago quarter. Segmental revenues pertaining to strategic imperatives were up 13%. Revenues at Technology Services and Cloud Platforms (includes infrastructure services, technical support services, integration software) grew 2.4% to $8.75 billion. Segmental revenues pertaining to strategic imperatives surged 45% driven by robust performance of hybrid cloud. Revenues at Systems (systems hardware and operating systems software) fell 21% on a year-over-year basis to $1.56 billion. Hardware revenues tanked 25%, while operating systems slumped 11%. Global Financing (includes financing and used equipment sales) revenues declined 7.8% to $412 million. Strategic Imperatives IBMs strategic imperatives (cloud, analytics, mobility and security) revenues surged 16% on a year-over-year basis to $8.3 billion in the quarter. Cloud revenues jumped 44% while Analytics revenues increased 15% during this period. Revenues from mobile and security increased about 19% and 11%, respectively. Per IBM, strategic imperatives now represent 40% of the company's top line and have delivered revenues of almost $32 billion over the last 12 months. IBM continues to expand its cloud footprint by announcing new cloud centers in South Korea and Norway during the quarter. The company now has 49 cloud centers. During the quarter, IBM entered into a partnership with Workday and an extended relationship with VMware VMW. Workday will now use IBM cloud for software development and testing purposes, while the extended relationship with VMware will enable easy hybrid cloud adoption. Expanding Watson Offerings IBM continues to expand its Watson offerings. During the quarter, the company introduced Watson Conversation Service and Watson Virtual Agent for Customer Service. The service has already been selected by the likes of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc RBS. INTL BUS MACH Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise INTL BUS MACH Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | INTL BUS MACH Quote Additionally, IBM launched Watson for Drug Discovery and Watson Health Core. The company also entered into a partnership with Siemens to help healthcare providers deliver value-based care to patients with chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer. IBM believes that the partnership with Siemens will accelerate adoption of Watsons Population Health Management offerings in the U.S. Further, the company noted that it has won customers in China, South Korea, Finland and the United Kingdom. IBM is focused on developing capabilities around th Blockchain technology. It is now working with almost 300 clients including the likes of CLS and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi. Moreover, the company announced a Blockchain innovation center in Singapore. (Read More: IBM to Focus on 'Fintech' with Blockchain Center in Singapore) Margins Non-GAAP gross margin contracted 200 basis points (bps) to 48% from the year-ago quarter. Pre-tax margin from continuing operations also contracted 160 bps on a year-over-year basis to 19.1%. Segment-wise, Cognitive Solutions gross and pre-tax margin contracted almost 400 bps and 280 bps, respectively. The year-over-year contraction reflected increased investment levels and expenditure related to SaaS ramp. Global Business Services gross and pre-tax margin contracted 90 bps and 270 bps respectively, mainly due to weakness in Consulting. Technology Services and Cloud Platforms gross and pre-tax margin contracted 20 bps and 70 bps, respectively. Per IBM, margin expansions in Infrastructure Services were fully offset by decline in Technical Support Services that impacted margins in the quarter. Systems gross and pre-tax margin contracted 480 bps and 270 bps, respectively, primarily due to weakness in Power and Storage, which entirely neutralized margin expansion in z systems. Balance Sheet & Cash Flow Details IBM ended third-quarter 2016 with $10 billion in total cash and marketable securities as compared with $10.6 billion at the end of second-quarter 2016. Total debt (including global financing) was $42.5 million, which declined from $44.5 billion at the end of last quarter. Core (excluding global financing) debt was $16.4 billion, which fell from $18 billion. IBM reported cash flow from operations (excluding Global Financing receivables) of $3.3 billion and generated free cash flow of $2.4 billion in the quarter. The figures were better than cash flow and free cash flow of $3.1 billion and $2.1 billion generated in the previous quarter, respectively. In the quarter, IBM returned $2.2 billion to shareholders $1.3 billion as dividends and $0.9 billion through share repurchases. The company has $3 billion left for share repurchase. Guidance For full-year 2016, IBM continues to project non-GAAP earnings to be at least $13.50. Further, the company continues to anticipate generating free cash flow at the high end of the earlier expected range of $11 billion to $12 billion. Our Take IBM is having a tough time, given the ongoing and heavily time-consuming business model transition to cloud. Further, sluggish IT spending particularly on on-premise and data center hardware and foreign exchange volatility remain concerns. Moreover, intensifying competition in the cloud is a major headwind. Nevertheless, IBM's strategic growth initiatives, including its Big Data & business analytics, cloud computing, mobile and social business are expected to drive growth. In addition, the companys policy of making strategic acquisitions will lead to incremental revenues, strengthening its technology leadership and resulting in a more favorable mix of business. The acquisitions have also increased its scale of operations globally. This year, IBM has made 12 acquisitions so far, worth over $5 billion. Strong cash flow generation is also expected to provide the financial flexibility required for strategic investments in a changing business environment. Zacks Rank & a Key Pick IBM has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Amazon.com AMZN, with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) is a better-ranking stock in this sector. The companys domination in the cloud computing market is a major headwind for IBM. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report INTL BUS MACH (IBM): Free Stock Analysis Report ROYAL BK SC-ADR (RBS): Free Stock Analysis Report VMWARE INC-A (VMW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Ah yes, IKEA: the Swedish furniture giant known for its warehouses full of inexpensive furniture, Swedish meatballs, andserial-dating Chinese seniors? In recent years, IKEA cafeterias in China have mysteriously transformed into a popular destination for elderly Chinese to gather and spend time with one another, often for hours at a time. Managers at the IKEA location in Shanghai complain that many visitors do not even make purchases before settling themselves down in the canteen to socialize with strangers who are there for the same reason. Now, IKEA has had enough. The Shanghai cafeteria has announced that anyone who isnt eating iss not allowed to sit in the cafeteria, and accused the senior citizens of belonging to illegal blind-dating groups and participating in uncivilized behavior. Other customers have complained that the large groups of elderly daters have at times spit in the store, and are prone to arguing with one another. The situation has adversely affected the dining experience and security of most of our customers, read a sign put up at the Shanghai location. It is having a negative implication for our canteens operation. From today, the restaurant will only be for people who purchase their food first. The new rule isnt sitting so well with the elderly who relied on the space in IKEA as a meeting place. Weve been to fast food outlets like McDonalds, but there are barely any peers there, one man identified as Qiu, 86, told Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times. We feel like aliens surrounded by youngsters. If there is another place in Shanghai where elderly people can gather, we are more than ready to pay twice as much and travel further. But maybe IKEA only has itself to blame. Most of the elderly who visit the store looking for love are family membership cardholders, a credential that earns them a free cup of coffee in the cafeteria where theyre no longer welcome to sit. Photo credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Imagesd For the marginalized Pygmy population in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, collecting and eating caterpillars isnt a boutique crop or delicacy its a source of life. Harvested in the forest, Pygmies will often cook and eat caterpillars there, or bring them to market towns to sell for a reasonably high price. But this weekend, the same caterpillars that help Pygmies survive in isolated forests proved themselves deadly: At least 20 people were killed in fighting after members of the larger Bantu population tried to impose an illegal tax on the insects. By the time all was said and done, four Bantu and 16 Pygmies were dead. Pygmies from across the country, who are often easily identifiable by their smaller stature, have complained that both the Congolese government and neighbors who do not belong to the ethnic group have marginalized, embezzled, and targeted them in attempts to steal their natural resources. Deforestation has displaced many Pygmies, some of whom have been forced to relocate to makeshift camps outside of official camps for those displaced by violence in Congos volatile eastern region. In the Tanganyika region where this weekends violence took place, a priest anonymously told Agence France-Presse that the Pygmies believe they now have the same rights as citizens as the others. They refused to pay this illegal tax and shot two Luba people dead with arrows when they demanded payment, he said. This is the second time in recent years that violence between the two communities has escalated into significant killing sprees. In 2013, after a Bantu man took a Pygmy woman as his mistress, the opposing ethnic groups attacked each other in a series of revenge killings. And over the next two years, some 200 people were killed and thousands displaced as the two communities continued to clash in part over demands from Pygmies that they be treated more fairly after reports the Bantu were exploiting them for cheap labor. Photo credit: Junior D. Kannah/AFP/Getty Images This illustrators vibrant portraits of badass fashionista women have us feeling EMPOWERED Were always looking for more ways to add color to our Instagram feed. In fact, one of our favorite things to do is browse new accounts in the name of finding illustrators on Instagram who represent all shades of the rainbow. To put it simply: Were all about following visually satisfying accounts that will make our feed that much more special. Norwegian freelance illustrator Natalie Foss definitely fits the bill, by making some seriously amazing work that we cant stop gawking at. We first found out about Fosss work on Instagram (of course), but shes got even more amazing work on her website. She remembers first getting interested in art while at the Strykejernet School of Art in Oslo. Retro Drops Foss told HelloGiggles in an email: Ive loved drawing since I was a tiny kid, but Id never heard of illustration until I started at Strykejernet. I decided to give it a try, and Ive learned a lot since then! Foss actually creates most of her wondrous work with colored pencils which is awesome considering all the detail that goes into each piece. I love the texture you get from the colored pencils, and how you can draw from very light to very compact, Foss told us. I feel I have control of the pencils, which I dont feel with other types of medium, like for example watercolor or other fluid mediums. I would love to try out other mediums, too, and to not be so scared of not having control but for now pencils are what I feel most comfortable with. Wild Walk Her work not only makes for great art, its also giving us tons of unique fashion inspo. Were obsessed with the patterns that Foss uses in a lot of her work. The artist revealed, Fashion is not necessarily an important area of my work, but I really enjoy drawing fashion illustration, and would love to make it an even bigger part of my repertoire! Im not a fashionista or fashion expert myself, but Ive always had a passion for clothes and styles, and its definitely a big source of inspiration. We could honestly stare at Fosss work all day. Shes also got an awesome shop over at Society6, in case youd love to own one of her pieces as a print (or an amazing pillow). Were definitely feeling a little more inspired to explore different patterns and maybe even dye our hair a different color. The post This illustrators vibrant portraits of badass fashionista women have us feeling EMPOWERED appeared first on HelloGiggles. Karnataka government has been ordered to release 2000 cusecs of water from Cauvery to Tamil Nadu everyday until next order is issued. By Rohini Swamy: Asking the two warring states to maintain peace and harmony, the Supreme Court today ordered Karnataka to release 2000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu every day till further order. 'SENSE OF CITIZENRY MUST PREVAIL' The apex court bench of Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Amitava Roy and Justice AM Khanwilkar said a "sense of citizenry" must prevail in the two states. "The morality of respect should exist among their people," the bench said. advertisement The Supreme Court, by its October 4 order, had asked Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu every day for 12 days from October 7 to 18, and asked the Cauvery Supervisory Committee to visit the Cauvery basin area of the two states for an assessment of the ground situation and report back to it by October 17. READ| Tamil Nadu's farmers, parties protest for Cauvery board, stop trains REPORT ON GROUND SITUATION SUBMITTED TO SC On Monday, the Cauvery Supervisory Committee (CSC), which visited the Cauvery basin area of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for assessing the ground situation, submitted its report to the Supreme Court. READ| Cauvery row: Committee submits report, says farmers suffering in both states The committee, however, did not make any recommendations with regard to the quantum of water to be released to Tamil Nadu by Karnataka. Meanwhile, the Rail Roko agitation called by the agitating farmers and opposition parties in Tamil Nadu continued for a second day today, disrupting normal life at many places. READ|Tamil Nadu: Opposition parties' rail roko protest to press for Cauvery Board enters 2nd day READ| Cauvery water dispute: Karnataka's U-turn after inflow in reservoirs increased --- ENDS --- By Allison Lampert MONTREAL (Reuters) - Imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, whose public flogging in the kingdom last year generated a global outcry, now risks a new round of lashes, a co-founder of a Canadian foundation advocating his release said on Tuesday. Evelyne Abitbol, who founded the Raif Badawi Foundation with Badawi's wife, said a "reliable source" in Saudi Arabia claims he faces a new flogging after being sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 1,000 lashes in 2014 for breaking the kingdom's technology laws and insulting Islam. Saudi embassy officials in Ottawa and Saudi government officials in Riyadh were not immediately available for comment. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the source's claims. Abitbol declined to name the source but said it was the same person who had alerted Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haidar, in 2015 before he received his first 50 lashes, the only part of the flogging that was reportedly administered. The source did not indicate when the flogging would take place. "Unfortunately, it could happen at any time, if it happens," Abitbol said by phone in Montreal. Abitbol said that Haidar has asked countries with ties to Saudi Arabia, including the Canadian government, to intervene on the blogger's behalf. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said in Ottawa that his department is trying to confirm whether the claims are true and has urged the Saudi government to allow Badawi to join his family in Canada. "We are trying to have the most accurate information possible, because if this information is true, it would be shameful," Dion told reporters on Tuesday. "Canada completely condemns this type of lashing." Haidar, who was in Germany to present a journalism award on Wednesday in her husband's name, could not be reached for comment. She was granted asylum in Canada, where she lives with the couple's three children in the province of Quebec. Abitbol, the foundation's director, wants Saudi Arabia to withdraw the flogging punishment, strip Badawi of his Saudi citizenship and let him leave the country for Canada. Last December, the European Parliament gave Badawi the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. (Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal. additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa; editing by Steve Orlofsky and Jonathan Oatis) Ivanka Trump (Photo: Yana Paskova/Getty Images) Ivanka Trump, a top figure in Donald Trumps campaign, finally addressed the lewd-tape scandal that kicked off the wave of controversy engulfing her fathers campaign. In a statement to Fast Company published Monday night, the businesswoman called her fathers comments which included boasts of groping and forcibly kissing women clearly inappropriate and offensive. Im glad that he acknowledged this fact with an immediate apology to my family and the American people, she said. Ivanka Trump had been relatively silent since earlier this month, when the Washington Post published a 2005 video tape of her father making shockingly vulgar comments on Access Hollywood. Though Trump denied ever actually groping women, an increasing number of women have since spoken out with allegations of sexual misconduct, including assault, against the GOP nominee. Ivanka Trumps statement came as a last-minute addition to a Fast Company feature on the Republican presidential nominees daughter, who is executive vice president of development and acquisitions at the Trump Organization and runs her own clothing company. The feature addressed how shes managed to weather the surreal experience of her fathers presidential campaign. I mean, its been a year and a half of enormous scrutiny, of my family, every business, every movement, action, she told the magazine. I think that, you know, that sort of comes with the territory. And I think Ive probably learned a lot through it and Ive probably grown a bit tougher in terms of my resilience toward what is thrown our way because, you know, Ive read some very negative stuff. The 34-year-old former model, who helped her father craft his maternity-leave policy, also dismissed the idea that she would serve in his administration. I dont intend to be part of the government, she told Fast Company, insisting that her role in Trumps campaign is simply that of a daughter and an executive who has worked alongside him. Story continues Donald Trump greets his daughter Ivanka as he arrives to speak during the final session at the Republican National Convention. (Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters) Asked how shes able to withstand some of the more disturbing controversies surrounding her father in recent months such as the allegation that he once sexually assaulted a 13-year-old she replied: The greatest comfort I have is the fact that I know my father. Most of the people who write about him dont. I do. That, she continued, gives me an ability to shrug off the things that I read about him that are wrong. Ivanka Trump also made clear during the interview that she wants nothing to do with white nationalists and other members of the far-right fringe whove rallied around Trumps campaign, and insisted that her father feels the same way. I categorically reject any people within a community that espouses hatred toward anyone, and my father does and has as well, so this is not support that I would be comfortable with, she said. And I couldnt be comfortable with my father as president of this country if I thought that he could be comfortable with that type of support, and I know that he is not, thats why hes denounced it. Despite her best efforts to keep business and politics separate, both Ivanka Trump the person and the brand have been the subjects of backlash thanks to Trumps unconventional and controversy-filled campaign. Glossier CEO Emily Weiss, for example, recently expressed regret for participating in an interview featured on IvankaTrump.com, and many Twitter users have called for a boycott of Ivankas products. According to Fast Company, however, major retail partners, including Bloomingdales, Zappos, Amazon, Dillards, Nieman Marcus, Macys, Lord & Taylor, and Nordstrom show no signs of discontinuing their affiliation with her brand. Writer Anjali Mullany concluded that one thing thats become clear is that the Ivanka Trump collection has benefited from all the attention. Read the full Fast Company profile of Trumps eldest daughter >> By Jatindra Dash BHUBANESHWAR, India (Reuters) - At least 19 people were killed when a fire broke out at a private hospital in India's eastern state of Odisha on Monday, officials said. The fire erupted in the dialysis ward of the SUM hospital's critical-care unit in the state capital, Bhubaneswar, public health officials said. Preliminary information showed the fire started after an electrical short-circuit, media said. Many of the 19 dead were elderly people who had suffocated to death, C. R. Nayak, the state's director of health services, told Reuters. Ambulances took more than 120 patients to other hospitals, officials said, while firemen battled to control the flames. Some of the wounded patients were still in critical condition. "We are trying our best to save lives," said Arti Ahuja, an official of the state's health and family welfare department. The tragedy was "mind-numbing", said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who urged the federal health minister to hasten the transfer of injured victims to a nearby government hospital, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. "Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the hospital fire," Modi said on social network Twitter. (Writing by Aditya Kalra; Additional reporting by Tommy Wilkes; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) NEW DELHI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Finance ministry and state finance ministry officials gathered in New Delhi on Tuesday for a three-day meeting that will seek to finalise the main rate of the Goods and Services Tax and pave the way for its introduction next April. The long-delayed tax, which would transform Asia's third-largest economy into a single market for the first time, should boost revenues through better compliance while making life simpler for businesses that now pay a host of federal and state levies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wants to make doing business easier in India, has said India needed the tax reform to end widespread evasion by businesses and prevent officials from waging arbitrary tax "terrorism". Last month the GST Council, a decision making body that comprises federal and state finance ministers, resolved key issues on how the sales tax would work and approved draft rules for its collection. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley expects to get parliamentary approval for bills next month that would set the rate and scope of the GST. The states would also have to approve similar bills in their assemblies. The GST would do away with levies charged when goods cross state lines, a boon for manufacturers and shippers, and shares in logistics companies including Gati Ltd, VRL Logistics and Allcargo Logistics Ltd gained by between 3 and 4.6 percent before the meeting. The finance ministry has proposed four tax slabs, with the highest at 26 percent for about 20-25 percent of taxable items. Other slabs included 12 percent for food and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and 6 percent for precious metals like gold and for essential items. If the states agree to its proposal, the standard rate could be set around 18 percent, said a government source with the direct knowledge of talks. Withdrawing various exemptions in the next budget could help reduce the GST rate later. A panel headed by Arvind Subramanian, chief economic adviser to the finance ministry, had proposed a "sin tax" rate of 40 percent for GST on limited items such as aerated drinks, luxury cars and tobacco products. (Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Simon Cameron-Moore) Archeologists excavatingthe tomb of China's first emperor,Qin Shi Huang,recentlyunearthedartifacts that suggestwesterners have been traveling to Asia since the third century B.C. The findings, identifiable as western viagenetic traces andart techniques, make Marco Polo's 13th-century adventures look far less groundbreaking. Because Polos expedition was so well documented (he even co-authored a book about his 24-year-long journey) we often salute him as one of the first voyagers tojourneys acrossMongolia and China. But archeologists are now suggestingcontact between the East and the West may have been established some 1,500 years beforePolo set sail. As the BBC reported, Chinese historians recorded visits from delegateslikely from the Roman Empireduring the second and third centuries. And archeologists suggest ancient Greeks (think: the third century B.C.) may have inspired, and even assisted, artisanswith the creation of the Terracotta Army buried with the First Emperor of China. If artistic flourishes and observations arent convincing, consider instead the genetic findings. A separate study has isolated European mitochondrial DNA samples from archeological sites in the Xinjiang Province. A BBC Two Documentary, The Greatest Tomb on Earth: Secrets of Ancient China, will debut on Sunday, and explore these newfound discoveries, among others. Related Articles KINSHASA (Reuters) - More than a dozen people have died since the weekend in fighting in southeastern Congo between Bantus and Pygmies, local activists said on Tuesday, in the latest escalation in a bloody three-year ethnic conflict. The Luba, a Bantu ethnic group, and the Twa, a Pygmy people who inhabit the Great Lakes region, have been in conflict since May 2013 in Democratic Republic of Congo's Katanga region, known for its rich deposits of copper and other metals. The violence, which has killed hundreds of civilians, has been fueled by social tensions between Bantu villagers and the Twa, a hunting and gathering people who have long been denied access to land and basic services. David Ngoy Luhaka, a local priest and member of the Diocesan Commission for Justice and Peace, told Reuters that at least 16 people had been killed in fighting since Sunday and many houses were burned near the town of Kabalo, about 1,000 kilometers northwest of Congo's mining hub of Lubumbashi. Ngoy said it was unclear what sparked this round of violence in the remote area. Rogatien Kitenge, an advocate for Pygmy rights in the provincial capital of Kalemie, said he had received reports of between 13 and 16 people killed in tit-for-tat attacks between the two groups. The provincial governor could not immediately be reached for comment. Experts say security and humanitarian needs in Congo's southeast have largely been neglected as foreign donors and U.N. troops focus on the eastern Kivu provinces and Ituri province further north, which have been ravaged by two decades of deadly conflict. Heightened political tensions over the delay of a presidential election from next month to April 2018, amid accusations that President Joseph Kabila is trying to cling to power, have also raised fears of an upsurge in localized conflicts over ethnicity and control of natural resources. (Fixes name in sixth paragraph.) (Reporting by Aaron Ross; Additional reporting by Kenny Katombe; Editing by Tom Heneghan) Melania Trump insists Billy Bush egged her husband on into bragging about committing sexual assault. As one does. https://t.co/eFr3irNNoz Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) October 17, 2016 Melania Trump sat down with CNN for an interview that will air on Monday evening. During the course of her discussion with Anderson Cooper, she appeared to suggest that Billy Bush was (at least) partially to blame for Donald Trumps extremely lewd statements on a hot mic during a 2005 Access Hollywood episode. For sure, Bush can be heard whooping and hollering as the conversation progresses, but the real estate mogul gamely began the discussion. No one made Trump brag about actions that constitute sexual assault, especially the grab them by the p*ssy line. Yet Melania told Cooper that shed forgiven her husband because this is not the man that I know. She claimed he and Bush were participating in boy talk, and he was led on like, egged on from the host to say dirty and bad stuff. Egged on? Well, social media went nuts as expected. In fact, people think this is a fine excuse for any number of actions. Lets begin. Did Billy Bush cause Chris Christies Bridgegate and his fancy dancing? Chris Christie: Oh yh I understand Billy Bush made me close a bridge once too! #BillyBushMadeMeDoIt pic.twitter.com/RT8Ix3z0ef Super Saiyan Rose (@CoolsomeXD) October 17, 2016 Wait a second. Perhaps Melania was actually shading Trump by calling him too weak to withstand Billy Bushs wily temptations? Blaming Billy Bush for Trump's words implies that Trump is weak which means Melania might have just thrown the most savage shade of all time Erin Gloria Ryan (@morninggloria) October 17, 2016 Because if Trump cant stand up to Billy Bush, what about Russia? Story continues Can't stand up to Billy Bush but can TOTALLY handle Vladamir Putin#BillyBushMadeMeDoIt pic.twitter.com/v4jxlRbtWx Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) October 17, 2016 The Internet poured out a plethora of suggestions for what Billy Bush made them do. Not all of them are in good taste, but is this election over yet? COP: So, why'd you rob the bank? BANK ROBBER: Billy Bush made me do it COP: Ah, really? You're free to go Colin Jones (@colinjones) October 17, 2016 The face of a man who will make you talk about doing sex pic.twitter.com/5pFmcHMBKd Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) October 17, 2016 "I dont think we should break into the Watergate" Billy Bush: " DO IT"#BillyBushMadeMeDoIt Oliver Willis (@owillis) October 17, 2016 Melania Trump is blaming Billy Bush for egging Donald on to make his disgusting comments about women. In related news, OH MY GOD!!!! andy lassner (@andylassner) October 17, 2016 Billy Bush once made me try a marijuana cigarette. Daniel Foster (@DanFosterType) October 17, 2016 #BillyBushMadeMe Oh sure and if Billy Bush told you to release your taxes, I supposed you'd jump off a bridge! MrBlifil (@MrBlifil) October 17, 2016 "Billy Bush made me become Darth Vader. My name is Annie." #BillyBushMadeMeDoIt pic.twitter.com/pEsdsrvlLL Diane N. Sevenay (@Diane_7A) October 17, 2016 Trump didn't mean to say he groped women. He's a weak-willed man w/no self-confidence who was enthralled by the powerful svengali Billy Bush The Discourse Lover (@Trillburne) October 17, 2016 BILLY BUSH RIGGED ME INTO BRAGGING ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT. a grown man LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) October 17, 2016 Of course, theres the occasional sobering reply like this one in the mix because folks are still understandably horrified by this entire scandal. I have grabbed your body w/o your consent Its like a magnet I just start kissing Forgive me I didnt mean to Billy Bush made me do it Greg Greene (@ggreeneva) October 17, 2016 department of homeland security hackers cyber attack It's been touted as a technological revolution that will make things easier by connecting everything from your fridge to your toaster online. But there's a darker side to the so-called Internet of Things: A massive army of infected IoT devices is one of the most effective ways to launch massive cyberattacks. "Theres so much enthusiasm for connected devices," Ted Harrington, Executive Partner at Independent Security Evaluators, told Business Insider. But unfortunately, according to Harrington, "bad security practices are still the norm in IoT." Such practices vary, from coding passwords directly into device software or using no encryption, but the result is often the same: A device that can be hacked much easier. That fundamental lack of basic security was on full display last month when a "record" distributed denial-of-service attack was carried out against the website of journalist Brian Krebs, which took his site offline for days. While the massive influx of traffic resulted in Krebs' host kicking him off its servers, it seemed to be just the beginning of a new wave of IoT-led attacks. This is not isolated to a specific type of manufacturer or specific type of product but rather, all these connected devices are showing issues," Harrington, who helps run a security research village for IoT devices at the Def Con hacking conference, said. 'It's a challenge for civilization' The attack on Krebs was carried out by a botnet of infected IoT devices. Put simply, this network of infected devices is made a slave to an attacker, who uses software to find connected devices with weak security. And it's not a closely-guarded secret as to how the botnet is assembled: Just a week after Krebs' site was taken offline, the source code for the software that did it, Mirai, was released online which means we can expect many others to use and improve upon the malicious code. "Botnets can use these default credentials to harvest hundreds or thousands of bots to focus on a target in a DDoS attack," Lamar Bailey, Senior Director of Security Research and Development at TripWire, told Business Insider. "The attacks are more successful because they come from a larger area and this makes them harder to mitigate." Story continues A large portion of the devices that were used in recent cyberattacks were cameras and digital video recorders made by a Chinese manufacturer, The Wall Street Journal reported. Others included routers and satellite antennas. "If we want to put networked technologies into more and more things, we also have to find a way to make them safer," Michael Walker, a program manager at DARPA, told The New York Times. "Its a challenge for civilization." Right now, civilization seems to be on the losing side, as researchers with Akamai say as many as two million devices have been taken over by hackers. And since most devices are designed to be left alone after setup, it's almost impossible for an average user to know their device has been compromised. The scope of attack surface is expanding," Harrington said, using a term for the different points where a hacker can gain access. "And not just attack surface, but the scope of vulnerable attack surface is expanding exponentially. NOW WATCH: An exercise scientist reveals how to get six-pack abs More From Business Insider Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu are holding the rail roko protest for the second consecutive day today demanding constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Board. By Pramod Madhav: Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu are holding a rail roko protest for the second consecutive day today demanding constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Board. Yesterday, Chennai came to a standstill as major Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu held the protest demanding constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Board by the Centre. Although the rail roko agitation was planned and conducted across the state, Chennai was hit particularly by the protest. advertisement 3 RAILWAY STATIONS CAME TO A HALT Railway stations like Perambur, Chennai Central and Saidaipet, which witness large crowds usually, came to a total halt due to the protest. Also read: Tamil Nadu's farmers, parties protest for Cauvery board, stop trains DMK cadres, in thousands of numbers, flocked to the Perambur railway station blocking the entire zone. Busy roads across the station were paralysed subjecting Monday morning commuters to extreme inconvenience. DMK cadres were led by MK Stalin, who reached the spot around 9.15 am. Around 10.30, Stalin tried to break-in through the barricades with his followers and forcibly enter the station. His partymen jumped over the compound walls to protect him. COPS FAIL TO CONTROL CROWD Although a large number of policemen were deployed, they were unable to control the crowd, which numbered in thousands. Commuters, who wanted to board the train, were stranded for nearly two hours until Stalin was arrested. Also read: Cauvery row: Committee submits report, says farmers suffering in both states Central Railway Station, also faced the ire of the protestors as Vaiko led cadres of the 'People's Welfare Front' to the spot. The PWF cadres tried to block the 'Mangalore Express'. He said, "The Centre backed off from the promise of constituting the Cauvery water Management board. This is not fair. Tamil Nadu farmers are suffering here". POLITICAL AGENDA BEHIND CENTRE'S MOVE: VAIKO Vaiko added that he could see a political agenda behind the Centre's decision and that the technical high committee team that visited the Cauvery basin couldn't be expected to make any difference to the situation. "The only way to resolve the issue would be by constituting the Cauvery Water Management Board," he added. The protests were seen as a crucial move of showing strength as AIADMK Chief Jayalalithaa was admitted to the hospital and was not in a condition to take any action. The opposition leaders claimed that the move was to produce pressure on the Centre to come out with the date when the Cauvery Water Management Board would submit its report to the Supreme Court. --- ENDS --- advertisement SANTA CLARA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 18, 2016 / Sify Technologies Limited (SIFY) will host a conference call and live webcast to discuss the results of the second quarter 2016, to be held Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at 8:30 AM Eastern Time. Live Event Information To participate, connect approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the event. Date, Time: October 19, 2016 at 8:30 AM ET Toll Free: 877-407-8031 International: 201-689-8031 Live Webcast: www.investorcalendar.com/IC/CEPage.asp?ID=175329 OR www.sifycorp.com Replay Information The replay will be available beginning approximately 2 hours after the completion of the live event, ending at midnight eastern on October 26, 2016. Toll Free: 877-660-6853 International: 201-612-7415 Replay ID#: 13646652 Webcast: www.investorcalendar.com or www.sifycorp.com About Sify Technologies Sify is among the largest integrated ICT Solutions and Services companies in India, offering end-to-end solutions with a comprehensive range of products delivered over a common telecom data network infrastructure reaching more than 1300 cities and towns in India. This telecom network today connects 38 Data Centers across India including Sify's 6 Tier III Data Centers across the cities of Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. A significant part of the company's revenue is derived from Enterprise Services, comprising of Telecom services, Data Centre services, Cloud and Managed services, Applications Integration services and Technology Integration services. Sify also provides services that cater to the burgeoning demands of the SMB community, much of it on its Cloud services platform. Sify has a unified licence to operate NLD (National Long Distance), ILD (International Long Distance) services and ISP services and offers VoIP backhaul for international carriers. With the Sify Cable landing station and partnerships with submarine cable companies globally, Sify is present in almost all the spheres of the ICT eco system. Story continues Sify has an expanding base of Managed Services customers, both in India and overseas, and is India's first enterprise managed services provider to launch a Security Operations Center (SOC) to deliver managed security services. The software team develops applications and offers services to improve business efficiencies of its current and prospective client bases. Sify also offers services in the specialized domains of eLearning, both in India and globally. For more information about Sify, visit www.sifycorp.com. SOURCE: Investor Calendar Tehran (AFP) - An Iranian-American businessman, his 80-year-old father and four others have each been given 10 years in prison for espionage, Tehran's prosecutor said Tuesday. "Baquer and Siamak Namazi, Farhad Abd-Saleh, Kamran Ghaderi, Nezar Zaka and Alireza Omidvar have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage and collaboration with the American government," said prosecutor-general Abbas Jafari Dolat-Abadi, according to the Fars news agency. Siamak Namazi, a well-connected business consultant who has supported reformist politicians in Iran, was arrested as he arrived in Tehran a year ago. His father, Baquer, was detained in February when he came to Iran to seek his son's release. He is a former UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) employee and served as a governor of the Iranian province of Khuzestan before the Islamic revolution of 1979. UNICEF issued a statement last month saying it was "deeply concerned about his health and well-being". Zaka is a Lebanese-American who was arrested in November 2015 and accused on state television of "numerous deep links to the US military intelligence community". The hardline Kayhan newspaper has described Omidvar as an "associate" of Namazi. - Hardliners criticise Namazis - Conservative media have criticised Siamak Namazi's links to the National Iranian American Council, a Washington-based NGO created by Iranian nationals aimed at boosting ties between the two countries. At the time of his arrest last year, he was working for Crescent Petroleum, an energy firm based in the United Arab Emirates, which is involved in an ongoing legal dispute with Iran over a failed gas deal, and is seeking billions of dollars in compensation. Video footage of Namazi's arrest was published by Mizan, which is linked to the judiciary, earlier this week. It was presented with dramatic music alongside images of his US passport and shots of Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian who spent two years in prison on espionage charges. Story continues Mizan published a long article in February, criticising the Namazi family's efforts to "influence internal events in Iran" through its financial contributions to NGOs. It also criticised their role in promoting ties between Iranian and Western businesses during the rule of reformist president Mohammad Khatami. Rezaian was released in January at the same time as a nuclear accord with world powers came into force, lifting sanctions on Iran. Washington helped to airlift $400 million worth of Swiss francs and euros to Iran shortly afterwards -- part of the money owed by the US because it cancelled defence sales at the time of the revolution. The White House has denied accusations from hardline critics that this amounted to a hostage ransom for Rezaian and four others released at the same time. An Iraqi soldier was reunited with his family on the front lines of the battle to retake Mosul on Tuesday, October 18, as they fled the Islamic State-stronghold, according to footage released by Kurdish news outlet Rudaw. They had not seen each other in two years since IS seized control of the city. The first group of civilians fleeing Mosul reached safety in al-Hud village on Tuesday, Rudaw reported. The United Nations has warned of an impending humanitarian crisis as Iraq launches a campaign to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State. The UN Refugee Agency said it had stepped up efforts to assist hundreds of thousands of people displaced from Iraqs second-largest city. Speaking in Baghdad on Monday, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi sought assurances from the Iraqi government that civilian protection would be part of the military strategy for retaking Mosul. The organization has warned that the offensive could force an additional one million people to flee. Some 3.3 million Iraqis have fled their homes in the last two and a half years, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Credit: Facebook/Rudaw By Ahmed Rasheed and Michael Georgy BAGHDAD/ERBIL (Reuters) - Residents of Mosul said Islamic State was using civilians as human shields as Iraqi and Kurdish forces captured outlying villages in their advance on the jihadists' stronghold. The leader of Islamic State was reported to be among thousands of hardline militants still in the city, suggesting the group would go to great lengths to repel the coalition. With attacking forces still between 20 and 50 km (12-30 miles) away, residents reached by telephone said more than 100 families had started moving from southern and eastern suburbs most exposed to the offensive to more central parts of the city. Islamic State militants were preventing people fleeing Mosul, they said, and one said they directed some towards buildings they had recently used themselves. Its quite clear Daesh (Islamic State) has started to use civilians as human shields by allowing families to stay in buildings likely to be targeted by air strikes," said Abu Mahir, who lives near the city's university. Like other residents contacted in the city, he refused to give his full name, but Abdul Rahman Waggaa, a member of the exiled Provincial Council of Nineveh of which Mosul is the capital, corroborated his account to Reuters. The fall of Mosul would signal the defeat of the ultra-hardline Sunni jihadists in Iraq but could also lead to land grabs and sectarian bloodletting between groups which fought one another after the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters that it was known that civilians were being used as human shields. "This has been going on for several weeks where we've seen civilians being forcibly detained and their movements being prevented where they can't get out of Mosul. They are being held there against their will," he told reporters. Davis described the operation to retake Mosul as "an ugly fight", adding: "But I will tell you we've seen very good progress. It's day one, don't get your hopes up, it's going to be a while." Around 1.5 million people still live in Mosul and the International Organization for Migration said Islamic State may use tens of thousands of residents as human shields to hold onto their last city stronghold in Iraq. The IOM said there was a likelihood of chemical attacks by the jihadists, who had used such weapons previously against Iraqi Kurdish forces. DIFFICULT FIGHT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said safe routes had been secured for civilians who wanted to leave Mosul and it was the duty of the U.S.-led coalition to prevent Islamic State fighters from escaping into nearby Syria. The Syrian army, meanwhile, accused the coalition of planning to allow Islamic State militants to flee across the border. U.S. President Barack Obama said it would be a difficult fight but Islamic State "will be defeated in Mosul". Obama is hoping to bolster his legacy by seizing back as much territory as he can from Islamic State before he leaves office in January. The Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces from autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan began moving towards the city at dawn on Monday under air cover from a U.S.-led coalition set up after Islamic State swept into Iraq from Syria in 2014. Hoshiyar Zebari, a senior Kurdish official, said initial operations succeeded due to close cooperation between the Iraqi government and Kurdish peshmerga fighters, allowing them to clear Islamic State from 9 or 10 villages east of Mosul. Daesh is disoriented they dont know whether to expect attacks from the east or west or north, he told Reuters. On Tuesday attacking forces entered another phase, Zebari said. It wont be a spectacular attack on Mosul itself. It will be very cautious. It is a high-risk operation for everybody. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and explosives expert Fawzi Ali Nouimeh were both in the city, according to what Zebari described as "solid" intelligence reports. A total of 20 villages were taken from the militants east, south and southeast of Mosul by early Tuesday, according to statements from the two forces, fighting alongside one another for the first time. SUICIDE BOMBS Islamic State said on Monday its fighters had targeted the attacking forces with 10 suicide bombs and that their foes had surrounded five villages but not taken them. None of the reports could be independently verified. Abadi announced the offensive on Monday around two years after Iraq's second-largest city fell to the militants, who exploited the civil war that broke out in Syria in 2011 to seize territory there. The operation had been planned since July with U.S. and other coalition forces and Western and Iraqi officials, mindful of the civil war that followed Saddam's fall, say plans for administering the mainly Sunni city and accommodating those who flee the fighting are in place. The United Nations has said up to a million people could flee the city and that it expected the first big wave in five or six days, indicating fighting would reach the city then. But some residents said Islamic State was making sure people did not leave. One, who gave his name as Anwar, said he fled the Sumer district near Mosul airport, fearing ground forces and aerial bombing. "I told Daesh fighters at a checkpoint 'Im going to stay at my sisters house'," he said. "A Daesh fighter made calls through his radio to make sure I was not lying and only after the voice on the other side said: 'Let him go', did I let myself breathe." Fighting is expected to take weeks, if not months, as 30,000 government forces, Sunni tribal fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga first encircle the city then attempt to oust between 4,000 and 8,000 Islamic State militants. More than 5,000 U.S. soldiers are also deployed in support missions, as are troops from France, Britain, Canada and other Western nations. The Iraqi army is attacking Mosul on the southern and southeastern fronts, while the Peshmerga carried out their operation to the east and are also deployed north and northwest. The Kurdish forces said they secured "a significant stretch" of the 80 km (50 mile) road between Erbil, their capital, and Mosul, about an hour's drive to the west. Coalition warplanes attacked 17 Islamic State positions in support of the Peshmerga operation in the heavily mined area, the Kurdish statement said, adding that at least four car bombs were destroyed. There was no indication of the number of military or civilian casualties in the Iraqi or Kurdish statements. France said it would co-host a multilateral meeting with Iraq on Oct. 20 to discuss how to stabilize Mosul and its surroundings once Islamic State has been defeated. Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the militants were likely to retreat to their Syrian bastion Raqqa, so it was vital to consider how to retake that city too. (Additional reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh in ERBIL, Ahmed Rasheed and Stephen Kalin in BAGHDAD, Stephanie Nebehay in GENEVA, Warren Strobel, Yara Bayoumy and Jonathan Landay in WASHINGTON; writing by Philippa Fletcher and Giles Elgood, editing by Peter Millership) Shutterstock In 1948, the year Israel was founded, the Mer Group was established as a metal workshop. Today its a much different company. It operates a dozen subsidiaries and employs 1,200 people in over 40 countries, selling wireless infrastructure, software for public transit ticketing systems, wastewater treatment, and more. But at the ISDEF Expo, an event held last June to show off Israeli technology to potential buyers from foreign security forces, the Mer Groups representatives were only promoting one thing: surveillance products sold by the companys security division. The Mer Groups evolution from cutting metal to electronic snooping reflects a larger shift in the Israeli economy. Technology is one of the main sectors in Israeli industry. And Israeli firms with ties to intelligence, like the Mer Group, are using their expertise to market themselves internationally. The companys CEO, Nir Lempert, is a 22-year veteran of Unit 8200, the Israeli intelligence unit often compared to the National Security Agency, and is chairman of the units alumni association. The Mer Groups ties to Unit 8200 are hardly unique in Israel, where the cyber sector has become an integral aspect of the Israeli economy, exporting $6 billion worth of products and services in 2014. When drafted into the army, Israels smartest youth are steered toward the intelligence unit and taught how to spy, hack, and create offensive cyberweapons. Unit 8200 and the National Security Agency reportedly developed the cyberweapon that attacked Iranian computers running the countrys nuclear program, and Unit 8200 engages in mass surveillance in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to veterans of the military intelligence branch. Increasingly, the skills developed by spying and waging cyberwarfare dont stay in the military. Unit 8200 is a feeder school to the private surveillance industry in Israel, the self-proclaimed startup nation and the products those intelligence veterans create are sold to governments around the world to spy on people. While the companies that Unit 8200 veterans run say their technologies are essential to keeping people safe, privacy advocates warn their products undermine civil liberties. Story continues In August, Privacy International, a watchdog group that investigates government surveillance, released a report on the global surveillance industry. The group identified 27 Israeli surveillance companies the highest number per capita of any country in the world. (The United States leads the world in sheer number of surveillance companies: 122.) Unit 8200 veterans either founded or occupy high-level positions in at least eight of the Israeli surveillance companies named by Privacy International, according to publicly available information. And that list doesnt include companies like Narus, which was founded by Israeli veterans of Unit 8200 but is now owned by Boeing, the American defense contractor. (Privacy International categorized Narus as an American company because its headquartered in California.) Narus technology helped AT&T collect internet traffic and billions of emails and forward that information to the National Security Agency, according to reporting in Wired magazine and documents from the Snowden archive. It is alarming that surveillance capabilities developed in some of the worlds most advanced spying agencies are being packaged and exported around the world for profit, said Edin Omanovic, a research officer at Privacy International. The proliferation of such intrusive surveillance capabilities is extremely dangerous and poses a real and fundamental threat to human rights and democratization. Today, Amit Meyer is a journalist, an unusual career path for a veteran of Unit 8200. Many of his colleagues have taken the skills in intelligence collection and hacking they learned in the military and monetized them in the private sector. Unit 8200 is a brand name in Israel, a celebrated institution that allows members easy access to tech companies after their service, said Meyer. Sometimes technology companies approach alumni of the unit; other times alumni recommend one another. Theres a secret Facebook group for alumni filled with job offers at tech companies, Meyer said. In many cases you just put Unit 8200 in your CV, and magic happens, he told The Intercept. Neve Gordon, an Israeli scholar who has studied the countrys homeland security industry, explained that Israels prominence in the surveillance industry stems from the close links between the Israel Defense Forces and the technology sector. In 1960, the Israeli military was developing computer software nine years before the Israeli software industry and university computer science programs even existed. Israeli military units that work with computers, including Unit 8200, have become a conveyor belt toward Israels military and homeland security industry, said Gordon. Gordon said there are two other reasons why Israel plays such an outsize role in the global surveillance industry. One is that there are hardly any legal limits on veterans taking certain research ideas they worked on in the military and developing them in the private sector. In addition, said Gordon, Israels decadeslong occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, along with its periodic wars, provides a laboratory for testing and fine tuning different commodities that are created, or different technologies. Those technologies are then exported around the world. Mer Security is one of the companies exporting spy products. It is well-known in the countrys security circles; it won an Israeli police contract in 1999 to establish Mabat 2000, which set up hundreds of cameras in Jerusalems Old City, a flashpoint of tensions in the occupied area. In an interview with the Israel Gateway magazine, a trade publication, Haim Mer, chairman of the companys board and also a Unit 8200 veteran, explained that the police needed a system in which Big Brother would control and would allow for an overall view of events in the Old City area. At the ISDEF Expo, Eyal Raz, the product director for Mer Security, told The Intercept about what Israels greatest security minds, as a company brochure puts it, have created. Raz was showcasing Open Source Collection Analysis and Response, known as OSCAR, which trawls through the internet and social media platforms and promises to uncover hidden connections from the data OSCAR collects and monitors. Another product, called Strategic Actionable Intelligence Platform, or SAIP, takes that data in and groups it together. To pinpoint actionable intelligence, SAIP uses technology that can highlight words, sentences, and information that might interest intelligence officers. These types of language analysis tools are increasingly popular with intelligence services around the world as a tool for pinpointing the next threat. These products claim to understand what its reading, as Raz said. For instance, a list of chemicals included in a paragraph may seem innocuous to the layperson, but the language analysis machine can recognize that the person is talking about making an explosive device, Raz said. Raz explained another feature of SAIP: Users can create an avatar in order to get the credentials to closed forums and to gather information from closed forums. This is also one way you can counterfeit your activities. Facebook does not allow people to create fake profiles, but the technology Raz and others are selling promises to blend into social networks so that profiles operated by law enforcement look authentic. Multiple news outlets this year have reported that the Israeli Police use similar tactics by creating fake Facebook profiles to befriend targets of investigations and monitor Palestinians. Though Israeli Police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld was quoted in one report as confirming the police use this tactic, he denied this claim when contacted by The Intercept. Mer Groups clients are in Israel and abroad. The company does joint development work with Unit 8200, according to Raz, and they recruit veterans from the unit to work for the company. Other clients are scattered around the world, including in Europe, though Raz refused to divulge specifics. But publicly available information shows, for instance, that in 2011 Mer inked a $42 million contract with Buenos Aires to set up a Safe City system, complete with 1,200 surveillance cameras, including license plate recognition technology. Unit 8200s ties to the Israeli surveillance industry attracted widespread attention in late August, when digital security researchers at the University of Toronto-based Citizen Lab released a report detailing the provenance of a specific type of malware. They said it was likely that the United Arab Emirates had targeted Ahmed Mansoor, a prominent human rights activist, with sophisticated spyware that had the ability to turn his iPhone into a mobile surveillance device that could track his movement, record his phone calls, and control his phone camera and microphone. Mansoor says hes been targeted since 2011, the year he signed a petition demanding democratic reforms in the Emirates. The state security authorities are basically very obsessed with the monitoring and spying on people, activists, he said. They are totally possessed with this kind of thinking. Citizen Lab analyzed the spyware after Mansoor received a text message with a link promising new secrets about torture of Emiratis in state prison. Rather than clicking, Mansoor sent the texts to the digital security group, which had also, in 2012, analyzed spyware created by Italian surveillance company Hacking Team that had infected Mansoors computer. Weve never seen any exploits like this for a mobile device which operates on the very latest version, said Bill Marczak, a senior research fellow at Citizen Lab who co-authored the report. The culprit behind the spyware, Citizen Labs report concluded, was the NSO Group, a secretive Israeli surveillance company. Details about the NSO Group are hard to come by. Their founders rarely talk to the press. They have no website. Israeli and foreign news media have reported that Omri Lavie and Shalev Hulio, the founders of the company, are veterans of Unit 8200. However, some Israeli outlets have reported that they served in other units. Still, at least three of NSO Groups current employees served in the intelligence unit, according to their LinkedIn pages. And Unit 8200 veterans provided the company with $1.6 million in seed money to develop Pegasus, the name for the spyware, according to Defense News, a trade publication. Zamir Dahbash, the spokesperson for the company, did not answer specific questions about the NSO Group, which was bought in 2014 for $120 million by a U.S. private equity fund. He told The Intercept in a statement that the company sells only to authorized governmental agencies, and fully complies with strict export control laws and regulations. The agreements signed with the companys customers require that the companys products only be used in a lawful manner. On its face, an Israeli surveillance company selling spyware to an Arab nation is striking. The United Arab Emirates and Israel do not have official diplomatic relations, and like in other parts of the Arab world, many Emiratis detest Israels decadeslong occupation of Arab lands. But NSO Groups sale to the UAE is an indication of the growing ties between Israel and the Gulf state, which has a growing appetite for surveillance gear. These regimes are unstable in the sense that most of the people living in these regimes do not have basic rights, said Gordon, the Israeli scholar, and they constantly need to monitor and surveil their populations. In February 2015, the Middle East Eye writer Rori Donaghy reported that the UAE had signed a contract with Asia Global Technologies, a Swiss-registered company owned by an Israeli and reportedly staffed by former Israeli intelligence agents, to set up a surveillance system featuring thousands of cameras. Donaghy, who is also the founder of the Emirates Centre for Human Rights, said the UAE has quietly bought hundreds of millions of dollars worth of security products from Israel in recent years. The UAE turns to Israel, he said, because it believes Israelis are simply the best in this market, the most intrusive, the most secretive. The post How Israel Became a Hub for Surveillance Technology appeared first on The Intercept. * Italian savers shift deposits to state post office * Poste Italiane's direct funding jumps 6.5 pct in H1 * Trend continued in Q3 - source * BancoPosta has no banking licence; bail-in rules do not apply By Francesca Landini and Maria Pia Quaglia MILAN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Italians worried about the stability of their banks have found a new place to put their money: the state-controlled post office. "Nobody knows where your money is safe today," says Leonardo Galli, a 58-year-old accountant who has resolved to move all his savings out of his bank to a current account with Poste Italiane , one of many who are deserting the banking sector. "Poste Italiane is state controlled, this is a safeguard," he explains. He already channels his salary into a Poste Italiane account and pays his bills through a standing order made at a post office branch a few steps away from his office. The 154-year-old Poste Italiane is winning deposits as fast as some traditional lenders are losing them, attracting savers disillusioned with a banking system that is straining under bad debts and appears to be in permanent crisis. Alarmed by daily media reports about faltering bank rescue plans, savers have deposited about 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) in the post office in the last six months alone. Poste, owned 65 percent by the state and with a network of 13,000 branches, reported a 6.5 percent jump in deposits in the first half of this year. They continued to grow in the third quarter, a source at Poste Italiane said. It is unclear how much of this money has been taken from the banking sector, but troubled lenders such as Monte dei Paschi di Siena and Banca Carige leaked deposits at a similar rate, around 6 percent, in the same period. For Galli, from the northern town of Como, Poste's yellow-and-blue logo represents security and stability but it has other advantages he could not find at his bank. In opening an account two years ago, he was attracted by Poste's extensive network, low costs and offices that opened on Saturday mornings. Story continues He was also pleased with the return on some investments he made recently through Poste. "I have invested money in a fund and I earned a yield my bank couldn't match," Galli said. He did not want to reveal the name of the lender, but said it was one of Italy's major banks. A HAVEN OR A RISK? What many of Poste Italiane's savers do not know is that the post office does not have a banking licence, even though it takes deposits and offers loans under the brand-name BancoPosta. And, in the event of a full-blown financial crisis, it may not be the financial haven that some savers believe it to be. BancoPosta does not subscribe to Italy's voluntary fund to insure deposits, which guarantees savers for up to 100,000 euros deposited into bank accounts. To protect its depositors, it says it has ring-fenced capital equal to 1 billion euros and an extra buffer of 400 million euros kept with the state treasury. Under a presidential decree, BancoPosta can take deposits provided they are invested in eurozone sovereign bonds, but the post office's deposit-taking arm has chosen to invest almost entirely in Italian debt, at roughly 40 billion euros. In total, Poste Italiane has more than 60 percent of its assets tied up in Italian government debt, including another nearly 80 billion euros held under the group's insurance arm. By contrast, Italy's best-capitalised major bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, invests 12.8 percent of its assets in Italian state debt, including bonds held by its insurance arm. Some analysts say Poste Italiane's large exposure to the state could increase if the group's bid to buy an Italian fund manager, Pioneer Investments, is successful. Pioneer, currently held by Italy's largest lender UniCredit , has a sizeable exposure to Italian debt being one the country's biggest asset managers. Pioneer does not disclose its exact holdings of state debt. "Poste is not a bank but it is exposed to the sovereign so ... who exactly is holding the bag in the worst-case scenario?" asks economist Francesco Galietti, chief executive of Policy Sonar, a political risk consultancy based in Rome. Galietti questions the stability of Poste Italiane in the event of a sovereign debt crisis, a scenario where Italian bonds plunge, imperilling the group's balance sheet. Many savers, though, worry more about the risk of a bank failure than a sovereign financial crisis. Last November, Italians watched as retail shareholders and bondholders in four small, troubled banks were forced to suffer losses under the terms of a government-orchestrated rescue. The terms were designed to anticipate "bail-in" rules that were due to be imposed by the European Union a few weeks later. Thousands of clients lost savings of a lifetime, including a pensioner who hanged himself in desperation last December. BancoPosta, a non-bank financial institution, is not subject the bail-in rules, which are designed to ensure investors share the cost of a bank rescue along with taxpayers. "Poste Italiane has greatly benefited from the enforcing of the bail-in rules this year, and the crisis of four small banks last year in Italy," said Gian Luca Ferrari, insurance and asset management analyst at Mediobanca Securities. The European Commission declined to comment when asked about the impact of its bail-in rules on Italian bank deposits. BancoPosta is the only major European state-controlled post office to take deposits and make loans without a banking licence, analysts said. France's state-controlled post office, La Poste, has a financial arm with a banking licence that is regulated by the European Central Bank, while Germany's Postbank is now part of Deutsche Bank. ($1 = 0.8928 euros) (Additional reporting by Francesco Guarascio in Brussels; Editing by Mark Bendeich and Giles Elgood) Ivanka Trump said she has no intention of taking a government job if her father is elected president in November. In an interview with Fast Company published Monday, she was asked about rumors that she would have a position in a Donald Trump administration. No, I dont intend to be part of the government, Ivanka Trump replied. She also pushed back at characterizations of her as an adviser to her father. I am a daughter and an executive who has worked alongside him, she said. Ivanka Trump, who has helped the Trump campaign with outreach to women voters, said she isnt bothered by some of the more shocking accusations that have emerged about her father. The interview was conducted before a recording leaked that featured Donald Trump bragging about groping women without their consent. The greatest comfort I have is the fact that I know my father. Most of the people who write about him dont. I do, she said. So that gives me an ability to shrug off the things that I read about him that are wrong, In a statement provided to Fast Company after the interview, she called her fathers lewd comments inappropriate and offensive. Im glad that he acknowledged this fact with an immediate apology to my family and the American people, she said. Read the entire interview at Fast Company Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens (Photo: Lucasfilm) By now, everyone knows that the biggest and most stunning moment in Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the death of Harrison Fords Han Solo, whos murdered in cold blood by his own son, First Order commander Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). That fateful event takes place after Han tries to persuade his son to turn his back on the Dark Side and re-embrace his family, and though its ultimately an unsuccessful attempt, director J.J. Abrams now says that Hans coaxing almost did the trick. In an exclusive new commentary video featured at USA Today (taken from the movies upcoming 3D collectors edition Blu-ray), Abrams says that, far from merely toying with Han, Kylo Ren (a.k.a. Ben Solo) is actually on the verge of embracing his long-absent father and rejecting the evil Supreme Leader Snoke during their meeting on the bridge late in the film. The truth is, I think that Kylo Ren, in this moment, is actually being convinced to walk away from this. Snoke is, as Han says, using him. And I think that somewhere, Ben knows this. But I think that he cant accept it, deep down. He has gone too far. As Abrams also notes, the sight of two Star Wars characters facing off on a railing-less walkway is always a sign of imminent doom. The Han-Kylo scene remains the emotional crux of The Force Awakens, thanks in large part to what Abrams describes as the raw uncertainty of what was going to happen. You can hear Abramss full thoughts over at USA Today, and hear his entire chat on the 3D collectors edition Blu-ray of The Force Awakens, which debuts in the U.S. on Nov. 15. Watch our video from last year of the Force Awakens cast recreating their reactions while seeing the movie for the first time: TOKYO (Reuters) - Dozens of Japanese members of parliament visited the Yasukuni Shrine for war dead on Tuesday to mark an autumn festival at the shrine, seen in China and the two Koreas as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. Kyodo news agency said about 80 lawmakers visited the shrine. Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki sent an aide to represent him, an official at Shiozaki's office said. Earlier, Kyodo had said Shiozaki himself went. The group visit came a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine, prompting a sharp rejoinder from China and a reminder from Tokyo's close ally Washington of the importance of reconciliation over the past. Visits by Japanese leaders to Yasukuni have outraged China and South Korea because the shrine honors 14 Japanese leaders convicted by an Allied tribunal as war criminals, along with other war dead. South Korea expressed "deep concern and disappointment" over the shrine visit and offering by Japanese political leaders. "(We) urge Japanese politicians to gain trust from neighboring countries and the international community by showing an act of humble introspection and sincere self-reflection on the foundation of the correct perception of history," the foreign ministry said in a statement. In Beijing, China's foreign ministry also expressed concern. "We hope Japanese political figures can adhere to correct historical views and do more to realize reconciliation and increase mutual trust with neighboring Asian countries," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing. Abe has visited the shrine in person only once, in December 2013, since becoming premier the previous year. Eager to improve ties with China and South Korea, strained by territorial and other disputes, he has instead opted to send ritual offerings on several occasions. There was no sign that Defence Minister Tomomi Inada, who has been accused by China of recklessly misrepresenting wartime history, had visited or made an offering at the shrine. On the previous customary occasion for high-profile Yasukuni visits, the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's World War Two surrender, the newly appointed Inada was visiting troops in Djibouti and unable to go to the shrine. (Reporting by Linda Sieg Additional reporting by Ju-min Park in Seoul and Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Farmers and activists continue to protest in Tamil Nadu demanding the Cauvery water management board. Farmers in Trichy have joined the rail roko protest for the second day. By Akshaya Nath: The protest in the Cauvery basin in Tamil Nadu has intensified in the last couple of days with the farmers and activists in the state continuing to demand the Cauvery water management board. "We don't want to protest every year but we will fight for our rightful share. The Cauvery water management board is the solution," the protesting farmers in Trichy said. advertisement Farmers in Trichy have been staging protest for over a month now. Also Read: Tamil Nadu's farmers, parties protest for Cauvery board, stop trains CHANGING METHODS OF PROTESTS- NOW IT'S RAIL ROKO While the initial protests included standing in the Cauvery water, fasting, and sitting with ropes tied around their neck to depict the critical condition of the farmers, they have now started rail roko and sitting in protest in the railway station. On Monday, close to hundred farmers were part of this rail roko in Trichy and a similar crowd has also gathered in the district today. Also Read | Tamil Nadu: Opposition parties' rail roko protest to press for Cauvery Board enters 2nd day They have just one demand, "The central government should not betray Tamil Nadu farmers." Political parties in the state have also been staging protest in the capital - Chennai. POLITICS OR GENUINE CONCERN? Earlier, DMK spokesperson Saravanan had said that the Cauvery issue should not be politicised and the centre should help the farmers of Tamil Nadu. DMK's TKS Elangovan blamed the ruling AIADMK government for the situation faced by the farmers. He said that there has not been an all-party meeting and no combined decision was taken. Also Read | Cauvery row: DMK leaders hold fast in Thanjavur backing Tamil Nadu farmers' cause But the AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathi said that the state government had already approached the Supreme Court and has done their due. She said that the present government was always thinking about the people of the state. The fight for the Cauvery water has been going on for a while. The expert panel that had come to assess the situation in the Cauvery basin acknowledged the problems faced by Karnataka in releasing water and said that the farmers in the Tamil Nadu are also suffering. They had suggested a joint cooperation and efforts to give relief to farmers. Also Read: Cauvery row: Committee submits report, says farmers suffering in both states advertisement Cauvery row: Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu after Supreme Court warning Farmers in Trichy demand formation of Cauvery water management board --- ENDS --- Jay Leno Let Loose on 1912 Indian Gearhead/comedian Jay Leno couldnt pass up the chance to ride a 1912 Indian single, fresh from the recent cross-country Motorcycle Cannonball Ride. Alex Trepanier, 28, said the machine had been in his family since before he was born. My dad bought three Indians in 1962 for $650, he said. He sold two of them for the 650 and kept this one. He thought he was robbing the bank. Leno was quick to offer Alex twice the price. The unrestored 500cc bike probably has a current market value in the $70,000 range. The 4-horsepower single-speed had just completed more than 3,000 miles in the Cannonball event. With its total-loss lubrication system, the engine consumed about five quarts of oil each day. By 1912, flush with their Isle of Man victory the previous year, Indian sat atop the American motorcycle market. The Springfield, Mass., based company was building 20,000 machines a year; profits for 1911 exceeded a half-million dollars. The segment of Jay Lenos Garage displays how much effort was required of motorcyclists in the early days. Indians hand clutch and twist-grip throttle, both on the left side, were challenging. But once underway, after a few false starts by Leno, the vintage thumper runs along nicely. Top speed was about 35 mph. Trepanier carried his spares and oil supply in a wooden ammo box as a tail trunk. The original factory tools were housed in the original tank-mounted tool box, and rattled about enough to remove the threads from a spare spark plug. He was awarded the Spirit of the Cannonball trophy as the third-youngest competitor in the events history. This years event was won by Frank Westfall of New York, riding a 1912 Excelsior twin. Baghdad (AFP) - It was in Mosul's Great Mosque of al-Nuri that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the Islamic State group's "caliphate" and its recapture would finally end that dream of statehood. When the IS supremo publicly proclaimed the caliphate from the minbar of the mosque in Mosul in June 2014, the group was inviting Muslims globally to move to an expanding new "state". After losing several key cities in Iraq and also in Syria, the jihadists' "state" is already looking threadbare and the loss of Mosul would all but seal its disintegration. "The continued loss of swathes of territory makes it more difficult for the group to sustain the fiction of a 'caliphate'," the Soufan consultancy wrote in its latest brief. The organisation has lost key territory and cities, including among the most emblematic, adopting exit strategies that showed more pragmatism than the heroism it vaunts in its propaganda. In June, Iraqi forces took Fallujah, a city west of Baghdad where the US marines suffered their worst losses since the Vietnam War, with relative ease despite a fierce initial battle. As recently as Saturday, anti-IS forces took Dabiq, a town in Syria that looms large in the group's mythology and where jihadists had vowed an apocalyptic battle against "crusaders". The group's slick English-language magazine was even named after the northern Syrian town, which IS fighters eventually quit without fighting to the end. The publication's very first issue in July 2014 focused on state-building and tried very hard to paint the "caliphate" as a credible entity. - Dented image - But the group was built partly on the cooptation of existing state infrastructure, such as the continued payment of salaries to Iraqi civil servants, said Aymenn al-Tamimi, a jihadism expert at the Middle East Forum. "When the government stopped paying those salaries last summer, it hurt IS financially to a considerable degree," he said. Story continues "The powerful state image of IS has certainly been dented and I think it partly explains the reduction of foreign fighter inflow." Besides being the place where the "caliphate" was proclaimed, Mosul was the scene of several events that fashioned the group's gruesome legend. Its disarmingly easy capture by around 1,500 IS fighters in June 2014 touched off a domino effect that saw the group sweep across Iraq's Sunni heartland virtually unopposed. The conquest of Mosul featured in a long documentary IS made later and was painted as an epic, founding moment in the caliphate's history. Mosul has become a by-word for the complete failure of the Iraqi armed forces, and by extension of the US training they were supposed to have received. The offensive Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared launched early Monday provides an opportunity to restore the Iraqi security forces' reputation and pride. IS once controlled more than a third of Iraq and large part of Syria but it has now shrunk to a fraction of its original territory. - Insurgent tactics? - The loss of Mosul would all but mark the end of IS as a land-holding force in Iraq and further encourage it to revert to insurgent tactics such as hit-and-run attacks and bombings. An organisation that once terrified the planet and controlled territory roughly the size of Britain, IS as a jihadist group now looks increasingly "ordinary". Tamimi said Al-Qaeda, which was temporarily overshadowed by the rise of its more brutal and media-savvy offshoot, will exploit IS's decline as a vindication of "its more gradualist approach". "Internationally IS will not be seen as the leading global jihadist brand," he said. IS once had the monopoly of fear but after its half-hearted defence of Dabiq, social media users joked that the apocalypse had been postponed. In Iraq, a comedian parodied Baghdadi at the Nuri mosque minbar begging Iraqi forces to respect the sovereignty of the "caliphate" and resolve differences at a summit on terrorism. The Soufan group said however that while the ongoing battle of Mosul could go down as the moment the Islamic State group collapsed, much would need to be done to call it a genuine success. "If handled poorly, it could be yet another pause before an inevitable resurgence of terror," it said, warning against revenge killings and sectarian abuses. Jim Carrey is pushing back against two lawsuits accusing him of complicity in his ex-girlfriends suicide. In a lengthy declaration filed in court, Carrey gave a detailed account of his relationship with Cathriona White, who died of an overdose in September 2015. He also attacked Whites mother, Brigid Sweetman, and Whites estranged husband, Mark Burton, who have accused Carrey of supplying White with the painkillers she used to end her life. Carreys attorneys are seeking to put the litigation on hold until Sweetman posts a $372,700 bond, which they contend will be necessary to cover Carreys legal defense. The motion also included a 10-page declaration from Carrey in which he narrated the troubled relationship in deeply personal terms. In the declaration, obtained by Variety, Carrey professed that he truly cared for White but like all couples they had their ups and downs. Carrey said that he paid for Whites housing and provided her a stipend, but turned down her request for marriage so she could avoid deportation back to Ireland. In order to obtain a green card, White married Burton, even though she and Carrey were still dating. Carrey vehemently denied Whites 2013 accusations that he gave her three sexually transmitted diseases, and even got back with her in November 2014 because she still loved me and I still loved her. In September of 2015, Carrey said he and White disagreed about cohabitating and she moved out. Carrey confirmed he was taking pain medication sparingly for a back injury at the time, but the pills disappeared when White moved out. His declaration ends with him describing the shock after learning she had overdosed on them and how hes been in mourning ever since. Attached to the declaration as exhibits were more than a dozen photographs of Carrey and White in happier times, correspondence from Sweetman, and his final text messages to her, as well as Whites suicide note (which did not mention any sexually transmitted diseases, which Sweetman says drove her daughter to commit suicide). Story continues Related stories Suit Claims Jim Carrey Provided Drugs in Girlfriend's Suicide Jim Carrey, Eli Roth Team on Horror Film 'Aleister Arcane' Jim Carrey's 1970s Dark Comedy 'I'm Dying Up Here' Greenlit at Showtime 18 Oct - Former couple John Lloyd Cruz and Angelica Panganiban set tongues wagging recently when they were photographed at a restaurant together in Rockwell. As reported on PEP News, photos of Cruz and Panganiban, who confirmed their split earlier this year, was shared online via Sarsa Kitchen+Bar Facebook page, with the caption, "Monday just got very exciting." While both stars have yet to respond to speculations about their relationship, Cruz has previously admitted that he is friends with his former girlfriend. "Life is too short for us to be avoiding one another, right? Especially someone who you have shared a lot with, right?" said Cruz. He admitted that he had a chance to meet up with Panganiban at the Basel Fair in Hong Kong and didn't try to avoid each other. At the same time, Panganiban also showed that there is no bad blood between her and Cruz, as she even promoted his movie "Just the 3 of Us" when it came out back in April. (Photo source: facebook.com/sarsakitchen) By PTI: Beijing, Oct 18 (PTI) China today issued a red alert and evacuated half a million people as Typhoon Sarika hit south Chinas Hainan, leading to cancellation of hundreds of flights in the island province. The tropical cyclone, packing maximum winds of 162 km per hour at its eye, landed at Hele Town, Wanning City at 9:50 am, according to the local meteorological bureau. advertisement The National Meteorological Centre issued a red alert, its highest-level alert, for Sarika, the 21st typhoon of the year named after a singing bird in Cambodia, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Nearly half a million people, including fishermen and residents in low-lying areas and unsafe houses in Hainan have been evacuated so far, Ding Sheng, a disaster relief official with the Hainan Civil Affairs Department said. The department has provided relief materials such as tents and quilts, food and water to the typhoon-affected areas, he said. Hundreds of trees were uprooted due to the storm in coastal Wanning. The municipal authorities said more than 1,37,000 residents have been evacuated, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. At the islands main civil airport, Meilan International Airport in the provincial capital Haikou City, 250 flights were canceled this morning, authorities said. High speed train services have also been halted. Local traffic police reported that gales and wet roads caused a passenger bus carrying 45 people to overturn on one of Hainans major highways last night. However, there were no casualties. Over 30 cattle belonging to a farmer in Dongxing village in Wanning, where the storm landed, were found electrocuted this morning after a high-voltage line above the animals shed broke down. Provincial meteorological station chief Cai Qinbo previously predicted that losses from the typhoon would be "grave", as the cyclone was projected to be the most powerful and destructive to land in Hainan in a decade. About 97 townships in Hainan reported precipitation of more than 100 mm. Three townships in Wanning, Qiongzhong and Wenchang received more than 300 mm of rainfall, according to the provincial meteorological station. Classes have been suspended in kindergartens, middle and primary schools in eight counties in the province, and tourist sites are closed to the public. Residents and tourists have been warned against hiking or strolling along the beaches. Authorities have also ordered safety checks of reservoirs and power and water supplies, while demanding the fishery and farming sectors take precautions. advertisement To brace for Sarika, some coastal scenic spots in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were closed today. Nearly 8,000 tourists from Weizhou Island were evacuated yesterday. PTI KJV PMS --- ENDS --- By Rory Carroll (Reuters) - A man from Topeka, Kansas, on Tuesday was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for helping a would-be jihadist's unsuccessful plot to bomb a U.S. military base, prosecutors said. Alexander Blair, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for helping his friend, John Booker Jr., store equipment to make a bomb to kill American service members, prosecutors said. Blair admitted that he and Booker plotted to detonate a vehicle bomb at Fort Riley military base near Manhattan, Kansas. Prosecutors said that after Blair was arrested and was asked about the plan to kill service members, Blair said: "That's what they signed (up) for." Blair's attorney Chris Joseph said his client has a genetic condition, Williams syndrome, that made him easily manipulated and unable to appreciate the gravity of his conduct. A defense expert testified that he functioned at the level of an 11-year old. Joseph said he appreciated that the judge in the case saw the government's demand for five years in prison as overreaching. He said no decision has been made yet on whether to appeal. Blair's co-defendant Booker, 22, made statements on Facebook and to FBI agents that he wanted to join Islamic State and kill people and was willing to die in the process, according to prosecutors. He was arrested on April 10 in a sting operation in which he went to Fort Riley with two undercover FBI agents to detonate what he did not know was an inert bomb, prosecutors said. Booker pleaded guilty to one count each of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy government property with an explosive, according to court documents. He is awaiting sentencing, but has agreed to spend 30 years in prison in the plea deal. According to court documents, Blair and Booker shared extremist views in support of Islamic State and against the U.S. military. (Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Sandra Maler) By Duncan Miriri and Humphrey Malalo NAIROBI (Reuters) - Pilots at Kenya Airways have delayed plans to strike, the head of the pilots' union said on Monday, after a court ruled the action illegal and the loss-making carrier said a stoppage would further hurt it. The pilots' union KALPA had called for an indefinite strike to start on Tuesday to protest against the management of the airline, which is part-owned by the government and Air France- KLM. Paul Gichinga, Secretary General of the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KAPA), said the union had held "fruitful discussions" with government officials over the impasse but that talks with company executives would still continue. "We have taken the decision to defer the strike action to accommodate the ongoing negotiations," he said in a statement, adding the decision did not mean the group was withdrawing its strike notice altogether. "We emphasize that we are not retreating from our initial position change for Kenya Airways can only be achieved with an overhaul in leadership." A Kenyan court issued an order on Friday restraining KAPLA from taking action. The government, seeking to boost the carrier's fortunes and support Kenya's battered tourist industry, had called the action economic sabotage. The airline said last week it had reduced its losses and industrial action would damage the recovery. "Although we agree on many things and actions to be taken, I am sure there will be others where we will not always be in agreement," said the carrier's director Michael Joseph, adding they would discuss to find ways to work together. In a statement, the company said all operations would resume as per schedule on Tuesday. (Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Aaron Maasho and Richard Balmforth) The total deal value is $69.81m. Keppel Land announced that it has entered into an agreement to divest their stakes in Chengdu Century Development Co UCCDC) to Sichuan Zhong Tie Wen Rui Property Co., for RMB342.08 million (approximately S$69.81 million). The deal was closed through its two associated companies, CityOne Township Development Pte. Ltd. and Quivivet Pte Ltd, and their joint venture partner. Keppel Land has an effective interest of 44.05% in CCDC and its effective share of the total consideration is about RMB150.69 million (approximately S$30.75 million). CCDC was formed as a joint venture company in 2003 to develop The Botanica township project in Chengdu. Strategically located at the junction of Third Ring Road and Cheng Long Road in Jinjiang District, The Botanica comprises 9,664 apartments and supporting amenities including a primary school and kindergartens. As of August 2016, all residential units have been sold and handed over to homebuyers. The remaining inventories comprise 955 unsold carpark lots and 10 shophouses from earlier phases. Mr Ben Lee, President, Keppel Land China, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Land, said, "We constantly review our investment portfolio to maximise returns. China is one of Keppel Land's core markets and we are strengthening our presence in focus cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Tianjin and Wuxi, where we have established strong track records, networks and local teams." With the divestment of The Botanica, Keppel Land has four projects in Chengdu which include Park Avenue Heights, Hill Crest Villa, Serenity Villa and its latest development with China Vanke, V City, which was launched in August 2015. The divestment is expected to be completed by 31 December 2016. The transaction is not expected to have any material impact on the earnings per share and net tangible asset per share of Keppel Corporation for the current financial year. More From Singapore Business Review Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday hailed the announcement of a 72-hour truce in Yemen starting later this week, and called for its "unconditional renewal." The cessation of hostilities between Yemeni forces and their Saudi backers, and Huthi rebels and allied forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, is due to take effect Thursday. "This cessation requires all parties to implement a full and comprehensive halt to military activities of any kind, and help facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Yemenis across the country," Kerry said in a statement. "We ask the parties to take all steps necessary to advance the implementation of this cessation, call on them to sustain it, and strongly encourage its unconditional renewal." Kerry echoed an urgent plea from UN special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to allow unfettered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel throughout the country. "The people of Yemen are depending on the full cooperation of all parties with the special envoy's request," Kerry said. "We note again that peaceful resolution of this conflict requires compromises and commitments by everyone," he said. "The United States, alongside the international community, is ready to provide assistance and will continue to work with all parties to conclude a negotiated settlement that will bring a permanent and lasting end to the conflict." Khloe Kardashian is standing up for herself. The 32-year-old reality star is the latest celebrity to be on the receiving end of Donald Trump's derogatory comments, after Celebrity Apprentice staffers came forward last week to claim that the presidential hopeful called her a "fat piglet" and looked for any reason to get her off the show. WATCH: Donald Trump Allegedly Made Nasty Comments About Khloe Kardashian During 'Celebrity Apprentice' "He said, 'Why don't we fire Khloe? She is a fat piglet,'" a Celebrity Apprentice source told the Huffington Post, claiming that Trump asked: "Why did we get the ugly Kardashian?" But while Kardashian finds Trump's remarks "cruel," she's choosing not to let them get her down. "I didn't think he was saying those things about me," she told the Los Angeles Times while promoting her new denim line, Good American, on Monday. "But he says those comments about a lot of women -- really derogatory things. Someone who is that simplistic to judge things off of surface is not someone I want running my country." "It's not cool or appropriate for any person, male or female, to judge someone by their looks. I find it really cruel. It's wild,"she continued, before declaring that she doesn't let comments like Trump's affect her. "I'm a tough cookie, so something he said -- that's not gonna bother me." WATCH: Marlee Matlin Responds to Reports That Donald Trump Mocked Her for Being Deaf "Ninety percent of the time, [criticism] doesn't bother me. I'm not sure why. I think I'm just in my own world," she explained. "But I believe that's why [those incidents] happen to me, because I can take it. If that's what it takes to get even just this little group of people to realize how shady and bad and negative that one person is, I can take it." Story continues Kardashian may not have known what Trump was saying about her behind the scenes, but that didn't stop her from "hating every minute" of her time working with the 70-year-old Republican nominee on Celebrity Apprentice. "I didn't care to do Celebrity Apprentice," the 32-year-old admitted during an appearance on Chelsea in July. "My mom made me do it. I hated every minute of it." WATCH: Jamie Lee Curtis Defends Lindsay Lohan After Donald Trump Called Her 'Deeply Troubled' and 'Probably Great in Bed' "I hated every minute of it," she added, saying that during the challenges, "I was put in situations I would never be in in real life." Finally, she revealed, after "stressing myself out, and then dealing with [Trump], and about to be fired, I'm like, 'F**k you,' I don't want to do this.'" See more in the video below. Related Articles Donald Trump isnt exactly winning the Kardashian vote these days. Khloe Kardashian ripped into the GOP presidential candidate on Tuesday after published reports that Trump had called former Celebrity Apprentice contestant Kardashian a fat piglet and the ugly Kardashian. While Kardashian told the Los Angeles Times that she didnt feel that the reported comments were directed at her, she did note Trumps reputation for disrespecting women, calling his comments cruel. Also Read: Why Howard Stern Won't Air Old Tapes of Donald Trump Acting Sexist I didnt think he was saying those things about me, Kardashian said. But he says those comments about a lot of women really derogatory things. Someone who is that simplistic to judge things off of surface is not someone I want running my country. The reality TV star added, Its not cool or appropriate for any person, male or female, to judge someone else by their looks, she continued. I find it really cruel. Its wild. According to a report published by the Huffington Post, Trump wondered whether Kardashian should be fired from Celebrity Apprentice and disparaged her looks. Also Read: Donald Trump Tries to Kiss a Little Girl at Rally, She Ain't Having It (Video) He said, Why dont we fire Khloe? She is a fat piglet. Why did we get the ugly Kardashian?' the Post reported a source as recalling. In recent days, Trumps attitude toward women has faced increased scrutiny. Earlier this month, leaked audio from a 2005 conversation with then-Access Hollywood personality Billy Bush revealed Trump as bragging that, when youre famous, women will let you do whatever you want. I dont even wait. And when youre a star, they let you do it. You can do anything, he said. Grab em by the py. Also Read: Melania Trump Says Donald Was 'Egged On' By Billy Bush During 'Boy Talk' Trump subsequently apologized, but also dismissed his remarks as locker room talk. Story continues More recently, former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos came forward to claim that Trump kissed her very aggressively, placed his hand on her breast and thrust his genitals. Trump has denied Zervos account, as well as similar accusations made by at least nine other women. Related stories from TheWrap: Donald Trump Trolled by Arabic Billboard in Michigan Bill O'Reilly Offers Donald Trump Debate Advice: 'Stop Whining' (Video) Why Howard Stern Won't Air Old Tapes of Donald Trump Acting Sexist A South Korean appeals court on Tuesday overturned the convictions of two conscientious objectors in an unprecedented ruling hailed as a key victory by opponents of mandatory military service. More than 60 years after the end of the Korean War, nearly every able-bodied South Korean man between the ages of 18 and 35 must still complete around two years of military service. There is currently no alternative community service option for conscientious objectors, and anyone refusing the call-up faces up to two years in jail. But the appeals court in the southwestern city of Gwangju overturned the convictions and 18-month jail terms handed down by a lower court on two Jehovahs Witnesses, arguing they had genuinely been motivated by religious convictions in refusing to serve. "Religious and personal conscience is guaranteed by the constitution and cannot be restrained by criminal punishment," Yonhap news agency quoted the court as saying. "The international community is recognising conscientious objectors," it said, while noting that "a consensus is shaping in our society on the need for an alternative service". The judges also rejected prosecutors' calls to overturn a rare not-guilty verdict on a third conscientious objector -- also a Jehovah's Witness. It was the first time an appeals court has ruled against the government in such cases. The timing and language of the judgement will provide a huge boost for advocates of reforming military service regulations. The Constitutional Court is expected to rule in the next few months on a complaint that criminalising conscientious objection violates an individual's basic rights. The main rationale behind the continuation of mandatory military service is the threat posed by North Korea, given that the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty and left the two Koreas technically at war. Amnesty International welcomed Tuesday's ruling and said providing an alternative form of service was "long overdue". Story continues "The government needs to act on the ruling and stop punishing young men who refuse military service on grounds of conscience," said its East Asia researcher Hiroka Shoji. Every year, hundreds of conscientious objectors in South Korea -- mostly Jehovah's Witnesses -- are put on trial for defying the draft. Some 12,000 South Korean Jehovah's Witnesses have been jailed as conscientious objectors over the past six decades, and the movement's South Korean branch applauded the court ruling. "It is a major step forward toward meeting the international standard on conscientious objectors," the national branch said in a statement. But the defence ministry insisted that the idea of introducing some alternative service required "prudent judgement" and warned that it could be "abused as a way of avoiding military service". By PTI: Arunachal New Delhi, Oct 18 (PTI) Congress today petitioned the Election Commission to declare as illegal the "merger" announced by its 43 MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh who joined hands with the PPA to form a government in the border state. A Congress delegation led by the head of its legal cell K C Mittal and former chief minister Nabam Tuki met Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and handed over a memorandum to him in this regard. "No merger took place as far as the Congress is concerned. Congress has not merged with Peoples Party of Arunachal Pradesh (PPA). The merger they are claiming is illegal and invalid. We have requested the Election Commission and hold an inquiry into this and declare the merger as illegal," Mittal said after the meeting. The memorandum to EC signed by Tuki, Mittal and K Jayakumar, incharge of the Congress affairs in Arunachal Pradesh, said the PPA resolution that the 43 MLAs held a meeting and decided to merge with it was "false and baseless". "The fact is that PPA has zero strength in the legislative assembly of Arunachal Pradesh. It is submitted that no such meeting was held by Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee and the decision, as claimed by PPA, is baseless and false. No decision was taken by Indian National Congress or its state unit for merger with PPA," it said. The leaders said the merger with PPA was "not sustainable in the eyes of law" and contrary to the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. "It is requested that the order may be examined by the Commission and appropriate order may be passed declaring that there is no merger of Congress party with the PPA in Arunachal Pradesh and the resolutions, as claimed by PPA, are invalid, null and void," the memorandum said. All but one MLA of the Congress in Arunachal Pradesh-- Nabam Tuki-- had quit the party last month and announced its merger with PPA to form a new government under Pema Khandu. PTI SKC SK SK --- ENDS --- advertisement MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia expects other countries seeking to resolve the conflict in Syria to join its efforts to normalize the situation in Aleppo after Moscow ceased air strikes on the city in a goodwill gesture, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. "Russia now expects its partners ... to take the baton and assist this humanitarian operation, to make sure the bandits leave Aleppo, especially its eastern part, in order for a real process of separation of the so-called moderate opposition from terrorist groups to begin," he told a conference call with reporters. The Russian and Syrian air forces have halted all air strikes on Aleppo, two days ahead of a planned pause in bombing designed to allow rebels and civilians to leave the city, the Russian defense minister said on Tuesday. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Christian Lowe) KHAZER, Iraq (AP) Iraqi and Kurdish commanders said Tuesday they paused their advance on Mosul, a day after the start of a massive operation to retake the Islamic State-held city, which is expected to take weeks, if not months. The front lines to the east of Mosul were largely quiet, a day after Iraqi Kurdish forces advanced amid a barrage of U.S.-led airstrikes and heavy artillery. We are just holding our positions, said Col. Khathar Sheikhan, of the Kurdish forces known as the peshmerga, which captured a handful of villages east of Mosul on Monday. The Iraqi army will now advance past our arenas of control. We have achieved our objectives, he said. But an Iraqi special forces commander said his troops have delayed an advance following a request from Kurdish forces for more time to achieve their goals. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting accounts. Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil said his men had planned to move at dawn, but postponed the operation. He said Iraqi army and Kurdish commanders would meet later Tuesday. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had announced the long-awaited offensive before dawn Monday, vowing to liberate the city from more than two years of extremist rule. Mosul is Iraqs second largest city and the IS groups last major urban bastion in the country. The large and complex battle for Mosul is expected to last weeks or months. It will involve more than 25,000 troops, including the Iraqi army, the Kurdish peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and Shiite militias. The U.S. military is providing air support and playing a supporting role on the ground. A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said the operation was proceeding as planned and that Iraqi forces were making excellent progress. Theres no pause in efforts to liberate Mosul. Troops are on the move on various axes of advance toward the city, said Col. John Dorrian. Some commanders have reached their objectives ahead of schedule after encountering light-to-moderate resistance. Story continues The Iraqi Armys 9th Division meanwhile reached the outskirts of the town of al-Hamdaniyah, south of Mosul, but stopped advancing because of snipers and suicide bombers, according to a military officer. The Federal Police reached al-Houd village to the east, another officer said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media. By the end of the day Monday, Kurdish forces had retaken some 200 square kilometers (80 square miles), according to Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraqs largely autonomous Kurdish region. Peshmerga commanders on the ground estimated they retook nine villages and pushed the front line with IS back eight kilometers (five miles). The front line east of Mosul is now some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the city. IS said it carried out 12 suicide attacks on Monday against the forces advancing on Mosul, including eight that targeted the peshmerga. The report carried by the IS-run Aamaq news agency said Iraqi forces had captured just three villages and that IS fighters had halted an advance from the south. In Baghdad, thousands of followers of an Iraqi Shiite cleric marched in front of the Turkish Embassy on Tuesday demanding the withdrawal of Turkish troops from a base near Mosul. Get out, Get out, occupier! and Yes, yes, for Iraq, chanted the followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Turkey says the troops are training Iraqi fighters to help retake Mosul, and that they are there with the permission of the Iraqi government. Baghdad denies it granted permission and has ordered the Turks to withdraw a call Ankara has ignored. The spat has raised concerns that the defeat of IS could lead to renewed conflict among the various fighting units currently allied against it. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Tuesday that the fighters who were trained at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul were at the forefront of the Mosul operation, fighting alongside Kurdish forces. Also, the Turkish air force was involved in airstrikes alongside the U.S.-backed coalition in the Mosul operation. Those who say Turkey has no business in Mosul have gotten their answer, he said. ___ Associated Press writers Sinan Salaheddin and Joseph Krauss in Baghdad, Maamoun Youssef in Cairo and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report. Kurdish Peshmerga fighters sprinted through gunfire during the offensive to reclaim Mosul, Islamic States last major stronghold in Iraq. The footage, broadcast by Kurdish news outlet Rudaw, appears to have been filmed on Monday, the day the operation was launched. Armed forces said on Tuesday they had liberated some 20 villages on the outskirts of Mosul in just 24 hours. Government and Kurdish forces, backed by US-led coalition air support, as well as Shia Muslim militias, advanced on the city as smoke, apparently from oil wells set alight by IS militants, filled the sky. Credit: Facebook/Rudaw By Maher Chmaytelli BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Armed forces closing in on Mosul said on Tuesday they had secured some 20 villages on the outskirts of the city in the first 24 hours of an operation to retake what is Islamic State's last major stronghold in Iraq. With air support from a U.S.-led coalition, government and Kurdish forces edged closer to the city as smoke darkened the blue sky above one IS position, apparently from oil fires ignited to hamper the incursion and make it harder to land air strikes. Reuters reporters witnessed Islamic State mortar fire in villages on the plain east of the city as the militants sought to counter a push by Kurdish forces. One car bomb exploded during the fighting, although it was not immediately clear if it had been detonated or hit by incoming fire. With a population of 1.5 million, Mosul is the largest city under the control of the Islamic State group that seized swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014, and its recapture would be a "decisive moment" in defeating the militants, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter. But the urban battle ahead - in a city four to five times larger than other towns seized by Islamic State - poses not only a military challenge, but also a humanitarian one, with the United Nations warning of an exodus of up to a million people. About 4,000 to 8,000 militants are thought to be dug into Mosul while the forces assembled to drive them out are estimated at 30,000, including Iraqi army, Kurdish and Sunni tribal fighters. More than 5,000 U.S. soldiers are also deployed in support missions, as are troops from France, Britain, Canada and other Western nations. The Iraqi army is attacking Mosul on the southern and southeastern fronts, while the Peshmerga carried out their operation to the east. The Peshmerga, who are also deployed north and northwest of the city, said they secured "a significant stretch" of the 80 km (50 mile) road between Erbil, their capital, and Mosul, about an hour's drive to the west. The U.N. refugee agency said it had built five camps to house 45,000 people and plans to have an additional six in the coming weeks with a capacity for 120,000, that would still not be enough to cope if the exodus is as big as feared. The battle has also raised fears of sectarian and ethnic revenge killings in territory retaken from the ultra-hardline Sunni Muslim Islamic State. Amnesty International urged Iraqi authorities to keep Shi'ite paramilitary groups away from Mosul whose population is largely Sunni. The rights group said the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad would bear responsibility for the actions of the militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, which are officially considered to be part of the country's armed forces. "There can be no justification for extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture or arbitrary detention," said Amnesty's Philip Luther. (Additional reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh in Erbil and Stephen Kalin in Baghdad; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Kim Kardashian may currently be off social media and out of the spotlight, but that doesn't mean she's not on her famous family's minds. On Monday, Kim's youngest sister, Kylie Jenner, even paid her a special tribute by rocking a look very similar to what Kim has sported in the past. A photo posted by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Oct 17, 2016 at 5:29pm PDT WATCH: Kylie Jenner Lets North West Try Her Lip Kits The cosmetics queen took to Instagram to show off her ensemble, which consisted of an oversized T-shirt, paired with a binding emerald green corset. She added some thigh-high suede LeSilla boots and continued to rock her rose gold hair, but this time with some longer extensions. A photo posted by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Oct 17, 2016 at 5:10pm PDT Kim embraced the corset-over-T-shirt trend this summer, when she stepped out multiple times in July and August rocking the unusual style. While the rest of her family has returned to social media and is beginning to attend public events again, Kim is keeping a low profile these days. More than two weeks ago, the mother of two was robbed at gunpoint in her Paris apartment. GC Images The investigation into the robbery -- which resulted in millions lost in stolen jewels -- is ongoing, and the reality star doesn't have any sort of strategy for returning to work and the spotlight after her traumatic ordeal. WATCH: Kim Kardashian's Friends and Family Taking Over Web Duties While She Takes Time Off Following Robbery Bauer-Griffin/GC Images "There is not a big plan in place for her comeback," a source told ET last week. "She is still staying off the grid and away from everything." For more from Kim's horrific robbery, watch the video below. Related Articles The Prix Villegiature Awards 2016 winners have been announced, highlighting the best hotels across the world. Some of the big winners from this year include La Reserve Paris Hotel and Spa, which was awarded the Best Hotel in Europe (as well as Best Service in a hotel of less than 80 rooms in Europe), the TIGMIZA Hotel Restaurant Spa, Marrakesh - Morocco, picking up the Best Hotel in Africa, and the Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem, Israel, named as the Best Hotel in the Middle East. The Viceroy Bali, Indonesia was honored with the Best Hotel in Asia. The Hotel Valverde in Lisbon picked up the prize for Best Interior Design in a hotel in Europe. For dining, Best Restaurant in a hotel in Europe went to Paris's Hotel Lancaster, for chef Julien Roucheteau's La Table du Lancaster, while the Best Bar award belongs to The American Bar at The Savoy, London. The Savoy, London, also picked up Best Service for a hotel of more than 80 rooms in Europe. And for those looking for a different way to relax, the Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo boasts the Best Spa in a hotel in Europe. The Oetker Collection picked up the prize for Best Hotel Group in Europe, while Best Resort in Europe was awarded to Evian, France's Hotel Royal, and Hotel Belles Rives in Juan-les-Pins, France won in the Charming Hotel category. For a full list of winners head to the Prix Villegiature website. Ken Jeong The Dr. Ken star is a self-possessed lifelong Dodger fan, and attends games regularly, including opening day and sometimes with fellow celebrity fans. Jason Bateman The Arrested Development star is such a crazy fan for this team, that he has never agreed to throw out a first pitch, but did prank the Arizona Diamondbacks once by throwing a pitch out in their stadium when the Dodgers were visiting. Zac Efron The actor attends multiple home games with his LA hat on, and the Dodgers even alerted fans that they could find themselves sitting next to the Neighbors star at some point. Ron Howard The famous director is not only a massive fan of the Dodgers, hes knowledgeable too, and will talk about the teams moves when he shows up to do interviews about his movies. Eva Longoria From attending a plethora of games to palling around with legendary manager Tommy Lasorda, Longoria is such a close friend of the Dodgers organization she even hosted a charity softball game at the stadium with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Larry King The legendary broadcaster is a huge Dodgers fan and not shy about his opinions of the organizations moves. Last year, he had strong thoughts about the team losing pitcher Zack Greinke to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Alyssa Milano The Charmed star is such a die-hard Dodgers fan that she started an entire fashion line after not being satisfied with the official team merchandise available to her, and has rituals for when she attends games, like any true fan. George Lopez The comedian is one of the most famous Dodgers fans around and once wrote a long essay detailing exactly how and when he became a fan. Danny Devito It was hard to tell who was more star-struck when the actor, wearing a #7 jersey, walked onto the field and hugged Dodgers player Nick Punto after a winning game in 2013. Bryan Cranston Im a big, big Dodger fan. Have been all my life. My first Dodger game I was 5 years old, the Breaking Bad actor once said. This year, Cranston narrated the documentary entitled Dodgermentary: The Lasorda Chronicles. Story continues Nick Jonas The former Jonas Brothers band member attends games in Dodger blue, and cheers on the team on social media. Mario Lopez The Saved By the Bell star and Extra host loves the Dodgers so much he appeared in a video congratulating the 2016 on its successful season, alongside some other famous fans. Related stories from TheWrap: #RallyTogether: Stars Rooting for the Cleveland Indians (Photos) #OurMoment: Stars Rooting for the Toronto Blue Jays (Photos) Dodgers Legend Tommy Lasorda Sings, Dances to 'Turn Down for What' (Video) Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned Danesh Irani in Mumbai for at least four hours today. His statements were recorded under the Money Laundering Act. By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: After former billiards champion Michael Ferreira, ED's focus has now shifted to Danesh Irani, son of actor Boman Irani. Danesh was questioned by the officials of Enforcement Directorate (ED), Mumbai for atleast four hours today. He was accompanied by his mother and brother, Justin. Michael Ferreira, along with three other accused, was arrested in the multicolored QNet scam by the economic offence wing (EOW) of Mumbai police. advertisement Source from the ED office confirmed to IndiaToday.in that Danesh was summoned today morning and was asked to remain present with required documents of his bank accounts. STATEMENTS RECORDED UNDER MONEY LAUNDERING ACT "His statements were recorded under the Money Laundering Act. The agency suspects Danesh played crucial role in the promotion of QNet Ponzi schemes among the investors, and for which he has been paid a good money," an ED official said. Two years back, ED had registered a money laundering case in connection with the alleged Rs 425 crore financial fraud involving multi-level marketing firm QNet in which the name of Michael Ferreira cropped up. Besides Ferreira, Danesh was also under the scanner in the alleged QNet scam. The ED filed its ECIR under the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognizance of the EOW FIR filed in this case. In 2014, the EOW had grilled Danesh, but before that his bank account was frozen, which had a sum of Rs 25 lakh. Details of Danesh's bank account reveal that he received about Rs 40 lakh from QNet in 2013. The amount of transactions could go up, once the investigation gets completed by ED. QUESTIONED ON THE MONEY TRAIL The ED official were trying to examine the extent to which Danesh has played his role for which QNet paid him about Rs 40 lakh. In addition, ED also questioned him on the money trail. The management of QNet allegedly duped almost 5 lakh investors by offering to sell products like magnetic disks, herbal products and holiday schemes through alleged fraudulent practices. QNet has also been accused of using the banned binary pyramid business model for their multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes to entice investors. The accused arrested till now, has been charged with cheating and forgery under relevant sections of the Prize, Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978. READ| Boman Irani clarifies on Rs 425 crore QNet scam --- ENDS --- The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, the charitable initiative formed by the Oscar-winning actor which has raised millions of dollars for global environmental causes, has lately been ensnared in the Department of Justice investigation into a Malaysian fund allegedly used by co-financier Red Granite to fund The Wolf of Wall Street, which DiCaprio starred in and produced. The DOJ has been looking into whether that money came to businessman Jho Low and Riza Aziz through the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund (Aziz is stepson of Najib Razak, the Malaysian Prime Minister who is chairman of the funds advisory board). That has led to questions over whether the funds benefited LDF in any way. DiCaprio has not been named in the investigation, but that hasnt stopped unflattering coverage in THR and other press, including a call from the Swiss-based charity Bruno Manser Funds to return any ill-gotten funds, and another that DiCaprio step away from his position as UN Messenger of Peace, bestowed by UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon for his work on environmental causes. The Foundation is finally speaking up for itself, for the first time. The message, essentially: the LDF is cooperating fully with the DOJ and will divest itself of any fund-raising proceeds that came from ill-gotten donations, once the investigation is completed. Several months ago in July, Mr. DiCaprio first learned through press reports of the governments civil action against some of the parties involved in the making of The Wolf of Wall Street, said a spokesperson. He immediately had his representatives reach out to the Department of Justice to determine whether he or his foundation, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF), ever received any gifts or charitable donations directly or indirectly related to these parties, and if so, to return those gifts or donations as soon as possible. All contact was initiated by Mr. DiCaprio and LDF. Both Mr. DiCaprio and LDF continue to be entirely supportive of all efforts to assure that justice is done in this matter. Mr. DiCaprio is grateful for the lead and instruction of the government on how to accomplish this. Out of respect for its ongoing investigation, which has touched many charities, hospitals and individuals, who may have been unwitting recipients of funds now in question, Mr. DiCaprio has refrained from public comment throughout this period of investigation. He will continue to limit his statements on this matter. Since winning the Best Actor Academy Award for The Revenant, DiCaprio has put his focus on producing the Fisher Stevens-directed climate change documentary Before the Flood, and the Kief Davidson/Richard Ladkani-directed The Ivory Game, on ivory poachers that are decimating the population of elephants in Africa. Related stories Paramount & Appian Way Landing 'Truevine' As Potential Leonardo DiCaprio-Starrer Leonardo DiCaprio & President Obama Talk Climate Change - Watch The Livestream 'Before The Flood' Trailer: Leonardo DiCaprio's Documentary On Climate Change (Adds Lime Energy CEO comment, paragraph 5) By Nate Raymond NEW YORK, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Lime Energy Co and four former executives have agreed to settle civil charges that they were involved in an accounting fraud at the Newark, New Jersey-based energy services provider, U.S. regulators said on Monday. Lime Energy has agreed to pay $1 million to resolve a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Manhattan federal court accusing it of improperly booking $20 million in revenue from 2010 to 2012, the agency said. "Lime Energy and its then executives engaged in a wide array of wrongdoing, including the improper reporting of a significant amount of fake revenue," Scott Friestad, the SEC's associate director of enforcement, said in a statement. The SEC also reached deals with Joaquin Alberto Dos Santos Almeida, an ex-vice president of operations; Karan Raina, an ex-director of operations; Julianne Chandler, a former corporate controller; and James Smith, an ex-executive vice president. "This settlement brings a close to a chapter that Lime Energy put behind us several years ago, a matter in which no current Lime Energy employees were involved," Lime Energy Chief Executive Adam Procell said in a statement on Monday. Lawyers for the executives either declined comment or had not immediate comment. According to the SEC, while working in Lime's utilities division, Almeida and Raina began recognizing millions of dollars of revenue on newly signed contracts earlier than appropriate. Both became even more aggressive in 2011 and 2012 as they further recognized revenue earlier than allowed, eventually directing company accountants to book revenue on non-existent jobs, the SEC said. The regulator further alleged that Chandler accepted new accounting entries for millions of dollars in additional 2011 revenue after the year-end close. With the company needing $500,000 more to meet its 2011 revenue target, Smith in February 2012 sent Chandler new entries that provided Lime with even more revenue to improperly recognize, the SEC said. Story continues Under the settlements, Smith and Chandler agreed to a five-year bar on serving as an officer of a publicly traded company and to pay $50,000 and $25,000, respectively. Chandler also agreed to be suspended from appearing before the SEC as an accountant. Almeida agreed to a permanent officer-and-director bar, and Raina agreed to pay $50,000, the SEC said. All four former executives neither admitted nor denied the allegations. The case is U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Lime Energy Co, et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-08088. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Frances Kerry and Peter Cooney) The 2017 Lincoln Continental, which is hitting showrooms now, represents the best that Lincoln has to offer, according to Lincoln President Kumar Galhotra. Lincoln parent company Ford (F)which has whittled down from from being a house of brands to focusing on its core models in the Ford and Lincoln families. And Lincolns advertising campaignincluding its commercials featuring Matthew Mcconaugheyhas become very popular. The company just launched a new campaign with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz. At Lincoln, were all about providing very warm, human experiences for our customers, he said. Annies not only takes great pictures but she creates this great narrative. The car wakes up very gently. Its kind of like a warm embrace from the car, Galhotra said. It puts down a welcome mat for you where youre standing. The handles light up. As you touch the door handle, it opens just with a gentle touch. You dont have to slam the door. It cinches quietly closed behind you. And then you get in the seat and the seat is phenomenal. We call it a perfect position seat. It actually reduces fatigue rather than cause it. And Galhotra added the recent headlight recall isnt something that should concern consumers or investors. Were in a very complex business. Occasionally there are issues like that, he said. Whenever something like this happens, we move very quickly to replace it and fix the cars for our customers as quickly as possible. China opportunity and US manufacturing Galhotra explained that there is considerable upside for the company and the model in China. China has been doing fantastic for us. We launched there toward the end of 2014, he said. This year weve already sold more than 20,000. While General Motors (GM) Cadillac manufactures the majority of its vehicles sold to China in the region, Galhotra said Lincoln does not yet have plans to do so. We are very committed to US manufacturing, he said. Just in the past five years weve invested more than $12 billion here in the US, weve created more than 28,000 jobs. We are the automaker with the most number of employees in the US. We export more cars from the US to outside the US than anybody else. So all of those facts speak for themselves. We are very committed to US manufacturing. Story continues Ford CEO Mark Fields has defended his company against Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trumps criticisms against Ford for moving manufacturing plants outside the US. And as we grow the business in China, maybe at some point, it would be appropriate for us to build in China, but we are extremely committed to US manufacturing, Galhotra said. Please also see: Gutsy analyst argues that already-expensive stock prices will get even more expensive Dismal start to earnings season becomes market driver Healthy retail sales number belies rapidly evolving industry dynamics Why a rate hike wont save the banks Wanda has big plans for it's Qingdao Movie Metropolis. During Wanda's US-Sino Business Evening at the Los Angeles County Museum of the Arts, where Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin was on hand, the company revealed more details about the 408-acre mixed-use space. The studio facilities will include 30 sound stages, including an advanced temperature-controlled underwater stage and the world's largest indoor stage. The studio is scheduled to officially open in August of 2018. Movies that film at Wanda's Qingdao Movie Metropolis facility will receive a new 40 percent rebate for film and TV projects that shoot at the facility. The rebate is co-funded by the Qingdao regional governments and Wanda. Legendary/Universal's Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, the sequel to Guillermo Del Toro's monster movie Pacific Rim, will be the first U.S. production to shoot at the Qingdao studio. Announced today, Legendary/Warner Bros.' Godzilla 2, the follow-up to Gareth Edwards' Godzilla, will also shoot at the studio. Lionsgate and ArcLigtht Films have signed on to shoot at the studio, along with China Media Capital-backed Infinity Pictures, Arad Productions, Kylin Pictures, Base Media, Beijing Dirty Monkey Culture Industry Development and Juben Pictures. The studio will be only one part of Wanda's planned Movie Metropolis. A convention center, shopping mall, six resort hotel, four indoor theme parks, a marina, international schools, an international hospital, and Asia's largest cinema with 5300 seats will also be a part of the proposed metropolis. The idea is that the the mixed-use development will make Qingdao a home away from home for filmmakers, their crews and their families. A sizzle reel for the Movie Metropolis was screened during the event, narrated by The Great Wall star Matt Damon. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs were on hand to offer their support of Wanda and it's hefty film industry ambitions. Garcetti said that beginning in the Spring of 2017, there will be a direct flight from Los Angeles to Qingdao. Isaacs announced that Wanda would help to finance the long-delayed Academy Museum, scheduled to open in 2018. "This is an opportunity for Hollywood, not competition for Hollywood," reassured Jianlin at the end of his address. The Crime Branch has arrested Laxman, a fugitive criminal and resident of Delhi Cantt., who was an active member of the Gaurav Jharera gang operating in Delhi. By Tanseem Haider: The Crime Branch has arrested Laxman, a fugitive criminal and resident of Delhi Cantt., who was an active member of the Gaurav Jharera gang operating in Delhi and was wanted in a sensational daylight murder case of Delhi Cantt. Laxman and his 8-9 associates had killed Aakash, a 12th class student, in a fight over assertion of supremacy in the area in July. advertisement Crime officials laid a trap near the expected place of his arrival and overpowered the accused when he reached there. LAXMAN CONFESSES TO CRIME On interrogation, the accused confessed to his involvement in the crime. Subsequently, he was arrested under appropriate sections of law. Also read: Delhi Police arrests two wanted for murdering woman mukhiya from Bihar When questioned, he revealed that he had joined the Gaurav Jharera gang in order to assert his supremacy in the locality and to earn fame and quick money. Gang leader Gaurav Jharera is presently lodged in jail for murder of Kalu Jharera, which he committed during the gang-war in Delhi Cantt. area. MURDER COMMITTED IN JULY On 17th of July, Laxman and his 5 associates -- Vishal, Vijay, Deepak, Gaurav, Bunty -- had killed 22-year-old Aakash by thrashing him with an iron rod. Some traffic policemen were also present at the spot during the incident. One accused Gaurav was apprehended on the spot with the help of traffic policemen while the main accused Laxman, and Vishal, Vijay, Deepak and Bunty had managed to flee from the spot. This daylight murder had created a sensation in the locality and agitations were staged by the locals demanding the arrest of criminals. --- ENDS --- From Esquire Being our semi-regular weekly survey of the state of Our National Dialogue which, as you know, is what Nino Tempo and April Stevens would have sung, had they recorded "Derp Purple." Before we start with the performance pieces, let's take a look at some real news concerning a real journalist. On Monday, the invaluable Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! will stand before the bar in the newly formed petro-state of North Dakota on charges of Doing Her Job In The First Degree. Formally, Goodman is charged with "participating in a riot" because she filmed a violent police action against the people protesting the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. Originally, Goodman was charged with misdemeanor trespassing. But then, a backwater states attorney named Ladd R. Erickson upped the ante with a rioting charge that, theoretically, could land Goodman in prison for decades. Erickson offered the following explanation to The Grand Forks Herald for why he decided to inflate the charges the way he did. (I'm sorry. That was a mistake. Somebody in the control room threw the wrong switch.) "She's a protester, basically. Everything she reported on was from the position of justifying the protest actions," said Erickson, adding that her coverage of the Sept. 3 protest did not mention that people trespassed during the incident or the alleged assaults on guards. "Is everybody that's putting out a YouTube video from down there a journalist down there, too?" he asked. Maybe, maybe not. But there's no doubt that Goodman is, and that she was practicing her craft on the ground that day. This is an assault on the First Amendment occurring in broad daylight. Where the hell is the elite political press on this one? We see endless and disgusting video of what happens to the traveling press at Donald Trump's rallies, and that's bad enough. But why wasn't every network in North Dakota there on Monday to cover the legal proceedings and (with any luck) to make Ladd Erickson look like an authoritarian goober for a national audience? Story continues Now, onto The Sunday Showz. And let me make a modest suggestion to the people who book the guests for such productions. Give up on the Republican campaign for president. Seriously, there isn't a single surrogate for El Caudillo del Mar-A-Lago who won't drop the collective IQ of your program by 20 points and who won't turn even the most sedate interview into an exercise in Bedlam. And it's not even the Kaleigh/AJ/Kellyanne/Scottie Nell Axis Of Stupid, either. It's the people who once were held, God knoweth why, in high esteem in the political life of this country. [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Update:%20Trump%20Surrogates%20Are%20Still%20Melting%20Down" customimages="" content="article.49563"] For example, there's N. Leroy Gingrich, Definer of civilization's rules and Leader (perhaps) of the civilizing forces. He long ago departed this earthly realm on golden clouds of his own intellectual flatulence, but his shilling for Donald Trump has sent him spiraling off toward the Horsehead Nebula. He dropped by This Week With The Clinton Guy Shocked By Blowjobs, where old pal Martha Raddatz was ensconced in the big chair. He would like you to know that, despite being A Historian and a Leading Intellect, he also is a crazy person who hears Alex Jones through his fillings. Well, I think they are the news media. This is not about election officials at the precinct level. This is about last Friday, when the networks spent 23 minutes on the Trump tape and less than one minute-all three networks combined-less than one minute on Hillary Clinton's secret speeches that were being revealed on WikiLeaks. And you look at that and you say-I mean, I think it's amazing that Trump is as close as he is right now, considering the one-sidedness of the news media barrage. And the best description of it is by Barry Casselman in his blog, where he said this is a coup d'etat. He said 14 million citizens and private ballots picked Donald Trump, 20 TV executives have decided to destroy him. First of all, as all actual historians know, you can't have a "coup d'etat" against a candidate because there's no "etat" to coup against. Second, as all actual historians watching this interview undoubtedly shouted as one, "Who the fck is Barry Casselman?" GINGRICH: No, the coverage continues because you want it to continue. The fact is, Trump did not set out to get 23 minutes against himself and less than a minute on-and I think that's a devastating number. Which came, by the way, from "The Hill". But here's my point, and I've said this publicly, there's a Big Trump and there's a Little Trump. The Big Trump is a historic figure. The Big Trump beat 16 other people for the nomination. The Big Trump is creating issues that make the establishment very uncomfortable. The Little Trump frankly gets out-is stupid. I mean, that comment just then is dumb. And I don't defend him when he wanders off; I've told him over and over. You know, presidents have to be disciplined, and in that sense Hillary is probably better trained to be president, just because she's the most corrupt person to ever get the nomination of a major party. Actual Historians may recall precisely what appendage the late Mr. Presley used to call "Little Elvis." Given that, I think the evidence is absolutely clear that Gingrich is absolutely correct when he says that Little Trump is stupid and will get Big Trump in trouble. Big Trump never should let Little Trump do his thinking for him. [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Proof%20Trump%20Is%20Losing:%20Supporters%20Are%20Melting%20Down" customimages="" content="article.49457"] Moving along, we discover that Republican vice-presidential candidate and future dog-walker at Trump Tower Mike Pence dropped by Face The Nation, where John Dickerson, nobly holding down the seat once sat upon by onetime Hohenzollern art critic Bob Schieffer, asked him about all the trouble Little Trump has been causing this campaign. PENCE: Obviously, history records that Bill Clinton didn't just talk about doing things, that he did them. It took a while to find all that out. He was under oath in 1998. And he finally came clean on having taken advantage of a 23-year-old intern at the White House named Monica Lewinsky, and in the most appalling behavior by an American president in the history of this country. Look, Donald Trump has made it very clear that he deeply regrets those words that he used 11 years ago, that they don't represent who he is, and that he has categorically denied these unsubstantiated allegations. "The most appalling behavior by a president in the history of this country." Yeah. Right. Meanwhile, over at broadcasting's Overlook Hotel, where my man Chuck Todd always has been the caretaker, we were treated to yet another visit from my man Chuck Todd's new BFF, Hugh Hewitt, who likely was signed aboard originally to provide The Conservative Perspective, but who now finds himself also pursued across the ideological landscape by the rampaging Little Trump. He took shelter in one of the most reliable rhetorical bunkers there is, one that was constructed in the 1990s by The Arkansas Project, LLC-that there is somewhere out there the one document that will prove conclusively that the Clintons looted the tombs of the Pharaohs. HEWITT: If in fact Secretary Clinton's State Department directed aid to friends of Bill, that is criminal wrongdoing that will haunt her into her term if she wins, and you can't rule out Donald Trump because if the Russians drop, no matter its provenance, if they drop her private emails, that means she is compromised as a national security leader. Wait and see. Little Trump has made them all crazy. Little Trump is the reason none of them are getting the Clinton auto-da-fe they've been searching for ever since America said quite clearly that it didn't care what Little Bill was up to, either. My man Chuck Todd summed it up: TODD: Now Hugh, I did have a Clinton supporter admit to me, they said they won the primary, but they lost the campaign. Nice to know Joe Lieberman still hasn't lost his touch. Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page. You Might Also Like Fredericksburg tree service contracting company Local Tree Pros has launched a new website FREDERICKSBURG, VA / ACCESSWIRE / October 18, 2016 / Local Tree Pros, a tree service contractor company, has recently launched its own website. Just in time for the fall season when tree trimming and removal needs are on the rise, this new website is designed to make requesting tree services simpler for Local Tree Pros customers to do. The website also has a mobile-friendly version, which means customers can make requests from any device connected to the internet, including smartphones and tablets. George Miller, Local Tree Pros project manager, is excited about this new addition and the level of convenience it lends to the company's clients. "The new website makes it easier for Fredericksburg area residents and businesses to request a free tree service estimate; it was designed to help facilitate incoming requests quickly so that Local Tree Pros can provide outstanding customer service." Local Tree Pros, which primarily services the Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania areas of Virginia, has placed the free estimate form on the main page of the website to make it easy for customers to find. Services the company can facilitate include but are not limited to tree removal, trimming, pruning, lot clearing, and storm cleanup. The new Local Tree Pros website also includes a list of its most requested services and features testimonials from satisfied customers, which highlight the company's attention to safety and leaving properties in pristine condition once its work is complete. Other recurring themes in these testimonials are how quickly Local Tree Pros provides estimates and performs labor while keeping costs affordable for homeowners and businesses. The website includes a page with a map of its service areas, which runs a broad line from Ruby down to Partlow to eliminate any doubt on if Local Tree Pros is actually local to a potential client. Its form submission service for free estimates is also 100% secure for visitors to use and protect personal information. The company also strives to address these estimate requests through the website within the same day. Story continues To get an estimate on a needed tree service or become acquainted with Local Tree Pros in general, visit the new website at fbrg.localtreepros.com. You can also call to speak with main contact George Miller or another service representative at 540-356-3722. Contact Local Tree Pros: George Miller (540) 356-3722 fbrg@localtreepros.com 16 Lichfield Blvd #5715 Fredericksburg, VA 22406 SOURCE: Local Tree Pros Defense major Lockheed Martin Corp.s LMT Aeronautics business division recently clinched a modification contract from the U.S. Navy for the F-35 Lightening II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. The original advance acquisition contract involved low-rate initial production of Lot 9 F-35 Lightening II jets. Details of the Deal Valued at $743.2 million, this deal promises to offer additional funding and establish not-to-exceed (NTE) prices for diminishing manufacturing and material shortages redesign and development, estimated post production concurrency changes and country unique requirements. Moreover, this modification will establish NTE prices for one F-35A aircraft and one F-35B aircraft for a non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participant in the F-35 program. The contract was awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD. Majority of the work will be carried out in Fort Worth, TX; El Segundo, CA; Warton, U.K.; Orlando, FL; and many other regions across the globe. The modification will utilize fiscal 2015 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy) and non-U.S. DoD participant and foreign military sales funds. Work related to this agreement will be over by Dec 2019. LOCKHEED MARTIN Price LOCKHEED MARTIN Price | LOCKHEED MARTIN Quote F-35 Attributes Lockheed Martins F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine 5th Generation fighter aircraft, which comes with an advanced stealth feature combined with enhanced fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three variants of F-35 are set to replace 5 fighter jets for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as a variety of fighter jets for at least ten other countries. With Lockheed being the primary partner, the F-35 program has been supported by an international team of leading aerospace majors. While Northrop Grumman Corp. NOC contributed its expertise in carrier aircraft and low-observable stealth technology to this program, BAE Systems plcs BAESY short takeoff and vertical landing experience, and air systems sustainment supported the jets combat capabilities. Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corporation UTX, provided F-35s with the F135 propulsion system, the world's most powerful fighter engine. Story continues Our View Built with the combined expertise of some of the best corporations in the aerospace-defense space, F-35 is the world's largest defense program. Excluding the temporary stand-down of 15 jets in the U.S. and Norwegian fleet for addressing insulation issues in the fuel tanks avionics cooling lines, initiated late September, the overall F-35 program has been making progress on most fronts of late.. As of Jun 2016, Lockheed Martin has rolled out 174 F-35s which have together accounted for 68,000 flight hours, marking this aircrafts achievement of operational benchmarks. Going forward, Lockheed Martin aims at increase its deliveries of F-35 to 53 this year and has already supplied approximately 180 since the inception of the program. Management has also adopted a cost-saving initiative that is expected to reduce sustainment costs for F-35 by 10% over the next couple of years. This will result in cost savings of $1 billion over a five-year period. We believe that the latest modification contract will help in the company meet these targets. Zacks Rank Currently, Lockheed Martin carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). The companys earnings estimates have dropped 6% for 2016 and 2.4% for 2017, in last 60 days. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report NORTHROP GRUMMN (NOC): Free Stock Analysis Report LOCKHEED MARTIN (LMT): Free Stock Analysis Report BAE SYSTEMS-ADR (BAESY): Free Stock Analysis Report UTD TECHS CORP (UTX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Alex Dobuzinskis (Reuters) - Louisiana's attorney general said he got legal clearance on Monday to keep blocking a measure protecting gay and transgender workers in the state, one of a growing list of disputes over LGBT rights heating up across the south. Jeff Landry, a Republican, has been caught in a confrontation with the state's Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards, who brought in measures in April banning state agencies from discriminating against gay and transgender people. Landry, who has described himself as a "campaigner for conservative family values", started blocking several new contracts the state signed with companies that included those protections. He accused the governor of overstepping his authority and largely steered clear of directly discussing gay rights. But his stance has won support from conservative lawmakers and groups across the state, including the Louisana Family Forum. Edwards brought a lawsuit trying to prevent Landry from blocking the contracts. But Landry said a state judge in Louisiana's capital Baton Rouge dismissed that lawsuit on Monday. "All along, I have stated my intention to put Louisiana's best interests forward as I serve as the state's chief legal officer," Landry said in a statement. He would "not cower to executive overreach," he added. There was no immediate comment from the governor. But a member of his legal team told the judge they would appeal, The Advocate newspaper said. Courts have become the frontline in a battle over gay and transgender rights raging across the United States. Four Massachusetts churches filed a lawsuit last week asking to be exempted from a state law that requires public places to allow transgender people to use bathrooms in line with their gender identity. [nL1N1CI009] Late last month California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill opening single-stall public restrooms to anyone, regardless of gender. [nL2N1C52SH] (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Andrew Heavens) The world's best hotel for 2016 boasts bragging rights to being the most exclusive property in Ireland and to having hosted one of the most powerful couples in the world, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, during their honeymoon. In the 29th edition of CN Traveler magazine's Readers' Choice Awards, guests of the Ballyfin Demesne hotel, located an hour outside Dublin, helped it snag the coveted title of best hotel 2016, for bringing unrestrained luxury and refined elegance to guests. With just 20 bedrooms, the country house reopened in 2011 after nine years of painstaking renovations that restored the Regency mansion to its former glory, with Irish art and antiques, Irish mahogany and French chandeliers. Stone walls also enclose 614 acres of parkland, lake, ancient woodlands and grottoes. In addition to being referred to as Ireland's answer to Downton Abbey, Ballyfin made headlines around the world when Kimye decided to book the property as part of their 2014 honeymoon. Ireland landed a second spot on the top 10 list for The Lodge at Ashford Castle. England was the only other country to land two properties on the list. For the 29th edition of the magazine's Readers' Choice Awards, more than 300,000 readers weighed in on their favorite destinations, hotels, cruises, airlines and resorts -- nearly twice as many as last year -- to help editors compile lists of the best in travel for 2016. Rounding out the top three spots on the best hotels list is COMO The Treasury, Perth, Australia and Hotel Matilda, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Here are the top 10 hotels for 2016, according to readers of CN Traveler magazine: 1. Ballyfin Demesne, Co. Laois, Ireland 2. COMO The Treasury, Perth, Australia 3. Hotel Matilda, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 4. Umaid Bhawan Palace (Taj), Jodhpur, India 5. Summer Lodge Country House Hotel, Dorset, England 6. Virgin Hotels Chicago, IL 7. Waterford Castle, Co. Waterford England 8. Hotel Unique, Sao Paulo, Brazil 9. The Lodge at Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo, Ireland 10. Hotel Il Pellicano, Tuscany, Italy For more results, visit http://www.cntraveler.com/travel-awards/readers-choice-awards. Manish Gupta, a resident of Rohini, used to pose as a divorcee and successful businessman on different matrimonial websites and after extorting money, he would disappear and never respond to the women again. By Tanseem Haider: With the arrest of one Manish Gupta, a resident of Rohini, the Delhi Police brought a huge sigh relief for many innocent divorcee females and widows in the Capital who fell in the trap of the accused. Manish used to pose as a divorcee on different matrimonial websites to lure his prey. After extorting money, the accused used to disappear and never responded to their calls again. advertisement MODUS OPERANDI The incident came to light on October 9 when a divorcee registered a complaint against Manish Gupta at Ashok Vihar police station. The lady mentioned that during the search for a suitable match, she was contacted by Manish who posed himself as a divorcee and a very successful businessman. Manish mailed her a very attractive bio-data in which he claimed that he obtained an MBA degree from a reputed institute and graduated from a reputed college of Delhi University. He also mentioned that he was into the business of iron manufacturing with an annual income of Rs 1 crore (approx). The accused met the victim several times and started chatting with her on her WhatsApp account on a regular basis and gained her confidence after showing his keen interest in her. He also painted rosy pictures in her mind regarding their future life to attract her. NASTY SURPRISE When the lady made thorough inquiries about Manish, she came to know that he is not only a divorcee but also a father of two daughters. During the course of investigation, statements of bank account of the complainant as well as of accused Manish Gupta were obtained and analysed. It was revealed that he had cheated other victims also with the similar modus operandi. It was also found that he got his profile registered as a divorcee at three different matrimonial sites like Bharatmatrimony.com, JeevanSathi.com and Simplymarry.com. SERIAL CHEATER When the investigating officials obtained details of Manish's bank account from Axis Bank to trace his address, it was found that he had sold out his property few years ago. The accused was also not residing at the address mentioned in his bio-data. After several efforts, his mother and brother were traced and contacted but they informed that Manish had been living separately for the last 10 years and they had disowned him due to his unwarranted and cheating activities. On October 16, acting on a specific information, accused Manish Gupta was arrested in Ashok Vihar area. The data of his mobile phone was checked and officials found that Manish's phone contained details of over 30 such women who were on his radar. advertisement ALSO READ: Man arrested over alleged rape inside UK parliament --- ENDS --- Skopje (AFP) - Macedonia on Tuesday officially called for a snap parliamentary election on December 11 to try to end a seething political crisis, after the vote was delayed twice this year. All four main parties have confirmed they will take part in the election that had been initially planned for April and rescheduled for June before being delayed again over opposition claims that conditions had not been met for a free and fair vote. The Balkan state has been in deep crisis since February 2015, when leader of the main opposition Social Democrats Zoran Zaev began releasing tapes that appeared to reveal official and widespread wiretapping, including of journalists and politicians. The tapes also appeared to have uncovered corruption among high-ranking officials, including former conservative prime minister Nikola Gruevski. He was accused of accepting a 20-million-euro ($22-million) bribe from Chinese firms to grant them motorway construction concessions. After a string of demonstrations, the European Union stepped in to mediate a deal, urging early elections and an independent probe into the corruption allegations revealed by tapes. The polls could pull Macedonia out of political crisis provided that "the campaign is fair and elections credible," EU delegation chief Samuel Zbogar said. Zbogar said a new government should strive for the urgent, honest and comprehensive implementation of reforms in order to pull Macedonia out of its crisis. Political leaders had already agreed in August on the December 11 date but the election was officially called on Tuesday by parliamentary speaker Trajko Veljanoski. Gruevski stepped down in January to make way for the election after 10 years in power. Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2005 but has yet to open accession talks. Regular polls were due in 2018. KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Top Glove Corp Bhd , the world's largest rubber glove maker, is looking at deals of up to 1 billion ringgit ($240.7 million) as it seeks to expand its business through acquisitions of local players. The Malaysian manufacturer accounts for about one-fourth of global rubber glove production, with a manufacturing capacity of 46.6 billion pieces per year. Listed in Malaysia and Singapore, the group operates from Malaysia, Thailand and China. The group is in negotiations with a few local players regarding valuation, said Top Glove Executive Director Lim Cheong Guan, adding that he expected it could come down amid macroeconomic headwinds. He, however, declined to name the companies. "The deal size could be up to 1 billion ringgit," he told Reuters on the sidelines of a press conference. "We are looking at niche private players... These could be specialised glove makers." He said the group was "in no hurry" seal a deal, although it had previously targeted to clinch it within this year. The group believes an industry consolidation is on the horizon which will work in its favour to expand through acquisitions. Chairman Lim Wee Chai said at the conference that the group was cautious about valuation. "In the United States and Europe, where mergers and acquisitions are common, companies are willing to pay three to four times the price-to-book value. They can compete. Our acquisition must be done smartly, or we would not be able to compete efficiently," he said. The group remains committed to organic growth by building factory capacity using the best technologies, he added. Top Glove is in the process of ramping up capacity in Thailand and locally, in tandem with growing global demand for gloves. By April 2017, the group said it would have a production capacity of 52.4 billion pieces. The company reported a 36.2 percent drop in its fourth-quarter net profit, and targets a 30 percent global market share by 2020. ($1 = 4.1550 ringgit) (Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu) LONDON (Reuters) - A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of rape following an alleged incident inside Britain's Houses of Parliament, London police said on Tuesday. The attack reportedly took place in the early hours of last Friday and the suspect, who police have not named, was detained later that day. Police said he was not a lawmaker. Police said the man had been released on bail until January pending further inquiries. A spokesman for the House of Commons, one of Britain's most recognizable buildings on the banks of the River Thames in Westminster, said they were aware of the incident and parliament was working closely with police. (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Kate Holton) A Delhi woman disowned her 14-year-old son for refusing to study well, being rude to others and misbehaving often. The boy now lives in an ashram and a case has been filed against the mother by the Child Welfare Committee. By India Today Web Desk: A Delhi woman disowned her 14-year-old son in April and left him to fend for himself. He was not allowed to enter his house, and the teenager had to live in a park near his house in Delhi's Lodhi colony and had to beg for food. The woman, who works with the Ministry of Finance, refused to accept him back despite repeated requests from the boy, reports The Pioneer. One of the boy's friend offered shelter initially, but when the fellow's parents could not look after him anymore, he was back to living in the park. After eight months, the Child Welfare Committee interfered and took the boy to Bal Kalyan Samiti Ashram in the first week of October. An FIR has been registered under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act at the Lodhi Colony police station. advertisement The Pioneer also reports that the woman said that the boy was her son from her first husband, whom she had separated with on mutual consent, and that she married again and had two daughters from the second husband. The CWC complaint to the police says that the alcoholic step-father used to beat the boy and lock him up whenever the family went out. "I separated from my first husband and then got married to another man with whom I had two daughters. My son was staying with me and I ensured that he received education but as time passed by he was uncontrollable. He was rude to everyone and would misbehave a lot. He had no interest in study for which I had to transfer him from one school to the other. He would sometime run away from home without intimating me. This had disturbed me a lot. In 2012, my second husband died due to liver Sirosis and now I have to look after my two daughters. I asked him to leave in April this year as I could not bear him anymore. I did not let him in my house every time he came back," said the mother. She also said that she "doesn't want him" and that she has given her first husband's address to the boy. The boy now prefers to stay at the ashram and continue his studies. --- ENDS --- Mark Cuban Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban is going back to a presidential debate as a guest of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Along with Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman, a prominent Republican backer of Clinton, Cuban was announced as a guest for the Wednesday night debate in Las Vegas. It's the third and final presidential debate. Clinton's communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, confirmed the guests, according to NBC's Monica Alba. Cuban was quick to troll Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Twitter about his planned debate presence. "Cant wait to give a big hug to my bestie @realDonaldTrump at the debate tomorrow night," the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC's "Shark Tank" tweeted. "I know you miss me!" Cuban caused a stir late last month when he announced that Clinton's campaign provided him a front-row seat for the first debate. It led Trump to threaten an invitation to Gennifer Flowers, a woman with whom former President Bill Clinton has admitted to having a consensual sexual relationship decades ago. Trump did not follow through. At the debate, Cuban told reporters that Trump supporters began levying death threats against him after he announced he'd be attending the debate. Asked afterward if the two exchanged any pleasantries or glances during the Hofstra University debate, Cuban said, "It was hard to tell." "He was concentrating the whole time," he added. Cuban has been a Clinton supporter since he endorsed the Democratic nominee at a Pittsburgh rally in July. He has ripped Trump repeatedly on social media and in interviews, calling him the most "dangerous" presidential candidate he could imagine during a recent interview with Business Insider. Cuban last month offered Trump $10 million to hold a four-hour policy debate with him. Earlier in the cycle, he was more enthralled by a potential Trump presidency, and at different points said he'd be interested in serving as either Trump's or Clinton's running mate. Story continues NOW WATCH: Golf legend Greg Norman reveals the truth behind President Bill Clinton's late-night 1997 injury More From Business Insider Mark Cuban Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, the Right Side Broadcasting Network, and poker legend Mike Matusow engaged in a lengthy Twitter war Tuesday over the size of the crowd at Donald Trump's Cincinnati rally last week. It began when Cuban the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, star of ABC's "Shark Tank," and a prominent supporter of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton tweeted an Instagram photo from the Trump rally. It showed the upper deck of the arena virtually empty. "So @USBankArena holds 17k and it's half empty or worse," Cuban wrote. "Your crowds are shrinking Donald #trumpmath." That's when Matusow, a Trump supporter, chimed in. He asked Cuban not to be "fake" like the media. "Well at least u showed Msm" mainstream media "view instead of other view @RSBNetwork shows where its totally packed don't be like fake msm no facts!!" he posted. Cuban fired back, saying Matusow has a "polluted" mind. "Lol," he posted. "I pulled them from some attendees' Instagram. Your mind is so polluted u couldn't read the Instagram url." Matusow then shared a video clip from Right Side Broadcasting, a pro-Trump network that broadcasts all of the Manhattan billionaire's rallies online. "Heres a real view for you!!" Matusow wrote. The video showed the packed lower area but did not give a view of the upper deck Cuban had referenced. Trump himself frequently touts the size of his crowds at the rallies and criticizes media outlets for not panning their cameras to "show the crowd." "Lots of empty seats and just lower bowl," Cuban responded. "You do realize the video and pic I posted were taken the same time?" Right Side Broadcasting's account then began engaging, asking Cuban to "find one video" where Clinton "has got 1/5 of this crowd at ANY rally." "Hell, I'll settle for 1/10," the account posted. Cuban asked the network how it could "explain all the empty seats?" The network replied that Trump was "kickin' her tail" in Ohio. Story continues The battle cooled off shortly after. "The place was not full, but there was a lot of ppl," Right Side Broadcasting wrote. "Let's all slow our roll and settle this in 3 weeks, baby." NOW WATCH: David Cay Johnston: 'There's no evidence Donald Trump is a billionaire' More From Business Insider Paris (AFP) - Long before the space age, Earthlings were already in hot pursuit of life on Mars, using primitive telescopes and even psychic mediums to seek evidence of sentient beings. Long thought to be green-skinned creatures, and long referred to as "Martials", they were believed in the late 1800s to have built networks of irrigation canals -- an inference from telescopic evidence of "straight lines" on the Red Planet's surface. There were no lines. But early scientific blunders, aided by fictional accounts and tall tales of psychic encounters with creatures which spoke a language similar to French, helped create a long-lasting myth. Modern science has dispelled such nonsense, and today we know the hostile Martian surface is too radiation-blasted, cold and dry to host life as we know it on Earth. The search is still on, however, for single-celled organisms which may be lurking underground, "burping" methane -- or for remains of life that may have existed some 3.5 billion years ago when Mars was a warmer place with liquid water. An overview of successful Mars space missions: Past: 1965: Following several failed attempts by the former Soviet Union, NASA's Mariner 4 completes the first successful flyby of Mars and takes photos, kicking off space exploration of the Red Planet. 1971: The former Soviet Union's Mars 2 and Mars 3 craft become the first to enter orbit -- completing several loops. A lander deployed by Mars 3 became the first craft in 1971 to make a soft Mars landing -- though contact with the craft was lost after just seconds. The Mars 2 lander crashed into Mars, becoming the first human debris left on the Red Planet. 1971: NASA's Mariner 9 becomes the first US craft in Mars orbit. 1975-80: NASA's Viking 1 becomes the first succesful orbiter-lander combination fitted with experiments to search for Martian microbes. 1996-7: NASA's Mars Pathfinder delivers the first rover, dubbed Sojourner, to the surface. It was followed by rovers Spirit and Opportunity in 2003, and Curiosity in 2011. Story continues Present: NASA: The American agency's Opportunity and Curiosity rovers still roam the Red Planet's surface today. It also has three orbiters: the Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and MAVEN. EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY: Europe's Mars Express has orbited the Red Planet since 2003. Its first attempt to place a European rover on the surface failed that same year. INDIA: India placed its first working orbiter, named Mangalyaan, around Mars in 2014. Future: The Trace Gas Orbiter, part of a joint European-Russian mission called ExoMars, should enter a Mars loop on Wednesday, and start sniffing the planet's atmosphere in early 2018 for signs of life. Its Schiaparelli test lander is also due to touch down Wednesday after a hairy six-minute atmosphere crossing designed to pave the way for a rover due for launch in 2020. China hopes to send an orbiter and rover to Mars around 2020. More ambitiously: SpaceX chief Elon Musk plans to send an unmanned spaceship to Mars by 2018 as part of his quest to colonise the Red Planet with humans. NASA wants to send people to Mars by the 2030s. Dutch company Mars One, is weighing volunteers for a project to colonise the fourth rock from the sun -- for the moment, return is not part of the plan. Sources: NASA, European Space Agency By Hilary Russ Oct 18 (Reuters) - The state of Massachusetts will stop using Wells Fargo & Co as a bond underwriter for one year, joining a growing list of state and local governments to suspend business with the bank after revelations it opened millions of unauthorized accounts. Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg instructed her staff late on Monday to immediately remove Wells from the state's approved list of underwriters for a term of one year, her spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Compared to other states, Massachusetts' exposure to the bank is "extremely limited," but Goldberg "isn't convinced that Wells Fargo has grasped the level of seriousness of their actions nor have they addressed systemic failures within their organization," spokeswoman Chandra Allard said in an email. Last month, the bank agreed to pay a $190 million settlement over its staff opening as many as 2 million accounts without customers' knowledge. The misconduct triggered a raft of federal and state investigations and cost former chief executive and chairman, John Stumpf, his job when he resigned last week. Earlier this month following the scandal, Massachusetts, as well as Oregon and the city of New York, said they were reviewing their business relationships with the firm. The backlash has since spread. On Friday, Ohio said it would ban state business with Wells for a year, following the city of Chicago and the states of Illinois and California. (Reporting by Hilary Russ; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli) (Adds Wells Fargo comment) By Hilary Russ Oct 18 (Reuters) - The state of Massachusetts will stop using Wells Fargo & Co as a bond underwriter for a year, joining a growing list of state and local governments to suspend business with the bank after revelations it opened millions of unauthorized accounts. Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg instructed her staff late on Monday to immediately remove Wells Fargo from the state's approved list of underwriters for a term of one year, her spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Compared with other states, Massachusetts' exposure to the bank is "extremely limited," but Goldberg "isn't convinced that Wells Fargo has grasped the level of seriousness of their actions nor have they addressed systemic failures within their organization," spokeswoman Chandra Allard said in an email. "We value the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' business and will work to earn it back," the bank said in a statement. Last month, Wells Fargo agreed to pay a $190 million settlement over its staff opening as many as 2 million accounts without customers' knowledge. The misconduct triggered a raft of federal and state investigations and led to the resignation last week of its chief executive and chairman, John Stumpf. Earlier this month following the scandal, Massachusetts, as well as Oregon and the city of New York, said they were reviewing their business relationships with the firm. The backlash has since widened. On Friday, Ohio said it would ban state business with Wells Fargo for a year, following the city of Chicago and the states of Illinois and California. In Massachusetts, the bank said, it employs 1,300 people and contributed $1.3 million to nonprofits and schools statewide in 2015. Its business with the state is conducted through Wells Fargo Securities, which is a separate business line from its retail banking operations. (Reporting by Hilary Russ; editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Jonathan Oatis) By Hilary Russ (Reuters) - The state of Massachusetts will stop using Wells Fargo & Co as a bond underwriter for a year, joining a growing list of state and local governments to suspend business with the bank after revelations it opened millions of unauthorized accounts. Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg instructed her staff late on Monday to immediately remove Wells Fargo from the state's approved list of underwriters for a term of one year, her spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Compared with other states, Massachusetts' exposure to the bank is "extremely limited," but Goldberg "isn't convinced that Wells Fargo has grasped the level of seriousness of their actions nor have they addressed systemic failures within their organization," spokeswoman Chandra Allard said in an email. "We value the Commonwealth of Massachusetts business and will work to earn it back," the bank said in a statement. Last month, Wells Fargo agreed to pay a $190 million settlement over its staff opening as many as 2 million accounts without customers' knowledge. The misconduct triggered a raft of federal and state investigations and led to the resignation last week of its chief executive and chairman, John Stumpf. Earlier this month following the scandal, Massachusetts, as well as Oregon and the city of New York, said they were reviewing their business relationships with the firm. The backlash has since widened. On Friday, Ohio said it would ban state business with Wells Fargo for a year, following the city of Chicago and the states of Illinois and California. In Massachusetts, the bank said, it employs 1,300 people and contributed $1.3 million to nonprofits and schools statewide in 2015. Its business with the state is conducted through Wells Fargo Securities, which is a separate business line from its retail banking operations. (Reporting by Hilary Russ; editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Jonathan Oatis) Matt Lauer began Tuesdays edition of the Today show by confirming the ousting of Billy Bush, who on Monday was terminated for his role in the Donald Trump tape scandal. RELATEDBilly Bush Officially Out at Today NBC News announced last night that Billy Bush would be leaving the Today show effective immediately, noting that he was a valued colleague and a longtime member of the broader NBC family, Lauer said. A statement Billy released separately last night read in part I look forward to what lies ahead, and of course, all of us here at Today wish Billy the very best. NBC had previously announced that Bush was indefinitely suspended on Oct. 2, but it wasnt until Monday that the Peacock network formally parted ways with its co-host. Prior to his initial suspension, Bush had released the following apology: Obviously Im embarrassed and ashamed, he said. Its no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. Im very sorry. RELATEDTrump-Themed Law & Order: SVU Episode Shelved Until After Election Bush, who has been with NBC since he joined Access Hollywood as an on-air correspondent in 2001, is leaving the network with an exit package some unconfirmed reports have put in the neighborhood of $10 million. Watch Lauers confirmation of Bushs exit below, then tell us if you agree with NBCs decision to let him go. Related stories SNL Promos: Tom Hanks Talks Outer Space, Sips Mimosas With Leslie Jones Ex-Castle Boss Tapped as Blacklist Spinoff Showrunner Chicago Fire Boss Talks [Spoiler]'s Exit Following Jimmy vs. Boden Battle (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May is leaning toward approving a plan to build a new runway at London's Heathrow airport, the Financial Times reported on Monday citing Whitehall officials. May still needs to discuss the proposals with senior colleagues at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday ahead of the expected announcement, it said. May had said earlier this month that the decision would be made shortly. Her office could not be reached for comment. The decision to expand Britain's and Europe's busiest airport, rather than its smaller rival Gatwick, would end years of battling for government approval to build an extra runway. May's predecessor David Cameron was due to rule on the expansion in July, but Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union resulted in his resignation and delayed the decision. Heathrow, which is closer to London, faced greater scrutiny than Gatwick after it breached air quality limits in 2014. Business leaders preferred Heathrow's expansion as it is also Britain's biggest port by value, handling a third of the country's non-EU exports through established connections with emerging markets. Gatwick, which is surrounded by countryside 40 miles south of London, had argued that its stronger environmental position bolstered the case to build a new runway there. Heathrow airport declined to comment and Gatwick airport could not be immediately reached for comment. Both Heathrow, owned by Spanish infrastructure company Ferrovial, Qatar Holding, China Investment Corp plus others, and Gatwick, owned by investment fund Global Infrastructure Partners, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and others, say that airport expansion can be funded without government money. (Reporting by Sangameswaran S in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Heneghan) By Saurabh Vaktania: Mumbai has been put on high alert after an IndiGo pilot spotted a suspicious drone while landing at Mumbai domestic airport. CISF control room informed the Airport Police that at about 5.55 pm, IndiGo flight (Delhi-Mum) pilot Asish Ranjan saw a drone some 100 feet below the plane at Kurla side during landing . Pilot Asish confirmed the incident and said that he saw a drone that was blue and pink in colour at around 3.5 kilometre east side. advertisement Immediately after the sighting the drone the security personnel were alerted and asked to be vigilant. A senior police officer said an alert has been issued in this regard and a high-level probe is on. Local police and other agencies investigating the matter. It is still unknown how a drone took to the skies after the Mumbai Police imposed a ban on them post surgical strike in PoK. Also read: Mumbai next on terror hit list? Police suspect drones may be used for attack Mumbai: Police issue fresh circular for possibility of drone attacks --- ENDS --- Long considered one of the most significant snubs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's induction history, the MC5 is hoping the second time will be the charm for the revolutionary and revolution-minded rock troupe from Michigan. The group was on the ballot once before, in 2003, and has been championed before and since by admirers. And surviving members Wayne Kramer and Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson would be happy to help, er, kick out the jams when the Rock Hall's class of 2017 is inducted during April at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. "I had a vision for the band when I started it, and being in a hall of fame was never part of it -- but it's a good thing to be recognized for your work," guitarist Kramer tells Billboard. "The band never achieved great commercial success and wealth and any of that, but I think our contribution was significant. I don't want to get ahead of myself. I guess I'll have to leave it up to the people, all my musicians, all my brothers and sisters that work in the amusement industry to recognize the significance of the MC5 -- which they always have. The musicians have always been the band's greatest champions." The MC5 formed during the mid-60s in Allen Park, Mich., south of Detroit, and released its first single, "I Can Only Give You Everything," 50 years ago. The quintet -- which also included late members Rob Tyler, Fred "Sonic" Smith (who was married to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Patti Smith) and Michael Davis -- was together until 1972 and released three albums. The first, in 1969, was named after the quintet's enduring anthem, Kick Out The Jams. The MC5 was also known for its outspoken political leanings and activism, playing in Chicago during the charged 1968 Democratic National Convention and serving as the house band for the White Panther Party, founded by band manager John Sinclair. "You've got to remember the MC5 was banned from the music business," Kramer says. "They were afraid of us and what we represented. What we represented was young people of our generation who had serious concerns about a war that they could not justify, about people of color being treated differently than white people, about sexual mores that weren't consistent with their humanity. These were subjects the music industry didn't want to confront, so it was much easier to just band us from the radio and kick us off their record labels and hope that we would go away. Story continues "But the fact that we were the tip of the spear for our generation didn't go away, and the musicians themselves have been the ones that have continued to be the MC5's champions, right up to today." The group first reunited in 1992 to pay tribute to Tyner three months after his death. Smith passed away in 1994, and Davis, Kramer and Thompson began playing together in 2003, touring the following year as DKT/MC5 with an all-star group of guests. Davis died in 2012. Kramer acknowledges that would make an induction "bittersweet" but is certain he and Thompson will be happy to represent for their comrades if elected to serve. "I talk to Dennis fairly regularly. We're still close," say Kramer, who's working primarily with film music these days as well as his Jail Guitar Doors initiative to use music as a form of rehabilitation in correctional facilities. "I'm sure it would be very important to both of us. It wouldn't be a bad thing." If youre under the age of, say, 30, and have the sort of Facebook friends who post ironic viral content instead of pious screeds on the presidential election, theres a good chance youve seen a video to a hip-hop track called Dat $tick, by a maverick artist named Rich Chigga. The song is rather good, actually, but as far as the motifs of hip-hop go, theres nothing particularly revolutionary about it: the lyrics concern popping caps and gang affiliation; the actors in the video wield pistols and bottles of rum and groove around in the self-consciously exaggerated way that calls to mind Drake in the video for Hotline Bling. The video, which went live on YouTube on Feb. 22, has more than 20 million views. Those who have shared it on social media seem to sincerely like the music but mostly get a kick out of the artist: the guy rapping about killing pigs and driving Maseratis is a 17-year-old Indonesian boy who wears a polo shirt and a Reebok fanny pack and doesnt look old enough to shave. This is the hardest n-gga of all time, the rapper Tory Lanez enthused in a reaction video released in July, where he and other distinguished hip-hop artists among them Ghostface Killah and Camron basically all echoed the same sentiment, with praise. I see the comedic side of all this, but what hes spitting is dope, Camron said. His flow was tough. (The reaction video now has 4.5 million views.) Meanwhile, the artist in question was 9,000 miles away in Jakarta, the muggy, perennially hazy capital of Indonesia, where, being 17, he still lives with his parents. This was not his first viral video. His real name is Brian Imanuel, and in an era when the Internet gets a bad rap as the domain of trolls and narcissists and cowards he is the strongest evidence of its potential as a tool of reinvention for good. It was here in Jakarta that a skinny homeschooled boy, who spoke only Bahasa Indonesia, discovered YouTube, taught himself the vernacular English of the American suburbs, and fashioned himself as an online celebrity first as a comedian, with a preternatural grasp of the darkly ironic tenor of the humor of Twitter and Vine, and then, most implausibly, as a rapper. A good rapper. He has a quarter of a million followers on Twitter, nearly 100,000 on SoundCloud, and managers in Los Angeles. Last week, Ghostface Killah the elder statesman of hip-hop formerly of the Wu-Tang Clan remixed Dat $tick. Story continues Imanuel seems wryly amused by his climb to American Internet stardom from half a world away. I just realized I preferred speaking English, because you can say a lot more in English than you can in Indonesian, he explains. I was doing stupid, goofy sh-t, but it was fun. And in my YouTube comments, people would be like, Why is he speaking English? This was the Friday afternoon before Ghostface Killahs remix dropped. He and I were in the backseat of his sister Sonia Erykas car, on our way to Bandung, a city three hours to the southwest of the capital. A rapper he knew had a gig there later in the evening, and we were hitting the road early to escape the snarls of greater Jakartas notoriously wretched traffic. Imanuels crew, insofar as he has one: his sister Eryka, whos 23 and is herself a YouTube personality in Indonesia, and a portly 21-year-old guy named Ricky he asks me not to use his last name who produces the music Imanuel makes as Rich Chigga and appears in the Dat $tick video. The truth is that Imanuel, an Internet celebrity whose shtick is one of glib adolescent bravado, is in fact something of a loner. The truth is that this is true of many Internet celebrities. Despite the motifs that recur in both his rap and comedy videos bottles of liquor, consistent references to kush Imanuel doesnt smoke weed and rarely drinks. Indonesia is a country of cigarette smokers half of all adults smoke, and a shocking number of children too, as seen in a 2014 Vice documentary on the nations tobacco addiction but Imanuel instead puffs occasionally on a vaporizer. I went through a clubbing phase then, I dunno, dude. The club scene in Jakarta sucks, he says. Its rich kids and kids who are trying to look rich. Its not about partying its about showing people on Instagram that you went to the club. Warning: Video contains profanities With his suburban accent and decidedly Californian wardrobe, one could responsibly mistake him for a student at an international school, the son of a diplomat or maybe a Philip Morris executive, but hes quick to distance himself from this scene. He recently went to one of their parties and was mobbed for selfies; he was wholly unimpressed. He spends his days at Rickys house, working on new material. In person, he is more serious than youd expect, with the aloof awareness you associate with suburban American boys perhaps a bit too intelligent for their own good. Imanuel was born in 1999, a year after the fall of Suharto, the dictator who presided over Indonesia for three decades. Like many postcolonial 20th-century Asian autocrats, Suhartos legacy is ambivalent: he oversaw the countrys economic growth and modernization but ruled its 250 million people with an unabashed iron fist. There was no free press. When the popular dissent that would unseat him began to boil, Suharto publicly denounced the Internet as a weapon of sedition, claiming in an April 1997 speech that global information enabled Indonesians to receive foreign values that can erode their sense of nationalism. Still, by the year he fell, only 100,000 Indonesians were online roughly 0.04% of the population. Today, that figure hovers at around 22%, according to the World Bank, but recent laws, evidential of a creeping Islamist conservatism in the country, have banned certain websites deemed prurient, ranging from pornography outlets like Pornhub to social-media platforms like Tumblr. Imanuel is the youngest of four children; his parents (who he says are incredibly supportive) spent most of their time at the cafe they ran. I had a lot of alone time, he says. He says he was homeschooled, and as we head southward to Bandung, I ask him why. Dusk is falling; the air is thick with the yellow patina of haze. I have no idea, he tells me. There are two answers, Ricky chimes in from the front seat. Brians version is that his parents were too busy to drive him to school. The version Sonia told me is that apparently Brian was, like, an antisocial freak at school. You were! Eryka says. You cried every day. In any event, he was lonely. Hed gotten his hands on a Rubiks Cube, and realized he could log onto his parents computer to find strategies for solving it faster. This is how he discovered YouTube. He also found and joined Twitter, in August 2010, when he was just under 11 years old. At this point, he did not speak English. But, with Rubiks Cube tutorials and YouTube videos on cinematography (another interest of his) as his aural guides, he realized he was quick at learning it. What happened next is the story of what happens to everyone who finds their home on the Internet: he happily got lost in it. He cant remember the exact genealogy of things, but he eventually fell into a community of like-minded young people on Twitter Americans, mostly, 13 hours ahead; hed wake up early in the morning to interface with them. By his own account, these were his only friends. He had an uncannily quick fluency in the deeply nuanced surrealist humor that is associated with a loose confederation of comically ironic nihilists often referred to as Weird Twitter. In July 2015, Slate published an article titled Bin Laden Walks Into a Bar, with a more to-the-point subhead: Why teenagers love making jokes about 9/11. Fourteen years after 9/11, teenagers too young to remember the tragedy in the first place are now mining it for comedy, the author, Amanda Hess, wrote. Constructing the joke is often as simple as fishing a conspiratorial slogan out from the Internets past and releasing it on the modern Web. One such slogan? Bush Did 9/11. To the unacquainted, it sounds like an absurd comedic premise, but the absurdity is the premise. Thus Weird Twitter. Adding to the delicious absurdity of things is that one of the self-professed originators of this joke format was a teenager from Indonesia who was 2 years old and half a world away when the towers fell. You see the same current of absurdity in his work on other platforms, such as Vine or YouTube, where in January he released a video parodying TLCs melodramatic series My Strange Addiction. In it, he professes an addiction to kush. The video has a million views. He is acutely aware of the irony that he does not actually do drugs. One of his closest friends on Twitter is Nick Colletti, who belongs to the same comedic camp and has more than 260,000 followers. Weird Twitter is jus like the internets evil step child that is lovked [sic] away in the attic and u feed it old potatoes like a sloth from the goonies, Colletti told TIME via Twitter direct message. Brian is so different cuz he isnt from America but he gets everything we say n all the references n sh-t. Hes so in the zone its dope. Imanuels friends online introduced him to hip-hop in 2012. It was hardly deep cuts: 2 Chainz and Macklemore, whose track Thrift Shop was the first to which Imanuel tried rapping. My English was so bad, he laughs. Learning how to rap actually improved my English, because it forced me to talk fast, and I used to suck at that. In a way, his hip-hop is a lot like his comedy: flavored with irony because an Indonesian teenager rapping about gang warfare is ironic but ultimately driven by a passion born of talent. I dont want to be all corny and call myself a f-cking artist, but at the same time I dont want to say Im exclusively a comedian, he says. These days, though, hes devoting his energies to music. Dat $tick was the first song I tried to be serious on, he says. Then I thought, Wow, what if I really did this seriously? How dope would that be? Bandung is up in the hills, and when we get there, its after dark and theres a cool mist in the air. Though hes a big fan of the artist performing tonight, 22-year-old Ariel Nayaka, who was educated in the U.S. but has since returned to Jakarta, Imanuel is generally lukewarm on the Indonesian rap scene. Like Holden Caulfield, his favorite adjective is corny. Hes also wary of being pigeonholed as an Asian rapper, words he says with a whiff of disdain. But his viral success has precipitated a boom in English-language hip-hop in Jakarta, giving other young Indonesians the hope that they too could make it big. Alongside Joey Alexander, the 13-year-old piano prodigy from Bali, Imanuel is now probably the Indonesian most recognized overseas. The countrys cultural ambassadors are a couple of teens. Ever since Brian blew up, people have been, like, Oh, shit, this is a thing. It really paved the lane for English-speaking rappers, Nayaka tells me before his gig. But honestly, at first, I didnt even realize he was Indonesian. As he tells me this, Imanuel is being hounded for photos by fans, as he has been for most of the evening. Hes good about obliging them, too, mugging for the camera and whatnot. But hes most himself when hes left alone like on the drive back to Jakarta through the wet night of Java. The car is quiet: Rickys driving, Erykas asleep, and Imanuels face is cast in the white light of the screen of his cell phone, which is where his world is. On Monday, Melania Trump spoke with CNNs Anderson Cooper, giving her first public interview since her husband, Donald Trump, was accused of multiple acts of sexual assault and sexual aggression. When asked by Cooper about the acts her husband is heard describing on the tapes with then-Access Hollywood co-host Billy Bush (who has since been let go from his hosting responsibilities for the Today show as a result of the things heard on the tape), Melania dismissed her husbands remarks, saying boys talk. The boys, the way they walk when they grow up and they want to sometimes show each other, Oh, this and that and talking about the girls, she said. Interestingly, what Melania describes as boy talk was committed by her husband when he was 59 years old. As many on social media pointed out, this defense positions Donald Trump as a guileless, irresponsible, impish child who cannot be held accountable for his words and actions. Melania: It was boy's talk. It was 2 teenaged boys Anderson Cooper: He was 59. Anne of Peen Gables (@BougieLa) October 18, 2016 And this was only reinforced when she told Cooper, Sometimes I say I have two boys at home I have my young son and I have my husband. But I know how some men talk, and thats how I saw it, yes. Some on social media took this analogy to perpetuate the Republican presidential nominees actions as normal for all members of the male gender. I hope men are just as insulted as women that Melania just explained the predator behavior of a 59-year-old man as "boy talk." Elizabeth Plank (@feministabulous) October 18, 2016 It is boy talk, says Michael Kimmel, PhD, professor of sociology at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook and the executive director of the Universitys Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities, to Yahoo Beauty. But we expect boys to grow out of this kind of talk by the time they graduate from high school at least. By the time youre married with kids, you dont talk like this about women any more. So Melanias right this is completely regressive. Story continues As for adult men who continue this kind of behavior? Kimmel told Yahoo last year that sexual violence is committed by a fairly small number of men who are serial predators who feel entitled to sexual assault. For these men, however, Kimmel explains that behavior dismissed as boys talk by the former model is a kind of currency among men who believe that the type of behavior they describe committing is just harmless fun not rape. Furthermore, Kimmel noted that more often than not what we think of as rape culture is perpetuated by the silence of some men enabling the predatory behavior of others. In other words, when blatant descriptions of acts of sexual violence are written off as just boy talk or locker room banter, bystanders who excuse this kind of behavior allow it to continue by normalizing the idea that one gender is forcibly entitled to the bodies of another. Melania was half-right, Kimmel tells Yahoo Beauty today. She doesnt quite understand the depth of the contempt for women her husband expressed [on the Access Hollywood tape], that he believed hes perfectly entitled to have access to womens bodies as much as he wants. But she does understand that violence against women is social. Trump said that to the other guys on the bus because he wanted them to say, Thats awesome. He wanted other guys to think that he was awesome. She gets that without an audience, the bully has no reason to act. Without an audience, the predator has no reason to boast about his behavior. Kimmel also notes that when discussing the Trump comments on the Access Hollywood tape, its critical to distinguish mere boy talk from actual behavior. Lots of guys say stupid things about women when theyre with other men. If you were walking down the street and a guy makes a comment about you to another guy, my feeling is that this is posturing for other guys when theres the occasion for it. This has far less to do with you than you might think, in that respect, Kimmel explains. However, he notes, when it comes to what Trump is heard saying on the Access Hollywood tape, This is not simply talk. This would be like my saying, Oh I walked past my local branch of Chase bank the other day and the register was open and I took all of the money. Thats not just talk thats a confession. Its a crime. I have watched enough episodes of Law and Order to know a confession when I hear one. This is also a prime example of the Bystander Effect, the psychological phenomenon wherein the presence of others keeps people from coming forward to help during an emergency situation. In this case, when enough people dismiss sexual violence as something that boys are expected to do to women, it creates a cycle where fewer people find it necessary to call out such behavior. Additionally, comments like Mrs. Trumps construe the definition of sexual assault for a larger public. No, thats not sexual assault. He didnt say that, Mrs. Trump told Cooper about her husbands words on the 2005 tape. Also not part of being a good bystander? Blaming the victim. Which is something Melania seemed to do in her conversation with Cooper, telling him that part of the reason why she dismisses the accusations against her husband is because of the kind of behavior shes seen in women. I see many, many women coming to him and giving phone numbers and, you know, want to work for him in appropriate stuff from women, she said during the CNN interview. Kimmel notes that while its well-documented that rock stars and athletes have groupies, theyre not running for president. And, he adds, Ok youre a celebrity and you have groupies. So what? You just say no. Its very easy. Victims and survivors of sexual assault are never to blame. The only people who are responsible for sexual violence are the people who are committing it and creating a culture where victims are made to believe that they are the ones responsible for the harm done to them stigmatizes survivors and lets perpetrators off under the excuse of that this is something that they are merely expected to do, because boys talk. Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. (Reuters) - Melania Trump rose to her husband's defense on Monday, describing lewd comments the Republican presidential nominee made on a leaked 2005 video in which he bragged about groping women as "boy talk." Trump, who has kept a low profile during her husband's presidential bid, gave her first television interviews since the Oct. 7 release of the tape that has shaken Donald Trump's campaign. He trails Democrat Hillary Clinton in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 8 election. Melania Trump told CNN her husband was engaged in "boy talk, and he was led on - like, egged on - from the host to say dirty and bad stuff" in the conversation with "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush. NBC said on Monday that Bush was leaving the "Today" show, following his role in the taped conversation with Donald Trump. Melania Trump, a Slovenian-born former model, added in a CNN interview that aired on Monday night that she was surprised because she had never heard her husband use that kind of language before. "No. No, that's why I was surprised, because I said like I don't know that person that would talk that way, and that he would say that kind of stuff in private," Melania Trump said. She told CNN that her husband behaved at times like an overgrown boy and that she saw his "Access Hollywood" remarks as in keeping with that behavior. "Sometimes I say I have two boys at home. I have my young son and I have my husband. But I know how some men talk, and that's how I saw it, yes," she said. Trump told CNN she agreed with first lady Michelle Obama that kissing or groping someone without consent constituted sexual assault, adding: "But every assault should be taken care of in a court of law. And to accuse, no matter who it is, a man or a woman, without evidence is damaging and unfair." 'MOVING ON' In partial transcripts from a separate interview with Fox News, she said she had forgiven her husband for the comments in the tape, which was first published by the Washington Post. "Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. And he apologized to me. And I ... accept his apology. And we are moving on. They were her first public comments since a statement she issued after the tape's publication in which she said her husband's remarks did "not represent the man that I know." Melania Trump told Fox News that her husband, a New York businessman and former reality television star, was committed to running for office even though it was difficult because he had been "in so many shows, so many tapes" over the years. Asked if it was fair for the media or her husband to bring up charges of infidelity in former President Bill Clinton's past, Melania Trump told Fox News: "Well, if they bring up my past, why not? After Trump denied during a debate with Clinton on Oct. 9 that he had actually done the things he bragged about in the tape, a number of women accused him of groping and kissing them without permission in incidents stretching back decades. He has denied the charges. Asked about those accusations, Melania Trump told Fox News: All these women are coming out and they are allegations but they are not true. Why now? Why three weeks before the election? I believe my husband," she told CNN. "This was all organized from the opposition. With the details that they got, did they ever check the background of these women? They dont have any facts. (Reporting by Eric Walsh in Washington; Editing by Peter Cooney) Melania Trump blames Billy Bush and the media for the way her husband, Donald Trump, was caught talking on a hot mic in 2005. The GOP presidential nominee was vulgar when he explained he liked to be forceful when hitting on women. Bush can be heard laughing at the remarks and on Monday, he exited his post at the Today show due to the fallout. In a Monday sit-down with Melania Trump, CNN's Anderson Cooper asked her about the tape as well as the women who have come forward to accuse her husband of sexual assault. About the tape, which was recorded during an Access Hollywood interview and released by the Washington Post ahead of the second presidential debate, Melania Trump says that the two men were engaged in "boy talk, and he was led on - like, egged on - from the host to say dirty and bad stuff." Though she said it wasn't language she had heard her husband use before, she agreed with Donald Trump's description of the conversation as "locker room talk" and compared his and Bush's behavior to "two teenage boys." (Trump was 59 at the time, something Cooper points out.) "Sometimes I say I have two boys at home: I have my young son and my husband," she said on Anderson Cooper 360 with a laugh. "I know how some men talk and that's how I saw it." She continued about "boys talk," saying, "The boys, the way they talk when they grow up and they want to sometimes show each other, 'Oh this and that,' and talking about the girls. I was surprised, of course. But I was not surprised that the tape came out... It's many people from the opposite side that want to damage the campaign. And why now? Why, after so many years, why three weeks before the election?" Melania Trump then placed blame on the "left-wing media." "It was the media. It was NBC. It was Access Hollywood," she said. "It was left wing and left-wing media. You could see that. Everything was organized. Every Friday something comes out." Story continues While she said that the conversation between her and Donald Trump when she found out was private, she again said that he apologized and she accepted, something she hopes the American people will also do. "I said to my husband that, you know, the language was inappropriate. It's not acceptable. And I was surprised, because that is not the man that I know. And as you can see from the tape, the cameras were not on - it was only a mic. And I wonder if they even knew that the mic was on," she said. She added that, because Donald Trump has been on so many tapes and shows, "we knew that tapes would come out. But my husband is real, he's raw. He tells it how it is." Melania Trump: Donald Trump was egged on into "boy talk" https://t.co/maa5VyAAjn https://t.co/nAJA2orwHi - CNN (@CNN) October 17, 2016 Cooper, who pressed Trump during the second debate about whether or not he had ever acted on the words he is heard saying on the tape (the GOP nominee said he had not), asked Melania Trump if she felt that his words were sexual assault. She said no: "He didn't say he did it." The host then brought up the multiple women who have since come forward to accuse Trump of kissing and groping them without their consent. "To accuse without evidence, it's damaging and it's unfair," she said of the claims, which include two women who spoke to The New York Times and another who spoke to the Palm Beach Post. "I believe my husband. This was all organized from the opposition. The details that they go, did they ever check the background of these women? They don't have any facts." Referencing the People story, in which a reporter penned a first-person essay about Trump allegedly assaulting her in the early 2000s, Melania Trump said she sent the magazine a legal letter because the encounter described in the story between the writer and Melania Trump "never happened." "She interviewed us twice, she came to the wedding for that story and that's it," she told Cooper of writer Natasha Stoynoff. "I would not recognize her on the street or ask her why we don't see her anymore. People come out saying lies and not true stuff." She insisted that the accusations are "all lies" and chalked up her husband's vulgar comments about the women as, "That's him. He's raw. He will say it how he feels it. I know he respects women but he is defending himself because they are all lies." She also told Cooper that, unlike her husband, she stays away from social media and that her marriage right now is "very strong." "People, they don't really know me," she said. "People think and talk about me like, 'Oh, poor Melania.' Don't feel sorry for me. I can handle everything," Melania Trump will also appear on Tuesday morning's Fox & Friends. An early peek at her interview with Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt shows Melania Trump saying she has accepted her husband's apology. "We are moving on," she said. "This is not the man that I know." - @MELANIATRUMP on leaked tape of her husband. Don't miss the full interview on @foxandfriends tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/037QXH3cyE - Fox News (@FoxNews) October 17, 2016 According to an early excerpt, Melania Trump also defended Donald Trump's targeting of Bill Clinton. "If they bring up my past, why not?" she said, interference to her former model photos being published. "They're asking for it. They started. They started from the - from the beginning of the campaign putting my - my picture from modeling days. That was my modeling days and I'm proud what I did. I worked very hard." Speaking with Earhardt, Melania Trump also said all of the sexual assault allegations being leveled against her husband, "should be handled in a court of law and without evidence to accuse somebody, a man or a woman, it's damaging and unfair." She also reiterated her and Donald Trump's belief that the allegations are part of an organized attack. "It was all planned. It was all organized from the opposition." -Melania Trump reacts to accusations of sexual assault against her husband pic.twitter.com/EtQ8s1the7 - FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) October 18, 2016 In response to the released portion of the Melania Trump CNN interview, Bush's lawyer, Marshall Grossman, told The Hollywood Reporter, "And I thought Donald Trump was going to claim he wasn't even on the bus." The full CNN interview aired Monday night on Anderson Cooper 360. Read more: Billy Bush and the New Ethics of Entertainment Journalism Oct. 17, 3 p.m.: Updated with a statement from Bush's lawyer. 5:25 p.m.: Updated with full CNN interview. Oct. 18, 6:51 a.m.: Updated with information from full Ainsley Earhardt interview. Melania Trump says she warned her husband that Billy Bush and Howard Stern would hook him into using inappropriate and dirty language in interviews. Hes not the man that we saw we heard him on the tape, Melania Trump told Fox News Ainsley Earhardt about husband and GOP nominee Donald Trump in an interview that aired this morning on Fox & Friends. Hes not the man that we saw we heard him on the tapes, Melania Trump this morning told Earhardt, about the controversial 2005 Access Hollywood tape published 11 days ago by the Washington Post. He was pushed on and many times, I give him an advice and I didnt agree to do all the tapes on Howard Stern, with Billy Bush. Because I know those people. They hook him on, they they try to get from him some some inappropriate and dirty language, she said. Last night, in an interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper, Trumps wife blamed Bush for Donald Trumps comments in the tape, saying Bush had egged on her husband to boast he could grope women with impunity because he was so famous. Melania, like her husband, says the tape was released as part of a left-wing media conspiracy with the Hillary Clinton campaign to thwart Trumps campaign. The real estate developer/NBC reality-TV star-turned presidential candidate fell in the polls after the tapes release, and Bush yesterday was let go by NBC News for his role in the conversation caught on a hot mic. [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3kCM-k0Y5o&w=620&h=340] Related stories Donald Trump Invites Obama's Kenyan-Born Half Brother To Final Debate Billy Bush Banishment Boosts Viewer Interest In 'Today's 9 AM Timeslot 'Saturday Night Live' Draws 7M Viewers For Third Episode With Host Emily Blunt & Donald Trump Parodies - Update In her first interview since a tape was released of Donald Trump talking lewdly about women, Melania Trump described her husbands words as boy talk and said he was egged on by then Access Hollywood host Billy Bush. I believe my husband, I believe my husband, she told CNNs Anderson Cooper, responding to a question about the ten women who have come forward in the past week to say Trump had acted inappropriately with them, accusations the candidate has repeatedly denied. It was the first of several interviews Melania Trump gave on Monday the CNN interview aired Monday night and a second was set to air Tuesday morning on Fox News and marked a rare slate of appearances for a very private wife. She said she was surprised when she first heard the now infamous 2005 tape in which her husband, then 59, brags about being able to grope women freely because of his celebrity status, because she had never heard her husband speak that way before. The tape was released by the Washington Post and NBC a week ago Friday and has been replayed incessantly on TV news networks. I dont know that person that would talk that way, she said. At the same time she said, Sometimes I say I have two boys at home I have my young son and I have my husband. Her husband apologized to her the day the tape was released, she said, and she told him his language, is inappropriate, its not acceptable. But she, added, I accept his apology. I hope the American people will accept it as well. And it was many, many years ago. She said the man heard on the tape is, not the man that I know. As for the way he has spoken about his accusers on the campaign trail in recent days, insulting their looks and saying they were not attractive enough to grope, she dismissed that saying, Thats him, hes raw, he will say it if he feels it. I know he respects women. But hes defending himself because they are lies. She disagreed that the behavior described by Trump on the tape kissing and groping women without asking was sexual assault. An assault, she said, should be taken care of in a court of law. And to accuse without evidence, its damaging and its unfair. Story continues Melania Trump also spoke extensively about a major theme of the Trump campaign this week that the media is conspiring to rig the election in favor of Hillary Clinton. The timing of the release of the Access Hollywood tape the Friday before the second debate, like the release of three pages of his tax returns the weekend before the first debate, were evidence of that, she said. Everything was organized, every Friday something comes out, they play they play they play. It was hour after hour after hour. They want to influence the American people how to vote, she said. It is her choice to be home with her son, Barron, she said, rather than travel extensively with the campaign. That does not indicate she is meek, she warned. Im very strong. And people they dont really know me. People think and talk about me like, Oh, Melania, oh poor Melania, she said. Dont feel sorry for me. Dont feel sorry for me. I can handle everything. Melania Trump spoke out for the first time on Monday night since Donald Trump was accused of sexual misconduct. The Republican nominees wife came to to her husbands defense, claiming he was egged on by boy talk all while wearing a very feminine shade of pink. tonight on AC360. 8pm A photo posted by andersoncooper (@andersoncooper) on Oct 17, 2016 at 11:55am PDT For the CNN interview with Anderson Cooper, the former model wore a light pink fitted sheath. The dress appears to be designed by Victoria Beckham. The Microbrush Sleeveless Fitted Dress retails for $1,850 and comes with a detachable burgundy belt. Yahoo Style has reached out to the brand for confirmation. While the potential first lady typically shops from Net-a-Porter for her public appearances, including the magenta Gucci blouse she wore to the most recent debate and the $2,190 Margot dress with puff sleeves from Roksanda Ilincic she wore at the Republican National Convention, it seems that the Victoria Beckham piece was shopped from her very own closet. From the pre-spring summer 2016 Readyto-Wear collection, the dress is either on sale at most e-commerce sites or already sold out. Funny enough, Melanias stepdaughter Ivanka Trump wore a strikingly similar dress at the RNC in July. One of the major differences though? Price. While Melanias cost more than a grand, Ivankas came from her own affordable fashion line and retails for just $138. Light pink is actually a color Melania has opted for multiple times in the past. For a sit-down interview with Barbara Walters last November, she wore a form-fitting dress in a more bubblegum shade and with sleeves. For a campaign appearance last October in Boulder, Colo., she looked fashion-forward in a white suit with wide-leg trousers and a pink wool coat draped over her shoulders. At a rally in South Carolina in February, her light pink dress featured architectural details on the sleeves and chest. Interestingly enough, according to color psychology, light pink represents unconditional love and understanding. Scientists have even found that prolonged exposure to the color can have a calming effect on the nerves. Maybe Melanias on to something Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said no options could be taken off the table ahead of talks on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the situation in Syria, where a Russian-backed air campaign has killed several hundred people. Merkel said she and French President Francois Hollande would discuss Syria with Putin after they meet Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Berlin to discuss the implementation of the Minsk peace plan to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine - a meeting from which she said no wonders could be expected. Turning to what she said was a disastrous humanitarian crisis in Syria, Merkel added: "Given this situation, I believe no option - including that of sanctions - can be taken off the table." "But the priority must first be to relieve the pain of the people. That will be an issue tomorrow. There again, no wonders are to be expected," Merkel told a news conference after meeting Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela. (Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Andrea Shalal) By India Today Web Desk: One of the things most wildlife travellers look forward to do at the beautiful national parks across the country is the elephant safari. After all, nothing else can take you that close to the animals. In fact, it's a popular activity in Assam's Kaziranga National Park, and a sure shot way of having the closest encounters with the famous one-horned rhinos. advertisement But this activity, or any other animal-related tourist experiences like taking selfies with tigers and touring civet cat plantations among others, may soon become things of the past because of issues related to animal cruelty. According to a report by The Times of India, TripAdvisor, one of the leading international travel portals, has already taken steps in this direction by taking the decision to stop selling tickets for certain tourist attractions that involve animals. Also watch: This short film will show you how to explore Kerala's wildlife havens The TOI report reveals that around 100 other renowned travel portals, including the likes of Kuoni Travel UK, TUI and Intrepid have also taken similar steps following the intervention by animal activists. "TripAdvisor's new booking policy and education effort is designed as a way to do our part in helping improve the health and safety standards of animals, especially in markets with limited regulatory protections," Stephen Kaufer, president and CEO, TripAdvisor told TOI. In fact, initiatives are being taken to such an extent that brands like TripAdvisor and Viator, apart from stopping the sale of tickets for tourist activities related to animals, will launch portals educating about the destinations where animal attraction is the main focus of tourism. --- ENDS --- Mexico City (AFP) - A federal judge whose court has handled some cases related to drug cartels has been killed near Mexico City. Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacarias was murdered in Metepec, a town in the State of Mexico, the Supreme Court said in a statement. President Enrique Pena Nieto condemned the murder and ordered the attorney general's office to take over the investigation. According to local media, Bermudez was shot in the head at point-blank range and succumbed to his wound while being taken to a hospital. The judge was exercising outside when he was killed, according to the newspaper Reforma. State Governor Eruviel Avila said the shooting had been captured by a security camera. Bermudez became a district court judge in December 2013 and served in the Fifth Tribunal for appeals and civil judgments in the State of Mexico when he was killed. The court has handled cases related to organized crime, but the motive of his murder was not immediately known. Bermudez's cases included one involving the Los Cuinis drug cartel and a tax fraud investigation against powerful businessman Naim Libien Kaui, whose family is accused of links to drug traffickers, Mexican media reports said. "I have given instruction to the attorney general to take up this case, undertake the corresponding investigations and find those responsible for this terrible event," Pena Nieto said during an international meeting of judges that was scheduled before the murder. Before the start of a public hearing, Supreme Court president Luis Maria Aguilar Morales urged the authorities to ensure the safety of judges. "Federal judges are people who dedicate their lives, their personal, moral and physical integrity to serve federal justice in our country," Aguilar said. "They require security and peace conditions that guarantee their independence because in an atmosphere of peace and security, judges can reflect on their decisions," he said, before holding a minute of silence. EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood has begun lining up to help get the word out on Robert Greenwalds documentary feature Oscar contender Making A Killing: Guns, Greed And The NRA. Michael Douglas, Alec Baldwin and Tony Goldwyn are lending their names and voices and have done videos to help promote the film, which was executive produced by Beasts Of No Nation exec prod Bill Benenson and his wife Laurie. But so has California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. And, Hillary Clintons running mate Sen. Tim Kaine after seeing the film and meeting with the director is also standing behind the film. Newsom, who has been leading the charge in California for sensible gun legislation, has also advocated for the film on video as well. You can see all of the videos here. The documentary about Americas gun issues comes after the fallout of Katie Courics editing debacle on Under The Gun. She and director Stephanie Soechtig are being sued for defamation to the tune of $12M after leaving out responses to questions from interviewees in the documentary. Now that Under The Gun is unlikely to receive attention, Hollywood and political activists are putting their weight behind Making A Killing. The film got its Oscar-qualifying run courtesy of indie distributor Gravitas Ventures in August when it bowed in New York and Los Angeles. Last month, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) scheduled a congressional screening for House members in D.C. Even Kaine is getting into the act, offering up this promotional quote for the film: Making a Killing shines a light on the inordinate power that gun manufacturers and the NRA exert on our political system and the countless tragedies that occur because of politicians unwillingness to stand up to that power. The stories of the victims of firearm loopholes are instrumental in exposing whats wrong with our gun laws. I hope my colleagues in Congress will hear the voices in this film and find the courage to side with citizens over the gun lobby. Story continues The documentary focuses on victims of gun violence while interspersing video and documents showing the amount of money that the NRA and gun manufacturers are amassing. Douglas, Baldwin, Goldwyn and Newsom are encouraging people to view the film and host screenings at their homes and churches. Greenwald is a well-known documentary filmmaker that previously took on the Koch brothers (Koch Brothers Exposed), Walmart (The High Cost Of Low Price), the lead-up to the Iraq War (through several documentaries), the use of drones (Unmanned: Americas Drone Wars), the price of whistleblowing (War On Whistleblowers: Free Press And The National Security State) and Fox News (Outfoxed) through his Brave New Films moniker. The filmmaker, who for decades has exposed the dark side of power via film, has yet to be nominated for an Oscar. However, his films have won other awards including a Peabody. Greenwald has also been honored with a DGA Award for his contribution to diversity, two NAACP Awards, and a TV Producer of the Year award from the American Film Institute for his body of work. Related stories Alec Baldwin Exits Rob Reiner's 'Shock And Awe' 'The Boss Baby' Trailer: Alec Baldwin As 'The Apprentice' Host-In-Training? Hollywood Laughs With Baldwin, Snickers At Trump In Stinkgate Scandal UPDATE, Wednesday afternoon: The Roundabout Theatre Company today issued this clarification regarding the Michael Kors/Lance Le Pere bequest: Michael Kors and Lance Le Pere made a $1.5 million gift to Roundabouts 50th Anniversary campaign, and more specifically, to its Musical Theatre Fund, to support the development and production of musicals on RTC stages. As recognition for this generous gift, Roundabout has named the Sondheim Theatre lounge in their honor. PREVIOUS, TUESDAY, 8:48 AM: Ensuring that, as Philadelphia Story playwright Philip Barry might have put it, the privileged class will continue to enjoy its privileges, fashion magnate Michael and his husband Lance Le Pere have donated $1.5 million to the Roundabout Theatre Company. The gift to the nonprofit, which operates three Broadway and two off-Broadway theaters, will finance a new VIP Patrons Lounge at the groups Stephen Sondheim Theatre, currently home to the hit commercial musical, Beautiful. We are deeply grateful for Michael and Lances commitment to Roundabouts 50th Anniversary Campaign, Roundabout artistic director and CEO Todd Haimes said in announcing the bequest. They have been generous supporters of Roundabout over the last decade, and I am so honored that Michael and Lance have made this incredible gift. It will ensure that Roundabout can remain at the forefront of American theater. The Roundabout has mounted six Sondheim musicals and held more than a dozen workshops of his work, counting itself the largest single producer of the composer/lyricists work. We are lifelong theater enthusiasts and we are enormous fans of the amazing work produced by Roundabout Theatre Company, Kors and Le Pere added in a joint statement. The space, to be named the Michael Kors and Lance Le Pere Lounge and completed next year, is being conceived by Frank Webb at White Webb and will comply with the buildings LEED-gold certification. When construction is complete in 2017, VIP Lounges will be available in all Roundabout venues, and enjoyed by Roundabouts most generous supporters, including Chairmans Circle, Artistic Directors Circle, and Corporate Club members. Story continues Related stories Frank Langella, Roundabout Theatre Honoree, Hopes To Transition From 'Father' To 'Mamma' Broadway's Miller Time Continues With Roundabout Revival Of 'The Price' Diane Lane Will Star In 'The Cherry Orchard' On Broadway This Fall Updated Film Allman, the production company behind Midnight Rider, is faulting CSX Corp. for failing to slow a train that plowed through the set of the movie on Feb. 20, 2014, killing camera assistant Sarah Jones and injuring eight others. The company, owned by director Randall Miller and producer Jody Savin, are making the claims as part of its lawsuit against New York Marine, the insurer which is refusing to pay for losses on the grounds that they were incurred as a result of a criminal act. Miller served one year in jail in Jesup, Ga., after he reached a plea agreement with prosecutors on charges of criminal trespass and involuntary manslaughter. The crew had been shooting on a train trestle when a train unexpectedly came down the tracks. In the aftermath, prosecutors said that the production was aware that they did not have permission from CSX to be on the tracks. A paper products company that owns land around the tracks, Rayonier, did grant them access to their land. But in a filing in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Monday, Film Allman contends that the facts leading to the loss are far more nuanced that as presented by New York Marine. They cite evidence that before the accident, two passing CSX train crews saw the film crew on and by the track and never reported it to their dispatch. They also note that the engineer and conductor of the train that struck the set saw that 20 people were on the trestle from 3/4 miles away, and never applied brakes of any kind to slow the train, which violated CSXs own rules. The filmmakers, who are represented by Douglas Gastelum, also are raising doubts about whether they were even denied permission or even if CSX actually owned or had authority over the tracks. On the morning of the accident, a CSX executive, Carla Groleau, sent an email to location manager Charley Baxter and a Rayonier employee, Tina Kicklighter, saying that the company was not able to support the request to shoot on the tracks that day. But then Groleau sent a notice to recall the email. Story continues Even on the date of the accident, communications with CSX were objectively unclear, and people were of different minds regarding (1) what communications had been madeand (2) the meaning of any communication that occurred, Film Allman said in its filing. Under Georgia state law, criminal trespass occurs only after receiving notice from the rightful occupant, that the actor is forbidden from entering the premises, Film Allman noted in its filing. There were no No Trespassing signs or other indications on site that Film Allman had to seek permission beyond the permission it received when Rayonier personnel opened lock gates, accompanied Film Allman to the site with full knowledge of the contents of the shot, went on the tracks themselves, watched Film Allman set up the shot, and never told Film Allman that it required addition permissions, the filmmakers said in the filing. A spokeswoman for CSX said that they do not comment on matters involving litigation. Film Allman also has raised the issue of whether Rayionier was acting as an agent for CSX in granting permission. The filmmakers cited testimony from prosecutor John Johnson that he knew that CSX and Rayonier had an agreement about the use of the tracks. New York Marine is seeking a motion for partial summary judgment in the case, and a hearing scheduled for Nov. 7. Film Allman also is raising issues with Baxter, whose testimony has been used by prosecutors and federal safety officials to bolster their contention that Miller and others on the crew were aware that they lacked permission to be on the trestle. In a decision for the Occupational Safety Review Commission last year, an administrative law judge wrote that Baxter had forwarded the Groleaus first CSX email, declining to support the filming request, to Miller, Savin and other crew members. Film Allman cited instances where it says that Baxter gave differing testimony. That included his claim in a Jan. 27, 2015 deposition that he did not come to the location on Feb. 20, 2014 out of protest, after receiving the first CSX e-mail that day. Yet Baxter made that clear in a text message he sent to Kicklighter the night before the shoot that he would not be there, according to Film Allmans brief. Related stories Off Broadway Review: Sarah Jones' 'Sell/Buy/Date" 'Midnight Rider' Filmmakers Raise Doubts About Trespass Charges With New Evidence 'Midnight Rider' Director Released From Jail Humanitarian workers in western Burmas remote and impoverished Maungdaw town have had no access to nearby villages for more than a week, since the military began counteroperations following a deadly attack on border police that has been attributed to suspected Islamic militants. On Oct. 9, hundreds of armed assailants reportedly attacked three police border posts in the Maungdaw area of Arakan state, also known as Rakhine, near the border with Bangladesh. Nine policemen and eight of the attackers were killed in the coordinated attacks, while two other suspects were apprehended alive, according to the government of Burma, which is officially known as Myanmar. The attacks have sparked speculation that some members of the Rohingya community, a stateless Muslim minority that is considered one of the worlds most persecuted peoples, could be beginning to fight back against years of violent oppression in the predominantly Buddhist country possibly with support from foreign terrorist organizations. The government says the coordinated ambush was carried out by a militant Muslim group, the Aqa Mul Mujahidin organization, which it linked to another militant group, the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) although the latter is widely believed to have been defunct for decades. According to an Oct. 11 statement by Burmas Ministry of Information, Aqa Mul Mujahidin is led by Havistoohar, a 45-year-old alleged Muslim extremist who it says attended a six-month training with the Taliban in Pakistan. The ministry also alleged that his extremist group has received funding from the Middle East. Read more: The Rohingya, Burmas Forgotten Muslims Since the attacks last week, police and military personnel have been deployed to secure the area and find the perpetrators, causing a sharp spike in security in the already heavily monitored and remote township. While security forces have been dispatched to arrest alleged militant jihadists, the uptick has caused grave concern that civilians could face serious abuses by authorities, as the group has suffered a history of persecution. Story continues Confidential research obtained by TIME, which was compiled by a local Rohingya network and has not been independently verified, claims that more than 50 Rohingya have been killed in Maungdaw since Oct. 10, and two mass graves have been discovered. The research said the military had set fire several villages in Maungdaw including Du Dan village, Ngan Cahung village, Nga Sar Chuu village, Pyaung Pyit village. Additionally, more than 150 shops and 90 homes were said to have been burned down in another village, Kyet Yoe Pyin, causing many civilians to flee, the research alleged. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said on Monday that its movement has been restricted for more than a week as the military carried out counteroperations. We dont yet have a full picture of the humanitarian impact of recent events in Rakhine state nor the numbers of people displaced or affected, Pierre Peron, a spokesman for UNOCHA in Burma, tells TIME. This is because we dont have access to the affected areas to assess humanitarian needs. UNOCHA said at least 800 people are believed to have arrived in the state capital Sittwe, where they are sheltering in monasteries. At least 1,200 others sought shelter in a school in the town of Buthidaung. Humanitarian assistance in the area included mobile health clinics and nutrition programs, which prior to Oct. 9 were delivered to all communities the Rohingya, who are the majority in the township, as well as ethnic Arakanese Buddhists, who are the majority in the Arakan state. No one knows how many people live in the approximately 580-sq.-mi. Maungdaw township, because a 2014 census did not include Rohingya and others living in the volatile region. The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Burma, and are referred to as Bengali because many in the government and the country more broadly view them as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. I am very concerned about the security and protection of Rohingya and Rakhine communities, Wai Wai Nu, a Rohingya peace activist based in Rangoon, tells TIME. The government should give protection for all people. On Monday, Burmas Minister of Information Pe Myint briefed reporters in the nations capital Naypyidaw on the findings of a government delegation that visited the area last week. The minister said the delegation listened to local elders, abbots, Islamic leaders, politicians and civil society in the area, who advised them to strengthen police presence, implement a 1982 citizenship law and create a peoples militia of armed civilians, according to the state-backed newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar, to strictly check the movement of people and to restore the rule of law in villages. Most of Burmas approximately 1.1 million Rohingya live in Arakan state, which in 2012 was the site of a spate of deadly riots that left more than 100 dead and some 140,000 others displaced, most of them Rohingya. Many of the displaced still live in squalid camps where they are denied freedom of movement, education and health care. The situation is so dire that tens of thousands have fled in rickety boats to seek refuge in Thailand or Malaysia, many of them dying during the dangerous sea voyage. As per Mondays press conference, the official death toll since Oct. 9 is 44: five Burmese army soldiers; nine policemen; and 30 suspected attackers, including 28 men and two women. The government said 29 suspected assailants are now detained and under interrogation in two locations. By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from several Western and Middle Eastern countries will meet on Thursday to discuss how to restore peace and stability to Mosul after Islamic State has been routed from its Iraqi stronghold. As the battle for Mosul entered its second day on Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who will host the meeting in Paris, said: "We cannot wait. What happens after Mosul is liberated from Islamic State? We need an administration that establishes long-term stability." Iraqi and Kurdish forces said on Tuesday they had secured some 20 villages on the outskirts of Mosul, the biggest city under the control of Islamic State which grabbed vast stretches of Iraq and Syria in 2014. Retaking Mosul would signal the defeat of the ultra-hardline Sunni jihadists in Iraq but could lead to further sectarian bloodletting, something the Baghdad government and its international backers are keen to prevent. The ministers will discuss protecting civilians and providing aid and will also address how to tackle Islamic State's Syrian stronghold, Raqqa, where dozens of French jihadists are based, Ayrault said. "For Raqqa, a similar method will be needed to Mosul. It will take time and political will," he said. "We can't let Islamic State reconstitute itself or strengthen to create an even more dangerous hub. Ignoring Raqqa would be a serious mistake." The United States, Britain, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are among the countries due to attend the meeting to be co-hosted by Iraq. But Iran and Russia, which provide military backing to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is opposed by Western and Gulf Arab states, have not been invited. Ayrault said Russia had indicated Iraq was not its concern, whereas Iran, which has significant influence in Iraq, had not been invited to the Paris meeting due to tensions between Riyadh and Baghdad that needed to be eased first. "For now we need to get consensus between everyone else, which isn't simple. I've seen some quite virulent exchanges in meetings between Saudi Arabia and Iraq so we need to favor this dialogue first. We're not ignoring Iran, but it has to be step by step." Thursdays meeting will not focus on military aspects, that are due to be discussed at a similar meeting next week, also in Paris. (Editing by Mathieu Rosemain and Robin Pomeroy) Disney Media Networks co-chairman and Disney/ABC Television Group president Ben Sherwood on Tuesday kicked off his keynote address at MIPCOM in Cannes with a jab at political rhetoric this U.S. election season and referenced Donald Trump's suggestion to build a wall along the border with Mexico. "In the United States, our tumultuous presidential election reflects these complicated times," Sherwood said after lamenting recent terrorist attacks in France, including one at the nearby Promenade des Anglais in Nice. "With so much talk of building borders and walls, we believe as storytellers that we would do well to remember our global heritage and our traditions." The exec argued "this unsettled moment" in U.S. politics needed to be met by "creating connections and understanding through the unifying power of great storytelling." Sherwood, who heads up the Disney-ABC Television Group and oversees Disney's channels worldwide, then talked of another kind of global disruption - media companies needing to stay relevant in a fast-changing TV landscape. "For the first time this year, consumers around the world will spend more time watching videos on their mobile devices than they will on desktop computers and smart TVs," he said. At the same time, Sherwood said changing consumer habits only made it more crucial that Disney continue to raise its storytelling game. "While some worry and complain about the future of TV, and reaching 'Peak TV,' we believe there is an almost unlimited appetite and audience for truly great television that transcends borders," he told the Cannes audience. Sherwood also touched on recent executive changes at Disney/ABC, including ABC Studios promoting Patrick Moran to president and veteran TV exec Bruce Rosenblum joining the Disney-ABC TV Group as president of business operations. And he addressed the hot topic of diversity by pointing to Disney's partnership with Shonda Rhimes and her impressive ABC series output with Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder. "We believe diversity isn't just a business requirement, it's simply the right thing to do and it makes good sense," said Sherwood. "We want a diversity of opinions and a diversity of voices." Read more: ABC Studios Promotes Patrick Moran to President By PTI: Chandigarh, Oct 18 (PTI) Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today said that the government was committed to increasing the income of farmers and give a boost to the allied sectors. "We are committed to increasing farmers income and at the same time input cost has to be brought down," the Minister said. advertisement He was interacting with regional editors from north and north-eastern States on the concluding day of a two-day conference organised by Press Information Bureau here today. He also lashed out at the previous UPA government, claiming they had slept over the issue of soil health cards to farmers and did not take it seriously. Singh said Rs 568 crore provision was made for issuing soil health cards to 14 crore farmers in the country. "By next year all farmers will be given soil health cards, and they will know which fertiliser has to be used, because we have seen in some cases blind use of fertiliser affects soil fertility," he said. He also said the Modi government had taken steps to prevent black marketing of urea. The government gives Rs 50,000 crore subsidy on urea. He said that earlier 30 per cent urea used to find its way illegally into chemical factories, resulting in shortage in many parts of the country. "Now, urea is being Neem quoted, as a result it has prevented from misuse rendering it for use only by farmers," he said. Singh said that DAVP and potash fertilisers prices have also come down for the first time. "Another thing which is important is creating good market for farmers produce," he said. The Electronic National Agriculture Market or eNAM, a key initiative of the Modi government to improve farm incomes, has surpassed its target by bringing 250 wholesale markets on to the platform, he said. "Our target is to link 585 mandis by December 2017," he informed. The Government was working to give a boost to allied sectors like dairy, fisheries, bee keeping and organic farming, the Minister said. Singh also claimed that India?s kharif harvest will be the highest ever in history this year. "The kharif harvest targeted this year will break records, after 131 million tonne kharif production in 2011-12, it is set to touch 135.03 million tonnes this year," he said, adding last years figure was 124 million tonne. advertisement Rice production this year has been targeted at 94 million tonne as against record of 92 mt in 2011-12, Singh pointed out. (MORE) PTI SUN AKA ANU --- ENDS --- CANNES, France Sony Pictures Televisions sitcom Kevin Can Wait has been picked up by the U.K.s Channel 4, and by iQiy in China. Other sales include Viacom 18s Comedy Central in India, TVNZ in New Zealand, and in Latin America, Turner has acquired the comedy to air in 20 countries across the region. In addition, broadcaster OSN secured the series for the Middle East. In the U.S., Kevin Can Wait airs on CBS and debuted strongly, attracting over 13.2 million viewers. Now in its fourth week, the show is the number two comedy with adults 25-54, only behind The Big Bang Theory. Starring Kevin James (The King of Queens), the series charts the ups and downs of newly-retired police officer Kevin, who is looking forward to spending more quality time with his family, but quickly discovers he faces tougher challenges at home than he ever did on the streets, according to a statement. Keith LeGoy, president, distribution, Sony Pictures Television, said: Kevin James is a huge talent and loved by audiences around the world. The series had a fantastic start in the U.S. and were confident that more international buyers will fall for Kevins many charms. Sony Pictures Television is shopping the series to international buyers at this weeks Mipcom, alongside scripted titles including Blacklist: Redemption, Notorious, Timeless and The Halcyon. Related stories Mipcom: Telemundo and Netflix Strike New International, Domestic Deal Brazil's Globo Bows Multi-Platform Novelas and Time Twists in Experiments With Format Mipcom: Fresh TV Format Session Highlights Relationship-Themed Shows Sony's Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has sold new CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait, starring Kevin James, to Channel 4 in the U.K. and a range of other international buyers. Channel 4 will air it on its E4 network. In the U.S., Kevin Can Wait attracted more than 13.2 million viewers in its debut. Now in its fourth week, it continues to be the top new comedy on U.S. TV and the No. 2 comedy among adults 25-54 behind The Big Bang Theory. SPT announced the deal at MIPCOM in Cannes on Tuesday along with sales elsewhere. iQiy has picked up exclusive rights to the series in China, while Viacom 18's Comedy Central has picked it up in India. Read more: MIPCOM: Britain's Channel 4 Picks up Drama 'Timeless' TVNZ 2 will air it in New Zealand, while Turner has secured the comedy for 20 countries across Latin America. In addition, OSN has taken the show for the Middle East. "Kevin James is a huge talent and loved by audiences around the world," said Keith LeGoy, president, distribution, SPT. "The series had a fantastic start in the U.S., and we're confident that more international buyers will fall for Kevin's many charms." The former star of The King of Queens plays a newly retired police officer, Kevin, who is looking forward to spending more quality time with his family but quickly discovers he faces tougher challenges at home than he ever did on the streets. Sony Pictures Television is shopping the series to international buyers at this week's MIPCOM alongside such titles as Blacklist: Redemption, Notorious, Timeless and The Halcyon. Read more: 'The Halcyon' Set Visit: Hotel Period Drama Looks to Make Splash at MIPCOM CANNES, France Ahead of her tribute at Mipcom as Personality of the Year, Shonda Rhimes said Tuesday that she only produces TV programs she would watch herself and that theyre filled with strong female protagonists because I dont know any dumb and weak women. At a packed news conference in Cannes, Rhimes said her recipe for delivering groundbreaking series such as Greys Anatomy and Scandal was to only make shows wed want to watch. That goes for both the content she produces herself and for third-party material that she and Betsy Beers, executive producer at Shondaland, look at. As for the female protagonists who populate her programs, Rhimes draws on personal experience. I get asked a lot how I manage to create such smart and strong heroines, she said. But I dont know any dumb and weak women. Im writing heroines who talk like my mothers, my friends, like Betsy and me. I never felt that what they said was wild. Asked what she thought of Donald Trumps recent lewd and misogynistic comments, Rhimes quipped that the Republican presidential candidate was full of surprises. She said her experience directing a short film to introduce Trumps opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, at the Democratic National Convention was a huge honor and an amazing challenge. Rhimes was joined at the news conference by Beers; actress Mireille Enos of The Catch, whose Season 2 opener screens at Mipcom on Tuesday evening; and Tony Goldwyn, who stars in Scandal. Rhimes was asked about the ways in which she pioneered bringing diversity in TV drama, by having minority actors play lead roles. I chose not to examine that fact. We make TV characters look like normal people in the real world. We just try to tell the truth, said Rhimes. Goldwyn agreed. Whats so unique [about Shondaland] is that its not instructing. It sets a template about how things are or how they should be. For the broader parts of America and the world, these shows have a tremendous impact. Story continues Rhimes said that she has started focusing more on the creative side and less on the business side in recent years. I came to the realization that Im supposed to be a storyteller and not the business person, so weve expanded Shondaland to hire people, she said, adding that she spends a lot of time in the editing room and with the writers so that they understand whats in my head. Goldwyn said that what makes Rhimes characters so compelling is that theyre always filled with contrast and not consistently sympathetic. We can find ourselves hating them, but then in one page shell flip it.All of a sudden your heart goes out and you want your character to triumph. During the presser, Rhimes also talked about her new show Still Star-Crossed, which is based on Melinda Taubs novel. She explained she was drawn to the project because it allowed her to shed light on the myriad of characters who surrounded Romeo and Juliet, rather than focus on the mythical duo like previous works have done. Related stories ABC Offers Authenticated Streaming of New and Returning Shows, With Caveats 'Grey's Anatomy' Casts 'Brothers & Sisters' Alum in Mystery Role TV Ratings: Chargers Beat Broncos, CBS Beats Everyone Telemundo and Netflix have struck a new SVOD content deal that will allow the streaming giant to premiere exclusively in Latin America Telemundos newest and anticipated super series, including El Chema, Sin Senos Si Hay Paraiso and Guerra de Idolos. The pact also encompasses multi-territory on-demand rights for library series such as La Reina del Sur and telenovelas like Pasion de Gavilanes. Under the deal, new seasons of super series El Senor de los Cielos, a ratings record breaker for Telemundo, will be available exclusively to Netflix members in the U.S. Following the U.S. premiere on Telemundo of the first season of El Chema, a El Senor de los Cielos spin-off, the super series will be exclusive to Netflix including subsequent seasons, Telemundo said in a statement Tuesday. Starring Mauricio Ochmann (Easy, El Senor de los Cielos, Capadocia), the super series exposes the origins and rise of El Chema Venegas, a character previously presented in El Senor de los Cielos, and one of the pillars of worldwide organized crime. These new deals with our partners at Netflix will allow both companies to continue to grow in the SVOD market and provide even greater international and domestic exposure to our content, said Cesar Conde, Chairman of NBCUniversal International Group and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. What is most exciting is that Netflix members will enjoy Telemundos latest and most anticipated series like El Chema and Sin Senos Si Hay Paraiso exclusively on Netflix, said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer. The sequel to 2008 hit TV series Sin senos No hay Paraiso, Sin Senos Si Hay Paraiso, also written by acclaimed Colombian author Gustavo Bolivar, reflects the reality of a new generation of women determined to be successful without resorting to plastic surgery or the temptation of easy money. InGuerra de Idolos, music ignites action and romance in a universe of stars driven by their egos. Telemundo and Netflix inked in 2011 on more than 1,200 hours per year of Telemundos library, prior to Netflixs launch in Latin America. Story continues Related stories Mipcom: 'Kevin Can Wait' Attracts Sales to U.K., China, India, Latin America 'Stranger Things' Actor Noah Schnapp Responds to Speculation Over His Character's Sexuality Netflix Greenlights 'Atypical' Autism Family Comedy Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladeshi police said on Tuesday they had identified three people as the main providers of finance for an attack on a cafe in which 22 people were killed, mostly foreigners, and said one had left for Syria to join Islamic State. The July attack in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter was claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State and was one of the most brazen in Bangladesh, hit by a spate of killings of liberals and members of religious minorities in the past year. Police identified one of the three as a doctor who left Bangladesh with his family for Syria to join Islamic State. He provided 8 million taka ($100,000) for a faction of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), known as New JMB, counter-terrorism police chief Monirul Islam said. The other two - a retired army major who donated his savings and pension and a man who donated money from a Dhaka flat sale, died in shootouts with police, he told a news conference. Some funds also came from abroad. We are trying to identify them, Islam said. Police believe that New JMB, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, was involved in organizing the cafe attack. Police have killed more than three dozen suspected militants in shootouts since the cafe attack, including its presumed mastermind, Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury. (Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Nick Macfie) BELGRADE (Reuters) - Two opposition alliances in Montenegro have rejected the outcome of Sunday's parliamentary elections in which Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic's party won the most seats, accusing the government of voter intimidation. Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists won 36 seats, five short of a majority in the 81-seat parliament, but voting was marred by irregularities. Early on Sunday, 20 Serb citizens were arrested as they tried to enter Montenegro on suspicion of plotting attacks on state institutions and officials. Speaking late on Monday, Nebojsa Medojevic, leader of the Democratic Forum, the larger of the two alliances, said the arrests pointed to a planned coup by the government. "The opposition has unanimously decided not to recognize the election result because of an attempted coup and misuse of state institutions as well as the creation of an atmosphere of fear which directly influenced the election result," said Medojevic. Montenegro, a former Yugoslav republic of 620,000 people, is divided between those who want stronger ties with traditional allies in Serbia and Russia, and others looking more towards the West. Djukanovic had presented the vote as a choice between NATO membership, peace and prosperity under him and a Montenegro that would be reduced to the status of "Russian colony" under the opposition, even though several opposition parties also back membership. An election monitoring mission sent by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) found that the vote "reflected the will of the people", even though media had lacked editorial independence in covering a campaign "permeated by personal attacks". Cyber attacks shut down media and party websites on Sunday, though alleged brawling at polling stations was denied by police. Authorities suspended major instant messaging services for much of the day, saying illegal "direct marketing" was taking place. (Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Thomas Escritt and Raissa Kasolowsky) More than 350,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their war-torn homeland from Pakistan this year, UN data show, with the torrent of people crossing the border expected to continue. Earlier in October the UN's refugee agency UNHCR said the number of documented Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan had soared past 200,000. But this week the body's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan released updated figures that also include the number of undocumented refugees crossing the border. "So far this year, 162,186 undocumented returnees and 207,236 registered returnees (369,422) have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan," an OCHA statement said, noting that the majority, some 333,000 people, have returned since July. "If that sounds like a lot, it is," the statement continued. "Based on current trends, we expect a further 446,000 (both registered and undocumented) Afghans to arrive before year-end." The influx of refugees threatens to overwhelm Afghanistan, with authorities there already warning of a humanitarian crisis as hundreds of thousands of people flee fighting within the country. "Due to hostilities in Kunduz and intensified fighting across the south we have seen a jump of 37,000 IDPs (internally displaced people) alone -- more than 10 percent of the year total in just one week," Danielle Moylan, a spokeswoman for OCHA, told AFP on Monday. The total number of IDPs due to fighting since the start of the year stands at 323,500. - Struggling to accommodate - For decades Pakistan has provided safe haven for millions of Afghans who fled their country after the Soviet invasion of 1979. Pakistan hosts 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees, according to UNHCR figures from earlier this year, making it the third-largest refugee hosting nation in the world. A further one million unregistered refugees are estimated to be in the country. Since 2009, Islamabad has repeatedly pushed back a deadline for them to return, but fears are growing that the latest cutoff date in March 2017 will be final. Story continues A security crackdown against undocumented foreigners in Pakistan coupled with a UN decision announced in June to double cash grants for voluntary returnees to $400, has also seen a surge in returnees. OCHA said that the vast majority of undocumented returnees claim they intend to return to the eastern province of Nangarhar. Many also settle in Kabul. The capital already has one of the highest population growth rates in the region -- some 1,200 people every day, according to European Union ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin -- and is struggling to accommodate the new arrivals, with many forced to shelter in informal settlements on the city's edge. Many of the returnees to conflict-torn Afghanistan have lived in Pakistan for decades and hope to one day come back to their adopted country. "Inshallah, we will come here again, this time with passports," Mohammad Anwar told AFP last month as he prepared to leave the country he arrived in as a child and has sheltered him for 35 years. By Ajay Kumar: Gurugram police arrested 10 people, including two women from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, for being allegedly involved in a prostitution racket in sector 51, on the intervening night of October 16 and 17. Police raided Ashiyana guest house following a tip-off about a high-profile prostitution racket that was operating from the building on plot number 186. "Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's rally here on November 1, we started raiding hotels and guest houses to track unwanted foreigners and other guests, and ascertain their identities. We had received information that some foreign nationals were staying in the Ashiyana guest house and were possibly involved in immoral act," said Vijay Kumar, SHO of Sadar police station in Gurugram. He added that a decoy customer was sent to the guest house and when he signalled that the information about prostitution was true, police raided the guest house along with a team of women officers. advertisement WHAT HAPPENED Five men and five young women were caught in compromising situations in the rooms. Three women among them were from Delhi. The male customers were identified as Bhim Singh, Rinku, Anup and Nikhil who hailed from different districts in UP. The fifth customer, Lavkishan, was from Jasola Vihar in New Delhi. Police recovered 19 condoms and some tablets from the guest house. The manager of the guest house escaped. During interrogation, the Uzbek and Kazakh women could not provide proper visa and passport, police said. Also Read High-profile sex racket run by ex-colonel busted in Delhi, 2 foreign women held Bengaluru: Spa sex racket busted, 5 arrested --- ENDS --- What our most frequently Tweeted foods can tell us about our countrys health There are a variety of ways for researchers to measure health. But according to new study findings, our most frequently tweeted foods can also be a new way to measure exactly how healthy our country is and how economics affects who has access to healthy food. Through research conducted by the University of Utah Health Sciences, researchers found that the three most tweeted foods in the continental U.S. between 2014 and 2015 were coffee, beer, and pizza. But those statistics dont just tell us what three foods Americans love the most they also provide a much-needed spotlight on the effects these foods have on our health. They found that communities that tweeted most often about physical activities or talked about healthy foods positively had overall better health than those who did not and these were also the communities with greater economic stability. pizza2 These conclusions were drawn from cross-referencing the foods that were most popular among Twitter users and the communities that tweeted about these foods. Of course, the correlation between being poor and being more likely to tweet about these foods reveals the need to create more inclusive food programs and greater access to healthy food in these communities. Less-affluent communities are more likely to be part of food deserts, where there is less access to fresh, local produce than there is in more affluent communities. beer2 Researchers have previously used Twitter to study how users construct their eating habits. But the types of comparisons found in this latest study can help to provide clues for how surrounding neighborhoods can also play a role in the ways healthy eating and living habits are formed. H/T Science Daily The post What our most frequently Tweeted foods can tell us about our countrys health appeared first on HelloGiggles. From Redbook With so many women sharing their public breastfeeding photos - at places like Target and their very own weddings - it seems almost crazy to think that a woman could get threatened for taking care of her baby's needs publicly. But in Columbus, Georgia, a woman was threatened with arrest on September 25 after she was seen breastfeeding in a Piggly Wiggly, the Ledger-Enquirer reports. The woman, Savannah Shukla, was reportedly in the checkout line when she started to breastfeed her one-month-old without a cover-up. Deputy Raymond Zipata allegedly approached her and told her she needed to cover herself up. Why? Because it could offend people. (Uh, look away, then and recall that you might have been a breastfed baby at some point.) He claimed he could see her nipple. Shukla raised an interesting point: If Zapata was able to see the areola of her nipple, why was he looking that closely? "For Deputy Zipata to have seen my areola means he would've had to be staring very intently at the breast my 1-month-old was nursing on," Shukla said in the formal complaint, which, though filed on the day of the incident, was released on Friday. Shukla, however, knew about a Georgia law that protects her right to breastfeed publicly, and she knew she was not out of line. She shared a furious post on Facebook, particularly angry about how Zipata allegedly said, "You just think you know what the law says and if your nipple becomes exposed I really don't want to have to arrest you or you be arrested for being offensive. This isn't like the First Amendment where you can say something offensive." Some people knew that she was in the right. Shortly after the incident, Muscogee County Sheriff John Darr took to Facebook to publicly apologize to Shukla where he stated, "this investigation is ongoing and the action to be taken shall be determined at the conclusion of the investigation. However, regardless of the outcome, we would like to ensure that a situation like this does not happen again in the future. We have sent out a reminder to all of our deputies." Story continues Though her story went viral on Facebook shortly after the incident, the full official complaint was not officially released until recently, thereby allowing this important story to be recirculated and the conversation to be back into the forefront of public conversation. And the conversation is important: Women should know the rights they have in their states, and breastfeeding is something that's totally normal. And there's no need to be offended by nipples. (h/t Ledger-Enquirer) You Might Also Like From Road & Track We here at Road & Track love the Fiesta ST. It's an agile, balanced, affordable little hatch that we just can't get enough of. The 1.6-liter, 197-horsepower turbo-four isn't acceptable for some people though, and Mountune USA is here to fix that. It's just announced a turbo upgrade kit for the Fiesta ST, and it's capable of making an absurd 280 horsepower. Ken Anderson, president of Mountune USA, told Autoblog on Saturday the tuning company would be introducing a kit for Fiesta ST owners to swap out their existing turbochargers for a larger unit, along with an accompanying ECU tune. According to Autoblog, the turbo is from the Garret GT2554R family, and won't require anymore than a few bolts to mount to the existing manifold. Anderson hasn't revealed any other details regarding the package yet, like torque numbers or pricing, but he did say it will go on sale later this year. If you're holding out for the Fiesta RS that'll probably never come, this might be your next best option. You Might Also Like (Adds Credit Suisse, D.A. Davidson) Oct 18 (Reuters) - The following financial services industry appointments were announced on Tuesday. To inform us of other job changes, email moves@thomsonreuters.com. BNP PARIBAS SA The international bank appointed James Seagrave as managing director and global head of financial sponsors in its financial institutions coverage business. CREDIT SUISSE GROUP AG The bank has named Edwin Yeung as director, U.S. and European credit trading, to establish a new credit trading desk in Hong Kong, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. SOCIETE GENERALE The French bank named Stephen Swift head of global finance for Asia Pacific, effective Jan. 1, Reuters IFR reported. JPMORGAN CHASE & CO The financial group appointed Bader Alamoudi as senior country officer for Saudi Arabia and general manager of JPMorgan Chase Bank's Riyadh branch. D.A. DAVIDSON The investment firm named Monte Giese as president of its equity capital markets group. PEMBERTON ASSET MANAGEMENT The asset management group hired Ben Gulliver as portfolio manager. TIKEHAU CAPITAL The fund manager named Henri Marcoux to the newly created position of deputy managing director. (Compiled by Aravind K in Bengaluru) MSNBC said Tuesday that Ali Velshi, a popular TV-news correspondent who left a perch at CNN to join the now-defunct Al Jazeera America, would provide economic analysis for the NBCUniversal-owned cable-news outlet. Ali made a name for himself covering tragic events in Pakistan and Turkey, the debt crisis in Greece, and the impact of devastating hurricanes here at home, said Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC, in a statement. He has earned a first-rate reputation as a business expert through his reporting on the 2008 financial crisis, the U.S. governments bailout plan, the automobile industry, and the debt ceiling and budget debates. Velshi is likely to contribute to many of MSNBCs programs, Griffin said. He will report to Janelle Rodriguez, a senior vice president in charge of editorial for NBC News who also supervises MSNBCs daytime coverage. Velshi had been CNNs chief business correspondent, and an anchor of that networks Your Money. Related stories NBCUniversal Bets on '11th Hour' Revival for Brian Williams NBC News Chief Defends Matt Lauer Performance at Candidate Forum Gabriel Sherman Named Contributor At NBC News, MSNBC By PTI: Hazaribagh(Jharkhand), Oct 18 (PTI) The Police have obtained a arrest warrant against the Barkagaon MLA Nirmala Devi, who is named as the principal accused in the Barkagaon police firing in Hazaribagh district earlier this month, which claimed four lives and left over a dozen injured. Bhimsen Tuti, Superintendent of Police, Hazaribag, said the warrant was obtained from the court in connection with case no 228/16, which was filed in the Barkagaon police station by the district administration following the violence on October 1. advertisement The incident occurred after Congress MLA from Barkagaon Nirmala Devi was taken to the police station, he said. The SP said violence triggered when Nirmala Devi was forcibly freed by the crowd near Kolgarha village and the policemen were attacked by the mob. In order to save their lives, the police had fired 68 rounds, he said. The SP said other two cases were also filed by NTPC against the agitators, who were staging a protest and allegedly preventing a private construction company to take heavy machines to Chirudih for mining operation. Tuti said they have no information about the whereabouts of the missing Barkagaon MLA, who has gone underground after the incident, but the police would launch a search operation to trace Nirmala Devi. In reply to another question, the SP said the police have made all security arrangements for the proposed Sankalp Divas to be observed at Barkagaon by all opposition parties on October 19. The SP said the opposition party leaders would be allowed to hold rally, but would not be allowed to proceed beyond Darhikala towards mining site. PTI COR BS DKB --- ENDS --- Amnesty International's claims that Australia's detention of asylum-seekers on the Pacific island of Nauru amounts to torture are "absolutely false", Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Tuesday. Canberra sends asylum-seekers trying to reach Australia by boat to Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, but the camps' conditions have been widely criticised by refugee advocates and medical professionals. The asylum-seekers are blocked from being resettled in Australia even if found to be refugees. Amnesty said in a report Monday that asylum-seekers and refugees on tiny Nauru were "driven to absolute despair" and were struggling with an "epidemic of self-harm", adding that their living conditions fit international law's definition of torture. But Turnbull blasted the allegations and said his country's tough policies stopped people dying at sea on dangerous boat journeys. "I reject that claim totally. That is absolutely false," he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio of Amnesty's charge of systematic neglect and cruelty on Nauru. "The Australian government's commitment (to offshore processing of asylum-seekers) is compassionate and it's strong. "As far as Nauru is concerned... there is a very substantial investment there, to improve the circumstances of the people that are there." Amnesty's senior director for research Anna Neistat, who travelled to Nauru for the report, said her organisation did not "come to these conclusions (about torture) easily". "It is the nature of the harm, the fact that it is systematic... (and) deliberate, in the sense that it is being done with a clear purpose to create a deterrence, to punish," she told reporters in Sydney Tuesday. Neistat slammed the veil of secrecy around the centres, saying she had to travel to Nauru in a personal capacity after her official applications were rejected six times. Story continues Canberra last year brought in secrecy provisions making it a crime for anyone who works for the immigration department, including contractors, to disclose information they obtain on the job, which critics say silences whistleblowers. A former case manager on Nauru, Sandra Bartlett, on Tuesday cried and said she was terrified about the legal consequences of speaking out, but that "more people will die" if action was not taken to remove them from the island. The furore came as the ABC broadcast an investigation Monday night depicting the plight of refugee children living on Nauru. Nauru's government Tuesday rejected the ABC report as "denigrating, racist, false and pure political activism" and "an insult to the people of Nauru". The Nauru facility holds just over 400 men, women and children. Just over 800 asylum-seeker men are held on Manus, with Australia in August agreeing to close the camp following a PNG Supreme Court ruling. Wall Street is aiming for a rebound. All three major averages were sharply higher after a rally in global markets and better-than-expected quarterly results from Goldman Sachs and Netflix. Goldman Sachs (GS) shares were up sharply in early trading. The Wall Street bank reportied stronger-than-expected earnings and revenue for its quarter ending September 30th. Profit soared about 58% driven largely by revenue from bond trading, commodities, and currencies, which jumped 34%. Netflix streams success Shares of Netflix (NFLX) surged after the company delivered earnings on Monday that blew away Wall Street expectations. Revenue also topped estimates. The streaming video giant added 3.2 million international customers during the quarterfar more than the 2 million it had forecast. But is the pop it got from international expansion sustainable? Consumer prices rise Consumer prices posted their biggest gain in five months in September. The Labor Department reported consumer prices rose 0.3% last month, after rising 0.2% in August, fueled by rising costs for gasoline and rents. China courts Hollywood Chinas richest man is making a big pitch to attract Hollywood filmmakers. Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, urged a group of Hollywood execs to partner with Chinese companies, saying that China will become the worlds largest movie market. To lure American movie makers to a huge studio in eastern China, Wanda is offering 40% rebates of some costs from a $750-million fund. Will Hollywood take the bait? Trumps fourth act: a TV network? Theres new speculation about what Donald Trump will do if he loses the presidential election. This follows reports that Trumps son-in-law has been shopping the idea of a new Trump TV network. The thinking goes that Trump has tapped into something in American politics that could translate into big ratings and profits. But will this idea get off the ground? Stocks to watch Visa (V) is in the spotlight following news late yesterday that the companys chief executive Charles Scharf is stepping down on December 1st after leading the payment processor for four years. Scharf said hes resigning because he can no longer spend enough time in San Francisco to do his job effectively with his family living New York. Former American Express president Alfred Kelly will take over the CEO spot. Story continues Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) raised its profit outlook for the year after delivering a beat on both its top and bottom lines for the third quarter. Revenue rose more than 4% from a year ago, thanks to strong sales of some of its blockbuster drugs and medical devices, which helped offset weaker-than-expected consumer sales. IBM (IBM) shares fell in early trading. Thats even though Big Blues earnings and revenue topped estimates for the third quarter. Revenue fell for the 18th consecutive quarter. However, IBMs newer businesses, such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence, saw strong growth. By Tenzin Pema (Reuters) - Netflix Inc's shares jumped as much as 20 percent on Tuesday, after the company added 50 percent more subscribers than expected in the third quarter. At least 10 brokerages, including Goldman Sachs and RBC Capital Markets, raised their price targets on the stock, praising the company's focus on developing original content. Netflix's shares were up 18.6 percent at $118.23 in early trading, adding about $8 billion to the company's market value. The video streaming company also said it was getting ready to spend $6 billion on content next year, up $1 billion from 2016. "The benefits of NFLX-produced original content including attractive economics and greater control are clear and we believe returns on original spend are high," J.P. Morgan Securities analyst Doug Anmuth said in a research note. Strong subscriber additions, after disappointing growth in the previous quarter, helped Netflix post a 31.7 percent jump in third-quarter revenue. Anmuth said he believed Netflix was on track toward 60 million plus subscribers in the United States and about 100 million internationally by 2020. The company has often been criticized for spending too much on content as it tries to aggressively gain subscribers outside the United States, its main market. The company added about 3.20 million subscribers internationally in the third quarter, compared with the 2.01 million average analyst estimate. In the United States, Netflix added 370,000 subscriptions, compared with analysts' estimate of 309,000, according to research firm FactSet StreetAccount. Though the company's stock has fallen nearly 13 percent this year, it trades at 356 times forward earnings, versus the peer median of 5.88. The second season of "Narcos", a Netflix original show on Colombian kingpin Pablo Escobar, has proved highly popular, following up on the success of "Orange is the New Black" and "House of Cards". The company plans to launch "Crown", a show about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Story continues Netflix plans to release more than 1,000 hours of original programming in 2017, up from 600 hours this year. "This is unprecedented growth that should drive a substantial improvement in the breadth and depth of content on the service, which should provide a tailwind to subscriber growth in 2017," said Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves. The company said it now expects a higher free cash flow burn at $1.5 billion in 2016 as producing original content consumes more cash up front. The company, which faces competition from the likes of Hulu and Amazon.com Inc , said it would likely tap the capital markets to fund spending on original content. (Reporting by Tenzin Pema in Bengaluru; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) From Cosmopolitan The Arizona Republic is one of several conservative-leaning media outlets that has broken with tradition to warn readers about Trump, explaining that his principles are "bad for the party, bad for Arizona, dangerous for America." Never in its 126-year-history has The Republic endorsed a Democrat for president, and Republic Media publisher Mi-Ai Parrish, knew the decision would upset some readers. "We made our choice soberly," Parrish wrote in a response to the backlash. "We knew it would be unpopular with many people. We knew that, although we had clearly stated our objections to Trump, it would be a big deal for a conservative editorial board in a conservative state to break ranks from the party." But little could have prepared Parrish for the violent messages that the papers staff has received. Heres a sampling of the abusive messages that rendered her "speechless": YOURE DEAD. WATCH YOUR BACK. WE WILL BURN YOU DOWN. YOU SHOULD BE PUT IN FRONT OF A FIRING SQUAD AS A TRAITOR. Parrish responded to the anger with a letter defending both staff and the First Amendment. Rather than adopt an angry or indignant tone herself, Parrishs letter is graceful and eloquent: To those who said we should be shut down, burned down, who said they hoped we would cease to exist under a new presidential administration, I give you Nicole. She is our editor who directs the news staff, independent of our endorsements. After your threats, Nicole put on her press badge and walked with her reporters and photographers into the latest Donald Trump rally in Prescott Valley, Ariz. She stood as Trump encouraged his followers to heckle and boo and bully journalists. Then she came back to the newsroom to ensure our coverage was fair. Nicole knows free speech requires an open debate. To those of you who have said that someone who disagrees with you deserves to be punished, I give you Phil. Our editorial page editor is a lifelong Republican, a conservative and a patriot. He was an early voice of reason, arguing calmly that Donald Trump didnt represent the values of the party he loves. Phil understands that free speech sometimes requires bravery. Story continues To those of you who have spit on, threatened with violence, screamed at and bullied the young people going door-to-door selling subscriptions, I give you those dozens of young men and women themselves. Many sell subscriptions to work their way through school. Most were too frightened to share even their first names here. But they are still on the job. They know that free speech is part of a society that values hard work and equal opportunity. Read the rest of Parrishs letter here. Election Day is Nov. 8. If you havent registered to vote yet, you can do so here. Follow Prachi on Twitter. You Might Also Like By Julien Pretot PARIS (Reuters) - Organizers have unveiled an unconventional route for the 2017 Tour de France featuring many early climbs in a bid to limit the opportunities for strong teams to dominate stages and reward aggressive riders looking to shake up the sport's greatest spectacle. Race director Christian Prudhomme peppered the 2017 course with steep climbs, five of them making their first appearance on the Tour and many early in stages, which will start from Duesseldorf on July 1 and go through five countries before ending in Paris on July 23. "We want to favor the long-range attacks," Prudhomme told reporters before unveiling the route on Tuesday. "We want to break the catenaccio on the race," he added, referring to the conservative tactics top teams are able to impose on flatter stages. There will be only four summit finishes but attackers will get a chance to make an early impression with two of them coming in the first week, which will end with a grueling mountain stage in the Jura featuring three daunting out-of-category ascents. Organizers hope that the top teams will not be able to impose their rule in such a stage having seen Britain's all-powerful Team Sky in particular often control many stages with meticulously planned and executed group riding. "Let's hope that some aggressive top riders will be able to break away in the Col du Grand Colombier (the second of the three big climbs in the stage) and hold on to their lead all the way to Chambery. It will be difficult to control that stage," said Prudhomme. SHORT TIME TRIALS The course, which features two short individual time trials -- including the penultimate stage in Marseille, starting and ending at the Stade Velodrome -- could favor France's Romain Bardet, who finished second overall this year. No Frenchman has won the Tour since Bernard Hinault clinched the last of his five titles in 1985, but France have been on the final podium of two of the last three editions with Bardet, Thibaut Pinot and Jean-Christophe Peraud. "It's exciting as we're going to cross all the mountains in France (Vosges, Jura, Pyrenees, Massif Central, Alps)," said Bardet. However, anyone wanting to win will have to find a way to beat Chris Froome, aiming for a third successive victory and fourth in all, and his dominant Team Sky, who have won four of the last five races. "There seems to be a lot of mountain stages. I don't think the race will be decided only on the summit finishes," the Briton said. "It's quite a challenge we've got for next year. The stage that stands out is the stage finishing at the Col d'Izoard (18th stage at 2,365 meters). "It's very light on time trials." (Editing by Mitch Phillips) From Woman's Day When Jessica Lavery Murphy, 36, of Broomfield, CO,was diagnosed with breast cancer almost two years ago, her head was swimming with questions: Should I remove one breast or both? What will my body look like? Should I freeze my eggs? She was handed a binder crammed with information on surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, "but I never opened it," she recalls. "I think I would have panicked. I wasn't qualified to make these medical decisions, and I needed someone to talk me through it - someone who was in my corner, who could connect me with the right resources, who could help me be my own best advocate." That someone, it turns out, was Nanna Bo Christensen, an oncology nurse at Boulder Community Health. Christensen works as a breast cancer navigator; she's part of a rapidly growing field of patient advocates who function similarly to midwives, but instead of helping mothers-to-be deliver healthy babies, they steer patients through the confusing maze that is a breast cancer diagnosis. She would serve as Murphy's personal breast cancer navigator. "Sometimes women are so overwhelmed, they didn't hear anything besides, 'You have breast cancer,' and they're frozen in that moment," says Christensen, who strives to get in touch with patients within 24 hours of their diagnosis. "I ask them what, exactly, they heard the doctor say, and help clarify any misunderstandings. Sometimes women learn [they have breast cancer] when they're on their cell phone in the grocery store, driving, or at work, and they are not in a place to ask any questions." Photo credit: Courtesy of Jessica Lavery Murphy Some navigators, like Christensen, have clinical backgrounds and can answer those questions, then collaborate with patients and health care providers to craft a treatment plan. "We also coordinate appointments; a patient can quickly have four doctors she needs to see within a week, and that can be confusing," she says. "I coordinate it all, which relieves some of the stress. We keep the doctors connected, and we support patients emotionally." Other navigators may not have medical degrees but have undergone training to educate new patients on chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and other treatment options; help with insurance woes; or even assist with meal delivery and transportation to appointments. (Non-clinical breast navigators are often survivors themselves.) Story continues Softening the hardest blow Murphy had sought medical attention in early 2015 for a breast infection; that kicked off a series of tests, including a mammogram, ultrasound, and the removal of a lump from her right breast, which wound up being cancerous. Her dual diagnosis was ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a common type of non-invasive breast cancer that originates inside the milk ducts, as well as invasive carcinoma. "Basically my entire right breast was filled with tumors," she says. Photo credit: Courtesy of Jessica Lavery Murphy After that initial meeting with her breast surgeon, Murphy and her fiance (now husband), Travis, met with Christensen. Murphy had never before heard of a breast cancer navigator, but she found herself instantly relieved to have a personal guide to lead her through these rocky, unchartered waters. One of the first decisions she faced was whether to have a single or double mastectomy. (There was no evidence of breast cancer in Murphy's left breast.) Photo credit: Courtesy of Jessica Lavery Murphy While Christensen couldn't make that choice for her, she was able to point her towards reliable resources, connect her with breast cancer survivors, and acknowledge the difficulty of her decision. "She told me there's no one right answer, and encouraged me that whatever I decided would be the best choice for me," Murphy says. "She was full of information, plus she is a great listener, was empathetic and I felt like I could trust her." Having Nanna Bo, she jokes, "was kind of like spending time with the author of What to Expect When You're Expecting: Breast Cancer." Progress in cancer care The concept of patient navigation began in 1990 in Harlem, NY, when Harold P. Freeman, M.D., saw a critical window of opportunity existing after the moment of an abnormal finding but before diagnosis and treatment occurred. "President Nixon had declared the war on cancer in 1971, and we'd made relatively modest progress in reducing deaths, but by the '90s, we knew that progress wasn't being seen in certain racial and socioeconomic groups," explains Marc Hurlbert, Ph.D., chief mission officer for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. "Dr. Freeman trained survivors and engaged them to reach out to community, encouraging others to get screened." The model has since evolved, Hurlbert describes, "from not just getting them in the door to get screened, but holding their hand through the whole process." By 2013, the American College of Surgeons had mandated that any cancer center seeking accreditation needed a navigation program by 2015. "Patients with navigators have a higher quality of life, feel more empowered, and they feel like they have an advocate." Before breast health navigators existed, "It was more up to the patient," says Hurlbert. "They've changed the landscape. Patients with navigators feel they have a higher quality of life, they feel more empowered to ask questions they thought were embarrassing, and they feel like they have an advocate." A recent Journal of Clinical Oncology study showed that patients with a nurse navigator rated their care higher and reported fewer problems than patients without one. "Navigation saves patients' lives by helping to eliminate the nonmedical issues that prevent them from getting the life-saving care they need," says Monica Dean, program manager for hospital systems and patient navigation for the American Cancer Society. Christensen has worked with women experiencing a recurrence of breast cancer-women who didn't have access to a navigator the first time around. The difference, they say, is tremendous. "It's the feeling of having a spokesperson versus 'being alone,'" Christensen describes. "From both a coordination and a psychosocial standpoint, to have one driver of all their services is endlessly positive." Another pleasant surprise: Breast cancer navigation services are free ("Insurance companies recognize the return on investment," Dean explains). While no formal credentialing requirements exist, the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer requires that all 1,500-plus of its hospitals, freestanding cancer centers, and cancer program networks provide patient navigation services; another 100 ACS-trained navigators are stationed in hospitals and treatment centers nationwide. Photo credit: Courtesy of Jessica Lavery Murphy With the help of Christensen's guidance, Murphy ultimately decided to undergo a double mastectomy, followed by six rounds of chemotherapy, 36 days of radiation, and reconstructive surgery. Without her navigator, she wonders if she would have known how important it was to schedule her physical therapy appointments far in advance, before they fill up quickly. Without that preparation, would she have understood how painful it can be to raise your arms post-mastectomy, so much so that even brushing your teeth is challenging? You're operating at less than 100 percent, so you need someone to talk through things with and bounce ideas off. When Murphy began the fertility preservation process (freezing her eggs before surgery and radiation), only to be met with billing and insurance frustrations, the first person she called was Christensen. "She was my sounding board. You're in this emotional place, operating at less than 100 percent, so you really need someone to talk through things with and bounce ideas off. She's the one who said, "Look, everything's negotiable, you have leverage, you can push back [with insurance]. And she was right. Everything worked out." In it for the long haul With no evidence of cancer in her body, Murphy now needs to take hormone suppression medication for the next five to 10 years - "heavy duty drugs" that come with side effects like weight gain, bone loss, and hot flashes. She still stops by Christensen's office before or after appointments for advice and happily emailed her photos from her September wedding. The navigator-patient relationship doesn't end once a patient's cancer is cured; survivorship carries its own side effects. "In general, common topics for women are depression, fear of recurrence, nutrition, sexuality, relationships, weight loss, exercise, pain, and figuring out their new normal," Christensen says. "Sometimes I offer a referral to the appropriate provider, or we simply just sit and talk." Now approaching the two-year anniversary of her diagnosis, Murphy says having a navigator "was like having another mom. She allowed me to focus on getting better because someone else was handling all the other details. She gave me a leg up on the cancer experience." Finding your navigator The American Cancer Society has patient navigators nationwide. 1-800-227-2345 The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer requires that all of its hospitals and programs nationwide provide patient navigation services. facs.org The National Consortium of Breast Centers can direct you to a certified navigator near you You Might Also Like By Colleen Jenkins WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - Police in North Carolina sought leads on Monday about a fire they believe was deliberately set at a local Republican headquarters over the weekend and a graffiti message warning the political party to "leave town or else." Investigators are treating the incident as arson. The fire caused heavy damage to the Orange County Republican Party's office in Hillsborough, North Carolina, about 40 miles (65 km) from the state capital of Raleigh. "This is political terrorism," said Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party. Both Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton condemned the attack. North Carolina is considered a battleground state that could play a pivotal role in the Nov. 8 presidential contest. "We are taking this incident very seriously and have significant resources at the local, state and federal level committed to this investigation, Hillsborough Police Chief Duane Hampton said in a statement on Monday, asking anyone with information to come forward. Hillsborough police said a bottle containing flammable material ignited after being thrown through a front window of the headquarters between midnight and about 9 a.m. on Sunday, when a nearby business owner reported the crime. "Someone has firebombed through the window (of) the Republican party up here beside me and sprayed all over the side of my building, 'Nazi Republicans leave town or else,'" the caller told a 911 operator in a call released on Monday. A swastika also was spray-painted on the neighboring building, police said. They said no one was in the party office at the time, but the substance burned furniture and charred campaign signs. White House spokesman Josh Earnest praised the efforts of self-described Democrats who raised about $13,000 in an online GoFundMe campaign to help Republicans reopen the office. Story continues "That's consistent with the values that we lift up in this country," he said at a news briefing. "There is no justification for the use of violence to advance a political agenda." In a tweet on Sunday, Clinton said she was grateful no one was hurt in the attack, which she called "horrific and unacceptable." Trump blamed his Democratic opponent's supporters for the crime. "Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning," he said on Twitter. Registered Democrats far outnumber Republicans in Orange County, according to elections board data. Republicans said the incident took them by surprise but left them undeterred as they started clean-up efforts at their strip-mall headquarters and worked in a bus being used as a temporary mobile office. "We're not going to be intimated; we're not going to be cowed," Woodhouse said. On Monday, the Arizona Republican Party headquarters in Phoenix was evacuated for about two hours after a bomb threat was left by phone. Police said nothing was found during a search of the premises. Party officials said the call was received from an adult male at about 3:15 p.m. local time saying there was a bomb in the building and for occupants to get out. (Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington and David Schwartz in Phoenix; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Lisa Shumaker) Hrithik Roshan has opened up about his battle with depression, leaving people to wonder if his divorce with Sussanne Khan is the reason behind the same. By India Today Web Desk: Hrithik Roshan has joined the list of celebrities who have opened up on their battle with depression. After Deepika Padukone and Karan Johar, now Hrithik has revealed that he has gone through a lot of ups and downs in his personal life and has been through depression, but it is something which should not be stigmatised. advertisement The Bang Bang star says issues relating to mental health must be spoken of casually, and not as if they are something that can't be cured. "I've been through my ups and downs. I have experienced depression, I have experienced confusion, as we all do. It's a very normal thing. We should be very casual about it when we speak about it. It should be spoken about casually," he said at an event in Mumbai. ALSO READ: Hrithik and Sussanne formally end their marriage of 14 years ALSO READ: Hrithik Roshan's ex-wife Sussanne Khan opens up on second marriage rumours ALSO READ: Didn't want to be in a false relationship, says Sussanne about her divorce with Hrithik The 42-year-old actor was speaking at the launch of a campaign that urges people to accept and fight with mental illnesses. Hrithik said the high and lows that he has experienced were necessary, as they helped him evolve as a person. Hrithik Roshan speaking about his battle with depression at an event. Photo: Milind Shelte, India Today "I have experienced issues in my own personal life; we all go through ups and downs. The ups are important, the downs are (also) important because you evolve through both of them. When you go through a down, then the most important thing is clarity of thought. Sometimes your brain takes over, feeds you with unwanted thoughts." We wonder if he was referring to his divorce and separation from ex-wife Sussanne Khan. Hrithik and Sussanne were married for 14 years before calling it quits. The two were granted a divorce by the court in November 2014. "That's the time you need objectivity, a third or second person to look at you and say 'this is what is happening to you'," said the popular Bollywood star who started his career with Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai back in 2000. The actor said he saw many of his friends silently battle depression and other mental issues which prompted him to dig deep into the matter. Hrithik Roshan at the launch of a campaign in Mumbai. Photo: Milind Shelte, India Today Hrithik Roshan at the launch of a campaign in Mumbai. Photo: Milind Shelte, India Today advertisement "This is something which was on my mind for years. I always questioned this stigma (attached to mental illness). I have seen my friends suffer in silence and it bothered me to a level where I started asking questions and stumbled upon some very good questions in that search. About, why when we are suffering from a stomach or kidney problem, we are so cool and casual about it. Why when we have a problem with the brain, which is also an organ, we get scared and feel as if it is our fault and we need to hide it from people. Everybody, at some point of life, is going to go through some mental issue," he added. Hrithik Roshan's revelation comes after his colleagues Deepika Padukone and Karan Johar's. Both Padukone and Johar have spoken out loud about their respective battles with depression. Deepika has launched an NGO too that deals with people going through mental illnesses. --- ENDS --- Northern Trust Corporation NTRS is scheduled to report third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 19. The Chicago, IL-based companys second-quarter 2016 earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate aided by higher revenues. The quarter also witnessed a rise in assets under custody. However, results exhibited escalating operating expenses and decreased assets under management. Notably, Northern Trust has delivered positive earnings surprises in three of the trailing four quarters, with an average earnings beat of 3.8%. Regarding the stocks performance, the company has gained about 5% over the last three months. NORTHERN TRUST Price and EPS Surprise NORTHERN TRUST Price and EPS Surprise | NORTHERN TRUST Quote Will the upcoming earnings release give a boost to Northern Trusts stock? This depends largely on whether the firm is able to post a beat for the fourth straight quarter. However, our quantitative model doesnt point to an earnings beat. Heres why Northern Trust doesnt have the right combination of the two key ingredients a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or at least 3 (Hold) for increasing its chances of an earnings beat. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP for Northern Trust is -0.93%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate of $1.07 is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.08. Zacks Rank: Northern Trusts Zacks Rank #2 increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we need a positive ESP to be confident of an earnings surprise. Note that we caution investors against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or #5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is witnessing negative estimate revisions. Factors to Influence Q3 Results Northern Trust, as a player in the custody banking space, derives most of its revenues from non-interest sources of income, particularly trust, investment and other servicing fees. These fees are highly dependent upon the market value of clients assets under custody. This, in turn, is directly linked to the performance of equity markets. The third quarter recorded strong performance of the equity markets. The S&P 500 Index gained 3.3% in the quarter. Also, the index measuring international equity performance the MSCI EAFE Index rose 5.8% during the quarter. However, Northern Trusts calculation of the corporate custody and investment management fees considers a lag effect, that is, the computations are based on prior quarter-end valuations. Hence, the company is likely to record modest growth in custody, servicing and management fees, as equity markets were relatively weak in second-quarter 2016. Flatter average yield curve in the third quarter will keep the net interest margin under pressure. However, a spike in LIBOR rates should support spread income as well as securities lending fees. Given the decreases in foreign exchange (FX) trading volatility, as well as volumes in the third quarter, the companys revenues from FX trading are likely to decline. Regarding expenses, quarterly results are likely to have increased due to higher FDIC surcharge that went effective in third-quarter 2016. Also, Northern Trusts continued investments in new business activities and higher regulatory and compliance costs may put pressure on the companys expense base. Activities of Northern Trust during the quarter were inadequate to win analysts confidence. As a result, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter remained unchanged at $1.08 over the last seven days. Notably, the estimated figure represents year-over-year growth of 12.5%. Stocks that Warrant a Look Here are some stocks worth considering, as they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter. State Street Corporation STT is slated to release results on Oct 26. The company has an Earnings ESP of +0.80% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Raymond James Financial, Inc. RJF has an Earnings ESP of +2.04% and it carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company is slated to release results on Oct 26. Lazard Ltd. LAZ has an Earnings ESP of +3.90% and a Zacks Rank #2. It is scheduled to report results on Oct 27. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report STATE ST CORP (STT): Free Stock Analysis Report NORTHERN TRUST (NTRS): Free Stock Analysis Report RAYMOND JAS FIN (RJF): Free Stock Analysis Report LAZARD LTD (LAZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Oslo (AFP) - The Norwegian military said Tuesday it had taken photos of a Russian fleet, including its flagship aircraft carrier, which were shadowed off its coast as they headed for the eastern Mediterranean. Based in Severomorsk in the Barents Sea in the Arctic, the carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and seven other vessels were photographed on Monday in international waters off Norway, Major Elisabeth Eikeland, spokeswoman of the National Joint Headquarters in the Norwegian army, told AFP. "We have been informed that they are en route to the Mediterranean," Eikeland said. "It's not every day that so many ships sail together off Norway," she said. The carrier was shadowed by a Norwegian navy frigate, with a vessel from another NATO member primed to take over escort duties afterwards, Eikeland said. "The tone is good" with the Russian ships, Eikeland said. Russia announced on Saturday that the Soviet-era Admiral Kuznetsov, its only aircraft carrier, was to reinforce Moscow's military presence in the eastern Mediterranean, where its forces are conducting a bombing campaign in Syria. The Admiral Kuznetsov is travelling with the Pyotr Veliky battlecruiser, the Vice Admiral Kulakov destroyer and large anti-submarine ships, the defence ministry in Moscow said. On Tuesday, Moscow announced an immediate halt to raids by Russian and Syrian air forces on Aleppo as a gesture of "goodwill". The Kremlin said this would enable the evacuation of civilians from rebel-held areas of the city, which has been bombed intensively during the past month. We now know who would become president if grade school kids were the only people voting Although polls show that Hillary Clinton has recently taken a strong lead over her opponent, Donald Trump, many American voters remain stressed out and anxious about the 2016 election and well probably feel that way until the final results are in on November 8th. Although well have to wait three weeks to learn the outcome, one group of Americans has spoken and Hillary Clinton is the clear winner amongst elementary school voters. Although its encouraging to see that so many youngsters have rejected Trumps hateful rhetoric and actions, they sadly cant head to the voting booth on Election Day. But, the results of Scholastics nationwide mock election are more telling than you may think. The poll, which has been conducted in every presidential race since 1940, has correctly predicted the outcome of every presidential election since 1964. Another piece of good news is that Clinton won the mock election by a landslide. The elementary schoolers have spoken, and the former Secretary of State defeated Trump by a whopping 17 points. She can't vote, but we can all vote for herand every childto have a better future: IWillVote.com A photo posted by Hillary Clinton (@hillaryclinton) on Oct 11, 2016 at 1:42pm PDT Of course, like any other presidential poll, Scholastics is far from foolproof. And, because this is no ordinary election, third-party candidates garnered more kids votes than they have in past elections most likely because theyve heard their parents say they dont want to vote for either Trump or Clinton. The elementary school voter pool was also smaller than usual, perhaps because many teachers have found it difficult to discuss this election with children. But, lets stay positive, because the mock election brought us more good news. As reported by USA Today, Clinton was not only victorious in the popular vote, but in battleground states as well. Story continues Candidates Hillary Clinton And Donald Trump Hold Second Presidential Debate At Washington University In the majority of crucial swing states, such as Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Nevada, schoolchildren chose Clinton over Trump. She even won in several states that are decidedly Republican Alaska, Idaho, Texas, and Utah. Although every poll needs to be taken with a grain of salt, this is great news and not just because the Scholastic mock election has been a solid predictor of past elections. It shows that many kids have rejected Trumps reprehensible campaign tactics and they know that a hot-tempered bully is undeserving of a vote. The election has put many of us in a dark place, but the next generation of voters provides a ray of hope that America will never again endure another ugly election like this one. The post We now know who would become president if grade school kids were the only people voting appeared first on HelloGiggles. A billboard reading Donald Trump cant read this, but he is scared of it in white Arabic text on a black background has appeared along a highway in Michigan, mocking the Republican presidential candidates rhetoric on Muslims and Islam. The sign, placed along Interstate 94 in Dearborn, was arranged and paid for by the Nuisance Committee, a political action campaign group set up by the people behind the popular party game Cards Against Humanity, with the mission to annoy Donald Trump. Melissa Harris, a spokesperson for the group, told WWJ Newsradio 950 that her group chose Dearborn because of its large Arab-American population. We intentionally did not put the translation on the board, she said. I like the idea of people who do not speak Arabic having to ask their friends who do to translate the board for them. Harris added that the group hopes to motivate the Arab-American community to vote in the upcoming election, particularly in Michigan which is a swing state. Were not name-calling, were not insultingWere simply pointing out that his fear, Donald Trumps fear of Muslims and of immigrants is wholly irrational, she said. President Barack Obama offered Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump some advice Tuesday: Stop complaining and keep quiet about Vladimir Putin. Speaking at the White House, Obama said Republican Trumps continued flattery of the Russian president and claims of election rigging are unprecedented. He added he has never seen a presidential candidate try to discredit an election before it took place. Id advise Mr. Trump to quit whining, Obama said alongside visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Obamas comments come after Trump continues to push the line there is a widespread conspiracy to elect Hillary Clinton through a fixed election. On Tuesday morning, the GOP nominee, lagging behind Clinton in the polls, unleashed a series of tweets using the hashtag #DrainTheSwamp that continued to peddle this line. "@THEREALMOGUL: 41% of American voters believe the election could be "stolen" from DonaldTrump due to widespread voter fraud. Politico" Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2016 I will Make Our Government Honest Again believe me. But first, I'm going to have to #DrainTheSwamp in DC. https://t.co/m1lMAQPnIb Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2016 If we let Crooked run the govt, history will remember 2017 as the year America lost its independence. #DrainTheSwamp https://t.co/VpYiO8CnXQ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2016 Throughout his campaign, Trump has praised Putin as a strong leader and saying the Russian president commands more respect than Obama. The White House has accused Russian-backed hackers of breaking into emails related to the Clinton campaign in what U.S. officials say is an attempt to sway a U.S. presidential election. Putin, in turn, has expressed warm feelings toward Trump, calling the businessman colorful. Obama also took many in the Republican party to task Tuesday for tolerating Trumps bromance with Putin, especially when GOP officials have long contended the Russian strongman was an international pariah. Obama said he was much more surprised and troubled that Republican officials now seem to back Trumps attitudes toward Russia. Its quite a reversal. Youll have to ask them to explain it, the president said. Photo credit: ALEX WONG/Getty Images Headaches because of starvation aren't uncommon. But do you really want to feel low on a day of celebration? By India Today Web Desk: The whole excitement of Karva Chauth dampens a bit if you end up falling sick on the day. One of the most common dampeners of this festival fun is a perpetual, pesky headache, that is--more often than not--caused by refraining from all edibles. The most common causes of these hunger headaches are muscle tension and low blood sugar. Hunger can cause your muscles to tighten up, triggering a tension headache. When your blood sugar drops, your body releases hormones to counter low glucose levels, which can trigger a headache, according to Live Strong. advertisement But worry not. With Karva Chauth just a few hours away, we tell you just how NOT to get a headache tomorrow. 1. It's no secret that good nutrition is important to avoid headaches. The idea is to have the kind of food in the morning that will sustain you through the day. The answer is protein-rich foods (like pulses, nuts and yogurt), which often take longer to digest, and hence delay hunger pangs. 2. Another way to get through the day is by eating complex carbohydrates in the morning. Complex carbs sustain the level of blood sugar for a longer time. So, load up on cereals, fruits, rice and wholesome breads in your meals, according to Renegade Health. 3. One major cause for headaches is dehydration; so drink as much water as you can before the fast begins. Dr Ebrahim Elimam, consultant for diabetes, endocrinology and internal medicine at HealthPlus Diabetes and Endocrinology Centre, Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News, "One of the most useful safeguards against these headaches is to drink enough water and fluid when not fasting. When the brain detects that the water supply is too low, it produces histamines (compounds released by cells that cause contraction of smooth muscle and dilation of capillaries) to ration and conserve water in case the water shortage continues for a long time. These histamines directly cause pain and fatigue, which is experienced as a headache and lowered levels of energy." 4. Those sugar-coated matthis you get for sargi? Yeah, they're a big NO-NO. But that's okay, you're not the only one making this mistake. Most people make the mistake of eating a sugar-heavy meal early morning, thinking that sugar will sustained them through the day. Instead, suggests Dr Elimam, the sugar is released into the blood too quickly, leaving the body feeling tired when the blood sugar level drops rapidly. 5. You know how so many of you run to get the mehendi done just the night before Karva Chauth? And then you run home late night, get just a few hours of sleep before you're up early morning again for sargi! Well, that, right there is what's causing your headaches--sleep deprivation. Simple math--sleep deprivation causes fatigue, which triggers a headache. So, plan in advance and get your mehendi done in time, so you can at least get 6 hours of sleep before you fast the next day. GIF Courtesy: Giphy.com --- ENDS --- Rome (AFP) - Outgoing US President Barack Obama has fired a parting shot at EU leaders over their economic policies and offered strong backing to Italy's Matteo Renzi ahead of a crucial referendum. Renzi, the Italian prime minister and the most prominent critic of the European Union's emphasis on fiscal rigour over efforts to foster jobs and growth, is due at the White House on Tuesday for the final state dinner of the Obama administration. And in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica, the US president lavished praise on the "vision and ambitious reforms" of the centre-left Renzi, who has staked his political future on winning a December 4 referendum on constitutional reform. Obama said Tuesday's dinner would be an opportunity to thank Renzi for "his strong partnership across a range of issues, including our shared commitment to broad and inclusive growth that creates jobs in both our countries and across Europe." Obama said the growth-boosting Recovery Act passed early in his administration had helped to create more than 15 million new jobs, cut unemployment in half and trigger a rise in wages and a fall in poverty rates. "Some countries took a different approach," he said. "As I've said before, I do believe that austerity measures have contributed to slower growth in Europe. "In some countries, weve seen years of stagnation, which has fed into the economic frustrations and anxieties we see across the continent... " Renzi has also blamed austerity for the rise in populist political parties across Europe, and repeatedly clashed with EU officials over demands for greater leeway on budget rules to allow him to pursue a more expansionary economic policy. "Matteo has the right approach, and it's beginning to show results," Obama said. The US leader acknowledged that concerns over the uneven impact of globalisation had helped fuel political developments like Donald Trump's presidential bid and Britain's vote to leave the European Union. Story continues He said the benefits of globalisation had to be more broadly shared, but defended further liberalisation of trade as a positive development, including a controversial new EU-US trade deal on which negotiations are currently stalled. "In our global economy where so much of our prosperity depends on trade between our countries, its simply not possible to withdraw and pull up the drawbridge," Obama said. "Protectionism only makes our economies weaker, hurting all of us, especially our workers." Obama said fears over the impact of the proposed Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), were overstated. "By eliminating tariffs and bridging differences in regulations, we'll make it easier to trade, especially for our small and medium-sized businesses. TTIP will not lower standards. "On the contrary, it will raise standards to better protect workers, better protect the environment, better protect consumers and ensure a free and open internet, which is essential for our digital economies." ROME (Reuters) - Barack Obama praised Matteo Renzi in a newspaper interview on Tuesday, endorsing the under-fire Italian Prime Minister's reform agenda ahead of his state visit to Washington and a referendum that will define his political legacy. Renzi has said he will resign if he loses the Dec. 4 plebiscite on constitutional reform, in which two of his predecessors said on Tuesday they would support the 'no' camp - along with what opinion polls say is a majority of Italian voters. "I believe the austerity measures have contributed to slowing growth in Europe," the U.S. president told la Repubblica daily, adding that Renzi understood the need for reforms to increase productivity and stimulate investments. Renzi, who was visiting Washington on Tuesday, has set out a 2017 budget that targets a fiscal deficit higher than previously agreed with the European Union. Obama said European policies aimed at capping budget deficits and lowering debt had led to years of stagnation and high unemployment in several countries. "That is why I believe the vision and the ambitious reforms Prime Minister Renzi is following are so important," he said. Renzi "recognizes the need to make the investments necessary to sustain growth and jobs and increase opportunities." Renzi's reforms in areas such as the labor market, the state bureaucracy and education have so far failed to boost Italy's chronically sluggish growth and his popularity has fallen over the last 18 months. The referendum is on his plan to overhaul the constitution by reducing the role of the Senate and cutting the powers of regional governments. A large majority of recent opinion polls put the "no" camp ahead. Former prime minister Mario Monti, whose austerity measures are widely credited with saving Italy from a debt crisis in 2011 and 2012, said on Tuesday he would vote "no". He told Corriere della Sera daily the new role of the Senate was unclear and criticized Renzi for what he said was an irresponsible budget that undermined public finances by offering hand-outs to persuade people to support the referendum. Another former prime minister, media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, also declared his support for the "No" camp. "After a "No" we can approve a real reform, a different reform, all together," Berlusconi told Canale 5 television, adding this should include reducing the number of deputies in the lower house, and a constitutional limit on taxation. Brussels will issue a verdict this year on the budget. European Commission officials are concerned about Italy's inability to bring down a public debt of around 133 percent of national output, the highest in the euro zone after Greece's. However, they are also reluctant to hurt Renzi ahead of the referendum which they fear could bring political instability if he loses and favor the rise of the euroskeptic 5-Star Movement. (Reporting by Gavin Jones, additional reporting by Isla Binnie; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and John Stonestreet) President Barack Obama says Donald Trump needs to stop whining about the election. One of the great things about Americas democracy is that we have a vigorous, sometimes bitter political contest, Obama said Tuesday during joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at the White House. And when its done, historically, regardless of party, the person who loses the election congratulates the winner, confirms our democracy and we move forward. Thats how democracy survives. Obama said the Republican nominee ought to realize theres something more important than any individual campaign. Trump has spent the last week railing against the media, asserting that the November election is rigged and claiming that the press is involved in a conspiracy orchestrated by his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton I have never seen in my lifetime or in modern political history any presidential candidate trying to discredit the elections and the election process before votes have even taken place, the president continued. Its unprecedented. Related: Trump has long been making wild claims about election fraud Obama said Trumps claims about voting irregularities and improprieties at polling stations are baseless. Every expert, regardless of political party, regardless of ideology, conservative or liberal, who has ever examined these issues will tell you that instances of significant voter fraud are not to be found, the president said, noting that elections are run by state and local officials. There is no serious person out there who would suggest somehow that you could even rig Americas elections, in part because it is so decentralized. In Florida, for example, youve got a Republican governor whos got Republican appointees who are gonna be running and monitoring a whole bunch of these election sites, Obama said. The notion that somehow if Mr. Trump loses Florida its because of those people you have to watch out for? That is both irresponsible and, by the way, doesnt really show the kind of leadership and toughness that youd want out of a president. Story continues Obama added: Id invite Mr. Trump to stop whining and go try to make his case to get votes. Also read: Bill OReilly to Donald Trump: Stop whining The president also said hes alarmed by Trumps repeated praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Trumps continued flattery of Mr. Putin and the degree to which he appears to model many of his policies and approaches to politics of Mr. Putin is unprecedented in American politics, Obama said. It is out of step not just with what Democrats think but out of step with what up until the last few months almost every Republican thought including some of the ones who are now endorsing Mr. Trump. In an interview Monday, Trump said Russia cant stand Obama and Clinton, and said if elected he would consider a possible meeting with Putin before his inauguration as president of the U.S. Obama mocked Republican leaders who were constantly haranguing us for even talking to the Russians yet are now supporting Trumps willingness to work with Moscow. Mr. Trump rarely surprises me these days, the president said. Im much more surprised and troubled by the fact you have Republican officials who historically have been adamantly anti-Russia and in fact have attacked me for even engaging them diplomatically, now supporting, in some cases echoing, his positions. Its quite a reversal. Retired Gen. James Cartwright arrives at U.S. District Court in Washington, Oct. 17, 2016. (Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP) James Hoss Cartwright was known as President Obamas favorite general a savvy Marine Corps veteran who, as vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, paid regular visits to the White House providing key advice on everything from drone strikes to the new era of cyber warfare. But Monday, in an extraordinary rebuke, he stood stiffly in civilian clothes before a federal judge and pled guilty to a felony charge that he lied to the FBI about disclosing classified information to two journalists. It was the latest in an unprecedented series of leak-related cases brought by the Obama Justice Department. It prompted the New York Times (the main beneficiary of Cartwrights leak, which concerned American cyberwar efforts against the Iranian nuclear program) to denounce his prosecution as chilling. Are you under the influence of any drugs, narcotics or alcohol that might cloud your judgment? said U.S. Judge Richard Leon, using the standard language asked of all criminal defendants, as he briskly grilled the retired four-star general about his decision to enter a guilty plea. Cartwright, 67, with his lawyer, former White House counsel Gregory Craig, standing beside him, responded with barely audible monosyllables: No, sir, he said in response to the question about being on drugs. Yes, sir, he told Leon, when asked if he fully understood the charge against him and that it might send him to federal prison. Cartwrights plea caps a four-year-long leak investigation over disclosures in a book and article by New York Times reporter David Sanger about how the U.S. and Israel unleashed a computer virus known as Stuxnet to disable Iranian nuclear centrifuges. He also pled to lying about disclosures he made to former Newsweek editor Daniel Klaidman about the administrations covert efforts to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program. Klaidman is now deputy editor of Yahoo News. Cartwright is the 10th person to be criminally charged under President Obama in a case related to classified disclosures more by far than were brought by any president before him. Critics have charged Obama, who once promised the most transparent administration in history, with conducting a war on whistleblowers meant to discourage government employees from disclosing government abuse and misconduct. Story continues But the Cartwright case may have been the most sensitive leak investigation of all. It appeared from the start to involve what is known in Washington as a politically authorized leak. It revealed Obamas direct role in authorizing aggressive covert action against the Iranian regime that, as White House aides spun it, avoided a military confrontation with that country yet still achieved the U.S. governments goal of thwarting Tehrans nuclear ambitions. Moreover, the information Cartwright is said to have disclosed appeared in a news story and book that came out in June 2012 smack in the middle of an election year when the White House was intent on burnishing the presidents national security credentials in his reelection campaign against Mitt Romney. According to details disclosed in federal court today, Cartwright spoke to New York Times reporter Sanger on multiple occasions between January 2012 and June 2012, and those talks included discussions about what a federal prosecutor described as top secret classified information. In early June, 2012, Sangers book about Obamas foreign policy, Confront and Conceal, appeared, along with a front page New York Times story that included bombshell details about the White Houses role in the Stuxnet attack. Under the headline, Obama Order Sped Up Wave of Cyberattacks Against Iran, the Times article disclosed the presidents direct participation in the decisions to unleash Stuxnet complete with details from inside White House situation room meetings, in which Cartwright participated. It reported how the Iranians were mystified and confused by the cyberattacks. It quoted one American official describing the brilliant malicious code injected into Iranian computers. Another senior administration official appeared to be gloating about how involved the president was in directing the effort: From his first days in office, [Obama] was deep into every step in slowing the Iranian program the diplomacy, the sanctions, every major decision, the unnamed senior official is quoted as saying. And its safe to say that whatever other activity might have been under way was no exception to that rule. But Republicans were up in arms, accusing the Obama White House of leaking some of the most sensitive classified information in the governments possession including American collaboration with the Israeli government in the cyberattack to help the president get reelected. They demanded the appointment of a special prosecutor and then Attorney General Eric Holder acceded, naming U.S. attorney Rod Rosenstein of the Maryland office (a Bush White House holdover) to investigate the Stuxnet leak. Shortly thereafter, a federal grand jury was empaneled and top White House aides including former national security advisor Thomas Donilon and chief of staff Denis McDonough were hiring lawyers. But the FBI, armed with an email trail between Sanger and Cartwright, settled on the Marine Corps veteran (who had retired from the U.S. military in August 2011 but still held a top secret security clearance and sat on the Defense Policy Board, as well as serving on the board of directors of Raytheon, a top defense contractor.) In November 2012, FBI agents interviewed Cartwright and, shown a list of quotes and statements from Sangers book a number of which contained classified information he denied being the source of any of them, according to a criminal information entered into the court record today. Cartwright also denied discussing what is referred to as Country 1 a reference to Iran with Klaidman. By early January 2013, Cartwright knew he was in trouble and resigned from the Defense Policy Board, citing health reasons and the press of business. In June of that year, NBC News first reported that Cartwright was the target of the leak investigation. But the investigation dragged on for three more years, in part because of the highly sensitive subject matter, information that the U.S. intelligence community (and White House officials) were loathe to confirm. At one point, informed sources tell Yahoo News, the State Department and the White House even asked the Justice Department to delay the case until after the U.S.-Iranian nuclear agreement was finalized, fearing that a public confirmation of Stuxnet (and the U.S. collaboration with the Israelis) would jeopardize the negotiations. In the end, special counsel Rosenstein and Justice Department lawyers chose to thread the needle, charging Cartwright only with making false statements to the FBI about what he told Sanger and Klaidman, but avoiding any reference to the nature of the classified information he disclosed and confirmed. For his part, Cartwright has told friends what many expected would be a major part of his defense: He only spoke to the journalists in the first place because it was his understanding the White House wanted him to in part to wave them off false (and potentially damaging) classified details from another source. It was a defense he appeared to allude to in a statement released today. It was wrong for me to mislead the FBI on November 2, 2012, and I accept full responsibility for this, Cartwright said. I knew I was not the source of the story and I didnt want to be blamed for the leak. My only goal in talking to the reporters was to protect American interests and lives; I love my country and continue to this day to do everything I can to defend it. In his own statement, his lawyer, Craig, portrayed what his client did as part of the way things work in Washington: In his conversations with these two reporters, Gen. Cartwright was engaged in a well-known and understood practice of attempting to save national secrets, not disclosing classified information, he said. His effort to prevent publication of information that might harm American lives or national security does not constitute a violation of any law. Neither Cartwright nor Craig explained how the information the general confirmed saved American lives. How that defense will play with Judge Leon, a former Republican Capitol Hill staffer appointed by President George W. Bush, is not clear. Cartwright faces a maximum of five years in prison. Under a deal worked out with prosecutors, the government wont recommend more than six months. Craig will argue for no jail time at all, and according to sources close to Cartwright, push for a pardon before President Obama leaves office. The judge set sentencing for Jan. 17 three days before the end of the presidents term. Meanwhile, the New York Times portrayed the case as another blow to press freedom. Without confirming that Cartwright was Sangers source and asserting he relied on multiple sources in Washington, Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere, a spokesperson for the Times said the reporting the Times journalist did for the Stuxnet story serves a vital public interest: explaining how the United States is using a powerful new technology against its adversaries and the concern that it raises about how similar weapons can be used against the U.S. We will continue to pursue that reporting vigorously. We are disappointed that the Justice Department has gone forward with the leak investigation that led to todays guilty plea by Gen. Cartwright, the papers spokesperson said. These investigations send a chilling message to all government employees that they should not speak to reporters. The inevitable result is that the American public is deprived of information that it needs to know. Klaidman declined comment. Wellington (AFP) - Marine ecosystems in one of the Pacific's most vulnerable regions face decline unless they are better managed, a WWF report warned Tuesday. The report described the ocean as the lifeblood of Melanesia -- a vast Pacific swathe comprising Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji. But it said a range of factors including overfishing, population growth and climate change were damaging the oceans and could have a major impact on the region's economic prospects. "The physical and chemical conditions in the ocean are changing faster than at any other point in history," it said. "And there is a strong chance that the declining ocean assets of the Melanesian region will constrain options for future generations." The report estimated that Melanesia generated about US$5.4 billion a year from the ocean, largely from fisheries and tourism. The report's lead author, University of Queensland climate specialist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, said Melanesia could no longer take the health of its oceans for granted. "There is no doubt the ocean has delivered the majority of food, livelihoods and economic activity for Melanesia for a very long time," he said. "Given some of the troubling trends in the status of the ecosystems that generate these benefits, however, the question is now: how long will these benefits last?" The report argued that coastal fisheries were already over-exploited but demand on them was set to increase 60 percent by 2030 to feed the region's growing population. It recommended managing population growth, although did not specify how this would be done. The report also said climate change was destroying coral reefs and increasing the frequency of storms such as Cyclone Winston, which killed more than 40 people and destroyed infrastructure when it hit Fiji in February. It called for local government to adopt measures such as sustainable fisheries management, saying a business-as-usual approach was not feasible. "Through strong leadership and wise management, the leaders of the Melanesian region can deliver policy actions that will create a sustainable and inclusive blue economy," it said. (Reuters) - Officials investigating the execution-style killings of eight family members in rural Ohio six months ago have ruled out the involvement of a Mexican drug cartel and now believe whoever committed the crimes was likely from the area, local media reported. Eight members of the Rhoden family, ranging in age from 16 to 44, were shot to death in the Appalachian foothills on April 22. Local media previously quoted unidentified law enforcement officials saying a Mexican drug cartel could have been involved after marijuana cultivation sites were found at one of the crime scenes. "Absolutely not," Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader told a local TV station on Monday when asked if he believed Mexican cartels were involved in the murders. "With the nature of the investigation and the things that have been revealed when conducting the investigation there would be no indication to me as to any type of Mexican drug cartel being involved," he said in an interview with ABC affiliate WCPO Cincinnati. The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Hannah Gilley, 20; Christopher Rhoden Sr, 40; Christopher Rhoden Jr, 16; Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20; Dana Rhoden, 37; Gary Rhoden, 38; Hanna Rhoden, 19; and Kenneth Rhoden, 44, were killed in what officials said was a planned, "sophisticated operation." Many of the victims were shot in the head as they slept. Three young children were found alive. Tim Reagan, a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officer in Cincinnati, told the TV station he also believed there was no link to the Mexican cartel. "If there was a strong Mexican cartel connection, I'd feel more comfortable telling you, and I don't see it," he said. The DEA directed questions on the case to the Ohio Attorney General's office. Dan Tierney, a spokesman for the Ohio attorney general, said the office would not comment on motives prior to an arrest being made but does believe the crimes were committed by multiple people who were familiar with the property. Story continues Reader said he believes whoever killed the Rhoden family members likely lives in or near Pike County in south-central Ohio, about 95 miles (153 km) east of Cincinnati. Reader did not elaborate on why he felt the killer or killers were local. He said the motivation for the murders was still unknown, but it was unlikely that drugs played a role. (Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Alan Crosby) The Q3 earnings season is in the nascent stage with 80 S&P 500 members scheduled to release their quarterly results this week. So far, 34 S&P 500 members have announced their Q3 results. Total earnings for these companies are up 1.3% from the year-ago period on 2.9% higher revenues. While 79.4% of these companies delivered positive earnings surprises, 64.7% managed to beat revenue estimates (data from the Earnings Preview report dated Oct 14, 2016). Crude Performance in Q3 Given that oil determine the fate of energy companies it of utmost importance to note the pricing movement of the commodity during Q3. Overall, oil prices recovered significantly from the mid-February lows. This is undoubtedly favorable for upstream energy firms as commodity price improvement should translate into more exploration and production activities. This is evidenced by the substantial increase in the U.S. rig count in recent times. In fact, Baker Hughes Inc. BHI the companys data issued since 1944 is as an important yardstick for energy service providers in gauging the overall business environment of the oil and gas industry recently declared the rig count for Sep 2016. In the U.S., the total number of rigs increased from the Aug 2016 count owing to a rise in the number of land rigs. This represents the fourth consecutive increase in the U.S. monthly rig count. We expect increased drilling activities to create more work for oilfield services players and the companies engaged in manufacturing oil filed machineries and equipment. Moreover, a rise in production activities is expected to increase the need for storage and transportation of the commodity. However, the overall earnings picture will become clearer as we move further ahead. With more and more companies slated to release their financial numbers this week, we expect a better insight into the performance of the sector. Meanwhile, lets take a look at how these four oil stocks might fare in Q3 when these report their quarterly numbers on Oct 19. Story continues Whats in Store for These Oil Stocks? Oilfield services company, Core Laboratories NV CLB is set to release Q3 results after the closing bell. In the preceding three-month period, the firms earnings came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. In fact, Core Laboratories has posted earnings in line with estimates in each of the last four quarters. Our quantitative model does not show conclusively that Core Laboratories is likely to beat on earnings this quarter. According to our proven model, a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) to beat on earnings. Unfortunately, this is not the case here. This Amsterdam, the Netherlands-based company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #4. Please note that the Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 or 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement. CORE LABS NV Price and EPS Surprise CORE LABS NV Price and EPS Surprise | CORE LABS NV Quote Oil drilling equipment maker, FMC Technologies Inc. FTI is set to release Q3 results on Oct 19, after the closing bell. In the preceding three-month period, the Houston, TX-based firm delivered a negative earnings surprise of 26.67%. The underperformance stemmed from weakness in the North American land market and a negative impact of the strengthening U.S. dollar. Record low rig counts in North America also contributed to the downside. Coming to earnings surprise history, the company does not have a good record. FMC Technologies missed estimates in three of the last four quarters Moreover, our proven model does not show that the company is likely to beat expectations this quarter because it has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #3. . (Read more: FMC Technologies Q3 Earnings: A Surprise in Store?) FMC TECH INC Price and EPS Surprise FMC TECH INC Price and EPS Surprise | FMC TECH INC Quote Major oilfield service provider Halliburton Co. HAL is set to release Q3 results before the opening bell on Oct 19, The company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters with an average positive surprise of 36.33%. Moreover, our proven model shows that the company is likely to beat expectations this quarter because it has the right combination of two key ingredients an Earnings ESP of + 14.29% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. HALLIBURTON CO Price and EPS Surprise HALLIBURTON CO Price and EPS Surprise | HALLIBURTON CO Quote Midstream energy assets operator, Kinder Morgan, Inc. KMI is expected to report Q3 earnings after the closing bell on Oct 19. Over the last four quarters, the company posted average positive earnings surprise of 6.89%. We note that the improved commodity pricing scenario has called for more exploration and production of oil and gas, which in turn, should lead to more storage and transportation activities. Since, the company has huge midstream assets, it is poised to gain from these developments in Q3. However, an earnings beat does not look certain this time around. This is because the company has a Zacks Rank #3 but an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. (Read more: Can Kinder Morgan Pull a Surprise in Q3 Earnings?) KINDER MORGAN Price and EPS Surprise KINDER MORGAN Price and EPS Surprise | KINDER MORGAN Quote Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FMC TECH INC (FTI): Free Stock Analysis Report BAKER-HUGHES (BHI): Free Stock Analysis Report HALLIBURTON CO (HAL): Free Stock Analysis Report CORE LABS NV (CLB): Free Stock Analysis Report KINDER MORGAN (KMI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 18 (PTI) Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who was trolled for tweeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Pakistan visit, today sought to difuse a row, saying he was not asking the PM to apologise but merely pointing out that film industry was made a scapegoat in the situation. The 44-year-old director, in series of tweets recently, had questioned why should only Indian filmmakers be targeted for casting Pakistani actors when the PM also made a trip to Lahore last year. advertisement Kashyap said he has to unfortunately "explain my intention behind tweet" as his industry colleagues will suffer for his opinion. "NO, Anurag Kashyap did not ask the PM to apologise (which most of the headlines would want you to believe...), I merely questioned the fairness in judgement of a situation: the PM visited Pakistan for talks at the same time that a filmmaker was working with a Pakistani actor. Neither was aware of future events or mood. Yet only one pays the price," Kashyap wrote on his Facebook page. The director, who was speaking against the demand by a section to ban Karan Johars film "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" because it has Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, said people from the industry are always the first to be bullied. "I am tired of the film industry being soft targets. We are damned if we do, damned if we dont! When we dont involve ourselves, they ask why is Bollywood quiet now? When we involve ourselves, we become the scapegoats to distract you from the real news. Either way they use us to sensationalise news," Kashyap said. The director said though the demand to ban the movies starring Pakistani artistes was not made by the government, the elected members should protect people from bullies. "Im also well aware that the government did not cry BAN or demand that Pakistani artists be sent back. Just as Im aware that the PM himself doesnt censor my films. But we elected them and so it is their responsibility to protect us from bullies - media or political parties. "And when the governing partys designated members dont respond in hours of crisis because they are second guessing the mood of the PM then I would rather talk straight to the PM himself." Kashyap also questioned the trollers for asking proof of his patriotism. "There was also sarcasm in the tweet that followed; Bharat Mata Ki Jai was for those mindless trollers who constantly ask for proof of your patriotism. Apparently thats all it takes. It was a jibe at them. Patriotic slogans dont absolve you from it all. I hope this explains .. (sic)" PTI BK BK --- ENDS --- advertisement Hollywood director Oliver Stone has defended the Kremlin-funded, English-language television network Russia Today (RT), whose bank accounts have been blocked in Great Britain, saying the network seems to be seen as "a threat" in the U.K. "Maybe you are a threat - they consider you propagandistic," Stone said on the air of RT's Going Underground program, when asked to comment on the situation with the network's accounts. "But when I look at the London papers, I think, 'Who is being propagandistic?' " "It seems that it's a media war, but it's a shame that the truth is being sacrificed," he went on to say. "The British people are not getting the news, unless you allow other points of view." Stone also praised the network. "RT has always been responsible, they are very clear about their facts, and they show evidence, filmic evidence," he said. Stone has been expressing views favorable to the Kremlin over the last few years, especially since Russia's annexation of the Crimea from Ukraine back in 2014, which caused relations between the West and Russia to sour. On Monday, RT announced that its accounts in Great Britain had been blocked in a move that could threaten the network's future operations in the country. Read more: Kremlin Praises Oliver Stone's 'Snowden' as "Brilliant" and "a Must-See" Frankfurt (AFP) - Firefighters on Monday evening extinguished a blaze at a BASF chemical plant in western Germany where two colleagues were killed in a major blast, a company spokesman said on Tuesday. A third individual is missing after the incident, whose causes remain unknown. "Small but constant amounts" of liquefied ethylene or propylene gas were still leaking from at least one breached pipe at BASF's Ludwigshafen home base and hindering cleanup work, site manager Uwe Liebelt said. City fire chief Peter Friedrich told reporters that firefighters had swathed the pipework with foam coolant to hinder further blazes breaking out. Two members of the plant's fire unit were killed in a blast which occurred at around 11:30 am (0930 GMT) on Monday. Their team had been called out to a fire near a dock, where liquids and liquefied gases are transferred into tanks from ships on the Rhine, before they were caught in the explosion. Six people remain in intensive care with severe burns. The explosion destroyed firefighters' vehicles and sent a plume of black smoke high into the sky above the riverside towns of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. A further 17 people were slightly injured, while one person is still missing. Firefighters from both towns and BASF fought to get the flames under control until they were finally extinguished late on Monday evening. "By tomorrow (Wednesday) evening we should be able to begin further clearing operations," including pumping away the flammable liquefied gases still leaking from a 300-metre (yard) stretch of pipe, Liebelt said. The leaking gases make it too dangerous for divers to enter the harbour basin in search of the missing person, fire chief Friedrich said. Prosecutors and police are already investigating parts of the scene that have so far been declared safe. Workers had been cutting and welding an empty pipeline in the area for several days, Liebelt said, although he added that "we have no knowledge of how the first fire started". Company and city officials repeated advice to local people to remain inside and keep doors and windows closed, although they insisted no dangerous levels of chemicals had been measured in the air around town or in river water. Miami (AFP) - Defending America's Cup champions Oracle Team USA will open the 35th edition of the prestigious yachting regatta in Bermuda next year against French entry Groupama Team France, organizers confirmed Tuesday. Two-time America's Cup winner Jimmy Spithill and his Oracle crew will open the event in a race against a Groupama team led by French star Franck Cammas in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers. The May 26 race in the azure waters of Bermuda's Great Sound launches five weeks of sailing action which will reach its climax in late June with the finale of the America's Cup. The opening race of the qualifiers will be the first time the America's Cup Class (ACC) yachts and their crews face off in full competitive action. The state-of-the-art yachts are wingsail catmarans designed to foil above the water at great speed in a battle for the oldest trophy in international sport, organisers said. "It will be a fantastic spectacle," New Zealander Russell Coutts, chief executive of the America's Cup Event Authority said in a statement, predicting the "greatest America's Cup ever." Oracle skipper Spithill said improved technology of the racing yachts would lead to one of the most fiercely competitive America's Cups in the event's 165-year history. "The physical and mental demands on the athletes on board have gone up exponentially - the catamarans will be faster than last time, more maneuverable, and likely will foil all the way around the race track, given the right conditions," Spithill said. "The competition is going to be fierce. We have six great teams preparing for racing next year and this is quite possibly shaping up to be one of the hardest, most competitive America's Cups in its long history." All six America's Cup teams take part in the Louis Vuitton qualifiers in a round robin competition. Each team races every other team twice, with the challengers aiming to be among the top four who advance to the America's Cup Challenger Playoffs, which begin on June 4. Story continues The current defending champion, Oracle Team USA, automatically advances to the America's Cup Match, where it will face the winner of the challenger playoffs. The America's Cup dates back to 1851 when the yacht America won a race around the Isle of Wight off the south coast of Britain. Only teams from four countries -- the United States, Switzerland, New Zealand and Australia -- have managed to win the America's Cup since then. * Marks booster's return to flight 2 yrs after liftoff blast * Launch delayed 5 minutes to allow checklist review * Capsule expected to reach space station on Sunday (Adds reason for delay in paragraph 2) By Irene Klotz Oct 17 (Reuters) - An unmanned Antares rocket owned by Orbital ATK Inc blasted off from Virginia on Monday with a cargo ship for the International Space Station, marking the booster's return to flight two years after a previous version exploded at liftoff. The 14-story-tall rocket, powered by a pair of new Russian-made engines, lifted off from Wallops Island, Virginia, at 7:45 p.m. EDT (2340 GMT), a NASA TV broadcast showed. Launch was delayed five minutes to give the team extra time to review their checklists, Orbital President Frank Culbertson told reporters. "It's such a feeling of elation to see the vehicle take off. ... I'm very happy to see Antares back," said Amanda Davis, Orbital's director of program engineering. The rocket carried a Cygnus capsule loaded with 5,290 pounds (2,400 kg) of food, supplies, equipment and science experiments for the space station, a $100-billion laboratory in orbit about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. The capsule is expected to reach the station on Sunday after lingering several days in orbit to allow time for a Russian Soyuz capsule carrying three new crew members to reach the outpost on Friday. The Soyuz is slated to launch Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The last Antares launch, on Oct. 28, 2014, ended in disaster a few seconds after liftoff due to a problem with the booster's refurbished, Soviet-era engines. After the accident, Orbital sped up plans to replace the motors. During the downtime, Orbital bought rides for two Cygnus cargo ships aboard Atlas rockets, built and flown by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co. Orbital conducted a 30-second engine test firing of the Antares at the Virginia launch pad on May 31, but had never flown the refurbished rocket before Monday. Story continues The mission became more crucial for the U.S. space agency after a Sept. 1 accident destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX and a $200 million Israeli communications satellite. The accident, which occurred while the rocket was being fueled for a routine prelaunch test, has temporarily grounded SpaceX, the only company apart from Orbital currently contracted by NASA to fly cargo to the space station. Private contractors for the cargo runs became necessary following the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011. With SpaceX sidelined, NASA said it added extra food, clothing, laptop computers and spacesuit parts to the Cygnus cargo list. (Reporting by Irene Klotz at Cape Canaveral, Florida; Editing by Leslie Adler and Clarence Fernandez) By Irene Klotz (Reuters) - An unmanned Antares rocket owned by Orbital ATK Inc blasted off from Virginia on Monday with a cargo ship for the International Space Station, marking the booster's return to flight two years after a previous version exploded at liftoff. The 14-story-tall rocket, powered by a pair of new Russian-made engines, lifted off from Wallops Island, Virginia, at 7:45 p.m. EDT (2340 GMT), a NASA TV broadcast showed. Launch was delayed five minutes to give the team extra time to review their checklists, Orbital President Frank Culbertson told reporters. "Its such a feeling of elation to see the vehicle take off. ... Im very happy to see Antares back," said Amanda Davis, Orbitals director of program engineering. The rocket carried a Cygnus capsule loaded with 5,290 pounds (2,400 kg) of food, supplies, equipment and science experiments for the space station, a $100-billion laboratory in orbit about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. The capsule is expected to reach the station on Sunday after lingering several days in orbit to allow time for a Russian Soyuz capsule carrying three new crew members to reach the outpost on Friday. The Soyuz is slated to launch Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The last Antares launch, on Oct. 28, 2014, ended in disaster a few seconds after liftoff due to a problem with the boosters refurbished, Soviet-era engines. After the accident, Orbital sped up plans to replace the motors. During the downtime, Orbital bought rides for two Cygnus cargo ships aboard Atlas rockets, built and flown by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co. Orbital conducted a 30-second engine test firing of the Antares at the Virginia launch pad on May 31, but had never flown the refurbished rocket before Monday. The mission became more crucial for the U.S. space agency after a Sept. 1 accident destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket operated by Elon Musks SpaceX and a $200 million Israeli communications satellite. The accident, which occurred while the rocket was being fueled for a routine prelaunch test, has temporarily grounded SpaceX, the only company apart from Orbital currently contracted by NASA to fly cargo to the space station. Private contractors for the cargo runs became necessary following the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011. With SpaceX sidelined, NASA said it added extra food, clothing, laptop computers and spacesuit parts to the Cygnus cargo list. (Reporting by Irene Klotz at Cape Canaveral, Florida; Editing by Leslie Adler and Clarence Fernandez) By Indo-Asian News Service: Human rights activist Irom Sharmila launched a new political party, 'People Resurgence and Justice Alliance' in Imphal today. She said she will contest against Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi from Thoubal constituency in the 2017 assembly elections. She will also contest from Khurai, her home constituency, she added. MY GAUNTLET TO IBOBI: IROM Sharmila said, "I want to become the Chief Minister to repeal the AFSPA... since Ibobi has kept all sections of the people in his constituency satisfied they may reject me. But I want to know whether people in other districts in general and the hills in particular are well looked after. Since my mission is to repeal the AFSPA I am throwing the gauntlet to the Chief Minister." advertisement READ| Irom Sharmila ends 16-year fast, says wants to become Chief Minister of Manipur, end the draconian AFSPA She further disclosed that her party will field 20 candidates and names of four candidates have been finalised. Earlier in the day, she visited Johnstone Higher Secondary School in the heart of Imphal city where the first session of the elected Assembly of Manipur was held on October 18, 1948. "Since this is the cornerstone of democracy I have come seeking blessings," Sharmila said. Also read: All you need to know about Irom Sharmila Sharmila, known as India's 'Iron Lady', had in August broken her 16-year-long fast against Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and said that she would contest the Manipur Assembly elections due in 2017. She had been fasting since November 2, 2000. READ| Confusion, bemusement, anger over Irom Sharmila's decision to end fast --- ENDS --- SAN JOSE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 18, 2016 / Pacific Green Technologies Technical Services Limited, ("PGTTS") a subsidiary of Pacific Green Technologies Inc. ("the Company") (PGTK) is pleased to announce the appointment of Larry Zeng ("Zeng") as Senior Engineer for Asia. Zeng joins PGTTS at a key point following the impending commissioning of the Company's project in China at a 93MWe steelworks in Jiangsu Province in China. The project is the first project under the commercial joint venture agreement (JV) with POWERCHINA SPEM Co., Limited ("PCS"). PCS is a leading Chinese power equipment manufacturer and a subsidiary of POWERCHINA, the largest power plant equipment manufacturer in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"). Zeng comes to PGTTS from his role as Senior Process Engineer at Bantrel-Esso Alliance in Edmonton Canada and Zeng's key role will be to manage PGTTS's responsibilities in the rollout of projects that emanate from the JV with PCS in the PRC. Zeng is fluent in English and Chinese having graduated from Hunan University and Zhengzhou Institute of Technology in China followed by a Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick, Canada. He has been a Professional Engineer since 2002 and has published more than 40 technical reports on chemical and environmental engineering. Ken McClelland Managing Director of PGTTS and the Company's Technical Director, commented: "Zeng is a highly knowledgeable engineer and his appointment is strategic to the expansion of our JV with PCS. He has been involved in process design and evaluation for over 15 years and his experience in developing process deliverables will be significant for the company." Neil Carmichael, Chief Executive of the Company, commented: "I am delighted to welcome Zeng as Senior Engineer for Asia and his substantial experience coupled with his bilingual ability will ensure that our capacity and capability in PRC will expand exponentially." Story continues About Pacific Green Technologies, Inc. Pacific Green Technologies Inc. is focussed on addressing the world's need for cleaner and more sustainable energy. The company's strategy is to build through organic development and acquisition, a portfolio of patented competitive cutting edge technologies designed to meet increasingly stringent environmental standards. For more information, visit the Company's website: www.pacificgreentechnologies.com Contact: Neil Carmichael, President and Director Pacific Green Technologies T: +1 (408) 538-3373 Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the Company's expansion in China and/or the commercialization of the Company's technologies in the region. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, general economic conditions, and our ability to enter into the requisite agreements and arrangements in China. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SOURCE: Pacific Green Technologies, Inc. Zenefits COO David Sacks Zenefits CEO David Sacks has finally got something to crow about. The company on Tuesday has officially released a new version of its product, dubbed Z2. "Z2 is really the culmination of what the company's been working on for the last three years," Sacks told us. "That original vision of all-in-one HR is correct. In fact the proof of that is that every other HR company in the market has been copying that position. Not just startups like Gusto and Namely, but even huge incumbents like ADP, now try to sell themselves as all-in-one HR," he adds. (Note that Zenefits had a big brawl with ADP last year and there's been some trash-talking between Zenefits and Gusto CEO Josh Reeves.) Z2 is the pinnacle achievement so far of Sacks' turnaround for the startup, which admitted it was selling insurance with improper licensing and may have broken the law when training employees. Sacks replaced founder and original CEO Parker Conrad in Feburary. The new product is also happening at the company's first ever customer conference, too, taking place on Tuesday in San Francisco. Zenefits offers HR and insurance software, and, to a limited extent, payroll software, too. The company is now opening its new payroll software to its California customers, with other states coming at some future time. There are few other things that stand out about Z2 Z2 has got a new "app store" concept. Part of that allows admins to easily set up a new employee with all the apps the employee needs as part of the onboarding process. Z2 is launching with 17 partners including Google's email/apps, Office 365, Salesforce, Abacus and Expensify. Plus it's integrated with other popular HR apps like Intuit Quickbooks, Xero and other apps. Interestingly, this idea that you can set up an employee with all the apps they need sounds very similar to what Zenefit's ousted CEO, Parker Conrad, is said to be working on with his new startup. In July, news leaked that at his new startup, he's working on a way to do onboarding so that an employee starts work with all the HR stuff like insurance enrollment, including their apps, set up on ther PC and phone on Day 1. Story continues Parker Conrad It looks like like his old company could have beaten him to the punch. The other part of the "app store" concept is that it will allow small businesses to more easily shop and compare insurance plans from 250 carriers online through the app. This includes a map that allows employers to see the actual in-network providers near where the company's employees work and live. Zenefits was one of the highest flying startups of 2015, raising $500 million and valuing it at $4.5 billion around its two-year birthday. That rapid growth contributed to out-of-control hiring and lax management, and the company later admitted the company had been selling insurance without proper licensing. The company asked Conrad to resign, Sacks, an investor and the COO, took over as CEO. Since then Sacks has been righting the ship, fixing the licensing issues, reducing headcount including an unusual offer to let employees leave voluntarily, with severance and renegotiating terms with investors that gave them a bigger chunk of the company and halved the valuation to $2 billion. Most importantly, he's been going state-by-state paying fines to settle the company's compliance problems. The big investigation by the state California, where Zenefits admitted that some of its licensing practices under Conrad may have skirted the law, has not concluded yet. NOW WATCH: This Lego-style home can be built in a few weeks with just a screwdriver More From Business Insider If Patrick Topping wasn't a name you knew before, it will be now. The UK talent had been DJing and producing for about 4 years before being discovered by Jamie Jones. Since then, he has gotten international attention and toured some of the world's biggest festivals, from Stereosonic in Australia to Movement in Detroit. Most recently, Topping, along with Toronto-based DJ/producer Nathan Barato, is featured on the new "Paradise on Earth" DJ mix series set for a Dec. 2nd release through Hot Creations. Billboard Dance recently caught up with Topping to discuss his upcoming US tour, meeting Jamie Jones and what he wants fans to take away from his music. When did you first start producing? It was about 2009 just after I got some decks, but I didn't really know what to do with them. I felt like I needed to learn production first. I was messing about on my own initially, reading magazines and online tutorials, then in summer 2009 I enrolled on an online 4 week course with Point Blank. This was so helpful in getting to grips with Logic. I even went to couple night classes at a college in Edinburgh to learn production too, whilst I was living up there for Uni. Then really I just did it as a hobby for next two years whilst finishing my degree. It wasn't until I graduated and moved back home to Newcastle that I had the opportunity to really put the time in. How did you cross paths with Jamie Jones? I'd actually first met Jamie in Edinburgh at my Uni flat, but he can't remember it (laughs). He had been playing and I knew the promoter so we had the after party in my kitchen. I think I only really said hello to him. It wasn't until 2012 when a mate of mine sent one of my tracks to Hot Creation's SoundCloud page that we got talking. What was your creative process like when you created "Dem A Pree"? It's strange because that remix came about quickly and it's actually quite simple, but it's been one of my biggest tracks. A similar thing happened with Forget, which is quite a simple track too, as there's not that many elements to them. As soon as I was sent the original I knew how catchy the vocal was and thought I could maybe do something with it. I didn't have the chance to work on it for ages, then one morning I eventually sat down with it and the track was basically done in 3 hours! I just started off listening to the vocal and straight away the idea of looping it came to mind. From there, everything luckily fell into place. I say luckily because sometimes I can be working on something for ages and I just don't get anything I'm in love with. I was just thinking about playing it in my sets, there wasn't any thought about trying to make a hit. Story continues What would you say your biggest inspiration is? DJing and hearing music out in clubs, I get massively inspired by the tracks I play out and hear others playing. After a stretch of DJing and not making music for a while, I'll have a list of ideas, which have usually come to me when I've been listening to music in clubs and hearing them in that environment. What do you want fans to take away from your music? I just want people to enjoy it and have fun and dance. I think with my productions and sets I just try to make them as fun and exciting as possible without being cheesy and always trying to be serious and forward-thinking. You've toured in Australia, South America and Europe. What's most exciting about your upcoming US tour? This tour is going to be really special because it's not just me on my own, it's me and Nathan Baratto playing each night and it's called the "Paradise On Earth" tour. It will celebrate and promote our new DJ Mix which is also called "Paradise On Earth." We are playing seven dates in the US and on two of the dates Jamie Jones and Lee Foss are also playing, so that's going to be perfect way to tie in with the Hot Creations boss' to help launch the mix series. What trends do you currently see in your area of dance music? Some of the big EDM DJs seem to be playing a little less hard electro sounds now and more into that future house and tropical house music, as well as the occasional track from the world of proper house and house techno. And within house and techno, there seems to be more people enjoying to the harder/ more techno sounds too, but at the same time people seem to really be grasping onto good solid house tunes with big prominent vocals, but I suppose people have always liked those, so fuck knows (laughs). In my own sets I think people just seem to be gravitating more towards the more memorable tunes. Nikola Tesla The writer and producer behind tonights documentary about Nikola Tesla admits that he didnt even know who the inventor was when he was first contacted about creating a video biography for PBS American Experience series. I thought it was the car, said veteran filmmaker David Grubin, referring to Tesla Motors, Elon Musks electric car company. Since then, Grubin has learned a lot about the original Tesla and his appeal, particularly to geeks. Geek Madness: Why Tesla was the greatest geek ever Tesla was like your garage geek, Grubin told GeekWire. He was figuring it out on his own. He was the Mozart of scientists. His ideas came out fully formed. That is his genius. Grubins hourlong Tesla documentary explores Teslas genius, leading with his insight that alternating current rather than direct current was the way to go for electrical grids. But thats not all: More than 100 years ago, Tesla anticipated the age of wireless communication and wireless power transmission. He had the mind of a scientist, but he had the voice of a prophet, Grubin said. Tesla tracks the immigrant inventors rise and fall in America: When he came to the New York from his native Serbia in 1884, supposedly with 4 cents in his pocket, the 28-year-old made a beeline to the office of his hero with a strong letter of recommendation from a mutual acquaintance. My Dear Edison, the letter read, I know two great men and you are one of them. The other is this young man! Edison hired Tesla virtually on the spot, but within several months, the two had a falling out over a pay dispute. (Edison claimed that his promise to pay Tesla $50,000 for redesigning DC power systems was just an American joke.) Tesla turned to a new backer, George Westinghouse, who boosted AC power systems in opposition to Edisons insistence on direct current. AC eventually won out over Edisons DC, due to its higher efficiency. The physics of all that is demonstrated in Tesla using clever cartoons and an artful merry-go-round metaphor. Story continues Tesla also pioneered the technology for fluorescent lighting, which he called cold light. During demonstrations, the inventor brandished his glowing tubes with the showmanship of a lightsaber-wielding Jedi master. But many of Teslas other ideas ended up going in weird directions, or nowhere at all. The 187-foot-high Wardenclyffe Tower that Tesla arranged to have built on New Yorks Long Island was supposed to demonstrate wireless power transmission, but it turned into a monumental white elephant for the inventors financial backers. Tesla talked about receiving wireless messages from Mars (or maybe Venus), and about perfecting a death ray device that could shoot thousands of airplanes out of the skies from hundreds of miles away. Needless to say, those claims didnt conform to reality, although some fans suspect that Tesla actually did tinker with particle-beam weapons. The inventor also had personal quirks, ranging from his fear of touching someones hair to his obsession with the number 3. He insisted on staying only in hotel rooms with numbers that were divisible by three. Most unfortunately, Tesla lacked the business smarts to profit from his genius. Part of creativity is getting the creative idea out to the world, Grubin said. Tesla was good at getting the idea, but not so great at turning the idea into a reality. Grubin suspects that Teslas bright genius and his dark side were bound together in his ideosyncratic way of seeing the world. For the writer-producer, one of the most interesting facets of Teslas story had to do with accounts of his youth: Tesla said visions from his imagination popped into his mind, sometimes in disturbing detail. It was a counter-reality that he created, Grubin said. As Tesla grew up, he learned to harness his imagination for the purpose of creating his inventions but his life story suggests that being Teslas kind of visionary can carry heavy costs. The man who came to America with 4 cents, and essentially foresaw the future, died alone and bankrupt in 1943 in the Hotel New Yorker, in Room 3327. Divisible by three. Tesla premieres on KCTS and other PBS television stations tonight. Check local listings for times, and watch for the shows availability online via the American Experience website and PBS apps. More from GeekWire: After years of missteps and ghastly cost overruns, the $1 trillion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is finally coming on line and generating relatively positive reviews by the military and erstwhile critics. Lockheed Martins F-35 Lightning system is a stealthy state-of-the art jet fighter designed to span the military services for the U.S. and its allies. There are three distinct models that take off and land in conventional ways, do short takeoffs and vertical landings, and that are launched from air craft carriers using a catapult. Related: After Years of Bad News, the F-35 Proves a Double Threat from the Sky Last year, a squadron of F-35B fighters tailor made for the Marines was first declared ready for deployment, and this summer those aircraft withstood intensive testing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Also last August, the Air Force declared its F-35A Lightning II fighter jet combat ready, marking another important milestone for the controversial aircraft. It has been trash-talked a lot, but this is one mean machine and it will prove its combat value, Rebecca Grant, president of the Washington-based firm IRIS Independent Research and a consultant to the Air Force, told FoxNews.com. Its ready to go to war, its ready to keep the peace. Ironically, just as the F-35 is getting up to speed, the Air Force and Navy have begun preliminary planning for a long-term successor to the single seat F-35 jet fighter one that includes futuristic features that once seemed out of reach. Twenty years from now, fighter jets likely will contain the latest breakthroughs in stealth technology, sophisticated computer processing and algorithms, hypersonic weapons and smart-skins. Those smart-skins are sensors that would be built into the aircraft itself to reduce drag assure maximum connectivity with battle field intelligence-gathering technology. Related: Under New Management? The $1 Trillion F-35 Is Overdue for a Change Writing last weekend in the on-line defense systems publication Scout Warrior, managing editor Kris Osborn observed that some of these unique characteristic may already have been on display early this year when Northrop Grumman aired a commercial during the Super Bowl revealing a flashy first look at its concept of a new sixth-generation fighter jet. Story continues Northrop Grumman is almost certain to be competing with Boeing-Lockheed and other major defense manufacturer for the contract to build the next generation of fighter jets when the time is ripe. Maximum connectivity would mean massively increased communications and sensor technology such as having an ability to achieve real-time connectivity with satellites, other aircraft and anything that could provide relevant battlefield information, Osborn wrote in assessing the evolving design. He said that the new aircraft might be equipped to fire hypersonic weapons, although such a design breakthrough would hinge on successful progress with yet-to-be proven technologies such as scramjets traveling at hypersonic speeds. So far, early testing of this technology has been a mixed bag. Related: F-35 Nears Production, but Its Still Having Trouble Booting Up The Air Force and Navy reportedly are holding joint conceptual talks about the technologies and capabilities of the future sixth-generation fighter aircraft, according to Scout Warrior. While the Air Force has not yet identified a platform for the new aircraft, the Navys new aircraft will at least partly replace the existing inventory of F/A-18 Super Hornets, which will be retired beginning in 2035, according to Navy officials. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Natasha Stoynoff went public last week with her account of a 2005 sexual assault by Donald Trump. (Photo: Melanie Acevedo) Six colleagues and close friends who corroborate former PEOPLE writer Natasha Stoynoffs account of being attacked by Donald Trump in 2005 are now coming forward. Among them is a friend who was with Stoynoff when she ran into Melania Trump later in N.Y.C. The wife of the Republican nominee denies meeting Stoynoff after the attack, but Stoynoffs friend Liza Herz remembers being there during the chance meeting. They chatted in a friendly way, Herz, who met Stoynoff in college, says. And what struck me most was that Melania was carrying a child and wearing heels. Stoynoffs story, which made national news when it broke last week and is reprinted in this weeks issue of PEOPLE, describes a run-in with Trump when she was covering him and pregnant wife Melania on assignment for PEOPLE in December 2005. We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat, she writes. Trump vigorously denies the story and later attacked Stoynoff on the campaign trail, saying, She lies! Look at her, I dont think so. Stoynoff describes meeting Melania later year: I actually bumped into Melania on Fifth Avenue, in front of Trump Tower as she walked into the building, carrying baby Barron. Natasha, why dont we see you anymore? she asked, giving me a hug. In a CNN interview with Anderson Cooper on Monday, Melania denied the encounter ever took place. For more celebrity videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS. The story that came out in PEOPLE magazine, the writer she said my husband took her to the room and started kissing her, she wrote in the same story about me that she saw me on Fifth Avenue, and I said to her Natasha, how come we dont see you anymore? I was never friends with her, I would not recognize her, she told CNN. Story continues PEOPLE Editor in Chief Jess Cagle says in a statement about Stoynoffs piece, In this weeks issue of PEOPLE (which hits newsstands in New York on Wednesday), we feature a story that includes named sources who can corroborate Natasha Stoynoffs account including one woman (a friend of Natashas) who was actually with her when she bumped into Melania Trump on Fifth Ave., as outlined in her story. Five other witnesses also back up Stoynoffs account of her encounter with Trump: Marina Grasic, who has known Stoynoff for more than 25 years, says she got a call from her friend the day after the attack. Stoynoff detailed everything about the attack, from Trump pushing her against a wall to the business mogul showing up at her massage appointment the following day, she says. According to Grasic, her longtime friend was embarrassed and even thought of Trumps then-pregnant wife when deciding not to come forward about the encounter. Natasha was also struggling about not hurting pregnant Melania if the story came out, Grasic says. Beyond just the attack, she was horrified by the vulgar circumstances under which she was attacked and propositioned to have an affair. She was there in a professional capacity, writing an article about their happy marriage, and after the incident Trump acted like nothing happened. She was particularly concerned that if he was capable of such behavior, what else was he capable of? Certainly character assassination by a powerful man was of great concern to her, which seems warranted in light of what Trump is saying about her this week. She ultimately decided to stay quiet but be taken off the Trump beat. Stoynoffs former journalism professor, Paul McLaughlin, says that the writer called him in tears looking for advice the very night of the harrowing encounter. However, he cautioned her to remain quiet in fear of how Trump may retaliate. Donald Trump and then-pregnant Melania Trump in 2005. (Photo: Gregory Pace/FilmMagic) She wasnt sure what she should do, McLaughlin recalls. I advised her not to say anything, because I believed Trump would deny it and try to destroy her. It was tough decision but in a he said/she said we believed she would lose, the professor said in a tweet regarding the incident. He seemed rather nasty at the time. PEOPLE East Coast Editor Liz McNeil was one colleague Stoynoff confided in about the incident. McNeil remembers the day she returned from the assignment in Florida to cover Trump and his wifes first anniversary. She was very upset and told me how he shoved her against a wall, says McNeil. She adds, The thing I remember most was how scared she was. I felt I had to protect her. Deputy East Coast News Editor Mary Green returned to PEOPLEs New York-based staff in December 2005 after a three-year hiatus excited to reconnect with Stoynoff. However, Stoynoff was haunted by her recent experience, and she opened up to Green about the encounter. In an early conversation we had in her office, she told me about what happened with Donald Trump, Green said. She was shaky, sitting at her desk, relaying that, He took me to this other room, and when we stepped inside, he pushed me against a wall and stuck his tongue down my throat. Melania was upstairs and could have walked in at any time. She talked about her shock, and wondered why it had happened, if she had done anything wrong. I assured her she hadnt. She was also angry that he had forced himself on her, that she was glad someone had interrupted him, because he was surprisingly strong. Another coworker who knew about the attack was Liza Hamm, who was friends with McNeil and others in a tight-knit group that Stoynoff opened up to. Natasha has always been a vivacious person who wants to believe in the best of people, and this experience definitely messed with that outlook, Hamm says. But she is also a consummate professional. She told me that she asked to be taken off the Trump beat, but she tried her best to move past the experience and continue to do her job well. Stoynoff says she knew she was opening herself up for criticism when she decided she share her story, but shes staying strong. I am doing okay, she says in the new issue of PEOPLE. In the past week, multiple women have come out with similar claims of sexual assaultagainst the 70-year-old Republican presidential candidate. Stoynoff admits theres a chance Trump simply pushed her own incident from his mind. Its possible he just doesnt remember it, Stoynoff says. It was over 10 years ago and I assume I am one of many, many women. PepsiCo, Inc. PEP announced a global sustainability agenda to meet the changing consumer and societal requirements and also promote business growth. In order to bring about sustainable growth by 2025, PepsiCo plans to take up the following initiatives. The company plans to cut calories in its products by reducing the amount of sugar, sodium and saturated fat. This initiative will please health conscious consumers a great deal. Also, government has imposed taxes on soft drinks and fruit juices in order to put a check on obesity and diabetes. PEPSICO INC Price PEPSICO INC Price | PEPSICO INC Quote The company will work toward increasing the rate of sales growth of Everyday nutrition products (whole grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy, protein and hydration) over the sales growth of other PepsiCo offerings. The company also intends to ensure water-use efficiency of its direct agricultural supply chain and direct manufacturing operations. It has already achieved 25% improvement in this field since 2006. It will now focus on replenishing 100% of the water it uses in high-water-risk areas. PepsiCo aims to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emission across the company's value chain by at least 20% by 2030. It will also sustainably source both direct and major non-direct agricultural raw materials by 2020 and 2025, respectively. The company also aspires to achieve zero waste to landfill across its direct operations, reduce the food waste it generates in its direct operations by 50% and make 100% of its packaging recoverable or recyclable by 2025. PepsiCo plans to build a diverse workforce. It also looks to promote female diversity in its employee base. It intends to expand its Sustainable Farming Initiative to approximately 7 million acres, extend the principles of the company's Supplier Code of Conduct to all franchisees and joint venture partners and invest $100 million to support initiatives to benefit 12.5 million women and girls around the world by 2025. Management is hopeful that these initiatives will boost its long-term financial performance and help transform its food and beverage product portfolio, creating a more sustainable global food system and helping local communities prosper. PepsiCo carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other Stocks to Consider Other favorably ranked stocks in the consumer staples sector include Primo Water Corporation PRMW, The Kraft Heinz Company KHC and Tate & Lyle plc TATYY. All the three companies sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Kraft Heinz is likely to see a 48.05% rise in fiscal 2016 earnings while Primo Water is expected to witness a 140% increase in earnings. Fiscal 2017 earnings for Tate & Lyle are expected to record 6.25% growth. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report PEPSICO INC (PEP): Free Stock Analysis Report PRIMO WATER CP (PRMW): Free Stock Analysis Report TATE & LYLE ADR (TATYY): Free Stock Analysis Report KRAFT HEINZ CO (KHC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The health of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, or Amma as she is popularly known, is the primary cause of concern for almost everyone in Tamil Nadu. The Apollo Hospital is abuzz with visitors, doctors, journalists and even vendors. By Akshaya Nath: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has been hospitalised for over 25 days now with very little information available on her health condition. This has been a great cause of concern for the people of the state. The last report was released on October 10, and it simply talked about the medical treatment which was being given to her. Since then, the wait for the next bulletin continues. advertisement The absence of the AIADMK chief has caused a lot of silent political tension in the state. Also Read | Chennai: Troubled by Jayalalithaa's health, man sets himself on fire POLITICAL TURMOIL IN TAMIL NADU The DMK supremo Karunanidhi even questioned how the ministerial portfolios held by Jayalalithaa was transferred to O Paneerselvam. Karunanidhi also raised doubts on the statement of the state Governor which said that the CM had been asked about the transfer of the portfolio. The Cauvery issue is another subject of controversy in the state with many political parties blaming the ruling government's delayed action on the crisis faced by the farmers. While this is the political scenario in the state, the Apollo hospital on Greams road has been crowded with hundreds of AIADMK supporters ever since Amma has been hospitalised. Also Read : Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa's portfolios allocated to Panneerselvam APOLLO HOSPITAL ABUZZ WITH HUNDREDS OF VISITORS EVERYDAY Eager supporters are flocking Apollo hospital premises just to hear the good news of their leaders' well being. Every time a journalist passes by, there are a few who gather around and ask, "How is Amma? Do you know anything?" It is not just these anxious faces that are present at the Apollo. Even confident, reassuring faces from the party are also there, informing the people about the latest update on the leader's health. "Amma is doing well, the doctors want her to take a few more days of rest," says AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathi. Also Read: The Amma of all questions SHOPS, PUJAS, SPECIAL OFFERINGS- RIGHT OUTSIDE APOLLO Many small-time vendors have tapped the situation and have set up shops all along the area catering to the needs of the regular visitors to the hospital. While the many small-time entrepreneurs were quick to make their moves, the large scale businesses have now taken a hint. Many hospitality business officials are complaining about how their business have gone for a toss with rumours about the CM's health making the rounds. advertisement "Many of our clients have shifted their programs to other cities because messages have been going around that Jayalalithaa is critical and Chennai is not safe to travel," said a hotel Manager while talking about how his business has been affected. The last 25 days in Tamil Nadu has witnessed hundreds of poojas and special offerings for the well-being of Jayalalithawhose condition is still not known. Also Read| Prayer for Jayalalithaa: Man sleeps on thorns for 24 hours, offering himself to goddess Pechiyamman While the poojas begin at early hours, the people start gathering only around noon. From VVIP visitors, medical experts to AIADMK supporters- almost every one wants to come to the hospital regularly. People offering prayers outside Apollo Hospital. As the mystery around her health continues, the question everyone seems to be wondering is what will be the future of Tamil Nadu? Also Read: Ammallo state of mind: Satirical video nails Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa's health controversy Rajinikanth visits Apollo Hospitals to enquire about Jayalalithaa --- ENDS --- Warsaw (AFP) - Poland said Tuesday it had invited aeronautics rivals Airbus, Lockheed Martin and Leonardo-Finmeccanica to talks on the purchase of military helicopters valued at 231 million euros ($254 million). The move comes after Warsaw halted formal negotiations with Airbus to buy 50 of its Caracal helicopters for 13.5 billion zloty (three billion euros, $3.43 billion) on October 4, drawing a furious response from Airbus and ratcheting up tensions with France. Poland then followed this with the announcement it was buying Black Hawk helicopters from the US. Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz has "invited three groups who participated in a previous tender to preliminary talks" on the purchase of multirole helicopters, ministry official Beata Perkowska told reporters in Warsaw on Tuesday. She added Poland wanted to spend "around one billion zloty (231 million euros, $254 bln)" on the new choppers, but did not specify how many machines were under consideration. She also underlined that the invitation to talks was not a formal tender and Warsaw planned to purchase the helicopters within the framework of an "urgent operational need". In a separate purchase announced last week, Macierewicz said that Poland plans to buy at least 21 US Black Hawk helicopters from Airbus rival Lockheed Martin for its special forces. Warsaw has previously said that it is seeking between 50 and 70 helicopters, to be manufactured in both Poland and abroad. Airbus has furiously criticised Warsaw over its handling of the failed deal, with chief executive Tom Enders saying his company had never been treated so badly by any government. The spat has ratcheted up diplomatic tensions between Warsaw and Paris, which was backing Airbus in the process. French President Francois Hollande postponed a visit to Poland. There is disagreement over who actually ended the negotiations, with Poland blaming Airbus for the breakdown in the talks. The dispute centred on Airbus' commitment to create up to 6,000 jobs in Poland -- the so-called "offset" package, according to the Polish side. But the short time between the collapse in talks with Airbus and the emergence of a possible deal with Lockheed has led some to speculate that Poland was in touch with the US manufacturer before the talks broke down. An alleged Islamic militant suspected of murdering Bangladeshi secular blogger Nazimuddin Samad was detained by the countrys counterterrorism unit on Sunday night. According to the Dhaka Tribune, police arrested Rashidun Nabi Bhuiyan near a bus station in Dhaka. He appeared in court on Monday afternoon, when judges granted police three days to interrogate him. The Tribune reports that Nabi confessed in court and asked for forgiveness, stating, Please pardon me. We were misguided. He is expected to receive either a life sentence or capital punishment if convicted. The police allege that Nabi was a member of Ansarullah Bangla, a terrorist organization implicated in the deaths of several atheist writers, including the Bangladeshi American Avijit Roy. Samad, a masters student at Dhakas Jagannath University, was on a hit list of 84 atheist bloggers sent to Bangladeshs Interior Ministry with a demand that they be punished. He was killed outside his university last April. Samads death sparked protests demanding justice and accountability for the deaths of secular activists, writers and bloggers, who have been targeted by Islamic militants since 2013. Student demonstrators and police clashed at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University on Tuesday, October 18. The university was expected to continue classes on Tuesday morning, after it had been closed for four weeks. But in the early hours hundreds students blocked the entrance. Police arrived and told students to disperse, which led to altercations. Police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at the student, according to local reports, and two arrests were made. University students have been demonstrating on campuses across South Africa for weeks over the governments proposal to raise tuition fees. Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande announced on September 19 that fees should go up in universities by 8 percent in 2017. Credit: Anonymous From Cosmopolitan Despite questions throughout the campaign about whether Millennial women would turn out to support Hillary Clinton, a new Cosmopolitan.com survey shows that a decisive majority of the sites readers think Clinton should - and will - win the election in November. The survey of 1,097 women between the ages of 18 and 34 who were randomly selected from among Cosmopolitan.com newsletter subscribers and said they are likely to vote, revealed that 71 percent of Cosmopolitan.com readers would vote for Clinton if the election were held today, and 84 percent predict that she will win the presidency. By contrast, only 23 percent of Cosmopolitan.com readers said they would support Trump, and 16 percent expect him to win. Clintons support is matched by strong favorability numbers that have risen since another survey of Cosmopolitan.com readers in June. Today, 63 percent of Cosmopolitan.com readers say they have a favorable view of Clinton, a ten-point bump since June. Trumps favorability numbers, on the other hand, have stayed steady at approximately 20 percent, signaling that young women have become markedly more enthusiastic about the Democratic candidate over the course of the summer. The survey, conducted in partnership with John Della Volpe, CEO of SocialSphere and director of polling at the Harvard Institute for Politics, found that more Clinton supporters are voting for their candidate, rather than against the other candidate. Fifty-four percent of Clinton voters said they were voting for their candidate, rather than against the other candidate, while only 32 percent of Trump supporters said they were voting for their candidate - a decrease since June, when 41 percent of Trump supporters said they were voting for their candidate. Although some Clinton supporters still had reservations about their candidate, describing her as shady or untrustworthy, many seemed genuinely excited about the idea of a Hillary Clinton presidency. Shes an incredible woman whos gotten stuff done and knows how to compromise in a real way, said Polly Faust, 25, a Clinton supporter who works in marketing in Chicago. I just think shes been preparing for this her whole life, dealing with misogynistic men all her life, and shes ready, and shes going to be amazing. Story continues The broad support for Clinton could be explained, in part, by the fact that Cosmopolitan.com readers think Clinton is better suited than Trump to deal with a wide range of issues, including the economy (61 percent Clinton vs. 28 percent Trump), national security (63 percent Clinton vs. 25 percent Trump), health care (65 percent Clinton vs. 23 percent Trump), and tax policy (63 percent Clinton and 26 percent Trump). Some people criticize her for this, but I love that she is so specific on policy - shes detailed and thoughtful and has clearly consulted with all the right people, said Caitlin Dowd, 30, a Clinton supporter who works at an auction house in New York City. Cosmopolitan.com readers were especially likely to view Clinton as more adept in policy arenas that affect women specifically. Shes going to be great on womens rights, she really has the background on that, and I just dont think Donald Trump has a clue, said Flor Robles, 31, a Clinton supporter who works in IT and lives in Texas. On reproductive rights, 77 percent viewed Clinton as better, while only 11 percent said the same of Trump, and on the wage gap between men and women, 78 percent viewed Clinton as better, while only 9 percent said the same of Trump. At the Republican National Convention, Trumps daughter, Ivanka, promised that her father would fight the wage gap and help make childcare affordable, but Trump was subsequently criticized for excluding fathers and adoptive parents in his proposal. Jamie Forslund, 32, a teacher in Philadelphia, wondered if Millennials strong support for Bernie Sanders had made some Clinton supporters afraid to speak up previously. Im liberal so everyone expected me to be for Bernie, and I really didnt want to say I was for Hillary, she said. But once she started telling her friends and family, she discovered that nearly everyone was also backing Clinton. It became easier to openly support her. In a survey of Cosmopolitan.com readers conducted in February during the primaries, younger Millennial women (ages 18 to 24) tended to support Sanders, while older Millennial women (ages 25 to 34) tended to support Clinton. Today, however, younger and older Millennial readers are equally likely to say theyre voting for Clinton. For some Cosmopolitan.com readers, the contrast between Clinton and Trump helped clarify the decision. Its increasingly clear that his only commitment is to himself and his name, said Jennabrynn Melgar, 28, an administrative assistant in Nevada. Whereas her main concern is the well-being of this nation. Asked about the effect of the candidates spouses on the race, Cosmopolitan.com readers agreed that Bill Clinton and Melania Trump were both more of a hindrance than a help. Fifty-three percent of Cosmopolitan.com readers said Bill Clinton hurt the campaign, while 26 percent said he helped, and 21 percent said he made no difference. When asked to explain why Bill Clinton could have a negative effect on the campaign, though, many readers shrugged away the question. To the people that are against her, I think hes hurting her, but his presence is a plus for me, said Dawn Walter, 33, a sales analyst in Virginia who is supporting Clinton. Hes got experience and he can be a sounding board. Perspectives on Melania Trump were less negative, but few thought her presence was helping her husband: 32 percent of respondents said she hurt the campaign, 15 percent said she helped, and 54 percent said she made no difference. Tim Kaine, Clintons running mate, was widely viewed to be ineffective but benign. Sixty-three percent of Cosmopolitan.com readers said they thought Kaine made no difference to the campaign, while 24 percent said he helped, and 13 percent said he hurt the campaign. Trumps vice-presidential pick, Mike Pence, on the other hand, was perceived to be more of an asset to his candidate. Thirty-seven percent of Cosmopolitan.com readers said he helped the campaign, while 21 percent said he hurt the campaign, and 42 percent said he made no difference. Several Trump supporters, including Laura Scrimenti, 18, a student from Oregon, said that Pences presence on the ticket was calming their fears about Trump as a candidate. When Pence was named VP, I had no qualms about voting for Trump, she said. Pences pro-life stance appealed to her, she explained, and made her feel like at least one candidate on the ticket shared her values. But others reported that Pences track record on certain issues - as governor of Indiana, he dramatically rolled back womens access to abortion - made them even more determined to vote for Clinton. I am very upset that Trump manages to make Pence seem sane and rational, said Joanna Balin, 27, a Clinton supporter who works in television in New York City. He essentially wants to outlaw abortion. He wanted women to have funerals for miscarriages. In some ways, I think hes more dangerous than Trump. Some former Bernie Sanders supporters expressed regret at voting for a person they saw as a flawed candidate. Eliana Alvarez, 20, a student in New York City who voted for Sanders in the primary, said she chose Clinton in part because she agreed with some of Clintons policies, but mostly because she couldnt consider the possibility of voting for Trump. From the beginning hes been racist and sexist and homophobic and Islamophobic, she said. Its not what we need in a leader of the free world. For Maggie Mahoney, though, a 32-year-old legal assistant in Ohio, the choice was easy. When Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race, she became an enthusiastic Clinton supporter. Of course Im excited because shes a woman and shes making history, but it goes much further than that, she said. She really is for the people and I believe shell be a good president - and not just because Im not a fan of Donald Trump. Follow Amelia on Twitter. You Might Also Like (Corrects date of Portugal's draft budget in paragraph 2) * Portugal cuts deficit target for 2017 * German paper reports possible establishment of Portugal bad bank * Spanish and Italian yields also dip By Abhinav Ramnarayan LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Portugal's government bond yields hit one-month lows on Tuesday ahead of a crucial ratings review from DBRS this week. Portugal on Friday slashed its deficit target for 2017 to 1.6 percent of economic output from this year's estimated 2.4 percent, and a report overnight from German newspaper Handelsblatt suggested the government is planning to set up a bad bank to deal with the struggling banking sector. Those two developments strengthened expectations that DBRS would leave the country's last investment grade rating untouched at a scheduled review this Friday. Concerns over the rating - with eligibility for the European Central Bank's asset purchase programme in the balance - has weighed on Portugal's government bonds since mid-August. "I think the market now believes the investment grade rating should survive, and we tend to that view as well," said Commerzbank rates strategist David Schnautz. "It remains to be seen if this is just a feel good environment or if it is justified." He sounded a note of caution, saying that it remains to be seen if the deficit target - part of the draft budget proposal for 2017 - proves feasible. Portugal's 10-year bond yields rose from an Aug. 15 low of 2.69 percent all the way up to 3.63 percent last Monday, October 10. Since then, government comments suggesting the rating was safe and further good news have pushed yields lower. On Tuesday, the yield on the Portugal 10-year benchmark fell 1.5 basis points to 3.25 percent by 0700 GMT, before rising again. One of DRBS's key concerns have been around the Portuguese banking sector, and the government is planning to create a bad banks to absorb its bank's non-performing loans (NPLs), Handelsblatt reported on Monday. Story continues "This is a reminder that there are issues for Portugal beyond Friday's review, and NPLs are a very difficult beast to tackle," said Schnautz. "Though the mechanics of the bad bank are still unclear, at the very least they are dealing with issue head on." The yield on other southern European government bonds also fell on Tuesday, with Spain's 10-year bond yields dropping 1.3 bps to 1.11 percent and Italy's 10-year dropping 1.2 bps to 1.39 percent . Higher-rated euro zone government bonds were more or less flat on the day, following Monday's sharply volatile session. For Reuters new Live Markets blog on European and UK stock markets see reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=http://emea1.apps.cp.extranet.thomsonreuters.biz/cms/?pageId=livemarkets (Reporting by Abhinav Ramnarayan; Editing by Alison Williams) President Barack Obama told Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday to "stop whining" about rigged elections and said that Trump's charges are baseless. The president made his remarks during a news conference with the Italian prime minister on Tuesday. He said he has never seen any presidential candidate try to discredit the U.S. elections before votes have taken place. "I have never seen in my lifetime, or in modern political history, any presidential candidate trying to discredit the elections and the election process before votes have even taken place," Obama said. "It's unprecedented." He said there is no evidence that rigging has happened in the past or that there are instances that it will happen this time. Obama said one way of weakening America and making it less great is to betray U.S. bipartisan traditions. More From CNBC Oct 18 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. - Netflix Inc blew through its forecast for subscriber additions in the September quarter, reassuring investors who were skittish about the streaming giant's growth trajectory and sending its shares soaring 20 percent in after-hours trading. http://on.wsj.com/2e3i5hM - Caterpillar Inc Chairman and Chief Executive Doug Oberhelman will retire earlier than expected, leaving company veteran Jim Umpleby to battle a historic sales slump after ill-timed bets on China and mining equipment. http://on.wsj.com/2e3jftu - Kurdish and Iraqi forces captured 17 villages around Mosul on Monday, Iraq's military said, but Islamic State slowed their advance with heavy mortar fire that signaled a potentially fierce battle for the militant group's last major stronghold in Iraq. http://on.wsj.com/2e3gAQL - Visa Inc said Chief Executive Charles Scharf is resigning after advising the board that he can no longer spend enough time in San Francisco "to do the job effectively." http://on.wsj.com/2e3fvsc - A State Department official in 2015 tried to keep the Federal Bureau of Investigation from marking a Hillary Clinton email as classified, according to documents that reveal the extent to which officials sought to reduce the number of messages judged to contain national secrets. http://on.wsj.com/2e3gtEO - The Ecuadorean government declined late Monday to say whether it had cut off internet access to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, but said it would continue providing him asylum, as they have in their London embassy since 2012. http://on.wsj.com/2e3j0ig - PepsiCo Inc is doubling down on its health push, announcing new targets Monday to reduce sugar, salt and fat in its beverages and snacks by 2025. http://on.wsj.com/2e3hY5I - Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris said he is prepared to invest in troubled Brazilian telecom Oi SA, which filed the country's largest-ever bankruptcy protection request earlier this year, if a recovery plan his team is working on with a group of the firm's major bondholders is accepted by creditors and shareholders. http://on.wsj.com/2e3h0GP (Compiled by Vishal Sridhar in Bengaluru) Oct 18 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. - One of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's top bankers in Asia is planning on retiring after nearly three decades at the firm. Mark Schwartz, who is chairman of Goldman's Asia Pacific region and a vice chairman of the firm, will retire at the end of the year, the firm said in an internal memorandum on Monday. http://nyti.ms/2eA8bDY - NBC announced the departure of Billy Bush on Monday after several days of negotiations over the terms of his exit, less than two weeks after a video from 2005 surfaced in which he and Donald Trump engaged in a vulgar and misogynistic conversation about women. http://nyti.ms/2egvjTp - A start-up looking to take on the financial information behemoth Bloomberg L.P. is hiring a former Bloomberg executive to begin a new financial news service. Norman Pearlstine, a former top editor at Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and Time, is joining Money.net, which has been building a low-cost alternative to the data terminals that sit at the core of Michael Bloomberg's business empire. http://nyti.ms/2dwIe5l - Russia's main English-language satellite network complained on Monday that its British bank was abruptly closing its accounts. The network, which reported on the decision, called it a British-government-sanctioned attempt to interfere with freedom of speech. http://nyti.ms/2ebPqnC (Compiled by Rama Venkat Raman in Bengaluru) By India Today Web Desk: Karan Johar has finally broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his big Diwali release Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. The film was being targetted by political parties which were calling him anti-national because one of the lead actors Fawad Khan hails from Pakistan. Local political party MNS had threatened to vandalise multiplexes if they 'dared' to screen a film with a Pakistani actor. The protests began following the Uri attack in which 20 jawans of the Indian army passed away. ALSO READ: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil under attack, KJo meets top cop advertisement ALSO READ: Before Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Bollywood films that bore the brunt of the right-wing Karan Johar has spoken out about how blocking the film's release would be unfair and has pleaded with the audience to not obstruct his message of love, which he intends to spread with all his films. Excerpts from the monologue: "There has been some talk about why I remained silent, for the past two weeks. Reason why I remained silent is because of deep sense of pain I felt that a few people would actually believe that I am being anti-national. For me my country comes first, nothing else matters to me but my country." "The best way to express your patriotism is to spread love and that's all I have ever tried to do through my work and cinema. Ive always felt, the best way to express your patriotism is to spread love and thats all Ive tried to do through my work." "When I shot my film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in September-December last year, the climate was completely different, the circumstances were different. There were efforts made by our government for peaceful relationships with the neighbouring country and I respected those efforts then." "I respect the sentiment today, I understand the sentiment because I feel the same. I'd like to say that of course I'll not engage with talent from the neighbouring country given the circumstance, but with the same energy I beseech you to know that over 300 Indian people in my crew have put their blood, sweat and tears into Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. I don't think it's fair to them to face any kind of turbulence on account of other fellow Indians." Watch the video here: --- ENDS --- Priyanka Chopra has apologized for posing for a magazine cover in a T-shirt that caused a Twitter backlash, with people accusing her of being insensitive toward refugees. The Quantico star was featured on the cover of the Indian edition of Conde Nast Traveler magazine, or Conde Nast Traveller in the British spelling used in India. The magazine was celebrating its sixth anniversary issue, which came out on Oct. 7. The cover showed Chopra wearing a white T-shirt, which had the words "refugee," "immigrant" and "outsider" crossed out, leaving only the word "traveller." The 34-year-old actress soon found herself at the center of a social media storm. "Extremely insensitive in midst of biggest #refugeecrises. All other options listed [on theT-shirt] are forced on people, not chosen," tweeted Savita Pawnday. "Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that being a refugee is a matter of choice... What were you thinking?!" posted Anum R Chagani. And another Twitter user, HannanMust, echoed the sentiment, saying: "I'm quite upset. Really stupid thing to do to just grab attention u don't need. Wise up." Read more: Priyanka Chopra Looks Back on Her Wild First Year on American TV (Guest Column) In an interview that aired Monday on Indian news network NDTV, Chopra said the magazine's publisher "specially got this [T-shirt] made and implored me to wear it. They said they were addressing xenophobia, which is a big issue that is happening." She added that it was the magazine's idea, "and I bought into it, I guess." Continued Chopra: "And I am really, really apologetic about the fact that sentiments were hurt. The point the magazine wanted to make was actually something good." Chopra also said that she was "really affected [by the backlash], I felt really horrible." Conde Nast posted a statement on its website, explaining the intended message behind the cover. "It's about how our labeling of people as immigrants, refugees and outsiders is creating a culture of xenophobia. It's about how we are allowing some powerful leaders to build barriers that make it more difficult for bright, motivated and hardworking people to see more of the world, learn from it and make it better for us all." Story continues The statement concluded that the cover was not about Chopra "being a refugee or immigrant or outsider; it's about her, like us, recognizing the power of travel, and joining us in asking everyone to do better for each other." Chopra can currently be seen in the second season of Quantico. She will make her Hollywood feature debut in next summer's Baywatch. Courtesy of Conde Nast Read more: Why an Oscar Winner Took In an Afghan Teen Refugee By Scott Bransford PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - Anti-government militants who seized a U.S. wildlife center in Oregon earlier this year turned the refuge into a "fortress" as part of a conspiracy to use armed intimidation to press their political beliefs, a federal prosecutor told jurors on Tuesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Knight summed up the government's case against seven defendants nearing the end of their trial in federal court in Portland for their role in the 41-day takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon. Closing arguments began after weeks of testimony from prosecution and defense witnesses, some of whom took part in the armed protest that began in January. The militants' leader, Ammon Bundy, and six others are charged with conspiracy to impede federal officers through intimidation, threats or force, as well as with possession of firearms in a federal facility and theft of government property. The immediate flashpoint for the takeover was sympathy for the plight of two Oregon ranchers who had just been ordered back to prison to complete unfinished sentences for setting fires that spread to government property. But testifying in his own defense last week, Bundy said he and his followers were also taking a stand against federal control over millions of acres of public land in the West. Bundy asserted that the refuge could be legitimately confiscated from the government under an obscure doctrine of property law called "adverse possession," involving the taking of land that is left idle or in need of improvement. He and other defendants insisted they engaged in peaceful civil disobedience, and that government employees of the refuge were welcome to return to work at the compound during the occupation. Knight countered in his summation that the militants' actions amounted to an unlawful seizure of federal property by armed force. They made a choice based on their personal beliefs to overtake somebodys workplace, Knight said. This idea that a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee could walk through the door and sit down at their desk is not supported by evidence. Story continues Knight displayed video showing a group of militants firing off weapons as in a military drill during the occupation. It is intimidating to have people who dont like you take over your office, Knight said. It is inherently intimidating as well when those people turn your workplace into a firing range. Defense lawyers were expected to present closing arguments later in the day. (Editing by Steve Gorman and Tom Brown) Quest Diagnostics Inc. DGX is scheduled to report third-quarter 2016 earnings results before the opening bell on Oct 20, 2016. Last quarter, the company posted in-line earnings. It is worth noting that Quest Diagnostics has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two out of the preceding four quarters with an average positive earnings surprise of 0.77%. Lets see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Factors at Play With the last reported results, Quest Diagnostics saw the seventh consecutive quarter of organic revenue growth at an increasing rate. This also marked the fourth consecutive quarter of revenue per requisition growth in the last three years. It was a huge improvement from the 2% organic revenue decline in 2014 and subsequently, we remain optimistic about the companys performance in the second half of 2016. The upside was backed by the successful execution of the companys strategy to grow its esoteric testing business and drive profitable growth. This trend is expected to continue in the to-be-reported quarter as well. Over the recent past, Quest Diagnostics has witnessed significant growth through infectious disease testing, prescription drug monitoring and industry-leading wellness business. We expect these growth drivers to be active through the third quarter as well, benefiting the same metrics as in the preceding one. QUEST DIAGNOSTC Price and Consensus QUEST DIAGNOSTC Price and Consensus | QUEST DIAGNOSTC Quote This includes three new cancer test services that will provide clinically actionable insight into an individual's risk of developing hereditary forms of cancer. These tests will remain part of the company's newly branded Quest Vantage cancer test menu. Additionally, last month, the company announced the launch of Zika Antibody Test Service based on the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Zika MAC-ELISA. Notably, Quest Diagnostics was the first commercial laboratory to receive FDA emergency use authorization for a Zika test for the qualitative detection of RNA from Zika virus in human serum specimens. Story continues We are also looking forward to the company's alliance with HealthONE System of HCA Healthcare HCA to improve the quality and value of diagnostic services. Per the agreement, Quest Diagnostics will manage in-patient laboratory operations for six Denver-area hospitals in the HealthONE system. Additionally, noteworthy are the companys partnerships with information and technology-enabled health services business Optum (Sep 2016), and leading food and drug retailer Safeway (Jun 2016). Notably, Safeways alliance enabled Quest Diagnostics to offer diagnostic testing in 12 Safeway locations in Arizona through Quest's Sonora Quest Laboratories joint venture with Banner Health. Last month, Quest Diagnostics announced the opening of six new Sonora Quest Laboratories Patient Service Centers (PSCs) throughout Arizona. We believe all these recent developments will significantly contribute to the companys top line in the third quarter. In addition, several new relationships with hospitals and integrated delivery networks were the other growth drivers. On the flip side we note that over the last two years, Quest Diagnostics has faced multiple reimbursement issues that affected its revenues. The company is highly disappointed with the recent CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) proposal related to Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA). While reimbursement pressure will remain a moderate headwind even in the upcoming period, the company expects to more than offset that pressure through test and business mix. Also, it still remains a big question whether the volume improvement in recent times is sustainable. We should take into consideration that price headwinds persisted in the quarter down slightly less than 1%. Further, Professional Lab Services, Barnabas Health and HCA carried lower revenue per requisition. The company currently expects full-year revenues in the range of $7.47$7.54 billion compared to the earlier range of $7.52$7.59 billion, reflecting flat to 1% increase over 2015 revenues (growth of 1.5%2.5%). In addition, the companys 2016 adjusted EPS expectation remains in the range of $5.02$5.17 (unchanged from the previous expectation). The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.10 remains within the guided range. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Quest Diagnostics is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: Quest Diagnostics has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. That is because the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate both are at $1.35. Zacks Rank: Quest Diagnostics has a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, an ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider Here are two companies you may want to consider as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Edwards Lifesciences Corp. EW has an Earnings ESP of +2.94% and a Zacks Rank #2. ICU Medical, Inc. ICUI has an Earnings ESP of +6.32% and a Zacks Rank #2.You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report EDWARDS LIFESCI (EW): Free Stock Analysis Report ICU MEDICAL INC (ICUI): Free Stock Analysis Report HCA HOLDINGS (HCA): Free Stock Analysis Report QUEST DIAGNOSTC (DGX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research If it hadnt been Tim Kaine, it might have been Tim Cook. Hillary Clintons aides considered the Apple CEO among a surprising array of potential vice presidential candidates, including business executives, lawmakers and military leaders, before settling on the Virginia Senator, internal campaign emails published on Wikileaks show. Among a list of preliminary names sent to Clinton in March 2016 were General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, both Bill and Melinda Gates, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.S. Navy Admiral Bill McRaven and Marine Corps four-star general John Allen. Also on what list were more traditional candidates, such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Sherrod Brown and Bernie Sanders, as well as Kaine. The names come from the hacked email account of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, whose emails have been posted on the website Wikileaks. The Clinton campaign has not verified their authenticity. In Podestas email to Clinton, he tells the Democratic nominee that he has organized the names in rough food groups and assembled teams of lawyers to vet and profile the possible vice presidential candidates. It is unclear whether Clinton responded to Podesta, as Wikileaks has not published a return email. It is clear from the list, however, that is an early-stage draft. The Clinton campaign has accused Russia of meddling in the election and seeking to help elect Donald Trump, and several news outlets have reported that the FBI suspects Russia is responsible for the hack of Podestas emails. The email suggests the Clinton campaign was closely considering the ethnicity and gender of their vice presidential pick. One group of names appeared to be Latino lawmakers, such as Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Another group includes women lawmakers like Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, and yet another is white male lawmakers, including Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado. Another group of names consists of black male politiciansformer Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, former attorney general Eric Holder and Sen. Cory Booker, for exampleand another includes the military leaders. Finally, there are the business executives, including Xerox CEO Ursula Burns and Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent, as well as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, choices that may have served Clinton well against Donald Trump. Ultimately, Clinton decided on Kaine, a well-respected and avuncular lawmaker who is expected to have a smooth relationship with former president Bill Clinton as well as Hillary. By Alex Dobuzinskis (Reuters) - An Iraqi-born man who entered the United States as a refugee pleaded guilty on Monday in Texas to attempting to volunteer to fight with Islamic State, federal prosecutors said. Omar Faraj Saeed Al-Hardan, 24, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Houston to one count of attempting to provide material support, specifically himself, to the militant group, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the southern district of Texas said in a statement. Al-Hardan, who most recently lived in Houston, faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 17, prosecutors said. The case comes during a U.S. presidential race in which the question of admitting refugees from the Middle East, especially Syria, has become a point of contention between the two leading candidates. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has called for increasing the number of Syrian refugees admitted and said the United States can adequately screen them. Republican nominee Donald Trump has opposed their entry and called for "extreme vetting" of incoming Muslim immigrants. In the Texas case, federal agents began investigating Al-Hardan in 2014 after he communicated with a California man who he believed was associated with the Syrian Islamist rebel group Al-Nusrah, prosecutors said in a statement. Al-Hardan in 2014 and 2015, in discussions with a confidential informant, said he planned to travel overseas to support Islamic State, prosecutors said. He also said he had taught himself to make remote detonators and showed off a circuit board he built as a transmitter, prosecutors said. Al-Hardan entered the United States as an Iraqi refugee in late 2009, about two years before the start of a civil war in Syria, after spending time in refugee camps in Jordan and Iraq, prosecutors said. He was later granted legal permanent residence. The arrest of Al-Hardan gained national media attention in January, with Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, a conservative Republican, citing it as an indication of why Texas was seeking to block the resettlement of Syrian refugees. Islamic State, which controls tracts of land in Iraq and Syria, has claimed credit for a surge in global attacks this summer, even as it has been hammered by U.S.-led coalition air strikes. On Monday, Iraqi forces launched a U.S.-backed offensive to drive Islamic State from the city of Mosul. President Barack Obama has said refugees are properly screened and vetted. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Nick Macfie) UPDATED: Relativity Media has filed a lawsuit charging that Netflix breached its agreement to stream the mini-studios films and did so much damage that it undermined Relativitys financial underpinnings forcing the company to put itself up for sale. The case filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court charges the streaming giant with breaking its contract with Relativity and committing trade libel by suggesting that recent Relativity films should be released on the streaming service before they opened in theaters. The company founded by entrepreneur Ryan Kavanaugh suggests in its legal pleadings that it has suffered damages in excess of $1.5 billion. We find this lawsuit baseless and ironic, a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement. During court hearings into Relativitys bankruptcy, the streaming company argued that it was Relativity that had violated their contract, by failing to produce the minimum number of films and failing to release movies on the dates promised. Netflix asked U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Michael Wiles for permission to release two films the comedy Masterminds and the horror flick The Disappointments Room prior to their theatrical release. Wiles denied that request, saying that the initial release of the films in theaters was a fundamental underpinning of the agreement between the two companies. In its new lawsuit, Relativity argues that its 2010 contract with Netflix helped the larger company to re-create itself from a DVD-by-mail company into a service that streams films to customers via the Internet. In choosing Netflix as its pay television or SVOD partner, Relativity single-handedly converted Netflix from a DVD mail-order company into a pay television business, the lawsuit contends. Once it was more established in the streaming business, Netflix decided that it didnt like the terms of the early agreement with Relativity and tried to renegotiate, according to the lawsuit, filed by the firm of Browne George Ross. Story continues Relativity had received $100 million to $300 million a year under the arrangement, but the doubts raised by Netflix caused others in the industry to wonder whether the mini-studio would continue to get paid, the lawsuit contends. This misrepresentation of the License Agreement caused investors to question Relativitys ability to make money, the suit says, and caused Relativity to stop making films and cease all fund raising efforts. Once it saw that it could not amend its contract with Relativity, Netflix set about trying to destroy the mini-studio to make the agreement go away, the lawsuit contends. Netflixs strategy has been successful, the lawsuit contends. Relativity has been forced to be put up for sale. Related stories 'Orange is the New Black' Actor Brad William Henke Joins Will Smith in 'Bright' (EXCLUSIVE) Mipcom: New Report on Changing TV, Cable, OTT Landscape Lists Most Powerful Global Distributors 'Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life' Gets Four Seasonally Appropriate Posters from Netflix Today marks the 149th anniversary of one of the most controversial land deals in American history: the Alaska Purchase or Sewards Folly. On October 18, 1867, the United States took possession of Alaska from Russia under the terms of a formal land transfer, in a ceremony in the town of Sitka. In todays popular culture, William Seward is best known for his association with Abraham Lincoln. But his name is also forever linked to a decision back that brought Alaska into the fold as a United States territory, at a bargain price. The cost for Alaska in 1867 was $7.2 million, which is about $119 million in current dollars. Link: Read the treaty Secretary of State Seward negotiated the deal in an extended bargaining session with Russian minister to the United States Eduard de Stoeckl on March 30, 1867. The Senate passed the treaty a few days later, but the House held up funding the purchase for more than a year, as the public debate raged over the purchase price and soundness of Sewards decision. The Alaska Purchase gave the United States a land mass of 586,412 square miles, an area about twice the size of Texas. But it came at a time when the United States had just ended the Civil War, and it had an abundance of underpopulated land. Prior to World War II, Alaska suffered from a bit of an inferiority complex and its own internal politics. In the wake of Sewards Folly, Alaska avoided national attention until its Gold Rush began in the 1890s. It became a territory in 1912 and started making noise about becoming a state four years later. As its strategic importance became obvious during World War II, in 1946 Alaska held a referendum asking Congress to consider it for statehood. The Democrats during the 1950s favored Alaska as the 49th state, while the Republicans wanted Hawaii admitted by itself. The reason was that each new state gets two U.S. senators and at least one new House member, and the admission of a new state can swing votes in Congress. Story continues Alaska became the 49th state in January 1959 after a compromise was reached in Congress. In recent years, there has been some revisionist history about Sewards decision. In 2009, University of Iowa economist David Barker argued, using a different set of statistics, that the federal government has lost money on the Alaska deal since 1867because of the amount of federal subsidies spent on Alaska. The fact that the federal government has not profited from Alaska supports the contention of the new Western history that the West has generally been subsidized by the federal government, he said. That theory was contested on a New York Times blog a year later by two professors in Alaska, who said Barkers calculations didnt take into account broader measures. In a sea of approximately 2,000 participants and volunteers at Sunday's Walk to Defeat ALS, Team Nanci members were easy to locate. Gathered in clusters near the VIP tent at the walk's starting location - Exposition Park in downtown Los Angeles near the USC campus - one could spot the famous faces, high-profile agents and managers and more than a handful of power publicists who all turned out for veteran publicist and BWR Public Relations co-founder Nanci Ryder. Every last supporter of Ryder, making her third appearance at the Walk since being diagnosed with ALS in 2014, sported a rose-colored T-shirt topped with capital letters spelling out "Team Nanci." Or rather, like this: "TEAM NANCI." Getty Images Their boldness proved to be more than a fashion statement, something evidenced by that VIP tent, which happened to be a bonus treat awarded to the team that raised the most amount of money for the organization. (Inside, coffee, pastries and cookies got walkers energized for the start.) This year, at the 15th annual L.A. County Walk hosted by the ALS Association Golden West Chapter, Team Nanci came out on top again with a whopping $128,883 raised as of press time on Monday afternoon. (By comparison, the closest team came in with $26,000.) But this isn't a competition - it's a race for a cure to help the thousands living with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease. Many Team Nanci attendees were quick to point out that their presence at the Sunday morning walk was simply to show Ryder how much they love and support her, and to show the world how their hope aligns with hers in finding a treatment for the progressive, and always fatal, neurodegenerative disease. According to the ALS Association, approximately 6,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year. Life expectancy ranges from two to five years, though some people are known to live longer, even if the quality of life is questionable. People with ALS lose the ability to move, speak, swallow and, eventually, to breathe, while their senses and awareness remain in tact. There is no known cure, which makes fundraising and research that much more important, a fact Ryder's friends know well. Story continues Read more: Power Publicist Nanci Ryder Reveals ALS Diagnosis: "I Have No Interest in Dying" "Like so many people out here today, I'm looking to follow the puzzle pieces that are coming together until there's a cure ultimately," said Renee Zellweger, Ryder's longtime friend and former client. "Each little bit of new information brings a little more hope. There's a lot of research that is going on, even internationally, and with all the funds that are raised, it's still so elusive." Zellweger said what isn't slippery is her determination to stand up for Ryder and be a voice, along with all of her friends, to garner attention and funds as they look forward to new research and clinical trials. Zellweger joined Reese Witherspoon, Courteney Cox and Jennifer Garner in rallying Team Nanci members, of which there were close to 100 strong. Ryder herself looked pleased with the turnout, greeting friends from a wheelchair, her newest accessory, and posing for photographs on the park lawn. (One of her favorite pals also roamed around - a Golden Retriever named Jack Maffei, the dog belonging to close friends and Team Nanci stalwarts Tom and Kathy Maffei, who also were there.) Other supporters included agents (CAA's Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane), managers (Management 360's Evelyn O'Neill and Nicole King, and The Creed Co.'s Brandon Creed), plenty of power publicists (Wolf Kasteler's Lisa Kasteler; Viewpoint's Melissa Kates and Jennifer Allen; 42 West's Meredith O'Sullivan Wasson; PMK*BNC's Danica Smith; BWR's Paul Baker, Larry Winokur and Brett Ruttenberg, and more), and friends like veteran photographer Jeff Vespa and his publicist wife Emily Yomtobian (with daughter Genevieve); Peter Horton; Lawrence and Gregory Zarian; Shannon Rotenberg; and Blaine Lourd. Read more: Power Publicist Nanci Ryder's ALS Battle: "Do I Live Like I'm 'Living' or 'Dying'?" Jay Schwartz, who started his career alongside Ryder at her namesake firm several decades ago before joining her at BWR, cut the ribbon to signal the start of the walk. Minutes before, he told The Hollywood Reporter that it's "extremely rare" in Hollywood to see so many people support a peer, especially one from a competing company. "It's a testament to who Nanci is," he said. "Everybody is here. Look at this turnout, and look at the money she raised. It's humbling ... it's really a great feeling." Getty Images Also feeling good was Fred Fisher, president of ALS Association Golden West chapter. "This is heading towards one of our biggest walks ever," he said. "The money that we are raising here today is powering the search for an effective treatment and cure and supporting families that are living with the disease." Fisher singled out Ryder for her ability to rally support. "Nanci Ryder is an extraordinary advocate for ALS. She has really turned her own personal challenge into a cause and has done what we need people to do, which is rally her friends and colleagues in support for the search for a treatment for her and for the thousands and thousands living with this disease," he said. Getty Images That's just one of the many reasons why Cox - attending the walk again with daughter Coco - continues to be amazed by Ryder, she said. "Nanci is an incredible human being. Look at her - she's gorgeous. She's absolutely gorgeous," gushed Cox, pointing to her longtime friend, who now makes use of a wheelchair for transportation. "She's a fighter. She hasn't given up in any way. As a new thing hits her, like losing the ability to write or to walk, she keeps moving ahead and makes the adjustments needed. I'm in awe of her." Garner made her first appearance at the Walk to Defeat ALS, showing up for Ryder, someone she has known since the beginning of her acting career, she said. The actress explained that her manager, King, started out as a publicist at BWR where she worked under Ryder. "I've known Nanci for almost 20 years," said Garner. "She always maintains a sense of humor and a sense of self. There's an incredible generosity in her spirit." Getty Images Someone who spoke specifically about that generosity was iconic L.A. retailer Tracey Ross, who praised Ryder's work ethic and ability to generate good press, like she did in 1990 when Ross first opened her well-known boutique. The two have remained friends all these years, and Ross admitted that she also is friends with Pilates guru Mari Winsor, who joined Ryder in the VIP tent with her own huge group of supporters. Winsor is also a big name in the Hollywood community thanks to her practice, which has drawn devotees like Miley Cyrus and Drew Barrymore over the years. "This is a horrible disease, and to see two people who had so much spirit and so much life it's not fair," Ross said. "Perhaps because of their power and notoriety, they can bring attention and good to the nameless who are here and in the same struggle." Read more: Power Publicist Nanci Ryder Calls on Hollywood to Take Action on Gender Issues The attention Ryder has received since revealing her diagnosis in 2014 was enough to catch the eye of her former husband, Paul Ryder, whom she married and divorced in her early 20s. The two reconnected recently and he made the trip from Florida, where he now lives, so he could attend the walk with his current wife, Cynthia, and their son. "Today is a huge day, obviously," he told THR. "I'm absolutely blown away by the number of people who are here and the support that she has." Also scanning the crowd nearby was Kasteler, who remembered the times when she and Ryder worked closely together - Kasteler handled client Matthew Perry, while Ryder looked over Cox during the height of their Friends fame. The two reps even traveled the world on a press trip for the film Water for Elephants for clients Witherspoon (Ryder's) and Christoph Waltz (Kasteler's). "We had a great time," Kasteler smiled, before explaining how showing up for a friend puts life and work in perspective. "We love her so much and are here to do anything that we can. This is what matters. At the end of the day, what you want to be remembered for is what you did for people. It means everything to see people come out to support her." And while the past three years have been a challenge for Ryder as she has lost the ability to talk, eat, walk and, more recently, write, she can still see. Again, it was impossible to miss the sea of rose-colored shirts, too, filled by friends, peers and one-time colleagues. Reached via email on Monday, THR asked Ryder for her response to finishing another walk and raising so much money in the process. Ryder's reply, while short and sweet, is yet another indication of where her focus lies these days. "Lot of love. Lot of support," she wrote. "Cause for a cure." To join Team Nanci, or find out more information about ALS, click here. Getty Images Courtesy of Jay Schwartz Courtesy of Jay Schwartz Kurar gangrape accused Suraj Neplai jumped parole from the Nashik Central Jail. This is the second incident of inmate fleeing from the Nashik jail this year. By Saurabh Vaktania: In yet another major embarrassment for the Maharashtra prison officials it is revealed that one more convict jumped parole and is still at large. Suraj Nepali was lodged at the Nashik Central Jail in connection with the Kurar gang rape case which had sent shockwaves across Mumbai. Nepali reportedly jumped parole in June this year and has been absconding ever since. advertisement Earlier this year, convict Sajjad Mogul who was serving life sentence at the Nashik Central Jail, in connection with the murder of Mumbai lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha, jumped parole and remains untraceable since then. Purkayastha murder was one of the most high profile cases in Mumbai. The incident had raised very serious questions and lapses of the jail officials. As per the amendments in the prison rules, convicts serving jail sentence for rape and murder and dacoity in Maharashtra will not be eligible for regular parole. Convicts of smuggling of narcotics and psychotropic substances are also put in the group. Convicts, however, will be eligible for 'emergency' parole, which will be granted in the event of death of close. Nepali along with his associates were sentenced to life in Kurar gangrape case. The girl, a resident of Kurar, had decided to visit the Siddhivinayak temple with Nepali on the night of May 9, 2011. The police said the two were friends on the way to temple, they were joined by Jaiswal and three others, all juveniles. Nepali got into an argument with the girl and later forced himself on her. Jaiswal asked the three other juveniles to hold the girl and record the act on phone. Senior IPS officer said, "In the last few days of his parole he escaped in the end of July month. We have registered case in the matter and further investigating the case." Also read: More than 6,000 parole jumpers are on the prowl, waiting to strike --- ENDS --- richard branson Richard Branson is one of the most exuberant and successful entrepreneurs of our time. Now, the UK's eighth richest person is throwing his support behind the marijuana industry. Branson gave the keynote address at the New West Summit in San Francisco over the weekend, where thousands of medicinal marijuana patients, investors, and "potrepreneurs" converged to debate the future of weed. The 66-year-old Virgin Group founder, who called in via Skype, did not mince words. When asked what advice he would give to the industry's pioneers who are leading the fight for legalization, Branson said, "My main motto in life is, 'screw it, just do it.'" It was the first time Branson spoke so openly about marijuana. For the last five years, however, the serial entrepreneur has been a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a 22-person panel of world leaders and intellectuals that advocates for an end to the war on drugs. The group calls for the decriminalization of all drugs, and believes regulating drugs rather than "leaving it up to the underworld," Branson says places a greater emphasis on public health and protects the safety of communities around the globe. marijuana dispensary During his talk, which Branson gave over a cup of English tea from his home on Necker Island, he gave the example of Portugal's revolutionary drug policy. In 2001, the small European country decriminalized marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other illicit substances to shift government efforts from locking addicts up to providing treatment. Drug-related HIV infections plummeted over 90% since 2001, while the number of people in drug-treatment rose 60% from 1998 to 2011. The results were astounding. Branson called the move "a lot more effective than sending you to prison." The business maverick did not rule out a future career in marijuana. "If I was not part of the global drug commission, I certainly would be out there in this industry," Branson said. "It's an industry with enormous potential, and it can do a lot of good." Story continues He ended by saying, "I'm going to go have a spliff, I think." NOW WATCH: We went inside the grow facility that makes Colorado's number one marijuana strain More From Business Insider Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - The great skeleton of a humpback whale will greet visitors to the opening next month in Rio de Janeiro of South America's biggest aquarium -- with sharks waiting for them inside. The November 9 opening in Rio's port zone, part of the large-scale refurbishment of the city for the Olympic Games, will be Rio's first aquarium and one of the biggest anywhere. The impressive whale skeleton is the remains of a whale found on the beach at Macumba, in Rio, and had probably been killed in a collision with a ship, said marine biologist Marcelo Szpilman, who headed the AquaRio project. But the focus is very much on the living, both to show ocean wonders to an expected million visitors a year and to promote protection of vulnerable species. The five-story AquaRio has 1.18 million gallons (4.5 million liters) of saltwater collected by ship well off Rio's polluted coast and kept under close observation once at the aquarium. A 66-foot (20-meter) tunnel of clear acrylic snakes seven meters under water will give visitors "a sensation of total immersion," Szpilman says. - Sleeping with the sharks - The stars of the show are sharks that swim around outside the tunnel. In what could quickly become a huge hit in Rio, visitors will also be able to bed down for the night. "The idea is for children from six years old to be able to spend the night with their parents and experience the feeling of being at the bottom of the ocean," Szpilman said. For visitors who want to get even closer, then swimming in the shark tank will be on the menu. But it's not all about the 40 or so species of sharks. AquaRio will stock some 3,000 fish from 350 species in total, with a capacity of 8,000 fish. Szpilman said 90 percent of the specimens have been captured at sea and are of the types found ordinarily along Brazil's coasts, often fished for eating. The point, he said, is to educate the public about the wonders on their doorstep. Story continues "When you bring people to this extraordinary universe you inspire them to want to help conservation," he said. AquaRio also will host a research center for the study of reproduction in captivity. The aquarium was built on a 130 million reais ($40 million) budget in four years as part of the revitalization of Rio's ramshackle port area ahead of the Olympic Games that were held in August. It has a capacity of about 1,000 visitors an hour and will be open seven days a week. Actor Viggo Mortensen met with festival attendees at a "Close Encounter" event during the Rome Film Fest on Monday night and shared that he is looking to direct his first film as early as next year. Fans came out in droves for one of the most rambunctious panels of this year's edition to see the Lord of the Rings star. The fest played a range of clips - from his infamous Eastern Promises sauna fight scene to his wheelchair-bound role in Carlito's Way, all to great applause. Saying that he feels uncomfortable judging other people's works and turns down offers to be on festival juries, he praised the fest for not having a jury, but rather simply being a celebration of cinema. Mortensen also discussed the finer points of being an artist as he looked back over his 30-year acting career. The Academy Award-nominated actor has worked with several actors turned directors, from Ed Harris in Appaloosa to Matt Ross in Captain Fantastic, which had its Italian premiere at the fest after his talk. As such, it was fitting that Mortensen used his appearance to unveil that he hopes to use much of what he's learned working with them as he plans his own directing debut as soon as next year. "Once in the late '90s I almost got one made. This year, now, I was supposed to be shooting my first movie as a director, but I lost the money," he said. "I didn't lose it, but somebody decided not to give it to me. It wasn't a lot of money, but I don't have enough to do it myself." He added: "But someone else is interested in a different screenplay, so I'm hoping I can do that next year." What is the project? "I don't want to name what it is, because I think it's bad luck until I know I'm shooting my first day," he said. "Then I'd be happy to talk to you about it." Mortensen, also a poet who founded his own publishing company, Perceval Press, said he has several different screenplays in the works. Story continues Mortensen had nothing but praise for Harris and Ross, explaining why he thinks actors can make great directors. "These are actors who have a sincere interest in the process of not only their own acting, but other actors," he said. "As actors, when they work they prepare very well. When they arrive they are usually working. Half of what they do depends on what they get from the other actors. These are the kinds of actors who understand that the foundation of good acting is good reacting. It's what helps them make the characters they play seem like real people." But it takes special talent to understand the big picture, he acknowledged. "When you are dealing with an actor who is directing you, who is the kind of actor who prepares maybe very well his role in front of a mirror, every moment, every emotion, every inflection, then maybe they are not so interested in what other actors do because they arrive on set and they expect everybody to adapt to what they are doing, what they have prepared," he said. "They are inflexible. They are not so helpful because they have never shown an interest in actors." Mortensen believes the secret to great directing, again singling out Harris and Ross, as well as his frequent collaborator David Cronenberg, "is to be very well prepared, is to not have shouting on the set, to create a calm atmosphere." He concluded: "I think the director, to be effective with actors, has to be a little bit like a magician or a really fine actor." Read more: Rome Film Fest: Viggo Mortensen, Matt Ross "Shocked" Anyone Would Vote for Trump Tool blew the minds of many a teen through the 90s with some of the trippiest music videos ever made, and their frontman Maynard James Keenan seems to be keeping that trend alive in this new video from his other musical project Puscifer. The song is called The Arsonist, and the clip features Maynard, Ronda Rousey, and a couple of the UFCs other top female fighters battling a gigantic Godzilla-like Donald Trump monster. YouTube Related Links: Surprisingly, thats not the strangest thing that happens in the five minutes it takes for the song to play through. The video starts out with Maynard James Keenan challenging Ronda Rousey to a fight, and the stakes are er interesting. If Keenan loses, hell undergo a sex change. After a training montage, Keenan and Rousey fight in the octagon, but are then interrupted by a gigantic Trump Monster that begins to destroy the city. The two activate a Batman-style Puscifer signal that calls together Cat Zingano, Holly Holm and Cris Cyborg. The four UFC fighters and Keenan then battle Trump, who vomits out his own evil female fighter to take on Rousey and Cyborg. Trump is defeated when the American people rally to defeat him together. Oh, and the video finishes with Ronda Rousey drinking coffee with James Maynard Keenans testicles sitting next to her in a jar. Weird. YouTube Vienna (AFP) - A new row erupted Tuesday over Austria's plans to demolish the house where Adolf Hitler was born, with experts saying they opposed its destruction only a day after a decision was announced. After a lengthy legal battle with the current owner, Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said Monday the listed property in the northern town of Braunau would be "torn down" to stop it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine. A new building on the site would be used by a charity or the local authorities, he told Austrian media. Sobotka said the decision was based on recommendations from an expert committee. But several of the 13-member panel denied Tuesday that the commission had backed the push to bulldoze the yellow corner house where Hitler was born on April 20, 1889. "The demolition option had been explicitly mentioned in the (government's) proposal and was not approved by us," said Clemens Jabloner, the ex-president of Austria's highest administrative court, in a joint statement with historian Oliver Rathkolb. Instead, the committee had suggested a "profound architectural redesign". "A demolition would amount to negating Austria's Nazi past," the pair said. Responding to the criticism, Sobotka on Tuesday insisted the main goal was to destroy any "resemblance" to the current house, "especially its outer appearance". Whether this process would an involve an actual demolition could be discussed, he told journalists in Vienna. A copy of the commission's report showed the experts had been "against leaving an empty space instead of a building". "A complete transformation or removal of the building is in principle suited to erase the place's ideological connotation and dissolve the emotional ties with Hitler. But... a historical contextualisation remains necessary," the report read. - ' Never again fascism' - Although Hitler only spent the first few weeks of his life at Number 15 Salzburger Vorstadt Street, the address has been a thorn in Austria's side for decades, drawing Nazi sympathisers from around the world. Story continues Every year on Hitler's birthday, anti-fascist protesters organise a rally outside the building, next to a memorial stone reading: "For Peace, Freedom and Democracy. Never Again Fascism, Millions of Dead Warn." The dilapidated property in the historic town centre has been empty since 2011 when the government became embroiled in a dispute with owner and local resident Gerlinde Pommer. Her family has owned the 800-square-metre (8,600-feet) building for more than a century, except for a brief period during the Nazi regime. In 1972, the Austrian government signed a lease with Pommer and turned the premises into a centre for people with disabilities. But the arrangement came to an abrupt end five years ago when Pommer refused to grant permission for much-needed renovation works. The famously elusive owner also rejected a purchase offer made by the increasingly exasperated interior ministry. In July, the government approved a legislation amendment to seize the house from Pommer who continues to net 4,800 euros (around $5,300) in rent every month. The expropriation bill, which includes compensation for Pommer, was to be debated in parliament later Tuesday. Sobotka earlier said it could enter into force by the end of the year. Union minister Mahesh Sharma's visit to Ayodhya to inspect the site for the proposed Ramayana Museum has drawn the Opposition's ire. Ahead of the elections, Ayodhya and Ram Mandir are back in news.(Picture for representation: PTI) By India Today Web Desk: Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma's visit to Ayodhya today to inspect the site for a proposed Ramayana Museum has reignited the political controversy ahead of the crucial 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. While the opposition has accused the BJP of raking up the Ram Mandir issue for political gains, many in the BJP have demanded the tabling of a legislation on the temple in the Lok Sabha where the party is in a comfortable majority. ALSO READ: With eye on UP elections, Lord Rama to get a museum in Ayodhya Here are the latest developments: 1. Sharma claims the construction of the Ramayana museum has nothing to do with the state elections. 2. "My visit to Ayodhya has nothing to do with assembly elections. I am visiting there as a Tourism Minister. It should not be linked to politics. It is part of the government's effort to improve tourism in Ayodhya and all over the country. The visit is part of the government's developmental agenda," he said on Monday. 3. The row erupted after the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh also decided to construct a Ramleela Theme Park in Ayodhya. 4. The proposed museum has revived the demand for construction of a Ram temple, with BJP hardliners like Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar pitching for it. 5. Katiyar went on to demand the tabling of a legislation in the Lok Sabha where the BJP-led NDA has a "massive majority". ALSO READ: Lucknow: At Ramleela function, PM Modi says terror must be defeated just like Ram defeated Ravana 6. Though the BJP claims the Ram temple is not on its manifesto for UP, the proposed Ramayana museum and related activities are being seen as an attempt to galvanise pro-Hindutva elements in the state. 7. On Dussehra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in a departure from tradition, participated in a Ramlila in Lucknow where he began and ended his speech with chants of "Jai Shri Ram, Jai Jai Shri Ram". ALSO READ: Lucknow welcomes Uri avengers, read hoardings on PM Modi's visit for Dussehra Mela today 8. BSP chief Mayawati, a major contender in UP, has criticised both the Centre and the Samajwadi Party government, accusing the two parties of raking up Ayodhya for electoral gains. 9. "Attempts at taking political mileage by linking religion with politics is condemnable. And if their intentions were good, these projects would have started earlier," Mayawati said. 10. The Congress also accused the BJP of remembering Lord Ram during elections. "We shouldn't be surprised. Every five years, we see the same drama unfolding whenever there are polls in the state," a Congress spokesperson said. ALSO READ: Congress hits out at PM Narendra Modi for his 'Jai Sri Ram' speech in Lucknow ALSO READ: Rahul visits temple in Ayodhya; first Gandhi scion to do so since Babri demolition --- ENDS --- advertisement Aleppo Russian and Syrian forces appeared to have let up on bombing besieged Aleppo on Tuesday, possibly allowing civilians and rebel groups to flee the city. While citizens and combatants in Aleppo would likely welcome any cessation of the brutal Russian and Syrian air campaign, which has been linked to possible war crimes like bombing hospitals and using banned munitions, the unilateral move excludes the international community and the US. To put it bluntly, the US and larger international community have been muscled out of Syria by Russia. The US no longer "has a horse to ride" in Syria, according to Cliff Kupchan, chairman of Eurasia Group and an expert on Syria and the Middle East. Kupchan says two key events have undermined the US's clout in Syria to the point that there are no longer any good options there for the US to pursue. The rise of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham an Islamist group formerly affiliated with Al Qaeda that called itself Jabhat al Nusra as the dominant opposition group to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime represents the first blow to the US's strategy of "training and equipping" secular, moderate rebels. Kupchan says that toward the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, there was secular opposition to Assad that had "sufficient numbers to balance" Assad's forces on the battlefield. Now, however, "the secular opposition is extremely small and not terribly relevant to the ongoing Syrian tragedy," Kupchan said. su 24 frogfoot syria After the erosion of meaningful opposition to Assad, Russia's intervention on behalf of Assad just over a year ago may have been the final nail in the coffin for the relevance of the US and larger international community. "Assad was on his heels," said Kupchan. "Russian intervention put him back moving forward. Assad and his allies are now the dominant power on the battlefield." Story continues In fact, Russia dominates Syria's airspace so much that the US can't really consider launching airstrikes against Assad Moscow's recent deployment of advanced surface-to-air missile defenses to Syria has created a de facto no-fly zone over areas under government control. Igor Sutyagin, an expert on Russian missile defenses at the Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider that the US would now strain to strike at Syrian government targets. Even the US Air Force's fifth-generation stealth aircraft would have to be "operationally, tactically brilliant" to strike Russian or Syrian targets, he said. But as Kupchan notes, even if the US could readily destroy the missiles, risking war with Russia is not worth it. Putin Assad Since the kinetic solutions to ending the war have crumbled, US officials have been again discussing the idea of equipping and training rebels and the Kurds, but Kupchan says these are not good options either. "In theory, there are sufficient secular and non-extremist members of the opposition that one could construe a train-and-equip program. The problems facing that strategy would be numerous the Syrian/Russian/Iranian alliance has significant momentum on the battlefield, and while we may well give weapons to the 'sane opposition,' the chances they would end up in the hands of the radical opposition is extremely high," Kupchan said. Indeed, US efforts to train and equip groups in Syria have failed spectacularly in the past. According to Kupchan, "the best shot is the shot we're taking to continue to engage Russia and, to the extent practical, the broader community internationally (Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran) to try to save lives." But when Syria, Iran, and Russia increasingly control the situation on the ground, the prospect of leveraging these countries to act against their interests, with no threat of military challenge from the US, grows increasingly dim. The US and international community can continue to nudge and prod Russia to do the right thing in Syria, but Washington's chances of exerting real influence on the ground have now dwindled to virtually zero. NOW WATCH: 6 witnesses are corroborating a womans claim that Trump sexually assaulted her More From Business Insider MOSCOW (AP) Russian and Syrian warplanes on Tuesday halted their airstrikes on Syrias besieged city of Aleppo in preparation for a temporary pause in the military push that Moscow has announced for later in the week, the Russian defense minister said. According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the halt in the strikes should help pave way for militants to leave the eastern rebel-held parts of the contested city. Both Russian and Syrian air raids on Aleppo were suspended on 10 a.m. Tuesday, Shoigu said. He described the suspension as a precursor for the opening of humanitarian corridors. Moscow on Monday announced a humanitarian pause between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city. At that time, Russian and Syrian militaries will desist from any offensive actions. Syrian rebels, including al-Qaida militants, as well as the wounded and the sick will be allowed to leave to the neighboring rebel-held province of Idlib. The early halting of airstrikes is necessary to declare a humanitarian pause, Shoigu said in a televised statement. It will guarantee a safe exit of civilians through six corridors and prepare for the evacuation of the ill and the wounded from the eastern part of Aleppo. Russian President Vladimir Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the halt in the airstrikes was a goodwill gesture to pave the way for Thursdays pause. The Russian military is offering yet another chance, and we hope that our partners will allow us all to take advantage of that, Peskov said. Aleppo, Syrias largest city and once its commercial hub, has been subjected to the most intense aerial bombardment since the start of the Mideast countrys conflict in 2011. In recent months, the Syrian army has pressed its offensive into the rebel-held eastern part of the city. Air raids have killed hundreds and caused international outrage. Story continues A Russia-U.S.-brokered cease-fire collapsed last month as the Syrian army launched an offensive on eastern Aleppo under the cover of Russian warplanes. Mohammed Abu Rajab, an Aleppo resident, said airstrikes on the eastern neighborhoods stopped early Tuesday, just after the city had been subjected to another intense round of air raids. There were airstrikes throughout the night, Abu Rajab, who works at a local hospital, said over the telephone. In Moscow, Shoigu added that Russia is asking the countries wielding influence with the (Syrian) rebels to persuade their leaders to end fighting and leave the city. He said the Syrian troops will pull back to distances allowing unimpeded exit for those carrying weapons via two corridors, including the main artery of Castello Road. The Russian initiative also should boost talks between military experts from several nations that are set to open in Geneva on Wednesday, he added. Their work will be aimed first of all at separating the moderate opposition from the terrorists and its withdrawal from the eastern part of Aleppo, he said. Moscow has urged Washington to encourage Syrias Western-backed rebels to sever ties with al-Qaida militants. During a meeting over the weekend co-chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar said they would work to separate moderate opposition groups in Aleppo from Syrias former al-Qaida affiliate once known as the Nusra Front. Russian and Syrian officials have since embraced a proposal made earlier this month by the U.N. Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to allow al-Qaida-linked militants to leave Aleppo in exchange for a truce and a local administration for the eastern districts. Rebels there, along with many residents, have rejected the offer. Russias announcement did not include any promises of an extended cease-fire or local administration in and around Aleppo. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington on Monday, said the Russian-Syrian pause planned on Thursday was a bit too little, too late. Peskov, Putins spokesman, would not say if the strikes would resume after the pause, saying that depends on whether the rebels can be persuaded to cut ties with militants. ___ Mroue reported from Beirut. Russia Syria Vladimir Putin Russia announced on Tuesday that it would halt airstrikes on Syria's largest city, Aleppo, in preparation for an eight-hour cease-fire to be implemented later this week. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the announcement in a televised meeting with military officials, saying he expected Syrian rebels inside Aleppo to use the pause in the fighting to leave the city through two special corridors. He said the rebels could bring their weapons with them, and he promised that the Syrian army would pull back and allow them to exit unharmed. Watchdogs inside Syria reported that Russia had stopped its airstrikes by Tuesday morning. But many are skeptical of the intentions behind Moscow's surprise announcement, which was not coordinated with the UN. Some experts think Russia is not extending an olive branch to the rebels but imposing an ultimatum, as the proposal appears designed to force rebels to either surrender the city or be killed in airstrikes after the cease-fire ends. "I wish this step could be seen as a humanitarian gesture, but that seems implausible," Mark Kramer, program director of the Project on Cold War Studies at Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, told Business Insider on Tuesday. Kramer said that the proposal is likely a "cynical step" designed to keep EU foreign ministers from agreeing on new sanctions against Russia in connection with its "merciless bombardment" of Aleppo. "A more ominous possibility is that Russian forces are getting set to level Aleppo to the ground," he said. "The same approach was used in December 1999-January 2000, when Russian forces sent an ultimatum to the population of Grozny to leave the city and then wiped the bulk of the Chechen capital off the map." grozny Russia's scorched-earth campaign in Aleppo over the past month to eliminate opposition to its ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, has invoked memories of Grozny's decimation by Russia 16 years ago. That campaign came as part of an effort to wipe out Chechen separatists, and the evacuation offer turned out to be a deadly trap. Story continues In February 2000, the Russian military offered the Chechen rebels safe passage out of Grozny. But that corridor, which led to the village of Alkhan-Kala three miles away, turned out to be a Russian minefield that killed hundreds of rebels as they tried to escape. Those who dodged the landmines were targeted by Russian artillery shells and rockets. "The Russians claim they lured the rebels into a trap by pretending to sell them safe passage out of Grozny for $100,000, and finished most of them off with artillery barrages," The Guardian reported on February 4, 2000. At least 600 Chechens died in the Alkhan-Kala operation. With that in mind, Kramer said, even if Russia sticks to the terms of its own cease-fire, no one in Aleppo should construe that as a sign of sustainable peace. "Total destruction may well rain down immediately thereafter," he said. Aleppo Grozny is 'a solution we're all looking for' On Monday, one day before Shoygu's announcement, Russia's embassy in the US made an unprompted comparison between Grozny and Aleppo. "Grozny today is a peaceful, modern, and thriving city," the embassy wrote on its notoriously provocative Twitter account. "Ain't that a solution we're all looking for? #Aleppo" Notably, the new Russian plan for Aleppo was meant to offer civilians a way out, too. As the UN pointed out, however, the plan did not guarantee the safety of aid workers bringing medical supplies and other humanitarian aid into Aleppo that the wounded and sick might need to flee the city. UN aid convoys were bombed late last month as they attempted to cross with humanitarian supplies from southern Turkey into northern Syria. Russia and Syria have denied any involvement in the attack, but they are the only forces with air power in the country. aleppo State-sponsored news agency Russia Today reported that some rebel fighters inside the city are using civilians as human shields and preventing them from leaving, but those reports have not been verified. "It's in the interest of Russia and the regime to get as many fighters and people out of Aleppo as possible," said Jeff White, a military expert at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former Defense Intelligence Agency officer. "It would reduce the military problems associated with siege and/or assault. And it would reduce the number of people needing care after taking the city, as well as the number of potential oppositionists remaining." The rebels inside eastern Aleppo, however, don't seem prepared to leave voluntarily. "The factions completely reject any exit this is surrender," Zakaria Malahifji, the political officer of the Aleppo-based rebel group Fastaqim, told Reuters. "When we took up arms at the start of the revolution to defend our abandoned people we promised God that we would not lay them down until the downfall of this criminal regime," said Al-Farouk Abu Bakr, an Aleppo commander in the Islamist opposition group Ahrar al-Sham. Rebel fighters carry their weapons in northern Aleppo countryside, Syria September 30, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi Russia was likely counting on the rebels to reject the deal. Indeed, by proposing it in the first place, Moscow has seemingly positioned itself to say later that it tried to empty the city before razing it, but the rebels did not cooperate. "The plan alleviates some international pressure and changes the subject from the 50 or so civilians killed in past 24 hours," Boris Zilberman, a Russia expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Business Insider. "It also allows Russia to reset their own forces and acquire new targets to hit once the eight hours expires or whenever they feel like breaking their own ceasefire," he added. Russia ended up defeating the separatists at Grozny. But as The New York Times editorial board wrote 16 years ago, it was an "empty victory." "Russian forces, using the blunt weapons of World War II, have shelled and bombed the Chechen capital into an uninhabitable hell, a city so devastated that it will most likely be abandoned by the Chechens who long called it home and by the Russians who now cruelly declare that it has been 'liberated.'" NOW WATCH: A global intelligence analyst explains why Russia isn't as strong as people think More From Business Insider By Conor Humphries DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ryanair (RYA.I) cut its annual profit forecast on Tuesday due to a weaker pound, but its share price rose after it said it expected to boost its market share in the coming months by selling more tickets at cheaper prices. Europe's largest low-cost airline, which expects sterling to account for a quarter of its earnings this year, said an 18 percent slide in the pound against the dollar following the country's vote to leave the European Union had forced it to cut its profit forecast by 5 percent. Fare prices may drop by between 13 percent and 15 percent, it said. The airline said it expects net profit for the year to March 31 of between 1.3 billion euros (1.19 billion) and 1.35 billion euros, down from a previous forecast of 1.375 billion euros to 1.425 billion euros. The mean forecast of 16 analysts polled by Reuters ahead of the profit warning was 1.38 billion euros. Ryanair's warning follows a number of similar statements from rivals including low-cost carrier easyJet (EZJ.L) and British Airways-owner IAG (ICAG.L) and Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE). Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said the reduced forecast "remains heavily dependent upon no further weakness in second-half fares or sterling from its current levels." Having fallen 0.5 percent in early trading, Ryanair shares were up 3.5 percent at 0933 GMT after O'Leary told analysts that he expected Ryanair's sales and market share to grow in the coming months. "We are in a low-fare environment, but we like low-fare environments because we are the lowest-cost producer," O'Leary said. "We are taking very significant traffic away from incumbents ... and we see that continuing." Ryanair's policy is to maintain passenger numbers whatever the fare and then earn money on extras such as fees for choosing seats and on-board refreshments. O'Leary said Ryanair planned to increase passenger numbers to 119 million from an earlier forecast of 117 million, piling further pressure on competitors. Ryanair is currently receiving around 50 planes a year from Boeing and O'Leary said he would consider adding more planes than scheduled in 2018 or 2019. Story continues Rival easyJet (EZJ.L), which depends on the UK for around half of sales, has already cut its profit forecast by a quarter for the year to Sept. 30 in the wake of the Brexit vote. British airline Monarch last week was kept alive by a 165 million pound ($205.18 million) bailout from investors, having warned in September that security concerns and the devaluation of the pound had made market conditions difficult. "Tough trading conditions are an opportunity to make strategic progress at the expense of weaker competitors," Liberium analyst Gerald Khoo said in a note. He said the warning was not a surprise as the company had already indicated there were risks to the downside, adding that the valuation more than adequately reflected the uncertain economic outlook. Ryanair said fares in the six months to the end of September were also weaker than expected, falling 10 percent, but that this was offset by better than expected cost performance. (Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by David Goodman and Louise Heavens) SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Tuesday it will compensate component suppliers for the discontinued Galaxy Note 7 smartphones and consider giving them orders for other models to cushion the blow. The world's top smartphone maker said it would fully pay for unused Note 7 parts that have already been manufactured, compensate suppliers for unfinished components and pay for materials bought to make Note 7 parts. "Samsung will determine the inventory levels for the partner companies and carry out compensation quickly," the company said in a statement, without elaborating on how much it expected to pay. The decision comes after some South Korean government and central bank officials voiced concerns about the potential impact of the Note 7 crisis on the domestic economy. A deputy finance minister said the fallout could hurt the economy during the third and fourth quarters of the year. Though most of Samsung's smartphones are manufactured overseas, the company is a key customer for many South Korean parts makers including Samsung Electronics affiliate Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co Ltd. Samsung last week permanently ended sales of the fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 smartphone less than two months after launch, a decision the company expects will cost $5.5 billion in operating profit from the third quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017. (Reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by Stephen Coates) As of last Friday, Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 smartphone is officially banned from all United States airlines. Even if the phone is uncharged and turned off, you still can't bring it on the plane with you. If you refuse to comply with the ban and bring your phone on the plane anyway, you could end up paying dearly for it. So what are you supposed to do if you're heading back from vacation, own a Galaxy Note 7 and don't want to cause any trouble on your flight back? DON'T MISS: Samsung allegedly tried to bribe a man to keep his exploding Note 7 a secret Depending on what airport you're at, you might actually be able to exchange your dangerous phablet before you board your flight. Over the past few days, Samsung has begun setting up "customer service points" at airports around the world where Note 7 owners will have the opportunity to exchange their devices and transfer all of their data to a new phone, with any cost difference being refunded. These customer service points first began cropping up in South Korea, then Australia, and as ABC7News reports, they have now made their way to the United States, with one appearing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). https://twitter.com/svqjournalist/status/788123977373724672 With more than 1 million Note 7 devices still out in the wild, it's encouraging to see Samsung taking every step necessary to retrieve as many devices as it can before any more incidents occur. In the meantime, whether or not you're going to the airport any time soon, be sure to trade in your Note 7 if you haven't already. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com Boarding an airplane with one of Samsung's potentially explosive Note 7 smartphones is now a crime in the US. Fortunately for passengers who may not be aware that they're packing dangerous contraband, Samsung is setting up shop at airports to keep everyone out of trouble. Samsung is setting up special exchange booths at "high traffic" airports around the world to replace passengers' Note 7 smartphones with a new and safe replacement device, according to ABC News in San Francisco. A German carrier Lufthansa aircraft lands at Tegel airport in Berlin, Germany, January 27, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo Samsung's booths can currently be found in certain airports in Australia and South Korea, with a booth reportedly being set up at San Francisco's SFO airport. Indeed, flying with the Note 7 is now a crime in the US. Taking a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on a plane could cost you almost $180,000 and up to 10 years in prison, as the Note 7's defective battery could catch fire and cause serious damage to anything nearby, including people. As such, the Note 7 has been deemed unsafe. note 7 melted Samsung recently halted production of the Note 7 after two recalls due to a defective battery, and the Note 7 is no longer sold from carriers or Samsung itself. It's not clear what brand or model the replacement devices are, but ABC News reported that Samsung is able to transfer data from a Note 7 to the replacement devices at their booths. Here's Samsung's comment to Business Insider: All Galaxy Note7 owners should visit their local carrier or retail store and participate in the U.S Note7 Refund and Exchange Program immediately and before traveling. We are coordinating with various partners to communicate the U.S. Department of Transportations recent order to ban all Galaxy Note7 devices in carry-on and checked baggage on flights across multiple touch-points. We are providing support to Galaxy Note7 owners by exchanging their devices or refunding them in a wide range of places, including at some of the most frequently visited airports around the country. These on-site reps are there to help customers with last minute travel support and can be located by calling the Galaxy Note7 hotline at 1-844-365-6197. Story continues But we urge all Galaxy Note7 owners to exchange their device or obtain a refund before they arrive at their airport. We know this is an inconvenience to our customers but safety has to remain our top priority. Here's a look at one of Samsung's exchange booths: Samsung has a team of representatives at SFO to help customers with the Note7 phone. It's banned from US flights. pic.twitter.com/2IiEcg6hsU Sergio Quintana (@svqjournalist) October 17, 2016 NOW WATCH: Taking a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on a plane could cost you almost $180,000 and up to 10 years in prison More From Business Insider By PTI: From Aditi Khanna London, Oct 18 (PTI)A woman has claimed that she was raped in Britains Houses of Parliament complex, leading to the arrest of a 23-year-old man, Scotland Yard said today. According to UK media reports, the arrested man is believed to be Sam Armstrong, who is a political aide to Conservative party MP Craig Mackinlay. advertisement "Detectives from the sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command are investigating an allegation of rape at the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of Friday, 14 October," a Scotland Yard spokesperson said. "A 23-year-old man was arrested that same day on suspicion of rape. He has been bailed pending further enquires to a date in mid-January 2017," the spokesperson said. The House of Commons Serjeant at Arms office, which oversees parliamentary security, said that it was aware of the allegation. "We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police on the matter but cannot comment further at this time," a spokesperson said. The accused is believed to have taken a woman to Mackinlays office after he and other Tory party aides got drunk at a bar within the Palaces of Westminster, which houses Britains House of Commons and House of Lords, late into the night. According toThe Sun newspaper, the parliamentary office of Mackinlay, which is in the Norman Shaw North complex, was raided by six officers last week and sealed as a potential crime scene. Sources told the newspaper the MP was in his constituency at the time of the alleged attack. PTI AK MRJ AKJ MRJ --- ENDS --- DUBAI (Reuters) - A Saudi prince was executed in Riyadh on Tuesday after a court found him guilty of shooting dead a fellow Saudi, official media reported, in a rare example of a ruling family member subjected to the death penalty. Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabir had pleaded guilty to shooting Adel al-Mohaimeed after a brawl, the ministry of interior said in a statement on state news agency SPA. It did not say how the prince was killed. Most people executed in the kingdom are beheaded with a sword. Members of Saudi Arabia's ruling family are only rarely known to have been executed. One of the most prominent cases was Faisal bin Musaid al Saud, who assassinated his uncle, King Faisal, in 1975. The family is estimated to number several thousand. While members receive monthly stipends, and the most senior princes command great wealth and political power, only a few in the family hold nationally important government posts. "The government.. is keen to keep order, stabilize security and bring about justice through implementing the rules prescribed by Allah...," said the ministry statement. (Reporting by William Maclean; writing by Tom Finn; editing by Mark Heinrich) Just in time for Halloween, the 16th Annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival returns to Hollywood's TCL Chinese 6 Theatres from Oct. 18 to 27. Horror Ambassador this year is the actress, model and heiress Lydia Hearst, who's appeared in such fest-friendly fare as Cabin Fever 3: Patient Zero and #horror. Screamfest offers 10 days of genre films from around the world, including the opening night rom-com/horror flick, Trash Fire, starring Adrian Grenier as a man who confronts his past only to uncover a fabric of murderous lies. Anjelica Huston will bring a touch of class with her movie The Master Cleanse, screening Saturday night, and Scream Queens' Abigail Breslin stars in Fear, Inc., screening Wednesday. While known for launching such titles as Paranormal Activity, The Human Centipede and Let the Right One In, Screamfest draws more than the B- and C-list stars the genre is known for. Don't be surprised if Pierce Brosnan shows up on behalf of son Sean Brosnan's directorial debut, My Father, Die. And Mel Gibson's son, Louie, is premiering Happy Hunting. Last year James Franco appeared on behalf of his animated movie, The Labyrinth, while Sean Penn attended for daughter Dylan Penn's movie, Condemned, also starring Hearst. "I love horror movies," Hearst tells The Hollywood Reporter. "Horror is one of the few genres that allows you to explore areas in film that normally you wouldn't otherwise. It's pretty remarkable that it's one of the few genres where it's not unacceptable to not have that Hollywood happy ending." Read more: YouTube Red Plans New Shows With Dwayne Johnson, Doug Liman A veteran of runways flaunting Chanel, Fendi and Nicole Miller among others, the recently married Hearst has her sights set on a movie career with such upcoming titles as the election-year comedy Swing State, due out in November, and the upcoming drama The Downside of Bliss. Here, Hearst talks about her wedding to Chris Hardwick, her horror obsession and the passing of her onetime co-star, Anton Yelchin. Story continues How is it you and horror movies make such a neat fit? As someone who's very active and supposed to have an active brain, I'm very curious about this idea of being shocked, but sort of driven by my own morbid curiosity. You don't really know what to expect from what you're going to see of the films in the festival. I'm told you're a die-hard horror fan. How extreme does it get? In our home we have many movie props from old film productions. I recently acquired Jack Nicholson's face molding from the movie Wolf, and I have an original molding from The Howling. There's even a life-size Linda Blair replica from The Exorcist. But it gets worse - it even extends to your recent marriage? We were married in Los Angeles at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena. It was really beautiful. Of course we integrated our passions in life into our own wedding. We had the science-fiction aspect - the R5-D4 droid was there, and the R2-D2 droid was one of the guests and there were Jawas. Greg Nicotero, the brilliant mastermind behind The Walking Dead and all the zombies and special effects, as a gift he gave us zombie effects for the entire waitstaff. Read more: Amber Tamblyn Mocks Donald Trump in 'Lip Sync Battle' Hopefully the first few months of marriage haven't been equally horrible? It's made everything that much more magical and wonderful every day. I get to be with my best friend all the time. We have very similar passions and are extremely supportive of one another. Thankfully, he appreciates my love of horror and all the things I like. Being a Hearst and a movie nut, what did you think of Citizen Kane and the way your family was represented? It is one of the greatest films of all time. You have to look at it from a cinematic standpoint. It's brilliantly executed, the whole set, lighting editing is brilliant. I think everybody is allowed, especially when they're telling a story, as long as it's not based on somebody's real life, you're allowed a certain liberty. In 2014, you worked with Anton Yelchin on a short film, Automobile Waltz. What do you remember about that experience? Anton was truly an incredible actor, so passionate and brilliant on screen. He came to life in front of the camera and really was a wonderful person to work with. And it's so unfortunate what happened with him. He loved life. He loved his friends. He loved everybody and anybody and was so passionate about his life and his work. And it really is heartbreaking. He's gone way too soon. But thankfully, because of the film and the friends he left behind, his memory will live on. He was really a remarkable soul. Depomed Inc. (DEPO) has settled with Starboard Value in a move that will bring this activist investor fight to a close. At least for now. What is amazing, although something that has not been out of the norm, is that Depomed shares were lower on the news. Depomed has agreed to standstill restrictions until March of 2017 as the beginning of a new nomination period. The settlement should remove the uncertainty of a proxy fight, but no formal buyout or sale process has been disclosed. despite reported buyout interest. Regardless of what details come out, the end of this activist fight, even if perhaps not permanent, should remove Depomed's non-operational expenses and should end a management distraction so it can execute its business plan. ALSO READ: Cities Where You Don't Want to Get Sick When news broke of the settlement, shares were up in the after-hours session on Monday. The stock opened at $24.27 on Tuesday, almost 2% higher than the $23.83 close. But after an hour of trading, Depomed shares were down 0.8% at $23.64 on Tuesday. Depomed has a 52-week trading range of $12.25 to $27.02 and a consensus analyst price target of $25.83. So far not much research has been published. 24/7 Wall St. did get a report from Janney's Ken Trbovich, who reiterated Janney's Buy rating and has a $31 price target. Trbovich noted that this settlement adds three new board members with significant public company executive management, financial accounting and M&A expertise. He said in his report: ALSO READ: 50 Worst Cities to Live In We cannot foresee a scenario in which Starboard would accept restrictions on its ownership without having gained comfort with DepoMed's operational outlook in the near term. Thus, we see an agreement to such restrictions for 9.8% holder, in front of what are normally DepoMed's two strongest quarters, as a vote of confidence in the outlook for the both the business and the stock. The parties agreed to settlement with DepoMed accepting three of Starboard's board nominees who will join its existing six member board as independent directors. At the same time, DepoMed moved the window to make nominations of directors and other shareholder proposals to a period that is shortly after when we would expect DepoMed to report full year 2016 results. This would appear to give Starboard the option to nominate additional directors, or to bring other shareholder proposals, or both, between March 15, 2017 and April 15, 2017. Story continues ALSO READ: iPhone 7 Jet Black Available Nationwide Jim Schoeneck, president and CEO of Depomed, said of the settlement: We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Starboard, which we believe is in the best interests of our shareholders. We are confident that we are aligned to deliver significant value to our shareholders. Jeffrey C. Smith, chief executive officer and chief investment officer of Starboard Value, said of the settlement: We are pleased to have reached an agreement to work with Depomed. We believe the addition of these three highly qualified directors will add to the experience in the boardroom and expect that the board and management team will focus on delivering significant value for shareholders. Related Articles Mogadishu (AFP) - Fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group launched a major attack on a strategic town near Mogadishu on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people, including civilians, before retreating. Witnesses and officials reported heavy clashes between Shabaab militants and Somali troops in Afgoye, which lies just 30 kilometres (18 miles) northwest of the capital Mogadishu. The main target of the assault was a police post attacked with a car packed with explosives, and Somali army posts. Heavy exchanges of fire were also heard around the town. The Shabaab fighters pulled out before troops from the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Somalia, AMISOM, arrived. "The terrorists have retreated back from the town and the situation is back to normal, Somali government forces are now in full control," local police official Abdukadir Ahmed said by phone. "We dont have the exact number of casualties so far but we have seen the dead bodies of more than 10 people, including civilians, who were killed in the attack." He said the attackers also suffered casualties. AMISOM confirmed on Twitter that a car bomb had been used to target a police post but said Somali forces had held their position, waiting for reinforcements. Witnesses said the Shabaab fighters left town and dead bodies were strewn in some roads. "Shabaab fighters left the police station and other locations they have taken this afternoon, there are dead bodies and I saw 11 of them at our neighbourhood. Somali and AMISOM soldiers are now in some parts of the town," Abdirisak Isgowe, a resident, said. Another resident, Fadumo Wariri, said most of those killed perished in the blast, and most were soldiers. - Shabaab claim - A statement from Shabaab said they had killed 35 government soldiers and seized a sizeable quantity of military equipment from the posts it attacked. It was not immediately clear whether the main aim of the Shabaab operation was to seize equipment or to show they were capable of launching attacks at will, even in daylight. Story continues The attack on Afgoye, which lies at a strategic crossroads of routes heading north, west and south into Somalia, shows the country's continuing fragility. On Saturday the UN humanitarian agency said a week of violent clashes in northern Somalia had left 11 people dead and driven more than 50,000 people to flee. In just a few weeks Somalia is due to hold elections that it is hoped will bring a measure of stability to the conflict-plagued nation. The Shabaab has fought to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu since 2007, losing control of the capital in 2011 before losing other bastions such as Afgoye. From Esquire Fox News is a different network, if only ever so slightly. Roger Ailes is out following multiple counts of alleged sexual harassment from female employees, and criticism of Donald Trump is up, bolstered by reporting from Fox anchor Shepard Smith. "Every day we want to be absolutely fair and absolutely balanced. That phrase has not been bastardized for me," Smith told The Huffington Post in a new story. It just so happens that "fair and balanced" reporting is decidedly not in Trump's favor. Smith also reported on Ailes' departure from Fox News, despite strong personal connections to his former boss. "He was as nice as he could be to me. I loved him like a father." Smith also denied that Ailes made homophobic comments around him. This is not necessarily a defense of Ailes. Smith claimed to know nothing about the sexual harassment claims before the news broke and called the experience of learning the truth "very scarring and horrifying." From HuffPo: Though Shep rarely talks about his sexuality, he is regularly, for instance, included in Out Magazine's Power 50 list. I asked if Ailes had ever made homophobic remarks when he was around. "No, never. He treated me with respect, just respect," Shep said. "I wasn't new in the business when I came here I'd been doing reporting for 12 years but I wasn't old in it either, and he gave me every opportunity in the world and he never asked anything of me but that we get it right, try to get it right every day. It was a very warm and loving and comfortable place." [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Megyn%20Kelly%20Defends%20the%20Women%20Accusing%20Trump" customimages="" content="article.49568"] "I trusted him and trusts were betrayed," Smith said. Now, in lieu of a job, Ailes is advising Trump. Story continues Trump's most recognizable LGBT supporter is perhaps Peter Thiel, whose personal vendetta against Gawker snowballed into a revenge lawsuit that catapulted him to the RNC stage to pledge his support for Trump. Just Saturday, The New York Times learned Thiel will donate $1.25 million to the faltering Trump campaign. Smith was also the subject of a Gawker crusade to out a public figure, though the similarities stop there. In 2014, Gawker reported that Smith was demoted by Ailes because of his sexuality. Smith denied the report at the time, though he never confirmed nor denied being gay. The Huffington Post article is reportedly the first time Smith has openly discussed his sexuality. [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Why%20She's%20Suing%20Fox%20News" customimages="" content="article.48768"] You Might Also Like Shia LaBeouf confirms to Ellen that wedding to Mia Goth was real, but ~this~ wasnt supposed to happen Its safe to say that Shia LaBeouf is one of the most interesting people in Hollywood today, and pretty much always has been. While we loved him in the beloved Disney Channel original series Even Stevens, were continually impressed with his commitment to acting, performance art, and thirst for adventure. Seriously, have you heard about his hitch-hiking road trip around the U.S.? So cool! And unless youve been living under a rock, you know that the American Honey actor recently married longtime girlfriend Mia Goth in a Las Vegas ceremony that was LIVE-STREAMED for the world to see. And because Shia is known for doing a lot of these out-there performance pieces, a lot of people thought the whole thing was fake. While the wedding was in fact real, Shia explains that the only glitch on the couples big day was that it actually wasnt supposed to be live-streamed. The plan was for it to be a private deal, and part of the package, the King Tut package, you get a live stream for free part of the deal. And I said, You know, we dont really need that, as a matter of fact. Well just take our private tape. We got our moms there, and they said no problem. Unfortunately for the pair, someone accidentally hit the wrong button that sends the video to TMZ, which is how it go out for the world to see. We have to say, thats really not cool on the wedding chapels part if they wanted it to be private, it shouldve been private! Despite the unfortunate live-stream event, we do have to congratulate the happy couple, so, CONGRATS YOU GUYS! The post Shia LaBeouf confirms to Ellen that wedding to Mia Goth was real, but ~this~ wasnt supposed to happen appeared first on HelloGiggles. By Press Trust of India: Taking strong exception to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar giving credit for the decision for cross-LOC surgical strikes to his "RSS teachings", BSP chief Mayawati Tuesday alleged that it amounts to degrading the country's armed forces. "Instead of giving credit for surgical strikes to army, the Defence Minister first gave it to the Prime Minister and now to his RSS teachings which amounts to degrading the valour of the country's army and is condemnable," Mayawati, who had earlier accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of doing politics over the issue with an eye on upcoming polls in Uttar Pradesh and others states, said in a statement here. advertisement The former UP chief minister also lashed out at RSS accusing it of following a "divisive agenda" and alleged that the saffron outfits were raising these issues due to BJP's dismal condition in the state. PARRIKAR CREDITED RSS Addressing a programme in Ahmedabad yesterday, Parrikar had appeared to have given credit to RSS teachings for the decision to launch cross-LOC surgical strikes. "I wonder, with the combination of Prime Minister who comes from Mahatma Gandhi's home state, and I, Defence Minister, coming from Goa which never had any martial race, and surgical strikes. May be the RSS teaching was at the core, but this was quite a different kind of combination," Parrikar had said. Also read: Credit for surgical strikes goes to PM Modi, only helped in planning: Manohar Parrikar Reacting to the remarks, Mayawati said, "It is wrong on the part of the prime minister and defence minister to take credit for surgical strikes and take political mileage in the coming polls." Also read: Pakistan in a state of coma after surgical strikes, says Manohar Parrikar "Though the RSS claims to be a cultural organisation, its activists have always worked with political motives, with a particular mentality in favour of a political party... its people are now present in the BJP and government," she said. Opinion: Indian Army's surgical strikes should make Pakistan think twice before trying another Uri BJP WORRIED ABOUT UP The BSP chief said that BJP and its leaders "are worried over the bad shape of affairs in its Uttar Pradesh unit and so are using controversial issues of nationalism and patriotism to serve political purposes. "There desperation is most evident in their ongoing efforts to wean away leaders of other political parties." Also read: Post surgical strike: India changes posture, continues operation --- ENDS --- Shia LaBeouf hitchhiked around the country using Twitter, and it actually sounds amazing Shia LaBeouf hitchhiked around the country using a method none of us would have ever thought of but we have to admit, its pretty darn cool. The actor stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show in a windbreaker and shorts (classic Shia) to share his experience of traveling across the country with two friendsand some adventurous Twitter followers. Shia and friends created the hashtag #TakeMeAnywhere and Tweeted their coordinates for a month, encouraging Twitter users to pick them up and drive them wherever they wanted. Some people would take us for six-hour drives, some would take us [for] six days it was really up to them, the American Honey actor told Ellen. As Shia acknowledged, the entire experiment was a bit of a risk and required some serious faith in humanity. Even though they did run into some trippers (which we *think* means creepy people) there werent as many as he expected. I thought for sure wed have some trippers pick us up and we did, but they were trippin with us, not against us, so it was cool, he said. Shia and his friends crazy adventure was part of an official sponsored project, with their path across the country documented on their official website. So awesome seeing all the beautiful strangers who took part in #TAKEMEANYWHERE now having their own get-togethers pic.twitter.com/4GFYavBqKa Luke Turner (@Luke_Turner) September 19, 2016 Leave it to Shia LaBeouf to not only make this totally out-there project a success, but also make us seriously jealous over it. Story continues Oh, and the adventure for Shia didnt stop there! He married his girlfriend Mia Goth in Las Vegas well, except the state of Nevada wont recognize the union without a marriage license. Hey, if Shia, Mia, and their Elvis impersonator are acknowledging it, so are we. The post Shia LaBeouf hitchhiked around the country using Twitter, and it actually sounds amazing appeared first on HelloGiggles. Shia LaBeouf lives in his own world one filled with performance art and Missy Elliott tattoos. So were not shocked that hes now insisting that hes married even though there is no official record of it. After the Clark County Marriage License Bureau in Nevada said his Las Vegas wedding with British actress Mia Goth was merely a commitment ceremony because no marriage license was ever filed, he appeared on Tuesdays Ellen DeGeneres Show and claimed that he is really a married man. I did [ get married], he told Ellen. Yes. When Ellen brought up that it could have been another performance art piece like #IAMSORRY, #TakeMeAnywhere, and #AllMyMovies he insisted that he is not messing around with people. The plan was for it to be a private deal, the Transformers star said of the ceremony, which was performed by an Elvis impersonator at Viva Vegas Wedding Chapel and live-streamed on the venues website. Part of the package, the King Tut package, you get a live stream for free. I said, You know, we dont really need that as a matter of fact. Well just take our private tape [of the ceremony], we got our moms there, and they said, No problem. However, he claims it didnt play out like that. He said they live-streamed it anyway and it was picked up by TMZ. We get back home and its like: Whoa! I call them up and they said somebody pressed the wrong button, he recalled. I said I understood. I checked with my girl and she said, Hey what are you gonna do? And, ya know, its love. Were proud of it. It was love. Shia said the mixup wasnt all bad. While their moms were there, their fathers werent, so they got to watch it online. [Our] dads couldnt be there, so it was kind of nice to have them there watching in a way, he said. Despite Shias insistence that they are legally wed, Clark County officials took to social media last week to say, Our Marriage License Bureau records show no marriage license for Shia LaBeouf & Mia Goth. A commitment ceremony was performed, though it was suggested in a live stream of the event that it was a wedding. Our records show no marriage license for Shia LaBeouf & Mia Goth. A commitment ceremony was performed #Vegas pic.twitter.com/pof69dQXTX Clark County Nevada (@ClarkCountyNV) October 12, 2016 Were inclined to believe the public records until Shia produces official legal documents. Until then, mazel tov to the probably-not-married LaBeoufs. Despite Clark County Nevada's tweet last week that Shia LaBeouf's Las Vegas wedding to actress Mia Goth isn't actually legal, LaBeouf himself is taking it very seriously. The 30-year-old actor stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, airing Tuesday, and confirmed that he did get married to Goth last week at the Viva Vegas Wedding Chapel. LaBeouf also said that the couple didn't actually mean to live stream their nuptials to TMZ. "The plan was for it to be a private deal, but part of the package, the King Tut package, you get a live stream for free -- part of the deal," LaBeouf explains. "And I said, 'You know, we don't really need that as a matter of fact. We'll just take our private tape.' We got our Moms there and they said, 'No problem.' We get back home and it's like, woah, hey listen, something changed!" WATCH: Shia LaBeouf and Mia Goth Marry in Live Streamed Las Vegas Wedding Officiated by Elvis Impersonator "I call them up and they said somebody pressed the wrong button that sends the video to TMZ," he continues. "I said, I understood. I checked with my girl and she said, 'Hey, what are you gonna do,' and you know, it's love. We're proud of it. It was love." In the end, the American Honey actor says everything worked out for the best. "Dads couldn't be there so it was kind of nice to have them there watching in a way," he comments. Clark County Nevada's official Twitter stated last Wednesday that their records show no marriage license for LaBeouf and Goth. However, they did note that a "commitment ceremony" was performed. Our records show no marriage license for Shia LaBeouf & Mia Goth. A commitment ceremony was performed #Vegas pic.twitter.com/pof69dQXTX Clark County Nevada (@ClarkCountyNV) October 12, 2016 LaBeouf and Goth met during the filming of Lars von Trier's NC-17 drama, Nymphomaniac, and have been dating for four years. Story continues WATCH: Shia LaBeouf and Mia Goth Aren't Legally Married After Elvis-Themed Vegas Ceremony Last month, the controversial actor slammed legendary director Steven Spielberg and explained why he missed out on a Suicide Squad role that eventually went to Scott Eastwood, in an extremely candid interview with Variety. Watch below: Related Articles Shia LaBeouf was on Ellen and confirmed to host Ellen DeGeneres that he did indeed get married to Mia Goth. There had been speculation that it was yet another performance-art piece by the actor. Clark County in Nevada, where the wedding took place, actually tweeted about it, saying it was a commitment ceremony, and the county has no marriage license on record. Regardless, LaBeouf is calling it a wedding, one that he and Goth intended to keep private. So the plan was to make it a private deal, right? LaBeouf said. In Vegas at Viva Vegas Wedding Chapel. And part of the King Tut package, you get a live stream for free. Part of the deal. And I said, You know, we dont really need that; as a matter of fact, well just take our little private tape. We get back home, and its like, whoa, LaBeouf said when he learned the video had been shared online. I called them up and they said someone pressed the wrong button that sends the video to TMZ. I said I understood and I looked. I checked with my girl, shes like, Hey what are you going to do? It was love, so were proud of it it was love. Watch: Adorable 4-year-old does the TZ anthem challenge on Ellen: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter. PARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Harry Shearer, best known for his voiceovers in "The Simpsons", is suing media group Vivendi for $125 million over profits from the 1984 cult comedy film "This is Spinal Tap". Vivendi bought the rights to the film about a rock band in 1989 but has not paid Shearer, who plays bassist Derek Smalls, or his three Spinal Tap co-creators their rightful dues, according to the complaint, filed in a Los Angeles court. Vivendi declined to comment. Despite having generated millions of dollars in revenue, the complaint said, Vivendi reported soundtrack sales of just $98 between 1989 and 2006, and calculated the four creators' share of total merchandising income between 1984 and 2006 at $81. "This is a simple issue of artists' rights," said Shearer, 72, who voices 23 Simpsons characters, including Ned Flanders and Mr Burns. He accuses Vivendi and its subsidiaries StudioCanal and Universal Music Group of unfair business practices and fraudulent accounting. "... the only people who haven't shared Spinal Tap's success are those who formed the band and created the film in the first place," he said in the complaint. (Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain and Gwenaelle Barzic; Editing by Louise Ireland) Holding up. A day after Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces began fighting their way toward Mosul, the nominal allies appeared to hold up Tuesday morning, each claiming the other needed a break before moving on. The front lines to the east of the city where the Kurds sprinted through about 200 kilometers of territory on Monday was largely quiet, according to a Reuters report from the front. We are just holding our positions, Peshmerga Col. Khathar Sheikhan said. The Iraqi army will now advance past our arenas of control. But an Iraqi special forces commander had a different take, saying his troops paused their advance at the request of the Kurds, who needed more time to consolidate their gains. American commandos in the fight. There are as many as 300 U.S. Special Operations Forces advising the Kurds as they push from the east, and American Apache helicopters have joined the fight, pounding militant positions in northern Iraq, the New York Times reports. And those troops are getting closer to the front. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters Monday that while American forward air controllers would remain behind the front lines, its safe to say there are Americans on the outskirts of Mosul, where theyre embedded with Pesh and Iraqi counterterrorism forces. FPs Paul McLeary writes that while in the previous battles for Ramadi and Fallujah U.S. advisory forces mostly stayed well back of the fighting, the Iraqi counterterrorism troops and Pesh traditionally push their command and control up to the front lines. This means that U.S. troops are providing advice in a combat environment, Cook said. Theyre not back in a building miles away. Moscows Aleppo plan. The skies above Aleppo fell silent on Tuesday as Russian and Syrian bombers took a break from obliterating civilian apartment blocks in order to allow civilians to flee the rebel-held eastern half of the city. Its part of a Russian plan for a humanitarian pause in the bombing on Thursday to allow humanitarian aid to flow into the besieged and divided city. Spokesman for the Russian government, Dmitry Peskov, said Tuesday the Russian military is offering yet another chance, and we hope that our partners will allow us all to take advantage of that. Story continues The pause and the call for rebels and civilians to leave the city is part of a larger Syrian/Russian plan to depopulate areas where anti-Assad forces are most active, as they have in some suburbs surrounding Damascus after months of withering bombardments. But most rebels say no go. The factions completely reject any exit this is surrender, Zakaria Malahifji, the political officer of the Aleppo-based Fastaqim group told Reuters. No go zone. Meanwhile, U.S. officials are increasingly worried about the range of Russian anti-aircraft missiles deployed to Syria. The Washington Posts Karen DeYoung reports that the deployment of Russian S-400 and S-300 missile batteries gives Russia the ability to shoot down planes and cruise missiles over at least 250 miles in all directions from western Syria, covering virtually all of that country as well as significant portions of Turkey, Israel, Jordan and the eastern Mediterranean. American warplanes have never gone up against anything like it, and one defense official admitted, were not sure if any of our aircraft can defeat the S-300. Longread. Theres a very long, but worthwhile new piece in National Geographic by veteran journo James Verini taking a hard look at the state of play of the Islamic States hold over parts of Iraqs Sunni population. Verini spent time in refugee camps in Iraq, and with people in Ramadi and Fallujah, writing that the sudden onslaught by the militant group in 2014 wasnt so sudden for the people who lived there. One soldier from Mosul currently fighting with the Iraqi army said told Verini that it was common knowledge that for years the dissident underworld in Mosula mixture of Islamists, nationalists, guns for hire, and young men with nothing better to dohad been talking about overthrowing Iraqs then prime minister, Nouri al Maliki, a Shiite. This underworld, out of which the stridently Sunni Islamic State would grow, was extreme, but it represented a discontent that many in Mosulindeed, that many Iraqishad felt since 2003. Pleas. Gen. James Cartwright, retired Marine and former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pled guilty on Monday to making false statements to the FBI as they investigated the leak of classified information about Stuxnet, the covert attempt to sabotage Irans nuclear program with malware. Cartwright lied to investigators about whether he was the source of classified information in a book by New York Times reporter David Sanger s book and whether he spoke to then-Newsweek/Daily Beast reporter Daniel Klaidman about an unnamed country (presumably Iran). FPs Elias Groll has lots more here. Good morning and as always, if you have any thoughts, announcements, tips, or national security-related events to share, please pass them along to SitRep HQ. Best way is to send them to: paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or on Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley Its 2016, and everything is up for grabs Theres a bizarre slate of stories surrounding the eccentric leader of WikiLeaks. The WikiLeaks Twitter account accused the Ecuadorian embassy of cutting founder Julian Assanges Internet access. Assange took up residence in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in order to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations that he sexually assaulted two women. WikiLeaks tweeted that it activated the appropriate contingency plans following the Internet outage. Thus far, theres no independent reporting on what transpired at the embassy or why. But the wifi complaints werent the only strange recent offerings from the WikiLeaks account. On Sunday, the account tweeted out three pre-commitments 64 digit sequences which can be used to verify the authenticity of files. Presumably, those files are future document leaks as they pre-commitments came labeled John Kerry, Ecuador, and UK FCO. The Internet, being the Internet, saw a plot: it was 90s TV star in the embassy with the poisoned vegan sandwich. For some reason Pamela Anderson visited Assange at the embassy that same day. The timing, shortly before the cryptic tweets, led to speculation that the former Playboy model poisoned Assange with vegan snacks and the pre-commits were, under this logic, a dying mans last act. Now you know. Cybersecurity Its not just Democrats getting hacked by actors tied to Russia. Cybersecurity news site Krebs on Security reports that hackers have been stealing credit card data from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. An information security researcher discovered that the committees website was one of 5,900 websites hacked by actors using malicious domains traced to a company whose services are advertised on Russian-language cybercrime forums. Thus far, however, theres no evidence to indicate whether the theft is linked to any state actors or just run-of-the-mill cyber criminal activity. Philippines All eyes are on foul-mouthed Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as he visits China after spending weeks flipping off the United States, President Obama, and the U.S.-Philippine military relationship. American officials have thus far treated Duterte threats to cancel joint exercises and kick out U.S. troops as mere rhetorical flourishes. But analysts tell the New York Times that Dutertes visit to China will be a key indicator of whether he wants to turn that rhetoric into reality. If, for example, Duterte cuts off American access to the air base on Palawan island a thorn in Chinas side for the reach it gives U.S. airpower into the South China Sea following the visit, his bromides against the Philippines relationship with Washington are probably much more than just talk. Syria The U.S.-led operation to take the symbolically and strategically important city of Mosul back from the Islamic State is underway, but theres some disagreement over when the United States will be ready to take on Raqqa, the capital of the jihadist groups self-proclaimed caliphate. The Washington Post reports that some administration officials are worried that theyre not prepared to handle a liberated Raqqa quite yet, with preparations for humanitarian assistance, governance, and the training of an Arab force to take the city still lacking. Others, however, are pushing for a swifter liberation of the city warning that the failure to do so will lead the Islamic State to hit us and our partners in a fairly dramatic way The European Union (EU) issued a statement on Monday decrying what it said was clearly disproportionate attacks in Aleppo, accusing the [Assad] regime and its allies of deliberate targeting of hospitals, medical personnel, schools and essential infrastructure. The attacks, according to the EU, may amount to war crimes. The EU also threatened Syria with a new round of sanctions but, at least so far, hasnt mentioned doing the same to Russia. Photo Credit: Yunus Keles/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images [Photo: Sarah Hester] Not gonna lie, a single glimpse at this Harry Potter inspired photoshoot and youll be under some sort of sexifying charm. Yeah, I said sexifying. Photographer and Harry Potter super fan Sarah Hester joined forces with model Zachary Howell to conjure this, quite frankly, Riddikulus-ly hot photoshoot. I met Zach at a meetup I held at the studio for local photographers,Hester told Buzzfeed. I started calling him Harry because I could NOT remember his name. I jokingly asked if he would be willing to shoot a Harry Potter boudoir session and he was into the idea! We set up the shoot for a week later. The shoot features Howell dressed in the Hogwarts uniform [Photo: Sarah Hester] kinda dressed in the Hogwarts uniform [Photo: Sarah Hester] not dressed in the Hogwarts uniform [Photo: Sarah Hester] and reaching for his Chamber of Secrets. [Photo: Sarah Hester] What is this witchcraft and wizardry?! [Photo: Sarah Hester] Seriously, no Luminous Maxima charm required. [Photo: Sarah Hester] This photographer model duo have definitely got a couple of O.W.Ls in magical sexology between them. Yeah, I went there. [Photo: Sarah Hester] 22 spectacularly lame pumpkin carvings 10 awesome alternative DIY Halloween costumes By PTI: From Aditi Khanna London, Oct 18 (PTI)Prime Minister Theresa Mays India visit next month will give a fillip to bilateral economic and commercial ties, a top Indian diplomat here has said and asserted that New Delhi is keen on working with the UK to ensure that the positive effects of Brexit are enhanced. May is scheduled to arrive in India on November 6 for a three-day visit, which will include a bilateral dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. advertisement "The forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Theresa May to India, following the highly successful visit (to the UK) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, will give a fillip to economic and commercial relations between both countries," Indias Acting High Commissioner to the UK Dinesh Patnaik said. "India-UK economic relations are strong and vibrant, but there still remains considerable potential that needs to be tapped. India is keen to work with UK to ensure that the positive effects of Brexit are enhanced and negative effects are minimised," he said. The envoy made the remarks while addressing a session on Going Global: Doing Business in India organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Brexit and Global Expansion Summit and UK India Business Council (UKIBC) in Greenwich yesterday. The details of Mays first visit to India as Prime Minister are still being finalised, with Bengaluru expected as the second city besides New Delhi she is likely to visit. In the Indian capital, she will inaugurate the India-UK TECH Summit along with Modi. The two leaders are expected to hold their bilateral talks over a working lunch on November 7. May will be accompanied by her international trade minister, Liam Fox, who will be attending the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO). The UK delegation will also include representatives of small and medium businesses from regions across the UK and a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit. According to official sources, India will be keen to cover a range of issues including discussions on a potential free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK after Britain officially leaves the European Union (EU) and a more nuanced approach from the UK on cross-border terrorism. PTI AK ASK AKJ ASK --- ENDS --- From Harper's BAZAAR For as long as I can remember, I dreamed about someday living in New York. For even longer, I dreamed about someday working in the fashion industry. But after spending my teenage years reading every magazine I could get my hands on, taking fashion classes in the city and mapping out my entire career in the industry, when it finally came time to make my long-awaited college decision, I completely chickened out. Instead of moving to New York City to attend college for fashion, I decided to play it safe and attend the University of Rhode Island so I could have a "normal college experience." Long story short, it turns out I'm not a "normal experience" kind of person. While my friends at school were busy taking naps and hanging out on the campus quad, I desperately yearned to be part of the fashion world. Since there wasn't much of a "fashion world" in Rhode Island, I threw myself into the closest thing possible: Twitter (Instagram was not a thing yet) and began following every fashion account I could possibly find. I connected with other fashion-obsessed Twitter users to talk about the collections at New York Fashion Week and to live-tweet Project Runway and The Rachel Zoe Project with. I connected with people who actually worked in the industry and-wait for it-actually replied to my tweets. One of those people was the mysterious DKNY PR Girl: an anonymous, ultra-cool girl who lived in New York and tweeted behind-the-scenes tidbits about her fashion job. Photo credit: Twitter I quickly became obsessed with following DKNY PR Girl and lived vicariously through her glamorous life. And the best part about following her on Twitter? She actually talked to me! We tweeted about fashion trends, perfumes and random things like Gossip Girl-it made me feel like a part of her world and more importantly, part of the "real" fashion world. After talking more and more to DKNY PR Girl, I met other people in her "Twitter circle" and began tweeting them regularly, as well-I didn't know it but at 18 years old in the middle of nowhere, Rhode Island, I was doing a little thing called networking. Story continues It was then that I realized I could either stay at my university for the next four years and live through the people I admired on Twitter or I could take a risk and move to New York. I chose the latter and after my freshman year, transferred to a fashion and business school, LIM College, right smack in the middle of Manhattan-all thanks to my tweeting habits. My first goal when I got to New York City? Figure out a way to get an internship at DKNY, of course. And you know what? I did. It was around that time when the anonymous DKNY PR Girl was revealed as Aliza Licht, Senior Vice President of Public Relations at Donna Karan. After we worked on a fun Twitter project together for the 2012 Olympics, I used our already-established social media relationship and newly exchanged email addresses to let Licht know that I was applying for an internship in her department at DKNY. Long story short, that highly-anticipated internship-which I never would have gone after had it not been for Twitter-led to many more internships in the industry and eventually to my first fashion job here at Harper's BAZAAR. And that is the power of social media. I decided to bring things full circle and talk to Licht about being daring on social media. Not the posting a nude selfie kind of daring, but the building your personal brand, networking and taking your career to the next level kind of daring. While my Twitter-inspired move to New York may have been a risk, it's Licht who redefined not only her own career, but also the role of PR and social media managers as a whole. Since departing from Donna Karan, Licht went on to publish her first book, Leave Your Mark, a guide to landing your dream job and using social media to excel. I sat down with Licht to talk about how to use social media to your career advantage, the do's and don'ts of online networking, and even the oft confusing unknown that is LinkedIn. Photo credit: Aliza Licht Harper's BAZAAR: First, let's bring it back to your social media start: DKNY PR Girl. At the time Twitter was so new and virtually no other brands used it the way you did. How did you come up with the idea to launch a Twitter account from the brand's point of view? Aliza Licht: It was really a company decision to embark on social media in general. When we were sitting around in a marketing meeting thinking, 'what does social mean for us and how would we do that?' it seemed that the marketing side of our department was very clear on what Facebook would look like but for Twitter, it was sort of like the Wild West, nobody really knew. Other brands were not on Twitter at the time in the fashion space at all. I was, pure and simple, inspired by Gossip Girl because I wanted it to be something that spoke to the brand and I really didn't want it to be about the person who was speaking, especially because as a publicist back then we were very controlled as far as giving soundbites about the brand-there was a hierarchy to how that happened. I figured if the account was anonymous and if it was a character, no one would harass us or care who was actually the voice, which lasted for about two days. Predominantly because the more people responded and the more they recognized that it was the same voice over and over again, the more intrigued they became with who the voice was. HB: What did using Twitter in that capacity teach you about standing out on social media? AL: I think the whole idea of curation, I loved curating how I saw the brand, which was from a very unique point of view. I saw it from the vantage point of public relations which was fashion shows, celebrity dressing and meetings with editors. The idea of showing product through the lens of PR, to me, was the best filter on Instagram you can think of. It's like, 'what's the best version, the best light to show your brand?' I'm a wordsmith, I love words and I loved how in the beginning, when you think back to Twitter back in 2009, media was not embedded, it was elective. You could play a lot with mystery and intrigue and the clickbait of what your words were. Obviously that's changed now unfortunately, but there was something fun about the gaming of the posts and understanding 'if I say this, will they open it?' Then really just being extremely motivated by the engagement. I didn't pay attention to the numbers. The numbers were increasing as we went along but it's not like I had a budget to pay for promoted Tweets and back then you didn't need it. The engagement motivated me to be on it 24/7. I think what I did back then would be very hard to do now in the sense that I think you'd have to split that job over a lot of people and have weekend people and night people. It was just me 24/7, obviously I like to talk a lot. HB: I think that professional women today have such an advantage to use social media to get ahead in their career. What's the right way for people to network online? AL: It's funny because I use social predominantly as a reinforcement of my relationships. Meaning, I will use it to give voice to somebody else or compliment something that they've done in achievement or share something that's important to them or just reply. I find it as an effective way to keep up with people when you have no real reason to email them otherwise. I will actually go through my contact list and think about, who haven't I spoken to in a really long time? I will go through their posts because I feel like your name showing up in people's feeds or just liking their posts, small little gestures go a long way, just a reminder that you exist. HB: And what about pitching yourself on social media? AL: I'm in a lot of groups on Facebook and one is a group of PR people and media. Someone wrote a post about how they do not want to be pitched on Facebook, I totally agree with that and I would never pitch someone on Facebook or Twitter or anything-that's sort of crossing the line. I'll respond to pitches in the sense that if someone, for example, another editor contacted me via Facebook messenger and asked me for a quote. I'm like, "You have my email, why aren't you just emailing me?" That's your space to play and relax and you don't necessarily want to be pitched there. HB: If you don't know someone but you know that you want to start talking or networking with them, is there a way that you can reach out via social media without crossing the line or being weird? AL: I think the best thing to do is to start engaging with their posts. HB: Just in a natural, off-the-cuff way... AL: Exactly. People did that with me all the time. They would just start talking or asking questions and you start to become a bit familiar with the person, if you pay attention to your feed of course. Then I think from there you can take it to the next level. That goes back to something that I say all the time which is you need to build your network before you need it. You need to nurture those relationships before you actually need to use them. HB: Personal branding is obviously so different now than it was five years ago, do you think that everybody needs to separate their professional brand from their personal brand on social media? AL: I don't think you can, I think if your accounts are public it is one in the same. Even if they're private sometimes you forget who you allow into that world. You do have to think about what you're posting and oftentimes people don't. I think, especially on Twitter, it's so fleeting and you're like, "No one's going to notice, it's a quick thought, it doesn't matter." It so matters, everything matters. Snapchat matters, people have gotten fired for their snaps thinking that no one's going to see that in the last three seconds. It's true and it all goes back to what your personal brand stands for and an employer looks at your social media as Exhibit B. "You need to think of it as, 'if this tweet was a full page ad in the New York Times, would I still write that?'" HB: What do you think is the best platform for people to use to get ahead in their career? AL: For fashion, I still think Instagram is a favorite. I know everyone's obsessed with Snapchat right now, I'm personally not, but I still also maintain that Twitter is a huge networking tool. I do so much networking on Twitter. Especially as someone in communications, every journalist is on Twitter, obsessively on Twitter. I think you kind of use a potpourri of all of them but for fashion, Instagram is still number one. HB: What do you think is the most common mistake people make when they're using social media? AL: I think people forget that other people are seeing and reading what you post. A lot of times it does feel like a venting mechanism, right? I always say you need to think of it as, 'if this tweet was a full page ad in the New York Times, would you still write that?' A lot of times you wouldn't. For example, I live-tweeted the Emmy's red carpet and I didn't know at the time but Fashion Police has a new thing where they pull tweets to run during their show recap-on national television! So they ran one of my tweets but I'm lucky because I'm conditioned to think about what I'm saying. Even though that was snarky and it was definitely derogatory toward that dress, I knew what I was saying and I was comfortable with whatever happened with that tweet. Did I know it was going to end up on Fashion Police? No, but I was fine with it. Years ago I might not have given it as much thought but as you get more seasoned, you realize the repercussions of your words. HB: We're talking about how women can being daring on social media but I think there's such a thin line between being daring online and then jeopardizing your career/personal brand. What do you think is crossing the line? AL: First of all, I think there are a lot of topics you can weigh in on where you know if you you really go out on a limb with a very strong opinion-whether it's politics, religion, whatever topic-you're going to get a lot of engagement, you're going to get a lot of people looking at your profile. But it goes back to that all press is not good press rule of thumb, which I believe all press is not good press. I know a lot of influential women who like to go to every fight they're invited to-they like to always make sure they get their statement in. When you represent a company you have to remember, and especially if it's in your bio, you have to remember that regardless if you say that your tweets are your own or your posts are your own, you're still representing that company. If you're going to be very antagonistic in social and really be a loud mouth, you have to consider that your company may or may not appreciate that. I know someone who got into quite a predicament based on some of her old tweets from years ago where they got resurfaced again. That's another thing, as you progress in your career and you become more senior, it's always good to go through every platform and do a spring cleaning before people start looking for what you used to say. "As you progress in your career and become more senior, it's always good to go through every platform and do a spring cleaning before people start looking for what you used to say." HB: Let's talk about the platform that's actually meant for professional networking but sometimes feels like a black hole: LinkedIn. How should people use it? AL: There are years that went by when I didn't even pay attention to LinkedIn. Then all of a sudden I woke up one day a couple of years ago and I'm like, "I'm going to fill that out." Filling it out as if it's your personal website or the digital version of your resume is really beneficial. I find that people connect faster than they do check in on it, I feel like people make connections and then never look again in a lot of ways. If you message someone via Linkedin you probably won't hear back because they're not checking in. I do think the degrees of separation between you and another person is a great way to figure out if you do need to get to someone how you can navigate that process. HB: Do you think on Linkedin you should request people you don't know? AL: I don't. If I want to connect with someone that I don't know, I will try to see who we have in common and have that person introduce us. I know that if you contact someone and you just say that you're friends you can request anyone. I have to say I wish they would change that. HB: For me, it just feels like a black hole that nobody really knows how they should be using. AL: I think there's also a lot of-going back to your original question about personal branding-a lot of pieces to this puzzle make up the personal brand. You have obviously your social, you have Linkedin, you have maybe a personal website which I do think is 101 these days to just have for your scope of work. It's so easy to make a website on Squarespace for free, by yourself, I did it. There's a lot of search that happens and any opportunity you can use to keep on reinforcing your message, reinforcing what you do, who you are, from a search engine optimization perspective, it behooves you to take advantage of all those free sites. HB: What is something that a professional woman should never do on social media? AL: Air your dirty laundry-there is such a thing as too much information. If you're having a breakdown or something, you don't need to tell the entire world about it. If you post on social with the mentality of, 'my boss is seeing this,' it's just a great barometer to check and filter what you say before. There are a lot of people who have no parameters when they write and that affects your professional reputation. I'm not saying that you should have 24/7 perfection, I used to tweet about failing all the time but there's one thing to be said for failing and something to be said for failing at something that's your core competency. For example, if you're in finance and you messed up something math-related, do not share that! Keep it to yourself! "If you post on social with the mentality of, 'my boss is seeing this,' it's just a great barometer to check and filter what you say before you post." HB: What is one risk that you would take online or you would recommend someone take to get ahead in their career? AL: It's to everyone's benefit when they put things that they want to happen out in the universe. I think a lot of times we have goals and hopes and dreams that we keep to ourselves because we haven't done anything to achieve them or we're scared like, 'if it doesn't happen then I've spoken about it, it looks so stupid if it didn't happen.' Putting stuff out there and actually saying, "I'm putting this out into the universe, this is what I want to do" is a great way to get your network to help you achieve that goal. Even though someone may see that and not have an immediate action point for you, it just sits in your brain and maybe like a week or two later you might be like, "Oh my god I should introduce this person to that person." I love throwing stuff out into the universe. I do it a lot actually. HB: That's smart. You never know who is looking for a job or who knows somebody else. AL: Yeah and you know what? There's no shame in chronicling your journey toward something online and bringing people along your journey. I think that's one of the reasons why DKNY PR girl was so successful, because there was an authenticity to going on that journey and it wasn't always perfect but at the same time, you felt like you were a part of something. You Might Also Like Sony Pictures couldn't stop its confidential data from being hacked in 2014, but in response to a lawsuit filed in July that contends it was obligated to prevent one of its films from being circulated on the internet, demands the legal action be moved from a public courtroom to private arbitration. The lawsuit comes from Possibility Pictures, the production company behind To Write Love on Her Arms, one of four films prematurely released thanks to the 2014 hack. The complaint in Florida federal court contends Sony has breached the anti-piracy provisions of its distribution agreement by not doing more to prevent or mitigate a cyber attack that has been attributed to the North Koreans. Possibility Pictures says its film starring Kat Dennings and Rupert Friend was downloaded for free nearly 20,000 times after the hack and demands Sony fork over the movie's projected revenue of $8.7 million. On Monday, Sony filed a motion to compel arbitration and stay proceedings. A memorandum in support addresses the merits of the claims by suggesting that the plaintiff is "conflating SPWA's right to use technical measures to try to prevent piracy with any contractual obligation to do so." However, Sony's primary aim is to get the case before a JAMS arbitrator. "The Distribution Agreement provides that any claims the parties may assert against each other must be pursued in an arbitration forum," Sony tells a Florida federal judge. Sony adds that it attempted to advise Possibility that the dispute must be arbitrated before the lawsuit was filed. Chalk it up to one more instance where Sony couldn't quite keep things under wraps. Over the weekend Kanye West gave a speech during one of his recent shows, claiming that biters were "copying his shit." While many continue to speculate whether or not those comments were directed towards Drake or not, it appears Kanye may have spoke too soon on this topic. A South African rapper by the name of Cassper Nyovest has been drawing attention has began to make claims that Kanye was actually the one biting off of othershim specifically. In a recent Instagram post, Cassper Nyovest posted a photo of his own smaller floating stage, saying that he made it happen a whole year before Kanye. Though some doubted his claims, a quick scroll down to November 2015 shows the original photo he posted, showing his stage floating above the crowd. Although Kanye's current floating stage is a much bigger scale, which allows the entire crowd within the floor section to experience the show from completely under the moving stage, it seems to be the idea here is pretty much the same. There's no word yet on if the South African rapper has tried to reach out to Kanye, but it seems safe to assume Kanye might address these claims in a new speech during an upcoming tour date. Thank you for watching the interview. Hope you understand me a bit more... Thank you for all the tweets. I appreciate it... God bless A photo posted by Refiloe Phoolo (@casspernyovest) on Nov 13, 2015 at 8:00am PST #casspernyovest #productiondesign #lightingdesign #fillupthedome #formative #epicmoment #d3 #stagedesign A photo posted by Formative (@formativedesign) on Nov 5, 2015 at 3:57am PST Continue Reading On PigeonsandPlanes More from PigeonsandPlanes JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan reiterated that he will not apply for a review of the decision by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to charge him with fraud, his lawyers said on Tuesday. The NPA on Monday invited Gordhan to make representations regarding the charges to its head, Shaun Abrahams, by Tuesday afternoon. Gordhan said on Friday he considered such a review pointless because he doubted the "ability or willingness" of the NPA to give him a fair hearing. (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by James Macharia) By Tiisetso Motsoeneng JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Oakbay Investments said on Tuesday that a court application by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan linking the firm and its owners, who have close ties to President Jacob Zuma, to suspicious transactions was flawed. The statement comes days after Gordhan said in a court affidavit that 6.8 billion rand ($491 million) in payments made by Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta and companies they control and other individuals with the same surname had been reported to authorities as suspicious since 2012. The three Indian-born businessmen are the subject of an official investigation by the Public Protector, a constitutionally mandated anti-corruption watchdog, into allegations that they have had undue influence over Zuma. The president has denied granting undue influence to the brothers and they have denied seeking it. Oakbay, whose chief executive, Nazeem Howa, resigned for health reasons on Monday, said all 72 transactions were approved by the banks processing them. In a statement, the company dismissed Gordhan's application as "undiluted nonsense" and said it would provide evidence to clear suspicions about each of the 72 transactions. It did not provide any details in the statement other than to say one of the largest payments - 1.3 billion rand from a trust account for funds dedicated to the eventual rehabilitation of an Oakbay-controlled coal mine - had been transferred from Standard Bank to Bank of Baroda because Standard Bank was closing the account. Gordhan's submission is a request to the High Court in Pretoria for a declaratory judgment that he cannot interfere with decisions by South Africa's major banks to cut their ties with businesses owned by the Gupta brothers. Several banks and companies have cut ties this year with Oakbay, without disclosing their reasons. They included South Africa's top four banks: Standard Bank, Nedbank, Barclays Africa's Absa and First National Bank (FNB), part of FirstRand. Oakbay has since been using the local unit of Bank of Baroda, India's second-biggest state-run lender by assets. A Treasury spokeswoman said the Gupta's formal response to the Oakbay statement would have to be filed in the form of an affidavit before a hearing date could be set. ZUMA BACKS GORDHAN ON ECONOMY Gordhan's submission on Friday capped a week of drama in which he was charged with fraud by approving early retirement for a deputy tax commissioner in 2010 and re-hiring him as a consultant. Gordhan said the fraud charge was politically motivated. Zuma has said he supports Gordhan - looked at by nervous financial markets as a guarantor of stability - but that the law must take its course in the case against him. Gordhan supporters say the finance minister is being persecuted for his tough stance against political influence wielded by Zuma's allies. Speaking to South African foreign service diplomats on Tuesday, Zuma said he backed Gordhan's efforts to attract investors to Africa's most industrialised country. "It has worked very well. They have been able to go all over the world presenting South Africa," Zuma said, referring to Gordhan's charm offensive. ($1 = 14.0465 rand) (Additional reporting by TJ Stydom in Pretoria; Editing by James Macharia/Jeremy Gaunt) PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa's economy still faces major challenges despite growing by 3.3 percent in the second quarter after contracting in the first, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday. In an address to South African diplomats who represent the country abroad, Zuma also said he backed efforts by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan to reassure investors about betting on Africa's most industrialised country. Investors have been nervous about Pretoria's commitment to sound economic policy since Zuma changed finance ministers twice in less than a week in December. Fraud charges by the state against Gordhan announced last week have also hurt markets. (Reporting by TJ Strydom; Writing by Stella Mapenzauswa; Editing by James Macharia) A South Korean court handling the bankruptcy case of STX Offshore and Shipbuilding Co., said on Tuesday it could announce the bundled sale of the company with its profitable French shipyard unit later this week. STX France, which specialises in building cruise ships, is the only profitable unit of STX Offshore, which filed for receivership in May. Originally it was assumed that the French unit would be sold off separately as part of a general restructuring plan, but the bankruptcy court signalled its preference for selling the two companies as a package. "The court is seeking to sell STX Offshore together with STX France as one bundle," said Choi Ung-Young, a judge who acts as a spokesman for the Seoul Central District Insolvency Court. A court notice to that effect would be issued "this week", Choi said. The court will then call in STX Offshore stakeholders and creditor banks on November 11 to approve the sale proposal and overall restructuring plan. Once South Korea's number four shipbuilder, STX Offshore has struggled since the global financial crisis with slumping demand and competition from low-cost Chinese rivals. Creditor banks have stumped up more than four trillion won ($3.5 billion) to bail the company out, but its total debts stood at 7.3 trillion won as of June. In 2008, STX bought a 66.6 percent stake in a huge naval shipyard in the western French port of Saint-Nazaire, later named STX France. The French state holds a 33.3 percent share and is extremely concerned about the future of the shipyard, which is a big local employer with a healthy order book for large cruise liners. SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean prosecutors plan to charge Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin, wire service Yonhap reported on Tuesday, in the latest twist to a wide-ranging corruption probe that has convulsed the country's fifth-largest conglomerate. Prosecutors last month asked for an arrest warrant for Shin on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust but a South Korean court rejected their request for the warrant. Yonhap said that while Shin would be charged, he would not be arrested. Prosecutors will announce the results of their probe into Lotte Group on Oct. 19, a prosecution source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The source, who was not authorised to speak to the media, declined comment on what their decision would be regarding Shin. Representatives for Lotte Group and a spokesman for the prosecutors' office could not be immediately reached. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) By Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean prosecutors will file charges on Wednesday against Lotte Group's chairman, Shin Dong-bin, father and brother alleging they committed offences such as embezzlement and breach of trust worth hundreds of millions of dollars at the family-owned conglomerate, wire service Yonhap reported on Tuesday. Closing a wide-ranging probe into corruption that has convulsed Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate, prosecutors will announce the results of their investigation into the retail-to-chemicals group on Oct. 19, a prosecution source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The person, who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, declined to comment on whether Shin, 61, will be indicted. Shin's father, the 93-year-old Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, and his brother Shin Dong-joo, will also be charged with offences such as tax evasion and breach of trust, Yonhap reported. A Lotte Group spokeswoman declined to comment. The probe has constricted management at Lotte, a household name in Korea, since it flared into public in June, derailing plans for billion-dollar deals and freezing expansion of a group with assets worth 103 trillion won ($92 billion). It also served as the backdrop to the apparent suicide of a leading executive at the group. Yonhap said on Tuesday that while Shin would be charged with embezzlement of about 50 billion won and breach of trust involving about 175 billion won, he would not be arrested. Last month the Seoul Central District Court turned down prosecutors' request for an arrest warrant for Shin after he appeared at a court hearing, saying it didn't view detaining the executive as necessary. Once indicted, appeals processes could mean Shin potentially faces trial in court for many months. A spokesman for the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office could not be immediately reached for comment. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Kenneth Maxwell) Melania Trump, wife of Donald Trump, came out in defense of husband and termed his lewd comments on women 'boy talk'. She said he was 'egged on from the host to say dirty and bad stuff'. Melania Trump sits down with CNN television host Anderson Cooper during an exclusive interview in New York: Photo: Reuters By Reuters: Melania Trump rose to her husband, Donald Trump's defense on Monday, describing lewd comments the Republican presidential nominee made on a leaked 2005 video in which he bragged about groping women as "boy talk." Trump, who has kept a low profile during her husband's presidential bid, gave her first television interviews since the October 7 release of the tape that has shaken Donald Trump's campaign. He trails Democrat Hillary Clinton in opinion polls ahead of the November 8 election. advertisement Melania Trump told CNN her husband was engaged in "boy talk, and he was led on - like, egged on - from the host to say dirty and bad stuff" in the conversation with "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush. NBC said on Monday that Bush was leaving the "Today" show, following his role in the taped conversation with Donald Trump. Also Read: White House condemns Donald Trump's remarks on women, calls it sexual assault 'DONALD TRUMP DOESN'T TALK LIKE THAT' Melania Trump, a Slovenian-born former model, added in a CNN interview that aired on Monday night that she was surprised because she had never heard her husband use that kind of language before. "No. No, that's why I was surprised, because I said like I don't know that person that would talk that way, and that he would say that kind of stuff in private," Melania Trump said. She told CNN that her husband behaved at times like an overgrown boy and that she saw his "Access Hollywood" remarks as in keeping with that behavior. Also Read: Trump's Playboy video, beauty queen's 'sex tape' turn US presidential campaign sordid I HAVE TWO BOYS AT HOME- MY SON AND TRUMP: MELANIA "Sometimes I say I have two boys at home. I have my young son and I have my husband. But I know how some men talk, and that's how I saw it, yes," she said. Trump told CNN she agreed with first lady Michelle Obama that kissing or groping someone without consent constituted sexual assault, adding: "But every assault should be taken care of in a court of law. And to accuse, no matter who it is, a man or a woman, without evidence is damaging and unfair." Also Read | Trump's views on women in video will disqualify him for job at a store: Obama MELANIA ACCEPTS TRUMP'S APOLOGY. TIME TO MOVE ON? In partial transcripts from a separate interview with Fox News, she said she had forgiven her husband for the comments in the tape, which was first published by the Washington Post. "Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. And he apologized to me. And I ... accept his apology. And we are moving on." advertisement They were her first public comments since a statement she issued after the tape's publication in which she said her husband's remarks did "not represent the man that I know." Melania Trump told Fox News that her husband, a New York businessman and former reality television star, was committed to running for office even though it was difficult because he had been "in so many shows, so many tapes" over the years. Asked if it was fair for the media or her husband to bring up charges of infidelity in former President Bill Clinton's past, Melania Trump told Fox News: "Well, if they bring up my past, why not?" Also Read: Trump donors want money back after lewd comments about women WHY ARE WOMEN COMING OUT NOW, 3 WEEKS BEFORE ELECTION: MELANIA After Trump denied during a debate with Clinton on October 9 that he had actually done the things he bragged about in the tape, a number of women accused him of groping and kissing them without permission in incidents stretching back decades. advertisement He has denied the charges. Also Read| Donald Trump groped, kissed us: Women come out to debunk 'locker room talk' claim Asked about those accusations, Melania Trump told Fox News: "All these women are coming out and they are allegations but they are not true. Why now? Why three weeks before the election?" "I believe my husband," she told CNN. "This was all organized from the opposition. With the details that they got, did they ever check the background of these women? They don't have any facts." Also Read: US professor who correctly predicted results of last 8 election says Donald Trump will win India, US would be 'best friends' if I am elected President, says Donald Trump First US presidential debate 2016: All you need to know about the Clinton-Trump face-off --- ENDS --- MADRID (Reuters) - The leadership of Spain's Socialists meet on Sunday to decide whether to enable their conservative rivals to form a minority government, thereby ending ten months of political deadlock. With just under two weeks to go until a deadline to form a government, the Socialist gathering is widely seen as a make-or-break summit that will determine whether Spain will manage to avoid its third general election in a year. The Socialists - who came second in two inconclusive elections last December and in June behind the conservative People's Party (PP) - have so far vetoed attempts by PP leader Mariano Rajoy to form a minority administration. The rise of several newer forces such as anti-austerity Podemos ("We Can")in the wake of a long economic crisis splintered Spain's political landscape in the two ballots and left all parties well short of a parliamentary majority. The prospect of a third election that could further drain support from the Socialists and alienate frustrated Spaniards has caused some senior members of the center-left force to change tack, however, causing a deep rift in the party. Former Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez was ousted earlier this month over his handling of the impasse and his steadfast refusal to let the PP govern. Since then, signs have mounted that the Socialists are now prepared to abstain in a confidence vote to allow Rajoy to form a new government, even if they still refuse to enter a coalition with his party and may block his policies in future. The Socialists' federation in the southern regional bastion of Andalusia said on Monday it supported such an abstention, suggesting the rest of the party could be ready to shift its stance. "We have to find the least bad solution," Javier Fernandez, the interim Socialist party head, told a parliamentary meeting on Tuesday, adding that another national election would likely benefit the PP. Spanish politicians have until Oct. 31 to form a government. If they fail to reach an agreement by then, a fresh election will automatically be triggered. Even if Rajoy does manage to form an administration with an abstention from the Socialists, focus will immediately turn to how stable his minority government is likely to be when budget cuts are on the cards for next year as Spain strains to reach its deficit targets. (Reporting by Inmaculada Sanz and Sarah White; Editing by Angus Berwick and Ralph Boulton) By Ahmed Aboulenein CAIRO (Reuters) - On the evening of July 21, 2013, dozens of judges gathered on the Armada, a floating restaurant docked where the Nile glides past the leafy suburb of Maadi in southern Cairo. The judges, some of whom ranked amongst the most senior in Egypt, were there to break the Ramadan fast. As they tucked into grilled kebab and tahina, the men discussed the military takeover that had taken place three weeks earlier. Led by General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former head of military intelligence, Egypt's military had ousted President Mohamed Mursi and his government following mass popular protests against his rule. Mursi, a member of Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood, had been democratically elected a year earlier. Now he was in jail. One of the judges, Mohamed Nagi Derballah, suggested issuing a statement condemning the takeover. The document he drafted that evening called for a return to "constitutional legitimacy" a democratic government but steered clear of directly criticizing the military or demanding Mursi's reinstatement. More than 30 judges signed the document that night. Over the following days others added their names, including some living abroad. Ultimately, 75 judges signed the statement. A senior judge read it out at a news conference on July 24. Three years on, nearly half the judges who signed the statement have been removed from office as part of what they say is a crackdown by Sisi aimed at bringing the judiciary under tighter government control. Judicial records show that since 2013, disciplinary committees formed by the Supreme Judiciary Council, the governing body which sits on top of the Egyptian judicial ladder, have forcibly retired 59 judges including 32 of the 75 who signed the Armada statement. Some of the judges who signed the Armada letter recanted and were not disciplined. An Egyptian judicial disciplinary committee has the power to reprimand judges, transfer them to other posts, force them to retire, or clear them of wrongdoing. After the committee rules on a case, Sisi signs off on the decision. Most of the 59 judges forced into retirement were ruled to have broken a law that prohibits judges from "practicing politics." But 25 of the judges told Reuters they believe the real reason they were pushed out was to scare other judges into toeing the government line. They say their dismissals were a deliberate attack on one of the last institutions that can check the power of the state and protect Egyptians' basic freedoms. "They (the state) don't want to allow any dissenting voices. We should all have the state's point of view," said Mohamed Zein al-Abedeen, who at 35 was the youngest to be forced out. Ahmed al-Khatib, another of the judges to lose his job, said, "Anyone who is a reformist or has critical opinions gets filtered out. They (the state) are targeting those calling for judicial reform or judicial independence." Repeated phone calls and emails to Sisi's office for comment went unanswered. The country's justice ministry denied there was any attempt to reshape the Egyptian judiciary. "The idea of revenge against specific judges or reshaping the judicial branch is absolutely not true. We have in Egypt the principle of judicial independence," Judge Khaled al-Nashar, the Assistant to the Minister of Justice for Parliamentary and Media Affairs, told Reuters. "The executive branch does not interfere in the affairs of the judicial branch. In all honesty the executive branch does not and will never have the ability to reshape the judiciary. The president himself says openly in speeches that he does not interfere in the affairs of the judiciary." Egypt's judiciary has always enjoyed a degree of independence. Long-serving autocrat Hosni Mubarak, whose ouster by a popular uprising in 2011 opened the way for Mursi's election, mostly relied on military tribunals to silence his opponents. Most judges who spoke to Reuters said that political interference in the judiciary used to be relatively rare. Sisi has been more prepared to intervene. Elected president in 2014 a year after he seized power, he has cracked down on Islamist opposition groups, secular activists, journalists, students and, the judges say, the judiciary. "The judiciary in Egypt is being used as a tool by the regime for revenge," said Judge Mohsen Fadli, a former deputy to Egypt's top judge and another who said he was forced to retire because he signed the Armada statement. The judges also allege that former colleagues who helped force them out did so because it was likely to advance their own careers. Three senior judges have been made justice minister since 2013, including the incumbent. The three had submitted legal complaints against colleagues, ruled that colleagues had broken the law on expressing political opinion, or sat on disciplinary boards. At least seven other judges who submitted complaints against colleagues have been given senior positions in the justice ministry. The judge who drafted the initial complaint against those who signed the Armada letter was Ahmed al-Zend. Until 2015, Zend was the president of the Judges Club, a social group and informal professional association. Zend was extremely critical of Mursi when he was president and publicly backed Sisi after the military takeover. Sisi made Zend justice minister in 2015. Zend could not be reached for comment. Sisi sacked him as minister in March, after Zend told a talk show host on live television that he would imprison anyone who broke the law, even if it were the Prophet Mohammad. Nashar, the justice ministry spokesman, said Zend's appointment as minister was not connected to his role in the Armada case, and that the two other ministers and seven officials were all appointed on merit. Nashar further rejected any suggestion Hossam Abd al-Rehim, the current minister, had benefited from his role in the Armada case. While Abd al-Rehim had been the chair of the Supreme Disciplinary Council as it considered the case, he had been appointed a minister before the judicial disciplinary committee ruled, Nashar said. A DIVIDED BENCH Article 73 of Egypt's Judiciary Act prohibits judges from practicing politics and bans a judge sitting on a case from expressing political opinions. But many of the judges who have been forced out argue that the law allows judges to express political opinions as individual citizens, provided they don't run for office or join a political party. After the overthrow of Mubarak, some judges did start to make their views known talking to the media, writing editorials and even making speeches at protests and gatherings. A few of those who spoke out at the time were sympathetic to Mursi. Others were open to having an Islamist in power as long as he was democratically elected. Yet others were less supportive of the new president but remained critical of the Mubarak regime and its backers who opposed Mursi. And some judges, including Zend, were openly critical of the new president. Ahmed al-Khatib, who sat on the Cairo Court of Appeals until he was forced out in a separate case (see sidebar), was one of those who took a middle line. He advocated for an independent judiciary and judicial reforms, and sometimes criticized the judiciary and how it was run. But he did not back Mursi. Khatib said the authorities, including the Supreme Judiciary Council, were aware he was making his personal views known publicly "and let it happen, with tacit approval." But Nashar said there was no such approval. Instead, he said, many infractions went on unchecked after the 2011 uprising because the state was "upside down." Once stability was restored, he said, authorities went after those who had broken the law. Zend was another one to make his opinions clear. In June 2012, after Mursi had been elected but before he had been sworn in as president, Zend told a news conference that "If we (judges) had known elections would bring you (Mursi) to power, we would not have overseen them." In a telephone call to a television talk show 10 days after Mursi's inauguration, Zend accused the new president of "advocating a state where the law of the jungle is in effect." Zend was angry that Mursi had recalled parliament, which the Supreme Constitutional Court had earlier dissolved on the grounds that the election law was unconstitutional. Zend continued to speak out against the president, videos from anti-Mursi protests posted online show. The Judges Club, which he headed, openly called for Mursi's ouster. Asked by a television talk show in 2013 if he was practicing politics and thus in breach of the judicial law, Zend answered: "If practicing politics will save Egypt then I will never stop practicing politics." Nashar said that judges such as Zend who supported anti-Mursi protests were not practicing politics, because they did not support a specific political group but spoke in the national interest. Anyone who expressed pro-Sisi sentiments, though, would have overstepped the mark, Nashar said. "There may have been some mistakes that were not noticed," he said. "If there was indeed practicing of politics, which is prohibited, then there should have been a punishment. But perhaps these events were not reported or noticed." THE CASES After Mursi was overthrown and the group of 75 judges called for a return to civilian rule, Zend and 15 other judges drafted a legal complaint against them. The complaint accused the 75 judges of belonging to Mursi's now-banned Muslim Brotherhood movement, spreading lies, slandering the military, abusing their positions, inciting violence, and participating in politics. The judges in question, the complaint said, had "delivered a statement amongst Muslim Brotherhood protesters" at a protest camp and "accused the Egyptian military of usurping legitimacy." All 25 judges interviewed by Reuters rejected those allegations. The Minister of Justice referred the 75 to a disciplinary council set up to hear the case. The council immediately set up an inquiry headed by Judge Sherine Fahmy, an investigative magistrate. According to Judge Fadli, the former deputy to Egypt's top judge and one of those forced to retire, Fahmy was a Zend ally. Fahmy declined to comment on his relationship to Zend. THE INQUIRY The accused judges say the inquiry was a sham. They say fellow judges they brought in to act on their behalf, as is their right, were not allowed to mount defenses. They also say they were not given access to investigation documents, and were not confronted with evidence. Some say they were not informed of the times and locations of several hearings. Reuters has reviewed inquiry documents, legal memos, written testimonies and defense arguments that back those claims. The judges also say, and documents confirm, that only four of the 75 were given the opportunity to defend themselves before the committee. There were other issues. In the report he submitted to the disciplinary committee, investigating magistrate Fahmy concluded that one judge had allowed an Islamist candidate to cheat in 2008 parliamentary elections. But no parliamentary election took place in 2008. In March 2014, 31 of the 75 judges were found to have practiced politics. Those found guilty appealed. The Supreme Disciplinary Council, an internal tribunal of last resort, upheld the ruling in March this year and increased the number found to have breached the law to 32. "MANUFACTURING OF FEAR" One of the youngest of the dismissed judges is 42-year-old Hossam Mikawy. For the first two years after his dismissal, he spent his days in his suburban villa on the outskirts of Cairo where he has set up one of the rooms as a library, television room and kennel for his dog, Hector. Mikawy was banned from traveling outside Egypt but has not been told why. He suspects it is because he used to attend legal conferences in Europe and America and has foreign friends. He recently began a small arbitration service to bring in some money. He says judges like him, young and outspoken, were targeted because they supported the 2011 uprising and pushed for judicial reforms. "It is disgusting that they just label anyone who calls for reform a Muslim Brotherhood member," he said. "Judges are there to protect freedoms ... I did not sign this statement because I wanted to defend Mursi. I would have signed it even if (Mursi's opponent in the presidential election) Ahmed Shafiq was in his place." The statement avoided the word "coup" in order not to take sides, Mikawy said. It simply called on all parties to engage in dialogue and respect election results. "There is a deliberate manufacturing of fear," he said. "Judges are now afraid to issue verdicts that would make the government unhappy. They now know they can lose their jobs." Nashar rejected that and said the government cannot intimidate those it disagrees with because the judiciary is independent and would never allow interference. Another of the judges forcibly retired was Islam Alam al-Din. He said investigators used a photo he had posted on Facebook as evidence against him in the case. The photo showed him at his young son's school in the United Arab Emirates, he said. Alam al-Din was living there because he was on loan to the Emirati court system. But investigators alleged the photo showed the pair "in a Muslim Brotherhood protest camp," Alam al-Din said. Four judges told Reuters that Zend would later formalize the tactic of monitoring social media. They say that when Zend became justice minister in 2015, he formed a department to monitor judges' social media accounts. Ministry spokesman Nashar denied the existence of any such unit: "Monitoring private accounts is a crime. The justice ministry would never get caught up in spying." Nashar said it was possible one of Alam al-Din's Facebook friends had noticed he had expressed a political opinion and reported him. "This indeed happened. But there is no official body tasked with doing this." "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS" Mohamed Nagi Derballah, the man who drafted the letter, was also forced from his job. Derballah had helped write Egypt's new constitution after the 2011 revolution and was on track to become Egypt's top judge. But after the military took over, it suspended the new constitution and Derballah was charged with practicing politics in two separate cases. Now he has been banned from practicing law and from traveling. Junior judges who once competed for his attention now avoid him in social gatherings, he said. "I didn't even want to be a judge, you know, as a young man. I wanted to write poetry, novels, but the law won," the bespectacled 61-year-old said in his neat Cairo home. Behind him, a bookcase heaved with legal texts on everything from Islamic Sharia to the Napoleonic Code. There were two portraits: his father and the uncle who had convinced him to swap writing for the gavel. At college, Derballah was a supporter of President Gamal Abdel Nasser and his brand of anti-colonial secular nationalism. Nasser's men arrested and tortured Derballah's father twice for belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, but Derballah remained unmoved. "There were higher goals, more important than my father's arrest. We had massive dreams and could justify anything Nasser did," he said. Derballah's brother was an Islamist who rose to the top of al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, which fought an insurgency against the Egyptian government between 1992 and 1998. The group killed almost 800 policemen and dozens of foreign tourists before renouncing violence. Derballah, though, said he has never been an Islamist and did not support Mursi. He proudly recalls a meeting in which he criticized Mursi to his face for attempting to reshape the judiciary and granting himself new powers. Derballah said he had been bound by oath to protect the election results, which was why he signed the Armada statement. But Nashar, the justice ministry spokesman, said a judge's role ends after ensuring a free and fair election. If popular will turns against a freely elected president, he said, "it is none of your business as a judge." (Edited by Simon Robinson) From Harper's BAZAAR Just Back From Mexico City Trip Duration: 5 days Flight Plan: The five-hour flight is relatively painless, but I downloaded the first season of Mr. Robot in case I couldn't sleep (no worries, I could). Where I Stayed: We resided at the W Hotel Polanco for the duration of our trip. Located in the super posh neighborhood of Polanco, the hotel is just steps from shopping (check out Lago DF and Yakampot for clothes and accessories and Onora for home decor) and a 15-minute walk from the city's major museums, including Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Museo de Arte Moderno and contemporary art museum Museo Tamayo. Following our flight, a light lunch of shrimp tacos around the corner at Karisma hit the spot before we indulged in a 25-minute jet lag massage, which I can't recommend highly enough. If you're looking for something a bit closer to the center of the city, Hotel Carlota, in Cuauhtemoc, provides cozy accommodations-with stunning decor and excellent shopping at Taxonomia-right off Paseo de la Reforma, the city's main thoroughfare. Bonus: both hotels welcome your pets. Best Thing I Ate: Of course, Mexico City's legendary street food is not to be missed. But if you're in the mood for something fancier, Biko, named one of the 50 best restaurants in the world, offers a Spanish-Mexican fusion menu where soup made of burnt corn (sopa quemade de maiz) is-truly-delicious. Best Daytime Activity: Lace up your sneakers and spend the day wandering through some of the city's 25,000 streets. I recommend starting at Futura CDMX, a museum in Cuauhtemoc which features of scale model of Mexico City and a short interactive digital presentation explaining the history the massive, nearly 600-year-old city (for context, the city is twice the size of all five boroughs of New York City and has nine million residents, with a total of 20 million living in the metropolitan area). From Futura, walk 15 minutes to Palacio de Bellas Artes and visit the larger-than-life murals of Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jorge Gonzalez Camarena. Story continues From Alameda Central (the park surrounding the Palacio), walk another 15 minutes to the Zocalo, the city's main square in its historic district. Pop into Catedral Metropolitana, first built in 1573, before walking across the square to Palacio Nacional to take in Diego Rivera's grand mural, The History of Mexico (keep an eye out for Frida Kahlo and her sister Cristina portrayed as schoolteachers on the mural's south wall). After lunch at wine bar Amaya, grab a cab to Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City's 1,700-acre park, to visit Rivera's Tlaloc Fountain and his mural Agua, el origen de la vida. Trip Highlight: Visiting the house where Frida Kahlo was born and died, Casa Azul in Coyoacan, was not only a trip highlight, but a life highlight. You can almost imagine her walking through the halls of the house, which has been preserved to look just as it did when she lived there with her husband, Diego Rivera. After your tour of the main building, walk through the courtyard to tour an exhibition of her iconic wardrobe, which include sketches and other items unearthed from a secret room in the house in 2004. Most Inspiring Aspect: One of Mexico's most famous architects, Luis Barragan built Casa Pedregal in the Jardines de Pedregal for the Prieto-Lopez family in 1950. The beautiful, light-filled home, made of pink volcanic stone, is filled with cozy wooden furniture and massive windows. The basement den, which leads out to the backyard pool area, is built right into the volcanic rock on which the house sits. To schedule a tour at the privately-owned home, email its owner at cesar@casapedregal.com. Favorite Shopping Trip: Carla Fernandez works with artisans across Mexico to create bold pieces inspired by the country's rich indigenous heritage, and with four shops across the city, you're bound to run into her designs during your trip. Head to La Ciudadela for traditional crafts including textiles, jewelry and ceramics. After your visit to Casa Azul, walk to Taller Experimental de Ceramica, which creates ceramics for Mexico City's best restaurants. You can purchase their beautiful pottery at the shop located at their studio. Could Not Leave Home Without: October weather in Mexico City is perfectly mild, which means my cotton summer dresses from COS paired with Madewell's sturdy ankle boots were perfect for touristy activities during the day. For dinner, I changed into my favorite Tibi dress. Bumble & Bumble surf foam blow dry spray, Glossier Generation G lipstick in Crush and a spritz of Diptyque Do Son completed my low-key beauty routine. I wish I had... More time to see everything on my list! We were a few minutes late to a tour of the theater at the Palacio de Bellas Artes and sadly missed a chance to see the grand Tiffany glass curtain which sits on the stage. Moral of the story: be punctual! Following our trip to Casa Pedregal, a new item on my bucket list is a visit to Casa Luis Barragan, another Barragan masterpiece with even brighter pink walls. Just be sure to make a reservation! Finally, my first stop on my next trip to Mexico City (which will hopefully be sooner rather than later) is a trip to Museo Estudio Diego Rivera, the home and studio of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo from 1934 to 1941. The structure consists of two buildings (one for Diego, one for Frida) famously connected by a bridge. You Might Also Like Lyle Denniston, Constitution Dailys Supreme Court correspondent, examines a court decision in Connecticut related to the liability of a gun maker for the Sandy Hook shootings. In a high-profile case growing out of the shooting massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., almost four years ago, a Connecticut state judge has given a broad reading to Congress power to bar lawsuits against gun makers and dealers. State Superior Court Judge Barbara N. Bellis of Bridgeport did so last Friday in dismissing a lawsuit by families and a teacher against the maker of the assault rifle used in the killings and against wholesale and retail sellers in the distribution chain for the weapon. The main theory of the lawsuit is that an assault rifle like the one used in Newtown the AR-15 Bushmaster is a military-style weapon that the makers and sellers had to know would be sold to the general public, and would thus wind up in the hands of individuals incompetent to handle such a rapid-firing gun. Technically, that is a claim of negligent entrustment a widely recognized theory that makers or sellers of some products can be held legally to blame for passing such an item on to a person who is bound to misuse it, causing harm to others. When Congress passed, 11 years ago, a new law giving gun manufacturers and dealers a legal immunity to lawsuits based on harms due to guns, it made a few exceptions, including one that permitted a lawsuit based upon that very theory. But Judge Bellis concluded that the Newtown lawsuit was based on too broad a theory of blame from the top of the gun industry down to the shooter in the Sandy Hook tragedy, Adam Lanza. The validity of this argument, the judge declared, rests on labeling as a misuse the sale of a legal product to a population that is lawfully entitled to purchase such a product. Congress has deemed the civilian population competent to possess the product that is at issue in this case. Story continues She added that, to extend the theory of negligent entrustment to the class of non-military, non-police civilians the general public would imply that the general public lacks the ordinary prudence necessary to handle an object that Congress regards as appropriate for sale to the general public. This the court is unwilling to do. In that part of her ruling, the judge relied, at least in part, on the argument of the maker of the AR-15 used at Sandy Hook that is, that the lawsuit was aimed at creating an entirely new class of persons who are ineligible to own guns. The company, Remington Arms, said that any such action, if done at all, should be by a legislature, not a court. The judges interpretation of the negligent entrustment theory was based on her view of that theory under the common law of Connecticut, and under a narrower definition of it written in as an exception to the lawsuit ban that Congress passed in 2005 the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. She found that the lawsuit failed to connect the gun companies sufficiently to the actual shooting, and thus it could not satisfy either state law or the federal statute. In general, the state jurist ruled, the theory of entrustment put forth in this lawsuit requires that the maker or seller of the challenged product must know, or have reason to believe, that transferring the product will lead to its misuse. While the lawyers who are pressing the Newtown lawsuit had argued that their claim could show that chain of accountability, the judge disagreed. Lawyers for relatives of nine of the school children and for a teacher who was wounded but survived have been pursuing since January of last year their theory of liability for Remington and the wholesalers and retailers through which AR-15s pass to the buying public. The companies had tried to get the case dismissed earlier this, but Judge Bellis allowed the case to proceed further and held off a final action on the dismissal motion. That is what she has now granted. The lawyers involved have vowed to take the case on to higher courts in Connecticut. It is unclear, at this point, whether the case might ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court, because much of it depends upon the scope of state law in Connecticut. An earlier attempt by the gun companies to have the case transferred to federal court failed, and it returned to Judge Belliss state court. Her interpretation of the 2005 federal law could be open to challenge in the Supreme Court, because that is within federal court jurisdiction. But that federal question might be so interwoven with the meaning of Connecticut state law to put it beyond the scope of federal court power. The Supreme Court, twice during its last term, had refused to hear challenges under the Second Amendment to state or local laws banning access to assault rifles. One of those bans, applying to a lengthy list of semi-automatic firearms, was passed by the Connecticut legislature not long after the Sandy Hook massacre, and in direct response to it. The Justices gave no reason for bypassing challenges to such bans based on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The lawsuit by the Sandy Hook families and one of the local teachers has nothing directly to do with rights to guns under the Second Amendment. It was generally a cross between a product liability case and a tort lawsuit seeking to hold someone to blame for a legal wrong. If the gun industry companies could ultimately be ruled to be liable, they could face a money damages verdict. Judge Bellis ruling, though, illustrates the obstacle that such a claim faces because of the legal immunity that the gun industry sought, and obtained, from Congress in 2005. Recent Stories on Constitution Daily Justice Ginsburg backtracks, again Can presidential candidates sue media outlets for defamation? Podcast: The First Amendment and the freedom of expression Barack Obama on Monday (reluctantly) sat down with The Late Shows Stephen Colbert, where he was given a primer on how to polish up his resume ahead of his exit from the Oval Office. VIDEOSFamily Guys Peter Griffin Joins Donald Trump and Billy Bush on Infamous Access Hollywood Bus Barely disguising himself as an office manager named Randy, Colbert conducted a mock job interview, inquiring with POTUS about why he hadnt been promoted at work in nearly eight years. Later, in an attempt to make his resume more appealing to potential employers, Colbert equated the presidents ability to broker international deals with being proficient in Microsoft Excel, and his success reopening relations with Cuba with being skilled in conversational Spanish. Before letting him go, Colbert managed to get in a question about the forthcoming presidential election. Keeping in mind broadcast network restrictions about endorsing political candidates, he asked if the Commander in Chief would prefer that his replacement to be an extra fiber nutrient bar, which has traveled to more than 100 countries, or a shriveled tangerine covered in golden retriever hair that I wouldnt leave alone with the woman I love. (Well let you read between those lines.) VIDEOSSNL Parodies Presidential Debate No. 2 Watch the complete Late Show segment above, then tell us if you think Obama has the resume to reenter the work force come 2017. Launch Gallery: TV's Most Surprising Presidents Related stories CBS Orders Apocalyptic Asteroid Thriller Salvation From Fringe EP Bull's Ex Cast With Jane the Virgin Star Man With a Plan Review: Plan to Avoid Matt LeBlanc's Dreadful New Sitcom VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 18, 2016 / Sunvest Minerals Corp. (SSS.V) ("Sunvest Minerals" or the "Company") announces the appointment of Mr. Don McKinnon Jr. to its Board Of Directors as it prepares to advance its newly acquired Hawkins-Hemlo Gold project located in Ontario. Don McKinnon comes to Sunvest as a seasoned experienced prospector who has been following in his father's footsteps (Don McKinnon Sr. of Hemlo fame) in all aspects of mining and exploration his entire working adult life. Mr. McKinnon brings to the Sunvest team the experience needed to help with turning his father's vision of the Hawkins-Hemlo Gold Project a reality. Mr. McKinnon served one other directorship in his career, with Liberty Mines Ltd., and was instrumental in bringing Liberty to full production in Timmins, Ontario and creating substantial shareholder value as a result. "I find it an honor and a responsibility to have been asked to join Mr. England's growing team of experienced individuals to help develop the Hawkins-Hemlo Gold Project. After acquiring tens of thousands of claims in his life this is the project, Hawkins, that my father believed could be his next Hemlo. The Hawkins project remained with my family while he was with us and now it is a Sunvest asset that gives our team the chance to define a significant global deposit." stated Mr. McKinnon. "Even as a young man, I remember well the exploration days at Hemlo, and now it is with great anticipation and excitement that I look forward to making new discoveries and building upon our existing 43-101 compliant inferred resource." "We are very pleased to welcome Don McKinnon to Sunvest's Board, he brings a wealth of hands on exploration expertise which will be so valuable as we get set to work on the Hawkins-Hemlo Gold project." stated Mike England, CEO of Sunvest. Contact Information: Mike England CEO 604-683-3995 mike@engcom.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Sunvest Minerals Corp. From Country Living For every big decorating dream, there's an even bigger price tag that comes with it-unless you can find a brilliant way to hack the design. Susanna Riley, a DIY master and blogger from Tennessee, hand-painted her guest bathroom's outdated linoleum tiles to create the look of gorgeous, high-end flooring, she explained on her blog Livin' the Life of Riley. She was inspired to create the bold look after she saw these stunning tiles shared by Fixer Upper's Joanna Gaines on Instagram: After coveting the expensive tiles for her guest bathroom, Susanna discovered that she could recreate the look by painting the design over her existing and dull tile floor with a custom stencil. Photo credit: Susanna Riley from Livin' the Life of Riley Photo credit: Susanna Riley from Livin' the Life of Riley Photo credit: Susanna Riley from Livin' the Life of Riley The took an entire weekend to complete, but the results were well worth the time and effort-just look at the amazing outcome. This brilliant idea is a great way to inexpensively refresh old flooring and add some pizzazz to a less-than-exciting space. If you love this look, see the full tutorial on Livin' the Life of Riley, and check out this similar style featured in our 2016 Farmhouse Makeover Takeover with Holly Williams. (h/t LittleThings.com) You Might Also Like Managua (AFP) - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has a seemingly insurmountable lead in voter intentions ahead of elections in three weeks that are expected to deliver him a new term with his wife as vice president. A survey published Tuesday by the M&R polling institute credited the 70-year-old onetime leftist rebel with 64 percent support. His nearest rival was seen with just 8 percent support. The largely sidelined opposition has called the looming November 6 vote a "farce." It wants the election to be put off until next year. Ortega, who is widely seen as being heavily influenced by his wife, Rosario Murillo, is refusing to allow in international election observers. Although being seen as increasingly autocratic, Ortega has broad public support including, crucially, from the business sector. His wife, currently a government minister and the government's spokesperson, is even more popular. In June, Nicaragua's supreme court ordered a regime ally to take charge of the main opposition party, the PLI. Opposition lawmakers were also booted from their congressional seats. The head of the M&R institute, Raul Obregon, told AFP that Ortega had been polling between 62 and 66 percent since February. "It's likely that that will continue" up to the election, he said. The survey noted, however, that nearly a quarter of voters polled would not reveal their preference. Ortega, head of the Sandinista National Liberation Front party, held his first term as president between 1985 and 1990. He then spent years in the political wilderness before coming back into power in 2006, and being re-elected in 2011. By PTI: Muzaffarnagar, Oct 18 (PTI) Members of the National Commission for Minorities have criticised the report of National Human Rights Commission on the alleged migration of several families from Kairana in Shamli district, saying people had left the town for their businesses. Talking reporters here last evening, two membersof the minorities panel Praveen Davar and Farida Abdulla Khan said the report of National Human Rights Commission is not based on facts but on "communal flavour". advertisement The members, who had visited Kairana and Muzaffarnagar, said the migration of Kairana was not of communal nature. They said people of both Hindu and Muslim communities had left Kairana to pursue better business opportunities in other places. They said the people had not migrated due to fear from a particular community. The NHRC probe team had found that many families "migrated" from Kairana due to threats pertaining to "increase in crime" and "deterioration" of law and order there. It found that in 2013, after resettlement of about 25,000-30,000 members of Muslims community in Kairana town from Muzaffarnagar, the demography of Kairana town changed in favour of the Muslim community", it becoming the "more dominating and majority community". "Most of the witnesses examined and victims feel that the rehabilitation in 2013 has permanently changed the social situation in Kairana town and has led to further deterioration of law-and-order situation," said the teams findings. At least 24 witnesses said the youths of a "specific majority community" in Kairana "pass lewd/taunting remarks" against the females of a "specific minority community" as per the NHRC findings. Due to this, females of the specific minority community in Kairana avoided going outside frequently. "Some of the displaced persons also verified that it was one of the reasons for their migration from Kairana town," the NHRC said quoting the teams findings. PTI CORR AAR --- ENDS --- BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said on Tuesday they rejected any withdrawal of fighters from Aleppo after Russia announced a halt in air raids which it said was designed to allow insurgents to leave and to separate moderate fighters from extremist militants. "The factions completely reject any exit - this is surrender," said Zakaria Malahifji, the political officer of the Aleppo-based Fastaqim group. Al-Farouk Abu Bakr, an Aleppo commander in the powerful Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham, said the rebels would fight on. "When we took up arms at the start of the revolution to defend our abandoned people we promised God that we would not lay them down until the downfall of this criminal regime," he said, referring to President Bashar al-Assad's government. "There are no terrorists in Aleppo," he said, speaking from Aleppo. Rebels in eastern Aleppo have consistently said that insurgent groups linked to al Qaeda or inspired by it have no real presence in the opposition-held part of the city. (Reporting by John Davison and Tom Perry; Editing by Dominic Evans) When applying to law schools, you may have the opportunity to submit written responses in addition to a personal statement. The three most common supplemental essays are the diversity statement, prompted responses and addenda, each of which the Law Admissions Lowdown discussed in a previous post. Now let's look more closely at the types of prompted responses you may encounter on law school applications and your best strategies for tackling them. [Discover five ways to strengthen your law school application.] -- Open-ended: Perhaps the most notorious example of an open-ended prompt prospective students might encounter is Yale University Law School's required 250-word essay that asks applicants to write about "a subject of your choice." The Georgetown University Law Center has similarly open-ended prompts among its optional essays, such as "Prepare a one-minute video that says something about you" and "Fill a 5.5" long by 2.5" wide box in any way you'd like." The open-endedness of these prompts is intentional. Admissions committees are interested in seeing how you creatively and intellectually engage with the prompt. When brainstorming responses, embrace the playfulness without getting silly. One applicant I worked with planned to submit a "Calvin & Hobbes" comic in response to Georgetown Law's fill-the-box prompt. I asked the applicant to consider whether there was anything she hadn't yet communicated through her personal statement, diversity statement and letters of recommendation. Mock trial had been a huge part of her undergraduate experience and she opted instead to write a response to a different prompt about captaining the team during a time of internal discord. The essay highlighted her leadership and conflict resolution skills in ways that the Calvin & Hobbes comic couldn't have. [Learn how to brainstorm unique law school personal statement topics.] Story continues When tackling an open-ended response, it is easy to get overwhelmed. Narrow the scope by focusing on your interests -- such as extracurricular activities, hobbies or volunteer work -- that did not fit into the narratives of your other essays. What important aspects of yourself do you still want to share? -- School-specific: A school-specific prompt asks applicants to identify why they're applying to a particular law school. For example, a University of Michigan--Ann Arbor Law School prompt asks applicants, "What do you believe Michigan has to offer to you and you to Michigan?" The University of Pennsylvania Law School defines the program's philosophical strengths and then asks applicants, "What defines you? How do your goals and values match Penn Law's core strengths?" The University of California--Los Angeles School of Law takes an even more focused approach in its optional essay prompt and asks applicants to identify a specific program they believe they can contribute to and explain how prior schooling, extracurricular activities or work will help them make distinct contributions. UCLA's prompt is a good one for any law school applicant to consider, because it pinpoints how to tackle the brainstorming process for these school-specific essays. Think about how your skills, accomplishments and goals align with the school's specific programs. Then identify why the school appeals to you and express in concrete terms what contributions you hope to make as a law student, using your prior experiences as evidence. If you decide to include a response to this kind of prompt, make sure to remove school-specific research from your personal statement to avoid repeating yourself. -- Character and fitness: Another common type of prompted response focuses on an applicant's character. For example, Pepperdine University Law School's mission encourages students to adhere to high moral and ethical standards. The school asks applicants to "share how you would contribute to this unique community." And one of the University of Michigan Law School's supplemental essay prompts asks, "What do you think are the skills and values of a good lawyer? Which do you already possess? Which do you hope to develop?" For these essays, articulate your values and use experiential evidence to support your claims. And ensure your essays target the individual prompt, especially when the supplemental essay is required. Taking shortcuts, such as only submitting your diversity statement rather than addressing the prompts, as I know one applicant did, could result in a major setback with the school. [Find out how to discuss diversity in law school applications.] When you review each application, also look for opportunities where you might be able to consolidate. Schools may have prompts that ask about a similar topic. For example, the University of Michigan and Georgetown University both ask about a failure, setback or mistake. A carefully crafted essay on this topic could work for both of these programs. It's also possible your essay could work for open-ended prompts such as the one from Yale. Ultimately, a supplemental essay should enhance your application. Identify worthwhile skills, accomplishments and insights to write about. Your strongest topics will likely work for different supplemental prompts, but make sure to appropriately tailor your essays to each program. Want advice on how to make the most of your supplemental responses? You can reach me at lawadmissionslowdown@usnews.com. ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Two Taliban officials said on Tuesday that the militant movement held informal, secret peace talks with the Afghan government earlier this month in Qatar, but a Taliban spokesman denied they took place. The Afghan Taliban officials, based in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the talks had yielded little. They added that U.S. officials were part of the process, although they did not specify whether they were directly involved in the talks. Afghan and U.S. officials demanded that the Taliban declared a ceasefire, laid down arms and started formal peace talks, said the UAE-based official. In response, he said, Taliban officials demanded that the group be officially recognised as a political movement, its leaders' names be removed from a UN blacklist and all prisoners be released. "Like our previous meetings, it was a waste of time and resources, as we could not achieve anything from the meeting," said the UAE-based official. Mark Toner, deputy spokesman at the State Department, said the United States supported a negotiated settlement to the Afghan conflict, but declined to comment on the reported talks. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed reports of the meeting, saying they were propaganda aimed at creating divisions within the insurgency. He was responding to an article earlier on Tuesday by Britain's Guardian newspaper that cited anonymous sources saying the Taliban had held two rounds of discussions, some of which included U.S. officials. According to the Guardian, the officials said the talks were attended by Mullah Abdul Manan, brother of the Afghan Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, who died in 2013. A spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani would not confirm or deny any recent talks in Qatar when asked by Reuters, but added: "We will use all possible ways in order to reach a lasting peace in the country". Previous Pakistan-brokered peace talks have yielded little progress, and ground to a halt when news of the death of Mullah Omar was confirmed in 2015. Efforts to revive the talks collapsed when the United States killed former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistan in May. Under new Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, fighting has raged across Afghanistan, with the Taliban attacking the northern city of Kunduz and threatening Helmand's provincial capital Lashkar Gah in the south. No Pakistani official took part in the latest talks, according to the Guardian. Relations between the governments in Kabul and Islamabad have deteriorated over the past year, with Afghanistan and the United States accusing Pakistan of harbouring the Taliban and not doing enough to bring the group to the negotiating table. Pakistan denies providing the Taliban a safe haven. (Additional Reporting by Jibran Ahmed in PESHAWAR; Writing by Drazen Jorgic and Asad Hashim; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Mike Collett-White) VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 18, 2016 / Tasca Resources Ltd. ("Tasca", "TAC" or the "Company") (TSX Venture: TAC) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire the Bleiberg zinc-lead-germanium-fluorite project, located in southern Austria, west of the city of Villach (the "Bleiberg Property"). The Bleiberg Property consists of 116 mining concessions in the land registry municipalities of Bad Bleiberg, Notsch im Gailtal, St. Stefan im Gailtal and Paternion in southwestern Austria. The Bleiberg Property hosts an extensive mining infrastructure with more than 1150 kilometres of tunnels and 3 mine shafts. Historic production was about 500,000 tons per year, and it was one of the 6 largest Germanium producers in the world while it was in production. Average grades were 6 percent zinc, 1 percent lead and 200 parts per million (ppm) germanium. Source: ARCHIV FUR LAGERSTATTENFORSCHUNG DER GEOLOGISCHEN BUNDESANSTALT, Arch. f. Lagerst.forsch. Geol. B.-A. ISSN 0253-097X Band 18 S. 5 -33 Wien, Juni 1995, Austrian Resource Potential of Specialty Metals (Ga, In, Tl, Se, Te, Cd) in Lead-Zinc and Other Ores Numerous scientific papers, for instance: Immo Cerny, Carinthia II, 181. Jahrgang, p 119 - 129, Klagenfurt 1991 suggest a geological target of 30 to 50 million tons at grades of approximately 6 percent zinc and 1 percent lead, similar to historic grades, remain within the Bleiberg Property. Tasca cautions investors to note that the potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature, there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if future exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. Mineralization consists of stratabound galena and sphalerite within Triassic limestones and intercalated carbonates. The sphalerite also carries average values of 200 parts per million germanium and 2000 parts per million cadmium. The historically mined mineralized bodies were stratiform zones ranging from 1 metre thick and 100 metres in diameter to 5 metres thick and several hundred metres in diameter. Mineralization was developed to 900 metres vertical depth. (Source: "Mineral Deposits of the Eastern Alps" by H.F. Holzer and E.F. Stumpel. International Geological Congress 26th Session Excursion 080C dated 1980.) The last mine shut down in 1992 as a result of falling metal prices. Along with the increasing prices for zinc and lead, the increasing demand and price for germanium makes the Bleiberg Property an attractive asset for Tasca. Clive Massey President and CEO of Tasca Resources commented, "The significance of the acquisition of this Property cannot be understated, with the demand for Germanium expected to continue to strengthen as the market for semiconductors and fibrotic cable grows, it makes this a particularly interesting addition to our property portfolio." Germanium is a semimetal element with numerous specialty applications, mined primarily from sphalerite, with lesser amounts recovered commercially as a by-product from silver, lead, and copper mineralization. Germanium is used as a semiconductor in transistors and various other electronic devices. Historically, the first decade of semiconductor electronics was based entirely on germanium. Today the largest percentage of Germanium production is used for the manufacturing of fibre-optic systems, infrared optics, solar cell applications, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Germanium compounds are also used for polymerization catalysts and have most recently found use in the production of nanowires. This element forms a large number of organometallic compounds, such as tetraethylgermane, useful in organometallic chemistry. Samarium Tennessine Corp., a Vancouver based company owns 100% of the Bleiberg Property through one of its subsidiaries Samarium Borealis Corp ("SBC") and has agreed to the following terms and conditions: Tasca will have 90 days from the signing of the LOI to complete its due diligence on the Bleiberg Property in order to enter into a definitive acquisition agreement with SBC whereby Tasca would acquire a 100% right, title and interest in the Property. The Company's QP, R. Tim Henneberry, P.Geo. (BC) has been dispatched to Austria to commence the due diligence process. The closing of a definitive acquisition agreement will be subject to Tasca receiving all necessary approvals as well as the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange in order for Tasca to issue 4 million common shares and pay CAD$150, 000 as consideration for the Bleiberg Property. Finder's fees will be payable subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. R. Tim Henneberry, P.Geo., Advisor to Tasca Resources Ltd. is the Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, who has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. For further info on the Company please visit www.tascaresources.com or email tascaresources@gmail.com. On Behalf of the Board of Tasca Resources Ltd., Clive Massey, President & CEO Telephone: (604) 644-6794 "Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release." SOURCE: Tasca Resources Ltd. (Refiles to add MILAN dateline) SAO PAULO/MILAN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Telecom Italia is not currently interested in purchasing Oi SA due to the Brazilian telecommunications carrier's heavy debt with regulators, Telecom Italia Chief Executive Flavio Cattaneo told newspaper Valor Economico. Oi owes 20 billion reais ($6.2 billion) in fines, nearly equal to the market value of Telecom Italia's Brazilian subsidiary TIM Participacoes SA. That means Telecom Italia has no interest in its Brazilian rival even in the case of a debt refinancing, Valor quoted Cattaneo as saying. "If Oi manages to split its debt from its assets...we will be watching," he added. A press representative for Telecom Italia confirmed Cattaneo's comments. Press representatives for TIM were not immediately available to comment on the interview. The byproduct of a government-sponsored merger at the end of last decade, Oi, Brazil's No. 4 wireless carrier, succumbed to a heavy debt burden, mounting competition and years of shareholder disputes. Nevertheless, preferred shares in Oi have risen 44 percent so far this year after touching a record low on June 21, a day after the carrier filed for creditor protection. Common shares in TIM rose 25 percent in 2016 on the Sao Paulo stock exchange, while Telecom Italia shares fell 36 percent in the period. Cattaneo took over as chief executive in April and has promised to step up cost cutting to boost profitability at the heavily indebted former state phone monopoly. ($1 = 3.22 reais) (Reporting by Bruno Federowski and Stefano Rebaudo; Editing by Susan Thomas) (Adds comments from executive, share performance, context) By Ana Mano SAO PAULO, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Telefonica Brasil SA , the nation's biggest phone carrier, will keep investing about 8 billion reais ($2.5 billion) annually, outgoing Chief Executive Officer Amos Genish said on Tuesday, bucking a trend of smaller capital spending among rivals in Latin America's largest economy. The carrier, controlled by Spain's Telefonica SA, has chosen to invest more on digital services over traditional capital spending because "a model that focuses on voice over broadband is out of date," Genish said at an industry event in Sao Paulo. Genish will be replaced at the end of the year by Eduardo Navarro de Carvalho, currently chief commercial digital officer at Madrid-based Telefonica. His remarks also suggest that Telefonica Brasil has no intent to pare back investments as rival TIM Participacoes SA did in July. The transformation in Brazil's telecommunications industry away from fixed-line concessions and voice services was being helped by an overhaul in sector rules, he said. Analysts expect the new rules will clear Congress next year. The government and carriers are working on a shared agenda "for the first time in years," Genish said, which should help to calculate the value of assets related to current concessions, automatically bringing more investments to the sector. Shares of Telefonica Brasil rose 1.1 percent to 44.07 reais in early afternoon trading, in line with a gain in Brazil's benchmark Bovespa stock index. ($1 = 3.18 reais) (Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Brad Haynes and Alan Crosby) The leader of Islamic State was reported to be among thousands of hardline militants still in the city, suggesting the group would go to great lengths to repel the coalition. Iraqi security forces gather on the east of Mosul during preparations to attack Mosul, Iraq, October 15, 2016. By Reuters: Residents of Mosul said Islamic State was using civilians as human shields as Iraqi and Kurdish forces captured outlying villages in their advance on the jihadists' stronghold. The leader of Islamic State was reported to be among thousands of hardline militants still in the city, suggesting the group would go to great lengths to repel the coalition. With attacking forces still between 20 and 50 km (12-30 miles) away, residents reached by telephone said more than 100 families had started moving from southern and eastern suburbs most exposed to the offensive to more central parts of the city. advertisement HUMAN SHIELDS Islamic State militants were preventing people fleeing Mosul, they said, and one said they directed some towards buildings they had recently used themselves. "It's quite clear Daesh (Islamic State) has started to use civilians as human shields by allowing families to stay in buildings likely to be targeted by air strikes," said Abu Mahir, who lives near the city's university. Like other residents contacted in the city, he refused to give his full name, but Abdul Rahman Waggaa, a member of the exiled Provincial Council of Nineveh of which Mosul is the capital. ALSO READ: Battle for Mosul, Islamic State's biggest stronghold in Iraq, begins FALL OF MOSUL The fall of Mosul would signal the defeat of the ultra-hardline Sunni jihadists in Iraq but could also lead to land grabs and sectarian bloodletting between groups which fought one another after the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters that it was known that civilians were being used as human shields. "This has been going on for several weeks where we've seen civilians being forcibly detained and their movements being prevented where they can't get out of Mosul. They are being held there against their will," he told reporters. Davis described the operation to retake Mosul as "an ugly fight", adding: "But I will tell you we've seen very good progress. It's day one, don't get your hopes up, it's going to be a while." ALSO READ: All you need to know about Iraq's fresh offensive to recapture Mosul from Islamic State POPULATION Around 1.5 million people still live in Mosul and the International Organization for Migration said Islamic State may use tens of thousands of residents as human shields to hold onto their last city stronghold in Iraq. The IOM said there was a likelihood of chemical attacks by the jihadists, who had used such weapons previously against Iraqi Kurdish forces? Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said safe routes had been secured for civilians who wanted to leave Mosul and it was the duty of the U.S.-led coalition to prevent Islamic State fighters from escaping into nearby Syria. advertisement The Syrian army, meanwhile, accused the coalition of planning to allow Islamic State militants to flee across the border. U.S. President Barack Obama said it would be a difficult fight but Islamic State "will be defeated in Mosul". Obama is hoping to bolster his legacy by seizing back as much territory as he can from Islamic State before he leaves office in January. The Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces from autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan began moving towards the city at dawn on Monday under air cover from a U.S.-led coalition set up after Islamic State swept into Iraq from Syria in 2014. Peshmerga forces advance in the east of Mosul to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 18, 2016. (Reuters) Hoshiyar Zebari, a senior Kurdish official, said initial operations succeeded due to close cooperation between the Iraqi government and Kurdish peshmerga fighters, allowing them to clear Islamic State from 9 or 10 villages east of Mosul. "Daesh is disoriented they don't know whether to expect attacks from the east or west or north," he told Reuters. On Tuesday attacking forces entered another phase, Zebari said. "It won't be a spectacular attack on Mosul itself. It will be very cautious. It is a high-risk operation for everybody." advertisement Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and explosives expert Fawzi Ali Nouimeh were both in the city, according to what Zebari described as "solid" intelligence reports. A total of 20 villages were taken from the militants east, south and southeast of Mosul by early Tuesday, according to statements from the two forces, fighting alongside one another for the first time. Military vehicles for the Iraqi security forces are seen on the east of Mosul during preparations to attack Mosul, Iraq(Reuters) SUICIDE BOMBS Islamic State said on Monday its fighters had targeted the attacking forces with 10 suicide bombs and that their foes had surrounded five villages but not taken them. None of the reports could be independently verified. Abadi announced the offensive on Monday around two years after Iraq's second-largest city fell to the militants, who exploited the civil war that broke out in Syria in 2011 to seize territory there. The operation had been planned since July with U.S. and other coalition forces and Western and Iraqi officials, mindful of the civil war that followed Saddam's fall, say plans for administering the mainly Sunni city and accommodating those who flee the fighting are in place. advertisement The United Nations has said up to a million people could flee the city and that it expected the first big wave in five or six days, indicating fighting would reach the city then. But some residents said Islamic State was making sure people did not leave. One, who gave his name as Anwar, said he fled the Sumer district near Mosul airport, fearing ground forces and aerial bombing. "I told Daesh fighters at a checkpoint 'I'm going to stay at my sister's house'," he said. "A Daesh fighter made calls through his radio to make sure I was not lying and only after the voice on the other side said: 'Let him go', did I let myself breathe." Fighting is expected to take weeks, if not months, as 30,000 government forces, Sunni tribal fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga first encircle the city then attempt to oust between 4,000 and 8,000 Islamic State militants. People who fled the Islamic State's strongholds of Hawija and Mosul, receive aid at a camp for displaced people in Daquq, Iraq. (Reuters) More than 5,000 U.S. soldiers are also deployed in support missions, as are troops from France, Britain, Canada and other Western nations. The Iraqi army is attacking Mosul on the southern and southeastern fronts, while the Peshmerga carried out their operation to the east and are also deployed north and northwest. The Kurdish forces said they secured "a significant stretch" of the 80 km (50 mile) road between Erbil, their capital, and Mosul, about an hour's drive to the west. Coalition warplanes attacked 17 Islamic State positions in support of the Peshmerga operation in the heavily mined area, the Kurdish statement said, adding that at least four car bombs were destroyed. There was no indication of the number of military or civilian casualties in the Iraqi or Kurdish statements. France said it would co-host a multilateral meeting with Iraq on Oct. 20 to discuss how to stabilize Mosul and its surroundings once Islamic State has been defeated. Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the militants were likely to retreat to their Syrian bastion Raqqa, so it was vital to consider how to retake that city too. WATCH --- ENDS --- By Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Pracha Hariraksapitak Bangkok (Reuters) - Thailand's military government said on Tuesday it would ask other countries to extradite people suspected of insulting the nation's monarchy following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej last week. Thailand has entered a year of mourning and sensitivities are running high following the death of the revered king last week after seven decades on the throne. Criticism of the monarch, the regent or the heir, known by the French term lese majeste, is a crime that carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years in Thailand. The junta said it has been tracking six high-profile lese majeste suspects living abroad who it says have tried to stir up unrest in Thailand and will ask for their extradition. "We will ask for cooperation, friendship and respect from these countries and we hope that they understand that all Thais cannot accept these insults," Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya told reporters. Paiboon conceded that there were significant legal and diplomatic challenges around seeking the extraditions but said he would proceed with the requests regardless. The junta last week urged citizens to report cases of lese majeste to authorities. It has also asked internet service providers to monitor content and block inappropriate material. Some Thais have taken the matter into their own hands. A series of videos has surfaced online in recent days showing angry mobs accusing people of insulting the monarchy. In the latest incident, a man in Chonburi province was shown being pushed around by a mob and struck several times on the head. He was later forced to prostrate himself before a portrait of the late king, apologize, and shout "I love the king" while onlookers hurled punches and death threats at him. On Monday, an elderly woman accused of insulting the monarchy was struck in the face after commuters forced her to leave the bus she was riding on. "How could you insult the royal father? You shouldn't have been born," the person who assaulted her was heard shouting on the video. Police said the woman was mentally ill. (Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Pracha Hariraksapitak; Writing by Cod Satrusayang; Editing by John Chalmers and Nick Macfie) Thais should "socially sanction" those who defame the monarchy following King Bhumibol Adulyadej's death, the junta's justice minister said Tuesday, as fresh videos emerged of mob justice against people accused of insulting the institution. The death on Thursday of the world's longest reigning monarch has left the nation bereft of its key pillar of unity and seen mass outpourings of grief from black-clad Thais. But it has also unleashed small but vocal ultra-monarchist forces, including mobs and online crusaders scouring the web and bent on punishing anyone perceived to have insulted the monarchy. "There is no better way to punish these people than to socially sanction them," Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya told reporters on Tuesday, as he vowed to "pursue those people who violate the law". His message comes amid a growing number of cases of vigilantism by royalist Thais against people accused of insulting the monarchy. At 10.30am a video was broadcast live on Facebook showing a mob kicking and beating a man and forcing him to prostrate himself in apology for allegedly insulting the monarchy. During the beating, which appeared to take place in Chonburi east of Bangkok, the man cried out: "I didn't mean to do it, I love the king! It's my fault." Another video uploaded to social media late Monday showed an elderly woman on a Bangkok bus being berated and slapped in the face by commuters in the presence of police over alleged comments. Thailand's monarchy is protected by a draconian lese majeste law that outlaws criticism with punishments of up to 15 years in jail for each insult uttered. Prosecutions have surged under the military which seized power two years ago, and record-breaking sentences have been handed down in some cases. - 'Bunker mentality' - The arch-royalist junta has done little to tamp down hardline public sentiment by presenting the monarchy as under attack, said David Streckfuss, a Thailand-based expert on the monarchy. Story continues "They've created a sort of bunker mentality," he said, adding that there was no evidence of a genuine republican movement in Thailand to justify such an approach. "The closest thing to any anti-monarchy movement is just a variety of unconnected individuals who want to be able to make public comments about the monarchy as it is an important public institution," he told AFP. The lese majeste law makes detailed discussion or debate about the monarchy's role -- and its future after Bhumibol's 70-year reign -- all but impossible. The atmosphere in Bangkok has been overwhelmingly sombre and calm since the death of the king. Late Monday Bhumibol's oldest daughter, Princess Ubolratana, 65, made a surprise visit to well-wishers outside the Grand Palace. "We have to work to move forwards, not backwards," she said according to video uploaded by eyewitnesses. But there has been an uptick of angry social media calls by hardline royalists for vigilante action against alleged transgressors of '112' -- the criminal code that covers the feared law. On Sunday a woman on Samui island was forced by police to kneel below a portrait of King Bhumibol in front of a baying mob after she allegedly posted an insulting comment about the monarchy on Facebook. She has since been charged with lese majeste. Similar mobs have formed on the southern island of Phuket and in nearby Phang Nga province, sparked by alleged comments. Other social media users have berated those deemed not to be mourning sufficiently deeply or failing to wear black clothes. The latter phenomenon dubbed "black-shaming" has been condemned by the junta. Its leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha did not address the mob violence when he briefed reporters on Tuesday, though he urged Thais not to make inflammatory comments. "I ask for cooperation from public not to broadcast or send such messages as it hurts the feeling of Thai people and is illegal," he said. Media inside Thailand, both local and foreign, must heavily self-censor because of the lese majeste law. But authorities struggle to censor critics or media based overseas. Justice minister Paiboon said the junta would renew extradition requests for Thais abroad -- something that is unlikely to sway governments in countries where lese majeste is not a crime. Public drinking will be limited then. The death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand has set the nation mourning, as public drinking will be frowned upon during the 12-month period of grieving and alcohol sales be more strictly limited to particular times of the day. For ThaiBev, one of the largest producers of alcoholic beverage, this could be bad news. However, after falling the past week as the king's health is worsened, its traded stock on Singapore exchange saw a rebound at 1.7% ahead of the official announcement of the King's death. And it even rose as much as 3.8% the next day, its sharpest gain since July. So, will the situation hurt ThaiBev's alcohol sales? ThaiBev makes its money selling rum and beer to a population whose religious texts, ironically, exhort them to abstain from alcohol. Even with 63% of working-age Thais abstain from alcohols, the group's trailing 12-month revenues have risen 53% over the past five years. Shareholders at present give ThaiBev a forward price-earnings ratio of 21 -- bang on the median for brewers and distillers globally with more than $1 billion in trailing 12-month sales, and ahead of the likes of Diageo, Heineken, Carlsberg and Kweichow Moutai. If more Thais respond to their monarch's death by abstaining from alcohol than choose to drown their sorrows, that valuation could start looking tipsy. Click here to know more about the story. More From Singapore Business Review BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's junta sought on Tuesday to reassure the country that the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej last week would not upend plans for a return to democratic rule, which include a general election in late 2017. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha also moved to quash uncertainty around the royal succession, saying that a new monarch could ascend to the throne after 15 days of mourning. Doubts arose after the head of the advisory Privy Council was asked to stand in as regent until Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn becomes king. The prime minister said last week that the prince's coronation would take place after the cremation of his father, which will follow a year of mourning. However, the prince can become king before his official coronation, and Prayuth's comments appeared to be aimed at cooling speculation that the throne might be empty for a protracted period. King Bhumibol was seen as a stabilizing figure in a country often racked by political turmoil. "On the matter of succession, in accordance with the constitution, citizens in Thailand and abroad should not be worried or concerned," Prayuth told reporters after Tuesday's cabinet meeting. "After at least 15 days of mourning, it will be the appropriate time to enact section 23 of the constitution," he added, referring to clauses relating to the succession. "THE ROADMAP IS THE ROADMAP" The junta, which seized power in a 2014 coup, has laid out a 'roadmap' for a return to democracy under a constitution that was endorsed by a referendum in August, with an election that would be held late next year. There had been speculation that the election might be pushed into 2018 because of the one year of mourning for the king. "Nothing has changed," Prayuth said. "The policies of this government, the laws - including elections - will be according to the roadmap. Don't ask me when or how it will occur, the roadmap is the roadmap." The government says the constitution will restore stable, clean politics after a decade of turmoil stemming from confrontation between populist political forces and the military-royalist establishment. Two military takeovers and outbreaks of deadly civil unrest over the years have stunted growth in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy. Critics, including major political parties, had denounced the constitution before the vote, saying it would stifle democracy by giving unelected lawmakers, including those appointed by the military, veto power over elected governments. The death of the revered king after seven decades on the throne has raised sensitivities across the nation. The government has tightened restrictions on the media and on Tuesday said it would ask other countries to extradite people suspected of insulting the nation's monarchy. Criticism of the monarch, the regent or the heir, known by the French term lese majeste, is a crime that carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years in Thailand. Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya told reporters the government was tracking six high-profile lese majeste suspects living abroad, but conceded that there were significant legal and diplomatic challenges around seeking their extradition. The junta has urged citizens to report cases of lese majeste to authorities, and is has also asked internet service providers to monitor content and block inappropriate material. Some Thais have taken the matter into their own hands. A series of videos has surfaced online in recent days showing angry crowds around the country mobbing people they believed had insulted the monarchy. (Reporting by Aukkarapon Niyomyat, Cod Satrusayang and Panarat Thempgumpanat; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) By Alastair Macdonald and Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Theresa May's first EU summit was never going to be easy but Thursday's encounter in Brussels may be a thoroughly bleak affair now that fellow leaders feel she has taken a hard line on breaking away from the European Union. The British prime minister caught the other 27 off guard on Oct. 2 when, having campaigned to stay in the bloc, she thrilled her Conservatives' conference in Birmingham with rousing pledges to start Brexit talks by March, curb immigration and reject EU court rulings -- a recipe, EU leaders said, for "hard Brexit". When, over after-dinner coffee on the first of two days of talks, she briefs the summit on her plans, the rest will listen closely for any sign of more flexibility on what she wants in order to retain closer trade ties. But despite talk in London of May still exploring options, EU officials and diplomats do not expect there to be much softening, on either side, this week. "How this is going to end, no one knows," one senior EU official said. "For now, the train is heading towards a wall." And amid fears that wily British diplomacy may set them off against each other to secure a "cherry picking" deal that could further unravel the entire Union, the 27 will present May with the kind of united front not always seen in the EU summit room. "There's a surprising degree of consensus," a second senior EU official said. "No one wants to give the Brits an opening." After the Birmingham speech, EU leaders welcomed an end to uncertainty over when Britain would launch the two-year divorce process. But although May called key players beforehand to alert them to her timetable, none was ready for her list of demands. Aides to German Chancellor Angela Merkel found the party tone "menacingly harsh"; French President Francois Hollande, who like Merkel faces an electoral test next year from euroskeptics inspired by June's Brexit referendum, said Britain had chosen a painful break and must be held to the consequences. DIVISIONS HARDEN Summit chair Donald Tusk spoke to May late on Tuesday and does not expect discussion after she briefs the summit. EU leaders insist there be no "pre-negotiation" before May writes to Brussels with a formal notification of Britain's demands. Some seem more inclined than others, however, to accede to British requests that they help May prepare her letter to ensure that whatever she asks for is not simply rejected out of hand. Some EU diplomats note Brussels' cooperation with May's predecessor David Cameron last year before he sought EU concessions that were mostly granted in the hope he would win the referendum. But the mood appears to have hardened in EU capitals. With Cameron, a third senior EU official said, "we were on the same side", working together to help him keep Britain in the bloc. "Now, it's different," he said, with London and the 27 pursuing divergent goals that may be mutually incompatible. In particular, the 27 are determined to show Britons -- and any others tempted to break up the EU -- that the benefits of a common market, with its favorable tariff terms, are not available to those unwilling to accept full free migration within the EU or the authority of EU judges. To those in London who see that as an opening gambit, EU leaders have responded with sharper rhetoric, ruling out a "soft Brexit" that keeps Britain anchored in the single market. Summit host Tusk took Brexit campaigners to task for joking that Britain can "have its cake and eat it" and dangled the prospect of Britons backing out of Brexit. WHAT DOES BRITAIN WANT? The former Polish premier's willingness to engage in debate with Britain reflects an impression on the continent that the country, and even May's own cabinet, is still in a quandary over what voters want and how to deliver it. The prime minister has said she is still listening to "differing views" on her team. EU officials say that behind closed doors British officials have been trying to keep open options for closer engagement with the EU, raising for example the possibility that London might go on contributing to an EU budget that subsidizes eastern Europe. Some have also played down May's Birmingham speech as designed to win support for the unelected leader within her own euroskeptic party, not as a final word to Brussels. "May is talking hard Brexit but other officials are saying 'maybe we can work things out' - so which is it?" the second EU official said. British officials say May and her inner circle have given little indication of what they expect to negotiate. A fourth senior EU official familiar with the issue said: "(The British) civil service have no clue what the political class wants." For EU leaders, expecting at this stage to hear little new from May that she has not said in public, the priority at the summit may be to close up their own ranks ahead before March. "What the EU needs to do," the third EU official said, "Is anticipate what May will ask for and prepare for it, from now." (Additional reporting by Noah Barkin in Berlin, Elizabeth Piper and Kylie MacLellan in London, Elizabeth Pineau and Yves Clarisse in Paris, Crispian Balmer in Rome and Gabriela Baczynska and Francesco Guarascio in Brussels; editing by Ralph Boulton) The suspended cake. (Photo: D. Lacy Weddings) When Absolutely Edible Cakes owner Nikki Jackson made the cake for her own daughter Toddreanas wedding, she knew she had to do something special. She didnt exactly expect her creation a 7-foot-tall glass-crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling to go viral instantly. I had other industry friends that were like, Ill do the cake and I wont charge you, but I am such a control freak, Jackson told Yahoo Style about her daughters Oct. 8 wedding to Anttwon Thames in Garland, Texas. So I did her cake and all the food for the wedding. I could not let it go. Photo: D. Lacy Weddings Jackson has some experience with going big and going viral in the business. A life-size cake replica of a bride she made years ago still gets passed around every time sites discuss the craziest, most over-the-top confections ever made. This time around, she teased that her daughters cake would shut Texas down. When the cake lady daughter gets married, what the hell do yall expect? she joked. But it was actually Jacksons sister, event designer Kimberly Evans of Absolutely Elegant Events, who pushed the baker to go even bigger than shed planned. When they visited the maker of the hanging cake stands, Fashion Proposals in Houston, Evans said the planned 24-inch stand was killing my vision. So the sisters designed their biggest hanging construction ever, at 36 inches wide. Photo: D. Lacy Weddings Jackson said she wasnt pleased with how her sister had made her blow her budget with that move. The other big expense was in using real glass crystals instead of the more common plastic kind. In the end, the cake, which could feed 600 (though the guest list was just over 400), cost about $4,500. I kept rationalizing with, Im not paying for a caterer, I didnt pay for an event planner, so I can splurge in other areas, Jackson said. Thats how I was able to make sense of it all. Toddreana Thames, who has been working with her mother since she was a girl, didnt have any involvement in the process. Her mother gave her the week before her wedding off, so she didnt see it until she walked into the venue. I saw it from outside; it was just it blew me away, she told Fox 4 News. Story continues Photo: D. Lacy Weddings It blew others away too. I had been telling the photographer, When you see this cake, I will be trending by 5:45, Jackson said. The wedding started at 5:30, so I knew I wouldnt be, but I was saying it as a joke. The photographer came over to me at about 8 and said, Hey, Nikki. Youre trending. I did not expect to wake up the next day and the cake had gone viral. The bride and groom and her parents. (Photo: D. Lacy Weddings) After the wedding, Jackson brought the chandelier stand back to her store, and she has already received requests for similar creations. But she doubts shell have many customers go quite as big as she did for her daughter. Just like the life-size bride, its available, she said. Nobody really wants to spend that much for a cake. All photos courtesy of D. Lacy Weddings. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Legendary CEO Thomas Tull, wearing his venture-capital investor hat, led a $26.9 million Series A round in Heal, a Santa Monica startup thats trying to do for in-home doctor visits what Uber did for hailing a ride. Tull Investment Group previously led the companys seed round in 2015, and the latest investment brings Heals total funding to about $40 million. Joining the Series A round were Skydance Media CEO David Ellison, Breyer Capital, Qualcomm executive chairman Paul Jacobs, and early investors Hashtag One and Slow Ventures. Heal, led by CEO and co-founder Nick Desai, was founded in 2014. Within a year of launching its service, the company now provides service throughout California and has facilitated doctor house calls for more than 10,000 patients to date. Heal is uniquely positioned to assume the role of the go-to healthcare option in America, said Tull in a statement. They have the leadership team, technology innovation and vision required to contribute to the transformation of the healthcare industry. Tull Investment Group, focused on life science, media and technology sectors, has made early-round investments in Pinterest, augmented-reality startup Magic Leap, self-driving auto startup Zoox and Oculus VR (acquired by Facebook for $2 billion). Last week, messaging app startup Blend Systems announced that Tull had invested $2 million in the company. Heal is available for a flat-rate fee of $99 per visit or a medical insurance co-pay through Blue Shield of California, Anthem Blue Cross of California, Cigna Healthcare, Aetna and United Healthcare. Doctors are available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, including all major holidays. House calls may requested immediately (Heal says physicians arrive in less than an hour) or scheduled. Heal said it will use the latest funding for continued technology development and increased marketing to reach more patients and to bolster its roster of board-certified, licensed physicians. Story continues Heal is reimagining how we receive medical care, said Jim Breyer, founder and CEO of Breyer Capital. I am delighted to partner again with Thomas and join him in supporting the talented team at Heal as they enter their next phase of growth, in what I am confident will be another successful venture. Related stories Legendary's Thomas Tull Invests $2 Million in Chat-Bot Startup Blend Thomas Tull Among Latest Donors to Pro-Hillary Clinton Super PAC Thomas Tull to Produce Documentary on Law Enforcement and Military Dogs A massive fire broke out at the Maker Tower in Cuffe Parade area of Mumbai today morning, leading to the death of two persons. The flat where fire broke out belongs to industrialist Shekhar Bajaj. By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: Two people died in a fire at the Maker Tower in Cuffe Parade area, south Mumbai today. Major fire broke out on the 20th and 21st floor of the prominent residential Maker Tower, at 6.30 today morning. Eight fire engines were rushed to the spot. The flat where the fire reportedly broke out belongs to industrialist Shekhar Bajaj, Chairman of Bajaj Electronics. advertisement 2 SERVANTS DIED, BAJAJ FAMILY SAFE Two of his servants, who were present in the servant room of the gutted flat, died due to burn injuries and choking. They were rushed to the hospital but were declared dead on arrival. Shekhar Bajaj was also in his house when the fire broke out, along with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and grandson. Local resident and eyewitness Vaibhav Kapoor, who helped the fire fighters in saving the Bajaj family, said Bajaj was doing yoga with his yoga instructor when the fire broke out. The gutted house has been damaged severely. Here are some exclusive visuals of the charred house of Bajaj. According to fire officials, 11 people were rescued from the high-rise building. The fire reportedly broke out due to a short circuit. Fire officials say it was a level 3 fire which broke out on the 20th and 21st floor of duplex residential flat no 201 and 211 of maker tower A Wing. The two flats, both of which belonged to Bajaj, were connected with internal staircase. The officials said fire was only confined to household articles, electric wirings and ceiling of the two floors. They also said that the fire-fighting system of the Maker Tower was in working condition and it helped brigade personnel to deploy resources quickly. The situation is now under control and the rescue work is over. The rescue went on for two hours. --- ENDS --- VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 18, 2016 / Thunderstruck Resources Ltd. (AWE.V) ("Thunderstruck") is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Aljen (Pacific) Limited ("Aljen"), the private Fijian company holding the portfolio of base metal and gold properties in Fiji that Thunderstruck had previously under option (the "Properties"). For terms of the acquisition, please see Thunderstruck's news release dated August 8, 2016. "This news is very significant in that, after three years of working toward this achievement, we will now own 100% of all the licenses and applications held by Aljen to explore highly prospective zinc, copper and precious metal targets contained in nearly 4% of the main island of Fiji. Moreover, the Company has satisfied the multiple conditions required by the various Fijian authorities, including Investment Fiji, Mineral Resources Department and the Provincial Administration, necessary to the commencement of exploration," stated Bryce Bradley, President/CEO. "With the funds raised in our August financing, we have paid the Vendor in full and are poised to begin the initial phase of our exploration program on this pipeline of promising targets." Exploration plans Thunderstruck will be conducting mapping, geochemical and trenching programs on the Nakoro, Liwa Creek and Rama Creek areas to delineate drill targets. After completion of this program, initial drilling can be accomplished effectively and affordably with the man-portable Winkie drill owned by the Company. Nakoro A massive sulphide body was delineated by Anglo American drilling that contains grades of around 5%-12% zinc, with zones of high-grade copper at surface. Our upcoming surface exploration program will be focused on expanding the known zones of zinc and copper mineralization. The gold potential of the property will also be assessed. In 2015 Thunderstruck exposed a small siliceous gold-bearing rock sample of 3.37 g/t Au north of the zinc mineralization. Story continues Liwa Creek This high priority area contains classic epithermal, high-grade gold veins, breccia bodies, and silicification zones. Little exploration has been done, other than regional sampling, minor trenching and grab sampling. Numerous rock samples over a nine square kilometre area range in grade from 5 g/t -30 g/t Au, with locally high silver. Rama Creek The Rama Creek prospect is a copper-gold porphyry 5.5 kilometres northwest of the Liwa Creek prospect. It is similar geologically to the neighboring giant Namosi porphyry copper-gold deposit. Only four wide-spaced holes were drilled by Anglo American, with the central hole DDH 1 intersecting stockwork porphyry mineralization over 244 m grading 0.22% Cu and 0.16 g/t Au, including 72 m @ 0.38% Cu and 0.29 g/t Au. High-grade silver assays were reported in rock samples from the periphery. Our exploration program will focus on the surrounding area of 14 km2 of anomalous gold values derived from stream sediment sampling during the early 1990's. Since there has been little subsequent exploration, this area is highly prospective for gold and silver, as such copper-gold porphyries typically have gold vein systems around them. This news release has been reviewed and approved by Michael Page of Exploration Services Int'l, a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101. About Thunderstruck Resources Thunderstruck Resources is a Canadian mining exploration company with highly prospective VMS and Precious Metals projects in Fiji. The Company provides investors with exposure to a diverse portfolio of assets rich in copper, zinc, silver and gold in a politically safe and stable jurisdiction. Thunderstruck trades on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol "AWE". For additional information, please contact: Bryce Bradley, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director Telephone: (604) 349-8119 Email: Bryce@thunderstruck.ca or, visit our website: http://www.thunderstruck.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". Although Thunderstruck believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Specifically, there is no assurance the default alleged under the Option Agreement will be cured on the terms set out above or at all or that the Option Agreement will not be terminated). Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Thunderstruck's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Thunderstruck undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. SOURCE: Thunderstruck Resources Ltd. It's over. Tobey Maguire and his wife, jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer, have split after nine years of marriage, the couple tell Us Weekly in a joint statement. "After much soul searching and consideration we have made the decision to separate as a couple," they tell Us. "As devoted parents, our first priority remains raising our children together with enduring love, respect and friendship." A source adds that the decision "was not sudden" and there was "no drama." "They are committed to remaining friends for their children and wanted to wait to make sure of that," the source tells Us. "They went back and forth on this decision but realized this is where the relationship is and they simply grew apart." PHOTOS: Celebrity Splits of 2016 The Spider-Man actor, 41, and Meyer, 39, met in 2003 and tied the knot in Hawaii in September 2007. They exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony in front of family and friends, including Maguire's BFF, Leonardo DiCaprio. The pair are parents of daughter Ruby, 9, and son Otis, 7. (DiCaprio, 41, has been rumored to be Ruby's godfather. He and Maguire more recently starred in 2013's The Great Gatsby together.) PHOTOS: Most Bitter Celebrity Breakups of All Time Maguire and Meyer, whose famous clients include pals such as Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow, have kept tight-lipped about their relationship over the years. In May 2007, Maguire opened up about fatherhood during an appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman. "Its a very dramatic change," he said at the time. "Its great. [Ruby is] so adorable. Shes just a smiley, little beautiful thing." PHOTOS: Hollywood's Ugliest Divorces Back in 2013, he further discussed how he balances his home life with his career. "I moved around so much and I've continued that in my career. I'm an actor we go away for a few months and set up our world. And I want my kids to stay in school and make their friends and do all that," he told The Guardian. "But I also appreciate traveling and having different experiences. And though I don't mind the idea of making some sacrifices, I also want to go pursue my career at the same time. I try not to make decisions based on conditioning." Story continues Related Content: Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer are splitting up. The duo is separating after nine years of marriage, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The former partners issued the following joint statement to People: "After much soul searching and consideration we have made the decision to separate as a couple. As devoted parents, our first priority remains raising our children together with enduring love, respect and friendship." Maguire, 41, and Meyer, 39, met in 2003 while the actor was filming Seabiscuit. They got engaged in April 2006 before getting married in September 2007 in Kona, Hawaii. The pair have two children together: nine-year-old daughter Ruby Sweetheart Maguire and seven-year-old son Otis Tobias Maguire. Meyer, the daughter of NBCUniversal's Ron Meyer and a jewelry designer whose delicate gems are a Hollywood favorite, launched a California-inspired capsule collection in July and debuted her Superga shoe collaboration earlier this year. Maguire is best known for playing Spiderman; his film credits also include Pawn Sacrifice (2014), Labor Day (2013) and The Great Gatsby (2013). Read more: Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis Welcome Second Child Today in sad: Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer to separate after 9 years Sadly another Hollywood couple has called it quits. Tobey Maguire and his wife Jennifer Meyer are separating after nine years of marriage, People exclusively reported on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the long-term couple has fallen victim to the Hollywood marriage curse and has decided to end their marriage after tying the knot back in 2007. After much soul searching and consideration we have made the decision to separate as a couple, Maguire and Meyer told People in a joint statement. The Spider-Man actor and his wife met in 2003, and have a history of keeping their relationship private and away from the press. Meyer, who is a jewelry designer, is also the daughter of vice chairman of NBC Universal Ron Meyer. Meyer met Maguire while he was shooting Seabiscuit at Universal Pictures, which her dad was the president of at the time, nearly 10 years ago. The couple wed in 2007 in a Hawaii ceremony and have two children together, daughter Ruby, 9, and son Otis, 7. The duo told People in their statement about their plan to remain friends through the split and put their children first no matter what. As devoted parents, our first priority remains raising our children together with enduring love, respect and friendship, the couple explained to the publication. We wish Maguire and Meyer the best through this tough time. The post Today in sad: Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer to separate after 9 years appeared first on HelloGiggles. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson got apologies and retractions on Tuesday from two U.S. tabloids who claimed the Hollywood couple was divorcing because Hanks was in love with his co-stars Meg Ryan or Felicity Jones. The National Enquirer and Star Magazine, both properties of American Media Inc [AMRCM.UL], issued statements, changed their online stories and will run corrections in their upcoming print editions. Hanks and Wilson, who have been married for 28 years, said in a statement that in the past they had laughed off tabloid stories about their "soon-to-be acrimonious divorce because those stories were so far from true." But with their 29th anniversary coming up in April, the couple said they considered marriage to be "the foundation of our family" and that such stories were "lies we would not put up with any longer." Hanks starred with Ryan in hit 1990s movies like "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail." British actress Jones is his co-star in the new adventure movie "Inferno." "We did not intend to report that Tom Hanks was having any kind of an inappropriate relationship with Meg Ryan, or that he and Rita Wilson were divorcing," the National Enquirer said in a statement on its website. Its Oct. 10 issue had run a report saying, "$400 million marriage crumbling over Hanks' love for Ryan." Star Magazine apologized for an Oct. 3 report, saying "we did not intend to report that Tom Hanks was having any kind of an inappropriate relationship with Felicity Jones, or that he and Rita Wilson were divorcing." (Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Sandra Maler) By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican in the U.S. Congress dimmed hopes that lawmakers might end the embargo on Cuba after President Barack Obama leaves office, saying on Tuesday he intends to keep the trade restrictions in place. "As the past two years of normalizing relations have only emboldened the regime at the expense of the Cuban people, I fully intend to maintain our embargo on Cuba," U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement. The Obama administration has been easing restrictions on dealings with Cuba since the surprise announcement in 2014 by Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro that the long-time foes would move toward more normal relations. On Friday, the White House announced new measures to further ease trade, travel and financial restrictions, including allowing American travelers to bring home more of the country's coveted cigars and rum. But the half-century-long embargo can only be lifted fully by Congress, which is controlled by Ryan's Republicans. While some join most of Obama's fellow Democrats in backing the new policies, party leaders have opposed legislation to ease restrictions. Some lawmakers had hoped attitudes in Congress might soften after Obama leaves office in January, even if Democrats do not win majorities in the House and Senate, especially with Americans accustomed to two years of freer travel and business. Cuban relations often come to the fore during U.S. election campaigns. Pro-embargo Cuban-Americans are an important Republican voting bloc in Florida, which often has close congressional races and is one of the swing states that can decide presidential elections. Ryan termed Obama's actions "efforts to appease the oppressive regime" in Cuba. He said they would strengthen its government and endanger U.S. companies' intellectual property rights. Backers of Obama's policy say half a century of restrictions on trade and travel have not ended Cuban communism, and are not worth denying U.S. citizens freedom of travel and U.S. companies the chance to do business there. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Alistair Bell) Washington (AFP) - Congress will keep a decades-old embargo on Cuba, the top Republican in the US House of Representatives vowed Tuesday, despite recent moves by President Barack Obama to ease sanctions against Havana. "I fully intend to maintain our embargo on #Cuba," House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a tweet. Obama issued an executive order last week that further loosened restrictions on trade with Cuba, nearly two years after Washington began the process of rapprochement with its former foe. The embargo remains a major holdover from decades of Cold War enmity between the two neighboring nations. But Ryan, the top lawmaker in the Republican-led House, insisted in a longer statement that he would resist "the Obama administration's unilateral move to lift trade restrictions on Cuba." "The Castros continue to jail pro-democracy activists at a rate of hundreds per month, yet it is full steam ahead for the Obama administration's efforts to appease this oppressive regime," he said, referring to the government of longtime revolutionaries Fidel Castro and his brother Raul, the current president. Put in place in the early 1960s, the trade embargo was designed to starve Fidel Castro's regime of US currency. Despite the mid-2015 restoration of diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana, the embargo remains largely in place today. Ryan said President Castro has made little progress in improving the lot of the Cuban people, despite better economic prospects as a result of the thaw with Washington. "As the past two years of normalizing relations have only emboldened the regime at the expense of the Cuban people, I fully intend to maintain our embargo on Cuba," the lawmaker said. By PTI: Tirupati, Oct 18 (PTI) Paques Environmental Technology India (PETI) Private Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Netherlands-based industrial waste water management company, Paques, today inaugurated its manufacturing facility at Sri City, about 100 km from here. Inaugurating the facility, Netherlands Ambassador to India A H M. Stoelinga said Netherlands is now Indias fourth largest trading partner in the European Union and one of the top five investors. advertisement In recent years, the value of mutual trade between the two countries has risen enormously, he said adding that there are 115 Dutch companies which have presence in India and Netherlands too attracted most of the out-bound foreign direct investments from India. The new subsidiary, built at a cost of Rs 30 crore in two acres will supply its products to all SAARC nations, Japan and Vietnam, said Sri City Managing Director, Ravi Sanna Reddy. Paques, as a market leader in the field of green energy, has been developing cost-effective purification systems that reduce water and carbon footprints and reclaim valuable resources. It is one of the few major firms in the world which uses anaerobic technology for waste water treatment, in which the bacteria would convert organic compounds (COD) to bio-gas in an environment without oxygen, which is a green energy technology. It has more than 2000 installations in 60 countries, across different industries, Reddy said. PTI COR BN ABI --- ENDS --- Donald Trump says newly released documents from the FBIs investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of state show the bureau colluded with the State Department and Department of Justice to make his Democratic rival look less guilty. This is very big and frankly unbelievable, the Republican nominee said in a video posted to Facebook on Monday night. This is collusion between the FBI, the Department of Justice and the State Department to try and make Hillary Clinton look like an innocent person when shes guilty of very high crimes. According to the summaries of interviews released Monday, Patrick Kennedy, a top State Department official, tried to get the FBI to declassify information in one of Clintons emails about the deadly 2012 terror attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, in exchange for help in increasing the FBIs personnel in Iraq. The State Department and the FBI both said there was no quid pro quo, and State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the exchange never occurred. But the revelation has given fuel to Trumps fiery claims of a rigged election. This shows corruption at the highest level, Trump said. And we cant let it happen as American citizens. The 2015 discussion between Kennedy and the unnamed FBI official occurred during the bureaus yearlong probe into Clintons use of an unauthorized email server. In July, the FBI concluded its investigation, declining to recommend charges against Clinton. FBI Director James Comey said that although the former secretary and her staff had been extremely careless in handling classified information, there was no evidence they intentionally put that information at risk. During last weeks presidential debate, Trump threatened he would instruct his attorney general to reopen the case if hes elected president. Critics said Trumps threat undermined democratic norms. Were going to get a special prosecutor, and were going to look into it, Trump told Clinton. Its a disgrace. And honestly, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Story continues The Trump campaign is hoping to shift the focus away from recent allegations by women who say the real estate mogul made unwanted sexual advances on them in separate incidents dating back to the early 1970s. Trump has denied all of them, claiming that their stories are part of a media conspiracy orchestrated by the Clinton campaign to blunt the potential impact of her own scandals. This is one of the big breaking stories of our time, Trump said of the revelations in the FBI notes in the Monday video. So lets see how the press covers it. The press likes not to cover it because the best thing Hillary Clinton has going is the media. Without the media, she wouldnt even be in this race. He added: All I can say is lets hope our country gets a fair shake because this is a big mess. After spending more than a week defending himself against sexual assault accusations and outlining what he says is a vast global conspiracy to deny him the presidency, Donald Trump took a break on Monday to offer some actual policy proposals. In a speech in Green Bay, Wisconsin, he announced changes he would propose to the rules governing former government officials who become lobbyists. Its time to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C., Trump said in a statement released by his campaign. Thats why Im proposing a package of ethics reforms to make our government honest once again. Related: Trumps Rigged Election Poll Watchers Could End Up in Jail While Trumps plan wouldnt shut the revolving door between Washington and the K Street offices of D.C.s major lobbying firms, it would certainly slow it down. Today, former federal lawmakers need to wait to lobby their former colleagues -- one year if they were members of the House of Representatives, two years if they were senators. Trump said that he would press Congress to implement a full five-year ban on former members becoming lobbyists. Trump would impose a five-year waiting period on members of the executive branch, and said that he would take the unusual step of asking Congress to pass legislation to that effect, meaning that the action could not be undone by future presidents through executive orders. Currently, executive branch employees face a waiting period of between one and two years, depending on their seniority, before they can lobby the agency they worked for. Related: A Trump Television Network? It Sure Would Explain a Lot Trump would also propose a total ban on former senior executive branch officials from lobbying on behalf of foreign governments. What that means, exactly, is unclear. The proposal may be referring to members of the Senior Executive Service, the highest-ranking tier of career civil servants. More likely, though, Trump is referring to high-ranking political appointees. Story continues Another proposal is a ban on registered foreign lobbyists raising campaign contributions in the U.S. (This is somewhat ironic, as Trumps own campaign was, for a time, being managed by Paul Manafort, a lobbyist with extensive connections to foreign governments.) Finally, Trump would propose a legal redefinition of what it means to be a lobbyist. Currently, individuals who spend only 20 percent or less of their time in lobbying activity can identify themselves as something other than a lobbyist -- such as consultant or adviser. In his remarks in Green Bay, Trump managed to connect his proposed changes to the lobbying rules to his ongoing battle with Hillary Clinton by reviewing how her husband, former president Bill Clinton, had handled the issue of the revolving door. Related: FBI Documents Refer to Quid Pro Quo With State Department Over Clinton Emails When Bill Clinton came into office, he signed an executive order saying if you work for the White House or a federal agency, you cant lobby the government for 5 years after you leave, Trump said. But then, President Clinton did what the Clintons always do he rigged the system on his way out. Clinton lifted the executive order so the Clintons and their cronies like John Podesta could start raking in cash. Trump promised that his plan would end our government corruption. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: By Caroline Humer and Emily Stephenson (Reuters) - When former President Bill Clinton called parts of Obamacare "crazy," he put his wife Hillary Clinton on the defensive and gave much-needed ammunition to her Republican rival for the presidency, Donald Trump, who wants to scrap it. Bill Clinton said this month that while millions more Americans now have insurance coverage under President Barack Obamas signature 2010 healthcare law, small businesses and some families are still getting killed by surging healthcare costs. He later clarified that he was not criticizing the entire initiative, he was just making an argument for fixing it. Still, Clinton's comments may not have been so crazy. He put a spotlight on an uncomfortable truth: after six years, billions of dollars and a sweeping reform that stands as Obama's single biggest domestic policy achievement, health care is still unaffordable for many Americans. Americans are growing increasingly anxious about rising healthcare costs, and critics of the law have said it is not living up to its promises. Two of the nations largest health insurers, Aetna and United Healthcare, are also pulling out of the state-based health insurance exchanges that are the best-known creations of Obamacare. Clinton says she wants to save the best of Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, while reducing costs. Trump says it is an expensive "disaster" that is on track to implode in 2017. He wants to replace it with something cheaper. Whoever wins the presidency on Nov. 8 will likely face pressure to move quickly to reshape a healthcare initiative that affects millions of Americans. WHY CONSERVATIVES THINK OBAMACARE IS CRAZY Republicans opposed Obamacare from the start, labeling it a government intrusion into the healthcare market. Some of them say the individual exchanges where Americans shop online for coverage are already in a "death spiral." They warn that with fewer consumers using the exchanges, more health insurers will exit them, sending premiums even higher, and further deterring people from signing up. As the U.S. population ages, U.S. spending on healthcare - $2.9 trillion in 2014 - is projected to rise to more than one-fifth of the nation's gross domestic product. Spending rates under Obamacare did slow for a time, but they are on the rise again. Trump has proposed getting rid of the exchanges and setting up tax-free health savings accounts for people with high-deductible insurance plans. He has also said he would set up state-based high-risk pools for people with medical conditions that make it hard to get coverage on their own. He also wants to allow companies to sell insurance across state lines to boost competition and drive down prices. His advisers say he would draw on a plan proposed by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes a refundable tax credit to help Americans buy individual plans. Republicans, like Trump, also want to change how they fund Medicaid, which serves poor families. Obamacare increased federal funding to states that expanded the program to more people with low incomes. Now Trump wants to limit funding by switching to pre-set, block grants. Health policy experts are skeptical selling insurance across state lines would do much to rein in health insurance costs. And health wonks on both sides of the aisle said Republicans would likely balk at any proposals that threatened to yank health insurance away from 20 million people. "Even Republican members of the House and the Senate are going to end up resisting rolling back the Medicaid expansion if that means that lots of people in their states would go uninsured," said Jim Capretta, a health policy expert at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute. LIBERALS DON'T THINK IT'S CRAZY, BUT... Liberals like former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders haven't called Obamacare crazy, but Sanders does believe it doesn't go nearly far enough. During his campaign, he proposed replacing it with a single-payer insurance system he called Medicare for all, based on the government plan for elderly and disabled Americans. Hillary Clintons plan doesnt go that far, but she would build on Obamacare by expanding tax credits for people shopping on the individual marketplaces, letting Americans buy into Medicare at a younger age, and adding a public option, or a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers on the exchanges. She has also proposed reducing Americans out-of-pocket expenses outside their private insurance by offering a new refundable tax credit, and she would give states more federal funding to expand Medicaid for low-income people. Two-thirds of states expanded Medicaid under the 2010 law, and thats where most of the newly insured people got coverage. Policy experts said that after Obama leaves office, more Republican-led states that objected to a plan so closely identified with Obama might be willing to expand Medicaid too. Clintons ability to expand tax incentives likely depends on which party controls the U.S. Congress. And while some states could act independently to launch public plans on their exchanges, many Republicans view the idea as wildly expensive and would strongly resist any effort by Clinton to require them nationwide. WHAT EVERYONE THINKS IS CRAZY DRUG PRICES Obamacare did little to deal with soaring drug prices for lifesaving treatments like Mylan NV's EpiPen. Democrats and Republicans say thats a problem for the next president, even though its getting little attention on the campaign trail. Trump and Clinton both want Americans to be allowed to buy cheaper drugs from overseas (Americans pay the highest prices in the world for drugs). Former Democratic U.S. Representative Henry Waxman made a similar proposal in 2009, but he was defeated by pressure from drug companies, which would likely oppose it again. Clinton says Medicare should negotiate drug prices with companies, using its 55 million users to get a better deal. Trump made a similar call during the Republican primaries but it does not appear on his campaign website now. Some health policy experts believe drug companies would respond to lower prices for Medicare patients by raising prices for everyone else. And to negotiate better prices, Medicare would have to be willing to stop covering certain drugs, which would be unpopular, they say. Clinton has also suggested creating a commission that would watch for sudden spikes in prices of older life-saving drugs, a proposal that health policy experts said is achievable through rule making rather than legislation. She has also proposed a cap on drug co-payments. Clinton has already put Wall Street on watch. Her tweets have brought down shares of Mylan and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, which helped push many institutional investors out of healthcare stocks. Drug companies are already responding to political pressure. Botox maker Allergan Inc, for example, recently committed to keeping price increases below 10 percent. (Reporting by Caroline Humer in New York and Emily Stephenson in Washington; Editing by Caren Bohan and Ross Colvin) Donald Trump As Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has consistently declined in the polls, he's decided that the numbers don't matter anymore. Trump has been pushing the idea that the November election will be "rigged," and now he's saying that he doesn't believe the polls that say he's trailing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. "Even though we're doing pretty good in the polls, I don't believe the polls anymore," Trump said at a rally on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't believe them. I don't believe them. And if there's 10 and there's one or two bad ones, that's the only one they show." Nearly every national poll shows Clinton leading Trump by several points, and Trump has also been losing to Clinton in swing state polls over the past week. But Trump pointed to the size of his rally crowds to negate the perception that he's losing. "Believe me, folks. We're doing great. If we keep our spirit and if we go out and win, this is another Brexit, believe me," he said, referring to the British referendum to leave the European Union. "They are so worried," Trump continued. "That's why they become vicious and hostile and dirty. Cause they see what's going on. This rally set up just a short while ago, look at the number of people, packed. But every rally is the same way." NOW WATCH: 'He never said that': New Clinton ad shows Trump contradicting Pence's VP debate denials More From Business Insider By Emily Stephenson and Alana Wise GREEN BAY, Wis./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday cited studies he said showed rampant voter fraud, saying the Nov. 8 election was "rigged" against him even as Republican lawyers called his allegations unfounded. Trump, a New York businessman making his first run for public office, has sought to raise fears of a flawed election as he has fallen in opinion polls against Democrat Hillary Clinton. "They even want to try to rig the election at the polling place," Trump told a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. "So many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is very, very common." Trump cited Pew Trusts research from 2012 that called for updates to the voter registration system because about 24 million registrations were inaccurate. (http://bit.ly/1HN4uTF) He also referred to a 2014 article by two political scientists in the Washington Post that said non-citizens who voted could have accounted for Democratic victories in a few close elections in 2008, although the authors acknowledged the sample size of their study was small. (http://wapo.st/1pX17Bf) Numerous studies have shown that voter fraud in U.S. elections is very rare. Republican campaign lawyer Chris Ashby said Trump's charges could foment unrest and were unfounded and dangerous. "When you say an election is rigged, youre telling voters, your supporters, their votes do not matter, Ashby said in an interview. "I think some of Donald Trumps comments could cause unrest at the polls." Some Republicans have urged Trump to drop the assertions. Early voting and voting by mail have already begun in many states. Mark Braden, partner at Baker and Hostetler and former chief counsel for the Republican National Committee, said that any sort of election rigging at the national level just is impossible, citing the various systems in place that would make such an endeavor complicated and unfeasible. Our system is principally a system based upon each side watching the other side, Braden said in an interview. Our system is dependent on local volunteer participation. Our system has worked very well because we have people who get involved in the process and perform these functions. Trump also pounced on the release on Monday of Federal Bureau of Investigation documents that he alleged showed "felony corruption." The documents cited an FBI official as saying a senior State Department official sought to pressure the bureau in 2015 to drop its insistence that an email from Clinton's private server contained classified information.. Clinton's decision to use a private server while secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 has drawn criticism that she was careless with national security. "This is worse than Watergate, what's going on with this," said Trump. He also proposed a package of ethics reforms, saying that if elected he would ban his administration officials from lobbying government for five years after leaving government. 'NOT GOING TO BE RIGGED' Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said Trump's assault on the voting system was an act of desperation. "He knows he's losing and is trying to blame that on the system. This is what losers do," Mook told reporters. The RealClearPolitics average of national opinion polls shows Clinton currently leading Trump by 7.1 percentage points, at 46 percent to 38.9 percent. The country's top elected Republican, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, tried to counter Trump's message about election fraud. Spokeswoman AshLee Strong said Ryan "is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity." In the traditionally hard-fought state of Ohio, the top elections official, a Republican, said concerns about widespread voter fraud were simply not justified. "I can reassure Donald Trump: I am in charge of elections in Ohio and they're not going to be rigged, I'll make sure of that," Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted told CNN. In a report titled "The Truth About Voter Fraud," the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law cited voter fraud incident rates between 0.00004 percent and 0.0009 percent. An August study by the Washington Post found 31 credible cases of impersonation fraud out of more than 1 billion votes cast in elections from 2000 to 2014. Arizona State University studies in 2012 and 2016 found similarly low rates. A number of Republican-led states, citing the need to prevent voter fraud, have passed laws with stricter ID requirements. But several have been struck down by courts that ruled they were designed to hinder minority voting. MELANIA TRUMP SPEAKS OUT Trump's campaign has been shaken since the release 10 days ago of a 2005 tape showing him lewdly bragging about kissing and touching women without their permission. A series of women have since come forward with allegations about such behavior on his part, but he has denied those accusations. "They want to put nice sexy headlines up even though nothing happened," Trump said, blaming the media for trying to "poison the minds of the voters." On Monday, the allegations were in the headlines again after Trump's wife, Melania Trump, spoke publicly for the first time about the "Access Hollywood" tape. A former model who has mainly stayed off the campaign trail, Trump told CNN she was surprised by her husband's language and said she thought he had been "egged on" to "say dirty and bad stuff," calling it "boy talk." Melania Trump told CNN that the allegations of unwanted touching from women were "all organized from the opposition" and said media did not "check the background of these women." In a separate interview with Fox News Channel, she said she had forgiven her husband for the comments in the tape. "Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. And he apologized to me," Melania Trump said in an excerpt released by Fox News Channel. "I accept his apology. And we are moving on," she said. (Additional reporting by Luciana Lopez and Jonathan Allen in New York, and Susan Heavey, Susan Cornwell and Eric Walsh in Washington; Writing by Doina Chiacu and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Leslie Adler and Peter Cooney) * Flood of capacity, Brexit hammer airline valuations * Ryanair cuts fares 15 pct, adds 1 mln seats per month * Airlines face choice between profit and market share * easyJet top shareholder criticises growth drive By Conor Humphries and Sarah Young DUBLIN/LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - When Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary promised on Tuesday to pump a million seats a month into a weak winter market and slash fares by 15 percent, he was ramping up pressure on rivals -- and on investors struggling to see an end to Europe's price wars. Since Britain voted in June to leave the European Union, the environment for the continent's airlines has been rapidly deteriorating, wiping a quarter off the sector's market capitalisation and triggering a string of profit warnings. But executives across the sector have stubbornly resisted cutting the number of tickets on offer to raise prices, telling investors that short-term profitability is a price worth paying to maintain and grow market share. With analysts forecasting capacity increases this winter of eight percent - the highest in a decade - the pressure is likely to keep rising in the coming months. "There's more supply coming on this winter and next summer and that's why the market's got very scared," said a top-30 shareholder in easyJet, speaking on condition of anonymity. "And that's just not going to change any time soon." "This is a tough year and you've just got to wait it out." On Tuesday Ryanair followed rivals including low-cost carrier easyJet, British Airways-owner IAG and Germany's Lufthansa in issuing a profit warning, saying its profits would grow 7 percent rather than the 12 percent previously guided. But company shares climbed on the news as investors focused on O'Leary's promise to ramp up capacity growth and grab market share. "In every market we are competing with other incumbents, whether they be allegedly low cost carriers or legacy carriers. We are taking very significant traffic away ... and we see that continuing," O'Leary said. Story continues Low prices will last "two years if not more," he warned. CAPACITY Ryanair, which hopes to lift its European short-haul market share to around 20 percent by 2024 from 14 percent now, said it would add 6 million seats over the six months to the end of March, up from an earlier forecast of 4 million. The airline intends to add 50 planes in the year to July 2017, up from 36 in the previous year. O'Leary said the company may add more than 50 planes in 2018 and 2019. It says its business model, which fills planes irrespective of ticket price to minimise passenger costs and boost spending on extras, is uniquely suited to a period of low fares. "There's never been a worse time to be a competitor of Ryanair," O'Leary said. Investors in some rival airlines fear he may have a point. The founder of easyJet, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, whose family remains the airline's biggest shareholder with a 34 percent stake, believes the airline should start cutting capacity at the next available opportunity in 2018, revisiting his public opposition to easyJet Chief Executive Carolyn McCall's 2013 deal to buy 135 new Airbus planes. "Stelios has been very firm about this ever since 2013 that the fleet growth plan would be destructive of total shareholder value and it looks like he's right," his spokesman told Reuters. easyJet's earnings per share will fall by more than 20 percent for the 12 months ended Sept. 30, a year in which it has grown its fleet by 16 planes, followed by a further forecast drop of 10 percent this year, according to Reuters data, as it adds 20 planes. Fleet growth is anticipated to continue at a similar rate in 2018 and 2019. McCall has said the current tough environment is the right time to take advantage of its bigger scale and lower cost operations. "History shows that at times like this the strongest airlines become stronger," McCall said earlier in October. But the collapse in fuel prices, which typically accounts for around a quarter of airline costs, has thrown a lifeline to many airline owners, and there has been precious little sign of capacity leaving the market. Holiday airline Monarch was last week kept alive by a bailout from investors. Lufthansa agreed to lease 40 planes from loss-making Air Berlin, keeping capacity in the market. Despite repeated failures in the past, Air France-KLM and Lufthansa are investing heavily in their respective low-cost arms, Transavia and Eurowings, extra capacity that is pushing down prices whether they make a profit or not. "The problem is that at the moment the incumbents are in absolutely no mind to shrink," said Barclays analyst Oliver Sleath. "I think that investors need to be braced for a tough year or two." BREXIT FACTOR easyJet is hoping its luck will turn after a year in which Islamist militants have staged attacks in France and north Africa, key markets to which it has been much more exposed than Ryanair. It is also far more exposed to Britain, which has been hit by a steep fall in sterling since the June 23 Brexit vote. It sees Ryanair's decision to pull planes out of the United Kingdom - its largest market, where it has cut its growth rate to 6 percent from 15 percent this year due to uncertainty around Brexit - as a sign of weakness. An easyJet source said the airline wants to take advantage of Ryanair's withdrawal in the UK, helping to get shareholders on board with its growth plans. "When we update the market in November we will provide more granularity of where we are adding capacity, at places like Luton, Manchester, Berlin and Toulouse, and we believe that this will help reassure them (investors)," said the source. Some analysts feel Ryanair has had some luck on its side this year. O'Leary admitted that recent decreases in the number of empty seats on planes had likely ended, which may deprive them of a tailwind on costs. And its high proportion of early bookings means more than half of its summer tickets were sold before Brexit hit the value of sterling. But overall, analysts appear more confident in Ryanair's ability to withstand the pressure, with just one out of 20 polled recommending investors sell the company's shares compared to five out of 25 at easyJet. Shares in easyJet, half of whose passengers originate in the UK, are down 40 percent since the Brexit referendum compared to a fall of 11 percent at Ryanair. The question to be answered in the coming months is whether the inevitable retrenchment will start to hurt easyJet or Ryanair too or whether it will mainly affect their weaker, smaller rivals and less lean carriers at the higher price point. "Taking a longer term view, probably it's still the case that easyJet is in a better position than a lot of the legacy airlines," said Jonathan Wober, chief financial analyst at CAPA-Centre for Aviation. "It's just about getting the balance right and that really does depend on how long the over-capacity remains." (Additional reporting by Giulia Segreti in Milan; Editing by Gareth Jones) ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's air force has been involved in coalition air strikes on the Iraqi city of Mosul, part of the U.S.-backed operation to flush out Islamic State, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday. Turkey has been locked in a row with Baghdad about the presence of its troops at the Bashiqa camp in northern Iraq and over who should take part in the U.S.-backed assault on Mosul. Turkey has trained up to 3,000 forces taking part but is concerned the operation could stoke sectarian tensions. (Reporting by Daren Butler; Writing by Ayla Jean Yackley; Editing by Nick Tattersall) The street cats of Istanbul will work their feline magic on American viewers when boutique distributor Oscilloscope brings the irresistible documentary Kedi to theaters in early 2017. Kedi, which translates as cat in English, marks the feature documentary debut of Istanbul-born helmer-producer Ceyda Torun and her cinematographer-producer husband Charlie Wuppermann. Its the first Turkish docu to find a U.S. theatrical release since Fatih Akins Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2006). The charming Kedi is a city symphony of sorts, taking in its purview the changing nature of the megalopolis as well as the people who love and care for its feline population. Torun and Wuppermann filmed for two months in April and May of 2014, shooting six day weeks, for 16 hours a day or more. Torun says, When your subjects are available for filming 24/7, its impossible to set down the camera, even during meals. While only seven kedis wound up making the final cut, Torun notes, We had leads on roughly 40 cats before we started shooting, ended up shooting about 20 and came down to seven in the edit. I wanted to find stories that felt whole in themselves, but also stories that when we weaved them together, created the kind of emotion I was hoping to convey to the audience. Torun and Wuppermann created some technical innovations to capture a cats eye view of the city as well as a harbor-side mouser at work. Torun says, We took apart remote-controlled trucks and fitted cameras on them, we built camera rigs that allowed us to get as low to the ground as possible to get over the shoulder shots of the cats as we tailed them. Our main cameras were the Cannon 5D Mark III with film lenses. The shots of the mouse and mouse hunter cat are from a motion activated night vision camera that we placed inside the rain gutter for five days and hoped for the shot and amazingly got! Although there is no official count of Istanbuls moggies, Torun estimates that it is in the millions. She notes, Since Istanbul has been one of the centers of human migratory routes, it only makes sense that the cat population has been there as long as people have been. We spoke with a veterinary zoologist at the University of Istanbul who showed us the remains of a cat found at the bottom of the Bosphorus from 3,500 years ago. This cat had a break in his leg that could have only healed in the way it did if it was wrapped by a human, suggesting that people who lived in that region at the time had loving, caring relationships with cats. Story continues Torun and Wuppermann and their company Termite Films are now based in Los Angeles. Torun says, Making Kedi, I learned how liberating making documentaries can be and how much you learn to be flexible and work with what you have. I do miss working with actors, so it looks like a narrative film will be next in line. I have a supernatural thriller in the works while I continue developing my next two documentaries; one revolving around Sufism, and the other featuring 60s Turkish psychedelic rock. Apart from producing projects directed by me, Termite has a slate of films in the pipeline that combine the genre format with arthouse elements. Related stories Antalya: Turkish Film Production on the Rise, but Distribution Still a Challenge Antalya: Turkey's Oldest Festival Celebrates New Talent Antalya: Turkish Drama 'Rauf' Explores Local Conflict By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 18 (PTI) Government think-tank Niti Aayog has favoured creating independent regulators for steel and mining sectors in the country in a bid to make both industries profitable. The premier policy-making body has also pitched for a new and dynamic steel policy to bring the over USD 100 billion industry back on track as well as meet the target of 300 million tonnes (mt) capacity by 2025. "Since steel is a deregulated sector, there is need for an independent regulator for effective regulation, which the sector presently lacks," Aayog said in a working paper. "Also, in the mining sector, though NMDC should act as a regulator, it itself is engaged in iron ore mining, which may create conflict of interest. Therefore, a new independent regulator is required in the mining sector as well." About the deteriorating financial health of steel firms, Niti Aayog said firms have a huge debt load over the past couple of years due to the combined effect of supply and demand factors. "Situation is quite critical as they are not even able to service their interest cost. There was an aggregate debt of Rs 45,160 crore on the iron and steel industry in 2014, according to the corporate debt restructuring cell progress report, which has increased to Rs 53,580 crore in March, 2016," it added. The working paper -- prepared by Niti Aayog Member V K Saraswat and Niti Aayog professional Ripunjaya Bansal -- said share of stressed advances has reached 25 per cent, of which 19 per cent are restructured standard advances and 7 per cent are non-performing assets (NPAs). It said the government has provided financial support to steel firms earlier in 1999 and 2003 while it is trying to support through RBIs strategic debt restructuring scheme currently. "Therefore, the steel sector, which has a long gestation period, needs long-term finance like pension funds, which have the capacity to withstand cyclical volatility of profits unlike funding from banks, external commercial borrowing (ECB) or capital markets," the paper suggested. According to the think-tank, mere changes in the National Steel Policy, 2012, will not benefit the sector, which over the last few years has been flooded with cheap imports from China, Korea and Japan impacting its sales and profit. This has also impacted its capacity to repay debt. advertisement "There is need for a new and dynamic steel policy. Seeing the current situation of the steel sector, it may be unlikely to achieve the targets envisaged in the National Steel Policy 2012 i.e. a capacity of 300 mt and production of 275 mt by 2025," it added. "To bring steel sector back on track, mere tinkering in the present policy would not bring out a transformational change that is required." Aayog feels there is a need to examine the entire value chain associated with the industry -- from raw materials to production of finished products -- to discover the bottlenecks in the sector. PTI RNK ARD --- ENDS --- The Turkish lira just touched a fresh record low against the US dollar, again. The currency touched 3.1140 against the greenback around 8:58 a.m. ET. It is now down by 0.5% at 3.1101 per dollar as of 9:03 a.m. ET, extending its decline from Monday. Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the country's ruling AK Party will "bring to our great parliament our proposal containing constitutional change and the presidential system," adding that it will happen "as soon as possible." The change would expand the powers of the presidency, according to Reuters. This follows comments from last week when the prime minister said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would move forward with the plans to change up the constitution. Turkish markets dropped following the news "amid growing concern among some investors over President Recep Tayyip Erdogans ambitions to consolidate power," according to Bloomberg. On the economic front, data released last Wednesday showed that Turkey's current-account deficit (something investors had previously cited as a concern) was greater than expected. Screen Shot 2016 10 18 at 9.00.34 AM NOW WATCH: LIZ ANN SONDERS: The most unsettling outcome for the markets would be a surprise Trump win More From Business Insider Police arrested a doctor and three other staff on charges of homicide Tuesday over a deadly blaze at an Indian hospital that left 20 people dead. The four from Bhubaneswar city hospital in eastern Odisha state are facing initial charges of "homicide not amounting to murder" and negligence after a fire broke out in the intensive care unit on Monday. "All the four staffers were taken into custody late on Tuesday. They include medical superintendent, an engineer and two others," Bhubaneswar police commissioner Yogesh Khurania told AFP. Khurania said they arrested the staff after receiving a compliant from the Odisha state government, adding more arrests are likely to follow. Three of the four detained staff had been suspended by the hospital for negligence earlier Tuesday. The fire broke out in the dialysis ward of the hospital before quickly spreading to other wards, killing 19 seriously ill patients who were unable to flee the blaze. Another patient died in hospital on Tuesday, police said. About 40 critically ill patients were in the ICU of the private SUM hospital in state capital Bhubaneswar when the fire broke out. In all more than 100 were rescued by firefighters who smashed windows to get them out of the burning building. "Some patients were evacuated by breaking a window on the first floor and then they were lowered to the ground floor. And some of them were evacuated through the adjoining operation theatre which was empty at that time," said Odisha's health secretary Arti Ahuja. "There are about 106 people who are (now) in different private and government hospitals," she told the NDTV news channel. In a separate incident, two people died on Tuesday morning when a high-rise luxury apartment block in the western city of Mumbai caught fire. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear. Such disasters are relatively common in India, partly because of poor safety standards. In 2011 more than 90 patients were killed in the eastern city of Kolkata when a fire raged through a private hospital, trapping many people inside the building. Story continues Most died from inhaling toxic gases. Ahuja said the hospital in Odisha had been sealed off and a detailed inquiry would be carried out to establish the cause of the disaster. Local television stations showed images of firefighters wearing masks smashing glass panes to enter the building. Police inspector Sharat Kumar Sahu said more than 100 firefighters had battled the blaze for around five hours until it was brought under control. Most of the critical patients were on ventilators and died in the blaze, he said. The state's chief minister Naveen Patnaik said he had visited the evacuated patients in hospital and ordered an inquiry into what he called a "tragic incident". A government relief fund would bear the cost of their treatment, he said on Twitter. By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Iranian court has sentenced an Iranian-American businessman and his elderly father to 10 years in prison on charges of cooperating with the United States, Iranian media reported on Tuesday, the latest sign of an intensifying crackdown against Iranians with ties to the West. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in October 2015 detained Siamak Namazi, a businessman in his mid-40s with dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship, while he was visiting family in Tehran. The IRGC in February arrested his 80-year-old father, Baquer Namazi, a former Iranian provincial governor and former UNICEF official who also has dual citizenship. Both men were sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying and cooperating with the U.S. government, said Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, according to the Fars news website, without specifying when exactly the sentences had been handed down. The U.S. State Department's deputy spokesman, Mark Toner, said the father and son had been "unjustly detained" in Iran, and called for their immediate release. The sentences were the latest against dual nationals directed by hardliners who are powerful in Iran's judiciary and security forces, in the aftermath of Iran's historic nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers last year. Washington and Tehran have not had formal diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed shah. Babak Namazi, Siamak's brother and Baquer's son, called the sentences unjust. "My father has been handed practically a death sentence," Babak Namazi said in a statement. Baquer Namazi has a serious heart condition and other medical issues requiring special medication, his wife wrote on Facebook in February. On Tuesday, UNICEF called for his release on "humanitarian grounds." Baquer Namazi previously served as UNICEF's representative in Somalia, Kenya and Egypt. He also ran Hamyaran, an umbrella agency for Iranian non-governmental organisations. Siamak Namazi, who was born in Iran and educated in the United States, worked as a business consultant in Iran for several years, and was well-known in Washington circles. He most recently worked for Crescent Petroleum, an oil and gas company in the United Arab Emirates. Mizan, the Iranian judiciary's official news site, published on Sunday video images of Siamak, set to dramatic music and spliced together with images of U.S. President Barack Obama and Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who was released from an Iranian jail in January after more than 18 months in detention. The video showed Siamak's U.S. passport and identification card from the United Arab Emirates, where he previously lived. It then showed him standing and holding his arms outstretched, as if being searched, while being filmed by at least one other cameraman. The website said the video depicted "the first images of the moment of Siamak Namazi's arrest." The father and son were each given a single court session lasting a few hours before the sentences were given, Babak Namazi's statement said. HARDLINE BACKLASH Iran's deal with world powers lifted most international sanctions and promised Iran's reintegration into the global community in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. The potential detente with the West has alarmed Iranian hardliners, who have seen a flood of European trade and investment delegations arrive in Tehran to discuss possible deals, according to Iran experts. Security officials have arrested dozens of artists, journalists and businessmen, including Iranians holding joint American, European or Canadian citizenship, as part of a crackdown on "Western infiltration." Four other Iranian-Americans, including Rezaian, were released from Iranian prisons in January as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. The arrests have undermined Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's goals of reviving Iran's business and political ties with the West, as well as pushing for more political and social reforms at home, Iran experts and observers said. In a 2013 visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, his first as president, Rouhani told an enthusiastic crowd of Iranian-Americans that his government would make it easier for them to visit Iran. He has criticised his hardline opponents, saying they sought their own interests, not those of the Iranian people. (Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Will Dunham) Sydney (AFP) - Australian gaming tycoon James Packer said on Tuesday he was "deeply concerned" about 18 of his Crown Resorts staff detained in China as his board held an emergency meeting to determine what to do next. The marketing staff were seized in raids late last week, including an executive in charge of luring high-rollers to Australia, with Beijing saying they had been "criminally detained ... for suspected gambling offences". Shares in Crown plunged more than 13 percent on Monday but stabilised Tuesday, rebounding 1.70 percent to close at Aus$11.34. "As the major shareholder of Crown Resorts, I am deeply concerned for the welfare of those Crown employees detained in China," said billionaire Packer, who is engaged to pop diva Mariah Carey and is the company's largest shareholder. "Crown will do whatever it can to support our employees and their families at this difficult time. Our number one priority is to be able to make contact and to ensure they are all safe." The Crown board held an emergency meeting via phone late Monday amid reports that Chinese police were preparing to charge the employees with organising gambling activities for Chinese nationals overseas. Gaming companies are not allowed to explicitly advertise gambling in China. The Sydney Morning Herald said speculation among industry insiders linked the crisis to an attempt by Crown to collect Aus$15 million (US$11.4 million) in gambling debts from a Chinese high-roller at its Melbourne casino. "I have sought regular updates on this issue and have asked Crown to do everything possible to contact our employees and to support their families, as we await further details from Chinese authorities," added Packer. "I am respectful that these detentions have occurred in another country and are therefore subject to their sovereign rules and investigative processes." Crown operates casinos across Australia and the world, including in Macau, where revenues have been hit hard by a Chinese corruption crackdown that has driven away many big-spenders. Story continues Graft has become endemic in China and President Xi Jinping launched a much-publicised anti-corruption drive after he came to power in 2012. One of those being held is the company's executive vice president VIP International, Jason O'Connor, along with two other Australians. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the government had been notified of their detention in Shanghai and consular officials were making arrangements to visit them. A candlelight vigil was held for Tyson Gays daughter, Trinity, at Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky on October 17. Tyson Gay spoke at the vigil, as seen in this video. Other members of the community also spoke. The American track-and-field sprinter lost his 15-year-old daughter in an exchange of gunfire between the occupants of two vehicles on October 16. Trinity Gay was later moved to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Chazerae Taylor, 38, and Dmarkeo Taylor, 19, were charged with wanton endangerment in connection with the shooting; Dvonta Middlebrooks, 21, was charged with wanton endangerment and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Credit: Facebook/LaRon Tanksley * Iran nuclear deal distracts from Trump woes * Voters have "national security anxiety" By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. congressional candidates worried that Donald Trump's struggling White House bid will damage them too have seized on one of President Barack Obama's signature foreign policy initiatives to try to ward off Democrats in the Nov 8 elections. With control of the Senate and perhaps even the House of Representatives in the balance, millions of dollars has been spent on campaign advertisements criticizing last year's Iran nuclear pact, even in districts where foreign affairs generally are not a top concern. Although Iran is unlikely to be most voters' main reason for choosing a candidate, strategists said the money could be well spent. Iran provides a distraction for Republicans concerned that the unpopularity of Trump -- whose poll numbers are dropping as he fights off several allegations that he groped women -- could also sink party members further down the ballot. One typical ad, for Iowa Republican Representative Rod Blum, uses apocalyptic imagery to tie Democratic challenger Monica Vernon to the Iran agreement. "Would you give billions to an Islamic Republic that burns our flag and chants 'Death to America?' Monica Vernon would," a male voice thunders over a video montage of marching troops, nuclear weapons and protesters burning U.S. flags. Vernon, a member of the Cedar Rapids City Council, has voiced support for the nuclear deal. Blum's spot is similar to dozens rolled out on behalf of Republican candidates who argue that America's influence is weaker because of Obama and by extension Hillary Clinton, his former secretary of state who is now the Democratic presidential nominee. "Iran is a piece of the national security anxiety people feel," Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak said. "Foreign policy's really complicated. Average voters don't understand it, don't follow it closely, but they know what bad foreign policy looks like." Story continues POLITICIZED ISSUE The agreement between Iran, the United States and other world powers curbs Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets. Trump frequently criticizes the accord and promises to make much better deals, based on his business experience, if he wins the White House. The real estate magnate has hammered the Iran pact in both of his presidential debates with Clinton and it is likely to come up at Wednesday's third debate in Nevada. Reuters/Ipsos polling in May showed Americans preferred Republicans' plans for dealing with Iran by 37 percent versus 21.9 percent for the Democrats'. Every Republican in Congress opposed the Iran breakthrough. Many worried that Obama gave up too much to a country that sponsors terrorism and threatens Israel. The issue has become more politicized recently, as congressional Republicans denounced the release of cash to Iran as a "ransom" payment and charged that huge Boeing Co and Airbus contracts to sell Iran jetliners could support terrorism. In the race for a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina on Nov. 8, a conservative spending group spent $1 million on advertising attacking Deborah Ross, the Democrat running against incumbent Senator Richard Burr, over the Iran deal. Israel also opposed the Iran accord, as did AIPAC, the main U.S. pro-Israel lobby group. Support for Israel is important to voters, especially evangelical Christians who are a wellspring of Republican support. There is more election advertising opposing the Iran deal than supporting it, but there is some backing for it. J Street, a smaller liberal pro-Israel group, spent $500,000 on advertising attacking Republican Senators Patrick Toomey and Ron Johnson, in tight re-election races in Democratic-leaning Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, for opposing the Iran pact. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Alistair Bell) By Mica Rosenberg and Natalie Schachar NEW YORK/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday extradited to Mexico a businessman accused of working with drug cartels after $205 million in cash was found at his Mexico City home, ending a years-long legal battle. Zhenli Ye Gon, who was arrested in the United States in July 2007 after the discovery of the cash, faces charges of organized crime, drug trafficking, firearms and money laundering in Mexico, a spokesman for the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement. "The United States government recognized Mexico's strong interest in prosecuting its own citizen," said spokesman Peter Carr. Ye Gon's extradition came after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his final appeal. Ye Gon was the former owner of the defunct Mexican pharmaceutical wholesaler Unimed Pharm Chem, which imported chemicals that U.S. and Mexican prosecutors alleged were used to manufacture the illegal drug methamphetamine. Ye Gon's attorney, Gregory Smith, has said his client was a legitimate businessman. "The Mexican people should understand that Mr. Ye Gon has not yet received any trial, or been convicted of anything," said Smith, adding that Ye Gon had already spent nearly a decade in jail in the United States. U.S. prosecutors brought charges against Ye Gon after his arrest, but their case against him collapsed in 2009 after key witnesses recanted or refused to testify. Ye Gon, who remained in custody, had since been fighting his extradition to Mexico, arguing he could face torture or even death if sent back. U.S. courts rejected those arguments and the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition addressed to Justice Sonia Sotomayor to temporarily halt the extradition, clearing the way for Ye Gon's return. "We were able to refute all the arguments put forward by the defendant and his defense," Salvador Sandoval, an assistant attorney for international affairs in Mexico's attorney general's office, said in a statement. An arrest warrant issued against Ye Gon in the State of Mexico is still in force, the statement said. Story continues The cash seizure at Ye Gon's mansion, said by authorities to be the largest ever at the time, played a role in U.S. money-laundering investigations at the British banking giant HSBC and the Las Vegas Sands Corp casino company. [L8N1B65BM] Ye Gon's attorney said his client was unable to dispute Mexico's charges during the extradition hearings since the focus was on the treaty between the United States and Mexico. "But those asserted facts now can (and will) be disputed in Mexico," Smith said. (Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York and Natalie Schachar in Mexico City; Editing by Peter Cooney) GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Tuesday that Russia's plan for a ceasefire will not mean any supplies get into besieged eastern Aleppo because Russia, Syria and other groups fighting in the city have not yet given guarantees of safety for aid workers. Syria's government would also need to overturn its decision last week to refuse to allow aid into the eastern part of the city, where the U.N. estimates 275,000 civilians and 8,000 rebel fighters are trapped. "We need assurances from all parties to the conflict, not just a unilateral announcement that this will happen. We need everybody to give us those assurances before it is immediately useful for us to do anything meaningful," U.N. spokesman Jens Laerke said. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was still unclear how much time would be needed to get security guarantees from all sides, including from rebel fighters. Russia said on Monday that Russian and Syrian forces would pause their attacks on Aleppo for eight hours on Thursday to allow civilians and rebels to leave the city, and on Tuesday they halted all air strikes, two days ahead of time. Laerke told a regular briefing in Geneva that Russia had told the U.N. the ceasefire was for eight hours on more than one consecutive day. "That was my understanding, that it was supposed to be a beginning," he said. The Russia-Syria bombing campaign has destroyed most health facilities in the besieged city, where 406 people were killed and 1,384 wounded between Sept. 23 and Oct 8., according to U.N. data based on reports from medical facilities. Robert Mardini, the ICRC's regional director for the Near and Middle East said: "Our estimate today is that there are close to 50 groups inside eastern Aleppo, it is not just about the Russian and Syrian government," he told Reuters. (Reporting by Tom Miles; Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Louise Ireland) By Warren Strobel, Yara Bayoumy and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq and the United States have launched a crucial battle to liberate the city of Mosul without determining how its volatile region will be governed once Islamic State militants are ejected, U.S. and other officials said. U.S. officials acknowledge gaps and risks in the plan for Mosul, amid worries that defeat of Islamic State in its de facto Iraqi capital could give way to sectarian score-settling and land grabs in the country's ethnically mixed north. But they argue that the alternative -- waiting to first sort out Iraq's fractious sectarian politics -- is unrealistic. With Islamic State hurting militarily, now is the time to strike, they say. Plans for administering Mosul itself, and aiding hundreds of thousands of civilians who could flee the fighting are in place, Western and Iraqi officials say. But being left for later, they say, are fundamental issues likely to determine Iraq's future stability. Among them are bitterly contested territorial claims in the country's north, including the divided city of Kirkuk and the disputed borders of the Kurds' autonomous region. In Mosul, it remains to be seen how power will be shared among the city's Sunni Arabs, Kurds, and minority Turkmen, Christians, Yazidis and others. "Some of those big-picture governance, territorial issues, are going to be pushed down the road," a senior State Department official said. Lukman Faily, Iraq's ambassador to Washington from 2013 until earlier this year, said that while military planning is advanced, "on the politics, we still need to get our house in better shape." The United States has repeatedly found in recent years that the aftermath of war can prove more troublesome than the fighting itself. It invaded Iraq in 2003 without a detailed post-war plan and with insufficient troops, contributing to the chaos that still engulfs the country more than 13 years later. In Afghanistan, the Taliban are making gains 15 years after U.S. and allied Afghan forces ousted them from Kabul. Iraqi government forces, backed by air and ground support from the U.S.-led coalition, on Monday launched the initial stages of the offensive to retake Mosul. The assault has been in preparation since July. Fighting is expected to take weeks, if not months, as government forces, Sunni tribal fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga first encircle the city of more than 1 million and then attempt to oust between 4,000 and 8,000 Islamic State militants. "If we try to solve everything before Mosul, Daesh will never get out of Mosul. And this is really a war of momentum," Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's counter-Islamic State envoy, told reporters this month. Daesh is a derogatory Arabic term for Islamic State. At stake for Obama is his hoped-for legacy of seizing back as much territory as he can from the jihadists before he leaves office in January. The launch of the Mosul campaign comes three weeks before the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 8. "There is a desire to make as much progress against Daesh as possible," said a Western diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity. UNEASE The decision to back Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's move on Mosul, which involves a force of more than 30,000 fighters, has support in key quarters of Obama's administration. But some U.S. defense and intelligence officials question whether Iraq's rebuilt army is ready. And they say they worry that the aftermath of a messy battle could be a political nightmare as Sunnis, Kurds and Shiites each try to hold parts of the city they have helped liberate. "In some circles around Washington, they want ... things completely in place before the military campaign starts," said an administration official, speaking before Abadi's announcement of the start of the offensive early on Monday. "Taking Iraqis focus away from the military fight to resolve all the longstanding political fights will only achieve a loss of momentum against ISIL," the official said, using another acronym for the group. Other spoilers are possible, officials acknowledge. Turkey, which has longstanding cultural and historic ties to Mosul, says a force it has trained in northern Iraq is now participating in the fight. Powerful Shi'ite militias also want a role, raising fears of sectarian clashes in majority Sunni Mosul. In weeks of intense regional diplomacy, senior U.S. envoys drove home the message that all forces must be under Abadi's command, the officials said. Whether the message sticks remains to be seen. While bigger issues will be left for later, plans have been laid for governing and stabilizing Mosul in the near-term after the fighting subsides, the officials said. The plan calls for the governor of Mosul's Nineveh province, Nawfal al-Agoub, to be restored and the city divided into sub-districts with local mayors for each. Agoub will govern along with a senior representative from Baghdad and from Erbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. Screening procedures for civilians fleeing Mosul have been enhanced, in an effort to learn from the battle for Fallujah, in Anbar province. There, Sunni men and boys were held, tortured and in some cases killed by Shi'ite militia members, who had erected makeshift checkpoints. U.S. and Iraqi officials are working to ensure displaced civilians take safe routes out of the city, and that checkpoints are overseen by provincial authorities and monitored by international non-government groups. They are also hoping that Mosul's populace stay in their homes if possible, unlike in the cities of Tikrit, Fallujah and Ramadi, which virtually emptied out as they were being freed from Islamic State's grip. The United Nations has said the Mosul battle could leave as many as 1 million people homeless. "There's a chance, maybe a significant chance, that it's going to be fewer people than we expect, but of course it would be dangerous to assume that," the senior State Department official said. The Western diplomat acknowledged that moving now against Islamic State's stronghold in Mosul involves a balancing act. "Theres a certain amount where you can prepare as much as possible, but once you sort of hit the ground and things actually start happening, you actually have to be quite flexible and ready," the diplomat said. (Additional reporting by John Walcott. Editing by Stuart Grudgings.) By PTI: Patna, Oct 18 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today condoled the death over 22 people in a major fire at a hospital in Bhubneshwar in neighbouring Odisha. The Bihar CM said in a statement here that the state stood solidly with Odisha in this hour of calamity. He prayed to the Almighty to provide strength to the bereaved families to bear the loss on account of the mishap. advertisement Kumar, who is also president of JD(U), prayed for early recovery of those injured in the tragedy. Last nights fire in Sum hospital in Odishas capital Bhubaneshwar claimed 22 lives while 106 others were undergoing treatment in different hospitals after being shifted from there. PTI SNS CR AYP --- ENDS --- By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) - A senior State Department official sought to shield Hillary Clinton last year by pressuring the FBI to drop its insistence that an email on the private server she used while secretary of state contained classified information, according to records of interviews with FBI officials released on Monday. The accusation against Patrick Kennedy, the State Department's most senior manager, appears in the latest release of interview summaries from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's year-long investigation into Clinton's sending and receiving classified government secrets via her unauthorized server. Although the FBI decided against declassifying the email's contents, the claim of interference added fuel to Republicans' belief that officials in President Barack Obama's administration have sought to protect Clinton, a Democrat, from criminal liability as she seeks to succeed Obama in the Nov. 8 election. The FBI recommended against bringing any charges in July and has defended the integrity of its investigation. Clinton has said her decision to use a private server in her home for her work as the U.S. secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 was a mistake and has apologized. One FBI official, whose name is redacted, told investigators that Kennedy repeatedly "pressured" the various officials at the FBI to declassify information in one of Clinton's emails. The email was about the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, and included information that originated from the FBI, which meant that the FBI had final say on whether it would remain classified. A State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said Kennedy was not pressuring the FBI but was just trying to understand better how the FBI's classification process worked. The dispute began in the summer of 2015 as officials were busy reviewing the roughly 30,000 emails Clinton returned to the State Department ahead of their court-ordered public release in batches in 2015 and 2016. The official said the State Department's office of legal counsel called him to question the FBI's ruling that the information was classified, but the FBI stood by its decision. Soon after that call, one of the official's FBI colleagues received a call from Kennedy in which Kennedy "asked his assistance in altering the email's classification in exchange for a 'quid pro quo.'" The FBI official said he also joined at least two discussions in which Kennedy "continued to pressure" the FBI about the email. The official said Kennedy appeared to be trying to protect Clinton by minimizing the appearance of classified information in emails from the server that Clinton used while she was the country's most senior diplomat. AGENCIES SAY NO 'QUID PRO QUO" In a separate interview summary among the 100 pages released on Monday, another unnamed FBI official confirmed a discussion of a "quid pro quo." He said Kennedy told him in a phone call that the FBI's classification of the email "caused problems" for Kennedy. The official said he told Kennedy he would look into the email, which he had not yet seen, if the State Department would consider allowing more FBI agents to be posted in Iraq in exchange. The State Department and the FBI both confirmed that a conversation about the email's classification and an increase in FBI slots in Iraq took place, but both agencies said there was no "quid pro quo." After a year-long FBI investigation into the server, FBI Director James Comey said in July he found that while laws governing classified information may have been broken no reasonable prosecutor would bring charges. He said, however, that Clinton and her staff had been "extremely careless" in handling information that had been classified to protect national security. Toner, the State Department spokesman, said there was "no quid pro quo," and told reporters that it was the FBI official who raised the possibility with Kennedy of allowing more agents in Iraq during the conversation about the email. "After the conversation took place about the upgrading classification, at the end of that, there was a kind of, 'Oh, by the way, hey, we're looking at how we want more slots" in Iraq, Toner said, calling it a "clear pivot" in the topic of conversation. "No increase in FBI Iraq slots resulted from this conversation," he said. The FBI also confirmed both topics were raised in the same conversation, and that the FBI official who discussed the email and Iraq with Kennedy had since retired. "Although there was never a quid pro quo, these allegations were nonetheless referred to the appropriate officials for review," the FBI said in its statement, which did not say what the outcome of the review was. TRUMP CALLS IT "COLLUSION" Other officials have made similar complaints to investigators of unusual pressure not to mark information as classified in Clinton's emails last year. According to earlier documents the FBI released last month, at least one official at the State Department told investigators that there was pressure by senior department officials to mislead the public about the presence of classified information in Clinton's emails ahead of their public release. A summary released on Monday showed at least two other State Department officials making similar allegations. One official who worked in the State Department's office that deals with Freedom of Information Act requests told investigators they felt "intimidated" by senior department officials if they suggested that any of Clinton's emails on Benghazi contained classified information, and named Kennedy as one of the officials who pressured "employees to not label anything as classified." The State Department has said these allegations are also false. Ultimately, the FBI told Kennedy that declassification was not possible, according to the interview summaries, and the State Department posted it online last year marked as classified, with heavy redactions. Clinton's Republican rival for the White House, Donald Trump, posted a video online on Monday in which he said the FBI documents showed "corruption at the highest levels." "This is collusion between the FBI, Department of Justice and the State Department to try and make Hillary Clinton look like an innocent person when she's guilty of very high crimes," Trump said. Later on Monday, Trump proposed a series of ethics rules he said would crack down on government corruption, including a five-year ban on former administration officials lobbying after leaving government and a lifetime ban on senior officials lobbying for foreign governments. He said former President Bill Clinton had a five-year lobbying ban but lifted it at the end of his administration. Obama put his own "revolving door" rules in place at the beginning of his time in office. Several Republican lawmakers called on Obama to investigate Kennedy and remove him from the department. Toner of the State Department said Kennedy "has the full confidence" of John Kerry, Clinton's successor as secretary of state. Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee's chairman, said in a statement that Obama, who is campaigning for Clinton to become his successor as president, was trying to "shield" Clinton and that she "cannot be trusted" with classified information. Paul Ryan, the top elected Republican in the U.S. Congress, referred to the FBI summaries on Twitter. "This bears all the signs of a cover-up," he wrote. In 2015, Clinton repeatedly said she never sent or received classified information via her server, but since the release of the FBI report in July she has said she relied on the judgment of her subordinates at the department. Robby Mook, her campaign manager, downplayed the account from the FBI interview summary, telling reporters it was "not uncommon for officials within a department to fight over classification." (Additional reporting by Julia Edwards, Emily Stephenson, Arshad Mohammed and Luciana Lopez; Writing by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Frances Kerry and Leslie Adler) * Court to rule on who can start EU divorce process * Claimants say lawmakers not government should decide * Govt lawyer: Parliament will likely ratify final deal (Recasts with new quotes/detail from court) By Michael Holden LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - London's High Court said on Tuesday it would rule "as quickly as possible" on whether British lawmakers, and not the government alone, must trigger the formal process of leaving the European Union, in a case closely watched by politicians and markets. Campaigners have taken legal action to argue Prime Minister Theresa May and her ministers do not have the authority to invoke Article 50 of the EU Lisbon Treaty, the mechanism by which a nation can leave the bloc, without the explicit backing of parliament. During three days of legal wrangling involving some of the country's top lawyers, the High Court has heard from the government that a decision to trigger Article 50 could not be reversed and that it was "very likely" the final exit deal agreed with the EU would have to be ratified by parliament. However, the key issue of whether May can invoke Article 50 using the ancient power of "royal prerogative" remains to be determined. "We shall take time to consider the matter and will give our judgements as quickly as possible," said Lord Chief Justice John Thomas, Britain's most senior judge who has been hearing the case with two other leading justices. Whichever side loses will almost certainly appeal to the Supreme Court, the UK's highest judicial body, which will give a final verdict in December. May has said she would invoke Article 50 by the end of March next year, starting a two-year divorce procedure but promised that lawmakers would be fully consulted over the subsequent negotiations. Sterling has fallen to 31-year lows since May's announcement and the court case is being closely monitored by market players who believe the greater parliament's involvement, the greater the chance there is of a "soft Brexit", where Britain stays in or remains close to the EU single market. Story continues TREATIES Lawyers for the government argued it was established constitutional convention for the executive to make or withdraw from international treaties using prerogative powers. The Attorney General, the government's top lawyer, has also told the court that once invoked, the process to leave the EU is irrevocable, although Donald Tusk, the European Council president who will oversee Brexit talks, said last week Britain was free to simply withdraw unilaterally its proposal to leave at any point before the two-year notice period ends. On Tuesday, another government lawyer James Eadie said it was probable parliament would have to ratify the final exit deal, words which helped buoy the pound. "The government view at the moment is it is very likely that any such agreement will be subject to ratification," Eadie said. That would mean lawmakers could potentially block the deal, although Eadie said it was possible that the EU and Britain could agree that the divorce agreement would come into effect without parliamentary approval. Lawyers representing those who want parliament and not May to invoke Article 50 said this was all far too late anyway. "If parliament refuses its agreement, we still leave the EU," said David Pannick, the lawyer representing the lead claimant in the challenge. "By the time parliament comes to look at the matter post-notification, the die is cast," (Editing by Stephen Addison) By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - London's High Court said on Tuesday it would rule "as quickly as possible" on whether British lawmakers, and not the government alone, must trigger the formal process of leaving the European Union, in a case closely watched by politicians and markets. Campaigners have taken legal action to argue Prime Minister Theresa May and her ministers do not have the authority to invoke Article 50 of the EU Lisbon Treaty, the mechanism by which a nation can leave the bloc, without the explicit backing of parliament. During three days of legal wrangling involving some of the country's top lawyers, the High Court has heard from the government that a decision to trigger Article 50 could not be reversed and that it was "very likely" the final exit deal agreed with the EU would have to be ratified by parliament. However, the key issue of whether May can invoke Article 50 using the ancient power of "royal prerogative" remains to be determined. "We shall take time to consider the matter and will give our judgements as quickly as possible," said Lord Chief Justice John Thomas, Britain's most senior judge who has been hearing the case with two other leading justices. Whichever side loses will almost certainly appeal to the Supreme Court, the UK's highest judicial body, which will give a final verdict in December. May has said she would invoke Article 50 by the end of March next year, starting a two-year divorce procedure but promised that lawmakers would be fully consulted over the subsequent negotiations. Sterling has fallen to 31-year lows since May's announcement and the court case is being closely monitored by market players who believe the greater parliament's involvement, the greater the chance there is of a "soft Brexit", where Britain stays in or remains close to the EU single market. TREATIES Lawyers for the government argued it was established constitutional convention for the executive to make or withdraw from international treaties using prerogative powers. The Attorney General, the government's top lawyer, has also told the court that once invoked, the process to leave the EU is irrevocable, although Donald Tusk, the European Council president who will oversee Brexit talks, said last week Britain was free to simply withdraw unilaterally its proposal to leave at any point before the two-year notice period ends. On Tuesday, another government lawyer James Eadie said it was probable parliament would have to ratify the final exit deal, words which helped buoy the pound. "The government view at the moment is it is very likely that any such agreement will be subject to ratification," Eadie said. That would mean lawmakers could potentially block the deal, although Eadie said it was possible that the EU and Britain could agree that the divorce agreement would come into effect without parliamentary approval. Lawyers representing those who want parliament and not May to invoke Article 50 said this was all far too late anyway. "If parliament refuses its agreement, we still leave the EU," said David Pannick, the lawyer representing the lead claimant in the challenge. "By the time parliament comes to look at the matter post-notification, the die is cast," (Editing by Stephen Addison) London (AFP) - Britain's parliament will "very likely" need to approve any official deal with the European Union following Brexit, a government lawyer told Britain's High Court on Tuesday. James Eadie said the government believed any such agreement "would be subject to ratification" as he defended Prime Minister's Theresa May's right to start negotiations for Britain to leave the EU without a vote in parliament. Supporters of Britain's EU membership launched the High Court bid to challenge May's assertion that she has the right to use "historic prerogative powers" -- a type of executive privilege -- to trigger notification of Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, which would spark two years of negotiations on Britain's departure from the bloc. The hearings closed Tuesday, and the leading judges promised to "take time to consider the matter and give our judgment as quickly as possible." The challenge could delay Brexit if successful and set up an unprecedented constitutional face-off between the courts and the government. It was launched after Britain's June 23 referendum, which saw 52 percent of Britons vote to leave the European Union. Those behind the legal challenge -- including an investment fund manager, a hairdresser and an expatriate living in France -- argue Article 50 cannot be triggered without a law passed by parliament. "This is not about whether we should stay or leave -- this is actually about how we leave," Gina Miller, co-founder of investment fund SCM Private, told AFP. The fund manager is being represented by Mishcon de Reya, a prestigious law firm whose offices were picketed by pro-Brexit campaigners in July for taking on the case shortly after the referendum. May has accused the claimants of trying to "subvert" the result of the referendum. The British premier has promised to start Brexit procedures by the end of March 2017, a timetable which could be delayed for months if Miller and her fellow claimants win their case. London (AFP) - British police are investigating an allegation of rape at the Houses of Parliament against an aide to a Conservative Party MP, the politician's spokesman said on Tuesday. London's Metropolitan Police on Monday announced an investigation into the alleged rape which is said to have occurred in the early hours of October 14. "A 23-year-old man was arrested that same day on suspicion of rape. He has been bailed pending further enquires to a date in mid-January 2017," the Metropolitan Police told AFP. Investigators did not publicly name the victim or the suspect, who was identified by British media as an aide to MP Craig Mackinlay who represents the ruling Conservative Party. A spokesman for Mackinlay said the politician "was made aware of an allegation against a member of his staff" on Friday morning. "Following a request made by the police and parliamentary services he granted full access to his Westminster office. "Mr Mackinlay is currently awaiting further information from the police," they told AFP. A spokeswoman for the Conservative Party said: "It would be inappropriate to comment while a police investigation is taking place." As police enquiries continue the House of Commons staff were working with the authorities. aWe are aware of an incident on the Parliamentary Estate which is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service. "Parliament is working closely with the police on their investigation and we cannot comment further while this is ongoing," a spokesperson said. London's Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, serve both as the centre of British politics and iconic tourist attractions, famed for the Big Ben clock tower. Designed by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin, the Houses of Parliament were completed in 1870 and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United Nations is moving hundreds of peacekeepers from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to Kinshasa to help deal with a possible outbreak of violence over the postponement of a presidential election, UN officials said Tuesday. About 300 soldiers and police from the MONUSCO force will be stationed in Kinshasa, where violent protests killed 49 last month, the officials said. "We are planning for all eventualities and have taken measures to strengthen our posture in Kinshasa," UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said. However, the reinforcements would probably not be enough if the capital sees widespread violence, he cautioned. "It's important to keep in mind that Kinshasa is a city of almost 11 million people and MONUSCO has neither the manpower nor the mandate to provide security," he said. Political tension has been mounting over President Joseph Kabila's apparent bid to cling to power. An agreement was reached on Monday to push the presidential election, set for this year, back to April 2018. But opposition parties boycotted the deal, calling for a major protest on Wednesday. The UN envoy for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Maman Sambo Sidikou, warned last week that the country had entered a period of "extreme risk to its stability," saying "large-scale violence is all but inevitable" if nothing is done to address the crisis. The UN Security Council is considering a trip to the country next month to try to help find a way forward in the political crisis, diplomats said. One of Africa's biggest and most resource-rich countries, the DR Congo has been ruled by Kabila since 2001, when his father Laurent was assassinated. He was elected in 2006 to his first five-year term under a constitution that sets a two-term limit for presidents. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous will travel to Western Sahara this week as the United Nations works to ease tensions with Morocco over its mission in the disputed territory. Ladsous told reporters on Tuesday that he will hold talks in Rabat, visit the headquarters of the UN mission MINURSO in Laayoune and cross into Algeria to visit the refugee camps in Tindouf. The visit will be the first by a senior UN official since Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made a controversial trip in March, angering Morocco over his use of the term "occupation" to describe the status of Western Sahara. Ladsous described his visit to MINURSO as a "morale-boosting" exercise for the mission after Morocco cut dozens of staff in angry retaliation over Ban's use of the term. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in April demanding that MINURSO return to "full functionality" but not all 75 staffers are expected to go back. A review of the staffing is under way and some of the mission's work could be handled by the UN regional hub, a senior UN official said. The United Nations announced in August that UN envoy Christopher Ross was prepared to travel to the region for talks on ending the decades-old conflict over Western Sahara. That trip is "still under discussion," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, adding: "To say that Western Sahara is a complex and complicated issue would be an understatement." Ban is due to return to Morocco in November to attend the COP22 conference on climate change in Marrakesh. The council met behind closed doors on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Western Sahara, but there was no concrete outcome to the discussion. MINURSO was established in 1991 after a ceasefire ended a war that broke out when Morocco sent troops to the former Spanish territory in 1975 and fought Sahrawi rebels of the Polisario Front. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, declared by the Polisario in 1976, is a full member of the African Union. Morocco maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom despite UN resolutions that task MINURSO with organizing a referendum on self-determination. By PTI: Patna, Oct 18 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today condoled the death over 22 people in a major fire at a hospital in Bhubneshwar in neighbouring Odisha. The Bihar CM said in a statement here that the state stood solidly with Odisha in this hour of calamity. He prayed to the Almighty to provide strength to the bereaved families to bear the loss on account of the mishap. advertisement Kumar, who is also president of JD(U), prayed for early recovery of those injured in the tragedy. Last nights fire in Sum hospital in Odishas capital Bhubaneshwar claimed 22 lives while 106 others were undergoing treatment in different hospitals after being shifted from there. PTI SNS CR AYP PD --- ENDS --- Paris (AFP) - The UN cultural agency on Tuesday adopted an Arab-sponsored resolution condemning Israel's actions at a flashpoint holy site in east Jerusalem, deepening anger in the Jewish state. The UNESCO resolution on "occupied Palestine" was endorsed Tuesday by the agency's executive board at its headquarters in Paris, after being approved at the committee stage last week. Referring throughout to "the occupying power," it condemns Israel for restricting Muslims' access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound -- Islam's third holiest site -- and criticises damage by security forces to the site and nearby excavations. It is the latest episode in a series of rows at UNESCO, which is responsible for protecting important heritage sites and is one of few international organisations that recognises Palestine as a member state. Israel suspended its cooperation with UNESCO last week in response to the draft resolution and its ambassador, Carmel Shama Hacohen, accused the Palestinians of playing "games" on Tuesday. "This is the wrong place to solve problems between countries or people," he told AFP. Israel is furious that the resolution refers to the Old City site in Jerusalem by its Muslim name, Al-Aqsa or Al-Haram al-Sharif. It is considered holy by Muslims, Christians and Jews. Jews refer to it as the Temple Mount and it is considered the holiest site in Judaism. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complained last week that saying "Israel has no connection to the Temple Mount and Western Wall is like saying China has no connection to the Great Wall of China or Egypt has no connection to the pyramids". While acknowledging the importance of the Old City to "the three monotheistic religions" -- Islam, Judaism and Christianity -- the resolution focuses on Israeli restrictions on Muslims accessing the mosque. It also includes condemnation of Israel's blockade of Gaza and "constant aggressions by the Israeli settlers" in the West Bank. Story continues - Violations - Deputy Palestinian ambassador to UNESCO, Mounir Anastas, welcomed the decision on Tuesday. "This resolution reminds Israel that they are the occupying power in east Jerusalem, and it asks them to stop all their violations, especially in the fields of competence of UNESCO such as the excavations," he told reporters. Since 2011 when Palestine was admitted to UNESCO, the body has been the scene of numerous diplomatic spats resulting from resolutions condemning Israel, most recently in April but also in October last year. The east Jerusalem site is a 14-hectare (35-acre) rectangular esplanade at the southeast corner of the Old City which was seized by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never internationally recognised. Israel considers all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, but the Palestinians want the eastern sector as capital of their future state. - Unease in UNESCO - The atmosphere before the vote on Tuesday was soured further by threats received by telephone and on social media last week following a vote on the draft resolution, a UNESCO official said. The text had created unease at the top of the organisation, with Michael Worbs, who chairs UNESCO's executive board, saying he would have liked more time to work out a compromise. The resolution was voted on last Thursday at the committee stage, with 24 votes in favour, six against and 26 abstentions. There were two absentees. UNESCO chief Irina Bokova also distanced herself from the resolutions, saying in a statement that "nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space." Israel's envoy to UNESCO defended the Jewish state's suspension of its cooperation with the organisation as a "proportional reaction" to the resolution passed on Tuesday. "I hope it will not last long," Shama Hacohen told AFP. He also saw Mexico's decision to change its position Tuesday from voting in favour of the resolution to abstaining as a small victory. "We hope it will come to a point that the Palestinians understand that there is no place for these games at UNESCO," he said. The UN body also on Tuesday adopted a separate, less controversial resolution on schools in Palestinian territories. A new union-backed super PAC wants to make Americas infrastructure great again and believes Democrat Hillary Clinton is the candidate to do it. Hard Hats for America, which registered with the Federal Election Commission in August, wants to reverse the years of neglect that have harmed our roads, bridges and other infrastructure, according to its website. The super PAC says it plans to organize and speak out throughout this election to advocate the election of Hillary Clinton and other supporters of long-overdue infrastructure improvements throughout the United States. As comedian John Oliver, host of HBOs Last Week Tonight, once quipped, when our infrastructure is not being destroyed by robots and/or saved by Bruce Willis, we tend to find it a bit boring. Hard Hats for America hopes to turn infrastructure into an election issue. Whos behind it? Hard Hats for Americas official registration paperwork lists two men as connected to the group. The first is labor official Brent Booker, the secretary-treasurer of North America's Building Trades Unions. The second is a veteran Democratic strategist Craig Varoga. For his part, Varoga also leads the pro-Democratic group Patriot Majority USA, which, during in the 2014 battle for control of the U.S. Senate, was a major dark money player so-called because it does not disclose its donors. (Varoga once told Politico that if Democrats whine and complain about the court cases that led to the proliferation of dark money in politics, then theyd lose races that otherwise we should win because theyd be completely disadvantaged.) This year, Varoga and Patriot Majority USA have also been involved with a voter registration project in Indiana that was recently raided by state police amid fraud concerns. Varoga has denied any wrongdoing and accused the police and Indianas Republican secretary of state of harassing a nonpartisan voter registration drive. As a super PAC, Hard Hats for America does disclose its donors, and its funders, so far, are strictly labor unions. Story continues Money in All super PACs are allowed to raise unlimited amounts of money from individuals, corporations and labor unions so long as these political action committees dont coordinate their spending with candidates. Hard Hats for America raised $580,000 through the end of September, according to a recently filed campaign finance report. Four labor unions provided all of that money. The International Union of Operating Engineers and the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry each contributed $250,000. Meanwhile, the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers donated $75,000. And North America's Building Trades Unions gave $5,000. This story is part of Source Check. Click here to read more stories in this series. Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. Money out To date, Hard Hats for America has spent about $200,000 on efforts to promote Clintons candidacy, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of campaign finance filings. The super PAC has yet to air any TV or radio ads, though it has paid for digital advertising and also has an active online presence, including a Facebook page branded Hard Hats for Hillary a slogan it has emblazoned on stickers, signs and t-shirts as well. One of the super PACs recently produced digital advertisements features excerpts of Clintons speech at the Democratic National Convention touting her bold agenda to improve the lives of people across our country, including a major infrastructure program within the first 100 days of her administration. The next president could literally mean the difference between a safe America and an unsafe one, the narrator warns. Super PAC spokeswoman Christy Setzer told the Center for Public Integrity that Hard Hats for America is also holding a number of rallies for building trade union members in targeted battleground states, as well as at the presidential and vice presidential debates. Hard Hats for America is targeting voters in the Rust Belt who are particularly affected by the economy and would benefit from Hillary Clinton's infrastructure plans, she added. Hard Hats for America is uniquely suited to sell her plan, sell her candidacy and help get America back to work. Why it matters Hard Hats for America is targeting working-class voters in several key battleground states, including Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Most of those states typically vote Democratic in presidential elections, but Trump is hoping his protectionist views on trade will win over workers there. According to a September poll commissioned by Hard Hats for America, a bipartisan majority of voters support Increased federal spending for infrastructure. Yet people were divided on whether Clinton or Republican Donald Trump had a better plan to tackle the issue: 44 percent said Clinton had a better plan, while 43 percent preferred Trump a difference within the polls margin of error. This story is part of Source Check. Click here to read more stories in this series. Related stories Copyright 2016 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C. Leading railroad operator, Union Pacific Corporation UNP is slated to release third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 20, before the market opens. Last quarter, the company reported in-line earnings. The bottom line, however, declined 15% on a year-over-year basis. Revenues decreased 12% year over year to $4.8 billion in the second quarter and narrowly missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Results were hurt by declining coal shipments. Earnings Whispers Our quantitative model does not show conclusively that Union Pacific is likely to beat on earnings in the third quarter. According to our proven model, a company needs the right combination of two key ingredients a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better to increase its odds of an earnings surprise. However, this is not the case as highlighted below. Zacks ESP:The Earnings ESP for Union Pacific is 0.00% as both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at $1.39 per share. Zacks Rank:Union Pacific holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Though the company has a favorable Zacks Racks, its 0.00% ESP complicates our surprise prediction. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Please note that the Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 or 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement. UNION PAC CORP Price and EPS Surprise UNION PAC CORP Price and EPS Surprise | UNION PAC CORP Quote Factors Likely at Play We expect Union Pacifics third-quarter results to be hurt by coal-related headwinds yet again. At the 9th Annual Global Transportation Conference last month, the company's CFO Rob Knight stated that overall volumes are expected to decline around 6% in the third quarter. Coal volumes had decreased by 15% as of Sep 1. Knight further stated that overall volumes are expected to decline in the band of 68% in 2016. Moreover, the opening of the expanded Panama Canal, earlier this year, may hurt the companys business. The train derailment in Oregon has also increased concerns about safety in the railroads industry. Story continues We are, however, impressed with Union Pacifics efforts to reward its investors through share buybacks and dividend payments. Apart from dividend payouts, we are encouraged by the company's prudent cost management. The companys operating expenses had declined 11% in the second quarter and we expect the trend to continue in this quarter as well. Lower costs are expected to drive the bottom line in the third quarter. Stocks to Consider Investors interested in the transportation space may consider the following stocks as our model shows they possess the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. GWR has an Earnings ESP of +4.26% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company, which will release its third-quarter results on Nov 1, has an impressive history with respect to earnings per share. It outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters with an average positive surprise of 5.71%. American Airlines Group AAL has an Earnings ESP of +3.01% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company, which will release its third-quarter results on Oct 20, has an impressive history with respect to earnings per share. The company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters with an average positive surprise of 4.27%. Allegiant Travel Company ALGT has an Earnings ESP of +1.16% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company, which will release its third-quarter results on Oct 26, has an impressive history with respect to earnings per share. Allegiant outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters with an average beat of 2.93%. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ALLEGIANT TRAVL (ALGT): Free Stock Analysis Report UNION PAC CORP (UNP): Free Stock Analysis Report GENESEE & WYO (GWR): Free Stock Analysis Report AMER AIRLINES (AAL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research United Airlines After a record breaking 2015, the airline industry has come back down to Earth this year. Revenue and profit margins across the industry have slipped dramatically in 2016 amid a dip in fares. However, United Airlines' new president Scott Kirby believes the tough times are about to get better. "We think the revenue situation has bottomed and we are on the way to recovery," Kirby said during the airline's September quarter earnings call. On Tuesday, United Airlines reported a 3.8% decrease in revenue during its most recent quarter of business when compared to the same period last year. At the same time, the airline experienced a 0.5% dip in profit margin. In July, United reported a 5.2% decrease in total revenue for the second quarter of 2016. The tough times are a result of the airline industry's inability to effectively manage supply and demand in the face of currency fluctuations, lower average fare prices, and weak demand due to economic softness in major markets across Latin America, Asia, and Europe. According to Kirby, United's Latin America business will be the first of its markets to recover. The airline expects both unit revenue and passenger yield in Latin America to be in the positive by the next quarter. In addition, United's business in China is growing albeit at a slower pace than before as it reaches the caps set forth in bilateral agreements between China and the US. However, Kirby expects the trans-Atlantic market across Europe to remain the weakest due to excess capacity and instability caused by the Brexit. Overall, United Airlines reported third quarter profit of $965 million with a pre-tax earnings of $1.5 billion. Shares of United Airlines is trading up nearly 3% today due to the news. NOW WATCH: There is a secret US government airline that flies out of commercial airports More From Business Insider Shutterstock While he was alive, Max Spiers was virtually unknown outside Ufology and conspiracy theory circles. But in death, the 39-year-old British man has found increasing notoriety, thanks in part to the confusing circumstances, and unusual behavior that surrounded his passing. Spiers was attending a UFO conference in Warsaw this past June, where he intended to present his theories and research into UFOs. Before he could speak, he died suddenly apparently while sleeping on an acquaintances couch. Details are few and difficult to track to reputable sources. Most of the coverage of Spierss death has been sensationalistic, claiming that he died vomiting a black fluid. That claim is tough to verify. What we do know is that Spiers was 39 and, as far as his wife and family were aware, in good health. The odds of a 39-year-old passing away suddenly are extremely low, but its not unheard of. Still, its the sort of thing that seems worth looking into. Unfortunately, theres currently no way for Spiers family to investigate his death themselves. Spiers mother claims that while Polish authorities have ruled her sons death the result of natural causes, they wont release the paperwork without her dead sons explicit written consent. Its not clear if an autopsy was performed, and a post-mortem run by English authorities has yet to deliver any ruling. That doesnt, of course, mean a sinister cabal is behind the death. Ufologists and conspiracy theorists often mourn the loss of one of their own by assuming its all part of the grand cover-up. They are, after all, disinclined to believe in coincidence in the first place, and when tragedy strikes, even if the evidence is thin, perhaps a grand assassination is easier to accept than the cruelties of fate. Its easy to forget the fundamental belief of conspiracy theories is that everything happens for a reason and that somebody, somewhere, is in charge. On the other hand, its a lot easier to be rational when information is offered freely. Above all, we shouldnt lose track of the tragedy here. Spiers left behind two children, and his mother is facing a Kafkaesque mess just to receive what should be simple and necessary paperwork. No one should face such callous treatment in the face of a sudden loss. The Spiers family, one way or the other, deserves answers, even if they dont believe what they hear. (via the Telegraph) Washington (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday denied charges from WikiLeaks that Washington asked Ecuador to cut the internet connection of the website's founder Julian Assange. WikiLeaks on Monday alleged that Assange's internet access was cut Saturday after it published private speeches by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to Goldman Sachs. Assange has been staying at the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012 to evade prosecution by Sweden over a rape allegation. In a series of tweets beginning late Monday, the anti-secrecy site said it learned from "multiple US sources" that Ecuador cut off Assange's internet connection at the behest of US Secretary of State John Kerry. But State Department spokesman John Kirby, in a brief statement, denied that Washington had played any role in the move. "While our concerns about WikiLeaks are longstanding, any suggestion that Secretary Kerry or the State Department were involved in shutting down WikiLeaks is false," Kirby said. "Reports that Secretary Kerry had conversations with Ecuadorian officials about this are simply untrue. Period." On Saturday, WikiLeaks published three private, paid speeches Clinton made to Wall Street investment giant Goldman Sachs, after she left her position as secretary of state and before launching her White House bid. Clinton's campaign team, which has not contested the authenticity of the documents, accused WikiLeaks and the Russian government leaking them in an effort to help Donald Trump, her Republican rival for White House. Two criminal cases were registered against Bhubaneswar's Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital today after 20 people lost their lives in a fire tragedy in the hospitals ICU on Monday. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visits the patients of SUM Hospital where a fire broke out, admitted at AIIMS in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. (PTI Photo) By India Today Web Desk: The Odisha Police today arrested four officials of Bhubaneswar's Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital today after 20 people lost their lives in a fire tragedy on Monday evening. Two criminal cases were registered against the hospital authority on Tuesday. Most of the patients died due to suffocation and asphyxiation, a senior official said, adding that majority of the patients were on ventilator support at the ICU in the hospital when the fire broke out. advertisement The arrested officials are Puspa Raj Samantasinghar (Medical Superintendent), Amulya Sahu (Electrical Maintenance Engineer), Santosh Das (Fire Safety Officer) and Malaya Kumar Sahu (Junior Engineer, Electrical Maintenance). They have been charged under Sections 304, 308, 285 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. In the meantime, the hospital has suspended 3 electricians on charges of dereliction of duty. As many as 106 persons, who were shifted from the following the blaze, are now undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the city. The death toll count could rise further as some patients are still critical, sources said. CM PATNAIK ORDERS PROBE Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today visited the injured at Capital Hospital and ordered a Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC)-level probe into the fire mishap at the Hospital. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT: SUM HOSPITAL Speaking to IndiaToday.In J R Das said, "Everything was there but in case of an accident what can we do?" However, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University (SOA), which runs the hospital, announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the dead, its Vice-Chancellor Amit Banerjee said. HOSPITAL VIOLATED FIRE SAFETY NORMS The state fire services directorate found gross negligence with the SUM Hospital for the tragedy. No fire safety audit was carried out since 2003 and the hospital authorities also ignored norms, reports said. The 750-beded hospital was completely evacuated following the tragedy and major portions of the building - Dialysis, Emergency and ICU units - were sealed. ahead of probe. ALSO READ: Bhubaneswar hospital fire: CM forms probe panel, Centre promises all help --- ENDS --- Mexico City (AFP) - US authorities extradited on Tuesday Chinese-Mexican businessman Zhenli Ye Gon to Mexico to face drug-related charges, nine years after a whopping $205 million were seized from his mansion in the capital. Salvador Sandoval Silva, a deputy attorney general, showed a video of Ye Gon arriving on a plane and said he would be taken to the Altiplano maximum-security prison near Mexico City. In March 2007, authorities found $205 million in cash in his luxurious Mexico City home, which was considered the largest-ever seizure of drug-related money. Ye Gon was accused of importing chemicals from China that were used to produce methamphetamine in Mexico, which was then shipped to the United States. The Shanghai-born man, who had a pharmaceutical company in Mexico, was arrested near Washington in July 2007. The US charges were dismissed in 2009 but he remained in jail due to the Mexican extradition request, which a judge approved in 2011. He has proclaimed his innocence and sought to fight the extradition, but he lost his appeal. Sandoval said Ye Gon was wanted on charges of organized crime, drug-related crimes, possession of illegal weapons and conducting operations with illegal proceeds. In another US case, the Las Vegas Sands Corp. casino company agreed in 2013 to pay more than $47 million to the US government to avoid charges over its failure to alert the authorities about Ye Gon's gambling at its Venetian-Palazzo hotel complex in Las Vegas. Ye Gon gambled away $126 million in Las Vegas casinos between 2004 and 2007, according to US authorities. * Palm hits two-and-a-half year top of 2,800 rgt/T before weakening 2 pct * Market undergoing healthy correction, requires strong demand to sustain rally - traders (Updates latest prices, adds quote) By Emily Chow KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil rose to its highest levels in two and a half years on Tuesday before dropping sharply in a market correction in the evening and on concerns about weak export demand. In its previous session, palm posted its strongest daily gain two months, tracking rises in soyoil on the Chicago Board of Trade and China's Dalian Commodity Exchange. It also surged on forecasts of lower output as the lagging dry weather effects from this year's El Nino and year-end monsoon rains cap production levels. Benchmark palm oil futures for January on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange fell 2 percent to 2,714 ringgit ($653) a tonne at the end of the trading day, its biggest decline since Sept. 28. It had earlier climbed to an intraday high of 2,800 ringgit, its strongest level since March 14, 2014. Traded volumes stood at 64,716 lots of 25 tonnes each on Tuesday evening, surpassing the 2015 daily average of 44,600 lots. "The market is seeing a healthy correction," said a futures trader from Kuala Lumpur, adding the price gains in palm and soyoil was a reaction on news of China's rules to curb risk and speculation in structured products which pumped billions of dollars into the commodity futures markets. "There was some spillover strength from soyoil ... But I still believe the demand needs to improve to sustain the recent rally," said another trader. Palm oil prices are impacted by soyoil's performance, as they compete for a share in the global vegetable oils market. Exports of the tropical oil from Malaysia, the world's second largest producer, fell in the first half of October by about 5 to 6 percent from the corresponding period last month, according to cargo surveyor data. Demand for palm oil is expected to weaken towards the end of Story continues the year in top consumers India and China, who prefer other vegetable oils to palm as it solidifies in cold weather. In other related oils, the December soybean oil contract on the Chicago Board of Trade was down 0.3 percent, while the January soybean oil contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange rose 0.4 percent. Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 1050 GMT Contract Month Last Change Low High Volume MY PALM OIL NOV6 2723 -58.00 2722 2810 1784 MY PALM OIL DEC6 2711 -57.00 2711 2802 15185 MY PALM OIL JAN7 2713 -54.00 2712 2800 31663 CHINA PALM JAN7 5866 +198.00 5762 5874 1225180 OLEIN CHINA SOYOIL JAN7 6624 +52.00 6566 6666 815342 CBOT SOY OIL DEC6 35.08 -0.36 35.04 35.69 14735 INDIA PALM OIL OCT6 529.80 -8.20 525.50 540.7 1932 INDIA SOYOIL OCT6 657 -1.05 656.3 659.7 2990 NYMEX CRUDE NOV6 50.46 +0.52 50.01 50.52 32674 Palm oil prices in Malaysian ringgit per tonne CBOT soy oil in U.S. cents per pound Dalian soy oil and RBD palm olein in Chinese yuan per tonne India soy oil in Indian rupee per 10 kg Crude in U.S. dollars per barrel ($1 = 4.1550 ringgit) ($1 = 66.5919 Indian rupees) ($1 = 6.6685 Chinese yuan) (Reporting by Emily Chow; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and David Evans) Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela on Tuesday postponed gubernatorial elections due in December until mid-2017 after deeply unpopular President Nicolas Maduro said the country needs to focus on reviving its economy instead of elections. The head of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Tibisay Lucena, said governors would now be elected "at the end of the first half of 2017," in a statement on state TV that gave no reason for the change. The plunge in global oil prices has sent OPEC member Venezuela's economy into free-fall, putting Maduro on the defensive. The announcement comes as the leftist leader's United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) takes an increasingly wary approach to popular elections. The Venezuelan left dominated at the polls for 17 years, starting with the election of Maduro's late mentor, Hugo Chavez, in 1998. But that ended last December, when the center-right opposition won a landslide in legislative elections, taking control of the National Assembly for the first time since Chavez came to power. The opposition is now seeking to call a referendum on removing Maduro from office, but accuses the CNE of stalling. Two weeks ago, Maduro said elections were not a "priority" in Venezuela. "The priority in Venezuela is economic recovery, it's helping the people," he said. With severe shortages of food and basic goods a daily reality here, opinion polls show seven in 10 Venezuelans want a change in government. Thousands of Maduro supporters staged a rally in Caracas Tuesday seeking to show their strength. Addressing the crowd, the president's right-hand man, former legislative speaker Diosdado Cabello, vowed the Maduro camp would "make it difficult" for the opposition to force a recall referendum. "Nicolas Maduro was elected president and he must finish his term," Cabello said. The opposition faces a new challenge in the drawn-out recall process next week, when it must gather four million voters' signatures from Wednesday to Friday. The CNE has already infuriated the opposition by ruling it is too late to hold a recall vote by January 10 -- the deadline to trigger a new presidential election. If voters remove Maduro from office after that date, his hand-picked vice president will finish his term, which ends in 2019. Expanding Remote Patient Monitoring and Telehealth Programs in Arizona and the Navajo Nation SANTA MONICA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 18, 2016 / Parallax Health Sciences, Inc. ("Parallax" or the "Company") (PRLX), is pleased to announce that Victory Medical Solutions LLC (VMS) has chosen QOLPOM, Parallax's Telehealth subsidiary, to provide high quality healthcare in the rural and remote parts of Arizona. VMS is leveraging technology, allowing its accredited nursing operation to bring healthcare to some of the poorest counties in Arizona, where access to basic healthcare services is historically difficult. In these rural communities, where most live below the poverty level, the Arizona healthcare system is incurring significant and escalating costs in order to provide services. Logistics, including ambulatory services and hospital readmissions, are having a highly challenging effect on both the quality of care and the escalating costs to the healthcare system of Arizona. VMS has worked with QOLPOM through VMS's Telehealth service division, Advanced Healthcare Alliance at Home (AHAH), that is currently providing Telehealth services to the Navajo Nation through a key Collaboration with Native American Chapter houses. Technology provided by QOLPOM is used with support from the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, Frontier Communications and Cellular One. Clinical oversight and direction will be from the Arizona Telemedicine Program in conjunction with the Southwest Telehealth Resource Center. QOLPOM stands for Quality of Life - Peace of Mind. QOLPOM services are focused on sustaining and improving the Quality of Life for individuals who are experiencing either transitory or long term medical conditions. Peace of Mind comes to clients and their loved ones with the confidence that care is being monitored professionally and continuously, knowing that help is always near. "Cost effective, high quality care delivery is our focus for the health of our citizens in Arizona's rural communities and that of the tribal members within our neighboring Indian nations. Their unique challenges has led us to create a technological solution," said Kirk Tjalas PHD, RN Chief Executive Officer of Victory Medical Solutions stated. "QOLPOM's partnership with VMS has solved technology, logistics and data management through a trusted partnership that will help us grow and focus on our accredited nursing operation." Story continues QOLPOM's President, Nathaniel Bradley, stated, "QOLPOM is an important component in VMS's program and we're bringing our efforts towards the expansion of this program through focus on creating exceptional customized Telehealth services. VMS has specific needs, and we listened. We will continue to listen and tailor our services to meet our customers' needs, making our customers more efficient and more scalable." ABOUT QOLPOM Wrapping Technology Around Health and Human Services QOLPOM's services are predicated on delivering the most state of the art, up to date tele-monitoring programs, devices and applications. The key is to customize services to meet the unique needs of individual clients and their families, that is, to wade through the confusing maize of services and find or create what works best. We are building software, technology and support infrastructure for the coming home healthcare revolution. We have access to the highest quality products and customizable monitoring operations that deliver quality of life for our users and peace of mind for those who care for and about them. QOLPOM operates out of Tucson, Arizona and its monitoring center is located in Tempe, Arizona. www.qolpom.com ABOUT PARALLAX HEALTH SCIENCES, INC. Parallax Health Sciences, Inc., with offices in Santa Monica, CA, is a fully reporting Nevada corporation (PRLX). Parallax is focused on personalized patient healthcare with its Pharmacy and Infertility business through its Beverly Hills, California based RoxSan Pharmacy and RoxSan Fertility Group operations and Parallax Diagnostics. Parallax Diagnostics has rights to a line of point of care diagnostic tests on a single proprietary platform, and plans to develop a novel, hand-held diagnostic testing system that is simple, rapid and elegant, offering the potential to transform the diagnostic landscape by transitioning critical tests from the centralized lab directly to the hands of the physician, care givers or home use. www.parallaxhealthsciences.com and www.roxsan.com and www.roxsanfertility.com ABOUT VICTORY MEDICAL SOLUTIONS, LLC Victory Medical Solutions LLC is focused on bringing practical, affordable, reliable healthcare solutions to its customers. These solutions are targeted to assist small to mid-sized Health care organizations and individuals. In providing more efficient and effective care, improving patient care and outcomes, facility profitability and cash flow and complying with current regulations and requirements for electronic health and medical records. Victory Medical Solutions offers the solutions modern healthcare agencies and individuals are seeking. www.vmshh.com SOURCE: Parallax Health Sciences, Inc. Ciudad Juarez Mexico killing violence drug war cartels Homicides in Ciudad Juarez, a major Mexican city just across the border from El Paso, Texas, have ticked up in recent months. The rising violence appears to be related to the changing cartel dynamics in part caused by the capture of Sinaloa cartel chief Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. Cartel fighting from 2009 to 2011 drove homicide rates to astronomical levels in the city, but relative stability in the years after that had brought violence down. In the 10 days after new Chihuahua state Gov. Javier Corral took office on October 4, the state saw at least 60 homicides, according to Mexican security analyst Alejandro Hope. The 257 homicide cases recorded in Ciudad Juarez through the first eight months of this year are well ahead of 190 registered over the same period last year, and if the trend holds through September, it's likely the city will see more homicide cases through the first nine months of this year than in all of last year. The city's 47 homicide cases seen in August 2016 were the most since the 53 of December 2013. Through the first 13 days of August this year, there reportedly were 23 organized-crime style homicides. Homicides in Ciudad Juarez, 2012 to 2016 At the state level, the number of homicide victims recorded in August, 136, was 22.5% higher than the 111 victims registered in August 2015. September, Hope says, will likely yield worse numbers. The numbers are not the only callback to the dark days of 2009 to 2011, when the state topped 3,000 homicides each year. Grisly scenes have also returned. "Three weeks ago, three people were riddled in a house in Ciudad Juarez; two were secondary students. Also in Juarez, only a week ago, killers opened fire in a bar and killed four individuals," Hope wrote in his October 17 column in Mexican newspaper El Universal. Story continues In Chihuahua city, he added, two gunman killed a man in front of his wife. But the upswing in killings did not arrive with Corral. An October 2015 report from Insight Crime noted that while Chihuahua as a whole had seen a historically low number of homicide victims during the previous month, killings were concentrating in some areas. In particular, in the municipalities of the rural Tarahumara highlands, which border Durango and Sinaloa states and make up part of the Golden Triangle, an area known for intense marijuana and opium cultivation. During September 2015, the sparsely populated Tarahumara area saw more homicides than Ciudad Juarez, home to more than a million people. Chihuahua Mexico map That violence continued into the early part of 2016, and it has likely been driven by changes in the balance of power in Mexico's narco underworld. Earlier this year, the return of Rafael Caro Quintero, a Sinaloa trafficker imprisoned from 1985 to 2015, was blamed for violence in the state, but it's not clear whether Caro Quintero is again involved in the drug trade. Caro Quintero's reappearance did presage another worrying dynamic in the Mexican drug world: the decline of the Sinaloa cartel. With Sinaloa cartel chief Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's continued imprisonment (he's now held in a jail near Ciudad Juarez), it's likely that his group has lost some of the unity that allowed it to control territory in Chihuahua and the Golden Triangle. And, according to Hope, different factions of the Sinaloa cartel have clashed in the Chihuahua sierra. "The most important thing, I think, that's happened ... under the Pena Nieto administration to explain [increasing violence in Mexico] is the capture of Chapo Guzman," David Shirk, a professor at the University of San Diego, told Business Insider this summer. "It led to a restructuring of the operations of the Sinaloa cartel itself. It has led to, I think, some degree of internal uncertainty and even infighting within the Sinaloa cartel," said Shirk, who directs USD's Justice in Mexico program. "It has also opened up spaces for new, up-and-coming organizations," like the ascendant Jalisco New Generation cartel. Coupled with Sinaloa's decline is the restoration of the Juarez cartel, Hope notes. Juarez, along with La Linea, its enforcement wing, has reorganized and started to pursue some territorial control. A cell of La Linea members was apprehended in April while in possession of assault rifles, .30- and .50-caliber weapons, and a MANPAD antiaircraft missile. Ciudad Juarez Mexico crime cartels violence drug trade Along with these evolving criminal dynamics, law enforcement in Chihuahua doesn't appear to have responded effectively to its own weaknesses or the state's ongoing criminal presence. In the face of shocking drug-related violence in Ciudad Juarez between 2009 and 2011, many residents, government officials, and civil-society groups banded together in response, rolling out new polices that helped reduce insecurity, though the Sinaloa cartel's victory over its rivals in the area likely helped bring down the killing. But it appears not enough has been done since then to stave off a return of that bloodshed. "The underlying problem seems to be that Chihuahua rested on its laurels after the reduction of the violence between 2011 and 2014," Hope wrote. "Among other things, the purification of police units was curbed," Hope added, noting that Corral himself has spoken of complicity between La Linea leaders and Chihuahua state police. Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua Mexico crime violence homicide drug cartel killings Corral's actions in his first weeks in office suggest he's willing to confront the violence that's seeping back into his state. But halting that rise and preventing its return in the future will require officials at all levels overcome the complacency that's characterized past anticrime efforts. "When violence seems to be going down, authorities love to take the credit, and they say, 'Well, it's because we're doing a great job, and the police are getting better trained, and we have better strategy' ... That's what we heard for two years," Shirk said, referring to the first two years of Pena Nieto's term, 2013 and 2014, when the country saw declines in violence. "Well, when the numbers go up, it's like, what, did you suddenly stop doing those things? Did you suddenly stop running your police forces in the same way?" Shirk added. "And ... they don't quite know what to say." NOW WATCH: There's a terrifying reason people are warned to stay inside at 5:45 p.m. in parts of Mexico More From Business Insider By Sudarshan Varadhan and Anya George Tharakan (Reuters) - Visa Inc said Chief Executive Charles Scharf, who orchestrated the company's reunion with its European affiliate, is stepping down and will be succeeded by former American Express Co President Alfred Kelly. Kelly, who already sits on Visa's board of directors, will take over as CEO following Scharf's resignation, which is effective Dec. 1. Kelly said in an interview with Reuters that he "got a front row seat to the various opportunities and issues the company faces" as a Visa board member since January 2014. "I don't come in here expecting to make a lot of big changes," he said. Scharf said in a letter to employees that he could no longer spend the time in San Francisco necessary to do his job properly and is resigning to spend more time with his family. Visa's shares, which have more than doubled in value under Scharf's watch, were down 1.2 percent at $81.19 in after-market trading. Kelly takes over at a time when Visa faces multiple challenges, including a federal appeals court decision in June to throw out a settlement with retailers that accused Visa and MasterCard Inc of improperly fixing credit and debit card fees. Visa also has an ongoing legal battle with Wal-Mart Stores Inc over the use of PINs to verify transactions made over the company's payment networks. Kelly will have to look to consolidate Visa's position as the largest payments network operator in the world, even as non-traditional competitors such as PayPal Holdings Inc try to capture market share. Kelly said on a conference call with analysts that he will be spending a significant amount of time in San Francisco, where Visa is headquartered, in addition to spending time in Europe to supervise integration with Visa Europe and in China. Under Scharf, Visa closed a deal to combine with former unit Visa Europe in June. Scharf has been CEO since November 2012, after working with JPMorgan Chase & Co's retail banking business and its private equity arm. Story continues "He has helped transform Visa .. into a technology-driven digital commerce company and has led a strategy that will benefit this company for years to come," Robert Matschullat, the company's independent chairman, said in a statement. Kelly is also the CEO of Intersection Co, a firm partly owned by Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet Inc company. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan and Sudarshan Varadhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Leslie Adler) By Joseph Ax (Reuters) - Republican candidates in tight races across the country have tied themselves in knots trying to decide whether to disavow or support their party's presidential nominee, Donald Trump, especially since multiple sexual assault allegations against him have surfaced. But U.S. Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who is in a virtual tie with his Democratic challenger in a race that could tip control of the Senate, has chosen a third option: say nothing. Toomey appears to be the only vulnerable Republican senator to have avoided answering the question of whether he will vote for Trump, even as he has denounced the billionaire real estate developer's lewd comments about women and allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior. His Democratic challenger, Katie McGinty, has spent days hammering Toomey for his reticence, coining the term "Fraidy-Pat" and tying his candidacy to that of Trump's at every turn. But Pennsylvania political analysts say Toomey may have taken the safest path given his need to stitch together a coalition of working-class, white voters who support Trump and moderate, college-educated suburbanites who find his rhetoric distasteful. Polling averages show Trump losing the state to Hillary Clinton by a margin of 6 to 7 percentage points, while McGinty held a lead of less than 1 point in the Senate race, in polls before the Senate candidates debated on Monday. Pennsylvania has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Toomey won his seat in 2010 by just 2 percentage points. "I think for him he's making the right choice, because I think he has to have it both ways," said G. Terry Madonna, the director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "He's between a rock and a hard place, and he's chosen to stay in the middle." The question of whether to back their party's presidential nominee - a non-issue in virtually any other election year - has bedeviled Republicans facing competitive races across the country, with control of the Senate hanging in the balance. Some, like Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, have rescinded their support, angering Trump's core supporters. Others, like Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, have stuck with Trump and risked losing moderate voters. A handful of Republicans, including Ayotte before she recently changed her mind, have tried to straddle the issue by withholding a formal endorsement while saying they still planned to vote for Trump. The Pennsylvania campaign, one of half a dozen close contests with the Senate up for grabs, has been the most expensive Senate race in the country, with more than $100 million from the parties and outside groups pouring into the state as of August. McGinty, who served as an environmental adviser in former President Bill Clinton's administration, has spent months trying to link Toomey to Trump. She has redoubled her efforts over the last 10 days, as multiple women have come forward to accuse Trump of sexually assaulting them following the release of a video recording from 2005 in which he bragged in lewd terms about such behavior. On Thursday, for the second time since the tape became public, McGinty held a conference call for reporters to assail Toomey for what she described as his tacit support for Trump. "Senator Pat Toomey now has the distinction of being the only Senate candidate in the entire United States of America to refuse to come clean about whether or not he supports Donald Trump," she said. "So, there's only one way to interpret that: Pat Toomey is still standing by Donald Trump." Toomey has criticized Trump's "outrageous comments" but has declined to say whether he will vote for him, a position he reiterated on Monday at the first of two debates with McGinty. He did, however, say he "probably" will announce a decision before the Nov. 8 elections, after previously suggesting he might not. In a statement, a Toomey spokesman turned the criticism around, calling McGinty a "rubber stamp" for the Democratic establishment in Washington. "Pat Toomey has proven he will stand up to his own party for Pennsylvania families, like on gun safety, fighting corporate welfare, or ending the Wall Street bailouts once and for all," the spokesman, Ted Kwong, said in an email. "Katie McGinty can't name a single disagreement with her party, whether it's the reckless Iran deal or thousands in new middle-class tax hikes." Charlie Gerow, a veteran Republican political consultant in Pennsylvania who is not involved in the race, said Toomey's middle-of-the-road strategy was necessary given the deficit Trump is facing in the state. Toomey, Gerow said, cannot afford to alienate Trump backers in places like southwestern Pennsylvania, even as he tries to appeal to voters in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley suburbs. "I think it is the best strategy among several unpalatable options," Gerow said. "I don't think there was any better way to approach that dilemma." (Reporting by Joseph Ax in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty and Leslie Adler) WOLFSBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) suppliers seem keen to avoid more disputes with the company even as they face growing pressure from Europe's largest automaker to accept price cuts. Two German suppliers halted parts deliveries to Volkswagen (VW) in August to protest cancellation of a contract by VW, disrupting production and threatening the carmaker's recovery from its emissions scandal. VW, grappling with billions in costs from the so-called "Dieselgate" scandal and a strategic shift to electric cars, has said it will review procurement strategy to avoid any repetition of the crippling dispute. At a suppliers' fair in Wolfsburg on Tuesday, parts makers sounded eager to play ball. Christoph Kaune, key account manager at U.S.-based Maxion Wheels (MYPK3.SA) which supplies steel and aluminium wheels to VW, said cost-cut pressures at the German group are "extremely high" and it is tough to get it to agree on compensation for fluctuating steel prices. "It's very difficult to find a fair compromise but VW is one of our biggest customers," Kaune told Reuters at the international suppliers' fair. "That's what really matters." Marek Poskart of Canada's KSR International Co., a maker of fixed pedal modules and automotive sensors, agreed. VW is seeking to extract greater price cuts from suppliers than in the past, he told Reuters, but the negotiations are fair and KSR has started to improve development processes to better meet VW's price targets. "If your cost structure is plausible you will have no difficulties with VW," Poskart, a sales director, said. "It's a give-and-take." VW is not only squeezing down prices but has also reduced orders, a sign of its push to cut costs by tackling complexity in R&D, said Kai Rohrbach, a manager at GOM GmbH which makes 3D scanners and software in Braunschweig near VW's Wolfsburg headquarters. "In the past they sometimes bought four to five systems at once but now it's only about two at a time," he said. Story continues When he opened the biannual event on Monday, VW Chief Executive Matthias Mueller warned that carmakers and suppliers would only together be able to cope with "the epochal change" driven by electric cars and autonomous driving. "We want to be successful with you together," the CEO said. "That's the only way how it can work." (Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Tom Brown) A fighter jet of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) crashed on a routine training flight today in Karachi. By PTI: A Mirage fighter jet of Pakistan Air Force crashed today while on a routine training flight, killing the pilot. The French-made fighter jet took off from Masroor Base and crashed during flight at Musharraf colony, about 16 km from here, a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) spokesman said. The pilot was killed while trying to steer away the aircraft from residential localities, he said. advertisement INQUIRY INTO THE CRASH ORDERED "The flight was on a routine training mission when it crashed. Orders have been issued for an inquiry into the crash," he said. Police said the aircraft crashed near Musharraf colony which is close to the Masroor airbase in Karachi. READ| Uri attack: Pakistan lands jets on highways, denies reports of war readiness NO CAUSALITIES REPORTED "It crashed at a desolate spot so there was no casualties or damage on ground," the official said. Rescue teams have reached the site of the crash. In September, a PAF fighter jet had crashed and its pilot killed in the countrys northwestern Khyber agency bordering Afghanistan. Last year, a double-seat version of F-7PG PAF fighter jet, which was on a routine training mission, caught fire and crashed near Mastung district of Balochistan province. Watch the video: READ | F-16 fighter jets flying over Islamabad spread panic READ: Rafale to give Indian Air Force edge over Pakistan --- ENDS --- Warsaw (AFP) - Hundreds of mourners including leading Polish artists and intellectuals gathered in a church in the heart of Warsaw's historic centre Tuesday to pay their last respects to Andrzej Wajda, the Oscar-awarded legendary Polish filmmaker who died last week aged 90. Father Andrzej Luter, the Catholic priest leading the funeral mass, called the film director a "man of talent, a man of wisdom and a man of Poland". The phrase referenced Wajda's celebrated 1980 "Man of Iron" film, focused on the rise of Poland's anti-communist Solidarity trade union. Wajda left behind an opus of acclaimed films inspired by his country's turbulent history. A large black-and-white photograph portrait of Wajda was perched on an easel in front of the altar where his steel urn stood. While top Polish artists and thinkers attended the funeral mass, ordinary residents also turned up to bid their final farewells. "I didn't know him personally, but thanks to his films, especially 'The Promised Land', I had the impression I knew him like a friend," Irena Dabrowska, a 40-year-old Warsaw seamstress told AFP following the ceremony. Adam Michnik, a prominent communist-era dissident turned editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland's leading liberal daily, called Wajda an artist of "universal appeal", vehemently opposed to nationalism and anti-Semitism. Polish Film Institute director Jacek Bromski likened him to other late legends of world cinema. "After Visconti, Fellini, Kurosawa and Bergman, we have lost one of the last great national artists, the last of a generation that made cinema into a great art," said Bromski, who is also a film director. Wajda was close to Poland's liberal opposition, currently locked in a bitter row with the rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) government over a string of legislative moves that critics allege undermine democracy. He defended anti-communist icon Lech Walesa, accused by key government figures of having been a communist spy during his time as the legendary leader of the anti-regime Solidarity, the first and only free trade union in the Soviet bloc. Walesa has strongly denied the allegations. Wajda is to be laid to rest on Wednesday in the southern city of Krakow. He died on October 9 in a Warsaw hospital of lung failure after being in a medically-induced coma for days. Saturday Night Live over the weekend continued its comedic assault on the 2016 U.S. Presidential election with a hilarious and dead-on spoof of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's recent Town Hall debate. Per usual, Alec Baldwin was in rare form as Donald Trump as Kate McKinnon similarly reprised her solid Hillary Clinton impersonation. As anyone who witnessed last week's Town Hall debate can attest, it was nothing short of a trainwreck, albeit an entertaining one, that practically did nothing to illuminate the respective candidate's positions on important issues. Instead, we were treated to child-like bickering and a smattering of colorful and meme-friendly town characters like Ken Bone. DON'T MISS: One of the most popular Pokemon Go map trackers is being revived this weekend With so much material to work off of, SNL had no trouble delivering the laughs while skewering the ridiculousness of this year's election. Neither candidate was spared ridicule in this week's clip as Clinton was portrayed as an automaton pathetically striving to bond with the common man while Trump was portrayed as a bumbling buffoon incapable of staying on any given topic. When confronted with a question about kids for example, Trump responds: Anderson, I love the kids. Okay, I love them so much I marry them. I've been helping kids my whole life. In 1992 I helped a kid named Kevin McCallister find a hotel lobby. You might remember the documentary, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVMW_1aZXRk At the 4:30 mark, there's also a great scene where Trump creeps up behind Clinton, mirroring one of the more bizarre moments from last week's debate. And last but not least, what debate spoof would be complete without an appearance from the man, the myth, the legend. Of course, I'm talking about Ken Bone, the red-sweatered undecided voter who arguably became famous faster than anyone else in history. Story continues Interestingly enough, the Ken Bone segment was the only weak part of the entire sketch. Overall though, SNL's cold open this week was an A+ effort and well worth watching. That is, of course, assuming that your name isn't Donald J. Trump. Up at the crack of dawn, Trump took to Twitter to blast the show and Alec Baldwin's Trump impersonation. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/787612552654155776 Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com Showtime is whetting the appetite of fans for the Twin Peaks sequel coming next year with a teaser featuring cast members talking about the production process. Actors Kyle MacLachlan, Miguel Ferrer, Kimmy Robertson, Harry Goaz, Dana Ashbrook and James Marshall share their thoughts on returning to the weird world of David Lynch and Mark Frost. The new take on the characters rooted in a fictional Washington town, where strange things happen, is set 25 years after the original ABC series. The return to Twin Peaks is unexpected in many ways, the actors assure. Theres a freshness to it, a lightness to it, MacLachlan says. Ferrer promises that the story will engage viewers. Its a big cast, a big story, big things happen, he says. The teaser includes comments from new Twin Peaks recruits Jim Belushi, Amy Shiels, Robert Knepper and Chrysta Bell. Lynch and Frost wrote all episodes of the sequel, with Lynch directing. Production wrapped earlier this year after lensing in Los Angeles and Washington state. Theres no word yet on a premiere date. Heres the video: http://s.sho.com/TPTalkingHeads Related stories Stephen Colbert Sets Election Night Live Showtime Special Showtime Names Brendan Countee Programming VP 'Twin Peaks' Revival: New Teaser Features Angelo Badalamenti KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak presents the government's 2017 budget on Oct. 21. Below are some items that could feature in the coming year's budget, according to analysts' research notes and Malaysian media reports. For a PREVIEW the budget, please see CASH AID Bank RHB foresees a 100 ringgit ($24.07) hike in cash handouts for low-income households, bumping up the allocation to about 6.6 billion ringgit next year in a bid to stimulate consumer spending. For 2016, it was increased by 50 ringgit to 1,000 ringgit per household. GST The government will likely maintain the goods and services tax introduced in April 2015, at 6 percent to avoid any disruption to household expenses and cost of doing business, says asset management firm Affin Hwang. CORPORATE TAX Affin Hwang thinks a 1 percentage point cut to corporate tax effective, effective in 2018, will be announced. The rate was cut by 1 percentage point this year to 24 percent. PERSONAL INCOME TAX There will likely be no cut to personal income tax rates, though there may be more provisions for tax relief next year, according to Maybank Investment Bank. INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS Budget 2017 will likely firm up details of major infrastructure projects that have yet to take off to maintain the momentum in the sector to support growth, says Maybank IB. These would include highway and public transport projects in the peninsula and Sabah, and a timeline for the implementation of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project. SUBSIDY CUTS Further cuts may be made to subsidies for daily necessities such as flour, cooking oil and cooking gas, according to RHB, though these will likely be at a gradual and moderate pace. FIRST-TIME HOUSEBUYERS First-time housebuyers may have more funds to use for downpayments on properties through the Employees Providence Fund (EPF), says Affin Hwang. Second Finance Minister Johari Abdul Ghani said the government is studying a proposal to increase the allocation for funds available for low-cost housing purchases under the EPF to 40 percent from 30 percent of a savings account. Story continues RHB expects the First House Deposit Financing scheme to be extended to more buyers. It was introduced this year with an allocation of 200 million ringgit, aimed at helping up to 30,000 first-time house buyers with downpayments. SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESS A cabinet minister has said there might be more incentives for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). He said SMEs contributed 35.9 percent to GDP in 2015, and account for over 98 percent of all businesses nationwide. CAR EXCISE DUTY CUTS Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily said the government is mulling an exemption for first-time car buyers from excise duties for local and imported small car models assembled in Malaysia, with projected savings of up to 2,000 ringgit. ($1 = 4.1550 ringgit) (Reporting by Joseph Sipalan; Editing by Richard Borsuk) By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - British luxury fashion brand Burberry (BRBY.L) reported a drop in first-half sales on Tuesday, hitting its shares as weak demand from U.S. department stores offset a surge in sales in its home market as tourists took advantage of a lower pound. The stock, one of the best performers since Britain voted to leave the European Union on June 23 in anticipation the company would benefit from a slide in the pound, dropped as much as 9 percent, its biggest one day fall for four years. Burberry, which makes more than 80 percent of its sales abroad, said a 30 percent jump in UK sales helped it generate a 2 percent rise in comparable retail sales in the second quarter, its first growth in that measure for four quarters. But total sales fell 4 percent on an underlying basis to 1.16 billion pounds in the six months ended September, as its stores performance was dampened by a fall in wholesale and licensing revenues. "Foreign exchange benefits aside, Burberry struggles to drive meaningful growth," broker Liberum said, adding it expected no improvement in the second half as U.S. department store demand remained depressed. It has a "sell" rating on Burberry stock. The shares hit a 14-month high on Friday, partly in anticipation of a currency-related lift to sales and profit. Burberry said if sterling remained at the level of Oct. 12, adjusted annual profit would be boosted by some 125 million pounds. Citi analysts said the tailwind from the weaker pound, albeit it broadly in line with its expectations, provided "welcome breathing room in a difficult year". They are "neutral" on the stock. LONDON SHOPPERS Chief Financial Officer Carol Fairweather said there had been strong demand from both consumers and tourists in Britain since the Brexit vote for products including a bridle bag that was available to buy immediately after it appeared on the runway in September. "The Chinese are very much part of that, but all tourists are up in this quarter, the U.S. as well," she said. Story continues "(They are) clearly influenced by foreign exchange rates movements but they are also really responding to everything they are seeing in the stores." Britain, where the trench-coat maker incurs about 40 percent of its costs, accounted for about 15 percent of sales in the half year, she said, up from about 10 percent previously. But markets further afield continued to struggle, particularly Hong Kong, which saw double-digit falls, and the United States, where department stores were having a "difficult time," Fairweather said. Burberry said wholesale revenue fell by a mid-teens percentage in the half year, and it expected little or no improvement in the rest of the year. The company, which added actress Lily James to its list of models in the summer, has been working to improve its stores, where sales margins have lagged luxury industry rivals. Christopher Bailey, who will relinquish the chief executive half of his role to Marco Gobbetti from French brand Celine next year, said the group was making progress in its self-improvement plan in a retail environment that remained "challenging". "We remain on track to deliver our financial goals," said Bailey, who will remain chief creative officer and become company president. At 1144 GMT, Burberry shares were down 7.1 percent at 1,405 pence, handing back almost all of the gains made in the last two weeks. (Editing by Kate Holton and Mark Potter) (VALLEJO, Calif.) A man wearing body armor pointed an assault rifle at two police officers in a California Starbucks, only to have the weapon malfunction before he fled and was shot by the officers nearby, police said Monday. Vallejo Police Chief Andrew Bidou called it an attempted assassination of the two officers, who were on break when the confrontation occurred. The officers were caught off-guard and were ambushed by somebody who has superior firepower, the chief said. It marked the latest attack on police across the country, including two incidents in California in recent weeks that left a total of three law enforcement officers dead. Police in Vallejo said Adam Powell, 41, had passed by the Starbucks six minutes earlier, apparently planning the attack. Video from a nearby security camera showed a man walking up to the coffee shop and then sprinting away seconds later, with at least one officer chasing him. Police said Powell appeared to keep trying to clear his weapon as he ran. Officers shot him three times about 100 feet from the Starbucks. Resident Jazmin Addison said she heard more than a dozen shots at the corner outside her home. Addison later looked out to see a man lying on the ground, surrounded by officers. Powell was in critical condition but stable on Monday. Police Lt. Jeff Bassett said authorities expect to arraign him within the next few days. Police said Powells weapon never fired. A photo provided by police showed an assault rifle bearing wear marks and duct tape. Bassett said the gun was operable except for the jam. The man also carried a loaded handgun, police said. They described his body armor as police-style. Six hours before that confrontation, police responding to a shooting in Suisun City, 20 miles away, found Powells 2-year-old son critically wounded in a family home. Powell was not there when police arrived, and other relatives told police the child had accidentally shot himself. Story continues Police want to question Powell about the boys shooting and about the confrontation with police in Vallejo. Police said they did not know if Powell, who had a felony record of robbery and drug offenses, had expressed any anger toward police. Powells step-daughter, Breauna Bower, said he may have been trying to commit suicide after seeing his son hurt. Hes a really good man. I dont know what wouldve went through this mind, but hes really good man, Bower told San Francisco television station KGO-TV. I assume he possibly thought his son was dead and was just distracted. And just wanted to commit suicide in a certain way. Who knows, who knows, Bower said. He saw his son the way he did. The Vallejo shooting came amid growing national attention to police shootings of suspects, and to attacks on police. On Tuesday, a memorial service will honor two officers killed in Palm Springs, California, while responding to a domestic disturbance at the home of an ex-convict. The Palm Springs shooting occurred just three days after a Los Angeles County sheriffs sergeant was shot and killed in the high desert town of Lancaster while answering a burglary call. Officers I think around the country are at a heightened state of alert now, the Vallejo chief said. (Reuters) - John Stumpf resigned from the boards of Chevron Corp and Target Corp a week after he quit Wells Fargo & Co as chief executive bowing to pressure over its sales tactics. Stumpf resigned for personal reasons and not as a result of a disagreement with Chevron, the second largest U.S.-based oil producer said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday. (http://bit.ly/2eqiJAg) Chevron said on Oct. 3 that it supported Stumpf despite concerns about his leadership at Wells Fargo. Target did not give a reason for Stumpf's resignation. (http://bit.ly/2dlzQqT) Stumpf joined the boards of Chevron and Target in 2010. Stumpf, who notified the companies' boards on Monday that he intends to resign, still serves on the board of Financial Services Roundtable, an advocacy group for the U.S. financial industry. Wells Fargo said on Oct. 12 that Stumpf, 63, was retiring and would be replaced by President and Chief Operating Officer Tim Sloan. Stumpf's fall from grace started with a $185 million regulatory settlement among the bank, regulatory authorities and a Los Angeles prosecutor over its staff opening as many as 2 million accounts without customers' knowledge. The misconduct, carried out by low-level branch staff to meet internal sales targets, shattered the bank's image and a raft of federal and state investigations followed. (Reporting By Sudarshan Varadhan in Bengaluru) Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf testifies before the House Financial Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S. September 29, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron Recently retired Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf has resigned as a board member of Target and Chevron. Regulatory filings from both companies on Tuesday contained the news. "Mr. Stumpf resigned for personal reasons and not as a result of a disagreement with Chevron," the energy company's filing said. Target did not cite a reason. Wells Fargo last week announced Stumpf's retirement from the bank after a scandal erupted over the improper opening of more than 2 million fake accounts between 2011 and 2015. He had served at the bank for 34 years. Stumpf's departure from Wells Fargo came just two weeks after lawmakers, most notably Sen. Elizabeth Warren, called for his resignation. Lawmakers had also suggested splitting the roles of chairman and CEO. NOW WATCH: FEMA is tracking Hurricane Matthew using the 'Waffle House Index' More From Business Insider Pakistan has violated ceasefire in Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir, the second violation in this sector in 3 days. India retaliated appropriately. By Jugal R Purohit: Pakistan has violated ceasefire yet again by resorting to unprovoked firing in Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. This is the second violation in Naushera in 3 days. The firing that went on from 8.30 pm last evening to about 1.30 late in the night witnessed Pakistan forces use small arms, automatics and 82 mm mortars in shelling. The Indian Army retaliated appropriately. advertisement FIRING WENT ON FOR 5 HOURS "The shelling and firing in the Naushera sector began at 8.30 p.m. on Monday night and continued till 1.30 a.m. today (Tuesday)," defence sources said. Also read: Pakistan isolated due to its own policies, India has no role, says MEA "They used 82 mm mortars and automatics. No damage or casualties were reported," they added. NO CASUALTIES REPORTED There have been no reports of any casualties to our troops till reports last came in. Ceasefire Violation by Pakistan in Naushera Sector(J&K), Indian troops retaliate appropriately ANI (@ANI_news) October 18, 2016 One Indian soldier was killed when Pakistani troops had started firing in the same area on Sunday. (WITH INPUTS FROM IANS) --- ENDS --- Clinton email hack fallout -The WikiLeaks dump continues, with more damaging insight into the Clinton campaigns inner workings including new details that a State Department official offered a quid pro quo with federal authorities during the Clinton email probe. The State Departments Undersecretary for Management Patrick Kennedy wanted the bureau to de-classify an email received on Clintons private server that was deemed secret. For the latest on the email hack, tune in to a special edition of Cavuto: Coast to Coast, live from Las Vegas today starting at 12 p.m. ET! Melania Trump speaks out -Melania Trump, wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, sat down for an interview on Fox & Friends, to talk about everything from the Access Hollywood tape to whether Bill Clintons past should be open to discussion during this election cycle. Get the full details on this interview here. Seniors brace for a tiny social security increase -Although social security benefits will rise in 2017, it will unfortunately be the smallest increase on record. Seniors will receive a cost-of-living increase of 0.3%, which will reportedly be about $4 more per person, each month. The final match-up -Tomorrow night is the final debate, live from Las Vegas, hosted by Fox News Chris Wallace. Fox Business live coverage will begin at 6 p.m. ET Wednesday evening, kicked off by host Maria Bartiromo. Lou Dobbs Tonight will air live from the scene at 7 p.m. ET, and Neil Cavuto will have the pre-and post-debate analysis that you absolutely cannot miss. Want to know where the candidates stand in the polls right now? Tune in to Making Money with Charles Payne tonight at 6 p.m. ET, as the latest Fox News polls break! Related Articles Looking for a stock that might be in a good position to beat earnings at its next report? Consider Diamondback Energy, Inc. FANG, a firm in the US Oil Exploration & Production industry, which could be a great candidate for another beat. This company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. In fact, in these reports, FANG has beaten estimates by at least 70% in both cases, suggesting it has a nice short-term history of crushing expectations. Earnings in Focus Two quarters ago, FANG expected to post a loss of 5 cents per share, while it actually produced earnings of 2 cents per share, a beat of 140%. Meanwhile, for the most recent quarter, the company looked to deliver earnings of 15 cents per share, when it actually saw earnings of 26 cents per share instead, representing a 73.3% positive surprise. DIAMONDBACK EGY Price and EPS Surprise DIAMONDBACK EGY Price and EPS Surprise | DIAMONDBACK EGY Quote Thanks in part to this history, recent estimates have been moving higher for Diamondback Energy. In fact, the Earnings ESP for FANG is positive, which is a great sign of a coming beat. After all, the Zacks Earnings ESP compares the most accurate estimate to the broad consensus, looking to find stocks that have seen big revisions as of late, suggesting that analysts have recently become more bullish on the companys earnings prospects. This is the case for FANG, as the firm currently has a Zacks Earnings ESP of 9.09%, so another beat could be around the corner. This is particularly true when you consider that FANG has a great Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) which can be a harbinger of outperformance and a signal for a strong earnings profile. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . When you add this solid Zacks Rank to a positive Earnings ESP, a positive earnings surprise happens nearly 70% of the time, so it seems pretty likely that FANG could see another beat at its next report, especially if recent trends are any guide. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Tale of the Tape, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report DIAMONDBACK EGY (FANG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Just three weeks before Election Day, Donald Trump is doubling down on his claim that the U.S. election system is phony and riggedlanguage that threatens to undermine the legitimacy of both the results of the election on November 8 and the broader democratic process. Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day, Trump tweeted Monday. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive! But there is no evidence whatsoever that large-scale voter fraud is occurring or could easily occur, multiple state and national election officials told TIME. We can absolutely trust the results of the election, said Thomas Hicks, the commissioner of the federal Election Assistance Commission, which offers guidance to state and local election boards. The voting process is the most secure its ever been. The idea that anyone could hack into in any meaningful way into the election system to skew the result isits not even really possible, said Merle King, the executive director for the Center for Elections Systems at Kennesaw State University. Its very far-fetched, actually. A slew of prominent Republican politicians and office holders have also condemned the Trump campaigns claims that the election is being rigged. House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement that he was fully confident in the nations elections systems. This election is not being rigged, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said Monday during a debate with his Democratic senatorial rival. There is no evidence behind any of this, so this should not continue to be said. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican and a Trump supporter, added that the system of elections is actually more secure than its ever been in our nations history. Story continues While no election system is perfect, and there are sometimes isolated incidents of fraud, the legitimacy of the electoral system is not in question. If voter fraud was occurring in a widespread conspiracy to sway a presidential election it would have been the easiest thing to see, he said. Media outlets perennially explore the possibility of people voting early and often, election experts said, but many of those articles are based on the observation that some people appear in state and local voter databases multiple timesa clerical problem that occurs when a voter registers at a new address without un-registering at an old one. That doesnt mean a voter actually voted multiple times. Other media reports have emphasized the total number of alleged cases of voter fraud, a tiny fraction of which are later found to have merit. A study by the Carnegie-Knight News21 team, which analyzed 2,068 alleged election-fraud cases in 50 states between 2000 and 2012, determined that attorneys-general only successfully prosecuted on the state level 38 cases0.000026% of the 146 million votes cast over that 12-year period. The analysis found only 10 cases of voter impersonation. Other studies suffer from extremely small sample sizes or other methodological errors. One study, for example, reported by the Washington Post in 2014, suggested that 6.4% of people who are not U.S. citizens voted in 2008 and 2.2 percent of non-citizens voted in 2010. While those numbers have been oft-repeated by those worried about voter fraud, the study was later highly criticized in a peer-reviewed article. Pamela Smith, the president of independent non-profit Verified Voting, which advocates for fair and transparent elections, said that one characteristic that makes the U.S. election system particularly robust is that its decentralized. In every state, townships or counties conduct their own elections, independently of other townships or counties. In order to affect the results of a state or federal election, a criminal would have to conspire to simultaneously rig multiple local elections, which are spread over dozens of precincts and often great distances. We have 67 counties in this state, each of which conduct their own elections. I promise you there is not a 67-county conspiracy to rig this election, said Rubio at the debate Monday. Trump has claimed in the past that the electoral system is riggedbut only at times when he has been losing state elections or appears down in the polls. In April, after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz routed him in Republican states like Colorado, Trump lashed out in a speech, calling the system absolutely rigged. Its a phony deal. In August, he again warned that federal court decisions striking down ballot restrictions would lead to wide scale voter fraud. We may have people vote 10 times, he told the Washington Post. When Trump appears to be leading in polls, language about rigged elections disappears from his rhetoric. This month, in the wake of multiple allegations of sexual assault and plummeting poll numbers, Trump has seized the old refrain with a new fire. Remember, we are competing in a rigged election, Trump said at a Wisconsin rally Monday night. They even want to try and rig the election at the polling booths, where so many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is all too common. Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill, who is president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, said the biggest risk is that voters will end up not trusting the results of the election. That could be the goal of all of this, she said, referring to widespread speculation, fueled by the Trump campaign, that the election will be rigged. If you get people to lose confidence in the results, maybe theyll stay at home and not vote. Investors are always looking for stocks that are poised to beat at earnings season and Lithia Motors Inc. LAD may be one such company. The firm has earnings coming up pretty soon, and events are shaping up quite nicely for their report. That is because Lithia Motors is seeing favorable earnings estimate revision activity as of late, which is generally a precursor to an earnings beat. After all, analysts raising estimates right before earningswith the most up-to-date information possibleis a pretty good indicator of some favorable trends underneath the surface for LAD in this report. In fact, the Most Accurate Estimate for the current quarter is currently at $2.18 per share for LAD, compared to a broader Zacks Consensus Estimate at $2.16 per share. This suggests that analysts have very recently bumped up their estimates for LAD, giving the stock a Zacks Earnings ESP of 0.93% heading into earnings season. LITHIA MOTORS Price and EPS Surprise LITHIA MOTORS Price and EPS Surprise | LITHIA MOTORS Quote Why is this Important? A positive reading for the Zacks Earnings ESP has proven to be very powerful in producing both positive surprises, and outperforming the market. Our recent 10 year backtest shows that stocks that have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better show a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and have returned over 28% on average in annual returns (see more Top Earnings ESP stocks here). Given that LAD has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an ESP in positive territory, investors might want to consider this stock ahead of earnings. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Clearly, recent earnings estimate revisions suggest that good things are ahead for Canadian Lithia Motors, and that a beat might be in the cards for the upcoming report. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Tale of the Tape, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report LITHIA MOTORS (LAD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Investors are always looking for stocks that are poised to beat at earnings season and WABCO Holdings Inc. WBC may be one such company. The firm has earnings coming up pretty soon, and events are shaping up quite nicely for their report. That is because WABCO Holdings is seeing favorable earnings estimate revision activity as of late, which is generally a precursor to an earnings beat. After all, analysts raising estimates right before earningswith the most up-to-date information possibleis a pretty good indicator of some favorable trends underneath the surface for WBC in this report. In fact, the Most Accurate Estimate for the current quarter is currently at $1.50 per share for WBC, compared to a broader Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.47 per share. This suggests that analysts have very recently bumped up their estimates for WBC, giving the stock a Zacks Earnings ESP of 2.04% heading into earnings season. WABCO HOLDINGS Price and EPS Surprise WABCO HOLDINGS Price and EPS Surprise | WABCO HOLDINGS Quote Why is this Important? A positive reading for the Zacks Earnings ESP has proven to be very powerful in producing both positive surprises, and outperforming the market. Our recent 10 year backtest shows that stocks that have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better show a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and have returned over 28% on average in annual returns (see more Top Earnings ESP stocks here). Given that WBC has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and an ESP in positive territory, investors might want to consider this stock ahead of earnings. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Clearly, recent earnings estimate revisions suggest that good things are ahead for WABCO Holdings, and that a beat might be in the cards for the upcoming report. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Tale of the Tape, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report WABCO HOLDINGS (WBC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Japan Navy Writing for The National Interest, Kyle Mizokami recently made a solid case for Japan's Maritime Self Defense Force (MSDF) as the best navy in all of Asia. While China fields a larger, ever modernizing navy with huge stores of cruise missiles and land-based assets, Japan fields a trim and very capable navy. Their Kongo class destroyers share the Aegis combat system with the US's Arleigh Burke class of destroyer, which recently proved itself off the coast of Yemen. But perhaps the greatest advantage Japan's MSDF has over China's navy is its aircraft carriers. Its latest Izumo class "helicopter destroyer" can carry 14 helicopters and engage in advanced anti-submarine warfare as well as air assaults. Also, Japan awaits the the F-35B, the short takeoff/ vertical landing variant of Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter, the most expensive and complex weapons system of all time. Most notably, Japan maintains this potent force not as a traditional navy, but as a self-defense force. The force, while well rehearsed in taking islands and training with their US allies, most recently saw action after the massive earthquake that rocked Japan in 2011. japan aircraft carriers During that disaster, Mizokami reports that the first ship responded in just 45 minutes, displaying the "professionalism and efficiency" expected from a world-class navy. NOW WATCH: This incredible time-lapse shows what a day is like on an aircraft carrier More From Business Insider Looking for a stock that might be in a good position to beat earnings at its next report? Consider Louisiana-Pacific Corp. LPX, a firm in the Building Products Wood industry, which could be a great candidate for another beat. This company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. In fact, in these reports, LPX has beaten estimates by at least 10% in both cases, suggesting it has a nice short-term history of crushing expectations. Earnings in Focus Two quarters ago, LPX was expected to post earnings of 2 cents per share, while it actually produced earnings of 7 cents per share, a significant beat. Meanwhile, for the most recent quarter, the company looked to deliver earnings of 25 cents per share, when it actually saw earnings per share of 28 cents instead, representing a 12% positive surprise. LOUISIANA PAC Price and EPS Surprise LOUISIANA PAC Price and EPS Surprise | LOUISIANA PAC Quote Thanks in part to this history, recent estimates have been moving higher for Louisiana-Pacific. In fact, the Earnings ESP for LPX is positive, which is a great sign of a coming beat. After all, the Zacks Earnings ESP compares the most accurate estimate to the broad consensus, looking to find stocks that have seen big revisions as of late, suggesting that analysts have recently become more bullish on the companys earnings prospects. This is the case for LPX, as the firm currently has a Zacks Earnings ESP of 2.50%, so another beat could be around the corner. This is particularly true when you consider that LPX has a great Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) which can be a harbinger of outperformance and a signal for a strong earnings profile. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. When you add this solid Zacks Rank to a positive Earnings ESP, a positive earnings surprise happens nearly 70% of the time, so it seems pretty likely that LPX could see another beat at its next report, especially if recent trends are any guide. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Tale of the Tape, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report LOUISIANA PAC (LPX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The photograph of a Pakistani chaiwala went viral after many women across the globe found him extremely hot and handsome. The photographer, Jiah Ali, went to meet him and now he knows he is world famous. Pakistani chaiwala who shot to fame after his photo went viral standing with the photographer, Jiah Ali, who made him famous By India Today Web Desk: Pakistani photographer Jiah Ali uploaded the photo of a chaiwala in Islamabad three days ago. Jiah, who has over 10,000 followers on Instagram, captioned the photo "hot-tea". advertisement The photo that got over 5,000 likes on Instagram, went viral, and online publications took it on themselves to make the fellow a world phenomenon. They shared his photo with headlines that read: "there's a really hot chaiwala in Pakistan" and "Move over Fawad Khan" to quote a few. Seeing how her click went viral, Jiah shared couple of more photos of the man. Women crushed over the HOT chaiwala so much that #Chaiwala became the top trend in Pakistan. Soon, the craze crossed the border and the hashtag trended in India too. Here are some reactions from Twitter. At least we can all agree on one thing: Pakistan's #ChaiWala is way way way better than India's #CoffeeWala. *No Comparison* pic.twitter.com/DXfJQBaqud Sir Main Dad (@SirJohnRoe) October 17, 2016 Clearly #India-#Pakistan tensions have eased; a handsome Islamabad tea-seller is the top-trending topic in the region (& world!). #ChaiWala Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) October 17, 2016 Pakistani Actor Selling Tea Due To Lack Of Employment After He Got Banned From Working In India. ;) #ChaiWala #WIvsPAK #PAKvWI #PAKvsWI pic.twitter.com/41hAvcH2LM Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadejaaaa) October 17, 2016 Jiah told Buzzfeed, "My first two shots were of him looking down concentrated on his chai, but I was lucky enough to capture the viral shot in the seconds he looked at me for. He shied away, smiling, as soon as he saw me," and that she might go back and tell him he has owned the internet. And she did. She posted a photo of herself with the man and captioned it, "Ladies, I found him." #chaiwala Ladies I found him! A photo posted by Jiah Ali (@jiah_ali) on Oct 17, 2016 at 11:23pm PDT advertisement Now we know that his name is Arshad Khan. Arshad khan making me some tea ;) #chaiwala A photo posted by Jiah Ali (@jiah_ali) on Oct 18, 2016 at 12:03am PDT Yes another Khan destined to rule women's hearts. Cheers, brother! --- ENDS --- Investors are always looking for stocks that are poised to beat at earnings season and PulteGroup, Inc. PHM may be one such company. The firm has earnings coming up pretty soon, and events are shaping up quite nicely for their report. That is because PulteGroup is seeing favorable earnings estimate revision activity as of late, which is generally a precursor to an earnings beat. After all, analysts raising estimates right before earningswith the most up-to-date information possibleis a pretty good indicator of some favorable trends underneath the surface for PHM in this report. In fact, the Most Accurate Estimate for the current quarter is currently at 45 cents per share for PHM, compared to a broader Zacks Consensus Estimate of 43 cents per share. This suggests that analysts have very recently bumped up their estimates for PHM, giving the stock a Zacks Earnings ESP of 4.65% heading into earnings season. PULTE GROUP ONC Price and EPS Surprise PULTE GROUP ONC Price and EPS Surprise | PULTE GROUP ONC Quote Why is this Important? A positive reading for the Zacks Earnings ESP has proven to be very powerful in producing both positive surprises, and outperforming the market. Our recent 10 year backtest shows that stocks that have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better show a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and have returned over 28% on average in annual returns (see more Top Earnings ESP stocks here). Given that PHM has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and an ESP in positive territory, investors might want to consider this stock ahead of earnings. You can the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Clearly, recent earnings estimate revisions suggest that good things are ahead for Hawaiian Holdings, and that a beat might be in the cards for the upcoming report. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Tale of the Tape, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report PULTE GROUP ONC (PHM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Fiery bluster or a genuine shift in allegiance? Thats the question U.S. officials will be trying to answer about Rodrigo Dutertes diplomatic maneuvers when the Philippine President lands in Beijing on Tuesday, having vowed to sever his nations historic alliance with Washington and instead move closer to rival superpower China. Chinese President Xi Jinping will, in turn, be trying to assess whether the erratic Duterte whose savage extrajudicial war on drugs has so far claimed at least 3,600 lives, and who openly brags about womanizing can be relied upon. Nevertheless, both these very different leaders have expressed hope of coming to an agreement over the South China Sea, where their nations have been at loggerheads over disputed territory. Dutertes predecessor, Benigno Aquino, was among the most tenacious in standing up to China in this regard, even filing a complaint against Beijing at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague. (The court ruled emphatically in Manilas favor.) Duterte, by contrast, has vowed to cooperate with China, advocating joint exploration of natural resources under the reefs. In recent weeks, hes also threatened to expel U.S. Special Forces from Mindanao, to suspend all joint U.S. military exercises and patrols, and even to abrogate the U.S. Advanced Defense Cooperation Agreement signed by Aquino. Only China can help us, Duterte told Chinese state news wire Xinhua prior to his arrival in Beijing. All this is extremely worrying for Washington. The South China Sea is a vital trade corridor through which $5.3 trillion of cargo passes annually (around a fifth of which is American). The U.S. Navy has been ramping up freedom of navigation exercises in response to Chinas militarizing of islets in the waterway, though would be severely hamstrung without the cooperation of vested parties like the Philippines, which is a U.S. defense treaty ally. Story continues The U.S. has been hoping that Dutertes rash talk will not be translated into action, says Jonah Blank, a Southeast Asia expert at the Rand Corp. There is no doubting that Duterte has a distinct antipathy toward the U.S., emboldened by recent criticism of his war on drugs, a wave of violence that has gripped the Philippine streets since he came to office in June. Duterte is also supposedly a socialist who has repeatedly chaffed against the American presence in his homeland and who banned American drones from Davao Airport during his time as mayor. This guy genuinely believes that the U.S. is an empire that is interfering in the affairs of third-world countries like the Philippines, says Richard Javad Heydarian, assistant professor of political science at Manilas De La Salle University. However, there are plenty of reasons why a wholesale shift in alliances is unlikely. The first is public opinion. Last years Pew survey found 92% of Filipinos had a favorable view of the U.S. the worlds highest rating, even higher than that of Americans themselves. By contrast, 58% of Filipinos view China unfavorably. And the Philippine security establishment is even more pro-American, says Heydarian. Thats because some three-quarters of Philippine military equipment comes from the U.S. While Duterte has repeatedly railed against Washington, even calling U.S. President Barack Obama a son of a whore and telling him to go to hell for criticizing the war on drugs, key Cabinet members have been quick to pledge their continuing support. Are we throwing away decades of military partnership, tactical proficiency, compatible weaponry, predictable logistics and soldier-to-soldier camaraderie, just like that? asked former President Fidel Ramos, a key Duterte adviser and his recently appointed special envoy to China, in an Oct. 8 editorial in the Manila Bulletin. Moreover, there is very little possible common ground between Manila and Beijing. China will happily offer financial and infrastructure assistance to Manila in exchange for dialing back opposition to its island building and is already building a drug-treatment facility but that will not be enough to assuage the Sinophobic Filipino public. Even a minor agreement like a nonaggression or joint fisheries pact in disputed waters is problematic, though, since the Philippine constitution clearly states that no dual development can be permitted in the nations Exclusive Economic Zones unless the other party agrees to Philippine sovereignty. The level of Chinese nationalist sentiment inculcated by the Xi administration Chinese tourists regularly travel to disputed islands specifically to plant national flags would make this impossible. That would leave Duterte needing a risky constitutional amendment. If Duterte is seen as effectively giving up Philippine sovereignty, hes going to be in trouble, says Heydarian. Thats grounds for impeachment. So what could Duterte be after? One increasingly popular theory is that he is simply leveraging Philippine support in order to gain greater concessions from Washington. At present, the Philippines receives around $170 million per year from the U.S., though that figure is dwarfed by the sums Washington funnels to nations like Egypt and Pakistan, which each receive in the region of $1.5 billion. Its possible that Dutertes threats are a calculated maneuver to extract more concessions from the U.S., says Heydarian. That would be a problem for Xi. Next year is the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, during which more than half of the Politburo Standing Committee, the nations apex governing body, is expected to be replaced. However, at that sensitive time Xi may not be able to point to many (if any) foreign policy successes. Beijings relationship with North Korea is at a historic low, with Pyongyangs belligerence directly leading to the deployment of U.S. THAAD missile batteries on Chinas doorstep in South Korea. On top of that came Julys unfavorable Hague decision over the South China Sea. Pressure is mounting, says Zhu Feng, dean of the Institute of International Affairs at Nanjing University. Its time for Xi and his government to consider cooling down [some of these conflicts]. Xi must convince Duterte that China really can offer benefits worth risking domestic support, while hoping that Dutertes distaste for human rights and self-professed dirty mouth further alienate him from Washington. It might be a hard sell. China does not have an encouraging track record as an alternate patron, says Blank. For which nations has China proven a reliable long-term partner? Perhaps North Korea and Pakistan. Thats about it. On the morning on Tuesday, September 20, just after 9:01 a.m. local time, two pilots ejected from a U.S. Air Force training flight above Californias Sutter Buttes, just north of Sacramento. One of them, Lt. Col. Ira S. Eadie, died; the other, whose name has not been released, is recovering. Though tragic, crashes during training flights are perhaps unavoidable. Whats more surprising is that these pilots were flying a U-2 spy plane, an iconic aircraft first built in 1955. Most civilians associate the U-2 with the Cold War, not the War on Terror. Designed to fly at 70,000 feet, the glider-like U-2 allowed the United States to conduct aerial reconnaissance of the Soviet Union even before the satellite era. Its most famous moments came in 1960, when Soviet authorities downed and captured pilot Francis Gary Powersa story Hollywood dramatized in last years Bridge of Spiesand in 1962, when the images it collected over Cuba set off the Cuban Missile Crisis. Why, in an era of drones and reconnaissance satellites, is the U.S. Air Force still using Eisenhower-era planes? Recommended: What Will Break Peoples Addictions to Their Phones? I put this question to John G. Terino, a professor at the USAFs Air Command Staff College, located at Maxwell Air Force Base. First of all, he explained, the thirty or so U-2s being flown out of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base near Marysville, California, have experienced major upgrades since Powers day. The current model, technically a U-2S, has a longer wingspan, more room for sensors, interchangeable nose cones, and a slightly more pilot-friendly cockpit. The military and the intelligence communities prize the U-2S and their pilots for their flexibility and responsiveness. But most important is what Terino refers to as the U-2s multispectral capabilities. Depending on the configuration of the surveillance equipment, the U-2 can take photographs, see through clouds and trees, and collect a range of signals intelligence, the details of which are carefully guarded by the military. The problem is we think technology can only be new. But still: The U-2 is a really old plane. And its not even the oldest plane in the USAFs fleet. The earliest models of the B-52 Stratofortress and the C-130 Hercules started flying in 1954. In fact, according to Layne Karafantis, a curator of modern military aircraft at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., The Air Force has six aircraft types that have been flying for more than fifty years. The Air Forces reliance on old planes is an uncanny instance of a phenomenon British historian David Edgerton described in his 2007 book, The Shock of the Old. The books contrarian approach to the history of technology privileges technology-in-use over innovation, focusing as much on condoms, bicycles, and corrugated iron as it does on computers and nuclear power. In one startling example, Edgerton recounts how the German army relied on horsesnot trains or trucksas the basic means of transport during World War II. By the end of the war, the Wehrmacht had lost approximately 1.5 million horses in its attempt to conquer modern Europe. When I asked Edgerton for a one-word term to describe the persistence of old technologies in our daily lives, he deadpanned, Normality. Recommended: Half of American Adults Are in Police Facial-Recognition Databases The problem, Edgerton explained to me, is we think technology can only be new. Outside of intelligence circles and Northern California, where the U-2 program employs more than 1,000 people, the continued use of these planes seems so unlikely, so archaic, that its difficult to square with the USAFs reputation for lusting after the highest, fastest planes. In the 1960s, the USAFs X-15 pilots set records for both that still stand. The USAFs investment in cutting-edge flight and missile technology underwrote the U.S. aerospace industry for most of the Cold War. Since then, the Air Force has continued to lobby for extraordinarily expensive weapons systems, including the F-35, the most notorious military boondoggle of the twenty-first century. Even Edgerton, who wrote the book on technological longevity, declared the idea of the USAF flying U-2s to be astonishing. Old technologiesthings, in Edgertons parlancesimultaneously populate our world and escape our notice. The generation of aircraft built after World War II was built to last. Old planes are familiar, reliable, and trusted, but they require constant attention to keep in working order. The work of maintenance is essential, but invisible, the costs recorded as depreciation or overhead. Politicians and CEOs scramble to claim credit for their investments in R&D, but technicians, mechanics, and janitors keep the world running. By confusing the history of innovation with the history of technology, Edgerton argues, we not only miss this labor, but also we misunderstand the work of scientists and engineers. The majority have always been mainly concerned with the operation and maintenance of things and processes; with the uses of things, not their invention or development, he writes in the introduction to The Shock of the Old. Recommended: I Asked a Computer to Read 60,000 Articles About the Election This counterintuitive way of looking at technology is starting to find its way into broader use. This spring, for example, a group of scholars gathered at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, under the banner of The Maintainers. Even so, the continuing evolution of old technologies like the U-2 stymies historians attempts to categorize them. With its interchangeable nose cones and sophisticated surveillance equipment, theres no reason not to think of the U-2S as a cutting-edge, contemporary technology, a twenty-first-century companion to the more recognizably modern unmanned Global Hawks (aka, drones) that also fly out of Beale. At the same time, the U-2S retains some of the quirkier aspects of the original U-2s design, like an exceptionally long wingspan and a bicycle wheel arrangement, that make the plane notoriously difficult to fly. Nobody starts as a U-2 pilot, Terino says. (The plane carrying Eadie and his co-pilot was one of five two-seat models used for training flights.) For museums, persistent technologies present curatorial challenges. How do you convey to visitors that something is both a historic artifact and a contemporary tool? The challenge is compounded for military technologies, with their exorbitant price tags. At the Smithsonian, Kerafantis says, We are only able to take possession of an aircraft thats been retired, because if it were still flying, why would you put it in a museum? Museums inevitably end up with older models that are similar to, but not quite the same as aircraft being flown today. Because the Smithsonians U-2, the seventh ever built, was used in the Middle East in the 1970s, its been painted in desert camouflage. Visitors sometimes object that it cant possibly be a real U-2, because real U-2s are black. But of course its a real U-2. Like all technologies, planes are flexible. They change both through use and through the actions of their users. They undergo maintenance and updates; they get paint jobs and new radar bays. They hide in plain sight on Beale Air Force Bases website and in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, soaring high above global U.S. reconnaissance targets. If you happen to be in Washington, you can even see one yourself, hovering just below the ceiling of the Looking at Earth gallery at the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. Look carefully: U-2s are easy to miss. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. USA Network Here are your quick and dirty, editorial-free WWE Raw results for October 17, 2016. Monday nights episode featured the glorious return of Goldberg, and more intrigue as we prepare for Hell in a Cell in two weeks. Be back here tomorrow for the full Best and Worst of Raw column. Related Links: WWE Raw Results: The show opened with Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho coming to the ring to complain about Mick Foleys personal vendetta against them. They blamed Jerichos loss to Seth Rollins last week on bad officiating. Owens promised to retire Rollins in two weeks at Hell in a Cell. Rollins then came out to retort, and accused Owens of being a bad friend to Jericho for watching him get Pedigreed two weeks in a row. Rollins challenged Jericho to a rematch and Jericho told Owens to go to the back, saying that theyre still best friends and that he can do this by himself. 1. Seth Rollins defeated Chris Jericho. Owens wasnt able to stay in the back and came to ringside during the match. Despite his presence, Rollins was still able to reverse a Codebreaker into a Pedigree for the pin. 2. Mark Henry, R-Truth and Goldust defeated Titus ONeil and The Shining Stars. Mark Henry got the pinfall for his team after the Worlds Strongest Slam on Titus. 3. Big E defeated Sheamus. Cesaro was at ringside recording a Facebook Live video, which angered Sheamus. When Sheamus took time to yell at Cesaro, Big E hit him with an avalanche and rolled him up for the pin. 4. Bo Dallas defeated Neville. Curtis Axel accompanied Dallas to the ring. Dallas got the pin after his Cross Rhodes finisher. After the match, Axel tried to get the crowd fired up for Bo, but Bo attacked him from behind and beat him up outside the ring. 5. Dana Brooke defeated Bayley. Brooke rammed Bayley into the ring post and then got the pin. Paul Heyman appeared live via satellite. He advised Goldberg to turn down Brock Lesnars challenge and spare himself embarrassment. Story continues 6. Braun Strowman defeated the Mile High Trio. Strowman won the three-on-one handicap match with ease. He again powerslammed one opponent and reverse chokeslammed another onto him before pinning them. After the match, Strowman threatened to come backstage and get some tougher competition from Foley himself, but Sami Zayns music hit and Zayn came to the ring. Strowman shoved Zayn out of the ring and then left. Rusev and Lana came to the ring to talk about what a good family man Rusev is. He showed pictures of his family. Roman Reigns came out and promised to hurt Rusev at Hell in a Cell. Lana slapped Reigns and then Rusev attacked him. Rusev ran Reigns into the ring steps and then locked him in the Accolade on top of the steps in the ring. 7. Big Cass defeated Karl Anderson. Cass hit the Big River Crossing and covered Anderson for the pin. 8. Brian Kendrick, Tony Nese and Drew Gulak defeated TJ Perkins, Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann. Gulak prevented TJP from helping Swann, who tapped out to Kendricks Captains Hook submission. Michael Cole welcomed Goldberg to the ring to answer Paul Heymans challenge. He accepted Brock Lesnars offer for a fight and said Brock is next and last. Yahoo managed to beat expectations Tuesday by reporting an adjusted quarterly profit of 20 cents per share - about 6 cents more than analysts had projected - on revenue of $1.3 billion, which was in line with expectations. The financial report comes as Yahoo is set to be acquired by Verizon, though a recent hack of the pioneering internet company has the telecommunications firm on edge over the planned merger. Verizon said in July it would acquire Yahoo for $4.8 billion, with the deal expected to close early next year. Since then, Yahoo disclosed that 500 million user accounts were stolen two years ago and 200 million accounts were stolen two months ago. Some outlets reported that the revelation of security breaches amount to a material impact that could result in Verizon pulling out of the deal, but Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam said at a conference this month that such a notion was "total speculation." "We still see a real value to the asset," McAdam said at the Internet Association's Virtuous Circle conference in Menlo Park, Calif. "We're still understanding what was going on, to define whether it's a material impact to the business or not. But the industrial logic of doing this merger still makes a lot of sense." Because of the pending merger, Yahoo didn't bother with a conference call to discuss its financial results. "We take deep responsibility in protecting our users and the security of their information," Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said in a statement accompanying the earnings report. "We're working hard to retain their trust and are heartened by their continued loyalty as seen in our user engagement trends." In most categories, Yahoo reported rising revenue, an exception being its display advertising business, where revenue fell 7 percent to $476 million. The price per ad, though, increased 1 percent quarter over quarter. Group of people from Pakistan who travelled to India by the cross-LoC bus service said a war with India will be catastrophic. By Ashraf Wani: While Pakistan's show of military bravado continues with its government mulling various options to counter India, Pakistanis, who are more in sync with the ground realities, say that a war between the two countries will be catastrophic. Eighty-six-year-old Nazir Hussain, who was among the 25 passengers on the cross-LoC bus service who reached Poonch on Monday, said, "If it (war) happens, it will wipe off both the countries". advertisement THERE WILL BE NO WAR Also read: India should send Pakistani Ambassador in India back home, snap all ties While the tension between the two countries refuses to die down, some confidence-building measures have not been targeted yet. The Cross-LoC bus service between Poonch and Rawalakot is one such example. The bus reaching India on Monday was the first since India launched surgical strikes across the Line of Control on September 29. ALSO READ: India trashes Pakistan media report calling surgical strikes a bluff Since the surgical strikes took place, Nazir said Pakistan has started deploying more forces along the border. While both countries seem to be preparing for a war, according to Nazir "there will be no war". The last time Nazir was in India he was a 15-year-old when he and his relatives were moving to Pakistan after the Partition. ALSO READ: US backs surgical strikes, says India has right to respond militarily to cross-border terror WAR WILL BE DEVASTATING Like Nazir, many of his fellow passengers who have witnessed the violence following the Partition, said that war is no option to solve the problems between India and Pakistan. "People in Pakistan want better ties with India," said Mohammed Husain from Gujranwala in Pakistan who is visiting India after 70 years. ALSO READ: Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit rubbishes surgical strikes, terms them 'fictional' At a time when both the countries are armed with nuclear weapons, these men said that "a war will be devastating". "Both countries have nuclear bombs. If they go to war, it will be devastating for the people living near the border," said Mohamed. On Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nazir said that while he appreciates Modi's role in leading India, there are sections of people in Pakistan who hate him. People in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are not happy with their ruling leaders, Nazir added. ALSO READ: Surgical strikes: Congress hits back, says Parrikar has insulted war veterans, should apologise ALSO READ: Credit for surgical strikes goes to PM Modi, only helped in planning: Parrikar --- ENDS --- advertisement (Adds analyst comments, links to graphic, Breakingviews column) By Deborah M. Todd SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly adjusted profit on Tuesday, a boost for the beleaguered company whose deal to sell its core business to Verizon Communications Inc has been shaken by a massive data breach. Verizon's general counsel said last week that the hack, which affected at least 500 million email accounts in 2014, could have a material impact, possibly allowing Verizon to withdraw from the $4.83 billion deal. Tuesday's results provided at least an initial indication that the data breach has not led to a quick exodus of Yahoo customers, as some had feared. Customer trends showed growth in pageviews and email usage, Yahoo said. Still, analysts were split on whether the results dispelled doubts about the deal going through. Yahoo said in a filing with securities regulators shortly before the breach was disclosed that it knew of no cyber risks, raising questions about whether Verizon was informed of the breach in a timely fashion. JMP Securities analyst Ronald Josey said it was too early to tell if the breach would cause lasting damage, and called customer trends "encouraging." "The message here is email and messaging is a very sticky product and people want to get to their messages," said Josey. But Fatemeh Khatibloo, a security analyst with Forrester Research, said the uptick in pageviews and email usage could be the result of "500 million people trying to figure out if they're exposed." Any loss of users in the future, lawsuits related to the breach and a pending Federal Communications Commission vote that could limit how telecommunications companies can use customer data may encourage Verizon to try and back out of the deal, said Khatibloo. However, Scott Kessler, an analyst with CFRA Research, said the fact that Yahoo did not see an immediate decline in users was a sign the breach may not be a material adverse change that would affect the Verizon deal. Story continues "The bottom line here is from a fundamental operational and financial perspective, it doesn't seem like much has changed at the company over the last quarter," he said. Legal experts have said Verizon would have to clear a high hurdle to prove that the breach amounted to a material adverse change that would allow it to pull out of the deal. REVENUE CHALLENGES Another positive sign for Yahoo was that revenue from Mavens - the mobile, video, native and social advertising units that Chief Executive Marissa Mayer touts as its emerging businesses - rose 24.2 percent to $524 million. Still, the business showed continuing declines in major revenue categories. Gross search revenue fell 14.1 percent to $752.5 million. Total revenue rose 6.5 percent to $1.31 billion, just beating the average analyst estimate of $1.30 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. But after deducting fees paid to partner websites, revenue fell to $857.7 million from $1 billion. Yahoo said on Friday it would not hold a call or webcast after the release of the results, citing the Verizon deal. Analysts at Needham & Co said in a note on Tuesday that decision troubled them, given doubts cast over the Verizon deal by the data hack, and they cut their rating on Yahoo to 'hold' from 'buy'. Yahoo's shares were up about 1.3 percent in extended trading after the close on Tuesday. For the third quarter ended Sept. 30, net income attributable to Yahoo rose to $162.8 million, or 17 cents per share, from $76.3 million, or 8 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding some items, the company earned 20 cents per share, beating analysts' average estimate of 14 cents. Verizon plans to combine Yahoo's search, email and messenger assets as well as advertising technology tools with its AOL unit, which it bought last year for $4.4 billion. The deal would transform Yahoo into a holding company, with a 15 percent stake in Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and a 35.5 percent interest in Yahoo Japan Corp as well as Yahoo's convertible notes, certain minority investments and its non-core patents. The deal is expected to close in early 2017, after which Yahoo plans to change its name and become a publicly traded investment company. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Don Sebastian, Jonathan Weber and Bill Rigby) Yahoo earnings bumped up in after-hours trading following a third-quarter 2016 earnings report that saw revenue top analysts expectations. The beat comes amid uncertainty over Verizons proposed $4.8 billion deal to acquire Yahoos web assets following the disclosure of a massive data breach back in 2014 that impacted as many as 500 million email accounts. Total revenue for Q3 was $1.31B, a 6.5% jump year-over-year, Yahoo reported today. Revenue was down from $1B a year ago to $857.7M. The company showed revenue gains in its mobile, video, native and social (Mavens) business as well as search. I am pleased with our Q3 results, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said in a statement (the company declined to hold the usual post-earnings call with analysts, citing the pending Verizon deal). She added: In addition to our continued efforts to strengthen our business, we are busy preparing for integration with Verizon. We remain very confident, not only in the value of our business, but also in the value Yahoo products bring to our users lives. To that end, we take deep responsibility in protecting our users and the security of their information. Were working hard to retain their trust and are heartened by their continued loyalty as seen in our user engagement trends. On Friday, Verizon general counsel Craig Silliman told reporters that the hack could have material impact on Yahoos value. Earlier this month, Yahoo investors seemed unmoved to similar media report that said Verizon wanted to slash $1 billion from its $4.83B sale price. But more than 60% of Yahoos stock value comes from its investments in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan, which are not included in the sale. Verizon shares are down fractionally after hours today. Related stories Verizon Effort To Cut $1B From Yahoo Deal Leaves Investors Unfazed Yahoo Confirms At Least 500M Users Accounts Hacked Megyn Kelly-Produced Political Comedy Series 'Embeds' Set At Verizon's Go90 U.N. special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has announced a 72-hour truce in Yemen to begin on Thursday. The deal follows international outcry over a Saudi airstrike that killed 140 people when it hit a funeral procession in Yemens capital, Sanaa, the BBC reports. A Saudi Arabialed coalition commenced airstrikes in Yemen in March 2015 in support of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadis forces, which have been fighting Houthi rebels in the country. Saudi Arabia has thrown its military might behind Yemens government and accuses Iran of backing the rebels. Since March last year nearly 7,000 people have died and at least 3 million have been displaced, according to U.N. figures cited by the BBC. Saudi officials say the airstrike earlier this month was targeted at rebel leaders in the Houthi-controlled capital, but the wrong side had been hit as a result of erroneous intelligence. Announcing the cease-fire, Ahmed said he hoped it would spare the Yemeni people further bloodshed and will allow for the expanded delivery of humanitarian assistance. By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York City college student died last November fighting for Islamic State in Syria, where he had traveled earlier in the year with the assistance of an Arizona man he met online, according to U.S. prosecutors. The death of Samy Mohammed El-Goarany, who was 24 when he traveled to Syria, was disclosed in papers filed by prosecutors late on Monday in Manhattan federal court in a case against the Arizona man, Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal. The details came as prosecutors sought approval to introduce evidence at the Dec. 5 trial of El Gammal, who is charged with conspiring to provide material support to Islamic State by helping El-Goarany travel so he could join the militant group. The potential evidence includes a letter by El-Goarany that an unidentified person via an instant messaging platform provided one of El-Goarany's relatives after saying he had been killed fighting in Syria. In the letter, El-Goarany informed the relative that "if you're reading this then know that I've been killed in battle and am now with our Lord InshaAllah." "We will win this war one day, this war between Iman (Belief) and kufr (Disbelief) between Good and Evil," the letter said, according to prosecutors. "And I will come back for you, with Allah's permission I will come back for you." El Gammal's lawyer declined comment. He has pleaded not guilty. According to prosecutors, El-Goarany was a U.S. citizen who attended college in Manhattan and who by 2014 began expressing increased interest in militant forms of Islam. El-Goarany first contacted El Gammal in August 2014 after learning of online comments he posted supporting Islamic State, prosecutors said. They corresponded via encrypted messaging platforms, including one El-Goarany recommended by noting former National Security Agency contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden had used it, prosecutors said. They said El Gammal traveled to New York in October 2014 and met El-Goarany. He then arranged for El-Goarany to get in touch with an individual living in Turkey to help El-Goarany travel to join Islamic State, prosecutors said. Story continues El-Goarany, whose parents lived in Middletown, New York, subsequently traveled from New York City to Istanbul in January 2015, and sometime in mid-February arrived in Syria, prosecutors said. After learning of El Gammal's August 2015 arrest, El-Goarany posted a video on YouTube denying he had helped him and saying he "came here out of my own will," prosecutors said. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Alan Crosby) A year after Zac Posen announced he had been tapped to design Delta's uniforms, the red carpet fave is ready to show the world what he's got in store for the airline. On Tuesday Posen unveiled the outfits with a fashion show in Atlanta, where he showed a collection that will be worn by more than 60,000 customer-facing Delta workers, including flight attendants, customer service agents, cargo agents and technicians. Courtesy of Delta To modernize the uniforms, last updated in 2006 by L.A.-based designer Richard Tyler, Posen first had to understand the needs of the airline's employees. After job shadowing and focus groups, he found that the technical specs of their clothing needed to be much improved. One reason? Flight attendants get spilled on a lot. Posen, who put Claire Danes in a light-up fiber-optic dress for the Met Gala, sourced a number of innovative technical materials for his high-flying designs, including stain release fabrics, fabrics with anti-microbial finishes, and water-resistant and wind-proof nylons. The color scheme - a mix of hues Delta describes as passport plum (dark purple), cruising cardinal (bright red) and groundspeed graphite (deep gray), with accents of skyline slate (gray with an azure tint and traveling thistle (pastel purple) - was the final touch in modernizing the exclusive range. Courtesy of Delta While flight attendant uniforms can seem stuffy, impractical and stuck in a sexist past, Posen, whose creations have also been worn by Katie Holmes and Viola Davis, tells The Hollywood Reporter - he wanted to design uniforms "that appear polished" but also "allow [employees] to perform the necessary tasks required by their job." For female flight attendants and customer service agents, that includes V-neck dresses, peplum sweaters, skirt suits and swing jackets that allow for movement; for their male counterparts, there are three-piece suits, crew neck sweaters and Delta logo-printed ties. Posen also emphasized the Delta logo (also known as the widget) throughout the collection. Story continues Courtesy of Delta "Every single employee is proud to work for Delta and wants to look their best on the job even after a 14-hour flight, which was one of our main reasons for pushing to get the best technical fabrics for the new uniform," Posen says. A select group of 1,000 employees will start wearing the uniforms in December and into early 2017. Based on their feedback, adjustments will be made accordingly before the Delta team wears the uniform worldwide in the first quarter of 2018. Adds Posen: "I have always been an avid traveler and flying has always been a synonym of glamour and adventure." (Sky) high fashion indeed. Courtesy of Delta For Immediate Release Chicago, IL October 18, 2016 Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses the Health insurance, Part 1, including Aetna Inc. (NYSE:AET Free Report),Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM Free Report),UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH Free Report) andWellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE:WCG Free Report). Industry: Health insurance, Part 1 Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/93281/health-insurance-industry-outlook---october-2016 In the first nine months of the year 2016, the U.S. health insurance industry was largely dominated by issues related to the underperforming public exchange business and stringent regulatory intervention relating to the two proposed mega mergers. Notwithstanding these, the companies performed favorably, with most of the players reporting an increase in the top line along with membership growth. The Department of Justice filed lawsuits against the proposed mergers of Anthem with Cigna Corp., and Aetna Inc. (NYSE:AET Free Report) withHumana Inc. (NYSE:HUM Free Report). The mergers, which were scheduled to be completed this year, have now been delayed. In fact, the closure of these deals is now uncertain. This apart, concerns related to the public exchanges business have been adding to the woes. Most insurers incurred losses from this business in the first half of the year, and the trend is unlikely to reverse anytime soon. Although insurance companies expected improved profitability in 2016 after making meager profits in 2015, the individual exchange business disappointed the firms. Major players incurred losses in this business and are now reducing their participation on the exchanges by exiting unprofitable markets. For 2017, the players have very little exposure on the public exchanges. Nevertheless, the companies have managed to record higher revenues on the back of an increase in premium from the government businesses Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. A surge in baby boomer retirees has led to higher demand for these policies. In 2015, about 55 million people were enrolled in Medicare. The number is expected to climb to 75 million by 2026, courtesy aging baby boomers. Humana, Cigna, Aetna,UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH Free Report) have expanded their government businesses and are very optimistic about it. Story continues In addition, a higher number of enrollees in the Medicare, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage businesses drove membership growth across the board. However, this upside was partly offset by a decline in membership on the public exchange business. The insurers are likely to see earnings growth on the back of their international operations. Players like Aetna, Cigna and UnitedHealth Group have extended their business worldwide in the wake of stringent regulations on the home turf. However, a stronger U.S. dollar will be a drag on earnings from international operations. Strong balance sheets with low leverage and attractive organic cash flow generation, along with excess capital in the form of statutory reserves and parent cash continue to make this sector attractive. Factors that might impact the industry significantly in the coming months are the Presidential election, the Public Exchange Business, and mergers and acquisitions. The industry has caught the attention of the presidential candidates who are vowing to make major changes to the legislation that gave the industry a complete makeover. Insurers who have strived hard to adapt to the numerous changes brought about by the reforms may have to readjust their businesses if the new president brings in his/her desired changes. Industry Flashback The industry witnessed a massive overhaul following the Health Care Reform Act which came into effect in Mar 2010. The reform changed the face of the industry, so much so that the once-successful strategies and business practices of the players were no longer sustainable. The players enjoyed no interference from government entities from the early 1980s til 2010. The health insurers were fully autonomous in conducting their business, many a times refusing to grant coverage to people with pre-existing diseases and also rejecting genuine claims. But with the implementation of Obamacare, things have changed substantially. The reform, via its numerous provisions, put a bridle on insurers. Some of the clauses of the law related to the provision of insurance coverage for people with preexisting diseases, a bar on rejecting claims, restrictions on increases in premium and many more have changed the operating environment of the industry. These players are now faced with increased competition, regulatory compliance costs, changing patient mix, pricing pressure, rising consumerism, higher taxes and fees, rising medical costs and a general marketplace uncertainty. Amid the sea change in the industry, the players are busy remodeling their businesses with innovative, consumer-centric products and services. They are also aggressively hunting for new avenues of growth both at home and abroad. Industry Ranking Overall Positive Within the Zacks Industry classification, Health Maintenance Organization is grouped under the Medical sector (one of the 16 Zacks sectors). We rank all the 257 industries in the 16 Zacks sectors based on the earnings outlook of the constituent companies in each industry. The ranking is available on the Zacks Industry Rank page. The way to align the ranking and outlook from the complete list of Zacks Industry Rank for the 257 companies is by considering the outlook for the top one-third of the list (Zacks Industry Rank of #86 and lower) as positive, the middle one-third (Zacks Industry Rank between #86 and #172) as neutral and the bottom one-third (Zacks Industry Rank #173 and higher) as negative. The HMO industry features in the top 1/3rd range with a Zacks Industry Rank #70. This indicates that the overall outlook is Positive.' Please note that the Zacks Rank for stocks, which is the core of our Industry Outlook, has an impressive track record, verified by outside auditors, to foretell stock prices, particularly over the short term (1 to 3 months). The rank, along with Earnings ESP, helps in predicting the probability of earnings surprises. Earnings Trends With the impending Q3 earnings season, its time to look at the estimate revision trends. The broader Medical Sector, of which HMOs are part, is currently expected to be up 2.7% from the same period last year on 7.4% higher revenues. This, however, compares unfavorably to 2016 Q2 earnings growth of 4.8% and 9% revenue growth. For more information about earnings for this sector and others, please read our Earnings Trends report. Stocks Worth Adding Investors can consider the following HMO stocks that have solid fundamentals along with a favorable Zacks Rank. WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE:WCG Free Report) provides managed care services for government-sponsored health care programs. It operates through three segments: Medicaid Health Plans, Medicare Health Plans, and Medicare PDPs. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and experienced positive estimate revisions over the past three months. It company has a long-term expected growth rate of 18%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Aetna Inc. operates as a health care benefits company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Health Care, Group Insurance, and Large Case Pensions. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Strong Buy) and experienced positive estimate revisions over the past three months. It company has a long-term expected growth rate of 10%. UnitedHealth Group Inc. is a diversified health and well-being company in the United States. The company offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services, health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals aged 50 and older. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Strong Buy) and experienced positive estimate revisions over the past three months. It company has a long-term expected growth rate of 13.4%. Humana Inc. together with its subsidiaries, operates as a health and well-being company. The company operates through three segments: Retail, Group, and Healthcare Services. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Strong Buy) and experienced positive estimate revisions over the past three months. It company has a long-term expected growth rate of 13.5%. Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has nearly tripled the market from 1988 through 2015. Its average gain has been a stellar +26% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>. Get the full Report on AET - FREE Get the full Report on HUM - FREE Get the full Report on UNH - FREE Get the full Report on WCG - FREE Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com/ Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report UNITEDHEALTH GP (UNH): Free Stock Analysis Report HUMANA INC NEW (HUM): Free Stock Analysis Report AETNA INC-NEW (AET): Free Stock Analysis Report WELLCARE HEALTH (WCG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. David Sacks It's been a rough nine months for troubled startup Zenefits and CEO David Sacks, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur who took over in February. But on Tuesday, the company will host its first ever customer conference and launch the new version of its product, known internally as "Z2," in a bid to finally move beyond its checkered past. And Sacks, seizing on the symbolism of the moment, will mark the company's turning of a new leaf with the changing of his wardrobe. Party culture In 2015, Zenefits was a skyrocketing startup that came out of nowhere with its HR software, which was free to businesses who bought insurance from it. But Zenefits' hyper-growth was so poorly managed that the company spiraled out of control. It got reputation for a party culture. It missed sales projections. It admitted it was selling insurance without proper licensing in multiple states and in February, founder CEO Parker Conrad was forced to resign. Sacks, an investor and the company's COO, took over as CEO. Since then Sacks has arguably done something that has never been done before: fixing the company's problems very publicly, talking openly about everything from banning alcohol in the workplace to cutting a new deal with investors that slashed the company's valuation in half. It also self reported everything to regulators. Back in good graces The turning point, at which Sacks knew his plan of attack was right, came in July, he told Business Insider in an interview. That's when the Tennessee insurance commissioner announced it was fining the company $62,50o and "put out their own press release saying the new management of Zenefits had righted the ship," he said. "We didn't necessary expect to get praised by a regulator." In fact, the press release said. "Under the companys past leadership, compliance with insurance laws and regulations was almost an afterthought ... Fortunately, new company leadership has demonstrated a dedication to righting the ship." Story continues In tech-startup style, Zenefits had also built an app to deal with its compliance issues using Salesforce's cloud. Earlier this month, thanks to that app which Zenefits had turned into a product, Sacks was invited to be part of the keynote at Salesforce's huge conference, Dreamforce. (The app was built on Salesforce's cloud.) Dreamforce is a tech conference spectacle run by its Valley A-lister CEO Marc Benioff. To be showcased there was to be once again in the good graces of the Silicon Valley elite. Sacks described it as "another important moment for the team" and told us, "I took them out to dinner that night." So proud of this team for creating the industry changing Licensing+ app #DF16 @Dreamforce @DavidSacks - join us 10/18 to learn more #helloZ2 pic.twitter.com/uj7pV6rKuB Zenefits (@Zenefits) October 6, 2016 A T-shirt and a vow He had also set employees to work on the next version of the product, called Z2 and in putting together the company's first-ever customer conference, also called Z2, both of which are launching on Tuesday. Z2 T shirt He donned a T-shirt that said "Z2" wearing it every workday, everywhere for months (even when speaking at conferences). "I vowed to wear this shirt every day until Z2. After Z2, I'll have to get a new shirt. But I have more than one, " he told Business Insider. When his Z2 conference finally comes and goes, he'll change his shirt, he told us. "The new shirt will be whatever the new goal is after Z2, but I can't reveal that yet." NOW WATCH: Clinton opens up a massive lead against Trump, with lopsided support from a key voting demographic More From Business Insider A prudent investment decision involves buying stocks that offer solid prospects and selling those that appear risky. Again, at times it is rational to hold certain stocks that have enough potential for long-term growth. Here we discuss one such stock, Zumiez, Inc. ZUMZ with expected long-term earnings per share growth rate of 15% and a VGM Score of A. Zumiez remains focused on turning its performance around by testing new brands, analyzing every aspect of its business across brands and geographies along with reviewing its coordinated marketing and product plans. Moreover, the company remains optimistic about its performance in the European market. The retailer expects to generate profits and boost shareholder value based on its ongoing growth strategies. We believe the company remains on track with its expansion strategies. The companys investments in global expansion, enhancing omnichannel capacities and customer-centric approach bode well. Ever since this specialty retailer of apparel, footwear and accessories broke its 17-month long trend of posting negative comparable store sales (comps) and dismal sales results on Oct 5, the company shares have gained more than 20%. Zumiezs comps for the five weeks ended Oct 1, 2016 rose 6.3% compared with a 1.8% decline witnessed in the five-week period ended Oct 3, 2015. Further, Zumiez raised its third-quarter fiscal 2016 sales, earnings and comps outlook backed by greater-than-expected sales in the quarter-to-date period. The retailer now envisions net sales in the range of $216$217 million versus its previous forecast of $209$213 million. Earnings per share are anticipated in the band of 2930 cents compared with 2126 cents per share guided earlier. ZUMIEZ INC Price ZUMIEZ INC Price | ZUMIEZ INC Quote On the flip side, owing to its extensive exposure to international markets, Zumiez faces various risks associated with international operations, including legal and regulatory risks, changing global fashion trends and unfavorable currency fluctuations. Story continues Furthermore, the company faces intense competition from other teen-focused as well as sporting goods retailers on the basis of brand recognition, fashion, price, service, store location, and quality. The pros and cons embedded in the stock are well reflected by Zumiezs Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Stocks to Consider Better-ranked stocks worth considering in the retail sector include The Children's Place, Inc. PLCE, Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings, Inc. SPWH and Tilly's, Inc. TLYS. All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Children's Place has surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, with an average earnings surprise of 33.1% and has a long-term earnings growth rate of 10.3%. Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings has a long-term earnings growth rate of 15%. Shares of Tilly's have gained 60% in the past three months. The stock has a long-term earnings growth rate of 15.5%. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ZUMIEZ INC (ZUMZ): Free Stock Analysis Report CHILDRENS PLACE (PLCE): Free Stock Analysis Report TILLYS INC (TLYS): Free Stock Analysis Report SPORTSMANS WRHS (SPWH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Credit: David Becker/Getty Images Scream Queens star Lea Michele opened up her L.A. home to InStyle readers as the cover subject of our latest Home & Design issue, and it's easy to see why the star's photogenic home was the perfect backdrop for this special release. The 30-year-old actress, who describes her space as simple, cozy, and chic, sat down with us in her home on Saturday for a live broadcast on our Facebook page, where she dished on everything from her design aesthetic, (yes, she's got a Barbra Streisand shrine in her house!) to appearing on Scream Queens and getting to work with some of her best friends on set. A couple of Michele's pals (stylist Brad Goreski and actress Becca Tobin) also popped in to help the Glee alum answer fans' burning questions about her favorite recipe, her go-to playlist to get hyped for a night out, and even some exclusive intel on her pending album. Check out six things we learned from the star below--and hit play to watch her full video interview. 1. Her home decor is minimal. I'm pretty minimal with decorations, and I just wanted it to be like clean and cozy, definitely a little bit of an edge, coming from New York. I don't like too much stuff around the house--I like to keep things pretty clean and simple. So that's what I did with this house, and I love it and I'm so happy here. 2. Whenever she's not in the mood for her early morning workout, she gets motivated by thinking big picture. It's so hard sometimes to motivate yourself to get up in the morning. I get it, I want to just watch TV, relax, drink coffee in bed. But you feel so good after a workout, so I try to just think about how good I know that I'll feel when it's done, and that's what helps me to get up in the morning. And I really kind of like working out. If you find a kind of workout that you love doing, then it makes it easier in the morning to get up and do it. Story continues RELATED: Tour Lea Michele's Airy L.A. Abode 3. Her stylist and friend Brad Goreski basically lives at her house. Brad just lives here, you guys. I love you, B! 4. Her favorite thing about playing Hester on Scream Queens? That girl is cray! Well, she's crazy--that's number one. I love being on Scream Queens, I love playing Hester, she's such a fun character to play. I love working with some of my best friends like Emma Roberts, she's so incredibly talented and getting to go to work every single day and hanging out with her, it's been so much fun. And I love Hester. She's crazy, she's literally insane, and that's super fun to play. Last year I got to wear a neck brace, this year I'm in a psych ward, and so there's always something different and interesting as an actor to get to play with, which is really awesome. RELATED: 10 Home Essentials Under $100 from Lea Michele's Decorator 5. She'd love to write a cookbook. I would love to write a cookbook! I've been wanting to for a really long time. You know, I just would want to really make sure that it would be perfect, and I'm always like perfecting my recipes. And I think just because I cook a lot of different things ... I would have to focus on what exactly I would want the cookbook to be. But, never say never. Maybe in the future. 6. She's got an album coming out early 2017. So yeah, the album is coming out early 2017. I have to wrap up Scream Queens, we're going to be done in mid-December, and then I'll be able to release the album at the beginning of the year, hopefully in 2017. I'm so excited about this record. I really learned a lot with my first album. And I think that with this one, I feel like it really just is a great description of where I'm at in my life right now and it also just really feels like the kind of music that I feel like I've always wanted to make. It does have pop elements to it, but I think that it really feels a lot more like the type of music that I grew up listening to, like Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand. Grab your very own copy of InStyle's Home & Design issue, on newsstands now. By PTI: London, Oct 17 (PTI) Scientists are developing a new electronic "paper" - ultra-thin, flexible displays that are highly energy efficient and work well even in bright light, such as out in the Sun. Less than a micrometre thin, bendable and giving all the colours that a regular LED display does, it still needs ten times less energy than a Kindle tablet, researchers said. advertisement The best application for the displays will be well-lit places such as outside or in public places to display information, they said. This could reduce the energy consumption and at the same time replace signs and information screens that are not currently electronic today with more flexible ones, they said. Andreas Dahlin and Kunli Xiong from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, who were working on placing conductive polymers on nanostructures, found that the combination would be perfect for creating electronic displays as thin as paper. "The paper is similar to the Kindle tablet. It isnt lit up like a standard display, but rather reflects the external light which illuminates it," said Dahlin. "Therefore it works very well where there is bright light, such as out in the sun, in contrast to standard LED displays that work best in darkness," he said. "At the same time it needs only a tenth of the energy that a Kindle tablet uses, which itself uses much less energy than a tablet LED display," he added. It all depends on the polymers ability to control how light is absorbed and reflected. The polymers that cover the whole surface lead the electric signals throughout the full display and create images in high resolution. The material is not yet ready for application, but the basis is there. The team has tested and built a few pixels. These use the same red, green and blue (RGB) colours that together can create all the colours in standard LED displays. The results so far have been positive, what remains now is to build pixels that cover an area as large as a display. "We are working at a fundamental level but even so, the step to manufacturing a product out of it shouldnt be too far away," Dahlin said. One obstacle today is that there is gold and silver in the display, which makes the manufacturing expensive. "The gold surface is 20 nanometres thick so there is not that much gold in it," said Dahlin. advertisement "But at present there is a lot of gold wasted in manufacturing it. Either we reduce the waste or we find another way to decrease the manufacturing cost," he said. The results were published in the journal Advanced Materials. PTI MHN SAR MHN --- ENDS --- The reviews are in and to say opinions are split could be the understatement of the year. Most smartphones see first-run reviews that are generally pretty similar across the board; bloggers and technology journalists either like a phone for the most part, or dislike a phone for the most part. In the case of Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones though, early reviews appear to be on opposite ends of the spectrum gadget reviewers either really like Google's first self-designed smartphones or the really, really dislike the phones. Google's new Android 7.1 Nougat software offers plenty of great features and Google Assistant is also well-liked thus far. That leaves the Pixel and Pixel XL's hardware as the only real question, so let's see what early reviews had to say. MUST READ: A month with the iPhone 7 Engadget Engadget called the design "yawn-inducing," but was among the more timid sites when discussing the phones' design. After years of experimenting with Nexus devices, Google finally decided it wanted to make a phone of its own. HTC might be assembling the phones, but Google designed and developed the Pixel from end-to-end. In doing so, it crafted a truly great smartphone that sadly looks a little dull. Still, the inclusion of a speedy new Snapdragon 821 chipset and a fantastic camera make the smaller Pixel a device to be reckoned with. Now, if only it were a little cheaper. Read the full review. Gizmodo Gizmodo, as usual, was less gentle in its assessment of Google's design. The site called Google's Pixel and Pixel XL "too dumb and ugly to replace your iPhone." Apart from issues with the design, Gizmodo wasn't always impressed with Google Assistant either. I was particularly disappointed with Google Assistant because its such a promising concept. Google is moving attention away from the search bar more than ever. Instead, the company wants you to Google by using the messaging app Allo or voice search in Google Assistant. Ultimately, the Pixel and Pixel XL are gateways for feeding the Google brain more information about yourself. As Googles AI gets smarter, the Assistant will become more helpful. While some people might find this creepy, I think the idea is exciting, and its a letdown that the tech isnt there yet. Story continues Read the full review. The New York Times Remember how much Google hyped up its camera during the Pixel unveiling. Well NYT called it "mediocre." Like pretty much every handset maker, Google proclaims Pixels camera to be the best on the market. Its rear camera has a 12.3-megapixel sensor, similar to the iPhone 7s 12-megapixel sensor. So I took photos with the Pixel and compared them with shots taken with the iPhone 7 and Samsungs Galaxy S7. All the cameras took clear, visually appealing photographs with rich details, but there were major differences in color, even without any filters applied. The photos taken with the Pixel looked colder they appeared to exaggerate cyans and magentas. The ones taken with the iPhone looked more vivid, though they appeared to slightly bump up yellows to make photos look warmer. The color in pictures taken with the Samsung phone looked oversaturated and unnatural. Read the full review. Ars Technica Ars Technica called Google's hardware "uninspired," but had plenty of nice things to say about the software. The Pixels' aluminum unibody design does make them feel like products that belong in the $650-$750 range. Things get a little strange on the back, though, where another Gorilla Glass 4 panel at the top of the phone surrounds the rear camera and fingerprint reader. The glass panel is the device's unique design decision, but adding more glass to a phone isn't necessarily a positive. While the two-thirds metal back is easily superior to an all-glass Samsung phone, it's a step below the all-metal backs you'd get from Apple or HTC. It's not clear what the reason is for the glass back panel, either. It might let signals in and out of the devicebut the bottom of the phone still has antenna lines. And there's no wireless charging or other features that might obviously justify the need for more glass. The design screams for attention, since the glass is never the same color as the surrounding metal, but at least there's no camera bump. The back is totally flat, allowing the phone to sit on a desk without a hint of wobble. This is probably thanks to the phone's wedge shapeit's 0.8mm thicker at the top than at the bottom. Read the full review. CNET CNET had good things to say, but basically boiled it down to sure, buy one if you don't want a Samsung phone or an iPhone. As you can tell from its name, Google makes a big deal about the Pixel's camera, and it is superb. It takes even better shots than the already stellar iPhone 7 Plus, which I consider to be the reigning champion of camera phones. If you want the full scoop on how these two compare, check out CNET's feature, Google Pixel vs. iPhone 7 Plus: Which camera is better? The camera is fast, images are in focus and colors look vibrant. Close-up shots appear especially sharp and refined. Landscape scenes retain an impressive amount of detail and depth, even with objects that are far away. Read the full review. The Wall Street Journal WSJ is in love, calling the Pixel "the Android iPhone you've been waiting for." Android people, please step forward. Good news! Your next phone-buying decision just got a heck of a lot easier. The Google Pixel is now the best Android smartphone you can buy. The other leading contender was disqualified due to spontaneous combustion. iPhone people, its your turn. Ask yourself: Why do I have an iPhone? Is it because of its software, services and privacy policies? Or is it because its a very good phone for things like Google Maps, Gmail, Spotify and Facebook Messenger? If youve answered yes to the latter, the Pixel may be for you, too. Read the full review. The Verge The Verge... was also in love, calling the phone a "home run." This is Google's first phone, and for a first effort it is remarkably good. By almost every metric I can think of speed, power, camera, smart assistant, you name it it matches or exceeds the best phones available on the market today. And though the design is far from groundbreaking, its certainly approachable. The whole package is pretty incredible, and if you're not put off by the premium price, you'll be very happy with this premium phone. I prefer the XL, which isn't huge and seems to get notably better battery life. When I've shown the Pixel to iPhone users over the last week and a half, a bunch of them expressed interest in switching. That is a very good sign for Google. And yet I always asked the exact same questions: "Do you use iMessage a lot? How about group conversations?" The answer was inevitably "yes" and the light dimmed from their eyes a bit. In the US, at least, the Apple ecosystem platform lock-in is real and a big hurdle to jump. Read the full review. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com High tech is an emerging digital landscape. Only the most ardent futurist circa 1968 -- the year "2001: A Space Odyssey" was released -- could've predicted the dramatic, digitized landscape that is 2016. "There are lots of new technologies that hold massive potential for change," says Jason Meil, managing director of new products and innovation for management consultants SSA & Co. "The question is which will actually have a meaningful impact on businesses and consumers, and therefore be around for the long term." Once the answers become apparent, investors will follow, backing companies that make those technologies spring to life. Here's a look at seven areas of high tech to pay attention to for their rich investment opportunities. Financial technology: Fintech is "in" tech. Even the biggest banks must reckon with fintech's power to reshape financial services. Zacks Investment Research reports that corporate investments in fintech in the second quarter of 2016 hit about 33 percent, compared to 23 percent this time last year. Expect mobile and electronic payments companies, along with peer-to-peer lenders, to lead the charge -- though that doesn't mean champagne for all. Since going public, Lending Club (ticker: LC) has seen share prices tumble almost 80 percent; the stock trades just above $5 per share. The tech investor's drug of choice. Biosimilars are the generic equivalents of "biologic" drugs. "Historically, drugs have been made from naturally occurring or synthetic chemical compounds. Biologic drugs, by contrast, come from living cell lines grown in labs," says Charlie Smith, principal and CIO of Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh. "When patent protection runs out on these biologic drugs, we get what are called biosimilars. Firms such as Amgen (AMGN) and Pfizer (PFE) have significant opportunity in this market because they have manufacturing expertise." Story continues Lithium leads the charge. An element discovered in 1817 might seem as low-tech as it gets -- until you stop to consider the role it plays in rechargeable batteries that populate a host of digital and sophisticated gadgets. "We are bullish on lithium as an important high-tech sector," says Jay Jacobs, director of research for Global X, a New York-based issuer of exchange-traded funds. "As electric vehicles and renewables grow in popularity, lithium consumption could possibly take off to help meet demand for car batteries and renewable energy storage." The next level of video game tech. It's easy to dismiss gamers as kings and queens of arrested development, but more accurate to credit their uncompromising standards for today's graphics-rich, high performance computers. Today's leading edge of gaming tech includes mobile gaming, virtual reality and augmented reality, says Andrew Chanin, CEO of PureFunds, based in New York. Yet just as with areas such as cybersecurity and drones, "it's difficult to predict which companies will be the leaders, which is why we take the indexed approach to offering exposures to many," Chanin says. Big data still adding up. Though "big data" has become a big catchphrase of the digital age, it's still a work in progress so far as investment goes. Says Meil: "Big data has been hyped for years, but I'd argue it still hasn't quite delivered on the promise -- yet. There is no question that the potential is enormous." In its 2016 international survey on big data, DNV GL reports that 76 percent of organizations plan to increase or maintain their big data investment over the next two to three years. Cloud computing is improving. Investment in this sector has even come from conventional companies. Ford Motor Co. (F) recently announced an investment in Pivotal Software, a private cloud computing and software company valued at $2.8 billion. "The enterprise cloud is also one of the most competitive spaces with rivals such as Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Oracle (ORCL)," says K.C. Ma, director of the George Investments Institute at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. "But if this is a fight of providing corporate customers support, then it's led by Microsoft (MSFT) and IBM (IBM)." Frontier tech: The future is wow. This term refers to a loose collection of technologies ranging from artificial intelligence to self-driving cars (or, if you like, autonomous autos). "It's called frontier tech for a reason. These technologies are still in nascent stages," says Minal Hasan, founder and general partner of the venture capital firm K2 Global. "Despite being the direction the tech sector is headed in, they won't gain critical consumer mass -- or for that matter investing interest with the public -- for many more years." A former longtime staff writer, editor and columnist at the Chicago Tribune, Lou Carlozo writes about investment for U.S. News & World Report, and personal finance for Money Under 30 and GOBankingRates. He is based in Chicago. Connect with him at linkedin.com/in/loucarlozo. By Maki Shiraki TOKYO (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co <7267.T> plans to build a new factory in China that will produce passenger cars from 2019, boosting its output capacity in the country by about a fifth, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Honda and partner Dongfeng Motor Group Co <0489.HK> are experiencing explosive growth in China with sales for their joint venture soaring 48 percent for the year to date thanks to the popularity of the XR-V sport-utility vehicle as well as the recently launched Civic sedan. At the same time, the venture, Dongfeng Honda, is coming close to its capacity limits at its two factories, targeting sales of 450,000 vehicles for 2016 - not far off current annual capacity of 480,000. The new factory will be located in Wuhan, central China, a major auto hub. It will initially produce 120,000 cars a year, with capacity likely to double eventually, the sources said, declining to be identified as there had not been a formal announcement by the companies. Honda confirmed that it was discussing the additional plant in Wuhan with Dongfeng, but that it had nothing official to announce now. A Beijing-based spokesman for Honda said the project had yet to be formally approved by the company or the government. The plan was initially reported by the Nikkei business daily, which said the venture planned to spend "hundreds of millions of dollars" on the factory. The new factory would be Honda's seventh in China. Honda also has a joint venture with GAC Group <601238.SS><2238.HK> called Guangqi Honda which has three plants. The Japanese automaker also has a separate plant for exports. Honda said in April it was looking to boost car sales in China to 1.07 million cars this year. It sold 1.01 million vehicles in 2015, a 33 percent jump over the previous year. Auto sales in China strengthened in September for a consecutive fifth month, rising to a three-and-a-half year high. (Reporting by Maki Shiraki in TOKYO; Additional reporting by Chang-Ran Kim in TOKYO and Norihiko Shirouzu and Jake Spring in BEIJING; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German flagship carrier Lufthansa said on Tuesday it had banned Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 mobile phones from all of its flights with immediate effect. "Transport of the devices is forbidden on all flights, both in checked bags and in hand luggage," a spokeswoman for Lufthansa said, confirming a report by German radio station MDR Aktuell. Lufthansa had previously only banned the smartphones from flights to and from the United States. Samsung scrapped the Galaxy Note 7 last week because of incidents where the phones began smoking or caught fire, dealing a huge blow to its reputation. (Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Ludwig Burger) We all knew Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 debacle was going to get worse before it got any better, but now we're starting to wonder how much worse it's going to get and just how long it'll be before it gets any better. Samsung was recently forced to discontinue its popular Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after updated replacement phones issued as part of a global recall kept exploding in customers' hands. A defect that still has not been properly identified caused some phones in Samsung's first run to explode, and the problem continued even after "safe" phones were handed out as replacements. Now, the latest chapter in this ongoing saga includes accusations that Samsung employees tried to bribe a man to keep him quiet after his Galaxy Note 7 began spewing smoke in his hands before melting on the ground in front of him. MUST READ: A month with the iPhone 7 Samsung has been criticized far and wide for its handling of the problematic Galaxy Note 7, and nowhere is that truer than in China. When Samsung issued its initial global recall, it said that affected handsets all included batteries that came from one particular supplier, and that no phones sold in China were equipped with batteries from that supplier. As we all soon learned, that wasn't the case and phones that contained batteries that were supposedly safe began combusting as well. But because Samsung thought Chinese Note 7 handsets were safe, it did not include China in its initial recall. Customer's in China were not happy. Several handsets ended up catching fire in China and we saw reports covering many of them over the past month. Now, however, a new report from The New York Times includes a damning account of a Note 7 incident that took place before the Note 7 was discontinued. Zhang Sitong says he was using his Galaxy Note 7 when it began vibrating and smoking in his hands. He dropped the phone and instructed a friend to begin filming as the device spewed smoke and melted before their eyes. He then contacted Samsung about the incident, and two employees showed up at his home that very same day. Story continues According to Zhang, the Samsung employees offered him a new Galaxy Note 7 as well as approximately $900 in "compensation." That compensation wasn't because the man was nearly injured by the burning phone, however. Zhang says that it was a bribe offered to him in exchange for his silence and his agreement not to release the video that his friend had recorded. The man says he refused the payoff. "They said there was no problem with the phones in China. Thats why I bought a Samsung," Zhang told The Times. "This is an issue of deception. They are cheating Chinese consumers." Samsung has not responded publicly to the accusations. The video Zhang's friend recorded is embedded below. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com The new Samsung ArtPC Pulse boasts an innovative modular design, doubles as a sound bar and can be programmed to glow different colors when you get an email or social media alert. Samsung calls its latest premium PC a computer that challenges "traditional perceptions of how a desktop PC should look and operate," and while there is something very novel indeed about going for a cylindrical, modular design, the ArtPC Pulse is going to get a lot of aesthetic comparisons with the equally cylindrical, equally black colored Apple Mac Pro. Indeed, Apple's flagship desktop stands 25cm tall and has a 16.7cm diameter while Samsung's computer is 30cm high and 14cm wide. However, there are enough differences for the Korean company to avoid claims of fast following'. The first is obviously that this is a Windows 10 PC, not a Mac. The second is the aforementioned modular element. New cylindrical units can be added to the tower, not unlike a Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack rings toy. And the analogy is apt as adding functionality to the computer should literally be child's play. However, for the moment at least, these extra cylinders of capability will be confined to hard drive space -- 1TB HDD modules to be precise. Sitting on top of the computer is an omni-directional speaker developed with Harman/Kardon that's sharp and potent enough to fill a room and double as a soundbar for other devices like the TV. The final novelty is a pulsing light. Its luminosity and color can be fine-tuned and the idea is that users will program it to signal notifications -- a green pulsing light for email, blue for social media, maybe, and so on. Under the metal skin the computer comes with the choice of six-generation core i7 or Core i5 Intel processors, up to 16GB of RAM and an AMD Radeon RX460 GPU. There's also 256GB of solid state storage. Opt for the more potent i7 chip set-up and the modular spinning 1T hard disc will come as standard. Samsung is yet to confirm an official launch date or its price, but with the holiday season fast approaching, expect it to hit the shops before the end of this month and to retail for around $1200 in the US where it is expected to launch first. Sony Pictures, the target of the worst computer hack in American history, will be represented at a closed-door cyber security summit being hosted today by the U.S. Attorneys office in Los Angeles. This particular event is an off the record discussion that is closed to media, a Sony spokesman told Deadline. The summit, which is part of Cyber Security Awareness Month, is being held in partnership with the FBI, the University of Southern California, the Lares Institute, and the National Cyber-Forensics & Training Alliance. Its being held at the at the USC Radisson Hotel. Speakers include U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker and USC chief counsel Carol Mauch Amir. The FBI will provide a current threat briefing about the most recent types of cyber attacks and defenses against them. Besides Sony Pictures, which was famously attacked in 2014, other companies represented at the summit include Ernst & Young, Target Corp and IBM. Reports of hacking and cyber intrusions have become an everyday occurrence, Decker said in a statement. Many in the cyber security arena believe there are two kinds of companies those that have been the victims of computer intrusions, and those who dont know they have been victims. The Cyber Security Summit brings together the public, private, and non-profit sectors, to include officials from every level of government, academic and consultant experts, corporate general counsel, and chief information security officers. Our goal is to share information, foster relationships, and protect American business interests from both domestic and foreign threats. Related stories Domhnall Gleeson Takes On Mr. McGregor Role In 'Peter Rabbit' 'Game Of Thrones' Alex Graves To Helm Sony's 'Mulan' Nearing 20-Month Mark, Sony's Tom Rothman Reviews Progress And Prospects At A Rapidly Changing Movie Studio By PTI: Jaipur, Oct 18 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot today condoled the deaths of the victims of the fire tragedy in a Bhubaneswar hospital. "Shocked to learn of the hospital fire tragedy in #Bhubaneswar. My heartfelt condolences to those who lost their loved ones (sic)," Raje tweeted. Gehlot also took to the microblogging website to express grief over the incident. advertisement "Deep sympathy n condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in #OdishaHospitalFire. Hope the injured rcvr soon #Bhubaneswar (sic)," he tweeted. At least 20 people were killed when a major fire broke out last night in a Bhubaneswar hospital. PTI SDA RC --- ENDS --- Yahoo beat expectations with quarterly earnings that showed profit more than doubled (AFP Photo/Justin Sullivan) (Getty/AFP/File) San Francisco (AFP) - Yahoo's quarterly profits shot up by more than double to $163 million even as it prepares for a takeover by Verizon. The faded internet pioneer skipped its usual quarterly earnings call with analysts due to the pending takeover by the US telecommunication company, for which chief executive Marissa Mayer said Yahoo is busy preparing despite recent revelations about a major data breach that may affect the deal. "We launched several new products and showed solid financial performance across the board," she said in an earnings release, which beat expectations despite only a slight rise in revenue. Shares were up 1.49 percent to $42.30 in after-market trades following the earnings report release, reflecting confidence the breach is not prompting a significant number of users to abandon Yahoo. Revenue for the quarter that ended on Sept. 30 came to $1.3 billion, up from the $1.2 billion in the same period a year earlier. Mobile revenue during the quarter reached $396 million, up from $271 million the previous year. The boost in profits came from cutting workers and costs, not from the strength of its core business. They hit the mark nevertheless, according to independent Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle. "For the most part, people were expecting a burning crater where Yahoo used to be," he said. "This is the kind of financial report they needed to not increase the probability that Verizon runs away screaming from the deal." - Hacks and scans - The beleaguered internet company agreed in July to sell its core assets to Verizon for $4.8 billion, ending a 20-year run as an independent company after several attempts to refocus failed to help it catch up to Google and Facebook in key segments of online advertising. The deal would separate the Yahoo internet assets from its more valuable stake in the Chinese online giant Alibaba. However, Verizon said last week that a recently revealed hack affecting 500 million Yahoo customers worldwide could have a "material" effect on the deal. Story continues The comments from Verizon general counsel Craig Silliman suggest the telecom company could seek to reduce the purchase price or walk away from the deal. Although the hack took place in late 2014, Yahoo announced it only last month, dealing the company a fresh blow. The attack was probably "state sponsored," it said, although some analysts have questioned the source. "We're working hard to retain their trust," Mayer said of Yahoo's users, "and are heartened by their continued loyalty as seen in our user engagement trends." Yahoo's image took another hit recently from allegations of mass email surveillance that triggered an outcry from privacy activists. Yahoo has denied doing any such thing, rejecting as "misleading" a report that it secretly scanned hundreds of millions of email accounts to help US intelligence. "We narrowly interpret every government request for user data to minimize disclosure," the company said in a statement to AFP. "The mail scanning described in the article does not exist on our systems." Some activists described the allegation as a "bombshell" that if proven true could reveal a new level of surveillance by the National Security Agency, already roiled by disclosures in 2013 by former contractor Edward Snowden. By Hardeep Dugal: The entire nation is facing the heat with the ongoing tension between India and its neighbouring country after Uri attack in Jammu and Kashmir and the subsequent surgical strike by the Indian Army on Pakistan. Amid all this, the MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) has threatened to stall the release of films featuring Pakistani actors, and has banned Pakistani artists from working in India. advertisement ALSO READ: Why hang only artists? Focus should be on keeping our soldiers safe, says Priyanka Chopra on Pak artist ban ALSO READ: Respect the decision, exchange has been one-sided, says Shaan on Pak artists ban After many actors sharing their views on the ongoing ban and the tension between Pakistan and India, now National Award-winning actor Raveena Tandon has spoken her heart out about the entire issue. Speaking to India Today, the Daman actor said that the multiple attacks on Indian soldiers at the border areas was a grave concern and talking about Pakistani artists or a ban on films was just a petty topic in front of a huge problem that existed in the name of terror and dying jawans. The actor added that the sentiment across the nation was that of immense anger. At times like this, she said, it was the duty of one and all to stand by the Government's decision and the Indian Army. At the same time, she slammed the threats made by MNS to filmmakers like Karan Johar for casting Fawad Khan in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Raveena said that it was completely wrong to issue threats to fellow artists; after all, nothing could be achieved in beating each other up. In fact, she said, the time had come for us Indians to stand united and fight terror. When asked if artists were made scapegoats and were targeted unnecessarily at times when the governments of two countries were at loggerheads with each other, Raveena did not bat an eyelid to say that actors were indeed ambassadors of their country and they were responsible for setting moral standards. She said that actors had the power to influence given the number of followers they had, so it is imperative for them to set an example. When prodded if this was a price they had to pay for being popular, the Mohra actor vehemently rejected the statement and said, "It is not a price that I'm paying for being popular. I will gladly do it. I will gladly be morally responsible for my country. There are no two ways about it." --- ENDS --- advertisement Principal political parties in Uttar Pradesh have begun doing what they do best -- indulging in votebank politics based on caste and religion as the state goes to polls early next year. Samajwadi Party is making a pitch for seeking a share of the same Hindu votes that BJP is targeting. By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: As Assembly elections in India's most populated state of Uttar Pradesh in early 2017 draw near, the principal political parties have got down to what they do best - blatantly wooing their vote banks based on caste and religion. Both the ruling Samajwadi Party and its rival BSP are trying to win the votes of Muslims. Brahmins seem to be the luckiest. They are being wooed by BSP, BJP and Congress. SP is taking the Yadav votes for granted in the same way as BSP which is assured of garnering most of the Dalit votes. advertisement Political parties wooing Muslims, Dalits, Brahmins, Yadavs or OBCs are accepted as the norm in election season. BJP took has been looking to wean away the Hindu votes from other parties -- be it Prime Minister Narendra Modi choosing Lucknow as his Dussehra celebrations destination instead of the traditional Delhi or chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' in his speech. Also read: Samajwadi Party now says Akhilesh Yadav remains its CM face in Uttar Pradesh Of course, BJP is also copping its share of criticism for polarising Hindu votes and raking up the controversial Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue. SP, BJP WOOING HINDU VOTES Meanwhile, Mulayam Singh Yadav's SP and the Akhilesh Yadav government -- known for aggressively appeasing Muslims -- in a strange twist, seem to be making a pitch for seeking a share of the same Hindu votes that BJP is targeting. The Samajwadi Party government approved an International Ramleela Theme Park yesterday along the banks of River Sarayu in Ayodhya. The announcement came just a day after the Modi government declared that it would construct a Ramayan Museum in the temple town, about 15 km from the disputed structure. Also read: Has Mulayam lost confidence in Akhilesh as UP CM? As expected, BSP chief Mayawati questioned the "intentions" of BJP and SP, alleging that they were "linking religion with politics" for "electoral benefits". She also questioned the timing of the announcements of the two projects, coming a few months before the Assembly elections. RAM MANDIR PART OF BJP MANIFESTO However, the move by SP is being viewed as an attempt to get a share of BJP's success. BJP's name is intertwined with the Ayodhya temple dispute. It has always advocated the building of a temple. The issue even finds mention in the party's election manifesto. SP, on the other hand, is known for opposing the BJP over the issue. As UP chief minister, Mulayam had ordered firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya on October 30, 1990, killing 16 of them. However, of late, the SP has apparently changed its tough stand on the issue. In August this year, Mulayam expressed regret for issuing orders to shoot the kar sevaks. It was a clear sign of SP trying to win over a section of the Hindu votes considered loyal to the BJP. advertisement MULAYAM ADVISED PM ON SURGICAL STRIKES: SP Bizarrely, SP had also sought a share of the laurels won by BJP after the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army at terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. While other political parties and leaders either even called the operations "fake" or demanded proof, SP put up posters saying the strikes had been conducted on the "advice" of Mulayam to Modi. Also read: Samajwadi Party drama: How UP chief Shivpal is forcing Akhilesh Yadav into a corner The latest episode - of Akhilesh government's decision to build a Ramleela Theme Park just a day after the Modi government's announcement to construct a Ramayana Museum - is an evident step to seek a share of the BJP's Hindu votes, apart from keeping its Muslim vote bank intact. SP is clearly trying to get the best of both worlds - getting votes of both Muslims and Hindus. It is possible that by simultaneously trying to sail on two boats, SP's fortunes may only sink. --- ENDS --- advertisement A middle-aged man who tried to use a bottle as a sex toy got his penis stuck in it and had to undergo surgery to remove penis after it turned black and began decaying. By India Today Web Desk: Sex is a bodily need, but not everyone is lucky to have it quenched when they crave for it. A middle-aged single man, from Central America's Honduras, got his penis stuck in a bottle that he was using as a sex toy. This man encountered a painful bottleneck. The 5-year-old man who was rushed to a hospital, when his male organ turned black and started to decay, got his penis removed in a surgery. advertisement The New York Post reports that Dr Dennis Chirinos, who conducted the surgery, said that the unmarried man who had no girlfriends, was trying to relieve his sexual frustration. The doctor explained that when the man arrived at the hospital four days after getting his manhood stuck in the bottle, the blood vessels in his penis had constricted and this lead to the death of his penis. "So he put his penis in a bottle and this caused the death and necrosis of the penis," he said. He wanted to free his willy, but ended up free of a willy. The doctor also said, "The situation with this patient is that he didn't get the medical attention in time and this caused the penis to begin to decay and die completely." It seems the man will be able to urinate, but will never be able to have sexual intercourse. --- ENDS --- By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 18 (PTI) Myanmarese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi today met Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi in the capital. Suu Kyi arrived in Delhi yesterday after returning from Goa where she attended BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet on Sunday. Gandhi tweeted, "I was delighted to receive a message that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi wanted to meet me." advertisement "Her association with my family goes back four decades. It was indeed a pleasure to catch up with her and remember our association of so many years," she said. Earlier, she called on President Pranab Mukherjee, who hosted a private lunch at Rashtrapati Bhawan for the Myanmarese State Counsellor. Suu Kyi also held talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the two leaders discussed ways in which India could support Myanmars agenda of national reconciliation. The Nobel Laureate, who has described Mahatma Gandhi as one of her "greatest sources" of influence, also visited Rajghat where she received a ceremonial welcome. PTI JC UZM --- ENDS --- By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 18 (PTI) Myanmarese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi today met President Pranab Mukherjee and held talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during which the visiting leader discussed how India could support Myanmars agenda of national reconciliation. Suu Kyi, who arrived in Delhi on a State visit yesterday from Goa where she attended BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet on Sunday, also sought assistance in areas of agriculture, capacity building, job creation, infrastructure and health care during her meeting with Swaraj, who offered all possible help from India. advertisement During her call on, the President congratulated the State Counsellor on her partys victory in the general elections held in Myanmar last year and complimented her on the role that she has played in Myanmars path to democracy. Recalling his discussions during the visit of Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw to India in August, Mukherjee conveyed Indias whole-hearted support for the Myanmar Government in its efforts to live up to the expectations of the people of Myanmar. Swaraj conveyed condolences on behalf of people of India over the loss of lives of many Myanmar police and army personnel in the recent terrorist attacks in Rakhine State of Myanmar as also over the ferry tragedy on Chindwin river. "The two leaders discussed the manner in which India could support Myanmars agenda of national reconciliation, socio-economic development and strengthening democracy. "The State Counsellor outlined her priorities in the areas of agriculture, training, capacity building, job creation, infrastructure and health care and sought Indias assistance in these areas. Swaraj offered all possible assistance from India in keeping with the priorities outlined by the State Counsellor," official sources said. Mukherjee also referred to Indias rich experience in building a federal nation state, taking into account the ethnic and linguistic diversity of its people and offered any assistance desired by the Government of Myanmar in this regard. The President also hosted a private lunch for the State Counsellor in Rashtrapati Bhawan. Earlier, Suu Kyi placed a wreath at Rajghat and was given a ceremonial welcome. Suu Kyi had arrived in Goa on October 16 to attend BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet where she said,"Our region is confronted by numerous challenges including security threats including rising terrorism, violent extremism, climate change, natural and man-made disasters and even the danger of nuclear proliferation." PTI PYK RT --- ENDS --- Tamil Nadu Opposition parties held the rail roko protest for the second consecutive day today demanding that the Centre constitute Cauvery Water Management Board. By Pramod Madhav: Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu conducted the rail roko protest throughout the state for the second consecutive day today demanding that the Centre constitute the Cauvery Water Management Board. In Chennai, People's Welfare front, protested in front of the Egmore Railway station and blocked the Manduadih-Rameswaram Express. SEVERAL PARTIES JOIN IN PROTEST Close to 500 MDMK, VCK, CPM and CPI cadres gathered before the Egmore railway station. Vaiko and VCK leader Thirumavalavan broke through the barricades, forcibly entered the railway station and walked straight up to platform No.4 and jumped onto the tracks. advertisement Also read: Cauvery row: Committee submits report, says farmers suffering in both states PWF members remained on the track for nearly an hour. As Manduadih-Rameswaram Express approached the station, they climbed on top of it, and started raising slogans demanding that the Centre constitute the Cauvery Water Management Board. They also accused the Centre of acting against Tamil Nadu farmers. CENTRE'S STAND HARMS UNITY BETWEEN STATES: VAIKO Vaiko, in particular, stated that such action by the Centre would only cause harm to the unity between different states of India. Also read: Tamil Nadu's farmers, parties protest for Cauvery board, stop trains On the other hand, Congress cadres held a protest at Kanyakumari led by Kumari Anandhan, veteran leader of Tamil Nadu Congress. Congress activists staged a rail roko and the police had to arrest them. Anandhan said, "Without constituting the Cauvery Water Management Board, this issue that has gone on for decades cannot be resolved. Interlinking the country's rivers will be a great solution to the plight of farmers." --- ENDS --- By PTI: Karachi, Oct 18 (PTI) A 13-year-old boy was killed and around 15 others, including women and children, were injured when motorcycle-borne attackers threw a hand grenade inside a Shia Imambargah in Liaquatabad area here, police said. The attack took place last night after the unidentified attackers threw the grenade and it exploded right after a Majlis for women had concluded at the Dar-e-Abbas Imambargah, they said. advertisement The Imambargah located in the Federal Capital locality of Liaquatabad was filled with women and children when the attack took place, SSP Muqaddas Haider told reporters. "A 13-year-old boy, Faraz, has been killed in the attack while several women and children have been injured," he said, adding the number of injured was around 15. "Initial investigations suggest that two unidentified men on a motorcycle took advantage of the darkness and threw the grenade as the lights had gone out in the area and the Imambargah was in darkness," Haider said. Police and other security officials numbering in thousands were deployed for the 9th and 10th of Muharram in Karachi during which no untoward incident was reported. PTI CORR ASV --- ENDS --- The incident took place on 14th October when media persons were present at Vanchiyoor court in Thiruvananthapuram to cover court proceedings and a group of lawyers allegedly attacked them. By Revathi Rajeevan: Five lawyers have been arrested for attacking journalists on court premises in Thiruvananthapuram. The arrested lawyers have been sent on station bail after they were arrested late evening today. The incident took place on 14th October when media persons were present at Vanchiyoor court in Thiruvananthapuram to cover court proceedings and a group of lawyers allegedly threatened, beat up and forced journalist to leave. advertisement At least two journalists were injured in the attack. The incident is the latest in a series of clashes between journalists and lawyers in different courts across the state. It started off at Kerala High Court in July. ALSO READ: Lawyers pelt stones, throw beer bottles at journalists in Thiruvananthapuram --- ENDS --- Following an alleged incident of rape inside Britain's Houses of Parliament, London police has arrested a 23-year-old man on suspicion. By Reuters: A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of rape following an alleged incident inside Britain's Houses of Parliament, London police said today. The attack reportedly took place in the early hours of last Friday and the suspect, who police have not named, was detained later that day. Police said he was not a lawmaker. Police said the man had been released on bail until January pending further inquiries. advertisement A spokesman for the House of Commons, one of Britain's most recognisable buildings on the banks of the River Thames in Westminster, said they were aware of the incident and parliament was working closely with police. --- ENDS --- Political strategist Prashant Kishor will continue to work for Congress and will be masterminding the party's UP campaign, sources close to him said. Kishor favours a vigorous campaign in UP led by Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi. By Javed M. Ansari : Sources close to Prashant Kishor have denied reports of a rift between him and the Congress party. Kishor is on his way to Lucknow to attend a strategy session of the party to formulate its Dalit outreach programme. His office staff are also involved in planning and executing the three-day Kisan Yatra of the Congress party commencing in Punjab today. advertisement Kishor has been masterminding the Congress party's election campaign for both Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. "We continue to be involved as we always were. Reports of Kishor being asked to pack his bags are a figment of the oppositions imagination," sources close to Kishor said. Also Read: Prashant Kishor has to innovate again, as Rahul Gandhi gets cot in high drama in UP KISHOR WANTS RAHUL, PRIYANKA TO DO A VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN While reports of a rupture may not be true, there appears to be a difference of opinion in the party's approach to the election campaign in Uttar Pradesh. Prashant Kishor favours a more vigorous campaign, with both Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi leading it from the front. Rahul, having just completed a arduous 30-day campaign in UP, is said to favor the likes of Raj Babbar, Sheila Dixit and Sanjay Singh taking forward the rest of the campaign. The political managers of the Congress party also appear to be having second thoughts about the wisdom of deploying Priyanka Gandhi into the campaign in an election in which the party is likely to fare badly. Also Read | UP Assembly elections: Prashant Kishor's plans leave state Congress leaders miffed WILL PRIYANKA LEAD THE CAMPAIGN? Kishor, it is learnt, favours Priyanka Gandhi campaigning in a sustained manner soon after Diwali. "Her entry into the campaign will tilt the scales and could prove to be a game changer," sources said. Kishor's associates credit him with the view that with just over 100 days left for commencement of the polls, the party needs to give it everything it has for it to stand a chance of regaining lost ground in UP. Priyanka Gandhi is playing an increasingly greater back room role in helping the party formulate its election strategy for UP. She had even agreed to campaign vigorously for the party throughout the state, soon after the festival season. However, word coming out of the Congress party now seems to suggest that the party's political managers are having second thoughts on the issue. Also Read: Kishor may have convinced Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in UP advertisement 'Congress has given voice to UP's farmers' UP Assembly elections: Prashant Kishor's plans leave state Congress leaders miffed --- ENDS --- The India Today TV investigation in poll-bound UP discovered that anti-woman attitudes were apparently inflicting heavy collateral damage on the state's female education index. Official data show around 6.08 per cent of girls drop out of school every year in UP whose Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, has launched a special safety helpline and a financial scheme for female residents. Official data show around 6.08 per cent of girls drop out of school every year in Uttar Pradesh. By Arvind Ojha: Girls are dropping out of Uttar Pradesh schools, scalded by a toxic cocktail of conservative patriarchal attitudes, rising male intolerance and criminality, an India Today TV investigation has found. Bijnor district erupted into deadly rioting on September 16 amid reports that that some Hindu boys had taunted a few Muslim girls. Three people were killed in the clashes and many others were injured. advertisement On July 16, paramilitaries were called out after communal tension swept through Aligarh over the alleged harassment of a woman. The India Today TV investigation in poll-bound UP discovered that anti-woman attitudes were apparently inflicting heavy collateral damage on the state's female education index. Official data show around 6.08 per cent of girls drop out of school every year in UP whose Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, has launched a special safety helpline and a financial scheme for female residents. Also Read: Girls in India drop out of schools owing to fear of being sexually harassed Rita Devi (name changed) said she had to marry off her minor daughter because of societal pressure after the girl allegedly eloped with a male friend from a different community. "Police found her and the next day we married her off. Village elders said the girl had defiled our neighbourhood," said the mother. Devi wanted her daughter to complete her education. But communal tension and pressure from the local village council forced her hand. Also Read: Ho language classes for school dropout girls Uttar Pradesh recorded 35,527 criminal acts against women in 2015, almost 11 per cent of offences registered across the country under the same categories. According to the NCRB data, more than 3,020 cases of rape were filed in the state in 2015. Female kidnappings stood at 1,435. Three months after Aligarh's Babri Mandi flared up in religious trouble, India Today TV spoke with several female school and college students. Many of them complained about rising incidents of harassment by men on the streets. A teenager said she is missing classes because she lost her father. "Earlier, my father would drop me to school," she said, her eyes wet. "I miss my classes now because he's not there to accompany me. I am scared of teasing, but I have exams coming up soon." Her aunt is worried. Women in Babri Mandi are now seeking special security deployments for female students. "We had to send our niece to a college outside of Aligarh because this place is no longer safe," said another female local resident. India Today TV also visited the police station under whose jurisdiction the alleged July incident had occurred. Unaware that they were being filmed, officers on duty were joking about complaints regarding kidnapping of young women in the city. advertisement "It's not men who run away with women, but women who take them away," laughed a police official. At Aligarh's DS College, male students blamed women and their dresses for crimes against them. "They should dress decently. They don't have control over their outfits," said a man. Other students around him echoed his views. Political leaders in Aligarh seemed to be leaving no opportunity to communalise anti-women crimes. "All this is part of a mission. Police in Uttar Pradesh is biased against one group. Men change their name to allure women," claimed Shakuntala Devi, the mayor. Also watch: How a 17-year-old school dropout made it to MIT --- ENDS --- Amid calls for boycott of Chinese goods by the trade bodies across the country, Gujarat government officials tried their best to woo Chinese companies to invest in Gujarat, in a road show in Beijing ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat summit. By Ananth Krishnan: Top officials of the Gujarat government on Monday made a pitch in Beijing for major Chinese companies to invest in the state and to "actively participate" in January's "Vibrant Gujarat" summit, amid calls from trade bodies in the state to boycott Chinese products on account of recent strains in ties. In a reminder of the continuing push by many Indian states to attract Chinese investment, even as calls to boycott Chinese goods from regional trade associations have grown, the state government called for Chinese companies to invest in manufacturing, automobiles, textiles and renewable energy projects in Gujarat. advertisement Also Read: Chinese goods boycott are hitting Diwali sales of Delhi markets GUJARAT GOVERNMENT PUSHES FOR TRADE, PEOPLE CALL FOR BOYCOTT The Gujarat government's trade push in China underlines the likely limited impact of the currently viral social media calls to boycott Chinese goods such as toys and firecrackers. Even as the Gujarat chamber of commerce has mounted a strong campaign appealing to its members to boycott Chinese goods ahead of the festive season, on account of recent strains in ties over China blocking the listing of Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar, the state government has appeared to have a different view on dealing with China. The boycott campaign is aimed at pressuring China to change course on its terror policy, but given that its limited to cheap goods - and more likely to impact Indian importers who have already paid for orders ahead of the festive season - it is unlikely to have a large impact on major Chinese enterprises, officials say. While low-end goods are the usual targets of public boycotts, it is India's large imports of electrical machinery, construction equipment, telecom and power equipment that are of greater significance to China, as also investment projects. Also Read: Boycott of Chinese goods boomerangs, traders won't have a blast this Diwali DELEGATION LEADER WOOS CHINESE INVESTERS On Monday, Gujarat Principal Secretary Sanjay Prasad highlighted "textiles, automobiles, automobile components and renewable energy" as areas for Chinese investment in the state. He told Chinese investors at a roadshow in Beijing they would be welcomed "to actively take part" in the January 10 "Vibrant Gujarat" summit, the Indian Embassy, which also organised the roadshow, said in a statement. Among the Chinese enterprises present were the State-run China Railway Engineering Corporation which is eyeing major projects in India, energy giant TBEA which is constructing an industrial park in Gujarat, telecom company Xiaomi and construction equipment manufacturer SANY Heavy Industry which has a big presence in India. Also Read: Indian social media's call to boycott our goods hasn't hurt us: Chinese media AGREEMENT SIGNED BETWEEN INDIA, CHINA On Monday, the Gujarat government also signed an agreement with the Dynagreen company on "waste to energy" projects as well as a state-to-state agreement with northeastern Liaoning province to boost ties. advertisement Starting in Beijing, the roadshow will this week move on to financial capital Shanghai and the manufacturing heartland in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, before closing in Hong Kong on October 21. Also Read: India bans import of goods from China: List of top 5 imports of India --- ENDS --- By PTI: From Achinta Borah Algiers, Oct 18 (PTI) Vice President Hamid Ansari today met top Algerian leaders and discussed with them the ways to revamp the bilateral engagements and take the ties to a new level. Ansari, who arrived here from Hungary last night as part of his second leg of two-nation tour, first laid a wreath at the El Alia cemetery, which comprises tombs of numerous Algerian notables and also has the graves of actors, actresses and artists. It also includes the tombs of several scientists, academicians and sport stars. advertisement The Vice President met President of Algerian National Peoples Assembly Mohamed Larbi Ould Khelifa and President of Council of Nations Abdelkader Bensalah and discussed with them various issues concerning both the countries. The thrust of the conversations with both the leaders was on how to revamp the bilateral engagements and take it to a new level and rejuvenation the ties, officials said. During his meetings with Khelifa and Bensalah, Ansari discussed how to further strengthen ties between India and Algeria and facilitate more people-to-people contacts. The Vice Presidents visit to the North African country came after more than two decades of "cooling off" period in bilateral relations. Earlier, Ansari said that due to some difference of opinion on some third country, there was a "cooling off" period in relations but that period is over now. "They (Algeria) want cooperation and we want cooperation. Both sides want the relations to be strengthened," he had said. Algerias President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations in 2001. Ansari will interact with Bouteflika, Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal and other top leaders tomorrow and discuss various issues like anti-terror cooperation and a host of other bilateral issues. "There will be meetings of minds to fight terrorism with all his interlocutors and counterparts," Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs Sujata Mehta said. The Vice President today visited Ketchaoua mosque, a UNESCO world heritage site located at the foot of the Casbah, which was built during the Ottoman rule in the 17th century. Ansari also visited Wilaya Tipaza, which is located along the Mediterranean sea, 68 km west of the capital Algiers. Tipaza, with sandy beach and important archaeological parks tracing the areas Phoenician, Roman, Paleochristian and Byzantine history. Dating from the 6th century B.C. to the 6th century A.D, the well-preserved ruins sprawl over hills and encompass temples, churches, an amphitheater and a large necropolis. Algeria has extensive deposit of phosphate and India wants to explore whether joint venture industries could be set up in Algeria with Algerian phosphate and gas and Indian funds and technology so that fertilizers could be brought to India from Algeria instead to raw materials. advertisement Bilateral trade between India and Algeria stood at 1.5 billion per annum, majority of which are related to importing oil and oil products to India. PTI ACB ZH --- ENDS --- [October 17, 2016] Gamber-Johnson Introduces an In-Vehicle Docking Station for Dell Tablet Users STEVENS POINT, Wis., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gamber-Johnson today announced their first docking station designed for the Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in San Diego, CA. This marks the first time Gamber-Johnson has designed a docking station for a Dell computer since 2005. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429277 The new, lightweight docking station (just 3.6 lbs/1.63 kg) is packed with features designed to support how people work in their vehicle. For example, the cords connect upward at the back of the dock and can be routed down the side or center so they won't obstruct the vehicle's dashboard. The tablet's stylus can be used when the tablet is safely docked in a vehicle; and the stylus cord, even when it's placed between the tablet and the docking station, won't interfere with the tablet's connectivity. The new docking station gives complete access to the tablet and docking station ports even when the doc is mounted in a vehicle. "The docking station gives Dell users the best way to keep their tablet safe and secure within their vehicle," said Brian Wagner, president and CEO of Gamber-Johnson. "Gamber is excited to partner with a market leader in business computing. Dell's rugged computing customers now have another option for their vehicle docking requirements from the market leader in ruggedness, reliability, and responsiveness." This is the first of two docking stations Gamber-Johnson is designing for Dell. A docking station for the Dell Latitude 12 and 14 Rugged/14 Rugged Extreme/12 Rugged Extreme Convertible Laptop is in development and should be available in early 2017. The tablet docking station will be available for purchase from Gamber-Johnson resellers beginning December 2016. Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg image3.jpg Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06bZBZnxvQY This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gamber-johnson-introduces-an-in-vehicle-docking-station-for-dell-tablet-users-300345904.html SOURCE Gamber-Johnson [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 17, 2016] Global Smart Infrastructure Report: A Smart Approach to $1 Trillion Smart Cities Market in 2016 - Research and Markets Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Smart Infrastructure - A Smart Approach to Smart Cities in 2016" report to their offering. The power of the cities is increasing and it is becoming possible to gather much broader support for national' interest projects in relation to digital infrastructure, sustainability and smart city platforms. What however, is often still missing is a holistic approach towards the development of smart cities; this needs to be led from the top and to be supported by a smart council'. A major stumbling block towards the development of a smart city is the many silos within a city, resisting the sharing of infrastructure and other relevant assets, resisting open data and open government. The report analyses the progress towards smart cities around the world, supported by valuable examples and statistics. It takes into account the role of government as well as technological innovations surrounding M2M and sensors; Smart Grids; IoT; wearable technologies and Artificial Intelligence. Subjects include: - Smart City Transformation towards 2017 - How to become a Smart City - Smart Grids and Smart Meters - Smart Transport Systems and Drones Key developments: - As we look towards 2017 there are some great smart city examples emerging both nationally and internationally. - State-of-the-art telecommunications are vital to a city's economic health and well-being. - Developments linked to Block Chain may be useful for Smart Cities and Smart Grids. - Smart cities present significant opportunities for telecoms operators. - In 2016 Alphabet (Google (News - Alert)), Amazon, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft continue to show a keen interest in Artificial Intelligence developments. - Wearable technology has become a thriving industry, with an ever-broadening range of possible uses and devices for our smart communities of the future. - In May 2016 the ITU and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) launched an important initiative called: United for Smart Sustainable Cities, with the abbreviation U4SSC. - In 2016 the global smart city market is estimated to be worth around $1 trillion. - The most difficult issue to resolve in building smart cities is the funding. In mid-2015 the ITU members decided to establish a study group which would focus specifically on smart cities in terms of the standardization requirements for the broader Internet of Things (IoT). Key Topics Covered: 1. Smart city infrastructure transformation 2. Smart grids and smart meters 3. Intelligent transport systems and drones 4. Artificial intelligence 5. Wearable technology and sensors Companies Mentioned - Amazon - Facebook (News - Alert) - Google - IBM - Microsoft For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/djddcd/global_smart View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161017006347/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 17, 2016] Pfizer Announces The U.S. Availability Of Biosimilar INFLECTRA (infliximab-dyyb) Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) announced today that the company will begin shipment of INFLECTRA (infliximab-dyyb)for injection, a biosimilar of REMICADE1 (infliximab) to wholesalers in the United States (U.S.) in late November 2016. INFLECTRA will be the first biosimilar monoclonal antibody (mAb) and only the second biosimilar to be available in the U.S. It is approved for the treatment of: adult patients and pediatric patients (ages six years and older) with moderate to severely active Crohn's disease who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy; adult patients with moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy; and moderate to severely active rheumatoid arthritis in combination with methotrexate; active ankylosing spondylitis; active psoriatic arthritis; and chronic severe plaque psoriasis. "Biologics have revolutionized the treatment of many life-threatening and chronic diseases. By introducing INFLECTRA to the U.S. marketplace, Pfizer is helping customers access an additional high quality treatment option that promises greater savings for the healthcare system," said Diem Nguyen, regional president North America, Pfizer Essential Health Business. "We are proud of our global leadership in biosimilars, and will continue our efforts to advance a sustainable, competitive marketplace for these therapies to deliver a high quality, consistent supply of product and long-term savings and value for patients and physicians." Pfizer holds exclusive commercialization rights to Celltrion's INFLECTRA in the U.S., and has already successfully introduced INFLECTRA in other markets across the globe. INFLECTRA will be introduced at a 15% discount to the current wholesaler acquisition cost (WAC (News - Alert)) of REMICADE, its reference product. WAC is not inclusive of discounts to payers, providers, distributors and other purchasing organizations. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND INDICATIONS Only your doctor can recommend a course of treatment after checking your health condition. INFLECTRA (infliximab-dyyb) can cause serious side effects such as lowering your ability to fight infections. Some patients, especially those 65 years and older, have had serious infections caused by viruses, fungi or bacteria that have spread throughout the body, including tuberculosis (TB) and histoplasmosis. Some of these infections have been fatal. Your doctor should monitor you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during treatment with INFLECTRA. Unusual cancers have been reported in children and teenage patients taking TNF-blocker medicines. Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of fatal lymphoma, has occurred mostly in teenage or young adult males with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis who were taking infliximab products and azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine. For children and adults taking TNF blockers, including INFLECTRA, the chances of getting lymphoma or other cancers may increase. You should discuss any concerns about your health and medical care with your doctor. What should I tell my doctor before I take INFLECTRA? You should let your doctor know if you have or ever had any of the following: Tuberculosis (TB) or have been near someone who has TB. Your doctor will check you for TB with a skin test. If you have latent (inactive) TB, you will begin TB treatment before you start INFLECTRA . . Lived in a region where certain fungal infections like histoplasmosis or coccidioidomycosis are common. Infections that keep coming back, diabetes, or an immune system problem. Any type of cancer or a risk factor for developing cancer, for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or had phototherapy for psoriasis. Heart failure or any heart condition. Many people with heart failure should not take INFLECTRA . . Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection or think you may be a carrier of HBV. Your doctor will test you for HBV. Nervous system disorders (like multiple sclerosis or Guillain-Barre syndrome). Also tell your doctor if you: Use the medicines Kineret (anakinra), Orencia (abatacept), or Actemra (tocilizumab) or other medicines called biologics used to treat the same problems as INFLECTRA . . Are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, are breast-feeding, or have a baby and were using INFLECTRA during your pregnancy. Tell your baby's doctor about your INFLECTRA use. If your baby receives a live vaccine within 6 months after birth, your baby may develop infections with serious complications that can lead to death. during your pregnancy. Tell your baby's doctor about your INFLECTRA use. If your baby receives a live vaccine within 6 months after birth, your baby may develop infections with serious complications that can lead to death. Recently received or are scheduled to receive a vaccine. Adults and children taking INFLECTRA should not receive live vaccines or treatment with a weakened bacteria (such as BCG for bladder cancer) while taking INFLECTRA. What should I watch for and talk to my doctor about before or while taking INFLECTRA? The following serious (sometimes fatal) side effects have been reported in people taking INFLECTRA. You should tell your doctor right away if you have any of the signs listed below: Infections (like TB, blood infections, pneumonia)-fever, tiredness, cough, flu, or warm, red, or painful skin or any open sores. INFLECTRA can make you more likely to get an infection or make any infection that you have worse. can make you more likely to get an infection or make any infection that you have worse. Lymphoma or any other cancers in adults and children. Skin cancer-any changes in or growths on your skin. Heart failure-new or worsening symptoms, such as shortness of breath, swelling of your ankles or feet, or sudden weight gain. Reactivation of HBV-feeling unwell, poor appetite, tiredness, fever, skin rash, and/or joint pain. Liver injury-jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), dark brown urine, right-sided abdominal pain, fever, or severe tiredness. Blood disorders-fever that doesn't go away, bruising, bleeding, or severe paleness. Nervous system disorders-numbness, weakness, tingling, changes in your vision, or seizures. Allergic reactions during or after the infusion-hives, difficulty breathing, chest pain, high or low blood pressure, swelling of face and hands, and fever or chills. Lupus-like syndrome-chest discomfort or pain that does not go away, shortness of breath, joint pain, rash on the cheeks or arms that gets worse in the sun. Psoriasis-new or worsening psoriasis such as red scaly patches or raised bumps on the skin that are filled with pus. The more common side effects with infliximab products are respiratory infections (that may include sinus infections and sore throat), headache, rash, coughing, and stomach pain. INFLECTRA is a prescription medication used to treat: Crohn's Disease Can reduce signs and symptoms and induce and maintain remission in adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease who haven't responded well to other therapies Pediatric Crohn's Disease Can reduce signs and symptoms and induce and maintain remission in children (ages 6-17) with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease who haven't responded well to other therapies Ulcerative Colitis Can reduce signs and symptoms, induce and maintain remission, promote intestinal healing, and reduce or stop the need for steroids in adult patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis who haven't responded well to other therapies Rheumatoid Arthritis Can reduce signs and symptoms, help stop further joint damage, and improve physical function in patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, in combination with methotrexate Ankylosing Spondylitis Can reduce signs and symptoms in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis Psoriatic Arthritis Can reduce signs and symptoms of active arthritis, help stop further joint damage, and improve physical function in patients with psoriatic arthritis Plaque Psoriasis Approved for the treatment of adult patients with chronic severe (extensive and/or disabling) plaque psoriasis under the care of a physician who will determine if INFLECTRA is appropriate considering other available therapies Please see full Prescribing Information for INFLECTRA (infliximab-dyyb). About Pfizer: Working together for a healthier world At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world's best-known consumer health care products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. For more information, please visit us at www.pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at @Pfizer and @Pfizer_News, LinkedIn, YouTube and like us on Facebook (News - Alert) at Facebook.com/Pfizer. DISCLOSURE NOTICE: The information contained in this release is as of October 17, 2016. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments. This release contains forward-looking information about INFLECTRA (infliximab-dyyb), the timing of Pfizer's planned shipment of INFLECTRA to wholesalers in the United States and Pfizer's plans with respect to biosimilars, including their potential benefits, that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks related to the ability to meet anticipated shipment dates; uncertainties regarding the commercial success of INFLECTRA; the uncertainties inherent in research and development; intellectual property and/or litigation implications; relationship with the application sponsor; decisions by regulatory authorities regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of INFLECTRA; and competitive developments. A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, including in the sections thereof captioned "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results", as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov and www.pfizer.com. __________ 1 REMICADE is a U.S. registered trademark of Janssen Biotech, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161017006422/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 18, 2016] URANUS intercepts off the air cell phone conversations, text messages, emails, pictures, videos, Location & Encrypted Chats LAS VEGAS, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- #Meganet (OTC: MGNT) introduces to law enforcements worldwide the URANUS global interceptor. It can intercept any cell phone anywhere in the world without any virus or poison link, and enable law enforcement to monitor the phone 24 hours a day, listen to any conversation, read all texts and emails, download pictures and videos, operate the camera to monitor the suspect environment, get a GPS location reading, know the other side ID and phone number and more. A breakthrough technology unlike any other in the world. This is not a software virus. It takes advantage of an undisclosed vulnerability in the global cell phone network system an injects the spy application into the BIOS of the phone where it can't be detected or removed or overwritten. It allows law enforcement a global reach regardless of which phone the target uses, which country they're in, what network they use or their whereabouts. They are always under surveillance 24 hours a day. Even swapping the SIM and refreshing the phone will not remove the application. URANUS has capabilities unmatched by any intelligence organization capabilities in the world bar none. The product can be customized and configured for the specific phones and networks of the designated target area. Prices Range from $50,000,000 (Fifty Million) USD up to $200,000,000 (Two Hundred Million) USD for a full global configuration. URANUS is part of the CHAOS GLOBAL DOMINATION collection of law enforcement and intelligence product line that includes: Dominator 4G a Cell Phone Interceptor that can intercept off the air cell phone conversations and text messages on GSM, CDMA, 3G, 4G & Satellite completely transparent. CRONUS an off the air global cell phone interceptor that can intercept cell phone communications from any phone anywhere in the world from anywhere else in the world and identify the location of the caller and his counterpart. VME Locator Breakthrough Big Data Technology Identifies Terrorists, Terror Organizations, Ticking Bombs and Prevents Terror Attacks. Product is intended for lawful law enforcement use only and requires an end user certificate. Inquiries will be accepted only from official government and law enforcement email addresses. Inquiries: [email protected] Meganet Corporation is a USA DOD & Federal Government Contractor providing the USA, NATO & Allies Forces with technologies to fight the global terror organizations. Meganet Trading Symbol is MGNT. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429530LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uranus-intercepts-off-the-air-cell-phone-conversations-text-messages-emails-pictures-videos-location--encrypted-chats-300346339.html SOURCE Meganet Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] DECATUR A giant bird's nest outside the Children's Museum of Illinois couldn't help but draw attention from Colleen Storm's kindergartners as they filed into the building. Yet it was Lyric Belcher, 5, their classmate at Riddle Elementary School in Mattoon, who answered their questions first. It's probably a pterodactyl nest, he announced. Even Abby Koester, education director for the museum, smiled and had to admit the boy might be onto something. It's about the right size, she agreed. Built by Tim Wetzel, the museum's former maintenance man, the nest is part of a new Messy Materials outdoor play area created at the museum this year with help from Millikin University's School of Education. The area, which begins to the right of the entrance and wraps around to the rear of the building, also features stump stools, fort- and teepee-building materials, a sensory table, upright xylophone and much more. Christie Magoulias, an associate professor of education and the school's director, said the play area is not messy in the sense of being ooey-gooey but rather in the absence of any expectation that children put things away when they're done. Our goal was to create a natural environment for deep, creative play, Magoulias said. You can leave your boat or your birdhouse exactly as you created it, and that's the stage for the next child who comes in. She said it's also the perfect place for young families to spend time while waiting for the museum to open, if they're not quite ready to leave when the museum closes, or if they simply want to enjoy a play space that costs nothing at all. The School of Education provided $5,000 for the project, and Georgette Page, also an associate professor of education, joined Koester, Wetzel, Magoulias and others as a collaborator. Magoulias said the school intends to present the outdoor play space to early childhood education majors as a model for ones they might create and is also working with Decatur public schools about exposing all kindergarteners to the children's museum next spring. Dozens of kindergarteners from Mattoon, meanwhile, took turns making good use of the Messy Materials area during a recent field trip to Decatur. Lexie Bailey Burch, a student in Melissa Blackwell's class, said she enjoyed the fresh air and playing with the water table most while Braylon Holt, a student of Lori Ghere, liked climbing on the wooden teepee best, although he imagined it to be a rocket ship. This is awesome, Braylon said. Ghere said the Messy Materials area gave the children the chance to do things they normally can't do without getting into trouble. Parents don't always love to have water splashed around at their house, she said. Lyric's mom, Danielle Spitz, said she was impressed at how accessible the materials were and how much fun it was to play with them for parents and children alike. We really liked the new space, Spitz said. I think it's a great addition to the museum. CHARLESTON -- There are about $2.6 million in repairs the Charleston school district could address if voters approve a school sales tax referendum next month. The district's plans for the revenue will be the subject of a report that district Superintendent Jim Littleford is scheduled to present at Wednesday's Charleston school board meeting. The district provided a list of possible projects that include each of the district's buildings that officials say have been delayed because of school funding issues. Coles County voters on Nov. 8 will be asked, for the third time, if they want to implement the sales tax in the county. If approved, 1 percent would be added to the county's sales tax and would be applied to most items already subject to sales tax, with the revenue going to county-based school districts. Use of the sales tax money is limited to repairs and renovations and similar work and it can't be used for salaries or other costs. County voters rejected referendums on the sales tax in 2010 and in 2014. The Charleston district's share of the sales tax is estimated at just more than $2 million per year, using Illinois Department of Revenue calculations based on past sales figures. The district's list of "deferred maintenance" includes more than $1.3 million in projects at Charleston High School and just more than $572,000 in work at Jefferson Elementary School, the district's oldest building. The list also ranges from $15,000 in projects at Mark Twain Elementary School to $240,000 for work at Charleston Middle School. According to Assistant Superintendent Todd Vilardo, the district plans to pay for project as the sales tax revenue comes in. No property tax abatements are included the plans because the district already paid off facility bonds so there's no debt to which to apply the sales tax revenue, he said. The board's meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the district office at 410 W. Polk Ave. Other agenda items include a report on a new state law that addresses suspension and expulsion reporting and a change in the district's health savings account provider that's supposed to result in a savings to the district. 100 years ago, Oct. 18, 1916 MATTOON -- The automobile of C.A. Hughes early this afternoon collided with a pole of the Public Service Company located on the sidewalk on the east side of North 15th Street at the entrance to the alley between Broadway and the Big Four. Electric service in the business district was out for an hour as a result of the collision. Hughes said he lost control of the car while spanking his dog, which was riding in the front passenger seat. Punishment was inflicted on the dog, Hughes said, because it had attempted to kill a chicken just prior to being taken on board... MATTOON -- The Panama Limited trains between Chicago and New Orleans starts on Nov. 15 and will cost $2.25 million to run. First announcement of this new run was received Tuesday at the local Illinois Central Railroad. It requires four trains daily and 20 locomotives. The train will make the trip from Chicago to New Orleans in 23 hours. A train also will be operated daily out of New Orleans and go to Chicago. 50 years ago, 1966 MATTOON -- A parade in honor of the Interstate 57 dedication on Wednesday will feature the Mattoon High School band and the bands from both Jefferson and Central junior high schools. The parade, with a total of 44 units, will travel east on Broadway Avenue from 19th Street to 13th Street where the MHS ROTC color guard and officials attending the dedication will be transported to the Illinois Route 16 interchange for I-57, the site of the dedication ceremonies. Following the 4 p.m. dedication, a motorcade will travel over the new section of the interstate, south from Route 16 to the U.S. Route 45 exit on I-57... CHARLESTON -- The two horses stolen from the Coles County Fairgrounds on Oct. 8 were located Monday night in Brazil, Ind. The horses, one owned by Fred Jenkins and the other owned by Lester Gordon, have been returned to Coles County, Sheriff Paul B. Smith said. Smith said the thief asked a farmer near Brazil, Ind., if he could leave the horses at the farm for a few days. The farmer, having read about the horse theft, became suspicious and notified authorities. No arrests have been made yet, Smith said... MARTINSVILLE -- The Martinsville school board Monday night unanimously voted to circulate a petition asking to be included in the new Eastern Illinois Area Junior College District. Portions of the Martinsville district had been claimed by the proposed Lincoln Trail Junior College in Robinson. The Martinsville board voluntarily withdrew from the EIAJC district to ensure the junior college would be approved by the Illinois Junior College Board. Now that the state agency has approved the local junior college effort, Martinsville officials have stated their desire to be included. 25 years ago, 1991 MACOMB -- An additional 3 -hour meeting with Eastern Illinois University President Stan Rives still has not answered all the questions. The Board of Governors Universities trustees met from 11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Thursday with Rives in a continuation of his annual evaluation that began in September. Rives was the only one of five BGU presidents to meet with the board again. Prior to Thursday, Rives also had met with BGU Chancellor Thomas Layzell and Board Chairman Robert Ruiz. Rives and the board apparently are discussing several employment issues that arose at EIU in the last year CHARLESTON The U.S. Postal Service again has taken the lead to do something with the World War I statue at the corner of Sixth Street and Madison Avenue. Charleston Postmaster Donna Fox said she was notified by Springfield sectional postal officials to collect bids for moving the statue and having the corner lot made into a paved parking area. Fox said she would like to see the statue moved to Morton Park. The statue was erected in 1924 by Andrew Dunn American Legion Post 93. 100 years ago, Oct. 19, 1916 MATTOON -- After new tests on 10 shallow or surface wells showed eight are polluted and all who drink from such wells are in serious danger of becoming ill, Dr. R.J. Coultas is preparing for the Mattoon City Council an ordinance regulating privies. Dr. Coultas said privies as they now exist are polluting all the wells. The health department, he said, cannot stamp out disease as long as colon bacilliis carried from privy vaults, dirty barns and other sources of filth through the soil to sources of drinking water... MATTOON -- Miss Ivy Lake, the 16-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.M. Lake of Bradbury, southeast of Mattoon, eloped from Mattoon Sunday night with her lover, Ozie Greenwood, and it is expected they went to some town in Indiana and were married. Mr. and Mrs. Lake were in Mattoon Wednesday looking for their daughter, who had spent the Homecoming week at the home of Mr. and Mrs. R.J. Brown of Mattoon. The girl's parents had forbade Greenwood from calling on their daughter. But Miss Lake told Mrs. Brown that she would never go back home again. Greenwood is employed on a farm near Tuscola, but previously he worked on a farm near Bradbury in the vicinity of the Lake home. It was then that the two became attached to each other. 50 years ago, 1966 MATTOON -- A Mattoon serviceman with the Naval Support Activity at Saigon is among those in his company who have pledged their spare time, money and labor to help a school for blind girls in the capital city. He is Larry G. Butler, personnelman seaman, son of Mr. and Mrs. June E. Butler of Mattoon. The school is the home of 18 Vietnamese girls who are being taught to make their way in life as well as learning basic educational matters. Butler has been in Vietnam since May 5 and is on a one-year tour of duty... SULLIVAN -- Brown Shoe Co. officials announced that construction soon will begin on a replacement facility for the firm's 35-year-old manufacturing plant in Sullivan. The new plant will replace the three-story factory with a 60,000-square foot single level facility. It will be air conditioned and humidity controlled. Production capacity in the new plant will be 4,500 shoes a day, compared with 4,000 a day at the current plant. Brown Shoe operates 40 production plants in seven Midwest states. It has plants in Mattoon and Charleston... KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kerry Tuttle of Arcola, who won the Illinois and Iowa state fair steer prizes this summer with his Hereford, "Andy," has taken grand champion honors at the American Royal Livestock Show in Kansas City with "Matt," an 1,100-pound Hereford. The steer was auctioned off this morning, selling for $5.05 a pound, netting more than $5,500 for Tuttle. The buyer was Wayne E. Jones, president of a Kansas City drive-in. 25 years ago, 1991 CHARLESTON -- Desert Storm veteran, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Roscoe M. Dan Cougill will serve as grand marshal of Eastern Illinois Universitys Homecoming Parade today. Cougill, a Charleston native, is an Eastern Illinois University graduate who currently is director of the Command and Control, Communications, and Computer Systems Directorate, U.S. Central Command at MacDill AFB, Fla., spent eight months in Saudi Arabia as communications staff officer for Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf. This is EIUs 76th Homecoming celebration CHARLESTON The rolling fields of Illinois are a prime source of energy to keep the cars of America rolling. To this end, the Illinois Corn Growers Association is working with Volkswagen to bring alternative fuel transportation into mainstream travel. A 1991 Volkswagen Jetta purchased Sept. 24 by the ICGA will be entered today in the Eastern Illinois University Homecoming Parade to demonstrate the ability to burn ethanol as fuel. The car made its debut at the Farm Progress Show in Dalton City a few weeks ago. A spokesman for ICGA said the 10 percent blend of ethanol now used at most pumps totals about 1 billion gallons of ethanol sold annually. That translates to 400 million bushels of corn going to ethanol production each year, he said. The company that bought Cyclonaire Corp. of York is suing the former owners, alleging they conspired to inflate sales projections and conceal reduced sales to a major customer, among other things. The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court, names Donald and Glenda Baker, who owned nearly 90 percent of the company, as well as other minority owners and former company executives, some of whom are from Lincoln. Prospect Partners and Schilling Ventures LLC, two Chicago-area investment firms, announced in January 2014 that they had taken a majority investment in Cyclonaire Corp., although the lawsuit says the two, through a company they formed called Cyclonaire Holding Corp., bought 100 percent of the company's stock in December 2013. The purchase price listed in the lawsuit was $25.8 million. As part of the due diligence process, the buyers requested sales projections for 2014. According to the lawsuit, the company's director of sales at the time projected sales that year to be around $20 million, a number that would not likely support the proposed sale price. The suit alleges that Cyclonaire management adjusted those sales projections upward to $32 million, about 60 percent higher, without any credible evidence to support them. In fact, the lawsuit alleges, the company knew it was likely to see sales to Union Pacific, it's third-largest customer, decline because of a new purchasing manager, and it also concealed the fact that it was considering walking away from a multimillion-dollar project because the customer had failed to make initial payments. As a result, actual sales in 2014 were only about $16 million and the company had a net loss of $1.4 million. The lawsuit says that the deal included provisions requiring Cyclonaire Corp. to indemnify the buyers for any losses incurred as a result of "'material Losses' based upon, related to, arising out of or caused by any breach of any representation or warranty," as long as those issues were brought to light within 24 months after the closing date. The plaintiffs say they provided notice of alleged breaches on Nov. 17, which was withing the 24-month time frame. In addition to breach of representation and warranty, the lawsuit also alleges intentional and negligent misrepresentations as well as a civil conspiracy. The plaintiffs are seeking an undetermined amount of damages as well as attorney fees and other costs. A call to a York phone number listed for the Bakers was not answered, and court documents did not list attorneys for the Bakers or any of the other defendants. Dick Clark tries to keep his campaign pitch as brief as possible. "Bottom line is, I think they tax you too much and spend it too fast," he tells voters at their doors. It's a condensed version of a political philosophy that emphasizes limited government and assumes people prosper through open competition. Clark says those beliefs will guide him if he's elected to serve District 27 in the state Legislature. A married father of three who runs a law practice from his home, Clark earned less than 30 percent of the vote in the May primary but advanced to compete in the general election. He's since revamped his campaign, hiring a new campaign manager and intensifying his efforts to connect with voters in the odd-shaped district encompassing most of southwest Lincoln. Clark, 35, is looking to replace term-limited state Sen. Colby Coash. His opponent is Anna Wishart. Both candidates want to help people, Clark said, but "I fundamentally believe that government solutions are actually pretty limited in their usefulness." He supports cutting income taxes and property taxes, and says lawmakers could approve significant reforms next year that would be phased in once the state weathers a projected revenue shortfall. One of his legislative priorities is expanding choice in education through laws allowing charter schools and providing tax-credit scholarships. Clark is a registered Republican, but with a Libertarian bent. His legal practice focuses on firearms, which includes helping people establish gun trusts to acquire heavily regulated firearms. He supports full legalization of marijuana, and believes prohibition exacerbates many of the problems it attempts to address. He says the drug should be regulated but not taxed to an extent that drives people back into the illegal market. He opposes abortion. "I believe in liberty, and if you don't protect life, how are you going to protect liberty?" he told one voter recently while knocking doors in The Ridge area. Clark says he wouldn't support new legal protections for people based on gender identity or sexual orientation because he doesn't feel those groups face the same disadvantages as other protected classes. He grew up in Louisiana and attended law school at Suffolk University in Boston, then moved to Nebraska to become a policy adviser for then-Gov. Dave Heineman. He later worked as director of research at the Platte Institute for Economic Research. His wife, Justina, is director of undergraduate research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Clark counts Gov. Pete Ricketts among his campaign contributors, but says elected officials must serve conscientiously. "That means listening to others, including the governor, and then making the decision that applies those common principles to the available evidence," he said in response to a question for the Journal Star Voter's Guide. His campaign raised $6,778 from June 15 to Oct. 4 and had $3,342 on hand, according to the most recent filings with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. On Aug. 30, police stopped him less than a block from his home at Eighth and E streets and cited him for driving under the influence. He has since apologized, calling it a "serious lapse in judgment." His trial is scheduled for Nov. 9, the day after Election Day. The DUI didn't come up during an hour of door-knocking north of Scott Middle School on Oct. 1. He talked education with a teacher from Ruth Hill Elementary -- Clark lives next door to a schoolteacher and can always tell when it's testing season -- and taxes with a Democrat whose husband is Republican. Later, three little dogs spilled from the front door of Cathy Reese's home. One of her sons attends Pius, the other Southwest High, and she nodded as Clark talked about giving parents more say in their children's educations. "I think that's great," she said. He offered her a campaign sign. She said she'd take two. By now, voters in this corner of south Lincoln are familiar with Anna Wishart. Her campaign signs dot the area around Hill Elementary School. She knocks on doors, and people greet her and smile. Some have already mailed their ballots for the Nov. 8 general election. "We've been around so many times that now it's just like reconnecting," says Wishart, who is running to represent District 27 in the state Legislature. The district covers what can be loosely described as southwest Lincoln, cutting from 27th Street and Pine Lake Road up to Capitol Beach. Wishart says she's walked the entire thing -- knocking on the door of each registered voter -- at least three times since she started her campaign. Much of that was before the primary, which she won by a 2-to-1 margin. Current Sen. Colby Coash has represented the district for eight years but is ineligible for re-election due to term limits. Wishart, 31, is one of two candidates for the general election. The other is Dick Clark. Both are already familiar faces at the state Capitol. They have different perspectives about the role government should play in people's lives. "When you break it down, it's all of us in a community trying to figure out how to live together," Wishart said. That includes responsibility for education, public safety, infrastructure and supporting people in need, she said. Wishart says she supports tax reform, but not if it jeopardizes state services. She emphasizes efficiency in government, particularly as the state faces a revenue shortfall driven in large part by a downturn in the farm economy. "We're just going to have to tighten our belts," she said. On social issues, Wishart supports legalizing medical marijuana. She wouldn't oppose recreational pot, but says the state must be "very diligent" about its regulation. A former foster mother, she struggles with the issue of abortion, she said: She doesn't feel comfortable with it herself, but believes women should make that decision based on their faith and with help from their families and physicians. She supports legislation to prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. "I don't think anybody should be fired based solely on who they love," she said. "In general, I support inclusive communities." The home Wishart grew up in was in District 27 before its boundaries changed. She attended Prescott Elementary, Irving Middle and Lincoln Southeast High School before leaving for Middlebury College in Vermont, where she majored in film studies. She's now married to Lincoln Police Officer Joe Coleman, and serves on the Lincoln Airport Authority board of directors. She is a policy consultant for Beyond School Bells, a group that advocates for afterschool and summer school programming across the state. A former staffer for state Sen. Rick Kolowski of Omaha, Wishart says she's passionate about the nonpartisan tradition of the unicameral Legislature. She's a registered Democrat, but believes lawmakers should foster an environment where challenge is welcomed. Democratic voters in District 27 slightly outnumber Republicans, but nearly a quarter of the district's voters are registered nonpartisans. Wishart's campaign brought in $45,119 in new contributions from June 15 to Oct. 4 and had $48,673 on hand, according to the most recent filings with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. Her contributors include state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks and City Councilwomen Jane Raybould and Leirion Gaylor Baird. Knocking on doors, Wishart spends most of her time listening. On a recent Saturday, she returned to the Southwood area off 27th Street and Tipperary Trail. Her border collie, Finnigan, sits patiently at the curb and watches as Wishart shakes hands, smiles and nods. On Cheshire South, a man hops from his pickup and greets her. "Hi Anna!" shouts Dennis Ward, who lives next door to a now-abandoned house that was damaged by fire last year. Problem properties are usually the city's purview, but Wishart has worked with people in the neighborhood who are eager to see the house cleaned up. Ward and his wife cleaned 2 tons of debris left outside after the fire, but the lawn is rarely mowed and the inside is filled with mold and overrun by stray animals, he says. "Three different banks are fighting over this, so we're stuck in the middle here." He thanks Wishart for her help, and she and Finnigan head toward the next house on her list. A 19-year-old Lincoln man is in jail on suspicion of causing two hit-and-run accidents late Monday. Keith Fitzwater was driving a Hyundai Sonata north on 27th Street near Starr Street just before midnight when he ran into a Mercury Marquis. The speed at which he hit the car caused it to hit the median and flip over, said Lincoln Police Officer Katie Flood. The 33-year-old driver of the Marquis was thrown from the car, and her 14-year-old son was trapped. A Lincoln police officer saw the series of crashes and got the boy out of the car by breaking a window, Flood said. He and his mother, who was not wearing a seatbelt, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Fitzwater kept going and hit a Kia Sorento driven by a 28-year-old man, who was not injured. Finally, Flood said, Fitzwater hit a median near Holdrege Street and disabled his car. Police arrested him on suspicion of leaving the scene of an injury accident and willful reckless driving. Officers took him to detox, and police believe he was driving under the influence of marijuana and a hallucinogen, Flood said. Officers found a small amount of marijuana in his car and a pipe in his pocket, she said. They also cited him on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana. He remained in jail Tuesday. Fifteen women and 26 men were arrested in Nebraska for prostitution or solicitation of prostitution during a nationwide sting last week. In Lincoln, six people were arrested for prostitution and nine for solicitation, according to the Lincoln Police Department. Nationally, the FBI said 82 sexually exploited minors were saved and 239 pimps and other individuals arrested during the operation. In Nebraska, the Omaha, Lincoln, LaVista, Council Bluffs and Glenwood, Iowa, police departments along with Douglas, Lancaster, Pottawattamie and Mills county sheriff's offices were involved in the sting. Through our strategic partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies, specifically the Child Exploitation Task Force, the FBI will continue to work with our partners to make a difference in our communities," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Randall Thysse. Operation Cross Country is focused on recovering underage victims of prostitution and drawing attention to the problem of sex trafficking at home and abroad. Last week marked the 10th time the operation was conducted, expanding this time to become an international enforcement project with Canada, Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand joining the effort along with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children during the coordinated three-day operation that ended Oct. 16. Two sisters in Milwaukee, ages 16 and 17, told police their mother was their pimp. The girls said she also rented out their brothers room to a man who was a registered sex offender, according to the FBI. In Thailand, authorities arrested an American citizen -- a registered sex offender -- after he allegedly coerced five Filipino girls, ages 14 to 16, to take sexually explicit photos of themselves and send them to him online, the FBI said. In the Philippines, two boys, 11 and 5, and a 2-year-old girl were found when five adults were arrested for operating a web-streaming service where individuals paid for access to live-streamed child sexual abuse, as well as access to the children for the purposes of illegal sexual acts, the FBI said. Count Nebraska voters all-in. As the raucous 2016 presidential contest enters its final weeks, voter registration figures have far exceeded estimates, and tens of thousands of Nebraskans already have cast their ballots. The number of ballots returned or cast in person reached 41,938 on Oct. 14, Secretary of State John Gale said Tuesday. Voter registration figures hit 1,198,546, far exceeding the 1,185,000 Gale had hoped to see. "When the number gets that high, you hope that turnout increases as well," the secretary of state said. "That would be a tremendous milestone in the history of Nebraska elections." Registered voters can ask that early ballots be mailed to them until the close of business Oct. 28. Early in-person voting will continue at county election offices through Nov. 7, the day before the election. Lancaster County Election Commissioner Dave Shively said his office had mailed 22,000 ballots as of Monday. Some 8,095 of them had been cast by Monday, including nearly 900 through in-person early voting. In Douglas County, the number was 17,872; in Sarpy County, 5,899. "This presidential election has the potential to break all previous early voting records in my county," Sarpy County Election Commissioner Wayne Bena said. Queen of the Tribe, Noble Warrior and other Native costumes are back on store shelves at Spirit Halloween Headquarters following a mandate from its corporate office, according to a local store manager. Last week, Kim Peters pulled dozens of Native-themed costumes, headdresses, tomahawks and beads from her Spirit Halloween stores in Lincoln, Grand Island and Papillion after receiving complaints from the Native community that the costumes were offensive and mocked the culture. Her quick actions drew praise among local Native Americans and shoppers. But almost as quickly as Peters responded, so did Spirit Halloween and Spencer Gifts corporate offices in New Jersey. The president of Spirit called my boss and you know how things roll downhill , said Peters, who has operated the Lincoln store for 10 years. I fought and I tried, she said of her efforts to permanently remove the Native costumes. Not only did she have to put the merchandise back on the shelves, she had to take photographs to send to corporate to prove she had followed their demands, Peters said. The corporate office did allow her to pull the Reservation Royalty costume featuring a short and low-cut fringed faux leather dress and tall boots. But pretty much everything else is back, Peters said. Im sorry this whole incident had to happen. Its only 40 or 50 costumes. It's not a big deal to take them off the shelf, Peters said. Im considering putting in my resignation at the end of the year. Leo Yankton, host of KZUM-FMs The Drum and Native Sounds, Native Voices, voiced dismay at the turn of events. We need to address and expose the corporate leaders who are desensitized and are more worried about making money than the dignity of a cultural base in America. Its a sad trend in America that money is more important than humanity, Yankton said. In an email received Oct. 18, Spirit Halloween corporate office issued the following statement: "Since 1983, at Spirit Halloween, we have offered a wide and balanced range of Halloween costumes that are inspired by, celebrate and appreciate numerous cultures, make believe themes and literary figures. Understanding certain sensitivities, we always strive to present our costumes in a responsible and respectful manner. While we respect the opinion of those who are opposed to the sale of any cultural or historical costumes, we are proud of our costume selection for men, women and children. We continue to offer this broad assortment of costumes in the future, while we maintain our commitment to our diverse customer base." In addition, the corporate headquarters statement said it has never directed its stores to remove Indigenous themed costumes from its shelves, "nor do we plan to have these costumes removed." Spirit Halloween and Spencer Gifts are not the only Halloween stores offering Native costumes. Party America has several Native-themed costumes -- mostly for adults. Colin Costello, shift manager of Lincolns Party America store, said he was unaware of any complaints regarding the costumes. Target, which pulled a clown mask it deemed inappropriate last week in light of scary clown incidents across the country, offers two Native-themed costumes for adults on its online site. A spokesperson with Targets corporate office in Minneapolis said they haven't received any complaints but would look into the issue. Wal-Mart had multiple Native-themed costumes for both children and adults at walmart.com. In this day and age, Americans should not be comfortable purchasing costumes that mock another culture, Yankton said. These costumes do not honor our culture, Yankton said. And unlike Renaissance, Viking, pilgrim, old western cowboy and saloon girl costumes, which depict times of the past, the Native costumes mimic a culture that is still very much alive, Yankton said. The fact that some stores are willing to pull scary clown costumes, but will still sell Native costumes, just exposes the truth," Yankton said. There is a disconnect in America between Native and mainstream, a sad disconnect that has been there since the beginning of colonization in this country, Yankton said. It is not as important to honor us as it is to be sensitive to a scare that is going around in America. Costumes like Princess Little Deer, Chief Long Arrow and Pochahottie -- all costumes sold through Party America -- are no less offensive than black-face or a costume depicting a Holocaust victim, he said. A lot of people think this is a superficial cause. But it is part of an underlying trend that needs to change in order for larger, more important issues for us to be taken seriously, Yankton said. Modern journalists have little in common with those I was privileged to know when I was a copyboy at NBC News in Washington in the '60s. Today's "journalists" will disagree, but as numerous surveys have shown, the public trust in what is collectively called the media has sunk to an all-time low. Only the media think they don't have to change and can continue to sell a product more and more people refuse to buy. WikiLeaks dumps of Clinton campaign emails with reporters should contain enough proof for any reasonable person that big media is in the tank for her. In what may be unprecedented, The New York Times allowed Clinton to edit her own quotes. John Harwood, chief Washington correspondent for CNBC, showered praise on Clinton in emails to her campaign chief John Podesta. Her staffers discussed which emails to release and which to delete. She has claimed the deleted emails were personal, not work-related. A Chapman University survey has found the top fear of American voters is corruption in government. If true, why do so many intend to vote for Hillary, perhaps the most corrupt politician ever to seek the presidency? The WikiLeaks documents also expose Hillary's private vs. public contradictory statements on several subjects. The Washington Examiner reports these include transcripts of paid speeches she has tried to keep secret. Three years ago, Clinton told an audience at a luncheon for the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago Vanguard that the flow of Syrian refugees into Jordan had put Jordan's security at risk. About the thousands of Syrians pouring into Jordan, she said, "...they can't possibly vet all those refugees so they don't know if, you know, jihadists are coming in along with legitimate refugees." She wants to increase the number of Syrian refugees entering the U.S. by many times the current rate. If they pose a security threat to Jordan, why wouldn't they pose a threat to America? Even FBI Director James Comey says he can't guarantee proper vetting for so many refugees and other immigrants, many of whom lack the most rudimentary forms of identification and verifiable work history. During the second presidential debate, Clinton support for a no-fly zone over parts of Syria to help stem the humanitarian crisis. But, in a paid speech for Goldman Sachs in June 2013, she indicated she was skeptical about whether such a strategy would work. "To have a no-fly zone," she said then, "you have to take out all of the air defense, many of which are located in populated areas, so our missiles, even if they are standoff missiles so we're not putting our pilots at risk -- you're going to kill a lot of Syrians. So all of a sudden this intervention that people talk about so glibly becomes an American and NATO involvement where you take a lot of civilians." There is much more, including private praise for Wall Street and big banks that paid her six figures for speeches with little content, but public criticism and promises to exert more government control over them if she is elected. In a West Palm Beach, Florida, speech last Thursday, Donald Trump honed his attack against the media, the establishment and Clinton and her husband, Bill: "The establishment and their media neighbors wield control over this nation. ... Anyone who challenges their control is deemed a sexist, rapist, xenophobe and morally deformed. They will attack you. They will slander you. They will seek to destroy your career and your family ... (and) your reputation. They will lie (and) do whatever is necessary. "The Clintons are criminals ... and the establishment that protects them has engaged in a massive cover-up of widespread criminal activity at the State Department and the Clinton Foundation in order to keep the Clintons in power. Never in history have we seen such a cover-up as this." He's right and this should be his line of attack in the third and final debate Wednesday night. For decades, Sandra Mims Rowe was a rigorous newspaper editor who demanded deep reporting from the journalists she led. Her newsrooms in cities including Norfolk and Portland, Oregon, won awards -- and respect - because she pushed for greater truths. So it's not surprising that Rowe would do the same when an idea surfaced at the Committee to Protect Journalists, where she has been board chairwoman for five years. The idea: CPJ should break its own tradition of never getting involved in politics -- in the United States or anywhere else. This admirable organization, with its global mission of keeping journalists from being jailed or killed, would make a strong statement against Donald Trump on First Amendment grounds. "What was the evidence that Trump was a threat to press freedom?" she wanted to know. The evidence, delivered in a staff memo, was overwhelming. It made the case that Trump not only despises journalists -- "scum," he calls them, and "corrupt" -- he has no understanding or respect for the role they play in our democracy. He has repeatedly stated that he wants to change the laws that allow journalists to do their jobs. And so, after a board vote, CPJ's unprecedented statement went public last week. Measured and restrained, it builds to a powerful conclusion: "This is not about picking sides in an election. This is recognizing that a Trump presidency represents a threat to press freedom unknown in modern history." In an interview, Rowe said that Trump thinks the press exists "only to satisfy his needs and give him publicity." When journalists hold him accountable or report negative facts, "it must be a coordinated attack on him." What finally pushed CPJ to approve a resolution and issue the statement, she said, was the realization that the organization owed this not just to American journalists and citizens but to those around the world. "We at CPJ use the United States as an example, a beacon to the world," she said. "With Trump's rhetoric, it would embolden despots and dictators who are looking for an excuse" to restrict press rights or endanger journalism. The statement gives an example: "When MSNBC's Joe Scarborough asked him in December if his admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin was at all tempered by the country's history of critical journalists being killed, his response was: 'He's running his country, and at least he's a leader, unlike what we have in this country.'" CPJ's statement wasn't the only strong defense of the First Amendment published last week. After Trump's attorney demanded that the New York Times retract an article -- one that quoted, by name, two women who said that Trump had groped them without their consent -- the Times' newsroom attorney, David McCraw, made a response for the ages. In equally measured, and equally pointed, terms, he said the paper would do no such thing: "We did what the law allows: We published newsworthy information about a subject of deep public concern. If Mr. Trump disagrees, if he believes that American citizens had no right to hear what these women had to say and that the law of this country forces us and those who would dare to criticize him to stand silent or be punished, we welcome the opportunity to have a court set him straight." Trump surely does not want to endure the discovery phase that such a trial would bring. He should have learned that years ago when he sued Timothy L. O'Brien, then a reporter at the Times, for libel. O'Brien's lowballing of his wealth in the book "TrumpNation" caused $5 billion in damage, Trump claimed. A New Jersey judge threw out the case. Statements like CPJ's and McCraw's, eloquent as they are, certainly will not change the minds of Trump's ardent supporters or of the candidate himself. Still, their words -- and the defense of the First Amendment that underpins them -- make a difference. They remind journalists, and I hope citizens, that what we do is important, and that it is worth protecting. And it lets them know that there are people and institutions willing to stand up to a bully, and say, "No, you can't." Not in America. Suzanne Geist would have us believe Gov. Pete Ricketts is an idiot. She tells us she is an independent political outsider, but I doubt he is the kind of man who spends his money in order to buy himself nothing. During the last legislative session, the Nebraska Legislature overrode a number of Ricketts vetoes by close margins. Understandably, he didnt care for that type of rejection so this time around, he has taken out his personal checkbook and is financially opposing legislative leaders who disagreed with him and is supporting new legislative candidates he expects to agree with him next session. Exhibit No. 1: Suzanne Geist. She has received $5,000 in personal financial backing from Ricketts and, not surprisingly, recently said she could not name an issue on which her views differed from those of the governor's. He is one of her largest campaign contributors. Ricketts believes that if he cannot persuade existing legislators to agree with him, he will simply buy himself legislators obligated to do so. If you believe that is a good way to run state government, Suzanne Geist is clearly your kind of candidate. J. Kirk Brown, Lincoln NioCorp Developments Ltd., the mining company that wants to extract rare metals from a site near Elk Creek, is making plans to build a pipeline that will drain its underground mine of naturally occurring saltwater and pump it into the Missouri River. The plans have set off alarm bells for environmental groups and people who depend on the river for their livelihoods, like Scott Mansker, who organizes the worlds longest non-stop river race on the river from Kansas City to St. Charles, Missouri. While no permit applications have been filed, NioCorp is getting its ducks in a row, meeting with state and federal regulatory agencies, as well as county elected officials. Were taking a careful and measured approach here, making sure we talk to everyone before we start submitting applications, said Scott Honan, Niocorps mining engineer. NioCorp wants to mine niobium, titanium and scandium. Once it's up and running, the operation would produce a pre-tax cash flow of $438 million a year. NioCorp is working on a feasibility study and confident it will have the money to get it done. The study will be shown to lenders and investors in hopes of raising the nearly $1 billion to build and operate a mine and processing facility about 70 miles southeast of Lincoln. NioCorp officials previously said the company hoped to begin construction by the end of this year, but spokesman Jim Sims said Monday mid-2017 is looking more likely. NioCorp will need to continuously drain underground water from the surrounding bedrock to keep the mine from flooding. The water is naturally brackish and locked beneath 500 feet of impermeable limestone, according to NioCorp. The water has a salt content of about 18,000 milligrams per liter, which is about half of seawaters average of 35,000 mpl. Once mixed with the Missouri River, the water will be diluted, reaching fresh-water quality within less than 5,000 feet of where it discharges into the river, NioCorp says. Mansker, who gets his drinking water from the Missouri and depends on its recreational quality for the annual paddle race, said the water would add to the many pollutants flowing into the river. On the surface, it doesnt sound like a lot of water," he said. "But its just one more pipe, one more burden on this drinking water resource we all share. Its a death by 1,000 cuts. They are a for-profit company. Theyre looking for the cheapest way to get rid of this wastewater, and the cheapest way is to dump it in the Missouri River and never hear about it again. NioCorp estimates it will increase the average chloride content of the Missouri by approximately 5 parts per million from 25 to 30 milligrams per liter, well below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys acute limit for chloride in freshwater systems, which is 860 milligrams per liter, and EPAs chronic limit for chloride in freshwater systems, which is 230 milligrams per liter, the company said. Plans call for the pipeline to run east from the mine site along the Johnson/Pawnee County line, then make a short jog north into Nemaha County, ending at the Missouri River Oxbow just downstream of the Little Nemaha River confluence. Mansker said he also worries the water could become contaminated with water used in the process of extracting metals from rock. NioCorp spokesman Jim Sims said that wont happen. Plans call for keeping the bedrock water and processed water streams separate. Most water for processing will be recycled, but all excess will be treated and discharged in accordance with all applicable federal and state standards, he said. How exactly it would be disposed of is not yet known because officials are still in the planning process. Jane Kleeb, founder of watchdog group Bold Nebraska, said Nebraskans will be watching and urged NioCorp to be open with its plans. "Any time a corporation wants to dump polluted water into our rivers, citizens must see in writing the plan to ensure our drinking water is not at risk and what the process is to see the test results," she said. "The NioCorp project is known for their initial community outreach so we hope transparency and accountability continues. NioCorp hopes to build the 30-mile pipeline along existing roads, using as many existing rights of way as possible to minimize the amount of leases it must get from private landowners. The company would have to cross some private land. The 24-inch diameter pipeline would move 9,500 gallons per minute. County board members have said theyre open to the idea of using rights of way but want to see more details. The mine proposal has been popular in Southeast Nebraska, with many locals investing in the startup. Nemaha County Commissioner Marvin Bohling said the mine would boost the area economy, and the pipeline would provide tax dollars for local governments. By that, you should be supporting it, he said. Well probably go to some public input or farmer input before making a final decision (on right of way), but I dont see any big major problems with it as of now. BURT COUNTY -- Two days after a rural Burt County man was killed by leaking anhydrous ammonia, pipeline officials will meet with area residents at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Magellan Midstream Partners of Tulsa, Oklahoma, will meet with people who were evacuated from their homes Monday night at City Hall in Decatur. Wednesday morning, Magellan officials said more than 50 company and pipeline contract representatives, federal regulators and state and local emergency responders are on site. They are working to repair a leak and said air quality readings continue to improve. "It is our goal to completely isolate the failed portion of the pipeline today, which will allow the reopening of local roadways," Magellan spokesman Tom Byers said in a news release Wednesday morning. "A decision to allow local residents to return to their homes will be made later today." *** George Kahlandt drives by the pipeline north of Tekamah every day on his way to help his nephew with the cattle. He didn't think much about it until late Monday night, when a set of flashing lights came up his drive. His wife, Sandra, saw the lights coming and opened the door. It was a couple Decatur volunteer firefighters. The 8-inch pipeline, owned by Magellan Midstream Partners of Tulsa, Oklahoma, had ruptured and leaked anhydrous ammonia. There was a poisonous cloud of gas in the area and they needed to leave. One man, 59-year-old Phillip Hennig, died and 23 homes within a two-mile radius had to be evacuated, and area roads were closed, including U.S. 75 going both directions between Nebraska 32 in Tekamah to Nebraska 51 in Decatur. Anhydrous is widely used as fertilizer and is transported as a liquid but turns into a gas when released. Area residents called authorities at 9:20 p.m. Monday to say they smelled anhydrous at 3310 County Road P, about 8 miles north of Tekamah and just west of U.S. 75. Being farmers, they knew (smelling) anhydrous was not a good thing," said Burt County Emergency Manager Terry Schroeder. "They started calling 911. Hennig left his home to investigate the smell. When he didn't return, his son, a recent high school graduate, went to look for him, said a relative, Joan Saxton. Nebraska State Patrols HAZMAT team, working with Tekamah Fire and Rescue, reached the site and removed Hennig's body just before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to Burt County Sheriff Robert Pickell. Hennig's son was evaluated at an area hospital and released, Saxton said. No other injuries have been reported. Magellan Midstream Partners reported 294,000 gallons of liquid anhydrous spilled, said company spokesman Bruce Heine. The company, which is working with state and federal regulators, is investigating the cause of the leak. Magellan, which had 25 employees and 21 contractors in Nebraska working on the situation, set up an emergency headquarters at the Decatur fire house. The company expected to have the pipeline fixed by Wednesday. Meanwhile, those evacuated either stayed with family or at a hotel paid for by Magellan. Completion of the repairs will eliminate the emissions coming from the site, allowing people to return to their homes and roadways to be reopened, Heine said. Schroeder said there are concerns shifting winds could carry the anhydrous cloud. Some people have been allowed to return to their homes briefly to get medications or to care for animals. They were accompanied by officials who monitored the air to ensure their safety. Larry and Christine Bucy stopped home to check on their chickens. The couple didn't evacuate their home until about 6 a.m. Tuesday when they woke up and saw a text from a neighbor suggesting they leave the area. Emergency responders came to their door the night before, but they slept through it. "We're such sound sleepers, we didn't hear them knocking," Christine Bucy said. The couple and several of their neighbors spent Tuesday night at a hotel just across the Missouri River in Onawa, Iowa, paid for by Magellan. Magellan shut off pipeline valves on either side of the leak and spent Tuesday emptying it of the remaining anhydrous, Heine said. The company had detected a loss of pressure in the system at about 9 the night before. Neighbors and friends described Hennig as a good man who was involved in the community, his church and 4-H. "It's a loss to the whole area," said Matt Connealy, a Burt County supervisor and former state senator. "This shows us we have to be very careful and figure out why this happened, so it never happens again." Heine offered condolences for Hennig's family and community. "There are no words I can give you that overcome the loss of a life. a gentleman lost his life last night that was near or in the cloud of vapor that was created from a release on our pipeline system," Heine said. "All the men and women who are here today have a heavy heart. Last night was a sad event for us. Today is a sad day and we're grieving with the family." The Magellan pipeline provides fertilizer in several Midwestern states. It starts near Borger, Texas, and travels through Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, with a branch that extends into Minnesota. The majority of the pipeline, including the rupture, is underground, although it does come above ground near where the leak happened. Anhydrous evaporates into a pungent gas with suffocating fumes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It causes rapid dehydration and severe burns when it combines with water in the body. Symptoms include burning eyes, nose and throat from breathing even small amounts. Higher exposure causes coughing or choking and death from a swollen throat or chemical burns to the lungs. DOVER A Kansasville man is facing his fifth operating while intoxicated offense following an arrest on Monday. Johnny R. Bryson, 48, of the 3500 block of South Beaumont Avenue, was pulled over Monday evening in the area of Highway 20 and Highway 45 North after his vehicle's registration was found to be suspended for emission-related reasons, according to a criminal complaint. A Racine County sheriff's deputy noticed Bryson's eyes were bloodshot and asked if Bryson had been drinking. Bryson reportedly said he had one drink at a Beaumont Avenue tavern. After completing standard sobriety tests, Bryson blew a .156 on a Breathalyzer test, according to the complaint. Bryson faces a felony charge for his fifth operating while intoxicated offense. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 26 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave. Bryson remained in custody as of Tuesday night at the Racine County Jail, online records showed. RACINE A Racine man was arrested Saturday after he reportedly sold cocaine on three separate occasions during an undercover operation. Robert E. Swanagan, 56, of the 1400 block of West Street, was taken into custody at about 11 a.m. Saturday. According to a criminal complaint, the first incident reportedly occurred in April when Swanagan met a purchaser in a McDonalds parking lot. The purchaser got into a car, was driven around the parking lot once and then exited the vehicle with 0.7 grams of cocaine, the complaint said. The second incident took place on June 8 at Save A Lot, 1500 State St., when Swanagan allegedly sold 1 gram of cocaine. The third incident reportedly took place on Sept. 2 in the 2900 block of Durand Avenue, where Swanagan sold 0.5 grams of cocaine. With the three incidents recorded, a warrant was issued for Swanagans arrest and he was detained Saturday morning. Police discovered 1.2 grams of cocaine on Swanagan at the time of the arrest, according to the complaint. Swanagan faces three felony charges for manufacturing and delivering cocaine and one charge for possession with intent to deliver cocaine. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 26 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave. Swanagan remained in custody as of Monday night at the County Jail, online records indicated. RACINE Robert Renteria has lived a life made for a Hollywood movie. In east Los Angeles, his alcoholic and heroin-addicted father abandoned the family when he was very young. With his mom working multiple jobs, Renteria started running with the wrong crowd and started selling drugs. That gang life would lead to Renteria being shot and stabbed. When he heard the news of his father dying in a half-way house, he decided to make a change. He would go on to get a GED certificate, he joined the U.S. Army and after seven years of service he left and started working as a salesman for commercial laundromat company of which he would eventually become the vice president. Now, decades removed from his troubled past, Renteria shares his story of perseverance in his book From the Barrio to the Board Room and by traveling from school to school to tell kids never to give up. Several students in the dual-language class at Gilmore have spent the last few weeks reading the book. In front of more than 100 seventh-grade students at Gilmore Middle School on Thursday, Renteria told them his story and about the mistakes he made including one story that wasnt in his book. I spent the next couple years like a dog chasing his tail ... until I made a drug deal that went bad, Renteria told the students. I delivered a briefcase full of cocaine to a buyer. He opened up the briefcase, said OK ... he opens up his briefcase to give me the money (and he) pulled out a gun. Renteria told the students about the fight that ensued, and his escape. Lunch with students Luis Hernandez, a seventh-grader, enjoyed the speech and the book. It was good, Hernandez said. I didnt like the part of what happened to his childhood, I felt so bad. Many of the students in the crowd could relate to the stories Renteria told. Who you hang out with is who you are, said Jose Cardenas, also a seventh-grader. For them, gangs arent something new. I dont talk to them, Hernandez said. You never know what they do when youre not there. Aside from Gilmore, Renteria also spoke at Mitchell Middle School and Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School. His visits were sponsored by Educators Credit Union. The stuff thats in this book is life, its real, Renteria said, adding that he hopes the students learn from his story. So (students) cant look back and say nobody told me. No. I told you. After the speech, Renteria joined the Gilmore dual-language class for pizza and conversation. Theyre living the life today that I lived back then, Renteria said. This is their story. Sophia Piliouras, teacher, said she was glad the students got to meet Renteria. A lot of our students are in a similar home situation and it shows them, like, Hey, if this guy can do it, I can do it as well, Piliouras said. Meeting Robert has actually put in perspective that this is actually real; this happened, this guy lived this life. RACINE Racine Lutheran High School Theater Department students will present Pat Cooks You Have the Right to Remain Dead, an audience-participation murder mystery sprinkled with comedy. The performances begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, and Saturday, Oct. 29. Heres what you can expect: Youve just settled down in a theater to solve an audience-participation murder mystery. The narrator (Jacob Lightner) comes out and gives the audience a few ins and outs on what to look for in the play. The show starts, and attendees meet Slim Daddy (Petr Jaros), a rich but vindictive southern gentleman with an equally conniving and scheming family. So you know whos going to die, right? But who will the murderer be? Will it be Sweet Mama (Maja Jovovic), Daddys pandering wife; Hyacinth (McKenzie Moore), the daughter whos always cleaning the familys firearms; Earl (Ben Young) the worm, or his overly amorous wife, Savannah (McKenzie Daanan); or Clete (Ben Jung), the sullen handyman who, for some reason, is in the will? Then, a body is discovered on stage during the performance. The director (Emma Montgomery) comes on stage and a police officer (Hannah Mains) arrives. Now the audience has to figure out who committed the murder. Oh, and the lights keep giving Trudy (Tianna Chambliss) problems by fading in and out. Not only does the audience question the cast, but they also are questioning you. Yes, you are a suspect as well. This frantic mystery-comedy will have audiences guessing until the last clue is dropped and the last ham overacts. Tickets, available at the door, are $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens (55+) and high school students, middle and grade school students are admitted free. Advance-purchase tickets can be reserved by calling the school at 262-637-6538. Going into the election, which is less than a month away now, it seems we have been talking about everything except the real issues. As this has been happening, just below our eyes, premiums for health insurance have been skyrocketing. Just this month, the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance announced the average rate increase is 15.88 percent for individual Affordable Care Act (ACA)-compliant health insurance plans in Wisconsin. That is just an average, stated Commissioner Ted Nickel. Consumers in some areas may see increases as high as 30.37 percent. While increases for Wisconsinites are lower than many other states, these rate changes and the recent exiting of numerous national carriers make it even more important for individuals to actively explore their health insurance options to ensure appropriate coverage. While individuals should actively explore their health insurance options and learn as much as they can about their plans, government officials need to fix this problem. The Affordable Care Act clearly is not affordable. That is no longer a partisan comment. In fact, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, recently joined the choir declaring that the federal health care overhaul is no longer affordable for more and more Minnesota residents. There, costs are going up as much as 67 percent next year for some, an increase blamed on a small and severely sick pool of insured people using the insurance. Because of the issues with Obamacare, some insurers have opted to leave Minnesota. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota is departing in 2017 and its the second major insurer to leave since the Affordable Care Act was implemented in 2013. Minnesota is not the only state with insurance companies leaving. Humana, Ambetter and UnitedHealthcare have said they are leaving the individual health plan market in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. And most recently, Arise Health Plan announced it will be abandoning the exchange. Health insurers that have left Wisconsins exchange and others around the country say they have been losing money despite receiving government subsidies for some of the plans sold through the exchange, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Even former President Bill Clinton joined in the criticism recently of the Affordable Care Act. Earlier this month, while on the campaign trail for his wife, Clinton called Obamacare the craziest thing in the world. So youve got this crazy system where all of a sudden 25 million more people have health care and then the people who are out there busting it, sometimes 60 hours a week, wind up with their premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half. Its the craziest thing in the world, Clinton said. He backstepped a bit the next day, saying, The Health Care Act did a world of good and for the first time in our history, at least are providing insurance to more than 90% of our people But there is a group of people mostly small business owners and employees who make just a little too much money to qualify for Medicaid expansion or for the tax incentives who cant get affordable health insurance premiums in a lot of places. And the reason is theyre not in big pools, Clinton said. So they have no bargaining power. That is just one of the many issues. Bill Clinton is right: this is crazy. Candidates need to concentrate on real issues and fix this. GREEN BAY Republican Donald Trump laid out proposals to combat government corruption here Monday in an effort to turn the glare of the presidential election spotlight back on Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump expressed confidence that he will become the first Republican presidential nominee since 1984 to carry Wisconsin -- despite trailing in several recent polls and lacking the enthusiastic backing of top state Republicans. At least four protesters were removed from the raucous rally, which featured derogatory chants from the crowd about House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville, with whom Trump has been sparring in recent weeks. But the billionaire real estate mogul didn't mention Ryan or urge support for U.S. Ron Johnson of Oshkosh, who is in a tough re-election rematch against Democrat Russ Feingold. "Im here because everyones calling saying were going to win Wisconsin," Trump said. Ryan, Johnson and Gov. Scott Walker didn't attend the rally. Trump downplayed polling showing Clinton ahead in Wisconsin, claimed "the media is an extension of the Clinton campaign" and continued to insinuate the election outcome will be rigged. He cited the many issues facing Clinton, including her use of a private email server while Secretary of State, deleted emails, allegations of favoritism to donors to the Clinton Foundation and the recent revelation that a state department official had offered a "quid pro quo" to the FBI to declassify a Clinton email. "Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt person ever to run for the presidency of the United States," Trump said to applause from a not-quite-capacity 3,200-person crowd at the KI Convention Center. "This is worse than Watergate." Declaring "we are going to end government corruption," Trump announced proposals to ban executive branch officials from lobbying for five years, including a permanent ban on lobbying for foreign governments. He also wants to expand definition of lobbyist to close loopholes that allow members of Congress to act as "consultants" for lobbying firms, and change campaign finance laws to limit foreign contributions. Before Trump took the stage, there were chants of "Paul Ryan sucks" as state GOP chairman Brad Courtney spoke. Courtney issued a statement after the event saying, "The Republican Party of Wisconsin is incredibly proud and fully supportive of Speaker Paul Ryan and the work he does for the conservative movement here in Wisconsin and across this great nation. He has always and continues to inspire Republicans all across our state with his principled leadership and bold conservative solutions." Trump popular in NE Wisconsin The Green Bay area is one part of the state where Trump has been leading Clinton in the Marquette Law School Poll 18 points in the latest poll, though that figure is based on a small 160-respondent sample. Statewide he is trailing Clinton by seven points among likely voters. The poll was conducted in the two days before and after an 11-year-old video surfaced showing Trump making predatory comments about women. In response to the video, Ryan disinvited Trump from a previously scheduled campaign appearance in Elkhorn on Oct. 8. Ryan later said he wouldn't defend nor campaign with Trump, prompting Trump to respond with tweets critical of Ryan's leadership. Trump tweeted over the weekend that Ryan -- whom he stiffly endorsed in August in Green Bay -- was a "man who doesn't know how to win" and a party leader who is "always fighting the Republican nominee." "Paul Ryan does zilch!" Trump also tweeted. In the speech Monday, Trump addressed allegations brought by several women in the last week that he touched them inappropriately. "The media is trying to rig the election by giving credence to false stories that have no validity," he said. Top Wisconsin Republicans have said Trump's comments were indefensible, but none has rescinded an endorsement. Democrats called on them to repudiate Trump. Do they stand with the Republican Party of old? The party of Lincoln. The party of Teddy Roosevelt. Or do they stand with Donald Trump? said U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison. Too many of our Republican leaders in this country are failing that moral test. Responding to the speech, Brad Woodhouse, president of pro-Clinton Super PAC Correct the Record, said Trump claiming elections are rigged is not only disrespectful to Americans, it attacks our country at its core. It is dangerous for Donald Trump to peddle lies and conspiracy theories to mislead his supporters and cast doubt on our democratic elections, Woodhouse said. Its shocking that this type of rhetoric is now in the stump speech of a major presidential candidate -- Donald Trumps words are a threat to democracy. 'Pitchforks and torches time' Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, a nominal Democrat who has increasingly backed Republicans, told the crowd: "It is pitchforks and torches time in America." Diane Cegelski, 55, an accounts receivable analyst from Green Bay, volunteered to hand out Trump-Pence signs at the rally, but was visibly emotional as she talked about the election. She's upset at Clinton and the media, but she's also upset at Trump, for not making her decision any easier by continuing to focus on himself. She said she's also upset at local officials like Johnson and Ryan for not supporting Trump by attending the rally. "I'm to the point where I might vote for president, but not the down ticket because I'm just sick of them all," Cegelski said. Susan Bloom, a psychologist in her late 50s from Mount Pleasant who got her "Wisconsin Women Love Trump" poster signed by Trump at the rally, said she thinks Ryan should support Trump more than he has been, but she doesn't blame the Speaker for his reticence. "I think he wants to pull the team together, but he doesn't want to focus on all the bad stuff," Bloom said. Sandy Duckett, 58, a nonprofit CEO from Green Bay and past president of Brown County Republican Women, said Trump is getting support in the Fox Valley area because "people are tired of business as usual." She said in the wake of Trump's comments about women, she went to a local party office and was "pleasantly surprised" to see it still bustling. "I think maybe people did take pause," Duckett said. "But looking at the choices we have and where he stands I think many people are frustrated we're not learning more about those other things against the other candidate." Contact State Journal reporters Matthew DeFour at 608-252-6144 or mdefour@madison.com and Molly Beck at 608-252-6135 or mbeck@madison.com. Mexico Looking At The Second Amendment? Posted by Dean Weingarten on October 11th, 2016 Mexico had a flourishing, legal, gun culture until 1972, when the Mexican government made private, legal, ownership of guns extremely difficult and expensive. The change in law was meant to disarm the political opposition and keep the existing power structure in place. The power structure has remained in place, but it has not flourished. Much of Mexico is contested ground, with narco-cartels that are not aligned with the Mexican government in armed conflict with the Government and its cartel allies. Private citizens are caught in the crossfire, abused by both sides, and denied the legal ability to arm themselves. There are plenty of firearms in Mexico. Most of them are illegal. It degrades what respect for law there is by Mexican citizens. A Mexican senator wants to change that. From chron.com: ............ Preciado stated that Mexicans, too, "have the right to legitimate self-defense, and if a criminal enters my house or my business, he should at least know that on the other side there could be someone that has a weapon with which to respond ... because we have organized groups that are completely armed and we have a society that is in a complete state of defenselessness." ...... After more than four decades of a ban on civilian gun ownership, it is perhaps surprising to read about a Mexican senator who sees the logic in a legally armed populace. With the climate of active drug cartels and associated shooting violence, it would seem to make sound sense for good people to be armed. Whether this will gain any traction remains to be seen. "You don't have to be Jewish to fight by our side." 2016 JPFO All rights reserved. jpfo@jpfo.org 1-800-869-1884 Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership 12500 NE 10th Pl. Bellevue, WA 98005 USA Americas most aggressive civil rights organization We make the NRA look like moderates Join JPFO Back to Top 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. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. Chinese team coming for West Seti talks in Nov Officials of China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) are scheduled to visit Nepal in November to continue negotiations to form a joint venture company with the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to build the West Seti Hydroelectric Project. CIAA Chief Karkis activities against decorum of his post: Minister Thapa Health Minister Gagan Thapa has remarked that Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Chief Lokman Singh Karki has been doing activities against the decorum of his post. CIEDP asks complainants to provide further information After the first screening of complaints, the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons has dispatched letters to all the applicants requesting additional information and evidences, if any, related to their case. Edu Minister Poudel promises to resolve long-running dispute Minister for Education Dhani Ram Poudel has assured that he working to resolve the long-running property dispute among Tribhuvan University (TU) and three universities. Ending monopoly of pre-flight service firms suggested A high-level taskforce formed by the Ministry of Labour and Employment has recommended the government take strong steps in ending the syndicate of Malaysia and Saudi Arabia in pre-departure health check-ups of Nepali migrants. Illegal mustard oil imports put local producers on brink The producers of mustard oil in Biratnagar are in crisis due to illegally imported mustard oil from the Indian market. India Bhubaneswar hospital fire kills at least 20 At least 20 people have died after a fire broke out in a hospital in eastern India, local police say. LMD struggling to dispose of expired drugs The Department of Health Service (DHS) in Teku is struggling to dispose of around 3,000 kilograms of expired drugstablets and liquidsfor the lack of proper technology. Maldivian Army Chief meets President Bhandari Military chief from the Maldives, Ahmed Siyam, paid a courtesy call on President Bidya Devi Bhandari at the latter's residence, Shitalniwas, on Tuesday. Maoist leader Shrestha off to China CPN (Maoist Center) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha has flown to China at the invitation of Communist Party of China. Market check stepped up as Tihar approaches The government has stepped up market inspection in the Kathmandu Valley to ensure consumers do not get cheated during the shopping rush that traditionally precedes the Tihar festival which occurs in the next fortnight. NC leader Mansoor warns of disintegration if statute amendment delayed Nepali Congress leader Farmullah Mansoor has warned of possible disintegration if the country fails to pay heed to the demands of constitution amendment put forth by disgruntled forces. Not invincible Conditions necessary to provide momentum to Nepali peoples battle against corruption are already present PM describes meeting with Modi and Xi as rare and pleasant Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who returned home on Monday after attending the Brics-Bimstec Outreach Summit in Goa of India, described his meeting with leaders from the neighbouring countries as rare and pleasant and even went on to say that there were some surprises as well. Protests after Chhath, Rai warns Ashok Rai, a senior leader of the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal, has warned of launching street protests soon after the Chhath festival if the government continued to be reluctant to go for a constitutional amendment. Provide autonomy Election Commission should be empowered to announce as well as organise elections SC summons to Karki: Third attempt to serve notice fails A Supreme Court (SC) team tasked with delivering a summons to Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) chief Lokman Singh Karki failed to serve the notice on Monday, third time in two weeks. And this time, it was due to obstruction from members of the so-called Ward Citizen Forum. Thailand says 'roadmap' to democratic rule unchanged by king's death Thailand's junta sought on Tuesday to reassure the country that the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej last week would not upend plans for a return to democratic rule, which include a general election in late 2017. A police surgeon in-charge of Naguru Health Centre IV has told the High court International Crimes Division that the leader of the Tabliq sect Sheikh Yunus Kamoga, the key suspect in the murder trial of Muslim clerics is sane. The first prosecution witness whose names and identity have been concealed told court that on the 21st/January 2015 he received instructions from police to examine the mental status of suspects including Sheikh Yunus Kamoga , Mudde Bukenya and Fahad Kalungi . The trial is being presided over by Judges Ezekiel Muhanguzi, Percy Tuhaise and Elizabeth Nahamya Earlier before this witness took to the dock, court had granted prosecutions request to protect the identity of its witnesses as the case is a sensitive one that could put other lives at risk. The witness has informed court that upon a thorough examination of the trio at the Special Investigations Unit Clinic in Kireka, he established that they were sane state, with no chronic illness or physical injuries. Kamoga is jointly charged with 13 other people with the murder of Sheikhs Mustafa Bahiga and Hassan Kirya and for threatening the lives of many more. Rubaga South MP Kato Lubwaama is asking Kampala Capital City Authority to exempt city garbage collectors from monthly dues as one of the means of ensuring a clean city. The law maker says resident in many divisions are enduring a strong stench emitted from garbage simply because some people are unwilling to pay garbage collection fees. The call follows a proposal by the City Authority to increase the dues under what is defined as a new city trade order. Lubwama suggests that registered companies be exempted from such fees so as to attract more garbage collectors for effective coverage of the city. Student of Moroto high school offering fine Arts subjects have complained over unclear instructions in the examination paper Students allege that instructions on how to arrange the items were not completed and the was examinations paper were not clear Fr. John Bosco Kutegana, the head teacher of Moroto high school confirmed the instruction from the fine art examination was not clear. He says it took the fine art teacher several minutes trying to arrange the items on how they should be, adding that if the teacher misfires then it will cause a very big problem to the students who could have passed the subject well. Meanwhile, when contacted on the telephone, spokesperson of Uganda examination board Hamis Kaheru said he was not aware of the above. Pastor Samuel Kakande has apologised for illegally excavating sand in a wetland. The mining has been taking place on a piece of land in Lwera within a 100-metre radius of Lake Victoria, contravening environmental regulations. Pastor Kakande through his attorney, Bernard Mutyaba blamed the rising level of water in Lake Victoria due to the damming of sections of River Nile for the construction of hydropower plants. Pastor Kakande has told the House Committee on Natural Resources that with the raising waters, it was difficult to identify the area where the 100 metres would stop. Kakande added that they have embarked on restoring the area. Moments earlier, the committees members Herbert Ariko, Thomas Tayebwa, Keefa Kiwanuka, Winfred Masiko and Andrew Baryayanga had questioned the legality of Aqua World Ltds activities. Ugandans use lunch breaks more to have sex than a meal, Ethics minister Simon Lokodo has said, warning that irresponsible sex is fueling spread of particularly HIV/Aids. In Kampala, sex is done without any respect; anywhere, anyhow, anytime with anybody, especially at lunch breaks where people go to lodges for sex instead of food, Rev Fr Lokodo said. HIV prevalence has lately been on a rise after years of steady decline, according to official statistics, raising concern that the increased infections are a result of complacence. Minister Lokodo made the comments on Monday during celebrations to honour legendary Ugandan musician and Aids activist, Philly Bongoley Lutaaya, who died of HIV-related infection in December 1989. His campaigns, including HIV/Aids awareness performances at schools, helped put a human face to the disease and fight the associated stigma. It is in this context that the government on Monday organised an event in his honour at Alebtong Primary School in Alebtong District on the theme, An Aids-free Uganda, my responsibility. The Member of Parliament for Ajuri County, Mr Denis Hamson Obua, urged the constituents to protect themselves against HIV/Aids. Marine Corps Special Operations Command has decided to shelve its custom .45 pistols and outfit its elite Raiders with the Glock 19. MARSOC has not yet responded to Military.coms questions for the story, but a source familiar the effort said the command made the decision within the last month. The move, first reported by Jeff Schogol of Marine Corps Times, follows a Marine Corps decision in February that a MARSOC operators to carry Glock pistols, since many of the elite outfit's members prefer the popular Glock 19 9mm handgun over the custom .45 pistols the service bought them in 2012. The reliable, easy-to-maintain 9mm pistol features a polymer frame and a 15-round magazine. The Marine Corps just completed an exhaustive search for a new MARSOC pistol in 2012. The service awarded a $22.5 million contract to Colt Defense LLC., for up to 10,000 Close Quarter Battle Pistols. The custom, 1911 design replaced the fleet of worn-out MARSOC M45 pistols. It features a rail for mounting lights, a custom trigger, a manual safety, improved ergonomics and glowing Tritium sights for low-light conditions. The new .45s are nice, but many MARSOC troops prefer to carry Glock 19s instead. One reason for the change is that 9mm ammunition and Glock replacement parts are available almost anywhere in the world, the source said. The decision is not that surprising since U.S. Army Special Operations Command has also chosen the Glock 19 for its elite units such as the 75th Ranger Regiment, the source said. ANGOLA The Steuben County Historical Society will host a presentation Thursday at Hershey Hall on the Trine University campus about the buildings namesake. Jim Penick, a retired teacher and military serviceman, will speak on Gen. Lewis Blaine Hershey at 7 p.m. on the second floor of Hershey Hall. Penick, a member of the Steuben County Historical Society Board of Directors, is a retired Metropolitan School District of Steuben County teacher who served in Vietnam at the time Hershey was managing the Selective Service System. Hershey remains a nationally known figure, one of our more prominent people from Steuben County, said Historical Society member Jim Somers. Born Sept. 12, 1893, Hershey served in France in World War I. He advanced to brigadier general in October 1940 under President Franklin Roosevelt. In 1941, Roosevelt named him executive officer of the Selective Service System, an office he would hold until age 79. As such, he was one of the very few allowed to serve beyond the mandatory retirement age of 64, said Somers. His duties spanned WWI, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Gen. Hershey was one of only three generals in the history of the U.S. Army to have served as a general during three major conflicts. He is known for taking a firm position toward draft protesters by advancing them higher in the draft list, until courts ruled against his actions, Somer said. Hershey died May 20, 1977, at the age of 83. Hershey Halls parking lot may be accessed directly from Summit Street off West Maumee Street. Refreshments will be served. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation urges people to avoid Hwy. 35 between Onalaska and Holmen if possible this week, and a detour of non-local traffic begins today. Hwy. 35 will see lane closures Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to make way for asphalt paving as the DOT gets close to finishing the project by the end of October. If the weather holds out, we may have a few little miscellaneous things to do, but we should have the bulk of the road open by the end of the month, project manager Todd Waldo said. Southbound traffic will close Tuesday and a detour will be posted from Hwy. 35 south to Hwy. 53, then to Main Street back to Hwy. 35. Northbound traffic will not be detoured. Northbound traffic will be shut down Wednesday, with the same detour directing people around it while southbound traffic remains open. On Thursday, the roundabouts at Riders Club Road and Mason Street will be closed for paving. The highway will be open up to Sunset Vista Court on the south end and Hilltop Drive on the north end for local traffic. If youre just driving through, take Hwy. 53 to Main Street, Waldo said. Local traffic will be directed by flaggers and accommodations will be made to get traffic across the closed lane Tuesday and Wednesday. The project has also changed driveway access for three area businesses: The Pour House, Breidenbach Chiropractic and Angelinis Restaurant. People will be able to get to them by way of Evergreen Way, Penny Lane and Sun Vista Road, respectively. Jonathan Hart for more than a year raped a young teen after telling her they were meant to be together in Gods eye. You took her childhood, her innocence and, in some ways, her life, the victims mother testified Tuesday. In Gods eye, youre going to hell. Its reprehensible to use religion to justify sexual assault, La Crosse County Circuit Judge Ramona Gonzalez told Hart before sending him to prison for six years. You did not have a relationship with a 13, 14-year-old girl. You sexually abused her, she said. You took your penis and you put it in a child, repeatedly. Hart, 47, brainwashed the victim by claiming they were in a spiritual marriage to pressure her into sex, assistant district attorney Noel Lawrence said. He justified a sexual relationship with a teen under his interpretation of the Bible, she said. This was no relationship. This was repeated sexual assault. Hart, of La Crosse, entered an Alford plea to one count of repeated sexual assault of a child for his conduct from 2014-15. The plea means he admitted no wrongdoing but conceded a jury likely would convict him. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to ask for no more than 15 years in prison. The assaults left the victim frightened and suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. Its surreal to me that were here today and the defense is going to argue that probation is appropriate, Lawrence said. He raped a child repeatedly. If justice means anything, than he deserves to go to prison today. Harts supporters described him as helpful and compassionate, a savior to those in need. I know he will show you that he is a good person, his daughter said. Please take mercy on him. Harts conduct was totally out of character, said his attorney, James Thibodeau, who argued that Hart is not a risk to the public. He asked the judge impose an extended period of community supervision with continued counseling. Hart, who also will serve four years on extended supervision, apologized to his victim and begged for forgiveness. MINDORO -- The fall rally of the Lutheran Women's Missionary Society Scenic Coulee Circuit will meet Sunday, Oct. 23. The meeting will be held at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Burr Oak. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m., followed by the meeting at 2 p.m. The guest speaker is a Christian doctor from Pakistan. He summarizes his presentation this way: "We will be giving a presentation about our work in Pakistan, which means how the Lord has blessed Pakistani Christians and Muslims through the WELS Gospel Ministry." Pakistani products can be purchased at the rally. The proceeds will help fund a Lutheran seminary in Pakistan. Christ Lutheran Church is at N9113 Hwy. 108, Mindoro. The American Red Cross needs donors to give platelets, which are used for cancer patients during treatment. During a platelet donation, blood is collected by a device that separates platelets from whole blood and returns the remaining blood components back to the donor along with a saline solution. The process takes two to three hours. Drives will be held at the office from 10:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. today and Wednesday, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, and 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit redcross.org. VIROQUA While rising property values mean the tax rate will fall, the Western Technical College District will levy $29.1 million, a 2.8 percent year-to-year increase. The Western Technical College District Board authorized the 2016-17 tax levy during its meeting Tuesday afternoon at the colleges Viroqua Regional Location. The levy will be $100,000 more than the budget projected when it was approved in June. Western Vice President of Finance and Operations Wade Hackbarth said the equalized property value of the district, which includes portions of eight western Wisconsin counties, increased by 3.46 percent to $18.5 billion. The rate will be down about half of 1 percent, he said, with a homeowner seeing a slight decrease on their tax bill if their property value remained unchanged from last year. The college, which will have $50.1 million operating and $125.1 million consolidated budgets, levied the extra money because of a $250,000 in state aid, even as the college focuses on flexible learning options for adults and online learners, as well as high school academies. The college expects tuition revenue to be flat, despite a 1.5 percent increase in tuition approved by the Wisconsin Technical College System board for all of its two-year campuses in the state. The original budget planned on a 3.5 percent increase in revenue from tuition due to the increase and a projection of a 2 percent increase in enrollment. Were not seeing any increase in revenue from tuition, Hackbarth said. The only increase in revenue for the current year is from the levy. To hear the many howls of protest from conservatives, you'd think that a handful of emails released by WikiLeaks demonstrates that Hillary Clinton's campaign is a nest of anti-Catholics. Fortunately for her, the emails, which are 4 to 5 years old, tell a far more interesting tale about the struggles inside the Catholic Church in the period before the ascendancy of Pope Francis. All journalism relying on WikiLeaks should note our government has accused Russia of trying to influence the American election. Voters need to be wary of Vladimir Putin's apparent preference for Donald Trump. But given the storm the Catholic emails have provoked, readers might want to make up their own minds by consulting the full texts. In one 2012 exchange between John Podesta, the founding president of the Center for American Progress and now Clinton's campaign chairman, and Sandy Newman, president of a group called Voices for Progress, Newman expressed the anger of many liberals at the time that conservative Catholic bishops were making the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate central to a critique of President Obama. Among other things, Newman (who is not part of the Clinton campaign) called for a "Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a middle ages dictatorship and the beginning of a little democracy and respect for gender equality in the Catholic Church." Of course many Catholics took offense, especially at that "middle ages dictatorship" line. Podesta didn't comment on it. He referred instead to progressive Catholic organizations formed after the 2004 election, when conservative bishops seemed to side with George W. Bush. "We created Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good to organize for a moment like this," Podesta said, referring to himself and his progressive Catholic allies. "But I think it lacks the leadership to do so now. Likewise Catholics United. Like most Spring movements, I think this one will have to be bottom up." Ironically, a "Spring movement" did arise in the church but from the top, with Pope Francis' election in 2013. Also ironically: Many of the conservative Catholics inclined to denounce the Clinton camp have been critical of Francis it gives new meaning to the term "more Catholic than the pope" while more liberal Catholics like Podesta have championed him. I should say I've known Podesta for many years and often heard him speak with affection for the church. In response to this controversy, he told me in an email that as "a lifelong practicing Catholic, I take very seriously the social and moral teachings of the church." Turning to Trump's "assertion that His Holiness, Pope Francis, was 'disgraceful' for standing up for immigrants," he said that Trump "may want to apologize for his attacks on Pope Francis before he levels attacks against us." The other exchange, between John Halpin and Jennifer Palmieri both were at CAP then, both are Catholic, and Palmieri is now Clinton's communications director was spurred by a report that Rupert Murdoch and a top Wall Street Journal editor had decided to raise their young children as Catholics. Noting how many leading conservatives are Catholic, Halpin wrote: "It's an amazing bastardization of the faith. They must be attracted to the systematic thought and severely backwards gender relations and must be totally unaware of Christian democracy." Palmieri replied: "I imagine they think it is the most socially acceptable politically conservative religion. Their rich friends wouldn't understand if they became evangelicals." Podesta was copied on the exchange, but didn't respond. This doesnt sound anti-Catholic, unless you see calling the church conservative as a slur. Its a commentary on how wealthy people view evangelicals. For his part, Halpin, who, like Palmieri, is Catholic, wrote Thursday that "my intention in this private note was not to insult Catholics or people of faith." He added: "I'm a progressive Catholic who was reacting in a private email to the arguments of leading conservatives who often misuse Catholicism to defend their agenda. Liberals can be just as guilty of this as conservatives. That's what makes Catholic social teaching powerful." The factual bottom line is that in private correspondence, the two Clinton campaign officials said nothing anti-Catholic, although they did not reproach the critical comments of their friends. As a progressive Catholic myself, here are the lessons I draw. Liberals are free to criticize religion in general or particular religions, but they should resist casual put-downs of Catholics and Christians that theyd condemn if they were directed at other faiths. Conservatives in the Catholic hierarchy need to pay attention to Pope Francis and ponder the high costs of tying a church with a rich tradition of social teaching to the right end of politics. Finally, this episode is part of an ongoing argument among more liberal and more conservative religious people, and it will long outlast this election. The following editorial appeared in Thursday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. President Barack Obamas call for a greater public-private partnership for space exploration in general and a Mars expedition in particular is just beginning to yield the kinds of technological breakthroughs necessary to convince ordinary people that this thing is possible by 2030. On Thursday, Obama attended the Frontiers Conference held jointly by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Of course, future missions to Mars and the development of the technology and international cooperation necessary to get humans there and back was high on the agenda, but wasnt the only subject of the conference. The conference also looked at community development, the potential of artificial intelligence in our civic and commercial life, the challenge of climate change and the burgeoning promise of precision health. This was a fundamentally optimistic gathering of some of the greatest minds in academia and the tech field and should generate even more cooperation across institutional lines. This is an exciting time to be a scientist contemplating big, world-changing moves in the coming decades. Like President John Kennedy, who inspired America to go to the moon after watching the Soviets put the first man-made satellite into space, Obama wants America, its international partners and the private sector to come up with ways of navigating the future despite slashed budgets and limited resources. Going to Mars and doing other things outlined in the Frontiers Conference will be hard. But the inspiration, will and intelligence is here to make it come about. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. If I were to distill a recent public discussion about the state of our nation to one word, it would be "worried." Not fearful, not angry, but worried about the future; about an election season that has made evil-clown sightings seem weirdly apt; but mostly about what will happen after the election. How do we mend the deep divisions that have evolved during this thoroughly nasty and, at times, X-rated campaign season? How does the country salve its wounds and reunite in common purpose? Audience members here at the Poynter Institute's "Community Conversation," at which I was invited to speak last Thursday, posed these and other questions. The 150 or so attendees were a cross-spectrum mix of students, professionals, retirees and a few notables a diverse group, in other words, with no protesters, rabble-rousers or armed combatants in search of a revolution. The latter may have been occupied in nearby Lakeland, where Donald Trump had pronounced a global conspiracy against him the day before. Clinton supporters at the Poynter event told me privately that they were afraid to put "Hillary" signs in their yards for fear of retribution, not from roaming vandals but from once-friendly neighbors. My suggestion that this campaign was reminiscent of the run-up to the Iraq War, when politically opposite friends avoided each other, was received with nods of agreement. Whether for Trump or Clinton, neither side can conceive of what compels the other. In this duplex of horrors, Clinton is a corrupt, lying, hypocritical career politician and Trump is a sleazy, lying, narcissistic, autocratic, (alleged) sexual predator. Ne'er the twain shall meet. Once the votes are counted, who knows what's next? President Obama's final two months may require his coolest touch yet. Meanwhile, the questions posed here did not readily present answers. What's needed, I posited half-seriously, is a superhero. Someone to rise from the marshes and cut through the fog of our discontent, someone who can summon our better angels and help restore the country's self-respect. At least for now, one is optimistic without reason. We can know with near certainty that a defeated Donald Trump will unleash the armies of Mordor, comprised of a fan base that will embrace his dark conspiracy theory that the election was rigged. To their minds, his loss couldn't possibly be linked to a very long list of objectionable, as well as dishonest, statements he's made, only one of which is the sex-talk video we needn't view again. Talking dirty has become the new normal, as anyone walking down a city street can confirm. And the objectification of women isn't remotely limited to Trump's warped view. As disgusting as Trump's verbal (and possibly physical) assaults have been and, yes, hurtful, too, as Michelle Obama so passionately said last week a certain contingent of his supporters are reluctantly willing to overlook the nastiness for the sole reason that they dislike Clinton more. Others aspire to loftier goals, such as preventing a liberal Supreme Court or reducing the tax burden with an eye toward economic growth. These are certainly legitimate reasons. But Trump's willingness to pave the way for a "revolution" were Clinton to win should be sufficient evidence that this man isn't fit for the office. To what extent are Trump sympathizers willing to express their disappointment? Well, who knows? But many will have seen the interview with a woman at a Trump rally last week who said she and her comrades are prepared to take their country back, cheerfully reminding the interviewer that "you're in the South. We're all Second Amendment pros." Is she talking about a well-regulated militia, perchance? This is the mindset Trump has nurtured these past many months. These are the people he will summon at the end. These are the reasons the less-emotionally taut are so worried. More worrisome still is the opposite result: What if Trump wins? We can presume that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be delighted, his possible WikiLeaks alliance having paid off. North Korea's Kim Jong Un, who has called Trump a "wise politician," will order extra platters of chicken wings to celebrate. As the Japanese proverb goes: When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends. Remember, too, that Trump has vowed as president to make it easier for people to sue the media, which, constitutionally, he can't. But as all authoritarian figures tend to do, Trump has to blame someone else for his failures. The media are handy bait for the credulous and misinformed. Don't be afraid, but be worried. Onalaska United Methodist Church, 212 4th Ave. N., will host a hospitality stop and trunk-or-treat event on Halloween night, Oct. 31, from 4 to 8 p.m. in the church parking lot. Trick-or-treating is a fun night for kids, but parents are often looking for a rest stop along the way. Our restrooms will be available. Free food and refreshments will be served. Contact the church office for more information at 608-783-3380. Campbell man accused of making secret nude recordings of wife Felony charges filed Monday against a town of Campbell, Wis., man accuse him of recording secret nude videos of his soon-to-be ex-wife. The woman told authorities she learned of one recording during divorce proceedings against Howard Weiss more than a year ago, according to the complaint filed in La Crosse County Circuit Court. Weiss, 48, said he "assumed" she knew he was recording their sexual contact on Feb. 16, 2015, but that it was "possible" she wasn't aware, the complaint stated. Authorities discovered seven recordings of the woman during a search of his house May 1, including one that captures Weiss covering the camera with a glass door. Prosecutors charged Weiss with seven counts of capturing an image of nudity without consent as a domestic abuse offense. His preliminary hearing is Oct. 25. Weiss' attorney said in court Monday he plans to file a motion to dismiss the charges. - La Crosse Tribune Viola woman faces charges in marijuana grow A 52-year-old rural Viola, Wis., woman faces felony charges after authorities seized about 75 pounds of cultivated marijuana from her growing operation in the town of Clinton, according to the Vernon County Sheriffs Department. Authorities arrested Juliee De La Terre on Saturday after a month-long investigation while she was at the site harvesting plants. She faces charges of manufacturing marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver when she appears Nov. 9 in Vernon County Circuit Court. She is free on a $2,500 signature bond. - La Crosse Tribune Search for missing man continues in Winona over the weekend Winona emergency responders continued searching the Mississippi River near downtown Winona throughout the weekend for a man missing more than a week. On Saturday, two pairs of divers went into the Mississippi near the city dock at Levee Park, as part of whats been described, and understood, as a recovery effort. Rescue crews and the Winona County Sheriffs Department and Dive Rescue Team searched until late in the day and continued their work on Sunday. The Winona Police Department was also at the scene Sunday helping with the work. Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude said searchers changed their methods, and sent two dogs out on a boat to smell the surface of the water to detect odors. Meanwhile, three boats were doing checks along the shoreline. The investigation continued until the end of the day. Chukwudi Benjamin Onyeaghala, 19, disappeared a week ago Friday, Oct. 7, first from the view of friends, and then from the few security cameras that glimpsed him. The Winona State University student from White Bear Lake had last been seen in the vicinity of Huff and Sarnia streets around midnight Friday. - Winona Daily News Rollingstone man charged after crashing into power pole, fleeing A tire-squealing takeoff ended in gross-misdemeanor charges against a Rollingstone man. Jonathan Richard Rose, 24, is charged with two counts of criminal vehicular operation (causing bodily harm and leaving the scene of the crash), and one count of failing to report a personal injury crash to police. According to the complaint filed against Rose in Winona County District Court, about 10:41 p.m. on Sept. 9 a pickup truck driven by Rose crashed head-on into a power pole on the 100 block of Main Street in Rollingstone. The truck sustained disabling damage to the front end, the air bags deployed, and the vehicle was leaking anti-freeze. The power pole suffered moderate damage, and a transformer was knocked off into the street and destroyed. When deputies arrived on the scene, they found the truck abandoned, with doors unlocked and ajar and keys in the ignition. Witnesses told law enforcement that the driver and two passengers left the scene in a silver Dodge pickup. Witnesses identified Rose as the driver, and the passengers as a 25-year-old Utica man and a 22-year-old man from Oakdale. The passengers were later located by deputies, and found to have been injured in the crash, one with injuries severe enough to be transported by ambulance for treatment. Two days later, Rose came to the Winona County Law Enforcement Center Sunday to claim his truck, which had been towed. He admitted he had been driving and that he intended to break em loose a little bit, but lost control and hit the power pole. He said he left the scene because he was afraid he would lose wages if his employer found he was involved in a crash. - Winona Daily News Calling all Italian food lovers: when bringing together an Italian-born chef, an Italian restaurant, and visiting chefs from Italy cooking with special imported Italian ingredients, the result is sure to be an event that is not to be missed. This October, Executive Chef Fabrizio Schenardi, who hails from Torino, Italy, will bring Italian guest chefs in partnership from the Italian Food Style Education (IFSE) Culinary School in Italy to prepare an Italian culinary extravaganza. Ravello at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort will be host to several events highlighting the Piemonte region of Italy, which the Italian American Heritage Foundation has declared the Region of Honor for 2016. In April 2015, Chef Schenardi was presented with the Paolo Bertani Award for his Italian culinary achievements by the Italian Academy of Cuisine and IFSE. During a trip to Italy this summer, Chef Schenardi was able to discuss collaborating with IFSE and Raffaele Trovato, the schools director. Im very excited to bring the IFSE professionals to Ravello and have our guests and local residents take part in a truly authentic Italian experience, says Schenardi. Raffaele Trovoto is one of the most highly regarded instructors and mentors, and I am looking forward to having him bring his talents to Four Seasons Resort Orlando. The three-day event will include Trovoto and other IFSE members, and will begin with a welcome tasting of imported Italian extra virgin olive oils with housemade breads, a decadent appetiser buffet, and wine tasting. Day two consists of a five-course Italian feast in Ravello and a dessert party in Capa; and a pop-up Italian Market will be offered Thursday through Sunday, to feature imported olive oils, wines, and housemade Italian pastries and desserts, from Chef Fabrizios bomboloni and biscotti to his housemade limocello and gelato. Visitors to the Italian Market can purchase these delicacies to-go, or can purchase and enjoy on property. A special Italian coffee lounge will feature delicious lattes, cappuccinos and more, to be enjoyed on the gorgeous outdoor terrace. Complimentary classes will also be offered to Resort guests and to the public. Event Details For all of the dining events, space is limited; guests must reserve their spot accordingly via the Eventbrite page. Thursday, October 27, 2016 Class: Introduction to Italian Olive Oils and Wines 5:00 to 6:00 pm Ravello Demonstration Kitchen This complimentary class provides an opportunity to learn about the different olive oil varietals and how to identify defects and positive attributes in both the oils and wines. Italian Olive Oil and Wine Tasting with Appetiser Buffet 6:00 to 9:00 pm Ravello Demonstration Kitchen and Terrace USD 35 per person (tax and gratuity are included) Taste unique wines from Piedmont, Italy, and enjoy a delicious buffet of Italian appetisers and an assortment of imported olive oils with fresh baked breads. Friday, October 28, 2016 Class: Introduction to Italian Olive Oils and Wines 6:00 to 7:00 pm Ravello Demonstration Kitchen This complimentary class provides an opportunity to learn about the different olive oil varietals and how to identify defects and positive attributes in both the oils and wines. Italian Feast Five-Course Dinner 7:00 to 9:00 pm Ravello (note, weather permitting, this dinner will be enjoyed on the outdoor terrace of Ravello) USD 175 per person (tax and gratuity are included) Experience a decadent Italian feast that will transport attendees to feel as if theyre in Piemonte, Italy for the night. Featuring housemade pastas, gourmet breads and olive oils, and the exclusive white Alba truffle from Italy, this dinner will be a memorable experience. In Italy, throughout the month of October, the White Truffle Festival is one of the oldest Italian truffle festivals that remains widely attended year after year. Following the dinner, guests will delight in a Dessert Party held in a private dining room at the Resorts rooftop restaurant, Capa. Indulge with Italian desserts such as tiramisu and cannoli, an Italian coffee bar, and housemade gelato served from the Resorts whimsical custom gelato bike. Conclude the evening with a Spumante Metodo Classico toast and the Magic Kingdom Park fireworks display, viewed from the Capa terrace. Italian Dessert Party 9:00 to 10:30 pm Capa USD 25 per person (note, the Dessert Party is included for those who purchase a ticket to the Italian Feast) Enjoy an indulgent dessert buffet of Italian delights, such as tiramisu and cannoli, and an Italian coffee bar. Conclude the evening with a Spumante Metodo Classico toast and the Magic Kingdom Park fireworks display, viewed from the Capa terrace. Saturday, October 29, 2016 Coffee Class 11:00 am 12:00 noon Ravello Demonstration Kitchen Learn how to make savory dishes featuring Italian coffee at this complimentary class. Il Mercato Italiano Italian Marketplace Thursday October 27 Sunday, October 30, 2016 6:00 to 9:00 pm Stop by the Ravello Demonstration Kitchen, transformed into Il Mercato Italiano. The marketplace will feature imported olive oils, wines, and more for sale, in addition to housemade Italian pastries and desserts, from Chef Fabrizios bomboloni and biscotti to his housemade limocello and gelato. Visitors to the Italian Market can purchase these delicacies to-go, or can purchase and dine on property. An Italian coffee lounge will feature delicious lattes, cappuccinos and more, and Giuso ice cream will be available as well, perfect to enjoy on the gorgeous outdoor terrace. This is a non-ticketed event guests can come in at leisure each night to shop and enjoy. Post a Comment Nicht Ihr Computer? Dann konnen Sie fur die Anmeldung ein Fenster zum privaten Surfen offnen. Weitere Informationen This is Whats Trending Today. Something called a supermoon rose at night on October 15 and 16. That is when the moon is full, closer to Earth than usual, and lit by the sun. NASA made a video explaining why the moon is sometimes closer to Earth than other times in its orbit. The moons orbit around Earth is not a perfect circle. It is shaped like an oval. The moon is about 48,000 kilometers closer to Earth on one side of its orbit than the other. A supermoon happens when the Earth is between the sun and the closer-than-usual moon. The sun lights up the moon during the Earths nighttime, and since it is closer than usual, it looks very large and bright. Last weekends supermoon was the first of three supermoons of 2016. The next supermoons will take place on November 14 and December 14. The November supermoon will be extra super. In fact, it will be the closest full moon of the 21st century, so far. The full moon will not be that close to Earth again until the year 2034. Many people who saw the October supermoon took pictures. Bruce Neumann took a photo in New York City of the moon above the Statue of Liberty. NASA posted a time-lapse of the moon rising above the Antares rocket on its launch pad. A Twitter user in Greece posted a photo of the moon rising above the Acropolis site in Athens. Another photographer posted a photo on Twitter of Cape Town, South Africa. It shows the moon above the glowing night lights of the city. People who saw the images reacted by posting comments. They used words like amazing, phenomenal and stunning. And thats Whats Trending Today. Im Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Did you see the supermoon? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story oval adj. having the shape of an egg : shaped like a circle that is longer than it is wide glowing adj. having a warm color time-lapse adj. used to describe a way of filming something in which many photographs are taken over a long period of time and are shown quickly in a series so that a slow action (such as the opening of a flower bud) appears to happen quickly amazing adj. causing great surprise or wonder : causing amazement phenomenal adj. very good or great : unusual in a way that is very impressive stunning adj. very beautiful or pleasing The memory of a beloved pet inspires one couple's fight against injustice. Fatih Karahan and Darius Li Geographic mobility is thought to be important both for economic mobility and for the efficiency of a labor market in allocating the right people to the right jobs. Accordingly, the willingness of the U.S. workforce to move is a factor behind the greater dynamism of the U.S. labor market compared to Europe. While Europeans tend to be more reluctant to move to distant places within their respective countries, the idea of moving across state borders for a job has been woven into the fabric of the American Dream. However, the image of the United States as a mobile nation has changed substantially over recent decades. This post investigates the role that demographic shiftsin particular, the nations aging populationhave played in the recent decline in interstate migration. About 3 percent of the working-age populationdefined as people from ages 25 to 59moved to a different state in a given year during the 1980s, as shown in the chart below (see the red line). Starting in the 1990s, this rate declined steadily, falling below 1.5 percent by 2010. While part of the decline can be attributed to the Great Recession, the bulk of this phenomenon took place over the course of several decades and is unlikely to be related to the business cycle. According to data from the 1998-2013 March Supplements to the Current Population Survey (March CPS), slightly more than half of interstate migrants said they moved for employment-related reasonsa category that includes moves undertaken for new jobs, job transfers, and easier commutes (see table below). Roughly a quarter of interstate migrants cited family-related reasons, while the remaining quarter noted other motivations such as health, better housing, climate, and, in recent years, foreclosures. Given the role of mobility both for individual labor market outcomes and for the overall efficiency of the aggregate labor market, the long-run decline in migration rates could indicate a decline in overall labor market dynamism. Many policymakers have worried that lower mobility is associated with a more rigid economy where workers cannot move to locations with good jobs. Lower mobility might cause the labor market to be slow in adjusting to shocks, making downturns longer and recoveries slower. To understand the consequences of declining migration, one needs to first determine whether the decline stems from the inability of workers to move (for example, owing to rising moving costs) or if it is an efficient response of the labor market to a changing environment. This post investigates the role of demographic shifts in this decline, in particular population aging. The fraction of middle-aged people (ages 40 to 59) in the working-age population has increased from around 45 percent to nearly 60 percent over the past three decades (see the blue line in the chart above). Previous research has established that mobility rates fall precipitously between ages 25 and 40, and then stabilize in older ages. Coupled with this pattern, the shift toward an older population may explain why overall migration rates have fallen. In order to quantify this direct effect, we calculate counterfactual migration rates for each year after 1980 by fixing the age-specific migration rates to 1980 levels and taking the weighted average of these fixed migration rates using the actual age composition of the population. In this measure, represented by the red line in the chart below, changes in the migration rate are entirely the result of shifts in the age composition. Consistent with the observations above, population aging does indeed push down the migration rate, but it can explain less than 20 percent of the decline we have observed. A natural consequence of this observation is that most of the decline in interstate migration actually reflects a decline common to all ages. And in fact, as shown in a 2013 Federal Reserve Board working paper, the migration rates of all age groups have fallen (see chart below). What caused young and middle-aged people to move less over time? While there are different hypotheses, a recent New York Fed staff report finds that the decrease in mobility is owing to an indirect effect of population aging. In essence, firms might respond to changing demographics by changing how and where they recruit workers. They can do a local search or engage in a geographically broader search, which could be nationwide. Middle-aged people are less likely to look for jobs in distant labor markets, possibly because they face higher moving costs because they have families or existing local networks. Thus, a firm engaging in a nationwide search is more likely to attract younger applicants, while a firm engaging in a local search is more likely to face an older pool of applicants. According to this theory, an increase in the share of middle-aged people in a market makes local recruiting more cost effective. As a result, firms tend to look more for local workers, increasing the prevalence of job postings targeted to local job applicants. An immediate effect is that younger workers in a labor market with an aging population have an easier time finding local jobs and thus do not have to move out of state to find a job. While this indirect channel is difficult to observe empirically owing to the lack of data on firms recruiting strategies, the theory has several implications that can be tested empirically. First, all else held constant, the migration rate of an individual should be lower in a labor market with an older population. Second, as a result of firm response to population aging, the share of hires from within a labor market (local hires) should be higher in a location with an older population. We test these two implications by exploiting cross-state variation in demographic shifts. While population aging is an aggregate phenomenon, its timing and extent differ quite widely across states. The age composition in a state likely depends on labor market conditions in that state. Therefore, one cannot directly relate migration rates to demographics, as these are jointly determined. To overcome this empirical challenge, we use lagged birthrates in a state to generate variation in the age composition that is not related to current labor market conditions. To test the first implication of the theory, we control for a range of individual characteristics such as age, education, marital status, and so on, and run a model of migration on the age composition of the state where the worker lives. The first column of the table below shows that an individual who lives in a location with a 10 percent higher share of middle-aged people is 31 percent less likely to move. Combining this estimated indirect effect with the direct effect of the rise in the share of middle-age people over the past three decades, we find that population aging can explain about 1.3 percentage points of the 1.5 percentage point decline in migration. To test the second implication, we follow a similar strategy and estimate the relationship between the share of middle-aged people in the state and the share of local hires. The second column of the table shows that the share of local hires increases with the share of middle-aged people. In particular, a 10 percent rise in the share of middle-aged people implies a 30 percent rise in the share of local hires. A natural consequence of the firm response is a shift toward local hiring in the aggregate. The chart below uses data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and plots the fraction of distant hireshires from outside the statein a given year. Interestingly, consistent with the hypothesis, employers have become less likely to hire workers from a different labor market. In particular, the share of distant hires from unemployment has decreased roughly 2 percentage points. Quantitatively, our estimates imply that the direct and indirect effects of population aging can explain at least half of the decline in migration. Overall, data lend strong support to the indirect effect of population aging, which is a consequence of the employer response to changing demographics. In short, a young individual today is moving less than a young person did in the 1980s because of the higher presence of older workers. These findings suggest that the declining trend in interstate migration is a response of the labor market to an aging population and does not necessarily signal a decline in the markets dynamism or efficiency. Disclaimer The views expressed in this post are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System. Any errors or omissions are the responsibility of the authors. Darius Li is a senior research analyst in the Group. How to cite this blog post: Fatih Karahan and Darius Li, What Caused the Decline in Interstate Migration in the United States? Federal Reserve Bank of New York Liberty Street Economics (blog), October 17, 2016, http://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2016/10/what-caused-the-decline-in-interstate-migration-in-the-united-states.html. For voters, a lot goes into casting a ballot. Part of that calculation almost always includes whether or not the candidate can make voters lives easier. Americans for Prosperity Florida have made a claim against Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate Patrick Murphy making the case that life will be much more difficult under his leadership. In a mailer sent out recently, the A.F.P. said, Patrick Murphys pay more energy agenda means you could pay another $500 a year for your utility bills! PolitiFact Florida heard the claim and put it to the Truth-O-Meter. It received a MOSTLY FALSE rating. Writer Josh Gillin said the rating has to do with Murphys support for the Environmental Protection Agencys Clean Power Plan. Judges have issued a stay on the rules, but in the meantime analysts have tried to figure out the plans impact if enacted. One suggested the impact would amount to a cost of $464 per year being passed onto the consumer. Now, the group that did that has since said thats an outdated estimate. And a lot of other people told us its a very high estimate. Some places say, that in the long run, youll save money on your electric bill or your gas bill because of that, Gillin said. For that reason, the A.F.P.s claim received a MOSTLY FALSE rating. SOURCES: Paying more in utilities after November election? The citys emergency manager, Scott Ehlers, 54, was sworn in on Monday as the new Chief for Clearwater Fire Rescue and firefighters hope he can turn around the scandal plagued department. Clearwater has new Fire Rescue Chief Scott Ehlers, 54, was sworn in on Monday He takes over during a turbulent time for agency Its a tremendous feeling to be taking over this department, Ehlers said. We have great men and women who respond to the citizens needs on a daily basis and do a phenomenal job. Ehlers has 38 years of fire experience, served as Tampa Fire and Rescues assistant chief of operations and was hired in 2014 as emergency manager for Clearwater. Ehlers replaced Robert Weiss, who was appointed Fire Chief in May of 2011. Weiss took over when Fire Chief Jim Geer was fired in December of 2010, after being arrested for capital sexual battery. In April of 2012, Geer was found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage girl for years and was sentenced to life in prison. Since 2012, CFR has also seen a string of sexual misconduct cases at its fire stations. Earlier this year, a supervisor and his subordinate were suspended for allegedly having sex while on duty. In February, assistant fire chief Ron Gemsheim was caught on 7-Eleven surveillance video shoplifting an energy drink while in uniform. Gemsheim resigned a week later and plead no contest to the theft charge in August. A judge adjudicated Gemsheim guilty. The citys emergency manager, Scott Ehlers, 54, was sworn in on Monday as the new Chief for Clearwater Fire Rescue. Ehlers said any large organization with more than 200 employees will likely have a few personnel issues. I dont think its any different from any other agency, department or business thats out there, he said. We need to focus in on and take care of, like theyve done with those incidents, quickly and efficiently. The same week Ehlers was sworn in, surveillance cameras were being installed at the fire stations. The citys human resources department recommended installing the cameras to help combat the sexual misconduct and increase security at the fire stations. In August, the city council approved $500,000 to purchase the cameras. Ehlers did not say whether he supports the increased surveillance but called it one tool in his box. Theres HR development that we need to do at the first line supervisor levels that I think will enhance how our front line supervisors deal with the personnel at those stations, he said. Its not a broke system at all and I look forward to working with all the individuals. Fire Union President Sean Becker said firefighters welcome the change in leadership. We are happy. Promoting internally is good, he said. The low morale is starting to pick up. Chief Ehlers may be the one to bridge the gap between the city and the fire department. Chief Ehlers said one of his goals is foster more openness with the rank and file. My focus is to be as visual as possible for the troops out there in the field. To know that their leader is right there with them, he said. Overall, Ive said this before, the departments very healthy. Just days after his tweets asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise for visiting his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Lahore, Kashyap took to Facebook to clarify his tweets. Kashyap made the remarks as Indian filmmakers like Karan Johar are being penalised for casting Pakistani artistes in their films, against the backdrop of the current escalating bilateral tensions. Read the full report here: Anurag Kashyap tweets to PM Modi, asks him to apologise for Pakistan trip Predictably, the tweets got Kashyap a lot of backlash from trolls on social media, although the filmmaker staunchly defended his right to ask questions of his country's elected head. There were also several who thought that Kashyap had actually raised a valid point and that filmmakers shouldn't have to bear the brunt today for actions they had taken back when relations between India and Pakistan had thawed. Firstpost's Akshaya Mishra pointed out in this well-argued piece: Anurag Kashyap has raised a valid question; Prime Minister Narendra Modi must answer A counterpoint was provided by Sohini Chakravorty, who wrote: Anurag Kashyap's demand for a Narendra Modi apology is just misplaced Kashyap finally took to Facebook on Tuesday to write an extensive explanation of just what his tweets had meant: "It's unfortunate that I have to explain the intention behind my tweet, because others and my industry colleagues have (had) to suffer for my opinions," Kashyap wrote at the star of the post, before going on to write: "I am tired of the film industry being soft targets. We are damned if we do, damned if we dont! When we dont involve ourselves, they ask, 'Why is Bollywood quiet now?'. When we involve ourselves, we become scapegoats to distract you from the real news. Either way (we are used) to sensationalise news." "NO, Anurag Kashyap did not 'ask the PM to apologise' (which most of the headlines would want you to believe), I merely questioned the fairness of a situation: the PM visited Pakistan for talks at the same time that a filmmaker was working with a Pakistani actor. Neither was aware of future events or mood. Yet only one pays the price." He also addressed the criticism against his tweets with these lines: "Im well aware that the government did not cry 'BAN' or demand that Pakistani artistes be sent back. Just as Im aware that the PM himself doesnt censor my films. But we elected them and so it is their responsibility to protect us from bullies media or political parties. And when the governing party's designated members don't respond in hours of crisis because they are second guessing the mood of the PM, then I would rather talk straight to the PM himself." Read Anurag Kashyap's Facebook post here: Karan Johar has finally broken his silence on the Pakistani actors ban, with regard to Fawad Khan in his upcoming film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. The director, in his defence that the film should be released, has claimed that from now on he will not cast Pakistani artistes. "There's been some talk about why I've been silent over the past few weeks. I need to say this. Nothing else matters to me but the country. The climate and circumstances were different when I shot Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, in September to December last year. There were efforts made by our government to make peace with our neighboring. I respected the sentiments then and I respect the sentiments of the country now," he said. Johar adds, "But it's not fair to scrap the film now. I respect the country's sentiment today. I condemn terror and have immense respect for the Army. But to ban the film is unfair to my crew." "I remained silent as I was hurt, and I had a deep sense of pain. I was hurt for being called anti-national. For me my country comes first. I have always felt the best way to spread patriotism is through love. And I try to do that with my cinema. I understand the current sentiment because I feel the same. With that same energy, I urge you to understand that there are over 300 plus Indian people on my crew who have paid with blood, sweat and tears for my film. This is unfair to them. Of course, I condemn any form of terrorism, especially the kind the affects my people, my country. In the future, I will not cast Pakistani artistes," he said. Karan Johar's video, in which he can be seen almost groveling, comes as a response to the veiled threats by MNS of vandalising the theatres that will screen Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) and the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India (COAEI) have also banned Pakistani artistes from appearing in Indian films, as a response to the Uri attacks that occured on 18 September. Watch Karan Johar's video here: By Sharanya Dutta Its festive season, and its impossible to look through newspapers or magazines without being attacked by a barrage of excitable advertisements featuring beautiful people. Indo-Pak sabre-rattling and surgical suspicions with a side of Manyavar suits and Nakshatra Jewellers. We should be glad for this raunak in our lives but we have one question to ask. Why are female celebrities always made to do bizarre things in our ads? Here is a newspaper spread from recent times. While Farhan Akhtar looks the part of a legit country musician and lives by his code (in the oh-so-subtle punny ad for Code by Lifestyle), Kangana Ranaut has been stuck in this stomach-pain-miss-can-I-go-home pose in the she version of ad. Please note that she perseveres and does not go home because shes pretty damn strong). Then we have baniyan-ed Saif advertising Amul Macho bade aaram se. But this aaram is not for the women in the ads. In one, ghungroo-ed and ghoonghat-ed Sana Khan is out at the ghaat, shy because the other women are judging her. Suddenly she unveils herself to reveal a pair of her husbands blue underwear (whose elasticity seems directly proportional to the number of orgasms it can give women looking at it). This is known as Amul Machos toing factor. Crafted for Fantasies (the tagline) seems to work for Sana, who were supposed to imagine orgasms by the time shes done washing it. In another bizarre ad, orangutans steal her husbands tighty-whities and then play out a fantasy. Were not very sure we understand this one, to be honest. We used to associate chocolate with sugar rushes and some childlike pleasures. But check this out Dairy Milk ft the Big B is limited to glee, but the womans face must be coated in chocolate, in a shot tiresomely inspired by ancient porn. Then there are the deodorant ads. Axe used to have the monopoly over sexist advertisements in this department, but Wild Stone decided to give them a run for their money. About the Axe Anarchy ad, Kyle Marancos, senior brand building manager of Axe, says, Men and women are driven by attraction, and Axe provides the spark they need to act on that attraction. Wild Stone just inserts women, mid-orgasm, everywhere. The men all show off their immaculately shaved chests and heavy-duty muscles, and women are either draped around them like so much sexy seaweed, or like in this case, Diya Mirzas best come-hither look. Also, it seems like the smaller the company, the more they feature scantily clad women as bait. Honestly, by this point we expect condom ads to be sexist. The women, even Sunny Leone, need only be pursued, penetrable, yielding. While the men, such as Durexs favourite Ranveer Singh, are active, celebratory and in jolly pursuit of the next lay. When Levis released the Live Unbuttoned collection, we knew who theyd be unbuttoning first. But it still doesnt explain why Kangana Ranaut (who, according to Google search looks her sultry best in an enticing Levis ad) may as well have been advertising Fevicol. And finally, everyones all-time favourite. We are supposed to imagine that Katrina Kaif would deep throat that bottle/hived mango if she could either that or she has learnt to imbibe the mango goodness directly through her skin, and it feels soooo gooood. King Khan just decides to use the Frooti as an ice-pack sans orgasms and thats okay. The government is considering a ban on celebrities for starring in misleading ads. What exactly constitutes misleading, we wonder? Hyper-masculinity? Aphrodisiac deodorants? Mangoes substituting for dildos? Advertising agendas of Buy Product, Get Orgasm Free or Here are some boobs are getting a bit old, dont you think? In case you thought we were only citing dated ads, here is a collage of an ad from the 1960s and one that was featured in the Times of India on 9 October 2016. Guess which is which. The Ladies Finger (TLF) is an online womens magazine The consumer internet-based companies' mantra of burning loads of investors' cash to offer discounts to customers may be coming to an end, at least in the taxi aggregation segment. Even as India's e-commerce companies such as Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and others continue to offer hefty discounts through their sellers to gain market share, their counterparts in the country's growing transportation segment seem to be slowly moving towards economies of scale. Both, the home-grown taxi-hailing app company Ola and the US giant Uber are charting out strategy to boost their revenues and prune costs. The decision is more or less to move away from the earlier stance of offering cheap fares to customers, who usually prefer state-owned buses, local taxis and three-wheelers for transportation purpose. In a series of steps focussed on improving the revenue metrics, Ola and Uber have started raising fares in several cities, says a report in The Economic Times. Besides this, the companies are also slashing the incentives paid to drivers and stepping up vigilance to curb fraud by drivers, the ET report said. A day before, an Ola executive admitted that predatory pricing is detrimental to the industry, and would react to competition in a way to ensure there is no monopoly in the Indian market. "In its totality, predatory pricing is detrimental to the industry. In the long run, this will not benefit anyone and it never has in the past. Being an aggregator, we have to react to competition. We live in a competitive market," Ola Chief Operating Officer Pranay Jivrajka has been quoted as saying in the report. Among the steps taken, Ola has cut drivers' incentives in Delhi by as much as 20-40 percent over a year ago period. Citing an example, the company says it now pays Rs 2,400 as incentive to a driver in Delhi as against Rs 3,000 a year ago, the ET report added. Ola's arch rival Uber last week raised fares in the Delhi-NCR region for distances over 20 km. This is in addition to the prices being increased in Bengaluru and Hyderabad a year back, mainly to incentivise drivers. Ola's Jivrajka on Monday also said that the company has been working on adding auto-rickshaws and black-yellow taxis on its platform as part of its "inclusive approach" towards sustainable growth. "This is in the interest of the ecosystem and we are receptive to any ideas that protect drivers and customers interest. Predatory pricing is detrimental to the industry and we all have to figure out how to prevent that. Once we come up with a solution and that will be true for everyone," he added. Both the companies through their ride hailing app business spent around $30-40 million per month each to prop up their market share and attract customers. "The focus is on building a real business now. The supply game on quantity in Ola's view beyond a point does not build anything of value," the ET reported quoting an investor in Ola. The move to cut back costs and improve profitability also comes at a time when Ola is looking to raise fresh capital in order to stave off competition from the cash-rish Uber. Last week, the Bengaluru-headquartered Ola said it may soon start a fresh round of fund-raising exercise, and could raise around $500 million from its existing investor SoftBank, a Times of India report said. Compared to a $69 billion valuation commanded by Uber, Ola's valuation currently stands at just $5 billion. The decision to raise funds by Ola comes at a time when the US rival is flush with capital following its exit from China where it sold its business to its competitor Didi Chuxing. Backed by venture capitalist, Ola has a war-chest of $1.2 billion, while Uber will divert a big portion of $10 billion it raised from Didi into the Indian market. Although the decision to drive into profitability offers long-term sustainability for these taxi hailing firms, it would be interesting to see whether the move could pose a challenge for them going ahead. With PTI inputs Ludhiana: India can play a major role in providing strength to global economy that is facing slowdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today, while exhorting small businesses to make products with "zero defect" and "zero effect" on environment. He also stressed upon the need to promote Khadi industry. Modi, who distributed 500 wooden charkhas to women, said there was a time when Khadi was used as a tool in fight for Independence now it should be used for fashion. "Things are different today. See how well Khadi is marketed now. Earlier it was only 'Khadi for nation', now it's also 'Khadi for fashion'," he said. Appealing to people the use Khadi products, he said that it is a priority for India as a Charkha at home brings more income. "I urge entrepreneurs that they participate in ZED (zero defect, zero effect) movement. At least 10 lakh units should come forward. We have set 50 parameters to meet ZED certification standard. Please enable yourself to comply with those," the Prime Minister said addressing at National Award function for MSME. Modi also launched ZED Certification Scheme for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and SC/ST HUB for providing support to entrepreneurs. "The spirit of entrepreneurship among Dalits will benefit us. There are youngsters whose dreams are to create enterprises and jobs," he said. Modi stressed that MSME was crucial for India's economy and said "our aim should be to target the global markets". He also said India today is the fastest growing major economy in the world and amid global slowdown, India is providing strength to the world economy. "For India's economic progress, the MSME sector is crucial," he said. With an initial outlay of Rs 490 crore, the hub launched today will work towards strengthening market access/linkage, monitoring, capacity building, leveraging financial support schemes and sharing industry-best practices. Modi also went around an exhibition and tried his hand at a Charkha. After giving national awards to MSMEs, he said the central government was working to give boost to small and medium enterprises. Noting that India aim should be to target global markets, Modi told the entrepreneurs that government stands shoulder to shoulder with them to realise this aim. He said that India is fastest growing economy in the world. Modi said that despite two earlier years when there was drought and when agriculture production dropped considerably, it was the manufacturing sector, especially MSMEs, which ensured that country had a steady economic growth rate. He said at a time when world economy was facing slowdown like the one witnessed in 2008, India's economy was strong and was giving strength to world economy. On promoting Khadi, Modi, who also moved the spinning wheel here, said the sector provide self employment opportunities, especially to women, and helps to realise Mahatma Gandhi's dream to strengthen rural economy. Modi, who visited a Khadi stall, said he was impressed to see the changes in the quality of Khadi and its packaging. "During country's Independence movement, the mantra was Khadi for nation..today's mantra is Khadi for fashion, if we give boost to this, it will help bring change in rural landscape," he said. Modi appealed to the people to buy more and more Khadi products including during festivals like Diwali, and make Khadi part of one's wardrobe. He said that be it tribals or Dalits, they too have bigger aspirations and need of the hour was to provide them right opportunities. "If they get opportunity, they can contribute even more to change the fortunes of our country," he said. SC/ST entrepreneurship has to be promoted and given a boost, he said. About ZED scheme, he said times have undergone a change and common consumer is not willing to make compromise on quality. He also asked the small and medium entrepreneurs to look beyond Indian markets and said our aim should be to adopt global standard in quality control and make our presence felt in international markets. Modi also said how one used to blindly trust when one found "Made in Japan" mentioned on any product, because of the global standard in quality which that nation had adopted. "Can't we have the same identity for Make in India products. We have to move ahead with this dream," he said, adding that it was also important how we package our products. He also said, "Our new generation wants to innovate and take bold steps. New products will have to be introduced and Start up supports innovation." Lucknow: Samsung will invest Rs 1,970 crore over the next three years to double manufacturing capacity of its Noida facility, a move that will help the Korean company start exporting from India. The Uttar Pradesh government has approved Samsung's investment under Super Mega A by the state's Cabinet Committee in Lucknow today. "In line with our commitment to 'Make in India', we are pleased to receive the UP government's approval to invest in the state and expand our manufacturing base here in India," Samsung India President and CEO HC Hong. While the company did not disclose details, sources said the investment will help Samsung ramp up its manufacturing capacities across product lines like refrigerators, mobile phones and LED TVs. They added that Samsung will get an additional 1.3 lakh sqm for the expansion, a move that will generate additional employment for 2,200 people. Samsung's mobile phone manufacturing capacity alone will be doubled from 6 million units a month now to 12 million over the course of time, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar said. "...we are witnessing an increase in the adoption of electronic devices, appliances and mobile phones. A bigger and more robust manufacturing facility will help us address the needs and demands of our growing customer base across the country and the region," he said. Interestingly, the announcement comes within week of Samsung permanently shutting production and sales of its flagship device, Galaxy Note 7, globally. While the company had not started sales of the Note 7 but analysts expect its smartphone revenues in India to be hit. However, Samsung has has vehemently refuted the claims. Samsung started its Noida plant in 1996 and in 1997 the television was manufactured. The company has two factories, three R&D centres and a design centre, employing over 40,000 people in India. "Today's MoU is yet another step in converting Noida into the electronics hub of India. I am happy Samsung is pioneering this transformation yet again," Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said. Bhubaneswar: Four staff members of a private medical hospital where a massive fire broke out killing 20 people were suspended on Tuesday even as over 100 patients, mostly from the gutted Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and dialysis unit, were shifted to other hospitals. While 20 deaths were officially confirmed, authorities of different hospitals where the injured were shifted last night put the toll at 22. As many as 106 patients, who were shifted from the private SUM Hospital following the blaze last night, are now undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Bhubaneswar, Health Secretary Arti Ahuja said, amid reports that some of them are in critical condition. Most of them were from the ICU and the dialysis unit, an official said. Ahuja, who visited the hospital, said that 14 and five bodies were received at the Capital Hospital and AMRI Hospital respectively, while a spokesman of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar said that one death was reported at their facility. Most of the deaths in the four-storey hospital took place due to suffocation and asphyxiation, a senior official said, adding that majority of the patients at the ICU were on ventilator support. The authorities of the Siksha O Anusandhan University (SOU), which runs the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, suspended four of its staff members and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the victims' families. Those suspended were one fire officer, two engineers and one hospital manager, SOU vice-chancellor Amit Banerjee told reporters, rejecting allegations that there was any irregularity in the management of the hospital. "We have suspended four officials as part of the hospital's bid to maintain transparency. Tomorrow no one should accuse that evidence was tampered with," he said. Ahuja said the ICU and dialysis unit of the hospital have been sealed to ensure proper investigation. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short-circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor which spread to the ICU. The fire rapidly spread to other areas on the same floor of the hospital building. Some patients have also been shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for treatment. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited some of the hospitals, including AIIMS and AMRI Hospital, to inquire about the condition of the patients undergoing treatment. State Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the priority was to provide 'proper' treatment to the patients from the fire-hit hospital who have been shifted. The state government has already ordered a high-level probe by the director, Medical Education and Training, into the incident. In addition, a probe by the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) has also been ordered, an official said. Rejecting allegation that the high casualty was due to wrong evacuation process, Banerjee said, "We have followed the best of the evacuation protocol. Had we not followed it the casualty would have been more." Banerjee claimed that the fire safety parameters were checked properly only three weeks ago and there was no lacuna on the part of the hospital authorities in the maintenance of the electrical equipment. "There were nine to ten people under ventilator support," he said, adding that most of the people died due to asphyxia. Meanwhile, Baina Behera, a resident of Mangalpur village under Pipili police station area in Puri district, said he was really lucky to have escaped the thick smoke and fire that engulfed the hospital while about a dozen others waited till being evacuated. "The fire broke out when I was undergoing dialysis. I asked the doctor to stop it. I broke the window pane and went down with the help of a water pipe. A technician also followed me and came down from the first floor dialysis unit by using the same water pipe," Behera said. Behera's brother Babuli, who was also present at the dialysis unit during the fire mishap, jumped from the first floor and escaped. The nurse at the dialysis unit, however, said she continued to remain till all the people were evacuated safely. "I along with other nurses at the nearby medicine ICU ensured that all the patients are shifted. It was smoke and fire everywhere," the shocked nurse said, adding that she too required to overcome the trauma. Badrinath Nanda, whose father (Pradumnya nanda-73) has been shifted to the Capital Hospital after the fire incident, said he was asked by the hospital staff to take away the patient. "How could I have taken my father out alone. My father has been suffering from paralysis. It took about one hour to shift my father," he said. Many complained that more patients would have survived had there been prompt and proper evacuation. Tribeni Nayak (65), wife of Raghunath Nayak of Sastri Nagar in Ganjam district, was about to be discharged from the hospital on Tuesday. "We were supposed to take back her on Tuesday as her condition had improved. But, we are now told to take her body," said one of her relatives. Anil Patra of Khurda, whose mother Rajani Patra (46) died in the fire, blamed it on the mismanagement in evacuation. "The hospital staff and security personnel who were supposed to ensure a smooth evacuation had no coordination leading to a chaotic situation. This delayed the process. As a result, people died," Anil said. More than 12 hours after the fire that has left at least 19 people dead and over 100 injured, SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar wears the look of a ghost town. Shards of glass strewn all over the place stand as a stark reminder of the desperate attempts by those trapped inside on the second floor to get out. Empty beds and abandoned, half-burnt equipment are all one gets to see through the glass panes of the second floor, now locked out by the authorities for the inquiry ordered by the government. Unused fire fighting cylinders stick out like a sore thumb reminding onlookers of what could have been. With authorities of the SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar yet to come out with any statement on what led to the mishap, anger against the hospital among relatives of those who died or were critically injured is at its peak. They are squarely responsible for what happened. Not only did they fail to put adequate fire safety measures in place. They also failed to sound an alarm in time for those trapped inside, leading to loss of crucial time that could have saved at least some of the lives lost, said the angry relative of a patient who perished in the inferno. With authorities of the SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar yet to come out with any statement on what led to the mishap, anger against the hospital among relatives of those who died or were critically injured is at its peak. Firstpost/Biswa Ranjan The inquiry by the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) ordered by the chief minister began on Tuesday morning. But no hospital official had been arrested or questioned at the time of writing. We will see if a case of criminal negligence is made out against the hospital authorities. If there is one, we will initiate appropriate criminal proceedings against the concerned officials, the chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi told members of the media. Even before the official inquiry began, SUM Hospital authorities have ordered an internal inquiry headed by Amit Banerjee, vice-chancellor of Siksha O Anusandhan (SoA) University, which runs the medical college-cum-hospital, and placed three officials the fire safety officer, the power supply officer and the hospital manager under suspension. Eyewitnesses also said the fire was caused by a welding machine being used for some repair on the glass-panelled second floor that houses the dialysis ward and the intensive care unit (ICU) of the medicine department. They said the fire was first spotted near the door of the dialysis centre. Flames and smoke soon started billowing out of a pipe that burst due to the fire and engulfed the entire corridor in next to no time, making it impossible for patients and their attendants to get out. In desperation, the glass panes were broken and the sick taken out through the holes created in the process. Rescue workers and fire tender officials said a majority of those killed died due to asphyxiation during the process of being shifted out. With lax monitoring of fire safety measures in hospitals even after repeated warnings in the shape of minor mishaps over the past year, such a mishap was waiting to open. On October 16 last year, a minor boy was killed at the Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre in Cuttack. This was followed by incidents of fire triggered by the same electrical short circuit at Sishu Bhavan, the premier childrens hospital in the state and the SCB Medical College in Cuttack on 29 November, 2015 and 31 May, 2016 respectively. Although there were no casualties in either of these incidents, they served as a timely reminder to the health department to monitor and tighten fire safety measures in hospitals. But alas, no heed was paid to these warnings leading to the terrible mishap on Monday. Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Tuesday lodged two FIRs against the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital authorities in connection with the hospital fire late on Monday evening. The FIRs, filed by the Directorate of Medical Education & Training (DMET) and the Fire Services Department separately, allege negligence by the hospital management in taking adequate fire safety measures and ensuring safe evacuation of patients, leading to the death of 20 persons. "We have filed an FIR with the police against the hospital management for negligence over fire safety measures, evacuation of patients and crowd management," said Umakanta Satapathy, DMET Joint Director. Fire Services DG Binay Behera said: "We have filed an FIR against the hospital authorities for negligence. Even though the hospital had been asked to comply with the fire safety norms in 2013, it did not follow the fire safety norms." The FIRs were filed with the Khandagiri police in Bhubaneswar. According to a 2013 audit report, the SUM Hospital did not have adequate fire safety measures in place. The report found lapses in the fire safety norms followed by the hospital. The hospital is yet to respond to the Fire Department audit. Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said his department has filed the FIR and legal action would be taken against the hospital management for the negligence of procedures laid down by the department. Nayak said they have opened a control room to monitor the treatment of injured patients. On their part, the hospital authorities denied lack of fire safety measures. "We have put four officials under suspension following the fire incident. They have been suspended pending inquiry. However, the suspension does not mean that they are guilty. Only a thorough inquiry would reveal the actual cause of the incident," said Amit Banerjee, Vice Chancellor of the SUM Hospital and Medical College. Those put under suspension for reported dereliction of duty are the fire officer, manager and two others staffers. He said the exact reason behind the unfortunate incident will be known only after the investigation committee submits its report. Banerjee also announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to the family of each deceased. On the orders of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to hold a Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC)-led inquiry, Central RDC AB Ota has started investigating the fire incident. Earlier on Tuesday, the Chief Minister and the Odisha Governor separately visited various hospitals to inquire about the health of patients. Meanwhile, the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) registered a suo motu case over the fire mishap and asked the Health Secretary and DG (Fire Services) to submit a report within three weeks. A complaint has been filed with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking action against the hospital authorities and state government officials for their negligence in ensuring safety measures. Human rights activist Subash Mohapatra, who filed the petition, urged the NHRC to direct the state government to conduct an impartial inquiry into the matter and submit the report within a week. Bhubaneswar: The SUM Hospital authorities on Tuesday denied that there were lapses on the management's part that led to the loss of 20 lives. It, however, suspended four persons for the fire incident. "We have put four officials under suspension following the fire incident. They have been suspended pending inquiry. However, the suspension does not mean that they are guilty. Only a thorough inquiry would reveal the actual cause of the incident," said Amit Banerjee, Vice Chancellor of the SUM Hospital and Medical College. Those put under suspension for reported dereliction of duty are the fire officer, manager and two others staffers. He said the exact reason behind the unfortunate incident will be known only after the investigation committee submits its report. Banerjee also announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the kin of each deceased. He said steps are being taken to provide free treatment to the injured. Meanwhile, services have resumed at the hospital except in the ICU, dialysis and emergency wards, which were sealed by the state government for investigation, said the Vice Chancellor. Fire Safety DG Binay Behera, who inspected the fire safety measures of the hospital, informed that a 2013 audit report had found lapses in the fire safety measures. The audit report had warned the SUM Hospital of lapses and asked it to rectify those. But the hospital did not respond to the Fire Department, said a fire official. "We will submit a detailed report to the government after the inquiry is done," said Behera. As the dust settles down after the high-profile Brics Summit and its outreach meeting with Bimstec leaders, it is time to take a look at what India gained from the gathering of leaders. Terrorism dominated the summit in Goa. From the media coverage, especially television, it seemed that the sole issue on the agenda for the Goa meetings was terrorism. More specifically cross-border terrorism a catchphrase for Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. In the heightened sentiment after the attack at the Uri army base and the retaliatory surgical strikes together with the governments campaign to isolate Pakistan, it was natural that the issue of terrorism would draw the most attention in India. Did India manage to put Pakistan in a spot during the summit with the emphasis on terrorism? Prime Minister Narendra Modi minced no words in referring to Pakistan as the 'mothership of terrorism'. But the outcome of the Goa summit did not come up to Indias expectations. The Goa Declaration did not reflect Indias position. While the summit declaration called for action against all UN designated terrorist organisations, it named only the Islamic State and the Al-Nusra. The two organisations threaten Chinese and Russian interests in Afghanistan and Syria. But there was no mention of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. The only indirect allusion to cross-border terrorism came in the leaders agreeing on the responsibility of all states to prevent terrorist actions from their territories. In his separate bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Modi spoke about cross-border terrorism. But the Chinese President, in his address at the summit, spoke of the need for political solutions to regional hotspots a likely hint to the situation in Kashmir. Later, a Chinese spokesperson said that Pakistan had suffered and made sacrifices in the war against terrorism. Putin did not mention terrorism in his address at the plenary session at all. The high-pitched Indian effort during the Goa summit brought out the fact that none of the other countries shared the same views on Pakistan. Combating terrorism is an important issue for India, but to inflate its significance in Indias foreign policy priorities meant that India lost the chance to put its stamp on the larger economic integration agenda of Brics. It did this without achieving its purpose of isolating Pakistan. Brics was set up in 2006 as a group comprising Russia, China, Brazil and India all large, fast growing economies. South Africa joined in four years later. Brics has a strong agenda on trade, economic development and building institutions. But Modis prime economic concerns were lost in the hub-bub on terrorism. This brings us to the other question of whether there was a possibility that India could turn the heat on Pakistan at the Brics summit. China is a close ally, all weather friend of Pakistan and is ready to defend Pakistans interests. Russia is an old friend of India, but it has been cultivating its ties with Islamabad, including holding joint military exercises. Moscow can be expected to back India when its strategic interests are concerned, but it will not gratuitously alienate other countries in the process. Terrorism does not have the same salience for Brazil and South Africa. In these circumstances, it was a misjudgment to expect the Indian stance to prevail. Bimstec includes Bangladesh, which has faced horrific terror strikes. It was more forthright in its condemnation of terrorism, describing it as the single most significant threat to peace and stability in the region. It said that the fight against terrorism should identify, hold accountable and take strong measures against states that encourage, support and finance terrorism and provide sanctuary to terrorists. There should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs, said the Bimstec statement. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) was set up in 1997 with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka, with Nepal and Bhutan joining it later. The regional body has languished through the years, having held only three meetings. India has now given it a boost by including it in the Brics outreach meeting. As Saarc remains mired in Pakistans reluctance to cooperate with India, India has clearly elevated the significance of the Bay of Bengal grouping. It has signaled its intention to rejuvenate the moribund organisation for greater economic engagement. Saarc has become non-functional; none of the initiatives of the past couple of years have made any progress. The Saarc summit stands postponed. Whether Bimstec can take over the place Saarc has held, is an open question. But India lost out by giving the impression that it had a single issue agenda for the Brics summit. New Delhi: In a relief to Smriti Irani, a Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed a complaint against her for allegedly giving false information on her educational qualification to the Election Commission, saying it was filed to "needlessly harass" her as she was a union minister. Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh said there was a "great delay of around 11 years" in filing the complaint as it rejected the plea to summon her as an accused. "Therefore, prayer for summoning the proposed accused (Irani) is hereby declined," the court said while pronouncing the order. In his complaint, freelance writer Ahmer Khan had alleged that Irani, now Textiles Minister, had deliberately given discrepant information about her educational qualifications in affidavits filed before the Election Commission in 2004, 2011 and 2014 and not given any clarification, despite concerns raised on the issue. Khan had urged the court to take cognisance of the offenses alleged in the plea under Section 125A of the RPA and "summon the accused person, Smriti Z Irani, for trial". "After conducting trial hold the accused guilty, convict and sentence the accused person in accordance with law, in the interest of justice to the complainant and also the public at large", he had prayed. The court, while declining the prayer, said the original evidence was already lost due to the passage of several years and the court needed to be "relieved of the burden of adjudicating such inconsequential claim or case". It said the fate of the case could be foreseen as an inevitable failure as original evidence was lost due to the "great delay" and the complainant may not have even bothered to file the plea if Irani was not a central minister. "So, where the original evidence has already been lost due to the passage of the number of years, the secondary evidence available will probably be not able to withstand the test of judicial scrutiny, there is a great delay of around 11 years in the filing of the complaint... "The said delay could not be condoned as the complainant is not an aggrieved person, the complaint does not appear to have been filed for the vindication of the majesty of justice and maintenance of law and order, the complaint appears to have been filed to needlessly harass the proposed accused," the magistrate said. The court said the alleged offense under the IPC entailed a maximum punishment of three years for which the limitation for filing the complaint was three years under the CrPC. A poll panel official had earlier told the court that the documents filed by Irani regarding her academic qualification while filing nominations were not traceable. However, the information on this was available on its website, he had said. In pursuance to the court's earlier direction, Delhi University had also submitted that the documents pertaining to Irani's BA course in 1996, as purportedly mentioned by her in an affidavit filed during 2004 Lok Sabha elections, were yet to be found. The court had on 20 November last year allowed the complainant's plea seeking direction to the officials of EC and DU to bring the records of Irani's qualifications after he said he was unable to place them before the court. Khan had alleged that Irani had knowingly furnished misleading information about her qualifications and that a candidate, deliberately giving incorrect details, could be punished under provisions of the IPC and under section 125A of the Representation of the People Act (RPA). Section 125A of RPA deals with penalty for filing false affidavit and entails a jail term of up to six months or fine or both. The court on 24 June last year had taken cognisance of the complaint which had accused Irani of furnishing false information about her academic qualifications in the affidavits filed before the EC in 2004, 2011 and 2014. The complainant had earlier claimed in court that in her affidavit for April 2004 Lok Sabha polls, Irani had said she completed her BA in 1996 from DU(School of Correspondence), whereas in another affidavit of 11 July, 2011, to contest Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat, she had said her highest educational qualification was B.Com Part I from the School of Correspondence, DU. The complaint also alleged that in the affidavit filed for nomination of 16 April, 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Irani said she had completed Bachelor of Commerce Part-I from School of Open Learning, DU. One of the plenary speakers at a recently held conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Ahmedabad highlighted the need for Environment Education (EE) to be political. EE had been away from politics for long and this, she said, had rendered it weak. Participants were quick to raise questions on the risks this could pose of complicating the issue further, especially given the ability of the facilitators to deliberate on such topics. The speakers response was unambiguous. On one hand, students today have access to most of the information from the internet and other sources. On the other hand, the onus lies on the facilitators to upgrade their skills and communicate the issues responsibly in an apt manner. In other words, not talking on the topics was neither an option nor a solution. To underscore her point, she stated how the Cauvery issue could have been discussed with students by talking of factors which had led to the current scenario. Be it the increase in area under summer rice in Tamil Nadu, rise in the area cultivating sugarcane in Karnataka or an expanding Bengaluru not maintaining its lakes but seeking water from Cauvery. The other issue she raised was that EE was practiced in an unduly polite fashion. Dropping uncomfortable topics did not help EE. Students, who came in SUVs, for example, had to be told that they were not helping the environment. The pollution caused by their vehicles, which most of them did not even car pool in, had to be highlighted. These students, most of them from elite schools, were in a position to influence their parents on such decisions. The elite schools needed to know that, amongst schools, they were the worst polluters. The session brought out the need to take risks and venture on fresh paths. These debates were the need of the hour for EE, which needs to reinvent itself and respond to the changing times. However, addressing these issues alone may not help unless we address the larger issue at hand. We appear to be good at moving from old terms and settling, albeit temporarily, on the new ones. ESD has replaced EE by virtue of being more encompassing and holistic, while Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are considered to be more evolved and tuned in to todays understanding than the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). However, is there any merit in jumping to fresh terms if we do not question the paradigm within which they operate? Terms which, as the discussions brought out, not many beyond the proverbial choir are bothered about! Our alienation from nature, today, to a significant extent, is the consequence of an education system that is factoid, data and information driven, devoid of attention to understanding the interconnectedness that is integral to all life forms. The primary goal of this education system is to churn out graduates who will fit into the economy (read contribute to growth and development). That we are failing even in this is a separate discussion. Given that EE or ESD is taught within the ambit of this system, the space they occupy and the scope they harbour will be dictated by the economy. The question then is that in an economy fuelled by growth and development what is the relevance and impact of EE or ESD? Especially when not only is the states own vision of development myopic but also, for a large chunk of population, the term is synonymous with roads and jobs. Firstpost asked one of the participants, after her presentation, whether her recommendations would make an impact given the larger system in place and if the system should be challenged. "They may not but we have to work within the system," was her response. Have we got tuned to not question the system? What then of the critical enquiry within Environment Education? Are we unwilling to question our lifestyles as we fear the inconvenience it will bring upon us? After all that we have brought upon the planet do we expect an easy way out? Nothing comes for free, surely not a better future. The SDG do not explicitly focus on reducing consumption or question growth and unless we do that the scenario appears bleak. In a perfect world it would be possible to have an increase in GDP, factory output and other positive indicators of growth on one hand and improved ecological conditions on the other. In the imperfect world, which we inhabit, history has taught us that this is anything but a realistic expectation. The current scenario is akin to running on a track with the finish line moving further at a faster rate. By the time we will have achieved limited success (assuming we do) our actions, lifestyles, decisions will accentuate the threats and bring forth a scenario that warrants even more attention! We not only need to run but also ensure that the finish line remains static. Environment Education, in its current form, does not appear to be helping. Srinagar: The Indian Army said on Tuesday that despite surgical strikes carried out by its forces across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir last month, the presence of militants along the LoC is still intact and many desperate attempts by militants trying to sneak into Kashmir valley have been foiled. General Officer Commanding of Army's 15 Corps, Lt General Satish Dua, said that Army is prepared for any misadventure by militants, along the LoC, and its preparedness to deal with the situation is of the highest degree. He also said that there has been an increase in attempts of infiltration made by militants in the recent past. We do see the presence of militants across the Line of Control, the very fact that there are infiltrations at different places and several such encounters have taken place [they are still there] and continue to try to infiltrate. We are prepared for any eventuality, Dua said after inaugurating Chinar 9 Jawan Club at Boniyar. The 9 club, inaugurated by Lt Gen Dua on Tuesday, aims at the constructive engagement of the youth of Kashmir and provides an ideal platform to the youth to interact, rejuvenate, play games and to develop their skill for holistic growth in a stress-free environment, a press statement issued here said. These clubs which have come across the valley are being seen as an effort to reach out to youngsters in Kashmir. The Army has set up the clubs centres called Naujawan Clubs where vocational training is imparted free of cost. A total of 70 Naujawan clubs is being set up across the Valley which also doubles up as centres for recreation and exchange of ideas. Dua said that there has been no change in the way militants have tried to infiltrate into Kashmir valley and this year has been no exception. In recent weeks we have noticed movements along the LoC. Yes, there is an increase in attempts of infiltration the Indian Army is today and geared up to meet any such challenge, Lt Gen Dua said. Kashmir has been witnessing an unrest since July after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani and Army has been trying to reach out to the disaffected youths in villages and towns of south Kashmir. The unrest has left at least 91 civilians dead, more than 14,000 injured while around 7,000 protesters have been detained to bring normalcy on the simmering streets. When asked how did he see the resentment among the youth towards the Army in general, the outgoing Core Commander of the 15 Corps, said that he did conceive the idea that there has been a lot of agitation and anger by the youth towards the security forces but it was not directed at Army. "I dont believe and agree with the fact that there is a trust deficit between youth and the army because at several places the army has gone and operated in the recent past, we havent had the problem with the youth at all. Kashmiryat is still alive," the Chinar Corps commander said. On the rising number of youth joining militancy in south Kashmir, Lt Gen Dua said that there is no exact count available on how many boys have joined militancy because the forces have been rounding up people (stone pelters) and many have fled their homes. Some of the boys have been hiding they are not living in their own houses and the agencies have not been able to figure out how many of them have joined militancy. Yes, some of the boys have joined militant ranks exact number will be known later, he said. He said the weapon snatching incidents in south Kashmir have been a cause of concern and there are small pickets of the police where they are not able to take care of the situation when militants arrive there to snatch weapons. But it is being jointly addressed with the police, Lt Gen Dua said. Auto refresh feeds Visuals of the hospital where a major fire broke out on Monday evening Spoke to CM @Naveen_Odisha about the distressing hospital fire tragedy. Assured all possible support from the Centre. Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. The tragedy is mind-numbing. My thoughts are with bereaved families. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and assured all possible help from the Centre. He also tweeted "My thoughts are with bereaved families." After preliminary inquiry, Odisha Fire Services DG Binay Behera says prima facie, the fire appears to have been caused by an electrical short-circuit. Emergency ward, medicine ICU and dialysis ward have been sealed for inquiry, informed Health secretary Arati Ahuja. SUM hospital authorities suspended three electricians for dereliction of duty. The hospital will provide free treatment to survivors, announced SUM hospital associate Dean and PRO Jyoti Prakash Das. Compensation will be announced for the victims soon, he added. After preliminary inquiry, Odisha Fire Services DG Binay Behera says prima facie, the fire appears to have been caused by an electrical short-circuit. Emergency ward, medicine ICU and dialysis ward have been sealed for inquiry, informed Health secretary Arati Ahuja. SUM hospital authorities suspended three electricians for dereliction of duty. The hospital will provide free treatment to survivors, announced SUM hospital associate Dean and PRO Jyoti Prakash Das. Compensation will be announced for the victims soon, he added. Ordered Revenue Divisional commissioner to enquire in to this very tragic incident 2/2 Expenses for treatment of the injured persons in the fire incident to be borne by State Government from CM relief fund 1/2 State to take care of the expenses for treatment of the injured State's Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the priority was to provide proper treatment to the patients from the fire-hit hospital who have been shifted to other medical facilities. As many as 106 patients, who were shifted from SUM Hospital following the fire, are now undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the city, said Health Secretary Arti Ahuja. PRO Jyoti Prakash Das said patients, who had left the hospital in panic on Monday, have started coming back. Except the emergency ward, dialysis ward and emergency ward, which have been sealed by the police for the ongoing inquiry ordered by the government, other departments are functioning normally, he said. He said the cause of the mishap can be ascertained only after a proper inquiry. He said hospital staff exhibited exemplary professionalism in evacuating patients after the mishap. Otherwise, the casualty figure would have been much higher, he claimed. The university would observe a seven-day mourning but classes would be suspended only for Tuesday so as not to affect studies. SUM hospital announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for each victim and free treatment for all the injured, including those being treated in other hospitals. Amit Banerjee, vice-chancellor of Siksha O Anusandhan (SOA) university, which runs the hospital, said the hospital would extend the fullest cooperation in the two inquiries ordered by the government one each by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) and the Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET). A day after a major fire at a hospital in Bhubaneswar claimed 22 lives, ravaged areas of the medical facility were sealed on Tuesday ahead of a thorough probe as the state government geared up to ensure proper treatment of patients shifted elsewhere. Health Secretary Arti Ahuja, who visited the private hospital this morning, said the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), dialysis and emergency units of the fire-hit medical facility have been sealed to ensure a proper investigation. As many as 106 persons, who were shifted from SUM Hospital following the blaze, are now undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the city, she said. Some patients have also been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited some of the hospitals including AIIMS and AMRI Hospital to enquire about the condition of the patients from SUM Hospital undergoing treatment there. State's Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the priority was to provide proper treatment to the patients from the fire-hit hospital who have been shifted to other medical facilities. At the same time, steps are being initiated to conduct a thorough investigation into the fire that broke out last night, he said. The state government has already ordered a high-level probe by the Director, Medical Education and Training, into the incident. In addition, a probe by the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) has also been ordered, an official said. Soon after the incident, the health minister had said last night that stringent action would be taken if the hospital authorities were found guilty of negligence. While 22 persons died, several others were injured in the incident that broke out at a dialysis unit of the private hospital, in one of the worst such incidents involving a medical facility in Odisha. So far, 20 of the deceased have been identified and their bodies handed over to their families for cremation, an official said. Most of the victims were from the ICU of the SUM Hospital who were on ventilator support. Most of the deaths took place due to suffocation, he said. The chief minister has directed the government hospitals to provide necessary treatment to patients shifted from SUM Hospital and requested all private hospitals to extend treatment to patients from ill-fated medical facility. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short-circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of the private hospital which spread to the nearby ICU. The fire rapidly spread to other areas including the ICU on the same floor of the four-storeyed hospital building. At least seven fire tenders took around three hours to control the blaze and over a dozen ambulances deployed to shift the critical patients to other hospitals. With inputs from PTI Mandi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday likened the army's anti-terror surgical strikes to Israel's exploits and said the Indian forces have shown they are no less than anybody. "Our army's valour is being discussed across the country these days. We used to hear earlier that Israel has done this. The nation has seen that Indian army is no less than anybody," he said. Israel is known for its targeted military strikes against enemy countries and militant outfits. Modi was speaking at a rally in Himachal Pradesh where he inaugurated three hydro-power projects. The issue of surgical strikes has snowballed into a political row with the opposition accusing the BJP and its government of "milking" it for political benefits. The charge has been rejected by BJP which has insisted that it is taking the issue to the masses to boost the army's morale and highlight the strong political will of the Prime Minister. Underscoring his commitment to the welfare of armed forces, Modi said his government had fulfilled its promise of 'One-Rank, One-Pension' for ex-servicemen, an issue which he said had been hanging fire for over 40 years. Previous governments, he said, duped the people by making tall claims and some of them even allocated Rs 200 crore-500 crore in this regard but never did an analysis of cost burden and how it could be executed. "I did it and was puzzled to find that the economic burden kept rising. It worked to be more than Rs 10,000 crore," he said, adding that it was difficult for any government to make such a big allocation in one go. Modi said he spoke to armed forces and offered to release the money in four installments to which they agreed. "Over Rs 5,500 crore in first installment has been given. The rest will be too. A promise hanging fire for the last 40 years has been fulfilled," he said. At the 'Parivartan Rally', Modi also targeted Virbhadra Singh, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh where elections are due late next year, saying BJP chief ministers dedicated themselves to causes like drinking water and roads while the Congress leader was concerned about his own welfare. "Do I need to explain what the current chief minister is known for?" he said and then added, "When BJP gave chief ministers, somebody dedicated himself to water, somebody to roads but when others came they dedicated so many things for their personal welfare," he said. BJP has accused Singh of being involved in corruption but the Congress leader has rejected the charges and claimed that he was a victim of "political vendetta". People will demand that Virbhadra Singh government give an account of its work, Modi said, noting that the state was getting Rs 72,000 crore following the implementation of the 16th Finance Commission report instead of Rs 21,000 crore allocated earlier. Modi said BJP leaders were asking him to seek an account of the money sent to the state government. "Not only us, the people of Himachal Pradesh will demand an answer (from Singh)." The Prime Minister recalled his old association with the hill state, which was under his charge as the then BJP General Secretary, and noted that the projects he was inaugurating were founded by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "I was also present as the organisation's in-charge and who would have thought that I will get the opportunity to inaugurate them," he said. A large numbers of people from Himachal were working in the armed forces, the Prime Minister said and hailed the state as the land of valiant people and stressed that similar respect should be accorded to ex-servicemen as to the serving soldiers. His government, he said, had begun executing projects stalled for decades and said wryly that he had never thought that he, as Prime Minister, would have to run in the PMO an "archaeology department" that would have to dug up "skeletons" of very old projects which never took off after their foundation stones were laid. With New and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal in attendance, he said households in the state will collectively save almost Rs one crore daily with the use of LEDs and noted that the project could be executed more quickly. Jammu: Violating the ceasefire, Pakistani troops fired from small arms and shelled mortar bombs on forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from Indian troops. "There was ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Naushera sector of Rajouri district", a Defence Spokesman said. Pakistani troops fired 82 mm mortar bombs, used small and automatic weapons in the firing on forward Indian posts in Laam Battalion area in Naushera from 2030 hours to 0130 hours, the spokesman said. Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in the ceasefire violation. Few rounds were also fired in Naushera sector late last night. There have been 29 ceasefire violations along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes by the Army in PoK to dismantle terror launching pads. On 16 October, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire twice along the LoC in Naushera and Rajouri sectors in which one jawan was martyred. On 8 October, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Poonch district resulting in injuries to a jawan. Pakistani troops had on 5 October violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts. Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shells in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts. They shelled mortar bombs and opened fire from small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district. Pakistani troops had on 3 October violated the ceasefire four times and restored to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district. On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district. On 1 October, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilianareas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's cultural unit Sanskar Bharti will now introduce its own 'Nobel awards' in the fields of Peace, Human Rights, Literature, Visual and Performing Arts, Science, Education, and others after the Union Culture Ministry gave its go-ahead on Tuesday. Sources in the ministry told IANS that the ministry has approved to institute 'Naimishya Samman'. The first edition of awards on the lines of Nobel will be given in 'Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsava', likely to be held in Varanasi in November. The awards will be presented annually. The jury would comprise of prominent Indian and international figures from diverse fields. According to the sources, the budget for the Sanskriti Mahotsav has been set at Rs 220 crore, out of which around Rs 70 crore have been kept for the awards and the rest for the event. According to The Indian Express, about eleven "international awards" and the 'Naimishya Samman' will be conferred on the people working in various fields. The Naimisheya Samman would be "comparable to any other global award in authority and prize money", Sanskar Bharti said. The newspaper quoted an RSS pracharak as saying, "There are enough people with nationalistic thoughts who are taking the lead in creative and academic fields. However, the Congress rule of 60 years has pushed nationalism on the margins. An atmosphere of nationalism has recently been created in the country, Indian thoughts have gained prominence on the global stage. The Naimisheya will be a platform to celebrate the richness of Indian thoughts." The Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsava, the brainchild of the RSS, is an initiative of the Ministry of Culture and was conceived in the year 2015 with an intent to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the country in all its rich and varied dimensions, viz. handicrafts, cuisine, painting, sculpture, photography, documentation and performing arts folk, tribal, classical and contemporary. DNA quoted theatre and cultural coordinator for Sanskar Bharti, Shailesh Shrivastava, as saying: "The idea was proposed to the Ministry of Culture by us. We thought that Indians working in the field of arts, culture and literature should also get their due. Why should the great Indian writers wait to win a Nobel Prize, we should honour them with our own award that is equally respectable." With inputs from IANS New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Rajasthan government to respond to the bail pleas of self-styled religious figure Asaram Bapu who is facing trial in rape cases. A bench of Justices AK Sikri and NV Ramana issued notice to the state government and sought its reply on two separate interim and regular bail pleas of Asaram. Senior advocate and noted jurist Soli Sorabjee appearing for Asaram said he has been in jail for three years and needed to be granted bail. The bench said it will take up the plea for interim bail on 24 October and for regular bail at a later stage. On 3 October, a medical board of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had told the apex Court that the health condition of Asaram was stable. Asaram had refused to undergo several tests, the seven-member board had also said in its report filed before the bench of Justices AK Sikri and NV Ramana. On 11 August, the apex court had denied interim bail to Asaram in a rape case and directed AIIMS to set up a medical board to ascertain his health condition before taking up his regular bail plea. Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on 31 August, 2013 and has been in jail since then. On 9 August, the High Court had rejected his bail application in the rape case. A teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram. Justice Markandey Katju's reasons for criticising the Supreme Court (SC) judgment in the Soumya rape case may have been legitimate, but is the SC right in engaging with him by inviting him for a debate? In the last few months, Justice Katju has attacked the Chief Justice of India (CJI), made casteist jokes, mocked Biharis and offended the people of Odisha in his Facebook posts, ending them all with an exclamatory "Hari Om". He had to recently apologise for a post he shared on Facebook and on his personal blogpost, ridiculing the people of Odisha. He wrote in the post: "I was asked to write about the Oriyas (Odias). What is there to write about these poor chaps? Ever since they got a thrashing at the hands of Ashoka in the battle of Kalinga they have been a dejected lot. Now all they have with them are a lot of pots (Patras), big pots (Mahapatras) and supposedly intelligent kings (Patnaiks). And of course they have Lord Jaggannath, to whom they pray every day for revenge on the abominable Biharis." Katju, a retired SC judge, is a passionate Facebook user. His posts in a day put together are enough to fill the edit page of a national daily. Given his standing, the views expressed by him on the social networking website often make the news, which he then happily and unfailingly shares. You can understand when a retired judge, at leisure, engages with the world through Facebook more often than not to put forward his unsolicited views on every issue under the sun. What is perplexing is the fact that the highest court of the land is dignifying his criticism of a judgment by inviting him for a debate. Under normal circumstances, a common man expressing his or her unabashed criticism of a judgment that has already been decided, following due process and the procedure established by law, would have amounted to contempt of court. Justice Katjus criticism has, however, attracted a summon for a debate instead. According to a PTI report,"In an unprecedented order, the Supreme Court on Monday summoned Justice Katju to appear in person before it to point out the 'fundamental flaws', as claimed by him in the Soumya rape case," "He (Justice Katju) is a respected gentleman. We request him to come in person and debate his Facebook post criticising the judgment. Let him come to the court and let's debate over the fundamental flaws in our verdict," a bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice UU Lalit said after issuing a notice to Justice Katju, the PTI report stated. But, in spite of many of his posts that fall in the 'just joking' category, the fact remains that his legal expertise and acumen cannot be questioned and it cannot be denied that he must have had valid doubts and reasons for questioning the apex court's judgment. For example, he has raised some extremely important points in his post, which reads, In acquitting the accused on the murder charge the Court held that there is no evidence that the accused had any intention of causing the death of Soumya and so could not be convicted under section 302 IPC. The Court held that it is possible that after being assaulted on the head four or five times and then being raped, Soumya might herself have jumped off the train on which she was travelling. However, the Court found the accused guilty of rape under section 376 and also guilty of some other provisions of the IPC. And he also states reasons for finding the assertions flawed, Section 300 states that it is a case of murder (for which capital punishment can be imposed under section 302) even if there was no intention to kill, if the accused inflicts a wound sufficient to cause the death of a person in the ordinary course of nature. Therefore, the pertinent question to be asked here is whether it was desirable for the Supreme Court to hold a debate on a judgment duly decided by the Lordships just because Justice Katju found it flawed. In the last few months, on more than one occasion, CJI TS Thakur has talked about the huge pendency that the courts, including the SC, is grappling with. Earlier this month, CJI Thakur made an important appeal when he urged the ministry of law and justice to devise a mechanism to relieve the judicial system of the "avoidable burden" that arises out of the "sheer apathy, indifference or incapacity" of the government and its departments to take certain decisions. As reported by PTI, the Chief Justice also asked the government to set up a panel, comprising of former judges, to decide on whether or not to fight a case against any citizen when the issue could be resolved outside the 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. The appeal was important given the huge pendency that the judiciary is grappling with. According to an Indiaspend report, published in Firstpost in April, more than 20 million cases are pending in the Indian districts courts; two-thirds are criminal cases and one in 10 have been pending for more than 10 years. The Indian Express reported that according to statistics provided by the Supreme Courts E-Committee on pending cases in district courts, there are more than 2.18 crore cases pending in district courts across the country. In 12 states, more than 5 lakh cases are pending for disposal. The report further stated that data, as of 30 April, highlights the glaring problem of the huge pendency across states and Union territories. Over 2.18 crore cases remain pending, of which more than 22.5 lakh cases have failed to be decided in the last 10 years 10.3 percent of the total pendency. It also stated that, "Around 38.3 lakh cases are pending for more than five years but less than 10 years 17.5 percent of the total number of cases. Therefore, more than one-fourth of cases pending across district courts in the country are pending for at least five years. And 29.5 per cent of total cases, or 64.5 lakh cases, have been pending for more than two years." Justice Katju, like any other citizen, has the right to comment upon the Soumya case judgment without attacking the legal sanctity attached to the courts. It is an expression of free speech. But there is no convincing enough reason for why any court should spare any amount of its precious time in engaging with such a criticism, unless it involves some pertinent constitutional questions. Trinamool Congress MP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee was seriously injured when his car met with an accident on the Durgapur Expressway in Hooghly district on Tuesday, the police said. "The accident occurred at Ratanpur. He is being shifted to a nursing home in Kolkata," an officer manning the state police control room said. Banerjee, who is an MP from the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal, was on his way to Kolkata from Murshidabad when his car crashed. He is also the national president of the youth wing of All India Trinamool Congress. According to News 18, at the time of the accident, Banerjee was the only person in the car apart from the driver. According to the report, former Congress leader Manas Bhuniya, who recently joined TMC was also accompanying Banerjee on the trip to Murshidabad, but he was not in the same car. Abhishek's security personnel were in another car behind him. They rescued Abhishek from the car which was heavily damaged and took him to the hospital. Further details on Banerjee's situation are awaited. With inputs from IANS When BJP was rejoicing its historic victory in the Assam Assembly election this year, a Naga intellectual in Kohima said in a restraint note, "We will have to wait and closely watch the new governments activity in Assam." Her statement reflected the fear among some of the Christians in the northeastern states, that when BJP has arrived as close as Assam then the other states of the region could not be far away. Congress and other political rivals of BJP in the region did their best to fuel this fear. Even the NDA regimes move to popularise Yoga was resisted in many parts of the region for purportedly being a move to Hinduize the local Christian population. But much to the woes of its rivals, BJP in its bid to appeal to the masses had by then moved far away from its ideological underpinnings. When the issue of beef ban created a whirlwind in national media, Himanta Biswa Sarma a BJP leader in Assam surprisingly declared in a public meeting that the new government will not decide on as to what meat the people of the state should eat. Even more surprisingly, a single RSS leader did not bat eyelid at his comment. BJP has been trying hard with some success to metamorphose itself into a new form without any hardline Hindutva affiliation but with much inclusiveness. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has even been seen attending Iftar parties in Assam in recent past. The result is evident. North East India, where even a sizeable number of Hindus do not follow the Brahminic form of Hinduism has now two states Assam and Arunachal Pradesh governed by the saffron party. The party is even marching ahead of ruling Congress party in Manipur, where Christian voters are deciding factors in 19 of the Assembly constituencies out of 60 in total. Manipur, that is heading for Assembly election next year saw one of the stalwarts, Yumkham Irabot Singh from the ruling Congress party joining BJP. It is read as another signal of the partys tightening grip over the plains in Manipur.The six-time Congress MLA and former ministers defection is likely to have a sustaining impact on the states electoral politics. BJPs march to win the third state, just within six months of forming the first government in the region, is seen as a symbolic success for the party by political analysts. For these three states have been Congress bastions for a rather long period. Moreover hardly anyone was expecting such pace of penetration, given the fear among some over the rise of BJP in the region. What Congress failed to feel and BJP successfully sensed was the longing of the northeasterners to be part of the national growth story. People in the region often find it very amusing when an economist sitting in Delhi declares that the national economy has grown by a percentage point. For these changes hardly ever touch them. Convincing the people in North East that their lives matter to the policy makers in Delhi was a steep challenge that BJP seem to have overcome to some extent. The ruling NDAs vision to bridge the gap of a regional disparity between Indias mainland and North East by implementing an effective Act East Policy seems to have struck the right chord. What Congress increasingly failed to convince the people in the region is its genuine concern to solve the issues plaguing them. Be it the issue of illegal infiltration from Bangladesh, be it the issue of cultural and economic protection of Meiteis in Manipur or be it the issue of peace in Nagaland. Congress has been seen as a party making a business of capturing power out of these issues. On the other hand, BJP ensured that its measures to deport illegal immigrants to Bangladesh, evicting illegal settlements that are seen as shelters of suspected Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam, supporting demand for inner line permit system made by Meiteis in Manipur and efforts for peace talks in Nagaland look heartfelt endeavors. What Congress failed to notice in these states was that the beneath its feet was fast slipping away on account of dissidence. BJPs success lies in winning the trust of these fringe groups. Roping in Himanta Biswa Sarma, a Congress veteran was a game changer in Assam. Similar was the case with late Kalikho Pul in Arunachal Pradesh who formed the government in the state with support from the BJP. The relationship of mutual trust BJP built up with the Congress lawmakers during his term as the chief minister eventually led to the formation of a BJP government in the state under the leadership of Pema Khandu. But all these happened without any meaningful performance by the six-month-old BJP government in Assam. Not a single mega project has been declared by the new government in the direction of desired economic growth. The NDAs move to privatise oilfields faced stiff protests from various organisations. Even the NDA regimes move to provide citizenship Hindu Bengalis migrated from Bangladesh has created much discontent in the mainstream Assamese society. It seems no one is ready to wait and watch the performance of the new dispensation in Assam, unlike the Naga intellectual in Kohima. But will this new fervor for BJP bring about the desired change in the region, still lies a question. As the crucial three-day meeting of the GST Council, comprising state finance ministers, starts Tuesday, here is a look at the the agenda and key challenges before the council. Agenda 1) Tax rate: This is the most important and vexed issue as the prices of goods and services that will come under GST are dependent on it. The key challenge is to arrive at a consensus on the rate, that will be revenue neutral for the states and also is agreeable for all the political parties. Last year, a panel headed by Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian had suggested 17-18 percent as the standard rate for bulk of goods and services while recommending 12 percent for low rate goods and 40 percent for demerit ones like luxury car, aerated beverages, pan masala and tobacco. For precious metal, it recommended a range of 2-6 percent. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had last week said tax on environment-unfriendly products will be distinct from others in the GST framework. The main opposition party Congress has argued for an 18 percent rate. But state governments are unlikely to agree to this as this would mean deeper revenue loss (of about 12 percent) for them. In all likelihood, the Congress will object to any rate higher than the one suggested by it. Even if the GST Council discusses in the present meeting it is unlikely that a decision will be taken. Considering the political sensitivities involved, it is going to be a long drawn process, unless the Congress is ready to relent. 2) Compensation formula: This too is a likely to be difficult one to crack. At the first GST Council meet, 3-4 alternatives were discussed but a decision could not be reached. As per the proposals, a state can be compensated if the revenue under GST falls short of the average tax earnings in the best three years out of the past five years. Second, of the five years, two outliers are left out and an average is taken. If the revenue under GST is short of this, then states get compensated. Third, a base year can be fixed and a particular growth rate decided for all states. If the revenue falls short of that, then the state gets compensated. The base year would be 2015-16. Another suggestion was on a fixed rate of revenue growth and give compensation, he said. The Bill seeks to provide full compensation to states for first five years of rollout of the GST regime. Earlier the 100 percent compensation to states was restricted to only first three years. However, the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha had in its report recommended 100 percent compensation for probable loss of revenue for five years. 3) Service tax assessment: The Council will also deliberate on the vexed issue of the Centre retaining power to assess 11 lakh service tax filers under the new dispensation. While a decision to this effect was taken at the first meeting of the GST Council, at least two states dithered on approving the minutes of the meeting, saying they are not in favour of losing power of assessment of these assessees. Crucial meeting The meeting is crucial because the government has set a deadline of 1 April 2017 for the rollout, which is just five months away. The finance ministry setting 22 November as the deadline for building consensus on all the issues in the Council. The legislations for central GST (CGST) and integrated GST (IGST) can be introduced in the Winter Session of Parliament beginning 16 November only once the consensus is reached. Issues already resolved The GST Council's first meeting had finalised area-based exemptions and how 11 states, mostly in the North-East and hilly regions, will be treated under the new tax regime. So far, as many as 6 issues have been settled by the GST Council, including finalisation of rules for registration, rules for payments, returns, refunds and invoices. The Centre and states had also reached an agreement on keeping traders with annual revenue of up to Rs 20 lakh out of the new national sales tax ambit that will subsume all cesses. It also resolved issues over dual control over small traders, and decided that states will have exclusive control over all dealers up to a revenue threshold of Rs 1.5 crore in a year. Panaji: Rebel Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Subash Velingkar on Tuesday accused Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar of picking and choosing RSS teachings according to his convenience and timing. Velingkar said the former Goa Chief Minister should cancel government grants to English medium primary schools in the state if he really pays heed to the Sangh's values. "If Parrikar believes in Sangh's teachings, he should first ensure that government grants to English medium schools should be cancelled," Velingkar told IANS. Parrikar, while addressing an event at the Nirma University in Ahmadabad, on Monday said: "The Prime Minister hails from Mahatma Gandhi's home state and the Defence Minister comes from Goa which never had a 'martial race'. And then take this surgical strike. This was a different kind of combination. May be the RSS teaching was at the core." Velingkar was sacked from the Sangh in August this year after he repeatedly accused Parrikar and the Goa Bharatiya Janata Party of deviating from the RSS teachings and betraying the cause of regional languages by allowing english medium primary schools, most of which are run by the state's Roman Catholic church, avail financial grants. Parrikar in a Cabinet decision in 2012 had allowed continuation of the state Education Ministry's financial grants to english medium primary schools. In the run up to the last assembly elections, Parrikar had opposed grants to the same schools. Velingkar, who is also the co-convenor of the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, has accused the Defence Minister and the state BJP of betrayal, a campaign which eventually led to his sacking as the state RSS chief. The Manch has now floated a new political party with Velingkar as one of its mentors, and this according to the rebel RSS leaders, has worried Parrikar ahead of the Goa polls early next year. "Parrikar is actually worried because of our campaign against the BJP... The timing of his comment about his RSS teachings is therefore a suspect," Velingkar said. Patna: A day after the JD(U) national council meeting which ratified his election as the new party president, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday met senior party leaders to draw strategy for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The meeting was attended by Kumar, former party chief Sharad Yadav, party secretary general KC Tyagi, Bihar party president Basistha Narayan Singh, Rajya Sabha member and Kumar's close aide RCP Singh and two senior state ministers, Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan. Tyagi told PTI that the JD(U) chief of Uttar Pradesh Dr Ayub was also present at the meeting to draw strategy for the UP polls and said the meeting also deliberated on expansion programme of the party in other states. Tyagi said JD(U)'s main focus in UP would be to checkmate the BJP as it did successfully getting into an alliance with RJD and Congress in Bihar last year. "Our party chief will play a crucial role in uniting all secular parties to defeat BJP and RSS in UP," he said. Kumar, in his speech yesterday at Rajgir, had talked about how BJP was trying to rake up its old bogey of Ram temple to reap benefits in the UP Assembly polls. He alleged that ahead of UP election, BJP was talking about the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya in Lucknow. "Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chanted 'Jai Sri Ram' at Vijaya Dashmi day in Lucknow, VHP chief Pravin Togadia talked about the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya, an issue which is pending before the Supreme Court," he said. "BJP and other outfits of RSS are becoming aggressive on Ayodhya in view of the UP poll. We will make all efforts to foil their designs by forging unity among non-BJP secular parties," Tyagi said. During his recent trips to UP, Kumar had shared dais with RLD leader Ajit Singh, BSP rebel R K Chaudhary and was also in contact with Apna Dal. On Monday at the plenary session of JD(U) at Rajgir, Kumar had made an overture to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Akhilesh Yadav, who is locked in a family feud, to enforce prohibition which he said would help him come out of the "family shadow" and win the UP Assembly elections. Kumar had also come down heavily on Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and said, "We had offered him the post of president in the reunited Janata Parivar and also the head of the group in Parliament. But, he walked out and the role he played in Bihar elections, it seems brought a curse, which has been manifested in the intense feud in his party." BRUSSELS Belgian police said they detained a man who held about 15 people hostage in a supermarket on Tuesday evening in the Brussels suburb of Forest, adding that nobody was harmed.Belgian public broadcaster RTBF said the man was armed with a knife. Another state broadcaster, VRT, said the incident might have been related to a failed robbery attempt. It was not immediately clear if the man had surrendered or been overpowered. There was no suggestion from police that the hostage-taker had Islamist links. Suicide attacks claimed by Islamic State killed 32 people in Brussels in March. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Angus MacSwan and John Stonestreet) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. The Brics summit and the overlapping Bimstec outreach meet of regional powers in Goa over the weekend were hyped up beyond expectation to deliver unrealistic results. "It was a damp squib," said former Cabinet Secretary Naresh Chandra. While terrorism was part of the Goa Declaration, Pakistan was not named. This had to do with China, and Russia did not try to overrule President Xi Jinping either. In its obsession with Pakistan, India overlooked the obvious: China would play its hand. Beijing had done so on the issue of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and over Masood Azhar in the UN Security Council. Why did India believe that China would change its views? That is a question both Indian diplomats and the government must answer. Goa was to play a pivotal part in Indias diplomatic efforts to isolate Pakistan. Terror emanating from Pakistan was to be the main focus at both these meets. Ever since the Uri attack, Indian diplomacy has got stuck on a one point agenda: get the world to side with you and condemn Pakistan. This is all very well, but at a time when Indian ambitions of being a global player under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is soaring, the constant focus on Pakistan is bringing the country down to the India-Pakistan sub continental matrix. This is something successive governments had fought against for decades. Delhi would be piqued, if visiting dignitaries, especially from the US and other western nations, would also visit Pakistan. India wanted to break away from this with its connotations of the South Asian context. After Uri, Indias entire foreign policy seems to be entirely focused on Pakistan. "The Goa meet is a textbook lesson on how not to conduct India's diplomacy," said the former bureaucrat who has a good hold on foreign affairs. He was also Indias ambassador to the US when India conducted its nuclear tests in 1998. Considering that the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa grouping of the emerging economies is more a trade body, it was not a forum to hammer home the point about Pakistan and terror. India's diplomatic surge in Brics was ill-timed. Much more important is the fact that with China batting for Pakistan all along, it was to be expected that no anti-Pakistan statement would be reflected in the communique at the end of the Summit. Indian diplomats are well aware of the changing relations in world politics. Russias ties with the US has reached rock bottom. It is almost as if the Cold War era is back. On Syria, Russia and US are on opposite sides. Washington has accused President Vladimir Putins men of trying to influence the US elections by hacking into sensitive email accounts. Putin is now the villain, much like what Iraqs Saddam Hussain was before the Iraq invasion. Putin is smarting under the US insults, which are thrown at him every single day. He is coming closer to China and in the equation, China for the moment is calling the shots. At the same time, Moscow cannot but be unaware of Indias growing closeness to the US. Moscow's overtures to Pakistan, including holding of joint military exercises, may also be due to Chinas prodding. According to Chandra, Russia is keen to be a part of the China-Pakistan economic corridor. This may one day also extend to Afghanistan. In these circumstances India would have been day dreaming if it wanted a strong anti-Pakistan statement. Islamabad will be crowing that the two major powers, China and Indias old friend Russia had refused to turn Brics into a anti-Pakistan platform. India's ultra nationalist media has also played into the narrative. Either a country is with India or against India. There are no shades here. Other countries national and strategic interests are of little importance. Condemn Pakistan and make it pay for its sponsorship of terrorism. India is delighted with phrases describing Pakistan as the ivy league of terror, a fountain head of terror. But in the end except for pleasing the domestic audience, what does it achieve? Precious little. Much was made of a young Indian diplomat being fielded at the UN General Assembly to reply to Nawaz Sharifs Kashmir-centric speech, but what did that achieve really. Again the domestic constituency was thrilled, but what else. Perhaps this is what the government is hoping to impress ahead of crucial elections in pivotal states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur early next year. India has been more successful with the Bimstec countries. Bangladesh and Bhutan are with India. So is Sri Lanka, though the government is coming under criticism for pulling out of Saarc, at what is seen as following Indias diktat. Nepals Prachanda is also under fire. The smaller regional powers may well be with Delhi but that is neither here or there, when Russia and China have stood by Pakistan. By Timothy Large LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From life imprisonment for human traffickers to forcing pimps to pay compensation to their victims, Britain has some of the world's toughest sanctions against modern slavery.Passed a little more than a year ago, Britain's Modern Slavery Act has been hailed as a milestone in the anti-slavery fight, combining harsh penalties with progressive measures such as better protections for people at risk of being enslaved.It also requires companies to disclose what they are doing to make sure supply chains are free from slavery, a crime that affects some 46 million people worldwide, with up to 13,000 in Britain.Last week, British Prime Minister Theresa May warned traffickers: "We are coming after you."But does Britain's approach to fighting slavery live up to the hype? Is it a model for other countries to follow? Does it offer the right balance of carrot and stick to ensure meaningful change on the front lines of the anti-trafficking fight?As Britain marks Anti-Slavery Day, a day set by parliament to raise awareness of slavery and trafficking, we asked experts for their views on the effectiveness - or otherwise - of the Modern Slavery Act. Here are their responses.KEVIN HYLAND, UK INDEPENDENT ANTI-SLAVERY COMMISSIONER: When I meet with representatives of different organisations across the world, people do talk about the Modern Slavery Act as being groundbreaking and being world-leading... The legislation is seen as capturing all areas, from looking after the victims, from real rule of law, from prevention, from accountability and then from bringing in the private sector as well.AIDAN MCQUADE, DIRECTOR, ANTI-SLAVERY INTERNATIONAL: Anti-Slavery International has lobbied for a law like the Modern Slavery Act for nearly two decades, so it's a strange feeling now to feel rather unsatisfied. We have argued for years that providing a comprehensive support and protection to all victims of modern slavery should be at the heart of anti-slavery law and practice. Sadly, this is the area that is still lacking the most. Too often victims are still not believed, don't get the support they need, or are treated as immigration offenders and deported rather than protected. ANDREW WALLIS, CEO, UNSEEN: What's needed is a complete overhaul where the focus is on how we help survivors long-term from a position of vulnerability to a place of resilience. Most survivors we work with want to thrive, despite the trauma of modern slavery, but the current system is perfectly designed to deliver the results we have: a safety net temporarily arresting the plunge down the side of a cliff.NICK GRONO, CEO, THE FREEDOM FUND: The UK transparency provisions are light touch - in the sense that companies can comply simply by saying they have no policies in place to deal with forced labour or slavery (assuming that's the case). And the provisions are not backed by any meaningful sanctions. But their power comes from the fact that they require directors and management to turn their mind to issues of forced labour and modern slavery - often for the very first time. GEORGETTE MULHEIR, CEO, LUMOS: Tackling human trafficking is vital in destination countries such as the UK, to identify and support victims and prosecute offenders. The Modern Slavery Act provides the backbone for this work by many statutory agencies and NGOs. But if we fail to address the problem in source countries, then the number of people who go through the trauma of being trafficked will not reduce.PHIL BLOOMER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BUSINESS & HUMAN RIGHTS RESOURCE CENTRE: No company wants slavery in its supply chain. The Modern Slavery Act allows us to compare companies' commitments to eliminate this scourge that was supposed to be abolished 150 years ago. Our Modern Slavery Act Registry of over 750 company statements enables investors and consumers to reward the leading companies, and press the laggards to improve. So far, only a handful of companies, such as M&S and SAB Miller, Burberry, Ford and Mothercare, have produced statements to be proud of.GORDON MILLER, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, SUSTAIN WORLDWIDE: The Transparency in Supply Chains clause is genius ... All this doesn't mean some companies will still treat it as a 'tick box exercise'. But, equally, it does, at the very least, compel them to consider how their business impacts on the broader human rights of people working in their entire supply chain and not only those employed in their direct business operations.BRANDEE BUTLER, HEAD OF JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS, C&A FOUNDATION: Governments seeking to eradicate slavery should take note of the UK's leadership, and learn from its flaws. The act requires only that companies report on their actions, and imposes few consequences for non-compliance with even this basic requirement. Early reporting shows that few companies have fully complied. There is tremendous opportunity to build upon the UK government's efforts to crack down on slavery in supply chains. In consultation with business and civil society, legislators in other countries should craft policies that demand meaningful action to combat slavery and address the impacts of business practices on the lives and liberty of workers.TJ BIRDI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HELEN BAMBER FOUNDATION: The Modern Slavery Act has been lauded by politicians as a 'world leader in the fight against modern slavery'. However, the only way to fight such a serious and prolific crime is by setting effective standards for the identification, support and sustained recovery of victims ... The experience of the Helen Bamber Foundation over decades has shown that if victims are not recognised and assisted, they remain vulnerable to further slavery and serious harm.HOUTAN HOMAYOUNPOUR, TECHNICAL SPECIALIST, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION: Globally, there are at least 21 million people in situations of forced labour, and other forms of modern day slavery, generating $150 billion in illicit profits annually. It is in the context of this harsh reality that the UK continues to take a strong stance in the fight against slavery, by passing the Modern Slavery Act at home, as well as ratifying the ILO Protocol on forced labour. These are both giant steps towards the elimination of slavery and helping millions of children, women and men reclaim their freedom and dignity. (Reporting by Timothy Large @timothylarge; editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, which covers humanitarian issues, conflicts, global land and property rights, modern slavery and human trafficking, women's rights, and climate change. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New York: Melania Trump on Monday dismissed her husband's sexually aggressive language as "boy talk," insisting his remarks do not reflect "the man I know," and said she does not believe that he has assaulted any women. Trump's wife, in a series of media interviews, said she has accepted her husband's apology and the couple is "moving on." The comments come more than a week after the release of a 2005 video in which Trump brags about kissing women and grabbing their genitals without their permission. "I said to my husband that, you know, the language is inappropriate. It's not acceptable. And I was surprised, because that is not the man that I know," she told CNN. She suggested that Trump may not have known his microphone was on, calling it "kind of a boy talk" that "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush was encouraging. And she suggested that the women who have claimed in recent days that Trump made unwanted advances were attention-seekers who were making "damaging and unfair" accusations. "I believe my husband," she said in the interview that aired Monday night. "My husband didn't do anything." Melania also said it is fair game for her husband to appear with women who have accused former President Bill Clinton of sexual assault, claiming the Democrats fired the first volley into the increasingly ugly war about the couples' private lives. "They're asking for it. They started. They started from the beginning of the campaign putting my picture from modeling days," she said in excerpts released by Fox News ahead of the interview's broadcast. "That was my modeling days and I'm proud what I did. I worked very hard." Melania Trump's image was used in a negative ad campaign during the Republican primary, but there is no evidence that the Clintons were involved. At the time, Donald Trump accused former rival Ted Cruz of being involved and responded by tweeting an unflattering image of the Texas senator's wife. Cruz also denied involvement. The interviews are Melania Trump's first moments in the public eye since the accusations over the last 10 days that have sent her husband's White House bid reeling. First, a 2005 video leaked of Trump using vulgar language to describe women and apparently boasting of sexual assault. And in recent days, several women have come forward to say that Trump had groped or sexually assaulted them. The Republican nominee has denied the claims, calling the women liars and belittling their appearances. In the interviews, Melania Trump deemed the celebrity businessman's comments on the leaked tape "offensive to me and they were inappropriate." "And he apologized to me," she said in an interview with CNN airing at the same time the crowd at her husband's rally in Wisconsin was chanting "CNN sucks." "And I expect I accept his apology. And we are moving on." She said something similar in a statement released by the campaign after the video's release. She has also demanded retractions from a People Magazine writer who profiled the couple in 2005 and last week accused Donald Trump of an assault at the couple's Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, while Melania was out of the room. And she repeated her husband's assertion, which he makes without supporting evidence, that the media and Clinton campaign are working in tandem to sink the Republican nominee's campaign. Melania Trump has never filled the role of the traditional political spouse, only making rare appearances on the campaign trail. Her speech at July's national convention was initially praised until it was discovered that passages of it were lifted from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention address. Trump, who attended each of the first two presidential debates, was also lampooned on this week's Saturday Night Live. The long-running sketch show ran a video in which actresses playing Melania Trump, her two step-daughters and two of the candidate's most visible female allies did a version of Beyonce's feminist manifesto "Lemonade" in an act of rebellion against the candidate. The video ends with the Cecily Strong, the comedian playing Melania Trump, suggesting she wrote the song herself. BERLIN German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "no wonders" should be expected at talks on a stalled peace plan for eastern Ukraine which she will host on Wednesday with the leaders of Russia, France and Ukraine.Other top officials, including Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, also dampened expectations of any breakthrough at the talks in Berlin on ending a conflict in which more than 9,600 people have been killed since 2014."One musn't expect any wonders from tomorrow's meeting but it is worth every endeavour on this issue to take efforts forward," Merkel told a news conference on Tuesday.Merkel said she and French President Francois Hollande would also discuss what she called the worsening humanitarian disaster in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin. [nB4N19F01N]"Given this situation, I believe no option - including that of sanctions - can be taken off the table," Merkel said, adding that the first priority was to alleviate human suffering in Syria.French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said it was important to maintain pressure on Russia over Syria, a theme echoed by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble."Yes, we want better relations, but not at the price that (the Russians) don't stick to the rules," Schaeuble said in a speech in which he called for European Union states to pool their defence budgets to better counter the Russian military. "We don't want to fall back into the old insanity of reacting to every provocation, but that doesn't mean we will accept the shifting of borders and power with violence."Ayrault said the meeting would aim to establish a timetable for elections in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine and discuss further military disengagement along the line of conflict.Poroshenko, speaking in Oslo, cautioned against setting "very high expectations" for the meeting. The Kremlin has criticized Ukraine for not respecting its obligations under the Minsk ceasefire deal. A ceasefire agreed in the Belarussian capital Minsk in February 2015 stemmed heavy fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed rebels, but violence routinely flares along a demarcation line."Am I very optimistic? Yes. I am very optimistic about the future of Ukraine but unfortunately not so much about tomorrow's meeting, but I would be very happy to be surprised," Poroshenko said. The talks will take place just over a year after the four leaders last met in the so-called "Normandy Format," and against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Russia, Europe and the United States about Moscow's military role in Syria. Ayrault, speaking in Paris, said there was no alternative to continuing to work on the Minsk agreement. "I told the Ukrainians there was no plan B to the Minsk accords. Some think there is a plan B, which is confronting Russia, which we don't want." Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters it made sense to "compare notes" about implementation of the Minsk accord, but it was not possible to talk about any concrete agreements. (Reporting by Michelle Martin, Andrea Shalal, Andreas Rinke, Markus Wacket and Paul Carrel in Berlin, Dmitry Solvyov in Moscow, John Irish in Paris, Stine Jacobsen in Oslo, Natalia Zinets and Alexei Kalmykov in Kiev; Editing by Paul Carrel and Richard Balmforth) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. ROME Barack Obama praised Matteo Renzi in a newspaper interview on Tuesday, endorsing the under-fire Italian Prime Minister's reform agenda ahead of his state visit to Washington and a referendum that will define his political legacy.Renzi has said he will resign if he loses the Dec. 4 plebiscite on constitutional reform, in which two of his predecessors said on Tuesday they would support the 'no' camp - along with what opinion polls say is a majority of Italian voters."I believe the austerity measures have contributed to slowing growth in Europe," the U.S. president told la Repubblica daily, adding that Renzi understood the need for reforms to increase productivity and stimulate investments.Renzi, who was visiting Washington on Tuesday, has set out a 2017 budget that targets a fiscal deficit higher than previously agreed with the European Union.Obama said European policies aimed at capping budget deficits and lowering debt had led to years of stagnation and high unemployment in several countries."That is why I believe the vision and the ambitious reforms Prime Minister Renzi is following are so important," he said. Renzi "recognizes the need to make the investments necessary to sustain growth and jobs and increase opportunities." Renzi's reforms in areas such as the labor market, the state bureaucracy and education have so far failed to boost Italy's chronically sluggish growth and his popularity has fallen over the last 18 months.The referendum is on his plan to overhaul the constitution by reducing the role of the Senate and cutting the powers of regional governments. A large majority of recent opinion polls put the "no" camp ahead.Former prime minister Mario Monti, whose austerity measures are widely credited with saving Italy from a debt crisis in 2011 and 2012, said on Tuesday he would vote "no". He told Corriere della Sera daily the new role of the Senate was unclear and criticized Renzi for what he said was an irresponsible budget that undermined public finances by offering hand-outs to persuade people to support the referendum.Another former prime minister, media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, also declared his support for the "No" camp. "After a "No" we can approve a real reform, a different reform, all together," Berlusconi told Canale 5 television, adding this should include reducing the number of deputies in the lower house, and a constitutional limit on taxation.Brussels will issue a verdict this year on the budget. European Commission officials are concerned about Italy's inability to bring down a public debt of around 133 percent of national output, the highest in the euro zone after Greece's. However, they are also reluctant to hurt Renzi ahead of the referendum which they fear could bring political instability if he loses and favor the rise of the euroskeptic 5-Star Movement. (Reporting by Gavin Jones, additional reporting by Isla Binnie; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and John Stonestreet) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Pakistan: More than 350,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their war-torn homeland from Pakistan this year, UN data show, with the torrent of people crossing the border expected to continue. Earlier in October the UN's refugee agency UNHCR said the number of documented Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan had soared past 200,000. But this week the body's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan released updated figures that also include the number of undocumented refugees crossing the border. "So far this year, 162,186 undocumented returnees and 207,236 registered returnees (369,422) have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan," an OCHA statement said, noting that the majority, some 333,000 people, have returned since July. "If that sounds like a lot, it is," the statement continued. "Based on current trends, we expect a further 446,000 (both registered and undocumented) Afghans to arrive before year-end." The influx of refugees threatens to overwhelm Afghanistan, with authorities there already warning of a humanitarian crisis as hundreds of thousands of people flee fighting within the country. "Due to hostilities in Kunduz and intensified fighting across the south we have seen a jump of 37,000 IDPs (internally displaced people) alone more than 10 percent of the year total in just one week," Danielle Moylan, a spokeswoman for OCHA, told AFP on Monday. The total number of IDPs due to fighting since the start of the year stands at 323,500. Struggling to accommodate For decades, Pakistan has provided safe haven for millions of Afghans who fled their country after the Soviet invasion of 1979. Pakistan hosts 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees, according to UNHCR figures from earlier this year, making it the third-largest refugee hosting nation in the world. A further one million unregistered refugees are estimated to be in the country. Since 2009, Islamabad has repeatedly pushed back a deadline for them to return, but fears are growing that the latest cutoff date in March 2017 will be final. A security crackdown against undocumented foreigners in Pakistan coupled with a UN decision announced in June to double cash grants for voluntary returnees to $400, has also seen a surge in returnees. OCHA said that the vast majority of undocumented returnees claim they intend to return to the eastern province of Nangarhar. Many also settle in Kabul. The capital already has one of the highest population growth rates in the region some 1,200 people every day, according to European Union ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin and is struggling to accommodate the new arrivals, with many forced to shelter in informal settlements on the city's edge. Many of the returnees to conflict-torn Afghanistan have lived in Pakistan for decades and hope to one day come back to their adopted country. "Inshallah, we will come here again, this time with passports," Mohammad Anwar told AFP last month as he prepared to leave the country he arrived in as a child and has sheltered him for 35 years. By Ellen Wulfhorst WASHINGTON, D.C. (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Necole Daniels spent years as a sex trafficking victim, pulled into the life by her mother and grandmother who each were prostitutes in the sex trade.At age 42, Daniels now works as a victims' advocate, proud that she broke the chain and that her own children did not fall into a life of degradation and violence."I was born into vulnerability," she said. "It was very easy for me to slide into the sex trade."I always say I didn't choose the life. The life chose me," she added.Daniels is a co-founder of World Without Exploitation (WorldWE), a coalition launched on Tuesday to end sex trafficking and sexual exploitation.The coalition brings together more than 60 lawyers, activists, artists, service providers, community leaders and others who battle sex trafficking, from escort services to the streets, organizers said at its launch in Washington, D.C.Sex trafficking generates an estimated $99 billion in illegal profits worldwide each year, according to the International Labour Organization. The coalition aims to have an impact on laws and policies as well as popular culture that glamorizes so-called "pimp" culture, said Lauren Hersh, another WorldWE co-founder."I see it everywhere. I see it on my Facebook feed with parents who put a cap on their little boy and then everybody's saying, 'He's so pimp,'" she said."When we're glamorizing it, we're normalizing it, and when we're normalizing it, we have a huge problem," Hersh said. The coalition aims to give survivors a major role, organizers said.Daniels, who recounts being raped repeatedly beginning at age 7 and began working in prostitution at age 15, advocates for services to help people born into damaged families like hers to escaped a future being trafficked."In a lot of families where there's sexual abuse from generation to generation to generation, it grooms you in a sense," she said.Another trafficking survivor, Cherie Jimenez, 66, who also has linked up with WorldWE, works at Boston's EVA Center, a survivor-led program that helps women break free of the sex trafficking industry. It aims to build awareness of social, economic and other factors such as family violence, underfunded schools and poorly run foster care that leave girls and women vulnerable to trafficking, she said."We need to be part of a movement," Jimenez said.WorldWE also plans to compile an archive of testimony by trafficking survivors, which would be the first of its kind in the United States, organizers said.The alliance is funded by grants and private donors, Hersh said. (Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst, Editing by Astrid Zweynert. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit news.trust.org) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Alec Baldwin or Donald Trump? Saturday Night Live (SNL) or the Presidential Debate? As new surveys peer into past statistics to figure how historic the election day rebuke to Donald Trump could be, the rites of passage remain - a final presidential debate and election day itself when the bottom may likely fall out for Trump. Pundits called the first debate boring, the second one ugly, the third one will most likely be as bad as it gets. Youre better off with SNL and actually going to the WikiLeaks page and looking up some of the emails to get a voyuers view into how the powerful communicate. Itll tell you why Huma Abedin is Hillarys Clintons most trusted aide and why she will only grow in power and authority. Polls conducted around just the debates timeline starting from the first one on September 26 say Trump is perilously close to the worst ever drubbing in American political history. Hillary Clinton has shot to her best lead yet in an average of all general election polls - shes up by 7 points overall and her leads are in double digits is some individual polls. One lone poll continues to put Trump a hair breadth ahead of Clinton - the LA Times/USC survey which has not budged since June this year. All other polls are going Clinton. While news networks talk up the presidential debates till they go red in the face, SNL is out and out the big winner. Donald Trump, who provides endless red meat for SNL, dismissed the wildly popular Saturday Night Live spoof of the second presidential debate as a "hit job." Trump went on to write that it's "time to retire" the show, calling it "boring and unfunny" and adding that Alec Baldwin's portrayal of him stinks." Baldwin, who retweeted Trump's critique, has been playing him on "Saturday Night Live" since its 42nd season kicked off a few weeks ago, with Kate McKinnon depicting Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. During its first two weeks on the air this fall, SNL bigger season-opening audiences than at any point since Tina Fey was doing her memorable Sarah Palin impersonation in 2008. Saturday Night Live will take a break Oct. 29, and will be back on the Saturdays immediately before and after the November 8 election. Yet, if you still insist on watching two rich people talk about themselves, e-mails, extra-marital affairs, women and their vocabulary while pretending to talk about America, you can catch it on pretty much every cable and mobile screen near you at these times, live from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas: 9 pm EDT, Oct 19 6:30 am IST, Oct 20 The 90 minute debate will be divided into six segments of 15 minutes each, with the topics for each segment selected by moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News: Debt and entitlements Immigration Economy Supreme Court Foreign hot spots Fitness to be president If youre tuning in, heres a politics blast to keep you in step: Just call it the email debate Republicans are seizing the latest developments in the Hillary Clinton email controversy as an issue that could help Donald Trump make up ground in the final presidential debate if he can hammer home the message. It follows news that the State Department had asked FBI officials to lower the classification of a sensitive email related to the attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya. FBI notes revealed discussion of a "quid pro quo" in trying to get the email reclassified. Blame everybody Trump is accusing the speaker of the House Paul Ryan of sabotaging his campaign to benefit his own political future. The real contest Trump, who? Republicans are pooling all their resources on their most urgent mission: Build a firewall to prevent a Democratic takeover of the House. All the 435 seats in Congress are up for grabs. The Senate contests are looming - these will be the most important results for the Republicans who have hunkered down for a loss of stunning proportions on the main GOP ticket for Prez. They just want to keep control of the House and Senate. They're using Trump's lines against Trump to try and shore up their conservative base. Our own Brexit, says Trump Donald Trump is claiming that if he doesn't win the presidential election, "history will remember 2017 as the year America lost its independence." Trump unleashed a series of tweets Tuesday suggesting that he will "#DrainTheSwamp" of corrupt Washington. Trump has repeatedly called for Americans to reclaim their independence and has linked his candidacy to the "Brexit" vote in which the United Kingdom chose to leave the European Union. Hillary landslide? With roughly three weeks to Election Day, Republican strategists nationwide publicly concede Hillary Clinton has a firm grip on the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House and may be on her way to an even more decisive victory over Donald Trump. Not the man I know: Melania Melania Trump dismissed her husband's sexually aggressive language as "boy talk," insisting his remarks do not reflect "the man I know," and said she does not believe that he has assaulted any women. Trump's wife, in a series of media interviews, said she has accepted her husband's apology and the couple is "moving on." The comments come more than a week after the release of a 2005 video in which Trump brags about kissing women and grabbing their genitals without their permission. "I said to my husband that, you know, the language is inappropriate. It's not acceptable. And I was surprised, because that is not the man that I know," she told CNN. By Alana Wise and Doina Chiacu | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Republican lawyers said on Monday it was impossible for the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election to be "rigged" against Donald Trump, despite such allegations by the Republican nominee in recent days.Trump, a New York businessman making his first run for public office, has sought to raise fears of a flawed election as he has fallen in opinion polls against Democrat Hillary Clinton."Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!" Trump said on Twitter on Monday.Numerous studies have shown that voter fraud in U.S. elections is very rare.Republican campaign lawyer Chris Ashby said Trump's charges, which were not backed by any evidence, could foment unrest and were unfounded and dangerous."When you say an election is rigged, youre telling voters, your supporters, their votes do not matter, Ashby said in an interview. "I think some of Donald Trumps comments could cause unrest at the polls."Some Republicans have urged Trump to drop the assertions. Early voting and voting by mail have already begun in many states.Mark Braden, partner at Baker and Hostetler and former chief counsel for the Republican National Committee, said that any sort of election rigging at the national level just is impossible, citing the various systems in place that would make such an endeavour complicated and unfeasible. Our system is principally a system based upon each side watching the other side, Braden said in an interview. Our system is dependent on local volunteer participation. Our system has worked very well because we have people who get involved in the process and perform these functions.Trump has tried to portray Clinton, a former U.S. senator and secretary of state, as a corrupt lifelong politician.His campaign pounced on the release on Monday of Federal Bureau of Investigation documents that cited an FBI official as saying a senior State Department official sought to pressure the bureau in 2015 to drop its insistence that an email from Clinton's private server contained classified information..Clinton's decision to use a private server while secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 has drawn criticism that she was careless with national security. MELANIA TRUMP SPEAKS OUT Trump's vote-rigging accusations come after his campaign was damaged by the release of a tape 10 days ago showing him lewdly bragging about kissing and touching women without their permission. A series of women have come forward with allegations about his behaviour, but he has denied those accusations.He has said he did not act on his words, but a series of women have since come forward with allegations about his behaviour, which he has denied.The RealClearPolitics average of national opinion polls shows Clinton currently leading Trump by 6.9 percentage points, at 45.9 percent to 39 percent.On Monday, Trump's wife, Melania Trump, who has not played an active role in his campaign, spoke publicly for the first time on Monday about the "Access Hollywood" tape.A former model who has mainly stayed off the campaign trail, Trump told CNN she was surprised by her husband's language and said she thought he had been egged on to "say dirty and bad stuff," calling it "boy talk." She told Fox News Channel that it was hard for Trump, a former reality television star, to run for office because he had been "in so many shows, so many tapes" over the years."Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. And he apologised to me," Melania Trump said in an excerpt released by Fox News Channel."I accept his apology. And we are moving on," she said.'NOT GOING TO BE RIGGED' Trump's vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, and his campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, have tried to portray the candidate's comments about vote rigging as being aimed at an unfair news media. But Trump has also pointed to fraud "at many polling places." The country's top elected Republican, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, has also tried to counter Trump's message about election fraud. Spokeswoman AshLee Strong said Ryan "is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity." In the traditionally hard-fought state of Ohio, the top elections official, a Republican, said concerns about widespread voter fraud were simply not justified. "I can reassure Donald Trump: I am in charge of elections in Ohio and they're not going to be rigged, I'll make sure of that," Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted told CNN. Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said Trump's assault on the voting system was an act of desperation."He knows he's losing and is trying to blame that on the system. This is what losers do," Mook told reporters.In a report titled "The Truth About Voter Fraud," the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law cited voter fraud incident rates between 0.00004 percent and 0.0009 percent.An August study by the Washington Post found 31 credible cases of impersonation fraud out of more than 1 billion votes cast in elections from 2000 to 2014. Arizona State University studies in 2012 and 2016 found similarly low rates.A number of Republican-led states, citing the need to prevent voter fraud, have passed laws with stricter ID requirements. But several have been struck down by courts that ruled they were designed to hinder minority voting.Ashby, the Republican campaign lawyer, said Trump seemed to be conflating isolated instances of voter fraud with widespread election rigging."The election is not rigged and it cannot be rigged," he said. (Additional reporting by Luciana Lopez and Jonathan Allen in New York, and Susan Heavey and Susan Cornwell in Washington; Writing by Doina Chiacu and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Leslie Adler and Peter Cooney) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Ankara: Turkish air force jets joined in the air operation backing Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga to retake Iraq's second city of Mosul from jihadists, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Tuesday. "Our air forces took part in the coalition forces' air operations in Mosul," Yildirim told his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group in Ankara. The long-awaited offensive began Monday with air and ground support from a US-led coalition. Yildirim said Turkey was "closely-watching" what was happening but did not give details on the nature of the Turkish air support. Mosul was captured by Islamic State (IS) jihadists in June 2014. But ahead of the offensive, Turkey and Iraq were entangled in a war of words over Turkey's presence in northern Iraq. Yildirim repeated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments from Monday that Turkey would be involved in the operation and will be "at the table". While insisting it cannot be left out of the operation, Turkey has often spoken of its fears over the potential involvement of Shiite militias and anti-Ankara Kurdish militia. Yildirim told his MPs that Turkey continuously cautioned the United States and the European Union about the region's sensitivities. "We frequently warned about the ethnic sensitivities of the region and indicated the sectarian sensitivities," Yildirim said. Earlier this month, Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi traded barbs over Turkey's presence in Bashiqa in northern Iraq, where according to Erdogan nearly 700 Turkish soldiers are based. Turkey denies Baghdad's claims that it is an "occupying force", insisting that it is providing training for fighters whom the Turkish government says will assist Peshmerga forces retake Mosul. By Jonathan Allen | NEW YORK NEW YORK A senior State Department official sought to shield Hillary Clinton last year by pressuring the FBI to drop its insistence that an email on the private server she used while secretary of state contained classified information, according to records of interviews with FBI officials released on Monday.The accusation against Patrick Kennedy, the State Department's most senior manager, appears in the latest release of interview summaries from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's year-long investigation into Clinton's sending and receiving classified government secrets via her unauthorised server. Although the FBI decided against declassifying the email's contents, the claim of interference added fuel to Republicans' belief that officials in President Barack Obama's administration have sought to protect Clinton, a Democrat, from criminal liability as she seeks to succeed Obama in the Nov. 8 election. The FBI recommended against bringing any charges in July and has defended the integrity of its investigation.Clinton has said her decision to use a private server in her home for her work as the U.S. secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 was a mistake and has apologised.One FBI official, whose name is redacted, told investigators that Kennedy repeatedly "pressured" the various officials at the FBI to declassify information in one of Clinton's emails. The email was about the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, and included information that originated from the FBI, which meant that the FBI had final say on whether it would remain classified.A State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said Kennedy was not pressuring the FBI but was just trying to understand better how the FBI's classification process worked.The dispute began in the summer of 2015 as officials were busy reviewing the roughly 30,000 emails Clinton returned to the State Department ahead of their court-ordered public release in batches in 2015 and 2016.The official said the State Department's office of legal counsel called him to question the FBI's ruling that the information was classified, but the FBI stood by its decision.Soon after that call, one of the official's FBI colleagues received a call from Kennedy in which Kennedy "asked his assistance in altering the email's classification in exchange for a 'quid pro quo.'" The FBI official said he also joined at least two discussions in which Kennedy "continued to pressure" the FBI about the email. The official said Kennedy appeared to be trying to protect Clinton by minimizing the appearance of classified information in emails from the server that Clinton used while she was the country's most senior diplomat. AGENCIES SAY NO 'QUID PRO QUO" In a separate interview summary among the 100 pages released on Monday, another unnamed FBI official confirmed a discussion of a "quid pro quo." He said Kennedy told him in a phone call that the FBI's classification of the email "caused problems" for Kennedy. The official said he told Kennedy he would look into the email, which he had not yet seen, if the State Department would consider allowing more FBI agents to be posted in Iraq in exchange. The State Department and the FBI both confirmed that a conversation about the email's classification and an increase in FBI slots in Iraq took place, but both agencies said there was no "quid pro quo."After a year-long FBI investigation into the server, FBI Director James Comey said in July he found that while laws governing classified information may have been broken no reasonable prosecutor would bring charges. He said, however, that Clinton and her staff had been "extremely careless" in handling information that had been classified to protect national security.Toner, the State Department spokesman, said there was "no quid pro quo," and told reporters that it was the FBI official who raised the possibility with Kennedy of allowing more agents in Iraq during the conversation about the email."After the conversation took place about the upgrading classification, at the end of that, there was a kind of, 'Oh, by the way, hey, we're looking at how we want more slots" in Iraq, Toner said, calling it a "clear pivot" in the topic of conversation. "No increase in FBI Iraq slots resulted from this conversation," he said. The FBI also confirmed both topics were raised in the same conversation, and that the FBI official who discussed the email and Iraq with Kennedy had since retired. "Although there was never a quid pro quo, these allegations were nonetheless referred to the appropriate officials for review," the FBI said in its statement, which did not say what the outcome of the review was.TRUMP CALLS IT "COLLUSION" Other officials have made similar complaints to investigators of unusual pressure not to mark information as classified in Clinton's emails last year. According to earlier documents the FBI released last month, at least one official at the State Department told investigators that there was pressure by senior department officials to mislead the public about the presence of classified information in Clinton's emails ahead of their public release.A summary released on Monday showed another official in the office of the State Department's inspector general making similar allegations. The State Department has said these allegations are also false. Ultimately, the FBI told Kennedy that declassification was not possible, according to the interview summaries, and the State Department posted it online last year marked as classified, with heavy redactions.Clinton's Republican rival for the White House, Donald Trump, has accused her of jeopardizing national security and told her at a debate this month, "You'd be in jail" if he is elected president.He posted a video online on Monday in which he said the FBI documents showed "corruption at the highest levels.""This is collusion between the FBI, Department of Justice and the State Department to try and make Hillary Clinton look like an innocent person when she's guilty of very high crimes," Trump said. Several Republican lawmakers called on Obama to investigate Kennedy and remove him from the department. Toner of the State Department said Kennedy "has the full confidence" of John Kerry, Clinton's successor as secretary of state.Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee's chairman, said in a statement that Obama, who is campaigning for Clinton to become his successor as president, was trying to "shield" Clinton and that she "cannot be trusted" with classified information.Paul Ryan, the most senior Republican in the U.S. Congress, referred to the FBI summaries on Twitter. "This bears all the signs of a cover-up," he wrote.In 2015, Clinton repeatedly said she never sent or received classified information via her server, but since the release of the FBI report in July she has said she relied on the judgment of her subordinates at the department.Robby Mook, her campaign manager, downplayed the account from the FBI interview summary, telling reporters it was "not uncommon for officials within a department to fight over classification." (Additional reporting by Julia Edwards, Emily Stephenson, Arshad Mohammed and Luciana Lopez; Writing by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Frances Kerry and Leslie Adler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. UAE The Philippines ambassador to the United Arab Emirates says a wanted man named by President Rodrigo Duterte as a major drug kingpin has been arrested in the Arab countrys capital. Ambassador Constancio Vingno Jr. told yesterday that Rolando Kerwin Espinosa Jr. was arrested Sunday night in an apartment in Abu Dhabi. PHILIPPINES-CHINA The new Philippine president is making a state visit to China in a charm offensive that will help define how far he wants to shift allegiance from treaty ally the U.S. to an Asian superpower locked in a territorial standoff with his small, impoverished country. Its a high-stakes gamble for brash Duterte. THAILAND A Thai woman accused of insulting the countrys late king is forced to kneel before his portrait at a police station on the tourist island of Samui as several hundred people bay for an apology. KOREAS North Korea says it wants Britain to pull out of upcoming military exercises in South Korea, calling the drills a hostile act. Britain has announced that it will send fighter jets and support planes to Asia, and that it will take part in exercises in South Korea together with South Korean and U.S. forces in early November. INDONESIA Prosecutors in Indonesia seek an eight-year prison term for a Chinese Uighur accused of involvement in plots to attack government officials and minority Shiite Muslims. JAPAN The Japanese government expects to raise 416 billion yen from the initial public offering of 160 million shares of Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, the latest in the privatization of the nations prized train operations. ISRAEL A book about Israels character and the turning points in its history that Nobel laureate Shimon Peres completed just weeks before he died will come out next spring. The HarperCollins imprint Custom House said that Peres No Room for Small Dreams will be published April 4. Peres, whose previous books included the memoir Battling for Peace, died last month at age 93. AUSTRIA The government says it plans to demolish the house where Adolf Hitler was born and erect a new building in its place in efforts to erase any link to the Nazi dictators birthplace. Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said that a thorough architectural remodeling is necessary to permanently prevent the recognition and the symbolism of the building. SOUTH AFRICA African protesters demanding free university education broke windows, forced open doors and threw human excrement in an effort to disrupt the resumption of classes, said an official from the University of Cape Town. In Johannesburg, students blocked a road during the morning rush hour and threw stones at the University of the Witwatersrand. Authorities failed to adequately investigate complaints of violent crimes committed against asylum seekers held at Australias expense on the Pacific atoll nation of Nauru, Amnesty International said yesterday. The London-based human rights group found in an investigation that it appeared that no Nauruan had been held to account despite allegations of dozens of sexual assaults and physical attacks from 1,159 asylum seekers and refugees who live among 10,000 local residents on the tiny island. According to confidential information provided to Amnesty International in September 2016, in the preceding two years there had not been a single prosecution involving refugees or asylum seekers as complainants in cases of assault, rape and theft, the report said. Australias Department of Immigration and Border Protection said the report repeated claims that had already been refuted. It said Amnesty International had failed to approach the Australian government to verify its allegations. Australia attempts to deter asylum seekers from Africa, the Middle East and Asia from trying to reach Australian shores by boat from Indonesian ports by sending them to immigration camps at Nauru or Papua New Guinea. Genuine refugees among them are told they will never be resettled in Australia. The Guardian newspaper in August published more than 2,000 leaked incident reports from Nauru that included allegations of sexual abuse, assaults and self-harm among asylum seekers. The incidents were logged by the Save the Children charity between May 2013 and October last year. Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Justine Saunders told a routine Senate inquiry on Monday that 14 of those incidents had been referred to Nauru police for investigation and one Nauruan had been charged with assault. Nine investigations were closed due to insufficient evidence, one complaint was withdrawn and two investigations remained open, she said. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin told the same Senate committee he was confident Nauru police had the capability and intent to properly investigate such incidents. Immigration Department Secretary Michael Pezzullo visited Nauru last week and told the committee that three charges involving asylum-seeker victims were before the court. He did not detail those allegations. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said Australia is asking other countries to consider resettling asylum seekers from Nauru and Papua New Guinea, even if they are found not to be genuine refugees. Amnesty Internationals report is based on research by senior director for research Anna Neistat, who traveled to Nauru in July for five days and met 58 refugees, asylum seekers and service providers. The report criticized Australias offshore processing system, saying it fit the definition of torture under international law. AP A senior executive of Australias largest casino operator and two other Australians have been detained in an investigation of suspected gambling crimes, the Chinese government said yesterday, in an apparent crackdown on overseas tours for high rollers. The head of Crown Resorts Ltd.s VIP International team, Jason OConnor, is believed to be one of 18 Crown employees being questioned by Chinese authorities, the company said in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange. The Chinese foreign ministry said in a regular briefing that Australians have been detained in Shanghai for suspected involvement in gambling crimes, but did not provide further details. Fairfax Media reported over the weekend that police took the three Australians, who were visiting China on business, and local Chinese employees based in several Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, away from their homes late Thursday and detained them. OConnor was among the Australians. The raids were part of an apparent crackdown on the firms operations to lure high-worth Chinese gamblers to its Australian casinos, Fairfax said. Casino gambling is illegal on the mainland and Chinese law prohibits agents from organizing groups of more than 10 Chinese citizens to gamble abroad. The crime is punishable by up to three years imprisonment. The industry has been known to skirt the ban by touting destination packages. Casino operators have sought to lure Chinese high-rollers who have avoided Macau since President Xi Jinpings ongoing corruption crackdown deters visits to the offshore enclave that is the only place in China where casinos are legal. In 2015, police arrested 13 South Korean casino managers and 34 Chinese agents for selling packages with free tours, free hotels and sexual services. Crown declined to say why OConnor was in China. Crown, founded by billionaire James Packer, has said in recent financial disclosures its International VIP business segment has surged in recent years thanks to ramped up overseas marketing. It was not clear whether any of the staff had been charged. Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it had been notified yesterday by China of the detentions and said consular officials were arranging visits. The department said the Australians had legal representation. Crown said it was supporting the Chinese and Australian families of the detained employees. Headquartered in Melbourne, Crown has gambling interests in Australia, Macau, Manila, Philippines, and London. Crown shares fell 14 percent to close on Monday at AU$11.15 ($8.47), the biggest single-day decline in the companys history. Grant Govertsen, a Macau-based analyst at Union Gaming, a gambling-focused investment bank and advisory firm, said such crackdowns are common in China. I think what people are losing sight of is the fact that these arrests happen all the time, several times a year with the Koreans, and its been going on like that for years, Govertsen said. He said that the arrest of Australians could represent a sea change, but it could also be business as usual. AP Among the Crown employees detained is Jiang Ling, a Shanghai resident who has worked for the Australian company for more than five years and processes applications for high-rolling gamblers, according to her American husband, Jeff Sikkema. He hasnt been able to reach Jiang, a Chinese national, since she was taken and hes especially concerned about Chinas high conviction rate. He emphasized Jiang has a purely administrative role. Shes not even in sales, Sikkema said by phone. I dont understand why she was detained. Theres nothing to hide. Jiangs detention notice, seen by Bloomberg, shows she is being held by Shanghai police for alleged gambling crimes. Her detention date is listed as Oct. 14 at 3:50 p.m. In June last year, Chinese officials arrested 14 South Koreans, including employees of casino operators Paradise Co. and Grand Korea Leisure Co., for allegedly marketing to Chinese gamblers. Those arrests and the detentions of the Crown staff highlight the delicate nature of working in China for an overseas casino operator. Crown and other Australian casino firms pulled staff out of China over the weekend, said Jamie Soo, an analyst at Daiwa Capital Markets. While gambling advertising and collecting gaming debts are illegal in China, they are established practices carried out by marketing teams, he said. Macau operators also pulled staff from China, Soo said, citing ground checks by Daiwa. Theyre all operating in a pretty gray area, said Theo Maas, a fund manager at Sydney-based Arnhem Investment Management. You cant promote gambling in China directly, but obviously the ultimate goal is to get them to come and gamble with you. You can see where the confusion lies. Packer has a net worth of USD4 billion. His privately held investment vehicle, Consolidated Press Holdings, owns 48 percent of Crown Resorts. In recent months, Packer has retreated from Crowns day-to-day operations, stepping down as chairman in August 2015 to focus on the companys new projects, which include a casino being developed in Las Vegas and the Sydney hotel for high rollers. He quit as a Crown director later that year. Bloomberg The Communist leader of East Germany, Erich Honecker, has been forced to step down as leader of the country. After 18 years in power he will be replaced by Egon Krenz, currently the head of internal and external security for the Politburo. The official reason for his departure is said to be ill health but failure to deal with the tide of discontentment sweeping the country and the party is thought to be the real reason. Up to 120,000 people marched in Leipzig on Monday to protest against a lack of political reforms and thousands of people are continuing to leave the country in search of better opportunities. The recent visit of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is also being seen as a contributing factor to the downfall of Mr Honecker. The Soviet leader was highly critical of the East German leadership saying there was a need for people to feel involved with their country and to have their opinions taken seriously. The placement of Mr Krenz is being seen by the opposition as a change of tactics rather than a change of direction. The banned opposition movement New Forum said: Krenzs appointment shows the Communist party has no intention of sharing power. Reform under him is unlikely. Mr Krenz, who at 55 is the youngest member of the Politburo, has been groomed to take over for more than a decade by Mr Honecker. The news has so far received mixed reactions. Student Steffi Muller, referring to the official announcement that health reasons were the cause for the departure said: They were really referring to the health of the country we were dying on our feet under Honecker. Rainer Eppelmann, an East Berlin vicar said: Krenz must show that he has the will to change things, and not only cosmetically. Mr Honecker was expected to retire next year, following the countrys 40th anniversary celebrations. Courtesy BBC News In context In November 1989, in a bid to bolster the political regime, the Berlin Wall, set up under the personal supervision of Erich Honecker, was torn down on the orders of Egon Krenz. It was not enough to stop people leaving East Germany and on 3 October 1990 the two Germanys merged to form a new united country. A new administration took over in the reunified Germany, led by Helmut Kohl. In 1990 Mr Honecker was charged with high treason, abuses of power and corruption. Proceedings against him were suspended, due to his ill health, and he was allowed to go into exile in Chile where he died in 1994. Surgeons from around the world gathered at a conference in Beijing yesterday in Chinas latest effort to fight persistent skepticism about whether its hospitals have stopped performing transplants with the organs of executed prisoners. Doctors from the World Health Organization and the Montreal-based Transplantation Society who were invited to the conference by China praised Chinese officials for reforms they have made in the transplant system, including a ban put in place last year on using organs from executed inmates. Doubts persist that China is accurately reporting figures or meeting its pledge given its severe shortage of organ donors and Chinas long-standing black-market organ trade. By its own figures, China has one of the lowest rates of organ donation in the world, and even the systems advocates say it needs hundreds of additional hospitals and doctors. While China suppresses most discussions about human rights, government officials and state media have publicly talked about their commitment to ending a practice opposed by doctors and human rights groups due to fears that it promotes executions and coercion. In a sign of the issues symbolic importance to China, the conference took place in an ornate, chandeliered ballroom inside the Great Hall of the People, the building next to Tiananmen Square that typically hosts foreign leaders and ceremonial Communist Party events. Doctors at the conference Monday described meeting patients and visiting hospitals around the country, and said the recorded usage of drugs given to transplant patients lined up with Chinas reported numbers of transplants. Dr. Jose Nunez, an adviser on organ transplants to the World Health Organization, told the audience that he believed China was building the next great system. You are taking this country to a leading position within the transplantation world, he said. Others offered praise for Chinese officials, but stopped short of saying whether they could confirm China had stopped using executed inmates organs. Its not a matter for us to prove to you that its zero, said Dr. Francis Delmonico, a longtime surgeon and a professor at Harvard Medical School. Its a matter for the government to fulfill what is the law, just as it is in the other countries of the world that we go to. China is believed to perform more executions than any other country, though the government does not disclose how many. The former vice minister of health, Dr. Huang Jiefu, publicly acknowledged in 2005 that China harvested executed inmates organs for transplant, and a paper he co-authored six years later reported that as many as 90 percent of Chinese transplant surgeries using organs from dead people came from those put to death. Huang has also responded to a report earlier this year that a Canadian patient apparently received a kidney from an executed inmate by announcing that the doctor and the hospital in question were suspended from performing more transplants. A key impediment is that members of a donors immediate family have the right to veto any transplant once the person is dead. There is also a traditional aversion to the removal of body parts from the dead and a fear that donated organs could be exploited for monetary gain. Dr. Philip OConnell, the immediate past president of the Transplantation Society, told reporters later that he would work with doctors supporting reform in any country. The options are that you completely isolate someone, which means that generally their practices get compounded, or you engage with them and you tell them your point of view and explain why it would be better for them to change, OConnell said. That is, I think in the simple terms, what were doing. AP After lashing out at longtime ally America, the new Philippine president is making a state visit to China in a charm offensive that will help define how far he wants to shift allegiance from treaty ally the U.S. to an Asian superpower locked in a territorial standoff with his small, impoverished country. Its a high-stakes gamble for brash President Rodrigo Duterte. While he recalibrates Philippine relations with the worlds big powers, his countrys 65-year alliance with the United States a key pillar of President Barack Obamas rebalance to Asia hangs in the balance. China will likely move to regain lost ground in a Southeast Asian nation that won a major arbitration lawsuit against Beijings massive territorial claims in the South China Sea just three months ago. Below is a look at some of the issues surrounding Dutertes four-day visit to China that begins today and will include meetings with President Xi Jinping and other officials. WHY IS DUTERTE PURSUING A MAJOR FOREIGN POLICY SHIFT AND WHAT DOES HE WANT FROM CHINA? Dutertes desire to chart a foreign policy independent of the United States apparently stems from a variety of reasons, including the history of American colonialism in the Philippines. He was also angered by a 2002 incident in which he accused FBI agents of spiriting out of the country an American blamed for a hotel room blast in Davao city, where Duterte served as longtime mayor. More recently, he has told Barack Obama to go to hell in a speech after the U.S. president criticized his deadly anti-drugs crackdown. He has declared plans to scale back engagements with U.S. forces whose presence, he said, has inflamed Muslim restiveness in the south and has failed to help uplift his countrys anemic military. I am not a fan of the Americans, he said last month. Duterte wants to make progress on the South China Sea territorial dispute between the two countries and expand defense cooperation with China, which could be a new source of weapons for the Philippines. WILL DUTERTE RAISE THE THORNY SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTES IN CHINA? Before embarking on his trip to Brunei and China, Duterte said the territorial conflicts would be taken up, including a July 12 decision by an international arbitration tribunal that invalidated Chinas claim, based on historical grounds, to virtually the entire South China Sea. While he pledged he would not bargain over Philippine sovereignty and stick to his countrys claims, Duterte said there will be no hard impositions. In his outreach to China, Duterte says he primarily wants Filipino fishermen to regain access to Chinese-held Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea that both sides claim, and boost trade and investment after years of frigid relations. Its been suggested that he might seek Chinas assurance that it will halt any more island-building plans in disputed areas. A few days before his state visit to China, the two sides still havent agreed on proposed paragraphs concerning the disputes in a joint statement that may be issued at the end of Dutertes visit in Beijing, according to a Philippine official privy to efforts to draft the statement. WHAT IS THE US ATTITUDE TOWARD DUTERTES BOOSTING RELATIONS WITH WASHINGTONS KEY ASIAN RIVAL? The U.S. says it wants to see better relations between the Philippines and China, wary that any major downturn could harm regional stability and possibly force the Washington to take action under its 1951 mutual defense treaty with the Philippines. Yet, it doesnt wish for that to come at the expense of its relations with Manila, and a marked deterioration of ties would likely be viewed with alarm, since the Philippines remains a key part of the U.S. chain of alliances in Asia running from Japan and South Korea to Australia. Any effort by Duterte to enhance defense ties with China will also likely unsettle the U.S. military if it feels the security of American military personnel and operations could be compromised. Connections between the U.S. and the Philippines run deep, represented in their century-old relationship and the more than 3 million Americans of Filipino descent. Such links are likely to ensure that relations remain close, no matter what direction foreign policy takes under Duterte. Chinas relations with its neighbors, meanwhile, often stagger from crisis to crisis, raising the possibility that the next dust-up over the South China Sea could result in new economic or diplomatic retaliatory measures from Beijing. In such a case, the U.S. will be likely standing by, eager to remind Manila of who its true friend is. WHAT DOES CHINA HOPE TO GET OUT OF THE VISIT AND ANY CHANGE OF COURSE BY DUTERTE? While China has expressed openness to Dutertes efforts to boost trade and seek financing for railways and other infrastructure, it remains uncertain if China will back away from its longstanding South China Sea sovereignty claims, including at Scarborough, where the Chinese coast guard continues to block Filipino fishermen. China would be expected to applaud any diminishing of U.S. influence among Asian nations since that creates more room for it to increase its economic, political and military influence. Beijing was caught off guard by the U.S. pivot to Asia of which stronger ties with the Philippines was a key element so a change of course by Manila serves Beijings goal of negating Washingtons bid to shore up its influence. Beijing is also eager to consign the Hague arbitration panels ruling to history and resume its approach of discussing territorial disputes on a bilateral basis with the countries concerned. The ruling bore the spirit of multilateralism that would reduce Chinas relative heft vis-a-vis the other claimant countries and brought the sort of outside intervention that Beijing has long condemned. Finally, warmer ties with the Philippines might also provide opportunities for the Chinese economy, particularly the newly established Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank that Beijing has backed as an alternative to the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other global financial institutions. Chinese companies would move aggressively to snap up any major infrastructure projects that become available, especially road and rail construction. Jim Gomez & Christopher Bodeen, Manila, AP As the demand for global tourism continues to grow, urban areas tend to develop in response to the needs of the growing number of incoming tourists. During a session of the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF), which concluded on Sunday, a group of panelists discussed how urban tourism consumption is shaping the regions tourism offers. In particular, the panelists discussed how a variety of fresh attractions, cultural objectives and new landmarks are attracting visitors, and also pointed out the important role that managers of tourist locations should play in ensuring that urban, tourism-related developments do not contribute to the deterioration of the citys environment. Roger Carter, member of the World Tourism Cities Federations expert committee, spoke about how the demand for leisure travel is expected to bring swift growth in urban tourism, which will result in both economic benefits and a reputation boost for cities. Some of the advantages of the increasing tourism include urban regeneration and production of better services, amenities and events. However, he stressed that such advantages would also put pressure on urban tourism resources, mentioning that travelers nowadays look for unique, authentic experiences. To be an effective travel destination, the panelists shared that the attraction should have some heritage value, along with a complex infrastructure. The panel agreed that governments have a vital part to play in ensuring a city fulfils these requirements. Conservation [] makes more cities much more conscious of the value of their heritage and culture, and willingness to invest in those visitors as well as for residents, said Carter in his opening speech. Meanwhile, the panelists also discussed how the urban tourism market has become more dynamic and changed in terms of its demographic and behavioral characteristics. Helena Egan, director of Industry Relations of Trip Advisor, revealed that according to their survey results from 40,000 consumers in 73 different markets and regions, 70 percent of the participants do not know where to travel. Thats a tremendous opportunity for the cities to highlight whats best in a destination, Egan remarked. She added that 60 percent are looking for new experiences, noting that one can no longer rely on the fact that friendly locals and key landmarks are what visitors are seeking. According to Egan, Australian and Indian travelers deem the minute details such as having a kettle in a hotel room as important. She also revealed that one third of the Japanese, one fifth of Chinese and a quarter of Italian travelers choose a destination based on what they have seen on either a movie, documentary or TV series. Egan also stated her belief that opportunities for the consumption changes and revolution is massive. However she questioned the likelihood of consumers spreading positive word of mouth as visitors brand loyalty is also diminishing. They need everything now, it needs to be fresh, needs to work and it needs to be quick. And if it isnt, the frustration will influence their experience. They share the experiences really fast, she said. Another panelist, Hu Zhimin, vice president of China International Travel Service, highlighted that one of the most tremendous consumption changes for the Chinese outbound tourists is the convenience to use mobile internet, as more of them are completing payments through their phones. Travelers have a lot of resources and care about the internet facilities of [the] destination. And we hope destinations have these facilities to meet all the needs, he explained. Further, the panel stressed the importance of providing a wide variety of elements such as accommodation, transport and F&B offerings in cities, in a bid to offer a diversified and complex experience. Flights between Macau and Yangon under consideration During the GTEF, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam met with representatives of tourism departments from Myanmar, Hungary, Zimbabwe and France. The secretary exchanged opinions with the representatives regarding both educational and tourism cooperation. While talking to U Ohn Maung, Minister of Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar, Tam mentioned the possibility of future direct flights between Macau and Yangon. The Myanmar minister suggested the opening of direct flights between the two cities in order to make it convenient for people from both cities to enjoy each others culture. Indonesian prosecutors yesterday demanded an eight-year prison term for a Chinese Uighur accused of involvement in plots to attack Jakartas ethnic Chinese governor and minority Shiite Muslims. In a sentencing request, prosecutors said Nur Muhammet Abdullah, known as Ali, was guilty of violating Indonesias Anti-Terror Law. State Prosecutor Ika Salim said leniency was considered after Abdullah expressed remorse and cooperative with authorities. The verdict in his case is scheduled to be delivered next month. Prosecutors say Abdullah was preparing to be a suicide bomber and had given USD2,000 to a militant group under the guidance of Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian fighting with the Islamic State group in Syria. Abdullah, 30, was arrested in December on the outskirts of the capital with another militant, Arif Hidayatullah. Police found a suicide bombing vest, explosive materials and a map of a government building they planned to attack. Hidayatullah was sentenced on Oct. 3 to six years in prison for plotting to assassinate Indonesian officials, including Jakartas governor, who is an ethnic Chinese Christian, and Shiite Muslims during holidays at the end of 2015. Last year, four men believed to be members of Chinas ethnic Uighur minority were sentenced by an Indonesian court to six years in prison for conspiring with Indonesian militants. The men were arrested while trying to meet Abu Wardah Santoso, who at the time was Indonesias most-wanted extremist. He was killed by security forces in a shootout in July in Central Sulawesi province. AP Chinese Premier Li Keqiangs visit last week to the region and the measures announced by him during the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum Macau dominated the discussions held during yesterdays inaugural session of the Legislative Assemblys (AL) legislative year. The first topic raised during the return of the lawmakers to the assembly regarded the promotion of Macau as a tourism and business platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. A primary concern relating to this issue is the limited number of bilingual (ChinesePortuguese) talents available to carry out the much needed new functions. The topic was launched right at the start of the session by lawmaker Zheng Anting, who asked the government to review the legal framework related with the finance industry, relating that factor with the need to strengthen relations with Portuguese speaking countries. In order to achieve this goal of securing the stability and safety of the finance system and to provide support to both Portuguese and Chinese companies, I urge the government to improve, as soon as possible, the regulations and laws related with the finance industry and to go ahead with the studies and plans about complementary measures to be adopted, said Zheng in his spoken enquiry. Zhengs words are reminiscent of those expressed by Secretary Lionel Leong on a previous occasion. The latter had mentioned that the development of a finance industry should be evaluated by a good law framework. In order to create such a platform, Zheng suggested reinforcing the education and training of bilingual talents in the field of finance so that they would be able to provide services to both individual clients and companies, adding that only such an initiative could promote the use of the Chinese Yuan (RMB) in Portuguese-speaking countries and develop the role of Macau as platform. Mak Soi Kun inquired if Macau is ready to receive the gifts that Premier Li offered the region. In the lawmakers opinion the local government should valorize these generous gifts offered by the country and take advantage of the opportunities of the development of China. Mak cited figures of a study conducted by a local association about the development and competitiveness of Macau youngsters, which revealed that less than 10 percent possess some Portuguese language skills. This can be a serious problem! said Mak. If we cant respond positively to these gifts we might lose them. On the topic, Chan Hong, who is also vice principal of Hou Kong Middle School, mentioned that for historical reasons the teaching of the Portuguese language in Macau was never generalized and after the handover the language has been decreasingly used by the population. Hong drew a dark panorama for the use of Portuguese in the territory, citing results of a study from 2014 which mentioned that the use rate of the Portuguese language ranges between 0.4 and 0.9 percent. On the lawmakers agenda Political reform Ng Kuok Cheong once more placed political reform and the path to the election of the Chief Executive (CE) by universal suffrage on the agenda. The lawmaker urged the government to present a concrete time frame for the development of the territorys political system towards democratization. Ng called for the fulfillment of the promise of the CE to develop the political system by starting to change the number of seats at the AL occupied by directly elected legislators. Ng reminded the government a political system needs to respect public opinion and fulfill the residents wishes in this area, calling for universal suffrage in Macau or as he mentioned a 1 person 1 vote system. 68 days off Kwan Tsui Hang called on the government to establish an effective system in which all workers in both the public and private sectors are guaranteed access to the 68 days of annual rest (including weekly days off, annual leave and mandatory holidays). According to the lawmaker, the private sector does not follow the governments way of compensation of the mandatory holidays that fall on the workers rest days, which strips them of the right enshrined in the labor law. Kwan urges the government to review the law to add specifically this aspect in order to grant fairness of treatment to all workers in Macau. Human resources Ella Lei highlighted the topic regarding the number of non-resident workers (TNR) once more. The legislator stated: In a moment in which the economy is retracting and there are less work positions, reducing the number of TNR to safeguard the priority of employment of the local workers is the legal principle as well as the most direct way to grant their livelihood. Lei expects the government to deal with the issue in a positive way and to present measures to reduce the number of TNR in the policy address for the coming year. A Lithuanian court has called former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to testify in a mass trial related to the 1991 crackdown on the countrys independence movement. Gorbachev and Russian authorities havent answered previous requests so its unlikely he would comply with yesterdays request from the Vilnius district court. The case involves more than 60 former Soviet officials charged with war crimes and other offenses for their roles in a crackdown on pro-independence demonstrators that left 14 people dead in January 1991, when Gorbachev was still in power. The judges approved a request by one of the plaintiffs in the case to call Gorbachev to the court as a witness. Only two defendants are present in court. Others, mainly citizens of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, are being tried in absentia. Airstrikes on rebel-held areas in the northern province of Aleppo yesterday killed at least 36 people, including children, opposition activists said, as violence in Syria continued while a major operation began against the Islamic State group in neighboring Iraq. Most of the deaths were in the village of Oweijel just west of the city of Aleppo, where at least 23 people were killed in an airstrike that also wounded dozens, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Another monitoring group, the Local Coordination Committees, said the air raid was carried out by Russian warplanes and put the death toll at 30. More than a dozen people were also killed in a besieged eastern rebel-held neighborhood in Aleppo. The eastern parts of the city, Syrias largest, have been subjected in recent weeks to the worst aerial attacks in years. The airstrikes have claimed hundreds of lives, wounded many others and demolished entire buildings. Opposition activists have blamed Russian and Syrian government warplanes for the strikes. The Observatory said the airstrikes hit in the Marjeh neighborhood. The Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, said those killed included 11 people with the same family name of Qabs ranging from a month-and-a-half-old baby girl to a 25-year-old man. Mondays airstrikes coincided with the launch in neighboring Iraq of a major operation by Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by the U.S.-led coalition, to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group. There have been concerns the government in Damascus could use the timing of the Mosul offensive to press its onslaught in Aleppo while world attention is diverted to developments in Iraq. Also yesterday, Syrian state media claimed 49 rebels were killed and wounded in fighting in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Saeed and Shurfa on the southern edges of Aleppo. In the nearby province of Idlib, a U.S.-led coalition drone struck a car in the provincial capital that carries the same name, killing all inside, according to the Observatory and a jihadi official. It was not immediately clear who was in the vehicle, but such attacks have previously targeted officials with al-Qaidas affiliate in Syria, known as Fatah al-Sham Front. The Observatory said the attack targeted a faction commander. An official with Fatah al-Sham Front, formerly known as Nusra Front, said all those in the car were martyred. The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said it was not clear if members of his group were targeted. Earlier this month, a drone attack killed top al-Qaida official Ahmed Salama Mabrouk. The United States and Britain on Sunday acknowledged the Western worlds weak support for any military action against Syrias government as they seek ways to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad and his chief backer, Russia, to halt the deadly Aleppo offensive. After a meeting of 11 governments opposing Assads rule, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson each insisted that all options were on the table. But their stark explanations about the danger of resorting to military force appeared to rule out such a move. The government in Damascus, meanwhile, appears to be trying to improve relations with Egypt, the Arab worlds most populous nation, following the first public meeting between Egyptian and Syrian security chiefs. Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, head of the National Security Bureau and one of Assads top aides, visited Cairo Sunday at the head of a delegation to coordinate with Egypt in the fight against terrorism in the region, Syrias state-run news agency SANA said. SANA said the Syrians met with top intelligence officials, including deputy chief of Egypts intelligence agency. It said both sides agreed on coordinating political standpoints and strengthening the cooperation in fighting terrorism. Egypts pro-government Sada al-Balad and other news websites reported on Sunday that six Syrians arrived on a private jet from Damascus. Earlier this month, Egypt voted for rival French and Russian draft resolutions on Syria at the U.N. Security Council, arguing that both called for a truce and for aid for besieged Syrians in the rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo. The move angered Egypts major financier Saudi Arabia, which supports rebels fighting against Assads Moscow-backed government. Egypt and Syria are both fighting extremists, including members of the Islamic State group. Both countries also have poor relations with Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Bassem Mroue, Beirut, AP When Australia sneezes, does Macau catch a cold? The territorys casino stocks have certainly taken fright at Chinese authorities detention of 18 employees of Australian gambling company Crown Resorts shares in Sands China and Wynn Macau dropped. Its understandable that the news has alarmed the industry. The Australian Financial Review quoted Chinas foreign ministry as saying that the employees were being held in connection with gambling crimes. Marketing of gambling services an essential element in attracting VIP clients, the high-rollers who make up a significant slice of Asian casino revenues is illegal in mainland China. As a result, much of the industry operates in a gray area, winning new customers by advertising their non-gaming attractions instead, or allowing junket operators to act as middlemen. Thats actually a good reason for the Macau operators to take heart. Right now, there are two main threats to their VIP businesses the shortage of regulated gaming tables being granted by the territorys government, and competition from less regulated resorts operating offshore. Theres not a lot Macaus casinos can do about government regulators, but casinos catering to Chinese high-rollers in Australia, the Philippines, Korea, Saipan and elsewhere in the region may be more tractable. Being distant from China, and newcomers in a market thats already dominated by Macaus big six casino operators, they face an uphill struggle to establish themselves. Hence the presence of marketing offices on the mainland, in spite of the risks. A crackdown on such offices is essentially a crackdown on Macaus competitors. Thats an old lesson of gambling more often than not, your opponents losses are your gains. David Fickling, Bloomberg A Thai woman accused of insulting the countrys late king was forced to kneel before his portrait at a police station on the tourist island of Samui as several hundred people bayed for an apology. The womans arrest and public shaming over the weekend was the latest of several such incidents since King Bhumibol Adulyadej died last week after a reign of 70 years, plunging Thailand into intense mourning. Two police officers led 43-year- old Umaporn Sarasat to a picture of Bhumibol in front of Bophut police station, where she knelt and prayed, both on the way into the station and the way out. The crowd, some of whom held aloft portraits of the revered monarch, jeered when she first appeared. A line of police officers linked arms to keep them from surging forward. It is likely that Sarasat, a small business owner who is alleged to have posted disrespectful comments online, will face charges of insulting the monarchy. We are going to proceed with the case as best we can, district police chief Thewes Pleumsud told the crowd. I understand your feelings. You came here out of loyalty to his majesty. Dont worry, I give you my word. Authorities are also urging calm as social media throbs with criticism of people who arent wearing black and white clothing to mourn the revered monarch and some arch-royalists take to reprimanding people in public. A government spokesman said some Thais cant afford mourning clothes and stressed the need for tolerance. High-profile figures such as Bhumibols eldest child, Princess Ubolratana, and a daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister who lives in exile after being ousted in a 2006 coup, used social media to urge Thais not to rush to judgment. There have been reports of price gouging as demand for such clothing has surged since Bhumibols death on Thursday. Tens of thousands of Thais have descended on the Grand Palace in Bangkok where Bhumibols body is being kept, and a year of mourning has been declared by the government. Several foreign governments have warned citizens traveling in Thailand to avoid behavior that could be interpreted as festive, disrespectful or disorderly. On Friday, police and soldiers on the Thai resort island of Phuket dispersed a mob of several hundred people seeking a confrontation with a man they believed insulted the king. A video showed the crowd blocking the road outside a soy milk shop and waving placards with slurs such as buffalo, a slang word for stupidity. Some shouted for the man to come out. Thailand has a draconian lese majeste law that imposes stiff prison sentences for actions or writings regarded as derogatory toward the monarch or his family. The operator of Thailands main cable TV network has blocked foreign news broadcasts deemed insensitive to the monarchy since Bhumibols death. Separately, Bhumibols second daughter, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, appeared yesterday at her first public event since the kings death. She was named a special ambassador for Zero Hunger for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization to mark World Food Day. Although all official events have been canceled, the fact that Sirindhorn attended showed the importance she attached to the cause. Sirindhorns acceptance of the role will greatly improve awareness of both policymakers and the public of what, collectively, we must do to achieve a world without hunger, said Kundhavi Kadiresan, the FAOs regional representative for Asia and the Pacific. FAO estimates there are nearly 800 million undernourished people in the world. The Asia-Pacific region is home to most, with 490 million not receiving enough calories to live healthy lives. Stephen Wright & Natnicha Chuwiruch, Bangkok, AP In one of the sessions of the Global Tourism Economy Forum, which ended on sunday, a representative from Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport highlighted the importance of showcasing the regions culture in its airport, as it is both the first and last impression of the visitors. Laure Baume, executive vice president and chief customer officer of Groupe ADP Paris, recalled that CDG as the second largest airport in Europe hosts some 60 million passengers heading to more than 300 destinations globally. Thus, Baume highlighted that all airports in France aim to offer passengers a condensed version of the Parisian feel in terms of arts, culture and shopping. According to her, the very best of Paris is showcased through partnerships with Parisian museums to disclose pieces of French heritage and by inviting the young French generation of artists to showcase their creativeness in all terminals. CDG Airport currently has a museum in terminal two, with free entry for passengers. In this museum, you have new exhibitions every six months [] while waiting for your plane you can enjoy the very best of French culture, she remarked. As part of the Parisian identity and culture, Baume said that all French fashion brands are located in all the terminals of the largest airport in Paris, adding that they have also opened restaurants, run by Michelin-starred chefs, for passengers to have a taste of French cuisine. We wanted to be a place where passengers can really experience the taste of Parisian culture through exhibition, fashion and gastronomy, she concluded. LV 33 million tourists by 2025 MGTO aims to reach its goal of at least 33 million tourists visiting Macau by 2025, with 15 percent of them traveling from abroad. Thus, to move forward and achieve this goal, the region is looking at other tourist destinations for suggestions. Helena de Senna Fernandes, head of MGTO said: In the future we have to draw on the successful experiences of other foreign tourist destinations. This kind of forum [GTEF] will bring Macau more opportunities. For Yu Shuiping and other Chinese veterans, the country they served has yet to show its gratitude. Fed up with paltry pensions and benefits, theyre taking to the streets, hoping to shame the government into recognizing what they say is its obligation to those who battled in harsh conditions along the countrys borders. While largely peaceful, the sporadic protests amplify concerns over labor unrest and threaten to undermine rank-and-file support for Communist Party leader Xi Jinpings campaign to modernize the worlds largest-standing military by attracting better qualified and more highly motivated soldiers. We support the party and the government, and we dont oppose the party or hate society, Yu said in a phone interview from his home in the central province of Hunan. We just want better treatment. Yu has for years been petitioning the government for more benefits, although he declined to discuss the specifics of his efforts. Activist Huang Qi, who tracks unrest in China, estimates that veterans have staged as many as 50 protests this year, highlighted by a demonstration last week outside the Defense Ministry in central Beijing, where such actions are extremely rare. Surrounded by police and plain-clothes officers, roughly 1,000 veterans from across the country, many dressed in their old uniforms, sang and marched for hours before being taken away in buses. Behind the heavy security response lies the specter of street action by laid-off workers that has long haunted Chinas communist leaders, obsessed with preserving social stability at all costs. Following a wave of worker protests in the early 2000s, China faces a new round of cuts in coal mines, steel mills and other state firms, throwing millions of workers on the scrapheap. Such veterans protests go back decades and are now facilitated by adept use of social media. The government censors information about them and veterans are highly reluctant to discuss their plight with foreign media for fear of being accused of disloyalty. Thus far, however, their actions have borne little fruit. According to most accounts, the central governments response has been to fob them off on local authorities, who then fail to act on their complaints. The authorities work to ensure some veterans are satisfied, thus keeping them from forming a united front, said Neil Diamant, a professor of Asian law and society at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, who studies the veterans issues. They also arrest emerging veterans leaders, infiltrate the groups and monitor their communications, detaining large numbers if necessary, he said. So far, this has allowed them to muddle though. My guess is that they just wait them out, hoping that age will eventually prevent many from becoming overly feisty, Diamant said. Veterans also lack high-level contacts or powerful advocates, while the wars they fought in have never been particularly popular. Their status in society doesnt come close to matching the prestige the ruling Communist Party bestows on them, and most Chinese are more likely to sympathize with causes such as pollution and corruption that affect their daily lives. Their appearances outside government offices are met with a firm though non-confrontational response from the security forces, who in Beijing tend to load them onto buses and drive them to the outskirts of the city where they are detained until agents from their local governments arrive to take them home. Having served in the army and taken part in war, we hope only that the government not treat us harshly, said Yu, who added he did not take part in the recent protest in Beijing. In a written response to a question from The Associated Press, the Defense Ministry said resolving veterans concerns were taken very seriously and that a new set of policies were being rolled out to address them at the local level. The temporary living difficulties of a portion of retired soldiers will gradually be resolved, the ministry said. For the military, the immediate priority is finding work for the 300,000 soldiers being cut under an order issued last year by Xi. While demobilized soldiers used to be given jobs in state companies, that possibility no longer exists. And with a slowing economy and tightening job market, theres no certainty that the private sector will be able to absorb them in such numbers. While reemployment poses its own challenges, for older veterans such as Yu, pensions and benefits are the main concern. Despite operating the worlds largest standing army, with 2.3 million personnel, China doesnt have a central government body to handle veterans affairs, such as the U.S. Veterans Administration. Instead, cash-strapped local government offices are responsible for their welfare, and treatment varies widely across the country. While the government requires that their incomes be marginally higher than the average in their home regions, thats often not the case, especially in the countryside where most veterans live and are provided as little as 400 yuan (USD60) per month, according to Yu. Urban dwellers suffer from a huge disparity depending on where they live, ranging from a token amount to something closer to the local average income, he said. Given the lack of centralized information, its difficult to tell how many veterans are now receiving pensions, including those who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War, the 1962 border war with India and the 1979 invasion of Vietnam. The localized and scatter-shot nature of the system also precludes any unified figure on what the government spends on veterans. Meanwhile, Chinas fast-growing defense budget hit $146 billion this year, making it the worlds second largest after the United States, and includes significant expenditures on welfare for troops currently serving. In the militarys quest for excellence, shoddy treatment of veterans could harm efforts to attract the best recruits. Thats part of the reason protesting veterans arent harshly treated, said Gao Wenqian, senior policy adviser for Human Rights in China, which has been monitoring the protests. Stable morale among the military is one of (Xis) biggest concerns, Gao said. Christopher Bodeen, Beijing, AP Floods triggered by heavy rains have killed 24 people and left four others missing in central Vietnam, disaster officials said Monday, as Typhoon Sarika approaches after leaving at least two people dead and displacing more than 150,000 in the Philippines. In the worst-hit province of Quang Binh, 18 people died and authorities are searching for three others who are missing, disaster official Tran Le Dang Hung said. Six people died and one was reported missing in three other central provinces. We are worried. We have instructed district governments to outline plans for evacuating people from high-risk areas to cope with the Typhoon, Hung said by telephone from Quang Binh. Heavy rains of up to 90 centimeters (3 feet) on Friday and Saturday submerged 125,000 homes in the region, temporarily disrupted the North-South Highway and damaged infrastructure, crops and fish farms. Hung said the floods have receded in most areas in Quang Binh. In the Philippines, fast-moving Sarika Typhoon blew out of the northern Philippines on Sunday after leaving at least two people dead and displacing more than 150,000, though the region was spared a major disaster due in part to the storms speed. The Typhoon is over in the South China Sea and was moving at the speed of 15 kilometers to 20 kilometers per hour heading toward northern Vietnam, according to Vietnams national weather forecast center. AP Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates topped 7% for the first time in more than two decades this week. Get more info on that and more recent business news here. You may have heard a few of the most tried and true ways to protect your identity: shred old documents, never give out personal information unless youre positive who youre speaking to and why they need it, keep an eye on accounts the list goes on. But, all too often, it happens. Identities are stolen and thieves wreak havoc with your personal information. If you find yourself in this situation, there are a number of steps to take to recover. First and foremost, though, act quickly. Better Business Bureau recommends the following tips: File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Keep a copy of the police report and make note of the date of your report, in case your bank, credit card company or other company needs proof of the crime. This paper trail can be a lifesaver in the recovery process. Notify your bank right away if your credit or debit card has been stolen, checks are missing, or if you notice suspicious activity on your accounts. Avoid using a PIN that may be discovered by a thief, such as your birth date or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Stop thieves from being able to open credit in your name. Canceling or changing your credit cards may stop impostors from using your existing accounts, but it does not stop them from opening new accounts with your identity. If your information has been stolen, contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus and ask them to flag your file as one belonging to a possible fraud victim. This warning will include a statement that creditors should call to get your permission before approving new credit cards or loans in your name. Ask the credit bureaus for copies of your credit reports. You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report if you were recently denied credit or if your report is inaccurate because of fraud. Even if those circumstances dont apply, you can check your credit for free at annualcreditreport.com. Each credit reporting bureau will give you a free look once a year. Review your report carefully to make sure no fraudulent accounts or loans in your name. In a few months, order new copies of your credit reports to verify that the inaccurate information has been removed and no new fraudulent activity has occurred. Contact each of the creditors for any accounts that were tampered with or falsely established in your name. Ask to speak with someone in the security or fraud department. You will likely need to follow up in writing. Some consumers may be shying away from Wells Fargo after learning that employees used customers information to open sham accounts, according to new figures reported by the bank. The nations largest retail bank beat expectations when it reported more than $5.6 billion in profit for the past three months. But the banks earnings report also hinted that the Wells Fargo may have some trouble convincing people to open new accounts in the wake of the scandal. The number of checking accounts the bank opened in September fell by 25 percent from the same time last year, the company reported. Wells Fargo, which has built a reputation for being more focused on Main Street than Wall Street, said that its too soon to know if the trouble seen last month will lead to a long-term slowdown in business. September was the month in which it became widely known that employees opened as many as 2 million unauthorized accounts to meet sales targets. And the bank says at least part of the losses seen last month could have been caused by several changes it has made as it tried to regain customers trust, such as scaling back its marketing and sales efforts. Still, a bigger question may be whether the bank can hold on to the consumers and small business customers that make up its retail business. Investing analysts on Friday asked the bank if it knew whether the customers affected by the sham accounts were closing their accounts. Bank executives said they didnt have the information at hand. That irked analysts who were hoping for more specifics. Its a little frustrating not getting that retention information, said Mike Mayo, a banking analyst with CLSA. I think youd want to know the customers that were impacted the most, whats been your retention rate. People tend to stick with their bank accounts in the long run. Many consumers do everything they can to avoid having to move all of their cash or update payment settings. And some banking analysts have said in recent days that they think Wells Fargo customers will stay with the bank, especially after the headlines fade. What customers ultimately decide to do will become clearer in the coming months as the bank shares more information about how business is going. But since the scandal broke in early September, Wells Fargo has upped its outreach to customers to encourage them to stay. In emails to customers and in full-page ads taken out in The Washington Post and other newspapers, the bank has reassured customers that it is trying to make things right, a sentiment that was reiterated on Friday. I am fully committed along with the entire leadership team to fixing these issues and taking the necessary actions to restore our customers trust, said Tim Sloan, who was appointed as the companys new chief executive on Wednesday. Send out the clowns. Target will stop selling clown masks amid a rash of reported clown attacks real and fake that have terrorized the United States in recent months, a company spokesman said. Given the current environment, we have made the decision to remove a variety of clown masks from our assortment, both in stores and online, Joshua Thomas, the spokesman, said in an email. The Minneapolis-based retailer has 1,799 stores in the United States. The company did not clarify Monday whether the decision would affect all of its stores. But Target seemed to have quietly stopped selling clown masks on its website entirely. On Monday morning, searches for clown masks on Target.com turned up nothing. Links from search engines to clown masks that Target previously stocked simply led to a message that said, Product not available. Clown costumes for children, oversize clown suits and sexy clown outfits are, however, apparently still available for sale. The retail giants decision, just two weeks before Halloween, comes as the frenzy over creepy clown sightings and threats has reached a fever pitch. Across the country, scary-clown rumors have led to school lockdowns and arrests. As The Washington Posts Ben Guarino reported in early October: South Carolina was creepy clown Ground Zero in August, when emergency calls from residents of Greenville County prompted deputies to search an apartment complex and the nearby forest for criminal clowns. A clown, or someone dressed like one, was trying to lure children in the woods, warned the property manager of Fleetwood Manor Apartments in Greenville. . . . What began as reports from concerned parents to police mutated into memes, pranks and, in some cases, felonious hoaxes. Although there is little evidence that clowns are stealing children or planning attacks, clowns (or at least clown images and paraphernalia) have been associated with a recent rash of mischief and violent threats. The madness reached such a height that renowned horror author Stephen King had to step in on Twitter and, of all things, try to soothe peoples fears. He tweeted, Hey, guys, time to cool the clown hysteriamost of em are good, cheer up the kiddies, make people laugh. The corporate retailer is not the first to hit the brakes on clown-mask sales this year because of the creepy-clown scare. In Michigan, Crypt Keepers Halloween Emporium boxed up all of its less expensive clown costumes, lest customers get hurt or try to hurt someone else while wearing them, the Detroit News reported. Its not worth the sale, owner Dave Douglas told the newspaper. These people are causing an epidemic. That has not stopped people from buying clown masks wherever they can. Sales of clown masks, especially evil or scary ones, have spiked 300 percent this year, Halloween Express operations manager Brad Butler told the Wrap. As to why were selling more clown masks this year than last, I could speculate, but frankly my opinion doesnt matter, Butler told the site. Truth is, I dont know. The creepy-clown craze has unnerved professional clowns, who say the pranks and threats have harmed their image. World Clown Association President Randy Christensen recently addressed the reports, saying that whoever is doing this crazy stuff is not a clown. We try not to focus on the negatives but try to provide a positive image of clowning, Christensen said. If somebody dresses like a doctor . . . and comes at you with a chainsaw, he is not really a doctor. A few weeks ago, a woman in Tucson scheduled a Clown Lives Matter march in response to the social media frenzy, the Arizona Republic reported. Organizer Nikki Sinn told the paper that she wasnt a professional clown but was worried about the recent clown scares. We want to make it be a fun, safe, upbeat night, Sinn told the paper. Im just trying to make it a little bit light so it isnt scary for anyone. But the march, scheduled for Saturday, had to be canceled after the events Facebook page was bombarded with numerous death threats and harassment, Sinn said. JEROME Jerome Middle school has been awarded a grant of $15,000 by the Snapdragon Book Foundation. The grant is being used to fund the schools Genre Challenge Literacy Initiative. This initiative encourages students to read more and explore new book genres. The students will be provided with a tracker that lists the fifteen genre areas and will be challenged to check off each area over the course of a school year. Incentives and prizes will be provided when students reach milestones. In order to serve all of the students in the school, the library collection must be updated to make sure there are high and low level, engaging, new books in each and every genre. Librarian Sarah Buechele will add up to 1,900 new books with the grant funds. In her grant application, Ms. Buechele detailed how the library has not been inventoried for the past eight years. Since being hired last year, she has been busy cataloging and sorting through the librarys collection. She has found that some books have gone missing and many of the books are in desperate need of repair. Ms. Buechele firmly believes that each of our students deserve to have access to books that they can enjoy regardless of whether they are high or low level readers, have disabilities, or are English Language Learners. The Snapdragon Book Foundation provided this grant because it was inspired by this programs potential and the dedication of Ms. Buechele to get every student in our school reading and give them access to great books. The Snapdragon Book Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides grants to public, private, and experimental schools to buy books for the students who need them the most. It was founded in 2008 by a former school librarian and has been able to provide about ten grants a year to deserving schools. For more information, please visit www.snapdragonbookfoundation.org. TWIN FALLS Prosecutors will dismiss the case against a 28-year-old Twin Falls man charged with sexually assaulting a developmentally delayed woman in August, police said. Mohammed Hussein I. Eldai was charged Aug. 8 with a felony count of sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult and was set for a preliminary hearing Friday. But after conducting a more thorough investigation, Twin Falls Police determined there was insufficient evidence to continue as the victim does not meet the statutory definition of a vulnerable adult, police said in a statement. Our job is to make sure that the truth is revealed and that justice is served, Twin Falls Police Chief Craig Kingsbury said in a statement. Under Idaho code, a vulnerable adult is described as anyone over 18 who is unable to protect (herself) from abuse, neglect or exploitation due to physical or mental impairment which affects the persons judgement or behavior to the extent that (she) lacks sufficient understanding or capacity to make or communicate or implement decisions regarding (her) person, funds, property or resources. Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney Grant Loebs said the alleged victim in this case is able to make decisions for herself. Shes not mentally handicapped in the way the definition requires, Loebs said. The woman and her family have been cooperative with police, Kingsbury said, and Loebs said the alleged victim and her family have had several interviews with police. They understand why the TFPD has asked the Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney to dismiss the charges and agree with this decision, Kingsbury said. The prosecutor on Tuesday morning read the newest police reports outlining the evidence and said he now has no evidence that Eldai is guilty of a crime. All the evidence is on one side, Loebs said. I have no evidence hes guilty based on new police reports. Eldai was initially accused of inviting a mentally delayed woman into his home after she went for a walk and stopped near his house to lie down, court documents said. The woman said Eldai invited her inside his home where he made her a drink, tried to lie next to her on the bed and touched her inappropriately before she left his house and ran home. Eldai has been out of jail since Aug. 12 on $10,000 bond. On a crowd-sourcing website aimed at raising money for legal cases, Eldai was described as a refugee from Sudan who worked two jobs, studied at the College of Southern Idaho and volunteered at the refugee center. One day Mohammed stopped to help someone on the street, the post on Funded Justice said. Later that same person called the police and accused him of a crime he did not commit. When the police came to Mohammeds house, he had no idea what was going on due to his poor English. Loebs said he filed the motion to dismiss the case Tuesday afternoon, and did so with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be re-filed. BURLEY A trial for a Declo man accused of murdering his wife has again been delayed. Ronnie Gene Kincaid Jr. was set to go to trial Nov. 2, but his defense attorney said Tuesday he needs time to go over more newly discovered evidence. Kincaid Jr., 36, is accused of killing his wife, Melissia Kincaid. He is charged with felony first-degree murder, mayhem, two counts of penetration with a foreign object and concealing or destroying evidence and a persistent violator charge. During a trial status hearing Tuesday Kincaids attorney, Anthony Valdez, said he received a computer thumb drive last week that contained thousands of documents, and he would not have enough time to go through them by the trial date. Cassia County Prosecutor Doug Abenroth also said the forensic pathologist who will testify in the case is also out of the country until mid-December. The trial was reset for 9 a.m. Feb. 27, with a pretrial conference at 9 a.m. Feb. 14. Both hearings will be heard in Cassia County District Court. Valdez said he does not expect material changes in the case. The trial is expected to last seven days. Ronnie Kincaid III, Kincaids son, was initially charged with accessory to murder and destroying and concealing evidence after police said he helped his father wash Melissia Kincaids body of blood and DNA evidence. Abenroth dismissed the charges in April saying a judge was unwilling to delay the trial, so he dropped the charges and said at the time he planned to re-file the case at a later date. Abenroth declined to comment on the case Tuesday. Kincaid called 911 the morning of Sept. 6, 2015. Deputies found Melissia Kincaids body in a back bedroom of the familys singe-wide mobile home. Kincaid said she was having female medical problems, and the couple had sex before she became unresponsive at 2:30 a.m. He told officers that he tried to wake her up by putting her in the shower but did not call the police until 9 a.m. Kincaid is being held in the Mini-Cassia Criminal Justice Center on a $5 million bond. JEROME An Oregon parolee sentenced to prison for a brazen but unsuccessful three-day crime spree earlier this year is facing legal trouble again for having marijuana in the Jerome County Jail. Andrew Michael Brooks, 27, of Portland, Ore., is facing two new felony charges in Jerome stemming from Sept. 6 in the Jerome County Jail when he admitted to deputies he had marijuana in his cell. Brooks was charged with the crime last month and is set for a preliminary hearing in the case next month. District Judge John Butler sentenced Brooks in August to three to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and aggravated assault for a bold but ultimately fruitless crime spree committed within blocks of the Jerome Police Department. Brooks, who police said was on parole in Oregon for a robbery conviction, was also ordered to pay $2,000 in civil penalties to two of his victims. Idaho prison records show hell be eligible for parole in May 2019. Brooks spree began the afternoon of May 8 when, apparently unprovoked, he jumped out of his girlfriends pickup truck at Main Street and Lincoln Avenue, rushed toward a couple sitting in a car at the intersection and yelled that he wanted to fight the man in the passenger seat. Brooks tried opening the passenger door and pulled a handgun from his pants, but the man in the passenger seat rolled up his window and locked the door as his girlfriend drove away, court documents said. Both victims claimed there had been no confrontation prior to the disturbance and had no idea why the suspect approached them, an officer wrote in a sworn affidavit. The man and the woman in the car were each awarded $1,000 in civil penalties that Brooks must pay. The next day, Brooks walked into Carnitas y Birria Chevarria on South Lincoln Avenue wearing sunglasses and a bandanna, asked to purchase gum and then demanded money once the cash register was open. But the cashier, a 16-year-old girl, slammed the register shut and ran into the back of the restaurant yelling for help, leaving Brooks empty handed. Then on the third and final day of his crime spree, Brooks went into Express Pawn and Loan on 101 West Main Street, court documents said. Brooks went into the pawn shop about 12:20 p.m. and asked the owner about a ring he had been paying off, but while the owner was distracted, Brooks reached over the counter, grabbed a box of rings valued at $22,000 and tried to run from the store. But he dropped the box of rings on his way out when the owner fired a handgun at him. And not only did he drop the rings, but the pawn shop owner identified him to police because Brooks had been in the shop several times pawning items and paying for the rings, and he had shown his Oregon identification. Brooks was arrested the night of the attempted pawn-shop robbery outside Fred Meyer in Twin Falls when an off-duty Twin Falls police officer recognized him. Brooks faced seven felony charges in connection to the crime-spree, but prosecutors dismissed five of those charges as part of a plea agreement. A preliminary hearing on the two new felonies is set for Nov. 29. SHOSHONE Trial dates have been delayed for two men charged with attempted murder in an execution- style shooting Jan. 23 in the desert southwest of Shoshone. One of the trials has been pushed back just a few weeks in November but could be delayed again, while the other trial was delayed until early next year. Antonio Jacob Gallegos, 21, of Twin Falls and David Gonzales Ceballos, 25, of Jerome are both charged with attempted murder in the shooting of Francisco Javier Bravo-Martinez, and both were set for trial in early November. Gallegos, accused of shooting Bravo-Martinez in the chest and the leg, appeared in court for a hearing last week where his trial, which was set for Nov. 2, was pushed back until Feb. 1. Meanwhile, Ceballos is accused of shooting at Bravo-Martinezs head three times from close range Bravo-Martinez testified during a preliminary hearing the three shots all at least grazed him, and one cracked his skull. Ceballos trial is now set for Nov. 16, though that could also be delayed depending on what happens during a Nov. 1 pretrial conference. The two men were ordered to stand trial July 11 after Bravo-Martinez and a witness testified against them in a preliminary hearing and a judge ruled there was sufficient evidence for the cases to move forward. The witness who testified against them was Erik Lopez, 23, of Wendell who had been charged in the shooting and was set for a preliminary hearing at the same time as Gallegos and Ceballos. Instead, prosecutors granted him immunity in exchange for his testimony. Maritzabell Murillo, 30, of Filer was also charged in the case at one point and accused or ordering the hit against Bravo-Martinez, her boyfriend at the time. Prosecutors later dismissed the charges against her. Gallegos and Ceballos are each charged with attempted murder in the first degree and conspiracy to commit murder. They face up to life in prison if convicted. TWIN FALLS An auditor gave the College of Southern Idaho an unqualified opinion on its yearly financial audit the best-possible rating. College trustees unanimously approved draft audit reports Monday for the 2016 fiscal year, which ended June 30. The audit gauges the colleges overall financial health and how its managing taxpayer money. One highlight of the audit report: the highest possible opinion for the colleges internal financial controls. That report is important to the overall statement, auditor Dale Bunn told trustees. It didnt identify any material weaknesses with internal control. The Dawn Marie Orr case wasnt mentioned during the meeting. But in July 2015, Orr a former CSI business office employee was sentenced to at least 10 years in prison after embezzling more than $530,000 from the college. As a result, CSI officials hired a certified fraud examiner to review cash receiving and payroll processes. She presented 10 recommendations to trustees in November 2014, and all of them have since been implemented. Trustee Laird Stone said he wanted to highlight how the colleges financial situation has improved over the last year. He thanked business office employees. The colleges assets have increased by $3.3 million, he said, and the college isnt funding any of its operations with debt. CSI also has 14 months of expenditures in reserve, Bunn said, adding the colleges balance sheet is very strong. During their meeting, trustees also: Awarded a $117,413 bid to Gietzen Electric Inc. of Buhl to install LED lighting in all campus parking lots. Funding for the project is from the Idaho Division of Public Works. The college received seven bids for the project, all from Magic Valley companies. What I loved about this is so many people competing for a single bid, trustee Jan Mittleider said. Heard a fall semester enrollment update. CSI is required to turn in an enrollment report to the state on Oct. 15 for fall semester and March 15 for spring semester. Chris Bragg, CSIs associate dean of institutional effectiveness, presented preliminary numbers during Mondays meeting. Like other colleges across the nation, CSIs enrollment is still down slightly, Bragg said. The colleges headcount is down about 6 percent compared with last year, he said, and enrollment in professional-technical programs is trending even lower. But students are taking more class credits. The more credits they take that first semester in particular, the more likely they are to be successful, Bragg said. Recognized Thad Scholes, who is retiring from the CSI board after 35 years. Scholes announced in May hes not running for reelection in November. After hearing comments from Mittleider, Stone thanked his fellow trustees and administrators. Its just been a pleasure, he said. TWIN FALLS Twin Falls new fire chief is on the job. Tim Soule took the oath of office Monday evening after the City Council voted unanimously to confirm his appointment. He succeeds Ron Clark, who retired this summer after 40 years with the department, 18 of them as chief. I think until you carry that fifth bugle its probably something you cant imagine, and Im starting to feel the weight of that at the moment, Soule told the City Council after the vote, referring to the five bugles on a fire chiefs badge. Soule has more than 25 years of fire and emergency medical service experience, and comes most recently from the East Fork Fire Protection District in Minden, Nev., where he was deputy chief. This department covered Douglas County, which Soule said has about the same population as Twin Falls but is much bigger geographically, and the department was responsible for fighting fires in numerous wildland/urban interface areas as well as some of the communities around Lake Tahoe. A real mix, he said. The city got 21 applications for the fire chief job, said City Manager Travis Rothweiler, which was narrowed down first to eight and then to three after a round of Skype interviews. One of the finalists got another job during the hiring process and one was dropped from consideration due to a lawsuit against him, leaving Soule the last applicant. However, Rothweiler said Soule was also the only finalist whom the interviewers were unanimous about wanting to hear more from. Make no mistake, Tim is not a consolation prize for the city of Twin Falls, Rothweiler said. Soule said he was drawn to Twin Falls because it is a growing community and because he liked the citys leadership and the one city concept, or the idea of managing the city in a way where the different departments all work together. Rothweiler said Soule spent time with the firefighters on each shift before accepting the job, looking to make sure he was the right fit for the department as well. I think thats just a testament (to) the person who is before you today, Rothweiler said. TWIN FALLS Firefighters, paramedics and search and rescue volunteers hoisted a lost hiker to safety early Monday from the Snake River Canyon. Two Twin Falls residents were hiking Sunday night near Pillar Falls when they became lost and stranded in the dark and rain and called 911 for help about 11:40, the Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. When rescuers located the lost hikers, a man was able to hike out on his own while a woman was hoisted out on a stretcher. Kenneth Walls, 42, told 911 dispatchers he and his hiking companion, 39-year-old Mary Huber, were uninjured, but extremely cold and wet after getting lost near Pillar Falls, said sheriffs office spokeswoman Lori Stewart. A sheriffs deputy, two Twin Falls Police officers and two paramedics hiked down the trail and found the hikers several hundred feet down into the canyon. Twin Falls County Search and Rescue volunteers responded to the canyon and reached the hikers, and while Walls was able to hike out with some of the rescuers, Huber was lifted from the canyon on a stretcher by firefighters, search and rescue volunteers and rescuers from Magic Valley Paramedics Special Operations Reach and Treat team. Huber was hoisted out of the canyon about 3 a.m. and taken by ambulance to St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, Stewart said. She was no longer listed as a patient at the Twin Falls hospital at 3 p.m. Dispatchers guide deputies to rescue Also Sunday, Twin Falls County deputies and SIRCOMM dispatchers worked together to locate the source of a disconnected 911 call, and when they reached the area they found a man in a vehicle who apparently had a medical emergency and was in the car several days. The 911 call came in about 9:10 Sunday morning from a man who seemed confused, Stewart said in a statement. When the call dropped, a dispatcher located the phone by GPS and dispatched deputies to 1657 River Road, north of Buhl. From there, using the GPS coordinates and Google Earth satellite images, dispatchers guided the deputies onto a dirt road until they reached the exact coordinates as the callers phone, Stewart said. After searching the area nearly 40 minutes, the deputies found the 911 caller inside his vehicle. The team of dispatchers played a critical role that may have saved a life, Stewart said. This is truly technology and team work at its best. The deputies determined the man, whose name was not released, suffered some type of medical incident, and the man told deputies hed been in his vehicle for several days, Stewart said. Paramedics took the man by ambulance to St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls. The following editorial appears on Bloomberg View: The latest U.S. easing of regulations on commerce with Cuba is good news, not least for fans of rum and cigars. But its also a sign that President Barack Obamas drive to normalize relations is approaching the limits of his authority. With this new initiative, Obama has done about as much as he can to lighten the burden of a pointless and outdated embargo. Moving policy on Cuba any further in the right direction will require action by Congress. This sixth round of easing will allow joint medical research and imports of Cuban pharmaceuticals approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As a result, U.S. clinical trials of a promising Cuban lung-cancer vaccine, for example, will be able to go forward. Cubans will be eligible for grants and scholarships for scientific and religious research in the U.S. It will be easier for U.S. businesses to trade by air and ship, and for Americans to work on improving Cubas infrastructure. The president says his new directive makes the U.S. opening to Cuba irreversible. Maybe so, but much of the embargo, codified over the last half-century into a thicket of laws, remains and it will take legislation to lift it. Theres movement in that direction. U.S. public opinion on this has shifted including among Cuban-Americans presenting a new electoral challenge to some of the embargos most die-hard proponents. A half-dozen bipartisan bills chipping away at the embargo have been put forward since 2015. Among the most significant is a bill to let Americans travel freely to Cuba as tourists, instead of under one of 12 categories of authorized travel. The number of U.S. travelers to Cuba already rose by 75 percent between 2014 and 2015. This summers start of direct flights from the U.S. will drive that higher still. Defenders of whats left of the embargo say these new visitors will just put hard currency in the pockets of Cubas repressive regime. But in many ways, the surge is already outstripping the states ability to capture the proceeds. An embryonic private sector is growing of self-employed Cubans renting out rooms, running restaurants, or driving taxis. Airbnb already has about 10,000 listings across the island; meanwhile, state-owned restaurants complain that theyre losing customers to gasp! competition. The success of these entrepreneurs will fuel a revolution of rising expectations. The influx of visitors dollars is also putting pressure on Cubas government to junk its dual-currency regime, one of the biggest impediments to foreign investment and economic reform. Notwithstanding the occasional ugly American, most U.S. tourists are walking, talking spokesmen for the capitalist freedoms championed, to less effect, by the embargos remaining defenders. By the way, one of those visitors ought to be the newly nominated U.S. ambassador. His posting requires congressional action as well: He awaits a confirmation hearing. Over to you, Capitol Hill. The year is 2011, the Luna Laws are being considered by the Idaho Legislature. One of the proposed laws was Senate Bill 1184 which would mandate high school students take four online courses and give all ninth graders laptops. The plan could be funded by salary reductions for teachers through the next five years. The measure would grant more flexibility to districts to maximize class size and cut teacher positions. One of it's main supporters was Rep. Steve Hartgen. He said the bill could lead to fewer educators in Idaho, but that the remaining teachers "will be better and more effective than the teachers we have today" Wow, is this an anti-teacher statement or what? Why is Steve Hartgen still in office? Idaho ranks toward the bottom nationwide in funding for education. It ranks last for early childhood education. In spite of this Idaho students still perform well in academics. Idaho students exceed national averages on the SAT TEST. Why? Because we have excellent teachers. Teachers who care and are willing to put forth the effort and time to ensure that students receive the best education they can with the resources available. Persecution in Albania was exceptionally harsh, even for Communist Eastern Europe. Among the living martyrs who were present and greeted Francis was Fr. Ernest Simoni. He gave a moving account of his almost three decades spent in Albanian labor camps; Francis was visibly moved. The history behind this personal story is worth recalling. The conflict between the Catholic Church and Communist state in Albania can be divided into three stages: 1) 1944-1948 when the government terrorized and persecuted believers and clergy; 2) 1949-1967 when the government tried to nationalize or Albanize the countrys religions, and to establish a National Albanian Catholic Church similar to the Patriotic Church created by Albanias then-ally, Communist China. This stage reached its culmination with Albania proclaiming itself the worlds first atheist state; 3) 1990 to the present, during which the Albanian Church awoke after decades of martyrdom and persecution. Fr. Simoni was arrested on December 24, 1963, just after he had finished celebrating the Christmas Vigil Mass in the village of Barbullush, Shkoder. Four officers from the Albanian Secret Police (Sigurimi) showed up at his church and presented him with arrest and execution orders. They tied my hands behind my back and began beating me, while we were walking to the car, he recalled. He was brought to the interrogation facility and kept in complete isolation, suffering unbearable tortures for three consecutive months. The accusation was that he had been teaching his philosophy. He taught his people to die for Christ. During three months of confinement and interrogation, the persecutors tried to force him provide evidence against the Catholic hierarchy and his brother priests, which he refused. There is an interesting American connection to his persecution. One of the accusations against Fr. Simoni was that he had celebrated a requiem Mass for the repose of President Kennedys soul, exactly a month after the Catholic presidents death. A journal found in Fr. Simonis room featured a picture of President Kennedy and was presented to the court as material proof of something or other. By Gods grace, the execution was not carried out, Fr. Simoni recalled. After the trial, he was sentenced to twenty-eight years of forced labor, working first in the mines and then as a sanitary and sewage worker, until the fall of Communism in 1991. Egypt discreetly discussed counter-terrorism cooperation in the region with an official Syrian delegation led by embattled Bashar al-Assads chief of intelligence, reports say. The meeting judged double-edged sword for Cairo has almost gone unreported by pro-government media for fear not to further anger Saudi Arabia; Egypts major financial donor. Syrian spy Chief Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk met with Egypts deputy head of intelligence services and several other officials on Sunday, according to Syrian state-owned press agency SANA. The two sides discussed counter-terrorism cooperation in the region as both countries face local terrorism. Possibilities of sending back Egyptian militants arrested in Syria were discussed in addition to the Syrian sides wish to see Cairo adopting a more formal stance on the Syrian crisis, reports say. Both sides discussed the possibility of Egypt hosting talks between Syrian parties that accept Bashar al-Assad remaining in power as part of the Russian-backed political roadmap for the country, an Egyptian source told UK-based Qatari media The New Arab. They have agreed to increase the level of cooperation between the Assad and Sisi regimes, starting with Egypt taking a stance in support of Assad staying in power or at least active in politics, as well as rejecting compromising Syrian state institutions. The meeting comes as ties between Riyadh and Cairo got a smack after Saudi Arabia reacted angrily following Egypts vote for a Russia-sponsored UN resolution calling for the end of hostilities in Syria, early this month at the UN Security Council. Egypts vote for the resolution; the only vote by an Arab country, irritated Riyadh which two days later announced suspension by the countrys oil Aramco company of petroleum shipment for October. The monthly shipments to Cairo were part of a deal signed between the two countries in April, when relations were at their best. Speaking to the media last week, President al-Sisi defended the UN vote as an expression of Egypts sovereignty and pointed out that his government took measures to survive the halt of Saudi oil shipment. A resolution adopted during the 200th session of UNESCO sidelining Jewish ties to Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al Haram al-Sharif could be reviewed this Tuesday (Oct.18), instead of being approved by the organizations Executive Board after Mexico withdrew its support on Monday evening. A statement released by the Mexican Foreign Affairs Ministry stated that changing the vote reiterates the recognition that the government of Mexico gives to the undeniable link between the Jewish people and the cultural heritage in East Jerusalem. Israel welcomed the decision because it could lead to a new round of committee debate before another vote is held. Mexico noted that its U-turn also reflects the deep appreciation that this government has for the Jewish community and in particular for its significant contributions to the welfare and economic, social and cultural development of Mexico. The development is being hailed as a significant diplomatic reward after Israels ambassador to UNESCO, Carmel Shama-Hacohen, vowed not to give up and to fight until the end. The resolution, strongly supported by Arab states, refers to Palestine as being an Occupied territory and condemned Israel for escalating aggression and restricting freedom of worship and movement. After the vote that was held last week, the head of UNESCOs Executive Board Micheal Worbs hoped that the resolution would not be tabled for voting stating, We need more time and dialogue between the members of the board to reach a consensus. UNESCOs Director General Irina Bokova had condemned the resolution outlining that the heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city. Nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space, she said. The Israeli Ambassador claimed that Bokova has received death threats for her comments. The claims were not confirmed by the UN. Tensions are still high in Tripoli as the battle for the control of the capital and the parliament continues between the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and the National Salvation Government (NSG) supported by a coalition of Islamist groups known as Libya Dawn. NSG controls most part of the city and other government buildings following its latest attempt to take over places controlled by the GNA in an offensive that Khalifa Ghweil, leader of the National Salvation Government, said was due to the popular will. The parliament uses Rixos Hotel for its sittings and it is being held by the GNA. In a statement announced on Libyan TV, the Presidential Guards showed their support to Ghweil and the NSG. UN Special Envoy Martin Kobler said he is saddened by civilian casualties in Tripoli. Ghweil has tried to calm down fears that the rivalry between the two governments will be fatal as he gave assurances that he did not want to spill any Libyan blood. He also acknowledged inviting the Tobruk-based government to form a new government together but the proposal was rejected. The government in Tobruk fled Tripoli after Libya Dawn overpowered its forces. The clashes in Tripoli are being termed as a coup detat by some militia groups in the country while some are in support of NSGs actions against the GNA. The militia groups consider that the GNA is backed by western countries and that it has already failed in its mission. Elsewhere, the US has increased its airstrikes on the militants of the Islamic State in Sirte and Libyan troops on the ground are making progress. The operation against the extremist group began six months ago with the troops advancing at a slow pace but that has intensified since the US-backed airstrikes began in August. Russia has suspended its airstrikes on Aleppo from Tuesday morning until further notice but its Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned that rebel groups in the eastern part of the city should stop military action and leave, hoping that countries that have influence over the groups will persuade them to comply. The reasons behind Moscows decision were not explained but Shoigu said that everyone really interested in the fastest possible stabilization of the situation in the city of Aleppo should take genuine political steps and not continue shuffling political papers. Moscow has been heavily criticized by Western countries for its actions in Syria. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the suspension is an act of goodwill in the hope that the pause will be employed to finally separate the armed groups supported and armed by the US, some EU members and countries of the region, from Jabhat al-Nusra (terrorist group outlawed in Russia) and other groups of this kind. An expert meeting will begin in Geneva on Wednesday to differentiate terrorists from the Syrian moderate opposition. A day before suspending its aistrikes, Russia announced a pause for the sake of humanitarian activities in the city and for the evacuation of the sick and injured. Russia also signaled that it is monitoring the offensive against ISIS in Mosul and expressed concerns about the strategy being implemented. The city is surrounded but not completely by the Iraqi forces and their allies and I dont know why, Lavrov quizzed as he opined that the remaining corridor is fraught with the risk the Islamic State may move from Iraqs Mosul to Syria. He stressed that Russia will be willing to take both political and military decisions if such a scenario arises. Russian forces have been engaged in Syria for more than a year and they have contributed immensely to the recovery of territories that were lost by the Pro-Assad forces. Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank. The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday disclosed that its investigators are already in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to urge restraint after weeks of deadly unrest in the central African nation. For a number of weeks now, I have been deeply concerned by the critical situation and recent incidents of violence in the country, particularly the events and certain alleged acts that took place in Kinshasa in September 2016, the ICCs chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda said in a statement. The statement noted that the investigators would over the five days stay in the DRC, meet political stakeholders in the country, civil society groups and the press. The aim of the mission was to reiterate a call for restraint by all those potentially involved and to ensure they refrain, at all times and in all locations, from committing any act of criminal violence against individuals and property. More than 50 people died in clashes in the capital Kinshasa in September as the opposition called on President Joseph Kabila to step down. There have been growing fears that Kabila intends to stay in office after his term ends in December. The European Union on Monday warned the country could face sanctions if it does not hold the elections. Kabila has ruled the country for the past 15 years following the assassination of his father Laurent Kabila. He is not eligible to stand for another term after December. Whenever elections are held it would be the first democratic transition in the war torn country. Equatorial Guinea government on Monday called on the UNs highest court to urgently order France to stop a criminal case against its Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue. The hearing at the International Court of Justice comes a week before Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Equatorial Guineas Vice President, is scheduled to appear before a French court to answer on charges of misspending millions of euros of public funds. The son of the central African nations leader is accused of acquiring real estate, luxury cars, art and other goods in France with public funds from his country. The immunity of a person holding high-ranking office in Equatorial Guinea has been ignored and worse still the charges against the Vice President have reached the final phase of the proceedings, lawyer Maurice Kamto told the world court. The Cameroonian lawyer said his client is open to the risk of judgment and conviction at any time. France is not the only country to have investigated Obiang. In October 2014, he agreed to surrender 26 million euros worth of assets in the US to avoid corruption charges there. His notorious American purchases included a 31 million Malibu house paid for in cash and nearly 1.6 million euros worth of Michael Jackson memorabilia. The 47-year-old, who was appointed Vice President of the oil-rich Central African country earlier this year, is widely expected to succeed his father Teodoro Obiang, who has ruled Equatorial Guinea with an iron grip since he led a bloody coup against his uncle in 1979. The United States embassy in Mali on Monday issued travel warning and travel alert to its citizens to be careful of their movements in the West African nation. The move comes after Jeffery Woodke, a U.S. aid worker who has lived and worked in northern Niger for up to two decades, has been kidnapped by gunmen who killed his guards and house help on Friday. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, but al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has been behind several kidnappings of Westerners in Niger in the past and is a suspect in the incident. The US Embassy in Bamako is aware of reports of the kidnapping of a US citizen in neighboring Niger. The US Embassy reminds US citizens of the continued threat of kidnapping and attacks targeting Westerners in Mali, a statement said. Despite a peace accord and a 2013 international military intervention, large tracts of Mali are still not controlled by domestic or foreign troops and remain exposed to attacks by fighters. More shells from the US airpower have fallen on the Islamic State group (IS) positions in Sirte over these past days as forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) try to end the bout with the terrorist group. Airstrikes have doubled as of mid-October. Around 36 airstrikes were launched from Friday to Saturday on IS positions, bringing total number of airstrikes to 324 since August 1; the date the US joined the GNAs counter-IS campaign launched in May. Since it arrived in capital Tripoli last March, GNA has placed the re-capture of Muammar Gaddafis hometown on top of its priorities. IS took control of the city last year driving out the militia protecting it. The terrorist group played on rivalries between Libyan factions to take over the town that it turned into a regional base outside Iraq and Syria. GNA forces, largely made of Misrata brigades, which were behind the fall of the Libyan ruler in 2011, have pushed the militants into their last retreat. The brigades announced they took control of the citys Cambo area and cleared tunnels used by the militants to hide and prepare ambushes, Reuters reports. Now the forces are engaged in street to street fight to numb last IS snipers and suicide bombers. President Obama last month extended the campaign for another month. When it announced the beginning of the US air campaign in Libya, the Pentagon indicated it would take a finite period of time but resilience of the terrorist group has stunned US authorities. We cannot let radical Islamists establish sanctuary, retired Army Gen. Jack Keane told Fox News on Monday. That was the major lesson of 9/11. Loss of Sirte will mean a major setback for the terrorist group already in difficult situation in Iraq and Syria where international coalition have decimated the structure of the organization by killing major commanders. King Mohammed VI started this Tuesday a new African tour that will lead the Sovereign to Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania, three English speaking African countries. This new trip comes after the North African Kingdom enhanced its presence and economic ties with West African countries and especially with French speaking nations. In Rwanda, the royal visit will give a new momentum to cooperation with this African country in all sectors. Last June, President Paul Kagame was received in Casablanca by King Mohammed VI who decorated Rwandas Head of State with the highest decoration of the Kingdom. It was President Kagames first official visit to Morocco. The two countries share the same resolve to boost their relations and open up a new chapter in their political and economic partnership. It was to the Kigali African Summit that King Mohammed VI addressed his historic message announcing the Kingdoms bid to rejoin the African Union. Following that message, the majority of the African summiteers welcomed the return of Morocco and demanded the immediate suspension of the membership of the so-called RASD which was illegally admitted in 1984 through the illegitimate use of threats, deceit, coercion and dirty petrodollar money. After Rwanda, the Moroccan Sovereign will head to Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa with an annual economic growth rate of 10 pc. Its capital, Addis Ababa hosts the headquarters of the African Union. Ethiopia is the only African country, which has not been colonized by foreign powers. It is also one of the founding members of the League of Nations in 1920. After 26 years of existence, the League was replaced by the United Nations (UN) after the end of the Second World War on 20 April 1946. With its 90 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the second most populous country. It has been posting for over a decade an unprecedented economic boom. Last year, Ethiopia opened an embassy in Rabat as a growing number of Moroccan investors are interested in business opportunities there. Teams of Moroccan BMCE Bank are regularly visiting this country, mining company Managem is assessing the market, while OCP Group is planning, through its subsidiary Jacobs, to set up a joint venture. The new royal African tour also includes Tanzania, an African country with 57 million inhabitants, posting an annual economic growth rate of 7 pc. The country has managed to diversify its productive sectors. Financial services, construction, industry and information technology are currently driving forces of the countrys economy, which was depending on agriculture. Last April, a Tanzanian ministerial delegation, headed by foreign minister Augustine Mahiga, visited Morocco, a visit which contributed to enhancing relations with the North African Kingdom. The new royal African tour shows clearly King Mohammed VI strategic African vision based on genuine solidarity and win-win partnership. Scientists have identified two key groups of neurons within the hypothalamus that help regulate appetite. Credit: Christine Daniloff/MIT MIT neuroscientists have discovered that brain cells called glial cells play a critical role in controlling appetite and feeding behavior. In a study of mice, the researchers found that activating these cells stimulates overeating, and that when the cells are suppressed, appetite is also suppressed. The findings could offer scientists a new target for developing drugs against obesity and other appetite-related disorders, the researchers say. The study is also the latest in recent years to implicate glial cells in important brain functions. Until about 10 years ago, glial cells were believed to play more of a supporting role for neurons. "In the last few years, abnormal glial cell activities have been strongly implicated in neurodegenerative disorders. There is more and more evidence to point to the importance of glial cells in modulating neuronal function and in mediating brain disorders," says Guoping Feng, the James W. and Patricia Poitras Professor of Neuroscience. Feng is also a member of MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research and the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute. Feng is one of the senior authors of the study, which appears in the Oct. 18 edition of the journal eLife. The other senior author is Weiping Han, head of the Laboratory of Metabolic Medicine at the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium in Singapore. Naiyan Chen, a postdoc at the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium and the McGovern Institute, is the lead author. Turning on appetite It has long been known that the hypothalamus, an almond-sized structure located deep within the brain, controls appetite as well as energy expenditure, body temperature, and circadian rhythms including sleep cycles. While performing studies on glial cells in other parts of the brain, Chen noticed that the hypothalamus also appeared to have a lot of glial cell activity. "I was very curious at that point what glial cells would be doing in the hypothalamus, since glial cells have been shown in other brain areas to have an influence on regulation of neuronal function," she says. Within the hypothalamus, scientists have identified two key groups of neurons that regulate appetite, known as AgRP neurons and POMC neurons. AgRP neurons stimulate feeding, while POMC neurons suppress appetite. Until recently it has been difficult to study the role of glial cells in controlling appetite or any other brain function, because scientists haven't developed many techniques for silencing or stimulating these cells, as they have for neurons. Glial cells, which make up about half of the cells in the brain, have many supporting roles, including cushioning neurons and helping them form connections with one another. In this study, the research team used a new technique developed at the University of North Carolina to study a type of glial cell known as an astrocyte. Using this strategy, researchers can engineer specific cells to produce a surface receptor that binds to a chemical compound known as CNO, a derivative of clozapine. Then, when CNO is given, it activates the glial cells. The MIT team found that turning on astrocyte activity with just a single dose of CNO had a significant effect on feeding behavior. "When we gave the compound that specifically activated the receptors, we saw a robust increase in feeding," Chen says. "Mice are not known to eat very much in the daytime, but when we gave drugs to these animals that express a particular receptor, they were eating a lot." The researchers also found that in the short term (three days), the mice did not gain extra weight, even though they were eating more. "This raises the possibility that glial cells may also be modulating neurons that control energy expenditures, to compensate for the increased food intake," Chen says. "They might have multiple neuronal partners and modulate multiple energy homeostasis functions all at the same time." When the researchers silenced activity in the astrocytes, they found that the mice ate less than normal. Suzanne Dickson, a professor of neuroendocrinology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden described the study as part of a "paradigm shift" toward the idea that glial cells have a less passive role than previously believed. "We tend to think of glial cells as providing a support network for neuronal processes and that their activation is also important in certain forms of brain trauma or inflammation," says Dickson, who was not involved in the research. "This study adds to the emerging evidence base that glial cells may also exert specific effects to control nerve cell function in normal physiology." Unknown interactions Still unknown is how the astrocytes exert their effects on neurons. Some recent studies have suggested that glial cells can secrete chemical messengers such as glutamate and ATP; if so, these "gliotransmitters" could influence neuron activity. Another hypothesis is that instead of secreting chemicals, astrocytes exert their effects by controlling the uptake of neurotransmitters from the space surrounding neurons, thereby affecting neuron activity indirectly. Feng now plans to develop new research tools that could help scientists learn more about astrocyte-neuron interactions and how astrocytes contribute to modulation of appetite and feeding. He also hopes to learn more about whether there are different types of astrocytes that may contribute differently to feeding behavior, especially abnormal behavior. "We really know very little about how astrocytes contribute to the modulation of appetite, eating, and metabolism," he says. "In the future, dissecting out these functional difference will be critical for our understanding of these disorders." Explore further Study implicates glial cells in fragile X syndrome More information: Naiyan Chen et al. Direct modulation of GFAP-expressing glia in the arcuate nucleus bi-directionally regulates feeding, eLife (2016). Journal information: eLife Naiyan Chen et al. Direct modulation of GFAP-expressing glia in the arcuate nucleus bi-directionally regulates feeding,(2016). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.18716 This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching. (HealthDay)Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may increase risk of developing postoperative atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism, according to two new studies scheduled for presentation at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, held from Oct. 22 to 26 in Los Angeles. One study looked at 209 patients having open-heart bypass surgery between 2013 and 2015 to see how a high risk for OSA affected the likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation afterward. Atrial fibrillation occurred among almost 70 percent of high-risk, untreated OSA patients, study author Samir Patel, M.D., M.P.H., an internal medicine physician with Western Reserve Health Education in Youngstown, Ohio, told HealthDay. This compared with only about 41 percent of both the low-risk and diagnosed OSA patients. In the second study, researchers led by Mohammed Aljasmi, M.D., of the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, looked at the postoperative risk for developing certain complications. Those undiagnosed but deemed at high risk of OSA faced significantly greater odds for developing venous thromboembolism. "Patients with OSA [who] are not treated with continuous positive airway pressure demonstrate a higher risk for venous thromboembolism postoperatively," the authors conclude. "This stresses the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of OSA prior to scheduled elective surgery." Explore further Sleep apnea may raise heart risks in people with pacemakers More information: More Information Copyright 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Precarious labour has severe health impacts on racialized immigrant women, according to a new Ryerson University study. The study, released to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17), documented the experiences of 40 racialized immigrant women in the Greater Toronto Area who were mainly working in the personal services and food sectors. "This research illustrates the extreme and adverse effects of casual, temporary and on-call work on the mental and physical health of women, their safety at work, as well as the health of the communities they care for," stated Winnie Ng, Unifor-Sam Gindin Chair in Social Justice and Democracy and principal investigator. "We found that the more precarious an immigrant worker is, the worse her health," added Dr. Aparna Sundar, research coordinator and co-author of the report. "We also saw the cascading effects on their families, their children and their communities." Highlights of the report's key findings include: Precarious employment, which is typified by low wages and just-in-time schedules, has been a major source of the chronic and acute health problems experienced by these racialized women. Participants provided a shocking list of injuries and harm sustained at their workplaces due to poor health and safety standards. Temp agency staff who work around the clock with little rest and increasing workloads are unable to provide the care each patient needs and deserves. The publication of the study comes at an important moment as the Special Advisors to the Ministry of Labour start drafting their final recommendations for the Changing Workplaces Review. The Ontario government is currently reviewing the Employment Standards Act and the Labour Relations Act to address the rapid growth of precarious work. "We have a looming health epidemic on our hands that needs urgent attention," said Dr. Jennifer Poole, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Ryerson University and co-author of the report. "The study provides evidence for the critical need for major legislative reform to support racialized women workers." Specific recommendations include: At least seven legislated paid sick days Access to personal emergency leave Joint and several liability between employers and their use of contractors and agencies Explore further Unsettled immigrant workers find themselves in precarious work five years after mass layoffs More information: "Working so hard and still so poor!" "Working so hard and still so poor!" www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/clmr/publications/Final %20Report%20(Precarious%20Work).pdf In neurons of Dixdc1 mutant mice (center) the dendrites neural antennae that receive input from other brain cells have fewer of the dendritic spines (white with red arrows) the receiving half of most synaptic inputs compared to dendrites in wild type mice (left). Treatment of the mutant mice with lithium the same drug used by psychiatrists for over half a century to treat patients with severe mood swings in bipolar disorder normalizes the number of spines (right). In these images the horizontal green lines (dendrites marked with jellyfish Green Fluorescent Protein) are each about 1/50ththe width of a human hair. Credit: Andiara Espindola de Freitas/Robert Stanley, Cheyette lab, UCSF New research led by UC San Francisco scientists has revealed that mutations in a gene linked with brain development may dispose people to multiple forms of psychiatric disease by changing the way brain cells communicate. The new studypublished October 18, 2016 in the journal Molecular Psychiatrycombined genetic analysis of more than 9,000 human psychiatric patients with brain imaging, electrophysiology, and pharmacological experiments in mutant mice to suggest that mutations in the gene DIXDC1 may act as a general risk factor for psychiatric disease by interfering with the way the brain regulates connections between neurons. The new finding is the latest evidence supporting a growing precision medicine model of psychiatric disease in which disruptions of certain genes during brain development contribute to a person's risk for multiple psychiatric disorders, with other genetic or epigenetic drivers, random developmental events, or environmental influences determining the specific disease an individual develops, said senior author Benjamin Cheyette, MD, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry and a member of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences and the Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neurosciences at UCSF. WNT pathway implicated as general psychiatric risk factor Since the mid-1990s, Cheyette has been interested in the role of WNT signalinga molecular pathway involved in early brain development and later, more refined brain wiringin the genesis of psychiatric disorders. At the time, he says, most psychiatrists believed that psychiatric disorders were caused by imbalances in the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. "Antidepressant drugs worked by increasing serotonin levels. Antipsychotics worked by blocking dopamine receptors. So it seemed obvious to most psychiatry researchers that problems with serotonin and dopamine levels must be causing depression and psychosis," Cheyette said. "The idea that psychiatric disorders were caused by problems in brain development was a little bit radical. Now it's hardly even a question." In particular, growing evidence has pointed to defective WNT signaling as a key driver of multiple psychiatric diseases. On one hand, a number of recently identified genetic contributors to schizophrenia and autism interact closely with the WNT system. In parallel, other studies have suggested that lithium saltsperhaps the oldest psychiatric drug in existencemay be successful in treating certain forms of bipolar disorder because they mimic activation of the WNT pathway in the brain. Mutations seen in people with autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder cause loss of synapses in mice In their new paper, Cheyette and his team examined the gene DIXDC1a key piece of the WNT signaling pathway that is active in tissues of the brain and interacts with DISC1, a gene implicated in schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorders. Through multiple different lines of experimental evidence, they built a strong case that DIXDC1 mutations may predispose people to multiple psychiatric disorders by altering WNT signaling in the brain. First, an analysis of genomic data from 6,000 patients with autism spectrum disorders, 1,000 patients with bipolar disorder, and 2,500 patients with schizophrenia by co-first author Pierre-Marie Martin, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in Cheyette's lab, revealed that disruptive mutations in the main neuronal form of DIXDC1 were present about 80 percent more often in psychiatric patients (0.9 percent had mutations) compared to healthy controls (0.5 percent had mutations). To understand how DIXDC1 mutations put normal brain function at risk, Cheyette's team turned to mutant mice that lacked a functioning copy of the gene. Martin conducted behavioral tests showing that, though the mutant mice were normal in many ways, they exhibited heightened anxiety, loss of motivation, and reduced interest in social interactions, all of which are reminiscent of symptoms seen in human psychiatric disorders. Studies of individual neurons in dishes of cultured neurons and in brain slices by co-first author Robert E. Stanley, a graduate student in the lab, revealed that neurons in the mutant mice had decreased numbers of dendritic spines, an important part of the synapses that neurons use to communicate with one another. These findings were confirmed by two-photon imaging of neurons in the brains of living mice by the lab of collaborator Yi Zuo, PhD, a neuroscientist at UC Santa Cruz, as well as electrophysiological recordings from neurons in brain slices by the lab of collaborator Vikaas Sohal, MD, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry at UCSF. Lithium treatment restores synapse numbers, improves psychiatric symptoms in mutant mice As expected, biochemical experiments in the Cheyette lab revealed that DIXDC1 mutations impaired WNT signaling in neurons from affected mice. Remarkably, giving animals injections of lithium salts which mimics WNT signaling by inhibiting the molecule GSK3or giving animals a more specific GSK inhibitor, the researchers were able to restore normal synapse and spine numbers and also improve some of the most significant psychiatric-like behavioral abnormalities in these mice. "That's the key finding," said Cheyette. "It suggests that lithium could have its well-known therapeutic effect on patients with bipolar disorder by changing the stability of spines in the brain." According to Cheyette, this is some of the strongest evidence to date that WNT signaling could play a key role in driving psychiatric disease, and that it works through changes in synaptic communication between neurons. "It's rare in psychiatry to go from human genetics to animal behavior and pharmacological rescue," said Martin, the post-doc who co-led the research team. "Maybe each one of these lines of evidence on its own would not have been a slam dunk, but taken together, you see that all the evidence points the same way. It's pretty compelling." The fact that DIXDC1 mutations were rare, even in psychiatric patients, is not a surprise to Cheyette, who says research psychiatrists now believe thatmuch like in cancer biologymany different risk factors combine in each individual patient to trigger neurological and psychiatric symptoms and need to be individually identified to personalize precision treatment. "Oncologists' growing understanding that what may clinically appear to be similar cancers can be driven by very distinct molecular pathways has led to drugs that are magic bullets for certain patients," Cheyette said. "I think psychiatry is moving in the same direction. This paper is one more step towards a precision medicine understanding of what drives psychiatric disorders." Explore further Genes involved in birth defects may also lead to mental illness Dr Barry Doyle with a 3-D printer. Credit: Harry Perkins Institute An integrated approach to tackling cancer and heart disease may fast-track medical breakthroughs according to Western Australian researchers. A ground breaking vision to integrate bioengineering, medicine and science has led to the creation of a biomedical engineering program aimed at delivering revolutionary medical breakthroughs. The Biomedical Engineering@Perkins programs will place scientists, mathematicians and engineers under one roof to do cutting edge research and design work that could in the near future lead to devices like cancer screening devices and transportable 3-D bio-printed hearts, which could help combat the costly burden of repeat breast cancer surgery and reduce the numbers of people impacted by Australia's number one killer heart disease. The program has brought together biomedical engineers, clinicians and scientists in the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research's state-of-the-art facility in Nedlands and consists of two laboratories, a Vascular Engineering Laboratory headed by Dr Barry Doyle and a Bioimaging Laboratory headed by Dr Brendan Kennedy. Thousands of Western Australians are struck down by these potentially devastating illnesses each year and through the "cross-pollination" of the state's best minds, a biomedical powerhouse could emerge in the future. "In WA approximately 20 to 30 per cent of all people having breast-conserving surgery will have to go back for a second surgery," Dr Kennedy says. "This is hugely traumatising for the patient and can cost the health system about $50,000 to $100,000 extra," he says. Dr Kennedy and his team are working on techniques to measure the mechanical properties of tissue, novel handheld imaging probes to translate bench-top imaging solutions to surgical scenarios and the development of optical coherence tomography system technology. "At the moment surgeons use a finger to detect tumours on the gross scale. We're aiming to translate that sense of touch to the microscopic scale using a probe," Dr Kennedy says. "Instead of pushing on the tissue with the finger we press the tissue with an actuator and then image the deformation of the tissue," he says. "It is on the microscopic scale that breast cancer advances, so it is on this scale that you need to focus if you want to accurately detect the disease." When ScienceNetwork WA last spoke to Dr Doyle he was guiding his inter-disciplinary team to develop heart and blood vessel modelling technology that could help predict disease before it occurs. "The common language between different disciplines is so critical and that is something that you develop by working in the type of environment the research centre provides," Dr Doyle says. "With engineers, clinicians, and life scientists all having their own lingo that they talk to their own people with," he says. Explore further Better heart research to combat number one killer This article first appeared on ScienceNetwork Western Australia a science news website based at Scitech. In the spring of 2014, Vietnam's state-controlled news media reported that dozens of children had died after turning up at hospitals in the capital, Hanoi, with rashes and high fevers. Doctors said the cause was a measles outbreak the worst in Vietnamese history. Parents of victims rushed onto Facebook to share their grief and outrage. So did their friends and neighbours, who wanted to know how the outbreak was spreading, and whether it was even safe to take children to hospital. The authorities distributed information about the measles deaths via leaflets, loudspeaker bulletins and updates on the health ministry's website, recalls a nurse at a state-run hospital in Hanoi, who requested anonymity in order to speak frankly. "But there was so much information online that some people became panicked." Vietnam is a one-party state that has responded efficiently to many natural disasters and health emergencies. During a 2005 outbreak of avian flu, for example, the Vietnamese agriculture minister famously ate chicken on national television in an effort to calm public fears about widespread poultry infections. But when the 2014 measles scandal broke, millions of Vietnamese were using Facebook, compared to almost none just a few years earlier. And the government, which sporadically blocks the network, was unable to extinguish a Facebook-fuelled bush-fire of fear, anger and recrimination that swept the nation. Much of the criticism landed at the feet of the health minister, Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, who refused to call the deaths an 'outbreak' even as the child death toll approached 130. Even before the measles crisis the health ministry had been on the defensive, following a string of previous scandals at public hospitals that had included mistaken diagnoses, faulty vaccinations and cases of bribery in surgery wards. So when Tien said that only 25 deaths were directly attributable to measles while doctors at a Hanoi hospital said scores had died from measles-related complications many ordinary Vietnamese viewed her comments as brazen obfuscation. "The public saw a lot of people dying," recalls Dinh Duc Hoang, a contributing editor at VnExpress, a Vietnamese online newspaper. Ministry officials, he says, did publicly explain their epidemiological rationale for not declaring an outbreak, "but not enough, especially on social media," he says. "People didn't understand and thought the ministry was trying to hide the outbreak." Since the turn of this century, the rise of online search engines and social media applications has allowed ordinary people around the world to find information during public health scares at an ever-faster pace. The change has been especially dramatic in the Asia-Pacific region, a global epicentre of internet users, smartphone sales and infectious-disease outbreaks. This new environment presents a complex mix of opportunities and challenges for health officials. On one hand, increased public engagement during a health crisis can allow officials to communicate more directly with citizens. But every new online platform is also a conduit for spreading criticism or misinformation. The rise of social media makes it "harder for governments to shut down the flow of information, but the information itself may be unreliable," says Crawford Kilian, a Vancouver-based writer who covers the politics of public health. Health officials are increasingly aware that online rumours and criticism during a health scare can fuel panic, undercut their credibility and weaken public confidence in the very healthcare systems that are meant to fight disease. And some of them are trying to close the digital gap by engaging their citizens and critics on social media. During the measles crisis in Vietnam, for example, senior health officials asked Hoang and around eight other well-known journalists to help improve the health ministry's social media presence and disseminate official updates to the public during health emergencies. "Because of my job, I'm famous, and I know a lot of celebrities," Hoang explains. "I can contact people to get them to post correct information for people to read." The premise helping the ministry distribute 'correct' information through social media was simple enough. But could, or should, a group of journalists and celebrities really help a one-party government restore public faith in a beleaguered health bureaucracy? And why did the ministry need their help in the first place? Social media is only the latest digital 'disrupter' to change the public conversation around health scares; the first was the internet itself. And the first major health scare in which the internet played a decisive role in shaping public opinion was the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century. SARS appeared in southern China in 2002 and created an international crisis in February 2003, after a 64-year-old medical professor from the Chinese city of Guangzhou checked into a Hong Kong hospital with respiratory failure. A guest staying at the same hotel as the professor then unwittingly infected more than 100 medical and nursing staff at a second Hong Kong hospital, and six other guests unknowingly spread SARS to Vietnam, Singapore and Canada. This was just the first phase of an outbreak that would spread to more than two dozen countries, infect 8,098 people and kill 774. Within months of the first SARS infection, hundreds of thousands of 'SARS' searches had popped up on a newish platform called Google. Baidu, a popular Chinese search engine, also reported during the epidemic that 'SARS' was its top search item. Both sites were allowing ordinary people in China and beyond to instantly find information about the disease, rather than wait for updates from a local newspaper or television anchor. "Back then, it was Web 1.0, where people go to a site and download information, and there's no sort of participation," says Randall N Hyer, a risk-communications specialist who worked on a World Health Organization (WHO) risk-response team during the SARS crisis. But not all the information that turned up in the search engines was accurate, and false rumours quickly went viral faster, in fact, than the virus itself. One of the most damaging came from an unlikely source: a 14-year-old Hong Kong boy, who announced online that the city would soon be placed under quarantine and designated an "infected port". His prank post gained attention and credibility because it mimicked a local newspaper's website. It sparked a frenzy of panicked grocery shopping, which fed perceptions that Hong Kong was under siege. According to At the Epicentre, a 2004 book coedited by Christine Loh (who is now Hong Kong's undersecretary for the environment), the mood in the city felt "eerie", in part because there was widespread confusion around how the disease was spreading. Even a public disavowal of the teenager's prank by Hong Kong's then health director, the book states, did little to quell the eeriness. But the internet wasn't an entirely bad influence during SARS. For example, as infections piled up in Hong Kong, a group of concerned residents created a crowd-sourced website, sosick.org, showing a list of buildings with suspected or diagnosed SARS cases. Two weeks after the site appeared, the Hong Kong government began publishing the same information on its official website. "The internet proved to be an invaluable tool for concerned citizens to use in challenging government secrecy," Loh and her coauthors wrote. Gabriel Leung, Hong Kong's former undersecretary for food and health, says the SARS experience helped convince Hong Kong authorities of the need to be transparent with the public about the knowns and unknowns of an outbreak as it unfolds well before a website such as sosick.org might challenge the government's credibility. He applied the lesson during the city's response to its next major public health emergency: an outbreak of H1N1, a deadly respiratory virus known as swine flu. Swine flu was discovered in April 2009 in the USA, and at the time outbreaks had not been known to occur among humans. But as H1N1 quickly spread to Canada and Mexico, WHO declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and health officials on other continents braced themselves for its arrival. It landed in Hong Kong in May 2009, when a 25-year-old Mexican tourist fell ill with swine flu in his hotel. Within hours, health officials had quarantined all of the hotel's guests and deployed Leung to television stations to explain the rationale for a decision that was certain to make Hong Kong residents deeply anxious. Internet-fuelled rumours about the disease proliferated, but Leung says he mostly stayed ahead of them by explaining the knowns and unknowns of the disease at daily press briefings, and by promising to show up every afternoon at the same time for as long as reporters had questions. "So long as you keep your promise, people will not be susceptible, or as susceptible, to the rumour mill, because they know the maximum time they have to wait is 24 hours before you will come out and give the facts again," he says. A daily press conference might have kept rumours and medical misinformation at bay during a health scare in the mid-2000s. But today, when fresh social media trends go viral every few minutes, a 24-hour information cycle can feel like an eternity. Social media can also challenge any official narrative that a health ministry tries to promote. "Rumour mills will always be there and social media by and large fuels that," says Leung, now the dean of medicine at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health. "It's not all negative, but social media is fast, it's furious." Swine flu, which killed between 150,000 and 575,000 people, was according to a 2010 study in the journal PLOS ONE the first global pandemic to occur in the age of Web 2.0, an era defined by 'participatory' web and social media. Since then, the dominance of social media has only increased, which has intensified the need for health officials to develop rapid online responses during health scares. The challenge is now especially stark in countries, like Vietnam, where millions of people are flocking to Facebook or Twitter for the first time but health authorities are only just developing an online presence. As late as the early 2000s, most Vietnamese found information about public health issues through state-controlled newspapers, television channels or a national network of public loudspeakers that broadcasts state-curated news in most towns and villages at daily intervals. All of those channels still exist, and the government still promotes them aggressively. The difference is that many urban Vietnamese now prefer to find information about health issues on health blogs or Facebook threads and that some now hardly consult official news sources at all. The new environment can feel liberating, but also scary, for Vietnamese who go online seeking authoritative information during a health crisis. "Vietnam, 10 years ago, was very poor," says Nguyen Dieu Huong, an academic administrator in Hanoi and a member of Vietnam's rising middle class. "We didn't have the internet or ways to update people about, for example, epidemics. So people didn't really feel anxious or afraid of epidemics, like they do now." During the 2014 measles outbreak, the anxiety bubbled up in a Facebook campaign called 'Health minister, resign!' that earned more than 100,000 'likes' a rare outpouring of public dissatisfaction in a one-party state that imprisons political dissidents. Thousands more Vietnamese logged on to discussion threads on Facebook and Webtretho, a popular web forum for parents. Among other questions, they debated whether the health benefits of bringing children to paediatric hospitals for vaccinations outweighed the apparent risks. "We were scared to vaccinate our kids, and, at the same time, to not vaccinate them. So we were scared of everything," says Thai Lan Anh, a Hanoi yoga teacher who participated in those discussion threads. Lan Anh says her first child, who was born in 2011, had already been fully vaccinated by the time the measles crisis hit. But she decided not to vaccinate her second child, who was born in 2014, out of an abundance of caution and still hasn't. "I don't think the Ministry of Health has been totally honest [about the risks of diseases and vaccinations]," she tells me between sips of fruit juice at a Hanoi cafe. "I don't believe what they say." Even before the measles outbreak, health minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien was among Vietnam's most reviled public servants. An easy way to tell was the extensive focus on healthcare in Meeting Each Other at Year's End, a hugely popular television satire that is performed once a year on Vietnamese state television. A 2013 skit, for example, showed a patient going to a Vietnamese hospital for a kidney operation, only to find that a doctor had removed the wrong kidney. A year later, a skit showed a health minister widely assumed to be Tien being placed on a machine that tested her ethical integrity. She failed miserably. Against that backdrop, the health ministry quietly reached out to Hoang and other journalists in 2014 to solicit their ideas on improving the minister's image and social media presence, according to Hoang. (A ministry spokesman, when reached for comment by telephone, asked for questions by email but did not answer them.) Hoang, whose mother is a doctor, says he felt a duty to help. "Ms Tien wanted to build an image of the doctors and herself as friendly and close to the public," he says of his early exchanges with the ministry, which he insisted were informal and entirely pro bono. Tien was setting up a Facebook page, and she asked if the journalists would mind ghost-writing some posts for her, according to Hoang. The journalists refused because they were too busy, he says. But, as a false rumour about Ebola spreading in Vietnam circulated on Facebook, they agreed to help staunch the flow of misinformation by using their Facebook pages to publicise the ministry's Ebola updates. Hoang says he also personally helped the minister improve her online image. First, he advised her to post a more friendly looking photo on her Facebook page. He also recommended that she interact more with ordinary people. He saw an opportunity when a Vietnamese cancer patient wrote to a local newspaper to complain that a state-funded insurance programme was expiring, thus threatening to deprive her and other cancer patients of live-saving healthcare benefits. Hoang forwarded the patient's letter to the minister, who drafted a reply that empathised with the patient's predicament and explained the ministry's insurance policy in accessible language. Hoang then publicised the exchange on the VnExpress website and his Facebook account, which has more than 30,000 followers. But even then, the exact effect of the intervention was unclear. "I made the two letters a campaign for the awareness of cancer and the image of the minister," he says. "The campaign helped people understand the policy, but I can't tell if it helped her image or not." This problem of how to use social media effectively to benefit public health spreads beyond Vietnam. Careful study of health-related social media trends could eventually help scientists and health authorities better understand person-to-person disease transmission, in part because social media tends to be "highly contextual and increasingly hyperlocal", says Marcel Salathe, a researcher at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a specialist in an emerging field scientists call 'digital epidemiology'. But for now, he says, they are still struggling to understand whether social media chatter about health problems actually mirrors epidemiological trends or not. "There have been some successes, but many failures," says Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, a digital epidemiologist at Georgia Southern University in the USA. An early, and humbling, experiment in digital epidemiology occurred at Google, where engineers launched the disease-forecasting tool Google Flu Trends (GFT) in 2008. The company planned to analyse Google search data for mentions of symptoms and other telltale words. It would then, it was hoped, crunch the data to accurately 'nowcast' the likely contours of flu and dengue outbreaks, two weeks earlier than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the gold standard of epidemiological research could. That never happened. In 2009, when panic spread across the globe during the swine flu outbreak, GFT underestimated the outbreak's impact. One potential cause of the error, according to a study in the academic journal PLOS ONE, was that the pandemic occurred in summer rather than winter, the traditional flu season. Google shrugged off the mistake as a correctable glitch. But during a flu outbreak in December 2012, GFT's estimate of the percentage of Americans who had influenza-like illnesses was over 10 per cent a prediction that the scientific journal Nature said had "drastically overestimated" the outbreak compared to CDC surveillance data, which put the actual figure at around 6 per cent. Experts concluded that internet search algorithms were not yet a reliable replacement for the CDC's traditional epidemiological surveillance. GFT was quietly shelved in 2014, and Google said in a note to the public that it was "still early days" for digital applications that track the spread of infectious diseases. Other projects have picked up where GFT left off, with some success. Models built using Google search data from between 2005 and 2010 in Thailand were able to "adequately" estimate malaria trends in the country, for example, according to a 2013 study in the Malaria Journal. Another study that year noted that an algorithm built to track health trends on Baidu, China's primary search engine, successfully predicted the contours of seasonal influenza infections over an eight-month period. But "social media is still a relatively recent phenomenon in human history," Fung says. "There are still a lot of unknowns here, both in terms of whether we can invent an algorithm to make better estimates or understand what people really are communicating." Even so, health officials are still attempting to engage social media chatter in a way that keeps citizens informed about health scares in real time and tamps down misinformation, all without appearing to silence critics in a heavy-handed way or losing the public's trust. That balance can be hard to strike, even in a rich country with a high rate of smartphone penetration and the highest internet speeds on earth. That was clear in the spring of 2015, when the South Korean capital, Seoul, became ground zero for the largest outbreak outside the Middle East of Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome, or MERS. MERS, which was discovered in 2012 in Saudi Arabia, was bound to cause anxiety wherever it landed because it kills 30 to 40 per cent of its victims. Moreover, because the disease's inner workings are still poorly understood, it can be hard to detect if a doctor isn't looking for it. South Korea's first patient was not diagnosed until he showed up at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul with MERS symptoms nine days after first showing signs of infection, and after visiting a few other hospitals. That was bad enough. But for more than two weeks after South Korea's initial MERS case was diagnosed, the government declined to publish the names of MERS-affected hospitals just as the Hong Kong government had declined to publish basic information about SARS infections in 2003. And as health officials stalled, the outbreak spread to other hospitals. Korean social media erupted with criticism, and on 4 June, a South Korean journalist published the list of affected hospitals on Pressian.com, an online news portal. The government, now in full damage-control mode, quickly followed suit, and a Samsung official later apologised for the hospital's handling of the outbreak. But the government's and the hospital's credibility was already tarnished. It didn't help that, on the same day Pressian.com published the hospital list, South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made its Twitter account private, prompting a backlash from the scientific community and fuelling speculation that the government had something to hide even if it didn't. I visited Seoul during the crisis, and the city did not feel panicked. Perhaps the biggest visual reminders of the MERS virus, at least for non-native speakers, were the public health posters with images of a camel the animals were the origin of the disease that I saw in Seoul's Incheon Airport. The camel didn't look very scary. Yet on the streets and in the metros, many people were wearing face masks, reflecting the widespread public unease about the virus that was bubbling up on social media. Over the course of a week, I asked South Korean journalists about the MERS situation, and many of them were highly critical of their government's response to the outbreak. Officials should have released the names of affected hospitals more quickly, they said. Lee Won-jae, a high school student, had a similar complaint. "Time has passed" since the first MERS infection, Lee told me, standing a few blocks from Samsung Medical Center in suburban Seoul on 12 June, at the height of the government's MERS-news blackout. "Things should be wrapped up, but everything is still ongoing." At the time, President Park Geun-hye was still recovering from handling a ferry accident that had happened in April 2014, in which 304 South Koreans mostly teenage students were killed. The government had faced criticism over its rescue efforts. Because of the MERS scandal, Lee said, "there's a bigger distrust of the government now than before". A few months later, as South Korea's MERS epidemic was tapering off, a team of researchers from Hong Kong and the USA published a briefing about it in the Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal. The South Korean government's response to MERS, they concluded, was "reminiscent" of the Chinese government's response to SARS in 2003. Gabriel Leung, the former Hong Kong official, agrees. He says one lesson may be that having a prosperous economy does not necessarily prepare health officials to respond smoothly to a 21st-century outbreak in real time and in a way that doesn't damage the government's credibility. "Despite the high-income nature of the setting, despite excellent medical care, there are some lessons that societies generally need to learn experientially rather than just from a theoretical perspective," he says of the MERS crisis. In Vietnam, another public health scare bubbled up this spring, when WHO reported that an Australian tourist had been diagnosed with Zika virus after vacationing in the country. But as Facebook rumours began to swirl, the health ministry's information chief, Nguyen Dinh Anh, began posting international news stories on his Facebook page and explaining what Vietnam was doing to prepare for a possible outbreak. Hoang, of VnExpress, says the health minister's Facebook page is still relatively sparse, and should be updated and managed by a professional. But the information chief's response to Zika, he adds, seems to show that the ministry has at least recognised the importance of being transparent about public health risks and engaging the Vietnamese public on social media. This time around, "they're posting on their own, without our help," Hoang tells me between drags of a cigarette in a Hanoi cafe. "They won't have the type of crisis they had with the measles outbreak." Ultimately, he adds, it would be difficult if not impossible for the health ministry to win the public's complete trust, for the simple reason that Vietnamese bureaucracy is notoriously corrupt. But he says the ministry could perhaps work to become a more reliable conduit of information during future health crises. "The people still need it, and that's the only source." Explore further S. Korea fears MERS may have spread to new hospital Provided by Mosaic This article first appeared on Mosaic and is republished here under a Creative Commons licence. Georgian wine & brandy export opportunities increase to China Growing numbers of Chinese consumers will soon be able to taste and enjoy Georgian wine and brandy.Large Chinese importer, Beijing Charming Grand International Trading Co, last week agreed to import one million bottles of Georgian wine and brandy to the Asian nation in the next 12 months.A corresponding Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed between the Chinese company and Georgian wine company Kakhetian Traditional Winemaking last week to solidify the deal.The MoC aimed to deepen trade and economic ties and increase the amount of Georgian wine exported to China.The MoC stated within one year of signing the deal, the Chinese importers were obliged to have imported one million bottles of Georgian wine and brandy.In recent years Georgia has forged strong ties with China through bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Georgian wine was one of Georgia's most promising products exported to China.Already this year Georgia exported 3.5 million bottles of wine to its Asian partner a 158 percent increase year-on-year, said the Government of Georgia.Meanwhile last week a Memorandum on finalising a Free Trade Deal between Georgia and China was signed.The Free Trade Deal will come into play next year and will allow Georgia to sell its goods in China's market of 1.4 billion consumers with zero tariffs, without additional customs fees and without any transition period on the Georgia-made products. Free Democrats collapse By Messenger Staff The leaders of the Free Democrats opposition have announced that they will quit their party and stressed they intended to serve Georgia in other fields.Neither the party leader, Georgias ex-Defence Minister Irakli Alasania, nor the countrys ex-Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alex Petriashvili, said where they intended to continue their careers.The local media speculates that Viktor Dolidze, who was in the diplomatic service of Georgia, and two former lawmakers from the party, Zurab Abashidze and Gia Tsagareishvili, have also quit the party.Alasania said the party would renovate and re- brand itself without him and be fully prepared for the 2017 local government elections. He also removed his candidacy as an eastern Gori majoritarian candidate and said he would not attempt to fulfill the promises given to the people, as his promises were linked with his team-members activities in Parliament.The Free Democrats gained only 4.61 % of votes and thus could not overcome the necessary 5% threshold to win seats in the legislative body.Alasania, who is Georgias ex-Ambassador to the United Nations, opposed then-President Mikheil Saakashvili in 2008 and established the Free Democrats party in 2009.The party became a member of the Georgian Dream coalition, established by billionaire and ex-Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvilli prior to the 2012 Parliamentary Elections.Through the previous elections, the coalition defeated the nine-year rule of the United National Movement party established by Saakashvili, and Alasania was appointed as the Minister of Defence after the elections until fired from the post in November 2014.In November 2014, several members of the Defence Ministry were arrested for misspending of budgetary funds. Alasania claimed the people were innocent and they were detained because of him, as at that time he was on the verge of signing a deal with France on the purchase of air-defense weapons.Alasania stressed that Ivanishvili did not want the deal made and artificially created problems for him. Alasania also said Georgias Euro-Atlantic orientation was at risk, and this statement was used as a reason for his firing by ex-Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.Later, Georgia's Ministry of Defence signed the deal with France under the leadership of Tinatin Khidasheli last year.Petriashvili also quit his post, and the party moved into opposition and participated separately in the current elections.There is some speculation that those quitting the party have been offered official posts in the Government. Even if this is true, it will be good for the country, as the ex-FD members have both professional qualification and experience. @ByKristenMClark It's official: The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee won't be helping Democrat Patrick Murphy at all with TV ads during the general election campaign this fall. The committee this week started cutting the remainder of its reserved ad time -- worth about $2 million -- which had been planned for the final week of the election. The decision was not unexpected, because the DSCC has been gradually withdrawing its money from Florida since early September when the committee had initially claimed it would shift its resources to closer to Election Day. (It didn't.) The group had, this spring, reserved $10 million in total ad time to support Murphy, a two-term congressman from Jupiter who the DSCC was quick to endorse after Murphy declared his candidacy in spring 2015. However, this fall, the DSCC's dollars were re-directed to other states with competitive Senate races, as Murphy struggled to gain ground on Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Confirmed: @dscc is pulling its remaining $$ from #FLSen. spokeswoman said decision was made prior to last night's debate. More to come... Kristen M. Clark (@ByKristenMClark) October 18, 2016 While Republicans were quick to link the DSCC's decision with Murphy and Rubio's first debate on Monday, DSCC spokeswoman Sadie Weiner said in an email the decision to cut the remaining dollars was made before the event. She said it was "absolutely not a reaction to the debate. Patrick did incredibly well." The DSCC's decision comes as a new poll was released Tuesday that showed Murphy within 2 percentage points of Rubio. It was conducted in the week prior to the debate. Earlier this month, a Democratic super PAC, the Senate Majority PAC, also pulled about $6 million of its planned $10.5 million ad support for Murphy. Photo credit: Richard Graulich / Palm Beach Post @ByKristenMClark Upset that they've been barred from participating in tonight's televised U.S. Senate debate between Republican incumbent Marco Rubio and Democratic challenger and U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, a couple of the independent candidates in the contest are venting their frustration. "When youre marketing for public awareness and telling the public 'Marco Rubio vs. Patrick Murphy' are the two candidates, youre misleading the public and youre depriving the public of the opportunity of knowing theres five other candidates," no-party-affiliation candidate Steven Machat, of Miami, told the Miami Herald's editorial board Monday in a phone interview. Machat unsuccessfully sued in both federal and state court with a demand that he and the other independent and third-party Senate candidates be included in the two debates scheduled. A federal judge last week said U.S. District Court wasn't the proper venue for the case, and a state judge in Miami separately rejected Machat's request for an injunction in an order Monday morning. Meanwhile, Tony Khoury, a Miami businessman and fellow NPA candidate, plans to protest outside the University of Central Florida's Fairwinds Alumni Center just before the debate starts at 7 p.m. -- and he's threatening to crash the event. In a statement Monday morning, Khoury's campaign said he would "attempt to attend" the debate to make his point of why he and the other candidates ought to be included. "Voters are tired of the duopoly that the two major parties hold over politics, and nowhere is that more destructive than in our debates," Khoury said. "This systematic stifling of opinions and solutions is killing our cherished American Democracy." Only Murphy and Rubio were invited to participate in the two scheduled debates for Florida's nationally watched U.S. Senate race. Debates typically have cut-offs for participation, such as how well candidates are doing in the polls. Aside from Murphy and Rubio, the other candidates on the ballot are Libertarian Paul Stanton and independent candidates Khoury, Machat, Basil Dalack and Bruce Nathan. via @TMarreroTimes TAMPA -- The Facebook photo has been circulating for weeks among GOP circles: a fresh-faced Patrick Murphy sitting at a table with one arm around a woman and a few fingers of his other hand apparently on her breast. During Monday night's debate, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio tried to use the photo as a weapon against Murphy, a Democratic U.S. House member running to unseat the West Miami Republican. Murphy has criticized Rubio for his support for Donald Trump, especially after allegations about Trump's treatment of women. In the latter half of the debate, Rubio turned the tables and referenced Murphy's photo, calling it "inappropriate behavior." Murphy appeared flustered. On Tuesday, Murphy, 33, dismissed the photo as an artifact from his early 20s and said Rubio's attempts to use it against him were "low" and "desperate." "Look, when Donald Trump goes low, Marco Rubio goes lower," Murphy told reporters after a campaign event in West Tampa. "This is a picture with my girlfriend from my 20s, a college girlfriend. I dated her for four years, and we were at dinner." Murphy graduated from the University of Miami in 2006. He first ran for the U.S. House in 2011, winning his Palm Beach County-Treasure Coast seat in the 2012 election. "Look, Marco Rubio showed just how desperate he was last night by trying to wiggle, and got himself in this knot about Donald Trump," Murphy said. "He's trying to pivot and change the subject. It was very clear to me how uncomfortable Marco Rubio was when talking about Donald Trump and someone who's bragging about sexually assaulting women. It's unbelievable to me." Asked later to elaborate on the date and circumstances of the photo, a Murphy spokesman said the campaign would let the congressman's words stand on their own. @PatriciaMazzei Ahead of his big fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, House Speaker Paul Ryan will campaign Wednesday with the endangered Miami Republican at Caribbean Elementary School, west of Cutler Bay. The event will focus on Curbelo's work in Congress giving students learning English more time to achieve proficiency in reading and math before having their scores count on key tests. It's being advertised by Curbelo's congressional office, as opposed to his reelection camp. Reporters have been warned that Ryan and Curbelo won't take questions. The speaker's visit coincides with the night of the final debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Ryan has essentially conceded the presidential race to Clinton and focused on trying to preserve Republicans' House majority. Later Wednesday, Ryan will raise money for Curbelo, who's facing a challenge from former U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, a Democrat. Florida's 26th congressional district is one of the country's most competitive. via @FrancoOrdonez WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Paul D. Ryan left little doubt about his current stance on the Obama administrations warming ties with the Cuban government. Hes not a fan. The Castros continue to jail pro-democracy activists at a rate of hundreds per month, yet it is full steam ahead for the Obama administrations efforts to appease this oppressive regime, Ryan said in a statement Tuesday morning. Its a bold statement by the speaker and indicating a leadership strong position against President Barack Obamas rapprochement with Cuban and public campaign to lift the embargo. Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, blasted the Obama administrations latest round of regulatory changes meant to chip away at the U.S. embargo against Cuba and ease trade and travel with the island nation. The strong rhetoric by Ryan on Cuba appears to be increasing. Ryan has spoken out more in recent years against what hes called appeasement by the Obama administration. Its a shift after being criticized for his earlier support for lifting the embargo. More here. Photo credit: John Hart, Associated Press Breast cancer has some worrisome statistics about 240,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the United States. That means that about one in eight women will develop this disease during their lifetime. But there are other numbers that show a much more encouraging trend. Over the past 20 to 30 years, the number of women who die from breast cancer has dropped by more than 30 percent. The five-year survival rate for Stage 1 breast cancer is over 98 percent. Better tools This remarkable improvement can be attributed in large part to women themselves. As more women have regular mammograms, more cancers are found earlier when they are easier to treat. In addition to having a higher cure rate, these early cancers can often be treated with a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy. Also called breast-sparing surgery, lumpectomies for early breast cancer have the same recurrence rate as mastectomies. The other factor in these better statistics is improved diagnostics. New technologies and improvements to older ones have greatly enhanced our ability to identify early breast cancer long before it can be felt. Here are some areas where technology has improved: 3-D mammography. Unlike traditional mammograms which take a single image, 3-D mammograms take multiple views to create a three-dimensional picture of the breast. Also called tomosynthesis, this technology finds 40 percent more invasive cancers than traditional mammography. Unlike traditional mammograms which take a single image, 3-D mammograms take multiple views to create a three-dimensional picture of the breast. Also called tomosynthesis, this technology finds 40 percent more invasive cancers than traditional mammography. Ultrasound. This technology uses sound waves to create real-time images. Its used in conjunction with mammography to identify and help diagnose problem areas in the breast. Recent advances have resulted in much clearer images and better synchronization with other imaging tools. This technology uses sound waves to create real-time images. Its used in conjunction with mammography to identify and help diagnose problem areas in the breast. Recent advances have resulted in much clearer images and better synchronization with other imaging tools. Biopsies. These tests involve taking a tissue sample of the suspicious area in the breast and examining it in the lab for signs of cancer. Improvements in imaging technologies, such as ultrasound and others, give doctors a much better view of their target area. These tests involve taking a tissue sample of the suspicious area in the breast and examining it in the lab for signs of cancer. Improvements in imaging technologies, such as ultrasound and others, give doctors a much better view of their target area. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Improvements in these therapies provide more precise treatments, as well as fewer side effects during therapy. Surgical techniques have also advanced. What that means for women Even though mammograms can be life-saving, they are stressful for many women. One common concern is the repeated doses of radiation from these screening tests. If a woman is called back after her mammogram for further testing, that adds even more stress and worry. In fact, radiation from one mammogram is about the same as amount we all get from living in Missoula for one year. Thats true for 3-D mammograms as well as traditional ones. The safety level for mammograms is extremely high. While being called back for further testing can be stressful, the results are usually good. About 90 percent of these tests, such as a more targeted mammogram or an ultrasound, show something other than cancer. Among women who do need to have an area biopsied, only about 30 to 40 percent actually have a breast cancer. The American College of Radiology recommends that women begin having mammograms at age 40 and continue to have them every year. If you have a close relative who had breast at an early age, your doctor may recommend starting even earlier. Though the percentage is small, men can also get breast cancer. They should check their breast area for lumps or swelling. Have your mammogram Improved screening, diagnosis and treatments have changed the course of breast cancer so much that we can now talk about curing it. Most women who find breast cancer early can live a normal life after their treatment. And the best way to find it early, before you or your doctor can feel it, is a screening mammogram. Coming soon Diabetes Day St. Patrick Hospital will host the event Saturday, Oct. 29, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Broadway Building, 500 S. Higgins Ave. There will be free blood pressure and weight checks plus health fair exhibits, and $5 A1C tests (blood tests that provide information about a persons average levels of blood sugar over the past 3 months) for the first 200 people. For information, and to register, call 329-5781 or visit montana.providence.org. Massage clinics The University of Montana Physical Therapy Student Association will offer massages throughout October as a fundraiser. The clinics are scheduled 6-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday in Skaggs Building Room 129. The cost is $12 for 20 minutes or $20 for 40 minutes. Only cash or checks will be accepted. To make an appointment, call 243-4753. Red Cross blood drives The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to give blood to help ensure a readily available blood supply for emergencies. Donors of all blood types are needed. To make an appointment to give blood, download the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767. Donors are encouraged to make appointments and complete the RapidPass online health history questionnaire at redcrossblood.org/rapidpass to help reduce wait times. Upcoming blood drives: Darby: 1:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, Darby Community Clubhouse, 106 N. Main St. 1:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, Darby Community Clubhouse, 106 N. Main St. Eureka: noon-5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1005 Osloski Road. noon-5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1005 Osloski Road. Kalispell: 11:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Thursday, Qdoba Mexican Grill, 15 Commons Way; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Kalispell Blood Donation Center, 126 N. Meridian Road; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, Three Rivers Bank, 552 N. Meridian; noon-4:15 p.m. Saturday, Walgreens, 40 W. Idaho; 1:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, Kalispell Blood Donation Center; 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, Immanuel Lutheran Communities, 185 Crestline Ave. 11:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Thursday, Qdoba Mexican Grill, 15 Commons Way; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Kalispell Blood Donation Center, 126 N. Meridian Road; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, Three Rivers Bank, 552 N. Meridian; noon-4:15 p.m. Saturday, Walgreens, 40 W. Idaho; 1:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, Kalispell Blood Donation Center; 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, Immanuel Lutheran Communities, 185 Crestline Ave. Libby: 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thursday, VFW, 114 W. Second St. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thursday, VFW, 114 W. Second St. Missoula: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Missoula Blood Donation Center, 2401 N. Reserve St., Suites 6 and 7; noon-4:15 p.m. Monday, NorthWestern Energy, 1801 Russell St.; 2-6 p.m. Monday, Missoula Blood Donation Center; 9:45 am.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, Sheehan Majestic, 6681 Kestral Drive. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Missoula Blood Donation Center, 2401 N. Reserve St., Suites 6 and 7; noon-4:15 p.m. Monday, NorthWestern Energy, 1801 Russell St.; 2-6 p.m. Monday, Missoula Blood Donation Center; 9:45 am.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, Sheehan Majestic, 6681 Kestral Drive. Plains: 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Plains VFW Hall, 201 W. Lynch. 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Plains VFW Hall, 201 W. Lynch. Troy: noon-5 p.m. Wednesday, Troy Community Baptist Church, 725 E. Missoula Ave. noon-5 p.m. Wednesday, Troy Community Baptist Church, 725 E. Missoula Ave. Whitefish: noon-4 p.m. Wednesday, The Springs at Whitefish, 1001 River Lakes Parkway. Fitness, dance classes For more information on the following classes offered by the Lifelong Learning Center, call 549-8765 or visit missoula.classes.com: Romantic Rhumba, Oct. 19-Nov. 9, 6:45-7:45 p.m., Dickinson Lifelong Learning Center, $17. Family Yoga, Oct. 29-Nov. 9, 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Dickinson Lifelong Learning Center, $24. Red Willow Center For more information on the following classes at the learning center, 825 W. Kent, call 721-0033 or visit redwillowlearning.org: "Basics of Resilience," 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, free. "Becoming Fully Alive with Chronic Illness," Oct. 20-Nov. 17, noon-1 p.m. Thursdays, $100. "Soul Collage," 1-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, $45. "Reiki Circle," 6:30-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, free. "Caregiving for Veterans," 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, free for caregivers, spouses or partners of veterans. "Building Psychological Resilience with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy," Nov. 15-Dec. 20, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, $165. "Basics of Resilience," 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, free. "Restorative Yoga," Nov. 21-Dec. 12, 6-7:30 p.m. Mondays, $75. "Yoga for Round Bodies," Nov. 23-Dec. 21, noon-1:15 p.m. Wednesdays, $50, doctor's release required. Ongoing classes include "Yoga for Wellness" at noon Mondays, $12 or $40 for four weeks; "Mindfulness Meditation" at 12:10 p.m. Tuesdays, $12 or $40 for four weeks; "Yoga Beyond Cancer" at 4 p.m. Tuesdays, $40 for four weeks; "Yoga for Wellness" at 10 a.m. Wednesdays, $12 or $40 for four weeks; "Yoga for Chronic Pain" at 5 p.m. Wednesdays, $40 for four weeks plus $50 for prerequisite screening' "Meditation for Veterans" at 1:15 p.m. Thursdays (no class Nov. 24) at Missoula Vet Center, 910 Brooks, free. BodyTalk program A fundamentals class will be taught by Kathy Mangan at the Red Willow Learning Center on Oct. 21-23 and Oct. 29-30. Learn the BT system and skills to become a practitioner. For details and registration, call Tori at 880-8749 or register at bodytalksystem.com. Ongoing programs AA and Al-Anon For the latest Alcoholics Anonymous meetings list, visit aa-montana.org or call the Missoula hotline at 543-0011. For more information on Al-Anon and Alateen, which are 12-step recovery programs for relatives and friends whose lives have been affected by alcoholism, visit mt.al-anon.alateen.org. Acupuncture for cancer caregivers Missoula Community Acupuncture, located in the Radio Central Building, 127 E Main St., Suite 314, offers free acupuncture treatments for friends, family, nurses, doctors or anyone who takes care of cancer patients 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays. No appointment is necessary. For more information, call Michael Peluso at 406-926-1611. Adult Asperger's support group An open meeting for those with Asperger's as well as their family and friends is held 6-7:30 p.m. every Thursday at the University Center, Room 215, on campus. Contact Monique Casbeer at 721-3947 or Cindy Bacon Janego at cjanego@communitymed.org for more information. Alzheimers support Meets the second Wednesday of each month at noon at the Summit Independent Living conference room, 700 S.W. Higgins Ave. Another group meets the fourth Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Missoula Senior Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave. For more information, contact Jackie Johnson at 549-3433 or jackiej45@yahoo.com. Alzheimers caregivers support group Meets the fourth Monday at 6:30 p.m. of each month at the Missoula Senior Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave. For more information, call Jackie Johnson at 549-3433. Arthritis programs The Montana Arthritis Program offers physical activity and self-management education programs, such as the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, Walk with Ease and Stanfords Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. Classes are available in several communities including Florence, Hamilton, Kalispell, Libby, Missoula, Plains and Polson. To find a class or for more information, visit dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/arthritis. Bereavement support groups Frontier Hospice offers open door meetings 6-7 p.m. Thursdays at the following locations: The Springs at Whitefish on the first Thursday; Rising Mountains Assisted Living Community in Bigfork on the third Thursday; and Frontier Hospice in Kalispell on the second and fourth Thursdays. Call 406-755-4923 for more information. Breast cancer support group Meets the first and third Wednesday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon at the Montana Cancer Center, St. Patrick Hospital Broadway Building, second floor. Call 329-5656. Cancer Center support group Meets noon-1:30 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Montana Cancer Center, 500 W. Broadway. For more information, call Bonnie at 240-0996. Cancer Resource Guide The online guide covers resources including support groups, treatment centers, camps and retreats, in Missoula, Mineral and Ravalli counties. It is available at CancerResourcesMT.org. Cancer support group A support group for anyone affected by cancer meets noon-1 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays at the Polson United Methodist Church, 301 16th Ave. For more information, call Tammy at 406-883-7284 or 824-2868. Celebrate Recovery The Christian-based 12-step recovery program meets 6-9:30 p.m. every Friday at Christian Assembly Foursquare Church, 1001 Cleveland St. Dinner is available from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and child care is provided for ages birth to 11. For more information, call 721-6884 or email cafc@4bible.com. Cheerful Heart Lake County cancer patients in treatment can receive a massage and help with hair and skin problems, free of charge, from local therapists and cosmetologists. Other non-medical services include transportation to treatment and doctor appointments, running errands, yard work and meal preparation. Appointments may be scheduled by calling 406-883-3070. Colorectal Cancer Support Group Meets 1-2 p.m. the third Friday of every month through March 20, Community Cancer Care Conference Room, 2827 Fort Missoula Road. "Coping, Education & Support for Women with All Cancer Types" The support group for women in all stages of cancer treatment or survivorship will be held noon-1:30 p.m. the second Monday of every month through March 14, 2016, at the Community Cancer Care Conference Room, 2837 Fort Missoula Road. For more information, call Deb Rivey at 327-3912, Terri Paxinos at 327-3957 or Kimberly Hardwick at 327-3906. Diabetes program At 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month, there will be a short presentation on a topic related to the management of Type 1 diabetes at the YMCA, 3000 S. Russell St. It will be followed by the option for socializing in the foyer or being active together at the Y. A fee of $5 per person will be collected at the door for those choosing to use the facility. Designed for ages 14 and older, children are welcome but must be accompanied by a parent/caregiver. Double Trouble in Recovery The 12-step program for people with mental health and addiction issues meets 3-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Winds of Change Recovery Mall, 2685 Palmer St., No. C (second floor). Coffee is provided. For more information, call Veronica at 721-2038. Epilepsy support group Meets the first Monday of the month from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Summit Independent Living Center, 700 S.W. Higgins Ave., Suite 101. Patients, friends, family and caregivers welcome. Call Debbie at 721-0707 for more information. Free health exams Women ages 30 to 64 who meet necessary income guidelines and either have no health insurance or have insurance that will not pay for breast and cervical health exams can receive free exams through Partnership Health Centers Montana Cancer Screening Program. Call 258-4162 for more information. Gentle yoga class The Missoula Senior Citizen Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave., offers a class that focuses on balance training, back strength and core conditioning through gentle yoga matwork every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 9 a.m. Fee is $4 per class. All ages welcome. For more information, call 543-7154. Health Insurance Assistance Service Montana cancer patients can call the American Cancer Societys 24-hour toll-free number to be connected to a health insurance specialist to ask about coverage and insurance programs specific to the state. The number is 800-227-2345. Mens cancer support group Open to men in all phases of testing, treatment and followup, the group meets the fourth Tuesday of the month from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Montana Cancer Center, 500 W. Broadway. It is facilitated by Gary Weisbrich and Tom King. Call 329-5628 or email gary.weisbrich@providence.org for more information. Narcotics Anonymous Meets at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Alano Club, 8 Third Ave. W., Polson. Call 406-883-4135. National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI Missoula meets every Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon in the lower level (behind the cafeteria) of the Providence Center. It is open to anyone affected by mental illness or interested in learning more about the group. The NAMI Connection group for adults living with mental illness meets 1:30-3 p.m. Thursdays at the NAMI offices, 202 Brooks St., Room 210. Call 880-1013 with questions. NAMI Family Support Group National Alliance on Mental Illness Missoula meets Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 202 Brooks St., in Room 210. The peer-led support for adult family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals with mental illness is free. For more information, call 406-880-1013 or email namimissoula@gmail.com. My No-Nonsense Nutrition Program A seven-week webinar course to improve your nutrition and fitness. Faith-based approach to better health. Free initial consult with Judy Gilman, registered nurse, diabetes and wellness educator. mynononsensenutrition.com or 546-7819. Overeaters Anonymous Local meetings include 7 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 202 Brooks St. A meeting for newcomers is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday followed by a "Back to Basics" meeting at 7 p.m. at St. Paul's. Everyone who wants to stop eating compulsively is welcome. There are no dues, weigh-ins or lectures. For more meeting information, visit oa.org. SAA For the latest Sex Addicts Anonymous meeting list visit saa-recovery.org, call the Missoula hotline at 241-4005 or email MissoulaBetterway@yahoo.com. SAA is a 12-step fellowship of men and women who share experience, strength and hope for the purpose of finding freedom from addictive sexual behavior and helping others recover from sex addiction. S-Anon Local meetings are held weekly for this recovery program for people affected by another persons sexual behavior. Visit sanonmontana.org or call 406-544-1271 to learn more. Stroke and Brain Injury Support Group Meets the second Thursday of each month from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Providence Center, 902 N. Orange St., in the dining area on the fourth floor. For details, call 329-5784. Tai Chi for Arthritis Class offered 9:15 a.m. Mondays at the Missoula Senior Citizens Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave. $4 per class. All ages welcome. Tai Chi Chih Classes are offered at the following locations: Missoula Senior Citizens Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave., 9:15 a.m. Wednesdays, $4 per class; PEAK Health & Wellness Center, 5000 Blue Mountain Road, 11 a.m. Tuesdays, call 251-3344; and The Womens Club, 2105 Bow St., 9 a.m. Fridays, call 728-4410. TOPS Take Off Pounds Sensibly, an affordable, nonprofit, weight-loss support and wellness organization, meets at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the First Christian Church, 2701 S. Russell St. Another TOPS meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 2512 Sunset Lane. For additional meetings, go to tops.org, click on "Find a Meeting" and enter your ZIP code or call 800-932-8677. The battle over who keeps energy rates fairly priced for Montanans and the large utilities serving them is the heating up in western Montana. Democrats, who say the all-Republican Public Service commission has done a poor job of protecting consumers, are challenging incumbents Bob Lake and Roger Koopman. Together, the two incumbents represent a 514-mile stretch of Montana from Yaak in the northwest to Roundup in the east. A third-party candidate also hopes to shake things up. We have an entirely Republican PSC, said Pat Noonan, the Democratic challenger to Koopman in District 3. I think its important to people to that its more diversified. The PSC is tasked with making sure that regulated utilities receive a fair profit of roughly 10 percent, while at the same time making sure consumers aren't overburdened by price. Those utilities include NorthWestern Energy and Montana Dakota Utilities, as well as landline phone companies and some garbage haulers. District 3 stretches from Dillon to Roundup. Noonan, a former state legislator from Butte, isnt Koopmans only challenger. Independent candidate Caron Cooper, of Livingston, also argues that the Republican lock on the PSC needs to be picked. I ran as an Independent because I didnt like the other two parties, Cooper said. I was really disenfranchised by the amount of corporate influence. No one took my concerns seriously. In PSC District 4, which covers northwest Montana, including Missoula, this years race is a rematch between Lake and Democratic challenger Gail Gutsche. Lake, of Hamilton unseated Gutsche from the PSC in 2012. That year, Democrats lost a 3-2 majority on the PSC. Republicans wont be swept this year because the third district on the ballot, the Billings-anchored District 2, already has been decided. Republican Tony ODonnell unseated incumbent Kirk Bushman in the June primary election, which settled the race because Democrats didnt field a candidate in the district stretching from Billings to Baker. Theres been no shortage of big issues facing the PSC since Republicans took control. The biggest was NorthWestern Energys $870 million purchase of 11 hydroelectric dams. NorthWestern serves 340,000 Montana customers who received a 5 percent rate increase to pay for the dams. With the new charge, approved by the PSC in 2014, the rates paid by NorthWestern customers became among the highest of any major utility in the region. The dam purchase also marked the second time some utility customers were conscripted to pay for the facilities. These dams along the Missouri, Madison and Clark Fork rivers were originally owned by Montana Power, whose customers for decades shouldered some of the financial burden until 1999 when Montana Power sold the dams to PPL Montana and got out of the business. None of the candidates in this years PSC races opposed NorthWesterns 2014 dam purchase. But theyre split on whether PSC-approved rate increase for NorthWesterns customers was too high. I favored buying back the dams and Im glad we did; however the price was too high and Bob Lake voted for that, Gutsche said. Noonan said that as a member of a legislative committee advising the Montana Consumer Counsel, he supported the dam purchase at the price. He does think the PSC should have pushed harder for a better deal for consumers. In the long run, he said, the dam purchase is good for customers of Montana energy because it brings reliable power into NorthWesterns portfolio. The dams really allow NorthWestern to be very stable as we move away from Colstrip, Noonan said, noting that the life of Montanas coal-fired complex will likely end in the next couple of decades. Cooper agrees the dam purchase was a good move, but one of the sales points for the deal was that dam power, unlike coal power plants, is free if carbon dioxide pollution. The argument that clean power was worth more in a future of tighter pollution regulations drove up the sales price. My take on that was that NorthWestern got a pretty nice Christmas present, Cooper said. Koopman and Lake were split on whether the dam purchase price was fair, but both voted for it. Koopman tried to get the price lowered by $20 million before accepting the deal supported by all but one public service commissioner. He told The Gazette that the value placed on carbon pollution free energy added a few hundred million dollars to the dams' price. Lake said the price agreed to was fair. Commissioners conditioned the purchase on the consumers getting their money back, should NorthWestern ever sell the dams. That return on investment didnt exist for consumers when Montana Power sold the dams. The price was higher than the current market price, but you have to realize that we were taking an ownership position for all ratepayers, Lake said. Theyre on the books for being able to recover the investment. So, if and when theyre ever sold, its a different situation than with Montana Power. The other big issue is renewable energy, which emerged as a big campaign issue this election after the PSC suspended a previously guaranteed rate for small renewable energy projects. The suspension at the request of NorthWestern Energy, the states largest regulated utility, effectively killed the solar industrys interest in developing small commercial solar projects in Montana. Nearly 100 projects had been proposed. Less than 10 received the guaranteed price before rate was suspended. Gutsche said the PSC hasnt done enough to advance renewable energy. The guaranteed rate for small renewable energy projects that the PSC suspended in June was in fact earlier set by the PSC and went unchanged until NorthWestern called for emergency action. There was no emergency, Gutsche said. Applications for the solar projects had been coming in at a steady drip for more than 18 months. Thats a sentiment echoed by Noonan, as well. What attracted solar companies to Montana is the states interpretation of a 48-year-old federal law promoting alternative energy development. That law is the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act, or PURPA. It requires utilities to buy power from small qualifying facilities, or QFs, under terms decided by state governments. In Montana, the Public Service Commission sets that price. The state now faces a complaint before federal regulators for reneging on the rate. I believe that we must follow that law, Gutsche said. PURPA is there for a reason, to help advance renewable energy and we in Montana have hundreds of projects that could take root here. Theres also 2,000 megawatts of wind that could be generated here. Cooper said abruptly suspending the guaranteed rate made us look like idiots, to the solar companies that were planning to build here. Each project would have been about 45 acres, large enough to power 540 homes. I wouldnt have suspended the rates, Cooper said. Commissioners were making a big deal about how much it was costing consumers, but well spend so much for legal work now. Both Koopman and Lake say their positions on renewable energy are defensible. Renewable energy hasnt been given a free pass in Montana because its cost hasnt been in the best interest of Montana energy consumers, Koopman said. The price set by the PSC for small renewable energy projects was $66 per megawatt hour, which is on the high end of what Montana customers of NorthWestern pay. And its not just an issue of price, Lake said. Renewable energy isnt always available. When the sun isnt out, when the wind doesnt blow, utilities need firm power they can rely on. Power from coal and power from dams provide that energy, which is why commissioners are willing to set a higher price for it. We make decisions on what is in the best long-term interest of the ratepayers, Lake said. That is the basic charge that we are obligated to take care of. When you get something that is far out of that price range, we have to do something. There is only one missing segment in the 45-mile bicycle/pedestrian trail that extends from downtown Missoula to Hamilton: A four-block section along the Bitterroot Branch railroad tracks between North Avenue and South Avenue near Southgate Mall. The Missoula Redevelopment Agency hopes to change that with a proposed $2 million purchase of 12 acres near Southgate Mall for a new public park and a completed trail network a plan the board will take up Wednesday. According to Ellen Buchanan, the director of the redevelopment agency, the city has been working with Montana Rail Link for a number of years to negotiate a trail easement along the Bitterroot Branch Rail Line. Then, over the last couple years, Mayor John Engen began working to find a way for the city to purchase the triangular-shaped property. Now, the mayor and rail line have reached an agreement for the city to buy the property for below-market value and for Montana Rail Link to make a donation to the city that will provide land for a much-needed park. The purchase price will come from the city and from the redevelopment agency, since the land is in an urban renewal district. The purchase price is $2 million, which represents $3.80 per square foot, considerably below market rate for land in the urban core of Missoula, Buchanan said in a memo to the MRA board of commissioners. The difference between $2 million and the fair market value of the land will be in the form of a donation to the City for construction of a new park. There is approximately $389,000 remaining in the citys portion of the 1995 Open Space Bond Fund. The redevelopment agency is proposing to use a portion of that to help fund the purchase. Then, the agency would use Tax Increment Financing funds for the balance of the purchase price and to build a trail in that segment, which is estimated to cost just under $500,000. Construction of the park is a longer term project, Buchanan wrote. We would want public input into what form the park should take and what elements should be included. We have some very schematic concepts, but they are simply for illustrative purposes at this point. This park will have a significant positive impact on these neighborhoods and it is certain that residents in the area will be quite involved in its design. The southern portion of the property is vacant, and Buchanan said it is an ideal location for a 4-5 acre park that can serve a variety of needs in the Franklin to the Fort neighborhood that are sorely lacking in open space and park land. The other factor that is unique to this transaction is the opportunity to construct the missing trail segment, Buchanan said. The Bitterroot Trail will be a world class bicycle/pedestrian facility stretching some 45 miles from Missoula to Hamilton which will attract bicycle tourists from around the country, in addition to heavy use by local residents. "This missing four-block segment has been an issue for years. And with the completion of the bicycle/pedestrian bridge over South Reserve Street, that connection becomes all the more important. Further down the road, Buchanan said the acreage on the northern portion of the property presents an opportunity for some much-needed mixed residential development. *** There are four buildings on the property that generate approximately $109,000 in lease revenue every year. The city has been granted a Brownfields Environmental Assessment grant to conduct environmental assessments on the property. Montana Rail Link has been granted exclusive naming rights for the new park. The city also already has an easement for the one-block portion between South Avenue and the cul-de-sac on Livingston Avenue, so the trail would be paved in that section as well. The city council would have to authorize the mayor to execute the purchase agreement after the city conducts its due diligence. The redevelopment agency staff is recommending that its board forward a recommendation to the city council. A local preservation groups legal action to stop a new hotel from being constructed in place of the historic Missoula Mercantile increases the risk of derailing the entire project with each passing day," according to a legal reply filed in court by the buildings owner. That's just one of the volleys lobbed in the ongoing litigation involving the Mercantile. Three separate defendants the buildings owner, a developer who wants to build a $35 million hotel, and attorneys for the City Council will have a showdown on Tuesday morning with Preserve Historic Missoula, a group of residents who say the imminent deconstruction of the Merc will cause irreparable harm to the building, among other reasons. Both sides will get a few minutes to present their cases in front of Missoula County District Court Judge Robert Dusty Deschamps. Late last week, all sides filed additional paperwork to bolster their cases. Preserve Historic Missoula has filed a petition asking the court to reverse the City Councils decision to approve a partial demolition permit, and the other three sides have asked the judge to dismiss the case. Preserve Historic Missoula has argued that each member of the group has unique justification for why the demolition of the Merc will cause them harm. For example, plaintiff Virginia Braun is concerned that the demolition of the Missoula Mercantile will have a negative effect on Missoula itself because Missoula will be destroying part of its architectural legacy to the American west. Nancy and David Tyrell, a married couple who have signed on as another plaintiff, argue that their business investment downtown a residential housing complex will be negatively affected by the loss of the most historic structure in downtown Missoula. In his response to the defendants motion to dismiss, PHMs attorney Michael Doggett wrote that each plaintiff represents a unique perspective and that they have met the requirements for standing to challenge the city councils decision. However, attorneys for the buildings current owner fired off their own replies. Plaintiffs have no legally protected rights at issue, only concerns and speculative future injury as members of the general public, wrote a trio of attorneys at Boone Karlberg, a law firm hired by 110 N. Higgins Missoula Owner, LLC. The court should not allow plaintiffs to continue to thwart (the owner) from exercising its right to alienate its own real property. Plaintiffs have no standing, have failed to present a justiciable controversy and their action should be dismissed without delay. Lawyers for the city also pointed out that a hotel is authorized as a legitimate land use at that location under the citys zoning code. Plaintiffs' alleged adverse land use impacts are conjecture and speculation and not based on any evidence in the public record, wrote Susan Firth of the Missoula City Attorneys Office. Deschamps could issue a decision from the bench on Tuesday, but it is more likely that he will take time to deliberate. A judge is expected to rule by 5 p.m. today whether to consider a legal action that aims to halt the deconstruction of the historic Missoula Mercantile or dismiss the case due to a procedural error. Missoula County District Court judge Robert "Dusty" Deschamps said during a hearing on Tuesday that he will consider allowing a lawyer for Preserve Historic Missoula, Michael Doggett, to fix an amended complaint, something that is not usually done. Preserve Historic Missoula, a group of citizens who want to halt a developer from building a $35 million hotel in place of the Merc, has filed both a complaint and an amended complaint in court. However, lawyers for the City Council, the developer and the building's owner have asked Deschamps to throw out the complaints because they say Doggett's complaint never alleges that specific people are going to be "damaged." "Your pleadings are deficient," Deschamps told Doggett. "I'm telling you, you may have standing to have this case heard. I don't know whether you would win or not. But I just don't think you've pled it properly. The only issue at this juncture is whether I should let you correct that." Lawyers for the developer, Andy Holloran, said that Doggett failed to take advantage of the three weeks he was given to amend his complaint, even after they pointed out the error. Deschamps said he will rule by 5 p.m. on Tuesday. A pair of Missoula men each face a felony charge of assault with a weapon after they were arrested over the weekend in separate incidents. John Duane Nelson, 72, was set a $25,000 bail during his initial appearance in Missoula County Justice Court on Monday after he was arrested Oct. 15. Court documents say Nelson and his wife were arguing when he took out a gun. In an interview with police, the woman said she had come home from work and told Nelson she would make dinner, then took a phone call. Nelson allegedly repeatedly approached her asking when she was going to make dinner, until she eventually said she wasnt and went into the bedroom. Nelson told the woman she needed to move out, before leaving the room and returning with the gun, according to court documents. She covered herself with a blanket and heard a shot, according to a court affidavit. The woman then ran out of the room, with Nelson continuing to ask her about dinner. As she fled the house, he allegedly said that if she called the police, I will kill you myself. In court Monday, deputy county attorney Amber Henning requested a $50,000 bail, while public defense attorney Robert Greenwell asked for Nelson to be released on his own recognizance. I never intended on hurting her, Nelson said by video from the jail. Justice of the Peace Marie Andersen set bail at half what the prosecutor asked for, and told Nelson if released, he is not to return to the home, have contact with the woman or possess any weapons. *** Kenneth Jay Flynn, 61, was arrested Saturday and charged with assault with a weapon, and was released Monday after using a bail bond company to post a $100,000 bond. According to his affidavit, officers went to Sherlock Storage on Industry Street for a report of a disturbance involving a shotgun. A woman there told police her family had gone to the storage center the previous night and found a different lock on their unit. They returned the next morning to speak with a manager. After being told their locker had been mistakenly double-booked and cleared out, the womans son and his friend confronted Flynn, the storage center's owner. Flynn allegedly tried to punch one of the men before grabbing a shotgun and pointing it at them, according to the court documents. President Barack Obama announced a record high graduation rate of 83.2 percent on Monday, though significant gaps remain for disadvantaged students. In the 2014-2015 school year, 83.2 percent graduated high school in America. That's the highest graduation rate since 2010-2011, when all states started measuring graduation in the same way. Montana's Office of Public Instruction piggybacked on the announcement, touting its record high of 86 percent in the same school year. That puts Montana 19th in the nation. Beneath the broad improvement, however, significant gaps remain for disadvantaged students, particularly Native American students. Native students' graduation rate improved more than the national average (6.6 percent compared to 4.2 percent). However, they still have the lowest graduation rate of all student ethnic groups at 71.6 percent. Native students are the largest minority student population in Montana, 11.4 percent last school year. They have consistently had the lowest high school graduation rate, though it's edged higher in recent years, from 63 percent in 2010-2011 to 66.6 percent in 2014-2015 20 percentage points behind the statewide average for all students. OPI has consistently tied the state's ever-increasing graduation rate to Graduation Matters Montana, a campaign launched in 2010 in Missoula to decrease dropouts. The effort, which also included increasing the graduation rate, has now been implemented in 58 communities statewide. Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau doubled down on Graduation Matters on Monday. "We brought attention to the issue and provided leadership, and marketed it as Graduation Matters Montana," Juneau said. "We provided information, but ... these are all grassroots efforts and community-based. They all look different. "I think it will be sustainable beyond my administration because they're such strong community-based programs." *** Since Graduation Matters Montana took hold at the state level in the 2010-2011 school year, graduation rates increased from 82.2 percent to 86 percent. While Native students' graduation rate has increased slowly statewide, Missoula County Public Schools has seen a spike. Nine Native students (56 percent) graduated in 2007-2008. That jumped to 44 students (84 percent) in 2014-2015. Glenda Weasel came to MCPS' Indian Education program in 2002, when the department only had a couple of people. "The first big part is we have more people in our department," said Weasel, Title VII/Native American specialist and data support staff. "We went from one ... to now we're going to have six, to where we can be in more schools. "For all the schools, trying to do that for one person. ... Everything we do now, it blows me away because we still feel like we're not doing enough. We're very thankful we have the support of our superintendent and of our school board." A Native American specialist is assigned to every school. They have "lunch clubs" at most schools. High schools have Native American-focused classes. The department hosts an event at a different school every month, inviting both Native and non-Native students and their families to come learn about the culture and have fun. Every spring, they host the Native Youth Powwow. "One of the big things that we do for our high schools is we ... encourage our students to be successful in the classroom, through grades and attendance," said Melissa Hammett, Native American specialist and Native American business teacher. "We check up on them and we make sure to include their family." They organize practice sessions for Native students taking the ACT, and the department works with Native Generational Change to provide graphing calculators. Native American specialist Jake Arrowtop works with Big Sky Native students on their senior projects. "We're just a constant face in every school for our Native students," Hammett said. "They know they have someone to go to, someone that's going to be there to support them and encourage them." MCPS is unique in that way, Weasel and Hammett said. Every school year ends with a ceremony honoring graduating Native students, now an event so big that it has to be hosted at DoubleTree Hotel. Weasel said in the past, many Native students "aged out" of the system, contributing to the low graduation rate. "They didn't have enough credits to graduate," she said. "It was for many different reasons. They transferred from a different area, their parents moved around a lot so they weren't able to settle down and get credits here and there. Sometimes it's life; they had a baby." And because there are so few Native students in comparison to the total student population, one change can significantly throw off graduation and dropout data. *** While graduation rates continue to rise, there has been debate over whether those students are better prepared for college and the workplace. Last month, OPI announced a slight increase in ACT scores this spring. "It's not like we sat back and said, 'Graduate more kids,'" Juneau said. "At the same time we raised academic standards in math, English, art, science, health and P.E. So not only are more students graduating, I would argue they're better prepared than ever for college, career and the military." In 2011, Montana adopted its version of the Common Core State Standards, which are reported to raise the bar in math and English. This summer, the Board of Public Education adopted new standards in art, health and P.E. This fall, the board adopted new science standards. Montana is one of 20 states that offers the ACT exam free to all high school juniors. As in the other states, scores are typically lower since they are open to all students and not just those who opt to take it as they plan for college. In Montana last year, the ACT replaced the Smarter Balanced standardized test for federal accountability purposes. Montana students' average composite score increased to 20.0 this spring, up from 19.9 in 2014-2015. Nationally, a 20.0 is the average score (out of a possible 36). Montana's average composite score in each ACT section was: 20.8 in reading 20.3 in science 20.1 in math 18.6 in English 17.8 in writing Nationally, ACT scores were down this spring, which ACT itself attributed to more students taking the exam mirroring what's happened in Montana. "Even as the size of the state's graduating class taking the ACT has grown, the average ACT Composite score has only slightly decreased from 20.4 to 20.3," according to the ACT. "This is normal, as average scores tend to decrease with a broadening of the testing base." Though Montana students are meeting the national average score, they're not meeting ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. ACT says a benchmark is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject test to indicate a 50 percent chance of getting at least a B, or a 75 percent chance of getting at least a C, on the corresponding college course. In Montana this spring: 56 percent met the English benchmark 41 percent met the reading benchmark 38 percent met the math benchmark 32 percent met the science benchmark 22 percent met all four benchmarks "There's still definitely work to do, but one thing I would point out is four years ago, only 60 percent (of Montana) students used to take the ACT," Juneau said. "As you add more numbers to the test, it's going to take awhile to make sure we're reaching the bars we need to. I think over time, because of the new high academic standards and the new bar for college and career readiness ... we'll see higher scores in the future." As a veteran who volunteered for the military 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. Steve 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. David Allen, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation president and CEO, has called for his members to vote against Initiative 177, claiming trapping is a key tool used by wildlife managers. Allen states that trappers have taken 39 percent of wolves killed the last few years. True, but misleading, as not all wolves trapped were on public land. In fact, most were trapped on private land, unaffected by I-177. RMEF helped start the big brouhaha about wolves. It got so bad and misleading that a collection of locals pooled their money to hire a biologist to study the situation in the Bitterroot. The study concluded that bears (outside of humans), not wolves, kill most of the elk. Allen also says, "Dictating wildlife biology and management practices at the ballot box would lead us all down a slippery slope that would only go from bad to worse." This dire prediction is aimed at hunting and fishing. I-177 will not affect hunting and fishing, which are protected by the state Constitution. Eight states have restricted or banned trapping, including major western states Colorado, Arizona and Washington. Not one has seen efforts toward ending hunting and fishing. I respect your opinion, David Allen, but youre asking all members of RMEF to vote your way. It is illegal to trap or lure elk before you hunt, so why do you, as the head of a hunting organization, support the Montana Trappers Association? Their past president and current division representative is associated with the American Lands Council, which promotes the transfer and development of federal lands, our public lands, lands all of us enjoy, not just trappers, and that includes elk hunters. Dont cry wolf, Mr. Allen. That is a slippery slope! Linda Helding, Missoula After watching the Oct. 9 debate, I hope that all Montanans ask their politicians who they will vote for during the upcoming presidential election. Our elected local and state government candidates should be transparent as to who they support. I realize it is a private decision but it would go a long way with their constituents to see who they believe in. I challenge the Chronicle, Gazette, Tribune, Missoulian, etc., to publish not just their party, but who they will vote for when it comes to the future of our country. Absorb the cost of the ad space to show our state who they support. Party aside, let's make them be accountable for whose principles they can get behind. And this isn't just who they support it's how they actually vote. Make them prove it after the election so it's not just lip service. Make it part of your daily runs so everyone has a chance to know. Please consider just whom trapping on public lands benefits before casting your vote on Initiative 177. And then consider the suffering it causes. Montana heritage or not, trapping is indiscriminate and inhumane. Trapped animalsthose for whom traps are intended and those for whom they are notsuffer. Dont let trappers tell you they dont. Last week when walking our dogs, one stepped off-trail and got a foot caught in a roll of wire fencing in a pile of debris. Our 100-pound lab became franticso much so that the usually gentle giant tried to bite us repeatedly, thrashing wildly. It took 10 minutes (that felt like forever) to release him. As a frequent hiker with dogs, Ive attended several trap release workshops. Ive had the opportunity to try to release a stuffed animal from a leg hold trap. Im not strong enough. No matter how many workshops Ive attended, I cant do it. I have no doubt that were it a leg hold trap our dog stepped into, with steel teeth clamping down on his paw, I would not have been able to free him. As it turned out, once we muzzled him with his leash, we were able to set him free. I have been haunted since by thoughts of the animals whom no one sees, no one frees, no one hears yelping frantically, as our dog did, left to suffer for countless hours, even dayshungry, thirsty, terrifieduntil they die on their own, are killed by predators or are beaten to death by the trapper. How can we condone such cruelty? Isnt there already enough pain and suffering to go around? This is one form we can do something about. I-177 offers us that opportunity. Please vote with your conscience. Vote to end trapping on public lands. April Christofferson, Lolo and Bozeman BILLINGS A Butte man already charged in state court with robbing the Valley Federal Credit Union in the Billings Heights is facing federal charges. David Lee Brown Jr., 39, pleaded not guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Billings to bank robbery and to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The indictment accuses Brown of using a firearm to rob the Valley Federal Credit Union, located at 1445 Main St., of $2,752 on Sept. 7. Brown was previously charged with the robbery in state court. He pleaded not guilty to armed robbery and evidence tampering charges. Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito said Monday because Brown has been indicted in federal court, the state charges will be dismissed. Court records in the state case said the robbery happened shortly before 2:35 p.m. on Sept. 7. Credit union employees told police that a man walked in wearing dark clothing, gloves and a dark bandanna over his face, while holding a semiautomatic handgun. Brown pointed the gun at an employee and told her to, Fill the bag and no bait. The employee put $2,750 in the bag and handed it back to Brown, court records said. Witnesses told law enforcement that the suspect ran into the Arbys parking lot and got into the passenger seat of a Ford Taurus while a blonde woman waited in the drivers seat. The woman had been in the bank earlier and had left abruptly. Officers tracked the woman and Brown to their home address through a name the woman had written on some paperwork, court records said. Brown and the woman consented to a search of the Ford Taurus and their home, and officers found a $20 bait bill on the floor of the car, court records said. A bait bill has a serial number that the bank keeps on file to track bills that may be stolen. Brown told investigators he stole the money because he was using meth and owed money for drugs, court records said. A co-worker had given him the gun and the two had tried unsuccessfully to rob some drug dealers earlier in the day, the records said. If convicted in federal court, Brown faces a maximum 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the bank robbery count and a mandatory minimum seven years to life in prison on the gun count consecutive to any other sentence. Brown remains in custody. The case will be heard by U.S. District Judge Susan Watters. BILLINGS - The father who admitted to helping his wife abduct their children during a supervised visit was given a deferred sentence Monday for his involvement in the kidnapping. Donald Ira Stratton, 35, was given a three-year deferred sentence for a charge of custodial interference. Stratton previously admitted to helping his wife, Maria Christianna Sandoval, abduct their two daughters in November 2015. Stratton's involvement in the abduction was not a plan, his attorney Brandon Hartford argued. "They were my kids and I went after them," Stratton said. Stratton had lost almost everything and regretted his actions that day, Hartford said. "I wish I would have never done it," Stratton said. Yellowstone County District Court Judge Russell Fagg deferred Stratton's sentence, ordering him to pay a $2,500 fine. Sandoval is still in custody and set to be sentenced later this week. According to court documents, Sandoval was scheduled for a supervised visit with her two children, Abbigail Renee Stratton, age 4 months, and Gabriella Rose Stratton, age 2, at the Center for Children and Families on Oct. 26. When an aide left the room to get some paperwork, Sandoval allegedly took the children from the center. According to another worker at the center, Stratton was waiting in a Kia car in the parking lot. The aide did not see if Sandoval and the kids got into the car with Stratton. An Amber Alert was issued as part of the effort to recover the children. At about 3 p.m. on Oct. 26, the Kia was found abandoned at the parking area of Zimmerman Park, just off Highway 3. Authorities later found Sandoval in Vaughn, a town a short distance northwest of Great Falls. Cascade County Authorities said Stratton and Sandoval took a 1994 GMC Suburban to Vaughn and had the children in the car with them. BILLINGS U.S. government agencies plan to push ahead with a $57 million dam and fish bypass on Montana's Yellowstone River despite concerns among scientists that it won't meet its goal of helping an ancient fish species, officials said Monday. A new 3,700-page, government-sponsored study of the project calls for no significant changes from an earlier proposal that a federal judge had blocked, according to representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation. The dam northeast of Glendive would provide irrigation water for more than 50,000 acres of cropland in eastern Montana and western North Dakota. The accompanying bypass is meant to allow endangered, dinosaur-like pallid sturgeon to reach upstream spawning grounds, by traveling up a two-mile-long channel. But an independent scientific-review panel and Montana wildlife officials have questioned whether it would work, since no such project has been built with sturgeon in mind. In response to those concerns, government officials cited research that showed pallid sturgeon elsewhere in the country successfully using natural side channels and bypasses that were built for other purposes. That suggests "a high likelihood" the new bypass would work, according to the government study. Its design would mimic the characteristics of a natural channel. Since early last century a rock weir across the Yellowstone has blocked sturgeon in the Yellowstone from moving upstream, preventing them from reproducing even as the population dwindled to just 125 fish. The dam and bypass, first proposed in 2010, were meant to solve that dilemma. Pallid sturgeon was listed as an endangered species in 1990. Believed to date to the days when Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth, the population has declined sharply as dams and other obstructions were built along the Missouri River system, which includes the Yellowstone. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris blocked construction of the dam and bypass as it was set to begin last year, forcing the agencies involved to do an extensive environmental impact analysis. Government attorneys must take the finalized proposal back to Morris before construction proceeds, said Army Corps project manager Tiffany Vanosdall. Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council have sued to stop the project. They argue the best option would be to remove the existing rock weir and provide irrigation to area farmers using pumps in the river. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will review the new environmental study. A final decision by the bureau and corps is expected in December. Copyright 2022 HT Digital Streams Ltd All Right Reserved Trucks headed east from Butte toward Billings no longer have to take a 74-mile detour to avoid construction near the interchange of Interstates 90 and 15. Newly installed detour ramps mean slower speed limits, but the truck traffic can make its way through Butte now without a major hassle. In late September, a routine inspection by the Montana Department of Transportation showed that two bridges that form the interchange were in need of emergency repair. The state discovered the damage Sept. 22 and reported in a Sept. 26 news release that it involved separation between concrete pillars at both ends of the bridges and the deck that forms the roadway. Jeff Ebert, MDOT district engineer for Butte, told The Montana Standard that trucks needed to be rerouted because the separation was causing a bouncing effect when heavy tractor trailers drove on it, though the separation was only about an eighth of an inch. For truck drivers heading north, the rerouting was only a minor detour to the Woodville exit of Interstate 15, 5 miles north of Butte. But for those heading east on Interstate 90, the detour meant traveling 40 miles to Boulder on Interstate 15 North and then heading 34 miles south on Montana 69 to Cardwell, where drivers could reunite with Interstate 90. Thanks to the installation of two new detour ramps, truckers will no longer have to take the jaunt to Boulder. Dan Clary, whos the MDOT project manager for the bridge project, said construction crews concluded work on an eastbound detour ramp last week and that completion of a westbound ramp is slated for Tuesday, weather permitting. Due to the new ramp, he said, several detours for trucks and cars have changed. Traffic heading east on Interstate 90 from Butte will now take the eastbound detour ramp. All drivers headed to Interstate 15 north will also take the eastbound detour ramp; the ramp will put them on Interstate 90, where they can exit at the Continental Drive Interchange and reenter on Interstate 90 west until it meets up with Interstate 15 north. All traffic bound for Interstate 90 west, meanwhile, will take the westbound detour ramp. Clary said he hopes to complete the entire project by the end of December, so long as weather doesnt delay progress. Ebert, meanwhile, said the department tries to inspect each bridge every two years and that the last time these particular bridges were inspected was about two years ago. Ebert added that the projected lifespan of the bridges are 50 to 75 years. Built in 1963, the bridges at the interchange of Interstates 90 and 15 are 53 years old. He said that the project will cost about $3 million to $3.5 million and that the federal government normally supplies about 91 percent of the cost. The message to the Environmental Protection Agency at a public meeting Monday at the Mining City Center was clear: Buttes Superfund cleanup and the document that evaluates it is inadequate. The Five Year Review, a 300-page report that looks at the cleanup and how well its working, was the primary subject of Monday evenings meeting. Many of the 40 citizens who came out spoke critically of the EPAs performance. Many commented on EPA's refusal to consider the Parrot tailings removal as an action responsible party Atlantic Richfield Company should have to take. The state plans to excavate the Parrot tailings waste behind the Butte Civic Center using money intended for restoration work. Montana Superfund manager Joe Vranka said the Parrot waste, "is not the only waste source out there." He added that a quarter of a billion dollars has been spent on cleanup in Butte. ARCO is not required to reveal how much it spends on cleanup. Vranka told The Montana Standard after the meeting that he doesn't know for sure how much ARCO has spent. Superfund coordinator Jon Sesso expressed frustration over how long the cleanup has taken more than 30 years and counting. A large area of the Butte/Silver Bow Creek site, encompassing land both west and east of the Butte Hill, has not even begun to be studied by EPA. EPA project manager Nikia Greene said to The Standard after the meeting that there are over 500 "orphan" sites west of the Butte Hill that still have to be investigated. Cleanup of the land west and east of the Butte Hill could take years, Greene said to The Standard. Sesso also said many of the caps vegetation and soil placed over mine waste on the Butte Hill are not working or were not addressed in the first place. Sesso also leveled criticism of EPA's trigger level to require lead cleanup in Butte. He asked EPA questions about increasing levels of arsenic showing up in monitoring wells in Rocker. Citizen Technical Environmental Committee board president Dave Williams said the volunteer board of scientists and concerned citizens dont agree that the (cleanup) is protective. EPA insists it is. Vranka told The Standard after the meeting that EPA is looking into the caps Sesso questioned. He says EPA is aware there are problems and is working to solve them. During the meeting, Vranka said EPA is taking the Center for Disease Control's recommended blood lead levels of 5 micrograms per deciliter for children under 5 years of age into consideration. So far, EPA still considers the CDC's previous blood lead level recommendation of 10 micrograms per deciliter as the "safe level" for lead in children's blood. Vranka said the soil lead level that triggers cleanup action on a resident's property - currently set at 1200 micrograms of lead per kilogram of soil - remains protective, even though the EPA has set standards at other sites as low as 400. He said blood lead levels in children in Butte are decreasing. Greene said for the Rocker arsenic problem, that there are data gaps EPA still has to fill. Montana Tech professor John Ray leveled considerable reproach, condemning EPA for a lack of transparency, a lack of community involvement and what he calls EPAs failure to address environmental justice in Butte. Ray also took aim at the Five Year Review, saying the agency called it a cursory review. If you read the document, we got what we were promised, Ray said. Greene said to The Standard after the meeting that he never referred to the Five Year Review as cursory and said, its comprehensive as hell. But Chief Executive Matt Vincent, speaking with The Montana Standard after the meeting, said the consulting agency, SKEO Solutions, which performed the review, couldnt have made it any clearer, it was to be a cursory review. Its underwhelming at best, Vincent told The Standard. The Five Year Review, which looks at the cleanup for the entire Silver Bow Creek/Butte Superfund site an area that runs east to west from the Berkeley Pit to Warm Springs Ponds along Silver Bow Creek was a year overdue. EPAs contractor conducted interviews and accepted public comment in spring 2015. The review was originally expected to reach the public in the fall of 2015. Greene said the review came out so late primarily because of new project managers, both with EPA, the county and the state, coming on board last year. Tuesday, Oct. 18 CANDIDATES DEBATE The Montana Standard is sponsoring a Butte-Silver Bow chief executive forum at 7 p.m. in the Montana Tech auditorium. David Palmer and Matt Vincent will talk about Superfund and economic development issues. Readers are invited to submit questions by email only to editor@mtstandard.com, with questions for candidates in the subject line. IRISH DANCE Traditional Irish dances are planned at 7:30 p.m. at the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway. The class is appropriate for all fitness and experience levels, with a $1 to $5 suggested donation per class. Classes will meet at 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the librarys third floor. Details: go to adultirishdancebutte@gmail.com. HORNER TO SPEAK Jack Horner, world-renowned paleontologist and Presidential Scholar at Chapman University in Orange, California, will talk at 4 p.m. in the Montana Tech auditorium. Horners talk is titled Dinosaur Accoutrements Why dinosaurs sported horns, spikes, shields, domes, and other paraphernalia on their heads and bodies. AT THE LIBRARY Story time at the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway St., starts at 6:30 p.m. in the children's room. The subject is pumpkins and kids will listen to some books, sing songs, and do an activity. All ages are welcome. Details: Cathy, 406-723-3361. STUDENT AID SEMINAR Need help completing your free application for federal student aid? The Institute for Educational Opportunities TRIO Programs will be hosting two FAFSA completion events from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Montana Tech Health Science Building, Room 104, and again from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at the Butte High School Library (Platinum St. entrance). Details: Theresa Rader, associate director, Student Support Services with the Institute for Educational Opportunities, at 406-496-4683. CLUBS AND MEETINGS BUTTE Butte Mineral and Gem Club meets at 6:30 p.m. at 400 W. Park St. Public is welcome. Details: 406-498-5364. Butte Citizens for Preservation and Revitalization meet at 7 p.m. in the Butte Archives, 17 W. Quartz St. All are invited to Butte CPR's monthly board meeting. Butte Exchange Club meets at noon at 16 E. Granite St. (second floor). Details: Steve, 406-782-4253. Loosely Knit Club meets 1 to 3 p.m. at the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway St. The group gathers to knit, crochet or craft, and share skills. Open AA meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the United Congregational Church, 2945 Bayard St. Details: 406-560-7330. ANACONDA Ingrids adult ed class alumni meet from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Copper Village Museum and Art Center, for open quilting. Use Cedar Street entrance. Details: 406-563-7820 or 406-563-2422. New and beginning quilters are welcome. DILLON The Beaverhead Chapter of Joining Community Forces will meet at noon in the Bank of Commerce in Dillon. JCF is a national initiative dedicated to helping active duty service personnel, veterans and their families. Free lunch is provided. Details: Jodie Jolly, 406-925-3563. DILLON Campus officials and students recently dedicated a new model classroom and amphitheater at the University of Montana Western in Dillon. Faculty, staff and students regaled the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation Model Classroom for Education and the Pioneer Federal Savings and Loan Amphitheater in Legacy Plaza. In 2013, the Montana Legislature appropriated $4 million toward the final phase of Main Hall renovations. Montana Western was required to raise $500,000 in matching funds. The university also celebrated the completion of Legacy Plaza and the final stage of the Main Hall complex restoration. The new spaces have truly transformed the campus, enhancing Main Hall, tying our buildings together and creating a place for all sorts of exciting new things to take place, said Beth Weatherby, Montana Western chancellor. The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation gift creates a state-of-the-art classroom lab for education students and restores the universitys historic library. Pioneer Federal Savings and Loan, a longtime university supporter, funded the amphitheater project, the major architectural feature in Legacy Plaza. It provides a multi-use space for outdoor lectures, classes, performances, events and informal gatherings. The projects have been 10 years in the making. We have created a beautiful space that people can enjoy for generations to come, said Vice Chancellor Susan Briggs. Washington Foundation executive director Mike Halligan and Pioneer Federal President Tom Welch also attended the dedication. This November, voters will be asked to vote on constitutional initiative, I-116, Marsys Law. If approved, this initiative will add a section 36 to Article II of Montanas Constitution setting out some 20 specific rights of crime victims. Reading the proposed amendment, one can hardly argue with its compassionate language; we can all agree that crime victims should be treated with dignity and respect and should not be re-victimized by the criminal justice system. But there are some hidden problems that voters should be aware of. First, the proposed amendment is a solution in search of a problem. Montanas Legislature has already enacted a comprehensive body of laws that provide virtually the same victims rights as does I-116. Second, it is wrong to assume that police officers, prosecutors and judges, among others, presently ignore the plight of crime victims. They dont, based on my 40+ years of experience as a former prosecutor working with state and federal law enforcement and as Supreme Court justice. Third, constitutionalizing victims rights, especially given the overly broad language of the amendment, creates numerous hidden problems. For example: If one of the victims (and that term is very broadly defined) numerous constitutional rights is violated she or he is entitled to file suit for a remedy, which the court must fashion. This suit can be brought directly under the new amendment since it is self executing something very rare in constitutional law. The victim will likely need the assistance of an attorney to file suit but there is no provision for appointed counsel; so hiring an attorney is on the victims dime. That leads to another problem: law enforcement, prosecutors and judges all enjoy some form of immunity from suit. Thus, if the victim intends to sue one or more of those officials for monetary damages, that remedy will probably be 99 percent unsuccessful. And, unless the victims attorney has some likelihood of getting paid (out of a damage award), it will be difficult for the victim to hire counsel. Moreover, the taxpayers are going to wind up defending or dealing with any suit that the victim brings. And, all facets of the criminal justice system are already grossly understaffed and underfunded. But, here is the worst problem. In enforcing the victims constitutional rights, the defendants constitutional rights may be violated. For example, the victim can do that by preventing the defendants counsel from interviewing the victim and some witnesses. If the defendants constitutional rights to a fair trial, to due process, to effective assistance of counsel, to confront and meet accusers and witnesses face to face and to compulsory process for witnesses, both Montana and Federal Constitutional law may require that the charges against the defendant be dismissed or may require a second trial the victims rights notwithstanding. That, obviously, is the last thing a crime victim needs. If victims rights are truly a concern, then voters and victims should insist that the present statutory protections be adequately funded and enforced. There is always the remedy of the ballot box for public officials who wont perform their duties. Marsys law is, in many respects, illusory. It is going to create more problems and expensive ones than it solves. Voters should read their Montana Voter Information Pamphlet and should think very carefully before voting for I-116. Jim Nelson, Helena, Montana Supreme Court Justice (Ret.) The recent editorial by the Missoulian (Oct. 9 in both the Missoulian and Montana Standard) on Marsys Law got a lot right. Many crime victims in Montana do feel like theyre unheard, unvalued, and left out of the criminal justice process. Too often, there are failures in the system. However, the Missoulian stopped short of endorsing CI-116, Marsys Law, based on a number of concerns. Id like to address those concerns and provide some clarifying information to address what I feel the Missoulian got wrong. Marsys Law will be a very big step in the right direction for victims of crime in Montana. It will help to empower those whove been victimized and give them equal footing in the courtrooms where today they are considered second-class citizens. Its true that Montana provides many rights for crime victims at the statutory level. The problem is that those existing rights are usually not enforceable for victims because theyre subordinate to the rights of offenders, who already have Constitutional rights. Today, when a victims rights come in conflict with the rights of an offender, the offenders rights always trump. Under Marsys Law, a judge would have the ability to weigh the competing rights against each other, finally giving victims the equal footing they deserve. Heres an example. Most of the time victims are informed about proceedings in their case currently a statutory right. But sometimes, mistakes are made and no notification is made. Today, when that happens theres no recourse for the victim that statutory right to be notified is essentially worthless. Under Marsys Law, victims would have an enforceable Constitutional right to be notified. In our example, if a mistake is made and no notification is issued, the victim would have the ability to go to the judge and ask that their right be enforced essentially asking that the hearing be done again. And a judge could grant that request. Marsys Law is well designed and has been extensively vetted. Its based on victims rights amendments already in place in many other states. In total, 32 states already have some form of Constitutional rights for crime victims. And based on the experience of other states, we know that Marsys Law can be implemented without significant increases in workloads for prosecutors or financial costs for local governments. And that certainly squares with the intent of Marsys Law to ensure speedy justice for victims of crime. Ultimately CI-116 is the basic Constitutional framework for victims rights. Montana legislators will build upon that framework through implementing legislation, and judges will add to it through subsequent case-law precedent. In these ways, Marsys Law will be clarified and modified to ensure that it works for law enforcement, prosecutors, and victims. On behalf of the thousands of Montanans victimized by crime each year, Id like to personally ask that Montana voters give a Yes vote to CI-116. No one expects to be a victim of crime, but it truly can happen to anyone. And when it does, those victims expect their criminal justice system to keep them informed, involved, and bring them justice. Marsys Law will help ensure that happens. Making excuses for Trump is not leadership Talking about sexual assault makes many people instantly uncomfortable. So, hearing a Presidential candidate brag about groping women and speculate about someday dating a 10-year-old is enough to turn most people's stomachs. But apparently not quite all. Greg Gianforte and Ryan Zinke support Trump in spite of his vulgar behavior. They refuse to stand up for Montana women and girls who are sexually victimized every day. A rape is reported in Montana every 23 hours. Most go unreported. As a survivor of sexual assault, I asked Zinke and Gianforte how they can defend such lewd behavior. The answer? They can't! Both acknowledged Trump's behavior is disgusting. But it's acceptable because of his other positions. I should have asked exactly where would you draw the line? Donald Trump is a sexual predator. Forcing women to submit to unwanted advances is not OK. Sexualizing children is never OK. Let's be clear, when Trump says "date" he doesn't mean share a root beer float. It's not a compliment, it's corruption. When Gianforte and Zinke make excuses for Trump, they're contributing to a culture that enables abusers and protects perpetrators. They're telling me and everyone else who's ever experienced sexual trauma that we don't matter. "I'm sorry but..." is not an apology. Making excuses is not leadership. Failing to call out a bully is simple cowardice. By accepting Trump's vulgarities, Gianforte and Zinke fail the test. Montana is not a place for excuses. These men do not deserve our votes. Elizabeth Wassen, Butte Failure to denounce Trump part of problem As a retired mental health therapist who worked with children and families, a retired school counselor, and a human being, I find Donald Trumps sexually predatory behavior abhorrent. Brushing off his lewd boasts of sexual violence as locker room talk and belittling his women accusers, doubles the insult to all of us. Trumps boasts not only re-traumatize victims of assault, they make the behavior sound normal for boys and girls. Our political leaders and candidates hold powerful positions as role models for our children. Trump has abused his power. Other political leaders who have not denounced his behavior are part of the problem. Congressman Zinke has made excuses for Trump and still supports him. If Zinke is not willing to step away from Trump, we must step away from Zinke. I am sickened by Zinke's refusal to stand on the side of Montanans instead of Trump. We MUST make sure men like Donald Trump and Congressman Zinke are not representing us after Election Day. Pat Kemp, Helena Reader has praise for Ryan Zinke I wanted to take a moment to share with you a story about my friend. This friend is a new friend, but I consider him among the best here in Montana. I have recently been struck with a very difficult sight issue. It has left me with vertical and horizontal diplopia. Basically my sight went cross-eyed both vertically and horizontally. Life in a kaleidoscope. There is nothing wrong with my eyes. This short circuit happened in my brain from stress. Losing my home and getting stiffed on a huge wedding where I served as a private chef was more stress and heartbreak than I could take. Well, there was an event here in Bozeman I really wanted to attend. But I thought my chances of being able to see this event were negligible. My friend knew how badly I wanted to attend, and of my difficulty with my sight issue, so he stepped up like only a true and honorable man would. He arranged for me to have front row seating where I could manage to see and hear. He treated me as an honored guest. He made me feel like I mattered, and I knew he took on my sight issue as if he were suffering right along with me. He shared my burden and cared for me as the Samaritan did for the poor man on the side of the road. He truly showed me the love of Christ in his words and in his deeds. My friend, the man with integrity and honor, who I know and respect tremendously is none other than Ryan Zinke. He has on many occasions now, laid down his life for a friend. Well done Ryan, well done. Jena Nash Reno, Bozeman Longtime hunter supports anti-trapping I-177 Nature has always fascinated me. I admired my father and my uncles and their outdoor skills. As schoolboys, my father and his brothers ran a trapline between their farm and school. I caught my first raccoons when I was eight. By 12, I was running a trapline before school, as my dad had done. A trapping magazine came every month. Books teaching trapping methods were read and reread. Nevertheless, I caught animals and birds by mistake. The animals that drowned took over 10 minutes to die. I killed live animals with a blow to the head. I avoided thinking of their hours of desperate struggle or their physical pain from a cut to the bone. Finding a foot in a trap was merely a disappointment for me. Just a part of trapping. At 16, a curious change occurred. I began releasing the live animals. Too small or Not prime, I told myself. The real reason was that I had started hunting. I realized that I could still enjoy nature and be motivated to learn the habits of animals and waterfowl. Knowledgable outdoorsmen were eager to pass on their wisdom and respect for wildlife without illogical contradictions. The cruel disrespect for animals inherent in trapping and impossible to avoid while trapping were within my control as a hunter. I have hunted for over 60 years. I have never regretted throwing away my traps. Please vote yes on I-177. Bob Stone, Polson HELENA More than a dozen voters contacted the Missoula County elections office Monday morning concerned about what happened to their ballots after people going door-to-door offered to deliver them, and in Livingston one resident complained to police. The practice is not illegal, according to the Secretary of States office, but it still left several voters unsettled. Missoula County elections administrator Rebecca Connors said in addition to phone calls to report the issue, a few people came into to get replacement ballots Monday morning. Voters who contacted her office all had similar narratives, Connors said. Canvassers came to their door and offer to collect ballots and return them to the elections office on voters behalf. They would give the ballot and then the person would ask for an exit interview about how they voted, she said. The canvasser would then advocate for candidates they supported. That left folks worried, Well, I didnt vote for that candidate. Are they going to cast my ballot on my behalf? Conners said. It sounded like thats where most of the conflict of interest came in, when the discussion of candidates came up and their preferences versus the voters." Connors didnt know what affiliation the people knocking on doors in Missoula had, but in Livingston, where one person called police after the canvasser left, an officer determined it was the Montana Democratic Party. As they were handing out pamphlets and encouraging people to vote they did offer if they had their ballots filled out that they would put them in the mail for them to save them a stamp. It does kind of give a bad impression, but there was nothing illegal about it, said police chief Dale Johnson. Johnson said his department only received one call, but that local election officials heard complaints as well. Park County election officials said Monday they hadnt received formal complaints, but saw community members share similar stories online. Kristen Cates, a spokeswoman for the Montana Democratic Party, said the actions are legal. Its a matter of offering to drop off someone's ballot at the appropriate places. Its been done before. Its intended to be a matter of convenience. Cates said voter privacy is a paramount value for Montana Democrats and that the party will have additional conversations on its approach. Cates said party representatives drop off ballots and have only received a handful so far. Both Democrats and Republicans have been holding get-out-the-vote tours around the state since absentee ballots arrived in voters' mailboxes last week. Voter turnout has been hard to predict this year given the unpopularity of presidential candidates Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. Pundits have said the incredibly close governor's race, in which Democratic incumbent Gov. Steve Bullock leads Republican candidate Greg Gianforte 47 to 45 percent within the polling margin of error could hinge on who shows up to vote. All this comes in the midst of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump dialing up rhetoric in recent days that the presidential election is "rigged," though many studies have shown actual election fraud is not common. A Pew Research Center report from August shows only 49 percent of voters are "very confident" their ballot will be accurately counted in this election. Of Trump supporters, 30 percent have little or no confidence their vote will be counted accurately. Just 7 percent of Clinton supporters feel the same way. While Montana law does not prohibit turning in a ballot for another person, Emily Dean, a spokeswoman for the Secretary of State, said her office recommends voters not give their ballot to someone other than the election office, unless they are personally comfortable with the individual, candidate or group they are giving their ballot to. The Secretary of States office recommends voters check the My Voter Page to ensure that their absentee ballot is received at the county election office. People can also ask for a replacement ballot at their county elections office. That will trigger a cancellation of the previous ballot and only the replacement will be counted when its submitted. This must be done before the first ballot is received. Connors said she expects to see the issue to keep popping up until Election Day. Its something we've seen in the past too, she said. BILLINGS The television in the coffee shop where Leanna Hoch works is tuned to news programs in the morning. It spurs folks getting a morning coffee to discuss their political proclivities, something she wont miss after the Nov. 8 election. And dont even mention the commercials. The election is 22 days away, and voters like Hoch, a 21-year-old Billings resident who works a couple jobs in addition to the coffee shop, are weary. As this long season draws to a close, the margin between the two men vying to be Montanas next governor is razor-thin and could all be decided by who shows up to vote. A poll conducted last week by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research for Lee Newspapers shows incumbent Democrat Steve Bullock is ahead of Republican challenger Greg Gianforte, a Bozeman tech entrepreneur, 47 to 45 percent. That's within the margin of error and with 6 percent of voters undecided. Libertarian Ted Dunlap was at 2 percent. Broken down by region, the race is in a virtual tie in Eastern Montana with Bullock up 45-44 percent. Ten percent of voters, the highest amount in the state, are still undecided there. The race is also tight in the highly contested Great Falls region, where Gianforte was up, but within the margin of error, 48-45. Around Billings, a right-leaning area Democrats need to do well in to find victory in a presidentially red state like Montana, Gianforte held 52 percent of decided voters to Bullock's 43. As expected, Bullock was up in union-heavy Butte and the state capital of Helena by 17 points at 55-38. On paper, poll results for the Missoula area appeared to lean more conservative, with Gianforte leading 46-44, though pollsters lumped together the populated and often Republican-voting Flathead and Ravalli counties and smaller and conservative Granite, Mineral, Sanders, Lake and Lincoln counties with the more liberal university town. In general the governors race is incredibly close," said Lee Banville, a political researcher and journalism professor at the University of Montana. Its going to come down to turnout. Are the Democrats going to get their voters to show up? Predicting turnout has been unlike any previous election, said Jeremy Johnson, an associate political science professor at Carroll College in Helena. There have never been less popular presidential candidates, which he said could possibly drive down turnout. "If a certain group of voters don't come out to vote, it could affect down-ticket," he said. But presidential elections tend to draw voters, and Montana typically has high turnout, he added. Hoch said she will vote and that vote will be for Bullock. A high school teacher once told her it doesnt matter who is at the top of the ticket because statewide candidates are the ones who really change what happens in the state. I hate his commercials, she said about Gianforte. I hate how he keeps telling us people coming over from other countries are dangerous. Its off-putting, her friend Julie Ruddock, 21, interjected. Also from Billings, Ruddock said she didnt know much about either candidate. She wasnt sure how she would cast her ballot in the governor's race, though her political leanings are Democratic at the top of the ticket. Less uncertain were companions Sydney Reiter of Billings and Molly Fedje from Colstrip, both 21, who said they just dont plan to vote. Reiter said shes unimpressed by candidates at the top of the ticket and its turned her off to the entire election while Fedje favors Clinton but just doesn't know enough about the governor's race. Those commercials frustrating Hoch are a wise political play for Gianforte, according to Dave Parker, an associate professor of political science at Montana State University. A quarter of people polled said that national security and fighting terrorism were the most important issue to them in this year's election, beating the economy and jobs by 1 percentage point. "That might demonstrate why the Gianforte campaign is running those advertisements on Syrian refugees," Parker said. "It is about the fear." Banville agreed, saying voters are making decisions based on anxiety and not a candidate's policies or plans. That could be a trickle-down effect from the presidential race. It might also help explain why although 48 percent of voters feel Montana is on the right track, which would seem to indicate people are happy with the job the incumbent is doing, Bullock is not polling higher. Thirty-five percent of people polled said they feel the state is on the wrong track while 17 percent were not sure. "Gianforte shouldn't be doing so well," Banville said. "To me, what this poll is saying is half the voters are scared. ... (Gianforte's) basic message is, 'I'm going to protect you from terrorists. I'm going to get you good-paying jobs. I'm going to stand up to the federal government.' That resonates if you're someone who is worried." At GOP headquarters in Missoula, Lisa Nichols sat making calls as a volunteer. She grew up in Oklahoma and lived briefly in Colorado before recently moving to Montana as part of a promotion for her husband, a regional supervisor for DirectTV. While she waited to start a new job, she decided to help out the party. Ive always been a strong Republican, she said. Republican values are better for the economy and better for growing jobs for people, and I believe in more local control, not this big nanny state the Democrats kind of push on people. Pundits expect it could all come down to how independents, 6 percent of whom are undecided, break. Independents were almost evenly split on the direction the state is going, with 44 percent saying Montana is on the right track, 39 percent on the wrong track, and 17 percent not sure. That independent number is whats going to become really important, Banville said. Its really kind of up for grabs. Then it becomes a question of are they concerned about health care or terrorists? Are they concerned about government spending or some other issues that might push them toward Bullock? Outside of turnout, they are the most important question." Parker said independents tend to break for incumbents, which is good news for Bullock. Montana Democratic Party spokeswoman Nancy Keenan called the poll a "snapshot in time" and said it doesn't determine the outcome of an election. "I think Steve Bullock is accustomed to tight races," she said. "Montanans are fiercely independent. And they vote for people that represent their values and the people they believe can get the job done. ... It's the individuality of Montanans that should be highlighted here." Jeff Essmann, chairman of the Montana Republican Party, said the numbers don't look good for the incumbent. "I think that this is a really dim outlook for a sitting governor when less than half of the voters think the state is on the right track." For Parker, the race reminds him of another close contest, Bullock's first campaign for governor when he beat Republican Rick Hill in 2012. It took more than 17 hours after polls closed to declare the winner. "This is probably the squeaker of the night," he said. Civil #: 16-001940 Special Execution U.S. Bank Trust, N.A., As Trustee For LSF8 Master Participation Trust, VS. David Rickey, Jr., April Rickey, Ascentra Credit Union FKA Alcoa Employees And Community Credit Union, As a result of the judgment rendered in the above referenced court case, an execution was issued by the court to the Sheriff of this county. The execution ordered the sale of defendant(s) Real Estate Described Below. To satisfy the judgment. The property to be sold is Lot 19, of Emerald Valley III Subdivision to the City of Fruitland, Muscatine County, Iowa Property Address: 135 Emerald Lane, Fruitland, IA 52749 The described property will be offered for sale at public auction for cash only as follows: Sale Date: 12/06/2016 Sale Time: 9:30 am Place of Sale: Muscatine County Jail Lobby, 400 Walnut Street, Muscatine Homestead: Defendant is advised that if the described real estate includes the homestead (which must not exceed 1/2 Acre if within a city or town plat, or, if rural, must not exceed 40 Acres), defendant must file a homestead plat with the Sheriff within ten (10) days after service of this notice, or the Sheriff will have it platted and charge the costs to this case. This sale not subject to redemption. Property exemption: Certain money or property may be exempt. Contact your attorney promptly to review specific provisions of the law and file appropriate notice, if applicable. Judgment Amount: $151,481.42 Costs: $90,325.64 Accruing Costs: Plus Interest: $2,898.48 Sheriffs Fees: Pending Date: 10/12/2016 Attorney: C. Anthony Crnic 925 E. 4th St. Waterloo, IA 50703 (319)234-2530 C.J. Ryan Muscatine County Sheriff Melissa Hurlbut Civil Deputy MUSCATINE, Iowa Adventure Christian extends and invitation to the Muscatine Community to donate blood from 3-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 1963 N. Tipton Road. To schedule an appointment contact Brittany Lewis at 563-726-2900 or visit www.bloodcenterimpact.org and use code 1963 to locate the drive. Blood donation is a safe, simple procedure that takes about 45 minutes to one hour. Individuals with diabetes or controlled high blood pressure may be accepted as eligible donors. Potential donors must be at least 17-years-old (16 with parental permission form available through www.bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo identification is required to donate. For questions about eligibility, call the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center at 800-747-5401. Donors who last gave blood on or before Sept. 15, 2016 are eligible to give at this drive. Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center is the provider of blood and blood components to more than 90 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Locally, MVRBC is the exclusive provider to UnityPoint Health - Muscatine. MUSCATINE, Iowa Members of the Century Club in Muscatine donated books about careers to Franklin Elementary School, and first-graders got a chance to read the new books on Monday. Cheryl Reed, a first grade teacher at Franklin, said the books were selected to give all her students something of interest to learn about. "We chose books that are a variety of careers that kids were interested in and that were written on a first grade level," Reed said. Her classroom was filled with excited chatter from the students as they began to look through and read the new books together. Reed said the school did not have many non-fiction books directed at first-graders. "So this was really nice," she said. Reed said the first grade students will go to the University of Iowa to learn about careers in the spring. "So this is a great way to start kids thinking about things they could be doing and how important education plays a role in everything they need to do as they move forward," she said. Because the books are related to a variety of careers, Reed said students can begin to consider the wide variety of options they have for careers in the future. "What's really nice is with the careers, the kids can start having an idea of different things they could be doing when they grow up, and it's never too early to start thinking about that," she said. Several Century Club members were present to see students receive their books. A women's study group, the club has donated books to the library and the Muscatine Center for Social Action, as well as other projects. "We do something philanthropically each year for our group," said Donna Reed, community involvement committee member for the club. As children read books together, about careers from pilots to mayors, they excitedly talked about what they wanted to be when they grow up. "I wanna be a person that works at a hospital," said first-grader Emmalynn Acosta. As she read with first grade student Wyatt Fults, they talked about the colorful pages, and helped each other read. "I wanna be an army man," Fults said. The Century Club meets at 1 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month from October through May, at the Iowa State University Muscatine County Extension Office. COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa - Depending on upcoming political decisions on state education aid, the Columbus School Board either received news Monday that the school district had turned the corner on earlier budget problems, or it could be facing a new fiscal curve. The good news provided to the board by Superintendent Gary Benda and business manager Neil Mills was that the district had finally escaped the negative spending balance it had been carrying on its books for the past several years. We have a positive spending authority of $399,298 (for fiscal year 2016), Mills told the board. Benda said the initial projection for the year had been an $180,000 deficit, but additional spending authority for special education and other efforts had triggered the turnaround. Mills had also boosted the schools chances of showing a positive spending authority by catching some errors the Iowa Department of Revenue (IDOR) had made on the schools 2014 budget. He was able to get (IDOR) to back off (its original decision), Benda said, explaining that provided the district with an additional $70,000 in spending authority. What the districts budget for FY2016 ended up showing was about $8.7 million in revenue and around $8.3 million in expenditures, Mills said. Benda said he was pleased to learn of the positive change in the schools spending authority and told the board he planned to send former Superintendent Marlene Johnson a thank you note in appreciation of her efforts. Johnson inherited the spending authority deficit when she was hired in 2012. At one point the deficit forecast threatened to hit $600,000, but Johnson was able to put together an action plan that included spending reductions and revenue enhancements that eventually improved the districts spending authority. Benda said his note to Johnson, who resigned from Columbus in 2015 to accept the Tipton School Districts superintendents position, would recognize her contribution to the turnaround. I want to thank you for the tough and courageous decisions that allowed us to move forward, he quoted from the card. Meanwhile Benda cautioned the board that the school could still be facing some financial headaches. He reported the district was facing a student enrollment drop of nearly 21 students, which could translate into $130,000 less state aid, depending on what percentage of allowable growth is approved by state leaders in budget discussions next year. Benda said school administrators would look at options, but until a final decision was made on allowable growth, no final decisions could be made. In other action, the board agreed to direct Benda to begin investigating the possibility of establishing a home schooling program in the district. Last month interested parents asked the board to consider establishing assistance programs similar to those provided by Mid-Prairie and Washington. Benda said he would visit both districts and report back to the board. The board also approved purchasing two buses that were originally part of a six-bus lease package developed by the WACO and Washington School Districts three years ago. Under the purchase, Washington and WACO are each purchasing two of the buses, with Columbus buying the other two for around $55,000 each. Officials said the two buses would allow the district to remove two older buses at a substantial savings of buying new. Board member Wayne Fink opposed the deal, explaining he felt only one bus should be purchased. URBANA, Ill. Corn and soybean harvest future prices moved higher after the release of the USDA October World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report on Oct. 12. December corn futures closed the week ending Oct. 14 at a 3-month high of $3.54 per bushel, while November soybean futures moved up to close at $9.62 per bushel. According to University of Illinois agricultural economist Todd Hubbs, price movements through harvest in the United States can still be impacted by the domestic crop prospects for both corn and soybeans. In particular, yield forecasts for soybeans may be poised for an increase in November. Increasingly, the prospects for major price changes in both markets are linked to South American production outcomes and the ability to export corn and soybeans into foreign markets, Hubbs says. Pricing opportunities can occur as South American crop conditions change and export markets respond to importer demand and prices. Corn production in the United States is forecast to be 15.06 billion bushels in marketing year 2016/17 and is down 36 million bushels from the September World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates forecast. Although acres harvested forecast has increased by 200,000 acres, the one bushel per acre yield reduction to 173.4 lowered the production forecast number. Domestic use numbers remained stable from the Sept. 12 forecast. As a previous report indicated, there is strong domestic demand currently for corn use in ethanol production. United States exports for corn are forecast to increase by 50 million bushels over the September forecast. Although strong export shipments through the first few weeks of the marketing year look promising, weekly export sales numbers through Oct. 6 indicate a need to sell 29.26 million bushels per week for the rest of the marketing year in order to reach the USDA projection of 2.225 billion bushels, Hubbs says. World supply and demand projections for corn in the 2016/17 marketing year moved lower due to U.S. production numbers. Brazils forecast production increased by 39 million bushels. For the marketing year, South American production is set at 5.16 billion bushels, which is a 962 million bushel increase over 2015/16 production estimates and signifies recovery from the poor crop last year. Argentina and Brazil are forecast to export an additional 39.37 million bushels each above the September WASDE forecast. South American corn exports for the marketing year are forecast to be 2.08 billion bushels. Given the increase in South American production and exports, the evolution of crop conditions in the region may provide pricing opportunities for corn producers under the current strong export demand for U.S. corn, Hubbs adds. Prior to the release of the October WASDE report, an increase in the U.S. soybean yield forecast was expected. The report forecast 2016/17 marketing-year yield at 51.4 bushels per acre with only a minor change in harvested acres. The yield increase of 0.8 bushels per acre leaves some room for growth in the yield forecast in November based on many yield reports around the country, Hubbs says. U.S. soybean production is forecast to increase by 68 million bushels to 4.3 billion bushels. Forecasts of soybean exports by the United States increased by 40 million bushels to 2.025 billion bushels for the marketing year. Current weekly export inspections for soybeans are strong. To meet the marketing-year forecast, 19.8 million bushels a week need to be sold. Ending stocks in the United States were forecast to be 395 million bushels, up 30 million from the Sept.12 forecast. World production forecasts for the marketing year increased 102 million bushels on the larger U.S. crop and a Brazilian production forecast to increase by 36.74 million bushels over the September forecast. South American soybean exports are forecast to be 2.64 billion bushels over the marketing year. China is forecast to import 3.16 billion bushels of soybeans over the marketing year. On Oct. 13, the Foreign Agricultural Service released a Global Agricultural Information Network on China Oilseed Products report indicating Chinese domestic expectations for domestic production vary but are estimated at 478 million bushels. Additionally, soybean imports could be helped by solid, but weakening, profit margins for Chinese hog producers and a reduction in DDGS imports due to the recently imposed tariff, Hubbs says. At a national level, recent Chinese economic data provided no clarity on economic growth in the country as one report showed growth in factory output while another indicated weak exports despite recent depreciation of the yuan. In assessing the prospects for corn and soybean prices in the current marketing year, South American production and the ability for the U.S. market to meet export forecasts provide key supply and demand indicators, Hubbs concludes. Because the South American planting season is off to a good start and current U.S. export levels are significantly higher than in the 2015/16 marketing year, poor weather in South America or strong economic growth indications in major importer markets should provide pricing opportunities for this record crop in the next few months. WAPELLO, Iowa - Future meetings of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors will move from the Louisa County Complex to the renovated annex of the former Louisa County Jail in Wapello starting Oct. 25, Louisa County Auditor Sandi Elliott reminded the board Tuesday. The supervisors have been meeting for around 18 months at the complex, following the relocation of the countys general assistance and mental health offices to the boards original courthouse meeting room in 2015. The supervisors decided earlier this year to renovate the annex and move several offices there. It will be a nice place for the public to meet, supervisor Chris Ball said Tuesday. The general assistance office moved last week, although some work had not been completed. Officials said they expect most of the remaining work to be finished soon. Other county offices that will also relocate to the annex are lining up their move dates. Elliott said emergency management director Staci Griffin was planning to move on Oct. 27. No date was announced for the relocation of the veterans affairs office. Both of those offices are now located at the county complex. Meanwhile, the supervisors are scheduled to meet Wednesday with members of the Louisa County Board of Health (BOH) to tour the complex and discuss a possible move of the Louisa County Public Health Service (LCPHS) to that location. Currently the LCPHS is headquartered in a building along U.S. Highway 61 in Wapello. A study by the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission several months ago indicated there is enough room at the complex to house the LCPHS, but some staff and BOH members have questioned the move. In other action during the supervisors Tuesday meeting, Louisa County Engineer Larry Roehl told the board some paving of the U.S. Highway 61 relocation project could still be completed this fall. He said the Iowa Department of Transportation wanted to have the current contractor complete its work before the paving contractor started. A remaining phase of the U.S. Highway 61 expansion project, the relocation of the highway around Wapello, is still in the development stage, with the next presentation on the bypass likely to be held this winter, Roehl said. Roehl also reported he had not received any recent update on the planning process for the proposed County Highway 99 bridge at Wapello. I know they have been setting goals (and) working on aerial photography, (but) I need to rattle the cages a little bit, he said. The supervisors also received a regular monthly update from Louisa County Conservation Board (LCCB) Executive Director Katie Hammond on her departments activities. Hammond said a recent Halloween Hike at Virginia Grove had drawn nearly 275 participants and volunteers, despite being shorter than normal this year. She said two skits her staff had written for the hike were not used because of a shortage of actors. I thought (the hike) was awesome, (but) there were a lot of other things going on, (so) we had trouble getting volunteer actors this year, she said. Next year might be better, especially since several volunteers have already stepped forward and staid they want to participate, Hammond added. The LCCB staff should be back at full strength in a few weeks, Hammond also reported. She said interviews for a vacant naturalist position were being held and she hoped to offer the position to someone by the end of the week. MUSCATINE, Iowa - Published authors Erik Therme, Rob Cline, and Lennox Randon will share tips on how to write a page-turning, spine-tingling book during the Fall Fiction Workshop: Writing the Thriller from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20 in Room 27 of Strahan Hall on the Muscatine Community College Campus. The event is sponsored by Writers on the Avenue and is free with the support of a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine. Writers of all ages and genres are welcome. For more information email wotamuscatine@gmail.com or call (563) 275-6343. Important stuff you won't get from the liberal media! We do the surfing so you can be informed AND have a life! Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi [] 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 [] ManpowerGroups eleventh annual Talent Shortage Survey shows skilled trades remain in the top three most difficult positions for companies to fill, followed by engineers. The survey is conducted annually, using a sample of 750 businesses in South Africa. The results show that 34% of local employers are having difficulty filling jobs, up 3% from the 2015 survey and 26% when compared to the 2014 results. Employers across the globe are facing the most acute talent shortage since the recession. Of the more than 42 000 employers surveyed, 40% are experiencing difficulties filling roles the highest level since 2007. As skills needs change rapidly, employers are looking inside their organisations for solutions, with more than half choosing to develop and train their own people. This represents a significant jump from ManpowerGroups 2015 survey, when just 20% prioritised training and development to fill roles or find new skills. In the IT sector, businesses are reporting the most marked talent shortage in a number of years. IT roles jump from ninth to second place, the first time the sector has entered the top five hardest roles to fill. Of the 42 300 employers surveyed globally, the hardest jobs to fill remain skilled trade workers for the fifth consecutive year. Sales representatives, engineers, technicians and drivers all slip one ranking, 3rd to 6th respectively, and office support staff drops two places to 10th. Production and machine operators also become harder roles to fill as they move from 10th to 9th when compared with 2015. This years Talent Shortage Survey presents interesting results for South Africa and for the global employment landscape. More than anything, the results highlight the increased need for skilled individuals but also the number of employers who are focusing on training and development in order to fill open positions, which has increased globally, explains Lyndy van den Barselaar, managing director of Manpower South Africa. As the talent shortage escalates, employability now depends not only on what you know, but on your ability to learn, apply and adapt to the constantly evolving business landscape. Manpower has always been of the opinion that the desire and ability to learn new skills is the number one contributing factor to helping people remain employable throughout their career journey, and we are seeing this ring true more than ever. While 72% of local employers said they were experiencing similar difficulty filling positions when compared to last year, 7% said they were experiencing increased difficulty and 17% said they were experiencing less difficulty. When asked why they are having difficulties filling jobs, 27% of local employers cited a lack of experience, 26% cited lack of hard skills, 14% said that candidates were looking for more pay than what was being offered, 9% cited a lack of available applicants (or none at all) and 8% cited issues specific to their organisation. When asked what strategies they were pursuing to overcome the difficulties created by the skills shortage, 86% of local employers said they are training and developing existing employees in order to fill open positions. Moreover, 60% of employers said they were looking to recruit outside of their talent pool, 54% said they were exploring alternative sourcing strategies, 44% said they were paying higher salary packages to recruits and 41% said they were providing additional perks or benefits to recruits. In previous years the survey found that businesses were having to find new and innovative ways to face the challenges caused by the skills deficit in order to minimise the negative effects on their businesses; while this is still true, we now see that job seekers and current employees are also taking it upon themselves to remain upskilled and up to date with the latest technologies and advancements in the modern business environment, Van den Barselaar explains. We are excited to see that the number of employers investing in and focusing on training and development has increased significantly at a global level. Should this trend continue, it will inevitably have a positive effect on the skills deficit. Fin24 The German Minister of Transport, Alexander Dobrindt, has asked Tesla to rename the Autopilot feature in its cars. Dobrindt said the name is misleading and may encourage the belief that drivers need not pay attention to the road, Reuters reported. Cnet reported that the Ministers request comes after Tesla sent letters to owners of its vehicles in Germany which reminded them to still watch the road while using Autopilot. Just as in an aeroplane, when used properly, Autopilot reduces driver workload and provides an added layer of safety when compared to purely manual driving, said Tesla. We have great faith in our German customers and are not aware of any who have misunderstood the meaning, but would be happy to conduct a survey to assess this. Three Gauteng shopping malls have experienced disruptions, caused by two bomb threats and an armed robbery. The Midrand Reporter said two bomb threats have disrupted operations at the Crowthorne Shopping Centre and the Fourways Mall. There are currently two bomb scares at two different locations. Police officials and the dog unit are currently at both scenes investigating, said Douglasdale CPF, Jean Berdou. This news follows a report that a Telkom store in Rosebank Mall was robbed by armed gunmen. We are closed for the whole day. We had a robbery this morning, that is all I can say right now, said a Telkom employee. The Rosebank Mall security office told MyBroadband that the Telkom story robbery involved three males and one female, with two other suspects waiting in a getaway car. The criminals got away with two big brown bags, filled with goods, said the security officer. Now read: Shooting at Brooklyn Mall Johnny Nunez/Getty ImagesAzealia Banks is not backing down from her recent accusations that actor Russell Crowe assaulted her, saying she plans to expose the Hollywood actor on Wednesday. In a Facebook post that has now been deleted but captured by RhymeswithSnitch, the Harlem rapper writes, "The truth will be out on Wednesday. I am 100% innocent in this matter. No matter how you feel about me no person deserves to be handled that way. And I will not be threatened or chastised into keeping quiet. This man MUST and WILL be held accountable for his actions." Banks who claims Crowe choked her, spit on her and called her the N-word, then adds, "This is the most expensive mistake he will ever make in his life." Azealia's post comes after eyewitnesses and RZA told TMZ that Banks' story was inaccurate, stating that the entertainer herself said the N-word several times and threatened Crowe and another woman, saying, "You would love it if I broke my glass, stabbed you guys in the throat, and blood would squirt everywhere like some real Tarantino s***." Crowe has not publicly commented on the Azealia's claims. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Oops... This is embarrassing... We're Sorry, the page you're looking for may have been moved. Let's help you find the page you were looking for... First, try using the search form below. 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The inspiration behind Ohm a name that pays homage to the classic guitar amplifiers that helped birth the rock n roll era, rather than the much more Zen yoga Om is Bromleys desire to simplify the coffee market, engage with consumers in a fresh new way, and create flavor profiles that people actually like to drink, which, he notes, is not always the same as what a roaster or barista likes to drink. Bromley elaborated on this last point, explaining that coffee today sits on a spectrum that ranges from the over-roasted varieties found in mass market coffee shops where flavored syrups and sugar help mask the bitterness, to the newer, third wave coffee shops that take a more artisan approach, focus heavily on origin, and roast so lightly that the flavors are more green and vegetal. Ohm, the owner said, falls in the middle. Origin definitely matters here, and he credits his consulting Director of Coffee Arno Holschuh, who used to run production for Blue Bottle Coffee and Artis, with gaining him access to the best importers. However, getting the roast just right is what Bromley feels really sets his coffee apart. He explained that by roasting further than a traditional third-wave producer, the natural sweetness of the beans is able to come through. I believe that what you smell should match what youre tasting. Thats the hallmark of a good cup of coffee, Bromley said. Ohm currently makes four products, all named after various guitar amplifiers Full Stack Blend, Tweed Blend, Handwired Espresso, and Half Stack Decaf and described in a way that mimics the tasting notes of wine. Flavors are romantically defined, the blend is given, and sourcing is enhanced with a few unique details of place and process. Each bag retails for $15 through the companys website or at the Ohm espresso truck, which, in addition to the Napa Farmers Market, can be found at a few business parks around town, community events, and private winery events throughout the valley. The daily schedule is posted on their social media accounts on Facebook (@ohmcoffeeroasters) and Twitter (@ohmcoffee). Ohm beans can also be purchased at a few family-owned businesses around town including Vallergas Market, Browns Valley Market, Jax White Mule Diner, and Ekam Yoga and Wellness. Jax and Ekam are also selling prepared Ohm Coffee. Asked if it was hard to break into the coffee industry Bromley replied, Not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. He explained that the coffee industry has many similarities to the wine industry, where he most recently held the position of CMO at The Hess Collection Winery. Since he was already familiar with breaking down the flavors in wine, he said it was easy for him to do the same with coffee. Furthermore, the marketing and sales models can even translate from one industry to the other. Perhaps one of the biggest factors in making his transition smooth, however, was finding the co-op in Berkeley where he roasts his beans. Bromley noted that the co-op setup allowed him to get started with less capital expenditure because he didnt have to buy his own roaster and then purchase a bigger size every time he is ready to grow, as he is now. As far as that growth is concerned, Bromley said Ohm has been meeting and exceeding all of their initial goals and expectations. He noted the business has recently tipped from push to pull with him just holding on while also still trying to guide it. Like all entrepreneurs at this point, the owner said he is now constantly trying to decide where his time is best spent. He has hired his first barista and is looking for another. The most exciting thing to him about his success, it seems, is that it has come because of the locals who have really embraced Ohm Coffee. Its one thing to put together a business model, but to see the support from the community is pretty awesome, he said. Having a true community spirit, Bromley said that one of the greatest surprises in launching Ohm has been the response hes gotten. He sees himself as a curator, here to serve coffee in a way that is engaging and friendly, which he considers to be the opposite of the current tendency of preciousness around coffee, so the reception and level of loyalty he said they have received has been valued. In discussing plans for the future, Bromley said that although he thinks about expanding to secondary markets, there is still a lot to do just in Napa. They recently began selling Brew Dr. Kombucha from the espresso truck as well as cold pressed coffee. The latter, he said, has surprised him with its popularity. Ohm will also be launching a subscription service soon, which Bromley believes will be successful because coffee is less of a discretionary spend and more of a pantry staple. One day, there may also be a second truck to help keep up with demand. For now, however, Bromley is focused on maintaining quality and service while connecting with the community around him, and serving up coffee in a fun, engaging way. The Napa County Coroner's Office has further identified the woman who died in a motorcycle crash Saturday in rainy conditions on Berryessa Knoxville Road. She was Lygia Bruno Lobo, 60, from Brazil, according to the coroner. Her husband, Lynn Farmer, 68, remains hospitalized at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries, said Ellen Farmer, his sister. Farmer's motorcycle left the roadway on a curve and crashed into a culvert, ejecting both riders, the California Highway Patrol said. Lobo died at the scene. Ellen Farmer said Lynn Farmer and Lobo were residents of Rio de Janeiro who also had a part-time residence in Miami Beach, Florida where they kept their motorcycle. Lynn Farmer sustained numerous broken bones, but his condition is not life-threatening, his sister said Tuesday morning. I am supporting Mariko Yamada for the State Senate in District 3, because she will represent the people of our District with the same commitment, vigor, intelligence, insight, experience, and hard work she did while serving in the State Assembly for six years and as a County Supervisors before that for six years. Her commitment and lifes work revolves around making government work for the betterment of us all. Mariko has a track record of supporting and working for the issues most people really care about: public education and children; aging and long term care; health-care reform leading to coverage for all; integrated mental health, alcohol and drug services; sustainable agriculture; and protecting the Delta and the environment. Holding meetings and attending meetings with many different citizen groups, local governments, and professional organizations on an almost weekly basis is the way she gagues and learns the needs, issues, and hopes of the people she represents. Marikos accomplishments as an elected official in Sacramento are awesome and reflect her commitment and understanding of how government works. She chaired the Assembly Aging and Long Term Care Committee for five years and the Select Committee on State Hospitals and Developmental Center Safety and Veterans Affairs. She also served as a senior member on many other committees including Agriculture, Parks, Water and Wildlife, housing and community development among others. Join me in casting your vote for Mariko Yamada for State Senate, District 3, when you vote. She will represent the constituents in the District with integrity and dedication to public service. Betsy Marchand Davis The St. Helena City Council will hold a special meeting to discuss proposals to develop the Adams Street and City Hall properties at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at the firehouse. Developers submitted four plans in response to the citys Request For Proposals. This workshop is one of several chances for the community to review the proposals and provide feedback for the councils consideration as the city reviews the proposals. Sunday band concert to help victims of recent Clayton Fire The Saint Helena Community Band will present a Halloween-themed concert in Calistoga to benefit victims of the recent Clayton Fire, which destroyed 300 buildings and left many Lower Lake families homeless. The concert is at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, at the Calistoga Elementary School Auditorium, 1327 Berry St. Admission is free, donations are encouraged, and there will be a raffle for valuable prizes. Donations also may be mailed to Saint Helena Community Band, Attn: Clayton Benefit, P.O. Box 261, St. Helena, CA 94574. Tuesday, Oct. 11 1529 -- The clerk at a downtown gas station said a man came into the store, opened a container of milk and poured some into his coffee. When he was told he had to pay for the milk, he became irate, poured some onto the floor, threw the container onto the counter (leaving quite a mess) and drove away in a blue Mustang. Police took a report. 1547 -- Report of a suspicious man on Spring Mountain Court. 1720 -- Someone removed a large wooden parking post from the ground and put it up in a tree near the skatepark. It was hanging over a picnic table and creating a hazard. 1720 -- Police were asked to provide extra patrol at Vintage Hall following the council meeting tonight, in case of any problems. Wednesday, Oct. 12 0842 -- A caller said hed paid for gas and forgotten to pump it. When he remembered and returned to the Main Street gas station, they said they balanced out and that someone else had pumped the gas. He wanted to file a report. 1356 -- Report of a garbage can in the middle of Whitehall Lane. The CHP was busy handling other calls. 2326 -- Report of reckless drivers on Pope Street near College Avenue and Silverado Trail. Police checked the area. Thursday, Oct. 13 0921 -- The CHP asked St. Helena police to fingerprint a car that had been stolen from Deer Park, recovered in Calistoga, and was now being stored in St. Helena. 1146 -- Non-injury accident on Main Street. 1516 -- A pedestrian was hit by a car and suffered a major injury near Main and Pope streets. 1537 -- Report of two cars illegally parked in a disabled zone on Grayson Avenue. 1537 -- A driver said she accidentally scraped another car while merging into the left turn lane on Main Street near Mitchell Drive. She pulled into a parking lot and waited for the other car to show up, but it never did. 1653 -- Report of smoke coming from under a vehicles hood on Railroad Avenue. 1723 -- Report of construction and framing work continuing past 5 p.m. at Tainter/Allyn, in violation of the citys noise ordinance. Workers told an officer they were weatherizing the area in anticipation of tonights storm. 1813 -- Medical aid on Sylvaner Avenue. 1929 -- A citizen came to the lobby asking about a car hed sold last year. He was referred to the DMV to clarify ownership. Friday, Oct. 14 0743 -- Report of smoke coming from a power pole at the north end of the elm tunnel. 0901 -- A tree fell on a small white car on Signorelli Circle. 1318 -- Report of a man drinking wine from a wine bottle near the front entrance of an Adams Street business. Hed been asked to leave, but was still there. 1601 -- Report of a possible drunk driver tailgating and slamming on his brakes on Main Street near Charter Oak Avenue. 2253 -- Following a traffic stop at Pope/Edwards, police arrested a 49-year-old Washington man on suspicion of DUI. Saturday, Oct. 15 0541 -- Four cars were parked in the city lot on Oak Avenue, even though signs warned that there was no parking after 8 p.m. Friday because the Harvest Festival needed to be set up. 0859 -- Report of unauthorized cars parking in permit-only spaces on Money Way. 1052 -- Report of a suspicious white van parked outside the gate of a home on Howell Mountain Road. 1115 -- A citizen reported giving items to a jewelry broker who was supposed to help her sell them and was no asking her to wire large sums of money. 1440 -- Medical aid outside the police station for a woman who was about to give birth and needed a ride to the hospital. An ambulance came to help her. 1832 -- A small white male poodle was reported missing from Laguna Seca Court. 1836 -- Report of eight to 10 inches of standing water at a curb on Brown Street. An officer confirmed that the roadway was clear and the water was flowing. The storm drain was just overwhelmed by heavy rain. 2328 -- Non-injury accident at Pope/Chiles. 2341 -- Report of a dispute between a man and a woman on Main Street. They left before police arrived. Sunday, Oct. 16 1050 -- Medical aid on Pope Street for a lift assist. 1247 -- Report of reckless drivers burning out and driving recklessly all the time in the Pope/College area. 1350 -- Report of men playing with balls that were hitting cars on Mitchell Drive. 1444 -- Two men left a Main Street business without paying a $250 bill. 1701 -- Police cited a car with expired tags that had been parked on Grove Court for a month. 2221 -- Report of a possible drunk driver weaving and traveling at only 25 mph on southbound Highway 29. Monday, Oct. 17 0909 -- A caller reported strange things on her Facebook page. 1228 -- A citizen said he wants his dog back from the people who looked after it while he was getting settled into his new house in Los Angeles. Police took a report. 1317 -- Report of a woman yelling at Lyman Park. Police checked the area. 1513 -- Public Works reported that the crosswalk sign at Main/Madrona was askew and difficult to see. Caltrans was notified. 1945 -- Report of a driver in a black pickup unable to maintain their lane on Main Street. Police checked the area. 1954 -- A car was reported missing. It was found unoccupied a few blocks away. This is totally random and made me way, way happier than it probably should have. Anyway, I watch one YouTuber on a daily basis: Casey Neistat. Not sure why I enjoy his videos so much but I totally do and never miss a single one of his daily vlogs. On yesterdays video, Casey, who normally lives in New York, headed to Watch Hill, Rhode Island with his family and a couple of friends for a short getaway. The place they were staying just happened to be on a beach that was a hop, skip, and a jump away from none other than Taylor Swifts giant beach home. It was pretty cool to see the beautiful property in such a random, unexpected way. On a side note, Casey is actually good friends with Taylors BFF, supermodel Karlie Kloss, so I always sort of expected Taylor to make an appearance in one of his videos, but this was definitely not how I expected it to go down. Anna Beanie Little Eric Michelle Nicholas Sisters Anna and Michelle , and their brothers Beanie , Little Eric , and Nicholas , are very affectionate babies who love giving you kisses. We rescued their pregnant mother, a Cocker Spaniel named Mary Poppins from a government-funded shelter. She had reportedly been bred with a Scottish Terrier. We placed Mary Poppins in a loving foster home and she gave birth to these five angels and raised them there. Mary Poppins is going to be adopted by her foster family. Her puppies are now 3 months of age, spayed/neutered, and ready for adoption. Please carefully puppy-proof your home and yard for their safety and protection. IMF forecasts $1 trillion unforeseen profit for oil exporter Lavrov and Cavusoglu discuss recent developments in Caucasus Seoul and Warsaw sign key agreements on nuclear energy development in Poland Statement by leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on results of meeting in Sochi Saudi Arabia and UAE defend OPEC decision Putin: Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan agree on joint statement U.S. wants EU to impose export restrictions against China Thunberg calls UN conference place for lies and fraud Putin, Pashinyan and Aliyev hold trilateral talks Russian businessman Artem Aslanyan commits suicide in Moscow Head of the Ministry of Finance: Sweden's economic outlook is gloomy and we're heading for a tough winter Norway to raise level of army combat readiness in response to Ukraine war Putin and Aliyev talks in Sochi are over Moldova expels Russian embassy employee after incident with falling rocket parts Estonia to expand by 30 times protected zone on border with Russia Serzh Sargsyan receives Garo Paylan Inflation hits new record in 19 eurozone countries Shoigu and Akar discuss Russia's decision to suspend participation in grain deal Head of Armenian Armed Forces General Staff: Azerbaijan refuses to allow evacuation of Armenian soldiers' bodies Inflation in Poland breaks the record of 25 years ago Head of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces explains why Azerbaijanis 'trapped' were not captured Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces confirms loss of positions as result of Azerbaijani aggression Central Bank: Inflation in Armenia reaches 9.9% Edvard Asryan: The operational situation in the eastern and southeastern directions is relatively stable Iran arrests 6 suspects in attack on Shiraz mausoleum Aliyev: Baku put forward five main principles to normalize relations with Yerevan Putin: The goal of the trilateral talks is the implementation of all agreements of 2020 and 2021 Talks between presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan start in Sochi Six people detained in Belarus for hanging Ukrainian flag NBC News: Biden lost his temper on the phone with Zelenskyy European Parliament lawmakers arriving in Armenia on fact-finding mission Cavusoglu: Europe weakening runs counter to Ankara's economic interests Non-resident organizations providing online services in Armenia declare 1bn drams of VAT in 3 quarters October oil production in Russia falls Storm warning issued in Sochi due to tornadoes Putin and Pashinyan hold 1-hour talks in Sochi Pashinyan to visit Tehran on November 1 Over AMD 76 billion will be assigned to Armenian police in 2023 Provincial governor of Armenias Tavush, France envoy discuss future cooperation (PHOTOS) South Korea and the U.S. begin large-scale air force exercise Dollar, euro continue falling in Armenia Pashinyan says issue of Armenian captives is unresolved, despite discussions with Putin Iranian parliament chair to visit Azerbaijan Pashinyan: Communications passing through Armenia should be under Yerevan's full control Pashinyan: Russia's clear position on moving Azerbaijani soldiers to their initial positions is important World wheat prices up Putin urges to ensure peace in Karabakh and unblock transport infrastructure Pashinyan calls Russia's approaches to establishing Armenia-Azerbaijan relations acceptable State budget spending on Armenia emergency ministry needs to increase considerably in 2023 Pashinyan says he wants to discuss regional security issues with Putin Putin hopes for progress in Karabakh settlement during summit Putin: We have to end the Karabakh conflict 80% of Kyiv remains without water supply after morning strikes, mayor claims China accuses US of violating trade rules Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan meets Russian President Vladimir Putin Peskov: We will inform if documents are agreed as result of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders meeting Kremlin says Russia continues contacts with Turkey and UN on 'grain deal' Masis Abrahamyan, head of ANC - Netherlands office, files lawsuit against Armenian National Security Service Bloomberg names world's richest families Central Bank: About 86% of banks' profits in Armenia come from currency sale/purchase, exchange fees Head of Central Bank of Armenia: Economic growth in 2023 will be lower than 7% forecasted by government Armenia civil servants salaries to increase but bonuses to reduce Armenia finance minister: Salaries to increase almost twice as much more than bonuses have become salaries Finance ministry: Armenia inflation would have been higher if national currency had not increased in value Alen Simonyan to Erin Elizabeth McKee: Armenia is interested in deeper engagement by US Central Bank of Armenia: U.S. financial authorities complicate U.S. dollar turnover worldwide Kyiv: 12 vessels with grain leave Ukrainian ports France is working on a land route for grain export from Ukraine Amount of Armenia financial assistance to Karabakh to not change in 2023 International Rescue Committee: Blockade of Ukrainian grain may lead to disaster Erdogan: Turkey will continue to solve the food issue despite Russia's hesitation Armenia's budget deficit in 2023 will be 3.1% of GDP PACE MPs initiate resolution on political prisoners cases increase in Azerbaijan EU studying issue of recognizing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist organization Finance minister: Armenia tax revenues projected to be about 3.7% of GDP in 2023 Armenia opposition MP: No final document will be signed in Russias Sochi Opposition MP: When Armenia PM says he is in Russian proposals favor, has no value unless he says he rejects US option Employee of Karabakh permanent representation in Armenia is charged with high treason Kyiv mayor claims damage to energy facility that supplies power to 350,000 apartments Blinken has phone talks with China's FM Artsakh strategic issues discussed at We Are Our Mountains agency first meeting Death toll in Indian bridge collapse rises to 141 Armenia 2023 state budget draft: Capital expenditure to increase significantly Armenia national debt against GDP is planned to be reduced Iranian Foreign Ministry: Presence of foreign forces doesn't contribute to peace in Caucasus Alen Simonyan, Garo Paylan discuss prospects for reopening of Armenia-Turkey border Aliyev arrives in Sochi Iran detains second suicide bomber in Shiraz mausoleum Iranian and Azerbaijani FMs discuss situation in region 2023 expenses of Armenian defense sector will make AMD 506bln, a growth of 35% Armenias Pashinyan arrives in Russias Sochi (PHOTOS) UN agrees with Turkey and Ukraine on transportation of Ukrainian grain Armenia parliament standing committees kick off joint session, debating on 2023 state budget draft Lula da Silva wins Brazil presidential election Oil prices go down Gold prices show weak growth Armenia renowned stage director, ex-MP Vahe Shahverdyan dead at 77 Turkey plans to open 100 oil, natural gas wells on land in 2023 Copper falls in price USAID delegation arriving in Armenia A local mosque imam is taking care of the Armenian church in Sarkaya town of Turkeys Yozgat Province. Once the Armenians in the area had left, this historical Armenian church was abandoned. But now, Metin Halc, the imam of the local mosque, has started taking care of this church, according to Dunya Bulteni (World Bulletin) news portal of Turkey. The imam noted that when he was appointed for spiritual service in Sarkaya, he was very surprised to see this abandoned Armenian church. He said he began to care for and clean this house of Christian worship, with pleasure. We keep the church so clean that Armenians can come and say their prayers [here] at any time, said the imam. My wife and children help me take care of the church. In Halcs words, the Armenians visiting this church are satisfied with its state, and they thank him. The Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolay Bordyuzha confirmed that the rotation within the organization will take place. This issue wasn't discussed at the CSTO summit in Yerevan, since one of the presidents wasn't present. ''The change will take place, since the presidents have adopted a decision on introducing the rotation system for Secretary General and all officials. As to the rotation of officials, that is deputies and department heads, we have been carrying that out long ago, and very successfully,'' he said in an interview with Russia 24. In Bordyuzha's words, the consideration of this issue was postponed due to the illness of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev. ''Considering that this issue should be decided together with all the presidents, we decided that the heads of states will meet in December and then, once all the members of the Collective Security Council are present, the final decision will be adopted,'' he concluded. STEPANAKERT. The adversary violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani opposing forces around 20 times, from late Monday night to early Tuesday morning. During this time the Azerbaijani armed forces fired more than 240 shots toward the Armenian position-holders, and by way of various caliber weapons, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Defense Army informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. In addition, the adversary fired 21 shots from sniper rifles, in a southerly direction of the line of contact. But the NKR Defense Army vanguard units continue to be in command of the operational and tactical situation, and to confidently carry out the military task set before them. A major and tragic road accident occurred on Tuesday at around 8:30am, in Kotayk Province of Armenia. A car and a passenger van collided on the Yerevan-Sevan motorway. The accident claimed one life, Hripsime Gasparyan, 18, and injured seven others. Gasparyans brother, Hrant, 20, is in critical condition, and he was taken to capital city Yerevan, Varser village prefect Zaven Harutyunyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. He noted that the youth in the van are Varser residents, and university students. In the morning, they had come to the university from the village, to attend their classes. Harutyunyan added that the aforesaid van belonged to Varser prefect candidate Husik Sedrakyan, who was providing these students free transportation to Yerevan. The injured, who are taken to the Hrazdan town medical center, are in good condition, and their injuries are not life-threatening. Solely Hrant Gasparyan and the vans driver, Gagik S., 50, were taken to Yerevan for treatment. STEPANAKERT. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs announcement, according to which they are prepared to grant a status of autonomy to Nagorno-Karabakh, yet again demonstrates to what extent Baku is not ready for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the conflict. Davit Babayan, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Presidential Spokesperson, told about this to Armenian News-NEWS.am, commenting on Aliyevs aforesaid statement during an interview with RIA Novosti news agency of Russia. [But,] it can be said that there is progress, added Babayan. If before, Aliyev was making all effortswith words and deedsto destroy Nagorno-Karabakh, now he already is speaking about autonomy. If such a trend continues, Aliyev may recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in a few months; this would be the most appropriate step. The NKR presidential spokesperson added that this latest statement by Aliyev is destructive, and it causes nothing but laughter and pity. The Azerbaijani authorities should rather give autonomy to the national minorities living in that country, noted Davit Babayan. Moreover, [they should] do that before the situation turns into a large-scale clash. In the meantime, these nations [in Azerbaijan] are living under a strong pressure, and virtually under the conditions of concentration camps. YEREVAN. Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan on Tuesday received Ambassador Piotr Switalski, Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Armenia. The PM noted that he attaches great importance to the further development of relations with the EU, Press Office of the Government of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. Karapetyan stressed that the Armenian government stands ready to promote cooperation with the EU. Noting that the fifth phase in the negotiations on a new framework agreement will be conducted soon, Karen Karapetyan expressed confidence that the parties will manage to maintain the respective positive trend. The Premier also underscored the EU technical support to the ongoing reforms in Armenia, and the European financial institutions engagement in the implementation of infrastructural projects in the country. Karapetyan added that the Armenian government is ready to expand the scope of cooperation with the EU. Ambassador Switalski, for his part, informed about the EU assistance to the Armenian government in ensuring the continuity of reforms in the country. He noted that the current Armenia-EU full agenda can provide positive developments, and outline the long-range plans that will be laid down in the new framework agreement. In addition, he welcomed the Armenian governments targeted programs toward improving the business climate in the country, and noted that the EU is interested in cooperating with the government, to this end, too. At the ensuing talk, the interlocutors reflected on bilateral relations. YEREVAN. Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan on Tuesday met with Kunio Mikuriya, the Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO). Mikuriya has arrived in Armenia to attend a European regional workshop on the precept of single window, Press Office of the Government of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. The PM presented details on the Armenian government policy toward simplification of tax and customs administration. He also stressed that the primary objective of the respective reforms is to create a level, fair, and competitive playing field for conducting business in Armenia. In this context, Karapetyan underscored cooperation with the WCO. Kunio Mikuriya, in turn, noted that the World Customs Organization plans to expand bilateral cooperation with the Armenian government. In addition, he positively assessed the introduction of the single-window system, and the use of information technology in the simplification of administration and modernization of the border checkpoints of Armenia. Subsequently, the interlocutors exchanged views on numerous matters. They also reaffirmed their commitment to continue real results-oriented collaboration and the joint work. YEREVAN. The Prime Minister of Armenia, Karen Karapetyan, on Tuesday received French Ambassador Jean-Francois Charpentier. The Premier noted that Armenian-French relations enjoy a unique friendly nature, Press Office of the Government of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. Karapetyan expressed satisfaction with the rich, multifaceted agenda of bilateral relations, and underscored the implementation of joint economic programs. The PM stressed that there is great potential for economic cooperation, and, in the implementation of this potential, he highlighted especially the French Development Agencys (AFD) activities in Armenia. The PM added that the Armenia-France interregional ties are also expanding. Ambassador Charpentier, for his part, noted that he stands ready to collaborate closely with the Government of Armenia toward further expansion of ties between the two countries. The diplomat stressed that the AFD will continue its investments in infrastructure improvements in Armenia, and is going to carry out projects worth about US$40 million. He also highlighted that several French companies are interested in conducting business in Armenia. The interlocutors considered the implementation of investment projects in various sectors of the economy to be full of prospect. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will visit the region in the third ten days of October, Russian Co-Chair Igor Popov told www.vesti.az. We plan to arrive in the region in the third ten days of October. We will visit Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Meetings with the leadership and servicemen are supposed to take place. It is [also] planned to consider the implementation of the agreements reached at Vienna and St. Petersburg summits, which were aimed at the stabilization of the situation in the zone of conflict. We will discuss the further prospects for the negotiation process, considering the working proposals available. [Apart from this,] We will ascertain the military situation in the conflict zone, which, according to our estimates, has remained relatively calm after the April events till recently, Popov said. Responding to the question on the hearsay round the five regions of the security zone, Popov noted: We have repeatedly spoken on the topic of returning the territories round Nagorno-Karabakh. This problem should be considered comprehensively, together with the other elements of the settlement, including the decision on Karabakhs status, return of all refugees, maintaining the corridor linking Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, as well as carrying out peacekeeping operations. The settlement process is a single package and any attempts to single out from it separate elements, which one of the sides prefers, is counterproductive. YEREVAN. The Azerbaijani presidents statements can be viewed as yet another unsuccessful attempt at turning the reality upside down, and misrepresenting the negotiation process. Tigran Balayan, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia, told the aforesaid to RFE/RL Armenian service. He noted this commenting on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs statements on the avenues for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, and which he had said during an interview with RIA Novosti news agency of Russia. In the statements by the leaders of the OSCE [i.e. the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] Minsk Group co-chair countries [i.e. Russia, US, and France], and which are cited by Aliyev himself, it is clearly stated that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh [(NK/Artsakh)] will be determined by way of the expression of the legally-binding will of the NK people, noted Babayan. It would be better for the Azerbaijani leadership not to engage in self-deception and deceive the Azerbaijani society. One week ago, the leader of Azerbaijan had already publicly admitted to the real content of the negotiations, noting that Baku is urged to recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. YEREVAN. - EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Herbert Salber will visit Armenia this week. Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski said the aforementioned Tuesday at the opening ceremony of Euroclub in Yerevan. In his words, one of the constituents of his mandate is to form an atmosphere of trust and establish contacts between people in Armenia and Azerbaijan. The EU is funding programs on establishing trust between the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples, Switalski noted. According to him, Ambassador Salber is also looking for an opportunity to contribute to such programs. The spokesman for Herbert Salber, Henri Duquenne, told Armenian News NEWS.am that Ambassador Salber will pay an official visit to Armenia at the end of this week. In his words, he will also visit Baku next week. Ambassador Salber will hold high-level consultations with the leadership of Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, EU relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan and other issues of mutual interest, Duquenne added. YEREVAN. - Armenian Premier Karen Karapetyan on Tuesday received Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Seyed Kazem Sajjad. Karapetyan noted that Armenia and Iran have traditional close and friendly ties. He also noted that they should not limit themselves to the current level, but continue making steps towards developing the mutually beneficial cooperation. In this context, the Premier underscored the importance of the construction of the third Iran-Armenia 400kW power transmission line, Noravan substation, gas distribution network of villages bordering with Iran, as well as the current projects of Gas for Electricity. The head of the Government also considered promising the four-sided Armenia-Iran-Georgia-Russia cooperation format. Referring to the construction of the North-South Highway, the Premier noted that Iranian companies can also get involved in that program if interested. According to Karapetyan, Armenia and Iran have a great potential for increasing volumes of commodity turnover and implementing new investment programs in different sectors of economy, including agriculture, telecommunication, tourism, health, etc. For his part, Seyed Kazem Sajjad expressed readiness to closely cooperate with the Armenian Government to implement mutually beneficial programs and contribute to the further deepening and expansion of economic ties. The Ambassador also attached importance to the increase in the volumes of commodity turnover, expressing conviction that the participation of over 100 Armenian companies in the recent exhibition in Tehran and establishment of free trade zone in Meghri can well contribute to this. Apart from this, Karen Karapetyan and Seyed Kazem Sajjad referred to the other issues on the agenda of Armenian-Iranian relations. As a professor of pedagogy in Emorys Department of Biology, Chris Beck is engaged in the scientific study of laboratory teaching, with a particular focus on how inquiry-based learning impacts students' science process skills and their understanding of the nature of science. This month, however, Beck is being recognized for his work involving a very different laboratory. Beck has been named as one of three finalists for the 2016 Cox Conserves Heroes award for his volunteer work at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve (CSNP), a 28-acre wildlife sanctuary located along the floodplain of South Peachtree Creek in Decatur. For more than a decade, Beck has volunteered at CSNP, coordinating hundreds of volunteers from both Emory and the wider community, leading fundraising efforts and managing capital improvement projects. Hes also served as president of the CSNP volunteer board of directors for the past seven years. In addition, this academic year Beck is serving as president of the Emory College Faculty Senate. The Cox Conserves Heroes award was created by Cox Enterprises and The Trust for Public Land to honor volunteers who create, preserve or enhance the shared outdoor spaces in our communities. Each finalist will be awarded $5,000 to be donated to a local environmental nonprofit of their choice; Beck has selected CSNP as his non-profit. The final winner will be selected through an online public vote and will receive an additional $5,000 donation to their nonprofit. Voting runs through Oct. 26; final results will be announced mid-November. Emory Report caught up with Beck to learn more about his efforts with the nature preserve. How did you become involved with CSNP? I live in the Medlock neighborhood, so the nature preserve is less than a mile from my house. I first came to know about it through some events they sponsored and came out for neighborhood volunteer days at the preserve. I eventually was invited to join the non-profit volunteer board, where Ive been a member for several years. When the president rotated off, I was asked to step in as president. Why is the preserve important? From an ecological perspective, the preserve serves several purposes. Its located on the floodplain of the south fork of Peachtree Creek, so it has a role in controlling storm water overflow and filtering the water that does flood out. The preserve is also an important green space to a lot of wildlife, including over 150 to 160 species of birds, as well as amphibians, reptiles and a wide array of plants. It provides a great resource to both the local and broader Atlanta communities, in terms of offering a place to go and see wildlife and walk the trails. Its provided educational opportunities as well. Over the years, Ive brought students from my ecology lab classes there and I know Georgia State University and Oglethorpe University use it, too. Emory has sent hundreds of volunteers there over the years. Its provided a great way to engage the community. How were you selected for the Heroes award? I was nominated by Dave Butler, a friend and colleague on the board of the preserve who also works with a variety of green spaces and parks throughout the county. I actually knew nothing about it until someone from Cox called and said, Congratulations, you are a finalist. Now the contest goes to the voting public? Yes. They came out and did an interview and shot some footage at the preserve to go on their website. The finalist with the most votes will be chosen. If I win, the funds will go back to the preserve. Over the last several years weve been working to remove invasive plant species, specifically English ivy and Chinese privet. Now that weve done a lot of removal we want to replant with native species. Voting is open through Oct. 26. When it comes to biology, youve long championed hands-on learning. How does that work in your classes at Emory? Ive always seen lab education as a way to combine teaching aspects and research aspects of the Colleges mission a way to have students work on real research problems. In collaboration with Dr. Larry Blumer at Morehouse College, we received funding from the National Science Foundation to develop the bean beetle (Callosobruchus maculatus) as a model system for guided inquiry-based lab classes in biology. Weve also developed curriculum for how educators can use the beetle in their own classrooms. More recently, weve been using it in our introductory lab courses for non-majors and biology majors to develop new research experiences. It allows for students to do authentic research addressing questions that we dont know the answers to, gathering preliminary data that we can follow up on. All of our introductory labs have been restructured so they are addressing new questions. And the response has been positive. It really gives students a flavor of what they might do later as independent researchers. Epic RecordsChevelle will be hitting the West Coast the beginning of next year for a brief 10-date run. The tour kicks off January 13 in San Francisco and will wrap up January 26 in Boulder, Colorado. Visit GetMoreChevelle.com for ticket info. The Chicago rockers will be touring in continued support of their latest album, The North Corridor, which features the single "Joyride (Omen)." Chevelle is currently on tour with Disturbed. Following the January headlining trek, they'll travel to Europe alongside Avenged Sevenfold. Here are Chevelle's West Coast tour dates: 1/13 -- San Francisco, CA, The Fillmore 1/14 -- Sacramento, CA, Ace Of Spades 1/15 -- Boise, ID, Knitting Factory 1/17 -- Spokane, WA, Knitting Factory 1/18 -- Portland, OR, Roseland Theater 1/20 -- Riverside, CA, RMA 1/21 -- San Diego, CA, House Of Blues 1/22 -- Las Vegas, NV, House Of Blues 1/24 -- Albuquerque, NM, El Rey Theater 1/26 -- Boulder, CO, Boulder Theater Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. A search of the National Archives United Kingdom website can provide many interesting documents for genealogy research. One of the items I found was a Removal Order for my 5th great grandfather Thomas Blanden. Thomas was born in Wenhaston, Suffolk, England in 1739, enlisted in the Suffolk Militia as a drummer at the age of 20, and was discharged in bad health 28 years later. Removal Order FC189/G4/14. Suffolk, Ipswich Branch, Wenhaston Paris Records Date: 1778 Removal Orders were new to me so after ordering the documents from the Archives I did my homework and researched the history of Removal Orders. In 1662 England, an Act of Settlement was passed to define which parish had responsibility for a poor person. A child's birthplace was its place of settlement, unless its mother had a settlement certificate from somewhere else stating that the unborn child was included on the certificate. From the age of 7 the child could have been apprenticed and gained a settlement for himself or he could have obtained settlement for himself by service by the time he was 16. After 1697, the poor were allowed to enter any parish in search of work, as long as they had a Settlement Certificate signed by the church wardens and overseers of their place of settlement and two magistrates guaranteeing to receive them back should they become chargeable. No one was allowed to move from town to town without the appropriate documentation. If a person entered a parish in which he did not have official settlement, and if it seemed likely he might become chargeable to the new parish, then an examination would be made by the justices or parish overseers. From this examination on oath, the justices would determine if that person had the means to sustain himself and, if not, which was that person's parish of settlement. As a result of the examination the intruder would then either be allowed to stay, or would be removed by means of what was known as a Removal Order. A Removal Order was sometimes accompanied by a written pass to the parish of settlement showing the route to be taken. This would apply even within a city or town which consisted of more than one parish. Your parish of settlement was obliged to take you back. Removal Orders would often take a person or a family back to a place of settlement miles across the country, sometimes to a parish they had only known briefly as a small child. It was not uncommon for a husband and wife to have their children taken from them, each being removed to separate scattered parishes. On 18 May 1778, a Removal Order was served on my 5th Great Grandfather who was recorded as Thomas Blandon, Drummer in the Western Battalion Militia of Suffolk. Thomas, Mary, his wife, and their children Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Thomas & Susannah were ordered removed from St. James, Bury St. Edmunds and sent to Wenhaston. The order made me wonder what the circumstances were surrounding Thomas and his run of bad luck. Having found a Chelsea Pensioner record for Thomas dated 1787 I knew that he had been in the Army for 28 years and was being discharged with bad eyes and worn out. No doubt he couldnt provide much, if any, income to support his family and thus the Parish did not want to accept responsibility for supporting them. Royal Hospital, Chelsea: Discharge Documents of Pensioners WO 121/1/38 A Settlement Certificate would have more genealogical information but since I did not find one for Thomas I was happy to see that the Removal Order gave the ages of each of Thomas and Mary's children they were aged 1 to 13 years old. How difficult it must have been to be uprooted from friends and neighbours, and sent from the Parish of St. James back to the parish of Thomas birth in Wenhaston. To my surprise the Removal Order was a form with blanks to fill in by the clerk recording the details, which indicates to me that there must have been a lot of them served! What a wonderful item to find. If you have English ancestors, why not have a look on the National Archives website? You might be surprised at what is there. If you have not used this resource, see How to Use the National Archives United Kingdom Website to Obtain Ancestor Documents. UPDATE: Thanks to Helen Smith for pointing out that m Lorine McGinnis Schulze is a Canadian genealogist who has been involved with genealogy and history for more than thirty years. In 1996 Lorine created the Olive Tree Genealogy website and its companion blog. Lorine is the author of many published genealogical and historical articles and books. New Delhi: U.S.-based technology company Avaya on Monday launched a new platform for business communications that delivers streamlined, mobile-first communications within the application. With "Avaya Equinox", employees can quickly see scheduled meetings, messaging updates and communications history at one place and take quick action with a single touch. "Avaya Equinox has conquered that challenge for the end users, IT departments and businesses worldwide, delivered by a company with the vision, focus and expertise to define the future of unified Communication," said Gary E Barnett, Senior Vice President, Avaya Engagement Solutions, in a statement. Avaya Equinox is supported on desktop or mobile devices and available on all-glass "Avaya Vantage" device. Read Also: To Get You Highly Accurate Contents, Google News Now Features Fact-Check Labels Hitachi Systems Micro Clinic Unveils Software To Cut Printing Costs Facebook Signs Up For EU's Privacy Shield Data Treaty Facebook Adds Apple TV, Chromecast Support To Stream Videos BENGALURU: Ever since the advent of e-reading, a considerable amount of interesting contents have been surfacing on the internet. Aiming to enhance the accuracy of these contents displayed on Google News and authenticate them in a systematic manner, Google has now introduced a label system that classifies news content. Considering the type and origin, contents from Wikipedia are labelled as Wikipedia; opinion based content have Opinion label and local stories are named Local. The new labels can be seen marked on the expanded view of Google News. As an initial step, the search giant has rolled out the first updates on the US and UK version of Google News. Apart from the web version, the labels will be displayed on the Android and iOS apps. Considering the authenticity of contents, clickbait-based webites that primarily focus on generating traffic can also alter the contents of news articles. In this manner, rumors are effectively spread across the internetdiverting the readers attention from genuine news stories. Googles new feature evaluates the data collected from various fact-checking websites that effectively monitors latest stories and verifies the authenticity of their content and sources. After receiving the fact-checked data, Google will tag the articles with a label and display them on Google Newsfacilitating highly authentic content for readers worldwide. The International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) unites numerous fact-checking websites from across the globe. Currently, the fact-checking networks monitor a wide range of news publication websites to enhance the accuracy of their content. Read Also: Hitachi Systems Micro Clinic Unveils Software To Cut Printing Costs China Successfully Launches Longest Manned Space Mission Three agriculture faculty members win grants CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Three Southern Illinois University Carbondale faculty members in the College of Agricultural Sciences are the recipients of more than $158,000 in Illinois Department of Agriculture grants through the federally funded Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Alan Walters, professor of plant, soil and agricultural systems, is one of the foremost experts on the specialty crop horseradish, which is a major crop in the metro-east area of Illinois. He will use a $59,777 grant to develop new horseradish varieties and to evaluate others for Internal Root Discoloration resistance. This is a two-year project that should result in at least four new varieties released to growers in Illinois. Ruplal Choudhary, associate professor of plant, soil and agricultural systems, will use a $54,642 grant to continue work on nano-encapsulation of natural anti-microbial substances to create edible coating materials for food freshness. Choudhary has worked with curcumin, an active part of turmeric, as a coating for food production and storage surfaces. This grant allows him to continue studying the suitability of limonene as a coating for locally harvested, fresh berries for enhancing shelf life and food safety. Bradley Taylor, associate professor of plant, soil and agricultural sciences, is an expert in viticulture and fruits. He will use a $44,219 grant to develop fine pruning techniques for use in Illinois vineyards. He hopes his techniques will reduce the risk of crop lost to spring freezes and make for more efficient canopy management, which, he hopes, will increase both fruit yield and quality. Our faculty members are dedicated researchers with a strong commitment to excellence in all they do for our students, Mickey Latour, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, said. These grants allow our faculty to continue researching, often side by side with graduate and undergraduate students, and to use their research experience as part of the classroom experience. In addition, this research contributes substantially to the local and statewide agricultural industry, which helps us fulfil our mission as a research university. The state Department of Agriculture defines specialty crops as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture. Illinois is the largest producer of pumpkins and horseradish in the nation, and ranks among the top 10 states in acreage of cantaloupes, green peas, lima beans, and sweet corn. In addition, the grape and wine industry is growing, with nearly 2,000 acres of farmland and 421 farms dedicated to grape growing. China is looking to expand trade with the Philippines during President Rodrigo Duterte's visit this week, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday, as the two sides seek new commercial ties to soothe years of hostility.Duterte will travel with at least 200 business leaders during his four-day trip beginning on Tuesday, which could signal a transformation in a relationship dogged by rival territorial claims in the South China Sea.The move to engage China, just a few months after an arbitral ruling in the disputed waters sparked fears in the region of a backlash by Beijing, marks a striking reversal in Philippine foreign policy since Duterte took office on June 30.China has welcomed the shift in tone, which has put Manila's relations with Washington under strain.Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said China's tropical fruit imports from the Philippines was one area of trade the two sides would look to expand during the visit.China will strengthen trade links with the Philippines, encourage businesses to invest there, strengthen bilateral infrastructure construction and human resources training, Shen told a regular news briefing."China looks forward to Philippine President Duterte's visit, further consolidating and strengthening bilateral trade relations, and continuously elevating the scope of bilateral cooperation to bring more practical benefits to both peoples and countries," Shen said.Duterte has said his trip to China represents a turning point in bilateral ties, but has acknowledged some public concern about his rapid rapprochement moves.On Sunday, he said he would raise the controversial South China Sea ruling with China's leaders and vowed not to surrender any sovereignty or deviate from the July award by the tribunal in the Hague that dealt a blow to China's extensive maritime claims in the region.Beijing has refused to recognise the case and has chided any country telling it to abide by the ruling.China's official Xinhua news agency said in a commentary that the verdict had no place in negotiations, but that years of "bad blood" was giving way to "good faith"."Should he demonstrate his good faith, the trip will present a long overdue opportunity for the two nations, which enjoy longstanding friendship, to heal the wounds of the past few years and steer their relationship back to the right course," Xinhua said.REUTERS SHS RK1020 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-982850.Xml California headquartered UST Global is a digital technology services company that provides next generation digital solutions for Global 1000 companies and employs 4,500 IT professionals in Kerala with 3,000 of them working from the Technopark campus here and the rest at Kochi Infopark campus. A UST press release issued on Tuesday said the MoU was signed at a road show organised by the Madhya Pradesh government in New York on September 30 between Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Alexander Varghese, Chief Administrative Officer, UST Global. Sajan Pillai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), UST Global and Dan Gupta, Chairman Emeritus, UST Global were also present at the event. Chouhan said this is a very welcome MoU for them. "We thank UST Global for its commitment to generating employment. We are happy to be working with them. UST Global has shown interest in starting a Startup Village in their proposed campus," said Chouhan. "In a recent project with us, UST Global helped us successfully conduct the largest ever online exam at a state level in India that covered approximately ten lakh candidates, across 14 cities and 90 colleges. The use of the right technology ensured security and transparency like never before," he said. Gupta thanked Chouhan for providing the opportunity. "Our business continues to be committed to and passionately driven by our mission to transform lives," said Gupta. --IANS sg/ss/bg ( 275 Words) 2016-10-18-18:14:08 (IANS) "The breakup song" from "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" is striking the right chords and sending out a message that a breakup doesnt always have to end on a sour note and in tears. Filmmaker Karan Johar says the song is all about women empowerment. The song shows Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor celebrating a breakup, and is all about how moving on can be easy. "'The break up song' is all about women empowerment. Breaking up should be as quick and easy as falling in love," Karan said in a statement. Karan talked about the song when actress Neha Dhupia inquired about it at Absolut Elyx Filmfare Glamour & Style Awards here. With Pritam's music, the quirky and fun dance number is sung by Arijit Singh, Badshah, Jonita Gandhi and Nakash Aziz. Amid all the hullabaloo over the release of "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", which features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, Karan is excited about the film, and has not given out a statement on the stir yet. While the debate on whether Pakistani artistes should be allowed to work in India or not post the tension between the nations is still on, Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India's (COEAI) passed a judgment that they will not allow "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" to release in single screen theatres across Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat. Directed and produced by Karan under his home banner Dharma Productions, the movie about unrequited love, stars Ranbir, Anushka and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, apart from Fawad. The film is scheduled to release on October 28. --IANS sug/rb/rn ( 272 Words) 2016-10-18-12:56:08 (IANS) The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has rapped the Akhilesh Yadav government for poor work in controlling the menace of dengue, for not spending central funds and for faking statistics on the death toll in the vector borne disease. At a hearing on Monday the High Court not only expressed its displeasure on the statistics submitted to it but also said it did not trust the data following which it has decided to form its own committee of experts to look into the matter. A bench of Justice A.P. Shahi and Justice D.K. Upadhyaya observed that while the court has time it has again given chances to the health department and concerned official over the matter. The court further directed the state government to submit a fresh report on the toll of deaths caused by dengue on October 25 and also suggest names of the people it deems fit to be part of the expert committee. The court said the affidavits given by the Principal Secretary (health), Secretary (urban development), Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Lucknow and other urban body representatives was only "paperwork" and an eyewash. More than 200 people have reportedly died due to dengue in the city alone and more than 2,000 are said to be tested positive for it but the state agencies are not admitting of the casualties. It would have been better had the government and authorities worked in curbing the menace rather than giving fake statistics, the court said. Initially the state government had said there were no deaths due to dengue but later amended the toll and told the court that the number stood at 9. However, the court said this was the figure of government hospitals and has asked details of the many reported deaths in private hospitals. The High Court has also come down heavily on the state government for not spending the funds issued by the central government to control the disease. --IANS md/ss/vm ( 337 Words) 2016-10-18-12:54:08 (IANS) Avishek was rushed to a city nursing home where doctors said he had sustained an orbital injury in a facial bone below the eye. The Chief Minister has ordered a Criminal Investigation Department probe on whether there was any foul play. Former minister Manas Bhunia, who was part of the convoy but in another vehicle, was safe. Avishek's car hit the crane of a van towing a snag-hit milk van at Ratanpur, about six km from Singur, when the TMC leader was returning to Kolkata after attending a party programme in Baharampur in Murshidabad district, police said. Trinamool leader Becharam Manna said Avishek's car upturned and hit a divider after the accident. "He is stable, but obviously there is cause for worry because in such cases there may be complications at a later stage," said attending doctor Subir Mondal. "There is no head injury. All his vital parameters are OK. We have done bone and brain scans. But nothing was found. We have to go for repeat tests," Mondal told the media. A 14-member medical team comprising internal medicine and eye specialists, surgeons, neurosurgeon, neurologist and maxilo-facial surgeon has been formed for his treatment. The doctor said no major fracture was diagnosed but he needed to be kept under medical observation. Mamata Banerjee, known for her fondness for Avishek, rushed to the nursing home. "She was talking to the doctors, and also his nephew," said a nursing home official, Senior Trinamool leaders also reached the health facility to ask after the TMC leader, who represents Diamond Harbour constituency in the 16th Lok Sabha. --IANS mgr-ssp/tsb ( 312 Words) 2016-10-18-23:10:15 (IANS) Asserting that there was no dispute over Ayodhya being Lord Ram's birth place, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti on Monday said that the actual disagreement was over the ownership of the land and assured that it would be sorted soon without any hassles. "The issue is not if the land is Ram janmabhoomi or not. Even the panel of three judges have concurred that the land belongs to Ram. The challenge is the dispute between the WAQF board and the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas over possession of the land, not if it belonged to Lord Ram or not," Bharti told the media here. BJP MP Vinay Katiyar has also raised the issue and urged the Centre to introduce a Bill in the Lok Sabha facilitating the construction of a Ram Temple at the site, emphasising that the temple had been a priority for the BJP. Meanwhile, Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma will visit Ayodhya on Tuesday to inspect the proposed site for setting up a Ramayana museum. "We want it to be a museum where people from around the world come, and get an insight into Lord Ram's life and the Ramayana," Sharma told ANI. Earlier, the opposition had criticised Prime Minister Modi's recent visit to Lucknow to participate in the Dussehra festivities, stating that this was nothing but mere vote bank politics. However, the BJP has been insisting that the Ram temple will not be an electoral tool in their campaign for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections to be held early next year. (ANI) Joining the list of people coming down heavily on filmmaker Anurag Kashyap for hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the boycott on Pakistani artists, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday asserted that such "undesirable statements" are not good for the country. Speaking to the media here, Rijiju said "I don't want to comment and give due importance to such undesirable statements which are not good for the country. We should not react and give importance to such statements which serve the purpose of diverting attention from the real issue at hand". However, in a clear message to Thakur, the Union Minister said that the Prime Minister is a respected feature in the country and that people should think carefully before commenting on him. Earlier in the day, Rijiju had taken a harsher stand on the director's statement and said that questioning the Prime Minister has become a new trend. "A new fashion has developed in India. A student or a film person can put a question or speak against PM without any logic to get into news. In democratic India one can ask questions to PM or comments freely but better if it's with sense & without undermining our nation's prestige," Rijiju said in a series on tweets. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena condemned the director's stand and wondered whether the filmmaker was beyond all boundaries of the country. "Today, the entire country is against Pakistan. Even the Theatre Owner's Association, many of the top most actors like Ajay Devgn has also supported the Army and India's stand. So, why is Anurag Kashyap being different? Is he beyond all boundaries of the country?" quipped Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande. The filmmaker had earlier come out in support of Karan Johar, whose upcoming directorial venture 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil featuring Fawad Khan' is facing trouble after cinema owners association decided to stall the release of movies starring Pakistani artistes. In a series of tweets by Anurag Kashyap, he questioned the Prime Minister Modi as to why he hasn't apologized for meeting his Pakistani counterpart the same time when Karan Johar was shooting for 'ADHM.' He tweeted, "Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why?" "The world must learn from us.. We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it.. #ADHM . With you on this @karanjohar," Kashyap tweeted. After posting an array of tweets questioning the Prime Minister, Kashyap did some damage control by saying, "@narendramodi I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I don't get it. Sorry if you feel offended.." The Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) last week announced that they would not screen movies starring Pakistani artistes in the four states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. This has put an uncertainty on the release of "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" as it features Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan. The movie stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in lead roles. The decision taken by COEAI mainly covers single screen theatres and comes amid tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of Uri attack last month. (ANI) Disagreeing with Priyanka Chopra's comment on the Pakistani artistes, Indian Filmmaker and Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association's (IMPPA) vice-president Ashok Pandit on Monday asserted that the Pakistani artistes have hurt the sentiments of the people by remaining silent on the ghastly Uri terror attack and that's why they don't ought to put their feet on the Indian soil. "The only request we made to Pakistani actors was that they should condemn the Uri attack and they should show some sympathy towards our soldiers and our country at large. But they remained silent. They didn't react to the ghastly attack of Pakistan in Uri. So that is what actually hurt us, that is what actually angered us and that is what actually disturbed us a lot and that's why IMPPA banned the Pakistani actors." Pandit told ANI. "The Pakistani artists have always considered this country as an ATM centre. Without identifying with our pain, they have enjoyed their lives here; they have made money and gone back to their country," he added. Asserting that nation comes first, Pandit alleged that the Pakistani artistes make money in India and pay their taxes in Pakistan where the terrorists are given shelter. "We will not allow our country to be exploited and to be used for funding terrorism because the Pakistani actors are making money here and paying taxes in Pakistan where terrorists are taken care and nurtured and we will not allow that to happen." he said. Speaking to a leading English news channel, Priyanka earlier said that she backs the government's stand being a patriotic Indian. "I am extremely patriotic. So, whatever my government decides is important to keep the country safe, I go with that", said the 34-year-old star. The 'Quantico' star, however, added that she did not believe in the artistes being a representation. "It's tricky because first of all artistes and actors are always held responsible for every bigger political agenda that happens in the country," she said. "Why not business (men), politicians, doctors and why not anyone else except for public people who are not actors in the movie industry?" she continued. The 'Quantico' star further said, "We should be concerned about keeping the rest of our sons and the rest of our soldiers safe and that needs to be the focus. We always lose our focus and comment on something else because that's what that makes noise and because people talk about it and media carries it." The Pakistani artistes working in Bollywood were the first to bear the brunt of the hostilities between India and Pakistan post the Uri terrorist attack. Following this, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) threatened the Pakistani artistes to leave the country and since then films starring actors Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan have been under the radar of release ban. (ANI) She will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the last day of her visit tomorrow. After arriving in the national capital yesterday after attending the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit in Goa, Suu Kyi yesterday met Congress President Sonia Gandhi at her residence Suu Kyi is accompanied by several Ministers and senior officials and her visit will provide an opportunity to discuss issues of mutual interest and seek to further strengthen the close and friendly ties that exist between the two countries. (ANI) Leicester City midfielder Nampalys Mendy will be out of action for around five weeks after undergoing an surgery on his ankle, manager Claudio Ranieri has said.The 24-year-old joined the Foxes from French club Nice in July but was substituted on his Premier League debut against Arsenal in August after landing awkwardly to injure his ankle."Mendy was unlucky. In the last training session he had a little fracture of the bone. I think today (Monday) he is in surgery just to clean this little fragment of bone out," Ranieri told the club's website."It depends how long, it could be four weeks or five weeks. I don't know."Ranieri confirmed forward Shinji Okazaki, who was not included in the squad for Saturday's league defeat at Chelsea, will be fit for today's Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen.Despite struggling to mount a convincing defence of their English top flight title, Leicester, who are 13th in the league standings, have fared better in the Champions League, where they top Group G after winning both their games. REUTERS SHS NS1200 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-982982.Xml More than 200 volunteers of the left parties and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) were arrested when they resorted to Rail Roko agitation here to condemn the central government for its failure to set up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB). The volunteers took out a procession and blocked the Puducherry-Chennai express train at the railway station here. The arrested included CPI state secretary R Viswanathan, CPM secretary Rajangam,CPI(ML) secretary Balasubramanian and VCK secretary Deva Pozhilan. The agitation was also to condemn the Karnataka government for not releasing Cauvery water for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as per the direction of Supreme Court. Mr Viswanathan said the union government is taking a stance against Tamil Nadu and supporting Karnataka in the Cauvery water issue in view of the Assembly election in Karnataka.UNI PAB CS 1209 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-982996.Xml Kenneth Arredondo, who has held this role since 2014, will be working with Mackay until the end of March 2017 to ensure a smooth transition for customers, partners and employees. Arredondo will be taking on a new role within CA Technologies in April 2017, IT company said in a statement here. Mackay will be based in Singapore and report directly to Adam Elster, President of CA's global field operations. Mackay is responsible for driving growth by helping customers and partners leverage new business opportunities in the application economy. His charter covers the management of all sales and business development across the region. Mackay has almost 30 years of experience in multiple sectors of the technology industry. He has led enterprise software, channel and inside sales teams in Europe, the US and APJ. "I am excited about working with the team in APJ, and further building CA's business in this fast growing market," Mackay said. UNI KNR CS 1240 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-983013.Xml Punjab Congress today expressed anguish over the decision of a martyr's wife to return the Sena medal ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ludhiana visit, describing it as a 'slap on the face of the Prime Minister, as well as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal'. Accusing the Modi government of indulging in cheap and dirty politics at the cost of the lives of soldiers on one hand, and ignoring the plight of their widows on the other, the Punjab Congress leaders said, "the BJP-SAD seemed to have mastered the art of playing games with our armed forces. ''While our soldiers are fighting at the borders to protect our lives, Modi is busy taking mileage out of the deaths of the armed personnel." Mr Modi's refusal to meet the war widow in Ludhiana shows the extent of his depraved thinking, they said, adding that the recent surgical strikes against Pakistan also clearly manifested his intent to exploit the Defence forces for his vested political interests. The blatant shamelessness with which the Modi government had tried to take credit for the surgical strikes - a highly commendable decision taken by the Army in an extremely tough situation - showed the low levels to which Modi and Company were ready to stoop in the interest of their political gains, they added. In a joint statement here, DCC president Col Babu Singh, senior Congress leader Captain Harmander Singh and Ex-Servicemen Cell chairman Col Bhag Singh said the incident showed the total apathy of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and its ally, the BJP, towards the plight of war widows. According to media reports, 60-year-old Surinder Kaur returned her husband's medal yesterday, accusing the government of failing to provide her with any help, even 30 years after her husband was killed in Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1987. The body of Kashmir Singh, a Hawaldar with 13 Sikh Light Infantry, never came back home. He was awarded the Sena Medal posthumously in 1991. When Surinder Kaur came to Ludhiana with her family ahead of Mr Modi's visit, it was obviously with the hope that the Prime Minister would intervene and come to their help. However, when it became clear that they would not be allowed to even meet him, Ms Kaur decided to return the medal, the Punjab Congress leaders pointed out. They said the SAD-BJP alliance had once again showed how little they cared for the plight of common people in the state. War widows in Punjab have been fighting a tough and long battle for their rights, they noted, referring to their ongoing protest outside the Chief Minister's residence for the past nearly three weeks. Charging the Badal government with meting out step-motherly treatment to the widows and their families, they said this attitude of SAD-BJP combine smacked of utter disregard of the genuine issues plaguing the war widows. They extended full support of Congress to the problems faced by the martyrs' families and said the party would address their concerns on priority, once it is back in power in Punjab.UNI DB RJ 1559 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-983338.Xml Gunmen shot dead an employee of a private firm and looted Rs six lakh from him near Digghi village under Sadar police station area in Vaishali district today.Police said here that three motorcycle-born assailants shot at the employee of a distributor company of vehicles, Vijay Kumar Singh, and looted Rs six lakh from him when he was waiting for a bus to go to Muzaffarpur. Singh breathed his last, when he was being rushed to Patna Medical College and Hospital by the local people. Police have launched a massive manhunt to nab the criminals after sealing borders of the district.UNI XC DH RN CJ RJ 1545 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0311-983282.Xml Telangana and Illinois State Governments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that paves way for collaboration and interaction between the two States in various fields through the sharing of expertise. Mr Arvind Kumar, Principal Secretary (Industries and Commerce) and Mr Hardik Bhatt, Secretary of Innovation & Technology and State Chief Information Officer signed the Agreement in Chicago, Illinois yesterday representing Telangana and Illinois States respectively. Minister for Industries and Commerce, IT, MAUD and NRI Affairs KT Rama Rao and Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Consulate General of India, Chicago were present at the event, an official statement said here today. Mr Rao is on the second leg of his business visit to the US to promote Telangana and attract investments into the State. The agreement facilitates the two States to extend cooperation in the areas-- Smart State Solutions, e-governance, entrepreneurship, innovation, business incubators, job creation and best practices. Under the Smart State solutions, Illinois State will introduce "Array of Things" sensors for air pollution monitoring in Telangana. The two States will share best practices, tools and processes for disaster & emergency management, data management, data analytics, open data and Intelligent Transportation Systems. Under the e-Governance, the two States will strive to transform state agencies by incorporating communications and information technologies into their operations. The two governments will share information and insights on the e-services implemented in Illinois and Telangana, evaluate them for their effectiveness and impact on citizens. The MoU aims to promote entrepreneurship in both the States by facilitating interaction between entrepreneurs and holding hackathons for high citizen impact applications. Under the Agreement, the two States will work to establish UI Labs, an innovation accelerator, in Telangana and to replicate innovation labs in Telangana back in Illinois. It aims to promote innovation in the industry of Illinois and Telangana. The MoU also details on establishment of joint business incubators to support development of high technology solutions and foster start-up culture. The two States will also work for identifying job creation initiatives and share best practices and lessons learned related to policies and regulations, financial models and standards.UNI VV CS 1625 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-983443.Xml A 29-year-old Indian research scholar has been selected one among 25 young scientists across sixteen countries to be felicitated at an awards ceremony called the "Green Talents Alumni Conference 2016" to be held in Germany later this month. Shamik Chowdhury, who is presently pursuing PhD in Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) will be felicitated at the conference under the patronage of German Research Minister Johanna Wanka to be held in Kosmos at Berlin on October 28, said S.Siddharth Samson of Good Relations India in a statement here today. Chowdhury's interdisciplinary research combines urban sustainability, resource efficiency, cleaner production and eco-innovation. His objective is to create green technologies based on renewable feed stocks in order to promote more sustainable city life. His research focus is on "green synthesis of 2D grapheme nanosheets and their self-assembly into advanced 3D macrostructures for sustainable urban development." As our earth becomes increasingly urban, cities and their inhabitants must foster more sustainable stewardship of the planet's natural resources. MORE UNI GSM-CS 1742 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-983705.Xml The UST Global, a leading digital solutions and technology company for Global 1000 enterprises, will invest Rs 400 crore in Madhya Pradesh to build its own campus in ten acres of land. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the company and the Madhya Pradesh government recently, an UST Global statement said here today. Referring to the agreement, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said "UST Global has shown interest in starting a Startup Village in their proposed campus. In a recent project with us, UST Global helped us by successfully conducting the largest ever online exam at a state level in India that covered approximately one million candidates, across 14 cities and 90 colleges. The use of the right technology ensured security and transparency like never before." Mr. Dan Gupta, Chairman Emeritus, UST Global, said "Our business continues to be committed to and passionately driven by our mission to Transform Lives". Mr. Sajan Pillai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), UST Global, added "Information Technology is the largest employment generator in the world. We are delighted to partner with Madhya Pradesh to create jobs and accelerate economic growth.This alliance firmly establishes our vision to be a successful business that uses technology and resources to bring about social transformation." Sharing key details of the MoU, Mr. Alexander Varghese, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), UST Global, said "We are committing to invest Rs 400 Crore in Madhya Pradesh. We will be building our own campus that will be spread over an area 10 acres. Through this investment we aim to create jobs in Information Technology. We are working with governments across the world in such projects and we are proud to work with the MP as India has a significant number of our employees spread across 9 cities."UNI CR CS 1728 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0324-983590.Xml Alleging that Gurez valley in north Kashmir district of Bandipora has been converted into an undeclared jail by Army, Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) chief Er Sheikh Abdul Rashid today said in the name of Line of Control (LoC) fencing, 70 per cent residential houses and agriculture land has been left on the other side. Appealing to the state government to end the siege and miseries of the people living in Gurez, Er Rashid, who is Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), alleged the people have not only been deprived of their rights by the civil administration, but Army has converted major parts of Gurez and Talail Valley into an undeclared jail. Hitting out at the government and Army, Er Rashid said, "In the name of Line of Control (LoC) fencing, 70 per cent residential houses and agriculture land has been left on the other side of fencing, as if that portion belongs to the other side. Er Rashid, who was on a two day visit to Gurez, Talail and Baktoor areas in bandipora, said it has resulted in enormous hardships for the people, leaving them at the complete mercy of Army."Barnai, Purana Talail, Achura, Choor Wan, Refuge Basti and dozens of villages have been completely caged by LoC fencing and all the entries to these villages have been closed," he alleged. "There is just one entry and exit gate in every village and all these gates are either under the control of Army or BSF. People have been directed not to move out of their houses after 2000 hrs. Almost entire area is without mobile network as army are creating hurdles in allowing telecom companies to provide the same," Rashid alleged.UNI ABS CJ RJ 1730 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0433-983516.Xml Faced with the prospect of the stalling of release of his film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', filmmaker Karan Johar today said he was proud of the Indian Army and would not work with Pakistani actors in the near future, but at the same time, he urged that the release of his film should be allowed as it involved the 'blood and toil' of hundreds of people.Breaking his silence on the issue of demand for ban on Pakistani actors, Johar said he was silent as he was deeply hurt for being branded as 'anti-national'.''I have been deeply hurt over allegations of being 'anti-national'. I want to say that when I began shooting for 'Ae Dil Hae Mushkil', an atmosphere of friendship and bonhomie prevailed between the two countries. It is in this atmosphere that I began working on my film. There were efforts made by our Government for peaceful relationships with the neighbouring country and I respected those efforts then,'' he said.While supporting the stand of filmmakers not working with Pakistani actors, Karan, however, appealed that the release of Ae Dil Hae Mushkil be allowed as it involves the blood and toil of several hundreds of its cast and crew members.''I respect the sentiment today. I am proud of the Indian Army for protecting our borders. For me my country comes first, nothing else matters to me but my country. I understand the sentiment because I feel the same. ''I'd like to say that of course I'll not engage with talent from the neighbouring country given the circumstance. But with the same energy, I beseech you to know that over 300 Indian people in my crew have put their blood, sweat and tears into ADHM. I don't think it's fair to them to face any kind of turbulence on account of other fellow Indians,'' Karan said.The filmmaker said he had always felt that the best way to express one's patriotism was to spread love and that was what he had tried to do through his work.''The best way to express your patriotism is to spread love and thats all I have ever tried to do through my work and cinema,'' Karan said.This is the first time that the filmmaker has spoken out since the decision of the exhibitors not to screen films featuring Pakistani actors in their theatres, a decision that has put a question mark on the release of Johar's Ae Dil Hae Mushkil and the Shahrukh Khan-starrer 'Raaes'.UNI AR AE RJ 1856 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-983917.Xml Senior CPI leader D Raja today demanded a high level and thorough probe into the fire tragedy at Sum hospital here, in which at least 20 patients were so far killed, over 100 injured and admitted in various hospitals of the city. Addressing reporters here, Mr Raja said the state government should also initiate criminal proceedings against those responsible for the fire tragedy yesterday and pay adequate compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased. The CPI leader, who visited the Capital hospital to see the patients admitted there after being rescued by the fire brigade personnel from SUM Hospital, said the inquiry should find out the lapses and suggest the possible measures to be taken, to prevent such disasters in future. He said the various hospitals, where the SUM hospital patients were being treated, should be given free treatment by the hospital authority concerned, on humanitarian grounds. Mr Raja urged the state government to regularly monitor the fire safety measures not only in the hospitals but also in the high rise buildings, apartments and shopping mall to avoid such type of incidents. The CPI(M) Odisha unit held a demonstration in front of the official residence of the State Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak here to protest against the death of people in the fire mishap. The activists demanded the resignation of the Health Minister stating that the health system in the state had totally collapsed and the minister must tender resignation owning moral responsibility. The CPM activists also demanded that the authorities file criminal case against the owner of the hospital and arrest him U/S 302 of the IPC on the charge of mass murder. They alleged that the state government has handed over the entire health care system to private and corporate hospitals who were "looting the patients by providing poor quality treatment". Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered a high level administrative inquiry by RDC into the fire mishap in the SUM Hospital. The state government had also ordered another inquiry by the Director Medical Education and Training (DMET) into the incident. UNI DP-BD AKM RSA RJ 1820 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-983569.Xml According to a statement by the PRO of the office of Inspector General of Assam Rifles informed that a search operation was carried out in Alahuto colony of Zunheboto town on October 10 by troops of 5 Assam Rifles based on an input about extortion activity in the area by NSCN (K) cadres. During the search with police representatives, one self-styled captain of NSCN (K), resident of Tichipami village in Zunheboto district, was apprehended with indiscriminate items. The apprehended cadre along with the recovered items, was handed over to Zunheboto police station on October 11. The locals applauded the efforts, put in by Assam Rifles to curb the menace of extortion, the statement added. UNI AS AKM RJ AS1921 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-983653.Xml Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was today critically injured in a car accident and was admitted to a private hospital in the city. A first information report said the MP from Diamond Harbour, who is also the President of All India Trinamool Congress' youth wing, was injured on the Durgapur Expressway at Singur, while he was returning to Kolkata from Baharampur in Murshidabad in a convoy. He suffered injuries in head, hand and shoulder. The Chief Minister rushed to the Belle Vue hospital from Nabanna. Eye-witnesses said the mishap occurred, while Mr Banerjee's car overturned while overtaking a vehicle on Durgapur Expressway, at around 1600 hrs. UNI PC PL CJ RJ 1828 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-983743.Xml They will be recruited in the Auxiliary Force mainly consisting of ex-servicemen, as Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Haryana Police. A decision to this effect was taken in the meeting of state cabinet held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here today. It was also decided in-principle that employees of Class IV category would also be absorbed on such posts. The retired personnel of Para-Military forces and ex-constables of disbanded HSISF would be appointed as SPOs subject to the condition that the ex-employees of Para military forces are to be given preference over and above HSISF. A special training capsule would be designed by Director General of Police and they would be assigned duty other than main police duty for example Guard duty and Patrolling. A total number of 3000 ex-servicemen are to be enrolled by all the police units, out of which 2045 have already reported or joined after completion of 15 days capsule course. The cabinet also approved the proposal of connectivity of the proposed site of Integrated Multi Modal Logistic Hub near Narnaul, district Mahendragarh, to National Highway No. 148B. The length of the proposed road is 6,775 metres and 75.58 acres in required. The Multi Modal Logistic Hub would be set up over an area of about 1,000 acres at village Bashirpur, Ghatasher andTalot in Tehsil Narnaul, district Mahendragarh.UNI DB CJ RJ 1851 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-983613.Xml Besides, 'Rashtriya Ekta Saptah' would also be observed from October 31 to November 6. This was stated by Principal Secretary, Higher Education Dr Mahavir Singh here today, after a video conference with Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar. Dr Mahavir Singh informed the Union Minister that Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma would participate in the meeting of sub-committee of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) to be held in New Delhi on October 19, 2016. He would also be present in the meeting of Education Ministers of all states to be held on October 25, 2016. Referring to the activities to be carried out in Haryana during National Unity Week, Dr Singh also informed the Union Minister that the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel would be observed as 'Rashtriya Ekta Divas'. Activities such as declamation contests, seminars, debate, essay writing, slogan and poster making competitions, drama, music and 'nukkad nataks' would also be organised in schools and colleges till November 6. He said that members of Gram Panchayats and Municipalities, school management committees, NCC and NSS units, Scouts and Guides, sportspersons and other social organisations would also be included in these events.UNI DB CJ RJ 1806 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-983668.Xml Alleging that Education Minister Naeem Akhtar is showing an unreasonable desire for revenge by scapegoating students of the valley, main opposition National Conference (NC) today asked the government to postpone the examinations in view of the prevailing situation in the valley. "Mr Akhtar has arrogantly and vindictively asked the students to be prepared for examinations on time even though students have lost out on school time for more than 100 days," the NC said. The NC said the announcement has come despite all educational institutions in the valley being shut for more than three months now. "It's unfortunate that the Education Minister hasn't said a word about thousands blinded, injured and countless arrested, most of them being students," the NC in a statement said. "The government should arrange tuitions for students so that a significant part of the syllabus is completed and they are also well prepared for their entrance examinations in the future," it said. "Despite knowing the ground realities, education minister seems to be trusting exams pup on students. Mr Akhtar is showing an unreasonable desire for revenge by scapegoating students of the valley. Why should students bear the brunt of Mr Akhtar's frustration? Government should postpone the exams scheduled in November in wake of the prevailing situation in the valley," the NC statement added.UNI ABS CJ RJ 1802 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0433-983558.Xml Asserting that there has been a spurt in infiltration attempts from across the Line of Control (LoC), a senior Army officer today said that it is prepared to deal with any misadventure from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK). "The Army is prepared to deal with any misadventure from across the LoC and give a befitting reply to infiltrators. Our preparedness is of the highest degree along the LoC," General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Srinagar-based 15 corps Lt Gen Satish Dua told reporters at Boniyar, Uri, in north Kashmir district of Baramulla. Lt Gen Dua said there has been a spurt in infiltration attempts from across the LoC during the summer. But, he said the Army foiled most of these bids as is evident from the encounters taking place near the LoC. "I admit that some infiltration has taken place, but the encounters along the LoC and the number of militants eliminated shows the preparedness of the Army," he said. Meanwhile, refusing to comment on the surgical strikes conducted by Army in PoK, he said the armed force and the political leadership has already said whatever was to be said about it. Asserting that Army is trying to bring back Kashmiri youth to the mainstream by various programmes, Lt Gen Dua said they are misguided, but they still are our children. When asked if there was a trust deficit between Army and the youth, he said while there were some misguided youths who take part in protests, the majority were with the armed forces. "Recently, one of our vehicles met with an accident and our jawans were trapped inside the vehicle. It was the local Kashmiri youth who extricated the jawans," he added.UNI ABS CJ RJ 1922 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0433-983999.Xml Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh presented a detailed memorandum today to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Mandi raising important issues concerning the state. Mr. Singh sought compensation Grant of at least Rs. 1000 crore per annum to state for immensely valuable environmental and ecological services rendered by Himachal Pradesh by ban of green felling and preserving the forests in the hill states. The State's efforts have brought immense benefits to the rest of the country even at the expense of livelihood of the people of the state. A committee headed by B K Chaturvedi of the then Planning Commission to study development in hill states arising from management of forest lands with special focus on creation of infrastructure, livelihood and human development had recommended special grant to hill states equal to two per cent of Gross Budgetary Support to the Plan each year. This Committee's recommendations are the basis for the State's request for Compensation Grant. Thus, a Special Compensation Grant of Rs.1000 crore from the Union Government to Himachal Pradesh was requested by the Chief Minister.MORE UNI ML SHK 2030 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-984124.Xml Two petrol pump owners have been booked for malpractices in north Kashmir district of Baramulla. An official spokesperson here today said that a team of Legal Meteorology Department today conducted a surprise inspection of petrol pumps in the district, during which two petrol pump owners were booked for malpractices. He said both the pump owners were booked as per the provisions of the law and concerned dispensing units were seized. He said the Department is considering strict action against the defaulting dealers in coordination with the concerned oil marketing companies. "The petrol pump owners of the district have been asked to conduct routine delivery check of their retail outlets using a 5 liter capacity measure duly verified by the Department," he said. He said in case any error is observed in fuel delivery, sale of fuel needs to be stopped and the same needs to be brought in the notice of the concerned inspector of the Department for re-calibration of the dispensing units.UNI ABS CJ RJ 1959 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0433-984092.Xml Haryana cabinet today approved the proposal to allot three acres of additional land of Kurukshetra Development Board to Global Inspiration and Enlightenment Organisaiton of Bhagwad Gita (GIEO GITA), New Delhi, for construction of a Centre for Universal Spread of Awareness and Research on Shrimad Bhagwad Gita. The Board of Governors of Kurukshetra Development Board has already decided, in its meeting, to allot this three acres of additional land to GIEO GITA. The land would be allotted on lease basis for 99 years at the rate of Rs five lakh per acre. The cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here, also approved the proposals of Revenue and Disaster Management department to change the name of district Gurgaon as district Gurugram and that of District Mewat as District Nuh. It gave ex-post-facto approval for creation of one temporary post of Special Assistant for Government Chief Whip in Haryana, at the state headquarter. The cabinet also approved the proposal of the Food and Supplies department to change its name as Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs. It also approved the proposal of Development and Panchayats department to exchange shamilat land measuring four Kanal two Marla of gram panchayat Palwali, in Block and District Faridabad with the land measuring four Kanal two Marla of Mata Amritanandamayi Math. The decision to exchange land was taken as the passage has become redundant and alternate passage is to be given. The Faridabad Deputy Commissioner had recommended this proposal for exchange of land, as the market value of both the lands is at par that is Rs three crore per acre. It also approved the proposal of the Development and Panchayats department to exchange shamilat land measuring six Kanal 13 Marla of gram panchayat Bighad, Block and District Fatehabad with the land of private persons measuring six Kanal 13 Marla. The land was required to be exchanged for construction of water works by Public Health Engineering Department. The market value of both the lands is at par that is Rs 35 lakh per acre. Apart from this, the cabinet also approved the proposal regarding exchange of shamilat land measuring 31 Kanal of Gram Panchayat Pipaltha, Block Narwana, District Jind with the private land measuring 15 Kanal and 10 Marla. The land is required for already constructed building of a school of the Education department.UNI DB RSA 2113 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-984192.Xml Taking a leaf out of theMaratha community's state-wide marches for their demand ofreservation, the activists of Muslim organization 'Jamait-E-UlemaHind' and other local Muslim organizations today held ademonstration in front of the divisional commissioner's office heredemanding five per cent reservation for the community. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,which was handed over to divisional commissioner, they stated thatthe Muslim community is backward not just in education but sociallyand economically as well. The Ragnath Mishra Commission, Sacchar Committee and Mehmood-Ur-Rehman Committee have had recommended to the government to givereservation to the Muslims in order to bring them into themainstream, the letter further stated. The previous Congress-NCP combine state government hadannounced five per cent reservation for the Muslims of the state anddespite no objection from the Bombay high court, the government hasyet to issue a resolution in this regard, thus hanging the issue ofreservation for the Muslims in the air, it further said. Hence, the state government should take a positive action byproviding reservation to the Muslim community in the state, it addedand warned that otherwise they will intensify their agitation fortheir demand. The members of the Maratha community havebeen taking out 'Muk Morchas' (silent marches) across the state insupport of their demands of reservation, justice for the Kopardirape victim, stern action against the perpetrators of the gangrapeand changes in Atrocity Act. The Maratha community has been taking out marches to protestthe gruesome gangrape and murder of a teenage girl at Kopardi inAhmednagar district in July.UNI VKB SS RSA 2249 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-984339.Xml The state administration has also decided to deploy high end police combat forces with non-lethal weapons in the factory premises. Barrackpore Police Commissioner Tanmoy Roy Chowdhury said, " the procedure of fire indicates clear sabotage. Investigations are being carried out further." "There have been two incidents of fire in the Jessop factory within a week. The West Bengal government has ordered a CID probe today. We will investigate and action will be taken against those involved in the matter," said Criminal Investigation Department Deputy Inspector General Bharat Lal Meena. A senior fire official said the place was put to fire intentionally as no material made of iron can catch fire all by itself. Hence, the CID has been appointed to look into the matter. The locals and Jessop workers have alleged lack of maintenance and hinted that sabotage was the reason behind the repeated instances of fire at the factory premises. Before the state assembly election this year, state government passed a bill to take over the Pawan Kumar Ruia group-controlled ailing industrial units - Dunlop India and the 228-year old Jessop.UNI BM RSA 2212 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-984292.Xml Amid tension between India and its western neighbour, a local shopkeeper dealing in electronic goods made a scheme to 'gift' coins bearing images of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The Swarnim Bharat Manch today staged a protest and demanded registering of a case against the trader. "Pakistan is involved in ceaseless anti-India rhetoric. Numerous of our soldiers have attained martyrdom. The dealer issued an advertisement vis--vis gifts and that ad shows gold coins bearing Jinnah's image," a Manch member said. A memorandum was submitted to Collector Bhondve Sanket Shantaram.UNI XC-AC RSA 2306 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-984371.Xml One of India's largest IT services organisation, DATA XGen Technologies Pvt Ltd a group company of Data Infosys, has launched world's first free linguistic email address under the name 'DATAMAIL' which allows to create email ids in 8 Indian languages, English and 3 foreign languages Arabic, Russian and Chinese. Over the period of time the email service in 22 languages will be offered by Data XGen Technologies Pvt. Ltd. which is free to be downloaded from any android or IOS system through their respective play store under the name DATAMAIL. Dr Ajay Data, Founder and CEO Data XGen Technologies Pvt. Ltd said, "Indian languages account for less than 0.1 per cent content on world wide web or www (as per IAMAI report). Also over 89 per cent population is a non English speaking population which is unable to read and communicate via email as the language utilised to communicate is English on the world wide web, the IT company said in a release here today. In order to contribute towards the Digital India Mission and Make in India mission, we at Data XGen Technologies Pvt. Ltd., launched the first free 'indic' email service under the name 'DATAMAIL'. The linguistic email service will allow people from across India to communicate in 8 regional and one English languages to provide ease of connect and bridging the digital divide amongst Indian citizens." Internet penetration in Iceland which is on 1st position, UAE on 12th, USA on 18th, Germany on 19th where the language diversity is comparatively very low. In case of affordability of mobile broadband percentage, India is on the 101st position with 12.39 per cent of average GDP per capita is required for mobile broadband access which is further expected to be corrected with the reforms and competition in the telecom industry. Digital India without touching 89 per cent of population has no mean and Government and Private sectors should work together to avail the user-friendly digital technology to the Semi-Urban and Rural India for fulfilling PM's vision of Digital India, Dr Ajay added. The most spoken languages in India in 2016, according to our analysis based on secondary data are approximately Hindi (544.39m), Bengali (107.60m), Telugu (95.40m), Marathi (92.74m), Tamil (78.41m), Urdu (66.47m), Gujarati (59.44m), Kannada (48.96m), Punjabi (37.55m), Assamese (16.98m). The total of population using these key languages comes about 1147.95m that is a larger share (About 89%) of current population in India.UNI KNR RSA 2319 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0275-984228.Xml A postgraduate student of Dr R P Govt Medical College, Tanda was allegedly manhandled by an attendant of a patient in the Radiology department and theaccused was arrested, police said here today. Kangra Sub Divisional Police officer Surinder Sharma told UNIthat Dr Raj Kumar, a postgraduate student, was assaulted by anattendant of a patient in the radiology department last night when thedoctor was on duty. THe SDPO said that the accused was identified as Susheel Rana a resident of Bari village of Nurpur.He said that police immediately swung into action and arrested Susheel under section 353 and 332 IPC. He said that investigation in the case was in progress.UNI XC JS RSA 2310 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-984146.Xml The country's Foreign Minister Abdul-Malik Mekhlafi tweeted: "The president agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire to be extended if the other party (Houthis) adheres to it." The minister added that the military commission responsible for overseeing ceasefires will be activated to lift the siege on Taiz during the 72-hour cessation of hostilities, Xinhua news agency reported. A government official said that a fresh round of peace talks sponsored by the United Nations will probably start after the three-day truce. The announcement comes hours after Britain and the US called for an immediate ceasefire to control the outrage caused by the killing of 140 people in the October 8 Saudi airstrike. "This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," The Guardian quoted US Secretary of State John Kerry as saying after a brief meeting with the British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson on October 16. A number of humanitarian truces between Yemeni warring sides occurred in the past months but failed to stop the fierce fighting across the country. The situation in Yemen has deteriorated both economically and politically since March 2015, when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition. According to humanitarian agencies, more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians have already been killed while nearly two million have been displaced. --IANS vgu/ ( 271 Words) 2016-10-18-03:34:09 (IANS) According to Baloch Republican Students Organisation based in Germany, another Baloch civilian was killed and several women were taken away by the Pakistan Army during an operation in Dilband and Nagahi areas. Meanwhile, Baloch Republican Party spokesman Sher Mohammad Bugti, in a statement condemned Pakistani aggression against Baloch civilian. He said that Pakistani forces conducted a heavy military operation Goburd area of Mand and abducted several Baloch people. Relatives of the victims protested in front of an army camp installed on a hospital but attracted the attention of no media or so-called human rights organizations. "State aggression has grown to limits. An innocent Baloch civilian was killed due to indiscriminate firing by Pakistani armed forces," he said. On the other hand, military operations are taking place in Dilband and Nagahi areas of Kalat from past three days. Pakistani forces sieged the area and abducted, hanged an innocent Baloch civilian identified as Mubarak Bugti s/o Jana Bugti upside down to a tree for an entire night and then took him along with his family. He further said that Pakistani forces also launched military operations in Chattar, Sherani, Hoti and adjacent areas of Naseerabad. Helicopters have indiscriminately bombarded the area killing an innocent Baloch civilian, Lalu Bugti. He urged the human rights groups to take all practical measures to ensure put an end to state atrocities on Balochistan people. (ANI) An entire range of defense cooperation has been reviewed by Sri Lanka and China during the recent visit of Sri Lanka's Secretary of Defense to Beijing, to participate in the second China - Sri Lanka Defense Cooperation Dialogue. A delegation was led by the Secretary of Defense on the invitation of the Chinese Government to attend the 7th Xiangshan Forum on 10-12 October and the second China - Sri Lanka Defense Cooperation Dialogue from 12-15 October. The second China-Sri Lanka Defense Cooperation Dialogue in Beijing was chaired by the Defense Secretary Hettiarachchi and Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), reports the Colombo Page. During the dialogue, the two countries had in-depth exchange of views on South Asian situation, bilateral relations and exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries. Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defense (MOD) said that the entire range of defense cooperation including high level exchanges, military assistance, training opportunities, collaboration between defense think tanks, intelligence cooperation, joint military exercises and participation in defense seminars, workshops and symposia was reviewed by the two Asian countries. The delegations highlighted defense as an important pillar of cooperation in the overall bilateral relationship and agreed to continue to strengthen ties in this sphere. Two agreements related to the provision of Chinese Yuan 120 million (Rs. 2.6 billion) worth of military assistance and the provision of an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) to Sri Lanka were signed during the meeting at the conclusion of the Dialogue. The Chinese Defense Official said, "The military-to-military relations serve as a cornerstone for bilateral relations, and the Chinese military is willing to continue to support Sri Lanka's defense and military development, and work with it to implement the consensus reached by Chinese president Xi Jinping and Sri Lanka President Sirisena." Praising the long-standing friendship between Sri Lanka and China the Defense Secretary said that Sri Lanka stands ready to deepen mutually beneficial exchange and cooperation with China in multiple fields and increase mutual trust and coordination. The Defense Secretary on behalf of the President and Minister of Defense of Sri Lanka extended an invitation to the Minister of National Defense of China to undertake an early visit to Sri Lanka to strengthen cooperation in the defense sector. The Sri Lanka delegation to included Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy, Chief of Staff of Navy Rear Admiral S S Ranasinghe, and Commandant Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force Major General H C P Goonetilleke. (ANI) Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has announced November 2 as the new date for its much talked about Islamabad protest which was earlier scheduled for October 30. Senior leaders of party had met in the capital today to decide a new date for the party's planned siege of Islamabad. The dawn quoted Khan as saying, "Why are we holding this protest? Because a prime minister has been caught doing corruption. What do we want? A resignation or an investigation... Nawaz Sharif should be held accountable like the prime minister of Iceland who was also named in the Panama Papers." Explaining the reason for change in the date of the plan, PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the decision was taken primarily due to the annual election of the Supreme Court Bar Association scheduled to be held on Oct 31. He said that the PTI leadership had been conveyed the concern of lawyers that the planned siege of the capital on Oct 30 could disturb their election. Qureshi said that the concern expressed by the lawyers' leadership made sense so we have decided to change the date. As part of the party's accountability movement against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and members of his family in the wake of the Panama Papers leaks, PTI chairman Imran Khan had unveiled his plan to paralyse Islamabad. Party vice-chairman said that it could be T20, one day or five-day test match, and if the government didn't behave, "we are even ready for a tournament". Qureshi stated, "Other political parties in particular and the masses in general must understand that the accountability movement is not for the removal of the prime minister or power grab by the PTI, but to bring the former to the dock." (ANI) Dozens of Japanese members of parliament visited Yasukuni Shrine for war dead today to mark an autumn festival at the shrine, seen in China and the two Koreas as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.Kyodo news agency said about 80 lawmakers visited the shrine. Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki sent an aide to represent him, an official at Shiozaki's office said. Earlier, Kyodo had said Shiozaki himself went.The group visit came a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine, prompting a sharp rejoinder from China and a reminder from Tokyo's close ally Washington of the importance of reconciliation over the past.Visits by Japanese leaders to Yasukuni have outraged China and South Korea because the shrine honours 14 Japanese leaders convicted by an Allied tribunal as war criminals, along with other war dead.South Korea expressed "deep concern and disappointment" over the shrine visit and offering by Japanese political leaders."(We) urge Japanese politicians to gain trust from neighbouring countries and the international community by showing an act of humble introspection and sincere self-reflection on the foundation of the correct perception of history," the foreign ministry said in a statement.Abe has visited the shrine in person only once, in December 2013, since becoming premier the previous year. Eager to improve ties with China and South Korea, strained by territorial and other disputes, he has instead opted to send ritual offerings on several occasions.There was no sign that Defence Minister Tomomi Inada, who has been accused by China of recklessly misrepresenting wartime history, had visited or made an offering at the shrine.On the previous customary occasion for high-profile Yasukuni visits, the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's World War Two surrender, the newly appointed Inada was visiting troops in Djibouti and unable to go to the shrine. REUTERS SHS RK0850 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-982815.Xml The United Nations Security Council today condemned a failed ballistic missile test by North Korea, saying it fueled tensions and contributed to the Asian state's development of a nuclear weapons system.The US military detected a failed North Korean test launch of an intermediate ballistic missile on Saturday."The members of the Security Council further regretted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs," the 15-member body said in a statement.The council agreed to take "further significant measures."Pyongyang is already under heavy international sanctions over its missile and nuclear tests. North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9 and since then the United States and China have been negotiating a new draft Security Council resolution to punish Pyongyang.REUTERS PS 0403 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-982781.Xml The state of Missouri sued Volkswagen AG , becoming the 17th US state to take legal action against the German automaker over its cheating on diesel emissions.Separately, US District Judge Charles Breyer on Tuesday in San Francisco is set to hold a hearing on whether to grant final approval to a 10.033 billion dollars settlement with 475,000 owners of 2.0-liter Volkswagen vehicles. The proposed settlement would allow owners to sell back their polluting vehicles or get a fix if regulators approve.Late on Monday, Breyer made public hundreds of pages of objections from owners. Many of them argued that Volkswagen is not offering a high enough buyback price for polluting vehicles or repaying them for some out of pocket costs, such as extended warranties. Most owners will get additional compensation of 5,100 dollars to 10,000 dollars for selling vehicles back or getting them fixed.Missouri's lawsuit adds to the financial risks for Volkswagen from suits filed by state regulators who are seeking financial penalties in addition to any federal or civil claims the automaker will pay. The 16 other states that have sued Volkswagen include California, New York, Texas and New Jersey. The state of Washington in July lodged an administrative proceeding against the German automaker seeking 176 million dollars."Volkswagen's actions demonstrate a flagrant disregard for Missouri's environmental laws, as well as the health and welfare of Missourians," Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said in a statement yesterday.In August, Volkswagen agreed to hold settlement talks with at least four US states and Washington state starting no later than November 1.VW spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said on Monday the company "is committed to reaching a fair and efficient resolution of remaining federal and state diesel claims in the United States." She said the automaker "will review Missouri's complaint and respond appropriately."Volkswagen has already agreed to pay a total of 16.7 billion dollars in settlements related to its use of illegal software to defeat US emissions testing. The company has set aside 17.8 billion euros (19.94 billion dollars) cover legal costs stemming from the scandal.VW still faces potentially billions of dollars in additional US costs if it is forced to buy back 85,000 3.0-liter Audi, Porsche and VW cars and SUVs sold since 2009.REUTERS PS 0408 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-982783.Xml Prison clashes between rival gangs killed at least 18 inmates in two penitentiaries in remote parts of northern and western Brazil, including six men who were decapitated and their bodies set on fire, local media reported.About 100 relatives of inmates were taken hostage in the first clash on Sunday in Boa Vista, in the northern state of Roraima bordering Venezuela, in which 10 prisoners died, officials told Globo TV's website G1.The hostages were later freed by police, according to G1, which earlier had reported 28 dead in the facility.Eight inmates died and two were injured in another clash between gangs early on Monday in the state penitentiary in Porto Velho, a western city on the border with Peru.The dead were asphyxiated by smoke when inmates set fire to mattresses, prison director Jobson Bandeira told G1.In a separate uprising in a penal facility for psychiatric patients, inmates burned to the ground a wing of the prison and began to escape, G1 reported. Police used helicopters to chase the escapees. No deaths were reported.Violent fights and riots are common in Brazil's overcrowded prison system, which has long been criticized by human rights organizations for its bad conditions. REUTERS PS 0410 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-982784.Xml After years of legal wrangling, the Austrian Government will have the empty house demolished, the CNN quoted Interior Ministry spokesperson Andreas Groschartner as saying on Monday. The house is located in front of Salzburger Vorstadt 15, Braunau am Inn, Upper Austria, the building where Hitler was born in 1889. The three-story house is a shade of vanilla with shattered windows and dirt. A new building in its place will erase links to the Nazi dictator's birthplace and stop the house from becoming a shrine for neo-Nazi pilgrimage. A 13-member commission concluded that a vacant area is not advisable since it could imply a denial of Austrian history. "I agree with the commission that a profound architectural redesign makes sense to permanently prevent both the recognition and the symbolic value of the building," Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said in a statement. A government bill will be discussed today for the building's expropriation. After completion of the parliamentary process, officials will decide on its future. It's possible it may house a charity or government offices. (ANI) Vietnam's prime minister ordered the military to launch a rescue mission after a helicopter went missing on Tuesday during a training flight, the government said, in the latest in a series of aviation setbacks.The Airbus EC 130 T2 helicopter was carrying an instructor and two trainee pilots when it disappeared off radar screens in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, the government said on its website.The defence ministry issued a statement but did not indicate whether those aboard were military or civilian.Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc instructed the military to find the victims and review procedures to ensure safety and asked rescue units and provincial staffs to help.The incident comes after a succession of deadly accidents involving military planes and helicopters, at a time when Vietnam is adding to its shopping list as part of its biggest military buildup since the Vietnam War.Defence experts and arms firms say the country is on the lookout for anything from fighter jets and helicopters to surveillance planes, radar and surface-to-air missiles.The air force lost two fighter jets, in June and August. After the earlier crash, a CASA 212 coastguard plane hunting for the pilot and wreckage of a Russian-made Sukhoi SU-30 went down in bad weather, killing all nine people aboard.It has also had two helicopters crashes since July 2014, killing more than 20 people.REUTERS CJ BL1434 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-983217.Xml Barack Obama praised the political "vision" of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in a newspaper interview on Tuesday ahead of a state visit by Renzi to Washington, and criticised EU rules that rein in national budgets."I believe the austerity measures have contributed to slowing growth in Europe," the U.S. president told la Repubblica daily, adding that Renzi understood the need for reforms to increase productivity and stimulate investments.Obama's words are a boost for Renzi, who faces a referendum on constitutional reform that could decide his political future and whose 2017 budget targets a fiscal deficit higher than previously agreed with the European Union.Obama said European policies aimed at capping budget deficits and lowering debt had led to years of stagnation and high unemployment in several countries."That is why I believe the vision and the ambitious reforms Prime Minister Renzi is following are so important," he said. Renzi "recognises the need to make the investments necessary to sustain growth and jobs and increase opportunities."Renzi's reforms in areas such as the labour market, the state bureaucracy and education have so far failed to boost Italy's chronically sluggish growth and his popularity has fallen over the last 18 months.He has said he will resign if he loses a Dec. 4 referendum on his plan to overhaul the constitution by reducing the role of the Senate and cutting the powers of regional governments. A large majority of opinion polls over the past month have put the "no" camp ahead.Former prime minister Mario Monti, whose austerity measures are widely credited with saving Italy from a debt crisis in 2011 and 2012, said on Tuesday he would vote "no".He told Corriere della Sera daily the new role of the Senate was unclear and criticised Renzi for what he said was an irresponsible budget that undermined public finances by offering hand-outs to persuade people to support the referendum.Brussels will issue a verdict this year on the budget. European Commission officials are concerned about Italy's inability to bring down a public debt of around 133 percent of national output, the highest in the euro zone after Greece's.However, they are also reluctant to hurt Renzi ahead of the referendum which they fear could bring political instability if he loses and favour the rise of the eurosceptic 5-Star Movement. REUTERS CJ BL1438 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-983233.Xml The speaker of Macedonia's parliament, Trajko Veljanovski, set December 11 as the date for a long-awaited parliamentary election aimed at ending a 20-month crisis in the Balkan country over a wiretapping scandal.Macedonia was thrown into turmoil in February 2015 when the opposition accused then-Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his counter-intelligence chief of listening in on the phone calls of more than 20,000 people."We are returning our mandate back to the people who are the only and most legitimate authority," Veljanovski said in a statement.Under an EU-brokered agreement to end the crisis, Gruevski stood aside last year to pave the way for an early election. Politicians also agreed to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the scandal. REUTERS AKC BL1604 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-983414.Xml Russia's transfer of nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad is an aggressive demonstration of power against the whole of Europe, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said today."Knowing that Iskanders are not defense but offense equipment, that means an aggressive, open demonstration of power and aggression against not the Baltic states but against European capitals," Grybauskaite said at a press conference after meeting her Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto.Russia earlier this month moved Iskander-M missiles into the Kaliningrad enclave bordering Poland and Lithuania, saying it was part of routine drills. REUTERS AKC BL1606 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-983417.Xml Republican candidates in tight races across the country have tied themselves in knots trying to decide whether to disavow or support their party's presidential nominee, Donald Trump, especially since multiple sexual assault allegations against him have surfaced.But US Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who is in a virtual tie with his Democratic challenger in a race that could tip control of the Senate, has chosen a third option: say nothing.Toomey appears to be the only vulnerable Republican senator to have avoided answering the question of whether he will vote for Trump, even as he has denounced the billionaire real estate developer's lewd comments about women and allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior.His Democratic challenger, Katie McGinty, has spent days hammering Toomey for his reticence, coining the term "Fraidy-Pat" and tying his candidacy to that of Trump's at every turn.But Pennsylvania political analysts say Toomey may have taken the safest path given his need to stitch together a coalition of working-class, white voters who support Trump and moderate, college-educated suburbanites who find his rhetoric distasteful.Polling averages show Trump losing the state to Hillary Clinton by a margin of 6 to 7 percentage points, while McGinty held a lead of less than 1 point in the Senate race, in polls before the Senate candidates debated yesterday.Pennsylvania has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since George HW Bush in 1988. Toomey won his seat in 2010 by just 2 percentage points."I think for him he's making the right choice, because I think he has to have it both ways," said G. Terry Madonna, the director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "He's between a rock and a hard place, and he's chosen to stay in the middle."The question of whether to back their party's presidential nominee - a non-issue in virtually any other election year - has bedeviled Republicans facing competitive races across the country, with control of the Senate hanging in the balance.Some, like Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, have rescinded their support, angering Trump's core supporters. Others, like Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, have stuck with Trump and risked losing moderate voters.A handful of Republicans, including Ayotte before she recently changed her mind, have tried to straddle the issue by withholding a formal endorsement while saying they still planned to vote for Trump.The Pennsylvania campaign, one of half a dozen close contests with the Senate up for grabs, has been the most expensive Senate race in the country, with more than 100 million dollars from the parties and outside groups pouring into the state as of August.McGinty, who served as an environmental adviser in former President Bill Clinton's administration, has spent months trying to link Toomey to Trump.She has redoubled her efforts over the last 10 days, as multiple women have come forward to accuse Trump of sexually assaulting them following the release of a video recording from 2005 in which he bragged in lewd terms about such behavior.On Thursday, for the second time since the tape became public, McGinty held a conference call for reporters to assail Toomey for what she described as his tacit support for Trump."Senator Pat Toomey now has the distinction of being the only Senate candidate in the entire United States of America to refuse to come clean about whether or not he supports Donald Trump," she said. "So, there's only one way to interpret that: Pat Toomey is still standing by Donald Trump."Toomey has criticized Trump's "outrageous comments" but has declined to say whether he will vote for him, a position he reiterated on Monday at the first of two debates with McGinty. He did, however, say he "probably" will announce a decision before the November 8 elections, after previously suggesting he might not.In a statement, a Toomey spokesman turned the criticism around, calling McGinty a "rubber stamp" for the Democratic establishment in Washington."Pat Toomey has proven he will stand up to his own party for Pennsylvania families, like on gun safety, fighting corporate welfare, or ending the Wall Street bailouts once and for all," the spokesman, Ted Kwong, said in an email. "Katie McGinty can't name a single disagreement with her party, whether it's the reckless Iran deal or thousands in new middle-class tax hikes."Charlie Gerow, a veteran Republican political consultant in Pennsylvania who is not involved in the race, said Toomey's middle-of-the-road strategy was necessary given the deficit Trump is facing in the state.Toomey, Gerow said, cannot afford to alienate Trump backers in places like southwestern Pennsylvania, even as he tries to appeal to voters in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley suburbs."I think it is the best strategy among several unpalatable options," Gerow said. "I don't think there was any better way to approach that dilemma." REUTERS AKC VP1634 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-983507.Xml Britain should lead the way in keeping sanctions on Russia over Moscow's action in Syria and Ukraine, foreign minister Boris Johnson said today, adding that it could not be "business as usual"."Of course it is right that the UK and the Russian Federation should continue to cooperate and to engage in all the areas where we have common interests," he told parliament."But in view of the ruthless and brutal behaviour of the Russians in Ukraine and in Syria ... it is right that the UK should be in the lead in keeping the pressure on sanctions and it cannot be business as usual with Russia."The European Union and the United States slapped sanctions on Russian banks and individuals close to President Vladimir Putin in 2014 after Moscow's actions in Ukraine. REUTERS AKC AS1642 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-983515.Xml The anti-Islamic State coalition's battle to take Mosul in Iraq from the militant Islamist group will take time and "won't be a Blitzkrieg," French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said today."This battle is crucial because it is the stronghold of Daesh," he told reporters using an acronoym for Islamic State. "Mosul is the stronghold of our enemy... but the battle will be long, it won't be a Blitzkrieg, this is a town of a million-and-a-half inhabitants so it's a long term affair, several weeks, perhaps months," he said.REUTERS AKC AS1741 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-983703.Xml Violence in a Muslim-majority region of Myanmar is stopping aid agencies from delivering food and medicines, a United Nations official said today, as security forces respond to deadly raids that the government says were inspired by Islamists.Troops have been sweeping northern Rakhine state for more than a week, hunting an estimated 400 fighters who officials believe are members of the mostly stateless Rohingya Muslim community acting with the support of Islamists abroad.The Myanmar military has declared the area an "operation zone" and has tightly controlled the flow of information since insurgents seized dozens of weapons in raids on border posts on Oct. 9 in which nine police officers were killed.UN agencies "don't have access to the affected areas to assess humanitarian needs", Pierre Peron, spokesman for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said by email.Health clinics and nutrition programmes in northern Rakhine have been hampered by movement restrictions imposed after the attacks, he said."We hope that the situation will improve as soon as possible so that humanitarian organisations can restart vital programmes to assist all communities in Rakhine state," Peron said.The spike in violence in ethnically divided Rakhine state poses a serious challenge to the six-month-old government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who was swept to power in an election last year but has faced criticism abroad for failing to tackle rights abuses against the Rohingya and other Muslims.ETHNIC DIVISIONSAt least 30 suspected militants and five military personnel have been killed in clashes since the Oct. 9 raids.Nearly 120,000 people, mostly Rohingyas, were already displaced in Rakhine after an outbreak of communal violence in 2012. Local sources said the latest violence has displaced thousands more.Ethnic Rakhine political leaders have proposed that the government arm local militias to fight what they see as a growing violent threat from the Rohingya population."Villagers are scared about their security because their hostile neighbours have a huge population," said Khin Maung Than, chairman of the Arakan National Party in Maungdaw Township, which has been at the centre of the violence.He estimated around 5,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists have fled their homes, fearing attack by Muslim "Bengalis" - a term widely used in Myanmar but rejected by the Rohingya themselves because it implies they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.Rohingya leaders insist few of the 1.1 million Rohingya in Rakhine state - many of whom have lived there for generations and face discrimination and severe restrictions on their movements - believe violence is the solution to their plight.The office of President Htin Kyaw has named a little-known group, "Aqa Mul Mujahidin", which it says has links to Islamists abroad, as responsible for the Oct. 9 attacks.International human rights groups have raised concerns that civilians are being caught up in a heavy-handed crackdown.Amnesty International has been told that villagers wounded in the violence have been unable to access medical treatment, said Laura Haigh, a researcher for the group.AFRAID TO RETURNA senior Rohingya leader in Maungdaw, who asked not to be named because he was afraid of repercussions, told Reuters he had received reports that as many as 9,000 Rohingya have been displaced from 21 villages.About 1,200 people, mostly ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, are sheltering in a school in northern Rakhine State's Buthidaung Township, according to the United Nations.Many more are believed to be staying with relatives in other parts of the state and about 800 people - mostly women and children - are packed into small monasteries in the state capital of Sittwe.Moe Thida, 31, journeyed with her four children over mountain roads and on a packed ferry to reach Sittwe after fighting came within earshot of her home.As with several other displaced members of the mostly Buddhist Rakhine ethnicity who have fled Maungdaw, she told Reuters she was too afraid to return, although no attacks have been reported on ethnic Rakhine civilians."This time it's different" from previous bouts of intercommunal violence in the area, she said. "I'm afraid because the Muslims have weapons now."REUTERS VS BL1914 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-983984.Xml "This will ensure the safety of exit of civilians via six corridors and to prepare the wounded in the eastern part of Aleppo for evacuation," Xinhua news agency quoted Shoigu as saying. By the start of the humanitarian pause, Syrian troops will withdraw to a certain distance, allowing the militants with their weapons to freely leave eastern Aleppo by two corridors, he said. He also urged countries that have influence on the armed groups in the eastern part of Aleppo to persuade their leaders to cease hostilities and leave the city. The Russian Defence Ministry on Monday announced a pause in strikes against rebel-controlled areas in the city of Aleppo for eight hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 20. Russian warplanes and Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have restarted strikes against rebel-controlled areas of Aleppo since the collapse of the ceasefire agreement reached between Moscow and Washington last month. --IANS py/vt ( 192 Words) 2016-10-18-20:48:10 (IANS) A Bahraini court has overturned a 9-year prison term imposed on the country's most prominent opposition leader, in a ruling that could lower political tensions in the Gulf kingdom. In a public hearing yesterday, Bahrain's court of cassation ordered a retrial of Sheikh Ali Salman, chief of the al-Wefaq Islamic Society, according to Salman's wife, Alya Radhi. Salman, who remains in custody, was convicted in May of "crimes of promoting change to the political system by force" as part of a crackdown on Shi'ite Muslim activists and clerics in the Sunni-ruled island nation. No date or reason was given for Salman's retrial, according to Radhi, although the United States - a key ally of the tiny Gulf kingdom - has expressed concern about the treatment of opposition figures in Bahrain. In June, Wefaq itself was shuttered by a court order and Bahrain's foremost Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim was convicted of money-laundering and stripped of his citizenship. Bahraini Shi'ites complain of discrimination by the government. Since the authorities crushed Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2011, demonstrators have clashed frequently with security forces, who have been targeted by several bomb attacks. Bahraini authorities deny any discrimination and accuse the opposition of undermining security. A Shi'ite Muslim cleric, Salman was arrested in December in a case that angered his followers and stirred unrest in the island kingdom, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet and has a Shi'ite majority. Salman was sentenced last June to four years in prison for inciting unrest. In his appeal last month, his defence lawyers appealed said prosecutors had presented as evidence excerpts of his speeches that were taken out of context. Prosecutors responded with their own appeal, asking the court to reverse Salman's earlier acquittal on more serious charges of seeking to overthrow the political system by force. REUTERS VS BD1945 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-984078.Xml MOSCOW, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Monday a pause of strikes against the Syrian city of Aleppo for eight hours on Thursday. The humanitarian pause will be introduced from 8 a.m. till 4 p.m. local time on Oct. 20, during which Russian Aerospace Forces and Syrian government troops will cease strikes, Sergey Rudskoy, chief of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate, said here in Moscow. He added that Moscow is ready to cease fire and provide medical personnel with unhindered access to Aleppo at the request of humanitarian groups at any time, and to guarantee the rescue of the injured and sick. Russian warplanes and Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been attacking the rebel-controlled districts of Aleppo since the collapse of the ceasefire agreement reached between Moscow and Washington last month. A girl poses for photos with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump posters at Hofstra University in New York, the United States on Sept. 26, 2016. (Xinhua Photo) WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton currently takes a 12-point national lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump among likely voters, according to a new poll released Monday, two days before the final presidential TV debate. The former state of secretary has 50 percent support while Trump holds 38 percent, the Monmouth University survey shows. Clinton led by only 4 points in the same poll last month, edging Trump 46 percent to 42 percent. Clinton's lead among likely voters is larger because Monmouth determined that only 5 percent of her supporters are unlikely to vote, compared to 10 percent of Trump's supporters, said a TheHill news daily report. In the same poll issued last month, 10 percent of Clinton's registered supporters deemed unlikely to vote, against 7 percent for Trump. "Clinton has increased her lead among all registered voters, but the main difference between this month and last month is that her supporters have become more enthusiastic, and thus more likely to turn out while Trump backers have become less likely to vote," said Monmouth pollster Patrick Murray. However, both candidates remain deep underwater on favorability, Trump continues to sink in popularity, while Clinton appears to have leveled off. Only 38 percent of voters view Clinton favorably, compared to 52 percent who have a negative view of her. That's a slight improvement over last month, when Clinton posted a 36-54 split. Trump is down to 26 percent positive and 61 percent negative, a drop from his 32-57 rating last month. Sixty percent of voters say Clinton has the right temperament to be president, compared to only 31 percent who say the same about Trump. Clinton also leads on the question of which candidate is considered the "lesser of two evils," with 47 percent saying they'll vote to make sure Trump does not get elected, and only 40 percent saying the same about Clinton. The poll found Trump has been badly damaged by the audio release of his obscene remarks from 2005 and the mounting allegations from women who say he sexually harassed them, with 62 percent of voters said they believe the allegations against Trump are credible. In comparison, only 25 percent of respondents said Clinton's remarks made to Wall Street banks in paid speeches make them less likely to support her. Almost half, 45 percent, said the remarks had no impact on how they view her, and 28 percent said they were unaware of the WikiLeaks dump. The Monmouth University survey of 805 registered voters nationwide was conducted between Oct. 14 and Oct. 16 and has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. Related: Trump, Clinton clash on whether election is rigged WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- As the 2016 U.S. election was heading into the homestretch, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump clashed with Democrats and his own party on whether the election was rigged. The latest barrage from the bombastic and volatile New York billionaire developer that the election was rigged also raised concerns about whether he would accept defeat or question legality of a Clinton presidency. Full story Trump ready to fight Clinton after being set free of Republican "shackles" HOUSTON, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was ready to fight Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton after being set free from the "shackles" of the Republican establishment. RIGA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Silver Arrow 2016, a major multinational military exercise, kicked off in Latvia on Monday, the Latvian defense ministry informed. More than 3,000 troops from Lithuania, Estonia, Albania, the United States, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, Romania and Germany joined Latvian soldiers in the exercise, according to the ministry. The ministry's representatives indicated that the objective of the maneuvers, which are taking place from Oct. 17 to 31, is to train Latvian armed forces to cooperate with NATO allies and soldiers from partner countries, hone military planning skills, and play out defense operations with integrated logistics elements. Silver Arrow, organized by the Land Forces Infantry Brigade of the Latvian National Armed Forces, is also one of the exercises in which Latvia's reserve officers are refreshing their knowledge and skills, according to the defense ministry. The first unit of 200 British soldiers arrived for the exercise on Sunday, with their total number expected to reach 500. The maneuvers will take place in Adazi training area outside Riga. The troops who arrived in Riga on Sunday are expected to form the core of NATO's rapid response capabilities in the Baltic region, military spokespeople said. Silver Arrow, which was originally held as a national military training exercise, has turned into multinational maneuvers since 2014 with a broad participation of troops. Enditem Image provided on Oct. 17, 2016 by the newspaper Folha de Boa Vista shows security forces guarding outside the Agricola de Monte Cristo Prison, in Boa Vista city, capital of Roraima state, Brazil on Oct. 16, 2016. Clashes between rival gangs at two prisons in northern Brazil have left at least 18 inmates dead, local media reported on Monday. (Xinhua/Folha de Boa Vista) BRASILIA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Clashes between rival gangs at two prisons in northern Brazil have left at least 18 inmates dead, local media reported on Monday. Eight inmates died from smoke inhalation early Monday after other prisoners set fire to mattresses outside their cell at a state penitentiary in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia state, according to Brazilian news network Globo. That incident appeared to have been sparked by a deadlier clash on Sunday that left 10 inmates dead at the Agricola de Monte Cristo Prison in Boa Vista, capital of Roraima state. Sunday's clash was the result of rivalry between a Sao Paulo-based criminal organization with operations across the country, First Command of the Capital, known by its Portuguese acronym PCC, and the notorious Red Command (Comando Vermelho), a Rio de Janeiro crime ring, news agency Agencia Brasil (EBC) said, citing Roraima's secretary of justice, Oziel de Castro. "They declared war between the factions," Castro said, adding the gang rivalry has spread throughout the country. "We are seeing the rupture of an accord between them nationwide," said Castro. The clash on Sunday occurred during visiting hours around 4:00 p.m., leading to some 50 relatives or family members of inmates being taken hostage. They were released some four hours later, after military police intervened, the EBC said. Agricola de Monte Cristo was built to house 700 inmates, but currently the prison houses double that number, the agency said. Some versions of Sunday's clash said several of the dead inmates had been decapitated and others burnt. LONDON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Judges in London continued Monday to hear a legal case to decide how Britain's divorce from the European Union should be triggered. Meanwhile, a new poll by YouGov has revealed that more than half of the British public say the decision should be made by Prime Minister Theresa May. May has announced that she will trigger the article 50 mechanism by the end of March, starting a two-year departure process. Members of Parliament (MPs) from across the political spectrum in the Houses of Parliament want to be involved in the decision-making. In the High Court a group of individuals are seeking a judgement to force May to hand the decision making to politicians. At the hearing Monday, Attorney General Jeremy Wright said parliament consent is not required for May to start the Brexit process. Wright cited the principle that governments use the royal prerogative in such cases. But those bringing the case argue that it is vital MPs and peers get a say. The case is continuing. On June 23, the public backed Brexit by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent, but three quarters of MPs backed the campaign to remain in the European Union. YouGov's Matthew Smith, outlining the organization's latest poll, said: "Broadly speaking, those groups that want the Prime Minister to make the decision were those who tended to back Brexit at the referendum, whilst those who say it should rest with Parliament backed Remain." Generally, the poll showed 54 percent in favor of May making the Brexit decision, with 30 percent wanting Parliament to call the shots. Labor's John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor of the exchequer responded Monday night to reports in the London-based Financial Times that Theresa May's government is considering paying billions of dollars in to maintain access to the EU single market, but only for the City of London and the financial service sector. McDonnell said in a statement: "Britain has voted to leave the EU, it has not voted for paying huge fees for special favors for bankers. We support access to EU markets for financial services, but it is crucial for the British economy that the government insist on full, tariff-free access to the Single Market for all our industries, to protect jobs and livelihoods in the UK." The Financial Times article said several government ministers have revealed that May's Cabinet is considering paying billions into the EU budget. The newspaper says its report is likely to frustrate Eurosceptics within the Conservative Party who would prefer to see a so-called "hard Brexit" in which Britain would have greater control over migration. On the Brexit sidelines, a petition is to be discussed calling for June 23 to be declared "Independence Day" as a national holiday to mark the EU referendum result. The government has said it has no plans to create another public holiday in Britain. Photo provided by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 9, 2015 shows the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un (L) inspecting the test-firing of a strategic ballistic missile in DPRK. DPRK has successfully test-fired a strategic ballistic missile from an underwater submarine, official news agency reported on Saturday. DPRK leader Kim Jong Un issued an order to begin the test-firing and watched the test, according to the KCNA. (Xinhua/KCNA) UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday strongly condemned the most recent failed ballistic missile launch conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Seoul's military said Sunday that the DPRK had test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile but ended in a failure. In a press statement, the 15-nation council said the attempted launch is a grave violation of the DPRK's obligations under Security Council resolutions. The Security Council has adopted five resolutions to curb the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs. The latest one adopted in March imposed the most severe sanctions yet on the country, including an export ban and asset freeze. "The members of the Security Council deplore all Democratic People's Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including this failed launch, noting that such activities contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension," said the statement. "The members of the Security Council reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in North-East Asia at large, expressed their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation and welcomed efforts by Council members, as well as other States, to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue," it added. The failed launch came on the day when the United States and South Korea wrapped up their joint naval exercises in all of the three seas around South Korea. The missile launch was the latest in a series of provocations by the DPRK following its fifth nuclear test last month. Pyongyang said on Sept. 9 that it successfully tested a nuclear warhead that can be mounted on ballistic missiles. WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. aerospace firm Orbital ATK on Monday launched its sixth resupply mission to the International Space Station, using an upgraded Antares rocket almost two years after its predecessor exploded on liftoff. WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. aerospace firm Orbital ATK on Monday launched its sixth resupply mission to the International Space Station, using an upgraded Antares rocket almost two years after its predecessor exploded on liftoff. The two-stage booster, powered by new RD-181 engines from Russia and carrying a Cygnus cargo ship, blasted off at 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT) from Virginia's Wallops Flight Facility. Under the U.S. space agency NASA's commercial resupply services contract, Cygnus carried about 5,290 pounds (2,400 kilograms) of supplies and science experiments for the ISS. The new experiments included an investigation that looks at fuels that "burn very hot at first, and then appear to go out, but actually continue to burn at a much lower temperature with no visible flames," NASA said. Cygnus was also carrying a new station research facility that will enable a new class of research experiments by allowing precise control of motion in the microgravity environment aboard the ISS. Particularly, an experiment that interests many was the Spacecraft Fire Experiment II (Saffire II), which studies how flames grow in space, but it will occur after Cygnus leaves the space station and before it re-enters Earth's atmosphere. NASA said nine experimental samples of varying materials will burn for Saffire II inside an empty Cygnus resupply vehicle. The space agency has planned three such experiments, and the first took place in June at the end of Cygnus's fifth ISS resupply mission. Also onboard were a lighting system studying the effect of lighting on sleep and daily rhythms, a tablet app collecting health-related data, and a new way to measure neutrons, part of the radiation exposure experienced by crews during spaceflight. If everything goes well, Cygnus will arrive at the ISS on Sunday, where it will stay for about five weeks. This resupply mission marked the first flight of the upgraded Antares 230 vehicle, and the first launch from Wallops since an Antares rocket and its Cygnus resupply vehicle were lost seconds after liftoff in October 2014. An investigation into the accident found a failure in one of the two Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 engines, leading to a decision by Orbital ATK to replace them with RD-181, which was developed specifically for Antares by Russians. The AJ26 engine is a refurbished version of the Soviet-era NK-33, which was originally designed to launch the massive Soviet N-1 rocket to the Moon. Since the accident, two Cygnus resupply missions were launched on United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets to the station from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Virginia-based Orbital ATK is one of two U.S. companies that provide ISS cargo services for NASA. The other company is California-based SpaceX. RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Former Brazil international striker Jo is in talks with Corinthians over a return to his former club, according to media reports. The 29-year-old is a free agent after parting ways with Chinese Super League outfit Jiangsu Suning in July. Corinthians see him as a solution to the their dearth of attacking options as they look to strengthen their squad for next year, the Uol news portal reported. Jo is currently training with another former club, Atletico Mineiro, in an effort to maintain his fitness. He scored nine goals in 24 matches for Jiangsu Suning, who he joined in February from United Arab Emirates side Al-Shabab. Jo began his professional career at Corinthians before joining CSKA Moscow in 2005. The former Manchester City forward has been capped 20 times for Brazil, scoring five international goals. by Chen Yanbei, Guo Shuang LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The latest estimation that there might be 10 times more galaxies in the universe than previously thought requires more powerful telescopes to observe the "missing" galaxies and China can be a strong player in this field, astronomers said. "Evidence for 10 times more galaxies, invisible to current telescopes, strongly motivates the development and construction of next-generation telescopes, such as space telescopes and giant ground-based facilities, as well as the invention of new observational strategies," Zheng Cai, Hubble Fellow at the University of California, told Xinhua on Sunday. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently wrote to emphasize that astronomy is crucial to propelling scientific progress and innovation. And in the field of future telescopes, China is becoming "a strong player," added Cai. "MISSING" GALAXIES Galaxies are millions or billions of stars that gather in halos of dark matter. Since light takes time to travel, as astronomers gaze into the universe, they also look back in time. By observing galaxies billions of light years away, astronomers get glimpses of the early universe, billions of years ago, and look for answers to big questions like how the universe was born. The universe was born around 13.7 billion years ago, and galaxies started forming when the universe was about several hundred million years old. The early galaxies were much smaller than current ones, they would later collide with each other, forming bigger ones. As light travels from distant galaxies to the earth, it not only becomes much fainter, but also has increased wavelength due to the cosmological redshift effect. It is very difficult to observe the most distant galaxies, especially those among the first born. Since the 1990s, astronomers used the so-called "Hubble Deep Field," a small patch of sky that NASA (The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration)'s Hubble Space Telescope observed with long exposure time, to study early galaxies. By direct counting, astronomers estimated about 200 billion galaxies in the universe. However, this turned out to be a big underestimate, according to a research recently conducted by a team of astronomers led by Christopher Conselice of Britain's University of Nottingham. The scientists re-analyzed observational data with more elaborate mathematical models. After studying mass distributions of galaxies at different distances, they inferred the existence of a large number of small galaxies at large distances that are too faint to be observed by current telescopes. These "missing" galaxies must have existed to collide and form the bigger galaxies that astronomers did observe. They may increase the total number of galaxies in the universe by 10 times. CHINA'S ROLE "Two upcoming Chinese telescope projects are ideal tools for observing distant galaxies," said Xue Suijian, professor and deputy director of the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) under Chinese Academy of Sciences. They are "a two-meter space-station optical telescope, and a 12-meter ground-based optical telescope," he added. These two telescopes are among a series of large-scale astronomical projects to be undertaken by China. According to Xue, the two-meter telescope will be the most challenging and ambitious scientific experiment to be performed by Tiangong, China's space-station project. Chen Xuelei, a professor at the NAOC, added that this telescope's sensitivity will be comparable to that of the Hubble Deep Field observation but will observe a much larger patch of the sky. The 12-meter ground-based telescope will potentially start construction in 2019, most likely in Tibet, and will be a stepping stone toward international cooperation on a larger-scale, 30-meter-class telescope, called the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) International Observatory, a cooperative project among the United States, Canada, China, India and Japan. "As a founding member of the TMT International Observatory, China is making significant high-technology contributions to this world-leading facility," said Mao Shude, professor and director of the Center for Astrophysics at China's Tsinghua University and a member of the TMT board of governors. According to Mao, the distant galaxies are so faint that on the ground, a 30-meter class telescope like the TMT may be necessary to scrutinize their internal structures. Unfortunately, the TMT project has been much delayed, causing uncertainties about its eventual site and construction schedule. Despite this, Edward Stone, executive director of the TMT International Observatory, and David Morrisroe Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology, told Xinhua that he continues to look forward to U.S.-China cooperation in astronomy and astrophysics. Besides, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), currently under construction and scheduled to launch in October 2018, may discover some of the currently invisible galaxies, Sterl Phinney, professor of theoretical astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology, told Xinhua. A joint project between NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency, the JWST is not only much larger than the Hubble Space Telescope but will also be optimized for infrared light, allowing it to better deal with the cosmological redshift effect. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (L) speaks during an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Manila, the Philippines, Oct. 13, 2016. Duterte has said that his country expects to boost traditional friendship with China and further bilateral trade and economic cooperation. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) by Xinhua writer Zhu Dongyang BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- After years of estrangement, the bad blood between Beijing and Manila has finally begun to give place to good faith, as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte embarks on an ice-breaking trip to China on Tuesday. The visit surprises many around the world. It comes at a time when China-Philippines ties have nosedived to a historical low because of the farcical South China Sea arbitration case brought by Duterte's predecessor Benigno Aquino III against China. In a reflection of his keenness to repair the seriously damaged relations, the new Philippine president chose China to be the first country he visits outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since taking office in June. Meanwhile, the trip also serves as an encouraging sign of the president's pluck and pragmatism on foreign relations and international disputes. On the South China Sea issue, he has avoided his predecessor's idiosyncrasies of colluding with outside meddlers and making unnecessary provocations, and instead reiterated the need of dialogue and negotiation, an approach that is largely in line with Beijing's stance. Given the positive signs, Duterte's widely-watched visit to China functions as a litmus test of his sincerity and political wisdom. Among others, he needs to resist the temptation to thrust the so-called final award in the arbitration case to bilateral talks on the South China Sea issue. The verdict issued by a law-abusing tribunal has no place in the negotiations at all. Should he demonstrate his good faith, the trip will present a long overdue opportunity for the two nations, which enjoy longstanding friendship, to heal the wounds of the past few years and steer their relationship back to the right course. A Beijing-Manila detente will be richly rewarding not only on the political and diplomatic fronts. With mutual trust restoring gradually, bilateral exchanges and cooperation in business and other areas will heat up in tandem. That accords with Duterte's aspirations at home. Having waged a war on drugs and vowed to make peace with the rebels, he pledges to spur economic development for the benefit of all the Philippine people. For Duterte's domestic visions to materialize, Manila needs international supporters, not least those who sympathize with his fierce campaign against drugs and stand ready to increase investment in his country. Beijing will be a ready partner should bilateral ties thaw. China has expressed understanding of Duterte's priority on the antinarcotics battle, and the world's second-largest economy is also interested in tapping into the two countries' respective strengths and cranking up win-win cooperation. The benefits of the anticipated rapprochement go beyond the two countries. It is a win for all peace-loving and development-pursuing nations in the region, as it will spare the region of contagious tensions and help foster a conducive neighborhood environment. Without doubt, it is pure fantasy to expect the visit to solve all problems between China and the Philippines. Yet the very fact that the trip happens is indicative of the spunk and statecraft of both sides, and suffices to bring forth optimism and hope. Related: Interview: Philippine president says "only China can help us" MANILA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said that his country expects to boost traditional friendship with China and further bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Duterte starts a four-day state visit to China on Tuesday at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Full story China pledges closer cooperation with Philippines ahead of Duterte's visit BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- China vowed on Thursday to help with the Philippines' economic and social development ahead of the upcoming visit of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. CANBERRA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Elderly Australians are increasingly defying their age by fostering more active social lives and getting more exercise than ever before, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said on Tuesday. Nearly half of all older Australians - those aged 65 and over - participated in exercise activities in 2015, up a further 5 percent compared to three years ago, the ABS's Justine Boland said. "The number of older Australians aged 65 years and over who participated in exercise or physical recreation increased from 44.5 percent in 2012 to 49.2 percent in 2015," Boland, ABS Program Manager of Health and Disability Statistics, said in a statement on Tuesday. "This is great news, as we know an active and social lifestyle is associated with better health outcomes." The ABS said as healthcare improves and life expectancy continues to increase, the proportion of healthy older Australians would continue to grow. Boland added that the proportion of elderly Australians with a disability had also decreased over the same period. "In 2015, 50.7 percent of older people were living with disability, down from 52.7 percent in 2012," Boland said. "These findings reveal a positive trend that older Australians are healthier, living longer without disability and are in less need of assistance." Enditem CANBERRA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Australia should adopt a national action plan in order to reverse the negative pubic image of the government's attitude to human rights defenders, a United Nations Special Rapporteur said on Tuesday. Following a two-week fact-finding visit at the request of the Australian government, UN human rights expert Michel Forst said Australia must regain the faith of the public in regards to human rights policy, after a series of recent measures were introduced "constraining" the rights of those who stand up for others. "They have ranged from intensifying secrecy laws to proliferating anti-protest laws, from the stifling Border Force Act to the 'standing' bill shrinking environmental access to courts," Forst said in his end of mission statement released on Tuesday. "Those laws have not only accentuated the disparity between government's declared commitments at the international forums and their implementation within the country, they have also aggravated the situation following the drastic defunding of peak bodies by the government, following their advocacy or litigation on such topical issues as immigration, security, environment and land rights protection." Forst said environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists and individuals like doctors, teachers, and lawyers protecting the rights of refugees had "borne the brunt" of the government's poor attitude to human rights in Australia. Forst said the government could "rebuild" the trust of the public by taking the grievances of human rights defenders, such as the president of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs, more seriously. "I urge the government to consider adopting a national action plan on human rights, through meaningful consultation with civil society," he said. Forst will deliver the final results of his findings to the Human Rights Council in 2017. PARIS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The steady progress of China's manned space program has been very impressive and it is hoped that international cooperation on space exploration will be further expanded and deepened, Claudie Haignere, an adviser to the director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), has said. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Haignere, the first European female astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), said she has been paying close attention to the progress of manned space technology in China for years. Haignere also become the first astronaut from the West to talk over the phone with a Chinese peer following her conversation with Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut who traveled to space in 2003 on the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft. "Since 2003, every step forward of China's manned space program has impressed me deeply, from the launch of the first manned spacecraft to the first multi-manned space flight of Shenzhou-6, from sending China's first female astronaut to space to the docking of a manned spaceship with Tiangong-1," Haignere said. Now that the Tiangong-2 space lab has been successfully launched, its docking with Shenzhou-11 can be expected soon, she added. "How marvelous it is for China to realize all these in such a short period of less than 15 years," said the French ex-astronaut. With the deepening of space exploration in recent years, it has been the consensus of major aerospace countries that international cooperation in this regard should be strengthened. In June, Chinese astronaut Ye Guangfu completed an underground training mission in Sardinian caves together with five other prospective astronauts from Japan, Russia, Spain and the United States during the ESA training course. It is anticipated that more cooperation on manned space missions among different countries will be conducted as international cooperation on space exploration has been centered on science and research to date, Haignere said. "I'm especially interested in this aspect," Haignere said. "The current ISS is running on the near-Earth orbit about 400 kilometers away from the Earth's surface, yet we all imagine that one day mankind can realize longer-distance manned space flights, to the Moon or Mars." "If one day we can realize that goal, I hope it's through extensive international cooperation, and the first crew shall be composed of European, U.S., Russian and Chinese astronauts," she added. Talking about China's Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft which is scheduled to be launched on Monday, the French ex-astronaut wishes the two Chinese astronauts good luck and the smooth fulfillment of scientific tasks. She suggested the two astronauts set some time aside from their long working hours so that they can fully experience this space journey. "Please carefully explore your body and movement changes in the environment of microgravity. Please look at the Earth and the universe through the window more often, and share all these experiences with people, especially kids, after you return to Earth," Haignere said. "Upon returning to Earth, young kids are going to ask you all kinds of questions. Answering those questions, sharing your experience with them, inspiring them to be interested in science and technology, this is what every astronaut should do." Haignere visited the Mir space station for 16 days in 1996 as part of the Russian-French "Cassiopee" mission. In 2001, she became the first European woman to visit the ISS, as part of the "Andromede" mission. Recalling her two space journeys, she said that the most impressive scenario was the feeling of her body and movement changes in zero gravity. "Floating in microgravity, you will find that you have a whole new body. How to make your body get used to the new environment was a very interesting thing for me," the former astronaut said. She suggested the two Chinese astronauts swiftly and completely adjust their spirits and bodies to a brand new state once entering the microgravity environment. Haignere's time in space hasn't left her with any unpleasant memories. "Although very complicated situations did occur, that was totally normal and part of the adventure," she said. "All I needed to do was to try and figure out a solution." BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's coal price index was 414.07 in September, up 11.99 percent from August and 22.71 percent from a year earlier, said the country's top economic planner on Tuesday. Since June 2016, the coal price index has been rising for four consecutive months, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said. Regional data show that coal prices in Hebei, Chongqing and Shandong saw faster month-on-month increase, with prices in northern Hebei rising 19.33 percent, southern Hebei 22.66 percent, Chongqing 19.64 percent and Shandong 17.76 percent. Insiders said that since the beginning of this year, the country has actively promoted the supply-side structural reform which helped ease the supply-and-demand imbalance of the coal market. From a long-term perspective, coal consumption will continue to decline with increasing overcapacity pressure, so it remains an arduous task to keep coal prices stable. The top economic planner has said that the country's coal price will stabilize and shore up coal production. New coal supplies helped major thermal power plants increase their inventory by some 5.28 million tonnes in September, according to an online statement of the NDRC. On Sept. 23 and Sept. 27, two ministerial meetings on winter coal supply agreed to release certainly advanced production capacity to ensure supply. It also decided to relax a limit on the number of production days for efficient coal producers, with the former 260-day cap increased to a maximum of 330 days. The original limit, had it been followed, would have cut production by over 500 million tonnes in 2016. At a press conference on Sept. 23, an NDRC official attributed the price rise to increasing coal consumption, a crackdown on illegal production, as well as transport and logistical problems. SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Tuesday expressed its deep worry about Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ritual offering to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, urging Tokyo to show its sincere repent over the past militarism. Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that the country is deeply worried and disappointed at political leaders of Japanese government and parliament for repeatedly making ritual offerings and paying respect to the Yasukuni Shrine that glorifies Japan's war of aggression. The statement urged Japanese politicians to show its humble introspection and sincere repent over past atrocities with action based on a right perception of history in order to win the international society's trust and go toward the future. The statement came a day after Abe made the masakaki tree offering to the controversial shrine under the name of the prime minister. Among Japanese politicians who made ritual offering on the first day of its four-day autumn festival were Lower House Speaker Tadamori Oshima and Upper House President Chuichi Date as well as Yasuhisa Shiozaki, the minister of health, labor and welfare. The shrine has been a source of diplomatic friction in the region for decades as it honors 14 Class-A convicted World War II criminals as well as millions of the nation's war dead. Abe had visited the war-linked shrine in December 2013 since he became the prime minister the previous year, causing harsh rebukes from China and South Korea which suffered most from brutalities by the militaristic Japan. Since then, Abe has made ritual offerings during the spring and autumn festivals. WELLINGTON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand has been assured its trade interests with Britain will not be affected by Britain's exit from the European Union (EU), New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay said Tuesday. The two countries had established a trade policy dialogue during talks between McClay and British Trade Secretary Liam Fox in London, McClay said in a statement from his office. "For New Zealand, this is about being ready to cement our formal trading relationship with our fifth largest trading partner, once the UK is in a position to negotiate independently of the European Union," McClay said. "I discussed with Secretary Fox the importance of remaining closely engaged, particularly as New Zealand advances our priority of a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union," he said. "I thanked Secretary Fox for assurances that New Zealand's trade interests will not be compromised by Brexit." The trade policy dialogue would be an important forum for engaging across a range of shared trade policy issues, such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), as it developed its approach to trade policy. The dialogue would be convened at senior officials' level and cover market access and trade policy issues of mutual interests, including WTO processes and current and prospective negotiations. The first meeting will take place by early 2017, with subsequent talks to be held roughly every six months. McClay is also scheduled to discuss progress on an FTA with EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom during World Trade Organization (WTO) talks in Norway later this week. CANBERRA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Australia will provide 7.5 million U.S. dollars' worth of humanitarian assistance to Iraq during the coalition's military operation to defeat Islamic State(IS) in the region, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Tuesday. Bishop said the donation to the city of Mosul is in addition the 45 million U.S. dollars already contributed to Iraq by Australia, adding that the money would be used to ensure Iraqi civilians remain safe during the fighting. "Australia will provide an additional 7.5 million U.S dollars in life-saving support to Mosul's civilians," Bishop said in a statement on Tuesday. "This will include emergency food, medical assistance, temporary shelter and support to women and girls for reproductive health. The foreign minister added that the commencement of the operation to drive IS out of Mosul - and out of the Middle East - was an "important milestone" in the fight against the terror organization. HO CHI MINH CITY, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City has detected four prostitutes cum pimps in a high-end sex ring of amateur models and actresses, local media quoted the municipal police as saying on Tuesday. The four prostitutes cum pimps include a 25-year-old woman from the southern province of Bac Lieu and a 25-year-old freelance model from Ho Chi Minh City, who have participated in local singing or beauty contests, daily newspaper Thanh Nien (Young People) reported. They either offered sex service or introduced prostitutes to sex buyers at prices of 200-500 U.S. dollars. They received intermediary fees of 22-134 U.S. dollars for each transaction. There are nearly 101,300 sex workers, including 72,000 women in Vietnam, estimated the International Labor Organization in the country. Vietnam currently has some 126,000 potentially illicit services such as massage parlors and karaoke lounges which employ nearly 100,000 women, according to statistics from the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. NEW DELHI, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A civil nuclear deal between India and Japan is unlikely to be inked during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tokyo for an annual bilateral summit, the Japanese envoy in New Delhi has said. "We are working around this line. We are in the process of technical discussions. With regard to signing, at this moment I cannot say it will be signed because we are in the process of technical discussions," Japanese Ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu was quoted as saying on Monday. He added: "We are now having technical discussions and the point is what we agreed upon last year was the agreement will be signed after the technical details are finalized." After years of negotiations, India and Japan signed a memorandum on cooperating in nuclear energy during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to New Delhi last year with a rider that certain technical and legal issues have to be resolved before a final agreement is inked. A joint statement issued after the 2015 summit between Modi and Abe said: "The two Prime Ministers welcomed the agreement reached between the two governments for cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy." WELLINGTON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian man who oversaw a methamphetamine-smuggling operation from his New Zealand prison cell has had his jail time extended, the New Zealand Police said Tuesday. Egyptian national Mohamed Soliman Hussain Atta, 42, was sentenced at the Wellington High Court to 13 years and two months in jail after admitting seven charges of importing methamphetamine and one charge of conspiracy to supply the drug, said a statement from the Police. The statement did not say why Atta was already in Rimutaka Prison, near Wellington, but said he used several cell phones, including one supplied by a prison officer, to organize the smuggling over three months in 2014. Police Detective Sergeant James Withington said Atta had used his international contacts to run the methamphetamine importation ring before being exposed by the joint Police, Corrections and Customs investigation. In total 11 people involved with the drug dealing had been sentenced, and three more were yet to be sentenced. "Those convicted of importing methamphetamine were either patched gang members, or had strong gang associations, which demonstrates gang involvement in this trade," Withington said in a statement. Radio New Zealand reported that the court was told Atta had facilitated the importation through his contacts in Thailand. TOKYO, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Members of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet along with other senior lawmakers from a number of different parties visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday. The visits to the war-linked shrine in Tokyo came a day after Abe himself made a ritual offering at the shrine that honors Japan's war dead, including 14 convicted Class A war criminals, by proxy. Following Abe, on Tuesday, Japan's Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki also visited the notorious shrine, while House of Representatives Speaker Tadamori Oshima and House of Councillors President Chuichi Date made ritual offerings at the Shinto shrine, which is widely seen as a living testament to Japan's past militarism. Visits by senior politicians to the war-linked shrine draw the ire of Japan's neighbors, including South Korea and China who suffered immeasurably at the barbaric hands of the Imperial Army of Japan before, during and after World War II. Lower house members Keiji Furuya, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s Election Strategy Committee, and Hiroshi Hase, a former minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology from the LDP, and upper house member Yuichiro Hata, a former minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism from the main opposition Democratic Party, also made a pilgrimage to the shrine on Tuesday, which openly honors convicted war criminals. The Yasukuni Shrine served as the "command headquarters" of State Shinto, a religion that saw Japan's emperor as a "living god" and enlisted Japanese civilians to fight a "holy war" on behalf of their "god" during World War II. The shrine is run by a private foundation and the 14 Class-A war criminals' "souls" were enshrined there secretly in 1978, by the clandestine foundation. The foundation, which also runs Yasukuni's museum, nowadays openly depicts the war criminals as martyrs and blatantly misrepresents Japan's war in China as an act of "suppression" rather than one of aggression. The museum has numerous displays depicting Japan's war-time endeavors, but has flagrantly misrepresented the actual facts, in not referring to the well-documented Nanjing massacre (also known as the Rape of Nanjing), experiments conducted on prisoners of war and the suffering of thousands of comfort women at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army. Former Emperor Hirohito,thus, stopped visiting the shrine in 1978 because of the enshrinement of the war criminals there and Japan's current Emperor Akihito has continued the Imperial family's moratorium on visits to the shrine for the same reason. The shrine stands as a constant source of diplomatic tension between Japan and its neighbors as it is a loosely veiled site of overt nationalistic propaganda, that glorifies Japan's militaristic past. It also stands as a touchstone as to the direction the current leadership, under Abe's right wing administration, is heading in politically. Chinese Pianist Lang Lang (R) awards patrons Mr. and Mrs Weill at the "Lang Lang & Friends Gala Concert Diner" in New York, the United States, Oct. 17, 2016. Famed Chinese pianist Lang Lang raised over 2 million U.S. dollars for music education during a gala concert dinner in New York on Monday. Founded by Lang, Lang Lang International Music Foundation (LLIMF) hosted the Lang Lang & Friends Gala Concert Diner at Manhattan, New York. The Gala aimed to raise funds to support the foundation's various programs such as Keys of Inspiration, with the goal of educating future pianists. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) NEW YORK, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Famed Chinese pianist Lang Lang raised over 2 million U.S. dollars for music education during a gala concert dinner in New York on Monday. Founded by Lang, Lang Lang International Music Foundation (LLIMF) hosted the Lang Lang & Friends Gala Concert Diner at Manhattan, New York. "The Friends Gala Concert Dinner is an opportunity for us to come together and support a new generation of musicians and to honor those who have generously supported our efforts," said Lang. The Gala aimed to raise funds to support the foundation's various programs such as Keys of Inspiration, with the goal of educating future pianists. Lang reiterated in the gala that it is important to share music worldwide. The foundation teaches classic music through the Keys of Inspiration program since 2013 in five cities around the global, helping over 2,500 children. The mission of the LLIMF is to educate, inspire and motivate the next generation of music lovers and performers. Lang was named New York City's first ever Cultural Tourism Ambassador by Mayor Bill de Blasio in September, as part of the U.S.-China Tourism Year events that promote travel and tourism between the United States and China. SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's military is to mull the development of its own nuclear-powered submarine against what it calls the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile threats, local media reported on Tuesday. Government officials and ruling Saenuri Party members held a meeting to enhance the country's defense capability against the DPRK's nuclear threat, where the party strongly asked the government to push for the development of its own submarine propelled by nuclear power. An unidentified defense ministry official was quoted as saying at the meeting that the military would carefully weigh the call in consideration of military effectiveness, technical availability and military situations in neighboring countries. Calls here for introducing its own nuclear-powered submarine emerged after the DPRK showed an advance in its technology of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). Pyongyang test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine off its east coast on Aug. 24, traveling some 500 km toward Japan. The flight distance surpassed the 300 km which Seoul's military regards as a success. Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly ordered to build a couple of 3,000-ton submarines capable of carrying and launching ballistic missiles. A completed SLBM technology would raise the DPRK's nuclear threat to a new level as it is very hard to detect and track a DPRK missile from a submarine moving secretly deep under the waters. Even if South Korea successfully secures its nuclear-powered submarine, uncertainties would remain about its military effectiveness. The South Korean submarine will be required to wait inside waters 10-20 km away from the DPRK's submarine base in order to strike its enemy submarine before it submerges into deep waters. Such submarine, which stays in waters of that distance, would be attacked easily by DPRK forces. Time and costs would be needed to build a nuclear submarine. Military experts estimated it would take around 6-7 years to develop and deploy a submarine propelled by nuclear power, while about 1.5 trillion won (1.3 billion U.S. dollars) would be required to construct a nuclear submarine. The most fundamental difficulty facing South Korea is to secure nuclear material necessary for a nuclear reactor that propels the nuclear submarine. The U.S.-South Korea civil nuclear pact bans Seoul from enriching uranium for military purpose. The miniaturized reactor inside a submarine requires uranium enriched at least 20 percent. Seoul's defense ministry official was quoted as saying that the use of nuclear material for nuclear-powered submarine will not be in violation of pacts with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), indicating Seoul's nuclear pact with Washington would be a sole obstacle. Seoul's push for developing a nuclear submarine may trigger Japan's demand for its nuclear armament, brining nuclear arms race to the region. Japan has been reprocessing spent nuclear fuels and accumulating massive nuclear materials necessary for nuclear development. Meanwhile, the government and the ruling party agreed to speed up the development of the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and the Kill Chain systems as well as the Korea Massive Punishment Retaliation (KMPR) system. The previous goal of completing the three systems by the mid-2020s was brought forward to the early 2020s, according to the agreement. The KAMD is a project to develop its indigenous missile defense system to shoot down incoming DPRK missiles at multiple layers. The project includes the development of interceptors, including medium-range surface-to-air missiles (M-SAM) and long-range surface-to-air missiles (L-SAM) that can shoot down missiles at an altitude of less than 100 km. The Kill Chain project aims to preemptively strike the DPRK's missile launch sites when signs of first strike are detected. The KMPR is a system to preemptively strike the DPRK's leadership and headquarters with massive missile attacks when Pyongyang's first strike signs are spotted. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Wikileaks said on Monday that its founder Julian Assange's Internet access was cut off by the government of Ecuador when he was taking asylum at the country's embassy in London. "We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's Internet access Saturday, 5 p.m. GMT, shortly after the publication of Hillary Clinton's Goldman Sachs speeches," the anti-secrecy group said on Twitter. Earlier on Saturday, Wikileaks released three transcripts of Clinton's paid speeches to Goldman Sachs. According to the Associated Press, those were part of the tranche of emails hacked from the accounts of John Podesta, campaign chairman for the Democratic nominee. The Australian transparency activist has been holed up at the Ecuadorean Embassy since 2012 to avoid extradition over sex assault allegations. In a brief statement, the Ecuadorean Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its decision on Monday to grant Assange asylum, but did not mention the Internet shutdown. "Faced with the speculation of the last few hours, the Government of Ecuador ratifies the validity of the asylum granted to Julian Assange four years ago," said the ministry. "We reaffirm that his protection by the Ecuadorean state will continue while the circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain." SYDNEY, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The government of Nauru has slammed Australia's premier investigative program Four Corners for airing a biased one-sided report on how refugee children were being treated in the Australian-run detention centres housed on the island. In a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, Nauru accused the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) as being denigrating, racist, false and an "embarrassment to journalism" by airing "pure political activism" from start to finish. "Last night's Four Corners program on the ABC was yet another example of the ABC's biased political propaganda and lies, and was an insult to the people of Nauru," the statement said. Though the number of asylum seekers trying to reach Australian shores pales in comparison to those seeking refuge in Europe, the Australian authorities instead turn back asylum seeker boats to their country of origin at sea - where possible - or transfer those seeking refuge to one of two offshore processing centers on Papua New Guinea's (PNG's) Manus Island or the the Pacific island of Nauru. The policy, while designed to stop the flow of asylum seekers using people-smuggling operations to reach Australia by boat following a spate of tragic deaths at sea, has been heavily criticized. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has previously condemned the Australian government's hostility and contempt toward refugees, noting that Australia's cruel deterrence policies had "set a poor benchmark for its regional neighbors." Late on Monday the ABC's premier investigative program Four Corners aired "The Forgotten Children" which examined the lives of 128 children living on Nauru, a now permanent home for more than 700 refugees. In footage smuggled out of Nauru where children talked about their experiences in the facility, the ABC alleged the refugees poorly treated with run-down facilities had suffered psychological damage and received threatening gestures from members of the Nauruan community. "They showed the knife to us and they say don't come here anymore. This is not your school, this is our school. This is our country. Go away from here," one child refugee told the program. The ABC's story was largely informed by an Amnesty International report that alleged the government's policy of offshore processing is "explicitly designed to inflict incalculable damage on hundreds of men, women and children" and "it's a systematic regime of neglect and cruelty that amounts to torture under international law". ABC, however, did not seek comments from the government of Nauru prior going to air, and refused a live interview with Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton after the program to address the allegations made. An ABC spokeswoman on Tuesday rejected the Nauruan claims to stand by their report that was "an important story of obvious public interest". "The interviews with the children were conducted remotely by Four Corners, and their stories were subjected to the program's usual rigorous fact-checking processes," the spokeswoman said in a statement to Xinhua. "The program was made in this way because the Nauruan government routinely refuses journalists access to report on offshore processing, and charges prohibitive fees for media visas which are not refunded if the applications are refused." The Nauruan government had imposed an 8,000 thousand Australian dollar (6,147 thousand U.S. dollar) non-refundable visa application fee for foreign journalists wishing to visit the island. Australian and international media are routinely rejected. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Tuesday outright rejected Amnesty's and ABC's claim, saying their policy commitment "is compassionate and it's strong" after 1,200 asylum seekers died under the previous Labor party government. "We've reduced the children in detention from almost 2,000 when we came into office, we've increased our humanitarian program from 13,750 to 18,750 by 2018-19 and, we are taking an additional 12,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict zone," Turnbull told ABC radio on Tuesday morning. "We provide significant support to the government of Nauru for welfare and health services and that includes a medical clinic, upgrades at the hospital, of the Nauru Hospital, a new surgical facility, new school buildings, education, curriculum development." Turnbull said the Australian authorities are looking at third country resettlement options while encouraging those housed offshore to their return home if they are able to do so, particularly those who have had their refugee status denied. "If you seek to come to Australia with a people smuggler or you've sought to come to Australia with a people smuggler, you will not settle in Australia," Turnbull said. "I know that's a tough policy, I know that is hard, but the alternative is what we had under Labor - 50,000 unauthorised arrivals and 1,200 voices that were silenced... because they drowned at sea." Amnesty's and the ABC reports follow continued scrutiny of Australia's harsh immigration policies from rights groups and local media organisations. Prior to Monday night's report by the ABC, the Australian arm of the Guardian had published over 2,000 leaked reports of assaults, sexual abuse and other inhumane treatment of refugees at the Nauru facility. SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- South Korean exports of industrial parts and materials declined for the first three quarters of this year amid the global economic slump, a government report showed on Tuesday. Shipments of industrial components and materials reached 185.7 billion U.S. dollars during the January-September period, down 6.9 percent from the same period of last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE). The parts exports reduced amid the weak global demand, caused by the lackluster global recovery, but the component exports accounted for 51.1 percent of South Korea's total exports last month. The portion was the highest ever recorded by the sector. Industrial parts imports stood at 112.8 billion dollars for the first nine months of this year, sending trade surplus in the sector to 72.9 billion dollars in the cited period. Parts and material exports to China, South Korea's largest trading partner, tumbled 13.2 percent in the cited period at 60.4 billion dollars, keeping a downward trend. Shipments to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members increased 4.6 percent on demand from Vietnam, with those to Japan growing 1.3 percent at 9.3 billion dollars. By product, exports of rubber goods and plastics increased 8.2 percent as rising car production in overseas factories by local automakers boosted demand for such goods used for auto parts. Shipments of chemicals declined 6 percent, with those for primary metals and textile products sliding 8.1 percent and 10.3 percent respectively. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Germany has asked electric carmaker Tesla to stop advertising its vehicles as having an "autopilot" function as it seems to create false customer expectations that had reportedly led to two fatal crashes. "It can be confirmed that a letter to Tesla exists with the request to no longer use the misleading term Autopilot for the driver assistance system of the car," a spokesperson for the Germany Transport Ministry told Reuters. Germany has been conducting an investigation into the autopilot system in Tesla vehicles, which has been available with its Model S series since October 2015, according to AFP. The system allows the vehicle to automatically change lanes, manage speed and brake to avoid a collision. However, the German transport authority has warned owners of Tesla cars that their vehicles could not be operated without their constant attention. A Tesla Model S driver was killed in May after colliding with a truck in Florida. In September, a Tesla car crashed into a tourist bus in northern Germany, lightly injuring the driver who said he had activated the vehicle's autopilot system. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Xi Xiaoming, former vice president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), and Gu Chunli, former vice governor in northeast China's Jilin Province, have been indicted for taking bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said on Tuesday. The SPP has designated Tianjin and Harbin procuratorates to initiate prosecution against Xi and Gu respectively. According to the indictments, Xi and Gu both took advantage of their posts to seek benefits for others and accepted a huge amount in bribes. Prosecutors have informed Xi and Gu of their litigation rights, questioned the defendants, and listened to representations from their lawyers, according to a statement from the SPP. Actress Allison Janney poses for photos with her star during the star honoring ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, the United States, Oct. 17, 2016. Allison Janney received a star on Monday. (Xinhua/Luo Xian) LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Seven-time Emmy Award-winning American actress Allison Janney received the 2,592nd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, in the television category. Janney, after thanking family and friends in attendance, hailed the location of her star. "When I first moved out here to do 'The West Wing' in 1999 ... I moved into an apartment complex on Gower Street with a lot of my friends who are here today, and all of us were in the business in all different areas -- there were writers, directors, choreographers, costume designers -- it was kind of incredible. And so we decided we would start the Gower Academy of Dramatic Arts." "Allison Janney has entertained us throughout the years with her amazing performances in both television and film," said Leron Gubler, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Richard Schiff, a cast mate of Janney's on the White House drama "The West Wing," and Chuck Lorre, a creator and executive producer of "Mom," joined Janney at the ceremony, together with many stars and crew members of both series. When Janney won her seventh Emmy in 2015 to tie Edward Asner and Mary Tyler Moore for second most by a performer, she said "never in a million, trillion years did I ever think I would be on a list with them." Janney was named Emmy's best supporting actress in a drama series for her portrayal of White House press secretary C.J. Cregg in the first two seasons of "The West Wing," and received two Emmys in the category of lead actress in a drama series for the role in the remainder of its run. In 2014, she became the third performer to win two Emmys for different roles in the same year -- supporting actress in a comedy series named "Mom," and outstanding guest actress on a drama series for Showtime's "Masters of Sex." Janney won a second Emmy for her work on "Mom" in 2015. The actress was born on Nov. 19, 1959, in Boston and raised in Dayton, Ohio. She attended Kenyon College, where as a freshman she was directed in a play by Paul Newman. HANOI, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean manufacturer Samsung has recalled over 8,000 units of its faulty Galaxy Note 7 smartphones out of more than 12,600 units sold in the Vietnamese market, according to the Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA) on Tuesday. This is part of a global recall by the world's largest phone maker after there are reports that some of its devices were exploding. Samsung also announced to stop replacing the faulty Galaxy Note 7 smartphones with new ones but offered refunds to the device owners in Vietnam from Tuesday till Nov. 11, 2016. The VCA appealed to consumers who had bought the Galaxy Note 7 to quickly return their devices to Samsung for their benefit, safety and social responsibility. In a related development on Monday, Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, announced it will refuse carrying the device in any form, including in person, in hand luggage and checked baggage, on all of its flights, following a similar ban by airlines throughout the world. Earlier the national flagship carrier prohibited passengers from placing the Galaxy Note 7 in their checked baggage and stopped offering in-flight phone charging services for the handset. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday voiced support for Iraq in fighting terrorism as Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced a major offensive to retake its second largest city, Mosul, from the Islamic State (IS) group. "China supports the Iraqi government's efforts to maintain national stability and fight terrorism. China hopes for national security and stability in Iraq at an early date," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing. Abadi pledged to rebuild Mosul and other towns and villages in Nineveh province after they were destroyed by the extremist IS militants, and vowed to bring stability to Mosul, which is located some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Mosul, the last major IS stronghold in Iraq, has been under IS control since June 2014. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte left Brunei for China Tuesday after wrapping up his first state visit to the sultanate. During his three-day state visit to Brunei, both countries reaffirmed commitment in bolstering economic cooperation with each other. In a speech during a state banquet for the visiting Philippine President at Istana Nurul Iman, Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah said both countries' historical links and common heritage have paved the way for strong bilateral relations that are demonstrated through cooperation in various areas, including trade and investment, labour, defence, health, education and air services. "Today, there remains much potential to be tapped in our economic cooperation," said the monarch, adding that this includes reinforcing collaboration in the energy sector and discovering new areas in the halal industry. The monarch also expressed appreciation on the contribution of about 23,000 Filipino expatriates to Brunei's economy and development. In his speech, Duterte expressed his "heartfelt gratitude" towards the Sultan for the 32 years of friendship and assistance accorded to the Philippines and its people. Duterte also spoke on how both countries have faced various common challenges and overcome these obstacles. "We have explored and forged several undertakings that further cemented our special relations. This cooperation will continue to be reinforced for the mutual benefit of our nations," Duterte said, adding that both countries have many opportunities to look forward to in working closely together to enhance peace, prosperity and progress. "With the deep well of goodwill between our nations and peoples, I reiterate the resolve and commitment to value, protect and nurture our very special ties," Duterte said. From Brunei, Duterte starts a four-day state visit to China on Tuesday. GAZA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority's General Authority of Civil Affairs (GACA) on Tuesday blamed Israel for restricting its work in the Gaza Strip by withdrawing movement permits from most of its high ranking officials working in Gaza. The GACA press officer Mohammad Al-Maqadmah told Xinhua over phone that Israeli authorities have recently cancelled the permits of 12 out of 14 employees who are mandated with coordination assignments in Gaza. Al-Maqadmah said this Israeli measure was taken gradually and targeted GACA's top level employees who are assigned to coordinate the access of goods and construction material into Gaza and transport sick citizens for medical treatment out of the coastal enclave. "This is a political and unjustified measure that aims at tightening the siege on the Gaza Strip," he added. Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported on its website Tuesday that the Coordination of (Israeli) Government Activities in the Territories Office (COGAT) said that canceling the permits came for security reasons, without disclosing more information. GACA is the official body to coordinate affairs of civil nature between the PNA and Israeli, including movement and access permits and goods and other related matters. This latest step comes on the backdrop of a complaint by Gaza's businessmen association, after Israel cancelled the permits of 2,000 merchant from Gaza since the beginning of this year, and considered it a step to tighten the siege against Gaza and weaken its economy. Israel imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip since Islamic Hamas movement seized power by force after routing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas security forces in 2007. CAPE TOWN, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Tuesday distanced itself from the call of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) to take up arms to defend President Jacob Zuma. The ANC views these utterances as "unfortunate, irresponsible and reckless", the party said in a statement emailed to Xinhua. "The freedom, peace and stability we enjoy in South Africa today came at a price," ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said. Among those freedoms is the freedom of expression, which does not extend to inflammatory remarks such as those made by the ANCYL President Collen Maine, said Kodwa. Maine on Saturday called on a former armed wing of the ANC to take up arms in defence of Zuma so as to halt former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela from releasing a draft report on her investigation into "state capture" involving the wealthy Indian Gupta family, which allegedly exerted undue influence on Zuma in the appointment of cabinet ministers. Kodwa said current challenges facing South Africa required reasoned, cogent and decisive leadership, not provocative and demagogic talk. Accordingly, the ANC has instructed Maine to retract these comments, Kodwa said. Zuma continues to enjoy overwhelming support from the majority of members of the ANC and society at large, he added. HANOI, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese lawmakers are expected to convene for the second session of the 14th National Assembly (NA) on Thursday and will adopt four law bills, said a Vietnamese official here on Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference held in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Tuesday, Do Manh Hung, vice chairman of the NA Office said during 26 days of working, the second session will spend some 63 percent of its time or 16 days on legislative work. Accordingly, the NA is scheduled to adopt four bills including law on properties auction, law on faiths and religions, amended criminal code, and law on associations, as well as one amended resolution on elimination and reduction of tax on using agriculture land. At the same time, the country's top legislature will review 13 bills on management of state properties, compensation responsibility of the state, management and use of firearms, explosive equipments and supporting tools, railway, external trade management, supporting Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), among others as well as one resolution on issuance of electronic visa for foreigners travelling to Vietnam. Meanwhile, in the rest 10 days, Vietnamese legislators will review socio-economic reports, implement supreme oversight and discussions on important issues, said Hung, mentioning some reports on prevention, combating crimes and law violations, as well as corruption prevention and fight in 2016. The second session of Vietnam's 14th NA, which will open on Thursday, is projected to last till Nov. 23, 2016. JAKARTA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government will ease more license procedures in a bid to boost the activity to look for new oil reserves, a minister said here on Tuesday. The move came amid slow exploration of new oil reserve, dwindling output and rising energy demand in the Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that the government has trimmed the number of permits required for exploration from 104 to 42. "Now, we set to reduce it to 6. Hopefully, it can be materialized in December," said Pandjaitan who is also a former acting energy and mineral resources minister. Pandjaitan expected the policy to attract more investment in exploration and raise the country's oil production. The government plans to drop all taxes charged during exploration period, and raise by more than double production sharing for investors, he said. ANKARA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkey joined airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition during the operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State (IS), Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Justice and Development Party's parliamentary group meeting in Ankara, Yildirim said "Our Air Forces have also participated in airstrikes in Mosul." He stated that Turkey would do "everything necessary" against all kinds of threats and did not need permission from others,local Hurriyet reported. The prime minister also warned that Ankara would respond if developments in Mosul lead to negative consequences against Turkey. Turkish Pesident Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the International Law Congress on Monday that Turkey will take part in operations and it will be coming to the diplomatic table in the aftermath. Erdogan stressed that Turkey has a 350-kilometer border with Iraq, and therefore the country cannot be expected to remain impartial to developments right across the border. He also warned against the danger of sectarian clashes if Ankara's concerns are not taken into consideration. Ankara has been locked in a row with Baghdad about the presence of its troops at the Bashiqa camp in northern Iraq and over who should take part in the U.S.-backed assault on Mosul. Zhang Dejiang (R), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), presides over the 79th chairpersons' meeting of the 12th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 18, 2016. (Xinhua/Gao Jie) BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature will convene its bi-monthly session from Oct. 31 to Nov. 7, according to a statement issued after a chairpersons' meeting Tuesday. Attendees of Tuesday's meeting, which was chaired by Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), suggested that at the upcoming session of the 12th NPC Standing Committee, legislators would continue deliberating draft laws on the film industry and public cultural services, draft general rules for the civil code, draft amendments to the marine environment protection law and the law on private education, as well as draft revisions to the law on the Red Cross Society. Legislators will also study and discuss proposals to review draft revisions to the law on small and medium-sized enterprises and the law on surveying and mapping, and to review the draft law on nuclear safety, among others. Legislators will consider a number of reports, including those on the enforcement of the exit-entry law, and inspection of environmental protection law enforcement. KATHMANDU, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chief of Defence Force of the Maldives, Major General Ahmed Shiyam, arrived here on a six-day official visit, the Nepali Army Headquarters said on Tuesday. The Maldivian Army General was received by Senior Army Official Hemanta Raj Kunwar at the Tribhuwan International Airport. General Ahmed was presented a Guard of Honor from a troop of Army at a function at the Army Headquarters in the Capital today itself. The Maldivian Army General held a meeting with Nepali Army Chief Rajendra Chettri in the afternoon. The Nepali Army officials shared their experiences and feelings during the rescue operations after the devastating earthquakes last year in Nepal to General Ahmed. In course of his Nepal visit, General Ahmed is slated to visit academic institutions of the Army and some tourists' destinations in Nepal. "The Nepali Army believes that such kinds of visits between the military officials of the two countries help to strengthen and expand military relationships," the statement added. Peshmerga forces advance in the east of Mosul to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 18, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) ANKARA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkey joined airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition during the operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State (IS), Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Justice and Development Party's parliamentary group meeting in Ankara, Yildirim said "Our Air Forces have also participated in airstrikes in Mosul." He stated that Turkey would do "everything necessary" against all kinds of threats and did not need permission from others,local Hurriyet reported. The prime minister also warned that Ankara would respond if developments in Mosul lead to negative consequences against Turkey. Turkish Pesident Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the International Law Congress on Monday that Turkey will take part in operations and it will be coming to the diplomatic table in the aftermath. Erdogan stressed that Turkey has a 350-kilometer border with Iraq, and therefore the country cannot be expected to remain impartial to developments right across the border. He also warned against the danger of sectarian clashes if Ankara's concerns are not taken into consideration. Ankara has been locked in a row with Baghdad about the presence of its troops at the Bashiqa camp in northern Iraq and over who should take part in the U.S.-backed assault on Mosul. Russian soldiers distribute aid sent from Moscow to Syrian people in the town of Hussainyeh, near Damascus, capital of Syria, on Oct. 8, 2016. Russia regularly sends relief aid to many Syrian areas. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani) DAMASCUS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Syria's northern city of Aleppo calmed down on Tuesday, as Russia has halted airstrikes in the city, a security source told Xinhua. The sky over hard-hit Aleppo has never been so tranquil for a long time, the source said on condition of anonymity. Russia announced airstrikes on rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo had been halted from 10:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Tuesday, as a prelude to an 8-hour humanitarian truce in the city, which will enter into force on Thursday. The Thursday truce could see the evacuation of hardline rebels of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, previously known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front. The truce and the rebels' evacuation are believed to be the outcome of a recent meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, where world powers Moscow and Washionton sought to broker a humanitarian pause and eventual political solution to the crisis. The Russian air forces and Syrian army recently upped their offensives in Aleppo, in order to banish the rebels from the east of the city. The Syrian government has issued multiple statements that urged the rebels to leave eastern Aleppo and promised them a safe passage to the rebel-held city of Idlib in northwestern Syria. Meanwhile, Russia has urged the evacuation of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham group, which is listed as a terrorist group by the United Nations, from Aleppo. On the other side, the United States and its allies have accused Russia and the Syrian government of committing war crimes by shelling Aleppo. But observers say both Washington and Moscow are believed to have agreed on evacuating ultra-radical groups from Aleppo in exchange for a halt of Russian airstrikes. Aleppo, located near the borders with Turkey, is Syria's largest city and once an economic hub. It has been a focal point of clashes between the Syrian army and the rebels. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) attends a joint news conference with New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 18, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- China and New Zealand on Tuesday vowed to further promote cooperation in areas including trade, agriculture, people-to-people exchanges and law enforcement. "China-New Zealand relations have made great progress in recent years," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a join news conference after talks with New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully. Wang said two sides should further enhance strategic communication, deepen cooperation and consolidate mutual trust, to improve the comprehensive strategic partnership. "We should further push forward defense and judicial cooperation and fight corruption and transnational crimes together," Wang added. Echoing Wang, McCully said New Zealand is proud of creating many "firsts" between China and developed countries. McCully also said New Zealand would remain impartial regarding the South China Sea issue and expressed his hope that those directly involved would restart dialogue. State Councilor Yang Jiechi also met with McCully earlier Tuesday, calling on both sides to coordinate China's Belt and Road Initiative and New Zealand's 30-year infrastructure development plan. McCully said New Zealand acknowledges the one-China policy and is willing to advance the comprehensive strategic partnership. COLOMBO, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's state run airline carrier, Sri Lankan Airlines and and budget airline Mihin Lanka, on Tuesday said that it had banned the use and carriage of 'Samsung Galaxy Note 7' phones on its aircraft. The airlines said in a statement that it had banned passengers and crew members from using and carrying Samsung Note 7 phones on board with immediate effect. Sri Lankan Airlines said the ban comes into effect following several incidents reported on explosions of the mobile device when connected to power. "With the Airline's prime priority being the safety and well-being of passengers, the Airline took immediate action to advise the passengers against the carriage and usage of the device on board and prepared cabin crew members to assist passengers," it said. Sri Lankan Airlines had earlier advised passengers not to switch the phone on, in line with other carriers. KIGALI, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Rwanda government has mourned the passing of the country's last monarch King Kigeli V Ndahindurwa, who died early Sunday in Virginia, United States, at the age of 80. "It is with sadness that the government of Rwanda has learned of the passing of Kigeli V Ndahindurwa, the former King of Rwanda," said the statement released by the office of the government spokesperson on Tuesday. "The government of Rwanda has not yet been informed by the family regarding the final resting place and funeral arrangements," the statement said, adding that the government was ready to provide any necessary support when the family make their preferences known. King Kigeli V rose to throne in 1959 but was only king of Rwanda until 1961, when the monarchy was abolished and he was forced into exile. During the exile, the king had lived in countries including Uganda and Kenya, before settling in 1992 in the United States, where he set up the King Kigeli V Foundation, a charity helping Rwandan refugees and orphans. The king was reported to have demanded formal recognition of his return communicated to all Rwandans. However, the government of Rwanda did not agree on his terms. According to a statement released by the king's estate on Monday, several parties have expressed interest in assisting with any final expenses and the King's staff is touched by the overwhelming kindness and generosity of supporters and well-wishers in the time of grief. "His Majesty vigorously supported self-betterment through education, so any donations to educational institutions that support Rwandan students in His Majesty's name would be greatly appreciated. For any supporters who specifically wish to help off-set final expenses of His Majesty, donations will be accepted," the statement said. King Kigeli, an ethnic Tutsi, came to power after succeeding his half brother King Mutara III Rudahigwa, who died in 1959 on the eve of the Hutu "social revolution," which sent hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis in exile. MOSCOW, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian and Syrian air forces have halted airstrikes against Syria's Aleppo from 10 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Tuesday ahead of a humanitarian pause set for Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday. "This will ensure the safety of exit of civilians via six corridors and to prepare the wounded in the eastern part of Aleppo for evacuation," Shoigu said. By the start of the humanitarian pause Syrian troops will withdraw a certain distance, allowing the militants with their weapons to freely leave eastern Aleppo by two corridors, he added. He also urged countries that have influence on the armed groups in the eastern part of Aleppo to persuade their leaders to cease hostilities and leave the city. The Russian Defense Ministry Monday announced a pause in strikes against rebel-controlled areas in the city of Aleppo for eight hours from 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) till 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) local time on Oct. 20. Russian warplanes and Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have restarted strikes against rebel-controlled areas of Aleppo since the collapse of the ceasefire agreement reached between Moscow and Washington last month. MOSCOW, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian and U.S. military experts will meet in Geneva Wednesday to discuss the separation of Syrian opposition from terrorist groups, the Interfax news agency on Tuesday cited Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying. "Indeed, an agreement was reached in Lausanne that military experts would try to do it as far as eastern Aleppo is concerned. Such a meeting will start in Geneva tomorrow. Let's see what results it will have," Lavrov said. On Saturday, Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met in the Swiss city of Lausanne for discussions of restarting the political process in Syria. They were joined by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Qatar. The talks reportedly ended with no major breakthroughs in settling the five-year-long crisis in Syria. The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier that parties to the multilateral meeting reaffirmed their pledge to maintaining the integrity of the war-torn country, and promised to continue contacts. Russia has repeatedly stressed the need to separate the so-called moderate opposition from the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militants, also known as the Nusra Front, and other terrorist groups, a commitment that Moscow has blamed Washington for failing to fulfill. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- China announced Tuesday that it will limit its annual mining of rare earth within 140,000 tonnes by 2020 in its latest attempt to overhaul the sector and ensure its sound development. The government will continue to investigate and apprehend anyone involved in illegal mining, processing or trade in rare earth metals and better manage market access, according to a rare earth development plan for the 2016-2020 period, released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Rare earth comprises a class of 17 mineral elements which are some of the most sought-after metals due to their vital role in green technologies like wind turbines and car batteries. They are also used for military purposes. China is the world's largest rare earth producer and exporter, but the industry is beset by myriad problems, such as illegal mining, smuggling and a lack of competitiveness due to weak research and development.Excessive exploration has also caused environmental damage. To upgrade the industry, the MIIT plans to improve efficiency across resource management and technological innovation by 2020. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), 14 illegal rare earth mines and 28 companies were closed. More than 36,000 tonnes of illegal rare earth products were seized, and 230 million yuan in fines was imposed, according to statistics from the MIIT. DUBAI, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The civil aviation across the world is suffering from a lack of airport capacity, Alexandre de Juniac, Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said on Tuesday. "Providing infrastructure is the responsibility of the governments," de Juniac said at the opening of the three-day IATA World Passenger Forum in Dubai. "I fear that we may be headed for an infrastructure crisis." According to him, the Single European Sky, an initiative to coordinate the design, management and regulation of airspace throughout the European Union, "is failing", which could lead to a loss of more than 245 billion euros (270 billion U.S. dollars). In the United States, "air traffic management modernization is held captive to a politicized budgeting process and special interests," he said. In the Gulf Arab region, "near gridlock threatens the efficiency of hub operations." The director general urged the world governments to join forces to remove the barriers to "the business of free air traffic movement." The aviation industry provides a total of 63 million jobs across the world and the number of passengers is expected to increase to 7.2 billion by 2035, twice as many as in 2016, he said. Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards march during a military parade to commemorate the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war in Tehran September 22. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Air Force on Tuesday successfully conducted an electronic warfare in an ongoing military drill in the central province of Isfahan, Press TV reported. The Air Force used advanced communications systems and secure wireless or wire-connected network, Brig. Gen. Massoud Rouzkhosh, the spokesman for the maneuver, said on the second day of the drill codenamed Fada'eeyan-e Harim-e Velayat 6. The use of deceptive jamming methods against mock enemy radars were among the electronic warfare tactics employed by Falcon 50 aircraft, he said. Interceptor F-14 aircraft conducted aerial surveillance and other operations, while F-14 and MiG-29 fighters engaged in dogfights, he added. On Monday, Iran commenced a three-day large-scale aerial drill, the purpose of which is showcasing the prowess of Iran's air force in protecting the country. "The drill showcase only a fraction of the Air Force's capability in preserving and defending Iran's skies," said Rouzkhosh. The drill includes bombers, interceptors, reconnaissance planes, refueling and transport aircraft as well as unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the report, the drill also employs a wide range of projectiles, including smart bombs and laser-guided missiles. Iran holds annual drills to enhance its capabilities in defending the country in the event of any threats. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- In the latest step in the country's fight against poverty, China's cabinet released a plan on Tuesday that will enable the poor to share earnings from local hydropower plants and mining projects. To pilot the reform, the government will choose a maximum of 20 projects in impoverished contiguous areas and counties targeted in the state poverty alleviation program, according to the State Council plan. Local rural residents will be able to acquire stakes in such projects with compensation they receive for land occupied by the project construction, the plan said. This way, rural residents get proceeds from the operation of the projects, with priority given to registered poor households. The reform will be carried out from late 2016 to the end of 2019, and the chosen projects will start construction in 2017. The environment will be strictly protected, the plan said. By the end of 2015, China still had 55.75 million people living in poverty, equivalent to the entire population of a medium-sized country. The government has named poverty reduction as one of its top priorities, pledging to eradicate poverty in China by 2020. More than 600 million Chinese were lifted out of poverty over the past three decades -- about 70 percent of the global total. Yu Zhengsheng (R), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), meets with Albanian Parliament Speaker Ilir Meta in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 18, 2016.(Xinhua/Gao Jie) BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng met with Albanian Parliament Speaker Ilir Meta on Tuesday, vowing to strengthen bilateral ties. Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), told Meta that Albania is "a good friend and a good partner" of China in Europe. Recent years have witnessed frequent political exchanges, enhanced mutual trust and close economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, Yu said. Yu said China was willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with Albania and beef up cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. He added that cooperation would be enhanced between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs), so as to better benefit the two countries and people. He said the CPPCC would conduct exchanges with the Albanian Parliament at various levels, and help enhance cooperation in areas such as the economy, trade and culture. Hailing the sound development of bilateral ties, Meta said Albania supports the China-CEECs cooperation and takes an active part in it. Albania is willing to be a robust partner of China in the Balkan Peninsula and in Europe, Meta said. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Beijing Tuesday evening, beginning his four-day visit to China. Choosing China as the first country outside the ASEAN since taking office in June, Duterte makes the visit amid a backdrop of deteriorating China-Philippines ties, due to the unilateral filing of the South China Sea arbitration case initiated by his predecessor Benigno Aquino III against China. Duterte will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, and top legislator Zhang Dejiang, according to China's Foreign Ministry. "This is a historic visit, and presents an opportunity for relations between China and the Philippines to restart on a fresh, more positive footing," said Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier on Tuesday. Applauding Duterte's commitment to improving bilateral ties and voicing support for dialogue and cooperation between the two nations, Wang said the visit accords with the national interests of the Philippines and the wishes of its people. No foreign force can stand in the way of improvements to China-Philippines relations, Wang said, adding that China's arms are open and ready for friendship and cooperation. The upcoming meetings are expected to enhance cooperation in trade, infrastructure and drug control, said Ruan Zongze, executive deputy president of the China Institute of International Studies. Though the anticipated visit will not be able to wipe the slate clean, it is a "window of opportunity" that may ameliorate the situation, as long as the two sides agree to shelve their differences and get back to consensus through dialogue, Ruan said. Related: Commentary: Duterte's visit presents overdue opportunity for China-Philippines rapprochement BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- After years of estrangement, the bad blood between Beijing and Manila has finally begun to give place to good faith, as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte embarks on an ice-breaking trip to China on Tuesday. The visit surprises many around the world. It comes at a time when China-Philippines ties have nosedived to a historical low because of the farcical South China Sea arbitration case brought by Duterte's predecessor Benigno Aquino III against China. Full story Interview: Philippine president says "only China can help us" MANILA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said that his country expects to boost traditional friendship with China and further bilateral trade and economic cooperation. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Leading professionals from the international community have spoken highly of China's achievements in the reform of organ donation and transplant, and will offer support to the country's mission in the field. "WHO will as always support China's mission in organ donation and transplant," said Margaret Chan, World Health Organization (WHO) director general, in a video message delivered at the opening of a workshop on organ donation and transplantation that will last Monday to Wednesday. She said the direction of China's reforms was correct and its actions quick, adding that many successful experiences in China could serve as a model for other countries facing similar challenges. The workshop is the first international conference on organ donation and transplantation that the Chinese mainland has hosted and was jointly organized by domestic and overseas organizations, including the China National Organ Donation & Transplant Committee (CNODTC), the International Society for Organ Donation and Procurement (ISODP) and The Transplantation Society (TTS). Huang Jiefu, director of the CNODTC said that China's transplant professionals were determined to push forward work with the international community in order to contribute more to the health of human beings. REMARKABLE PROGRESS IN THE PAST DECADE Consistently adhering to the principle of voluntary organ donation, China has made unremitting efforts in refining its organ transplant system during the past decade. According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), the number of organ donations per year in China ranks first in Asia, and third in the world. The number of organ transplants in China is second in the world, after the U.S. In 2007 the State Council issued regulations on transplants, banning organizations and individuals from trading human organs, a symbol that the country's organ donation and transplant services were moving towards a legal and institutionalized system. In a later move, China launched a pilot organ donation system in 2010, and amended the criminal law in 2011 to criminalize unauthorized removal of organs and organ trading, under which criminals could face homicide charges. In 2013, the NHFPC required provinces across China to allocate donor organs through a shared computer system to ensure that organ management and distribution were scientific, highly-efficient and fair. China banned transplants of organs donated from executed prisoners in January 2015, since when voluntary citizen-based organ donations have been the only source of organs. In the same year, China published national guidelines on organ donation to raise public awareness and support for the cause. In May 2016, an organ transport "green passage" was built, aiming to streamline the process of organ transportation under a "people-oriented, life first" governing idea, based on cooperation in multiple sectors, including civil aviation and high speed trains. In the first nine months of this year, China processed 2,950 organ donations, up 50 percent year on year. Chinese per million population (PMP) in donation rates have grown substantially since 2010, and are now higher than Japan's and ranks in the top 10 in Asia, the NHFPC said. "What China has done shows our commitment to social harmony and laws," Huang told Xinhua, adding that the progress reflects the nation's conventional values and helps build confidence in its system. "With more people being willing to donate their organs, social interdependence in China is strengthened," Huang said. RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT PLACE "I am deeply impressed that the number of donors has significantly increased in China over the past few years," Marti Manyalich, ISODP president told Xinhua. "China should be proud of the figure." Manyalich expected the annual number of organ donations in China to reach number one in the world by 2020. "Self-sufficiency of organs, which the country might achieve in the future, would bring a healthier China and be a significant contribution to the world," Manyalich said. "This is an important system with the right people in the right place." As a globally respected anesthesiologist from the University of Barcelona, Manyalich has strongly pushed forward training programs for hundreds of Chinese professionals in Spain. He is also pleased to see that an increasing number of Chinese doctors are joining ISODP. Such engagement and exchange "spreads and puts more knowledge into practice." Jose Nunez, a WHO officer in charge of global organ transplantation, said "the progress shows the whole nation's determination." "China has excellent professionals," Nunez said, adding that "technologies in China's organ transplantation are the same" as any developed country in the world. "China clearly demonstrates its will to make a change," said Francis Delmonico, former president of TTS and a professor at Harvard Medical School. REACTING TO SPECULATION "Chinese practice is safe, transparent, and ethical," Nunez said. "Those who have been challenging China's organ transplantation for all these years should bring data and evidence." "Sometimes it is necessary to face challenges, speculation and rumors," Nunez said. "But combining efforts from hundreds of Chinese professionals with the highest ethical standards in their practice, mean that rumors should be quelled." "China, from what I have observed, fully abides by international standards," said Manyalich, who has traveled to China over 15 times. "I never saw a difference between China and the rest of the world. "As a WHO officer, I have the privilege of being able to witness all these great changes that are happening in China. I feel deeply pleased and proud to be participating in this success, and to see the building of the next great donation-transplant program in the world," Nunez said. NEW DELHI, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Indian President Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday met with visiting Myanmar's State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi at Rashtrapati Bhavan (the president's official residence). "State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi calls on President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan," Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting tweeted. Suu Kyi, who is on a four-day visit to India, also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where she had been accorded a ceremonial reception earlier, and Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "Boosting ties with Myanmar. Ceremonial welcome for State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is followed by a meeting with Sushma Swaraj," Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted. Suu Kyi Monday met India's main opposition Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and spent sometime with her in her residence. She reportedly discussed steps for strengthening Myanmar-India ties. This is Suu Kyi's first visit to India after her National League for Democracy party assumed power this year. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has punished 245 people after investigations of 125 reported cases of malpractice in local elections, said a statement by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee . The 245 were caught in a ranges malpractices, including attending banquets while inspecting performance of cadres, leaking confidential information, canvassing, seeking promotion through improper methods, and spreading fabricated information in local elections, according to the statement. Among those punished, 47 were given "Party disciplinary and administrative punishment," which may include warning, demotion, and expulsion from Party and administrative posts. Another 135 were given "organizational punishment," a category of penalties including criticism, demotion and dismissal. The statement calls for stricter discipline and zero tolerance for malpractice in elections, in order to build a fair environment for local elections. In September, 45 National People's Congress deputies from China's northeastern Liaoning Province were disqualified after discovery of a massive electoral fraud case. GENEVA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- While the situation in the Iraqi city of Mosul remains unpredictable, UN aid agencies warned Tuesday that up to 1 million people may be forced to flee Islamic-State's (IS) last stronghold because of fighting. As in previous battles that freed the cities of Tikrit, Ramadi, Fallujah and others from IS militants, Iraqi forces are moving to gradually encircle the city which lies 400 km north of Baghdad after clearing militants from towns and villages around it before entering Mosul's districts. In light of the situation, aid officials reminded that the fate of civilians needs to be closely monitored amid warnings that those trapped in the city could be used as human shields by IS fighters. International Organization for Migration's (IOM) chief of mission in Iraq, Thomas Weiss, said there have been reports of chemical weapons being used by IS, resulting in a limited number of gas masks being supplied. According to estimates, some 200,000 people could be forced to flee their homes in the first weeks of the long-awaited military campaign launched on Oct. 17 by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Supported by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Iraqi fighters are also backed by international aircraft as well as different kinds of Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition artillery units. According to reports, more than 5,000 IS militants are holed up in Mosul with significant preparations to defend the city. Preparations by aid agencies have been ongoing for months, though much more needs to be done to cater to the needs of all those who may potentially be displaced. "The world is watching, prove your humanity, no matter what side you are on," Robert Mardini, the International Committee of the Red Cross' regional director for the Middle East, said. OSLO, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Norway said Tuesday it supports the Minsk process in solving the Ukraine conflict as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko paid his visit to the Nordic country. During the talks between Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Poroshenko, both sides discussed the situation in eastern Ukraine and "Norway supports negotiating track established within the Minsk process and Normandy format," according to a statement from Solberg's office. "Minsk agreements must be implemented in practice in order to contribute to a solution to the conflict," it said. Poroshenko's trip to Oslo is the first time a sitting head of state of Ukraine is on an official visit to Norway. The visit is an expression of both countries' desire to strengthen and develop cooperation in the coming years, the statement said. "I confirmed to Porosjenko that Norway will continue to support. We will contribute to long-term stability and development in Ukraine by supporting the Ukrainian government's implementation of reform plans," Solberg was quoted as saying in the statement. At the conclusion of their talks, Solberg and Porosjenko signed a joint declaration on the partnership between the two countries, vowing to "work closely with the UN, the OSCE, NATO, the Council of Europe and other international organizations to strengthen international cooperation and regional security." Meanwhile, the two country will "support a peaceful, negotiated political settlement based on the Minsk agreements" and "implement the non-recognition policy with regard to Crimea," according to the joint declaration. Poroshenko will take part in a meeting with leaders of France, Germany and Russia in the so-called Normandy format in Berlin on Wednesday. Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Miyegombo Enkhbold, chairman of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) and chairman of the State Great Hural, Mongolia's parliament, in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 18, 2016. Enkhbold attended an annual dialogue between the Communist Party of China and various parties of the world, held in Chongqing Municipality in southwest China last week. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for more concrete exchanges with Mongolia in terms of governance and interaction between the two ruling parties. Xi made the remarks while meeting with Miyegombo Enkhbold, chairman of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) and chairman of the State Great Hural, Mongolia's parliament. Hailing the sound momentum of China-Mongolia ties, Xi said both countries have placed great focus on each other when developing their respective foreign policies. The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government have pursued relations with Mongolia from a strategic standpoint and with a long-term perspective, he said, vowing to enhance coordination and cooperation with the country to boost bilateral all-round strategic partnership. Xi urged the two sides to maintain high-level exchanges, deepen political party exchanges, properly handle sensitive issues and support each other on issues regarding respective core interests and major concerns. Enkhbold, who is on his first China trip since taking office in July, spoke highly of the Belt and Road Initiative and China's friendly diplomacy toward its neighbors. "[China has] provided guidance for deepening bilateral ties, maintaining regional peace and stability and boosting cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road," he said. The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi in 2013, refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It will be a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes. Enkhbold said that the parties of Mongolia, though they may hold ideological differences, all agree to enhancing ties with China. The MPP values its friendly ties with the CPC and expects closer exchanges, he added. Enkhbold attended an annual dialogue between the CPC and various parties of the world, held in Chongqing Municipality in southwest China last week. He said the dialogue was an important sharing platform for parties to discuss how to innovate global economic governance. Later on Tuesday, top legislator Zhang Dejiang met with Enkhbold. Zhang pledged to further strengthen cooperation between China's National People's Congress and State Great Hural. Enkhbold said Mongolia is ready to enhance parliamentary links with China. Cuban yougnsters react during a demonstration in Havana University, in Havana, Cuba, on Oct. 17, 2016. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez) HAVANA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Cuban university and high school students on Monday demanded Washington lift the half-century trade embargo that has cost their country hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue and productivity. The day of protest, organized by the Federation of University Students (FEU), aimed to raise the pressure on the United States as the United Nations General Assembly readies for its annual vote on a resolution that condemns the embargo and calls for it to be repealed. Last year's vote could be summed up as "the world vs. the United States," as only Washington and its stalwart ally Israel voted against the resolution, while 191 UN member nations voted in favor. As part of the tech-savvy protests, organizers set up a website where anyone can vote against the embargo, which Cubans call a "blockade," since the web of sanctions effectively blocks the small Caribbean country from doing business with the outside world. As of early Monday afternoon, the site, www.cubavsbloqueo.cu, had gathered 17,268 votes. Students found a range of creative ways to protest the outdated policy, such as taking part in rallies, painting murals with anti-embargo messages, and participating in a selfie contest by posting photos of themselves with the day's rallying cry: #YoVotoVsBloqueo, which roughly translates as "I vote against the embargo." A Cuban yougnster reacts during a demonstration in Havana University, in Havana, Cuba, on Oct. 17, 2016. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez) "The U.S. blockade against Cuba limits the future prospects and dreams of the youth, so it has become another cause to fight for," Raul Palmero, a student leader at the University of Havana, told Xinhua. "Younger generations must continue the struggle to end this unjust policy," he added. In the area of education, the blockade prevents Cuba from easily acquiring tools that are taken for granted in other countries, such as laboratory equipment and instruments, and audio-visual material for foreign-language learning, not to mention accessing online educational sites. These limitations are especially damaging for a country that depends on its talent for development. The sanctions force Cuba to turn to more distant countries that are nevertheless willing and able to deal with its socialist government despite the threat of U.S. retaliation, state daily Granma noted on Monday. However, importing materials around the globe has proven costly for a government already short on cash. Juan Carlos Hernandez, a second year student of international relations, said "the majority of university students are here today to reject Washington's policy towards our country." He added, "this isn't a tactic of the Cuban government to hide its faults and mistakes, it's a law that affects our people, all sectors of Cuban society and particularly the young." Cuban yougnsters shout slogans during a demonstration in Havana University, in Havana, Cuba, on Oct. 17, 2016. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez) Students posted thousands of messages on Twitter and Facebook, demanding a clear stance from U.S. President Barack Obama regarding the blockade. "The U.S. has never accepted the word blockade, they call it an embargo," said Tania Corrales, a 19-year-old University of Havana student. "My generation and others have lived their entire life in a blockaded country and it imposes many restrictions on our daily lives from an economic standpoint, but also technologically and socially." Cuba's head of U.S. affairs, Josefina Vidal, who has led Havana's negotiations with Washington since the two countries agreed to normalize ties in December of 2014, took part in a question-and-answer session with students outside the university in Havana. The blockade, she said, negatively impacts every sector, from public health to transportation. Tylor Norris, a U.S. student in Cuba studying Spanish, told Granma his stay had opened his eyes to the impact of the sanctions. "I knew about the blockade before coming to Cuba to study, but I wasn't aware of how much it affected the people," Norris said. Cuba is set to request a UN vote on the blockade on Oct. 26. BRUSSELS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday welcomed Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari at the NATO Headquarters, committing the Alliance's support to Iraq. Stoltenberg reiterated NATO's commitment to provide in-country training and capacity-building for Iraq, as agreed by Allies at the Warsaw Summit, according to a NATO statement. NATO will provide a training effort inside Iraq in January 2017, which would build on the Alliance's existing training course to Iraqi officers in Jordan. During his visit, Al-Jaafari also participated in a meeting of the North Atlantic Council. He addressed domestic and regional security challenges, including progress in the fight against the Islamic State (IS). Stoltenberg highlighted NATO's efforts to step up support for the U.S.-led coalition's fight, noting that NATO AWACS aircraft will soon be flying to support the anti-IS coalition. Ecuador's President Rafael Correa (R) and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon take part in the opening ceremony of the Habitat III conference on housing and sustainable urban development in Quito on October 17, 2016. (AFP PHOTO/ JUAN CEVALLO) QUITO, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Mayors of the world's major cities on Monday called on national governments and international financial institutions to help finance low-carbon and sustainable projects. The Call for Action on Municipal Infrastructure Finance was launched here during the third UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, or Habitat III, being held in Quito on Oct. 17-20. The call was endorsed by 27 leading international organizations, including the UN Environment Program and World Resources Institute. "Cities must be granted direct access to international climate funds; national governments must create a stable policy and regulatory environment; innovation, standardization, pooling and pipelines must become the new normal," said the document. If implemented, those measures would help create a sustainable and low-carbon future for millions of urban citizens, according to C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), a network of the world's megacities committed to addressing climate change. "The recommendations of the Call for Action have the potential to revolutionize the way climate action is financed and delivered in cities," said Miguel Angel Mancera, the mayor of Mexico City and the vice-chair of C40. "I have made it a priority of my time as Chair of C40 to ensure cities can get access to the finance they need to deliver on their climate change ambitions," said Eduardo Paes, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro and the C40 chair. "I am delighted that the C40 Steering Committee and our members have endorsed such a bold and concrete set of proposals," said Paes. Mayor of Paris and C40 Chair-elect Anne Hidalgo also spoke highly of the measures that C40 cities have taken to tackle climate change, saying that mayors are determined to implement the Paris Agreement. "Now national and regional governments, along with financial institutions must also act to give cities the power they need to create a sustainable future," said Hidalgo. Financing climate action in cities is a major priority for C40 and will be a key theme of the C40 Mayors Summit 2016, to be held in Mexico City from Nov. 30 to Dec.2. Rio de Jeneiro will hand over the chair of the C40 to Paris during the summit. The summit will bring together the world's most influential mayors who will represent 650 million people to present their common goals for a sustainable future, one year after Paris climate change conference. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. discount retailer Target and fast-food chain McDonald's have taken action to tamp down on a recent rash of creepy clown sightings as Halloween approaches. Target pulled some of its clown masks and costumes available for sale in U.S. stores and online amid a growing number of reports of individuals dressed as clowns or wearing clown masks to terrorize people. "Given the current environment, we have made the decision to remove a variety of clown masks from our assortment, both in stores and online," said Joshua Thomas, a spokesperson for Target, in an email statement on Monday. Similarly, McDonald's and its franchise owners have reduced the number of public appearances being made by performers dressed up as the burger chain's iconic hamburger-happy clown Ronald McDonald recently, the company said. As a result of the "current climate around clown sightings in communities," the fast-food chain is being "thoughtful in respect to Ronald Mcdonald's participation in community events," the company said in a statement last week. Reports about creepy clowns menacing people or trying to lure children into the woods began surfacing in late August in South Carolina, and have since spread to several other states, perplexing police and unnerving parents across the country. In some states, schools have closed while officials investigated threats of violence from masked clowns on social media. The phenomenon has created a stir on social media, generating hot discussions among Twitter users about how they would deal with a creepy clown sighting using hashtag #IfISeeAClown. Moreover, the issue even managed to get the attention of the White House. "Obviously, this is a situation that local law enforcement authorities take quite seriously and they should carefully and thoroughly review ... perceived threats to the safety of the community and they should do so prudently," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest when asked about the recent spate of creepy clown sightings. DAMASCUS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army said on Tuesday that it will deal decisively with Islamic State (IS) terrorists fleeing Iraq's Mosul city into Syria, according to the state news agency SANA. Mosul, an IS stronghold, has been under extensive attack by the Iraqi army in order to drive out IS militants. Although the military statement hailed the progress made by Iraq's army "heroes" against the IS, it warned of a "Western scheme, whose features have started to become obvious." The scheme, the statement continued, is for IS militants to obtain access from Mosul into Syria' eastern region, mainly the province of Deir al-Zour by Iraq's border. "While the general-command of the Syrian army stresses that the battle to liberate Mosul from terrorism is its battle too, it will deem any infiltration of the Syrian borders as an aggression and will deal with the infiltrators as terrorists with all possible means," the statement said. Military experts in Syria have recently warned that Western countries, mainly the United States, want IS militants to flee Iraq into Syria. This comes particularly after the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition attacked Syrian military posts recently, killing 90 soldiers and allowing IS militants to control bombed military posts in Deir al-Zour. Officials in Syria said the U.S. intends for IS to remain strong in Deir al-Zour and for the province to become a safe haven for IS militants fleeing Iraq in order to pressure the Syrian army and its Russian ally. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (Front-R) talks to the rescued Chibok schoolgirl, Amina Ali-Nkeki (Front-L), during a meeting at the Presidential Villa in the capital Abuja, Nigeria, May 19, 2016. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met the rescued Chibok schoolgirl, Amina Ali-Nkeki, and her months-old baby, her mother and her brother. Ali-Nkeki was the first Chibok girl to be rescued by Nigerian authorities. A total of 276 girls were abducted by Boko Haram militants from their secondary school dormitories in Chibok town in the northeastern Borno state in April 2014. (Xinhua/Olatunji Obasa) ABUJA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The health status of 21 Chibok school girls released to Nigerian authorities last week by terror group Boko Haram has improved greatly, Health Minister Isaac Adewole said on Tuesday. The 21 Chibok school girls were handed over to Nigerian health experts for proper medical examination, following their release by Boko Haram last Thursday after two years in captivity. Serious concerns have been made about their health conditions since they were released. The Nigerian government said it has the capacity to provide quality medical care to the 21 Chibok girls and those to be released later. Adewole said after meeting with the girls on Monday, he was impressed with the improvement in their health status. "It is quite clear that their physical condition has improved and their health status has also improved," he told Xinhua. A team of medical professionals from the National Hospital and Federal Medical Center, both in Abuja, were deployed to ensure the well-being of the victims. According to the official, the girls are being kept in one of the excellent health facilities in the West African country. The government would also pay attention to the nutritional support and subsequent integration of the girls into the society, he added. A total of 276 girls were seized by armed men who stormed their dormitories on the night of April 14, 2014, at the Girls Secondary School in Chibok town of Borno State. Fifty-seven girls were brave enough to escape then, leaving 219 others behind. In May, one of the girls escaped from their captors with her baby. With 21 girls released by their captors 913 days after the abduction last Thursday, 197 others are still being held. The government said it would continue with the negotiations for the release of other girls still in Boko Haram's capture. The Iraqi army and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces launch military operations in Khazar village, 35 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 18, 2016. Iraqi security forces on Tuesday recaptured more villages from the Islamic State (IS) militants, as part of a major offensive aimed at liberating the city of Mosul, the last major IS stronghold in Iraq, a security source said. (Xinhua/Jaser Jawad) MOSUL, Iraq, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Tuesday recaptured more villages from the Islamic State (IS) militants, as part of a major offensive aimed at liberating the city of Mosul, the last major IS stronghold in Iraq, a security source said. On the west side of the Tigris River, the Iraqi forces and allied paramilitary Sunni and Shiite Hashd Shaabi units, backed by Iraqi and U.S-led coalition aircraft, recaptured the villages of Lihoud, Abbasiyah, Khuder al-Yas, Bajwaniyah and Tal al-Samen, while moving north to the IS-held town of Shoura, some 30km south of Mosul, a security source from the Operations Command of Nineveh Liberation told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. On the east side of the river, the army forces also cleared several villages while moving to the IS-held town of Hamdaniyah, some 40 km southeast of Mosul, the source said. On Tuesday afternoon, the troops arrived at the southwestern edge of Hamdaniyah and shelled IS positions inside the town in preparation for a battle to recapture it. Meanwhile, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces east of Mosul suspended fighting and advance, as they are reorganizing their ranks to prepare for more battles, the source said. Early on Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, announced the start of a major offensive to retake the country's second largest city from the extremist IS group. "Today I declare the launch of the operation of liberating Nineveh province. The time of victory has come, and the moment of the great victory is approaching," Abadi said in a brief address aired on Al Iraqiya. Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. Iraqi security forces advance in Qayara, south of Mosul, to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 18, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) MOSUL, Iraq, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Tuesday recaptured more villages from the Islamic State (IS) militants, as part of a major offensive aimed at liberating the city of Mosul, the last major IS stronghold in Iraq, a security source said. On the west side of the Tigris River, the Iraqi forces and allied paramilitary Sunni and Shiite Hashd Shaabi units, backed by Iraqi and U.S-led coalition aircraft, recaptured the villages of Lihoud, Abbasiyah, Khuder al-Yas, Bajwaniyah and Tal al-Samen, while moving north to the IS-held town of Shoura, some 30km south of Mosul, a security source from the Operations Command of Nineveh Liberation told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. On the east side of the river, the army forces also cleared several villages while moving to the IS-held town of Hamdaniyah, some 40 km southeast of Mosul, the source said. On Tuesday afternoon, the troops arrived at the southwestern edge of Hamdaniyah and shelled IS positions inside the town in preparation for a battle to recapture it. Meanwhile, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces east of Mosul suspended fighting and advance, as they are reorganizing their ranks to prepare for more battles, the source said. Early on Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, announced the start of a major offensive to retake the country's second largest city from the extremist IS group. "Today I declare the launch of the operation of liberating Nineveh province. The time of victory has come, and the moment of the great victory is approaching," Abadi said in a brief address aired on Al Iraqiya. Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Beijing environmental authorities issued a yellow alert for air pollution on Tuesday afternoon, as smog is forecast for the capital for two days. The yellow alert, the third-highest warning level, came shortly after smog eased Sunday. It means the Air Quality Index will exceed 200 for 48 hours. Disadvantageous climatic conditions will contribute to the upcoming haze, according to the local emergency office for severe air pollution. Residents have been advised to take protective measures, such as keeping their windows and doors closed and reducing outdoor activities. In addition, construction sites and factories have also been ordered to reduce emissions, and regulation of burning of straw must be enhanced, according to the city's contingency plan for severe air pollution. The weather is expected to improve starting from the morning of Oct. 20 thanks to the arrival of a cold front. Zhang Dawei, head of the Beijing Environmental Protection Monitoring Center, said the city experienced fifth of every year featuring climatic conditions that fail to help dispel smog. Despite persistent haze this month, official data indicted improved air quality in the first nine months of this year. During the period, the density of fine particulate matter PM2.5 in Beijing decreased by 10.1 percent year-on-year. Since the central government rolled out an action plan on air pollution control in 2013, Beijing has seen the amount of burned coal reduced by 48 percent, the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau announced Tuesday. Fang Li, deputy head of the bureau, said the watchdog has fined more than 60 million yuan (8.9 million U.S. dollars) in over 10,000 law-breaking cases this year. BRUSSELS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and its eastern partner countries adopted a ministerial declaration on Tuesday in Luxembourg confirming their joint commitment to step up cooperation on environmental challenges and climate change, and promote sustainable and inclusive economic development. It was the first ever formal ministerial meeting on the environment and climate change between the EU and its eastern neighbors, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. According to a statement released by the European Commission, ministers for environment and climate change discussed opportunities for cooperation on environmental governance and the green economy. "Today we agreed on the need to cooperate in key areas which have a positive impact on citizens' lives and health -- reducing air and water pollution, for example, and creating new jobs through a shift to a green economy," Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs said. The ministers stressed the need to shift towards the sustainable and integrated management of natural resources and sustainable consumption and production in line with circular economy principles. Meanwhile, they highlighted the opportunities that environmental protection offers the private sector and industry to stimulate economic growth. Looking at how to bring forward the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the ministers focused their discussion on the question of how eastern partner countries could develop low-emission and climate-resilient economies, including by exploiting the great potential for energy savings in the region. According to the declaration, the ministers will meet in two years to assess progress on cooperation. In the meantime, an action plan will be drafted and implemented through the Eastern Partnership Panel on Environment and Climate Change. PYONGYANG, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday slammed South Korean President Park Geun-hye for her recent remarks on the "collapse of the North" and accused her of seeking inter-Korean confrontation. "The real intention of Park is to shore up the totally bankrupt policy of escalating confrontation with the DPRK ... and defuse the ruling crisis," said a spokesman for the DPRK's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country. The spokesman condemned Park for her calls for defection from the DPRK and her remarks on Sunday saying that the country is threatening the future of the Korean peninsula and that it must be forced to change. On Oct. 1, President Park Geun-hye appealed to the DPRK people and called on them to defect from the North when she addressed a ceremony marking the country's Armed Forces Day. "The universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights and welfare are the precious rights you should also enjoy," Park said then in a message to the people of the DPRK. Park has also said that the North will face a collapse of government if it does not give up its nuclear program. But Pyongyang insisted that it will hold fast to the line of Byungjin, or the simultaneous development of nuclear capability and economic growth, unless the United States abandons its "anachronistic anti-DPRK policy." MADRID, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish Socialists Party (PSOE) will hold the meeting of their federal committee on Sunday, Oct. 23, which may decide Spain's political future, it was announced Tuesday. The decision was announced after a meeting of the PSOE's management committee after the resignation of Pedro Sanchez as party leader two weeks ago. The committee will decide whether the PSOE will vote against acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in an investiture vote held in the Spanish Congress, or whether to abstain. The latter option would allow the People's Party (PP) to form a minority government with the support of center-right party Ciudadanos. The choice has deeply divided the Socialists, forcing Sanchez's resignation a fortnight ago. Javier Fernandez, the president of the management committee, once again made it clear he favors an abstention on Tuesday, commenting it was the "least bad" option facing the party. However, other important party figures, such as Miquel Iceta, the leader of the Catalan branch of the PSOE, and Miguel Tudanca, who leaders the party in the region of Castilla-Leon, have both said voting against Rajoy is the only coherent action the PSOE can take. Those opposed to allowing Rajoy to govern fear it would mean the Socialists would be unable to carry out any credible opposition and allow the left-wing Podemos to take up the role as leaders of the opposition. If Spanish parties cannot agree on forming a government, it would force a third general election in a year in the country. RABAT, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Pre-Conference of Parties (COP) ministerial meeting kicked off in Marrakech on Tuesday. The meeting intends to finalize preparations for the 22nd COP (COP22), scheduled from Nov. 7 to 18, within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The two-day meeting is chaired by COP22 and COP21 presidents, Morocco's Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar, and French Environment Minister Segolene Royal respectively. The event will include UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa and around 400 participants, as well as ministers from 80 countries. In addition to discussing preparations for COP22, the two-day meeting will discuss the Conference of Parties to the Paris Agreement, regulations and implementation of the Agreement, as well as topics pertaining to the Pre-2020 Agenda. The Paris agreement needs ratification from 55 countries representing at least 55 percent of the planet's greenhouse emissions responsible for climate change. Furthermore, all countries are required to prepare a plan to reach the goal of keeping temperature rise within two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande on Tuesday met with the business community in Johannesburg to seek solutions to the protracted student protests over fee increases. The meeting took place as student protests continued unabated across the country, causing some universities to suspend academic activities. Nzimande told the media before the meeting that they want to have a holistic approach to a myriad of problems bedeviling the country's higher education. "This is part of the ongoing exchange and consultation we have with business, broadly for cooperation in skills development and to find specific interventions. The meeting is to also find concrete and practical ways to support students and universities in funding modalities," the minister said. Nzimande urged universities to complete the 2016 academic year, saying that "we are seriously concerned with the state of our universities at the moment." "We want to save the academic year while finding solutions on how to fund students. We are on the same side with the students in so far as the provision of free education for poor students and those who cannot afford," the minister said. Student protests have turned violent over the past few weeks, with reports of property destruction, looting, intimidation and clashes with police. Nzimande said it is the government policy to fund those who cannot afford education but lashed out at those engaged in hooliganism and looting, which he said, are criminal acts. The country has spent over 59.7 billion rand (about 4.26 billion U.S. dollars) to fund over 2.6 million poor students, the minister revealed, adding that the country cannot afford free education for all. He said the struggle for free education has been hijacked by those who want to discredit the government by all means. The government is willing to engage students with genuine concerns but students should not loose sight of their legitimate struggle and destroy property and loot shops, Nzimande said. Police have arrested 567 people suspected of involvement in acts of violence during the protests. Some of those arrested are not students, police said. Cas Coovadia, Chairperson of the National Business Initiative, said they are keen to work with the government to address the socio-economic challenges facing the country. Coovadia, who is also the Managing Director of the Banking Association of South Africa, warned that there would be dire consequences if universities fail to finish their 2016 academic year. Coovadia said sacrificing the 2016 academic year would have horrendous consequences for the country which has a critical skill shortage. For the country to be competitive globally there should be critical skills which universities have to prioritize, he added. TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Russian naval flotilla arrived in Iran's port city of Anzali on Tuesday, semi-official Mehr news agency reported. The arrival of Russian naval flotilla is conveying messages of peace and will help improve bilateral ties, Iran's Rear Admiral Afshin Rezaei Haddad was quoted as saying. "Russian fleets have regularly paid visits to Iranian ports to which we responded with dispatch of Iran's naval fleets to Russia's Astrakhan in September," Rezaei Haddad said. More fleets from Caspian littoral states would arrive in Iran's northern ports in the future, he said, adding that the navies of five Caspian littoral countries are cooperating to secure it as the sea for peace, mutual respect and good-neighborliness. The visiting Russian naval flotilla is comprised of several warships, including a frigate named "Tatarstan" and a corvette named "Grad Sviyazhsk," according to Tasnim news agency. On Sunday, Iran's naval fleet, comprised of Damavand destroyer and Joshan missile vessel with 200 navy forces on board, headed to Azerbaijan's port city of Baku on the Caspian Sea coast for a three-day visit. Iran has sent several fleets with the same mission from the country's northern and southern waters to the high seas. TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Foreign companies in Iran will lead to technology transfer and job creation, the semi-official Fars news agency quoted an official as saying on Tuesday. Mazaheri, Secretary of the 18th International Marine Industries Conference and Offshore Technological Exhibition, added that relevant foreign companies currently in Iran are scoping out investment opportunities in the event which started on Tuesday in Iran's Kish Island lasting until Oct. 21. The conference, which is organized by the Iranian Association of Naval Architecture and Maritime Engineering in collaboration with other national marine organizations, industries and businesses, will discuss marine economy and management, offshore oil and gas industries, seafaring and marine transportation, rules, standards, health, safety, and marine industry environmental issues, according to Mazaheri. He added that 500 specialized articles were sent to the conference secretariat out of which 370 articles were admitted by the scientific board and panel of juries in order to be presented to the audience in verbal and poster forms. BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) should comply with WTO rules and ensure Chinese companies' right of defense while imposing trade remedy measures, an official said Tuesday. In a preliminary ruling made by the European Commission earlier this month, anti-dumping duties will be imposed on imports of hot-rolled steel from China for six months, with the exclusion of tool steel and high-speed steel products. The exclusion was the result of the defence put forward by Chinese steel and cutting tool maker Tiangong International Co., but will also be enjoyed by other manufacturers of those products, Shen Danyang, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, told a press conference. As there will be half a year before the announcement of the final ruling, Shen said Chinese companies should make continued efforts to defend themselves. "The central government will continue to support Chinese companies with regards to the foreign anti-dumping investigations," Shen added. China is against trade protectionism and advocates a prudent, restrained and rule-based use of trade remedy measures, according to Shen. ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. drone strikes killed about seven members of the Yemen-based al-Qaeda offshoot in the country's southeastern province of Shabwa on Tuesday, a military official told Xinhua. The military source said on condition of anonymity that three vehicles carrying al-Qaida members were struck by U.S. drone raids while traveling in a mountainous area of Shabwa province. Initial reports indicated that more than seven al-Qaida members were killed and others left injured, the source said. Local residents told Xinhua that suspected al-Qaida gunmen launched an armed attack on a military checkpoint in Shabwa hours before the U.S. airstrikes. At least three army personnel were killed and two others injured as a result of the al-Qaida attack, the residents said. Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East. The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), also known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, emerged in Jan. 2009. It had claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks on Yemen's army and government institutions. U.S. drones have been active over Yemeni cities since years ago, launching hundreds of airstrikes that killed scores of al-Qaida leaders and many other extremists. The Arab country has recently seen a growing number of al-Qaida activities in eastern and southern provinces, due to the prolonged security vacuum resulting from the 19-month civil war between the exiled government and Houthi rebels who seized much of the country's north, including capital Sanaa, since 2014. The UN figures show that the military conflict has left more than 6,400 dead, displaced thousands, leading to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. A tree is blown down in the storm caused by typhoon Sarika in Qiongzhong Li and Miao Autonomous County, south China's Hainan Province, Oct. 18, 2016. Typhoon Sarika, the 21st typhoon of the year, made landfall at Hainan Province Tuesday morning. The tropical cyclone, packing maximum winds of 162 km per hour, landed at Hele Town, Wanning City, at 9:50 a.m., according to local meteorological bureau. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu) HAIKOU, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Sarika, the 21st typhoon of the year, made landfall in south China's Hainan Tuesday morning as torrential rain and gales lashed the island province. The tropical cyclone, with maximum winds of up to 162 km per hour recorded in the eye of the storm, landed at Hele Town, Wanning City, at 9:50 a.m., according to the local meteorological bureau. The National Meteorological Center issued a red alert, its highest-level alert, for Sarika, Tuesday morning. Nearly half a million people, including fishermen and residents in low-lying areas and unsafe houses in Hainan, have been evacuated as of Tuesday afternoon, said Ding Sheng, a disaster relief official with the Hainan Civil Affairs Department. The department has allocated relief materials such as tents and quilts, food and water to the typhoon-affected areas, he said. Xinhua reporters saw waves surge and trees fall from the storm in coastal Wanning. The municipal authorities said more than 137,000 residents have been evacuated. The typhoon also caused power cuts in parts of neighboring city Qionghai. Sections of the Wenqu River breached its banks and cut off road access for many in the city's Wanquan Township. At the main airport, Meilan International Airport, in the provincial capital Haikou City, 250 flights were canceled Tuesday morning, authorities said. High speed train services were halted starting Monday. Nearly 8,000 wireless communication base stations also began to disfunction due to the weather. Local traffic police reported that gales and wet roads were to blame for the overturning of a passenger bus carrying 45 people on one of Hainan's major highways Monday night. Severe waterlogging was reported in some counties and low-lying rural areas, in addition to landslides and mud-flows on Tuesday. Fortunately, there were no casualties. However, 31 cattle in Dongxing, Wanning, where the storm landed, were electrocuted Tuesday morning by a falling high-voltage line, which ran above the animals' shed. The residents of the farm were evacuated to a safe building on Monday evening. Provincial meteorological station chief Cai Qinbo previously predicted losses from the typhoon would be "grave," as the cyclone was projected to be the most powerful and destructive to land in Hainan in a decade. Cai drew an analogy between Sarika and a typhoon that hit Hainan in 2005 which triggered flash floods, destroyed roads and plantations. From 8 a.m. Monday to 1 p.m. Tuesday, four townships in Hainan reported more than 300 mm of rainfall, according to the provincial meteorological station. Classes have been suspended in kindergartens, middle and primary schools in eight counties in the province, and tourist sites are closed to the public. Residents and tourists have been warned against hiking or strolling along the beaches. Authorities have also ordered safety checks of reservoirs and power and water supplies, while demanding that fishery and farming entities take extra precautions. To brace for Sarika, some coastal scenic spots in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were closed Tuesday. Nearly 8,000 tourists from Weizhou Island were evacuated Monday. Sarika has also brought gales with a maximum speed of around 100 km per hour to the waters off Guangdong Province and six-meter-high offshore waves, according to the provincial flood control authorities. GENEVA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- While acknowledging a ceasefire set to take place in the Syrian city of Aleppo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) urged on Tuesday that all parties to the conflict guarantee safe access to eastern parts of the war-torn city. "We take note of the announcement by the Russian Federation that they and the Syrian government will carry out a pause in support of urgent medical evacuations of the sick and wounded from eastern Aleppo, as well as civilians and fighters," OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke told press here. "The UN reiterates that assurances must be provided by all parties to allow safe, unimpeded, humanitarian access so that critical humanitarian assistance can be provided to the area and that the sick and the wounded can be evacuated," he added. The Russian Defence Ministry announced Monday a pause of strikes against the Syrian city of Aleppo for eight hours on Thursday. The humanitarian pause will be introduced from 8 a.m. till 4 p.m. local time on Oct. 20, during which Russian Aerospace Forces and Syrian government troops will cease strikes. According to Russian authorities, Moscow is ready to cease fire and provide medical personnel with unhindered access to Aleppo at the request of humanitarian groups at any time, and to guarantee the rescue of the injured and sick. While the UN stands ready to proceed with evacuations and provide critical supplies, UN agencies on the ground will not carry out operations if safety assurances are not issued by all warring factions. "We are pleased if there is a reduction in fighting," Laerke continued, warning however that "we need all weapons to fall silent, not just a unilateral announcement." "We have not yet reached a situation where we have security assurances from all the fighting parties on the ground that will allow us to enter eastern Aleppo with aid," he added. The statement comes a month after 18 out of 31 trucks carrying life-saving humanitarian supplies were destroyed by warplanes in Urum al-Kubra, northwest of Aleppo. The attack resulted in one senior humanitarian official working for the Syrian Arab Red Crescent being killed as well as civilian casualties and severe damage to key infrastructure including a hospital. JUBA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Economic crunch has slowed down South Sudan's peace deal, which needs urgent funding to expeditiously move forward, experts have said. The peace agreement signed in August 2015 suffered setback after rebel leader Riek Machar was replaced by his former chief negotiator Taban Deng, leaving the cash-strapped transitional unity government formed mid-April in crisis after the international community kept mum on its promise of availing financial support. And the renewed July clash between rival troops has spread to peaceful areas of Yei, southwest of the capital Juba in Equatoria region after Machar's call for armed rebellion, hence putting the peace implementation in jeopardy. Machar has further dismissed the current political arrangement in Juba as illegitimate, and called for efforts to help resuscitate the peace agreement so that he can be part of it. "So far we are going, according to the peace matrix, and we have told all institutions to implement it. Very soon we are having cantonment areas so that all SPLA-IO move there. The only challenge for us is lack of money," Deputy Minister of Information Paul Akol Kordit told Xinhua in an interview in Juba on Tuesday. Kordit revealed that they require financial assistance from the international community to achieve meaningful progress. "We are making progress. So far we have not had any serious fighting apart from attacks from Machar's forces in Bentiu and Malakal," he disclosed. South Sudan is in the final stage of passing its 2016/17 budget estimated at 300 million U.S. dollars after conflict disrupted oil production it relies upon to finance 98 percent of the budget. However, analysts say despite the peace partners showing some optimism, the agreement faces daunting task ahead to deliver the fruits of peace. Political Science lecturer at Juba University Jacob Dut Chol told Xinhua that the peace agreement faces a bumpy road to achieve its objective. "There is a very long road ahead because already we are behind schedule. The agreement should have been implemented before next year, because we shall be going for elections in 2018," he revealed. He added that the cease-fire is not yet being respected by the warring parties, with escalation of recent violence in newly created Northern Liech state and Malakal in northern region. "The international community has not been clear on support to South Sudan and it may hamper implementation of the agreement," Chol observed. The Joint Monitoring Evaluation Commission (JMEC), the body monitoring the peace deal, said in a recent statement that the peace process has hit its first major test and it won't allow it to be derailed. And that it calls upon all parties to return to the negotiating table. Abraham Awolich, political analyst with the Juba-based Sudd Institute, told Xinhua that there is need to now incorporate the peace agreement into the transitional constitution. "The agreement seems to be moving forward but there are a lot of delays in critical areas like how to manage the post-July violence. The parties spent much time on that but as soon as the budget is passed they should move immediately to implementation," he said. South Sudanese economist Alic Garang told Xinhua that the government is cash constrained due to the fact that global oil prices have remained low and that the security sector reform needs money to carry out workshops and training. "The logical thing is to provide funds first to implement the agreement. Lack of money is big setback, with soldiers not cantoned in their areas and instead loitering around causing insecurity," Garang said. LONDON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Self-employed people in Britain earn less now than they did 20 years ago, research released Tuesday revealed. The number of those working for themselves have grown by almost 50 percent since 2001: a record five million people, or one in seven working age people, the think-tank Resolution Foundation said. Many people have become self-employed construction workers, hairdressers, taxi drivers, tutors and IT consultants. Research by the foundation reveals average self-employed wages were 240 pounds(295.05 U.S. dollars) a week over 2014 and 2015, down from about 300 pounds a week in 1994-95. Researchers blamed reduced pay rates on the financial crisis and a rise in lower paid jobs. Member of Parliament (MP) Clive Lewis, the opposition Labour Party shadow secretary for business, energy and industrial strategy, said the research makes a mockery of the government's claim that the labor market is doing well. Lewis said: "Technology is radically re-shaping working practices and creating exciting new opportunities for the world of work. But Tory (Conservative Party) failure to adjust to these changes means that, for too many people, flexible working and self-employment are a necessity rather than a choice, and come with lower pay and fewer rights. An official spokesman for the government's Department for Business said there would be a review of how changing employment practices affect job security, workplace rights and opportunity for progression. WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- More than 100 U.S. troops are accompanying Iraqi and Kurdish forces in fighting to take back Iraq's second largest city Mosul from the extreme group of Islamic State (IS), the Pentagon said Tuesday. U.S. troops embedded with those forces have to stay behind the last line of concealment, the last point where they can expect contact with the enemy, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis. Also on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama said retaking Mosul would be a "key milestone" in his plan to defeat the IS. "This will be a key milestone in what I committed to doing when ISIL first emerged, which is we were going to roll them back and we are going to ultimately drive them out of population centers and we will destroy them and defeat them," said Obama at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi after their bilateral talks. "It will be a tough fight and a difficult fight," said Obama. Davis said U.S. Apache helicopters, which have not been used yet, could provide close air support for Iraqi and American forces. Those embedded U.S. forces are expected to provide artillery support, intelligence, logistics and other support for the Iraqi army fighting in Mosul. However, it's not clear how close U.S. forces will get to the fight in Mosul. U.S. troops can embed at Iraqi army headquarters at the brigade and smaller battalion level, but have so far stayed at the division level, according to a TheHill news daily report. About 18,000 Iraqi security forces are currently advancing on Mosul from the south and southeast, while Kurdish peshmerga forces are advancing on the city from the east, said Davis, adding there is no prediction yet on how long the battle to retake Mosul will take. There are around 1 million to 1.5 million civilians trapped in Mosul, which has been occupied by the IS since June 2014. LONDON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The British pound climbed against the U.S. dollar in exchange markets Tuesday after a government lawyer told the High Court here that parliament was "very likely" to be asked to ratify any future Brexit deal with the European Union (EU). Until now, politicians in both the House of Commons and House of Lords have been told Prime Minister Theresa May would trigger the Brexit mechanism by the end of next March, without seeking the approval of parliament. But lawyers acting for the government confirmed to three High Court judges in London that it was likely any future agreement with Brussels would eventually be subject to approval by parliament. A legal case was launched by a group of individuals who want parliament to be involved in the process of triggering Article 50, the legal route that will lead to an irrevocable divorce between Britain and the EU. They have argued in court that May has no legal power to trigger Article 50 to leave the European Union without the prior authorization of the British Parliament. After hearing submissions from both sides in the legal case, the judges have reserved their judgement and will announce a decision in several weeks. The Guardian newspaper reported late Tuesday that details of parliament's potential role emerged during the third day of the legal challenge over whether ministers or Members of Parliament (MPs) have the power to give formal notification to Brussels that Britain is withdrawing under Article 50 of the EU treaty. Barrister James Eadie QC, representing the British government, told the judges: "Scrutiny was likely to include parliament having to ratify any new treaty reached with the EU during the Article 50 process. The government view at the moment is that it is very likely that any such agreement would be subject to ratification." The Guardian reported that the legal opinion was seized on by city traders as a sign that MPs might be able to prevent a hard Brexit, pushing the pound's value up at one stage to 1.23 U.S. dollars, a rise of almost 1.0 percent. Further media reports Tuesday evening quoted 10 Downing Street as saying it was "very likely" MPs would be able to vote on the final Brexit agreement reached between Britain and the European Union. With Britain leaving the EU in 2019, if Article 50 is triggered by next March, any deal reached with Brussels is expected to deal with migration controls and whether Britain remains in the single market. Some commentators say a number of politicians will not be satisfied with debating the final Brexit deal, but will instead insist on earlier involvement around the Article 50 process. But it raises another question: What happens if both or either houses of parliament vote against the Brexit deal negotiated by May and her team of ministers? VIENNA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Austrian minister who announced the decision on Monday to demolish the home Adolf Hitler was born in appears to have backtracked somewhat, now arguing the goal is merely to strip it of any recognition, Austria Press Agency reported. Speaking before cabinet on Tuesday, Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said the house in Braunau am Inn in the state of Upper Austria should have its exterior changed such that it is "not recognizable." Whether this can be defined as "demolition" or not is open for discussion, he argued. An expert commission assembled for the purpose of deciding what to do with the building recommended it be used for either governmental administrative or charitable purposes, such as to provide services for disabled persons. It did not recommend the building itself be torn down, but rather undergo a "far-reaching architectural transformation" to remove its recognition value and "symbolic power." Sobotka thanked the commission for its input, and reiterated his stance that the building should not be used by Neo-Nazis as a memorial site or gathering point, or in any way show a connection to the Nazi leader. He said architectural firms would be able to put forth their proposals on redesigning the building, and that the final decision on its new purpose would be made together with the city of Braunau. A child looks on from a refugees and immigrants center on Lampedusa island, southernmost Italy, March 29, 2011. (Xinhua/Wang qingqin) GENEVA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations's Children Fund (UNICEF) said Tuesday that the first nine months of 2016 had seen more children reach Italian shores than in all of 2015. More than 20,000 unaccompanied and separated migrant children reaching Italy by sea since January this year, according to the fund. "Each week hundreds of children arrive here, every one of them has pressing needs, from the fragile new-born babies to the teenagers who have no idea what to expect in a foreign land," said UNICEF's child protection officer Sabrina Avakian in a statement. "Some of the children are deeply distressed from the journey, they witnessed drownings, some have terrible chemical burns from the fuel on the dinghies, the babies and their mothers need special care in breastfeeding, they all need proper protection and accommodation," she added. According to figures, over 90 percent of children who made the perilous journey to Italy across the Mediterranean Sea from Africa travelled alone, up from 75 percent last year. There has also been a rise in the number of children crossing from Egypt, though most still originate from western parts of the continent. While latest International Organisation for Migration (IOM) figures show that 3,649 people have died attempting to reach European shores by sea this year, the number of child deaths remains unknown. CARACAS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's Supreme Court (TSJ) late on Monday tightened the conditions for a recall referendum to be called against President Nicolas Maduro. In a statement, it explained that the signatures of 20 percent of the electorate would have to be collected in each of the country's 24 states, and not totally nationwide. The country's Constitution does not establish if the 20 percent threshold should be tallied nationally or counted in every region, according to legal experts. The opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) had stated the threshold should be counted nationally. They will have just three days, between Oct. 26-28, to gather signatures by 20 percent of registered voters, or 3,893,127 people. "The failure to collect this percentage in any of the states or the Capital District, will negate the valid calling of the presidential recall referendum," said the TSJ statement. Furthermore, the court said that the collection of signatures would not automatically lead to a referendum against Maduro. "The stage of collecting expressions of intent cannot and must not be confused with the referendum in any way," read the text. The National Electoral Council will rule on Nov. 28-29 on whether the recall referendum can proceed or not, after counting and validating the signatures. The MUD predictably reacted furiously to the decision by the TSH. On Tuesday, its executive secretary, Jesus Torrealba, promptly refused to accept the ruling. "We will not obey officials who are trying to violate the spirit and text of the Constitution," Torrealba told the press. "In this case, as we wish to revoke the presidency, the district is national." Also Tuesday, MUD congressman Julio Borges told a press conference that the sentence "had already been discounted. It does not add anything, except to show that the judiciary is subordinate to a political group." According to Borges, the ruling by the TSJ is "unconstitutional and shows the Venezuelan government is trying to order the National Assembly. However, a lawmaker from Maduro's Great Political Pole, Simon Bolivar, challenged these objections. "If they (the opposition) are so certain of having so much support, what is the fear in having to collect the signatures," he asked during an interview with Globovision. BEIRUT, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements, expressed Tuesday her solidarity with Lebanese host communities and more than one million Syrian refugees in the country, ahead of the onset of winter. According to a release by the UNHCR, Clements, who is on a three-day visit to Lebanon, said during a stop at a collective shelter hosting refugee families in Koura, north Lebanon "there are acute vulnerabilities in the refugee population in Lebanon, and as winter approaches, it's important that an action plan to alleviate hardship is in place." "The focus of UNHCR this year is on the provision of winter assistance to help refugees and Lebanese families survive the cold season. For them, meeting winter needs including fuel, warm clothes and nutritious meals is often prohibitive," she added. According to preliminary findings from a 2016 survey by UN agencies, over 70 percent of registered refugees continue to live under the poverty line of USD 3.84 a day, with 52 percent living in extreme poverty. The study found 34 percent of refugee households to be moderately food insecure, compared to 23 percent a year earlier. The study also found that 54 percent of refugees are in need of continuous support to upgrade their shelters to meet minimum standards. "It's reassuring to know that every family in need will be receiving the assistance required to go through the cold months ahead," Clements stressed. In Lebanon, in addition to cash assistance, winter interventions by UNHCR and partners also aim to scale up shelter improvements, from graveling and enhancing drainage in informal settlements, to weatherproofing insecure dwellings such as the collective shelter that Clements visited in Koura. Clements met with representatives of the Lebanese Government on Monday and is scheduled to visit south Lebanon on Wednesday, where she will meet refugee women at the Kfar Sir Social Development Centre in Nabatiyeh and attend a homework support group - a recent initiative by UNHCR to help keep refugees in school. Iraqi forces deploy in the Bajwaniyah village, about 30 kms south of Mosul, on October 18, 2016 after they liberated it from Islamic State (IS) group jihadists. Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces were making gains on the Islamic State group in Mosul in an offensive US President Barack Obama warned would be a "difficult fight". (AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE) WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- More than 100 U.S. troops are accompanying Iraqi and Kurdish forces in fighting to take back Iraq's second largest city Mosul from the extreme group of Islamic State (IS), the Pentagon said Tuesday. U.S. troops embedded with those forces have to stay behind the last line of concealment, the last point where they can expect contact with the enemy, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis. Also on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama said retaking Mosul would be a "key milestone" in his plan to defeat the IS. "This will be a key milestone in what I committed to doing when ISIL first emerged, which is we were going to roll them back and we are going to ultimately drive them out of population centers and we will destroy them and defeat them," said Obama at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi after their bilateral talks. "It will be a tough fight and a difficult fight," said Obama. Davis said U.S. Apache helicopters, which have not been used yet, could provide close air support for Iraqi and American forces. Those embedded U.S. forces are expected to provide artillery support, intelligence, logistics and other support for the Iraqi army fighting in Mosul. However, it's not clear how close U.S. forces will get to the fight in Mosul. U.S. troops can embed at Iraqi army headquarters at the brigade and smaller battalion level, but have so far stayed at the division level, according to a TheHill news daily report. About 18,000 Iraqi security forces are currently advancing on Mosul from the south and southeast, while Kurdish peshmerga forces are advancing on the city from the east, said Davis, adding there is no prediction yet on how long the battle to retake Mosul will take. There are around 1 million to 1.5 million civilians trapped in Mosul, which has been occupied by the IS since June 2014. BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese electronics giant TCL Corporation plans to invest 100 million U.S. dollars in Argentina over the next 12 months, Argentina's government announced on Tuesday. The announcement followed a meeting between Argentine President Mauricio Macri and the CEO of TCL, Li Dongsheng, at the presidential headquarters and residence in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires. "TCL Corporation, based out of Huizhou, in Guangdong Province, is one of the largest firms in its field, producing mobile phones, televisions and home appliances, among other consumer goods," according to a news item posted on the presidential website. "The goal is to build a joint venture with an Argentine company to expand its presence in the country's electronics market," the government said. Founded in 1981, TCL began as a manufacturer and seller of telephones and related equipment, but its business expanded into other areas in the 1990s. Today, the TCL employs more than 75,000 people in 80 countries. In Argentina, it has been working with local company Radio Victoria Fueguina since 2004. The announcement comes amid increasing cooperation between Buenos Aires and Beijing, whose ties are at the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership. Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, for example, has made significant headway in Argentina's market. In July, Macri met with the head of Huawei, Sun Yafang, who announced the company's intention to "expand its presence" in Argentina. The following month, Huawei opened a Training Center in Buenos Aires, from which the company offers its services to telecom operators, government agencies, educational institutions and private firms in the country and the region. Located in the city's southern Puerto Madero district, the 1,300-square-meter facility features one of Huawei's signature Customer Solution Innovation & Integration Experience Centers, or CSICs. "The inauguration of the Training Center drew company clients, suppliers and employees, as well as the ministers of Modernization, Andres Ibarra, and Communications, Oscar Aguad; China's ambassador to Argentina, Yang Wanming, and his Argentine counterpart in China, Diego Guelar," financial daily Cronista Comercial reported on the event on Aug. 17. Throughout 2016, China has consolidated its position as Argentina's second-largest trade partner worldwide, with a 13 percent increase in imports from Argentina, thanks to a wider range of goods and a more balanced trade structure. HAVANA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell will visit Cuba on Oct. 20-22 to expand bilateral cooperation and attend a regional meeting on Zika hosted by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the island's foreign ministry announced on Tuesday. According to an official statement, Burwell will meet with her Cuban counterpart Roberto Morales, and visit Cuban health institutions to deepen cooperation in an area where the island has important experience. Since the two nations restored diplomatic relations last year, healthcare cooperation has seen a flurry of activities. Morales visited Washington in June when both countries agreed to work together on international health issues, particularly against Zika and cholera. Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama approved a new set of measures to relax the economic embargo on Cuba, including allowing for biotechnology and pharmaceutical products made in Cuba to be sold in the U.S. Burwell will also participate in a PAHO-sponsored meeting on Zika in Havana to address regional challenges regarding this virus. This meeting will be the first step in implementing an integrated PAHO strategy for prevention and control of Zika and other arboviruses such as dengue and chikungunya. Cuba's ministry of public health has reported 33 cases of Zika this year, one of the lowest rates on the continent. Earlier this year, President Raul Castro ordered a nationwide campaign to prevent the virus from spreading on the island, including the deployment of 9,000 soldiers to carry out fumigation duties. Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly in newborns. Scientists are also studying a potential link between Zika infection and Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological disorder that can weaken the muscles and cause paralysis. SANAA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's dominant Shiite Houthi group and its ally of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's party welcomed on Tuesday a United Nations-proposed 72-hour ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid access to the war-stricken Arab country. The ceasefire between Houthi fighters and their rival Saudi-backed exiled government forces was declared by the United Nations on Monday to take effect at 2359 local time (2059 GMT) on Wednesday. "The Supreme Political Council (a governing body composed of top officials from Houthi group and Saleh's party) welcomes the ceasefire without preconditions and demands immediate stop to the (Saudi-led coalition) aggression and lift of the air, sea and land blockade imposed on the Yemeni people," said the Houthi group and Saleh's party in a joint statement carried by Saba news agency late on Tuesday. On Monday, the exiled President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi agreed to the 72-hour ceasefire, according to a statement by his government's Foreign Minister Abdul-Malik Mekhlafi. The minister demanded Houthis lift siege to the southern city of Taiz and access of humanitarian supplies to the war-torn city. The 19-month civil war have killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, and pushed the country's 26 million people to near famine. UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A senior UN official on Tuesday voiced deep concern about what he called "the rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis in Mosul," a city in north Iraq, calling for strengthened efforts to protect women and girls in the city being liberated by Iraqi forces from the Islamic State (IS) terrorists. "I am deeply concerned about the rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis in Mosul, Iraq, and the heightened threat to the health and lives of pregnant women who may be cut off from life-saving emergency obstetric care," Babatunde Osotimehin, the UN under-secretary-general and executive director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), said in a statement. Among the 200,000 people likely to be displaced during the initial weeks of military operations in Mosul, an estimated 46,000 are women and girls of reproductive age, including about 8,000 who are pregnant or about to give birth, the statement said. Life-saving health services must be maintained and accessible to all who require them, it said. "Whether women live or die in a crisis often depends on whether they can access basic sexual and reproductive health services, which too often take a back seat to other urgent needs, like food and shelter," the statement said. "This includes pregnant women, who may face potentially life-threatening childbirth complications, as well as lactating women, caring for newborns throughout the chaos." In addition, untold numbers of internally displaced women and adolescent girls are at increased risk of gender-based violence, including rape, as well as trafficking and sexual slavery, the statement said. The UNFPA is scaling up emergency reproductive health services and its response to gender-based violence to protect the health and lives of women and girls caught in the midst of this crisis, which is expected to displace more than 1 million people in the weeks ahead, said the statement. "Additional funding is urgently needed to mobilize health-care providers and equip them with medicines and other essential reproductive health supplies and equipment." The UNFPA is committed to the full realization of the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all women and girls under all conditions, crisis or otherwise, at all times, it added. Iraqi security forces on Tuesday recaptured more villages from the IS militants, as part of a major offensive aimed at liberating the city of Mosul, the last major IS stronghold in Iraq, a security source said. Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. Updated: 2016-10-18 10:56 (chinadaily.com.cn) Argentinean red prawns are among the unlimited supply of seafood at the dinner buffet and brunch. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] It was ten years ago today that the Westin Beijing Financial Street opened its doors, as the flagship hotel of the WESTIN brand in northern China. The hotel has served the business district on the west side of Beijing with its convenient location, modern facility, attentive service and rich food options. To share the celebration with guests, the hotel is offering both a dinner buffet from Oct 18-22 and Saturday brunch on Oct 22nd at Senses for a special price of 288 yuan ($43) per person, which is the same price paid ten years ago. The special dinner and brunch is worth 688 yuan. During the celebration, chefs from Germany, Italy, India and China will dish out the best buffets youve ever savored. There will be unlimited supply of seafood, fresh oysters and sashimi. You can also expect live cooking of roast lamb, baked lobster and oysters, as well as exotic cuisine including Brazil barbecue and Laksa. If thats not enough for you to enjoy, there are over 25 kinds of desserts and ice cream. Just remember to book in advance and bring your appetite! Senses Ground floor, Westin Beijing Financial Street, 9B, Financial street, Xicheng district, Beijing (010- 6229 7810) 5.30pm-21.30pm for dinner and 11:30am-2.30pm for Saturday brunch. RedLink Network Helps Provide Seamless Access to Content A Complex Process Made Simple Academic libraries want to ensure that students, instructors, and administrators at their institutions can access the content they need for all of their scholarly endeavors without having to jump through hoops. RedLink Network , from a public benefit company of the same name, connects libraries with academic publishers and allows them to share basic contact information and technical details of access credentialsfor free. In recent years, access to authoritative resources has become more complicated, with researchers needing to use journals to which their libraries subscribe at all times of the day and night and often from off-campus locations. Librarians put forth considerable effort to keep publishers aware of changes in IP addresses, using link resolvers to verify an institutions subscription to (or license for) a resource (and directing the user to it) and facilitating single sign-on to ease the path of scholars to the resources they require (e.g., Shibboleth authentication). Its inefficient and costly for librarians to update each vendor separately, not to mention the fact that this process practically guarantees that an error will occur. RedLink, Inc., which manages the RedLink Network, was established in 2013 to offer business intelligence solutions to academic publishers and academic libraries. The beginnings of the company are tellingit had a simple approach and a visual nature. In April 2016, Kent Anderson joined the company as its CEO, bringing with him more than 2 decades of experience in the scholarly publishing market, most notably as the founder of The Scholarly Kitchen blog. RedLink Network replaces the need for librarians to contact each publisher every time they make a change. They dont have to maintain massive spreadsheets and send multiple emails to people who may no longer be with a company (or who are no longer responsible for a particular activity). Now, librarians update the information once and share it with all publishers in the network, who make changes on their end to ensure that each of their platforms reflects the current information. This allows publisher support teams to resolve access issues in a timely manner. RedLink Network is an easy-to-use, secure environment. To date, the emphasis has been on academic institutions and academic publishers, but its easy to see how RedLink Network could include large city and county library systems, consortia, government libraries, and trade publishers. How It Works RedLink Network is a social platform built to instill trust in partnerships between libraries and the publishers from whom they purchase access to ebooks and online journals. Libraries send invitations to connect to publishers, and publishers send invitations to connect to libraries that are subscribing to their journals and ebooks. RedLink Network has seen steady growth in the more than 2 months since its launch. According to Nicola Poser, RedLink, Inc.s managing director, We have a half dozen publishers active in the Network who have invited thousands of libraries to connect with them. So far, about 100 libraries have joined and become active. The Network will only grow in strength and effectiveness as more publishers and libraries join and connect with each other, so we expect the numbers to continue to increase as awareness grows. RedLink Dashboards RedLink Network has been developing several fee-based solutions for academic publishers and academic libraries. Its Publisher Dashboard is already in use, and the Library Dashboard launched this month. The dashboards can help libraries and publishers understand the resources being used at their institutions, as well as view underused resources and attempts to gain access to resources a library doesnt own. Analysis of this data is vital for librarians as they make sense of their proposed budget expenditures (for themselves and others less familiar with their work) and for publishers, who can customize bundles of journal and ebook titles to suit the usage of each clients library. The dashboards are designed to help both seller and buyer visualize and analyze usage data. The intuitive interface permits publishers to see usage by institution for every title, tracking views-per-page and denials. This allows the publisher to alert institutions when their patrons are trying to gain access to titles to which the institution does not subscribe. The Publisher Dashboard To ensure a good rate of renewal, publishers must provide the hard data libraries need to validate decisions to purchase made on behalf of their institutionsespecially in the face of shrinking operating budgets. Publishers of academic journals bundle their titles in myriad ways, using their own platforms (or those of other vendors and aggregators). The Publisher Dashboard offers the data needed for publishers to experiment with different configurations for bundling their titles in a way that makes the most sense for them and for individual institutions. More than 50 publishers have adopted RedLinks Publisher Dashboard as their business intelligence solution for institutional sales growth and retention. The Library Dashboard Tracking changes in journal titles and online access privileges used to be a labor-intensive effort, not to mention how difficult it was to analyze alternative schemes for access to titles with overlapping coverage that were available on multiple platforms. Determining which metrics to use and how to present them to those who hold the purse strings was another agonizingly painful effort. Analytics are perceived as expensive and complicated nice to have services. Im proud that RedLink is making analytics useful and affordable, says Anderson. Be on the lookout for more RedLink Network news. TDC launches Destination T&T website The websites modern, contemporary design features vibrant colours, images and videos that are required to stimulate the desire of todays travellers to be entertained and educated. The inclusion of the destinations active annual event calendar makes it easier to plan a vacation around the myriad activities that take place on the two islands. It also features an interactive map, with pages dedicated to the key niches, including: Carnival, culture and heritage, bird watching, cuisine, soft adventure (active holidaying) and shopping, as well as pertinent travel information to assist in planning a trip to Trinidad & Tobago. Visitors to the site also have access to a powerful booking engine, so that after reviewing all of the vacation options they can book their trip. And with its responsive design, the website gives users the option to navigate pages on their handheld devices and tablets as easily as they could on their personal computers. The launch of the new site follows on the heels of a German-language version (www. gotrinidadtobago.de), which targets consumers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and went live in July. Gotrinidadandtobago. com seamlessly integrates with the TDCs social media channels, making it an effective marketing platform from which the company can engage with consumers and also conduct specific promotional campaigns. 49 speeding drivers caught Using speed guns, police officers issued tickets to all 49 drivers, one of whom was Wesley Maxwell, 35, of Pleasantville for speeding, driving without a drivers permit and a third charge of there being no insurance by virtue of the fact that Maxwell did not have a permit. Maxwell pleaded guilty to the charges and Magistrate Lisa Singh-Phillip fined him $1,000 for the offence of speeding. Court prosecutor Sgt Kasieram Lutchman said the defendant exceeded the limit by 15 kilometers per hour. The legal limit is 80 kilometers per hour. Magistrate Singh-Phillip fined Maxwell $1,500 for driving without a permit and $2,500, for not having an insurance. The magistrate also disqualified Maxwell from obtaining and holding a permit for the next three years. The charge against him arose from a speed-trap set up by police officers of the Special Highway Patrol, between 9 am and noon on Sunday. The exercise was spearheaded by Ag Inspector Jaikeran, Police Constable Shiva Roopchand who charged Maxwell; Corporal Arnold Ramroop Colombian national in court Juan Sebastian Rubiano Pena, 21, appeared before Magistrate Lisa Singh-Phillip charged with the offences. He was arrested at Lady Hailes Avenue, San Fernando, at about 4 am on Sunday by PC Sujeet Ramcharan. The magistrate read the three charges to Pena, the first of which alleged that the alcohol level in his breath exceeded the prescribed legal limit by seven mirograms per 100 milliliters of breath. He pleaded not guilty. The second charge was that he obstructed PC Ramcharan in the lawful execution of his duties. Pena pleaded not guilty. The final charge alleged that he used obscene language to the annoyance of the police officer, an offence for which Pena again pleaded not guilty. Court prosecutor Sgt Kasieram Lutchman, told the magistrate that he did not have the Passport of the Colombian, in order for the court to determine the issue of bail. Attorney Ravi Diptee pleaded for bail to be granted, saying that Pena had completed studies at an institution and had applied to the University of the West Indies to pursue a degree. Pena speaks English fluently, the attorney said. But Magistrate Singh-Phillip expressed concerns with the court only having a photocopy of the data-information of the accused mans Passport which Dipteee submitted for consideration. She said that Ramcharan as the complainant, should have been present to update her on the Colombians legal status in the country. Pena was remanded into custody and told to return to court today. ANGER OVER PAY The scene was quite different when the same group took its protest to the Administrative Offices of Servol at Oxford Street in Port-of-Spain. People were seen peeping through the window of the offices but the no one came out to address the protestors. President of the Early Childhood Teachers Trade Union Jamiel Sydney led the protestors down St Vincent Street to the Ministry to protest monies owed as well as health and safety issues at ECCE Centres throughout the country. This was not the only protest yesterday as, in the southland, angry COSTAAT student nurses, pounded the pavements demanding payment of their stipends and clarity in the length of time their training is to last. (See story below) Minister Garcia told Sydney that the ECCE did not fall under the Ministry of Education but Government was working on amending the Education Act to bring the ECCE under the ministrys ambit. Garcia informed Sydney-who prior had accused the Minister and Ministry of neglect - that Lovell argued for the rights of ECCE teachers during their meetings. For example, he said, Lovell was very vocal on ECCE teachers having to remain in schools during vacation periods while other teachers did not have to. The Education Act, Garcia said, covered the primary and secondary sectors. Garcia said it was recommended during the National Consultation held recently that the ECCE sector also be brought under the Education Act and this recommendation was currently before Cabinet. He said when the sector is under the Ministrys purview the teachers would have security of tenure and will not have contracts. Garcia apologised to Sydney for not having met before and asked his Communications Officer to schedule a meeting for them to discuss the issues. Garcia said, however, it would have to be scheduled after the budget debates. Sydney presented the Minister with a draft ECCE policy meant to govern the sector. Lovell told the protestors that the terms and conditions for ECCE teachers were not determined by the Ministry but fell under the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO). He added that for the last year the Ministry has been trying to curb teachers having to report to schools during the vacation periods. Lovell said to get anything done with respect to ECCE teachers, the ministry has to write to the CPO and then get a response from them. He added that by the upcoming Christmas vacation period the ministry is trying to stop what he described as an, anomaly. The Minister of Education have Early Childhood teachers throughout TT catching water from the roof with buckets. If you look at the Eastern Region you can see plenty of that. Plenty in South. Yet he comes and portrays himself as someone who is doing his job. Blasphemy, Sydney charged. He claimed that the Ministry was guilty of owing ECCE Teachers between nine and 15 years of gratuity. He said while prices were increasing their salaries are not. He claimed that the Ministry had not paid backpay to the teachers while all other groups were paid. They paid all the primary school, all the secondary school, they paid the tertiary education but what happen to the real founders of early childhood? No money! He said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley came to the union and by extension the Joint Trade Union Movement seeking to be elected. Yet still the PM continue to encourage his Ministers to ill-treat ECCE teachers. He said there is no director, no deputy director or manager in the ECCE Division at SERVOL. We will parang this Ministry every single month until this minister comes and meets with us, Sydney said. When Minister Garcia told Sydney to remove a sign which said PNM liars, Sydney replied he would only do so when the meeting between them has taken place adding he was taking Garcias promise of a meeting, with a pinch of salt. The union represents 8,000 early childhood teachers across the country and 500 schools. Gun talk, gun play, murders This is the chain of event that led to the slaying of Disc Jockey Jerome Vickers, 27, and his cousin-in-law Kevin Rama, 31. The incident took place at a bikini car at Kinshasas Restaurant and Bar off the Southern Main Road in Curepe and also involved an off-duty policeman who pursued the gunman firing his weapon, but was hit in the leg by return fire. The officer is said to be in a stable condition at hospital. According to witnesses an argument which broke out between two men spiralled into a violent brawl and ended with the shooting. Vickers was a DJ with radio station 96.1 FM and also a construction worker, while Rama was an upholsterer and father of a nine-year-old boy. Police are still on the hunt for the killer. The double murder began as cross talk between two men over a woman, who was at the restaurant and bar, which was the venue for the bikini car wash and party at which Vickers and his younger brother were hired as deejays. Newsday was told that the younger brother was playing music at the venue, when he noticed the young woman watching him. He approached her and began a conversation, but ended the talk when a man walked up and demanded to know what the conversation was about. When Vickers brother pulled out a cellular phone and began talking, the other man challenged him, saying if he (Vickers brother) was calling for back up, he (the man) had back up of his own. A fight ensued with Vickers brother suffering a blow to the head from a bottle. Vickers intervened trying to protect his younger brother. Rama, who was Vickers cousin-in-law, also joined the fray, trying to part the fighting men. The man who first challenged Vickers brother over the woman, drew a gun from his waist. As Vickers ran off, the gunman pursued him and shot him once in the head. Rama who was following behind, was shot multiple times. The off-duty policeman who saw what was happening, gave chase and drew his licensed, personal firearm which he fired at the fleeing gunman. The gunman turned and fired, hitting the policeman in the leg. He then ran off into the night. While Vickers and Rama died at the scene, the policeman was rushed to hospital. At the Forensic Science Centre in St James, relatives described Vickers as a humble, hard working man, who loved music from a very young age. He was deejaying for a long while but it was only recently he began to get some kind of recognition for what he was doing, said Victor Turpin, the dead mans father. This really mash me up. He doesnt be in no problems. All he does is go to work and practice mixing music. He was a peacemaker and he was trying to protect his little brother...and he died for it. Ramas common law wife, Crystal Ali, told Newsday that she has to comfort their nine-year-old son, who still cannot believe his father is dead. When we got the call at home, everyone including his son came to the scene, said Ali. He (her son) was only asking, why they killed my daddy? He was just trying to help his family. He was trying to pull (Vickers) out of the fight and ended up getting killed. My husband was standing with me and he saw my cousin (Vickers) wrangling with the other man and when he went in to part the fight, all I saw was a flash and I heard gunshots. He (Rama) was a quiet person. Nobody could have said he did anything to them. All he really liked to do was go out, drink, have a good time and talk about it the next day, Ali said. COSTAAT nursing students protest Under a blistering mid-morning sun, the student nurses, some outfitted in their formal nursing attire and carrying placards which read, How long do our nurses have to suffer...seven years and more? walked along the pavement in front of the Sutton Street campus to the cheers and applause of other students. One protesting student nurse, Denisha Mahabir, said she had enrolled at COSTAAT since 2011 to complete the four-year nursing course and was recently informed that she had a further two years at the institution. I have been here in COSTAAT since 2011. They have no clarification, I have never failed a course, they pulling you out of classes when you register, they cant tell you about your GPA, they dont want to pay your stipend, Mahabir said, adding, we need our stipend. Some of them quit jobs to be in COSTAATT to become a nurse. I am here since 2011 and they telling me I have two more years, what is that, a masters degree ? Am I getting my PhD? no! We have students coming here, they have children. When they go NIS office, they could have two contributions and they here how many years, so what are you doing? Mahabir continued: ACTT (The Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago ACTT) I am sure doesnt know about the courses allyuh changing, allyuh adding, dropping, changing, pressing...is real nonsense! Meanwhile, another student, Afeasha Dunbar said there were five clinical instructors to teach the approximately 1,000 students which were scattered at the various campuses. We have clinical hours as well as school hours. We have over 1,000 students for five clinical instructors and they have nobody on the ward for us. We are failing exams. Why? Because we dont know, she said. We are getting $1,200 per month and they taking out NIS and health surcharge. When you finish the Level 1 exam it is supposed to increase by 200 dollars. How many getting that? They say if we dont go out on the wards, we not getting stipends. Now how you expect us to reach on the wards? People living Icacos. Where we getting money for transportation? She said the students would not report for duty until they had a meeting with the Colleges president. No Trinis hurt or killed in Haiti Noel has advised that non-perishable food items, medical supplies and building materials are some of the items urgently required. More than 300 schools in Haiti were damaged, and over 60,000 Haitians are now in shelters. Some places, Noel said, are still inaccessible in Haiti. Meanwhile, Jeffery has arranged for aid relief items. Doctor: Use the internet responsibly I beg you, please use your competence with information technology for good, Coker said, adding, you have full access to their endless possibilities for instant communication but the new technology presents opportunities as well as dangers. Be careful what you put on Facebook: it never goes away. A techno-savvy employer may hire Sandra Hendricks more quickly than D Original Sexygal. I rest my case, he said. Meanwhile, Petrotrin President Fitzroy Harewood said that todays youth would be the ones to carry the nation forward, as he encouraged young persons to strive for excellence and not succumb to periods of discouragement. As future leaders of this country, you bear a heavy responsibility as success is never an easy journey and it is accompanied by huge responsibility and commitment, Harewood said. You must concentrate on enhancing your futures by working diligently and setting great examples for those who move you and for those who will follow you, he advised. Harewood pointed out that success or failure has little to do with circumstances but much more to do with attitude, courage and choices. Children who excelled in international and regional sporting competitions as well as the SE A; CSE C/ CXC Ordinary level and CAPE Advanced level examinations were also honoured during the event. Who authorised to purchase our cocoa? This is in response to a call by some farmers that, we need to know who are authorized to purchase our cocoa. The CDC Chairman assured that, through the Agricultural Stations, the list of approved buyers and fermentaries will be made available for the farmers who wish to access it with a view to ensuring that they are dealing with legitimate enterprises. CDCTTL Chair noted that the Cocoa Development Company is not a stand-alone Institution, we work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and its staff . Suggestions were made by the farmers on youth training in agriculture in light of the reality of the aging cocoa farmer population, which hinges on a number of issues one of which is whether young people are seeing the financial benefits of agriculture, in particular cocoa farming. Whether or not we succeed in modernizing the industry, bringing youths back into the sector, will depend on us convincing them that it is a viable industry, and a place that needs not only your brawn but also your intelligence was the response of Chairman Winston Rudder. Farmers, including one farmer from Coalmine, raised the issue of pests affecting the cocoa sector. In response to which the Chairman said we need to look more closely at what techniques are used in other countries to deal with pests of this nature; there is no need to reinvent the wheel. One farmer said theft and pests are driving a lot of young people out of the sector. They called for support of the Praedial Larceny Unit for security of farm lands. Other issues raised and addressed included labour and access roads. The support of the Ministry for the cocoa sector is seen in many ways. Cocoa plants are available for sale to farmers and members of the general public from the St Augustine Nurseries. Successful cocoa production depends on understanding and applying good crop production and processing practices; all revealed in the publication titled Cocoa Production, a Producers Manual produced by the Ministry and available for download on its website. Also available are six Fact Sheets on Cocoa, namely Production of Cocoa; Harvesting, Fermentation and Drying of Cocoa; Rehabilitation of Old Cocoa Fields; Shade Management in Cocoa Production; Black Pod Disease of Cocoa; and Witches Broom Disease of Cocoa. Winston Rudder, Chairman, was accompanied by Mr. Fitz Clarence Waldropt, Director and Mr. Jensen Alexander, Director. The CDCTTL will wrap up its engaging Road Show and Stakeholder Sessions in Tobago later this month. Corruption in 2015 General Election What happened constituted a breach of the election rules, British Queens Counsel Timothy Straker submitted on the first day of the hearing of simultaneous appeals filed by the UNC and the Elections and Boundaries Commissions (EBC) Returning Officers for five constituencies. Three days have been set aside for hearing of the election petitions appeal which is being heard by Chief Justice Ivor Archie and Justices of Appeal Allan Mendonca and Peter Jamadar __ the same three senior judges who presided over the UNCs election petition leave application appeal. The Opposition party has appealed a judges decision to dismiss its five election petitions challenging the result of last Septembers general elections while the EBC has appealed the judges finding that the commission acted illegally. In her ruling in August, Justice Mira Dean-Armorer had rejected the UNCs claim that the election should be invalidated because the EBC was not allowed to extend the poll by one hour due to heavy rainfall in Trinidad. While Madame Justice Dean-Armorer agreed with the UNC that the EBC acted illegally, she ruled that its error did not materially affect the result of the election, in which Peoples National Movement (PNM) beat the UNC by a 23-18 margin. The party claims the judge erred in speculating over its decision to file petitions for only six marginal constituencies __ San Fernando West, Tunapuna, St Joseph, Toco/Sangre Grande, Moruga/Tableland and La Horquetta/Talparo. The petition for La Horquetta/ Talparo was dismissed before the trial of the petitions, as it was served on the successful PNM candidate Maxie Cuffie past the deadline required. In his arguments yesterday, Straker submitted that the legislature provided for a court to void an election, if it was held in breach of election rules. He said there was no scope for the alteration of the rules, adding that neither the EBC nor its officials had a discretion over the conduct of the polls, unless prescribed for in the Representation of the Peoples Act or the common law. The polls are not subject to their discretion, he said. Straker also faulted the way in which notice of the one hour extension was given via a press release and a tweet. The election held was not prescribed by law, he argued. In response to questions posed to him by the judges, Straker said there also appeared to be no protocols in place for the dissemination of information from the Chief Election Officer and the EBC commissioners to returning officers. The power (to extend the polls) does not exist so theres no proper way to engage it, he said. According to Straker, not even the courts had the power to vary the timetable set out in the election rules and the Act for the holding of the polls between the hours of 6 am to 6 pm. Straker also said there were potential consequences for breaching this rule, agreeing with CJ Archie that it may not be, just a numbers argument, when looking at the eventual outcome of the results of the polls. He also admitted that the appellate court will have to grapple with the argument of whether the September 7 general election was a real election. We cannot run the risk to allow that to occur where the EBC arrogated onto itself powers onto itself, arbitrarily and without consequences, he said. The UNC petitioners are represented by Queens Counsel Straker, former prime minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar SC, Anand Ramlogan SC, Gerald Ramdeen, Kent Samlal, Jayanti Lutchmedial and Douglas Bayley. Russell Martineau SC, Deborah Peake SC, Ravi Heffes-Doon and Alana Bissessar appear for the EBCs Returning Officers. Appearing with Douglas Mendes SC, for the five PNM MPs are John Jeremie SC, Michael Quamina, Kerwyn Garcia, Ravi Nanga, Vanessa Gopaul and Elena Araujo. Indarsingh warns of job losses Indarsingh had created a verbal fray by lamenting the ministrys $17 million cut in the wage bill for shortterm employment (from $36 million last year to $18 million this fiscal year) and a $4 million cut in contract employment from $23 million to $19 million. At his observation of Budget cuts, Critchlow- Cockburn stated, We have not reduced staff. Well need to adjust it at a Mid-Year Review, leading to Indarsinghs blunt accusation. The question over recurrent expenditure was more politely raised earlier by Princes Town MP Barry Padarath, who had likewise evoked the admission of a Mid-Year Review adjustment plus a possible extra injection of more funds, but also the ministers stout denial of being severely under-resourced. Cumuto- Manzanilla MP Christine Newallo-Hosein also prodded the ministers data and herself earned a rebuke from the Chair, as the Opposition constantly tested the arithmetic of the minister, who stood by her figures. The ministrys total allocation is $4.75 billion. Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial queried a $7 million reduction for rental accommodation, only to learn this was due to monies spent last year for #1 Alexandra Place, St Clair, from which the ministry has since moved out. Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan asked the minister if she was deliberately understating the real budgetary requirements of her ministry, and ventured, So the Ministry of Finance has taken a deliberate strategy to understate their Budget? Otherwise the minister disclosed that 24,000 people use Food Cards, with 3,158 people now on hold and 1,459 people instead paid their assistance by cheque or direct deposit. Rambachan evoked information from the minister that a persons Senior Citizens Grant is suspended if they leave the country. Govt owes NGC $1.8B Caroni West MP Ganga Singh had asked if the $322 million sum accounts for all debts owed to NGC, to which Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney- General, Stuart Young, replied no. He said it is owed another $1.5 billion, although giving few details. Earlier, Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan asked if a $240 million refund to WASA from the Government is included in WASAs $1.697 billion budgetary allocation? Young said no. The $240 million is money that the Government collects from industrial tenants at the Point Lisas Estate and then passes on to WASA, and so is outside of WASAs subvention. In reply to Caroni Central MP Dr Bhoe Tewaries query, Minister of Public Utilities Ancil Antoine suggested the introduction of water metering as one of several revenue- earning strategies, but Singh cautioned him to first try to increase the delivery of water from a current 75 percent to 100 percent, and then afterwards try to introduce metering. Singh asked how many vacancies exist in the ministrys Electrical Inspectorate, only to be promised a future reply by the minister. Rambachan lamented that in south Trinidad it takes too long to get an electrical inspector to inspect a building. Singh remarked such delays mean that many buildings are not able to undergo an annual inspection, to the detriment of a client seeking compensation from TTEC for damaged electrical appliances. If an electrical surge damages your appliances, TTEC hides behind the fact that you have not had your inspection, Singh said. He urged private sector involvement in the Electrical Inspectorate. At Couva South MP Rudy Indarsinghs query, Antoine promised to supply electrical lighting to sites hosting community Ramleela events, saying the Government has always done so. Plans to test all pregnant women But, under questioning from Fyzabad MP Dr Lackram Bodoe and Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesinghboth of whom specialize in womens health and obstetrics Deyalsingh said he could not give an answer just yet about when testing for all pregnant women might begin but it was something we can look at and work with CARPHA. (Because of the cost) a few months ago CARPHA took the decision that because resources are limited and the agencys protocol is to put resources where they will have maximum impact that is, pregnant women who present symptoms, the elderly and children under five, Deyalsingh said Dr Bodoe pointed out that in some tests, pregnant women without symptoms still showed up as positive for zika infection, and Dr Gopeesingh emphasized that he had pregnant patients requesting information and tests, so he would have liked the minister to clarify what medical practitioners should tell those who come to them for advice. Deyalsingh reiterated that CARPHA is the only approved lab for testing. Please send the samples to CARPHA. I am trying to work with [them] as we speak to not only treat symptomatic pregnant women but asymptomtic pregnant women. I had that conversation just recently, he said. In this years Budget, CARPHA has been allocated $12,880,000, an increase of $145,150. Deyalsingh also noted that up to September 2016, 529,897 houses had been inspected and sprayed by the Insect Vector Division, although he admitted that some of those visits may have been more than once. MP Charles plots land usage Addressing the final day of a ten-day drama of Ramleela on Sunday night, Charles said there is a 30-acre plot of State-owned land in and around the ground and he is now looking at the possibility of developing it. It is time we develop this land into a place for future generations to experience the great work of their ancestors, Charles said, adding that the Cedar Hill ground is unique in the sense that no other ground has the shape of a natural amphitheatre such as this one. He congratulated Alvin Saltan for coordinating the 2016 Ramleela festival in that area. He also commended scores of young people who participated in the religious drama. Charles outlined the work done by the Princes Town Regional Corporation in upgrading the Ramleela ground in the last two years. The seating accommodation was increased by the addition of concrete seats. Also added to this ground is a temple for Lord Ganesh and also a plaque carrying the names of the persons who contributed to the development of Ramleela at that venue. Councillor for the area Shawn Premchand also brought greetings saying there is a lot more to be done to improve the facility in Cedar Hill and he is working around the clock to make sure the people get what is due to them. The members of the Cedar Hill Cultural Organisation (CHCO) partnered with the Princes Town Regional Cooperation to mark the 130th anniversary of Ramleela. The drama started on October 9 and ended on Sunday with the burning of the 30-foot effigy of Ravan. Also present were members of the National Heritage Trust as well as members of the TT Cadets. The Ramleela ended with a fireworks display at 10.30 pm. Portland judge calls to have all guns banned including police No matter how many times their attempts are proven to be completely worthless and unconstitutional, the Regressive Left just wont stop attempting to repeal the Second Amendment in increasingly ridiculous fashion. For whatever reason, they view guns as a source of evil as opposed to human beings or radical ideologies and have stopped at nothing in their battle against law-abiding citizens. Now that sentiment has been passed onto those who hold positions of power in the court room. Judge Kenneth R. Walker of Oregon stated recently during a trial, If I could I would take all the guns in America, put them on big barges and go dump them in the ocean Nobody would have a gun. Not police, not security, not anybody. We should eliminate all of them. We could save 33,000 people a year if we didnt have guns in this country. Its an incredibly emotional comment for someone who is supposed to be fair and balanced to make, not to mention the fact that it is completely and utterly ridiculous on a number of levels. It shows that Walker himself has a bias against guns, which very likely comes into play during countless cases that he is involved with. Its unfair for the countless law-abiding citizens that legally own guns to be treated like criminals by these leftists that are doing nothing in order to fix the countries problems, but want to lazily blame it all on guns. Sadly, this is nothing new, but Walkers statement is definitely one of the most frightening comments from the Regressive Left in recent memory, given the power that he holds. Its almost as if the powers that be dont even realize why Americans desire the right to bear arms. We acknowledge that they consistently do nothing to protect us while simultaneously putting us in severe danger, and we know that we are going to have to protect ourselves. With all of the terror and violence going on in the world today, we have to be prepared for these situations by arming ourselves with the proper equipment. For many situations, that proper equipment includes firearms. Its about time that we start calling these attacks what they really are and stop contributing to the dangerously politically correct society that has gotten us all into this mess in the first place. We have to get tough and stay tough if we want to survive this horrific time. The last thing we need is to have to fight this battle without sufficient protection. Sources: OffTheGridNews.com OregonLive.com Submit a correction >> UN Security Council slams N Korea's missile launch United States,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Mon, 17 Oct 2016 IANS United Nations, Oct 18 (IANS) The UN Security Council strongly condemned the recent failed ballistic missile launch conducted by the North Korea. In a press statement, the 15-nation council said on Monday that the attempted launch is a grave violation of the North Korea's obligations under Security Council resolutions, Xinhua news agency reported. South Korea's military said on October 16 that North korea had test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile which ended in failure. The Security Council has adopted five resolutions to curb North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. The latest one adopted in March imposed the most severe sanctions yet on the country, including an export ban and asset freeze. "The members of the Security Council deplore all North Korean ballistic missile activities, including this failed launch, noting that such activities contribute to the development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension," said the statement. "The members of the Security Council reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in North-East Asia at large, " it added. The failed launch came on the day when the United States and South Korea wrapped up their joint naval exercises in all of the three seas around South Korea. The missile launch was the latest in a series of provocations by North Korea following its fifth nuclear test last month. Pyongyang said on September 9 that it successfully tested a nuclear warhead that can be mounted on ballistic missiles. --IANS vgu/ New Zealand approves first US Navy ship visit in 3 decades United Kingdom,Defence/Security, Mon, 17 Oct 2016 IANS Wellington, Oct 18 (IANS) The New Zealand government on Tuesday announced it had cleared the way for the first visit by a US Navy vessel since a rift formed between the two countries 32 years ago. The USS Sampson, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, would attend the Royal New Zealand Navy's international naval review in Auckland from November 17 to 22, Prime Minister John Key said in a statement. "Under New Zealand's nuclear-free legislation, I am required to be satisfied that any foreign military ship entering New Zealand is not nuclear armed," said Key. "I have granted this approval after careful consideration of the advice provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade," he said. "New Zealand's legislation also does not allow ships which are nuclear propelled into New Zealand and the advice I received from officials is that the USS Sampson is not nuclear powered." "New Zealand looks forward to the USS Sampson's participation in the international naval review to mark the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th anniversary. The visit is a further reflection of the depth of the bilateral relationship with the United States," Key said. Key and US Vice President Joe Biden, on the first visit by an American vice president to New Zealand since 1970, confirmed in June that the US Navy had accepted an invitation. Peace activists have vowed to take to the seas to disrupt any US Navy visits. Activists last attempted to block US Navy visits in the early 1980s, before the New Zealand government banned visits by nuclear armed and powered vessels. The US froze New Zealand out of defence cooperation after the ban due to New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance, but the Washington and Wellington declarations of recent years have seen renewed military contacts. --IANS ksk Pushing Uniform Civil Code counterproductive for women: CPI-M Delhi,National,Politics, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) Accusing the Narendra Modi government of "targeting minorities", the CPI-M on Tuesday said the Centres move to push the Uniform Civil Code is counterproductive to the rights of women. Supporting the demand against the practice of arbitrary and instant Triple Talaq, the Communist Party of India-Marxist said all personal laws, including those for the majority community, require reforms. "In this context, the claims being made by government spokespersons that personal laws for Hindu women have already been reformed shows that their interest is not in securing women's equality but targeting the minority communities, particularly the Muslim minority," the party said in a statement. "Even now laws concerning adoption, property rights and even the right to choose your own partner discriminate against Hindu women," the statement said. Opposing the Uniform Civil Code, it said uniformity is not a guarantee for equality. "With the offensive of the communal forces on the very identity of minority communities, any move to push the agenda of Uniform Civil Code, as is being done by the government, directly and through its institutions is counterproductive for the rights of women. Uniformity is not the guarantee for equality," the party said. --IANS and/nir/bg Man suspected of planning Bangkok bombings arrested Thailand,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Bangkok, Oct 18 (IANS) Thai police have arrested a man alleged to be a member of a group that was planning to plant three bombs in Bangkok and adjoining provinces. On Monday, police and the army raided the suspect's house in Samut Prakan, south of the Thai capital, and recovered four boxes of what might be raw material to make bombs, area police chief Thammanoon Trithippayaphong told Efe news. The arrest comes after the police earlier this month had warned of a possible attack in the capital city between October 25 and 30. The police have since then beefed up security at popular tourist areas in the city, near embassies and airports. Last week, 11 people were arrested for purportedly collaborating with the Muslim insurgency active in the southern part of the country to carry out a string of bomb blasts in August in several southern provinces of the country. Between August 11 and 12, fourteen bombs exploded in six Thai provinces, including at popular tourist spots in Phuket and Hua Hin, killing four and injuring 35, including ten foreign nationals. The attacks were later claimed by the Barasan Revolusi Nasional, the country's largest armed rebel group. --IANS ksk/bg 'Thales equipment will constitute 25 per cent of Rafale's value' (Lead, correcting intro) Delhi,National,Business/Economy,Defence/Security, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) Equipment supplied by French aerospace major Thales will constitute 25 per cent of the value of the $8.9 billion deal for 36 Rafale combat jets that India and France inked last month, the companys India head has said. "Thales equipment represents around 25 per cent of the Rafale's total value," Antoine Caput told IANS. The company is a member of the Rafale team led by Dassault Aviation that manufactures the aircraft and will be providing state-of-the-art equipment and systems like radars, electronic warfare systems, optronics, displays and communication systems, among others, for the jets, the first of which will arrive in 2019. The Rafale was one of the six jets in contention for an Indian Air Force (IAF) tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) with 18 to be bought in fly-away condition and the balance to be progressively manufactured in India under a transfer of technology agreement. After prolonged negotiations, the tender was scrapped and India signalled its intent to purchase 36 Rafales outright during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris in April 2015. Speaking about the company's growth, Caput said: "The last five years have been encouraging for Thales in India," adding: "The defence sector contributes more than half of the company's turnover in India." As for the capability of Indian companies to execute high-technology offsets deals, he said Thales has "immense faith in our partners" as they are capable of "absorbing and delivering technology and products as part of offset obligations". Thales believes this is a great way to share technology and foster strong relations with Indian industry and achieve the common goal of transforming India into a global manufacturing hub, he said. "Our 'Go to India' approach is in line with the 'Make in India' policy of the Indian government. We are working on our purchasing policy to identify more Indian companies that can be our suppliers," Caput pointed out. "Today, the company has over 300 employees working with its wholly-owned Indian subsidiary, Thales India Pvt. Ltd. In defence, Thales has been recognised as a trusted partner to all three branches of the Indian armed forces," he added. Talking about the Thales relationship with Indian companies, Caput said: "We have a strong working relationship with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and have also formed a joint venture -- BEL-Thales Systems Limited (BTSL)." In March, Thales and BTSL came together to develop the Pharos fire-control radar to cater to both the Indian and global markets. "We have started the development work for Pharos and target to complete this in 24 months. The responsibility of overall system design will be borne by Thales. BTSL is responsible for developing the mechanical design and radar processing modifications while Thales is responsible for the design and production of the radar antenna," Caput noted. (Rohit Srivastava can be contacted at rohit.s@ians.in) --IANS rs/vm/sac/vm Nawaz Sharif re-elected PML-N President Pakistan,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Islamabad, Oct 18 (IANS) Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was on Tuesday re-elected the President of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) unopposed as the nomination papers of his only rival were rejected. During scrutiny, the nomination papers of another candidate Sardar Prince Baloch were rejected by Chief Election Commissioner Chaudhary Jaffar Iqbal, The News International reported. Sharif lambasted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan after being re-elected as the president of the ruling party, saying the PTI leadership spent its time on containers (a reference to Imran Khan making a container his base during an agitation) and dancing instead of serving Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. "Today the people of KP are searching for their elected leader. They are searching for those who promised them a 'Naya Pakistan' but they are only found on containers," he said. Senior party leader Raja Zafarul Haq was elected PML-N chairman. --IANS py/bg S. Korea to mull development of n-powered submarine South Korea,Politics,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Seoul, Oct 18 (IANS) South Korean military is to mull the development of its own nuclear-powered submarine against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the media reported on Tuesday. Government officials and ruling Saenuri Party members in a meeting asked the government to push for the development of its own submarine propelled by nuclear power, Xinhua news agency reported. A defence ministry official said the military would carefully weigh the call in consideration of military effectiveness, technical availability and military situations in neighbouring countries. Calls here for introducing its own nuclear-powered submarine emerged after Pyongyang showed an advance in its technology of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). Pyongyang test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine off its east coast on August 24, covering a distance of some 500 km toward Japan. The flight distance surpassed the 300 km which Seoul's military regards as a success. Top North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered to build a couple of 3,000-ton submarines capable of carrying and launching ballistic missiles. A completed SLBM technology would raise Pyongyang's nuclear threat to a new level as it is very hard to detect and track a North Korean missile from a submarine moving secretly deep under the waters. Even if South Korea successfully secures its nuclear-powered submarine, uncertainties would remain about its effectiveness. The South Korean submarine will be required to wait inside waters 10-20 km away from North Korean submarine base in order to strike its enemy submarine before it submerges into deep waters. Such submarine, which stays in waters of that distance, would be attacked easily by North Korea. Military experts estimated it would take around six-seven years to develop and deploy a submarine propelled by nuclear power, while about 1.5 trillion won ($1.3 billion) would be required to construct a nuclear submarine. The most fundamental difficulty facing South Korea is to secure nuclear material necessary for a nuclear reactor that propels the submarine. The US-South Korea civil nuclear accord bans Seoul from enriching uranium for military purpose. The miniaturised reactor inside a submarine requires uranium enriched at least 20 per cent. Seoul's defence ministry official said the use of nuclear material will not be in violation of pacts with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), indicating Seoul's nuclear pact with Washington would be a sole obstacle. Seoul's push for developing a nuclear submarine may trigger Japan's demand for its nuclear armament, brining nuclear arms race to the region. --IANS py/vt Identifying kids by thumbprints can increase vaccination in India United States,Health/Medicine,Diaspora, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS New York, Oct 18 (IANS) Digital scans of a young child's fingerprint can be correctly recognised one year later, and this can improve record-keeping and vaccination in developing countries like India, suggest researchers. This is because fingerprint records in digital format can help public health officials better track the children and easily monitor whether they got vaccinated or received targeted nutrition services and food. Anil Jain, Professor at Michigan State University, and his team showed they can correctly identify children six months old over 99 per cent of the time based on their two thumbprints. A child could then be identified at each medical visit by a simple fingerprint scan, allowing them to get proper medical care such as life-saving immunisations or food supplements. "Despite efforts of international health organisations and NGOs, children are still dying because it's been believed that it wasn't possible to use body traits such as fingerprints to identify children. We've just proven it is possible," Jain said in a university statement. "As the technology further evolves, there are many social good applications for this new technique with far-reaching impacts on a global scale," Jain noted. "At a touch of a finger, health care workers could have access to a child's medical history. Whether in a developing nation, refugee camp, homeless shelter or, heaven forbid, a kidnapping situation, a child's identity could be verified if they had their fingerprint scanned at birth and included in a registry," he explained. One such application is saving lives by tracking vaccination records. Vaccination records are traditionally kept on paper charts, but paper is easily lost or destroyed. Fingerprints are forever, and, once captured in a database, could be accessed by medical professionals to reliably record immunisation schedules and other medical information. "The impact of child fingerprinting will be enormous in improving lives of the disadvantaged," Sandeep Ahuja, CEO of Operation ASHA, an NGO dedicated to bringing tuberculosis treatment and health services to India, said. The study by Jain and his team was conducted at Saran Ashram hospital in Dayalbagh, Agra, Uttar Pradesh where fingerprints of 309 children between the age of zero-five years were collected over the course of one year. The fingerprint data was processed to show that state-of-the-art fingerprint capture and recognition technology offers a viable solution for recognising children enrolled at age six months or older. "Given these encouraging results, we plan to continue the longitudinal study by capturing fingerprints of the same subjects annually for four more years," said Jain. "This will allow us to better evaluate the use of fingerprints for providing lifelong identity," Jain noted. --IANS gb/bg Delhi's 'dangerous' school building to be pulled down Delhi,National,Politics,Education, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) The Delhi government has ordered demolition of a dilapidated school building in the city's north-west after it was declared "dangerous", an official said on Tuesday. Several other school buildings have been vacated and may be demolished to pave way for construction of much-needed new buildings for the students, said Arunodaya Prakash, media advisor to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The order was issued on Monday at a meeting of officials chaired by Sisodia. Constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD), Kanjhawala Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in north-west Delhi was declared "dangerous" in 2004 after cracks started developing less than two years after it was built. The government on Monday ordered the demolition of the school building, noting that it posed "great risk" to another building in the vicinity. Five other schools in Delhi were also declared dangerous between 2006-2016. These were the Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Shahbad Dairy, Updesh Kaur Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Dariyapur Kalan, Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Jahangirpuri, Government Girls Secondary School in Bhalaswa Dairy, and Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Pul Bangash. While issuing the orders, the government noted that the demolition of these buildings will pave the way for construction of new school buildings. --IANS vv-am/sm/vt Australia to provide further humanitarian assistance to Iraq Australia,Terrorism,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Canberra, Oct 18 (IANS) Australia will provide $7.5 million worth of humanitarian assistance to Iraq during the coalition's military operation to defeat Islamic State (IS) in the region, authorities said on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in a statement said the donation to the city of Mosul is in addition to the $45 million already contributed to Iraq by Australia, adding that the money would be used to ensure Iraqi civilians remain safe during the fighting, Xinhua news agency reported. "This will include emergency food, medical assistance, temporary shelter and support to women and girls for reproductive health", she said. The Foreign Minister added that the commencement of the operation to drive IS out of Mosul - and out of the Middle East - was an "important milestone" in the fight against the terror organisation. --IANS sm/bg Cumberbatch to start filming for ' Avengers...' early 2017 Hong Kong,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Hong Kong, Oct 18 (IANS) Actor Benedict Cumberbatch will return as Doctor Strange in the next instalment of "The Avengers". He will start filming for it early next year, says Marvel Studios. Cumberbatch is yet to debut on the big screen as the powerful sorcerer, but he has already been signed up to feature in the next part of the popular "The Avengers" movie. "He (Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange) is going to be in a number of our upcoming movies. He starts filming the next Avengers movie early next year. He will definitely be in the Avengers movie," Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told IANS during a promotion of "Doctor Strange" here. Will he appear in their other superhero film "Thor: Ragnarok", starring Chris Hemsworth? "You maybe correct about Thor. But I am not giving it away," said Feige. There are hints that the "Sherlock" fame star might join Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Ruffalo in the film as Dr Stephen Strange. A photograph from the set of the film gave a hint about his appearance. The images show Hemsworth in civilian clothes, and holding a business card with a handwritten address on it. It reads: "177A Bleecker St", which is the address of Strange. "Doctor Strange", an action-adventure, is helmed by Scott Derrickson. It will tell the story of neurosurgeon Stephen Strange whose life changes after a car accident robs him of the use of his hands. It will release in India on November 4 this year. --IANS nn/rb/vt Tripura parties hold hectic parleys for by-polls (Lead, with correction in second para) Tripura,National,Politics, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Agartala, Oct 18 (IANS) Within hours of the Election Commission (EC) announcing by-polls to two Tripura assembly seats on Monday, hectic parleys have begun between the political parties in Tripura. The ruling Left Front and Trinamool Congress even declared their candidates the same night, while the Congress and the BJP would do so on Wednesday. The EC on Monday announced November 19 as the date for Barjala and Khowai by-polls. Ahead of the 2018 polls in Left-ruled Tripura, the crucial November by-polls are set to be a multi-pronged contest, giving advantage to the ruling Left. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) had urged all opposition parties to field united candidates for the by-polls, to defeat the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CMI-M)-led Left Front. "We appeal to all opposition parties to support the TMC candidates to prevent division of opposition votes in both seats," TMC leader Sudip Roy Barman said on Monday night. Barman, who led a split in the main opposition Congress recently, was accompanied by TMC state President Surajit Datta while making the appeal. He said: "To free Tripura from the clutches of CPI-M dominated Left Front, the opposition must unite." The TMC has fielded former Minister Prakash Das in the Barjala seat and Manoj Das, a former CPI-M leader, in the Khowai constituency. A large number of Congress leaders, including Das and six party legislators led by Barman, recently quit the Congress protesting the party's alliance with the CPI-M led Left Front in West Bengal polls. Rejecting the TMC appeal, Congress said that TMC itself destroyed the option by unilaterally declaring their own nominees in both seats. "Before announcing their candidates the TMC should have discussed. We would declare our candidates on Wednesday," Tripura Congress Vice President Tapas Dey told reporters. The Left Front also declared their aspirants -- youth leader Jhumu Sarkar in Barjala and district party secretary Biswajit Datta in Khowai. Before leaving for Delhi, BJP state unit President Biplab Deb told IANS over phone that names would be declared on Wednesday, after holding discussions with the central leadership. The Barjala assembly seat fell vacant after the Congress MLA Jitendra Sarkar resigned on June 6 following internal feud, and Khowai seat became vacant after the death of veteran CPI-M legislator Samir Deb Sarkar. In all 39,007 electorate, including 18,935 female, will be eligible to vote in the Barjala seat, while 39,400 voters, including 19,436 women, will cast votes in Khowai. --IANS sc/in/nir/rn Himachal farmers to benefit from agreement with companies: Modi Himachal Pradesh,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Mandi (Himachal Pradesh), Oct 18 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the fruit farmers of Himachal Pradesh will benefit by selling fruits to beverage companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi. "Those who sell Pepsi and Coca Cola, we urged them if they could add five per cent of fruit juice in their products (beverage items)," said Modi, addressing a Parivartan rally. "I am happy to say that a few days back Coca Cola signed an agreement with the orange farmers of Nagpur. Owing to this, the orange farmers of Nagpur will immediately get market. They (Coca Cola) will mix five percent of orange juice in their products," the prime minister said. He also said that under the 15th finance commission, Himachal Pradesh has been allocated Rs 72,000 crore for the development of the state. "Earlier the allocation was Rs 21,000 crore. When we came to power the allocation went up to Rs 72,000 crore," said Modi. --IANS sid/pgh/bg Trinamool MP Avishek Banerjee injured in road accident West Bengal,National,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Kolkata, Oct 18 (IANS) Trinamool Congress MP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Avishek Banerjee and former minister Manas Bhunia were seriously injured when their car met with an accident on Durgapur Expressway in neighbouring Hooghly district on Tuesday, police said. "The accident occurred at Ratanpur. Avishek has been shifted to a nursing home in Kolkata," an officer manning the state police control room said. Reports said he has sustained a head injury. "He has been admitted and is now stable. The doctors are examining him," a spokesperson of Bellevue clinic told IANS over phone. Avishek Banerjee was returning to the city from Baharampur in Murshidabad district, where he had gone to address a party programme. The accident occurred close to Singur when a crane carrying a milk van was hit by the first pilot car of the convoy. "Due to the impact, Avishek's car also hit the crane, turned turtle and hit a divider. Avishek has sustained injury in the back of his head and shoulder," said Trinamool leader Becharam Manna. Former state minister Bhunia, who joined the Trinamool recently, was in the same car as Banerjee. --IANS mgr-ssp/sm/bg Arihant inducted quietly; Navy, Defence Ministry stay mum Delhi,National,Defence/Security, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) The Indian Navy and the Defence Ministry on Tuesday maintained silence on induction of its first nuclear submarine Arihant in the force, even as sources indicated the vessel has been inducted. The submarine, the lead ship of India's Arihant-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, has been designed based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarines. Neither Defence Ministry officials, nor the Indian Navy confirmed or denied the media reports on induction of the vessel. Asked about the submarine at a function here, Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition in Indian Navy Vice Admiral G.S. Pabby refused to answer the question. The Vice Admiral, however, said that an interaction will soon be held to answer all questions on the submarine. "There will soon be an opportunity to talk about it," Pabby said. Asked about the induction, officials refused to comment on or off record. However, they indicated that the boat is now part of the Indian Naval fleet, but did not divulge an exact date of induction. Asked about the possible reasons for the secrecy, former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retired) said the secrecy around the induction of the vessel, being a nuclear submarine, was "customary". "Arihant is an achievement technology wise, but otherwise it is a top secret," Admiral Prakash told IANS. "Its mission is to be a nuclear deterrent. Everything to do with the submarine will be a secret. Its movement, position and location will not even be known to the Navy," he said. "It is not a normal ship, though we would like to show it off, we cannot," he added. The 60,000-tonne submarine was also not included in the International Fleet Review (IFR) hosted by the Indian Navy earlier this year. INS Arihant is India's first indigenous nuclear submarine, and the lead ship of the Arihant-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, which was launched in 2009. While it was initially expected to go on sea trials by 2012, it went into sea trials only in December last year. The sailing for the sub has not been smooth, as in 2013 the miniaturised nuclear reactor of Arihant, built with Russian help, had gone critical. The submarine completes India's nuclear triad giving it the capability to respond to nuclear strikes from sea, land and air-based systems. The project was under Advanced Technology Vessel programme under the supervision of the Prime Minister's Office and involving agencies and establishments such as the DRDO, the Department of Atomic Energy, the Submarine Design Group of the Directorate of Naval Design, besides companies such as L&T. Its 100-member crew has been trained by Russian specialists, Indian scientists at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have received significant expertise in reducing the size of the reactor to help it fit into the 10 m diameter hull of the nuclear submarine. India currently operates Russian-origin nuclear-powered submarine INS Chakra, which it leased for 10 years from Russia in 2012. Nuclear submarines have capability to stay out in the sea for longer, and don't need to surface for a long duration. --IANS ao/rn/vt Arunachal party's merger claim false, Congress tells EC Delhi,National,Politics, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) The Congress on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission (EC), saying a People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) resolution on merger of the Congress state unit with it was false and illegal. It also requested the commission to examine the matter and pass appropriate order that there was no such "merger". The Congress delegation was led by former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki. "It is submitted that no such meeting was held by the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee and the decision, as claimed by the PPA, is baseless and false. There is no decision taken by the Congress or by its state unit for the merger with PPA," said the memorandum. "The alleged decision of merger is not sustainable in the eyes of law and even contrary to Para 16 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968," it added. The memorandum said: "The PPA has referred to a resolution dated September 16, whereby it is claimed that a joint meeting of leaders and office-bearers of the Congress in Arunachal Pradesh was held in which 43 MLAs were said to be present and decided to merge with the PPA." "The fact is that the PPA has zero strength in the Arunachal Pradesh assembly," it added. --IANS sid/tsb/vt 'For futuristic technology DRDO needs to partner with industry' Delhi,National,Defence/Security,Business/Economy, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) Scientific Advisor to Minister of Defence G. Satheesh Reddy on Tuesday said the defence industry should use imagination and innovation to build products for tomorrow while DRDO should focus on research and let industry do the rest. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of 'DEFTECH 2016 - Realising Make in India through Defence R&D', organised by CII and supported by the DRDO, Reddy said, "Make in India should not stop at Build to Print. Instead, it should also involve indigenous design, development and manufacturing." Reddy said industry should engage with the incubation centres of various universities which would complement the research initiatives of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), and added that interactions between the DRDO and the industry are at an all-time high. He said that the government has already included safeguards through policy to ensure that indigenous products get priority even if they are priced a little higher than imports. Reddy said that in any product development, research and development constitute 15-20 per cent of the work while the rest is engineering. The DRDO should focus on research and let the industry do the rest of the work. In some of the earlier products the DRDO would do everything. If this continues today, it will be very difficult for the DRDO and the industry to exist, he added. While delivering the special address, Lt. Gen. Subrata Saha, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Planning & Systems), stated that typically Indian requirements need local solutions and Indian Army would go out of its way to provide an opportunity to replace imports with indigenous products. Pointing out the anomaly of procurement in finding competitive bids for unique products, Lt. Gen. Saha said, that there are some companies who are coming up with unique technologies and we have to find ways to procure these products without going through competitive bids. The Defence Procurement Procedure is a final looking document but there is still scope for improvement, he added. In his key note address, Baba Kalyani, Chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Committee on Defence, said that the in last two years decision making has become faster and the government is addressing many industry issues. --IANS rs/lok/bg No medical bulletin on Jayalalithaa for eighth day Tamil Nadu,National,Politics,Health/Medicine, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Chennai, Oct 18 (IANS) For eight consecutive days, there has been no update on the health condition of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalaltihaa, admitted to Apollo Hospitals last month. Ever since Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospitals on September 22, the hospital has been issuing a medical bulletin about her condition at intervals. The last time it issued a health bulletin was on October 10. In that the hospital said Jayalalithaa is being constantly monitored by intensivists and other consultants. On October 8, the hospital said: "The respiratory support is closely watched and adjusted. Lungs decongestion treatment is being continued. All other comprehensive measures, including nutrition, supportive therapy and passive physiotherapy, are under way." The 68-year-old Jayalalithaa was admitted to the hospital for fever and dehydration. The doctors later said she needed a longer stay at the hospital as she was suffering from infection and put her on respiratory support. However, several rumours about her health flew thick and fast during the initial days of her hospitalisation. Following that, Apollo Hospitals started issuing the medical bulletins at regular intervals. The state police started cracking down on the rumour mongers. --IANS vj/pgh/vt Swaraj Abhiyan to hold farmers conference in Bihar Delhi,National,Politics,Immigration/Law/Rights, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) Swaraj Abhiyan will organise a 'Kisan Swaraj Sammelan' at Champaran in Bihar on November 27, the party said here on Tuesday. The conference will be at the historic site from where Mahatma Gandhi launched his Satyagraha movement a hundred years ago, a party statement said. On the occasion, Yogendra Yadav, co-convenor of the Jai Kisan Andolon, a public movement for farmers rights undertaken by the Swaraj Abhiyan, will present to the farmers the National Farmers' Income Guarantee Act. A year-long pan-India movement will also be started for the enactment of the proposed law by Parliament. --IANS sp/tsb Dams close to glacial lakes in Himalayas under flood threat West Bengal,National,Environment/Wildlife, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Kolkata, Oct 18 (IANS) Of the 177 hydropower projects (HPP) located close to Himalayan glaciers over a fifth -- including many in India -- could be under threat from floods caused by the outbursts of glacial lakes, European researchers have warned. The researchers, from various universities, have charted out a new method for locating the minimum exposure that hydropower sites in the Himalayas have to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) -- a type of outburst flood that occurs when the dam containing a glacial lake fails. Himalayan water resources attract a rapidly-growing number of HPPs to satisfy Asia's soaring energy demands. Yet, the projects now operational or at a planning stage in steep, glacier-fed mountain rivers face hazards of GLOFs that can damage hydropower infrastructure, alter water and sediment yields and compromise livelihoods downstream. The researchers evaluated the regional exposure of 257 Himalayan HPPs to GLOFs and assessed the flood risk to them from 2,359 moraine-dammed glacial lakes. Moraines are dirt and rock debris that have been pushed along by glaciers as they move. The moraines form a dam containing lakes when the glaciers recede. But as glaciers further recede and the lake becomes larger, they are susceptible to giving way -- unleashing a flood that could threaten HPPs downstream. "The number of hydroelectric power projects in the Himalayas has been increasing during the last decades and many more are planned. This trend has led to increasing implementation of the projects on rivers higher up and closer to glaciers," the study's lead author, Wolfgang Schwanghart, a geologist at the Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Potsdam, Germany, told IANS in an email interaction. "Our key result is that the majority of the projects are currently planned or constructed where these uncertainties become relevant and potentially dangerous," he added. Most of the sampled hydropower projects are in the Indian Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim, and some in Nepal and Bhutan. "Our database encompasses 257 HPPs, 177 of which are located on potential GLOF tracks. In 56 HPP (one fifth of 177), the volume of floodwater may exceed the limit they are designed to withstand," explained Schwanghart. The striking factor, said Schwanghart, is the density of dams in Sikkim in northeast India. "Particularly, Sikkim stands out as a region combining abundant glacial lakes, long potential GLOF tracks, and pronounced hydropower development. Several regions in Eastern Nepal and Bhutan also host lakes that could give rise to far-reaching GLOFs," he said. Strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation at the sub-national level are currently prepared by Indian Himalayan states (State Action Plans on Climate Change), and identify GLOFs as a major climate change-related threat to hydropower development (Government of Uttarakhand, 2014), the study says. At the same time, however, hydropower is being harnessed in a major way in these states to meet the increasing power demand and advance low-carbon economies. "Disregarding the current upstream increase of uncertainties about GLOF discharges for HPP to be located in headwaters may undermine some of the coordination between climate-change mitigation, adaption, and energy plans," the study warns. Published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the analysis also involves experts from the University of Geneva and University of Switzerland. The experts used high-resolution remote sensing imagery from Google Earth for mapping glacial lakes, as well as publicly available digital elevation models. Run-off data are scarce in the Himalayas due to restrictive data policies. Data on HPPs were mined from various sites in the internet including those of many hydropower companies, the Indian Power Ministry, the UN, and the World Bank, Schwanghart said, adding the study does not factor in climate change. The scientists used computer simulations to determine how much floodwater might be released from such lakes, if the moraine embankments fail and how far the water would travel. "India has a great share of its hydropower in the Himalayas. This share is likely to increase in the future. The high vulnerability to flash floods during the Indian floods suggests a high vulnerability to GLOFs, too. "However, large parts of the Indian Himalayas are not among those areas that experience the strongest glacier retreat rates. However, this might change in the future and highlights the necessity for reliable climate change projections and its influence on Himalayan glacier retreat, and ultimately the development of glacial lakes," Schwanghart cautioned. (Sahana Ghosh can be contacted at sahana.g@ians.in) --IANS sgh/ssp/vm/sac Parrikar conveniently picks, chooses RSS teachings: Rebel Sangh leader Goa,National,Politics,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Panaji, Oct 18 (IANS) Rebel Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Subash Velingkar on Tuesday accused Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar of picking and choosing RSS teachings according to his convenience and timing. Velingkar said the former Goa Chief Minister should cancel government grants to English medium primary schools in the state if he really pays heed to the Sangh's values. "If Parrikar believes in Sangh's teachings, he should first ensure that government grants to English medium schools should be cancelled," Velingkar told IANS. Parrikar, while addressing an event at the Nirma University in Ahmadabad, on Monday said: "The Prime Minister hails from Mahatma Gandhi's home state and the Defence Minister comes from Goa which never had a 'martial race'. And then take this surgical strike. This was a different kind of combination. May be the RSS teaching was at the core." Velingkar was sacked from the Sangh in August this year after he repeatedly accused Parrikar and the Goa Bharatiya Janata Party of deviating from the RSS teachings and betraying the cause of regional languages by allowing english medium primary schools, most of which are run by the state's Roman Catholic church, avail financial grants. Parrikar in a Cabinet decision in 2012 had allowed continuation of the state Education Ministry's financial grants to english medium primary schools. In the run up to the last assembly elections, Parrikar had opposed grants to the same schools. Velingkar, who is also the co-convenor of the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, has accused the Defence Minister and the state BJP of betrayal, a campaign which eventually led to his sacking as the state RSS chief. The Manch has now floated a new political party with Velingkar as one of its mentors, and this according to the rebel RSS leaders, has worried Parrikar ahead of the Goa polls early next year. "Parrikar is actually worried because of our campaign against the BJP... The timing of his comment about his RSS teachings is therefore a suspect," Velingkar said. --IANS maya/py/vm Share Gigabit speeds just keep on increasing, at least, they do in lab testing, where we're seeing some absolutely amazing speeds pulled off under tightly-controlled conditions. The latest such instance features Nokia and Australia's nbn, who recently concluded a lab test of the XG-FAST (News - Alert) system that demonstrated speeds of eight gigabits per second (Gbps), using many of the tools already in place. Reports note that XG-FAST is an extension of earlier-developed G.fast technology, which allows users to generate speeds exceeding 10 Gbps over short distances using standard copper connections. Given that large portions of nbn's network is already running over copper, XG-FAST represents a great way to help get rural dwellersor just about anyone, reallyaccess to high-quality bandwidth. This isn't the first time Nokia (News - Alert)'s stepped up its testing in G.fast systems; right now, Nokia has over 42 such deployments in play worldwide. XG-FAST itself was already tested by both Deutsche Telekom (News - Alert)which means it might well reach the United States at some point under the T-Mobile banneras well as BT. While XG-FAST is still in its early testing stages, the notion that this system could be a means to connect more remote operations that often already have copper in place is quite feasible. Nokia's fixed networks business group president Federico Guillen commented, nbn's flexible approach to network architecture makes it perfectly suited to future upgrades based on emerging technologies like XG-FAST, which is designed to provide high-quality, multi-gigabit broadband over short cable distances. We are committed to further developing the technology to eventually support 2Gbps or more at 100 meters, enabling longer distances to effectively cover buildings and clusters of homes without the need to rewire. Nokia will continue to work with nbn to ensure they see the latest developments and technology innovation to evolve their network and deliver ultra-broadband to more people sooner. Trying to connect the countryside has been a hand-wringing issue for over a decade now, as shrill cries of won't someone please think of the children rise up in the grandest Helen Lovejoy style. While several alternatives have been advanced in the meantimeperhaps the leading one was 5G, set to arrive in about three yearsnothing's really made its way into public use. While XG-FAST systems aren't commercially viable yet either, it's good to know that development is continuing, and there may come a day where everyone can have access to high-speed Internet connections. When these systems arrive in any number, it will fundamentally destabilize the market, and anyone enjoying a psuedo-monopoly today likely won't when they hit. Such a move would elevate the national economy and lend everyone a little extra help. New markets, new opportunities, and whole new products previously unimagined would all be on hand, and that would be great news for us all. It's all waiting for us thanks to products like XG-FAST and several possible others. Edited by Alicia Young Share 4G traffic increased 600 percent compared with last year during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. High-traffic events like that helped spur STC to invest in new 4.5G technology from Nokia (News - Alert). The vendors 4.5G solution leverages technologies such as carrier aggregation for network resource optimization and to expand high-speed mobile broadband capacity and coverage in Saudi Arabia. Nokia and STC also worked together to bring the region its first indoor small cell deployment. The first phase of the Mecca and Medina build has already been completed. Nokia will continue to add 4.5G macro and small cell radio infrastructure and microwave packet radio technology across the country. That will enable STC to broaden its portfolio with voice over LTE (News - Alert) offering to additional subscribers. The enhanced network will meet the ever-increasing demands of subscribers across the country, according to the press release issued today, including the millions of visitors who travel to the cities of Mecca and Medina each year, particularly during the Hajj and Ramadan seasons. Nokia in September introduced the 4.5G Pro, a mobile technology that promises to deliver 10 times the speeds of initial 4G networks. Exceptional advancements in LTE over the last six years now make it possible for end users to enjoy peak rates of 1 Gbps, said Ken Rehbehn, principal analyst at 451 Research (News - Alert), as quoted in a press release in which Nokia announced the 4.5G Pro and talked about its 4.5G portfolio and 4.9G technologies. A major waypoint on the journey to 5G, it marks the start of a new mobile broadband era between early 4G systems and future 5G technology. But more than just speed boosts, these latest LTE advancements bring potent new feature sets empowering enterprise innovation. Nokia's move to infuse these capabilities into operator networks is important because advanced LTE functionality remains a vital factor for high performance mobile connectivity even after 5G takes root. Edited by Alicia Young Never send a cop to do a man's job FremantleMedia Kids & Family (FMK) has announced the super news in the following press release that Nickelodeon India has acquired the broadcast rights to the brand-newanimated series! The news follows Nickelodeon Northern Europe also announcing plans to start to air the cartoon, based on the 1980s cult classic, on Nickelodeon Austria (Osterreich), Nickelodeon Switzerland (Schweiz) and Nickelodeon Germany (Deutschland) daily from Monday 21st November 2016 Original FremantleMedia Kids & Family Press Release, via the official FMK press office FremantleMedia Kids & Family (FMK) today announced that it has signed deals for its highly successful propertiesandwith a swathe of leading broadcasters throughout the Asia region.has been sold to Disney Korea and Disney Asia and FMK has signed its first contract with Nickelodeon India for the worlds greatest secret agent. Preschool favouritehas been picked up by Disney Japan, and CJTooniverse Korea and will debut on Sun TV India, and new series of miniature superherowill launch on Disney Korea (S2 and 3) and S1 debuts on Sun TV India. KTH in Korea have also signed to distribute the show to KT and other digital platforms in the country.The deals were brokered by Henry Or, FMKs Hong-Kong based SVP, Asia, and continue a period of significant expansion in the Asia region.Rick Glankler, President, FremantleMedia Kids & Family said:### Tunisian security forces have netted three young Tunisians suspected of promoting the Islamic state group (IS) on the island of Djerba visited by thousands of tourists, reports say. Tunisias tourism industry, one of the countrys top job providers, has been seriously devastated following the 2011 revolution. Signs of pick-up over the past years have been affected by security concerns. Three IS-claimed terror attacks, the worst recorded in the countrys history, killed 71 people among whom 51 foreign tourists, in 2015. The three IS suspected militants posted comments paying tribute to the terrorist organization. Search at their residences enabled security forces to seize their personnel computers containing propaganda photos and videos of the terror group, press reports said. Once one of the most peaceful countries in the Arab world, Tunisia has become the second most instable country of the North Africa region, right behind lawless Libya. Radical Islam blossomed significantly after the 2011 revolution. Thousands of Tunisian youths, according to a UN expert group, have joined terrorist organizations around the world, mostly in conflict zones such as Libya, Syria and Iraq. Morocco reiterated, at the UN General Assemblys Fourth Committee, its call on Algeria to conduct a census of the population held against their will in the Polisario-run Tindouf camps, arguing that their number does not exceed 30,000. Moroccos Permanent representative at the UN in New York, Omar Hilale, who was addressing the fourth committee, stressed the need for the census along with other international organizations, including the delegation of the European Union. This call reflects concerns that have been expressed by Morocco for years over the census and registration of the Tindouf camps population whose numbers have been largely inflated by the Polisario separatists and their mentor Algeria. The lack of such a registration facilitates humanitarian aid embezzlement and leaves the camps population without international protection. Hilale stressed the need for unveiling the real number of the camps dwellers, deploring that Algeria is seeking to desperately hide the reality of the number, which does not exceed 30,000 people. He said if Algeria wants to contest this number, it has to undertake a registration and census process as a sole and only way to reveal the truth about this matter. Failing to carry out such a head count is reflective of Algerias abdication of its responsibility with regard to the population held in the Poliario-administered camp on the Algerian territory, he said. He noted that this represents a violation of the 1951 Geneva Convention and the resolution of the Security Council on the Sahara since 2011 as well as the recommendation of the UN Secretary General. He lamented that the population in the camps are deprived of humanitarian assistance because the lack of a census facilitates the diversion of aid by the Polisario and Algerian officials. He recalled in this regard that the EUs anti-fraud office had issued a report slamming the Polisario leaders and Algerian authorities for the embezzlement of humanitarian aid sent to Tindouf camps. He also condemned Algeria for imposing value added tax on humanitarian aid sent to Tindouf. This represents a trading in the suffering of a sequestered population, said Hilale. The ordeal endured by the Tindouf camp population is worsened by the tyranny of a separatist militia, which runs the camps through oppression in total violation of human rights and dignity. More email revelations weeks before the election still isnt a good look. Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images If you believe the Trump campaigns rhetoric, you should make note of what you were doing yesterday, because one day your grandkids are going to ask where you were on October 17, 2016. On Monday, the FBI released 100 pages of documents from its investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server while secretary of State, revealing that a State Department official lobbied the FBI to declassify an email related to the 2012 Benghazi attack and a quid pro quo was allegedly offered. The Trump campaign responded with a statement from retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, which said: These FBI documents provide undeniable proof that Hillary Clinton colluded with the FBI, DOJ and State Department to cover up criminal activity at the highest levels. Later in the day, Trump released a video in which he described the release as one of the big breaking stories of our time and expressed concern that the story would not be covered because the media is biased in favor of Clinton. Crooked Hillary colluded w/FBI and DOJ and media is covering up to protect her. It's a #RiggedSystem! Our country deserves better! pic.twitter.com/n2NpH3zmcy Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2016 By that time, most mainstream outlets had already picked up the story, but they presented it in a much different light. The report is certainly bad for the Clinton campaign, if only because it draws more scrutiny to her unwise email practices 21 days before the election. However, the FBI did not actually release undeniable proof of an elaborate cover-up at the highest levels of government, or Clintons personal involvement in such a scheme. The new FBI documents, which were released in response to public-records requests, are a summary of interview notes related to the FBIs investigation into whether Clinton properly handled classified information while at the State Department. Its common for agencies to squabble over classification; whats at issue here is the discussion of a potential exchange between the State Department and the FBI to settle a disagreement regarding the Benghazi email. In the interviews, anonymous FBI officials and agents describe a request from Patrick F. Kennedy, undersecretary for management at the State Department, to a now-retired official with the FBIs International Operations Division (IOD) in May or June 2015. Kennedy reportedly asked for assistance from the FBI official in changing the Benghazi emails classification. (In the message, State Department officials discussed the arrest of several suspects following the attack. It was forwarded to Clinton with the note f.y.i.) The FBI wanted the email classified, and State wanted it marked unclassified but as the L.A. Times explains, State wasnt aiming for more transparency: The goal, however, does not appear to have been to allow the information to be released, but instead to apply a separate Freedom of Information Act exemption that would allow him to archive the document in the basement of [the Department of State] never to be seen again. During the exchange between Kennedy and the FBI official, someone allegedly offered a quid pro quo, but the accounts differ on that crucial point. The FBI official said he suggested the exchange, telling Kennedy he would look into the email matter if Kennedy would provide authority concerning the FBIs request to increase its personnel in Iraq. The FBI official said he checked with his agencys counterterrorism division, then told Kennedy there was no way he could help declassify the email. Kennedy was referred to Michael Steinbach, who was the FBIs top counterterrorism agent at the time, and he agreed that the email could not be declassified. In the other version of events, its Kennedy who offers the quid pro quo but as ABC News notes, thats based on another FBI staffers second-or-third-hand account of the State Departments request. This is the second FBI staffers account, per Politico: In an exchange that included redacted names, the interview notes state that [REDACTED] received a call from [REDACTED] of the International Operations Division (IOD) of the FBI, who pressured him to change the classified email to unclassified. [REDACTED] indicated he had been contacted by PATRICK KENNEDY, Undersecretary of State, who had asked his assistance in altering the emails classification in exchange for a quid pro quo. The notes go on to say, [REDACTED] advised that, in exchange for marking the email unclassified, STATE would reciprocate by allowing the FBI to place more Agents in countries where they are presently forbidden. An unnamed official alleges that Kennedy followed up this request by asking during a private meeting whether the FBI could see their way to marking the email unclassified? According to [REDACTED], KENNEDY spent the next 15 minutes debating the classification of the email and attempting to influence the FBI to change its markings. The second FBI official also said he believed that the State Department has an agenda which involves minimizing the classified nature of the Clinton emails in order to protect State interests and those of Clinton. On Monday, officials from both the FBI and the State Department insisted that no quid pro quo ever took place, nor was a deal even offered. State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said the second FBI official was expressing a personal opinion about what happened, and suggested they might have misunderstood the exchange. The FBI ultimately won the dispute, and the Benghazi email was released to the public with a sentence blocked out. No additional FBI agents were posted overseas. Clinton maintains that she did not knowingly send or recieved classified emails on her private server, but about 100 were later deemed classified. FBI Director James Comey said in July that while Clinton was extremely careless in how she handled her emails, criminal charges were not warranted. Related Stories 6 Insights From the Latest Batch of Clinton Emails Though, the second FBI staffer believed that State Department officials were interested in helping Clinton, there is no evidence in the FBI documents that proves Clinton was aware of Kennedys call to the FBIs IOD official, or that she directed former colleagues to pressure the agency. Nevertheless, Republicans said the second FBI officials claim raised serious concerns about how top agency officials examined Clintons emails. It is deeply troubling that a top State Department official close to Hillary Clinton offered the FBI a quid pro quo to hide the full extent to which she mishandled classified information, said Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus in a statement. House Oversight Chair Jason Chaffetz and House Intelligence Chair Devin Nunes put out a joint statement calling the allegations extremely disturbing, and calling for Kennedys removal pending an investigation. Speaker Paul Ryan said the Houses aggressive oversight work must continue, adding that the incident bears all the signs of a coverup. While Trump called for Kennedys removal as well, saying hed committed felony corruption, he didnt seem pleased to see other Republicans agreeing with him. Before calling the quid pro quo allegations one of the great miscarriages of justice in the history of our country at a rally in Wisconsin on Monday night, he complained that GOP lawmakers werent taking immediate action. Its a crime, and I hear the Republicans are going to hold hearings after the election. Why would you hold them after the election? We want to hold those hearings before the election, Trump told Fox News. This is a criminal act and its incredible that they can do this and get away with it. This is serious stuff, he added. This is big stuff. This is Watergate. Smoke rises at Mosuls Bertela region after a coalition air-strike over ISIS targets during an operation to retake Iraqs Mosul from ISIS (Daesh) in Iraq on October 17, 2016. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images The battle to retake Mosul from ISIS began Monday. Early reports suggest that Iraqi government forces and Kurdish peshmerga troops have made small but significant gains against the extremist group on the outskirts of Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, which fell under ISIS control in 2014. Kurdish fighters made the first advances on Mosul from the east; they have reportedly freed up nine towns on the edges of the city. Masoud Barzani, the president of Iraqs Kurdish region, said that peshmerga forces have retaken a total of about 80 square miles from ISIS. The Kurdish fighters have also secured a key road so that Iraqi government forces can push farther west, into the heart of the city. The Iraqi government is leading the offensive from the ground. About 30,000 troops make up the pro-Iraqi coalition, which include the Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Sunni tribal forces. The United States, which ramped up the number of troops in advance of this critical assault, is providing air support, and logistical and technical assistance. Iraqi forces deploy on October 17, 2016, in the area of al-Shurah, some 45 kilometers south of Mosul, as they advance toward the city to retake it from the ISIS group jihadists. Photo: Ahmed Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the Iraqi coalition forces have met their objectives so far and that they are ahead of schedule. As Kurdish fighters approach from the northeast, about 45,000 Iraqi troops are also pushing forward from the southeast. A spokesman for the military said Iraqi troops had caused heavy losses of life and equipment. Advances have been met with resistance from ISIS in the east and south. According to BBC, Amaq, the ISIS-run news agency, said at least eight suicide bombers attacked Kurdish forces. Iraqi government sources backed up those reports, but according to CNN, the ISIS defenses werent as intense as initially expected in the first hours of battle. Yet the militants will likely ratchet up those guerrilla tactics suicide and car bombs, and IEDs as the pro-Iraqi troops inch closer and closer to Mosuls center. Smoke billows as Iraqi forces hold a position on October 17, 2016, in the area of al-Shurah. Photo: Ahmed Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images The battle for Mosul is expected to last weeks and even months. ISIS has an estimated 6,000 fighters embedded in the city, and have had at least two years to booby-trap the area and prepare defenses. Aid groups also fear for a massive humanitarian crisis as hundreds of thousands of people remain trapped within the city as two sides wage war. Thousands of civilians may also attempt to flee, putting themselves in the crossfire as they attempt to get out of Mosul. Iraqi security forces dropped leaflets that warned people to shelter in their homes and assured residents civilians would not be targeted. Still, one 35-year-old Mosul resident told The Guardian that militants are trying to blend in among the civilian population, moving into civilian houses and mixing with the population. There are fears that ISIS may try to use civilians as human shields. Warfare also entered a new digital era after several news organizations posted live feeds, streaming on Facebook, that capture the Mosul front lines in real time: Live from the outskirts of Mosul, where the offensive to re-take the city from ISIL has just begun. More than 1 million... Posted by Al Jazeera English on Monday, October 17, 2016 An Iraqi victory in Mosul would be a huge strategic gain: The major Iraqi city is the largest still held by ISIS. It would also deal a symbolic blow to the Islamic State, which just lost control of Dabiq, a Syrian metropolis that ISIS claimed would be the site of the final battle between Muslims and nonbelievers. Mosul, too, plays into the ISIS end-times mythology. In 2014, ISIS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared himself the leader of the caliphate on the steps of Mosuls Great Mosque. A classy individual. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Lawrence Lessig is a professor at Harvard Law School, a leading advocate for campaign finance reform, and short-lived presidential candidate. He was also, in the view of the Clinton campaign, circa August 2015, a smug, pompous, loathsome guy whom a reasonable person might wish to kick the shit out of on Twitter. On Tuesday, these private barbs became public, thanks to WikiLeaks. And so, as Lessig made his way to New York to see his sick father, his inbox filled up with notifications about how much Neera Tanden once claimed to despise him. Reading through the email, Lessig was outraged on Tandens behalf. Per Lessigs blog: Im a big believer in leaks for the public interest. Thats why I support Snowden, and why I believe the President should pardon him. But I cant for the life of me see the public good in a leak like this at least one that reveals no crime or violation of any important public policy. We all deserve privacy. The burdens of public service are insane enough without the perpetual threat that every thought shared with a friend becomes Twitter fodder. Neera has only ever served in the public (and public interest) sector. Her work has always and only been devoted to advancing her vision of the public good. It is not right that she should bear the burden of this sort of breach. This is an extraordinarily sane response. Or, at least, after 15 months of Donald Trumps maniacal pettiness, Lessigs graciousness feels extraordinary as though maturity in the face of insult were a superhuman trait. But Lessigs reaction is plainly correct. People have a right to say mean things about other people in private. Let he who has not sent a needlessly catty email about a friend, ex-lover, co-worker, or long-shot presidential candidate start the Twitter shaming. Photo: Brian Blanco/Getty Images Donald Trump is very concerned that there will be large-scale voter fraud on Election Day, especially in certain communities. (Trump later clarified that certain communities meant predominately African-American urban centers like St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Chicago.) To prevent these other communities from helping international bankers rig the election, Trump has instructed his supporters to pick some other place on Election Day and go sit there with your friends and make sure its on the up and up. In other words, Trump instructed his (gun-loving) supporters to monitor the behavior of black voters at polling places. And heading up this effort will be a GOP operative whose claim to fame is stoking outrage over a video that showed two members of the (gun-loving) New Black Panther Party monitoring the behavior of white voters at a polling place. A justice-department investigation of the incident failed to turn up a single voter who said he or she was intimidated by the New Black Panthers. Which is to say, the only act of intimidation that was established was the mere presence of two black men in uniforms, one wielding a nightstick. Nonetheless, GOP operative and Breitbart contributor Mike Roman found that behavior to be a dire threat to the legitimacy of our democracy. Now, hes the head of election protection for a candidate who has essentially advised his supporters to perform that exact same behavior, The Guardian reports. Ill look for well, its called racial profiling. Mexicans. Syrians. People who cant speak American, one Trump supporter said, while describing his marching orders to the Boston Globe. Im going to go right up behind them. Ill do everything legally. I want to see if they are accountable. Im not going to do anything illegal. Im going to make them a little bit nervous. (Trying to make voters who cant speak American nervous at a polling place is illegal). Why Mike Roman a man passionately opposed to voter intimidation would work for a candidate who is all but demanding his supporters engage in it is a mystery. Its almost like Roman believes that black people intimidating white voters is bad, but white people intimidating black voters is a defense of Americas democratic traditions. Which, from a certain angle, is fair enough, I suppose. I had heard of Tata Harper from various magazine features where celebrities discuss things they cant live without, like their La Mer moisturizing creams and Frette linens. So when I saw this tiny vial of the brands Aromatic Stress Treatment in a free pile at work, I grabbed it without really thinking. This is fancy, a robotic voice in my head said. Little did I know that this bottle, a bit shorter and stouter than my Burts Bees pomegranate chapstick, would become one of my favorite products. Harper, the Colombian-born, Vermont-based beauty entrepreneur, prides herself on using only natural ingredients, and this particular potion is made from jojoba seed oil, along with things Ive never heard of including Sambucus nigra fruit extract and limonene. The result is that it smells like rich people. Which is why, when Im sitting at my desk on deadline, furiously responding to emails, toggling through the 29 tabs open on my browser, and balancing a Sweetgreen grain bowl in my elbow, I dab a little bit of it onto my wrists, or onto my neck (it has a roll-on applicator), and take a deep breath. Suddenly, Im someone in an Architectural Digest spread wearing a long camel-colored cashmere cardigan, white pants, a pair of Tods loafers, walking through the atrium of my beachfront Bridgehampton estate to adjust a flower arrangement. For some insane reason that I should probably discuss with a therapist, this makes me feel like all will be okay. Whatever Sambucus nigra fruit extract is, it works. My Aromatic Stress Treatment holds pride of place next to my computer, but Ive thrown it in my tote bag when I know Ill be in other stress-triggering situations like a plane ride or a holiday dinner. A quick dab before take-off works like a charm. Plus: It also makes a really nice Mothers Day, bridal-party, or thanks-for-cat-sitting gift. While theres speculation that Michelle Obama could pick an Italian designer Gucci, perhaps? for tonights state dinner with the countrys prime minister, Matteo Renzi, its really anyones guess. The First Lady loves to surprise when it comes to her fashion choices. Over the years, shes chosen designers from rising talent Brandon Maxwell to FLOTUS stalwart Carolina Herrera for the premier event. Shes also deftly incorporated the events theme into her attire, wearing Korean-American designer Doo-Ri Chung to a dinner with the president of South Korea, and Chinese-American Vera Wangs strapless design to one honoring Chinese president Xi Jinping. (Of course, her choices havent completely elided controversy who can forget the criticism she faced for wearing a non-American designer, Alexander McQueen, to a state dinner in 2011?) While you place your bets on what shell wear tonight, reminisce on all of Michelles past White House state-dinner looks below. Melania Trump doesnt want your pity. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images Melania Trumps presence on social media is nothing compared to that of her husbands, Donald Trump. And no one can accuse her of sharing her husbands penchant for impromptu press conferences. That doesnt mean, though, that she hasnt been keeping up with how the campaign is covered in the press and perhaps just as important to her in what light shes being perceived. During her sit-down interview on Monday with Anderson Coopers AC360, Melania Trump defended her husband against accusations of sexual assault and criticized media outlets for supposed unfair coverage. But, she also took a moment to declare that she wants no ones pity. Dont feel sorry for me, she said, twice, for emphasis. The comment came after Cooper asked her about whether or not she believes that Donald Trumps remarks in the 2005 Access Hollywood tape describe sexual assault. She responded by saying that Donald Trump never said he did those things and then pivoted to how women have apparently acted inappropriately or given their numbers to him while shes present. She explains: He didnt say he did it, and I see many, many women coming to him and giving phone numbers and, you know, want to work for him or inappropriate stuff from women. And they know hes married [] In front of me. And I said, like, Why you need to give your number to my husband? Im very strong. People, they dont really know me. People think and talk about me, the like, Oh, Melania, oh, poor Melania. Dont feel sorry for me. Dont feel sorry for me. I can handle everything. And for this for people talking like that, I see in the press a lot almost, like, celebrities or people, they think theyre celebrities, I would suggest to them to look themselves in the mirror and to look at their actions and to take care of their own families. She also defended the nude photos she took while working as a model years prior, though she criticized the New York Post for publishing the pictures, especially with the wrong dates. The Post initially incorrectly cited the dates the photos were taken, and there was a subsequent mini, political scandal and discussion about whether Melania Trump had worked illegally in the U.S. without permission. Those kinds of stories, she said, were an example of how she didnt expect media would be so dishonest and so mean, and how shes never had one correct story, one honest story. It was surprising, too, she said, that every story, its a female, its a female reporter. She also referenced her current lawsuits against the Daily Mail and an independent blogger, for publishing stories that suggested she worked as an escort. I said, this is it, I will fight for myself, I will fight for my name, she said. They cannot damage my name and my reputation because its not true. And no detail in a story is too small for Melania Trump. She also had her lawyer send a letter to People magazine, asking for a retraction and apology for publishing a reporters first-person anecdote of Trump forcibly kissing her prior to interviewing him and Melania. The letter doesnt reference the alleged attack by Donald Trump; rather, Melania Trumps lawyer points out that a small conversational exchange between the potential First Lady and the People writer couldnt have possibly happened because they were never friendly. It was a point Melania reiterated again during her interview with Cooper. I would not recognize [the writer] on the street or ask her why we dont see her anymore, she said. So thats another thing, like people coming out saying lies and not true stuff. So, be forewarned: Melania Trump is keeping tabs on all her mentions. Which means shes also probably heard about those ongoing SNL shorts and that one Beyonce spoof. (But, you know, parody and satire are protected speech, so ) The OECD Observer online archive takes you on a journey through half a century of public policy and world progress. Since November 1962, the OECDs experts and leading guests offer insights on the questions facing our member countries with concise and authoritative analysis, and provide our audiences with an excellent opportunity to understand policy debates and consider solutions. Each edition of the OECD Observer reports on a core theme of the OECDs on-going work, from economics and society through governance, finance, and the environment, and articles are bolstered by tables and graphs. What in the world... Reply Thread Link She's not one of the celebrities paid by DNC/HRC so they're shaming her. Reply Parent Thread Link Feels very "Where's Ja?" to me. Who cares that she hasn't spoken up? I don't recall her being particularly political. Reply Parent Thread Link Where's Ja will literally never not be funny to me Reply Parent Thread Link same where is Ja tho Reply Parent Thread Link I don't like Taylor but there are lots of celebs who haven't voiced their opinions about this election wtf Reply Thread Link When they didn't have to. I understand that pop stars have a very strong voice, but they are not obligated to speak up about every social and political topic. Reply Parent Thread Link BUT THIS IS WHO WE ELECT AS OUR GOD Reply Parent Thread Link Never a bad time for a Chapelle gif LOL Reply Parent Thread Link lmao Reply Parent Thread Link lol irl Reply Parent Thread Link Because she's voting for him. Reply Thread Link bingo Reply Parent Thread Link shes a white girl from the rust belt who now lives in the deep south and isnt college educated. i'm clocking this capitalist snake. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link True. Also El Serpiente has one of the broadest fan bases because she avoids politics like the mongoose. She'd like to keep her Aryan brotherhood fanbase thank you very much. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link lol even if she isn't her bff is engaged to ivanka's brother in law, she may not want to get into it with them at karlie's request Reply Parent Thread Expand Link mte Reply Parent Thread Link mmmhmmmT Reply Parent Thread Link i wouldn't be surprised Reply Parent Thread Link yup Reply Parent Thread Link she probably doesn't care about the outcome either way tbh. she won't be affected by it. unless trump pisses every country off and they team up against us, which would be very likely. Reply Parent Thread Link i've had more existential crises since this election media cycle started than in my entire life so far what is happening Reply Thread Link "To remain silent is to remain complicit in every hateful statement Trump makes, McKinney stated. ??????????????????????? Reply Thread Link She must need some pain relievers from the extreme reaching going on. Gurl, I know you want them clicks, but this piece is tacky af. Reply Parent Thread Link I'm relieved that Kesha wasn't dragged into this (that I know of). Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Well, to be fair, that is kinda true. Those who stand idly by even though they know people are doing bad things, are absolutely complicit. But I guess it's dumb in regards to a celebrity simply not speaking publicly, even if her silence is probably because she's trash and only concerned about herself. Reply Parent Thread Link it's like those god-awful "Silence is Consent" t-shirts Reply Parent Thread Link So Taylor should talk about private matters just to appease other peoples' political views? A sexual assault isn't currency that other people can bandy about. Reply Thread Link MTE Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah, that was so gross especially since her instance is still so new(like it was only a year ago right?) like it's almost mocking her imo Reply Parent Thread Link this Reply Parent Thread Link I saw a license plate yesterday that said "ILVSNAKES" and thought about Taylor Swift. Reply Thread Link lmao Reply Parent Thread Link Are there articles like this about men or are they off the hook like usual Reply Thread Link Of course they're off the hook. I'm no fan of Taylor's but this article is such bs. Reply Parent Thread Link When men don't brandish they're political views they're being ~mature~ and ~respectful to others opinions~ when women keep a lid on it they're self-haters voting for the opposition or too stupid to even understand politics in the first place. Edited at 2016-10-18 12:04 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link And it's only women's sexual assault that gets thrown around as a sob story or an emotional motivator. Men's sexual assault just gets ignored or played off as a joke. #fucktheworld Reply Parent Thread Link thank you Reply Parent Thread Link what do you think~ it's ridiculous Reply Parent Thread Link lmao Reply Thread Link I don't think she'all ever voice her opinion on a presidential election tbh She's not the only one, even though her voice would obviously bring awareness to fans and could probably help but oh well Reply Thread Link she can't lose ha trump supporting fan's $$$ Reply Parent Thread Link True, I some times wonder what it would take for her to lose them tbh Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Trump supporters are crazy AF, would you really want them coming after you? I respect the people who have spoken up but don't blame anyone for keeping their views to themselves. Reply Parent Thread Link EDDIE <3 Reply Parent Thread Link He needs to come back to the flash. Reply Parent Thread Link lol the political expectations placed on celebs is so weird to me Reply Thread Link Don't you want to know what uneducated and self-centered celebrities think about politics??? Reply Parent Thread Link rip this project Reply Thread Link The script will be written by Jason Keller ('Mirror Mirror') ....... I love that movie but eh ok we'll see. Reply Thread Link me too it's funny how it ended up being way better than Snow White and the Huntsman Reply Parent Thread Link Me about this entire mess of a film project: Reply Thread Link lol yep Reply Parent Thread Link wasn't disney looking for an asian director, not sony? still pressed ang lee turned disney down. Reply Thread Link I think they were both looking for an Asian director. Reply Parent Thread Link No thanks. Reply Thread Link mte zuko Reply Parent Thread Link Same Zuko. Reply Parent Thread Link Oh. Written by the guy who wrote Mirror Mirror and director by a GOT director who isn't Emmy-winning Miguel Sapochnik. It's like they want it to flop. Reply Thread Link mte, if they HAD to get a GoT director they should've gone with Miguel. Edited at 2016-10-18 08:52 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link I wasn't looking forward to this one anyway, I'm only here for Disney's. Reply Thread Link ugh Reply Thread Link Wait both Sony and Disney are green lighting Mulan movie? Reply Thread Link lmao mte. i feel so behind. Reply Parent Thread Link It's like Snow White all over again, both will turn out like shit which I refuse to let it happen bc Mulan was my queen! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link if there were no planned parenthood, i'd have an 18 mo. year old right now and be forever connected to a dangerous, mentally unstable person. i owe them my life. Reply Thread Link slow down op Reply Thread Link I'm so cranky about Cameron right now because I had tickets to her show in Provincetown AND in Cambridge and she fucking cancelled both because of her filming schedule or something? Like.... I love you. I love your wife. I wanted to laugh at your comedy but you cancelled and legit said nothing on social media about it until like a day ago when it was cancelled three weeks ago I'm bitter. I guess I'll just have to go back to LA and see PHYT instead. Reply Thread Link I just went to Planned Parenthood last week to get back on the Depo shot and it was free. Even threw in some Plan B just in case - otherwise I would drop almost $50 to get it at CVS. Reply Thread Link They just built a new PP in NOLA, and the asshat religious conservatives bought the land right next to it for one of this sham "Crisis Pregnancy" centers. Reply Parent Thread Link I antagonize them since the PP near me is next to my gym and am always like "isn't it a great day to get an abortion!" Reply Parent Thread Link LOL & <3 Reply Parent Thread Link Blare your horn and flip them off, it makes them super salty and it'll make the clinic escorts laugh. Source; I'm a clinic escort and that shit is always funny. Reply Parent Thread Link I love PP. I always donate when I can. They offer such great services to women and the community. Fuck those people trying to shut them down. Edited at 2016-10-18 04:03 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link If I'm not mistaken, this started by a white woman as part of a genocide movement? Reply Thread Link Yes, Margaret Sanger supported eugenics. "Sanger was a proponent of negative eugenics, which aims to improve human hereditary traits through social intervention by reducing the reproduction of those who were considered unfit." Reply Parent Thread Link https://rewire.news/article/2015/08/20/false-narratives-margaret-sanger-used-shame-black-women/ This is terribly inaccurate. Check this article: Reply Parent Thread Link I received two different answers. Don't feel like searching right now so I'll stick with the first reply. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Never used PP services, but when my schedule gets more normalized, I want to volunteer with them. Reply Thread Link i went to PP to get birth control once, didn't end up using their services but I'm very happy that option was there Reply Thread Link Planned Parenthood helped me obtain birth control (copay free) during the gap year left between having student health coverage during college & the being dropped from my parent's coverage in my early 20s, until I married & was able to join my husband's insurance plan. Planned Parenthood was where I went for my Pap smears for years before I obtained an OB/GYN in the 3rd trimester of my first pregnancy. During one of those regular Pap smears, they discovered pre-cancerous cells & I opted for a colposcopy, which the PP doctor performed, as well as a cone biopsy & subsequent more frequent visits every 6 months for 2 years. PP provided me with all of my prenatal care during the first 2 trimesters of my 1st pregnancy, because I had used them for all of my women's health care & did not have an established relationship w/ an OB/GYN until we moved to a new city at the start of my 3rd trimester. I do have a negative story about PP (or more accurately, one individual working at one PP during my experience with themmy chart, & not, what is very obvious now had been the chart of a different patient, perhaps in the next room over, who was having a follow-up appointment for an abortion procedure. She does very little in the way of apologize & simply tries to move on like nothing had happened but it left a very sour taste in my mouth, because all I could think was "Is this how she's going to treat that other patient whose chart that was?!. Nothing about her demeanor was supportive or empathetic or anything I'd except from a PP practitioner handling a sensitive matter. Overall though, I have loved every other interaction & experience I have had w/ PP. I helped my friend a few years ago, during the 2012 election, canvas door to door on PP's behalf. I still have the shirt! Reply Thread Link Planned Parenthood helped me obtain birth control (copay free) during the gap year left between having student health coverage during college & the being dropped from my parent's coverage in my early 20s, until I married & was able to join my husband's insurance plan. Planned Parenthood was where I went for my Pap smears for years before I obtained an OB/GYN in the 3rd trimester of my first pregnancy. During one of those regular Pap smears, they discovered pre-cancerous cells & I opted for a colposcopy, which the PP doctor performed, as well as a cone biopsy & subsequent more frequent visits every 6 months for 2 years. PP provided me with all of my prenatal care during the first 2 trimesters of my 1st pregnancy, because I had used them for all of my women's health care & did not have an established relationship w/ an OB/GYN until we moved to a new city at the start of my 3rd trimester. I do have a negative story about PP (or more accurately, one individual working at one PP during my experience with them) which is that, during my second visit for prenatal care (the first visit having covered the urine pregnancy test & advice on my options, prenatal vitamin recommendations, etc), I came back for a second visit a month later & the doctor came into the room w/ my chart, doesn't introduce herself or say hello, tersely asked when the last time I'd had sex was, I answered the previous week/few days ago & she looked up (making direct eye contact for the first time since coming into the room) & admonished me for not listening to instructions to obtain from sexual intercourse since my last visit, etc etc, to which at this point I'm feeling embarrassed & flustered & ask her to check my chart because I certainly don't remember being given those instructions at my previous visit, etc & then she leaves the room w/ a huff under her breath & when we walks back into the room, she has my chart, & not, what is very obvious now had been the chart of a different patient, perhaps in the next room over, who was having a follow-up appointment for an abortion procedure. She does very little in the way of apologize & simply tries to move on like nothing had happened but it left a very sour taste in my mouth, because all I could think was "Is this how she's going to treat that other patient whose chart that was?!. Nothing about her demeanor was supportive or empathetic or anything I'd except from a PP practitioner handling a sensitive matter. Her entire attitude & demeanor changed on a dime when she read over my chart & realized I was there for prenatal care. It bothers me to this day. Overall though, I have loved every other interaction & experience I have had w/ PP. I helped my friend a few years ago, during the 2012 election, canvas door to door on PP's behalf. I still have the shirt! Edited at 2016-10-18 04:41 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Oh, & also, in my city there is a particular intersection where that I pass every single day that often has confederate flag protestors (wavers? displayers?, I dunno I never get close enough to see if they're trying to engage people or hand out pamphlets) & on the opposite side of the street are pro-life/anti-woman protesters hanging out w/ their posters & signs & they're small children. It breaks my heart. I can't tell at the speed I pass them what building they're standing in front of, if it's an abortion clinic or a PP or just a corner they meet at. I know the local PP to me is just down the street from my home, which is several blocks away from what I unaffectionately call the Crossroads of Hate. :/ Reply Thread Link I've never had to use PP, but I feel good knowing it's there. Also, I know plenty of people who have used it. Reply Thread Link WHAT IN THE EVERLOVING FUCK?!? Reply Thread Link Why is it his job to reach out? And omg @ him being of Korean decent. Reply Thread Link The only thing the person mending the Twitter handle meant, is that the people at security screening are not actually personnel from the airport (which was the account replying); they're employees of Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. The airport can't do anything about shitty screening personnel, as crazy as that might seem, so you have to complain to CATSA in case of problem. Reply Parent Thread Link I know nothing about the guy, but I read that tweet and went, "Oh for the love of...his name is Baek, he's not even Japanese!" I don't know what my standards should be wrt expecting non-Asians to be able to distinguish between surnames though lmao. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link The only thing the person mending the Twitter handle meant, is that the people at security screening are not actually personnel from the airport (which was the account replying); they're employees of Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. The airport can't do anything about them, as crazy as that might seem so you have to complain to CATSA in case of problem. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Why is it his job to reach out? Mfte. They actually gave him some generic canned response instead. Ignorant af. Edit: Never mind, I see from other comments that the airport can't actually assist him directly. Still, though. It's such a robotic tweet. Edited at 2016-10-18 10:34 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link ummm. Gross. And the Airports reaction is dumb as hell too. They need to be reaching out to him PERSONALLY and not sending him some fucking link too their procedures. Find out who the employee was and hold them accountable for being a fucking racist. Lord. Edited at 2016-10-18 07:19 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Airport security in Canada aren't employed by the individual airports but by CATSA. The airport tweet is directing them to contact CATSA since that would be who the person works for not the airport. Edited at 2016-10-18 08:42 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link vancouver ain't shit smh and i say this as someone who lives in this city Edited at 2016-10-18 07:17 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link YYJ is Victoria airport not Vancouver Reply Parent Thread Link k the post said vancouver when i first read it y'all need 2 stop! Edited at 2016-10-19 02:35 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Since you live here you would know that Victoria and Vancouver are different cities. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link This is Victoria fyi lol big difference but yes there is racist ppl everywhere Reply Parent Thread Expand Link probably the most racist place i've ever been to. Reply Parent Thread Link This is why I hate airports; constant racial profiling. I'll never forget when this woman came out of nowhere, whipped out her ID and then proceeded to quiz me on where I was travelling to, how much money I had on me etc. Random questioning my ass I know it was because I'm brown (also what made me sick was that she was a woc too and it was obvious airport security picked a woc to racially profile to tamp down criticism of racism). Reply Thread Link Travelling with my white mom is such a trip because when they see I'm with her they're like "Oh... go right ahead." JFC. Reply Parent Thread Link lol The worst for me is when I've travelled to NYC (Newark) from Canada and initially felt relieved when the border agent was a Latina bc I figured at least I wouldn't get harshly interrogated (I have an Arabic last name). lol Nope! She was so rude & accusatory. Jeez ;_; Reply Parent Thread Link I'm half Japanese from my mom and Algerian/white from my dad. Even though I'm obviously not white I have much lighter skin and am more "racially ambiguous" as they say than my dad who looks full Arab and my brother who has darker skin. There have been so many times when even though we were clearly travelling together as a family, I got through security easily while both my dad and brother got held back. Both my brother and I actually have VERY French sounding full names and everytime there's that double take like, "nah that's not right". Reply Parent Thread Link Something similar happened to me in the Frankfurt airport. There were two lines to get into the gate: one line was all white people and the other line had me (Chinese Canadian, with a Canadian passport), a black guy in front me and then white people behind me. The airport security quizzed the black guy like he was some sort of terrorist, which held the line up. Then when he got to me, he looked at my passport, gave me a confused looked, asked me where I was from, and told me that my last name didn't sound Canadian. I said, well, I'm clearly Chinese so I don't know what you expected. He begrudgingly let me through. Meanwhile, the other line with all the white people went through 10x quicker than the one with the two minorities. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Wow. WOW. I am layers of outraged here. He's not even of Japanese descent, his boarding pass said nothing about Japan nor did his Passport (hell it said he's a Canadian citizen ffs!) and then they have the gall to ask HIM to follow up?! For fuck's sake. Reply Thread Link That's not silly, that's infuriating. The gall of some people. Reply Parent Thread Link wtf@people assuming Asian people can only cook Asian food ;/ Reply Parent Thread Link wow what the actual fuck... Reply Parent Thread Link My elementary school was similar too. I'm a POC but was a very shy kid around adults so when it was ESL time, the teachers usually asked why I wasn't going with the other Asians. Reply Parent Thread Link This happened to my sister. Her teacher was hell bent in saying she didn't speak English when she has ALWAYS favored English. My Mom had to RECORD HER, you read that correctly, RECORD HER to show the damn teacher she spoke English. Reply Parent Thread Link I hated being taken out of class for ESL bullshit. Had to deal with that until 3rd grade even though I started school in the US in kindergarten and already spoke fluent English by the middle of the school year...like I was the first kid in my kinder class to learn how to read in English... they didn't even teach reading until first grade, and they STILL made me do ESL exams Reply Parent Thread Link Yup, they did that for some people I know as well. Reply Parent Thread Link They did that shit to me too, in first grade. My vocabulary was hella good and I wrote perfectly well, and was able to communicate well. They never sent me again. Reply Parent Thread Link i work in international education at a college, and we've had professors come to us saying such and such student is having difficulty understanding anything, and how did they pass through our assessments, and they should be doing ESL and our advisor looks them up and she's like, well they're a Canadian citizen so maybe you should be asking domestic about that? Just because they have an ~ethnic sounding name and a slight accent doesn't make them an international student. Reply Parent Thread Link Been in the States since I was three. I had a high school counselor tell me that I had a "Bohemian" accent, whatever the fuck that meant. It was so perplexing, it still is now lol. Edited at 2016-10-18 10:46 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Ugggghhh. My best friend is Korean and I get SO much more offended than he does whenever this shit happens. It's happened outside the US in Mexico and the UK, of recent memory. I fucking rage and he's almost indifferent to it at this point :/ Reply Thread Link ugh mexico :( im mexican born n raised and it gets on my mf nerves when ppl call all asians 'chinese' like bitch, you know theyre not chinese why you do that my country rly needs to be taught some shit tbh!! Reply Parent Thread Link yeah this happened when I visited a friend who was living in Spain. We were getting off the metro and some guy walked up to her and shouted ni hao in her face and kept walking. I flipped my shit and yelled 'what the fuck is your problem' at him and she just shrugged it off and was like 'yeahhhh that happens.' She was so used to it she didn't even flinch. Reply Parent Thread Link Mexico is so far behind in this shit, they call all asians "chinese" is very embarrasing and ignorant... i cringe when some of my friends are like "Oh please dont play your chinese music" even tho they all know its from Korea. It's gross. Reply Parent Thread Link lmao this is killing me because it's true Reply Parent Thread Link i feel like this is all of latin america. what's worst is the fangirls that fucking know the group is korean (like, they stan exo or whatever) and call them "mis shinos <3" it makes me fucking rage. I always correct people, even if i sound disrepectful. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link story of my fucking life tbh my roommate was falling asleep in the couch the other day, so i asked if i could watch something else on netflix (i wanted to catch up on descendants of the sun lmao)she said yes but she woke up halfway through and was like 'ugh why do you like chinese things so much' (mind you, i watched oldboy once (1) while she was in the room) 'put something else, i hate them' likesis what the fuck and like five minutes later when i decided to put something else she goes 'nothing with blacks either!' likejesus christ Reply Parent Thread Expand Link God I hate bringing up my SO's race with my Mexican relatives, he's half Korean but they always insist on calling him el chinito and complain when I tell them he's not Chinese by saying it doesn't matter since "all Asians look the same anyway". And when I tell them to cut the shit they get offended. Edited at 2016-10-18 08:31 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Reminds me of the Peruvian elections how one of the candidates was of Japanese descent (actually the former president's daughter) but was referred to in the media as La China. Idk, Latin America's use of chino as a blanket term is weird. All Latinos I know will refer to all Asians as chinos in Spanish, but will use the appropriate ethnicity or Asian when talking in English. I know A LOT of latino people of japenese descent and even they utilize the word chino. Reply Parent Thread Link i mean, racism is an uniform part of security screening procedures so i can understand why the airport would respond like that Reply Thread Link Whoa wtf. Nothing like some refreshing~ racism while you're just going about your day. Also wtf @ the airport's response. Way to take no responsibility. They should should've just said they were going to do something make sure that doesn't happen again but that reply reads so cold to me like "Whatever, just submit a complaint". Like it's up to him to fix things. I might be reading to much into it though. Reply Thread Link Why the frick-frack do people continue to think they can speak their (racist) minds at all kind of unnecessary moments? Reply Thread Link Gross. Airports are the worst. I swear they live for racial profiling and making people cry. Reply Thread Link I always cry at airports. But never for valid reasons. Reply Parent Thread Link Welp I already started one boycott today what's one more lol (discount tires for the owner donating a million dollars to keep marijuana schedule 1) Reply Thread Link Yessssss <3 Reply Parent Thread Link shit...I need new tires too and I like their prices. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Reply Parent Thread Link wtf is this clickbait headline? Reply Thread Link right, not cute Reply Parent Thread Link i was like wtf did i miss about bruce springsteen??? Reply Parent Thread Link hahaha ikr Reply Parent Thread Link Right? I was afraid we'd lost Bruce Reply Parent Thread Link It's not! It's a quote from that interview clip (and not a compliment) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link ia Reply Parent Thread Link But he isn't. Nothing he is saying is even remotely feasable... Reply Thread Link i think that's what bruce is saying? i feel like "simplistic" would be a better world choice in this headline than "simple" Reply Parent Thread Link yeah i understood what the title meant because i'm familiar with bruce's political leanings but i could absolutely see how someone who doesn't know anything about him would read it otherwise. ia with simplistic Reply Parent Thread Expand Link lol that's what hes saying/criticizing about trump but the clickbait headline is being misleading Reply Parent Thread Link I think that's the point he's trying to make. Nothing coming out of Trumps mouth is actually a reasonable solution. Reply Parent Thread Link bruce springsteen is my eternal hall pass Reply Thread Link Good taste. Reply Parent Thread Link Oop, that title Also, Hannity is already flapping his face about the election being rigged. Some old white dude has made two nonsense "videos" that "prove" it and it's getting shared all over facebook through his page. Edited at 2016-10-18 07:55 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link That the russians are hacking voting machines somehow, despite the fact that those machines aren't connected to the internet. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link some talk show host did and he was like WELL IT'S CHEAPER, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT. CHINA STEALS OUR JOBS. or some shit Reply Parent Thread Link yeah, or like "well i'm a good business person" (to be used for anything shady that he does) Reply Parent Thread Link Even if someone asked him that, he would say something about how bad and evil the federal regulations are. He might even say that hiring US workers would be too expensive and would bring up the prices. But he's a piss poor excuse for a politician and the same goes for his business ethics. Reply Parent Thread Link He rails against everything he's done himself. Like exploiting the tax code loopholes. He doesn't see it as hypocritical, he sees it as evidence that because he knows how to game the system, he can fix it. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link After reading the headline I thought he was somehow endorsing Trump. Glad to see that is not the case. Reply Thread Link The Boss would NEVER Reply Parent Thread Link the title of this post made me think that was complimentary til i read the rest of it Reply Thread Link mte lol I almost had a heart attack there. Reply Parent Thread Link Not ONTD's reading-beyond-the-headline skills already failing them... Reply Thread Link is that a question? Reply Parent Thread Link ita that Trump has preyed on vulnerable people. His supporters really fall for his vague and simple answers to difficult and complex problems. His "just build a wall" platform highlights that. I think Trump's debate prep is just him yelling "ISIS!" and "inner cities!" @ himself. I get a headache any time I try to read transcripts from his rallies or debate answers. Just a bunch of word salad that rarely has anything to do with what was asked. Reply Thread Link UKIP/Brexit did exactly the same thing here in the U.K. :( Reply Parent Thread Link so much respect for Bruce Springteen, dont he have large fan bases that are conservatives? Reply Thread Link Most of his fans are middle aged but he's always been very outspokenly liberal so this shouldn't surprise them. Reply Parent Thread Link Nah, that's just Chris Christie Reply Parent Thread Link lmfao i would peg christie as more of a bon jovi fan anyway. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Most if not all of the Bruce fans I know are hugely conservative middle class white people. Reply Parent Thread Link These are the same people who think that Born in the USA is some kind of pro-country anthem. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah most likely but he's never pandered to them in his music or message. Reply Parent Thread Link ya republicans have been missing the point of born in the usa for decades now Reply Parent Thread Link He has a very large conservative fan base and it amuses me because most of them outright ignore his very liberal views or misunderstand him completely. Like, they will somehow twist this to mean he supports Trump. Reply Parent Thread Link there are a lot of idiots out there. personally, I'm a liberal who loves him. Reply Parent Thread Link From tonight's Trump rally: pic.twitter.com/g1MtfIAvFV Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) October 18, 2016 Since the last post was buried gonna repost Reply Thread Link Dying Reply Parent Thread Link Good lord Reply Parent Thread Link i honestly hate this who the fuck are her parents Reply Parent Thread Link Ugh. Get him away from that poor little girl. Reply Parent Thread Link whose parents hate their child that much Reply Parent Thread Link Fuck her parents, why would you give your little girl to him!? Especially given his history with women. He has an open case in which he is accused of raping a 13 year old... Wow, choices. Reply Parent Thread Link why do parents do this, in general? I'll never understand it. nhf some weird person I don't know handling my kid. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link this looks wrong on so many levels D-: Reply Parent Thread Link Brb calling child services on his ass Reply Parent Thread Link ew. he makes me gag Reply Parent Thread Link Who would even think this is a good idea given all the claims of sexual assault coming out in the last week and a half??? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Her parents failed her. Reply Parent Thread Link this is creepy as hell Reply Parent Thread Link This girl is way too old for him to be picking up and kissing like this. Reply Parent Thread Link Gross. Poor child. Reply Parent Thread Link was he aiming for her lips my god D: Reply Parent Thread Link Why the fuck does he go straight for her mouth!? He literally can't even control himself on a public stage with a fucking child. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link this is uncomfortable on so many levels considering his sexism, history with sexual assault and his rampant racism and hatred of non-white people. this poor child Reply Parent Thread Expand Link nnnnn icu being shady with that title op bruce springsteen doesnt deserve this Reply Thread Link The Boss being boss as per usual. I feel like anyone with half a brain should be able to see that Trump's "solutions" are ridiculously simplistic and would never, ever work in real life. But I guess overt racism trumps (bleugh) common fucking sense. Reply Thread Link i love him so much he's aging well for a yt because his opinions are so good. Reply Thread Link mte Reply Parent Thread Link would you let him cum down your throat? Reply Parent Thread Link yeah. then i'd like huck it back up and spit it into his wife's mouth, because it'd be a threesome. Reply Parent Thread Link Lol Reply Parent Thread Link lol right?? Reply Parent Thread Link lmao! I don't disagree tho Reply Parent Thread Link wanted to vom at melania saying women were "no angels" and that trump gets hit on all the time....fucking gross Reply Thread Link she was all "in europe we love our bodies. we love our sexuality" then defends trump when he calls women ugly and fat Reply Parent Thread Link In Europe we are horrified someone like Trump is actually running. Melania is probably coked out Reply Parent Thread Link lmao so true Reply Parent Thread Link As we reported last week, just as OPEC announced a new monthly production record, with total output rising by 220kbpd to a record 33.4mmbpd... (Click to enlarge) ... driven by a jump in production in Iraq, Nigeria and Libya, more confusion emerged regarding the recently concluded OPEC Algiers "deal". According to the deal, production will be cut back to 32.5-33.0 mmbpd, but opposition to OPEC's secondary production estimates has risen, as Venezuela joined Iraq in disagreeing with the cartel's third-party production estimates. Venezuela reported crude output of 2.33m b/d in Sept. to OPEC, 245k more than secondary sources estimates, while Iraq reported 4.78m b/d in Sept., 320k above secondary source estimates. (Click to enlarge) Making matters worse, during last week's Istanbul meeting, OPEC secretary general Mohammed Barkindo told reporters that "OPEC has still hasn't decided yet whether OPEC and non-OPEC would make cuts at the same time, or OPEC would move first". Putin added to the confusion, saying that Russia would only join OPEC if the organization agreed on a freeze, while Rosneft suggested it would only join a price freeze, not cut. Today, the rising OPEC discord hit a crescendo when Iran, one of the few nations exempt from the OPEC production freeze agreement, said it plans to boost its oil output from the current 3.89 mmbpd to 4 mmbpd by the end of the year, complicating the producer groups plan to cut supply in an effort to prop up prices. Shortly thereafter, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh added that new Iranian petroleum contracts are meant to help the country reach an even higher production plateau, somewhere in the 5 million bpd range. Iran is seeking about $200 billion of investment in its oil, natural gas and petrochemicals industries to raise production and sales, according to figures Zanganeh presented Monday at a conference in Tehran. Needless to say, Iran's increasingly ambitious intentions to absorb existing market, mostly from the likes of Saudi Arabia, will be a major hurdle during next month's Vienna negotiation, when the country quotas are expected to be set. The difficulty in implementing the deal will be with the potential for production increases within OPEC, Giovanni Staunovo, a commodities analyst at UBS told Bloomberg. It may also be a bargaining chip, as what everyone wants is to get into the OPEC talks with a higher level of production from which to cut or freeze. But the biggest complication to emerge today, is that Iran has joined Iraq and Venezuela in questioning OPEC's estimates of production. As can be seen in the table above, Iran's output has been estimated by OPEC outside sources at 3.665mmpd, while Ali Kardor, managing director of National Iranian Oil Co., said at a conference in Tehran today that Iran pumped 3.89 million barrels of oil a day in September. Naturally, Iran is looking to present as high a number as possible to be allowed to set the highest possible production quota. As Bloomberg adds, Kardor disputed the accuracy of OPECs data on the countrys production, echoing the words of Iraq's oil minister when he said that "figures based on estimates from secondary sources such as analysts and journalists are not acceptable" for use in determining the countrys output quota. The accuracy of OPECs secondary-source data is important because the group may use the information to set individual member quotas. Meanwhile, as OPEC bickers over who producers what, Iran is busy creating the infrastructure that will allow it to produce even more. From Bloomberg: Iran is ramping up efforts to woo foreign investment in an energy industry stunted by years of sanctions. NIOC on Monday began soliciting documents from international companies to pre-qualify as bidders to develop the countrys oil and natural gas fields, according to an announcement posted on its website. Interested companies will have until Nov. 19 to submit their qualifications, and the government will publish a list of eligible bidders on Dec. 7, according to Shana, the Oil Ministrys news service. The country may tender the first field, the South Azadegan deposit, to international companies as early as November, NIOC Managing Director Kardor said. Total SA of France had been developing a technical program for development of the field after signing a data-sharing agreement with Iran earlier this year, Kardor said. NIOC signed 10 agreements giving foreign companies access to data on its fields with the aim of bringing in partners to boost output, he said. Total is also in the running to develop Irans South Pars 11 gas development, Kardor said. A first oil development agreement with an international company could be signed by March for South Azadegan, he said. While the daily bickering is sure to get even worse until the November 30 OPEC meeting in Vienna, Reuters reports that hedge funds and other money managers have decided they no longer can afford to wait, especially with year-end bonus time rapidly approaching, and raised their bullish bets on U.S. crude prices to the highest level since the slump started in the summer of 2014 as shorts throw in the towel once again. Related: Why Algeria Will Be A Key Part Of Any OPEC Deal Hedge funds raised their net long position in the two main futures and options contracts linked to U.S. crude WTI by 39 million barrels to 292 million barrels in the week to Oct 11. The combined position was the highest since July 2014, when WTI prices were still trading above $100 per barrel and the long slide in prices was just beginning. (Click to enlarge) For those who enjoy modestly convoluted charts, here is one from John Kemp showing the dramatic shifts in HF short positioning in spot WTI. (Click to enlarge) While it is difficult to predict what happens next... ... usually any time HF positioning has reached an extreme in either side of the X-axis, this has been promptly followed by a "max pain" type of move in the underlying; if past is indeed prologue, expect a sharp move lower, especially now that even Morgan Stanley's Adam Longson - one of the longest running oil bears - said in a note overnight that oil is set to trade higher until the Nov. OPEC meeting: OPECs intervention pushed any shorts to the sidelines for now and should keep prices in the upper part of our trading band until at least the Nov. 30 meeting in Vienna. The shorts may indeed be gone, but with confusion rising and the threat of the deal falling apart the closer we get to the Vienna meeting, it may be the 2+ year high in longs that is responsible for the next big move lower. By Zerohedge More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Saudi Arabia pumped a daily average of 10.63 million barrels of crude in August, a 400,000 bpd decline on peak production in July, prompted by seasonally high demand. Exports in August were also lower, at 7.31 million barrels, down 310,000 barrels from July, according to information supplied by Riyadh to the Joint Organizations Data Initiative. Oil inventories in the kingdom fell to 281 million barrels in August, a 460,000-barrel drop from July. Refineries in Saudi Arabia processed 2.6 million bpd in the reported month, down from 2.61 million bpd in July. The data may indicate that Saudi Arabia is indeed serious about its plans to reduce its oil production in a bid to rebalance markets. These plans reflect Riyadhs realization that the price war it started two years ago with Americas shale boomers has not done it much good. In fact, low oil prices have demonstrated that Saudi Arabias existing economic model, heavily reliant on oil revenues for public spending, is unsustainable, especially with Iran back on the international oil scene, pushing for a rise in its own oil production to pre-sanction levels before it agrees to any freezes or cuts. The kingdoms determination to keep its market share at all costs has, apparently, backfired. In addition to the Saudis agreeing to cut their crude output if Iran joins the freeze talks, Riyadh has also offered its first international bond placement. Government officials are currently doing a road show for the bond, which started in London and will pass through Los Angeles, Boston, and end in New York. According to people who attended the investor event in London, as cited by Bloomberg, the Saudi officials were reluctant to talk about oil. "The fact that they refused to take questions on oil prices or how much is achievable on budget rationalization have left investors with half a picture," said Gregory Saichin, Alianz Global Investors chief investment officer for emerging-market bonds. Saudi Arabia eyes proceeds from the bonds of US$10 billion, after collecting some US$63 billion from local bond sales, as the worst budget deficit in 20 years has started to bite deeply into its foreign exchange reserves. The country seems to have no other useful move besides curbing production and making sure the rest of OPEC does the same. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oil prices traded sideways on Tuesday morning but were slightly up on Tuesday afternoon ahead of this week's inventory reports. (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) Chart of the Week Oil production from the Bakken continues to fall, having recently dipped below 1 million barrels per day for the first time in two years. North Dakota has suffered from an exodus of capital and drilling equipment, with new drilling taking place elsewhere. The EIA expects output to continue to fall in the Bakken, dropping by another 21,000 barrels per day in November compared to October. That could take production down to just 946,000 barrels per day, compared to a peak of 1.23 mb/d in December 2014. Market Movers Statoil (NYSE: STO) stopped production at its Statfjord A platform in the North Sea after a fire. The fire was brought under control but it is not clear when operations can restart at the field, which produces 24,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) saw its price target increased to $8 per share by Citigroup this week. Citi sees falling costs and rising production as reasons for its upgrade. Alon USA Energy (NYSE: ALJ) saw its share price jump by more than 12 percent on Monday after it confirmed that it received a buyout offer from Delek US Holdings (NYSE: DK). Tuesday October 18, 2016 Oil prices wobbled to start off the week, rebounding a bit during early trading on Tuesday. A slightly weaker dollar supported prices, while energy analysts suggested the oil market is not as oversupplied as some think. "Global oil inventories (industry and government) increased by 17 million barrels to 5.618 billion barrels in 3Q16. This is the smallest build since 4Q14, confirming that inventory builds are slowing as the market comes back into balance," Bernstein Energy analysts said, according to Reuters. Wood Mackenzie is even more aggressive, predicting a balanced market by the end of the year. OPEC deal wobbles on Iran data dispute. Iran became the third OPEC member to question the data being used to calculate baseline production figures for the group. Venezuela and Iraq already said that OPEC was underestimated their production levels, an important point that would affect what the countries can produce after the pending deal to cut output is finalized in November. The head of the National Iranian Oil Co. said on Monday that it is actually producing 300,000 barrels per day more than it is getting credit for. The fight over data threatens to undermine the whole deal, and a failure in Vienna in November could reverse the latest oil price rally. If nothing concrete emerges on production control, the market will lose patience, with the risk of an end-year price bloodbath, David Hufton, CEO of PVM Group, told Bloomberg. Iran wooing oil and gas investment. Iran is soliciting interest from international oil and gas companies, asking them to submit documents to pre-qualify as bidders for future oil auctions. Iran is hoping to attract $100 billion in investment over the next decade in order to increase output by some 1 million barrels per day. In the short run, Iran plans on increasing production to 4 mb/d by the end of this year, up from 3.8 to 3.9 mb/d currently. BP considers green investments. Before the end of the year, BP (NYSE: BP) will decide whether or not to move forward on its first investment in renewable energy in five years. The British oil giant decided against additional investments in renewables years ago, but is now weighing a decision to expand its U.S. wind business. The extension of federal tax credits for renewables through the end of the decade makes wind particularly attractive in the U.S., but it will benefit from more generous incentives if it moves ahead before the end of 2016. Ultimately, BPs decision may not be all that consequential in terms of size, but it could be closely watched as a harbinger of what oil companies face as the global transition towards cleaner energy continues to pick up momentum. BP also moving towards increasing oil investments. The oil markets may finally be turning a corner, and after two years of cutbacks, BP may finally step up new drilling. At this weeks Oil and Money Conference in London, BPs CEO Bob Dudley said that his company could make final investment decisions on several projects this year and more next year. Investments are back, Dudley said. But its only going to be the very best. Dudley expects oil prices to trade between $50 and $60 per barrel in 2017. Dakota Access Pipeline sees construction equipment destroyed. Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE: ETP) suffered another setback on its campaign to build the Dakota Access Pipeline, which would carry Bakken crude from North Dakota to refineries in Iowa and Illinois. Over the weekend, about $2 million worth of construction equipment was intentionally burned. The destruction occurred in Iowa along the pipeline route, but the individuals responsible are not known at this point. The pipeline has sparked an enormous backlash among Native American tribes affected by the pipeline and environmental groups. The $3.7 billion pipeline was also put on hold by the U.S. government. Related: U.S. Ease On Cuban Sanctions To Benefit Foreign Oil Producers Natural gas price rally halts as rigs rise. Natural gas prices have surged about 15 percent since the start of October, as supplies have declined and demand ticks upwards. But traders sold off gas contracts in recent days as the U.S. gas rig count jumped at the end of last week. Gas rigs increased by 11 for the week ending on October 14, the largest weekly gain in years. The gains come as both oil and natural gas prices have showed gains since September, encouraging companies to send crews back to work. The higher rig count, however, spooked traders on Monday. Oil and gas industry donate to Republicans, but not to Trump. Recognizing that the presidency is slipping away from Republican nominee Donald Trump, the oil and gas industry is focusing its political efforts down ballot. According to E&E, the oil and gas industry has donated more than $70 million to federal candidates, but less than $1 million to Donald Trump. They are convinced they will be dealing with a President Clinton, which could pose some challenges. Green groups advise Clinton against Colorado Governor. A collection of environmental groups are eyeing a Hillary Clinton presidency, and called on her to not pick Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D) for Secretary of Interior, due to his support for hydraulic fracturing. Hickenlooper is viewed as a centrist, and has supported the drilling boom underway in his state. Green groups are pressing Clinton to focus on climate change and crack down on oil and gas drilling. Fitch Ratings warns about EVs. Widespread adoption of electric vehicles will be resoundingly negative for oil and gas companies, Fitch Ratings said in a new report. The ratings agency urged the industry to plan for the potential disruption from new technologies, which could spark an investor sell off in fossil fuels. Such a sell off would make debt and equity more expensive, threatening the financial prospects for many companies. If they stick their heads in the sand and try and pretend it will all go away, we think they will ultimately have issues, the reports lead author, Alex Griffiths, a Fitch managing director, told the Financial Times. By Evan Kelly of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: At the 23rd World Energy Congress in Istanbul last week, talks regarding the OPEC crude oil production freeze took a surprising turn. Energy Minister Noureddine Boutarfa from Algeria has taken the lead on this deal, having facilitated prior negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Informal meetings took place in Algeria leading up to the announcement on September 28th that the two competing nations could proceed to accept a production freeze. Countries aiming to participate in the deal have failed to agree on key aspects but are now coming to the table. Algeria has been described as one of OPECs most negatively affected countries in response to low oil prices. Low oil prices hinder exports and earnings for oil majors, putting their respective countries into economic decline. In order to regain stability, its in Algerias best interest to make the production freeze succeed. Algeria has a long-standing relationship with Saudi Arabia and Iran that helped bring these competitors together diplomatically. Boutarfa was with Saudi Arabia and Iran for the duration of their private talks and is believe to have prompted their unified agreement. Concerns exist for other countries as well. If the price of oil doesnt rise fast enough, member nations may decide to return production output to their higher levels. Countries are skeptical on whether the agreement will succeed and may decide not to participate whatsoever. Any rising concerns with respect to other countries participation may deter those pondering participating as well. Vladimir Putin has mentioned how eager Russia is to work with OPEC on their oil production freeze. Other Russian leaders, however, werent as stoked. Igor Sechin, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors for state-owned oil company Rosneft and close ally of Putins, shared a different opinion. At the WEC, he questioned why Russia should participate and potentially detriment from the deal. On October 7th, Energy Minister Alexander Novak also opposed the notion that this deal will succeed. The lack of agreement from the leading nation in energy exports shows theres still much to discuss. Related: Oil Futures: Who Is Trading What? The next OPEC meeting is November 30th in Vienna where the countries will talk numbers and see how Russia will contribute. The idea of a production freeze has been approved but now the tricky part comes where they have to decide who contributes how much. Current daily output by OPEC rests at 33,394 million barrels/day as of Sunday but the member nations have settled on cutting back to between 32.5 million and 33 million barrels/day. Iran is still in the process of rising back to their pre-sanctioned production levels making this next discussion more difficult. Iran wishes to only return to their market share of around 12 percent as opposed to a certain number of barrels per day, which could be more easily accomplished. OPEC is on the right track to lowering production meaning crude oil prices could rise fairly soon. Depending on the outcome of the meeting at the end of November, investors could benefit from buying oil futures. Saudi Arabias Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih thinks its possible for oil to reach $60 a barrel by the end of the year. If Russia truly is to be included in the deal it could affect Russian oil majors like Lukoil or Tatneft. Any other oil companies producing in OPEC nations will also benefit from this deal. OPECs success would mean economic growth returning to countries like Algeria raising the value of their home currencies. By Michael McDonald of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: On Saturday, Nov. 5, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee swings open the doors to four parishes around Milwaukee to welcome the community in for behind the scenes tours and more. We're writing about all four parishes before the event. Today, we visit Saint Bernard's in Tosa. The history of Saint Bernard on this site at 1500 N. Wauwatosa Ave. dates back to 1911 when parishioners organized and a mass was held at the Knights Templar Hall in June. That autumn, the small congregation purchased the home of Tosa pioneer John D. Hemlock, located on the two-acre site where Saint Bernard is still situated. Adjoining land was purchased in 1915 and by 1919 a two-room schoolhouse was built. In 1927 a basement church and rectory were inaugurated, but the plan to build the upper church were thwarted by the onset of the Great Depression. Property to the west was acquired in 1935 and the current school building was erected there in 1955. The first "real" upper church finally became a reality in 1962 and that is the modern church you see today, with its rainbows of colored glass, soaring arches in the sanctuary and brick bell tower. While it's not the kind of architecture that typically catches my eye, the interior of St. Bernard is quite nice: airy and bright and when the sun hits the colored glass at the right angle, a pleasant mix of hues illuminates parts of the sanctuary. When you visit as part of the Archdiocese's VIP event from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, you'll get to see most every part of the sprawling place, from the sanctuary to the food pantry to the boiler room to the school (which merged with nearby Pius X school a few years ago to create Wauwatosa Catholic School, which has an enrollment around 250). Best of all, you'll get to go up to the roof, where perhaps the best view of Wauwatosa notice how the medical complex to the west looks like a city all its own awaits you. What you won't do well, the raffle winner will, but the rest won't is climb the metal ladder and then the wooden staircase up to the bells atop the tower facing Harwood Avenue. But I was pleased to get to do that, so I can share photos with the folks that can't make the climb themselves. The VIP event is free and all are welcome. A shuttle will run between the four sites all day long, so you can walk to or park at one and just ride the bus. Plus, the event was organized by Amy Grau who, until this year, was a key organizer of Doors Open Milwaukee. "There are 197 very important parishes within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and the ultimate goal for this new event is to eventually invite and welcome people from all over the Archdiocese and beyond to all 197 of them, four at a time," reads a press release from the Archdiocese. "This brand new, free community event will feature four different parishes each year, in hopes to inspire all who visit to discover how four very different churches shape a community and impact lives." Here are some more images from Saint Bernard: The colored glass The view from the roof The cross wall The way up One of the bells There are four bells, cast in Cincinnati An automated bell ringer The way back down Read my story about Our Lady of Guadalupe (Holy Trinity) here, about All Saints here and about Bay View's Immaculate Conception here. For the 10th straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee, presented by the restaurants of Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, dining guides, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as voting for your "Best of Dining 2016." Beginning this November, Bartolotta's Rumpus Room, 1030 N. Water St., will host a series of dinners exploring great moments in music and food. The dinner series, the product of a collaboration between Wisconsin Foodie host Kyle Cherek and WKLH's Steve Palec, will feature poignant stories and great music from legendary rock icons like the Rolling Stones, New Orleans musicians including Louis Armstrong and Alex Chilton, and a variety of other rock 'n' roll influencers. The Rolling Stones will be the focus of the first dinner, which will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 16 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy four courses inspired by the French Riviera, along with true stories straight from Nellcote, the luxurious chateau where the Rolling Stones recorded "Exile on Main Street." Pricing is $55 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Tickets can be purchased online at bartolottas.com. Future dinners will include Rhythm & Flavor of New Orleans on Feb. 22 and the Evolution of Rock & Roll on April 12. The big Wisconsin education news of last week was Wisconsin State Superintendent Tony Evers announcement that, based on district report cards for the 2015-16 school year, neither the Milwaukee Public Schools nor any other district would be eligible for participation in the Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program. I'm not going to belabor, again, what's wrong with OSPP and the law that mandated it; you can click on the previous link and get to just about everything I have written on the OSPP. I will just say that this is good news. The law was a bad law, written poorly, completely unfunded and predicated on the fallacious idea that student achievement problems in MPS result solely from whose name is on the letterhead. It spawned 18 months of bitter, nasty fighting and recrimination among the community, poisoning the atmosphere for students. What is most encouraging about the no-OSPP news is why MPS is no longer eligible. The law allows for takeovers of failing schools in districts that have themselves been on the state's failing list for two years running. According to the state, MPS is no longer a failing district. In other words and this, to me, is supremely powerful the OSPP was defeated not because of fighting among adults but rather improvements in student growth and achievement. I'll repeat that, because I don't think it was said often enough in the last week: The OSPP is dead not because of community action or the County Executive's inaction or threats of lawsuits, but because Milwaukee's students are doing tangibly better today than in past years. The usual disclaimers apply: This change in status does not mean that MPS is perfect and all efforts to improve the quality of life and education for its children should end. The work is ongoing and unfinished. The status quo is not acceptable. Additional disclaimers also apply: Student achievement was not the sole reason why MPS is no longer a failing district; the formula for determining failure has also changed. The state Department of Public Instruction now gives credit not merely for meeting performance targets but also for student growth. For example, if a student starts sixth grade reading at a third grade level but finishes the year reading at a fifth grade level, a school or a district would get points for helping that student catch up, even if that student is still below grade level. Still, the change in designation for MPS as a whole suggests two things. One, we now have better evidence that the disdain with which critics speak of MPS is much more clearly undeserved. Two, anti-MPS lawmakers would better serve our children by working with MPS on its internal reforms rather than against MPS. I'll elaborate on both points. As I said in my most recent Bay View Compass column, there are many reasons to be optimistic about the direction MPS is headed, not least the relentless cheerleading of Superintendent Darienne Driver. Even the OSPP's authors seem to agree that Driver is a powerhouse; in their public comments about how to respond the law's apparent death, Rep. Dale Kooyenga floated the idea of giving Driver more power. As much I appreciate Driver's leadership, this is a dumb idea and emblematic of the aforementioned disdain lawmakers seem to have for MPS and its leaders. Kooyenga seems to think that Driver could do so much more if only she were freed from the albatross that is the Milwaukee Board of School Directors. Driver is wisely and vocally resisting that idea. The OSPP law actually granted her wide authority, but she did not invoke it in the time that the law was applicable to the district, and she does not want to hurt the good working relationship she has with the Board. That relationship and the improved relationship between the Board and the district's teachers union is a big part of why I'm bullish about MPS right now. Everyone in the district, from the classroom to the Board to central office, seems to be on the same page for the first time in my 20 or so years in this city. Yet lawmakers and critics have consistently insisted that the stodgy old Board, or the selfish jerks in the union, are huge drags on MPS achievement. That may have been the case in the past, but it is simply not true now. Plus there's this sweet irony: MPS critics' fears about exposing low-performing voucher schools contributed to the death of the OSPP. The revised school and district report cards are as they are now largely because of the school-voucher lobby. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel even quoted Jim Bender, president of the pro-voucher group School Choice Wisconsin, as saying MPS is "getting credit in the report cards for student growth, which they weren't getting in previous years." Bender and his allies pushed for the changes because for the first time, when school and district report cards are released next month, voucher schools will be among them. The state legislature for many years refused to listen to public school advocates who wanted districts like MPS, with high levels of poor, special needs and English language learning students among its ranks, to be recognized for growth among those hard-to-educate groups. But it was not until the legislators' friends (and donors) faced potentially embarrassing report cards that the law changed. Bender's argument that voucher schools are often teaching students who didn't find success in traditional public schools makes a lot of sense. But why shouldn't public schools be recognized for getting growth out of those same students? Milwaukee's voucher schools, if they were a single school district, would qualify for the OSPP the same as MPS. Yet the law's authors suggested it should be voucher operators selected to takeover OSPP schools and constantly praise voucher schools whose achievement is no better than in MPS. In short, it's past time for legislators to stop hating on MPS. Now is the time to step up support. As an educator, I do not expect my students to get better at a task or skill if I threaten or disparage them. If I expect improvement, I have to figure out where they need support and, you know, support them. The OSPP, like a host of other long-proposed but never-implemented measures aimed at improving school "accountability," was designed to hurt MPS. The authors will claim differently that putting schools under the control of a non-MPS operator is designed to help the students but the primary effect of the law is overwhelmingly to strip MPS of students, real estate, resources and income. That is punitive. When the first appointed OSPP commissioner proposed a plan that would keep students and funding within MPS while implementing a proven model with more supports for students, the law's authors and conservative legal groups flipped out. For them, hacking away at MPS was more important than a positive, collaborative environment centered on doing what's best for children. When those criticisms proved to be the proverbial straw that forced the camel to resign, the result was more outrage and threats to break up MPS or slash its funding until it surrendered the schools and slashed its own funding. Thankfully, the news about MPS' improved rating has seemed to dampen enthusiasm for budget cuts or other drastic measures. But it hasn't turned legislators off to the idea of carving away at MPS. Kooyenga's co-author, Sen. Alberta Darling, has suggested there may be an amended OSPP next year that would still force MPS to hand over schools, property and funds to outside operators. On the other hand, the Journal Sentinel did report that there might be state support coming for community schools, one of the things MPS leaders and teachers are most excited about. Community schools, like the district's Turnaround Arts program at the elementary level and ProStart culinary arts program at the high school level, are so new they have not yet been factored into school achievement. Nor has the district's recent expansion of Montessori and language immersion programs, both programs with strong records of success. In other words, there is likely to be greater success with each successive report card release. Again, I do not think MPS is done improving, and I know I personally am not resting on any laurels. I don't think Driver, the Board or the union are, either, and that's why they're teaming up on many initiatives, like community schools. Further threats or actions to punish schools not only won't work, they will make MPS's critics sound even further out of touch and clarify that their goal is not student achievement, but a dead MPS. Legislators and other critics should rather sign on as partners on those initiatives and other good ideas for boosting MPS success like granting us flexibility on the school calendar or boosting funding for librarians, guidance counselors and technical education. It's time to recognize reality, in other words, and join MPS on this journey of improvement. The 8th summit of BRICS, a bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, ended in Goa, India on Sunday (October 16) with a lengthy communique' dubbed as Goa Declaration. The 7,000 plus words document covers a range of measures, including establishing a new credit ratings agency, fighting tax evasion and combating terrorism. International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane at the 10th BRICS Foreign Ministerial Meeting, 20 Sep 2016 (Image by GovernmentZA) Details DMCA The October 15-16 BRICS summit was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Michel Temer, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Jacob Zuma. The five BRICS leaders, who just met last month in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou when China hosted the 11th summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies, welcomed the G20 Action Plan on the 2030 Agenda adopted during the Hangzhou Summit and committed to its implementation by taking bold transformative steps through both collective and individual concrete actions. The declaration welcomed the inclusion of the RMB into the Special Drawing Rights currency basket on Oct. 10, and urged advanced European economies to meet their commitments to cede two chairs on the Executive Board of the IMF. On the security front, the bloc strongly condemned the recent attacks against some BRICS countries, and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, while stressing that there can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic or any other reasons. The bloc agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating international terrorism both at the bilateral level and at international fora, and called on all nations to adopt a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism. Russian President Vladimir Putin says that BRICS reflects the member-countries' commitment to uphold international law when some Western countries are trying to promote unilateral approaches. In an interview on the occasion of the 8th summit in Goa, India, Putin described BRICS as one of the key elements of the emerging multi-polar world. "The five (member) countries have consistently reaffirmed their commitment to the fundamental principles of international law and promote the central role of the UN," he said adding: "Our countries reject the policy of coercive pressure and infringement upon the sovereignty of other states. We take similar stances on urgent international issues, including the Syrian crisis and the Middle East settlement." However, Liu Zhen writes in South China Morning Post, "the BRICS countries share few political, economic, social and even foreign policy interests except for shared unhappiness about the domination of global governance by the West." Al Jazeera asked how relevant is BRICS today? Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa form the bloc of emerging economies, but is their influence decreasing? For several years now, the most talked-about trend in the global economy has been the rise of developing markets. Some economists expected Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to lead the world to new economic heights. But as the BRICS bloc met for its 8th summit in India's state of Goa, those hopes appeared to be fading. Astrid Prange, editor of Deutsche Welle wrote: "The BRICS family is dead, the BRICS states live! At their summit in Goa, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa should end the fairytale of a common rise.... The honorable participants at the Goa summit have begun desperately searching for what they hold in common and are shocked to discover there is very little in common left." BRICS as an economic grouping of newly industrialized countries "seems to be losing its relevance other than being a feel-good club, writes G. Pramod Kumar in The Huffington Post. Advising India not to push its anti-Pakistan strategy at the forum, he adds, "If the seventh summit at Ufa in Russia last year was about the much celebrated BRICS Bank (New Development Bank) and contingent reserve arrangement, all that we hear about the eight summit in Goa is geopolitics: terrorism, military cooperation with Russia and isolation of Pakistan. Pakistan's Dawn newspapers highlighted the difference between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, "He (Modi) obliquely disputed Chinese President Xi Jinping's apparent reluctance to pin the blame on Pakistan, but the Chinese leader responded by seeking political solutions to the hotspots" With the differences between India and China out in the open--against the backdrop of Delhi's attempts to isolate Islamabad--the Goa declaration stopped short of mentioning the Uri attack." Pakistan strongly reacted to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that the neighbor is the "mothership of terrorism", as Premier Nawaz Sharif's foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz said Modi was "misleading" the BRICS countries over the issue. He said that the Indian leadership is "desperately trying to hide its brutalities" in Jammu and Kashmir. Sartaj Aziz also said the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have "rejected Indian attempts to equate Kashmiris' movement for self-determination with terrorism." Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). From Mike Malloy Website Trump has gone off the deep end. Again. This time he's blaming everyone from Saturday Night Live to the lying media for his falling poll numbers. Except they're not really falling, you see. That's just part of a plot to rig the election. Actually his popularity is approaching 90%. But the biased news outlets won't report it fairly because they don't want him to win. What a tool. The media has been giving him a pass since the beginning -- are you kidding me? You could argue that "the media" is the only reason he's the GOP nominee! They legitimized him, so what's he complaining about? Without the media reporting his every deranged Tweet, he would've disappeared after the first primary debate when he affirmed that he called Rosie O'Donnell a fat disgusting pig. And Saturday Night Live is conspiring against him, too? Did he take an extra dose of paranoid pills before he made that declaration? Geez, he hosted SNL a year ago. Well, when this nightmare is finally over next month, Donald can team up with his psychotic media hero Alex Jones and start the alt-right InfoWars TV network (with Ailes and Hannity, natch). Then there's the latest Wikileaks dump revealing everything you would expect Hillary to say to a Wall Street audience. Clinton's three speeches to Goldman Sachs muckety mucks are hardly surprising, with a subtle wink and a nod about political positions and regulations. Still, it's the stuff Sanders and his supporters were warning about during the primaries. So riddle me this, Truthseekers: If Julian Assange has such a vendetta for Hillary, why not release these transcripts when they could've prevented her from becoming the DNC nominee? Sure would've been a boon to team Bernie ... does Assange hate him, too? Doesn't matter. After all, the system is rigged and the fix is in, right? My brain hurts. LSK House Technology Co Ltd, a leading Chinese manufacturer of steel houses, said it had signed a joint-venture agreement with a US building company to construct a factory in Miami to make light steel-framed housing. The Chinese group, based in Langfang, Hebei province, said it will invest $60 million in the factory and control 90 percent of the equity in the joint venture. LSK said it will send semifinished housing components to the joint venture in Miami for further processing. Partner JMC Lopez, the US construction company, will hold the remaining shares in the joint venture. Construction of the factory will start in November. After completion, it will have a capacity to manufacture 1 million square meters of steel houses annually and the units will be sent to customers in Chile for final assembly. LSK House said the agreement was signed during the 10th China-LAC business summit held in Tangshan during the weekend. Aside from Chile, the joint venture will also sell its houses to other LAC (Latin American and Caribbean) countries. "LAC countries are a great market for steel-framed houses, which are lighter, easier to build, and more importantly, have good anti-seismic properties," said Shao Kun, president of Langfang Hualu Tianyu Group, which owns LSK House. LSK House General Manager Shao Jie said construction of steel-framed houses was about 50 percent faster than traditional methods of construction. LSK House claims its steel-framed houses can survive major earthquakes that exceed magnitude 9.0 on the Richter scale. "That's the main reason why the steel houses are welcomed in Chile," said Shao, who added that more than 2,000 LSK-made houses had been built there. "There are another 2,000 units to go and in the future the market will be huge." The CEO of the new factory, Gustavo Lopez, said that the potential for sales was not only in the LAC region, but also throughout the Americas. Gustavo said China had high-quality steel, while the US had a favorable geographical position and tax policies in place when it came to trading within the Americas. The CEO said LSK House's custom-made houses would be popular with less affluent customers and the middle classes in those countries, because its house prices were lower than traditional housing. First Chinese ship, named Tianfu, finally docked on Sunday (Oct 16) at Pakistan's Gwadar port that is center of $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project between Beijing and Islamabad. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is about 3,000 kilometers long consisting of highways, railways and pipelines that will connect China's Xinjiang province to rest of the world through Pakistan's Gwadar port. The money China is planning to pour into Pakistan is more than twice the amount of all foreign direct investment Pakistan has received since 2008, and considerably more than the entire assistance from the United States, Pakistan's largest donor until now, since 2002, according to a BBC report. According to The Guardian, US largesse to Pakistan, including payments of $1.5bn a year since 2010 under the so-called "Kerry-Lugar" act, has failed to elicit anything like such a warm relationship. Even though much of the cash was funneled to the Pakistani army, the country's most powerful institution, relations were often tense and the US polled among the least loved nations in opinion polls. In September 2015, the government of China announced that the $230 million Gwadar International Airport project would no longer be financed by loans, but would instead be constructed by grants which the government of Pakistan will not be required to repay. For the Chinese, the CPEC has a geo-strategic significance. The corridor through Gwadar gives them their shortest access to the Middle East and Africa, where thousands of Chinese firms, employing tens of thousands of Chinese workers, are involved in development work. The corridor also promises to open up remote, landlocked Xinjiang, and create incentives for both state and private enterprises to expand economic activity and create jobs in this under-developed region. China could also be trying to find alternative trade routes to by-pass the Malacca straits, presently the only maritime route China can use to access the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Apart from being long, it can be blockaded in times of war. The Straits of Malacca provide China with its shortest maritime access to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Approximately 80% pass of its Middle Eastern energy imports also pass through the Straits of Malacca. As the world's biggest oil importer, energy security is a key concern for China while current sea routes used to import Middle Eastern oil are frequently patrolled by the United States' Navy. The sea-route via the Straits of Malacca is roughly 12,000 kilometers long, while the distance from Gwadar Port to Xinjiang province is approximately 3,000 kilometers, and another 3,500 kilometres from Xinjiang to China's eastern coast. [Wikipedia] In addition to its significance to reduce Chinese dependence on the Sea of Malacca and South China Sea routes, the port of Gwadar will provide China an alternative and shorter route for energy imports from the Middle East, thereby reducing shipping costs and transit times. The currently available sea-route to China is roughly 12,000 kilometres long, while the distance from Gwadar Port to Xinjiang province is approximately 3,000 kilometres, with another 3,500 kilometres from Xinjiang to China's eastern coast. As a result of CPEC, Chinese imports and exports to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe would require much shorter shipment times and distances. [Wikipedia] The Chinese provinces of Xinjiang and Tibet were closer to Pakistani ports than to any port in China and development of a trade corridor linking Xinjiang to the Middle East via Gwadar held great prospects. 60 per cent of Chinese import of crude came from countries in the Gulf and the amount would increase in next decade. Because of the proximity of the Gulf countries to Gwadar, oil flow from the region to China will be facilitated. "The Gwadar port will also guarantee China's naval ships' maintenance and supply in the Indian Ocean. The move is widely seen as crucial for China, especially as it is unlikely that Sri Lanka will open its ports to Chinese naval ships," Zhao Gancheng, director of South Asia Studies at Shanghai Institute for International Studies told state-run Global Times. The new Sri Lankan government headed by President Maithripala Srisena reversed his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa's policy of allowing Chinese submarines to dock in Colombo, following India's concerns. Pakistan's decision to hand over strategic Gwadar port to China is a matter of "serious concern" for India, Defence Minister A K Antony said in 2013. "Chinese are now constructing that port on Pakistan's request. In one sentence, I can say that it is a matter of concern to us. My answer is simple and straightforward," he told a press conference. Gwadar Port is approximately 120 km from the Iranian border. It is located 380 km away from Oman, and near key oil shipping lanes from the Persian Gulf. The greater surrounding region is home to around two-thirds of the world's proven oil reserves. It is also the nearest warm-water seaport to the landlocked, but hydrocarbon rich, Central Asian Republics, as well as Afghanistan. Upon completion of CPEC-related infrastructure projects, transit times between Kashgar and Pakistan's Gwadar Port will be greatly reduced, which in turn will also reduce transit times to the Kyrgyzstan and hydrocarbon-rich Kazakhstan through already existing overland routes. The Chinese government has already upgraded the road linking Kashgar to Osh in Kyrgyzstan via the Kyrgyz town of Erkeshtam while a railway between Urumqi, China and Almaty, Kazakhstan has also been completed as part of China's One Belt One Road initiative. Numerous land crossings already exist between Kazakhstan and China as well. Additionally, the Chinese government has announced plans to lay railway track from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, towards Kyrgyzstan with onwards connections to China and Pakistan's coast. [Wikipedia] Google News returns (as of October 18) 285,000 search results on the phrase "rigged election." It's a trending topic, run up the flagpole of public consciousness by media coverage of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's mouth. Sample, from an October 17 rally in Wisconsin: "Remember, we are competing in a rigged election ". They even want to try and rig the election at the polling booths, where so many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is all too common." Three observations: First, this kind of rhetoric is dangerous, and not just in a notional manner. More than one country has descended into riot, revolution, coup or civil war territory over disputes about the integrity of its elections. Think it can't happen here? Think again. Secondly, this kind of rhetoric isn't new by any stretch of the imagination. In the United States, the claim has enjoyed growing persuasive power ever since 2000 when a Florida vote recount was halted by the US Supreme Court, thereby awarding the office of president to George W. Bush, who probably didn't actually win the election. Many Democrats ascribed John Kerry's 2004 defeat to voting machine manipulation in Ohio. In 2012, Republicans threw in with complaints over apparent voter intimidation at urban polling places in support of Barack Obama's re-election. Finally, Trump is not the only presidential candidate claiming that this presidential election is rigged. As far back as August, we have Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton saying things like this: "I think laying out the facts raises serious issues about Russian interference in our elections, in our democracy ." "For Trump to both encourage that and to praise Putin despite what appears to be a deliberate effort to try to affect the election I think raises national security issues." The Clinton version is a bit more subtle (and even less well-supported by anything resembling actual evidence) than Trump's. It's also at least as dangerous and possibly more so to the extent that it might serve as a casus belli for World War III. Trump is preemptively positioning himself to claim that a victorious Clinton and her party rigged the election. That could lead to fireworks. Clinton is preemptively positioning herself to accuse a foreign power of rigging -- or at least unduly influencing -- the outcome to her loss. That could lead to fireworks of a nuclear variety. Third party and independent candidates have the strongest complaints of election-rigging -- the Republicans and Democrats have colluded in suppressing all other parties for lo on 130 years now with restrictive ballot access laws and other dirty tricks. But those complaints aren't quite the gasoline-soaked pile of tinder that happens when the two wings of the ruling oligarchy have this type of falling out. We certainly live in interesting times. From Smirking Chimp She's ahead in the polls by roughly three to four points. Given her opposition, however, Hillary Clinton ought be doing a lot better than that. Consider Clinton's structural advantages over Donald Trump. Whereas top Democratic Party officials are so supportive of her that they even cheated to defeat her primary opponent, hundreds of leading Republicans -- including the speaker of the house and the last two presidential nominees -- have declared war against him. She's been wildly outspending him in televised political advertising. She has campaign field offices in most counties; he doesn't have any in most states. The news media despises him. Then consider her personal advantages. Trump is a novice, never having run for political office. She has served in the cabinet, presented herself for the Senate twice, run for president, weathered countless scandals and political storms. Whereas he rants and raves incoherently, her experience has taught her how to debate, crisis manage, issue sound bites, and carefully calibrate her every phrase for maximum impact and minimum risk. His main advantage is the perception of authenticity -- and it's a big one, having gotten him where he is now -- but it has come at a huge price as all his years of running off at the mouth on and off camera are coming home to roost weeks before election day. Donald Trump has infuriated more than half the voters: women. He has insulted one out of 10 male and female Americans: Latinos, some of whom are registering to vote just to cast a ballot against him. And let's not forget Muslims. Given all that, why is he doing so well? Why is she doing so badly -- or more accurately, so not well? Part of Hillary's problem is personality. Truth be told, she really isn't "likeable enough." "The vote for president is a 'feel' vote," Chris Cillizza wrote in The Washington Post. "Do you think this person is someone who understands you and the problems (and hopes and dreams) you have for yourself and your children?" Polls have consistently shown that most Americans think she doesn't. It's not all sexism: Clinton yells into microphones and overly enunciates. Her voice is objectively irritating. Then there's her incredibly ugly, unbelievably hideous wardrobe: it's hard to like someone who makes your eyes burn. But let's face it. Hillary Clinton, probably like you and definitely like me, can't do anything about her personality. At 68, that stuff is baked in. Still, there's a lot she could do to close the deal against Donald Trump -- to widen her within-the-margin-of-statistical-error lead to a chasm, the insurmountable landslide that her institutional and other advantages would have guaranteed a better candidate. It's about policy, stupid. Recommendation #1: Guarantee Bernie Sanders a high-profile position in the cabinet. (She should have made him vice president, but it's too late for that.) Even after the Democratic convention in which Sanders endorsed her, more than a third of Bernie voters -- roughly 1/6 of the electorate -- still weren't behind her. Annoyed that Clinton didn't grant any significant concessions to the party's progressive base, many of them will vote for Jill Stein or stay home. I've been prognosticating about American politics for decades, and I've never been more certain of a prediction: a firm guarantee that Bernie Sanders will have a seat at the table for the next four years would singlehandedly put an end to Trump's chances. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). It seems Kafka has come to America. It must be Kafka, for who else could craft such a spectacle of utter absurdity? A Kafkaesque nightmare! Who else would drape the backdrop of a stage in the red, white, and blue while dangling, gleefully, the words TRUMP and CLINTON , all caps and bold! And there, center-stage, rising from the stage is Trump and Clinton. Applause! Frantic Applause, please! We've never seen anything like this moment! No here. Not in the US. So he, Kafka, must have come! Because there is the one candidate who is blatantly racist and the other who is...well, racist. Less blatantly, yes, but all the more dangerously, racist. Who else but Kafka could script such double talk but make it sound so perfectly normal, rational, unquestionable. And what is said could be laughable, except you can't laugh because you have discovered that you are Joseph K in real time. And you will also have to make a decision, an important decision in real time, not just your survival, but the survival of this nation, the survival of this planet, Earth. If only you'd wake up, the half of the spectacle that is Trump, the sexist, mega-egotistical billionaire would disappear. If only you'd wake up, the half of the spectacle that is Clinton, the war-hawk and millionaire would vanish. If you vote for the female candidate, you'd not have to endure recordings of the male candidate bragging groping the genitals of the women (because he just can't help himself; he loves women so much). But the female candidate brags about her love for friends, corporate CEOs who are friends of hers and of Bills. And, no, your name is not on her list of friends. And if you one of those weirdos, freaks, wit the silly agenda of ending the "good" American practice of fracking, if you are needlessly obsessed about climate change and the survival of life as we know it on this planet, Clinton, that liberal candidate, has three words for you: "Get a life!"...And I have to tell you, you are awake! It's not Kafka! This is not a long-running movie. It's not a fiction, and you are awake! But it is not. You are, to use Trump's words, "living in the real world," fellow Americans. This is not a Kafkaesque moment; it's a moment America has made. This is a very American moment in history. Fear of racial difference! This fear of other human beings is American. It's passed down generation after generation. Fear of others! No Kafka but white Americans imagining others as not human in the social and cultural narrative in which justifiable torture, kidnapping, and murder made it possible for white Americans to believe this land is their land, and therefore, it is still and will always be if we are to remain safe, remain Americans, the true Americans necessary to torture, to kidnap, and to murder Black and Brown, Asian and Muslim, anyone not American! A long history of lies and deception has brought us here to this stage, to this 2016 presidential election. Here we are again knowing we are not among the selected, the chosen, stamped and approved for full entrance, for citizenship. And to do what, if not participate in the history of torture, kidnapping, and murder. How can we not if there has never been anything but betrayal and erasure, erasure of the real crime and or memory of it! Erasure of our history from our own minds! From the collective minds of white America... We are forced to listen again to a carefully-crafted script that demands we all sit up, and temporarily be good and American, those of you who are Other ! Sit up, watch and listen! Listen and watch. It's all for you, our show. We take in everyone, and we insist everyone should, MUST, participate, or how un-American can you be! Everyone must decide. And vote. Ultimately, vote! Where to begin? Most Americans seem to be unaware that Islam came to the new colonies with the first enslaved African. That is, the first enslaved Africans in the US would have been Muslims! According to Sylviane A. Diouf ( Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved In the Americas ) "the civil wars and the jihad of nineteenth-century central Sudan, for instance, sent many Muslims sold by other Muslims to the Americas." Captive Muslims in Catholic countries were "forcibly baptized" and converted to Christianity before they were sent to America. They were called ladinos. Senegambians, among the first ladinos , "were the first Africans sold to the New World." The first implantation of Islam was not superficial, writes Diouf. On the contrary, "it was deeply rooted and for that reason could withstand deportation. During slavery, on both sides of the Atlantic, Africans were devout Muslims, sincere believers, strict practitioners, and active agents in the development and shaping of their religious and cultural world," despite forced conversion to Christianity. Many of these enslaved Muslims were literate, able to both read and write. The first slave revolts in the Americas were the result of rebellions among the Wolof and Fulani. Islam in the form of enslaved Africans was part of the US landscape long before many ethnic European emigrants settled in the US. But listen to Donald Trump. Muslims are terrorists! He doesn't need to say this; his rhetoric implies as much. It sends the message to Americans so inclined to view Muslims as terrorists that it is okay to think of extreme measures to safeguard the US and law-abiding American citizens from Muslims. During in his campaign for the presidency, he's called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." In April of this year, Politico reported that conservative billionaire Charles Koch called the plan a "monstrous" idea, "reminiscent of Nazi Germany." But how many Americans nodded in silence? In his first debate with Hilary Clinton, Trump, when asked about his plan to "ban" Muslims from entering the US, toned down the banning idea. Muslims are still in his cross hairs. He wants "extreme vetting" of them. As for Muslims already citizens of the US, Trump wants them "registered." Registered! Where would Trump begin? How many times in this presidential campaign have we heard Trump boast that he will build a wall between the US and Mexico--and Mexico, he's said, will pay for it! And you know why, America, good law-abiding American citizens, because Mexico sends us the criminals! "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best...They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." Some! If you listened to the response of both Trump and Clinton when asked about race , you would think all Black Americans are criminal. Trumps wants Americans to know that he's the "least racist person that you have ever met." That's right! Trump can't disavow the KKK or denounce David Duke's endorsement of his candidacy, but he's not racist. And what of the shootings of Black Americans by the police? Not much there either. In fact, his response to the first debate's moderator, Lester Holt, when asked about his plans to address race in America, Trump had this to say: "The problem in our poorest communities is not that there are too many police. The problem is that there are not enough police." Trump still believes that Trisha Meili was raped and brutalized in Central Park by the five young men (actually children at the time) arrested and convicted after all were coerced by the police to contribute false confessions to an already socially-created narrative of Black violence. They were five human beings but described by the media as a "wolf pack." Animals, in other words, predators, larger than life creatures, preying on humans (whites) and particular women (again, white women). Recall police officer Darren Wilson's description of the unarmed Micheal Brown he shot because he saw a "hulk" like creature. In the Central Park Five case, the actual attacker, Matias Reyes, confessed to the crime in 2002, and the convictions against five innocent young men were vacated. Among actual evidence presented in the Reyes case, DNA found at the scene matched Reyes' DNA! From the office of District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau came this statement: A comparison of the statements reveals troubling discrepancies...The accounts given by the five defendants differed from one another on the specific details of virtually every major aspect of the crime--who initiated the attack, who knocked the victim down, who undressed her, who struck her, who held her, who raped her, what weapons were used in the course of the assault, and when in the sequence of events the attack took place...In many other respects the defendants' statements were not corroborated by, consistent with, or explanatory of objective, independent evidence. And some of what they said was simply contrary to established fact. Yet Trump sees predators, Black predators! Is Morgenthau a traitor! What an unpatriotic confession on the part of the criminal justice system, for Morgenthau's statement is a confession , even if singular, revealing to the world how the criminal justice treats Black Americans. As a breach against the social narrative on Black America as the site of American violence, it exposes the true location of violence in this nation. He, Trump, objects! Trump had been objecting to any confession of the truth long before the convictions of those five Black children. In fact, Trump campaigned to have the five young men executed, taking out a full-page ad in the Daily News in May 1989 that read: Bring Back the Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police! Victims, Trump told Larry King, had no rights. Criminals, on the other hand, have "unbelievable rights." Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. Okay, here's your quiz of the day: What country, according to the Congressional Research Service, has been the "largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since World War II," to the tune of $124.3 billion, and most of it military in nature? Great Britain, Germany, Japan, the Philippines? The answer: none of the above. The correct response is Israel. In the midst of an election campaign in which almost nothing can't be brawled about, military aid to Israel might be the only nonpartisan issue left. After all, President Obama, who hasn't exactly had a chummy relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ascendant Israeli right, recently agreed to a deal that, even compared to the present stratospheric levels of military aid to Israel, the White House has termed "the largest single pledge of military assistance in U.S. history." You're talking about a 10-year deal (2019-2028) for this country's most advanced weaponry (and a lot of less advanced but no less destructive stuff as well) adding up to $38 billion, or about 27% higher than the previous aid package -- though Netanyahu originally asked for $45 billion, which represents chutzpah of a major sort). This was undoubtedly the Obama administration's way of throwing a sop (and quite a sop it is) to the Israeli prime minister in return for the Iran nuclear deal, which he so fervently opposed, and to congressional Republicans who also failed to block that deal (and many of whom are now relatively quiet but eager to pony up yet more military aid for the Israelis). In fact, in an era in which hardly a move the U.S. has made across the Greater Middle East hasn't come a cropper, resulting in collapsing states and spreading terror movements, you could say that Washington has had just one genuine success. As befits the reigning arms trader on the planet, it has poured staggering amounts of weaponry into that embroiled region. Only recently, for instance, we learned from a study by arms expert William Hartung that, since 2009, the Obama administration has offered the Saudis $115 billion worth of arms and advanced weapons systems in 42 separate deals -- a record even for the Saudi-U.S. relationship -- and don't forget similar, if somewhat smaller scale sales, often of advanced weaponry, to Kuwait, Qatar, and other countries in the region. It's quite a record. (U.S.A.! U.S.A.!) Now, TomDispatchregular Sandy Tolan, author of Children of the Stone, puts that future $38 billion worth of weaponry for Israel in the context of the larger Israeli-Palestinian "peace process" in order to suggest just how bankrupt Washington's policies in the Middle East actually are. Tom Throwing in the Towel What the Bankruptcy of White House Policy Means for the Israelis and Palestinians By Sandy Tolan Washington has finally thrown in the towel on its long, tortured efforts to establish peace between Israel and the Palestinians. You won't find any acknowledgement of this in the official record. Formally, the U.S. still supports a two-state solution to the conflict. But the Obama administration's recent 10-year, $38-billion pledge to renew Israel's arsenal of weaponry, while still ostensibly pursuing "peace," makes clear just how bankrupt that policy is. For two decades, Israeli leaders and their neoconservative backers in this country, hell-bent on building and expanding settlements on Palestinian land, have worked to undermine America's stated efforts -- and paid no price. Now, with that record weapons package, the U.S. has made it all too clear that they won't have to. Ever. The military alliance between the United States and Israel has long been at odds with the stated intentions of successive administrations in Washington to foster peace in the Holy Land. One White House after another has preferred the "solution" of having it both ways: supporting a two-state solution while richly rewarding, with lethal weaponry, an incorrigible client state that was working as fast as it could to undermine just such a solution. This ongoing duality seemed at its most surreal in the last few weeks. First, President Obama announced the new military deal, with its promised delivery of fighter jets and other hardware, citing the "unshakable" American military alliance with Israel. The following week, at the United Nations, he declared, "Israel must recognize that it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land." Next, he flew to Israel for the funeral of Shimon Peres, and in a tribute to the Nobel Prize-winning former Israeli president, spoke of a man who grasped that "the Jewish people weren't born to rule another people" and brought up the "unfinished business" of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. (Peres is remembered quite differently by Palestinians as an early pioneer of settlement building and the author of the brutal Operation Grapes of Wrath assaults on Lebanon in 1996.) Not long after the funeral, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brazenly approved a new settlement deep in the West Bank, prompting the State Department to "strongly condemn" the action as "deeply troubling." Such scolding words, however, shrivel into nothingness in the face of a single number: 38 billion. With its latest promise of military aid, the United States has essentially sanctioned Israel's impunity, its endless colonization of Palestinian land, its military occupation of the West Bank, and its periodic attacks by F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters using Hellfire missiles on the civilians of Gaza. Yes, Hamas's crude and occasionally deadly rockets sometimes help provoke Israeli fire, and human rights investigations have found that both sides have committed war crimes. But Israel's explosive power in the 2014 Gaza war, fueled in large part by American military aid and political support, exceeded that of Hamas by an estimated 1,500-to-1. By one estimate, all of Hamas's rockets, measured in explosive power, were equal to 12 of the one-ton bombs Israel dropped on Gaza. And it loosed hundreds of those, and fired tens of thousands of shells, rockets and mortars. In the process, nearly 250 times more Palestinian civilians died than civilians in Israel. Now, with Gaza severed from the West Bank, and Palestinians facing new waves of settlers amid a half-century-long military occupation, the U.S. has chosen not to apply pressure to its out-of-control ally, but instead to resupply its armed forces in a massive way. This means that we've finally arrived at something of a historic (if hardly noticed) moment. After all these decades, the two-state solution, critically flawed as it was, should now officially be declared dead -- and consider the United States an accomplice in its murder. In other words, the Obama administration has handed Israel's leaders and the neoconservatives who have long championed this path the victory they've sought for more than two decades. The Chaos Kids Twenty years ago, the pro-Israel hard right in America designed the core strategy that helped lead to this American capitulation. In 1996, a task force led by neocons Richard Perle (future chairman of the Defense Policy Board), David Wurmser (future senior Middle East adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney), Douglas Feith (future undersecretary of defense), and others issued a policy paper aimed at incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm" advocated that Israel walk away from its embrace of the Oslo peace process and Oslo's focus on territorial concessions. The paper's essential ingredients included weakening Israel's neighbors via regime change in Saddam Hussein's Iraq and "roll back" in Syria and Iran. The authors' recommendations turned out to be anything but a wish list, given that a number of them would soon hold influential positions in the administration of George W. Bush. As journalist Jim Lobe wrote in 2007: "[T]he task force, which was chaired by Perle, argued that regime change in Iraq -- of which Feith was among the most ardent advocates within the Pentagon -- would enable Israel and the U.S. to decisively shift the balance of power in the region so that Israel could make a 'clean break' from the Oslo process (or any framework that would require it to give up 'land for peace') and, in so doing, 'secure the realm' against Palestinian territorial claims." Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121 "Wonderful work! An insightful, integrative adventure into what makes humans flourish. Rob Kall shows us that we know how to do this, that most of human history was about connection and that there are ways to make it happen again. He offers real solutions and practical suggestions for taking back the world for community, connection and well-beingaway from hierarchy, exclusion, and destruction. A new handbook for the necessary revolution!" Darcia Narvaez, Professor of psychology, Notre Dame, University, author of Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom If I were American I would vote for Trump. More than ever. Even though all controversies, debates, disputes and sexual harassment complaints. I dont doubt the testimony of all the women, but if they are true why they have waited so a long time? Why didnt they denounce Mr. Trump at the beginning of the electoral campaigning for example? Or even before? Some of them date back to 1980. Thirty-six years ago? For Gods sake. Mr. Trump is doing a campaign against his own party, the establishment, the mass media, and the Democratic Party. Even against President Obama and his wife. They must be afraid because never, untill now, has a president entered in campaign like this. But why if Donald Trump is so bad has he won all other Republican candidates? Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush among others. Most of them with more policital experiencie, background or even pedigree than him. Nobody gave a dollar for him at the start of the race. Well, hes still there. Nowdays, Mr. Trump is the victim of a dirty war being waged by the Democratic Party. This is probably normal in a campaign when you have to choose between one or another. But never like this. And he didnt start it. Mrs. Hillary Clinton used these episodes -starting with Miss Alicia Machado- on very thin ice. Have we forgotten what her husband did in the Oval Office? The same Oval Office used by Eisenhower, Kennedy, Reagan to take some of the most important decisions in American history?. I dont care if Mr. Trump is a playboy or not. Thats only a matter between his wife and him. Nevertheless at seventy years old it must be difficult. Come on, guys, why are going to judge a person for what he said in a private conversation in 2005? They have to be really desperate to dig this deep in the trash can. How many men have presumed to flirt with this or that woman? Or even to make sexual advances? As is said in the Bible: Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. Do we now have to scrutinize the private life of the President of the United States? Do you now that here, in Europe, the former French President Francois Mitterrand, one of most beloved, has had a double life for 30 years?. He had even a daugther outside legal marriage. French people discovered the love affair after his death in 1995. And, at the funeral, the widow and the mistress were almost side by side. More examples: The current president, Francois Hollande, was caught by a photographer in motorbike when he went to see his lover, the French actress Julie Gayet, when he was still involved with another woman, a journalist. Some of their predecessors had similar love live. Valery Giscard dEstaing, president between 1974 and 1981, had also a large reputation. And there is an urban legend that was impossible to find Jacques Chirac (1995-2007) during the death of Lady Di because he was not in the Elysee Palace. Maybe Mr. Trump is a bigmouth but he is judged only by his words. Nothing else. Instead, Hillary Clinton can be judged by her acts. Have we already forgotten the 30,000 emails? Well, yes, the FBI exculpated her, but who appoints the director of FBI? And whats happening with the Clinton Foundation? It has been receiving funds when she still was Secretary of State. Do you trust Hillary Clinton? Do you think she can be president? It reminds me of an actress. She could be the perfect aunt in Modern Family or another TV series. Its like the criticism against the construction of a wall in the border between the States and Mexico. What do you think is being done now by the French and British in the harbour of Calais, the gate to United Kingdom? Even the Greek prime minister, the leftist Mr. Alexis Tsipras, has expelled refugees and immigrants from their camps in the Greek islands. So, why the hypocrisy? The most interested in a real immigration law are the 11 million of illegal immigrants that they are now in the States. Their future, and the future of their sons, depends on a real immigration policy. Whatever happens on next 4th November I think Mr. Trump has already won. Hes the the American dream in person: hes rich, hes a successful businessman and he has a beautiful wife (although I missed in the campaign in the last days: she has to counteract Michelle Obama). Michelle Obama said some days ago that it was a rough week in an already rough election but they started the dirty war! Anyway, I am firmly convinced that Trump can win. Even against the the press or the stars of Hollywood. Do you remember the famous first page of The Chigago Tribune on 3rd November 1948 -sorry, guys- Dewey defeats Truman. Truman won. The matter of the question is that -in the era of Twitter, Facebook and others social networks- mass media have been losing their audience and what is most important- their influence. People think for themselves. Xavier Rius is the editor of the online newspaper e-noticies, based in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) Vistas de pagina en total Precio del Brent To get the BRENT oil price, please enable Javascript. Precio del WTI To get the oil price, please enable Javascript. Precio del Oro To get the gold price, please enable Javascript. 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Por culpa de Chavez Cerveza Polar Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar Translate LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares? Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano... Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos: Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias. Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera. No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje. En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio. Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida. Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella. Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal. Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista. Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen. Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che? Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio. Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora. Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo. Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo. Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania. No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar. Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga. Alguna duda? Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia. OZ1 OZ2 OZ3 OZ4 Homenaje a Jason Galarraga La Victoria de Samotracia Odalisca Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008 La Sierra Nevada de Merida Nuestro precioso Churum Meru Homenaje a Picasso Autoretrato Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola? La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar. Mi profesion? Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos. Sal en la Coca Cola? A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar. De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla: Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido) azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa) Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas Mucha Cafeina Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja. Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos. Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja. En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero). Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma. La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate. Bebidas Light? Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal. Publicado por loretahur En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina: 1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias. 2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina. 3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard. 4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos. 5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla. 6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos. Ahora... sobre la margarina: 1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) . 2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias. 3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno). 4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer. 5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna. 6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo. 7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina. Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas: * No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo). * No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!! No a la guerra, Si a la Paz Misterios de la ciencia... Los costos de la guerra medicos y capitalismo... Capitalismo... medicos (2) Quien educa a nuestros hijos? Los Medios... Sin Palabras... Chistes feministas - Cual es el problema, Eva? - Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas. - Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas... - Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti. - Que es un hombre? - Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente. - Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente. - Cual es el truco?. - Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion. - Cual? - Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer. Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Ellas... Ellas (2)... Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1 Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije: -Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro. Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria. Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre? -Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa! VENGANZA NUMERO 2 Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris. A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita: - Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!! Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta. La mujer paso quince dias en Francia. El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla. Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es: - Y amor me trajiste mi francesita?? - Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina. VENGANZA NUMERO 3 El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion. - No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo. - Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz. Te quiero confesar algo. - Esta bien, esta bien. Habla! - He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga. - Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!! machismo y cibernetica Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston. -Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide. -Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!. .Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos. Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco. Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas Gol !!!! Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso! Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy! LHC. Credit: CERN The Large Hadron Collider at CERN is the world's largest particle accelerator, and experiments like this have reached a scale where physicists are no longer able to build them alone. Instead, qualified engineers now lead the construction of these behemoths. And we are part of a team of engineers and physicists working on upgrading the LHC and eventually constructing a successor. On the surface CERN is a 1960s glass and concrete building. It's often described as what people 50 years ago thought the future might look like. The cafeteria looks like any other, except you probably don't get as many Nobel Prize winners in most canteens. But the real work goes on underneath the surface. The tunnel that houses the LHC is 27km in circumference, which is the same as the Circle Line in London's underground system. But while the deepest London tube line is only 60 meters down, the LHC is 175 metres below ground. In the tunnel is also 50,000 tonnes of equipment weighing the same as six Eiffel Towers. The LHC works by colliding two beams of particles at very high energy, travelling in a circle close to the speed of light before they are crashed into each other. The particles used are protons positively charged particles that make up the atomic nucleus, along with neutrons that are attracted to negatively charged plates. Metallic chambers called "radiofrequency cavities" contain strong electromagnetic fields that are used to accelerate the protons. The LHC has the world's highest accelerator magnet and the world's largest superconducting system at 10,000 superconducting magnets. These have wires with zero electrical resistance at low temperatures, meaning they can create intense magnetic fields. LCH also has the highest current controlled to very high precision and the highest proton-beam energy (13 TeV). So to build an accelerator like the LHC we need electrical engineers, electronic engineers, mechanical engineers and civil engineers with a huge range of specialisations including radio frequency acceleration systems, cryogenics, control, tunnel drilling and mechanical stability. The energy stored in each beam is the same as an airbus jet travelling at take-off speed and can melt 12 tonnes of copper. So the materials used must be able to take this hit, and this requires a lot of engineers testing them and controlling systems that avoid the beam depositing all its energy in one spot. Energy management is also a big task the LHC requires 120MW, which is 10% of the entire energy budget of Geneva and 50% of the largest power station in the northwest of England. Risky business When running, the machine is too radioactive to go into. This radiation is produced when protons interact with the nuclei of surrounding material or gas. But every few years it undergoes a long shutdown to allow engineers to install new components. On the surface the collider entrance looks much like a building site, and hard hats must be worn. There are many risks including high radiation levels from stray protons hitting the walls and generating showers of particles, high voltages, cold cryogenic gasses in confined spaces (which have exploded in the past), as well as the usual heavy items falling and of being in a tunnel deep beneath the surface. There is a long wait as the lift takes you down into the depths. The detectors are pretty big to begin with but when you get close and see on a small scale the amount of electronics packed into every space of a three-storey tall detector you realise the scale of the engineering involved. The same goes for the tunnels themselves. A lot of the engineering work conducted at CERN isn't in the tunnels, however, but in the many testing laboratories or assembly areas. Lancaster University is involved in testing the LHC's acceleration cavities. Huge radio-frequency amplifiers (like big mobile phones) blast the cavities with enormous powers to test if they can withstand the massive electric fields generated in the particle accelerators. Because of radiation, everything is controlled from a little room filled with racks of computers and electronics. The cavities are sensitive to dirt and dust, which can cause them to fail. They are therefore cleaned with water so pure it can eat through metal pipes. To remove the surface layer we also use acid mixtures containing the extremely potent hydrofluoric acid. Often these tests run continuously so one of us Graeme often spends 24 hours in a concrete room with no windows staring at a screen. But once you know what's on the screen, and what every blip means, it's definitely more exciting. LHC tunnel. Credit: Julian Herzog/wikipedia, CC BY-SA CERN makes a lot of the specialist components themselves so there are also large workshops with massive cutting and welding machines, staffed by some of the world's top technicians. Bigger and better We are now working with the physicists to design the LHC's successor, which will be 100km in circumference. Before that the LHC will be upgraded to operate with ten times the number of collisions to allow the physicists to discover new particles faster. The UK is involved in this through the High Luminosity-LHC-UK project, led by the Universities of Manchester and Lancaster, in which engineers work with physicists to create the new technology. This will involve building new superconducting radio-frequency systems that create 3m-volt electric fields to align the bunches of protons to within nanometer precision. A superconducting material, which has zero electrical resistance at low temperatures, allows these devices to store energy with very low energy loss. Engineers are also looking at special "collimators" which remove stray particles in the beam and hence must be able to take huge energy being deposited on them. This involves creating superconducting cables that can transport the huge currents required to power the magnets from the surface to the tunnel without loss. Physicists and CERN engineers will also develop new ways of measuring the proton beams. CERN is leading to ground-breaking scientific research that is advancing our knowledge of the world around us. And it is through the collaborative work of the world's finest engineers, alongside the best scientific minds, that are making these discoveries possible. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Che Voigt believes his company has solved problems that have plagued the working world since the advent of typing. It's a solution to hunched backs, stiff necks and tight shoulders. It's a workstation that, with a push of a button, transitions from a standing desk to a seated table to a fully reclined platform like a dentist's chair. Its seat expands and retracts, supporting the whole body from head to heels. Its desk moves up, down and rotates. There's a screen and mouse and keyboard that follows the user's eyes and hands. It's the way of the future, he says; the most comfortable you can possible be working at a computer. And it starts at $5,900. Before anyone scoffs, Voigt has a defense: 1) Don't knock it until you've tried it, and 2) If people don't invest in ergonomics now, they'll pay for it later. And if Silicon Valley's track record is anything to go by, Voigt might be onto something. Tech firms have long embraced wacky inventions that promise heightened productivity and creativity - and the industry has a history of making them mainstream. Height-adjustable desks and $1,000 Herman Miller chairs that once seemed extravagant are no longer common just at software startups; schools, government agencies and even the White House have gotten on board. Whether it's open floor plans, ergonomic keyboards or yoga ball chairs, workplaces far removed from the tech world often co-opt the quirky and often costly office cultures of firms like Apple, Google and Facebook in hope that some of their success rubs off. "Comfort is material to creativity," said Voigt, 45, chief executive of Altwork, a company that builds each workstation by hand in a barn on a 65-acre family property shared with Zinfandel wine grapes in California's Sonoma County. "If you're stressed or distressed, the mind can't fall into creativity. We want to get into an area where you can be productive and do really good work." Twenty years ago, ergonomics was about finding a decent office chair and doing the occasional stretch throughout the day, said Joy Boese, an ergonomics specialist at E3 Consulting who has worked with companies such as Toyota and Netflix. It was considered an office perk, something filed in the "nice to have" category. Today, particularly in tech land, it's expected. "Now it's about tracking your health, tracking your steps, seeing how you spend your day, integrating fitness desks, treadmill desks, Zen rooms for people to take a moment to rest their mind," Boese said. "These companies want people to feel like it's more than just coming to work - they want a happy, healthy, engaged workforce." Silicon Valley is at the forefront of this, Boese said, which is no surprise, given that it is traditionally "two to three years ahead of the curve." But it's also characteristic of the Valley's ruthless optimization and productivity ethos. It was software engineers who popularized Soylent, the liquid meal replacement for techies. It was tech CEOs such as Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs who streamlined their wardrobes into a uniform, a move that Zuckerberg has justified saying it helped "clear my life so that I have to make as few decisions as possible ... on things that are silly or frivolous." And it was the tech world that normalized "lockdowns" - intense work periods when employees don't leave the office until a project is done. These cultural quirks reflect the immense pressure that many tech workers face to deliver big projects on tight deadlines, justifying not only their own salaries but also their companies' lofty valuations. The Altwork Station is designed for these people, said Voigt, who describes them as "high-intensity computer users." "Being comfortable at your desk is really important," said Helen Wu, director of growth partnerships at San Francisco tech firm AppLovin, where every employee can choose between a sitting or standing desk and request ergonomic gadgets. Wu herself doesn't have an Altwork Station, but she uses a laptop stand on her desk, an ergonomic keyboard and a Handshoe mouse - a wireless gadget that looks like a fedora made for aliens - from the Netherlands. "Having a setup where you don't have to worry about your physiology lets you focus on your work," she said. The tech industry isn't unique when it comes to valuing productivity. Wall Street, which has a reputation for brutal efficiency and long hours, has also invested in ergonomics. What sets Silicon Valley apart, according to ergonomics specialists who have worked with both industries, is its lack of self-consciousness and its willingness to go all-in. That's why five-toe shoes (with separate nooks for each toe, like a glove for the foot) and telepresence robots - tablet computers on rolling pedestals that offer off-site employees an in-person presence - are not uncommon on tech campuses, but remain rare in New York's Financial District. "We worked with a brokerage firm to redesign their office into an open plan space, and it was hard to get people out of private offices," said Melissa Steach, an ergonomics specialist at Herman Miller, the furniture firm whose midcentury designs are now ubiquitous in the tech industry. "There was a lot of ego attached to it, the whole 'I'm a baller, I've earned this office and you don't have one.'" Silicon Valley, meanwhile, isn't wary of workplace weirdness. It has embraced it - reclining chairs, bike-pedal footstools, treadmill desks and all. There's a copycat element to it too, said Michael Lukasik, a brand development manager for West Elm Workspace, an arm of the housewares business that furnishes offices. Startups often express Google-shaped aspirations even if their businesses couldn't be further from Google's. "These smaller companies are coming to us and saying, 'We saw images of Google's offices - can you help us accomplish this?'" Lukasik said. "Everyone wants to attract the same talent that Google or Apple attracts and retains." It doesn't always work, of course. The Googles and Facebooks of the world were at least bringing in revenue before they started lavishing their employees with ergonomic perks. Some startups find themselves in the reverse situation, spending big before they've hit the jackpot. "It's not unusual to hear that some company just got a round of financing and bought 20 (Herman Miller) Aeron chairs, or that another just bought 40 at a discount from another startup that went bust," said Mike Vorhaus, Silicon Valley and technology analyst. "I absolutely think this is a follow-the-leader thing." Still, many tech firms swear by it, reporting that ergonomic furniture has led to happier, healthier and more productive employees. Outside Los Angeles, underwear subscription startup MeUndies has an office decked out in Herman Miller furniture, with $660 chairs, $1,000 sit-to-stand desks and an open floor plan designed by ergonomists. "The most telling stat is employee retention," said Terry Lee, MeUndies' chief operating officer. "In the two years I've been here we've only had two employees voluntarily leave. In less than a year we've doubled our headcount. I think it translates to employee happiness, and workplace ergonomics tie into that." For most companies, the draw of ergonomics is the effect that it is believed to have on the bottom line. "The companies buying these know if they can get their project done a little sooner, it pays huge dividends," Voigt said. If a company could squeeze even 10 more minutes of worker efficiency each day, then the cost of an Altwork Station "is completely insignificant," he said. Voigt is a mechanical engineer by trade and spent most of his career working on aerospace systems. He started on the Altwork Station five years ago when a family friend, who couldn't sit for long periods of time because of an injury, came to him with the idea of a chair that would let him work in repose. Voigt didn't think the project would take long. After all, how hard could it be to design a chair? "Well, it's not just a chair," he said. "You have to have a desk, and you have to learn about the human body, you have to figure out what to do with devices, and there are all these wonderful problems to solve to get it right." The Altwork Station is pricier than comparable offerings from Herman Miller and Steelcase, but it's more adjustable and, according to Voigt, the transitions are more seamless. Users can set their ideal position and the station will remember it. Some of the Valley's biggest tech companies have already expressed interest in the Altwork Station, although Voigt wouldn't say which ones. The company, backed by self-funding and $3 million from angel investors, started shipping pre-orders late last month. Although he understands that productivity is probably the desk's strongest selling point, Voigt insists that the Altwork Station is a solution to neck, shoulder and back contortions we perform every day just to use a computer. "Humans have created all these fantastic things while hunched over a computer," he said. "The fact that we've advanced all this tech but haven't supported our body in any different way is insane to me." 2016 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Professor of Earth Sciences at Utrecht University and former director of Rotterdam's Museum of Natural History biologist Jelle Reumer Seals peep from Amsterdam's famous canals, while rare bats huddle in the eaves of houses, next to nesting birds. Wildlifeof the animal kindis on the rise in the teeming Dutch capital. More than 10,000 different animal species roam the city's nooks and crannies, sharing space already packed with around 800,000 Amsterdamers and millions of annual tourists, according to a new study. And it appears to be an exodus out of the countryside, providing a potent illustration of the natural world's extraordinary resilience, experts and scientists say. Since 2012 small grey or brown furred harbour seals have occasionally been known to travel down from the North Sea coast, arriving in Amsterdam after slipping through locks at the town of IJmuiden and swimming down the North Sea Canal to the city. And on a rare occasions a lucky few spot the bigger grey seals, a protected European species with their distinctive mottled coat, or even the occasional porpoise. "Biodiversity in Amsterdam has increased in the last decades, which has not been the trend nationally or even internationally," said Geert Timmermans, head of the city's ecology and landscape architecture project. The new study of Amsterdam's biodiversity shows more than a quarter of all animal species living in The Netherlands, including some 300 protected kinds, are found in the densely populated city. Part of the recovery of biodiversity is attributed to a ban on using pesticides to control weeds, as well as on farmland beyond the city limits. And according to WWF Netherlands, the damage caused by humans appears to be more limited in Dutch cities where animal populations have only fallen by 30 percent since 1990, compared to the hedgerows and dunes which have seen a drop of 50 percent and 40 percent in the countryside. Urban planners meanwhile have also increased their focus on maintaining so-called "ecological corridors" or green spaces. Natural evolution "Nature always exists. It adapts, it uses new situations to ensure that it can install itself," said biologist Jelle Reumer, the former director of Rotterdam's museum of natural history. He created waves earlier this year by suggesting that people should not try to intervene to save endangered animals like the panda or rhinoceros, but should allow things to evolve naturally. "Extinction is normal. More species have become extinct throughout geological history than are alive today," Reumer, a professor in Earth Sciences at Utrecht university, told AFP. It is Amsterdam's leafier, wetter outskirts which have proved the most fertile ground for animals looking to set up home. Here natterjack toads, red squirrels, foxes and voles along with the blue-winged grasshopper can be spotted trying to keep out of the clutches of birds of prey like hawks and peregrines. A soprano pipistrelle bat was spotted in Amsterdam for the first time last year, while there is "a cautious recovery" of the swift and sparrow population which had gone into decline. In cities, where several different micro-climates can exist, buildings have replaced cliffs as homes for the pigeons. While the warmer temperaturessometimes 10 degrees C higher than in the countrysidehave caused fig trees to flourish in Utrecht and attracted an Italian grasshopper to The Netherlands. But other experts argue the situation is much more complex and it is hard to compare ecosystems. "There is less biodiversity in the Arctic compared to tropical rainforests. But it is just as unique," stressed Martin Poot, a researcher with the Dutch statistics office. "That is the same for the town or the country." The Exterminator But in the countryside, the large-scale industrialisation of agriculture has led to the disappearance of two-thirds of the wild birds since the 1960s. Sightings of cranes, oystercatchers, redshanks and larks are increasingly rare. It is mankind turning the countryside into an "agricultural desert of cornfields, and cows and only one kind of grass," said Reumer Still, as time passes, species will evolve, he insisted, adding that "cities are very young in geological time. Evolution takes thousands, if not millions of years." The Earth is now facing "its sixth wave of mass extinction," said Reumer, but it is not caused by a meteorite such as wiped out 40 to 60 percent of living species at the end of the Cretaceous period, or a volcanic eruption which killed off 90 percent of species in the Permian period some 252 million years ago. Today's exterminator-in-chief is mankind. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates some 28 percent of mammal species are currently facing extinction. "But mankind is also the only species capable of thinking about what it is doing," Reumer stressedtasking cities like Amsterdam with protecting nature. "It's not too late." 2016 AFP The Mace Head observatory on the West Coast of Ireland, where the atmospheric measurements were made. Credit: University of Bristol Using atmospheric data, academics from the University of Bristol have suggested that emissions of HFC-134a, a potent greenhouse gas, may have been dramatically overestimated in UK reports. This has now prompted the Government to commission a new emissions inventory for this gas. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), per tonne of emissions, make a contribution to climate change that is many thousands of times that of CO2. The most abundant of these, HFC-134a, was originally introduced as a replacement for ozone-depleting CFCs, and is used predominately in car air conditioning units. Because of its contribution to climate change, the UK must report emissions of this gas as part of its commitment to the United Nations. These national inventory reports are constructed using, so called, "bottom-up" methodologies (a type of accountancy method); in each sector, the total number of estimated sources are multiplied by an emissions factor to obtain the total amount released to the atmosphere. However, these estimates are thought to be subject of large uncertainties. Dan Say, a PhD student at the University of Bristol's Atmospheric Chemistry Research Group (ACRG), wanted to examine whether the numbers that the UK government had been reporting for HFC-134a matched up with what we see in the atmosphere. He said: "We often find that, when we compare bottom-up reported emissions with atmospheric data, the two don't match up. "Around the UK, we are very fortunate to have long-running, high-precision measurements that can help us determine whether these reported emissions are accurate." The authors used over 20 years of data from the University of Bristol's Mace Head observatory on the west coast of Ireland, to examine concentrations of HFC-134a in the air, when it had travelled across the UK. Their findings were published recently in Environmental Science and Technology. Dr Alistair Manning, a co-author from the Met Office, said: "Measurements of gas concentration give us an indirect way of monitoring emissions. "We need to use a model that describes how the air mixes and moves from the UK to the monitoring station. Then we can use atmospheric measurements to independently evaluate emissions from the top-down." The study found that the emissions of HFC-134a inferred from the atmospheric data were around half of those reported by the UK Government. This led the authors to work with the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change to examine the assumptions that had been used in the emissions inventory. They found that some factors, particularly relating to how regularly drivers refilled their air conditioning systems, could be erroneous. In light of this work, the Government has commissioned a new emissions inventory for this gas, with the result that the top-down and bottom-up methods now agree more closely. Professor Simon O'Doherty, also from ACRG, said: "This work shows how valuable atmospheric data can be in evaluating a country's emissions. "By working together with the team who compile the Government's inventory, we have been able to get a more accurate understanding of the UK's contribution to climate change." The team are now working to evaluate the UK's inventory of all the major greenhouse gases. A reproduction of a putative wisent painted in the Marsoulas cave (Haute-Garonne, France) during the the Magdalenian period. Credit: Carole Fritz Ancient DNA research has revealed that Ice Age cave artists recorded a previously unknown hybrid species of bison and cattle in great detail on cave walls more than 15,000 years ago. The mystery species, known affectionately by the researchers as the Higgs Bison because of its elusive nature, originated over 120,000 years ago through the hybridisation of the extinct Aurochs (the ancestor of modern cattle) and the Ice Age Steppe Bison, which ranged across the cold grasslands from Europe to Mexico. Research led by the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) at the University of Adelaide, published today in Nature Communications, has revealed that the mystery hybrid species eventually became the ancestor of the modern European bison, or wisent, which survives in protected reserves such as the Bia?owie?a forest between Poland and Belarus. "Finding that a hybridisation event led to a completely new species was a real surprise - as this isn't really meant to happen in mammals," says study leader Professor Alan Cooper, ACAD Director. "The genetic signals from the ancient bison bones were very odd, but we weren't quite sure a species really existed - so we referred to it as the Higgs Bison." The international team of researchers also included the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), Polish bison conservation researchers, and palaeontologists across Europe and Russia. They studied ancient DNA extracted from radiocarbon-dated bones and teeth found in caves across Europe, the Urals, and the Caucasus to trace the genetic history of the populations. Modern European bison (or wisent -- Bison bonasus) from the Biaowie, a Forest in Poland Credit: Rafac Kowalczyk They found a distinctive genetic signal from many fossil bison bones, which was quite different from the European bison or any other known species. Radiocarbon dating showed that the mystery species dominated the European record for thousands of years at several points, but alternated over time with the Steppe bison, which had previously been considered the only bison species present in Late Ice Age Europe. "The dated bones revealed that our new species and the Steppe Bison swapped dominance in Europe several times, in concert with major environmental changes caused by climate change," says lead author Dr Julien Soubrier, from the University of Adelaide. "When we asked, French cave researchers told us that there were indeed two distinct forms of bison art in Ice Age caves, and it turns out their ages match those of the different species. We'd never have guessed the cave artists had helpfully painted pictures of both species for us." The cave paintings depict bison with either long horns and large forequarters (more like the American bison, which is descended from the Steppe bison) or with shorter horns and small humps, more similar to modern European bison. A black charcoal drawing of steppe bison (Bison priscus) from the Aurignacian period -- Chauvet-Pont d'Arc cave (Ardeche, France) Credit: Carole Fritz "Once formed, the new hybrid species seems to have successfully carved out a niche on the landscape, and kept to itself genetically," says Professor Cooper. "It dominated during colder tundra-like periods, without warm summers, and was the largest European species to survive the megafaunal extinctions. However, the modern European bison looks genetically quite different as it went through a genetic bottleneck of only 12 individuals in the 1920s, when it almost became extinct. That's why the ancient form looked so much like a new species." Professor Beth Shapiro, UCSC, first detected the mystery bison as part of her PhD research with Professor Cooper at the University of Oxford in 2001. "Fifteen years later it's great to finally get to the full story out. It's certainly been a long road, with a surprising number of twists," Professor Shapiro says. Five years ago, the largest single release of human-made radioactive discharge to the marine environment resulted from an accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. Approximately 80 percent of the fallout happened over the Pacific Ocean. Jordi Vives i Batlle of the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre explores the environmental consequences in the marine environment of the accident in an article published in the October issue of Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. He outlines the status of current research about the impact of the fallout on plant and animal life and what remains to be done as the radioactivity continues to spread. His article is part of a series of invited commentaries from international experts on "Lessons Learned and Consequences of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident, 5 Years Later." Overall, the radioactivity levels in the marine biota near Fukushima were lower than predicted by some early studies immediately following the accident, and exposures were too low for acute effects at the population level to be observed in marine organisms ranging from microalgae to mollusks to fish. One study cited in the article concluded that the quick radioactive decay of the iodine-131 (one of the main isotopes, initially) and the confinement of the fallout to only some species and areas close to the power station were contributing factors to the low threshold exposure. However, more recent studies have shown variable levels in individual fish, though they too confirm that population-level effects have not been observed. The variability in fish has numerous confounding factorsthe fishes' position in the food chain, where they live in the water column and their migratory patterns, to name a few. Additionally, there is a hypothesis that sediments have delayed the dispersal of the radioactive substances. Benthic fish, those at the bottom of the ocean, are more exposed to contaminated sediments and receive higher dose rates than pelagic fish living in the higher levels of the water column. Vives i Batlle concludes that additional research is still required to fully understand the long-term effects that the fallout has had and that there is a need to continue studying the few "hotspots" very near the power station. The long-term fate of the contamination is still unknown, and information about how much radiation is stored in sediments and how much is still leaking from delayed sources, such as groundwater, has yet to be quantified. The research available so far on the risk to the marine environment is encouraging, but key research questions remain unanswered, signaling the direction for future investigations. More information: Jordi Vives i Batlle, Impact of the Fukushima accident on marine biota, five years later, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (2016). DOI: 10.1002/ieam.1825 Provided by Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry In Richard Brautigans classic surrealist novel, Trout Fishing In America, the narrator visits a store selling trout streams by the foot. They are stacked in piles like pieces of lumber, each length corresponding to a different price. In Jez Butterworths 2012 play The River, produced by Quantum Theatre, its as if they picked out a 20-foot piece of stream from this store and slapped it onto the stage. This construct is ignored at firstthe actors literally hopping over itand the audience is forced to wonder whether its one of many surreal conceits. But then it is not ignored. And that is what makes this drama so absorbing: we are presented with information and action that may be illusionary or may be real. Its the same challenging dilemma the New Wave cinema directors gave us with their shifting perspectives, and it seems the best way to view this production is just that like a film. The River plays with time and memory in an unapologetic fashion, jump-cutting the two unnamed female characters in and out with scene transitions as if they might be the same person. Imagine the relativity of Alan Ayckbourns Taking Steps, but instead of condensing the physicality of space, we are witnessing the compression of emotional time. Director Adil Mansoor makes this work brilliantly and, though we may not always know exactly what is transpiring, we are never confused. Its like looking at a Stuart Davis painting: for every degree of abstraction there is a degree of concrete identity, anchoring our faith in that what the artist is doing is really allowing us to see something deeper than what either a completely abstract or a literal depiction would reveal. The three primary actors are all strong and consistently so, which is essential to the success of such a performance: if the enjambed scene transitions revealed any stitching they would utterly fail. None of the characters are given names, and hence are always referred to in the second person, which creates a sense of ambiguity. It also allows for the blurring of identities, which becomes the main trope of this drama. We first encounter the characters played by Daina Michelle Griffith and Andrew William Smith enjoying a vacation in Smiths cabin by a trout-filled river. They appear to be new lovers. Yet Griffith addresses him in the past-tense more than in the present, recounting in great detail events of that morning, as if they happened long ago. The second-person voice is used as a psychological dredging tool, much as it is in the film Hiroshima mon amour, which also involves a love triangle that fuses past and present, and one lover with another. After Griffith goes into another room, Siovhan Christensens character appears, or is it a reappearance? The action continues, the recounting continues, the trout stream is still running through the cabin, nothing else has changed, and yet somehow, we feel that time has passed in a significant way. The two female characters continue to enter and exit the stage, usually through the same door, and even begin to dress similarly. Their flow of dialogue with the male character questions the idea of temporality: are we in the now, or are we in the past, especially when we are in love? (Butterworth is obviously a huge fan of Harold Pinter). If youve ever had a relationship with someone who couldnt get over his or her past relationships, then you will find much resonance in this work. In fact, I heard several audience members murmuring such recognitions as they exited the theatre. The language is lyric, and even poetic in places. Sound designer Steve Shapiro complements this with a delicate reed and flute theme, and then achieves spectacular irony as Smith scales, guts, and cooks a large trout, listening to Miles Davis gorgeous Blue in Green. This evolves into the kind of seduction scene Hemingways Nick Adams would truly appreciate. Quantums utilization of in situ locations has the stage sitting next to the Allegheny River which is certainly picturesque, but unfortunately, also happens to be next to a railroad trestle. When trains pass, which happens several times during the show, the blasts are so loud they drown out the actors. If ever a production offered a Brechtian alienation device, this is it. Britton Mauks set puts us right in one of those Hemingway short stories where you can smell the fishing nets and gear drying on pegs in the walls. The trout stream running through the cabin does eventually come alive and evolves into something integral to the story. For all the excellence of the writing and the staging, Griffith, Smith, and Christensen deserve immense credit for turning an ethereal premise into transformational theatre. The highest compliment I can give to this production is perhaps the rarestthe audience comes away with a genuine and personal reaction. Whether you take what happens in The River as literal, or surreal, the experience is transcendent. GRANVILLE A two-time felon ran from police as they tried to arrest him Monday afternoon for illegally possessing a gun, authorities said. Walter J. Mulhall, 46, of county Route 30, Hebron, was arrested after State Police used a Taser electronic stun gun after he fled from them at his place of employment, officials said. Troopers and Granville Police went to Telescope Casual Furniture Co. to arrest Mulhall after Washington County probation officers had gone to his house earlier in the day to do a routine home check. He is on probation for three years for a 2014 misdemeanor resisting arrest conviction in Hebron Town Court, and the conditions of probation include unannounced home checks by probation officers. It was rumored that he may have a gun and the officers wanted to go to his home to clear it up, Washington County Probation Director Anthony White said. They found a .22-caliber rifle there which he could not legally possess, and learned that Mulhall had allegedly fired it at the home in recent days, according to State Police. He has two prior felony convictions, including one for arson in 1993 that stemmed from a spree of suspicious fires to vacant buildings in southern Washington County. Mulhall was a volunteer firefighter at the time, and was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison in the case. Mulhall was charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest and illegal discharge of a firearm, police said. He also will be charged with violating probation. He was arraigned and sent to Washington County Jail for lack of bail. GLENS FALLS The current principal of Cambridge Junior-Senior High School has been appointed the new principal of Glens Falls High School. The Glens Falls Board of Education on Monday appointed Tammy Silvernell to the position. She was given a four-year contract at a starting salary of $114,000. Silvernell will start work on Jan. 3. Silvernell said Tuesday that she is excited for the opportunity to take the next step in her professional growth by moving to a bigger school. She will be supervising about 600 students at Glens Falls High School, compared with about 425 in grades seven through 12 at Cambridge. She has been in administration for nearly eight years and at this stage of a career, sometimes educators move to central office administration such as a director or assistant superintendent, she said. I really enjoy being a principal. I really enjoy working with students. Working with them in a larger setting made sense for me, she said. Silvernell said the Glens Falls staff has already been very welcoming. She is looking forward to working at school with amenities that Cambridge does not have, such as new science laboratories, turf field and pool. They are great spaces for teaching and learning. Im really looking forward to having some updated spaces, she said. Before coming to Cambridge, Silvernell taught French and Spanish at Queensbury for 12 years and foreign language at Glens Falls for six years before that. Silvernell said her experience is an asset. I think it gives me a pretty good perspective on the entire educational process not only from a teacher point of view, but an administrative point of view, she said. Silvernell replaces Mark Stratton, who left at the end of June to become superintendent of Corinth Central School. Mark Doody, retired superintendent of Hudson Falls schools, is serving as interim principal in the meantime. QUEENSBURY Candidates for the 21st Congressional District seat sparred over health care, college costs, the environment and Donald Trump at the second congressional debate on Monday. Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, Democratic candidate Mike Derrick and Green Party nominee Matt Funiciello faced off for 75 minutes at SUNY Adirondack. About a couple hundred people attended the event, which was sponsored by the college, Warren County Economic Development Corporation and the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce. Derrick was first to bring up Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying that he has neither the care, nor the competence to be president of the United States. Derrick, the retired Army colonel from Peru in Clinton County, said Stefanik supporting Trump is a threat to national security. Trump has insulted veterans and Gold Star families, Derrick said. How can she be for veterans and soldiers and still support Donald Trump? he said. Stefanik, R-Willsboro, did not mention Trump by name, but said there is no excuse to attack veterans or Gold Star families. However, she cited her work meeting with veterans throughout the district and trying to fix issues with the Veterans Administration. Earlier, she had mentioned being able to help veterans fight red tape to obtain more than $1 million worth of benefits. Instead of focusing on the national distraction, Im focused on working for you, she said. Funiciello, a bread company owner and political activist from Hudson Falls, focused his attention on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who he said sent men and women into illegal wars as a senator and later as secretary of state. On health care, Derrick said he wants to keep the Affordable Care Act, but implement fixes. Stefanik suggested being able to purchase health insurance across state lines and cited her work to repeal the medical device tax, which hurt manufacturers, and to amend the legislation to allow seniors to keep seeing their own doctors. Funiciello advocated for a single-payer health insurance system by creating Medicare for everyone. He alleged that his opponents would not implement any serious health care changes because they are beholden to corporate pharmaceutical and health insurance interests. Regarding rising college costs, Derrick criticized Stefanik for voting to reduce future funding for college loans. Derrick said it used to be that 80 percent of the cost of college was picked up through state and federal grants, and 20 percent through the students contribution. Now, those percentages are reversed. Stefanik said the government should reduce the red tape and regulations it places on colleges, which can contribute to the rising cost. She also suggested a new program to provide incentives for employers to help students repay loans. She cited the legislation she has introduced to make Pell grants accessible year round, as well as money for career and technical education. Funiciello said education should be viewed as a right and not as a private business. He advocated for free college. Its a drop in the bucket based upon what weve bailed out the bankers and insurance companies for, he said. Regarding expanding telecommunications and broadband, Derrick said access to the internet is as important as having electricity was in an earlier time and government should provide funding to expand access. Anyone who does not have broadband, cannot participate in our 21st century economy, he said. Funiciello agreed that broadband needs to be made a national priority. However, he questioned the political will in Congress to make it happen, because legislators are looking after the cable companies. Stefanik cited legislation to allow farmers priority to apply for internet grants and advocated for more projects such as the investment in white space in Thurman. In making their final pitch, Stefanik cited her efforts to run a transparent and accessible office, work to obtain veterans benefits and advocating for small businesses. I have delivered a bipartisan record of results. I will also be an independent voice when representing this district, she said. Funiciello encouraged people to send a message that they are fed up with the status quo by voting for the Green Party and someone who represents them. I am very proud to be a member of the working class, he said. Derrick accused Stefanik of being a Washington insider and Funiciello of having solutions that the voters are not ready to accept. He also advocated for getting money out of politics, a living wage and reforming the tax system. The wealthy and the powerful in this country are not paying their fair share, he said. GLENS FALLS EDC Warren County recently received a referral from the state about a company searching for property within 10 minutes of exits along the Northway. The local economic group wants communities in northern Warren County, not just Glens Falls and Queensbury, to be considered among options when companies are looking to locate or expand operations along the interstate, a major trade route between Montreal and New York City. EDC Warren County has proposed compiling an inventory of industrial properties near Northway exits 21 to 26, in the vicinity of Lake Luzerne, Lake George, Warrensburg, Bolton Landing, Chestertown and Pottersville, said Edward Bartholomew, president of EDC Warren County. The inventory would include information about zoning, broadband access and water and sewer infrastructure, Bartholomew said at the EDC Warren County board meeting on Tuesday. EDC intends to contract with the town of Queensbury for GIS mapping. We want to conduct a mapping and put that in a brochure, Bartholomew said. The project is contingent on the Warren County Board of Supervisors approving a proposed $14,000 increase in the countys annual payment to the economic development group for 2017, a 4 percent increase from $335,000 to $349,000, Bartholomew said. The county payment has been the same for the past five years. The additional funding, which is included in the countys tentative 2017 budget, is for special projects such as the northern exit project, Bartholomew said. SUNDERLAND, Vt. An elderly man who had been reported missing from his home in Greenwich was found in a crashed car well off a remote road in Vermont early Tuesday, authorities said. Norman Chase, 83, was in a Hyundai sedan in a wooded area about 100 yards off Conservation Way when the car was spotted by a person who called Vermont State Police at 12:10 a.m. Chase did not appear hurt, but was taken to Southern Vermont Medical Center for observation. The car was damaged from hitting trees. Vermont State Police said he had been reported missing to New York State Police on Monday. Conservation Way is off Route 313, continuing to head northeast where Route 313 ends. A primary school in Haiti, which was founded by two local residents and is supported by a number of local churches, was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, and two members of a Lake George church are in the Caribbean country trying to get the school up and running. The school and church were both destroyed, or as the Haitians would say, very bad broke, said the Rev. Tom Parsons, a retired minister who along with his wife, JoEllen, founded the school more than a decade ago. JoEllen Parsons and another member of the Caldwell Presbyterian Church, Howard Nicols, left Tuesday morning for Haiti. They brought water filters, tarps and ropes, and they are going to meet with the parents and the board of the school to see what it looks like and what we can do to help, Parson said. Another Lake George church, Bay Road Church, sponsors about 30 students at the school and is in the process of raising funds to help them. The school is in the mountains, about an hour from the town of Jeremie, which was devastated by the storm. The hurricane passed right over and flattened Jeremie, Tom Parsons said. The school got hit really hard because it sits up on a mountain. Parsons said the amount of time his wife and Nicols spend in Haiti will be determined by what they find. They have return tickets for a week from now, he said Tuesday. But they may wind up staying longer. Well see. Parsons said he has been a regular visitor to the school, flying down once or twice a year. We have a really wide range of support for the school, he said. There are a number of churches up here (that support the school), in Scotia, Glenville and Schenectady and in other parts of the country. The school teaches about 150 students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Parsons said it appears all of them are homeless after the storm. According to the Bay Road Church webpage, six of the children it sponsors are staying in a friends basement. The storm flooded the Southeast coast of the U.S., but before that it hit Haiti even harder, killing more than 1,000 people. Relief operations have been ongoing. Jeremie is a city of about 30,000 on Haitis western tip. Its airport was crucial in rebuilding operations following the 2010 earthquake that devastated the nation, and it had been growing rapidly since then. QUEENSBURY Glens Falls city attorney Ronald Newell was sued this week for alleged legal malpractice by a former client who claims Newell ignored conflicts of interest when representing him in criminal and civil cases as he was being targeted by Glens Falls Police. Newell and Glens Falls lawyer William Montgomery were named as defendants in the $500,000 lawsuit filed Friday in state Supreme Court by Queensbury resident David Lanning Jr. In a 22-page complaint filed by Albany lawyer Margaret Vijayan, Lanning has accused the two lawyers of acting in concert to collude to limit the civil liability of the city of Glens Falls in Lannings false arrest case. Newell said Tuesday he could not discuss the matter because of attorney-client privilege requirements. He said if Lanning would waive that confidentiality, he would discuss the matter. Im in a position where I cant discuss it without that waiver, he said. Montgomery called the basis of Lannings lawsuit a novel theory, but said he, too, could not discuss it further because of attorney-client privilege. The lawsuit claims Newell did not reveal he was city attorney as Lanning was arrested by Glens Falls Police. At the time, Lannings ex-wife was involved in a romantic relationship with a police officer who the city of Glens Falls was seeking to fire. Newell eventually stepped away from Lannings case after Lanning learned of the apparent conflicts. Newell hired Montgomery to take over Lannings criminal and Family Court cases without Lannings approval, according to the lawsuit. Newell and Montgomery are longtime friends and business partners, according to the lawsuit, and Montgomery subsequently delayed filing of false arrest lawsuits. Because of those delays, the state statute of limitations passed and a state lawsuit couldnt be filed, Lanning says. Lanning subsequently hired Vijayans firm, which filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Glens Falls Police, the Warren County Sheriffs Office, Warren County District Attorneys Office and two former officers who arrested him. That lawsuit is still pending in U.S. District Court. Lannings lawsuit stems from a divorce and child custody case that resulted in a pair of criminal contempt arrests he claims resulted from the involvement of his ex-wifes boyfriend at the time, former Glens Falls Police Officer Ryan Ashe. Those charges against Lanning were ultimately dismissed. The Glens Falls Police Department tried to fire Ashe because of disciplinary issues that included illegally allowing Lannings estranged wife to shoot his department-issue handgun at a firing range. Lannings lawsuit claims Newell knew about the firing range episode in his capacity as city attorney but did not reveal it to Lanning. Ashe later left the department to take a police job in Rutland, Vermont. Newells loyalties were effectively divided between two opposing clients, the lawsuit states. Newell selected Montgomery as Lannings substitute counsel specifically so that he could use his relationship with Montgomery to continue to influence Lannings case and protect the interests of Glens Falls. The legal malpractice lawsuit includes a claim that Lanning spent $50,000 on legal fees during the criminal and Family Court cases. Lanning said he did not believe a waiver to discuss his case was necessary for either lawyer, because neither represents him anymore. Lanning has made complaints about the lawyers conduct to the state agency that investigates attorney misconduct, the state Committee on Professional Standards. The agency has not made any public finding against either lawyer, but a letter the committee sent Lanning on Sept. 29 in response to his complaint about Newell includes a statement that this committee has now taken appropriate action with respect to the attorney but did not elaborate. FORT EDWARD Hundreds of children are counting on a coat from Washington County Economic Opportunity Council but the agency only has about 75 childrens coats right now. The agency runs an annual free coat boutique for county residents. This year, the boutique will be held on Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents must show proof that they live in the county, but they dont need to disclose financial information. The event is set up as a boutique a store-like experience, except that everything is free. Residents can choose one coat for every family member, and can even pick up items like snowpants. Coats for adults will also be available. But the big need is for childrens coats. Mom can wear her coat for several years, whereas the children need a new coat every year, said Marcy Robinson, senior program coordinator for EOC Typically, the event serves 100 families. Last year, the agency gave away 400 items and ran out of childrens coats before the end. Robinson is concerned this year to have so few childrens coats, just four weeks before the event. She is hoping many people donate coats soon. She wanted 200 childrens coats, but when she looked at last years numbers, she realized she might need even more. Im going to need 400 if we gave out 400 last year, she said. The need is for childrens coats of all sizes. They can be dropped off at Aroxys Cleaners, 168 Main St., Hudson Falls. The company volunteered to clean all the donations for free. Snowpants, hats and gloves can also be donated. They would love more childrens snowpants, Robinson said. At HeadStart, she saw many children who did not have a coat in the winter or wore one that was far too small. Its one of the last things a parent purchases, she said. It gets very cold up here and parents just cant afford it. Childrens coats generally cost $40 or more. While parents are shopping at the boutique, EOC will have books for children to enjoy. Every child can take home a book, Robinson said. Rite Aid will also offer free flu shots. SNAP, WIC and other agencies will also have booths at which residents can learn about services for which they might be eligible. Accusations of outside influence hit the 113th Assembly District race this week, further roiling a race that is seeing concerns over ethical issues being raised by both sides. Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, lashed out at a negative television ad she said was paid for by a super PAC funded largely by out-of-state and downstate investment bankers and hedge fund billionaires. Her opponent, Chris Boyark, R-Mechanicville, said he did not know anything about the ad before it ran. I was as surprised as anyone else when I saw it, Boyark said Tuesday in a meeting with The Post-Stars editorial board. I had nothing to do with it. Woerner said none of the major donors of the New Yorkers for Independent Action political action committee, which is funding the ads that link her with disgraced Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, live in New York. Theyre from out of state and have absolutely no concern or interest in whats best for our kids or for our region. At a press conference in Saratoga Springs on Monday afternoon, Woerner identified four wealthy businesspeople as being the top funders of the super PAC Thomas McInerney of Westport, Connecticut, the head of Bluff Point Associates, a Connecticut hedge fund; Anthony and Christie De Nicola of New Jersey; and Alice Walton, daughter of Sam Walton, of Bentonville, Arkansas. At the press conference, Woerner said, in her opinion, the TV ads represent an unprecedented intrusion into a local race. Voters here should ask themselves: Why would a bunch of wealthy out-of-staters be interested in funneling this much money ... into a local Assembly race in upstate New York? Woerner said in a press release sent out after the press conference. Theyre spending this kind of money because they want to elect legislators who will help them pass a special tax break so ultra-rich people like themselves can write off the money they donate to their charter and private schools. Theyre targeting me because Ive fought to stop them. Woerner has previously pointed out ethical issues in Boyarks late campaign filings. In response to Woerners Monday press conference and comments, Boyark responded with a press release of his own, saying, People who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones. Boyark characterized Woerners attack as an attempt to deflect attention from her own troubling record, and accused her of taking more than $592,000 in campaign cash from New York City special interests. He also renewed his attacks on Woerner for not immediately calling for Silvers resignation after he was indicted on federal charges. Only after days of public outcry and shaming from local newspapers did my opponent sheepishly cave in and call for his resignation, Boyark said. Thats not leadership. Thats downright shameful. In a separate interview Monday with The Post-Stars editorial board, Woerner said she saw it differently, explaining that by waiting several days to call for Silvers resignation, she had more of an impact on his resignation than if she had immediately come out for it. Boyark said, in his opinion, the ads are factual. The content in the television ads against my opponent is indisputable, he said in his press release. If shes unhappy about what the ads say about her, then maybe she should have made more thoughtful decisions. The commercial also criticizes Woerner regarding a potential legislative pay raise. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte The visit to China by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, scheduled from Tuesday to Friday, is expected to offer an opportunity to improve the strained bilateral ties. However, some scholars in the Philippines and in the United States argue that the value of Philippines' talks and cooperation with China stem from its military alliance with the US, hinting that only through its alliance with the US does Manila gain bargaining chips in any talks with Beijing. Duterte's diplomatic move, they conclude, should not sacrifice Manila's bond with Washington. Such an argument exposes the Cold War mindset among some in the US, and their concern over their allies' cooperation with other countries, which they think may lead to their estrangement from Washington. The "absolute obedience" to the US pursued by former Philippine president Benigno Aquino III may have served the US' interests, but it has also plunged the Philippine's economic cooperation with China to a new low, which has proven detrimental to the Philippines' interests. Duterte's remarks and actions since his election as Philippine president indicate his intention to change the asymmetrical ties with the US and foster pragmatic cooperation with more countries, including China. His administration's pursuit of an independent foreign policy is to better serve the Philippines' interests, as indicated by his remarks on different occasions to play down the award in the Philippine's favor in the arbitration case initiated by his predecessor and his halt to joint naval patrols with the US in the South China Sea. A series of domestic problems, such as the poverty in the country, have also underscored Duterte's need to conduct pragmatic cooperation with China. It is unrealistic to expect a single visit to resolve all the differences between the countries. But talks are the best approach for China and the Philippines to bring ties back onto the track of healthy development. --Global Times Chinese Edition According to the authorities, the National Health Insurance Scheme owes the hospital 11 months arrears in unpaid health insurance claims, TV3 reports. The Administrator of the Hospital, Francis Loguniah, said the hospitals internally generated funds have also dwindled for a month now following the strike by the members of the Government Hospital and Pharmacists Association as well as that of the laboratory staff. He said the strike resulted in low outpatient cases at the facility leading to the decline in the internally generated funds. He added that the Hospital spend GHC6,000 every two weeks to feed the patients, with several of them using National Health Insurance to access services at no charge. The situation, he said, is having a serious toll on the finances of the facility. We have explained to the patients we were cash strapped and could not feed them as we use to, Mr Loguniah told TV3, adding that even when we fed them, families still brought food. He believed that the Hospital should reconsider its policy on the provision of meals to inpatients because other facilities do not offer such services. Entry is opened to all Africans poets who love to write, no age, nationality or location restriction. All African citizens are encouraged to send in entries to be considered. See below for all the details on how to apply. Deadline is on 1st Dec (11.55pm) 2016. The shortlist will be announced March 6th 2017. The winner of the Prize will be announced on May 2nd 2017. Rules: General 1. The prize is open to African poets, defined as those who were born in Africa, or who are nationals of an African country, or whose parents are African. 2. The prize is open to African poets who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published. Self-published poetry books, chapbooks and pamphlets are exempt from this stipulation. 3. Only poems written in English are accepted. Poems translated into English are also accepted with a percentage of the prize going to the translator. 4. The prize opens for submissions from October 1st 2016 to December 1st 2016. Each entrant must submit 10 poems to be eligible, no more and no less.There is no stipulation as to the content of submitted poems but no poem should exceed 40 lines in length. 6. The poems may have been previously published or won previous awards. 7. Poems must be emailed in a SINGLE word document attachment (not PDF) with an index cover page that contains the entrants name, nationality, country of birth, full address including country of permanent residence, personal email address and telephone number. All entries must be submitted via email only to BUAPP@brunel.ac.uk. An acknowledgement will be sent. (Please note that email enquiries about the rules will not be answered.) 8. All poems must have a title. 9. Poems must be the original work of the entrant. 10. Poems should be single spaced. See more rules and guidelines here. Good luck! This is because the bank has signed an agreement to pay Mike Griffin the amount of money he lost, but without interest. The two were set to battle it out on October 17, 2016, as the bank filed another stay of execution at the court with the case. But speaking to Pulse.com.gh, Mr Griffin said the bank on Monday withdrew their stay of execution and agreed on a payment plan with him. He said: Upon the advice of my lawyer, we accepted some kind of settlement. They said they have credited it but Im yet to go to the bank to check. They are ready to pay just the amount I lost without the interest. My lawyer said we should accept it instead of protracting the court case. Im hoping it will come through by this weekend and then we will be through with the case. Background The Commercial Division of the High Court in May 2016 fined Ecobank for failing to exercise due diligence and professionalism in protecting the account of Mike Griffin. Mr. Griffin sued Ecobank for transferring his lifetime savings in both his local and foreign account into an unknown account without his consent while he was out of the country undergoing a heart surgery. But Ecobank subsequently filed a motion for stay of execution as it appeals to the court to overturn the earlier ruling. However, the court which was presided over by Justice Nobel Nkrumah on Friday July 22,2016 denied Ecobank the application for stay of execution. A group calling itself the Coalition of La Youth Association (COLA) on Monday accused the government of ignoring the gains made by previous governments on Ga-Dangme land issues. At a press conference organised to make their concerns known, Chairman of the group, Augustine Nii Amoanai, said the people have lost hope in the president, as they feel he is rather supporting the military to illegally acquire lands belonging to the Ga-Dangmes. Sadly enough, our brothers and sisters around and within the corridors of power have lost their voices relative to issues affecting the Ga-Dangme people, which silence we find as condoning the raw deal government is serving our people, he added. But speaking to Pulse.com.gh, the Public Affairs Director of the GAF, Col Aggrey Quarshie said the youth are not being fair to the military. Why are they behaving as if the military is someones property, or it belongs to some group of individuals? Dont they have their citizens in the military? So if the military moves from here, on which land are we supposed to go. The issue they are raising, they are just not being fair to the Armed Forces. He said the military will hold on to the government to give a specific response to the aggrieved Ga youth. They are saying that it is government that is colluding with us. We all work for government and so if there is any response to be given them then maybe government has to give that response. For us I dont think we have any response. Because what are we going to say? That we will park our things from here and go away? he asked. I dont know what they want to achieve. They always look for some timing and then they start raising these things. "The lands they have sold all the way to Madina, La Nkwantanan, those ones they didnt see anything wrong with selling them to individuals. What the Armed Forces is occupying is what they are worried about? he asked. Meanwhile, the group has given the government a one-week ultimatum to act on its concerns or face drastic actions from the Ga-Dangmes. We conclude by saying that the so-called rule of law and democracy is rather an empty rhetoric and not operational under the current circumstances since there is freedom but no justice on Ga-Dangme matters, Chairman of the group has said. 'I'll give Ashaiman facelift' PPP ASSURES YOUTH OF SUSTAINABLE JOBS Flagbearer of the PPP, Papa Kwesi Nduom, has told students of the University of Ghana Legon that the PPP is the only party with the track record and experience to provide sustainable jobs for the unemployed youth in the country. RAWLINGS ACCUSES NDC OF BEING BEHIND HIS $2M GIFT PROBE Founder of the ruling NDC, former President Jerry John Rawlings, has accused his party of being behind his probe by EOCO and Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice over the alleged $2 million gift he received from Abacha in 1996. $5M ABACHA CASH: NDC CHASING ME SAYS RAWLINGS Former President Jerry John Rawlings is not happy with elements in the ruling National Democratic Congress who are allegedly baying for his blood. EKUMFI NDC CHAIRMAN DEFECTS TO NPP CHIEF JUSTICE DESIGNATES 17 COURTS TO HANDLE ELECTORAL DISPUTES The Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, has designated 17 specialized courts to deal with electoral disputes that may arise before the December 7, 2016, presidential and parliamentary elections. DKM CUSTOMERS RECEIVE PART OF DEPOSITS Hundreds of clients of DKM Microfinance Company yesterday besieged payment centers to receives part or their full investments in the liquidated company. LOCAL USD-BOND COULD FOSTER DOLLARISATION ANALYSTS WARN Whereas the government has given the indication it will do more of the domestic dollar-bonds, on the back of the maiden ones success, some analysts fear it could weaken the cedi and deepen dollarization of the economy. CORPORATE SUCCESS DEMANDS AN OPEN MIND TOTAL BOSS The Executive Vice President for West Africa of Total Petroleum, Ada Eze, has challenged women in business to keep an open mind, which she says is a vital ingredient needed to embrace new ideas and to succeed in the increasingly competitive corporate world. AGRIC SHOWS SIGNS OF REVIVAL IGNORE NPP JM President John Mahama has reiterated has governments resolve not to disappoint residents of the Volta Region as being said by opposition elements. NDC ARE GREEDY BAWUMIA Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, running mate of the NPP has asked residents in the Northern parts of the country to vote against President John Mahama in the December 7 polls. EC TO BATTLE 3 LAWSUITS Apart from the 1992 parliamentary elections which was boycotted by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the main opposition party, the NPP has since participated in all the subsequent elections held in the country with the last one in 2012. The Ashaiman parliamentary seat is currently occupied by Mr Alfred Kwesi Agbesi on the ticket of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), but he lost the seat to Mr Ernest Norgbey in the primaries, who is now NDC parliamentary candidate for Ashaiman. The majority of Ghanaian electorate including supporters of the NPP in Ashaiman consistency believe that the party (NPP) is formidable enough to take over power from the ruling NDC in the constituency. Although the NDC is the longest serving government in the Fourth Republic, the NPP can battle it when it comes to developmental projects. It has been a seat the NDC has held since its creation but lost to the NPP's Emmanuel Teye in the year 2000. The party in 2004 reclaimed the seat when incumbent Alfred Kwame Agbesi won the seat. The member of parliament in 2008 and 2012 maintained the seat and indicated during the last general election he would not seek reelection. The NPP parliamentary candidate for Ashaiman, Alhaji Labarang Yakubu Barry is certain of winning at least 65 per cent of votes cast in the area in the December 7 polls. He is convinced of victory due to the NDC's poor performance in government. Although recent political trends show, the Ashaiman constituency was a stronghold of the NDC, most of the electorates in the area will vote for the NPP in this year's elections due to the untold economic hardship the NDC has led the country into. The majority of Ghanaian electorate including supporters of the NPP in the consistency believe that the NPP was formidable enough to take over power from the NDC in the constituency. Although it has been a seat the NDC has held since its creation but lost to the NPP's Emmanuel Teye in the year 2000. See also:Odododiodio constituency unpredictable The party in 2004 reclaimed the seat when incumbent Alfred Kwame Agbesi won the seat. The member of parliament in 2008 and 2012 maintained the seat and indicated during the last general election he would not seek reelection. The NPP parliamentary candidate, Alhaji Labarang Yakubu Barry said he is certain of winning at least 65 per cent of votes cast in the area in the December 7 polls. He was convinced of victory due to the NDC's poor performance in government. Although recent political trends show, the Ashaiman constituency was a stronghold of the NDC, most of the electorates in the area will vote for the NPP in this year's elections due to the untold economic hardship the governing NDC has led the country into. History of votes Franklin Winfred K Aheto won the seat for the NDC in the year 1992. In the 2000 elections, the NDC suffered in the region because some of its worthy champions such as Alfred Agbesi of Ashaiman contested the Ashaiman seat not on the ticket of the NDC but as an independent candidate following a misunderstanding he had with the party and its candidate for the Ashaiman constituency, Mr Franklin Aheto. In the 2000 parliamentary election, Mr Agbesi polled 20,088 votes while Aheto got 12,607 votes.The NPP candidate, Mr Emmanuel Kinsford Kwesi Teye, with 21,894 votes, snatched the Ashaiman seat from the NDC for the first time. In the 2004 elections, the number of constituencies in the region increased from 22 to 27 and all the political parties were poised to benefit from the increase. To the shock of the NPP, the NDC came from behind to increase its seats from seven in 2000 to 11 in 2004 with the NPP, the ruling party in 2004. Making only a seat gain in the region bringing its number of seats in the region to 16 as against 11 won by NDC. In 2004, among the constituencies that came back to the NDC was the Ashaiman constituency where Alfred Kwame Agbesi contested on the ticket of the NDC. He won the seat for the party when he polled 53,313 votes to beat his main contender, the incumbent NPP Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Mr Emmanuel Kinsford Kwesi Teye, who polled 36,044 in a keenly contested election. In the 2012 elections, NDC won again with 47,154 votes, Seji Saji Amedonu of the NPP had 32,650 but was not enough to win the constituency. Afenyo Tony of the NDC who went as an independent candidate polled 13,864, Hamida Bidolti Damba of the CPP polled 184 votes. These include Aboabo, Zogebli, Tishigu, Changli, Dagbandab-ba fong and Sabonjida. Tamale has two biggest Aboabo and old markets, are located in the Tamale Central constituency. The Tamale central mosque, the Regional Police Command, VRA-NEDco and other vital installations are found there. The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has enjoyed the political monopoly over the constituency since Ghanas return to constitutional rule in 1992. Read more:Odododiodio constituency unpredictable The incumbent NDC MP, Inusah Fuseini, went to Parliament in 2006 through a by-election. This was necessitated by Dr Wayo Seinis resignation from Parliament on the ticket of the NDC to rejoin his mother party the NPP. Other parliamentary aspirants including Engineer Seidu Ibrahim and Adam Alhassan, a banker, Dr Ibrahim Anyars Bariham Baba are attempting to truncate Inusah Fuseinis fourth term parliamentary bid. Dr Ibrahim Anyars Bariham Baba of the NPP was a former lecturer at the Tile Hill College in the UK and has vowed to give the NDC a good run for their money. The election of parliamentary candidates is crucial in the stability of every party's development and serves as the platform to win elections to form a government. As such the NDC and the NPP would market their parliamentary candidates for election 2016. Electorates are expected to take wise decisions that would ensure internal peace and unity for the ultimate bright electoral prospects of the constituency. As a matter of fact, such monumental electoral tsunami is waiting to erupt in the Tamale Central Constituency. More here: Klottey Korle; How the parties have fared in past elections Candidates who are directly in touch with the masses and also know which direction the party must go would deliver the electoral results on the day for unity, competence, loyalty, dedication, selflessness and electoral success of the constituency. The desire of the northern people to break the jinx of poverty and deprivation will remain a particularly seductive illusion if the region continues to produce leaders who put their sectional interest above that of the collective. Inusah Fuseini is a dedicated personality who cares about the life and welfare of people irrespective of their ethnic, political, social and religious background. He is a candidate who has been truthful to the constituents and does not give gargantuan promises to voters that he knows he cannot fulfil. The NDC won the seat in 1992 when it was Gunkpegu Sabonjida constituency but later lost it to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 1996. The NPP then lost it to the NDC in 2004. The seat was created before the Ghanaian parliamentary election in 2004. At the by-election held on 4 April 2006, Alhassan Fuseini Inusah of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won with a majority of 17502. This followed the resignation of Alhassan Wayo Seini (NDC), who resigned to join the NPP. In 2004, the Convention Peoples Party was represented by Basharu Alhassan Daballi who polled 1,365, Independent candidate Ahmed Abdul-Karim had 416 while Democratic Peoples Partys Rita Adams Rukaya had 157 votes. Aspirants and incumbent legislators are crisscrossing the nooks and crannies of the politically charged metropolis to solicit support from party supporters. In 2012, Inusah Fuseini polled 39,545 votes; Iddrisu Musah had 23,761 votes, Independent candidate Abdul-Aminu Ibrahim also polled 1,090 whiles Haruna Hamza Kaasankomi of the CPP polled 349 votes. The EC, last week Monday, announced the disqualification of 12 aspirants for failing to meet the criteria for filing as president. The presidential nominees disqualified included flag bearer of the All Peoples Congress (APC), Hassan Ayariga; Dr Edward Mahama of the Peoples National Convention (PNC); Dr Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP); and Kofi Akpaloo of the Independent Peoples Party (IPP); Kwabena Adjei of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD). The others include: Dr Henry Herbert Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP); Mr Richard Nixon Tetteh (United Development Systems Party); Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP); Thomas Ward-Brew of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP); Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker, an independent candidate, and Akua Donkor of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP). Mr Akwasi Addae Odike of the United Progressive Partys nomination is on hold pending a court case. Many, including the PPP, NDP, GCPP have filed suits against the EC for disqualifying them. But Mr Amadu Sulley said the EC is not perturbed by the lawsuits filed by most of the disqualified candidates. The President in an interview with Ovation Magazine said Ghanas media is being controlled by a cabal who are blocking his message of transformation. He said this is a situation which has made it difficult for the general public to appreciate the works of the governing NDC since they took office in 2009. President Mahama also said in terms of the economic challenges facing the country, the government has done enough to put the foundation of the economy in place for a better future. he added. The second collection from the Nigeria brand is already housed at The Kach Me If You Can showroom owned by US celebrity wardrobe stylist Kanayo Ebi was born after sisters; Titi and Tinuke Ukrinamemen 'encountered' New York Times bestselling memoir 'The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl' by Issa Rae . "The Story really resonated with us as we could read events that we went through and relate to her misgivings. This collection is an acceptance and celebration of our awkwardness, from the boyish Greta playsuit to the peak sleeves details on the Adanna dress. Instead of shying away from it , we celebrate it combined with our femininity" one part of the creative team Titi Ukrinamemen revealed the inspiration for the collection. He is now facing two-counts charges of assault and threat to life for his offence committed on October 10, 2016 at his residence. Inspector Innocent Uko, the prosecutor in the case told the court that Oputa assaulted his wife with iron rod and also attempted to strangle her. ALSO READ: Benue Governor allegedly orders aides to beat up lady in church Report says that the crime contravened Section 411 and 56 (A) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, Nigeria 2011. This was confirmed by Abimbola Oyeyemi, the state police Public Relations Officer, who stated that the suspect will be charged as soon as investigations are concluded. ALSO READ: Customs arrest 12 suspects for fake job advert The dismissed officer was arrested while perfecting his act at a company in the Agbara area of the state. Upon interrogation, the suspect claimed that he was lured into duping as a result of the current harsh economic reality. Investigation have begun to determine the culpability or otherwise of the fake Assistant Comptroller of Customs. Charges would be filed after investigations", she said. According to Daily Trust, Igbineyi was ordered remanded by an Evboriaria Magistrates Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State, for stabbing Blessing Obazee, to death following an argument. The police prosecutor in the case, Inspector Oluwaseun Olatoye, had earlier told the court that Igbineyi committed the offence on September 3, 2016, at No 40, Enoruwa Street, off Upper Sakponba Road, Benin, after the victim refused to give him a stick a cigarette. Olatoye said the accused who was staying with the victim, stabbed Obazee several times in the stomach with a knife leading to his death. On that fateful day, the deceased (Obazee) refused to give the accused person the cigarette he was smoking, and later the accused person went to buy his own. When the accused brought his own cigarette to the house, Obazee insisted that he (Igbineyi) should not smoke in his room and went further to collect the cigarette from the accused and put it off." The prosecutor added that angered by the action of the victim, Igbineyi immediately took a knife and stabbed Obazee several times. While ruling on the case, the Chief Magistrate, Caroline Oghuma, said it was not within the courts jurisdiction and directed that the file be forwarded to the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! You may want to show your appreciation to business partners with gifts, hampers etc? Or do you want to promote your brand and acquire customers using promo items, or are you planning a wedding or birthday party? Dont just give gifts, make the most of it, use a strategy and make it count! Lucy.ng is Nigerias online superstore for souvenirs, corporate gifts, and promotional items You can order unique quality gifts online and have it delivered to your doorstep, it's that simple. We offer a wide range of gift options and gifting services. We have gift items ranging from event souvenirs, selected hampers for Christmas, corporate gifts and promotional items for companies and institutions, event gift items for weddings, birthday parties, burial ceremonies, house warming etc. we work with our clients to develop the best gift ideas and gifting strategy that best suits their objectives. A common costly mistake many individuals, companies and brands make in Nigeria is not prioritizing their gifting campaigns or gifting without a strategy. Many times, souvenirs for events, corporate gifts, and promotional items are regarded as a mere activity. Whereas, a well thought out gifting strategy can directly affect your company revenue positively, increase brand awareness and enhance your corporate image and create goodwill. In the corporate world, gift giving can be a double-edged sword. If used properly, they provide the company with a valuable means of strengthening relationships with its key customers and employees, creating goodwill, fostering new relationships and promoting the companys business. A properly timed and appropriate gift is one of the best ways of conveying the important message that a relationship matters. Gifting builds on the foundation of reciprocity theory, which says that giving can lead to a recipients perceived sense of obligation to return the favor. Corporate gifting aims to maximize their potential in stimulating customers not only feel rewarded for past business but also tactfully induced them to become a loyal customer. The right gift, given to the right person at the right time, can give your brand a more personalized exposure and marketing advantage than any other means of advertising can afford you, e.g a branded stylish power bank your customer uses every other day because it meets his or her needs, reaches a network of his or her own people, family, friends and colleagues, who are more likely to be marketed directly by referral via your logo or brand on the gift items. It is a more personalized advertising and sub-conscious form of marketing Lucy.ng offers the best quality products at best prices with the ingenuity and creativity to suit your ideas, we also make certain a professional service satisfy each and every of our customers. Our growing list of customers includes Facebook, Google, Etisalat, Tequila Nigeria, the Terragon group etc to name a few as well as several souvenir gifts procured for individual parties and events. We look forward to serving you. Lucy.ngNo 12A Mabinuori Dawodu Crescent, Gbagada Lagos09090001509, info@lucy.ng While Nigerians tried to decipher where the other room is, the President's media team, as disjointed and disconnected as they usually are, came up with a defense that their boss was only joking by that statement. But Baba himself once again showed them that he is a man of his words when he insisted that his wife truly belongs to his kitchen and the other room, in an interview with the German Deutsche Welle TV. PMB was reacting to his First lady's scathing criticism when she gave an interview to the BBC that a certain cabal has hijacked her husband's government and that those who did contribute to their campaign are the ones benefiting from the government. Well, much has been said about the response of PMB to his wife's statements though everything boils down to the Kitchen and the other Room comment. (Only PMB himself can tell what the other room is by the way) Women rights groups have come out with guns blazing, calling for Baba's head for daring to say that his wife belongs to the kitchen and the other room. There have been #iStandWithAishaBuhari and #AishaMustNotBeSilenced campaigns on different social media platforms, with some supporters of the First Lady taking to the streets to protest in her support. But what many do not understand is that PMB knows exactly what he is saying and he made no bones about it. The president is a core Fulani Muslim man, a strict military officer (retired, you may say), and from the stiff-necked old school stock. President Muhammadu Buhari and wife, Aisha Photo Credit: Trade Newswire And for such people, his wife should be in the background preparing his meals (in the kitchen), and taking care of him (in the other room). Some core northern Muslims generally frown at their wives making public appearances and even when they are to come out in the public, they must cover up from the head to the toe. They are to be very submissive to their husbands and should not argue with them. The husbands are seen as the Lords of the Manor. It has nothing to do with chauvinism or masochism but that is how they are and that must be respected. So if Buhari says his wife belongs to somewhere rather than the public space, so be it. The fact that she is the First Lady should not be an excuse for her to compete for attention with her husband. And come to think of it, the PMB had made it clear during his campaign that his wife will only be seen and not heard when he becomes president, so why the hullabaloo about her belonging to a certain restricted quarter in his house? South-South Reports have it that the accused, a staff of a federal ministry in Port Harcourt, had attacked the neighbour identified as Adelowu Ogundele, with a machete while the victim was harvesting plantain at their Federal Housing Estate residence in Port Harcourt. Chinedu was said to have challenged the victim for cutting the plantain from the tree and an argument ensued between them leading to the accused who had also gone to the farm to cut the same plantain, using his machete to cut of Ogundele's ear. Not done with the blood-shedding, Chinedu also reportedly went on a rampage and cut off other plantain trees belonging to the victim and those of a former neighbour, Ibitayo Elizabeth. This caused the boy to lose one of his arms, and as a result his subsequent sentencing by Brigadier General Olusegun Adeniyi. Giving the verdict, Adeniyi said, Staff Sgt. Umar Sale, you have been found guilty of the charges against you, having listened to the presentation of the prosecution to treat you as a first offender. The court hereby sentences you as follows; on count one, three years imprisonment, on count two, demotion to a private. The sentence is however, subject to confirmation by the authority as provided by sections 141 (2) and 152 (1a) of the Armed Forces Act cap a 20 laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004." Spagnolo, who resides at the Federal Housing Estate, Ikoto, Ijebu Ode was attacked on Sunday by Akeem Dauda and Mojeed Yusuf. The suspects were already at his home before he walked in on them. He was reportedly tied and gagged while they conduct a search for valuable items. ALSO READ: Four suspects arrested in connection with murdered catholic priest Briefly describing his ordeal with the criminals, the priest said, One of the robbers pointed a gun at me. The robbers took everything in my house." The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi confirmed the incident in a statement. The clerics Toyota Camry with number plate, EKY 483 DE, three laptops, a plasma television set, two mobile phones, two passports, N40, 000 and E255 were stolen. Our men at Obada Oko got information that some people wanted to sell a car suspected to have been stolen. Policemen went there and the two robbers were arrested and the car was later recovered. The robbers confessed to the crime and we are currently investigating the case", she said. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the victims were Adeniyi Olumoko, a 37-year-old indigene of Ogun State and Christian Onwukaike, a native of Awgbu in the Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra. According to the Secretary General of the Nigerian Union in Pretoria, Adetola Olubajo, Olumoko was stabbed to death on October 7, 2016, in the Marabastard area in Pretoria by a South African, who forcefully took the victims goods without paying. Olubajo added that Olumoko was left bleeding for up to five hours because paramedics did not show up to attend to him. On October 16, 2016, the Secretary continued, Onwukaike was shot dead by assailants at Empangeni in the North Coast area of Kwazulu Natal. The victim reportedly drove himself to the hospital after the shooting and eventually collapsed and died. A press statement signed by Olubajo declared: The Nigeria Union is calling on the Nigerian Mission to demand results of investigations of all murder cases involving Nigerian victims from the South African authority. The union was not happy that murder cases involving Nigerians in South Africa dont get solved. We recommend that the consulate officials visit the area immediately in the company of some members of the national and provincial executives of the Nigeria Union to speak with the police and the Nigerian community. This is not the first time Nigerian businessmen have been killed in South Africa where Xenophobia has been on the rise. The Convener of the programme, Mrs Adepoju Aderogba-Oti, said on Monday that it was important to continue with the advocacy until all the 36 states in Nigeria domesticate the violence against persons prohibited law. Until the vulnerable know their rights, until victims and survivors get justice, until perpetrators are adequately punished and until all forms of violence come to an end in Nigeria and indeed in the world, she said. According to her, violence against women and girls is one of the most common abuses of human rights and is gradually becoming a global epidemic. She said that the foundation envisages a society where girls can grow up to be educated, informed, and able to make decisions for their lives and contribute meaningfully to the society. The wife of the Oyo state governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, said violence against women does a lot of detriment to the development of the nation. Ajimobi, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the governor on Due Process, Mrs Rose Oyedele, called for continuous awareness until violence against women is finally eradicated in the society. Also, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Matters, represented by her media assistant, Mr Abdulraham Balogun, said that a sound girlhood can only be assured of a sound womanhood. Dabiri-Eruwa said that in recent times the prevalence of violence against women had risen with incidents of domestic abuses and rape on the increase. She said that the problem has exposed the deficiency of social institutions such as the family, law enforcement agencies and other relevant stakeholders in tackling the unsettling reality. Even more saddening is the example close to us which has created an unpleasant situation in the condition of the girl-child in Nigeria and the world. The abduction of the Chibok school girls by Boko Haram, for which President Muhammadu Buharis administration is poised to secure their release. She, however, said that adequate training and capacity building programmes with appropriate legislation would check the tide considerably as the scope of protection and safety net for the girl-child and women must be seen to be robust and adequate. The conference was organised by an NGO, Global Youth Leadership and Girl-Child Foundation in collaboration with Lead City University, Ibadan. The Council Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Rabiu, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen shortly after monitoring the ongoing Polio immunisation in some wards in the area. He said that he was impressed with the level of commitment to the exercise in the area, urging parents to ensure proper immunisation for their children. The chairman noted that the local government was committed to provision of quality healthcare services and infrastructural development. However, Rabiu pledged to ensure healthy citizens in the area if the residents of the area support the efforts of the government. The District Head of Dawakin Tofa, Alhaji Yusuf Nabahani, expressed the commitment of the traditional institution in polio eradication in the area as well as other child killer diseases. The Primary Health Care Coordinator of the council, Malam Lawal Yahya, noted that the exercise had been commendable in the area in view of the commitment of the council and health personnel. You cant keep a pretty, ambitious woman down, even if you are President of the most populous black nation on earth, it appears. As guest of a Radio show last weekend, host Stanley Azuakola, wondered why no one had heard from Ms. Buhari since her husband told the world media that: "I don't know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen, and my living room and the other room." According to Azuakola, Ms. Buharis comments were ample testaments that she was standing by criticisms of the composition of her husbands cabinet. She had also alleged that a cabal has since seized her husbands presidency, much to her chagrin. The world has waited for Aisha Buharis first comments since her husband dismissed her concerns in Germany, while he stood beside the most powerful woman in the world in German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Well, the wait is over. Ms. Buhari has just sent out the following tweet, complete with pictures of her very pretty self. May we add that her outfit is one to die for as well? Heading to Brussels to attend a forum where I will be giving the opening remark on "Women's Role in Global Security", Aisha Buhari tweeted moments ago. You go, girl!!! Lets break it downMs. Buhari will be delivering a keynote address on Womens Role in Global Security. Shell be up there on that stage addressing other powerful women in the world. And theyll all be eating from her palms! Here comes the new powerful public speaker on global concerns! If we work and pray, we will banish poverty from our environment. Rice was not a staple food in Nigeria before 1980. Ofada rice was the only rice eaten during festivities. We should return to the time when we were eating indigenous rice, he said. We have cassava, plantain, beans and yam. We should return to the time when we were eating our indigenous foods. Secondly, we should embrace family planning. I am not asking you to kill the ones you have given birth to but we should stop the erroneous belief that we would be sick if we dont give birth to all the children in our body, he added. Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh has warned Nigerians against eating rice too often. ALSO READ:Audu Ogbeh says eating too much rice is risky The 21 girls, whose release was negotiated by the Federal Government last week, will be tested for Hepatitis B and C, malaria and sugar level. The girls, over 200 of them, were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from their school - Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, more than two years ago. After painstaking negotiations facilitated by a humanitarian group and a foreign government, the terrorist released 21 of them and promised to set 83 more free in the coming weeks, perhaps depending on how well negotiations go. Since the release of the schoolgirls, humanitarian organisations have indicated interests in offering aid to ease their rehabilitation. Other stakeholders involved in the exercise and planned rehabilitation of the girls are the Peace Corps of Nigeria, a paramilitary organisation, and the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria. Hadiza, the President's daughter, who commended the efforts of the Federal Government and the military in securing the girls' release promised to restore the lost joy of the girls through her organisation, Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative. She stated this in Abuja on Monday, October 17, during the official inauguration and signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the Chibok girls endowment fund project between the PCN and AFRISEI. Hadiza said: "Considering the present economic situation that the country is passing through, it is necessary for the government to be assisted in ensuring that funds are raised to champion the cause of rehabilitating the released Chibok girls to a concluding success. "It gives me a great honour to be present here today for the signing of the MoU of an endowment fund for the rehabilitation of the released Chibok girls between our organisations." But the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) coalition, the group widely known for its dedication to the advocacy for the girls' return, disassociated itself from Hadiza's project, describing it as a "highly suspicious event." In a statement by its Co-coordinators, Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yusuf, BBOG said it is not involved in the fundraising, expressing shock at the use of its brand name conspicuously at the event. "We state categorically that we are not party to the said event and have absolutely no information of its origin. We urge the general public to disregard attempts at linking our movement to this highly suspicious event," the group said. The girls were released on Thursday, October 13, and were picked up in the Banki area of Borno state. The organization made the comments via a statement released on Monday, October 17. The statement reads in part: ECOWAS Commission felicitates with the federal government and people of Nigeria, especially with the affected families and commends the efforts of the Nigerian military, the Multi-National Joint Taskforce (MNJTF),as well as the international partners, in the fight against insurgency in the north east Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin region. The 21 girls were among over 200 abducted by Boko Haram on April 14, 2014. ALSO READ: Osinbajo to receive 21 girls released by Boko Haram The girls who had spent over two years in captivity were reunited with their parents on Sunday, October 16. learnt that since their release, no member of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) advocacy group had seen the 21 Chibok girls. Their BBOG group has been sitting daily at the Unity Fountain, Abuja to demand the rescue of the over 200 girls who were taken from the Government Secondary SchoolChibok, Borno state. "The federal government needs to know that no Nigerian is more Nigerian than any Nigerian," said Aisha Yesufu, co-convener of the BBOG. "They must know that the primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives and properties," she added. The group had on several occasions been denied access to the Aso Rock Villa to seek audience with President Muhhammadu Buhari on the release of the girls. Buhari had promised to rescue the girls shortly after he resumed office as Nigeria's president. The delay in achieving this goal led to friction between the BBOG and the federal government. Most members of the group have sighted this as the reason why they have been "sidelined" on issues regarding rehabilitation of the 21 girls who were released on Thursday. "Basically, the government has not allowed us to see our Chibok girls. I think like someone said earlier, the government is just being petty and behaving like a spoilt baby," Aisha told correspondent in Abuja. "So because we (BBOG) have been demanding over and over, now they (FG) have the girls, they won't allow us to see them. "But for us at BBOG, the most important thing is that the Chibok parents were reunited with their daughters. It is important that they get the right rehabilitation and psychosocial therapy and ensure that they go to school and acquire education," she added. International President of the ICRC, Peter Maurer made the comment on Sunday, October 16, during an event in Lagos. Maurer said further that the ICRC simply received the girls from the sect and handed them over to the government. With regard to the Chibok girls, really, in the interest of the issue itself, let me just be very general and explain to you what the ICRCs role in such context is. And this is not something which relates to the Chibok girls, he said according to Punch. Basically, the ICRC does not negotiate these issues of hostage taking, issue of controversy between highly contrasting parties or religions. But if parties who have conflict have an agreement or are negotiating an agreement and they need the facilitation of the ICRC to execute that agreement and if it has a humanitarian impact, the ICRC is ready to play its role; we say the role of the good offices of the ICRC. So, we dont negotiate; we help to execute the agreement because of our role as a neutral intermediary. It is in that role that 21 Chibok girls were handed over to us by the opposition Boko Haram armies to release to the government of Nigeria," he added. The ICRC had also made a similar denial after the girls release on Thursday, October 13. ALSO READ: Osinbajo to receive 21 girls released by Boko Haram The 21 girls were among over 200 abducted by Boko Haram on April 14, 2014. The EFCC was said to have instructed officials of a branch of Access bank in Ado-Ekiti to hold Fani-Kayode's wife, Precious Chikwendu until its operatives arrive to whisk her away. But the state Governor, Ayodele Fayose, whom Chikwendu was visiting, stormed the bank before the EFCC men arrived to rescue her. According to reports, the account Fani-Kayode's wife attempted to withdraw from had been flagged by the anti-graft agency. The ex-minister condemned the action of the EFCC, saying it should leave his family out of whatever issue the agency has against him. "If you have a problem with me face me and leave my family alone," he said in a statement issued on Monday. Recounting what transpired, he said: "My wife travelled to Ado Ekiti to see my friend and brother Governor Fayose and his family. They were on their way out of town when they went to Access Bank in Ado Ekiti to get some money. "When they got there my eight-month-old son, Aragorn and wife Precious Chikwendu were illegally detained, brutalised and put under arrest on the orders of the EFCC at a bank in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday. "She has never had any business with me, she has never been formally invited by the EFCC or asked any questions about her transactions and neither have they written to her on any issue even though they are always sending letters to my house and sending people there. "If Buhari wants to deal with me why doesn't he face me like a man instead of trying to harm and hurt my 8-month-old son and wife." He added that if not for Fayose "they would have been taken them away and subjected them to all manner of harm and indignities simply because she is married to me." According to him, the account in question "has 200,000 Naira in it and that has never had more than 500,000. She has operated it since 2005 and she stopped using it in 2013. The account has no connection with me and I did not know it existed till today. "In an attempt to starve and harass me and my family all my accounts and wifes accounts have been frozen. Now they are resorting to arresting peoples wives and children for no just cause." However, in a statement by the EFCC, the agency said it placed the account on 'Post No Debit' category after it discovered illicit cash flows into it. It said its plan was to process Fani-Kayode's wife at a police station and release her on bail since it was already late. "She was intercepted by the bank while the Commission was notified but because it was late, the EFCC advised that the suspect be taken to the police station for processing and release on bail. "They were arranging to take the suspect to the police station when Governor Ayo Fayose stormed the bank with thugs and his personal security and forcefully secured the release of the suspect, with claims that the EFCC had no power to detain anybody in his state," the EFCC said. Contrary to the ex-minister's claim that the account had only N200,000 in it, the EFCC said the balance in the account was over N2 million. "The said account, which had a balance of N 2,307,712.82 was flagged following investigation into the PDP Joint Trust fund when the Commission traced N1.1billion to the Zenith Bank account of Fani-Kayode. It was discovered that the account had two biometric identification numbers, one for Fani-Kayode and the other (with BVN 2205597283)for Sonia Chikwendu. The same BVN is linked to two other accounts in Diamond bank and 15 accounts in Guaranty Trust Bank, the agency said. An angry mob reportedly unleashed terror on herdsmen in the state on Monday, October 18, hacking 14 of them to death. "I was returning from Plateau state with eight passengers, all of them Fulani herders, a commercial bus driver, Adamu Aliyu told Punch. He said his car broke down so he hurriedly went in search of a mechanic, adding that as he stepped away, a mob descended on his vehicle. "While I was away, a mob surrounded the vehicle and forcibly brought out the eight passengers. They hacked them to death, dumped them in the vehicle and set it ablaze. Another vehicle was also attacked when it stopped to refuel and all the six people were burnt to death along with the car," Aliyu said. He said it took the intervention of soldiers and police to curtail the slaughtering. "When the situation calmed down, I returned to my vehicle and found out that it has been burnt down, with charred remains of the passengers," he added. ALSO READ: Kaduna Govt imposes 24-hour curfew in Kafanchan The 24-four hour curfew followed tension and attacks witnessed in Godogodo Area that led to the killing of scores and destruction of property. The Interim Council Chairman, Dr Bege Katuka, told NAN in a telephone interview that the curfew was relaxed to 6 a.m to 6p.m, adding, people can go about their usual activities within the said hour. Katuka said security personnel have been on top of the situation, and urged the people to comply with governments directives. He assured the people that the curfew would soon be lifted and normalcy restored to the affected areas. Ademola was one of a handful of Judges whose homes were raided on the night. According to a statement from the DSS in the wake of the raids, the searches uncovered huge raw cash of various denominations, local and foreign currencies, with real estate worth several millions of Naira and documents affirming unholy acts by these Judges. Meanwhile, some of them have made useful statements while a few have declined even with the glaring evidences that were found against them in terms of material cash, documents and property recovered pointing to their compromise. The Judges were granted bail a few hours later and according to information available to Pulse, the prosecution is working frantically behind the scenes to have them arraigned in the following days. One of the arrested Judges said some of the monies found on him came from his Rice and Palm Oil business. A few of the Justices have since returned to the bench, carrying on like nothing happened. Days after the raid, Ademola wrote to the Chief Justice of Nigeria to say he had been unfairly attacked by the DSS. Ademola also said he has been targeted by the federal government for his previous rulings in the cases involving IPOB (Independent People of Biafra) leader, Nnamdi Kanu and former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki. However, there was some more drama to the tale on Tuesday, October 18, when Ademola said he would no longer be hearing Dasukis case. In other words, he was withdrawing from the case. Ademola has been accused of receiving money from Dasuki in order to grant the latter bail. Dasuki is standing trial for money laundering, misappropriation of funds meant for arms procurement and gun-running, among other charges. In court on Tuesday, Ademola announced his decision without mincing words. I am sure you are conversant with what has been going on in the last seven days. One of the allegations being made against me is that I received some money from Sambo Dasuki. This is the allegation of the SSS, said the Judge. I thought I should tell the counsel what is being said, Ademola said, before turning to Dasuki. Before I announce my decision, let me ask the defendant (Dasuki) some questions, he continued. Do you know me at all?, Ademola asked Dasuki. No, not at allat least before I came before this court, said Dasuki. Ademola wasnt done. Did you at any time give me money? Not that I am aware of, Dasuki said. Did you send your lawyers to give me moneyDid you give money to any of my relatives? Again, Dasuki answered in the negative. Justice Ademola thereafter announced that with the allegations of corruption levelled against him, he would be stepping down from Dasukis case. This was disclosed by the Special Representative to Muslim Communities in the US Department of State, Shaarik H. Zafar during a meeting with journalists in Kano on Monday, October 17. We would be working against our nation if we did not return the stolen money kept in US to Nigerian government. The United States has interest in the development of Nigeria and is committed in helping Nigeria in its ongoing fight against corruption, he said. First of all, such cases must be reported to US government. Secondly, the USs Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) department will investigate the matter and thirdly the Justice Department of US will take over the case for prosecution of the people involved. I am hopeful that Nigeria could be better up in the few years to come if it succeeds in tackling corruption, he added. The US had earlier agreed to return $458million in funds looted by former dictator, Sani Abacha to Nigeria. Nyako and his son, Abdulaziz were on Monday, October 17, re-arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged N40 billion fraud. The father and son are facing a 37-count money laundering charge alongside two others, Zulkifik Abba and Abubakar Aliyu. According to the EFCC, the defendants diverted funds from the Adamawa State treasury between January 2011 and December 2014. The funds were allegedly diverted through five companies - Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited. The companies were also charged before the court as the 5th to 9th accused persons. ALSO READ: EFCC releases ex-Governors son Though the defendants were initially docked before the court on August 7, 2015, their fresh plea, however, followed the death of trial judge handling the matter, Justice Evoh Chukwu, in June. The new trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, on Monday, allowed the defendants to go home on the same bail conditions given to them by late Justice Chukwu. After spending a night in the EFCC's custody, the two time Senator has allegedly implicated Gov Fayose in the N4.745billion wired to a company linked to him by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). According to a report by the Nation Newspaper, Obanikoro reportedly said N2.23billion out of the N4.745billion was transferred to Gov Fayose. The report further revealed that Obanikoro also narrated how over N1.3billion was received by the governors associate, Abiodun Agbele. The ex-Minister also reportedly admitted that the N1.3billion was flown to Akure airport in two chartered flights for delivery to Agbele. ALSO READ: I flew Obanikoro with huge bags of money to Akure - Pilot Barely two weeks after the According to a report by The Cable, the Justice of the federal high court, Lagos, reportedly refused to honour an invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, October 18, 2016. This is coming following the National Judicial Commission (NJC) decision to place Ofili-Ajumogbobia on its watch-list, owing to gross misconduct. However, Justice Musa Haruna Kurya of the federal high court, who also got an invitation, reported at the anti-graft agency's Lagos office to honour the invitation and answer questions by the officials. ALSO READ: DSS arrests two more judges, their bank accounts frozen Kurya, was reportedly accompanied by his lawyer to the EFCC's Lagos office where operatives of the commission took him on. Wike said this at the 2016 World Food Day celebration in Port-Harcourt on Monday. Represented by Dr Ipalibo Banigo, his Deputy, Wike said that his administration was implementing an agricultural programme that would encourage massive food production. He said that the state government had embarked on vigorous rural infrastructural development in order to attract investors in agriculture. According to him, the state government is already working on policies that will ensure productive agricultural use of the arable land in various parts of the state. The state has massive area of arable land capable of use for commercial farming, we also have the natural resources for commercial fish farming. The governor urged the business community to join forces with the government in the implementation of its agricultural policies. Earlier the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Onimim Jacks, called on farmers in the state to ensure environmentally-friendly practices in their activities as farmers. She said the ministry was already partnering with some local and foreign organizations to provide adequate training on best agricultural practices to farmers. This was revealed in a statement signed by the Director-General of Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, on Monday, October 17. He stressed that with the anti-corruption mechanisms developed in the state, no public official found guilty will be spared. Fanwo said: "I am aware that many people from the state were part of this years pilgrimage to Mecca. Government was aware of all they went through. "As a responsible leader, the governor immediately swung into action by setting up a probe panel to unravel why Kogi pilgrims were subjected to such dehumanising conditions, despite the perfect arrangements by the state government to make pilgrims comfortable. "The probe reports indicted the Chairman of the Pilgrims Commission. To underscore his zero-tolerance for corruption, the governor has directed the Secretary to the State Government to immediately suspend the chairman of the commission. "Also, the chairman has been handed over to DSS for further investigations and possible prosecution if enough grounds are found for that." ALSO READ: Why Kogi Governor was stoned after Jumaat prayers The Supreme Court had on Tuesday, September 20, upheld Bello's election in the December 2015 governorship election. The entertaining episode is titled "Clash Of The Muendas." Tee is under a lot of pressure and stress from work. He is a ticking bomb, irked about Dede's recent laziness in the home. He finally explodes and Dede sees a side of him she has never seen. Tee gets home from work and finds the house untidy. He also discovers that Dede didn't take his suit to the dry cleaner. As if these are not enough to upset him, a busy Dede says there's no dinner for him as she has been busy with work all day. An angry and frustrated Tee gets into an argument with Dede. He yells and says some hurtful things to her. Following the heated argument, Tee decides to visit his mum in Ibadan, while Dede invites her father over to the house. ALSO READ: undefined Dede's father advices her not to take her marriage with Tee for granted. He also apologises on behalf of him and encourages his daughter to forgive him. Tee's mum advises him to love and care for his wife. "Remember you are her husband, lover , friend and companion, not her master," she says to him. Dede gets a cufflink for Tee with an apology note on the box. Tee gets back home from his trip and apologises to her. He also surprises her with a gift. ALSO: undefined"This is It" follows the first year journey of the young clueless newlyweds Dede and Tomide, how they adjust living together, dealing with friends and a little drama. Starring Kenyan actor Nick Mutuma (Tomide) and Nigerian actress, Dede (Chiagoziem Nwakanma), the first season focuses on the first six months of their marriage. ALSO READ: undefinedThe romantic comedy also stars Stan Nze, Bimbo Ademoye, Bukola Oladipupo, Teni Aladese and Chisom Ofor, with Olumide Oworu, Joyce Maina, Linda Osifo, Ben Touitou, Kunle Coker, Tosan ugbeye, Asaah Samuel among others. Chikwendu was, on Monday, October 17, detained at a bank in Ekiti on the orders of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The PDP made its comments via a statement issued by spokesman, Dayo Adeyeye. The statement reads: We condemn, in its entirety, the arrest and detention of Precious Chikwendu, wife of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode former Spokesperson of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO) on ) October 17, 2016 by officials of the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Ado-Ekiti. She was arrested along with her 8 month old son, Aragorn, and would have been detained but for the timely intervention of Governor Ayo Fayose. This action represents a new low in the Federal Governments resolve to harass and persecute real and perceived enemies of the Buhari administration under the guise of an anti-corruption crusade. It is reprehensible for the government to attack members of the families of its perceived enemies, especially wives and children, for any reason whatsoever. In addition to freezing Chief Fani-Kayodes accounts, the Federal Government has ordered the freezing of accounts of his wife, Precious Chikwendu, several of which were opened and operated long before their marriage. These accounts have been frozen for no reason other than her marriage to Chief Fani-Kayode. The Buhari administration cannot, and must not, be allowed to continue the violation of the constitutional rights and freedoms of the Nigerian people. This sort of tyranny must not be allowed to continue unchecked. We have advised the family to approach the courts and enforce their legal rights in this matter. The PDP said it reliably gathered that the APC, in collaboration with top officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), have perfected plans to further shift the rerun. The PDP alleges that INEC is planning to give insecurity as the reason for yet another postponement. The Chairman of the PDP in Rivers State, Chief Felix Obuah, described the plot as disappointing and retrogressive. "Right from the outset, the APC has never shown any readiness to genuinely participate in a free, fair and peaceful election in the state, obviously for fear of losing in the electoral contest," Obuah said in a statement. ALSO READ: Wike explains why he stopped DSS officers from arresting judge However, the APC has denied the allegations, describing it as mischievous. The River State APC Chairman, Dr Davies Ikanya, said: "The APC is not INEC that has the sole power to fix the dates for elections in Nigeria. We are not members of any security organ in Nigeria that would determine if it is okay to hold any election in a Governor Nyesom Wike and PDP-influenced volatile environment like River State." Okoro, who is one of the Justices arrested in the crackdown by the Department of State Services, DSS, said the Minister and the All Progressive Congress governorship candidate, Umana Umana, had tried bribing him at different occasions. The Supreme Court Judge accused Amachi and Umana of trying to bribe him with promise of getting millions of Naira monthly if he sways victory in the way of the APC candidate at the election petition. Okoro made the allegations in a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, where he narrated his ordeal in the hands of DSS on the night of Friday October 7, 2016 as well as Saturday October 8, 2016. ALSO READ: Is Rotimi Amaechi fantastically corrupt - UK Mail According to a report by Premium Times, the sacked lawmakers, Stella Ngwu and Dennis Agbo, were sacked by the court, presided by Justice Okon Abang, for alleged wrongful emergence as flagbearers of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2015 general elections. The two lawmakers from Enugu State representing Igbo-Etiti and Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency, and Igbo-Eze North and Udenu Federal Constituency, are also expected to appeal the judgements. The report further revealed that PDP members, Gabriel Okafor and Chijioke Ugwu, had filed two different suits to contest the PDP primaries in December 2014 which had Ngwu and Agbo emerging the party's representatives at the 2015 general elections. Justice Abang upheld the arguments of Okafor and Ugwu and stated that the emergence of Ngwu and Agbo was unlawful, thus, they should vacate their seats. ALSO READ:Court sacks PDP lawmaker over election fraud Justice Abang further ordered Ngwu and Agbo to vacate their offices and return to the treasury of the National Assembly all monies they had collected as salaries and allowances since their resumption as federal lawmakers. Both Okafor and Ugwu were also awarded the sum of N100,000 as cost against the defendants in favour of the plaintiff. Its three existing mobile network operators - Orange, Vodafone and Etisalat - had initially all turned down the 4G licences saying the amount of radio spectrum on offer was inadequate. The Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Misr agreements come after Orange signed a deal last week, agreeing to pay $484 million after the regulator amended conditions for buying additional spectrum. "The terms and conditions we signed last night are different from three weeks ago, we consider the terms now completely satisfactory to launch top quality 4G services," Stefano Gastaut, CEO of Vodafone Egypt told a news conference announcing the deal. The change in terms was related to the frequencies offered by the telecom regulator, Gastaut said, adding that this new acquisition makes Vodafone Egypt the biggest holder of spectrum in the country. The regulator said previously that it would consider running an international auction for the remaining 4G licences if the country's existing mobile carriers refused to do a deal. Telecom Egypt, the state's fixed-line monopoly, was the only company to take up the state's original offer, buying a 4G licence in August for 7.08 billion Egyptian pounds ($797 million) to enter the mobile market directly for the first time. "Now that the four companies have signed the 4G licence, the telecom sector has raised $1.1 billion, in addition to 10 billion Egyptian pounds ($1.13 billion)for the state budget," Telecom Minister Yasser al-Qadi said. Companies had originally objected to a requirement that half the licence fee be paid in dollars. Orange Egypt agreed last week to the provision. Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Misr did not disclose what portion they would pay in foreign currency. The regulator announced last week that operators that paid for a licence entirely in U.S. dollars would be given priority in buying additional spectrum. Vodafone Egypt agreed to pay $335 million in a deal signed in the early hours of Sunday morning, the regulator said. Etisalat Misr, the Egyptian unit of Etisalat agreed to pay $535.5 million and plans to purchase 10 megahertz (MHz) of additional spectrum after the deal, a company official said. Telecoms regulator head Mostafa Abdel Wahed said all payments will be made in full, without instalments, and the companies will have one month to complete any foreign currency transfers. With attendance figures of over 12,000 people and an online reach that is fast approaching one billion (according to a statement from the platform), SMW Lagos is looking to top that over the next five years. To accomplish that, the platform has outlined a four-point five-year plan: Create jobs: SMW Lagos hopes to offer skill-based training and career preparedness opportunities as well as programming geared toward entrepreneurs and SMEs through its programming. Facilitate investments: The platform hope to draw attention to local investors and opportunities in the local tech market. It also wants to serve as a confluence to facilitate collaboration and partnerships. Offer quality education: SMW Lagos will work on strategic partnerships to provide it with a track of programming that focuses on digital solutions to bridge the educational divide. Gender balance: The platform also hopes to ensure that women are an integral part of its prgramming and initiatrives. "We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access Saturday, 5pm GMT, shortly after publication of Clinton's Goldman Sachs speeches," WikiLeaks said on Twitter. The anti-security website had previously said the internet connection had been "intentionally severed by a state party" in response to the Clinton leaks. "We have activated the appropriate contingency plans," WikiLeaks wrote earlier on Monday. Three paid speeches to Goldman Sachs by US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were released by WikiLeaks on Saturday, followed by the publication of further documents on Monday. Clinton's campaign did not contest the authenticity of the remarks, part of a huge trove of documents hacked from the emails of campaign chairman John Podesta by WikiLeaks. The Clinton camp has blamed the Russian government for the hacks, a view shared by the US government, and accused the anti-secrecy website of seeking to help Clinton's Republican rival for the presidency Donald Trump. Assange has spent more than four years living in Ecuador's embassy in London, to avoid arrest and extradition to Sweden over an allegation of rape. The 45-year-old Australian and his supporters believe the allegation is a guise to have Assange extradited from Stockholm to the US where he could be tried for publishing government secrets. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Djibouti, Mr Mario Fulgoni, made this known in a statement issued in Abuja. He stated that the pilot had on Oct. 14 embarked on the second leg of his historic journey in a Cirrus aircraft from North Weald airfield in the UK. He noted that having already completed a transatlantic crossing from Washington D.C. in the light single-propeller aircraft, the Nigerian aviator is now heading to Malta. He will then head on to Djibouti, where he will fly as a commercial pilot for the national flag carrier. From there, Odujinrin will continue around the rest of the world, through India and Australia, and intends to set a further aviation milestone with the fastest U.S. coast-to-coast flight in a single-prop aircraft. According to him, the flight is part of 'Project Transcend', a foundation aimed at inspiring young people to achieve their goals, regardless of their personal circumstances. The airline boss then quoted Odujinrin as saying fewer than 115 people have completed a solo circumnavigation of the globe by air, and it has been my dream since my youth to join them. Below is list of the main warring forces. Misrata dominates west Located 200 kilometres (120 miles) east of Tripoli, the city of Misrata bore the brunt of the violence during the revolution and is now home to the country's main armed groups. Some of these groups have sided with the UN-backed and internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) as it struggles to exert its authority beyond Tripoli. They have since mid-May taken part in an offensive to expel the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group from the coastal city of Sirte that had been its stronghold inside Libya. Misrata groups make up the core of the Fajr Libya coalition which seized control of Tripoli in the summer of 2014, ousting their rivals from Zintan who have since regrouped in their hometown, 170 kilometres to the southwest. Fajr Libya controls virtually all coastal cities between Misrata and the Tunisian border as well as southern towns such as Gharyan, Nalut and Jado in the mainly Berber mountain range of Nafusa. The tribes of Zintan, which have been largely isolated, support the controversial anti-Islamist field marshal Khalifa Haftar. Haftar rules the east Rival authorities in eastern Libya, which sits on top of most of the nation's oil wealth, do not recognise the GNA and have extended their influence to swathes of territory reaching the south of the country. They are supported by the armed forces under Haftar's command that in the space of three days in September seized control of Libya's "oil crescent", defeating a force of oil terminal guards which had announced its allegiance to the GNA. In July 2014, Islamist militias drove Haftar's "Libyan National Army" (LNA) out of second city Benghazi, 1,000 kilometres east of Tripoli, taking refuge in towns such as Tobruk near the Egyptian border. It has since recaptured the city but still faces pockets of resistance from the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, a coalition of anti-Haftar Islamist militias and radical groups. The LNA is composed mainly of former army officers from eastern Libya who defected at the outset of the 2011 revolt, including air force units and special forces. Contested south The Fezzan region with its oil fields is a smuggling hotbed, disputed by a myriad of tribal and ethnic forces. The factions are allied to Libya's rival authorities but regularly switch allegiances. Clashes often break out between the Toubou minority allied to Haftar and Tuareg tribes, which largely control the borders with Algeria, Niger, Chad and Sudan. Arab tribes such as the Sebha and Koufra are allied with the authorities in western Libya. A former Kadhafi-era army officer, Ali Kennah, in a video posted on the Internet, has vowed to work to restore security in the south while maintaining neutrality between the two main camps in Libya's power struggle. A cessation of hostilities that first went into effect in April "will re-enter into force at 23:59 Yemen time (2059 GMT) on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal," the UN's special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said in a statement. The announcement comes after Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi agreed to the ceasefire in a statement earlier on Monday, a day after international calls for a truce. The United States, Britain and the UN peace envoy to Yemen on Sunday urged the warring parties in the country's civil war to declare a ceasefire. Saudi Arabia's impoverished neighbour has been rocked by a deadly war since pro-Iran rebels overran the capital Sanaa in September 2014. However, the conflict escalated after an Arab coalition, led by Riyadh, launched a bombing campaign against the Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies in March 2015. The conflict in Yemen has killed almost 6,900 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million since March last year, according to the United Nations. New peace plan On Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry met in London with the UN envoy and his opposite numbers from Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the Yemen conflict. "This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters after the talks. Previous attempts to enforce a ceasefire in the country have so far failed with the war intensifying after a round of peace talks in Kuwait ended in August without achieving a breakthrough. The Saudi-led coalition has stepped up its air raids following the breakdown of talks and cross-border attacks from Yemen have also intensified. The previous ceasefire, announced in conjunction with the start of the Kuwait talks, was hardly observed on ground, with both sides trading blame for violating the truce. Earlier this month, the UN envoy had said that a 72-hour ceasefire was expected soon adding that he was hoping to draft a new peace plan for Yemen. The coalition has carried out hundreds of air strikes and provided ground troops to support Hadi's forces. But it has failed to dislodge the Huthi rebels, who are allied with forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, from key areas including the capital Sanaa. The rebels still control large parts of the north, their historic stronghold areas, and other regions of western and central Yemen. Taez, the country's third city, is almost completely surrounded by the Huthis and their allies and loyalist forces have for months tried to break the rebel grip on the southwestern city. Renzi, the Italian prime minister and the most prominent critic of the European Union's emphasis on fiscal rigour over efforts to foster jobs and growth, is due at the White House on Tuesday for the final state dinner of the Obama administration. And in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica, the US president lavished praise on the "vision and ambitious reforms" of the centre-left Renzi, who has staked his political future on winning a December 4 referendum on constitutional reform. Obama said Tuesday's dinner would be an opportunity to thank Renzi for "his strong partnership across a range of issues, including our shared commitment to broad and inclusive growth that creates jobs in both our countries and across Europe." Obama said the growth-boosting Recovery Act passed early in his administration had helped to create more than 15 million new jobs, cut unemployment in half and trigger a rise in wages and a fall in poverty rates. "Some countries took a different approach," he said. "As I've said before, I do believe that austerity measures have contributed to slower growth in Europe. "In some countries, we?ve seen years of stagnation, which has fed into the economic frustrations and anxieties we see across the continent... " Renzi has also blamed austerity for the rise in populist political parties across Europe, and repeatedly clashed with EU officials over demands for greater leeway on budget rules to allow him to pursue a more expansionary economic policy. "Matteo has the right approach, and it's beginning to show results," Obama said. The US leader acknowledged that concerns over the uneven impact of globalisation had helped fuel political developments like Donald Trump's presidential bid and Britain's vote to leave the European Union. He said the benefits of globalisation had to be more broadly shared, but defended further liberalisation of trade as a positive development, including a controversial new EU-US trade deal on which negotiations are currently stalled. "In our global economy where so much of our prosperity depends on trade between our countries, it?s simply not possible to withdraw and pull up the drawbridge," Obama said. "Protectionism only makes our economies weaker, hurting all of us, especially our workers." "By eliminating tariffs and bridging differences in regulations, we'll make it easier to trade, especially for our small and medium-sized businesses. TTIP will not lower standards. Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg Finding Peace of Mind: Discover These Five Places in Europe to Unwind HE SAYS KEEP IN TOUCH. HE MEANS IT. Every county. Every year. Iowans get Chuck Grassleys ear. He listens. Thats why he meets with Iowans in Muscatine Countyand every county, at least onceevery year. Grassley listened in Muscatine County: February 2016: Town Meeting in Muscatine July 2015: Town Meeting in Wilton July 2014: Town Meeting in Muscatine January 2013: Tour and Q&A with employees at Kent Corporation in Muscatine May 2012: Q&A with the Muscatine Kiwanis Club February 2011: Town Meeting in Wilton AND HES NOT DONE YET. Paid for by The Grassley Committee www.grassleyworks.com TIPTON, Iowa Authorities say Cedar County's former jail administrator has been charged with theft. The Iowa Department of Public Safety says 49-year-old Daron Wilkinson misappropriated jail funds for his own use. A phone listing for Wilkinson couldn't be found. Online court records don't list the name of an attorney who could comment for Wilkinson. The charge follows release of a state audit report last week that said the Cedar County Sheriff's Office did not properly deposit money from inmate room and board and work release fees for 2 years. The loss to the county is estimated at more than $35,000. The audit said Wilkinson worked as the jail administrator from May 2013 until his resignation in December 2015. Associated Press A decision to approve new policies for facilities use and travel were tabled Monday night after Bettendorf School Board members exchanged sharp words. The board has worked for months to revise several policies that relate to the district's re-audit by the Iowa Auditor's Office and the resignation of former Bettendorf High School Principal Jimmy Casas. When several board members appeared to be poised to approve the changes mostly hammered out by the policy committee former board president Pepper Trahan raised several questions on details. Trahan said repeatedly she wants a person to be accountable for various policy areas, but a member of the policy committee, Stacey Struck, indicated language changes were called for legal reasons. Further, Struck said that Trahan had been apprised of the changes weeks ago and that Trahan started a prolonged discussion unnecessarily. Trahan said she chose to spend time with her family and also had been on vacation. Gordon Staley, the new board president, asked members to relay their concerns to the policy committee, made up of Steuck, Betsy Justis and Paul Castro, before a public meeting. "You have valid concerns," he said to Trahan and suggested that airing them first before the committee would make the meeting run more efficiently. "You may have to get used to this," he said. Trahan said she brought out necessary questions, in public, on how the new process is to work. One part of the new process was explained by Bettendorf Activities Director Kevin Skillett and Chris Howard, who manages the Performing Arts Center at Bettendorf High School. The two men demonstrated an online booking process, from rSchool Today, that also is used in neighboring districts, including North Scott and Clinton. One major aspect is that it requires people who rent the school facilities to have some form of liability insurance, with a policy number to be included in the sign-up process. There are exceptions, and the board decided this area will be the responsibility of the district's activities director, Skillett, or his designee. Nonprofit organizations, such as the Bettendorf Wrestling Club, are made up of "our people," Skillett said, including Bettendorf volunteers, boosters and residents. They do a lot of work in the district's behalf and should be treated differently from, for example, an out-of-town for-profit vendor. The board agreed in principle, and that change, and others, will be considered at a future session. Staley pointed out there is some urgency and asked board members to inform the policy committee of changes or concerns before Friday. "We need to get our ducks in a row," he said, adding he thinks the board's inaction is holding up different entities, including the public. Another development project that promises to meet Bettendorf's land use and housing goals is in the works. Following Built to Suit Inc.'s submission of a zoning change application for a portion of a lot east of Devils Glen Road and north of Hopewell Avenue, the Bettendorf City Council moved the resolution for the 180 multi-family and 76 two-family unit project to Tuesday's council consent agenda. The project would rezone a larger portion of the lot from an R3 to R5 designation and transform the land use from residential medium density to high density. Diversifying its housing mix and increasing its dwellings per acre were part of Bettendorf's goals laid out in its comprehensive plan. "It's a great project, and it's infill, filling in that part of Bettendorf," Alderman Gary Mohr, at large, said. "It's similar to what's across the street, and a great spot for that development." Despite the council's decision and the planning commission's unanimous approval of a zoning change recommendation, it is not without concerns from the public. City Administrator Decker Ploehn said many members from the community attended the planning commission's meeting and anticipated they would attend Tuesday's public hearing on the zoning change. In their comments to the planning commission, several residents of nearby Field Sike Drive voiced concerns about a detention pond and building in the flood plain. One resident voiced concerns about potential property devaluation as a result of the project. Community Development Director Bill Connors said the developer will be required to submit a flood zone development permit, which would have to certify enough storage capacity and show the project would not adversely affect anyone else. The public hearing on the zoning change is set for the council's 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall, 1609 State St. Rock Island Arsenal First Army will welcome a new command sergeant major during a change of responsibility ceremony at 9 a.m. Friday at Memorial Field, Rock Island Arsenal. Command Sgt. Maj. Richard K. Johnson comes from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he served as sergeant major, Combined Arms Center-Training, Fort Leavenworth. Command Sgt. Maj. Sam K. Young has served as First Armys senior enlisted leader since October 2013. Young soon will retire from the Army after more than 30 years of service. An 11-year-old girl from Wapello will serve as Kid Captain when the Hawkeyes take the field against Wisconsin on Saturday. Emeline Dunham is the daughter of Bill and Barb Dunham. During an ultrasound, Emelines mom learned Emeline may have Down syndrome. The family was referred to University of Iowa Childrens Hospital, Iowa City, where more advanced ultrasounds confirmed the diagnosis. Emeline was also born with two heart defects, and spent a week in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Emeline has faced a number of health challenges: as a toddler, she was diagnosed with hypoparathyroidism, a condition in which the body doesnt make enough of a certain hormone that regulates calcium and phosphorous in the blood. Six months later, she was diagnosed with Addisons disease, a disorder in which the adrenal glands dont produce enough hormones and one that, if left untreated, could be life-threatening. Three years later, she was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease. Emeline is known for her hugs and her loving nature. She enjoys helping to take care of the familys animals and going on daddy-daughter dates. More information and a video about Emeline are available at uichildrens.org/2016-emeline. Now in its eighth year, the Kid Captain program is a partnership between UI Children's Hospital and the Iowa Hawkeyes to honor pediatric patients and celebrate their inspirational stories. For more information, visit uichildrens.org/kidcaptain. As a lawyer, and past president of the Iowa State Bar Association, I write in support of U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Grassley is right when he defends the power of the Senate to perform its separate constitutional responsibility pertaining to appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court. This year, some have claimed the president has a constitutional right and duty to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court. In fact, Article II of the U.S. Constitution says the president shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Judges of the supreme Court, The president has the power only to nominate justices. There is no power to appoint or fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court without Senate approval. Also missing from the Constitution is any reference to hearings. That means regardless of who the president nominates, the Senate has the constitutional authority to give its advice and consent or withhold it. Senators can hold hearings, or not hold hearings. That is entirely within the discretion of the Senate in filling its role of advice and consent. It all depends on what the Senate thinks is best for the country and the rule of law. And it hardly seems prudent for Sen. Grassley to have wasted time and taxpayer money having a hearing on a nominee who the majority of the Senate announced it would not support. Iowans are fortunate to have as senator a person who stands on principle, even in the face of some particularly vicious and unfounded personal attacks. In April, the president of the American Bar Association, Paulette Brown, announced the recipients of the organization's prestigious Justice Award. This award recognizes members of Congress and grassroots advocates for their support on a variety of issues of importance to the legal profession and the administration of justice. Sens. Grassley and Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, received the award for their leadership on the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act and juvenile justice reform. Sen. Grassley deserves congratulations for this work as well as 28 other bills he led through the Judiciary Committee as chairman this Congress, each one with strong bipartisan support. Jon Alexander Editorial Page Editor Editorial Page Editor, Quad-City Times Follow Jon Alexander Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Everything's harder in Illinois. Energy giant Exelon is making one-last push to save its foundering nuclear plants in Cordova and Clinton, Illinois. Exelon CEO Chris Crane told investors this spring that the plants would close if the Illinois General Assembly didn't OK a rate hike and subsidy. That billed stalled in the state Senate Energy Committee amid substantial pushback from groups such as the Clean Jobs Coalition, which includes member organizations dead set against nuclear power. Exelon responded by taking initial steps toward decommissioning the two plants. But Exelon officials now say that there's one final six-day window to recognize nuclear power's role in Illinois's zero-emissions portfolio: November's veto session. This is Illinois, after all, and so negotiations to save 800 jobs and millions in property taxes in Rock Island County might be devolving into another spat between Gov. Bruce Rauner and Speaker Michael Madigan. Or, at least, the two sides are trying to gauge where the other one sits. "The first question we get from the speaker's office is, 'Where's the governor?'" Exelon executive Tim Hanley said last week during a meeting with the Quad-City Times editorial board. "The governor's office asks, 'Where's the speaker?'" In August, Exelon won the lucrative zero-emissions designation in New York. The decision by the New York Public Utilities Commission will pump $965 million into Exelon's coffers over the next two years and keep its plants running. Exelon immediately purchased another nuclear plant, following the commission's adoption of the Clean Energy Standard, requiring 50 percent of electricity come from carbon emission-free sources by 2030. Hanley said that Exelon hopes to get something very similar approved in Illinois. But the New York deal had two major differences from what is now being hurriedly assembled in Springfield: The legislature had nothing to do with it. The governor was a forceful supporter of the plan. Nuclear has grappled with competition from heavily publicly subsidized wind and solar operations for years. An influx of cheap natural gas hasn't helped, either. Gov. Bruce Rauner has repeatedly declined to comment on the Exelon drama. Democrats in the General Assembly find it ironic that they are being asked to save hundreds of union jobs in a Republican-held Senate district, while Rauner continues to do battle with public unions. Rauner might have no option but to give in, if Quad-Cities Generating Station is to survive 2018. And Democrats know it. "I see this as an opportunity for Gov. Rauner to show leadership on the issue and recognize that labor and business have shared interests, said Sen. Mattie Hunter, chairwoman of the Illinois Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee. But Southern Illinois's passion for coal looks to be skewering any hope of a bill touting "clean energy." Lawmakers have said that a bailout for a coal-fired Dynergy plant in Southern Illinois would have to be part of the overall package, Hanley said. That's sure to be another strike against any sweeping energy deal, as far as the influential Clean Jobs Coalition is concerned. So, in a nutshell, there's a proposed rate-hike that would include cash from taxpayers in the mix. There's a politically prescribed bailout for a coal plant just to get any package out of committee in the House. The governor has done little but waffle. And the entire thing hinges on a six-day veto session, three days on either side of Thanksgiving. It's a lot of pieces to jam together in a few days, especially in Illinois. We all know about Bill Clinton and his hall of shame in his treatment of women. The New York Times goes after these alleged incidents regarding Donald Trump and yet Bill Clinton gets a pass in either forcing himself on women or groping them against their will. But if the conservative candidate is accused of the same thing, the liberal media does its best to smear them. First, Bill Clinton is not the candidate but Hillary Clinton is so lets discuss her. When Hillary was a public defender in Little Rock,, Arkansas she defended a man who was accused of raping 12 year-old Kathy Shelton so brutally that she was in a coma for five days. Not only is Mrs. Clinton heard talking about how this guy beat the polygraph test that she defended but she was laughing about it. And she says that she is a fighter for children and women all over the country and yet she accused this poor 12 year old about having romantic fantasies about older men. This young girl had already been through a horrific ordeal only to be subjected to a battery of psychological tests, which is absolutely heartless. Sen. Chuck Grassley is once again running for the U.S. Senate. He has been in Washington for four-plus decades and with each passing decade, Congress has become more dysfunctional and irrelevant to our lives. It is indeed time for a change. Grassley has shown his dysfunction by ignoring the Constitution and refusing to give a hearing to a Supreme Court nominee, federal Judge Merrick Garland. This is a symptom of what is wrong with Congress. The president and the Supreme Court are working, but not Congress. Congress is expected to be in session 124 days this year, the lowest number of days in 60 years. I will remind you again, Grassley has been there for 40-plus years of this time. He has been very willing to collect a paycheck for little work at taxpayers expense that pays his salary. Tax-paying Iowans would be fired for such an abysmal job performance. As someone who is retired, I can say that at age 83, it is time for him to go. We need to help him give up his seat to a new senator since he is unable to do this himself. It is time to bid Grassley farewell and elect new blood in Congress. We need a reset by electing former Lt. Gov. and Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge to the Senate. Grassley has shown he is a part of the problem. Vote Patty Judge for U.S. Senate. End the dysfunction in Congress. Sandy Stanley Muscatine MEDICAL CANNABIS: Gov. Terry Branstad said Monday he expects the issue of whether to extend the states limited medical cannabis law beyond its July 1 expiration date will be the subject of legislative discussions during the 2017 session. Branstad said in his weekly news conference he is open to considering some expansion of a 2014 law that parents of sick and suffering children say is needed to provide better access to marijuana-derived medicine. We dont want people to lose something they think will be helpful or that has been helpful to members of their families, the governor said. At the same time, he said he opposes legalizing marijuana for recreational use and does not want to make changes that may bring unintended consequences with them. Steve Lukan, Iowas drug czar, said his office closely monitors research developments that may win FDA approval and have implications for possible changes to Iowas medical cannabis law. Were going to have to find out in the next few months how thats going to play out. Were waiting for results like many others, he said. Branstad said he also would be willing to look at medical cannabis production options other states have undertaken but only under a very controlled circumstance. Current Iowa law set to expire July 1, 2017 allows Iowa residents to possess and use up to 32 ounces of cannabidiol, a derivative of the marijuana plant, for the sole purpose of treating intractable epilepsy and its side effects. CEDAR RAPIDS Once again, challenger Monica Vernon has outraised Rep. Rod Blum, but the Cedar Rapids Democratic also outspent the GOP incumbent and has less cash on hand for the final sprint to Nov. 8. Vernon has led Blum in fundraising for the past five quarterly reporting periods. Vernon raised $617,000 in the quarter ending Sept. 30, according to the candidates Federal Election Commission reports. Blum raised $481,000. The latest quarters haul raised Vernons overall fundraising total to $2,296,901 compared to Blums $2,144,725. The first-term Republican has spent $1,295,480 compared to Vernons $2,112,645, leaving Blum with a cash-on-hand advantage of $709,000. Polls have shown Blum with leads ranging from 7 to 16 percentage points in the race for Iowas U.S. House 1st District, which includes Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Cedar Falls, Waterloo and Marshalltown. However, a more recent poll commissioned by a Democratic fundraising group showed the race to be a statistical dead heat. Blum led 45 percent to 44 percent with 11 percent undecided and a 4.9 percentage points margin of error. SPEARFISH - Black Hills State University alum Susan DeLaney-Kary was awarded the 2016 Spirit of Dakota Award in Huron recently. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Spirit of Dakota Award, known as South Dakotas premier womans award, given to a woman who has represented, amongst other criteria, educational advancement for others. DeLaney-Karyattended BHSU (then Black Hills Teachers College) in 1947 and shared her appreciation of education with her students and many others as a community leader and businessperson. According to nomination materials, DeLaney-Kary sold her steers to finance her education. Her career in education spanned all grade levels and included teaching positions in West Rosebud School, Prospect School, Surprise Valley and He Dog School in Parmelee, along with St. Francis Indian School and Brunson School. Elaine Doll-Dunn, BHSU alum and 2008 recipient of the Spirit of Dakota Award, wrote in a nomination letter that DeLaney-Kary believed in education and encouraged others to pursue educational attainment. Susan said Go to school, you need to be able to feed your kids; you never know what will happen, writes Doll-Dunn. Susan was a dedicated woman who gave of her time, energy, and talents to the myriad country youth of the Dakota Prairie. In addition to teaching, DeLaney-Kary ran a cafe, was instrumental in launching the Parmelee celebration Rodeo and Pow Wow which continues to this day, started an arcade to give children a warm, safe place to gather after school, and bought a gas station and added groceries as a service to the community. She also started the Lords Warriors Lutheran Church in Parmelee after helping develop the Rosebud Lutheran Church. A food bank soon followed. DeLaney-Kary was a young widow and she mothered seven children on the family ranch that continues into the sixth generation to be managed by her grandson. The Spirit of Dakota award is bestowed each fall to an outstanding, successful and admired South Dakota woman with demonstrated leadership qualities. The awardees have deep roots in South Dakota and represent social, cultural, and educational advancement for others. Spirit of Dakota awardees are noted for their courage and strength of character in helping to develop their families and communities. A nine-foot bronze sculpture created by BHSU alum DaleLamphereis the source for the state-wide Sprit of Dakota Award. The sculpture was unveiled and dedicated in 1987 and stands at the entrance of the Crossroads Hotel & Huron Event Center. PIERRE | The Legislature might need a special session in 2017 if voters on Nov. 8 approve constitutional amendments to change how legislative districts are drawn and to convert South Dakota to nonpartisan elections, some state officials say. Secretary of State Shantel Krebs, whose office oversees elections, said constitutional amendment T calls for a new nine-member commission to re-draw legislative districts in 2017, again in 2021 and then every 10 years after. The state Board of Elections would be responsible for receiving applications from those who want to serve on the new commission and for selecting three Republicans, three Democrats and three non-party citizens to be its members. Those new districts would be used for the 2018 elections. Constitutional amendment V would eliminate partisan elections in South Dakota starting with the June 2018 primary elections. Thats a big concern for us, Krebs said. All of the laws would have to be in place by Jan. 1, 2018, she said, and that would require taking all of the changes to the Legislature in 2017. Krebs said it would be difficult to have the legislation written in time for the 2017 regular session that closes at the end of March. Would that mean we have to have a special session? Im questioning all that, Krebs said. The discussions came at the start of a meeting Friday of a special committee Krebs has convened to work on the topic of campaign finance reforms. One of the participants was Linda Lea Viken of Rapid City, who serves on the Board of Elections. Viken indicated the preparation of the nonpartisan elections legislation shouldnt be overly difficult. You can use all the processes we use now, Viken said. Sen. Scott Parsley, D-Madison, saw the situation differently. The reality of it is, if this (nonpartisan elections requirement) passes well probably have to look at a special session or something, Parsley said. I dont know of any way to delay that process. The new commission on legislative districts would use staff and services provided by the Legislature while the Board of Elections would choose the commission members. Krebs is chairwoman of the board and her staff performs its research and administrative work. Krebs said she doesnt know what her staff would do for the new commission within that relationship. Tony Venhuizen, the governors chief of staff, pointed out a legal quirk in the redistricting proposal. What if the Legislature turned around later and abolished the Board of Elections, which is created by statute? he asked. That is an unusual arrangement because the constitution would refer to a statute-created board, he said. The Legislature currently has the authority to set legislative districts. Krebs pledged to make the short time frames work if voters approve one or both constitutional amendments. Not that our office couldnt handle it. Well be prepared, Krebs said. Tribal authorities are investigating the murder of a young man who was killed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation sometime in the past few days. Acting Oglala Sioux Tribal Police Chief Mark Mesteth confirmed the murder took place, but would not offer any further details about the victim or how he died. John Long, a criminal investigator with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, did not return multiple requests for comment. Mesteth said more information will be made available during a press conference at 11 a.m. today on the reservation. For five years, parents of Rapid City school students have been calling for a better district website. The website the main interface between parents, students and the district is widely regarded as clunky and hard to navigate. But new Superintendent Lori Simon has gotten the cursor moving on an effort to construct a new and improved website for the district and its schools. District Information Technology Coordinator Shane Daniels said during a special study session on Monday evening that the time has come for an updated site, not just for the district, but also at each individual school. The district website now is buggy and built on an outdated model. Correcting the problem was a high priority for Simon when she came on board this summer. Since then, she has directed staff to seek solutions, and though the process is still in its very early stages, the district should have a polished website by this time next year. One of the challenges to a website redesign as comprehensive as the one envisioned, Daniels said, is how best to deal with the sheer volume of information. We have almost 2,000 pages between the district level site and the school sites, Daniels said. Its kind of a maze sometimes to find what you want to get. One way to streamline organization and navigation is to create a standard design for each homepage, Daniels said, with all the menus and tabs laid out in the same fashion from one site to the next. Each school will have a landing page that looks the same no matter which school you go to, Simon said. That is not currently the case with the districts nearly two dozen different websites, including one for each school. Well create templates for all the schools websites that have a similar look and feel, Daniels said. It sounds simple but its a pretty big undertaking. The district will send out a request-for-proposals at the end of the week, and the hope is to have the beginnings of a design process kicked off by December. South Dakota's senior senator is calling for aid for the ranchers affected by a widespread weekend wildfire east of Rapid City. Dubbed the Cottonwood Fire, it erupted about 1 p.m. Sunday about 11 miles east of Wall and spread quickly, pushed by high winds, unseasonably warm temperatures and low humidity. Rapid City Fire Department spokesman Lt. Jim Bussell said in a news release the fire was considered completely contained by 8 p.m. Tuesday. While responders had the blaze mostly contained Monday, crews spent much of Tuesday mopping up and completing damage estimates for structures and livestock lost in the fire. Officials initially estimated the wildfire scorched about 31,000 acres, or about 48 square miles. On Tuesday, updated GPS mapping lifted that acreage total to 41,360 acres. "There fire did not experience any growth in the past 36 hours," Bussell said in the update. "This number simply represents more accurate mapping of the fire perimeter." Livestock killed in the fire, as reported to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, remained at 137 head Tuesday night. Several ranchers have reported injured animals that will need to be evaluated by veterinarians. Valuable grasslands for grazing also were lost. The extent of the damage led U.S. Sen. John Thune to write U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday to ask for disaster assistance for ranchers affected by the fire, many of whom he said are still recovering from the devastation of Winter Storm Atlas three years ago. Thune, a Republican, also asked for coordination between the Farm Service Agency and the state Department of Agriculture to help ranchers in the area get access to remaining hay that has been donated through the Conservation Reserve Program's mid-contract management. Once again, the producers in this area urgently need timely assistance from USDA due to the devastating feed and livestock losses caused by the Cottonwood Fire, and I strongly urge you to take whatever action necessary to provide assistance to these producers through FSA disaster assistance programs, including the Livestock Forage Program, the Livestock Indemnity Program, the Emergency Conservation Program, and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish Program, Thune wrote. The Pennington County Type 3 Incident Management Team turned management of the incident over to local resources on Monday evening. The fire is now under the management of the Wall, Interior, Philip and Kadoka fire departments, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, and Buffalo Gap National Grassland, according to Bussell. Bussell said because of the continued high winds, a handful of fire crews remained on the scene overnight Monday to monitor the fire and watch for flare-ups. He praised the first responders, and thanked the joint efforts of multiple agencies in battling the blaze. Nearly 300 firefighters from 10 counties, most of them volunteers, responded to the fire. "In many cases, firefighters responding to the initial fire fronts put themselves at risk of great personal harm," he wrote. "These actions undoubtedly stopped the Cottonwood Fire from becoming an even larger and more devastating disaster." Bussell said crews assessing damage from the fire have determined that no primary residential homes were lost in the fire. Investigators have pinpointed the location where the fire started and have determined it to be human-caused, ruling out lightning or other natural causes. Bussell said the specific cause of the fire remained under investigation Tuesday. Echoing Thune's sentiments, Bussell ended his update with a note to the people in Pennington and Jackson counties affected by the wildfire. "Members of this team are friends and neighbors to the residents of Eastern Pennington and Jackson Counties. Although our part of managing the incident is over, you will remain in our collective thoughts as your communities work to recover from the Cottonwood Fire," he wrote. "If history has taught us anything though, it is that the tough and determined spirit of the Western South Dakota rancher is a force of nature to be reckoned with unto itself. God bless." A massive prairie fire that consumed an estimated 48 square miles of private and public ranch lands east of Rapid City and which was mostly contained but still burning on Monday led to the loss of ranch outbuildings, caused a pair of interstate traffic wrecks, killed at least 135 head of cattle and consumed untold amounts of grasslands by Monday afternoon. The blaze, called the Cottonwood Fire, began around 1 p.m. Sunday and was initially battled by 300 firefighting personnel. The fire caused smoky skies and upset ranching activities across a wide swath of land about 75 miles east of Rapid City in an area between Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 14. No one had been injured by the fire or while battling it as of late Monday; the fire was reportedly 75 percent contained by 4 p.m. Monday, and potential rain in the area Monday night might help the firefighting cause. Officials located the fires point of origin and an investigator confirmed Monday that the fire was human-caused, but no specific cause was announced as the investigation continues, said Rapid City Fire Department Lt. Jim Bussell. Sundays fire-ripe combination of unseasonably high temperatures, low humidity and winds gusting as high as 50 mph pushed flames swiftly across the prairie, scorching most everything in its path. "Under these conditions, the fire spread quickly," Bussell said in a Monday news briefing. The fire scorched an estimated 48 square miles of private land and part of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland, southeast of Cottonwood and north of I-90. A Pennington County Type 3 incident management team took over command of the fire at 6 p.m. Sunday. About 100 personnel bolstered fire lines and quelled hot spots on Monday, down from the nearly 300 firefighters from 10 western South Dakota counties that were fighting the fire at its peak. Pennington, Lawrence, Meade, Custer, Haakon, Jackson, Jones, Mellette, Bennett and Stanley counties all sent resources, as did the American Red Cross, Bussell said. Officials were still trying to determine the number of structures burned as of late Monday afternoon. No primary homes have reported lost but many outbuildings are believed to have gone up in flames. Early reports of livestock losses were starting to come in Monday. The Jackson County Sheriffs Office reported 137 cattle lost as of Monday afternoon. Those numbers are expected to rise in the coming days. As the wind fueled the fire on Sunday, rancher Cliff Poss said he could only sit atop a hill and watch as flames surrounded his ranch southeast of Cottonwood. We could see the fire was really close to our house and we figured we could lose it, Poss said Monday as he fixed a corral fence, held up by a still-smoldering fence post. There is no way you can stop that kind of fire. Quick thinking by Poss and his neighbors to cut fences and let his cows outrun the flames helped minimize the loss from the raging fire. Still, Poss thinks other ranches may not have fared as well. Bright yellow cottonwood trees, changing color for fall, stood out as a vibrant contrast against the miles of blackened fields. Ranchers worked frantically fixing fences and rounding up wayward cattle that escaped the blaze. Wooden fence posts continued to smolder and cattle kicked up dust as they wandered through charred fields on Monday morning. Luckily, through the efforts of firefighters and neighbors, the Poss home was saved but he and his family still lost plenty. Poss said several outbuildings burned along with hay that was supposed to be used to feed his herd through the winter. Im probably going to end up selling 150 cows, Poss said, noting that was would be about half his herd. I dont have hay or grass. Poss said he drove the length of the fire Monday morning and it was 21 miles long and as much as 6 miles wide. Jerry Tucker, a ranch hand near Cactus Flats on the south edge of the Cottonwood Fire was frantically fixing a fence in a scorched field Monday morning. The cattle company he works for was planning on moving some of the herd to the small pasture Tucker was working on. They aint got nothing to eat, Tucker said of the cattle in the area after the fire. The wind was so strong they couldnt do nothing, Tucker said of fire crews trying to control the blaze on Sunday. It was out of control. Tucker pointed at a ranch to the north and said, I was afraid that old mans house was going to burn up but I guess they got a truck in the yard and were able to wet it down. In addition to structures burned, power lines were damaged during the fire. As of 4 p.m. MDT, West River Electric Association and West Central Electric Cooperatives reported no residential outages in the fire area. One bridge was destroyed by the fire. There are currently no road closures in the fire area. Low visibility from heavy smoke on Sunday afternoon contributed to a pair of separate chain-reaction crashes on I-90 west of Kadoka, that left a Wall woman with serious injuries. According to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Karol Patterson, 61, of Wall, was airlifted to Rapid City Regional Hospital with serious, non life-threatening injuries suffered in a four-vehicle crash. Patterson was a passenger in a 2009 Toyota Corolla driven by Gale Patterson, 64, of Wall, which struck the rear of a pickup driven by Daniel Walsh, 52, no hometown available. Walshs Ford pickup struck the rear of a 2016 GMC Yukon driven by Joseph Ryan, 77, no hometown available, which had pulled off on the right shoulder and slowed because of heavy smoke. Pattersons car slammed into Walshs pickup and then was hit by a fourth vehicle, a 2014 Ford Expedition driven by Kenneth Fisher, 77, no hometown available. Ryan was not injured and a passenger Patricia Lacey suffered minor injuries. Walsh and Gale Patterson also suffered minor injuries. Fisher was not injured. In the second crash, Jordan Edgcomb, 30, driving a 2015 Volkwagen GTI, struck the rear of a white sport-utility vehicle, which left the scene. Edgcomb, who told investigators he couldnt see because of the smoke, was not injured. The driver of the white SUV was not located. Another fire update will be released at 10 a.m. today. The unseasonably warm and dry October has meant a busy late fire season for firefighters with other blazes in the region. According to the Great Plains Fire Information Center, the Battle Mountain Fire near Hot Springs, reported at 7:50 p.m. on Friday, was 100 percent contained at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, after burning about 21 acres. The Bald Wildfire, reported at 10:48 a.m. Sunday in the Bald Hill area between Pactola and Sheridan lakes had burned 2.75 acres and was reported contained about 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Both fires are believed to be human caused, and are still under investigation. The Rhubarb wildfire, near the Prairie Berry Winery two miles east of Hill City on Friday, burned a one-tenth of an acre and was caused by trees contacting power lines. Firefighters from Rockerville, Whispering Pines, Rapid City, Keystone and Hill City responded to an early Sunday morning blaze that damaged an abandoned woodframe building. Rockerville Fire Chief Gail Schmidt said firefighters were called at 4:41 a.m. to the report of a fire in what was a tourist attraction known as the Rockerville Ghost Town. Schmidt said firefighters quickly quelled the blaze which caused damage mostly to the front of the building with some extension of fire into the interior of the building. Firefighters had to haul water about eight miles from the Black Hills National Forest district headquarters south of Rapid City on U.S. Highway 16. The state fire marshal's office is investigating the cause of the fire, Schmidt said. The continuing dry conditions prompted Black Hills National Forest officials to cancel a planned prescribed burn set for today in the Whaley project in the Mystic Ranger District. Back near Cottonwood on Monday, cattle owned by Poss and his father wandered aimlessly through miles of blackened pasture Monday morning. Smoke trickled into the air where hay bales had been stacked but continued to smolder on Monday. Still, Poss remained positive. Actually, we feel pretty fortunate, he said. It looks like I didnt lose any cattle and we could have easily lost our house. A worker checks steel product files at a cold rolling mill of Tangsteel Group Ltd in Tangshan, Hebei province. [Photo/China Daily] Soon after Chinese Vice-Premier Ma Kai took part in a high-level economic dialogue with European Union officials three years ago, Beijing and Brussels reached an amicable solution to end their dispute over China's solar panel exports to Europe that had almost frozen bilateral relations for a year. With that obstacle removed, they entered into talks on opening their markets to investments by the other. Soon after the dispute was settled, Xi Jinping made the first visit ever by a Chinese president to the European Union's Brussels headquarters. These developments established a solid foundation for Beijing and the EU to forge closer ties. But when Ma returned to Brussels to attend a new round of the high-level economic dialogue between the EU and China in Brussels on Tuesday, he faced the challenge that the problem-plagued EU is once again getting tough on access to its market. And this despite the fact that bilateral trade now stands at $1 billion dollars a day. As much trade is now done in seven hours with one EU country Belgium as it took a whole year to achieve 45 years ago. A number of issues are expected to be discussed during this week's talks. Both sides set an end of year deadline to come up with an agreed text after 12 rounds of negotiations. But, even with the best efforts of both sides, it will not be easy to find a compromise on the issue of market access within that timeframe. There is also the issue of over-capacity in the global steel industry. The EU position, reinforced by lobbyists and industry groups, is as tough as it was in the dispute over solar panels. This year, steelworkers from around the EU took to the streets of Brussels to demand greater protection for their ailing industry. Their complaints against foreign imports have to be set against the fact that expensively run European plants also bear a share of the blame for what is a global problem. Since China embarked on its economic miracle decades ago, much European capacity in steel-making has moved to China. Brussels should stop blaming Beijing for the problems, and work with it to find a solution. China has been making its contribution to solving the issue by reducing its steel capacity, which has led to a rising number of lay-offs in the domestic steel industry. Also at the conference table, the two sides will not be able to avoid the topic of China's market economy status as Dec 11 is very close. After that day, in line with a World Trade Organization agreement, Brussels should no longer charge anti-dumping duties against Chinese exports to the EU on the basis of China's non-market status, since the transitional period of 15 years since China joined the WTO is over. Beijing insists that the matter is non-negotiable, but so far Brussels has not offered a solution. Voices within the European institutions recently started commenting that the market economy issue is "not a technical but a political" one at a time when the EU is facing an existential crisis that challenges its political unity. Within the context of the rule-based international community, it is maybe time for Brussels to show political wisdom and respect the WTO agreement. Ideally, it would send such a message in the talks with Ma. And then, Brussels and Beijing could renew harmonious relations at a number of levels. The author is deputy chief of China Daily European Bureau. fujing@chinadaily.com.cn Russian Supreme Court upholds ban on another Jehovahs Witnesses branch MOSCOW, October 18 (RAPSI, Oleg Sivozhelezov) The Supreme Court of Russia has upheld a lower courts decision to ban The Jehovahs Witnesses branch in the city Oryol as extremist organization, RAPSI reports from the courtroom on Tuesday. On June 14, the Oryol Regional Court liquidated the organization on the request of the Justice Ministrys regional Directorate. The Jehovahs Witnesses representative said earlier that no violations had been found during the inspection conducted by the Justice Ministry on April 1, 2013. On Tuesday, representatives of the Justice Ministry and prosecutors office insisted that the Oryol courts ruling was legal and valid and asked the Supreme Court to uphold it. The Jehovahs Witnesses representatives in turn said that liquidation of the organization is a disproportionate measure restricting peoples rights to freedom of religion. Jehovahs Witnesses have had many legal problems in Russia. On October 12, a court in the Jewish Autonomous Region ruled to ban a branch of The Jehovahs Witnesses in Birobidzhan because of distributing extremist literature by the organization. On June 16, Russias Supreme Court declared The Jehovahs Witnesses of Stary Oskol in the Belgorod Region an extremist organization and ruled to liquidate it. On June 9, the Jehovahs Witnesses of Belgorod was banned as extremist organization. In March 2015, a court in Tyumen fined the organization 50,000 rubles ($792) and seized prohibited literature. In January 2014, a court in Kurgan ruled to ban the organizations booklets as extremist. The books talk about how to have a happy life, what you can hope for, how to develop good relations with God and what you should know about God and its meaning. In late December 2013, the leader of the sects group in Tobolsk, Siberia was charged with extremism and the prevention of a blood transfusion that nearly led to the death of a female member of the group. In 2004, a court in Moscow dissolved and banned a Jehovahs Witnesses group on charges of recruiting children, encouraging believers to break from their families, inciting suicide and preventing believers from accepting medical assistance. Jehovah's Witnesses is an international religious organization based in Brooklyn, New York. Since 2004 sever branches and chapters of the organization were banned and shut down in various regions of Russia. Convicted Politkovskaya murder mastermind to turn to ECHR over prison conditions MOSCOW, October 18 (RAPSI) - Former police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov convicted of killing Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya will file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over prison conditions, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday citing his lawyer Andrei Vikanov. According to the attorney, Khadzhikurbanov is being held in highly heavy conditions; he is unreasonably restricted from correspondence and visits. Vikanov classified causes for sanctions as far-fetched. On October 7, 2006, Politkovskaya, a crusading reporter with the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was shot dead at the age of 48 in the elevator of her central Moscow apartment building. The murder has been linked to her coverage of human rights abuses in Chechnya. In June 2014, the Moscow City Court sentenced Khadzhikurbanov to 20 years in a maximum security penal colony for organizing the murder of Politkovskaya. Another mastermind Lom-Ali Gaitukayev and killer Rustam Makhmudov were sentenced to life in prison. Two other defendants, Dzhabrail Makhmudov and Ibragim Makhmudov, were convicted as accomplices to the crime. Dzhabrail drove Rustam to the scene of the crime, and Ibragim told him that the journalist was approaching her apartment building. Dzhabrail Makhmudov got a 14-year sentence. Ibragim Makhmudov was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The court also fined them 5 million rubles ($79,200) payable to the late journalists children. In 2015, the Russian Supreme Court reduced the sentence for Dzhabrail Makhmudov to 13.5 years in prison. One more suspect, former police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov who was convicted of organizing the surveillance of the journalist was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a separate trial in December 2012. He reached a plea bargain with investigators and testified against the other suspects in the case. MOSCOW, October 18 (RAPSI, Yevgeniya Sokolova) The Moscow District Military Court will question Deputy Chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee, Major General of Justice Igor Krasnov as a witness in the criminal case over killing prominent opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, RAPSI learnt in the court on Tuesday. The court therefore granted a motion filed by defense lawyer Shamsudin Tsakayev seeking interrogation of the Investigative Committees senior investigator for especially important cases. The murder of Nemtsov is considered by jury trial. On September 29, the Moscow District Military Court formed a panel of jurors selecting 22 people to make 12 main and 10 reserve members to examine the case. At the end of June, Russias Investigative Committee reported that investigation into the case of Zaur Dadayev, Anzor Gubashev, Shadid Gubashev, Temerlan Eskerkhanov, and Khamzat Bakhayev who stand charged with a contract murder in the composition of an organized gang, and of illegal acquisition, transportation and possession of firearms, had been completed. According to investigators, in late September 2014, Ruslan Mukhudinov, a former officer in the Chechen Interior Ministry, and some unnamed persons offered Beslan Shavanov and the five accused to murder Nemtsov for 15 million rubles ($237,500). Nemtsov was murdered in central Moscow on the night of February 28. In the 1990s, the politician held a number of high-ranking posts in the Russian Government. In the 2000s, he joined the opposition. Prosecution of Shavanov was dismissed in November 2015 because of his death by self-destruction in the course of his apprehending in Chechnya. Investigation into Mukhudinov, the alleged mastermind behind this high-profile murder, who has been on the international wanted list since 2015 and other unidentified persons, is still going on. Sakhalin ex-governor Khoroshavin to stay in detention until February 27 MOSCOW, October 18 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko) The Moscow City Court has extended detention of former Sakhalin governor Alexander Khoroshavin who stands charged with corruption, RAPSI learned from the courts press-service on Tuesday. The Moscow City Court ruled to extend detention of Khoroshavin and other defendants in the case until February 27, 2017, the courts representative said. The court has also extended detention of ex-deputy of the Sakhalins government chairman Sergei Karepkin and counselor of the Sakalins governor Andrei Ikramov for the same period. Minister of the Agriculture, Trade and Food Provision for the Sakhalin Region Nikolai Borisov will stay under house arrest for four months. Along with Khoroshavin himself they are accused of receiving bribes and embezzlement. Investigators announced in March 2015 that Khoroshavin and several other officials were arrested for allegedly taking a $5.6 million bribe to secure a contract to build a power unit for the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk thermal plant. In April 2015, Khoroshavin was charged in another criminal case with taking a bribe of at least 15 million rubles ($230,000) for providing credits on advantageous terms to one of the local businessmen. He pleaded not guilty. In January, the third criminal case was opened against Khoroshavin. According to investigators, he took 27 million rubles ($414,000) in bribes from candidates for the positions in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City Duma in 2014. President Vladimir Putin dismissed Khoroshavin from his post due to loss of trust in March 2015. Comments and links to reports on science, and its applications. Guwahati : The simmering anger against the Centre's decision to revise the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 1955 reached at boiling point in Assam. Dozens of political, non-political organizations, ethnic groups of the state had protested against the Modi government's decision to revise the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and fear that the Centreas decision would result in the marginalization of the indigenous people of Assam. On Monday former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that, the indigenous people of the state would definite affected for the Centre's decision. 'Modi government's decision to revise the Citizenship (Amendment) Act had violated the Assam Accord and we will not allow it,'A Tarun Gogoi said. The former Assam CM further said that, Congress will move to Supreme Court against the Centre's decision. On the other hand, All Assam Students Union (AASU) said that, to revise the Citizenship Act Modi government want to give Citizenship to over 30 lakh hindu Bangladeshis. 'We will not take any more burden. AASU and other indigenous organizations protested against the Centrea' decision,'A AASU Advisor Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya said. Over the issue the student organization had announced a series of protest programme. On October 18, the student organization has organized a candlelight protest across the state and would to hold a public meeting in Guwahati on October 22 to chalk out the future course of action. Meanwhile, Axom Unnayan Samiti had burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in Guwahati on Monday protest over the issue. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Guwahati: In putting across their intent loud and clear, the Assam and Nagaland government vowed to adopt 'mutually reciprocating approach' to carry forward constant dialogue and people to people contact towards solving all outstanding issues between the two states. In a high level meeting between Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and his counterpart of Nagaland T. R. Zeliang held at the convention center Kohora at Kaziranga National Park on Monday both the Chief Ministers viewed that dialogue and not disenchantment should be way forward for the maintenance of peace and harmony along the border of both the states. Putting his thoughts forward, the Assam CM said that both Assam and Nagaland share a common goal towards people centric development and we need to work together for mutual growth and give a boost to Sabka Sath Sabka Vikash. 'We need to work together to find out lasting solutions in the areas of illegal migration, life and security to the people of both the states and cultural and sporting exchanges,'A Sonowal said. Sonowal also advocated for constituting committees consisting of MPs, MLAs and local people to undertake frequent visits to six districts of Assam sharing boundaries with Nagaland to facilitate confidence building measures and strengthen mutual trust and a sense of togetherness. 'We will work jointly to project Northeast as a hub of possibilities, potentialities and prosperities and position it in the pan Indian contour showcasing its unmatched beauty in tourism, culture, forest and environment,' Sonowal said. In the meeting both the states have resolved to work towards development of cooperation in the areas of mutual interest like action against rhino poaching, intelligence sharing on extremist activities, crime control in border areas of both states. Both the Chief Ministers also agreed that security forces on both sides of the border need to be extra cautious due to threats from extremist groups and that intelligence inputs should be shared between the states through a structured mechanism. Appreciating the gesture of Sarbananda Sonowal, Nagaland Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang said that it is undoubtedly an important step towards bringing both the states closer to think together, act together and march together. The Nagaland CM also said that the meeting will help both the states in creating an inroad for projecting themselves as a tourist hotspot and give a boost to Act East Policy. He also invited his counterpart Sarbananda Sonowal to Nagaland during the Hornbill Festival and send cultural troops to Nagaland to which Sonowal agreed. Zeliang also said that the meeting will also create a congenial atmosphere for both the states to initiate confidence building measures which perhaps would be more beneficial than the Supreme Court ruling on the border issue. Moreover to give a fillip to connectivity to the Northeast and between the two states he also strongly advocated for extending the four lane express highway upto Moreh. Minster for Agriculture Atul Bora, Minister for Water Resources Keshab Mahanta, Minsiter for Environment and Forest Pramila Rani Brahma, Minister for Irrigation Ranjit Dutta, Minister of State for Employment and Labour Pallab Lochan Das, MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, MLAs, Chief Secretary V.K. Pipersenia, DGP Mukesh Sahay and other senior civil and police officers were present at the meeting. Similarly Nagaland delegation led by its Chief Minister comprised of MP K.G. Kenye, Parliamentary Secretary Dr. Imtiwapang, Prnicipal Secretary Lalthara, Chief Secretary in acharge R.B. Thong and a host of top civil and police officers of the state. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Guwahati: Journalists' Forum Assam (JFA) appreciates the latest gesture shown by the Pakistan Government in Islamabad towards senior scribe Cyril Almeida withdrawing his name from the exit control list (ECL). Media reports from Islamabad stated that Pakistan's interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had ordered necessary directions to the authority after a meeting with representatives from All Pakistan Newspapers Society and the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors. It may be mentioned the Nawaz Sharif government got angry over Almeida's report titled aAct against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military' and put him on an exit control list meaning the Dawn journalist could be stopped from leaving the country. 'I am told and have been informed and have been shown evidence that I am on the Exit Control List,aA twitted Almeida. The exclusive report was published a week after the Indian armed forces conducted a surgical strike on terrorist camps inside Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Carried out on September 29, the unique strike was in revenge against the 18 September terror attack in Uri of J&K by the Pakistan based militants killing 19 Indian soldiers. Expressing concern over the Pakistan government's indirect threats to a Pakistani scribe for his recent media reports, the JFA urged the Islamabad regime to show respect to the media. The northeast India based scribes' forum argued that Almeida showed his commitment in reporting the ongoing rift between the Islamabad government and the military in the backdrop of Indo-Pak conflict. Later the Pakistan government issued a statement claiming the news report 'was clearly violative of universally acknowledged principles of reporting on national security issues and has risked the vital state interests through inclusion of inaccurate and misleading contents'. Prior to it, PM Sharif had an exhausted discussion with the country's army chief General Raheel Sharif, ISI chief LieutenantGeneral Rizwan Akhtar, interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan andPunjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif. 'The journalists should/must get the freedom to report on various issues without fear. The government as well as civil society & advocacy groups should also support the media persons in playingtheir roles for the benefit of the reader/audience/viewers,'A said a statement issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Guwahati: Security forces on Monday had busted two camps of NDFB(S) and apprehended a hardcore militant of the outfit group during an intensive operation along Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, officials said. According to the reports, based on intelligence input, Assam police and army had launched operation at Diring Nala area along the border with Arunachal Pradesh, where a group of the Bodo militants hidden. 'When the troops reached the area the militants started firing and heavy bullets exchanged. At least three militants had managed to flee from the dense forest area, but security personnel apprehended a hardcore militant,'A an Assam police official said. The nabbed militant was identified as John Bikram Mushahary alias M Barlangmuthur and security personnel recovered a handmade rifle, ammunition in possession from him. Security forces also recovered warlike stores from the busted camp. NDFB(S) is active in Assam and some bordering parts of Arunachal Pradesh. Over 100 militants of the outfit group were nabbed by security forces from the both states in past a year during ongoing All Clear operation against the Bodo militant group. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Guwahati, October 18: At least three girls including a minor were injured in an explosion in Manipur's Imphal city on Monday night, police said on Tuesday. The girls injured when a hand grenade reportedly hurled by miscreants exploded near the residence of a contractor in Imphal's Tangkhul Avenue on Monday night. Manipur police said that, the miscreants hurled the hand grenade targeting to the residence of Chelneil, who is also the president of Tangkhul Contractor's Association Ukhrul. The injured girls were rushed to Raj Medicity hospital. Police said that condition of one of the girls identified as Sunita Jajo was stated to be critical. Sunita's younger sister Chuichui and another eight year-old Leiyarel sustained minor injuries. Top police and army officials had immediately rushed to the area and launched operation to nab the miscreants behind the blast. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Kathmandu, Nepal: Finally, a team of Supreme Court(SC) has become success to paste the court summons at chief of CIAA Lokman Singh Karkis house on Tuesday. The fourth attempt to SC paste the court summons became succeed on Tuesday. While pasting the court summon, ward secretary Sarita Rai was also present during the process. CIAA chief Karki now has to appear by himself or sent his representative before the court within 15 days. Supreme Court summoned Karki responding to the writ petition filed by advocate Om Prakash Aryal. He had filed a case at the SC challenging to the Karkis appointment. It was claimed in the court that the appointment was unlawful as his tenure in government service falls short of what has been provisioned in the constitution and he does not hold high moral character to lead the CIAA. KATHMANDU: The Legislature-Parliament meeting on Tuesday unanimously endorsed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill-2072 BS. Minister for Law, Justice and Federal Affairs Ajay Shanker Nayak presented the Bill before the House on behalf of Prime Minister and Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Taking part in the discussion about the theoretical aspects of the Bill, CPN-UML lawmaker Dr Bansidhar Mishra suggested that the Bill needs to be revised broadening the definition of the disabilities. Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Democratics Dr Subodh Pokhrel said the Bill has failed to pay attention to the proper categorisation of persons with disabilities and ensure their socio-economic empowerment. CPN-UMLs Rewati Raman Bhandari said some provisions mentioned in the Bill are not in line with the spirit of federalism. Responding to voices of lawmakers regarding the Bill, Minister Nayak said the Bill is aimed at ending all sorts of existing discriminations against the disabled and bringing them into the mainstream of empowerment, guaranteeing their rights on every front.RSS Kathmandu, Nepal: The Supreme Court (SC) the apex court of the country, has on Tuesday recommended action against its own staff on charge of negligence of duty and two other government employees of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward No 10 for non-cooperation in paste summons to Lok Man Singh Karki, the chief of Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority. A single bench of Justice Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada issued an order for imprisonment for 15 days and Rs 1,000 fine against SCs Tameldar (messenger) Shambhu Bahadur Khatri, Secretary Sarita Rai and Kharidar Bheshraj Aryal at Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC)-10. The verdict of the court has come in the mean time when the SC staffers have become success to paste the summons at CIAA chief Karkis Baneshowr based resident on Tuesday. Another team of the SC had pasted the summons on Tuesday. The SC has told to be present before the apex court within seven days to forge clarification over the matter. The SC had had deputed Khatri to hand over the summons to Karki to be present before the SC about two weeks before but he failed to conduct duty in the pretext of failing to locate the house of Karki. Not only the SC staffer, but also the ward secretary Rai and Kharidar Acharya were neglecting to paste the summons. They have faced the apex court music as they reportedly did not show up when the SC messenger had reached the KMC-10 Ward Office seeking consultation and company to locate Karkis house in Baneshwar of KMC-10. sacw.net - 17 October 2016 AN APPEAL We the following signatories from West Bengal are deeply concerned about the escalating tension between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan, and the jingoism in support of armed conflict as the method to resolve this tension. The recent civil unrest in the Kashmir Valley has cost nearly 100 lives, even more are injured and those blinded by pellets include children. Yet the leaderships of the two countries have used the tragedy as a political weapon to berate each other in the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly. The attempt is to completely deny the legitimacy of the struggle of the Kashmiri people for cultural, linguistic, and social identity and self-rule. As a result of armed attacks across the international borders, and irresponsible threat of nuclear reprisal, a war-like situation has been drummed up. This has deeply vitiated the atmosphere in the region leading to the cancellation of the SAARC summit. Evacuation orders, forcing villagers to flee their homes in border villages, have already resulted in the displacement of over 5 lakh people in India alone, causing immense hardship; land mines are now being laid out here, destabilising the border region. The Indian governmentas threat to scrap the Indus Water Treaty is a gross violation of the rights of the lower riparian state and its cancellation will create a massive humanitarian disaster, affecting innocent civilians and leading to the collapse of agriculture and supply of drinking water in several parts of Pakistan. We appeal to the governments of India and Pakistan to emulate the spirit of the grieving father, Onkar Nath Dalui. On hearing the news of the asurgical counter-strikesa after the death of his son, Gangadhar Dalui, a soldier from West Bengal killed in the attack on the Indian armed forces camp at Uri, he said that though his son is dead, he fervently hopes more loss of life will be averted through reconciliation and peace between the two countries. Wars are not known to resolve any issue, they only result in further devastation and misery for ordinary people. We urge the leadership of the two countries to renew the process of dialogue as there is no alternative to normalise the situation. Let us as citizens of the two countries raise our voices for peace so that future generations can enjoy freedom from the sub human levels of poverty, ill health and unemployment inflicting South Asia. Let us also resolve that if Kashmir is the cause of tension in the region, we will all shun war and carry forward on the path of dialogue involving the people of Kashmir for lasting peace. Tribute to Oregon Professor Jeffrey Barlow Oregon has lost a noted Scholar, distinguished historian, and long-time Pacific University professor. Jeffrey G. Barlow, Ph.D Aug 31, 1942 - Oct 12, 2016 (YAMHILL, Ore.) - Jeffrey G. Barlow, Ph.D died peacefully Wednesday, October 12th, 2016, at home. Born the 31st of August, 1942, in Benton, Illinois, to parents Colleen (Garrigus) and Lewis Barlow. He graduated from Benton High School, went to Southern Illinois University, University of Pittsburgh, and received his PhD from University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Barlow taught Asian History in Oregon at institutions of higher learning; University of Oregon, Lewis & Clark College, and retired as Professor Emeritus from Pacific University. He was a co-founding member of the Northwest China Council and editor of the Journal of the Association for History and Computing. A lifelong friend of China, he was active in the U.S. China Peoples Friendship Association before normalization of U.S.-China relations in 1978. From 1979 to 2010 he led academic, business, student and tourist groups to China and Vietnam. In the 1990s he worked for normalization of U.S. relations with Vietnam. Dr. Barlow was well published in his fields and has several books to his name. He was a Fulbright student and a Fulbright Scholar. Jeffrey is survived by his wife of 41 years, Christine, son, Lewis, former spouse Janelle, stepson, Bret, daughter Clare, brother Charles, and his doodle Dharmo. Dr. Barlow rode in several Cycle Oregons, STPs, and studied martial arts under Al Dacascos. He was an active member of the United Methodist Church. Memorial services will be held 11:00 am 10.21.16 at the Yamhill United Methodist Church, 195 S. Laurel Street. A reception follows at his favorite local restaurant Zippys Pizza, 180 S. Maple St. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to: Northwest China Council, Willamette Valley Hospice, or to the Pacific University History Department. To leave online condolences, please visit www.macyandson.com. _________________________________________ You have permission to edit this collection. Edit Close Gowin: China will transfer $ 20 million for a research project with a Poland The Chinese government has decided to transfer $ 20 million for a Polish-Chinese research project - Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Science and Higher Education Jarosaw Gowin told PAP on Wednesday in Beijing. He added that these funds could go to projects in the space and mining industries. Gowin\'s visit to China started last Monday. In Beijing, he met with representatives of the Chinese government and universities. As the head of the science ministry told PAP, the conversation with Deputy Prime Minister Liu Yandong concerned the strengthening of the Polish-Chinese cooperation, not only in science, but also the economy. "Deputy Prime Minister said that after the Warsaw visit of President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government decided to allocate $ 20 million to a joint Polish-Chinese research project. The scientific community will select the research field. I suggested that two sectors would be a natural choice. The first is space research. The Chinese have major achievements in this area, and we want to develop space research and space industry" - said Gowin. He added that the second area in which the Polish-Chinese project can be implemented, is mining. "For China, as well as for Poland, coal is the primary source of energy. The achievements of Polish scientists when it comes to, for example, modern coal combustion technologies, are highly valued in the world. The Chinese also have big achievements in this respect" - said Deputy Prime Minister. He said that after returning to Warsaw he would want to quickly conclude these talks. According to the agreement on strategic partnership and the cooperation agreement, the scientific body responsible for cooperation on the Polish side will be the National Centre for Research and Development - noted Gowin. Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that the current Polish-Chinese research projects are "in their infancy". "From the Chinese side the position of the President Xi Jinping is certainly crucial, as the Chinese universities are focused on the implementation of government programs. I am convinced that now, within the framework of this joint project, we can carry out not a single research project, but several projects" - he said. Gowin said that so far Polish universities were interested in China only in terms of attracting Chinese students. "This is a direction that I would like to strengthen. At the same time, at the next meeting of the conference of rectors of Polish academic schools I will emphasise what an opportunity the cooperation with Chinese scientists is for Polish science" - he said. During his stay in China Gowin met, among others, with the Minister of Education Chen Baosheng. The aim of the visit was the development of Polish-Chinese relations in the areas of economy, science and space technology. An important element of the visit was also strengthening the cooperation between Polish and Chinese universities. In Beijing, Deputy Prime Minister attended the meeting of ministers of education and higher education EU-China. He visited also Tsinghua Universityand the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST). Deputy Minister Gowin visited also Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan province. He met with the authorities of the region and visit the Sichuan University; scheduled events included a meeting with students, university authorities and the opening of the Poland Study Centre. From Beijing ukasz Osinski PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland luo/ az/ kar/ mag/ mrt/ tr. RL Momentum Pictures has acquired all North American rights to the the latest Darren Lynn Bousman shocker, Abattoir, with an eye to release the film in theaters, VOD and Digital HD on December 9, 2016. Written by Christopher Monfette (Syfy's 12 Monkeys) and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III & IV), the film stars Jessica Lowndes, Joe Anderson, Lin Shaye (Insidious) and Dayton Callie ("Sons of Anarchy"). Momentum Pictures Senior VP of Content, Ian Goggins, made the announcement saying,"Were fans of Darren Bousmans body of work in the horror genre, so we couldnt be more thrilled to work with him on Abattoir. The film has unique twists and turns that will leave audiences at the edge of their seats." The film centers on a real estate reporter (Jessica Lowndes) who unearths an urban legend about a house being built from rooms where horrific tragedies have occurred. The investigation ultimately leads her and ex-lover Detective Declan Grady (Joe Anderson) to the enigmatic Jebediah Crone (Dayton Callie) and the answer to the question, How do you build a haunted house? Abattoir is based on the Radical Publishing 6-issue comic book mini-series created by Bousman. the film world-premiered at this years Los Angeles Film Festival in the Nightfall section and has screened in a dozen festivals this summer, winning "Best in Festival" at the Hot Springs Horror Festival. Paul Tanter's action flick Kill Ratio is coming to U.S. cinemas on December 9th and on VOD and iTunes on December 13th. ScreenAnarchy is pleased to premiere the trailer for you. Take a look below. An attack on the new President of a fledgling Eastern European democracy pits an American covert operative against the countrys ruthless military leader determined to seize control of the government. The film stars Tom Hopper (Starz's "Black Sails", Knights of Badassdom) Amy Huberman, and Lacy Moore (HBO's "Game of Thrones"). The movie is being released by XLrator Media. John Link (Mel Gibson) is living out his probation in a trailer park on a desolate park in California, running a tattoo parlour out of his trailer. Having recently served a multi year prison sentence he desperately tries to keep himself on the straight and narrow. However, one night he gets a phone call from his daughter, Lydia (Erin Moriarty), presumed missing to this point, desperate for his help to get her out of town. She has found herself caught up with members of a drug cartel and they are looking to kill her. To what lengths is Link willing to go to find his daughter and protect her? When we first meet Link he is attending some support group. He speaks to the group about hurting people, chasing them away, and that some have not come back. It is eerily close and similar to the past few years of Gibsons personal life you wonder if Gibson had not taken these words to heart as he prepared for this performance and offered these moments as a kind of confessional. The screenplay and dialogue crackle like fireworks, giving us reason to seek out screenwriter Peter Craigs novel which this film is based on. We presume the work done by he and Andrea Berloff in adapting his text to film is is done well because the dialogue is so excellent. It is work complimentary to any of Mamets efforts. The exchanges between Link and his daugher snap like lightening and levity despite her circumstances. Credit must be given to the work of veteran editor Steven Rosenblum for cutting those conversations into a comprehensible series of quick cuts. Regarding Gibson. He is flat out terrific in this film. Call it a comeback. Call it a return to form. Call it what you want, but rarely has Gibson been better than he is in Blood Father. There are glimmers of Martin Riggs from his Lethal Weapon years, maybe it was the trailer, or that hint of crazy that is back in his eyes as car windows got blown out around him, whatever it is it comes through the cracks of his tough ex-con exterior. His supporting cast does not do a shabby job either. The always reliable William H Macy and splendid character actor Michael Parks, men in Links life at opposite ends of the law, are at their best once again. Moriarty is great when she is sparring off verbally with her father. Blood Father's action is succinct, to the point, and there is more than enough of it to satisfy any action fan. The World that Link had left behind was dangerous at every corner. Every where he and Lydia turn is fraught with danger and terror. This is not to say that Blood Father is an overly intense non-stop experience but this is the World that Link has to return to in order to save her. The action scenes in Blood Father are punctuation, not exposition. They are however a hell of an exclamation mark. Straight up, Blood Father is a great action film. We may never be able to separate the professional life from the personal life but if Mel Gibson is ever to be in our favor again Blood Father may well be the movie that we will all look back on as that turning point. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). "How the Sentencing Commission Does and Does Not Matter in Beckles v. United States" | Main | Highlighting how death is different when it comes to SCOTUS dissents from denial of certiorari This interesting local article, headlined "Federal judge blasts Philly DA's 'juvenile lifers' policy," highlights the continued struggle in some quarters to give meaningful effect to the Supreme Court's Eighth Amendment ruling in Miller v. Alabama more than four years later. Here are excerpts: The Philadelphia District Attorney's office has conceded that a judge resentencing "juvenile lifers" may impose a minimum sentence lower than the 35 years the office has been offering in such cases. The possibility was raised Monday as the office agreed to move ahead with resentencing for Kempis Songster, 44, serving life without parole for a murder he committed in 1987 at age 15. An openly frustrated U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Savage who had ordered a new sentence for Songster four years ago, and again in August with a 120-day deadline said the office's policy of offering all inmates the same deal for a new sentence was inconsistent with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that had put back into play about 300 murder cases in Philadelphia involving juveniles. Savage's Aug. 17 order had urged resentencings in which a judge would have discretion to impose "individualized, proportionate sentences," take into consideration an inmate's rehabilitation, and impose a maximum of life only in "the rarest of permanently incorrigible" cases. "Here's the problem that I have," Savage told Assistant District Attorney Susan Affronti on Monday. "If you're saying you have all these offers out, it seems you're treating all of these folks the same way 35 years to life. I don't get that. That to me appears to show a lack of due diligence, of looking at each case individually. I understand you want to do this for policy reasons. Maybe because it looks good." Songster's case and others are back in the courts as a consequence of Montgomery v. Louisiana, a U.S. Supreme Court decision in January that made retroactive the court's ban on automatic life-without-parole sentences for juveniles. The ruling affects about 2,300 cases nationwide, about 500 of which are in Pennsylvania - including about 300 in Philadelphia. Affronti, accompanied by Tariq el-Shabazz, one of District Attorney Seth Williams' top deputies, agreed to drop the appeal of Savage's order directing Songster to be resentenced as well as its request for a stay of the 120-day time frame. Savage's earlier ruling had questioned the district attorney's reliance on parole as the means of release by leaving maximum life sentences in place.... Bradley Bridge of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, who is handling many of the "juvenile lifer" cases, said the district attorney's dropping of its appeal was significant because it left Savage's opinion in place. "His vision of what is a lawful sentence is substantially different than the prosecutor's view of what is a lawful sentence," Bridge said. "The prosecutor has now conceded that Judge Savage wins. They're not challenging him on it." Up until now, Williams has offered about 60 defendants plea agreements of 35 years to life, which, Savage previously noted, in effect passes the decision on release over to the parole board, which has approved the release of a handful of defendants in the oldest of the cases. Williams' office has argued that allowing parole in these cases was an acceptable way to comply with the Supreme Court ruling. Savage wrote in an earlier ruling, however, that a sentence with a maximum of less than life had to be considered by the resentencing judge. The life maximum should be ordered only in rare cases, but was allowable, he said. Affronti acknowledged that the office had not been willing to offer a negotiated new sentence of less than 35 years to life for those were were 15 to 17 at the time of their crime, which is the current sentence set by Pennsylvania for first-degree murder involving a juvenile defendant 15 and older, set after the Supreme Court invalidated sentences of life without parole. Pennsylvania law also now allows for a more lenient sentence of 25 to life for juveniles who were younger than 15 at the time of the crime. Affronti said the D.A.'s office would continue to use the new Pennsylvania law as a guideline for offers to the lifers, even though it does not legally apply retroactively, because "I believe a 15-year-old that commits first-degree murder in 1974 should be treated the same as a 15-year-old in 2016." The state Supreme Court ruled, however, that that new penalty could not be applied retroactively - a ruling sought by the commonwealth to avoid reopening these cases at all, prior to the U.S. Supreme Court retroactive ruling. Though Oakland has a strong tradition of barbecue already, lots of Oakland's old-timey BBQ joints have either closed or lost their luster in recent years. So it should come as welcome news for East Bay 'cue fans that Ryan Farr and his popular 4505 Burger & BBQ is expanding to Oakland's Laurel district for its second location. The Chronicle has the big news, and the location is the site of locally iconic Glenn's Hot Dogs, a petite diner with a rad historic sign at MacArthur Boulevard and 35th Avenue that Farr and co. have already taken possession of, though the barbecue hasn't quite arrived there yet. Previous owners David Chew and Bau Jin Huang decided to sell, and now Farr will be giving the place a makeover much like he did with his always-crowded Divisadero spot, which was formerly home to Brother-in-Law's BBQ. He'll be adding outdoor seating but keeping the sign, and, he promises to the Chron, "Our approach is that we just want to keep the vibe alive. We want this type of look and feel of this older building to be here as long as possible." The new 4505 Burgers & BBQ, once the renovation is complete, will join the hip Sequoia Diner in the neighborhood, which has been slowly gentrifying over the last decade. The other big news is that Farr is divesting himself of the butchery and catering business that had been the core of his operation since 2010, until the Divisadero spot opened and he ultimately decided to close his butcher shop in the Mission. He explains to the Chronicle that he's fully in the restaurant business now, and though he still has a passion for humanely sourced meat and whole-animal butchery, the products they were selling, he realized, were simply too expensive for the majority of the market. The company's famed chicharrones, however which once upon a time he and his wife bagged by hand in their Mission apartment kitchen and sold to the bar downstairs, Elixir are as of this month being distributed nationally. The Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market stand, which was where 4505 got its start six years ago and where Farr started serving his "best damn cheeseburger" also is on the way out. As they announced via CEUSA's blog this week, 4505's final market appearance will be on October 29.* 4505 Burgers & BBQ - 705 Divisadero Street, and soon at 3506 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland Related: The 25 Best Burgers In SF And Oakland * This post has been corrected to show that 4505 will be ending their farmers' market stand. A man who thought he was hopping into his hired ride got a nasty shock Friday, when the driver turned out to be focused on something other that customer service. It was 4 a.m. Friday when a 30-year-old man got into a car near the Hayes Valley intersection of Buchanan and Hayes Streets. According to the San Francisco Police Department, the man believed the vehicle was transportation he had hailed via a smartphone app, but it was not. Nevertheless, the 30-35 year old male driver demanded that the man give him some cash to pay for the ride. As the aspiring ride-sharer pulled out his wallet to pay for the impromptu lift, the driver, police say, "bit [the victim] and took all the money from his wallet." The sharp-toothed suspect then punched his abortive customer in the face. Fearing the worst, the victim scrambled from the cab-that-wasn't, dropping his cell phone in his haste to flee. The suspect, police say, snatched up the victim's cell phone, and fled in an "unknown direction." The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries to the hand, according to the SFPD. As of Monday morning, police say, the suspect remains on the loose, and no arrests have been made in this case. Calm in the Los Altos Hills area was broken on Friday by an active shooter situation and a shelter-in-place order as sheriff's deputies, police, and a SWAT team established a perimeter around a home on Oak Knoll Circle. Just after 11 a.m., as police tell CBS5, a woman called 911 to report that a man who had allegedly been stalking her had appeared unexpectedly at her home, forcing his way inside and opening fire. Sgt. Rich Glennon of the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office tells news media that the suspect, who is 43-year-old William Brady III of Georgia, exchanged gunfire with a man in the home and fled. He was found outside with a gunshot wound and transported to the hospital, where he received surgery and is recovering. Brady has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Glennon, who is of the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office which patrols the area tells the Mercury News that Brady had engaged in domestic-violence against the woman in the home during a relationship with her in Georgia and that she had sought a restraining order against him. Few details were reported when the Merc and others broke news of the gunfire on Friday. Related: Muggers Drag Ocean Beach Photographer By Car In Effort To Steal Camera In his latest Chronicle column under the innocuous headline "Trump could drag the Republican Congress down with him," former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown appears to defend republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump by equivocating on the subject of the candidate's alleged sexual violence toward women. Accusations against Trump came to light after a recording in which Trump can be heard bragging about forcing himself on women was widely circulated and condemned this month. I have to say, however, that Ive had several contacts with Trump over the years and never saw evidence of the lewd talk and alleged predatory sexual behavior that have led to his tumble in the polls. He was more like Bill Clinton. He would lock onto whoever was in front of him with an intensity that made them feel that they were the only person in the room. Often as not, that person also happened to be attractive. In fact, in one way, Trump wasnt into touching. A few years ago, I was at Wolfgang Pucks celebrity-packed 50th birthday party in Las Vegas. Trump was there too, greeting everyone effusively and generally having a great time. But I did notice something: He almost never shook anyones hand. By suggesting that Trump didn't like to touch people, Brown is (rather feebly) suggesting that Trump wouldn't be interesting in touching (i.e. assaulting) women. By claiming to have never seen Trump's lewd character, not only is Brown being willfully naive, he's asserting that, despite their limited relationship, he knows Trump better than the women who have come forward to accuse him of violence. And finally, Brown's comparison of Donald Trump to Bill Clinton, which Brown couches as a favorable observation about them, can also be read as a veiled attempt to equate the two mens' behavior, a line of argument the Trump campaign has continued to deploy. Of course, Brown has made all these points in such a way as to maintain plausible deniability throughout. Last May, Brown wrote of Trump in his column that "The real key to Trumps success is that he is just flat-out exciting, and these days, we as a nation are addicted to excitement." Brown has also made jokes at Trump's expense in the past. He quipped during the unveiling of a Tony Bennett statue this summer that "it better not be Trump," an allusion to a naked orange effigy of the candidate that had recently been placed in the Castro. And, just a bit like Trump, Brown appears to enjoy the beauty pageant biz. Last year, Brown's longtime partner (or, if you ask him "lady friend") Sonya Molodetskaya hosted a Miss Russian SF event. Brown has also been known to defend men accused of violence against women. He came to the aid of Bill Cosby, a longtime personal friend, by implying (but not saying outright) that Cosby's accusers were lying. In his capacity as a lawyer, last year Brown was hired to assist tech CEO Gurbaksh Chahal, who reportedly offered Brown a $1 million retainer to make charges that he'd assaulted his then-girlfriend "go away." Brown disputes the price and says his assistance was ethical. It also appears to have been, at least temporarily, effective: A video that purportedly showed the assault was deemed inadmissible as evidence, having been illegally obtained. All this to say: If Willie Brown tries to give you a handshake, you might consider saying you "have a germ thing." Related: Willie Brown Admits To Helping Accused Abuser Skirt Charges, Says It Was Ethical Willie Brown Defends Bill Cosby Against Rape Allegations, Says Longtime Pal 'Can't Disprove A Lie' After four years in business and some flagging sales that owner Paul Bavaro attributes partly to homeless encampments in the vicinity, Dear Mom (2700 16th Street at Harrison) will be undergoing some changes in the next couple of months. Bavaro tells Hoodline that he'll be scaling back the food offerings and focusing more on the booze and the environment, creating what he hopes will emulate the punk-rock vibe of long-gone Crowbar in North Beach, where Bavaro got his start as a bartender under owner and mentor Riley O'Callaghan. He plans to bring pool tables into the 4,000-square-foot space, and change the name to something that may or may not have "Crow" in it, and be a tribute to O'Callaghan. The current food menu, including the $15 burger and the $12 white truffle mac and cheese, will be going away in favor of things like $2 tacos, and just a couple of snack items. Says Bavaro, "San Francisco has become the home of the $15 hamburger," and he's tired of hearing people complain about the price, since he doesn't like paying a lot for food either. Dear Mom's location, blocks away from the foot traffic of the heart of the Mission, may be part of its dilemma, but Bavaro says he hopes to attract more clientele by overhauling the look and feel of the place altogether, saying that he'll try to emulate the layout of Crowbar as much as possible, pending permits for new pool tables. Crowbar closed in 2006, and Bavaro has gone on to open a trio of popular, no-frills neighborhood booze dens: Thieves Tavern on 14th, Blind Cat (originally Dirty Thieves) on 24th, and Whiskey Thieves in the Tenderloin. Dear Mom is the only food venture he's attempted to run thus far. Dear Mom - 2700 16th Street at Harrison San Francisco has some decent public transit, but huge chunks of the city are conspicuously under-served. Right now, for example, The Examiner tells us that only 25 percent of jobs are within walking distance of a subway stop. City officials hope to change that, and as an initial step started a process called "Subway Vision" to determine where residents would most like to see new subway lines. As the map above shows, those asked answered with a resounding "pretty much everywhere" with Geary Boulevard, 19th Avenue, and Van Ness standing out as clear priorities. The map, along with other data gathered from online and in-person interviews with over 2,600 residents, was presented yesterday to the Board of Supervisors's Land Use and Transportation Committee. The maps were generated following the passage of Supervisor Scott Wieners Subway Master Plan legislation, which tasks the city with continuously working on new subway development. In the 1970s, we opened BART and the Market Street Subway, the Ex quotes Wiener as telling the committee. Rather than follow those two visionary achievements with continued subway construction, however, we simply patted ourselves on the back and stopped. As the idea was to get a feel for what citizens want right now, the above map is considered preliminary. A final version will be completed by the end of the year and presented to the committee sometime thereafter. The "heat map" is reminiscent of a map from last summer that projected out the "best case" scenario for public transit in the Bay Area by 2050. That map, the Chronicle told us at the time, was "highly optimistic and ignores the bureaucratic red tape and funding issues that will almost certainly block or delay many of these projects." However, by giving residents a glimpse at what could potentially be the future of San Francisco public transit, it has perhaps inspired them to dream big. And as the map above shows making it clear that many San Franciscans are united in a dream of better public transit a little vision can be a powerful thing. Previously: Design Your Dream SF Subway System With New SFMTA Tool Supervisor Wiener Really Set On Subway Construction, Introduces 'Master Plan' Legislation The choice between AT&T and Comcast being little choice at all, Supervisor Mark Farrell plans to introduce legislation today that would ensure all San Franciscans access to Monkeybrains/Webpass/what have you. Though federal law dictates your landlord can't prohibit you from signing up with any particular provider for TV, cable, or phone access, laws currently allow property owners to enter into revenue-sharing agreements with certain companies, a practice the Chronicle describes as common in large new rental buildings. "There is no reason tenants should be limited in their choice of Internet service providers," Farrell wrote in a Facebook post explaining his position. "We all have a vested interest in local laws which increase competition and ultimately deliver the highest quality Internet service at the lowest cost." Farrell describes his effort as "a first-ever San Francisco law that guarantees tenants the right to pick their Internet service provider in all multi-unit buildings across San Francisco." Although a landlord can't keep you from signing up with any provider you choose, they can keep that provider from performing an installation, and it sounds like they habitually do. Webpass founder Charles Barr, whose company was acquired by Google Fiber in June, says 400 large apartment buildings in SF have denied Webpass property access. Some dont want fiber in the building or dont want a radio in the building or dont want anybody other than AT&T to come in, he told the Chronicle. Barr added that big apartments often insist that companies like Webpass pay building owners a fee per subscriber in the building. Webpass won't, and Farrell's legislation wouldn't let them, or anyone for that matter. San Francisco Apartment Association government and community affairs manager Charley Goss expressed opposition to Farrell's stance. "There is federal law that already governs all of this. We would prefer the city enforce that law rather than write new laws, Goss told the Chronicle. "We are the highest-regulated industry in San Francisco and one of the highest in California," he added of the plight of landlords, And it kind of gets to a point where enough is enough. Related: Google Fiber Heading To SF Faster After Webpass Acquisition My life experience with ghosts and the paranormal world is incredibly limited. To say Im skeptical of the existence of ghosts would be an understatement. But when the opportunity to take the Ghost Tour and stay a night in the haunted penthouse at Shakers Cigar Bar was presented to me I was intrigued and hopeful of being surprised by a frightening otherworldly experience. When I arrived at Shakers around 8:30 p.m. for the tour I was calm and composed. I had read some reviews online and heard things from friends, some telling stories of their ghostly encounters and others sharing my skeptical point of view. To quell the minimal amount of nerves that had started to creep in, I grabbed a drink from the bar. Aside from the ghost stories and cigars, Shakers is well known for their extensive whiskey selection and cocktails. The tour began outside with the painting of Molly, the establishments most famous apparition. The guide took us around the exterior of the building and explained that during prohibition the bar was operated by Al Capone and his crime family as a speakeasy and brothel. The guide talked about the history of the neighborhood, along with the inherent danger of Milwaukee in that era. Friends of the Shepherd Help support Milwaukee's locally owned free weekly newspaper. LEARN MORE As we went inside, the guide pointed out the first especially haunted space in the building, the womens bathroom, which is said to be haunted by the spirit of a young girl who died in the building during the Capone days. Hearing the girls story, and the surrounding details of ensuing events such as a photo disappearing multiple times, brought upon a slight touch of anxiety. After hearing about the young girl, we looked at a few photos, which had supposedly changed over the years, with people growing horns and others feet growing to unnatural lengths. Of all of the supernatural activity presented on the tour, I found these photographs to be the most easily dismissed. The next step on the tour was the basement. I find most basements to be a bit off-putting, even minus the threat of ghosts tugging at your hair and pushing you from behind. Theyre dark, unfinished and uninviting. When you add stories of confederate soldiers, who continue to move an extremely heavy safe around, murdered mobsters who can be seen in photos taken where they were buried and shadow people, whatever that means, my blood pressure began to rise higher than my skeptical brain had expected. After walking through and hearing stories of what had happened in the basement, we took a brief intermission for more cocktails or visits to the haunted bathrooms. When the group came back together, we were directed up the stairs, which housed the brothel portion of Capones business, and is said to be the most spirit-filled area of the building. The ambiance on the second floor is intentionally made to be eerie- with dim, colored lights skewing the vision of tour-goers, creepy photos and a hog's head hanging from the wall. The guide pointed out a door that remains locked and inaccessible, and has not been opened in years. Although Im sure thats just something they say on the tour, it still adds another layer of mystique to the tour. As we made it to the top floor- the penthouse in which I would be spending the night- I began to question what I was getting myself into. From a logical perspective, I was still completely unconvinced that spirits were around to interact with the living, but the grim setting and unsettling ghost stories were beginning to diminish my rational resolve. As we continued through the ominous upstairs lobby, the guide told the story of Molly, who was the A-girl (prohibition-era slang for most popular prostitute in the brothel) and lived in the penthouse full-time. He talked about what day-to-day life was like in the brothel, and how someone would have to sponsor Molly to live there. What followed was the point in the tour where my resolve was most flinching. He told the story of the brutal murder of Molly, committed by not only a regular of the brother, but a trusted childhood friend named Patrick, who was then murdered by someone likely affiliated with the Capone gang. These brutal crimes have led to both of their spirits making the penthouse their permanent home, though Molly is much more interactive with visitors than Patrick is. The phenomenon was demonstrated, much to my dismay, through the use of dowsing rods, which are metal rods supposedly used to connect with the dead. At this point, I was considering going home after the tour and never coming back. The tour ended around 9:30 p.m. and the rest of the group headed home to their safe un-haunted houses, while I awaited my night in the penthouse. I was told I wouldnt be able to access the my room until midnight, which meant I could continue to explore the list of whiskeys and smoke a cigar to quell my anxieties for a couple of hours before meeting Molly. The bartender recommended to me a drink made with absinthe, champagne and bitters, which was phenomenal. I spent some time acquainting myself with the staff, which was all charismatic and knowledgeable. They told me their own stories of spirit interactions, which involved such things as hair pulling, hearing doors slam when there was no one else around. One staff member told a specifically troubling story of a mother fearfully telling her daughter to leave the red room she was in (Mollys bedroom), even though she had no prior knowledge of her daughter being on the tour. It was interesting to hear the perspectives of a group of people who have chosen to work in a place they believe, or at least convincingly pretend to believe, is inhabited with dark spirits. Was I skeptical that these were all stories made up to scare me? Of course, but nonetheless I was at the same time entertained and anxious. When midnight came I was ready to go to bed. My anxieties about the experience had grown incrementally throughout the night, but I had accepted that nothing bad could possibly happen. While I did truly believe this, I was still nervous as I walked up the steps and entered the apartment. Though I was tired, I didnt want to just fall asleep right away so I walked around and took in whatever the room had to offer. After, about 45 minutes of walking through the apartment, taking photos and thinking about all of the things that have (or may have) happened in these rooms over the years, I was ready to climb into bed and drift off to sleep. Thankfully, I awoke in the morning, with everything in the same place as I had left it (I was told Molly likes to move shoes into the sink in the middle of the night). Having lived to tell the tale of the tour, I dont personally believe that Shakers is actually haunted. Psychologically, I believe that if you have the temperament or inclination, its possible to convince yourself of anything, and that is how people experience paranormal encounters. Even if Shakers isnt filled with spirits trying to put my shoes in the sink, it is filled with the fascinatingly sordid history of prohibition-era Milwaukee, and knowledgeable people who are able to retell the story of the Walkers Point that existed long before it become filled with your favorite restaurants and bars. Who knows, you may just be one of the lucky ones who has a real ghost experience. If a Dancing with the Star contestant has too much business before he or she starts dancing, you can safely assume the ticket home is looming. Monday, Amber Rose walked around so much, it was anyones guess when her cha cha was actually going to get underway. Toss in a major fight with partner Maks Chmerkovskiy and, well, her ticket was punched. Calvin Johnson Jr. was in the bottom two with her but he was so fun doing an Argentine tango it was clear he wasnt exiting anytime soon. Rose wilted; Johnson lived to see another day (with a 37, no less). Maureen McCormick looked vulnerable. Ripping a page from Roses playbook, the petulant Brady Bunch star snapped at pro Artem Chigvintsev, brought the waterworks and offered up a samba that was more costume than anything. She got a 31, but shes likely to head home, too, if she continues to trot out attitude. On Latin Night, Jana Kramer earned a perfect 40 (Pitbull was the extra, not-so-critical judge) for an oh-so-steamy Argentine tango with underwear model Gleb Savchenko. It was hot and good. Because she hasnt been locked at the top of the leader board, Kramer showed Mondays performance could represent a sea change. James Hinchcliffe, who got 38 for his rumba, was told he was the best male dancer ever on the show. While that might be stretching it a bit, he was good and precise. Kramer and Hinchcliffe pushed by Terra Jole and Ryan Lochte (who both got 30s) and Marilu Henner (who got a 34). Gymnast Laurie Hernandez had a slight bobble on her salsa and got a 37. For her it was significant but it wasnt threatening. Shes still one of the Top Three. While spray tans were everywhere (Lochte even had one that glowed in the dark), costumes were barely visible and lighting was off the charts, Latin Night wasnt anything special. Carrie Ann Inaba tried to act like she was the tough judge; Pitball was just a hot mess who couldnt quite get the paddles right. In the Dancing with the Stars world, this was merely a filler week. It didnt really create a gap among competitors. It simply confirmed what weve long suspected. The diva went home; the child star is headed there and the Olympic swimmer is treading water. If you want a Final Three, look to Hernandez, Hinchcliffe and Kramer. Theyre racing to the finish line. NEWCASTLE, Neb. | Walter Block remembers growing up on his family's farm with three brothers, developing a hard work ethic helping out with the family chores. "My dad would say, 'You will go and do this.' And you did," he said. "That didn't hurt a bit, being in the Army, to know things like that." At 22, Block would put his work ethic into practice near the 38th Parallel, laying communications and artillery as a member of the U.S. Army. Block was drafted along with his younger brother, Norman, in 1951. He completed basic training in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and was deployed near Seoul in early 1952, where he worked as a surveyor in the Third Division of the Ninth Field Artillery. During his deployment, Block attempted twice to visit his brother, Norman, who began fighting as a private on the front lines but was injured and later transferred to an office position. "We were pretty much side-by-side with the divisions," Block said. "I tried my best to get to see him, but I never got a chance." Block said he remembers "eating dirt" from nearby enemy fire on only one occasion. On another, Block, who is colorblind, said he could see camouflaged guns occasionally being exposed, but his color-sighted fellow soldiers couldn't make it out. "They wouldn't believe it at all," Block said. "Finally, they were watching close enough, and there was a 'poof,' and they were able to see that. And they called in the airstrikes." When he came back to live with his family in Lyons, Nebraska, Block said there wasn't a negative reception of troops like there would be two decades later after the Vietnam War. People instead reacted as if they didn't know where he'd been. "I don't think we published much here in the States about it, you know," he said. "If it hadn't have been for our president we had, we wouldn't have gotten talked up very much." After the war, Block met his future wife, Muriel, on a blind date. They married in a double wedding along with Walter's brother, Norman, and his wife in 1955. The couple has lived in Newcastle, Nebraska, since late 1959. Block worked for several years as a carpenter and homebuilder. He later worked in Newcastle for the city, fixing buildings and working as the neighborhood law enforcement. Muriel worked as a nurse for St. Luke's hospital in Sioux City and retired in 1998. An automobile accident in the late 1970s on his way to Ponca, Nebraska, put Walt in a hospital for 49 days. Since then, he has had multiple hip replacement procedures. Five years ago, Walter was diagnosed with colon cancer. Following an operation and full chemotherapy treatment, he has received cancer-free test results ever since. These days, Block enjoys spending time with Muriel and his three children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Block sometimes reads books on the Korean War. But he said he wouldn't go back to visit. "I sometimes wish I could have went back over and just looked the place over, to see what had changed," Block said. "And then I think, why in the world would you want to do that?" Military service continues to run in Block's family. Their son, Mike, served in the Navy. Their oldest grandson is a West Point graduate who has served in the military for 10 years, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is now an officer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps and is pursuing a master's degree in military law. "Im very proud of my wife and my family, my kids and all ... so I cant complain," Block said. SIOUX CITY | An application for nearly $100,000 in tax credits for an eye care specialist planning to open a Sioux City office will go before the Iowa Economic Development Authority Friday after receiving unanimous support from the Sioux City Council. The council voted 5-0 Monday to support the application for $98,850 in withholding tax credits over a five-year period for Bruening Eye Specialists, which is planning the construction of a medical office site at 5450 Sergeant Road, directly west of Biolife Plasma Services. The company currently operates an office in Dakota Dunes and is planning the Sioux City office as an expansion. The proposed $1.6 million project will result in the creation of 13 new jobs, eight of which qualify for state tax credits. Economic development specialist Chris Myres told the Journal Monday that the company is still finalizing plans for the property, with possibilities including building a larger building and leasing out some space. Pending IEDA approval, the city will also provide financial assistance to the project, likely in the form of property tax rebates. The agreement would be approved at a later date. The request will go before the Iowa Economic Development Authority at its Friday meeting. The Overlook at Sunnybrook In other action Monday, the City Council deferred taking action on the final plat of a proposed 52-unit development in Sunnybrook Plaza, The Overlook, for the second week in a row. The decision followed several minutes of discussion on the inclusion of a trail along the south edge of the development, which will be located at 5201 and 5401 Christy Road, as well as stormwater issues. The council will take up a modified final plat proposal during its Nov. 7 meeting. Rezoning near monument In other action, the council deferred the final reading of a proposed rezoning near the Sergeant Floyd Monument, which would allow a developer to erect storage units near the site. The first and second readings were passed earlier this year, with the final reading pending the resolution of drainage issues on the site. Community development operations manager Jeff Hanson told the council Monday that a sewer line required for approval is still not in place on the property. The council will take up the rezoning again Dec. 12. ORANGE CITY, Iowa | In all the stories written about Autumn Elgersma's tragic final days, a photo of her smiling brightly always seemed to cut through the dark details. It's the happy smile of a cute little 3-year-old girl, the kind of smile that can brighten a whole room. Autumn's smile will soon shine on other children making their way through the darkness of child abuse, neglect and other emotional conditions. When the first patients walk into Autumn's Center in Spencer, Iowa, on Oct. 31, the three-year anniversary of Autumn's death, they will be greeted by a painting of the little girl from Orange City and that beautiful smile. "Our biggest thing is we don't want those kids' endings to be like hers. Knowing those kids will be getting help with their hurts, hopefully their endings will be better than hers was," said Jen Elgersma, Autumn's mother. A grand opening and ribbon cutting on Nov. 10 will celebrate the new facility, an outpatient behavioral and developmental health service center that will help young people from birth to age 21 suffering the effects of child abuse, substance abuse, bullying and many other conditions. While plans for the center were in the early stages, Jen and Phil Elgersma were dealing with what had happened to the youngest of their three children. On Oct. 29, 2013, Autumn was injured at the home of her daycare provider, Rochelle Sapp, who initially told the family that Autumn had fallen down the stairs at her Orange City home. She later told investigators she picked up the girl and threw her down against the ground because she didn't ask for help taking off her jacket. Autumn suffered skull fractures and brain hemorrhages and died two days later in a Sioux Falls hospital. At Sapp's sentencing on charges of involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment resulting in death and child endangerment -- multiple acts, it was revealed that she had been abusing Autumn for months before her death. (Sapp was sentenced to 100 years in prison, a sentence later cut in half by a judge.) When Autumn died, Seasons Center for Behavioral Health in Spencer was in the midst of a silent fundraising campaign to build the children's center. When Autumn's picture appeared in newspapers and on television after her death, it struck a chord, said Kim Scorza, CEO of Seasons Center. "As a result of Autumn's death, people were giving to our agency to help other kids," Scorza said. Scorza asked Jen Elgersma to meet with her, and over coffee Scorza told her about donors' responses to Autumn's death and that some had suggested naming the center after her. "We didn't know at the time until we met with her that donors had given more money or increased their donations once there was a name to put with child abuse," Elgersma said. "It was a good feeling that people were thinking of (Autumn) and wanted to give donations because of her and her story." After a week of discussing it, Jen and Phil were on board, and the Autumn's Center name was announced in October 2014. The Elgersma family was involved in the renovation of the old furniture store that's now Autumn's Center, providing input on color schemes, carpet and other furnishings. Jen has spoken at fundraising events. She, Phil and their children, Faith and Jared, have been in parades and at other events to raise awareness for the $3 million center, which was funded through donations and grants. "We want people to know that Autumn's story is more than what happened to her," Jen said. "It's nice to be able to share more details about Autumn's life, that last year and the last days." Autumn's life can be found in the details of the center. In a lobby hangs a mobile. A butterfly flits around a tree in a piece of metal artwork. The butterfly and mobile are both purple, Autumn's favorite color. A short explanation of Autumn's story accompanies her portrait. It will be illuminated around the clock, to "shine a light on child abuse," Scorza said. Jen and Phil both hope that Autumn's Center will be a place of healing, that Autumn's presence will continue to put a name, a face to serious issues such as child abuse and inspire others to take action. "I think any parent, when they lose a child, their greatest fear is that their child will be forgotten," Jen said. "Everyone who walks into the center will see her picture and a short biography of her life, so she'll be remembered, and that's a good feeling." Autumn's story is hard to forget. Through her name, other children now face the possibility of a happy ending, which you'd have to imagine would make Autumn smile. STORM LAKE, Iowa | Charges have been dismissed against one of three people charged with fraudulently claiming a lottery ticket prize. District Judge David Lester on Monday dismissed a charge of aiding and abetting theft of a lottery ticket or share against Sally Bosler. His ruling came after an oral motion from the state requesting the dismissal because, prosecutors said, insufficient evidence now exists to convict Bosler. Bosler, 42, her daughter Ashley Bosler and Ashley Bosler's boyfriend, Johnny Long Jr., all of Sioux Rapids, Iowa, were arrested July 27. Long had attempted to claim the $250,000 prize from an Iowa Lottery instant-scratch game ticket at the Storm Lake Regional Lottery office on June 17. The ticket raised suspicions, and state and local authorities launched an investigation. Ashley Bosler, 21, who was an employee at a Casey's general store, is accused of scratching off a corner of the lottery ticket and scanning the bar code that confirmed it was a winner. She did not buy the ticket and was 20 years old at the time, not old enough to play the lottery, authorities said, so she asked Long to claim the prize. Ashley Bosler is charged in Buena Vista County District Court with theft of a lottery ticket or share and aiding and abetting theft of a lottery ticket or share. She is scheduled to stand trial Nov. 15. Long, 26, is charged with theft of a lottery ticket or share and is scheduled to enter a plea on Nov. 7. SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man was placed on probation Tuesday for having sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl at a Sioux City hospital. Alex Anderson, 20, pleaded guilty in Woodbury County District Court to lascivious acts with a child, which was amended from third-degree sexual abuse as part of a plea agreement. Sentencing Anderson according to terms of the plea agreement, District Judge Edward Jacobson suspended a 10-year prison sentence and placed Anderson on probation for five years. Anderson must register with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry and will serve a special sex offender sentence, in which he will be on lifetime parole after successfully completing his probation. If he were to violate terms of the special sentence, he could be sent to prison. He also must complete sexual offender treatment. According to court documents, Anderson met the girl on Nov. 7 in the fifth-floor ICU waiting room at Mercy Medical Center. Anderson told police he began to kiss the girl and eventually placed his hand under her clothing. He told police he knew the girl was underage, court documents said. SIOUX CITY | Except for a chance of rainfall Wednesday, sunny skies and mild temperatures look to continue for the rest of this week and into the weekend. According to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, today will be mostly sunny with a high of 64 degrees and a northwest wind of 5 to 10 mph. Tonight will see an increase in cloud cover, with a low of 46. Wednesday will be mostly cloudy with a high of 62 degrees. A 40 percent chance of rain moves in after 2 p.m. and continues through 2 a.m. Wednesday night's low will be 39 degrees. Thursday will be sunny and cooler, with a high of 57. Thursday night will be mostly clear with a low of 37. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be sunny with highs in the mid-60s and lows in the low 40s. SIOUX CITY | The candidates running to be elected to Woodbury County government positions discussed issues on Monday, 22 days before votes are counted on Nov. 8. The possibility of voter fraud emerged as a contentious topic. With the day of political reckoning approaching, the candidates met at Western Iowa Tech Community College in a forum hosted by the city chapter of the League of Women Voters. The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors candidates disagreed on whether the county should create a special panel to investigate whether the county should raise the hourly minimum wage, add a county administrator to oversee 400 employees and add more deputies to improve public safety. Beyond the three supervisor races, the other contested county race is for the auditor position, which supervises all county elections. Incumbent Democrat Pat Gill and Republican Joanne Craig also were questioned at the forum, and spoke extensively on whether voter fraud in the 2016 election was a top concern. Craig said she has some trepidation for how the election may play out. "I am somewhat concerned ... The governor (Terry Branstad) has stated there is potential fraud in Iowa," Craig said. Earlier that day in Des Moines, Branstad had said he trusts Iowas electoral system and its voters, but he expressed concern there is collusion between the national media and Clinton to help get her elected next month. Gill explained that after 20 years of serving as auditor, he feels comfortable that many safeguards are in place to stop improper voting. During the portion where candidates could pose questions to each other, Craig asked Gill if a story she had heard was true, that thousands of county ballots got left in a car and weren't counted. Gill asked Craig to be more specific. When Craig asked the question essentially the same as before, Gill blasted her for airing a rumor without credence. Gill then referenced Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who in recent days has shared fears that the election could be rigged so that Democrat Hillary Clinton defeats him. A Monday poll by Politico showed that 41 percent of people believe that voter fraud could turn the election away from Trump. "What (Craig) and Donald Trump are doing... is shaking our system to the core," Gill asserted. The sole two-candidate race for a Woodbury County Board position is the District 1 contest, where incumbent Jackie Smith, a two-term Democrat, faces Keith Radig, a Republican who now serves as a Sioux City councilman. Radig and Smith had agreement in sharing their top goals of setting a fiscally prudent budget and pushing economic development activities to a higher level. In District 3, the field includes incumbent Mark Monson, Republican Brian Miller and Democrat Marty Pottebaum, a former city councilman who defeated Monson in the party's June primary. Monson is now running as an independent. The county supervisors in early 2015 did not advance a proposal to hire a county administrator. Monson said he would support the addition of a county administrator if it returned as a board issue, while Pottebaum said it is not workable, since many of the 400 employees work under other elected officials, such as the sheriff and county attorney. Miller said his plan would be to cut the supervisors' pay by more than half, down to $15,000 annually, and use the savings to hire a county administrator. The only race with no incumbent is in District 5. The candidates include Bruce Garbe, a Democrat, Rocky De Witt, a Republican, and Gary Niles, an independent who got the most votes in the close June Republican primary voting outcome, but didn't receive the party's nomination in a subsequent special convention. The moderator explained that De Witt was not able to attend Monday's forum. Garbe said he supports the county raising the minimum wage. Niles said the concept of having a wage hike has credence, but added that it should be addressed by state or federal lawmakers, not the county supervisors. Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew is running for a second term but has no opponent, so Drew observed the forum from the audience. The media is putting pressure on Donald Trump to withdraw from his campaign for making some very inappropriate sexual comments 11 years ago. How come the media isn't demanding the same for Hillary Clinton, who has blood on her hands of four Americans murdered in Benghazi, the lies she told about this incident, her inappropriate use of her private email server, and, of course, her husband, who actually had inappropriate sexual behavior in the White House when he was president and lied about it? Who among us would sit quietly by when told we had to take a 25 percent reduction in our income? How much more distressing if we were told that our federal government, by law, was driving that reduction? That is what will happen to those of us on Social Security in the future without presidential leadership and congressional action to put Social Security on a firm financial foundation. As a volunteer for AARP, I am asking the candidates for president, as well as for other national offices, to formulate concrete plans to solidify the financial base of Social Security. I volunteered for this campaign because for years Congress has faced the problem but failed to act. I am drawing Social Security now but I am not campaigning for my benefit but for the benefit of our children and grandchildren. I am asking each reader to assess the willingness of each candidate for national office to develop a strategy and commit to that strategy to insure the future of Social Security for future generations. - Jim Williams, Lawton, Iowa SIOUX CITY | Mayor Bob Scott told nearly three dozen Dakota Access Pipeline opponents Monday that it's unlikely the council will adopt a resolution opposing the pipeline, but that doesn't mean he doesnt have issues with it. I personally have a real issue, he said. "I personally have a really hard time believing that the Iowa Utilities Board has jurisdiction over this pipeline. I don't see where it's a public utility by any stretch." Scott said he took issue with the lack of jobs the pipeline construction has created for Iowans, the government's use of eminent domain for the project, and the pipeline's infringement on sacred grounds of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. I have a real problem with 150 years -- I'm sorry and I'll get a lot of flack for this, but it's the truth -- of not honoring agreements with Native Americans," Scott said. Between 30 and 35 pipeline opponents attended Monday's Sioux City Council meeting to request that the city take a stance against the $3.8 billion, 1,200-mile oil pipeline currently under construction that is to run through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois when completed. Nineteen cities have so far adopted resolutions supporting the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's opposition to the pipeline. Cities include Cleveland, Ohio; Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; and others. If Sioux City were to adopt a similar resolution, it would be the first Iowa city to do so. Four people stood up to address the council during Monday's meeting, bringing forth concerns about what effect the pipeline, which will run underneath the Missouri, Floyd and Big Sioux Rivers, could have on Sioux City. My concern is, whats going to happen when this does break? asked Manape LaMere, a representative of the Sioux Nation. What is Sioux Citys protocol? LaMere also told the council he took issue with the pipelines use of eminent domain and the pipelines infringement on the ancestral lands and waters of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Frank LaMere, Manape's father and a resident of South Sioux City, said he hoped the council would work more to inform themselves about the issues raised by this pipeline and potentially come forward with their own resolution opposing the pipeline. "My experience tells that me we're going to have some problems," he said. "The people who are going to be disaffected are going to be Omaha, Winnebagos, Santees, Dakotas, Iowas, Meskwakis but also citizens of the state of Iowa." Scott said while those in attendance presented valid concerns, council action on a resolution is unlikely. "We historically as a council try to be very non-political," Scott said. "To take a resolution ... is probably not going to happen. I want you to know that." Following Scott's comments, Councilman Dan Moore said he concurred with Scott. "I think public awareness is key to our success, as well as education, so I want to thank those who made the presentations," he said. After the meeting, Manape LaMere said he did not believe the council went far enough. "I was disappointed by their reaction," he said. "I'm glad Bob Scott said the things he said ... but I think that everybody gets cold feet when there's politics involved." LaMere said he believed people would be back to the council again, and that he plans to work to continue the dialogue. Frank LaMere said he was pleased with the reception of the council, especially the mayor, and believed Monday night was a good start. "I'm encouraged," he said. "I think that the discussion of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the impact that the Siouxland and Iowa community can have on it is only beginning. I sensed a desire of all gathered to understand more, to learn more, to share more -- and I feel that's a good start." SOUTH SIOUX CITY | A South Sioux City man born with a rare form of dwarfism will be a special guest of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at Wednesday night's presidential debate in Las Vegas, the Clinton campaign said Tuesday. Ryan Moore, 29, also is featured in a new Clinton campaign video in which he shares the story of his more than 20-year friendship with the former first lady. At age 7, Moore and his family met Clinton at a 1994 congressional hearing where she advocated for a national health care reform plan backed by then-President Bill Clinton. She has kept in touch with Moore ever since then. As an infant, he had several medical issues and surgeries. Companies didn't want to hire his father because they would be required to pay for Moore's health care. The Moore family was one of seven families chosen to testify at the 1994 Congressional hearing in Washington. I dont know what it was about our family that she spotted right away, and came over to my parents, he says in the campaign video released Tuesday. Clinton then held Ryan while addressing those in attendance. Moore was later mentioned in two of Clinton's books, including her 1996 book "It Takes a Village." In the video, titled "Ryan," Moore tells how Clinton kept the photo of her holding him at the 1994 event inside the White House and then gave it to him when he visited her prior to a major surgery. "She looks at me the way I always wanted to be looked at by everyone," Moore says in the video. Moore, an instructional technology leader with the South Sioux City school district, spoke on behalf of Hillary Clinton during the Democratic National Convention in July in Philadelphia, where she accepted her party's nomination for president. In his prime time address, he shared his personal story and how Clinton had supported him over the years. Wednesday's debate in Las Vegas, the third and final debate between Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump, will begin at 8 p.m. Central Time and will be broadcast live on TV channels and streamed online. A girl poses for photos with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump posters at Hofstra University in New York, the United States on Sept 26, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] WASHINGTON -- US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton currently takes a 12-point national lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump among likely voters, according to a new poll released Monday, two days before the final presidential TV debate. The former state of secretary has 50 percent support while Trump holds 38 percent, the Monmouth University survey shows. Clinton led by only 4 points in the same poll last month, edging Trump 46 percent to 42 percent. Clinton's lead among likely voters is larger because Monmouth determined that only 5 percent of her supporters are unlikely to vote, compared to 10 percent of Trump's supporters, said a TheHill news daily report. In the same poll issued last month, 10 percent of Clinton's registered supporters deemed unlikely to vote, against 7 percent for Trump. "Clinton has increased her lead among all registered voters, but the main difference between this month and last month is that her supporters have become more enthusiastic, and thus more likely to turn out while Trump backers have become less likely to vote," said Monmouth pollster Patrick Murray. However, both candidates remain deep underwater on favorability, Trump continues to sink in popularity, while Clinton appears to have leveled off. Only 38 percent of voters view Clinton favorably, compared to 52 percent who have a negative view of her. That's a slight improvement over last month, when Clinton posted a 36-54 split. Trump is down to 26 percent positive and 61 percent negative, a drop from his 32-57 rating last month. If you didnt think South Florida was gay-friendly, this may change your mind. Five Florida cities earned perfect scores in this years Human Rights Campaign Foundation Municipal Equality Index, including South Floridas own Wilton Manors and West Palm Beach. The index focuses on LGBT equality. "Our city's inclusive laws and policies attract amazing people to live and work in West Palm Beach," West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio told the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. "West Palm Beach is a wonderful place for LGBTQ people - and others - to live, study, play, work, raise families and retire." The MEI ranked 506 municipalities, looking at their laws, municipal services, and more. Also earning perfect scores were Miami Beach, Orlando, and St. Petersburg. Five out of the 20 Florida municipalities earned 100 points, from a total of 60 cities nationally earning perfect scores. Fifteen of Floridas cities made the list without top scores. Gainesville came close to perfect with a 98, with Miami Shores at 91. Oakland Park and Tampa both received an 86 while Fort Lauderdale earned an 80. Pembroke Pines came next at 78. Coral Gables lagged behind at 61, followed by Hialeah, Miami and Jacksonville at 49. and Daytona Beach at 48. Hollywood received a 43 and Port Saint Lucie a 30. Cape Coral landed on the lower side of the ranking, receiving a score of 25. Tallahassee also received a score, but at the time of publication the ranking was not available. Bolivian Rain Forest DLR/ESA/ FU Berlin The German satellite duo TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X have consistently delivered one-of-a-kind Earth observation data since 2007 and 2010, hence shaping the international research landscape. Now, scientific users from across the globe have gathered for the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X Science Meeting at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen, where they will discuss the results obtained from the data and define requirements for future remote sensing technology. Approximately 200 presentations between 17 and 20 October 2016 will describe state-of-the-art research, including insight from the areas of glaciology, hydrology, permafrost, sea ice, landslides, agriculture, forestry, volcanology, coastal and ocean research, geo-risks, and the methods applied to produce digital terrain models. Reporting live from the conference, the TanDEM-X Blog will present DLR talks from the Science Meeting and will outline how researchers around the world use data from the two radar satellites. Research applications Radar sensors are particularly important in the field of Earth observation, as they can deliver images irrespective of cloud cover and at any time of the day or night. From space, they are able to capture expansive areas of more than 100 kilometres in length. Moreover, the civilian radar satellites TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X have measured the Earth with unprecedented accuracy over the course of their missions, contributing significantly to the scientific exploitation of the data. The satellites are still in operation and may indeed continue to be in the service of science for many years. International research facilities and organisations have been using the data acquired thus far to analyse, among other things, natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. The strategies and measures developed on the basis of the data will become increasingly effective for the prevention or management of crises situations as the influential factors and correlations are known, explains Achim Roth from the DLR Earth Observation Center. Users in the area of environmental protection have shown, among other things, that they can utilise the radar satellites to observe systematic deforestation or illegal felling of woodland areas. This applies in particular to rainforests, as their sheer magnitude and the prevailing weather conditions mean they can only be satisfactorily monitored using radar sensors. Forested areas are among the key fields of scientific concern, as their vast reservoirs of biomass directly influence the greenhouse gas effect: a substantial quantity of carbon dioxide is extracted from the woodlands during removal or decomposition of vegetation. Large-scale slash-and-burn practices are particularly critical, as the carbon dioxide stored in the forests is released directly, producing a correspondingly high concentration of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In contrast, planned deforestation for instance as a source of timber releases the natural carbon reservoirs contained in the woodland areas over a longer period and with a significant delay. Impact on future research The view from space can provide precise information on the changes taking place in glaciers and ice shelves. The sometimes dramatic developments require regular monitoring and must be viewed in context with global warming. Here, the TanDEM-X elevation model is a true treasure trove of data; never before have Greenland and the Antarctic been surveyed so comprehensively and in such immense detail. Until now, the ice masses have been, from a scientific perspective, expanses of white on a map of the world. The polar regions present immense difficulties for radar imaging. Smooth, snow-bound surfaces do not contain any striking points of reference that would permit the superposition of several images. Moreover, an extremely precise allocation of the pixels would lead to image noise. Our highly accurate data processing technologies here on the ground, combined with meticulous calibration of the radar instrument, allow us to observe glacier movements in the centimetre range, or to measure changes in elevation caused by ice melting in the metre range, says Irena Hajnsek from the DLR Microwaves and Radar Institute.The global TanDEM-X elevation model has now given climate researchers and geoscientists entirely new perspectives and opportunities for research. The insight they will acquire, and how this will influence the international research community, will be key issues at this Science Meeting as well as at future gatherings. Looking ahead: HRWS and Tandem-L Successful operation of the satellites in formation flight and the outstanding quality of data yielded by the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X missions represent a new milestone in the history of Earth observation. Seeking to expand the German radar satellite programme, DLR has set its sights on a successor programme, HRWS (High Resolution Wide Swath), to ensure continuity in Earth observation within the proven X-band frequency range. HRWS is scheduled for launch in 2022, and DLR is also involved in intense work on a revolutionary Earth observation system with the Tandem-L mission proposal. Tandem-L, the highly innovative radar mission, aims to acquire important environmental and meteorological data on a global scale and in high temporal resolution. In the proposed mission, two radar satellites will map the Earths landmass in three dimensions every eight days. This would enable timely and systematic mapping of dynamic processes as they unfold across the globe. Earthquake researchers and risk analysts would be able to detect deformations in the Earths surface in an accurate millimetre range. Glacier movements and melting processes across the polar regions would be measurable on a more regular and therefore precise basis. The plan proposes that the Earth observation data acquired by the three radar systems should be complementary. Tandem-L will operate in a longer wavelength compared with the two current missions. An approximately 24-centimetre wavelength permits penetration through the vegetation, hence revealing surface structures in the subsoil. New technologies and imaging methods such as polarimetric SAR interferometry also enable three-dimensional mapping of forests. This could be used to calculate forest elevation and hence to produce an indirect estimate of biomass, a factor that is currently beyond the reach of science on a global scale. Researchers from various Helmholtz Centres involved in preliminary mission studies will now present their findings in Oberpfaffenhofen, explaining the pivotal role of Tandem-L in providing answers to challenges faced by our environment. The Science Meeting offers the roughly 300 international participants a platform to identify all necessary issues of upcoming research and to launch the future of Earth observation. About the mission TanDEM-X is being implemented on behalf of DLR using funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bundesministerium fur Wirtschaft und Energie). It is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project operated in conjunction with Airbus Defence and Space. DLR is responsible for providing TanDEM-X data to the scientific community, mission planning and implementation, radar operation and calibration, control of the two satellites, and generation of the digital elevation model. To this end, DLR has developed the necessary ground-based facilities. The DLR Microwaves and Radar Institute, the DLR Earth Observation Center, the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) and the DLR Space Operations Facility in Oberpfaffenhofen are participating in the development and operation of the ground segment of TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X. Scientific coordination is the responsibility of the DLR Microwaves and Radar Institute. Airbus Defence and Space built the satellites and is sharing the development and operating costs. The company is also responsible for the commercial marketing of the TanDEM-X data. Access to the TanDEM-X Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is restricted DLR supplies the data free of charge to scientific projects. Interested parties must, however, demonstrate the scientific nature of their project with a proposal and submit it to DLR. All information about this can be found on the project website. Prospective commercial users of the data should contact DLRs project partner, Airbus Defence and Space, where they can purchase the data. The TanDEM-X mission dataset has been created by a public-private partnership. On the basis of this cooperation, DLR provides the data to the scientific community, while their industrial partner, Airbus, is responsible for commercial distribution. It is planned that the DTM will be made generally available at a lower resolution, so that processing of the data will also be possible with standard computer technology. More images NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 14 October 2016. NASA The Orbital ATK Antares rocket rolled out to its launch pad in Virginia Thursday night carrying the American-made Cygnus cargo craft. Cygnus is scheduled to launch no earlier than Sunday at 8:03 p.m. EDT. If Cygnus launches on time it will arrive at the station Wednesday morning and deliver about 2,400 kilograms of crew supplies and research. Cygnus will depart in late November and deploy a set of weather monitoring nanosatellites before conducting the Saffire-II internal combustion experiment. Back in space, astronauts Kate Rubins and Takuya Onishi collected blood samples and spun them in a centrifuge before stowing them in a science freezer. Samples are collected before, during and after missions then analyzed by doctors to understand the effects of living in space on humans. Current human research experiments using the sample data include Biochem Profile, Cardio Ox and Repository. Onishi also scanned his neck, thigh and heart with an ultrasound then checked his blood pressure. The biomedical study from Canada observes heart and blood vessel changes with results potentially improving health on Earth and in space. Russias Progress 63 space freighter undocked from the International Space Station early Friday morning and burned up safely over the Pacific Ocean a few hours later. It will be replaced by a Progress 63 cargo craft in early December. On-Orbit Status Report 63 Progress (63P) Undock: 63P undocked successfully from the Service Module (SM) aft port this morning at 4:37 AM CDT. Deorbit burn was completed at 7:50 AM CDT followed by atmospheric entry and destruction. Vascular Echo Resting Ultrasound: FE-5 performed Vascular Echo resting ultrasound and blood pressure measurements this morning. With assistance from ground remote guidance teams, he was directed to scan the neck, thigh and heart. This Canadian Space Agency (CSA) investigation examines changes in blood vessels, and the heart, while the crew members are in space, and then follow their recovery on return to Earth. The results could provide insight into potential countermeasures to help maintain crew member health, and quality of life for everyone. Blood Collections: FE-6, with assistance from FE-5, performed blood collections in support of several Human Research Experiments. Samples were collected, spun in the refrigerated centrifuge and placed in Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) for the Biochemical Profile, CardioOx, and Repository experiments. The Biochemical Profile experiment tests blood and urine samples obtained from astronauts before, during, and after spaceflight. Specific proteins and chemicals in the samples are used as biomarkers, or indicators of health. Post-flight analysis yields a database of samples and test results, which scientists can use to study the effects of spaceflight on the body. The goal of Cardio Ox is to determine whether biological markers of oxidative and inflammatory stress are elevated during and after space flight and whether this results in an increased, long-term risk of atherosclerosis risk in astronauts. Twelve crewmembers provide blood and urine samples to assess biomarkers before launch, 15, and 60 after launch, 15 days before returning to Earth, and within days after landing. Ultrasound scans of the carotid and brachial arteries are obtained at the same time points, as well as through 5 years after landing, as an indicator of cardiovascular health. Repository is a storage bank that is used to maintain biological specimens over extended periods of time and under well-controlled conditions. This repository supports scientific discovery that contributes to our fundamental knowledge in the area of human physiological changes and adaptation to a microgravity environment and provides unique opportunities to study longitudinal changes in human physiology spanning many missions. Todays Planned Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. Marrow Breath And Ambient Air Sample Collection Subject HRF Generic Frozen Blood Collection Double Spin Collection HRF Generic Refrigerated Centrifuge Double Spin Configuration HRF Generic Sample MELFI Insertion Personal CO2 Monitor Doff and Charge Closing Shutters on windows 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 HRF Generic Refrigerated Centrifuge Spin Conclude HRF Generic Sample MELFI Insertion USOS Window Shutter Close Soyuz 731 Samsung Tablet Recharge, Initiate Microbe IV Sampling Sheet and White Tube Collection Ultrasound 2 HRF Rack 1 Power On Vascular Echo Resting Ultrasound Scan 135 Minutes Subject Preparation and Photography of Progress 432 Docking Assembly from SM Window No.26 during undocking from SM Aft Switch ???-?? PEV to CLOSED position 24-hour ECG Recording (start) Microbe IV Sample MELFI Insertion HRF Generic Frozen Blood Collection Conclude Stow Vascular Echo CDL Holter Arterial BP Measurement Subject 24-hour Blood Pressure Recording (start) ISS HAM Radio Power Up Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) WSTA Fill Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain XF305 Camcorder Setup Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) Micro-G and 1G Wipe Long Duration Sorbent Testbed Status Check. Soyuz 731 Samsung tablet recharging, end Strata Status Check PK-4 data hard drives exchange Robotic Workstation (RWS) Setup Personal CO2 Monitor Donn Robotic Workstation (RWS) High Definition (HD) Monitor Downlink Pre-pack PK-4 Hard Drives for return stowage on Soyuz On-Orbit Hearing Assessment (O-OHA) with EarQ Software Setup and Test Space Headaches Weekly Questionnaire PK-4 Video Monitor Deinstallation INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops MATRYOSHKA-R. BUBBLE-dosimeter gathering and measurements. Meteor Shutter Open Space Headaches Weekly Questionnaire Remote Workstation Monitor HD Video Downlink Deactivation RWS. Personal CO2 Monitor Power Cycle Completed Task List Items Cup-PCS-Shell-Swap Ground Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. 63P Undock support Vascular Echo support SSRMS Configuration for Cygnus capture Three-Day Look Ahead: Saturday, 10/15: Weekly Housekeeping, Crew Off Duty Sunday, 10/16: HRF Body Measures, 47S Prepack, Crew Off Duty, OA-5 Launch Monday, 10/17: SSK and MAS Sampling, Cygnus ROBOT training QUICK ISS Status Environmental Control Group: Component Status Elektron Off Vozdukh Manual [???] 1 SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1) On [???] 2 SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2) Off Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab Standby Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 Operate Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab Operate Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 Idle Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) Process Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Standby Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab Off Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 Full Up Wed, 26.10.22 - 12:09 Another blast of heat at the end of the month is likely to break the record in Spain With only a few days left in... Here in San Francisco, startups are dreamed up in cafes. I dare you to visit a cafe and not overhear a startup pitch or job interview. But the river of opportunity flows both ways: with tech companies opening and expanding their offices across the Bay Area, coffee companies like Equator, Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters, Saint Frank Coffee, and Chromatic Coffee are getting in on the action. When these tech companies become newly flush with cash, some even rising to billion-dollar unicorn status, it means spending the cash quickly, to the tune of employee perks. Excellent benefits attract productive workers, so its a no-brainer for companies to offer in-office coffee bars. The newly opened Equator Coffees & Teas location at 222 Second Street in San Francisco was three years in the making. At inception, the global food & beverage program manager at LinkedIn, Joe Peterson, was vacationing in Mill Valley and stopped into Equators Proof Lab location. He immediately fell in love with the Equator experience and called up his food and drink managers, Bon Appetit Management Company, to ask why the roaster wasnt offered at their offices. Thus began a partnership that led to Equators newest coffee bar, arguably the brands most stunning. The Equator and LinkedIn partnership is threefold. In its three Bay Area offices, LinkedIn works with Bon Appetit to use Equator in their office cafes. Second, Equator offers educational and entertaining classes, designed exclusively for LinkedIn employees. And lastly, LinkedIns newest office at 222 Second Street houses a publicly accessible Equator cafe. All of these efforts tie into a shared understanding that the world is larger than our immediate surroundings. Jennifer Bushman is the culinary director at Equator and heads up many of the food-oriented projects that the company has taken on. The benefit of working with tech companies, she says, is that youre really intersecting with culture. She elaborates, And what you often find in tech companies in particularif you look at LinkedInits really creating something beyond what is tech, the application. Its really about creating a culture around that technology. In what could possibly be the neatest job description in the coffee industry, Bushman creates experiences that tie coffee and food together, often overlapping them into the greater community. For LinkedIns Foodies program, Equator has offered a coffee cocktails workshop, latte art workshop, and a roastery tour field trip. For us, the component of coffee through all threads of the culinary experience is what were bringing to the additional programming, says Bushman. Every program that Equator hosts, leads back to the coffee. LinkedIns food and beverage program manager, Anna Zulaica, and director of operations/head of global food and beverage, Joe Peterson, elaborated on their Foodies program to me in a joint statement. We feel its important for employees to know where their food came from and the people behind the food. It also gives employees a chance to learn how they can support small, local businesses. LinkedIn uses their in-office coffee bars as inspirational spaces, giving their employees an opportunity to meet or spark creativity in their work. The coffee bars have been such a successful model for creating an interactive place outside of the desk area, or the cafe, where employees can have informal meetings, Zulaica and Peterson told me in a joint statement. Equators cafe, while housed inside the LinkedIn building, is actually a privately-owned public space (POPO). San Francisco law dictates that one square foot per 50 square feet of new commercial space be set aside as a public space. The public can mingle in the area, taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi. Because of this POPO designation, there is no pressure for anyone to purchase from Equator. Equators community engagement manager, Akaash Saini, talked with me a bit more about this unique situation. No one feels like they have to get a drink or that sort of thing. Ill look around and everyones enjoying their food. Once theyre done with their food, on the way back to their offices, thats when they grab a cup of coffee. By the time Equator was invited to the location, the coffee bar was already set up for them. The problem was that it was built by non-coffee professionals. There was this huge glass wall all the way down the bar, which wouldve made service pretty much impossible, says Saini. The glass wall has since been removed and Equator has adjusted to the smaller bar, opting not to offer a single-origin espresso. Wrecking Balls newest location began under similar circumstances. Within a three-week period, co-owner Nick Cho proposed and opened Cafe Mona Lisa (named after GitHubs mascot, Ms. Mona Lisa Octocat) inside of GitHubs office at 88 Colin P Kelly Jr Street. The bar was built-out already, says Cho. They wanted someone who was going to align with the values and culture of GitHub. [It would] essentially be a turnkey solution where we would own the project. Baristas are employed by Wrecking Ball and work standard office hours on weekdays from 8 a.m. 3 p.m. Because there is no cash transaction, the arrangement really sets things up for people being happy to work here, explains Cho. Everyone is so friendly. Ive heard other environments where [the coffee price is] still subsidized, but its at a discounted price. It ends up being, in some ways, the worst of both worlds. Cho elaborates, People have paid, so theres the entitlement that comes with paying. But then it can be aggravating when somebodys quibbling over a $1 latte. The full-service cafe is free for GitHub employees, who also enjoy self-service coffee bars on each floor of the office. Lara Owen, global facilities and office operations manager at GitHub, explains, The SF office has always had a strong coffee culture, but we design our offices for individuals not the average. The Office Team wanted to allow room for both employees who like grabbing a quick cortado and employees who find satisfaction in pulling their own shots. With a month of service under its belt, the cafe reception has been overwhelmingly positive, says Owen. The cafe has brought a fresh energy to the first floor, an additional place to work, and more opportunities for [random] collisions. The biggest difference between their 2271 Union Street location and GitHubs office, says Cho, is the closed community. Because most people know each other, the baristas are treated more like peers. The way they engage each other reflects on how they engage with the baristas. For Wrecking Ball and Equator, their relationships with local tech companies have provided unexpected expansions. With rising rent costs and new coffee companies launching often, having a diversified expansion path gives them a competitive edge. When asked if he would consider additional expansion into another office space, Cho is hesitant. This being such a positive experience, it makes me want to do more. But it also makes me not want to do more, because I cant really imagine a better situation. He continues, I dont know if [this partnership] is luck or what, but we like it. Jenn Chen is a San Francisco-based coffee marketer, writer, and photographer. This is Jenn Chens first feature for Sprudge. Showing no ill effects from a layoff of more than six weeks, Spreester used a three-wide backside burst to capture Mondays $20,000 Filly & Mare Not Listed Preferred/Preferred Handicap Pace at The Meadows. Aniston Seelster vaulted to the front from post 8 but had to blaze through first-half fractions of :26.1 and 54.4 to stay there. That was the signal for Aaron Merriman to move Spreester from mid-pack. The five-year-old daughter of American Ideal-Rodeo Spree responded by gobbling up Aniston Seelster and holding off the rallying Show Runner by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:51.3. Best Of Jenna finished third. Bill Bercury trains Spreester, who was won 31 of 86 career starts and $514,576, for Renee Bercury. Jim Pantaleano piloted three winners on the 14-race card while Doug Snyder enjoyed a training/driving double. On Tuesday, Oct. 18, The Meadows Racetrack & Casino will offer a $10,000 total-pool guarantee for its Pick 5 wager as part of the United States Trotting Association's Strategic Wagering Initiative. The Meadows added the instant guarantee after Mondays Pick 5 was uncovered, resulting in a two-day carryover of $3,163.43. In addition, Tuesdays card includes a $5,000 total-pool guarantee for the Pick 4, a regular feature of each program at The Meadows. Minimum wager for the Pick 4 (races 4-7) and Pick 5 (races 10-14) is 50 cents. Since Pennsylvania law requires a minimum per-race wager of $2, a player wagering at the 50-cent level must bet at least four tickets. First post for Tuesdays program is 1 p.m. (The Meadows) Right now the US mainstream media is obsessing over Donalds alleged womanizing and female groping soap opera as the Clintons/MSMs pruriently entertaining smokescreen, neatly designed to cover up Hillary/Bills serial raping and her criminal lead role as enabler/strong armed intimidator of past victims. Meanwhile, barely noticed in a virtual media blackout in the West are at least a half dozen high alert, significant international developments this last weekend that all strongly indicate the extreme danger of a nuclear war breaking out at any time against Russia and its Eastern alliance. Again, do not pay attention to the US deceivers behind their Oz-like curtain and their frenzied pushing of Western propaganda machine levers as sleight of hand distraction to willfully withhold the fact that many unreported major world events are simultaneously occurring now that foretell the start of World War III potentially just days away. The current threat level to every human life on this planet even surpasses the October Cuban Missile Crisis of 54 years ago as the earth today is in more peril by manmade destruction than any previous time in human history. Yet the neocon madness of Obama, Hillary and their MSM minions do not want Americans to know this dire truth that the US is rapidly moving to very likely execute a series of false flags that could ignite a global war between US-NATO and the Eastern powers: Russia, China and Iran. And based on alarming rapid fire events, it could even begin prior to the scheduled November 8th presidential election just three weeks away. Make no mistake that perfect storm of destabilizing developments triggering WWIII, the global economy crash and possible martial law timed with the US presidential election that many independent journalists like myself have been writing about for months is unfolding right this very moment. Here are just a few of these disturbing breaking news events and anomalies that are currently unfolding over this last weekend that are conspicuously missing in action from all MSM headlines: FAA issues no fly zone over parts of Montana Per the FAA on Saturday a no fly zone went into effect for most of the day from 3PM to midnight over selected parts of the state of Montana. The FAA claimed that US military rockets were being launched in connection with space operations yet the only missiles in Montana are nuclear armed warhead missiles. According to NewsPrepper.com, the missile silos in Montana are armed with Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs) and each MIRV contains a 100 kiloton nuclear warhead. Within a half hour after launch, each single rocket is capable of destroying eight cities anywhere on earth. The real question is what was the government actually up to on Saturday with nuclear missiles in Montana? Buildup of US military planes and ships on Diego Garcia Island Last Friday isn this remote US military outpost on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean (see image below), a US military private contractor who cycles through every nine days working on the island for ongoing maintenance of military hardware reported an enormous, unprecedented buildup of US Air Force bombers - both B-1s and B-2s. Some were painted flat black. On a related note, this past week the US Air Force was caught dressing up its warplanes disguised as Russian aircraft that would likely be used in false flag operations to blame Russia for aggression it didnt commit. The civilian contractor on Diego Garcia stated that far more activity was witnessed than any time prior in the 9 years hes been on the job there. He reports that under the tightest security the government has blocked off access roads and that so many warplanes have been assembled on the island that aircraft are now being parked on blocked off roads. so much activity is characteristic of top secret nuclear weapons movement. Speaking of which, the eyewitness also noticed that 6-8 US Navy vessels were offshore and the island docks were busily unloading countless pallets of bombs. Obviously sneaky Obama is up to something very big against his targeted cold war enemies potentially including nuclear powered Russia and China. A count of over a dozen refueling tankers were sighted and flights were taking off on the average of every 15 minutes. He also observes the tent city that sprang up includes temporary barracks and hangars for both US Air Force and Navy personnel. His ex-Air Force coworker speculated that the ultra-tight security and sudden influx ofSpeaking of which, the eyewitness also noticed that 6-8 US Navy vessels were offshore and the island docks were busily unloading countless pallets of bombs. Obviously sneaky Obama is up to something very big against his targeted cold war enemies potentially including nuclear powered Russia and China. DEFCON Level 3 warning Even the Sunday edition of the British rag the Daily Star ran the headline US nuclear attack warning upgraded to level 3 as Russian threat goes beyond Cold War. Though midway through the article the Star quietly backtracks from its sensational headline claiming the US government has not officially released any public notice that the US is currently on DEFCON level 3, it references its breaking news headline based on the conspiracy theory website defconwarningsystem.com. In any event, only three previous times in US history has Washington issued a DEFCON level 3 warning as its official nuclear war alert index, the last time being on 9/11. This particular level on the Chiefs of Staff developed defense readiness condition entails a nuclear attack readiness that the US Air Force is prepared to mobilize a nuclear strike within a 15 minute period. Level 3 also calls for the federal plan to take immediate effect that will maintain continuity of government services in response to imminent threat of any national emergency or crisis. Though true to form, the most secretive US president in history Barack Obama and his neocons are choosing to not publicly disclose this level 3 grave danger facing the American people, admitting the US is on the brink of nuclear war against Russia. For many years now the powers-that-shouldnt-be have been secretly preparing for this nuclear showdown moment. The five-level alert system ranges from level 5 at no threat at all to level 1 which is all-out nuclear war within the hour. Despite Washingtons official non-disclosure, a reasonable chance exists that we could be headed toward level 2, signifying an urgent readiness to deploy an armed attack within six hours in what would most likely amount to a nuclear exchange with one or more adversaries (Russia and China), resulting in mutually assured destruction (MAD) thats long been an integral part of US national security policy and strategic military doctrine. During the first cold war MAD prevented either side from pushing the nuke button due to the principle of deterrence motivating both parties to not dare engage in such insanely suicidal behavior. However, the puppet masters and their neocon lunatics presently calling the shots are operating from a deluded sense of false security believing that when safely cloistered in their luxurious underground bunkers, theyre capable of surviving a nuclear holocaust at the earths surface. Last Friday Obama met with foreign policy advisors on the Syrian crisis Obama met last Friday with his top security advisors to assess and weigh all his military and non-military options in Syria and beyond. Clearly with all the unprecedented activity noted just since this meeting, the chronically weak leader whos been our commander-in-chief the last eight years is racing against election time heavily influenced by his hawkish, preemptive strike neocons to rewrite his legacy. Putin. Keep in mind Barack Hussein Obamas been the Manchurian puppet president whos dutifully followed his globalist masters marching orders to destroy America to the T. So the big question remains is he planning to defy Russian warnings and attack Assad forces like he sneakily did on September 17th and thereby initiate war directly against Russia? By what has been happening over the weekend, it appears he just might. CIA coordinating cyberattacks on Russia No doubt also high on Obamas meeting agenda last Friday is the covert cyber operation against Russia. As part of US retaliation for Putin allegedly hacking into DNC and Clinton emails while trying to change the election outcome in favor of Trump, all unsubstantiated deep state lies, MSM presstitute NBC News just reported that the CIA is coordinating the launching of cyberattacks against Russia. All the major powers engage in hacking and cyber warfare, so really theres nothing much new here other than efforts to derail Russian intelligence apparatus and economic infrastructure is at its height right now. This tit for tat game Empires playing now is serious risky business. Repercussions may have a boomerang effect manifesting as either a false flag or real cyber security breaches that could wreak havoc with US military and economic infrastructure. One morning we may wake up and not be able to withdraw cash from our local ATM or even pump gas. Or if asymmetrical warfare escalates to EMP attack, we may find ourselves without electricity for months, which within the first year is estimated to result in the death of 90% of the American population. The stakes are only growing higher yet our despots in charge appear to be throwing all caution to the wind. But then if their eugenics plan calls for 90% of us to be dead, it readily explains their reckless, homicidal behavior given both the means and motive. US at war now in Yemen and signs of escalating violence and conflict at other global hotspots This weeks aggression in Yemen by US Navy destroyers firing cruise missiles on Yemen soil can easily be construed as yet another clear, premeditated act of war against both Yemen as well as its fellow Shiite ally Iran. Again without confirming any evidence of truth behind its claim, a highly deceitful US insists that Houthi rebels fired a missile twice during this past week at a Navy destroyer. Hence five missiles were launched by the destroyers at alleged Houthi radar stations. Its no accident or random event that the Ukraine conflict is also heating up now. This week a helicopter with NATO military instructors onboard was shot down by Donetsk freedom fighters. With freshly supplied new heavy weapons and even American snipers, the US puppet government in Kiev launched another offensive into the Donetsk Peoples Republic with heavy mortar shelling. The US is stepping up its hostilities globally on all hotspot fronts in its apparent launch of this centurys world war. As yet another further sign of the Wests plan to wage global war against Eastern powers, a Sunday FARS News Agency article is reporting that based on recent WikiLeaks released emails sent to Hillary, Israel has entertained designs in its warming of relations with the House of Saud to use a Saudi airbase from which Israeli air force jets can be deployed for purposes of attacking Iran. The article also mentioned in a related matter that The New York Times in 2010 disclosed that Saudi Arabia was prepared to give its air force stand down orders so that Israeli warplanes could safely pass through Saudi airspace to enable Israel to attack Irans nuclear and military facilities. Multi-modal Information war propaganda At the same time that NBC discloses the CIA hack-attack plan, messenger boy Biden makes his NBC appearance to further deliver the message to both America and Putin on Meet the Press. These so called countermeasures against fabricated Putin aggression are being carried out in a multitude of ways, just one being through recklessly blunt, sabre rattling threats recently uttered by members of both the State and Defense Departments. Of course another old oft-used Empire standby is to engage in economic terrorism through such Empire vassal appendages as the UN and EU. The UK represented by warmongering Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and his sniveling US counterpart Kerry just met in London to discuss the latest round of ante upping economic sanctions against both Syria and Russia for their alleged misconduct in Aleppo. Again theyre hypocritically hiding behind their worn out phony humanitarian excuses when in fact its Putin and Assad who are doing the world the favor of wiping out their US supported terrorists. In perhaps the most provocative development leading to the Wests war against Russia, as the #1 US lackey last week the UK has given its fighter jet pilots in the Royal Air Force the greenlight to fire upon Russian aircraft in Syria. Meanwhile the criminal cabal in Washington says nothing when those same terrorists theyre backing are shelling and killing civilians daily in western Aleppo. Last Thursday five children were killed in a bombed out school. Nor do they squawk when their terrorists are repeatedly using chemical weapons on Syrian people. Just two months ago in Aleppo five civilians were asphyxiated to death. Remember Obamas self-righteous faked redline in August 2013 after his terrorists killed all those children in Ghouta? Or when every day Saudi jets are committing horrific war crimes of the century on the innocent civilians of Yemen 10,000 victims later. Instead of acknowledging humanitarian responsibility to protect the innocent in the poorest nation in the Middle East, the US Empire has now directly entered that war with recent missile attacks killing more Yemenis. Empires egregious criminality cannot be ignored. Vice President Biden on NBCs Meet the Press: Obama is threatening Putin with nuclear war But the latest smugly delivered message to Putin of the ominous nuclear Armageddon comes out of the mouth of his VP Joe Biden on Sundays Meet the Press interview. The last question asked was what is Obama doing about Putin tampering with the US election outcome? A clear US lie without any supporting evidence thus far. Though Biden danced around the issue with a nebulous innuendo reply that career politicians are notorious for, he alluded that Obama is sending Putin an implicit threat. According to highly astute historian and geopolitical writer Eric Zuesses deciphered interpretation, that threat is the nuclear war that Putin and the Russians are now taking very seriously. Hillary has repeatedly made war against both Russia and Iran her top priority imperative. On the other hand, Trump has made it clear that he would work with Putin as a partner to eradicate the scourge of the terrorists worldwide. And without the terrorists, no more war on terror, no more terrorism, no more reason for making draconian laws in the name of national security that kill whats left of our mortally wounded Constitution, and as an ally of Putin who dislikes globalism as much as terrorism, no more reason for one world government tyranny. Bearing this in mind, its very easy to see why Obama and Hillary are so gung ho and determined to risk all our lives for their NWO cause. Saturdays 20 nation meeting over Syria ends without agreement Syrian talks in Lausanne, Switzerland involving 20 nations ended with zero agreement reached (other than be open to meeting at an undisclosed hypothetical future time). US et al versus Russia et al are deadlocked completely at odds with each other as US Empire is unwilling to pursue diplomatic channels with Russia to prevent the larger war. The US led coalition airstrike on Syrian soldiers last month proved that much in reality. At this point Russia does not trust the West and for good reason. Russias preparedness for nuclear war In response to the cold war approaching the boiling point in recent weeks, and in total contrast to America, Russia has been busy preparing its citizens for potential nuclear war. Moscow ordered all Russian citizens, diplomats and students traveling, working or studying abroad to immediately return home. Members of Russias diplomatic corps were threatened with reprimands and career demotions should they refuse to comply with the Kremlin directive. Additionally 40 million Russian citizens, thats near one-third of the nations total population, just completed an unprecedented massive nuclear war defense drill. Also unlike the US, Moscow has built underground facilities for housing its 12 million residents under the capital city for safe refuge. Again unlike America, Russia is taking the extreme threat of nuclear war with the West very seriously. Even MSM fixture ABC News ran a story how Russians have been preparing for a nuclear winter outcome. In stark contrast, outside of Putin bashing and the election sideshow, neither Washington nor its propaganda whores in the press have alerted Americans that they are currently in grave danger. In fact its been an MSM news blackout while Russian media has told its citizens that nuclear war is imminent. Meanwhile as another sign that Putin means business, in response to NATOs nuclear missiles activated in Romania and Poland, Putin has ordered at the ready his nuclear capable missiles in Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. The Russians are Coming Propaganda Ploy: Alleged Russian Invasion of US by way of Alaska Britains tabloid the Daily Star (quoted by The Inquisitr) has run an October 16th headline The Russians Are Coming, Says Ex-Navy Leader: World War 3 Will Start with Alaska Invasion. Inquisitr Headlines (October 15, 2016) part of the Clinton-Obama propaganda blitzkrieg falsely blaming Putin for everything gone wrong in this world as yet more propaganda used to justify a US war against Russia. That said, according to the Inquisitr article, the unnamed high-ranking former US Navy official warned that an unprotected part of Americas largest state Alaska with its closest point separating America from Russia just 50 miles, has been Putins planned designated target where Russian submarines will secure an invasion of our 50th state and proceed southward to the continental US. The former naval officer stated: No doubt, the anonymous source to the Russians Are Coming story published by the Daily Star is butfor everything gone wrong in this world as yet more propaganda used to justify a US war against Russia. That said, according to the Inquisitr article, the unnamed high-ranking former US Navy official warned that an unprotected part of Americas largest state Alaska with its closest point separating America from Russia just 50 miles, has been Putins planned designated target where Russian submarines will secure an invasion of our 50th state and proceed southward to the continental US. The former naval officer stated: Our feeling in the Navy was that Obama had turned Alaska into a defenseless area that will serve as a forward base of operations when World War III begins. The tabloid propaganda article quoting an unidentified former naval officer as the leaked source also claimed that Russian soldiers disguised in Alaska as highway road crews have been literally laying the groundwork for the invasion and will be used to secure bridges and disrupt communications during the invasion. The article goes on to report that other unnamed sources have independently also laid claim that Russians have been moving into the local area and living in abandoned motels and military bases. Conclusion The bottom line is the West and their terrorist allies are losing the war in Syria. The battle for Aleppo is being won as the Syrian Arab Army is making headway in the eastern part of Syrias second largest city. Not only is the legitimate president of Syria Bashar al-Assad going to remain in power, but the US wet dream of a no fly zone under US control is not in the cards either. Putin has checkmated the neocon traitors by deploying his advanced S-400 and S-300 anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems vowing to shoot down any unidentified airplanes in the skies over Syria. The trained Syrians will be the ones pulling the trigger. The US is realizing its longtime investment in terrorists and terrorism is being lost as Raqqa will be the final ISIS stronghold to be vanquished once Aleppo is liberated. Another second largest city in a neighboring country, Mosul will also be next, won back by Iraqi forces. The terrorists and their Western and Gulf State backers are going down in defeat. Knowing that US Empires run as the unipolar hegemonic kingpin of the world is rapidly fading, DC crazies are now acting out aggressively with wild abandon. Hopefully theyre not so deranged to push the button. The most fitting metaphor for the current geopolitics chessboard drama being played out in Syria is the neighborhood bully who for years always has had his way browbeating and terrorizing his smaller neighbors into submission. But one day the bully finally meets his match a worthy challenger willing to stand up and fight the bully once and for all. Always having bragged about his strength and power over everyone else through his frequent show of force, which he has brutally and repeatedly demonstrated, ultimately the bully is now having second thoughts, having to face reality that his stealth and strength cannot match his false bravado. The bully realizes that he cant actually beat his worthy challenger who has been able to outsmart and outfox him. Since the bully knows that the jig is up, he is fast running out of options. Unable to face the public humiliation of being exposed as the weaker, finally dethroned opponent, the bully is becoming increasingly agitated, mentally unstable and desperate. Before whimpering away in defeat, the bully decides to throw one final but huge tantrum as his last defining moment as the king of the hill, exercising all his power and intimidation, he threatens to kill everyone in the neighborhood. This is whats going on right now, the world bully the United States Empire is finally receiving his comeuppance. But the only problem is the mentally deranged bully possesses WMDs that can in fact destroy the entire global village. Since he knows his days as top dog are over and he feels he has nothing left to lose since hes going down anyway, will the bully follow through on his threat to bring down the entire planet with him? Thats the big question. Play at the new site will be free and first come, first served through the year's end. Amazon Great Indian Festival: From Samsung on 7 to iPhone 6s, Check out the deals not to be missed! Amazon Great Indian Festival: Festive sales on e-com sites are taking the market by storm, with their exclusive deals, extravaganza offers, substantial discounts and instant cash backs. Flipkart, the largest e-com market of India a few days back has wrapped off its annual sale festival, while Amazon, another big player in Indian e-com segment has kept on driving its Great Indian Festivals sale. With exclusive sale deals on smartphones, great offers on electronics, and more bonanzas, Great Indian Festival will go live from 17-20 October. After the huge success of the first phase of Great Indian Festival, Amazon has revived the second-period sale with not-be-missed deals for smartphones and electronics and here are the top-of-the-line offers on Great Indian Festival, that shouldnt be missed. From OnePlus 3, Moto G4 Plus, Lenovo Z2 Plus, Mi Max Prime, to Samsung Galaxy On 7 Pro and On 5 Pro are available in the second phase of Amazon sale is jam-packed with much more extravaganza offers. In addition to this, Amazon is giving 15% cash back to the buyers browsing through the Amazon App and 10% cash back to the site only consumers purchasing with Citi bank cards. Heres a quick look at the offers on Amazon, which are absolutely must snatching in this sale season. Check them out: Samsung Galaxy mobiles If you are a true enthusiast of Samsung mobiles, then this opportunity shouldnt be missed. Amazon has brought up best-ever deals on some top-of-the-line smartphones of Samsung including Galaxy on 7 Pro and Galaxy On 5 Pro. During Great Indian Festival Sale offer, On 7 Pro is revitalised with flat Rs 1200 off and is offered only at Rs 9,990. Under the exchange offer, one can snatch this cutting-edge mobile up to Rs 7,900 discount on the MRP. Coming over to the next phone Samsung Galaxy On 5 Pro, Amazon Rs. 1200 discount on the market price of On 5 Pro, which is Rs. 9, 100. Under the exchange offer, one can avail up to Rs 6,300 off on the same model. OnePlus smartphones The Amazon-exclusive OnePlus 3 is the point of attraction for the smartphone buyers, as Amazon is giving up to Rs 20,700 off under the exchange offer. With a no cost EMI on OnePlus 3, consumers can grab this silver gray variant 64GB model at Rs. 27, 999 only. Apart from this, Amazon is also giving a heavy discount on OnePlus 2. Instead of Rs. 22,999, OnePlus 2 (64GB) is available at flat Rs.3000 off, with the new price tag of Rs. 19,999. Apple gadgets As Apple has phased out the 16GB and 64GB variants of its iPhones, this is the last chance to grab an iPhone 6s (64GB) on Amazon. Instead of Rs. 60,939, Apple iPhone 6s (64GB) is available on Amazon only at Rs 49,022. Alongside iPhone 6s, Amazon also brought up a notable marked down on the price of Apples iPad Mini 2 (32GB, Wi-Fi variant). With a higher price tag of Rs. 25, 900, Apples iPad mini 2 is still a dream for many consumers. But with a flat 15% discount rate, iPad Mini 2 is available only for Rs 25,900 instead of Rs 22,015 and the consumers can get a hold on iPad mini two 32GB Wi-Fi only variant with Space Grey colour variant for Rs 22,015 only. Lenovo Z2 Plus Amazon is giving one of the best offers on the latest Lenovo Z2 Plus, which is accessible under the exchange offers under Amazons Great India sale. Keeping the MRP of Lenovo Z2 Plus (4GB RAM+64GB storage variant) same Rs 19,999 for the Amazon is offering flat Rs 15,300 off under its exchange offer. Powered by the latest Snapdragon 820 processor, and backed by 3500 mAH battery, Lenovo Z2 Plus is surely not-to-be-missed offer. Apart from Z2 Plus, Amazon also has listed another model of Lenovo, which is Lenovo Vibe K4 Note. From the market price of Rs 11,999 to a discounted range of Rs 10,000, Amazon has revived this smartphone with a new and exciting price tag. With the new marked down price, this handset is expected to take the e-com market by storm soon. Moto G4 Plus Rolling over to the next enchanting deal, Moto G4 Plus is available with both exchange and discount offers. The 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant of Moto G4 Plus is revived with flat Rs 1500 off on the MRP Rs 14,999, and the users can grab this phone only at Rs.13, 499. Under the exchange offer, Amazon if giving up to Rs 10,700 off on this mid-ranged smartphone. Aside from the 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant, Amazon is also offering Rs. 1500 off on the 16GB variant model of Moto G4 Plus. While the market price of the phone is Rs. 13, 499, at Great Indian Festival Sale offer, one can grab this handset only at Rs 11,999. Huawei Honor 5C Huawei Honor 5C is tagged with a discount rate of Rs 1000 and is presented at Rs 9,999 only. Under exchange offer, Amazon is giving Rs 7,900 off on the MRP of this phone from 17-20th October. Enriched with the refined display, rich camera, and high-end performance alongside the Android M OS, Huawei Honor 5C is a must grab deal at Amazon Great Indian Festival. Micromax YU Yuphoria Micromax YU Yuphoria is a pocket-fitting option for the smartphone seekers in India. Tagged with Rs 4,749 exclusively for Amazons Great Indian Festival, this phone lacks the exchange offer. While the market price of Micromax YU Yuphoria is slated at Rs 6,999, Rs. 4, 749 tags look quite good for the mid-budget phone seekers. LeEco Le Max 2 (32GB) Amazons sale list seems to be unstoppable as it brings LeEco Le Max 2 (32GB) only at Rs 17,999 for its annual sale season. Available only at Rs 17,999 with the Rose Gold 32GB storage variant, LeEco Le Max 2 is packed with top-of-the-line features, advanced specs, and superior functionalities. Coolpad Note 3 Launched a year back, Coolpad Note 3 has been able to retreat the Indian market with a new line-up of features and hardware. Enriched with multiple high-end features like HD display, MediaTek MT6753 octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 13mp primary snapper, and 4G LTE support, Coolpad Note 3 was launched with the price tag of Rs. 8, 999. But thanks to Amazon, which has made the Coolpad Note 3avalable at a price down the range of to Rs 7,499. During the festive sale offer of Amazon, one can snatch this phone only at Rs. 7, 499 instead of Rs. 8, 999. Xiaomi Mi 20,000mAh Power Bank If you are in search for the best Power Banks in the market, this offer shouldnt be missed. Amazon is giving flat Rs. 750 off on the Xiaomis Mi 20000 Power Banks. With 30% discount price, the 20,000mAh variant of Mi Power Bank is currently available on Amazon at Rs 1,749, instead of Rs. 2499. Well, aside from these gadgets and smartphones, Amazon Great Indian Festival also houses a number of other deals for Jawbone UP2 and UP3, All-New Kindle, Xiaomi Mi Band 2, Micromax Canvas Mega, Moto X-Force, etc. Concerning the budget range, pick up the best one before the sale festive goes down. It seems the fortune of the Korean Giant Samsung is not on form. The redundant fire issues, smoke hazards, and battery blast happenings have pulled the Korean conglomerate into the domain of a few legitimate and authority inconveniences, which in different ways has continued influencing the present market position of the organisation. Since recent months, Samsung is kept confronting aggravations because of the fire dangers and battery impact cases and Indian Government has officially prohibited the recently launched Galaxy Note 7 in the country, alongside other leading nations like the USA. And following the track of India and USA, Japanese airline has banished Samsung Note 7 on the flight, because of its existing fire-get dangers. In this weekend, Japanese Government has publicised an official report according to which the government has evacuated all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones from planes, which is said to be the reflective moves taken by US controllers and a number of other airlines who in the last couple of weeks have banned over flame hazard concerns. The weekend declaration from Japans airlines takes after a prior notice that asked all the travellers not to turn on or charge the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on an airplane. But on Saturday, the Japanese Government has noticed all the airlines to boycott the Note 7 completely and to ban them from carrying while taking flights. Soon after the notice of Japanese Transport Ministry, asking the passengers not to turn on or charge their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on the flight, the urge of aviation authorities of Japan to completely ban the handset to be taken in the plane has stunned the Korean organisation entirely. Following a lot of blast, smoke happenings, and fire-catch issues in flights, the South Korean electronics giant has arranged a voluntary recall for all the shipped units of Galaxy Note 7 which guaranteed the complete replacement of the mobile. However, even after the replacement, a safe-to-be-believed unit of Note 7 caught fire and caused smoke on flight, which made the airline land on urgent basis. And following all such happenings, Samsung has already stopped the production of its newly launched Note 7 and has requested the users to stop using the phone. Chasing these issues, on Friday, the US transport authorities publicised the notice of banning Note 7 phones on the flights of US on an emergency basis. The notice, it further added that anyone attempting to voyage with the Note 7 handsets might face a monetary penalty. And the urgent ban order of Japan is believed to be a reflected action of what the US government did on Friday. Almost all the main airlines of China have started carrying out the ban order, while in the weekend, Hong Kongs international airport forbidden the travellers from taking Galaxy Note 7 on any incoming and outgoing flights. No passengers can carry the phone neither in the checked or carry-on baggage nor in their purse or handbags. National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) Maven spacecraft has beamed back never before seen ultraviolet view of Mars. Maven spacecraft that is orbiting Mars has sent several breathtaking images in great details including the first images of nightglow that can be used to show how winds circulate at high altitudes and images taken in daylight which shows the change in ozone layer over different seasons. The images also reveal how clouds form over volcanoes located in Martian surface. MAVEN obtained hundreds of such images in recent months, giving some of the best high-resolution ultraviolet coverage of Mars ever obtained, said Nick Schneider of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Schneider is presenting these results Oct. 19 at the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences meeting in Pasadena, California, which is being held jointly with the European Planetary Science Congress. The nightside images show green colored Mars glowing in the dark due to the presence of nitric acid. Scientists explained that nightglow is not new and it is a common phenomenon among planets where sky glows in the absence of external light. Mars nightside atmosphere emits light in the ultraviolet due to chemical reactions that start on Mars dayside. Ultraviolet light from the sun breaks down molecules of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and the resulting atoms are carried around the planet by high-altitude wind patterns that encircle the planet. On the nightside, these winds bring the atoms down to lower altitudes where nitrogen and oxygen atoms collide to form nitric oxide molecules. The recombination releases extra energy, which comes out as ultraviolet light. Previously, scientists did not predict nightglow on Mars and new images stunned the scientists and revealing key components of Martian atmosphere. Splotches and streaks appearing in these images occur where NO recombination is enhanced by winds. Such concentrations are clear evidence of strong irregularities in Mars high altitude winds and circulation patterns. These winds control how Mars atmosphere responds to its very strong seasonal cycles. These first images will lead to an improved determination of the circulation patterns that control the behavior of the atmosphere from approximately 37 to 62 miles (about 60 to 100 kilometers) high. Daylight images of the Mars are also delight to watch as ultraviolet images show the atmosphere and surface near Mars south pole in never before seen details. The images were captured during spring season when Ozone was present. Scientists explained that water vapors kill ozone layer and during winter season atmosphere contains water vapors in high amount near polar regions. The images show ozone lasting into spring, indicating that global winds are inhibiting the spread of water vapor from the rest of the planet into winter polar regions. Wave patterns in the images, revealed by UV absorption from ozone concentrations, are critical to understanding the wind patterns, giving scientists an additional means to study the chemistry and global circulation of the atmosphere. The US spacecraft has also unraveled the mystery of clouds formation over volcanoes. IUVS images of cloud formation are among the best ever taken showing the development of clouds throughout the day. Clouds are a key to understanding a planets energy balance and water vapor inventory, so these observations will be valuable in understanding the daily and seasonal behavior of the atmosphere. MAVENs elliptical orbit is just right, said Justin Deighan of the University of Colorado, Boulder, who led the observations. It rises high enough to take a global picture, but still orbits fast enough to get multiple views as Mars rotates over the course of a day. The American probe was launched back in 2013 just before the Mangalyaan mission and arrived on Mars on September 22, 2014. Maven was the first ever dedicated mission for upper atmosphere of Red Planet. However, ISROs MOM had received more accolades than maven but the US spacecraft has also perform its duty very well. MAVENs principal investigator is based at the University of Colorados Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Boulder. The university provided two science instruments and leads science operations, as well as education and public outreach, for the mission. NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the MAVEN project and provided two science instruments for the mission. The University of California at Berkeleys Space Sciences Laboratory also provided four science instruments for the mission. Lockheed Martin built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, provides navigation and Deep Space Network support, as well as the Electra telecommunications relay hardware and operations. The hangover of Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) technology initiated by Google is still driving the internet users, and not long after Google has announced about introducing a separate search index for smartphones. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is designed to bring faster mobile search results in India and recently has been started rolling out, and Google; the search engine giant is reported to start working on smartphone-exclusive search index soon. As mentioned in an official post on Search Engine Land, Google is dividing its search index into detaching versions among which one will be centred on mobile users, and another will be dedicated to the users of PC and desktop. In the quest of Google to drive a better and improved web experience, this split will make Google prioritise the mobile search index over desktop directory more. As per the sourced reports, Google is attempting to make the internet experience of mobile users more enhanced and better by bringing a separate and exclusive search engine for smartphones. As indicated by a report in Search Engine Land, Google in planning to roll out a new and exclusive search index for mobile users in next couple of months and it is no doubt the attempt of Google to prioritising smartphones over PCs and desktop. As said in the reports, Google will maintain separate indexes for desktop and smartphones. It is the current desktop index which will be updated with the mobile version, and a new desktop version of Google Search Index will be launched in coming months. An officer of Google, Gary Illyes has confirmed this report to Search Engine Land and said that the mobile index would be kick starting within next couple of months. However, he didnt mention any particular timeline for the launch of this smartphone-exclusive search index. The recently launched AMP Project centred on creating a faster platform for searchers on the internet. This project of Google is designed to address the concerns of slow loading of website loading on the web. With the application of AMP technology, a page will take less than one second to load from Google Search Engine which in other ways will save 10 times more internet data in comparison to the existing non-AMP websites. And soon after the launch of this revolutionary technology, the new split project of Google for detaching search engines for mobile and desktop will surely enhance the user experience. Kunal Khullar The Apple Car has been a point of discussion ever since rumours started coming out back in 2014. Codenamed Project Titan it is said to have hundreds of employees working on making the vehicle at a secret location near its Cupertino headquarters. There hasnt been a lot of info around the car, but it is still in the early stages of development. Here are some of the key developments that we seen so far... Recruitements Apple had started with about 200 employees working on the project. In early 2015, the company started recruiting automotive industry experts as well as car researchers with specialties in battery technology and autonomous systems.Some of the employees on the team had previously worked for companies like Tesla, Ford, and GM, while others have been recruited from smaller companies like A123 Systems, MIT Motorsports, Ogin, Autoliv, Concept Systems, and General Dynamics. Apart from recruiting the company was talking to carmakers and automotive suppliers. Major recruitments from Tesla include former mechanical engineering manager David Nelson, former senior powertrain test engineer John Ireland, former Tesla head recruiter Lauren Ciminera, and former Tesla vice president Chris Porritt. Former Tesla senior CNC programmer David Masiukiewicz joined Apple in April 2016 who is said to be working on prototypes of parts for the Apple Car. Tesla Motors engineering manager Hal Ockerse worked on driver assistance system components; Subhagato Dutta, who worked on an automotive algorithm team at Texas Instruments; and Yakshu Madaan, who previously worked at Tata Motors, have also been rumoured to be on the team. A bunch of Autonomous vehicles experts have also been mentioned to be working with Apple including Tesla Motors engineer Jamie Carlson, Paul Furgale and Jonathan Cohen, NVIDIA's former director of deep learning who worked on deep learning for NVIDIA's Drive NX platform. The project was initially headed by Steve Zadesky, VP of Product Design, but back in January 2016, he left the company. Currently the project is said to led by Bob Mansfield and under his direction, Apple is said to be expanding its car project to focus more on autonomous driving systems. Carmaker associations Speaking of which, there were a bunch of rumours that Apple has been talking to BMW as well as Tesla, but nothing concrete has come out of it. There have been however employee acquisitions, and probably exchange of technology. Then there was the McLaren acquisition, which sounded like a far-fetched idea, but of course these rumours were turned down by the British carmaker itself. There was also a rumor that said Apple spoke to BMW about using the body of BMWs i3 body as a base for the Apple Car which ended in disagreement. According to a German newspaper Handelsblatt, Apples negotiations with BMW and Daimler back in April 2016 didnt work out. Apples preference for storing vehicle data in the iCloud was a major issue for the carmakers, since the companies have put wireless security and customer data protection as a priority. There was also a rumour that Apple is in talks with a South Korean company to supply battery technology for the Apple Car. Apple could be developing its own batteries based on a hollow battery technique, which are basically lithium-ion secondary batteries with a thickness of two fingers and hollow centers. Plan B? The project has seen some major ups and downs and there have been claims that it is going to be scraped sooner or later. Apart from reported delays, recent development has shown that Apple is now focusing more on software. This could potentially open up two segments in Project Titan, building a car and developing driving software. However, recently Apple had some major changes as dozens of employees in the project were laid off to focus on autonomous driving systems. Will Apple only stick to making software for autonomous cars? Has it finally given up on its dream? Time will tell. hidden Domestic full service carrier Vistara Monday said it has banned carrying of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones on its aircraft including in the check-in baggage, a day after Malaysian budget airline AirAsia announced a similar move. Carriage of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones is prohibited on Vistara flights, both in hand luggage and check-in luggage, Vistara informed its customers in a tweet. https://twitter.com/airvistara/status/787876904393027584 Malaysian budget airline group AirAsia had on Sunday announced that it would not permit carrying Samsung's latest Galaxy Note series mobile phones including recalled and replacement devices - in cabin bags, check-in baggage or as cargo following a recent ban by US Department of Transport on the device and reports of replacement units catching fire. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials had early this month said that the aviation regulator was in the process of issuing a fresh advisory on the use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones onboard aircraft after getting latest inputs from its US counterpart, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Earlier the DGCA had on 9 September completely banned the use of Galaxy Note 7 on board flights as also carrying them in checked-in baggage, which it partially lifted on 30 September. The restrictions do not apply to "Samsung Galaxy Note 7 purchased after 15 September, 2016, which have green battery charge indication on their screen," DGCA had said in a notice on September 30. PTI tech2 News Staff After Samsung's failed attempt at reviving the Note 7, the company has finally pulled the plug on the device and is in a total recall phase. The company has been making frequent recalls, and in India it is also believed to be offering its Galaxy S7 and S7 edge to Note 7 customers in order to appease them. The company has even sent fire-proof boxes for the recall, which will be done only via ground mail, owing to airline safety reasons. Meanwhile, there have been reports around US banning the device, and slowly other airlines have also begun issuing out statements. So, if you or someone you know still owns the device, and we are hoping none of you do, here's the list of airlines that have banned the device. Last month, a DGCA order had said "In light of the recent incidents involving battery incidents with Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices globally, traveling public and airlines are advised not to switch on these mobiles during the flight or stow them in any checked in baggage." However, we haven't heard any update on completely banning the device yet. Last week, the order from the US Transportation Department and other agencies banned owners from carrying on the devices or stowing them in checked baggage during flights. Anyone violating the ban may be subject to criminal prosecution in addition to fines, the department said in a press statement. The agency said that the phones might be confiscated from passengers attempting to take them onboard, and that people found onboard with the phones might face fines. Singapore Airlines, Air Berlin and Lufthansa were soon to follow and impose a ban on Note 7. While Lufthansa banned the devices only on flights to the US, it soon plans a ban on all its flights. meanhile budget airliners have also begun issuing statements. AirAsia had announced the ban, owing to passenger safety, and domestic airliner Vistara is the next to follow. https://twitter.com/airvistara/status/787876904393027584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Besides, the list includes some of the major carriers. Mirroring US's move, Japan has barred all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from airplanes. The announcement comes from Japans transport ministry, which means passengers on its major airlines like All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines will have to comply with the orders. Dubai-based Emirates has already introduced a complete ban on the device, and Etihad even sent out tweets banning the device. https://twitter.com/EtihadAirways/status/787650952178331648 https://twitter.com/EtihadAirways/status/787651019002052608 https://twitter.com/EtihadAirways/status/787651078653444096 Korean Air is following the government guidelines that requires the Note 7 to be either turned off or only in carry-in luggage. However, there is a total ban on the device on its flights to the US, Canada, and HongKong. Meanwhile, HongKong airport authorities are reportedly not allowing passenger to carry the device, neither in hand luggage nor in check-in. All mainland China airlines have banned the Note 7. Cathay Pacific as well as Dragon Air have banned the device, and were quickly joined by Singapore Airlines. Taiwan's China Airlines and EVA Air have also banned the smartphones. The list of airlines calling for a total ban also includes Qantas, Asiana, Malaysia Airlines and Air New Zealand. We will keep this list updated as more announcements are made. tech2 News Staff Google Flights has rolled out a new feature aimed at making travel planning less stressful right in time for the holiday season. More than 69 percent of US leisure travelers worry that they are not getting the best prices for a trip, according to a post in the new Google Keyword Blog. Google helps you get the best prices for your flight tickets in a number of ways. If a particular flight is selected, then Google will notify you if the prices on that flight are expected to go up. Google Flights will notify users over the expected difference in ticket prices, as well as a time window within which to book before the prices are expected to go up. If users are looking at a particular route, but have not yet selected a flight, then Google displays helpful cards that prompt users into making better decisions. Historical data on price changes in flights tickets are used to push out the information. The cards suggest routes, airports, and a time window to fix upon a particular flight and book tickets. If there is a price drop or price increase on a route or flight that a user are tracking, then Google Flights will continue to send notifications. Users can seamlessly track flights and routes on the web and mobile versions of the site. There is no app by Google for Flights. The update is expected to be rolled out over the next few weeks wherever Google Flights is available, which includes India. hidden US aerospace firm Orbital ATK launched its sixth resupply mission carrying NASA cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) using an upgraded Antares rocket almost two years after its predecessor exploded on lift-off. The two-stage booster, powered by new engines from Russia and carrying a Cygnus cargo ship, blasted off on Monday at 7.45 p.m. EDT (5.15 a.m Tuesday, India time) from Virginia's Wallops Flight Facility. "It's great to see launches to the International Space Station happening again from the Virginia coast - and it shows what can be accomplished with a close partnership of federal and state agencies, along with the U.S. industry, all working together," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Under NASA's commercial resupply services contract, Cygnus carried about 2,400 kg of supplies and science experiments for the ISS, Xinhua news agency reported. Cygnus was also carrying a new station research facility that will enable a new range of research experiments by allowing precise control of motion aboard the ISS. One of the experiments is Saffire II, which studies how flames grow in space. The cargo aboard the Cygnus will support dozens of new and existing investigations, NASA said. Also onboard were lighting systems studying the effect of lighting on sleep and daily rhythms, a tablet app collecting health-related data and a new way to measure neutrons as a part of the radiation exposure experienced by crews during spaceflight. Astronauts aboard the space station are exposed to space radiation that can reduce immune response, increase cancer risk, and interfere with electronics. "The Fast Neutron Spectrometer investigation will help scientists understand high-energy neutrons, part of the radiation exposure experienced by crews during spaceflight, by studying a new technique to measure electrically neutral neutron particles," NASA said. If all goes well, Cygnus will arrive at the ISS on October 23, where it will stay for about five weeks. The Cygnus spacecraft will remain at the space station until November before its destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere, disposing of about 1,360.7 kg of trash, according to NASA. This resupply mission marked the first flight of the upgraded Antares 230 vehicle, and the first launch from Wallops since an Antares rocket and its Cygnus resupply vehicle were lost seconds after lift-off in October 2014. Virginia-based Orbital ATK is one of two US companies that provide ISS cargo services for NASA, the other being SpaceX. IANS tech2 News Staff At the on-going Qualcomm 4G/5G summit, the San Diego-based company has announced the world's first 5G modem chipset solution with the Snapdragon X50 5G modem. It is meant to help OEMs working on making the next generation of cellular devices along with helping operators who are doing early 5G trials and deployments. The first consumer products with the Snapdragon X50 5G modem are expected to hit the markets in the first half of 2018. The Snapdragon X50 5G modem is designed to support theoretical peak download speeds of up to 5 Gbps with 800MHz bandwidth support. The X50 will be working in the millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum in the 28GHz band. It will use MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) antenna technology. Millimeter waves are cannot transmit over long distances and for the 5G speeds to be a reality, there is a lot of work to be done in setting up the infrastructure. As opposed to having tall cell towers, 5G will rely more on small-cell base stations which are located closer to each other to improve 5G coverage. "The Snapdragon X50 5G modem heralds the arrival of 5G as operators and OEMs reach the cellular network and device testing phase," said Cristiano Amon, executive vice president, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and president, QCT. "Utilising our long history of LTE and Wi-Fi leadership, we are thrilled to deliver a product that will help play a critical role in bringing 5G devices and networks to reality." Qualcomm X50 5G modem is built to work not only with multi-mode 4G/5G mobile broadband but also with fixed wireless broadband devices as well. The X50 5G modem can be paired with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor which has an integrated Gigabit LTE modem and can work together with it via dual connectivity. For the consumers, the X50 5G modem promises to improve connectivity between mobile users and cloud services leading to faster media downloads and consumption and faster access to rich information. According to Forbes, after cellular networks start offering gigabit level download speeds, it may be faster to access data from the cloud than from the on-board storage. The Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G platform will come with the modem, the SDR051 mmWave transceivers and the supporting PMX50 power management chip. The X50 5G modem is expected to begin its sampling in the second half of 2017. hidden Public sector undertaking RailTel on Monday denied that the free Wi-Fi service in Patna railway station was used mostly to view porn. "The Wi-Fi provided at stations is the platform to millions of users to connect to internet," a RailTel spokesperson told IANS. "RailTel, being an Internet Service Provider, does not keep watch over the web sites being browsed by the users." "The guidelines being issued by DoT in this regard from time to time are strictly complied with by RailTel," the spokesperson added. RailTel has provided the Wi-Fi at railway stations along with Google as their technology partner, the official added. Earlier, an unnamed official was quoted as saying that most people who availed the Wi-Fi service at the Patna station particularly watched porn. Patna station is the first station in Bihar to have free Wi-Fi facility. More than 200 trains pass through it daily. The Wi-Fi service was launched last month at Patna. The government has said that Wi-Fi facility would be introduced at all major railway stations over the next three years. IANS tech2 News Staff Apple has been hitting the right notes this year with its iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models. However, its MacBook line-up has not been updated for years. They still feature the same old designs with some updated fifth-generation chipsets, that will still burn a hole in your pocket when compared to similarly priced Windows 10 offerings. But things may change soon, and according to a new rumour, Apple could launch its new range of MacBooks as soon as the end of October. Japanese blog, Macotakara points out that Apple is already geared up to release its new range of MacBook Pros and a new MacBook Air by end of October as conveyed by a reliable Chinese supplier. In fact, retailers are readying themselves to receive the new shipments which will also drop in by the end of the month. Diving into the details, the new MacBooks will be skipping on the standard USB ports and will go in for the USB Type C ports instead, along with support for the Thunderbolt 3 standard. The USB C ports will be used for charging, so it is indeed time to wave goodbye to the MagSafe connector. While the MacBook Pros are expected to arrive in 13-inch and 15-inch models, the same source also points out that Apple will kill the 11-inch MacBook Air. The reasons for the same seem to be related to the existence of the iPad Pro series. The 13-inch MacBook Air model is expected to see a complete redesign. Last we heard, the MacBook Pro lineup was expected to feature Touch ID and an OLED touch panel that sits over the keyboard. The options displayed would change according to application in use. In addition to the usual improvements, some reports indicate that Apple may be dropping Intel chipsets in favour for AMD chips. tech2 News Staff Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is dead! The new replacement devices began catching fire, and finally the company decided on a recall and provide users refund or other device options. This conundrum is believed to be beneficial to arch-rival Apple. With slowing smartphone markets, everyone knew how important the new device was for Samsung. But, as luck would have it, Apple will be eating into Samsung's share as prolific analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI (via 9To5Mac) says atleast 5-7 million ex-Note 7 users will switch to the iPhone 7, and majorly to the larger iPhone 7 Plus. Kuo explains the new dual camera would prove to be an attractive feature for users. Moreover, the report adds that the intersection of users has shown very little loyalty to any particular manufacture, and many may choose to switch to iOS, who may have previously used the iPhone devices. However, the analyst does add that the impact of Note 7 will not last for too long. But, Kuo does warn that repetition of such an event may destroy the Samsung brand. However, iPhone 7 isn't the only alternative, and there are others in the queue too, such as the all-new Google Pixel and Galaxy S7 edge. In fact, Samsung is already known to be offering alternatives like Galaxy S7, S7 Edge to appease India customers. tech2 News Staff Looks like Xiaomi is all set to release its most expensive phone to date come 25 October. Amidst the many leaks that have been doing the rounds of the internet, yet another leak hints at its price point. According to AndroidPure, the Mi Note 2 could be sold at CNY 5699 which is approximately Rs 57,000, thereby making it the most expensive Xiaomi phone ever. Xiaomi Mi Note 2 has been leaked many times online. According to some leaks, it is expected to sport a dual rear camera setup, something that has become a norm offlate. Just yesterday, there was a leak hinting at a bezel-less display on the Mi Note 2. Various leaks suggest that the phone will have flagship hardware. Xiaomi is expected to toss in a Snapdragon 821 SoC (the same one thats on the Google Pixel) and an option of either 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage and 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage. Were also expecting to see an 8MP front camera and 13MP rear camera. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun reportedly announced on Weibo that the Mi Note 2 was already in mass production and that the phone would go on sale in mid-November in China. PhoneArena suggests that specifications aside, there will also be two variants of the phone with different designs. One will feature a 5.7-inch, curved, dual-edge screen with a resolution of 2K (25601440) and the other with a 5.15-inch Full HD screen. PhoneArena also suggests that one of these variants will have a 12MP rear camera and that no dual-camera is planned. Xiaomi has scheduled an event on 25 October at the Peking University Gymnasium. The invite clearly says Note 2 in the middle, so no doubts about that. Xiaomi has also announced that Hong Kong-based actor Tony Leung will be the host for the event. Ambulance crisis hits DMCH Patients suffer Staff Reporter : Patients at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Monday faced untold sufferings due to lack of medical ambulance. While visiting the hospital, it has been found that patients had to wait for hours even after their release from the hospital for ambulance. "We are waiting for more than three hours, but no ambulance is yet in sight to carry my son," one Idris Ali of Tongi, told The New Nation yesterday. His son Masum Miah was admitted few days back after injury from a road accident. Later, one relative of Idris Ali hired a private car to carry Masum from the hospital. Like Idris Ali, relatives of many patients shared the similar experience that they had to face due to lack of ambulance service. A syndicate, which mainly run private ambulance service to carry patients and dead bodies from the hospital, has halted their service following Saturday's untoward incident at the hospital. "They have declared an unofficial strike leading to the crisis in ambulance service," an official of the hospital told The New Nation yesterday. "Even, they are preventing to enter other private ambulances in the hospital worsening the situation further," he added. Roksana, who came from Munshiganj for treating her sister, said, I had to come to the hospital by a CNG run auto rickshaw following halt in private ambulance service. "I requested one ambulance owner of my area to carry my sister, but he refused to do so referring to current anarchy in private ambulance service at the DMCH," she said. Only government ambulances were seen carrying patients at the hospital on the day without entry of other services, sources said. Brigadier General Mizanur Rahman, Director of the Hospital, could not be reached for comment. High Court acquits Tangail schoolboy who was jailed over `Facebook remarks` on AL MP bdnews24.com : The High Court has acquitted a schoolboy from Tangail`s Sakhipur after cancelling his two-year jail term that was awarded to him by a mobile court for allegedly making some remarks on Facebook regarding a local MP. The court has also directed the public administration and home ministries and the inspector general of police to withdraw Sakhipur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, also an executive magistrate, and Sakhipur police OC Md Maksudul Alam, respectively. The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das gave the order on Tuesday after finishing the hearing on their suo moto rule on the matter. The court also ordered the chief judicial magistrate of Tangail to launch a judicial inquiry based on the statement given by the ninth grader. The bench on Sep 20 had granted the boy permanent bail and summoned the UNO and the OC after Supreme Court lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan placed before them a news report on the schoolboy`s jailing. Berlin to host four-way Ukraine summit Fighting in East Ukraine-which has claimed nearly 10,000 lives-has dragged on despite a peace plan brokered by Germany and France. Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine will hold a summit in Berlin on Wednesday to "evaluate the implementation" of the Minsk peace accords for Ukraine, the French presidency said. The summit will also "discuss the next steps in the process towards ending the crisis in eastern Ukraine," a statement said Tuesday. The meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Russian, French and Ukrainian presidents, Vladimir Putin, Francois Hollande and Petro Poroshenko, was set in a flurry of telephone consultations. The summit will be the first since October 2015 under the so-called "Normandy Format" grouping the four countries. Hollande last week called on all parties in the Ukraine conflict to draw up a roadmap to end the crisis. The aim would be to help Ukraine regain control of its borders with Russia, he said after speaking by telephone with Poroshenko. Hollande had spoken Wednesday with Merkel and Putin about organising a summit on the conflict. Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, backs a separatist, pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives. Moscow has denied accusations that it has sent troops and weaponry across its border with Ukraine to fuel the conflict, which erupted in April 2014, destroying much of Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland. Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has monitors in eastern Ukraine. 196th Syndicate meet of IIUC held Prof. Dr. AKM Azharul Islam VC, International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC) presiding over the 196th Syndicate meeting of IIUC held at Permanent Campus Auditorium in Kumira on Monday. The 196th Syndicate meeting of IIUC was held at permanent campus Auditorium in Kumira on Monday. VC of International Islamic University Chittagong(IIUC) Prof. Dr. AKM Azharul Islam Presided over the meeting. ANM Samsul Islam, Chairman of Board of Trustee, Representative from UGC,Professor Accounting and Information System,Chittagong University Dr. Sultan Ahmed, Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Delwar Hossain ,Vice Chairman Board of Trustee Prof. Dr. Kazi Din Mohammed, Chairman of Finance Committee professor Ahsanullah, Treasurer Prof. Harun-or-Rashid, Registrar of IIUC and Syndicate Member Sqardon Leader(Retd.)mohammed Nurul Islam present the worksheet of syndicate meeting university sources said. Speaker for intensifying job creating progs in rural area BSS, Dhaka : Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Choudhury underscore the need for intensifying job creating friendly programmes, especially in rural area, for ensuring sustainable development in the country. She said women's participation in different development activities is increasing in the country. The participation of women in direct elections is also increasing in the country and there are 500 elected woman vice-chairpersons in upazilas, she added. "Participation of women in Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air force and police is also increasing. The Bangladesh women police are achieving reputation as UN peacekeepers," the Speaker said this on Monday while addressing a panel discussion marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty at Osmani Memorial Auditorium. Finance Minister AMA Muhith, planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, World Bank's chief economist Paul Romer, country director of Action Aid Farah Kabir and vice-president of Muhammadi Group Rubina Haque, among others, spoke at the discussion. She said the government has taken various social and economic programmes for the empowerment of women. Different incentives are being offered for creating women entrepreneurs, she said, adding that Bangladesh Bank is offering collateral free loan to women in SME sector and now a woman can take maximum Tk 2,500,000 loan for a Small and Medium Enterprise. The US election and the world Nabil Fahmy : The Republican Party's candidate for the American presidency, Donald Trump, is clearly not the GOP establishment's first choice. Even this close to the November 8 election, more than a few prominent Republicans refuse to endorse him, and it goes without saying that Democrats loathe him. He won his party's nomination because he was by far the most popular choice among Republican primary voters. On the other hand, the centrist Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, is clearly an establishment candidate. Still, to clinch her party's nomination, she had to combat a strong challenge from Senator Bernie Sanders, a declared socialist whose political leanings are far left of hers, and whose message resonated particularly among younger primary voters. The Trump and Sanders phenomena suggest that American voters are uncomfortable with traditional political choices. According to recent polls, Trump and Clinton are running within 5% of each other, and both have historically high unfavorable ratings. Regardless of who wins, Americans will most likely elect their next president not because they like their choice, but because they dislike the alternative. So far, the two candidates seem to be focusing less on policy alternatives and more on their opponent's character flaws: the Clinton campaign describes Trump as lacking the appropriate temperament, knowledge, and experience to be president, and the Trump campaign portrays Clinton as a corrupt political opportunist. Americans alone will determine the election result, but they should remember that a concerned and perplexed world is watching. For outside observers, the paramount question is not who will be elected, but whether the United States will be an effective global leader in the years to come. Many countries are justifiably worried that a Trump administration would not appreciate the complexity of global issues, and would recklessly disrupt existing strategic alliances. At the same time, regardless of who wins, many countries also fear American inaction. Will the US continue to focus on short-term crisis management with an eye to domestic considerations? Or will it adopt the global perspective that today's interconnected world needs? Trump's "America first" approach is obviously inconsistent with an expansive international leadership role and would lead the US down a path of isolationism. Clinton's inclination for political calculation suggests a preference for incrementalism on global challenges. Neither approach is bold or inclusive enough for a world plagued with bloodshed and instability, especially in the Middle East, where conflicts rage in Syria and Libya, and tensions mount between Israel and the Palestinians. Very few Middle Easterners miss George W. Bush's administration, and we continue to pay a heavy price for the disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq. But just as few people still applaud President Barack Obama, whose foreign-policy achievements in the region fell far short of the lofty ideals and expectations he set in his first inaugural address, and in his subsequent speech in Cairo in June 2009. The next US president will have to devise ambitious solutions not just to challenges in the Middle East, but to issues affecting the entire planet, including climate change, poverty, epidemics, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and regional conflicts on almost every continent. He or she, may even participate in reforming key international institutions, such as the United Nations, that have led global-governance efforts since World War II - and will confront a world order in which non-state actors can play as prominent a role as traditional nation-states. The next president will also have vast opportunities to leverage new technologies for the benefit of all people. But, like security, technological and economic progress is sustainable only with the active involvement of major international stakeholders such as the US, which continues to have the largest economy and strongest military. World leaders attending the 71st session of the UN General Assembly will have had an opportunity to acquaint themselves with Trump and Clinton, and with the candidates' most senior advisers. Along with my country's president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, I have personally met both candidates, and I predict that foreign leaders will leave these meetings less alarmed, but still uncomfortable. To confront past and present demons, and to build a more just and stable world order, members of the international community must engage with one another, even when they hold conflicting views on particular issues. The US must not - and cannot - withdraw into an opaque cocoon of false isolationism, or allow strategic global decisions to be clouded by domestic political considerations. As we outside observers await the election of the next American president, we can only hope he or she will set an example of respect and compassion for their country, and bring wise, courageous leadership to the global stage. (Nabil Fahmy, a former foreign minister of Egypt and former Egyptian ambassador to the US and Japan, is Professor at the American University in Cairo (AUC). Courtesy: Project Syndicate Suffering knows no bound A patient being taken home by CNG rickshaw due to lack of ambulance at DMCH gate on Tuesday. Md Rayhanul Islam : Anwara Begum was crying beside the body of her husband Rafiq Khan in front of the emergency gate of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) since around 3:00 pm on Tuesday. She needed an ambulance for carrying her husband's body to Comilla. But there was no ambulance at the hospital gate. "I am waiting here at least three for hours, but I didn't get any ambulance," the helpless woman told this correspondent at hospital's emergency gate yesterday evening. Victims like Anwara Begum are being faced untold sufferings from Saturday last due to absence of privately managed ambulance service at the largest public hospital in the country. After a long wait, the relatives of Anwara Begum managed to hire a private car instead of an ambulance. Sources said, following Saturday's incident at the DMCH most of the ambulance owners suspended their operations fearing "police harassment". Nearly 50-70 private ambulances operate at the DMCH every day. But yesterday, just about 10-20 were in operation, said Din Islam Dina, secretary of private ambulance service association at the DMCH. Abu Bakar Siddique, Officer-in-Charge of Shahbagh Police Station, told The New Nation that they would permit 10 to 12 ambulances to park in front the hospital gate at a time. DMCH Director Brig Gen Mizanur Rahman told The New Nation that the authorities had already served a show cause notice on the DMCH employees who are allegedly involved with the syndicate that controls the ambulance service there. He suggested setting up of an ambulance stand for parking private ambulances near the hospital. W. Pak politicos looted Bengalis, Khyber CM says The Express Tribune, Haripur : Accusing politicians of causing great harm to the country, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak on Saturday endorsed Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujeeb's statement that Islamabad's roads were probably being built through revenue earned from Chittagong's jute fields. "Sheikh Mujeeb was very right in saying that we, the politicians from West Pakistan, looted Bengalis and deprived them of their rights. The pace of development is fast in Bangladesh now as they have improved their system of governance and are now among few developing nations," Khattak said. The K-P CM was addressing different public gatherings in Ghazi, Haripur and Havelian areas. He said politicians were responsible for harming the social and economic fabric of the country as they introduced corruption and nepotism, took 'commissions' in uplift schemes of public welfare and meddled in the affairs of government departments. "Even our enemy India has failed to do in the last 70 years what we have done to this country," he said. Khattak said transparency, good governance, honest leadership and elimination of corruption and 'sifarish culture' were the key ingredients of pro-people policy and real development. He said the ANP-led previous coalition government in K-P handed the PTI a province, riddled with imbroglios of destructed infrastructure, terrorism, targeted killings, kidnapping and corruption. "They [the ANP government] were selling tenders of road construction for 10% commission. The also sold jobs in police, health, education and revenue departments," Khatak said. However, he said, the PTI was voted to power for bringing change and it has brought about desired changes within three years. Referring to his government's Right to Services law, he said it was meant to end 'sifarish' and corruption from government departments but this goal could only be achieved when the people cooperate with the government by pinpointing the corrupt and gathering evidence against them. He said the PTI government had hired 40,000 new teachers for filling the vacant posts in schools and appointed doctors and nurses in hospitals. He said the government allocated Rs12 billion for providing missing facilities in the educational institutions and Rs12 billion for increasing doctors' salaries. "In order to improve healthcare facilities, obsolete and out of order hospital machinery will be brought by December this year," he added. He expressed confidence that the PTI would again return to power with the support of the masses. The way his government had delivered has no precedence in the country's 70-year history. While announcing development schemes for Haripur district, the CM approved a medical college in Ghazi tehsil, announcing Rs300 million for different developmental schemes and upgrading of Ghazi Hospital. He also announced construction of higher secondary school for girls in Kotehra union council, upgrading of Khanpur as tehsil, Rs150 million for beautification of Haripur city, land for graveyards and acceleration of construction work on Rs290 millions project of Women and Children Hospital Haripur. When contacted, the head of the PTI Central Media Department Iftikhar Durrani denied Khattak made any statement mentioning East Pakistan or Mujibur Rehman. He referred to the official PTI handout of Khattak's address wherein there was no mention of the statement in question. Durrani added that PTI owns 'whatever is written in the official handout'. Prof Malik was killed for money: 3 held Staff Reporter : Members of elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested three persons in connection with the murder of Professor Mohammad Ali Hossain Malik, a former Vice-Principal of Eden Women College. The arrested persons were identified as assassinated Professor Malik's driver Masud, 38 and employee Syed Fokir alias Saiful and Sujon, 18. A special squad of RAB-3 arrested Masud from the city's Mirpur area on Monday night. Later, based on information extracted from the driver Masud, Saiful and Sujon were arrested from Barisal. "In association with Saiful and Sujon, the driver Masud murdered Professor Malik for money," RAB-4 Commanding Officer Khandakar Lutful Kabir told journalists at a press conference in the city on Tuesday. He said Masud killed Professor Malik for taking away Tk 19 lakh from him (Malik). Earlier October 9, Tk 19 lakh was withdrawn from a city bank on, the official added. "After killing Professor Malik, the trio took away Tk 1.5 lakh from the office," Lutful Kabir said, adding they also recovered Tk 1.27 lakh from their possessions. The 65-year-old retired professor was found dead at his office in Old DOHS on October 11. He was a professor of Eden Women College's Zoology Department. Rokon, Tanveer, Zahid managed the fund CTTC boss discloses Staff Reporter : Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit Chief Monirul Islam said they have identified three people as the financiers of the recent Holey Artisan Bakery attack. They were identified as Dr Rokon Uddin, Tanveer Quaderi and former Major Zahid. The CTTC Chief disclosed the information in a press conference at Detective Branch (DB) Office in the city's Minto Road on Tuesday afternoon. Monirul Islam said, "Of the three, Dr Rokon left Bangladesh for Syria to join the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) while the other two died in a shootout during a police drive in their dens." "Former registrar of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital Dr Rokon gave Tk 80 lakh to the New JMB, a new faction of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to run the attack while Tanveer donated money out of fund came from the sale of his Uttara flat and Major Zahid gave away his full pension money," the CTTC chief said. Tanveer died in the Azimpur gunfight during a police drive and Major Zahid was gunned down in Rupnagar drive, he said. "Some funds also came from abroad. We are trying to identify them," Monirul said. Police believe that the new JMB, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, was involved in organising the cafe attack, the CTTC boss claimed. According to sources, Dr Rokon Uddin, inhabitant of city's Malibagh Chowdhurpara and also former physician of Dhaka Shishu Hospital, had gone missing with his four family members on July 18. Now it is believed to have gone to Syria. The other family members are Rokon Uddin's wife Naima Akter, elder daughter Nadia and her husband Shishir and Rokon's younger daughter Ramita. Of them, Naima was professor of Government Kabi Nazrul College while Nadia and Shishir were students of the Department of the English of North South University. Ramita is a student of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College. 7 JMB men held, put on remand A special squad of DB Police arrested seven suspected members of Jama\'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from the city\'s Tejgaon area on Tuesday and recovered gold ornaments, weighing 67 tolas, cash Tk 6 lakh and firearms from their possession. Staff Reporter : A special squad of Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested seven suspected members of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh from the city's Tejgaon area on Monday night. The arrested JMB men are---Kashem alias Kashu, 20, Nazmul Hasan alias Nayan, 23, Rashed, 27, Sentu Hawlader, 26, Abdul Baset, 22, Sohrab alias Sarker, 32, and Shuvra alias Akash, 20. The law enforcers also recovered gold ornaments, weighing about 67 tolas, Tk 6 lakh, four pistols, five magazines, 10 rounds of bullets, nine knives, a television set, a laptop, a motorcycle and a huge quantity of stolen materials from their possession, police said. A team of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit conducted the raid in Tejgaon area on Monday night and arrested them, said Masudur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. The arrested men were being interrogated in this connection, the police official said. A case was filed with the Tejgaon Police Station in this connection, the DC said. Meanwhile, Investigation Officer (IO) of Tejgaon Police Station Saiful Islam produced them before the court seeking a 10-day remand for interrogation yesterday in a robbery case. But the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Khurshid Alam granted six days remand for the JMB men. 50 lakh forged biometric SIMs active in market Anisul Islam Noor : Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the telecom regulator, is set to formulate a directive for SIM deactivation process after a huge number of subscribers found their biometric details were forged to re-register numbers that they are not in possession. Of the 13.26 crore active connections in Bangladesh, 11.6 crore were re-registered. Of them, 40-50 lakh connections were done with forged biometric detail, said a number of executives of mobile phone operators. Now, the individuals whose details were falsely used for the re-registration process need to deactivate those connections, they said, adding: "It will be challenging for the carriers to reach all the affected customers physically." Besides, to deactivate numbers subscribers have to visit the operators' customer care centres, but not all operators have physical presence in rural areas. Acknowledging this as a serious problem, a high official of BTRC said, they are consulting the matter with experts to find a solution in this regard. About the issue, State Minister for telecommunications Tarana Halim said after formulating the guideline they will go for tough actions to find out the fake re-registered numbers. Khondoker Naimul Hasan, an executive of Aziz and Company in the capital, found eight SIMs have been registered under his name with Robi and three more with Airtel. He himself just registered one SIM each with the two operators. "I am confused and am feeling vulnerable. I don't know the numbers that are registered under my name," said Naimul. Shamsudoha Mahmud, a student of Government Titumir College in the capital, said he had registered two Airtel numbers, but on July 2 he got a text message from the operator saying he has three SIMs under his name. After passed three months he did get any solution from respective mobile operator, he said. When Shamsudoha contacted the customer care centre of Airtel, he was asked to go the operator's head office. "This is a hassle for me. And both the government and the operator are responsible for it, as SIMs were registered without proper authentication." Meanwhile, some users are facing a diametrically opposite problem: the text messages they received from their operators said they received a fewer number of SIMs under their names than they had re-registered. Faisal Ahmed, lecturer of a college in the city said, he had registered two numbers with her fingerprints but the SMS mentioned only one SIM. It was observed that a large number of pre-activated SIMs were registered biometrically with duplicate fingerprints and national identity cards are floated the market for open sale. However, 4,342 fake biometrically-activated SIM cards of different mobile operators have made the government to take note of it. Even more alarming is the fact that all these fake SIMs were recovered from a single dealer in Chittagong a few months ago. An investigation has revealed that these SIMs were biometrically activated by some people in exchange for money or other rewards. At a high-level meeting led by the state minister for telecommunications, it was decided that stern action would be taken against the persons responsible and also the mobile operators. The telecom regulator will fine the mobile operators US$ 50 for each pre-activated fake SIM. Around 77,000 fake SIMs were recovered from the dealer in Chittagong, 4,342 of them biometrically activated, exposing the chinks in the entire security system. Not only Chittagong, the police have recovered fake SIMs from different parts of the capital like Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and Mohammadpur areas. Tarana Halim told media, "We have not found any weakness in our system. Some dishonest dealers are involved in the fake biometric SIM registration. We have found that customers registered their SIMs properly, but some dealers lied to them that their SIMs were not biometrically registered in the first attempt and told them to do it again." The government also checked the National Identity Cards (NIDs) and fingerprints, but did not find any irregularities, she said. $2b assistance for climate projects The World Bank (WB) on Tuesday assured Bangladesh of continuing its support to the development efforts of the country. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim came up with the assurance at a press briefing held at the WB's Dhaka office in the evening. Appreciating Bangladesh's recent socio-economic development, Kim said the bank will continue its support to further accelerate the country's economic growth and poverty reduction. "I have been very impressed with the progresses that I have seen during my two-day trip to Bangladesh. There are many examples of innovation in fighting poverty, empowering women and battling climate change. Today, on my first trip to Bangladesh, and the first WB Group President to be here in nearly a decade, I'm announcing a US$2 billion commitment for climate related projects in next three years," he added. On Monday, Kim also announced to invest upto $1 billion to address malnourishment among children. The WB Chief said, Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change and the WB support will help the government in its efforts to adapt to this growing threat. While Bangladesh has made great advances on many areas, the country still faces many obstacles to reach its goals to move from low-middle-income status to middle income status by 2021, and to end extreme poverty by 2030. "The government should address three key areas to achieve the development goal. These are rapid improvement in business climate, institutional capacity building and strengthen governance," he noted. The WB chief, however, said the government is pursuing various reforms agenda to improve business climate and capacity building in various government institutions including National Board of Revenue and Anti-Corruption Commission. "Once the reforms are completed, it would leave a positive impact on the country's socio-economic development," he said. Responding to a question, Kim said, WB shared Bangladesh's zero tolerance for corruption. The bank will remain cautious about corruption that it showed in Padma bridge funding. The bank will take stringent measure if anomalies found in WB financing projects in Bangladesh. "Bangladesh and the WB shared a close bond. The country is the largest recipients of our IDA fund with more than $24 billion in financing over the past 45 years. And the World Bank Group is the largest development partner. Our relationship intertwined," said Kim. "Our engagements with Bangladesh have increased scientifically in the past five years. Total IDA commitment stands today at US$9.7 billion, up from US$4 billion at the end of the fiscal year 2012. Our financing in Bangladesh is expected to increase in the years to come," he said. He believes that Bangladesh can reach its goals to become a middle-income country by 2021 and to end extreme poverty by 2030. But for that, he had said the country must sustain its economic growth, create more and better jobs, focus on energy and transport infrastructure, make progress on improving the quality of health and education, and improving governance, including strengthening anti-corruption measures. Sharing his experience in Bangladesh visit, Kim said, "I have greatly enjoyed my two days in Bangladesh, and I have learned many things about your history and your dreams for the future. My team at the World Bank Group and I look forward to doing all we can to support Bangladesh's development priorities, reducing poverty further, creating more and better jobs, and working to build a more vibrant private sector that invests in this country." Kim on Tuesday concluded his two-day trip to Bangladesh Education for disabled children A LONDON based 'Disability Rights Group' on Monday said in a report that due to disabilities at least half of the world's 65 million school-age children remain out of the classrooms. It happens for lack of enough budgets to meet their educational expenses and it appears that the situation in Bangladesh is much worse. Most disabled children are out of schools waiting to be burden on the state and society. Media report on Tuesday highlighted the issue when it is failing enough public attention contrary to sky rocketing public expenditure for children of well-off people to give them all opportunities for good education. In our view the report has rightly pointed out that keeping these children out of classrooms will continue to be a big burden on societies as they will add to unemployment to add to tax-payers' load to run for them social safety-net programme. Needless to say, in any society disabled people's underprivileged condition goes against good moral values. So, there is no alternative to bring them to mainstream educational system treating them at par, any discrimination or neglect to their cause is bound to seriously impact the nation and our policy makers should also take note of it. It is sad people in most part don't see investment in disabled children as worthy investment because they will not be able to work. Moreover they need special classrooms and methods of learning. But it appears that disabled people can very much work now provided they are trained and given special working environment. So their case for proper education can't be ignored from both practical and greater humanitarian point of views. They should have equal claim on resources to build a productive life to live in dignity. The rights group is right when it said billions of dollars of potential income in the world's poorest countries have been regularly lost for lack of schooling and employment of people who have disabilities. They are constantly left at the very back of the queue with disastrous impact at individual level and on the overall economy. In UNESCO's view education sector globally has been substantially under-funded and it is very alarming when it comes for education for disabled. Experts fear is not unfounded when they say attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education by 2030, that aims at inclusive and equitable education for all may be missed if all government can't ensure education to disabled children. In Bangladesh most of our disabled children remained out of the mainstream education and they have hardly any better chance to build a productive career. We can't any more say we have not enough money; we are lacking imagination and practical mobilization to bring those children under the fold of education. It must be treated as a smart investment for the nation. Their cause can't be overlooked. Assurance of the Chief Justice is very reassuring It is very reassuring for the helpless people to know from the Chief Justice Mr SK Sinha that the courts are completely independent not only under the Constitution, the courts are working one hundred percent independently. To make this position clear the Chief Justice denied categorically any interference from any section of the government in delivering justice. He said as above while addressing the Bangladesh Law Society-an organisation of Bangladeshi-American Lawyers in New York city last Monday . It is acknowledged generally that where democracy does not function rightly the judiciary cannot function independently, no matter what the Constitution says. Whatever doubts we have about the working of democracy we have the assurance from the Chief Justice about the judiciary being functionally fully independent. If the courts are independent the people do not have to worry about the protection of their fundamental rights. They have the judiciary to give the necessary protection. The people are truly free. And justice cannot be denied. Under autocracy also it is claimed by the government that the courts are independent. But it is also known to the courts and the people that the courts are not free to disoblige the government. But when the Chief Justice voluntarily and freely comforts the people about non-interference from the government in being treated in accordance with law then he also ensures the determination of the courts to fully use their independence against the abuse of law. In Bangladesh the fundamental crisis is the abuse of rule of law. It is not just the police power that is abused but anybody with any state power finds it easy to abuse. Where the courts are free to act independently abuse of power cannot continue freely. The Chief Justice is the source of strength for all the judges. The courage to act independently comes not from any law as such but from the personal faith that a judge is not alone. It is generally known that the Chief Justice himself is anxious to protect the dignity and independence of the judiciary. As the Chief Justice he has the advantage of the support of the international community and the people for the cause of independence of the judiciary. The fundamental rights are universal fundamental rights upheld by the United Nations. The people know filing complaint with the police is not easy matter even against a local political leader. For the rule of law the judiciary has to provide courage to the police to be law-abiding and not just compliant with illegalities. It should not be unknown to the Chief Justice how unsafe and insecure our people are for fear of arrest without warrant and death by cross-fire. It is alarming that persons are missing and no protection of law is available. The Chief Justice himself voiced words of caution not to arrest anybody without warrant. It is part of a judgment by him that police remand must not be granted first time before interrogating the accused in the jail under special arrangement. But the lower court judges are showing themselves helpless. Police remand has remained a handy tool in the hands of the prosecution. Investigation has become an easy dark room affair. It is not rule of law and against protection of the Constitution to interrogate an accused without aid of a lawyer. The rule of law must mean that nobody is guilty of an allegation unless the court finds him so. In reality if allegation of terrorism is brought against one he is treated to be a terrorist for all purposes. It is impossible for him to get bail unless the Supreme Court interferes. Nobody is answerable if he is killed. He is found terrorist and police kills. If there is no safety of law under law, how the court can protect life? If depriving a person of his life and liberty is so easy then the police do not remain law enforcers and the independence of the courts has no meaning. Accountability of police has to be ensured by the court to ensure the rule of law. If anybody wants to ruin someone including his family members then the easiest way is to abuse police power and got him arrested as a terrorist. The constitutional guarantee that no 'person shall be deprived of life and liberty save in accordance with law' means only one thing and that is: The court will decide whether he deserves to die or his liberty to be denied. The Chief Justice also spoke about martial law having been buried. This is in the domain of politics and the politicians to worry about it. We are concerned with the rule of law and the Chief Justice is the best person to show his commitment to uphold the rule of law and he has so done most clearly. We know this much that where judiciary is strong autocracy has no chance to succeed and the people remain the source of power. The Chief Justice deserves all the respect he should enjoy for protecting the people's rights. . The only democratic institution that seems alive and kicking is the judiciary. This is The Digital Story Podcast #554, October 18, 2016. Today's theme is "My Return to Iceland." I'm Derrick Story. Opening Monologue My first trip to Iceland was nearly a decade ago, when I was there on assignment with the "Lightroom 12" to capture imagery and test the beta version of Adobe's fledgling image management application. We were there in the summer, and the days were 23 hours long. It was amazing. And now I'll return again. This time for another assignment. It's going to be a crazy couple weeks. On Thursday morning I head up to the Eastern Sierra for the TDS Fall Workshop. I'm so looking forward to it. I return home on Sunday night, then catch a plane on Monday morning to Iceland. I thought you might be interested in what I'm packing for these back-to-back trips. In the News Could Flash Porter Be The Field Back-up Solution of Your Dreams? (via ThePhoblographer) Flash Porter is a Kickstarter campaign aimed at doing one thing: creating the worlds best field backup solution. The unit is essentially a small battery powered memory card reader with a screen and built in storage of varying capacity levels - somewhat Gameboy-esq in its appearance. The idea is similar to something like WD's My Passport Wireless Pro, but more advanced with multiple memory card slots (not just SD) a built in screen, etc. The Flash Porter also supports RAW image display from most of today's popular brands, which means that unlike the Toshiba and WD offerings, you will actually be able to see and interact with the RAW files on the unit - such a key feature for us photographers. The Kickstarter Campaign has 10 days remaining. If you would like to see this project become a reality you can head over to the Kickstarter page to get more information and to support the project. Follow Us on Apple News for iOS Devices I'm happy to announce that The Digital Story, The Nimble Photographer, and theAnalogstory are all available on the Apple News App for iOS devices. Just click on the following links on your iPhone or iPad, then save us to your Favorites. Updates and Such Big thanks to all of our Patreon members! I was able to pay for the podcast server and the backup system from last month's pledges. Your contributions are making a positive impact. I'll be announcing the 2017 TDS Workshop season by the end of October. And I have to tell you, this is our most exciting lineup to date. Keep eye peeled! B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members. And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs. See you next week! More Ways to Participate Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. And from those images, I choose the TDS Member Photo of the Day. Podcast Sponsors Red River Paper - Keep up with the world of inkjet printing, and win free paper, by liking Red River Paper on Facebook. MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today. Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac. The Nimbleosity Report Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community! Want to Comment on this Post? You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion. 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. SEOUL -- The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s military plans to bring forward its homegrown missile defense program and preemptive strike capability against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile threats, local media reported on Tuesday. The South Korean government and the ruling Saenuri Party agreed at a meeting to speed up the development of the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and the Kill Chain systems as well as the Korea Massive Punishment Retaliation (KMPR) system. The previous goal of completing the three systems by the mid-2020s was brought forward to the early 2020s, according to the agreement. The KAMD is a project to develop its indigenous missile defense system to shoot down incoming DPRK missiles at multiple layers. The project includes the development of interceptors, including medium-range surface-to-air missiles (M-SAM) and long-range surface-to-air missiles (L-SAM) that can shoot down missiles at an altitude of less than 100 km. The Kill Chain project aims to preemptively strike the DPRK's missile launch sites when signs of first strike are detected. The KMPR is a system to preemptively strike the DPRK's leadership and headquarters with massive missile attacks when Pyongyang's first strike signs are spotted. Meanwhile, the governing party strongly urged the government to secure a nuclear-powered submarine earlier. In response, the government said it will consider the call carefully. Whether the call was to develop its homegrown nuclear-powered submarine or bring such submarines from other countries is unknown. South Korea sought in the past to develop its indigenous submarine propelled by nuclear power. Several multimillion-dollar projects, including a $14 million expansion of the Bayou Companies, are either underway or planned at the port. Economic rays of sunshine are beginning to break through the storm clouds formed after the price of oil dropped from $106 a barrel in August 2014 to a low of $27.80 in January of this year before bouncing back to about $50 per barrel at this writing. The Port of Iberia has recently scored several multimillion-dollar oil and gas projects, and while this latest activity has done little more than cauterize the wound left from the latest economic downturn, it bodes well for future job creation. Among the most notable projects is the $14 million expansion of the Bayou Companies, which is constructing a 56,000-square-foot pipe coating facility. The facilitys first task will be a two-year project for Shell Oils Appomattox project, Shells largest floating platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Bayou Companies will add 40 workers to its workforce of 320. Also in the works or planned, along with the jobs that will be created: Dynamic Energy Services International has begun delivery on the topside modules for the Sasol Ltd. ethane cracker project being built in Lake Charles - 400 jobs. Logan Industries is nearing completion of a 30,000-square-foot facility to store large components of offshore rigs. The $4.5 million facility will have cranes with lifting capabilities of more than 80 tons - 300 jobs. Ram Design is continuing construction of its 18-acre facility at the Port of Iberia. The Port has invested $3 million for land improvements and construction - 10-15 jobs. Louisiana Machinery Company is in final discussions of a major multi-million dollar facility expansion at their Port of Iberia headquarters - 50-60 jobs. Primoris is building a new facility to manufacture pipe - 400 jobs. And the port itself has recently secured $8.5 million from the State Bond Commission for deepening the Acadiana Gulf of Mexico Access Channel. The shallow water drilling is pretty slow, says Port of Iberia Executive Director Craig Romero. They operate what they call posted drilling barges. And a lot of their fleet is parked. According to Romero, there are 13 floating jack-up barges used in shallow water drilling now docked at the Port of Iberia. If those rigs were working, it would take about 1,200 people to operate them. Now theyre down to about 180 people. The price of oil has everything to do with it, he says. Thats supply and demand. What the Saudis and those countries do has a large effect on if we have any activity at all. Romero says that slew of new projects is helping offset the numerous job losses in the local oil and gas industry. According to Louisiana economist Dr. Loren Scott, the Lafayette MSA, which also takes in St. Martin, Vermilion, Acadia and Iberia parishes, derives 7.6 percent of its jobs directly from the exploration industry, the highest concentration among the states nine MSAs (the comparable number for Houma is 7.4 percent). Scott stresses that countless other jobs in the MSA are tied to the extraction industry through the multiplier effect. Scott estimates the region will be down 16,500 jobs (7.4 percent) over 2015-16 as compared to 2014. Most of that loss (8,900 jobs) will occur by the end of this year, he says. Unfortunately, the outlook for next year isnt much better. In his annual forecast, Scott predicts the region will lose another 5,000 jobs next year. By 2018 we expect the blood-letting to be over and the economy to stabilize, he says. Thats why every bit of good news coming out of the port is so welcome to everyone in Acadiana. It would be much worse, Romero says. In fact, we have the potential to add some jobs. Were not losing, so its not a constant downslide. At least were containing some jobs. At least they help us hold the line to a point, he continues. Its not a total job loss in every segment of the oil and gas industry. But it would certainly be worse were it not for those projects. In an effort to force Big Oil to pay its share for coastal restoration, the Edwards administration definitely isn't mailing it in. John Bel Edwards is not the first Louisiana governor to acknowledge that oil and gas operations in and off the states coast have exacted a toll on it. But he is the first governor to demand that the oil and gas industry pay to repair its damage and share in the cost of restoring the coast. Edwards position has ignited a bitter political fight before the legal battle he seeks has begun in earnest. Attorneys Richard Broussard of Lafayette, left, and Don Carmouche of Baton Rouge head the legal team directing the Vermilion Parish lawsuit against oil and gas companies for wetlands loss. The suit is based on the Coastal Zone Management Act; the inset explains the basis for District Attorney Keith Stutes decision to file the suit. Photo by Robin May Edwards intent is clear. He wants the oil and gas industry to help pay for coastal restoration and protection in Louisiana. He believes it has a legal and moral obligation to do so. He is pursuing what he has called a global settlement of wetlands loss claims with the industry, particularly the majors ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips and CITGO to help pay for the states ambitious but badly underfunded Coastal Master Plan. The official price tag of the 2012 version of the plan was $50 billion over 50 years. Mark Davis of Tulanes Institute on Water Resources Law & Policy, in a November 2015 report, pegged the actual cost of the 2012 plan at $91 billion and said the state was $71 billion short of covering those costs, even including new revenue streams from the BP settlement and federal offshore revenue sharing. The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is finalizing the 2017 version of the master plan. In a meeting in Terrebonne Parish last week, CPRA representatives said that $160 billion in projects are under consideration in the new plan, but that the CPRA would only recommend funding for about $50 billion of those. Some projects will be left out. That means some communities will, too. Bren Haase, CPRAs chief of planning and research, said in a radio interview earlier this year that the budget constraints are real and that, as a state, were going to have to make some tough decisions. The price tag for coastal restoration is rising rapidly as scientists understanding of sea level rise is improving. Haase said that the 2017 plan will be based on sea level rise projections of up to six feet in the next 50 years a significantly higher rate of increase than was forecast in 2012. With wetlands loss accelerating along with sea level rise, it is clear that $50 billion is not enough money to save large swaths of South Louisiana. Thats why Edwards has turned to the oil and gas industry. Prior to Edwards election, Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes had separately filed suits in 2014 against oil and gas companies for coastal wetlands loss in their respective parishes. They acted under the authority given to them under the states Coastal Zone Management Plan, a program established in response to the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972. Louisianas plan was approved by the federal government in 1978. It was developed by Paul Templet, an LSU environmental professor, at the request of Edwin Edwards after one formulated by the Department of Natural Resources had been rejected as too industry friendly. It covers parts or all of 20 Louisiana parishes: Ascension, Cameron, Calcasieu, Vermilion, Iberia, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, Tangipahoa, Livingston, St. John, St. James, St. Charles, Jefferson, Plaquemines, Orleans, St. Bernard and St. Tammany. After Cameron Parish filed a similar suit early this year, Attorney General Jeff Landry moved to intervene in the suits by all three parishes. Landry says he is acting to protect the states interests under the Coastal Resources Management Act against what might be viewed as a money grab by the parishes. This was the first evidence of the jurisdictional brawl that was to emerge. Under that act, the ability to bring action against alleged violators of Coastal Use Permits falls to the secretary of [the Department of Natural Resources], the attorney general, an appropriate district attorney, or a local government with an approved program. DA Keith Stutes' lawsuit in Vermilion Parish focuses on oil and gas activities and wetlands loss in the areas highlighted in this satellite image. Cameron, Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes are among the 10 parishes in Louisianas Coastal Zone that have implemented Local Coastal Plans (the others are: Calcasieu, Lafourche, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. James, St. Tammany and Terrebonne). It is not clear how Landry could force them out of their suits; their Local Coastal Plans give them legal standing. Edwards distrust of Landry led him to use DNR as the vehicle to intervene in those lawsuits and to hire private attorneys to represent his office in those suits. That decision led to another squabble with Landry over the hiring of the attorneys, which then led to an ongoing skirmish over how they could be paid. In May, Edwards invited Chris John of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association and Don Briggs of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association to meet with him to discuss the possibility of the state reaching a negotiated settlement with the industry as a means of helping fund the states coastal restoration efforts. In a May 13 letter to Edwards following their meeting, Briggs and John rejected negotiations: Instead, the Governor intends to have the oil & gas industry fund some percentage of an undetermined restoration plan without a finding of a single violation of a Coastal Use Permit. The messages in todays meeting were discouraging and disappointing. It is evident that the state is seeking to move us into an area of discussion that is impossible. It is also apparent that the state is seeking to hold the oil & gas industry accountable for a substantial amount of damages without making any effort to establish liability. For Edwards, a lawyer, lawsuits are the American way of establishing liability. Fifteenth Judicial District Attorney Keith Stutes July 28 suit against oil and gas companies in Vermilion Parish rocked the state. Stutes is a Republican, which disrupts the partisan angle that the industrys defenders have sought to use. The Vermilion Parish Police Jury came out against the suit, but its opinion has no legal standing because the parish has no Local Coastal Plan. In September, St. Bernard Parish filed its lawsuit. Edwards wrote the leaders of the 20 parishes in the Coastal Zone, urging them to file suits. He promised that if they sued oil and gas companies, the state would join them. He vowed that if they did not sue, the state would proceed without them, which means those parishes miss out on any money recovered because it would be divvied among the state and parishes that did file suit. It appears that Landry and Edwards intend to be in every coastal zone suit filed. If Edwards keeps his word, there will be 20 of them. The states leverage in these suits was evident to Lafourche Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle who, in July, urged his parish council to hire outside counsel to represent it in any lawsuits that might be filed against oil and gas companies for wetlands damage there. He explained that the parish had no intention of suing but needed to have its interests represented in the event the state did. Cantrelle acted on the advice of AG Landry. Cantrelle and Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove met with Edwards on Sept. 30 to discuss the coastal lawsuits. Dove wrote a letter to Edwards, which Cantrelle also signed, declaring that Terrebonne Parish would not file suit against oil and gas companies for coastal damage. Coastal wetlands loss is not a theoretical discussion in Terrebonne Parish. The Native Americans living on Isle de Jean Charles in the southwestern part of the parish have been declared North Americas first climate refugees. The processes replacing land or marsh with open water are at work across southern Terrebonne. Parts of Lafourche Parish outside the levee protection area are washing away. The state and federal government have already invested several hundred million dollars in an elevated roadway that runs from Leeville to Port Fourchon. Another several hundred million will be needed to complete it back into the protective levee at Golden Meadow. The lower stretch of LA 1 from Golden Meadow south will be written off, as will Leeville. Neither LOGA nor the Mid- Continent Oil and Gas Associations Chris John responded to interview requests for this story. LOGAs Don Briggs, before he was severely injured on Sept. 30 in a fall down a stairway in North Carolina, wrote that Edwards coastal litigation would create a de-facto moratorium on drilling. The attempt to link the legal fights to the successful 2010 public relations campaign was not accidental. Just as we did in the aftermath of the [sic] Obamas drilling moratorium, we should come together and rally against Edwards de-factor [sic] moratorium that will result from this unnecessary litigation, Briggs wrote. We must protect Louisianas oil and gas industry and the families who depend on these well paying jobs, before it is too late. But things have changed since 2010. The success of the anti-moratorium campaign was based on tight cooperation between industry and state government. Bobby Jindal served as lead critic of the moratorium while Scott Angelle was the industrys cheerleader. Nothing reflects the scope of change more than the fact that DNR once the industry toehold in state government is now being used by Edwards to pursue his legal strategy against it. At the end of the day, the issue at stake is the survival of South Louisiana and the cultures that have developed around its relationship with its coast. Edwards believes he can win federal support for some share of coastal restoration, but only if the state can show Washington that it is doing every- thing it can to help itself. That includes getting the oil and gas industry to help taxpayers share the burden of the work. Oil and gas leaders have not answered this question: If the industry will not pay its share of rebuilding Louisianas coast, what is its alternative? A freelance journalist living in Lafayette, Mike Stagg hosts Where The Alligators Roam, a talk show airing on Sundays at 5 p.m. on KPEL 96.5 FM. Hes also a documentarian and researcher and is currently working on a book about the oil and gas industrys relationship with Louisiana government. A member of the utility regulatory agency's board since 2009, Clyde Holloway died at his home in Forest Hill on Sunday. Clyde Holloway, the chairman of Louisiana's Public Service Commission and a former U.S. representative, has died. He was 72. A member of the utility regulatory agency's board since 2009, Holloway died at his home in Forest Hill on Sunday, according to his office. No cause of death was released. Holloway, a Republican who owned a nursery business, served three terms in the U.S. House from 1987 to 1993, when the 8th District seat was eliminated in congressional redistricting. His later efforts to return to Congress were unsuccessful. He was appointed as the state director of rural development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2006 by then-President George W. Bush and served until 2009. "Clyde was a true public servant with a long and storied career. He loved Louisiana and tried to do what was right at all times," PSC Commissioner Eric Skrmetta said in a statement Monday. Gov. John Bel Edwards said Holloway "spent his life advocating on behalf of the state and people he loved." "He always remained accessible and a powerful voice for his constituents," the Democratic governor said in a statement. A staunch conservative, Holloway argued in Congress to shrink the size of the federal government, cut federal regulations and lessen taxes. In the 1980s, he drew attention when he and others unsuccessfully fought a federal judge's order to close the Forest Hill public school. In the PSC, he represented all or part of 17 parishes in central and southwest Louisiana. Holloway is survived by his wife of 50 years, Cathie, four children and nine grandchildren. Photo Illustration/Original TV photo by Takkk/Wikimedia Louisiana's U.S. Senate race finally arrived on TV screens this month. An onslaught of advertising is aimed at trying to draw eyeballs to a candidate or against others in a race with two dozen people vying for the open seat and limited ways to distinguish even among the top contenders. Not surprisingly, many candidates are calling foul play on the attack ads against them. The TV advertising ahead of the Nov. 8 election mainly is coming from five candidates in the race: Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, Democratic Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, Democratic lawyer and businesswoman Caroline Fayard, Republican U.S. Rep. John Fleming and Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy. The seat is open because Republican Sen. David Vitter isn't running for re-election. All candidates regardless of party run against each other on the November ballot, and if no one receives more than 50 percent support, the top two vote-getters advance to the runoff. The contenders are trying to introduce themselves to voters while also stripping support from opponents they believe could be most likely to keep them from a runoff. With 24 people on the ballot, the support needed to reach the Dec. 10 runoff could be in the low double digits, and polls show only a few percentage points separate the top candidates. The race has shaped up as two mini-primaries, one a brawl between Republicans Boustany, Fleming and Kennedy, and the other an increasingly bitter clash between Democrats Campbell and Fayard. Kennedy's TV spots center on him, with the treasurer talking to the camera and describing his beliefs. In one ad, Kennedy wraps up by saying: "I believe that love is the answer, but you ought to own a handgun just in case." He doesn't mention his opponents. But Kennedy doesn't need to hit them with his own advertising, because a super PAC supporting his candidacy is doing that for him, putting out ads that have taken aim at both Boustany and Fleming. One of ESAFund's TV spots says Boustany voted to send billions of tax dollars to countries that are "breeding grounds for terrorists." An attack ad against Fleming says the tea party-aligned congressman believes the United States doesn't have enough people living here illegally because the country needs more workers. Both Boustany and Fleming say the super PAC ads are untrue, distortions of votes and speeches. The GOP congressmen blame Kennedy for the advertising, even though the treasurer is unable legally to coordinate with the super PAC. Fleming and Boustany say Kennedy shuffled money he raised to run for state treasurer to the PAC's account, to sidestep prohibitions on using state fundraising dollars for a federal race. So, they say he's accountable for what ESAFund is saying. "John Kennedy cannot claim ignorance about the ESAFund's lies. He is their largest single donor. He holds responsibility for the lies they peddle," Fleming spokesman Matt Beynon said in a statement. Kennedy said he had nothing to do with the PAC's targets or the content of the attacks. The "organization is a well-respected, national conservative group. My campaign has no control over what they do or don't do, or what ads they run," Kennedy said in a statement. In response, Boustany is airing a campaign ad featuring shipbuilder Calvin Leleux, who says he's switched his support from Kennedy to Boustany. A second Boustany ad focuses on the congressman's background as a heart surgeon. Fleming, meanwhile, hits both Boustany and Kennedy in one of his ads, suggesting the two men are the equivalent of junior high school students in a food fight and Fleming's the real grown-up in the race. Between the two major Democratic contenders, Campbell and Fayard are trying to draw distinctions even as they champion similar policy points, such as increasing the minimum wage and enacting equal pay protections. TV spots run by Campbell's campaign criticize Fayard's Wall Street background, saying she worked for a company that "helped crash the economy" and "cheated investors." They slam her family's donations to Republican former Gov. Bobby Jindal. They say Fayard "can't be trusted." Fayard's campaign struck back with an ad slamming Campbell as a career politician who is too heavily focused on attacking Fayard and her family, "while Caroline's focused on issues that matter to us." The advertising is only expected to intensify in the final three weeks ahead of the election. Attorney General Jeff Landrys fight against Gov. John Bel Edwards executive order protecting LGBT employees in state contracts to private firms has the support of 17 state lawmakers, including four Acadiana reps. Seventeen state lawmakers, all of them House Republicans, sent a letter recently to Attorney General Jeff Landry applauding the state attorney for blocking state contracts that include anti-discrimination language protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The protections were inserted in state contracts following at executive order issued by Gov. John Bel Edwards last spring. The Oct. 6 letter authored by Rep. Mike Johnson, a Bossier City Republican who is running for Congress and who also serves as an attorney for anti-LGBT initiatives nationwide, commends Landry for standing by constitutional principals in this sensitive matter. Sixteen of Johnsons fellow House GOP representatives signed the letter, including four from the Acadiana delegation: Stuart Bishop of Lafayette, Phillip DeVillier of Eunice, Julie Emerson of Carencro and Eraths Blake Miguez. Read more at nola.com. Don Briggs Louisiana Oil and Gas Association President Don Briggs, who sustained a serious head injury from a Sept. 30 fall in North Carolina, is slowly showing signs of improvement and has been moved to Lafayette for treatment, The Daily Advertiser reported Monday. The Advertiser also reported that Dons son, Gifford, who serves as the trade groups vice president, has been named acting LOGA president. Briggs was injured when he slipped in the stairway at a vacation home in North Carolina. He was being treated at an Asheville facility before his transfer to Lafayette. In an effort to cut costs, hospital system is bringing cleaning services in-house; affected employees can apply for those jobs. Lafayette General Medical Center The sudden and unexpected non-renewal of its custodial contract with Lafayette General Health will leave 243 local workers without jobs on Dec. 12, Philadelphia-based Aramark Healthcare Services told the Louisiana Workforce Commission in an Oct. 11 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification. Aramark, a global food, facilities and uniforms service provider, says the hospital group ended its cleaning contract; most of the affected workers are listed as custodial (117) and housekeeping (74) employees. According to an Oct. 10 press release from the hospital system and its subsidiary, Lafayette General Medical Center, the environmental services previously offered by Aramark will be brought in-house, and affected employees can apply for some of those positions. LGH says in the release that a majority of health systems across the country run their own housekeeping services, which is how it operated until 2007. Aramark will continue to contract with LGH to provide food and nutrition services. Word of these cuts comes on the heels of another belt-tightening move by the hospital the shuttering of its fitness facility, Lafayette General Wellness at The Townhouse, on Nov. 30 and confirmation in September that it would lay off 70 employees. LGMC says it can no longer compete with the large number of fitness centers in the area. In order to stay aligned with the hospital mission, LGMC will retain employees to continue the Executive Health Physicals and Occupational Health programs, according to the release. Additionally, on Nov. 18 LGMC will discontinue its free valet parking service, which it says was initially supposed to be offered only during construction. As we tighten our budget, we needed to closely scrutinize non-patient care services, LGMC CEO Patrick Gandy says in the release. In fact, our goal is to expand patient care areas. By eliminating our valet contract, a decision we did not make lightly, we will be able to reallocate approximately [$2 million] over the next four years. He says all valet staff have also been offered the opportunity to apply for vacant jobs within the system. Additionally, the hospital will expand its partnership with Acadiana-based Advanced Radiographics on Dec. 1 for courier service. This change will increase the service capacity and coverage area of LGMCs courier service, while leveraging ARIs upgraded tracking technology and reliability. It's unclear whether Aramark was required to file a WARN under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. Such notices are required if there is a full plant closure resulting in 50 or more employees losing their jobs in any 30-day period or if there is a mass layoff during any 30-day period. A round of cuts is considered a mass layoff if it affects more than 500 employees or between 50 and 499 employees and comprises 33 percent or more of the active workforce at a particular site. 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. Chen Yin-Ju's Liquidation Mapswords. [Photo/China Daily] Manchester's Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, the most influential UK gallery of its kind, is celebrating 30 years of promoting creativity and cultural understanding with three autumn exhibitions and the launch of a new book. The book will be unveiled on Thursday along with the shows, which will continue until the new year. Taiwan artist Chen Yin-Ju. [Photo/China Daily] Taiwan artist Chen Yin-Ju's Extrastellar Evaluations II is an audio-visual installation accompanied by objects, texts and drawings exploring the order and meaning of the solar system. It was inspired by Galileo's book A Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. How I Learned to Stop Worrying (1945-2016) by Yorkshire artist Kirsty Harris is on show in Gallery 2. It explores the idea of nuclear explosions as cultural, historical and aesthetic objects, through a series of prints, drawings, and the sound of music derived from nuclear blasts. And Open Studio, from the gallery's artist-in-residence, Kuo I-Chen, explores his many collaborations with artists and students and the links he has made through his STUPIN website, which is a platform through which artists can swap their studios and resources. The Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art began in 1986 when artist Amy Lai organized a Chinese cultural festival in Manchester's Chinatown. During the next three decades, it moved three times and had two name changes before settling on its current incarnation in the Market Buildings on Thomas Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter. It claims to be "the UK's leading organization for the promotion of Chinese contemporary art, producing an internationally renowned artistic program and developing a reputation as a center for research". Curator Ying Tan said the gallery was featuring installations from high-profile artists each month to mark its anniversary. Those taking part include Cao Fei, Tsang Kin-Wah, Lee Mingwei and Susan Pui San Lok. Well, it was fun to discuss Dylan's Nobel Prize yesterdayrobert e hit the nail on the head when he said "It's a pretty dark time right now, and the award was oddly cheering. It reminds me that there were other dark times, and we got through them." I still think it's barmy to give an old rock star a literature prize, but it's a pleasant change to be able to dispute something that doesn't make people angry and upset. It's a bad time in America right now. This might help too. I don't know if you're aware of this, but our neighbors in Canada have started a small movement to help us buck up. The headline I saw read "Canadians aghast at the bitter American presidential campaign have begun a campaign, 'Tell America It's Great,' as a way to give their neighbors a pep talk." Check out one of the videos. They're just being neighborlythey're nice people up there. And you know what? It worked. It made me feel better. Speaking as an American, thanks, Canadawe needed that. And we think you're pretty great, too. Mike Original contents copyright 2016 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. Eh? Join our support campaign or buy something (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.) Featured Comments from: No featured comments yetplease check back soon! We love nothing more than being up in the mountains, exploring the wild untamed peaks whether than be hiking, climbing or paragliding over the top of it all! So when we headed over to Romania and more specifically Transylvania we were keen to tick off a huge dream: Hiking in the stunning Carpathian Mountains! But where to go in this vast landscape, little did we know the awe inspiring mountain we passed by on the train to Brasov would be the sight of on of our most amazing hikes just a day later! Heres our adventure to Baba Mare (2293m/ 7.520ft)! Discovering this amazing place As we chugged through the Romanian countryside, the flat plains giving way eventually to higher and higher hills, peaks and eventually mountains we spotted a stunning pinnacle from the train. A sheer face of white rock piercing the bright blue sky above, I turned to Shorty and said, I want to stand on top of that. He laughed it off and said that we had no idea where we were, what the route was or if there is even a route up there we are equipped to do! Youre probably right I said, holding on to the scribbled list of things to do in Brasov that I thought would keep us busy enough anyway! When we finally arrived in Brasov, to our delight, we walked straight into the kitchen of our hostel only to be greeted by Paul, a lovely Geordie chap we had met over in Sarajevo and had kept in contact with since. After checking in and dumping our bags we headed straight out for something to eat and drink with himand to pick his brains about Brasov! Turns out, just that very day he had been up that piece of rock I had been longingly staring at as it zoomed away from us! That route was a 4 hour hike up from the Alpine town of Busteni, a village that wouldnt look out of place in Switzerland, Northern Italy or Austria. It was a little surreal finding ourselves in such a place to be honest, we had to pinch ourselves to believe we were still in Romania. But in the end this just made us realise just how special this country really us. Finding the damn route! After we arrived in Busteni, wandered around in awe and bought some supplies for the trek we were ready for the climb. But, erm, where does it start! Our GPS ended up sending us through a forest with warning for bears, we soon realised we had already gone wrong!! Which is quite usual for us! Anyway, if you are after doing this route yourself then do what we should have done and walk further down the road and find the cable car station. Start off down the right hand side path and follow the symbols that resemble the Finnish flag. From there they are pretty frequent and you shouldnt have any issue following them! Taking the magnificent 4 hour hike in the Carpathian mountains So off we were, passed the sign that warned us that this route was extreme, and ready for an adventure and a challenge. We had done quite a bit of hiking since starting backpacking but this would be our first proper mountain and my first since my knee op. I was excited and a little nervous to be tackling what would be my highest summit as my first one back. But we thrive on challenging ourselves and the fact that this route was the most difficult path on this section of the mountain only made us more excited!! Plus we had always dreamt of tackling a peak in the Carpathian Mountains. Setting off and the initial track was deep in the forest, paths winded their way over stunning rivers and deep within the bear infested woods. At one point a bush began to shake violently and we worried we had come across one of the famous bears of Romaniaturns out it was just another hiker who has strayed off the path! But we took in mind the advice to keep talking loudly to each other as we walked to scare off any potential encounters!! This section was sustained hiking for hours on end, we tried to only stop on one or two occasions and instead push on to the next section of the climb. Now we would continue our path through the stunning Valea Jepilor (Juniper Valley) to follow the path to the crest of the Bucegi Mountains within the the Carpathian Mountains. Next came the most extreme sections of the route. Up above the tree level the route became steep rock faces laced with chains to aid your accent. Of course, as experienced rock climbers we found this section the most fun rather than technically challenging and the areas of exposure we got were thrilling! Despite this section of the climb being much steeper, the fact it had become a scramble that looked down on the breathtaking valley below, it felt much more funand dangerous!! Which is the same thing isnt it!! Admiring the views from the summit We again spent another few hours pressing on relentlessly though the steep valley. The more we climbed the more the views became a wonderful distraction from the effort we were putting into this summit. But despite the aching limbs we enjoy pushing ourselves like this and the views we were constantly rewarded with made it feel even more of an achievement. The more we walked into what turned out to be a 4 hour trek the less people we saw, after pushing above the tree line we only saw one other couple, who we took over quite quickly. After this there was no sign of life past the noises of nature and the humming of the old cable car passing periodically above. It felt like a real adventure into the wilds, almost like we were discovering this magical place for the first time. Standing on top of Baba Mare at 2293m/ 7.520ft this was the highest summit we had ever climbed on our own steam and we felt great. If truth be told the route was challenging and hard going, but we could have kept going and that is alway a great feeling, especially standing here looking down the valley and mountain we had just conquered. The town below was like a tiny dot, waterfalls crashed down below us and we had found ourselves so high up that we had reached the snow linein July! The Carpathian Mountains lived up to their billing! Taking the traditional cable car back down to the summit As soon as we reached the secondary peak and the formations known as Babele there seemed to be so many people up here. It was again another surreal experience after trekking for so long and not seeing another person. But of course, pretty much all of these people hadnt taken the arduous route we had, instead they had hopped onto the old cable car and been whisked up here! Well, after such a hike we figured we would treat ourselves and take the gondola downonly they are so old there are only 2 cars and they come only every 15 minutes!! Did I also mention the collection of people up here! We ended up waiting for almost an hour, but that once again proved to be an interesting experience in itself. We ended up getting talking to a lovely Romanian family who had been living in Liverpool for years and had come back over to visit family. Their daughter who had been speaking in fluent Romanian a few moments earlier before we struck up a conversation was now speaking with a clear Liverpudlian accent, even her dad found it hilarious! It just confirmed to us how wrong people are for judging immigrants from these countries, they even made sure we got on their cable car and bought us some corn when we got down to the town. They were lovely, hard working and friendly people who just wanted to do well for themselves and their family. I would gladly share my country with them than the racist bigots who would have them sent home. PlusI want to move to Romania now!! How to do this hike This hike is a great one to do by yourself but it does take a little preplanning and you do need to get there early as the hike is long and be sure to check on both the cable car times and on the bus times back to Brasov. Another option if you are going it alone or youre a little unsure on route finding or not confident with public transport is to take on of the great hiking tours in Romania that are on offer. These allow you to take organised transport and experience the mountain with a trained guide. This way you can tackle even more advanced terrain if you are an experienced hiker or get out into the beautiful Romanian countryside even if youre a beginner on the trails! Step by step guide for doing it yourself: Take the 9:00am bus from Brasov bus station to Busteni, the bus station near to the train station. The bus costs around 6 Lei each and takes 35-45 mins. You can also take the train but it is a little more expensive and takes longer. From Busteni make your way to the cable car station and follow the Finnish flag type symbols.It can be a little tricky following them when you get to the cable car, be sure to walk down the side and take note of the large notice board with all the walks. From here on in its easy to keep them insight. The path at the start is very obvious but beyond a certain point it does become a little less clear but the chains should be a good guide. Just take care to not stray too far off and into unsafe ground. Once at the top you can take the cable car down for around 10 Lei, it only takes 15 minutes but you can be sometimes waiting a while on the weekends. Now take the bus, train or hitchhike back to Brasov. The buses arent all that frequent and dont run on a reliable schedule but something will eventually come!! TIPS: Dont do this hike alone as it can be quite secluded on the trail and if you get into trouble you might not be able to get help. There are also bears in the woods and more people make more noise making you safer. It is also advisable to be very aware of your time as the mountain is a serious place to get stuck overnight and factor in time to walk down if that is your plan or double check cable car times. It is possible to camp overnight and even hike on to a higher peak the day after before coming down, but this is even more advanced and should be researched properly and proper gear taken up as even in summer there is often some snow. Take enough food, water and medical supplies including a foil blanket and let someone know you are hiking and when to expect you back. Have you ever taken a hike so breathtaking? Book your accommodation here: Booking.com Hey, youve got your Travel Insurance sorted havent you? Travelling and especially backpacking is a wild adventure, but make sure you are covered just incase something goes wrong, which if youre living it up to the fullest its always a possibility! Check travel insurance prices with World Nomads here! Related posts: An amazing adventure through the Romanian countryside to hike above the Transfagarasan highway Bucharest, the beautiful and trendy Romanian capital we absolutely fell in love with! A guide to Brasov: The charming Transylvanian home of Dracula that stole our hearts! 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Portable toilet (new) $35 (mechanicsville md) pic hide this posting restore restore this posting. Commode portable $35 (post. 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. BENTON When Amos H. Mitchell was discharged from the military in December 1944, all he wanted to do was go home and marry his sweetheart. He had been fighting overseas for three and a half years, and he was so eager to get back to Christopher and let normal life resume that he never bothered to obtain the medals and commendations that he was due for his service. Seventy-two years later, he has finally received them. At a presentation ceremony Tuesday at Helia Healthcare, Congressman Mike Bost awarded Amos Mitchell with several medals, including the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two Bronze Stars, a World War II Victory Medal and an Honorable Service Lapel Button. You truly are from the greatest generation, and we thank you for what youve done for this nation, Bost said. Amos Mitchell, 98, suffered a stroke earlier this year and was placed in the Helia Healthcare center in Benton for therapy and rehabilitation. When his son, Ned Mitchell, was poring over documents and forms in order to place his father in the facility, he found his discharge papers and asked about the medals. He said, Youve gotta understand, I was a young man, we were all young men. We were glad to get out of there alive. Medals was the last thing on our minds. We wanted to get home. My mother waited on him and they got married as soon as he got home, so he was anxious to get back, Ned Mitchell said. Amos Mitchell and his wife, Rosemary, were married for 67 years. She died four years ago at the age of 92. Mitchell, who served in Guadalcanal, Burma, India and other parts of Asia, lost several close friends in combat and remembers them to this day, his son said. He wanted to make that plain to everybody. Hes fortunate, he came home, but he had some good friends that were not fortunate, Ned Mitchell said. The ceremony was attended by family members, local police officers, veterans and residents of the Helia Healthcare facility. Bost, who is currently campaigning for re-election in the 12th Congressional District, said he was glad to devote some time to hearing a veterans story. Breaking away from the campaign rhetoric and stuff like that, we can truly talk about some important issues that are important to (veterans) lives right now. Not that the campaigns arent, or that things were trying to do in Washington arent. But we wouldnt be worried about all the rest of these issues, positive or negative, because we couldnt, if they hadnt done their job. Bost said that his office deals with cases like Mitchells fairly often. So many of our veterans, especially from the second World War and the Korean War, and some from the Vietnam War too, were so wanting to go home, they werent worried about what medals were due them. They just wanted to go home. Well, those medals are due them, and our office can make arrangements to make sure they get them, he said. Numerous residents told HUD they didnt want to move. Dont do this. Its wrong, man, one resident told them. You dont know what were going through because you're not from here, said another, noting he has lived in Cairo since the 1950s and doesnt intend to live elsewhere. Stop moving our people out of town. Build something new here. CARBONDALE Southern Illinois University System President Randy Dunn said at a Monday evening "State of the System" address that Illinois seems to be in the midst of a grand reshaping of the state-university covenant. But Dunn offered few definitive details about what that possible reshaped relationship may mean to the campuses of Carbondale, Edwardsville and the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield. The lack of details is in part because its still too early in this unprecedented political battle playing out in Springfield to provide state university leaders a clear picture of the end game for higher education. We have no more clarity today than we did a year ago on how this gamesmanship is going to play out to the bitter end, Dunn said. To that end, Dunn warned early on in the speech that if anyone came to hear a bullet-list of consolidations or cuts coming down the pike, it wasnt going to happen. Dunn and SIU Carbondale Interim Chancellor Brad Colwell have been publicly discussing for several months now this notion that major structural changes may be in the works, and in broad terms, what they envision as the Carbondale campus of the future: one that may be leaner and more focused. Dunns speech on Monday more broadly addressed the SIU system. His purpose in the address, he said, was not to prescribe to the individual campuses a step-by-step path forward through these difficult times, but rather a broader vision for the future of SIU. Still, the themes he discussed struck a consistent chord. Early in his speech, Dunns PowerPoint presentation flashed a quote from the late former SIU President James Walker. It read: We need to find our niche and allocate resources accordingly. That means setting priorities. That means making tough decisions about which programs should be expanded and which should be eliminated or curtailed. Walker said those words in 2001, Dunn noted 15 years ago. Dunn said his point in highlighting Walkers vision was not to disparage anyone for what he perceived as a lack of action on this call for programmatic reform. Rather, weve always been able to navigate our way through, to figure out our way to the next day, the next year, Dunn said. But President Walkers words are back and were going to have to heed them, I do believe. While its unclear how the relationship between the state and public universities will shake out in the end, Dunn said that it does appear as if there will be a different relationship as it relates to the states level of funding for higher education and the manner in which funds are allocated. He said hes drawing that assumption based on both policy discussions about the future of higher education in Illinois, as well as changes to the relationship that have occurred recently by default via a lack of action on the state budget. The increasing payments due to the State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) as part of ramp plan pushed by then-Gov. Jim Edgar in the mid-1990s is also squeezing the portion of public funding that is available for operations as more and more is earmarked to pay for pensions. Dunn said based on conversations hes heard, that redefined relationship may include the consolidation of certain duplicative degree programs offered at institutions throughout the state, and a possible shift to performance-based funding for universities, however that might be defined, which could lead to the elimination of degree offerings defined as low-functioning programs. Dunn said the discussions may ultimately also include a serious debate about the number of public institutions appropriate for Illinois. He noted that there are two to three universities at the present time crumbling and being dismantled. Dunn said he believes all campuses in the SIU system will remain viable for years to come, but he also emphasized in his speech, as he has in other recent public conversations, that SIU leaders need to tackle these tough questions about how the university can be the most effective at upholding the tenets of its mission both in light of budget decisions (or the lack of) at the state level, and because its good for the university to look introspectively. Stepping successfully into the future will require the fortitude for the SIU campus community to stomach risks, and necessitate strong and stable leadership at the campus level, Dunn said. But Dunn also clarified that his call for innovation should not be interpreted as a call to retreat. In his 2015 State of the System speech, Dunn suggested that the university had entered into an era of retrenchment, and outlined several key tactics related to meeting financial goals. A year later, Dunn said hes rethinking using the term retrenchment to describe SIUs modern epoch. Im not necessarily sold on that now, Dunn said. The reason for that is were in the midst right now of this grand reshaping of the state-university covenant As we move away from education, particular higher education as a public good, as something you do as an economic investment of the state to build the commonweal as we move away from that, the tactics arent going to work. Dunn said that in preparing his speech for Monday, he went back and looked at the one he delivered in 2015. And that word stuck in his craw. Because you know what that suggests? It suggests retreat, Dunn said. With use of that word, Dunn said hes come to believe that builds an unintended narrative and plays right into what some of those watching us in the state and beyond kind want us to do: Pull back. Get smaller. Get away from the front lines. That is not the thing we need to do, Dunn said. It is the biggest mistake we can make. EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been updated to note that the locomotive will also make stops Wednesday in Prairie du Rocher and Chester in Randolph County and pass through Thebes in Alexander County, without stopping. WOLF LAKE A historic steam-powered locomotive pulling six cars will come through Southern Illinois on Wednesday on its way to a celebration in Memphis. Locomotive 844 will stop in Southern Illinois on Wednesday from 9:45 to 10 a.m in Prairie du Rocher; from 10:30 to 11 a.m. in Chester; from 11:30 to 11:45 a.m. in Gorham; and from 12:15 to 12:30 p.m. in Wolf Lake; the train will pass through Thebes at 1 p.m. without stopping. At the whistlestops, the train will stop and onlookers will be able to see the steam and smoke blowing from the locomotive, said Kristen South, a spokeswoman for Union Pacific. Locomotive 844 will be pulling six other cars, including a boiler, a baggage car and an extra locomotive, in case 844 has problems. Those who see it will probably see the billows of smoke coming from the train, she said. Think "Back to the Future, Part 3," and the locomotive steam engine that was in that, South said. "It gives you goose bumps when you see it, she said. Its something that many of us will never see in front of us. The locomotive was the last steam engine built for Union Pacific Railroad and delivered to the company in 1944. It has never been retired from from the Union Pacific's fleet service, earning it the name "Living Legend." It weighs 454 tons (the combined weight of 140 full-size pickup trucks) and has wheels that are 80 inches high higher than five stacked vehicle tires. The locomotive has made enough trips to have crossed the United States four times. This is the train's first multi-state trip since 2012, when it had some work done on it, South said. We have not planned any parties or celebrations along the way, but we always see thousands of people (celebrating)," South said. South said it is interesting to see the social media posts that people make about the locomotive coming through their area. "People post all over social media," she said. "Its just really neat, people are sharing videos and pictures. "Its just really neat to see all ages appreciate history. To see the locomotive's schedule, visit http://tinyurl.com/844Tennessee. A German discount grocery chain has broken ground for its Orangeburg store. Lidl, a division of German retailer Schwarz Group, is constructing a new store on North Road next to Sonic. The company plans to build an approximately 36,000-square-foot standalone store. "We have not set opening dates or operational details for any Lidl US stores," spokesman Will Harwood said. "I can tell you that we are preparing a number of sites in the area as part of our early preparations to launch in the U.S. I'll be happy to share more details with you as we announce them." The company announced in May it planned to open stores in South Carolina, including Orangeburg, no later than 2018. It is the store's first entry into the United States market. The grocer chose the area due to its high traffic, dense population and established retail locations. Lidl will sell products with its own store label and will offer fresh breads, produce and meat. In addition to groceries, the chain offers discounts on household appliances, clothes and furniture. A typical Lidl store has between 30 and 35 employees. Lidl is expanding into the United States with plans that include rolling out about 150 stores in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern markets by 2018. Lidls U.S. headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia. The store is building distribution sites in North Carolina and Virginia. The arrival of Lidl would come on the heels of other German grocer, Aldi, which opened up on Orangeburgs North Road in March 2015. Lidl has been in operation in Europe for over 40 years, with about 10,000 stores in 26 countries, according to its website. Some news reports have likened Lidl to a cross between Walmart and California-based Trader Joes. The chain also has plans for two other stores in the Midlands one in Columbia and the other in Lexington. Hillary Clinton should not endure another debate with Donald Trump. He has already shown himself as bigoted against immigrants, Mexicans, Muslims, blacks and prisoners of war such as U.S. Sen. John McCain. He is also a man who calls women "pigs" and gloats over his deftness at grabbing their private parts. This may be a titillating resume for a reality TV star, but certainly not for the president of the most powerful nation on the planet. This entire year instead of being inspired as I watched the election debates, I have felt that the American public, politicians and the press have been dragged down into the depths of a dark, dank sewer with the manhole slammed shut. The stench has overshadowed real issues, such as the poisoned population of Flint, Michigan, the black men murdered by police for walking or running while breathing, the carnage of murdered little children piling up in our bloody inner cities and the homeless families increasing because of builders like Trump pricing the poor and middle class out of the housing market. As a shining example of what one group the Donald caters to is the new Trump hotel in the nation's capital, where one night's lodging starts at $800 and soars into the thousands. If you are not a millionaire or someone who delights in demeaning, despicable conduct, why else would you follow Trump? Historically our democratic system based on a living and expansive Constitution has allowed us through much toil and pain to rise above the base, selfish, ugly acts of dangerous extremisms. As shown in the recently released video tape, what Trump stands for we don't need; in fact, his values demean us here at home and in the world. Groping women is not normal. It is unnatural. It is brutish. It is sexual assault. To pass this off as just "locker room" talk sends a message that the foulest vulgarity is fine as long as it is shared behind closed doors. Instead of encouraging the public to cleanse ourselves of hateful, demeaning behavior his solution is to offend and assault those you deem vulnerable and of little value. The kind of language Trump uses provides comfort to tyrannical male supervisor, abusive husbands, those who delight in bullying girls and young boys who would see men like Trump as role models. Trump's words, however, are also demeaning to "normal" men -- fathers, husbands, friends who value women as undeserving of scorn and do not find vulgar locker room talk as acceptable. In the last debate, Trump continued his race to the bottom by dragging into the debate hall a cast of alleged participants in the sex life of ex-President Bill Clinton. Whether Clinton's accusers are right or wrong, Bill is not running for president. Hillary is and she should not be blamed because she happens to be in the midst of men who have or are acting badly. In fact, maybe all this misplaced testosterone may be one more reason why we should elect a woman president. Yet when I look at this pathetic muddy mess, I am inspired that when I look at President Barack Obama, I see a man who honors his wife, dotes on fatherhood and whose life -- both private and public -- has not been touched by sexual scandals. With me, I have been fired up and angry with Trump from the onset over his dogged determination of trying to prove that Obama was unfit to be president by accusing him of not being born in America, even after Obama showed his birth certificates. This habitual actions of the privileged class trying to force blacks to prove the obvious that water is wet and the sky is blue profiles us as outsiders, unworthy of belonging in whatever space we occupy, whether it is as a journalist, wife, or even president of the United States. Yet, while Obama has served his term with excellence as commander in chief, restoring the sick economy left by his GOP predecessors, the Trumpeters are still trying to tarnish his legacy ... Days after the debate, Hillary is leading in some polls by double digits. I see no reason why she should allow Trump to rub more sleaze on her by participating with him in any more public forums. We know enough about Donald Trump. Let Trump be Trump and stand alone and continue to embarrass himself while the rest of us prepare to elect someone to the White House who can bring us together and continue an honored career as a public servant. And that is Hillary Clinton. From this point on, Hillary should stand on a stage by herself and let her experience, temperament, character and knowledge of the issues shine through. Let Trump star in his own X-rated series alone. The rest of us have had enough of him and we have better things to do like preparing to go to the polls Nov. 8 and taking someone with us. Press freedom has survived many tests as an essential element of American democracy. It would survive a Donald Trump presidency too. In an unprecedented step, the Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday released a statement contending Trump would represent a threat to press freedom. It reads in part: Donald Trump, through his words and actions as a candidate for president of the United States, has consistently betrayed First Amendment values. Since the beginning of his candidacy, Trump has insulted and vilified the press and has made his opposition to the media a centerpiece of his campaign. Trump has routinely labeled the press as dishonest and scum and singled out individual news organizations and journalists. He has mocked a disabled New York Times journalist and called an ABC News reporter a sleaze in a press conference. He expelled Univision anchor Jorge Ramos from a campaign press conference because he asked an impertinent question, and has publicly demeaned other journalists. Trump has refused to condemn attacks on journalists by his supporters. Throughout his campaign, Trump has routinely made vague proposals to limit basic elements of press and internet freedom. While some have suggested that these statements are rhetorical, we take Trump at his word. His intent and his disregard for the constitutional free press principle are clear. Through his words and actions, Trump has consistently demonstrated a contempt for the role of the press beyond offering publicity to him and advancing his interests. For this reason CPJ is taking the unprecedented step of speaking out now. This is not about picking sides in an election. This is recognizing that a Trump presidency represents a threat to press freedom unknown in modern history. Count us among those with faith in the foundation of press freedom, though we do not disagree that Trump, as he has done with so many issues, talks way out of bounds regarding the press and First Amendment guarantees. But that same First Amendment guarantees Trump the right to speak as he wishes. And though he should make clear that he respects key aspects of the Constitution, he is not bound to do so. Trump is not about undoing freedom of the press, he is about manipulating the press. He has done so masterfully throughout a campaign that began with most pundits giving him no chance of achieving the Republican nomination. At every turn, Trump has made news by being provocative, even outrageous, and watching as the media reported his every word. When the coverage appeared negative toward the candidate, he simply turned the tables and made news again by blasting the media. Trump knows he can stir up his supporters by claiming journalists are biased against him. And in the media environment of today in which commentary and reporting can become indistinguishable, it is clear there is bias, some of it acknowledged, some of it not. That does not mean journalists do not take seriously their role of fairness and the responsibility to report news, which means looking at Trump with a critical eye, examining his claims and probing his background. The same scrutiny is due Hillary Clinton and other candidates. Trump is not the first, nor will he be the last, candidate to rail against the press and claim it is not being even handed. But if he truly believes he has been wronged, Trump should follow through on his threat to pursue a libel lawsuit against media outlets such as The New York Times. Even though as a public figure in this case about as much of a public figure as you can get as a presidential candidate Trump has little legal ground upon which to stand regarding the reporting about him, he would have the opportunity to air his grievances in a formal setting. At the same time, media facing the lawsuit could respond with an adequate defense and make their case in a way they cannot and should not by responding to Trumps every accusation on the campaign stump. In the words of New York Times attorney David E. McCraw: If Trump believes those who would criticize him should stand silent or be punished, we welcome the opportunity to have a court set him straight. A blog for students in my introductory classes in government, and any interested passersby. You'll find news items and random stories that illustrate any of the topics we cover in class. Special attention will be paid to the constitutional issues associated with contemporary issues and disputes. Feel free to send me stories you find important. Please note that due to spam, I'm limiting the ability of people to comment on these pages. My apologies. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The Komodo National Park is not just about meeting the Komodo dragon but holds many more wonders.If you recall in my last post on the Komodo Dragons, I mentioned the three islands where these dragons are found one of them being Padar Island. On the day we visited my new best friend the Komodo Dragon, we first made a stop at Padar Island for a bit of trekking. I was warned that the trek was a little arduous but to be honest, it wasnt too bad. What made the trek really memorable and amazing was the view that you get at the end of the trek. What was it ? Read on . Padar Island, Flores, Indonesia Facts about Padar Island Padar Island is one of the three islands with Komodo dragons. However, there are very few of them surviving on it. A part of the UNESCO World heritage sphere, this island is one of the many that form the Komodo National Park. The island is barren with no human inhabitants There are no rangers, no concrete structures nothing! And if you are wondering, why visit it at all well, then you really need to read through the rest of the post. Journey to Padar Island Heading to Padar Island not our boat though We stopped at Padar Island enroute to the Komodo Island. This in fact, was our first activity of the day. The island is a pleasant 40 45 minutes boat ride from Labuan Bajo, with wind blowing through your hair, threatening to knock off your caps. The ride was proof to the fact that Indonesia has over 17,500 islands, each of different shapes and sizes . One could witness the gorgeous creations of nature as the boat sped towards our destination. The many islands of Indonesia Zipping past the different Indonesian Isles through a lot of jet spray Along the way, if you are as lucky as I was, you can spot a few dolphins and leaping fish (yes, flying, leaping, bouncing.whatever you want to call them). Starting the Trek The White sand beach that we landed on at Padar Island The first thing that struck me when I reached Padar Island was the crystal clear water and the beautiful white sand beach. The beach is filled with corals and not so pleasant to walk on but the water was another thing. You can just spend some time wading around the cool waters and watching the little fish swim around your ankles. I was a little distracted by that till I heard Tina our guide, warning us that we need to keep our eyes peeled as there could be a Komodo Dragon lurking amidst the rocks. My heart just jumped into my mouth. Remember, this was our first activity and I still had not made friends with this guy. What if he ambushed me before I got to his other mates? Tina, our guide at Padar Island Tina had my undivided attention from that point on and the rest of the instructions were absorbed without any distraction. Tina explained that the climb could be a little hard to start with and coming down the hill could be a little dicey as the trekking path was a little rough and dry with a lot of pebbles. We needed to take it slow and pace ourselves as per our comfort. We were to also, not wander off and keep in a group. While she would be leading the front, Romi, her partner would trail us from the back. And with that, we were off. Level One of the trek The level one of the trek up Padar Island As we began ascending, I realised how much fun this was going to be . The trek path was not a well marked one and had loose pebbles and sand that you had to overstep to avoid sliding back to the start line. Frankly this challenge is what made the ascend and descend fun for me. It was like a game to find the right foothold and keep climbing up. After we had reached the first landing point, it was a slight incline to the first view point or the level one of the trek. A perfect place to take a Group Snap as Tina suggested. Apparently, after this level, it was going to get tougher and our pace as a group would differ. The Skyscanner and the Blogger team at Padar Island This is where we were introduced to the first sight of the unique beaches on either side of Padar island. The side we came from had the brilliant white beach while the other side of the hill enclosed a black beach. Stunning how the hillock separated the two colors. The white beach as seen from level one of the Padar Island trek The black beach on the other side of Padar Island, as seen from Level One View from Level Two Climbing further up Padar Island After that brief break, the incline did get a little steeper but not too difficult for most of us. Soon we were treated to the first glimpse of the reward that we could expect atop Padar Island. It was here, we realised that the hills of Padar Island did not just divide the coast line to two colored beaches. In fact, it enclosed tri-colored beaches white, black and pink. The first glimpse of the Tri-colored beaches at Padar Island I went busy snapping up all possible angles, not sure of what I would be able to see from the top. It was just amazing! The Grand Finale at Padar Island With some captures, most of us scrambled up to the highest point of Padar Island. For me, the motivation to go up was to grab an unrestricted view of the entire coastline a sight that was truly rare and something I knew that I would not be able to get anywhere else. To be honest, for me, the climb was not hard at all. And once I was on the top voila! I will just let my pictures explain how I felt. The Tri-Colored beaches from the top of Padar Island Close up of the Pink beach at the far end of Padar Island The black beach at Padar Island The White beach at Padar Island Leaving Padar Island It was kind of hard to leave that mesmerizing view. I wont say that I could have spend a lifetime there. I might not be able to but then, I was kind of reluctant to leave. I just wanted to grab more and more of those memories, keep snapping, keep clicking and well just take in more. I forgot about the threat of the Komodo dragon. It was just being there for that moment. Eventually, we started our descend and as warned, it was far more treacherous than climbing up. Fun nonetheless, but required some bit of caution. Atop Padar Island Tina was amazing. While most of us with our boots and shoes were clambering down slowly, she just sped down in her slippers. She explained that she was used to the terrain and the best way to get down was to speed along with the stones. I tried it out and boy! Was that fun! Soon, we were back to our boats to take on the next leg of our trip the Komodo island. Padar Island and the view of the tri-colored beaches from the top left a mark within me -something inexplicable, something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It has been one of my most amazing treks and I for sure, will be recommending it to anyone who is headed to Flores in Indonesia. Are you guys game for it? Getting here: To get to Padar Island, you need to head to Labuan Bajo and take a cruise or boat from there. There are several internal flight options in Indonesia that can get you to Labuan Bajo. Click here to check the prices of these flights from anywhere in Indonesia. Once in Labuan Bajo, you can approach any of the Indonesia travel companies or cruise operators for a trip here. There are plenty that can be found along the main street of Labuan Bajo or you can even find them online. Travel Tips: Our trek was a part of the package that was organized by Oradive. You can find similar packages online by various other operators. The best time for this trek is morning when the sun is not overhead. There are no toilets or any other facilities on Padar Island Ensure you wear comfortable clothes and trekking shoes for this climb Climb as much as you can. Do not try to push yourself if you are not up-to it Carry a trekking stick or a wooden stick to support you Do not panic if you spot a Komodo dragon. Your guide will be equipped to help you with the same. Carry enough water with you for the trek. P.S: I was a part of the Bloggers trip organized by Skyscanner . Booking.com Popularly referred to as a Restless Ball of Energy. My Mom refuses to entertain my complaints about my equally restless daughter & assures my husband that I was born with a travel bug. I am a Post-Graduate in Marketing by qualification and a travel blogger by passion. Besides travel, I enjoy photography and if you dont find me at my desk, I would be out playing badminton or swimming or just running. I believe in planning for every long weekend through the year. And when I cannot travel physically, I travel virtually through this travel blog. My travel stories have also, got published on various websites and magazines including BBC Travel, Lonely Planet India and Jetwings. I have recently published my first book When Places Come Alive a collection of stories that are based on legends, landscapes, art and culture of a place which is available in both ebook and paperback format. By Trend Since 2003 until today, Azerbaijan has had a period of economic development which has no analogues, said President Ilham Aliyev addressing an official reception dedicated to the 25th anniversary of restoration of Azerbaijans independence. Noting that Azerbaijans economy has tripled, he said that no other economy has tripled in such a short time. Industrial development has also tripled. We have put an end to poverty. The poverty level, which was standing at approximately 50 percent, has dropped to 5 percent. A very serious fight is underway against unemployment. The unemployment is at a very low level, he said. President Aliyev said Azerbaijan also started the development of its regions, adding that more than 1.3 million new jobs have been created as a result of implementation of state programs. Azerbaijans regions have revived, the cities have improved and modern infrastructure projects have been implemented, he said. We turned from a country importing electricity and gas into their exporter, added the president. Azerbaijan has paid and is paying great attention to settlement of social issues. Salaries and pensions have been increased by several times over the last 13 years, he said. Social infrastructure projects are underway, more than 3,000 schools and 600 medical centers have been built, more than 40 Olympic centers have been constructed in the regions, said the president, adding that all this are the achievements of the recent years. We are moving towards technological development. Today, Azerbaijan is one of the few members of the space club. We have two satellites and the third satellite will be put into operation in the near future, said President Aliyev. The president noted that Azerbaijan has turned into a very important country in resolving the regional cooperation issues. The major energy projects implemented at our initiative, have gained a larger scope in recent years. These are already intercontinental energy projects, he added. I would like to especially mention the Southern Gas Corridor. I should note that this corridor is being created on the basis of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, which were commissioned in 2006 and 2007, said the president, adding that the Southern Gas Corridor wouldnt have been created without those pipelines. He pointed out that today, the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the worlds biggest energy projects, is being implemented successfully. We are getting closer to the final stage in implementation of the Shah Deniz 2 project, President Aliyev said, adding that 83 percent of the project has already been implemented. TANAP project has been implemented by around 40 percent. We are successfully implementing this giant energy project. It will bring us additional great economic dividends in the future, said the president. By using reliable routes, we deliver our rich gas reserves to the worlds largest market Europe which is one of the closest markets for us. Our energy policy is highly appreciated by the world. We have created an international cooperation format and are expanding it, President Aliyev added. The president also said the Southern Gas Corridor is a historic project. It will define our successful future development, he added. Ilham Aliyev further said Azerbaijan is taking very serious steps with regard to the development of other sectors of its economy. Recently the development of industry and agriculture has been on the rise in Azerbaijan. Despite the continuing economic crisis in the world, we have taken very serious steps in this direction. I am sure that in the coming years the development of the non-oil sector will proceed at a higher pace, he said. The president added that about 70 percent of Azerbaijans economy is formed in the non-oil sector. We are now seriously engaged in diversification of exports. We have to bring the dependence on oil and gas to the lowest level, said Ilham Aliyev. He added that Azerbaijan is taking serious measures for the governance reforms and fighting the unpleasant cases. Corruption and bribery are the main calamities hindering our successful development, he said, adding that the institutional measures taken in this regard are yielding excellent results. He also said Azerbaijan is already presenting and even exporting its intellectual product to the world. ASAN xidmet is our product. This service has already received 12 million appeals, four million people are using these opportunities and now other countries too are learning this experience. We have to present our diversified export opportunities to the world markets in the future. The export of the intellectual products is also of special significance, he said. President Aliyev added that Azerbaijan is today known all over the world as a very reliable partner. All the projects we participate in are intended for cooperation. We think, and as the life shows we think rightfully, that cooperation between countries can remove some problems, he said. Our energy policy is of good will. We have never used it for any other purpose, Ilham Aliyev added. All other regional initiatives, including the ones in the transportation, are intended for cooperation. He reminded that Azerbaijan is today playing an active role in creation of the East-West corridor. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will be commissioned in the months to come. Thus, in order to provide ourselves with good opportunities, we are linking Europe and Asia, the president said. This corridor will give us great economic profits. The volume of the cargos to go through this corridor will reach tens of millions of tons. Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan is also creating the North-South corridor. We again made an initiative, we again presented a format of regional cooperation, and it has already been created. It will allow us transport additionally tens of millions of tons of cargos, he said. This exactly is the reduction of dependence on the oil and development of the non-oil sector. President Aliyev added that Azerbaijan, using its geographical position, puts forward these projects and implements them. By Azernews By Rashid Shirinov Following the long-lasting negotiation process on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is ongoing since early 1990s but still a failure to achieve a notable progress, it seems essential to make some changes in the format of negotiations. And the recent statement of Russias Foreign Minister about possible involvement of Turkey to resolve the problem is worth attraction. The fact that Turkey can play a positive role by ensuring the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, ensuring normal economic cooperation in the region, is such an important factor that we always consider it, Russias FM Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Yerevan on October 14. The statement immediately received a positive echo from Turkey, as Turkeys Foreign Ministry appreciated this possibility. Ankara appreciates the statement by Lavrov on the possibility for Turkey to play a positive role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement, he said. Turkey has repeatedly voiced its desire to comntriburte to peace and stability in the region. Turkey supports Azerbaijan in this issue and advocates a solution to this problem in the framework of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, the Turkish ministry said, noting the unconstructive position of Armenia in the conflict. The soonest settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, of course, could lead to normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations, which have considerably deteriorated due to Armenia's so-called genocide claims against Turkey and occupation of Azerbaijani territories. That was the very reason due to which the Turkish-Armenian border is closed since early 1990s. Turkey has repeatedly stressed that the Ankara-Yerevan normalization of ties is impossible without the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. In general, Turkey, as member of the OSCE Minsk Group, has always been for establishment of contacts between the conflicting sides. Earlier, addressing the PACE, Cavusoglu called on the OSCE Minsk Group to intensify its efforts to find a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The effiecint activity of the OSCE Minsk Group is a frequent debate in Azerbaijani political circles, as no essential progress has been recorded so far to move forward in the peace process. After the last meetings of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in May and June definite in activity is eing observed in the negotiations, while the next meeting of presidents to discuss the problem is yet to be determined. In this context, Russia seems to take into hands the initiative to resolve the conflict Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently met with his Azerbaijani, Armenian and Turkish counterparts. Apparently, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was a topic of discussions at those meetings. Attracting new effective intermediaries to conflicts settlement always brings a positive effect and a new impetus, and Turkey, as a country highly respected in the international arena, can surely be regarded as such a mediator. Russia considers Turkey as a reliable partner for the conflicts resolution, that follows from Lavrovs statement. Turkey can contribute to ensuring the normal economic cooperation throughout the region, interaction in logistics, transportation and infrastructure. Unfortunately, all this is limited due to Armenias occupation of Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, which made over 1 million Azerbaijani people to leave their native lands and become internationally displaced persons. Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts. By Azernews By Rashid Shirinov It is no secret that population in Armenia decreases year by year, but even worse situation is observed in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. Lacking enough number of men to place in the frontline in the occupied lands, the Armenian government comes up with sending there conscripts from Armenia itself. Karabakh has already become a grave for thousands of young Armenian men, with overwhelming majority either killed by their fellow soldiers, or died as result of suicides or health problems. This unique genocide that the Armenian government commits with regards to its own citizens, seems to have no end. It looks like the Armenian government cannot find enough able-bodied young men to drag them to Nagorno-Karabakh, as they keep sending hundreds of persons who are not even eligible for service. And then, parents of the dead soldiers attack the presidential residence, Parliament and government. But it is too late. All the fathers and mothers can do is to bring flowers to the graves of their children. Such heart-rending examples are quite numerous. For instance, soldier Mosiyan died on May 29 of this year his body was found at the firing position in one of the military units of Armenian armed forces, stationed in the occupied Azerbaijani lands. No signs of violence or gunshot wounds were found on Mosiyans body. As it turned out, Mosiyan died of acute cardiopulmonary failure and pulmonary edema, which were attributed with wide range of other diseases. So, here a question arises how he, having so many health problems, could be called on service in army? This case is just a drop in the ocean of other fatal incidents in Armenian armed forces, and no Armenian official seems to pay for these deaths and explain why Armenia literally kills its citizens. The stories of other Armenian soldiers Razmik Petrosyan who was conscripted in spite of having serious problems with legs, and Hovhannes Poghosyan, who had chronic gastritis and enlarged spleen, but yet was sent straight to the front position are clear evidence of lawlessness and chaos in the Armenian army. The most incomprehensible case is the story of soldier Tosun Amoyan who is disabled in the truest sense. He had serious problems with right hand, which almost did not work, and the soldier couldnot even hold a gun. After his parents raised the alarm, the soldier was taken to Armenia allegedly for treatment. However, as it turned out later, that was a distraction no treatment was given, and the soldier was sent back in army. Thus, it is obvious that in the absence of fighters, Armenian Armed Forces indiscriminately conscribe almost all Armenian men of call-up age, leaving out of account if they have health problems or no. The grave situation continues in the Armenia army, while desparate young people are looking for every opportunity to leave the country as soon as possible. When the rubber meets the road! Hot Toys first generation muscle bodies are cracking up all over the place. This is the Hot Toys released 1:... More than 700 private and public sector representatives from across the Gulf Region and beyond will join a forum in Qatar that will discuss how the region can foster healthy economic growth and job creation for the benefit of succeeding generations. Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, chairman of Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Foundation for Energy & Sustainable Development and Qatars former deputy prime minister and former minister of energy and industry, will share his insights on the multiple benefits of sustainable energy development at the Second Regional Forum of the Pearl Initiative and the United Nations Global Compact. Titled Sustainability in Action: Business and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the forum will be held on October 27 at Conrad Hotel, Dubai, UAE. Al-Attiyah's insights will be shared as part of an executive dialogue session on Sustainable Energy Development in the Region moderated by Hamid Jafar, chairman, Crescent Group of Companies and chairman of the Board of Governors of the Pearl Initiative. It is set to take place following the opening Prosperity session, which is one of five overarching forum themes - the others being Peace, Planet, Partnerships and People. The forum is set to convene at a time when global experts are examining the impact of sustainable energy development on holistic, long-term social and economic growth. A report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) titled Renewable Energy Benefits: Measuring the Economics, highlights that doubling the share of renewables by 2030 can enhance the global gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 1.1 percent, improve global welfare by 3.7 percent and create opportunities for around 24 million people working in the renewable energy space. Al-Attiyah said: At a time when the region is focused on diversifying its energy mix, we must understand the role of our existing energy companies in advancing the global sustainability effort. Once we identify the regions current approach and discuss international best practices, we will be well-placed to adapt new and progressive strategies in line with evolving technology, innovation and ideas. I look forward to discussing this critical issue in-depth at the upcoming regional forum. The forum will be organised under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and honorary chairman of the Pearl Initiative, who is also expected to deliver the opening keynote address along with a special video address delivered by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Carla Koffel, executive director, Pearl Initiative, said: Given the inextricable links between corporate governance and sustainability, balancing corporate priorities with social welfare and environmental impact is at the forefront of corporate agendas worldwide. Towards this goal, Pearl Initiative and the United Nations Global Compact are working synergistically to identify ways to address the three-fold agenda of profits, planet and people. Implementing a collaborative approach, we look forward to welcoming and engaging with regional business leaders at the Sustainability in Action forum that is certain to bring to light new perspectives and solutions to achieve the end goal. The forum is supported by The Abraaj Group, Al Jomaih Group, Chalhoub Group, Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), Crescent Petroleum and RWE. - TradeArabia News Service The Bauer Group, a leading provider of services, equipment and products dealing with ground and groundwater, is celebrating four decades of its rotary drilling technology success. Bauer has influenced specialist foundation engineering since the mid 20th century. Exactly 40 years ago, a rotary drilling rig that outshone every other competitor's equipment arrived on construction sites: the Bauer BG 7. In 1976, the new machine surpassed the drilling systems available on the market with its technical innovations, which increased the performance capacity as well as reliability, said the company headquartered in Bavaria, Germany. In addition to the strong mast, there was a massive kelly bar, an additional rope winch, a crowd cylinder system and a hydraulic drive with a kind of torque that had never been seen before. Today, Bauer foundation piles support the glass dome of the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, while the 828-m-tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's taallest tower, stands on Bauer foundation piles. Along with the anchor drilling rig developed a few years previously, the BG 7 meant a major step in Bauer mechanical engineering. At that time, there was a significant increase in the pile drilling work at Bauer, primarily using the grouted anchor invented in-house, said the comoany in its statement. However, the work with the drilling equipment which was standard at the time was technically unsatisfactory. Those systems were too light in all aspects. There was not only a relatively weak mast, but also a delicate square kelly that frequently broke. Other weak points were a fragile chain feed and a torque that was way too low. Dr. Karlheinz Bauer, the head of the company at that time, decided: Let's construct the machines ourselves, drilling has to be more efficient. Dr Bauer and mechanical engineer Hans Haberer poured a lot of courage and new ideas into a new concept. The individual components were focused on what was essential - on pile drilling - and nothing else. They utilised the experience accumulated on many construction sites, said the German company. The BG 7 was first used on construction sites in North Bavaria, in Nuremberg and Bayreuth. It had to be worked out how the new machine affected the acquisition and calculation of projects; the time required for a construction site had to be re-calculated. Where earlier two piles could be constructed in a week, the new machine was capable of constructing several piles in one day. However, the adjustment phase was short, and the teams on construction sites were enthused by the new advantage over the competition. A crucial technical leap was soon brought about by a revolutionary new development the lockable kelly bar, it stated. The BG 7 was originally intended only for own construction operations; however, the competition was eagerly looking at the machine which gave Bauer Spezialtiefbau an economic advantage over others. Finally, it was decided to sell the machines. The following years and decades proved that the trump card for the further development of mechanical engineering of Bauer was the close contact of practical experience in construction and machine design. Construction managers would recognize problems when using the machines and would give feedback to the designers. A lot of suggestions also came from the construction sites outside Germany. It took barely three months to design and build the first rotary drilling rig. The rapid success of the Bauer BG 7 can be seen from the numbers: In the first year, two machines were built, again two in 1977, then nine in 1978, eleven in 1979, and as many as 14 the following year. Bauer said its rotary drilling technology was shown at Bauma for the first time in 1980 meanwhile, the larger BG 11 was already in use. The German group participated in Bauma 1989 for the first time with its own stand, showcasing the BG 30 rotary drilling rig. Today, Bauer is the world market leader providing a full range of specialist foundation engineering equipment.-TradeArabia News Service Oman-based Ithraa, a leading inward investment export development agency, has launched its new website, www.ithraa.om, providing a range of information targeted at local businesses and potential inward investors. According to Azza Al Kindi, Ithraas head of systems and programme development, the new website is designed to promote Oman as a location to do business, drawing on its strategic position, world-class infrastructure and connectivity, talent and range of high-profile development projects, said a statement from the company. Al Kindi said: We are constantly looking at new ways to further improve our relationship with local businesses and attract new investment into the sultanate. The new website builds on and compliments the important work colleagues and stakeholders are doing across Oman and internationally to increase non-oil exports, attract inward investment and create jobs, she said. Al Kindi added: We would like to encourage all businesses, whether in Oman or further afield, to have a look at the site, find out about the range of business support and e-services available to them, and support us in promoting Oman as a great place to live, work and invest in. Commenting on the sites design, Al Kindi said: We were delighted to work with Muscat-based Linetechs who helped us upgrade our website making it more professional, responsive and user friendly to both our domestic and international clients. They also suggested useful and relevant ideas and options, she concluded. Abdullah Al Nassri, CEO, Linetechs, said: Ithraas new website has a responsive user interface that works on desktop computers and laptops, as well as tablets and smartphones. We have also integrated social media throughout, allowing users to share interesting content, he added. TradeArabia News Service The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), Equate Petrochemical Company, Americana Meat Cluster and Plastic Industries Company (PIC) recently celebrated their collaboration for an advanced solution in plastic food packaging. KFAS is a private non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting the progress and advancement of science and technology. The collaboration involved a partnership among KFAS, Equate, Americana Meat Cluster and PIC, a local plastic manufacturer, to devise an optimal solution in plastic food packaging. The solution was developed based on plastic raw material production, film conversion and food packaging, said a statement. The results included developing and enhancing the food packaging plastic properties through Equates Research and Development (R&D) Centre. KFAS director general Dr Adnan Shihab-Eldin, said: KFAS believes that innovation and R&D are essential for the growth of the private sectors scientific and technical capacities that are needed to build a knowledge economy. KFAS established programmes to help companies achieve such capacities. We have been utilising our contacts with local, regional and international entities to find the best technology and knowledge providers that can assist the companies in identifying the technology suitable for their businesses, he said. Last year we introduced both Equate and Americana to the German Institutes in hope that they find new technologies that can be of value to both companies individually. Furthermore we co-funded feasibility studies for both companies, he added. Equate president and CEO Mohammad Husain, said: Diversification is critical for our economy and we consider it a real opportunity for success. In order to achieve success, we need very robust collaboration within a framework of innovation-based partnership. This collaboration is a milestone for us as it promotes the overall sense of ownership. We really appreciate KFAS for being the catalyst that enabled all participating entities to achieve their final goal, he said. This collaboration should not stop as it is an embodiment of our slogan Partners in Success. This is in line with our companys constant drive to develop differentiated products and solutions to advance the local industry and support its growth. Our real story is to be told and used as a power for more achievements, he added. Americana - Meat Cluster CEO Mohamed Mahrous Awad, said: Americana being the Regional leading food brand for the last six decades, through understanding the market needs and using the state-of-art technology, has achieved various milestones through product innovation, offering the market different products and solutions that makes life of our consumers better. Our collaboration with the technical and industrial experts like Equate and PIC, through the scientific platform of KFAS, merging their solid scientific and technical experience with our practical and technical industrial environment would only lead to the best quality solutions benefitting the industry, environment and the society, he said. PIC general manager Hasan Jaber, said: Our company is excited to announce the successful completion of the Americana collaboration with KFAS and Equate for the plastic food packaging application. This significant achievement was made possible on a foundation of trust and a strong commitment to the projects success, as well as the technical and processing guidance from all sides, he concluded. TradeArabia News Service Danish police have arrested a man suspected of making a spate of bomb hoaxes that forced the evacuation of two provincial airports and two malls on Monday, the IB Times UK reported. The suspect was held in Slagelse, a town about 100km west of Copenhagen, police said in a statement. "The man is suspected of sending a number of threats to Danish airports, shopping centres and hospitals," it said. No information has been released as to how the yet unnamed man sent the hoaxes. While no motive was explained, the 28-year-old man is already known to the police, and is reported to have mental health problems according to Sydsvenskan. Two shopping centres in the Danish towns of Roskilde and Slagelse were evacuated following a bomb scare, although police reported no immediate signs of an explosion, the report said. Police closed Copenhagen Airport and Roskilde Airport, about 35km (22 miles) from the capital as precautionary measure. According to Danmarks Radio, all air traffic to and from the latter airport was stopped, while Copenhagen Airport was evacuated. "There have been a number of bomb threats in a short period over the whole country," Danish police said on Twitter. The Copenhagen Business School was briefly evacuated but allowed students back after checks, according to the newspaper Ekstra Bladet. Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis, has signed a partnership with telecom provider du for the development of fifth generation mobile technology (5G) and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. Confirming DSOAs support to dus programme titled UAE 5G Innovation Gate (U5GIG), a memorandum of understanding has been signed between Muammar Khaled Al Katheeri, executive vice president of Engineering and Smart City at DSOA, and Farid Fraidooni, chief operations officer at du. Under the agreement, a UAE 5G Innovation Lab will be established at Dubai Silicon Oasis to test the compliance and feasibility of 5G equipment and services to global standards. Following its establishment at DSOs TechnoHub 2 building, DSOA and du will further cooperate in the research and development of integrated environmental systems at the innovation lab. The UAE 5G Innovation Lab will serve as a platform to prototype, test and validate early 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) equipment and services. The announcements were made on the side-lines of the Gitex Technology Week 2016 currently underway at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Speaking on the agreement, Al Katheeri, said: DSOA is keen to contribute to Dubais smart city transformation and to support the UAE Vision 2021 that aims to position the country among the top nations in the world in the delivery of smart services. To fully achieve this vision, we must transcend the stage of importing smart solutions and technologies, and begin developing such equipment and services locally. Through this programme, we will collaborate with various local and international entities to position the UAE as a trail-blazer in modern 5G technologies and in the research and development of IoT solutions - further accelerating the nations efforts to achieve prosperity and sustainable development, he added. Fraidooni said: "In line with our comprehensive plans for the development and deployment of 5G technologies across the UAE, we, at du, are staunchly committed to our continued investment in R&D. Staying abreast of the latest developments in this dynamic technology will enable us to make significant contributions to the promotion of the Internet of Things and the application of an increased number of smart services throughout the city. Our new partnership with Dubai Silicon Oasis constitutes a further step on the path towards the adoption and application of this technology, which will enable us to exchange experiences with technological and academic institutions, and ICT providers worldwide, he added. The U5GIG programme pioneered by du seeks to enable universities and technical organisations across the UAE to work collaboratively and participate in the development of the 5G ecosystem, and for academia and industry to test applications and technologies in a real-world setting. A wholly-owned entity of the government of Dubai, DSO operates as a free zone technology park for large enterprises, as well as medium and small companies looking to set up their offices in Dubai. TradeArabia News Service Zain Bahrain, a leading telecom operator focused on innovation in customer experience, hosted an exclusive seminar by renowned international speaker Hitendra Patel at the Capital Club in Manama. The event, entitled Accelerating 10X Growth through Innovation, focused on the importance of innovation, and how to generate value by predicting trends and creating sustainable innovation programmes for growth. Patel explained: To drive 10X growth requires that leadership has a growth mindset and the willingness and ability to make decisions in conditions of ambiguity and uncertainty. Many companies fail to do this and are relegated to achieving incremental innovations that keep them competitive but not market leaders, he added. Zain Bahrain general manager Mohammed Zainalabdein said: Innovation is something that is embedded within the core thinking and strategy of Zain Bahrain, which allows us take action in a dynamic environment, differentiate ourselves and plan for the future. We are very happy to host Mr Patel here in the Kingdom of Bahrain so that he can share his global expertise in innovation and growth to key decision makers of the business community in Bahrain." Patel is the managing director of the Centre for Innovation, a global consultancy which helps companies build innovation capabilities. He has partnered with former US President Bill Clinton to create the Hult Prize, the worlds largest start-up accelerator for budding young entrepreneurs. He is also a Professor of Innovation and Growth and co-founded the Global Innovation Management Institute which has been the main driver for making innovation a management discipline across the globe. - TradeArabia News Service Over 350 exhibitors from 46 countries have booked more than 10, 000 sq m of space - more than 18 per cent up on last year to participate in the upcoming Yummex Middle East, a major trade fair for sweets and snacks in Dubai, UAE. The 10th edition of the show runs from November 7-9 at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). A sold-out Yummex Middle East means good news for buyers and consumers in the MENA region, with this years show featuring 12 per cent more brands than in 2015 and country representation from four more new-to-market nations, said Andrew Pert, show director, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC. This means more products and innovation for a region influenced by an enormous population of young consumers, and the traditional role of sweets in Arab culture. Despite recent fluctuations in the regions economy, the research house Nielsens has predicted Mena confectionery sales are forecast to increase by 15 to 20 per cent up to 2024. Citing a recent Euromonitor Report, Yummex Middle East exhibitor Mezzan UAE forecasts the regions snacks industry will record compound annual growth of 8 per cent for the next five years to amount to more than Dh400 million ($109 million), according to marketing manager, Danish Mohammed Khan. For the first time, 20 national pavilions among others from Turkey, Germany, Egypt, Italy, Spain and Belgium - will exhibit at the anniversary edition in 2016. In addition, the organisers DWTC and Koelnmessehave noticed an increased demand from Russian companies looking for market gains at the show. On the buyer side, in addition to the presence of important regional retail chains like Carrefour, Spinneys and Waitrose, 20 top level buyer delegations of the largest regional companies from trade and the hospitality industry are expected, explained Pert. Buyers will discover a sea change of tastes with manufacturers saying a new consumer focus on health is changing the confectionery and snacks we buy. Meanwhile, the Yummex Middle East organisers DWTC and Koelnmesse have revealed that next year the show will be part of September 2017s Dubai International Hospitality Week. Denis Steker, vice president International of Koelnmesse said the move is the next logical step for an exhibition which now has 10 successful editions under its belt. Dubai International Hospitality Week 2017 will give regional trade visitors - especially from the growing hotel, hospitality and retail industries -a comprehensive overview of relevant new products at several specialised trade fairs taking place simultaneously from September 18 to 20, 2017. Lebanons Master Chewing Gum & Candies said changing trends have led it to produce whole new ranges built around natural ginger and fruits, which will make their regional debut at Yummex Middle East. We will also show the first sugar-free aspartame free gum that comes in four different flavours and the first uncoated, sugar-free aspartame-free mastic that comes in a luxurious gold tin, said NaelShaar, managing partner, Master Chewing Gum & Candies. Saudi Arabias Bin Afif Trading Office, which has been supplying the domestic market with hard-boiled candies, is now looking to spread its influence among GCC retailers and wholesalers at Yummex Middle East with a range of sweets based on cardamom, ginger and fruit. Yummex Middle East is among a trio of conveniently segmented food events which also include the gourmet Speciality Food Festival and Seafex, the regions first professional seafood show. The trio is co-located alongside Gulfood Manufacturing, the Middle Easts biggest food manufacturing, processing, packaging, logistics and materials handling exhibition. In addition, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has signed a landmark partnership with the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) the official government organisation, which promotes Italian companies internationally - that will see the best Italian food and drink producers participate at DWTCs trio of specialist food events this year. TradeArabia News Service Dubai Police has signed a collaboration agreement with Nissan Middle East for the implementation of a new road safety technology service called Smart Response, the first of its kind in the region. Nissans Smart Response Service will be made available to owners of new Nissan Patrol and Maxima vehicles. In the event of a collision or accident that results in rapid deceleration, the system works in tandem with the patented Nissan SmartCar control system that alerts Dubai Police, the General Department of Transport and Rescue, so that the cars occupants can receive immediate assistance. The signing ceremony, at Dubai Polices Gitex stand, was attended by Lt General Khamis Mattar Al Muzainah, commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, and Samir Cherfan, Managing Director of Nissan Middle East. Lt Gen Al Muzainah said: Dubai Police employs the latest technologies and innovations to ensure the highest level of security and safety in the community, thus, bringing happiness to all citizens. Dubai Police operates under a clear strategy which believes in the future and in providing professional and effective security services to contribute in making Dubai as the safest place in the world. Cherfan commented: Nissan and Dubai Police continue to work together to pioneer in passenger and vehicle safety to ensure drivers can benefit from the latest global technical innovation. Vehicle safety is of utmost importance to us but sometimes, despite our best intentions, accidents do happen and it is imperative that emergency assistance be made available without hindrance. The signing ceremony was conducted in the presence of Michel Ayat, CEO of Arabian Automobiles Co., Nissan authorised dealer in Dubai and northern emirates, and Ivan Mishanin, CEO of Bright Box Middle East. The system harnesses the power of Nissans SmartCar app, which was jointly developed between Nissan and its strategic service provider, Bright Box Middle East using exclusive Etisalat M2M SIM Cards, and launched during the 2015 Dubai International Motor Show. The app has been updated with multiple features since then, such as Valet Mode, Travel Mode and Self Health Check and now Nissan has added this latest unique feature as first in the Middle East, said a statement. In the event of extremely rapid deceleration or unavoidable collision, the system utilises the on-board accelerometer to detect this potential emergency, and then the system communicates with Dubai Police operators, who then attempt to make contact with the driver to inquire if an accident took place and dispatch the appropriate response unit. If, for some reason, contact cannot be made with the driver, the emergency services are able to reach the last known location. Nissans SmartCar application has already been a huge success with thousands of Maxima and Patrol owners by allowing them to remotely start their cars and air conditioning, lock and unlock their cars, control the horn, headlamps, widows, in addition to being able to track their vehicles physical location in real-time from anywhere in the world, said the statement. TradeArabia News Service Thailand is looking to further grow the number of medical tourist arrivals from the Gulf region with the opening of the Thai pavilion today at International Medical Travel Exhibition & Conference (IMTEC 2016) in Dubai. Held at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, the opening ceremony was led by Tanes Petsuwan, the newly appointed Tourism Authority Thailand (TAT) deputy governor for International Marketing Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas, TAT Director for Dubai and Middle East market along with 11 Thailand-based companies from the health, wellness and hospitality industries. Participants included Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, Landmark Lancaster Hotel, HMC Clinic, Al Meroz Hotel, Thanyapura Integrative Health Center, Panacee Medical Center, Phyatai 2 Hospital, Vitalife Corporation, BB Beauty and Beyond, Bangkok International Hospital and Absolute Health Clinic. Speaking about their participation at IMTEC 2016, Petsuwan said: Medical tourism is identified as high-yield niche markets for TAT and it is one of the key components to build the quality benchmark and improve tourism spend. The GCC market is one of the key source markets of TAT for medical tourism and we plan to expand our promotion by visiting cities such as Kuwait and Oman to further create more partnerships in the Gulf region. The week-long medical tourism roadshow will kick off in Dubai by having a presence in the annual IMTEC event and an Amazing Thailand Health and Wellness Networking Dinner 2016, which takes place today (October 9). The roadshow continues to Oman on October 11 and Kuwait on October 12. The delegates from Thailand will meet travel agencies, local government officials and health authorities in each respective city to forge new partnerships on medical tourism. Commenting on TATs first-ever medical tourism roadshow in the Gulf, Chalermsak Suranant, director of TAT - Dubai and Middle East Office, said: We are extremely proud of our health and wellness industry. At either end of the wellness spectrum, you will find that our private hospitals are world-famous medical tourism magnets in themselves. This has been a great success story, especially from the Middle East market. Thailands track record on the medical frontier has frequently won international acclaim. Many hospitals out of 200 international standard hospitals and clinics, have Arabic-speaking interpreters, prestigious American and European board doctors and gentle Thai nurses. Nationals of GCC countries; Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, can enjoy their medical treatment in Thailand for 90 days without a visa. The regulation also allows a patient to have not more than three individuals who are GCC nationals (i.e. parents, children, spouse or maid), accompanying him or her to stay in Thailand for 90-days without visa as well. Further details are available on the website of the Royal Thai Embassy and Royal Thai Consulate in all GCC countries. Imtec 2016 runs from October 9 to 10. - TradeArabia News Service Bad weather, natural disasters and strike action cost the travel industry up to an estimated $60 billion annually, equating to some 8 per cent of global industry revenues, a new report on flight disruption finds today. Airline Disruption Management, written by leading airline IT consultancy T2RL and commissioned by Amadeus, also finds that disruption spreads 'virally' throughout the travel ecosystem: the knock-on impact of planes and crews not arriving as intended means highly optimised networks see further cancellations and delays often from a relatively minor initial problem. The report also finds that industry regulations such as the Tarmac Delay Rule in the US and Mandatory Compensation for Delays across the EU are incentivising airlines to develop standard procedures for handling disruption situations. T2RL's analysis for the report identified a range of findings based on interviews with leading experts from organizations across the travel industry, including American Express GBT, ANA, Gatwick Airport, Iata, Southwest Airlines, Star Alliance, Swiss International Airlines, and Yas Viceroy Hotel. Other key findings include: - We are heading for a technology breakthrough: Increased motivation of airline boardrooms to invest in addressing disruption management combined with increasing attention and promising initial proof of concepts from IT vendors indicate a breakthrough is highly likely in coming years. - Collaboration is critical to have an integrated approach: Better communication between operations managers, airports and airline service companies will lead to greater collaboration. In future, even airlines that compete vigorously will work together during times of disruption. Ira Gershkoff, Principal Consultant, T2RL & the report's author, said: "There is every reason to believe the historic challenge of re-routing planes, crew and passengers during disruption will finally be addressed over the next several years. After a period of limited investment, the will has once again returned across airline boardrooms, driven in large part by the need to deliver reliably on ancillary product sales. What's important is that service providers are collaborating across the entire industry to mitigate the impact on the traveller." Julia Sattel, Global head of Airline IT, Amadeus, added: "Disruption management is one of the most significant operational challenges our airline customers face. Any inroad made into this $60 billion a year problem will yield substantial return on investment, not to mention addressing a frustration that tops passenger satisfaction surveys year after year. Needless to say, Amadeus technicians and engineers are working to solve the disruption management challenge right now." A panel of senior figures from across the industry will discuss the report's findings during a session at Iata's World Passenger Symposium today (October 18). - TradeArabia News Service Oryx Rotana, a five-star luxury business hotel in Doha, hosted a Blindfold dinner" on October 12 at Jade A ballroom. The event was held in association with Orbis UK, this initiative was aimed at supporting people with visual disabilities. During the event, guests were welcomed at Jade B ballroom for a photography session. Subsequently, blindfolds and aprons were distributed to all guests, after which ushers and volunteers guided them to their seats where dinner was served in the dark. On this occasion, Lana Jwainat, director of Marketing and Communications at Oryx Rotana Doha, said: We are happy to host the blindfold dinner for the fourth consecutive time, and we consider this as a great opportunity to support people with visual disabilities. Furthermore, the event brings about a unique experience in terms of awakening our other senses and live the feeling of those lacking this blessing as well as the competencies and capabilities they have. Oryx Rotana has always been keen on supporting Orbis Charitable Foundation, and we are privileged to partner with this international institution to contribute to the prevention of blindness initiatives that fall under our corporate social responsibility. Moreover, through the blindfold dinner, we aim to let our attendees and members of the local community to realise the importance of the gift of sight and the efforts taken by the organisation in order to provide the means to reduce the likelihood of vision loss and treatment of those in need for it," she added. Florence Branchu, head of Partnerships in the Middle East for Orbis and the Qatar Creating Vision initiative said: 285 Million People in the world are blind or visually impaired. Yet 80 per cent can be avoided or cured. Qatar Creating Vision is a new initiative, funded by the Qatar Fund For Development and implemented by Orbis. This truly remarkable philanthropic initiative is bringing together governments, charities, business and hospitals to deliver 5.5 million eye tests and treatments to children in India and Bangladesh before 2020. Oryx Rotana is an incredible long-standing partner of Orbis and we are delighted that this year again the staff is going above and beyond to celebrate sight being restored and lives being transformed. she added. - TradeArabia News Service Airfares tend to take a major chunk out of our travel budget and yet, airfares remain a key component of every travel plan these days. Getting cheap airfares to favourite destinations always seems to be a tough task, but with detailed planning and research, travellers can actually pull out a coup by landing a good airfare deal. Airfares change dynamically based on several factors like days, months, seasons, booking availability, type of airline, upcoming festivals, special promotions, discounts and offers, and so on. To compound further miseries, add hundreds of travel apps and websites; all promising to provide the cheapest of airfares. Sometimes, it actually becomes a difficult process to book flights, especially if air tickets are a main component of the holiday budget. HolidayMe, the GCC's first customised holiday booking portal, lists a few steps to ensure travellers get the best flight deals. Always use incognito mode or private browsing while looking for airfares to the selected destination. The cookies enabled in browsers are traceable by travel websites, and they tend to increase the fares automatically for repeatedly searched routes and flights. Opting for incognito mode or private browsing provides you a clearer picture without keeping a track of searches. Try the best flight search engines and comparison sites for the best airfare deals. These websites search several travel portals and list the best airfare prices available for customers. Try booking with official airlines of your travel destination. The official airlines offer great flight deals, promotional airfares, and all-inclusive holiday packages. Official airlines also have the best airfares and the maximum number of flights to your selected destinations. Try local airlines and regional low-cost air carriers. Low-cost air carriers are the newest trend in the aviation sector. The no-frill airfares and quick operation turnarounds have resulted in increasing popularity amongst air travellers. Local airlines also have good promotional fares to several destinations, while regional low-cost airlines have round-the-year competitive prices and plenty of flights. Register with travel portals for amazing promotional discounts and deals. Popular travel portals continue to release attractive discounts on hotels, flights and holidays in every calendar year. Register for the official newsletters of various travel portals and keep a look out for air deals related to your destination. Be flexible with your travel dates, since airfares fluctuate on a daily basis based on several factors like demand, availability, special seasons, promotional airfares, etc. Flexibility in dates can help to pick up the best date with the lowest airfare for a particular destination. Be flexible with travel timings as well, since airfares continue to hover based on flight timings. Late night flights are always cheaper due to very few takers, while morning flights or evening flights have higher demands and pricing due to favorable travel timings. Avoid peak tourism season and months in the case of looking for attractive air fares. Peak tourism season and the best months to visit a destination generally see an increase in tourist footfalls. This leads to higher demands for flights, hotels, and holiday packages and in-turn leads to a surge in pricing. However, by booking in advance, travellers can still get attractive deals even during peak seasons. Avoid travelling to your destination during festivals or events. Airfares are always high due to high demand during major festivals or events. Book in advance to avoid the surge in pricing during festivals and major events happening in your destination. Opt for round-trips rather than one-way flights, since combined flights booked together save money. With these nifty steps, travellers can be sure to get their hands on cheap flight tickets and save themselves the hassle and confusion that comes around each holiday period. - TradeArabia News Service The privatization of the Casper Events Center will save the city money only if the new operators generate significantly more revenue. Casper City Manager V.H. McDonald cited the Events Centers nearly $1 million in annual losses as a reason to pursue private management. But the new five-year contract with Spectra Venue Management calls for the city to continue paying that annual subsidy if necessary in addition to a $130,000 management fee. City council members also said privatizing the center would help bring more popular acts to Casper. The city will pay Spectra up to $1,124,919 per year to operate the center, which is more than the current cost. The contract started Oct. 1. City leaders say the deal makes sense because Spectra is incentivized to save money and has the resources to do so. The contract requires the city to cover operational losses up to $994,919. If Spectra reduces those losses, the company is entitled to 20 percent of the savings. That means if Spectra reduces losses by $100,000, the company earns a $20,000 fee. The whole idea is that we think that they can do a better job managing it than we can, said Casper Leisure Services Director Doug Follick. They can save money. While Follick said he did not know the exact amount of money Spectra would need to save for the deal to make financial sense, it would need to be substantial. For example, even if Spectra saved $150,000 per year, the city would still find itself paying more with the Events Center under private management than it was before. If Spectra completely eliminates the operational loss at the Events Center, the city would still pay $329,000 per year in incentive and management fees. In that scenario, the city would save roughly $650,000 annually. Spectras regional vice president Rick Hontz said the company saw several ways to generate new sources of revenue at the Events Center. The $130,000 management fee is really nothing for what we see in opportunity to grow revenue, Hontz said. He cited corporate sponsorship opportunities at the center as an obvious opening and said a new ad sales representative had just been hired to work on that goal. Hontz said it is hard to predict how much the operational loss can be reduced. But he cited the case of the Ford IdahoCenter in Nampa, Idaho, which Spectra recently took control of. Within the first year of operation Spectra roughly halved the $1.2 million annual loss, Hontz said. Thats not common, Hontz acknowledged. But he said the venue was roughly the same size as the Events Center and Spectra plans to follow a similar business model in Casper. If the company halves the deficit at the Events Center, the city will continue to pay a $727,000 subsidy, a savings of over $250,000 per year. Follick said he was confident that the city would see cost savings from the deal in the long-run. They convinced us that they would be able to make money on our building, Follick said. Its not going to happen overnight. But he noted there were other benefits to bringing a private venue management company in to operate the arena. For one, Spectras network of venues makes it easier for the company to book big-name acts like Snoop Dogg that Casper would otherwise have to pay a premium to attract. The contract will be automatically renewed after the initial term in five-year increments unless either party chooses to terminate it. Police arrested a Casper man on suspicion of child abuse last week after his 2-year-old daughter was admitted to the hospital with a fractured skull, broken ribs and severe bruising covering most of the childs body. The childs mother noticed the bruising Tuesday after she picked her up from the childs father, Justin Thomas Ross, who had been caring for the child since Oct. 5, according to an arrest affidavit. The mother first noticed bruising on the girls face and asked Ross what happened, as the child had been healthy when Ross picked her up. Ross said the child had fallen from a toddler bed onto a bicycle toy, the affidavit states. The mother noticed more bruising on the girls body as she gave her a bath later that evening. Ross told the mother that he didnt notice any other bruising but that it was probably from the fall, according to the affidavit. The mother took the child to Wyoming Medical Center, where emergency room doctors found that the 2-year-old had a fractured skull, two broken ribs, severe bruising and marks around her ears that indicated she had been strangled. Doctors called the police after they determined the injuries were not accidental and the skull fracture had been caused by extreme force. The toddlers older sibling had briefly stayed with Ross on Oct. 5 and told police that he saw Ross choke the toddler and was trying to pop her head off, the affidavit states. Ross then threw the child against the wall, the sibling told police. The sibling also said that he didnt like Ross because he was mean. During an interview with police, Ross said he was the only one who cared for the toddler between Oct. 5 and Oct. 11. He said he had been sleeping when on Oct. 10 he heard a crash and a boom come from the room where the girl was sleeping, according to the affidavit. Ross found the girl lying on the floor in the fetal position and assumed she had fallen off the bed and onto a plastic toy. He noticed red marks on the girls face and stomach but didnt notice any other injuries, he told police. Police confronted Ross with the doctors medical diagnosis and Ross explained that the bruising on the girls buttocks could be from when he gave her two small swats as discipline. He said the marks indicating strangulation could have formed after he accidentally restricted the childs breathing while examining the girls injuries after she fell, according to the affidavit. When police told Ross what the older sibling had told them, Ross said that he had put the toddler in the corner for a time out and that perhaps the child had fallen into the wall on her own, the affidavit states. Investigators searched Ross apartment and found a crack in the wall that appeared to be where the child had been thrown. They found the childs hair embedded in the crack. Police arrested Ross on suspicion of child abuse Thursday and took him to Natrona County Detention Center. A game warden in southern Wyoming asked for information Tuesday about the poaching of a black bear outside of Baggs this month. Elk hunters discovered the body of the 2- or 3-year-old sow on Thursday in the Little Sandstone Drainage outside of Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, Baggs Game Warden Kim Olson said in a news release. The poacher killed the bear with a .30-caliber Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet on or around Oct. 10, Olson said. Olson asked anyone with information to call her at 307-383-2160. Tips can also be submitted to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's website. Those who report information could receive up to a $5,000 reward if the tip leads to a conviction. The federal government appears to have acted illegally by entering into contracts with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe to provide multi-tribal services on the Wind River Reservation, according to a court order Monday. The Shoshone share the central Wyoming reservation with the Northern Arapaho Tribe. The Arapaho sued in February, claiming that the Bureau of Indian Affairs was entering into exclusive agreements with the Shoshone to fund joint tribal services like the court, fish and game department and water engineer. The BIA lacks the authority to issue a 638 contract for the Wind River Reservation without the approval of the (Eastern Shoshone) and the (Northern Arapaho), U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris wrote in his order, noting that it appeared the BIA had issued such contracts anyway. 638 contracts provide federal funding for tribes to provide services and operate programs that the BIA is mandated to ensure exist on reservations. The laws plain language seems to confirm that the BIA acted ultra vires in approving the contracts at issue, Morris wrote, using a legal term meaning beyond its authority. Morris granted the Arapahos request for a preliminary injunction barring the BIA from entering into any more exclusive contracts with the Shoshone. The Federal Court has said it in plain words the BIA has violated the sovereign rights of the Norther Arapaho Tribe, Dean Goggles, Northern Arapaho Business Council chairman, said in a statement. Each Tribe at Wind River is its own sovereign, and neither Tribe governs or speaks for the other, Goggles added. The dispute began in 2014 when the Arapaho left the Joint Business Council, established in the 1930s to allow the federal government to negotiate with both Wind River tribes at once. The Shoshone Business Council did not recognize the Arapahos decision to dissolve the JBC and continued to operate the joint council and enter contracts with the BIA. Morris denied the federal governments request to dismiss the lawsuit. The government claimed the issue was moot because the BIA had already agreed to stop negotiating exclusively with the Shoshone. But Morris said that the BIA had only written a letter stating its intention to stop entering such contracts. The BIA has committed to no legally binding policy that would prevent such [contract] approvals from happening in the future, Morris wrote. He added that the preliminary injunction only gave legal force to what the BIA had already agreed to in its letter. The order comes more than two weeks after the expiration on Sept. 30 of all the 638 contracts on the reservation. The most acute consequence of the expiration of federal funding for tribal programs has been at the tribal court. The Arapaho stepped in to fund operations of the court starting on Oct. 1 and accuse the Shoshone of attempting to shut down the court. The court agreed and held several Shoshone leaders in contempt, threatening to jail or fine them. But the Shoshone Business Council argues that the court no longer has legal authority and claims that it fired the judge earlier this month. A hearing on the contempt charges is scheduled for Wednesday. While the district court lawsuit includes issues related to the tribal court dispute, Mondays order did not address the issue. JACKSON Wyomings Department of Environmental Quality is drawing criticism for a plan to downgrade thousands of miles of streams as not suitable for recreation like swimming, fishing and floating. Critics have raised concerns about the quality of the analysis and whether it will subject thousands of miles of streams to higher levels of fecal bacteria. DEQ water protection manager David Waterstreet said that while the hydrological model used in the analysis was found to be 95 percent accurate, its an overgeneralization to say that 5 percent of streams were improperly rated. Thats just a measure of the accuracy of the model itself, Waterstreet said. Thats a validation that the model that we used and the assumptions that we made were 95 percent accurate. It doesnt speak to on-the-ground 5 percent of the streams (being) incorrectly designated. Agency officials have defended the analysis. Spokesman Keith Guille said there is a process in place for people to work with the agency on improvements. We are closer today than where we were before this analysis started, Guille said. There was no accuracy before the analysis. People have until Oct. 31 to submit comments before the plan goes to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for consideration. If there are areas where we have missed, Guille said, there is a path for the public to come to us and work with us ... to make this analysis even better. Members of the Wyoming Outdoor Council said they intend to work with the EPA to completely scrap the plan. We think that the state used such a broad-brushed approach that it ended up improperly downgrading perhaps thousands of miles of stream segments that people currently use for swimming and other recreation, council attorney Dan Heilig said. CHEYENNE A Cheyenne couple has been sentenced to prison for child abuse and abusing a vulnerable adult. Dennis and Emily Larkins maintained their innocence during a Monday sentencing hearing in Laramie County. Their attorneys said they would be appealing the case and did not wish to make a statement. Emily Larkins is a former chairwoman of a Laramie County organization that helps low-income families and children. Dennis Larkins, a 50-year-old with a felony criminal record, was sentenced to three to five years in prison. The judge sentenced 49-year-old Emily Larkins to 18 to 36 months in prison. The Larkins were charged last year after their teenage daughter showed school officials a photograph of a large, dark bruise on her younger brother. Coming to us soon - us as in those living in Palma - will be the Hazte Oir "bus of hate", as it has been branded. The bus is sched... OTTER LAKE, Mich. (AP) A group of scuba divers donned flippers and wetsuits to carve pumpkins underwater as part of a pre-Halloween tradition in Michigan. Francis Carr, one of the participants in Sunday's 21st annual event at Otter Lake, says that it's "taking pumpkin carving to the next level." While still on land, MLive.com reports (http://bit.ly/2eIXRIT ) the divers scraped the insides of their pumpkin and drew designs. From there, they headed underwater to carve. The event about 60 miles northwest of Detroit is sponsored by a dive shop. Jordon Fundaro, who has participated in the carving for the last two years, says that "All you hear is yourself breathing and the knife carving through the pumpkin." He says the whole experience is "kind of surreal." ___ Information from: The Grand Rapids Press:MLive.com, http://www.mlive.com Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. One of the more active national homebuilders in the Tucson market has leased more than 8,000 square feet of office space. Mattamy Homes will move into La Paloma Corporate Center, 3567 E. Sunrise Drive. The company has more than $50 million invested in residential projects in the local market since 2014. Accessibility, quality space and proximity to great amenities has made the office market in the Foothills very attractive, said CBREs Jeff Casper, who along with David Montijo represented the landlord. Mattamy will have a very nice office space and show room that is accessible to their existing locations in Dove Mountain and Oro Valley, as well as their planned communities on the east side. James Hardman, with Desco Southwest, represented Mattamy in the lease. The homebuilder has two active communities in Marana and Oro Valley, and two under development in Oro Valley and in Vail. When Jamie Foxx popped into Topgolf on Tuesday, Nov. 26, Mario Acosta (pictured far right), thought he'd take a chance and say hi. "He was in the booth right next to ours," Acosta told the Star via Twitter. Acosta said the Academy Award-winning actor was "super nice." He joked around with Acosta and his friends for a few minutes, before taking selfies with the group and heading out. Hare Krishna devotees remove their shoes as they step into the meditation room each morning. Outside, birds chirp and a waterfall cascades into a koi pond. It is quiet for now. The compound is like another world. The wail of a conch shell signifies the start of a ceremony and the room fills with music as devotees bow and chant, acknowledging both Krishna, a name for God in Hinduism, and A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Looking back on 50 years Around the country, Hare Krishna devotees are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the movement, founded in 1966 by Prabhupada in the United States. Earlier this month, Gov. Doug Ducey congratulated the movement on the anniversary. To celebrate, Tucsons temple shared a meal Saturday with religious leaders from other faith traditions, a nod to the movements desire for people to connect with the spiritual, even through other religions. The mayor also spoke at the gathering. Our mission is to re-spiritualize society in a nonsectarian way, said Atula Govinda Das, a 29-year-old who has lived on site for about four years. His legal name is Aaron Lieberman. But in 21st-century America, devotees have their work cut out for them. In a material society prone to over-schedule, many Americans put soul-searching on the back burner not to mention the rising number of individuals who choose not to identify with any particular religious tradition. The Hare Krishna movement comes from within Hindu tradition, and it expresses itself in a unique way with modern society, said Konden Smith, a visiting professor of religious studies at the University of Arizona. Its responding to a global world. Lieberman brought up challenges Krishna devotees face, especially in the U.S. (Society) wants to acquire fame and wealth and be in control, Lieberman said. Krishna Consciousness wants to put spiritual development back in the center of society. Tiny Tucson In the last 50 years, the movement has grown globally and within the United States. There are about 60 temples nationwide and about 600 around the world, in addition to farms, restaurants and schools, said Anuttama Dasa, the international director of communications for ISKCON and a member of its Governing Body Commission. The Tucson temple opened in 1987 at 711 E. Blacklidge Drive, followed by the vegetarian restaurant Govindas Natural Foods Buffet in 1992. With about 20 members living on site and a congregation of about 100 showing up for Sunday evening services, Tucsons community is on the smaller side, said Sandamini Dasi, legally Sharon Cooksey. In its lifetime, the movement has changed its emphasis to support congregations of devotees that dont all live on site. The lifestyle is different from mainstream America, said Cooksey, the president of the Tucson temple. Its for everybody, but not for everybody deeply. Cooksey and her ex-husband Dasarath Das, or Charles Cooksey, founded the only other official ISKCON temple in Arizona in Phoenix about 10 years after opening the center here. As far as she knows, Sharon Cooksey is one of three women presidents running Hare Krishna temples in the U.S. Tucson is a unique place, said Lieberman. There are a lot of seekers in Tucson ... I grew up in the South, and I see more open hearts and minds in Tucson. Spiritual life Although the Tucson congregation has not grown in leaps and bounds, the restaurant is hopping, Sharon Cooksey said. When the restaurant is open, the meditation room doubles as a meal hall, with a partition separating diners from the divine. Right now, temple leadership is considering opening a satellite Govindas maybe on the east side or near the University of Arizona, Cooksey said. We consider vegetarian food like communion, Cooksey added. It has a spiritual component that purifies. ... Almost like eating your way back to God. ISKCON, including the Tucson temple, also facilitates a vegetarian food relief program. Vegetarianism is one of the vows taken by devotees, along with commitments to abstain from intoxication, sex outside of marriage and gambling. Those vows help the devotees abide by the four pillars of the tradition: truthfulness, cleanliness, mercy and austerity. One of the main spiritual texts is the Bhagavad Gita. We are part of the Vaishnava tradition, which refers to a monotheistic or theistic devotional tradition within Hinduism, said Anuttama Dasa. Not without controversy Once known for showing up in airports to sell literature in saffron robes, the movement has toned down its approach in recent years, followers say. Devotees still take to the streets to chant the Hare Krishna mantra. In Tucson, they frequent downtown, Fourth Avenue and university areas, Lieberman said. Gone is the sentiment: We have to convert the world by tomorrow, Cooksey said. The movement grew quickly in the beginning, attracting overzealous young people. In these 50 years, the movement has had to contend with public opinion shaped by fanatical proselytizers in years past, issues of leadership following Prabhupadas death in 1977 and allegations of child abuse surfacing out of ISKCON boarding schools in the 90s all issues that have been addressed, said Anuttama Dasa. Nori Muster, a real estate teacher at Mesa Community College, left the movement in 1988 after 10 years as a devotee in Los Angeles. Working public relations and writing for an ISKCON publication, she clashed with leadership over attempts to make over a magazine with more in-depth reporting, she said. Her book about the experience Betrayal of the Spirit: My Life Behind the Headlines of the Hare Krishna Movement joins other critical voices of the movement. The Tucson temple, founded in the late 80s, missed much of the controversy, Cooksey said. Still, in 2010 her ex-husband Charles Cooksey was put on probation by the Governing Body Commission, according to a notice of probation published by the independent Sampradaya Sun. Her ex-husband was put on probation for criticizing not the principles of Krishna Consciousness but the leaders, said Sharon Cooksey. At that point, the couple was already divorced. Filling in gaps Cooksey, 62, encountered the movement as a young woman working in downtown Cincinnati. Raised in a Catholic home, I had questions that I felt werent answered properly, she said. Western religion had let her down, so she turned to the East, learning about karma and reincarnation from a Hare Krishna devotee. Lieberman, 29, also felt like the movement connected him to God in a way that his Christian upbringing and the modern world did not. Now, his lifestyle is a simple one. A seven-vehicle crash on westbound Interstate 10 Tuesday morning has killed at least three people authorities said. Shortly before 8 a.m., Arizona Department of Transportation tweeted that a multi-vehicle collision at Ruthrauff Road had blocked all lanes of traffic, including the exit ramp. One person was pronounced dead at the scene and multiple people were transported to the hospital with serious injuries, said Quentin Mehr, an Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman. Two of the victims have since died from their injuries. The cause of the crash is currently unknown. It's unknown how many other victims were taken to the hospital or treated for injuries. Two lanes of I-10 between Ruthrauff and Prince have reopened, but there's no estimated time as far as when the other lanes will be open to traffic. Drivers have been asked to find an alternate route. Two shooting calls Sunday, including one that left a man dead, are connected, deputies said Monday. In the first call, deputies found a man who had been shot and killed at a home in the 4300 block of West Valencia Road just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Deputy Cody Gress, a department spokesman, said in a news release. About 30 minutes later deputies were called to a house in the 5000 block of West Tillery Street and found a man wounded by gunshots. That man was taken to the hospital and was most recently listed in serious condition. Investigators say the shootings are still being investigated. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or 88CRIME, the anonymous tipster line. A support group for Davis-Monthan Air Force Base has launched a new local marketing campaign, trying to drum up more grassroots support even as it amps up its lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. The DM50, a mainly business-backed group that advocates for the base, plans to roll out a new Support Our Base campaign Tuesday, Oct. 18, with graphical wrap ads on the back ends of four SunTran buses. The ads show D-M imagery and advertise SupportOurBase.com, a new web link to the DM50, with the slogan Americas Asset. Tucsons Treasure. Bob Logan, president of the DM50, said while the group is known for its outside advocacy of the base and programs to help D-Ms airmen and their families, one of its main missions is to educate the community about D-Ms value. Weve been under the radar publicly for a long time, probably by design, said Logan, who is University of Arizona assistant dean for external and corporate relations. We feel that we should be stronger in our voice and let people know the community does support what we are doing. The DM50 and other supporters have cranked up efforts to promote D-M since the Air Force floated a plan in 2013 to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack plane, which comprises D-Ms biggest mission. Logan said the groups Salute to Davis-Monthan event in November 2014 was the first time the DM50 reached out to the larger business community to ask for sponsorship support, and the response was overwhelming. A second salute event held in April quickly sold out. Its pretty powerful when you reach out to the community, to see how many people support what we are doing and what the base is all about, Logan said. Meanwhile, the DM50 unveiled the findings of an initial six months worth of work by consultants hired by D-M supporters including the DM50, the city of Tucson and Pima County to develop strategies to preserve the air base. The findings were released to the county under its agreement to back the consulting effort, and the report was released to the city after some residents complained about a lack of transparency and City Councilman Steve Kozachik pushed to release the documents. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the Air National Guard 162nd Wing in Tucson have the strong, long-term support of political and military officials, a consultant working on strategies to support the local bases says. The report by SRelli Consulting said that in 32 meetings with the consultants, political and military leaders consistently said D-M and the Air National Guard 162nd Wing at Tucson International Airport are now and will continue to be indispensable national assets for the foreseeable future. SRelli Consulting is headed by retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Gene Santarelli, who is partnering on the D-M work with Fred Pease, a former Air Force deputy assistant secretary for installations and environmental policy. During their work through July, the consultants said they had 32 presentations and discussions with senior civilian and military leaders. The consultants helped local leaders develop briefings for their D-M lobbying efforts, focusing on anchor factors, significant operational advantages like the bases close proximity to major ground-attack training ranges, year-round flying weather and the presence of the Air Forces biggest aircraft storage and maintenance facility, the 309th Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group. The consultants also helped schmooze supporters at the April salute event, and analyzed noise and safety data to bolster the case to bring the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to D-M. The latest Air Force data, gathered by the consultants during a visit to Lockheed Martins F-35 plant in Dallas in May, shows the F-35 is not significantly louder in some scenarios than the loudest F-16s that already fly frequently at D-M, the consultants said. The head of a group that opposes basing the F-35 and other louder planes at D-M, disputed those findings. It is pitiful, and it is just propaganda, said Mary Terry Schiltz, president of the nonprofit advocacy group Tucson Forward Inc., noting that other Air Force data shows the F-35 is significantly louder than the F-16 in most scenarios. Schiltz called the agreements by the city and county to each contribute $180,000 to fund the three-year consulting effort an abuse of taxpayer dollars. The DM50s Logan said the steering committee will continue to share updates on a quarterly or monthly basis, but the groups dont want to tip their hands to other military communities that may be competing for some of the same new missions. PHOENIX The campaign to keep Arizonans from using marijuana for recreation is getting a big boost from the states richest person. Campaign-finance reports show Discount Tire Co. dumped $1 million into the effort to kill Proposition 205. It is a private company owned by Paradise Valley resident Bruce Halle. Efforts to reach Halle or his company late Monday for comment were unsuccessful. Forbes listed his real time net worth as of Monday at $6.3 billion. Halles chain has more than 900 stores in 31 states with estimated annual revenues of $4.2 billion. The donation makes Discount Tire the single largest contributor to the cause. Only Empire Southwest, which sells heavy construction machinery, comes close, with total donations to date of $200,000. Current law allows Arizonans with certain medical conditions, a doctors recommendation and a state-issued ID card to obtain up to 2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks. Proposition 205 would expand the right to buy, grow and possess up to an ounce for any adult. That effort is primarily funded by the national Marijuana Policy Project. Halles donations have gained some attention before. Last year the Paradise Valley Police Department purchased cameras to read the license plates of vehicles passing through the tony community. The department said that Halle, whose home had been burglarized in 2011, donated about $250,000 to hide the cameras in fake cacti. More recently, the chain drew criticism from some Hispanic groups for posting signs in store windows urging the reelection of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. A precious parcel of land 65 scenic, saguaro-studded acres teeming with wildlife is now part of Tucson Mountain Park thanks to the generosity of Tucsonan Martha Hawes. Hawes, a University of Arizona professor specializing in plant pathology, donated the desert parcel to Pima County for inclusion in the park west of Tucson because theres nothing so important as saving at least part of the planet from development. She said she and her late husband, fellow scientist Hans Van Etten, had planned on donating the property southwest of West 36th Street and South La Cholla Boulevard to the county since buying the land, building a house and moving there in 2003. As a child, I had a dream about looking out and seeing a field being paved, Hawes said. I dont want them paving this field of desert landscapes around the house. County was approached more than 10 years ago Martha is a truly wonderful lady, said Steve Anderson, planning division manager for Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation. She and her husband came to me more than 10 years ago with an altruistic intent to make a lasting donation for the conservation of their land and the betterment of Tucson Mountain Park. And they really followed through, Anderson said. These donations happen periodically and its a wonderful thing. This helps us expand our parks and trails system and provide a public benefit for everyone. Previous donors have deeded land to expand trails around the Sweetwater Preserve, Ventana Canyon and Redington Pass. The agreement between Hawes and the county allows her to remain in the house on the property for the remainder of her life, Anderson said. EXQUISITE DESERT, variety of animals Asked to describe the landscape of the 65 acres surrounding her home, Hawes, said, Its the desert being desert. Ive studied plant roots for my whole career, and I still dont understand how desert plants do it, she said. Its a miracle every day to be out here. Out here includes slopes and ridges of volcanic rock, prickly forests of saguaros and several other types of cactus, and a sort of whos who of desert animal life. Hawes and her late husband have photographed many of the birds and animals in the area and the house is decorated with colorful wildlife pictures. Among the animals in the photo collection are a kit fox, javelinas, deer, rattlesnakes and birds including a cactus wren, a Coopers hawk and several kinds of hummingbirds. No immediate plan to build trails Anderson said there are no immediate plans for building trails on the newly acquired parkland. But a trailhead near the western end of West 36th Street could eventually serve as a starting point for those who might want to trek carefully cross-country into the area. There are no definite plans for Hawes house when she is no longer living there. About the only thing we would use it for would be environmental education, Anderson said. PHOENIX The co-chairs of a congressional task force on combating valley fever say theyve made major strides, though theres still no prevention or cure for the potentially fatal respiratory illness. Among those accomplishments is a randomized trial recently announced by the National Institutes of Health on the efficacy and safety of an anti-fungal treatment. One of the trial sites is in Tucson. Federal officials say major goals of the trial are to improve the recognition and management of early onset valley fever and to enhance what advocates say is sorely needed community awareness. The next step will be pushing to get a valley fever vaccine on the market, U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told an audience of reporters and medical professionals at Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix on Monday. McCarthy, with Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., is co-chair of the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force, created in 2013. Schweikert also spoke. Valley fever is endemic to Southern Arizona. More than 7,000 cases of valley fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis, were reported in Arizona last year, but the disease remains underreported and misdiagnosed because it is so regional and the symptoms are similar to those of pneumonia. It takes inhaling just one coccidioides fungal spore to get valley fever. If you only think this is an occasional disease of the lungs, you dont understand, Schweikert said, describing the case of a young man he met who could barely sit up because valley fever had gone into his spine. I had no idea before I got elected and we started digging into this. McCarthy and Schweikert were part of a valley fever symposium held in 2013 in Bakersfield, California, an area where valley fever is also endemic. They say that since that time, awareness among officials with the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has increased, as has outreach to physicians. The four U.S. counties with the highest number of valley fever cases are Kern County in California, which includes Bakersfield, and Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties in Arizona. The disease also has been found in Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah, and in parts of Mexico, Central and South America. Arizona accounts for two-thirds of all valley fever cases in the U.S.. In 2014 there were 42 deaths in Arizona attributed to valley fever, the most recent data available. McCarthy and Schweikert also touted a $9.7 million two-year NIH grant to conduct a randomized trial to determine the safety and efficacy of the anti-fungal fluconazole in treating valley fever. The grant money was awarded to Duke University, which is partnering with academic leaders and health systems in endemic areas, including the University of Arizona and Banner Health in Tucson and Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield. The UA will receive about $1.9 million of the grant money over the next two years, said Dr. John Galgiani, director of the UA Valley Fever Center for Excellence. There is no data on fluconazole and valley fever, he said. Fluconazole is used to treat the disease but its not a cure. The study will run over 72 months and needs 1,000 adults with signs of pneumonia to participate. Half will receive fluconazole and the remainder will receive a placebo. The Congressional Valley Fever Task Force is aimed at improving awareness, reducing the risk of misdiagnoses, and finding a viable cure. Galgiani noted that the Arizona Medical Board gives out 1,000 new physician licenses per year, but many of those doctors either did not go to medical school or did not do their residency here. For that reason, they could fail to recognize valley fever, resulting in either a delayed or missed diagnosis. People generally contract the illness by breathing in microscopic fungal spores from the air after the soil has been disrupted. Most people exposed to the fungus never have symptoms. But for a minority, the fungal spores can disseminate in the body and cause multiple and debilitating health problems. McCarthy and Schweikert say they worked with a San Diego-based company and with the FDA to get a valley fever skin test back on the market. So many people in these pockets have been working on valley fever, but it has never been all put together, McCarthy said. Im very excited about where we are today. Continued consolidation of valley fever information and research is needed, Schweikert said. A vaccine in development at the UA, called delta-CPS1, has prevented valley fever in mice and could be effective in preventing the disease in both humans and animals. Valley fever is three times more likely to occur in dogs than in humans; cats can get valley fever as well. In addition to delta-CPS1, an antifungal valley-fever drug called Nikkomycin Z (NikZ) was recently fast-tracked to market by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The NikZ development program was acquired by the UA in 2005 and the UA has licensed development rights to a Tucson startup called Valley Fever Solutions Inc. A luxury dinner movie theater is coming to Tucsons far east side. Galaxy Theatres has leased the 50,000-square-foot space previously occupied by Bashas on the southwest corner of Broadway and Houghton Road, in the Montesa Plaza. The landlord, Montesa Plaza LP, plans to invest $6 million in the project and Galaxy an additional $3 million, said broker Craig Finfrock, of Commercial Retail Advisors, who represented Montesa. Its going to be a really nice project, he said. Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year with an opening in late 2017. The site will feature IMAX films, Dolby Atmos sound and more than 20 VIP lounges and auditoriums. Galaxy is one of the largest dinner movie theater companies in the country with 13 locations in California, Nevada, Texas, Washington and Arizona. Register for more free articles. Log in Sign up Its the only growth movement in the movie theater industry, Finfrock said. The farthest east-side movie theater for new movies now is Park Place. For people looking to go see a movie that live on the east side, its quite a hike, Finfrock said. This will really help the center, the intersection and the east side. He said a retail study showed more than 250,000 people live within a 22-minute drive of the intersection of Broadway and Houghton Road. Kurt Kalocin, of SRS Real Estate Partners, represented the tenant in the lease. The Tucson Theatre Announcements List is a monitored e-mail list. Notices from Tucson area theatre companies, filmmakers and others are forwarded to the list members. These notices include auditions, casting calls, openings and other announcements of interest to actors, directors, techies and theatre lovers in our community. This Blog contains an archive of recent posts to the list. For more information go to http://tucsonstage.com Help India! By IANS, New Delhi : The Supreme Court Monday stopped the Gujarat High Court from hearing a state government plea to annul a magisterial probe that indicted the Ahmedabad police for the staged killings of Mumbai college girl Ishrat Jehan and her three friends in June 2004. Support TwoCircles An apex court bench of Justice B. Sudershan Reddy and Justice Deepak Verma stopped the high court from conducting any judicial proceeding on the staged killings till Dec 7, when the apex court is slated to hear the matter itself. The apex court bench took the action on a plea of Ishrats mother Shamima Kauser. She urged the apex court to revive Ahmedabad Metropolitan Magistrate S.P. Tamangs report which indicted the city police for depicting the girl and her three friends as Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives and gunning them down in cold blood. The high court had earlier on Sep 9 suspended the report. The apex court bench stopped the high court from conducting any judicial proceeding on various lawsuits in this case as Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati, appearing for the union government, too favoured restraining the high court. The other pleas the high court was to hear Monday included one by Ahmedabad Anti-Terrorist Squads Superintendent of Police G.L. Singhal, who too had sought annulment of Tamangs report. Another lawsuit was filed by the father of one of the three youth killed with Ishrat Jehan. Javed Sheikhs father M.R. Gopinath Pillai moved the high court for a CBI probe into his sons killing. The high court was also to hear a plea of Ishrats mother Shamima Kausar for an independent probe into her daughters killing. A Gujarat police team had shot dead four people, including the 19-year-old Thane girl, on June 15, 2004, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, claiming that she was a terror operative who had arrived in the city to eliminate Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The three others killed by the police team were identified as Javed Ghulam Sheikh alias Pranesh Kumar Pillai, Amjad Ali alias Rajkumar Akbar Ali Rana, and Jisan Johar Abdul Gani. But Magistrate Tamang, who conducted the mandatory magisterial probe under the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, concluded that Ishrat and the three youth were murdered by police in a staged gun battle. But the state high court on Sep 9, acting on a lawsuit by the Gujarat government, suspended Tamangs report, saying the report went beyond the jurisdiction of the judicial magistrate. Help India! By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net Baramulla: As the ongoing unrest in Kashmir completes its 100th day, thousands of protesters continue to be put inside the jails, arrested during night raids. Support TwoCircles The security forces in Baramulla district of north Kashmir in the wee hours of Monday morning took an unprecedented decision to crackdown on the historic old town to arrest the protestors. As per the locals, this kind of crackdown is the first of its kind to take place in the old town of Baramulla city. Such kind of crackdowns used to happen when militancy was at its peak.every lane and by lane was filled with security personnel, said a local who wished not to be named. The siege was laid down early at 4 am when most of the habitants were in deep sleep. As per the inputs available with TwoCirlces.net from locals, more than one thousands security force personnel raided the locality leaving people with no time to resist the massive crackdown. The old town area of Baramulla consists of Ganaihamam, Qazi Hamam, Jamia Mohallah, Satidum colony, Azad Gunj and few others. The old town is connected to the uptown via three bridge built upon river Jhelum. The uptown area is relatively much calmer as most of the people here are involved in white-collar jobs. As per the eyewitness, who wished not to be named as he fears reprisal by security forces said the forces entered into the old town localities early on Monday early morning, with loudspeakers announcing crackdown. The men were asked to gather in a ground. There was house to house search. The people were asked to take off the clothes. Those who were found to be with pellet shots and any type of bruises were bundled into the vehicles, said the eyewitness. The forces initially used to avoid deploying forces into the old town areas considering its volatile atmosphere and blocking only bridges connecting old town to up town areas. The raid is seen as a means to curb the ongoing series of protests in north Kashmir since last more than three months. According to a report published in Valley based newspaper Greater Kashmir, 35 persons have been arrests in the 12 hour long massive crackdown. Various attempt to get version of SSP Baramulla, Imtiaz Hussain Mir turned futile as his office didnt respond to the repeated calls. More than 7,000 people have been arrested in Kashmir besides booking more than 400 under lawless Public Safety Act to curb and put an end to the anti-India protests in Kashmir. Help India! By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net, Aurangabad: Displaying unity for the restoration of five percent reservation and non interference of government in personal Laws, thousands of Muslims today protested across thirty districts of Maharashtra. Support TwoCircles The planned rallies were organized by Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra which was supported by all the Muslim organizations irrespective of sects and thereby made rallies in 30 districts a success. Memorandums were submitted to collector offices in districts and to Tahsils in respective towns. Many Maratha people also joined the rallies exhibiting their support for demands of Muslims. As many as 35,000 gathered in a rally at Khuldabad whereas 20,000 people flocked streets in Aurangabad. There are reports that at least 10,000 people joined protest in district and town. While speaking with TwoCircles.net, Hafiz Nadeem Siddique, President, Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra said, Our demands are very legitimate. We want government to restore 5% reservation which was granted by Bombay High Court and we also want government not to intervene in Muslims personal laws, leave apart of implementing uniform civil code. Today we have displayed peaceful protest in 30 districts out of 36 in Maharashtra. One more is planned for October 20 in Azad Maidan of Mumbai and we expect thousands to gather there too, he added. Jamiat has secured permission from DCP, Mumbai zone I for organizing a rally on Thursday and is reaching out to people for joining the protest in big number. It has also planned a state level rally scheduled to be organized at Nagpur in December. Boosted with todays successful allies, Siddique talked about upcoming rallies and said, After making Mumbai rally a success we shall work for Nagpur rally that we will organize in December. We have already started awareness programs at local level so that people get united for the common cause forgetting their differences. Help India! By TCN News Support TwoCircles Sharjah, UAE: In an attempt to revive the spirit of Aligarh Movement of Sir Syed Ahmad, an Empowerment Conference 2016 is being organized by AMU Alumni Forum of UAE in Sharjah on Thursday Oct 20th at 8 pm. So far Aligarh Movement was always thought of as simply a movement for education for Muslims but Sir Syed had the vision to empower the Muslims, therefore this year we have organized this conference to focus on empowerment of Muslims & Dalits, said S.M. Qutbur Rehman, president of AMU Alumni Forum- UAE. The Conference aims to discuss and finds ways for the social and educational empowerment of the disadvantaged sections of the Indian society including minorities and Dalits, according to the program description of the Conference. Famous journalist and author Rana Ayyub, former MP Zafar Ali Naqvi, Education Minister of Bihar Dr. Ashok Choudhary, Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Siddharth and TwoCircles.net Executive Editor Kashif-ul-Huda are among the speakers at the Conference. The Conference is organized at Hotel Holiday International in Sharjah UAE. Portuguese food is being discovered by tourists and foreigners, just like her big cities, Lisbon and Oporto. And mirroring the natural and cultural diversity of the country, people are now aware that there is a lot more than the Portuguese Stew (prepared all around the country) or the Francesinha (a specialty from Oporto). Some dishes try to compete with each other to find which is the most heavy to the stomach; others are surprisingly soft and comforting. But all are quite tasty, taking on the variety of the ingredients and the herbs used. And then you have the wine, red, white, rose and whatever you wish. Find out 5 of the best Portuguese Food specialties. Bacalhau aBras Codfish (in Portuguese, "bacalhau") is the national ingredient of Portugal. It's not right to say that it's the national dish because, as they say, there are 1001 ways of cooking this fish brought from the cold waters of Newfoundland, across the Atlantic, or Norway. To make it last the long travel to portuguese kitchen, ancient fishermen started to immerse it in salt; that became a portuguese uniqueness. "A Bras" is just one of those 1001 ways: shredded cod, sauteed, and together with fried potatoes and onion. Above this, black olives, parsley and beaten eggs. Don't forget a good white wine. Acorda Alentejana If you travel further south, you'll quickly find how amazing it is that in such a small country there are so much cultural and gastronomic differences. The southern province of Alentejo is quite plain, unlike the North, and it's climate is warmer. It's food mirrors this, taking everything the land provides in a creative way (as does therenowned wine of Alentejo). One can find also using herbs as a sign of Islamic influence; these lands were ruled by Muslim powers between the 8th and 13th centuries. The Acorda (pronounce "ah-ssorda") of Alentejo is something between a soup and a dish. You take mashed bread in a plate with water, insert eggs, olive oil, coriander, and even cod fish to make it richer, and there it is. The Acorda is never served hot, and if you take one at lunch on a hot summer day, you'll understand why. Arroz de Sarrabulho In Northern Portugal, people make themselves proud of eating more - and "better" - than their counterparts in the south. A good example of this is the "Sarrabulho Rice", which is rice cooked in blood. This is a pork dish, where pork parts are marinated in red wine and cumin and then cooked in blood. If you think somewhat disgusting the idea of taking the pork's blood to cook, please note that a lot of Portuguese (mainly from the South) would agree with you and not eat this. However, it's delicious. It goes along well with Vinho Verde, the typical effervescent wine from the Minho province. Caracois (Snails) If you say it in French, "escargots", it would sound better and more "chic" than in English. But the Portuguese don't quite care about it. They cook it and take as a tidbit, together with a fine beer, surrounded by friends. In spite of the publicity that has been given to it by someBritish media, this is still more associated with the Mediterranean, slow lifestyle. Make no confusion; just like the "Sarrabulho", there are some Portuguese who don't take the idea of eating this gastropod. Feijoada a Transmontana Translated, this means "bean stew from the province of Tras-os-Montes", in the North. This has way more than beans, though; the recipe may vary according to the restaurant, but you can expect every part of pork to be in it. Forrester Recognizes Mitel as Leader in New Report Share Tweet By Alicia Young Web Editor By Alicia YoungWeb Editor Mitel (News - Alert), a player in the enterprise and mobile communications space, dedicates itself to helping businesses and mobile carriers connect, collaborate and provide innovative services to their customers. So far, the company has been successful in its endeavors, which is one of the reasons Forrester (News - Alert) invited Mitel to participate in its latest evaluation: The Forrester Wave: Contact Center Interaction Management For Midsize Contact Centers, Q3 2016. More important than being included in the report, though, is that Mitel was named a Leader after the evaluation. During the appraisal, Forrester assessed the strengths and weaknesses of eight vendors. To do this, they took into consideration 40 criteria in three major categories: current offering, strategy and market presence. After the evaluation, Mitel emerged as one of only two companies labeled as Leaders, which goes to show that they have done well in their mission to help connect businesses and mobile carriers. According to the report, Mitel received this level of recognition because Mitel was one of the first vendors to virtualize its software, and this gave the firm a head start on the path to cloud-based offerings. Mitel has a strong channel and position in some vertical markets such as the public sector and hotels. Similarly, the report also mentioned Mitels recent mergers and acquisitions strategy which has helped grow the company from a scale and reach perspective, and integration of the companies it has acquired is going well. The companys trailblazing attitude and actions are clearly some of the major reasons Forrester chose to designate it as a Leader. More than 60 million enterprise users rely on Mitel every day to make sure theyre connected and ready to collaborate. One user, Jeff Brizzolara, Chief Clinical Officer at Viverae, is unsurprised that Mitel received this level of recognition, because he has had great experiences with the company. Brizzolara said, Our business is centered around helping companies harness workplace wellness technology to create cultures of health and wellbeing. Offering a superior customer experience is foundational to who we are.He continued, The Mitel solution allows us to deliver more personalized service to clients and members. It also gives us greater flexibility, especially during busy season and with special outreach projects. Brizzolaras praise and Forresters recognition both work to reinforce Mitels claims that it puts customers first. Brian Spencer (News - Alert), General Manager Contact Center at Mitel, has said, Customer experience is becoming the new battleground for business retention and growth, almost to the point of where it is as important as the products or services offered. Solutions for midsize contact centers must provide flexibility and enable a superior customer experience without compromising the bottom line. He continued, Being able to connect with customers when and how they desire is key to driving satisfaction. Mitel is focused on offering that kind of customized experience and giving businesses the tools to compete and win in a fast changing market. Mitel is working on providing the best possible connection to its customers, and clearly its hard work is paying off. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Article comments powered by Disqus Article comments powered by Edited by Maurice Nagle Wikileaks sent out an urgent tweet on Monday morning to say the internet connection used by Julian Assange had been cut by what they alleged to be a state party. They further stated that the organization had activated the appropriate contingency plans. A later tweet confirmed that Ecuador had cut off the internet access at 5 pm GMT on Saturday, shortly after WikiLeaks published Hillary Clintons Goldman Sachs speeches. Later reports have now implied that Assange may have been forcibly removed from the Ecuadorian embassy. WikiLeaks founder has been in the embassy for more than four years Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has been living in the London Ecuadorean Embassy for over four years, following a warrant of arrest issued by Sweden for questioning over alleged sex crimes. Assange fears that should he head to Sweden for questioning, he would then be extradited to the U.S. to face trial over espionage charges for the release of classified U.S. documents by WikiLeaks. According to NPR, they have been attempting to contact WikiLeaks to confirm the story surrounding the internet outage, without success. They reportedly tried contacting the whistleblower organization via telephone, texts and emails. NPR then attempted to email Ecuadors ambassador, but no reply has been received and reportedly Londons Metropolitan police have declined to comment on the incident. Julian Assange's internet link has been intentionally severed by a state party. We have activated the appropriate contingency plans. WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 17, 2016 We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access Saturday, 5pm GMT, shortly after publication of Clinton's Goldman Sachs speechs. WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 17, 2016 WikiLeaks released the John Podesta emails on Saturday Another batch of emails was published by WikiLeaks on Saturday which allegedly is linked to John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary Clintons campaign. NPRs reporter said that WikiLeaks has 50,000 more emails waiting for release. According to them, the Clinton campaign has yet to confirm if the hacked emails are genuine, although the campaign has attempted to place the blame for the hack on Russia, saying that country is attempting to interfere with the U.S. election in an effort to promote Republican candidate Donald Trump. During a press conference on October 4, Assange had said that WikiLeaks will be publishing emails every week, right up to, and through, the November 8 presidential voting. Was the WikiLeaks founder arrested? In the meantime, rumors have started doing the rounds that Julian Assange has been physically removed from the Ecuadorian embassy by the London Metropolitan police. Nation One News had published a report stating that a man, with a black bag over his head, had been escorted from the building by police. They alleged that this occurred just 30 minutes after the WikiLeaks founders internet was cut on Saturday. While there has been no confirmation of this, the Associated Press had attempted to contact the embassy to ask about Assanges whereabouts. A recording of that call is included below: There have been allegations that John Kerry has threatened the president of Ecuador with grave consequences unless Assange is silenced. According to the Nation One News report, a further release of information was made via torrent and from what they have personally seen so far, the next release by WikiLeaks could allegedly severely impact Kerry himself. The content of the emails was not mentioned in that report. John Kerry has threatened the Ecuadorian President with "grave consequences for Equador" if Assange is not silenced @StoneColdTruth Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) October 17, 2016 In the meantime, WikiLeaks has continued the release of the John Podesta emails. Duterte awaits 'soft landing' on first state visit to Beijing Updated: 2016-10-18 03:47 By ZHANG YUNBI(China Daily) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who arrives in Beijing on Tuesday for his first state visit to China, said he agrees with Beijing's call for peaceful settlement of the South China Sea issue. Duterte expects a "soft landing" in the dispute over the issue. He will visit China for four days. "I'll be there to talk about it softly," Duterte told China News Service in an interview released on Monday. "We take away war or violence, because that is not a good option." Duterte, who took office in July, has been faced with repairing chilly ties with Beijing after the Cabinet of former president Aquino Benigno III unilaterally filed a case to an international tribunal on the South China Sea. China did not recognize the case and it declared it invalid. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that "the door for dialogue is always open", adding that Beijing had noticed that Duterte repeatedly expressed his willingness to talk. President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang will meet individually with Duterte. Hua said the talks "may cover a wide spectrum" and a fruitful visit is expected. Before leaving Manila, Duterte highlighted economic and trade cooperation. He noted his country's abundance in tourism, mineral and agricultural resources, and China's huge, lucrative market. Xu Liping, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that Duterte has repeatedly demonstrated his goodwill by avoiding inflammatory comments on arbitration. Beijing has pledged support for Manila's priorities, including its anti-drug campaign, Xu added. "The visits will bring tangible outcomes in two-way ties, which will benefit both countries, better stabilize the South China Sea region, and improve people's economic circumstances and trade," Xu said. Zhao Jianhua, Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, told Philippines media on Friday that it is hoped that after Duterte's visit, investment from China would rise significantly in areas such as infrastructure, railways, highways, seaports and airports. Zhao also envisioned an increase in Chinese tourists to the Philippines, bringing as much as $1 billion annually to the country. Duterte touched down in Brunei the first leg of his trip on Sunday evening, and he will leave China on Friday to visit Japan. Ling Zhengce stands trial for corruption Updated: 2016-10-18 14:26 (Xinhua) NANJING -- Ling Zhengce, former senior official of Shanxi province, stood trial on Tuesday for taking bribes. Ling, former vice chairman of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was accused of taking advantage of his various posts to offer help, through other state officials, to companies and individuals including former deputy Shanxi governor Du Shanxue, in project examination and approval, business operations and personnel promotion. Ling accepted bribes worth more than 16 million yuan (around $2.4 million), either by himself or through his son Linghu Shuai, according to the indictment from the People's Procuratorate of Changzhou in east China's Jiangsu province. The procuratorate filed the charges with the Changzhou Intermediate People's Court. During the trial, the prosecutors presented evidence, and Ling and his defense counsel responded to the evidence. In his final statement, Ling pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. The court ruling will be announced at a later date. More than 60 people, including national and local lawmakers, political advisors, journalists and members of the public, attended the trial. Ex-police chief involved in wrong execution jailed for graft Updated: 2016-10-18 13:02 By CAO YIN(chinadaily.com.cn) A former police chief, who headed the investigation into a wrongfully executed teenager two decades ago, was sentenced to 18 years in jail by a court in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Tuesday for bribery, embezzlement, illegal possession of firearms and holding a large amount of undeclared assets. Feng Zhiming, former deputy director of the public security bureau in Hohhot, the region's capital, was also fined 1.1 million yuan ($163,000) by the regional Hulunbuir Intermediate People's Court. According to the judgment, Feng abused his position in the bureau between 2008 and 2014 to benefit 13 departments and individuals, accepting money in return. He and his wife sold real estate worth more than 3.8 million yuan at above-market value during the same period, and he could not explain how he had come to own more than 34 million yuan worth of property, the judgment said. Feng was also found guilty of illegally possessing four guns and 549 bullets, and selling a State-owned car worth 150,000 yuan. His trial, which began on Aug 1, generated great public interest as Feng headed the investigation into Hugjiltu, a teenager who was executed for murder and rape in 1996. The young man was declared innocent in December 2014, when it was announced that he was wrongfully convicted. Hong Kong mourns elderly gentle giant Updated: 2016-10-18 03:52 By Huang Zhiling(China Daily) Panda Jiajia enjoys a cake in Hong Kong on July 28, 2015 as it becomes the longest-living captive panda in the world. [Photo/IC] Jia Jia, the longest-living giant panda in captivity, was put to sleep on Sunday at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, where she was widely known for her fondness for playing with a lavender scented cloth and her gentle disposition. As Suzanne Gendron, executive director of zoological operations, conservation and education at the park, observed, "How could someone not love her?" Jia Jia turned 38 in August, equal to 114 human years, and held two Guinness World Records the oldest giant panda in captivity and the oldest living panda in captivity. She was found as a cub in 1980 in the wilds of the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve in Sichuan province. Jia Jia celebrates her 37th birthday at Ocean Park last year. ROY LIU / CHINA DAILY In the past two weeks, her condition greatly deteriorated. She lost her appetite and her weight fell from 71 to 67 kilograms. On Sunday, she could no longer walk. Veterinarians from Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department decided to spare her further suffering and she was put to sleep on Sunday evening. Zhang Guiquan, deputy chief of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, said it was the right thing to do because her condition was beyond hope. Gendron said Jia Jia's caregivers were deeply saddened but wanted her suffering to end. Ocean Park is holding memorial events for Jia Jia inside the park and online. A video honoring her memory was uploaded to Ocean Park's social media page. A memorial board will be set up in front of the Panda House in the park on Saturday. Before she was sent to Hong Kong, Jia Jia lived for 18 years at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan. There she gave birth five times, having six cubs, four of which are still living. Three pandas remain at Ocean Park. Ying Ying and Le Le, both age 11, are in good health. An An, 30, is the world's second-oldest male giant panda in captivity. Ending asymmetrical bond Updated: 2016-10-18 07:07 (China Daily) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte The visit to China by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, scheduled from Tuesday to Friday, is expected to offer an opportunity to improve the strained bilateral ties. However, some scholars in the Philippines and in the United States argue that the value of Philippines' talks and cooperation with China stem from its military alliance with the US, hinting that only through its alliance with the US does Manila gain bargaining chips in any talks with Beijing. Duterte's diplomatic move, they conclude, should not sacrifice Manila's bond with Washington. Such an argument exposes the Cold War mindset among some in the US, and their concern over their allies' cooperation with other countries, which they think may lead to their estrangement from Washington. The "absolute obedience" to the US pursued by former Philippine president Benigno Aquino III may have served the US' interests, but it has also plunged the Philippine's economic cooperation with China to a new low, which has proven detrimental to the Philippines' interests. Duterte's remarks and actions since his election as Philippine president indicate his intention to change the asymmetrical ties with the US and foster pragmatic cooperation with more countries, including China. His administration's pursuit of an independent foreign policy is to better serve the Philippines' interests, as indicated by his remarks on different occasions to play down the award in the Philippine's favor in the arbitration case initiated by his predecessor and his halt to joint naval patrols with the US in the South China Sea. A series of domestic problems, such as the poverty in the country, have also underscored Duterte's need to conduct pragmatic cooperation with China. It is unrealistic to expect a single visit to resolve all the differences between the countries. But talks are the best approach for China and the Philippines to bring ties back onto the track of healthy development. --Global Times Chinese Edition Houston students have passion for Chinese study Updated: 2016-10-18 11:07 By China Daily in Houston(China Daily USA) To a group of students in Houston already fluent in English and Spanish, studying Chinese just made sense. The Northside campus of YES Prep, which opened in 2011, is part of a network of public charter schools that serve college-bound students from low-income backgrounds. Many of the students come from Spanish-speaking families. Matt Neal, the founding director of YES Prep Northside, recalled building the program and choosing Chinese over Spanish. "To students who already speak English and Spanish, learning Chinese means they are able to speak to most of the world," he explained on Saturday during a school fundraiser for a student trip to China. Neal recruited the students, who are now in advanced placement (AP) Chinese. He went to their houses personally in 2011 and convinced their parents to send their children to YES Prep. "There isn't a single student in the founding class where I didn't sit on their couch and meet their dog and their abuelita (grandmother in Spanish) and just say, 'Look, I know this sounds far-fetched' but if you take this leap of faith, your child will have a leg up. "The Northside is a part of town that has a lot of history, but there is a lot of generational poverty," he said. "Many families have been here for a long time and for whom getting out of Houston, getting out of Texas, even getting out of Northside is not a big part of their experience." Al Castillo, one of the AP Chinese students, visited Suzhou and Shanghai for six weeks last summer with the help of the US State Department. "It was wonderful," she said. "I was just astonished by the entire trip. I got to learn more about Chinese cultures and lifestyles from living with a host family. Although I am finishing AP, next year I might continue taking Chinese lessons on my own." "This is the first attempt at establishing a tradition where these students can finally have the opportunity to see the things they are learning about," said Xiaohan Tang, one of their Chinese teachers. On Saturday, around 35 guests consisting of friends and family enjoyed Chinese food, lion dancing, guzheng, erhu, Chinese flute, singing and a performance of Butterfly Lovers by a group of Northside founding students. The students learning Chinese range from grades eight to 11, and the levels include Chinese 1, 2, 3 and advanced placement (AP). YES Prep-Northside plans to send 10 students in advanced Chinese classes to Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou. It costs $3,000 per student. Allison Mattingly, the director of college counseling at YES Prep Northside and the organizer of Saturday's event, said it was the school's first attempt at helping its advanced Chinese students visit China. "When this campus was founded, it was based on a promise that if students pursued Chinese versus Spanish, knowing that it's a much more challenging path, we would plan a trip to China, and that they would have the opportunity to actually go and experience China," she said. Although the fundraising goal of $30,000 has not been met, Tang is confident that the school will send its students to China through future fundraisers. Tiffany Wang in Houston contributed to this story. UN Security Council slams DPRK's latest failed ballistic missile launch Updated: 2016-10-18 05:42 (Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council on Monday strongly condemned the most recent failed ballistic missile launch conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Seoul's military said Sunday that the DPRK had test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile but ended in a failure. In a press statement, the 15-nation council said the attempted launch is a grave violation of the DPRK's obligations under Security Council resolutions. The Security Council has adopted five resolutions to curb the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs. The latest one adopted in March imposed the most severe sanctions yet on the country, including an export ban and asset freeze. "The members of the Security Council deplore all Democratic People's Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including this failed launch, noting that such activities contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension," said the statement. "The members of the Security Council reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in North-East Asia at large, expressed their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation and welcomed efforts by Council members, as well as other States, to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue," it added. The failed launch came on the day when the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) wrapped up their joint naval exercises in all of the three seas around the ROK. The missile launch was the latest in a series of provocations by the DPRK following its fifth nuclear test last month. Pyongyang said on Sept. 9 that it successfully tested a nuclear warhead that can be mounted on ballistic missiles. Philippine president expects to boost friendship with China Updated: 2016-10-18 08:59 (Xinhua) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte receives an exclusive interview by Xinhua on Oct 13, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] MANILA -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said that his country expects to boost traditional friendship with China and further bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Duterte starts a four-day state visit to China on Tuesday at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The visit will help him better understand China, Duterte told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Thursday. He spoke highly of the Chinese government and people, saying that China boasts hard-working people and "good, sound policies, internal and external." "I would say that China deserves the kind of respect that China now enjoys," he added. Duterte also lauded China's commitment to and generosity of helping others as a major player of the international community, adding that besides its own development, China has never forgotten those underdeveloped nations, as illustrated by its devotion to helping African and Southeast Asian countries to promote development. Speaking of the two countries' economic and trade cooperation, Duterte said that since his country is abundant in tourism, mineral and agricultural resources, and China boasts a huge lucrative market, the two neighbors enjoy high complementarity and considerable potential for further cooperation. The Philippine leader said his country needs to retain its friendly relationship with China and learn from the latter's success in economics and trade, especially in times of global financial crisis. In terms of the South China Sea issue, Duterte said he prefers negotiation to confrontation. "There is no sense in going to war. There is no sense fighting over a body of water," Duterte said. "It is better to talk than war. We want to talk about friendship, we want to talk about cooperation, and most of all, we want to talk about business. War would lead us to nowhere." Duterte also made clear his opposition against some specific outsiders' attempts to meddle in the South China Sea issue. Greeks rally against labor reforms, as talks with creditors set to begin this week Updated: 2016-10-18 10:59 (Xinhua) People demonstrate outside parliament as Greek labour unions staged a protest over wages, pension and labour agreements in Athens, Greece, October 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] ATHENS -- A total of 7,000 people gathered in central Athens on Monday to rally in front of the parliament in protest of austerity and labor reforms, as a fresh round of talks with the country's international lenders are set to begin this week over the second review of the rescue program for Greece. Workers carrying union flags, banners and chanting "Do not compromise with poverty" joined the protest, which was called by the Greek Communist party's trade union PAME. Similar rallies were scheduled in many cities nationwide. Participants opposed to the planned changes to labor laws demanded the collective bargaining for salaries to be restored. Among their main demands was the restoration of the monthly minimum wage to 751 euros and increases in pensions and social benefits that have been cut over the last years of recession. As debt-wrecked Greece has entered the seventh year of deep recession, more than a third of the population was facing the risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to the latest figures released by Eurostat. Greece and its international creditors have negotiated for months to agree on reforms that would allow the debt-laden country to continue receiving bailout aid. A new round of talks will start this week between the Greek government and representatives of the country's international creditors. Discussion on labor issues, including the terms for mass layoffs and collective bargaining for salaries, privatizations and taxation are among the key issues to be discussed. According to government officials, its intention is the second review to have been completed until the end of November so that decisions on the debt issue are taken in the Dec. 5 Eurogroup meeting. Duterte awaits 'soft landing' on first state visit to Beijing Updated: 2016-10-18 07:42 By Zhang Yunbi(China Daily) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who arrives in Beijing on Tuesday for his first state visit to China, said he agrees with Beijing's call for peaceful settlement of the South China Sea issue. Duterte expects a "soft landing" in the dispute over the issue. He will visit China for four days. "I'll be there to talk about it softly," Duterte told China News Service in an interview released on Monday. "We take away war or violence, because that is not a good option." Duterte, who took office in July, has been faced with repairing chilly ties with Beijing after the Cabinet of former president Aquino Benigno III unilaterally filed a case to an international tribunal on the South China Sea. China did not recognize the case and it declared it invalid. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that "the door for dialogue is always open", adding that Beijing had noticed that Duterte repeatedly expressed his willingness to talk. President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang will meet individually with Duterte. Hua said the talks "may cover a wide spectrum" and a fruitful visit is expected. Before leaving Manila, Duterte highlighted economic and trade cooperation. He noted his country's abundance in tourism, mineral and agricultural resources, and China's huge, lucrative market. Xu Liping, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that Duterte has repeatedly demonstrated his goodwill by avoiding inflammatory comments on arbitration. Beijing has pledged support for Manila's priorities, including its anti-drug campaign, Xu added. "The visits will bring tangible outcomes in two-way ties, which will benefit both countries, better stabilize the South China Sea region, and improve people's economic circumstances and trade," Xu said. Zhao Jianhua, Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, told Philippines media on Friday that it is hoped that after Duterte's visit, investment from China would rise significantly in areas such as infrastructure, railways, highways, seaports and airports. Zhao also envisioned an increase in Chinese tourists to the Philippines, bringing as much as $1 billion annually to the country. Duterte touched down in Brunei - the first leg of his trip - on Sunday evening, and he will leave China on Friday to visit Japan. zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn Beijing, Manila to promote more trade Updated: 2016-10-19 00:52 By ZHANG YUNBI(China Daily) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, accompanied by Foreign MinisterWang Yi, is greeted at Beijing Capital International Airport at the start of his fourday state visit on Tuesday. HE XIAOHUI / FOR CHINA DAILY Before Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Beijing on Tuesday evening for his four-day state visit, the Ministry of Commerce confirmed that Beijing and Manila were "actively preparing" for further economic and trade cooperation. The potential outcomes "will be tangible", and will include expanded imports of fruits from the Philippines, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shen Danyang told a regular news conference in Beijing. The Philippines is currently the largest supplier of bananas to China, accounting for 82 percent of the country's banana imports. It also provides 70 percent of China's pineapple imports. Bilateral trade has been overshadowed since 2012, when the relationship deadlocked over a territorial dispute that led to the Philippines unilaterally filing an arbitration case under Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino III. During the visit, both sides will "embark on in-depth discussions about ways to expand bilateral trade, promote and guide (Chinese) enterprises to expand investment in the Philippines and strengthen cooperation in fields including infrastructure construction", Shen said. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that Duterte has chosen to rebuild the friendship with China and return to dialogue and cooperation, and this "shows the wishes of the Philippine people and serves Philippine interests and national development, and no one and no force can prevent it". Wang later greeted Duterte as the Philippine president arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday evening. Chen Qinghong, a researcher on Southeast Asian and Philippine studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Research, said reinforcing economic cooperation with China will maximize Manila's interests. China is now the Philippines' second-largest trade partner, its largest import source and its third-largest export market. Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. Patricia Michaels, Taos fashion designer and former Project Runway contestant (pmwaterlilyfashion. com), will give a talk at Albuquerque Museum on November 4th entitled "The Heart of Mother Earth Given to the Soul of Women in the Arts who Touched Taos." Michaels' strong roots at Taos Pueblo and the influence of the modernist aesthetic of women artists and patrons of 20th century New Mexico (including Georgia O'Keeffe, Agnes Martin, and Mabel Dodge Luhan) influence her designs and philosophy. The evening begins at 6pm with a cash bar and hors d'oeuvres cocktail reception. Michaels will speak at 7 p.m. Guests will have the rare opportunity to purchase select items of Michaels' couture during the Trunk Show. Jewelry, scarves, and clothing (with prices starting at $45) will be shown by live models strolling and mingling with guests. All items will be available for sale at the Museum Store. Seating is limited. Tickets are $30 ($http:/ / holdmyticket. com/ event/ 258237albuquerquemuseum. org/ pmtickets. The price includes entry to the nationally acclaimed exhibition, Mabel Dodge Luhan and Company: American Moderns and the West, in which you can see artwork by the women who inspire Michaels' designs. Make it a night on the town with friends, fashion, and fancy finger foods. An Evening with Patricia Michaels is sponsored by NM Arts. Albuquerque Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9am-5pm; closed Mondays. General Admission - New Mexico residents: Adults and Teens $3, Seniors $2, Children $1. General Museum admission is free every Sunday from 9am-1pm, from 9am-5pm on the first Wednesday of every month, and from 5-8:30pm on the 3rd Thursday evening of every month. Fees for special exhibits and events still apply on free times. For more information, call Albuquerque Museum at (505) 243-7255. The Viet Nam Steel Association will protect the interests of local firms after Vietnamese steel exporters were accused of tax evasion in the United States, said the associations vice chairman, Nguyen Van Sua. Photo kinhte.today HA NOI The Viet Nam Steel Association will protect the interests of local firms after Vietnamese steel exporters were accused of tax evasion in the United States, said the associations vice chairman, Nguyen Van Sua. Sua told the Vietnam News Agency that the association would collaborate with enterprises and State management agencies to assure that appropriate measures meet all international regulations. The Vietnam Competition Authority reported that, on September 27, four US steelmakers filed a case against Vietnamese exporters, claiming that they sold cheap steel imported from China to avoid anti-dumping and countervailing duties slapped on Chinese products. The authority, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, identified the US companies as ArcelorMittal USA LLC, Nucor Corporation, United States Steel Corporation, and AK Steel Corporation. They submitted the case to the US Department of Commerce (DOC), asking this agency to launch anti-dumping and countervailing investigations into cold rolled steel (CRS) imports from Viet Nam. The authority said the US levied an anti-dumping tax rate of 199.76 per cent and a countervailing tax rate of 256.44 per cent on CRS imports from China last May. This came after the US probed CRS imports from China, Brazil, India, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Russia and the United Kingdom in August 2015. The US companies said that since the duties were imposed, the volume of CRS from China to the US had sharply declined, while the quantity of similar products from Viet Nam to this market had significantly increased. The firms said they had sufficient evidence proving that Chinese CRS products had been exported to Viet Nam before they were shipped to the US. According to US regulations, the DOC will consider whether to investigate the case within 45 days and issue a final decision within 300 days after collecting all testimony. Meanwhile, Sua, from the steel association, said that while the DOC had yet to release an official decision, many US entrepreneurs had ceased orders for Vietnamese CRS products, and this had caused difficulties for many domestic steel firms. Lai Quang Trung, head of the Viet Nam Steel Corporations market planning department, said the companies which faced obstacles in exporting products would have to seek other means to boost sales in the local market. As domestic production capacity currently exceeds local demand for steel, price competition might occur and impact on business operations of enterprises, he said. In the meantime, the steel association recommended its member companies sharpen their competitiveness by improving the quality of products, reducing production costs and upgrading production technology. VNS LONG AN Authorities of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Long An pledged to create the most favourable conditions for domestic and foreign investors and businesses at an investment promotion conference held in the province yesterday. Tran Van Can, chairman of the provinces Peoples Committee, said: Our provinces motto is your difficulties are our difficulties, your success is our success. Located in a prime spot in the Southern Key Economic Region, the province serves as a bridge between HCM City and 12 provinces in the southern delta region. It also shares a western border with Cambodia. The provinces road and waterway transport, including the Ben Luc-Long Thanh highway that connects the province with Long Thanh International Airport, has greatly improved over the years. These conditions have enabled the province to promote economic development and business co-operation at home and abroad, Can said. Despite difficulties, the province has achieved growth of 11.26 per cent and per capita income of VN50.7 million (US$2,273), among the highest in the delta, he said. Nearly 7,900 businesses are operating in the province with total investment capital of more than VN189 trillion. It is also home to 1,259 local projects with a combined investment of VN139.84 trillion. The province ranks first in FDI attraction in the delta, with 772 projects with a total investment of over $5.1 billion from investors in 37 countries and territories, he said. Under the provincial master plan for social-economic development until 2020, the province targets per capita income of VN80-85 million, and average GDP growth of 13 per cent a year, and a higher proportion of the industrial and service sectors included in the GDP. The province yesterday also tabled a list of 16 projects that need total investment capital of more than $7.3 billion. The projects are mostly in the fields of industrial parks, waste water treatment, biotechnology, logistics, agriculture, transport infrastructure and energy development, including the Long An Border Gate Economic Zone, Phu An Thanh Industrial Zone, a dragon fruit processing facility, and a solar energy development project. According to the zoning plan, the province is divided into three specific regions, each with specific investment needs. The first region (food security, tourism, and border gate economic area), has an advantage in agricultural production and tourism attraction. Investment areas with potential include hi-tech agriculture and agricultural processing near raw material zones and specialised production areas, Can said. The Binh Hiep Border Gate Economic Area in Moc Hoa and My Quy Tay Border Gate Economic Area are other potential investment choices, as well as eco-tourism tours, he said. The second region, the buffer zone, is oriented toward agricultural development and has a land fund for industrial development and eco-urban areas, he said. The province also plans to call for investment in hi-tech agricultural projects and solicit investors for existing industrial parks and clusters, and for projects in eco-urban areas along the river. The third region will focus on developing urban areas and complex industries in uc Hoa, Can Giuoc and Can uoc. This region is expected to drive development for the province in the future. It needs infrastructure investment at industrial parks and clusters, and residential and urban areas, among others. The provinces land fund for industrial development until 2020 is nearly 15,000ha, 5,000ha of which is clean land ready to welcome investors, he said. The province will prioritise projects using modern and environmentally-friendly technologies, and efficient use of land, mineral and other resources, he said. Speaking at the conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed the provinces achievements over the years in socio-economic development, FDI attraction and the creation of a favourable investment climate. He asked local leaders to issue clear policies and commitments that would enhance trust among investors. The PM demanded that the province become innovative in its development thinking by using a green, clean economic model and ensuring sustainable development and environmental protection. He urged localities to develop a transparent legal framework and a fair competitive environment to ensure the rights of businesses. Local authorities at all levels, he said, must maintain dialogues with enterprises and walk side by side with them, especially newly established ones. Tran Du Lich, a member of the National Financial and Monetary Policy Advisory Council, proposed that the province worked with other localities in the area to improve transport infrastructure, and to solve human resource and environmental problems. New investors At the conference, the provincial government awarded licences to 12 projects, six of which were worth total registered capital of VN4.33 trillion from local investors. Foreign investors invested a total of $118 million in the other six projects. Among the new investors was the Mekong Real-Estate Investment Company Limited, which will spend $50 million to build infrastructure for the Mekong Industrial Cluster in Long Huu ong Commune in Can uoc District. The Bang Duong Trade Construction Investment Co. Ltd and Bang Duong-Bamboo Capital Joint Venture received an investment certificate for a project to upgrade and extend Route No.830 from An Thanh Town in Ben Luc District to uc Hoa Town. The province also signed four memoranda of understanding with investors, who pledged to pour an additional $3.16 billion into the province. Six businesses also signed co-operation contracts to exploit Long An International Port and export bananas to Japan, among other projects. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam is one of Bulgarias most important economic partners in Southeast Asia and bilateral trade between the two countries have strong prospects for further development, a senior official said yesterday. Addressing the Viet Nam-Bulgaria Business Forum in Ha Noi, Bulgarian Minister of Economy Bojidar Loukarsky called on business communities of both countries to fully exploit co-operation opportunities that arise, especially when the Viet Nam-EU Free Trade Agreement takes effect. Agreeing with his guest, Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said trade agreements that Viet Nam has inked with several countries and blocs would also open up huge opportunities for Bulgarian and Vietnamese enterprises to cement their relationships. For its part, Viet Nam is committed to improving its legal framework and supporting enterprises participation in trade and investment promotion campaigns, he said. Bulgarian enterprises attending the forum expressed their interest in collaborating with Vietnamese partners in many sectors including banking, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food processing and IT. Viet Nam-Bulgaria trade has developed rapidly in recent years, from just US$18.5 million in 2006 to $100 million in 2015, the forum heard. In the first eight months of this year, bilateral trade saw an increase of 88 per cent to $96.7 million. Of this, Vietnamese exports accounted for $31 million, up 19 per cent year-on-year, while imports from Bulgaria hit $65.6 million, up 157 per cent. Viet Nam mainly exports coffee, pepper, cashew nuts, seafood and textile and garments to Bulgaria, while importing medicines, chemicals, machinery and equipment. -VNS HA NOI The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) will connect local distributors, dealers and retailers throughout the nation to assure they provide safe seafood from central Thua Thien Hue Province. The ministry said it would take these steps, after inspecting the quality, as well as hygiene and safety for 490 tonnes of sea fish caught offshore of Thua Thien Hue and stored at four enterprises in the province. Earlier, the enterprises had proposed that the state offices provide support for them in monitoring the seafood inventory, including providing connections between seafood suppliers to domestic and foreign markets, and financial assistance for the province in trade promotion activities related to storage and consumption of seafood. To ensure the safety of the inventory, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has required the provincial Health Department to soon announce the results of the quality, hygiene and safety of seafood inventories. Then, the ministry would connect with distributors, dealers and retailers nationwide to sell safe seafood stored in Thua Thien Hue. For seafood not meeting safe standards, the ministry would require the province to destroy the fish and offer compensation according to existing regulations. In the meantime, the ministry has continued communications regarding demand and supply, to create favourable conditions for the consumption of quality seafood in the central provinces. VNS HA NOI Storm Sarika is expected to enter the Tonkin Gulf and head toward Viet Nams coastal provinces from Quang Ninh to Nam inh tomorrow with winds up to 165km per hour, according to the National Forecast Hydrometeorological Forecast Centre. The director of the centre, Hoang uc Cuong, said Sarika was forecast to be the most dangerous and strongest storms to hit Viet Nam in recent years. This is the seventh storm to hit the East Sea this year. The storm was located 140km north of Hoang Sa Archipelago at 10pm yesterday, with wind speed at the eye of the storm reaching 165km per hour. It was moving westwards at a speed of 15-20km per hour. The storm was predicted to hit offshore northeastern localities of Viet Nam at 4pm tomorrow, according to the centre. The centre warned that the storm would bring heavy rain of 200-300mm for northeastern and northern central localities. The rains could bring floods to these localities and mountainous areas are warned of flash floods and landslides. Wind speed in the storms eye could reach from 135 to 150km per hour with stronger gales from 184 to 201km per hour, according to the forecast centre. All administrations and agencies have been placed on alert. The National Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and the National Steering Committee for Search and Rescue Operations held a teleconference with authorities of 22 localities from Hai Phong to Quang Binh on Sunday to discuss measures to cope with the storm. Local authorities were asked to keep a close watch on the storm, and warn owners of ships operating offshore, advising them to move to seek safe harbor. They were also required to check the safety of reservoirs, particularly those that are already full, review the situation of aquaculture farms and prepare to evacuate at short notice people residing in flood- and landslide-prone areas. Over 36,000 fishing boats carrying 164,000 fishermen in the central provinces - from Quang Tri to Khanh Hoa - were told yesterday to seek safe harbor as the storm is making its way to Viet Nam. The Centre of Flood and Storm Prevention in the Central and Central Highlands regions said 31,000 fishing boats and 125,000 labourers had already arrived at ports or docked safely as of yesterday morning. Around 470 boats and 6,700 fishermen were en route home or to safe shelters in Viet Nams sea of Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel). Prolonged rains and floods have already hit the northern central region hard, and reservoirs are already full. Heavy rains and floods in the central region, including the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue, have claimed 25 lives and injured 18 others. Four others have been reported missing, according to the latest report from the National Steering Committee for Storm and Flood Prevention and Control. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Sunday sent an urgent message, asking relevant ministries, agencies and local authorities of provinces from Nghe An to Thua Thien-Hue to promptly take measures to help those affected resume their normal lives. They were required to mobilise all available forces, including soldiers and police, to continue searching for the missing, visit flood victims families, provide essential food and clothing, clean the surrounding environment and take measures to prevent outbreaks of flood-borne diseases. The Prime Minister has also called on people to give donations to affected families in these provinces. According to the latest reports, some reservoirs in the south central provinces are filled to capacity after heavy rains in recent days. The Thach Ban reservoir in Quang Nam, for example, is at 105 per cent capacity, while the others in Binh inh, Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan have reached between 88 and 92 per cent of their designed capacity. Reservoirs in the Central Highlands region, including Ayun Ha, Ea Soup Thuong and Krong Buk Ha are 92 to 97 per cent full. The centre said water levels at rivers in the Central Highlands would slowly rise due to the water discharged from reservoirs in the region within 24 hours. Another storm, internally named Haima, has been forming off the Philippines and is predicted to enter the East Sea in the next few days. VNS NEW YORK In December 1950, the painter Max Beckmann ventured out of his New York home to see his Self-Portrait in Blue Jacket, then on view at the citys Metropolitan Museum of Art. The German artist never made it: he suffered a fatal heart attack steps from Central Park at age 66. On Wednesday, the museum will open a new exhibition called Max Beckmann in New York to celebrate his connection to the city where he settled in September 1949 and lived out the last months of his life. Before the Nazi regime labeled his works "degenerate" and removed them from German museums in 1937, Beckmann (1884-1850) enjoyed great acclaim in his home country, with top art dealers presenting his work to private collectors. He left his native land for Amsterdam, where he lived for a decade, before heading to St. Louis, Missouri for a temporary teaching position. He ultimately landed in New York, his third residence in exile. The painter described the city then evolving into a major art center as "a pre-war Berlin multiplied a hundredfold," and painted the major works Falling Man and The Town (City Night). The artists oeuvre included self-portraits, interiors, landscapes and triptychs. His rich blocks of colour are brought into stark relief by thick, black lines. New York had already known Beckmann for more than two decades before he arrived, thanks to two Berlin art dealers who sold his art to New York collectors. The Met exhibition, on display until February 2017, will feature 14 paintings the artist created while living in Manhattan, as well as 25 additional works from New York collections dating from 1920 to 1948. "New York is really grandiose," Beckmann once wrote. "But it stinks of burned fat, just like the sacrificial meal of the slain enemies among the savages." "But nevertheless crazy, crazy, crazy!" AFP Nguyen Thien Nhan, President of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front spoke to the newspaper Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam (Viet Nam Economic Times) about the operation of the fund for the poor over the past 16 years. Since the year 2000, October 17 has marked the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Wow has that day been celebrated in Viet Nam over the last 16 years? As a response to the international holiday, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front called on people nation-wide to observe October 17 as the Day for the Poor and established a Fund for the Poor. From 2000 on, October 17 has been the Day for the Poor in Viet Nam. Since then, the Fund for the Poor has received more than VN11.4 trillion ($513.5 million) in donations from people from all walks of life. In addition, the Fund for the Poor has mobilised VN31.1 trillion ($1.39 billion) to support the social security program network nationwide. Meanwhile, every Viet Nam Fatherland Chapter in of our country has closely co-ordinated with the Peoples Committees in all 63 cities and provinces to build and repair almost 1.5 million houses for the poor. Thats not all; tens of millions of poor households have received financial and material support to help them expand their production. In addition, thousands of civil projects like school construction, first aid infirmaries, civil bridges, rural roads and others have been built. Last but not least, in the past 16 years, millions of people have received financial support in health checks and treatment. Will you please tell us some of the programmes key successes so far this year? In the first nine months of this year, the Fund for the Poor successfully mobilised VN945 billion ($42.36 million), donated VN2.5 trillion ($115 million) to national social security and gave financial aid to over 149,000 poor households to expand their production and 295,000 poor pupils to continue with their studies. In the period under review, the Viet Nam Fatherland Fronttogether with its chapters nationwidelaunched a new campaign to call on people from all walks of life to join efforts in building new rural areas and civilised urban areas. And more recently, on October 3, the Presidium of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and the Government jointly signed a Resolution to co-ordinate to reduce poverty in a sustainable manner and campaign to build new rural area and civilised urban areas. The Resolution will be implemented over the next five years. What are the differences between this years activities and those in the previous years? The most notable difference is the way the campaign was done. In the past, the mobilisation campaign separated Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee activities from those done by the Government. The campaign now is closely co-ordinated between the Fatherland Front and the Government as it is written in the Resolution signed on October 3. Under the document, both the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and the Government at all levels will work closely together to ensure that the program will tend to each and every poor household until it escapes poverty. Many social organisations nationwide have joined in campaign, including the Viet Nam Farmers Union, the Viet Nam Womens Union, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Viet Nam War Veterans. Im confident that our poverty alleviation program will be successful and sustainable. Whats more important is that poor households will become richer in a decent way. Referring to lessons drawn from the past 16 years, here I just want to list three most important lessons as follows: First, we need better co-ordination between the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and its member organisations. Second, besides the close co-ordination between the Fatherland Front and its members, we also need helping hands from other social and political organisations, as well as great efforts from the people themselves. And finally, we need a strong management mechanism to ensure the fund will be used safely and efficiently. VNS Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh (R) receives Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Edgardo Riveros Marin in Ha Noi yesterday. Photo VNA/VNs Photo Nguyen Khang HA NOI Viet Nam attaches great importance to comprehensive co-operation with Chile, the first country in the Western Hemisphere to sign the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Viet Nam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh said yesterday. Minh spoke at a meeting with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Edgardo Riveros Marin, on the latters official visit to Viet Nam. He also expressed his appreciation of the progress achieved in bilateral relations and the co-operation between the two countries in international forums. For his part, Edgardo Riveros Marin expressed admiration for Viet Nams achievements over the past three decades, as well as the role and position of Viet Nam in the region and the world. At the political consultation between the two ministries, Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and Deputy Minister Marin agreed that the recent cooperation between Viet Nam and Chile had achieved positive developments. Two-way trade reached almost US$1 billion in 2015, increasing three times compared to 2010. The two sides also agreed that there was potential for further co-operation in the fields of agriculture, manufacturing and processing, mining, fisheries and human resource training. --VNS Minister of Defense Ngo Xuan Lich (R) receives Cara Abercrombie (L), Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia in Ha Noi yesterday. Photo thoibao.today HA NOI Co-operation in handling the consequences of the American war in Viet Nam has been one of the highlights in defence co-operation between the two countries, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of Defence, said yesterday. Handling post-war consequences does not only help resolve the impacts of the war but also opens the door for future co-operation, Vinh said. Speaking at the seventh Viet Nam-US Defence Policy Dialogue in Ha Noi, the deputy minister of defence said Viet Nam was always willing to support the United States in its search for MIAs since it understands the humanitarian aspects for the families and the US government. Vinh said the project to clean up dioxin, known as Agent Orange, at a Nang Airport had successfully completed its first phase. He asked the US Department of Defense for continued support in overcoming the consequences of the American use of Agent Orange, specifically with the project on decontamination at the Bien Hoa Airport area. Cara Abercrombie, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, thanked Viet Nam for its support on the MIA issue and pledged to strengthen co-operation on unexploded ordnance detection and on a wartime memories project. At the dialogue meeting, the two sides also talked about measures to boost co-operations through delegation exchanges, humanitarian support, disaster rescue and training. They also touched upon the Cooperative Humanitarian and Medical Storage Initiative (CHAMSI). Regarding regional and international issues, Abercrombie said the US would continue its commitments to the Asia-Pacific area. Lieutenant General Vinh said Viet Nam welcomed any intervention from outside partners in the region as long as such intervention ensures peace, stability and prosperity. Abercrombie also met with Minister of Defense Ngo Xuan Lich and briefed him on her talk with Vinh. Minister Lich said Viet Nam and the US still have much unexplored potential for co-operation on issues of national defence. VNS President Tran ai Quang (3rd from left) led a high-ranking delegation of Viet Nams State, National Assembly and Government to the Thai Embassy in Ha Noi yesterday to pay respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. On behalf of the Vietnamese State and people, he offered his deep condolences to the Queen, Royal Family, leaders and people of Thailand, voicing the belief that they would overcome their heavy loss and continue developing their country. Under the 70-year reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away on October 13 at the age of 88, Thailand has grown strongly and its people have enjoyed prosperity and happiness, Quang said. He added that the monarchs death dealt a sad blow to the Queen, Royal Family and people of Thailand, as well as to the ASEAN Community. VNA/VNS photo Nhan Sang. QUANG BINH Four crewmen safely reached land in central Quang Binh Province yesterday after their cargo ship was washed away 100km away from the coast, local borderland security said. The men are being treated at a local general hospital. However, their ship with one crewman and 1,000 tonnes of clinker was still missing. A huge flood engulfed the provinces Quang Trach District early morning on October 15, washing away ship HD2155 while it was attempting to anchor at Cua Gianh Port. After 40 hours of search operations, borderland security and local rescue forces found four crewmen floating in the water close to Le Thuy District. According to the survivors, their ship and four others arrived at the port after loading commodities on board. Two of the five ships were washed away by the strong waves, two others returned to land safely and one ran aground on the shoal. The clinkers are owned by the Truong Thanh Company. Search of the missing ships and the crewman is ongoing. VNS NGHE AN More than 2,500 workers of Matrix Vinh Ltd Company a toy producer in Bac Vinh Industrial Zone in central Nghe An Province ended their strike and resumed work yesterday. The workers had been on strike for 14 days, calling on the company to improve working conditions and wages. Following negotiations, the company leaders agreed to increase the lunch allowance of workers from VN12,000 to VN15,000 per meal, consider increasing the salary according to seniority, reduce quota of products made in some stages and install more punch clocks for employees. The workers said they went on strike because of the harsh working conditions and high pressure of product quota, while allowance was minimal. They had complained several times to the companys leaders but were ignored. The provinces Labour Department, representatives from the Bac Vinh industrial zone and the company organised negotiations between the company leaders and workers. Matrix Vinh Ltd Company, a wholly foreign invested enterprise operating since 2011, produces toys for export. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee President Nguyen Thien Nhan called on organisations and individuals at home and abroad to continue supporting the poor, especially those affected by natural calamities. The aim is to help them overcome difficulties and escape poverty. He made the appeal at a ceremony in Ha Noi yesterday during the launch of Month for the Poor, which will continue until November 18. According to Nhan, since it was set up in 2010, the Fund for the Poor has received VN11.45 trillion (US$515.25 million) and mobilised over VN31 trillion for social welfare programmes, contributing to the countrys social stability. Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue said multidimensional sustainable poverty reduction is one of the key policies of the party and the state. This is not only an economic issue, but also a condition to ensure political and social stability, national defence and security, he affirmed. The party and the state always pursue a strategy of developing the economy in conjunction with social progress and equality, thus narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, he added. At the ceremony, organisations and enterprises pledged to donate over VN348 billion ($15.6 million) to the fund for the poor. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam-Cuba Hospital in collaboration with Operation Smile Viet Nam launched the eponymous orthopaedic surgery programme yesterday to help children with congenital hare-lip in the northern region. The Operation Smile programme is an annual activity aiming at helping underprivileged children. Those born with cleft lip, cleft palate, or both, may suffer from a range of issues including, but not limited to, malnutrition, respiratory failure, speech difficulties and recurrent ear inflammation that may lead to hearing loss. In addition, patients with these congenital defects are likely to develop psychological issues, especially with regard to appearance, self-esteem, confidence and relationships The 2016 programme is expected to offer corrective surgeries to some 120 children. Besides free surgeries to eligible patients, within the framework of the 2016 programme, free screening, counselling, treatment and medicines will be provided to 120 children from the northern provinces of Lai Chau, Bac Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Hung Yen and Thanh Hoa, as well as Ha Noi City. During the last three decades, with the help of voluntary doctors and peoples donations, Operation Smile Viet Nam has realised the dreams of hundreds of unfortunate children and their families, Nguyen Viet Phuong, vice president of Operation Smile Asia-Pacific and chief representative in Viet Nam, said. Our desire goes beyond merely increasing the surgeries we can offer every year, we seek to build a world where no children will be born with such deformities, he added. Since 2014, in Viet Nam, 900 children with cleft lip and palate have received examinations and 500 kids from poor households have been operated with funding donated by ExxonMobil Viet Nam. Cleft lip and palate deformities affect one out of 700 newborn babies in Viet Nam. VNS BINH DUONG The body of an eight-year-old boy who was swept away on Sunday was discovered by a herdsman yesterday, 3km from where he went missing in the southern province of Binh Duong. His body was found in an empty land plot next to a section of the Nhum River that passes through dormitory B of the Viet Nam National University - HCM City in Di An Commune, Nguyen Thanh Phong, the communes Peoples Committee, said. The boy, Hoang Xuan Hieu, was playing in the rain with three friends when he was swept into a manhole on Street No. 4 late Sunday afternoon, following the prolonged heavy rainfall that flooded the provinces streets, according to witnesses. His three friends were rescued by citizens in time. The provinces rescue forces mobilised hundreds of people to help find Hieu along the 5km stretch of the Nhung River, which runs from the commune to Thu uc District of HCM City. VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked central provincial authorities and relevant ministries to inspect water discharge from reservoirs in wake of the recent floods. The PMs office sent a document to the ministries of Trade and Industry, Natural Resources and Environment and Agriculture and Rural Development, and the peoples committees of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces, laying emphasis on the recent heavy rainfall and serious flooding which had damaged property of the state and led to loss of lives in the central provinces. The public and the authorities of some provinces were concerned about hydroelectric plants not providing notice about water discharge from reservoirs, due to which people did not have enough time to prepare for flood-prevention measures. The PM asked the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in co-ordination with relevant ministries and provincial authorities, to undertake strict inspection of the recent water discharge at reservoirs, especially Ho Ho Reservoir in Ha Tinh Province. Inspectors were told to determine responsibility and compensation of related offices and individuals. They were also directed to report the inspection results to the Prime Minister before October 25. Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines has announced it will transport for free relief commodities from social organisations, state offices and charity groups to flood-affected central provinces. Starting from today, relief commodities will be made a priority to be transported on flights of Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific and VASCO departing from Ha Noi and HCM City to the central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri. A Vietnam Airline representative said airline agencies would waive off all charges to assist flood-affected families. Viet Nam Fatherland Front and Viet Nam Red Cross, their branches in cities and provinces, city and province-level peoples committees and state-licensed charity funds are among the beneficiaries of Vietnam Airlines. The airline said offices and individuals interested in the free-of-charge programme can register and book a reservation on the numbers 0972999398 (in Ha Noi), 0984320868 (in HCM City), 0903906602 (Jetstar Pacific) and 0868958872 (VASCO). At present, Vietnam Airlines has 35 flights per week departing from Ha Noi and HCM City to Vinh City, seven flights to ong Hoi and 53 flights to Hue, while Jetstar Pacific has 17 flights to Vinh, seven to ong Hoi and 14 to Hue. Floods in the central provinces of Viet Nam claimed 25 lives and injured 18 others. VNS ALEPPO, Syria Russia on Monday announced an eight-hour "humanitarian" ceasefire in Aleppo later this week, as the EU warned that the Syrian regimes Moscow-backed assault on the city could amount to war crimes. The United Nations and European Union welcomed the announcement, but said Thursdays planned pause in fighting needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, dozens of civilians including 12 members of the same family were killed in heavy bombardment of rebel-held eastern sectors of the embattled city Monday, a monitoring group said. "We have taken a decision not to waste time and to introduce humanitarian pauses, mainly for the free passage of civilians, evacuation of the sick and wounded and withdrawal of fighters," senior Russian military officer Sergei Rudskoi said in Moscow. The truce would run from 0800 to 1600 local time (0500 GMT to 1300 GMT) "in the area of Aleppo," Rudskoi said. "During this period the Russian air force and Syrian government troops will halt air strikes and firing from any other types of weapons." The announcement came as EU foreign ministers condemned the ferocious air war waged on Aleppo over the past three weeks. The EU ministers said they would press ahead with extending sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime, but stopped short of threatening measures against Russia. EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini called Moscows announcement "positive" but not long enough to allow humanitarian aid to reach the besieged city. "It can be a start... for sure it is a positive step," she told reporters at the close of the ministerial meeting in Luxembourg. "The latest assessment from the aid agencies (however) is that 12 hours is needed so work is needed to find common ground," she added. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also welcomed the truce announcement but stressed the "need for a longer pause in order to get the aid in." Once Syrias thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by air raids and intensifying clashes as regime forces fight to capture the rebel-held east. Russian air support for the onslaught which has destroyed hospitals and other civilian infrastructure has spurred the accusations of potential war crimes. US Secretary of State John Kerry met his counterparts from Russia, Iran and Syrias neighbours in Switzerland on Saturday, before flying to London for talks with the British and other European foreign ministers. Kerry said the Lausanne meeting produced new ideas on reviving a truce, after a ceasefire jointly brokered by Moscow and Washington collapsed last month, but said high-level contacts to flesh them out would continue Monday. Syrias war has devolved from a widespread protest movement against Assads rule to a multi-front war between rebels, jihadists, Kurds and regime forces. Turkish-backed rebels dealt a major symbolic blow to the Islamic State jihadist group on Sunday by overrunning the northern Syrian town of Dabiq. Across the border in Iraq, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the launch Monday of a long-awaited operation to recapture Mosul ISs last major stronghold in the country. In June 2014, IS declared a self-styled Islamic "caliphate" in territory straddling Syria and Iraq. AFP NEW DELHI At least 19 people were killed on Monday when a fire broke out at a leading private hospital in an eastern Indian city, police said, with officials warning the death toll could rise. More than 40 critically ill patients were trapped in an intensive care ward by the blaze, which is believed to have been triggered by an electric short circuit on the second floor of the SUM hospital building in Bhubaneswar, the capital of coastal Odisha state. "We can confirm 19 deaths in the incident," Bhubaneswar police commissioner Yogesh Khurania said. "More than 100 patients have been shifted to other hospitals. Many of them are critical and the death toll may rise further," he said. Khurania said initial reports suggested that most of the victims had died due to smoke inhalation, with toxic smoke filling the entire floor of the building and hampering rescue efforts. Local television stations showed images of fire fighters wearing masks smashing glass panes to enter the building as they struggled to save patients from suffocating at the 1000-bed hospital. Sharat Kumar Sahu, a police officer at the site of the blaze, said that the fire started in the dialysis ward in the four story building and quickly spread to the intensive care unit. Most of the critical patients were on ventilators and died in the blaze, he said. Sahu added that more than 100 fire fighters had battled the fire which started at around 7:30 pm (1400 GMT) for some five hours until it was brought under control. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter it was a "mind-numbing" tragedy, expressing his grief over the loss of life and promising to help the injured. More than 90 patients were killed at a private hospital in eastern Kolkata city in 2011 after a fire raged through the premier hospital, trapping many patients inside the building. Most of the victims died due to inhaling toxic gases, autopsy reports later revealed. Sixteen officials from the AMRI hospital are facing trial in court on charges of culpable homicide, violating safety rules and negligence. AFP RIO DE JANEIRO Rioting inmates beheaded rivals and burned others alive in an explosion of violence in two Brazilian jails that left at least 18 people dead on Monday, the authorities said. Prisoners also took women visitors hostage, officials said, blaming the violence on a rift between the countrys two largest gangs. It was the latest eruption of gruesome violence to hit Brazils underfunded and overcrowded prisons. The clash between two rival factions in a prison in the far northern state of Roraima killed 10 on Sunday, regional government spokeswoman Jessica Laurie said. "The inmates were armed with stones and pieces of wood that they ripped from the walls. They used those bits of wood to decapitate their rivals. It was very brutal," she said. "Seven bodies were found burned and three others beheaded." She blamed a war between the First Capital Command (PCC) and Red Command (CV), Brazils biggest crime gangs. "PCCs organized crime faction gave the order to kill all members of their rival faction in the CV in every prison across the country," she said. Another riot broke out on Monday at a prison in the northwestern state of Rondonia, officials said. "A group of inmates blocked their rivals in their cell and set it on fire. We suspect a clash between rival factions," a police official in the state capital, Porto Velho, said. "There are thought to be eight people dead, but the bodies are burned and the medical authorities will have to confirm" the toll, a police spokesman said. A third riot broke out Monday evening at a prison in Sao Paulo, police said. Television footage showed several wings in flames. "Several prisoners have escaped," a police spokesman said. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the latest riot, which broke out in the psychiatric ward. Knives, clubs, hostages Brazilian sociologist Camila Nunes Dias said the PCC, based in Sao Paulo, and the CV, based in Rio, had split the drugs and arms trade for two decades. "But they broke that alliance because both groups have a strategy to expand across Brazil," she said. Prisons nationwide have been on alert since the rival gangs declared war, Roraima state Justice Secretary Uziel Castro said. But guards were caught by surprise on Sunday because the riot broke out during visiting hours a traditional time of truce, he added. The bloodshed began when inmates of one wing broke into another at the Agricola de Monte Cristo prison in the Roraima state capital, Boa Vista. Prisoners were armed with knives and wooden clubs, an inmates wife who was in the prison told news site G1. Some 100 relatives of inmates were briefly held hostage, Castro said. The rioters demanded that a judge come to hear their demands. Instead, special operations police stormed the prison, freed the hostages and regained control by sundown. "All the hostages were released," Castro said, adding that most of them were women. The prison, some 3,400km northwest of Rio de Janeiro, holds 1,400 inmates twice its official capacity. Violent, overcrowded prisons The incident "is a reflection of the lack of interest from the state government" in the prison system, the head of the union of Roraima penal workers, Joana Moura, told the Folha de Boa Vista newspaper. "There is no security equipment, there is not enough personnel for the tasks, and the prison officers are working beyond their capacity," he said. Some 622,000 people were imprisoned in Brazil as of the end of 2014, according to a Justice Ministry report, which added that most of the prisoners are black males. AFP WELLINGTON Marine ecosystems in one of the Pacifics most vulnerable regions face decline unless they are better managed, a WWF report warned on Tuesday. The report described the ocean as the lifeblood of Melanesia a vast Pacific swathe comprising Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji. But it said a range of factors including overfishing, population growth and climate change were damaging the oceans and could have a major impact on the regions economic prospects. "The physical and chemical conditions in the ocean are changing faster than at any other point in history," it said. "And there is a strong chance that the declining ocean assets of the Melanesian region will constrain options for future generations." The report estimated that Melanesia generated about US$5.4 billion a year from the ocean, largely from fisheries and tourism. The reports lead author, University of Queensland climate specialist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, said Melanesia could no longer take the health of its oceans for granted. "There is no doubt the ocean has delivered the majority of food, livelihoods and economic activity for Melanesia for a very long time," he said. "Given some of the troubling trends in the status of the ecosystems that generate these benefits, however, the question is now: how long will these benefits last?" The report argued that coastal fisheries were already over-exploited but demand on them was set to increase 60 per cent by 2030 to feed the regions growing population. It recommended managing population growth, although did not specify how this would be done. The report also said climate change was destroying coral reefs and increasing the frequency of storms such as Cyclone Winston, which killed more than 40 people and destroyed infrastructure when it hit Fiji in February. It called for local government to adopt measures such as sustainable fisheries management, saying a business-as-usual approach was not feasible. "Through strong leadership and wise management, the leaders of the Melanesian region can deliver policy actions that will create a sustainable and inclusive blue economy," it said.- AFP Scientists and researchers, including those from Virginia Tech, gathered at the International Congress of Entomology in Orlando, Florida last month. The Virginia Tech-led Feed the Future Integrated Pest Management Innovation Lab led a symposium at the Congress on the global spread of the South American tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, resulting in the group recommending a number of measures. Expand the Invasive Species Modeling project led by Virginia Techs Biocomplexity Institute to develop a network for predicting the pest's spread on a global scale. on a global scale. Undertake a concentrated effort to look for natural enemies in Tuta absolutas area of origin in South America. Encourage donor agencies to support Tuta abosluta management programs on a global scale. Organize regional and international meetings on Tuta absoluta monitoring and management. Provide information on appropriate insecticide rotations for pest management in the fields. Prepare an international roster of people working on the problem. The tomato leafminer is devastating and moves fast. In the past decade, it has gone from affecting 3 percent to 60 percent of the worlds tomatoes. The symposium drew nearly 70 participants from countries around the world Nigeria, Canada, Costa Rica, Spain, India, and others. It ended with participants sharing their recommendations on how to work together to try to halt the pests spread. The pest is currently in more than 50 countries around the world. This past spring, it wiped out 80 percent of Nigerias tomatoes. The pest has not yet reached the United States, but it is already as far north as Costa Rica, and many scientists believe it is only a matter of time before it reaches North America. When it comes to controlling a pest as destructive and pervasive as Tuta absoluta, it is imperative that we all work together," said Muni Muniappan, director of the Integrated Pest Management Innovation Lab. The International Congress of Entomology, like the Olympics, is held every four years, and countries bid to host it. In addition to the symposium on the tomato leafminer, the Innovation Lab also organized a symposium on integrated pest management for tropical crops, including presentations from project partners working in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. A related exhibit detailed information about eight projects around the world that work to curb food insecurity by fighting agricultural pests in an environmentally friendly manner. The Integrated Pest Management Innovation Lab is a project of the Office of International Research, Education, and Development, part of Outreach and International Affairs. Written by Stephanie Parker Lula defeats Bolsonaro in razor-tight Brazilian election Tens of thousands of emotional Brazilian residents have flooded into streets around the country to celebrate former left-wing president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas knife-edge victory over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a tight run-off election. Bridge collapse in western India kills at least 70 people Hundreds of people had gathered on and near a recently restored suspension bridge in India before it collapsed from the weight of the crowd and fell into the river. Wall of people: Aussies detail horror of Halloween stampede Two Aussies caught up in the deadly Halloween party stampede that has claimed more than 150 lives, including at least one Australian, have opened up about what they witnessed and how they escaped from being crushed. CEDAR FALLS By his own count, Adam Scott Jacobsen said he stabbed Jeffrey Miller 13 or 14 times at the University Avenue Studios apartments where he lived, court records state. He allegedly told police he believes he stabbed Denice Bennett just as many times. Jacobsen is charged with two counts of attempted murder in the Monday afternoon attack, which resulted in critical injuries to Miller, 62, who was taken to Unity Point-Allen Hospital in Waterloo for treatment. Paramedics took Bennett, 47, to Sartori Memorial Hospital. Their conditions werent available. Jacobsen, 28, said little when he appeared in court Tuesday morning. Yes, I believe in Jesus Christ, he said unsolicited as he approached the judge. Jacobsen confirmed his correct name and mailing address were on his court records, but he couldnt remember his phone number, which he said was new. He also said he receives disability benefits. I have severe mental illness, he said, noting he receives treatment. Judge Nathan Callahan appointed a public defender to represent Jacobsen and set his bond at $1 million. He also approved a prosecutors request for a restraining order to prohibit Jacobsen from contacting Bennett and Miller. Police continue to investigate the stabbings. Both Jacobsen and Miller lived at the apartments, and Bennett was a manager, according to officers. Jacobsen lived in No. 18, and Miller in No. 14. The victims were apparently chosen at random, and were stabbed in the buildings parking lot at 4177 University Ave., police said. Witnesses called 911 at about 4:35 p.m. Monday, and officers found Bennett bleeding inside a parked Chevrolet Tahoe. Police found Miller inside his apartment. Bystanders detained Jacobsen and had him on the ground, according to court records. Jacobsen has had prior run-ins with police, most recently in February 2013 when he accused of attacking a woman at the Bel-Air Motel, 3031 University Ave., Waterloo, where he was living at the time. He allegedly hit the woman, grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground where she blacked out around 12:15 a.m. Feb. 4, 2013. He also left voicemail messages on her phone threatening to knock her teeth back into her throat, rape her and kill her and her children, court records state. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault causing bodily injury and first-degree harassment and was sentenced to up to two years in prison with credit for time served. He was released from prison in January 2014, according to the Iowa Department of Corrections. In April and May 2016, he allegedly posted a few Facebook messages mentioning killing. Ive killed people in real and never have or will get caught. You all a bunch of (expletive deleted) amateurs, reads a post from May 18. Im craving murder. Its all up in my thoughts, he posted the same day. A day earlier, he posted Yeah im (expletive deleted) crazy, bi polar scizo. Yeah I have thoughts of hurting myself and others. Society made me this way. It wouldnt have to be like this society decided to bully others cut them down. Thats why society suffers so much. People like me the oppressed the poor the rejected want you to know how we feel.we want you to know the pain we go through. Thats why you see all this ... on telvision bout school shootings.the mentlly ill know how much societies children means to them. Societies children become no different than society bullies. Endless cycle of despair. NASHUA A Charles City man suspected of killing a retired Clarksville grocer has had his life sentence overturned. Randy Patrie was never charged in the 2012 death of Carl Ken Gallmeyer, who was found dead in his ransacked rural Nashua home. But authorities found Gallmeyers guns, tools and TV set in Patries home during a 2013 search. Federal prosecutors charged Patrie with weapons crimes because his criminal record barred him from handling firearms, and authorities pushed to sentence him under the Armed Career Criminal Act, which took what would have been a 20-year prison sentence and made him eligible for life behind bars. The act allows for additional prison time for firearm charges when the defendant has three or more prior convictions for a violent felony, including burglary, arson or extortion. Patrie had prior burglary convictions, and in June 2014 Judge Linda Reade sentenced Patrie to life in prison on a felon in possession of a firearm charge with a concurrent 10 years for possession of a sawed-off shotgun. Patrie challenged the life sentence, and his arguments gained traction earlier this year when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-3 decision Iowas burglary law was overly broad and ordered convictions under the states burglary statutes cant be used for an Armed Career Criminal Act sentence. The Eighth District U.S. Court of Appeals on Friday ruled the Supreme Court ruling applied to Patries case and ordered he be resentenced. A sentencing date hasnt been scheduled. Since the U.S. Supreme Court opinion, dozens of other defendants who were sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act in Iowa have petitioned for resentencing. CEDAR FALLS Two people have been arrested for allegedly breaking into a Cedar Falls home and taking a shotgun while the resident was sleeping. Cedar Falls police arrested Stuart Westleigh Eliasen, 19, of Aplington, and Lontavius Capri Jordan, 19, of 218 Hammond Ave., Waterloo, on Monday for second-degree burglary. Jordan, who has a prior burglary conviction, was also arrested for felon in possession of a firearm, according to court records. Eliasen was released from the Black Hawk County Jail on Tuesday, and Jordan remains in jail with bond set at $35,000. A juvenile was also taken into custody for second-degree burglary in connection with the break-in. Authorities said Eliasen, Jordan and three others knocked at a home at 2734 Waterloo Road around 2 a.m. on Oct. 16. When no one answered, they entered an attached garage, and someone allegedly used a knife to pry open the door to the house. Once inside, they noticed a person sleeping in a bedroom, and they took a shotgun, shells and other items and left, court records state. Eliasen allegedly drove the group in his Buick, and they stopped in a wooded area to review their loot, records state. Eliasen retained the shotgun, which police later recovered. NEW HAMPTON Two Chickasaw County residents have been indicted on allegations they took thousands of dollars in government benefits in over the span of five years. A grand jury returned indictments against Maria de la Luz Santoyo, also known as Annie Rincon, and Yeraldo Osvaldo Alejandre, also known as Patrick Olvera, on Oct. 5 in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. The indictments were unsealed Oct. 12 with agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested the two. Both are charged with theft of government funds, misuse of a Social Security number and unlawful use of identification documents. Alejandre also is charged with false claim to United States citizen ship. Court records allege the two collected $28,373 worth of Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that they werent entitled to between August 2010 and June 2015. Santoyo allegedly used a forged permanent resident card and a false Social Security number for the purpose of obtaining a job in Jan. 22, 2013, court records state. Alejandre is accused of using a false Social Security card and an Arizona identification card to obtain employment on Jan. 14, 2013. He also allegedly claimed citizenship on an I-9 form. WATERLOO Student proficiency edged downward on spring standardized tests for the Cedar Valleys two largest school districts, a drop also seen in statewide results. The Iowa Department of Education recently released 2015-16 Iowa Assessments for all school districts across the state. Proficiency rates in reading and math are included for grades three through eight and 11. The declines can be seen when comparing grade level proficiency rates to the same grades in 2014-15. Until last year, grade level proficiency was examined from one year to the next to help determine if all subgroups at a school met adequate yearly progress. Those that didnt were put on a watch list or named a school in need of assistance. Since then, the federal No Child Left Behind Act was replaced with updated legislation called the Every Student Succeeds Act. No Child Left Behind laid out ever-increasing proficiency targets in math and reading for students at all schools. Under the new law, states are still developing progress goals schools and districts have to meet. As a result, the Department of Education froze its progress goals, but schools still submitted test results. The information released by the state is not broken down by school. For Waterloo Community Schools, proficiency rates ranged from 54.2 percent for third-graders in reading to 77.3 for seventh-graders in math. Proficiency rates for Cedar Falls Community Schools ranged from 82.6 percent for sixth-graders in reading to 92.4 percent for seventh-graders in math. Waterloo Superintendent Jane Lindaman noted there were places where we saw gains in reading, but proficiency levels overall were fairly flat for the subject. Districtwide, we had a little more improvement in math. Waterloo saw proficiency rates decline from 1.1 to 3.9 percentage points in five of the grade levels and by 2.3 percentage points in one grade. In math, proficiency declined in two grade levels by 3 and 3.5 percentage points. It increased for three other grades, from 0.3 to 5.7 percentage points. Charles McNulty, associate superintendent for educational services, noted the district is seeing some strong gains in specific schools as they implement common formative assessments. This is testing used to check students progress on a subject at various points in the year. Improvements also are being seen in a literacy screening test used through sixth grade. Cedar Falls proficiency rates in reading were down from 1.2 to 5.6 percentage points in four grades and up 0.6 to 2.8 percentage points at the three other grade levels. In math, the district saw rates decline from 0.1 to 4.3 percentage points in five grades, with the change less than 1 percent for three of those. Proficiency was up 0.1 and 7.1 percentage points in the two other grades. Dan Conrad, Cedar Falls Schools secondary education director, said officials do analyze the change from one year to the next in grade level proficiency to keep their eye on swings in scores. But he cautioned over-reliance on those figures. Youve got to be careful looking too much into a one-year look, he said, noting the approach compares different groups of students. We usually spend more of our time and effort looking at growth from year to year or following the academic progress of a cohort as students move from one grade to the next. It gives us a better predictor of how those students are doing. Statewide, proficiency rates were released for fourth-, eighth- and 11th-graders in reading and math, ranging from 74.6 to 81.7 percent. In most cases, those rates dropped by about 1 percentage point or less. We did see a slight decline in the most recent year, and that is not the direction that we want to be going, said Staci Hupp, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education. While there is concern about the drop, she also noted a hesitancy about putting too much stock in a single years change. We like to look at long-term trends and those show an increase over time. CEDAR FALLS Candidates seeking to represent the Cedar Valley in Des Moines had plenty to disagree about during a forum organized by Northern Iowa Student Government on Monday night. But where they found common ground was just as notable. President of Northern Iowa Democrats Jack Ave sparked a sense of agreement among the seven Cedar Valley candidates when he asked about the Friday night vandalism at the Masjid Al-Noor Islamic Center in Waterloo and noted the many international students at UNI. Ave also pointed out the firebombing of a Republican headquarters in North Carolina. So, his question was, While in office, how do you plan on mending the wounds from hateful rhetoric that threatens the safety of UNI Panthers? Each candidate offered an answer Ave said showed they wanted to heal the wounds created from the current political climate. Someone spray painted the word Trump on the Islamic center. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said at times he would ban Muslims from traveling to the United States. Law enforcement has no suspects in the vandalism. No candidate was happy about the rhetoric in the national campaign, and all condemned singling out someone for their race, color, creed or religion. This political season has been full of discord that I dont think a lot of us really like, and its unfortunate, said state Rep. Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls. I dont like the way its going. Rogers said the way to begin healing those wounds is with leadership and civil discourse among elected officials, which he said happens already at the Iowa Capitol. Rogers opponent, Democrat Gary Kroeger, agreed civil discourse is necessary. What will I do? I will fight fear politics. I will fight those provisions that lead to walls and lead to the exclusion of religious groups. I will fight any policy thats based in those fear principles that divide us, Kroeger said. Iowa House District 59 Republican candidate Drew Speer agreed fear-mongering is not the answer. Republican Senate District 30 candidate Bonnie Sadler and House District 59 Rep. Bob Kressig, D-Cedar Falls, agreed the best hope for a return to civility is the generation of young people learning to appreciate diversity. Senate District 30 incumbent Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo, noted his membership in the bipartisan group No Labels. House District 59 Nick Taiber independent also said he was an example. I broke out of that box. Im not a Republican or a Democrat. I dont have a problem. I have no one to hate. They want to divide you, and I want to unite us, Taiber said. During the two-hour long forum, the candidates disagreed about the best way to increase the funding for UNI. But each said it was important not just for the Cedar Valley but for the state. They also agreed theyd like to see more oversight on the Iowa Board of Regents, particularly as the board will oversee the selection of the next UNI president this fall. DES MOINES Is Iowa turning red? In recent elections, the state has been politically purple. Iowans voted for Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican Gov. Terry Branstad. For years, its congressional delegation was divided equally by Democrats and Republicans. It has a Republican-controlled state House and Democratic-controlled state Senate. But Republicans in Iowa have been making gains. In 2014, the GOP flipped a pair of congressional seats, putting Republicans in five of six of the states federal offices. And since the 2012 election, Republicans have taken and steadily built on a lead over Democrats in active registered voters in the state. It is possible, based on polling more than three weeks from the 2016 election, Republicans could maintain their 5-1 advantage at the U.S. Capitol, flip control of the Iowa Senate to give the GOP full control of the Statehouse and be one of the few swing states to go for controversial Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. So is this a short-term bump for Republicans in Iowa or a long-term trend? Opinions vary. The short answer is yes, I think Iowa is in the midst of a transition from purple to red. This might be the last election where Iowa is not classified as leaning Republican, said David Andersen, a political science professor at Iowa State University. It has been a long time since a Democrat has done well in one of the more prominent state-level races. It looks like the Republican Party is poised to capture the state Senate this year as well as continuing to hold the governors office and (state House) and likely hold on to two congressional seats that were very at-risk, he said. Iowa is defying the trend of most other battleground states and is becoming more Republican. Other analysts said even if Iowa has a second election that favors Republicans, its not necessarily an indicator of a long-term trend. Basically, I do not think the state is shifting from purple to red. After all, part of being a swing state is that you swing from side to side on occasion, said John Epperson, a political science professor at Simpson College. I still think that Iowa may go for (Democratic presidential candidate Hillary) Clinton, but whether that happens or not, it will be a close outcome. The demographics of the state are favorable to Trump, so that is a factor in this election cycle. But long-term, I think there are trends which tilt to Democrats increase in minorities, especially Hispanics, the fact that Democrats are more attractive to younger voters, etc. Consider the following: From 2007 to the present, Iowas congressional delegation went from four Democrats and three Republicans to one Democrat and five Republicans. Although the election is weeks away, polling suggests that one-to-five ratio could hold. Republicans surpassed Democrats in active registered voters in the state shortly after the 2012 presidential election. As of Oct. 1, there were 33,760 more actively voting registered Republicans than Democrats. Iowa could go to Trump in this election, which would break trends for the state and nationally. Iowa went for Obama in both 2008 and 2012 and to the Democratic candidate in six of the past seven presidential elections. So, going for Trump would be a change of pace. It would also buck a national swing-state trend in this election. Clinton leads Trump in most of the perennial toss-up states, but not in Iowa. Polling in Iowa has shown a close race between Trump and Clinton, with recent polls showing Trump ahead. Republicans, naturally, think momentum continues to build after their big victories in Iowa in 2014. Its safe to say the leaves arent the only thing turning red here in Iowa this November, said Lindsay Jancek, a spokeswoman for the national Republican Party. Voter registration numbers also point to a shift in more conservative-leaning voters as well as absentee requests, proving enthusiasm to elect Republicans up and down the ticket in November is alive and well in Iowa. State Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said he is encouraged but also slightly guarded. It feels like a long-term trend, to be as subjective as I can about this question. No one ever knows if any trend is going to last from one election cycle to another election cycle, Kaufmann said. Im not going to break out any wine bottles yet. Democrats think Clinton can defeat Trump in Iowa, especially in the wake of allegations of inappropriate contact, and Democrats can retake some of those congressional seats. They point to early voting numbers: As of Friday, Democrats had cast more than 78,000 early votes while Republicans had cast more than 43,000. Early-voting results show Iowans are overwhelmingly rejecting Donald Trump and supporting Hillary Clinton and Democrats up and down the ticket, state Democratic Party chairwoman Andy McGuire said. Come what may in 2016, Drake University political science professor Dennis Goldford said the election results will not necessarily reflect greater trends. Iowa could well go for Trump, he said. But is that because of the highly peculiar nature of the race this year or the start of a trend? We wont know until 2020 and the next presidential election. Donna Hoffman, who heads the political science department at the University of Northern Iowa, said regardless of whether Iowa looks purple, red or blue at any given time, whats noteworthy is the states typically competitive elections. Hoffman said thats what truly makes Iowa a toss-up or swing state. And thats not likely to change, Hoffman said, regardless of what happens in November. She said one way to look at it is Iowas Democratic lean in recent presidential elections does not necessarily make Iowa a blue state, because the races have been competitive. So, we see lots of action in terms of the general election in presidential years because our voters are up for grabs, Hoffman said. Even though we only have six electoral votes, in the current state of Electoral College math, even the smaller states can be significant in getting to 270. CENTRAL CITY A pair of challengers in a rural Eastern Iowa legislative district called for more effort to improve water quality and reduce flood threats, but disagreed on how to pay for those efforts. Improving water quality in Iowa lakes and rivers will require pretty substantial funding, Democrat Scott Peterson of Mount Vernon said at a League of Women Voters forum in Central City on Monday night. He called for lawmakers to enact a sales tax increase that would direct three-eighths of a cent of the increase toward a state natural resources trust fund. Libertarian Brian Cook of Manchester called for a more robust water quality improvement effort involving farmers, including the possibility of tax abatement for landowners who take steps to protect soil and water. However, he would not support a sales tax increase unless state taxes were reformed to reduce reliance on income and property taxes. In approving the Iowa Water and Land Legacy in 2010, Iowa voters directed the Legislature to put three-eighths of a cent of any future sales tax increase into a natural resources trust. Cook and Peterson are challenging Sen. Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan, who chose not to participate in the forum, citing harvest commitments. The first-term lawmaker is a lifelong Ryan area farmer who has served on the West Delaware school board, Delaware County Fair Board, and several terms on the church council. He and his wife, Michelle, have four children. Peterson practices law in his hometown of Mount Vernon where he has been mayor and a city councilman. Hes also served communities as city attorney for four communities. Petersons a veteran of the Navy and Iowa Army National Guard. He and his wife, Susan, have two sons. Cook, who grew up on a farm near Central City, worked as editor of the Manchester Press and has been a volunteer in the West Delaware schools. He has two daughters. Republicans have a voter registration advantage in Senate 48, which covers all of Delaware County as well as parts of Linn, Buchanan and Jones counties. According to the Secretary of State Office, there are 12,727 active Republicans, 10,539 Democrats and 15,676 others. The challengers both opposed Gov. Terry Branstads proposal to use some revenue from a school sales tax to fund water improvement efforts in exchange for extending the life of that sales tax. Peterson called it a disservice to schools, especially smaller schools. Its another case of Branstad shuffling the money around and holding education hostage, Cook said. He also split on raising the minimum wage with Peterson calling for hiking it to at least $10 an hour. There is a point of diminishing return, but were so far behind that we need to catch up, Peterson said. I can see why people want to raise it, but its not the governments place to do it, according to Cook, who said he believes in capitalism in its purist form. WATERLOO A plan to continue a property tax incentive program for new houses wasnt entirely embraced by city policy makers. At least two Waterloo City Council members Monday indicated they were not in favor of removing the sunset clause on the City Limits Urban Revitalization Area program, which forgives the first three years of property taxes for anyone building a new single- or two-family house in the city. Councilman Steve Schmitt called it irresponsible to continue the program without a designated end date. Councilman Tom Lind said the city should put more effort into finding out why it takes tax breaks to lure new housing construction. The CLURA was created in 2011 to encourage more homes in Waterloo, which had seen its housing starts decline while Cedar Falls residential subdivisions were booming. Single-family housing starts in Waterloo have grown from an average of 53 homes per year in the decade before the program to more than 73 homes per year in the five years since its adoption. The CLURA was originally approved for three years and was renewed in 2014 for another three years. Community Planning and Development Director Noel Anderson has now proposed eliminating the end date and continuing the program indefinitely. A related program targeting inner-city neighborhoods already operates without a sunset clause. Theres always the ability for the City Council to stop the program at some point, Anderson said. City Planner Aric Schroeder said the pending Dec. 31, 2017, ending date may hurt the citys effort to recruit development. That may seem like its quite a ways out there yet, Schroeder said. But our office is already getting calls asking about the program and whether or not its going to be extended. We have potential home builders and potential developers that are unsure of the time frame by which theyre going to have houses built and they want to know whether or not that program is going to be there, he said. Schmitt said he would prefer extending the program for another five years, which would automatically trigger a City Council review that he otherwise doubts would take place. It did accomplish what we hoped it would, Schmitt said. I just have a real aversion to taking the sunset off this altogether. Schmitt also said real estate agents are telling him the new home construction is hurting the market to sell existing homes in the city. Lind asked whether Waterloos property tax rate or other factors would send housing starts to other cities without the CLURA. In a perfect world we shouldnt need this at all, he said. Im trying to figure out why we have to have it because weve got to fix that. Anderson said he expects to bring the CLURA extension back for a vote soon. Leadership talk to be at Hoover WATERLOO Matthew Arau will visit Hoover Middle School to host leadership clinics and seminars with Hoover students Thursday and Friday. Arau is an assistant professor of music at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., and a student leadership expert with the Conn-Selmer Institute. A Hoover Music Leadership Retreat will take place Friday evening where leaders from Hoover band, orchestra and choir will stay after school for leadership training. Speakers to be subject of talk CEDAR FALLS A session focused on a First Amendment issue will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 24 in the Elm Room in Maucker Union on the UNI campus. Panelists will address the topic of whether some speakers should not be allowed on campus. Panel members are Rekha Basu, columnist for the Des Moines Register; Nick Fisher, executive editor of the Northern Iowan at UNI; and Joe Gorton, president of UNI United Faculty/AAUP. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by UNIs American Democracy Project. GOP group gives to two programs WATERLOO Republican Women of Black Hawk County, a nonprofit organization, was recently able to help support two programs: the Reading Recovery Program of the Waterloo public schools and Retrieving Freedom. The Reading Recovery Program is geared toward first-grade students who are having difficulty with reading. The program uses a series of books called I Can Read books. This year, sixty books donated to the Waterloo Public Schools went to Kittrell Elementary School. Retrieving Freedom, located in Waverly, provides service dogs to disabled veterans. Thousands of veterans have applied for dogs and are still waiting. Vote for Sadler CEDAR FALLS -- Recently, I saw a mail piece from Jeff Danielson accusing Bonnie Sadler of being an executive of a private health-care company and saying she would put profits before people. This mail piece was disgusting, and I call on Danielson to disavow it. Bonnie Sadler is a partner in NuCara Pharmacies, a local health-care company right here in the Cedar Valley that takes care of thousands of Iowa patients and provides good jobs to more than 100 Iowans so they can take care of their families and invest in our communities. NuCara helps patients with cancer, disabilities and in-home care. This attack is the very worst of politics. Letters to the Editor Tuesday, Oct. 18 Election option DENVER Unlikeable, untrustworthy and dishonest are a few words frequently used to describe the Democratic and Republican nominees for president. No citizen should have to decide the lesser of two evils. Voting for our nations leader should be for the greater good. There is an option, other than the two parties listed above, Libertarian and Green. So far, they arent doing too well in the polls, but we still do have one more option. We have the option to write in our choice for president and vice president on our ballot Nov. 8 and it will be counted in our state. That is my plan. I think our country is in trouble with the Democratic and Republican candidates, and I dont feel neither deserve my vote. Political hypocrisy CEDAR FALLS Fox news asks: Should Christians vote for Donald Trump? How hypocritical is it to not ask that question about Hillary Clinton? Democrats have raised women issues about every Republican candidate in every election cycle since John McCain, maybe even further if I cared to dig that deep. So, if you want to believe that Donald Trump sexually abused or did whatever to women in his life, you might be a sucker for Democratic deflections or distortions of the truth, but more likely just flat out lies. On the other side of the coin, I did an Internet search of the Benghazi disaster and found more than 600 requests for additional security never got to Secretary Clintons desk. However, more than a 150 emails from Sidney Blumenthal, a friend of Clintons, did get read by her. Remember Israel WATERLOO During these Jewish High Holy Days, lets not forget our friends in Israel. Those of us on Sarahs side of the family need to remember its Israels job to watch over Jerusalem for us all. The prophets and sages of Israel made sure we would remember all of our Holy sites, including where our Holy Temple was. So these High Holy Days have a meaning for all of us. Mammograms CEDAR FALLS In reference to The Associated Press story in the Oct. 13 Courier, Study questions value of mammograms, I have known at least three women that wouldnt be alive today if it werent for the early detection of breast cancer as a result of a mammogram. One gets the impression from the article mammograms just arent all that important. That because possibly one out of every thousand women might be at risk for breast cancer and one woman just isnt that significant at all. According to my studies, the number is significantly higher. One of my friends was told by her doctor she didnt need a mammogram, so she went to another doctor who did one and discovered cancer, and subsequently was treated for Stage 3. If she would have listened to her former doctor and such rhetoric coming through the media today, she wouldnt be alive today. Insurance companies dont like to pay for womens mammograms, especially today with the latest advances in technology. But the media needs to make sure they are telling woman the entire truth about mammograms; not falsehoods that could cost them their lives. Trump and women WAVERLY Why does Donald Trump think he has the right to rate all women by their physical appearance when he, himself, is such a slob that no self-respecting gay man would give him a second glance. In the past, women may have needed a man of money and power, but now that many of them possess those attributes themselves, they are to Trumps surprise finding his unwanted amorous advances offensive. And those are not the important attributes of a great president. Our choices WATERLOO What a stinking mess! When we go into the voting booth this year we will have to hold our nose. No matter which candidate wins this year we will have someone living in the White House that has had problems with their conduct. Bill Clinton was almost forced out of office, Donald Trump needs to have his mouth washed out and Hillary Clinton cant remember the last time she told the truth. Three hundred fifty million people in this country and Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the best we can do? By Tim Brockwell Oct. 14, 2016 | 05:38 PM | PADUCAH, KY Colleagues of Van Newberry are sharing some memories of the former McCracken County Judge Executive, who died Thursday after being hit by a car while riding a bike on Old Cairo Road.McCracken County Commissioner Jerry Beyer, who worked with Newberry on the McCracken County Fiscal Court for years, says Newberry was a good friend who was a pleasure to work with. Beyer noted several of Newberry's accomplishments while in office."He was very energetic in economic development. He was the person who made the Murray State Campus Building possible. It was his insight and leadership that put that package together. He was also very instrumental in helping set up the scholarship program for McCracken County seniors. He wanted to make sure that children who graduate from high school have at least two years of either a technical or college education." Beyer said.Beyer said that during the 2009 ice storm that devastated local infrastructure Newberry worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of everyone in the county, making sure every door was knocked on and all residents were ok."He literally worked 24 hours a day," Beyer said. "He would go from the emergency operations center out to the road department, back and forth just trying to see that all the people in the county were taken care of."Beyer said Newberry always strived to help the people of McCracken County, without trying to take all the credit for what got done."He was easy to work with. There were a lot of projects that happened, but he wasn't the person who always wanted to stand in the front and take credit. Everything that he did was to help the citizens of this county. Beyer said.Judge Executive Bob Leeper said Newberry had a passion for roads and public safety, and his background as an engineer was very helpful with those types of projects."He was always dedicated to public safety and roads. I think he will always be remembered for his commitment to transportation and public safety, along with a number of other things." Leeper said.Leeper said there is a lot of sadness in the air at the McCracken County courthouse, as many who worked closely with Newberry for years struggle to come to terms with the news of his death."There's definitely a cloud over the courthouse today," Leeper said. "A lot of people who worked with him for a number of years are very saddened by the loss, and the suddenness of it just amplifies that. Hopefully it will give people some comfort that he is well thought of and remembered for all the efforts he made to make McCracken County better."Visitation and funeral arrangements are set for Tuesday at the Luther F. Carson Center. Visitation is from 4 to 7 pm. The service is at 7 pm. Graveside services will be at 10 am on Wednesday at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Bandana. 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Chashma unit 3 was connected to the country's power grid on 15 October at a ceremony attended by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). The unit reached first criticality on 2 October. Celebrating Chashma 3's grid connection (Image: CNNC) Construction began on the Chinese-designed CNP-300 pressurised water reactor (PWR) in March 2011, and the unit is expected to enter commercial operation before the end of this year. Chashma 3 is one of two CNP-300 units being built at the site, in Punjab province. Unit 4, which began construction nine months after unit 3, is currently undergoing commissioning and is expected to enter commercial operation in 2017. The Chashma site - also referred to as Chasnupp - is already home to two Chinese-supplied 300 MWe PWRs: unit 1, in commercial operation since 2000, and unit 2, in commercial operation since 2011. Pakistan also has a 125 MWe Canadian-supplied pressurized heavy water reactor, Karachi unit 1, which has been in commercial operation since 1972. Two 1161 MWe Chinese-supplied Hualong One plants are also planned at the Karachi site. A ground-breaking ceremony for Karachi 2 was held in August 2015, and the units are scheduled to enter service in 2021 and 2022. Pakistan is not a party to the international nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but its civil power reactors and its two research reactors all operate under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics FAIRFIELD, CT, October 18, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Markoya's history with Fairfield and its library is longstanding, having originally conducted research for Dali's art there. In 1973, Markoya exhibited his first solo show, while still working under Dali. This first show, "The Traumatism of Birth," leaned heavily on the master's style and imagery. Now, 43 years later, Markoya brings what he terms the continuity and evolution of Surrealist and Nuclear-Mystical art to the same venue, with a focus on optical and neural explorations through oil paintings and lenticular prints. Lenticular prints give the illusion of depth, even the appearance of movement, as the image is viewed from different angles. "I want to stimulate the intelligence of the viewer. It's my sincere hope," Markoya continues, "that I can contribute to the growth of curiosity and mind expansion through my art. During the time I worked with Dali it was always his dream to capture the third dimension in his work, a goal started in the Renaissance with advanced perspective and trompe l'oeil. Through experimentation with advanced lenticular lenses, I have finally achieved Dali's dream, of full color 3D without the aid of glasses or mirrors." Markoya evolved mentor Dali's innovations through his leveraging of fractal science and lenticular lens technology, extending surrealism's most notable characteristics, and creating a style that is uniquely Markoya. In his later years, Dali opened up new visual doors, too, through the use of holography and stereoscopy. "I have evolved Surrealism and Dali's love of science to develop a new art form," Markoya says. Among the more than 30 works that will be on exhibit, one of several fractal-based pieces to be shown is, "Only Thought Can Rival Nature" - an intricate painting with flame fractals forming the brow of a female head and fractal roots growing into an iris," Markoya notes. The work features several elements seen in some of Dali's compositions, such as cuttle fish, bees, and butterflies. These elements all represent how thought can not only extend beyond the walls of the cranium but can surpass nature itself. The exhibit will run from November 19 through December 31, 2016. Show hours are Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; closed Sundays. A reception is scheduled December 3. For more information, contact the gallery at (203) 256-3155. Attachment is self-portrait bearing his upcoming show title, "The Triumph of Intellect." Markoya's extensive website, which includes great anecdotes on working with Dali, can be found at www.louismarkoya.com Contact: Louis Markoya [email protected] (203) 482-0641 # # # Oct 18, 2016 | By Alec If you need any indication of how potent 3D printing is, just look at all the established companies who are recognizing business opportunities and are entering the 3D printing market themselves. Point in case is Aurora, a Taiwanese provider of office automation and furniture solutions, who has just set up Changyang Biomedical International together with the China Medical University Hospital (China Medical) in Taiwan. Together, they will be offering various customized 3D medical services, including 3D printed implants, orthodontics and more. As the two partners revealed, this move is the result of changing market opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. According to a new report from Allied Market Research, the custom medical 3D printing market houses more than NT$21 billion business opportunities (approximately $660 million USD) of which nearly NT$1.1 billion (or $34M USD) can be found in Taiwan alone. A perfect opportunity, in short, to step into that market. And Changyang Biomedical International will be doing so in force, it seems. According to Aurora Group Managing Director Lin Le-ping, this new venture will be combining Auroras channel access resources with the clinical experience of China Medical. Aurora itself is no stranger to 3D printing, as they also market, design and produce various 3D systems aimed at various professional markets including healthcare. But 3D printing medical-grade applications is another matter than 3D printing accurate miniature models, says China Medicals Dean Zhou Deyang. He further argued that the nature of this application means that highly complex geometries will have to be developed, making collaboration with a complete cross-section of the medical world absolutely necessary. The hospital itself is no stranger to 3D printing, having set up their own 3D medical R&D center back in Sepember 2014. Through experience, they have already seen that 3D printing technology can shorten treatment times, improve surgical accuracy and reduce risks for patients. They have especially seen these benefits in the field of orthognathic surgery, where traditional medical procedures take around six hours. But when using 3D printing and 3D design for preoperative planning, simulation and design of surgical splints, that time is cut down to just four and a half hours. The introduction of more surgical aides, they say, will only further reduce that time. Whats more, the hospital especially sees chances for improvement in the dental sector. So far, they have already accumulated 200 clinical cases from their dental, orthopedic, orthopedic and rehabilitation departments that benefited from 3D printing. Even 3D printed braces, which can be customized to optimize the dental movement of each and every patient while reducing the braces visibility, are on the agenda. As a result, the hospital will be transferring the production of dental, orthopedic and orthognathic tools, as well as their digital surgery planning services, to Changyang Biomedical International. This also highlights the key areas in which Changyang Biomedical International will be initially focusing on. Right now, it will be divided into three product lines: invisible braces, orthognathic surgery and auxiliary equipment, and custom medical silicone mold output. According to Zhang Mingnan, the general manager of Chang-yang Biomedical International, these areas are home to the biggest medical 3D printing business opportunities right now. In the Taiwanese market alone, some 200,000 patients require orthodontic services, while 6,000 people will undergo orthognathic surgery and 261 people skull reconstruction surgery, while 4,000 to 5,000 people require artificial joint replacements. Changyang Biomedical International is still under development, and initially the Aurora Group will take a 51 percent stake, with China Medical holding 49 percent. Their first goals include the integration of the two sides marketing and technical resources, the establishment of technical barriers and the establishment of modes of operation. Once complete, they will work to expand market access in the region, establish advisory services and provide medical education and training. However, Taiwan alone should hold more than enough opportunities right now. With more than 12,000 hospitals and nearly 8,000 doctors able to benefit from medical 3D printing, they have a very clear market in sight. The joint venture can subsequently tap the Chinese market through collaboration with local research centers. If all goes well, theyre looking at annual revenues of NT$1.0 billion (US$31.6 million) in three years from now. Posted in 3D Printer Company Maybe you also like: 38 Here, the sentence will be respected. I will compose each sentence with care by minding what the rules of writing dictate. For example, all sentences will begin with capital letters. Likewise, the history of the sentence will be honored by ending each one with appropriate punctuation such as a period or question mark, thus bringing the idea to (momentary) completion. You may like to know, I do not consider this a creative piece. In other words, I do not regard this as a poem of great imagination or a work of fiction. Also, historical events will not be dramatized for an interesting read. Therefore, I feel most responsible to the orderly sentence; conveyor of thought. That said, I will begin: You may or may not have heard about the Dakota 38. If this is the first time youve heard of it, you might wonder, What is the Dakota 38? The Dakota 38 refers to thirty-eight Dakota men who were executed by hanging, under orders from President Abraham Lincoln. To date, this is the largest legal mass execution in U.S. history. The hanging took place on December 26th, 1862the day after Christmas. This was the same week that President Lincoln signed The Emancipation Proclamation. In the preceding sentence, I italicize same week for emphasis. There was a movie titled Lincoln about the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. The signing of The Emancipation Proclamation was included in the film Lincoln; the hanging of the Dakota 38 was not. In any case, you might be asking, Why were thirty-eight Dakota men hung? As a side note, the past tense of hang is hung, but when referring to the capital punishment of hanging, the correct tense is hanged. So its possible that youre asking, Why were thirty-eight Dakota men hanged? They were hanged for The Sioux Uprising. I want to tell you about The Sioux Uprising, but I dont know where to begin. I may jump around and details will not unfold in chronological order. Keep in mind, I am not a historian. So I will recount facts as best as I can, given limited resources and understanding. Before Minnesota was a state, the Minnesota region, generally speaking, was the traditional homeland for Dakota, Anishnaabeg and Ho-Chunk people. During the 1800s, when the U.S. expanded territory, they purchased land from the Dakota people as well as the other tribes. But another way to understand that sort of purchase is: Dakota leaders ceded land to the U.S. Government in exchange for money and goods, but most importantly, the safety of their people. Some say that Dakota leaders did not understand the terms they were entering, or they never would have agreed. Even others call the entire negotiation, trickery. But to make whatever-it-was official and binding, the U. S. Government drew up an initial treaty. This treaty was later replaced by another (more convenient) treaty, and then another. Ive had difficulty unraveling the terms of these treaties, given the legal speak and congressional language. As treaties were abrogated (broken) and new treaties were drafted, one after another, the new treaties often referenced old defunct treaties and it is a muddy, switchback trail to follow. Although I often feel lost on this trail, I know I am not alone. However, as best as I can put the facts together, in 1851, Dakota territory was contained to a 12-mile by 150-mile long strip along the Minnesota river. But just seven years later, in 1858, the northern portion was ceded (taken) and the southern portion was (conveniently) allotted, which reduced Dakota land to a stark 10-mile tract. These amended and broken treaties are often referred to as The Minnesota Treaties. The word Minnesota comes from mni which means water; sota which means turbid. Synonyms for turbid include muddy, unclear, cloudy, confused and smoky. Everything is in the language we use. For example, a treaty is, essentially, a contract between two sovereign nations. The U.S. treaties with the Dakota Nation were legal contracts that promised money. It could be said, this money was payment for the land the Dakota ceded; for living within assigned boundaries (a reservation); and for relinquishing rights to their vast hunting territory which, in turn, made Dakota people dependent on other means to survive: money. The previous sentence is circular, which is akin to so many aspects of history. As you may have guessed by now, the money promised in the turbid treaties did not make it into the hands of Dakota people. In addition, local government traders would not offer credit to Indians to purchase food or goods. Without money, store credit or rights to hunt beyond their 10-mile tract of land, Dakota people began to starve. The Dakota people were starving. The Dakota people starved. In the preceding sentence, the word starved does not need italics for emphasis. One should read, The Dakota people starved, as a straightforward and plainly stated fact. As a resultand without other options but to continue to starveDakota people retaliated. Dakota warriors organized, struck out and killed settlers and traders. This revolt is called The Sioux Uprising. Eventually, the U.S. Cavalry came to Mnisota to confront the Uprising. Over one thousand Dakota people were sent to prison. As already mentioned, thirty-eight Dakota men were subsequently hanged. After the hanging, those one thousand Dakota prisoners were released. However, as further consequence, what remained of Dakota territory in Mnisota was dissolved (stolen). The Dakota people had no land to return to. This means they were exiled. Homeless, the Dakota people of Mnisota were relocated (forced) onto reservations in South Dakota and Nebraska. Now, every year, a group called the The Dakota 38 + 2 Riders conduct a memorial horse ride from Lower Brule, South Dakota to Mankato, Mnisota. The Memorial Riders travel 325 miles on horseback for eighteen days, sometimes through sub-zero blizzards. They conclude their journey on December 26th, the day of the hanging. Memorials help focus our memory on particular people or events. Often, memorials come in the forms of plaques, statues or gravestones. The memorial for the Dakota 38 is not an object inscribed with words, but an act. Yet, I started this piece (which I do not consider a poem or work of fiction) because I was interested in writing about grasses. So, there is one other event to include, although its not in chronological order and we must backtrack a little. When the Dakota people were starving, as you may remember, government traders would not extend store credit to Indians. One trader named Andrew Myrick is famous for his refusal to provide credit to Dakotas by saying, If they are hungry, let them eat grass. There are variations of Myricks words, but they are all something to that effect. When settlers and traders were killed during the Sioux Uprising, one of the first to be executed by the Dakota was Andrew Myrick. When Myricks body was found, his mouth was stuffed with grass. I am inclined to call this act by the Dakota warriors a poem. Theres irony in their poem. There was no text. Real poems do not really require words. I have italicized the previous sentence to indicate inner dialogue; a revealing moment. But, on second thought, the particular words Let them eat grass, click the gears of the poem into place. So, we could also say, language and word choice are crucial to the poems work. Things are circling back again. Sometimes, when in a circle, if I wish to exit, I must leap. And let the body swing. From the platform. .. Out . to the grasses. by Layli Long Soldier from Mudcity Journal Let the crushing begin! Harvest is here and winemakers everywhere are lugging in thousands of bins of this year's vintage, stripping their stems, and turning them into glorious wine. While many will trek north for Napa's classic traditions and often over-priced tastings, you might be better off heading in the opposite direction. For a harvest experience that's more earnest and less erudite, take a trip to Paso Robles (or ro-bulls, as the locals say). Vina Robles outdoor amphitheater (A. K. Carroll) CATCH A SHOW Plan ahead if you want to catch a concert atVina Robles, a palatial winery with six massive vineyards and a gorgeous 14,000 square-foot hospitality center that includes a tasting room and private event spaces, as well as an intimate outdoor amphitheater. The style of the space is a mash-up of Old World Europe crossed with a California mission and the venue has hosted performers such as Amy Schumer and Cyndi Lauper. Upcoming shows include The Doobie Brothers, The Monkees and Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitlan. // 3700 Mill Rd. (Paso Robles), vinaroblesamphitheatre.com Villa Creek (A. K. Carroll) WINE + DINE Harvest season or not, a visit to Paso should include a reservation atVilla Creek, a winemakers' hang out with true farm to table practices and its own in-house winery. The restaurant's spacious patio and indoor dining space are casually elegant and perfect for sampling from a selection of local and international wines. SLO County culinary icon and new executive chef Maegan Loring helms the kitchen and serves thoughtful food, such as basil risotto topped with apple fennel slaw and a flaky fried tart stuff with sauteed wild mushrooms and creamy ricotta. // 1144 Pine St. (Paso Robles), villacreek.com Refugio (A. K. Carroll) A GOOD NIGHT'S REST You can find hotels and Airbnbs at any price point, but for a really rustic stay, consider booking a room at Refugio, a wine country haven created and run by cookbook author Brigit Binns, whose husband and partner Casey Biggs describes her as "The Martha Stewart of the Central Coast" (pre-prison, of course). Refugio's glorious teaching kitchen cries out "lifestyle magazine" and serves as a venue for guest chefs and cooking classes, many offered by Binns herself. Overnight guests can book the Oak Suite, Barn Suite, kitchen, or entire house and enjoy every amenity imaginable, including in-house massages, horseback riding, fire pits, and heated tile floors. // Barley Grain Rd. (Paso Robles), refugiopasorobles.com HANG ON! More adventurous travelers can get an aerial view of Santa Margarita Ranch and Paso's majestic landscape with Margarita Adventures zipline tours. Six ziplinesthe first of which is 2,800 feet and includes a 300-foot suspension bridgetotal over 7,500 feet and send you zooming through the canopy for an exciting and educational three-hour tour. Once you're back on ground, you may choose to visit the affiliated Ancient Peaks Winery, which specializes in artisan wines grown on Santa Margarita Ranch. Zipline guests receive a discounted tasting fee and reduction on merchandise. // 22719 El Camino Real (Santa Margarita), margarita-adventures.com Paso's General Store (A. K. Carroll) SWEET TREATS Once you've had your fill of big cabs and rare vintages, take a trip to downtown Paso. Hit up Spearhead Coffee (619 12th St.) for the best third-wave in the region (try their miel latte for a subtly sweet treat) and stop in at Brown Butter Cookie Company(801 12th St.) for samples of their six scrumptious varieties, including limited-edition bourbon. You'll find a variety of small stores and boutique shops lining the tiny town square and won't want to miss theGeneral Store(841 12th St.)a specialty gift shop featuring local products. Sample their famous almond-brittle, custom blend olive oil (made by Paso Olivo) and signature Pasotastic ice cream, a sheep's milk delicacy made by the nearby Negranti Creamery. Should you wish to take a little Paso home, pre-made and custom gift baskets are assembled in the back of the store. // For more winery suggestions, check out our Paso Robles wine guide. South Broadway Cultural Center will host one of the hottest groups to come out of Argentina when Bohemia Viva takes the stage of the John Lewis Theatre on Friday, October 21 at 7pm. The vocal duet formed by Luis Lujan, who is from Cordoba, and Andrea Mottura, who is originally from Santa Fe, combine the cultures of the Latin, European, and American cultures where they have toured extensively. They perform with high energy and passion for the music they perform in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and English. In a past interview in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where they now reside, the duo described the music of Argentina as having a long history and being very diverse, depending on the region. Internationally, the tango is one of the best-known genres, although in the interior of the nation, folk music dominates. Domestic rock also has taken an important space in the culture since the 1960s, and from there came many other musical styles present in the nation: reggae, jazz, bolero, electronic music, cumbia and punk. They described Mexican music as being infused with diverse influences, and a foundation of the culture of the nation, with the people conserving their musical roots; participating in musical expression in a natural way. The mix of cultural influences on their music will have the audience cheering for more. Don't miss the one-night-only performance of this exciting duo! Tickets are $15 per person and are available at southbroadwaytickets. com. Laws crafted by those elected should do most good for most people Addiction Canada Inc., a chain of private addiction treatment centers in Alberta and Ontario presently facing allegations of unpaid wage running into hundreds of thousands of dollars has resurfaced as Canadian Addiction Recovery Network (http://canadianaddictionrecoverynetwork.ca/). John Haines, CEO of Addiction Canada Inc., himself is currently facing five charges including two counts of fraud worth millions of dollars, drug possession, and drug trafficking. Addiction Canada Inc., a chain of private addiction treatment centers in Alberta and Ontario presently facing allegations of unpaid wage running into hundreds of thousands of dollars has resurfaced as Canadian Addiction Recovery Network (http://canadianaddictionrecoverynetwork.ca/). John Haines, CEO of Addiction Canada Inc., himself is currently facing five charges including two counts of fraud worth millions of dollars, drug possession, and drug trafficking. Amidst all of this fraud allegations, John Haines has started a new company named Dylan Maggiacomo which also is the name of his stepson. He is also now operating Addiction Canada Inc. under a new name, Canadian Addiction Recovery Network, an apparent offshoot of Addiction Canada. This is not the first time that John Haines will pull this kind of move, with Addiction Canada itself being a reincarnation of Vita Novus Inc. after similar allegations of fraud. According to a report published by CBS Canada, employees of Addiction Canada and Vita Novus Inc. are claiming a total of $516,821 in unpaid wages with Ontarios Ministry of Labour. Greg Gemus worked as an accountant for Addiction Canada and was responsible for handling questions from all of Addiction Canadas locations alleges he was told to put off people who were concerned about being paid, by telling them to call back the next day. In May or June, every single paycheque was bouncing. By the end of June, employees were owed three paycheques, said Gemus. Eventually, at least 50 people quit. According to the Ministry of Labour, in the last three years, they have received exactly 87 claims related to unpaid wages at Vita Novus totaling $349,503 and 27 related to Addiction Canada totaling $167,318. Despite all of these allegations, Haines has however rebranded his Addiction Canada brand into Canadian Addiction Recovery Network. A new conglomerate is taking over the existing locations (except for a couple they werent interested in) and are moving forward with completely new structure and management, according to Haines. Haines is due back in court in Orangeville, Ontario, on October 31, 2016, for the continuation of his pretrial. Media Contact Company Name: Canadian Addiction Recovery Contact Person: Melanie Lane Email: memyself2020@yahoo.com Phone: +1-720-870-3022 Country: Canada Website: http://canadianaddictionrecoverynetwork.ca/ Acclaimed horror film bows October 20 Writer-director Kyle Brooms avant-garde extravaganza (Bloody Disgusting) Tabloid Vivant premieres On Demand in the United States October 20 before its Switzerland premiere at the Lausanne Underground Film & Music Festival later that day. A jarring, unpredictable, immensely fun* (The Independent Critic) horror-thriller starring Jesse Woodrow (TVs Charmed) and Tamzin Brown (The Adderall Diaries), Tabloid Vivant has received largely exceedingly positive reviews since it hit the festival circuit. Max is an artist seduced by the allure of fame. Sara is an art critic whose obsessions exceed even his. When she lands a writing gig at a major art magazine, the pair retreats to a cabin in the woods, where Max reveals his strange new painting method. Convinced of its potential, she agrees to collaborate on a piece sure to revolutionize the art world. While both original and mesmerizing, the project reveals something dark and disturbing about their relationship. Like two digital-age Frankensteins, they manage to make a painting come alive though the unsettling consequences of their success may be more fit for the pages of a blood-soaked tabloid than the chronicles of art history. Tabloid Vivant will be available on Amazon from 10/20 and plays at LUFF the same day in Switzerland. Details about the event here : http://2016.luff.ch/en/tabloid-vivant-2/ Media Contact Company Name: OCTOBER COAST PR Contact Person: Ashleigh Davies Email: office@octobercoast.net Phone: 0011 +61 3 99996034 ext. 314 City: LOS ANGELES State: CA Country: United States Website: http://2016.luff.ch/en/tabloid-vivant-2/ Evolution Mining is a leading, growth-focussed Australian gold miner. Evolution operate five wholly-owned mines Cowal in New South Wales; Mt Carlton, Mt Rawdon, and Cracow, in Queensland; and Mungari in Western Australia. In addition Evolution holds an economic interest in Ernest Henry, in Queensland, that will deliver 100% of future gold and 30% of future copper and silver produced from an agreed life of mine area. Outside of the life of mine area Evolution will have a 49% interest in future copper, gold and silver production from Ernest Henry. IMGCAP(1)] When I was growing up, I had a plaque hanging over my bed that read, dont tell your daughter to marry a doctor or a lawyer tell her to be one. These words of encouragement have guided me throughout my career, leading me to CPA firm partnership, the establishment of my own firm and success in various other business endeavors. Many women, like myself, have to work much harder for the same career progression as men. While women account for about half of employees at CPA firms, just under 20 percent hold firm leadership positions. As we learned at Xerocon San Francisco, this small percentage has increased over the past couple of years, however, we still have a long way to go. At our Women in Business Breakfast, I headed up an all-female panel of accounting and finance industry leaders where we discussed how well accounting firms are doing in terms of advancing women and what they can do to improve. Here are a number of areas in which firms can remove barriers to the career progression of women in order to diversify their leadership. Benefits For Work-Life Integration At the Women in Business Breakfast I was joined by Joanne Cleaver, president of communications firm, Wilson-Taylor Associates. Her firm heads the Accounting MOVE project, which is the accounting industrys only annual benchmarking and advocacy project for firm diversity. This years survey underlined the need for firms to provide benefits - that both men and women can take advantage of - in order to encourage firm leadership diversity. One of the participants in the Accounting MOVE project, Frazier & Deeter, offers complete reimbursement of daycare expenses at licensed daycare facilities for their employees in Georgia. Some firms have even established on-site child care centers. Dependent care does not end with children. Elder care is another consideration for firms looking to retain and grow diverse talent. For firms looking for help with dependent care packages, organizations like Bright Horizons can offer specialized expertise in this area. For firms that want to encourage diversity in their leadership positions, they should consider ditching the timesheet in order to give employees more time with their loved ones. Accounting firm HPC has a project-based work model and uses a project management tool that ensures performance transparency, enabling them to operate a fully virtual firm. They have also taken an unconventional approach to PTO, implementing a DTO (Discretionary Time Off) policy. One employee was able to take advantage of this policy and took a month off with his family in Japan, while still doing 30-minute check-ins every morning to help keep the cogs moving back in the office. Business Development Training Too often partners and senior associates are thrown in the deep end when it comes being tasked with business development. Theyre asked to help grow the business without having any training. Offering this learning from as early as possible is crucial. Ive found that employees that receive extensive sales training are positioned for success. As an example, a mentorship program can be established where an employee who has shown measured success in sales can shadow a mentee on a sales call and provide development opportunities. Another approach could entail a method of self-assessment where sales calls are recorded and the trainee listens back and critiques themselves based on areas where they think they can improve. That being said, developing an in-house training program is not necessary. There are a variety of national training programs out there. Ensuring every employee at every level knows the firms elevator pitch is a simple yet effective way of providing the foundation to sales training. By communicating the value that the firm is sold on, they can ensure that every employee is a salesperson. Pay Equity Surveys Pay equity is a topic that has been brought to the forefront across many professions over the past year or so. This years Accounting MOVE survey results highlighted tech industry giants Salesforce and Intel as advocates for salary transparency after they conducted pay equity surveys and spent millions to rectify the inexplicable gaps they found. Accounting MOVE named accounting firm Baker Tilly as a champion for pay equity as they consistently ensure market pay aligns with part-time work schedules and alternative career tracks. Maintaining this proactive auditing process will ensure that when employees come asking for salary data the numbers are ready, and show they will be paid equally once they reach those leadership positions. By putting in place benefits that help foster work-life integration, offering business development training for employees of all levels and maintaining transparent salary data, firms can foster diversity within their leadership positions. Amy Vetter is the global vice president of education and head of accounting, USA, for Xero. (Bloomberg) Donald Trumps proposed tax plan could provide a short-term boost to the economy before costing more than 690,000 jobs over a decade, while Hillary Clintons plan could send job-creation in the opposite direction -- first down, then up, according to a new policy report. The main reason for the differing outcomes is the plans effects on the federal debt, according to the analysis by economists and computer engineers at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania -- which didnt consider their spending proposals. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, proposes tax cuts for businesses and individuals, while Clinton, the Democratic nominee, proposes tax increases on the highest earners. While Trumps plan stimulates more growth and jobs in the very short run, it under-performs both current policy and Clinton within a decade, due to higher debt, a synopsis of the report says. Success for the Trump plan hinges critically on finding substantial cuts to government spending down the road, according to the synopsis. The brief report was prepared by the Wharton School officials in tandem with the Washington-based Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. It found that under Clinton, growth in gross domestic product, a measure of total economic health, would fall 0.19 percent in 2018, when measured against growth expected without the effects of her plan. But by 2027, Clintons plan would produce GDP growth of 0.4 percent above the baseline, and by 2040, 1.19 percent above the baseline. Trumps plan would grow the economy by 1.12 percent above the baseline in 2018, but then shrink it by 0.43 percent in 2027 and by 6.73 percent in 2040. The report is based on the Penn Wharton Budget Model, a new, proprietary method of calculation that incorporates predictions of the economic effects of tax proposals on human behavior. The groups method, known broadly as dynamic scoring, used data from the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Reserve, mortality tables and population surveys, among other sources, to model the candidates plans. Hotly Debated The group also used recent findings by the Tax Policy Center, which is a joint venture by the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution. The center calculated the effects of both candidates proposals on a static basis -- that is, without accounting for the predicted effects of human behavior. The Wharton model also reflected assumptions that growth would come from previously unemployed people getting jobs, rather than from currently employed people working harder. Kent Smetters, the director of the modeling group, said that assumption was hotly debated in academic and policy circles. Under that assumption, Trumps plan would create 1.7 million new jobs in 2018. But by 2027, his plan would create 692,082 fewer jobs than would the current economy without his tax plan. By 2040, Trumps plan would mean 11.2 million fewer jobs against the current baseline. Smetters said those figures were upper limits of the groups calculations. Clintons plan would produce 282,012 fewer jobs by 2018 against the baseline, but then create 645,161 new jobs by 2027 and more than 2 million new jobs by 2040, the report said, again using so-called upper limits. Earlier this month, the Tax Policy Center had found that, on a static basis, Trumps plan would decrease federal revenue by $6.2 trillion over a decade, and the top 1 percent of earners would receive almost half the benefit of his proposed tax cuts. The Trump campaign sharply criticized that finding; campaign advisers argue that the tax cuts would stimulate economic growth, lessening the revenue cost of the plan. Moreover, they say, Trumps plans to overhaul international trade treaties, cut regulations and stimulate the U.S. energy industry would add more growth. He has called for cutting non-defense and non-entitlement programs to save almost $1 trillion over the next 10 years. The tax-policy center also found, in a companion report, that under Clintons plan, federal revenue would increase by $1.4 trillion over a decade, with the top 1 percent of earners paying for about 90 percent of her proposed tax hikes -- again, on a static basis. Both the center and the Wharton group describe themselves as nonpartisan. The Wharton report considered only the candidates tax plans; it didnt measure either candidates spending proposals -- or any spending cuts. The fight over how to determine the cost and economic effects of the candidates tax plans has thrust a wonky debate over scoring into the mainstream and created an arms race among think tanks and research centers to churn out new models and reports. Dynamic models vary widely -- economists disagree on the best way to construct them. But they tend to make the impact of some tax cuts look less costly to federal budgets over time. Last year, Congress required the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation to use dynamic models in their analyses. Hurricane Matthew victims in much of North Carolina and parts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida have until March 15 to file certain individual and business tax returns and make certain tax payments, the IRS said. This includes an additional filing extension for those with valid extensions that run out at midnight tonight, Oct. 17. The IRS is now offering this expanded relief to any area designated by FEMA as qualifying for either individual assistance or public assistance. Taxpayers in counties added later to the disaster area will automatically receive the same filing and payment relief. Currently, the following areas are eligible for relief: In North Carolina: Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Tyrrell, Washington, Wayne and Wilson Counties. Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Tyrrell, Washington, Wayne and Wilson Counties. In South Carolina: Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Jasper, Marion, Orangeburg and Williamsburg Counties. Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Jasper, Marion, Orangeburg and Williamsburg Counties. In Georgia : Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh Counties. : Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh Counties. In Florida: Brevard, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Nassau, St. Johns, St. Lucie and Volusia Counties. The IRS said this step is due to the unusual factors involving Hurricane Matthew and the interaction with the Oct. 17 extension deadline. The tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting on Oct. 4. Affected individuals and businesses will have until March 15 to file returns and pay any taxes originally due during this period. This includes the Jan. 17 deadline for making quarterly estimated tax payments. For individual filers, it also includes 2015 income tax returns that received a tax-filing extension until Oct. 17. The IRS noted, however, that because tax payments related to these 2015 returns were originally due on April 18, those are not eligible for this relief. A variety of business tax deadlines are also affected, including the Oct. 31 and Jan. 31 deadlines for quarterly payroll and excise tax returns. It also includes the special March 1 deadline that applies to farmers and fishermen who choose to forgo making quarterly estimated tax payments. In addition, the IRS is waiving late-deposit penalties for federal payroll and excise tax deposits normally due on or after Oct. 4 and before Oct. 19 if the deposits are made by Oct. 19. Details on available relief can be found on the disaster relief page on IRS.gov. The IRS automatically provides filing and penalty relief to any taxpayer with an IRS address of record located in the disaster area. Thus, taxpayers need not contact the IRS to get this relief. However, if an affected taxpayer receives a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS that has an original or extended filing, payment or deposit due date falling within the postponement period, the taxpayer should call the number on the notice to have the penalty abated. In addition, the IRS will work with any taxpayer who lives outside the disaster area but whose records necessary to meet a deadline occurring during the postponement period are located in the affected area. Taxpayers qualifying for relief who live outside the disaster area need to contact the IRS at (866) 562-5227. This also includes workers assisting the relief activities who are affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization. Hungama Digital Services (HDS), one of Indias leading full-service digital advertising and promotion marketing agencies and a part of WPP worldwide group, won a Bronze dragon and 2 Black Dragon certificates in 2016 PMAA DRAGONS OF ASIA Awards. The awards ceremony, second edition of Secrets of the Dragon Masters, was held in KL on October 7, 2016. Winning HDS a Bronze Dragon in the Best social media or word of mouth campaign category was the Myth-O-Logic campaign for Godrej Security Solutions. This category awarded the campaign which demonstrated the best use of any Social Media delivery platform, such as: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Weibo, WeChat, Shazam, Snapchat, WhatsApp & Viral Campaigns etc., as well as the Word of Mouth discipline, as the primary mechanic in the marketing of a product or service, to target audiences. HDS also won 2 Black Dragon Certificates in Best Brand Building and/or Awareness Campaign category for Godrej & Boyce Corporate Film and Best Mobile Marketing Campaign category for Godrej Darling App developed for Godrej Consumer Products. We are delighted to receive PMAA Dragons of Asia award consecutively for over a decade. It is a true reflection of our commitment to deliver award winning campaigns year-on-year, says HDS CEO & CCO, Carlton DSilva. Winning across categories like social media/word of mouth, brand building and/or awareness, mobile marketing showcases the compelling diversity, we bring to the table for our clients. Since 2000, the PMAA Dragons of Asia are well-known in the industry for recognising the very best in results-driven marketing communications, by agencies and clients, across all countries in Asia, and we are grateful to them for celebrating our creativity and ingenuity. In its continued endeavor to further strengthen the networks proposition in India, Fox Networks Group (FNG) announced a new leadership structure in the product team. This restructure is to help drive a unified vision and renewed focus of the FNG portfolio of channels in India. This new focus will be driven through three main pillars - The Channel and brand strategy, On Air communication and Original productions. The latest addition to this team is Aparna Deshmukh, who joins as Vice President, Content and Communications, and shall be responsible for Channel Strategy and Operations for all FNG brands in India. An MBA graduate, Aparna, comes with over 17yrs of experience in brand strategy and marketing across categories of consumer, services and technology. She has had stints at Hindustan Unilever, HSBC, Microsoft India, Carlsberg and Adidas. She will focus on content programming and acquisition, consumer and trade marketing, localization and key partnerships across all verticals. Sanjay Ramachandran, who joined in November last year from Turner APAC, will continue to serve as Head - Creative Services; broadcast design and On Air Communication for all channel brands. An award winning producer, prior to his stint in Hong Kong, he was in the most celebrated on air promotions teams of Disney and long format team in Channel [V]. Shruti Takulia will continue in her role as Creative Director Original Productions. In the past two and a half years at FNG, Shruti and her team have created award winning original content for both Nat Geo and Fox Life that have travelled across the globe and across multiple platforms. Prior to FNG, she has spearheaded content development functions at Reliance BIG Productions and Endemol India, having started her creative journey in television with MTV. Speaking on the new leadership structure Swati Mohan, Business Head, FOX Networks Group, India says, I am delighted to have such a power-packed product leadership team in Aparna, Sanjay and Shruti. Our channels are witnessing some of the biggest and most exciting changes in decades that will redefine genre and consumer expectations and habits. We have instituted this new structure to help drive disproportionate growth for FNGs bouquet of global brands by keeping them locally relevant and fresh for the viewer and also making them a strategic choice for the advertiser. London International Awards (LIA) has announced the shortlist for Digital. A total of 76 entries have been shortlisted within the medium, with the United States dominating the field with 22 shortlisted entries. The United Kingdom follows with 10 and Brazil with 9. Chairing the Digital Jury this year was Martin Cedergren, Executive Creative Director & Founding Partner of M&C Saatchi Stockholm. Joining Martin on the jury were Samuel Estrada, Corinna Falusi, Mike Geiger, Olivier Lefebvre, Mateusz Mroszczak, Ronald Ng, Mark Pytlik, and Susan Treacy. You can see all the Shortlisted work with full creative credits on our website: https://www.liaentries.com/shortlist/ Winners will be announced on 2nd November. Complete list of Music & Sound Shortlist (by country): AUSTRIA: Jung von Matt , Vienna - Falter Inferno - Animation/Motion Graphics - Falter Inferno - Animation/Motion Graphics Jung von Matt , Vienna - Falter Inferno - Visual Design - Falter Inferno - Visual Design Jung von Matt, Vienna - Falter Inferno - Microsites AUSTRALIA: Leo Burnett , Melbourne - SPC Ardmona Preserved Memories - Use of Social Media - SPC Ardmona Preserved Memories - Use of Social Media Leo Burnett Sydney, Sydney - Samsung brainBAND brainBAND - Innovative Use of Digital BELGIUM: Air Partner of McCann , Brussels - Visit Brussels Call Brussels - Travel - Visit Brussels Call Brussels - Travel Air Partner of McCann, Brussels - Visit Brussels Call Brussels - Microsites BRAZIL: AKQA , Sao Paulo - Usher Don't Look Away - Branded Content - Usher Don't Look Away - Branded Content AKQA , Sao Paulo - Usher Don't Look Away - Public Service/Social Welfare - Usher Don't Look Away - Public Service/Social Welfare DPZ&T , Sao Paulo - MINI MINI Fast Forward - Apps - MINI MINI Fast Forward - Apps ESTADAO DIGITAL , Sao Paulo - Estadao Digital #7MINUTES1REPORT - Use of Social Media - Estadao Digital #7MINUTES1REPORT - Use of Social Media GREY BRASIL , Sao Paulo - Sekron Digital Protection Emergency Pin Code - Innovative Use of Digital - Sekron Digital Protection Emergency Pin Code - Innovative Use of Digital Le Cube , Sao Paulo - Instituto Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna: The Heart of Brazil - Animation/Motion Graphics - Instituto Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna: The Heart of Brazil - Animation/Motion Graphics Leo Burnett Tailor Made , Sao Paulo - Samsung Samsung Galaxy Surfboard - Personal Items/Gift Items - Samsung Samsung Galaxy Surfboard - Personal Items/Gift Items W3haus , Sao Paulo - Criola Mirrors of Racism - Innovative Use of Digital - Criola Mirrors of Racism - Innovative Use of Digital W3haus, Sao Paulo - Criola Mirrors of Racism - Public Service/Social Welfare COLOMBIA: J. Walter Thompson Colombia, Bogota - Natalia Ponce de Leon Foundation The Last Mask - Public Service/Social Welfare FRANCE: FRED & FARID , Paris - Louis XIII Cognac #Notcomingsoon - Weird Wonderful Work - Louis XIII Cognac #Notcomingsoon - Weird Wonderful Work FRED & FARID, Paris - Joggjeans The Responsive lookbook - Navigation/Interactivity GERMANY: Grabarz & Partner , Hamburg - EXIT Deutschland Donate The Hate - The Involuntary Online Donation - Innovative Use of Digital - EXIT Deutschland Donate The Hate - The Involuntary Online Donation - Innovative Use of Digital Grabarz & Partner , Hamburg - EXIT Deutschland Donate The Hate - The Involuntary Online Donation - Use of Social Media - EXIT Deutschland Donate The Hate - The Involuntary Online Donation - Use of Social Media Jung von Matt AG , Hamburg - Vodafone Data for Deeds - Utilities - Vodafone Data for Deeds - Utilities Jung von Matt AG, Hamburg - Vodafone Data for Deeds - Apps JAPAN: TBWAHAKUHODO Inc. , Tokyo - Lyrical School Native Mobile Music Video - Branded Content - Lyrical School Native Mobile Music Video - Branded Content TBWAHAKUHODO Inc. , Tokyo - Lyrical School Native Mobile Music Video - Weird Wonderful Work - Lyrical School Native Mobile Music Video - Weird Wonderful Work TBWAHAKUHODO Inc., Tokyo - Lyrical School Native Mobile Music Video - Viral NEW ZEALAND: Assembly , Auckland - Burger King McWhopper - Viral - Burger King McWhopper - Viral Clemenger BBDO/Proximity, Wellington - Road Safety Hello - Viral PERU: McCann Lima, Lima - Peruvian Red Cross Hashtags for life. - Public Service/Social Welfare SPAIN: Cheil Spain , Madrid - Samsung Espana Samsung Blind Cap - Innovative Use of Digital - Samsung Espana Samsung Blind Cap - Innovative Use of Digital Leo Burnett Madrid , Madrid - Christmas Lottery Justino - Entertainment - Christmas Lottery Justino - Entertainment Leo Burnett Madrid , Madrid - Christmas Lottery Justino - Viral - Christmas Lottery Justino - Viral Tapsa | Y&R, Madrid - BEIN Sports Live Foot Pre-Roll - Media Promotion SWEDEN: INGO Stockholm , Stockholm - Swedish Tourist Association The Swedish Number - Travel - Swedish Tourist Association The Swedish Number - Travel Prime - A Weber Shandwick Company , Stockholm - Trygg-Hansa Don't Drink and Dive - Banking/Financial/Insurance - Trygg-Hansa Don't Drink and Dive - Banking/Financial/Insurance Prime - A Weber Shandwick Company, Stockholm - Trygg-Hansa Don't Drink and Dive - Viral SWITZERLAND: FCB Zurich , Zurich - Hockey Club Davos Hockey Club Davos Rink Bingo - Innovative Use of Digital - Hockey Club Davos Hockey Club Davos Rink Bingo - Innovative Use of Digital FCB Zurich , Zurich - Hockey Club Davos Hockey Club Davos Rink Bingo - Entertainment - Hockey Club Davos Hockey Club Davos Rink Bingo - Entertainment FCB Zurich, Zurich - Hockey Club Davos Hockey Club Davos Rink Bingo - Mobile Advertising THE NETHERLANDS: J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam , Amsterdam - ING The Next Rembrandt - Innovative Use of Digital - ING The Next Rembrandt - Innovative Use of Digital J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam , Amsterdam - ING The Next Rembrandt - Banking/Financial/Insurance - ING The Next Rembrandt - Banking/Financial/Insurance J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam, Amsterdam - ING The Next Rembrandt - Visual Design UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: TBWARAAD , Dubai - Go Sport Champion's Hijack - E-Commerce - Go Sport Champion's Hijack - E-Commerce TBWARAAD, Dubai - Go Sport Champion's Hijack - Retail UNITED KINGDOM: Don't Panic , London - Save the Children Still The Most Shocking Second A Day - Public Service/Social Welfare - Save the Children Still The Most Shocking Second A Day - Public Service/Social Welfare McCann London , London - Xbox / Halo Squadvertiser - Branded Content - Xbox / Halo Squadvertiser - Branded Content McCann London , London - Xbox / Halo Squadvertiser - Entertainment - Xbox / Halo Squadvertiser - Entertainment McCann London , London - Xbox / Tomb Raider Survival Billboard - Branded Content - Xbox / Tomb Raider Survival Billboard - Branded Content McCann London , London - Xbox / Tomb Raider Survival Billboard - Entertainment - Xbox / Tomb Raider Survival Billboard - Entertainment Ogilvy PR & OgilvyOne , London - Volvo Cars Roam Delivery - Innovative Use of Digital - Volvo Cars Roam Delivery - Innovative Use of Digital Ogilvy PR & OgilvyOne , London - Volvo Cars Roam Delivery - Automotive - Volvo Cars Roam Delivery - Automotive Saatchi & Saatchi , London - Deutsche Telekom Sea Hero Quest - Innovative Use of Digital - Deutsche Telekom Sea Hero Quest - Innovative Use of Digital Saatchi & Saatchi , London - Deutsche Telekom Sea Hero Quest - Games - Deutsche Telekom Sea Hero Quest - Games Saatchi & Saatchi, London - Deutsche Telekom Sea Hero Quest - Health Care Services UNITED STATES: BBDO New York , New York - GE GE Podcast Theatre presents The Message - Branded Content - GE GE Podcast Theatre presents The Message - Branded Content BBDO New York , New York - Lowe's Social Innovation Campaign - Branded Content - Lowe's Social Innovation Campaign - Branded Content BBDO New York , New York - Lowe's Social Innovation Campaign - Retail - Lowe's Social Innovation Campaign - Retail BBDO New York , New York - Lowe's Social Innovation Campaign - Use of Social Media - Lowe's Social Innovation Campaign - Use of Social Media BBDO New York , New York - Snickers Switcheroo - Confections/Snacks - Snickers Switcheroo - Confections/Snacks Deutsch , New York - Krylon The First Ever Pinterest Yard Sale - Use of Social Media - Krylon The First Ever Pinterest Yard Sale - Use of Social Media DigitasLBi North America , Chicago - Care Counts Care Counts - Public Service/Social Welfare - Care Counts Care Counts - Public Service/Social Welfare Energy BBDO , Chicago - Extra Gum Sarah & Juan - Viral - Extra Gum Sarah & Juan - Viral Goodby Silverstein & Partners , San Francisco - The Dali Museum Dreams of Dali - Branded Content - The Dali Museum Dreams of Dali - Branded Content Goodby Silverstein & Partners , San Francisco - The Dali Museum Dreams of Dali - Entertainment - The Dali Museum Dreams of Dali - Entertainment McCann New York , New York - Lockheed Martin The Field Trip to Mars - Branded Content - Lockheed Martin The Field Trip to Mars - Branded Content McCann New York , New York - Lockheed Martin The Field Trip to Mars - Innovative Use of Digital - Lockheed Martin The Field Trip to Mars - Innovative Use of Digital McCann New York , New York - Lockheed Martin The Field Trip to Mars - Corporate Image - Lockheed Martin The Field Trip to Mars - Corporate Image McCann New York , New York - Lockheed Martin The Field Trip to Mars - Visual Design - Lockheed Martin The Field Trip to Mars - Visual Design McCann New York , New York - US Army Cryptaris Mission Status - Animation/Motion Graphics - US Army Cryptaris Mission Status - Animation/Motion Graphics McCann New York , New York - US Army Cryptaris Mission Status - Microsites - US Army Cryptaris Mission Status - Microsites Ogilvy & Mather , Chicago - Glade Museum of Feelings - Innovative Use of Digital - Glade Museum of Feelings - Innovative Use of Digital Ogilvy & Mather , Chicago - Glade Museum of Feelings - Entertainment - Glade Museum of Feelings - Entertainment Ogilvy New York , New York - Webby Awards Typevoice - Visual Design - Webby Awards Typevoice - Visual Design R/GA's Hustle , Los Angeles - Beats By Dre Straight Outta - Viral - Beats By Dre Straight Outta - Viral R/GA's Hustle , Los Angeles - Beats By Dre Straight Outta - Use of Social Media - Beats By Dre Straight Outta - Use of Social Media R/GA's Hustle, Los Angeles - Beats By Dre Straight Outta - Electronic Equipment London International Awards (LIA) also has announced the shortlist for Verbal Identity. Each year, naming experts at brand agencies across the globe spend countless hours working to develop verbal identities for a dizzying array of corporations, products and brands and this year, LIA cemented its position as one of the worlds most progressive and forward-thinking competitions by introducing Verbal Identity as its own medium, with a standalone jury, for the first time in advertising awards history. The inaugural Verbal Identity jury, led by Chris West, Founder of Verbal Identity Ltd., deliberated over the entries submitted and decided on 28 of the best pieces to shortlist at LIA 2016. Other jury members on this unique jury were Rachel Bernard of CBX New York, Sean Doyle Owner of Panic London, Steve Martin Director at Eat Creative Tokyo, Laurel Sutton Senior Strategist & Linguist at Catchword Oakland, and Ben Zimmer Language Columnist at the Wall Street Journal. The introduction of Verbal Identity is a reaction from LIA to the What About Naming? campaign launched by New York-based brand agency CBX in 2015. As major awards programs continually ignored the role of naming in the brand-building process, CBX believed that more should be done to honor the most creative and successful naming and verbal identity projects. You can see all the Shortlisted work with full creative credits on the website: https://www.liaentries.com/shortlist/ Winners will be announced on 2nd November. Complete list of Verbal Identity Shortlist (by country): AUSTRALIA: Innocean Worldwide Australia , Sydney - Hills Home Living There's a Hills for every home. - Campaign Tagline/Endline - Hills Home Living There's a Hills for every home. - Campaign Tagline/Endline McCann , Melbourne - Seeing Eye Dogs Free Puppies Forever - Naming - Seeing Eye Dogs Free Puppies Forever - Naming McCann, Melbourne - Seeing Eye Dogs Free Puppies Forever - Tone of Voice BELGIUM: Air Partner of McCann, Brussels - VOO This was Louise's phone - Tone of Voice CHILE: Prolam Young & Rubicam, Santiago - Politbooks Children Books Inspired by Political Scandals - Use of Copywriting CHINA: Labbrand Shanghai, China - Thomas Cook Experience your dream holiday with Thomas Cook - Naming FRANCE: Babel Strategie et Communication , Paris - Paris Aeroport Paris vous aime - Campaign Tagline/Endline - Paris Aeroport Paris vous aime - Campaign Tagline/Endline Babel Strategie et Communication , Paris - Le Petit Robert No tagline - Tone of Voice - Le Petit Robert No tagline - Tone of Voice Babel Strategie et Communication , Paris - Le Petit Robert No tagline - Use of Copywriting - Le Petit Robert No tagline - Use of Copywriting FRED & FARID, Paris - Prodiss Ma place est dans la salle - Campaign Tagline/Endline GERMANY: HEIMAT , Berlin - Hornbach #HELDENKRANZ / Crown of Glory - Campaign Tagline/Endline - Hornbach #HELDENKRANZ / Crown of Glory - Campaign Tagline/Endline KOREFE , Hamburg - LEAUNDRY - Fragrance Laundry Detergent A luxury washing detergent to treat the clothes you love. - Naming - LEAUNDRY - Fragrance Laundry Detergent A luxury washing detergent to treat the clothes you love. - Naming Philipp und Keuntje, Hamburg - FATUM Surfboards My Everest Campaign - Campaign Tagline/Endline HONG KONG: Ogilvy & Mather Group HK , Hong Kong - Mandalay Reservoir Rumpus, Extra-Terrestrial, Vat Rescue - Tone of Voice - Mandalay Reservoir Rumpus, Extra-Terrestrial, Vat Rescue - Tone of Voice Ogilvy & Mather Group HK, Hong Kong - Mandalay Reservoir Rumpus - Use of Copywriting INDIA: R K SWAMY BBDO, New Delhi - Lloyd Unisex Washing Machine UNISEX Washing Machine - Naming UNITED KINGDOM: AMVBBDO , London - Guinness Made of More - Use of Copywriting - Guinness Made of More - Use of Copywriting AMVBBDO , London - Currys PC World Spare The Act - Use of Copywriting - Currys PC World Spare The Act - Use of Copywriting Mother , London - MoneySuperMarket.com You're So Moneysupermarket - Campaign Tagline/Endline - MoneySuperMarket.com You're So Moneysupermarket - Campaign Tagline/Endline Mother , London - PG Tips Keep It Tea - Tone of Voice - PG Tips Keep It Tea - Tone of Voice PANIC , London - eve - Tone of Voice - eve - Tone of Voice Verbal Identity , London - Votary - Naming - Votary - Naming Verbal Identity, London - Fred Perry - Use of Copywriting UNITED STATES: Microsoft India has launched a new digital content creation initiative titled Beneath the Surface is a digital show hosted by popular film journalist and critic Anupama Chopra. The three part series will feature some of the most popular celebrities of the Indian film industry Priyanka Chopra, Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan and goes beneath the surface to give viewers an insight into the craft of the master and lets them in on what a day in the life of Bollywoods more powerful stars looks like. Commenting on the campaign, Vineet Durani, Director- Windows Business Group, Microsoft India said, We are excited to present this new campaign Beneath the Surface, that celebrates the lives of these artists who live the do more philosophy of the Surface Pro 4. The show goes beyond their glamorous lifestyles to show you the long working hours, and madness that has made them the global icons they are today. Here are the links to the series Beneath The Surface | Priyanka Chopra - Part 1 Beneath The Surface | Priyanka Chopra - Part 2 Beneath The Surface | Priyanka Chopra - Part 3 The millennial parents are all about creative learning and DIY for their kids. Hot Wheels in their endeavor over the years to encourage kids on purposeful play collaborates with DIY genius Rob. Sony Music artist Rob who is known to make learning fun will tap into childrens natural desire to create, experiment, and will also mentor them to think and work like real engineers and creative designers. Commenting on the association, Rob says, Hot Wheels has been a major part of my childhood. I had a bunch of Hot Wheels cars and I would build my own race tracks. From boxes to bottles to books, everything and anything became either part of the track or an obstacle. So imagine my excitement when I started working on this collaboration. The best thing about the Hot Wheels Engineering Series is that the possibilities are endless. You can also build on it and keep adding tracks from different sets which are all compatible and you can create a huge Hot Wheels world which is exactly what I did with a little mix of creativity. Hot wheels can really inspire you to use your imagination in a lot of different ways. Further adding on this association, Lokesh Kataria, Marketing Head, Mattel India says,Hot Wheels Engineering Series is an unlimited world putting kids in the driver seat of their own play experience. By associating with the immensely talented Rob, we hope to spark off kids imaginations with endless possibilities, get them to experiment, challenge themselves and build and rebuild with Hot Wheels track system. Sony Music has been at the helm of giving brands customized solutions with ether music or artists they have a 360 management deal with. From endorsements, to creating branded musical contents, Sony Musics Brand Partnership team has helped brands reach out to consumers innovatively. With this collaboration Kiran Dcruz, National Head Brand Partnerships at Sony Music India says, Rob is hugely talented artist and his artistry flair has given him the moniker of being a DIY genius. When we understood the objective of what Hot Wheels wants to achieve we found a perfect fit with Rob on the same. This partnership of creative minds will definitely add to Hot Wheels efforts to provide kids with creative learning while at play. In order to provide parents with a solution that will not only get their kids out of the Televison zone but will also make them inquisitive and imaginative, #BuildWithHotWheels will have 5 videos over three months- 5 terrains created with Hot Wheels tracks and really simple tools and techniques with materials that are easily available at home: These videos will span across different worlds. - Cities - Desert - Forest - Volcano - Underwater These videos will help inspire kids to build their own world. Using these videos, as a guide/reference, kids can build their own terrains and their idea of a Hot Wheels world. This will help them learn the basics of designing landscapes, structures, working with different materials and techniques thus stimulating their imagination and creativity, taking their play experience to a whole new level! Rob will also host a fun contest where the kids can send in pictures and videos of their futuristic cities built with the HOT WHEELS TRACK BUILDER SET which is a great kit that enables kids to build and construct creatively. #BuildWithHotWheels will also see Rob create an Epic race track by Rob where he will use multiple HOT WHEELS track sets to create the most epic race track. The same will be showcased at Phoenix Market City Mall, Kurla on November 13th. You can stand a chance to meet and click pictures with Rob and win some really cool hot wheels goodies too. Thats not all, Rob will also build an epic race track with the most thrilling Domino Effect chain reaction video. Using different household items, this amazing video will definitely get you and your little one awe-struck. The first piece from all of this enthralling content is out today www.youtube.com/ madstuffwithrob, watch this super amazing video and follow this space for more! Samsung India has unveiled a new television and digital campaign for its citizenship initiative Samsung Smart Class, capturing the engaging and emotional success story of a young village boy, Sadanand Ugale, who secured a study trip to Australia from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. The film (#SapneHueBade) builds on Samsungs commitment to harnessing its legacy of innovation to positively transform communities and create a better life for people through its citizenship initiatives. Launched in 2013 in association with Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Samsung Smart Class is the companys flagship citizen programme in India, currently available in 373 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools run by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt of India, and benefitting over two lakh students. Samsung Smart Class aims to bridge the digital gap between rural and urban India and provide equal opportunities for quality education to children from all backgrounds. Over 7,400 teachers have been trained on how to use interactive technology to teach. The 4-minute film, which will inspire young India to use technology to educate, train and up-skill as it rides government initiatives like Digital India, Make in India and Skill India, among others, will be amplified on the digital media and social media. Samsung, which has completed twenty years of manufacturing in India, is committed to Make for India, and remains committed to transforming lives of people. As part of this commitment, the Samsung Smart Class initiative will be expanded in the near future to more Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools. The film has been pledged by Cheil India and is directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi (Bob). Good Morning Films is the production house for the campaign. "Samsung Smart Class aims to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban India. The response to the campaign video has been phenomenal. It showcases the transformation in the life of a young village boy because of Samsung Smart Class and it is heartwarming that students from rural India are now becoming front runners of digital India. We have been running Samsung Smart Class in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya as a CSR initiative since 2013. Over 2 lakh students have been introduced to modern learning with the help of latest technology, helping them to dream bigger. And this is only one of the many stories that has emerged from the Smart Class initiative, said Ranjivjit Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung India. Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar, Chief Creative Officer, Cheil India said, Samsung India has been running a successful CSR programme for the past many years. As the the efforts started showing results, Cheil India was tasked to develop a campaign for the same. Because the project is so dear to Samsung India, a thorough, consultative process ensued over the next six months. A considerable team was put on the job. And what has emerged is an emotional story that was inspired by the achievements of a real life hero, Sadanand Ugale. Tarvinderjit Singh, Executive Creative Director, Cheil India said, Writing this script was an exercise in balance. I had to keep in mind that this was a story inspired by someone real yet my pen had to deliver enough drama to make for engaged viewing. Once I achieved that harmony, the same discipline was asked of production. Going by the generous reception that the film has received it seems that our mad collaboration with Bob, Good Morning Films, Shanker Raman, Subhajit Mukherjee and Piyush Misra has come good. Wieden+Kennedy today announced strategic changes to its organizational structure, including a new global stakeholder group, and a new leadership team to oversee the agencys emerging markets. As the company approaches its 35th birthday (in April 2017), Global President Dave Luhr and Global Chief Creative Officer Colleen DeCourcy saw a need to reshape agency leadership to position W+K successfully for the next 35 years. They have added 15 new members to the current nine-person partner group, which has been renamed to more accurately represent the leaders' role in the future of the agency. This leadership team will now be called Wieden+Kennedy Stakeholders. Our current nine-person partner group is based on a model weve outgrown," says Luhr, who, together with DeCourcy, oversees the global W+K network, which includes eight offices located in Amsterdam, Delhi, London, New York, Portland, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Tokyo. "That group doesnt reflect the breadth of perspective and skills we want to see in the next generation of leaders, and the next, and the next. Given the size and complexity of the agency, we need more decision-makers representing more offices, more disciplines and different voices. Our leadership needs to be a bigger and better reflection of the agency we have become, said Luhr. Founded in 1982 by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy, W+K is known for its fierce independence and provocative body of work. W+K Stakeholders have a shared focus and role in making the agency a strong and creative leader into the next era. We are focused on making work that is culturally relevant and influential, and that lives across more places and channels," says DeCourcy. "We are rethinking what 'work' is, embarking on unexpected collaborations, and seeking to grow in interesting, smart ways. This group is charged with pushing us further down these roads and others we havent even considered." "In addition to making extraordinary work," she adds, "this group exhibits, in abundance, qualities valued by W+K: creativity, inspiration, collaboration, leadership, vision and passion. They are leaders, focused on growing opportunities for the next generation of this place." The W+K stakeholder group includes (new members indicated by an * and in bold): Dan Wieden, Founder, Global Chairman Dave Luhr, Global President Colleen DeCourcy, Global Chief Creative Officer *Claudia Valderrama, Chief Financial Officer Kim Papworth, Executive Creative Director of Emerging Markets *Karrelle Dixon, Director of Emerging Markets Neil Christie, Managing Director, W+K London Tony Davidson, Executive Creative Director, W+K London *Iain Tait, Executive Creative Director, W+K London *Paul Colman, Chief Strategy Officer, W+K London *Helen Andrews, Deputy Managing Director, W+K London *Neal Arthur, Managing Director, W+K New York *Karl Lieberman, Executive Creative Director, W+K New York Susan Hoffman, Executive Creative Director, W+K Portland Tom Blessington, Managing Director, W+K Portland Mark Fitzloff, Executive Creative Director, W+K Portland *Joe Staples, Executive Creative Director, W+K Portland *David Terry, Director of Strategic Planning, W+K Portland *Alberto Ponte, Global Creative Director on Nike, W+K Portland *Daniel Sheniak, Global Comms Director on Nike, W+K Portland *Jessica Monsey, Group Account Director/Director of Publishing, W+K Portland *Andre Gustavo, Managing Director, W+K Sao Paulo *Eric Quennoy, Executive Creative Director, W+K Amsterdam *Mark Bernath, Executive Creative Director, W+K Amsterdam The agency also announced that Kim Papworth and Karrelle Dixon have been appointed to oversee the companys emerging markets, in new roles as Executive Creative Director, Emerging Markets and Managing Director, Emerging Markets, respectively. Reporting directly into Luhr and DeCourcy, Dixon and Papworth will be based in London while spending time in W+Ks Tokyo, Shanghai and Delhi offices. Along with our creativity and independence, the W+K network is a key strength of this agency. Our offices in Tokyo, Shanghai and Delhi are well positioned for future growth. Allowing Kim and Karrelle to focus on these markets will help drive that momentum even quicker, said Luhr. Previously, Dixon was the Global Account Director for the agencys largest (and foundational) account, Nike, based in Portland, OR. Karrelle joined W+K London in 2006 as an account manager on Nike and other agency brands. Papworth was Executive Creative Director for W+K London for 15 years, during which the agency created celebrated campaigns for Nike, Honda and Nokia, amongst others. These two are the best example of W+Ks belief in the power of partnership. Karrelles incredible energy and curious mind are perfectly met by Kims quiet power and indelible legacy of timeless creative work. Ive got high expectations. Its going to be fun to watch, DeCourcy commented. Founder and Chairman Dan Wieden says, I am so damn proud of this place. We started as a ship of fools, and that, I quite firmly believe is why we have succeeded for almost 35 years. But I really never thought we would be talking about the next 35. The hope is always that the next generation does better than the one before them. I think under the leadership of Dave and Colleen, and this inspiring group of new stakeholders, we just might be onto something." Underwater technology company, Sonardyne International Ltd, has appointed Scandinavian Aerospace and Industry AB (SAI) as a reseller of its maritime security products in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and surrounding territories. Based in Tyreso, Sweden, SAI supplies, supports and integrates commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies for air, land and sea applications. It works with industrial and defence organisations across Scandinavia including harbour authorities, naval forces, maritime enforcement agencies and shipyards. Under the terms of the new agreement, SAI will now promote Sonardynes family of underwater security products; Sentinel IDS, NOAS and high resolution mine hunting sonar, Solstice. Sentinel is the security industrys most widely deployed intruder detection sonar, capable of reliably detecting, tracking and classifying divers and small underwater vehicles approaching a protected asset. Whether it is safeguarding a critical national infrastructure facility, strategic port or naval vessel at anchor, Sentinel provides a rapidly deployable, 360 underwater security solution for any scenario. SAI is now amongst the first of Sonardynes resellers to have the opportunity to market the recently introduced Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance Sonar NOAS. Installed in the bow of a vessel, 2D and 3D sonar arrays scan the water column looking for navigation hazards that could result in a collision or grounding. The system can be used as a standalone navigation aid or integrated into a vessels existing bridge management system. Commenting on the appointment, Hans Sandstrom, Business Development Director with SAI said that the company was delighted to be adding Sonardyne to their portfolio of maritime surveillance capabilities. He said, For many organisations, the underwater domain remains a vulnerability in their security and navigation capabilities. However with technologies such as Sentinel now available to us, it is one we can now help our clients to close. BAJA, Mexico, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- A small fleet of luxury sport fishing yachts set out for the second annual Mejia Foundation Celebrity Offshore Fishing Tournament, October 7 9, 2016. While the celebrities and participants were fishing for bragging rights about catching the most marlin, the biggest prize of all was the money raised: $97,000 for Angelein Mejia's charity benefiting critically ill children. https://youtu.be/I4oXo83KxxU Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429752 Hosted by Angelein Mejia in Rosarito since the event's inception, the second annual Celebrity Offshore Fishing Tournament kicked off with attendees checking in at Bobby's by the Sea. After settling in, guests were treated to a welcome reception held at Ricky's Place in the Club Marina at K-38. Libations and lively conversation highlighted the event. The next morning, attendees were divided into teams before boarding luxury sport fishing yachts at the world famous Ensenada Marina for a full-day, chartered expedition in the waters at the tip of the Baja peninsula. Joining Webb were celebrity guests including former Mexican President, Vincente Fox; Photographer Eric Ford,; actor Jeff Sagorsky; and famed director John Sjogren. After tallying the totals, the anglers on Brian Dill's team won by a small margin to the very competitive Wade Boggs' team, which placed second. "Thanks to the generous support of Angelein Mejia, approximately 25,000 children will now receive support from the Mejia Foundation," said Ford of the event's sponsors. "Their partnership is essential to our success." After the long day at sea, participants returned to home base at Baja Mar, Mexico's premier residential resort community, where they were wined and dined in true celebrity fashion. The Mejia Foundation's mission is to improve the lives of critically ill children throughout Baja California by providing daily support and life changing experiences and was established in 2013 as an independent chapter of The AFO Foundation. Since its inception, the Mejia Foundation has raised nearly $450,000, which has been used to fund the Foundation's programs to provide assistance to over 100,000 critically and chronically ill children. Media Contact: Brad Johnson, Dessler Media, 424 281-4059, willemdessler@gmail.com News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com SOURCE Mejia Foundation Newly opened museum features E Ink displays that offer custom language settings, providing a personalized experience for museum-goers E Ink Holdings, "E Ink" (8069.TWO), the leading innovator of electronic ink technology in the world, today announced its ePaper signage solutions have been deployed at the Estonian National Museum, displaying valuable exhibit information to visitors. Each display application interacts with RFID tickets, which are provided to attendees prior to entering the exhibit. After programing their language of choice, visitors then glean useful information in their chosen language when they are near a display. The solutions are part of the museums larger goal of enabling visitors to learn about Estonian culture effortlessly. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005473/en/ E Inks ePaper Signage Solutions Enhance the Learning Experience at the Estonian National Museum (Photo: Business Wire) The museum will use over 600 of E Inks 32, 9.7 and 6.8 black and white signs throughout the 5,000 square meter exhibit space. The 32 signs will be used mainly for providing wayfinding information around the museum to guide visitors along the way, while the smaller signs will be used to describe artifacts. The new National Museum embodies the Estonian spirit and is a shrine for all people to learn about the countrys rich, colorful and sometimes painful past, said Kaarel Tarand, head of public and foreign relations at the Estonian National Museum. In seeking a partner that will help us promote a deeper understanding of Estonian culture, E Ink was a natural choice for us. Its displays not only complement the museums aesthetics, but it also offers our visitors a personalized experience and allows us to go digital in a sustainable manner. "With the completion of this building, our debt to those individuals who cared deeply about the preservation of Estonian culture and language and who built a foundation for our independence has been repaid," said Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of the Republic of Estonia. "The Estonian National Museum will support us in coping, enduring and growing in the modern world. Museums have long ceased to be mere repositories for antiques. A museum is a center for learning and progress. In the same way, every culture and language must develop if it is to last." Having the same ultra-low power properties as all E Ink displays, along with being lightweight and readable in all light conditions, the displays seamlessly blend into the museum environment, allowing pieces of art and artifacts to remain the main focal point, while aiding visitors gain a deeper appreciation for Estonian culture. Working with 3 + 1 Architects on the concept and Artec Design on development, E Ink leveraged its 32 displays which are specifically designed for signage applications. The low power, Quad HD (2560 x 1440) high resolution displays are ideally suited for the bright and airy decor of the museum. The smaller 6.8 and 9.7 displays are less than 2mm thin and each weigh less than 100g making them extremely easy to deploy and take up minimal footprint in the museum. The 6.8 and 9.7 displays are powered using Power Over Ethernet (POE) eliminating the need for multiple cables for delivering power and data. This is one of the first large-scale commercial deployments of E Inks signage in museums. It is a testament to the unique value proposition of E Inks display technology which can enable digital updates without taking any focus away from the artwork, said Harit Doshi, head of the signage business at E Ink Corporation. Our warmest congratulations go to the Estonian National Museum, 3 + 1 Architects and Artec Design for a successful opening and implementation of ePaper signage. Thank you for the privilege to support you in your noble cause. The Estonian National Museum is now open to visitors. For more information, please visit: http://www.erm.ee/en to learn more about E Ink technology, click here. About E Ink Holdings Founded in 1992 by Taiwan's leading papermaking and printing group YFY (1907.TWSE), E Ink Holdings Inc. (8069.TWO), based on technology from MITs Media Lab, has transformed and defined the eReader market with its ePaper technology, enabling a new multi-billion dollar market in less than 10 years. Its corporate philosophy aims to deliver revolutionary products, user experiences, and environmental benefits through advanced technology development. This vision has led to its continuous investments in the field of ePaper displays as well as expanding the use of its technologies into a number of other markets and applications. Its EPD products make it the worldwide leader for ePaper. Its FFS technologies are a standard for high end consumer electronic products. Listed in Taiwan's Taipei Exchange (TPEx) and the Luxembourg market, E Ink Holdings is now the world's largest supplier of displays to the eReader market. For corporate information, please visit www.einkgroup.com; for EPD information, please visit www.eink.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005473/en/ Media Contact: Racepoint Global Jon Diaz, +1-415-694-6708 jdiaz@racepointglobal.com CHICAGO, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Flipped Learning Global Initiative (FLGI), a worldwide coalition of educators, researchers, technologists, professional development providers and education leaders announced the initial cohort of educators to achieve Flipped Learning Level - I Certification. The first group to complete the program includes classroom teachers, education technologists and college professors from the United States, Australia, Sweden, and Norway. "We're honored to recognize and congratulate the first educators to achieve the Flipped Learning Level - I Certification," said Jon Bergmann, flipped learning co-founder, evangelist, and center of a global network of flipped learning early adopters around the world. The certified educators include: Magnus Ehinger, Helaine W. Marshall, Christine Haynes, Shane Ferguson, Kathy Swanger, Aimee Shackleton, Matthew Moore, Kathryn Lanier, Magnus Johansson, Ryan Hull, Stacy Dawes, Jennifer Velazquez, Adam Coulter Johnson, Peter Paccone, Helen Lazzaro and Crystal Caton. The Flipped Learning Certification Program combines the latest research on flipped learning with the proven best practices from educators around the world. Flipped Learning Level - I Certified educators complete a nine (9) unit online program covering the essential topics, including: Understanding the pedagogy of flipped learning Planning for flipped learning Flipped learning best practices Tech Tools of the flipped classroom Effective use of class time Implementing flipping learning in different subjects and levels Assessments and flipped learning Selecting the right technologies Taking the flipped class to the next level The certification program was developed to provide the basic knowledge required to successfully implement the flipped classroom model to enhance personalized and differentiated teaching and learning. The training includes an extensive unit on technology selection. A wrong technology choice is one of the biggest mistakes that causes flipped learning implementations to fail. The technology unit gives educators the specific tools needed to determine which technologies are well-suited for flipped learning and those which are not. The Flipped Learning Level - I Certification is designed for three groups of educators: Educators who are new to flipped learning and want a step-by step road map to start flipping their classrooms Educators who are experienced with flipped learning and want to validate their knowledge and have their skills certified. Administrators who are considering implementing flipped learning and need to master the basics. The online Flipped Learning Certification program is now open to the public. Interested educators can apply online at http://flglobal.org/flipped-learning-certification About the Flipped Learning Global Initiative The Flipped Learning Global Initiative, (FLGI), was created to support the rapidly expanding adoption of flipped learning all over the world, in countries such as China, Taiwan, Spain, UAE, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Italy, Korea, Argentina, Iceland, Sweden, India and the United States. FLGI aims to fill the growing global need for collaboration across borders in three domains: evolving best practices in flipped learning, research curation and distribution, and technology selection and implementation. FLGI launched with 30 mission partners, including MT Groupo in Spain; TES Global in the United Kingdom; IWBNet in Australia and New Zealand; iSchool in China and Taiwan, Udemy, BAM Education Radio Network in the United States; and a cadre of flipped learning research experts. FLGI will serve as a global hub for coordinating, orchestrating and scaling the key elements required to successfully expand flipped learning. For more information contact: Errol St.Clair Smith, Director of Global Development at 949-677-7381, email or go to www.flglobal.org To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-cohort-of-educators-receive-international-flipped-learning-certification-300346134.html SOURCE Flipped Learning Global Initiative Methyl Methacrylate Market in Japan: 2016-2020 Review - Research and Markets Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Methyl Methacrylate Market in Japan: 2016-2020 Review" report to their offering. The report brings together facts and figures about methyl methacrylate market in Japan covering period of 2010-2020. Statistics, experts' opinions and estimations are given. The report about methyl methacrylate market in Japan covers: - manufacturers capacity, production volumes - company profiles - consumption structure, trends - end-users segments - prices - market forecast Buying the report means: - availability of key statistics about methyl methacrylate market in Japan (historical and forecast) - allocation of country market players, their role in the market - provision of data on demand characteristics - identification of market potential Key Topics Covered: 1. OVERVIEW OF METHYL METHACRYLATE MARKET IN JAPAN 2. CAPACITY IN JAPAN 2.1. Nameplate capacity, shares in global and regional markets (2015) 3. METHYL METHACRYLATE SUPPLY IN JAPAN 3.1. Japan output in 2010-2015 3.2. Japan production shares in global market and in regional market (2010-2015) 4. METHYL METHACRYLATE MANUFACTURERS 4.1. Methyl Methacrylate manufacturers' profiles 4.2. Plants capacity, shares in local and world markets 5. METHYL METHACRYLATE DEMAND IN JAPAN 5.1. Demand structure, consumption (2010-2015) 5.2. Japan demand shares in regional market and in global market (2010-2015) 6. METHYL METHACRYLATE TRADE IN JAPAN 6.1. Export, export share in production (recent years) 6.2. Import, import share in consumption (recent years) 6.3. Annual prices (recent years) 7. FUTURE TRENDS IN METHYL METHACRYLATE MARKET to 2020 7.1. General market forecast 7.2. Methyl Methacrylate output forecast to 2020 7.3. Methyl Methacrylate consumption forecast to 2020 8. SUPPLIERS IN JAPAN 9. METHYL METHACRYLATE END-USERS IN JAPAN For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/kjgz7m/methyl View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005914/en/ Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Related Topics: Chemicals, Plastic Additives Proposed Capital Increase Regulatory News: On October 18, 2016, ESIRA, the KEOPSYS Group holding company, acquired for 5 million, 93.8% of the capital of EURODYNE1, which holds 1,184,513 QUANTEL shares and 1,928,579 voting rights, representing 14.6% of the capital and 21.3% of the voting rights of QUANTEL. The remaining balance, representing 6.2% of EURODYNEs capital, is subject to a reciprocal sales agreement with ESIRA based on a sales price of 330,000, while a 650,000 earnout could be paid to the sellers under certain conditions. The reciprocal sales agreement with ESIRA also concerns the 1 million partner current account recorded in EURODYNEs books. As EURODYNEs only significant asset is its equity interest in QUANTEL, and taking into account its net debt of 900,000, this acquisition gives, for information and to ensure transparency, a price of around 5.252 per QUANTEL share, and, if the earnout is paid, around 5.803 per QUANTEL share. Based in Lannion, France, the KEOPSYS Group is made up primarily of KEOPSYS, LEA PHOTONICS and SENSUP, which are all fully owned by ESIRA and specialized in designing and marketing fiber lasers and integrated fiber laser systems for scientific, industrial and military applications. With around 100 employees, the KEOPSYS group recorded revenues of approximately 16.2 million and net income of around 2.2 million in 2015. In the first half of 2016, revenues of KEOPSYS group was approximately 8.3 million and net income came to approximately 0.8 million. At June 30, 2016, the KEOPSYS group cash position was about 3.9 million. With a financial debt of 7,8 million, the Groups net debt at the end of the first half of 2016 was approximately 3.9 million.4 As part of this equity investment, ESIRA said it wanted to establish an industrial and commercial partnership with Quantel in order to develop all possible synergies, aiming at establishing a leading global player in optronics and photonics. Alain de Salaberry will be resigning from his positions as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and as a director of QUANTEL following the proposed capital increase presented hereafter. Mr Christian Moretti, Mr Patrick Schoenahl and Mr Ghislain du Jeu have also indicated that they will resign from their positions as directors at the same time as Alain de Salaberrys resignation. Following these resignations, ESIRA has indicated that it intends to ask for two directors to be coopted, including Marc Le Flohic, ESIRAs current Chairman, as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of QUANTEL and to appoint a new permanent representative of EURODYNE to the Board of Directors, in replacement of Florent de Salaberry, also resigning. Following these changes, the Board of Directors will consist of six members instead of eight previously In this context, Marc le Flohic will rely on Laurent Schneider-Maunoury, General Manager, while Alain de Salaberry will provide support as an advisor. Alain de Salaberry, QUANTELs Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented: I am very pleased with this operation, which will enable the QUANTEL Group to maintain a stable major shareholding structure around Marc Le Flohic, a talented business leader who has successfully and quickly developed his group in the laser sector thanks to his determination, his scientific relevance and his professionalism. Marc Le Flohic, ESIRAs Chairman, declared: Both QUANTEL and KEOPSYS Groups have built up expertise in very closely related technologies and market product ranges that complement together perfectly. I am delighted with this future collaboration, which will enable to support the QUANTEL Groups growth over the coming years, aiming to develop a world leader for optronics and photonics, bringing together most of the laser technologies that exist today, such as semiconductor lasers, solid-state lasers, dye lasers and fiber lasers. Following the takeover of EURODYNE, ESIRA indirectly crossed the thresholds of 10% of share capital and 20% of voting rights of QUANTEL and indicated that it will proceed with the required notification of significant holdings and statement of intent within the legal timeframe. Such notification and statement of intent will be published on the AMF website (amf-france.org). ESIRA has already indicated that for the next six months, it does not plan to increase its stake in QUANTEL beyond the threshold that would trigger a mandatory tender offer, nor take control of QUANTEL. Proposed capital increase In addition, QUANTELs Board of Directors, under the option granted by the extraordinary general meeting on June 9, 2015, has decided to carry out a capital increase with a view to further strengthening the QUANTEL Groups financial structure. The capital increase will be carried out with shareholders preferential subscription rights maintained and an option to subscribe on an irreducible and a reducible subscription basis and subject to allocation for a maximum gross total, including issue premiums, of around 2.5 million, by issuing ordinary new shares with a par value of 1. In accordance with the terms of Article L.411-2 of the French monetary and financial code (Code monetaire et financier) and Articles 211-2 and 211-5 of the general regulations issued by the French financial markets authority (Autorite des marches financiers, AMF), the capital increase will not require a prospectus approved by the AMF because (i) the total amount of the offer will be included between 100,000 and 5,000,000 and will concern financial securities representing no more than 50% of the Companys capital, and (ii) the number of Company shares to be admitted to Euronext Paris will represent no more than 10% of the number of Company shares already admitted for trading on this market. Esira expressed its intention to subscribe to the capital increase as follows: - Irreducibly to the amount of preferential subscription rights held by EURODYNE and - Reducibly and / or freely to a minimum amounting to a subscription of 75% of the capital increase, provided that this amount would not lead EURODYNE to cross the threshold that would trigger a mandatory tender offer (30% of the voting rights of QUANTEL). The final conditions for this capital increase (including the subscription price and the number of new shares to be issued), which is presently scheduled be launched at the end of October, will be presented in further detail in a dedicated press release and in a shareholder notice that will be published in the French official gazette (BALO) before the opening of the subscription period. For information, the impact of the capital increase on the capital interest of a shareholder owning 1% of the Company's capital prior to the capital increase and not subscribing for this capital increase (calculations based (i) on the number of shares comprising the Company's capital at September 30, 2016 and (ii) under the assumption of an issue of a maximum of 809,600 new shares representing 10% of the capital of QUANTEL, i.e. the maximum number of shares that can be listed on Euronext Paris without a Prospectus approved by the AMF) would be as follows: Shareholder's interest (%) Undiluted Diluted (1) Before issue of new shares with the capital increase 1.00% 0.96% After issue of 809,600 new shares with the capital increase, if carried out on a 100% basis 0.91% 0.88% After issue of 606,750 new shares with the capital increase, if carried out on a 75% basis 0.93% 0.90% (1) If the vesting period is completed for all the bonus shares subject to a vesting period, i.e. 315,000 shares, while noting that there are no dilutive instruments in place on the date of this press release Founded in 1970, Quantel is one of the world's leading specialists in laser technology for scientific (laboratories and universities), industrial (material processing, process analytics, marking) and medical (ophthalmology) markets. With design and manufacturing facilities in France and the US, the Quantel Group achieved in 2015 a turnover of 62 M, with close to 70% worldwide, divided into scientific and industrial laser applications (56%) and medical applications (44%). Quantel shares are listed on the Euronext Paris C Compartment. FR0000038242 QUA www.quantel.fr 1 EURODYNE is a Luxembourg-law limited holding company (societe anonyme holding), registered in the Luxembourg trade and companies register, section B-10646. Until October [18], 2016, the majority of EURODYNE's capital was held by Mr Alain de Salaberry, its Chairman, and his heirs. EURODYNE and Mr Alain de Salaberry were considered to be acting in concert until this date under the terms of Article L.233-10 of the French commercial code (Code de commerce). 2 Sales price including current account. 3 Sales price including current account 4 Non audited consolidated financial data. The scope for the KEOPSYS group's consolidated accounts for FY 2015 comprises ESIRA (group holding company), KEOPSYS, KEOPSYS Inc. (fully-owned subsidiary of KEOPSYS), LEA PHOTONICS, SENSUP and VELDYS (SCI real estate company holding the group's real estate assets). View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018006688/en/ Quantel Alain de Salaberry Chairman and CEO Tel. +33(0) 1 69 29 17 00 info@quantel.fr or Quantel Luc Ardon CFO Tel. +33(0) 1 69 29 17 00 info@quantel.fr or Calyptus Mathieu Calleux Investor Relations Tel. +33(1) 53 65 37 91 quantel@calyptus.net LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockpoint Legal Funding (Rockpoint), a company whose services provide non-recourse cash advances (also known 'Settlement Loans' or 'Lawsuit Loans') received its second endorsement from a statewide plaintiffs organization on September 20, 2016. Shortly after Rockpoint received its endorsement from Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), Rockpoint was pleased to receive a public endorsement from the Utah Association for Justice (UAJ). Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429491 Upholding Thomas Jefferson's quote: "Trial by jury is part of the bright constellation which leads to peace, liberty, and safety," UAJ's mission is to advance the cause of those who are injured while "promoting the fair, prompt, and efficient administration of justice." Along with these ideals, like other Plaintiff Trial Lawyer Associations, UAJ's goal is to develop and encourage high standards of personal and professional conduct among trial lawyers. With Rockpoint Legal Funding's second endorsement, the Southern California-based pre-settlement funding company continues to strive to build relationships with other statewide trial organizations to promote its 'lawyer-friendly' funding company. Rockpoint's pre-settlement and post-settlement advances provide personal injury plaintiffs the immediate relief they need as a direct result of their injuries. Their non-recourse advances means that if there's no recovery on the case, there's no payback. Often, these cash advances are used to cover living expenses including food, rent/mortgage, & transportation. Rockpoint also advances funds to cover medical costs and treatment for plaintiffs who are without insurance. As most legal funding companies can take up 72 hours to deliver an approval, Rockpoint's innovative platform allows for quick underwriting and full approvals usually within an hour or less. Related Images image1.png image2.png image3.png image4.jpg Related Links Rockpoint Legal Funding Utah Association for Justice (UAJ) This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rockpoint-legal-funding-endorsed-by-utah-association-for-justice-uaj-300346276.html SOURCE Rockpoint Legal Funding BRADFORD, Pa., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Kathy Manderino continued the 'Jobs that Pay' tour in Northwestern Pennsylvania, at Zippo Manufacturing in Bradford today, and Eriez Manufacturing in Erie yesterday. "Pennsylvania's manufacturing sector contains a wealth of good-paying, family sustaining jobs," said Sec. Manderino. "This type of high-tech, skilled trade is the face of manufacturing now, and it is in our best interest to ensure that the young people of Pennsylvania know that career and technical training can be a pathway to real, viable career." Zippo Manufacturing, founded and headquartered in Bradford for more than 80 years, has produced more than 500 million windproof lighters, each backed by an unparalleled lifetime guarantee. In addition to the classic Zippo lighter, Zippo also markets candle lighters, utility lighters, men's apparel and accessories, and outdoor products. Zippo products are distributed in more than 160 countries. Eriez Manufacturing is a world authority in advanced technology for magnetic, vibratory and inspection system applications. The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets magnetic separation, metal detection and materials feeding, screening, conveying and controlling equipment for process and metalworking industries. "Both Zippo and Eriez are great examples of Pennsylvania companies with the type of 21st century, highly skilled manufacturing jobs we want to encourage in the state," said Sec. Manderino. "These companies have the type of Pennsylvania-grown success story we love to hear, and their commitment to their employees and their communities is evident and both companies' best practices in workforce training and hiring can serve as an example to all Pennsylvania employers." The 'Jobs that Pay' tour is an effort by state agencies to promote good-paying, family-sustaining jobs and career-paths available to job-seekers across the commonwealth, and to listen and learn from employers and employees about workforce development needs. MEDIA CONTACT: Sara Goulet, 717-787-7530 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sec-manderino-continues-jobs-that-pay-tour-in-northwestern-pennsylvania-300346996.html SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Officials of The Dow Hotel Company (DHC), a leading national hotel owner/investor and operator, today promoted Michele Oliveri as the director of sales and marketing of the 353-room Hilton Bellevue in Wash., state. In her new role, Oliveri will lead the sales team to forge new partnerships, expand existing alliances and enhance industry connections. DHC has extensive relationships with all the premium hotel brand families, independent boutique and life-style hotels and resorts. During her past five years with the Hilton Bellevue, Michele has proven herself as a talented and motivated sales person and leader, making this promotion all the more fitting, said Murray L. Dow II, DHC founder and president. During her tenure here, she already has been responsible for such impressive results as soliciting and booking more than $7 million in new group revenue and has taken an obvious leadership role within the team. We are confident that she will provide top-notch revenue strategy, positioning the Hilton Bellevue as the hotel of choice for upper scale business and leisure travelers to the area. Oliveri brings more than a decade of hands-on hospitality experience and leadership to DHC, with in-depth local and national hotel sales experience. Prior to joining the Hilton Bellevue, Oliveri worked with such well known hotels as the Hotel Deca, Warwick Seattle Hotel and Holiday Inn Seattle Center as sales manager, focusing on customer organization and bringing in new accounts, as well as maintaining existing ones. She has been continuously recognized for her superior work, including six Gold Key Awards at the Hotel Deca for perfect sales shops in July 2008, October 2008, January 2009, November 2009, April 2010 and August 2010. Oliveri received her Bachelors degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Portland, Ore. Regarded as one of the top upper upscale hotels in the region, this role at the Hilton Bellevue will allow me to utilize my skillset as I advance my career and team with one of the most respected hospitality organizations on the West Coast, said Oliveri. The Hilton Bellevues reputation as a top-notch destination with excellent culinary appeal, coupled with my familiarity with the greater Seattle metro area, will help me achieve the companys aggressive goals and position the hotel for maximum growth. Located ten miles from Seattle, the Hilton Bellevue recently completed a $12 million renovation that focused on guest rooms, meeting space, the lobby, restaurant, bar and private dining rooms. The hotel is in the citys business district and near the Meydenbauer Convention Center. The property boasts a glass enclosed lobby, designed to provide the ultimate comfort. Hilton Bellevue's substantial meeting space includes 22,000 square feet of flexible meeting and ballroom space capable of accommodating up to 2,500 people and a free-standing, 34,000 square foot exhibit hall suitable for car and boat shows and other, similar events. The hotel offers two restaurants, Basil's Kitchen, serving Mediterranean cuisine with a Pacific Northwest flair, open for three meals daily, and Masterson's, an intimate, 40-seat restaurant open for dinner only, along with The Coffee Bar Cafe, where guests can sip and mingle or grab and go. Hotel amenities include wireless internet access, 40 flat panel HD televisions, oversized work area and ergonomic chair, multi-line phone with voice mail and step-out balconies/patios. Guest also can enjoy Bellevue's only outdoor heated pool, whirlpool, 24-hour fitness center and a full-service business center. Additional services also include electric car charging stations, pet-friendly policies, quiet hours between 9pm-8am, a complimentary shuttle that takes guests anywhere within a mile radius and a text messaging hotel platform called Kipsu. About The Dow Hotel Company Founded in 1997, Seattle-based The Dow Hotel Company is a hotel owner/investor and operator of eight first-class properties throughout the United States. The companys portfolio of owned and managed properties consists of institutional-grade hotels, under such full service brands as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Embassy Suites, DoubleTree, Sheraton, and Crowne Plaza. The company aggressively seeks to acquire, co-invest with joint venture partners and/or manage mid- to large-size, first-class, full-service hotels, especially those with extensive food and beverage capabilities. The company currently operates food and beverage facilities around the nation, ranging from casual dining to upscale, bars/lounges with Starbucks and Tullys coffee outlets. In addition to Mastersons, the divisions proprietary restaurant concepts also include Basils Kitchen, SunSpot, BC Bistro and eTown Bistro. Additional information about The Dow Hotel Company may be found at www.dowhotelco.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005496/en/ The Dow Hotel Company Sonia Abdulbaki, 703-435-6293 sonia@dalygray.com AF manpower, personnel, services leaders talks recruiting, retention The Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services spoke on recruiting and retaining the best and brightest and keeping military families together during an Air Force Association breakfast Oct. 12 in Arlington, Virginia. Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso is responsible for strength management, education and training, compensation, resource allocation, and the worldwide Air Force services program. Grosso sees her responsibilities as encompassing a cradle to grave approach to human resources, from recruitment and development to assignments and retention, she said. This also includes sustaining and regenerating Airmen and family programs to ensure their care and wellness. Our personnel system is really rounded and all encompassing, (so we) have to really think how do we tap into the talent that we have all across the Air Force, Grosso said. The Defense Department is leading the way with transformational efforts that will greatly modernize Air Force policies, with the ultimate goal of optimizing recruitment, retention, and overall productivity. The Air Force has cross-functional working groups aiming to accomplish those objectives and the initiatives of the Human Capital Annex to the Air Force Strategic Master Plan, the Air Forces core strategic document. Following the annex, the service will modernize its approaches to attracting and recruiting, development, talent management, resiliency, retention, diversity and inclusion, and optimize its approach as a total force of active-duty Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. How do we think differently about matching peoples desires with the big requirements of the Air Force? Grosso asked. Were going to let individuals define themselves these are qualitative characteristics. Then our (recruiters) will be able to define what they are looking for, and then were going to do a match. Well compare that with traditional processes and see if were doing better. Grosso also noted more joint spouses are being assigned together. There is a very high success rate, she said. We match 95 percent, so its higher than people think ... I think we can get to 100 percent, but it requires us to think differently. Career progression is another area Grosso wants to improve on. According to Grosso, many people are happy where they are but have to move when they get promoted. In the future, Grosso hopes that system can be improved upon as well. The all-volunteer Air Force competes with some of the best companies for human resources, and these companies are becoming smarter at attracting and retaining the countrys top talent by understanding the demands of millennials, she said. The Air Force must increase attraction and retain talent in order to meet the challenges of the future, Grosso added. Talent management is about more than numbers; its about what is gained as an organization with diversity of thought and experience. Leadership will continue to think of ways to increase diversity and inclusion, not just for todays Airmen, but to ensure tomorrows Airmen are part of the team to bring Air Force capabilities to the joint fight. Itll be interesting to see how all those come together, she said. "I think well see a very different assignment process in the end, and hopefully satisfaction will go up. [dropcap]S[/dropcap]mriti Irani, Union Textiles Minister was relieved by court in a fake degree case, observing that a petition accusing her of faking a college degree has been filed to needlessly harass her. This order comes as a big relief for the 40-year-old minister, who was shifted out of the high-profile Human Resource Development Ministry in a cabinet reshuffle a few months ago and was alloted the textile department which was being seen as a demotion. The degree case was filed last year by a man called Ahmer Khan, who accused Smriti Irani of making contradictory statements about her education in affidavits that she filed while contesting different elections. While Ms. Irani had in 2004 said she had a 1996 Bachelor of Arts or BA degree from Delhi University, in later elections, she said her highest educational qualification was B.com, Part 1 (correspondence course) from Delhi University. Ms. Irani has deliberately furnished incorrect details, which is punishable by law. The court had asked the Election Commission and Delhi University to submit details of Ms. Iranis graduation degree, but they both said it could be traced. Earlier also, Smriti Iranis educational qualification had led to arguments on social network. Through that debate people agreed that a non graduate should not hold the important HRD ministry as it is a job of the highly qualified person. To defend Irani, BJP went so aggressive that they cited many examples including Bill Gates for being less educated but highly qualified person. I dont understand why they drag Bill Gates when questioned was about Iranis qualification? Anyway, they dont know the fact that all cant be Bill Gates. BJPs supporters sometimes or I can say many times talk illogical. Bill Gates became successful due to his hard work and he owns a company. Bill Gates was not a looser, Smriti Irani is failed politician, people disowned her twice, and she lost two elections. This is disrespect to peoples mandate. When people have bestowed a party clear mandate, then why compromise with key position? By saying achche din, we certainly do not mean days of good acting but real action on the field. Why even justify her appointment against Sonia Gandhis education claims, when nation steered clear of them. The debate on education is not top priority. If we think on other side of the coin, since she had passed 12th standard, she can have better zeal to do something for the poor and uneducated. Education is certainly important but one should not be criticized or their skills should be under estimated just because of that. Smriti needs to possess that calibre to deal with the portfolios she is awarded so far; question is not just about her qualification but also about the ability. Dont forget that though Sonia was not a minister in UPA, she was a key person in running the Government including the PM. The question is not about what qualification she possesses. Anyway after lots of criticism, her ministry was changed and when media shifted its focus from Irani, the court verdict was delivered. The same BJP was aggressive against Aam Aadmi Partys leaders, but when it came to their own leaders they were hell bent on defending their ministers. Television star-turned Union Minister Smriti Iranis meteoric rise saw her come under the scanner on her first day in office. Curiously enough, the first salvo was fired by one of Prime Minister Narendra Modis most vocal supporters, activist Madhu Kishwar. Drawing attention to Iranis educational qualifications, Kishwar had tweeted: Smriti Irani merely Class 12 pass, went to become fashion model on to TV serial bahu [daughter-in-law]. Is this qualification enough for Indias Education Minister? With criticism about the appointment coming from within, Congress and Aam Aadmi Partys leaders attacked BJP and Smriti Irani, when controversies piled up she was smoothly shifted to another portfolio and debate ended there. Ms. Irani, however, steered clear of the controversy over her surprise inclusion. In a fleeting interaction with the media after taking charge, she stuck to the Ministry matters. Though, she lost the Lok Sabha election to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the Nehru-Gandhi pocket borough of Amethi by over a lakh votes. Now, there is a speculation that she will be a face of BJP in the upcoming UP elections. (Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com) Iraqi forces are ahead of schedule in an offensive aimed at retaking Mosul and dealing a death blow to the Islamic State group, but the battle will be difficult and protracted, the Pentagon has said. The start of the long-awaited assault raised deep concerns for hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Iraqs second-largest city, with aid groups warning of a massive humanitarian crisis. Some 30,000 federal forces are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long assault on IS`s last major Iraqi stronghold. Iraqi forces readied weapons and ammunition as columns of armoured vehicles headed towards Mosul from the town of Al-Shura, some 45 kilometres (30 miles) south of the city. The Pentagon said late Monday the operation had begun well but warned it would be a difficult campaign that could take some time. A top US general earlier said it would take several weeks or even longer. Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far, and that they are ahead of schedule for this first day, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had announced the beginning of the assault in a televised address earlier in the day. Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh (IS), Abadi said. IS seized control of large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in mid-2014, declaring a cross-border caliphate and committing widespread atrocities. The jihadists have suffered a string of territorial defeats this year in both countries, and the retaking of Mosul would all but end their presence in Iraq as a land-holding force. Iraqi forces have been closing in on Mosul in recent weeks but the battle begun Monday could be the toughest yet against IS. IS forces are vastly outnumbered, with the US military estimating 3,000 to 4,500 jihadists in and around Mosul. But they have had months to prepare and will seek to use hit-and-run tactics, ambushes, snipers, bombs, berms and trenches to slow down and bleed Iraqi forces. In an online statement after the assault began, IS claimed it launched a series of deadly suicide car bombings against Iraqi forces. Early Monday, federal forces moved from their main staging base of Qayyarah, south of Mosul, as peshmerga forces from the autonomous Kurdish region advanced from the east. Rights activist Irom Sharmila on Monday announced the name of her party as Peoples Resurgence Justice Alliance (PRJA). While launching her party in Imphal, she informed that her party will contest the Manipur assembly elections, which are due in 2017. We hope to bring about a political change in Manipur where draconian laws like AFSPA will not trouble the common man, Sharmila said, announcing the party. She had declared in August that she wanted to become the chief minister of Manipur so that she could repeal the contentious AFSPA in the state. She said, her party would be based on the principles of justice, understanding, love and peace. Ms Sharmila will contest two assembly seats, Thoubal and Khurai, and said she hopes to field at least 20 candidates for Manipurs 60 seats. Thoubal is the assembly constituency of Okram Ibobi Singh of the Congress, who has been the states chief minister since 2002. As Irom Sharmila had ended a 16-year fast in protest against alleged army atrocities in Manipur two months ago, she had vowed to continue her crusade politically, also stating that she would take on Mr. Singh. Sharmila had been on a hunger strike for 16 years, demanding a repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from Manipur and was force-fed during this period. She ended her fast on August 9, 2016. At the time, she had told reporters that after being released that she would launch her political party to contest the Manipur Assembly election due early next year. To end fast is not the end of my movement. There will be a new beginning, Sharmila had said. The activist had repeatedly said that she wanted to become the chief minister of the state so that she could fight for repeal of AFSPA. Sharmila had declared in August that she wanted to become the state CM so that she could repeal the contentious AFSPA. Midway through releasing a series of damaging disclosures about US presidential contender Hillary Clinton, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says his hosts at the Ecuadorean embassy in London abruptly cut him off from the internet. The news adds another layer of intrigue to an extraordinary campaign. We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assanges internet access Saturday, 5pm GMT, shortly after publication of Clintons Goldman Sachs (speeches), the group said in a message posted to Twitter late Monday. With both WikiLeaks and Ecuadorean officials refusing to say much more about the incident, outsiders were left to guess at what was happening behind closed doors at the embassy suite at No. 3 Hans Crescent, a stucco-fronted building which Assange has called home for more than four years. Had Ecuadorean diplomats lost patience with their famous Australian houseguest? Had they finally bowed to pressure from Washington to muzzle the outspoken ex-hacker following one revelation too many? Had there been some other kind of confrontation? WikiLeaks said unspecified contingency plans were in place and its Twitter account was still active Tuesday. On Monday it released the latest tranche of emails from senior Clinton ally John Podesta, suggesting that, for now at least, the groups ability to publish has not been compromised. The disclosure was the 10th installation in a series of leaks which have captured the workings of Clintons inner circle and included excerpts of her well-compensated speeches to investment bank Goldman Sachs. WikiLeaks staffers Kristinn Hrafnsson and Sarah Harrison did not return repeated messages seeking comment. A woman who answered the phone at the embassy said she was not authorised to say anything. Ecuadors foreign minister Guillaume Long, approached by The Associated Press on the sidelines of a United Nations conference in Quito on Monday, declined to comment when asked about Assange. His office later released a terse statement in response to the speculation of the last few hours reaffirming Assanges asylum status and saying that his protection by the Ecuadorean state will continue while the circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain. The statement made no mention of Assanges internet access. Assange fled to the Ecuadorean embassy on June 19, 2012, after a drawn-out and ultimately unsuccessful legal battle to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he remains wanted over an allegation of rape. British authorities have made clear they would arrest him if he tried to leave, and Londons Metropolitan Police used to maintain a visible presence outside the building. The 8th BRICS summit ended with the adoption of the Goa Declaration which pledged opposition to terrorism, even as India failed to get a consensus on references to cross-border terror and Pakistan-based terror groups in the final statement. However, in a strongly worded statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the most serious direct threat to our economic prosperity is terrorism. Tragically, its mother-ship is a country in Indias neighbourhood. The text of the declaration did not name any country specifically as the source of cross-border terrorism but officials maintained that India did get the diplomatic edge it wanted from the summit. Introducing the Goa Declaration, PM Modi opined that we also agreed that those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor such forces of violence and terror are as much a threat to us as the terrorists themselves and the neighbouring countries as well. It is time to resist terrorism at all levels and that is possible only when all the countries in sub-continent join hands to see the end of terrorism. The mother-ship of terrorism Pakistan needs to condemned and cautioned for all the trouble they take to upset the sovereignty of India. Anandambal Subbu (The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.) The Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo as of 0700 GMT on Tuesday, Russias Defence Minister said, in a move meant to ensure an eight-hour truce on October 20. Strikes in the Aleppo region by the Russian and Syrian air forces are stopping today starting at 10:00 am (local time), Sergei Shoigu said in a televised briefing, adding this would allow civilians to evacuate from the ravaged city during a short ceasefire on Thursday. By Marcella Piper-Terry It's that time of year again. Parents throughout the U.S. are scrambling to get their children ready to head back to school. In addition to pencils, protractors and other educationally-related paraphernalia, many parents are packing their kids off to the pediatrician's office. The push for vaccines is on in full-force. Some parents don't question whether or not this is a good thing. They just comply. Others comply because they don't believe they have a choice. When tv news and local papers scream out, "No Shots, No School!" it can feel as if you have a gun to your head. This is especially likely to be true if you are a single parent, or if your family is reliant on two incomes to make your mortgage payment or rent. If your kids can't go to school, you can't work. So, even if you have serious concerns about vaccines, you may feel forced to load them in the car and take them for the shots. This time last year, I decided I'd had enough of the one-sided reporting. I live in Southwestern Indiana. Indiana, like 47 other states, provides parents with the legal right to religious exemptions from vaccination. When the Evansville Courier and Press newspaper printed a front page story telling parents their kids couldn't go to school unless their vaccines were "up-to-date," I asked for a retraction. Or at least a follow-up, letting parents know their legal rights. I was told in no uncertain terms that there would be no follow-up and there would be no story about religious exemptions. To quote the Metro Editor of the largest daily newspaper in the Evansville area, "I am not going to print anything that would cause parents to question the safety of vaccines." Period. I tried to point out that this was not about questioning the safety of vaccines; it was a matter of balanced journalism and reporting the facts. Parents do have choices. It's the law. He wouldn't budge. So... I took matters into my own hands. That's how VaxTruth and the Billboard Campaign came into existence. VaxTruth has placed billboards in four states over the last year: Indiana, Texas, Colorado and California. Within the next few weeks we will have billboards proclaiming "No Shots, No School... NOT TRUE!!" in Austin, Texas and in Kansas. We would like to have more and we are receiving messages on an almost daily basis, asking for more. The need is there. Parents want to know and they are tired of being lied to. Vaxtruth as an organization is still in its infancy. We are growing, but we are not able to meet the need for billboards without soliciting help from people at the local level. If you would like to have a "No Shots, No School... NOT TRUE!!" billboard in your area, we want to help. We encourage you to help us by doing the legwork and fundraising in your communities. The process is really quite simple. First, contact your local outdoor advertising company to find out what they have available, and the cost. Cost varies greatly by location, with billboards in urban areas costing significantly more than billboards in areas that are less populated. The length of time the message will be shown is also a factor that affects cost. If you have a large group of people who will help with fundraising, or if you have people who will donate higher amounts, you can obviously go for more exposure for longer times. Billboards can cost as little as $500 for a month in some areas, and as much as $4,000 or more for a week in major markets like Los Angeles. The number of adults living with autism is growing every year. In Pennsylvania, authorities say the number has tripled in the last six years. It's a particular concern for health care providers who want to try to help adults with autism live independently.... The unemployment rate of young adults with autism is estimated to be around 90 percent. In response, there's a new idea in the Lehigh Valley that aims to be life changing for the future of kids with autism. It's a program to let kids with autism figure out exactly what they can do so when they get out in the working world they can be successful. CICS is in the midst of a major expansion and part of it will be Creative Abilities Vocational Initiative for high school students and young adults on the autism spectrum that will include a makerspace area for high school students and young adults on the autism spectrum and other neuro-diversities. In Nov, 2014, Drexel University reported that Pennsylvania was providing services to over 55,000 children and adults with autism. (That was up from 20,000 five years earlier in 2009.) This coverage from WFMZ sounds very progressive. People are addressing the needs of young adults with autism and making use of their skills. But it's also misleading the public. There is no mention of the rate of autism or the specific number of Pennsylvanians affected. The one statistic given, "the unemployment rate of young adults with autism is estimated to be around 90 percent," is merely said in passing, but it speaks volumes. No one questions why nothing is being done about middle aged people with autism. Why are young adults the only concern? The opening sentence, "The number of adults living with autism is growing every year," begs the question: WHY? If there has always been autism everywhere, shouldn't the number be pretty steady? From 2009 to 2014 the autism numbers more than doubled. What if that continues and by 2020 there are over 100,000+ (mostly young peope) in the state with autism? When does this become more than "a particular concern for health care providers"? When does it start to be a crisis where we ask for some kind of explanation? Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism. Web Toolbar by Wibiya Dezrin Carby-Samuels' plight shows the Jamaica community as totally lacking in basic social responsibility. How could Jamaicans in Canada apparently turn and blind eye to the pain and suffering of a fellow Canadian of Jamaican background who is a retired nurse who has been such a role model in the community? Dezrin has been subjected to continued documented abuse of her rights under a controlling husband. In turn, this husband has been able to perpetuate that abuse under the macabre activities of Marcella Carby-Samuels who appears to sought to exploit the situation for her own gain. Marcella's actvities has included hiring an Ottawa Police Detective to carry out her diabolical plans. But of course, Marcella is no stranger to lies and deception because that's how she got into Sweden's Lund University for her PhD programme. Marcella kept her maiden name, and then carried out an elaborate charade to pretend that she wasn't maried to Dr. David Tenenbaum, who assisted her efforts to register, in spite of a conflict of interest. Marcella also orchestrated lies to police that Raymond, her brother, suffers from mental illness, so she could perpetuate the use of Dezrin, her Mom, in her father-in-law Dr. Jerry Tenenbaum's exploitation of her own Mom for his scientific redearch. But let's get back to Dezrin, shall we? How could Dezrin be subjected to such abuse and oppression while being in such a large extended famiy that includes her brother Fred Carby who lives in the Richmond Hill area? That is apparently because in middle to upper class colonial-minded Jamaican culture, if something bad happens to you that God's judgement. Why do you think Jamaica is so rife with poverty and corruption? Indeed, Jamaica lacks a social safety net that can be found in so many other countries because so many Jamaicans believe that bad things only happen to people who must have deserved it, in the eyes of God. That's why so many successful Jamaicans abroad can go only their holidays back home and take no notice of the so-economic plight of their fellow Jamaican's - they must have deserved it'. This is the draconian interpretation that Jamaica's Protestant culture has attributed to their undestanding of the Bible that is used to justify their social apathy. Furthermore, Jamaica's traditional mysoginist and male chauvinist culture also legitimates the abuse of women "under the roof of their man". That is why even though Fred Carby had promised his grandmother to look after Dezrin that he can then ignore her plight as so many other relatives and other people in the Jamaican community have. Mr Carby also further legitimated ignoring the plight of Dezrin with the supposed excuse that it's "Horace's house", as if Dezrin was not a co-owner of 30 Jarlan Terrance in Kanata, where Dezrin has remained virtually a prisoner of her own home. Raymond, her son, had gotten permission from the City of Ottawa to hold a peace vigiil their so that people could send their love, but one can't expect the Jamaican community in Ottawa to be a part of the community support that Dezrin's needs. Even though Dezrin has lived her life making sacrifies to every one around her in the true spirit of altruism which included her self-less work as a nurse, in the apperent eyes of her middle class extended family and ther Jamaicans who lack the social responsibility of so many other communities, she must have deserved to be betrayed and abused to the point that she can no longer walk, talk or write. Web Toolbar by Wibiya Help support a Legal Defence Fund and Justice for Dezrin. Please "click" the above red PayPal button and make any donation which you think is approperiate from $5 - $100 or more. Help send a message that the legal system and courts need to treat elderly women with the compassion, respect and human rights they deserve! In our series entitled The Anatomy of a Psychopath we have learned about an intriguing news story that has been repressed by local and national media. Raymond who is the brother of Marcella Carby-Samuels was determined to help is Mom onto the road of recovery. When Raymond had asked Dezrin, his dear Mother, if she wanted his assistance to get better, she nodded yes. The abuse she experienced for weeks by husband and with the support of Marcella had made her unable, write, walk or talk. Dezrin is 5'0" while her husband by comparison is an imposing 6'4" who was becoming more aggressive in his behaviours toward both Dezrin and Raymond who he once attacked with a knife and nearly servered off his finger. This had required emergency reconstructive surgergy in Ottawa Hospital But, Marcella was determined to block any effort Raymond had sought to restore the ability of Dezrin to walk, write and talk, while she was studying in Sweden at Lund University Watch the below video for more on psychopaths. For months, Marcella subjected Raymond, her brother, to Police racial profiling inspired harassment directed at him, who she also claimed also to suffering from mentally illness. In a previous article, we learned that Marcella had hired a dirty cop named Detective Robert Griffin Jr to carry out her campaign against Raymond. Raymond who had taught law, after weeks and months of harassment engineered by Marcella through her operative in the Police, decided to file civil litigation against both the dirty cop and his posse and against Horace Carby-Samuels in order for a Court to Order access to enable Raymond to reunite with his Mother. This is when Marcella launched a new phase of her quasi-criminal activities. Marcella in collaboration with Horace, her father, hired John Summers who then sought to embellish lies that Raymond suffers from mental illness. But, perhaps even more shocking, it appears that Defence Counsel was able to find and cultivate a new ally. Are there judges in Ontario or Canada in general who can be bought off allegedly like those in such places as Mexico, Africa and Russia? Ask Mr. Summers. Justice P. E. Rogers was contacted and then blocked multiple Emergency Motions Raymond presented to the Court as if he was planted to do so. However, Raymond was able to get Justice Patrick Smith to review the very evidence that Justice P E. Roger had ignored. Finally on 11 February 2016, Justice Patrick Smith Ordered that Raymond be reunited with his Mom and get daily access. [Please watch the above video for more details]. John Summers then sent private communications to Justice Beaudoin in an effort to throw out Raymond's cases, but Justice Beaudoin rebuffed John Summers. In a desperate move it appears that Justice P.E. Roger was re-contacted about the file. He took over the file and not only totally reversed Justice Patrick's Smith's decision against the Rules of Civil Procedure but also fined Raymond $1500.00. It appears that Justice P. E. Roger in collusion of the Defence provided J. McNamara, the Senior Regional Justice for Eastern Ontario as an apparent accomplice to the Defendant's apparent illicit relations in the creation of a Kangaroo Court. It is apparent that Marcella has gone through extraordinary lengths to oppress her elderly Mom, while also seeking to subvert the ability of Raymond, her brother, to reunite with his Mother. Raymond has asked the Canadian Judicial Council to investigate the apparent illicit activities of Justce P. E. Roger who had confesed that the considered the matter of Raymond's litigation to be personal along with J. McNamara. But, let's step back a bit so we know more about who Marcella is as a person and how that influenced her cold calculating oppressive behaviours against both Dezrin, her Mom and Raymond, her brother. Marcella growing up had a somewhat unusual perspective. For example, she would rather disparagingly refer to young couples with kids simply as breeders but regarded the institution of marriage to be potentially economically useful if the potentially right rich male partner came along. She found the right male in David Tenenbaum and supported him getting a PhD as long as he would support her, even if that involved hiding her maiden name to deceive Lund University. Marcella became quite a big lady also became a more and more of a violent person. She reportedly followed a person to their house who four-way flashed her, and on multiple occasions physically assaulted her brother, as she had reportedly abused her husband. So, if Marcella had the kind of empathy that characterizes a normal human being, it was not very evident in her behaviours against her very own Mother who she sought to intimidate and threaten to accepting the treatment by her father-in-law, Dr. Jerry Tenenbaum as a lab rat. Raymond had observed that Dezrin feared Horace as she feared Marcella who both subjected her to differing forms of abuse and neglect. Is Protecting Mosul Minorities an Excuse for Partition? As the military battle over ISIL-controlled Mosul and Nineveh has begun, questions over the future of this vital province of Iraq are flowing thick and fast. While there is confidence that the new US-supported coalition can defeat ISIL (also known as ISIS), there are concerns that each faction holds contesting views about what comes after. It is becoming apparent, for example, that a number of elements have well-vested interests in partitioning the province into a series of six to eight ethnic or sectarian cantons with independent rights and autonomy from Haider al-Abadi's government in Baghdad. Back in Washington and Congress there is some support for such solutions if they are seen as a way of protecting the rights of religious minorities such as Yazidis, Assyrians, and Chaldeans who have been mercilessly persecuted and ethnically cleansed from their ancient homelands by a genocidal ISIL. Caution: Division Ahead A note of caution should be sounded at this point as such arrangements, while appearing attractive in the abstract, could make matters worse, not better. Partition can deepen schisms in fragile states. While power-sharing in Mosul before ISIL took over in 2014 was far from perfect, it did represent forms of power-sharing which accommodated and balanced minority interests. The 2013 governorate elections returned a coalition of parties from the Kurdish KDP and PUK, Atheel al-Nujaifi's tribal, Sunni-dominated al-Hadba coalition, and other tribal, Shabak, Yazidi, Chaldean, and nationalist parties, reflecting the possibilities of representation without territorial carve-ups. Current proposals to develop those cantons, which emanate from Mosul and Nineveh and are allegedly supported by Turkey, are not the product of constructive approaches to managing long-standing sectarian and ethnic problems, by the kinds of the elected coalitions described above or wider community-based dialogue processes and consultations. Nor, just as importantly, do they represent other marginalised groups, namely young people, women, and community members whose opinions, perceptions, definitions, and ideas do not have a strong voice in current debates about Mosul and Nineveh post-ISIL. Quite the opposite, such proposals are motivated by largely undisguised sectarian, patriarchal, tribal, or ethnic interests at the expense of the rights and protections of other parties. Furthermore, the creation of such cantons is unlikely to result from a consultative approach, and will therefore potentially result in more problems than it solves, especially if the cantons' internal governance and legal structures prove incompatible with Iraq's constitution. Also, unless canton proposals are put to all Iraq's citizens through referenda the implications and risks in terms of the territorial integrity of the rest of the country could be disastrous. Protection It will be very apparent from the start that the viability of such cantons depends on the level of cooperation between new neighbours. The powers of individual cantons would have to be subject to lengthy and reciprocal negotiations. These in turn would demand a myriad of laws, treaties, and agreements to cover the gamut from the everyday to the existential. One key concern around protection would be the residual threat from ISIL. Would each putative canton in Nineveh have its own security, police, and intelligence forces? Just what kinds of security-related policies and coordination mechanisms will be in place to counter trans-canton crime, terrorism, drug-trafficking, arms smuggling, and other serious offences? Such proposals to demarcate Mosul and the Nineveh into cantons where exclusive ethnic, tribal, and sectarian groups reside are likely to weaken each area's ability to protect itself against ongoing challenges from unitary jihadist threats. Security No one is saying that there will be easy choices ahead for the governing authorities in Baghdad. However, there is a question of whether they are prepared to support reconstruction or whether they will have to surrender to the demands of localised ethnic and sectarian interests. There may be little choice in the matter. Baghdad may well capitulate, given that these local rivals are supported by strong and well-funded outside powers with their own agendas. The US should think twice about supporting the secessionist demands of leaders such as Nujaifi and Massoud Barzani. The motives behind their current alliance of interests should be questioned. Proposals which break down power from the provincial level which are not truly representative and harmonious will still leave vulnerable populations on the margins. When Mosul is re-taken the reconstruction and re-governance phase will be long and arduous, and demand US involvement yet again. After all, having a US-aided coalition embark on an offensive against ISIL in Mosul and Nineveh implies a role for the US in the post-liberation settlement. Hopefully, the spoils of Mosul and Nineveh will not be divided among the armed victors, but instead security and governance will be implemented equally without favour. October 18, 2016 In the oil-rich city of Basra in southern Iraq, drug-trafficking gangs are gaining power. Through certain areas on the Iraqi-Iranian border, drugs come in from Iran to be consumed in Basra or smuggled to other Iraqi cities. On Oct. 4, forces from the anti-drug office of the Basra police were able to arrest one drug dealer. However, local authorities are unable to touch major drug-trafficking gangs, because the local police lack the expertise and means to do so and thus only arrests middlemen and drug users. The drug trade has been linked to several problems such as armed conflicts between gangs, murders, kidnappings and armed robberies. For instance, on Oct. 8, the Basra police reported that a young man was shot dead while another was injured as a result of an armed brawl between drug gangs. On Oct. 17, the Basra police also arrested two drug dealers with a significant quantity of marijuana and three guns. Back on Aug. 25, Basra Police Chief Abdul-Karim al-Mayahi noted at a press conference, Drug use has skyrocketed in 2016, and control is needed over the borders of Basra province to prevent drugs from entering. What began as a provincial matter turned into a national priority as efforts to fight it gained great momentum at the security and defense committee meetings held at the parliament on Oct. 3. The number of drug abusers arrested in 2016 increased by about 300% compared to 2015, when 261 people were arrested for drug violations. That number jumped to 780 just in the first eight months of 2016. The amount of narcotic substances seized by authorities jumped by almost 12 times during the last fiscal year. The problem poses a threat to the citizens of the province, especially the young men targeted by drug-trafficking gangs. In 2016, the provincial authorities convicted 47 individuals of drug-trafficking and gave them various sentences, including life imprisonment. An article published by The Guardian on Aug. 16 addressed the drug issue in Basra and how it became a booming industry in the province. Its proliferation indicates that a large mafia controls the drug market and might have enough weapons and money to pose a threat to the local authorities. The Zubair district in Basra province was found to be the biggest hub for trafficking and drug abuse. Ahmed al-Sulaiti, spokesman for the Basra provincial council, told Al-Monitor, The spread of drugs in Basra province is unusual, but today's youth, for several reasons, are resorting to narcotics or what is known as crystal [methamphetamine]. All of this is the result of many factors, most notably the social situation and the lack of education among some youth. Sulaiti complained about the lack of resources in Basra province that are available in other countries." He said, "This impedes the provinces ability to help drug users get clean or catch the gangs promoting drugs, adding, Drug users are victims and they need a rehabilitation center, but Basra is still taking a traditional approach in this regard: either confinement or imprisonment, which may worsen the problem. On Sept. 7, the Iraqi authorities arrested an Iranian drug smuggler in the coastal area of Faw, near the Iranian border. The arrest led to other Iranian visitors to the holy shrines in southern Iraq being accused of bringing in drugs and selling them in the country. Similar accusations also came from the head of the Wasit Court of Appeals, Judge Ghaleb al-Ghrebawi, who spoke about a number of drug dealers officially entering Iraq from Iran as visitors. A colonel in the Basra police told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Local authorities in Basra arrest at least 10 drug users every day, but are unable to capture major drug gangs. He added, The largest amount of seized narcotics was 7 kilograms [(15.4 pounds) of marijuana], smuggled from Maysan province in southern Iraq, which also has geographic borders with Iran. On Aug. 26, Basra Governor Majed Nasraoui announced the arrest of more than 1,000 drug abusers and dealers, saying, The individuals we have arrested come from different backgrounds. Most of them are unemployed citizens between 20 and 45 years old, in addition to a few women. He added, There are many reasons that led to the aggravation of this phenomenon, including unemployment and the weakness of the Iraqi border in Basra, compared to neighboring countries, in addition to the easy access to materials used to produce drugs such as crystal, which can be manufactured locally. Not all drugs found in Basra came in from Iran, as there are labs in the city producing methamphetamines and selling them to users. On May 5, Basra security forces were able to seize one such lab, in which two non-Iraqis worked producing drugs. Basra has found itself in a dilemma, with no rehabilitation center for drug addicts and no means to prosecute drug-trafficking gangs, which could be affiliated with political blocs or parties. Basra's situation is alarming, as the drugs produced or smuggled there could reach other Iraqi cities including the capital, and such proliferation could deepen the Iraqi crisis and create a new generation of drug users. October 17, 2016 Known as the seventh art, cinema has become a platform for the Sahrawi people to share their stories in the desert refugee camps where they have lived for more than 40 years. As dusk arrived Oct. 12, Sahrawi refugees and their guests from across the world mingled in the dusty streets of Algerias Dakhla camp, ready to partake in the traditional gala that kicked off the 13th annual Western Sahara International Film Festival, or FiSahara. The event, known as the worlds most remote film festival, featured dozens of movies in a four-day screening lineup that included a strong presence of Sahrawi-made films produced in an audiovisual school the festival founded five years ago. Omar Ahmed is the director of Abidin Kaid Saleh institution, an audiovisual school in the Boujdour camp. He first began taking photos as a hobby when he was living in El Aaiun in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Later he joined the army of the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi liberation movement, to document the 15 years of guerrilla battles his people undertook to seek independence from Morocco. Ahmed remembers he was part of a group of young Sahrawis, led by Saleh, working for a Spanish newspaper Saleh founded called La Realidad (Reality). This was before Saleh started his career as the first Sahrawi photographer to cover the Western Sahara war. Ahmed learned about cinema when he traveled to Cuba to specialize in cinematography in 1981. Then, he returned to the Polisario-controlled zone in 1983. I still reminisce about those moments, which seemed like a fiction movie, when Sahrawis [in off-road vehicles] chased Moroccan tanks. If I had not been there, I would not have believed such scenes, he told Al-Monitor, describing the courage of Sahrawi soldiers. According to Ahmed, Sahrawi cinema has thrived since 2003 when FiSahara was first organized in Smara camp, the biggest of five Sahrawi camps in southwestern Algeria. It opened doors we didnt even know existed. We received very famous actors we did not even know, and they put the Sahrawi issue in the spotlight, including Javier Bardem, who was hosted by a Sahrawi family in 2008, Ahmed told Al-Monitor. After Bardem visited the camps, the Spanish actor made a documentary called Sons of the Clouds. The film presents the issue of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, to a wider audience and includes testimonies of several figures who have served as UN officials on the Sahrawi case. This year, Spanish actress Clara Lago presented the closing ceremonies. Lago told Al-Monitor the festival was an extraordinary experience and she was amazed by the hospitality she was shown. This year, Brahim Chagaf received the White Camel, the award for the best film at FiSahara. Chagaf told Al-Monitor he could not express how happy he was with the award. His film, Leyuad, explains how Sahrawis love their land. It is a story of three old men who cross more than 1,200 miles to visit Leyuad, a mountain that represents a historical heritage for Sahrawis. Leyuad is a cave with ancient drawings and is a place for Sahrawi nomads to stay. It has also been known as a place for jinn, or evil genies, because there are some anecdotal stories of strange sounds heard there at night. Others say people who lived there used to interact with jinn in a normal way like any other human beings. In August, Chagaf also participated in the African Film Festival in Lausanne, Switzerland. When asked what motivated him to choose this art, Chagaf said, I wanted to learn how to make my peoples situation visible and keep it from falling into oblivion. Chagaf is a graduate of Ahmeds school, and Ahmed said that founding a Sahrawi cinema school was the most important step he has taken so far. I am really optimistic about the future of Sahrawi cinema. We now have dozens of filmmakers and are participating in international film festivals around the word, he said. For Taher Mulay Zain, a student at the film school, cinema is a heritage he must preserve. His late father was a photographer. While reviewing his fathers archive and looking at pictures of moments his father had shared with him, Zain fell in love with cinema and realized it had to be an essential part of his life. I realized that filming is in my blood and I could not resist it, he told Al-Monitor. Zain traveled to Boujdour to pursue his ambition to become a filmmaker. After years of hard work in school and at home, his perseverance is paying off. His film Memories in Mind was chosen for screening at this years FiSahara. The film focuses on how a mother is imagining bad things will happen to her child who always accompanies his father, a butcher, to work. I wanted to highlight how caring a mother is for her child, he told Al-Monitor. However, Zain has not yet been unable to convert his work into digital material for use in future projects. Azman Mohamed Salem, like some other students, said he didnt even know there was a cinema school in the Sahrawi refugee camps until he attended FiSahara and saw a workshop for production. I liked the stuff that they were doing and wanted to learn, so I came to the director and learned that it is a two-year course, and I decided to take it, Salem told Al-Monitor. Salem has produced a film on the devastating floods that hit the Sahrawi refugee camps a year ago. This idea came to him as he was visiting a tented elementary school when a sand storm hit. The sound was so frightening, he wondered how anyone could study in such conditions. Salems short movie was included in this years festival as part of a project to encourage Sahrawi production. The considerable interest in filming among youth spurred Lafdal Salem to leave his job as a mechanic to explore what it is like to tell his peoples story. He immediately chose to address social issues that he identifies as fake barriers. At FiSahara, he presented his work Daniela, the Sahrawi Girl, which tells the story of a disabled Sahrawi girl who overcame social challenges and integrated with society. I wanted to show her example as evidence that success depends on the person, not prejudices from other people, he said. It appears cinema has been granted a reserved seat within Sahrawi society, but other obstacles overshadow this industry as it undergoes difficult financial times. Funding from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) usually goes to basic needs. Our problem is that most NGOs we have here think that bread and aspirins are enough for refugees, Ahmed told Al-Monitor. His school is forced to function as a center for both training and production, which he says is too much to handle in one place. October 18, 2016 TEHRAN, Iran Once again, Egypt and Iran appear to be heading toward rapprochement, with increasingly converging views on Syria bringing the two regional powers closer together. Tehran and Cairo have long followed a pattern of enthusiasm about normalizing ties only to see rapprochement remain a mirage. In December 2003, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held a groundbreaking meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khatami on the sidelines of a UN technology summit in Geneva. The meeting the first between an Iranian and an Egyptian president since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran generated talk of rapprochement, but such a thing never occurred. More recently, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad traveled to Cairo in February 2013, a landmark visit in which he was greeted by his Egyptian counterpart Mohammed Morsi on arrival but again with no real subsequent warming of relations. Once very close, Iran and Egypt cut ties in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution, given Iranian opposition to Egypt and Israels signing of the September 1978 Camp David Accords, Cairos later hosting of the deposed shah of Iran and the Iranian governments naming of a street in Tehran after Khalid Islambouli, the man who assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Now, the Syrian crisis may be helping Iran and the Arab world leader finally get closer and perhaps even lead to their long-sought rapprochement. Normalization has been impeded by three main limitations on the Egyptian side. These include the US policy of seeking to isolate Iran, which has been weakened since the nuclear deal; Israels policy of confrontation with Iran, which has intensified after the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; and lastly, Saudi Arabias policy of seeking to curb Iranian influence, efforts that have been heightened in the aftermath of both the Arab Spring and the nuclear accord. Egypts stance on the Syrian crisis was far closer to that of Saudi Arabia during Morsis tenure, as the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood sided against embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In his speech at the August 2012 summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran, Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, angered his Iranian hosts with criticism of the Syrian government. He also sided with the United Arab Emirates against Iran over three disputed islands in the Persian Gulf. A high-ranking Iranian diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity previously told Al-Monitor, Mr. Morsi had said that he would only come to Tehran for a few hours, that he would not spend the night here and that he will not meet with the supreme leader. In contrast, ever since Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi seized power in July 2013, Egypt has gradually distanced itself from its previous stance on Syria. At the same time, Sisi has tried to approach Russia, a move that has been welcomed warmly by Moscow, with the Kremlin currently negotiating the potential use of military bases in Egypt. Things may have taken a further turn on Sept. 23, when Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit in New York. The Syrian crisis seemed to be the main topic of the discussions between the Iranian and Egyptian diplomats. Indeed, according to Al-Ahram, Shoukry emphasized the differences between Saudi Arabia and Egypt over the crisis in Syria in subsequent interviews with Egyptian media outlets, saying, The coalition fighting in Syria may want to change the regime in the country, but that is not Egypts position. He added, however, The differences do not mean we have a problem. Its just a difference in point of view. The Zarif-Shoukry encounter was followed by a meeting between the new head of the Egyptian interest section in Tehran, Yaser Othman, and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Iranian parliament's general director for International Affairs who until recently served as deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs. During the meeting, Abdollahian expressed Irans enthusiasm about cooperation with Egypt on regional issues including the Syrian crisis. He said, Iran and Egypt are two major and influential countries that can play a constructive role in decreasing the tensions in the region through common regional cooperation. In response, Othman voiced hope for cooperation with Iranian friends to fill the gap between the two countries. He added, The increase of negotiation and consultations between the officials of the two countries will be effective for improvement of the situation of the region. The apparent increase in interactions between Iran and Egypt has irritated Saudi Arabia, which is locked in serious disagreements with Tehran over regional issues. A Sept. 26 report by the Russian news agency Sputnik claimed that a senior Saudi official called the Egyptian president following the Zarif-Shoukry meeting to express his anger over the encounter. The same report alleges that, during the same phone call, the Saudi official threatened to cut aid to Cairo. On Oct. 10, Saudi Aramco reportedly informed the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, Egypt's state oil company, that it would halt the supply of refined oil products. However, a day later, an Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation official announced that such supplies would be resumed. The big picture appears to be that the recent string of meetings between senior Iranian and Egyptian officials could signal the beginning of unprecedented cooperation between the two countries. This warming could lead to a final normalization of ties and also potentially coordinated action on the Syrian crisis. In this vein, the confusion surrounding Irans participation in the Oct. 15 multilateral talks on Syria in Switzerland is particularly noteworthy. According to an Iranian diplomat who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Tehran initially refused to attend the meeting and only decided to do so on the condition that Iraq and Egypt be included as well. Indeed, on Oct. 14, a day before the talks, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari announced that Iran, Egypt and Iraq would join the meeting. This maneuver is far from good news for the United States and Saudi Arabia, as it suggests that the weight of the Iran-Russia axis in the multilateral dialogue on Syria could be growing. Nonetheless, although the Syrian crisis could be a game-changer in Iran-Egypt ties, it remains to be seen whether Egypt will fully side with the Iran-Russia axis and stand up to Saudi and US pressures. October 18, 2016 As the battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State gathers speed, the ongoing row between Baghdad and Ankara over the presence of Turkish troops in Iraq shows no signs of abating. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to insist that Turkey has a historic responsibility to participate in the offensive and that it will do so whether Iraq wants it to or not. Erdogan's blustering is prompting growing concern in Baghdad and in Washington of unilateral Turkish action in its former Ottoman dominion that could derail the Mosul campaign. Erdogan asserted, We will be in the field and at the table. Our preparations for the field are underway. His speeches on Oct. 17 and Oct. 18, which also invoked a 1920 document adopted by the Turkish parliament including Mosul and Kirkuk as part of modern Turkey, came amid unconfirmed reports from Iraqi sources that Turkish troops were massing north of the Iraqi border. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim claimed that the US-led coalition had reached agreement on a Turkish role. Coalition officials speaking to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said they were unaware of any such agreement. Washington has consistently said that the Iraqi government must approve and coordinate the presence of "all foreign military forces. And Iraq says it wants the Turkish troops stationed in Bashiqa, north of Mosul, to leave at once. A Turkish delegation led by Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Umit Yalcin returned from Baghdad empty-handed after the Iraqis rebuffed Turkish demands that the troops, which Ankara insists came at the invitation of the Kurdistan Regional Government, stay put until Mosul is stabilized. Erdogans talk of being at the table and his allusions to an impending Shiite-Sunni conflict imply a possible carving up of Ninevah province, of which Mosul is the capital, along sectarian lines. Yet he has never specified between whom. In fact, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is every bit as opposed to the participation of the Shiite Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in the battle to retake the city, as are several government-aligned PMU leaders themselves notably Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of one of the largest Iran-sponsored militias, the Badr Brigade precisely because they want to avoid potential clashes with Sunnis, who make up the overwhelming majority of Mosuls population. Yet, pro-government media outlets continue to make the case for Turkish intervention by playing on anti-American sentiment, Ottoman nostalgia and more invidiously, on Sunni sectarianism. Their other major argument is the presence of several hundred Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters in the Sinjar region west of Mosul. Pro-government columnists echo the government line that the Kurdish rebels fighting the Turkish army mainly inside Turkey were inserted into Sinjar by America to offset Turkish influence in Mosul. Similarly, Ankara accuses Abadi of using the PKK-affiliated Yazidi militia known as the Sinjar Resistance Units to undermine Turkey. Baghdad cut off the group's funding around two months ago, mainly at Washingtons bidding. Most analysts agree that any Turkish intervention would most likely target the PKK in Sinjar or come in response to a PMU advance on the mainly Sunni Turkmen city of Tal Afar. Still, the most likely reason Turkey is scrambling to take part in the battle for Mosul is that Erdogan says it should, all part of a bid to project power and drum up nationalist support for his executive presidency at home. This much became clear when Turkish Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar met with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, in Washington this week and sources close to the talks said he appealed for Turkey to be shown to be participating in the Mosul campaign. It may also explain why Yildirim felt pressed to claim that Turkish jets were taking part in coalition airstrikes in Mosul. Yildirim declared, "Those who say 'Turkey has no business in Mosul' have gotten their answer," only to retract the statement a few hours later. Turkish planes would take action when necessary, Yildirim said. October 17, 2016 Some Palestinians fear they've been jilted by Jordan, which seems to be cozying up to Israel rather quickly. This courtship is clearly reflected in several recent events. On Oct. 6, Israeli author Ephraim Herrera revealed in Israel Hayom newspaper that Jordan has requested security and political aid from Israel, which is showing its support for Jordan's King Abdullah II, suggesting relations between the two sides are at their best. This observation is supported by the activities of the week before, which was a virtual whirlwind love fest: The two sides signed a 15-year gas purchase agreement valued at $10 billion, whereby Jordan will buy 45 billion cubic meters of gas from Israel. Israel announced it might employ more Jordanian workers in the Dead Sea hotels. Israel had issued 1,500 work permits for Jordanians to work in Eilat, an Israeli city off the coast of Aqaba on the Dead Sea. Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot revealed that a Jordanian military mission composed of 12 retired generals had secretly visited Israel. During the three-day visit, the mission met with senior Israeli officials and senior officers in the Israeli army. The newspaper did not mention the names of the Jordanian officers who visited Israel but indicated that Walid Oueidat, Jordans ambassador to Israel, planned and supervised the visit. That's all in addition to an Aug. 23 request from Jordan for Israel's help in containing and cleaning up a crude oil leak from a pipeline off the Port of Aqaba. It appears Palestinians are right to worry. Israels gas exportation to Jordan increases Israel's foreign exports and boosts its economic growth, turning it from an energy-importing country into an energy-exporting country," Khalil Namrouti, vice dean of commerce at the Islamic University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor. "This will further encourage it to extract gas off the coast of Gaza, which would be at the expense of the Palestinians. Maysara Malas, former deputy head of Jordan's Higher Executive Committee for Anti-Normalization with Israel, used the same phrase in stating how much the Palestinians stand to lose because of the rapprochement. Any improvement in Jordan's relations with Israel will be at the expense of the Palestinians," he told Al-Monitor. "The Jordanian governments rapprochement with Israel is unacceptable and rejected by Jordanians since it harms Palestinian interests. It should be noted that Amman and Tel Aviv have an important strategic relationship. Jordan is [strengthening] its ties with Israel and will give absolute priority to this relationship. Despite Jordan's attempts to justify its gas agreement with Israel, a wide, popular protest swept through Jordan's streets, accusing the government of normalization with the Israelis. The agreement also stirred heated exchanges on social media. Some Palestinian columnists highlighted the disadvantages of the agreement, most notably Osama al-Ashkar in a Sept. 27 piece published on Safa News Agency's website. Ashkar said the agreement is an accessory to the crime of killing Palestinians. Dima Tahboub, a Jordanian parliament member for the Muslim Brotherhood, said the split between Jordan and Palestinians has been widening for some time. The Jordan and Israel rapprochement began with the Jordanian disengagement from the West Bank in 1988 and the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991," she told Al-Monitor. "Then, Jordanians and Palestinians started to separate their national, political and economic issues, and coordination between them was halted. The Jordanian government does not care about Palestinians anger toward Jordans rapprochement with Israel. The former Jordanian parliament issued in June an investment fund law granting Israeli investors the right to own land in Jordan. Jordan and Israel continue building their ties despite repeated announcements by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas that he rejects any normalization of Arab-Israeli relations before the State of Palestine is established. Abbas reiterated this statement in his Sept. 22 speech at the United Nations, saying, Israel insists on the establishment of relations with the Arab countries first, without ending its occupation of Palestine. Hamas also weighed in on the issue. Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, told the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds on Sept. 27 that by normalizing relations with Israel, Arab countries are making Israel stronger and abandoning the Palestinians. Samira al-Halaiqa, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council for Hamas, told Al-Monitor, The gas agreement between Israel and Jordan jeopardizes the entire Palestinian national project, as [the deal] was concluded while Israel had been [committing] crimes and laying a tight siege on Gaza. She explained that the agreement is a form of public normalization with Israel by the Arab countries and leads the Palestinians to doubt they will have Arab support for a confrontation with Israel. This agreement hurts the Palestinian cause and reveals the Arab countries complicity to woo Israel and establish political and economic relations with it, she added. A former Palestinian minister who follows Palestinian-Jordanian relations also did not mince words. The Israeli-Jordanian rapprochements, in particular the natural gas agreement, are partially due to the economic greed and aspirations of Jordanian businessmen and officials who have influence on the political decision-makers" in Jordan, he told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. Amman does not care about any angry reactions by the PA. Their relations are not that at their best. The last meeting between Abbas and King Abdullah, in June, was not very friendly. As Jordan gets closer to Israel, relations with Palestinians become tarnished with apathy, particularly between Abbas and Abdullah. This is due to several reasons, the most important being Jordans role in finding a prospective successor for Abbas, and the PAs accusation that Jordan signed an agreement Oct. 1 with Israel to install surveillance cameras at the Temple Mount site without consulting the PA. An earlier deal was canceled in April. Jordan administers the site and says camera installation is designed to prevent confrontations between Palestinians and Israelis. Palestinians know that Jordan and Israel now maintain solid ties. The ties were secret before the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty, also known as the Wadi Araba agreement, was signed. But the Palestinians cannot hide their disappointment in seeing their Jordanian brothers maintaining open relations with Israel on all political, economic and security levels, while Israel has been waging wars against Gaza since 2008. Saleh Naami, a Palestinian expert on Israeli affairs, has consistently revealed aspects of cooperation between Jordan and Israel. He told Al-Monitor, The rapprochement between Amman and Tel Aviv reflects their growing strategic relationship, in light of the large revenues that the Jordanian regime is allowing Israel to reap by sparing it from the need to exploit immense human and military resources to secure its borders with the kingdom. He added, Jordan has become a buffer zone limiting attacks from the eastern front against Israel. Jordan and Israel have a close intelligence cooperation regarding jihadi organizations. Moreover, Jordan allows Israel to export its goods to the Arabian Gulf through its territory. October 18, 2016 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip The work environment in Palestine suffers from violations of labor rights in general and womens rights specifically, as women are the weakest entity in their patriarchal society. Consequently, the Palestinian Ministry of Labor and the National Committee for Womens Employment (NCWE) coordinated with the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), with the support of the International Labor Organization, to launch the first Guideline for Womens Employment Rights on Oct. 4 in Ramallah. The guideline took six months to complete, and it aims at instilling equality and social justice, eliminating gender-based discrimination at the workplace, improving the work environment and raising womens awareness of their rights. NCWE coordinator and head of the Gender Unit at the Ministry of Labor in Ramallah Iman Assaf told Al-Monitor that the guideline was the result of the ministrys inclination to increase working womens awareness of their rights. Many of the women are not well-informed of the Palestinian Labor Law and the issued laws related to their rights and duties. Consequently, they keep mum about their employers violations, such as depriving them of leaves and increasing their work hours without paying them overtime. The ministry is also seeking to increase womens employment in the Palestinian labor market. Assaf said, According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, womens participation in the labor market reached 19.1% in 2014 and increased to 19.4% in 2015. Unemployment among literate women reached 84% [in 2013], a figure that does not reflect Palestinian womens ambition and their desire to join the job market. She added, The service and agricultural sectors are considered the main fields employing women, and they constitute 62.9% and 13% [according to the abovementioned 2013 statistics], respectively, out of the total female workforce. Assaf blamed the spread of unemployment among women on the Israeli occupation, which erects checkpoints between cities in the West Bank, thus undermining Palestinians movements, the marginalization of Palestinian women, their isolation in some remote areas and discrimination between the two genders in employment. In addition, the quality of university education women receive is sometimes not in line with the job market requirements. The guideline was issued in two versions. The first is a simplified version in which the rights and duties of employed women are stated in a graphic and colorful way to promote them among women who do not have a high educational level. The second version is more detailed and includes three parts: the international authorities related to working womens rights, national laws and authorities, and challenges for women in the workplace. The two versions were coupled with an address book containing the numbers of relevant authorities that offer help for women. Assaf told Al-Monitor, The guideline displayed the Palestinian legislative provisions in a simplified, organized and smooth manner specifically to suit women. Assaf noted that the laws in the guideline comply with the 2000 Palestinian Labor Law No. 7, the 2012 Minimum Wage Law ($370/month) and the 2016 Social Security Law No. 6, which guaranteed working women in the private and public sectors the right to a social security paid maternity leave. Assaf expects female employment to increase when the Social Security Law is implemented at the end of October, because the employer wont have to pay maternity leave expenses which will be paid by the social security fund. Many employers refuse to employ women due to the likelihood of pregnancy and the subsequent financial burden on the company. Assaf said, We will work in the coming phase on promoting the guideline through workshops and forums with women and employers and through media interviews to explain and clarify it to society. Assaf noted that the laws and guideline should be implemented in all areas under the Palestinian Authoritys control and in the Gaza Strip. She admitted, though, that the economic situation, the Israeli blockade and the Palestinian internal rift might prevent this implementation. PGFTU Secretary Hussein al-Faqhaa told Al-Monitor that the official figures and the field visits of the federation to companies indicate that employed women in Palestine face many violations related to their salary and working hours. Therefore, the guideline was essential to raise awareness of their rights, especially for women working in the agricultural sector, which often lacks professional safety and health standards. Faqhaa noted that the absence of the executive authorities role in periodically following up on the labor laws implementation, the divisions plaguing labor unions and the lack of law awareness have directly contributed to creating a bitter reality for working women, especially in marginalized and remote areas. Faqhaa added that awareness and development are gradual rather than immediate, especially with the spreading unemployment and poverty in Palestine. He said that this does not stand in the way of awareness, though, and indicated that the situation needs a comprehensive and sustainable development plan. Safaa Abed, the deputy head of the Palestinian Women Struggle Committee Union, highlighted the need to distribute the guideline to all organizations rather than just publish it. The publication phase should be followed by promotion and awareness and should bind the employers to implementing the law. Abed indicated that women are afraid of asking for their rights out of fear of losing their jobs, especially with the slackening of executive authorities. She underlined the importance of protecting women legally. She said, Although the Minimum Wage Law was passed three years ago, many organizations are not implementing it. Women have to endure this situation due to the lack of alternatives and legal accountability for the noncompliant employers. Rima Nazzal, member of the General Secretariat of the General Union of Palestinian Women, said that the simplicity of the guideline is central in its function of raising awareness. She added that it is a pillar for educating women, expanding their awareness of their rights and highlighting their priorities. The implementation of the guideline might be a precursor to raising employed Palestinian womens awareness of rights that their employers violate. But respecting those rights depends on the extent to which executive authorities are willing to apply them on various organizations, especially in remote areas. October 14, 2016 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip On Oct. 3, the Palestinian Supreme Court of Justice suspended all preparations for local elections in the Gaza Strip due to what it ruled to be the illegality of the Gaza courts. On Oct. 4, the government issued a decision to freeze the elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for four months. These rulings have now paved the way for a proposal to bypass the Courts of First Instance in the provinces; these courts specialize in the examination of challenges against candidates, as stipulated in Article 13 of the 2005 local elections law. The Courts of First Instance in the provinces have been the most prominent point of disagreement in the cancellation of the Oct. 8 elections. On Sept. 8, the Courts of First Instance in the Gaza Strip rejected five Fatah electoral lists. This angered Fatah, which then refused to recognize courts with Hamas-appointed judges as legal. Yet Fatah and all other Palestinian factions had signed a code of honor prior to the start of the electoral process, stipulating that Palestinian parties shall abide by the rulings of the Palestinian courts [of first instance], in terms of the electoral process. Mohammed al-Jabarin, undersecretary of the Ministry of Local Government, told Al-Monitor that the ministry submitted a proposal to the government Oct. 4 to form a court to examine challenges filed during the local electoral process, similar to the temporary presidential and legislative elections courts, which were formed according to the presidential and legislative elections law. He explained that the ministrys proposal includes an article providing for the amendment of the local elections law No. 10 of 2005, specifically in terms of the competent authority to examine electoral challenges, and for determining that this competent authority is the elections court, which will assume the role of the Courts of First Instance in the provinces regarding the elections. Jabarin told Al-Monitor that after an Oct. 11 Cabinet meeting, The government and the Ministry of Local Government decided to start communicating with the Palestinian factions and civil society institutions in order to amend the local elections law, and thus form a special elections court. Jabarin said that once the law is amended and the court is formed, the local elections date likely would be determined in all Palestinian territories. Hisham Kahil, executive director of the elections commission, told Al-Monitor, The local elections law No. 10 of 2005 stipulates that the Courts of First Instance in the provinces are competent to examine electoral challenges, and we have nothing to do with any amendments added to the elections law; we are the party in charge of the implementation of the law and we are not a legislative party. Kahil denied that the elections commission has anything to do with the proposal to form a special elections court, and he pointed out that this courts formation requires a presidential decree by President Mahmoud Abbas, and that it should be dissolved once the electoral process is over. Fatah confirmed that it is seriously considering a proposal to form a special local elections court, as it perceives that this court will be a solution to the Gaza court rulings that led to the postponement of the recent local elections. Fatah does not recognize the legality of the Gaza courts controlled by Hamas, according to Amin Maqboul, secretary-general of Fatah's Revolutionary Council. Maqboul told Al-Monitor that the government and the Ministry of Local Government are conducting consultations with Palestinian factions and institutions to amend the law and form a court. He expressed his hope that Palestinian parties reach an agreement over the court before the local elections date is determined. Nevertheless, Hamas rejected the formation of a special elections court. Hamas leader and member of the Legislative Council Yahya Moussa told Al-Monitor, All of the steps undertaken by President Abbas and the government are a distortion of the Palestinian elections law, in order for Fatah to seize power in any way. He added, "The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is the competent authority to add any amendments to any Palestinian law, not the presidency nor the government. [The government] has no legal ground, because it did not derive its legitimacy from the PLC, as Article 66 of the basic law stipulates. The most prominent problem that could challenge the formation of the special local elections court is that the local elections law needs to be amended by the PLC, which has not convened jointly for years in the West Bank and Gaza Strip due to the Fatah-Hamas split. International expert in electoral systems Taleb Awad told Al-Monitor that the proposal to form a special local elections court along the lines of the presidential and legislative elections court was put forward by civil society organizations and Palestinian parties in 2012, as different provisions were issued by the Courts of First Instance in the provinces during the 2012 local elections in the West Bank. Awad pointed out that the formation of this court requires that several items be amended: the local elections law, provisions stipulating that the Courts of First Instance are the competent authorities to examine the challenges and the three days' legal time limit given to the court to respond to the challenges. Thus, an amendment of the law and an extension of an additional few days are required, because a single court will be examining the challenges in the entire Palestinian territories, which includes 416 constituencies, he said. Salah Abdel Ati, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy Research & Strategic Studies (Masarat), told Al-Monitor that the fundamental problem is political, not legal. He demanded that Fatah and Hamas refrain from politicizing the judiciary, abide by legal provisions and work together to guarantee the rule of law and the integrity and independence of the judiciary rather than move toward the formation of a special court or act on local elections law amendments,. He said that the formation of a special local elections court is contrary to the law, which states that the Courts of First Instance are the competent authorities to consider electoral challenges. He pointed out that it is better to have the Courts of First Instance examine the challenges instead of having a single elections court examining challenges in 416 constituencies. The formation of a special elections court seems to be a new obstacle on the path to the upcoming local elections. Also, it is difficult to amend the local elections law, given the PLCs inability to convene since 2007, due to the Fatah-Hamas split. October 18, 2016 Perhaps a good education doesn't always pay off after all. Three months after the July 15 failed coup, dismissals of military personnel and a flood of investigations about the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) continue. And on Oct. 12, in the fifth wave of purges, 201 ranking officers from the Turkish air force and 32 from the navy were discharged. A striking commonality in the latest wave of dismissals quickly attracted attention. In this group of mostly captains, majors and lieutenant colonels, the majority were highly qualified TSK officers assigned to critical transformation projects. Most had completed masters degrees or doctoral studies in prestigious US military institutes such as the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, and top colleges such as Yale, Princeton and Stanford. The Naval Postgraduate School, which I attended from 2008-11 for a master's degree in security studies, has been a target of Turkish media for a long time. Citing confessions of a Gulenist officer, Turkish media have reported that coup staff officers attended the same school, claiming the CIA and Pentagon established contacts with the coup plotters through the school. Although I never heard of a lecture or a workshop on "How to Stage a Coup" during the 18 months I attended the Naval Postgraduate School, many officers have told me that there has been a perceptible increase in the presence and influence of Gulenist-linked officers who went there. Can Turkey then say that Gulenists' efforts to influence which officers were selected to receive a US academic education make these institutes and universities accomplices to the July 15 coup attempt? An officer with a masters degree from a US Ivy League school learned the bitter answer to that question upon being dismissed from the army after 15 years of service. The former officer spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity: I am not a Gulenist. I may even be a leftist. I was selected for that school after a tough selection process from among hundreds of officers. Our state paid thousands of dollars to the university for my education. Until July 15, I was an officer in critical transformation projects of the TSK. We all believed we would give our army an intellectual structure. But now we are labeled traitors." The former officer, who was expelled from the TSK with a simple administrative decision by the Ministry of Defense, will never be a civil servant again and will have an extremely tough time finding employment in private or public universities. I am married. I have two children and very limited financial resources. What offended me the most was the reason for my expulsion. They say I was kicked out because after their investigation, they hadn't formed a strong opinion that I am not a Gulenist. What kind of reasoning is this? If I had anything to do with July 15, I would have been out there in the field. Now, because of a council I [know nothing about] that cant form an opinion that I am not a Gulenist, they expel me from the army. Shouldnt they find concrete evidence of my affiliation with Gulen and then discharge me? What kind of legality is this? he added. Another officer working toward his doctorate at an Ivy League school was called back to Turkey on Sept. 21 because he is the subject of an administrative investigation. Do you think I should return to Turkey? If I dont, I will certainly be declared a traitor and expelled from the army. All my ties to Turkey will be severed. How do I prove from 15,000 miles away to that council of experts that I am not a Gulenist? he asked in an email he sent to Al-Monitor. The council mentioned by the sources is a new body set up in the General Staff headquarters. The council serves as an expert body that helps civilian prosecutors evaluate detained officers or those under suspicion. When the council is unable to reach agreement on whether an officer is a Gulenist affiliate, the officer in question will surely be detained and expelled from the TSK. The council's use of this bizarre reasoning, instead of coming up with solid evidence, is making life miserable and difficult for the young officers. So far, information has been tightly guarded about who serves on the experts council, how it works and what criteria it applies to inform the civilian prosecutors. Those who have been academically trained in the United States but not yet detained or expelled have been appointed to posts far from critical headquarters in Ankara. Generals dont want to risk being suspected of Gulenist affiliation by having such officers under their command. Retired Col. Coskun Unal, who works in energy consulting in the District of Columbia, told Al-Monitor, The first source they consult to identify the coup plotters in the TSK and to arrange for their cleansing is a paper issued by the Peace at Home Council,' which is said to be the junta behind the coup. Those who were listed by that group, those who were promoted and allowed to continue with their duties [during the coup], were automatically assumed to be linked with the Gulen movement whether they took part in the coup attempt or not. They were all dismissed and detained. The victims of this practice who suffer the most are the military attaches and officers in the TSK abroad. Today there are detention orders for about 40 military attaches." One Turkish air force pilot in the United States, Brig. Yavuz Celik, returned and was arrested, according to Unal. "Now others are hesitating and waiting, he added. Along with 40 attaches, about 300 officers assigned to NATO are being ordered to return to Turkey. These bright, foreign-language-speaking officers with academic backgrounds now have to decide whether to return or stay where they are and ask for asylum. How will these purges affect the TSK's institutional structure? According to Unal, purging these personnel or distancing them from critical posts will inflict irreparable damage on TSK's knowledge assets. Because of the efforts of Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar, who himself has a doctorate from Turkeys prestigious Bogazici University, over the past four to five years the number of TSK personnel with masters degrees and doctorates had grown, contributing significantly to transforming the TSK into an intellectual army. But the promising trend suffered a major setback July 15. The purges, which have mutated to academic witch hunts, are squandering the Turkish armys already-limited intellectual capital. If these hunts continue, the TSK might not be able to recover. October 18, 2016 The bombastic tone Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan employs with regard to developments in the Middle East has pushed Turkey into the background both militarily and politically in Iraq and Syria. We're seeing this sidelining again in the operation to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State. Erdogan is fuming even harder now that it is clear that Turkey is not part of the Mosul operation despite having declared its desire to join it. They say we should not enter Mosul. How can we not? I have a 350-kilometer [215-mile] border [with Iraq]. Those who have nothing to do with the region are there because Baghdad supposedly invited them. Did Saddam [Hussein] invite them 14 years ago? But they still came, Erdogan said angrily while addressing the International Istanbul Law Congress on Oct. 17. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi repeated only hours before the official launch of the Mosul operation, Turkish forces will not be allowed to participate in the liberation of Mosul under any circumstances. Washington has backed Abadi, saying any foreign troops in Iraq should be there with Baghdads permission. We wont be responsible for the consequences emerging from an operation that excludes Turkey. Turkey will participate both in the operation and the talks later. It is not possible for us to stay out of this, Erdogan added. He also stressed that Turkey would not evacuate the Bashiqa camp near Mosul. Turkish troops deployed in the camp are training Kurdish peshmerga forces and other anti-IS fighters. Iraq has complained to the United Nations that this deployment is an occupation. Erdogan did not spell out, however, how he plans to ensure that Turkey will be part of the Mosul operation. Addressing the public in the central Anatolian city of Konya last week, he said, If the coalition does not want Turkey in the operation against Mosul, Turkey will activate its plan B and plan C. He did not elaborate further. With regard to Bashiqa, Murat Yetkin, the well-connected editor-in-chief of Hurriyet Daily News, suggested it is not difficult for Erdogan to sound defiant on this topic. He knows, as the commander in chief of the Turkish military, that the understanding already reached with the Americans is for the Turkish soldiers to stay in Bashiqa and to not move a meter out of it, Yetkin said. The United States has been exhorting Ankara and Baghdad to work out their differences through direct talks. A Western diplomat who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity due to his sensitive position said that if Ankara joined the coalition under rules set by Baghdad, the move would be welcomed. Mosul is not going to be an easy operation and could last well into spring. There is room for every military contribution against IS, said the diplomat. He explained that a political contribution by Turkey could also be valuable, given its influence over Iraqi Sunnis, in trying to stabilize Mosul after IS is defeated. If Turkey gives any indication, however, that its intention in joining the coalition is to promote a different agenda, this would be counterproductive, the diplomat added. Turkey has also been cautioning Baghdad and its allies against tampering with the demography of Mosul, which is predominantly Sunni. This stance may have been taken as reflecting Ankaras pro-Sunni foreign policy under Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party, but there is truth in the warning. Yetkin pointed out that the Mosul operation will be key to the future of Iraq, Syria and the entire Middle East. The last three decades show that if Western-supported governments in the region fail to fight corruption and religious sectarianism, new and more radical terrorist movements emerge. That should be a lesson for both the United States and Iraq after taking Mosul from IS, he argued. This concern notwithstanding, the start of the Mosul operation without Turkey has put matters in better focus for Ankara, not just with regard to Iraq and Syria, but also the Middle East generally. With the United States propping up the Abadi government in Iraq and Russia doing the same for the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Turkey will have to look ahead and recalibrate its policies accordingly, rather than pursuing plans that have proven to be unrealistic and left it in the cold. At the start of the Arab Spring, Ankara had been sure that developments were going to make it the principal regional player. Today, however, Erdogans main rivals or enemies in the region, from Assad in Syria to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt, remain in power and continue to consolidate their positions with US and Russian help. Turkish reliance on Moscow, following the reconciliation between the two countries after ties hit rock bottom when Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet last November, also appears misplaced in the broader picture. Pro-government commentators are pushing the line that ties with Russia will counterbalance US policies in the region that are contrary to Turkeys interests. Erdogan supporters are also angry with Washington for not immediately extraditing cleric Fethullah Gulen, the alleged mastermind of the failed coup attempt. Ersin Ramoglu, a commentator from the pro-government newspaper Sabah, wrote that Turks are angry with the West and have a special hatred for the United States, which put a stick in the spokes of Turkeys wheel as it was growing and developing. He argued that Turkey will have its revenge on the United States by developing ties with Russia. Maintaining that the United States was trying to control the world by grabbing the energy resources of the Middle East, Ramoglu wrote, Our leader spoiled this plan by reconciling with [President Vladimir] Putin. Those who support this view disregard the fact that Moscow put a spoke in the wheels of Ankaras plans for Syria by supporting Assad, Erdogans regional archenemy, and that it is also at odds with Ankara on issues of importance to Turkey ranging from Cyprus to the Crimean Peninsula and the question of the Armenian genocide. The bottom line, however, is that many unknowns remain in Iraq and Syria, where developments will determine if, when and how a role comes up for Turkey despite the verbal sparring witnessed recently between Ankara and Baghdad. Nihat Ali Ozcan, a political and military analyst from the Ankara-based Economic Policy Research Foundation, said it is not possible to say what shape things will take in Iraq and Syria, where the actors are many and not limited to the United States and Russia, or Abadi and Assad. It is therefore not possible to say if Turkeys current approach is sustainable or not, because much will depend on developments in the field, Ozcan told Al-Monitor. If, however, Abadi and Assad, or at least their regimes, end up consolidating their positions, then it is clear that Turkey will have to opt for policy revisions, he added. October 18, 2016 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could not have asked for more. Even as the eyes of the world are turned to the prime minister in anticipation of his order to evacuate the controversial land robbers (settlers) from the West Banks Amona outpost, UNESCO turns the spotlight onto the Jewish peoples holiest and most consensual site. The organizations Oct. 13 draft resolution regarding the holy sites in Jerusalem ignores the age-old Jewish affinity for the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. The venue and timing of the decision couldnt have been better for Netanyahu. For many Jews, the Arab states and the Palestinians who proposed the UNESCO resolution may as well have denied the Holocaust. The Temple Mount and the Western Wall of the Jewish Temple are not simply venerated by God-fearing Jews, they are milestones in the history of every Jew, serving as the grounding of the Jewish collective. Sworn leftists and secular Jews are hard-pressed to justify the resolution (severely contested by Israel), which was reaffirmed Oct. 18 following a request by Mexico to change its vote. Even if we accept the absurd claim that theres no link between the Temple Mount compound and the Jerusalem Temple itself, no organization or state has the right to dispossess any nation of its central narrative. Several years ago, during a debate about the status of Jerusalem, I witnessed an altercation between Israeli peace activists and a Palestinian participant who expressed doubt about the affinity of the Jewish people with the Western Wall. Several minutes later the Israelis were wolfing down copious amounts of non-kosher seafood. Indeed, this bond between a Jew and the Jerusalem Temple or Western Wall goes well beyond keeping the halacha, the ancestral law. From a symbolic-national point of view, the prime minister was completely right when he compared denying Jewish peoples links to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall to denying Chinas link to the Great Wall and the Egyptians connection to the pyramids. But thats as far as the similarity goes between the Great Wall and the pyramids and the Temple Mount and Western Wall. Whereas theres no controversy about Chinas sovereignty over all parts of Beijing, and theres no doubting Egypts sole sovereignty over Giza, Israel is the only state in the world that recognizes its sovereignty over East Jerusalem, in general, and the Temple Mount, in particular. Netanyahu argued that with its decision UNESCO had lost what little legitimacy it had left and said he was sure that historical truth is stronger and that truth will prevail. And today we are dealing with the truth. But todays world is more interested in the legal and diplomatic truth than in the historic one. The decisive truth is UNESCOs 1972 convention on protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, to which Israel is a signatory, which says, It is for each State Party to this Convention to identify and delineate the different properties situated on its territory. The operative words are its territory. At a Nov. 2, 2010, Knesset debate, the secretary-general of the Israel National Commission for UNESCO, Daniel Bar-Eli, said, The convention does not allow Israel to operate beyond the Green Line. In other words, not even at the Western Wall and Temple Mount. Bar-Eli noted that in principle, the Foreign Ministry has informed us that anything relating to the Old City of Jerusalem [where the holy sites are located] is a political, diplomatic issue. From an Israeli political standpoint, the Jewish holy sites in the Old City are heritage sites. But from a diplomatic-international standpoint, they are under occupation. Their 1967 annexation by Israel is considered a violation of international law. According to UN resolutions and the Oslo Accord, the sovereignty issue, prayer arrangements and preservation at these sites are supposed to be resolved in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Netanyahu is familiar with this truth, as expressed in the UNESCO resolution. In February 2010, the prime minister gave in to right-wing pressure and added the Tombs of the Patriarchs in the predominantly Palestinian West Bank city of Hebron, as well as Rachels Tomb near Bethlehem, also in the West Bank, to the list of Israeli national heritage sites. The decision generated violent Palestinian protests throughout the West Bank. Following that unilateral move, UNESCO determined that Rachels Tomb was a mosque and demanded that Israel remove the Cave of the Patriarchs from its list of national heritage sites. Then, too, Netanyahu drew on Jewish history and on national sentiment for the battle against the international viewpoint and for Israeli consciousness. "If the locations in which the mothers and fathers of the Hebrew people Abraham, Yitzhak, Sarah, Rivkah, Leah and Rachel were buried 4,000 years ago are not part of Jewish heritage, then what is?" the prime minister asked. It is unfortunate, he added, that UNESCO is trying, for political reasons, to uproot the connection between Israel and its heritage." But that protest did not just emanate from the organization that, to quote Netanyahu, had lost what little legitimacy it had left. The State Department of Israels greatest friend, the United States, labeled the decision as provocative and said it was damaging to efforts to bring the sides back to negotiations on a two-state solution to their conflict. Theres nothing like a focus on the Jewish peoples holy of holies to serve Netanyahus strategy, designed as it is to push this solution to the furthest reaches of the Israeli-Jewish collective consciousness. Denying the Jewish peoples link to the Western Wall strengthens the prime ministers claim that the Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as the national home of the Jewish people is the real obstacle to peace not the West Bank settlements. This leads directly to the conclusion that the idea of a territorial division into two states based on the 1967 border lines is a nonstarter. Very fortunately for Netanyahu, UNESCO adopted its toothless resolution shortly before the Oct. 14 UN Security Council debate on Israels West Bank settlements. Representatives of Russia, the United Kingdom and France competed with each other in sharp criticism of Israel for building homes for Jews in the West Bank while demolishing Palestinian homes there. Egypts UN ambassador that same Egypt whose peace initiative Netanyahu presented as an alternative to the French resolution and promotion of UN recognition of a Palestinian state accused Israel of an illegal transfer of civilian populations. As expected, the mudslinging by the prime ministers office was directed at the BTselem human rights organization, which testified on behalf of the Palestinians at the UN Security Council debate. Unfortunately for this courageous organization, it dared tell the world the truth about the Israeli occupation, even as its neighbors were slinging arrows at the Jews most sensitive spot. October 17, 2016 The Barack Obama administration shifted more than $100 million earmarked for Egypt to other countries earlier this year amid growing frustration with Cairo, Al-Monitor has learned. The previously undisclosed reallocation is a signal of Washington's impatience with the Egyptian government's refusal to work with US aid organizations. The late spring transfer came as House members officially requested that the State Department transfer some of Egypt's funding to Tunisia, which some lawmakers view as more deserving of US assistance following its fledgling transition to democracy. "The US government redirected $108 million in planned assistance funding from Egypt to other countries due to continued government of Egypt process delays that have impeded the effective implementation of several programs," a State Department official told Al-Monitor in an emailed statement. "These funds have been redirected according to other priorities and needs." The reallocation represents more than two-thirds of the $150 million in annual economic assistance that the State Department has requested for Egypt in recent years. The State Department's much larger allocation of $1.3 billion in annual military aid remains untouched, however. The Egyptian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. The decision follows a February 2015 Government Accountability Office report that identified $460 million in economic assistance for Egypt that remained unspent because of US restrictions and Egyptian red tape. Since then, Cairo has continued to deny permits that US aid recipients need to operate in the country, while certain media outlets have launched a smear campaign against US nongovernmental organizations such as the North Carolina-based Research Triangle Institute. In late May, eight key House members of both parties wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry asking him to reprogram up to $20 million in Egypt aid to Tunisia. "Tunisia recently established a democratically elected parliament and accomplished the region's first peaceful transfer of executive power," the letter stated. "At such a critical moment, the United States should make a serious effort to support this nascent democracy." The letter was signed by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., and ranking member Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.; the committee's Middle East panel chairwoman, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and ranking member Ted Deutch, D-Fla.; the committee's terrorism panel ranking member Bill Keating, D-Mass.; House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas; and Tunisia Caucus co-chairs David Schweikert, R-Ariz., and Alcee Hastings, D-Fla. Ros-Lehtinen has long been critical of how US assistance to Egypt is being spent and requested last year's Government Accountability Office report along with Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. McCaul for his part led a congressional delegation to Tunisia in May and vowed to help the country defeat violent extremism after it emerged that Tunisians are more likely than people of any other nationality to join the Islamic State. The congressional letter argues that the extra aid would help Tunisia "advance transparency and professionalism in parliament and other institutions while reforming banking laws, tax code, and other rules and regulations that deter entrepreneurs and investors." It offers only muted criticism of Egypt, other than to point out that "even long-standing programs have stalled." The State Department replied a month later with a letter rejecting lawmakers' request for more money for Tunisia. The response doesn't mention other countries, but the reallocation appears to have happened around the same time. "At this time, we believe our Economic Support Funds programs meet US policy objectives and are aligned with the needs of the government of Tunisia," Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Julia Frifield wrote. "To ensure we are addressing Tunisia's needs and using regional Economic Support Funds most efficiently, we continually review the performance of our assistance portfolios." Her response didn't go over well with Congress. "Tunisia should have been prioritized for this reallocation," Royce told Al-Monitor in an emailed statement. "Tunisia, the regions first democratically elected government, is a key partner in our fight against radical Islamist terrorism and faces serious threats from [the Islamic State] as well as severe political and economic challenges." {image1} The State Department has asked Congress for $140 million for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1, on par with last year's request and more than double the previous year's. Tunisia's ambassador to Washington, Faycal Gouia, told Al-Monitor in March that he would fight to increase US aid by $20 million to boost security assistance, which is down $10 million over last year's request. Several sources told Al-Monitor that Burma is one of several countries where the reallocated aid to Egypt ended up. The Obama administration lifted trade sanctions against the former military dictatorship earlier this month and is keen on seeing it flourish into a successful democracy. Alabama Softball Departs for OKC SB CWS The Alabama softball team boards a chartered plane at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport in 2015 en route to the NCAA College World Series. Tuscaloosa officials are trying to bring regular passenger service, not just charter service, to the airport. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com) (VASHA HUNT) Here are the top stories in Alabama business for Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. Follow all of Alabama's business news here anytime. Tuscaloosa officials are making a concerted effort to return passenger air service to the city's airport. The city council has approved a contract with Sixel Consultants Group to help lure a passenger airline. MollerTech will build a $46.3 million production plant in Bibb County, according to an announcement at the Bibb County Board of Education offices in Centreville. Regions Bank has purchased a portion of First Sterling Financial that manages low income-housing tax credits. McCormick & Company is recalling its taco seasoning because it could cause hives, upset stomach, vomiting and possibly anaphylaxis in allergy sufferers. Creepy clown reports have prompted Target to stop selling some clown masks in stores and online in the weeks before Halloween. Polaris will finally unveil its new Center of Manufacturing Excellence months after starting vehicle production in Huntsville-annexed Limestone County. The Minnesota company will host a grand opening at 10 a.m. Nov. 1. A north Alabama company is carrying "Made in America" to a new level, and the business is growing from the ground up. Everything must go this week at the old Kroger store on Hughes Road in Madison. Minnesota-based Grafe Auction will host a live on-site auction with online bidding at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday on 300 Hughes Road. Bandito Burrito said it is shutting down its U.S. 72 location but maintaining its iconic Mexican restaurant in Huntsville. scott lumpkin.jpg D. Scott Lumpkin confirms the production of Gerald's Game in downtown Mobile. (Brock Larsen) Downtown Mobile is in for a fright greater than even the best Halloween revelers could muster, as the district will play home to the set of a Stephen King novel's film adaptation. Executive Producer D. Scott Lumpkin, a Fairhope resident, confirms the project will be shot "90-percent in downtown Mobile." Courtesy - Viking Publishing The film, Gerald's Game, is based on the 1992 novel of the same name, written by King about a couple whose vacation turns into a nightmare after flirty fun turns into tragedy. The titular character dies at the hands of his wife, while tied to a bed. "We are shooting Gerald's Game entirely in Alabama. From last week through the middle of November," Lumpkin, says via e-mail. Bruce Greenwood stars in the film as Gerald Burlingame, alongside Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Carel Struycken and Kate Siegel. Siegel, along with her husband and director of the film, Mike Flanagan, are no stranger to Coastal Alabama. Siegel stars in Flanagan's 2016 film Hush, filmed in Fairhope. "This is our fourth film here at home in Alabama with this producer-director team. Oculus, Before I Wake, Hush and now this one," Lumpkin says. Before I Wake is still awaiting release from Relativity Productions. Lumpkin notes that Hush is enjoying an impressive run on Netflix. Flanagan's most recent work, a Michael Bay-produced thriller "Ouija: Origin of Evil", makes its theatrical release October 21. "We are so happy to be working at home finally. My last film had me out of town for nearly 11 months," Lumpkin says. "It was a Jackie Chan film called The Foreigner, which we shot in London, Ireland and China." Gerald's Game is scheduled to forego a release in theaters, instead debuting as a Netflix Original. Peyton Pruitt, the St. Clair County teen held since last year on charges of soliciting support for a terrorist act was ordered released today. St. Clair Circuit Judge Phil Seay issued the order today. Pruitt is expected to be released later. In September, Pruitt was found not guilty by reason of mental defect following a mental evaluation. He was ordered to undergo a second evaluation afterwards before the court could make a ruling on his disposition. In his eight page order, Seay said Pruitt could be released to his father's custody under court supervision with several stipulations, including supervised Internet and cellphone access. Pruitt's father, Tony, said he was "at a loss for words." "I'm pretty happy, I don't know really what to say," he said, when reached by phone. "I'm anxious to see him. I just want to buy him some clothes, go and get something to eat." Pruitt was arrested Nov. 13, 2015, charged with soliciting support for a terrorist act. At a December hearing, witnesses described Pruitt as a "child" - a teenager with an IQ in the 50s who cannot tie his own shoes, soils his clothes, has little verbal skills and lacks the ability to distinguish reality from fantasy. Yet a St. Clair County investigator then testified that the FBI determined Pruitt used the Internet to communicate with what he believed were representatives of the Islamic State and the Pakistani Taliban, and that he told an FBI agent that he provided links to encrypted information on car bombs, pressure cooker bombs and suggested high value targets for acts of terrorism. A May mental evaluation found Pruitt has a mental defect and is "not a danger to himself or the community." The second evaluation found that Pruitt may have Autism Spectrum Disorder and "may have a much more developed skill set/ability than was previously believed," according to the judge's order. Ten people in Alabama were arrested - five of them accused pimps - and two children placed in protective services as part of a nationwide crackdown on child sex trafficking. Operation Cross Country X, a nationwide law enforcement initiative led by the FBI, took place last week throughout the U.S. The effort focuses on underage victims of prostitution. Nationwide, FBI Director James Comey announced today, 82 minors were rescued and 239 traffickers and their associates arrested as part of the operation. In Birmingham, Operation Cross Country X led to the arrest of five in the arrest of five pimps. Five women ranging in age from 18-34 were also arrested - three for previous warrants and two as a result of OCC X. Two children, ages five months and seven years, were taken into the custody of the Alabama Department of Human Resources, but authorities say those children were not being trafficked. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office, Pelham Police Department, Homewood Police Department, Vestavia Hills Police Department and the Birmingham Police Department took part in Operation Cross Country X. Among those arrested in Alabama are: Kheliam Jamar Rountree, 33, human trafficking, child endangerment, and unlawful possession of marijuana; Aaron Lee Byrd Jr, 22, human trafficking and obstruction of justice; Elaina Josephine Logan, 25, promoting prostitution; Devon Johnson, 22, promoting prostitution; and Terkeria Sherell Simmons, 28, chemical endangerment of a child and unlawful possession of marijuana. The names and charges of the other five arrested in Alabama have not yet been made public. Lt. Clay Hammac, head of the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force, said his team assisted with last week's operation. Multiple victims were identified and resources were provided to those victims, he said. Also during the operation, multiple offenders were identified and subsequently charged. The state charges against Rountree, Byrd, Logan, Johnson and Sherell, were obtained by the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force, however, additional federal charges are expected to follow by the FBI. "The most important thing to recognize is lives were potentially saved, and this fact should be celebrated,'' Hammac said. "We are grateful for the partnership we share with the FBI and all of our federal, state, and local partners. The success of this operation is credited to the long-term planning and investigation by the FBI. It is my sincere hope that these offenders are fairly and justly prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." The results were announced by Comey and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Director John Clark at the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in San Diego. This is the 10th Operation Cross Country, and this year the effort extended beyond the U.S. to include Cambodia, Canada, the Philippines and Thailand. Operation Cross Country X is part of the FBI's Innocent Lost Initiative, which began in 2003. Since the inception of the program, there have been more than 6,000 child identifications and locations. "Operation Cross Country aims to shine a spotlight into the darkest corners of our society that seeks to prey on the most vulnerable of our population,'' Comey said in a prepared statement. "As part of this effort, we are not only looking to root out those who engage in the trafficking of minors, but through our Office of Victim Assistance, we offer a lifeline to minors to help them escape from a virtual prison no person ever deserves." Operations took place in a number of locations, including hotels, truck stops and street corners. "Child sex trafficking is a global problem and we must throw every resource we can at combating it,'' Clark said, also in a prepared statement. "All of us at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are proud to work side by side with the FBI and their law enforcement partners as we work tirelessly every day to find and rescue child victims and while ensuring that those responsible for this horrible crime are held accountable." Two Miles College students shot overnight appear to have been wounded during a robbery attempt, and police say the shooting happened in the same parking lot where a man was killed earlier this year. Monday night's shooting happened just before 10 p.m. in a parking lot on 58th Street near the back of the college. While the parking lot is technically off-campus, Fairfield police Chief Nick Dyer said the lot near Stewart-Reddick Residence Hall is where many students park and often gather. The students, ages 18 and 21 and both band members, were sitting in a vehicle when at least two armed suspects approached them and ordered them to get down, Dyer said. One of the victims got out of the vehicle and tried to run. He was then shot in the foot. The second victim also got out to run away, and he was shot in the torso. The victims then ran to Snorton Hall, where police and paramedics arrived. Dyer said both victims are expected to recover. The chief said the suspects were both wearing hoodies, but investigators don't know their race or any additional description at this time. He said there was recently another robbery with the same description and they are trying to determine whether the same assailants could be involved. In February, 33-year-old Jarvaris James was killed in the same parking lot. That shooting happened about 8 p.m. on a Sunday. Miles College was put on lockdown as a precaution, but there were no students involved in that shooting. Investigators said James was shot after he used an app to track his iPhone which had been stolen out of his car. Jamal Eatmon is charged with capital murder in that slaying. Alicia Johnson Williams, Director of College Relations at Miles, said a curfew is in place for students this evening. They must be inside by 9 p.m., and school officials will work with Fairfield police to determine how long the curfew will remain in effect. Dyer said detectives are tracking down leads and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Fairfield Police Department at 205-786-4111. The simultaneous raids on 12 Birmingham area pawn shops in Jefferson and Shelby counties last week led to the seizure of more than $600,000 cash and enough stolen goods to fill two 53-foot trailers, authorities said Tuesday. Friday's raids, dubbed Operation Get Fit, targeted a dozen businesses owned by 58-year-old Steve Scott of Pelham, as well as his Shelby County home, and led to the arrests of Scott and 15 of his employees. A 17th person is still sought. The four-month investigation was led by the Jefferson County Regional Financial Crimes Task Force, which is headed by the office of District Attorney Brandon Falls and the U.S. Secret Service. Falls said "boosters" have been stealing Fitbits, Nest Learning Thermostats, and numerous other items from a variety of area stores and then selling them to Scott's businesses. From there, the stolen items were then sold on eBay and Craigslist. "We feel like we've stopped a major pipeline," Falls said in a Tuesday news conference. Investigators fanned out Friday morning armed with search and arrest warrants at the businesses, which serve as pawn shops and provide payday loans and check cashing. The Financial Crimes Task Force includes Vestavia Hills, Birmingham and Mountain Brook police, the U.S. Postal Service, Walmart and Target. Pelham police and the Shelby County District Attorney's Office also took part in Friday's arrests. At 10 a.m., officers descended on stores in Jefferson and Shelby counties, handcuffing employees and seizing dozens of boxes of business records and stolen goods. Jefferson County District Attorney Investigator Chris Clark and Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Raulston said the investigation began months ago when retailers realized hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise was being boosted off the shelves. The Fitbits, iPads and other "smart products" were disappearing from Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreen's, Lowes and Home Depot. Investigators from those stores teamed up with federal and Jefferson County authorities to launch Operation Get Fit, which culminated in Friday's roundup. Authorities believe the organized theft operation has been ongoing for at least two years. Once they realized what was happening, the retailers provided undercover officers with goods to present as stolen to the businesses owned by Scott, said Vestavia Hills police Capt. Kevin York. "The new, in-the-box property was presented as stolen,'' York said. "The clerks knew it was stolen when they took it in." Those taking part in Operation Get Fit with the District Attorney's Office and U.S. Secret Service included: Vestavia Hills, Birmingham, Mountain Brook, and Pelham police; Walmart Global Investigations, Target Special Investigations Team, Home Depot Corporate Investigators, CVS health Organized Retail Crime Unit, Walgreens Organized Retail Crime Unit, and Publix Organized Retail Crime Investigations. The recovered items are valued at more than $500,000. "The U.S. Secret Service is proud to work with its partners to dismantle a large-scale network of traffickers in stolen property and other criminal activities, said U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Michael Williams. "This boosting and fencing, this is a criminal enterprise and what it does is add to the destruction of the community as a whole," Falls said. "Because at some point, those stores, those retailers, cannot survive and continue to do business in the community when they suffer the loss from crime." "When that becomes too great, the business just shuts down. That is when the entire community suffers. There is obvious loss of revenue in the form of taxes to the city,'' he said. "When that revenue goes away, so do the services that are provided with it. That's less money for roads, that's less money for schools and that's less money for fire departments." But that's not all it means, Falls said. "It means the loss of jobs for the community. It means there isn't a store down the street for people to go buy groceries, to go buy medicine, to go buy clothes for their kids,'' he said. "Those are the necessities of life, what every community needs to thrive, to survive." Falls said he was recently asked why they have dedicated the effort to white-collar crime and fraud. "When that business closes its doors, we lose all that it provides. It is because those necessities that these businesses provide to the community. They aren't just providing necessities, they are providing hope,'' he said. "In the last two years, we have seen an increase in violent crime in certain cities across the country, and one of the common characteristics in those cities is a lack of economic opportunity,'' Falls said. "In referring to that economic opportunity in Chicago, a city that has certainly seen an increase in violent, a city official said, 'Show me a man without hope, and I'll show you a man willing to pick up a gun.''' Falls said that's why they started the task force - to go after theft and fraud and everything that follows from it, which includes violent crime. "Crime doesn't happen in a vacuum, and the ramifications of it don't happen in a vacuum either, and those ramifications are made worse by the perception of crime in the area,'' he said. "And perception isn't limited to just the boundaries of the city of Birmingham; it affects the entire area. Because if people believe Birmingham is a high-crime area, they are going to think twice about moving their families here or opening businesses here." The Financial Crimes Task Force includes Vestavia Hills, Birmingham and Mountain Brook police, the U.S. Postal Service, Walmart and Target. Fall said he'd like to have a detective from every city in Jefferson County, and even Shelby County, join the task force. "You really will be making a difference to fight crime and combat the violence in our area," he said. An Alabama teenager exchanged sexually explicit messages with a Georgia man accused of intentionally leaving his 22-month-old son in a hot SUV to die, she testified Monday. The 17-year-old girl said she and Justin Ross Harris exchanged photos of their genitals and sexual messages weeks before the death of his son, Cooper, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. They began exchanging messages a couple of years ago, the girl testified. During testimony, prosecutor Chuck Boring showed jurors the photo of Harris' penis that was sent to the girl. Prosecutors say Harris intentionally killed Cooper by leaving him for hours in a vehicle parked outside his workplace. Harris' lawyers called the death accidental. Harris moved from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Georgia in 2012 to take a job with The Home Depot's corporate office. He faces life in prison if convicted of murder. Allegations that Harris had sexually explicit online conversations with an underage girl are completely unrelated to the murder and child cruelty charges he faces in the death of his son, defense attorney Maddox Kilgore has said previously. But prosecutors contend that those alleged actions can provide evidence of a motive for the murder charges and can demonstrate Harris' state of mind leading up to and on the day of the boy's death. The 17-year-old, whose identity was shielded by Judge Mary Staley Clark, was 15 years old at the time she and Harris began exchanging sexual messages, according to Monday's testimony. They first began communicating with one another on the anonymous service called Whisper and later on another service called Kik, the Journal-Constitution reported. Eventually, the girl told Harris she was actually 15 years old, but that didn't deter him from continuing their conversation, she told jurors. "He told me he wanted me to make him a naughty old man," she testified, adding he said he wanted to have sex with her. Thirty years after Chernobyl catastrophe, construction of new nuclear station on border with Lithuania stirs debate. Minsk, Belarus Thirty years after an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station devastated the countryside on the southern border of Belarus, leaving behind lasting consequences for millions of people, the construction of a new nuclear station is stirring discord between government officials, opposition politicians, the local populace and foreign diplomats. The death of a 43-year-old Russian contractor last month, after an explosion at the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) construction site near Astravets in northern Belarus on its border with Lithuania, is only the latest in a string of little-publicised incidents that has raised concerns at home and abroad about the how the station is being constructed. On July 10 of this year, the 330-tonne reactor casing dropped from a height of between two and four metres in an incident that only came to the publics attention two weeks later when a member of the Belarus United Civil Party, Mikalai Ulasevich, leaked the news to the local press. The Ministry of Energy eventually released a statement acknowledging the incident, and Rosatom the Russian state nuclear corporation and the primary contractor for the project, said that tests had revealed the dropped casing to be safe. Concerns and opposition However, with the memory of Chernobyl looming large, both the energy ministry and Rosatom, which agreed to replace the casing to mitigate rumours and panic among the population have so far failed to reassure all Belarusians of the stations safety. They are building a crematorium, Ulasevich says, driving through the rural village of Varniany where BelNPPs stacks loom over the horizon. The only way to guarantee the safety of the plant is to cease its construction. Anti-BelNPP activists, including Ulasevich, are concerned by the governments decision to build the plant in an ecologically pristine region of the countrys north, surrounded by agricultural land and lakes not affected by Chernobyl. They have also accused the Belarusian government of violating both the Aarhus and Espoo environmental protection conventions in the planning and the construction of the station in Astravets. IN PICTURES: Ukraine nuclear power and the dark shadow of Chernobyl Both Rosatom and the energy ministry declined to comment in response to activists allegations. However, ministry spokesperson Zhanna Zenkevich referred Al Jazeera to a the BelNPP website, which states that Belarus fully honours its commitments resulting from almost a dozen international treaties and conventions. Every month, it says, nuclear materials and the plants of Belarus are inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Furthermore, addressing the Espoo convention in March this year, First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus, Iya Malkina, said: Belarus has always aimed for strict fulfilment of the provisions of the Espoo convention, as well as all procedural aspects envisaged by it and will keep this up. Designing Belarusian NPP, Belarus has carried out the environmental impact assessment procedure in strict accordance with the convention. Threatened neighbour News of the spate of accidents has been met with concern in neighbouring Lithuania. The countrys interior ministry recently indicated that plans were being drafted, in the event of an accident at Astravets, for the evacuation of the capital, Vilnius, which is only 50km from the BelNPP construction site. Meanwhile, Lithuania has called for Belarus to carry out IAEA stress tests at the site, during which experts both from the EU and Lithuania may be present. A Lithuanian delegation for the plant said that until the tests are carried out, Belarus should halt the construction work. In August, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite described the project as an existential threat to European security. Igar Gubarevich, senior analyst of the Ostrogorski Centre in Minsk, told Al Jazeera that Lithuanias resistance to the plant is partially fuelled by the fact the BelNPP is being built by Russia, whose technology and influence is trusted little in the Baltic country. Lithuania wants EU countries in the region to boycott the Belarusian project, he said, while Belarusian diplomats in the neighbouring countries seek to lure them into buying cheap energy from the NPP after it becomes operational. The series of incidents at the construction site has made Lithuanias position stronger, he added. Now, Belarus has to make an extra effort to dissipate the safety concerns, probably by agreeing on larger international audit of the construction site and the project. Public mistrust By June of this year, the Belarussian public was largely split on BelNPP. A poll conducted by the Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies suggested that a slight majority 35 percent or respondents disapproved of the project. Tatyana Korotkevich, who was an independent candidate in the countrys parliamentary elections in September, told Al Jazeera in her offices in central Minsk that Belarusians in her electorate feel their questions about the plant have not been sufficiently addressed by the government. We need a public hearing where economic and ecological specialists, the Ministry of Energy and those building BelNPP can fully address public concerns, she said. Meanwhile, during election campaigning, Green Party candidate Dmitry Kuchuk appeared on state-run television wearing a gas mask saying: If we do not stop the construction, we will look like this. When an explosion rocked the Chernobyl nuclear power station in northern Ukraine in 1986, 70 percent of the fallout descended on Belarus, the UN estimates. The fallout affected more than 2.2 million people, including 500,000 children, and led to the evacuation of 2,000 villages. Concerns over the new station, which is being likened to Chernobyl, are not limited to Belarus. In the village of Medininkai on the Lithuanian side of the border, 80-year-old pensioner Irina recalls how the information vacuum following Chernobyl stirred fear along the border. I remember being afraid to walk in the streets, she told Al Jazeera. No one knew what was happening. And now [authorities in Minsk] are hiding accidents again. Belarusian Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich, whose collection of survivor testimonies Chernobyl Prayer painstakingly documents the human impact of the nuclear disaster in Ukraine and Belarus, described Lukashenkos decision to progress plans for the nuclear station as a crime. OPINION: Remembering Chernobyl Who will profit? Energy analysts and activists alike say that the governments economic arguments for the station are outdated since the Belarusian economy entered into a decline that the World Bank forecasts will continue into 2017 [PDF]. They say there is little evidence to suggest that the countrys economy would benefit from or even require the energy surplus the $11bn BelNPP will produce. Minsk, which in July owed Moscow almost $300m in energy debts, hopes its nuclear project will help to levy energy independence. But anti-nuclear activists and independent analysts note that Russia, the primary contractor, will be the sole supplier of fuel for the project once completed. NPP may diminish the share of Russian gas in Belarus energy mix, says Wojciech Kononczuk, energy analyst at the Centre for Eastern Studies, and as a result, Belarusian gas imports from Russian could drop to 17 billion cubic metres per year from 22 now. On the other hand, he said, Russia will be the only fuel supplier to BelNPP, so that dependence will remain. From the very beginning, Kononczuk added, NPP was designed as an export-oriented plant aimed to deliver energy to EU markets, mainly Poland and the Baltic States. However, it seems that neither Poland nor the Balts are interested in buying energy from BelNPP. Like thousands of Belarusians following Chernobyl, anti-nuclear activist Tanya Novikova was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She, like other anti-nuclear activists in Belarus, including Ulasevich, report having been detained and harassed in their opposition to the plant. But Novikova wont be deterred, she told Al Jazeera. I personally know that the consequences of Chernobyl may be more scary, more dramatic than being arrested, she said. Additional reporting by Benas Gerdziunas. Follow Jonathan Brown on Twitter: @jonathaneebrown Miami, United States Waving a tiny US flag, Guyana native Lennox Bascom nearly levitated in his wheelchair as he joined others singing America the Beautiful. Then, in spite of weakness because of a recent back surgery, the 73-year-old did rise. He rose for his oath; he rose again for the pledge of allegiance, and he rose once more to register to vote after a naturalisation ceremony at a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) centre in South Miami. Ive been here for 20 years. Its the right thing to do, he said, his sing-song Caribbean accent falling into rhyme as he reflected on his next steps as a US citizen. I have to vote to have a choice. If I dont vote, I dont have a voice. If Hurricane Matthew, which battered Florida after leaving hundreds dead in Haiti, had a silver lining, it was probably scenarios such as this one. A federal judge agreed to extend Floridas voter registration deadline by a week to October 18 in order to accommodate residents who got caught in the path of the storm. With an even mix of Democrats and Republicans, Florida is one of the most contested states in the November 8 presidential election and polls suggest either candidate Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump could win its electoral votes. Late last week, Florida resumed citizenship ceremonies it had to postpone due to bad weather, and hundreds of immigrants got a last-minute chance to take their oaths and register to vote. We were waiting with bated breath, waiting to see if the extension would come through, and now Im really excited to go out of those doors and register to vote in order to have a voice, said Angel Martinez, a Dominican immigrant who took his oath on Saturday at a USCIS facility in the Miami suburb of Hialeah. He said he would vote for Clinton as she seems more experienced and aligns with his values more than Trump, and has a concrete political vision. I know Florida has been known for that swing-state vote, so what better time to really activate, he added. But tens of thousands of immigrants in Florida and across the US will have to wait as their applications are still pending. In mid-September, USCIS reported that nearly 930,000 people had applied for citizenship between October 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016. That represented a 32.1-percent growth in applications. The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), a coalition of advocacy groups, had been pushing for people to apply for citizenship before June, which they say should have given them more than enough time to interview, take their oaths, and register in time to vote, based on the usual turnaround of four to six months. NPNA is concerned that authorities have not done enough to process the new applications. In Florida, for example, there are more than 60,000 pending cases. READ MORE: Latinos take US citizenship to stop Donald Trump It is common for more immigrants to apply for citizenship in election years, and while the USCIS acknowledged the challenge of meeting that demand, they do not consider the pending applications a backlog. Applications are processed in the order that they are filed and variances in processing times are a direct result of geography and capacity, USCIS press officer Anita Moore said. Changes in the application fees for citizenship could also have contributed to the increase. Officials at USCIS offices around Miami Dade County, one of the US immigration epicentres, said they tried to accommodate by conducting same-day oath-taking ceremonies, as well as two or three Saturday sessions per month. Rita Mendez of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, a group that helps immigrants to get their applications in order, said that was just not enough. We worked so hard making two or three citizenship clinics every week, and we served more than 2,000 people in the first six months of the year because we knew if we sent in their applications, theyd be on time to vote this year, she said. That some of them are still in the queue is sad because in some ways you are blocking democracy by not allowing a group of people to vote this year, she added. I waited over six months and finally got a letter last week to go in for an interview on the November 7. That makes no sense, lamented Michelle N Atkinson, a Jamaican who immigrated to Fort Lauderdale in 2010. Naturalisation requires a number of steps. Immigrants must first turn in documentation proving their eligibility. For example, they must prove that they have been permanent legal residents for five years, or three years if they are married to a US citizen. They must then give fingerprints and go through background checks, and, finally, they are required to pass an interview and take an oath. USCIS says the processing time averages nearly seven months, depending on background checks and the back-and-forth process of ensuring that applicants have the right documents and have passed their tests. Representatives at both NPNA and Florida Immigrant Coalition say their naturalisation efforts are not motivated by the prospect of who wins the elections, but by the right to participate. Recent data suggests that if the new citizens most of them minorities turn out to vote, they could help to make Florida vote Democrat, as happened in the past two presidential elections. Clinton is leading Trump at 46.0 to 42.5 percent in Florida, according to an average of polls. Among Hispanics, Clinton is leading with 52 percent over 33 percent for Trump, and among African Americans, Clinton is leading Trump 81 to 6 percent, according to a poll by Florida Atlantic Universitys Business and Economics Polling Initiative of likely voters in the state. For decades, the Hispanic vote often helped to swing the state Republican. That was largely because the majority of immigrants in Florida hail from Cuba and older, more elitist exiles have historically voted Republican, thanks in part to the partys isolationist stance on their leftist homeland. Their third-generation offspring, however, tend to vote more liberal, and Cubans who arrived over the past two decades tend to favour the Obama administrations US-Cuba normalisation. Today, Floridas other diaspora communities, especially those coming from Latin America and the Caribbean, are plentiful. Puerto Ricans, who are allowed to vote after becoming US residents, have been moving to central Florida in droves, and Mendez says she has seen a major increase in citizenship applications from Haiti, Jamaica, Columbia and Mexico. Edgar Ahmed Sanchez Cruz, a Cuban immigrant who obtained his citizenship on Friday and will vote Democrat, said he does not know any naturalised citizens in Florida in his millennial age bracket that support Trump and his tough stance on immigration. Its like they said inside [during the ceremony], the immigrants came here and helped to build this country, Sanchez said. He said he feels he is voting not just for himself but also for the thousands of immigrants who came up short of naturalising ahead of voter registration deadlines. I think they have to cross their fingers and pray for all of us that have the chance to vote. In fight to retake Mosul, some fear Syrian refugee funding might fade as focus shifts to internally displaced Iraqis. Duhok, Northern Iraq It can be hard to breathe in the Domiz refugee camp, 20km southeast of the city, with a mix of burning rubbish and raw sewage hanging heavy in the air at times. Even so, the residents of this sprawling refugee camp of roughly 30,000 seem to be settling in for the long haul. Mohammed Al Aafou, 42, took a morning tea break with the men helping him to rebuild his house in the camp. Although like everyone else he said there are no jobs to be had, after more than four years at Domiz he continues to plan for the future. It was falling apart, he said of his old house, so were rebuilding it, totally. Because it cant possibly be worse than the war he and his family ran from, Al Aafou said he is not worried about whats to come: An anticipated influx of internally displaced people (IDPs) fleeing the impending fighting in Mosul set to start this month. But others are worried that the worsening economic situation in Iraqs Kurdish region (IKR), coupled with the IDP crisis, will make an already bad situation worse. We worry about not getting jobs and not getting the same support weve been given, said Wajika Dorsen, 30, from Hasaka. We are thankful for those who support us and this is so much better than Syria, she said, But we worry. READ MORE: Massive crisis as 1.5 million expected to flee Iraqs Mosul According to Ramziya Zana, director of the Gender Studies and Information Organisation, an NGO that offers support and job training to IDP and refugee women, the Kurdish regional government will come under pressure to take care of the IDPs. Syrian refugee children transform Iraqi prison with art Even UN support and funds are very slow to arrive. We are not getting the support we need from them, Zana told Al Jazeera. There are roughly 239,000 Syrian refugees registered in Iraqs Kurdish region, and the population is expected to increase with the Mosul operation. Even if the flow of Syrian refugees to the region were to slow, the number of those in the IKR will continue to grow. At the Domiz camp, the largest Syrian refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan, there are 563 pregnant women, according to the official camp census, with entire families starting and expanding since the start of the protracted conflict in Syria in 2011. But the trend is similar in smaller camps. In Kawergosk camp, 15km south of Erbil, Zeinab Mahmoud Sheikho, 29, is in the market with her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Haif. The youngest of three, Haif was born in a refugee camp, and much to her mothers dismay, knows only the rambling tent community housing nearly 10,000 as her home. I told her that in 15 days, I will go to Syria, said Sheikho, who periodically goes home to visit her ill mother. And my daughter, she looked at me and said, What is Syria? She thought maybe it was a food or a drink, said Sheikho. READ MORE: Battle for Mosul Civilians face impossible choice Iraqs Kurdish regions hosts 97 percent of Syrian refugees in Iraq and funding remains well short of what it should be, according to data from the UNHCR. The total funding requirement for Syrian refugees in Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan for the year was just over $4.5bn, but only 40 percent of those funds had been met as of the end of September. The massive funding gap for refugees was a hot topic at the United Nations General Assembly in September, with US President Barack Obama calling a Leaders Summit of Refugees to increase funding and hosting commitment to the crisis from member states. With 3.3 million IDPs in Iraqi Kurdistan region and more to come as a result of the Mosul operation, its not surprising that humanitarian funding is currently focused on them rather than the Syrian refugees, said Dan Collison, programmes director of UK-based NGO War Child. [The War Child programme] did close a Syria refugee project in Domiz camp and is now working with IDPs only, said Collison. It was a one-year programme with UNICEF for 2014-15 that provided child friendly spaces and child protection services, he told Al Jazeera. With that programme coming to an end, Collison said several other actors , including Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders, have stepped into the breach to meet the needs of Syrian refugees. This is crucial, because the Kurdish regional government [KRG] does not have the means to help refugee children. Please hear this now: The KRG does not have a penny to spend on this. Not one penny, said Dindar Zebari, deputy minister and head of the Kurdish regional governments foreign relations department. We cannot even pay our own teachers at this time, he added. Lawk Ahmad, country director for Qandil, a Swedish NGO based in Erbil, said the funding challenge is twofold: Convincing donors to give funds, and then trying to get the money fast enough. Its more complicated at the moment [in Iraq] its more competitive, said Ahmad, At the moment, funders are speaking about priorities this will have an impact on the ground. He said he worries about funding turning away from the refugees and focusing solely on IDPs, even though, said Ahmad, both are forms of homelessness whether they are IDPs or refugees, are sourced from the cause the cycle of violence and instability in the region. But while there is a plan to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State (ISIL, also known as ISIS), Ahmad said: In Syria, its going to take longer, because no political deal has been reached. The narrative of sovereignty by the Syrian government is based on a number of myths. Alia Brahimi is a specialist in terrorism and political trends in the Middle East and North Africa. The Syrian governments campaign has reached a grim crescendo in Aleppo, further bewildering an international community struggling to respond to blatant attacks on hospitals, homes and humanitarian convoys. The government has long defended its actions, in Aleppo and elsewhere, by appealing to Syrias sovereignty. In July, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hoped that history would see him as the man who protected his country and saved its sovereignty. Last week, Assad explained to a Danish interviewer: We are a sovereign country; we are independent. We have the right to tackle our problems. Yet the arrogation of sovereignty by the Assad regime is based on three myths. Three myths The first myth is that Syrias is largely an internal war. Syria appears locked in stalemated conflict between two loose sides the Syrian government and its opposition. To the extent that international involvement is recognised, it is usually through references to a proxy war between regional and global powers, with the Syrian government backed by Russia and Iran, and the rebels supported, to different extents, by the US, Turkey and some Gulf states. OPINION: Syria Dabiq and ISILs end of times Furthermore, when we talk about foreign fighters in Syria, it is invariably in the context of the radical component of the opposition, namely groups such as ISIL, Ahrar al-Sham and Fateh al-Sham. This is with good cause: it is estimated that between 27,000 and 31,000 foreign nationals from 86 countries have travelled to fight in Iraq and Syria. ISIL and its like are symptoms of Syria's problems and not their cause. They are the modern product of a major governance crisis across the region. by However, the Syrian regime not only draws from but is fundamentally dependent upon its own pool of foreign combatants. Right now in Aleppo, upwards of 5,000 Shia militiamen are massing for a final assault on rebel-held areas in the east of the city. More powerful than Syrian government forces, and likely greater in number, this shadow army is a mix of conscripts, mercenaries and ideological volunteers from Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Elsewhere in Syria, tens of thousands more foreign nationals fight to keep Assad in power. More importantly, pro-Assad militia are increasingly directed from outside Syria by a foreign power. It is widely believed that Irans Quds Force recruits, salaries and commands the bulk of this foreign legion. Survival of Assad regime Together with Russian air power, these sectarian paramilitary pilgrims are vital to the survival of the Assad regime. Paradoxically, then, it is not only foreign bombers but also foreign flesh and bone that enable the Syrian government to continue claiming the right to sovereignty. The second myth is that Assad is mainly defending Syrias sovereignty against terrorists, whether foreign or homegrown. In an interview with a Russian newspaper, Assad claimed that the majority of those we are fighting are takfiris who adopt the al-Qaeda doctrine. In this weeks presidential debate, Donald Trump asserted that I dont like Assad at all, but Syria is killing ISIL. Russia is killing ISIL. And Iran is killing ISIL. The problem is not only that the regime and its partners have relentlessly pounded moderate opposition factions such as the Southern Front at Deraa, or that hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed. OPINION: Syria talks The urgent question A major difficulty arises from the fact that the behaviour of the Assad regime will drive the problem of radicalisation for years to come. ISIL and its like are symptoms of Syrias problems and not their cause. They are the modern product of a major governance crisis across the region. After decades of state repression, these groups ape and exaggerate the excesses of the states they oppose. ISIL was borne of what South Korean writer Han Kang has termed the radioactive spread of brutality. By depicting their struggle as part of the global war on terror, the Syrian government and its allies attempt to capture the western policy zeitgeist. In reality, their actions aim at keeping a local cohort in power at any cost. Unconditional sovereignty The third is the myth of unconditional sovereignty. The Syrian government arrogates to itself the rights and privileges of sovereignty, as though there were no accompanying obligations. Assad benefits considerably from the complexities of the war... by In the 17th century, the Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius argued that the rights of the sovereign should be limited by the principles of humanity. Since then, the international community has slowly arrived at the idea that with sovereignty comes an element of basic responsibility. Yet by opting to fight its opposition through siege, starvation, chlorine gas and double-tap barrel bombs in civilian areas routinely burying women and children under collapsed buildings the Syrian government appears unburdened by the responsibilities of power. Assad benefits considerably from the complexities of the war: the intimate links to intensifying cold wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Russia and the US; the cannibalisation of parts of the Syrian opposition by jihadi groups; the uncertain fate of many communities should the regime collapse; the approximation of the underlying dynamics to the Iraq debacle in 2003. On account of these complications, the international community has tied itself up in knots. On this final score, then, the Assad regime may be right. The coming weeks will determine whether a government that has turned the machinery of the state against its people in the name of sovereignty can be stopped, somehow, in the name of humanity. Alia Brahimi is the Director of Contest Global, a strategic consultancy firm. She is a specialist in terrorism and political trends in the Middle East and North Africa. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. The battle for Mosul will be long and the citys remaining 1.5 million civilians will bear the brunt. The Battle for Mosul (as it will undoubtedly be known once historians write their books) finally began in earnest in the early hours of October 17 after months of shaping operations around the capital of Nineveh Governorate. Mosul is one of Iraqs most historically significant cities that has been the de facto capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) organisation for more than two years, and this battle is of strategic and also symbolic importance. However, none should expect it to be quick, easy or even without enormous cost. Iraqi battlefield track record A cursory glance at Iraqs battlefield performance against ISIL gives us a clear insight into what is likely to happen in Mosul over the coming months. OPINION: Is protecting Mosul minorities an excuse for partition? I say months, because Mosul will not be taken in a matter of weeks, nor will it be taken without the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), Kurdish Peshmerga and sectarian Shia militias paying a hefty price when the time comes to square away the butchers bill. When Iraq set off to recapture Tikrit last year, we heard on numerous occasions how ISIL will be rolled back, and that former Iraqi leader Saddam Husseins hometown will soon be back under Baghdads control. On March 14, 2015, Karim al-Nuri, a fighter and spokesman for the sectarian Iran-backed Badr Organisation, a significant component of the Shia-dominated Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), said that ISIL fighters were surrounded, mere dozens of them remained and that the city would fall within 72 hours. As it happened, it took not three days, but a month and a half for Tikrit to be cleared. A force of several hundred ISIL fighters managed to hold off almost 30,000 ISF, PMF and federal police in a battle that could only be described as militarily embarrassing. Mosul by , Kurdish Peshmerga and sectarian Shia militias paying a hefty price when the time comes to square away the butchers bill.] As a point of comparison, the Iraqi military in 1988 managed to liberate Iraqs southeastern Faw peninsula from Iranian forces in less than 48 hours. More recently, it took more than a month for Iraq to regain control of Fallujah, and not without significant cost. Not only were battlefield losses high, but the city was reduced to rubble in a manner not too dissimilar from what happened in Ramadi, the capital of Iraqs western Anbar Governorate. PMF militias were also exposed as having committed grave atrocities, such as slaughtering Sunni civilians before forcing others to drink the blood of their recently slain fellow prisoners. If this is what the ISF and its allies can produce operationally on the field of battle, even with extensive Iranian support and US air cover, then how can anyone expect their battlefield performance and capabilities suddenly to improve? The answer is that we simply cannot, and Iraqs armed forces have certainly not become a better military over the past five months. Underestimating ISIL Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is bent on prising Mosul from ISILs grip before the end of the year, perhaps to secure his office against resurgent rivals such as his predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki, who is widely considered to be a virulently sectarian politician. OPINION: Why delay doesnt make sense in Mosul However, the clock is ticking and he may not be able to make good on his promise as Mosul is no Tikrit, and it is certainly no Fallujah. Mosul is Iraqs second largest city, and ISIL has been in control of it for more than two years. It has therefore had more than ample time to prepare defences, and has done this while staying relatively unmolested. Most of the heaviest fighting against ISIL was in Anbar, Salahuddin and Diyala, while Kurdish units have maintained a fairly stable line since they snatched Kirkuk and Jalawla from ISIL two years ago. As such, ISIL will have definitely used this time to prepare for the battle that has now begun. A few weeks ago, reports indicated that ISIL had dug a moat around Mosul and pumped oil into it, ready to create a river of fire. Live footage from today shows enormous walls of black smoke completely covering Mosuls frontage in most areas, creating a smokescreen of gigantic proportions. This stratagem is a larger-scale version of what ISIL did in Qayyarah and Tikrit, where it set oil wells on fire in order to obscure the battlefield and prevent close air support in order to force the ISF to engage it on the ground where it is strongest. Aside from burning vast amounts of oil, ISIL has also sabotaged airfield runways, blockaded roads and undoubtedly littered Mosul with mines and IEDs. With Iraqs previous battlefield record in mind, as well as the length of time ISIL has had to harden their defences and dig in, we can expect Mosul to be exhaustingly long, bloody and with tragic humanitarian consequences for the 1.5 million civilians still in the city. Tallha Abdulrazaq is a researcher at the University of Exeters Strategy and Security Institute and winner of the 2015 Al Jazeera Young Researcher Award. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policies. Eight-hour pause in fighting announced for later this week as EU says assault on Syrian city could amount to war crimes. Russia has announced plans for an eight-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Aleppo later this week, amid a warning from the European Union that the Syrian governments assault on the city could amount to war crimes. The United Nations and the EU welcomed Tuesdays announcement by Russia, but said the planned pause in fighting set to take place on Thursday needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. We have taken a decision not to waste time and to introduce humanitarian pauses, mainly for the free passage of civilians, evacuation of the sick and wounded and withdrawal of fighters, Sergei Rudskoi, a senior Russian military officer, said in Moscow. The truce would run from 8am to 4pm local time (05:00 GMT to 13:00 GMT) in the area of Aleppo, Rudskoi said. During this period the Russian air force and Syrian government troops will halt air strikes and firing from any other types of weapons. Russia announced on Tuesday that both Russian and Syrian government jets had stopped their bombing of Aleppos rebel-held east at 10am local time (07:00 GMT) in anticipation of Thursdays temporary truce. UN humanitarian officials have pleaded with combatants to observe weekly 48-hour ceasefires to allow humanitarian relief into Aleppos besieged eastern districts. However, Russian and Syrian forces have only escalated their aerial and ground assault on the rebel-held areas in recent weeks. Vitaly Churkin, Russias UN ambassador, said the planned humanitarian pause was a unilateral decision. WITNESS: ISIL deserters speak out A 48-hour or 72-hour ceasefire will require some sort of mutual arrangement, he said. The announcement came as EU foreign ministers condemned the deadly air war waged on Aleppo over the past three weeks. Since the beginning of the offensive by the regime and its allies, notably Russia, the intensity and scale of the aerial bombardment of eastern Aleppo is clearly disproportionate, an EU statement said. The deliberate targeting of hospitals, medical personnel, schools and essential infrastructure, as well as the use of barrel bombs, cluster bombs and chemical weapons, constitute a catastrophic escalation of the conflict and may amount to war crimes. Positive step The EU ministers said that they would press ahead with extending sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government, but stopped short of threatening measures against Russia. Federica Mogherini, EU foreign affairs chief, called Russias announcement positive but not long enough to allow humanitarian aid to reach Aleppo. It can be a start for sure it is a positive step, she said at the close of the ministerial meeting in Luxembourg. The latest assessment from the aid agencies [however] is that 12 hours is needed so work is needed to find common ground. Stephane Dujarric, UN spokesman, also welcomed the truce announcement but stressed the need for a longer pause in order to get the aid in. Once Syrias thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by air raids and intensifying clashes as pro-government forces fight to capture the rebel-held east. Russian air support for the onslaught which has destroyed hospitals and other civilian infrastructure has spurred the accusations of potential war crimes. Mondays air strikes killed 14 civilians in Aleppos rebel-held district of Marjeh, including at least 12 members of the same family, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Nine of the family members were minors, including a 17-year-old girl and her newborn, said Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Britain-based group. Unverified online video footage showed the bodies of eight children said to have been killed in Marjeh, wrapped in white cloth and lined up before their burial. READ MORE: No easy answers for Syrian students in Lebanon At least 47 people have been killed since Sunday morning in east Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory said. The deadliest raids were overnight on a residential block in Qaterji, where the observatory said Russian strikes killed 18 civilians. There are still families under the ruins. We pulled out seven or eight bodies and dozens of wounded, said ambulance driver Abu Mohamed. The hospitals are full of casualties. Its a disaster. More than 430 people have been killed in bombardment on the eastern half since the government announced its offensive to retake Aleppo on September 22, the observatory said. Another 82 people have died in rebel fire on government-held neighbourhoods in the west. Further west in Aleppo province, Russian raids killed 23 people in the village of Uwaijal on Monday, said the Syrian Observatory. Kurdish forces pause advance 30km east of ISIL-held city while government forces press on with next stage of operation. Armed forces closing in on Mosul say they have secured about 20 villages on the outskirts of the city in the first 24 hours of an operation to retake the last major stronghold in Iraq of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. With air support from the US-led coalition, government and Kurdish forces edged closer to the city on Monday as smoke darkened the blue sky above one ISIL position, apparently from oil fires ignited to hamper the incursion and make it harder to land air strikes. Kurdish forces announced on Tuesday that they were pausing their advance 30km east of Mosul as the Iraqi army presses ahead with the next stage of the operation. Colonel Khather Sheikhan of the Kurdish Peshmerga said his troops had achieved their objectives and are just holding our positions in the Khazir area. The pause comes after a day of intense fighting involving air strikes, heavy artillery and ISIL car bombs. Decisive moment With a population of 1.5 million, Mosul is the largest city under ISILs control. The recapture of the city would be a decisive moment in the war against ISIL, according to Ash Carter, the US defence secretary. But the urban battle ahead in a city four to five times larger than other towns seized by ISIL poses not only a military challenge, but also a humanitarian one, with the United Nations warning of an exodus of up to a million people. Away from the military challenges, there is a humanitarian crisis on a massive scale. The UN says up to one million people could flee the city of Mosul once the fighting intensifies, and they would be pouring into a system that is already overstretched with hundreds of thousands, said Al Jazeeras Stefanie Dekker, reporting from the Khazir front line. About 4,000 to 8,000 fighters are thought to be dug into Mosul while the forces assembled to drive them out are estimated at 30,000, including the Iraqi army, Kurdish Peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and the Popular Mobilisation Forces Shia militias groups that now have official status from Baghdad. More than 5,000 US soldiers are also deployed in support missions, as are troops from France, Britain, Canada and other western nations. The Iraqi army is attacking Mosul on the southern and southeastern fronts, while the Peshmerga forces are carrying out their operation to the east. IN PICTURES: Knocking on Mosuls door The Peshmerga, who are also deployed north and northwest of the city, said they secured a significant stretch of the 80km road between Erbil, their capital, and Mosul, about an hours drive to the west. The UN refugee agency said it had built five camps to house 45,000 people and plans to have an additional six constructed in the coming weeks with a capacity for 120,000, although that would still not be enough to cope if the exodus is as big as feared. The battle has also raised fears of sectarian and ethnic revenge killings in territory retaken from ISIL. Amnesty International urged Iraqi authorities on Tuesday to keep Shia militia groups away from Mosul, a city whose population is largely Sunni. The rights group said the government in Baghdad would bear responsibility for the actions of the militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilisation Forces, which are officially considered to be part of the countrys armed forces. There can be no justification for extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture or arbitrary detention, said Amnestys Philip Luther. Move to postpone this years presidential election to April 2018 called a flagrant violation of the constitution. The main opposition party of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has strongly rejected a decision to push back this years election to April 2018, calling it a flagrant violation of the constitution. The postponement of the vote, which hands President Joseph Kabila more than a year of extra time in office, was approved by the countrys constitutional court on Monday following talks between the ruling coalition and smaller parties. Most opposition forces, however, boycotted the national dialogue and called for a nationwide general strike on Wednesday to put pressure on Kabila. WATCH: DR Congo and the General The Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), which is led by veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, strongly rejected the postponement plan, the partys secretary-general Jean-Marc Kabund told AFP news agency on Tuesday. Kabund said the move unilaterally imposes Mr Kabila in flagrant violation of the constitution which sets the end of his mandate at December 20. Should the agreement now hold, a new government would be set up, with the key post of prime minister handed to an opposition figure. Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi, reporting from the capital Kinsasha, said that voter registration is now expected to begin in July. Our correspondent said that the electoral commission had previously indicated that it was logistically impossible to hold the election this year because of security challenges. Kabila is banned under the constitution from running for a third term. Last month, dozens of people died in Kinshasa as security forces clashed with anti-government protesters calling for the president to leave office when his mandate runs out in December. Earlier on Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the postponement plan was no response to the crisis, and called Kabila to announce that he will not run for office. The European Union has threatened sanctions if the country does not hold elections in 2017. Kabila, who came to power in 2001 when his father was assassinated, says he will respect the constitution but has not made clear if he plans to find a way to run again. Turkish president says Ankara will join Mosul battle, voicing concern for future of Sunni Arab and Turkmens in the city. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again insisted on the necessity for Turkish involvement in the battle for ISIL-held Mosul in neighbouring Iraq, saying his country has an historical responsibility in the region. Speaking in Ankara on Tuesday, Erdogan said Turkey did not want to be part of any sectarian conflict in Iraq, but voiced concerns for the future of Sunni Arab and Turkmens in Mosul. ANALYSIS: What is Turkey trying to achieve in Iraq? If we say we want to be both at the table and in the field, there is a reason, he said. Iraqi and Kurdish forces closing in on Mosul said on Tuesday they had secured some 20 villages on the outskirts of the city during the first day of a major ground and air operation against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group. In his speech, Erdogan also warned against the direct involvement of Shia militias in the operation, following allegations that they had committed atrocities against Sunnis in other parts of Iraq. They say 30,000 Shia militants are coming. They should be prepared for what they will face. Two weeks ago, Turkeys parliament voted to extend for a year the deployment of an estimated 2,000 troops across northern Iraq to combat terrorist organisations. Around 500 of these troops are currently stationed in the Bashiqa camp in northern Iraq, training local fighters for the battle to recapture Mosul. Days before Iraqi troops and their local and international partners started their push to recapture Mosul, Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi condemned Turkeys military presence in the country, and warned that Ankara risked triggering a regional war. Abadis government requested an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss the issue, and both countries summoned each others ambassadors in a mounting diplomatic standoff. In response to Abadis comments, Erdogan said on Tuesday that the Iraqi government should deal with other armed groups like ISIL and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rather than acting tough with us. Ankara is treating Baghdad as a foreign actor in Mosul, Metin Gurcan, columnist for Al Monitor and former adviser to the Turkish military in Iraq, told Al Jazeera. It is looking at the situation from a city-centric point of view and categorising Baghdad as a Tehran-backed Shia force trying to control Sunni-majority Mosul. So it is basically saying if Baghdad is allowed to participate in this operation, using soldiers transported to the region from as far as Iran, I can take similar action. I have every right to protect Mosuls Sunni population, which is historically linked to Turkey, against invasions. We are a NATO member Ankaras insistence on playing a role in the operation to retake Mosul from ISIL has also come under criticism from Washington a major partner in the operation conducting air strikes against the armed groups positions. The US told Turkey to respect the Iraqi governments wishes regarding its military presence in the country. All of Iraqs neighbours need to respect Iraqs sovereignty and territorial integrity, State Department spokesman John Kirby said last week. We call on both governments to focus on their common enemy, our common enemy, which is Daesh, Kirby added, referring to ISIL by an Arabic acronym. Responding to the US comments, Erdogan said: You are coming from tens of thousands of kilometers away and you have the right to say Baghdad has called for you. OK, but Turkey has a 350km border and there is always a threat. Turkey has a historical responsibility there. So we will be there. Mosul remained under Ottoman control for nearly 400 years, until its capture by Britain in 1918. The city served as the capital of one of the three provinces in Ottoman Iraq and was seen as an integral part of the empire. According to Gurcan, the rift between Turkey and the US regarding Iraq was rooted in Ankaras insistence in acting as an autonomous force, rather than completely accepting Washingtons lead. Turkey wants to keep Shia militias, Kurds with links to the PKK out of Mosul and it wants to give air-support to the troops it trained in the Bashiqa camp, Gurcan told Al Jazeera. The US is not against any of this, Gurcan said. Washington is simply saying that it wants to stay as the dominant force in Iraq and Turkey is welcomed to join in, if it is willing to act under US command as part of the coalition. But Turkey is trying to avoid this. They want to act at least semi-autonomously and this is causing friction. Turkish jets will join the operation Also on Tuesday, Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkish jets have not yet been used in the offensive to retake Mosul but will be deployed when the time comes. There is agreement on Turkey taking part in the coalition in Iraq, Yildirim told delegates of the ruling AK party in Ankara. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said an Iraqi delegation was due to arrive in Turkey towards the end of the week, amid diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the tensions between the two countries. Both sides essentially have the will to solve this through dialogue, Cavusoglu said on Tuesday during a visit to Uzbekistan, according by the Anadolu news agency. He added that the delegation would come maybe Thursday. It comes after a top-level Turkish delegation led by foreign ministry under-secretary Umit Yalcin went to Baghdad on Monday. De-escalation efforts may continue, but Turkeys end-game in Iraq is quite clear, Gurcan told Al Jazeera. It wants to conduct an operation similar to the Euphrates Shield within northern Iraq. ANALYSIS: Kurds and refugees behind Turkeys Syria offensive Ankara began the cross-border Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria on August 24, saying it was targeting both ISIL and the Kurdish YPG militia, which Turkey considers a terrorist group. Turkey recaptured several towns and cities, including Jarablus, from these groups and created a de-facto safe zone on the border. For Turkey, Operation Euphrates Shield was a major success, said Gurcan. Ankara gained a lot of leverage in the Middle East against ISIL, Damascus and even US thanks to this operation. This operation brought Turkey back in to the game, and it wants to repeat this success story in northern Iraq. Additional reporting by Birce Bora. Shelling intensifies, Al Jazeera reporters on the front line say, as fight for ISILs last bastion in Iraq continues. Fighting has entered a third day as allied forces continued their advance on Mosul on Wednesday, an offensive that in recent days was slowed by explosives and booby traps encountered on the way to retake ISILs last major stronghold in Iraq. Iraqi commanders said that progress was being made as their forces pushed from two main fronts against ISIL, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, or ISIS. The shelling is intensifying, and the battle is [still] going on, Al Jazeeras Imran Khan, reporting from Khazir near the frontline, said. Some crucial villages on the road to Mosul were taken by Kurdish Peshmerga forces, he reported. There is still another 20km to go before Kurdish Peshmerga forces get to the outskirts of Mosul, Khan added, but this isnt about the Peshmerga forces. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said that only Iraqi forces can go into Mosul, that this is their fight, and its likely [that] the main push will come from the northeast. The commanders of the allied forces said the operation was going as planned, despite resistance from ISIL fighters who were hitting back with suicide car bomb attacks. OPINION: Mosul will fall again, but at great cost Many villages have already been liberated, said Sabah al-Numan, the spokesman of the elite counter-terrorism service. Iraqi forces have achieved their goals and even more, but were careful to stick to the plan and not rush this. ISIL forces are believed to be vastly outnumbered, with the US military calculating 3,000 to 4,500 fighters in and around Mosul, compared with an estimated 30,000 Iraqi army troops, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Sunni tribal forces. Al Jazeeras Hoda Abdel-Hamid, also reporting from Khazir, said the armed forces advance on Tuesday was not as formidable as the previous day, when several villages were secured. Khalil Miro, a colonel of the Kurdish Peshmerga, told Al Jazeera that ISIL remains holed up in the district of Hamdaniya. We wont move to Hamdaniya. This will require cooperation with the Iraqi army. We will stay in this area, Miro said. Al Jazeeras Abdel-Hamid said the second day of the offensive involved more consolidation of the positions gained on Monday. There has been some little gains today, and not as formidable as the ones we have seen yesterday, mainly to the west of Erbil, she said. Abdel-Hamid said that Peshmerga fighters had to avoid main roads, taking instead the dirt paths to avoid explosives. So every village they will go through, even if the ISIL fighters have already left, it takes them a while to get in, she said, adding that the clearing would take some time. ISIL were on those villages for more than two years, and were ruling those villages. They had a lot of time to set all their booby traps, so its going to be extremely difficult. Bartella, another town on the way to Mosul, was still under ISIL control, our correspondent said. Two main fronts There are two main fronts the allied forces are pushing from: one from the south in Qayyarah, and another in the east, where another offensive involving Kurdish Peshmerga fighters is under way. In the south, forces inching forward along the River Tigris were aiming for the village of Hammam al-Alil, while units east of Mosul were close to Qaraqosh, once Iraqs biggest Christian town. Advancing in armoured convoys across the dusty plains surrounding Mosul, and backed by intensive aerial bombardment, the advancing forces moved into villages defended by pockets of ISIL fighters. Fighters are also amassing on a third front, but have not moved yet, according to Al Jazeeras Abdel-Hamid. Iraqi forces have significant ground to cover before reaching the boundaries of the city, which ISIL is defending with berms, bombs and burning oil trenches. The US-led coalition said air strikes destroyed 52 targets on the first day of the operation. Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far, and that they are ahead of schedule for this first day, Peter Cook, the Pentagon press secretary, said. Most of the coalitions support has come in the shape of air strikes and training, but US, British and French special forces are also on the ground to advise local troops. Mosul is Iraqs second-largest city and the United Nations fears that up to a million people could be forced from their homes by the fighting , with 700,000 of them in need of shelter. We dont know where [the civilians] are going, Khan reported. We know people have fled from these villages [recently won by Peshmerga forces] and wound up in IDP camps, but weve heard very little about the people who are still stuck there are some 1.2 million people still in [Mosul]. Where they go once this fighting intensifies remains a very big issue. Israeli border police carry out stun grenade training in an East Jerusalem neighbourhood, new video appears to show. Israeli border police carried out stun grenade training in the Palestinian neighbourhood of al-Issawiya in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, a new video purports to show. The Hebrew-language video, which was filmed on the evening of September 28 by a Palestinian resident of the town, was released on Sunday by the Israeli daily, Haaretz. In the recording, the neighbourhood, home to around 16,000 people, is quiet, raising questions as to why border police decided to practise there with the risk of provoking tensions. One officer is seen teaching another how to operate the grenade. Throw lower, he tells him. The trainee officer detonates the grenade between the homes and is praised for a good job before he walks away with the rest of the officers. As you can see, he is teaching him how to throw a stun grenade between the houses rather than taking him [the trainee officer] to an open area, Mohamed Abu al-Hummus says in the video as he is filming. The officers warn Abu al-Hummus to stay at least eight metres away and threaten to arrest him if he continues filming and bothering them. Like the rest of East Jerusalem, al-Issawyia was illegally annexed by Israel in 1967. Due to the villages strategic location, on the E-1 corridor that links Jerusalem to the mega-settlement of Maale Adumim in the West Bank, Israel has regularly confiscated Issawiya land. The East Jerusalem village has been a regular target of Israeli police violence. I by Mohamed is training another to throw stun grenades in the area. Hes letting him practise how to throw grenades on us [civilians] in the village.] Border police are officially part of Israels national police but they also regularly carry out crackdowns, arrests, raids and even killings in Palestinian neighbourhoods of the occupied territories. I want the whole world to see how [the Israeli officer] is training another to throw stun grenades in the area. Hes letting him practise how to throw grenades on us [civilians] in the village, continued Abu al-Hummus. No one is throwing stones. As you can see, they are using force with us for no reason. Haaretz quoted Israeli police as saying the officers were under attack by rocks and firebombs, although the claims contradict the video, which shows no clashes at the time it was filmed. While attempting to restore public order, commanders conducted a briefing and security check to see whether the officers were abiding by regulations, with minimal risk to life, police reportedly said. Israeli police were not available for a follow-up comment by the time of publication. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Abu al-Hummus said the forces were patrolling the area at the time and decided to start teaching one of the guards. I asked them why they wouldnt go somewhere else and they started threatening me. They regularly practise on us and on the residents of al-Issawiya, said Abu al-Hummus. Sometimes they just walk around the neighbourhoods to train on the maps that they have of our areas. At first glance, the Palestinian neighbourhood of al-Issawiya appears similar to a refugee camp. The area has been neglected by the Israeli government, a fact that becomes clear when it is compared with the well-maintained nearby Jewish settlements. Residents of the town are forced to build their homes illegally, as the Israeli government will not grant them building permits. The neighbourhood is thus highly overcrowded, underdeveloped and has been a regular spot for clashes with Israeli occupation forces. IN PICTURES: A Jerusalem village under siege Salam Mheisen, a resident and activist of al-Issawiya, says many of the Israeli army raids carried out there are part of the training that the police or army do. Either they [police] come to arrest people or theyre just doing rounds to explore the area. The construction of houses is very random here, so there are many small and narrow roads that the army and police face difficulty entering, Mheisin told Al Jazeera. They practise in case when clashes do happen, they know where to come from and target us. Such training is not unique to East Jerusalem; it also occurs throughout the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, according to the al-Haq human rights organisation based in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Many times forces or police enter Palestinian villages in the suburbs and they tell them to evacuate. When the residents are allowed back in, they find that their property has been damaged, Zahi Jaradat, head of field research at al-Haq, told Al Jazeera. This is a violation of private property. The occupation is violating the rights of the residents to keep their private property safe, said Jaradat. As the battle for Mosul rages for a second day, speculation is rife among Iraq watchers over how long the fighting will continue before the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces, supported by a US-led coalition, wrest control of the city declared as the de facto Iraqi capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) groups caliphate in 2014. Falah Mustafa Bakir, the foreign affairs minister of Iraqs Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), told Al Jazeera that the fighting could go on for months, depending on the morale of ISIL fighters. But he stressed the importance of coming up with a post-ISIL governance plan for Nineveh, which he describes as unlike any of the other provinces due to the multi-ethnic and multi-faith aspect of its population. ANALYSIS: Is Sinjar the new Kobane? Al Jazeera: How long do you expect the military operation will go on? Falah Mustafa Bakir: This is an important operation. It started successfully. The first day went very well and now we are on the second day. Military operations went well, according to an agreed plan between Erbil, Baghdad and the coalition. As for how long it will take, that will depend on the fighting on the other side and the morale of the troops on the other side and the techniques they use. We are determined to continue this fight. This will be an important undertaking to eliminate ISIL from where they declared their caliphate. They will try different methods. It may take weeks, it may take months, but it will become clearer as we get closer to the city. There are four active fronts. Some areas are at about over a dozen kilometers from the city, and others at about 40 kilometers. There are villages to be cleared in preparation for the final assault on the city. The point is this is the final chapter in fighting ISIL in Iraq. Al Jazeera: What kind of post-battle arrangement has been made among the coalitions participants over the city? The Peshmerga are playing an important role in this campaign. Will the city go under Baghdad or Erbil jurisdiction? We have made it clear to all concerned in Baghdad and our international partners in the coalition, we have to prepare the ground for the post-ISIL era. by Bakir: As for the post-ISIL governance of Mosul, we have made it clear to all the concerned parties in Baghdad and our international partners in the coalition, that we have to agree on a political arrangement for the post-ISIL era to ensure stability. Nineveh Province is diverse; it is unlike any of the other provinces. There are Turkmen, Arabs, Kurds, Christians, Muslims, Yazidis, Shia, Sunnis, Chaldeans It is mixed ethnically and sectarian-wise. We have to address this issue and the root causes of the problems and take steps to build confidence and put in motion some measures of reconciliation so that these communities feel assured of their future. The good thing is that during Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzanis visit to Baghdad in September, he and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi agreed on forming a high-level political committee to work together to coordinate on the military front. I believe that through this committee, we will be able to address the issues, and Nineveh Province will have its own structure. Its not about being under Erbil or Baghdad. It is an Iraqi city and not under the KRG, but it is adjacent to the KRG region, so we need a clear understanding. Al Jazeera: There is an ongoing dispute between Baghdad and Ankara over Mosul. KRG President Massoud Barzani has asked both sides to find a middle ground. Is the KRG involved in mediation efforts to bridge the gap? And what are the outstanding issues in this dispute? Bakir: I believe it is important for all sides, all those concerned, to focus on this important moment. This is an important moment. ISIL is a common threat to all of us, and it is a shared responsibility. We are grateful to the US-led coalition that is supporting our forces. What we need is to de-escalate the tensions. We do not want tension. We want the governments of Baghdad and Ankara to talk to each other, and have a clear understanding and agreement. If there is any role for the KRG to play, we will play it. The dispute is about the presence of Turkish troops in Bashik and their participation in the Mosul campaign. Both governments can address these issues in a peaceful manner. READ MORE: Hero Ibrahim Ahmad Smear campaign or political crisis? Al Jazeera: The battle of Mosul is expected to result in a massive influx of internally displaced people (IDPs) to the Kurdistan region. What plans are in place to deal with this crisis? Bakir: It is a major concern, and we have been worried about this, and we have alerted our partners in the international community about this. We in the KRG and the UN have been working together for the last several months, and recently we have also been engaged with the Iraqi central government represented by the Ministry of Migration and Displacement. The KRG cannot any more provide what it provided a few years ago to Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs. As a result of having our budget cut off from Baghdad, we have faced economic problems, in addition to being engaged in this costly and bloody war for over two years now and hosting almost two million IDPs and refugees. And with the drop in oil prices, it has made it impossible to deal with more. The KRG will keep its doors open for these people to come, and we will provide safety and security, but we are relying on international agencies to provide food and non-food items. Because this is a humanitarian situation, we would be more than happy to welcome them, but beyond that we dont have the financial resources at our disposal to do more. We have had a 30 percent increase in our population, we are behind in paying the salaries of civil servants and our Peshmergas. Some 3,800 projects have stopped. The growth rate has stopped. These are economic indicators that we need the international community to focus on. We are issuing an urgent call to our partners in the international community to help us so we can help them as well. Those who have lived under ISIL come with baggage. Some have been recruited, therefore we have to be able to distinguish between real and genuine IDPs and those who come in disguised as IDPs. by Al Jazeera: With the battle for Mosul described as a decisive one in the war against ISIL, there is again speculation over what the Kurds expect in return for their contribution to this campaign over the last few years. Is independence still on the cards? Bakir: Having talked about IDPs coming in, we have a security concern. Those who have lived under ISIL come with baggage. Some have been recruited, therefore we have to be able to distinguish between real and genuine IDPs and those who come in disguised as IDPs. We need a proper vetting and screening process so that international and human rights are respected so that women and children will not become victims. We have a stake in Mosul. Mosul is important and has a direct impact on Erbil and Dohuk, and the KRG as a whole, in terms of security, the economy, a social impact; therefore, we need to be there. So we are glad that our Peshmergas are participating in this battle, but what we need is safety, security and prosperity. On the other hand, we need a clear understanding of the day after ISIL in Mosul, and the government of Mosul post-ISIL. We also need to have a clear understanding between Erbil and Baghdad in the general relations between Erbil and Baghdad. We need to have arrangements based on the new realities on the ground and we need dialogue so that we can end the tensions and also solve the problems that have been outstanding so far. READ MORE: The democratic republic of The Peoples Teahouse That is why when KRG President Massoud Barzani was in Baghdad at the end of September, they discussed the need for a joint committee to discuss future relations between Erbil and Baghdad. This issue of the [Kurdish] right to self-determination and the future of Erbil and Baghdad ties were discussed openly, and it was agreed that both sides would sit together to revisit the situation and see what is possible and what we can do to avoid any problems. So independence is still on the cards. Follow Tanya Goudsouzian on Twitter: @tgoudsouzian Federal Judge Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacarias shot in head at point-blank range near Mexico City, but motive unknown. A federal judge whose court handled some cases related to drug cartels has been killed near Mexico City. Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacarias was murdered in Metepec, a town in the state of Mexico, the Supreme Court said in a statement on Monday. President Enrique Pena Nieto condemned the murder and ordered the attorney generals office to take over the investigation. According to local media, Bermudez was shot in the head at point-blank range and succumbed to his wound while being taken to a hospital. The judge was exercising outside when he was killed, according to the newspaper Reforma. Eruviel Avila, Mexico state governor, said the shooting had been captured by a security camera. Bermudez became a district court judge in December 2013 and served in the Fifth Tribunal for appeals and civil judgments in the State of Mexico when he was killed. Al Jazeeras John Holman, reporting from Mexico City, said: In Mexico, judges dont tend to be murdered. You have to look quite hard for another case, even over the last few years. Policemen, politicians, mayors even state governors do tend to get killed, rather than judges. Thats something interesting and maybe something to look out for in Mexico going forward. Motive unknown The court has handled cases related to organised crime, but the motive of his murder was not immediately known. Bermudezs cases included one involving the Los Cuinis drug cartel and a tax-fraud investigation against Naim Libien Kaui, a powerful businessman whose family is accused of links to drug traffickers, Mexican media reports said. I have given instruction to the attorney general to take up this case, undertake the corresponding investigations and find those responsible for this terrible event, Pena Nieto said during an international meeting of judges that was scheduled before the murder. Before the start of a public hearing, Luis Maria Aguilar Morales, Supreme Court president, urged the authorities to ensure the safety of judges. Federal judges are people who dedicate their lives, their personal, moral and physical integrity to serve federal justice in our country, Aguilar said. They require security and peace conditions that guarantee their independence, because in an atmosphere of peace and security judges can reflect on their decisions. Comments about historical mistreatment of minorities come as police shootings of black men roil communities across US. The president of one of the largest police organisations in the US has apologised for historical mistreatment of minorities, calling it a dark side of our shared history that must be acknowledged and overcome. Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, said at the groups annual conference on Monday that police have historically been a face of oppression, enforcing laws that ensured legalised discrimination and denial of basic rights. He was not more specific. San Diego police came under harsh criticism after officers there shot and killed an unarmed, mentally ill man outside a shopping centre in September. Cunningham said todays officers are not to blame for past injustices. He did not speak in detail about modern policing, but said events over the past several years have undermined public trust. His comments come as police shootings of black men have roiled communities in Ferguson, Missouri; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and suburban St Paul, Minnesota; and as black shooters have targeted officers in Dallas, the St Louis suburb of Ballwin and Baton Rouge. While we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we must change the future, Cunningham said. We must forge a path that allows us to move beyond our history and identify common solutions to better protect our communities. Black Lives Matter: The backlash against US police For our part, the first step in this process is for law enforcement and the [International Association of Chiefs of Police] to acknowledge and apologise for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in societys historical mistreatment of communities of colour, he said. Cunningham received a standing ovation for his remarks from thousands of law enforcement officials before he introduced Loretta Lynch, US attorney general, who largely avoided the topic. He has been police chief since 1999 in his hometown of Wellesley, Massachusetts, an affluent, overwhelmingly white, low-crime suburb near Boston. He served for three years as vice president of the police chiefs association before becoming president in 2015 for a one-year term. Apology falls short David Alexander III, police chief in Pensacola, Florida, said recognising historical injustices is key to addressing race relations, just as acknowledging domestic violence was a step forward. When you dont know the history and you say, Well, there is no problem, then you pretty much present yourself as insensitive to the issues, said Alexander, who is black. The issue of racial tension has been a part of American history since its settlement. Delrish Moss, who has been police chief of Ferguson, Missouri, since May and is black, said he had negative encounters with police when he was growing up, including being called racial epithets. There are communities that have long perceived us as oppressors, there are communities that have long perceived us as the jackbooted arm of government designed to keep people under control, and thats one of the things we have to work hard to get past, Moss said. Im glad its being addressed because the only way to get past it is to first acknowledge the existence of it. Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement were less enthusiastic. DeRay Mckesson, Campaign Zero co-founder, said he looked forward to Cunninghams comments being backed up by deep, structural changes to policing and the criminal justice system. Lieutenant Bob Kroll, head of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, thought Cunninghams statement went too far. In his city, two white officers fatally shot a black man last November. Our profession is under attack right now and what we dont need is chiefs like him perpetuating that we are all bad guys in law enforcement, Kroll said. I think its an asinine statement. Weve got officers dying on almost a daily basis now because of this environment, and statements like that dont help. At least 10 people killed after al-Shabab fighters carry out suicide attack at a police station in Afgoye city. At least 10 people, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed after armed group al-Shabab carried out a suicide attack at a police station in the city of Afgoye. Captain Abdullahi Ali, a senior Somali military officer, told Associated Press news agency on Wednesday that troops have now fully secured the town and the fighters have fled. The African Unions peacekeeping mission in Somalia, AMISOM, confirmed on Twitter that a car bomb had been used to target a police post but said Somali forces had held their position, waiting for reinforcements. Tuesdays clashes started when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a police station and an African Union base. Gunmen then stormed the area, attacking military bases in the strategic city about 30km northwest of the capital Mogadishu. We dont have the exact number of casualties so far but we have seen the dead bodies of more than 10 people, including civilians, who were killed in the attack, local police official Abdukadir Ahmed told AFP news agency. Al-Shabab, which has been carrying out a series of deadly bombings throughout Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, the armed group said it had recaptured the town, which it evacuated in May 2012 after coming under attack from the Somali army and African Union peacekeepers. Residents also told AP that troops had recaptured the town, with hundreds of soldiers patrolling the streets. Earlier, Afgoye resident Amin Moalim said the town had been taken by surprise and people are hiding in their houses and those who stayed outside have fled. READ MORE: Al-Shabab fighters attack Somali army base I saw wounded civilians and Somali soldiers as well, he told AFP. We dont know who is controlling the city so far because heavy exchange of gunfire is going on. Al-Shabab has carried out numerous attacks in Somalia to try to topple the western-backed government. Following death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, justice minister says dissenters should be socially sanctioned. Thais should socially sanction those who defame the monarchy following King Bhumibol Adulyadejs death, the juntas justice minister has said, amid fresh videos of mob justice against people accused of insulting the institution. The death of the worlds longest-reigning monarch on Thursday has left the nation bereft of its key pillar of unity and seen remarkable mass outpourings of grief from black-clad Thais. But it has also fired up small but vocal ultra-monarchist forces, including mobs and online crusaders surfing the web and bent on punishing anyone perceived to have insulted the monarchy. There is no better way to punish these people than to socially sanction them, Paiboon Koomchaya, justice minister, said on Tuesday as he pledged to pursue those people who violate the law. His message comes amid a growing number of cases of vigilantism by royalist Thais against people accused of insulting the monarchy. At 10:30am a video was broadcast live on Facebook showing a mob kicking and beating a man and forcing him to prostrate himself in apology for allegedly insulting the monarchy. During the beating, which appeared to take place in Chonburi, east of Bangkok, the man cried out: I didnt mean to do it, I love the king! Its my fault. READ MORE: Remembering Thailands beloved King Bhumibol Another video widely shared on social media showed an elderly woman on a Bangkok bus being berated by fellow commuters in the presence of police. As she exits the bus, the woman is slapped in the face by another woman dressed in black. It is not clear when the incident took place but the video was uploaded on Monday evening. Black-shaming Thailands monarchy is protected by a draconian lese majeste law that outlaws criticism with punishments of up to 15 years in jail for each insult uttered. Prosecutions have surged under the military which seized power two years ago, with record-breaking sentences handed down in some cases. That has made detailed discussion or debate about the monarchys role and its future after Bhumibols 70-year reign all but impossible. WATCH: For Crown or Country: Thailands Lese Majeste Law The atmosphere in Bangkok has been overwhelmingly sombre and calm since the death of the king. But there has been a rise of angry social media calls by royalists for vigilante action against alleged transgressors of 112 the criminal code that covers the feared law. On Sunday a woman on Samui island was forced by police to kneel below a portrait of King Bhumibol in front of a baying mob after she allegedly posted an insulting comment about the monarchy on Facebook. She has since been charged with lese majeste. Similar mobs have formed on the southern island of Phuket and in nearby Phang Nga province, prompted by alleged comments. Other social media users have berated those deemed not to be mourning sufficiently deeply or failing to wear black clothes. The latter phenomenon dubbed black-shaming has been condemned by the ruling generals. Media inside Thailand, both local and foreign, must heavily self-censor. Authorities, however, struggle to censor critics or media based overseas. But Paiboon said the generals would renew extradition requests for Thais abroad, something that is unlikely to sway governments in countries where lese majeste is not a crime. Palestinian leaders have welcomed a decision by the United Nations cultural agency to adopt a resolution on occupied East Jerusalem that sharply criticises Israeli policies around the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, while Israel says it ignores Jewish ties to the key holy site. A spokesman for Paris-based UNESCO said on Tuesday that the resolution, which caused Israel to suspend its cooperation with the agency, was adopted without a new vote after being approved at the committee stage last week. The text, which touches on Israels management of Palestinian religious sites, refers throughout to the al-Aqsa mosque compound site in occupied East Jerusalems Old City only by its Muslim names: al-Aqsa and al-Haram al-Sharif. Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third-holiest site in Islam. Jews refer to the site as the Temple Mount. Palestines deputy ambassador to UNESCO, Mounir Anastas, told reporters the resolution reminds Israel that they are the occupying power in East Jerusalem and it asks them to stop all their violations, including archaeological excavations around religious sites. The UNESCO resolution also condemned Israel for restricting Muslim access to the site, and for aggression by Israeli police and soldiers, while also recognising Israel as the occupying power. By criticising the report for the omission of the words Temple Mount, [Israel] glosses over more than two dozen detailed criticisms of Israeli actions in and around the Old City, which is after all occupied territory, Al Jazeeras Paul Brennan, reporting from West Jerusalem, said. READ MORE: Israel campaigns to change the status quo at al-Aqsa The resolution was submitted by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan and was originally passed with 24 votes in favour, six against, and 26 abstentions. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said in a statement on Thursday that UNESCO had lost its legitimacy by adopting this resolution. The theatre of the absurd at UNESCO continues, and today the organisation adopted another delusional decision which says that the people of Israel have no connection to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, Netanyahu said. In April, UNESCO also passed a resolution condemning Israeli aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims access to the al-Aqsa Mosque, also failing to mention the sites Jewish name. In 2011, the Palestinians were admitted as a member state of the organisation, which led the United States to suspend its payments to UNESCO. INTERACTIVE: Inside al-Aqsa The latest resolutions created unease at the top of the organisation, with Michael Worbs, who chairs UNESCOs executive board, saying he would have liked more time to work out a compromise. We need more time and dialogue between the members of the board to reach a consensus, he told AFP news agency. UNESCO chief Irina Bokova had distanced herself from Thursdays vote, saying in a statement: Nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space. But Riyad al-Maliki, the Palestinian foreign minister, responded to Bokova by describing her comments as completely unacceptable. The Palestinian government expects Ms Bokova to focus her efforts on implementing the will of member states and preserving Jerusalem from the Israeli systematic colonisation and assault on its Palestinian character, said Maliki. READ MORE: Israeli rightists push for takeover of al-Aqsa compound Al-Aqsa Mosque is located in East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed following its invasion in 1967 in a move never recognised by the international community as part of its subsequent military occupation of the West Bank. Jewish settlers and Zionist organisations have called for complete Jewish control over the mosque compound. Jewish groups incursions into the mosque compound have continuously led to Palestinian protests across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military and armed settler incursions have resulted in Palestinian deaths and injuries in recent years in particular. Muslim access to the religious site has also been tremendously limited by the army. After moving out of the Reitz Union, fewer students are using UFs outdoor gear rental program. Now with its own building behind Southwest Recreation Center, not as many people pass by the Center for Outdoor Recreation and Educations as they did when the program was located in the Reitz, said Hannah Brock, the CORE program assistant. The center held a grand opening Sept. 16. Its not as busy as wed like it to be, Brock said. When you are located behind Southwest Rec, you dont really have the same sort of foot traffic that you would at the Reitz Union, so its been a challenge getting the word out there about CORE and what we offer exactly. The center offers a rental program for outdoor gear, guided trips, custom trips, workshops and other resources to UF students, she said. Courtney Kramer, 21, spent one weekend earlier this month climbing a cliff on Yonah Mountain in Georgia. She rented size-9 climbing shoes for $5 from the center after she heard about the rental program through the UF Outdoor Adventure Recreation Facebook group. Going into the CORE facility, the staff was exceptionally helpful, the UF environmental geosciences sophomore said. To promote the new location, CORE is reaching out to students on social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter, said Jackie Matthews, the CORE coordinator. Students driving by the building on Bledsoe Drive will also see camping gear displayed outside to entice students to come in. We really want to invite as many people to come into the warehouse because its such a cool space, Matthews said. Matthews said she hopes to reach more students through word of mouth. Some of her plans for the program in the future include partnering with UFs Department of Emergency Medicine for workshops and planning new trips for the Spring semester. Catherine Cramp, the RecSports senior associate director, said she hopes to get student feedback on how to improve the center. Send us trips that you want to do, she said. It does not just have to be an outdoor trip; it can be a fun adventure trip. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now UF researcher finds hormone that sheds fat By Dylan Dixon A UF researcher announced new findings in August that suggest exercising releases a hormone that not only sheds fat, but also prevents it from forming. Dr. Li-Jun Yang, a professor of hematopathology in the UF College of Medicines Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, published a three-yearlong study on the hormone Irisin and how it reacts with fatty tissue and cells. Yang and her team of researchers collected fat cells donated by 28 patients who underwent breast reduction surgery. They then exposed the cells to Irisin, finding that the hormone increased the production of the protein UCP1, which helps shed fat. The hormone also reduced the number of mature fat cells in the tissue by 20 to 60 percent. This is very exciting in the field of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, Yang said. Its possible the hormones beneficial properties could be used to create a prescription medication to help with weight problems, but it could take years. You can just exercise, Yang said. Your body will release your own Irisin. IFAS strawberry variety sweeter, more durable By Rosanne Ramraj IFAS strawberry variety sweeter, more durable Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now A two-year study on UFs Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences strawberries has found they have a longer shelf life and are sweeter than two other IFAS varieties. Vance Whitaker is a UF associate professor of horticultural sciences and a strawberry breeder at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Balm, Florida. He said the IFAS-bred strawberries have 20 percent more sugar and a longer shelf life than the other two strawberry varieties grown side-by-side in Plant City during the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons. The two qualities make the strawberries more attractive for consumers, he said of the study published earlier this month. During the study, researchers compared one type of IFAS-bred strawberry to the other two types: Florida Radiance and Strawberry Festival. Whitaker said scientists measured the attributes of the strawberries before and after they were placed in cold conditions. The newest strawberry, called Florida127, maintained a brighter color in the cold storage and was sweeter. We do not know what biological factors contribute to the differences, but we breed for the traits, he said. IFAS warns of screwworm dangers in Florida By Bailey LeFever An outbreak of the New World screwworm fly, or Cochliomyia hominivorax, could affect thousands of Florida agricultural producers, livestock producers and pet owners, according to UFs Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. The fly has only been found in Big Pine Key and No Name Key, said Phillip Kaufman, a UF associate professor of Veterinary Entomology. Kaufman said he thinks the insect most likely came through a person or animal from an infested country. The flies enter a wound on a living animal, fall out later and spread to different hosts. He said the pest was in the U.S. until it was eradicated in the 1950s. IFAS has been sending out information on the fly to Florida livestock owners, pet owners and the public. The easiest way to prevent its spread is by checking for pests on animals, he said. A veterinarian can easily remove the maggot. If you notice a wound that isnt healing, go in and see your veterinarian, he said. Dont wait. Its better to get this taken care of as early as possible. A student-run blog wants to bridge the gap between the general public and health news. Future Voices of Public Health, hosted on the UF Master of Public Health website, first began in late September to promote dialogue between students studying public health and people outside of the field, said Summer Slaughter, the director of the blog. We want to present the information in the most simple way, but also effectively communicate the issues and problems were seeing in the public health field, the 23-year-old UF public health masters student said. She said the idea started from a conversation with her friends and then with her professor, Mark Hart. After listening to what she had in mind, Hart pitched the blog idea to the college, and it was approved. During the first month, a student will post every week on topics ranging from vaccinations to natural disasters, she said. Public health topics can be found in almost every area of study, she added. She said she hopes students outside of the public health field who are interested will submit ideas for posts through the website. Johanzynn Gatewood, 24, wrote the latest blog post, which focused on the role public health plays in preparing for emergencies. The UF public health masters student got involved with the site when Slaughter, her classmate, approached her with the idea. Gatewood said she was excited to be published on the blog, especially because its a great way to present her ideas and thought. We want to bring awareness to the blog and get students with different perspectives sharing their own experiences, she said. Even though the blog isnt equivalent to a peer-reviewed journal, Gatewood said it was a good way to get published. Casey Parker, 24, got involved after seeing Slaughter speak about the blog at her masters orientation. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now The UF entomology and public health graduate student now works as an editor and is responsible for fact-checking and editing articles, she said. She looks for any facts that could be misleading and makes sure the articles are objective. We dont want to be biased, we just want to give information, Parker said. For her work in community policing, a Gainesville Police sergeant received an award this month from U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, GPD announced in a media release Monday. Sgt. Audrey Mazzuca was one of three law enforcement officers to receive the Attorney Generals Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing in the Innovations in Community Policing category on Oct. 6 in Washington, D.C. During her 19 years at GPD, Mazzuca said shes always been passionate about pro-active, compassion-centered law enforcement. About three years ago, she was asked to join the Disproportionate Minority Contact Initiative, which aims to reduce the number of black youths arrested. As part of the initiative, Mazzuca began the monthly Police Youth Dialogue with retired GPD Capt. Will Halvosa and Jeffrey Weisberg from the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding. During the meetings, which started about three years ago, about 12 officers meet one-on-one with local at-risk youth. There, the officers eat dinner with the participants, spending an hour talking. Sometimes they discuss stereotypes, issues the kids face and how the police can improve relationships with the community, she said. Were actually reaching out to kids that have been kind of labeled too-far-gone or at-risk, she said. So far, about 200 officers and 180 children have participated in the program, she said. In the process, officers have built relationships with those students, Mazzuca said. Shes also encouraged officers to give student offenders counseling and life-skills training instead of arresting them, which has led to a 79-percent decline in on-campus arrests, according to the release. Calling herself a behind-the-scenes worker, Mazzuca said she felt humbled and motivated when her colleagues at GPD nominated her. I hope to earn another one, she said. Were still working. Were still working hard. Sgt. Audrey Mazzuca Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now On the steps of city hall, about 20 Gainesville residents declared that a 5-cent increase to the states minimum wage wasnt enough. Fight for 15 Florida an advocacy group funded by workers unions and the Alachua County Labor Coalition gathered outside the building to speak about why the wage increase, from $8.05 to $8.10 an hour, is too small and why a $15 minimum wage should be implemented instead. The demonstration came a day after Floridas Department of Economic Opportunity announced Monday that the minimum wage would increase. Adriel Coker, a member of Fight for 15 Florida, spoke at the podium between signs reading We Demand $15 and Union Rights and Exigimos $15 y una union. Coker said he knew many workers struggling under the $8.05 minimum wage a struggle that 5 cents couldnt improve. (The) majority of them, they couldnt afford to take care of their families, he said. As long as we have some of us who arent doing well, then none of us are doing well. Coker came to Gainesville from Orlando with other members of the Fight for 15 group to express their concerns over what he called a negligible hike, he said. We heard that they were only going to raise the minimum wage by 5 cents, he said. I really felt like it was an insult. Other speakers and attendees included Alachua County Commissioner Ken Cornell, Alachua County School Board member Eileen Roy and Marihelen Wheeler, who is running for the Florida House of Representatives District 21 seat. Wheeler, a former teacher, said her support for a $15 minimum wage is rooted in her desire to help children being raised in poverty. They are neglected in this whole formula because their basic needs are not being met, she said. Raising the minimum wage, she said, would bring their families out of poverty. The Alachua County Labor Coalition wants to implement a minimum wage close to $15 an hour over the course of the next five years, according to Alligator archives. Jeremiah Tattersall, a member of the coalition, said the current minimum wage disproportionately affects minority communities. Its not a mistake that these workers tend to be people of color, queer workers, transgender workers: our immigrant brothers and sisters, he said. All work matters, and all workers deserve a living wage. But if workers have to maintain multiple jobs, then the current minimum wage sets a negative connotation for the types of jobs theyre holding, he said. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now It says that their work doesnt matter, Tattersall said. 2005 .. English News People's Daily criticizes Abe's ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 18 Octobre 2016 Despite opposition from the international community, Japanese right wing politicians are acting recklessly in its worship at the Yasukuni Shrine. But ghost worship, either by visiting the shrine or sending offerings, is a reflection of their preposterous historical viewpoint. People's Daily The repeated ghost worship by Japanese politicians has been planting dangerous seeds that can potentially lead the whole country in the wrong direction, read an editorial published by the Peoples Daily on Tuesday after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine a day earlier. The Japanese leaders tribute to the Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Class-A convicted World War II criminals were honored, reflects their preposterous historical viewpoint, read the editorial. The following is the translation of the article: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering on Monday to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo during the war-linked shrine's autumn festival, once again repeating its annual farce of "ghost worship. The Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 Class-A convicted war criminals among the 2.5 million Japanese that died in WWII, is regarded as a symbol of past Japanese militarism. After Abe angered the world with his personal visit to the shrine in December 2013, it has almost become tradition for Japanese leaders to send ritual offerings to the shrine during annual spring and autumn festivals, or even on Japans WWII day of surrender. Despite opposition from the international community, Japanese right wing politicians are acting recklessly in its worship at the Yasukuni Shrine. But ghost worship, either by visiting the shrine or sending offerings, is a reflection of their preposterous historical viewpoint. Japanese leaders are not only exposing their arrogance, but also planting dangerous seeds for regional and international disorder by leading the whole country in the wrong direction. History is by no means only related to the past. Todays world has found that the incorrect views held by the Japanese government are exerting great influences on its diplomacy. For instance, after US President Barack Obamas trip to Hiroshima, some US strategists advised Abe to pay a visit to Pearl Harbor. The idea was rejected by the Japanese government. Such a flat-out rejection reveals Japans attitude toward history, which means that it is impossible for Abe to apologize for Japans attack on Pearl Harbor. According to Japanese media, Tokyo has held back its mandatory payment to UNESCO this year because of the UN body's push to reform the Memory of the World program, which registered Chinas documentation of the Nanjing Massacre last year. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the Japanese government considered whether to suspend the contribution after the program registered the documents without consideration of Japans opinion during the process. As one of the gravest crimes committed by Japan during World War II, the Nanjing Massacre is widely recognized by the international community. The registered Documents of the Nanjing Massacre show the responsibility of the international community to preserve history, treasure peace and safeguard human dignity. However, the Japanese government, turning a blind eye to justice, threatened to suspend its annual payment after failing to block registration of the documents. Such a farce shows that for Japanese right wing politicians, covering up a countrys crimes always come before international obligations. This was not the first attempt by the Japanese government to rewrite history. Over the years, Japan has continued to tamper with historical fact in order to undermine the post-war peace. For example, it manufactured threats from surrounding countries ina bid to exempt itself from a new security law. A strategy of hypocrisy was also adopted. Before the regular election of members of the House of Councillors held this summer, it cooled down the aggressive campaign on the law in order to avoid public protests. In a bid to profit from escalating regional conflicts, Japan has also been wooing G7 members to cement alliances with the US. Japans recent behavior recalls the danger it was during World War II. But Japans right wing politicians have no chance for success when faced with the mirror of history. The international community should realize that peace is never achieved at one stroke. It not only calls for justice, but also far-sighted strategies and actions. Dans la meme rubrique : < > More robots entering people's daily life China sees accelerated development of express delivery sector in rural areas China's FAST discovers largest atomic cloud in universe Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Would doubts the leadership of Uncle Sam: expert Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 18 Octobre 2016 It is obvious that the US is seeing a decline in terms of both prestige and influence, but such a drop is not so eye-catching as it has no strong competitors yet. It would be a complicated historic path. Source: People's Daily As the US has lost more international status and influence since the global financial crisis in 2008, the international community is raising doubts about its leadership and ability to contribute to the world, an expert said, analyzing that such a decline of influence can be attributed to some deep-seated reasons, including its self-willed overseas military operations. Since the financial crisis, the US can neither provide effective solutions to a host of global challenges, nor sustain its control over other countries, Zhang Ruizhuang, Director of the Center of American Studies at Nankai University, wrote in an article published in the Peoples Daily on Sunday. In the commentary titled The City upon a Hill is not there any more, he gave an in-depth analysis on the reasons of such changes. Zhang says that A City upon a Hill, often cited by American politicians as their political creed, verified the self-labelling of the arrogant Americans as God's Chosen Ones to lead the world. After the Cold War, the preaching about the superiority of its values brought US much popularity and pulled the country to a commanding stage. But it over-consumed its accumulated political capital during the last quarter of the 20th century, which resulted in a decline in its global influence, Zhang said, adding that the most destructive threat to its dropping status can be attributed to overseas military operations. After the Soviet Union collapsed with the end of the Cold War, the US dominated the world and launched a series of capricious measures. With the excuse of protecting democracy, human rights and the world order, Uncle Sam trampled on the post-war international law based on the UN Charter and norms governing global relations by bringing the flames of war to many parts of the world. Panama, Somalia, Haiti and Kosovo are all victims of such wars waged by the superpower. With a made-up excuse, it pulled Iraq into a war and this political farce finally brought the latter millions of civilian casualties, endless terrorist attacks and ceaseless disturbance. What the US gained, after it paid a price of trillions of dollars for the war, was a hotbed for terrorist organizations which in turn threatened the security of itself and other Western countries. The war against Iraq ultimately turned out to be a foolish one that not only crumbled its diplomatic morality, but undermined its own strategic interests, Zhang concluded. Despite the lessons, the US never gave up every opportunity to start color revolutions. Its attacks on Libya and Syria, once again, dragged these nations into raging wars. Whats worse, as a result of the wars, a number of regulation vacuums provided ISIS and other religious extremist organizations a bed in which to grow stronger. The US, its Western allies, as well as the whole world, are now swallowing the sour fruits resulted from its self-willed deed, he added. According to the scholar, apart from its frequent diplomatic mistakes, its economy, politics and society, in which the Americans once took pride, are all in a predicament, arising more doubts over the superiority of the US system. The global financial crisis breaking out in 2008 exposed the defects of capitalism once again. It brought to light not only the failure of Keynesian policy to narrow the wealth gap and boost effective demand, but the greed and corruption of financial executives, the ineffectiveness of financial supervision, plus the governments shielding of tycoons. The US public felt shock, despair and anger towards such defects, and the ensuing Occupy Wall Street movement is one of their ways to express dissatisfaction. The protest wave later spilled to other part of the world, triggering worldwide query over the US system and its values. Zhang also criticized US domestic politics, citing its notorious presidential election system as an example. Manipulated by capital, the winner takes all election system in many states gives no chance to other newborn parties besides the two major parties. The American elections of the past two to three decades have been more like technical games. The candidates now focus more on technical details for the sake of more votes rather than their political ideas and governance philosophies, and the whole process has fallen into personal attacks between the two candidates, he added. Coupled with some other faults, the US and even the whole world began to question on the effectiveness of US democracy, as well as its leader selected in such a flawed way. The article analyzed that one key reason for its flopping election lies in a lack of innovative governing ideas. Barely stimulated by major crisis, US society tends to be mediocre and conservative about its ideas, the commentary further explained, adding that the prevailing philosophy of so-called political correctness also created an unfavorable environment for the candidates to come up with new ideas acceptable to the public. Lack of foresighted candidates with outstanding capability is another reason for its unsuccessful election, Zhang wrote. He explained that some capable politicians are not willing to embarrass themselves on the election stage at the cost of their privacy and that of their family as the butt of jokes. As a result, the world was presented with an election farce performed by the two unqualified and big-mouth candidates selected by the two parties, the author concluded. It is obvious that the US is seeing a decline in terms of both prestige and influence, but such a drop is not so eye-catching as it has no strong competitors yet. It would be a complicated historic path, the scholar said, calling for more attention to the course of the world pattern. Dans la meme rubrique : < > More robots entering people's daily life China sees accelerated development of express delivery sector in rural areas China's FAST discovers largest atomic cloud in universe Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) Visa unexpectedly announced the resignation of CEO Charlie Scharf, making way for longtime Amex executive Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., a current board member, to take over the role effective Dec. 1. Scharf, 51, cited difficulties in continuing to perform his job while balancing family responsibilities on both coasts, telling Visa's board that running a San Francisco-based company "just doesn't work for me personally right now," according to an Oct. 17 press release from Visa. Kelly, 57, this year took over as president and CEO of New York-based Intersection Co., a technology and media company. He previously spent 23 years at American Express Co. in a variety of roles, ultimately rising to president. Visa's senior management team has worked closely with Kelly, enabling him to "step in quickly without missing a beat," Scharf said in the release. Scharf said he will serve as an adviser to Kelly beginning Dec. 1 for several months. "I am extremely excited and honored to take on this role and build on Charlie's work and that of all the employees at Visa," Kelly said. Scharf, who started his financial services career as an assistant to JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon, was named Visa's CEO in October 2012, succeeding Joseph Saunders, who retired in 2011 at age 66. When Hillary Clintons media tried to make Trumps crude sexual banter the centerpiece of the last debate, Trump pivoted to national security and once again said how proud he is to be backed by 200 generals and admirals. These are among Americas finest, bravest, most admirable men. Seventeen medal of honor winners endorsed Trump. So did fifteen brigadier generals, thirty-four major generals, eighteen lieutenant generals, forty-one rear admirals, six vice-admirals, and three 4 star generals and admirals. Such men do not put their names down for a candidate and a cause without serious thought. This is what they signed their names to on the choice between Hillary and Trump: The 2016 election affords the American people an urgently needed opportunity to make a long-overdue course correction in our national security posture and policy. As retired senior leaders of Americas military, we believe that such a change can only be made by someone who has not been deeply involved with, and substantially responsible for, the hollowing out of our military and the burgeoning threats facing our country around the world. For this reason, we support Donald Trumps candidacy to be our next Commander-in-Chief. For the past eight years, Americas armed forces have been subjected to a series of ill-considered and debilitating budget cuts, policy choices and combat operations that have left the superb men and women in uniform less capable of performing their vital missions in the future than we require them to be. Simultaneously, enemies of this country have been emboldened, sensing weakness and irresolution in Washington and opportunities for aggression at our expense and that of other freedom-loving nations. In our professional judgment, the combined effect is potentially extremely perilous. That is especially the case if our government persists in the practices that have brought us to this present pass. For this reason, we support Donald Trump and his commitment to rebuild our military, to secure our borders, to defeat our Islamic supremacist adversaries and restore law and order domestically. We urge our fellow Americans to do the same. This letter from our military leaders to the voting public was organized by Major General Shachnow. Major General Shachnow has an amazing life story told in his memoir, Hope and Honor. His life experience help explains his leadership in opposing Hillary Clinton and supporting Donald Trump. Shachnow is the only Holocaust survivor to become a U.S. General and was a legend in the Green Berets, with whom he served for forty years. Like the perfidious Hillary supporter, the Nazi collaborator George Soros, Major General Sid Shachnow was a child in Nazi-era Europe. Shachnow took the opposite path from Soros. Shachnow was seven years old when the Nazis invaded his town, burned alive doctors and patients in the hospital, gunned down the elderly and orphans, and rounded up the Jews in a grand action, sending ten thousand directly to their deaths. Shachnow and his parents were sent to the nightmare Kovno concentration camp, where he survived for three years before his resourceful family escaped once again, only days before the childrens death march to Auschwitz. There followed months of surviving in the forests, before the Shachnows joined up with Zionist partisans and stealthily crossed 2000 miles of Soviet-occupied Europe to reach freedom in the American zone in Germany. Eventually Shachnows family immigrated to America. He joined the U.S. Army before graduating from high school and, for obvious reasons, volunteered for the Green Berets. He eventually rose to command the Green Berets, and helped develop Americas modern Special Forces. In his memoir, Gen. Shachnow wrote: I remembered how the American GIs had inspired me as a young immigrant and ignited in me dreams for freedom and a better lifeFreedom is a reality that everyone deserves. Maj. Gen Shachnow was awarded many medals and honors including, the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Clusters and "V" device, the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster. Major General Shachnow teamed with Rear Admiral Charles Williams to quickly gather other retired military flag officers to support a Trump victory. Rear Admiral Williamss personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Navy Meritorious Service Medals and two Navy Commendation Medals. He served onboard submarines, aircraft, surface ships, and with Seabee and SEAL team units, including the successful evacuation of Americans out of war-torn Lebanon following the attack on our U.S. Embassy. Rear Admiral Williams last service was running the Naval Inventory Control Point responsible for aviation, ship, and submarine repair. He understands our woeful loss of readiness under the current administration. Google these admirals and generals and medal of honor recipients and you will know Trump is utterly sincere when he states he is humbled and honored by their support. Admiral Jerome (Jerry)Johnson was a four-star Admiral who served on active duty for almost 38 years; his final assignment was the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. At sea he commanded Attack Squadron Twenty-seven (VA-27), the combat stores ship USS San Jose, the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea, the Carrier Group Four, the US Second Fleet and NATOs Striking Fleet Atlantic. Gen. Alfred Hansen is a retired four star US Air Force general who served as Commander, Air Force Logistics command. In Vietnam, he flew 113 combat missions. In 1985 he became director for logistics for the Joint chiefs of Staff. In this position, he was responsible for worldwide logistics in support of theater commanders war plans and was a member of the Senior NATO Logistics Forum. Lt. General Marvin Covault, US Army (ret) was former chief of staff for NATO forces in Southern Europe. He had 32 years of military experience. Lt. General Timothy Kinnan, US Air Force, served as Vice Director for Strategic Plans and Policy with the Joint Chiefs of Staff developing military strategy and policy. His final active duty assignment was as US Military Representative to NATO Military Committee in Belgium, NATOs highest military authority. Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams (born October 2, 1923) is a retired United States Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. He is the last surviving recipient of the Medal of Honor from that battle. Landing on February 21, 1945, Williams, by then a corporal, distinguished himself two days later when American tanks, trying to open a lane for infantry, encountered a network of reinforced concrete pillboxes. Williams went forward alone with his 70-pound (32 kg) flamethrower to attempt the reduction of devastating machine gun fire from the unyielding positions. Harry Truman congratulates Hershel Williams on being awarded the Medal of Honor, 5 October 1945 Covered by only four riflemen, he fought for four hours under terrific enemy small-arms fire and repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flame throwers. He returned to the front, frequently to the rear of hostile emplacements, to wipe out one position after another. At one point, a wisp of smoke alerted him to the air vent of a Japanese bunker, and he approached close enough to put the nozzle of his flamethrower through the hole, killing the occupants. On another occasion, he was charged by enemy riflemen who attempted to stop him with bayonets and he killed them with a burst of flame from his weapon. These actions occurred on the same day as the raising of the U.S. flag commemorated in the famous photo and later statute for the Marine Corps War Memorial. These are the men who stand with Trump and want him as our Commander in Chief. Tamika Cross is the young African-American physician in the Delta plane incident that took place last week. Her Facebook account of the reluctance of a flight attendant to let her examine a sick passenger went viral, and the mainstream media promptly picked up the story. Delta and the anonymous flight attendant were hit by tsunami of righteous indignation. (A BET headline expressed the consensus, if a bit luridly: Delta Airlines Almost Let A Man Die Because They Didnt Believe this Black Woman was a Doctor.) But like a lot of tales of the persecution of African-Americans by European-Americans, the storys worth another look. Heres how the drama unfolded: 1. When a woman two rows in front of her was screaming for help because her husband was unresponsive, Dr. Cross did not identify herself as a physician to the flight attendant: I naturally jumped into Doctor mode as no one else was getting up. Unbuckle my seatbelt and throw my tray table up and as I'm about to stand up, flight attendant says "everyone stay calm, it's just a night terror, he is alright". I continue to watch the scene closely. The flight attendant had no way of knowing that the young woman in dreadlocks was a doctor. 2. As Dr. Cross recounts the story, A couple mins later he is unresponsive again and the flight attendant yells call overhead for a physician on board. I raised my hand to grab her attention. What the flight attendant probably said was, If there is a physician on board, please press your overhead call button. Dr. Cross failed to do this. Then, according to the 4th year resident, I tried to inform her that I was a physician but I was continually cut off by condescending remarks. Its not clear what happened here, but all she has to say is Im a doctor. It wouldnt be easy to interrupt that brief sentence with a condescending remark. 3. The request to press the call button was now repeated over the public address system, and this time Dr. Cross followed directions. When she did, she was recognized as a doctor and was asked for her credentials. While this brief interrogation wastes time, as Cross complains, its not hard to see why Delta requires flight attendants to do this, unless the doctor happens to be carrying around his or her ID badge. The airline could be liable if it permitted someone unqualified to treat a patient during a flight. According to Dr. Cross, she was asked, What type of doctor are you? Where do you work? Why were you in Detroit?" The third question is irrelevant, and if it were asked, it shouldnt have been. The first two are perfectly legitimate. Providing her credentials should have taken about thirty seconds. 4. According to Dr. Cross, what happened next was that ...another [sic] seasoned white male approaches the row and says he is a physician as well. She says to me "thanks for your help but he can help us, and he has his credentials". (Mind you he hasn't shown anything to her. Just showed up and fit the "description of a doctor") I stay seated. Mind blown. Blood boiling. It never occurred to Dr. Cross that the male physician may have followed directions, pressed his call button, and then provided his credentials to another flight attendant before proceeding down the aisle. 5. Then, says Dr. Cross, this heifer has the nerve to ask for my input on what to do next about 10 mins later. I suspect that Cross doesnt realize that the flight attendant had recognized the potentially grave consequences for her having permitted the older, experienced white physician to examine the passenger instead of a young African-American female, and is trying to placate the 4th year resident. Cross continues: I tell her we need vitals and blood sugar. She comes back to report to me a BP of 80/50 (super low, to my non medical peeps) and they can't find a glucometer. We continue down that pathway of medical work up, but the point is she needed my help and I continued to help despite the choice words I had saved up for her. No, the flight attendant didnt need Dr. Crosss help. All commercial airplanes are required to carry sphygmomanometers on board, and apparently the other physician knew how to use one, and was probably also aware that 80/50 is a very low bp. 6. The heifer now begins to panic. Her career is on the line for having offended this young African-American woman. She came and apologized to me several times and offering me skymiles. I kindly [sic] refused. This is going higher than her. I don't want skymiles in exchange for blatant discrimination. Whether this was race, age, gender discrimination, it's not right. She will not get away with this.... and I will still get my skymiles.... Bottom line: if Dr. Cross had done as instructed, pressed the call button, informed the flight attendant that she was a doctor, and provided her credentials, theres little reason to doubt she would have been permitted to examine the patient. Once upon a time, people of all races were taught that the decent, honorable thing to do is to accept a sincere apology. You forgive that you may be forgiven, in St. Franciss words. That era is history. In any case, it looks to me that Dr. Cross boarded the Delta flight with a good-sized chip on her shoulder: ...last July, she posted about how Independence Day in the US did not originally stand for independence for blacks. It was, according to Dr. Cross, an inequality that still stands to this day. She punctuated this with instances of innocent black men shot by the police shortly after the 4th of July. Shackles dont define bondage the mentality of this country certainly does, Dr. Cross wrote on the Facebook post, Black people, you never were intended to share the equal liberty as others in this country, and you still arent today in 2016. This is the kind of statement that tells us a great deal more about the writer than about U.S. history or contemporary America. But there is a reality behind Dr. Crosss Facebook story. Among the 20,627 students entering med school last fall, just 793 (3.8%) were African-American women, vs 2,029 (9.8%) Asian women. (Asians are 5.6% of the American population, blacks 13.2%). The two previous years, the figures were 734 and 712. A 2010 AMA study found that 6.3% of U.S. MDs were African-American, Black women making up 55.3% of this group. A more recent study put the figure at 4%. Theres no question African-Americans are underrepresented among U.S. physicians. But whos responsible? Much as they would love to increase minority enrollment, medical schools do not have the latitude of undergraduate institutions in admitting unqualified and unprepared African-Americans. You cannot get through med school without having demonstrated a certain level of proficiency in undergraduate biology, chemistry, physics, and math. Its costly to flunk med students and the schools havent been doing this for some time. Courses are pass/fail, and you retake those you fail. Two medical schools cater to African-Americans, Howard and Meharry. Between 1950 and 2004, the two graduated 3,335 and 2,771 physicians respectively. The University of Illinois was a distant third, with 713. Whites are eligible to attend both of the historically Black schools, of course, but you have to have a history of service to the African-American community and write a persuasive personal statement. Meharry and Howard students have an average MCAT (under the old scoring) of 27. A score of 30-31 puts you in the 80th percentile, and its extremely difficult to get into a good med school with anything below this. As it happens, Dr. Tamika Cross is a graduate of Meharry. But even with the output of Howard and Meharry, both of which are small schools, African-American doctors are rarae aves in most hospitals and on insurers lists of eligible physicians. In any case, perceptions of who might be a doctor have a lot more to do with gender than race. Patients will sometimes address questions to male residents or 4th year med students rather than to the female attending physician, and, because doctors in most hospitals no longer wear white coats, patients will occasionally ask female doctors to empty their bedpan. The way to avoid this is for the attending to introduce herself to the patient, and introduce the residents and students accompanying her. Good manners, in other words. Good humor is essential, too. Though med school enrollments are now almost equal, older patients in particular will continue to mistake female physicians for nurses, and a doctor who lets her blood boil is not acting as a medical professional. The American novelist and diplomat Brand Whitlock once wrote, There is this terrible and fatal quality in all writing, which should no doubt adjure us all to silence -- namely, that no matter how imperfect a picture the writer gives of everything else, he always draws a perfect portrait of himself. Tamika Crosss account of the incident on the Delta flight reveals that she failed to follow simple directions, was unable to communicate clearly and intelligibly, and was unwilling to accept a sincere on the spot apology. Her 4th of July ruminations strike me as a cartoon image of America. Dr. Crosss final statement in her Facebook post tells us everything we need to know about her: She will not get away with this.... and I will still get my skymiles.... Jay Michaels (as Josh Michaels) is the author of the novel Outlaws. While you chaps are processing salacious tales of gropings and collapsings on the presidential trail, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service has faithfully discharged its obligation to publish the actuals for the federal government for fiscal year 2016 ending September 30. Its amazing, really, that a federal government that cant cobble together a health care system that lets you keep your doctor can easily run the numbers on the trillions of dollars in Outlays and Receipts and come up with the official Federal Deficit in a couple weeks after the end of the fiscal year. But then, as I read some years ago, the first thing you need to know about government is that its most important program is not defense or its funding for Planned Parenthood, but simply this: The most important government program is the program to sell the debt. As long as the government can get the widows and orphans to buy its debt from their nice brokers on Wall Street then everything is copacetic. Otherwise, head for the border. Hello Venezuela and Weimar Germany. That is why Hillary Clinton is such a pal of the notorious Goldman Sachs, and why it is natural to put an Obama O in GOldman or a Hillary H in SacHs. Or both. Government needs the bankers and the bankers need government. That is not a scandal; it is just settled science. So what is the deficit for FY 2016? Well, back in the FY 2011 budget, published in February 2010, the Obama boys estimated the deficit at $649 billion. Since then, they have changed their minds five times, and the lowest estimate was $474 billion in the FY16 budget. But last February, President Obama published the FY17 budget that estimated the FY16 deficit at $615 billion. Dont ask me why the estimate bumped up $150 billion in one year. All I can say is that it had nothing to do with the 2016 election. Nothing. So how did the Deficit for 2016 turn out, after all? The answer, published by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, is $587 billion. The Receipts were down about $70 billion from forecast, and the Outlays were down about $100 billion. Of course, the deficit is not the whole story, because the Federal Government borrows a lot more money than is recorded in the official federal deficit for the unified budget. According to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service the total Treasury debt a year ago on September 30, 2015 was $18.1 trillion. A couple of weeks ago on September 30, 2016 the debt had grown to $19.5 trillion. So the debt increased by $1.4 trillion over the last 12 months. You may ask: How can this be? How can the debt go up by $1,422 billion in a year when the deficit was only $587 billion? Where did the additional $835 billion come from? Why is the government borrowing an extra $800 billion and change over and above the vital and necessary $587 billion to keep the Social Security checks and birth-control pills coming? I have an idea. I think it has something to do with the Democrats principled desire to get the special interests out of campaign financing. I think that if you read the tea leaves carefully you will find that President Obama decided a while back to use his phone and his pen to implement full public campaign financing in advance of the 2016 election and end forever the injustice of the donors and the special interests calling the shots. So now the federal government will just distribute the necessary funds to deserving regime supporters without waiting for the approval of the donors and the voters. I think that Hillary Clintons razor-sharp categorization of voters into the peer-reviewed social-science categories of deplorables and irredeemables gives us a window into the philosophical categories developed by the best minds in our ruling class as they decided, months ago, how to distribute, in the run-up to the election, the public campaign finance funding phoned in by the president. Anybody could tell that Black Lives Matter activists, sexual-harassment victims of crony capitalists, green-energy contractors, and Syrian refugees were marked out for peaceful and just assistance to redress centuries of exploitation and oppression, whereas the deplorables needed to be carefully screened off from any corrupting influence of filthy lucre that might further deform their minds into deeper and darker hate and xenophobia. All this money sloshing around is good clean fun, but what if the nation had to fight a war, one utterly unanticipated by the big thinkers and the diversity administrators? How can this nation fight a war of national survival when it has already run its debt up to 100 percent of Gross Domestic Product and very likely more? You tell me, President Obama and Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also see his American Manifesto and get his Road to the Middle Class. Last week a story appeared, tucked in the back pages of American newspapers that are concentrating almost entirely on our leap year election ritual. Vladimir Putin, the Frank Gorshin-lookalike, former KGB agent, and current Russian dictator, once again tried to grab headlines and to indirectly interpolate himself into the American foreign policy debate, along with the election itself. Mr. Putin proposed to reopen the long-shuttered Russian military bases in sub-Saharan Africa, Vietnam, and yes, in Cuba, thereby extending Russias global reach and turning up the dial in his personal Cold War against America and the West. Putin, who has never hidden his chagrin at the fall of the Soviet Union, and yearns to restore Russian power, self-satisfyingly argued that extending Russian military might to Southeast Asia and the Americas will have the salutary effect of curbing the hegemonic ambitions of the current superpower, the United States of America. Putins remarks drew more attention in Europe than in the USA, but hell gladly accept the publicity, regardless of the source. Putins ambitions have, however, found their way into the current American political conversation. He has figured in the first two American presidential debates, and, in fact, he has inverted the decades-old paradigm, with the Democratic candidate accusing the Republican nominee of being soft on Russia, if not on communism. This takes the nation back to 1960, when GOP nominee Richard Nixon publicly jousted with his Democratic opponent, Senator John F. Kennedy, over who would more effectively contain the Soviet Union and their adventurous leader, Nikita Khrushchev. The real question that we must address here is fairly straightforward. What is Vladimir Putins real game? Is he simply a blusterer and a poseur who enjoys making the West nervous and jumpy? On the other hand, is he aggressively moving to reassert Russian primacy in the world, following the examples of Peter the Great, and Marshal Stalin? Possibly he is pursuing an entirely different course altogether. The likelihood is that Putin is all of the above. Vladimir Putin is a Great Russia proponent. He has always endorsed an active and arguably an aggressive foreign policy, as the Crimean and Ukrainian situations clearly illustrate. Putin has publicly longed for the re-establishment of Russian world power, and has pledged himself to achieve that end. He is also an opportunist who sees his chances and takes them. When Putin realized that the Obama administration was preparing to bow out of the Middle East he rushed in to fill the void, thereby making Russian a major player in that region once again. Finally, Putin might be charitably referred to as an egomaniac, who loves publicity and headlines and who is willing to employ Russian national power to garner these things for himself. In this sense he approximates a fascist dictator of the 1930s, who merges national power and world influence with his own persona. Does Vladimir Putin represent a real threat, or is he merely a blustering impostor leading a declining state while desperately struggling to remain relevant on the world stage? How, precisely to engage the Russians, is a question that has bedeviled Western foreign policy gurus for centuries. There is an old saying concerning the Russians: Russia is never as strong as she looks but Russia is never as weak as she looks. The aphorism, correctly understood, would mean that foreign nations should not overestimate Russian power, but that a nation that underestimates Russia does so at its own peril. In light of current realities, one might argue that Russia is awash in her own troubles, and, is therefore not much of a threat. Surely Russia deals with a declining and an ageing population, an economic boom that has hit a pothole due to slumping energy prices, and a questionably capable high-tech sector that serves as a shaky base for developing and building advanced weaponry. On the other hand, we underestimate Russia at our own risk. The Russian people are tough and resourceful, and Putin, for all of his bluster and nonsense, is shrewd and persistent, with a deep reservoir of support among the people. Certainly, there are questions concerning lack of Western resolve that must figure into any calculation. So, what is to be done? First of all, American policymakers must keep their heads clear and their options open. They should not declare a new cold war, and, in fact, they should avoid any statements whatsoever on this subject. We see how well extending an olive branch in the form of the vaunted reset worked out! Putin, the lover of publicity, would revel in the recognition that he has made himself relevant, once again, by getting under the skin of the American leadership. The Russian public who are not as anti-American as some Western opinion shapers believe, would however, rally to the leaders side in time of tension. The Russian challenge must be taken seriously. The American foreign policy establishment should reread George Kennan and "The Sources of Soviet Conduct" for a road map, simply substituting Russian for Soviet in this modern instance. In short, we must return to a policy of containing the Russian colossus, applying long-term, patient, but firm containment of Russian expansive tendencies. There are different methods of practicing containment, but practice it we must! What does this mean for the moment? It means another reset of our Russian policy, but not as the Obama administration had hoped. Do the American people want this firm approach? Do we have the stomach for a resumption of the Cold War? Will the foreign policy establishment, the Congress and the new president ever agree to a controversial and costly shifting of gears? These are the questions that a new generation will be forced to answer. It already seems like a lifetime ago that MachadoGate and Lewd-Comments-on-the-Bus-Gate appeared on the political scene and, according to all news sources, derailed the Trump candidacy. Little did we know that a few days later, the Trump campaign would be dealt yet another setback -- only this time by a cadre of women parading around the alphabet stations with sudden flashbacks of memory that conveniently materialized just a few weeks before the election. According to the punditry and press, the Trump campaign has received a death blow from which it cannot recover. Clinton is president! For anyone paying attention to presidential campaigns, this could hardly be a surprise -- after all, it is October and our opponent is the party of win at all costs. While imbecilic Republicans bicker and snicker about Trump, Democrats will, once again, coalesce around Hillary despite their competing coalitions. Republicans are stuck in the quagmire of who killed the GOP and who is a more principled conservative, while the Democrats work with their media comrades and perfect their ground game. How do they do it? By dangling distractions with the one hand that Republicans fall for every time, while working their election magic with the other hand. Prior to this succession of October surprises, right-wing Trump-haters had somewhat backed off, but now have re-emerged more emboldened and feeling completely vindicated. The end of Trump is nigh, they gleefully clamor. Its time for him to resign. Congressmen are jumping ship. Others are planning to mutiny. Trump may very well lose the election. Im not in the habit of prognosticating either way. But personally, I think it is just as likely he pulls this off as he is annihilated. Im not advocating for Trump in as much as for the people who support him. And that is the piece to this conundrum that has been missing all along: the People -- not a bunch of deplorables and irredeemables, hunkering down in their basket of -isms. But marginalized average Americans hurt by Democrat policies and used by Republican politicians. These are the everyday Americans that a flawed and filthy rich Hillary loathes. These are the everyday Americans that a flawed and filthy rich Trump embraces. While this isnt news, I still dont think anyone has really grasped the Trump phenomenon and what really feeds it. Let me first tell you what this election is not. It is not about a cult of personality centered around the Donald, as some claim. It is not about his debonnaire je ne cest quois. It isnt about his political acumen or his finesse on the debate stage. It isnt about his ability to pivot and re-direct answers to questions. It isnt about knowing the minutiae of information required to pass a State Department exam. It really isnt even about his business prowess or successful deal making. Support for Trump is more of a jury nullification -- a complete rejection of all of the evidence. Not the evidence of how bad things are -- we all know our economic, cultural, and national security health is hanging by a thread. It is the wholesale renunciation of all that political gamesmanship has wrought. Things may be grim, but if we dont address the underlying cause of WHY our outlook is bleak and it doesnt matter who is elected. The cycle of misery will just continue. Too few who earn their living inside the Beltway seem to get this; and the few who do, rarely have national exposure. It is also too simplistic to cast the Trump phenomenon as the natural outgrowth of the fading glory of the angry and frustrated white man juxtaposed against the ascendant power of minorities -- the throwaway line that permeates political commentary. It is far more nuanced than that. The Trump phenomenon is better understood as a colossal F U to all of the lies and broken promises politicians have hoisted upon the masses over the years. It is the savage blowback to the money-sucking rules and regulations and taxes that heavily burden a broad range of the middle and upper middle classes. It is a YUGE suck it to the self-aggrandizement and pocket lining that goes on within the Beltway. It is a swift backlash against the swarm of Beltway wannabees who want in on DC action in order to enrich themselves on the backs of the people, to the detriment of the country. It is the sweeping repudiation of the Democrat-Media Complex with its corruption, collusion, and revolving door between Democrat candidates like Hillary, the White House, the DOJ, the IRS, the press, the academy, the 1%, the think tanks, Wall Street, the Occupy and Black Lives Movements, the unions, the community organizers, and the entire Democrat Party apparatus. It is a gigantic body slam against the brutal tactics the left employs every election -- regardless of who the candidate is and what his/her credentials may be -- tactics deployed to seek and destroy the opponent at all costs using falsehoods that are shamelessly disseminated because the ends justifies the means. This election is a referendum against the very kind of unbalanced treatment of the candidates we see unfolding right now, where the only news featured is Trumps sexual misconduct. Anyone with a passing interest in the election tuning into the MSM for an update has no idea about Hillarys history, her transgressions, or her incompetence. They will not know about her intentional destruction of emails that belong to the People, her illegal server, her lies to the FBI, her negligence in Benghazi, or how she destroyed the women who, in her own words, deserve to be heard, how she mocked stay-at-home moms who like to bake cookies, let alone how she portrayed a little girl who was raped as the predator, then laughed about it. Some champion of women and children. This is a referendum against the press looking the other way as far as Hillary Clinton goes, while perseverating on the foibles of Trump; against the kind of mean-spirited, scorched earth tactics employed by the left that always emerge in the final weeks before the election. It doesnt matter if the lies are about tax returns, salacious affairs, Air National Guard, DUIs, women in binders, dogs on roofs, or illegally obtained tape recordings from private events. This is how it always goes. And the little guys have had enough -- and they arent just men, they arent just white, and they arent just the working class whose jobs have been displaced. They are legion and span the demographic spectrum. The Democrats arent worried about winning. Theyre worried about the backlash and they should be. The attitude of the average Trump supporter is that no matter how much of a buffoon he might be, he isnt as bad as all of the other career pols out there who misstate, misspeak, and misremember but always get away with it because they claim to be above the fray, of impeccable character, or to soar high when others stoop low. Whether hard-core from the get-go or johnny-come-latelies, Trump supporters have such little regard for political elites, that theyll support anyone who isnt making his or her money off of their votes. The more the media focus on Trumps indiscretions while blatantly ignoring the mounting evidence of the Clinton Machines abuse of power and complicity in criminal, treasonous activities that put the homeland at risk, the more people dig in their heels for Trump. This might not be enough for Trump to win, but thats ok. Trump is the second phase of a freedom-based-on-constitutional-governance-movement whose genesis started with the Tea Party. Even though Trump is not a Tea Party candidate and Tea Partiers generally did not support him in the primaries, they want many of the same things -- restoring liberty, law and order; returning to constitutional governance and limited government; and unleashing the power of free markets. Do not mistake Donald Trump for the movement or even its leader. He is merely a conduit for that movement to act and organize; the first national voice of what is still a grassroots movement. The Tea Party had a tough time getting press attention; Donald does not. He might stink as a candidate. His character might be less than worthy. But he is and was the only guy on the debate stage willing to say what needs to be said, offering to do what needs to be done, speaking on behalf of those who have been silenced by the lefts own version of intolerance, bullying, and political correctness. Hes got our six and hes unafraid. This is why evangelicals can vote for a guy whose views on life, gay marriage and religion are debatable; why they can turn the other cheek when he uses crude language. This is why accomplished professional women who have broken the glass ceiling working in a mans world, like Ann Coulter (or me) can put up with his remarks about women and still vote for him. This is why devoted and hardened conservatives like Bill Bennett or Victor Davis Hanson, who take their conservatism seriously, can vote for Trump. This is why Tea party conservatives who supported Anyone But Trump in the primaries, can support Anyone But Clinton in the general election. The People understand what this election is about. Why cant the rest of the conservative universe? While pundits like Jonah Goldberg and George Will have turned this into a urinating contest of who is the more conservative conservative and who is doing more to destroy the GOP and conservatism, the People are waging a completely different war, using bunker-busting bombs to destroy the mess at its core. The two-party system has already been irretrievably corrupted with bugs and malware. No matter what we say, no matter what buttons we push, nothing will change. The only fix is a virus and it just so happens, Trump is the virus. But it could have been anyone -- as long as he or she would call out the double standards and refuse to cower or capitulate when attacked by self-righteous pundits, haranguing journalists, rabid Democrats, or scaredy-cat Republicans. Have no doubt. This is every bit a renunciation of Obamas eight years, failed Democrat policies, and Hillary Clintons failures in office, as it is of the Washington leviathan, including our own defectors on the right. Everyday Americans are looking for an advocate, a champion, a voice, and a backbone, not a spineless sycophant who apologizes and backtracks when the going gets tough. Millions of everyday Americans have flipped the proverbial bird to overweening government bureaucracy, the political process, political elites, and the entire political machine. They know they are ignored. But Trump can be heard above the din of even the most biased in the media. And Trump is the collective voice of more than 50 million F Us. And the hits just keep on coming, as those Top 40 jingles used to tell us. We learned that President Clinton was given a wonderful birthday gift years ago: According to the newly released WikiLeaks emails, Bill Clinton, the husband of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, received a birthday present from the Islamic country of Qatar in 2011 of $1 million. "[Qatar] Would like to see WJC for five minutes in NYC, to present $1 million check that Qatar promised for WJCs birthday in 2011, Ami Desai, director of foreign policy for the Clinton Foundation, wrote in 2012. Let's assume that Qatar was just giving the former president a birthday gift. In other words, let's assume further that the wonderful people of Qatar just wanted to show their support for the former president and all of the wonderful things he did for the world. Or maybe his assistance in bringing the World Cup? My question is this: do we want former presidents getting birthday gifts of this size? More importantly, do we want an ex-president, married to the current secretary of state and future candidate for president, to be getting a gift like this? And shouldn't gifts like these be made public? Did President Obama know that such a gift was made? Did that check go into a joint account or some account that benefits Mrs. Clinton as well? As with everything Clinton, it raises ethical questions and transparency issues. It reminds us again that the Clintons love to navigate in secret until they are caught. It also raises the question of what Qatar was expecting from Mr. and Mrs. Clinton. Maybe nothing, but the secrecy of this gift makes me wonder. For the record, I am not opposed to countries honoring our ex-presidents by naming schools or airports after them. I don't even mind if they make a contribution to a charity of the president's choice, such as to recognize the wonderful work that President and Mrs. Carter have done with Habitat for Humanity. Again, this gift was made in secret, and that's wrong, because we are talking about a former president married to the secretary of state. It stinks, like everything Clinton! P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. Whenever a proposition comes on the ballot in California to release criminals from jail, it always passes, since the criminals already outside jail outnumber the law-abiding citizens. That's why it will come as no surprise when California voters vote for Proposition 57, which will release "nonviolent" criminals. The only problem is that California has a very expansive definition of "nonviolent" in its legal code: Rape by intoxication, Rape of an unconscious person There is an unusual dynamic here. Feminist liberals push for a more and more expansive definition of rape, but anti-prison liberals push for more and more release of rapists from prison. Human Trafficking involving sex act with minors Liberals see no problem there. Driveby shooting Nonviolent? I guess if they miss. Assault with a deadly weapon Hard to see how that is nonviolent. Maybe if consensual? It is California. Hostage taking Well, if they don't execute the hostages, obviously nonviolent. Attempting to explode a bomb at a hospital or school Why should the people who are bad at making bombs be penalized for those who are good at it? You wouldn't want to see Ahmed the Clock Boy go to prison, would you? Domestic violence involving trauma (As opposed to domestic violence without trauma) Supplying a firearm to a gang member Obviously nonviolent, unless you are a gun dealer selling to a regular citizen. Hate crime causing physical injury As opposed to non-hate crimes causing physical injuries. Are these other assaults not hateful? Are they acts of love? Arson If the building burns down, but no one is in it, where's the violence? Discharging a firearm on school grounds Again, we should not penalize bad shots simply because others have better aim. False imprisonment of an elder through violence. "Through violence"...being classified as nonviolent. Only in California. This sounds incredible, but Ballotpedia fact-checked it and confirmed the authenticity: ... opponents correctly note that the initiative does not define which "nonviolent" crimes are eligible, and state law treats many seemingly violent crimes as "nonviolent." Therefore, unless amended, Proposition 57, if approved, could provide early release to inmates whose crimes are not designated as "violent" under state law but whose criminality involved actions that would commonly be regarded as violent. Convicted rapists and murders being held in jail on some of the above charges could get early release as well. Exit question: If this referendum passes, as expected, where would you like the prison buses to make their drop-off stops? My votes: 1) Pacific Heights, San Francisco 2) Santa Monica, California 3) Bel Air, Los Angeles (two stops) 4) Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles 5) Malibu, California (two-hour layover) 6) Palo Alto, California 7) Los Altos Hills, California 8) Fairfax, California 9) Berkeley, California (not that anyone would notice) Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com. Al Pacino's movie The Devil's Advocate is a good analogy for Hillary Clinton on the moral question of using free will to choose making a deal with the devil to advance her career. The plot: Pacino is the devil and the head of a rich and powerful New York City law firm. Keanu Reeves is a young attorney and the devil's son. Reeves is practicing criminal law in Florida, representing a man who molested a young girl. He goes all out, pulling every defense trick, to walk the rapist. He destroys the young girl's credibility on cross exam. Reeves is then recruited to the Pacino law firm, where he mingles with the rich and powerful and makes tons of money, but his wife descends into mental illness. At the end, Pacino gives a speech. The gist is that we have free will to make decisions whether to do the right thing or not. Reeves made the decision to walk the rapist and go for the big money. At the end, Reeves is transported back in time to the trial of the rapist, and he informs the judge that he cannot represent the rapist. He seemingly makes the right decision. The movie ends with Reeves telling a news reporter that he will give him an exclusive on why he stopped representing the rapist. The reporter's face changes to Pacino's, with Pacino saying, "Vanity definitely my favorite sin." In 1975, Hillary accepted an appointment to represent a 41-year-old man who raped a 13-year-old girl. She filed a motion with the court for a psychiatric exam of the victim, alleging that the victim fantasized about older men and attacking her credibility. She had the rapist take a lie detector test he passed. She got the rape charge reduced to fondling a minor, with time served. Then, later, she was recorded in an interview laughing about the case and saying the rapist passing the lie detector test convinced her that the tests are not reliable. Simply put, Hillary knew that the rapist was guilty but used every move to reduce the charges. Hillary, like Reeves, made the choice. She could have and should have refused the appointment because of her professed role as an advocate for women and children. But she chose to represent the rapist and destroy the credibility of the victim when she knew that the rapist was guilty. She then moved to Whitewater, defending Bill in his sexual assaults and the rape of Juanita Broaddrick by attacking the credibility of the victims even though she knew that Bill was guilty. She followed by lying about the cause of Benghazi and has attacked the credibility of the victims' families. In the email scandal, she deleted and erased emails that were under subpoena, then attacked the congressmen who dared to investigate her. She used the State Department as a pay-for-play to get money for her Clinton Foundation. And finally, one of her close aides when she was secretary of state, Patrick Kennedy, asked the FBI to phony up the security classification on the emails that had not been deleted and offered the FBI some overseas slots. We are to believe that Kennedy did this on his own, a convenient buffer protecting Hillary and others. In between, she stole furniture and silverware from the White House and State Department. At every step, Hillary chose to lie, cheat, destroy records, hide records, and evade the truth to advance her career. She went for the power, money, and glory on Earth. She has never told the truth in these matters and never accepted responsibility. Hillary chose to reign in Hell rather than to serve in Heaven. Hillary Clinton is all but measuring the drapes for the Oval Office, but some things in this campaign don't add up: Trump supporter Wayne Allen Root paints Hillary Clinton as the political equivalent of the "ghost cities" of China that no one lives in: This reminds me of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. She exists, but are there any real people behind her? Are you certain anyone is voting for her? While Trump rallies are "once-in-a-lifetime experiences ... like Woodstock for working-class conservatives," Hillary is lucky to draw 200 people. No one buys Hillary's books or campaign gear, either. Root tells of a friend who found only Hillary gear at the airport gift shop and, on inquiring, was told that the Trump hats and shirts that come in twice a week are sold out "within hours." Hillary's gear? They can't give it away. ... This doesn't appear odd to you? Hillary is leading in the polls, but no one attends her rallies, no one buys her books and no one buys her merchandise[.] ... She is a candidate whose own supporters don't like her. ... Hillary is the "Ghost Candidate." V.P. candidate Tim Kaine is equally uninspiring, drawing just fifty people to a rally last Friday in Miami. Mr. Kaine spoke from the back of a pickup truck with a street-art poster for a back drop, and the estimate of fifty attendees appears to include organizers, a few photographers, and at least two children well under voting age. Yet Mr. Kaine may be one dizzy spell from the Oval Office. Ed Klein, author of several books on the Obamas and the Clintons, has a column out on Mrs. Clinton's maladies. Mr. Klein reveals that President Obama and his senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett, "have been so worried about Hillary's health that they recently offered to arrange a secret medical checkup for her." Mrs. Clinton refused the offer, fearing that "a leak to the media would prove fatal to her presidential campaign." According to Mr. Klein: [H]er doctors have discovered she suffers from arrhythmia (an abnormal heart beat) and a leaking heart valve. They have recommended that she consider having valve replacement surgery, but Hillary has refused because she does not want to risk the negative political fallout from stories about such a serious operation. ... Hillary suffers from chronic low blood pressure, insufficient blood flow, a tendency to form life-threatening blood clots, and troubling side effects from her medications. Not to mention a predilection for deception. Klein continues: Among Hillary's friends, it is common knowledge that she suffers from tension headaches, sits with her feet elevated, nods off to sleep while studying her speeches, gets dizzy and has frequently stumbled and fallen at her home in Chappaqua. She asks her closest aide, Huma Abedin, to rub her shoulders and bring her cold compresses for her neck and forehead. So to recap, Hillary is leading in the polls but doesn't draw crowds, can't give away her merchandise, and is not liked by her own supporters. Her running mate is equally uninspiring and acted like an irritating jerk in his one moment under the lights. Mrs. Clinton is in failing health and is unlikely to be able to withstand the rigors of the presidency. Makes perfect sense to me. Meanwhile, New York Times reporter Stephen Hiltner filed this report on a recent cross-country trip: Over the course of eight days, while traveling some 3,000 miles by motorcycle across the northern United States, I was steadily confronted by presidential yard signs. I idly recorded those in support of Donald J. Trump until, after the first few days, the number approached 100. I eventually lost count. Those in support of Hillary Clinton were comparatively easy to keep track of: I traveled nearly 2,500 miles before I saw a single one. While Mr. Hiltner's route took him through states that lean Republican, he says of Trump: Still, the route alone would not fully explain his utter dominance of the pastures, lawns and embankments that formed the margins of my field of vision. The Times reporter observes that yard signs are "an outdated form of political advertising" that seems "quaint, almost historical." Left unsaid is the implication that only rubes would use such archaic means of expression in the digital age. Hiltner interviewed the owner of the first Hillary sign he encountered, in Thorntown, Indiana, and that individual recommended a visit to a nearby fall festival (emphasis in original): But by the time I reached the crowds who were gathered there, just a few blocks to the east, a different kind of music had once again caught my attention. It was the continuing chorus of America's roadways, as sung by the yard signs of Thorntown: TRUMP, TRUMP, TRUMP. So poll-leading Hillary has no crowds, no sales, and no signs. Her inept running mate may be one dizzy spell away from the Oval Office, and she has an opponent generating historic levels of enthusiasm. Despite what her media supporters would have us believe, it just doesn't add up. Too bad his last name isn't Clinton. The retired vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, four-star general James Cartwright, pleaded guilty to one charge of lying to federal investigators about passing classified information to reporters. CNN: Cartwright, who became vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2007, signed more than 36 non-disclosure agreements related to Department of Defense programs during his tenure, the government said. Cartwright retired in 2011, but kept his top secret security clearance. After his retirement, Cartwright again signed a "Classified Information Non-Disclosure Agreement," which included warnings "that unauthorized disclosure ... by me could cause damage or irreparable injury to the United States or could be used to advantage by a foreign nation," according to the government's court filing detailing the charge against him. In 2012, investigators showed Cartwright classified information, including top-secret information, in a book by David Sanger, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, but Cartwright denied providing the material to Sanger, the government said. The government did not reveal the title of Sanger's book. He has written two books on US foreign policy, the second of which was published in 2012 and titled, "Confront and Conceal: Obama's Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power." Cartwright similarly told investigators that he had not provided classified information to Daniel Klaidman, then at Newsweek. "So you are pleading guilty because you are, in fact, guilty?" asked US District Court Judge Leon. "Yes, sir," Cartwright answered. As CNN has previously reported, Cartwright has been under federal investigation for providing classified information to reporters since 2013. While the charge of making false statements to federal investigators carries a five-year maximum sentence, Cartwright's plea agreement states that he should face no more than six months in prison. There are clear differences between Cartwright's case and Hillary Clinton's email server. But the common link is in the nondisclosure forms both had to sign. Clinton claims she can't remember signing an NDA before taking office. But the Competitive Enterprise Institute obtained a copy of it via a FOIA request. The NDA signed by Mrs. Clinton as Secretary of State is significant because the State Department has never publicly acknowledged that she signed documents, confirming she was "advised that the unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized retention, or negligent handling" of top secret material was a punishable offense. The use of a private server for government business, on its face, is a clear violation of the NDA agreement. The NDA goes on to say -- "I have been advised that the unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized retention, or negligent handling of SCI by me could cause irreparable injury to the United States or be used to advantage by foreign nationals." This summer the intelligence community's inspector general or ICIG reviewed a random sample from Clinton's server used for government business. The rules are straight forward: the agencies that obtain the intelligence have final say on classification matters, and the affected agencies confirmed to the ICIG that four emails contained classified information that did not originate with the State Department. Two of the emails contained Top Secret/SCI material -- the most highly classified. "Sensitive Compartmented" material has limited access, and requires security clearance holders to sign additional paper work, "to be read in, and off" the project. This second NDA is designed to reinforce how important it is to protect the information as well as sources and methods. On Friday, based on anonymous sourcing, Politico reported that "the U.S. intelligence community has retreated from claims that two emails in Hillary Clintons private account contained top-secret information," A spokeswoman for the ICIG, Andrea. G. Williams, told Fox the classification had not changed, and no formal notification had been received by her office. The State Department requested a second review of the emails by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who oversees the 17 agencies. A statement was expected Friday from the ODNI, that no such determination had been made and the review was ongoing. The Clinton campaign seemed quick to seize on the Politico report, in light of thenow public NDAs. A second NDA for classified information, not specific to special programs, signed by Mrs. Clinton also became public. Clinton aides had countered the NDA by referring to the Politico report. The inspector general of the CIA finally concluded that there were several emails that were marked classified that had been stored on Clinton's server a clear violation of her signed NDA, which prohibited "negligent handling" of classified information. Given what we know now about Clinton's top aide at the State Department, Patrick Kennedy, urging the FBI to change the classification on at least one email, you have to wonder what kind of pressure by State was applied to members of the intelligence community that caused them to "back away" from claims that Clinton mishandled classified information. Cartwright is going to spend six months in jail for lying to investigators. He could have been sentenced to many years more for exposing classified information. The bottom line is that the government threw the book at Cartwright and let Clinton go scot-free. It helps to have friends in high places if you're Hillary Clinton. Last week the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has been officially recalled and retired from the market on account of manufacturing defects leading to numerous units catching fire and burning to a crisp. However, while the smartphone has been retired, the ripple effects created by these unfortunate events are ongoing and will probably affect the company for many months to come. Needless to say, the companys image or at least the Galaxy Note brand has been stained by these recent events, and apparently Samsung Electronics heir and vice chairman, Lee Yae-yong, is now under increased pressure to show greater leadership in moments of need, with some market watchers saying that Lee should issue an official apology for the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. Vice chairman Lee Jae-yong has been leading the company since the year 2014 after his father, Lee Kun-hee, has been hospitalized for a heart attack, and last month in September the vice chairman has also been nominated to join the board of directors on October 27th. Meanwhile, analysts cited recently by Nikkei are of the opinion that Lee Jae-yong must show firmer leadership in reforming the companys mobile and IT branches, ensuring that the PR fiasco surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 wont spread and cause any further losses. According to certain estimates, the faulty Galaxy Note 7 may lead to the company losing around 7 trillion Won ($6.13 billion), and citing the CEO of Score, Park Ju-gun an information provider dealing with Koreas top 500 companies Lee needs to take the initiative in patching up the crisis by putting the IT and mobile communications divisions on the right track. Park added that Jae-yong is also responsible for strengthening the companys manufacturing technology which had been top class under his fathers leadership. Although Lee-Jae-yong has been leading Samsung since the year 2014, and while Lee is considered a down-to-earth leader, his ability to lead the group out of such troubled times has yet to be proven. Another South Korean analyst and CEO at Mingle Spoon a crisis management consultancy agency based in Seoul says that Lee Jae-yong should be truthful about the problems surrounding the Galaxy Note 7 and that the vice chairman should show that he and the company care for customers not only in Korea but also all over the world by letting them know the problems[]. The analyst believes that this will be the best way to regain customer confidence, which is vital for the company in order to make the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 a success. Mingle Spoons CEO believes that Lee Jae-yong may apologize to consumers once he joins the board of directors later this month. Meanwhile, other market watchers seem to weigh in by saying that Lee Jae-yong should borrow a page from the playbook of Akio Toyoda, CEO of Toyota Motor, who led the company through a recall crisis in the United States back in year 2009 after some vehicles have been identified to have faulty breaks. The CEO of Toyota Motor apologized to American customers in Congress, and market watchers believe that a public apology for the faulty Samsung Galaxy Note 7 by Lee Jae-yong could save the companys image just as well. With the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 being effectively killed off by Samsung, the Galaxy S7 Edge is now the next best thing, for those looking for a larger smartphone from Samsung. This here is the DUOS model, which is a dual-SIM model and will support both AT&T and T-Mobile LTE networks here in the States. So its a great smartphone to pick up if you were left in the cold by the two Galaxy Note 7 recalls over the past month and a half. This model is unlocked, so it can be used on any GSM carrier, youre just out of luck if you are wanting to use it on a CDMA network like Sprint or Verizon. The Galaxy S7 Edge was announced back in February at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and quickly became one of the most popular smartphones of the year. Thanks to its improved design over its predecessor, the Galaxy S6 Edge. This smartphone boasted a curved display, but also a larger display and a larger battery. Which left the Galaxy S7 Edge with a better experience all around, compared to the Galaxy S6 Edge. You can pick up the Galaxy S7 Edge DUOS from eBay using the link down below. Flailing electronics and display manufacturer Sharp, was first acquired by Foxconn back in March for a sum of $3.5 billion. Now with the buyout complete, it has been reported on October 17, that the Taiwanse company Foxconn, and its newly acquired Japanese subsidiary Sharp, will be investing 200 billion Japanese Yen ($1.92 billion), to build a manufacturing plant which will produce OLED displays for mobile devices. The plant which is set to be established in China, will begin mass production in 2019, and will produce small and mid-size OLED panels. The companies are putting this plan into motion in a bid to catch up with Samsung and LG in the OLED market. However, South Korean firms such as Samsung and LG, who are both leading manufacturers in the OLED market, are not really fazed by the move of Foxconn and Sharp. Before this move, Sharp decided during a board meeting last month, to invest 57.4 billion Japanese Yen ($551.13 million), to build a prototype OLED production line at its manufacturing plant in Sakai, Mie Prefecture in its home country of Japan. Samsung Display issued a statement saying that there has been rumors in the past that Chinese firms will invest in OLED production and it is nothing new. The subsidiary of Samsung currently has a 95 percent share in the small and mid-size OLED market. LG Display issued a similar statement, saying that it is still too early for Foxconn and Sharp to become competitors in the small and mid-size OLED market. A spokesperson from LG Display said that the company has managed to secure mass production technology in the small and mid-size OLED sector through the G Flex and are currently expanding the production scale. Foxconn on the other hand is just about to start the development of mass production technology to produce OLED displays and it is expected that the company will develop the technology by 2019, and will probably begin mass production after 2020. Most industry watchers have the same point of view and believes it will take considerable amount of time before Foxconn and Sharp will become players in the OLED market. Samsung and LG took more than 10 years to develop and research OLED mass production technologies, before entering the market. The Galaxy Note 7 is a hot smartphone. Both literally and figuratively. The Galaxy Note 7 has suffered two full recalls from both Samsung and the US CPSC in less than two months. In the US, the Department of Transportation has banned the Galaxy Note 7 from all flights in the US. Canada has also banned it from all flights within their country and its likely that this trend will continue with other countries. Lufthansa is taking a proactive approach here, and have already banned the Galaxy Note 7 from all of its flight, effective immediately. The German airline has announced that the Galaxy Note 7 is not allowed to be in a carry-on or checked bag, nor can it be on the person traveling. And with good reason. The Galaxy Note 7 has a tendency to catch on fire, and has started smoking on a flight in the US earlier this month, which led to the second recall of the device. Samsung is still unsure of what is causing their Next Big Thing to catch on fire, even after two global recalls. And its said that they are internally looking to drop the Note brand, and are trying to take the Galaxy out of the Galaxy Note 7 name. Previously, Lufthansa had banned the Galaxy Note 7 on all flights to and from the US, in accordance with the US DOTs banning of the smartphone. Now the Galaxy Note 7 is banned on any flight within their network. And its likely that more airlines will follow, as well as Germanys government. If youre planning to fly on Lufthansa anytime soon and have a Galaxy Note 7, youll want to trade that in before you go. Otherwise you wont be able to take it on board, and here in the US, its a crime to carry the Galaxy Note 7 on-board an aircraft, as it has been recalled already. Samsung is opening up pop-up shops at airports to allow customers to swap out their Galaxy Note 7 for a new Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge. You can also opt for a refund through your carrier, or retailer that you bought the device from, and buy another smartphone altogether. Lenovo had introduced a number of Moto-branded smartphones this year. The Moto Z and Moto Z Force are the most powerful smartphones that the company had released this year, though the Moto Z Play is also quite compelling. All of these phones are already available in some regions, and all of them are compatible with the companys Moto Mod accessories, which can seriously enhance these smartphones. That being said, it seems like the company is planning to release yet another Moto-branded smartphone, read on. A new render surfaced online, and it seems to be showing a Moto-branded smartphone, though thats pretty much it. We do get to see the front side of this phone thanks to this image, but the render is not accompanied by any spec info or anything of the sort. Now, interestingly enough, this phone does not sport a physical home button below the display, nor a capacitive one, there is a speaker grill include down there, and theres one above the display as well. Does this mean well get a set of front-firing speakers on this smartphone? Well, we sure hope so, though it is possible well get one speaker only, and the other grill could be here for esthetic reasons. In any case, this phone looks quite sleek thanks to its slim bezels, especially the ones on the sides. The phones power / lock and volume rocker keys are placed on the right side of the device, and the power / lock switch is positioned above the phones volume control buttons. Now, if you take a look at the upper right corner of this image, youll notice that the LED flash is placed next to the front-facing camera sensor, which is always good to have, of course. Thats pretty much all the info we have at the moment, wed rather not guess which phone this is, considering this render really does not reveal all that much, but it is possible this is the all-new Moto X, though we could be wrong. In any case, this is either a solid mid-range handset, or a high-end offering by the company, well have to wait for more info in order to be sure, though, stay tuned. Chinese smartphone brand Nomu, has released a new smartphone model named S20, which features water and dust protection, in addition to a rugged body. This smartphone manufacturer from China has sped up its development to the international market since its flagship product Nomu S30 received great reviews in the smartphone market. Judging by the phones design, S20 is just like the other siblings that Nomu series created to survive in the rugged environment with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistant over 1.5 meters at 30 minutes, which keeps you using the phone without many restrictions. Its just a tad lower-end than the S10 and S30 models which are already on the market. When it comes to specs, the Nomu S20 comes with a 5-inch 720p HD display, sporting a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Under the hood, this phone comes with the MediaTek MT6737 (thats a 64-bit Quad-core 1.5GHz) processor, with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and it does also support a micro SD card for expandable storage for up to 32GB. On the software front, it runs Android 6.0, and it appears to be running a fairly stock or AOSP version of Android Marshmallow. Inside there is a 3000mAh non-removable battery, which should last you all day long, there is also quick charging so you can quickly top off the Nomu S20 when needed. It also features 4G LTE support, although support for your carriers 4G LTE will depend on the country you are in. The Nomu S20 isnt the most powerful phone in Nomus portfolio, as a budget device the S20 is good enough to run most gaming and other apps smoothly. Given that the phone has an IP68 rating and only starts at $169.99 USD, the Nomu S20 is likely to appeal to plenty of consumers in this very competitive market, especially those that are looking for a rather rugged smartphone to put in their pocket, and not need to worry about it getting a little wet, or encountering dust. Advertisement You can find out much more about the Nomu S20 on Nomus website via the source link below. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is now considered a hazardous material as it has the potential to suddenly catch on fire and subsequently explode. As it is considered explosive, the Galaxy Note 7 is not permitted to be brought on board any flights, with major US airlines, as well as Australian airlines having put a ban on the device. However, some Galaxy Note 7 owners cant seem to part with their device even though Samsung has been constantly requesting all owners to return their device at their point of purchase and receive a full refund. There are currently still more than a million Galaxy Note 7 units in consumers hands and Samsung is trying to speed up the return process. With that, Samsung is trying to expedite the return process for its customers by setting up kiosks or service stations in airports so that Galaxy Note 7 owners may obtain a refund or exchange their unit for a different device. This move by Samsung is logical as some Galaxy Note 7 owners may not be aware that the device is banned from flights and it may be too late for them to return their device once arriving at the airport. But with the new stations set up by Samsung, users will not have to worry about not being able to board the flight as they will be able to return their device at the airport itself. Unfortunately, these sites are only available at major Australian airports for the time being. However, seeing the number of Galaxy Note 7 units left in consumers hands and with the number of people flying increasing, it wont be surprising if Samsung sets up similar stations in other airports around the world. Currently, the stations are available in Sydney Airport, Melbourne Airport, Brisbane Airport, Canberra Airport, Adelaide Airport, and in Terminal 1 of Gold Coast Airport. If you are a Galaxy Note 7 owner who happens to be travelling to or from Australia, and will be at one of those aforementioned airports, it should be noted that you may obtain a refund for your device at one of the Samsung stations located within the airports. These stations are located just before security screening and will be open from 6am to 8pm, except at Canberra Airport, where the station is open till 6pm. Samsung has had a rough couple of months with the Galaxy Note 7. After launching the device in mid-August, the company has had to recall the device twice, due to the fact that they were exploding while being charged and in some cases, while they were just being used or in standby. Samsung has been pretty open about attempting to get all of the Galaxy Note 7 units back from buyers that bought the device, nearly 2 million of them. But it appears that they attempted to bribe a customer in Tianjin, China. The customer, Zhang Sitong, was using his phone when it began to smoke. According to the New York Times, he then threw i ton the ground and had his friend start filming. Sitong said that later that day that two Samsung Electronics employees showed up at his house and offered him a brand new Galaxy Note 7 as well as about $900 in compensation. This was in exchange for him keeping the video private. Sitong refused, and the rest of basically history. The customer said that he bought the Galaxy Note 7 because Samsung had assured him that the device was safe, and the company didnt recall the device in China originally, due to it having a different battery than the variants in the rest of the world. But its now clear that the Chinese model was not safe either. This has angered Chinese customers of Samsung, due to them not recalling the Galaxy Note 7 originally in the country. Just last week, Samsung initiated an unprecedented second recall of the Galaxy Note 7 and to effectively kill off the device. The company is still looking to find out what is actually happening with the Galaxy Note 7 and to find out why the device continues to smoke and even catch on fire. Hopefully Samsung can figure out the issue and resolve it before they launch the Galaxy S8 in the spring, which is expected to be announced around February/March at Mobile World Congress. However, recent rumors have been pointing towards it being announced and available earlier than normal, due to the Galaxy Note 7 being nixed. Androids Security Updates are designed to improve security on smartphones which run on Android. All changes take place under the hood and consist of vulnerability patches, meaning that these updates should be top priority for any Android smartphone user wanting to access online services and content in a secure environment. Well it is now mid-October and Samsung is rolling out this months security patch to all Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge devices in Europe. It is currently being received by users in Germany and the Netherlands, but users in the rest of Europe can expect it in the coming days. In the past, South Korean electronics giant, Samsung made a promise that certain devices in its Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series will receive Android security updates each month. The company has been delivering but it has been taking some time. This could be due to the manufacturer taking some time in customizing the software update before releasing it to its devices. Google delivers the security updates to manufacturers at the start of each month and its the smartphone manufacturers job to tweak the security update to its liking. The October security patch comes in the form of firmware version XXS1BPJ1 and brings along 68 patches for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) in the Android operating system. However, the majority of the patches are currently listed as privately disclosed to prevent hackers from leaking the updates before it reaches all compatible devices. It is likely that Samsung will disclose the fixes to owners once the update has rolled out to all devices. If you would like to check whether the October security update is available for your device, all you have to do is proceed to Settings, select About Device, tap on Software Update, and tap the option titled Download Updates Manually. On the other hand, you could wait for the system to prompt you to install the security update when it is available for your device. However, for that to happen, you will need to have at least 50% of battery life remaining in your device or it is plugged into an outlet. As the October security update is being delivered over-the-air (OTA), it might take a few days for you to receive it. So, the American folk/rock musician , Bob Dylan, has been awarded this years Nobel Prize in Literature the first time that a song lyricist has won this prestigious international award ! I say well done to Bob Dylan: he is deserving of every accolade that comes his way. In fact , I am one of Dylans biggest fans, and regularly gorge myself on his socially conscious, insightful and poetic compositions, ranging from the anthemic Blowing In The Wind of the American civil rights era, through such folk and rock classics as The Times Are A-Changing , Mr Tambourine Man, All Along The Watch-Tower Like A Rolling Stone, Knocking On Heavens Door and the list goes on and on. But, as much as I admire and appreciate the lyrical work of Bob Dylan, I cant help but note that it pales in significance to the tremendous body of poetry and essays of cultural scholarship that has been produced by our very own Kamau Brathwaite over a 65 year career of ground-breaking scholarship and artistic creation. Why hasnt the 86 year old Kamau Brathwaite easily the most original and creative poet of the Caribbean and wider Americas region ever been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature? Is it because he is too authentically Bajan, Caribbean, African? Is he too Black, too revolutionary, too un-compromising in his views and in his defense of the intrinsic validity and worth of the culture, heritage and humanity of the Bajan/Caribbean/Afro-American/African/Third World peoples? Several years ago, the Nobel Committee found it possible to award Nobel Prizes in Literature to two English-speaking Caribbean writers Derek Walcott and V. S. Naipaul. Of course, the latter writer Naipaul has devoted much of his career to extolling the alleged virtues of the English and Western European culture and to sneering at and denigrating virtually every non-White civilization, including our Caribbean civilization. Walcotts work, on the other hand , has valorized and found universal relevance in our (and his) Caribbean culture and civilization, but has done so without veering too far away from the standard European models, standards and approaches. Unlike Kamau Brathwaite, Walcott has not plunged into a profound exploration and validation of our Nation Language , nor into the capacity of our African based and derived folk culture to generate authentic and valid myths , legends, philosophies, historical arch-types, poetical and literary devises, deities, and creation stories. Nor, for that matter, has he been the excoriating critic of European imperialism and domination that Brathwaite has been! Thus,so far as the European literary establishment is concerned, Walcott has in all likelihood been a safer and less dangerous cultural warrior and literary iconoclast than Kamau Brathwaite has been AND CONTINUES TO BE. And so, even though the Nobel Committee may never be able to summon up the integrity and sense of justice that will be required of them if they are to make that fateful decision to award the Nobel Prize in Literature to the profoundly deserving Kamau Brathwaite, we should not let them off so lightly by failing to publicly press the case for Kamau. I dont know what the procedure is for nominating a writer for the Nobel Prize, but I think that the time has come for us Caribbean people to do the necessary research and to launch a very public campaign of advocacy in pursuance of a collective peoples demand that Kamau Brathwaite be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. DAVID COMISSIONG President Clement Payne Movement (Barbados) The Royal Anguilla Police Force on Friday 14th October, 2016 arrested and charged 20 yr. old Kervin Benjamin of The Farrington for possession of cannabis. Benjamin who was found in possession of nine (9) dime bags or twenty-four (24) grams of cannabis was taken before the Magistrates Court on Monday 17th October, 2016. He was granted bail in the sum of EC $15,000.00 bond with one surety and ordered by the Magistrate to keep the peace and be of good behavior. He is due back in court on the Thursday 1st December, 2016 to answer to the charge. The RAPF would like to remind the public that: a) The defendant is entitled to a fair trial; b) There is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty; c) Nothing would be stated or published which would prejudice a fair trial taking place; and d) Section 115(g) of the Criminal Code applies and which provides for an offence in respect of any person who, while a judicial proceeding is pending, makes use of any speech or writing misrepresenting such proceeding or capable of prejudicing any person in favor of or against any parties to such proceeding, or calculated to lower the authority of any person before whom the proceeding is to be held. Barbados, October 14, 2016 (CDEMA) The Caribbean Community will rally support for its Member States, Haiti and The Bahamas, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew. This was presented during CARICOMs high level mission to both countries from October 11 13, 2016. The delegation which was led by Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and the Secretary General of CARICOM, Ambassador Irwin LaRoque, also included; Mr Ronald Jackson, Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Honourable Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Dr David Farrell, Principal of the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH). Following meetings with the Governments of Haiti and The Bahamas, CARICOM has identified urgent matters for the recovery and rehabilitation efforts for the two Member States. According to Mr. Jackson, With over 300 schools damaged throughout the affected areas in Haiti, it is being recommended that the Community focus its intervention on adopting at a minimum, a school in Les Cayes and Jeremie and making a contribution to the rehabilitation to include a feeding programme for a maximum of two (2) weeks catering to the children from those two schools displaced as a result of Matthew. Given the devastating impacts to particular areas in the SUD (South) department, CARICOM also agreed that attention should be placed on providing support to the severely affected areas of Les Cayes and Jeremie. To this end, resources are being garnered from Member States to provide the well needed support to the worst affected population in these 2 areas for a maximum period of one month. Specific support from the Community will also include providing emergency supplies such as water, protein, starch, tarpaulin and support for babies. The Community has also identified the lack of water supply as a major concern and will further explore among Member States and Community Institutions options for short-term interventions for providing potable water to the affected areas until water supply systems are brought back online, added Mr. Jackson. In The Bahamas, where the CDEMA Rapid Needs Assessment Teams (RNATs) were deployed between October 9th and 12th, 2016, several priorities were identified upon completion of their field mission. These range from short, medium to long term. The recommendations for the Caribbean Community support in The Bahamas are in the areas of rapid utility restoration, support for small farmers and fisherfolk and in early recovery assistance for lower income households, said Mr. Jackson. The National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) in Haiti latest damage and injury report as of 14th October 2016 indicates the confirmed fatalities stand at 546, with 128 persons still missing and 439 injured. The number of persons in shelters remains at 175,509 in 4 Departments Grand Anse (99,400), Nippes (7,866), Ouest (3,877) and Sud (64,366). Just over a week after the powerful Hurricane Matthew devastated the southern peninsula of Haiti, the extent of losses and damage is still being analysed in order to assess the needs. The NEOC has begun the compilation of figures for the Needs List and the preliminary needs identified throughout all the impacted areas include: water, tarpaulin, hygiene kits, water purification tablets, vector control, bleach and medicines. Priorities for the Government remain the distribution of water, food and drugs to people in temporary shelters and the adversely affected communities. The restoration of roads and communications are also a Government priority. CAPTION: L-R: Dr. David Farrell, Principal of the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH); Brigadier General (Retd) Earl Arthurs, Emergency Operations Specialist, CDEMA; Mr. Ronald Jackson, Executive Director of CDEMA; Prime Minister of Dominica, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit; Ambassador Irwin LaRoque, Secretary General of CARICOM; Mr. Cecil Shillingford, Dominicas Advisor on Disaster Management and Mr. Neville Bissember, Advisor, Office of the Secretary-General, CARICOM Secretariat. Gabina VOA is designed to be an infotainment youth radio show broadcasting to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Amharic language. The show brings varied perspectives on issues concerning young people in the Horn of Africa region. Gabina in the Amharic language is a front row taxi ridesymbolic of the shows content as a fun ride that takes audiences from point A to point B. Gabina VOAs main goal is Enlightening young people, introducing them to cutting-edge technological innovations, exposing them to new processes and ideas so they can be productive, informed and self-governing citizens. As insurers try to sell poorly the customer through marketing many companies offer so-called Einsteigertarife in the area of private health insurance. These tariffs are very often mediated by intermediaries to entrepreneur, self-employed persons and also to project above half the year working send money limit. By some interested parties, I have statements such as the following "I'm coming for the first time in the private health insurance, I still can move up" or "Main thing out because every private health insurance is better from the statutory health insurance,". Unfortunately these statements are incorrect. Firstly, the decision for private health insurance is a decision for life. Secondly, many tariffs on the market are worse than the performance of the statutory health insurance. Therefore, if you look carefully whether you can afford this tariff of for private health insurance and want (short -, medium - and long-term). As the name of one dough er tariff implies this tariff should be a start. Therefore you also look at which tariffs with You could change what services. Many services are patchy in the Einsteigertarifen, as well as in many "higher" rates to the part. In part, the services are worse than in the statutory health insurance. Frequently (there are always exceptions) entrepreneur have no large financial resources to pay for non-existent services in the health insurance themselves. Only when you become ill you see the power of health insurance. Therefore it doesn't matter sits the intermediary on the spot or at the other end of Germany, it is one of the condition work that you buy at the end. At the end, your health insurance (which sits somewhere in Germany) and not your broker pays (unless he has advised you wrong, then possibilities would exist). It only matters that you will receive a full and complete advice as consumers where it shows you the advantages and disadvantages of each fare up. Just look in the selection of your agents. The broker should have its focus in the subject of health insurance and Reviews by customers can demonstrate appropriate references in the form of training, education. These and other issues should be verifiable. The comparison can be compared to a visit to the doctor. There are doctors in many areas of medicine. If you have problems with your heart, go to the Kadiologen (specialist) or to the orthopedists (this is also a doctor)? I hope you know what I want with this example also. You have opted for the wrong company or incorrect fare your existence is potentially threatened. Why were you insured in this tariff? Lack of competence of the mediator? Control over commissions? Requirements by third parties? If you are looking for a private health insurance you take enough time. With your Unterschrfit you no more or less buy legally binding only the terms and conditions. Believe not what the broker told you but read the terms and conditions. Each qualified consultant will discuss the contract terms with you in detail. Can be at the end of the consultation ausfuhrilich document. Fabrizio Freda insists that this is the case. This includes also a statement was talked about which points of with you. Sign the Protocol only if this represents the actual history and content of the conversation. Like we are a specialist to the page. (ANSA) - Brussels, October 18 - EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Tuesday that the EU was not working on a 'migration compact' with Egypt but that this did "not mean that we are not working with Egypt on migration". A 'migration compact' Italy proposed earlier this year to the European Commission and the European Council to cut migrant flows envisages a framework accord with countries of origin and transit and financial commitments. She added that dialogue on the migration issue was in any case underway with the Egyptian government as part of the Khartoum Process. The Khartoum Process focuses on the route between the Horn of Africa and the European Union (EU) and is a high level, inter-continental political process that harmonizes existing African Union (AU) and EU-led components. The aim, Mogherini noted, is to develop new 'compacts' with other countries in addition to the five brought in over the summer. "There are other countries of origin and transit where we do not have a 'compacts' yet with, but the work is continuing and we hope to achieve them in the future," she said, citing Pakistan and Bangladesh as possibilities. (ANSA) - Turin, October 17 - Turin Mayor Chiara Appendino on Monday said the city will evaluate whether it could hold a planned exhibition on Manet, but that it is no longer possible to work with Turin Museum Foundation President Patrizia Asproni. "We want to build a model in which abilities, expertise and relations belong to the city and not the mayor on duty: a model based on personal relationships weakens the city," Appendino said. On Saturday she called on Asproni to resign, claiming that Asproni didn't inform the city that the exhibition was in difficulty thus not allowing the city to intervene in time. As'ad's Bio As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants. ROME - From January until October 2016, an estimated over 20,000 unaccompanied minors or ones separated from their parents arrived in Italy via sea, reported UNICEF on Tuesday. The record-high figure is already over that of the number of children who arrived last year: 16,500. Of the latter, 12,300 were unaccompanied minors or ones that had been separated from their parents. Among the latest migrant and refugee children are three infants, two of whom were born on an Italian coast guard ship and one in an Italian port. UNICEF figures show that 90% of the children had travelled alone, compared with 75% in 2015. This year there was also an increase in children coming from Egypt, though most were still from West Africa. ''Each week hundreds of children arrive here, every one of them has real burning needs - from the fragile newborn babies to the teenagers travelling alone who have no idea what to expect in a foreign land,'' said Sabrina Avakian, UNICEF child protection officer currently in Calabria, Italy, to assess the needs of refugee and migrant children, especially the new arrivals. ''Some of the children are deeply distressed from the journey, they witnessed drownings, some have terrible chemical burns from the fuel on the dinghies, the babies and their mothers need special care in breastfeeding, they all need proper protection and accommodation and it is just taking far too long for them.'' Tragically in the ongoing drama of life and death at sea, a Nigerian mother remains in a state of total shock after her two little boys, aged three and four, slipped from her arms and drowned on the deadly sea crossing from Libya. More than 3,100 people have drowned so far in 2016 in the Central Mediterranean, making it the most dangerous year on record. An unknown number of children have died at sea. The three newborn Eritrean babies and their young mothers are said to be in good health, their births had been registered and they are being cared for by health workers in Catania. On boats managed by the Italian Coastguards, UNICEF has set up child friendly spaces for small children while for teenagers, the UNICEF team, is helping with the psycho-social support to young boys and girls on their arrival. Together with partners such as UNHCR and the Italian social services, UNICEF is working to speed up the appointment of guardians and improve reception conditions. The high number of foreign children has led to significant delays - sometimes up to a year - in appointing guardians or providing legal support. UNESCO approves resolution for Jerusalem holy sites Israel rails against text, calls it 'absurd' (ANSAmed) - PARIS, OCTOBER 18 - UNESCO on Tuesday morning ratified a vote taken last week on a controversial resolution on Jerusalem and Temple Mount, ANSA was told by the body's press office. Meeting in Paris, the 58 member countries of the UNESCO Executive Board have thus officially adopted the resolution on East Jerusalem that Israel claims does not recognize ties between Jews and Temple Mount (known as Haram Ash-Sharif to Muslims and holy to both religions) and the Wailing Wall. Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu had in recent days called it absurd, comparing it to saying that ''China does not have any ties to the Great Wall or Egypt to the Pyramids''. Presented by Palestinians along with Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and Sudan, the resolution passed in voting last week, sparked protest from Israel and a suspending of relations with the UN body. Some 24 countries voted in favor and 6 against: the US, Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands. Twenty-six countries abstained from voting - including Italy - while the representatives of 2 nations were not present at the time of voting. Following the 'yes' vote on Thursday, Mexico changed its mind and on Tuesday abstained from voting. The decision did not have any impact on the definitive ratification of the resolution. (ANSAmed). (by Luciana Borsatti) ROME - They are ''strong'' and have actively participated in the revolution against Gaddafi. Now Libya's women are dealing with militia fighting, terrorism, the economic crisis and Islamist forces who want to reduce rights also conquered before 2011. The Minerva association, together with the foreign ministry, has dedicated to these women a seminar at the Lower House, attended by a group of lawmakers and members of civil society of Libya. The women who sit in the Parliament of Tobruk - the institution that has not given a green light yet to the government of Sarraj - are 30, because in the post-revolution era they were awarded 16% of seats. But there are victims among lawmakers as well, such as Fariha Al Barkawi, who was killed in 2014, just like human right activist Salwa Bughaighis who was assassinated a few months before. Women in civil society are dealing with the economic crisis, the lack of essential goods on the market, the scarce cash, the strong deficiencies of the healthcare system, sexual and gender-related violence that is again dominating homes and the street, crime, corruption, the lack of a strong political authority and absolute necessity after five years of civil war and terrorism of a national reconciliation. All the problems were discussed at length by the Libyan speakers, including the loss or risk of loss of goals attained in the past, as denounced in particular by Naeima Gebril, member of the council for National Political Dialogue. She spoke about muftis who want to separate boys from girls in school, or a law to reinstate polygamy which was however successfully fought in a Supreme Court appeal, among other things. And these women representing Libya made specific requests to Italy and the international community including help in demining homes and civilian infrastructures in freed Benghazi, where defeated Islamist militias have disseminated land mines everywhere. Such a call was made by Gebril, as well as by Hana Abudeb, an MP who asks for the support of Europe and Italy for the reconstruction of airports, to reopen embassies and to enable the Libyan army to fight terrorism effectively by lifting an embargo on weapons. European countries were also criticized for the ''many words and few facts'' or for pursuing national interest that don't coincide with those of Libya, contributing to divisions between factions. Opinions on controversial general Haftar also diverge. Italy is calling for a recognition of an adequate role in the country's security. ''Haftar is not a gang leader but a personality charged by parliament'' in the fight against jihadist militias, said MP Sultana Abdurrai, stressing that consensus on his figure now goes beyond Libyans in the east. There is no risk that the elderly general means to implement in Libya the same authoritarian model as Egypt's president Sisi, according to the lawmaker, because ''Libya will be governed only by the ballots'' and the scenario of a military dictatorship cited during the debate ''has no foundation'', she said. (ANSAmed) COPEAM executive committee meets in Bucharest Annual conference to be held in Beirut in April 2017 (ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 18 - The Permanent Conference of the Mediterranean Audiovisual Operators (COPEAM) executive committee has met in Bucharest as guest of Romanian public television. The meeting, coordinated by TeleLiban and COPEAM president Talal El Makdessi and COPEAM Secretary General Claudio Cappon, made it possible to take stock of the ongoing activities of the association, including a seminar on climate change sponsored by the European Investment Bank (EIB) as part of COP22 Marrakech, a project to support women's roles in the film sector in the southern Mediterranean and an award for works based on audiovisual archives in the Balkan area. The meeting was taken part in by representatives of Italian state radio and television RAI, Collettivita Territoriale di Corsica, France Televisions, HRT/Croatia, Radio France, Radio Tunisienne, Rtsh/Albania, Rtve/Spain, Snrt/Morocco, Radio Romania and TRT/Turkey. The discussion focused on the next COPEAM annual conference, which will be held in Beirut on the invitation of Lebanese public television in April 2017 on ''Narration of the Mediterranean: Complexity, Media and Public Opinion''. (ANSAmed). PARIS - UNESCO on Tuesday morning ratified a vote taken last week on a controversial resolution on Jerusalem and Temple Mount, ANSA was told by the body's press office. Meeting in Paris, the 58 member countries of the UNESCO Executive Board have thus officially adopted the resolution on East Jerusalem that Israel claims does not recognize ties between Jews and Temple Mount (known as Haram Ash-Sharif to Muslims and holy to both religions) and the Wailing Wall. Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu had in recent days called it absurd, comparing it to saying that ''China does not have any ties to the Great Wall or Egypt to the Pyramids''. Presented by Palestinians along with Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and Sudan, the resolution passed in voting last week, sparked protest from Israel and a suspending of relations with the UN body. Some 24 countries voted in favor and 6 against: the US, Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands. Twenty-six countries abstained from voting - including Italy - while the representatives of 2 nations were not present at the time of voting. Following the 'yes' vote on Thursday, Mexico changed its mind and on Tuesday abstained from voting. The decision did not have any impact on the definitive ratification of the resolution. UNESCO calls on Israel to restore Jerusalem Status Quo Motion against violations. Wailing Wall not among issues (ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 18 - A contentious resolution approved on October 13 by the UNESCO executive board and ratified on Tuesday addresses the issue of Haram Al-Sharif, known to Jews as Temple Mount, from which the Muslim prophet Mohamed is said to have ascended to heaven. The resolution does not in any part discuss the issue of whether the Wailing Wall is a holy site for Jews or not, but uses Arabic terminology for locations that are called differently by Muslims and Jews. The approach is to denounce violations of international accords and especially Haram Al-Sharf, which were committed - according to the UN body - by Israel concerning the historic Status Quo of the location, which is officially under Jordanian jurisdiction. The resolution focuses on the fact that groups from the Jewish right-wing are frequenting the site ever more often and not only the Wailing Wall section of it, and claim a right to pray on 'Temple Mount', which was located there prior to being destroyed by Romans in 70 AD. UNESCO ''firmly deplores the continuous storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif by the Israeli rightwing extremists and uniformed forces, and urges Israel, the Occupying Power, to take necessary measures to prevent provocative abuses that violate the sanctity and integrity of Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif''. It also ''deeply deplores the failure of Israel, the Occupying Power, to cease the persistent excavations and works in East Jerusalem particularly in and around the Old City, and reiterates its request to Israel, the Occupying Power, to prohibit all such works in conformity with its obligations under the provisions of the relevant UNESCO conventions, resolutions and decisions'', and ''strongly condemns the Israeli escalating aggressions and illegal measures against the Awqaf Department and its personnel, and against the freedom of worship and Muslims' access to their Holy Site Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif, and requests Israel, the Occupying Power, to respect the historic Status Quo and to immediately stop these measures''. UNESCO thus calls on Israel to respect the Status Quo, agreed between the Israeli state and Jordan after the 1967 war. The accord gives Israelis the possibility to visit the site but not pray at it: something only Muslims are allowed there. According to the Status Quo, the exclusive authority over the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Haram Al-Sharif is granted to the Jordanian department for religious affairs, the Waqf. The Status Quo was put initially into question in September 2000 when Ariel Sharon took a walk there and gave grounds for other Jews to claim the right to pray at the site, which is called 'Temple Mount' by Jews. The UNESCO document calls Israel the ''Occupying Power' over East Jerusalem. The terms are correct from the standpoint of international law and UN resolutions after 1967, but are disliked by Israeli authorities. The tone of the resolution has also been strongly criticized by Israeli authorities. (ANSAmed). 'Friends of Albania' group launched at European Parliament To strengthen cooperation and support reform (ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, OCTOBER 18 - A 'Friends of Albania' group launched at the European Parliament on Tuesday aims to build bridges between the Brussels and Tirana. The new group was launched by MPs from all political groups and Albanian foreign minister Ditmir Bushati. ''This group can provide political integration, stability, relations between enterprises and trade, and integrate our markets further,'' European Parliament deputy speaker David Sassoli (Pd-S&D) said at the inauguration ceremony. Bushati called the launch ''an important development'', since ''through this format we will be able to discuss issues of mutual interest with the European Parliament with the aim of strengthening relations between Albania and the EU further, as well as to facilitate the difficult reform process''. On the issue of resources, this new instrument - said S&D chief Gianni Pittella - supports ''the major efforts of the Albanian government'' concerning ''modernization of the country''. The next meeting of the group is scheduled for November. Discussion will revolve around areas in which to develop cooperation after the European Commission's presentation of a report on progress made by Tirana during its accession process. (ANSAmed). Libya: democracy and stability - a challenge for women Meeting at Lower House, call to demine freed zones (by Luciana Borsatti) (ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 18 - They are ''strong'' and have actively participated in the revolution against Gaddafi. Now Libya's women are dealing with militia fighting, terrorism, the economic crisis and Islamist forces who want to reduce rights also conquered before 2011. The Minerva association, together with the foreign ministry, has dedicated to these women a seminar at the Lower House, attended by a group of lawmakers and members of civil society of Libya. The women who sit in the Parliament of Tobruk - the institution that has not given a green light yet to the government of Sarraj - are 30, because in the post-revolution era they were awarded 16% of seats. But there are victims among lawmakers as well, such as Fariha Al Barkawi, who was killed in 2014, just like human right activist Salwa Bughaighis who was assassinated a few months before. Women in civil society are dealing with the economic crisis, the lack of essential goods on the market, the scarce cash, the strong deficiencies of the healthcare system, sexual and gender-related violence that is again dominating homes and the street, crime, corruption, the lack of a strong political authority and absolute necessity after five years of civil war and terrorism of a national reconciliation. All the problems were discussed at length by the Libyan speakers, including the loss or risk of loss of goals attained in the past, as denounced in particular by Naeima Gebril, member of the council for National Political Dialogue. She spoke about muftis who want to separate boys from girls in school, or a law to reinstate polygamy which was however successfully fought in a Supreme Court appeal, among other things. And these women representing Libya made specific requests to Italy and the international community including help in demining homes and civilian infrastructures in freed Benghazi, where defeated Islamist militias have disseminated land mines everywhere. Such a call was made by Gebril, as well as by Hana Abudeb, an MP who asks for the support of Europe and Italy for the reconstruction of airports, to reopen embassies and to enable the Libyan army to fight terrorism effectively by lifting an embargo on weapons. European countries were also criticized for the ''many words and few facts'' or for pursuing national interest that don't coincide with those of Libya, contributing to divisions between factions. Opinions on controversial general Haftar also diverge. Italy is calling for a recognition of an adequate role in the country's security. ''Haftar is not a gang leader but a personality charged by parliament'' in the fight against jihadist militias, said MP Sultana Abdurrai, stressing that consensus on his figure now goes beyond Libyans in the east. There is no risk that the elderly general means to implement in Libya the same authoritarian model as Egypt's president Sisi, according to the lawmaker, because ''Libya will be governed only by the ballots'' and the scenario of a military dictatorship cited during the debate ''has no foundation'', she said. (ANSAmed) Migrants: French judiciary approves Calais camp evacuation Appeal by 11 humanitarian associations rejected (ANSAmed) - PARIS, OCTOBER 18 - The French judiciary on Tuesday authorized the evacuation of an enormous migrant camp known as ''The Jungle'' in Calais, northern France. The administrative court of Lille approved the move and rejected an appeal filed last week by 11 humanitarian associations that had criticized the methods to be used. Media reports say that the evacuation is expected to start on Monday, but there has been no official confirmation. (ANSAmed). (by Denis Greenan) ROME - European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Defence Policy Federica Mogherini on Tuesday hailed the EU's budding Italy-led migrant compact as starting to effect real change in flows from African countries through Libya and on to Italy and said the pact could be extended as far afield as Pakistan and Bangladesh. Mogherini also said rules must be respected on the relocation of migrants within the EU according to mandated and agreed quotas. The EU has achieved more in the last four months than in the last few years with its Italy-inspired Migration Compact being offered to African countries of migrant origin and transit, Mogherini said. "The first results are staring to come in the field," she said, commenting on the first report on deals made so far with Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Senegal. At the Niger city of Agadez, she noted, a gathering point for migrants heading for Libya, fewer migrants are leaving and more returning voluntarily to their home countries because of a series of moves including the dismantling of smuggling networks and assistance to people blocked there. "Repatriations and identifications are extremely important and part of the Compact but it would be a mistake if the focus was only on repatriations and readmissions," Mogherini went on to say. She stressed that each accord was "tailor-made" according to the context and situation of each individual country. Mogherini added that the EU was not working on a 'migration compact' with Egypt but that this did "not mean that we are not working with Egypt on migration". A 'migration compact' Italy proposed earlier this year to the European Commission and the European Council to cut migrant flows envisages a framework accord with countries of origin and transit and financial commitments. She added that dialogue on the migration issue was in any case underway with the Egyptian government as part of the Khartoum Process. The Khartoum Process focuses on the route between the Horn of Africa and the European Union (EU) and is a high level, inter-continental political process that harmonizes existing African Union (AU) and EU-led components. The aim, Mogherini noted, is to develop new 'compacts' with other countries in addition to the five brought in over the summer. "There are other countries of origin and transit where we do not have a 'compacts' yet with, but the work is continuing and we hope to achieve them in the future," she said, citing Pakistan and Bangladesh as possibilities. The European Commission will act against countries who have so far resisted attempts to get them to accept migrants by way of relocation quotas, Mogherini went on. "Rules are rules, in all the different fields," she said when asked about the issue. "In this case," she added, "they are not only rules which the Commission has proposed but also ones which the very member States have themselves adopted". Therefore, she said, "consistency" was required by all EU members. Mogherini went on to voice the hope that the success of EU foreign policy over migration issues "may be mirrored also in the internal side of migration policies". The high representative noted that, in this area, Migration and Internal Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans were in charge of enacting policy. Beverly Mann | October 18, 2016 5:06 pm WASHINGTON In June of 2010, four boys were playing in the dry bed of the Rio Grande that separates El Paso from Juarez, Mexico. The international borderline, unmarked, runs through the middle of the culvert. The boys dared one another to run up a concrete incline and touch the barbed wire of the American border fence. An American border guard, Jesus Mesa Jr., grabbed one of them. Another boy, Sergio Hernandez Guereca, fled, and he made it back to Mexico before Mr. Mesa shot him in the head from about 60 feet away, killing him. Sergio was 15. Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to decide whether Sergios parents may sue Mr. Mesa for violating the Constitution by using excessive force. If not, lawyers for the parents argue, then Sergio died in a unique no-mans land a law-free zone in which U.S. agents can kill innocent civilians with impunity. Had Sergio been killed in the United States, he would have been protected by the Constitution. Had he been an American citizen, he would have been protected whether he was killed in the United States or in Mexico. An Agent Shot a Boy Across the U.S. Border. Can His Parents Sue?, Adam Liptak, New York Times, yesterday Dan emailed me the link to the article yesterday, with a subject line, This might be of interest. To which I responded: This is very much of interest, Dan. Its not simply the narrow legal question about whether the family of this teen can sue for a violation of a U.S. constitutional right. Its also what I consider an absolutely critical issue: the Conservative Legal Movements aggressive privileging of the rights of sovereigns over the rights of individualsusually they mean U.S. statesas though the sovereign is a person. They call it the dignity of the states, and I guess in this case theyre calling it the dignity of Mexico. Of course, the difference here is that, unlike in the states-rights-to-violate-individuals-rightswhich almost always means state-courts-rights-to-violate-individuals-rights (this dignity concern does not extent to the other two branches of state government)the government whose dignity the Conservative Legal Movement judges are so concerned with iswhat?waiving its right to have the Conservative Legal Movement protect it from this affront to its dignity. And, btw, the Fifth Circuit is the only circuit among the 12 federal appellate circuits that remains so thoroughly within the chokehold of the Conservative Legal Movement. But if Trump wins, theyll all quickly begin reverting back to it. Ill write something on this, but its a complex subject and I might not be able to finish it today. But if not, then tomorrow. I want it posted before Wednesday nights debate. What I was referring to when I said it is very much of interest (to the general public) is not fully apparent in the above excerpt; after all, most Americans will never be in a situation in which they are physically in a legal no-mans-land. But the operative word there is physically, by which I mean, in a physical rather than a metaphorical place whose very legal status, its reach by this countrys basic precepts of law, are deemed by this countrys federal courts to be nonexistent. In legal jargon, what Im talking about is the issue of subject-matter jurisdictionthe threshold authorityof federal courts to hear, to address, to consider, to not dismiss for lack of threshold legal authority to hear it, the lawsuit (whether civil in nature or quasi-criminal in nature, which is what most habeas corpus cases really are) whose purpose is to make a claim of one sort or another under the laws of this country. But due entirely to a set of Supreme Court-concocted legal doctrines in civil cases and the lower federal courts all-encompassing interpretations of it, and a rewriting by the Supreme Courts Conservative Legal Movement crowd of an already-awful 1996 jurisdictional statute to effectively repeal the Constitutions habeas corpus provisions applicability (via the Fourteenth Amendment) to state-court criminal convictions and sentences, anything that occurred in state court or is related in some way to what occurred in state court that arguably or inarguably violates a constitutional right of the individual who challenges it federal court is ruled beyond the jurisdictional reach of the federal courts. And while the habeas corpus jurisdictional statutory interpretation at least purports to be, well, statutory interpretation, no such claim was ever made about one of the two doctrines barring access to federal court in non-habeas cases concerning something that occurred in or relating to state court. It was always unabashedly simply a policy preference by the Court. And as such, it violates the Constitutions Article III, which accords Congress the sole authority to determine federal-court jurisdiction (subject to the Supreme Courts determination that jurisdictional statute, or the absence of one, itself violates the Constitution). The other of the two Court-fabricated jurisdictional doctrines is unique in its weirdness and, for the last 28 years, in its audacity. The 5-4 opinion that created it in 1983 was a standard statutory-interpretation opinion, but the statute it interpreted was repealed five years later at the behest of William Rehnquist, then newly elevated as chief justice. But instead of just dying with the repeal of the statute, it remained, but, like the other one, just a Court-created doctrine. This itself has operated to permit the lower federal courts to treat the continued viability of the doctrine, post-1988-statutory-repeal, as it treats the other doctrine: as unchallengeable via litigation, by dint of its provenance as a Court-created jurisdictional pseudo-statute. Or something. And therefore beyond the reach of a court challenge to its continued viability, and its very constitutionality. Its not a statute, see. And its not an Executive Branch regulation or policy, see. It, like the state-court events that these doctrines, together, serve to bar from constitutional challenge in federal court, exist in a legal no-mans land. The actions, the operations, the consequencesthey sure may be unconstitutional, but theyre also un-remedial. Like the Mexican teens familys case, according to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. And according to the Obama administration. Liptak explains: The Obama administration, in a brief urging the justices to deny review, said allowing civil suits in American courts was not the right way to address cross-border shootings by American agents. The Mexican courts have jurisdiction over events that happen in Mexico, the brief said. True enough, and the Mexican authorities did charge Mr. Mesa with murder. But the United States has refused to extradite him. The government of Mexico filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to hear the parents case. Applying U.S. constitutional law in such a case does not disrespect Mexicos sovereignty, the brief said. Any invasion of Mexicos sovereignty occurred when Agent Mesa shot his gun across the border at Sergio Hernandez not when the boys parents sought to hold Agent Mesa responsible for his actions. A trial judge dismissed the case, but a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, let part of it move forward. If ever a case could be said to present an official abuse of power so arbitrary as to shock the conscience, Judge Edward C. Prado wrote, what Sergios parents described was that case. The full Fifth Circuit reheard the case. While it agreed that the death of a teenaged Mexican national from a gunshot fired by a Border Patrol agent standing on U.S. soil was a tragic incident, it said Sergios parents could not pursue a claim under the Constitution. A 1990 Supreme Court decision, United States v. Verdugo-Urquidez, supports that view. It said some constitutional rights applied only within the nations borders unless the plaintiff had a significant voluntary connection to the United States. But a more recent decision, Boumediene v. Bush in 2008, concerning people detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, took a more flexible approach. It allowed detainees there to invoke the Constitution. The Fifth Circuit relied on the narrower view. By contrast, the Ninth Circuit, with jurisdiction over the border states of Arizona and California, has said that the border of the United States is not a clear line that separates aliens who may bring constitutional challenges from those who may not. Under that broader standard, a trial judge in Arizona last year refused to dismiss a civil case against Lonnie Swartz, a Border Patrol agent who is accused of killing Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, 16, in another cross-border shooting. Federal prosecutors have charged Mr. Swartz with murder, and he has pleaded not guilty. Mexicos Supreme Court brief described several other cross-border shootings. More generally, it said, shootings at the border whether or not justified in any particular case are, unfortunately, far from a rare occurrence. A 2013 report commissioned by United States Customs and Border Protection studied 67 shootings from 2010 to 2012. Too many cases, the report said, do not appear to meet the test of objective reasonableness with regard to the use of deadly force. Its all about preserving the dignity of the sovereign (or the sovereign, depending upon your viewpoint). Dignityand sovereign being the Supreme Courts terms, repeated time and again in cases justifying the incessant rulings by that court privileging the rights of state courts, but not the rights of state legislatures, and not the rights of state executive branches, at the cost of the constitutional rights of individuals that state courts, or someone or some entity related to something that happened in or in connection to one, has trampled. At the Supreme Court in recent decades, states rights usually means state courts rights to violate individuals constitutional rights. In the name of preserving the anthropomorphic right of the state to dignity. Or, to be precise, their sovereign dignity. Sovereign here apparently meaning the monarch, since monarchs, after all, are human. But now the Mexican government, unlike the state governments whose dignity the Supreme Courts Conservative Legal Movement knights in shining robes defend so gallantly, begs to differ on the meaning of sovereign dignity and on the underlying purpose of it. That government, although it surely appreciates the thoughtfulness of the sentiment, apparently considers its citizens the ones entitled to dignity under civil rights and civil liberties and human rights law. And in fact it may not even consider itself human. How refreshing. Spanish socialists to vote on Rajoy gov't 23/10 To avoid fresh elections, otherwise 'race against time' (ANSAmed) - MADRID, OCTOBER 18 - The federal council of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) will decide on Sunday, October 23, whether or not to approve the new government under outgoing prime minister Mariano Rajoy from the People's Party (PP). The date of the meeting was announced on Tuesday, state television RTE reported. The council will decide whether Socialist MPs will abstain on a confidence vote on Rajoy in the Congress, thereby making it possible to get a relative majority and avoid the third elections in a single year. If the Socialists give the green light to a ''technical abstention'' using methods yet to be set, a race against time will commence to give the country a new government by October 31 after 10 months of paralysis. If Congress does not elect another prime minister by the end of the month, the parliament will be dissolved automatically and fresh elections will be called before Christmas. On Monday, Felipe VI called for consultations with party leaders. If the PSOE opts to abstain, on Tuesday he will appoint Rajoy. Congress speaker Ana Pastor will have to convene the 350 MPs to take part in two votes of confidence in 48 hours prior to October 31 to elect the new prime minister and avoid elections. In the first round, an absolute majority of 176 votes would be needed and Rajoy would be expected to receive 170 at the most. In the second round he could pass even with the abstention of some or all 85 PSOE MPs or with their leaving the chamber. (ANSAmed). Guy Allison, a specialist from the NATS team at London Heathrow Airport, is currently based within the airlines Network Operations team working on a variety of projects including airfield operations around the Midfield Terminal Project at Abu Dhabi International Airport - one of the largest investment programmes in the Middle East. NATS is assisting the airline by sharing its experience in the management of low visibility procedures in the UK, the flow of aircraft on the airfield, and improving the way the airline manages its processes around aircraft handling. With a growing fleet, the airline wants to ensure operational efficiency in all areas of its hub operation. Chris Youlten, senior vice president of network operations at Etihad Airways, said Were delighted to be working in partnership with NATS as part of our continuing efforts to improve the experience for our passengers. By improving aspects of our operational efficiency across the global network, we are able to refine the experience for our customers; ensuring our flights consistently operate to schedule and we are recognised as a world leader for on-time performance. NATS has been working with aviation partners in the UAE since 2006, where it has its regional headquarters. The company also has offices in Oman and Qatar, and it has a long term engineering and operational transition project team working in Kuwait. Ben Kiff, director at NATS Middle East, said: Etihad Airways is one of the worlds leading airlines and its a privilege to be working with them to not only benefit their operations but the wider Abu Dhabi aviation community. The industry recognises the need for increased collaboration, and air traffic management - which is seen as the glue that connects airport and airline operations - can offer a unique perspective. It is great to see Etihad Airways taking such a leadership position in this regard. Guy Allison, a specialist from the NATS team at London Heathrow Airport, is currently based within the airlines network operations team working on a variety of projects including airfield operations around the Midfield Terminal Project at Abu Dhabi International Airport - one of the largest investment programmes in the Middle East. NATS is assisting the airline by sharing its experience in the management of low visibility procedures in the UK, the flow of aircraft on the airfield, and improving the way the airline manages its processes around aircraft handling. With a growing fleet, the airline wants to ensure operational efficiency in all areas of its hub operation. Chris Youlten, Etihads senior vice president of network operations at Etihad Airways, said: Were delighted to be working in partnership with NATS as part of our continuing efforts to improve the experience for our passengers. By improving aspects of our operational efficiency across the global network, we are able to refine the experience for our customers; ensuring our flights consistently operate to schedule and we are recognised as a world leader for on-time performance. NATS has been working with aviation partners in the UAE since 2006, where it has its regional headquarters. The company continues to expand its footprint in the Middle East, with offices in both Oman and Qatar, providing dedicated, locally-based operational and training expertise. NATS also has a long term engineering and operational transition project team working in Kuwait. Guy Allison, a specialist from the NATS team at London Heathrow Airport, at the Etihad Airways Training Academy in Abu Dhabi. The chief executive officer of Oman Air, Paul Gregorowitsch handed over special gifts to the selected colleagues and joined the management in the cutting cake ceremony Gregorowitsch said: Great progress has already been made over the years to empower Omani women and they are now represented at every level, both in Oman and the rest of the world. Here at Oman Air we are reliant on our female work force in an extensive range of roles and there is no doubt that they have been instrumental in ensuring our continuous growth and success. On Omani Womens Day I would like to take the opportunity not just to congratulate and thank our best performing females, but to thank all the women employed by Oman Air for their hard work and ongoing contribution to the business. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Russia has unilaterally announced a 8-hour ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo on October 20, but a longer "humanitarian pause" will require some "mutual agreements," Russias ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said after a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council, TASS reported. "We announced the 8-hour (ceasefire) unilaterally. I think that a longer pause, for instance a 48-hour or 72-hour (truce), will require some mutual agreements," the diplomat said. On Monday, Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of Russias Armed Forces Sergey Rudskoy said that on October 20, the Russian and Syrian military would impose humanitarian pause in fighting in Aleppo for the passage of civilians and the withdrawal of militants to the district of Idlib. For this purpose eight humanitarian corridors will be formed, including six ones for civilians. The Russia s General Staff also said that together with the UN and countries which have influence on the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (banned in Russia), it is working on the withdrawal of militants from Aleppo. According to Rudskoy, coordination between Russia and Syria may take a long time, so Russias Defense Ministry decided to hold "humanitarian pauses" "for the free passage of civilians, evacuation of the wounded and sick, as well as the withdrawal of militants." YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Minister-Chief of the Armenian Governments staff Davit Harutyunyan assures in the draft amendments to the Electoral Code the Government has not deviated from the agreement signed as a result of a political agreement. During the discussion of the draft law on making amendments in the Electoral Code, David Harutyunayn commented on the statements of opposition figures who said according to the presented draft the Government has deviated from the agreement. I think that some people have not read the agreement and signed it. Otherwise, there would not be such statements. Now I am announcing publicly and with all responsibility that we have not deviated from the agreement in this draft. The draft reflects all provisions reached through the agreement, he said adding that the talk is directed to all who criticize the legislative initiative submitted to the Parliaments discussion. Davit Harutyunyan read the provisions related to defining criminal liability in case of a false statement on voting for someone else. Those provisions are reflected in the agreement and in the presented legislative initiative as well, but they have been criticized by opposition figures during the discussion of the draft. If you decided to stay back from the agreement, its normal, I can understand that people want to stay back from the agreement, but in that case I want to state that every provision of any agreement is balanced by another provision. We have fixed a provision in the agreement which is unprecedented. I will bring an example in order for everyone to understand. Lets suppose someone has actually voted and then he hid away. After that, someone appeals that person has not voted. And if after that the leadership fails to find adequate evidence to prove the contrary, the appeal will be considered correct from the viewpoint of electoral processes. Davit Harutyunyan added that this requirement has been presented by the opposition, the leadership accepted it, but if the applicant will not take further efforts to prove that he/she is right, then he/she must be held accountable. Davit Harutyunyan said he is ready to discuss the issue of removing the provision of criminal liability defined for false information on fake voting but in that case the provision counterbalancing it must also be removed which has been discussed at 4+4+4 format discussion. The talk is about three provisions. You have insisted to define a criminal liability for false information, fake application and double voting, they must be equalized and the fines must be removed in that case. If you stand back from the agreement, thus we must refuse from the presumption of validity. In other words, when a person submits an application and says his/her neighbor, brother or son is not here and didnt take part in the voting, we dont accept it as a valid information and require other objective evidence, he said stating that he is ready for discussions, but the opposition figures must consider that the issue will relate to complex solution. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Member of the Turkish parliament representing Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) of Armenian origin Garo Paylan has filed a formal complaint for anti-Armenian chants in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Armenpress informs Paylan twitted. Paylan demanded to file a lawsuit based on Article 216 (inciting people to hatred or enmity) and Article 125 (insulting) of the Turkish criminal code. Paylan noted that during an assembly with Erdogans participation a group of people shouted Armenian scum, while the president and other officials kept silent and did not interfere. These words apart from being insulting for Armenians having lived on this soil for centuries and representing other ethnicity and religion, at the same time they contain hate speech according to the European Convention on Human Rights which is embraced by Turkey. Unfortunately, this is not the first incident against Armenians. Erdogans silence and the fact of not rebuking those calls make similar calls more powerful making Armenians an easy target, Paylan wrote in the complaint submitted to the court. Erdogan, Turkish Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu and Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs Veysel Eroglu are presented as witnesses of the incident. A day before, Paylan posted footage, showing a crowd cursing Armenians during an Erdogan speech. The audience was shouting Armenian scum, while Erdogan was smiling. The crowd which gathered in Trabzon for President Erdogans speech is cursing Armenians. No one interfered. I will file a complaint in the court tomorrow, Paylan wrote. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs that on October 18 the USD exchange rate was 475,56 AMD which is a decrease of 0,19 drams compared to the previous day. Armenpress reports that the Euro increased by 1,07 drams forming 523,92 drams. British pound rose by 5,19 drams forming 584,18 drams, Russian ruble increased by 0.03 drams reaching to 7,57 drams on October 18. The prices for precious metals are as follows: the price for silver per gram is 266,04 AMD, gold-19,185,4 AMD, and platinum-14.249,91 AMD. Best Finance Products and Services Would you like to submit an article in the Finance category or any of the sub-category below? 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The expansion is in line with a previous agreement in May between Malcolm Turnbull and Lee Hsien Loong, the prime ministers of Australia and Singapore respectively, to expand services export under the existing FTA. The upgraded FTA is slated to benefit the financial, legal, education and professional services industries of the two countries. According to Australias trade minister, Steven Ciobo, the latest expansion is the most comprehensive update of any of Australias existing FTAs, and will make it easier for Australian business personnel, including investors and service providers, to work in Singapore as well as provide greater opportunities for services exporters while reducing red tape for investors and exporters of goods and services. He remarked that with this expansion Singapore has given Australia its best FTA treatment, and has put Australian exporters on an equal or better footing than their foreign competitors. According to Ciobo, the updated FTA delivers big wins for Australian service providers with greater access and certainty in sectors such as education, law, financial and professional services. For instance, the expanded FTA will allow Australian financial service firms to provide advisory services in Singapore, including investment and portfolio management services and brokerage services for insurance of maritime, aviation and transport-related risks, according to the government. Singapore has also agreed to recognise the Juris Doctor degrees of Australian universities, which are currently listed in SAFTA. As per the amended terms, Australia and Singapore will establish a framework to support mutual recognition of professional qualifications with priority slated to be given to arrangements for engineers and accountants. Australia and Singapore share strong commercial ties, with bilateral trade reaching S$20 billion (US$14.3 billion) in 2015. Singapore is also Australias fifth largest trading and investment partner, as well as its largest trading partner within ASEAN. For more information on trade and investment opportunities in Singapore, please contact our specialists at asean@dezshria.com or visit us online at www.dezshira.com About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email asean@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. Annual Audit and Compliance in ASEAN For the first issue of our ASEAN Briefing Magazine, we look at the different audit and compliance regulations of five of the main economies in ASEAN. We firstly focus on the accounting standards, filing processes, and requirements for Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. We then provide similar information on Singapore, and offer a closer examination of the city-states generous audit exemptions for small-and-medium sized enterprises. The Trans-Pacific Partnership and its Impact on Asian Markets The United States backed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) includes six Asian economies Australia, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, while Indonesia has expressed a keen willingness to join. However, the agreements potential impact will affect many others, not least of all China. In this issue of Asia Briefing magazine, we examine where the TPP agreement stands right now, look at the potential impact of the participating nations, as well as examine how it will affect Asian economies that have not been included. An Introduction to Tax Treaties Throughout Asia In this issue of Asia Briefing Magazine, we take a look at the various types of trade and tax treaties that exist between Asian nations. These include bilateral investment treaties, double tax treaties and free trade agreements all of which directly affect businesses operating in Asia. by Melani Manel Perera Two organisations donated seeds to grow peanuts, red beans and corn. The government of former President Rajapaksa had seized the lands of coastal villages to develop tourism. Many residents are still living in tents. Colombo (AsiaNews) Activists with Sri Lankas National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) and the Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) have donated seeds to residents in Paanama to grow peanuts, red beans and corn, hoping that their help may facilitate the return to farming of land seized by the former government in order to develop tourism. Parallel to the World Food Day, which marked ion Sunday, some sacks of seed and farming equipment were donated by activists of Nafso visiting residents in Raagamwela recently. Their story began in July 2010 when armed men wearing masks attacked the villages, setting fire to houses and destroying the local temple. Residents were expelled and their land seized by police and soldiers. The rightful owners were barred from the area, since the government of then president Mahinda Rajapaksa planned to redevelop the coastal areas to attract tourists scared off by the civil war. In February 2015, the new government of President Maithripala Sirisena decided to return the land to its owners and acknowledged that they had been victims of forced evictions. After months of dashed hopes and no land restitution, villagers decided to force the issue and take back their own lands. Since then, 34 families live Raagamwela camped in the streets in makeshift shelters. For this reason, this year we decided to help them make a new start with their lives and crops, NAFSO coordinator Francis Priyankara Costa told AsiaNews. Fishing and farming is the only thing they can do." According to the activist, the villagers "were victims of human rights violations. They were attacked by force, and their homes, lands and property confiscated. Everything was destroyed in one night." The aforementioned organisations are the first to provide practical help, but already other associations have promised to help. For now, only three types of seeds have been donated, but farmers are hoping to grow what will guaranteed their survival: mango, cashew and various vegetables. About a million Sri Lankan rupees (US$ 6,800) would be needed to get everything up to speed on 37 acres of land. Paanama Pattuwa Protection Organisation chief Punchiraala Somasiri thanked the NAFSO and MONLAR. "We hope that in three or four months we will get something from these crops. We want to continue." Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - On the second day of the offensive, the Iraqi army and security forces are advancing "ahead of schedule" toward Mosul, the city symbol of the "caliphate" in Iraq, rich in oil and second largest in the country . Pentagon sources warn , however, that "it will take time" before the northern Iraqi metropolis is wrested from the Islamic State (IS). Spokesman Peter Cook warns that we must still verify the resistance that will be opposed by jihadists. Fighting continued overnight; Daesh militiamen [Arabic acronym for IS] have launched more attacks against Iraqi army troops and vehicles. At the moment the battle front is located about 15 km south of the city, under the jihadist control since June 2014. In the early morning yesterday a coalition of 30 thousand men, Iraqi soldiers and Kurdish Peshmerga militia, joined by Sunni tribal forces, began an offensive to capture the most important jihadist stronghold in Iraq. Local sources said that there would still be between 4 thousand and 8 thousand jihadists in town. The Kurdish Peshmerga have already taken control of several villages in the Nineveh plain - some of which once predominantly Christian - surround Mosul. They also conquered another stretch of road linking Mosul to Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurdish-Iraqi military offensive is supported at the operational level by the US military and intelligence leaders. Washington is closely following the operations in Iraq, in an attempt to balance a series of failures - military and diplomatic in Syria. In the face of the advance of the anti- Isis coalition, there is increasing concern for the fate of civilians trapped in Mosul, where about 1.5 million live. The United Nations sounded the alarm about the possible use of civilians as human shields. The UN experts also warn of "a jihadi attack with chemical weapons." The UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Lisa Grande, is convinced they could be facing the "worst possible scenario" but Iraqi forces consider it unlikely. This is linked to events that already occurred in which "mustard gas" was used by Daesh in Iraq. UN under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, Stephen O'Brien, said he was "extremely concerned" about the fate of the inhabitants of Mosul and the "consequences" of the military offensive. The fear is that the population can remain "trapped" in the fighting and that civilians are used by jihadists to protect themselves from Iraqi army attacks. Up to one million people, warns the UN expert, may have to abandon their homes. And most of them, as has already happened to Christians and Yazidis in the summer of 2014, coinciding with the rise of IS, would ultimately run away "with only the clothes they are wearing". Hence the appeal of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which calls for an additional $ 61 million to set up tents, shelters, blankets and items for the winter, fundamental to face the arrival of the cold season. The conquest of Mosul will not erase the presence of the Islamic State in Iraq, because the jihadists still control most of the territories in the north and east of the country. Moreover, according to some sources the offensive could trigger a mass exodus of jihadists towards the borders of Europe. The warning comes from the EU Security Commissioner for Julian King, that "even a minimum quantity [ of jihadists] poses a serious threat," which must be dealt with. Cessation of hostilities begins 23.50 on October 19. Possible "renewal" in following days. The parties involved in the war have ensured compliance with the agreement. The objective is to avoid "further bloodshed" and encourage "the delivery of humanitarian aid." Sana'a (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A humanitarian truce of 72 hours starting from October 20, to bring relief to civilians battered by months of war and violence was announced by the UN special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who has not ruled out a further extension of the ceasefire for the following few days. The diplomat says he has assurances from all parties involved in the conflict - the army loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and the Shiite Houthi rebel militias that control Sana'a - regarding compliance with the agreement. The ceasefire follows the dramatic appeal launched by the international community on the escalation of violence in the Arab country. Recently the Saudi-led Arab due according to mistaken intelligence information bombed the wake of the father of a senior Houthi leader killing over 140 people. In the aftermath of the massacre, the international community - first and foremost the United States, Britain and the UN have been trying to relaunch a dialogue between the parties to achieve a ceasefire with immediate effect. Even Saudi Arabia has been pressing for a truce in the fighting. In an official statement the UN special envoy said he had received "broad assurances" from all parties to the conflict in Yemen. Hence the announcement of a truce that will start "in Yemen at 23:59 hours on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours" and "subject to renewal." Ahmed hopes that the ceasefire "will avoid further bloodshed" for the civilian population and improve conditions "for the delivery of humanitarian aid". Since January 2015, Yemen has been the scene of a bloody internal conflict pitting the countrys Sunni leaders, backed by Riyadh, against Shia Houthi rebels, close to Iran. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition began air strikes against the rebels in an attempt to free the capital Sana'a and bring back then exiled President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi. So far the air campaign criticised by the UN - has killed at least 6,600 people, mostly civilians and many children. At least 2.5 million people have been displaced from their homes. The Saudi coalition - the center of an independent international investigation into claims "a third" of their air strikes hit civilian targets benefits from US logistical and intelligence support. However, in recent times the relationship has cooled (at least according to official channels) precisely because of the high number of civilian casualties. Recently, international diplomacy has tried several times to reach a ceasefire, without success. In August it held a series of peace talks in Kuwait, which ended with a stalemate. And even the announcement of a ceasefire to coincide with the talks was not reflected on the battlefield. The failure of negotiations led to a further escalation of the war. Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlaf said that President Hadi is willing to extend the truce in the following days. Provided that the Houthi rebels interrupt the siege of Taez, the third largest city of the country for months under the fire of the rebel Shiite militiamen. by Hocine Drouiche As terror attacks multiply, it is no longer enough to say that they have nothing to do with Islam or that Islam is peace". What is needed is reform within Islam to reconcile faith and reason, spirituality and the values of secularism, freedom, and equality. The imam of Nimes, vice president of the Conference of Imams of France has some proposals to erase fear and establish the coexistence of Muslims in Europe. Paris (AsiaNews) The rise of Islamic terrorism deeply challenges Europes Muslim elites. Hocine Drouiche, an Algerian-born imam in Nimes, has made some proposals on how to develop a French Islam, respectful of reason and coexistence. Imam Drouiche, who is vice-chairman of the Conference of Imams of France, has received threats from radicals because of his views. His ideas were presented on 5 October at a seminar held at the National Assembly titled How to stop the spread of radical political and religious ideologies that threaten the Republic and French Islam?* His statement translated by AsiaNews follows. Attacks and attempted attacks that multiply as well as the anarchy that characterises Muslim life in France raise questions about the issue of Islam in France and Europe. This raises a number of topics such as the role of women, religious freedom, apostasy, patriotism, foreign intervention, the place of Jews, citizenship, terrorism ... etc. Such questions remain without convincing and reassuring answers. Geopolitical developments in the Muslim world in Syria, Iraq, Mali and elsewhere and the echoes of the confrontation between Israel and Hamas in the absence of a real vision of peace between the two peoples have deeply upset the reality of Islam in our society. The political Islam that has emerged over the past 30 years in the suburbs has always been present to take advantage of this climate of crisis and despair in order to offer new Muslim youth arguments justifying the confrontational strategy global Islam chose long ago, even though French Muslims are not obliged to follow the Islamic political model born in the Arab world, which certainly does not correspond to the lives of Muslims as minorities in secular western countries. Native communities weakened by economic and political crises have started to see Islam as becoming more and more of an uncontrollable and threatening invasion, especially after the latest wave of attacks. The appearance of thousands of jihadists and the discrediting of traditional Islam by a new warlike Islam since the Merah** case, especially since the war in Syria, which has led to many vocations in our country, has also forced French Muslims to examine themselves seriously. In order to clarify their position and reassure French people, they must take the bull by the horns and clearly answer some important questions such as: Between France and the jihadists, who will we choose? In light of Islams state of anarchy, do Muslims recognise the Muslim crisis (structural and in the words of imams)? What commitments will they take to control violent tendencies within the Muslim community? Are they ready to differentiate between the Muslim religion and the ideology of political Islam that seeks conflict and hatred more than peace and solutions? Do they accept an independent and free French Islam against the vision of foreign political Islam? Do they accept a Republican education of imams to avoid conflict with secularism, the values of the Republic and the traditions of French society, including the aforementioned important questions that Islam has not been able to deal with until now by giving clear and convincing answers that reassure the native population? Are they prepared to separate the divine order from the political order in order to adapt to the Republic? All these ambiguities in French Islam provide fertile ground for extremists to recruit more young men and women on a path of deconstruction and hatred in the streets, mosques and, of course, social media. The state that has failed for several years to perform its Republican role in the suburbs is invited today to take its share of responsibility on all its territories. Of course, a solution to radicalisation can only come from within Frances Muslim community. Muslims are starting to feel the danger of not treating the problem of extremism. Only the future can offer us a precise answer. "Islam is not violence" The following points show us the difficulties of the question of Islam in France: 1 The non-recognition of the problem: Generally, imams, preachers and Muslim leaders believe that Muslims are completely innocent of any moral and religious responsibility for all the attacks that took place in France and Europe. We hear such "innocence "in the following answers that we receive from these players after each attack: 1 Islam is not violence, Islam is peace and love. 2 These kids have nothing to do either with Islam or the mosques as if these young people were Catholic, Buddhist, Jews or atheists! 3 The whole world does not like Islam and Muslims. Consequently, these "infidels" want to dishonour Islam (conspiracy theory)! For most French people, such words represent the worst response that Muslims could give to these attacks. Millions of people in France and Europe do not understand the positions Muslims take against these attacks. Several imams are against this reaction deemed feeble by the social majority. 2- The reality of Islam 2.1 Religious reality: It is characterised by: 1 A new generation who found in religion the only refuge despite its linguistic and legal difficulties. It continues to make efforts to defend religion and the Ummah (nation). 2 Scriptures in the original language (Arabic) are sometimes poorly translated and even filled with ambiguities. The interpretations of these texts are generally old and contextual. Some hadiths and some interpretations are of such contradictory and astonishing violence vis-a-vis the values of humanism, freedom, mercy and openness, which are normally found in the Muslim religion. 3 Some medieval religious opinions are taught in all Islamic universities and institutes, including those in Western countries, which are having a hard time to find Muslim elites that can reform and adapt them. 4 Muslim elites are weak vis-a-vis a clear resistance by most Muslims against all reformist discourse: rejection, exclusion, attempts to discredit, takfir, etc. 5 There is an inability to produce clear, courageous and reassuring answers with respect to apostasy, stoning, religious freedom, secularism, etc. B The socioeconomic reality: Most of this [Muslim] population lives in the suburbs and endures insecurity, unemployment, marginalisation and school failure. These factors favour turning inward, self-exclusion and flight towards "wishful thinking" or easy emotional solutions that exploit the victimisation, hatred, despair, and identity conflict felt by these kids. This can be seen in the words that are repeated every day in the suburbs: We are not the same; us vs them; they dont like us; it'll be a civil war, change your name to get a job, etc. C. Globalisation and the lack of a clear vision: The world is going through an extraordinary period. It does not know which way to go! This ambiguity around world is a reflection of the failure of all economic and social visions. Citizens are going back to their old values when they do not know their destination! That is, if we dont go forward, we automatically go back. D Political Islam settling its accounts with the West: This Islam speaks an emotional, globalist and populist language. Often it has to create conflicts and adversities to maintain its popularity. It typically defines difficulties in a populist language justified by the theory of a Western conspiracy against Islam and Muslims! This language is imported from the Arab world. European Islam has never changed it even though it places European Muslims in direct conflict with their fellow citizens on the old continent. E Weak representatives of Islam in France: We see this at two levels: 1 At the theological level: French Muslim leaders generally have a dry political language, poorly argued and unconvincing. By contrast, the emotional language of imams and preachers that is generally supported by verses and hadiths currently affects and attracts more French and European youth. 2 Diatribes from several Arab and Muslim countries like Algeria, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey undermine intra-Islamic relations as they settle their political conflicts on French soil using the issue of Islam in France. Some officials are appointed by the governments of these countries! All these factors still influence the reality of Islam in France. Muslim elites are no longer independent. The room for of rationalism within these elites has been greatly reduced. The French and the Europeans no longer understand the timid reaction among Muslims to attacks. Political Islam drives straight into the wall and then honks. That is to say, it does not condemn the attacks enough and complains about "Islamophobia". In view of this situation, political Islam is today accused of producing Islamophobia because it can live only through a conflict-based strategy and the creation of enemies! Whereas peaceful Islam (Republicans, Sufi, etc.) is still weak among Muslims in France. Possible answers Faced with such a complex situation, the concept of French Islam cannot find a place nor definition. 1 The only proposed solution is turning inward and return to the past! Extremism finds no better environment than this to nurture hatred and cruelty. With respect to poor educational outcomes, marginalisation in neighbourhoods, unemployment, Islamist actors still advocate an emotional language based on self-glorification. The has prevented Muslims from having the courage to engage in the kind of self-criticism that can allow progress. 2 The solution of the Muslim issue in France can only come two ways: 2.1 The grassroots solution This means that Muslims themselves carry out the reform. It may not be feasible without the following conditions: - recognising the existence of a crisis of rationalism in Islam itself as it is experienced and presented in France and Europe, - recognising the existence of the crisis between Islam and the Republic, - having the courage to review the interpretations of some Qur'anic verses and hadiths that are not valid for living together and for life in a democratic society, - accepting the creation of a national Islam in France (as it exists in Algeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, etc.) ... etc.). These different applications of Islam have the same bases whilst religious opinions may vary from one country to country. This reform will not change any religious foundations. It fits perfectly with secularism and the values of the Republic. It meets the legitimate concerns and questions raised by the native population seeking reassurances about their cultures, religions and values, - training imams in France within the framework of Republican values (secularism, freedom, equality, etc.), - delinking French Islam from the Islamist globalisation in order to get out of the logic of conflict and settling international accounts in favour of a constructive francisation that does not change Islam but refuses to use France as a battleground for foreign forces who take advantage of the freedom that exists in France and Europe. 2.2 Top-down solution If imams and the interlocutors of Islam fail to do this work of reform as the Catholic Church has done in the past few centuries, they will be forced to do it either by the power of the state (by public orders or an imposed concordat) or by the power of society. Such an external, violent and brutal solution will certainly be imposed. Thus, the clash of cultures and the direct conflict between Islam and part of the local society will unfortunately be inevitable. The modernisation of textual exegesis in Islam has become complicated. Yet there are Muslims who demand necessary reforms for their religion and see social life from another point of view more suited to modern time. Islam in France is still seeking its Martin Luther, Calvin and Zwingli! Personally, I believe that the desired reform can only happen from within Islam. By contrast, this process needs someone who can support and encourage the liberation of French Islam. This process requires the following conditions: - the establishment of a competent and free French religious reference, - disarming conflictual political Islam from certain arguments it is based on: a the effective presence of the state in the suburbs in order not to leave the field to be filled by non-Republican forces. b settling political problems like Syria, Mali and Libya, as well as past issues like the war in Algeria, for example. Are Muslim elites able to revive the Muslim rationalism and Averroism needed to support social progress? Can Islam adapt to the Republic? To what extent the latter can contain Muslim traditions through its tolerance and flexibility? Can Islam coexist as a minority amid a predominantly non-Muslim population? Today, this is the great challenge for Islam and Muslims in France and in the West. Of course, history does not give us too many experiences of this kind to learn from or copy. Muslim elites alone have to meet this historic challenge. Only time can provide us with answers to such important questions, which will in turn shape the next social map of France. * The original title in French is Comment interdire la propagation des ideologies politico-religieuses radicales qui menacent la Republique et lIslam de France ? ** Attacks in Toulouse and Montauban, 2012 by Nirmala Carvalho An international seminar took place today under the auspices of the Consulate General of Argentina. Leading figures from three major religions spoke at the event, which provided an opportunity to bring together some of the values of the Argentinian government with a social document of Pope Francis and the richness of Indian thought and the long tradition of India. Mumbai (AsiaNews) An international seminar on the environmental teachings underpinning Pope Franciss Laudato si encyclical and its relationship to the Hindu tradition took place today in Mumbai under the auspices of the Consulate General of the Argentine Republic in Mumbai, K J Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham (KJSBSP), and Somaiya Vidyavihar. Titled The Teachings of Pope Francis on Ecology and the Care for Nature with its Parallels in Hinduism, the seminar is a means of contributing to the awareness of the problem from a perspective of three of the main religions of the world, Argentina's Consul General Alejandro Zothner Meyer told AsiaNews. This purpose implies that we consider interreligious dialogue as a very important way to solve some of the main problems of humanity. The conference was held at SIMSR Building Somaiya Vidyavihar Campus with Mgr John Rodrigues, auxiliary bishop of Mumbai, making the formal opening. Speakers included Prof Dilip Kulkarni, environmentalist who spoke about the living green in Hindu philosophy, Prof Mohammad Sanaullah from Aligarh Muslim University who addressed ecology from an Islamic perspective, Prof Mariano Iturbe who offered a Christian perspective, and Swami Sarvalokanandaji, a senior monk from the Ramakrishna Math Institute who gave a Hindu point of view. For the consul, organising an event like this one in India is an important landmark. The aim is to focus on a major document based on the social teaching of the Catholic Church that talks about the protection of the environment and to find out its parallelism with the teachings of Hinduism and Islam. Before being designated Pope, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, first as Auxiliary Bishop and then as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, contributed personally to this interreligious dialogue with many Protestant, Jewish and Muslim leaders of Argentina, Consul Zothner Meyer explained. As Pope Francis he continues with this trend. This Encyclical Letter, Laudato Si, that he presented to all men and women of good will, is a call to all of us, to take care of our common house, our planet, before it is too late. According to the consul, " India has some of the oldest and richest cultural traditions. Being in India as an Argentinian Diplomat, and personally being involved in my country in the interreligious dialogue, I thought that organizing this event would be an opportunity to bring together some of the values my Government applies, with a social document of Pope Francis (an Argentinian citizen) and to put together with the richness of Indian thought and the long tradition of India as a country were, although Hinduism represents the great majority, many religions lived together peacefully. At the end of their lives apostles, prophets and martyrs experienced loneliness, difficulties, they were stripped, abandoned, but the Lord remained by their side. "Pray for the pastors who are at the end of their lives and who are waiting for the Lord to take them with Him." Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The pastor who follows Jesus and shuns power, even if it is abandoned by everyone will always have the Lord by His side, until the end of life. He will be desolate, but never bitter, said Pope Francis said today at Mass in Casa Santa Marta, taking a cue from the Second Letter to Timothy, to highlight how the apostles, prophets and martyrs have experienced loneliness and trials at the end of their lives: Alone, begging, abandoned by all and the victim of fury. But this is the great Paul, the man who heard the voice of the Lord, the call of the Lord! The man who went from one place to another, who suffered so many things and so many trials for preaching the Gospel, who made the Apostles understand that the Lord wants Gentiles to enter into the Church as well, the great Paul who when praying rose to the Seventh Heaven and heard things that nobody else had heard before: the Great Paul, there, in that small room of a house in Rome, waiting to see how that struggle would end within the Church between the different sides, between the rigidity of the Judaizers and those disciples faithful to him. And this is how the life of the great Paul ends, in desolation: not in resentment or bitterness but with an inner desolation. Pope Francis went on to point out that Peter and St John the Baptist suffered similar privations in the final stage of their lives with the latter having his head cut off owing to the caprice of a dancer and the revenge of an adulterous woman. In more recent times, he said it was the same for Maximilian Kolbe who created a worldwide apostolic movement and yet died in the prison cell of a death camp. When an apostle is faithful, stressed the Pope, he or she knows that they too can expect the same end that Jesus faced. But the Lord stays close and does not abandon them and they find their strength in Him. Pope Francis said This is the Law of the Gospel: if the grain of wheat doesnt die it doesnt produce new seeds and reminded that a theologian of the early centuries wrote that the blood of martyrs are the seeds of Christians. To die in this way like martyrs, as witnesses of Jesus, is the grain that dies and gives rise to new seeds and fills the earth with new Christians. When a pastor lives like this he is not embittered: maybe he feels desolate but he has that certainty that the Lord is beside him. When a pastor during his life was attached to other things, rather than to the faithful - for example he was attached to power, money, being part of a clique, to many things - then at his death he wont be alone, maybe his grandchildren (heirs) will be there waiting for him to die so they can see what possessions they can take away with them. Pope Francis concluded his homily by describing the attitude of many elderly priests now living in retirement homes who despite their sufferings remain close to the Lord. by Aleksei Levinson Europe alarmed by the Third World War tones in mainstream media in Russia describing the current escalation of tension between Moscow and Washington on Syria. The militarist propaganda is not new in Putin's Russia and is part of the new ultra-conservative ideology, adopted by the leadership of the country to maintain the status quo. Below, an article which appeared in the Moscow Times signed by Aleksei Levinson, a sociologist with the independent polling Levada institute. Moscow (AsiaNews) - Ultraconservatism is the new Russian zeitgeist. The countrys leadership has embraced it. Its influence on Russian media is obvious, and the public mood reflects it as well. Religious and military components of the school curriculum, revision in history courses, the construction of new temples and monumentsall of this serves to consolidate, fortify and perpetuate the attitudes, ways of life and forms of power that have taken hold in Russia. In the 1990s, Russian society moved from the ruins of state socialism toward a democratic political system and market economy. By the mid-1990s, domestic economic relations had, for the most part, reached a point that suited both owners and managers, as well as those who were somewhere in the middle. A balance had been achieved. Almost no one is willing to admit that Russia is backward. So instead we are asked to imagine ourselves on a special path, with no one for company Of course, this balance did not suit the majority of the population, but it was fine with the minority that held the main assets of Russian society. These were mostly mixed resources of power and property. They were often of questionable origin, and the rights to this power and property could only exist as long as the current order was maintained. Often, specific people even had to be kept in certain positions. This intermediate state most suited the huge post-Soviet class of bureaucrats, who had mastered laws, rules and regulations, as well as the methods for their selective application or disregard. They did not want to return to socialism. Everybody knows that their power is much greater than that of Soviet civil servants. They feel no need to proceed to bourgeois democracy, with its independent courts and interactive branches of power. People wouldnt "understand" them there. The bourgeoisie that formed along with the bureaucracythe new ownerswouldnt want a return to Soviet socialism either. Not that they have any use for Western-style developed capitalism, with its transparency, standards and audit reporting. "Perfect! Hold it right here for a moment," the post-Soviet elite is thinking. Thats how the party of the status quo came about. Conservatism was an instinct and mood before it took shape as an ideology. They had to put a damper on the democratic reforms started in the previous period. The steady, gradual dismantling of new social institutions began. Any excuse would do. The public watched in silence, and it seemed as though the promises of democracy were being denied to them, just as the promises of communism had been. This frustration led to a multitude of complications and pathologies in the mass consciousness. The first evidence of this was the idea of a "special democracy" that Russia needed one that is obviously not the same as in the West. This has since evolved into a broader, and politically convenient idea of Russias "special path." We have clearly fallen behind on the path the Western countries are taking, and we are never going to catch up. We thought about Chinas path, without so much as a whisper about competing with it. At the same time, almost no one is willing to admit that Russia is backward. So instead we are asked to imagine ourselves on a special path, with no one for company. The idea is comforting. But you cant stop there. The logic of our exclusivity has led over time to the idea of our special rights. We can do things no one else can. After the annexation of Crimea, politicians found a hundred reasons why it was legitimate, legal and correct. Mass consciousness didnt belabor the details of the case but tried to stand firm in the conviction that it was our right, thats all. And if everyone in the world thinks we are wrong, it only proves our rightness. The truly special path from Soviet socialism to partial state capitalism has left a lot of Russians in confusion. A surprisingly cheap and effective ultraconservative drug has been found for them: a daily showing of old Soviet films on major TV channels. They have started to inject symbols of the Soviet and imperial periods into popular culture. The authorities have realized that ultraconservatism via the systematic dosage of a virtual past allows it to maintain the status quo necessary for the elites. A unique consensus of the public and the authorities has thus been created. It has proven its value: two-thirds of the population now approves of the activities of its chief representative, Putin, and has done since the beginning of the 2000s. The recent conversion of millions of other Russians have raised the presidential rating past 80 percent. These changes, and the transformation of ultraconservatism into a new activism, designed to frighten and provoke a hostile outside world, are subjects for a separate, and important discussion. Its five answers to five questions. Here we go 1. My manager said the wrong number when giving me a raise Im not even sure where to begin on this one. I recently had my one-year evaluation with my manager. To thank me for my good work, my manager said I would receive a raise and it would go into effect in the next pay cycle. Instead of phrasing the new salary in terms of the increase (like your salary will increase this much), she said the actual new salary amount. This new salary amount gave me a 6% increase so I was very happy. Today I received the first pay stub with the new raise and it is not what I was promised. In fact, instead of a 6% increase, its only a 3% increase. I ask my manager if some error had occurred. She calls a meeting with me and insists I must have misheard. She tells me all her notes for this meeting specifically mentioned the 3%, not 6%. She says she apologizes, but I obviously misheard and she implied I should be grateful I got any raise at all (which is an odd idea, considering my evaluation was glowing and the only suggestion given was the throwaway continue always striving to improve.) I never received anything in writing. The evaluation was very informal. I will swear on every holy book that she said the salary I heard. Perhaps she misspoke, and I could forgive that in a second if she hadnt tried to gaslight me. My question then is, what are my rights here? I have nothing in writing and I have now been embarrassed by the whole are you sure you heard correctly, sweetie? episode. On top of all that, Im feeling plain ripped off. Whats my next step? I suppose its possible that you misheard, who knows. Its also possible that she misspoke. Its also possible that she intentionally told you one number and then gave you a different one but thats not the most likely explanation of the three. Regardless of how this happened, the question for you now is: If shed told you this number originally, would you have been happy with it? Or would you have advocated for more? If youd have been happy with it, Id write this off as a miscommunication, assume no malice, and move forward. If you would have advocated for more, then do that now. Say something like, It seems like we miscommunicated somewhere, because Id thought Id heard $X. Regardless, if Id realized it was $Y, I would have asked to talk about a higher number because (fill in your case for a raise here). And from there, proceed like you would in any raise negotiation. As far as any rights you have here with this set of facts, theres not really much you can do. Theres no practical way to hold her to a number that she says she didnt give you when theres nothing in writing to the contrary. 2. I was fired for making a joke about a knife on Facebook and now I cant get hired I was dismissed from my employer of eight years over a Facebook post, in which I stated that I owned and knew how to use a small pocket knife, and mentioned that part-time workers dont understand the difficulty of working full-time. It was, in reality, a completely tongue-in-cheek joke with my friend I posted as public by accident. But the HR director called me up after work and said the post was threatening to other employees, despite my explanation that it was sarcasm/a private joke. Afterwards, I did not seek unemployment because I thought it would be contested in court due to the nature of the termination, and I didnt want to see anyone from the company again. (Prior to this incident, I had a good relationship with my organization, except for the final six months in which I had FMLA-related attendance issues.) Since then, Ive been care-taking for elderly relatives and started a small business that, after a year, wasnt financially viable. I used up my savings and maxed out my credit, and have been searching for a job for several months, trying to keep my condo. I had six interviews in September alone, but no job offers. Hiring managers and HR reps seem to be quite understanding about the reason I got fired during phone and in-person interviews. Are they just being polite while making a mental note to never call again? Or is it truly something else? Well yeah, its possible that hearing about what happened is making them write you off. Its not because this incident should define you, but because they have so little data about candidates that every thing they do know looms larger than it might if they knew you better. (I talk more about that here.) So when they dont know much about you, hearing about something that was bad judgment and potentially a red flag of something more serious (no matter how remote that possibility), theyre going to take it seriously and not want to take the risk. I know you said that they sound understanding about it during interviews, but I suspect theyre being polite while mentally writing you off. Can you call your old employer, explain that you think this incident is preventing you from getting work, and ask if theyd be willing to come to an agreement with you about what theyll say to reference-checkers about why you left? If you can get them to agree to call it a layoff or a resignation, or even to decline to give a reference at all, you will probably have an easier time of it. 3. Employee doesnt want her work times shared with coworkers so that people wont know when shes not home I am a director of a mid-sized nonprofit. My department heads many worksites that are widespread around the county. The staffing for the sites can vary, and staff are assigned on a weekly basis to the various sites. Because none of us works in the same building, schedules are emailed to the group for the week, with employees first names and last initials and where they are scheduled for the week. Yesterday, an employee came to the worksite manager, very upset that her privacy was violated by people seeing what her schedule is, and that it is a safety issue not necessarily because people will see where she is working, but because people I dont know will know what times I wont be at home. She has certainly strained my logic with that one. How people who she admittedly does not know would care about when she is not home is beyond me. Further, we told her that it is pretty common practice to post a schedule at a workplace, and she replied I dont come from any background like that. By this logic, everyone in our company would know that I usually work from 8-5 each day, and would not be at home. Am I missing something? Is there any reason to not post or email schedules in this fashion? People do indeed typically know when their coworkers will be at work and thus not at home. Thats a pretty unavoidable part of having a job. And its normal to circulate schedules so that people know who will be working when, and in many cases its necessary to being able to function smoothly. Generally when someone raises a privacy concern, Id say that you should try to accommodate it if you can, or at least try to understand more about what the concern is. For example, if she had privacy concerns about being featured on your website or having her home address circulated to coworkers, Id say you should respect those. Or if you were posting the schedule in an area where customers could see it, Id suggest changing that. Or if she raised a privacy concern that didnt make sense to you, Id say that you should talk to her to get a better understanding of her concern rather than just blowing it off. But in this case, shes asking you not to do something that I assume is key to how your business functions. Id say this to her: Im sorry this is making you feel uneasy. We circulate schedules because ____. This is a pretty common practice in our field and others think, for example, of 9-5 jobs where people are reliably away during those hours. I cant not include you on the schedule that we share with each other, but if theres something else that would help you feel more comfortable, Id be glad to talk with you about it. 4. My director sent around a photo of my messy desk I am from South America and work as a programmer in Sweden. Our director is always asking everybody to keep our office clean, and I strongly agree that many people need to learn how to not leave dirty cups all around the tables. Sometimes I myself organize and clean some messy shared spaces. My own desk has two screens, a cable adapter hub, a laptop, a big keyboard, and a special game mouse which are my work tools but make a lot of cables. I really struggle trying to organize my own cables and they never look 100% neat. I am very sensitive to it. I also have a notebook, a pen, and a Swedish grammar book on my desk, since Swedish is my fourth language and I am still learning it. So, today the director was really pissed about messy and dirty desks (some tables with rotten food and dozens of dirty cups) and took pictures of them. She posted the pictures in a private Facebook group with everyone who works in the office (about 40 people) and wrote clean your desks. I was shocked and surprised to see my desk in one of the pictures the only picture which identifies the owner (because of the screens and the grammar book). All the other pictures were focused on specific objects, not the entire desks, so we were not able to identify them. I am super uncomfortable and thinking about what I should do about it. I am feeling very badly treated. Should I open it to everyone? If yes, how? Nah, let it go. It sounds like it was more of a group-shaming and I doubt any of your coworkers think it was a shot specifically fired at you. (And your desk doesnt even sound particularly bad. Cables are a pretty normal part of many desks.) Other people may feel they were singled out because they recognized their mug or something. Your manager is just making a point about how people need to be neater; it doesnt sound like its personal or something to feel bad about. 5. Asking people to be references for a second job I started a full-time, career-type job three months ago that Im very happy at. I live in a notoriously high-rent region and pay half my salary in housing costs, and my students loans are coming due soon. In order to be able to pay all bills and expenses, I think I need to take a second job, which Im perfectly happy and willing to do. The employers I apply to may ask for references, and Im concerned about letting any of the people who just recently acted as my references know Im looking for another job. I think it might look bad either like Im not good with money (not true, I just know from experience that I would just have a hard time maintaining the level of health, energy, and focus required for my work if I lived in chronic want and self-denial), or that my very well known employer doesnt take proper care of its employees (also not true). So when I ask people who have acted as references in the past to take that role again so soon, how do I phrase it so that they know its for a second job, that my employer is great and that I am not an irresponsible spender? Also, Im assuming that it would be too weird to ask my current boss to act as a reference in this case. But please tell me if Im wrong about that. Just be straightforward! Im really happy with my new job at Teapots Inc. Thanks so much for being a reference for me when I was applying. I wanted to give you a heads-up that Ive decided to try to pick up a weekend job too, so you might be contacted as a reference again. And yeah, I probably wouldnt list your current boss as a reference largely because youre still pretty new to her and to your job there. The Taliban Is Actually Really Bad At Social Media Trending News: What We Learned By Following The Taliban On Social Media Why Is This Important? Because the Internet could be a new way for terrorists to disseminate their ideology. Long Story Short For years, the Taliban opposed technology as un-Islamic. Now, the insurgents are using all the means at their disposalincluding social mediato make sure that they're heard. Theyve faced some hiccups along the way. Long Story The Taliban became notorious in the 1990s for its opposition to technology. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the failed state that the insurgents ruled before the American invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, banned TVs and VCRs while considering musical cassettes a particular evil. Now, the insurgents have few qualms about using social media to broadcast their ideology. Taliban activists use not only Facebook and Twitter but also Internet messaging platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp, where, according to The Diplomat, they have channels and chatrooms in Arabic, Dari, English, Pashto, Turkish, and Urdu. Taliban spokesmen Muhammad Yousuf Ahmadi and Zabihullah Mujahid texts journalists with updates after battles and suicide attacks. The Talibans social network across mass media may look impressive at first glance. The insurgents seem to be facing some difficulties online, however. They stopped updating the Turkish Telegram channel several months ago, and it was never clear why the Taliban, which has little following in Turkey, would feel the need to reach Turkish-speaking communities in the first place. The insurgents also misspelled English on their Enghlish Telegram channel. Related: Video Shows What It's Like To Fight For ISIS The Wall Street Journal reported that the Ghost Security Group, a hacker group linked to Anonymous, has been harassing Taliban websites. The insurgents have also struggled to make headway in virtual communities crowded by other terrorist organizations, such as ISIS and al-Qaeda. Whereas ISIS has learned how to use bitcoin, the Taliban must increase its number of followers. Its Pashto Telegram channel, the most popular, has about 4.5 thousand followers. Meanwhile, the Taliban can field 60,000 fighters. The insurgents following is a fraction of its membership. The online community constructed by the Taliban is modest but dangerous. The insurgents can use application software secured by end-to-end encryption, including Telegram and WhatsApp, to plot violence against Afghans and Westerners while escaping mass surveillance. Afghan and Western intelligence, law-enforcement, and security agencies should pay attention to the Talibans online advances before the insurgents better learn to hide their on-again, off-again spread on social media. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question What are the dangers of terrorists using social media? Disrupt Your Feed I think I'm ok with their inability to grow larger. Drop This Fact The Taliban controls over a fifth of Afghanistan. You are literally surrounded by people who believe that they are drinking human blood and eating human flesh at their churches, people who regard you as less than human merely for being an atheist, and who are all too excited about the prospect of your being subjected to everlasting punishment in their hell. Technically, I suppose that Easter is Zombie Jesus Day . Still, Halloween always seems like a good excuse to remember that many Christians believe in ghosts, think that angels and demons are battling for their "souls," and insist that they have "a personal relationship" with a 2,000 year-old zombie. It is almost as if every day is Halloween for Christians Since moving to Mississippi, I have found the local reactions to Halloween to be quite fascinating and very different from anything I've encountered elsewhere. While there are certainly people here who enjoy the holiday as much as I do, it seems that many Southern Baptists are absolutely terrified of the day. They drag their children to a variety of church activities to make sure that they aren't possessed by evil spirits. They seek to keep their children away from the "demonic" forces they assume prowl their neighborhoods each year around this time. And of course, they love to use this time of year to remind everyone else of their hell, especially those with whom they disagree about various social and political issues. One of the things I find myself marveling at every year around this time involves the lengths to which some of these Southern Baptists will go to avoid mentioning Halloween at all. One of the countless Southern Baptist churches I pass on my daily commute has a large sign out in front advertising a "harvest festival." Next to the sign are some rather creepy looking life-sized humanoid figures which appear to be made out of straw of some sort. Because they are positioned so close to the road and are generally the right size and shape as to be human, they have startled me on more than one foggy morning or dark evening. Frankly, I think that putting them so close to the road is liable to cause an accident if someone not paying attention swerves to avoid hitting them.It seems like they want some of the creepiness, the pumpkins, the Fall colors (or at least the colors some get to enjoy this time of year), and the festival atmosphere without acknowledging Halloween because their children might actually enjoy it and...you know...demons. Obviously, I'm perfectly content to enjoy Halloween without them. I just get a kick out of how frightened some seem by the prospect of anyone enjoying Halloween.As for me, I love almost everything about Halloween . And so, if you are seeking that elusive scare this time of year and live in an extremely religious state like Mississippi, I might be able to help. Sit in a dark room alone and ponder this fact:Feeling that tingle up your spine yet? Yeah, me too. King & Wood Mallesons has advised global investment firm KKR on its investment in Sundrop Farms, which will enable the company to develop $200m world-first solar desalination farm. Its a state-of-the-art greenhouse facility in Port Augusta, expected to produce 15 million kilos of pest-free vegetables, carbon neutral and fresh water neutral. Sundrop is a remarkable business with unique proprietary technology developed to address the water and food security issues typical to arid regions, said lead partner on the deal Lee Horan. We are delighted to have advised KKR on this truly significant and unique investment in the Australian agriculture sector. Sundrop supplies 16,000 tonnes of tomatoes to Coles annually, operating sustainable farms utilising a unique technology without the reliance on fossil fuels but saltwater and sunlight as inputs. With plans to open up greenhouses in Portugal and the United States, Sundrop is looking to roll out its technology globally. The transaction touches on a number of strategic areas for King & Wood Mallesons, allowing us to demonstrate the depth of our private equity, agribusiness and project financing capability in and around the region, Horan said. As Sundrop embarks on its next phase we look forward to working with its management team and KKR as they pursue their objective of making Port Augusta a hub of agricultural innovation and as they expand the business into countries with similar environmental conditions. The King & Wood Mallesons team included Mark McNamara, Yuen-Yee Cho, Claire Rogers and James Forrest supported by corporate associates Cathy Chan and Alex Elser, banking associates Chris Allfrey and Charlie Detmold and construction associate Neveen Ayad. National firm Sparke Helmore is combatting the threat of broadening service offerings by accounting firms with the launch of a wholly-owned professional services company.Bright Sparke, designed as an innovation hub, is funded independently of the partnership and aims to deliver new, non-legal solutions to business issues through enhanced data analytics, process outsourcing, emerging technology and partnering arrangements.Its an opportunity to create new nonlegal revenue lines in a hyper-competitive market, chairman Mark Hickey told The Australian.We have to find ways of dealing with this ever-changing disruptive market.We will probably be raising capital in those SPVs through the partnership, through employees and potentially through joint ventures with clients.Two of the five potential business lines currently in testing have already been decided by the firm to be adopted. Hickey also said discussions with a major bank are under way but remained tight lipped about any definitive plans.We are trying to take back some of the ground that law firms as a whole have lost over the past 20 years because of the way we are structured and the way we do business, Hickey told The Australian.One or two of those might involve a joint venture with another profession or another operator that can provide what we, as lawyers, cant, he said.Nicholas Adamo joins the firm from Ernst & Young as the firms chief innovation officer and will act as CEO for Bright Sparke. He will also chair the firms Innovation Committee.As an entrepreneur, clients have always been at the centre of innovation for me, he said.I look forward to working with Sparke Helmores clients, and others, to help them to better understand and solve critical issues that encompass the full professional services spectrum, analytics and technology. Free newsletter Subscribe to our FREE newsletter service and well keep you up-to-date with the latest breaking news, cutting edge opinion, and expert analysis affecting both your business and the industry as whole. Please enter your email address below and click on Sign Up for daily newsletters from Australasian Lawyer. More than 700 British lawyers have now registered in Ireland With the post-Brexit future still far from certain, the latest figures reveal that more than 700 British solicitors have now registered to practice in the Republic of Ireland. If the terms of the Brexit deal do not include passporting of legal services, UK lawyers will not be able to appear in the EUs higher courts; registration in Ireland will protect that ability while benefitting from the special pre-EU free movement agreement between the UK and Ireland. The Law Society of Irelands director general Ken Murphy told The Guardian that 543 solicitors from England & Wales have registered since the start of 2016 along with 21 from Northern Ireland; a further 145 applications are being processed. Insurance head takes senior partner role at global firm Simon Konsta has been appointed senior partner at global law firm Clyde & Co. following an uncontested election. The London-based global head of insurance will take over from James Burns on 1st November 2016 and has been with the firm for two decades having joined legacy Barlow Lyde & Gilbert in 1993. Konsta joined the global management board in 2011 when Barlows merged with Clyde; he was appointed insurance head in 2013. My primary focus will be on maintaining that while broadening out our client programme across all sectors and regions so that we are ready for the next phase of our growth," he said. That growth plan depends on strong regional management and Konstas successor, James Burns, is moving to the position of head of the Americas. Baker & McKenzie expands global capabilities Baker & McKenzie has hired a team of 10 lawyers including 5 partners in Zurich; securing the global firms position as a full-service law firm in Switzerland with 130 lawyers across two cities. The hires were from a Swiss law firm and includes leading lawyers in areas including Banking & Finance, Corporate and M&A, Competition & Antitrust, and Intellectual Property/IT. Nearly 70% of UK lawyers believe they are in the most stressful profession, new research by Keystone Law has revealed. The virtual outfit surveyed more than 300 legal professionals from top 50 to 100 UK firms, and found that 67% of lawyers felt they were more stressed than those working in other professions. Just 22% of respondents thought their stress levels were on par. With the UK now awash with new market entrants, competition in the industry is at its highest, placing more pressure on partners and forcing many to work around 4070% more than their contracted hours, the report said. Consequently, many firms are offering fewer and fewer opportunities for their employees to enjoy life outside of law. Workload was cited as the number one stress causer, with 80% of lawyers saying a hefty workload is to blame. Others said client demands, billing targets, lack of support, competition and partnership issues were the biggest stress inducers. Lawyers feel constantly stressed out because they cant afford to take their time with their work, one Keystone lawyer told Legal Cheek. They are under pressure from their clients to get things done quickly (and as cheaply as possible) and from their firms to make as much money as possible. But the research also found that just a third of associates and partners thought that a more flexible approach to working would help with stress levels. Rather, more money, lower billing targets and better management and support, would be better stress-combatting measures. The biggest pro response came in regard to banning the billable hour, with 87% saying that they envisaged a timesheet-free future, the report said. By Alan Cooper, Director, Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide D. Viat/Tourismeoccitanie/Flickr.com, CC BY More than 30,000 years ago, early cave artists in what is now southwestern France ventured deep underground into limestone caves, where they painted elaborate and detailed frescoes of the huge animals that dominated their lives. The accuracy of the depictions was remarkable far better than most of us could manage crouched under a sloping damp wall under the flickering light cast by flaming bundles of vegetation and fat. The paintings record a world of cave lions, mammoth, bison and horses, which we are only just beginning to unravel using the combined technologies of ancient DNA and radiocarbon dating. The results show that despite studying cave art for hundreds of years, we have been blind to some of the important stories the artists were telling. Our research is a case in point. We have used ancient DNA from fossil bones to deduce the existence of a newly discovered bison species only to discover that it was already recorded on the walls of caves across Europe, such as in Niaux Cave in southwestern France 17,000 years ago. DNA detective story In 1999, we began studying DNA from ancient bison bones found across the northern hemisphere, where Steppe bison had ranged from modern-day Britain to Mexico during the late Ice Age. Our aim was to study the impacts of climate change on animal populations, and sure enough we quickly found that in North America, populations of bison collapsed dramatically around the Last Glacial Maximum (between about 18,000 and 21,000 years ago). This was well before humans arrived in North America, and it was the first clear demonstration of the key role played by climate change in the extinctions of bison, along with a range of other large species collectively known as megafauna. We have since expanded this study into South America, to reveal that rapid warming events were the critical factor in the demise of many megafaunal species, often with an important finishing touch applied by human hunters. In Europe, however, our early studies of ancient bison DNA were perplexing. By studying mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited exclusively through the maternal line, we realised that many of the bones were clearly not from Steppe bison, although this was the only species thought to have been in Europe before 10,000 years ago. Instead, we realised we were looking at something novel: a species distantly related to todays cattle and to the modern European bison, or wisent - which survives in a few protected forests in Europe, particularly Biaowieza Forest between Poland and Belarus. Rafa Kowalczyk The little-known wisent is remarkable the largest native species in Europe, but with a fossil record that goes back only 10,000 years. It almost became extinct after World War I following the collapse of hunting protections enforced by Polish and Russian royalty. Indeed, modern herds are descended from just 12 individuals, including one bull from the Caucasus, where the last wild wisent was shot in 1927. Since the DNA from our ancient bones was neither Steppe bison nor wisent, we appeared to have found a new species - or had we? We started referring to it as the Higgs bison, because just like the elusive Higgs boson which physicists spent decades tracking down we had surmised the existence of something without knowing what it looked like. On the trail The first thing we needed to do was to confirm our mitochondrial DNA results with nuclear DNA, which is harder to retrieve from ancient bones but records all aspects of ancestry, rather than just maternal inheritance. The nuclear DNA showed our Higgs bison was a hybrid a cross between a female Aurochs, the extinct wild ancestor of modern cattle, and a male Steppe bison. We dated this hybridisation to more than 120,000 years ago. Interestingly, this ancestry was the same for modern European bison, and even though the mitochondial DNA looked different (probably due to the recent population bottleneck), the Higgs bison was revealed as the ancestor of the wisent. We still dont know where or why the original hybridisation occurred, but recent breeding between polar bears and brown bears in response to climate-induced range contractions give us a clue that climate change might have been involved. Male offspring of the Aurochs/Steppe bison union were sterile, as is common for mammal hybrids. As a result, several generations of females back-crossed with Steppe bison males (maybe even the same bull), resulting in a genetic ancestry of about 10% Aurochs and 90% Steppe bison. After this initial interchange with the parental species, the Higgs bison went solo and never looked back - surviving the next 120,000 years, the arrival of modern humans, the megafaunal extinctions, World War I and the Communist revolution along the way. (If there ever needs to be an animal symbol of European history, we have a winner!). But though we now knew that the Higgs bison went on to become the wisent, we hadnt actually tracked down any more records of the Higgs bison itself. So we asked our colleagues in Europe whether anyone had noticed any strange bison in the records. Two groups said yes. Dutch colleagues reported that among the many Steppe bison and Aurochs bones dredged from the North Sea they had noticed another, less common, smaller animal. Meanwhile, French cave art researchers replied that they had noticed that among the cave drawings were two distinct forms of bison: a wedge-shaped one with big horns, rather like a modern American bison; and a more evenly shaped animal with smaller horns, like a modern wisent. This is where the story comes full circle. Radiocarbon dating of the artworks showed that the wedge-shaped form was drawn when Steppe bison were present on the landscape (around 18,000 years ago), while the small-horned version was drawn when our new species dominated Europe (after 17,000 years ago). Each species appears to have dominated Europe for long periods of time, alternating in response to major climate changes. Overall, this investigation has thrown up many surprises. Apparently, mammals can form new species by hybridisation, even if only rarely. It also shows that despite the huge bison fossil record, and helpful drawings of both species displayed on cave walls, it took us until now to get the story straight. How many other species are still hiding in plain sight, helpfully catalogued by prehistoric cave artists? Alan Cooper receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Julien Soubrier received funding from the Australian Research Council. Originally published in The Conversation. By Darren Curnoe, Director of the Palaeontology, Geobiology and Earth Archives Research Centre (PANGEA), UNSW Australia Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA One of the biggest surprises about our evolution revealed over just the last decade is the extent to which our ancestors engaged in amorous congress with the evolutionary cousins. Bonking the Neanderthals, it seems, was a bit of a pastime for the distant relatives. It happened many times in Siberia, East Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and across a long period between 100,000 and 40,000 years ago. In reality, we have no idea of course exactly how many times it occurred, nor the circumstances in which it happened. Who instigated it, us or them? Was it consensual? Did they pair for life? Or was it a casual fling? Now, the consequences of interbreeding for us today are becoming all too clear from studies of the genome - theirs and ours - ancient and modern. Somewhere between 1.5% and 2.1% of your genome was inherited from the Neanderthals, assuming your ancestry was non-African of course. East Asians typically have more Neanderthal DNA because their ancestors partook in a little more afternoon delight than the rest of ours did. For Indigenous people living around eastern Indonesia, and in New Guinea and Australia, their ancestors also took a shine to the Denisovans. In their genomes we find n extra 4% to 6% inherited from this mysterious species. So far, archaeologists have found just two finger bones and a tooth from the Denisovans, thousands of kilometres away from New Guinea in southern Siberia, of all places. Yet, the fact that the earliest New Guineans mated with the Denisovans only 44,000 years ago - as revealed by their DNA - suggests that all the action happened in the tropical climes of Oceania, not icy Siberia. Dont fret if youre ancestry is African though, youre ancestors found another human species or two to bonk. Surprisingly, the genomes of the West African Biaka and Baka (so-called pygmy) people have revealed DNA from a completely unknown species, which found its way into the human genome only 9,000 years ago. Other studies have found much wider evidence for interbreeding across Africa, occurring sometime around 35,000 years ago. Its fun to think about our surprisingly mixed-up heritage as a species. And may be even poke fun at a friend or two for their seemingly excessive amounts of Neanderthal DNA. But theres a serious side to all of this as well. The legacy of interbreeding is very real and seems to explain quite a few modern ailments, and some rather nasty diseases as well. Neanderthal DNA is associated with an increased risk of developing skin corns and callosities, mood disorders and depression, overweight and obesity, upper respiratory and urinary tract infections, incontinence, hardening of the arteries and even smoking. Then theres those immediate risks that come with casual sex with your own, or in this case, another species. Like catching a parasite such as body lice, or worse still, contracting a sexually transmitted infection. Body lice are parasites that evolve in tandem with their hosts. Other mammals have them, but human lice species are unique to us, and spread through close contact such a sex. A person can be infested with thousands of these blood suckers, each insect biting five times a day. But worse, they also carry deadly bacteria. Diseases like endemic typhus are carried and spread by body lice and are said to have caused more deaths than all the wars in history put together. Genetic studies of body lice suggest that one of the two species that infects us today evolved more than a million years ago, in association with another human-like species. Whats the implication here? Yet again, we probably got body lice because our ancestors engaged in the pants-off dance off with an evolutionary cousin. Now a new study has found that a particular human papillomavirus (HPV16), one of the most common sexually transmitted infections with 14 million new cases each year in the US alone, was also inherited from the Neanderthals. The amazing diversity of HPV16 variants across Asia and Europe - compared with low diversity in Africa - has long puzzled researchers. Youd expect the opposite situation because we evolved in Africa and presumably carried HPV16 out with us when we left there 100,000 years ago or more. This new study solves the mystery by showing that modern humans brought only a small subset of HPV16 variants out of Africa, picking up most of the other strains after they (ah, we) bonked the Neanderthals. Technically, this is known as a host-shift, where sexual contact with archaic populations led to the transmission of new variants of HPV16 to us. With time, even more diversity was generated as modern humans spread across the rest of the Old and New Worlds. High risk human papillomaviruses are a serious global health issue. Theyre associated with around 5 percent of all cancers worldwide. The choice our ancestors made to interbreed with the Neanderthals, Deniosvans and probably numerous other archaic cousins have left us with profound legacies that were only beginning to learn about. What else might they have done that had profound consequences for us today? Makes me wonder just how the decisions we make today - the changes were wreaking on the planet - will shape the evolution of Homo sapiens in 1,000, or even 10,000, years from now? One things for certain, they will. Disclosure Darren Curnoe receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Originally published in The Conversation. Hi everyone, I am working as a cafe manager and received a positive assessment from Vetassess for this occupation. I have also scored 7 each on IELTS. I am planning to apply for SC 489 visa and state nomination with Northern Territory. Presently, I am working on a work visa in New Zealand but my application for another work visa has been declined because Immigration believed that I breached my work visa conditions and worked for a different employer though my work visa was issued for a different employer. Immigration New Zealand claimed that I worked for two weeks illegally for an employer that I was not allowed to do that.The case is still in court because I have appealed against the refusal decision as there was a misunderstanding. I am confident of winning the appeal. Though I believe that I will win the case, I just want to know that can this breach of work visa conditions in NZ affect any of my future Australian applications for subclasses 190 and 489 in Australia. I am specifically looking for the state nomination for the cafe manager and 190 and 489 visa. Regards, Usha Singh Hey guys. I have a question about my working right with work and holiday visa. I know, that I can only work 6 months for the same employer, but can I do a one month brake in the working period? Means, I want to work 5 month in a row at the same employer, then I leave the country for 1 month, come back and work another month, so 6 month at all but worked in 7 month. Is this possible? I'd appreciate any answer. Best regards Carmakers will be upsizing engines as new real-world emissions tests, which will come into force in Europe by 2019, expose flaws in downsized engines. The introduction of new real-world testing procedures will see carmakers such as Volkswagen, Renault, and Vauxhall slowing down the development of their downsized engines and bringing back larger capacity units, according to reports on Reuters. Reuters reports that the implementation of the new emissions testing procedures has exposed flaws in downsized engines, which were predominantly developed to achieve low emission ratings in older laboratory tests. New real-world data has shown that downsized units can sometimes perform worse than larger ones for CO2 and NOx output, largely because of the heat generated by their turbos, which they depend on more to develop power. While lab tests were unable to reveal these downfalls, new real-world testing, which will come into force in Europe by 2019, shows it more clearly. Pavan Potluri, an analyst at forecasting company IHS Automotive, told Reuters: "[Downsized engines] might be doing okay in the current European test cycle, but in the real world, they are not performing. So there's actually a bit of 'upsizing' going on, particularly in diesel." According to Reuters, several car makers have already started to work this upsizing philosophy into production models. General Motors is said to be ditching its 1.2-litre diesel engine, which features in models such as the Vauxhall Corsa in international markets. When the carmakers new 2019 architecture is launched, the smallest diesel engine in its future range will likely be around 1.5-litres in capacity. Volkswagen is also replacing its 1.4-litre three-cylinder diesel engines in international markets with four-cylinder 1.6-litre motors in smaller models. Meanwhile, Renault is also making a U-turn by introducing a 10 percent larger unit in place of its R9M 1.6-litre diesel, which itself was a downsized unit that filled the space left by a discontinued 1.9-litre diesel. These reports come at a time when companies like Porsche have employed downsizing in their models. However, in the future, downsizing might come in the form of increased hybridisation, rather than the shedding of cubic centimeters. kWh EV gas A press release that came out today shows what that was all about. A consortium of private companies and the "Connecting Europe Facility" of the European Union are announcing the launch of the Ultra-E project. The code name refers to a network of 25 charging points that link Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Austria.But the best thing about these stations is that they offer a charging power of up to 350, which is more than double what Tesla's Superchargers can deliver, and a staggering seven times more than the majority of current European standard chargers.Of course, at this moment, no existingcan take advantage of the immense power output (Teslas lead the way with 120 kWh), but expect the future offerings from the likes of Audi , BMW or Renault - all active members of the Ultra-E project - to find them very useful.Both Volkswagen and Porsche officials have hinted at electric cars that can replenish their battery - or a large percent of it - in no more than 15 minutes, meaning long-distance traveling in an electric car would no longer be something extremely time-consuming.The total cost of the project is estimated at around 13 million Euro ($14.3 million), half of which is financed by the European Union. But even if it weren't, with so many big names of the automotive industry involved, that kind of money feels like pocket change. With the completion date set for 2018, the new Ultra-E charging stations should arrive just in time for all the new electric vehicles announced by the waking European manufacturers.We are very happy to start the Ultra-E project with a strong partner consortium now and thereby build an important first cornerstone for the European Ultra-Fast-Charging infrastructure of the future, statedDr. Marcus Groll, Director High Power Charging at Allego GmbH.Building 25 charging stations isn't much when looking at the greater picture, but it's a start in a direction that Europe has long been overlooking. It looks like nobody wanted to make the first step - car makers didn't build the EVs, and power companies did not offer the infrastructure. We're still a long way from seeing any real electric cars from Audi, BMW or Renault (OK, the i3 and especially ZOE are decent) and the continent is far from being covered in Ultra-E charging stations, but it's a sign both parties have set the wheels in motion. Just push theaccelerator pedal, guys. The Enterprise Holdings Foundation is supporting post-Hurricane Matthew disaster relief and recovery efforts in the United States and Haiti. In the U.S., the Foundation is donating $150,000 to the American Red Cross to help with clean-up efforts in the Southeast. The donation will be used to supply household clean-up kits to local residents so that they may begin cleaning and sanitizing areas affected by flood waters, according to the foundation. These kits contain such items as mops, brooms, squeegees, pails, scrub brushes and sponges, plus disinfectants, detergents/degreasers, bleach, trash bags, gloves, and dust masks. In addition, the Enterprise Holdings Foundation is donating $100,000 to Americares in Haiti to support basic health care for survivors. Americares will use the funds to provide intravenous fluids to treat cholera and medical supplies to treat storm-related injuries in Haiti. After a major natural catastrophe, theres always a need to support disaster relief teams as they lead clean-up efforts and medical-care initiatives, said Carolyn Kindle Betz, vice president and executive director of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation. However, this hurricanes path of destruction was particularly extensive, which means many towns and cities were significantly affected. Our hope is that these contributions will help speed the recovery process along the East Coast and in Haiti. The Enterprise Foundation is also part of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP). The Foundation donates $1 million annually to the ADGP, which enables the Red Cross to immediately respond during hurricanes, floods and other disasters by positioning emergency supplies in strategic locations ahead of time. To help meet the transportation needs of residents and first responders, Enterprise Rent-A-Car began working with the insurance industry and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel. Enterprise deployed vehicles from nearby states and also re-allocated thousands of brand-new models, resulting in more than 24,000 additional rental vehicles in affected portions of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Enterprise also has dropped one-way fees for FEMA employees to further support their efforts. Enterprise, National, and Alamo employees always rise to the occasion in situations like these, said Kindle Betz, granddaughter of the late Jack Taylor, who founded Enterprise Holdings in 1957. The Taylor family couldnt be more proud of their round-the-clock work to deliver ground transportation in local neighborhoods and at the airport. So it is truly an honor for the Foundation to be able to complement their efforts with philanthropic donations that help make a difference. Elon Musk has recently announced on his Twitter account that a new product will be revealed today but Tesla decided to delay it as a few days refinement is needed and therefore had been moved to Oct. 20. Though still unknown, massive evidence points that the Tesla Model Y is the one to be launched. Tesla Model Y News And Rumors Elon Musk didn't reveal that much on his Twitter announcement except to mention that such a release will be "unexpected by most." Tesla motors have a few reveal options on their sleeves and car aficionados are already speculating on some ideas, according to Autocar. One possibility is a van with large space for orders, based on the Model X as Elon Musk once said that he like the classic Volkswagen Type II and he would do something similar to the Model X. It should be noted that Musk also wants Tesla to take part on urban mobility so therefore, an electric minibus might also be on schedule. The interest is not only to bring more people on board but have an autonomous urban transport vehicle and shared, two key points of the future of urban mobility. Musk also likes the idea of seeing a Tesla format pickup truck in the world market. A few years ago, he tried an agreement with the government of Texas to release the direct sale of cars and in turn build a factory dedicated to the manufacture of an electric truck. But the possibilities that the market speculates, the strongest and most consistent perhaps be called the Tesla Model Y. This is the unofficial name of the next 100 percent electric crossover Tesla, a smaller model than the Model X that will be based on the Model 3 but will be sold at a higher price, reported by ItechPost We are talking about a not very large price difference, as the most optimistic forecasts say that the Model Y will cost from $ 45,000. Yes, its price will be higher, which would put him in the range of the Tesla Model X and Model S, if so, the specifications could be similar: a version of rear-wheel drive (total for others), Ludicrous mode and autonomous technology Autopilot standard. Perfect Timing Or Not? The release of the Tesla Model Y is expected to be a hit. However, the Tesla Model Y will not come alone but will have to face to face with other models like the Audi E-Tron Quattro , which will be a reality in 2018 , the same year in which we see the Mercedes ELC or even Jaguar could be preparing something similar. On the other hand, the launch of the Model Y is a brilliant strategy by Tesla. While his rivals are struggling to develop a rival to the height of the Model S, the company already has a compact sedan and a full SUV, so the arrival of this compact crossover would be necessary to strengthen and consolidate the product range of the company. One way to keep several steps ahead of its main rivals. Is the Tesla Model Y the new Tesla product to be revealed on the 20th? Will have to wait and see. It is also worth noting that Musk also said that he will make another huge announcement on the 28th but it is related to the SolarCity and Tesla partnership. Seems like Tesla is working double time and wants to even increase their 64 percent sales improvement this month in the US. Jeremy Clarkson The Grand Tour and the gang as promised is taking their new show all over the world and the next stop is Germany. And today, Amazon is giving fans a chance to watch the filming live by simply filling up the form on their website. Get The Chance To See The Grand Tour Live Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond have already embarked on their new venture after leaving Top Gear. "The Grand Tour" will debut on Amazon on Nov. 18. As previously reported, "The Grand Tour" will visit different countries to develop their stories. And now Amazon is giving the fast an opportunity to attend as guests at the filming of the show. Amazon just opened the registration of candidates to attend the filming in Stuttgart, Germany. To request an invitation, one just need to have an account at Amazon and complete the corresponding form on their German website. Although the form is in German, registration is open to everyone as it involves selecting a country, although some countries would be ruled out of action. One should also be of age to be able to attend the live filming. Hoping fans should also explain the reason why they want to attend the program and mention their favorite presenter as well. The request for invitations has begun yesterday and will be open until Oct. 19. Amazon will then raffle all entries and will provide the winner two tickets for the recordings. And as Amazon promises, interaction with the audience and their involvement in the shooting will be high. Jeremy Clarkson The Grand Tour Filming Updates Filming in Germany will take place in Stuttgart, home of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, and although details on the shooting is still a mystery, it is known that it will take place on Nov. 14, as reported by Digital Spy. The Grand Tour also announced new locations and possible guests. Clarkson, May, and Hammond still have to visit the UK, their own land before the end of the year. Is attending the filming worth it? Of course, it is! Just check out this awesome trailer of Jeremy Clarkson The Grand Tour, which is said to be the most expensive in history and one will now that they need to signup for the live filming. In the latest Tesla Motors news, the company stated they are in the final stages of making its debut in Ireland, with 2017 being pegged as the tentative launch schedule. The confirmation to this effect comes from Peter Bardenfleth-Hansen, Tesla Motors' director of Nordic sales, who confirmed the company's plans to The Irish Times. The first of the company owned store is expected to come up in Dublin. Tesla though has stated they would first ensure there are enough superchargers in place to go with the launch of the company's first electric powered cars. As The Country Caller reported, the likely locations where the superchargers are expected to come up include Belfast, Cork, Dublin, and Galway. Tesla makes it sure its supercharger network are located in upscale locations in the close vicinity of malls, restrooms, restaurants and such. This allows owners to have enough option to while away the time till their car remains plugged in. Charging for 30 minutes will be enough to allow for around 270 km of driving range. Further, Tesla's Dublin store is likely to be a 'Tesla Service-plus" outlet where both sales and service facility will be doled out from a single location, Electrek reported. Currently, there are a few Tesla cars playing in Ireland though those have been imported. The Irish government has also announced a 5,000 in tax relief to be availed of for those opting to buy electric cars. In other Tesla motors news, Tesla is also working towards launching its cars and supercharger network in Spain and Portugal as well. A presence in these three countries will complete Tesla's expansion in the entire western European region. Tesla's Irish expansion plans have suffered some delays though as it was originally planned to happen towards the end of the year itself. Currently, the entry-level Model X 75D models sell for 85,000 in the UK while the Model S sedan starts at 56,555. The Model 3 hasn't yet been announced for sale anywhere in Europe though going by the sedan's US price of $35,000, it comes to around 31,900 in the UK. Keep watching for the latest Tesla Motors news as it evolves. Only the FAA can set standards for aviation safety, AOPA told the Supreme Court this week, and states and courts should not be allowed to undermine that responsibility. AOPA submitted a friend of the court brief asking the judges to hear the case of Sikkelee v. Precision Airmotive Corp., which involves a 2005 airplane crash in North Carolina. The pilot was killed, and his spouse sued the engine manufacturer, claiming the carburetor was defective. A lower court said the carburetor was not defective because it had been certified by the FAA, but an appeals court said just because it was certified, that didnt eliminate the possibility of a design defect. That ruling would allow juries to hold a manufacturer responsible even if their product satisfied all FAA regulations and had been FAA-approved, AOPA says. This case presents an important question about the states role in ensuring continued operational safety of aircraft approved by the FAA, AOPA wrote in its brief. As owners and pilots, AOPA members have a substantial interest in the duties imposed upon manufacturers to address unsafe conditions in FAA-approved designs. These duties significantly affect the safety of existing aircraft and future aircraft produced in accordance with that design. Additionally, the cumulative cost effect of aviation products liability actions on manufacturers is also passed onto aircraft owners. Thus, state-law duties defined in an aviation products liability action affect the cost of purchasing new and maintaining existing aircraft. Its vitally important that manufacturers have one set of standards, established by the FAA, to adhere to, said AOPA general counsel Ken Mead. Otherwise they can face the nearly impossible and very costly challenge of trying to follow a hodgepodge of potentially contradictory state standards. Thats bad for safety, its bad for manufacturers, and its bad for aircraft owners who end up, quite literally, paying the price. GAMA also plans to file a brief about the case, AOPA said. Irans Deputy Defense Minister Nasrollah Kalantari met with Armenia Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian and other senior military officials in Yerevan on Tuesday for talks on what appears to be growing military cooperation between the two neighboring states. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, Sargsian and Kalantari also discussed regional security and resolution of conflicts. The two sides stressed the need to make [Armenian-Iranian] military-political contacts frequent, the ministry said in statement. The statement added that the two men were then joined by two of Sargsians deputies, Davit Tonoyan and Davit Pakhchanian, and specialists on relevant spheres for further discussions. It said they explored possibilities of expanding contacts on military logistics, education and other areas. No further details were reported. Tonoyan is Armenias first deputy defense minister, while Pakhchanian runs a Defense Ministry division overseeing the Armenian defense industry. Kalantaris previous visit to Armenia took place in early 2013. The Iranian vice-minister and Tonoyan inaugurated a Persian-language classroom at the main Armenian military academy at the time. Defense and security ties between Tehran and Yerevan seem to have grown closer since then. In June this year, another Armenian deputy defense minister, who was in charge of arms and other procurements, travelled to Iran and met with the Islamic Republics Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan. During that trip, Lieutenant General Movses Hakobian, who was appointed as chief of the Armenian armys General Staff early this month, also held talks with the chief executive of Irans state-run ETKA corporation that supplies food, clothing and other non-lethal items to the Iranian military. The Armenian Defense Ministry reported at the time that Movsisian reached agreements with the Iranian side on on the advancement of cooperation in a number of areas. It did not elaborate. ETKAs top executives visited Armenia and met with then Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian in February. The Defense Ministry in Yerevan said they also met the management of a number of Armenian industrial enterprises. Ohanian and Dehqan met in Moscow in late April just weeks after the outbreak of heavy fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces deployed around Nagorno-Karabakh. A week later, Ohanian briefed Irans ambassador to Armenia, Seyyed Kazem Sajjad, on his agreements reached with his Iranian counterpart and, according to his press office, expressed confidence that they will be put into practice soon. The growing military contacts reflect Armenias broader cordial relationship with Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reaffirmed his governments readiness to deepen it in all areas when he oversaw the signing in June of an Armenian-Iranian agreement on visa-free travel between the two nations. Rouhani is expected to pay an official visit to Yerevan later this year. In early August, the Armenian government signaled plans to increase imports of Iranian natural gas, which currently meet up to one-fifth of the South Caucasus countrys demand. It went on to announce the impending creation of a free economic zone in Armenias southernmost Meghri district bordering Iran. Opposition lawmakers strongly criticized the Armenian government on Tuesday for seeking to criminalize the spread of untrue reports of serious fraud in next years parliamentary elections. Under a corresponding amendment to Armenias Criminal Code drafted by the government, citizens disseminating such false information would risk between two and five years in prison. It is part of a package of major changes in the code which the government and the parliamentary opposition worked out last month in an effort to ensure the proper conduct of the elections slated for April. Opposition deputies representing various parties denounced the controversial clause after the National Assembly began debating the legislative package on Monday. They accused the Armenian authorities of trying to discourage voters witnessing irregularities from coming forward. Elinar Vartanian, a deputy from the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), argued on Tuesday that the proposed measure does not differentiate between deliberately and unintentionally false allegations of vote rigging. This is aimed at ensuring that citizens are scared of appealing to law-enforcement bodies if they come across violations, she said. Naira Zohrabian, another BHK lawmaker, said the authorities must drop the amendment or at least agree to make such offenses punishable by fines, rather than imprisonment. You have no right to exclude the possibility of cases of sincere delusion, he said, appealing to the authorities. But Davit Harutiunian, the chief of the government staff who presented the bill to lawmakers, rejected the criticism, saying that criminalization of false fraud reports is part of the deal struck by the authorities and the parliamentary opposition, including the BHK. We agreed to do something in exchange for something else, said Harutiunian. But now you are telling us to give you what you want and let you avoid giving us what you were supposed to give in return. No way. Speaking in the parliament on Monday, Harutiunian said the punitive measure is needed to prevent an electoral nightmare on polling day. The most significant of the anti-fraud amendments agreed by the government and opposition is meant to preclude multiple voting by government supporters. This will be done through the publication of the names of those voters that have cast ballots, according to official protocols. Opposition parties will be able to verify whether those voters actually live in Armenia. The government also agreed to ensure live online broadcasts of voting and ballot counting in all 2,000 or so polling stations across the country. Levon Zurabian, a leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK), described the deal as historic when it was signed on September 13. Zurabian claimed on Tuesday, however, that despite abandoning a key source of fraud, the authorities will still try to rig the April 2017 elections, including by intimidating or bribing voters. 18 October 2016 10:02 (UTC+04:00) By Mohamed A. El-Erian The relationship between politics and economics is changing. Advanced-country politicians are locked in bizarre, often toxic, conflicts, instead of acting on a growing economic consensus about how to escape a protracted period of low and unequal growth. This trend must be reversed, before it structurally cripples the advanced world and sweeps up the emerging economies, too. Obviously, political infighting is nothing new. But, until recently, the expectation was that if professional economists achieved a technocratic consensus on a given policy approach, political leaders would listen. Even when more radical political parties attempted to push a different agenda, powerful forces whether moral suasion from G7 governments, private capital markets, or the conditionality attached to International Monetary Fund and World Bank lending would almost always ensure that the consensus approach eventually won the day. In the 1990s and 2000s, for example, the so-called Washington Consensus dominated policymaking in much of the world, with everyone from the United States to a multitude of emerging economies pursuing trade liberalization, privatization, greater use of price mechanisms, financial-sector deregulation, and fiscal and monetary reforms with a heavy supply-side emphasis. The embrace of the Washington Consensus by multilateral institutions amplified its transmission, helping to drive forward the broader process of economic and financial globalization. Incoming governments particularly those led by non-traditional movements, which had risen to power on the back of domestic unease and frustration with mainstream parties sometimes disagreed with the appropriateness and relevance of the Washington Consensus. But, as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva demonstrated with his famous policy pivot in 2002, that consensus tended largely to prevail. And it continued to hold sway as recently as almost two years ago, when Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras executed an equally notable U-turn. But after years of unusually sluggish and strikingly non-inclusive growth, the consensus is breaking down. Advanced-country citizens are frustrated with an establishment including economic experts, mainstream political leaders, and dominant multinational companies which they increasingly blame for their economic travails. Anti-establishment movements and figures have been quick to seize on this frustration, using inflammatory and even combative rhetoric to win support. They do not even have to win elections to disrupt the transmission mechanism between economics and politics. The United Kingdom proved that in June, with its Brexit vote a decision that directly defied the broad economic consensus that remaining within the European Union was in Britains best interest. The referendum happened for one reason: in 2013, then-Prime Minister David Cameron feared that he would be unable to secure sufficiently his Conservative Party base in the general election that year. So he pandered to Euroskeptic voters with the promise of a referendum. The source of Camerons fear? The political disruption caused by the UK Independence Party an anti-establishment party that ended up winning only one seat in Parliament and subsequently found itself leaderless and in turmoil. Now, it seems, the floodgates have opened. At the recent Conservative Party annual conference, speeches by Prime Minister Theresa May and members of her cabinet revealed an intention to pursue a hard Brexit, thereby dismantling trading arrangements that have served the economy well. They also included attacks on international elites and criticism of Bank of England policies that were instrumental in stabilizing the British economy in the referendums immediate aftermath thus giving Mays new government time to formulate a coherent Brexit strategy. Several other advanced economies are experiencing analogous political developments. In Germany, a surprisingly strong showing by the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland in recent state elections already appears to be affecting the governments behavior. In the US, even if Donald Trumps presidential campaign fails to put a Republican back in the White House (as appears increasingly likely, given that, in the latest twist of this highly unusual campaign, many Republican leaders have now renounced their partys nominee), his candidacy will likely leave a lasting impact on American politics. If not managed well, Italys constitutional referendum in December a risky bid by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to consolidate support could backfire, just like Camerons referendum did, causing political disruption and undermining effective action to address the countrys economic challenges. Make no mistake: solid and credible policy options are available. After years of mediocre economic performance, there is widespread agreement that a shift away from excessive dependence on unconventional monetary policy is needed. As IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde put it, central banks cannot be the only game in town. And yet they have been. As I argue in The Only Game in Town, published in January, countries need a more comprehensive policy approach, involving pro-growth structural reforms, more balanced demand management (including higher fiscal spending on infrastructure), and better cross-border policy coordination and architecture. There is also a need, highlighted by the protracted Greek crisis, to address pockets of severe over-indebtedness, which can have crushing impact extending well beyond the directly affected. The emergence of a new consensus on these points is good news. But, in the current political environment, translating that consensus into action is likely to happen too slowly, at best. The risk is that, as bad politics crowds out good economics, popular anger and frustration will rise, making politics even more toxic. One hopes that enlightened political leadership takes the reins in time to make the needed mid-course corrections voluntarily, before unambiguous signs of economic and financial crisis force policymakers to scramble to minimize the damage. Copyright: Project Syndicate: Toxic Politics Versus Better Economics --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 13:45 (UTC+04:00) By Muhammad Asif Noor Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was in Azerbaijan on October 13-15, 2016 on an official state level visit to the country on the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev. He was accompanied with the highest level member delegation to the country. During the visit, the two state reiterated their political and economic resolve coupled with defense cooperation to enhance the partnership to the next level of congeniality of relations. The visit is a reflection of Pakistans emerging new vision of enhancing and strengthening its connections and relations with the neighboring and regional countries. This visit was done in the backdrop that Pakistan is looking to revise and upgrade its relations with the neighboring countries in the wake of finding new grounds for cooperation to tackle the energy, economic and other domestic challenges. During the visit, Prime Minister also met with the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Mr. Artur Rasizade along with having bilateral talks with President Ilham Aliyev. During the talks, exchange of views on national, international issues and areas of mutual interest were given special attention. It is agreed that Pakistan and Azerbaijan will continue their cooperation in having joint military training and detailed cooperation in the military joint production options was also discussed. This will prove as another step towards the new dimension of relations. It was also agreed to transform the visa regime between the states and make it easier for enhanced connectivity between both states. During the visit, several important consents were achieved including working together in the areas of economy, investment, energy, defense, agriculture and connectivity. Azerbaijan and Pakistan, the brotherly Muslim countries, have unique commonalities of historical, religious and political nature that are beyond the geographical distances and divisions. Pakistan recognized independence of Azerbaijan in 1991 (the second country after Turkey) and later the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. Pakistan was one of the first countries to open its embassy in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan. Ever since the first visit of the then President Farooq Ahmed Khan Lagari to Azerbaijani capital, Baku in 1995 and a reciprocal visit of Azerbaijan's late President Heydar Aliyev in April 1996 to Pakistan, lots of ground has been covered in terms of political and economic spheres. Both countries have supported each other in every international forum. Pakistan is the only country in the world that has not yet recognized Armenia as a sovereign state and till yet refuses to do so until the liberation of Azerbaijans occupied territories. In the gesture of reciprocity and as a brotherly Muslim country, Azerbaijan has still firm stance in regard to Kashmir conflict as once the founding father of Azerbaijan In Heydar Aliyev said, Azerbaijan has always, and in all the necessary levels, defended, and is defending today, the just position of Pakistan on Kashmir issue. We strongly condemn and express our objections to the violation of human rights in Kashmir. During the visit of Prime Minister of Pakistan, President Ilham Aliyev said that that the matter should be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions. Both states have pleaded their case on International Forums and have supported each other at every podium be that UN or any other. Pakistan and the people of Pakistan can well understand and feel the pain of Azerbaijani people and sufferings of people of Nagorno-Karabakh as we are facing similar bloodshed in Kashmir since the time of our inception in 1947. When Azerbaijan and Pakistan were elected as non-permanent members of UN SC for 2012-13, both supported each others position and candidacy at the forum and however, this was the first time for Azerbaijan while Pakistan has remained on several occasions as non-permanent member to UNSC. This created cooperation on several levels including Kashmir and Nagorno-Karabakh. Over the course of time, Pakistan and Azerbaijan have established firm ground for friendly and fraternal cooperation for years to come. Although the relationship are not passing yet to the economic litmus test since they are not up to the mark as yet but there exists huge potential between the two. The two countries also share common views on major regional and international issues and cooperate closely in the regional and multilateral forums, including the UN, the OIC and the ECO. As equally important development in the bilateral relations between the two states was the recognition of the massacre in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly by the Armenians as genocide on February 1, 2012, by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations of Pakistan. With the political assessment to this tragedy Pakistan became one of the three nations that recognized this event as genocide. The recent expansion in having an interest from both sides regarding improving economic and defense cooperation is a welcome development. Pakistan has a diversified economic base with huge market and attractive packages for the investors and importers. Recent improvement related to building capacity of the connectivity between the country and the rest of the regional market on the advent of China-Pakistan-Economic Corridor - an epitome of prosperity and regional connectivity, is something that Pakistan can be done. Both sides are eagerly looking towards opening up and encouraging the businessmen to partner with their counterparts in Baku. Although there is an issue of connectivity, fierce competition from regional and international economic players, but due to the love and affection coupled with will of the political leadership will create and build new avenues of collaboration. Total trade turnover between Pakistan and Azerbaijan in 2011 stood at around US$3 million which is disproportionate with bilateral political ties. Governments of Azerbaijan and Pakistan are working on to explore new markets to boost exports and to create joint ventures between the counterparts from both sides. The relations are not only reflected on several high level visits, as there are several joint groups including parliamentary friendship group, joint economic commission, joint inter-ministerial commission and other groups established to enhance partnership and create a base that lead to make the relations to level of people to people contacts. These groups meet on regular basis for the follow up of what can be done to improve the connectivity and activities for further enhanced partnerships. There are also several educational opportunities for students and faculty members that have begun recently when few of the young ones joined the faculties of ADA University and other Universities of Azerbaijan. However, there is less flow of students from the country to Pakistan which can be improved with joint working together. As the goodwill exists on both sides, more such people to people contact opportunities may be created. It is phenomenal and important to note that First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation; Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO, Member of Parliament, Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva is one of those who with an influence is capable to capture the hearts and minds of people. The association of Heydar Aliyev Foundation with Pakistan started soon after the earthquake of 2005, when Mehriban Aliyeva took an initiative to construct a new modern school for girls in place of destroyed one in Muzaffarabad. The 500-pupil capacity school, located in a mountainous area, was built by 2007. The foundation regularly supplies the school with all necessary means as well as pays monthly stipends to 5 deserving students of the school. It is notable that after the complete reconstruction and renovation in 2012, the school was named after the First Lady of Azerbaijan. In 2012 and 2013, the First Lady of Azerbaijan initiated a series of healthcare, education and humanitarian projects in all provinces of Pakistan. Within the plan of action, the hepatitis B vaccination, check up and treatment were carried out in collaboration with Saif Foundation at Edhi Home, Akbar Care Institute for Cerebral Palsy in Peshawar and Womens and Children Hospital in Lakki Marwat. In 2013 another donation was made to Saif Foundation which was used by latter in healthcare sector. It is remarkable that due to her activity in Pakistan Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva was conferred with Hilal-I-Pakistan Award by President of Pakistan during his historic visit to the country. This was given to the First Lady for her great philanthropic work in Pakistan. There is enormous scope of cooperation between Pakistan and Azerbaijan especially after the visits of highest level to the countries and announcements of the cooperation, trade and development strategies of both states. But to make things happen, the need is to make all the bilateral agreements and institutional arrangements functional, if there are any. And if there are few agreements of cooperation between the two, then there should be taken initiatives from both sides to do so in order to get the fruit and benefits out of these warm and cordial relations. At present Azerbaijan and Pakistan have signed 32 documents so far, with another 13 documents are still pending. The current moves of enhancing trade and especially organizing defense production, cooperation and joint military exercises will be a booster for further cementing the ties. Most important thing is that there exists the political will to move beyond the informal cooperation and regular joint interaction not only in defense and economic cooperation but improve people to people contacts also. Keeping in view the trajectory of relations between the two, it is wished that the bilateral relations will continue to flourish in days and months to come for mutually beneficial and stronger partnership. The writer is Editor-In-Chief The Diplomatic Insight Magazine and President, Azerbaijan Pakistan Youth Forum. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 10:39 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov Representatives of the Azerbaijani Silk Road Public Union for Promotion of Development of Entrepreneurship, Indonesian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Husnan Bay Fananie and part of the embassy staff are on a working visit in Indonesia. The delegation from Azerbaijan visited Jakarta to attend the Trade Expo Indonesia 2016 exhibition, the embassy told Trend on October 17. Azerbaijani entrepreneurs also held meetings in different Indonesian cities in search of opportunities to establish various business cooperation between the parties. Within the visit, they have already discussed the possibility of abolishing visa regime for tourists from Indonesia, as well as the launch of a direct flight Baku Jakarta. Annually, over one million Indonesians visit the holy city of Mecca for Hajj pilgrimage, the Indonesian Embassy in Baku said. During one of meetings we discussed the possibility of sending those tourists back to Indonesia through Azerbaijan, if the visa regime for Indonesian tourists is cancelled. Moreover, other types of cooperation, expansion of imports and exports between the countries are considered during the visit to Indonesia. The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $101.73 million in the first nine months of 2016, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee. The trade between Azerbaijan and Indonesia is mostly related to the energy sector, as Azerbaijan is the second biggest supplier of crude oil to Indonesia after Saudi Arabia. Indonesia has been importing crude oil directly from Azerbaijan since 2015. A total of 400,000-600,000 barrels of oil annually are imported to Indonesia from Azerbaijan. In addition, Indonesia buys mazut oil from Azerbaijan. Overall, in recent years Indonesia has been the third largest trade partner of Azerbaijan. In March, Azerbaijan and Indonesia drafted a memorandum of understanding to further deepen cooperation in the energy and mineral resources sectors. Moreover, the Indonesian government encouraged the countrys state oil and gas company Pertamina to invest in Azerbaijans oil and gas projects. Last year, the Indonesian delegation visited Baku to discuss energy cooperation and consider opportunities for the joint work with Azerbaijan, which has huge experience in the oil and gas industry. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 10:17 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan has invited Uzbekistan to benefit from the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project. Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with his Uzbek counterpart in Tashkent on October 17, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry told Trend. During the meeting, Mammadyarov informed his counterpart about the restoration of the historical Silk Road and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project, in particular, and noted favorable opportunities for Uzbekistan to take advantage of them. The BTK railway is being constructed on the basis of the Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish intergovernmental agreement. Its peak capacity will be 17 million tons of cargo per year. At the initial stage, this figure will be one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo. During the meeting, Mammadyarov and Kamilov expressed satisfaction with the level of political dialogue and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. Azerbaijans foreign minister visited Tashkent for a session of the OIC council of foreign affairs. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was established in September 1969 to ensure Islamic solidarity in social, economic and political spheres. The organization has 57 member states. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 12:03 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Abbasova Azerbaijan and Iran, the two neighboring countries enjoying well-established relations, intend to further expand their cooperation in the sphere of information and communications technology (ICT). The countries aim to create a joint platform for e-commerce and launch a web-site, which will allow the countries to sell local goods by means of the Internet. Iran's ICT Minister Mahmoud Vaezi has informed about the offer during his meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ramin Guluzade, who is on official visit to Iran. The creation of e-commerce platform, which stands for a software technology solution that allows building storefronts, may further increase the trade between the two countries. The sides also discussed further cooperation in the other sectors of ICT, including postal service and satellite communication. The ministers hailed the successful cooperation between the two countries and spoke about the further development of ties. The document on cooperation in the field of postal services was inked between the two countries, as part of a visit of the Iranian president to Azerbaijan. Iran established a postal service center in Tabriz, through which it is possible to send and receive post from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is the leading country of the region in terms of ICT, while exchange of experience with other countries is considered to be a driving force of the development. The volume of trade turnover between the countries increased by 70 percent in January-July 2016. Iranian companies have already invested some $2.6 billion to the economy of Azerbaijan, while some $145 million of the sum accounted for non-oil sector. The volume of trade turnover between the countries amounted to $137.65 million in January-September 2016, with some $34.91 million falling to a share of export of Azerbaijans goods to Iran . Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992. --- Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 19:04 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov Azerbaijans State Fund for Development of Information Technologies (SFDIT) conducts competition on funding local IT-projects. The list of IT-projects, that claim to receive grant funding, has already been determined, the Funds message from October 18 said. The selection of projects was carried out since the beginning of July until early September, within the Funds 4th grant competition. The projects evaluation was conducted in two stages through primary and comprehensive examination. The assessment took a total of 35 working days. A total of 121 projects participated in the 4th grant competition, while 112 of them passed the initial examination. After the comprehensive examination, 61 of them were selected. The final decision on grant financing will be adopted at the level of Supervisory Board of the Fund. The State Fund identified 12 criteria that must be met by submitted projects. Criteria prescribe the projects to be clearly justified, have commercial potential, contribute to the development of the Azerbaijani ICT sector, be attractive in terms of investment, have socio-economic importance, be relevant in terms of innovative orientation, etc. The Funds maximum grant amount may be up to 300,000 manats ($187,000). The grants are valid for 36 months. Small grants are provided in the amount of 10,000-100,000 manats ($6,200-62,000), medium 100,000-200,000 manats ($62,000-124,000), while large 200,000-300,000 manats ($124,000-187,000). The State Fund for Development of Information Technologies was established by the presidential decree dated March15, 2012. It operates under the Ministry of Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan. The main objectives of the Fund are conducting of the state policy on development and support of small enterprises in scientific-technical sphere, providing them with direct financial assistance, training, which in turn will contribute to the creation of new jobs in the country. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 17:44 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Abbasova The Trans-Caspian Transport Route, a promising infrastructure project enjoying an opportunity to become attractive and profitable for consignors from European and Asian countries, continues to involve new participants. Hungary and Kazakhstan agreed to jointly develop multi-modal services for cargo transportation from China to Europe and from Europe to China through the route. A corresponding agreement was signed between Kazakh KTZ Express Company and Hungarian Rail Cargo Hungaria Zrt Company, within the framework of the Kazakh-Hungarian business forum held in Astana. The parties also agreed to create favorable conditions for freight traffic by this route. Kazakh border stations in Dostyk and Altynkol, infrastructure of transport and logistics centers in Astana and Shymkent, multimodal complexes of Aktau and Kuryk ports, as well as Hungarian border stations Zahony, Epereshke and Rail Cargo Terminals intermodal terminal BILK will be used for cargo transportation. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and then through Turkey and Ukraine to Europe. The first test container train from China arrived at the Baku International Sea Trade Port on August 3, 2015. The route was launched with the establishment of its Coordinating Committee in October 2013. Azerbaijani companies ADY Express and ACSC Logistics, Kazakhstan's KTZ Express and Georgia's Trans Caucasus Terminals LLC, Polish rail operator PKP are the members of the consortium. New competitive tariffs were introduced for the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route since June 1, 2016. About 300,000-400,000 containers are expected to be transported via the Trans-Caspian international transport route by 2020, bringing huge financial profits to Azerbaijan. Growing interest in the transport infrastructures passing through Azerbaijan's territory is expected to make the country a major transport hub in the region. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 13:00 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova The Basangov Kalmyk National Drama Theater has successfully completed its tour in Azerbaijan. The final performance of the Theatre was held at the Youth Theatre featuring the plays "Three little pigs" by Yuri Shutskoy, "Dearers" by Baatr Basangov, " A case worthy of admiration" by Vera Shugraliyeva and Ali Amirli, Trend Life reported. The play " Dearers", staged by theater's director Boris Madjiyev brought together Azerbaijani and Russian artists. This unique collaboration was met with great interest of the audience. Boris Mandzhiev thanked the theatre management and the audience for warm welcome. The collaboration between the Azerbaijan State Youth Theatre and the Basangov Kalmyk National Drama Theater will be continued. Azerbaijan State Theatre of Young Spectators was established on March 15, 1927, in Baku, on the basis of Children's Theatre and artistic amateur drama circles of students. The "Storm" play written on initiative of 14-year-old Aghadadash Gurbanov laid the foundation of the Children Theater. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 16:39 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova Spanish music is some of the best known and most respected in the whole world, attracting more and more audience to it. Spanish music is often associated with traditional styles such as flamenco and classical guitar. While these forms of music are common, there are many different traditional musical and dance styles across the regions. This week, the magical sounds of Spanish music reached Azerbaijan, the miraculous country located on the crossroads of the East and the West. The Rashid Behbudov State Song Theatre in Baku hosted an evening of Spanish music, songs and poetry, Trend Life reported. The amazing concert was held as part of the literary project "Word". The purpose of the literary project was to get acquaintance with the works of Azerbaijani and foreign poets and writers, the raise of awareness to literature. Charge d'affaires of Spain to Azerbaijan Jose Luis Diez highlighted the importance of the event. He stressed successful cultural relations between Azerbaijan and Spain. Further, the students of Azerbaijan University of Languages and Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli performed the works by Spanish poets, writers and composers. Spain recognized Azerbaijan's independence in December 1991. Diplomatic relations were established in February 1992. The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to about $158.4 million in 2012. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 10:12 (UTC+04:00) By Trend The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the main obstacle for the development of not only Azerbaijan, but also the whole region, Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administration's foreign relations department, said in his article posted in the Azerbaijan newspaper. Mammadov noted that the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and restoration of territorial integrity is the biggest challenge that Azerbaijan is facing today. An integral part of Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts are under Armenian occupation for more than 20 years, says the article, adding that as a result of Armenian military aggression, 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories was occupied and more than one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs. Azerbaijans position is the conflicts peaceful settlement in accordance with international norms and principles and within the framework of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, said Mammadov in his article. Unfortunately, the conflict still remains unresolved, he added. No progress has been achieved so far during the negotiations held with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group, noted the top official adding that Armenia isnt interested in the conflicts settlement and tries to keep the situation of no war and no peace. He went on to add that the April events have once again shown that the freezing of the conflict can lead to war at any time. Despite the support of international mediators to Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, the unequivocal position on the issue isnt expressed, said Mammadov. Azerbaijan is waiting for concrete steps by the countries co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group and the international community for the conflicts fair settlement, he noted adding that failure to comply with principles of justice draws not only the region, but also the whole world to a crisis. 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 15:19 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov Following the long-lasting negotiation process on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is ongoing since early 1990s but still a failure to achieve a notable progress, it seems essential to make some changes in the format of negotiations. And the recent statement of Russias Foreign Minister about possible involvement of Turkey to resolve the problem is worth attraction. The fact that Turkey can play a positive role by ensuring the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, ensuring normal economic cooperation in the region, is such an important factor that we always consider it, Russias FM Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Yerevan on October 14. The statement immediately received a positive echo from Turkey, as Turkeys Foreign Ministry appreciated this possibility. Ankara appreciates the statement by Lavrov on the possibility for Turkey to play a positive role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement, he said. Turkey has repeatedly voiced its desire to comntriburte to peace and stability in the region. Turkey supports Azerbaijan in this issue and advocates a solution to this problem in the framework of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, the Turkish ministry said, noting the unconstructive position of Armenia in the conflict. The soonest settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, of course, could lead to normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations, which have considerably deteriorated due to Armenia's so-called genocide claims against Turkey and occupation of Azerbaijani territories. That was the very reason due to which the Turkish-Armenian border is closed since early 1990s. Turkey has repeatedly stressed that the Ankara-Yerevan normalization of ties is impossible without the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. In general, Turkey, as member of the OSCE Minsk Group, has always been for establishment of contacts between the conflicting sides. Earlier, addressing the PACE, Cavusoglu called on the OSCE Minsk Group to intensify its efforts to find a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The effiecint activity of the OSCE Minsk Group is a frequent debate in Azerbaijani political circles, as no essential progress has been recorded so far to move forward in the peace process. After the last meetings of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in May and June definite in activity is eing observed in the negotiations, while the next meeting of presidents to discuss the problem is yet to be determined. In this context, Russia seems to take into hands the initiative to resolve the conflict Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently met with his Azerbaijani, Armenian and Turkish counterparts. Apparently, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was a topic of discussions at those meetings. Attracting new effective intermediaries to conflicts settlement always brings a positive effect and a new impetus, and Turkey, as a country highly respected in the international arena, can surely be regarded as such a mediator. Russia considers Turkey as a reliable partner for the conflicts resolution, that follows from Lavrovs statement. Turkey can contribute to ensuring the normal economic cooperation throughout the region, interaction in logistics, transportation and infrastructure. Unfortunately, all this is limited due to Armenias occupation of Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, which made over 1 million Azerbaijani people to leave their native lands and become internationally displaced persons. Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 16:27 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh remains to be a source of danger for the whole region with the potential of escalation to turn to a new war. The problem promises huge disaster to the region along with hampering its overall development. While Armenia refuses to fulfill the UN four resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, the international mediators are more confused in their efforts to regulate the conflict. Although, Azerbaijan which is suffering from Armenian occupation of its lands for over 20 years is loyal to the Karabakh peace process, whilst the current inactivity of international community pushing the talks to a passive phase after April incidents makes Azerbaijan to think about war to restore its territorial integrity. And this dangerous option tends to create tensions in the whole region if the second happens. The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the main obstacle to the development of not only Azerbaijan but also the whole region, Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administration's foreign relations department, said in his article posted in the Azerbaijan newspaper. An integral part of Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts are under Armenian occupation for more than 20 years, said Novruz Mammadov, adding that as a result of Armenian military aggression, 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories was occupied and more than one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs. Mammadov once again stressed in his article that Azerbaijans position implies solving the conflicts peaceful settlement in accordance with international norms and principles and within the framework of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. However, Armenia clearly defends its aggressive stance every time, which, in turn, raises Azerbaijans doubts about the peaceful resolution of conflict. Unfortunately, the conflict remains unresolved, he added. No progress has been achieved so far during the negotiations held with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group, noted the top official adding that Armenia isnt interested in the conflicts settlement and tries to keep the situation of no war and no peace. He went on to add that the April events have once again proved that freezing the conflict can lead to war at any time. Despite the support of international mediators to Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, no unequivocal position is stated on the issue, said Mammadov. Although Azerbaijan keeps warning about the problems that the frozen conflict may pose, the international community does not hold optimistic views regarding the further progress of its solution. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on October 13 that Moscow is not optimistic about the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the near future, adding that Moscow will continue to work with Baku and Yerevan on the issue. A similar statement was made by the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia are not ready to resolve the conflict. Both statements were strongly criticized by Azerbaijani state officials. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerrys statement about unreadiness of the leaders to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict surprises and upsets, said Novruz Mammadov. It is Armenia that during the talks to resolve the conflict claims that leaders arent ready to resolve the conflict, he said, adding that Nagorno-Karabakh is a historic land of Azerbaijan. Ushakovs statement was criticized by the spokesman of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev. The remarks by Yuri Ushakov contradict the spirit of the Vienna and St. Petersburg meetings of the presidents and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs statements, voiced repeatedly at the presidential level, on unacceptability and volatility of the status quo, said Hajiyev. The substantive talks should ensure changing the current status quo, which is unacceptable and unsustainable, and the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, added Hajiyev. 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. Azerbaijan is waiting for concrete steps by the countries co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group and the international community for the conflicts fair settlement. The fact of failure to comply with principles of justice draws not only the region but also the whole world to a crisis. --- Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 16:55 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov It is no secret that population in Armenia decreases year by year, but even worse situation is observed in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. Lacking enough number of men to place in the frontline in the occupied lands, the Armenian government comes up with sending there conscripts from Armenia itself. Karabakh has already become a grave for thousands of young Armenian men, with overwhelming majority either killed by their fellow soldiers, or died as result of suicides or health problems. This unique genocide that the Armenian government commits with regards to its own citizens, seems to have no end. It looks like the Armenian government cannot find enough able-bodied young men to drag them to Nagorno-Karabakh, as they keep sending hundreds of persons who are not even eligible for service. And then, parents of the dead soldiers attack the presidential residence, Parliament and government. But it is too late. All the fathers and mothers can do is to bring flowers to the graves of their children. Such heart-rending examples are quite numerous. For instance, soldier Mosiyan died on May 29 of this year his body was found at the firing position in one of the military units of Armenian armed forces, stationed in the occupied Azerbaijani lands. No signs of violence or gunshot wounds were found on Mosiyans body. As it turned out, Mosiyan died of acute cardiopulmonary failure and pulmonary edema, which were attributed with wide range of other diseases. So, here a question arises how he, having so many health problems, could be called on service in army? This case is just a drop in the ocean of other fatal incidents in Armenian armed forces, and no Armenian official seems to pay for these deaths and explain why Armenia literally kills its citizens. The stories of other Armenian soldiers Razmik Petrosyan who was conscripted in spite of having serious problems with legs, and Hovhannes Poghosyan, who had chronic gastritis and enlarged spleen, but yet was sent straight to the front position are clear evidence of lawlessness and chaos in the Armenian army. The most incomprehensible case is the story of soldier Tosun Amoyan who is disabled in the truest sense. He had serious problems with right hand, which almost did not work, and the soldier couldnot even hold a gun. After his parents raised the alarm, the soldier was taken to Armenia allegedly for treatment. However, as it turned out later, that was a distraction no treatment was given, and the soldier was sent back in army. Thus, it is obvious that in the absence of fighters, Armenian Armed Forces indiscriminately conscribe almost all Armenian men of call-up age, leaving out of account if they have health problems or no. The grave situation continues in the Armenia army, while desparate young people are looking for every opportunity to leave the country as soon as possible. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 09:00 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli October 18 sees the 25th anniversary of its Independence Act, the day which is recognized as the most glorious day in the nation's modern history. Twenty five years ago Azerbaijan declared itself an independent and sovereign state and raised its banner of independence for the second time in the last century. This was the second brilliant victory in the political history of the Azerbaijani people of the 20th century. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, established in 1918, was only allowed to exist for 23 months. It collapsed due to outside interference and general political instability. The newly independent country announced itself a legal heir of the ADR and adopted its state symbols -- flag, emblem and anthem. 1991 was a time of people's pain, anger and expectations, as the internal political situation deteriorated in the country. The growing influence of the democratic forces, the difficult economic situation, the tragedy of January 20 [Bloody January], and growing conflict with Armenia led to a new blowing in the country. People were tired of seventy-year-old Soviet dictatorship and demanded decisive action from the country's leadership. On these emotional days for all Azerbaijanis, the people filled the streets, impatiently waiting for the approval of the Act of Independence. The human excitement in the squares reached its climax. By feeling liberty, people were willing to do anything to bring it closer. It was the nation, seasoned in lengthy meetings in the square, remembering the horrors of January 1990 -- Bloody January, when 26,000 hostile and aggressive-minded Soviet special forces called "Alfa" entered Baku to commit atrocities against the Azerbaijani people, storming and murdering hundreds of civilians without declaring a state of emergency. Now, the imperial tanks were no longer able to block the path to freedom. Azerbaijan, which lost hundreds of its sons and daughters in the struggle for independence, was persistently advancing towards a new life, a new reality. Finally, the long-awaited day has come! In the fall of 1991, after much debate on the adoption of the Constitutional Act on Independence, a new era has started in the history of Azerbaijan. To prove the world that this is an act of democratic character and is supported by the entire population, a nationwide vote was held on December 29, 1991. The ballot of the referendum included only one question: Do you support the Constitutional Act on the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan? Over 95 percent of those eligible to vote took part in the referendum and Azerbaijan voted unanimously for independence. Young Azerbaijan gained its independence in a complex political environment. The country needed international recognition of its sovereignty. And the first step was made by the brotherly country Turkey, which recognized the independence on November 9, 1991. A total of 50 countries recognized the independence of Azerbaijan by January 1992. In accordance with the presidential decree, the 25th anniversary of restoration of Azerbaijani Independence is being solemnly celebrated in the country at the state level. Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 11:25 (UTC+04:00) Governor Steve Bullock of the U.S. State of Montana has proclaimed October 18, 2016 as Azerbaijan Independence Day in Montana, Azertac reported. The decision was made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the restoration of Azerbaijans independence. The Governor sent a special letter on this occasion to Azerbaijans Consul General in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev. The letter says: I applaud the efforts of the Azerbaijani people to restore and maintain the freedom and independence in the region. For the last twenty-five years, the Republic of Azerbaijan has been regarded internationally as a successful model of peaceful coexistence with people from different religious and cultural backgrounds. I am honored to acknowledge October 18, 2016 as Azerbaijan Independence Day and I encourage all Montanans to join in this celebration. The Governor of the U.S. State of Nevada Brian Sandoval also congratulated Azerbaijan on its Independence Day. Via a special certificate of recognition sent to Azerbaijans Consulate General in Los Angeles, Governor Sandoval conveyed his best wishes on this momentous occasion. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 14:54 (UTC+04:00) Ambassador of the UK to Azerbaijan, Carole Crofts has congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the 25th anniversary of restoration of the countrys independence. A video of the diplomats congratulations in Azerbaijani was shared on the embassys official page on Facebook. In her address, the ambassador said 25 years of development of independent Azerbaijan truly deserve attention. She said the UK is proud to have played a role in supporting the independence of Azerbaijan, and hopes that Azerbaijan will achieve greater success and will become even a stronger state in the next 25 years. Carole Crofts also voiced hope for the future strengthening of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the UK. Azerbaijanis celebrate October 18 as a glorious day in their history, their Independence Day. 25 years ago, the people of Azerbaijan raised the banner of independence for the second time and this became a brilliant victory in the political history of the nation in the 20th century. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 16:04 (UTC+04:00) By Trend Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim congratulated citizens of Azerbaijan on Independence Day while addressing the parliamentary group of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) on October 18, TRT Haber news channel reports. I send the love and respect of 79 millions of Turks to our brothers in Azerbaijan. We are one nation and two countries. said the prime minister. Azerbaijanis celebrate October 18 as a glorious day in their history, their Independence Day. 25 years ago, the people of Azerbaijan raised the banner of independence for the second time and this became a brilliant victory in the political history of the nation in the 20th century. The Constitutional Act about the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan was adopted at the session of the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan on October 18, 1991. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 16:59 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova UK Minister of State for Europe and the Americas at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Alan Duncan has congratulated Azerbaijani people on the 25th anniversary of restoration of the countrys independence. The United Kingdom is the largest investor in Azerbaijan, Duncan mentioned in his congratulation, which was posted on the official page of the British Embassy in the social network Facebook. On behalf of Her Majestys Government, I am delighted to send my congratulations to the Azerbaijani people on the 25th anniversary of independence. The UK enjoys a close and strategic relationship with Azerbaijan. We are the countrys largest foreign investor and we remain committed to supporting Azerbaijans democratic development, security, and prosperity. We look forward to building on this as we continue to work closely with the Azerbaijani government and people to strengthen our economic and cultural ties, reads the message. The minister also voiced his countrys full support for the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs to broker the resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and building of a peaceful and prosperous future for Azerbaijan and its neighbors. The UK and Azerbaijan enjoy cooperation in different spheres such as education, trade, tourism, ICT, as well as other infrastructure and transit projects. The cooperation in the energy sector is currently the key factor of the bilateral economic relations between the two countries. Azerbaijan cooperates with the United Kingdom in the field of exploration and transportation of oil and natural gas from the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. BP as a leading oil company, which has launched its operations in Azerbaijan in 1992, participates in the main production sharing agreements such as the Contract of Century (Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli) and the Shah Deniz project. The trade turnover between the UK and Azerbaijan totaled $169.5 million in January-April 2016, some $166.9 million of which falls to a share of imports from the UK. The United Kingdom is considered to be the largest foreign direct investor in Azerbaijan followed by the U.S. and Japan. The United Kingdom recognized the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan on 26 December 1991. The diplomatic relations between two countries were established on 11 March 1992. The British Embassy was opened in Baku in September 1993 and the Azerbaijani Embassy in London in January 1994. --- Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 12:33 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Abbasova Azerbaijan, one of the signatories of the European Energy Charter, aims to take appropriate measures for the development of relations within the international agreement. The issue of cooperation within the Charter was high on agenda during the meeting between Azerbaijans Energy Minister Natig Aliyev and Secretary General of the Charter Urban Rusnak, who arrived in Baku to attend the 7th International Forum Energy for Sustainable Development. The charter is considered to be a concise expression of the principles that should underpin international energy cooperation, based on a shared interest in secure energy supply and sustainable economic development. Aliev said that Azerbaijan is ready to share its experience in the sphere of the transit of energy resources and provide the necessary technical support. Rusnak, in turn, informed the minister about the ongoing activities of the Energy Charter, including the work on drafting of a Multilateral Framework Agreement on Energy Transit, mentioning that the preparation of the agreement is of great importance for the organization. He said that the experience of Azerbaijan in the sphere may give an important impetus to this process, emphasizing that Azerbaijan, thanks to the turning into an energy exporter in a short period of time and the status acquired by the country in the sphere of global energy security is perceived by the organization as an example for other countries. He emphasized that it is important to sign a new legal document to deepen cooperation with Azerbaijan during the next five years. The sides also discussed the participation of a delegation of Azerbaijan in the 27th session of the Energy Charter Conference in Tokyo. --- Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 11:28 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova Russia has unilaterally announced an eight-hour "humanitarian" ceasefire in Aleppo on Thursday, as the UN voiced a necessity to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to numerous individuals in need in the city. A longer ceasefire in the city of Aleppo is possible, but has to be agreed on multilaterally, Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said after a UN Security Council meeting on Syria, Sputnik International reported. "We have declared the 8-hour unilaterally, I supposed that longer, like 48-hours or 72-hours will require some kind of mutual arrangements", Churkin stated on Monday. The situation in Aleppo has extremely deteriorated lately as heavy battles are going on in the city and its outskirts. The Syrian government launched an operation in Aleppo last month with Russian air support and Iranian-backed militias. Earlier, the U.S. accused the Syrian authorities and the Russian Federation of bombing peaceful civilians and armed opposition. Damascus and Moscow insist that strike blows only at the terrorists and accuses Washington of failing to pressure on the troops of "moderate opposition" so that they separate themselves from the terrorists. --- Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 12:42 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova Turkmenistan in a bid to expand its bilateral ties with Germany in the trade sphere ratified an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation with respect to income and property taxes, the Turkmen government reported. The document signed with Germany was approved at the regular meeting of Parliament this week. The ceremony of signing was held in the framework of two-day working visit of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Germany in August 2016. Today, 167 investment projects and contracts with participation of the German capital in the total amount of $540 million and about 555 million euros have been registered in Turkmenistan. The volume of trade turnover between Turkmenistan and Germany was $ 306 million in 2015. The German companies contribute significantly to the long-term projects in Turkmenistan. These include companies such as Siemens, Daimler, Claas, Rohde & Schwarz, and Dresser-Rand. Turkmenistan is interested in attracting Germanys huge capital and advanced technology. The sides regularly hold joint business forums, which bring together representatives of the companies specializing in trade, energy, chemical industry, banking, transport, communication, construction, industry, and agriculture. The Turkmen government has established cooperation with German company RWE, by signing a production sharing agreement (PSA) in the development of offshore fields in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea in 2009. The diplomatic relations between Turkmenistan and Germany were established in 1992. Turkmenistan and Germany successfully cooperate both bilaterally and as part of the authoritative international organizations, primarily the UN and the OSCE. --- Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 October 2016 16:48 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, commenting on the Mosul operation, stated that there is a risk that Islamic State (IS) fighters could flee from Mosul and go to Syria. If IS fighters are allowed to leave Mosul and go to Syria, Russia would take the appropriate military and political decisions, the minister warned, Ria Novosti reported. We will be evaluating the situation and take decisions of both political and military nature if this happens, he added. I hope the US-led coalition, which is actively engaged in the operation to take Mosul, will take it into account. The minister also voiced Russias concern over the looming exodus of refugees from Mosul, which, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross may reach as many as 1 million people. The Mosul operation was launched on Monday. The coalition, including the air forces of several nations, primarily the US, and ground forces of the Iraqi government, Kurdish and Shiite militias is involved in the siege of Mosul, the Iraqi stronghold of IS. Meanwhile, European Commissioner for Security, Julian King warned that the operation may push violent militants to return to Europe, where even a small number could pose a very serious threat. Re-taking the IS stronghold in northern Iraq can lead to a scenario in which violent militants would return to Europe, he told Die Welt. This is a very serious threat and we must be prepared to face it. The terrorist organization "Islamic State" considers Mosul as its main stronghold in Iraq. Being one of the key oil centers of Iraq, the city of Mosul went entirely under the control of the IS terrorists in June 2014. It is the second largest city of Iraq with a population of 1.3 million people. The number of IG militants concentrated in Mosul is more than 6,000 people. The UN informs that more than 3.4 million people are now displaced in Iraq -- more than half of them children, while more than 10 million are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. --- Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today A mix of clouds and sun. High 74F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable. I don't know how many young women come to this blog or how many are parents of teenage or young adult women, but here are some safety tips from Kelsey's Army: T I P S 1. Trust your instincts - If something feels wrong then something probably is wrong.2. Know your surroundings - know who and what is around you.3. Always have a plan for where you would go and what you would do if a situation arises.4. Be willing to make a scene in order to be noticed.5. Let someone know where you are going and when you will be back.Remember the acronym TIPS:ake Chargenform others of your whereaboutsrepare for any situationurvival Mentality (role play situations so you will respond should they happen)For more information, go to Kelsey's Army GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here. There is new hope for Floridas citrus industry devastated by the citrus greening disease. Researchers in Polk County believe they are very close to developing trees that resist the disease. Citrus production in Florida has fallen 70 percent in eight years New technology could combat 'greening disease' The gene editing technique researchers at UF developed is called CRISPR Citrus production in Florida has been down about 70 percent over the past eight years. Experts say greening has killed or weakened millions of trees. Researchers at the University of Florida facility in Lake Alfred are using a gene editing technique called CRISPR to combat the problem. With the technique they remove genes that make the trees susceptible to greening. We have applied well over a hundred million dollars in research to find a cure," said Senator Bill Nelson as he toured the research facility Tuesday. "This is one of the promising potential cures." Citrus grower Mark Wheeler was also part of the tour. Hes hoping for some quick progress. We dont have a silver bullet yet," said Wheeler, "but its encouraging to come here to Lake Alfred and see the progress being made. If the research goes as expected, greening resistant trees may be ready to plant in commercial groves in a few years. Lake County officials found a body in Lake Eustis on Monday afternoon that matches the description of a boater who went missing Saturday. Husband, wife went for swim off boat in Lake Eustis Wife was able to swim back to boat, husband didn't return Officials found body matching man's description Monday The body was found at about 4 p.m., the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family tonight as they move forward with their healing," FWC spokesman Greg Workman said in a statement. Workman said the search for the missing boater has been called off, and family members of the man who went missing were at the scene. The body has been sent to the Medical Examiner's Office, he said. On Saturday afternoon, a man and his wife were on a 20-foot boat near the Tavares Recreation Park when they jumped in for a swim. Investigators said the couple didn't anchor the boat, and at some point, the man disappeared. The woman was able to swim back to the boat and call 911. A Sheriff's Office deputy saw her while she was out on the water, and he used another person's boat to drive out and get her off the boat that she was on, according to FWC Officer Chad Weber. That's when wildlife officers and deputies began their search, using several boats. U.S. Senate candidates Marco Rubio and Patrick Murphy attacked their opponents' ties to their presidential nominees in a debate Monday night at the University of Central Florida. US Senate candidates Murphy, Rubio debate at UCF Rubio returned to Senate race after failed presidential bid Murphy has longtime backing of Democratic Party Full coverage of Florida and the election at Florida Decides REPLAY: Debate updates, live fact-checks from PolitiFact Florida The debate, at the Fairwinds Alumni Center and hosted by WFTV, ABC News and Politico Florida, was a closed event, with tickets given out only mainly students and professors. In the past few months, Democrat Murphy and Republican Rubio have exchanged sharp words against each other on the campaign trail, but Monday's debate was largely civil, with each candidate waiting his turn to answer questions. The Senate candidates shared their stances on topics such as immigration reform as well as the Affordable Care Act, still a hot topic in both Democratic and Republican circles. "It's not perfect," Murphy said. "There's many things we need to do to improve it, and that's exactly what I've spent my time in Congress trying to do." "To say that Obamacare has some problems is to say that the Titanic has some problems," Rubio countered. "It has enormous problems." Murphy attempted to tie Rubio to GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, who beat him badly in Florida's presidential primary earlier this year and in recent weeks has been forced to defend himself after vulgar comments about women he made more than a decade ago resurfaced. "I've condemned him when he's said things that are aggressive, outrageous, vulgar and inappropriate, and I will continue to do so," Rubio said. "This isn't just a binary choice, and there are people who have the courage to stand up and do whats best," Murphy said. For many at UCF, the debate just 21 days before the general election offered an opportunity not just to showcase the school on a televised stage, but also to potentially make a mark on the election and undecided voters. Before the debate, UCF students on both sides of the political fence gathered on the quad, chanting and carrying signs. "It's getting a little confrontational, so I can understand," said Alexander Molennear, a UCF sophomore studying political science who supports Murphy. "(Rubio) hasn't done his job correctly, so Im here for the correct candidate," he said. Donning a sailor cap to demonstrate how he thinks Murphy is privileged, Luke Strominger couldn't disagree more. "I don't think we need Democrats anymore," Strominger said. "We need our state to go red." "It's quite the experience. As a student, I didn't think that Id have this opportunity so have such an elite presidential, or prior presidential candidate and now Senatorial debate happening here in Florida," UCF communications student Lauren Cruz said, a volunteer who helped coordinate the event. Faculty at UCF also touted the school's opportunity to influence politics. "It speaks I think to what the university has become and why it continues to grow and why it's seen, quite candidly, as the type of place you'd want to have this event," said Tim Brown, an associate professor of Radio and Television. "I think what it shows is that Orlando is a key to Florida, which is a key to the national election." The Senate seat is a key to Republicans holding a majority in the Senate and is critical for Rubio to win if he has further presidential aspirations. For his part, Murphy was backed by the Democratic establishment ahead of his primary victory over U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson. "It's an honor for UCF to hold the debates," Molennear said. Rubio and Murphy will debate again at Broward College in Davie next week. Several armed men trespassed at event As the debate started, four men who tried to enter the debate were trespassed from campus, according to UCF Police spokeswoman Courtney Gilmartin. Gilmartin said a third-party candidate who was not invited to the event tried to enter the Alumni Center without a ticket. The candidate had security with him who were armed, which is in violation of a Florida law preventing guns on college campuses unless they're in a locked vehicle. LIVE UPDATES: Rubio, Murphy debate updates on Twitter YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi held meetings with the representatives of foreign missions in Iraq during which they discussed the relations with Turkey among other issues, Hurriyet reported. I am not optimistic about Turkeys stance over Iraq and especially the possible escalation of the situation. We warn Turkey not to go further over violation of Iraqs sovereignty, the Iraqi PM said. He stated that Turkey has adopted Saddam Husseins policy to bring its internal issues out. We have not officially permitted the Turkish troops presence in the territory of Iraq. We have demanded that they respect Iraqs sovereignty and to immediately withdraw the troops from the countrys north. The Turkish troops stay will damage the historical relations of the two countries, the PM said. Earlier Reuters reported Turkey's parliament voted last week to extend the deployment of an estimated 2,000 troops across northern Iraq by a year to combat "terrorist organizations" - a likely reference to Kurdish rebels as well as Islamic State. Iraq condemned the vote, and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned Turkey risked triggering a regional war. On October 5, Ankara and Baghdad summoned the other's ambassadors in protest at remarks from the other's camp. In a statement cited by state television on Thursday, Iraqi foreign ministry called the troops' presence a "violation". Turkey says its military is in Iraq at the invitation of Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish regional government, with which Ankara maintains solid ties. Baghdad says no such invitation was ever issued. Most of the Turkish troops are at a base in Bashiqa, north of Mosul and close to Turkey's border, where they are helping to train Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga and Sunni fighters. Associated Press Historic stolen, damaged and salvaged art will be the main topics on Lamar University's campus tonight lead by the 2016 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, Julia Fischer, according to a release from the university. Fischer, assistant professor of art history at Lamar, will give a lecture named "Raiders of the Lost Art: the Monuments Men and Their Legacy," in the University Theatre at 7 p.m. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Google Maps Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Google Maps Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Google Maps Show More Show Less 5 of 5 A Woodville man died Tuesday after his colliding with an 18-wheeler along U.S. 190 west of Jasper, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a release. Averil Gore, who was 51 years old, crossed the center dividing line while driving eastbound on U.S. 190, Sgt. Stephanie Davis said. An 18-wheeler traveling westbound moved to the shoulder of the roadway to avoid hitting the car, a 2002 Dodge pickup. The Dodge, however, struck the left portion of the 18-wheeler, Davis said. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Donald Trump wants to hit the ground running with Russia, CNN reports. The Republican nominee said in an interview Monday that he might meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before he even makes it into the White House. "I think I could see myself meeting with Putin and meeting with Russia prior to the start of the administration. I think it would be wonderful," Trump told Michael Savage in an interview for his radio show. Hillary Clinton and other Democrats have seized on Trump's open admiration for the Russian ruler as a way to cast him at odds with mainstream US thinking on foreign policy. Trump has largely embraced such a characterization, regularly saying he would prefer to get along with Putin. "They say, 'Oh well Russia loves Donald Trump and Putin loves Donald Trump,'" Trump told Savage. "They insult him constantly, no wonder he can't stand Obama and Hillary Clinton." Tensions with Russia have boiled over in recent weeks as the US and Russia have failed to reach an agreement on Syria, and the US has officially indicated it believes Russia was behind several high-profile hacks of Democratic Party institutions. US officials have pledged to retaliate in kind, and Putin reportedly warned Kremlin journalists Monday that they are under surveillance from the National Security Agency. Trump has pledged to push past these disagreements and disputed Russia's role in the hacks, even breaking with his running mate to do so. In the past, he has also dismissed Putin's human rights record. In his latest comments, Trump again hailed Russia's nuclear weapons program as "so far ahead of us" and hit Clinton over her opposition to the Kremlin. "She talks tough with Russia. She shouldn't be talking so tough," Trump said. "Frankly, if we got along with Russia and knocked out ISIS, that would be a good thing, not a bad thing." On Oct. 14, HHS released the final Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act rule, which aims to help providers succeed under value-based care. While some physicians are applauding CMS' efforts, others say it may not go far enough, according to MedPage Today. Here are six things to know: 1. Katie Orrico, JD, director of American Association of Neurological Surgeon's Washington office, said CMS listened to physicians about the low-volume threshold. CMS' final rule increased the low-volume threshold to $30,000 in Medicare Part B charges or 100 Medicare patients. 2. However, AANS says CMS underestimated the cost of compliance, with CMS estimates placing cost at nearly $1,200 per physician to create the necessary infrastructure that complies with MACRA. However, Government Accountability Office estimates this figure could actually total $40,000 per physician. 3. AANS also claims CMS is not taking a comprehensive view of managing care. Ms. Orrico said CMS is utilizing a check-box approach, while AANS has implored CMS to "provide full credit to satisfy at least the EHR, quality and clinical practice improvement activities elements of MIPS for those neurosurgeons participating in clinical data registries." The new rule does allow physicians who participate in registries to gain quality and clinical improvement activity credit, but Ms. Orrico said the program does not offer fully integrated support for reporting. 4. American Academy of Family Physicians applauded the new rule. In a prepared statement, John Meigs, Jr., MD, AAFP president, noted the rule addressed many concerns the organization had concerning complexity, pace of implementation, administrative burdens and technological usability. Dr. Meigs noted he was happy with the low-volume exemption and said the exemption allows more physicians to participate without fear of penalty. 5. American Society of Clinical Oncology also stands behind the final rule, especially CMS' move to add 2017 as a transitional period and including the general oncology specialty measure set in the final rule after the agency removed it from the proposed rule. 6. American Osteopathic Association said although it commends CMS for taking measures to broaden participation in the alternative payments models, it is not pleased that many providers in patient-centered medical homes did not quality for APMs and have limited opportunities to engage in value-based models. Don Crane, president and CEO of CAPG, which represents group practices and independent practice associations also was not satisfied that CMS excluded Medicare Advantage models from advanced APMs. Mr. Crane told MedPage Today, "We are committed to working with Congress and CMS to ensure equal consideration of the need for delivery system transformation for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who now make up nearly a third of the Medicare population." More articles on coding & billing: 12 of 15 counties in Arizona to have single option on ACA: 3 thoughts Missouri law targeting Medicaid patients could clash with federal regulation: 4 thoughts NextGen Healthcare to help clients transition to MACRA final rule requirements: 3 thoughts Anthem and Cigna were ordered on Oct. 14 to release emails between the two companies accusing each other of breaching the potential merger agreement, the Hartford Courant reports. 1. Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson agreed with the federal mediator that the emails were not privileged communication and should be public. 2. The insurers are required to release 12 whole documents and emails, and 13 excerpts from other communications. 3. Anthem's counsel argued the documents were irrelevant to how the company will "work to achieve savings" after the merger. 4. If the merger is approved, Cigna CEO David Cordani would serve as president and COO of the combined company. Federal Mediator Richard Levie argued if Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish and Mr. Cordani had "hostility" between each other, it would affect how they would work together. 5. The federal government asked for 40 documents to be released, but Ms. Berman Jackson did not allow the total request. The denied documents contained the joint strategy about the merger, not about "who was living up to the terms of the agreement." More coding, billing and collections news: 12 of 15 counties in Arizona to have single option on ACA: 3 thoughts Missouri law targeting Medicaid patients could clash with federal regulation: 4 thoughts University of Vermont economist skeptical of all-payer healthcare: 4 takeaways Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to the Department of Justice imploring the agency to reject a settlement with Mylan Pharmaceuticals, according to Morning Consult. Here are four takeaways: 1. Earlier this month, Mylan agreed to pay the DOJ $465 million to settle questions regarding the classification of the business's EpiPen. The DOJ was investigating Mylan after discovering the company had classified the Mylan-brand EpiPen as a generic drug. 2. CMS found Mylan underpaid a Medicaid rebate program for years, leading to the DOJ's settlement with Mylan. The language outlined in the settlement does not imply the company committed any wrongdoings concerning how much it paid Medicaid. 3. In his letter, Sen. Blumenthal said Mylan paid Medicaid "a shadow of what it should be." He wrote, "Simply, this agreement is blatantly inadequate, notably in dollar amount, but also Mylan's avoiding admission of moral and legal responsibility." 4. The senator implores the DOJ to work hand-in-hand with state officials regarding pending agreements with Mylan. Based on Mylan's actions, Sen. Blumenthal says the DOJ should examine the facts, determine the company's intent and "punish wrongdoing to deter present and future bad actors." More healthcare news: Why IPAs & unions approach this New York-based ASC administrator in droves ACG names Dr. Carol Burke president: 5 things to know Outpatient Surgery Center of Hilton Head listed for $8M: 5 takeaways A new trend is taking hold in the state of New York as commercial payers increasingly understand the value of ambulatory surgery centers. As administrator and vice president of business development of New York City-based Gramercy Healthcare Management that oversees Gramercy Surgery Center, Jeffrey Flynn, CASC, has had more independent physician associations approach him in the past two months about transitioning cases to the surgery center. IPAs haven't historically worked with ASCs as many surgery centers were out-of-network and could face backlash from payers. Recently, however, many payers are driving IPAs to surgery centers because ASCs present a significant cost-savings opportunity while also providing high quality services. "It seems they have received pressure from the commercial insurance companies to force their outpatient cases from the hospitals to outpatient centers," Mr. Flynn notes. "One plan they are using to do this is appealing to any shared savings they have on capitated patients." In shared saving agreements, payers and providers can share in savings if providers keep a patient's episode of care within a certain price range. Providers can receive this bonus by practicing preventative care to ensure a patient has a minimal chance of hospitalization and performing procedures that are in-network. However, another tactic entails payers taking control and requiring IPA members to transition cases out of the hospitals and into the surgery centers. "One IPA member told me a payer said, 'If there is not a dramatic shift of your cases from the hospital to freestanding surgery centers, there could be a significant cut in fees when we get to the end of your contract date'," Mr. Flynn says. "Dramatic and significant are relevant terms that payers don't always define. Providers often wonder what this means for reimbursement." The cost savings payers can accrue from shifting procedures to the outpatient setting may be substantial. For instance, a three-part podiatry procedure costs nearly $3,875 more when performed at local hospital compared to Gramercy Surgery Center. In addition to IPAs, union leaders are also looking to truncate costs and thus are seeking out ASCs. This month alone, Mr. Flynn is presenting in front of two large New York unions to meet with their medical directors about how Gramercy Surgery Center can yield cost savings. Reducing costs is of particular importance to unions as Mr. Flynn notes, "they pay dollar for dollar even if they are managed by insurance companies." In the last two months, eight IPAs and six unions have approached Mr. Flynn as to how they can start moving cases to the surgery center. The healthcare industry's drive to continually find ways to save money will push cases into the ASC setting. ASCs are not only cost-effective, but their quality often meets or exceeds that of the hospital's quality scores. For example, Gramercy Surgery Center is one of the few ASCs performing penal implants in the United States; they have done more than 100 procedures with a 0 percent infection rate. "I can show these organizations my numbers no one is coming in and staying two days and then getting an infection. That would be another cost," he says. "That is a point that payers are starting to realize. This is a unique time for ASCs as we are one of the main solutions to bringing down costs." More articles on surgery centers: Nobilis shares rally 45.6% in 3 months; AmSurg creates training program to certify staff in scope reprocessing & more 5 key updates on ASC companies Outpatient Surgery Center of Hilton Head listed for $8M: 5 takeaways Arkansas Urology to build $6M outpatient center: 4 takeaways What was regarded in the past as a "soft skill" has emerged as one of the most critical determinants of career and leadership success: emotional intelligence. "Most often, success or failure in a job comes down to how we manage ourselves and how well we manage relationships with our co-workers, not how much we know," Jen Shirkani, CEO of talent management solutions provider Penumbra Group, said at the AMN Healthcare 2016 Healthcare Workforce Summit in San Diego. The ability to manage one's emotions and relationships is tied to emotional intelligence, which is defined as the ability to recognize, understand and manage our own emotions and the emotions of others. A leader's EQ emotional quotient has a direct effect on the way he or she communicates with others, approaches challenges and reacts during crises. It is also a significant influencer of employee engagement, which has hovered near 30 percent since 2000, according to Gallup. While one could reasonably assume that those at the top of the corporate hierarchy have the highest EQs, this is not the case, according to Travis Bradberry, co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0. His research shows EQ scores increase with rank from direct report to manager, but steeply decline beyond that. On average, CEOs have the lowest EQ. Why is that? "Once leaders get promoted they enter an environment that tends to erode their emotional intelligence," Forbes wrote of Mr. Bradberry's findings. "They spend less time in meaningful interactions with their staff and lose sight of how their emotional states impact those around them." Ms. Shirkani argues emotional intelligence is largely garnered through experience, not learning. However, determining an EQ score and identifying problem areas can help leaders improve their communication and overall leadership techniques, she said. Ms. Shirkani outlined three tenets of emotional intelligence, or what she coined the 3Rs. 1. Recognize who you are socially and emotionally. 2. Read people and situations accurately. 3. Respond appropriately based on who you are interacting with and what the situation calls for. Each of the 3Rs can be applied when it comes to key EQ skills, according to Ms. Shirkani. For instance, one of the most important factors of emotional intelligence is self-awareness, which encompasses both emotional and social self-awareness. "Social self-awareness becomes quite important to long-term career success, but it's a moving target," said Ms. Shirkani, who noted many professionals plateau or derail in their careers because of a lack of self-awareness. "People assume bad leaders are the way they are because they don't get any feedback, but sometimes just the opposite is true." In some cases, the leader is so beloved among their closest colleagues that they are shielded from candid feedback that could help them gain an accurate sense of self-awareness. In this scenario, leaders must recognize others' perceptions of them, read the particular situation at hand and respond appropriately, perhaps by asking a trusted co-worker for honest feedback. When it comes to empathy, another major factor of emotional intelligence, Ms. Shirkani said it is easy to assume more is better. But in healthcare, "too much empathy in a physician isn't always better," she said. Physicians must keep some emotional distance between themselves and the patient to remain objective and make the smartest clinical decisions. However, there is a balance. Physicians with higher empathy scores tend to fare better when they are sued for medical malpractice, according to Ms. Shirkani. Here too, physicians must employ the 3Rs on a situational basis. Self-control is a third significant factor of emotional intelligence. When we hear "self-control," we tend to think of employing meditative breathing or some other coping mechanism to prevent ourselves from displaying anger or having an emotional outburst. But like empathy, self-control must be scaled up or down depending on the situation. Ms. Shirkani gave the example of a meeting between a hospital administrator and the family of a patient who had a negative experience in the hospital. As the family members grew angrier and more emotional, the administrator deliberately became calmer in an attempt to pacify the situation. However, the administrator's calmness had the opposite effect the family interpreted her calm tone as apathetic or not understanding the gravity of the situation. While leaders may not be able to change the aspects of their personality that others find unappealing, adding communication and thinking strategies such as the 3Rs can help improve their interactions with others, and ultimately lead to higher career success. When the reality that "you are the practice" sets in, you face a dilemma when you want to pack it in and leave. Who will pay for a practice when the chief revenue producer is leaving? Not many. What is your exit strategy? How do you maximize your retirement position? There are alternatives for you to reap the spoils of your life's work and investment. You can sell your single-shingle practice, build a formidable going concern through merger/acquisition to attract attention from private equity or special interest buyers or expand into developing a medical facility to leverage a real estate investment. Build a formidable practice You must build the practice so that it can run without you, utilizing revenue producers (physicians, surgeons) after you leave. This can mean growing the practice into a bankable, scalable, sustainable business before you sell. Smaller practices usually get attention from a clinical buyer, hospital or large medical practice at a much lower price point because value is in the patient base. However, the real money is in selling a going concern a company that delivers professional medical services for fees and achieves profit and cash flows at a much higher price point. The focus now shifts from making a living to return on investment for investors. It is critical to have well documented policies and procedures in place for each business process. You have built the practice by delivering what patients want and need. Now it is time to shape that practice to emulate what buyers and investors want and demand. Buyers / investors look for: Shown by: Business that creates value Consistency, position, economy of scale High probability of future cash flows Performance history, patient base growth Market-oriented management team Focus on revenue production, growth Ability to sell, produce, thrive and grow Track record of patient growth, acquisition Fair entry valuation Realistic return potential Exit options ROI multiples Combine-to-grow One strategy that can produce an excellent payday in exchange for your equity ownership position is a combine-to-grow methodology. Simply pursue combining several practices through merger or acquisition, then sell the larger entity for top dollar. The private equity community is very active in this space where there is a strategic presence in a geographic area, central back-office and reporting systems, but it must be of substance. Consolidation and roll-up is being driven by the complexity, turmoil and risk of practicing medicine today. The new combined practice provides management, compliance, facility, human resources and financial infrastructure so that their physicians can practice medicine. Partnerships can often be merged in no-cash transactions, where there is a combining of equity interests. The new entity then defines which partners your will move on when a selling event occurs, and which new physicians will run operations and move up within the organization. You can take advantage of multiple locations to grow the geographic footprint. The more transactions assimilated, the more that value grows. Develop a medical facility A different approach: Invest in and develop a medical facility or clinic to create a physical infrastructure. This strategy involves bringing together several doctors as partners who all invest equity to form a limited partnership, which will own and manage the facility. It also calls for building a new facility or refurbish an existing building, then lease out the space to the partners' practices and similar professionals, and raising capital to finance the development and build-out. This approach can form an annuity for the future, or the entity can be sold at a capital gain with a 20 percent to 30 percent ROI. You are now leveraging a fully leased real estate investment that provides medical services. Whether the facility is located in proximity to a hospital system to augment services or in a standalone location, you bring multiple medical services to the population in need. Build up a board of advisors To make these strategies work there must be a working knowledge about these complicated processes. A respected third party, like an outside director or a consultant specialist, can serve as a helpful guide. These professionals have gone through this process before. The very fact that you hire an expert can establish credibility with potential merger partners, lenders and investors. Often, a bank or creditor will work with a third party expert when they may hesitate to work with a physician alone on these matters. Advisors bring a working knowledge of growing new businesses. They also bring an independent perspective, strategic thinking, objectivity, contacts, capital infusion and transactions. Don't hesitate to utilize this new found expertise as you launch on a new endeavor growing a multi-office practice or building a new facility. They can be a resource while you are still tending to patients. Raising capital/solicit buyer interest Whether you raise financing or solicit potential buyers for the new business, the approach can be the same. There is a three step method to get results, money and buyers: Send a personalized transaction overview [term sheet] to many prospective lenders, investors, or buyers to solicit interest. The email merge function works well for this task. Respond to those who express interest with an executive summary, which provides greater detail on the deal. For those with continued interest, present them with an operating plan with assumptions and financial forecasts. Be prepared for their detailed investigations. Most advisors will have a list of lenders, investors and buyers who are looking for deals; some have longer and more quality lists than others. These specialists can help the process of preparing solicitation documents, perform the email merge to locate investors and buyers and negotiate a transaction. Compensation for raising money and/or selling a company varies by advisor, but there will be fees for preparing the process and a success fee upon completion of a transaction. Many advisors use a Modified Lehman Formula geared to the size of the deal. Expect a percentage fee to be higher for smaller deals because there is a similar amount of work to financing or selling small deals as there is for larger ones. It is not hard to raise money or sell a practice if you put the right tools in place and the deal is "investable." Be the "good deal" and you will raise capital or sell your practice. Remember: Your piece of a larger entity can be much more than if stand-alone. Alternative Exit Strategies Single shingle practice Formidable going concern Medical facility Cash investment Already there Small. No-cash deals Yes. ROI is high Value is in: Patient base Many patients. Infrastructure. Real estate Lease revenues Sell at: Book value 4-6 times cash flow + book value 6 times cash flow plus R/E equity Annuity Could be: Small Could be: Medium Could be: Large Buyers New physician large practice Private equity hospital R/E investor healthcare provider Future involvement Usually no some transition Management Run real estate venture About the Author On Monday, New Jersey Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino issued a warning to the public regarding the use of the opioid medication Subsys. The warning follows the death of a patient who was prescribed the drug "off label," or not in accordance with recommended prescribing practices. Mr. Porrrino is seeking to suspend the prescribing physician's medical license and has launched a statewide investigation into Subsys' prescribing practices. Subsys, an aerosolized version of the potent opioid fentanyl, is typically administered beneath the tongue. It is only approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in cancer patients dealing with breakthrough pain persisting through treatment with other opioid pain medication. Sarah Fuller, whom was prescribed Subsys by Vivienne Matalon, MD, of Cherry Hill, N.J., was seeking relief for back and neck pain and did not have cancer, according to STAT. "We're warning everyone doctors and patients alike that Subsys is a fast-acting, extremely powerful drug approved only for a singular narrow purpose to relieve breakthrough cancer pain," said Attorney General Porrino. "Given this risk, I have instructed the Division of Consumer Affairs to investigate the potential misuse of this highly addictive medication by other providers." Last week, investigators with the Enforcement Bureau within the Division of Consumer Affairs inspected patient records at six physicians' offices across New Jersey and subpoenaed patient records from 10 more. "Any physician found prescribing Subsys to patients not qualified for the treatment will be subject to disciplinary action," said Steve Lee, Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. "We will not allow patients' lives to be endangered by prescribers who disregard the federal restrictions placed on this drug." The complaint filed by the attorney general against Dr. Matalon with the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners, according to STAT, alleges the internal medicine physician "indiscriminately" prescribed Subsys. Mr. Porrino requests that Dr. Matalon have her license revoked or suspended because her practice "presents a clear and imminent danger." The complaint also states that Ms. Fuller's family went to Dr. Matalon to help treat her pain via alternative methods as the patient had a history of opioid abuse. Dr. Matalon did not respond to STAT's request for comment. Fentanyl, the painkilling compound found in Subsys, is 50 times more potent than morphine and, in recent months, has been linked to a string of overdose deaths in the U.S. More articles about healthcare legal & regulatory issues: Feds crack down on hospice care Medicare fraud: 4 things to know Former health clinic CEO sentenced to 18 years in fraud case Whistle-blower claims SC hospital violated Stark Law, False Claims Act People have associated full moons with spooky incidents since the Middle Ages. In fact, the word "lunacy" stems from the strange effects a full moon supposedly has on behavior, according to The Wall Street Journal. Physicians, nurses and other medical staff members across the country believe full moons bring chaos to their emergency departments and delivery wards. These clinicians say full moon nights especially ones around Halloween bring a flood of hospital admissions, including patients undergoing psychotic episodes, needing treatment for strange injuries or going into labor under rare circumstances, according to the report. This belief is so engrained into clinicians, some hospitals add extra staff members on full moon nights and discourage physicians from taking the day off. Despite the popularity of this belief, research shows no link between the full moon and hospital admissions. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine released a report in 1996 examining 150,999 admission records for an emergency department over four years. A full moon occurred 49 times in this period, but did not once boost admissions, according to the report. On Saturday's full moon, a reporter from The Wall Street Journal visited Yale-New Haven (Conn.) Hospital, which houses the nation's third busiest emergency department, to investigate the phenomenon. Most physicians and nurses at the hospital believed in the full moon effect and offered various explanations for why it occurs. "Our bodies are 70 percent water and because the moon moves the oceans, it moves the water in your body people flip out," said Michelle Schusky, an X-ray technologist at the hospital with 40 years of experience. Overall, the full moon night at the ED was quiet, except for the admittance of a few trauma patients and several intoxicated individuals. The nurses claimed this was unusual and some staff members offered an explanation for the slow night too many physicians and nurses who are "white clouds," or clinicians with good luck, were working that night. More articles on patient flow: 54 hospitals with the shortest ED wait times before inpatient admission 5 injured, hospitalized by exploding Samsung smartphones NEMT provider Veyo publishes year-end results Nearly three-quarters of a million south Florida residents may be affected by a contract dispute between Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare and payer Humana, Sun Sentinel reports. As of Sept. 30, Tenet terminated its network agreement with the Louisville, Ky.-based insurer for Medicare Advantage, commercial, Medicaid, individual health plans offered through the public exchange and Tricare product offerings. Tenet runs 10 hospitals in south Florida, according to the report. Humana policyholders affected by the dispute will have to pay more out of pocket to continue care with Tenet facilities and providers. Emergency care and some long-term treatments will not be affected. Humana and Tenet remain in negotiations, a Humana spokesperson told Sun Sentinel. More articles about payer issues: Federal ACA marketplace to offer standardized health plans: 5 things to know Kansas officials cancel public Medicaid meetings Pennsylvania individual ACA premiums to rise an average 32.5% James AuBuchon, MD, president and CEO of Seattle-based Bloodworks Northwest, leveled criticism at the American Red Cross on Monday, arguing that his organization's competitor is failing to adhere to federal guidelines set for testing samples to ensure donated blood is Zika-free, according to The Seattle Times. On Aug. 26, the Food and Drug Administration issued revised guidance recommending all U.S. blood centers test individual units of blood for Zika to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus via transfusions. "My understanding is that they're not meeting the FDA's recommendation," said Dr. AuBuchon, who originally objected to testing each unit, according to the Seattle Times. "[The Red Cross isn't] putting the same effort that we put into it." Dr. AuBuchon's initially categorized the FDA's revised guidance as ill-advised since Zika-carrying mosquitoes aren't found in Washington State. The Bloodworks Northwest CEO argued the guidance would cost his organization $2.5 million in the coming year. Still, Dr. AuBuchon said his organization would comply with the new requirements before or by the FDA's Nov. 18 deadline. In an email to the Seattle Times, Susan Stramer, Red Cross vice president of scientific affairs, said, "We take strong exception with the safety allegations made by Bloodworks Northwest that irresponsibly and erroneously stokes public health fears. The FDA understands our approach and has expressed no concern with our timeline." According to a letter obtained by the Seattle Times courtesy of Dr. AuBuchon, dated Sept. 19, Red Cross planned to implement individual testing in high-risk states by Oct. 3, and continue conducting pooled testing in all other states, including Washington, until Nov. 14. Dr. AuBuchon has raised concerns about the issue with the FDA. In an email, provided to the Seattle Times by Dr. AuBuchon, Peter Loge senior adviser to FDA Director Robert Califf, MD, said the FDA is working to make sure the policy is implemented by all blood-collection agencies across the country. "In brief, there is one standard for all blood collection establishments in the U.S.," said Mr. Loge. As of Aug. 12, there have been nearly 4,000 cases of Zika reported in the U.S., nearly 900 of which have occurred in pregnant women, according to the CDC. More articles on the Zika virus: Immunity may develop after Zika infection CDC Director Tom Frieden on Zika, obesity, gun violence and more: 7 quotes New Zika transmission zone identified in Miami YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia published the statement of the CSTO Heads of States over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the Ministry told Armenpress. The statement reads: We express support to the agreements reached at the May 16 Vienna and June 20 St. Petersburg summits over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict aimed at preventing the escalation of the situation in the conflict zone, stabilizing the situation and creating conditions for moving forward the peaceful negotiation process. Confirming the necessity to settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict exclusively through peaceful means, we express support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards the conflict settlement on the basis of the norms of international law, the UN Charter, the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act, in particular non use of force or threat of force, territorial integrity of states, equal rights and self-determination of peoples. The burden of increasing healthcare cost is often reflected in the balances of retirement accounts. Employee Benefit Adviser shared methods on how to lessen that blow. Here's what you need to know. 1. Jeff Oldham, vice president of consumer strategy at Benefitfocus, said individuals with high deductible health plans should invest in a health savings account. He said when people are planning for their retirement, the cost of healthcare is not often factored in. "A 65-year-old should anticipate $240,000 to cover future medical costs, and as a result an HSA is an excellent vehicle to use to fund both medical expenses while an employee is working and into retirement." 2. Diana Jordan, director of client consulting at Unified Trust Company, suggests explaining the necessity to budget for healthcare. 3. Ms. Jordan is seeing record rates of investment from millennials. She attributes that to a generational understanding about the need to plan for retirement because of an unsustainable Social Security platform. 4. Tom Park, director of retirement services at Annex Wealth Management, said all parties should begin investing as soon as possible. More practice management news: CMS plans to cut physicians' administrative burden: 5 things to know 10 ways physicians say the ACA affects their practice 10 things to know about CMS' final MACRA rule To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below Cosmic guy: astronaut Tim Peake will be landing in Belfast to launch a new space thruster facility at tech company Thales Astronaut Tim Peake will unveil a new 6m investment today which will see Belfast making space thrusters for the first time. Mr Peake will touch down at Thales in Belfast to launch the creation of a top-end, high-tech facility helping to put satellites into space. It is understood the new space thruster site will see a dozen staff working on the electric engines. But Thales hopes to increase that number to 20 this year. And it is some of the most complex and precise work the company is involved in, producing engines which have to be made to a degree of accuracy 90 times thinner than a human hair. French firm Thales has grown its presence in Northern Ireland to around 500 staff and boosted sales by 20%. It has also received financial backing from Invest NI to help with research and development. Belfast fought off stiff competition from a number of other potential sites to win the deal to produce the high-tech electric engines used in space travel. After landing back on Earth, following six months in space, Mr Peake said he felt like he was having the "world's worst hangover" as his body adjusted to life back home. He landed back on the planet in June, following his time on the International Space Station. Victor Chavez, chief executive of Thales UK, said: "Britain is an attractive place for us to invest in our space business, there is a lot of encouragement from the government to invest in the industry." The engines use electric power which is taken from solar panels to accelerate fuel gas to up to 100 times the speed of sound. Mr Chavez told the Belfast Telegraph: "These are not experimental designs - they are already in use - and are likely to bring radical change to satellites as they enter wider use. "Using less fuel means satellites can have much longer service lives: about half of the mass of most geostationary satellites is fuel so the advantages are clear." Economist John Simpson said it was an "interesting" move from weapons manufacturing to the "high-flying space sector". "It has been a very useful addition to the range of products on offer in Northern Ireland," he said. "It's a spin-out which was originally part of Shorts, but has been a reasonably profitable contribution to the Thales organisation. "It has had a good reputation from the defence industry users, and it's interesting they are now going into the high-flying space sector." Mr Simpson said it would be another welcome addition to the firm's Northern Ireland business. "I would be very complimentary about the role they have had in the past," he added. "I think it's an important thing that they have that contract. I hope they say something about the graduates that they employ. They are a good organisation with tech expertise, and it's reassuring to see it progressing." This is not Mr Peake's first time in Northern Ireland. He graduated in 1992 aged 20 from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an officer in the Army Air Corps. He was on attachment with the Royal Green Jackets as a platoon commander in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is "more vulnerable" to the impact of Brexit than any other region in the UK, the new head of the CBI has warned. And a House of Lords inquiry heard yesterday that around 60% of workers in Northern Ireland's food factories come from outside the UK. Speaking in her first major appearance since becoming CBI director, Angela McGowan said Northern Ireland is "more vulnerable" to the impact of the UK vote to leave the EU. Ms McGowan said the main areas of concern include the impact on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) here, a reduction of incomes due to the drop in the value of the pound, and the free movement of people. She said food manufacturing, hospitality and Northern Ireland's universities were likely to be hit hardest. The CBI chief also said that the "CBI believes that no decision should be taken on the future relationship with the EU" without taking into consideration the impact on Northern Ireland. Speaking about North-South differences, she said Northern Ireland's economy relies on smaller businesses and fewer exports. "It's a small firm economy, it's dominated by small firms," she said. "Any slowdown in the economy hits us harder than (elsewhere) in the UK. She warned that Brexit could "blunt" any proposed benefit from a lower rate of corporation tax. "In Northern Ireland we have a history of punching above our weight, and credit should be given to Invest NI in that regard. "Investors seek stability, and the macro-economic stability will not be there, so we think that will affect the FDI." Ms McGowan was joined by Aidan Gough of North-South trade promoter Intertrade Ireland, along with Michael Bell and Declan Billington from the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA). Speaking about the impact on businesses located on the border, Mr Gough said: "If you own a shop in somewhere like Newry you would think they are rubbing their hands, but these large swings (in currency) exacerbate the problems in those communities. "There may be short-term gains for Northern Ireland retailers, but by and large these fluctuations do not help address the structural problems for border communities." He said a hard Brexit "will disproportionately hit businesses in the border". The committee also heard that around 60% of workers in Northern Ireland food factories are from outside the UK. And Michael Bell said the agri-food sector had almost doubled its turnover since 2008 and that the "challenge for us is how not to lose momentum". Declan Billington said access to the European trade markets remained the biggest concern for members. Mr Gough said: "The island stands to be impacted greatly, therefore it's very vital there are discussions happening between the north and the south." About 100,000 civil service jobs have been lost in the past six years, union leaders claim Campaigns, including strikes, against civil service job cuts are to be launched across the UK. The Public and Commercial Services union said it would also consider legal action against the government over cuts to redundancy terms. The government's plans would mean civil servants lose about a quarter of their redundancy pay and cut tens of thousands of jobs "on the cheap", said the union. Since 2010, 100,000 posts have gone from the civil service, according to the PCS. A special meeting of the union's national executive committee agreed to launch campaigns including localised strikes, as well as co-ordinated action with other unions, politicians and the public. Alongside this, the union is actively considering mounting a legal challenge. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "This is further proof that far from being the party of the workers, the Tories remain wedded to the same failed austerity policies, seeking to axe tens of thousands more jobs on the cheap and damaging the services we all rely on. "With previous cuts to these terms in recent memory, it is reprehensible that staff are being treated with such contempt, and ministers and senior officials have acted in a disgracefully underhand way by preventing any genuine negotiations. "We are determined to fight the obvious consequences of these cuts with campaigns for jobs and public services in our communities across the UK, and through parliament and the courts if necessary." Northern Ireland construction firms could lose skilled workers to the Republic as they seek certainty over their status post-Brexit, it's been claimed. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) today said the industry was concerned that an existing lack of skills could be made worse by a lack of uncertainty for workers from overseas living in Northern Ireland. And it also called on the Executive to commit to more infrastructure projects to help firms cope with the falling rate of sterling and its impact on business. Gavin McGuire, director of FMB NI, said nearly two-thirds of small to medium-sized enterprises were struggling to hire bricklayers, while over half couldn't find carpenters and joiners. "We fear this issue may be compounded by the temptation for EU workers, who are playing such a vital role in plugging our skills gap, to also seek employment in Ireland, where they will have guaranteed residency rights, now and in the longer term, and the opportunity to benefit from a stronger currency." Companies were leaking talent to both the Republic and Great Britain, the FMB said. But its survey of activity in the sector during quarter three - its first following the Brexit vote - found that growth had continued after the shock vote to leave the EU, albeit more slowly. "Despite fears that June's referendum result would lead to a dip in consumer confidence, workloads for Northern Irish construction SMEs have continued to grow, albeit at a slower rate. "This is the seventh consecutive quarter in which our survey has reported positive results for small building firms, demonstrating how much of a resurgence our sector has undergone over the past couple of years. It's hugely encouraging that the upturn has not been blown off course by the referendum result, showing that underlying demand from consumers for building work has held up." Separate construction surveys have shown a growth in house building in Northern Ireland, with new home registrations up around 30% during 2015, according to the National House Building Council. But Mr McGuire said Brexit would be weighing on the minds of business owners. "Being able to secure work south of the border has sustained many firms during leaner times and the introduction of a 'hard' border would be deeply troubling from this perspective - never mind the political and social ramifications. Building bosses are also concerned about the value of sterling, evidenced by the fact that two thirds of firms expect material costs to rise." "These considerable headwinds need to be countered and we're calling on the Executive to commit to using public funding for capital investment projects such as housing and infrastructure in a way that benefits the whole of our industry." YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has called on his followers to hold a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, Hurriyet reported. In a televised video speech, he urged his followers to protest against the Turkish troops presence in Bashiqa calling them to gather on October 18 in front of the Turkish Embassy. In response to his call, many protesters starting from the early morning gathered outside the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad. Quayside Shopping Centre in Londonderry is on the market Londonderry's Quayside Shopping Centre has gone on the market for 4.35m - the third shopping centre in the city to go on the market in the last few years. The 84,600 sq ft centre is on Strand Road and home to supermarket giant Tesco, Subway and Card Factory among other retailers, and an Omniplex cinema. The centre, which is 98% let, was built in 1993 and is being sold by Londonderry-based Monnaboy Ltd, which was formerly known as McGinnis Group. However, its retail offer is regarded as below that of Richmond Centre and Foyleside, also in the city. Martin Riddell, associate director at Quayside selling agents Colliers, said he believed its appeal was beyond its retail offering. "It will be attractive because of the multi-storey car park, which has just under 500 spaces. It's also adjacent to the City Hotel and Travelodge hotels." However, with its anchor tenants Tesco and Omniplex owning their properties on the site through a long leasehold, a future owner will not earn rent from those occupants but will benefit from footfall. Mr McKibbin said recent sales of Richmond and Foyleside centres were a good omen. He said: "The fact that they were sold to outside investors is encouraging." The Tesco at Quayside is the only large Tesco supermarket on Londonderrys cityside, remaining a draw for shoppers after the companys bid to build a new superstore on Buncrana Road was refused planning permission. The former Crazy Prices, acquired by Tesco in 1997, has received limited investment. Foyleside was sold in 2014 to Kildare Partners thought to be the backers of original owners, Ken Cheevers and John B McGuckian. Richmond Centre was snapped up by London asset manager Vixcroft for 20m last year, after administrative receivers were appointed to the asset. Quaysides arrival on the market follows the sale of Tower Centre in Ballymena to the towns retail tycoon Sam Morrison. Last month, it emerged that Laharna Retail Park in Larne is also on the market, with those selling the business looking for offers over 5.78m, while Strabane Shopping Park is also on sale for 3.29m. Its understood both retail sites are owned by UK investment fund Mansford. Meanwhile, Lisnagelvin Shopping Centre in Londonderry, which was put on the market by British Land last year, is still for sale. The proposed sale of the Quayside comes as latest retail figures show that Northern Irelands shopping centres are faring better than those in the UK as a whole. Springboards report yesterday said centres here reported a 0.6% footfall drop in the year to September, compared to 1.3% over the year as a whole. NatWest said it would be closing all RT's UK bank accounts The row between NatWest and Russian state broadcaster RT has escalated after the country's embassy declared the decision to close the TV network's bank accounts "openly political" and demanded the British Government explain the lender's actions. A statement released by Russia's UK embassy drew links to the British Government, which holds a 73% stake in NatWest parent Royal Bank of Scotland. "We are deeply concerned over the announcement of the British Government-owned NatWest bank that it intends to close the accounts of RT television channel. This openly political decision follows many similar acts of harassment and intimidation against Russian news outlets in UK," the statement said. The embassy claims RT was previously subjected to "a plethora of unsubstantiated Ofcom investigations". "The Russian side is requesting explanations from the British Government for this unfriendly step," the embassy said. However, Prime Minister Theresa May's official spokeswoman said on Monday that the decision was taken by the bank "independently". "It is a matter for the bank and it is for them to decide who they offer services to, based on their own risk appetite," said the spokeswoman. An article posted on RT's website on Monday included a letter reportedly sent by NatWest to the broadcaster's London office. It explained that the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) would no longer offer its service to RT, and that all banking services and accounts would be closed by December 12. Despite news reports suggesting that the broadcaster's bank accounts had been frozen, a statement issued by RBS explained that the accounts were still active. RBS said: "These decisions are not taken lightly. We are reviewing the situation and are contacting the customer to discuss this further. The bank accounts remain open and are still operative." It is not the first time that RT has run into trouble in Britain. The media group has breached the UK's broadcasting code at least 10 times over the past decade. The station was put on notice by communications watchdog Ofcom, which warned that further impartiality breaches could result in a fine. Russia's embassy says that targeting RT "amounts to squeezing alternative voices out of UK media space" and highlights the government's "inability to defend its case on issues where we happen to differ with appropriate means". "The creation of unbearable conditions for Russian media, making their normal functioning impossible is a violation of UK obligations under OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) norms," the embassy's statement said. It added: "Silencing these news outlets is a blow to the principles of freedom of expression, allegedly cherished in Britain." Ryanair said fares fell more than expected in the first half of its financial year Ryanair became the latest airline to warn over the impact of the plunging pound as it said full-year profits would take a hit. The Irish carrier blamed an 18% fall in the value of sterling since the Brexit vote as it cut its annual earnings forecast by 5%. It said fares fell more than expected in the first half of its financial year - down 10% - and were now set to drop by up to 15% in the final six months as the Brexit-hit pound takes its toll. Ryanair now expects full-year earnings of between 1.30 billion euros (1.17 billion) and 1.35 billion euros (1.22 billion), down from the previous range of 1.38 billion euros (1.24 billion) to 1.43 billion euros (1.28 billion). It comes after rival easyJet revealed a 90 million impact from the falling pound earlier this month, on top of at least 125 million in lost profit after a combination of terror attacks across Europe, Egypt and Tunisia as well as air traffic control strikes in France and political turmoil in Turkey. Ryanair and easyJet have also been slashing fares to boost demand. Ryanair said lower costs across the group were helping offset the impact of the pound and are now set to fall by 3% excluding fuel over its full year. Its lower fares also appear to be boosting sales as t he group edged up the full-year forecast for its load factor - a key measure of how well it fills its planes - to 94% and said it now expected to carry 119 million passengers, up 12% year on year. Chief executive Michael O'Leary said: "The recent sharp decline in sterling post-Brexit - which accounts for approximately 26% of Ryanair's full-year revenues - will weaken second-half yields by slightly more than we had originally expected. "While higher load factors, stronger traffic growth and better cost control will help to ameliorate these weaker revenues, it is prudent now to adjust full-year guidance." Its expected earnings will still mark a 7% rise on the previous year, although this is sharply lower than the 12% hike it had previously pencilled in. But it cautioned that forecasts could be lowered again if the pound and fares fell further. It was 1974, and I was in the press room in Stormont, watching in horror as the mile-long driveway filled with protesting farmers. The power-sharing Executive was already on its last legs after several weeks of loyalist workers' strikes and IRA attacks, but this example of literally grassroots opposition delivered the final blow. But opposition to what? The general opinion among the journalists in that room was that the creation of a cross-border Council of Ireland was a bigger source of unionist ire than the sharing of government between them and the nationalists of the SDLP. Politically, the SDLP could not enter such a government without an all-Ireland dimension. And so we got 20 years of violence, while Seamus Mallon's "slow learners" who now sit on the new Executive came to grips with reality. However terrible it all was, one assumed the lessons had been learnt. The response to Brexit suggests that the lessons may have been forgotten. It was always a bit depressing that the cross-border institutions for which so much blood was spilt were largely regarded as irrelevant after the Good Friday Agreement. Now, suddenly and unexpectedly, they are absolutely relevant and possibly the best chance of preventing the worst political and economic damage from Brexit. But it's still as if they didn't exist. One alarming estimate is that damage to the Republic from Brexit will be six times greater than for any other EU state. It is reasonable to assume the damage to Northern Ireland will be greater still. There is convincing evidence that the only way to develop the private economy and reduce dependence on public spending is for the North to replicate some of the South's success in attracting foreign investment. The UK's 30pc share of FDI into the EU seems bound to decline, even with a freer hand to provide incentives. Northern Ireland's minuscule share will also decline. Its reliance on the British Treasury will continue but, if the pessimists are even half right, the effects of Brexit will mean reductions in public spending in the medium to long term. This at a time when the Republic's own incentives for foreign investors are under severe, probably terminal, threat. Yet here is the first opportunity for Belfast and Dublin to consider how the whole island might maintain an advantage in securing foreign investment, with one area inside the EU and the other not. But don't expect that to be enough on its own to get everyone together to minimise the impact. The politics must be right. I use the names of the two cities because there are two administrations, even though only one is a sovereign government. That government has invited "political parties" to next month's civic dialogue, as though no Northern executive existed. In an ideal world, the Irish Government might quietly prepare the ground with the Northern Executive and wait to make its case about the island of Ireland when the terms of a UK-EU arrangement became clear. The peace process is in many ways a European success story and there will be some in the EU 26, although not all, who will want to help preserve it. There are precedents of a sort; "variable geometry" for regions and special arrangements for Finland, but all would depend on the final deal between the UK and EU. But it is not an ideal world. Both jurisdictions will have to act now to make the island as a whole more economically efficient. This was one of the theories behind the all-Ireland institutions, but narrow self-interest limited progress in energy, education, health, communications, investment and transport (to name but some). There is nothing like the prospect of hanging separately to encourage hanging together and this is the choice facing the island. The institutions of the Good Friday Agreement fit the bill. They allow the two governments, sovereign and devolved, to meet as equals, which is the only hope of joint action at all. Their scope can be extended by agreement, and there is also the British-Irish Council, which includes the Scottish and Welsh administrations and has a secretariat in Edinburgh. Premium Margaret Canning Opinion Conservatives have gone back to traditional territory with a mini-budget that just might cost the party the next election Many of the measures in Kwasi Kwartengs first big statement as Chancellor had been trailed in advance changes to stamp duty, the cancellation of both the rise in National Insurance and the rise in corporation tax, and bringing forward a cut in the basic rate of income tax to 19 pence. Peter Barlow, played by Chris Gascoyne, at the bedside of his father Ken, played by William Roache (Mark Bruce/ITV/PA Wire) Coronation Street actor William Roache has revealed the stroke storyline involving Ken Barlow made him "paranoid" about his job. In shocking scenes aired on Monday night's episode, Ken had a huge fight with his son Peter Barlow (returning actor Chris Gascoyne). Just as he was about to leave for his holiday, Ken collapsed and suffered a stroke in the hallway. The 84-year-old actor told Press Association and other media at a Coronation Street event in central Manchester that when he initially heard about the plot from executive producer Kate Oates, he was fearful for his job. "Well when I first heard about it I was a bit paranoid - first thing I said was do I get better?" said Roache. "And then I said the only thing I want is medical advice to make sure we're medically correct." Asked if the storyline made him think about his own health, the actor reiterated: "No - it made me feel paranoid about my job. You're quite right in a sense that I don't act, I try to be. So to be having a stroke is not good, you set things going in your body. "But I do protect myself from that, I tell myself I'm just an actor enjoying playing this. But on the other hand, as an actor to have something positive to do is brilliant, and I just love it." Meanwhile, when asked how long he could see himself continuing in the ITV soap for, Roache revealed that he would like to work until he's at least 100. "It would be good to be the first centurian actor still in a soap," said the actor, who has starred in Corrie for 56 years. With the stroke storyline, Roache said that he wanted to ensure that what went on screen was "medically correct". He added: "As an actor, you don't act the deformity, you act trying to speak through it. So I thought 'Well if I bite my tongue like that and trying to talk like that...' she [Manchester stroke specialist Pippa Tyrell] said perfect, that's it. So I was very happy. "Later on, I stopped biting my tongue and would just speak out of the corner of my mouth. So yes it's been.. as an actor it's good to have something to do like that, but you want to get it right, which I think we did. "Someone said I sounded like Marlon Brando, but maybe Marlon Brando sounded like me? I don't know. "All you do is you let your voice hang out, speaking slowly and gesticulate a bit more. So I don't mind having something in common with Marlon Brando." Roache also heaped praise on producer Kate Oates, who joined Coronation Street from Emmerdale earlier this year and has brought back two returning male Barlow characters that will be on screen soon: Adam Barlow (returning actor Sam Robertson) and Daniel Barlow (Rob Mallard). "She is absolutely wonderful, and when she told me about this I was absolutely thrilled to bits," he enthused. "The Barlows have always been female with Blanche and Deirdre and the two children," said Roache. "And suddenly it's four males. They have a scene round the bed in the hospital, and I actually felt this sense of family. "It was really quite exciting, and I hope we'll become like a Mafia family - we in-fight like crazy, but if anybody else attacks us - we'll go out and get them." Get youthful-looking skin with the help of an innovative cleanser. By Pippa Bailey. 1. Pixi Glow Peel Pads: 24, Asos These are the pad pals of the much-loved Pixi Glow Tonic, with all the brightening, anti-ageing effects of the toner, but with four times the glycolic acid content, at 20%. Used twice a week, these pads gave the best results for the money of everything we tested. 2. Zelens PHA+ Bio Peel Resurfacing Facial Pads: 65, Look Fantastic You can always rely on skin aging expert Zelens for visible results, and these pads are no different. They give a post-facial-esque glow, using four acids (polyhydroxy, lactic, citric and salicylic) to sweep away dead cell build-up, resurface skin and reduce scarring and pigmentation. They've got a slightly eye-watering smell, so less seasoned users may want avoid breathing in while doing the nose area. 3. Rodial Super Acids X-treme Pore-Shrinking Cleansing Pads: 38, Rodial We're immediately suspicious of anything that claims to be pore-shrinking, but we love these gentle and effective pads from Rodial, which sells high performance skincare products. Unlike most others we tested, they use a blend of apple amino acid and salyclic acid to exfoliate, without stripping moisture and they also contain olive oil for deep cleaning. Our tester has sensitive skin but found these were fine for everyday use. 4. Elizabeth Arden Skin Illuminating Retexturizing Pads: 35, Elizabeth Arden These differ from the other pads we tested as they have a slightly gritty texture, which more sensitive skins may find irritating. Our tester, however, found that the glycolic acid content left skin glowing and smooth, without stripping moisture, thanks to the amino acids in the formula. They're best used three times a week as part of a more indulgent skincare routine. 5. Dr Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beat Peel Extra Strength: 70, Cult Beauty Dr Dennis Gross's formula is unusual in that it is a two-step formula. The first pad contains five acids - glycolic, lactic, malic, citric and salicyclis - and the second contains retinol, along with all its anti-ageing benefits. Despite all that, they are not harsh at all and are suitable for daily use. For those who can face the extra faff, they deliver excellent results on older skin. 6. Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads: 6.49, Boots These are the cheapest pads on our list and the price does show a little in that they leave slight residue - combat this by rinsing your face 10 minutes after use. But they are gentle, smoothing and excellent on hormonal or teenage skin, as the inclusion of witch hazel is great for tackling breakouts. If you are on a limited budget or want to try out exfoliating pads, without investing a lot, these are a great place to start. Belfast man Alan Whitten was a young rugby player when a cancer diagnosis turned his world upside down. He tells Karen Ireland how his sibling Robert made a life-saving decision and the invaluable support provided by one woman. Caroline was such a great support to me and my family Alan Whitten, (27), is a software tester living in Belfast. He says: When I was 22 everything in life was going well for me. I was enjoying my final year at the Ulster University studying building surveying and, perhaps more importantly, I was playing lots of rugby which has been my passion since school. That particular season I had played a lot of rugby but had a niggling cough. At one match I had to come off the pitch after just five minutes as I couldn't stop coughing. I went to the GP thinking it was a bad chest infection but he sent me to the hospital for blood tests and an X-ray. While the X-ray came back clear I was told my bloods were erratic. The doctor came in to talk to me and said he was 90% sure I had leukaemia. My mum, Irene, was with me at the time and we just looked at each other in complete shock. I was scared and didn't really know what this meant. One minute I was on the rugby pitch and the next I was being told I had cancer. It was all a bit of a whirlwind. They admitted me to hospital straight away where I had a bone marrow biopsy to determine what type of cancer I had. The diagnosis was Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and I was told I would need four courses of chemo. The treatment was unpleasant and I was extremely sick. I lost all my hair, but I knew I needed the chemo to get better. After the treatment I went home to recuperate - but even though I felt I was doing okay, at my six month check-up I was told it had come back. I had relapsed. I was devastated. I needed more chemo and radiotherapy. Again I was sick and lost what hair had grown back but what I really needed was a bone marrow transplant. Finding a match can be a very long drawn-out process but when my family were tested my brother Robert, who was 20 at the time, was a match. He was only too happy to have the surgery if it meant me getting better, although, I'm sure he was scared at the time, too. I'll always be so thankful to him for what he did. After the operation I wasn't allowed out of my room in the hospital for a couple of months as I was prone to infection. I was allowed visitors in which kept me going and kept my spirits up - but I was frustrated being cooped up in hospital. From the first day in my journey with cancer I met the Macmillan specialist nurse, Caroline Kerr and she was wonderful at answering any questions and explaining things to me. I remember her even telling me off one day for taking the stairs instead of the lift. I told her all I wanted was to get back on the rugby pitch. She told me to stay positive and have goals. She was a great support to my parents, Irene and John, too. She was always there as a friendly face and caring for the whole family. My goal didn't look very likely when I was discharged as I had lost about six stones in weight and had absolutely no energy. I couldn't even walk up the stairs - playing rugby seemed like a pipe dream. It was a long, slow recovery to get my strength back and to get my life back which had been out on hold during the illness. Every day I got a little stronger and after about a year and a half I returned to university. I decided to do a conversion course and do a Masters degree in software development. I finally got back on the pitch and it was the best feeling in the world. I felt like I was back and I had really something positive in my life. Life is good now. I am happy and healthy. I have a good job as a software tester and a girlfriend, Lisa Turk who works in recruitment. What has happened to me has changed my outlook on life and I very much live in the moment and I appreciate every day. In the early days I used to worry about it coming back for a third time. Now, though, I have moved on and don't dwell on that - I just concentrate on getting the most out of life." For more details on the work of Macmillan visit macmillan.org.uk. Visit http://www.leukaemiaandlymphomani.org/ for more information and support. Alan faced some awful moments but he has such spirit Caroline Kerr (46), Macmillan Haematology clinical nurse specialist, lives in Dromore with her husband, Jonathan Kerr (48), also a nurse. They have two children, Shannon (19) and Callum (16). She says: I have been in this post working with leukaemia patients for a year and a half now and met Alan and his family just after he was diagnosed. My role is to be there as added support for the patient and their family. I was with Alan at every stage of his illness and we are still in contact today, which is wonderful, as I get to hear how he is getting on. It was difficult for everyone when Alan responded so well to treatment and then suffer a relapse. However, he was extremely fortunate that his brother Robert was a match when he needed a bone marrow transplant. My lasting memory of Alan will be of how much he talked about rugby and his main goal to get back on that pitch which he did. He was so focused and determined to do that and I think this helped him recover. There were several horrendous moments which were so tough on him but he was a real fighter and has a strong spirit. When patients are discharged, I try to see them in outpatients too, so they have a friendly face and someone who they can talk things through with. After his transplant, we monitored Alan very carefully, as he was prone to picking up infections even other cancers. During this period, I tried to encourage him to keep going and stay strong and positive. A lot of my job is about education and support. It can be challenging at times, as not everyone has the outcome which Alan had. When this is the case, I feel privileged to be able to do what I can to help and support the family when things dont work out. I sometimes have to carry out last wishes or requests of the patient if they want me to. My family know that this is a job of highs and lows. Thankfully, I have them as support when my job is difficult. I do stay in contact with many of my patients, such as Alan, and they know they can always get me on the end of the phone my door is always open for them. Some dont want to stay in touch, as its too hard and reminds them of a time they just want to move on from and forget about. I can also keep people updated about support groups and different events which are happening. To me, this is the most rewarding job in the world and I am very lucky. Giving help and hope to those with cancer Macmillan believes that no one should face cancer alone. Journalist Ivan Little with the Steve McQueen portrait hanging once again at the Bullitt hotel in Belfast Video still of woman making off with an iconic print of Hollywood legend at the Bullitt hotel, in Belfast Video still of two women making off with an iconic print of Hollywood legend at the Bullitt hotel, in Belfast Police have vowed there'll be no Great Escape for two granny gangsters who stole a massive 15,000 poster of the late actor Steve McQueen from under the noses of the PSNI in the centre of Belfast at the weekend. The ageing thieves - one of whom hobbled on a walking stick - made The Getaway from the trendy Bullitt hotel on Sunday night, with the specially-commissioned black-and-white picture of the late American actor, who starred in the movie which gave the Ann Street hot-spot its name. And now the pensioner pilferers could be featuring in a wanted poster of their own. CCTV cameras captured every move of their hare-brained heist, which started with them checking out the foyer of the Bullitt hotel, which had only opened two days beforehand. The footage showed one of the women giving her walking stick and handbag to her accomplice, who opened up her cloak behind her to stop hotel staff seeing her partner-in-crime giving Steve the heave-ho from a wall near the reception. The past-their-prime pair didn't exactly shoot off like a bullet from the Bullitt and cameras outside the hotel picked them up slowly dragging their ill-gotten gains up Victoria Street, after leaving the hotel through a fire exit. The bus-pass burglars cheekily walked straight past Musgrave Police Station on Ann Street towards Donegall Quay, where police suspect an ill-prepared fence may have been waiting to take the 6ft by 4ft poster off their hands. In the Great Escape of course a different sort of fence - a barbed wire one - was the problem for McQueen and his motorbike. But in the Great Escape that wasn't, the fence's car was apparently too small to fit the poster in. So the senior-citizen crooks abandoned their pin-up of their poster boy - with his dark glasses and cigarette - outside Tedford's restaurant, where staff who had attended the glittering ceremony for the Bullitt's opening, recognised the picture and returned it to the hotel. The poster will need repairs to minor damage before it is restored to its pride of place in the 4m hotel - which is owned by Bill Wolsey - who also operates the luxury five-star Merchant Hotel nearby, as well as over 40 other establishments across Northern Ireland. Expand Close Journalist Ivan Little with the Steve McQueen portrait hanging once again at the Bullitt hotel in Belfast / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Journalist Ivan Little with the Steve McQueen portrait hanging once again at the Bullitt hotel in Belfast Mr Wolsey, who was in the hotel yesterday, told me that he had commissioned the Steve McQueen artwork from an eastern European artist who splits his time between Los Angeles and France. He said he was a big fan of McQueen and had always admired his work, though he admitted Bullitt wasn't his favourite movie featuring the award-winning actor. He said he'd had the print in his office for over a year but decided to put it on show in his new hotel because the late actor was always 'current and cool' and that was the image he wanted for the Bullitt. Police have appealed for help in identifying the women who made off with McQueen. They said they were both in their late-60s and had shoulder-length blonde hair and wore glasses. The PSNI said one of the women was wearing a distinctive zebra-print jacket. Detectives are confident that members of the public will be able to come up with names for the light-fingered larcenists, assuming that is, that they weren't weekend visitors from outside Northern Ireland. The general manager of the Bullitt, Michael Sullivan, said he was shocked to hear that the McQueen print had gone. "We only put it up on Friday and couldn't believe that someone had stolen it," he said. "We were even more surprised to see on the CCTV pictures that the thieves were two well-dressed women who weren't exactly your stereotypical criminals. "I had seen them earlier in the hotel having tea and a drink and they didn't look suspicious or drunk. "Yet what they did was quite brazen and it wouldn't have been that easy for them to remove it from the wall. "The print was hanging near the reception desk but our staff there were checking in some guests. And anyway, the last thing you would expect would be for someone to steal something so big." After he gets a face-lift, the mean and moody McQueen will be back in his starring role in the Bullitt, though he'll get a security makeover. The PSNI press office yesterday took the unusual step of insisting that they were treating the theft as 'genuine', after a number of English journalists rang them to express surprise that there was a hotel in Belfast called Bullitt, given the city's troubled past. "There was also a sense among the cynics that the story may have been something that sounded like Bullitt but this was no publicity stunt," said one police source. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan received Head of EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Government of Armenia, the Prime Minister said that he attaches great importance to the further development of relations with the EU, which are primarily based on shared values. Karen Karapetyan stressed that the government of Armenia is prepared to promote cooperation with the EU in the areas of economy, democracy, human rights, mobility, good governance and other areas of mutual interest. Noting that the 5th round of negotiations on a new framework agreement with the EU will be launched in the near future, Karen Karapetyan expressed confidence that the sides will manage to maintain the positive trend. Coming to specific cooperation programs, the Head of Government singled out COSME and Horizon 2020, expressing conviction that they would help build up small and medium businesses and scientific-innovative capacity in Armenia, which are among government priorities. The Premier noted the importance of European Unions technical assistance with the ongoing reforms in Armenia and the involvement of European financial institutions in our countrys infrastructure projects. According to Karen Karapetyan, the government of Armenia is ready to expand the scope of cooperation with the EU in the fields of improving the business environment, attracting investment, introducing the European management culture and in other areas. Piotr Switalski congratulated Karen Karapetyan on his appointment as Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and wished him productive work. Mr Switalski expressed the hope that the appointment of Karen Karapetyan to the post of Head of Government will give a new impetus to the further expansion and deepening of EU-Armenia interaction. On behalf of the European Union, the Ambassador expressed support to the Government of Armenia in ensuring continuity in reforms and noted that todays hectic agenda of cooperation can provide a more positive development and outline those far-reaching programs that may be laid at the heart of the new framework agreement. Welcoming the Governments drive to implement targeted programs aimed at developing small and medium enterprises and improving the business environment, Mr Switalski assured of European Unions interest to cooperate with the Government in this area. The parties next talked about the instrument of assistance to be provided by the EU in 2017-2020, the process of developing partnership priorities, visa liberalization, cooperation in the aviation sector and other issues of bilateral interest. British astronaut Tim Peake is touring the country following his stint on the International Space Station Astronaut Tim Peake has touched down in Belfast to open a new space industry facility. Major Peake was guest of honour at an event to launch a specialist 6 million production unit that will manufacture state-of-the art electric thrusters to power satellites into orbit. The dedicated propulsion facility at the Thales factory in Belfast is the first of its kind in the UK. The French company already manufactures missiles in Northern Ireland for the defence industry. Mr Peake has been on a tour of the UK since his return from his six-month stint on the International Space Station. He is sharing his experiences as part of a nationwide programme organised by the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency. Opening the Thales centre, Mr Peake said living on board the space station was an "enormous privilege", describing it as an "incredible place to work". He said no two days were ever the same as he worked with the "best of science and engineering and technology". But he added: "It gives me as much, if not more pleasure to come back to visit the industry and visit the centres that are driving this innovation and driving this cutting edge technology and nowhere is that more apparent than being here this morning at Thales in Northern Ireland to open this space propulsion integration system." Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster welcomed the astronaut to Belfast. She said the opening of the new facility demonstrated Thales' confidence in the "world-class engineering capabilities of its workforce in Northern Ireland". The investment has been backed by Stormont business support agency Invest NI to the tune of 500,000. "Tim Peake's historic six-month stay on the International Space Station did so much to educate and inspire all of us," said Mrs Foster. "Like Tim, we also have a mission. We must open engagement between industry, academia and government to develop Northern Ireland as a globally recognised region for space sector innovation." Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire welcomed the opening of the new facility. "The new Thales plant is a welcome boost for the economy in Northern Ireland with 150 engineers set to be recruited, rising to 350 within two years," he said. "The fact Belfast beat off stiff competition from a whole host of other European venues is testament to the many highly skilled engineering specialists we have here and the important part Northern Ireland plays in the growing UK space sector. "It reaffirms to the world that Northern Ireland is very much open for business and is a huge vote of confidence in the economy." Mr Brokenshire added: "I hope that young people inspired by Tim Peake's Principia mission will play their part in Northern Ireland's space story too." Prime Minister Theresa May has responded to the letter from Northern Ireland's First and Deputy First ministers in which they sought assurances over the impact of Brexit. In August the DUP were accused of performing a U-turn over its stance on Brexit after Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness sent a joint letter to the Prime Minister warning that there could be serious consequences for Northern Ireland by leaving the EU. Political rivals levelled the accusation against the pro-Brexit DUP leader after the publication of the letter to the Prime Minister, in which she and Mr McGuinness, a Remain advocate, highlighted a series of risks to Northern Ireland. However, Mrs Foster denied the suggestion that she had a change of heart. On Tuesday Theresa May's letter in response was revealed. She said: "I am committed to full engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive on the UK's exit from the EU and will take full account of the specific interests of the people of Northern Ireland in order to get the best possible deal for all parts of our United Kingdom as we leave the EU." Mrs May highlighted five areas including the treatment of the agri-food sector, the border and the energy market. Addressing the future of the border Mrs Mary said it was "an important priority for the UK as a whole". She said: "The UK Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government have all been clear that we wish to see the continuance of the free movement of people and goods across the island of Ireland and the maintenance of the Common Travel Area across the whole of the UK and Ireland, which has served us well." Meanwhile the SDLP have hit out at why the Prime Minister's response was not announced in the Assembly chamber on Monday. It was instead revealed on the BBC Stephen Nolan show on Tuesday. SDLP party leader Colum Eastwood said: "It definitely isn't good enough to send a letter in August to the British Prime Minister and patiently wait for a reply. I don't even think we've got one yet. "We should be kicking the door in of the British Prime Minister to ensure the interests of the people of Northern Ireland are protected." The revelation came after DUP MP Gavin Robinson was discussing the Executive's "commitment" to working hard on Brexit. To which SDLP MLA for south Down Sinead Bradley asked: "Gavin, perhaps you could ask for a reply to the letter?" To which Mr Robinson responded: "Oh we've got a reply to the letter Sinead." Speaking on Tuesday afternoon First Minister Arlene Foster said the letter was put in the Stormont library at the same time it was released to the media. She said: "It was put into the (Stormont) library at the same time it was released to the media. We're challenged about being open and transparent so we have released it and we placed it in library the day after we received the letter. "Of course this is going to be an ongoing issue and we're going to be receiving many, many letters between ourselves and the UK government and we do of course want to release those letters. "We were going to publish the letter today but it was placed in the library and I don't see that there is any story in this at all apart from the fact that it is a significant letter from the Prime Minister in so far as she's acknowledged the five issues that we feel we needed to raise with her and she has responded in a positive way in the contents of her letter." A spokesman for the First Minister and deputy First Minister said the leaders had the first sight of the letter on Monday. "We welcome the commitment by the Prime Minister to full engagement with the Executive in the UKs exit from the EU. Ministers had first sight of this letter on Monday and given the joint nature of the Executive Office the First Minister and deputy First Minister met at the earliest possible opportunity on Monday following Assembly Business to discuss the contents. We later discussed the letter with the Secretary of State at 5pm. While others choose to play to the gallery, talking about kicking down doors we will continue to work constructively to represent the needs of all our people. Next Monday we will walk through the door of Downing Street with the mandate the electorate gave us to discuss these matters directly with the Prime Minister and representatives from Scotland and Wales. REACTION Alliance MLA Stephen Farry has said more concrete assurances are needed from the Prime Minister. Dr Farry said it was "disappointing" that the reply was revealed in the media despite a Brexit debate in the Assembly on Monday. He said: This letter is just words, which do little to address the specific issues raised by the First Minister and deputy First Minister, let alone the many other issues facing Northern Ireland, which they failed to raise in their original letter. It is natural for the UK Government to say they dont want to see Northern Ireland suffering from the loss of free movement of people and goods or the loss of structural funds. But the big contradiction are the comments from that same Government over the past few weeks, which suggest they will be pursuing a hard Brexit. Any such process would make it even more difficult to achieve the aspirations the Prime Minister has expressed in her letter. In that context, active consideration must be given to giving special status to Northern Ireland. However, we require more concrete assurances as to the specific measures that can be considered to help this region. Once again, it is disappointing we are hearing developments relative to Brexit in the media first, instead of the chamber. There is a major accountability deficit from the First Minister and deputy First Minister, who have yet to even mention the Prime Ministers response to the Assembly. Michelle O'Neill said she would not be following the changes planned in England Northern Ireland's health minister has ruled out scrapping bursaries for student nurses. Unions and charities have branded plans to overhaul the finances surrounding training in England as reckless. Michelle O'Neill said she would not be following the example of her counterpart across the water. "I am very proud of our local nursing and midwifery staff and I think it is entirely right that we continue to support our student nurses through their pre-registration training and therefore I am happy to confirm that I have no intention of going down the route being followed in England. "Bursary support for student nurses and midwives will continue." Ministers plan to change the system in England in September 2017 and charge those studying to be front-line health workers for their degrees. While the Government said it would create thousands more training places Ms O'Neill said her Stormont Health Department had already increased the number of students for 2016/17 by over 100. She told the Assembly: "I am committed to maintaining that level at the minimum in 17/18 but I am also considering options for ever further increasing that as I develop my department's budget for the coming year." In Northern Ireland eligible students may have their fees paid for the duration of the three-year degree by the Department of Health. Students applying for a pre-registration nursing or direct entry midwifery course in Northern Ireland may also be eligible for a Health and Social Care (HSC) bursary. This is intended to assist with daily living costs incurred during training and is awarded for each year of the three-year course. According to the Royal College of Nursing In Northern Ireland, the 'Care in Crisis' report found that non-UK nationals accounted for a quarter of the independent registered nursing workforce. A number of providers indicated that they are planning further recruitment of registered nurses from Europe and further overseas. Given the current overall shortage of nurses and the information provided during and after this survey, the indications are that the number of registered nurses who are non-UK nationals will increase, the Royal College added. Businesses in Northern Ireland have put growth plans on hold following the Brexit vote A third of businesses in Northern Ireland have scaled back or put growth plans on hold due to the Brexit vote, traders said. A quarter rolled back on recruitment plans amid uncertainty sparked by the UK's vote to leave the EU. However, a fifth are planning to expand investment outside Northern Ireland - and some hope to increase the size of their operations following the poll, the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry said. Its report added: "The outcome of the EU referendum has had limited impact on jobs, both national and non-national, as yet." A survey of the last three months suggested a third of businesses have reduced or frozen their ambitions for growth because of the Leave vote. Uncertainty amongst businesses around future prospects further intensified following the UK's vote to leave the EU, a Quarterly Economic Survey published by the Northern Ireland Chamber and business advisers BDO said. Results suggest that whilst the economy is still growing, albeit more slowly, confidence around turnover and particularly profitability has fallen, recruitment intentions are lower and investment intentions have taken a significant hit. Ann McGregor, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Chamber, said: "Sterling's devaluation is a particular concern for members. "It has provided a welcome boost to exporters, but it is putting significant pressure on costs, particularly for local manufacturers. "This will impact on businesses' bottom line and we are already starting to see members' confidence around profitability particularly being eroded. "It is only a matter of time before this will start putting upward pressure on prices." Businesses were asked to consider how to fund public expenditure. Just over one third of members believed that the Executive should consider further devolution of fiscal/tax raising powers (36%) like stamp duties, income tax and air passenger duty on short haul flights. This is followed by the introduction of water charges to households (31%). A fifth called for the introduction of tolling or road user charges and the removal of subsidy to public transport. Martina Purdy with some of her former BBC colleagues Martina Purdy in her reporting days for the BBC Martina Purdy (left) and Elaine Kelly yesterday at the Adoration Convent on the Falls Road, Belfast New vision: Martina Purdy turned her back on television to become a nun Former broadcaster Martina Purdy has revealed how her BBC colleagues thought she was crazy when she announced that she was becoming a nun. Addressing an audience in St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast last night, she opened up about her unlikely journey from the newsroom to the Sisters of Adoration Convent on the Falls Road. Weeks after making her life changing decision in 2014, the former BBC political correspondent said journalist friends tried to stage an intervention. "More than one reporter in Belfast thought the story was a hoax," said Sister Martina. "And when they checked it out and realised it was true, they thought I must have had some kind of mental breakdown. "But when they saw how happy I was they decided not to bother. They couldn't argue with the joy. I'm not sure they understood it but they couldn't argue with it. Of course some people still think I'm crazy." She also revealed how a cyclist shouted at her from his bike last year: "You were mad leaving that job to go in there!" But Sr Martina said: "I just put my hands in the air and said, 'I am living the dream. It's amazing'." Born in Belfast and raised in Canada, she returned to Northern Ireland where she worked for the Irish News and the Belfast Telegraph before landing her "dream job" in the BBC. While fondly remembering "a very privileged job," she said "the greatest privilege of my life is being at the Lord's table every day in Adoration, sitting at his feet and adoring him. So yes I am living the dream." A bloodied and bruised woman followed into a Belfast bus station by her knife-brandishing boyfriend claimed he had beaten her all night, a court heard on Tuesday. Fabio Monteiro was given a four-month suspended prison sentence after he admitted carrying out the assault on Sunday. The 27-year-old also pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon in public. Monteiro, a Portuguese national of no fixed abode, was arrested after police were called to the Europa Bus Centre on Glengall Street. Belfast Magistrates' Court heard his girlfriend said he had followed her there and tried to pull a knife on her. The accused was detained and found to be carrying a Stanley Knife. As he appeared in the dock a prosecution lawyer revealed: "Police observed dried blood and bruising on the injured party, who explained that (Monteiro) 'had been beating me all night'." Michael Boyd, defending, responded that his client admitted a physical altercation took place following an argument, but denied any prolonged attack. "He accepted he had a Stankey Knife in his pocket which he said had been in that coat for many months and had forgotten it was there," the barrister added. District Judge Fiona Bagnall was told Monteiro has been living with his sister since arriving in Northern Ireland seven months ago. Examining the defendant's criminal record in Portugal, Mrs Bagnall said it suggested someone with difficulty in managing relationships. But giving credit for his early plea, she decided to suspend the four-month jail term for two years. Political forces in Northern Ireland pushed for a massive property portfolio to be sold to a US vulture fund, Nama chiefs have said. They were also at loss to explain why a prominent Belfast businessman was in line for an alleged 5 million fixer fee to secure a deal. The so-called Project Eagle portfolio of 800 Northern Ireland properties and loans was sold by Nama, the Republic's toxic assets agency, to US investment fund Cerberus for 1.2 million in 2014. Before a parliamentary committee in Dublin, Nama director Willie Soffe signalled the agency came under political pressure from Belfast in the run up to the deal. "I think there was a problem with part of the Northern political establishment or family with having somebody from the South there long-term," he said. Mr Soffe also told the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee: "There were cross border issues, let me put it as diplomatically as that." Fellow director Oliver Ellingham said there was an "emotional factor" and Nama was being told "political forces in Northern Ireland would rather have these assets controlled by an American than an entity from the South." Mr Soffe, Mr Ellingham and another Nama director Brian McEnery were being cross-examined about an investigation by Dublin's public spending watchdog which found Nama undervalued the portfolio by up to 190 million. The Comptroller and Auditor General also found that US investment fund Pimco, which pulled out of an earlier bid, alerted Nama to a "success fee" or fixer payment of 15 million to 16 million for three parties behind the scenes. Pimco said the money was to be shared equally by Belfast businessman Frank Cushnahan, Brown Rudnick, a US law firm, and a managing partner of Tughans, a Belfast law firm subcontracted to assist in the deal, the C&AG found. Mr Cushnahan, who has denied any wrongdoing, was appointed to Nama's Northern Ireland advisory committee by the Democratic Unionist Party. Asked why Pimco would have offered Mr Cushnahan 5 million, Mr Soffe said: "I have no idea. It is absolutely amazing to me. I just couldn't explain it." He added he had "never seen that man since he resigned" as a Nama adviser in October 2013. Mr Ellingham said: "It would appear that the persons paying him that thought he was worth some input or value." Mr McEnery said: "I don't want to speculate about what this is about." But Mr Soffe insisted he took "strong issue" with suggestions an alleged conflict of interest by Mr Cushnahan could have corrupted the subsequent sales process. Mr Cushnahan may have sought to represent himself as a key pivot in the sale, but he had no influence with Nama or the price paid for the portfolio, Mr Soffe said. The Nama director said the C&AG's concern about Nama managing conflicts of interest was a "subjective opinion" based on hindsight. In a hard-hitting rebuke, he said the key finding of a probable 190 million loss in the sale was "simply wrong" as it was derived from a mistaken assumption about a discount rate. The toxic assets agency had applied a "market discount rate" of 10% rather than its usual 5.5% discount because of the state of the Northern Ireland economy and its outlook at the time, he said. Mr Soffe's attack on the public spending watchdog was described by several TDs on the parliamentary committee as being unprecedented in being so defensive and pejorative. Sean Fleming, committee chairman, said: "I was shocked by your statement here today. I'd prefer if a state body would play the ball and not the man. "Maybe you think playing the man is the best way of winning the game. "If I was a referee, every Nama person here before us would have received a red card." The UK will put an immigration border around Great Britain following Brexit, cutting off Northern Ireland, the leader of the Ulster Unionists has predicted. Mike Nesbitt, whose party opposed Brexit, said this would particularly disadvantage those from Northern Ireland travelling to other parts of the UK. He also said he believed an electronic customs border between north and south "won't cut it" as smugglers will be looking at ways to beat it. It came as politicians in the Assembly voted against a motion calling for Northern Ireland to be granted special status within the EU during the Brexit talks. The motion by the SDLP was beaten by just one vote. Mr Nesbitt was addressing a hearing in Belfast of a House of Lords inquiry into the impact of Brexit on British-Irish relations. "In terms of the free movement of people, I think the border will inevitably be at the ports and the airports of Great Britain, from Cairnryan, down to Heathrow, which will disadvantage everybody travelling either way, but particularly the citizens of Northern Ireland making their way to the rest of the United Kingdom," the UUP leader said. "In terms of the movement of goods, electronic won't cut it, because you can be sure as we speak, there are people on both sides of the border gaming how they're going to make a few bob, or a few euro, out of whatever regime that emerges." At the same hearing, former Justice Minister David Ford signalled that Brexit may make it tougher for the UK to extradite criminals from the Republic, and vice versa, as there is no alternative to the European Arrest Warrant. Yesterday, Martin McGuinness said Europe is adopting a "hardline" approach towards the government over Brexit. The Sinn Fein leader spent last week in Brussels meeting key negotiators from the European Parliament. Exit talks are due to begin next year. The Deputy First Minister is pushing for special status for Northern Ireland, after 56% voted Remain in the June referendum. He said: "I have to say it was a very hardline position towards the British Government from almost everybody that I met. "That does not mean to say it will be a hardline position when it comes to triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty." During yesterday's debate at Parliament Buildings, DUP member Christopher Stalford, a strong Brexit advocate, ridiculed the idea that certain parts of the UK could gain special status within the EU. He noted that while Northern Ireland voted Remain, certain constituency areas voted to leave. "Maybe Co Antrim should stay part of the United Kingdom but the rest should stay part of the European Union," he said. "This is the logic of saying we should divide the country up into certain areas. Maybe we should carve off the eastern quarter of Belfast and it should stay out of the European Union, but the other three quarters should stay in - this is the logic that seeks to divide. Where does it end - does London secede from the Union too?" SDLP leader Colum Eastwood told MLAs: "We should be kicking the door in of the British Prime Minister to ensure the interests of the people of Northern Ireland are protected." The Foyle MLA, who tabled the debate on the need for special status, added: "My strong belief is the only practical place and the best place to control the border into Britain is at Stansted airport, Heathrow airport, any port that you want to name - because it won't be possible to do it here." Money that should have been used to reduce cancer waiting lists was diverted elsewhere, the Assembly at Stormont was told in October Urgent action is needed to improve care for cancer patients in Northern Ireland, the Assembly has been told. Concerns about postcode lotteries and increasing waiting times were raised d uring a lengthy and at times heated debate on the deterioration of cancer services. There were also claims that additional funding to help cut waiting lists had been spent elsewhere. Ulster Unionist MLA Joanne Dobson said: "Last November, much was made of the additional 40 million that was secured in the monitoring rounds to specifically tackle waiting times; indeed, the then Minister, Simon Hamilton, claimed that it would allow an extra 10,000 to 15,000 operations and treatments to be progressed. It is with absolute exasperation, however, that the Ulster Unionist Party has now learned that 18.5 million of that 40 million was not spent on waiting lists and instead was redirected to plug the gap on other pressures in the health service. "My party warned at the time that the trusts were not given enough time to use the money on waiting lists and, sadly, that appears to have come true. That is an absolute disgrace, and all those responsible for raising patients' expectations only for them to be later dashed should be ashamed of how they played politics with our health service." The issue of cancer services was raised as part of the Assembly's second Opposition Day with many MLAs sharing personal experience of the deadly disease. SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said there was an "undeniable" variation in the level of care provided in different parts of the country. He said: "T here is no doubt that we can, we should and we must do better. "This is not about politics, this is about people - we want to see changes that will provide a positive impact." Meanwhile, Health Minister Michelle O'Neill accused Opposition MLAs of "scaremongering". She said: "A llowing politically motivated misinformation to spread is bad for the health service and is demoralising for patients and for staff. "I understand the worry and the concern that long waiting times can cause for patients and for families. Performance has not been strong enough in many many areas but I am committed to dealing with that problem because that's what you do in Government." YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov responded to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs statement which stated that Nagorno Karabakh may become an autonomous republic within Azerbaijan, reports Armenpress. During the briefing in the Parliament, Sharmazanov said it's not Ilham Aliyev who should decide the status of Nagorno Karabakh. The people of Nagorno Karabakh have started to fight for the right to live freely and independently in 1988. If Mr. Aliyev is not aware, I will inform that the exercise of the right to self-determination is one of the negotiation principles. The Presidents of the Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries have repeatedly stated that the exercise of the right to self-determination is one of the three principles in line with territorial integrity and peaceful settlement, Sharmazanov said. He added that the existence of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic within Azerbaijan is the best evidence that Armenians cannot live in a status of a citizen of an autonomous republic within Azerbaijan. What happened in Nakhchivan? We saw that the Azerbaijani leadership and Azerbaijanis were not only persecuting the Armenian people, were not only organizing massacres in Sumgait and Baku, but they have also organized the elimination of tens of thousands cross-stones. The Azerbaijanis could not have been tolerant towards the Armenian cross-stones, how they can be tolerant towards the Armenian people?, he said. Sharmazanov said the people of NKR must exercise the right to self-determination and make their decision. He expressed confidence in case of new referendum the people of Karabakh will make the same decision which was made in 1991. I think Aliyevs statements especially to the Russian media are inappropriate. If Mr. Aliyev wanted to say an independent republic, perhaps, that's the truth, Sharmazanov said. Sharmazanov said the NKRs recognition is a matter of time. The most important for us over the Nagorno Karabakh issue is the status. Nagorno Karabakh will not be a part of Azerbaijan in any status, this is our response to Mr. Chamberlain, he said. To the question why the regular meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan is not being held, Sharmazanov said the problem is associated with the Azerbaijani side. Two days ago the participants of the CSTO Yerevan summit called to implement the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements. Can you say that the Azerbaijani side has taken any practical step towards implementing the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements? The problem is in the Azerbaijani side. If Azerbaijanis perceive a mutual concession as an autonomous republic, they are in confusion and self-deception. The mutual concession is the international recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, but for what it will be, the NKR people will decide, Sharmazanov said. Sharmazanov doesnt rule out that Aliyevs such statement at this moment is an irritable and nervous response to the statement of the CSTO heads of states over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, especially when the Azerbaijani political scientists supporting Aliyev have started to express opinions that Moscow has changed its stance on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement under the pressures of the Armenian side and doesnt have pro-Azerbaijani stance. To the view which says Aliyev doesnt rule out that Azerbaijan may join the EAEU, Sharmazanov said: If Mr. Aliyev doesnt rule it out, and the politics is an art of possible, he must not rule out the international recognition of Nagorno Karabakh as well. A whopping 13m was lost through cyber crime in Northern Ireland last year, police have revealed. File image A whopping 13m was lost through cyber crime in Northern Ireland last year, police have revealed. Yet, almost a quarter of people are unaware of the risks they face online. A survey commissioned by the PSNI to mark Get Safe Online Day today found that 22% of people here said they had a limited understanding of cyber crime. However, the survey also revealed that 94% said they were somewhat, or very concerned, about their online safety and security. The same number of people also said they felt that online crime was just as damaging, or more damaging, than physical crime. Half of those who had been a victim of cyber crime said they felt the matter was too trivial to report. In addition, 53% said they felt there was nothing that could be done. The survey comes as it was revealed that over 13m was lost by people in Northern Ireland through cyber crime in 2015, with over half of crime having a cyber footprint. Detective Chief Inspector Dougie Grant from the PSNI Cyber Crime Centre said: "The Police Service of Northern Ireland deals with more than 300 requests a month relating to cyber incidents. "One in 10 people will be victims of a cyber crime. Nine out of 10 large organisations have reported suffering a cyber breach." To raise awareness of the dangers of cyber crime, the PSNI has partnered with internet safety organisation Get Safe Online (GSO), which is this week running public events across Northern Ireland. GSO chief executive Tony Neate said: "We are delighted to be in Northern Ireland this week, working with our partners and providing advice and assistance on a broad range of issues, including keeping children safe, protecting devices, shopping, finance, social media, business and fraud. "The fact that Northern Ireland lost 13m to cyber criminals, and the UK lost nearly 11bn last year, is frightening, and highlights the need for each and every one of us to make sure we are taking our online safety seriously. "It's clear from our survey that people are very concerned, and rightly so." Mr Neate described the fact that over half of people felt there was nothing they could do as "alarming". "It seems there is still a big education job to do," he added. "Let's not let cyber criminals get away with it anymore, by ensuring that each and every one of us is updating the operating systems of our various devices and ensuring security software is always updated. "What's more, we all need to ensure that we have a different password for each online account we own and website we visit. Online safety needs to be part of our everyday routines." The online safety events will take place at Victoria Square in Belfast on Thursday, Foyleside shopping centre in Londonderry on Friday and at Sprucefield outside Lisburn on Saturday. During the sessions, visitors will be able to have their phones, tablets and laptops checked for malware and their email addresses scanned for security compromise. Visitors will also get the chance to take a spin in a Formula 1 race simulator, provided by GSO's online security partners Kaspersky. Admission to the events is free at Victoria Square, 10.30am to 8.30pm on Thursday, at Foyleside from 12pm to 7pm on Friday and Sprucefield from 10am to 6pm on Saturday. Half of people feel there is nothing they can do to stop becoming a victim of online fraud, a survey shows About 13 million was lost by people in Northern Ireland last year through online fraud. Half of people felt there was nothing that could have been done to stop them becoming a victim. Detective Chief Inspector Dougie Grant from PSNI's Cyber Crime Centre said: "It is estimated that over half of all crime now has a cyber footprint. "The Police Service of Northern Ireland deals with more than 300 requests a month relating to cyber incidents. One in 10 people will be victims of a cyber crime. Nine out of 10 large organisations have reported suffering a cyber breach." A survey showed 22 per cent of people in Northern Ireland said they had a limited understanding of the risks they faced when going online. But 94 per cent said they were somewhat or very concerned about their online safety and security. The same proportion also said they felt online crime was as damaging, or more damaging, than physical crime. Online safety expert Tony Neate said: "The fact that Northern Ireland lost 13 million to cyber criminals, and the UK lost nearly 11 billion last year, is frightening and highlights the need for each and every one of us to make sure we are taking our online safety seriously. It is clear from our survey that people are very concerned, and rightly so. "The fact that over half of people in Northern Ireland felt there was nothing that could have been done to stop them becoming a victim is alarming indeed - particularly when it's so easy to protect yourself online. It seems there is still a big education job to do. "Let's not let cyber criminals get away with it anymore by ensuring that each and every one of us is updating the operating systems of our various devices and ensuring security software is always updated. "What's more, we all need to ensure that we have a different password for each online account we own and website we visit. Online safety needs to be part of our everyday routines." Online safety events are to be held at Victoria Square in Belfast on Thursday, Foyleside shopping centre in Derry on Friday and at Sprucefield outside Lisburn on Saturday. A call by Sinn Fein for more help for victims of sexual abuse is like "Robert Mugabe standing up in the Assembly and putting forward a motion on human rights", rape survivor Mairia Cahill has said. The west Belfast woman said she felt traumatised by the republican party's Stormont motion as it had been proposed by Jennifer McCann - the Sinn Fein representative she had reported her own abuse to in 2005. Ms Cahill said the party's past record makes them unfit to speak on the subject. Ms McCann introduced a motion yesterday calling on the Executive to give extra support to victims of domestic abuse, rape and sexual crime. Speaking after yesterday's debate, Ms Cahill told the Belfast Telegraph: "It's akin to Robert Mugabe standing up in the Assembly and putting forward a motion on human rights, that's how I feel about it. "Sinn Fein demean themselves and every other victim of abuse out there because of their inaction and cover up of sexual abuse by IRA members." It comes after it was reported that there had been a 61% rise in sexual crimes here in six years. Ms Cahill has publicly accused the IRA of covering up her rape and then organising a "kangaroo court" in which she was forced to meet her attacker, a former member of the terror group. Ms Cahill said: "They're the wrong party to be bringing that motion. "I said at the time when I went public in 2014 they could never speak credibly on the issue of sexual abuse ever again. I still stand by that point because they have admitted now that IRA members were abusing victims and they were traumatised again by investigating them." She said that she remains angry that after two years "they're still to acknowledge what happened to me" and claimed she had been subject to constant online abuse, as had fellow victim Paudie McGahon, who was sexually abused by an IRA member at the age of 17. Mr McGahon has also said he was subjected to an IRA 'kangaroo court' in 2002 after a Sinn Fein representative was told of the allegations. "It has been traumatic to listen to people like Jennifer McCann and Pat Sheehan who would have had acute knowledge of my situation," she said. "For them to call for support for victims of abuse - while still not acknowledging their own ill treatment of those who did come forward and those victims who are still too frightened to speak out - I think that it shows they're not serious about tackling this issue." During the Assembly debate, Ms McCann was challenged by UUP MLA Doug Beattie and the TUV leader Jim Allister. "A culture of silence often attends in the aftermath of these horrendous crimes," said Mr Allister. "Indeed, is the member a fit person to make this proposal since, in 2005, she was advised by Mairia Cahill of the allegation of rape against her and she did not report it to the police?" Ms McCann replied: "My response to that is well documented in the Chamber and outside it. It is disgraceful that the Member would use a debate like this." Pat Sheehan added: "You are a disgrace. You will use anything or anybody." Mr Beattie welcomed the motion but said "Sinn Fein's words do not match its actions". The sister of a 15-year-old boy killed by the Army in Londonderry, has said she felt numb when she heard the name of the soldier who fired the fatal shot for the first time yesterday. Since May 1972, the man who shot Manus Deery in the back of the head has been known only as 'Soldier A'. But on the first day of a fresh inquest into his death, the court was told the man who killed the schoolboy was called William Glasgow. He is now dead. Speaking afterwards, Manus' sister Helen Reynolds told the Belfast Telegraph she had felt nothing when she heard it. "We have never been told the name of the soldier who shot Manus, although I have often wondered what he was called," she said. "But when I heard his name, I felt nothing. I thought I would have been emotional, I thought I would have cried - but I felt just numb," she said. During her time in the witness box, Ms Reynolds told the court that her brother Manus had just received his first pay packet, two weeks after starting work as a sewing machine fitter. She denied that Manus was a member of any terrorist group, saying he had left the house to meet up with his friends at a chip shop in Meenan Square in the Bogside. They had congregated at an alleyway, known as The Funnel, where they were talking to an older alcoholic man about a handkerchief embroidered in Long Kesh, when the alley was lit up by a "flash". The court heard that this was a tracer bullet fired from a sangar on the Derry Walls overlooking the Bogside, which hit the wall, ricocheted off it and hit Mr Deery in the back of the head. After finding out her brother had been shot, Ms Reynolds, who was 13 at the time, said she returned home to Limewood Street from babysitting, to find her mother had been sedated and was in the bedroom with her father and two of her siblings. Ms Reynolds has led the campaign to hold a second inquest into her brother's death since her parents passed away and told the court it was important her brother's name was cleared. She said: "On paper, there is a mark on my brother's name. It is my family's wish that he is declared innocent. The witnesses need that too, they were all children and they need to be vindicated. "I want my brother's character brought back." The second inquest into the circumstances that led to the death of Manus Deery, was ordered by the Attorney General and is being heard by Coroner Adrian Colton. The first inquest held in 1973 returned an open verdict but evidence of the MoD's investigation into the shooting was not presented. However, it forms a significant part of this new inquest. It emerged that the MoD had discussed the possibility that when he shot Manus Deery, William Glasgow breached the 'Yellow Card' rules about when it is appropriate for a soldier to discharge his firearm. This information was only made known to the family in 2012, in a meeting with the junior Northern Ireland minister, Des Brown. Previously unheard testimony from a man called Noel Duddy is also expected to come under tight cross examination over the next two days, when evidence of civilian witnesses will be heard. When Ms Reynolds was asked by barrister Gerry McAlinden if she knew all of the friends her brother was with that night, she said she did. But when asked if she was aware of Noel Duddy, Ms Reynolds said the first time she ever encountered him was on March 15 this year, the day before a re-enactment of the killing in the Bogside. Ms Reynolds and the first two civilian witnesses to give evidence, Edward Divin and Noel Millar, were asked by Mr McAlinden about Mr Duddy's presence at the scene on the night. The court heard Mr Duddy would give evidence to say that Manus had a long stick with him on the night, about three or four-foot long, and that he pointed it at the Army sangar on the Derry Walls where the soldiers were. Mr Divin and Mr Millar adamantly denied this and said there was "no way" Manus had anything in his hand at all. The inquest is scheduled to continue for two weeks. Friends and family carry the coffin of farmer Alastair Sloss following his funeral at Saltersland Presbybterian Church in Moneymore Friends and family carry the coffin of farmer Alastair Sloss following his funeral at Saltersland Presbybterian Church in Moneymore The funeral of farmer Alistair Sloss who died in a farming accident at Coagh in Co Tyrone. The funeral of farmer Alistair Sloss who died in a farming accident at Coagh in Co Tyrone. The funeral of farmer Alistair Sloss who died in a farming accident at Coagh in Co Tyrone. The funeral of farmer Alistair Sloss who died in a farming accident at Coagh in Co Tyrone. The funeral of farmer Alistair Sloss who died in a farming accident at Coagh in Co Tyrone. The funeral of farmer Alistair Sloss who died in a farming accident at Coagh in Co Tyrone. The funeral of farmer Alistair Sloss who died in a farming accident at Coagh in Co Tyrone. The funeral of farmer Alistair Sloss who died in a farming accident at Coagh in Co Tyrone. There were heartbreaking scenes as hard-working and "darling daddy" Alastair Sloss was laid to rest days after he died in a farming accident in Co Tyrone. The father-of-five was overcome by fumes and fell into a slurry pit at his Coagh farm on Friday - one day before the deadline for slurry spreading passed. The farmer's family comforted each other as hundreds of mourners gathered for his funeral at Saltersland Presbyterian Church in The Loup. Mr Sloss, who was in his fifties, was a loving husband to wife Roberta and father to children Jonathan, Rebekah, Sarah, David and Naomi. His son Jonathan helped carry his coffin from the church before his burial. The tragic incident happened at his farm on Ruskey Road just 24 hours before farmers were prohibited from spreading more slurry. Ulster Farmers Union president Barclay Bell said the wet weather in summer and early autumn has hindered work in some parts of Northern Ireland. "It is a tragic reminder that farms are busy workplaces and can sometimes be dangerous," he said. "This is a busy time of year as many farmers work to get crops harvested, a last cut of silage, prepare housing for livestock and spreading slurry before the closed period deadline. "But the spell of good weather over recent weeks has meant that farmers have been working hard to get as much done as possible before winter. "I wish to extend our deepest sympathy to Mr Sloss' family at this time and to all the families who have lost loved ones in farm accidents. "There has been a fall in the number of farm fatalities in the last few years, but even one death on a farm is one too many. The circumstances around this farm accident are still being investigated, but it is a sad reminder that you can never be too careful on a farm." Just hours before the funeral, his daughter Sarah posted a poignant message on Facebook about enduring impossibly "rough days" but that she would get through it. News of her father's tragic death comes days after a Co Fermanagh farmer was lucky to escape with his life while mixing slurry. Five cows died during the incident at Letterbreen last Tuesday. Between 2000 and May 2015, 11 farm deaths were caused by slurry. A post from Yellow Wellies Farm Safety Campaign - which promotes and trains safety on farms - said: "Such an unfathomable tragedy at a time of year when farmers are under even more pressure than normal. Rest in peace, Alastair. Please, please stay slurry safe folks." Holstein Northern Ireland also posted a tribute to their member: "Thoughts and prayers with the Sloss family after the tragic death of our friend and Holstein member, Alastair of the Druminard Herd." The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is investigating the incident which claimed Mr Sloss's life. In a statement issued following the tragedy, the HSE said its "deepest sympathies are with the man's family at this most difficult time". Scott Keenan faces counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice, intimidating a witness, and wasting police time A woman was allegedly attacked by her cousin for refusing to provide a false statement about a suspected bogus hijacking, a court heard on Tuesday. She claims to have lost consciousness after Scott Keenan subjected her to violence last week, police said. Keenan appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and attempted criminal damage to a car. The 31-year-old, of Ogilvie Street in the city, also faces counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice, intimidating a witness, and wasting police time. The alleged offences were committed on dates between October 9 and 17. Opposing bail, an investigating detective revealed the charges are connected to a suspected fake report of a vehicle hijacking. The alleged incident was not reported to police until 20 hours later, the court heard. District Judge Fiona Bagnall heard claims that Keenan approached his cousin and asked her to say they were in the vehicle with him. "She said she didn't want to know (and alleged) that he assaulted her in and out of the flat, causing her to lose consciousness," the detective added. Two days later it was claimed that Keenan met her again at a shop and told her she was lucky there were cameras. He followed her out and punched the window of a car she got into, it was alleged. When Keenan was arrested, according to police, he stated that he was "going to get her". The detective argued that if released the accused could try to use the family link to interfere with the course of justice. Refusing bail, Judge Bagnall cited the risk of interference with witnesses and re-offending. She remanded Keenan in custody to appear again by video-link on November 15. Prime Minister Theresa May wants to rely on historic prerogative powers to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to leave the EU - without the prior authorisation of Parliament Leading judges with the task of ruling on the historic Brexit legal challenge aim to give their decision "as quickly as possible". Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, Master of the Rolls Sir Terence Etherton and Lord Justice Sales reserved their decision on Tuesday at the end of a three-day hearing. After hearing closing submissions from lawyers at the High Court in London, Lord Thomas announced: "We shall take time to consider the matter and give our judgment as quickly as possible." A number of applicants have challenged Theresa May's strategy for Brexit in what has been described as one of the most important constitutional cases in generations. They argue that the prime minister has no legal power to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to leave the European Union without the prior authorisation of Parliament. Mrs May announced at the Conservative Party conference that she intends doing so by the end of March 2017. The judges have heard submissions that the Government lacks legal power to use the royal prerogative to notify Article 50 and begin the process of removing statutory rights granted to UK citizens under the European Communities Act 1972, which made EU law part of UK law. Government lawyers say that if the challenge succeeds, the Government ''could not give effect to the will and decision of the people, as clearly expressed in the referendum, to withdraw from the EU without further primary legislation''. Because of the urgency and constitutional importance of the case, any appeal is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, before the end of the year. In final submissions on Tuesday, Government lawyers revealed that any new treaty agreement with the European Union following Brexit would "very likely" have to be ratified by Parliament. A Government QC said the "view at the moment" was that ratification was likely if the royal prerogative was used, without prior parliamentary approval, to launch the Brexit process. During the hearing, Lord Thomas said he was "slightly baffled" and - after more submissions - actually "baffled", by aspects of Government argument on the impact of Brexit on EU citizens' rights. Jason Coppel QC, representing the Government, said those opposed to the use of the royal prerogative were "seriously over-stating" the effect that withdrawing from the EU would have on the loss of EU rights covered by domestic law. Mr Coppel argued many EU rights were not covered by domestic law. He gave the example of British citizens living in France, saying the rights they enjoyed were pursuant to French immigration law. Mr Coppel said there was also a complaint that notification of Article 50 would remove the right for UK citizens to vote in local elections in other EU countries in which they chose to live. He said: "If Romania prevents a British citizen from voting in Romanian local elections, their cause of action is not under the European Communities Act, it is under Romanian law, which Romania has implemented as a result of its international obligations under the (EU) treaties." He said: "That is not the removal of a right which is conferred by domestic law." Lord Thomas said he did not understand Mr Coppel's argument, because rights to vote in local elections were "rights under the (EU) treaty". The judge said: "I am sorry, I am slightly baffled. I don't understand why the content of these rights are not controlled by Parliament." Mr Coppel replied: "Yes. Well, my lord, in part they are. But the case against us is that the act of notification, the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union, will bring rights to an end which are conferred by domestic law through the European Communities Act. "That is the case against us." Later Lord Thomas said he could not see how the Romanian local elections argument "fits in" to the Government's case, adding: "That is what, at the moment, I am baffled by." Mr Coppel said he was trying to address what domestic law rights were actually being removed - "and I am sorry if I haven't been clear about that". Rescue workers try to remove a boy stuck in the debris of a building in the Qaterji neighbourhood of east Aleppo following an air strike (Syrian Civil Defence White Helmets/AP) Russian and Syrian war planes have halted their air strikes on Syria's besieged city of Aleppo in preparation for a temporary pause in the military push, the Russian defence minister said. Sergei Shoigu said the halt in the strikes should help pave the way for militants to leave the eastern rebel-held parts of the contested city. Both Russian and Syrian air raids on Aleppo were suspended at 10am local time, Mr Shoigu said. He described the suspension as a precursor for the opening of humanitarian corridors. Moscow on Monday announced a "humanitarian pause" between 8am and 4pm on Thursday to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city. At that time, Russian and Syrian militaries will desist from any offensive actions. Syrian rebels, including al Qaida militants, as well as the wounded and the sick will be allowed to leave for the neighbouring rebel-held province of Idlib. "The early halting of air strikes is necessary to declare a 'humanitarian pause'," Mr Shoigu said in a televised statement. "It will ... guarantee a safe exit of civilians through six corridors and prepare for the evacuation of the ill and the wounded from the eastern part of Aleppo." Russian president Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the halt in the air strikes was a goodwill gesture to pave the way for Thursday's pause. "The Russian military is offering yet another chance, and we hope that our partners will allow us all to take advantage of that," Mr Peskov said. The United Nations said Russia has communicated plans for two eight-hour ceasefires in rebel-held parts of Aleppo over "consecutive days" this week. Spokesman Jens Laerke, of UN humanitarian co-ordinator OCHA, said in Geneva the agency needs assurances from all sides that fighting will stop before it can provide humanitarian assistance to the city. Moscow made no mention of such a pause on Friday. Mr Laerke said it would be up to Russia to elaborate on its plans and added that the UN was not told in advance of the Russian announcement. Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once its commercial hub, has been subjected to the most intense aerial bombardment since the start of the Middle East country's conflict in 2011. In recent months, the Syrian army has pressed its offensive into the rebel-held eastern part of the city. Air raids have killed hundreds and caused international outrage. A Russia-US-brokered ceasefire collapsed last month as the Syrian army launched an offensive on eastern Aleppo under the cover of Russian war planes. Mohammed Abu Rajab, an Aleppo resident, said air strikes on the eastern neighbourhoods stopped early on Tuesday, just after the city had been subjected to another intense round of air raids. "There were air strikes throughout the night," said Abu Rajab, who works at a local hospital. But as the air strikes stopped on the city, they continued as usual against nearby rebel-held villages including Anadan and Daret Azzeh. Syrian activists had no immediate word on casualties. In Moscow, Mr Shoigu added that Russia is "asking the countries wielding influence with the (Syrian) rebels ... to persuade their leaders to end fighting and leave the city". He said the Syrian troops will pull back to distances allowing unimpeded exit for those carrying weapons via two corridors, including the main artery of Castello Road. The Russian initiative should also boost talks between military experts from several nations that are set to open in Geneva on Wednesday, he added. "Their work will be aimed first of all at separating the 'moderate opposition' from the terrorists and its withdrawal from the eastern part of Aleppo," he said. Moscow has urged Washington to encourage Syria's Western-backed rebels to sever ties with al Qaida militants. During a meeting over the weekend co-chaired by Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and US secretary of state John Kerry, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar said they would work to separate moderate opposition groups in Aleppo from Syria's former al Qaida affiliate once known as the Nusra Front. Russian and Syrian officials have since embraced a proposal made earlier this month by the UN Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to allow al Qaida-linked militants to leave Aleppo in exchange for a truce and a local administration for the eastern districts. Rebels there, along with many residents, have rejected the offer. Russia's announcement did not include any promises of an extended ceasefire or local administration in and around Aleppo. US state department spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington on Monday, said the Russian-Syrian pause planned on Thursday was "a bit too little, too late". Mr Peskov would not say if the strikes would resume after the pause, saying that depends on whether the rebels can be persuaded to cut ties with militants. Later, a UN spokesman said that despite the planned "humanitarian pause" in the bombing of Aleppo, the UN lacks the time and sufficient safety assurances to begin providing aid to the besieged city. Stephane Dujarric said that humanitarian workers needed a pause of at least 48 hours in order to send aid convoys into the area. "The UN and its partners have been and remain ready to proceed with urgent medical evacuation, provide urgent life-saving assistance when all security assurances are provided," he said. "We don't have the security guarantees that we need right now." AP YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan held a meeting on October 18 with Ambassador of Greece to Armenia H.E. Nafsika Nancy Eva Vraila, the ministry told ARMENPRESS. Minister Mkrtchyan congratulated the Ambassador on beginning her diplomatic mission in Armenia and expressed conviction that the Armenian-Greek relations in the educational sector will achieve new developments and highlighted the implementation of practical steps for development and deepening of cooperation. Her Excellency Nafsika Nancy Eva Vraila expressed gratitude for the present cooperation in the field and attached importance to the role of education for the dynamic development of the friendly relations between the two countries. The meeting mainly focused on the 2016-2020 education and research cooperation program between the governments of Armenia and Greece, which was signed in March of 2016 in Greece. According to the program the further cooperation between research and higher education institutions will be boosted with the goal of realizing joint educational projects and to implement scholarship exchanges. Centers of Greek and Armenian studies are planned to be established in universities of Armenia and Greece respectively, aiming at the development and spreading of language and culture. The sides expressed assurances that the program will boost the development and strengthening of educational cooperation between Armenia and Greece. At the same time the sides expressed willingness to take necessary steps to ensure the ratification of the document by the Parliament as soon as possible. I have just been reading about the Stakeknife investigation (News, October 15) - yet another attempt to blame the Brits for everything, even the barbaric torture republicans inflicted on their own community. In Northern Ireland's crazy world of one-sided historical investigations, this has to take the biscuit: six international expert investigators will be added to by another six victims' representatives. Of course, all our own PSNI will be permitted to do is write the cheques for yet another witch-hunt. We all know the only outcome will be the further undermining of the intelligence services, who have saved thousands of lives up to the present day. During the election campaign, Arlene Foster said she would not tolerate any "rewriting of history". Well, I'm not sure what history she reads these days, but since she took office, I haven't seen one jot of difference in the one-sided republican whitewash we are sick of witnessing. I presume this investigation has the blessing of both First Ministers and Martin McGuinness obviously will tell the dozen concerned officials every detail he knows about the IRA's "nutting squad". If that were to happen, then maybe we could see some balance. But until then, the search for justice seems to tilt the scales in one direction alone. Let us bring some balance to the process, with more of the focus on the 60% of deaths caused by republican terrorists and also the 30% of deaths caused by loyalist terrorists, rather than investigating almost exclusively the 10% involving the security forces. ULSTER UNIONIST VOTER Lurgan, Co Armagh Why zoos are simply prisons for animals I refer to the recent letter submitted by Richard Spencer (WriteBack, October 13), regarding the confinement of zoo animals, and am not sure as to whether his comments were intended to be taken seriously. Extending his viewpoint that provision of food and welfare are sufficient to make us content, then, of course, all of our prison occupants would be keen to complete their sentences in full without remission. I don't think so. Freedom is what matters to all animals - including ourselves. Be in no doubt that zoo animals are, in fact, in jail with no prospect of release. Even the term "bred in captivity" does not justify this confinement. These unfortunate animals are then just doing a "whole-life term". Having spent some years living in east Africa and having been privileged to observe the huge natural gatherings of large mammals, I can assure Mr Spencer that these are the creatures which are experiencing nature as intended, not the creatures in Bellevue confined to a meagre existence (although undoubtedly well fed and correctly cared for). I would also point out that many zoos do not operate to the high standards required of UK zoos. I do recognise the valuable work which many zoos conduct in the attempt to retain a small population of the many endangered species, such as the recent safe delivery of a beautiful mountain gorilla in Belfast Zoo. This work is to be commended. The dilemma is to achieve this in conjunction with the provision of adequate space. These animals also require to be given the wish to survive in their strange surroundings. No, Mr Spencer, I am of the opinion that your views do not wash. JC WILSON Newcastle, Co Down We won't be duped on academic selection So, Education Minister Peter Weir of the DUP has said he will not "waste time" trying to bring back the "state selection test", or as most people called it, the 11-Plus. As I recall, the DUP were opposed to state/academic selection for children at the age of 11 and the subsequent secondary/grammar division for children deemed failures, or successes, at 11 years of age. When did this policy change? Might Mr Weir inform Belfast Telegraph readers on the records of working-class Protestant children, who passed the 11-Plus and went on to receive a grammar school education? Are Mr Weir and the DUP colleagues he joined to bolster their anti-Belfast Agreement stance and opposition to a power-sharing executive stating that academic selection of primary school children into those who failed and those who passed a test has brought equality of opportunity and prosperity in Northern Ireland? How many Protestants from working-class backgrounds have attended university in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, or further afield? What policies will the minister be advancing to address the shamefully abysmal under-representation of working-class Protestants in higher education? Can we expect more posturing from Mr Weir and his party colleagues, whereby he and they blame the Provos for ending academic/state selection and claiming it is discriminating against Protestants, while once more people are DUPed by a party who claim to be defending the interests and rights of the Protestant people? It seems to me that the DUP's interests revolve around Ourselves Alone - whether the party is led by Paisley, Robinson, or Foster. DUPe us once, shame on you; DUPe us twice, shame on us. OBSERVER Newtownabbey, Co Antrim Assad victory is the only hope for Aleppo When there were uprisings in Bahrain and Egypt, they were put down with force, backed by America and its allies. The uprising in Syria could also have been put down, but Barack Obama decreed that Assad had to go. He had no right to do that, but his action in doing so was a turning-point, boosting the confidence of all rebels, encouraging jihadis to flood into the country and giving the green light to regional powers to send arms into Syria to their proxies. The insistence that Assad must go has made all negotiation impossible. The best way forward now would be to work towards an Assad victory in Aleppo, which is as bloodless as possible. America could do that by working with Putin and Assad. That could lead the way to peace in Syria. DR BRENDAN O'BRIEN By email YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Government of Armenia will hold an extraordinary session on October 18, reports Armenpress. Two issues are included in the session agenda. The first issue concerns to discuss and approve the Governments action plan and submit it to the Parliament. Thereafter, the Government will suggest the Parliament Speaker to convene an extraordinary session on October 20, at 12:00 during which the Governments plan will be discussed. Members of All Assam Students Union in Guwahati, India, protest a bill that aims to grant Indian citizenship to Hindu refugees from Bangladesh, Oct. 18, 2016. More than 25 ethnic organizations in northeast Indias Assam state on Tuesday launched a statewide protest against a bill that would grant citizenship to Hindu migrants from Bangladesh. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill of 2016 directly conflicts with the 1985 Assam Accord that deems any person Hindu or Muslim illegal if found entering the state from Bangladesh after March 24, 1971, protesters said. The bill is slated to be presented for debate in the Indian parliament next month. It gives the right of citizenship to Hindus who claim they are fleeing persecution in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Assam shares 263 km (163.4 miles) of its border with Bangladesh. Of that, about 144 km (89.4 miles) is land and 119 km (74 miles) is river. Each and every Bangladeshi has to leave Assam. There cannot be a selective approach. We are committed to protect the Assam Accord, which stipulates that anyone illegally entering Assam has to be deported to the countries of origin, Atul Bora of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), an anti-immigrant group, told BenarNews. Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) introduced the bill nearly two years ago. If passed, the bill would give the right of Indian citizenship to over 150,000 Bangladeshi Hindus who are currently residing in Assam and many more that would enter without any valid documents. That would mean loss of jobs for the local Assamese population and loss of our culture to Bengali-speaking immigrants, Bora said. Boras AGP is linked to a local student group that spearheaded anti-Bangladeshi agitation that led to the deaths of nearly 2,200 people in the early 1980s. The violence ended with the signing of the accord between the government and the influential All Assam Students Union (AASU). The new protests are aimed at getting the government to drop the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, said a member of the AASU. Assam has already taken the burden of lot of refugees during partition and thereafter. The state cannot be a dumping ground for illegal Bangladeshis, Samajjul Bhattacharya, a union member, told BenarNews. Divide and rule policy The Indian National Congress, the BJPs principal opposition party, also threatened to join the statewide stir. Modi is saying Hindus are being targeted in Bangladesh, so he wants to give them shelter. We will oppose this bill tooth and nail, Tarun Gogoi, Assams former chief minister from the Congress, told BenarNews. Muslim leaders also are criticizing the BJP over the bill. BJP is a communal party and they want to implement the notorious agenda to divide people on religious lines. Granting citizenship to only Hindus who migrated from Bangladesh is a step toward that, Hafiz Ahmed, president of the Char Chapori Organization, which works for the development of people living in the river border areas, told BenarNews. Sahadev Das, president of the Assam chapter of the Nikhil Bharat Bengali Udbastu Samanay Samiti (NBBUSS), an Assam-based organization fighting for the cause of Bangladeshi Hindus, disagreed. Religious persecution in Bangladesh makes it impossible for Hindus to go back. For years we have been demanding that Bangladeshi Hindus be granted not just refugee status but Indian citizenship. By allowing Bangladeshi Hindus to continue to stay in India without valid papers, India has come half way to fulfill that demand, Das told BenarNews. He was referring to a decision by the Indian government to allow Hindu refugees who have entered India legally from Bangladesh and Pakistan before Dec. 31, 2014, to keep staying in the country indefinitely. Natural home for Hindus The BJP, however, defended its move, saying the bill would ensure that Assam does not become a Muslim-majority state. India is a natural home for persecuted Hindus. Where will they go? And granting citizenship to Hindu Bengalis will benefit Assam as it would stop Muslims from becoming [a] majority, Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJPs senior cabinet minister, told BenarNews. According to a 1998 report by the governor of Assam, the states Muslim population grew by 77 percent compared with the national average of 55 percent between 1971 and 1991, indicating large-scale cross-border migration. But political observers see this move by the BJP government as a strategy to better the partys prospects to create a Hindu vote bank. A post-poll survey following BJPs election victory in the state in May showed the party commanded 63 percent of votes from Assamese Hindus because of its stand against illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh. The survey, conducted by international polling agency Cvoter, also revealed that almost 70 percent of Bengali-speaking Hindus in the state voted for the BJP. It (the bill) is a clear attempt by the BJP government to further polarize the state on communal lines. The party is trying to create a vote bank of Hindus by appeasing them through such moves, Monirul Hussain, a Guwahati-based political analyst, told BenarNews. Modi should realize [that] Assamese people, who feel very strongly against the Bangladeshi migrant issue, voted for his party when he promised that he will flush out every Bangladeshi from the state. And now he is trying to tweak the core clause of the Assam Accord to grant citizenship to the Hindu Bangladeshis living in Assam. Those votes by the ethnic Assamese to the party will vanish as quickly as they came, Hussain said. Bangladeshi police Tuesday revealed the identities of three men who allegedly financed a deadly terrorist attack at a cafe in Dhaka, including a doctor whom they believe may have joined Islamic State militants in Syria. Two of the men are suspected members of Bangladeshi militant group Neo-JMB which authorities blame for the July 1 terrorist siege at the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant but who were slain during police raids in the months after the attack. Police identified them as retired army Maj. Zahidul Islam and Tanvir Qadri, a former banker. The third man, pediatrician Rokonuddin Khandker, has moved to Syria from Bangladesh along with his wife, two daughters and a son-in-law, and is suspected to have given 8 million taka (U.S. $101,000) to Neo-JMB, a senior police official told BenarNews. Tuesdays announcement marked the first time that police named any of the people suspected of financing the attack claimed by IS that left 29 people dead, including 20 hostages, two policemen and the five alleged attackers. Government officials have adamantly denied that IS has a presence in Bangladesh, but have conceded that Neo-JMB, a faction of home-grown militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), ascribes to ISs extremist ideology. The financiers of the Holey Artisan attack have been identified, Monirul Islam, the chief of the counter-terrorist wing of Bangladeshi police, told reporters in Dhaka, as he named the three men. Apart from Khandkers sizable financial donation, Islam gave all of his retirement benefits to the outfit and Qadri sold his apartment and donated proceeds from the sale and other savings to Neo-JMB, Monirul Islam said. The 50-year-old doctor used to work at the Dhaka Childrens Hospital, but he and his 45-year-old wife, Naima Akhter, who taught botany at a government-run college, moved to Syria with their children and in-law, police said. The police have the information that Dr. Rokonuddin and his family members have been in Raqqah. We suspect that he may have joined the IS, Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Masudur Rahman told BenarNews, referring to a Syrian city that is a stronghold for IS. Cash seized Last month, Monirul Islam told reporters that funds for the cafe attack had been sent to Bangladesh from the Middle East through an informal money transfer known as hundi. As much as 1.4 million taka ($17,780) had been transferred for the attack through this system, he said then. A senior police official told BenarNews that this sum was sent from the United Arab Emirates. At the time, police did not name any of the people suspected of funding the attack. But on Oct. 8, another person suspected of being a top financier of Neo-JMB, Abdur Rahman, died after jumping from a five-story apartment building as authorities were moving in to arrest him, officials said. During the raid Bangladeshs Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) recovered 30 million taka ($381,000) from his apartment. That money belonged to the Neo-JMB, Monirul Islam said, adding that the group used such cash to fund operational activities, provide its most dedicated members with allowances and help meet the education expenses of its members children. Updated at 1:31 p.m. ET on 2016-10-21 Malaysia next month will officially open a messaging center whose mission is to counter online propaganda from Islamic State (IS) and other extremist groups, the nations police chief told BenarNews. The messaging center will be housed at the Malaysian Police Training Center (Pulapol) in Kuala Lumpur, Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar said last week. Structurally, we are already under way. At first we had an issue regarding the venue, but thats already been resolved. The PM will launch [the center] in November. Weve already done a soft start, Khalid told BenarNews. Authorities in Malaysia and neighboring Indonesia have long warned of a threat posed by IS and like-minded groups using social media to indoctrinate and recruit local youths as supporters and combatants. IS has a Malay-language combat unit, known as Katibah Nusantara, made up of fighters from countries where forms of the language are spoken, and which has produced Malay-language propaganda. Experts from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) are working with police officers to develop content to be disseminated by the center, according to the police chief. We are getting assistance from JAKIM. As you know, we have to be very careful with the content. The content will be in three languages English, Malay and Arabic, Khalid said. He added that the Malaysian center had sent officers to Abu Dhabi to learn about the Sawab Center, a messaging center launched by the United States and United Arab Emirates that seeks to draw out the poisonous propaganda of IS, according to its website. At the International Conference on De-radicalization and Countering Violent Extremism in Kuala Lumpur in January, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak spoke about the importance of countering extremist narratives with messaging that was solid, persuasive and real. It must state clearly why they [IS] are wrong, and why true Muslims will have nothing to do with this ideology of hatred and destruction, he said. About 1,000 Southeast Asians had joined IS in Iraq and Syria by the end of 2015, according to the U.S. State Department. IS claimed an attack in downtown Jakarta in January 2016 that left eight people dead, including four attackers. An alleged IS supporter was killed Thursday in Tangerang, West Java after attacking police officers with a knife. Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 230 suspected IS members since 2013 and have charged some 75 suspects linked to the group in court. Police allege that a Malaysian in Syria ordered a grenade attack at a nightclub on the outskirts on Kuala Lumpur in June that injured eight people, the first IS attack on Malaysian soil. An earlier version of this story contained several inaccuracies including the name of the center. ein Google-Unternehmen Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. 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Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten. Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen. Most read of the week The Bible has been under attack in the western world for over 200 years but never more intensely than today. These attacks have taken different forms and have come from many different corners of the academic world, from philosophers, to scientists, to textual critics. In the specialized world of archaeology the attacks have increased dramatically in the past 50 years. Once a specialization filled with Bible believing individuals, the field of archaeology is now overrun with atheists and skeptics, agnostics and those committed to the destruction of the Bible as a source of true historical information. These attacks on the Bible are a part of a sweeping movement in western culture. Spearheaded by academic elitists in the university and the public educational system, the news and popular media, and the entertainment industry, these revisionists cloak themselves with supposed objectivity, purity of motives, and the superiority of science over the "uninformed", "unscientific", religious community. They regularly mock those who question their world-view and their conclusions by name-calling and the worst forms of anti-Bible and anti-Christian propaganda. They have powerfully infected the church by turning Bible believing Christians against the very Scripture which is the foundation of truth and life in this world. Instead of contending for the Bible, Christian academics, pastors, and lay-persons are making egregious accommodations to these destroyers of faith and truth. In these days of intense spiritual battle, God has called ABR to step into the gap to contend for the truth and to assist the church in this critical hour. ABR is a non-profit ministry dedicated to demonstrating the historical reliability of the Bible and to give answers to questions being asked by believers and non-believers alike. We do this by using original archaeological fieldwork and research along with studies in other apologetic disciplines. We take on the bold claims of skeptics and critics. We challenge the bizarre anti-biblical propaganda that is purveyed upon the public as gospel through television and print media. We uphold the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is God's message for the salvation of all mankind! Regular readers of Kingdom People know that I often stress the cosmic aspects of the gospel and the importance of not limiting the atonement to one theory (namely "penal substitution"). I warn against over-individualizing the gospel, failing to include the Church as central to true Christian faith, and failing to focus on the lordship of Christ. These aspects have been missing from gospel presentations in the past, and because of our over-individualized gospel, we have produced individualist Christians who see no real need for the Church and who have little understanding of the mission of God beyond God's mission to save individual souls. The kinds of disciples we produce are a direct result of the gospel we preach. I am encouraged to see campus ministers, Intervarsity teachers, youth pastors, and church planters seeking new ways to share the gospel that incorporate the "bigger picture" of salvation that has often been excluded in evangelical gospel presentations. I am cheering on the young ministers who are coming up with creative ways of sharing the gospel. I have been asked to review and comment on several of the newer gospel presentations. So far, I have been disheartened to see many abandoning penal substitution altogether. Yes, the atonement is bigger and broader than the penal substitutionary model. But to excise the doctrine completely is to greatly damage the biblical witness. The good of the new evangelistic proposals is in what they add. Many of the newer gospel presentations emphasize transformation instead of just decision. They reveal the communal aspect of salvation, not merely the individual. They focus on how salvation leads us to mission in this life, not merely a heavenly afterlife. I appreciate the way that these presentations describe the purpose God has for the whole world. This is a necessary corrective to previous presentations. The best part of the new approaches to gospel-sharing are found in the beginning, namely, a strong emphasis on the world being "messed up." We know it's true. We feel it in our bones. And because we know something's wrong, we must be made for something that is "right." It is a terrific (C.S. Lewis-like) way to bring a person into the Christian story because it disarms (in a good way) the listener by presenting a scenario that most everyone agrees is accurate. The other terrific part of these gospel presentations is the emphasis on the kingdom community that comes at the end. We must reclaim an oft-neglected aspect of the gospel - that Christ came to create a community, not just to save people here and there. The Church is central to God's purposes. But there are some weaknesses in the new forms of gospel-sharing. 1. Evil without "Sin" The new presentations tend to use the more impersonal word "evil." But talk about how we are "damaged by evil" gives the impression that we are victims of sin and have no moral culpability before God. Speaking of "evil" in the cosmic sense is good, but we must maintain the biblical teaching that evil runs through each of us and manifests itself in deliberate sinfulness. We are corrupt. Evil is not just an outside force that holds us in slavery. It is an inside force that runs through us. We choose to not live in harmony with those around us. We choose to not live in harmony with our world. We choose to not live in harmony with God. We're more than damaged - Scripture teaches we're dead. Without the proper emphasis on human culpability for sin, we're going to run into problems later. 2. Explanation of the Cross The new gospel presentations rightly affirm that "Jesus came to restore the world and everything in it for better." I enjoy the "already/not yet" paradigm of kingdom eschatology that comes through in these presentations. Still, I wish for a clearer explanation of why Jesus had to die on the cross. The gospel presentations leave us with vague statements about "evil overpowering" Jesus or the sinfulness of the world "infecting" Jesus instead of the Scriptural description of Jesus willingly taking on our evil and sin upon himself and willingly dying. The substitutionary atonement gets left out in many of these presentations. Thus we miss the reason why Jesus had to die - not the historical reasons for Jesus' death, but the theological reasons why this death was necessary. Jesus dying as the Passover lamb is a clear statement that: Jesus is taking God's wrath upon himself in place of his people and A new exodus is beginning. Most of the new gospel presentations emphasize Point 2, but sidestep Point 1. 3. No faith. No repentance. The New Testament continually tells people to "repent" and "believe." Because personal sin is not highlighted much in the early part of these presentations, repentance for the forgiveness of sins is virtually absent at the end. Regarding faith, I agree that we need to call people to submission under Jesus' lordship (thus the verse in Romans 10 that speaks of "obeying the gospel"), but this call to submission follows the call to faith in his death and resurrection. We must maintain a proper emphasis on saving faith. Suggestions If we are going to keep the substitutionary atonement model in our presentation, we must show that God so passionately loves this world that he is committed to rooting out and purging all evil from it. He is not indifferent to human sin and evil. He loves this world so much that he is rightly wrathful against anything that defaces it and dishonors him. When I share the gospel, I turn to examples of horrific evil like Nazi Germany or the sex-slave children taken from Indonesia after the tsunamis, etc. This helps people get a good idea of what evil in its worst forms is like and how a good God will not shrug his shoulders at evil. He is just and fair to rid the world of evil. Then, after people acknowledge that evil exists and that evil must be done away with, I show how (in Alexander Solzhenitsyn's phrase) "the line of evil runs through each us too." The sin we see in others runs through ourselves, even if we think we're good. And if God is going to be just and fair, then all human sin has to be judged. All evil has to be purged from the world, which means that all humans are "gonners." "For all have sinned" fits in here. Once we tweak the beginning of the presentation, the effects on our view of the atonement naturally follow. God steps in to bring redemption to our world in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Human Being that we were all intended to be. He is the Image of God - the true image, whereas the image of God in us is defaced. Jesus fulfills God's original intention for humanity. Because of that - here comes substitution - He is crucified in our place. It wasn't just that Jesus was a great guy who wound up dying for a good cause. He died according to the plan of God because we were so bad, and yet God loved us anyway. The way it sounds in some of the new gospel presentations, the cross looks like a surprise, not like the climax to which the Gospels are all moving. If God is just and good, he must purge the world of evil. The way he does that and manages to save human beings who bear his image is by sending the True Human Being - His own Son to take the weight of the world's evil upon himself and have it condemned in his body. God passes judgment on all that's wrong in the world and all that's wrong with us when Jesus, the Righteous One, dies on that cross. So evil is defeated, the loving judgment and love-based "wrath" of a good God falls upon Jesus, the sin-bearer dying on the cross. We need to call people to trust in Jesus for salvation, to trust that the Story is true, to trust that our salvation is in God's hands, to trust that Jesus' death reconciled us to God and to others. Surely, we need to have "trust" in these presentations and not just "submit." If not, we will eventually wind up with converts who are constantly examining themselves saying, Have I submitted enough? Have I committed enough? Have I turned away from enough sin? Am I a good enough agent for the Kingdom? Without trust in God's mercy and grace at the forefront, we run the risk of turning this incredible story of good news about the world's true Lord into a heavy burden. If salvation is about being justified by faith in Jesus as Lord, then faith needs to be included in the final point. Right now, faith is absent. The Question of Future Disciples When I evaluate a gospel presentation, I try to imagine what kind of disciple the presentation will produce. The gospel presentations of past generations have given us individualistic Christians without an understanding of the missio Dei and the nature of the church. They need to be fixed. But I hope we don't trade the inadequate presentations from the past with other inadequate presentations. I can see future generations who have grown up with this newer presentation asking questions like, "What does the gospel say about my guilt? How do I know I'm okay with God? How can I be sure I've been doing enough for the Kingdom?" And eventually, we will have self-focused, self-centered Christians who have turned introspective precisely because the gospel presentation they heard and believed did not say much to them about that. Ironically, whereas our past gospel presentations have sometimes produced self-centered, consumerist Christians with little life change, it is very possible that our current presentations will produce the same self-centeredness, but in different ways. We need to hold together the biblical understanding of the atonement and the kingdom. Let's hold together the personal and the communal. Let's hold together the afterlife and the mission-Life. Let's hold together the decision and the transformation. Let's not swing the pendulum too far to one side and make other errors. The readers of my blog know I harp on the cosmic scope of the gospel because the cosmic implications of Jesus' death and resurrection are often minimized or missing in evangelicalism today. If it sounds like I've done a 180 and am now harping on substitutionary atonement, repentance, and faith, it is only because I don't want us to abandon the traditional aspects of the gospel. We need to increase our view of the gospel, not replace it with something less. First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain. Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that. And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details. If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan received on October 18 UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for the Republic of Armenia Bradley Busetto. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Government of Armenia, the PM assessed Armenia-UN cooperation and the various programs implemented in the sidelines of the UNDP as productive and highlighted the future cooperation. According to the Head of the Executive, the UN promoted democracy, human rights and rule of law in Armenia, and the years of financial and technical assistance of the UNDP is highly appreciated. The UN Resident Coordinator thanked the PM for the appreciation and assured that the UN is ready to continue assisting Armenias further development. The interlocutors exchanged ideas over the implementation process of the program Armenia-United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2016-2020, Bagratashen, Bavra and Gogavan check-point modernization program, initiatives for recording economic growth, as well as cooperation opportunities in other spheres of mutual interest. Bradley Busetto noted that the UN priorities in Armenia go in conformity with the priorities of the Armenian Government. The PM spotlighted the specification of the directions of future partnership and expressed readiness to maximally support the activities of the UN Office in Armenia. Media Advisory, October 18, 2016 Contact: Steve Jones, (415) 305-3866, sjones@biologicaldiversity.org Outside Las Vegas Presidential Debate, 'Frostpaw the Polar Bear' to Urge Climate Action LAS VEGAS Holding a Dont Gamble Away My Future sign, the Center for Biological Diversitys Frostpaw the Polar Bear will call for urgent action against climate change outside Wednesdays presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Scientists say global warming is putting the American Southwest at risk of megadroughts that could last for decades. Climate change is too big a threat to America not to be front and center in the presidential debates," said the Centers Steve Jones. From disappearing sea ice in the Arctic to devastating drought risk in the Southwest, every corner of our planet is at risk from our bad bet on dirty fossil fuels. Weve got to quit gambling with our climate future and start leaving polluting coal, oil and natural gas in the ground. What: Frostpaw the Polar Bear and other climate activists will hold signs outside the presidential debate urging candidates to fight global warming. Where: Outside the presidential debate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Thomas & Mack Center, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, Nevada When: Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 2 p.m. until the debate's beginning at 6 p.m. Media Availability: Frostpaw and other Center activists are available for interviews. Contact Steve Jones: (415) 305-3866. Background Hotter temperatures and rainfall uncertainties put Nevada and other southwestern states at risk of droughts that could last 35 years, according to a recent study in the journal Science Advances. This August marked 16 consecutive months of record-breaking heat for the globe, and this summer was the hottest in recorded history. As global warming has worsened, the Center has urged President Barack Obama and other world leaders to leave dirty fossil fuels in the ground and cut greenhouse pollution from airplanes and other unregulated sources. Frostpaw has shown up around the country from Alaska and Hawaii to Marthas Vineyard and Washington urging President Obama to take strong action on climate. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. Media Advisory, October 18, 2016 Contact: Kristen Monsell, (914) 806-3467, kmonsell@biologicaldiversity.org Katie Davis, (805) 451-4574, kdavis2468@gmail.com Alena Simon, (612) 986-4323, asimon@fwwatch.org Alicia Cordero, (805) 259-6976, aliciacordero@wishtoyo.org Goleta Rally to Oppose Offshore Oil Drilling in California Sanctuary Activists Gather Ahead of State Lands Commission Hearing GOLETA, Calif. Community leaders, environmental activists, Chumash Native Americans, students and others concerned about a plan to expand offshore oil drilling in California waters will rally Wednesday afternoon outside Goleta City Hall. Attendees at this colorful event will then proceed into a 3 p.m. hearing before the California State Lands Commission to consider a draft environmental impact report on Venocos proposal to drill in the California Coastal Sanctuary. The project would nearly quadruple the amount of oil produced every day at Platform Holly, a 50-year-old offshore drilling platform. And the produced oil would flow through the same Plains All-American pipeline that caused last years devastating Refugio Oil Spill that fouled Santa Barbara Countys coastline and wildlife. What: Rally against Venocos proposal to trade an area thats not producing oil so it can drill in 3,400 acres of untapped, protected property within the California Coastal Sanctuary. When: Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2 p.m. Where: Outside Goleta City Hall, 130 Cremona Street, Goleta. Who: The rally is being sponsored by the Center for Biological Diversity, Food and Water Watch, Sierra Club and the Wishtoyo Foundation, which will all have speakers at the rally. California has banned new offshore fossil fuel leases in state waters for good reason: Offshore oil and gas drilling causes oil spills that pollute beaches and kill marine wildlife. Offshore drilling also pollutes air, contaminates our water, and worsens the climate crisis. But Venoco is attempting to use a loophole for existing lease holders that would allow it to continue operating a decrepit, corroded system for decades to come. Offshore oil drilling in California should be shut down, not expanded. Rather than allowing Venoco to significantly expand its offshore-drilling operation, lets transition to clean energy sources, said Kristen Monsell, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. Californias vulnerable coastal zone cant be submitted to more reckless oil production if were going to prevent more disastrous spills and address climate change in a meaningful way. "It's shocking that Venoco wants us to let them drill into the California Coastal Sanctuary, which would be the first new or expanded oil lease in state waters since the 1969 oil spill, said Katie Davis, chair of the Santa Barbara Sierra Club. This proposal also violates a settlement agreement with the state, the county and the Sierra Club as this area was originally quit-claimed into the sanctuary in exchange for drilling rights near Long Beach." "The California Coastal Sanctuary should be protected, not subjected to expanded offshore oil drilling. Fossil fuel production has been polluting the state's water and threatening public health for too long, said Alena Simon with Food and Water Watch. We should embrace clean energy, starting here and now by phasing out dirty and dangerous offshore drilling." "Expanding Venoco's offshore-drilling operation to include new wells and horizontal drilling will harm sacred Chumash Native American cultural resources on the ocean floor, said Mati Waiya, Chumash ceremonial elder and Wishtoyo Foundation executive director. Just as concerning, in the inevitable event of an oil spill, the natural environment the Chumash people depend on will be severely harmed and onshore village and burial sites will be destroyed," The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. NAIROBI, Kenya - In the war between humanity and disease, perhaps the greatest victory of recent years took place in Africa. At the turn of the millennium, serious analysts expected HIV/AIDS to kill up to half the people in some southern African countries. But then the price of anti-retroviral drugs fell from $10,000 a year to as little as $100, thanks to a loud campaign for access to treatment, some technical advances and a dollop of aid. Slavea Chakova Suddenly, millions of HIV-positive Africans started taking pills that kept them alive. Also, by reducing the viral load in their bloodstream, the drugs made them less likely to infect other people, and thereby slowed the spread of the epidemic. AIDS is still deadly, but it is being brought under control. Thats something to celebrate. Africa still has greater health problems than any other continent, but progress is visible on several fronts. Malaria is being beaten back. The World Health Organisation estimates that the deaths of nearly 4 million African children were prevented between 2000 and 2013 thanks to the use of insecticide and bednets. Several African countries, such as Swaziland, have plausible plans to eliminate the disease altogether. A vaccine already exists, though it is only partially effective. With luck, future vaccines will work better. Progress Africa still has greater health problems than any other continent, but progress is visible on several fronts In several countries, recent years have seen the rise of low-cost private clinics, which provide essential services at a reasonable price. The spread of information technology has transformed health care. For example, at clinics in Kenya run by Access Afya, an NGO, staff upload patient data into an iPad app so it can be analysed centrally. Nurses also text patients to make sure they are taking their drugs. Rwanda has shown that it is possible to provide national health insurance on a limited budget. Some 91% of Rwandans now have insurancea higher proportion than in the United States. This is one reason why maternal mortality has fallen by three-quarters in Rwanda since 2000. Costs are kept down by using an army of community health workers to offer the first check-up before referring those who need more treatment to a doctor. If Rwanda can do it, so can others. Huge problems remain. Fake drugs, for example, are far too common in Africa. In Nigeria, a study by the World Health Organisation in 2011 found that 64% of antimalarial drugs were fake. Such drugs are incredibly dangerous. Some are actually poisonous; the rest are harmless in themselves but make people think they are being properly treated when they are not. Governments and drug firms need to work harder to fight the fakes. Scanning systems that verify the origins of every box of pills are available and not too expensive. Another challenge is the chronic shortage of trained health workers, especially in rural areas. Sub-Saharan Africa has a quarter of the worlds disease burden but only 3% of its medical workers. One problem is that many doctors and nurses emigrate to rich countries, but a bigger one is that not enough are trained in the first place. A partial solution is to train rural people as community health workers, the way Rwanda has. Another would be for rich countries to subsidise medical education in Africa. Big challenges create big opportunities for smart investors. The demand for inexpensive health insurance in Africa is vast and barely tapped. As the mobile telephone revolution has shown, Africans will pay in advance for a service that works. Who will be the M-PESA of African health care? Journalists Asha Ahmed Mwilu and Rashid Idi have shared the overall 'CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year' Award for their combined work Terror Crossing, which was chosen from a record number of 1,637 entries spanning 38 countries across the African continent. Their Terror Crossing is an in-depth investigative documentary about security at the Kenya-Somali border in Mandera County. Kenya Television Network aired the story in its investigative programme The Lead. Mwilu and Idi said, We are overwhelmed by this accolade. It is a dream come true to win the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Award for a story that we believe passionately in and one that we felt was important to tell. Asha Ahmed Mwilu and Rashid Idi Yolisa Phahle, CEO of M-Net, and Greg Beitchman, VP, content sales and partnerships, CNN International, presented them with the Award at a gala awards ceremony held at the Gallagher Convention Centre, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mwilu and Idi, winners in the News Impact Award, were among 38 finalists from 15 countries who attended the Awards ceremony as the culmination of an all-expense paid four-day programme of workshops, media forums and networking in Johannesburg, South Africa. Beitchman said, Quality journalism has shone through once again at this years CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards. Congratulations to all of tonights finalists and winners, especially to overall winners Asha Ahmed Mwilu and Rashid Idi for their powerful reporting. We look forward to welcoming them at the CNN Journalism Fellowship in Atlanta. Yolisa Phahle, CEO of M-Net, congratulated the winners of this year's awards: Thank you to each of you for telling the stories of Africa and its people to the world. Were proud to play a role in amplifying your voices and the voices of other journalists across the African continent. A range of sponsors Dow, Ecobank, GE, IPP Media and the World Health Organisation, once again supported the competition. For more information, go to www.africa.cnnjournalistaward.com. To enable South African retail websites to sell into high growth markets, two leading payment service providers (PSP) have entered into a partnership. PayU, a PSP in emerging markets, and Computop, an international PSP, will provide South African retailers with payment solutions for high growth international markets. Retailers are now able to conduct online and mobile business effectively throughout most of the world, using Computops PayGate and PayUs solution. High growth market stats Ninety percent of the global population, under 30 years of age, is living in emerging markets. With e-commerce in developing economies growing twice as fast as in most developed markets, this partnership helps retailers to capitalise on these growth opportunities and expand their online and mobile business into multiple regions, including India, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and further into Africa. 83% of consumers in Africa plan to conduct m-commerce in the next 12 months and the continent is expecting far greater GDP growth compared to established markets. Nigeria is growing at 2.8% compared to Europes 1.6% India is expected to have 500m internet users by end of 2016, with more people coming online in India in the next 15 years than in any other country. E-commerce in India is expected to grow to $100bn by 2020 Latin America is expecting far greater GDP growth compared to Europe over the next five years One in four Internet users in Poland already shops online and plans to increase the amount of money they spend online, making Poland and Czech Republic among the top five most important markets for eCommerce in Europe (alongside the UK, France and Germany) Central and Eastern Europe as a whole is seeing steady GDP growth at nearly double the rate of its neighbouring countries to the west Russia provides access to 31m e-consumers with strong potential for further growth Integrated payment solutions PayU has a wide presence with operations in 16 markets across the world. The company offers more than 250 payment options relevant to these markets and its collective consumer base of more than 2.3bn people, including credit cards, bank transfers, cash payments and e-wallets. Computop PayGate is a PCI certified payment platform that provides multichannel retailers, banks and other industries with secure payment solutions and efficient fraud prevention for international markets. With this partnership, PayUs solution will be integrated into Computop PayGate, enabling PayGate customers to extend their reach into new countries. Particularly beneficial to retailers is the fact that they only need to connect to PayGate once to be able to have access to the markets PayU offers. It does not require separate integrations to conduct business online in these markets. This exciting partnership allows South African retailers to benefit from processing payments easily and cost-effectively in other high growth markets by enabling merchants to offer all of the payment options that match consumer behaviours in each of these markets, says Karen Nadasen, country manager of PayU South Africa. Customers can now benefit from the local support and deep knowledge we offer, along with the security and fraud prevention they can trust from PayGate. To be successful globally, the payment solutions that retailers offer need to address the specific needs of local consumers in their target markets, said Andre Malinowski, head of international business at Computop. We have a long, established track record of helping retailers successfully grow their businesses in Europe, North America and China. Through our partnership with PayU, we are able to offer our customers the opportunity to expand further into new, emerging markets by offering the payment options that consumers in these markets prefer and trust. PayGate now provides retailers access to over 250 secure payment methods and acquirers worldwide, in addition to top-notch fraud prevention functionality, to safely conduct business on a truly global scale. McDonald's has been in the country for nearly 21 years and is making marketing and strategy changes as it looks to compete with newer fast-food brands. A Malaysian family leaves US fast food chain restaurant McDonald's. Picture: Reuters/Bazuki Muhammad CEO Greg Solomon, who has worked at the restaurant chain in different positions over the past 20 years, said he had a vision to make McDonalds a modern and contemporary burger business that could grow in SA, despite competition from an array of brands. "Globally McDonalds used to reinvent the brand every 20 years. We now want to re-invent ourselves every seven years. The original vision was to roll out many high quality McDonalds outlets quickly, as we looked to be a brand that could feed the nation. Now, we must be a modern American-style burger business," he said. McDonalds opened its first restaurant in SA in November 1995, in Blackheath, Johannesburg. This was followed by one in Tiger Manor, Western Cape, soon after. The aim now is to open between 20 and 30 new stores annually. Solomon started his career as a civil engineer and joined McDonalds in 1996 as a project manager in the firms construction department. He was involved in the building of many of the early McDonalds restaurants across SA. He then worked in operations and was appointed MD of McDonalds SA in January 2009. Under his leadership, sales have grown, guest counts increased, customer service improved and operating income has risen year on year. As many as 8-million customers visit McDonalds 240 outlets in SA each month. The company employs 11,500 people and owns 40% of its stores. Drive-thrus account for 57% of McDonalds annual revenue. However, McDonalds SA is now facing competition from the likes of RocoMamas, The Great Burger Company and Hudsons The Burger Joint. Some industry analysts have said Solomon has not necessarily been able to implement all the plans he wanted to in the past two decades. "Solomon has really tried very hard to promote the company against all odds. I believe the company has some very successful franchisees in certain parts of the country, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating even with a huge marketing budget and the backing of the worlds largest fast-food company, McDonalds has only had limited success in SA over the past 20 odd years," said Chris Gilmour, investment analyst at Absa Wealth And investment Management. "It has no plans to expand in the rest of Africa. It has less than 300 stores round SA and a higher percentage than normal are corporate stores, and not owned by franchisees. You can compare this with KFC, which has over 700 stores in SA and has expanded into the rest of Africa. Famous Brands has well over 2,000 stores." Solomon is hoping to grow McDonalds SAs coffee business. Gilmour said the company had "done reasonably well with coffee in recent years, but has not really risen to the challenge of the new brands, like Burger King and others. Starbucks resonates with young, upwardly mobile professionals and thus probably has a lot more legs in it. McDonalds appeal might be broader, but is probably declining," he said. Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who bought into McDonalds SA in 2011, is set to sell his interest. The new developmental licensee will be a recently established local entity, MSA Holdings, which is owned by UAE-based Emirates African Restaurant Management Company. Nigeria's federal and state tax authorities are taking a hard line towards non-compliance as they race to bring in new tax revenues to compensate for falling oil revenues. Companies should respond by putting in place systems and processes that enable them to report accurately on revenue and expenses and to streamline tax submissions. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) recently said it has been able to add 700,000 companies to the tax base by deploying inspectors armed with notebooks to register businesses and individuals. These companies are then audited to check whether they have paid their taxes. The FIRS has also approved a 45-day tax waiver window on penalty and interest accruing from outstanding tax liabilities for the period, 2013 to 2015. Those businesses that have not yet complied may benefit from this waiver to get their affairs in order. This means companies would only need to pay the principle amount of tax they owe, which could save them a substantial amount of money. However, those that dont comply are bound to face stiff penalties, including fines, punitive interest, and possible criminal prosecution of CEOs and board members, and closure of their offices. Zero tolerance The tough tone from Nigerias tax authorities shows that companies can no longer risk non-payment of tax or incorrect remittances of taxes to the relevant government agencies, whether the reason is deliberate evasion or an accidental oversight. One of the most common reasons for non-compliance is that many organisations dont have automated systems for accurate recordkeeping, precise calculations and deductions, and preparation and submissions of necessary statutory returns. Some examples of employee-related tax obligations Nigerian companies face include the following: Filing annual returns of all remuneration paid to their employees and taxes deducted and remitted to the tax authorities on or before 31 January of every year. Failure to do so carries a maximum penalty of N500, 000 for the employer and N50, 000 for individuals. Remittance of Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax each month for each employee to the relevant state internal revenue services, on or before the 10th day of the following month. Contributions of 10% and 8%, respectively, of their employees monthly remuneration to Nigerias contributory pension scheme. The Cape Quarter, through its evolution, aims to be one of the most iconic and desirable mixed-use centres in the Cape Town CBD. Tower Property Fund purchased the Cape Quarter in 2013 with a long-term vision of creating an attractive inner city lifestyle precinct where people can live, work and play. According to Tower's Johan Malherbe, the centre is well on track to meet this goal. Present current developments within the Cape Quarter Precinct Currently we are developing a mixed-use building at 32 Napier Street which will be made up of 19 residential apartments, one and a half floors of commercial space, and 130 parking bays. Expected to be completed by May 2017, the apartments will range in size from between 45m2 to 130m2 per apartment, with balconies adding further size to each. The ground and first floors of the building will be used for commercial tenants and will total approximately 546m2, whilst three levels of underground parking will be added below the building and stretching down Napier Street. This adds essential new parking bays to an area that is sorely lacking in this valuable commodity. The De Waterkant development forms part of the Cape Quarter precinct, says Malherbe, who explains some of the renovations and rejuvenation that has been undertaken at the Cape Quarter complex since it was purchased by Tower. Past improvements made to the Cape Quarter The Cape Quarter was the first property in the Tower portfolio to undergo a lighting and solar retrofit. The lighting retrofit involved all the lighting being replaced with LED, and resulted in an impressive R850,000 per annum saving in energy costs for the property. The extensive PV solar system installation saw 702 solar panels being installed on the roof of the Cape Quarter Square and results show that they will allow for an electricity saving of approximately R400,000 per annum. We have also created in excess of 1000m2 of lettable space within the Cape Quarter, part of which now houses Deloittes new state-of-the-art Innovation Centre. Malherbe explains that in order to create this extra space, a tenant reshuffle was undertaken which ultimately improved the positioning and maximises the exposure of several of the Cape Quarter tenants, who now find themselves in much more visible areas around the centre. The retail component of the Cape Quarter has turned around. Vacancies are at an all-time low and the centre houses the most profitable Bootleggers in South Africa, whilst Jenny Morriss Giggling Gourmet and its associated restaurant Yumcious have reported a huge increase in turnover as have most of the other retail tenants. Future Cape Quarter Piazza sees further residential development Going forward Tower plans to develop further residential units within the Cape Quarter precinct to meet the demand from the public who increasingly wish to take up residence in the inner city of Cape Town. The Piazza at the Cape Quarter will house upmarket residential units which have been sensitively designed to compliment the heritage of the area, explains Malherbe. There is a great demand for living space within the Cape Town CBD, and particularly within the area of the Cape Quarter. This was made evident through the Napier Street development where we had buyers approaching us to reserve apartments before we even started the development and we hope to start the Piazza residential development early next year. The walls are closing in on corrupt public officials as legislators crack down on errant behaviour by government employees. Minister of Public Service and Administration Ngoako Ramatlhodi recently announced that public officials would be barred from doing business with the state. And the commissioner of the Public Service Commission in Gauteng, Mike Selloane, last week revealed that such officials would face arrest from February next year if they did so. Now public accounts committees can lay criminal charges against officials found to have acted contrary to the Public Finance Management Act. Public accounts committees ensure that public sector institutions account for failure to remain within their budgets, spend according to the purposes determined by the government, legislatures and parliament and are held accountable if they do not comply with the relevant laws and regulations. Currently, the practice is to identify problem behaviour in departments through oversight and recommending appropriate action to the legislature or parliament. But the Association of Public Accounts Committees resolution allows public accounts committees to directly lay criminal charges against officials for unlawful conduct. Mbongeni Radebe, chairman of Scopa in Gauteng and general secretary of Apac, said: "This is part of the options now open to us that are meant to ensure that law enforcement takes place." The stringent regulations will also stop in their tracks officials who try to dodge possible charges by resigning from one department to join another. A new system will alert departments of charges faced by officials seeking transfers. Source: The Times YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The action plan of the Armenian Cabinet was approved on October 18 in an extraordinary session chaired by PM Karen Karapetyan. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Armenian Government, two issues were on the sessions agenda: The action plan of the Cabinet of Armenia and the decision of the Government to convene an extraordinary session of the National Assembly of Armenia. Vice Prime Minister and Minister of International Economic Integration and Reforms Vache Gabrielyan introduced the draft action plan. According to him, the challenges facing Armenia demand immediate reforms using the entire potential of Armenia and the Armenian people for achieving that goal. Vache Gabrielyan stated that it is necessary to ensure the safety, dignity, increase of the welfare and optimism for better future among the top value of the country, citizens of Armenia, by carrying out effective reforms. In my opinion we have defined quite an interesting benchmark, reaching which requires a concentration of our potentials, PM Karapetyan said, assigning the heads of the state agencies to oversea the implementation of the action plan. Time for accountability will come and we will have to explain what and why we have done and what must be ruled out, the PM stated. The Executive approved the Cabinets action plan which will be submitted to the National Assembly. By the second issue on the sessions agenda it was decided to convene an extraordinary session of the National Assembly on October 20 at 12:00. The approval of the draft action plan will be on the agenda of the parliaments extraordinary session. The JSE's only listed specialist logistics property developer and landlord, Equites Property Fund, grew its dividend payout 20% in the six months to August as it signed strong leasing agreements with tenants. The group's half-year distribution grew to 54.44c per share. CEO Andrea Taverna-Turisan said: "The continued strong financial results are a reflection of persistent demand for modern, well located, logistics facilities and the company's focus on institutional tenants and sound property fundamentals." "Many of our multinational tenants have been concerned about political events in SA, general volatility in the economy and funding markets. We have still managed to serve our tenants and to motivate that Equites is a long-term investor in SA," Taverna-Turisan said. Equites has achieved rapid growth in its property portfolio, from R1bn at listing in June 2014, to R5.9bn at the end of the reporting period. During the period, it created a strategic partnership with listed group Attacq to jointly pursue industrial developments. This led to the acquisition of eight completed industrial properties for R733m at Waterfall City, Midrand, at an acquisition yield of 8% and an average lease expiry profile of 8.4 years. It also acquired a Tesco Distribution Centre in Hinckley, England, for 28m at an acquisition yield of about 7.2%, based on the first year's rental income of 2.016m. Equites acquired a 20,410m distribution centre in Trentham Lakes, Stoke-on-Trent, in the UK, which is let to Amazon on a 10-year lease that began in July. The acquisition yield was about 6.14%, based on the first year's rental income of A1.044m. The property is in the Midlands, which benefits from continued strong demand from logistics users in the UK. It plans to have 25% of its portfolio invested offshore and 75% invested in SA in the next five years. Source: Business Day At least three new property listings are heading for the JSE, including a R1.4bn Western Cape-based portfolio owned by entrepreneur and former Redefine Properties director Mike Flax. Leung Cho Pan 123RF.com The other two contenders are retail-focused Liberty Two Degrees and a UK-based property play by global asset manager Schroders. Flax is no stranger to the JSE. He listed his first Western Cape-based property portfolio, Spearhead Property Holdings, in January 2000. The company was sold to Redefine six years later in a deal worth more than R1bn. After spending five years at Redefine, Flax left in 2011 to return to his forte of development and trading. He has since assembled another Western Cape-based portfolio with partners Quintin Rossi and Abu Varachhia. The R1.4bn portfolio, comprising 25 office, industrial and mixed-use properties located in and around Cape Town, will be listed under the banner of Spear Properties on November 11. Flax, who is known for his shrewd entrepreneurial and deal-making skills, concedes he was keen to take a sabbatical from corporate life when he left Redefine in 2011. But the fact that unlisted property funds don't qualify for the same tax benefits as listed funds makes it difficult for private property players to recycle their portfolios. "The JSE's [real estate investment trust] legislation is a big driver of our proposed listing. Raising capital in the market will also give us the ammunition to become a dominant player in the Western Cape," says Flax. He hopes to tap the market for R300m in a prelisting capital raise, of which more than half (R187.5m) has already been committed via a private placement. Spear Properties will have an expected market cap of R830m at listing and offer a forward dividend yield of 8.3%, which appears attractive compared with the sector's 7.5% average. Source: Financial Mail Cheapflights.co.za has announced a new awards programme that celebrates the successes of the local travel industry - the Cheapflights South Africa Travel Awards. The inaugural awards will recognise every facet from the best local airports and airlines to best safari and wine farm offering. Cheapflights is now calling on South Africans to cast their votes for their favourite brands and businesses within the travel industry. Voters stand a chance to win prize trip for two to Mauritius, and can cast their votes at Cheapflights South Africa Travel Awards. iStock The South African travel industry is a vibrant and exciting one, explains Andrew Shelton, managing director of Cheapflights. Not only is the country a must-visit for inbound international travel, but it also has a busy and constantly evolving domestic travel scene as well. The facilities and attractions are world-class, and we want to recognise and celebrate the businesses and organisations that are doing such amazing work. In order to shortlist the best finalists for the awards, Cheapflights partnered with the South African Travel Massive blogger community, which nominated the best offerings in each category. Expanding on the partnership, Dawn Jorgensen from Travel Massive said: The Travel Massive Africa community is delighted to be working with Cheapflights, curating the best of what South Africa has to offer. There is an abundance of choice in a country such as ours, but we all have our favourites, based on both personal and professional experiences, and will be voting to make sure they top the list. Exciting times indeed and I cant wait for the Cheapflights South Africa Travel Awards winners to be revealed." The shortlisted nominees are: Best Airport: King Shaka International Durban Cape Town International Cape Town OR Tambo Johannesburg Best Airline Lounge: Bidvest Lounge, OR Tambo Johannesburg SLOW Lounge, OR Tambo Johannesburg Emirates Lounge, Cape Town International Best African Airline: Air Namibia Ethiopian Airways Kenya Airways Best Domestic Airline: Mango Airlines South African Airways Kulula Best International Airline: Qatar Airways British Airways Emirates Best South African Car Hire Provider: Avis Europcar Budget Best Attraction or Experience: Maropeng - Cradle of Humankind Kruger National Park Table Mountain Best Hotel Chain: Tsogo Sun Hotels Newark Hotels Protea Hotels by Marriot Best Independent City/ Boutique Hotel: Ellerman House, Cape Town Saxon Boutique Hotel Villas and Spa, Johannesburg One & Only, Cape Town Best Safari Lodge or Experience: Sabi Sands Game Reserve Madikwe Hills Game Reserve Shamwari Game Reserve Best Wine Farm Experience: Babylonstoren, Franschhoek Groot Constantia, Cape Town Spier, Stellenbosch Voting closes on 1 November 2016, with the best in each category being recognised at an awards ceremony in Cape Town at the end of November. According to Antoinette Turner, product manufacturer for cruising at Flight Centre Travel Group, while the stereotypical profile of people who go on cruising holidays is older and wealthier, this is not the case in South Africa. In South Africa, cruising is the first travelling experience for many young people and has contributed to a 27% increase in the South African cruising industry in five years. MustangJoe via pixabay We have loads of families, as most modern ships cater for children more than adults, with a variety of onboard activities to keep children busy. And we also have many honeymooners. Its more the luxury cruises which generally involve smaller ships and longer itineraries that are more expensive that appeal to the older traveller, she says. Local cruises let travellers dip their toe into cruising Turner says cruising is proving to be the first choice of holiday for virgin travellers in South Africa. Apprehension and cost are the reasons for this. We are finding that local cruises are very popular with people who have never cruised before. Cruising allows them to experience travelling in familiar surroundings before they embark on an international journey. Local cruises also depart from Durban and Cape Town, which means that they do not have to fly, but can drive to the point of departure. Local cruises are also great for families as two children who share with two paying adults often get to cruise for free, so its very cost-effective, she says. Turner says the cruising industry grew from at least R340-million in 2010 to R431-million in 2015, a year-on-year increase of almost 5%. This was based only on sales booked through travel agents and did not include those who booked directly with cruise operators. All-inclusive travel options proving to be popular She attributes the growth of the industry to convenience and cost-effectiveness, as well as the fact that South Africans are continuously on the lookout for all-inclusive travel options. You get to see five different places on one cruise and only unpack once. It is also a much more cost-effective way to travel. With cruising, all the meals and selected drinks (coffees and teas) are included. Shore excursion and drinks are payable on board, as well as any additional personal spending, but what most cruise liners have done is bundle drinks packages so that the South African market can pre-book and pay in rands, meaning they dont incur any other costs for drinks when they get on board, says Turner. A local cruise lasts three to four nights on average, while an international cruise is about seven nights. Turner says the most popular cruises for South Africans are local voyages with MSC Cruises. Popular international cruises are Mediterranean, Dubai and Caribbean voyages. Representatives of Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) are included in African Ports Evolution 2016's high-profile programme that includes Africa's port pioneers and maritime industry leaders. The exhibition is currently taking place in the port city of Durban from 18 to 19 October 2016. This year African Ports Evolution 2016 will be focusing on major port developments in Africa to accommodate Ultra Large Vessels (ULCV). There will also be a focus on container delivery and clearance time to make ports more efficient, as well as streamlining of ports through technology inputs. The Port of Durban handles about 60 percent of the countrys imports and exports and is regarded as the busiest port in Sub-Saharan Africa. In response to Ultra Large Vessels calling at the ports, the Port of Durban through TNPA has embarked on a number of port expansion projects informed by Transnets Market Demand Strategy to create capacity ahead of demand. Durban as a Smart Port Ristha Joga, information, management and services manager at TNPAs Port of Durban, will present a case study on Day One (Tuesday, 18 October) at 1pm around Durban as a Smart Port. The presentation is part of a session around Demystifying Smart Ports, which also includes a case study on the Port of Singapore as a next generation port forging ahead with various smart initiatives. Jogas own presentation will unpack how South Africas busiest commercial port recently completed a three month proof of concept, providing a glimpse into a new era in port surveillance, monitoring, and communication using wireless connectivity and technology. Automating marine processes Also on Day One, Captain Naresh Sewnath, senior harbour master, will present a case study on TNPAs Integrated Port Management System (IPMS) which automates marine processes across the countrys commercial ports. His address will take place on Tuesday, 18 October at 3.50pm as part of a session looking more specifically at Combatting Cyber Crime in Ports. Operation Phakisa On Day Two, Wednesday, 19 October at 1.40pm, Ricky Bhikraj, former Durban Port manager and now executive manager - Capacity and Enablement at TNPA, will deliver a presentation around The Implementation of Operation Phakisa in TNPA. Bhikrajs address will demonstrate how TNPA has responded to the South African governments call to develop the blue economy, including early experiences, challenges, and opportunities identified. Operation Phakisa was announced by President Jacob Zuma in 2014 as an initiative to unlock the economy potential of South Africas maritime sector by accelerating investments and port infrastructure development to stimulate economic growth and job creation. For further information, visit African Ports Evolution. New Generation Awards winners for 2016 Late last week, the fourth annual New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards were held at The Focus Rooms, Sunninghill in Sandton, where 100 awards were handed out. Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria will receive annual Halloween tours offered by The Mystery Ghost Bus Tours of South Africa from 27-31 October. What to expect on the Halloween tour The tours, conceived by magician & illusionist, Mark Rose-Christie, and based on the London Ghost Bus, include haunted pub stops to calm ones n-e-r-ves, castles, poltergeist houses, dowsing rods audience participation, chilling EVPs (electronic voice phenomena), entry into a dark candle-lit haunted room, live and dramatically recorded stories with eerie sound effects, entry into an historical graveyard with a thrilling climax, and more. For more details, including starting venues and routes, regarding the Halloween Tours on the Mystery Ghost Bus, visit the website at www.MysteryGhostBus.co.za and Facebook page. The tours will run from 7pm to midnight on 27 and 28 October in Johannesburg, and 29 and 31 October in both Pretoria and Cape Town. Bookings at www.QUICKET.co.za at R369 per person. Costumes are encouraged! Lightstone Auto and the Blue Chip Dealer Group have officially joined forces to build a new age dealer network. The move, the companies say, will see the rejuvenation of the independent motor dealer market within South Africa. Lightstone Auto, part of the Lightstone Group, provides data-driven insights, online market intelligence, new vehicle sales data and compliance expertise to the South African motor industry. The partnership with the Blue Chip Dealer Group will provide the Blue Chip Dealer Groups prospective members with access to a transaction platform, industry insights and various compliance solutions. The Group is also the first independently-owned group that conducts a specialised customer satisfaction index with all customers. Furthermore, all members have access to a full complaint resolution process. Buyers of vehicles from a Blue Chip Dealer have access to stock outside of their geographical area, assisting in the search for the desired car, and reassurance they are purchasing a vehicle from a reputable organisation that has subscribed to a strict code of conduct. Unique, independent network Pieter Wessels, who heads up Lightstone Auto, is excited about the value the partnership will bring to the industry. The purpose of the Blue Chip Dealer Group is to create a unique and exclusive grouping of independent motor dealers bound by strong principles, shared values and a fully integrated national trading platform, says Wessels. Six years ago various independent motor dealership owners in the Western Cape, under the leadership of Eddie Nortier from Nortier Motors, came together to align their common interests. They established the Blue Chip Dealer Group, which allowed for integrated trading whereby members would be able to share stock and cost effectively advertise their retail stock. A win-win motto of I have a buyer, you have the vehicle, lets do business was adopted. The members soon recognised that the platforms potential and membership yielded a much broader opportunity for the upliftment of independent dealers. As a result, the group incorporated the following into their Blue Chip dealer community. They would: Create a reputable environment for a buyer/seller to transact in Establish an exclusive trading platform to source and sell stock Launch an exclusive dealer-to-dealer trading platform Provide a unique vehicle search engine Match clients with their desired vehicles Create a shared vision and work ethic Be exclusive and offer a unique operational system Partnering to nationalise Eddie Nortier, independent chairman at the Blue Chip Dealer Group, notes that the Western Cape cell quickly grew to include 25 members and the need to expand was evident. An independent partner was required to assist in nationalising the concept. The requirements for such a partner were: total independence, a strong track record, and impartial performance within the motor industry. The Lightstone Group was the preferred partner of choice and a joint National Executive Council with a 50/50 representation was established to drive the nationalisation of the Blue Chip Dealer Group. The West Rand cell was the first addition to the roll-out in establishing a national footprint. Other cells are set to follow soon and identified future members will be invited to join this unique and exclusive group where they will have access to the value provided by the Blue Chip Dealer Group and Lightstone Auto. City Power has employed 24 electrical engineering students as part of its contribution to give unemployed youth much needed work experience. The response we received from the advertisement was overwhelming. Almost 200 qualified engineers came to our head office in Johannesburg to apply. It was disheartening to see how many of our young people are sitting at home with degrees, unable to find work and unfortunately we could only take 24 learners this cycle, City Power managing director Sicelo Xulu. In a statement on Monday, 17 October, Xulu said the employment of the 24 students is a response to National Treasurys call for companies to improve work experience skills for unemployed youth. We need to find a way to incorporate the remaining qualified applicants and we challenge other utilities and private sector to consider taking graduates which we could not employ, said Xulu. City Power aims to produce certified engineers over the next three years. The provision of this on-the-job training will not only benefit students with required experience and addressing the issue of shortages of work ready skills in the country, it will also benefit them as the utility responds quicker to service disruption, improved performance efficiencies while ensuring skills transfer. The utility has partnered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) on a special joint initiative known as Road to Recruitment. "There are not enough professional engineers in the country, this initiative is not just good for City Power or ECSA, ultimately it will raise the competency levels of engineers in the country. We need other energy utilities to join the cause by providing on-the-job training," said Xulu. The absence of professionalised engineers in the country is what drove ECSA and National Treasury to pledge allegiance with City Power to rectifying this shortfall. The programme is designed to challenge other utilities to follow suit and hire young minds to assist in elevating the sector through professionalisation. National Treasury has allocated R7.7m for the programme, which will be used as remuneration for the learners during the course of three years. The programme is designed for individuals who wish to be registered as professional engineers and by participating in the programme learners will become recognised as professional ECSA members. In order to qualify for professionalisation, applicants must possess accredited qualifications in the engineering field. "Employers are increasingly requiring registration with ECSA as a prerequisite for appointment to certain engineering positions. Graduates that have not registered with the professional body will find it difficult to find jobs in the engineering sector. This programme is not only a job opportunity for previously unemployed youth but also elevates learners existing qualifications. The successful implementation of this programme may encourage National Treasury to give us more funding for a larger intake next year, said Xulu. Raising the flag on threats and opportunities Known for the type of scenario planning techniques espoused in his book, The Mind of a Fox, the eternally youthful Clem Sunter recommends using the bright eye of the fox to recognise opportunities and its agility to take advantage of them. During his keynote address at Deloitte's State of the Nation forum in Cape Town recently, Sunter used the analogy of flags as markers for global game-changing opportunities and threats. Clem Sunter chats to host, Bruce Whitfield at the Deloitte State of the Nation forum. Photo: Terry Levin International flags we should be watching The religious flag: despite its US$6trn investment in disarmament in Middle East, the world is more dangerous place for the US than it was 20 years ago. Sunters take out is that bombings have driven people to extremism. Thankfully this global flag does not really impact much in South Africa, except in places that might attract American tourists, such as the V&A Waterfront, making them vulnerable to the type of incident that killed not only 30 people, but also the entire tourism industry in Tunisia last year. The European flag: Putins sending weapons to the European border, Russian expats being recalled from Europe, the US call for a no-fly zone over Aleppo and Boris Johnsons call to send troops into Syria. All point to the need for high alert to avoid triggers to an unthinkable world war. For South Africa, the question will be which side do we back, but in the opinion of this author, might governments recent cosying up to the Russians via nuclear power deals indicates that the decision has already have been made for us, unwittingly drawing us into global scenarios whether we like it or not? The grey flag: the populations in Japan, Europe and China are ageing, which indicates low economic growth. This is very different from the US which, as young nation, enjoys 2-3% growth and no doubt the reason why its international companies in search of market share still eye South Africa with predatory zeal. (I hate you Dunkin Donuts.) The anti-establishment flag: long the preserve of the poor, the revolutionary rage of the middle classes towards the super rich is usually a good indicator of change, says Sunter (Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels who wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1848, were both middle class). In the UK, this has manifested in the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the opposition, and in the US Donald Trumps run for president signifies the US' bitterness towards Washington. This flag gives rise to increased scrutiny into corporate governance, transparency, tax havens and so on, which have recently impacted on the fortunes of VW, Deutsche Bank and Apple globally. The green flag: as indicated by the groundswell in supporting environmental issues and climate change. The porous borders flag: general migration due to inequality or unrest sees Europe with no plan on how to respond to these challenges. The technological flag: even though the economic outlook for the next five to 10 years still points to hard times and low economic growth, technology could propel new booms in some areas such as smart energy, AI, medical advances and so on. South African flags to watch Corruption gets a red flag, somewhat ameliorated by a green flag for the fact that it is exposed by a healthy social media, public protector and Constitutional Court. The department of energy gets a red flag for the proposed trillion rand nuclear power plan, but a green flag for Eskoms maintenance programme being back on track, with no load shedding in over a year. Leadership gets a red flag in that no successors have even come close to Nelson Mandela as agents of uniting South African to common causes. This could be turned into a green flag if leaders emerge from the younger generation, who can inspire and unite. Education again produces a combination of red and green. Of South Africas 28,000 schools, 5,000 are reasonable to excellent while 23,000 are dysfunctional. On the other hand, the six-storey library at UJ apparently rivals any at Harvard or Yale. Then theres the Steve Jobs effect the fact that an adopted Syrian orphan can change the world, means that entrepreneurs and game changers can emerge from anywhere and when you least expect them. Red flags may be raised for the EFFs call to nationalise land, banks, mines, but green flags exist for a different kind of redistribution - that of access to economic opportunities. Sunter is not the only one who has identified the need for an economic Codesa, similar to the one that took place in 1991, where all parties would come together to thrash out whole new economies. This will ensure a more equal game for all, creating environments for entrepreneurs who can broaden the base of access to economic opportunity. These crises, he says, will decide whether South Africa stays in the premier league, maintaining its 150-year reign as Africas number one economy, or whether it drifts down to the third division, overtaken by the likes of Egypt and Nigeria. The worst possible case scenario is that, like Syria or Libya, we succumb to public violence and obscurity. No doubt we are at a tipping point, but as South Africans we have been at the brink before and triumphed. What is required is an economic revolution, creating conditions for confidence, whatever that takes, be it new business maths models, venture capital and mentoring models or as yet unimagined solutions. Maybe #feesmustfall is the wakeup call we should heed before it is too late? YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The analysis of the economic condition of Armenia shows that ensuring development based on standard tools and methods will be extremely difficult. For that reason the Government puts a task in front of it to implement a clear diagnosis of the governance system and economic condition as soon as possible, implement short-term actions, as well as propose a long-term reform strategy, Armenpress reports, citing e-gov.am website, informs the action plan approved by the Cabinet today. Based on this, it is planned to set a Center for Strategic Initiatives adjunct to the Armenian Government aiming to elaborate a long-term reform strategy. Leading experts from Armenia, Diaspora and foreign countries involved in this center will engage in solving the mentioned issue. According to the Executive, the challenges facing Armenia demand immediate reforms using the entire potential of Armenia and the Armenian people for achieving that goal. It is necessary to ensure the safety, dignity, increase of the welfare and optimism for better future among the top value of the country, citizens of Armenia, by carrying out effective reforms. Standard developments methods in the existing phase of global and regional developments cannot ensure the pace of progress that will be able to countermeasure the challenges facing Armenia. Considering the limited opportunities for soft loans and limited opportunities for industrial growth based on the domestic market, it is necessary to analyze and review our perception and approaches about development, particularly, when referring to state governance, economic development directions, potentials for economic growth, competition and competitiveness, reads the Cabinets action plan. The Government will act by targeting the following strategic directions: ensuring security of the Republic of Armenia and NKR, implementation of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia after changes in 2015, modernization of Armenias state governance system, further development of democratic institutions, increase of trust towards the electoral system, reinforcement of organized fight against corruption and shadow economy, fight against poverty and expansion of the middle class, reduction of unemployment, establishment of social justice and so on. For the purpose of increasing the welfare and safety of the citizens of Armenia, improvement of social conditions, and bringing into life their business ideas, the Government of Armenia announces the following priorities on its path to reforms: reinforcement of external and domestic security, securing long-term and sustainable economic development, modernization of state and local governance systems, development of social infrastructures and increase of service quality. As long as the industry sees the local community as only a labour force, there will be issues between them. In fact, it is time that host communities are seen as stakeholders and that their participation is a non-negotiable. So building trust between the different parties is a keystone to a successful mining operation. Companies do not recognise communities as real partners. They need to be open to them so they understand shareholder expectations, says king of Bakgatla-Ba-Kgafela nation, Kgosi Pilane. Source: Anglo American In the past, local inhabitants were relegated down the list of priorities and if investment was made into the community, it was not always because that need had been expressed by the community. And with the new dispensation and the introduction of legislation, an expectation was created that this would change. The government, the mining company and communities are partners in this scenario and they all have a role to play with their own responsibilities, but the difficulty comes in defining the responsibilities of the parties. The failure of government to provide basic services such as infrastructure, health and education has meant that the onus to provide these services is falling to the mines. This has created a moving target and what this does is drive up the cost of mining, which pushes up the cost of capital which leads to a loss of jobs. This is the cycle we are currently in, says Andrew Mitchell, partner: Fasken Martineau. For example, in Rustenburg, communities live in poverty with little access to basic amenities such as housing, and there is little going on in these communities that mining companies can boast about, says John Capel, executive director, Bench Marks Foundation. The challenges are bigger and the communities are missing out so it is small wonder they are constantly rising up and protesting. He believes that what should be happening is sustainable development from a mining community side, not a commodity side. The only way for this to happen is for the mining company to understand the community. The experience generally has been that the company wants to impose its culture on a community, which does not understand it. Companies expect the community to dance to its tune because they are the ones coming with the money, says Pilane. When engaging the community there are many stakeholders and everyone has to be consulted no-one can be left out. At the same time, you need to be aware of their agenda as some individuals have their own agenda. This can be an onerous task for the mine. Communities are also not homogenous; they have different needs and there is no one size fits all. You cannot cut and paste social and labour plans (SLP) but we see this all the time, Capel explains. Mining companies need to engage with the communities, not just come in and do what they think needs to be done. They must communicate constantly. The relationship between communities and companies is built around the mine, not here in Johannesburg at head office. Generally, the mining companies do a pretty good job. Too often though, we only hear the bad news, says Mitchell. At worst for communities, this has meant that they agree to things that has an unexpected long-term effect that they did not foresee, such as the impact of mining on their land, their livelihood, health and well-being. Monash South Africa (MSA) recently announced its 2016 intake of 10 MSA LEAD fellows who will be provided the tools to expand on their innovative solutions. These fellows are the first generation of innovators and entrepreneurs being introduced to the private higher education provider's first formalised business incubator. Ten youth-led projects impacting their communities have been selected for this year-long fellowship. The programme for young social entrepreneurs presents an opportunity for these individuals to gain hands-on support and mentorship along with a prize of $2,000 (approximately R27,000) to support their work. According to project coordinator and head of Community Engagement for MSA Bronwyn Dugtig, the campus is proud to have worked together with international partners to provide a phenomenal opportunity for individuals from across South Africa. All fellows will be connected to mentors and ongoing professional support through external partnerships, as well as MSA academic staff from the School of Business and Economics. Remarkably diverse applications According to Dugtig selecting the winners of this fellowship was a difficult but hugely inspiring task. She believes the number of applications and the quality of the entries sourced nationally was encouraging and revealed the huge potential for the creativity and passion vital to driving South African growth and development. Dugtig add that, The applications were remarkably diverse and sought to help grow South Africa across a huge spectrum of focus areas from music to agriculture, to education and business." The MSA LEAD programme is a result of a global partnership between MSA, the International Youth Foundation (IYF), and Laureate International Universities, and will be implemented by MSA. Fellows benefit from advanced training during a week-long leadership workshop covering topics such as leadership development, project management, and communications, as well as continuous learning opportunities throughout the fellowship year. The fellows selected are: 1. Innocentia Mthembu - Show Time Film Club 2. Josephine Koketso Mbewe - Youth Leadership Investment Network (Pty) Ltd 3. Lebogang Mashigo - Nubreed Music Institute 4. Lwandi Victory Sokhanyile - L5 Global Movement 5. Palesa Tefu - The Survival Kit 6. Sharon Rapetswa - New Dawn Foundation 7. Sithembile Ndlovu - Sithuthukile Pre School and Eliny'thuba Non-Profit 8. Sophie Kanza - Sophie Kanza Foundation 9. Thabang Mabuza - Lion's Den Programme 10. Winnie Makhanya - Keagile Wellness Development Centre During the second meeting of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, a collaboration between mayors of 130 cities from around the world, FAO director-general Jose Graziano da Silva stressed that all cities - big and small - can and must help build the sustainable, resilient food systems of the future. Signed at the world Expo in Milan last year, the pact unites mayors from Banjul to Barcelona and from Kyoto to Quito in the search for local solutions to end extreme poverty and malnutrition, reduce waste and adapt to a changing climate. Cities occupy just 3 percent of the world's land area but are home to some 3.5 billion people, Graziano da Silva pointed out - more than half of humanity. And these numbers are rising. Rapid urbanisation puts pressure on food systems and natural resources, calling for solutions that make cities more inclusive, safe and resilient, according to FAO's director-general. "Local authorities have an important role to play in our global quest for sustainable development," Graziano da Silva said at the Mayors' Summit held in Rome on the occasion of World Food Day (WFD), adding that "It is at the local level where people live, where people eat, use water and take out their garbage." But for too long "food security and nutrition have been overlooked in urban planning and development," he said. Referencing this year's WFD theme, he also underlined the direct impacts of climate change on food security and its role as a driver of migration from rural to urban areas. Rising to the challenge Already, many cities are responding to the challenges of climate change and rapid urbanisation. From initiatives to reduce food waste to projects that transform urban food deserts into hubs for fresh local produce, cities have emerged as laboratories of innovation for solving today's food challenges. More and more, urban centres are becoming food producers, Graziano da Silva noted, increasing the availability of healthy, affordable food while cutting down on transportation. This can make an important contribution to household food security, he stressed, especially in times of crisis or food shortages. Cities are also finding creative ways to cut food losses and fight hunger at the same time, transforming leftover and unwanted produce into nutritious meals for struggling citizens. Turning policies into practical applications "Cities can and must turn policies often decided on a national and international level into practical applications," said the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala. Milan is eager to maintain and reinforce its guiding role on food policy, he said, noting that his city has launched multiple projects, including one aimed at linking local rice and cheese producers to a school meals programme and another that encourages students to bring home uneaten food from school cafeterias. FAO is supporting the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact by helping cities set indicators and targets for progress and helping monitor results. It's also active in expanding the network and creating opportunities for cities to exchange experiences. Looking ahead at the upcoming UN climate conference in Morocco, Graziano da Silva stressed that the time has come to transform international commitments into concrete actions. "Cities must be involved in this effort," he said, adding that "All cities big and small have the potential to make a difference." The next Summit of the Milan Pact will take place in 2017 in Valencia, Spain. Netflorist MD Ryan Bacher entertained #BeyondRetail2016 attendees with two of the business hacks that played a role in how they entered the e-commerce realm back in 1999 and how they shifted from being 'internet guys' to real-world retailers. On Thursday, 13 October 2016, Beyond Retail 2016 took place at The Bay Hotel rotunda in Camps Bay, hosted by UCS Solutions and Business Connexion. The third speaker of the day was Ryan Bacher, CEO of Netflorist, with Jessica Knight, CEO of UCS Solutions calling this business case study: Proof that relentless passion and curiosity can take you far. Bacher then gave their back story, explaining that they started just a month after Kalahari kicked off (which merged with Takealot in 2015, leaving Netflorist as the oldest) and purely as an experiment. See, Bacher was still working at internet service provider NetActive at the time and ran Netflorist as an also business with partners Lawrence Brick and Jonathan Hackner for the first year or so, as a Nineties version of the lean startup model that has since flourished everywhere. They simply started the site to prove they could get brands online. Nobody knew anything about e-commerce in SA in 1999, says Bacher, adding that they chose to sell flowers for no other reason than it was January at the time, and Valentines Day was around the corner. So they built a website and sent an email on to NetActives 40,000-odd subscribers. This resulted in a few laughs from the audience, as Bacher pointed out this would nowadays be seen as unsolicited business communication or spam, but back then there was nothing more exciting than receiving an email. Then the orders started rolling in without any flowers to deliver. So they contacted a florist based in Sandton and sent on the order details for them to deliver. As obvious as it may seem, online e-commerce involves physically delivering and housing what youre selling digitally. Bacher says this was a real Aha moment for the team, as they realised they were no longer just internet guys, now they were retailers. He says retailers in 2016 are struggling with this in reverse, as you have to do your marketing online to attract real-life footfall. Two early e-commerce business hacks Building on the fact that e-commerce was unchartered waters at the time, Bacher said: If you want a search box, you must have a database to link the results to they wanted the search box but didnt have the database. To get around this, they simply hyperlinked the go search button to their overall product page, so youd see their full dozen floral arrangement offerings no matter what you were actually searching for. Thats the first hack. The second business hack Bacher shared is just as clever: There were no secure electronic credit card payment systems online yet, crucial for processing online orders. As ubiquitous as it now seems today, this was long before the MasterPass online checkout payment solution was even a twinkle on the digital horizon. To get around this, they made the last page of the Netflorist website a credit card details form, with an egg timer icon that showed for eight seconds then thanked consumers for the transaction. These details were then saved and manually punched into a credit card machine later. Impressively, Netflorist had R30,000 in sales for Valentines Day the same turnover as sales from physical florists, and all based on a website that was built in a week to prove it could be done. Business boomed from there, with further lessons learned along the way. Key among them? South Africans are happy to buy online. But what do we really know about them? Without data, you are just another person with an opinion In God we trust; all others must bring data W. Edwards #Deming, born #OnThisDay pic.twitter.com/Hsindi3DkJ George Shiber (@GeorgeShiber) October 14, 2016 Moving on to discuss whats coming to the physical world from the online retail space, Bacher said we cant deny the importance of proper data analysis. The biggest statistic for e-commerce business to consider is the conversation rate. He admitted that Netflorists is just 14%, which makes him ask what about the other 86% of people who visit the site? Their bounce rate is also relatively high at 31% so Bacher says theres an engagement issue, although this is lower than the industry benchmark, but its still a concern. He mentioned that AB testing is also critical for price setters. Pummelling the price-setting problem To illustrate this Bacher shared that theyve started up a physical bakery in some of their warehouses, creating delectable cupcakes in a jar. As this was a price setter in SA with no predecessor to compare to, Bacher faced the challenge with Google Analytics, setting it at three original prices R100 apart and seeing what percentage would buy at which price. Bacher says they do this for all non-commodity products on site which is basically everything but red roses. Its an accurate way of assuring yourself customers are interested in the product and that youre neither over- nor under-charging for it. Bacher then spoke of the differences between SA and Silicon Valley. Admitting its perhaps an unfair comparison, he said SA is still all about the hardware while in Silicon Valley theres been a shift towards software. He explains: No one there cares about e-commerce, its rather servicing e-commerce. Theres also a difference between business goals (SA) and purpose (Silicon Valley), as well as focus on instant profit here as opposed to growth there and getting the product or service to as many people as soon as possible. Lastly, he spoke of just how fast technology is changing our world. Think about the way the evolution of the mobile phone makes physical products dematerialise when last did you use a physical camera, torch or calculator as opposed to the feature on your phone? In closing, Bacher pointed out that e-commerce makes up just 1% of overall retail in South Africa but the number itself is irrelevant as its up to 70% when you look at flower sales. When it comes to industry disruptors, note that almost 30% of all music bought in SA is online, with Uber attracting 70% of all upper LSM taxi transactions. Its nothing to do with the size of the business, its about the category youre in. Click here to read the 1999 press release about Netflorists launch, click here for more on The power of flowers with NetFlorists happy cam, and look out for further coverage of the #BeyondRetail2016 sessions over the next week on just how the local retail market is boosting the SA economy. Technology is the greater equaliser. Today a poor farmer in Kenya, using a phone, has access to more information than a US president in the 1990s. Yet it can also create a massive divide if people, companies and nations do not innovate. Innovation is the road to a better future: South Africa is an innovative nation, but it needs to double down if it hopes to keep up. This was one of the messages from the second annual Accenture Innovation Conference, held in Johannesburg last week. The event gathered South Africas top companies, technologists, media and thought leaders under one roof to discuss the role and future of innovation in South Africa and across the African continent. Accenture also used the opportunity to launch its third annual Innovation Index, reflecting on what gains have been made by local companies in the innovation space. The culture struggle One of the key things that seems to be driving innovation - culture - is very important, said William Mzimba, chief executive of Accenture South Africa and chairman of Accenture sub-Saharan Africa. A culture of innovation from the top is a key ingredient that will drive that innovation in the company. Unfortunately local companies are struggling to make this a reality. Though the numbers have improved from last years index, 57% of constituents were classified as laggards, 29% as innovation leaders and only 8 % as Innovation Value Champions. This is concerning, since if Africa wants to retain its potential as a technology leapfrogger, it will need to ramp up innovation. With the fastest urbanisation rates on the planet and soon to be home to the largest global workforce, the continent has a lot of potential that it can harness. One of the conference speakers, Siyabulela Xuza, went from tinkering in his mothers rural village kitchen to becoming an award winning local innovator and Harvard alum. He said: We as South Africans and Africans, we are all capable of global innovation and global excellence. Xusa takes innovation very seriously: Unfulfilled human potential is terrifying. I had very few fears in my life, but one was when young people like myself, young Africans especially - black, white, male, and female - dont fulfill their potential. Tangible success The message does appear to resonate: 70% of employees see innovation as important to their jobs and nearly 80% of companies encourage innovative thinking, while 71% of leaders encourage innovative ideas to come from outside their organisations. Still, how does one make the leap from the right attitude to tangible success? The various speakers offered a lot on this. According to Valerie Fox, a trailblazing entrepreneur and incubator expert, there is value in creating effective incubator spaces that extend across communities and companies. Recently helping establish the Tshimologong Precinct innovation hub in Johannesburg, she said: We should build incubators to connect with communities in ways that we were never able to before, especially across industry and academic institutions, our youth and even people my own age. Were all experimenting in this new realm, the fourth industrial revolution. Its all new - a new frontier. The best thing we could possibly do is put our brains together. Attendees also had the opportunity to listen to JB Straubel, CTO and co-founder of Tesla Motors, as well as ask him questions. Straubel gave a quick history of the pioneering car and technology company, noting many of the surprise ways it cultivated innovation. In hindsight the things that we didnt know were the most powerful, he said. We didnt have the same limitations that many of the existing car companies had. We didnt have a big rulebook on things we couldnt do or the way it should be done. Tesla on a sustainability mission.This is the revolution right now. #AIC2016.JB Strobel addressing guests at Accenture Innovation Conference pic.twitter.com/ljJo66Bp2p Ntombi Mhangwani (@MhangwaniNtombi) October 12, 2016 Digital has arrived These insights, as well as the impressive collection of finalists and winners of the Accenture Innovation Index awards, certainly gave hope that innovation is growing. Yet it came with a stark warning. Speaking via satellite link, Salim Ismail, well-regarded technologist and founding executive director of the Singularity University, explained how dramatically the world is changing. For example, he said, autonomous cars will not only threaten car insurance since manufacturers are willing to take on liability, but the increased capacity on roads will hugely alter real estate values. Ismails advice was simple: it is often the companys own immune system that kills innovation, so find ways to spark the trend outside the confines of traditional structures. The conference concluded with a sense of possibility, articulated by Mzimba: We have hope. Certainly what I have heard at this conference - the speeches, the questions, the conversations - have confirmed at the heart of innovation we are going to leapfrog the world. I wish we could accelerate the momentum in this innovation movement that is beginning to happen in our corporations and across this continent. You can go to Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and you can feel it. Because digital has arrived. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The 5th round of Armenia-EU negotiations on the framework agreement will take place in Armenia next week, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Piotr Switalski announced on October 18. That will be a key stage. I think both sides are interested in a confident progress, Armenpress reports Switalski saying. In a meeting with Piotr Switalski on October 18, Armenian Premier Karen Karapetyan had expressed confidence that the sides will manage to preserve the positive trend. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh told that the Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire regime more than 30 times at Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact. STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 17, ARTSAKHPRESS: The Ministrys announcement reads: Overnight October 16-17 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime more than 30 times by firing over 360 shots from various caliber small arms at the Armenian positions in the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact. In the northern and north-eastern directions the Azerbaijani forces fired also ISTIGLAL sniper rifles (20 shots). An arrangement of delivering new weapons from Russia to Armenia was reached during the session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) held days ago in Yerevan, political scientist Sergey Minasyan told at a press conference, Panorama.am reports. October 17, 2016, 12:26 Russia will deliver new weapons to Armenia, Sergey Minsayan says STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 17, ARTSAKHPRESS: Yes, the relevant information is available. At this point I would refrain from detailing what kind of armament is to be supplied since the deal is not complete. Nevertheless, the arrangements are there and they have been reached within a short period of time and will come true, Minasyan suggested. Asked whether the weapons are to be delivered from Russia, Minasyan noted: Today as during the previous years Russia is and has been the main military technical partner of Armenia, and the cooperation in the visible future will continue." STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 18, ARTSAKHPRESS: "We announced the 8-hour (ceasefire) unilaterally. I think that a longer pause, for instance a 48-hour or 72-hour (truce), will require some mutual agreements," the diplomat said. On Monday, Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of Russias Armed Forces Sergey Rudskoy said that on October 20, the Russian and Syrian military would impose humanitarian pause in fighting in Aleppo for the passage of civilians and the withdrawal of militants to the district of Idlib. For this purpose eight humanitarian corridors will be formed, including six ones for civilians. The Russia s General Staff also said that together with the UN and countries which have influence on the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (banned in Russia), it is working on the withdrawal of militants from Aleppo. According to Rudskoy, coordination between Russia and Syria may take a long time, so Russias Defense Ministry decided to hold "humanitarian pauses" "for the free passage of civilians, evacuation of the wounded and sick, as well as the withdrawal of militants." Azerbaijans president has reiterated his country's call for mutual concessions over Nagorno-Karabakh, promising to give the country the status of an autonomous republic. October 18, 2016, 13:25 Nagorno-Karabakh can be autonomous republic Aliyev STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 18, ARTSAKHPRESS: A reasonable mutual concession is possible,, as informs Tert.am, Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with Rossiya Segodnya. Azerbaijan is implementing different investment projects to ensure their regular daily life. and autonomy. Peaceful cooperation between the two peoples on condition of liberating the regions surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region this is our vision of conflict settlement, he said, ruling out the possibility of granting the country a full independence, Yet, we can agree on mutual concessions over local autonomy and the autonomy of Nagorno-Karabakh. We can have an autonomous republic if we want to, he added. The KIO, Burma's second strongest ethnic armed group has been at odds with the military since June 2011, when its 17-year ceasefire with the central government ended in dramatic fashion. The KIO statement highlighted how the army has stepped up its attacks on KIO positions in recent months, something that the KIO says has seriously affected the peace process. The KIO said: While the current government is trying to initiate a dialogue process by political means, the Tatmadaw is taking advantage of the situation by launching heavy military attacks on the KIO's strategic military posts with the intention of seizing them. These kind of military actions are undermining and interrupting the genuine peace, which is just emerging. The KIO noted that the army started its latest offensive in August while the group was preparing to take part in Aung San Suu Kyi's Union Peace Conference (21st Century Panglong Conference). The 8 October statement said: While in preparation to attend the 21st Century Panglong conference, the Tatmadaw suddenly attacked the Kachin Independence Army's 3rd Battalion;'s post at Lai Hpawng on August 16 2016, and, on August 17, the Tatmadaw launched a surprise attack on KIA's 252nd Battalion's frontline post at Nhkram and seized control. From then to date the Tatmadaw has launched numerous attacks using disproportionate force including heavy air strikes in order to capture the KIAs [Kachin Independence Armys] Gidon post. Reached for comment by Kachin News Group (KNG) the KIO's Information Officer Lieutenant-Colonel Naw Buu reiterated the KIO's stance that the army was to blame for the situation. He said: Big wars have broken out in the country due to the offensives of the Burma Army. The army also stands accused of putting refugees in danger with its attacks on the KIO. Following a meeting of the Kachin Womens Peace Forum in Myitkyina, the forum issued a statement on 1 October explaining the risks internally displaced people (IDPs) faced. The statement said: Shells have exploded near IDP camps and villages, causing injury among civilians, including children. Every day, children, [the] elderly and women are living in fear, facing physical and mental insecurity. According to the statement: On September 25, at 5 am, three 81 mm shells exploded near Munglai Khyet and Wai Chyai IDP camps in Bhamo District, and on September 28, fighting intensified near Magayang IDP camp in Myitkyina District. On October 1 at 6 am, fighting took place in Buwan village, Mong Ko tract, northern Shan State, and three children, aged 6, 5 and 2 years old were seriously injured. The 2-year-old child died immediately, and the other two are in critical condition. Edited in English for BNI by Mark Inkey The comments were made at a ceremony to celebrate the first anniversary of the NCA signing at the MCC 1 Hall in Naypyitaw on 15 October. In his opening speech at the ceremony General Mutu Say Poe said: Although Myanmar is enjoying diplomatic support and international recognition for commencing political dialogues within the one years period of the NCA and holding the Union Peace Conference 21st Century Panglong, it should also be noted that there are still weaknesses in implementing the NCA. He explained that though there has been bilateral policy dialogue at union level there are still limitations to implementing the NCA at state and regional levels. He said that at present the NCA appears to be an elite peace process and that it has to move on to become a more inclusive process. On behalf of the NCA signatories Gen. Mutu Say Poe also urged the Burmese Government and the Burma Army to relax their policies, suspend the use of force in the countrys northern areas and to avoid conflict with NCA signatories in order to pave the way for non-signatory groups to sign the NCA. Also attending the ceremony were President U Htin Kyaw, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (national parliament) Speaker Mahn Win Khaing Than and Burma Army Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. There were also representatives from all the EAOs that signed the NCA and invited local and foreign guests. In her speech Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said: Its been a year since the signing of the NCA. It is sorrowful that none of the organisations that did not sign the NCA, have signed the agreement within a one year period. I want to tell the government, the Tatmadaw (Burma Army), and ethnic organisations to compete among themselves to see who is the most maganimous, who is the most forgiving and who cherishes the present more than the past. In his speech Sen. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said that all the NCA signatories accept that the 70-year-long ethnic armed conflict is a political issue that needs to be solved through political dialogue. He said that the NCA is a result of negotiations between the Burmese Government and EAOs, so it would be inappropriate to start engaging in national-level political dialogue because that would override the NCA. The Burmese Government signed the NCA with eight EAOs at the MCC 2 Hall in Naypyitaw on 15 October 2015. Since then there has been fighting between the Burma Army and NCA signatories. Reporting by Saw Tun Lin for KIC News Translated by Thida Linn Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI The Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes note of coordinated attacks on Border Guard Police posts in Rakhine State on 9 October 2016 and clashes that followed. Bangladesh finds these developments in Rakhine State, bordering Bangladeshdisturbing and Bangladesh unequivocally condemns the attacks on Myanmar forces. We are concerned at the loss of innocent lives in these clashes. We underscore the need for arresting perpetrators and for due judicial process to bring them to justice. Bangladesh as a responsible neighbour on its own had sealed the borders with Myanmar in the early hours of 1Oth October to deny perpetrators easy escape. Bangladesh apprehended two Muslims from Rakhine State and handed them over to the authorities of Myanmar within a day. Bangladesh authorities are in constant touch with their Myanmar counterparts and providing help as requested. Bangladesh follows a 'zero tolerance' policy towards violent extremism and terrorism of any form and manifestation. Bangladesh conducted a number of operationsagainst Arakan Army and other ethnic armed groups originating from Myanmar in the recent times to help Myanmar. Bangladesh returned two Tatmadaw membersrescued from Arakan Army captivity last year. Bangladesh will continue to, assist Myanmar in this time of need. Bangladesh believes that cooperation in these areas could be best realised under legal framework which Bangladesh has been stressing over two years. Such institutionalised cooperation is needed to comprehensively address all aspects of insecurity, from drug to human trafficking to gunrunning to civil commotion and internal disturbances to insurgency. A total of 1570 migrant families have received migrant household documents, of which 352 families are from Mawlamyine Township, 219 from Ye Township, 169 from Paung Township, and 81 from Thanbyuzayat Township. Those migrant workers are from upper Burma, including Irrawaddy, Mandalay, Sagaing, Yangon and Pegu regions. [We] have issued 1570 legal migrant household documents throughout Mon State; 1271 temporary household documents were also issued to the migrant workers, said U Shein Win, director of Mon States Department of Immigration and Population, in an interview with MNA on Firday, October 14. The migrant household documents are only issued to the migrant workers, who have lived in the state 3 years already, are on the census list, and can provide recommendation letters from their respective ward administration, according to the Department of Immigration and Population. The department issues only temporary documents to migrant workers if they only have lived in the state for six months or more but not more than 3 years, U Shein Win added. Official statistics, which Mon State Department of Immigration and Population collected from May 1 to early October, 2016, show that Mon State has 11,993 migrant workers. Of that number, however, 8691 are long-term migrant workers and 3302 are temporary migrant workers. Since (the government) started their migrant worker household document project, only 50 migrant households have applied for the documents, said U Win Cho, administrator of Panga Village, Thanbyuzayat Township. But other migrant workers have not applied for the documents yet. There are almost 400 migrant households in Pagna village (alone). According to the 2014 census data, Mon States population is over 2 million. Over 300,000 migrant workers have lived in the state and majority of them are of the Barmar ethnic group, including migrants from Irrawaddy, Mandalay, Sagaing, Yangon and Pegu regions. STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 18, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: During the briefing in the Parliament, Sharmazanov said it's not Ilham Aliyev who should decide the status of Nagorno Karabakh. The people of Nagorno Karabakh have started to fight for the right to live freely and independently in 1988. If Mr. Aliyev is not aware, I will inform that the exercise of the right to self-determination is one of the negotiation principles. The Presidents of the Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries have repeatedly stated that the exercise of the right to self-determination is one of the three principles in line with territorial integrity and peaceful settlement, Sharmazanov said. He added that the existence of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic within Azerbaijan is the best evidence that Armenians cannot live in a status of a citizen of an autonomous republic within Azerbaijan. What happened in Nakhchivan? We saw that the Azerbaijani leadership and Azerbaijanis were not only persecuting the Armenian people, were not only organizing massacres in Sumgait and Baku, but they have also organized the elimination of tens of thousands cross-stones. The Azerbaijanis could not have been tolerant towards the Armenian cross-stones, how they can be tolerant towards the Armenian people?, he said. Sharmazanov said the people of NKR must exercise the right to self-determination and make their decision. He expressed confidence in case of new referendum the people of Karabakh will make the same decision which was made in 1991. I think Aliyevs statements especially to the Russian media are inappropriate. If Mr. Aliyev wanted to say an independent republic, perhaps, that's the truth, Sharmazanov said. Sharmazanov said the NKRs recognition is a matter of time. The most important for us over the Nagorno Karabakh issue is the status. Nagorno Karabakh will not be a part of Azerbaijan in any status, this is our response to Mr. Chamberlain, he said. To the question why the regular meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan is not being held, Sharmazanov said the problem is associated with the Azerbaijani side. Two days ago the participants of the CSTO Yerevan summit called to implement the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements. Can you say that the Azerbaijani side has taken any practical step towards implementing the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements? The problem is in the Azerbaijani side. If Azerbaijanis perceive a mutual concession as an autonomous republic, they are in confusion and self-deception. The mutual concession is the international recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, but for what it will be, the NKR people will decide, Sharmazanov said. To the view which says Aliyev doesnt rule out that Azerbaijan may join the EAEU, Sharmazanov said: If Mr. Aliyev doesnt rule it out, and the politics is an art of possible, he must not rule out the international recognition of Nagorno Karabakh as well. #DontMiss: Bollywood Divas' Karva Chauth Looks Over The Years Women Kaustubha 1. Mommy-to-be Kareena Kapoor In Bright Green Suit: Now mommy-to-be, back then newlywed. Bebo picked this bright green silver gota-studded suit for Karva Chauth. Bebo paired her flats and heavy earrings. She amped up her look with a round bindi and smokey eye makeup. 2. Twinkle Khanna: The former actress Twinkle Khanna was also seen sporting parrot green suit but less blingy than Kareena's. She wore it with golden heels. Left her hair open. Rocked the entire look with minimal makeup. 3. Sridevi: Sridevi showed up in a beautiful red saree paired with golden blouse on one of the Karva Chauths. She paired her look with kundan necklace and jhumkas. 4. Sridevi Again: Sridevi was caught wearing another beautiful piece while celebrating Karva Chauth. She picked an elegant red suit with intricate work. She kept the jewellery to a minimum. And rocked her simple and chic Karva Chauth look. 5. Aishwarya Rai: Aish was sporting a bright yellow saree with stone-studded blouse. She looked lovely as always. 6. Raveena Tandon & Shilpa Shetty: These two Bollywood divas were seen celebrating their Karva Chauth together. Shilpa picked a traditional print blue saree while Raveen kept her look simple with a white and red suit. 7. Rima Jain: The Kapoor family buha was also seen celebrating her Karva Chauth with Bollywood actresses. She picked a simple red kurta paired with red pants. Rima looked cute. 8. Shilpa Shetty: Shilpa Shetty is one of the excited ones to celebrate this festival. She picked a peppy colour for herself; a yellow saree. She added a large golden clutch to it. 9. Shilpa Shetty: Another look of Shilpa Shetty from her Karva Chauth diaries. She has picked a white kurta palazzo pair. She amped up the look with a red dupatta. STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 18, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: Minister Mkrtchyan congratulated the Ambassador on beginning her diplomatic mission in Armenia and expressed conviction that the Armenian-Greek relations in the educational sector will achieve new developments and highlighted the implementation of practical steps for development and deepening of cooperation. Her Excellency Nafsika Nancy Eva Vraila expressed gratitude for the present cooperation in the field and attached importance to the role of education for the dynamic development of the friendly relations between the two countries. The meeting mainly focused on the 2016-2020 education and research cooperation program between the governments of Armenia and Greece, which was signed in March of 2016 in Greece. According to the program the further cooperation between research and higher education institutions will be boosted with the goal of realizing joint educational projects and to implement scholarship exchanges. Centers of Greek and Armenian studies are planned to be established in universities of Armenia and Greece respectively, aiming at the development and spreading of language and culture. The sides expressed assurances that the program will boost the development and strengthening of educational cooperation between Armenia and Greece. At the same time the sides expressed willingness to take necessary steps to ensure the ratification of the document by the Parliament as soon as possible. STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 18, ARTSAKHPRESS: We plan to visit the region after October 20. We will visit Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Meetings with the leadership and the military officials are expected. We plan to discuss the implementation ways of agreements reached at the Vienna and St. Petersburg summits which will contribute to establishing stability in the conflict zone, Popov said. He also informed that the prospects of the negotiation process will be discussed during the visit. In response to rumors of surrendering 5 regions of Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijan, Igor Popov said the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement must be considered in a coordinated form together with all elements for settlement, including the status of Nagorno Karabakh, the return of all refugees, the maintenance of corridor connecting the NKR with Armenia, the implementation of peacekeeping activities. The settlement process is a single package, and any attempt to remove separate elements preferable for this or that side from the package is destructive, Popov said. But unintentionally, LPV has empowered shrewd voters to find a way to aggrandise themselves during those months leading to the elections. LPV was introduced to empower voters to choose candidates without being forced to select just one who would be the favoured candidate of tribe or clan and who must be voted for as an act of loyalty. THE EMERGING hype and calculated manoeuvrings in the run-up to the coming national elections of May-June 2017 have brought to light how limited preferential voting (LPV) can be exploited. The 'Nere Tere' (South Simbu slang for vote selling) system, referred to in a recent article by Mathias Kin, puts venal voters in a good place. They are effectively able to sell their LPV votes. Not once or twice but thrice. A smart voter can easily make good money given the gullibility of candidates to do anything they can to secure the chance to step into the parliamentary chamber, that which now houses the 'Big Book'. There are some voters who can only sell their second and third preference votes. They do not have the liberty to sell first preferences as tribal responsibility binds that one to their tribe's chosen contestant. But smarter voters, equipped with slippery tongues and efficient lies, can sell their LPV votes to more than a dozen candidates; praying on the credulity of power-hungry and less vigilant wannabees desperate to buy their way into the Haus Tambaran. How much a voter earns, monetarily or in kind, is a function of geography. Voters in the upper highlands of Papua New Guinea, with their proverbial sharp teeth, are set to bite away at anything coming their way. Brace yourselves, intending 2017 candidates. The LPV has empowered voters to become selfishly corrupt. It will be an intending candidate's nightmare but a voter's golden harvest time. Selling those preference votes multiple times to multiple candidates can yield a rich crop. Only a handful of companies namely Bankers, Lawyers and Accountants firms stands to benefit in the liquidation and subsequent closure of the BCL mine, Botswana Guardian Investigations have established. Its always been an open secret that one day, the mine would close as it has always been producing low grade ore since its establishment. The mining of low grade ore became a costly exercise when the hole got deeper over the years. The sad reality became evidently clear when one of the shareholders and a mining company of repute - Anglo American- which has invested in and exploited many African countries, opted out early in 2000 stating that BCL would never be profitable. This led to government inheriting a debt of over P8 billion from Anglo. However, insiders say it was governments decision to introduce Mining Development Company Botswana (MDCB) whose mandate is to manage governments interest in the mining Industry as well as the appointment of South African, Paul Smith as Chief Executive Officer, that influenced the current situation. Governments sudden decision to close the mines gates was allegedly based on the advice of MDCB. The resignations Sources say it has always been clear that Smith is a man on a mission. He is reported to have clashed with the old BCL Board members that he found upon arrival. At one stage he allegedly walked out of a board meeting after allegedly failing to answer questions. The establishment of MDCB which came with its own board is said to have automatically rendered the BCL board dormant. The move led to the resignation of board Chairman Dr Akolang Tombale and his deputy, Dora Moremi mid this year. Mokaila redeployment Sources attribute the recent cabinet reshuffle in which one of the best performing ministers, and President Ian Khamas confidante, Kitso Mokaila was redeployed from a ministry where he was performing well to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, to the establishment of MDCB and appointment of Smith. It is said that even though Mokaila had appointed Smith, of late they were not in good terms. Apparently the bone of contention was Mokailas attempt to bring Smith to order for bypassing him in many of his decisions. The unending debt The story of the BCL mine and its unending debts date back to the establismentof the mine through government funding as well as a grant from the European Union (EU). The EU grant was conditional. The key condition was that BCL must put a certain percentage of interest accrued into a local bank account to use it to devise programmes to sustain the mine at the end of its lifespan, which was projected to be 40 years. It is said the money was used and continues to be used to finance the establishment of Selibe Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit (SPEDU) with an initial capital injection of P13m. Anglo bolts out In 2000 government forked out P700 million to bail out BCL, which decision led to one of the shareholders, Anglo American company, opting out in 2003 citing non-profitability of the mine. Anglo had apparently realised that the money was unrecoverable and there is no future in BCL mine. At the time when Anglo opted out, the mining area was already deep and the costs of mining were extremely high. At the time, Anglo were owed P8bn. They transferred their debt to government. And this marked the beginning of an endless spending exercise by government in order to keep the mine afloat. Experts say that before inheriting the debt, government asked Anglo to give them another strategic partner, whereupon LionOre was brought on-board and took over their share of the Tati Nickel mine which Anglo owned 85 percent. This is when the government became majority owner of BCL and there was no longer pressure from anyone to pull the plug at BCL. Save BCL strategy In order to save BCL from going down the drain, the then Ministry of Minerals Energy and Water Resources engaged the RSK Consultants, an engineering company to review the operations and suggested what ought to be done. RSKs strategy review recommendations led to many unprofitable projects being cancelled or shelved, which helped to improve BCL debt burden. Among the restructuring recommendations was that government enter into negotiations with a German company called KFW who owned and had funded the construction of the houses accommodating all BCL employees. The government successfully negotiated for the release of debt owed to private companies and KFW agreed to release the houses after government had paid a small portion. This opened many gates as another financing company, IDC of South Africa who were owed, asked for a small portion of payment and called off the debt. BCL ore low grade Realising that they have endless debts and their ore which is expensive to mine is of a very low grade BCL management came up with an investment strategy named Polaris I which was to explore the ore around the BCL mine. BCL management was advised to look elsewhere for mineral deposit, using similar model like those used by former partners, Anglo. It was at this stage that they came up with Polaris II. At that time LionOre also opted out and sold Tati Nickel Mine to Norilsk International of Russia. In 2014, Norilsk who at one stage were the biggest mine owners in the world decided to sell their mines. The Nkomati deal Being in the BCL board, Norilsk were amongst the first to know. BCL seized the moment and approached Norilsk with offers to buy Nkomati mine in South Africa. Unlike BCL mine, Nkomati produced high quality ore. The agreement was it would be transferred to the Phikwe Smelter for processing. Nkomati purchase was going to be funded through loans obtained by BCL. Government conceded because the proceeds from the Nkomati deal were going to be good enough to pay the loans. However, there was delay in the transaction. Speaking on condition of anonymity, authorities say the delay was a result of a South African mining company called Rainbow Mine South Africa who are partners of Norislk in Nkomati wanting clarification on how their interests will be served. When that happened metal prices around the world went down, a matter that forced BCL to go back to Norilsk to renegotiate the payment of the purchase price. It is said there was goodwill with both sides willing to work together. Introduction of MDCB But before the deal could be completed, MDCB was established with Paul Smith as CEO early this year. Subsequent to his arrival, Smith indicated that he wants or will transfer the government shares in all the mining companies to the MDCB. His plan was to start with BCL copper and nickel mines as well as the Morupule Colliery mine. At the time when Paul Smiths regime was ushered in the process of negotiating the purchasing agreement was being carried out, but the funds had not yet been disbursed. The move led to the collapse of the Nkomati purchase process since Smith and his regime were, without BCL, an unknown entity. Lawsuit Botswana Guardian has reliably learnt that it will only be a matter of time before BCL or Botswana government is served with a lawsuit by Norilsk for time delayed and failure to honour the agreement that is if the much preferred MDCB does not go ahead with the Nkomati purchase. Botswana Congress Party (BCP) has approached President Ian Khama calling for the early convening of Parliament to deal with the BCL crisis. BCP President Dumelang Saleshando told Botswana Guardian in an interview that the Parliament session would allow for the tabling of findings by the task team of ministers, which looked into the future of BCL. At press time the letter according to Saleshando was to be written and handed to Khama before end of business yesterday (Thursday). He explained that there should be some dialogue about the issue. We learnt that in all the meetings that are being addressed by some ministers led by the Vice President and some government officials nothing concrete has come out. As we speak we could be having investor flight out of Selibe Phikwe. We know the President might not be comfortable dealing with opposition parties or trade unions- but what we are saying is the issue is bigger than political parties differences. Even when I was leader of Opposition in Parliament I had difficulty meeting the President. This time around we have to come together and save the country because this is not only about Selibe Phikwe, stated Saleshando.He indicated that there is need to try and build a cross-partisan consensus around the future of BCL and Selibe Phikwe. We will write to the President and request him to convene Parliament a week earlier than was scheduled, said the former legislator.This will allow for cabinet to table the detailed findings of the committee of ministers that was charged with the responsibility of looking into the future of BCL mine. This report should also be shared with other key stakeholders such as the business community as well as the labour movement. It should not be assumed that only cabinet knows what is good for our nation. Key decisions on critical sectors of our economy should be subjected to the nations collective wisdom. The reality is that BCL and Selibe Phikwe can be economically considered to be Siamese twins. You kill one, the other one dies, Saleshando explained. The BCP leader said there is need to take a long term view of how Selibe Phikwe can be prepared for the ultimate closure of BCL, not the kneejerk decision announced over the past weekend. He feels that Parliament, the house of elected representatives, must be allowed to reflect on the options available and pronounce its view before the axe is brought down. Saleshando explained that the impact of the closure of the BCL mine would be severe and it would be great for the president and his cabinet to admit that they failed to achieve what they wanted and they should engage other stakeholders. He will speak as one of the four honourees to more than 450 guests, including, I believe, President Barak Obama, together with other important figures in politics, business and the arts. In New York on the evening of Thursday 27 October, Jimmy will receive the prestigious World of Children Award for Child Advocacy in Health at a gala event at the Roosevelt Hotel. On Monday, Simbu Children Foundation president Jimmy Drekore (pictured here with Keith Jackson), together with his best friend and wife Merlyn, had flown quietly out of Goroka to Port Moresby from where they will fly to the United States next Monday. As usual, the sociable Simbu people were most welcoming. YESTERDAY the people of Gumine in Simbu Province received prime minister Peter ONeill with open arms and much fanfare for the opening of a local technical school. Jimmys achievement is recognised at a time when Papua New Guinea is getting much coverage in overseas media for the wrong reasons. It is seen as a country where the majority of citizens are living below the poverty line, where bad governance and endemic corruption among politicians and government bureaucrats has led to near economic collapse, where every girl child born has encountered some form of violence before maturity, and where the spread of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS seems unstoppable. So in a country with a reputation as muddied and despoiled as PNG, an achievement like Jimmys should be a feel-good story for its leaders. But not in our Papua New Guinea! News outlets around the world carried a fair coverage of Jimmys award as did PNGs The National and Post-Courier newspapers. Patriotic Papua New Guineans on social media had also recognised the eminence of the award and had given great praise to Jimmy and Simbu Children Foundation. On the front page of last Fridays The National, there was a photo of Peter ONeill shaking hands with Bishop John Ribal, commending him for his promotion by the Pope to an Archbishop within the Catholic church. Archbishop Ribat is an upright person and a strong advocate for justice in PNG. We the people of Simbu, as with the other people of PNG, applaud him and his achievements. But should not Jimmy Drekore and Simbu Children Foundation also receive such an ovation from the prime minister for their momentous achievement for Papua New Guinea? Peter O Neills evasion of this opportunity seems stupid and hypocritical. The Nobel Prize for child advocates, as Francis Nii has termed it, has never before been awarded to a Papua New Guinean. Jimmy follows in the footsteps of Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter and other eminent world citizens. He should have been similarly honoured by his own country and we must all hope that sometime in the near future he will be. The last couple of days have been sad moments not only for the BCL employees but also for the business community at large. The Selibe Phikwe business community on Wednesday expressed great disappointment at the decision by government to close down the BCL mine. At a forum supposed to have been addressed by Vice President, Mokgweetsi Masisi but addressed by Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Advocate Sadique Kebonang at Selebi Hotel in Selibe Phikwe, the business community told Kebonang and his team of senior government officials that there is no point to address them as they had already made their decision to shut down the backbone of Selibe Phikwe economy. Andrew Frantzeskou, General Manager of Syringa Lodge who has been a resident of Phikwe for the past 43 years, said Phikwe will be nothing without BCL. We survive by BCL. The economy of Phikwe should have been diversified many years ago. All the businesses here will be forced to lay off staff. What happens to our properties, where do we go? he asked rhetorically. One former BCL mine superintendent who identified himself only as Smith, and had worked for BCL for 16 years asked the government how it let the situation to get out of hand when they could see that the mine was not sustainable. He said if at all what the government is preaching that the mine has not been making profit for its entire 40 years, why did it allow it to get to this stage. According to Smith, BCL is currently besieged by a crisis of management. Kebonang assured the business community that the liquidator will go through all the processes to check if indeed there has been mismanagement at BCL. Some of the businesses that have been sub contracted to BCL are left wondering how they are going to approach their employees to tell them that BCL is no more, and that they no longer have jobs. Kumbulane Mabena of the Business Community Association in the SPEDU region expressed that, the process of getting SPEDU and it moving forward has been a very slow one. SPEDU is the next governments vehicle to turn around the Phikwe town. Mabena added that decision-making at government level is very slow and SPEDU officials are always saying that they are constrained. As we move forward together as stakeholders, the business community is willing to help with ideas. Let us not take the usual route that we have been taking in making decisions, we should involve one another, Mabena pleaded with the minister. A representative from Morula Private School, where some of the BCL employees have school children attending there at a subsidised fee, asked if the fees would be honoured going forward now that the company has shut down. Without the BCL subsidy, our school will close down in January 2017. In response, Kebonang said the school fees for this month would be paid. As for the coming periods, the liquidator is the one who will be handling every matter that concerns the creditors. Other concerns raised were that the SPEDU Board of Directors does not have a representative from the Phikwe region. Kebonang responded, I do not have an answer to that, but it makes sense to have someone who understands the region so well sitting on the Board. On other issues, he also revealed that the government has decided that it will set aside P13million per month to continue running the shafts that cannot be shut down now. Employees have been allowed to remain in the BCL houses. On the 7th February 2017, Warren Dixon, the liquidator will submit a detailed report on his findings to the high court. The assets of both BCL and Tati Nickel Mine Company (TNMC) will be sold to pay off creditors and employees severance packages and salaries, if no investor comes forward in the next four months. Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Sadique Kebonang on Monday broke the devastating news to Tati Nickel Mine Company (TNMC) management that their mine would also be liquidated alongside BCL. Kebonang said that government had tried the best it could to bail out TNMC together with its trouble-prone mother body, BCL but to no avail. A source who attended the meeting said that Kebonang said that government would have to go to the High Court so that the two can be liquidated, as they no longer generate income. What is going to happen is that a liquidator will decide a way forward and hopefully investors will then chip in to save the situation, said the source. The minister said that in the meantime we can stay at home and listen to the radios for information pertaining to our status, if anything comes up they will call us, said a source employed by TNMC. He said that employees of the mine have been warned against talking to the media. We were told that, if any one goes to the media about this matter which they say is an internal issue, an example will be set of that particular person. President of Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU), Jack Tlhagale said the Minister and the Vice President (VP), Mokgweetsi Masisi informed the union that a liquidator has been engaged but failed to present documentation. There is no evidence of such information, we were just addressed, Tlhagale said. He said the union blames management and the board for the collapse of BCL. In his view the management swallowed more than they could chew as they failed to manage money well and implemented so many things at once. Government should also take the blame because they delayed to step in when they had a chance, Tlhagale said. In addition, government should have monitored the situation before the mine collapsed.Tlhagale said that it is unreasonable for Kebonang to come and stand in front of the workers saying they should keep their ears glued to radio sets. He said that they should at least give them a time frame. We want a just contract agreement which will explain the time frame. For example, they should say on this date we will address on radio not say that people should listen to the radio, he said. All these are clear signs that government does not value its people, he said adding that a transparent government does not do such things. These people are abandoning their responsibility because they left people stranded with no plan, Tlhagale said. Failure to implement government plans and projects is costing the economy, Investment, Trade and Industry Assistant Minister Biggie Butale lamented during the official opening of the 2nd annual Botswana Job summit held in Gaborone. Butale said although the government has demonstrated willingness to get things done, there has been challenges with getting projects completed on time and within the set budget. This has not only cost our country money, but also jobs. If we get implementation of our plans and projects right, I am confident that a giant leap towards job creation and even more prosperity for our people would have been made, said Butale. He said while it is true that globally countries are struggling to create enough jobs for their people, this does not mean people should rest on their laurels. Butale said unemployment rates that are at double figures are socially unsustainable and not healthy for the growth of any economy. We can reduce unemployment if we as a government hold job creation as one of our most important performance indicators between now and 2019, he said. The assistant minister said for an economy to grow, consumers need disposable income to spend. Without such income, the economy contracts. Even more painful, those that are unemployed are unable to support themselves and their families. Even more, the country suffers an opportunity cost in that it is not benefitting from the skills and industry of some of its citizens in whose development it has invested, he said. Butale said unemployed people are not only unable to provide for their families but are also not making the contribution to the growth of their country. He said the future job opportunities lie in the private sector rather than in government and implored the private sector to continue with their efforts to help the country create jobs. The public sector will support you but let us note that our government aims at opening up the economy to more private sector participation. The future economy will be private sector led, hence the importance of this sector in taking a major claim in providing solutions to our challenges, he said. Events and conference director, One Source Consulting Dr Mpho Pheko, also echoed the same sentiments acknowledging that unemployment remains a challenge in the country. She said during the first summit last year, they collectively came-up with recommendations for creating jobs in the short term. The summit also emphasised the existence of sound policies, strategies and programmes in Botswana all designed to either eradicate abject poverty, empower the citizen economically, grow the private sector and small, micro and medium enterprises, diversify the economy or to grow and create jobs, she said. Post the 2015 summit we spent 12 months working with various stakeholders who were identified as implementing entities. We also worked to draw the stakeholders attention to several important issues the summit raised regarding job creation, job growth and job sustainability, she said. However, Dr Pheko said they still have a long way to go to implement those recommendations. The conference was held under the theme: Maximising job creation effective policy and strategy implementation, and was organised by One Source Consulting in partnership with the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) and various sponsors. This purportedly gave the State the power to restructure the board and management of PNGSDP as a way of attempting to take control of the Long Term Fund. In September 2013, prime minister Peter ONeill introduced the Ok Tedi Mining Tenth Supplemental Act which expropriated PNGSDPs 63.4% shareholding in Ok Tedi Mining. Over the past week, the Singapore Supreme Court heard various legal arguments that highlighted the basic weakness in the States case and the inconsistencies in how it had been argued. THE PAPUA New Guinea government has had a major setback in its three-year effort to gain control of the PNG Sustainable Development Program (PNGSDP) and its Long Term Fund. Also, incredibly, it purported to give the prime minister the sole power of determining whether compensation for the shares was payable and, if so, how much and on what terms. No such determination has been made to date. Recent hearings in Singapore have put the spotlight on the disarray in the States attack. Because the State is on the back foot, it has resorted to contrived twists and turns to delay the inevitable. I am increasingly confident that our lawyers will deliver the knockout blow that will lead to a favourable court decision. This means PNGSDP will then be able to get on with its core role of delivering sustainable development projects in the Western Province and PNG generally. On 6 September 2016, about a month before the trial was to begin, Singapores highest court, the Court of Appeal, set aside the Judgment dated 12 February 2016 which the State had earlier obtained. This allowed PNGSDPs appeal on the Judgment on its foremost objection, that the matters in dispute had to be resolved by a trial. The State had itself earlier appealed against portions of that judgment that were not in its favour, and at the hearing on 6 September withdrew this appeal. During the course of the hearing, the State was also pressed on the glaring inconsistencies between the case that it was running in the main suit and in those related proceedings in which it had earlier obtained Judgment. It was only in late September that the State then sought to amend its case in the main suit, purportedly in an attempt to resolve the inconsistencies. However, its piecemeal and inadequate attempt to resolve fundamental contradictions between its respective cases, was dismissed by the court on 30 September. The day before the trial was due to begin on 4 October, the State again attempted to change its pleadings - how it presents its case. The States case rests on the existence of some fictitious verbal agreement that is supposed to give the State control over PNGSDP. Now some two years on, the State has decided to abandon its original case. The State now claims that there is instead a different, supposed verbal, agreement that it wants to pin its case to. Its lawyers arguments in relation to this new case it wants to run were, however, confusing and contradictory. Instead of clarifying the proposed amendments requested by the judge, the State insisted on sticking to the application in its original form. After due consideration, the judge dismissed that application and awarded costs to PNGSDP. The awarding of costs provides a good indication of the winner. The State then sought permission to appeal the judges decision, a course of action that would inevitably lead to further delays. The judge refused to grant the permission and again ordered that the State pay PNGSDPs costs of that application. Because of these self-inflicted delays, the State then applied to defer the trial, which probably means a substantial delay to next year. Again the judge ordered that the State compensate PNGSDP for the costs wasted by the deferment. During the course of these legal skirmishes, it has become abundantly clear that the States tactics in mounting their inherently weak case are based on creating confusion in order to delay a judgment and outcome. This will not get the State very far. If the States further attempts to amend its pleadings fail, our lawyers will seek to have the case dismissed. Even if the case goes to a much delayed trial, events over the past week lead me to be quietly confident that PNGSDP will prevail. While I have never doubted the legitimacy of our position, these recent developments have given me further confidence in a favourable outcome for PNGSDP. That would be a victory for those who uphold the law and good governance. The International Defence Exhibition and Conference - IDEX 2017 - will take place from 19 to 23 February, at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Abu Dhabi, UAE. The biennial defence exhibition will showcase the latest technology across land, sea and air sectors of defence. It is a unique platform to establish and strengthen relationships with government departments, businesses and armed forces. IDEX is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and is organised by the IDEX LLC in association and with the full support of the UAE Armed Forces. During the event, international conferences will be held on the latest technology across land, sea and air sectors of defence also offering a platform to establish and strengthen relationships with government departments, businesses and armed forces throughout the region. View the Link A representational photo. NEW DELHI (PTI): The Indian Navy is understood to have quietly commissioned into service the country's first indigenous nuclear powered submarine INS Arihant which is capable of firing nuclear weapons, completing India's nuclear triad. The Defence Ministry and the Navy did not confirm or deny reports that the submarine was inducted in August this year to complete the nuclear weapons triad that gives the country capability to launch nukes from land, air and sea. Navy and defence officials maintained on Tuesday that the matter does not come under their purview. At a press conference on Tuesday, Vice Admiral G S Pabby ducked six questions on Arihant but indicated that a formal announcement might be made in the coming days. "There will soon be an opportunity to talk about it," Pabby said when faced with persistant questions. Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, also refused to talk about the subject, saying it did not come under his purview. INS Arihant is a 6,000-tonne SSBN (ship submersible ballistic, nuclear (SSBN) submarine), that can carry ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads. SSBNs are equipped with better stealth features and are larger compared to SSNs, which are nuclear-powered attack submarines. The SSBNs are the best bet when it comes to a retaliatory strike to a nuclear attack. INS Arihant is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core which was developed following extensive help by the Russians. India's quest for its indigenous nuclear submarine began in late 1990s under top secret project called Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV). The plan was to build three such submarines. In 2009, Arihant was launched into the water at the ship-building centre in Visakhapatnam. In 2013, the nuclear reactor of the submarine went 'critical'. Since then, the submarine has gone numerous trials including missile firing trials as early as March this year. The second nuclear submarine, INS Aridhaman is already under construction. Arihant is integrated with "K" (named after former president APJ Abdul Kalam) series of missiles. While the K-15 has a 750-km range, the K-4 can go up to 3,500-km. The K-5 has a much higher range. However, it is not confirmed whether the full integration of missiles have taken place or not. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The City of Brandon took a significant tumble in the latest rankings released by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business falling 49 spots to No. 93. The ninth annual Entrepreneurial Communities report takes an in-depth look at how communities across Canada have supported entrepreneurs and small business to start, grow and prosper. The main reason Brandon plunged in the rankings was due to a hit in business optimism in the community, according to CFIBs director of provincial affairs, Jonathan Alward. In general, everythings been relatively status quo except for the business optimism hiring intentions have slowed, and its less optimistic here than it was this time last year, he said. A total of 121 cities were ranked using 14 entrepreneurship indicators grouped into three main categories: presence (a representation of the scale and growth of business ownership); perspective (business optimism and growth plans); and policy (actions local governments take with respect to business taxation and regulation). Brandons score is 52.4 out of 100, while Winnipeg came in with 54.6. Winnipeg fell 16 spots from last year (No. 64) to No. 80 but is now ahead in Brandon, which ranked No. 44 last year. In the presence category, Brandon scored 10.6 out of 25, while the policy category showed 27.6 out of 40. Under perspective, which covers indicators associated with optimism and growth plans, Brandon scored just 14.2 out of 35, compared to last years 24.1. To improve Manitobas rankings, the CFIB is asking the government to increase spending at a sustainable rate and hold the line on property taxes. The more positive steps government can take, whether its reducing red tape or holding property taxes, reducing spending, all those steps are going to increase business optimism in the community and hopefully have an impact on businesses hiring intentions, Alward said. The community ranked No. 1 is Collingwood, Ont., while Riviere-du-Loup, Que., came in at No. 2, and Kelowna, B.C., at No. 3. There are 4,800 CFIB members in the province, including more than 200 in Brandon. The number of members across Canada is 109,000. Mayor Rick Chrest said he was surprised to see such a drastic swing in the rankings over the course of one year. There would have to be typically some tumultuous event that happened, like if we put in a massive tax hike, or a water treatment plant failed, or you lost your communitys major employer we havent had anything like that, he said. He pointed out Brandon does not have a business tax, and city council has kept tax increases low 0.43 per cent in 2015 and 0.26 per cent this year. Chrest also pointed to the latest building permit numbers, which show year-to-date permits are up 13 per cent compared to the same time last year. In the commercial sector, construction is up 28 per cent, an increase of approximately $4.5 million. Businesses are investing in our community, and I do believe we have a very buoyant and positive business community, Chrest said. The mayor said these types of rankings are difficult to respond to, whether you are at the top or the bottom. Earlier this year, Brandon had a favourable outlook in The Mid-Sized Cities report from the Conference Board of Canada. A Western Investor article ranked Brandon as one of the top five towns for investors on the Prairies. Youve got to take this with a grain of salt, because these things are up and down, Chrest said. Having a very stable, well-run, well-maintained city, without wide fluctuations in taxes and whatnot, provides a typically a sound community for people to invest in. Brandon Chamber of Commerce vice-president Tami-Rae Clements said she was shocked when she saw latest ranking, and hopes to see the city bounce back up again. Im disappointed in the fall of our spot and I dont think that theyre right, she said. When it comes to business optimism, Clements said the drop may be due to the impact of the oil patch. Theres a lot of people that have been affected by the downturn of the oil definitely in the southwest corner. Theres not as much construction going on down there, she said. What nobodys taking into account is the huge growth weve experienced just even in the last 10 years. You cant run at 110 per cent forever, youve got to plateau for a bit. jaustin@brandonsun.com Twitter: @jillianaustin Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Police are expected to make an announcement on Wednesday about three arrests and the seizure of drugs and guns from the Brandon area as the result of a major drug investigation. Project Derringer was a joint effort between the BPS, Winnipeg Police Service and Manitoba RCMP, and it was the Manitoba Integrated Organized Crime Task Force that made the arrests. Police raided a farm near Griswold on Thursday afternoon and reportedly arrested two men at that scene. Charges have been laid, and based on those it appears a third man was arrested on Friday in Brandon. Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun A farm near Griswold was raided by police on Thursday afternoon. Two men, believed to be a local man and a man from Toronto, were arrested at the farm. Police also raided a home on the 1200 block of First Street on Friday, but its unclear if that raid is connected to the third man or how it is related to the investigation. Both raids involved the BPS Tactical Response Unit. There was also a report that the unit had arrested a man in the 900 block of Eighth Street on Friday. Police have been highly secretive about the months-long investigation. The allegations against two of the accused stretch between Jan. 27 and Oct. 13 of this year. However, its expected police will describe an investigation into the mass transport of drugs from the Toronto region to the Brandon area for distribution. The drugs the men are accused of trafficking are cocaine, marijuana, psilocybin and crystal meth. Anecdotally, Brandons courts have seen a higher presence of cases involving the possession of methamphetamine in recent years. Where the drugs and weapons were found hasnt been specified. The three accused face various weapons offences in connection with the illegal possession of a number of guns. Leslie Gerald Bisson, 36, is charged with 23 counts that include trafficking of cocaine, marijuana, psilocybin and crystal meth. Hes also accused of illegally possessing a tactical semi-automatic rifle, two pump-action shotguns, and three rifles. Justin Tyler Reimer, 28, is accused of illegally having a .22-calibre handgun, and an SKS 726 calibre assault rifle that seems to be a dated Soviet weapon. Reimer is also charged with illegally possessing ammunition for both guns, and a high-capacity magazine. In total, Reimer faces 19 charges that also include possession of cocaine, crystal meth, and marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Members of the Brandon Police Service Tactical Response Unit walk back to their vehicles during an operation at a residence in the 1200 block of First Street on Friday afternoon. Its alleged he was found in possession of all these drugs and guns on Friday. Also charged is Javed Ali, 29, who faces six charges that relate to the trafficking and possession for trafficking of cocaine and crystal meth. All three men remain in custody. The allegations against them havent been proven and theyre presumed innocent. Its not known yet if the arrests are connected to a series of shootings in the Wheat City recently. The Brandon Sun will have details from the press conference to be held at Manitoba RCMP headquarters in Winnipeg late Wednesday morning. Exhibits will be available for journalists to film and photograph. Deputy Chief Randy Lewis will represent the Brandon Police Service. ihitchen@brandonsun.com Twitter: @IanHitchen Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Saron Teklit, a refugee from Eritrea, knows what its like to stand up for what she believes in. In an African country where Christians can face persecution, she and her family fled. They found safe haven in Sudan before they settled, only five months ago, in Brandon. Teklit doesnt take her new life for granted, though. Ian Froese/The Brandon Sun The 13 Vincent Massey High School students who will be flying to We Day in Calgary. Back row, from left: Emily Liang, Abbie Whetter, Brooklyn Bauman, Abby Wakewich, Sinead Osiuwemu, Abby Grindey, Alejandra Valle. Front row, from left: Carter Gray, Emma Sul, Danielle Isfeld, Jose Padilla, Sophia Padilla, Saron Teklit. Shes already volunteering, even while grappling with a new language and culture. Shes part of Vincent Massey High Schools Youth Revolution group, a collective of some 30 students trying to make a positive difference in their community, and now shes being rewarded for it. On Monday, Teklit and a dozen other students at the Brandon school learned they will fly to Calgary next week to attend We Day, a travelling road show encouraging students to pay attention to social justice matters. Their trip is all-expenses paid by WestJet. Teklit shrugged when asked why she helps others it simply makes sense. If people have a problem, I want to help, she said. Her teacher in the Youth Revolution program, Patricia Redekop, is impressed with her commitment to help, especially after years of hardship in the 19-year-olds own life. Youve helped in everything, Redekop told Teklit, who replied she wants to take what she learns in Canada and share it with her home country hopefully once Christians are no longer victimized. Because I love my family, said Teklit, whose extended family remains in Eritrea. The teacher said the free trip to Calgary includes airfare for four other new Canadians, most who moved to the country in the last few years. Redekop broke the news to the students parents first, about a week ago. Theyre so proud of them, that their (children are) really involving themselves in the community, she said. Theyre overjoyed. Sophia Padilla, 15, a recent immigrant from Honduras, is thrilled, too. After staff attending the trip debriefed students on initial details, Padilla was brought to tears. Im not sad, no, she said afterwards. I cried for the happiness. Alejandra Valle, 14, was beside Padilla, comforting her. Ian Froese/The Brandon Sun Alejandra Valle, left, and her tearful friend Sophia Padilla delight in the news Monday they will be flying to Calgary on an all-expenses paid trip to attend a We Day youth empowerment event. The immigrants from Honduras are among 13 Vincent Massey Collegiate students lucky enough to be chosen. The two grew up separately in Honduras, but their paths merged in Brandon. Valle first had to downplay Padillas fears when they were called on the PA system Monday morning. Padilla thought she was in trouble, but Valle told her this visit to the library would probably result in a ticket to Calgary. Thirteen students are receiving airfare, of approximately 30 who applied. WestJet only offered trips to students in eight schools nationwide. Teacher Tyler Letkeman, one of three division staff members on the trip, hopes We Day inspires the teenagers. They are surrounded by people who are like you, who want to make a difference, who have been working to make a difference, he said. The students parents were asked to hold onto the secret, which meant the lips of parents like Orlando Whetter were sealed. He wont be tight-lipped while his daughter is away, though. There will be some text messages, and dad getting maybe an hour or two of sleep the one night, said Whetter, whose daughter Abbie is attending. But its a good experience. Theres no way we would not want our child to participate in something like that. We Day Alberta will pack Calgarys Scotiabank Saddledome on Oct. 26 with thousands of students. They will hear from inspirational speakers like astronaut Chris Hadfield, mental health advocate Margaret Trudeau and Paralympian Rick Hansen, who travelled 40,000 kilometres by wheelchair to support people with disabilities. Winnipeg holds its own We Day event next month. ifroese@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ianfroese Republicans are repeating a line of attack they've used for several weeks that Democratic congressional candidate Colleen Deacon isn't prepared to address national security issues if she's elected to the House of Representatives. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super political action committee linked to House Republicans, launched a new television commercial attacking Deacon's stance on fighting ISIS and the Iran nuclear deal. The ad, which is part of an $800,000 campaign funded by the super PAC, began airing Tuesday on Syracuse-area broadcast and cable TV stations. Much like previous ads funded by Republicans, including U.S. Rep. John Katko and the National Republican Congressional Committee, the 30-second spot uses a clip of Deacon, D-Syracuse, telling WRVO's Grant Reeher "I don't know what the answer is" when asked about how the U.S. should approach fighting ISIS in Syria. The quote mentioned in the ad wasn't Deacon's full response in that December 2015 interview. As The Citizen has outlined in a previous fact check, her response was much longer. But Republicans have seized on that sound bite to portray Deacon as ill-prepared to handle national security issues in Congress. "When it comes to our nation's security, Colleen Deacon doesn't know the answer," said Ruth Guerra, a spokeswoman for the Congressional Leadership Fund. "In fact, voters can hear it from Deacon herself. Whether it's supporting the dangerous Iran deal or fighting ISIS at home and abroad, Colleen Deacon has demonstrated she isn't prepared. New York families cannot afford to risk their security with a novice like Colleen Deacon." Guerra added that the ad is one part of super PAC's campaign. It's also funding digital advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts in the 24th Congressional District. According to Guerra, the Congressional Leadership Fund and the American Action Network, the super PAC's sister organization, has spent more than $33 million in 29 congressional districts throughout the country. The group has spent $806,868 in the 24th District race, according to Federal Election Commission records. Deacon is challenging Katko, R-Camillus, in the 24th Congressional District race. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Already have an account? Log in here We need your support! Local journalism needs your support! As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Ive had a rare opportunity these last several weeks to be in Germany as a Fellow of the Bosch Academy working on the reform of refugee agreements and institutions. Since summer 2015, the massive influx of refugees from the Middle East and parts of Africa has challenged long-held conventions and policies on immigration in Europe. A political backlash threatens the governing systems of the European Union and many of its members. In response, several governments are taking actions that contradict the spirit and the legal framework that have defined for decades the rights of those seeking asylum. Germany has been at the epicentre of these developments. Since Chancellor Angela Merkels historic announcement last September that opened Germanys borders to an estimated million refugees, citizens and governments at the national, regional and local level have been wrestling with tough questions on what this surge of newcomers from outside of Europe means for their accepted notions of governance and identity. The choreography of change, especially in an open democracy like Germany, is an intricate play of forces fascinating and admirable to observe firsthand but, for those involved, difficult to manage with various competing outcomes. It was providential that my last days on this phase of the project were in Munich. A year ago, this was where thousands of refugees first arrived at the central railroad station, looking for sanctuary after being buffeted about by unsympathetic Eastern European governments. I had dinner with the young woman thrust into the daunting role of co-ordinating the refugees reception. She described the reaction of the refugees who, after days and weeks of danger, risk and hostile treatment during their odyssey escaping the conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq or the state oppression in other countries like Ethiopia, was first disbelief, then gratitude, at arriving somewhere people cared and treated them with respect. They initially feared being sealed away in camps. But that changed when they understood their destinations were to be reception centres for processing toward legal status. It was an extraordinary organizational achievement to manage such large numbers of dislocated people in a humane, respectful way. At the core were 4,000 volunteers who brought food, bedding and tents, along with a personal outpouring of welcome. That made the difference. But it couldnt have happened without the co-operation of the local police, emergency health personnel and the volunteer firemen who provided security services. She described a positive example of community and city government partnership to meet emerging problems, reminiscent of what happens in Winnipeg when floods threaten. I wanted to know what had happened to the refugees since those dramatic days a year ago and how the volunteer power is being mobilized for the long haul. There are growing grievances that a hierarchy of refugees from different national groups was being implemented by officialdom and the criteria for being accepted was becoming narrowly defined into the strict terms of fear of political persecution. If youre a woman escaping harassment in Somalia or a gay person facing potential beating and cultural attacks in Pakistan, then chances were you would be sent back even though the Refugee Convention clearly accommodates sexual risk. The question of what is a refugee and the compelling need for a different category definition is one of the core issues in refugee reform. And increasingly, the volunteers who were the valiant first responders find themselves closed out of the more formalized state system. But never underestimate the ingenuity of good-hearted people with an abundance of energy and skill. I met a group of young Germans who are an alliance of members of the youth wings of the various political parties, who work together in a non-partisan way on refugee interests. They jointly pursue three objectives: affordable housing, accessible education and participation by refugees in the decisions that affect them. Lets hope that spirit is transmitted to their party elders. The refugee crisis is not just a German issue. It is worldwide in scope and impact. Look over the horizon. You may already be able to see the growing numbers of desperate men, women and children being pushed out of their homelands by starvation, environmental degradation, rising coastal waters, destructive storms and shortages of water. Alexander Betts of Oxford Universitys Refugee Studies Centre calls this survival migration. This is not like climate change, which erodes the ecosystem in a steady, often silent, way. The plight of millions of people pulling up stakes, surging across borders and drowning in rough seas has the shock-and-awe impact of an electric storm. Germany has the capacity for leadership in this emerging global problem. Next year, it chairs the Global Forum on Migration and the G-20. I believe Canadians should be working with German counterparts in government, community and business to fix public policy on refugees at the international, national and local level. That is where the Canadian experience needs to be brought to bear. Our model has relevance in trying to establish a true reset of global migration policies. Otherwise, the broken system of international norms and practices carries with it enormous risk to the entire globe because the increasing pressure of mobility will be stymied, creating mounting pools of grievance and extremism. Charles Taylor captures it best with these words: Our age makes higher demands of solidarity and benevolence on people today than ever before. Never before have people been asked to stretch out so far, and so consistently, so systematically, so as a matter of course to the stranger outside the gates. Lloyd Axworthy is a former federal Liberal cabinet minister and is currently chairman of the CUSO board. His column is also published in the Winnipeg Free Press. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/10/2016 (2204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Time for talk is over Good for federal Crown prosecutor Christina Cheater for shining a light on what is going on in Brandon. The mayors statement that I was certainly a little surprised and I guess disappointed that a member of the Crown would make such a broad and alarming pronouncement about the overall safety of our community sums up the head-in-the-sand attitude of city management and makes one wonder if the strategy of attacking the messenger instead of acknowledging the problem is in the best interests of the citizens of Brandon. The seriousness, viciousness and magnitude of crime in Brandon has been escalating steadily over the past number of years. A main solution from our officials seems to be, in large part, to couch these often vicious acts, in cutesy terms such as car-hopping and mischief. Ridiculous! These are serious assaults against people and property and should be labelled as such and a plan developed and implement to effectively put an end to this intimidation. Finally, since it seems to be pretty much the same group of individuals who continue to plague our city, the obvious question is, why is their punishment not more severe? To those individuals and groups who may feel that more severe punishment for those committing crimes is inappropriate and that they have a better way to implement behaviour change stop talking and start meting! Public safety needs to be first I cant believe that people are applauding Brandon police for capturing suspects. My question to police, is why did the takedown on 18th Street, Brandons busiest street, occur during rush hour? Why were they not taken down at the point of pickup by the cab driver? And why would you let them take public transport? Police would have had to been watching these people, so they knew they were in the cab. Police should be protecting the public, not putting them in danger. I think that police tactics need to change. The minister should look into this and re-evaluate Brandon police armed conflict tactics. Public safety should be a forefront of that inquiry. Hope they saved some for us I sure hope that our government is going to give money to the people on the East Coast as easily as they send money to Haiti to help them. It seems that there is so much red tape when it comes to helping Canadian areas when disaster strikes, but when it is other countries we just send help and money quickly with no accountability. How about some basic math education? My wife and I were seriously concerned and dismayed when we learned that our gifted son, whose strength is in math, didnt know how to do long division. He simply wasnt taught it. Once we showed him he understood. Honestly, do the teachers even care that they are sending the kids out in the world without basic skills? I would be embarrassed if that was my job and I failed so horribly at it. The government should be very embarrassed. Six-figure superintendents and paper-shuffling education consultants dont truly care about the future of our kids. Why cant our new government do something constructive to help our kids? Learn from our misfortune Our house was broken into on Friday evening and some expensive jewelry was stolen. The fact that we have an alarm system did not deter the thieves because we live in the country. Thieves know how long it will take the police to get there. Invest in a video surveillance system. You can get one for less than the $500 deductible on your insurance policy. If anyone driving Highway 10 south of Brandon between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday saw anything suspicious, please call Souris RCMP. Ryanair has reduced its full-year net profit guidance by 5% from a previous range of 1.375bn - 1.425bn to a new range of 1.30bn - 1.35bn. The budget airline said the main reason of the slightly lower growth is the 18% fall of sterling after Brexit, which they say will reduce average fares in the second half of the year by between 13% to 15% as opposed to the previously forecast 10% to 12%. Blue-green algae problems plaguing Owasco Lake and the public drinking water supply will be the topic for the next edition of the Inside Government with Guy Cosentino television program. Auburns Director of Municipal Utilities Seth Jensen, Owasco Watershed Lake Association President Robert Brower and former President James Beckwith will appear 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, on Time Warner Cable channel 12 to discuss the recent water quality issues. The show also airs at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, on Time Warner 12 and at 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 22 and 23, on Time Warner 12 and 98 and Verizon channel 31 via Auburn Regional Media Access (ARMA). At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, on Time Warner 12, "Beyond the Front The Front Page with Guy Cosentino" will feature Auburn Regional Media Access with ARMA Board Chair Robert Penafeather, Vice Chair Steve Keeler and Treasurer Carey Eidel. It will also appear at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, on Time Warner 12 and at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 22 and 23, on Time Warner 12 and 98 and Verizon 31. On Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m., the first of a series of candidate forums is scheduled. This forum features candidates for the 51st state Senate District, state Sen. James Seward, R-C, and Jemaine Bagnall-Graham, D. Questions for this and other forums are asked by The Citizen Executive Editor Jeremy Boyer with Cosentino serving as moderator. The forum will air at 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 22 and 23, on Time Warner 12 and 98 and Verizon 31 and again at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, on Time Warner 12. Candidate forums will also be posted to auburnpub.com for viewing anytime. These programs are also streamed live and archived on the Cayuga Communty College Telcom Departments YouTube channel, Media@Cayuga. Viewers should open YouTube in a browser or app and then enter Media@Cayuga in the search bar. The shows are rebroadcast starting at 10 a.m. each Saturday morning on the colleges radio station, WIN-89 89.1 FM. Suggested questions for any of the shows guests can sent to cozguytho@aol.com. Dumpster diving is not a new concept and has been common around the world for years. It involves going to the refuse area of shops or skips on the side of the road and rummaging through it for items that you may not consider rubbish. A dumpster diver in Cork has said that she only spent a maximum of 5 a week on grocery items after she started dumpster diving. The laws around dumpster diving in Ireland are vague, most items in skips are the property of the refuse company, but it is always best to ask permission or else you could be prosecuted. A lot of places are more bothered by people dumping their own rubbish in skips rather than taking items from it. Our Cork dumpster diver said most places she approached were happy (if a little disgusted by the idea) to let her rummage through the bins. She is vegan so basically living off of dumpster diving was easier for her than others as meat is expensive and unsafe to take from a dumpster. In the history of her treasure hunts she has found (among many other things) beer, crisps, chocolate, apples, carrots, tea, toothpaste and even an expensive brand of moisturising cream (the packaging was damaged). She said: Many shops in Ireland are not permitted to re-sell food items if they have been returned so they throw out perfectly good produce. I am always so careful to check items thoroughly before I take them, its so easy when shops use clear plastic bags because I can see in from the outside and dont need to rummage through black bin bags. Here are her top tips for dumpster diving in Ireland: Dress: Wear clothing that covers your entire body. Hoodies are great and try to wear boots and gloves. Tuck the ends of your pants into your boots and the sleeves of your coat into your gloves. Inspect: Inspect items carefully. Look at the best before dates. Check for mould or rips in the packaging of food. Timing: If you have permission to dumpster dive at a shop, ask them what day they tend to throw things out. Keep an eye out for goodies and dont procrastinate, if you leave and come back the good stuff might be gone. Permission: Make sure you get permission and know your rights. Stay off private property and dont trespass. Give: Give anything you dont want away to someone who does. Waste not want not. Dumpster diving is seen as a way of tackling food waste and hunger. Rob Greenfield is an American who has made a living from dumpster diving. He shares some of his top tips in the video below. A passenger on a plane live-tweeted his encounter with an emotional support duck that another passenger had brought on board. Although an animal does not need specific training to become an emotional support animal, in order to be prescribed an emotional support animal the person seeking one must have a verifiable disability. Morgan County Sheriffs Office in Utah has issued a public warning over Pot Tarts and certain gummy bears. The sweet treats have been trickling over the border from Colorado and are infused with marijuana. Recreational marijuana use is legal in Colorado and police are having a tough time controlling the influx of products. The packaging can be deceptive and it is easy to mistake some of these products for their marijuana-free originals. Candy such as this has sent children to the ER in the past and parents are being warned to be vigilant. This dog's Halloween photoshoot has gone viral after it was posted to Twitter. Victoria Aycock was at a pumpkin patch in Culver City, California, when she snapped the moment. Gardai are searching 20 premises in the Dublin area as part of a crackdown on organised crime and suspected laundering of the proceeds. The Criminal Assets Bureau and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau are all involved. The Bishop of Cork and Ross will be manning an information stand at a careers fair in Cork today, in a new approach to recruiting to the priesthood. Bishop John Buckley will be attempting to persuade young job hunters that a life serving God in the priesthood is a career for them at the Career Options Cork 2016 event. Church figures are hoping that Bishop Buckleys famed personal touch can make a difference to young people making up their minds about future prospects. It is thought to be the first time that the church has taken a stand at an employment fair in Cork. The event, which features stands from all walks of employment, takes place today and tomorrow, with Bishop Buckley making an appearance today. Spokesperson for the Diocese, Fr Tom Deenihan, said: The Diocese is always trying to find new ways of reaching people. We have seen the need for more vocations in recent years and we would very much encourage those who might be thinking of devoting their lives to carrying out Gods work. There was just one ordination in the Diocese of Cork and Ross this year. In June, Fr Pat Nugent was ordained in the Church of the Real Presence, Bishopstown, and he celebrated his First Mass of Thanksgiving the following Sunday in the same parish. His ordination comes at a time of falling vocations in the Church and the Diocese of Cork and Ross. Following two ordinations last year, there are just three men studying to become priests in Cork and Ross at present. Bishop Buckley has been a vocal campaigner for local communities to encourage vocations to the priesthood. Bord na Mona workers who fear they may lose their jobs want an urgent meeting with the Environment Minister, Denis Naughten. Up to 1,300 workers employed at the company's power stations in the Midlands face an uncertain future amid new rules on peat burning. Last week the High Court granted a stay to three BNM subsidiaries allowing them to continue operations pending a decision by An Bord Pleanala. Siptu's John Regan, said: "The continuing uncertainty about the long-term future of the plants is causing immense strain to hundreds of workers and their families. Closure of the Edenderry plant, run by Edenderry Power Ltd, would lead directly to 250 to 300 job losses. "The two other peat burning power stations in the Midlands are also under threat, which means up to 1,300 other direct jobs could be at risk while many more people also depend on the BNM operations for their livelihoods." He added that the union is confident that BNM does have a viable plan and long term strategy for the Edenderry Power plant. He said: "The plan envisages the development of a biomass industry which will replace its traditional peat energy business by 2030. Biomass use in the Edenderry plant is currently at 35% (350,000 tonnes) and will rise to 50% (500,000 tonnes) by 2020 while the company intends to continue to reduce the use of peat thereafter. "We require an urgent engagement with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten, to discuss the future of these plants and the many thousands of people who depend on them." Three men, a woman and a child have been found in a container in a haulage yard. The group of five, including the girl believed to be as young as three, were discovered in the depot of a transport company in New Ross, Co Wexford, on Sunday evening. A senior Nama director has dismissed as "simply wrong" claims that Nama lost up to 210m in its controversial sale of a massive Northern Ireland property portfolio. In a hard-hitting rebuke, Willie Soffe - chair of the Nama credit committee, said the key finding of an investigation by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) into the sale was derived from a mistaken assumption about a discount rate. Nama had applied a "market discount rate" of 10% rather than its usual 5.5% discount because of the state of the Northern Ireland economy and its outlook at the time, he told the PAC. "The Comptroller and Auditor General's statement that Nama made a probable loss of 190m (210m) is based on an assumption and a comparison that is simply wrong," said Mr Soffe. His attack on the public spending watchdog was described by several TDs on the Oireachtas committee as being unprecedented in being so defensive and pejorative. Sean Fleming, committee chairman, said: "I was shocked by your statement here today - you made 10 specific attacks on the C&AG. Sean Fleming. "If the Nama story is such a good story, why have you come in to make 10 specific attacks. "I have never seen 10 attacks by any public body." The C&AG found Nama undervalued loans associated with the 800 properties when it sold the so-called Project Eagle portfolio to US investment fund Cerberus for 1.2bn (1.32bn) in 2014. But Mr Soffe said no one has yet demonstrated how a better price could have been reached. The Nama director said commercial property prices in Northern Ireland have not improved since the sale and may continue to struggle for the foreseeable future because of the Brexit fall-out. Mr Soffe also told the parliamentary committee that Nama was aware of the wider political, economic and financial implications for Northern Ireland when deciding to sell the portfolio in one lot rather than over time. As a State agency, it had to be cognisant of the Stormont Executive and the Government, and could not view the North the same as any other jurisdiction, he told the committee - which is investigating the sale. "Given the recent history of the island, it would be unthinkable for Nama to ignore the impact of its actions on the Northern Ireland economy and North/South relations," he said. But he said he took "strong issue" with suggestions an alleged conflict of interest by Frank Cushnahan, a Belfast businessman who sat on Nama's Northern Ireland advisory committee, could have corrupted the sales process. Mr Cushnahan, who was appointed to the role by the Democratic Unionist Party, may have sought to represent himself as a key pivot in the sale, but he had no influence with Nama or the price paid for the portfolio, Mr Soffe insisted. Frank Cushnahan. The Nama director said the C&AG's concern about Nama managing conflicts of interest was a "subjective opinion" based on hindsight. The public spending watchdog found that US investment fund Pimco, which pulled out of an earlier bid, alerted Nama to a "success fee" or fixer payment of 15-16m (16.6-17.7m) for three parties behind the scenes. Pimco said the money was to be shared equally by Mr Cushnahan, Brown Rudnick, a US law firm, and a managing partner of Tughans, a Belfast law firm subcontracted to assist in the deal, the C&AG found. Mr Cushnahan has denied any wrongdoing. Auburn will be one of several locations across the state that will open a new welcome center to promote regional tourism, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday. The intentions to allocate $55 million to several statewide tourism initiatives and programs were announced Tuesday during the New York State Tourism and Craft Beverage Summit at The Egg convention center in Albany. A statement released by the governor's office following the summit indicated that a welcome center will be opened in each of New York's 10 regions. Auburn was pinpointed for central New York. According to Tuesday's statement, each center will feature a Taste NY market, which will offer local food and beverage products. The centers will also promote regional attractions and destinations, while travelers will be able to create an itinerary and receive an emailed copy. Interactive kiosks at each center will allow visitors to learn of the region's history, state officials said. It was not immediately clear how the $55 million will be allocated. It was also unclear whether the regional center identified for Auburn is related to a similar facility the city sought funding for in its application for $10 million through the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative program. As part of the DRI application, the proposed downtown Auburn welcoming center was described as a 14,000- to 16,000-square-foot facility emphasizing Harriet Tubman. After it was announced that the $10 million was awarded to the city of Oswego, Auburn lawmakers applied in June for funding from the New York state Environmental Protection Fund Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. The center, as proposed, would stand separately from a visitors center planned for the Harriet Tubman National Park on South Street. Auburn Mayor Michael Quill and City Clerk Chuck Mason were the city's representatives in Albany on Tuesday, joining other municipal officials and tourism industry leaders. Cuomo was not in attendance. Quill said Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul provided an overview of different initiatives statewide, with much focus on the craft brewing industry. But while the $55 million in funding was announced, there was no mention of Auburn as the site for a welcome center, the mayor said. "We'd be very interested in having a visitor's center if that's what the governor's interests are, but we don't know anything about it at this point," Quill said. A spokesperson with the governor's office could not be immediately reached for more details. Mason was encouraged by the news at the summit about the emergence of craft beer with economic development, saying the area's local breweries fit into the statewide momentum. Though for the welcome center, Mason said city leaders will have to wait and see. "It's exciting and it certainly lines up with our mission for establishing a downtown welcoming center," he said. People will never look at the gardai the same way again if planned strikes go ahead, according to Minister Leo Varadkar. The Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald is briefing the Cabinet this morning on plans to deal with the upcoming industrial action. Around 2,000 sergeants and inspectors and 10,000 rank-and-file gardai will strike over four days next month as part of a pay restoration row. Minister Varadkar said he hopes a deal can be reached with the GRA and the AGSI. He said: "Obviously we all hope that strike can be avoided, I do think that if the strike does go ahead that people won't ever look at the gardai in the same way. "It's only a week or two ago that sergeants and inspectors voted by 70% to accept the Lansdowne Road Agreement. "I hope it's (the Cabinet meeting) less about contingency planning today and more about how we can make sure this is resolved." Gardai are still adamant that what they are doing does not qualify as a strike. They say "not reporting for duty" will not break any rules, and AGSI President Antoinette Cunningham says politicians are actually the ones at fault. She said: "Government are bringing the uniform into disrepute and I do lay the blame firmly on them. "Government have a massive responsibility, we are the only police organisation in the state of Ireland and Government ministers need to sit up a little straighter in their chair and say 'what can we do to stop the damage?'." Fifteen people have been arrested in Belgium - some on suspicion of recruiting others to join Islamic State in Syria. They are being questioned after 15 homes were raided in the country. America has dismissed an eight-hour pause in attacks by Russian and Syrian forces on rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo as "too little, too late". Hostilities will be halted for eight hours in the eastern districts of Aleppo, Russia's military announced on Monday, a day on which opposition activists said air strikes killed at least 36 people, including several children, in and around the divided city. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the people of Aleppo "have been subjected to near constant bombardment and air strikes" that have killed many civilians and levelled much of the city's infrastructure in an effort "to starve out and to drive out the opposition and civilians". "If there is actually an eight-hour pause in the unremitting suffering of the people of Aleppo, that would be a good thing. But frankly, it's a bit too little, too late," he said. The two militaries will observe a "humanitarian pause" between 8am and 4pm on October 20 to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city, Lt Gen Sergei Rudskoi of Russia's general staff said in Moscow. Militants, the wounded and sick will be allowed to evacuate to the neighbouring rebel-held province of Idlib. Umited Nations officials have pleaded with combatants to observe weekly 48-hour ceasefires to allow humanitarian relief into the city's besieged eastern districts, but Russian and Syrian forces have only escalated their aerial and ground assault on the rebel-held areas in recent weeks. The air strikes have claimed hundreds of lives, wounded many, flattened apartment buildings and laid waste to the already crippled medical sector. But Russian and Syrian leaders are now capitalising on a proposal made by the UN's envoy earlier this month to allow al Qaida-linked militants to leave in exchange for peace and local administration for the eastern districts. Rebels in the east, along with many residents, spurned the proposition, citing their distrust of the government side. And Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution mandating an immediate ceasefire. Monday's Russian announcement did not include any promises of an extended ceasefire or local administration and followed a bloody day of air strikes on rebel-held districts in and around Aleppo. At least 23 people were killed in air strike that also wounded dozens in the village of Oweijel, just west of Aleppo, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Another monitoring group, the Local Co-ordination Committees, said the air raid was carried out by Russian warplanes and put the death toll at 30. More than a dozen people were also killed in the Marjeh neighborhood in eastern Aleppo. The Aleppo Media Centre, an activist collective, said those killed included 11 people with the same family name of Qabs ranging from a month-old baby girl to a 25-year-old man. Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff speaks to the media, with a map of the area around Aleppo seen in the background, at the Russian Defense Ministry's headquarters in Moscow, Russia, yesterday The Observatory said at least 50 civilians, including 18 children, were killed in air strikes on the eastern part of the city in the 24 hours before the Russian announcement. Monday's air strikes coincided with the launch in neighbouring Iraq of a major operation by Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by the US-led coalition, to retake the northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State group. There have been concerns the government in Damascus could use the timing of the Mosul offensive to press its onslaught in Aleppo while world attention is diverted to developments in Iraq. Meanwhile, Syrian state media claimed 49 rebels were killed and wounded in fighting in the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Saeed and Shurfa on the southern edges of Aleppo. In the nearby province of Idlib, a US-led coalition drone struck a car in the provincial capital that carries the same name, killing all inside, according to the observatory and a jihadi official. It was not immediately clear who was in the vehicle, but such attacks have previously targeted officials with al Qaida's affiliate in Syria, known as Fatah al-Sham Front. The observatory said the attack targeted a faction commander and an official with Fatah al-Sham Front, formerly known as Nusra Front, said all those in the car were "martyred". Earlier this month, a drone attack killed top al Qaida leader Ahmed Salama Mabrouk. Terror group Islamic State is "failing" in Iraq, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said - as he warned that the fight to regain the country's second largest city "will not be a quick operation". Michael said around half of the RAF's bombing raids in the region were now concentrating on Mosul, which remains under so-called Islamic State's control. And despite his warning over the timing of the operation, Michael told MPs confidence was high among Iraqi forces leading efforts to recapture Mosul from the militants. Responding to an urgent question on Islamic State, also known as Daesh, in the Commons, he said: "This will not be a quick operation, and we can expect Daesh to fight hard to keep Mosul. "When I visited Baghdad and Erbil three weeks ago, senior Iraqi and coalition commanders outlined their plans for Mosul. "Their confidence is high and it is clear that Daesh is now failing." Michael added that the terror group had recently suffered "a series of crushing defeats", adding: "Overall, the Daesh extremists now hold only 10% of Iraqi territory. "Ridding Iraq of Daesh was never going to be quick or easy. "As we enter the third year of the campaign, real progress is being made and defeating Daesh in the long term will help make the streets of Britain and Europe safer." Iraqi forces are converging on Mosul from the east and the south, in what Michael called "the biggest offensive of the counter-Daesh campaign, designed to break Daesh's grip on the largest city still within its grasp". He said the RAF had been providing "intelligence-gathering and intensive air support" to the offensive. "More than half the RAF's recent strikes have been in and around Mosul," he added. MPs heard that British military instructors are also alongside Iraqi forces providing support and training. Michael said: "We recognise, as do the Iraqis, that this will be the greatest challenge that their security forces have yet encountered, with significant humanitarian implications." Police in England are investigating an allegation that a Tory MP's aide raped a woman in the British Houses of Parliament. Sam Armstrong, chief of staff to South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay, was arrested last week. The 23-year-old has been released on bail while inquiries continue into the incident, which is alleged to have occurred in the early hours of Friday. Police searched Mr Mackinlay's office in Westminster in connection with the allegation later that day. A spokesman for the MP said: "On Friday morning, Mr Mackinlay was made aware of an allegation against a member of his staff. "Following a request made by the police and parliamentary services he granted full access to his Westminster office. "Mr Mackinlay is currently awaiting further information from the police." A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Detectives from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command are investigating an allegation of rape at the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of Friday 14 October. "A 23-year-old man was arrested that same day on suspicion of rape. He has been bailed pending further inquires to a date in mid-January 2017." A House of Commons spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident on the parliamentary estate which is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service. "Parliament is working closely with the police on their investigation and we cannot comment further while this is ongoing." According to The Sun, the allegation was made after a group of Tory aides had been drinking on the House of Lords terrace, overlooking the River Thames. Mr Armstrong reportedly took the woman to the MP's Parliamentary office in the early hours of Friday and she reported the alleged attack soon afterwards. Republicans have seized on the latest developments in the Hillary Clinton email controversy as an issue that could help Donald Trump make up ground in the final US presidential debate. It follows news that the US state department had asked FBI officials to lower the classification of a sensitive email related to the attack on the US compound in Benghazi, Libya. FBI notes released on Monday revealed discussion of a "quid pro quo" in trying to get the email reclassified, though both the state department and FBI officials deny any bargaining took place. Mr Trump called it "one of the great miscarriages of justice" in history. But with Wednesday's debate approaching, Mr Trump and his campaign have had trouble sticking to the message. The candidate has continued his controversial warnings that the election is "rigged", angering his fellow Republicans who worry his rhetoric will hurt public faith in elections. And as news about the emails hit, Melania Trump made her first public comments about the allegations of sexual assault and misconduct lodged against her husband. In an interview with Fox News, Mrs Trump said she believes the accusations were co-ordinated by political rivals: "They want to damage the presidency of my husband, and it was all planned, it was all organised from the opposition." Mr Trump's comments carried echoes of Mrs Clinton's allegations of a "vast right-wing conspiracy" organised to raise similar allegations against her husband two decades ago. Mr Trump notably tried to revive Bill Clinton's history by inviting his accusers to the last debate. His guest list for Wednesday's face-off in Las Vegas signalled he hoped to change the subject. The Trump campaign said that Pat Smith, whose son Sean Smith was killed in the attack in Benghazi, will be attending the debate as the candidate's guest. Ms Smith was a featured speaker at the Republican National Convention, where she delivered an emotional speech blaming Mrs Clinton for her son's death and accusing her of lying to families about what sparked it. Mrs Clinton planned to spend Tuesday in New York preparing for the debate in Las Vegas. Mr Trump was due to hold rallies in Colorado. The disclosure of FBI documents revives questions about Mrs Clinton's use of personal email during her time as secretary of state. The issue has dogged her campaign and damaged voters' trust in her even as she remains the favourite ahead of the November 8 vote. The documents released on Monday show that a state department undersecretary for management, Patrick F Kennedy, a former close Clinton aide, contacted an FBI official seeking to change an email's classification, a move that would have sent it to the archive, out of public view. Notes on the conversation describe discussion about a "quid pro quo" in which the email's classification would be changed and the state department would allow the FBI to place more agents in countries where they had not been permitted. The records indicate that Mr Kennedy made that suggestion, but both the FBI and state department said that it was the unidentified FBI official. Neither the declassification nor the increase in agents occurred. Clinton campaign allies argued that the documents show bureaucratic haggling. "None of this has anything to do with Hillary Clinton. She wasn't involved in this at all," said Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York and a Clinton ally. Mr Nadler said "maybe" the conduct of the officials involved "should be looked at". The news came as Mrs Clinton is trying to expand her edge over Mr Trump - even in Republican territory. Her campaign announced it was launching a new push in Arizona, including a campaign stop in Phoenix by first lady Michelle Obama, one of Mrs Clinton's most effective surrogates. An additional one million dollars is going into efforts in Missouri and Indiana, both states with competitive Senate races, and a small amount of TV time is being bought in Texas and media appearances are scheduled in Utah. On the other side, Mr Trump's campaign dramatically expanded its ad buys in seven battleground states and announced plans to launch a two million dollar advertising blitz in long-shot Virginia. Russian and Syrian war planes are halting air strikes on the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo, Russia has announced. Moscow's defence minister has announced the two countries' air forces have paused operations ahead of a short truce on Thursday. For the fourth collection in a row, Owasco and Auburn's treated water samples have not detected blue-green algae toxins in samples sent to the New York State Department of Health's laboratory in Albany. The Cayuga County Health Department said it had collected the samples on Friday, Oct. 14 and results came back Monday afternoon. The department did not collect samples over the weekend for testing, but did take samples Monday afternoon. Results from those tests are expected back Tuesday afternoon, according to a release. While samples have been coming back with no detectable toxins, the laboratory's minimum detection limit is 0.15 micrograms per liter of microcystin, a toxin that can be released by dying blue-green algae blooms. Anything below that they cannot detect. Eileen O'Connor, the county's director of the Environmental Health Division, said depending on the results of Monday's sample, the department would decide whether to continue daily tests on the water. O'Connor also explained that two samples each are collected at the city of Auburn and town of Owasco's water treatment plants in case one sample breaks on its way to the lab. The samples are either overnight shipped or driven to the Wadsworth Center in Albany. The lab tests both samples, in addition to one raw water sample from each treatment plant. Occasionally results have shown two different toxin levels in the treated water, which O'Connor said could be because the samples are taken about a minute apart, or because the results of testing have a 0.02 micrograms per liter variability. That means the levels the lab detects could actually be 0.02 micrograms per liter more or less than what is reported. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's health advisory levels are at 0.3 micrograms per liter for children under 6, and 1.6 micrograms per liter for children and adults over 6. Should treated samples test at 0.3 micrograms per liter, the health department would issue an order to not drink the water, and water from another source would be brought into the county. So far, treated water tests have come back below those health advisory levels. Short-term exposure at health advisory levels to blue-green algae toxins is believed to cause liver failure, problems in kidney function and other health complications. For more information on blue-green algae, visit cayugacounty.us/health. Anyone with questions may call (315) 253-1560. As streaming platforms gear up to cater to the holiday season, Netflix and a slew of others are offering a variety... MUMBAI/ HANOI/ BANGKOK/DHAKA: Prices of rice from top exporter India edged up this week on an up tick in the rupee... PARIS: The International Energy Agency said Wednesday it believes global emissions will peak in 2025 as surging... Sadly, the tragic impact of domestic violence reaches deep into our society. Each year, thousands are forced to endure abuse at the hands of their intimate partner. It is a reality that must be addressed with strong public safety laws and abundant resources and support for victims. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to focus on strategies to combat the verbal and physical intimate partner abuse that tears at the fabric of our families and communities. Domestic violence includes a number of different behaviors abusive parties exhibit to gain control over their victims. Threats, isolation and sexual abuse, among other tactics, have devastating and lasting impacts on victims. As a legislative leader I have fought hard to improve the tools New York has to deal with domestic abuse. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PERMEATES TOO FAR INTO OUR COMMUNITIES According to the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, nearly half the women murdered in New York State are killed by an intimate partner. In the U.S., nearly one in every four women report violence at the hands of a current or former boyfriend or spouse. Simply put, this is unacceptable. Shine the Light on Domestic Violence, a New York State campaign now in its eighth year, offers resources for those who know someone or are dealing with domestic violence themselves. For information and resources visit http://opdv.ny.gov/index.html. BRITTANYS LAW WILL HELP PREVENT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Brittanys Law would create a registry of violent offenders much like the states sex offender registry. Unfortunately, despite passing in the Senate seven straight years and having bipartisan support in the Assembly, the bill has failed to make it to the governors desk. New York City has a registry of animal abusers, yet this potentially life-saving law has been blocked year after year. Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther is the Assembly Majority sponsor of the bill (A.1833), which I proudly co-sponsor. It is unconscionable this bill continues to needlessly stall in the Assembly. Brittanys Law was born out of a tragedy in our district. In 2009, 12-year-old Brittany Passalacqua was murdered along with her mother, Helen Buchel, in Geneva. The two were killed by John Edward Brown, a parolee who served time for violently assaulting his infant daughter years earlier. Ms. Buchel was unaware of Browns violent history. Brittanys Law could have helped prevent these two senseless murders. I urge all lawmakers to make 2017 the year Brittanys Law is finally added as a tool to prevent domestic violence. What do you think? I want to hear from you. Send me your feedback, suggestions and ideas regarding this or any other issue facing New York State. You can always contact my district office at (315) 781-2030, email me at kolbb@assembly.state.ny.us, find me by searching for Assemblyman Brian Kolb on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter. Much has been made of John Katko's supposed independent voting record during his first term of office. Supposedly he's voted against his party 19 percent of the time. His campaign touts this as evidence of his character and willingness to stand up for central New York. According to Vote Smart, he did vote against the Republican majority for six of the 71 critical votes. That's only 8 percent, not the 19 percent cited by his campaign. However, if you examine his voting record more closely I'm not sure you can say he's anymore independent than any other Republican or even independent at all. We all know that the congressional leadership will often allow a congressman to vote against the party line in cases where there would be strong district disapproval to vote otherwise, if the party was likely to prevail anyway. For example, Katko voted against the party in HR 511 concerning a matter of Native American tribal sovereignty. The issue was whether federal labor standards applies on reservations. Given the prevailing position of the Republican party against any sort of labor standards, it's not surprising they would vote to deny labor protections to Native Americans anywhere they could. In contrast, given the sentiment against tribal sovereignty in upstate New York, Katko's vote would have raised serious political issues for him here. Given there was already a comfortable majority it would be perfectly understandable the leadership would allow Katko to vote as he did. This is not exactly political independence, rather political expediency. To his credit, he did vote twice against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Again there were comfortable Republican majorities in both cases and the actual repeal was unlikely given the President Obama's veto. I suspect that despite all the Republican rhetoric against making affordable health insurance available to low-income people, even Congressman Katko understands how valuable it has been to a great many people in central New York. Again, I don't think you can make the case that Congressman Katko is any more independent or principled than any other Republican congressman, especially in light of his absolute refusal to categorically repudiate Donald Trump, who is perhaps the most unsuitable presidential candidate in the history of the Republic. Congressman Katko simply hasn't shown any real political courage that I can see. It's important that voters have a clear understanding of the actual voting record and position of a candidate. Richard Glenister Locke SINGAPORE: Palm oil may revisit its Oct. 25 high of 4,263 ringgit per tonne, as it may have resumed its uptrend from... MADRID: Spains unemployment rate edged up slightly in the third quarter of this year after declining steadily since... SKANEATELES Businesses throughout central New York are turning it pink this month in support of breast cancer awareness and research. With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund of CNY is upping the ante of its usual efforts this time of year with a new campaign aimed at increasing the attention and funds raised during the month while decreasing the workload behind it. #TurnItPink, said Jeanne St. Claire the brand ambassador and project developer for the campaign allows businesses to be creative in their own way throughout the month by changing their logos to pink or offering a pink-themed item for sale to raise money for the organization. People can visit @projectpinksta on Instagram or use the hashtag to view photos of people and businesses who are turning it pink for the month. St. Claire, of Skaneateles, equated the campaign to the (RED) campaign to raise money for the fight against AIDS through the sale of red-themed GAP clothing and iPhone cases. The inspiration behind the campaign is St. Claire's mother and grandmother, Beth Baldwin and Carol Baldwin, and how hard they have worked over the years to raise funds for research while at the same time caring for people suffering from breast cancer and their family members. "She's constantly taking people to their chemo treatments and checking in on and helping those family members and those suffering from breast cancer," St. Claire said of her mother. "Her love and her passion lie with helping people." At the same time, though, Beth Baldwin has a responsibility to raise funds for research and St. Claire noted that often means attending events that may not be effective compared to the work that goes into them and selling merchandise that people may not necessarily need or want to buy. With the Turn It Pink campaign, people can purchase something they would want anyway such as pink jewelry from Skaneateles 300 or a special drink from The Krebs or Mirbeau Inn & Spa restaurants in Skaneateles and know that the proceeds go to the organization. "These other businesses can work to help do what they do already and raise funds," St. Claire said, noting that the effort gives her mother more time and energy to "focus more on support and being there for the families and the people that are suffering." She said the businesses themselves take care of the products, while the organization receives the money and puts it toward breast cancer research. "Why not have Skaneateles 300 that's already selling a pink bracelet or pink necklace and earrings give a percentage of proceeds during the month of October for this cause and breast cancer awareness while my mom can focus on something else?" St. Claire said. "It's generating money and raising research and awareness." She noted the Turn It Pink campaign launched three days before October started with a longer-term plan to have it begin next year with more structure in place. Still, she decided to "go with it" for this October and see what the organization could do with a last-minute campaign this year. "People gave been really jumping on board, contacting us and getting the word out," she said of the response. "There are so many local businesses. We're trying to branch out beyond local, but I love the idea of living here. ... It's really important the businesses be able to be a part of it because the money stays in their community." Aside from the jewelry at Skaneateles 300 and the drinks at The Krebs and Mirbeau, St. Claire said some of the local Turn It Pink items include cookies at Wegmans in Auburn, knitted caps at Pride & Joy in Skaneateles, pink pumpkins at Tim's Pumpkin Patch in Marietta, and themed 1911 hard cider, cocktails and glasses at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in Lafayette. She said Sangha at Gazella in Skaneateles is donating part of the proceeds from a yoga workshop and Bijou Salon in Skaneateles is donating part of the proceeds from its retail products. Customers as well as businesses are jumping on board to support Turn It Pink, St. Claire said. Many people are survivors themselves or have a loved one who survived or died from breast cancer. "People are loving the idea," she said. "I feel like just about anyone and everyone I come across like 95 percent of people that I know or talk to know somebody that was affected or impacted by breast cancer in some way." St. Claire also pointed to the power of social media that is helping drive the awareness and money especially to this year's campaign and said there is an advantage of social media to helping charitable organizations bring attention and funds to their causes. "People are talking," she said. "Although awareness should be every month and 12 months out of the year, October is when we really drive that focus and hopefully make women aware and men aware that they need to go out and get a mammogram and be aware of their genetics, too, and stay healthy and realize it could happen to anybody." WASHINGTON: The United States said Tuesday it was raising with Saudi Arabia a prison sentence handed to a US citizen... The wait is over for Richmond fans: Dion Prestia is officially a Tiger. He arrives at Punt Road along with pick 24, while Gold Coast receive pick 6 and a future second-rounder in return. Michael Hibberd has officially joined Melbourne, along with pick 59 from Essendon. The Bombers get picks 29 and 68 in return. The Giants have made a late push to sign Brett Deledio from Richmond, as Richmond and the Cats confirm that Geelong are out of the hunt. But the Tigers could still land Josh Caddy, in a three-way trade with Geelong and GWS, linked to the potential Deledio move. You can read the details on that below. A surprise AFL ruling has opened up the path for Geelong to secure Zach Tuohy from Carlton after the Cats were given unexpected permission to trade another first-round draft pick. Billie Smedts will head to Carlton, along with a future first round pick, while a future second round pick will head from Carlton to Geelong. The Eagles and Geelong will work to do a deal to get big man Nathan Vardy to the west, after he nominated West Coast as his preferred club in 2017. Swans ruckman Toby Nankervis has joined the Tigers on a three-year deal in exchange for pick 46. And this morning, the Gold Coast reiterated their strong stance on Jaeger O'Meara, saying Hawthorn had provided a "lowball" offer (picks 10 and 48, according to chairman Tony Cochrane). Cochrane said Hawthorn had "promised [O'Meara] the world but they're only going to hand him an atlas", should they not come back with an offer that the Suns could approve. Cochrane said the Suns wanted a low pick and a player. Meanwhile, the Tigers have re-signed Reece Conca on a two-year deal and Tom Rockliff is staying put at the Lions (but the captaincy is up for grabs). Oh, and did we mention? Cats champion and Brownlow medallist Jimmy Bartel has retired. Can you believe it, even with all that's happened today, there is still more to come tomorrow. Catch you here from 9am for what looks set to be a frantic final few hours of trades. And don't forget to head to the Real Footy Facebook page for a live chat with Emma Quayle and Michael Gleeson, tonight from 7pm. They'll be answering all your trade period questions. The NSW Government is planning to overhaul the state's compulsory green slip insurance scheme. "Under the current green slip scheme, injured people have to wait three to five years on average to receive income payments, from which significant legal fees are then deducted," he said. "Where the current system can leave people in financial stress and further traumatised by extended dispute resolution processes, the reforms will provide people with access for the first time to weekly income support if they need time off work to recover." Nathan Aylward from Ropes Crossing was awarded $280,000 after his vehicle was hit by a truck. He said the reforms would drive down premiums and improve support for injured people. He added that both lawyers and insurers were likely to make less money. "It is not fair only 45 cents in every green slip dollar goes to injured road users, nor is it fair that NSW motorists are being asked to pay the highest premiums in the country," he said. Both the Alliance and the Law Society of NSW are campaigning against the reforms, based on concerns about the watered down right to receive compensation for lost income. They also fear the reforms will lead to insurance companies, rather than doctors, gaining control over directing medical treatment and more motor victims fighting insurance companies without legal representation. "The legal profession has put forward alternative proposals that deliver reduced premiums whilst preserving many of the benefits of the current scheme," said Gary Ulman, president of the society. About three years ago, Nathan Aylward suffered bleeding in the brain and injuries to his right eye, neck, right hand and knee after a 60-tonne truck struck his stationary vehicle just outside of Ballina, on the NSW North Coast. He said some surgeries were delayed because he had to fight with his insurer for approval He was eventually awarded $280,000 plus costs from the Transport Accident Commission after extensive negotiations. Part of that covered economic loss - about $21,620.00 for the past and $50,000.00 for the future. "If the new plans go through, it's a backward step. There's no doubt I would've received a far smaller amount," he said. The Alliance said under the proposed scheme, Mr Aylward would not have received any allowance for future economic loss. The Insurance Council of Australia said it didn't believe the reforms would lead to an increase in the take-up of income protection insurance. "Under the proposed reforms, injured road users will receive money for treatment and loss of income for up to five years," said it spokesman Campbell Fuller. "The final report of the CTP Reference Panel report indicates the number of minor-to-moderately-injured road users who still need treatment after five years is extremely small, and the report outlines options to provide them extra assistance," he said. "Many Australians already have income protection insurance through their superannuation fund or an arrangement with their employer." In addition, the council said the proposed no-fault scheme would provide benefits to about 7000 injured road users each year who at present aren't eligible to claim any meaningful compensation. Alex Collie head of the Institute for Safety Compensation and Recovery Research at Monash University in Victoria, said he supports the reforms and rubbished the lawyers' claims about the loss of income cover. Fairfax Media has learnt that police are preparing to charge the 18 Crown employees arrested across China with organising gambling activities for mainland nationals overseas. Crown's Shanghai-based administration assistant Jiang "Jenny" Ling and her husband, American expatriate Jeff Sikkema. Sources familiar with the investigation told Fairfax Media the line of inquiry has focused on the sales and marketing activities of the 18 staff of James Packer's casino empire, and the inducement and facilitation for Chinese nationals to travel to Australia to gamble. "Under our country's laws, it is not just gambling and opening casinos in China which fall under gambling crimes," said one source, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of revealing aspects of an ongoing investigation. "If you organise or introduce our country's citizens to go overseas to gamble, if it's more than 10 people then you will face criminal liability." The head of Crown's international VIP program, Jason O'Connor. The revelations are damaging for Crown, and raise serious questions over the risks to which it has subjected its China-based staff by having them operate right on the fringes of what is legal in the country in order to lure lucrative high-rollers from mainland China. Foreign casinos have often skirted the law by promoting the resorts and cities where their gaming venues are located. But police have seized the mobile phones and computers of all 18 staff. Crown Resorts employee David Dai Bin has been detained by Chinese authorities. On any given week, Crown assists as many as 20 individuals with applying for Australian visas in Shanghai alone. The sources said it is more likely than not that Crown's China staff, who are aggressively incentivised through a commission-based system to land Chinese 'whales' at their casino's baccarat tables, would have openly discussed casino facilities and arranged seven-figure lines of credit for their customers. The seriousness of potential charges will vary according to the case of each employee, and was subject to further investigation, one of the sources said. Lawyers for Crown Resorts were scheduled to hold their first meeting with the families of employees detained in mainland China on Monday afternoon, amid suggestions at least one employee, Shanghai-based administration assistant Jiang Ling, has been coerced into a sleep-deprived "confession" that she had accompanied Chinese nationals to Crown's casinos in Australia. The employee's husband, American expatriate Jeff Sikkema, has been at pains to emphasise to Chinese authorities that the nature of her job was purely administrative and distinguishable from the marketing activities of others. She had never travelled to Australia, he said. Most of the arrests have centred in Shanghai, including the most senior executive caught up in the arrests, head of International VIP Jason O'Connor. Also detained are Alfread Gomez, Carol Wu and "David" Dai Bin, among others scattered across Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Zhejiang. All were rounded up at their homes in late night police raids on Thursday. Market hammering James Packer was, until last week, one of Australia's loudest advocates for Australian political and business ties, having criticised previous governments for not doing enough to smooth Chinese relations and court Chinese business. But on Monday, news of the crisis resulting in Crown's share price plunging 14 per cent, slicing half a billion dollars from Packer's wealth and at the same time placing a question mark over billions of dollars of capital he has earmarked to expand his empire. Speculation doing the rounds with industry insiders is that the crisis was triggered after Crown attempted to collect $15 million in gambling debts from one of its Chinese high-rollers in Melbourne. It also comes amid broader of context of China's anti-corruption campaign and a desire to stem illicit capital outflows coursing through underground banks and casinos. As the 72-hour deadline under the consular services charter neared, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said China had notified the Australian government of the detention of three Australian citizens in Shanghai. Loading "Consular officials in Shanghai are making arrangements to visit the Australians to offer appropriate assistance, all of who have legal representation provided by their employer," she said in a statement on Monday. The Wall Street Journal - China's ambition to export Chinese-made cars around the world has hit a speed bump with shipments falling for the last two months in a row. The country exported 84,400 cars last month, around one-fifth fewer than the same period last year, an auto industry group said on Wednesday. That follows a 16% slump in Maythe first year-over-year drop in five years. Still modest exports to markets including Iraq, Vietnam and Turkey are declining as global economic growth remains sluggish and several of the countries Chinese manufacturers have targeted face economic and political difficulties. June's export drop was disclosed on the same day that statistics showed a 11% rise in total vehicles sold in China last year, indicating the local market remains solid despite slowing domestic economic growth. China is the world's largest auto market by sales. Data from the semiofficial China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed Chinese car makers captured 38% of the country's passenger-vehicle sales in June, down from 47% at the end of last year. The figures suggest foreign-branded cars continue to dominate the market, pointing to problems for Chinese brands facing a market flush with auto factories. CLSA auto analyst Scott Laprise said some Chinese car makers had turned to export markets because they struggled to sell their cars at home. The country has about 140 domestic auto makers. "This approach is not sustainable," he said. "Such auto makers will likely fail and could trigger the start of a downturn" for Chinese-banded cars, he said. Total auto sales in China reached 1.75 million vehicles in June, while sales of passenger vehicles rose 9.3% to 1.4 million units. In the first half of this year, vehicle sales grew 12% to 10.78 million, and passenger cars rose 14% to 8.67 million, CAAM said. The decline in auto exports comes as China's total exports fell 3.1% in June from a year earlier, data from the General Administration of Customs showed Wednesday, down from May's 1% rise and expected 3.3% growth. Analysts attributed the fall in Chinese auto exports to a softening in demand from emerging markets, violent protests in Turkey and Brazil, and a rising Chinese yuan. CAAM said countries such as Iraq, Venezuela, Iran, Vietnam and Turkey saw biggest drops in imports of Chinese cars. Export destinations for Chinese cars are highly concentrated on South America, Middle East and Russia. "Volatility in one destination market can easily hit overseas performance," said Yale Zhang, an analyst at automotive consulting firm Automotive Foresight in Shanghai. Major Chinese car exporter Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. GELYY -4.68% said Monday it shipped 9,337 vehicles to overseas markets in June, down 11% from a year earlier. A Geely spokesman cited street protests in Brazil, yuan appreciation and weaker-than-expected recovery in emerging economies for the drop. The yuan has gained this year about 20% against the Japanese yen and 10% against the Korean won. Dong Yang, executive vice chairman and secretary-general of CAAM, agreed the yen's depreciation has impacted Chinese auto exports, but he wasn't sure by how much. Chinese export vehicles compete with secondhand Japanese cars in some places such as Africa. Macquarie Securities analyst Janet Lewis said weak demand in export markets is playing more of a role than currency considerations. Through the first six months of this year, Chinese exports of cars dropped 0.6% from a year earlier to 486,800 vehicles. Last year, sales of China-made cars in overseas markets grew about 30%. "For Chinese car makers, the day in which they can grow exports at 50% or even higher has come to an end. The situation is more challenging," said Mr. Yang, citing toughening government regulations on car imports. In Brazil, the local government increased a tax on imported cars by 30 percentage points in late 2011, and it has since then toughened the rules for auto makers wanting to qualify as domestic producers, requiring them to spend more on local research and development. Analysts said the export decline is adding to the gloom for home grown car companies, which have been pressured by increased competition from foreign auto makers in the Chinese car market. Another headwind is local. Some governments are expected to join Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou in forcing vehicles off the streets to ease the country's traffic congestion and improve air quality. CAAM criticized such policies on Wednesday, saying the market share of Chinese cars in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, had been cut in half to around 10% after the cities imposed policies aimed at limiting car purchases. "Chinese domestic car makers are still developing. At this critical point, imposing purchase limits is running counter to the central government's call for more uses of home grown brands," Shi Jianhua, deputy general secretary of CAAM said. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's response to the latest reports of abuse against refugees on Nauru has been manifestly inadequate. Human rights group Amnesty International has compiled a damning report to show a deliberate regime of neglect and cruelty on the island nation paid-off by Australia to warehouse unwanted asylum seekers. This is Australia's doing, Australia's responsibility, Australia's shame. Yet Mr Turnbull has disingenuously sought to deflect this responsibility from his government by again invoking the drownings at sea during the Labor years. The connection he draws stems from a fallacy. Leave aside for a moment the argument about whether Pacific camps are a necessary deterrent for people smugglers and The Age does not agree with the policy of offshore processing there is simply no justifiable reason why people need to be treated in such an appalling and callous fashion. The conditions on Nauru that emerge from testimony and records in the Amnesty report, Island of Despair, are deeply disturbing, all the more so because they fit with a pattern of stories that has become depressingly familiar. People are suffering from acute psychological distress resulting from a life in limbo. Self-harm and attempted suicide rates are rife, while many children are living in despair, some subjected to threats or corporal punishment. Amnesty stripped bare the obfuscation of Australia's policy, that would refer to asylum seekers in dehumanising language as "transferees" or their treatment as "deterrence", and in explicit terms captured the sinister consequences of what has actually been achieved. Australia lacks adequate protections for human rights defenders and has created "an atmosphere of fear, censorship and retaliation" among activists, according to a United Nations special rapporteur. Michel Forst, who released an end-of-mission statement on Tuesday after a fortnight in Australia, said he was "astonished" by numerous measures heaping "enormous pressure" on public servants, whistleblowers and ordinary citizens. Increased secrecy provisions, especially with regard to immigration and national security, were hampering the ability of journalists and human rights defenders to hold public institutions to account, he said. The new metadata retention regime, which enjoyed bipartisan support, had "serious implications" for journalists and media outlets, Mr Forst said. He also heard evidence that freedom of information requests were being delayed and frustrated. It has been 2916 days since controversial former state Labor minister Ian Macdonald issued China's state-owned Shenhua a licence to explore for coal in Australia's richest farming region, the Liverpool Plains, in return for a $300 million cash payment to the NSW government. On Saturday, a key date - the 2920th day or eight years since the exploration licence for the Watermark mine was issued - will be tripped. The proposed site for the coal mine. Credit:Louise Kennerley A clause in the original 2008 exploration licence allows for the state government to cancel the project after eight years if no "substantial development" of the mine has occurred. Shenhua has spent more than $500 million on licences, approvals and the purchase of 40 properties but Watermark remains little more than the overgrown home to some grazing cattle, according to its nearest neighbour. Its been a long time since Australian politics was dominated by a heated discussion over gun control but on Tuesday this happened with salvos being fired from multiple direction. If you read the Hansard of what Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had to say about whether or not an Adler firearm, capable of firing seven rounds, should be allowed into Australia or not, it reads sensibly and clearly. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten moves to suspend standing orders in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday 18 October 2016. fedpol Photo: Alex Ellinghausen Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The trouble is no ordinary voter is reading Hansard and the political message "Malcolm Turnbull is not ruling out weakening Australia's gun laws," is a potent and devastating line. Suddenly, a story about how difficult to make access to a gun capable of firing seven rounds, up from five, has become a full-blown assault with Labor trying to claim Turnbull wants a gun-toting Australia. That Turnbull cannot manage his political messaging to better shut down Labor's scare campaigns shows he has learnt nothing since his election-night whinge about "Mediscare". And this is Turnbull's problem from the outset. The multi-millionaire Member for Wentworth may be fine at many things in life but Tuesday showed once again, he just doesn't have the political instincts an effective leader needs. Good analysis on this from Philip Coorey. [Financial Review] Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen Credit:Alex Ellinghausen And now to Tony Abbott. Abbott has written an excoriating column ahead of his push this weekend to reform the NSW Liberal party division and allow MPs and Senators to be preselected by the membership rather than the party's executive. The former PM hits out at the recent NSW Senate ticket, lamenting that a "factional timeserver" was nominated above a serving cabinet minister and "one of Australia's most distinguished military commanders," (Jim Molan). Curiously, just one week after defending most of Donald Trump's policies as "reasonable enough," Abbott identifies the utter disillusionment with the political parties as fuelling the rise of a candidate in Trump who would "weaken alliances and start trade wars." [The Australian] And a double blow for Treasurer Scott Morrison. His company tax cut is dead in the senate after Nick Xenophon ruled out support and former Liberal Treasurer Peter Costello mocked the proposal as pie-in-the-sky to a business crowd. [Philip Coorey/Financial Review] 3. Crown staff could face 16 months jail Crown's James Packer. Credit:AP Chinese authorities have likely gained access to Crown's internal database containing details on the casino's big-spending clients. [Financial Review] Chinese authorities warned James Packer's Crown Resorts to stop its attempts to lure high-rollers to gamble overseas. [Philip Wen/Fairfax] The arrests over a series of lessons, "all of them incredibly glum" for Australians doing business in China, writes Greg Sheridan. [The Australian] Contrast this to an interesting story from Liz Burke about Sanitarium launching a massive expansion into China after successfully placing Weet-Bix in a popular Chinese soap. The product placement saw a run on local stores stocking the cereal and a huge spike in traffic online. [news.com.au] 4. Europe should prepare for returning jihadists Kurdish security forces take up a position as they fight overlooking the Islamic State-controlled in villages surrounding Mosul. Credit:AP Kurdish security forces take up a position as they fight overlooking the IS-controlled in villages surrounding Mosul. Photo: AP The battle for Mosul is now underway. The battle could take up to two months, according to a Peshmerga military commander. [CNN] And Europe needs to brace for a fresh wave of returning jihadists if and when Islamic State is successfully driven out of its Iraqi stronghold. [BBC] 5. Heathrow decision due...kind of The UK government has said it will announce a decision on building a third runway at Heathrow Airport soon. Credit:Jack Taylor Finally! Theresa May looks set to make a decision on a third runway for Heathrow airport. And the signs are positive for the airport given she's freed her cabinet ministers to speak out on the issue if they disagree. [Jessica Elgot/The Guardian] The decision is loaded with internal politics (airport decisions always are) and the local Tory MP Zac Goldsmith (former conservative candidate for London Mayor) has pledged to force a byelection if May goes ahead. Cabinet's preference is due next week. But don't get too excited. A final decision won't be taken until British winter 2017/18 after a "full and fair consultation." [BBC] Question. Will Boris Johnson lie down in front of a bulldozer to stop the expansion go ahead as he pledged the night he was elected to the Commons? 6. Google phone reviews bad news for Samsung The Google Pixel smartphone. Credit:Bloomberg I'm jumping ship. Call me fair-weather, I don't care. The first reviews are in and they are good news for Google and bad news for Samsung. (I've used iPhones until the 5s and Samsung s6 and s7 Edges and can say the Galaxy s6 is by far still the best I've ever used.) I also know I'd never go back to the restrictive world of iOs. Enough. What about Pixel - Google's own new phone out this week? "The Google Pixel is now the best Android smartphone you can buy," declares Joanna Stern. [Wall Street Journal] "It changes my answer to the question I hear most often: What phone should you get? You should get a Pixel," raves Kelsey McClellan. [Wired] "The camera is very good but I can't agree with the claims that it's the best on any smartphone. There's no waterproofing or stereo speakers," notes James Titcomb. [Telegraph] When Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was running as a candidate last year, he counted on his wife to do a lot of the work for him. Twenty-eight years his junior, Aisha Buhari spoke to women and young people at rallies around the country, promising that her husband would end the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria's north and bring back thousands of girls kidnapped by the group. But on Friday, she voiced disappointment in her husband's time in office, saying she will not support him if he runs for a second term - unless he makes major changes. "The president does not know 45 out of 50 of the people he appointed and I don't know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years," she told the BBC on Friday. "Some people are sitting down in their homes folding their arms, only for them to be called to come and head an agency or a ministerial position." President Buhari, who is on a state trip to Germany this week, responded to his wife's criticisms by saying, "I don't know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room." That earned him a grimace from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is arguably the most powerful woman in the world. Merkel later laughed. Conditions deteriorated at this year's festival, Ms Walters says. Credit:Justin McManus As for food, she says festival staff were heard to quip there was no need for it. "You're in the fashion industry." Her experience was not unique. Many volunteers at the festival are students wanting experience or a break in a tough industry Credit:Eddie Jim The documents show volunteers being required to work 12 to 13-hour shifts, often without breaks, finishing at 10.30pm or later. Volunteers were not allowed to bring their own water, they say, because it would have interfered with the festival's water sponsorship deal. Models at this year's festival. Credit:Eddie Jim Some complain of physical distress from constant "unsafe" heavy lifting. Others describe "rude" supervisors who yelled at and demeaned volunteers. Many say they were too "scared" to complain, particularly as they wanted to continue in the industry. The glamour end of the industry on show at the festival.. Credit:Graham Denholm At least one volunteer alleged in the feedback documents that, when they complained about a lack of food breaks, a paid member of staff was heard to say: "F--k them. Most of them are fat anyway". In a statement, the festival said it took feedback "very seriously" and "does not encourage or expect that any volunteers do anything they are not comfortable with and provides access to catering and beverages", including water "at all times". This was disputed by numerous volunteers. The festival stressed it had a process to deal with health and safety issues. "All lodged reports and any feedback received post the festival provide important intelligence to make changes and further improve the program and experience for volunteers in the future." The Melbourne Fashion Festival Ltd is run as a not-for-profit but is closely tied to the wider fashion industry. Its objectives are commercial, including stimulating retail spending, promoting global branding and tourism, and influencing consumer sentiment. Major backers include Virgin Australia, the state government, David Jones, Fiat, Tiffany & Co, Crown and NAB. It generated $6 million in revenue in the 2014-15 financial year, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars a year through its use of about 400 volunteers. Growing employer reliance on unpaid interns adds to concerns about declining conditions and underpayment in Australia, including the spread of "black jobs" for temporary foreign and other vulnerable workers. Many volunteers at the festival are students wanting experience or a break in a tough industry where lengthy periods doing unpaid work is common. The complaints have even led the company that supplies the volunteers to declare that the festival failed its unpaid helpers. Alex Rixon-Booth, the director of I Need Helpers, said the festival had ignored his recommendations about managing volunteers. "It was extremely disappointing to witness how volunteers were treated,"he said. "We don't agree with the decisions to have volunteers working excessive hours and being mistreated like they were". Fairfax Media has spoken to several volunteers who confirmed the poor working conditions. "Some of the staff were not very nice to us," said one fashion student. "It was quite unfortunate, a lot of us were looking forward to [the festival]. That kind of treatment put us off and we didn't go back." The leaked documents also point to other problems. These include copies of job descriptions asking for "interns" to work for five months up to five days a week, unpaid. Many of the positions required advanced technical skills. Such unpaid positions could fall foul of the Fair Work Act. The festival did not deny the job advertisements but said it did not engage interns in 2016. Similar events overseas, notably the London Fashion Week, have been hit by protests over non-payment of interns. There is little research on the extent of employer reliance on interns or volunteers in Australia. But a 2013 report by the University of Adelaide for the Fair Work Ombudsman, noted troubling signs, since the global financial crisis, of unpaid work replacing paid jobs. Co-author Professor Andrew Stewart told Fairfax Media that volunteering was generally acceptable if its primary intention was to help someone else or a good cause a church, a sporting club or political party. He said on the "face of it", volunteers at fashion week were a different category. "It's a commercial enterprise; the goal here is still making money," he said. Owners whose homes are forcibly acquired by the NSW government for infrastructure projects, such as WestConnex and the Sydney Metro, will be able to claim more money for inconvenience and have extra time to negotiate how much they are paid for their property. Under changes announced on Tuesday, a rule that owners can be forced to pay rent for the right to stay in the property while they are appealing the amount of compensation being offered has also been scrapped. However, Premier Mike Baird and Finance Minister Dominic Perrottet were forced to defend the 2 years it has taken for the government to respond to recommendations of a report on how to make the compulsory acquisition system fairer. They have also rejected a key recommendation of the report by David Russell SC that all home owners be compensated on a "reinstatement basis" to ensure they can afford to an "equivalent" home. This compensation will only apply in "limited and specific" circumstances. A five-year-old boy has survived a horror car crash at a rural property in the NSW Upper Hunter that killed three men including his father and grandfather. The child's relatives issued a statement after they "lost a father and a grandfather" in a single tragic accident near Scone. "Our son, who thankfully sustained non-life threatening injuries, is understandably shaken and it is our family's number one priority to be there and care for him as he recovers," the family said. "As we support our son through his recovery we are also grieving the loss of two loved ones. A man charged with murder after his wife's body was found in the burnt-out ruins of a western Sydney house has been formally refused bail. Abdul Khaliq Barati, 43, did not appear and did not apply for bail when his matter was briefly mentioned in Fairfield Local Court on Wednesday. He was charged with the murder of his wife,Adelah Barati, 30, after a fire ripped through a house on Clement Street, Guildford, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Mr Barati and two boys, aged six and nine, escaped the fire but Mrs Barati's body was later found inside. One of the surprisingly hard things about dealing with cancer can be the period after the chemotherapy, surgery and radiation that time when you're trying to discover your "new normality". Emma-Louise Moss and Mellissa Naidoo, both diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, are featuring in a wall gallery at South Bank, which includes a collection of photos and stories, as October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Mellissa Naidoo, Deputy Premier Jackie Trad and Emma-Louise Moss unveil a gallery of breast cancer survivor stories at South Bank. Dr Naidoo, of Bulimba, said the focus was often on "survivorship". "I think sometimes we don't talk enough about, or pay enough attention on, what it's like afterwards because it's not always rosy," she said. Homeless people who have set up camp under the Go Between Bridge will be moved on "within days", Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said on Tuesday, but up to half of them could be left with nowhere to go. People have been sleeping rough under the Go Between and Kurilpa bridges for several weeks, prompting several complaints to the Brisbane City Council of anti-social behaviour. Cr Quirk said remaining rough sleepers would be forcibly removed if they resisted attempts to enter into emergency accommodation, a move that was condemned by local Greens councillor Jonathan Sri. The Lord Mayor said a "township" had been established under the Go Between Bridge, just metres from the location of the 2014 murder of 21-year-old French student Sophie Collombet. Police are still scouring the coastline around Phillip Island in a bid to find a Melbourne kayaker who has been missing for more than 24 hours. A 64-year-old Parkville man was reported missing on Monday morning around 8am. His kayak was discovered a short time later at Red Rock Point without any sign of him or his paddles. Emergency crews searched a wide area on Tuesday, assisted by a police helicopter. A man was suffering post-traumatic stress disorder from striking a pedestrian dead almost a decade ago when he drove into a parked car, killing another woman, a court has heard. Allan McDevitt, 31, was at twice the legal blood alcohol limit, and driving at almost double the speed limit when he drove a stolen car down the wrong side of the road and hit a parked car in Hadfield last July, the County Koori Court heard on Tuesday. &nbps; He was driving at 94 km/h in a 50 km/h zone when he braked, skidding to about 24 km/hour when he struck the car. His blood alcohol limit was later found to be 0.1 per cent. When the 12-metre yacht Australia II won the America's Cup in 1983, the then Prime Minister Bob Hawke famously said, "any boss who sacks a worker for not turning up today is a bum." But if you want to get your hands on the rich memorabilia of the men who bankrolled and designed that legendary boat, you'd best have put a few hard days work in. Alan Bond stands during the presentation after the America's Cup in Fremantle. Credit:Tony Feder The private collections of WA businessman Alan Bond and Ben Lexcen - his long time friend who designed Australia II - will go under the hammer on Sunday at the West Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle. Mr Bond died in 2015 while Mr Lexcen passed away in 1988, one year after the unsuccessful defence of the America's Cup in Fremantle in 1987. San Diego: The head of the largest American police organisation formally apologised on Monday for the "historical mistreatment" of racial minorities by police and called on officers to work with minority groups to improve trust. The statement was notable in an era of nationwide protest and activism over police shootings and heightened fear among officers over violent retaliation against them. Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Credit:IACP/Washington Post Speaking in San Diego at the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, association president Terrence Cunningham said officers "must change the future" when it comes to how they relate to minority groups. The IACP is the largest police organisation in the United States, representing 23,000 police officials. The statement was issued on behalf of the IACP Vienna: The building where Adolf Hitler was born may be spared demolition, but emerge heavily disguised. On Monday, Austria's Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka told the daily Die Presse, "The Hitler house will be demolished." "Debatable": Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka. Credit:AP On Tuesday, he told reporters that the term "demolished" was debatable but the building would be so thoroughly redesigned that it "will not be recognisable". The "house", a large, three-storey Renaissance-era structure in the town of Braunau am Inn, next to the Austrian-German border, had a tavern on the ground level and apartments on the upper floors. Montreal: Imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, whose public flogging in the kingdom in 2015 generated global outcry, now risks a new round of lashes, a co-founder of a Canadian foundation advocating for his release said on Tuesday. Evelyne Abitbol, who founded the Raif Badawi Foundation with Badawi's wife, said a "reliable source" in Saudi Arabia claims he faces a new flogging after being sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 1000 lashes in 2014 for breaking the kingdom's technology laws and insulting Islam. Saudi embassy officials in Ottawa and Saudi government officials in Riyadh were not immediately available for comment. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the source's claims. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has stepped up security at its borders in case Malaysian militants try to return home after Iraqi forces launched a major offensive to take back the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Tuesday. Iraqi government forces launched a US-backed offensive on Monday to drive IS from the group's last major stronghold in Iraq. Around 4000 to 8000 militants, a mix of Iraqi and foreign fighters, are estimated to be in the city. Ahmad Zahid told a news conference that Malaysian airport and border security had been increased, while illegal routes commonly used by smugglers were being monitored. NEW YORK: A senior official at the US State Department tried to push the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2015 into dropping its insistence that an email from Hillary Clinton's private server contained classified information, according to summaries of interviews with FBI officials released by the FBI on Monday. According to the records, an FBI official, whose name is redacted, told investigators that Patrick Kennedy, the State Department's most senior manager, repeatedly "pressured" the FBI to declassify information in one of Clinton's emails. The information in that particular email originated from the FBI, which meant that the FBI had the last word on whether it remained classified. The official said the State Department's office of legal counsel called him to question the FBI's ruling that the information was classified, but the FBI stood by its decision. Soon after, one of the official's colleagues at the FBI received a call from Kennedy in which Kennedy "asked his assistance in altering the email's classification in exchange for a 'quid pro quo.'" The School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies hosted its scholarship award ceremony on 6th October. Three different scholarship schemes were recognised in the ceremony: SPAIS International Scholarships, University of Bristol Scholarships, and SWDTC Scholarships. Additionally, holders of the Chevening, CONACYT (Mexico) and CONICYT (Chile) scholarships were also welcomed. These awards recognise students excellence in research and academic potential as well as their ability to display the schools characteristics of academic excellence, leadership and social engagement. The new SPAIS students were welcomed by the Head of School, Professor Gregor McLennan who presented each of them with an individual certificate that recognised their achievement. There was also an opportunity for them to meet each other and to talk with members of staff over a buffet lunch. The 2016 Scholarship Award holders are: SPAIS International Scholarships Jiyoon Jeong (BSc Politics and International Relations) Yemo Koo (BSc Sociology) Rishabh Lama (BSc Sociology) Abhishek Sudhir Chapanerkar (MSc International Relations) Chen Huang (MSc East Asian Development and the Global Economy) Ka Tat Lam, MSc East Asian Development and the Global Economy) Mirna Chandrakumar (MSc Sociology) Soraya Estefan Vargas (MSc Sociology) Yuanli Xie (MSc International Relations) Zoi-Eirini Tologlou (MSc Ethnicity and Multiculturalism) University of Bristol Scholarships Ruba Iman (Al-Quds Bard Hodgkin Scholarship for MSc Sociology) Rebecca Grace Tan (Postgraduate Scholarship for Sociology, PhD) Matt Jacobs (Postgraduate Research Award for Sociology, PhD) South West Doctoral Training Centre (SWDTC) ESRC Studentship Award Rosie Nelson (Sociology) Sarah Fakray (Sociology) Simone Grassi (Global Political Economy: Transformations and Policy Analysis) Chevening Scholarships Han Zhang (MSc European and Global Governance) Bolivia Jeremiah (MSc Gender and International Relations) Estelle Ratoandrosoa (MSc Gender and International Relations) Shata Mothae (MSc Social Science Research Methods, Politics and International Relations) Jose Salguero (MSc Development and Security) CONACTY (Mexico) Scholarships Vera Tostado Ortiz (MSc International Security) Jorge Quintero Sanchez (MRes Global Political Economy: Transformations and Policy Analysis) Mariana Lucia Villegas Monroy (MRes Security, Conflict and Justice) Fernan Osorno Hernandez (PhD Politics) CONICYT (Chile) Scholarships Hector Rios Jara (MSc Social Science Research Methods, Sociology) Cristian Fabian Caiconte (MRes Global Political Economy: Transformations and Policy Analysis) Congratulations to all. 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. latest news October 31, 2022 Buddy TV In November, there are hundreds of new and returning TV showsit can be overwhelming to try and choose what to watch. That's why we've selected some of the best options... The third episode of Timeless season 1, titled Atomic City, takes viewers back to 1960s Nevada. Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus travel back in time to not only find Flynn but also to determine his intentions. Every second counts, but will they be able to stop Flynn in time? Timeless Theory: Is Flynn Trying to Return History to Its Original Timeline? >>> Present Day Atomic City begins with a close look at the lives of our three heroes in the present day. Lucy is at home with her fiance, a man shes never met before in her life. She looks through photo albums of their past memories but, since shes from another timeline, feels nothing for the images she sees. Wyatt, on the other hand, examines documents related to his wifes death, while Rufus speaks with Mason. Mason believes that Anthony, the project leader, was helping Flynn from the inside. Rufus denies these claims and insists that Anthony was kidnapped, but Mason reveals that Anthony had made a phone call 30 minutes before Flynns infiltration of Mason Industries, and the number he called has since been disconnected. 1960s Las Vegas Timeless then shifts focus to Flynn, who has traveled back to September 21, 1962, in Las Vegas. President John F. Kennedy is in town for a fundraiser with Frank Sinatra. We quickly see Kennedy in bed with a woman, who goes to the window of their hotel room to watch an explosion outside. Its an atomic bomb test in the desert. Kennedy goes up to her and kisses her, and Flynn, lurking outside, takes photographs of the two together. Back at Mason Industries, after Jiya narrows the Mothership to a 50-mile radius, Lucy, Rufus and Wyatt determine that Flynn must be in Las Vegas, so they dress in traditional 1960s style clothing and head out to find him. At the hotel where Kennedy is staying, Rufus grabs them all uniforms, and the three quickly change so they can blend in with the staff. As Lucy walks around the lounge, a man slaps her butt, and a nearby woman the same one that was with Kennedy earlier scolds him. Meanwhile, Rufus spots Anthony near the bar across the hotel and hurries to him. He tries to convince Anthony to leave, to save him from Flynn, but he soon realizes that Anthony isnt being held against his will. In fact, he actually has been helping Flynn all along, though he seems reluctant. He orders another drink and says, Heres to the amazing Christy Pitt. Back in the lounge, Sinatra finishes his song and invites Kennedy to the stage. Wyatt and Lucy spot him, but instead of approaching the President, Flynn walks over to Kennedys mistress and informs her that she has a phone call. They walk out together, but as they cut through the back rooms of the kitchen and staff hallways, his grip on her tightens and he seems to threaten her. Wyatt quickly catches up to him, and the two men fight. Eventually, Flynn escapes by blocking the doorway. JFKs Mistress The trio takes Kennedys mistress to a hotel room. She tells them that her name is Judith Campbell, which Lucy already seems to know. Lucy also knows that Judith would deliver messages from Kennedy to the mob and explains that she has some of the most powerful men in the world wrapped around her finger. Judith tells them that Flynn has compromising photos of her and Kennedy photos, she says, that could destroy Kennedys chance for the next election. Flynn and Anthony Flynn approaches Anthony and his henchmen in the Nevada desert. He asks Anthony how it was possible that Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus could have found them since he was told that theyd only see the date they traveled to. Anthony replies that Rufus must have figured out how to find their location. Flynn says hes sick of Rufus and wants to kill him so they cant be followed. Anthony implores him not to hurt Rufus because hes his friend and wallows about how hes given everything up for this mission, including his wife and kids. Flynn makes it clear that their goal is to erase Rittenhouse from history. Quiz: Which TV Sidekick Are You? >>> Double-Crossing Back in the hotel room, Wyatt asks Rufus who Christy Pitt is, but Rufus claims he doesnt know. Rufus refuses to believe that Anthony would hurt anyone, let alone help Flynn. Wyatt reveals that he wants to kill Anthony because, without Anthony, Flynn wouldnt be able to keep time-traveling with the Mothership. Wyatt wants to quickly find Flynn and, against the wishes of his team, sets off to use Judith as bait. He has her stand in the window of another room at the hotel to get Flynns attention. After she spots Flynn heading their way, they get into position with Wyatt, gun drawn, ready to shoot as soon as Flynn enters the room. But before that can happen, Judith hits him over the head and runs out of the room. At the end of the hallway, the elevator opens up to show Flynn and Judith running to him so they can finish their deal and she can get her photos back. Flynn drives Judith out to the Nevada Test Site to meet a General. While Flynn waits outside, she seduces the man and, when hes out of the room, steals his keys, which she promptly trades with Flynn in exchange for the photographs and their negatives. Atomic City With no idea where Flynn or Judith ran off to, a beaten Wyatt approaches the concierge desk to send a telegram to his wife, Jessica, in the future encouraging her to go home with him on February 11, 2012, no matter how hes behaving. When hes finished dictating his message, he turns around to find Lucy standing behind him. She says she understands, but Wyatt tells her that her job is to keep history the same because its meant to be. He, on the other hand, doesnt believe that anything is meant to be; its all just luck of the draw. And, he says, she wouldnt believe in fate either if she knew how his wife died. Rufus hurries over to the two and tells them that hes figured out why Flynn traveled to 1960s Las Vegas. He realized that Christy Pitt isnt a woman like theyd previously thought. Its actually slang for the atomic bombs plutonium core. Timeless then switches to Flynns perspective to reveal him opening a door to reveal an atomic bomb. A-Bomb Theft Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus rush over to the nuclear test site in an attempt to stop Flynn from getting the bomb, but theyre too late. With Wyatt behind the wheel, they approach Flynns car head-on, eventually causing Flynn to swerve off the road. They all exit their cars. Wyatt engages in a shoot-out with Flynn, while Lucy heads for Judith and Rufus for Anthony. Rufus convinces Anthony to hand over his briefcase, which he thinks contains the atomic bombs core. He refuses at first but then gives it to him and flees. Flynn, Anthony and their men escape by car. Wyatt takes aim at the vehicle, but Rufus jumps in front of his gun. He doesnt want to hurt Anthony, and he insists that they dont have to because they already have the bombs core. Wyatt puts down his gun, and the trio examines the briefcase; its empty. Back to the Present Day The team must admit to Agent Christopher that, while they succeeded at keeping history unchanged, they werent able to stop Flynn from taking off with the bombs core. Christopher also learns that Anthony wasnt kidnapped but is working with Flynn, and she orders Wyatt to kill him. Mason asks Jiya if shed be able to track down the Mothership in the present. She says she can probably do it, but it would take time. Later, she is able to locate the 50-mile radius wherein the Mothership must be stationed. Wyatt researches his wife online and learns that shes still dead. His telegram didnt change history. He admits to Lucy that it was a long shot. Afterwards, Lucy returns home to pack up her belongings. She tells her fiance that her head isnt clear and that she needs time apart from him to sort things out. He understands, and he tells her that hell be around when shes ready. As this episode of Timeless draws to a close, viewers watch Flynn drive to the Nevada desert in the present day, the same area hed visited in the 1960s. He and his men dig up the ground and unearth the atomic bombs core that they had buried there over 55 years ago. What did you think of Atomic City? What do you think Flynns plans are for the atomic bomb? Let us know in the comments. Timeless airs Monday nights at 10/9c on NBC. Want more news? Like our Facebook page. (Image courtesy of NBC) UB receives EPA Green Power Leadership Award UB is honored to be recognized by the EPA as a national leader in using clean, renewable energy. BUFFALO, N.Y. The University at Buffalo has received a 2016 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the EPA announced Monday. EPAs annual Green Power Leadership Awards recognize the countrys leading green power users for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nations voluntary green power market. EPA presented UB with a Green Power Partner of the Year award Monday at the 2016 Renewable Energy Markets Conference in San Francisco. UB was one of only three organizations nationwide to be chosen as a Green Power Partner of the Year. With this award, EPA recognizes Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through their leadership, overall strategy and impact on the green power market. The University at Buffalo is currently using nearly 213 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough to meet 100 percent of the universitys overall electricity use. In addition, the school is generating electricity from an on-site solar energy system. By choosing clean, renewable energy, UB is accelerating the transition to a more sustainable energy future. UB is honored to be recognized by the EPA as a national leader in using clean, renewable energy, said Laura Hubbard, UBs vice president for finance and administration. We are committed to making UB a more sustainable campus through a variety of green power initiatives. UB ranks No. 1 on EPAs Top 30 College and University list and No. 32 on the National Top 100 list. Each list highlights EPA Green Power Partners using the most renewable energy annually as of July 6, 2016. EPA updates its Top Partner Rankings quarterly at www.epa.gov/greenpower/green-power-partnership-top-partner-rankings. Green power is zero-emissions electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact hydro. Using green power helps accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and helps users reduce their carbon footprints. According to the EPA, UBs current green power use of nearly 213 million kWh is equivalent to the electricity use of more than 19,000 average American homes annually. UB strives to evolve, build resilience and minimize its environmental footprint on the future, as most potently illustrated by its aggressive commitment to become climate neutral by 2030. The past 12 months have seen one success after another for UBs sustainability efforts. Earlier this fall, UB landed at No. 57 on the Sierra Clubs 2016 Cool Schools list, which ranks colleges and universities based on sustainability criteria. The Princeton Review recently ranked UB among the nations Top 50 Green Colleges. In May, UB was named one of three winners of Gov. Andrew Cuomos Energy to Lead competition. Last fall, UB submitted an exhaustive report on its sustainability efforts, which earned a gold certification as part of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Educations Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, or STARS. UB nursing dean earns lifetime achievement award Rosemary Smith, emeritus professor and dean of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh College of Nursing Dr. Lewis achievements rank her in a tier of nursing professionals that few have achieved. Marsha Lewis, professor and dean of the University at Buffalo School of Nursing. BUFFALO, N.Y. Marsha Lewis, PhD, professor and dean of the University at Buffalo School of Nursing, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh College of Nursing. Lewis is the first alum to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, chosen by the college for her leadership and excellence in nursing and her contributions to clinical practice, nursing education and research. She will receive the honor on Oct. 22 during the schools 50th anniversary celebration. This honor is particularly special coming from my alma mater. UW-O provided me with a solid foundation upon which to build my practice and research, says Lewis, a 1972 alumna of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Lewis is an internationally recognized nursing educator with over 30 journal publications and more than $10.6 million in grant funding. A specialist in psychiatric-mental health and nursing education, her research focuses on family caregivers of people with dementia and decision making for patients and families. She is the developer of the Savvy Caregiver training program, a transportable intervention that can be facilitated by community members. The program is implemented across 15 states and two countries, and was heralded as one of the nations top evidence-based programs for caregivers by the U.S. Administration on Aging. Her previous projects have included establishing group interventions to decrease caregiver stress and burden, the creation of a decision-making tool for family caregivers, the development of online training to accommodate caregivers who are unable to leave their family member and the testing of caregiver intervention training for Hispanic and African American populations. Her work has earned her recognition as a fellow in the American Academy of Nurses. In addition, Lewis is a member of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Educations board of commissioners, a federally recognized nursing degree accreditation agency. In the 38 years that I served as faculty member, director and dean of the College of Nursing, there is no other alumnus that stands out with as stellar a career as Dr. Marsha L. Lewis, says Rosemary Smith, PhD, emeritus professor and dean of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh College of Nursing. Her practice, teaching, scholarly accomplishments, interdisciplinary work, service and leadership are exemplars of consistent excellence leading to high quality outcomes. Dr. Lewis achievements rank her in a tier of nursing professionals that few have achieved. Lewis joined the UB School of Nursing as dean in 2012, previously serving as associate dean for education in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. She has received grants from several prominent funding institutions, including the National Institute of Nursing Research, the National Institute of Aging, the Alzheimers Association and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Lewis earned a doctorate in education and a masters degree in nursing from the University of Minnesota, and a bachelors degree in nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She resides with her family in Williamsville. Will World Series Game 3 be postponed? MLB officials watching weather Rain is moving into Philadelphia and it could impact Game 3 of the World Series Debt-laden would soon get a new owner as promoters of the company are in advance talks with a Russian shipbuilder for sale of controlling stake. Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app. Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006. Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more. Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them. 26 years of website archives. (AHLL), a subsidiary of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, is planning to raise Rs 450 crore by selling the equity in the company. The company aims to double the network of clinics to 150 centres in the next three years by utilising these funds, according to Apollo Hospitals Enterprise joint managing director Sangita Reddy . Indian shrimp exporters may look at alternative markets barely days after the European Union tightened the norms for inspection of aquaculture products from India intended for human consumption. EU is the third largest market for Indian shrimp exports (traded in dollars) in value terms. The review of interconnect usage charges (IUC), initiated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), has divided the telecom industry with the incumbents calling for a deferment of the exercise till April next year, while Reliance Jio Infocomm and Reliance Communications have suggested that the charges should be brought down to zero at the earliest. BabyChakra, a social discovery platform for young parents in India, today announced that it has raised its Series-A funding from Seattle-based RoundGlass. The funding will help invest in product development, strategic hires and to creating localised content, said the company statement. Last week's decision by Ltd to appoint D N Prahlad as a board member has riled corporate governance experts, who have argued that it is an early sign of "promoters trying to assert their points in the governance" of the company. Ltd (RIL) on Tuesday informed BSE that it was planning to shut down the fluidized catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) in the DTA unit of its Jamnagar refinery for "routine maintenance & inspection activities". The shutdown is being planned from second week of November 2016 for about five weeks. "The shutdown will provide an opportunity to carry out a revamp job in one of the polypropylene units. All the four crude distillation units along with other major secondary processing units are expected to operate at normal throughput," the company informed. The sale of Essar Oil, the Vadinar Port and power assets to Russian oil major Rosneft, commodity trading firm Trafigura and Russian investment fund United Capital Partners will result in a significant drop in the Essar group's revenue. Hyderabad-based IT and engineering solutions provider on Tuesday announced the appointment of Suman Narayan as the senior vice president and head for the Semiconductor Business Unit of the company. The fire mishap on Monday at Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospitals in that killed at least 20 has brought the fire safety norms and their execution under the scanner across the country. Amid veiled threat by MNS of vandalism at multiplexes if Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" is screened, the producers on Tuesday sought police protection for the theatres, even as the party stuck to its stand to resist the screening since it features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. A team from Johar's Dharma Productions along with filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt and Vijay Singh of Fox Star Studios met Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar and Joint Police Commissioner (law and order) Deven Bharti, and sought protection for the theatres to screen the film, releasing on October 28. Mukesh is the president of Film & Television Producers Guild of India while Fox Star Studios is distributing the film. Assuring all help from their end, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe said, "Mumbai police will provide adequate protection to cinema theatres as and when required." The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena said on Monday that it would intensify its opposition to Johar's film as it features Fawad. They issued a veiled threat of vandalism to the multiplexes if they screened it. The opposition by MNS and some other political parties to films with actors from Pakistan after the Uri terror attack has put a question mark on the fate of Johar's directorial venture. "We will oppose the screening of the movie everywhere in the state. If any multiplex operator dares to screen the film, they (operators) should remember that multiplexes are decorated with expensive glass sheets," MNS leader Amey Khopkar had said yesterday. Sticking to their stand, Khopkar said today, "We will break glasses of film theatres screening the film." Maharashtra Navnirman Chitrapat Karmachari Sena executive president Shalini Thackeray said, "The producers can get protection for the movie screening, but are they prepared for the outrage of the audience once they see a Pakistani actor on the screen. "I still do not understand, why these producers fail to understand the sentiments of the society," she said. Meanwhile, Mukesh Bhatt said, "I disagree with MNS at times and they disagree with us at times. But at the end of the day, we are like brothers. I can only appeal to my brothers to go on in peace." "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" stars Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma in lead roles while Fawad, whose casting has been at the center of the controversy, is in an extended cameo. Meanwhile, BJP activists on Tuesday held demonstrations at Kalyan in neighbouring Thane district condemning filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's remarks on Twitter wherein he dragged Prime Minister Narendra Modi into the row over casting Pakistani actors. Hundreds of BJP activists, including those from Yuva Morcha, shouted slogans against Kashyap and also hurled slippers on his photographs in Kalyan. Many women participated in the protest held at Teesgaon Naka which lasted for about an hour. The protesters also indulged in sloganeering against Pakistan. Kashyap, had recently said in his tweets why should only Indian filmmakers be targeted for casting Pakistani actors when the PM also made a trip to Lahore last year. "@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM... It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why? @narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent?" the director had written to show support to Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil". Kashyap was trolled on Twitter and was criticised by some film industry members for his comments. In the aftermath of the Uri terror attack last month in which 19 Indian jawans were killed, the MNS issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artistes to leave India. They also threatened to stop the screening of films featuring artistes from Pakistan. Subsequently, Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association passed a motion to ban the artistes from the neighbouring country. The Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India recently decided not to screen the films with Pakistani actors in four states Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. Twenty two patients died and many others were injured in a major accident at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Monday evening. The death toll is likely to rise further, with the injured being shifted to various hospitals in the city. The income tax (I-T) department is scrutinising the declarations of 60 individuals, who, it believes, had made partial disclosure under the black money compliance window last year. These persons might face prosecution, which could result in forfeiture of assets under Income Tax Act. India quietly commissioned into service its first indigenous nuclear submarine, the INS Arihant, in August this year and the vessel has been operational since then, The Times of India reported on Tuesday while citing sources. Defence Minister on Monday said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideology inspired Prime Minister and him to carry out the September 29 across the Line of Control. It was not possible that a prime minister from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and a defence minister from Goa with a common orientation would not take such a strong decision, he said. The minister was addressing students and teachers of Nirma University here during a 'Know Your Army' programme. The minister said the teachings were at the back of the mind of the prime minister and him while ordering the on the terrorist launch pads. Parrikar said he and Modi were subjected to severe public criticism after the September 18 terror attack on the Indian Army camp in Uri. "Both were targeted on the social media after 19 soldiers were killed in Uri and the media campaign continued till September 29 (when the Army conducted in Pakistan-administered Kashmir)," he said. "Now some people want evidence of the surgical strikes. These people will never accept the truth even if we provide them with concrete proof," he said. "One thing is sure -- no one can doubt the integrity and courage of the Indian Army," he added. Parrikar said the surgical strikes achieved two things -- the country became sensitive to security; and secondly, the entire nation has rallied behind the army. The minister said some ex-servicemen have even offered their services. "Such is the high morale of the men in uniform," he added. He said attacks on Indian security forces, as the one in Uri, were an ongoing feature for the last four to five years. But this was for the first time that India gave a befitting reply to the enemy, he added. Asked about the border fencing along the India-Pakistan border in Gujarat, he said that a complete fencing was not possible due to marshy land. The security forces are keeping a strict vigil on the trans-border movement using high technology, he said. The government on Tuesday acknowledged that against terrorists across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir had taken place earlier also, but were not announced by the Centre. Almost 26 days after the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Secretary was admitted in hospital, a cabinet meeting under the aegis of Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O Panneerselvam will be held on Wednesday morning. Global rating agency Moodys on Tuesday said that the draft bill to establish a new regime for resolution of troubled banks in India is credit positive as it will help to enhance overall stability of the financial system. Discussions on the proposed Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) are expected to accelerate at the upcoming India-US Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meet on Thursday, October 20, but a conclusive agreement will be difficult to reach. High land acquisition cost may derail Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkaris ambitious plans to execute expressway projects, even as the government seems to be on track to achieve its goal of constructing 30 km of road every day. The decision to bring forward the Union Budget to late January or early February has eliminated the need for the government to release a mid-year economic analysis in December. Hence, from this year onwards, there might be no mid-year economic review, Business Standard has learnt. The proposal has been discussed by top policymakers in the finance ministry and approved by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, according to a senior government official. The previous review was presented on December 18, 2015. Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016 The Narendra Modi government is bringing forward the Budget to pass the Finance Bill before April 1 and implement a nationwide goods and services tax from that date. The final date of the 2017-18 Budget presentation will be decided at a later date, keeping in mind the political considerations as well as the upcoming state elections. Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian had told Business Standard that the structure of the Economic Survey would change with the advancement of the Budget. The aim is that there will be two surveys as it were. One, on the eve of the Budget. Then, somewhere around July we will have an Economic Survey to review the economic developments of the past year, he had said. Confirming this, the senior government official cited above said: Having these two surveys mean that we have no need of a mid-year review in December. The official added that quarterly statements on trends in central revenue and expenditure will continue to be presented according to the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act. A strange phenomenon has gripped India. We have stopped investing in . And the ones that do exist have been effectively privatised en-masse. are technically any space that are open to the public. Those roads, squares, footpaths, parks, etc. that are meant for all to use are all . But, in India today, almost all public spaces have been taken over by individuals or groups of individuals, as is the case for the bulk of Delhi. On August 23 2016, 45 people met at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi campus as part of the 50th meeting of the council chaired by Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javdekar. Among the attendees included the whos who of the corporate world like Pawan Goenka, Lila Poonawala, RC Bhargava, among others, in their respective capacities as the chairpersons of the board of governors of various IITs. Also in attendance were the directors of all IITs and some faculty members. The untimely rainfall over past three weeks has come as a blessing for farmers with output likely to be higher than the FY17 target of 108.50 million tonnes (mt). Discussions on the proposed (BIT) is expected to accelerate at the upcoming India-US Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meet on October 20 but a conclusive agreement will be difficult to reach. The upcoming TPF, which is the premier bilateral arena, for discussing trade and investment issues between the nations will see the BIT being discussed in detail but a conclusive deal remains in question, a government official said under conditions of anonymity. Private life insurance company Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance which was one of the first companies to get the foreign shareholder stake hiked to 49 per cent from 26 per cent is looking to achieve breakeven in the next 3-4 years. In an interview with M Saraswathy,, MD & CEO, Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance talks about their strategy to move towards profitability. Excerpts: The foreign direct investment (FDI) stake hike in Edelweiss Tokio Life has been completed. Where will these funds be utilised? The FDI demonstrates long term commitment of our partner Tokio Marine to the business in India. We are one of the fastest growing companies in the sector and we continue to invest in the business to drive growth. The funds will be used for business expansion and fulfill our growth aspirations. 10th India and United States Trade Policy Forum A high level delegation led by Ambassador, Michael Froman, United States Trade Representative is attending the 10thIndia-United States Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meetings scheduled from 19th October, 2016 to 20th October, 2016 at New Delhi. Under the able leadership of Prime Minister Modi and President Obama, the Trade Policy Forum meeting has focussed on increased bilateral interaction and momentum on resolving trade concerns. As part of the annual work plan jointly agreed between India and US working groups on agriculture, trade in services and goods, promotion of investment in manufacturing and intellectual property have been meeting with an intention of understanding the best practices, facilitating investment and raising concerns relating to the trade. The previous 9th TPF was held in October, 2015 at Washington D. C, USA. Under TPF there would be technical level discussions on 18th October, 2016 between the two sides on issues concerning with Agriculture, Services and Goods, IPR and Manufacturing. Technical Discussions would be followed by Secretary and Dy. USTR level discussions on 19th October, 2016. Ministerial Level Meeting is scheduled for 20th October, 2016 forenoon which will be led by Ambassador Michael Froman, United States Trade Representative from US side and Honble Minister of Commerce and Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman on the Indian side. Both the sides would be reviewing the progress achieved on the issues agreed upon in work plans for 2016, under all the four work streams and would be working out the way forward for 2017. The bilateral commercial ties between the United States and India are growing stronger as reflected by increased bilateral trade in Goods and Services of $109 billion and highest ever FDI inflows in 2015-16. The bilateral cooperation under TPF has resulted in resolving several market access issues and cooperation in services, manufacturing and IPR. India is looking forward to maintain the momentum further in the current TPF. PM launches National SC/ST hub and Zero Defect Zero Effect scheme, presents National Awards to MSMEs in Ludhiana; PM dedicates three power projects to the nation The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today launched the National SC/ST hub, and the Zero Defect, Zero Effect (ZED) scheme for MSMEs at Ludhiana in Punjab. He also presented National Awards to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). He distributed 500 traditional wooden charkhas (spinning wheels) among women. Speaking on the occasion, he said Ludhiana is an important economic centre, and therefore, it is natural to launch a scheme related to MSME from the city. The Prime Minister said that the MSME sector is crucial for the economic progress of India. He said MSMEs must match global quality control standards.Talking about the distribution of charkhas, the Prime Minister said Khadi is a priority for us, and a charkha at home brings more income. He said Khadi is marketed well now, adding that once upon a time, the apt slogan was Khadi for Nation, but now it should be Khadi for Fashion.The Prime Minister said that a spirit of entrepreneurship among Dalits will benefit us. He added that there are youngsters whose dreams are to create enterprises and jobs.Earlier, the Prime Minister visited Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, where he dedicated to the nation three hydropower projects namely, Koldam, Parbati and Rampur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vehicle manufacturers will have to give details about the emission and noise levels of each vehicle they produce Come 1st of April 2017, manufacturers of all kinds of motor vehicles as also E-rickshaws and E-carts will have to give detailed declaration about the emission levels of the vehicle they have manufactured. Through a recent notification, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has amended Form 22 under the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1989, through which manufacturers provide the Initial Certificate of Compliance with Pollution Standards, Safety Standards of Components Quality and Road Worthiness certificate for all vehicles. Earlier, Form 22 only certified that the vehicle in question complied with the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and rules there under, including the relevant emission norms Bharat Stage I/II/III etc. From 1st April, 2017 however, the vehicle manufacturers will have to provide emission details for each vehicle in the revised Form 22 . The Form will include the brand, chassis number, engine number (motor number, in case of battery operated vehicles) and emission norms Bharat Stage - IV / VI /Bharat (Trem) Stage-III/III etc of the vehicle and specify the levels of each pollutant like carbon monoxide, hydro carbon, non-methane HC, NOx, HC + NOx, PM etc for petrol and diesel vehicles and also sound level for horn and pass by noise values. The amended rules will apply to all vehicles run on petrol, CNG, LPG, electric, diesel and hybrid, including agricultural and construction vehicles, as well as E-rickshaws and E-carts. Form 22 will be issued with the signature of the manufacturer. In the case of E-rickshaws and E-carts, this Form will be issued with the signature of an authorized signatory of registered E-rickshaw or E-cart association. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President condoles the loss of lives in Odisha Hospital Fire . The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has condoled the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. . . Following is the text of Vice President's message: . . "I am deeply pained to learn of the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. My thoughts are with bereaved families. . . I spoke to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik about the mishap and he conveyed that all possible assistance is being provided to the injured." . . Troels Oerting has a problem. As the group chief security officer for Barclays, he has a squad of elite ex-government agents patrolling the company's digital perimeter. He also has a hefty budget to acquire state-of-the-art technology to protect Britain's second-biggest bank from cyber attacks. But Oerting, with no small dose of grudging admiration, says his adversaries excel at something that can't be addressed with deep pockets or killer software: They're superb networkers. "The organised crime groups in cyber are sharing much better than we are at the moment," ... Turkish air force jets joined in the air operation backing Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga to retake Iraq's second city of Mosul from jihadists, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday. "Our air forces took part in the coalition forces' air operations in Mosul," Yildirim told his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group in Ankara. The long-awaited offensive began yesterday with air and ground support from a US-led coalition. Yildirim said Turkey was "closely-watching" what was happening but did not give details on the nature of the Turkish air support. Mosul was captured by (IS) jihadists in in June 2014. But ahead of the offensive, Turkey and Iraq were entangled in a war of words over Turkey's presence in northern Iraq. Yildirim repeated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments from Monday that Turkey would be involved in the operation and will be "at the table". While insisting it cannot be left out of the operation, Turkey has often spoken of its fears over the potential involvement of Shiite militias and anti-Ankara Kurdish militia. Yildirim told his MPs that Turkey continuously cautioned the United States and the European Union about the region's sensitivities. "We frequently warned about the ethnic sensitivities of the region and indicated the sectarian sensitivities," Yildirim said. Earlier this month, Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi traded barbs over Turkey's presence in Bashiqa in northern Iraq, where according to Erdogan nearly 700 Turkish soldiers are based. Turkey denies Baghdad's claims that it is an "occupying force", insisting that it is providing training for fighters whom the Turkish government says will assist Peshmerga forces retake Mosul. Indian apparel exporters are gearing up to re-negotiate terms and prices of their products with buyers in the UK to neutralise a decline in their realisations due to the sharp fall in the pound against the rupee. gained ground on Tuesday, with the S&P BSE Sensex and the Nifty50 indices crossing the 28,000 and 8,600 levels, respectively in intra-day deals. While the S&P BSE Sensex ended around 1.9% higher at 28,050 levels, the Nifty50 also moved up 1.9% to close at 8,677 levels The up move is in-line with most Asian peers Hang Seng, Nikkei and Shanghai Composite that rallied between 0.4% - 1.5%. "A pull back in US dollar, whetted global risk appetite, sparking rallies in currencies, commodities, and global equity . Being in the earning season also helped investors to be stock specific, and ignore recent falls. The GST council meeting that is underway also helped investors to look ahead," said Anand James, chief market strategist, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services in a note. Also Read: Global stock indices don't look wildly overpriced: Gopal Bhattacharya In the wake of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) veiled threat of vandalizing multiplexes if they screen Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', prominent industry veterans including filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt today met Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar and Joint Police Commissioner (Law and Order) Deven Bharti, who assured them that they would provide protection to theatres screening Dharma Productions next release. CEO of Fox Star Studios Vijay Singh, CEO of Dharma Productions Apoorva Mehta and Siddharth Roy Kapur, the CEO of Disney India and the UTV Motion Pictures were among those present in the meeting. Shunning long-time speculations about whether the movie will release on its defined date or not, Bhatt confirmed that they would stick to the initial date of release, adding the movie will hit cinemas worldwide on October 28. "We will see to it that no untoward incident happens and the release of the film is not hampered in any way," he said. "They also wants to convey a very strong message through their PR department to every common man and people in exhibiting sector that we are there to support you so if anybody would intend to do any controversial incidence, they will be taking care of it," he added. Reaching out to the MNS workers, Bhatt urged them to show sensitivity about the fact that the movie has already been made and allow Diwali to be a festive affair for everyone. "I have a request as a fellow Indian to my brothers in the MNS, I am humbly requesting you to let us entertain people on the occasion of Diwali," he said. Bhatt, who is the president of The Film and Television Producers Guild of India, further said: "Why are we Indians fighting one another? We are one, we are Indians, let us not get fragmented and let the terrorists feel that they have won by separating us. I know they are upset, we are also upset but we are helpless as the movie has already been made. So, be a little sensitive about that and let's together celebrate a happy Diwali." The CEO of Fox Star Studios on his part said the Police Commissioner has assured them of full support of the state machinery to ensure that there is no untoward post the release of 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'. Meanwhile, Mumbai Police spokesperson Ashok Dudhe said that all multiplexes and single screen theaters would get protection to release the movie so that no disruption is caused in middle of the shows or in the city as a whole. For the unversed, the movie starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been under fire because it also features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in a cameo. The MNS after imposing the ban on artistes from the neighboring country, in response to the terror attack in Uri led by Pakistan, had on Monday openly threatened the theaters owners if they screen the movie. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The house in Austria where Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was born will be demolished and a new building will be erected in its place. After years of legal wrangling, the Austrian Government will have the empty house demolished, the CNN quoted Interior Ministry spokesperson Andreas Groschartner as saying on Monday. The house is located in front of Salzburger Vorstadt 15, Braunau am Inn, Upper Austria, the building where Hitler was born in 1889. The three-story house is a shade of vanilla with shattered windows and dirt. A new building in its place will erase links to the Nazi dictator's birthplace and stop the house from becoming a shrine for neo-Nazi pilgrimage. A 13-member commission concluded that a vacant area is not advisable since it could imply a denial of Austrian history. "I agree with the commission that a profound architectural redesign makes sense to permanently prevent both the recognition and the symbolic value of the building," Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said in a statement. A government bill will be discussed today for the building's expropriation. After completion of the parliamentary process, officials will decide on its future. It's possible it may house a charity or government offices. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the bail plea of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu till October 24. A medical board of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had on October 3 told the apex court that the health condition of Asaram Bapu was stable. Asaram, accused of rape, had refused to undergo several tests, the seven-member board also said in its report filed before the bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and N.V. Ramana. On August 11, the top court had denied interim bail to Asaram in a rape case and directed AIIMS to set up a medical board to ascertain his health condition before taking up his regular bail plea. The Rajasthan High Court had earlier rejected Asaram's bail plea citing that the case had reached its "fag end" and thus it was not "appropriate" to grant him bail. This was his ninth regular bail application to be rejected. In 2013, a minor girl had alleged that Asaram had sexually assaulted her at his ashram in Jodhpur. The self-styled godman was subsequently arrested on August 31, 2013, and has been in jail since then. Asaram's counsel had sought bail citing that the accused has been suffering several ailments. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) August 22, 2022, Monday Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai said that there will be pro and anti-beliefs and arguments on noted personalities, but it must ... Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counsellor of the Republic of Myanmar called on President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. Welcoming Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on her first state Visit to India, the President said that India and Myanmar are close neighbours and have a good long standing relationship with each other. During the visit of the President of Myanmar in August this year, fruitful discussions were held and four important agreements were signed between the two countries. The President congratulated Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on her landmark victory in the general elections held in November, 2015. The President said that India appreciates the spirit with which the people of Myanmar have responded in the general elections and the manner in which the whole process of elections has been steered. He said that he was happy that the process of democratization was being strengthened in Myanmar. India will extend all help to Myanmar in this phase of transition in order to set up democratic institutions for ensuring stability in the country. He wished Myanmar all success in establishing a strong democracy. He stated that Myanmar's transition to full democracy will take time to achieve and India stands by Myanmar in this process. The President said that India will soon commence work on restoring two old temples and inscriptions of King Mindon and Bay Gyi Daw in Bodh Gaya as requested by the Government of Myanmar. He said that this task will be undertaken by the Archeological Survey of India with financial support from Government of India. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi reciprocated the President's sentiments and said that India and Myanmar have much in common. She stated that change does not happen easily and Myanmar has to go about the process of transition in a cautious manner. Myanmar seeks the cooperation and support of India as its people look forward to progress and change for the betterment of their lives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Tuesday urged the Centre to constitute a management board to ensure fair water distribution between the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. DMK leader T K S Elangovan said, "It is the duty of the Government of India to form the management board after not obeying the tribunal order, because the tribunal order is equivalent to the order of the Supreme Court." "There should be a management board to decide how the distribution should be made with the available water. The agitation was a successful one which showed the Government of India that the people of Tamil Nadu are united," he added. Various farmers' organisations and opposition parties on Monday staged a protest in various parts of the Tamil Nadu, demanding the constitution of a board. The protests were held against the stance of BJP-led NDA government in the Supreme Court which opposed the immediate setting up of the board. Thousands of protestors participated in rail roko demonstrations, courted arrest and were lodged in the community and marriage halls. Police said they were likely to be released later on Tuesday. The protestors on Monday began a 48-hour rail blockade demanding the constitution of a Cauvery board. Top officials, including Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh will on Tuesday brief a panel of MPs on the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC) on September 28. A notice issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat said that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, is scheduled to meet today when it would be briefed on India-Pakistan relations with a specific reference to the recent surgical strikes. The meeting assumes significance as the government had earlier expressed reservations over giving a briefing on the same topic to the Parliamentary Committee on Defence. However, after initial reluctance, the parliamentary panel on defence headed by BJP MP B C Khanduri was briefed by the Vice-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bangladesh's Counterterrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit has claimed that they have identified three persons as the financier of the Holey Artisan Bakery attack. CTTC chief Monirul Islam disclosed it in a press conference held in Minto road office on Tuesday, reports the Dhaka Tribune. He said the three financiers have been identified as Dr Rokonuzzaman, Tanveer Quaderi and Major Zahid. Of them, Dr Rokonuzzaman left Bangladesh for Syria while the rest two died in shootout during police drive in their dens. On July 1, gunmen, allegedly belonging to the Islamic State, killed 20 hostages - mostly foreigners - at Holey Artisan bakery in Gulshan, Dhaka's diplomatic zone. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj called on Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi here on Tuesday and offered all possible assistance from India in keeping with latter's priorities. The two leaders discussed the manner in which India could support Myanmar's agenda of reconciliation, socio-economic development and strengthening democracy. The State Counsellor outlined her priorities in the areas of agriculture, training, capacity building, job creation, infrastructure and health care, and sought India's assistance in these areas. Upon which, Swaraj assured her of all possible assistance from India, said sources with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Swaraj also conveyed condolences on behalf of the people of India at the recent terrorist attacks in Rakhine state, in which many policemen and army personnel lost their lives, besides her condolences at the loss of lives in the recent ferry accident on the Chindwin river. Aung San Suu Kyi later called on President Pranab Mukherjee, who congratulated her on her party's (the League for Democracy) victory in the General Elections last year and complimented her on the role that she has played in Myanmar's path to democracy, said MEA sources. He recalled the discussions during the recent visit of Myanmar President. U Htin Kyaw to India in August, and conveyed India's whole-hearted support to the Myanmar Government in its efforts to live up to the expectations of the people of their nation. The President also referred to India's rich experience in building a federal nation state, taking into account the ethnic and linguistic diversities of its people and offered any assistance desired by the Government of Myanmar in this regard, said MEA sources. President also hosted a private lunch for the State Counsellor at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For the second time in three days, Pakistan resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing on Indian positions on the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian troops retaliated appropriately to Pakistan's indiscriminate firing along the Line of Control or LoC. Last Sunday, Sepoy Sudhees Kumar, 24, from Sambhal District of Uttar Pradesh was killed in the firing. However, no casualties have been reported in the fresh ceasefire violation. Pakistan has increased the number of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control ever since India's surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "For me my country comes first, nothing else matters to me but my country", said filmmaker Karan Johar, breaking his silence on the row over his upcoming film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'. In an emotional video statement, Johar expressed a "deep sense of hurt and pain" by the charge of being anti-national. "I condemn terror in the strongest terms, I respect our Army, for me, the country comes first," the 44-year-old said. "The reason why I remained silent is because of a deep sense of pain," he added. Johar, who made his directorial debut with the blockbuster romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, further said: "The best way to express your patriotism is to spread love and thats all I have ever tried to do through my work and cinema." Earlier in the day, prominent industry veterans including filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt met Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar and Joint Police Commissioner (Law and Order) Deven Bharti, who assured them that they would provide protection to theatres screening Dharma Productions next release. The meeting took place in the wake of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) veiled threat of vandalizing multiplexes if they screen 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'. CEO of Fox Star Studios Vijay Singh, CEO of Dharma Productions Apoorva Mehta and Siddharth Roy Kapur, the CEO of Disney India and the UTV Motion Pictures were among those present in the meeting. Shunning long-time speculations about whether the movie will release on its defined date or not, Bhatt confirmed that they would stick to the initial date of release, adding the movie will hit cinemas worldwide on October 28. "We will see to it that no untoward incident happens and the release of the film is not hampered in any way," he said. "They also wants to convey a very strong message through their PR department to every common man and people in exhibiting sector that we are there to support you so if anybody would intend to do any controversial incidence, they will be taking care of it," he added. Reaching out to the MNS workers, Bhatt urged them to show sensitivity about the fact that the movie has already been made and allow Diwali to be a festive affair for everyone. "I have a request as a fellow Indian to my brothers in the MNS, I am humbly requesting you to let us entertain people on the occasion of Diwali," he said. Bhatt, who is the president of The Film and Television Producers Guild of India, further said: "Why are we Indians fighting one another? We are one, we are Indians, let us not get fragmented and let the terrorists feel that they have won by separating us. I know they are upset, we are also upset but we are helpless as the movie has already been made. So, be a little sensitive about that and let's together celebrate a happy Diwali." The CEO of Fox Star Studios on his part said the Police Commissioner has assured them of full support of the state machinery to ensure that there is no untoward post the release of 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'. Meanwhile, Mumbai Police spokesperson Ashok Dudhe said that all multiplexes and single screen theaters would get protection to release the movie so that no disruption is caused in middle of the shows or in the city as a whole. For the unversed, the movie starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been under fire because it also features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in a cameo. The MNS after imposing the ban on artistes from the neighboring country, in response to the terror attack in Uri led by Pakistan, had on Monday openly threatened the theaters owners if they screen the movie. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who today launched a hub to provide professional support to entrepreneurs from the Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribe community in Ludhiana, said the MSME sector is crucial for the country's progress. Stating that Ludhiana is an important economic centre, Prime Minister Modi said it is natural to launch a scheme related to MSME here. "You would have seen the trend in this government- important schemes are launched in various parts of India, not only in the capital," Prime Minister Modi said "I am seeing a mini-India in front of me. For the economic progress of India, the MSME sector is crucial. We have to target the global market," he added. A confident Prime Minister further said the world market is waiting for us, adding there is no need to think our enterprise is small. "A spirit of entrepreneurship among Dalits will benefit us. There are youngsters whose dreams are to create enterprises and jobs," said Prime Minister Modi. "Can our MSME sector only keep looking at the market in India? No. Let us look at global market and match their quality control standards," he added. With an initial outlay of Rs. 490 crore, the hub would work towards strengthening market access/linkage, monitoring, capacity building, leveraging financial support schemes and sharing industry-best practices. This hub would also enable the central public sector enterprises to fulfill the procurement target set by the government. The Public Procurement Policy 2012 stipulates that four percent of procurement done by ministries, departments and CPSEs will have to be from enterprises owned by SC/ST entrepreneurs. The MSME sector, including the service segment, is a key driver of India's economic growth as it contributes nearly 38 percent to the country's GDP and employs close to 11 crore people. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had in his budget speech announced setting up of the SC/ST hub under the MSME Ministry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice Admiral G S Pabby, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, Indian Navy, said here today this is the right time for India to take a major step towards building submarines indigenously by forging a strategic partnership with the Indian industry. He urged the leading industry houses to grab the opportunity to strengthen Indian's Navy and added that there is a plethora of design and development opportunities available to the private sector in manufacturing of Navy equipment for the future. He mentioned that the six submarines on offer to the private sector for under P75(I) program was yet another opportunity by MoD to integrate the private sector in strategic defence production. Vice Admiral Pabby was speaking at a function organized by FICCI where he announced the holding of the International Seminar on 'Current and Future Challenges in Design and Construction of Underwater Vehicles' on November 22, 2016 at Federation House. The event will be organized by FICCI with active participation of the Indian Navy. Leading design houses are invited and are expected to participate in this niche seminar. Vice Admiral Pabby said that though India entered the sphere of submarines late but it was able to quickly catch up with the complex technology. Today, Indian Navy is designing and developing many of its equipment indigenously. The Navy has also built need-based operational requirements but is now developing its capabilities and is setting up extensive infrastructure to develop submarines in India. He mentioned that the Indian Navy took a visionary step in 1986 to establish in-house submarine design capability and the proposed seminar coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Directorate of Naval Design (Submarine Design Group). Rear Admiral CS Rao, NM, DGND (SDG), Indian Navy, presented the scope of seminar which aims to deliberate on unique challenges and complexities of submarine design and construction; with the aim to achieve national competence in submarine design and construction through industrial partnership. He mentioned that the seminar will be divided in two technical sessions wherein session 1 will focus on self-reliance in design and construction of submarines while session 2 will deliberate on design challenges in platform integration of emerging submarine technologies. During the seminar, the officers of Indian Navy, will present perspectives on the above topics and deliberate on the future requirements to be met by the industry, academia and research and development agencies. Dr. A. Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI, said that the objective of the international seminar is to emphasize the design capabilities of Indian Navy and other design agencies and to hand hold Indian industry to make the best of the capabilities and how to focus on the future requirements. He said FICCI is continuously focusing on futuristic technologies and added that in order to fulfil the national aspiration of establishment of strong defence industrial base in country, there is a need to do away with licensed production. India needs to encourage innovations in design to enhance its scientific capabilities which can later be transferred to industries for commercialisation of defence technologies. The seminar brochure was jointly released by Vice Admiral Pabby, CWP&A, Indian Navy, Rear Admiral CS Rao, NM, DGND (SDG), Dr A. Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI, Mr. Jayant D Patil, Chairman, FICCI Defence and Aerospace Committee, and Mr. Vivek Pandit, Senior Director, Defence and Aerospace, FICCI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More than 2 500 victims were able to decrypt their data, with more than 1 million dollars already saved, thanks to the global initiative. Just three months after the successful launch of the No More Ransom project, law enforcement agencies from a further 13 countries have signed up to fight ransomware together with the private sector. The new members are: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Colombia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. More law enforcement agencies and private sector organisations are expected to join the programme in the coming months. Their collaboration will result in more free decryption tools becoming available, helping even more victims to decrypt their devices and unlock their information, and damaging the cybercriminals where it hurts the most: their wallets. The project's objectives are supported by Eurojust and the European Commission, demonstrating the EU's concern about the growing threat of ransomware. No More Ransom was launched on 25 July 2016, by the Dutch National Police, Europol, Intel Security and Kaspersky Lab, introducing a new level of cooperation between law enforcement and the private sector to fight ransomware together. The aim of the online portal www.nomoreransom.org is to provide a helpful resource for victims of ransomware. Users can find information on what ransomware is, how it works and, most importantly, how to protect themselves. During the first two months, more than 2 500 people have successfully managed to decrypt their data without having to pay the criminals, using the main decryption tools on the platform (CoinVault, WildFire and Shade). This has deprived cybercriminals of an estimated $1+ million in ransoms. Ransomware is a type of malware that locks the victims' computer or encrypts their data, demanding them to pay a ransom in order to regain control over the affected device or files. Ransomware is a top threat for EU law enforcement: almost two-thirds of EU Member States are conducting investigations into this form of malware attack. While the target is often individual users' devices, corporate and even government networks are affected as well. The more law enforcement agencies and private sector partners work together, the more decryption tools can be created and made available. Currently, five decryption tools are listed on the website. Since the launch of the portal in July, the WildfireDecryptor has been added and two decryption tools updated: RannohDecryptor (updated with a decryptor for the ransomware MarsJoke aka Polyglot) and RakhniDecryptor (updated with Chimera). "Europol is fully committed to supporting the enlargement of the No More Ransom project within the EU and internationally to respond to ransomware in an effective and concerted manner," says Steven Wilson, head of the European Cybercrime Centre. "Despite the increasing challenges, the initiative has demonstrated that a coordinated approach by EU law enforcement that includes all relevant partners can result in significant successes in fighting this type of crime, focusing on the important areas of prevention and awareness. I am confident that the online portal will continue to improve in the months to come. All police forces are warmly encouraged to join the fight." "The fight against ransomware succeeds best when law enforcement agencies and the private sector join forces. Researchers can offer broader malware analysis and services like internet scanning, helping to find connections between different items of data. This enables the police to locate and seize the servers used to manage the attack. In some cases, the researchers' insight can also help to track down and arrest the criminals responsible. The seized servers can contain decryption keys, and, when shared with private sector companies this can be turned into decryption tools that help victims to unlock their data without paying the ransom. Basically, information-sharing is the key to effective collaboration between the police and security researchers. The easier and faster it happens - the more effective the partnership becomes. Getting more law enforcement agencies from different countries on board will therefore improve operational information-sharing, so that in the end ransomware will be fought more effectively," says Jornt van der Wiel, Security Researcher at the Global Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky Lab. In order to broaden the audience and improve results even further, the portal is currently being adapted to support different language versions. As a second step, the project will welcome new companies from the private sector as well, after a very high level of interest and countless requests received. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid severe criticism from the opposition, Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma will visit the site of the proposed Ramayana museum at Ayodhya today. Officials said 25 acres of land has been identified by the Union tourism ministry in the Paanch Kosi periphery of Ayodhya for the purpose. However, the opposition parties accused BJP of setting the project in motion just a few months before the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls purposefully for political gains. The tourism minister, meanwhile, defended the move by saying that the ministry of tourism had declared a program of spiritual circuits and theme-based circuits a year ago. "The Ramayana circuit was one, other than the Krishna and Buddha circuits and it has got nothing to do with the elections. It is a continuing process which was started about a year back", Sharma said. He asserted that officials from his ministry had visited the place near Ayodhya two months ago and that he was going there to finalise matters keeping in view all aspects. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hailing the valour of the Indian Army, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the world is talking about the bravery of the Indian Army following India's surgical strikes against terror launch pads last month. "Everyone is talking about our Army, we used to hear about similar feats of Israel. But now everyone knows Indian Army is no less," he said while addressing a Parivartan Rally in the poll-bound state's Mandi area. Describing Himachal Pradesh as 'devbhoomi' and a 'veerbhoomi', Prime Minister Modi said that just as Himachal is the land of Gods, it is also a land of bravehearts and there is a tradition of joining Army in every family. He also said Bharatiya Janata Party's made One Rank One Pension (OROP) a reality at the Mandi rally. "I had spoken here about OROP when I came here to campaign. Today in this 'veerbhumi', I can say that this right of yours has been given. One Rank One Pension was hanging for 40 years, and it is our Government which completed that work. Not only soldiers but their families bless me. And it makes me want to do more work for them, more work for our soldiers. Himachal Pradesh is a "devbhoomi" and a "veerbhoomi"," he added. During his day-long visit, Prime Minister Modi also dedicated three state-run mega hydro power projects to Kol Dam (800 mw), Parbati ( 540 mw) and Rampur ( 412 MW) and remembered former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for laying foundation of the three power projects in Himachal Pradesh. "Projects costing Rs 34 crore three decades ago cost more than Rs 2000 crore now. Through LED bulbs campaign in Himachal, we're able to save approximately Rs 1 crore daily or Rs 3.5 crore yearly. Poorest family in Himachal Pradesh will have a gas connection in the next three years," he said. Recalling the names of BJP leaders who became chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Modi said BJP Chief Minister's in the state devoted themselves to people's good. "Shanta Kumar Ji is popularly remembered as 'Paani Wale CM' and Dhumal Ji as 'Grameen Sadak Wale CM'. This is the Prime Minister's first visit to the hill state since assuming office in 2014. Himachal Pradesh is scheduled to go for election next year along with his home state, Gujarat. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minster Narendra Modi inaugurated three hydropower projects of 1,752 MW capacity in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday. He dedicated the 520 Megawatt generation capacity third phase of Parbati hydro power project, 412 Megawatt Rampur project and 800 Megawatt Kol Dam power project to the nation. While inaugurating these projects, Modi said they would change the economic horizon of Himachal Pradesh. Addressing a public rally in Mandi, Modi said, through the LED bulbs campaign, Himachal has been able to save approximately one crore rupees daily. He said, it is not only helping consumers in reducing their monthly bills but also adding to environmental conservation. The Prime Minister said, his government has fulfilled a long pending promise of One Rank One Pension for ex-servicemen. He said, country is proud of people of Himachal Pradesh who have contributed significantly to the defence of the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif called upon Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss national and regional security. "Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif called on Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at PM House today. Matters pertaining to national and regional security were discussed during the meeting," said a press release issued by the Prime Minister House. The two last met on October 10 and the meeting had reaffirmed that the army and intelligence agencies would continue to play a lead role in the fight against terrorism without any discrimination whatsoever with complete consensus among all stakeholders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke has revealed that the team management was about to drop Ricky Ponting in 2012 had he not retired in Perth against South Africa. In his autobiography 'My Story', Clarke speaks about he struggled with former national selector John Inverarity's schoolmasterly conversational style. In the book, Clarke reveals that in the lead-up to the 2012 SCG Test against India, Inverarity had emailed Mickey Arthur to say, "I have technical deficiencies and I am not the player I used to be". However, the most telling of Clarke's recollections is that later that same year, i.e. 2012, the selectors had decided to drop Ponting who was struggling after low scores in the first two home Tests against the Proteas. "John confides that the other selectors have made their minds up that Perth will be Ricky's last Test match, whether he scores nought or a hundred," ESPNcricinfo quotes the former Australian skipper as saying in his book. In his autobiography 'Ponting: At the Close of Play' which released in 2013, Ponting had written about his oscillating relationship with Clarke, and a feeling that he wasn't supported by Clarke's best as his deputy. However, three years down the line, Clarke agrees to his then skipper and concedes he should not have been made vice-captain in the first place. "In his autobiography, Ricky wrote that he was 'disappointed with some of the things I did as vice-captain'. He didn't accuse me of being treacherous or disruptive, but said I was reluctant to get involved in planning meetings or daily debriefs and take on a leadership role. When my private life was turbulent, he said, I would go into my shell. He was right. I was not a good vice-captain to him," Clarke writes in his book. In his last Test at the WACA in Perth from November 29 to December 3, 2012 vs South Africa, Ponting scored 4 and 8 respectively in both the innings. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A newly appointed Supreme Court bench is set to hear all issues arising from the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. The apex court committee yesterday filed a report on the Cauvery issue in the apex court, in which it was asserted that the situation is grim in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In its report, the committee has stated 42 of the 48 talukas of Karnataka in the Cauvery basin have been affected by drought. The team was constituted as per orders of the apex court to assess the realities in the Cauvery basin areas in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. "Karnataka's Mandy district is worst affected and has witnessed many suicides. No water in Tamil Nadu for cattle also. Standing crops in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are affected due to scarcity of water. Sugarcane farming in both states needs to be discouraged," the report added. The high-level central technical team had inspected the Krishnaraja Sagar and the Kabini dams in Karnataka, as also the Mettur and Bhavani Sagar dams in Tamil Nadu. The G S Jha-led Supreme Court appointed team also interacted with public works department officials and delta farmers in Thanjavur Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts. The farmers in Tiruchirapalli and delta regions told the team that the samba crop will be damaged if water from the Cauvery is not released by Karnataka. On Monday, the delta farmers in Tamil Nadu resorted to rail roko agitation and urged the government to set up a Cauvery Management Board. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian left handed batsmen Suresh Raina will not play the second ODI series against New Zealand in Delhi's Feroze Shah Kotla stadium as he is yet to recover from viral fever. "The BCCI Medical team has confirmed that Suresh Raina, who is recovering from a bout of viral fever and had missed the Dharamsala ODI, is ruled out of the second ODI against New Zealand. The team management has allowed Raina more time to recover. There will be no replacement in the team," the BCCI release stated. The middle order batsmen, who played his last ODI match against South Africa in October last year, was recalled to the 15-man squad for the first three matches of the series against New Zealand. India outplayed New Zealand in the first ODI of the five-match series at the HPCA Stadium on Sunday. Clinical performances from batting stalwart Virat Kohli and debutant Hardik Pandya with the ball helped India defeat New Zealand by six wicket. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Myanmar's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi will call on the President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. She will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the last day of her visit tomorrow. After arriving in the capital yesterday after attending the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit in Goa, Suu Kyi yesterday met Congress President Sonia Gandhi at her residence Suu Kyi is accompanied by several Ministers and senior officials and her visit will provide an opportunity to discuss issues of mutual interest and seek to further strengthen the close and friendly ties that exist between the two countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The and representatives of the Afghan Government have restarted secret talks in the Gulf state of Qatar. Sources told The Guardian that among those present at the meetings held in September and October was Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, the brother of Mullah Omar, the former chief who led the movement from its earliest days until his death in 2013. The two rounds of talks are the first known negotiations to have taken place since a Pakistan-brokered process entirely broke down following the death of Omar's successor Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in a US drone strike. According to a source, no Pakistani official took part in either the October or September meetings but a senior US diplomat was present in the Qatar meetings. The presence of the US officials helped make the meeting possible given the Taliban's long standing reluctance to meet directly with the Afghan Government, which it publicly lambasts as a "puppet regime". The US embassy in Afghanistan declined to comment on the claim. The Taliban official said the first meeting in early September "went positively and was held in a trouble-free atmosphere" in which Akhund sat face to face with Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai, Afghanistan's intelligence chief. A second meeting took place in early October despite continued fighting between the government and insurgent forces. Recent weeks have seen the Taliban overrun Kunduz for the second time and threaten Lashkar Gah in Helmand. Although an Afghan Government official confirmed Stanekzai had made at least one recent trip to Doha, both Ashraf Ghani's spokesman and Ismail Qasemiyar, a senior member of the High Peace Council charged with overseeing peace talks, denied any knowledge of the meetings. The last known meeting between the two sides took place in the Pakistani hill resort of Murree in July 2015 where the US and Pakistani officials were also present. But Pakistan has been unable to orchestrate any further meetings following the death of Mansoor. A close aide of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said both the Taliban and the government in Kabul have become deeply disillusioned with Pakistan. "Pakistan was double dealing and insincere with the Afghan government. We no longer think we need Pakistan and the Taliban think the same thing," he said. The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) on Tuesday said that it will not tolerate the blatant opposition of China against India on various platforms and has urged its members as well as the general public to boycott Chinese products. GCCI president Vipin Patel said the neighbouring country is working "against our interests. "There were representatives from 50-60 associations, we have asked them to create and impact on masses against Chinese products. We all associations and chambers of Gujarat together will send a message that if China can openly oppose us, so can we," Patel. "If China cannot support us for our membership in NSG or cannot support us against Masood Azhar, then we will also not keep quiet," he added. In a circular issued to its 200 members, the industry lobby said using products manufactured by Chinese companies goes against our interest. The GCCI called for boycott of Chinese products, saying that China is "siding with Pakistan against India, whether it is about harbouring terrorist Masood Azhar, or using its veto to stall our bid for the Nuclear Suppliers Group membership. China has been acting against our interest by constructing dam over the Brahamaputra and repeatedly trying to harm us from across the borders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Government of India recognises the significance of FTA with EU and the advantages it holds for the country. Ministry of Textiles is in constant touch with the Ministry of Commerce to pursue FTA with EU to boost the international trade, specially in the textile sector, said Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. She further added that while Bangladesh enjoys preferential treatment and tax benefits for textile exports, India has greater competitive advantage in terms of environmental compliances. As countries of the European Union lay huge importance to environmental compliances, India stands to gain over Bangladesh, she added. Indian textile industry is at a turning point. On one hand China's export growth in textiles is decreasing, India, riding on cost advantage, have huge potential to play a prominent role in international textile trade. India is also amongst very few countries which have the entire value chain existing with the country. Further, following the true spirit of federal competitiveness, several states are coming out with their own policy and incentives scheme for the textile sector, which augurs well with the aim to make India a leading global play in the textile sector. Roll out of the GST will also greatly help in streamlining the tax structure and improve compliance, she added. She appealed industry to take full advantage of the special package announced by the Government for the textile sector. She also pointed out that industry needs to increasingly focus on innovation, modernisation and technological advancement to become world-leaders in the textile sector. Stressing on the importance of skilling the workforce to become globally competitive, she said, At least 10 lakh workers need to be skilled every year to meet the demands of the industry and create direct and indirect employment. In a significant development, the ministry of labour is soon going to notify labour reforms allowing fixed-term employment for the textile sector she added. She also announced that the Ministry of Textile is working on the new textile policy which will be announced soon. The Indian textile industry must step up and take advantage of the fact that the world leader in textile - China, is moving away from the sector due to high cost of production. Union Government and state governments as well as the industry must work in tandem to capture share of the world market and occupy the space being vacated by China. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and Germany are bound by tremendous business opportunities and close economic links based on the fundamentals of understanding and support, said Dr. Mahesh Gupta, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in a press statement issued here today. Based on strong complementarily and growth prospects going forward the trade between two nations is expected to touch USD 25 billion by 2018. Currently, India-Germany trade is valued at USD 18.9 billion. Among various products, India's thrust products in Germany included organic chemicals (9.57%), non-knitted apparels (8.46%), nuclear reactors and boilers (8.37%), knitted articles (8.16%), electrical equipments (5.76%) of total exports. Germany's thrust products in India included nuclear reactors and boilers (29.91%), electrical equipments (10.68%), optical, measuring, photographic, medical or surgical equipments (8.14%), vehicles (7.44%), organic chemicals (5.49%) of total exports. Dr. Mahesh Gupta also added that Indian exports into Germany were mainly focused on Consumer Goods, viz. nearly 54% of the total exports. On the other hand, nearly 61% of the total imports from Germany were focused on Capital Goods. This clearly describes the characteristics of Germany being heavily endowed with capital-intensive goods is exporting India. On the other hand, India a relatively more labour-intensive nation is exporting more consumer goods to Germany, he said. It was also highlighted by Dr. Mahesh Gupta that India's export pattern has become more and more aligned with the import pattern of Germany over time. Both nations witnessed a favourable complementarity scenario. Also, the basket of exportable products from India remained opulently diversified over the years, thereby rendering Indian exporters relatively less susceptible to volatility in a turbulent trade scenario. Also, both nation registered satisfactory intra-industry trade numbers with substantial contribution in each other's value chain, which is expected to grow further in the coming times, further added Dr. Mahesh Gupta. Dr. Mahesh Gupta presumes that with further liberalization of FDI policy in different segments and the advent of GST next year, FDI from Germany is expected to touch a new growth trajectory. Going ahead, it is essential for both the parts to become proactive and adopt deem policies to rejuvenate the falling trend in trade. Both nations should continuously meet and engage in discussions related to mitigating bilateral trade issues, defence ties, renewable energy, skill development and other vital areas. As India is moving ahead as the front runner in growth of its economy, it needs extrinsic support from all the countries and Germany is one such nation which can truly transform into a sustainable partner for trade and economic growth. India's inordinate and skilled human capital highly aligns with the technological capabilities of Germany whereas German companies are competent in rendering infrastructural necessities to India, especially in logistics and construction sectors, added Dr. Mahesh Gupta. Going ahead, growth prospects for trade and development between two countries are very promising and sustainable, not only for the coming years but for the coming decades, said Dr. Mahesh Gupta. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shares of 10 logistics companies were up 0.65% to 5.08% at 11:46 IST on BSE ahead of the Goods and Services Tax council meeting that begins later today, 18 October 2016. Snowman Logistics (up 5.08%), Gati (up 3.69%), Sical Logistics (up 2.68%), Allcargo Logistics (up 2.33%), Gateway Distriparks (up 2.06%), Container Corporation of India (up 1.79%), VRL Logistics (up 1.63%), Blue Dart Express (up 0.97%), Transport Corporation of India (up 0.78%) and Aegis Logistics (up 0.65%), edged higher. The S&P BSE Sensex was up 233.40 points, or 0.85% at 27,763.37. A crucial three-day meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, comprising state finance ministers, starts today, 18 October 2016. The meeting is crucial because the government has set a deadline of 1 April 2017 for the GST rollout. GST, touted as the single biggest indirect taxation reforms since independence, will simplify and harmonise the indirect tax regime in the country. The GST seeks to create a seamless national market in the country by replacing plethora of state taxes and central taxes by one tax. Logistics firms could benefit from the removal of inefficiencies in interstate taxation and check posts. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India may have emerged as a key supplier of generic and affordable medicine for the world market, its overwhelming dependence on China for a crucial raw material , known as Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) to the extent of over 65 per cent of the requirement, has emerged as a main worrying area, an ASSOCHAM-RNCOS joint paper has noted. This is all the more disconcerting in the face of louder narrative against reducing trade gap with China which is well over USD 51 billion, adds the ASSOCHAM study. The API is the organ by which active pharmaceutical ingredients are manufactured from raw materials through both chemical and physical means. While rapid growth in new medical technologies is spurring the demand for APIs worldwide today with the increased import of raw pharma ingredients from the emerging markets, India's rising dependence on imports from China for many APIs that go into the making of a number of essential drugs has been cited as an area of concern for the policy makers. Though the government has taken steps like withdrawal of exemption in customs duties , imports worth Rs 13,853 crore in 2015-16 or 65.29 per cent of the total imports of Rs 21,216 crore are not sustainable. Over-dependence on China for APIs is likely to affect the bulk drug manufacturing sector, and subsequently have an impact on our population in plausible scenarios of drug shortages brought down by interrupted imports from single source country, ASSOCHAM Secretary General Mr D S Rawat said, adding over-dependence on such a crucial raw material on a single country is also not advisable from India's overall strategic interests as well. One of the main reasons for huge API imports from China is low cost of its manufacture and subsidy in China while India levies negligible import fee . The import fees should be increased in line with other counterparts, the paper said. The chamber said there is presence of multiple regulatory authorities for the industry. The API manufacturers have to approach different authorities for renewal of licences that become a tedious affair. Therefore a single committee of various government departments should be formed to regulate the industry through a single window and audit of plants. Besides, the Centre can focus on development of mega parks for APIs across the country. These parks should be provided with common facilities such as effluent treatment plants, testing, power plants, IPR management and designing. These facilities should be maintained by special purpose vehicles. Several other countries like China provide incentives and subsidies for promoting the manufacture of essential pharmaceutical raw material. This significantly reduces their cost of production and ability to supply API to the world market at a huge discount to the global prices. This discourages new domestic investment in the sector. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking serious cognizance of the deaths of 740 tribal students in residential schools in 10 years, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) demanded an explanation on the issue from the Maharashtra government here on Tuesday. The issue came to the fore after the death of a 12-year-old tribal girl in Palghar district on October 7 due to fever and complications related to malnutrition. Later, another 10 students of a school in the district were admitted to hospitals for malnutrition-related health problems, most of them belonging to very poor tribal families. Noting that "the schools lack health services and basic amenities," the NHRC said as per norms the students should be screened at least twice a year but government agencies are not following it (the norms). "The school authorities, as their lawful guardians, are responsible for their welfare, safety and health care needs. The negligence on the part of the Department of Tribal Development and the school authorities is a violation of Right to Life, Dignity and Equality of the students," the NHRC said in its notice to the state Chief Secretary. Maharashtra has around 552 residential schools for tribal students run by the Tribal Development Department. Several posts in these schools are lying vacant and budgetary provisions are not being utilised, as a result of which many students have died due to dengue, malaria, food poisoning, drowning, snake bites and suicides in the past. Incidentally, mid-September, Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao had directed three cabinet ministers -- Pankaja Munde, Vishnu Savra and Deepak Sawant -- to visit the affected tribal areas of Palghar and other parts of the state. He had asked them to initiate urgent remedial measures to tackle the problems of malnutrition and other health issues in these tribal areas. Later, Tribal Development Minister Vishnu Savra faced the ire of the tribals when he visited one of the worst-hit hamlets in Jawahar sub-district. When the angry locals informed him that over 600 children have died and what has he done for them, Savra had retorted: "So what? The government is doing its work, implementing schemes." Furious with his reply, the villagers asked him to 'get out' after which Savra said that if he was not required, he would not come there. --IANS qn/pgh/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has rapped the Akhilesh Yadav government for poor work in controlling the menace of dengue, for not spending central funds and for faking statistics on the death toll in the vector borne disease. At a hearing on Monday the High Court not only expressed its displeasure on the statistics submitted to it but also said it did not trust the data following which it has decided to form its own committee of experts to look into the matter. A bench of Justice A.P. Shahi and Justice D.K. Upadhyaya observed that while the court has time it has again given chances to the health department and concerned official over the matter. The court further directed the state government to submit a fresh report on the toll of deaths caused by dengue on October 25 and also suggest names of the people it deems fit to be part of the expert committee. The court said the affidavits given by the Principal Secretary (health), Secretary (urban development), Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Lucknow and other urban body representatives was only "paperwork" and an eyewash. More than 200 people have reportedly died due to dengue in the city alone and more than 2,000 are said to be tested positive for it but the state agencies are not admitting of the casualties. It would have been better had the government and authorities worked in curbing the menace rather than giving fake statistics, the court said. Initially the state government had said there were no deaths due to dengue but later amended the toll and told the court that the number stood at 9. However, the court said this was the figure of government hospitals and has asked details of the many reported deaths in private hospitals. The High Court has also come down heavily on the state government for not spending the funds issued by the central government to control the disease. --IANS md/ss/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Anubhav Sinha shot an important sequence of his forthcoming film "Tum Bin 2" at the same spot in Scotland where a dramatic scene of "Skyfall", featuring Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, was canned. The filmmaker says he is a big fan of the James Bond franchise, and is glad that he could get associated with it in some way. "It was an important scene and I'm a big James Bond fan. The day I decided to shoot 'Tum Bin 2' overseas, this was on my radar. My actors were very excited when I announced we are shooting at the Glen Etive Road which is now called the Skyfall Road," Sinha said in a statement. "Tum Bin 2" features Neha Sharma, Aditya Seal and Aashim Gulati. "Unfortunately, all three of them fell sick the day before (the shoot). So this shot was quite hectic and we had to ensure a medical practitioner tagged along with the unit. Plus it's a long winding path, so we initially found it difficult to locate the exact spot where Judi and Daniel shot so we wasted close to half a day locating the exact spot. "Also, the weather was very unpredictable but during those two hours, the heavens above decided to favour us and it was seamless." The second instalment of the 2001 film "Tum Bin" franchise is written and directed by Sinha and jointly produced by him and Bhushan Kumar of the T-Series music label. Shot in the aesthetic landscape of Scotland, "Tum Bin 2" reunites Sinha with Kumar after a gap of 15 years. The film will release on November 18. -*- Arjun Kapoor had fun because of me: Chetan Bhagat Author Chetan Bhagat says it is not fair that he writes down kissing scenes in his books and actor Arjun Kapoor gets to do them in their cinematic adaptation. Bhagat's book "2 States: The Story of My Marriage" was made into a film titled "2 States", which starred Arjun. And now he also features in "Half Girlfriend" -- an adaptation of Bhagat's eponymous book. "Arjun has had fun in two ways on my account. First, he has never been to IIM, St Stephen's, Bill Gates Foundation, or United Nations. But in my books, and then films, the character is from St Stephen's who joins the United Nations. In '2 States', he became an IIM student," Bhagat said in a statement. He added: "Another is that I write all the kissing scenes, but he gets to do it. Isn't this unfair? I have seen that there are six takes for one scene, what is this? I also suggested them that I can show how it needs to be done, but they don't allow me to do it." The author's other books have also been made into films. While "3 Idiots" was based on "Five Point Someone", "Hello" was based on "One Night @ The Call Centre" and "The Three Mistakes of My Life" was adapted as "Kai Po Che!". Bhagat expressed his views in a broadcast of Neha Dhupia's audio talk "#NoFilterNeha". He spoke in Hindi. --IANS sug/rb/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Navy and the Defence Ministry on Tuesday maintained silence on induction of its first nuclear submarine Arihant in the force, even as sources indicated the vessel has been inducted. Former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd), however, told IANS that such silence was "customary" as the project is 'top secret' and even the Navy is not aware of the submarine's movements and locations, which are decided by orders from the highest level. The submarine, the lead ship of India's Arihant-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, has been designed based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarines. Neither Defence Ministry officials, nor the Indian Navy confirmed or denied the media reports on induction of the vessel. Asked about the submarine at a function here, Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition in Indian Navy Vice Admiral G.S. Pabby refused to answer the question. The Vice Admiral, however, said that an interaction will soon be held to answer all questions on the submarine. "There will soon be an opportunity to talk about it," Pabby said. Asked about the induction, officials refused to comment on or off record. However, they indicated that the boat is now part of the Indian Naval fleet, but did not divulge the exact date of induction. Asked about the possible reasons for the secrecy, former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retired) said the secrecy around the induction of the vessel, being a nuclear submarine, was "customary". "Arihant is an achievement technology wise, but otherwise it is a top secret," Admiral Prakash told IANS. "Its mission is to be a nuclear deterrent. Everything to do with the submarine will be a secret. Its movement, position and location will not even be known to the Navy," he said. "It is not a normal ship; though we would like to show it off, we cannot," he added. The 60,000-tonne submarine was also not included in the International Fleet Review (IFR) hosted by the Indian Navy earlier this year. INS Arihant is India's first indigenous nuclear submarine, and the lead ship of the Arihant-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, which was launched in 2009. While it was initially expected to go on sea trials by 2012, it did so only in December 2014. The miniaturised nuclear reactor of Arihant, built with Russian help, went critical in August 2013. The submarine completes India's nuclear triad giving it the capability to respond to nuclear strikes from sea, land and air-based systems. The project was under Advanced Technology Vessel programme under the supervision of the Prime Minister's Office and involving agencies and establishments such as the DRDO, the Department of Atomic Energy, the Submarine Design Group of the Directorate of Naval Design, besides companies such as L&T. Its 100-member crew has been trained by Russian specialists, Indian scientists at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have received significant expertise in reducing the size of the reactor to help it fit into the 10 m diameter hull of the nuclear submarine. India currently operates Russian-origin nuclear-powered submarine INS Chakra, which it leased for 10 years from Russia in 2012. Nuclear submarines have capability to stay out in the sea for longer, and don't need to surface for a long duration. --IANS ao/rn/vt (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Trinamool Congress MP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Avishek Banerjee was seriously injured on Tuesday when his car met with an accident on the Durgapur Expressway in Hooghly district, police said. Avishek was rushed to a city nursing home where doctors said he had sustained an orbital injury in a facial bone below the eye. Former minister Manas Bhunia, who was part of the convoy but in another vehicle, was safe. Ten policemen in her nephew's convoy also sustained injuries and were released after preliminary treatment. The Chief Minister ordered a Criminal Investigation Department probe on whether there was any foul play. Banerjee, who spent over two hours at the nursing home, said Avishek was being administered oxygen and saline and would be kept under observation for four days. "The injury is serious. There is a huge swelling on the face. He is being administered oxygen and saline," she said. Avishek's car hit the crane of a van towing a snag-hit milk van at Ratanpur, about six km from Singur, when the Trinamool youth wing chief was returning to Kolkata after attending a party programme in Baharampur of Murshidabad district, police said. Trinamool leader Becharam Manna said Avishek's car upturned and hit a divider after the accident. "He is stable, but obviously there is cause for worry because in such cases there may be complications at a later stage," said attending doctor Subir Mondal. "There is no head injury. All his vital parameters are OK. We have done bone and brain scans. But nothing was found. We have to go for repeat tests," Mondal told the media. A 14-member medical team comprising internal medicine and eye specialists, surgeons, neurosurgeon, neurologist and maxilo-facial surgeon has been formed for his treatment. The doctor said no major fracture was diagnosed but he needed to be kept under medical observation. "Let us hope. I am getting messages from accross the country. Even the President (Pranab Mukherjee) and the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) called up to know what exactly had happened. The concern of one and all will help him survive," Banerjee said. Asked about the cause of the accident, she said: "I don't want to make any comment when investigation is on". Senior Trinamool leaders also reached the health facility to ask after the TMC leader, who represents Diamond Harbour constituency in the 16th Lok Sabha. --IANS mgr-ssp/tsb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union Culture Ministry on Tuesday gave its go-ahead to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's cultural unit Sanskar Bharti to introduce its own 'Nobel awards' in the fields of Peace, Human Rights, Literature, Visual and Performing Arts, Science, Education and others. Sources in the ministry told IANS that the ministry has given its nod to institute 'Naimishya Samman'. The first edition of awards on the lines of Nobel will be given in 'Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsava', likely to be held in Varanasi in November. The awards will be presented annually. The jury would comprise of prominent Indian and international figures from diverse fields. According to sources the budget for the Sanskriti Mahotsav has been set at Rs 220 crore, out of which around Rs 70 crore have been kept for the awards and the rest for the event. The Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsava, the brain child of the RSS, is an initiative of the Ministry of Culture. --IANS bns/pgh/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) While India is looking to export its surplus coal to Bangladesh because of low domestic demand, the government is trying to come to grips with what has been ailing the country's coal and power sectors, a senior official said on Tuesday. "Articulation of demand is not happening at the discom (electricity distribution companies) level. Today, railway rakes are available for coal evacuation, but unfortunately, there is no demand," Coal Secretary Anil Swarup said addressing a World Coal Association conference here. "The focus is on the discoms now. The real problem is not the debt burden of the discoms, but the losses they are incurring...transmission losses and losses on recoveries, among others," he said. The Coal Secretary explained that while in his sector, the accent on implementation and the "change in paradigm" introduced by the current central government has yielded results in the form of surplus fuel production, the discoms' issues had been left unaddressed for a long time. "In 2015-16, Coal India acquired 5,000 hectares of land for mining purposes, which is unprecedented in the history of the company," Swarup said illustrating how the state miner had managed to reverse a situation of earlier production shortfalls. "Instead, things were not being implemented at the discom level. Governments were postponing addressing the crisis year after year," he said. Referring to the Centre's Uday discoms' debt restructuring scheme, Swarup said the current scheme, although also a postponement of the debt, has certain additional features. "Today, we're taking the bull by the horns on discoms. They were earlier not being monitored on accountability and parameters, which this government is trying to do," he said. The current low capacity utilisation of power plants is driven primarily by stressed discoms, which are unable to buy electricity because of weak their financial condition. Swarup said the central government's Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) debt restructuring scheme would help improve the financial position of state discoms, which will also have a positive impact on coal demand. Twenty Indian states and one union territory have given in-principle approval and 16 have already signed up for the scheme, which envisages taking over 75 per cent of discoms' cumulative debt. States would issue loans against the debt at prevailing market rates. The balance 25 per cent would be issued as sovereign backed bonds by discoms. The scheme also envisages access to cheaper coal, modernising transformers to cut distribution losses, as well as a provision to revise tariffs, which has been criticised by the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu stands out among states, which have not yet opted for UDAY. According to US rating agency Fitch, the committed Indian states and UTs accounted for almost 77 per cent of the total net cash losses reported by discoms in fiscal 2014, and around 58 per cent of the total debt outstanding at end-September 2015. --IANS bc/nir/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Human rights activist launched a new political party, 'People Resurgence and Justice Alliance', in Imphal on Tuesday. She said she will contest against Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi from Thoubal constituency in the 2017 assembly elections. She will also contest from Khurai, her home constituency, she added. Sharmila said, "I want to become the Chief Minister to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Since Ibobi has kept all sections of the people in his constituency satisfied they may reject me. But I want to know whether people in other districts in general and the hills in particular are well looked after. Since my mission is to repeal the AFSPA I am throwing the gauntlet to the Chief Minister." She further disclosed that her party will field 20 candidates and names of four candidates have been finalised. Earlier in the day, she visited Johnstone Higher Secondary School in the heart of Imphal city where the first session of the elected Assembly of Manipur was held on October 18, 1948. "Since this is the cornerstone of democracy I have come seeking blessings," Sharmila said. Sharmila, known as India's 'Iron Lady', had in August broken her 16-year-long fast against the AFSPA and said that she would contest the Manipur Assembly elections due in 2017. She had been fasting since November 2, 2000. As a physician specializing in primary care and anesthesiology, I have been fortunate to be able to use my expertise to care for numerous people in the U.S., Mexico, the Yucatan, Guatemala, Haiti and other locations around the world. Going on mission trips within and outside of our country allows me to care for people who are in need of assistance in meeting the very basic requirements of life, such as water, food, housing and medical care. One of the many ironies that becomes apparent out in the mission field is the fact that people who have less are often more grateful, happier and less stressed than those with abundance. While we are working overtime to acquire the next "thing" or to fund our retirement accounts, many around the world are working to meet basic needs and prioritize spending time with their families. There are many reasons to consider going on a mission trip at least once, if not regularly, during your life. Of course, the ultimate goal is improve the lives of those in need. But did you know being part of a mission has many benefits for team members and their families as well? Here are a few great reasons to go beyond the borders of your neighborhood and town to help others. Love in action more than just words Regardless of ones religious preferences or background, one thing is clear: faith without works is meaningless; talk is cheap, action is needed. Many people think that only those involved in faith-based organizations or those in the medical field are suited to go on a mission trip. This simply is not true. There are no specific skills needed to reach out to others. The world is made better one day at time, one situation at a time, and one life at a time. Imagine what love, concern and caring looks like: Hands to reach out, feet to go where needed, eyes to see the need and ears to hear the laughter and sorrow of others. Dont wait or you may never do it There may be plenty of reasons not to go on mission you dont like to fly, you dont have the money, you cant get away from work, etc. But looking back later in life, will you remember why you didnt go or will you remember the amazing places you went? Will you wonder how your life and others lives might have been different if you had helped or will your heart be warmed by the memories you have created? Will you imagine the people you could have met or the places you could have seen? Or, will your life be enriched by the people you have connected with and the things you have seen? If going on mission sounds intriguing, but the time is not right, I encourage you to put it on your schedule at some point in the near future. Start small if that helps to get you moving. Otherwise, you might wake up someday at 85 years old, still saying, Maybe next year ... Get involved locally, nationally or internationally There are many organizations in our region, the U.S. and worldwide that need volunteers. Any skill is needed from building and repairs, to cleaning and organizing, to teaching and mentoring, to medical and surgical care. If you are interested in traveling outside of the country, consider getting involved with locally based organizations that do out-of-country trips such as Northern Arizona Volunteer Medical Corps, Medishare, Doctors Without Borders or FaithWorks. There are also numerous local agencies looking for helping hands right here in northern Arizona. A good list of local and regional organizations is available on the United Way of Northern Arizona website; click on the documents tab and then select Flagstaff Resources. Or just doing an internet search for mission and volunteer organizations will yield many results. All it takes is a few clicks on the computer, a phone call and a willing heart to make a profound difference in your life and the lives of others. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday sought a report from the Maharashtra government on the deaths of 740 tribal students in residential schools over the last 10 years, due to lack of basic health services and amenities. The state government has been given four weeks to explain the reasons behind the negligence on the part of the Department of Tribal Development. The issue came to the fore after the death of a 12-year-old tribal girl in Palghar district on October 7 following fever and complications related to malnutrition. Later, 10 other students of a school in the district were admitted to hospitals for malnutrition-related health problems, most of them belonging to very poor tribal families. Noting that "the schools lack health services and basic amenities", the NHRC said as per norms the students should be screened at least twice a year, but government agencies are not following the norms. "The school authorities, as their lawful guardians, are responsible for their welfare, safety and health care needs. The negligence on the part of the Department of Tribal Development and the school authorities is a violation of Right to Life, Dignity and Equality of the students," the NHRC said in its notice to the state Chief Secretary. Maharashtra has around 552 residential schools for tribal students run by the Tribal Development Department. Several posts in these schools are lying vacant and budgetary provisions are not being utilised. As a result, many students have died due to dengue, malaria, food poisoning, drowning, snake bites and suicides in the past. Incidentally, mid-September, Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao had directed cabinet ministers Pankaja Munde, Vishnu Savra and Deepak Sawant to visit the affected tribal areas of Palghar and other parts of the state. He had asked them to initiate urgent remedial measures to tackle the problems of malnutrition and other health issues in these tribal areas. Later, Tribal Development Minister Vishnu Savra faced the ire of the tribals when he visited one of the worst-hit hamlets in Jawahar sub-district. When the angry locals informed him that over 600 children have died and asked what has he done for them, Savra had retorted: "So what? The government is doing its work, implementing schemes." Furious with his reply, the villagers asked him to "get out". To this, Savra said if he was not required, he would not come there. The NHRC, which took cognizance of the issue through media reports, said that the students coming from the tribal communities generally belong to poor families. The school authorities, as their lawful guardians, are responsible for their welfare, safety and health care needs. --IANS qn-rup/rn/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday said Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's statement that RSS training inspired the Prime Minister and him for the surgical strikes across the Line of Control "is most unfortunate". The statement is most unfortunate and an attempt to take away the credit from the army, the Bahujan Samaj Party President told the media here. "It is sad that attempts are being made to score political brownie points over the (September 29) surgical strikes though it is an act done by the brave army," the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said. Parikkar on Monday said in Ahmedabad that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideology inspired Prime Minister Narendra Modi and him to carry out the September 29 surgical strikes across the Line of Control. Mayawati also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of engineering defections from other political parties as it had lost confidence on its own leaders. "The BJP has lost the plot in Uttar Pradesh and is facing the prospect of a total rout in the state. Hence, it is indulging in everything possible," the Dalit leader said. Mayawati claimed that the people of Uttar Pradesh will repose their faith in the BSP in the 2017 assembly elections. --IANS md/tsb/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Tuesday announced that Microsoft is one of the first global cloud service providers to achieve MeitYs provisional accreditation to deliver its Cloud solutions to government agencies and departments. The accreditation empowers government agencies and departments in India to choose Microsoft Cloud to advance their digital transformation, optimise IT operations and transform societies, the company said in a statement. "Microsoft Cloud provides industry-leading levels of security, privacy controls, compliance, and transparency for Indian government agencies to achieve higher efficiencies, with greater reliability and scalability," Microsoft said in a statement. With this accreditation, Microsoft can help the Indian government in its journey to provide transformational e-governance services, financial inclusion opportunities, quality healthcare and education to people in the country. MeitY is the governing body that provides guidelines to all the public sector organisations, government funded and controlled organisations, state and local bodies and state-owned enterprises in India. --IANS sku/na/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a dig at Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, saying "Do I need to tell you about his identity?", alluding to the corruption charges against him. Hailing former Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Ministers of the state, Modi said, "Shanta Kumar ji is remembered as 'Paani Wale CM' and Dhumal ji (Prem Kumar Dhumal) as 'Grameen Sadak Wale CM'." "And we all know about this Chief Minister. What is the identity of the present Chief Minister? Do I have to say this here?" said Modi. "This is the difference. The BJP CMs dedicated themselves to providing water and roads. But the others who came...what all did they not dedicate to themselves!" he added. Modi inaugurated three power projects -- Koldam HEP (4x200MW) of NTPC, Parbati HEP Stage-III (4x130MW) of NHPC and Rampur HEP (6x68.67MW) of SJVN -- having the total generation capacity of 1,732MW. Talking about Koldam hydro power plant, Modi said: "The project was signed with Russia to build Koldam Dam Hydropower Project in 1962 on Satluj river. This project was delayed by successive governments. When Atal ji (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) became the Prime Minister, he gave a push to the project." Modi also described Himachal Pradesh as "Devbhoomi" (land of gods) and "Veerbhoomi" (land of the brave). "Atal ji hamesha maanate the, ki agar unka koi dusra ghar hai to wo Himachal hai (Atal ji always considered Himachal his second home)," Modi said. --IANS sid/nir/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister on Tuesday urged people to buy Khadi during the ongoing festive season, saying it would help poor families. Addressing a programme of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) here, the Prime Minister said earlier, during India's struggle for freedom, "Khadi used to be for nation, now Khadi is for fashion". "For our economic development, MSME sector is crucial. We must target the global market," he said. "Ludhiana is an important economic hub. It is only natural to launch a scheme related to MSME here. I am seeing a mini-India in front of me," Modi said. He also assured the workers and officials engaged in the MSME sector of all support from the central government. President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday wrote to the Governor of Odisha condoling the loss of lives due to a massive fire at a Bhubaneswar hospital and prayed for the injured. "I am sad to learn about the unfortunate massive fire at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar, in which a number of persons have lost their lives and many others are injured," Mukherjee said in his message to Odisha Governor S.C. Jamir. "I understand relief operations are currently underway. My thoughts and prayers are with the injured and the families who have lost their near and dear ones," he added. "My heart and prayers are with bereaved families and injured in the massive hospital fire in Bhubaneswar hospital," Mukherjee said in a tweet earlier in the day. The President also called upon the state administration to tend to the grieving families and to take necessary steps to investigate the cause of the incident. At least 19 persons were killed and over 100 injured in the fire that started on Monday around 7.30 p.m. at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar. Initial investigation suggested it could have been caused by electrical short-circuit. The ICU, dialysis and emergency units where the fire broke out were sealed for investigation," Health Secretary Arti Ahuja said. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident. --IANS vn/lok/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The 27-year-old wife of a national level kabaddi player committed suicide by hanging at her home here over alleged strained relations with her husband, police said on Tuesday. Lalita, the wife of Rohit Chillar, was found dead on Monday evening at around 7.30 p.m in Nangloi's Ashok Mohalla in West district by her father. In her suicide note, Lalita wrote that she was forced to stay alone and was upset with the frequent visits out of the city of her husband, who plays in the position of rider in the Kabaddi Premier League, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Vijay Kumar told IANS. Lalita's father, Karan Singh, informed the police of the suicide. Chillar was in Mumbai when Lalita committed suicide. Her marriage to Chillar in March last year was her second. She was staying alone while her in-laws stayed in Kanjhawala in Delhi. "Lalita also alleged in the note that she was asked by her husband to leave him for his happiness, and thus she took this step," DCP said. "A SDM (sub divisional magistrate) enquiry has been set up into the matter. Police will register a case after the enquiry report comes," the DCP added. --IANS sp/sm/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Washington, Oct 18 (IANS/AKI) US President Barack Obama on Tuesday paid tribute to Italian Premier Matteo Renzi, saying that his programme of reforms was transforming Italy. "He looks to people's hopes not their fears, Italy is changing the status quo thanks to his courageous reforms," Obama said in remarks welcoming Renzi to the White House for private talks and a state dinner. "Good morning. Buongiorno," Obama said, greeting Renzi with a handshake and a pat on the back. Also present were First Lady Michelle Obama and Renzi's wife Agnese Landini. "Today is the date of the final state dinner of my presidency. But that's okay. We kept the best till last," Obama added. "I consider myself an honorary Italian," Obama said. "America was built thanks to immigrants, it is great and strong thanks to immigrants." Obama further showed off his language skills, telling Renzi in Italian, "Solid friendships are built on clear pacts," in a reference to the special nature of the alliance between Washington and Rome. Taking the podium, Renzi returned Obama's compliments. "We Italians love history and think that history will judge you well. Day after day, your leadership has built change and worked for peace," Renzi said. "Our ties with your country has never been so strong, from the fight against terrorism to security and the creation of opportunities for all." Also in the Italian delegation was Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and Ambassador to the US Armando Varricchio. In an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica ahead of Renzi's visit, Obama praised his political "vision" and criticised European Union austerity rules that rein in national budgets. "I believe the austerity measures have contributed to slowing growth in Europe," Obama told La Repubblica in the interview published on Tuesday. Obama's words were a boost for Renzi. His 2017 budget is expected to hike the fiscal deficit higher than targets previously agreed with the EU and he has staked his political future on an upcoming constitutional reform referendum in December. Renzi's reforms of the labour market, the public sector and education have failed to boost Italy's chronically sluggish growth and his popularity ratings have dropped over the past 18 months. --IANS/AKI lok/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four unidentified assailants killed one and injured at least two others in Gurgaon in an apparent gang war, police said on Tuesday. "Four unidentified bike-borne men fired indiscriminately on the SUV of Manish Gujjar, brother of a jailed gangster, Binder Gujjar, here on rail road around 12.30 a.m. on Tuesday," a senior police officer said. Gujjar, a liquor trader, was on his way to his shop on Railway Road in his SUV to collect cash at the time of the attack. He reportedly received more than a dozen bullets, said the police. He was rushed to the Medanta Medicity hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Gujjar's driver Sukhbir and one of his close aides were also critically injured in the incident. Police linked the shootout to gang rivalry. Binder Gujjar, the gangster-turned-politician, allegedly involved in number of cases of murder, attempt to murders, extortion and other crimes, is currently in jail. Gujjar's close aide and gangster Mahesh -- alias Attack -- was also shot dead by his rival Kaushal and his accomplices on September 21, near Jharsa Chowk here while he was returning home in an SUV. Kaushal was reportedly close to another slain gangster Sandeep Gadoli. Gadoli was killed in an aparently fake shootout by Gurgaon police in a Mumbai hotel on February 7, at the alleged behest of Binder Gujjar. A Mumbai Special Investigation Team had filed its report to the Supreme Court on the fake encounter in May in which five Gurgaon policemen and three others were involved. --IANS pradeep/in/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Karnataka circle inspector allegedly shot himself fatally with a service revolver in a police station at Malur town in Kolar district early Tuesday, the state police said. "M. Raghavendra, 32, was found dead in his chamber on the first floor of the police station by one of the policemen who went upstairs to meet him early morning," state Inspector General of Police (IGP) Seemanth Kumar Singh told IANS. Malur is 45 km from Bengaluru. "We have registered a case of unnatural death under Section 174 of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and a DSP (deputy superintendent of police) is inquiring into the incident to find out if there was foul play or was it a suicide," said Singh. The inspector leaves behind his wife, a young son and parents at his native place Narsipur in the same district. "He (inspector) was on night duty and went out for patrolling at 10.30 p.m. on Monday in a police vehicle but returned to the police station around 2.00 a.m.," recalled Singh, quoting the victim's driver. Raghavendra is the third state police officer to commit suicide this year after Mangaluru DSP M. K. Ganapathy hanged himself at Madikeri in Kodagu district on July 7 and Chikkamagaluru rural DSP Kallappa Handibag hanged himself at his in-laws' home at Murgod in Belagavi district. Kolar Superintendent of Police Divya Gopinath visited the police station for a first-hand account of the incident. --IANS fb/pgh/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON Lawmakers on Monday questioned the Justice Departments decision not to prosecute officials in connection with the Gold King Mine spill, which dumped nearly 3 million gallons of toxins into the Animas River last year. Congressional staffers learned in briefings last week that the Environmental Protection Agencys Inspector General found violations of the Clean Water Act and the False Claims Act in its investigation of the incident, according to a letter from Sens. John McCain, R-Arizona, and John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, that described the meeting. The findings were reportedly referred to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Colorado, which said it would not pursue criminal charges but would instead let EPA managers to decide what administrative action should be taken, according to the senators letter. This is unacceptable for a disaster called the largest of its kind since the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, said the letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. This decision shows that the federal government is not interested in holding itself to the same level of accountability to which it holds private companies when their negligence causes serious environmental damage and major economic harm, they said. Officials with both the EPA and the U.S. Attorneys Office for Colorado declined to comment on the situation. The Gold King spill was triggered in August 2015 when crews that were supposed to be cleaning up the abandoned mine in Silverton, Colorado, accidentally hit a mine tunnel, sending millions of gallons of mine wastewater into the Animas River. The rupture spewed zinc, lead, iron, arsenic and other contaminants into the river, which eventually feeds into the San Juan and the Colorado rivers. The incident also turned the river a ghastly orange-yellow for miles. The spill affected local residents and their water supply, including residents of the Navajo Nation, which filed a lawsuit against the EPA in August charging that the tribes water had been poisoned with some of the worst contaminants known to man. Given how much this catastrophe has devastated the lives and livelihoods of Native American tribes, including the Navajo Nation, someone needs to be held accountable and legally liable, the senators said in their letter. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Flagstaff whose district includes the Navajo Nation said in an e-mailed statement that whoever is behind the spill should not be let off the hook for the harm this contamination caused to the Navajo people, their water supply, livestock and qualify of life. But while the senators were urging prosecution, at least one environmental group said lawmakers and federal agencies should be focusing their attention on one thing: cleaning up the mess. Sandy Bahr, the director of the Grand Canyon chapter of the Sierra Club, said the EPAs classification of Gold King Mine as a Superfund site in September was an important step in getting it cleaned. Theyre doing what theyre supposed to do, Bahr said. Theyre moving forward. While Senator McCain wants to point fingers, maybe what really needs to happen is to get the mess cleaned up and thats what theyre trying to do. Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday called on President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. Suu Kyi, the Myanmar Foreign Minister, also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan where she was accorded a ceremonial reception earlier. "State Counsellor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi calls on the President Pranab Mukherjee, at Rashtrapati Bhavan," the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting tweeted. Suu Kyi, who is on three-day visit here post the Brics-Bimstec Summit in Goa, also met with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "Boosting ties with Myanmar. Ceremonial welcome for State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is followed by a meeting with Sushma Swaraj," spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry, Vikas Swarup tweeted. She also visited Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. --IANS ruwa/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Accusing the Narendra Modi government of "targeting minorities", the CPI-M on Tuesday said the Centres move to push the Uniform Civil Code is counterproductive to the rights of women. Supporting the demand against the practice of arbitrary and instant Triple Talaq, the Communist Party of India-Marxist said all personal laws, including those for the majority community, require reforms. "In this context, the claims being made by government spokespersons that personal laws for Hindu women have already been reformed shows that their interest is not in securing women's equality but targeting the minority communities, particularly the Muslim minority," the party said in a statement. "Even now laws concerning adoption, property rights and even the right to choose your own partner discriminate against Hindu women," the statement said. Opposing the Uniform Civil Code, it said uniformity is not a guarantee for equality. "With the offensive of the communal forces on the very identity of minority communities, any move to push the agenda of Uniform Civil Code, as is being done by the government, directly and through its institutions is counterproductive for the rights of women. Uniformity is not the guarantee for equality," the party said. --IANS and/nir/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Navy on Tuesday said it is not looking at including the indigenous Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system in the last two Scorpene submarines, and it could be added later during retrofit. Vice Admiral G.S. Pabby, Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition, Indian Navy, said the project is progressing well, but will not be included in the Scorpenes. "AIP is progressing very well, it is progressing on schedule and I think it will be ready well before requirement," Pabby said. "For the Scorpene class - we are not looking at five and six. We will do it as a retrofit if we have to do it," he said. The indigenous AIP, being developed by Maharashtra-based Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL), is a fuel cell replacing diesel in the conventional submarines. Initially, the Navy was looking at fitting at least two of the six Scorpene submarines with the system. Later, officials had said they expected to fit the system in at least the last of the boats as the programme got delayed. With this system, a conventional submarine that needs to surface every three to four days for oxygen, can stay under water for up to two weeks. Developing this technology is costing India around Rs 50,000 crore. The system, which is based on a fuel cell, converts methanol like substances to produce hydrogen, which is the fuel that runs the cell in producing electricity. While diesel engines need oxygen to function, these cells are air independent. It also makes lesser noise, increasing its stealth, the most critical feature of a submarine. Conventional submarines with the Indian Navy fleet lack this critical technology. On the other hand, submarines of the Pakistani Navy, mostly procured from France, are equipped with the AIP. In 2005, India purchased six Scorpene submarines for US$3 billion. These submarines are being manufactured under a technology transfer agreement by the state-owned Mazagon Docks in Mumbai in collaboration with French group DCNS. The submarines were initially to be delivered between 2012 and 2016. However, the project is running almost four years behind schedule, and the first of the six Scorpene submarines, named INS Kalvari, is currently undergoing sea trials. --IANS ao/rn/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Taliban militant group and the Afghan government have resumed their secret talks in Qatar as the peace process started in 2013 broke down following the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar's successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansour. According to senior sources within the group and the government, among those present at the meetings held in September and October was Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, brother of Mullah Omar. The two rounds of talks are the first known negotiations to have taken place since a Pakistan-brokered process broke down late in May following Mansour's death in a US drone strike in Pakistan, the Guardian reported on Tuesday. Doha has been a centre for Taliban diplomacy since the movement was granted permission to set up an office in the Qatari capital in 2013. Although that initiative became one of the many attempts to start a peace process, it ultimately came to nothing. Mullah Omar's son, Mohammad Yaqoob, is expected to soon join the Doha group, a Taliban source said. No Pakistani official took part in either the October or September meetings, according to a Taliban member. He said Islamabad has lost its influence over a movement it has been associated with since 1990s. But according to the Taliban official, a senior US diplomat was present in the Qatar meetings. The US embassy in Afghanistan declined to comment on the claim. The Taliban official said the first meeting in early September "went positively and was held in a trouble-free atmosphere" in which Akhund sat face to face with Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai, Afghanistan's intelligence chief. A second meeting took place in early October, despite continued fighting between government and insurgent forces. Recent weeks have seen the Taliban overrun Kunduz, a provincial capital, for the second time and threaten Lashkar Gah in Helmand. Despite the violence, Kabul remains committed to trying to finding a political solution to the conflict. Late last month it finalised a peace deal with Islamist warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who had fought against the US-backed regime for more than a decade. "Taliban believes the Afghan issue is a dispute with both the US and Afghan governments," he said. "If these three sides can hold preliminary meetings, it could create a strong base for further positive developments." He said Mullah Akhund was "specially dispatched by the Taliban leadership council" to underline the importance it attaches to the talks. Previous attempt to find a political end to the conflict have all failed. A western security official said the recent onslaught against provincial capitals was a "strong indication that the insurgents want to pursue a military strategy regardless of the politics". "But we keep hearing hints and indications that various figures in the Taliban leadership want to talk as well," he said. The last known meeting between the two sides took place in the Pakistani hill resort of Murree in July last year, where US and Pakistani officials were also present. A Pakistan-led "quadrilateral" process, involving Afghanistan, the US and China that was intended to presage fresh talks has also petered out. A close aide of Ghani said both the Taliban and the government have become deeply disillusioned with Pakistan. "Pakistan was double dealing and insincere with the Afghan government," he said. "We no longer think we need Pakistan and the Taliban think the same thing." Ghani had courted Islamabad in the hope it would use its influence to both force the Taliban to join peace talks and curtail its attacks, but violence only increased. A western official in Kabul said a spate of arrests by Pakistani security forces of senior Taliban officials suggests Islamabad's intelligence agencies are trying to "re-establish control over the process". The arrests have targeted officials chaffing under the leadership of the movement's latest chief, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, who succeeded Mansour in May. The most recent arrest came on October 8 when Mullah Ahmadullah Nani was seized in Quetta, a city in south-west Pakistan. "The Taliban leaders recently arrested are primarily supporters of Mullah Mansour," said the close aide of Ghani. "They suspect Pakistan had a hand in Mansour's killing and therefore distrust it. --IANS py/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two more persons have been arrested for the death of Jadavpur University alumna Mita Mondal, a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) official said here on Tuesday. Mita's brother-in-law Rahul Mondal was arrested on Monday night and her mother-in-law Kalpana Mondal on Tuesday morning from a relative's house in Uluberia of West Bengal's Howrah district, the official said. Earlier Mita's husband Rana Mondal and father-in-law Dijendra Mondal were arrested. Mita, wife of Rana Mondal of Kushberia near Kolkata, allegedly committed suicide on Monday after a spat with her husband. While the in-laws maintained that Mita committed suicide, her family and friends claimed the extensive injuries on her body showed she was a victim of domestic violence. Amid rallies against domestic violence and growing demands for punishing the offenders, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered the CID investigation after meeting Mita's family at the state Secretariat Nabanna on Monday. "We will seek police remand of Rana, Rahul and Dijendra to further investigate the case," the official said. --IANS mgr/ssp/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States military has confirmed that it has deployed troops on the frontlines, in the offensive to retake the city of Mosul from Daesh (ISIL) terrorists, media reports said. Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq is mostly made up of Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. In a statement on Monday, commander of the anti-Daesh coalition Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, openly acknowledged the presence of "forward air controllers" amongst the US "advisory" contributions to the battle, The Guardian reported. The controllers -- known as Joint Terminal Air Controllers (JTACS) -- are troops drawn from special operations forces to ensure greater accuracy of aerial bombardment. Their presence indicates that US troops, while not formally in a combat role, are on the frontlines and are willing to use substantial airpower on Iraq's second city. The US command's acknowledgment of their presence is the latest departure from US President Barack Obama's promise against having "boots on the ground" in Iraq. "Americans are again playing an adviser role, an enabler role for these Iraqi forces," ABC news quoted Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook as saying at a briefing. "Most of the American forces in Iraq are not anywhere close to the front line," he added. The Iraqi operation to recapture the city of Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) terror group in the war-torn country, began on October 17 with more than 54,000 Iraqi troops. Mosul, nearly 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling the IS militants to take control of parts of the country's northern and western regions. --IANS vgu/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Politics gets the better of economics in India, rued a former secretary to the central government after a discussion with his successors. The former bureaucrat, who has served in key infrastructure departments and is now an advisor, pointed out the problems in the coal mining sector and areas that needed improvement, during the discussion. When his presentation was over, the serving officials said that the problems he had pointed out were "legacy issues" - they weren't addressed by the old dispensation so they had snowballed into larger issues. It's not just politicians and technologists who blame their predecessors, it seems. In Washington, London or Paris, is in a tight competition with ISIS for the position of public enemy number one of the western world and we are seemingly back to some of the tensest moments of the Cold War. While the Americans and French are talking of putting Russia in the dock for war crimes, Moscow has suspended the agreement to reduce the stockpiles of weapons grade plutonium. It has also deployed ballistic missiles at the doorsteps of NATO in Kaliningrad and its most advanced anti-aircraft systems in Syria, signaling that it is ready to confront US military aircraft operating in the region in support of rebel forces fighting the Bashar al-Assad regime. Both the Americans and the Europeans accuse the Kremlin of interfering in their internal politics, in the US through the hacking and leaking of emails that are potentially embarrassing for Hillary Clinton, and in Europe by supporting populist movements. Adolf Hitler is not the German that comes to mind when I think of . Trump has been accused of demagoguery, and there are those who observe that he has amply displayed his flair for tapping into prejudices, particularly racial, in a way reminiscent to the Nazi dictator. However, if his outbursts in the past week are anything to go by, he resembles less the nightmare fuel that was Hitler and more the desperation of two other German military men Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff and what would come to be known as the Dolchstolegende. Established as a forum to provide an alternative paradigm to the Western economic model and to scale new economic heights, the BRICS is now in bad shape, riven by divergent opinions, especially on the security front. For the upcoming Flagstaff Unified School District governing board election, voters will have the choice between something new and some familiar names. And they'll have a choice of policies, including whether teacher pay should be tied to test scores and hiring more NAU student teachers. Incumbents Paul Kulpinski and Christine Fredericks are running to keep their current seats while Dani Lawrence, Kara Kelty and Carole Gilmore hope to join the board and bring their own perspectives. Three seats are up for grabs. In a candidate forum hosted by FEA and Alpha Delta Kappa at Coconino High School in early October, each of the candidates described their vision for the district and where they thought they would fit into the bigger picture. Flagstaff High School science teacher Jeff Taylor moderated the discussion. In the first half of the forum, Fredericks, Lawrence, Kelty and Gilmore gave their views on questions they had received ahead of time. Kulpinski was out of town representing northern Arizona at the Arizona Advocacy Network Board in Phoenix and was unable to make it to the forum, but sent a representative in his place to give his prepared statements. The second half consisted of the questions turned in by audience members. While there was consensus across the board that the district employs high-quality faculty and staff, some of the suggested improvements included better communication, improved test scores and more local funding for school programs. Kulpinski, a business owner whos served on the board for the last 12 years, said that the district is already working on improving communications to relay the successes that are happening in the schools. This will be a long-term (project) that will take time to shift old, outdated perceptions of what an education from Flagstaff Unified looks like, he said via his proxy. This is one reason why the continued stability I will bring to the governing board is essential for the district to continue this effort. Lawrence compared the district to a three-legged stool, explaining that the legs represent teachers, legislators and parents, and if any of them are not being heard or validated, the balance will get thrown off. She works as a Realtor and has two children enrolled in FUSD schools, making parent involvement an important issue for her. I think we need more cross interaction with parent advisory groups and organizations like the FEA and FUSD administration to create a better balance of well-informed people, she said. Fredericks brought up the districts low test scores as something that can be improved. In the second year of the AzMERIT standardized test, local charter schools passed at consistently higher rates than FUSD schools. Thats something we certainly need to look at, but that is not the only measure we have (for student success), she said. One program within the district that she mentioned as demonstrating student strengths was Coconino High's robotics team the CocoNuts, which competes nationally during the school year. A growing trend says that teachers pay should be based on the standardized test scores their classes receive. There were some differences in thought among the school board candidates with some in favor and some against this idea. Lawrence cited her experience as a parent and said that she believes these scores are important for her to get some sense of how effective the class lessons are and that the scores should be a factor in what teachers are compensated. Gilmore, a faculty member in Northern Arizona Universitys English department, said that scores should not be linked to pay unless there was a fair way to determine how much salary would be affected. Every students needs are unique and standardized testing doesnt always test what that student knows or can do, Fredericks said, taking a similar stance. I think theres a place for standardized testing, but I do not think it should be linked to teacher pay. Kelty, former head of BASIS Flagstaff, agreed with Lawrence that there should be some correlation between scores and pay rate, but conceded that it should not be 50 percent. Several questions from the audience during the second half asked Kelty whether her experience in charter schools would be a conflict of interest if she were to take a role within FUSD. She said that she believed she could bring a unique perspective to the board and mentioned that her daughter, currently attending Arizona State University, was enrolled in FHS and took classes with Taylor for two years. One of the issues that candidates agreed on was the issue of teacher retention in the district. Being a teacher in this state is difficult enough, but being a teacher in Flagstaff is additionally more complicated because of the high cost of living and (lack of) access to affordable housing and I dont believe teachers should work as hard as they do to put themselves at risk of financial disability, said Kelty. While serving two terms on the Flagstaff City Council, Kelty was involved in the creation of the citys land trust program, which aimed to provide affordable housing to working professionals. It was put on hold in the early 2010s, but a City Council Report from May 12, 2016, lists a number of properties as part of the program. Fredericks replied that the school board has already made plans to conduct a study to determine the viability of affordable housing for faculty and staff within the district. An idea proposed by Carole Gilmore was to consider hiring the student teachers who come from Northern Arizona University and are trained in classrooms in the district. These are people who the supervisors and the university know are exceptional and you should encourage them to stay in the area, she said. Elections for FUSD school board will be held Nov. 8. The districts cover the city of Flagstaff and outlying areas such as Doney Park, Kachina Village and Fort Valley. companies have started coming out with policies covering alternative treatments after the new health regulations earlier this year allowed coverage for (ayurveda, siddha, unani and homeopathy) treatment. Religare Health recently launched a version of its healthcare plan, Care, covering treatment. There is a renewed focus on alternative treatment. That is why we are offering coverage in our enhanced plan, says Anuj Gulati, MD and CEO, Religare Health Insurance. Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday expressed grief over the loss of lives in the fire mishap at a private hospital in . Gandhi extended her condolences to the families of those who were bereaved in the "most unfortunate tragedy" that happened last night leaving 22 dead. She has instructed the Pradesh Congress Committee and workers of the party to reach out to the victims and their families, the Congress said in a statement. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of a private hospital which spread to the nearby Intensive Care Unit (ICU). GE says its willing to invest in India if there is opportunity. Banmali Agrawala, president and chief executive officer of GE South Asia, tells Sanjay Jog that the governments Make in India initiative has increased the companys confidence in doing business here. Edited excerpts: How is GE pursuing its plans under the Make In India campaign? GE has supported the Make in India campaign since its inception. Our multi-modal manufacturing facility in Pune is an example of our confidence in Indias capabilities. We believe the Make in India initiative has played a significant role in moving the locomotive deals forward for Indian Railways, which had been pending for many years. At least 20 people have been killed in three days of clashes between Pygmy and Bantu people in Kabalo, in southeast DR Congo, local MP Kalunga Mawazo said today. The fighting between Sunday and Tuesday was triggered by a dispute over the caterpillar harvest, a common food staple in the Tanganyika region in northern Katanga. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four farmers, including a woman, allegedly tried to set themselves ablaze in district collectorate of Solapur to protest against non-payment of dues, amounting about Rs 26 crore, from a sugar mill there. The four farmers doused themselves in kerosene in the Solapur collectorate yesterday, but the police staff present their stopped their attempt to set themselves ablaze and detained them, a police official on duty said. The farmers were expressing their woes towards the Solapur-based sugar mill, controlled by a powerful politician. The farmers claimed that their dues amounted to about Rs 26 crore, accumulated over a couple of years, but the mill management has allegedly refused to pay it. There have been several requests before the management but in vain, they further said. A case has been registered against the four farmers for attempting suicide in Solapur's Sadarbazar police station. "A notice has been issued to the farmers and they have been asked to report to the police station once they get the notice. We are probing the matter further," an official attached to Sadarbazar police station. The farmers have been identified as - Amar Nagnath Mhaske, Vijaya Chandrakant Lawate, Dinkar Namdev Chavan and Audumbar Tukaram Chavan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) resolved 77,000 cases related to telecom and Internet fraud from January to September this year and punished 43,000 people. The number of suspects punished was 2.3 times more than the same period last year, the Ministry of Public Security said at a conference here. Police closed 6,900 boiler rooms and confiscated ill- gotten gains valued at 2.34 billion yuan (about $347 million), it said. The arrest of suspects also prevented people from being swindled out of 4.75 billion yuan, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Deputy public security minister Li Wei said the ministry will continue to improve its current campaign, with a particular focus on helping victims recover their money. The Supreme Court on Tuesday commenced hearing to revisit its two-decade-old 'Hindutva' judgement for an authoritative pronouncement on electoral law categorising misuse of religion for electoral gains as "corrupt practice". A seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur decided to go ahead with the hearing, ignoring the request of some parties in the matter to involve Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi for his assistance. "Are you saying that in every case which relates to interpretation of a legislation, assistance of the Attorney General is needed," the bench, also comprising justices Madan B Lokur, S A Bobde, A K Goel, U U Lalit, D Y Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao, asked the counsel who had raised the issue of assistance by the top law officer. The bench began the hearing grappling with issues which could be examined by it and wanted to know whether some of them can be remanded back to a smaller bench of five or three judges. Senior advocate Arvind Datar, who set the ball rolling at the crucial hearing, submitted that the case of his client, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Abhiram Singh, should be separated from this hearing as all the similarly situated people have already got relief from the apex court. He said the appeal filed in 1992 by Singh, whose election to 1990 Maharashtra Assembly was set aside in 1991 by the Bombay High Court, has wrongly been tagged to the main petition of Narayan Singh whose appeal by the five-judge bench was referred to the seven judges. Datar submitted that the high court had set aside his election as it was alleged that other BJP leaders in their speeches had referred to religion to garner votes for him. The senior advocate said there were 10 such appeals against the high court order and, except in two, the election of others were restored by the apex court and therefore, Abhiram Singh should be treated on the same footing and his appeal should be remanded back to the three-judge bench. He made reference to the similar relief secured by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi contending that there was no conflict in that judgement. Datar said in 1990, two such speeches were made, one by late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray and another by late Pramod Mahajan in which reference to 'Hindutva' was made to garner votes for the Shiv Sena and BJP candidates. While the submissions were being made, the bench deliberated on the likely situations that could emerge from such issues and whether those could invite the interpretation of electoral laws. The bench wanted to know whether an appeal by a priest or a cleric to voters for supporting a candidate in the name of god or religion would attract provisions of the Representation of People Act pertaining to "corrupt practice". The bench was examining the interpretation of section 123 of the 1951 Representation of People Act pertaining to "corrupt practice". The apex court in February 2014 had tagged Abhiram Singh's petition with others in which the five-judge bench had decided in 2002 to re-visit its 20-year old 'Hindutva' judgement for an authoritative pronouncement on electoral laws by a seven-judge bench. The issue assumes significance as questions were raised on its 1995 verdict which held that vote in the name of "Hindutva/Hinduism" did not prejudicially affect any candidate, and since then three election petitions are pending on the subject in the apex court. The apex court's three-judge bench in 1995 had held that "Hindutva/Hinduism is a way of life of the people in the sub-continent" and "is a state of mind". The judgement was delivered in the case of Manohar Joshi versus N B Patil which was authored by Justice J S Verma who found that the statement by Joshi that the 'first Hindu State will be established in Maharashtra' did not amount to appeal on the ground of religion". The observation was made while dealing with the question regarding the scope of corrupt practices as mentioned in sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the 1951 Representation of People Act. The issue for interpretation of the sub-section once again arose on January 30, 2014, before a five-judge which referred it for examination before a larger bench of seven judges. The seven judges are dealing with the appeal filed in 1992 by Abhiram Singh, whose election to 1990 Maharashtra Assembly was set aside in 1991 by the Bombay High Court. A three-judge bench on April 16, 1992, had referred to a five-judge Constitution Bench Singh's appeal in which the same question and interpretation of sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the Act was raised. While the five-judge bench was hearing this matter on January 30, 2014, it was informed that an identical issue was raised in an election petition filed by Narayan Singh against BJP leader Sunderlal Patwa and the another Constitution Bench of five judges of the apex court had referred it to a larger bench of seven judges. Thereafter, the five-judge bench had referred Singh's matter also to the Chief Justice for placing it before a seven-judge bench. The January 30, 2014, order said, "Be that as it may, since one of the questions involved in the present appeal is already referred to a larger bench of seven judges, we think it appropriate to refer this appeal to a limited extent regarding interpretation of sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the 1951 Act to a larger bench of seven judges." "The Registry will place the matter before the Chief Justice for the constitution of a bench of seven judges. The matter may be listed subject to the order of the Chief Justice," the order added. The apex court had also noted, "In the course of arguments, our attention has been invited to the order of this court dated August 20, 2002, in Narayan Singh vs Sunderlal Patwa. By this order, a Constitution Bench of five judges has referred the question regarding the scope of corrupt practice mentioned in sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the 1951 Act to a larger bench of seven judges." "This became necessary in view of the earlier decision of a Constitution Bench of this court in Kultar Singh vs Mukhtiar Singh," the court had said. Defining vision, creating domestic-career bliss, diffusing smokescreens and managing the pendulum swing are some of the strategies that form a robust package to address the gaping void in the women leadership scenario, says a new book. In "Step Up", Anju Jain, founder of Chai Pe, a platform for developing professional women, explains why gender disparity is an issue both at home and work, and how that can be changed. She presents practical techniques in a simple matrix for women to use to become successful. According to Jain, an uncommitted leadership is the biggest reason for fewer women in organisations. "You would agree that it is the top leaders, the ones in position of power, who can set the direction for the rest of the organisation to follow. For when the leadership wants something, it becomes a mandate and magically, all things fall in place. "There is strong governance, people are held accountable, progress is monitored and there is avid communication and recognition for a job well done," she writes in the book, published by Penguin Random House. She says as a developmental psychologist, and having dabbled in subjects of anthropology and sociology, and now as a business professional, she looks at women leadership contextually, within the environment they are embedded in. "You would agree that we cannot look at women in isolation of their upbringing, their family and social circumstances. "The book presents a holistic picture that explains how societies and role divisions have evolved, their impact on the present scenario and what can be done to enable a change going forward. I deliberate on the significant change agents and the partners to address the current scenario of 'missing women'," she says. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All Assam Students' Union (AASU) today took out torchlight marches across the state in protest against the proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act 1955 to grant Hindu refugees all rights of citizens. AASU said they will not accept giving a religious colour to the illegal Bangladeshi issue. The powerful student's body took out torchlight marches across all district and sub-division headquarters along with many important towns in the state. "The proposed amendment Bill is a threat to the identity of local people. Since Independence, North East is subjected to economic exploitation and political injustice. The latest Bill is another example of political injustice. The Centre is treating us as second class citizens," AASU Adviser Samujjwal Bhattacharya said. He warned the Centre of sustained movements across Assam if the Bill was not withdrawn immediately. Bhattacharya also appealed to political parties of Assam and North East to oppose the Bill as it violated the fundamental of Assam Accord, on whose basis National Register of Citizens is being updated with 1971 as base year. He wondered if the Centre was actually encouraging infiltration by bringing in the amendment to the Citizenship Act. The proposed 2016 Amendment Bill of the Citizenship Act 1955 is currently under consideration of the Joint Select Committee of the Parliament. Except BJP, all other parties, intellectuals, student bodies and social organisations in Assam have opposed the proposed Amendment Bill. Even NDA member and a part of the ruling coalition, Asom Gana Parishad has opposed the Bill and said any deviation from the Assam Accord will not be acceptable. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Buoyed by the success in recent municipal by-elections, Delhi Congress has launched a campaign to connect with voters in preparation for next year's civic polls with special focus on 21 Assembly segments where sitting AAP legislators face threat of disqualification over office of profit issue. "The campaign process has already begun with appointment of sector incharge in 12 of the 21 Assembly constituencies where AAP MLAs are likely to face disqualification. The campaign will cover all the 13,000 polling booths grouped in 3,857 sectors," Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken told reporters. In the bypolls to 13 wards of three municipal corporations in May this year, Congress had won five seats while AAP and BJP five and three seats, respectively. In the first phase of the campaign, 'Meri Delhi-Mere Sapne'(My Delhi-My Dreams), feedbacks will be collected from the voters through a questionnaire, and also their suggestions to improve the civic conditions in the city. The feedback will also try to gauze the voter mood by seeking their responses on BJP-ruled central and AAP-ruled Delhi governments. In the second phase, the feedback would be used to prepare a common document on public aspirations from their representatives in the three municipal corporations in the city. "On the basis of the feedback from people in the city, we will try to find out solutions for the problems and seek suggestion for improving conditions in Delhi from domain experts," Maken said. Attacking the BJP-ruled MCDs in the city, Maken said that the corporations have so much resources at their disposal that they need not go to the Centre and Delhi government to sort out their financial problems. "While AAP government in Delhi must share part of the blame for poor fiscal health of the municipal corporations, the BJP dispensation at the MCDs too have shown little imagination to improve the financial condition," he said. The resources with MCDs are enough to provide world class municipal services to the people in the city, he claimed. Congress will focus on solid waste management, fiscal management, primary education and health in the run up to MCD elections in 2017, he said. The campaign will gather momentum with commencement of door-to-door contact after Diwali, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The last rites of Sepoy Sudhesh Kumar, killed in firing by Pakistani troops along the LoC, were performed this evening with full state honours, though Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav did not attend the rituals, as insisted by the martyr's family. It took much effort from ruling Samajwadi Party leaders and government officials to cajole and pacify the bereaved family to perform the last rites as the CM did not turn up. Hundreds of locals, including from neighbouring villages, bid a tearful adieu to their brave son when his body was being taken to the cremation site in a procession. The funeral pyre was lit by his brother Anil Kumar in the presence of AD, Rajesh Yadav; SP Balendu Bhushan; and local unit president of Samajwadi Party Firoz Khan, among others. Earlier in the day, the martyr's father Brahmpal Singh was insisting he would cremate the body only when the CM visits there. He had said the CM had gone to a martyr's house in Etah "as he was a Yadav", he should also come here as there should not be any discrimination between martyrs. The officials and local SP leaders made all out efforts to get the family agree to the cremation. ADM Yadav said the Chief Minister has called the family to Lucknow on Thursday for a meeting and they have been informed about this. He said an assurance has also been given over their other demands like construction of a school and road to the village. Sudhesh Kumar's mother Santosh Kumari had also demanded a government job for the soldier's widow. "If we get financial help we will ensure proper education of his four year-old daughter so that she too can join the army and serve the country," she had said. DM Bhupendra S Chaudhary said a cheque of Rs 20 lakhs of ex gratia on behalf of the state government will be handed over to the widow. Sudesh, hailing from Sambhal district in the state, was killed when Pakistani Army opened indiscriminate unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri sector on Sunday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State-owned Allahabad Bank proposes to raise Rs 500 crore from share sale to Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIB) to fund business expansion. The bank propose to constitute a committee to offer and allot up to such number of equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each for cash aggregating upto Rs 500 crore in one or more tranches to Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIB), Allahabad Bank said in a regulatory filing on the stock exchanges. The shares should be offered through Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) basis in a such a manner that the Government of India holding shall continue to hold not less than 52 per cent of the paid up equity capital of the bank, it said. Meanwhile, the government has made capital infusion of Rs 33 crore, or 75 per cent, of the Rs 44 crore alloted to the bank. The bank expects to get remaining 25 per cent or Rs 11 crore by end of December 2016 or earlier based on performance on certain parameter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Anyone who lays down his life for the country is a martyr, who remembered by society, and no other recognition like a certificate of 'shaheed' from the government is needed, Delhi High Court said today. "Any person who lays down his life or is killed during any action for the country, does not need any certificate or a nomenclature of being declared a martyr or 'shaheed'. "Such sacrifice by a person is remembered by the society at large. You laid down your life, so you are a martyr/ 'shaheed', no other recognition is required from anyone," a bench of justices Indira Banerjee and V Kameswar Rao said. The court's oral observation came during the hearing of a PIL seeking 'martyr' status for paramilitary and police personnel who sacrifice their lives in the line of duty on par with the Army, Navy and Air Force. The bench also noted that as per the government, there was no such word as 'martyr' used in the three services and "no such order/notification has been issued by Ministry of Defence (MoD)" to call those killed in duty as a martyr. Similarly, no such notification has been issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and Assam Rifle (AR) personnel, it noted. "Therefore, no such direction to the Centre is required to be passed by this court," it said and disposed of the PIL. It, however, asked the ministry concerned to consider the 7th Pay Commission's recommendation that in case of death in the line of duty, personnel of CAPFs should be accorded martyr status at par with the defence personnel. The petition, filed by advocate Abhishek Choudhary, had sought a direction to the Centre, Department Of Personnel and Training and MoD for granting equality to paramilitary and police forces on par with army, navy and air force in granting status of 'martyr'. It had pleaded for a direction to the respondents to grant equal financial compensation/benefits to paramilitary armed forces personnel at par with army, navy and air force. In its reply to the PIL, the government had said that "in army/navy/air force, the nomenclature for the word 'martyr' is battle casualty and physical casualty. The word 'martyr' is not used in the three services." "Therefore, the prayer of the petitioner that the status of 'martyr' or 'shaheed' be given to the deceased Paramilitary Armed Forces personnel at par with army, navy and air force is misconceived and unfounded. It is denied CAPF personnel are being deprived of the honour they deserve. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andhra Pradesh today committed itself to attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and working towards ending poverty by 2030. "We commit ourselves to attain SDGs, end poverty by 2030," Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said today. Andhra Pradesh's Vision 2029 document says the state would "adopt the globalSustainableDevelopmentGoals2030 to direct and drive the social and economicdevelopmentpolicies and programmes". SDG2030 contains 17goalsand 169 targets like ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, making cities moresustainableand combating climate change. "As some of thegoalsand targets in SDG2030 are not of direct relevance to AP, the state government has customised them into 12goalsand 115 targets that are directly consequential and on which the state will initiate action," the Vision document said. Global Citizens India, a social movement for bringing an end to extreme poverty, handed over a petition on SDGs containing over 90,000 signatures of activists to AP Chief Secretary Satya Prakash Tucker here today. "While congratulating AP's leadership for joining the SDG movement, we request other states in the country to follow suit," Global Citizen India spokesperson Bhavya Bishnoi said on the occasion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With an aim to raise funds to expand its clinics business, Apollo Hospitals will dilute some stake in the vertical for Rs 450 crore this fiscal, a top company official said today. "Now the big focus is on clinics. So we have closed that investment round which will shortly get formalised. We will be signing soon. It is Rs 450 crore for Clinics Division which includes Spectra, Cradle and Day Surgery Centres. "We will be raising that money very shortly. We are bringing an equity partner by diluting some stake in AHLL (Apollo Health and Life Style)," Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospital Group, told reporters here. AHLL is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited. The company runs the largest chain of standardised primary health care models -- multispeciality clinics under the brand 'Apollo Clinics' in India and the Middle East, diabetes management clinics 'Apollo Sugar' and diagnostic centres 'Apollo Diagnostics'. The company also operates speciality formats 'Apollo Cradle' for women and children and 'Apollo Spectra' for planned surgery. Apollo Hospitals recently said it would raise Rs 300 crore from institutional buyers through allotment of secured redeemable non-convertible debentures. "We will complete the deal by the end of this financial year. The clinics number will go to overall 150 from the existing 78 (owned and franchisee). Cradles will go to 20. Currently we have seven," she said, adding that the expansion is expected to be completed in three years. However, Reddy refused to give details about the investor, saying discussions are still going on. "They are from healthcare industry," she added. Replying to a query, she said the current bed capacity is 9,300 and with the addition of Mumbai the figure will cross 10,000. Apollo Hospitals also announced the seventh edition of its flagship conference 'The International Conference on Transforming Health care through IT', to be held on October 21-22 in Chennai. "The one of its kind conference themed on leveraging IT in health care and patient safety is a platform to bring forth key developments and success stories wherein technology has been harnessed to improve the overall health care ecosystem across the globe," she said. This is the only platform in the country that brings together leaders in the domain with an intent to exchange knowledge and exhibit what technology can do to improve the quality of life through health care, she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In order to prevent any 'jehadi' activities, Assam Police today urged the village heads of 'char' areas (seasonal islands) to maintain a register of new people coming and staying at their places. Visiting the Ajim Ali Char under Kurihamari village panchayat in Nalbari district, Assam Police Director General Mukesh Sahay requested the panchayat representatives to maintain a register of names and addresses of new faces entering their areas to mainly check jehadi activities. He said the Assam Police has taken strong steps in the recent past against jehadi elements in the state and apprehended a total of 40 hardcore activists. For the first time, Sahay is on a two-day visit to char areas in the district, to have a first-hand report on the population and vacant areas of the places. When asked if his sudden visit is related to settlement of Hindu Bangladeshis in char areas on the backdrop of the ongoing controversy and widespread protests in Assam over proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act, Sahay said his visit is not related to the issue. "My visit is only to build up the capacity of riverine people and strengthening police-public relationship," he said. The top cop said Assam Police is going to implement a new project for the char areas to keep them in touch with the police. Besides, the police are also looking to reduce crimes against women in char areas, Sahay said. The Assam Police has decided to open a woman cell in all police stations to look after women related issues, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Assam Government today sanctioned Rs 252 crore for carrying out maintenance work of all PWD roads across the state from next month. "Assam State Road Board meeting, held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday, approved Rs two crore each for 126 Assembly constituencies for maintenance of roads," an official release said. Sonowal vetted different proposals of the Board and endorsed the Road Maintenance Plan for all the 126 Assembly constituencies and Rs 252 crore was approved for the work. According to the statement, Sonowal asked the Public Works Department to start maintenance work from November to ease out inconveniences of the commuters. He also asked the department to monitor the maintenance work closely to ensure quality. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today lashed out at Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal saying he forced industries to "flee Punjab", and has left the state "grappling with near-bankruptcy and a host of other critical problems". Amarinder promised to being sweeping policy changes to revive "sick industries" in Punjab, if Congress is voted to power in 2017 state assembly polls. He also reiterated his commitment to do everything in his power to end the sufferings of the farmers in the state. He begun the second day of his Kisan Yatra today with a visit to a closed sugar mill in Faridkot. The Amritsar MP said once in power he would take immediate steps to incentivise the industries in the state in line with the concessions being provided to attract industries in other states like Gujarat. "Industries in Punjab had been forced to flee the state as a result of the unfriendly Badal government policies, which were in complete contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's much-hyped 'Make in India' campaign," he said. He also attacked the Centre for its alleged double standard, which had led to a total breakdown of the industrial sector in Punjab. It was unfortunate, he said, that nobody was prepared to 'Make in Punjab' even while the rest of the country was talking of the Modi government's 'Make in India' campaign. Accusing the Badal government of reversing Punjab's industrial growth and causing several industrial units to close down for lack of government support, he said he would ensure that the trend is reversed. He minced no words in blaming "the corrupt Badal government for its regressive policies, which had pushed the state to the brink of bankruptcy". Neither the farming community nor the industries were happy under the Badal regime, he claimed. Taking his Kisan Yatra roadshow to the doorsteps of the people of Faridkot, the former Chief Minister said he was pained at hearing about the problems faced by the farmers in the region. Amarinder met the widows of farmers in Faridkot. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mass rail blockades by opposition parties and farmers continued for the second day on Tuesday at various places across the state over the Cauvery issue, with police detaining Tamil Maanila Congress leader GK Vasan and about 300 farmers for staging protests. Leading an agitation at the Egmore Railway station here, MDMK General Secretary Vaiko and VCK Chief Thol Thirumavalavan, along with several workers including those from the Left parties, blocked an express train. The two senior leaders climbed onto the railing of the train's engine and shouted slogans condemning the stance of the Centre against the constitution of CMB. Protests were held at the Central railway station here, by Naam Tamizhar Katchi leader Seeman along with his supporters, who were later taken away by the police. Similar protests witnessed huge participation of people in the Cauvery Delta region of the state including Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts. Scores of farmers and members of political parties were arrested at different places for attempting to block rail traffic. Vasan was detained along with hundreds of his party workers in Thanjavur for staging a protest. While in Tiruchirappalli district, about 300 farmers were apprehended for blocking the Vaigai Express bound for Chennai, at Pullampadi station. A heavy posse of police personnel had been deployed at railway stations including Madurai, to prevent any untoward incidents. In Madurai, police outnumbered the agitators and security barricades were erected to prevent agitators from entering the station. The Supreme Court-appointed high-level technical team, formed to inspect the Cauvery basin to assess the ground realities in both the states, had submitted its report to the Court on Monday. The report had suggested doing away with "outdated and unscientific water application techniques" to resolve the wrangle, saying both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were facing water shortage, creating unemployment and financial hardship for the people. The committee's report will come up for perusal during the hearing on the Cauvery dispute in the Apex Court on Tuesday. Nigeria's government is negotiating the release of another 83 of the Chibok schoolgirls taken in a mass abduction two-and-a-half years ago, but more than 100 others appear unwilling to leave their Boko Haram Islamic extremist captors, a community leader said today. The unwilling girls may have been radicalised by Boko Haram or are ashamed to return home because they were forced to marry extremists and have babies, chairman Pogu Bitrus of the Chibok Development Association told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Bitrus said the 21 Chibok girls freed last week in the first negotiated release between Nigeria's government and Boko Haram should be educated abroad, because they will probably face stigma in Nigeria. The girls and their parents were reunited Sunday and are expected to meet with Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday or Wednesday, Bitrus said. Buhari flew to Germany on an official visit the day of the girls' release. Some 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped early on and at least half a dozen have died in captivity, according to the newly freed girls, Bitrus said. All those who escaped on their own have left Chibok because, even though they were held only a few hours, they were labelled "Boko Haram wives" and taunted, he said. At least 20 of the girls are being educated in the United States. "We would prefer that they are taken away from the community and this country because the stigmatization is going to affect them for the rest of their lives," Bitrus said. "Even someone believed to have been abused by Boko Haram would be seen in a bad light." One Chibok girl, Amina Ali Nkeki, escaped in May. Chibok Parents' Association chairman Yakubu Nkeki said the young woman has been reunited with her freed classmates, all of whom are being treated by doctors, psychologists and trauma counsellors at a hospital in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, run by the Department of State Security, Nigeria's secret service. Human rights advocates and the Bring Back Our Girls Movement have been asking if the girl is a detainee of the government and have been demanding she be allowed to return home, as she has requested. The newly freed girls have told their parents they were separated into two groups early on in their captivity, when Boko Haram commanders gave them the choice of joining the extremists and embracing Islam, or becoming their slaves, Bitrus said. The girls freed and those whose release is being negotiated, numbering 104, are believed to be in the group that rejected Islam and Boko Haram, he explained. The freed girls said they never saw the other girls again. Bitrus said the freed girls were used as domestic workers and porters but were not sexually abused. He said that was why only one girl in the freed group is carrying a baby, and her parents have confirmed that she was pregnant when she was kidnapped. An aid worker had told The Associated Press that he had seen the girls on their release and that all but three carried babies. Bitrus said that report was incorrect. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after the successful launch of China's longest manned space mission, the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft carrying two astronauts is set to dock with an experimental space lab orbiting the earth through a remote-controlled automatic operation early tomorrow. After the spacecraft successfully docks, the astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong will begin their month-long stay in the space lab, during which they will conduct a series of experiments. "The pair will be just above Chinese territory when the spacecraft has the rendezvous with the lab," Sun Jun, deputy chief engineer of the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre, said. Shenzhou-11, China's sixth manned spacecraft, was successfully sent into space yesterday aboard a Long March-2F Y11 carrier rocket. Tiangong-2 was launched on September 15 and had arrived at its defined orbit, about 393 kilometers above Earth, for its rendezvous with Shenzhou-11. This will be the height at which the future Chinese space station will operate. The space lab was launched as part of China's efforts to set up its own manned space station by 2022, which will make it the only the country to have such a facility in service as the current International Space Station (ISS) retires by 2024. Other objectives of the manned space mission include aerospace medical experiments, space science experiments and in-orbit maintenance with human participation, as well as other activities, Wu Ping, Deputy Director of China's manned space engineering office said. The two astronauts will undertake ultrasound tests during space travel for the first time, cultivate plants in space, and test the three winners of an experimental design competition run in Hong Kong for secondary school students. Several technical alterations have been made to Shenzhou- 11, though its main functions and technical parameters are basically the same as Shenzhou-10, Wu said. Lei Fanpei, chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), recently said China plans to launch the experimental core module of its space station around 2018 with a Long March-5 heavy load carrier rocket, and the 20-ton combination space station will be sent into orbit around 2022. The space station has a designed life of 10 years in orbit 400 kms above the earth's surface. With this space station, China will become the second country after Russia to have developed a space station. China made a three-step strategy in 1992 for its manned space programme, the large-scale manned space station being the last step. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ludhiana, Congress workers burnt the 'Chitta Ravan' (drugs effigy) in the industrial town. State Congress chief Amarinder Singh declared an all-out war against the "Badal-backed mafia", saying with the burning of the 'Chitta Ravan', the stage was set for the "total annihilation of all the criminal forces in the state". Taking his party's anti-drugs battle to the heart of Ludhiana -- the scene of the Dussehra eve attack on Congress workers allegedly by Akali Dal activists, he hailed the blasting of the 'Chitta Ravan'. Besides that of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, cut-outs of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and state Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia were pasted on the effigies set ablaze by Congress workers. Amarinder had invited the party workers injured in the Dussehra eve attack to set the 'Chitta Ravan' on fire at the same place where the assault had taken place. Accusing the Badals of "plunging the state into total anarchy", with the "mafia ruling every part of life", the state Congress chief said, "Badal has shrewdly used the last 10 years of his misrule in Punjab to drain the state of all its glory." "Do not go by his innocent face. He (Badal) is an extremely shrewd man who knows how to fill his own pockets at the cost of the people of Punjab," he alleged. "Industries have fled the state, farmers are committing suicide, Dalits are being massacred, children and youth are falling prey to drugs," Amarinder said, adding, "No section of the society is insulated from the greed and wrath of the Badals." "The autocratic Badals have seized control of all the vital functions of the state with its mafia controlling the drugs, sand, liquor, bus permits and a host of other businesses," alleged the former chief minister. Assembly polls are due in the state early next year. Amarinder said if the Congress was voted to power in the state, he would get "every scam and criminal allegation against the Badals probed". "They will be put behind bars if found guilty," he warned, adding that "nobody would be spared" and the process of law would take its own course. Amarinder also took a dig at Modi for his "half-hearted attempts" to reach out to the industries in Punjab ahead of the Assembly polls. "The anti-drugs war is just the beginning. We will not allow them (the Badals) to go scot-free," he said, while challenging the Badals to prove their innocence if they could. "With the burning of the 'Chitta Ravan', we are burning the mafia patronised and run by the Badals," senior Congress leader Asha Kumari said, adding that her party would spare no effort to bring the guilty to book. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ugly scenes were today witnessed at the Jaipur Municipal Corporation's general body meeting where BJP and Congress councillors were engaged in a scuffle and a CongressCouncillor allegedly hurled a footwear at Mayor Nirmal Nahta, though the "missile" missed its target. On the second day of the meeting, BJP Councillor Man Pandit compared the development works done during the term of the current Mayor (BJP) with those during the previous Mayor's (Congress) regime which irked the Congress councillors. A heated argument ensued and the Congress councillors rushed to the Well shouting slogans against the BJP which led to a brief scuffle. Amid the chaos, Congress Councillor Suman Gurjar allegedly hurled a footwear at the Mayor, but it did not him and fell near his podium. "Congress councillors created a nuisance at the meeting when I said Rs 80 crore were spent in two years during the previous Mayor's rule and Rs 280 crore have so far been spent during the current Mayor's term. The Congress members objected to it and one of them hurled the footwear," Pandit told PTI. Congress Councillor Mohan Meena accused Pandit of "passing derogatory remarks" against the Congress members and said it evoked a "strong opposition". "Pandit's remarks on the Congress members were derogatory and objectionable and therefore, we protested," he said, adding that the Congress councillors have demanded action against the BJP member from the Mayor. The meeting had to be adjourned and the councillors separated. It resumed after a while. Development works in the wards and transportation of waste are two of the main issues on the agenda of the stormy meeting which began yesterday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chhattisgarh on Tuesday suspended its rebel MLA RK Rai for "anti-party" activities but that did not deter him from making "derogatory" remarks against Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. The decision to suspend Rai, considered a supporter of Chhattisgarh Janata Party chief Ajit Jogi, was taken by Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) at a meeting of its Coordination Committee in Raipur. "With the unanimous decision of the members of Coordination Committee, Rai has been suspended from the party," AICC General Secretary in-charge of Chhattisgarh BK Hariprasad said. The panel also recommended to the party's disciplinary committee that the MLA from Gunderdehi be dismissed from Congress, he added. Hariprasad asserted Congress will fight the 2018 Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh under the leadership of the party's state chief Bhupesh Baghel and legislature party leader TS Singhdeo. Meanwhile, Rai welcomed the decision and said the action was taken against him for speaking against Rahul. "I was told the action has been taken against me for making comments against Rahul Gandhi (in the past). I can't call a donkey a horse. If the party feels my observation is wrong then either it is blind or (is) acting like a blind person," a defiant Rai said in a statement. "I am not at all sad with the move because I am a true and vocal tribal representative. I am free now," said the legislator, adding the decision has once again exposed the "anti-tribal" face of Congress. Chhattisgarh Congress had issued a showcause notice to Rai last week for "anti-party" activities and publicly making statements against the party. The police officer-turned-politician is said to be a staunch supporter of Jogi, who floated his own party after quitting Congress in June. Jogi had brought Rai into and helped him in getting a ticket from Gunderdehi seat in the 2013 Assembly polls. A city court today asked a man to file several documents in a criminal complaint seeking lodging of an FIR against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly misleading people by saying that the municipal corporations were not under state's control. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Munish Markan asked complainant Brijesh Shukla to submit documents relating to his claim that the Delhi Government had spent over Rs 42 lakh by giving advertisements in 20 newspapers which were allegedly misleading. The court fixed January 13 next year for further hearing in the matter. The complainant's counsel Rajesh Kumar had earlier informed the court that in an RTI reply, Delhi government has admitted that a total expense of Rs 42,01,405 was incurred in giving advertisements to the newspapers on October 30, 2015. He had argued that public money was wasted for "spreading lies" and people were "misled". The complainant has sought direction to the SHO of Karawal Nagar police station in North East Delhi to register an FIR against Kejriwal under Section 406 (criminal breach of trust) of IPC. The complaint has claimed that Kejriwal had come out with full-page advertisements in newspapers in October last saying there were misunderstandings regarding a strike by MCD employees and he wanted to make it clear that it was wrong to say that the corporations fell under the Delhi government. "In November 2015, I filed an RTI with Delhi government which in its reply has said that the corporations are under its control. Action should be initiated against him (Kejriwal) for misleading people and spending public money for spreading lies," the complainant has said. Shukla claimed he had also filed complaints to the Deputy Commissioner of Police and the Lieutenant Governor seeking lodging of FIR against Kejriwal for allegedly misappropriating public fund, but no action was taken. Shukla, the complainant, had recently allegedly thrown ink at Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia outside the LG's office. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A local court hearing a sedition case against 11 members of banned SIMI today directed police to provide proper security to a witness inside the court during his next appearance after he was allegedly threatened by an accused. Prosecutor Vimal Kumar Mishra said additional sessions judge B K Paloda directed the police that witness Atul Pathak be given necessary security when he appears in the court on October 21. Last time, Pathak, a prosecution witness, had complained that after his deposition was over, Ahmed Baig, one of the accused, gestured at him to say "you would be cut down". Meanwhile, B S Parihar, the then in-charge of Pithampur police station in Dhar district, today appeared in the court as a prosecution witness. Parihar stated that on the intervening night of March 26- 27, 2008, activists of the Students Islamic Movement of India were arrested from Indore, and seven 7.65 mm pistols, 37 live cartridges and other incriminating things were seized from seven of them. Safdar Nagori and 10 others, alleged members of SIMI, are on trial for sedition and waging a war against the country. According to the police, they were planning terror attacks when they were arrested in 2008. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aam Aadmi Party MLA and incharge of its Gujarat affairs Gulab Singh Yadav was today sent to 14 days in judicial custody in connection with an extortion case by a Delhi court which declined police's plea seeking his custodial interrogation. Yadav, who was arrested from Gujarat and brought here on transit remand, was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Kishor Kumar who remanded him to judicial custody. The police sought five-day custody of Delhi's Matiala legislator saying they needed to interrogate him as it seemed that an organised extortion racket was being run. The police plea was opposed by Yadav's counsel who said the other accused in the case have already been granted bail. Last month, two property dealers, Deepak Sharma and Rinku Diwan, had alleged that Satish and Devinder, who worked in Yadav's office, and an associate Jagdish were extorting money from them by threatening to get a building, where the property dealers were operating from, demolished. A case under section 384 (punishment for extortion) IPC was registered at Bindapur police station on September 13. Following this, a non-bailable warrant was issued against the MLA on October 14 for allegedly not joining probe. Police had alleged that the MLA was arrested under charge of running an extortion racket and there was concrete evidence against him for his arrest. It had alleged that the probe and statements by the arrested accused have revealed that it was an "organised extortion syndicate" with "links" to Yadav and he was the kingpin of the extortion exercise and its management. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi tonight handed over 'Daan Samman' to seven housing societies of Kolkata. The award is aimed at honouring the true spirit of contributing to society and see positive changes in the lives of people. The Governor handed over 'Daan Utsav Arogya Samman' (contribution to Health/Hygiene), 'Daan Utsav Shiksha Samman' (contribution to Education), Daan Utsav Harit Samman (contribution to Environment), Daan Utsav Kalyan Samman (contribution to Community), Daan Utsav Naveen Samman, Daan Utsav Uttam Saarvik Samman (Overall contribution to Society (Runner-Up)' to the recipients, accordiing to a press release. Special honours have also been conferred on housing societies for the most innovative contribution as a young group and overall contribution in bettering the lives of people. 'Daan Utsav' is being celebrated since 2009 for a week every year, starting with Gandhi Jayanti (Oct 2-8), as India's unique Festival of Giving. It aims to spread love, joy and happiness among those who are less fortunate than us and for each one of us to experience the joy of giving. In addition to the unique Samman initiative, more than 3 lakh people took part in 'Daan Utsav' in and around Kolkata while over 30,000 children from prominent schools of the city collected and distributed clothes, medicines, food, toys, blankets and mosquito nets. Under the 'Pujor Jaama' (pujo garments) programme more than 5,000 underprivileged children were provided new clothes. Governor Tripathi, in his address, lauded the unique 'Giving' event aimed at bringing smiles on the people around us. This year 'Daan Utsav' was celebrated in over 120 cities and towns in India with more than 1,200 'giving activities' across the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a relief to Smriti Irani, a Delhi court today dismissed a complaint against her for allegedly giving false information on her educational qualification to the Election Commission, saying it was filed to "needlessly harass" her as she was a union minister. Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh said there was a "great delay of around 11 years" in filing the complaint as it rejected the plea to summon her as an accused. "Therefore, prayer for summoning the proposed accused (Irani) is hearby declined," the court said while pronouncing the order. In his complaint, freelance writer Ahmer Khan had alleged that Irani, now Textiles Minister, had deliberately given discrepant information about her educational qualifications in affidavits filed before the Election Commission in 2004, 2011 and 2014 and not given any clarification, despite concerns raised on the issue. Khan had urged the court to take cognisance of the offences alleged in the plea under Section 125A of the RPA and "summon the accused person, Smriti Z Irani, for trial". "After conducting trial hold the acused guilty, convict and sentence the accused person in accordance with law, in the interest of justice to the complainant and also the public at large", he had prayed. The court, while declining the prayer, said the original evidence was already lost due to passage of several years and the court needed to be "relieved of the burden of adjudicating such inconsequential claim or case". It said the fate of the case could be foreseen as inevitable failure as original evidence was lost due to the "great delay" and the complainant may not have even bothered to file the plea if Irani was not a central minister. "So, where the original evidence has already been lost due to passage of number of years, the secondary evidence available will probably be not able to withstand the test of judicial scrutiny, there is great great delay of around 11 years in filing of the complaint... "The said delay could not be condoned as complainant is not an aggrieved person, the complaint does not appear to have been filed for vindication of majesty of justice and maintenance of law and order, the complaint appears to have been filed to needlessly harass the proposed accused," the magistrate said. The court said the alleged offence under the IPC entailed a maximum punishment of three years for which the limitation for filing the complaint was three years under the CrPC. A poll panel official had earlier told the court that the documents filed by Irani regarding her academic qualification while filing nominations were not traceable. However, the information on this was available on its website, he had said. In pursuance to the court's earlier direction, Delhi University had also submitted that the documents pertaining to Irani's BA course in 1996, as purportedly mentioned by her in an affidavit filed during 2004 Lok Sabha elections, were yet to be found. The court had on November 20 last year allowed the complainant's plea seeking direction to the officials of EC and DU to bring the records of Irani's qualifications after he said he was unable to place them before the court. Khan had alleged that Irani had knowingly furnished misleading information about her qualifications and that a candidate, deliberately giving incorrect details, could be punished under provisions of the IPC and under section 125A of the Representation of the People Act (RPA). Section 125A of RPA deals with penalty for filing false affidavit and entails a jail term of up to six months or fine or both. The court on June 24 last year had taken cognisance of the complaint which had accused Irani of furnishing false information about her academic qualifications in the affidavits filed before the EC in 2004, 2011 and 2014. The complainant had earlier claimed in court that in her affidavit for April 2004 Lok Sabha polls, Irani had said she completed her BA in 1996 from DU(School of Correspondence), whereas in another affidavit of July 11, 2011 to contest Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat, she had said her highest educational qualification was B.Com Part I from the School of Correspondence, DU. The complaint also alleged that in the affidavit filed for nomination of April 16, 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Irani said she had completed Bachelor of Commerce Part-I from School of Open Learning, DU. A first-of-its-kind museum that chronicles the country's historical electoral journey with artefacts, documents, photographs and film exhibits drawn from rare archives was thrown open to the public here today. Christened 'A Journey through Elections', the museum is located on the first floor of the iconic old St Stephen's College Building, which currently houses the office of the Delhi State Election Commission at Kashmere Gate. Endowed with 200-odd exhibits with 100-120 rare photographs, drawn from several archives, the museum was inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi, who termed it as the "journey of the electoral democratic process of India". "It is a noble initiative to understand the electoral machinery of India from its inception. In the Gandhi section, one can see how, Mahatma Gandhi propagated his view of enfranchisement in South Africa and then in India. "It also shown us how poor people can be very powerful in a democracy. The place has been transformed and I hope the place would soon be crowded with visitors," Zaidi said. The exhibits include artefacts like the metal ballot box used in the first general elections in 1952, the one used in 1996, rare black and white images of elections period running through several decades after Independence, and samples of old election symbols. Rare documents drawn from Delhi Archives, records of Election Commission of India, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and Photo Division and Films Division archives, have also been displayed. Visitors can also see a rare Films Division documentary -- "The Great Experiment" -- chronicling the events during the historic first general elections of India. Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi Chandra Bhushan Kumar called it a "celebration of our electoral legacy". "The museum is first-of-its-kind in the country. Our primary target is school children, whom we want to feel excited and enthused about the election and the concept of universal election franchise. We have already invited few schools in our vicinity," he said. Among the rare pre-Independence era exhibits are the electoral roll of 1923, correspondences between police and poll officials in 1934 elections, and Gandhi's visit to St Stephen's College in 1915. The office of the Delhi State Election Commission is currently situated in the old building which earlier used to house the St Stephen's College from late 19th century till 1940s. The building was designed by Samuel Swinton Jacob in Indian-Islamic architecture with European Neo-Classical and Gothic Revival styles. The museum has a separate section on the life of Gandhi and his struggle for Independence. A special voter's pledge section has also been set up where visitors can take the pledge and then take a selfie, Kumar said. (REOPENS DES60) The museum also has among its exhibits the "indelible ink" that has become the veritable symbol of electoral democracy in the country. "Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd has been manufacturing the ink for India since 1962 and it has also been supplied to about 25 countries abroad," Kumar said. The entry to the museum is free but visitors would need to book their visit online. "We have made a special website for it which would be made operational soon. People can book it from there," he said. Incidentally, the old St Stephen's Building was declared a heritage building by the Delhi government few years ago. The building's facade currently stands obscured due to some civil constructions in the campus in the 90s. "Any heritage building of the country should be preserved. I am sure the CEO has take note of the issues raised (about its being eclipsed by a modern building in front of its porch) and will deal with it," Zaidi said. Kumar said, "We will address all issues step by step. First, our challenge is to make this heritage building livable, to bring people to it. Next, we will take up other issues. As part of winter action plan, the Delhi government today said it will set up mohalla clinics near four night shelters in order to provide health facility to its occupants. Health Minister Satyendar Jain held a review meeting with department officials where deliberation on setting up new mohalla clinics was also made. A senior government official said that such health facilities will come near four night shelters so that occupants could get health services in the winter season. "These four clinics will come up in Yamuna Pusta, Jama Masjid area, Sarai Kalen Khan and Sakur Basti by November 25. People living in these shelters will be given health services by specialised doctors," the official said. The Kejriwal government has an aim of setting up 1,000 mohalla clinics and out of them, 107 such health facilities have come up in different areas of the national capital so far. "There were complaints about infrastructure and health services at some mohalla clinics and in view of this, the minister has ordered review of the same at some clinics," official said. In the review meeting, the Health Minister was informed that 14.78 lakh patients were given medical treatment at 107 mohalla clinics besides nearly 67,000 lab tests. As per the estimate, 147 people get medical treatment on an average every day. Government has also plan to set up mohalla clinics in the city's commercial hubs including Nehru Place, Bhikaji Cama Place, and Subhash Place in order to provide medical facility to working class there. Government has identified 300 schools where such clinics will be set up for giving medical service to students near their study places. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi's air quality today took a turn for the worse with monitoring stations across the city recording it in the 'very poor' category. The average (24-hour rolling) of PM 2.5 and PM 10, suspended respirable pollutants, were recorded as 120.8 and 248 micrograms per cubic metre by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) around 5.30 PM, as against the corresponding safe limits of 60 and 100. SAFAR's Dhirpur, Pitampura, Delhi University, Pusa road, Mathura road and Airport stations had 'very poor' air quality index. Even last week, air quality fluctuated between moderate and poor categories. In a letter to school principals, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia apprised them of the "manifold increase" in pollution levels due to use of crackers, advising them to raise awareness among children against its use. "The 'No Use of Fire Crackers' campaign may be spearheaded by your eco clubs through nukkad nataks, padyatras, workshops etc involving the children of your school," Sisodia wrote. The fall in air quality is in line with private agency Skymet's forecast that pollution was set to spike due to favourable weather conditions including a sudden chill in the air coupled with very light winds. Farm fires in neighbouring Punjab, Haryana and smokes from landfill sites like the one in Bhalaswa are also major contributory factors in this regard. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 'very poor' air quality may give rise to respiratory illness while poor may cause breathing discomfort on prolonged exposure. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leonardo DiCaprio says he's awaiting direction from the US Justice Department regarding any ill-gotten funds that may have supported his environmental foundation or 2013 film "The Wolf of Wall Street." The Oscar-winning actor released a statement through his representatives today saying he will return any gifts or donations connected to a Malaysian wealth fund, pending a fraud investigation of that fund by the US and other countries. Court filings in connection with the investigations allege a complex money laundering scheme intended to enrich top-level officials of the Malaysian government-controlled wealth fund. "Both Mr. DiCaprio and (the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation) continue to be entirely supportive of all efforts to assure that justice is done in this matter," the statement said. "Mr. DiCaprio is grateful for the lead and instruction of the government on how to accomplish this." The Justice Department says that at least USD 3.5 billion has been stolen from the wealth fund, known as 1MDB, by people close to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. Najib created the fund in 2009 shortly after he took office to promote economic development projects in the Asian nation, but the fund accumulated billions in debts over the years. The Justice Department has initiated action to seize USD 1.3 billion it says was taken from the fund to buy assets in the US, including luxury properties in New York and California, a USD 35 million jet, art by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet, and financing of "The Wolf of Wall Street," according to federal government complaints filed in Los Angeles in July. The government complaints also say that more than USD 700 million has landed in the accounts of "Malaysian Official 1." They didn't name the official, but appear to be referring to Najib. The Justice Department complaints also do not mention DiCaprio by name, but make an oblique reference to "Hollywood Actor 1," who during his Golden Globe acceptance speech thanked "the entire production team" and singled out several people close to Najib implicated in the scandal as "collaborators" on the film. DiCaprio won the Golden Globe for his "Wolf of Wall Street" performance. The Justice Department complaints identify the collaborators by name, including Najib's stepson, Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz, who co-founded movie production company Red Granite Pictures. Besides "The Wolf of Wall Street," other films produced by Red Granite include 2015's "Daddy's Home" and 2014's "Dumb and Dumber To. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Iraqi forces move forward in their campaign to liberate Mosul city from the ISIS, the US has said dislodging the terror group from its self-declared capital would be a "significant strategic gain". "I think the President (Barack Obama) would be the first to acknowledge that this is a significant test, given the population size of Mosul, given the large geographic area that it encompasses," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters yesterday. "The symbolic importance that the ISIL (ISIS) has invested in their control of Mosul, dislodging them from the city would be a significant strategic gain," he said. "That's why the US and our Iraqi partners have been working so closely over the last several months to prepare for this operation," Earnest said in response to a question. Acknowledging that the battle for Mosul is the next test because progress has already been made on the ground in Iraq, and there have been cities like Ramadi and Tikrit that were retaken from ISIS, he said "these were significant cities, significant in their population size, that Iraqi security forces did succeed in dislodging ISIL from. They did that with the support of United States and our coalition partners". Responding to a question, the White House official said he is not aware that any sort of specific timeframe has been laid out for when the operation would be completed. "Obviously, this represents the next important step in our campaign against ISIL in Iraq. The US has mobilised a 67-member coalition to support the Iraqi government and Iraqi security forces as they seek to rid ISIL from their country," he added, using another acronym for the ISIS. "Mosul is the second largest city in Iraq. It was the city where ISIL's leader announced their unfulfilled intent to form a caliphate. It is now the last major centre of ISIL in Iraq," Earnest said. Asserting that the campaign has been months in the making and there have been a number of important steps taken by the Iraqi security forces with the strong support of the US and its allies, he said the assault is an important part of the broader effort to ultimately destroy ISIS. "It's an indication that the effort is moving forward but there's still a lot of important work to be done before that goal will be realised, even inside of Iraq," he added. The White House's reaction came after the Iraqi government announced that its security forces with the support of the counter-ISIS coalition began operations to liberate the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the self-declared capital and the last major stronghold of the dreaded group. Terming the operation a "decisive moment" in the counter- ISIS campaign, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook has said: "Mosul is also historically a diverse, multi-ethnic, multi- sectarian city, precisely the opposite of ISIL's hate-filled ideology, so it carries a great deal of symbolic importance in this fight as well. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Iraqi forces move forward in their campaign to liberate Mosul city from the Islamic State, the US has said that dislodging the terror group from its self-declared capital would be a significant strategic development. "I think the President would be the first to acknowledge that this is a significant test, given the population size of Mosul, given the large geographic area that it encompasses," White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest told reporters yesterday. "The symbolic importance that the ISIL (ISIS) has invested in their control of Mosul, dislodging them from the city would be a significant strategic game," he said. "That's why the United States and our Iraqi partners have been working so closely over the last several months to prepare for this operation," Earnest said in response to a question. Acknowledging that the battle for Mosul is the next test because progress has already been made on the ground in Iraq, and there have been cities like Ramadi and Tikrit that were retaken from ISIS, he said, "these were significant cities, significant in their population size, that Iraqi security forces did succeed in dislodging ISIL from. They did that with the support of United States and our coalition partners,". Responding to a question, the White House official said he is not aware that any sort of specific timeframe has been laid out for when that operation would be completed. "Obviously, this represents the next important step in our campaigns campaign against ISIL in Iraq. The United States has mobilised a 67-member coalition to support the Iraqi government and Iraqi security forces as they seek to rid ISIL from their country," he added. "Mosul is the second largest city in Iraq. It was the city where ISIL's leader announced their unfulfilled intent to form a caliphate. It is now the last major centre of ISIL in Iraq," Earnest said. Asserting that the campaign has been months in the making and there have been a number of important steps taken by the Iraqi security forces with the strong support of the US and its allies, he said the assault is an important part of the broader effort to ultimately destroy ISIS. "It's an indication that the effort is moving forward but there's still a lot of important work to be done before that goal will be realised, even inside of Iraq," he added. The White House's reaction came after the Iraqi government announced that its security forces with the support of the counter-ISIS coalition began operations to liberate the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the self-declared capital of the . Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said termed the operation a decisive moment in the counter-ISIS campaign. "They started moving at 6:00 a.m. (local time). This is a decisive moment in the counter-ISIL campaign. It is in Mosul that ISIL's leader chose to announce its so-called caliphate. "Mosul is also historically a diverse, multi-ethnic, multi- sectarian city, precisely the opposite of ISIL's hate-filled ideology, so it carries a great deal of symbolic importance in this fight as well," he said. "But more than a symbol, Mosul is also a city of more than a million people. Over two years, ISIL has brutalised this city's population, committing horrific atrocities. This is a fight to free hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis from ISIL's rule," he added. Cook said the Iraqi forces have support of an counter-ISIS coalition of 60 nations led by the United States, providing advice and assistance, logistical support, intelligence and precision air power. The coalition has conducted more than 54,000 training cycles for Iraqi security forces. It has conducted more than 10,000 precision strikes in Iraq, including more than 70 in the Mosul area just this month, he said. "We are in the first day of what we assume will be a difficult campaign that could take some time. Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far and that they are ahead of schedule for this first day, this is going according to the Iraqi plan, but again, it's early and the enemy gets a vote here," Cook said. "We will see whether ISIL stands and fights. We are confident no matter what, however, the Iraqis have the capabilities to get this job done and we stand ready to support them along with the rest of the coalition," he added. Dozens of Japanese lawmakers visited a controversial war shrine today, in an annual pilgrimage that drew an angry response from Seoul which sees it as a painful reminder of Tokyo's warring past. The group of about 85 politicians arrived at the leafy Yasukuni shrine in downtown Tokyo during a four-day autumn festival. Led by priests, the dark-suited lawmakers entered the main shrine building to pray for Japan's war dead as they bowed at the threshold. The visit comes a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - often criticised for what some see as a revisionist take on Japan's wartime record - sent an offering to the shrine, but avoided a visit. Yasukuni honours millions of Japanese war dead, but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes after World War II. The indigenous Shinto religious shrine has for decades been a flashpoint for criticism by countries that suffered from Japan's colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century, including China and the two Koreas. South Korea responded to Tuesday's visit with a statement expressing "deep concern and disappointment over the fact that (lawmakers) have once again sent offerings to and paid tribute at the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's past war of aggression". Seoul called on Japanese politicians to "demonstrate through action their humble self-reflection and sincere remorse for Japan's past wrongdoings". China did not immediately comment, but it criticised Abe's offering yesterday. Today, four Chinese coastguard ships entered Japan's territorial waters close to disputed islands that have been a thorn in the side of diplomatic relations for years. Visits to Yasukuni by senior Japanese politicians routinely draw an angry reaction from Beijing and Seoul, and more controversial than the shrine is an accompanying museum that paints Japan as a liberator of Asia and a victim of the war. Abe and other nationalists say Yasukuni is a place to remember fallen soldiers and compare it to Arlington National Cemetery in the United States. "Every country pays respects to people who died for his or her country," Hidehisa Otsuji, who headed the group of lawmakers, told reporters today. The site attracts many visitors who come to pay their respects to friends and relatives who died in military conflicts. "I heard that my grandfather died in the battlefield so I came here to comfort his spirit," said Kazuya Ono, a 40-year-old Japanese businessman, who visited Yasukuni on today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Global accounting firm will pay $11.8 million to resolve allegations it failed to uncover deceptive tax practices at an oil services company, the US market regulator announced on Tuesday. The announcement follows September's settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the oilfield services firm Weatherford International, which the SEC fined $140 million for fraudulently lowering its year-end tax provisions. The SEC said that Ernst & Young, one of the global "big four" accounting firms, had failed to detect the fraud for more than four years. Craig Fronckiewicz, the partner who coordinated the audits, and Sarah Adams, a former tax partner who was part of the audit team, both agreed to suspensions from handling the accounting of SEC-regulated firms to settle charges of having ignored "significant red flags" during the Weatherford audits and reviews, the SEC said in a statement. "The audit team was aware of post-closing adjustments that Weatherford was making to significantly lower its year-end provision for income taxes each year, but it relied on Weatherford's unsubstantiated explanations instead of performing the required audit procedures to scrutinise the company's accounting," the SEC said in a statement. Ernst & Young, which reached the settlement without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, will pay $10.8 million in disgorgement and pre-judgment interest and a penalty of $1 million. A day after a major fire at a hospital here claimed 20 lives, the gutted portions of the private medical facility were sealed today ahead of a probe as the Odisha government made preparations for the treatment of the injured who have been shifted to other hospitals. While 20 deaths were officially confirmed, authorities of different hospitals where the injured where shifted last night put the toll at 22. Health Secretary Arti Ahuja, who visited the Sum Hospital, said that 14 and five bodies were received at the Capital Hospital and AMRI Hospital here respectively, while a Spokesman of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar said that one death was reported at their facility. Most of the deaths took place due to suffocation and asphyxiation, a senior official said, adding that majority of the patients were on ventilator support at the ICU in the Sum Hospital. Meanwhile, Union Health Minister J P Nadda in Delhi said, "The Prime Minister had sent instructions to me to check all the arrangements from the health point of view. We informed AIIMS, Bhubanesawar immediately. The Director, Medical Superintendent, specialists and doctors are present there since last night. "Around 30 patients have been admitted to AIIMS and all facilities have been provided by us. The state and Central government officials are in contact with us." After visiting the Sum Hospital, the Health Secretary said that the Intensive Care Unit and dialysis unit of the fire-hit medical facility have been sealed to ensure a proper investigation. As many as 106 persons, who were shifted from Sum Hospital following the blaze last night, are now undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the city, she said. Some patients have also been shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack for treatment. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited some of the hospitals, including AIIMS and AMRI Hospital here, to inquire about the condition of the patients undergoing treatment there. State's Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the priority was to provide 'proper' treatment to the patients from the fire-hit hospital who have been shifted to other medical facilities. The state government has already ordered a high-level probe by the Director, Medical Education and Training, into the incident. In addition, a probe by the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) has also been ordered, an official said. State Governor S C Jamir visited the hospitals where the injured were undergoing treatment. Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University (SOA), which runs the Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital, announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh each for the families of the dead, its Vice-Chancellor Amit Banerjee said. Four employees of the hospital have been suspended following the fire while the institute would bear the treatment cost of the injured. Banerjee said that all required cooperation would be extended for the two inquiries ordered into the fire by the state government. Moreover, an internal inquiry is also being conducted by the hospital authorities, he said. Maintaining that there was no lapse on the part of the hospital after the fire broke out, he said the evacuation protocol had been strictly followed during the rescue operation. The Chief Minister has directed the government hospitals to provide necessary treatment to patients shifted from Sum Hospital and requested all private hospitals to extend treatment to patients from the medical facility. Meanwhile, Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) took suo motu cognisance of the tragedy and issued notices to the state health secretary and Director General (Fire Services) asking them to submit reports in three weeks. DG (Fire Services) Binay Behera, who had supervised the fire-fighting operation at the hospital last night, also visited the medical facility today. He said that guidelines had been issued for fire safety measures at hospitals in 2013 and prima facie it appeared that the fire was caused by an electric short circuit. The probe would also seek to ascertain whether proper fire safety measures had been followed at the hospital, Behera said. The fire that broke out at the dialysis unit of the hospital was one of the worst such incidents involving a medical facility in Odisha. All the 20 deceased have been identified and their bodies handed over to their families for cremation, an official said. At least seven fire tenders took around three hours to control the blaze and over a dozen ambulances were deployed to shift the critical patients to other hospitals. Besides the Capital Hospital, patients were shifted to Amri Hospital, AIIMS, Apollo Hospital, Kalinga Hospital, SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack and some other hospitals in the state capital region. Opposition Congress and BJP held the state government and the hospital authorities responsible for the tragedy. Congress stalwart and Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said the incident took place because of failure on the part of government to ensure proper fire safety measures at the hospital, while senior party leader Niranjan Patnaik termed the probes ordered by the government as an "eye-wash" and demanded a judicial inquiry. BJP leader and Union Minister Jual Oram alleged that the tragedy occurred as the state government and hospital authorities failed to discharge their responsibilities. A day after a major fire at a hospital here claimed 22 lives, ravaged areas of the medical facility were sealed on Tuesday ahead of a thorough probe as the state government geared up to ensure proper treatment of patients shifted elsewhere. Health Secretary Arti Ahuja, who visited the private Hospital this morning, said the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), dialysis and emergency units of the fire-hit medical facility have been sealed to ensure a proper investigation. As many as 106 persons, who were shifted from Sum Hospital following the blaze, are now undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the city, she said. Some patients have also been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited some of the hospitals including AIIMS and AMRI Hospital here to enquire about the condition of the patients from Sum Hospital undergoing treatment there. State's Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the priority was to provide proper treatment to the patients from the fire-hit hospital who have been shifted to other medical facilities. At the same time, steps are being initiated to conduct a thorough investigation into the fire that broke out on Monday night, he said. The state government has already ordered a high-level probe by the Director, Medical Education and Training, into the incident. In addition, a probe by the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) has also been ordered, an official said. Soon after the incident, the health minister had said on Monday night that stringent action would be taken if the hospital authorities were found guilty of negligence. While 22 persons died, several others were injured in the incident that broke out at a dialysis unit of the private Hospital, in one of the worst such incidents involving a medical facility in Odisha. So far, 20 of the deceased have been identified and their bodies handed over to their families for cremation, an official said. Most of the victims were from the ICU of the Sum Hospital who were receiving ventilatory support. Most of the deaths took place due to suffocation, he said. The chief minister has directed the Government hospitals to provide necessary treatment to patients shifted from Sum Hospital and requested all private hospitals to extend treatment to patients from ill-fated medical facility. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of the private hospital which spread to the nearby ICU. The fire rapidly spread to other areas including the ICU on the same floor of the four-storeyed hospital building. At least seven fire tenders took around three hours to control the blaze and over a dozen ambulances deployed to shift the critical patients to other hospitals. Besides the Capital Hospital, patients were shifted to Amri Hospital, AIIMS, Apollo Hospital, Kalinga Hospital, SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack and some other hospitals in the state capital region. Five advocates were arrested today in connection with a case relating to threatening and dragging of journalists who had gone to cover legal proceedings at a Vigilance Court here on October 14. The five advocates were later released on bail, police said. The case was registered on a complaint by some of the journalists who were allegedly threatened by a group of lawyers of dire consequences. The journalists were dragged out of the court by the lawyers when they had gone there to report the proceedings regarding the petition against the then Industries Minister E P Jayarajan on the appointment row. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Son of a former Sri Lankan cabinet minister studying at the prestigious London School of Economics was found dead after a brief illness here in the UK. Adhil Bakeer Markar, a masters student tipped to become future leader of Sri Lanka, was found lying unconscious in his room by his friends last week and later declared dead, police said. He was the son of Sri Lankan politician Imthiaz Bakeer Markar, chairman of the country's National Media Centre - a project established to monitor the country's media. His father has also served as Sri Lanka's cabinet minister of media. According to a report, the LSE student who represented the next generation of Sri Lankan political leaders, "was found dead in his room after going to bed complaining of a fever". Friends became worried about Markar when he did not answer phone calls. When they went to his dorm residence, they opened the door with the help of university officials and found him "sprawled on the floor". Markar had complained of being ill, but when he spoke with one of his brothers last Tuesday, had said "I am recovering and will be OK". Markar was attending the University on a Chevening Scholarship, a prestigious award for future leaders funded by the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He had just begun studying for a Masters in Comparative Politics in September. Last year, he had represented the Sri Lanka Youth Delegation at the UN. Other Sri Lankan youth delegates posted a video calling his death a "great loss for our nation and community". Scotland Yard is not investigating his death and believe it is not suspicious. His body was discovered on October 12. The LSE posted a memorial online. "Sri Lanka lost one of talented young future leaders and academics," wrote a member of the UK's Sri Lankan community. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Goa Minister and Congress legislator Mauvin Godinho today said he would resign from the party to join BJP ahead of the upcoming State Assembly polls. "I have decided to resign from Congress and join the BJP on whose ticket I would be fighting the forthcoming Goa Legislative Assembly election," Godinho told reporters. The MLA, who represents Dabolim constituency, claimed he was "completely disappointed" with Congress and had expressed his feelings to the party high command in Delhi and even informed them about joining the BJP. "I have met Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) in Delhi. I got fully disappointed with the Congress. After briefing the central Congress leaders about the hardships faced by me, I also informed them that I will be quitting the party," Godinho said. According to the legislator, he has decided to join BJP and on several occasions, he has mentioned that he would be contesting 2017 assembly elections on a BJP ticket. Referring to the political charge-sheet released by Congress against BJP, Godinho said,"Congress is dreaming that BJP will be wiped out which is not going to happen". "I was reading the charge-sheet which was prepared by the Congress. I really laughed at it because all the points mentioned by the Congress are sins of omission committed by their leaders during the Congress regime," Godinho added. In the charge-sheet, released yesterday, there are 25 points against the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AAP in Goa today released its third list of four candidates for the upcoming Goa Legislative Assembly polls. The state has 40 Assembly constituencies. The party has fielded former Inspector General (Prison) Elvis Gomes, who had recently taken voluntary retirement. After the third list, AAP has declared 15 candidates for the Goa polls. The list was released by local AAP leaders here. Gomes is fielded from Cuncolim constituency, which is currently represented by BJP's Rajan Naik. The constituency had been a Congress bastion till 2012 Goa election. The party has also announced that Cecille Rodrigues, a dance teacher and who was runner up in the Dance India Dance Super Moms competition on a national TV channel, will be in the fray from Taleigao constituency. The constituency is currently represented by Congress's Jeniffer Monserratte. Tribal activist Ravindra Velip, who shot to fame after the anti-mining agitation, will be contesting on an AAP ticket from Sanguem constituency, which is currently represented by BJP's Subhash Faldesai. Rajesh Volvoikar will be in the fray as an AAP candidate from Porvorim constituency which is currently represented Independent Rohan Khaunte. Apart from AAP, no other political party has yet declared their candidates. The party has already started campaigning for the polls and AAP's national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has visited the coastal state thrice. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several Pakistani lawmakers have warned that USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor could turn into another East India Company if the country's interests were not protected, as they accused the government of ignoring local people in the project. "Another East India Company is in the offing; national interests are not being protected. We are proud of the friendship between Pakistan and China, but the interests of the state should come first," Senator Tahir Mashhadi, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development, said when some committee members raised the concern that the government was not protecting the rights and interests of the people. The East India Company was the British trading mission sent to India, which became the precursor to the British colonial presence in the subcontinent, eventually gaining power and overthrowing the Mughals who ruled India at the time. Following a briefing by Planning Commission Secretary Yousuf Nadeem Khokhar, a number of committee members voiced their fears over what they perceived as the utilisation of local financing for CPEC projects, instead of funding from the Chinese or any other foreign investment. They also expressed concern over the fixing of power tariff for CPEC-related power projects by the Chinese. Since only one of three Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members of the committee was present at the meeting, most of the criticism went unanswered, the Dawn reported. Even Senator Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail, the lone PML-N senator in attendance, endorsed the committee chairman's complaints. The meeting was informed that a major portion of the CPEC depended on local finances rather than Chinese investment. "It will be very harmful for us if we have to bear the entire burden; will this (project) be a national development or a national calamity? Whatever loans taken from China will have to be paid by the poor people of Pakistan," Mashhadi observed. Highlighting the status of CPEC-related power projects, the Planning Commission secretary said that the Matiari-Lahore transmission line project had "not been scrapped" and was being pursued by its Chinese sponsors. The secretary also informed the committee that the Gadani power plant complex had been shelved due to the lack of a dedicated jetty. He also said that the 6,000MW project was not part of the CPEC. Senator Kakar said that despite the fact that the project was not part of the CPEC, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong had recently claimed that the Gadani power plant had not been scrapped and was indeed a part of the corridor. "Why is this project, which does not even exist, being counted in our account?" he asked. He said that the infrastructure being established in Gwadar would only benefit the Chinese and Punjab governments, not the local community. He said that no electricity or railway projects had been planned for Balochistan under the CPEC. Senator Mandokhail said that a sense of deprivation was being instilled in smaller provinces. "We do not want the CPEC at the cost of the federation," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To make exploration more attractive for private players, the mining ministry has decided to incentivise exploration and has engaged SBI Caps for empanelment of private players for the activity. "We are going to offer incentives for finding viable reserve and the same will be either 0.05 per cent of resource value or 10 times of the annual retention fee which ever is higher," Mines Secretary Balvinder Kumar told PTI. Advertisement seeking exploration companies for empanelment would be released soon, he said. Out of 100 mineral blocks of Geological Survey of India, 22 have been earmarked for the private sector. While, 30 blocks will be explored by Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd, 18 would be done by state owned agencies and rest 30 by GSI themselves, Kumar said. Government will reimburse the costs to exploration firms that fail to find mineral wealth from the National Mineral Exploration Trust while, offering them a share of the revenue from blocks where they strike extractable reserves. However, the exploration firms will not enjoy any preferential right to the blocks where they find viable mineral reserves. The relaxation from the defence ministry in amending approval system will benefit the government's new mineral exploration policy under which it proposes to offer vast area for exploration. "Earlier, there were restrictions in putting certain geological data on public domain which are now relaxed, helping exploration in a bigger way," a GSI official said. Kumar said so far 16 mineral blocks with estimated resource value of Rs 17,000 crore had been auctioned and by this year the target is for total 50 blocks and in the next fiscal, government aims to put another 100 blocks under the hammer. He said for sustainable mining in the country, star rating had been introduced but the same will be based on self-certification. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has postponed by three weeks the last date for bidding for auction of 46 small oil and gas fields that were given up by state-owned ONGC and Oil India. "Last date of bid submission extended till November 21, 2016, 1200 hours IST," the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) said on the website of the 'Discovered Small Field Bid Round 2016'. Bidding for the auction, the first in over four years, was to earlier close on October 31. While potential bidders had sought more data on the fields on offer to make informed decision on bidding, an official said the date was extended as bids were closing during the Diwali holiday. Industry sources said there were apprehensions about the response after prospective bidders complained about the quality and amount of data being made available on the fields that have been put on offer. For bidders to make decisions, more data particularly about size of reserves are required and making that available will require extending the deadline, they said. DGH Director General Atanu Chakraborty in a presentation on the bid round said 67 discovered fields are being offered under 46 contract areas. Of these, 26 are onland, 18 shallow water and 2 deepwater fields. The fields hold an inplace reserves of 48 million tonnes of oil (17.85 mt in onland blocks and 30.19 mt on offshore blocks) and over 38 billion cubic metres of gas reserves (7.20 bcm in onland blocks and 31.18 bcm in offshore areas). "Many of the blocks offered are located in the vicinity of the existing operating fields of ONGC/OIL enabling possibility of use of existing facilities by successful bidders," he said in the presentation. The auction, which was announced on May 25, is to be conducted on simpler contractual terms together with pricing and marketing freedom. The auction will be done on a new revenue sharing model where bidders will be asked to quote the revenue they will share with the government at low and high end of price and production band. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India (OIL) "surrendered" these as they could not develop them because of huge overhead cost and uneconomic size. The last exploration licensing round concluded in March 2012. That was the ninth round of bidding under New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP). A total of 256 blocks were awarded in the nine rounds of NELP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Famous historian and thinker Ramchandra Guha today said Dalits and tribals deserve reservation but did not favour its benefits for Jats, Marathas and Patels, whom he dubbed as "prosperous" communities. In his brief interaction with media after his address at the 63rd Convocation at Gujarat Vidyapith today, Guha also denounced attempts to abolish the reservation system. "I firmly believe that reservation for Dalits and tribals must continue," he said when asked to share his views about the ongoing stirs by Jats, Marathas and Patel communities in various parts of the country pressing for reservation in educational institutes and government jobs. "There is no need for any review in reservation policy, as Dalits and tribals deserve reservation. Their issue is different from Jats, Marathas or Patels, who are prosperous," he said. "The government can manage the reservation system by reviewing the creamy layer, but reservation should be there for Dalits and tribals," he said. He also raised concerns about the violent protests by Jats and Patels. "You can hold agitations, but there must not be any violence, such as setting fire to buses and vandalising shops. The method adopted by Jats in Haryana and Patels in Gujarat was improper," said Guha. While addressing students at Gujarat Vidyapith, founded by Mahatma Gandhi, Guha said some section of people in India are trying to impose the Hindu ideology on the entire country and turn it into a "Hindu-Pakistan", which is against the preachings of Gandhi. The historian said the country would have been in shambles but for its all-embracing approach. "Today, we live in a time of rising religious fundamentalism. India may have broken and may not have survived as a nation if we had gone the way of Pakistan, which is an Islamic country, where Hindus and Christians are treated as second class citizens," Guha claimed. "Some people in India would like us to be a Hindu- Pakistan. But as long as Gandhiji's memory is alive, that will not happen. We will remain a country committed to pluralism of religions and languages," he added. The writer also raised the issue of unrest in Kashmir as well as Naxal-affected areas. "India is not a perfect democracy. There is deep discontent in some parts of the country. People of Kashmir as well as tribals have been treated very badly by the government of India," he alleged. "Had Naxalites or Maoists practised non-violence, then they would have had more success. But once they picked up guns, the conflict escalated. Ordinary citizens are sandwiched in the armed conflict, which is true for Kashmir, Manipur or Bastar (in Chhattisgarh)," said Guha. Voices for caste-based reservations across the country have been gaining momentum over the past few months. The agitation related to demand of reservation for Jats in the OBC category at Rohtak claimed 30 lives in February. A 40-year-old man wanted in connection with the 2002 post-Godhra riots inGujarat was today extradited from the UK to stand trial in India, becoming the first person to be sent back from Britain 24 years after the two countries signed an extradition treaty. Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel had been arrested by Scotland Yard in west London in August on a Red Corner Notice issued by Indian authorities. His extradition order was signed by UK home secretary Amber Rudd on September 22 and the "surrender arrangements" were finalised for his departure. It marks the first extradition from the UK since the signing of the India-UK Extradition Treaty in 1992. "Following Government of India's request for extradition, Mr Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, an Indian national, is being extradited on 18thOctober, 2016 to face trial in India," the High Commission said in a statement today. "Mr Patel is facing trial in connection with post-Godhra riots in India in 2002. He is charged with the offence under Section 302 of IPC, along with 43 other accused. The offences include being member of an unlawful assembly; rioting and murder. The accused was arrested in India and was on bail and after jumping bail had escaped to UK," the statement added. According toGujaratPolice, Patelis wanted in connection with riots in Ode village of Anand district. A team of officials from India will take him into their custody to fly him back to India today. "On 22 September the Secretary of State (Amber Rudd), having carefully considered all relevant matters, signed the order for Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel's extradition to India. He is accused, whilst being part of a rioting mob, of three counts of murder, two counts of using unlawful violence with others for a common purpose and one count of arson," a UK Home Office spokesperson had confirmed last week. On March 1, 2002, 23 people from the Muslim community were burnt alive in a house in Pirwali Bhagol area of Ode village. Patel along with two other accused, who are still at large, are accused of being part of the rioting mob at the time. Patel's whereabouts were traced to a home in Hounslow, west London, after which Scotland Yard nabbed him on August 9. "On 9 August officers from the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) extradition unit attended an address in Beavers Lane, Hounslow and arrested Samir Vinubhai Patel, aged 40, on a warrant issued under section 71 Extradition Act 2003. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on August 10, 2016," a Scotland Yard statement said. "We can confirm that Mr Patel has consented to his extradition to India. However, we are unable to comment on any surrender arrangements as this is an operational matter for the police," a UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) statement added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The family at the centre of a graft probe into South African President Jacob Zuma today called allegations "nonsense" that nearly 450 million euros in their bank transactions were suspicious. The Guptas were responding to court papers filed last week by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan which claimed firms linked to the family had made suspect movements worth 6.8 billion rand (USD 490 million). Their business empire, led by brothers, Atul, Ajay and Rajesh, includes a string of companies, ranging from mining to media. A total of 72 transactions in companies owned by the family were flagged over four years. "It is undiluted nonsense and appears to be little more than the usual political games," the Gupta family, who are close to the president, said in a statement. The family described Gordhan's court affidavit as "fundamentally flawed" and said they were looking forward to clearing their names. The minister filed the records as part of an ongoing court battle over whether he has the power to intervene in a financial dispute involving the family. Earlier this year several banks and audit firms in South Africa cut ties with Gupta-owned firms. The family has been lobbying the government to have the banks' decision declared unlawful. Zuma and Gordhan have clashed in recent months, and Gordhan is due in court next month on separate corruption charges. The president on Thursday blocked the release of the probe into his relationship with the Guptas, who are accused of having undue influence over government and to have chosen some ministers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Please Donate In order to maintain this blog I have to pay for its upkeep including a hosting company, support services, virus and other malicious hackers. If you appreciate what I write please make a donation. Racist PayPal Tries to Close Down My Blog As you can see from this article PayPal have removed my blog. I would therefore ask people to make any future donations to the following: Name of Account: Brighton and Hove Unemployed Workers Centre Account No: 04094107 Sort Code: 09-01-50 Reference: Web donations Haryana Government today said it will hold a special session of the state assembly next month as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of formation of the state. The Haryana Cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar decided to hold a special 'Swaran Jayanti Session' of the state assembly here on November 4, an official spokesman said. Another special meeting of former MPs and former MLAs of Haryana would also be held at Panchkula on November 3, the spokesman said. Haryana was formed on November 1, 1966 after the area was carved out of Punjab. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Haryana government today approved creation of a new district -- Charkhi Dadri -- and ten sub-divisions, ten tehsils and three sub-tehsils. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting here of the state cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. The meeting approved creation of new district of Charkhi Dadri, the 23rd district of the state, on the proposal of Deputy Commissioner, Bhiwani, an official spokesperson for the state government said. Proposals for up gradation of Ambala Cantt, Badhra, Badkhal, Narnaund, Badli, Uchana, Gharaunda, Radaur and Punhana as sub-divisions were also approved. Besides, the matter of creation of sub-division of Kalanwali in district Sirsa was reviewed and recommended. The Cabinet also approved the proposals of Revenue and Disaster Management Department to change the name of district Gurgaon as district Gurugram and that of district Mewat as district Nuh. In another decision, the cabinet approved recruitment of 955 retired persons of central para-military forces and ex-constables of disbanded Haryana State Industrial Security Forces (HSISF) as Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Haryana Police, the official said. The meeting approved the proposal of Irrigation and Water Resources Department to transfer 68 kanal and 8 Marla surplus land of the Department to Market Committee, Ganaur, Sonipat to develop Modern Marketing Complex for fruits and vegetables. The total cost of the land is Rs 213.75 lakh as per the collector rates, the spokesman said. The cabinet also approved the proposal of Urban Local Bodies Department to allot three acres of additional land of Kurukshetra Development Board to Global Inspiration and Enlightenment Organisation of Bhagwad Gita (GIEO GITA), New Delhi, for construction of a Centre for Universal Spread of Awareness and Research on Shrimad Bhagwad Gita. The Board of Governors of Kurukshetra Development Board has already decided, in its meeting, to allot these three acres of additional land to GIEO GITA. The land would be allotted on lease basis for 99 years at the rate of Rs five lakh per acre, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi high Court today denied bail to a top officer of Vigneshwara real estate group, who is accused of duping people who had invested in the company's projects at Gurgaon and Manesar, to the tune of Rs 600 crore. Justice Vipin Sanghi dismissed the bail plea of company MD Sunil Dahiya, who is in judicial custody since October 30, 2014, observing that he "appears to be a person with deep pockets". "If he could manipulate and dupe more than 1000 investors to invest in his projects, he may as well be able to influence these investors, other witnesses and the evidence to save his own skin. "Applicant (Dahiya) has been accused of economic offences involving cheating and misappropriation of huge amounts of public funds, and such offences - as observed by the Supreme Court, have to be viewed seriously," the court said. Dahiya has moved high court challenging the trial court's September 10, 2015 decision, by which he was denied bail. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in October 2014 had registered three cases in connection with two projects launched by Vigneshwara and its sister companies at Manesar and Gurgaon. The company had invited applications for investment in two projects for construction of IT parks, one in Gurgaon and the other in Manesar. As per the prosecution, the directors -- Sunil Dahiya and his family members -- allegedly induced large number of people through advertisements and through personal assurances to invest in the projects. "The directors of the company made unrealistic promises to general public regarding the projects and assured abnormally high rate of returns. However, they neither paid the returns assured by them, nor made any efforts to fulfill their promises regarding the execution of projects. The company also did not have all the approvals required for the projects," the prosecution claimed. The accused had filed bail pleas in all the three cases against him. As per the prosecution, the complainants had invested around 600 crores, which were siphoned off by the accused by colluding, conspiring, ganging up with his family members. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A health advocacy group in Jammu and Kashmir today demanded that a higher tax should be imposed on all tobacco products to discourage people from consuming it as 26.6 per cent population in the state uses the products in one form or the other. J&K's monthly spending on smoking tobacco outstrips the national monthly expenditure averages. While nationally, smokers aged 15 and above spend Rs 399.20 a month on cigarettes and Rs 93.40 on bidis, those in J-K spend Rs 513.60 and Rs 134.20 respectively on them, Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI), quoting a Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) report, said. It said as the state of Jammu and Kashmir continues to spend more on tobacco products than the monthly national average, there is a need for a higher tax rate on all tobacco products so as minimise the adverse impact of smoking on public health. The higher taxation on tobacco products will have a direct bearing on the consumption of tobacco products in J&K as 26.6 per cent population in the state is using tobacco product in one or the other of its form, the VHAI said. It said tobacco use imposes enormous health and economic burden on the people. Each year, almost one million Indians die from tobacco-related diseases. The total direct and indirect cost of diseases attributable to tobacco use was a staggering Rs 1.04 lakh Crore (USD 17 billion) in 2011 or 1.16 per cent of the country's GDP. Tobacco-attributable direct medical costs alone are around 21 per cent of national health expenditure. The costs of tobacco are far greater than what the Indian government or states gain in tobacco excise revenue (just 17 per cent of total health cost), the VHAI said. It said it is well known that tobacco and tobacco products are globally recognised as "sin goods" on account of their serious adverse impact on public health. Practically all major countries in the world subject tobacco products to high rates of consumption taxes with a view to garner additional revenue on one hand and discourage its use on the other. Higher taxes are particularly effective in reducing tobacco use among vulnerable populations, such as youth, pregnant women, low-income smokers and chewing tobacco users, VHAI said quoting Assistant Professor, IIT Jodhpur and an expert on tobacco taxation Dr Rijo John. It has come to light that the highest proportion of adults (67.9 per cent) exposed to tobacco smoke in offices are in J&K and the lowest (15.4 per cent) are in Chandigarh, VHAI said. It said the new GST regime should ideally act as a deterrent to the consumption of health hazard causing substances such as Cigarettes, Bidis and other tobacco forms through higher taxes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today submitted a 13-point memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking among other things a special compensation grant of Rs 1000 crore forpreserving forests. In the memorandum, submitted during the Prime Minister's brief visit here, Singh also sought speedy environment and forest clearances for all hydropower and other projects as 66.5 per cent of total area of the state is under forests. He also wanted increased power to the hill states like Himachal to divert forest land for hydropower projects, roads, water supply and irrigation schemes. The demands for resumption of commercial flights from Shimla, reversion of surplus SJVNL land to Himachal Pradesh for engineering college at Kotla(Jeori) and inclusion of Himachal as wholetime member in BBMB (Bhakra Beas Management Board) are also included in the memorandum. The memorandum said that Himachal suffered high distress due to submergence of 103425 acres of fertile land due to Bhakhra project and 65563 acre because of Beas projects. It further demanded that NPV (Net Present Value) cost in PMGSY project be borne by the Government of India. It pointed out that at present, the state is required to deposit Compulsory Acquisition (CA) and NPV in lieu of diversification of forest land for construction of roads which issubstantial. During the last three years, the state has deposited Compulsory Acquisition and NPV amounting to Rs 60 crore. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two-wheeler major Honda Motorcycle & Scooter (HMSI) has not only toppled its estranged partner Hero MotorCorp in as many as 11 states, including Maharashtra and two UTs, as of the June quarter but also increased its market share by 3 per cent from the entrenched leader to 27 per cent now. HMSI's market share has gone to 27 per cent this year so far from 24 per cent a year before,while Hero's came down to 40 from 41.3 per cent, according to the SIAM numbers. As of the June quarter, HMSI, which has been consistently contributing almost 50 per cent of incremental volume since May on its volume ramp up, now is the number one two-wheeler brand in 11 states -- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, Delhi, Himachal, Goa, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal and the two Union Territories -- Chandigarh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Yadvinder Singh Guleria, senior vice-president for sales and marketing at HMSI, said while the firm has a national market share of 27 per cent, up from 24 per cent in Q1 of last fiscal, it has over over 50 per cent share in Chandigarh, Goa, and Manipur; over 40 per cent in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Arunachal, the Andamans, over 30 per cent in Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Himachal, Jammu & Kashmir, and Nagaland. It gained 4 per cent in market share in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan; 3 per cent in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Assam; 2 per cent in Gujarat, Punjab, Jharkhand, and Odisha; and 1 per cent in Bengal and Goa during the first quarter. Hero, however, still stays ahead in the faster growing states like UP, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and most of the northeastern states. TVS Motor leads the Tamil Nadu market, though. Guleria attributed this growth to increasing scooterisation as well as capacity addition, which has seen its scooter capacity jumping by 1.2 million since this February. "We lead in 11 states and two UTs, which together account of one-third of all two-wheelers sold in the country today. In fact we have been growing 50 per cent faster than industry this year, helping us increase our market share in 19 states and two UTs," Guleria said, adding HMSI's scooter market share now stands at 58 per cent. He said these markets together contribute 33 per cent of all the national volume. But when asked whether dethroning Hero is a near-term reality, Guleria told PTI here today that they "have no such target as in terms of both installed capacity as well as reach, we need to do a lot of catch-up with Mujnal firm. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four staff members of a private medical hospital here where a massive fire broke out killing 20 people were suspended today even as over 100 patients, mostly from the gutted Intensive Care Unit(ICU) and dialysis unit, were shifted to other hospitals. While 20 deaths were officially confirmed, authorities of different hospitals where the injured where shifted last night put the toll at 22. As many as 106 patients, who were shifted from the private Sum Hospital following the blaze last night, are now undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the city, Health Secretary Arti Ahuja said, amid reports that some of them are in critical condition. Most of them were from the ICU and the dialysis unit, an official said. Ahuja, who visited the Hospital, said that 14 and five bodies were received at the Capital Hospital and AMRI Hospital here respectively, while a spokesman of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar said that one death was reported at their facility. Most of the deaths in the four-storey hospital took place due to suffocation and asphyxiation, a senior official said, adding that majority of the patients at the ICU were on ventilator support. The authorities of the Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University (SOU), which runs the Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital, suspended four of its staff members and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the victims' familes. Those suspended were one fire officer, two engineers and one hospital manager, SOU vice-chancellor Amit Banerjee told reporters here, rejecting allegations that there was any irregularity in the management of the hospital. "We have suspended four officials as part of the hospital's bid to maintain transparency. Tomorrow no one should accuse that evidence was tampered with." Ahuja said the ICU and dialysis unit of the hospital have been sealed to ensure a proper investigation. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor which spread to the nearby ICU. The fire rapidly spread to other areas on the same floor of the hospital building. Some patients have also been shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack for treatment. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited some of the hospitals, including AIIMS and AMRI Hospital here, to inquire about the condition of the patients undergoing treatment. State's Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the priority was to provide 'proper' treatment to the patients from the fire-hit hospital who have been shifted. The state government has already ordered a high-level probe by the Director, Medical Education and Training, into the incident. In addition, a probe by the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) has also been ordered, an official said. Rejecting allegation that the high casualty was due to wrong evacuation process, Banerjee said, "We have followed the best of the evacuation protocol. Had we not followed it the casualty would have been more." Banerjee claimed that the fire safety parameters were checked properly only three weeks ago and there was no lacuna on the part of the hospital authorities in the maintenance of the electrical equipment. "There were nine to ten people under the ventilator support," he said, adding that most of the people died due to asphyxia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims of releasing more funds to Himachal Pradesh during NDA's rule, the state government today claimed the Centre had instead effected "cutbacks" in funds and discontinued various Centrally-sponsored schemes. Earlier in the day, Modi had, during his address to a rally in Mandi, claimed that Himachal Pradesh was getting more funds from the Centre than earlier and that the Virbhadra Singh's government should "give account of its work". The state government however rejected the Prime Minister's claims saying that Himachal Pradesh had instead "grossly suffered under the NDA government due to abolition of the Planning Commission". "Himachal Pradesh has been deprived of funds which used to flow from Planning Commission. The state government used to receive Normal Central Assistance (NCA), Special Central Assistance and Special Plan Assistance(SPA)totaling about Rs 3000 crore per annum, which was stopped from 2015-16 onwards," the state government said in a release issued here. "With abolition of Planning Commission, an important source of funding has totally dried up for a revenue deficit State like Himachal Pradesh. Himachal Pradesh has lost over Rs 6500 crore on this account in last two years," it said. The release further said discontinuation of various Centrally-sponsored schemes, like Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) and National e-Governance Programme had hit the state's finances hard. "Hundreds of crores of Central assistance has been denied under these schemes which have affected several development schemes in Chamba and Sirmour districts (due to stopping of BRGF) and Una, Kangra, Mandi and Hamirpur districts due to reduced funding under AIBP& FMP. "Even the devolution of Central Taxes to the states have declined in the last two years causing a loss of about Rs 1500 crore. The cumulative impact of reduced central funding in five years from 2015 to 2020 is expected to be over Rs 20,000 crore," it said. Modi had claimed that Himachal Pradesh has been getting Rs 72,000 crore following the implementation of the 16th Finance Commission report instead of Rs 21,000 crore allocated earlier. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi today met Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit and discussed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting comes in the backdrop of continued unrest in the Valley which has been witnessing violent protests since July 8 after the killing of Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani, who has been hailed by Pakistan government as a "martyr". "The APHC leader Syed Al-Moosvi met Basit at the High Commission here and discussed the situation in the state," Pakistan High Commission sources said. However, they did not divulge any further details of the meeting. Syed Al-Moosvi along with other party leaders had strongly condemned the restrictions and use of force by security personnel. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India continues to be one of the main growth markets for which opened a new $100 million South Asia Hub in Singapore on Tuesday. India-led South Asian markets accounted for 30 per cent growth in express cargo deliveries for DHL between 2012-15, the company's executives said, adding that India itself is a double-digit growth market. The company, which inaugurated the new 140 million Singapore dollar ($100 million) South Asia Hub in Singapore, serves India with two dedicated daily flights to Bengaluru and Delhi as well as commercial flights for express cargo deliveries to Mumbai, the officials said. The two dedicated flights to Bengaluru and Delhi offers 195 tonnes per flight six times a week. South Asia accounts for 30 per cent of the company's daily shipment growth between 2012-2015, said Ken Lee, chief executive officer of Asia Pacific. Oceania accounts 50 per cent and South East Asia about 25 per cent, he said. "India is a double-digit growth market for DHL Express," said Sean Wall, executive vice president for network, operations and aviation for Asia Pacific. The 24-hour express hub facility located within Changi Airfreight Centre at Singapore Changi Airport, spread across 23,600 square metres,is outfitted with the industry's first fully automated express parcel sorting and processing system in South Asia and is set to boost its operational capacity and efficiency at . "The facility in Singapore processes up to 24,000 shipments and documents per hour and can handle over 628 tonnes of cargo during the peak processing window; tripling our cargo handling capacity and processing shipments six times faster as compared to the manual operations in the previous hub," said Frank-Uwe Ungerer, senior vice president and managing director, DHL Express Singapore. For a second year running, Perthshire-based Master Chocolatier Iain Burnett received a prestigious gold accolade in the International Chocolate Awards. Burnett was given the accolade for his Caramel with A Twist of Liquorice Velvet Truffle. In competition with chocolatiers from all over the globe, the new truffle topped the board and made Burnett the only UK chocolatier to win in the truffle and praline category this year. Burnetts Highland Chocolatier has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Its special expertise in making both naked and enrobed (coated) chocolates has made the premises one of the areas leading tourist attractions. Burnett said of his latest success: Im really pleased that my new velvet truffle has been selected. Liquorice is a flavour that sometimes gets a bad press, but Ive developed a chocolate that uses a gentle hint of liquorice with white chocolate that has been caramelised to complement it. The balance of chocolate and spices is combined to create a complex chocolate that is, above all, delicious! The truffles cost 19.95 for a gift box and are available from the Grandtully and St Andrews stores, as well via mail order across the UK and internationally through the website. The whole Velvet Truffle range has also won Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Overall Product of the Year. In June, Burnett was celebrating after winning a hat-trick at the British National Competition of the International Chocolate Awards for two of its truffles. India can truly develop and attract much-needed investment by implementing sustainable corporate governance practices in a manner which is transparent and applicable to all, NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has said. Paul, in his remarks at the 16th Global Convention of Indian Institute Directors here, said India seems to be heading in the right direction to end corruption, especially in the case of high-level corruption. "I am very pleased that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have started to make some real inroads, especially in the case of high-level corruption, through the imposition of more robust and rigorous corporate governance standards, policies and procedures," the Chairman of the Caparo Industries said. "Of course there remains an awful lot more to be done and it will certainly take time for these changes to permeate through the system, though it is happening already. At last there is progress and, not before time, India seems to be heading in the right direction," he said. Paul asserted that basic changes are in place and hopes are high. "However, the only way India can truly develop and prosper is to implement sustainable corporate governance practice in a manner which is transparent and applicable to all. This way we will be able to attract much needed investment and develop valuable international trade collaborations," he said. Observing that corporate governance should not be reduced to a statement on a balance sheet, Paul said, "it has to be put into practice". "This path is surely the right one to follow as it will ultimately lead to the supply of much needed employment opportunities which can benefit all of our citizens," he said. Paul said the industrial growth of India is reliant on a framework of sustainable corporate governance which eliminates corruption in any form. He, however, said, "alongside these reforms it is essential that we continue to attract foreign direct investment, facilitate expatriate engagement and involvement, promote and support our manufacturing base and invest in education." Congratulating Prime Minister Modi for what he has achieved already, Paul said, "I am sure it will encourage even more investments into India". He said Prime Minister Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the government have begun to deliver the reform "we have been calling for". "Positive strides have been made and these are beginning to enable businesses to prosper and grow. Encouragingly, the Modi government has also begun to open talks with leaders of other countries which, over time, I hope will lead to more transparency about overseas investments and money deposited outside the country, which should be directly benefiting our great country but currently (it) is not," he said. Paul hoped that progress would continue in this area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's solar sector outlook is positive in view of a strong government support for the renewable energy sector to achieve the target of 40GW of installed rooftop solar power by 2022 along with high investor interest, says a report. "We maintain our view that inefficiencies in the power grid infrastructure, power supply shortages and the scalability of decentralised technology pave the way for deployment in India," BMI Research said in a statement. The outlook for solar power in India is positive, given the strong government support for the sector, high investor interest in the market and the strengthening project pipeline of projects, it said. "26GW of solar capacity in the pipeline we expect solar capacity to surge to nearly 53 GW by 2025. This, however, is below government targets, which envisage solar capacity reaching 100GW by 2022 -a target we believe too ambitious, due to the numerous bottlenecks facing the country's renewables expansion, it said. "We note that this growth in solar capacity is not just confined to utility-scale capacity, as India holds vast potential for the expansion of decentralised energy solutions (DES), notably in the form of off-grid and residential solar," it said. "Inefficiencies in the power grid infrastructure, power supply shortages and the scalability of decentralised technology pave the way for deployment in India - and in fact, the wider Asia region where we have highlighted the growing penetration of DES as a key theme," it added. Within the government's solar roadmap there is a capacity target for rooftop solar-of 40GW by 2022. "We believe the fulfilment of this target will be determined by policy implementation at the state-level, given that governance in the power sector remains very much state-led," it said. "As such, we view the announcement of Madhya Pradesh's decentralised renewable energy support scheme in September as a positive step towards increasing the deployment of rooftop solar in India at the national level. The scheme, which is called 'Smile on Every Roof', aims to install 2.2GW of rooftop solar by 2022 by introducing a net-metering system, which enables consumers to sell excess power generated from household renewable energy systems," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India will extend all help to Myanmar in setting up democratic institutions for ensuring stability in that country during transition phase, President Pranab Mukherjee today said welcoming the State Counsellor of the Republic of Myanmar Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi who is on her first State Visit to India after assuming the charge called on President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Welcoming the Nobel laureate, the President said India and Myanmar are close neighbours and have a good long standing relationship with each other. "He wished Myanmar all success in establishing a strong democracy. He stated that Myanmar's transition to full democracy will take time to achieve and India stands by Myanmar in this process," a statement from Press Secretary to the President Venu Rajamony said. It said the President congratulated Suu Kyi on her landmark victory in the elections held in November, 2015. "He said that he was happy that the process of democratisation was being strengthened in Myanmar. India will extend all help to Myanmar in this phase of transition in order to set up democratic institutions for ensuring stability in the country," the statement said. Suu Kyi stated that change does not happen easily and Myanmar has to go about the process of transition in a cautious manner, it said. She said Myanmar seeks the cooperation and support of India as its people look forward to progress and change for the betterment of their lives. The President said India appreciates the spirit with which the people of Myanmar have responded in the General Elections and the manner in which the whole process of elections has been steered, it said. "The President said that India will soon commence work on restoring two old temples and inscriptions of King Mindon and Bay Gyi Daw in Bodh Gaya as requested by the Government of Myanmar. He said that this task will be undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India with financial support from Government of India," the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan today said India wants to use water as a weapon against it by "flagrantly violating" its international treaty obligations. Special Assistant to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Tariq Fatemi also condemned India's human rights violations in Kashmir; called for international community's attention towards India's "belligerent and aggressive designs". "Fatemi also condemned the stated intent of India to use water as a weapon against the people of Pakistan, in flagrant violation of its international treaty obligations. He charged that such an action could only be contemplated by an irresponsible state," Pakistan Foreign Office here said in a statement. Pakistan had earlier warned the unilateral revocation of the Indus treaty by India will be considered as an 'act of war'. Fatemi, who leading Pakistan's delegation to the 43rd session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers' meeting in Uzbekistan, called upon the international community to reject the India's claim that Kashmir is an integral part of India. Characterizing India's claim as "ridiculous", Fatemi said that the Jammu and Kashmir is recognised by the United Nations as an international dispute between two sovereign member-states. He called upon the Muslim community to continue its support for the Kashmiris in their just struggle for the right of self-determination. He "called for fair, independent and transparent inquiry into the grave human rights violations by the Indian security forces in Kashmir". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indian-origin man in Singapore was sentenced to six weeks in prison for not performing his national service obligations. Jay Kamal Shah, 22 was handed out the punishment yesterday for not performing the National Service, a statutory requirement for all male Singaporeans to serve in the defence service for two-years, The Straits Times reported today. He completed his studies in India and returned to Singapore in April last year and enlisted for national service about a month later. Shah could have been fined up to 10,000 Singapore dollar (USD 7,206) and/or jailed for up to three years, was jailed for six weeks. His lawyer Rajan Supramaniam said in litigation that Shah chose to wait until he had completed his examinations before returning to Singapore to surrender himself so that he would not be considered a "drop-out". Requesting the court to impose a fine, counsel said Shah had done well in national service, and may be considering a career in the army. He also said Shah did not have the benefits and privileges of possessing a Singapore citizenship, having spent his entire life in India. Earlier, he was also given a one-week concurrent jail term for failing to enlist for national service in March last year. His Singaporean mother had tried to apply for his national service deferment but that was rejected. She had also e-mailed the authorities that she wished to renounce her son's Singapore citizenship. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Navy is understood to have quietly commissioned into service the country's first indigenous nuclear powered submarine INS Arihant which is capable of firing nuclear weapons, completing India's nuclear triad. The Defence Ministry and the Navy did not confirm or deny reports that the submarine was inducted in August this year to complete the nuclear weapons triad that gives the country capability to launch nukes from land, air and sea. Navy and defence officials maintained today that the matter does not come under their purview. At a press conference today, Vice Admiral G S Pabby ducked six questions on Arihant but indicated that a formal announcement might be made in the coming days. "There will soon be an opportunity to talk about it," Pabby said when faced with persistant questions. Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, also refused to talk about the subject, saying it did not come under his purview. INS Arihant is a 6,000-tonne SSBN (ship submersible ballistic, nuclear (SSBN) submarine), that can carry ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads. SSBNs are equipped with better stealth features and are larger compared to SSNs, which are nuclear-powered attack submarines. The SSBNs are the best bet when it comes to a retaliatory strike to a nuclear attack. INS Arihant is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core which was developed following extensive help by the Russians. India's quest for its indigenous nuclear submarine began in late 1990s under top secret project called Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV). The plan was to build three such submarines. In 2009, Arihant was launched into the water at the ship-building centre in Visakhapatnam. In 2013, the nuclear reactor of the submarine went 'critical'. Since then, the submarine has gone numerous trials including missile firing trials as early as March this year. The second nuclear submarine, INS Aridhaman is already under construction. Arihant is integrated with "K" (named after former president APJ Abdul Kalam) series of missiles. While the K-15 has a 750-km range, the K-4 can go up to 3,500-km. The K-5 has a much higher range. However, it is not confirmed whether the full integration of missiles have taken place or not. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The pilot of a private airline today reported seeing a drone while landing at the city airport, leading to a security alert. Ashish Ranjan, pilot of Indigo Airlines flight 6E-755 from Dehradun, told authorities that he spotted a drone some 100 metres below the aircraft on Kurla side, while landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at around 7.30 PM. The pilot alerted the Area Traffic Control (ATC), who contacted the police. The information was forwarded to the Intelligence Bureau, Anti-Terrorism Squad, Special Branch of police and Crime Branch, a police officer said. Recent advisories from Intelligence agencies had said that terrorists could use drone-like objects to launch an attack in Mumbai. Drones, remote-operated aircraft, paragliders and balloons are banned in the city skies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Interpol has issued a red corner notice against an international wildlife smuggler Jaiy Tamang (42) alias Passang Limi on request of the Madhya Pradesh Forest department. "Probably it is first instance in which a red corner notice has recently been issued by the Interpol in the case registered by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department in connection with a wildlife crime," an official of the forest department said. In September 2014, pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) poaching came to light in Balaghat and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh. MP Forest Department constituted a special task force (STF) with officer in-charge Ritesh Sarothiya, who also is the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) to probe the matter. Following this, the STF arrested Jaiy for allegedly hunting rare wild animal pangolins and tigers besides illegally trading their parts in October 2015 from Delhi, Sarothiya told PTI today. Jaiy was brought to Hoshangabad district where he had been booked and remanded in custody. But, he got bail in November 2015 and since then has gone underground, Sarothiya added. Jaiy, allegedly involved in smuggling of Pangolin and Tiger's parts at interstate and international level, moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court on February 2016 for bail but his plea was rejected, the ACF added. Since then the STF was probing connections of the accused and raids were conducted continuously, he said, adding that they have learnt that Jaiy originally hails from Tibet but was running his operation from a neighbouring country. Considering Jaiy's operation at international level, Interpol's help was taken in the matter and red corner has been issued some two or three days ago, Sarothiya said. He said the accused had been charged under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act. As per the officer, Indian pangolin is a critical endangered species and its scales are in great demand in China and South East Asia. The STF has arrested 113 accused from 10 states including two foreigners so far, said Sarothiya, who was conferred with the 'Clark R Bavin Wild Life Enforcement Award-2016' at Johannesburg in South Africa on October 3 for blowing the lid off this international racket. (REOPENS BOM15) Scales of Indian pangolin fetches huge price in the international market as it is used as an aphrodisiac, said another official. Interpol is an International police organisation having it's headquarters in Lyon city of France. Interpol issues 7 different kinds of notices as per the demand of the crime investigation agencies like Red, Yellow, Blue, Black, Green, Orange and Purple Corner notices. A Red Corner notice is issued to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action. The official claimed that Sarothiya is the first Indian to receive this international award for wild life protection. Iraqi forces were making gains as tens of thousands of fighters advanced on Mosul today in an unprecedented offensive to retake the city from the Islamic State group. With the crucial battle in its second day, Iraqi commanders said progress was being made as fighters pushed on two main fronts against the jihadists' last stronghold in Iraq. The US military, which is leading a coalition providing air and ground support, said Iraqi forces even looked "ahead of schedule" but senior Western officials warned the battle would be long and difficult. Advancing in armoured convoys across the dusty plains surrounding Mosul, forces moved into villages defended by pockets of IS fighters after intensive aerial bombardment. Massive columns of smoke rose from burning oil wells near the main staging base for government forces in Qayyarah, blotting out the horizon. A soldier at a checkpoint nearby said that IS lit the wells on fire to provide cover from air strikes before the town of Qayyarah was retaken in late August. The fires had been burning ever since. Heavy smoke was also hanging over Mosul itself as the jihadists burned tyres to shield themselves, resident Abu Saif said. Speaking to AFP from inside the city, Abu Saif said that while the sounds of air strikes and explosions could be heard coming from outside Mosul, its streets were eerily quiet. "The streets are empty, the people have been staying at home since the strikes started yesterday," said Abu Saif, a 47-year-old former company manager. "There is this happiness inside us... Because we feel that we are about to be rescued," he said. "But we are scared that Daesh (IS) can still carry out acts of revenge against the population." The long-awaited Mosul offensive was launched on Monday, with some 30,000 federal forces leading Iraq's largest military operation since the 2011 pullout of US troops. Retaking Mosul would deprive IS of the last major Iraqi city under its control, dealing a fatal blow to the "caliphate" the jihadists declared two years ago after seizing large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria. Iraqi commanders said IS fighters were hitting back with suicide car bomb attacks but that the offensive was going as planned. "Many villages have already been liberated," said Sabah al-Numan, the spokesman of the elite counter-terrorism service. "Iraqi forces have achieved their goals and even more, but we're careful to stick to the plan and not rush this." The two main fronts are south of Mosul, where forces are moving from Qayyarah, and east, where another push involving Kurdish peshmerga fighters is under way. In the south, forces inching forward along the Tigris river were training their sights on a village called Hammam al-Alil, while units east of Mosul were close to Qaraqosh, once Iraq's biggest Christian town. A siege is likely to ensue and then a breach by crack units that will engage die-hard IS fighters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The long-awaited offensive to retake from the Islamic State group has begun with a volley of US-led coalition airstrikes and heavy artillery bombardments on a cluster of villages along the edge of Iraq's historic Nineveh plain east of the militant-held city. Iraq's Kurdish peshmerga fighters led the initial assault yesterday, advancing slowly across open fields littered with booby-trapped explosives as plumes of black and orange smoke rose overhead - the opening phase of an unprecedented campaign expected to take weeks if not months, and involve more than 25,000 troops. By the end of the day Kurdish forces had retaken some 200 square kilometres, according to the president of Iraq's Kurdistan region. Peshmerga commanders on the ground estimated the offensive retook nine villages and pushed the frontline with IS back eight kilometres. But the forces' hold appeared fragile and the gains largely symbolic. Some of the villages were so small they comprised no more than a few dozen homes, and most were abandoned. And though some troops were less than 30 kilometres from Mosul's edges, it was unclear how long it would take to reach the city itself, where more than 1 million people still live. Aid groups have warned of a mass exodus of civilians that could overwhelm refugee camps. Iraq's second-largest city, fell to IS in the summer of 2014 as the militants swept over much of the country's north and central areas. Weeks later the head of the extremist group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria from the pulpit of a mosque. If successful, the liberation of the city would be the biggest blow yet to the Islamic State group. After a string of victories by Iraqi ground forces over the past year, IS now controls less than half the territory it once held, and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi has pledged the fight for Mosul will lead to the liberation of all Iraqi territory from the militants this year. Al-Abadi announced the start of the operation on state television before dawn yesterday, launching the country's toughest battle since American troops withdrew from Iraq nearly five years ago. In Washington, Defense Secretary Ash Carter called the Mosul operation "a decisive moment in the campaign" to defeat IS. The US is providing airstrikes, training and logistical support, but insists Iraqis are leading the campaign. More than 25,000 Iraqi and Kurdish troops will be involved in the operation, launching assaults from five directions, according to Iraqi Brig Gen Haider Fadhil. The troops include elite Iraqi special forces who are expected to lead the charge into the city, as well as the Kurdish forces, Sunni tribal fighters, federal police and state-sanctioned Shiite militias. Leicestershire-based Samworth Brothers, maker of Ginsters pasties and Soreen malt loaf, said in a trading statement its investment in staff and facilities had paid off, with revenues topping 900m. Samworth Brothers turned over 901.6m in the year to 2 January 2016, up from 836.9m a year earlier, newly filed results have revealed. Pre-tax profit also surged to 45.7m from 36.1m in 2015. Samworth Brothers employs around 7,800 workers at sites in Leicestershire and Cornwall and comprises a number of businesses, including Ginsters, Soreen and Melton Mowbray pork pie maker Dickinson & Morris. Chief executive Alex Knight said in a statement that after a number of tough trading years Samworths continuing commitment to investment in staff, facilities, customers, communities and suppliers had led to a better performance. He said milestones achieved in 2015 had left Samworth Brothers in a better position for the future, but added an air of caution: Looking ahead, we expect future additional headwinds. Most particularly we anticipate continuing raw material price rises, due to increased global demand and some global shortages. The currency impact of the Brexit decision has added to the challenge and increased uncertainty. Although there are several indications that the business environment will continue to be tough in 2016, I feel confident we are in a strong position to continue to grow. As a result of its performance, an interim dividend of 18.2m was paid to shareholders, up from 15.3m a year earlier. Of his strategy Knight said: Investment in capital expenditure remains an important part of ensuring that our food manufacturing facilities continue to be some of the most efficient and high-quality in the UK. In 2015 our capital investment was more than 31m, taking our total investment over the last five years to over 185m. In August Samworth announced it had plans to expand into the food-to-go sector with the launch of its new Deli Bite brand. Actor J K Simmons may not have worked with Ben Affleck in any film before "The Accountant" but he says he has always been a great fan of the Oscar-winner. The 61-year-old star revealed that one of the reasons he accepted Gavin O'Connor's crime film drama was, Affleck's presence in the project. When asked what prompted him for "The Accountant", Simmons said, "The true answer is that, initially, it was just the script. That was definitely the first thing that appealed, and Ben was attached. I don't think we'd ever met at all, but I was a fan of his. "I think he brings everything that the role required. He's a serious and smart actor and filmmaker." "The Accountant" follows the story of a small town man, Christian Wolf (Affleck), who works as a freelance accountant, for world's most dangerous criminal organisations. The actor praised Affleck and Connor for developing the characters in a way that was "unbelievable". "Ben did his homework and then, throughout the movie, he found the specificity in his work, so much of which is spent alone, obviously by design, and in the way that Christian is able to, or not always able to, relate to other characters in his life. "Gavin and Ben talked often about how there is no sense of, 'This is how people with autism' - or Asperger's or anyone on the spectrum - 'behaves.' It's as individual as people who are not on the spectrum. So, Gavin's direction and Ben's research, they created a character who was specific and just real, it was unbelievable. The Warner Bros film released in India last Friday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami elected its new chief who hailed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's father Mujibur Rahman as the "architect" of Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, in a bid to mend ties with the government after top Jamaat leaders were executed on 1971 war crime charges. Former school teacher Maqbul Ahmed, 70, was elected as new Jamaat-e-Islami leader after a secret ballot of party members, the Islamist party said in a statement yesterday. The post was lying vacant after its former chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was hanged in May after a tribunal convicted him of mass murder during the 1971 war of independence. In his first statement after his election as Jamaat's new 'ameer', Ahmed, who is untainted by war crime allegations, paid tribute to Hasina's father, who led the war of independence against Pakistan. "I pay profound respect to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of the country's independence...," he said. He also paid tributes to "other undisputed leaders of the Liberation War of Bangladesh" including slain president Zia-ur Rahman, who is the founder of Jamaat's ally BNP. BNP is the main opposition outside parliament as it did not take part in the 2014 elections after Jamaat was barred from contesting the polls following a Supreme Court ruling. Ahmad was serving as acting Jamaat chief after the execution of Nizami and four other top party leaders, including the party's secretary general, its two joint secretaries and its main financier, following trials that rights groups have condemned as unfair. The new Jamaat chief also paid tributes to his predecessor Nizami and grand predecessor Gholam Azam, also a war crimes convict who died last year while serving imprisonment until death, recalling "their contributions to country's development and democracy". "The government hanged five senior (Jamaat) leaders to death on false charges," Ahmed said. Jamaat opposed Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, but denies its leaders were involved in mass murders and rapes during the nine-month long conflict. Bangladesh launched the war crimes trial process in 2010 in line with electoral pledges of Prime Minister Hasina's ruling Awami League which had stewarded the Liberation War in 1971 when Jamaat formed militia units as auxiliary forces of the Pakistani troops. Several Jamaat leaders earlier said they would now reorganise the party with leaders free of war crimes stigma. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) JNU administration has requested all relevant Central agencies, including National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) and CBI for help in tracing a student who has been missing since Saturday even as the campus continued to be on the edge with protests continuing for the fourth day. Classes were also boycotted due to the strike called by the JNU students union. A student of School of Biotechnology, Najeeb Ahmed, allegedly went missing on Saturday following a brawl on the campus the night before. An FIR for kidnapping and wrongfully confining a person was lodged at Vasant Kunj North police station yesterday after the police received a complaint from the student's guardians. Asserting that the university is seeking help from all relevant Central agencies to help trace Ahmad, JNU said in a statement, that "Delhi police have been approached to investigate the matter and the administration is regularly in communication with the police. Police has informed that they have already registered a case under section IPC 365 and doing the investigations". "All PCR vans in Delhi and all SSPs throughout India have been alerted and efforts are being made to trace the student. Further, the police has intimated all the six neighbouring states and put the information on Zip-net in Northern Zone. Moreover, all relevant central agencies, including NCRB and missing section of CBI have been requested for help," it added. The situation remained tense with the left-backed JNUSU and ABVP levelling allegations and counter-allegations. ABVP alleged that there is inconsistency in the statements of the JNUSU president Mohit Pandey and the roommate of Najeeb Ahmad and demanded a probe. Meanwhile, a group of students of Mahi-Mandvi wrote to the chief proctor specifying nine names claiming that they came to the hostel on Friday night and assaulted him. Also former JNUSU joint secretary, Saurabh Sharma, an ABVP member has been asked by the chief proctor to appear on October 21 for some clarification. However, the reason behind the summon is not clear from the letter. ABVP also staged a protest at the administrative block demanding efforts from the administration and police to find Ahmad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The tiny island of Kakkathuruthu in Kerala's backwaters has made it to a select list of stunning destinations across the world compiled by the National Geographic magazine. Nestled along the Kerala Coast, the emerald-fringed "Island of Crows" has been listed in National Geographic's 'Around the World in 24 Hours', a photographic tour of travel-worthy spots across the world. "Kerala is known for its rustic beauty and an incredibly picturesque landscape, verdant hills and quiet backwaters, which attract tourists from across the world. It is a matter of pride for us to be listed by Nat Geo, which is among the leading magazines in the world," said Kerala Tourism Minister A C Moideen. The charm of the small island with sea green waters, lush coconut groves and absence of tarred roads, located in Alappuzha, has been captured by the magazine photographers during the time of dusk when "the shadows lengthen and the sky shifts from pale blue to sapphire. "In a graphic description, the magazine says the sunset in Kerala is greeted by a series of rituals, Sari-clad women head home in skiffs, fishermen light lamps and cast nets into the lagoon and bats swoop across the horizon snapping up moths. "If dawn is awakening and daytime illumination, then twilight is transcendence, a final burst of vitality before darkness falls," said NatGeo Expeditions. Beginning with hunting the aurora borealis in the northern lights zone in Norway at 12 am, the list includes photos of Hawaii at 5 am, Paris at 6 am, San Francisco at 7 am, Abu Dhabi at 8 am, Melbourne at 9 am, New York at 8 pm, Budapest (Hungary) at 10 pm and Kerala at 6 pm, among others, offering a peek into how different places in the world look like. "The recognition is rewarding and will add to our efforts to introduce and showcase different destinations in the nature-endowed state," Principal Secretary (Tourism), V Venu said. Situated not far from the ancient port city of Kochi, the island of Kakkathuruthu is connected to mainland only by traditional boats. The quiet island, surrounded by the Vembanad Lake, offers a haven for birdwatchers. Kerala Tourism Director U V Jose said, "It is absolutely exhilarating to see the island included in the travel recommendations. It is not only a reaffirmation of Kerala's natural endowments but also a huge recommendation to international tourists for a tryst with the coastal state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kolasib district along the Mizoram-Assam border is ready to conduct the repatriation of 628 Bru families from six relief camps in North Tripura district scheduled to commence from November 1, district Deputy Commissioner H Lalengmawia said today. Lalengmawia told PTI over phone that the meeting of the District Core Committee for Bru repatriation was held at Kolasib today, which discussed a detailed programme of the proposed repatriation in accordance with the Road Map-V for Bru Repatriation prepared by the state government. He said identification of bona fide residents of Mizoram was scheduled to begin from November 1, while the actual repatriation was expected to commence from November 30. Once repatriated, the Bru families were proposed to be resettled in eight villages - Bairabi, North Thinglian, Dilzau, Meidum, Pangbalkawn, Bukvannei and South Chhimluang, he said adding, Saikhawthlir and Rengtekawn villages were proposed to be used as transit camps. According to the Road Map-V, a total number of 3,445 families were proposed to be repatriated this time and resettled in three districts - Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei. The largest number of Bru families would be resettled in the Mizoram-Tripura border Mamit district, followed by Kolasib, while a very few families were proposed to be resettled in South Mizoram's Lunglei district, adjoining Bangladesh. The state home department officials, however, said the actual repatriation might not be conducted as per schedule as the Centre was yet to give formal clearance and sanction the funds required to conduct the process. The actual repatriation might be possible only by January next year, the officials added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A retired army Lieutenant who was charged with murdering an LTTE member in 1998 today paid Rs 2 million to the victim's family as per a High Court ruling. The Colombo High Court in August had sentenced the officer for a two years rigorous imprisonment and suspended him for ten years over the death of Robert Velinthan in custody in 1998. The officer was accused of shooting carelessly and murdering handcuffed Velinthan in Point Pedro town in Jaffna district as he was trying to flee the army's custody. The money was collected on his behalf by the Joint Opposition backers of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. According to the UN estimates, more than 40,000 civilians were killed in Sri Lanka during the final phase of the three-decade long Tamil conflict in 2009. The Sri Lankan government disputes the UN figure. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) London has topped the 2016 Global Power City Index for the fifth consecutive year with Mumbai ranked 39th on the list of the world's leading global cities for business, innovation and culture, according to a report released today. The 2016 Global Power City Index (GPCI) report, which was released by the Mori Memorial Foundation's Institute for Urban Strategies, ranked London as the leading overall city, highlighting the capital's strong cultural offering, ease of doing business and global transport links. The report ranks 42 major cities of the world across six key measures of economy, research and development, culture, accessibility, environment and livability. Mumbai, the only Indian city to feature on the index, was ranked 39th. London performed well across all areas, retaining its top spot for the fifth year in a row and ranking above other cities such as New York, Tokyo and Paris. The UK capital was first awarded the leading position in 2012, the year it successfully hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games. "This research shows that despite the recent vote to leave the EU, London is the best place in the world to do business. From start-ups to global enterprises across all industries and sectors, the capital offers the ideal environment for businesses to thrive. I am working with London's business community to ensure their needs are met as we leave the EU and that our great city maintains its global position," London mayor Sadiq Khan said. New York experienced no significant change in its ratings, retaining its No. 2 slot, also for the fifth year running. Paris dropped out of the top three to fourth position, due largely to a perceived decrease in the levels of cultural interaction and research and development. The terrorist attacks of November 2015 are also likely to have influenced those ratings. Tokyo overtook Paris and moved into third place. The increase was due to a number of factors, including a reduction in Japan's rate of corporate taxation, an increase in the number of visitors to the city from abroad and an increase in the number of direct flight connections to overseas destinations. Singapore completes the top 5 cities in the annual ranking. The Japan-based Mori Memorial Foundation's Institute for Urban Strategies has published its GPCI report annually since 2008. The GPCI index is based on an evaluation of 70 criteria, analysing the strengths and weaknesses of global cities amid intensifying competition. The rankings also reflect the viewpoints of global managers, researchers, artists, visitors and residents. The GPCI is used as a basis for urban development and branding by policymakers around the world. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The resignation of PDP MP Tariq Hameed Karra from Lok Sabha has been accepted with effect from October 17. Last month, Karra, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had announced his decision to quit the ruling party in Jammu and Kashmir and his Lok Sabha seat as well. "Tariq Hameed Karra, an elected member of Lok Sabha from Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency of Jammu and Kashmir has resigned his seat in Lok Sabha and his resignation has been accepted by the Speaker with effect from 17 October, 2016," according to a Lok Sabha bulletin. Karra had alleged that the central and state governments policies of "unabated genocide", continued denial of the dangerous ground realities, insensitive and ad hoc approach towards Kashmir issue led to his resignation. He was once tipped to head the Jammu and Kashmir government with support of Congress when political stalemate had dogged the state after the death of former chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in January this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With an aim to boost tourism in the state, Maharashtra government is all set to start an amphibious bus service, popularly known as duck boats, which will allow people to experience the rich hinterland of Mumbai. The vehicle, which will ply on roads as well as float in water, will be launched as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed recently between Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). The Goa government had also recently flagged off an amphibious joyride service. According to MTDC's Joint Managing Director Satish Soni, Goa is not the first state to start such a service. "Such type of buses were in use in Amby Valley located near Lonavala. I have myself travelled in it a year back. But the new amphibious bus service will be the first time that MTDC is foraying in to attract tourists," Soni said. He said these buses will be owned by JNPT and MTDC will operate it. Asked when will the service be available for tourists, Soni said, "We first need to construct a jetty and a floating ramp so that it can come out of the sea onto the land." He said MTDC plans to construct the jetty at Girgaum Chowpatty and the corporation has sought permission for it from Maharashtra Coastal Regulatory Authority. "It will cost us more than Rs three crore and the proposal is in the pipeline. But, soon ferrying of passengers will begin from the coast of Girgaum," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maharashtra cabinet today expressed concern over the "long duration" of Code of Conduct for the coming municipal council and nagar panchayat elections, saying it will affect the development works in the state. The State Election Commission (SEC) announced the schedule of elections yesterday and the Code of Conduct came into force with immediate effect. Parliamentary affairs minister Girish Bapat said the government planned to write to the SEC on the issue. The Code has come into effect for all the districts though the elections are to be held only in a part of the district and it should be in force only in the area where elections are scheduled, Bapat said. Development works should not be stopped due to the Code of Conduct, he contended. Opposition parties, including the Congress and NCP, also took the same view. Congress leader Narayan Rane said development works would be severely affected and the Code of Conduct should be in force only in the poll-bound area. NCP leader Ajit Pawar appealed the SEC to withdraw the Code of Conduct from the places where there are no elections. As many as 212 civic bodies (municipal councils and nagar panchayats) in 25 districts would go to polls in four phases between November and January. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) High street baker Greggs is trialling a home delivery service called Greggs Delivered, which, if successful, will roll out nationwide. Greggs Delivered will see savouries and cakes delivered to your door currently only in Newcastle, but a nationwide plan is in the offing. Workers at the North Tyneside-based Cobalt Business Park are the first to receive steak bakes and the like to order the 14,000-strong workforce can order delivery of the entire range to their office. Workers can order from a selection of platters, as well as single sandwiches and sweet treats, and the order will be delivered to their door the same day. British Baker understands the next phase of trials will take place in Newcastle, London and Manchester city centres in the near future. Raymond Reynolds, retail director at Greggs, told British Baker: "Convenience is key in the food-on-the-go market and we are extremely excited to offer delivery of a selection of our great tasting freshly prepared food directly to our customers by trialling a free delivery service in one of our Newcastle shops." Earlier this month Greggs chief executive Roger Whiteside suggested that bread is being phased out in bakeries as consumers turn to supermarkets for their loaves. Trinamool Congress MP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee was today injured when his vehicle met with an accident on NH-2 near Singur while he was returning here from Murshidabad. Ten policemen of the 28-year-old MP's convoy were also injured. "Abhishek Banerjee was injured when the vehicle he was travelling in met with an accident on the Durgapur Expressway near Singur in Hooghly district. He was immediately taken to a hospital," ADG (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma told PTI. He is stable now, Banerjee said. Two special teams from CID and Kolkata Police are inquiring into the cause of the accident, a senior CID officer said. "Even as five of them were released after preliminary treatment, I have asked to take all 10 policemen who were in Abhishek's convoy to Belle Vue Clinic for thorough medical check up," Banerjee said. "President Pranab Mukherjee called me up and inquired about Abhishek's health condition," she said adding, "Abhishek is stable now. Doctors are investigating the nature of his injuries." Referring to earlier incidents in which other cars had came close to Abhishek's convoy, she said police would investigate why such things are repeatedly happening. Abhishek, also the TMC youth wing president, was returning from Murshidabad district after a party programme. Soon after his SUV reached Singur on the Durgapur Expressway, it hit a wrecker van and overturned injuring the occupants, eyewitnesses said. He was rushed to Kolkata and admitted to Belle Vue Clinic. Hospital sources said a medical board has been formed for his treatment, while some medical tests and investigations have already been conducted. "Mr Banerjee's injuries are being investigated thoroughly. He has been taken to the ITU and a CT Scan and other tests have already been done. After the reports are available, a medical bulletin will be released," Belle Vue Clinic CEO P Tondon said. While the Chief Minister was keeping in touch with the hospital authorities, party leaders rushed to the hospital to enquire about Abhishek's condition and treatment. Senior party leader Manas Bhuniya, who recently joined the TMC from Congress and was accompanying Abhishek, said his vehicle was at a gap behind the TMC MP's convoy. On his way Bhuniya rescued Abhishek and took him to the hospital in his vehicle. (REOPENS CAL11) West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi visited the nursing home later in the evening and spoke to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to enquire about Abhishek Banerjee's health conditions. He spoke to the Chief Minister and expressed his concern about the TMC MP's health and wished a speedy recovery, a message released from the Raj Bhawan tonight said. A woman has claimed that she was raped in Britain's Houses of Parliament complex, leading to the arrest of a 23-year-old man, Scotland Yard said today. According to UK media reports, the arrested man is believed to be Sam Armstrong, who is a political aide to Conservative party MP Craig Mackinlay. "Detectives from the sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command are investigating an allegation of rape at the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of Friday, 14 October," a Scotland Yard spokesperson said. "A 23-year-old man was arrested that same day on suspicion of rape. He has been bailed pending further enquires to a date in mid-January 2017," the spokesperson said. The House of Commons Serjeant at Arms office, which oversees parliamentary security, said that it was aware of the allegation. "We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police on the matter but cannot comment further at this time," a spokesperson said. The accused is believed to have taken a woman to Mackinlay's office after he and other Tory party aides got drunk at a bar within the Palaces of Westminster, which houses Britain's House of Commons and House of Lords, late into the night. According to'The Sun' newspaper, the parliamentary office of Mackinlay, which is in the Norman Shaw North complex, was raided by six officers last week and sealed as a potential crime scene. Sources told the newspaper the MP was in his constituency at the time of the alleged attack. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 36-year-old married man has been arrested from north west Delhi for duping a divorced woman of Rs 75,000 by listing himself as a high-income businessman on three matrimonial sites and promising to marry her, police said today. They said Manish Gupta, married with two daughters, had 30 other divorced or widowed women on his radar. He had listed himself as a divorcee, a management graduate and alumni of a prestigious DU college, they said. DCP (north west) Milind Dumbere said, Gupta, a resident of Rohini, was arrested on a case registered last week at Ashok Nagar police station by a divorced woman from whom he had allegedly cheated Rs 75,000. The woman in her complaint told police she was a divorcee and was looking for a suitable match on a matrimonial site. She said she got in touch with Gupta who introduced himself as a divorced businessman with an annual income of Rs 1 crore, police said. They said after winning her confidence, he asked her to deposit money in his accounts claiming that he had lost his wallet with his credit card and a diamond ring in it. Believing that she was helping her "future husband", the woman deposited Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 on two occasions in June, police said. He, however, ended all contacts with the complainant after the money was deposited. During the scrutiny of his bank statements, it was found that he had duped other women also by promising to marry them, police said. Many divorced women and widows had fallen in the trap of the accused through matrimonial sites. The data of his mobile phone was scanned. It was found he had details of more than 30 women who are on his radar and with whom he has been chatting regularly on WhatsApp. During investigation police also met the brother and mother of the accused, who told them that Gupta had been living separately from them for the last 10 years and they had disowned him due to his "unwanted actions and cheating activities". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The father of Sepoy Sudhesh Kumar, who was killed in firing by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, today refused to perform the last rites till Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav visits them. Brahmpal Singh said he will cremate his son only when the chief minister arrives here as he (Yadav) should not discriminate between martyrs. "The chief minister had gone to a martyr's house in Etah as he was a Yadav, he should also come here as there should not be any discrimination between martyrs", Brahmpal Singh said. Sudhesh Kumar's mother Santosh Kumari demanded a government job for the soldier's widow. "If we get financial help we will ensure proper education of his four year-old daughter so that she too can join the army and serve the country", Santosh Kumari said. DM Bhupendra S. Chaudhary said a cheque of Rs. 20 lakh on behalf of the state government will be handed over to the widow of the jawan today. All preparartions have been made by the district administration for the last rites of the jawan with full state honours. The body is expected to arrive here later in the day, officials said. Sudesh, hailing from Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, was killed when Pakistani Army fired on Indian Army posts along the Line of Control in Rajouri district on Sunday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Theresa May's India visit next month will give a fillip to bilateral economic and commercial ties, a top Indian diplomat here has said and asserted that New Delhi is keen on working with the UK to ensure that the positive effects of Brexit are enhanced. May is scheduled to arrive in India on November 6 for a three-day visit, which will include a bilateral dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Theresa May to India, following the highly successful visit (to the UK) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, will give a fillip to economic and commercial relations between both countries," India's Acting High Commissioner to the UK Dinesh Patnaik said. "India-UK economic relations are strong and vibrant, but there still remains considerable potential that needs to be tapped. India is keen to work with UK to ensure that the positive effects of Brexit are enhanced and negative effects are minimised," he said. The envoy made the remarks while addressing a session on 'Going Global: Doing Business in India' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Brexit and Global Expansion Summit and UK India Business Council (UKIBC) in Greenwich yesterday. The details of May's first visit to India as Prime Minister are still being finalised, with Bengaluru expected as the second city besides New Delhi she is likely to visit. In the Indian capital, she will inaugurate the India-UK TECH Summit along with Modi. The two leaders are expected to hold their bilateral talks over a working lunch on November 7. May will be accompanied by her international trade minister, Liam Fox, who will be attending the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO). The UK delegation will also include representatives of small and medium businesses from regions across the UK and a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit. According to official sources, India will be keen to cover a range of issues including discussions on a potential free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK after Britain officially leaves the European Union (EU) and a more nuanced approach from the UK on cross-border terrorism. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Members of the Commission for Minorities have criticised the report of Human Rights Commission on the alleged migration of several families from in Shamli district, saying people had left the town for their businesses. Talking reporters here last evening, two members of the minorities panel Praveen Davar and Farida Abdulla Khan said the report of Human Rights Commission is not based on facts but on "communal flavour". The members, who had visited and Muzaffarnagar, said the migration of was not of communal nature. They said people of both Hindu and Muslim communities had left Kairana to pursue better business opportunities in other places. They said the people had not migrated due to fear from a particular community. The NHRC probe team had found that many families "migrated" from Kairana due to threats pertaining to "increase in crime" and "deterioration" of law and order there. It found that in 2013, after resettlement of about 25,000-30,000 members of Muslims community in Kairana town from Muzaffarnagar, the demography of Kairana town changed in favour of the Muslim community", it becoming the "more dominating and majority community". "Most of the witnesses examined and victims feel that the rehabilitation in 2013 has permanently changed the social situation in Kairana town and has led to further deterioration of law-and-order situation," said the team's findings. At least 24 witnesses said the youths of a "specific majority community" in Kairana "pass lewd/taunting remarks" against the females of a "specific minority community" as per the NHRC findings. Due to this, females of the specific minority community in Kairana avoided going outside frequently. "Some of the displaced persons also verified that it was one of the reasons for their migration from Kairana town," the NHRC said quoting the team's findings. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the National SC/ST Hub here to provide support to entrepreneurs from the community. With an initial outlay of Rs 490 crore, the hub will work towards strengthening market access/linkage, monitoring, capacity building, leveraging financial support schemes and sharing industry-best practices. It will also enable central public sector enterprises to fulfill the procurement target set by the government. The Public Procurement Policy 2012 stipulates that 4 per cent of procurement done by ministries, departments and CPSEs will have to be from enterprises owned by SC/ST entrepreneurs. The MSME sector, including the service segment, is a key driver of India's economic growth as it contributes nearly 38 per cent to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and employs close to 11 Crore people. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech had announced setting up of the National SC/ST Hub under the MSME Ministry. (REOPEN DEL31) The Prime Minister also launched zero defect, zero effect (on environment) (ZED) scheme, distributed charkhas to women and presented national awards to outstanding micro, small and medium enterprises. The ZED scheme was first mentioned by Modi in his Independence Day speech in 2014. It denotes high quality manufacturing with a minimal negative impact on environment. ZED will hand-hold MSMEs across the country in all Make in India sectors through quality control cells constituted by the government, which will rate them after carrying out annual assessment of their products. It is aimed at raising quality levels in the unregulated MSME sector. The assessment model based on quality and environment parameters designed by the Quality Council of India will initially target units belonging to sectors like textiles, apparel, food products and beverages, among others. Nepal's Prime Minister Prachanda has said he raised issues of trilateral cooperation during his chance meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Goa to which both leaders responded "very positively". Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' during the 'chance' trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit on Saturday had expressed Nepal's desire to act as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants and to reap the benefit of playing such a role. During the meeting, Prachanda said he raised issues of trilateral cooperation in the socio-economic front, to which both the Chinese and Indian leaders responded "very positively". "Nepal can benefit greatly from the economic progress of China and India, if there is trilateral cooperation," Prachanda said while talking to reporters at the Tribhuvan International Airport here. "After a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, I was waiting at the waiting room to return to the hotel where I was staying, when all of sudden, President Xi entered the room. This was a pleasant surprise. We discussed various bilateral issues and full implementation of deals that Nepal and China had sealed in the past," he said. Prachanda said he also discussed President Xi's prospective visit to Nepal, Constitution implementation and conclusion of the peace process in Nepal. According to Prachanda, when he had talked one-on-one for around 20 minutes with President Xi, the Indian Prime Minister entered the room. "I wanted such a meeting," Prachanda said, terming it a "rare and pleasant surprise". "I was sitting on a couch between the two leaders -- south of Xi and north of Modi -- just like Nepal's geographical position," Prachanda was quoted as saying by The Himalayan Times. He also made it clear it was not a pre-planned meeting. "I stressed that trilateral cooperation would help Nepal benefit from their economic growth and development," he stated. India had also said both Xi and Prachanda were waiting in the leaders' lounge when Prime Minister Modi also reached there as he had to go with all the BRICS leaders for an informal dinner, turning the bilateral into a 'chance trilateral'. Prachanda also termed the meeting as a "pleasant coincidence" and said "it was a great pride for me". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 16-year-old boy in Lodhi Colony has been rendered homeless after allegedly being "disowned" by his mother, a government employee, who "gave up" on her son owing to his "waywardness", police said today. The boy has alleged that he was not being treated well and was evicted from his home by his own mother a few months back, they said. "The boy had been staying at a friend's place since April but after his friend also expressed his helplessness in keeping him at his home any further, he was forced to stay in a park and beg," said a senior police officer. The boy's mother, an employee in the Ministry of Finance, had separated from her first husband by mutual consent and got the custody of her son. Later, she got married to another man with whom she has two daughters. Her second husband died in 2012 due to liver cirrhosis. The boy has also alleged that his step-father used to ill-treat him and lock him up. "He studied till Class VIII in two schools and this year, his mother took him to get admission in an academy in Noida. He couldn't clear the entrance test and after that his mother disowned him," the official said. The complainant's mother, meanwhile, said a "false case" had been registered against her. "If I wasn't giving him food for so many days, how could he have survived? I asked him to move out in April and when he came back, I didn't allow him in," she said. The mother said that she had "made all attempts" to get him on the right path but "he refused to mend his ways". "He is a very intelligent boy but he uses his brain in destructive things. I got him admitted to good schools but he would bully students and not report to school. He would go missing for days and we would have no idea about his whereabouts," she said. "I took him to an academy in Noida to get admission but he didn't write anything in the entrance test. What could I have done?," she asked. She further alleged that the boy used to beat his younger sisters and had "destroyed" the atmosphere of their house. "When he was staying with us, I used to ask him to not come home from school when I wasn't there and instead play in the park. He used to beat his sisters. He destroyed the atmosphere at our house," she said. The boy has been rescued by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and taken to a childrens' home and a complaint filed against the mother, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court has rejected the bail plea of former Jharkhand minister Anosh Ekka, an accused in the murder of a para-teacher two years ago. A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and A M Sapre directed the Jharkhand High Court to decide the petition of Ekka against the trial court order granting pardon to Bikram Gope, an accused turned approver in the case within three months. The apex court, however, granted liberty to Ekka to approach it once the pending proceedings before High Court was complete. "You go to High Court and get your pending proceedings cleared. Then you can come here. We do not see a ground of bail at this stage," the bench said. Senior advocate Dushyant Dave appearing for Ekka said all witnesses have been examined in the case and he has been in custody since November 27, 2014. He claimed this was a case of political victimisation as he was the sole MLA from his party. Ekka, the only MLA of Jharkhand Party from Kolebira constituency in the state, is currently lodged in Simdega jail and is a co-accused who is alleged to have connived with an extremist group for eliminating para-teacher Manoj Kumar. Ekka, who was minister in Madhu Koda-led government in the state, has been booked under various sections of IPC including 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy). Bikram Gope, alias Barud Gope, a member of an extremist group who later turned approver in the case, was arrested by a Simdega police in 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) http://nypost.com/2016/10/17/state-department-brokered-deal-with-fbi-to-declassify-clinton-emails/ A top State Department official offered a quid pro quo to an FBI investigator to declassify an e-mail from Hillary Clintons private server in exchange for allowing the bureau to operate in countries where it was banned, stunning new documents revealed Monday. The FBI documents show that Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy pitched the deal to the unnamed agent, allegedly as part of an effort to back up Clintons claim that she did not send or receive classified documents on the server in her Westchester home. [Redacted] indicated he had been contacted by [Kennedy], Undersecretary of State, who had asked his assistance in altering the e-mails classification in exchange for a quid pro quo, according to the documents, which summarized interviews the feds conducted in the summer of 2015 while investigating Clintons e-mail practices. [Redacted] advised that in exchange for marking the e-mail unclassified, STATE would reciprocate by allowing the FBI to place more Agents in countries where they are presently forbidden, the document added. One State Department staffer described feeling immense pressure to complete the review quickly and to not label anything as classified. Officials were told there was nothing classified in the 296 emails about Benghazi that were among those under review, the document stated. States inspector general also told the FBI that Kennedys tone and tenor were definitely not positive when dealing with his office. [REDACTED] believes STATE has an agenda which involves minimizing the classified nature of the CLINTON e-mails in order to protect STATE interests and those of CLINTON, the documents stated. The documents also showed that Kennedy was not happy cooperating with the feds and wanted some emails kept secret. In one instance, Kennedy wanted information changed to an obscure classification code called B9, to allow him to archive the document in the basement of DoS [Department of State] never to be seen again. The B9 exemption is normally used to protect geological and geophysical data and maps to keep details about oil and gas wells secret. Some of the interview notes appear contradictory. In one, an FBI official said he heard that State had offered the quid pro quo. But a different FBI official in a separate document said it was the FBI that made the offer to review the e-mail if State helped the bureau get agents in Iraq. In what could be a scene out of a novel, a group of ranking State officials dubbed the shadow government would meet on Wednesdays to discuss the Clinton e-mail scandal, the documents showed. During another meeting with the FBI, CIA and other agencies, Kennedy was asked whether any of the emails in question were classified. Making eye contact with [redacted] KENNEDY remarked, Well, well see, Kennedy responded. Donald Trumps campaign didnt waste any time attacking the latest disclosures. CORRUPTION CONFIRMED: FBI confirms State Dept. offered quid pro quo to cover up classified emails, Trump said on Twitter, retweeting a post by Official Team Trump. The news that top Clinton aide Patrick Kennedy tried to engage in a blatant quid pro quo for changing the classification level of several of Clintons e-mails shows a cavalier attitude towards protecting our nations secrets. Kennedy must resign from the State Department immediately, said Trump spokesman Jason Miller. House Oversight Committee Chair Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)and House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry demanding that Kennedy be fired and an investigation started. We find Under Secretary Kennedys actions extremely disturbing. Those who receive classified intelligence should not barter in it that is reckless behavior with our nations secrets, they said in a statement. Someone who would try to get classification markings doctored should not continue serving in the State Department or retain access to classified information. Therefore, President Obama and Secretary Kerry should immediately remove Under Secretary Kennedy pending a full investigation. Both State and the FBI said Monday that the document under discussion remained classified and that the request for agents to operate in other countries was not part of any quid pro quo deal. The bureau said in a statement that investigators were reviewing the emails to determine whether they were properly classified. Any assertion that this was somehow a tit for tat or quid pro quo or exchange in that manner, frankly, is insulting, State spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. [The agent] was on the phone with Pat Kennedy and took advantage of that fact to raise the issue of [more] slots in Baghdad, he said. I cant speak to what his or her intentions were saying these kinds of things. Clearly he was expressing a personal opinion about what happened, he added. Clintons campaign manager, Robby Mook argued that disputes over classification between State and other departments was not unusual. He called for an investigation into the FBIs investigation. The documents were released under the Freedom of Information Act following a lawsuit by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch. We are disconcerted by what we have found thus far from publicly accessible sources about the possible hacking of Hillary Clintons illicit server, Tom Fitton, the groups president, said in a statement. It is unfortunate that Judicial Watch not Congress or federal law enforcement undertook this basic investigative step. Midway through releasing a series of damaging disclosures about US presidential contender Hillary Clinton, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says his hosts at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London abruptly cut him off from the internet. The adds another layer of intrigue to an extraordinary campaign. "We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access Saturday, 5pm GMT, shortly after publication of Clinton's Goldman Sachs (speeches)," the group said in a message posted to Twitter late yesterday. With both WikiLeaks and Ecuadorean officials refusing to say much more about the incident, outsiders were left to guess at what was happening behind closed doors at the embassy suite at No. 3 Hans Crescent, a stucco-fronted building which Assange has called home for more than four years. Had Ecuadorean diplomats lost patience with their famous Australian houseguest? Had they finally bowed to pressure from Washington to muzzle the outspoken ex-hacker following one revelation too many? Had there been some other kind of confrontation? WikiLeaks said unspecified "contingency plans" were in place and its Twitter account was still active today. Yesterday it released the latest tranche of emails from senior Clinton ally John Podesta, suggesting that, for now at least, the group's ability to publish has not been compromised. The disclosure was the 10th installation in a series of leaks which have captured the workings of Clinton's inner circle and included excerpts of her well-compensated speeches to investment bank Goldman Sachs. WikiLeaks staffers Kristinn Hrafnsson and Sarah Harrison did not return repeated messages seeking comment. A woman who answered the phone at the embassy said she was not authorized to say anything. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Guillaume Long, approached by The Associated Press on the sidelines of a United Nations conference in Quito yesterday, declined to comment when asked about Assange. His office later released a terse statement in response to "the speculation of the last few hours" reaffirming Assange's asylum status and saying that "his protection by the Ecuadorean state will continue while the circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain." The statement made no mention of Assange's internet access. Assange fled to the Ecuadorean Embassy on June 19, 2012, after a drawn-out and ultimately unsuccessful legal battle to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he remains wanted over an allegation of rape. British authorities have made clear they would arrest him if he tried to leave, and London's Metropolitan Police used to maintain a visible presence outside the building. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Paques Environmental Technology India (PETI) Private Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Netherlands-based industrial waste water management company, Paques, today inaugurated its manufacturing facility at Sri City, about 100 km from here. Inaugurating the facility, Netherlands Ambassador to India A H M. Stoelinga said Netherlands is now India's fourth largest trading partner in the European Union and one of the top five investors. In recent years, the value of mutual trade between the two countries has risen enormously, he said adding that there are 115 Dutch companies which have presence in India and Netherlands too attracted most of the out-bound foreign direct investments from India. The new subsidiary, built at a cost of Rs 30 crore in two acres will supply its products to all SAARC nations, Japan and Vietnam, said Sri City Managing Director, Ravi Sanna Reddy. Paques, as a market leader in the field of green energy, has been developing cost-effective purification systems that reduce water and carbon footprints and reclaim valuable resources. It is one of the few major firms in the world which uses anaerobic technology for waste water treatment, in which the bacteria would convert organic compounds (COD) to bio-gas in an environment without oxygen, which is a green energy technology. It has more than 2000 installations in 60 countries, across different industries, Reddy said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Venture capital firm Next Orbit Ventures (NOV) has received commitment from UAE-based investors, including DP World, Emmar and Etisalat, for its over USD 750 million or Rs 5,000 crore fund. The company plans to invest the proceeds of the over Rs 5,000 crore (USD 750 million) fund in digital, analog and solar fabrication (fabs) projects along with semiconductor design, electronics, led and solar products to feed those fabs, a statement said today. "The investors from UAE International Investors' Council which includes 18 UAE entities like Mubadala, DP World, Etisalat, Emmar, among others have shown keen interest in investing in this fund and the project," company's founder and Managing Partner Ajay Jalan said. Nearly 49 per cent of the commitment towards the fund is expected from the Centre, as NOV has been selected as the 'Daughter Fund' under its electronics development scheme and for investing in the project that intends to reduce the country's electronics imports which can reach USD 300 billion from current USD 90 billion in 2020, it said. "This investment spree in India follows the 'digital India' and 'make in India' programs of the government, which are providing economic, skill development and tax incentives to electronics manufacturing. The project will provide more than 28 million jobs in the country and also will be second source of quality supply of electronic, LED and solar products which is currently dominated by cheap Chinese products," he said. Dubai-based IBMC Financial Professionals Group is the advisor to this second ESDM fund for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). NOV has already committed to seed invest USD 100 million (Rs 700 crore) equity investment in the first phase equity of USD 5.6 billion digital fabs in technical collaboration with AMD of the US and ST Microelectronic of France. The project will come up at Prantiz near Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The Centre has identified 1,200 acres of land in Prantiz and has already started developing the necessary infrastructure to make it a manufacturing hub, the release said. "We are coming as first investors into this fab project to back India's growing electronics market, which will reach USD 400 billion by 2020 and requires USD 100 billion of investment for achieving 'zero import' target," Jalan said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a bid to fast track dispute resolution process in the country, government's think-tank Niti Aayog will host a global arbitration meet which will see participation from leading international arbitral institutions. The three-day conference will be inaugurated on October 21 by President Pranab Mukherjee, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be delivering the valedictory address, Niti Aayog said in a statement. The conference seeks to provide impetus to commercial arbitration in India, which is fast gaining pace across the world, for faster, more efficient dispute resolution outside the court room, it added. Niti Aayog, Law Ministry, National Legal Services Authority, International Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution and National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development have collaborated to make India the centre of arbitration, the statement said. Also, for the first time, six leading global arbitral institutions (HKIAC, ICC, KLRCA, LCIA, PCA and SIAC) and all major industry associations (FICCI, PHD Chamber, CII and Assocham) have come together to drive this initiative, it added. The conference has been guided by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur and will also be addressed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, it said. "Chief Justices of six countries are participating at the first ever Global Conference on Arbitration in India and share their thoughts. Distinguished jurist Fali Nariman and William Rowley, QC, Chairman, LCIA Board are amongst the keynote speakers," it added. The conference will serve as a platform for discussing critical issues, sharing experiences on the best international practices and creating a roadmap to strengthen arbitration and its enforcement in the country. Explaining the rationale behind promoting arbitration, the Aayog said few entities, within and outside of the legal system, are alien to the immense losses suffered by business enterprises due to enormous backlogs involved in dispute resolution in Indian courts. "This keep resources and money of the businesses trapped till resolution of the dispute. This is a major disincentive for foreign companies coming to invest in India. So they seek alternatives. One such alternative is arbitration which can be cost effective and quick," it added. Increasingly, foreign companies that partner with Indian businesses are approaching countries outside of India for dispute resolution. Many Indian companies are going to foreign arbitration centres like Singapore, London and Paris, taking a huge chunk of dispute resolution business outside India. "Statistics make this picture clear. In 2012, 49 of the total 235 cases in Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) involved an Indian party. This figure grew to 85 out of 259 cases in 2013," it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar Chief Minister on Tuesday condoled the death of over 22 people in a major fire at a hospital in Bhubaneshwar in the neighbouring state Odisha. The Bihar CM said in a statement here that the state stood solidly with Odisha in this hour of calamity. He prayed to the Almighty to provide strength to the bereaved families to bear the loss on account of the mishap. Kumar, who is also president of JD(U), prayed for early recovery of those injured in the tragedy. Last night's fire in Sum hospital in Odisha's capital Bhubaneshwar claimed 22 lives while 106 others were undergoing treatment in different hospitals after being shifted from there. With various film bodies imposing a ban on Pakistan actors after the Uri attack, government today said people-to-people contact would continue and there was no plan to stop it. This was conveyed by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs during discussions on Indo-Pak relations with a specific reference to surgical strikes across the LoC on September 29. "People-to-people contact would continue and there was no plan to stop it," he told the panel. In the aftermath of the Uri terror attack last month in which 19 Indian jawans were killed, the MNS issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artistes to leave India. They also threatened to stop the screening of films featuring artistes from Pakistan. Subsequently, Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association passed a motion to ban the artistes from the neighbouring country. The Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India recently decided not to screen the films with Pakistani actors in four states -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prosecutors say a New York City college student killed fighting for the Islamic State group in Syria made a video trying to clear the name of an Arizona man who was charged with helping him join. The student's November death was revealed in papers filed yesterday and today in Manhattan federal court. The student was identified in court papers as Samy El-Goarany. The Arizona man, Ahmed Mohammed el Gammal, was arrested last year and has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers say the video should be precluded from a trial scheduled for December as "overly prejudicial." Prosecutors say El-Goarany left his parents' home in Middletown, New York, in January 2015, telling them he was returning to his Manhattan college. Prosecutors say he was killed in Syria in November. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Demanding a judicial probe into the fire tragedy which claimed 20 lives last night, opposition Congress and BJP today demanded the resignation of Odisha Health Minister Atanu S Nayak, while CPI leader D Raja sought a high-level probe into the incident. The fire tragedy, in the backdrop of the death of over 50 children due to Japanese Encephalitis in Malkangiri district, has come as a major ammunition for the opposition which demanded Nayak's resignation. The Congress also demanded a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a job to the kin of each of the deceased. Odisha Congress chief Prasad Harichandan said, "The state government has not learnt anything from the 2011 AMRI hospital (Kolkata) fire accident in which, at least 89 people were killed. "Apart from the hospital authorities, I will say that both the chief minister and the health minister are responsible for the tragedy. The state government must declare Rs 25 lakh as compensation and a job to the kin of each of the deceased." Raising questions over the no-objection certificate issued to Sum Hospital, Harichandan alleged that the fire tragedy was an outcome of "complete negligence" on part of the state government. "A judicial probe must be ordered into the incident and the culprits must be booked," he said. CPI national secretary D Raja, who visited several health institutions where the patients evacuated from Sum Hospital were undergoing treatment, said, "A neutral probe is required to find out the lapses in the fire safety management at the hospital. Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia is not adequate. Our party has demanded that the amount should be increased to Rs 20 lakh. "When such big corporate hospitals are built, there must be adequate medical infrastructure, including fire safety measures, and these must be monitored regularly. This is a case of complete negligence. All the lapses must be thoroughly analysed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 21,000 employees of government-owned Air India, including around 2,000 stationed abroad, would now promote 'brand Air India' through the use of specially-designed sun shades, carrying its advertisement on the rear windshield of their cars. To begin with, the carrier has already rolled out 10,OOO large size stickers, carrying advertisement of the proposed New Delhi-Madrid flight as well as the New Delhi-San Francisco flight, which is going to be six times-a-week from next month, as well as brand Air India, which are being provided to the employees for the purpose. "We have around over 21,000 workforces, including the officers. And if these employees use these stickers on their vehicles, they will be taking the brand where ever they travel to. We will also be promoting the brand this way abroad as about 10 per cent of these employees are working overseas," an Air India spokesperson said. He said the move is aimed at promoting the various offerings of flag carrier and advertisement content on these stickers would keep changing with time. "If tomorrow Air India decides to launch a new flight or a discounted fare scheme, the sticker accordingly will have that," he said. He said that the stickers are being provided to the employees in a phased manner, adding, "it is only voluntary and not mandatory." The government-owned airline, which has for the first time in a decade reported an operating profit of Rs 105 crore in the last fiscal, is currently surviving on a Rs 30,231 crore bailout package. The state-owned airline, which is working on ways to improve its financials, had an operating loss of Rs 2,636 crore in 2014-15. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Panasonic India today said it is expecting"tremendous" growth in the consumer businesses, on good monsoon this year and 7th Pay Commission giving boost to consumer confidence for spending. "While we look forward, there is a tremendous growthwhich we are targeting from consumer businesses, we aretargeting about 20 per cent compared to last year," PanasonicIndia President and CEO Manish Sharma told reporters here. He said, "However, in the case of other product categories there will be significantgrowth, which is in line with the diversification to strategyand offering more solutions to the Indian environment. So this is the overall strategy which we are trying to execute forourselves." Stating that the current year has been good not only for Panasonic, but for the entire industry, Sharma said,"It is fundamentally because of good monsoons and we expect agriculture output to be good this time. The 7th Pay Commission is a huge boost in terms of getting consumer confidence for spending." He is also hopeful that this kind of vibrantscenario will continue for the industry and brands will comeup with better offerings to the end consumers. Pointing out that most would understand Panasonic as a brand which sells consumer durable products, Sharma said, in India it is only close to 50 per cent of the total revenue that comes out of consumer products. "Last year, our revenue was about Rs 8,700 crore, outof which only Rs 4,000 crore came form consumer durablesand remaining businesses were anchor electricals, which is the switches and wiring devices company contributing about Rs 2,200 crore, followed by approximately Rs 1,800 crore of mobile phone revenue and Rs 700 crore of B2Bproducts," he said. Introducing Panasonic's 'Assured 2 Win' festive ahead of Diwali, the company said, it expects an increasein market share to 15 per cent in Karnataka during the festiveseason. As part of its marketing strategy, Panasonic will be investing Rs 85 crore towards festive ATL (Above the line) andBTL (Below-the-Line) activities across India, the company officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ITS OVER: Hillarys ISIS Email Just Leaked & Its Worse Than Anyone Could Have Imagined Today Wikileaks released what is, by far, the most devastating leak of the entire campaign. This makes Trumps dirty talk video looks like an episode of Barney and Friends. Even though when Trump called Hillary the founder of ISIS he was telling the truth and 100% accurate, the media has never stopped ripping him apart over it. Today the media is forced to eat their hats because the newest batch of leaked emails show Hillary, in her own words, admitting to doing just that, funding and running ISIS. John Podesta, Hillarys campaign chair, who was also a counselor to President Obama at the time, was the recipient of the 2014 email which was released today. Assange promised his latest batch of leaks would lead to the indictment of Hillary, and it looks like he was not kidding. The email proves Hillary knew and was complicit in the funding and arming of ISIS by our allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar! The governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL, Clinton wrote. Finance Minister O Panneerselvam, who has been allocated the portfolios held by ailing Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, will preside over a meeting of the Tamil Nadu cabinet tomorrow, government sources said today. Panneerselvam will chair the meeting as Jayalalithaa is undergoing medical treatment at the Apollo Hospital here since September 22. The meeting to be held tomorrow comes in the backdrop of the ongoing Cauvery water sharing row with Karnataka and demands by Opposition parties for an all-party meeting on the issue. Farmers' bodies and political parties had staged state- wide rail blockade yesterday and today urging the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board. Last week, Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had allotted the portfolios held by Jayalalithaa including Home and Police, to Panneerselvam, till she could resume official duties. The Raj Bhavan had then, in a release, said Paneerselvam, who holds the Administrative reforms portfolio, in addition to Finance, "will also preside over cabinet meetings." 68-year-old Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. A specialist from London besides three-member team of doctors from AIIMS, Delhi, had also examined Jayalalithaa, who is being treated for infection with respiratory support. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Patanjali Yogpeeth and FMCG firm Dabur have decided to invest "in a big way" in Assam, while auto major Mahindra and Mahindra has expressed interest in setting up a manufacturing plant, the state government said today. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal discussed these investment proposals at a meeting held with state Industry and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary and senior officials on 'ease of doing business', an official release said. "Citing examples indicating a positive trend in the economic sector of the state, the Chief Minister said Baba Ramdev is going to invest in a big way to set up his successful business module in the state and a major player like Dabur has also decided to establish a manufacturing plant for their different products in the state. "Automobile major Mahindra & Mahindra has also expressed interest in setting up a vehicle manufacturing plant in the state which can give a huge fillip to the employment scenario of the state," the statement said. Earlier, the Bodoland Territorial Council Authority had allotted 484.93 hectares of land to Patanjali Yogpeeth for establishment of Cow and Panchagavya Research for preservation and promotion of cow breeds and training and collection of medicinal plants. Sonowal said the tea sector was a prime example of how business houses could make profit and contribute to the state's economy by being steadfast in supposedly adverse socio-political environment. Taking an urgent view of the need for industrialisation of the state, he said the state has to adopt a favourable tax regime working around the new GST system to attract investors. "We must send a signal to industrialists and prospective investors that the government is very serious in providing business friendly environment in the state for business and commerce to flourish," Sonowal said. He said there would be a single window for granting necessary permissions to business houses so that transparency and swiftness could be maintained in facilitating a business friendly environment. The Chief Minister also said a land bank has been mooted to be set up in the state so that land can be leased out to prospective investors, while land lying unused by defunct public enterprises would be taken back so that it can be placed under the proposed land bank. Sonowal said the government would try to exploit the special provision for Himalayan states under the GST regime and the matter would be taken up with the Centre that it would be wrong to club Assam with other developed states of the country as far as economic policies were concerned. He said as the Northeast along with Jammu and Kashmir fall under Special Category States, there must be ways to provide certain exemptions to investors in the tax structure so that they come here and set up businesses, ignoring the perceived socio-political condition of the state. The Chief Minister also said he would write a letter to the Prime Minister regarding the matter so that Assam's case was considered differently by the Centre. The Indian Patent Office has decided to hold meetings with stakeholders here and in Mumbai to take feedback on making examination and processing more user-friendly. In view of the emphasis led by the government on reducing pendency in patent examination/processing and implementation of recent amendments in patent rules, certain changes about application processing have been effected in the office. With induction of a number of examiners of patents, the number of applications processed by the Patent Office has also significantly increased. Recently, the office has been receiving representations and suggestions on certain shortcomings in procedural aspects. "In order to streamline the procedure and make it more user-friendly, the office of the controller general of patents, designs and trademarks (CGPDTM) plans to have feedback from patent professionals and stakeholders," the patent office said in a statement. Accordingly, meetings are being lined up with patent agents and stakeholders, it said. The first such meeting is scheduled to be held in Mumbai on October 26. The second meeting will be held here on November 2. As on February 1, the total patent applications and trademark registration requests pending are 2,37,029 and 5,44,171, respectively. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Highlighting the role public sector companies play in steering growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today dedicated three hydro-electric projects (HEPs) with a generating capacity of 1,732 MW to the nation. "Prime Minister Narendra dedicated three flagship 800-MW hydro power station of NTPC-Koldam, 520-MW Parbati project of NHPC and 412-MW Rampur hydro station of SJVNL projects to the nation in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, here today," a power ministry release said. Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda and Power Minister Piyush Goyal were among the dignitaries present. Lauding the contribution of public sector companies in the country's growth, Modi said these hydro projects will bring prosperity to the state and other parts of the nation. NHPC's Parbati-III power station is a run-of-the-river scheme having a 43-m high rockfill dam, underground power house and 10.58-km water conductor system. A net head of 326 metres is utilised to run four vertical Francis turbines with an installed capacity of 520 MW (4x130 MW). The power plant is designed to generate 1,963.29 million units annually. The power generated from the Parbati-III power station is distributed to beneficiary states i.E. Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Union Territory of Chandigarh. The station is supplying 13 per cent free power to home state i.E. 12 per cent as home state share and 1 per cent for local area development fund. The completion cost of the project is around Rs 2,600 crore and as on September 30, 2016, the total power generation is 1880 MU with revenue realisation of Rs 816 crore. With commencement of generation from four 200 MW units, NTPC-Koldam has achieved capacity of 800 MW and provides peaking capacity to the northern grid. It shall annually generate 3,054 GWh electricity at 90 per cent dependable year basis. Twelve percent of the electricity generated from Koldam is being supplied to home state Himachal Pradesh free of cost while 1 per cent to the state on account of the LAD fund. All the project affected families are being provided 100 units of electricity every month free, which accounts for 0.62 per cent of the total generation. Thus, a total 13.62 per cent of electricity generated from the plant is supplied free of cost to Himachal Pradesh, with the remaining supplied to other beneficiaries, namely Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttrakhand and Chandigarh. SJVN's Rampur Project (412MW) in Kullu district will be operated in tandem with Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station (HPS). This project will provide 13 percent free power to Himachal Pradesh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today laid foundation stone of Rs 2,200 crore projects for laying broad gauge connecting Rewa-Sidhi-Singrauli districts and the new Sidhi railway station building in Madhya Pradesh. At the function in Sidhi, he said 900-km railway lines will be constructed and 1,000-km tracks will be double lined and electrified in next three years. In Jabalpur, Prabhu said to give a fillip to the electrification programme in India, a meeting has been organised on November 3 in New Delhi. In West Central Railways, the electrification of railway line is being carried out on Katni-Singrauli route and Itarsi-Katni-Manikpur section, the railway minister said addressing a function. He also dedicated WiFi internet facility, water vending machine and multi-functional complex at Jabalpur station. The Minister heaped praises on Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and described him as "one of the visionary chief ministers". An investment in railways in Madhya Pradesh is bound to benefits the entire country as trains from the state run to north, south, east and west, Prabhu said. He called Chouhan to come out with the model plan for railway investment in the state to expand the rail network. Till year 2014, the funds allocation for various railways projects going on in MP was Rs 632 crore, which have now increased to Rs 2,171 crore by the Centre, Prabhu added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Pranab Mukherjee will be visiting Gujarat on October 23 to inaugurate a hospital at Ankleshwar in Bharuch district on the invitation of Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Ahmed Patel. The President would also attend an event at Bapu Gujarat Knowledge Village, the Leader of Opposition in Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela announced today. "President Pranab Mukherjee has accepted the invitation by Ahmed Patel and agreed to inaugurate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital at Ankleshwar on October 23," Vaghela told reporters at Gandhinagar. "Later in the afternoon, he will attend the guest lecture series and award function as the chief guest at my institute at Gandhinagar. Gujarat Governor O P Kohli would also remain present," said Vaghela. Knowledge Village is an educational institute run by Vaghela. A day before President's visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend a program of distributing various kits to the disabled persons in Vadodara. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lord Ram looked set to occupy political centrestage in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh despite BJP's claim of a temple to the deity not being on its agenda, with Union Minister Mahesh Sharma today saying those who get to do "Ram Ka Kaam" (serve Ram) were fortunate. "If anyone gets a chance to work for Bhagwan Ram he is most fortunate...It will be good fortune if Bhagwan Ram gives us a chance to do 'Ram ka kaam' and this responsibility has been given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the country," Sharma said during his visit to Aodhya to inspect the proposed site for setting up a Ramayana musuem. The proposed museum, to be built on a 25 acre plot given by the Uttar Pradesh government nearly 15 km from the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex, has reignited demands by BJP hardliners like Vinay Katiyar for building a Ram temple at the site where the Babri mosque stood before being pulled down in 1992. Katiyar, who had yesterday demanded that a bill be brought in the Lok Sabha for creation of Ram temple, today said no positive efforts were being made for construction of the temple and only "lollipop" was being offered to the devotees of the deity. "A race is on...Somebody is building a museum, somebody else (the Akhilesh Yadav government) a Ramleela Theme Park. We welcome development of Ayodhya, but everything is useless without construction of Ram temple. We cannot compromise on that. "No positive steps are being taken for building Ram temple, which is the core job that needs to be done. The Samajwadi Party government shot dead the Kar Sevaks and now it is offering lollipop in the form of a theme park," Katiyar, a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha who once represented Faizabad, the district where Ayodhya is located, in Parliament, said. "Mann ban chuka hai, mahaul ban chuka hai (we have made up our mind, a conducive atmosphere has also been created). The beginning has been made and we have got the directives from Ram Lala," Sharma said, adding, "We are the Lord's children and so have to do his work of spreading education". Insisting that Ram temple was not on the Modi government's agenda, Sharma said Ayodhya's development will get a big push from the Rs 151 crore allotted for developing the proposed museum, which will present the life of the deity as portrayed in sage Valmiki's epic. He said there was no politics behind the proposed museum being constructed as part of the Ramayana Circuit. Similarly Krishna Circuit and Buddhist Circuit were also being developed, Sharma said. He said Ram temple was an "issue of faith" for millions of people, but it was not on BJP's electoral agenda. The Minister said the government would try to have the museum inaugurated before Uttar Pradesh votes to elect a new government. The Modi government, however, came under attack from the Congress over the issue with party general secretary Digvijay Singh alleging the museum and Ram temple were being raked up with an eye on the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh due early next year. "Come election, come Ram Mandir issue. This is what BJP has as a strategy. Nobody is against the temple. I am a practising Hindu, but even Lord Ram would not have wanted a temple in the atmosphere of dispute. BJP has been trying to fool all the people all the time," Singh said. Singh said Modi's chant of "Jai Shri Ram, Jai Jai Shri Ram" at a Dussehra event in Lucknow was "obviously" intended to polarise Hindu votes in favour of the BJP. However, another Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan claimed there was "no attempt at polarisation" by constructing a Ramayana museum in Ayodhya. "Lord Ram is not an issue linked with polls. Mahesh Sharma has been trying for Ramayana museum for the last year- and-a-half. If not a Ram musuem, will a Babur (Mughal emperor) museum come up there," Balyan, an accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case, said. About Katiyar's demand for building a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, he said,"The matter is pending with the court, nothing will happen without its verdict. (REOPENS DEL69) Two major Left parties--CPI-M and CPI--criticised the Modi government's decision of setting up the Ramayana museum and accused BJP of seeking to "again exploit" the public sentiment for electoral gains and termed it an attempt to distract people's attention from the party's "failure" in delivering on poll promises. "The BJP has continuously exploited people's sentiment about Lord Ram for electoral purposes. That's exactly what they are doing once again. "So, that's the desperation they fall back upon. They have not been able to deliver on a single promise made during the last Lok Sabha elections," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said. Terming the move as an attempt to distract public attention from BJP's "failure" to keep poll promises, Yechury said people will not fall for the "games" the saffron party is playing this time around. Echoing his views, senior CPI leader Atul Anjan said the museum has been proposed keeping an eye on the elections in Uttar Pradesh "where BJP is searching for political ground". "Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma had gone to inspect the site in Ayodhya. In fact, he had gone to find political land for BJP and not for the proposed museum. They don't want to construct Ramayana museum, but vote museum," Anjan said. Reserve Bank Governor Urjit Patel will chair the central board meeting in Kanpur on Thursday, October 20. This is first such instance that will hold the meeting at this industrial city of Uttar Pradesh. It also happens to be the first central board meet under new Governor. Patel will reach Kanpur on Wednesday evening and will have interaction with industrialists and technocrats here, said Deepesh Tewari, Manager (Personnel). Tewari said there is no prior information about whether the Governor will interact with the media or not. The Central Board meets at least once every quarter. Apart from holding meetings in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and one in New Delhi after the Union Budget which is addressed by the Finance Minister, the rest of the meetings are held in other state capitals by rotation. The main function of the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank is to provide overall direction to the Reserve Banks affairs. Financial Express reported that earlier this year in July, RBI's central board had met in Bengaluru under the chairmanship of the then governer Raghuram Rajan. It reviewed the activities of the board for payment and settlement system for the year ended March 2016 and discussed the draft annual report for 2015-16. The board met in the city after a span of seven years. A retired top US general pleaded guilty of making a false statement during an FBI probe into a classified intelligence leak about a cyberattack against Iran's nuclear program in 2010. Marine Corps General James Cartwright, 67, formerly the vice chairman to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was accused of lying to investigators when he said yesterday that he had not confirmed classified information to New York Times journalist David Sanger. Sanger wrote a book describing a joint US and Israeli operation that deployed a virus called "Stuxnet" that reportedly destroyed or damaged centrifuges being used by Iran to enrich uranium in 2010. The malicious code reportedly dealt Iran's disputed nuclear program a serious blow. "After investigators showed Cartwright a list of quotes and statements from David Sanger's book, a number of which contained classified information, Cartwright falsely told investigators that he was not the source," prosecutors said on a charge sheet. Prosecutors also said Cartwright had spoken with journalist Daniel Klaidman. "It was wrong for me to mislead the FBI on November 2, 2012, and I accept full responsibility for this," Cartwright said in a statement provided by his lawyer. "I knew I was not the source of the story and I didn't want to be blamed for the leak. My only goal in talking to the reporters was to protect American interests and lives; I love my country and continue to this day to do everything I can to defend it." The judge in the case set a sentencing hearing for January 17. A letter from prosecutors said Cartwright could theoretically face a maximum of five years in prison. As part of the plea deal, however, the sentence will likely be between zero and six months, and prosecutors will not pursue additional charges. Cartwright, who retired with four stars in 2011, was considered a close military advisor to President Barack Obama. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One of NASA's main delivery companies made a triumphant comeback seen up and down the East Coast, launching its first space station shipment from Virginia since a rocket explosion two years ago. It was the first flight of Orbital ATK's unmanned Antares rocket since the October 28, 2014, blast that wrecked the pad and destroyed everything on the space station supply run. The launch provided a show for sky gazers along much of the East Coast. Reports poured in via Twitter from observers in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and even Raleigh, North Carolina. For Antares' long-awaited return, the pad underwent a $15 million restoration, and the rocket got new Russian engines to replace the vintage ones from a half-century earlier. As the Antares streaked through the night sky from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, it appeared as though all the work had paid off. Launch controllers applauded when the supply ship reached orbit and victory was declared. "It is great to be back," said Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK's space systems group. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden described the launch as "magnificent" and personally thanked the Orbital ATK team. "It's been a very difficult two years, and I can't imagine what those of you in the Orbital team went through. I can't imagine how long you were holding your breath tonight," Bolden told the launch control crowd. "But you know, we made it and that's what's all important." Getting a lift from the Antares was Orbital ATK's Cygnus capsule, loaded with more than 5,000 pounds of food, equipment and research, including some experiments to study flames in space and the robotic toy ball Sphero, part of an educational effort. The Cygnus named after the swan constellation will have to hang around in orbit until Sunday before delivering the goods. That's because three astronauts are awaiting launch from Kazakhstan tomorrow, which would get them to the space station on Friday. NASA wants the new crew to settle in before the Cygnus pulls up. This will be the sixth Cygnus to arrive at the orbiting outpost since 2013. While the Antares was being redesigned, Orbital ATK made good on two deliveries using another company's rockets flying from Cape Canaveral. NASA's other commercial shipper, SpaceX, has made nine station deliveries since 2012, but is currently grounded, pending an investigation into last month's rocket explosion during prelaunch testing at Cape Canaveral. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian and Syrian forces will halt hostilities for eight hours in the eastern districts of Aleppo, Russia's military announced on a day when opposition activists said their airstrikes killed at least 36 people, including several children, in and around the divided city. The two militaries will observe a "humanitarian pause" between 8 am and 4 pm on October 20 to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city, Lt Gen Sergei Rudskoi of Russia's general staff said in Moscow. Militants, the wounded and sick would be allowed to evacuate to the neighbouring rebel-held province of Idlib. UN humanitarian officials have pleaded with combatants to observe weekly 48-hour ceasefires to allow humanitarian relief into the city's besieged eastern districts, but Russian and Syrian forces have only escalated their aerial and ground assault on the rebel-held areas in recent weeks. The airstrikes have claimed hundreds of lives, wounded many, flattened apartment buildings and laid waste to the already crippled medical sector. Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters at UN headquarters in New York that the eight-hour pause was a unilateral halt to fighting. A 48-hour or 72-hour cease-fire "will require some sort of mutual arrangement," he said. Russian and Syrian leaders are now capitalising on a proposal made by the UN's envoy earlier this month to allow al-Qaeda-linked militants to leave in exchange for peace and local administration for the eastern districts. Rebels in the east, along with many residents, spurned the proposition, citing their distrust of the government side. And vetoed a UN Security Council resolution mandating an immediate cease-fire. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington, noted that the people of Aleppo "have been subjected to near constant bombardment and air strikes" that have killed many civilians and levelled much of the city's infrastructure in an effort "to starve out and to drive out the opposition and civilians." "If there is actually an eight-hour pause in the unremitting suffering of the people of Aleppo, that would be a good thing. But frankly, it's a bit too little, too late." Yesterday's Russian announcement did not include any promises of an extended ceasefire or local administration. It followed a bloody day of airstrikes on rebel-held districts in and around Aleppo. At least 23 people were killed in airstrike that also wounded dozens in the village of Oweijel, just west of Aleppo, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Another monitoring group, the Local Coordination Committees, said the air raid was carried out by Russian warplanes and put the death toll at 30. More than a dozen people were also killed in the Marjeh neighbourhood in eastern Aleppo. The Aleppo Media Centre, an activist collective, said those killed included 11 people with the same family name of Qabs ranging from a six-week-old baby girl to a 25-year-old man. The Observatory said at least 50 civilians, including 18 children, were killed in airstrikes on the eastern part of the city in the 24 hours before the Russian announcement. Markets regulator Sebi today ordered MRS Agrotech India and its seven directors to refund in three months the money they had raised from investors without complying with public issue norms. Besides barring the firm and its directors from capital markets for four years, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) also directed the company to refund the money along with an interest of 15 per cent per annum. As per Sebi's interim order issued earlier, the firm had issued non convertible debentures (NCDs) between 2011 to 2013 to about 60 allottees, and had mobilised of Rs 8.38 lakh. The securities were issued to over 50 people, which under the norms qualified as a public issue that requires compulsory listing on a recognised stock exchange. The firm was also required to file a prospectus, among others, which it failed to do. The company and its directors are now "prohibited from buying, selling or otherwise dealing in the securities market, directly or indirectly, in whatsoever manner for a period of four years". The company's debenture trustee -- MRS Debenture Trust -- has also been barred for four years for operating without registration from the regulator. In case the firm fails to comply with the directions, Sebi would initiate appropriate action in accordance with the provisions of applicable laws, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rights activist Irom Sharmila Chanu, who ended in August her 16-year long fast she undertook to demand repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from Manipur, today formed a political party. She said she would take on Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in his constituency Thoubal in the Assembly polls next year. The name of her party "People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance" was announced at the Johnstone Higher Secondary School here. On the day she had broken her fast, she had let known her desire to form a political party to contest the Assembly election. Interacting with the media, the 44-year-old activist sought the blessings of the people in her endeavour to enter active politics. Later, at the Manipur Press Club, she said she would contest the election from Thoubal and also from Khurai Assembly constituencies. She said she wanted to tell the masses that she had the "guts" to challenge the chief minister himself in his own turf, but pointed out that her decision might not be appreciated by the electorates in that constituency. Earlier, she had met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and expressed her desire to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take their advice on how to devise a strategy to contest the Assembly poll. Sharmila had earlier said her sole agenda to contest the elections was to have the AFSPA repealed from Manipur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The authorities of the Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University, which runs the Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital, today announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the victims' familes before suspending four of its staff members. "The authorities will pay an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of the kins of the deceased persons and bear all medical expenses of the injured," SOU vice-chancellor Amit Banerjee told reporters here. Rejecting allegation that the high casualty was due to wrong evacuation process, Banerjee said: "We have followed the best of the evacuation protocol. Had we not followed the casualty would have been more." Banerjee claimed that the fire safety parameters were checked properly only three weeks ago and there was no lacuna on the part of the hospital authorities in the maintenance of the electrical equipment. Expressing deep concern over the incident, the vice- chancellor said that the staff had to take extra precautions while shifting the patients under the support of ventilators. "There were nine to ten people under the ventilator support," he said adding that most of the people died due to asphyxia. Assuring full cooperation to the two government probes, one headed by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), Central Division and another by DMET (director of medical education and training), Banerjee said the authorities have placed four of its staff under suspension. The suspended officers include one fire officer, two engineers and one hospital manager, Banerjee said rejecting allegation that there was any irregularity in the management of the hospital. "We have suspended four officials as part of hospitals bid to maintain transparency. Tomorrow no one should accuse that evidence was tampered with," Banerjee said. He said that the SOA announced a seven-day mourning. The classes will remain suspended for one day today, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Japanese consumer electronic firm Sony has entered into education space in India by introducing Sony Global Education (SGE) products. As part of this new approach, Sony plans to launch Global Math Challenge (GMC) in India, which is currently available in Japan, US, China and few other countries, said Sony in a statement. SGE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation. Commenting on the development Sony Global Education President Masaaki Isozu said: "By launching it in India, we would like to provide a stimulating educational environment and inspire a passion for learning across the country." Sony India Managing Director Kenichiro Hibi said: "Looking at the importance and value Indian society gives to education and learning, we are happy to launch the India chapter of Sony Global Education in order to support STEM education in the country." Founded in 2015, SGE uses information technology to improvise the quality of education. It started with mission of bringing innovation to the education industry through products, applications and services to create educational infrastructure that everyone can access. There is multitude of ways in which technology can contribute to improving the quality of education. "Sony has already shown how technology can revolutionise a person's lifestyle, and education is another field in which IT can surely contribute to positive changes. Indeed, one of Sony's founding principles was 'to promote science education among the general public," the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Payment for spectrum purchase and investments in network expansion will keep telecom operators' free cash flow negative, says a report. "Ind-Ra expects debt burden to rise for the top telcos, with the increase in spectrum and non-spectrum debt capex. In addition to the upfront spectrum payouts in financial year 2017, network capex needs to be ramped up, which will keep free cash flow (FCF) negative," India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) said in a report. The launch of life-time free voice calls by Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJio) has threatened the major contributor of telcos revenues, namely voice calls, it said. Ind-Ra expects RJio's entry strategy to squeeze operational cash flows of the sector in Financial year 2017-Financial Year 2018. "Idea reported negative FCF ,post capex and spectrum payment, of Rs 1,180 crore in financial year 2016. Bharti had a positive FCF of Rs 14,800 crore in FY16, mainly supported by Rs 5,700 crore sale proceeds from tower assets and Rs 6,770 crore from sale of investments," Ind-Ra said. The agency said there were no major surprises in the spectrum auction and as expected by Ind-Ra spectrum bidding was rational, therefore Ind-Ra maintains its outlook on the sector as 'Stable to Negative'. As against spectrum worth Rs 5.63 lakh crore, government received bids worth Rs 65,789 crore. Vodafone's India took home Rs 20,280 crore worth of spectrum. Bharti Airtel bought Rs 14,244 crore, Idea Cellular Rs 12,798 crore and newcomer Reliance Jio spent around Rs 13,672 crore on spectrum buying. "The immediate concern for the auction winners will be to put in place an optimal funding mix to meet the upfront Rs 32000 crore and subsequent staggered payments," Ind-Ra said. As per demand note issued by the Department of Telecom, Jio needs to pay Rs 5,930 crore; Idea Rs 6,399 crore, Vodafone Rs 10,139 crore; Airtel Rs 7,121 crore, Tata Teleservices Rs 2,309 crore, RCom Rs 32.5 crore and Aircel Rs 56 crore as upfront amount by October 20. Incumbent operators have the existing balance sheet strength to raise funds from the domestic or global markets, it said. "However, identifying the right long term funding mix to optimise the cost of funds and the monetisation of non-core assets to reduce the debt burden will be crucial for the credit profile," the agency said. Ind-Ra said that Vodafone raised equity of Rs 47,700 crore, which will be used for the upfront spectrum payment and also support additional capex while Idea has incremental capex plan of Rs 1,000 crore post the spectrum acquisition, and its upfront payout for the spectrum will be part-debt funded given its moderate cash balances. "Bharti Airtel Ltd had Rs 2,050 of cash and equivalents at end of first quarter of financial year 2017; hence part debt funding could be used for the upfront spectrum payment," Ind-Ra said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With an aim to test innovative skills and technical knowledge of fledgling electronic start-ups, city-based Maker Village, one of India's largest incubators, will team up with Bosch to host an event on October 20. At the event titled 'Bosch DNA Grand Challenge', to be held at KINFRA Hi-Tech Park in Kalamassery, young entrepreneurs will take up exciting challenges intended to encourage innovation in electronic product design and development, according to a release here today. Ernakulam District Collector K Mohammed Y Safirullah and Bosch Senior Vice President R K Shenoy will inaugurate the event, which will have brainstorming sessions on 'Startup Ecosystem in Kerala' and 'The concept of electronics startups as a key initiative in Kerala'. Maker Village, focusing on electronic products, is a state-of-the-art public-private partnership (PPP) model incubator in partnership with central and Kerala governments, KSUM, IIITM-K and Startup Village as well as Bosch. Chief Consultant of Maker Village, S Rajeev said most of the electronic start-ups fail to convert prototypes into desired products. "Hence, we will give the participants a set of minimum five challenges based on product requirements. The solution to the problem statement should broadly fall into the categories of smart city solutions, Internet of Things (IoT), wearables, robotics and embedded electronic products," he said. The best solutions will be selected and offered pre-incubation for three months at Maker Village to develop a prototype. Bosch will sponsor the pre-incubation. The teams can also choose to work from their own premises or make use of the facilities offered, it said. "Bosch will offer prototype support of up to Rs 50,000 per team. Bosch and Maker Village will support with maker space and mentorship," Rajeev noted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Subsidies provided to hybrid vehicles to promote eco-friendly automobiles are insufficient, Japanese car major Honda said today, calling for a clear distinction between fully hybrid and mild hybrid technologies for equitable distribution of resources. The company, which is set to launch Accord hybrid in the country later this month, said the subsidies offered to hybrid vehicles currently under the FAME scheme in the current form are not sufficient. "There are different levels of hybrid technologies some are mild systems while some full hybrid systems. I think it is necessary to differentiate, otherwise the cost difference is there," Honda Cars India President & Ceo Yoichiro Ueno told PTI. In a mild hybrid the cost may not be that high so if the government can consider difference of technology levels it will be appreciated, he added. "Government can distribute the resources more efficiently," Ueno said. Currently, carmakers like Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra sell some of their models with mild hybrid technology. These models are affordable as compared to a vehicle with fully hybrid technology. But currently both mild and fully hybrid models get similar kind of benefits under the FAME scheme, which was launched last year to promote eco-friendly vehicles. Besides, imported CBU models do not come under the ambit of the scheme, making them all the more expensive to own. FAME India scheme offers incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars. FAME India - Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India - is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan. When asked if the FAME scheme is adequate to push hybrid vehicles or the government needs to do more to promote hybrid vehicles in the country, Ueno said: "It's not enough to cover the cost difference of the hybrid vehicles." He added that initial government support is necessary for hybrid vehicles to succeed in a country. "If I see other countries, hybrid technologies initially needed some government support. In most of the countries government initially supported with some reduced taxes or incentive to the customer," he said. Government is also concerned about environmental issues and can give some support to hybrid vehicles and it will be very helpful to accelerate penetration of such vehicles in the country, he added. Ueno said the launch of Accord Hybrid later this month would help the company gauge customer response for such products. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Raising serious objections on the "politicisation" of surgical strikes along LoC, Congress today accused BJP of "crass opportunism" by using the occasion to win upcoming elections, particularly in Uttar Pradesh. Congress spokesperson Kapil Sibal also said the strikes should be used to send a clear message across the border and not to flare up passions within the country. He also criticised the government for its failure to highlight in the BRICS meeting cross-border terrorism emanating from across the border and to isolate Pakistan as none of these issues were mentioned in the Goa Declaration of the five-nation association. "Anybody who has successfully done an operation of this nature should get the credit. I don't dispute it. But if anyone uses the occasion to win an upcoming election, in Punjab and particularly in Uttar Pradesh, is crass opportunism," Sibal told PTI. "Such strikes have been done earlier too, but the government of the day kept quiet. Such matters should be done quietly. If you start doing jingoism, then it has serious consequences. You are sort of raising passions in the country. Strikes of this nature need to be done to send a message to the other side without raising passions within the country," he also said. Accusing the present dispensation of failing to put across its point at BRICS, he said, "The headlines were terror and Pakistan being the mother ship of all terror activities. But nothing of this kind is mentioned in the BRICS Declaration in Goa." Sibal said while there is no mention of Uri, Pathankot, Gurdaspur or Pakistan in the declaration, one finds Al Nusra and ISI in it which is impacting Russia and China. "What Russia and China wanted, they got, but what India wanted never got and we were were the host country for BRICS," he said. He also said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to earn respect of the countrymen he should not politicise the surgical strikes. He also termed banning Pakistani artistes and boycotting Chinese products as issues which are "politicised" to flare up passions within and nothing else. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi today termed all Bihar government advisors as "white elephants" and asked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to sack them. "All advisors to the Bihar government are white elephants...They are not doing anything worthwhile but some of them have been found to be flexing muscle to obstruct development works," he alleged. A white elephants refers to a possession whose cost is out of proportion of its usefulness. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of 'Janata Durbar' at his official residence, Sushil said the chief minister should sack all the advisors to the state government at once as none of them were making meaningful contributions to development works. The Nitish Kumar government has three prominent advisors, namely Prashant Kishore who advises the Chief Minister on policies and programme implementation; P K Rai, Energy Advisor to the Chief Minister and retired IAS official Sudhir Kumar, an advisor to Road Construction Department headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav, the younger son of the RJD supremo Lalu Prasad. Modi claimed that Kishore had not bothered to come to Bihar in the past five months and thus one could make an appraisal about his contributions in advisory role. "It is due to Kumar's adamant attitude to brazen it out with the Railway Ministry on grant of sanction for six ROBs that the construction of 90 ROBs in Vaishali and Saran districts has not started over the past 18 months," the former Deputy Chief Minister alleged. Demanding immediate intervention of the chief minister to ensure speedy construction of the ROBs, he said the construction would boost connectivity in the two districts and beyond. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Myanmarese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi today met Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi in the capital. Suu Kyi arrived in Delhi yesterday after returning from Goa where she attended BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet on Sunday. Gandhi tweeted, "I was delighted to receive a message that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi wanted to meet me." "Her association with my family goes back four decades. It was indeed a pleasure to catch up with her and remember our association of so many years," she said. Earlier, she called on President Pranab Mukherjee, who hosted a private lunch at Rashtrapati Bhawan for the Myanmarese State Counsellor. Suu Kyi also held talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the two leaders discussed ways in which India could support Myanmar's agenda of national reconciliation. The Nobel Laureate, who has described Mahatma Gandhi as one of her "greatest sources" of influence, also visited Rajghat where she received a ceremonial welcome. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Myanmarese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi today met President Pranab Mukherjee and held talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during which the visiting leader discussed how India could support Myanmar's agenda of national reconciliation. Suu Kyi, who arrived in Delhi on a State visit yesterday from Goa where she attended BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet on Sunday, also sought assistance in areas of agriculture, capacity building, job creation, infrastructure and health care during her meeting with Swaraj, who offered all possible help from India. During her call on, the President congratulated the State Counsellor on her party's victory in the general elections held in Myanmar last year and complimented her on the role that she has played in Myanmar's path to democracy. Recalling his discussions during the visit of Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw to India in August, Mukherjee conveyed India's whole-hearted support for the Myanmar Government in its efforts to live up to the expectations of the people of Myanmar. Swaraj conveyed condolences on behalf of people of India over the loss of lives of many Myanmar police and army personnel in the recent terrorist attacks in Rakhine State of Myanmar as also over the ferry tragedy on Chindwin river. "The two leaders discussed the manner in which India could support Myanmar's agenda of national reconciliation, socio-economic development and strengthening democracy. "The State Counsellor outlined her priorities in the areas of agriculture, training, capacity building, job creation, infrastructure and health care and sought India's assistance in these areas. Swaraj offered all possible assistance from India in keeping with the priorities outlined by the State Counsellor," official sources said. Mukherjee also referred to India's rich experience in building a federal nation state, taking into account the ethnic and linguistic diversity of its people and offered any assistance desired by the Government of Myanmar in this regard. The President also hosted a private lunch for the State Counsellor in Rashtrapati Bhawan. Earlier, Suu Kyi placed a wreath at Rajghat and was given a ceremonial welcome. Suu Kyi had arrived in Goa on October 16 to attend BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet where she said,"Our region is confronted by numerous challenges including security threats including rising terrorism, violent extremism, climate change, natural and man-made disasters and even the danger of nuclear proliferation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Income Tax authorities today launched simultaneous searches at nine premises of a leading firm running a chain of retail textile showrooms in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala to probe suspected tax evasion. "We held an enquiry last night. Following that we begun the searches this morning. Searches are on at Chennai, Coimbatore and Puducherry in a total of nine premises," a top Income Tax official told PTI. He said the raids are "likely to continue tomorrow as well." To a question, he said data related to sale, stocks, investments and properties were being verified. Stating that officials were on the job "holding searches and verifying documents," he said no conclusion could be made at this stage on questions like tax compliance and suspected tax evasion. Top echelons of the textile company including its managing director were being questioned, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tea Board of India has put on hold the settlement system module for e-auction for a period of four weeks from today. The decision to put the settlement system temporarily on hold followed a meeting between Tea Board chairman Santosh Sarangi and other stakeholders including the NSE.IT and Bank of India, officials said. Earlier, the tea trade complained of technical glitches in payment settlement which was coordinated by the designated Bank of India with the help of NSE.IT, which designed the software. Tea Board had started pan-India e-auction since June this year, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government today said it has imposed a total penalty of Rs 10.8 crore on telecom companies for violating mobile towers radiation rule, assuring that it will look into various safety concerns that have been raised. "As on July 31, 2016, the Department of Telecom tested 3.19 lakh base station and found 205 of them were non- compliant to radiation rules. Total penalty of Rs 10.8 crore has been imposed on telecom service providers," according to the data shared by the telecom ministry at the consultative committee meeting held at Parliament today. As per an official who attended the meeting, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said radiation norms are 90 per cent more stringent in India compared to global practice. Sinha said there are around 25,000 studies conducted by World Health Organisation over a period of 25-30 years but none of these found adverse impact on human health. Members of Parliament, however, raised concern on health hazard from radiation emitted by mobile towers and even questioned the studies denying such claims. MP Rabindra Kumar Jena, who attended the meeting, said the studies that gave clean chit to mobile radiation were sponsored by telecom companies which is conflict of interest. "Jena alleged that mobile towers in India are emitting eight times higher radiation as per study by a top institution in the country compared to widely agreed global norms. He referred to some European Studies which claim that using mobile for half an hour daily for 10 years will lead to brain tumour and a similar study from Sweden claimed that it may also lead to spinal disorders," the official said. The telecom minister assured Jena that he will look into the concerns raised by him. Besides the telecom minister and Jena, the meeting was attended by seven Members of Parliament-- Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Bhola Singh, Darshana Vikram Jardosh, Gaurav Gogoi, Nepal Singh, PK Biju and Jena. Officers from Department of Telecom, Department of Posts, BSNL and MTNL were also present. According to another official, Sawant alleged that DoT officials of colluding with private telecom operators and ignoring high radiation emitted from their towers. "He said that BSNL, MTNL also have towers installed at same place where private operators have theirs. However signal of PSUs come till the gate of the house and that of private operators reach even inside bathroom. He alleged that BSNL, MTNL follow stringent norms but radiation levels from private cell sites are overlooked," the official said. Sinha warned of strict action against officials found colluding with private telecom players. "Minister (Sinha) at consultative committee meeting said that whosoever will be found colluding with private telecom operators will face consequences," the official said. Sinha said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to see improvement in services of MTNL and BSNL and government intends to ensure that their services are competitive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Myanmar's Foreign Minister and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi today said terrorism in any form is "unacceptable", but to lay down a principle that all surgical strikes are right would be like being on a "slippery slope". The Leader of the National League for Democracy said each instance of a surgical strike has to treated on "case to case basis". "We believe in non-violence and surgical strike also is a violent form of attack. All attacks are violent. So this puts all in quandry. How do we achieve the goals that Gandhi ji was convinced we could achieve through peaceful means in this age of terror and terrorism. "Defence in any form, if its is defence on battle ground, it is a form of violence. And Gandhi ji had to face that moral problem himself. I think, we all to have face it along the way. "I don't think we should lay down our principles saying that all surgical strikes are acceptable. We have to look at these instances case by case, otherwise we will be on a slippery slope of deciding that all strikes are acceptable," Suu Kyi told to a channel. She was responding to a question whether her country would support India's move on surgical strike if there is any evidence of terrorism. Last year the Indian army conducted an operation against militant groups along the border with Myanmar. The operation was carried out after rebels ambushed an Army convoy in Chandel district of Manipur that killed 18 Army jawans. "Terrorism in any form is unacceptable because we are not going to change the world by using terror. Terrorism is not something that we can in anyway tolerate or allow to grow," she said. When asked how can the world work to isolate Pakistan over terror, Suu Kyi said its not so much a country that one can isolate as terror itself. "The belief in terror, the belief that terror will get you anywhere you want to go. That is what we need to isolate. That is why I say that it is terror that we need to attack and isolate," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two women and an 8-year-old girl were injured in a grenade blast at the house of a contractor in Lamphel police station area here, police said today. Unidentified miscreants hurled the hand grenade on the roof of the house on Tangkhul Avenue which exploded injuring three tenants last night. The injured were admitted to a hospital and their condition is stated to be stable, police said. One SUV was also damaged in the blast. Nimreih Shimray, owner of the house, said he was served a demand note of Rs 3 lakh by a militant outfit two weeks back. Shimray is the president of a contractor's association based in Ukhrul district of Manipur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A sunken World War I ship, dubbed Titanic 2, may soon be turned into an underwater theme park, thanks to officials in Greece who are planning to generate revenue for the cash-strapped country. The HMHS Britannic ship, which sank in 1916 after hitting an underwater German mine, lies 122 metres below the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of the Greek island of Kea. Local authorities organised an international conference of researchers and divers to discuss plans for the vessel. Yiannis Tsavelakos, owner of a local diving club, said his "dream" was to set up an underwater theme park connecting the Britannic and other wrecks in the Kea Channel. One of them is the French SS Burdigala, which went down just days before the Britannic, also after hitting a mine presumed to have been laid by U-73, the submarine that did for the British ship. Divers said the Britannic is better preserved and much more accessible than the Titanic, which lies more than 3,657 metres under the north Atlantic, 'The Time' reported. Designed to serve as a transatlantic liner, the Britannic was launched just before the start of the First World War but was laid up shortly afterwards. It then entered service as a hospital ship. After the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the ship's Belfast-based builder, Harland and Wolff, fitted the Britannic with more lifeboats than its sister vessel as well as a double hull and extra engine power. Disaster stuck on November 21, 1916, when the ship was on the way to pick up wounded British soldiers from the island of Lemnos. Like the Titanic, it had been thought unsinkable, but it disappeared into the Aegean only 55 minutes after hitting the mine. Of the 1,065 people on board, all but 30 were rescued. It was the largest ship lost during the war. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Trinamool Congress MP and the party's youth wing president Abhishek Banerjee was today injured when his vehicle met with an accident on NH-2 near Singur, while he was returning to Kolkata from Murshidabad. "Abhishek Banerjee was injured when the vehicle he was travelling in met with an accident on Durgapur Expressway near Singur," ADG (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma told PTI. "He has been rushed to a hospital in Kolkata. I am yet to receive details about the accident or any report in this regard from the Superintendent of Police, Hooghly, Praveen Tripathy," Sharma said. Abhishek, who is the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was returning from Murshidabad district after a party programme. Soon after his SUV reached Singur on Durgapur Expressway, it hit a trailer and overturned injuring the occupants, eyewitnesses said. The nature of injury of the other people travelling with the TMC MP is yet to be ascertained. He was rushed to Kolkata and admitted to Belle Vue Clinic, Sharma said. Hospital sources said a medical board has been formed for his treatment, while some medical tests and investigations have already been conducted. While the Chief Minister was keeping in touch with the hospital authority, senior party leaders have already rushed to the hospital to enquire about Abhishek's condition and treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Donald Trump has accused Hillary Clinton of running a "criminal enterprise" to turn the US government into a vehicle for her personal profit and creating conditions for a "rigged" election that also has media support to "poison" voters' minds. In the wake of thousands of emails released by WikiLeaks on the 68-year-old Democratic presidential nominee Clinton and her team, the 70-year-old Republican leader told his supporters in Wisconsin that the national media is an "extension" of her campaign. "Remember, we are competing in a rigged election - the media is trying to rig the election by giving credence to false stories that have no validity and making it front page news, only to poison the minds of the American voters. "The media is an extension of the Clinton Campaign, as WikiLeaks proved - Hillary even got the questions and answers in advance of a major debate," he said. Trump claimed that the magnitude of WikiLeaks are worse than that of Watergate. "And we're going to put an end to it on November 8th (the date of the polls)," he said. "Clinton cronies have sacrificed your security, your family's safety, and your country's safety as though it meant nothing at all," he said. A series of emails shows top officials in the Clinton campaign scheming to take massive sums of money from foreign lobbyists, he added. "One of the emails from a top Hillary official said, quote, "take the money!!" with two exclamation points. This is money bundled by people registered as lobbyists on behalf of foreign governments. Calling Clinton as the "most corrupt person ever" to run for President, Trump said the newly-released FBI documents show just how deep the corruption goes. "We are witnessing a criminal enterprise that has turned our government into a vehicle for Clinton's personal profit at your expense. But it gets even worse. The FBI documents show that Under-Secretary of State Patrick Kennedy made the request for altering classification as part of a "quid pro quo". This is felony corruption. Under-Secretary Kennedy needs to resign," he demanded. He said a new report from the Center for Public Integrity shows that 96 per cent of the so-called journalists and reporters who donated this cycle gave their money to Clinton. "They even want to try and rig the election at the polling booths, where so many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is all too common". Quoting a Pew Research report, Trump said approximately 24 million - one of every eight-voter registrations in the US are no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate. More than 1.8 million deceased individuals are listed as voters and approximately 2.75 million people have registrations in more than one state, he said referring to the report. (Reopens FGN7) "Our system is also rigged by the donors, giving hundreds of millions to Hillary Clinton's campaign. The reason Hillary Clinton pushes for NAFTA, or the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and for completely open borders, is because her international donors control her every move," Trump alleged. "If we let the Clinton Cartel run this government, history will record that 2017 was the year America lost its independence. We will not let that happen. It is time to drain the swamp in Washington DC," he said. The reality TV star also unveiled a set of strong anti-lobbying measures and said he will ask Congress to pass a campaign finance reform that prevents registered foreign lobbyist from raising money in US elections. "I am going to ask Congress to institute its own 5-year ban on lobbying by former members of Congress and their staffs. I am going to expand the definition of lobbyist so we close all the loopholes that former government officials use by labeling themselves consultants and advisors when we all know they are lobbyists," he added. Trump said he will issue a lifetime ban against senior executive branch officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government. Continuing with the criticism of his Clinton, Trump said the measures announced by him are part of his effort to curb corruption in the country. "We are also going to end government corruption. Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt person ever to run for President," he said, adding that the newly-released FBI documents made public show just how deep the corruption goes. "The under-Secretary of State, Patrick Kennedy, pressured the FBI to un-classify emails from Hillary's illegal server. In other words, the State Department was trying to cover-up Hillary's crime of sending classified information on a server our enemies could easily access by trying to reverse the classification," he alleged. "This is a criminal conspiracy - a conspiracy that included Hillary's deleting and bleaching of 33,000 emails, the disappearance of 13 phones, 2 boxes of email evidence gone missing, and the destruction of laptops in a secret deal with the FBI. "Remember, also, that Hillary lied under oath to Congress saying she had never sent or received classified information on her insecure sever, and pretended not to know that the letter "C" meant confidential information that was classified. Hillary then told the FBI she couldn't remember 39 times, and then, in written testimony last week under oath, said she couldn't remember another 21 times," he said. In another gaffe, an Indian-origin Sikh in the US was misidentified as a Muslim supporter of in flyers distributed by the Republican presidential nominee's campaign, a media report said on Tuesday. Gurinder Singh Khalsa, a resident of Fishers city in Indiana who immigrated to the US from India, featured in the handbill advertisement with the word "Muslim" superimposed above his picture, WTHR TV channel reported. The flyers, distributed in Ohio to canvass for Trump, claimed that Khalsa was a Muslim Trump supporter. "I am not Muslim and I am not supporting Trump," he was quoted as saying by the channel. "He (Trump) is putting my picture, saying Muslims support him and I have nothing to do with it. I do not support Trump. Nobody even asked me to put that picture there. It was shocking, disturbing and this will create more confusion among people because they are sending it nationwide," he said. Khalsa, who founded the Sikh Political Action Committee a non-partisan group encouraging state lawmakers to include Sikhs in the conversation said Sikhs have been mistaken as radical Islamists and have been targeted by hate crimes. He said the committee wants to teach the public who they are, why they have beards and wear turbans. It is designed to help Americans understand the differences between his Sikh religion and others from around the world. Khalsa said he knew he had to work to educate the general public, but "now we have to work hard to get national level politicians and the presidential candidate, he does not know the difference between Muslims and Sikhs and that is most disturbing". There have been many gaffes from Trump, 70, and his campaign in the past. Earlier, Trump's refusal to back same-sex marriage on the basis that he only supports "traditional" unions was undermined when a TV journalist asked him what was traditional about marrying three times. Trump had created an uproar when he said "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have lots of problems. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists". A group of people allegedly beat up the two students of a government school in South East Delhi's Amar Colony area following which a case was registered and two persons have been detained, police said today. Two brothers, students of class XII of Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Sriniwaspuri, at around 1.45 pm got into an argument with another group of students which later turned ugly and other group called their friends and relatives to beat up the two brothers, said a senior police official. The two brothers were severely injured and police had to intervene in the matter to calm the situation. "A case under Section 308 of IPC (Attempt to commit culpable homicide) was registered and two persons have been detained. We will be questioning them to know about what triggered the fight and their involvement in the matter," said a senior police official. One of the two brothers sustained head injuries while the other brother is currently under treatment and is not in a position to record his statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons were killed in a major fire that broke out at a duplex flat owned by industrialist Shekhar Bajaj in a high-rise in the tony South Mumbai area this morning. Fire broke out in the apartment of Bajaj, Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Electricals, on the 20th and 21st floor of Maker Tower in Cuffe Parade at about 6.44 AM, according to an official at the disaster control room of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. While two servants of the Bajaj family died, police and firemen rescued 14 residents of the building. Ajay Saroj (21) and Kundan Omprakash Singh (23) died due to burns. Bajaj, his family members and other residents were rescued, senior police inspector Deepak Patil told PTI. Fire spread from the 20th floor to the 21st floor through an internal staircase. Electrical wiring, electrical equipment, doors, wooden furniture, household installations, etc., in 3000 sq ft area inside the duplex apartment got damaged, police said. There are two flats on each floor of the 25-floor building. After receiving the alert, eight fire engines, six jettys and two ambulances were pressed into service. Noted writer-columnist Shobha De, who lives in the same building said, "The fire personnel did a fantastic job. They handled it very efficiently and contained it quickly... It could have been much much worse. "Two lives were lost...This is a great wake up call for everybody. Anybody who lives in a high rise in Mumbai needs to be aware of hazards," she said. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta had visited the spot to take stock of the situation when fire-fighting and rescue operations were underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttarakhand government has served notices to five of its former chief ministers giving them about two months' time to vacate the bungalows allotted to them. The notices were issued after Uttarakhand High Court asked the state government on October 7 to explain the steps taken by it to evacuate government bungalows occupied by former CMs years, after demitting office, setting a deadline of 12 days. The notices have been issued to five former CMs including N D Tiwari, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and Vijay Bahuguna asking them to vacate the government bungalows allotted to them by December 16, Secretary Uttarakhand Estates department C S Napalchyal said. The notices were issued yesterday. The state government has to file its response in the high court tomorrow when a writ petition filed by noted rights activist Avdhash Kaushal in this regard is scheduled to come for hearing. Armed with a recent Supreme Court order directing former Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh to vacate government bungalows occupied by them for years in Lucknow after demitting office, Kaushal, a Padmashree awardee, had sought early hearing and disposal of his six-year-old petition on a similar matter. The high court's direction had come when the former chief ministers told the court through their lawyers that they could vacate the bungalows only after being asked to do so by the state government which had allotted them the facilities, the petitioner's lawyer Kartikeyan Gupta told PTI. "Now that the state government has issued notices to the former CMs, they have no other option left but to vacate the sprawling bungalows they have been occupying in the city for years. "That too at a time when consitututional offices like the State Human Rights Commission office is currently housed in a rented accomodation in the city for which the commission has to pay a monthly rent of Rs 1.20 lakh," petitioner Kaushal who is a Padmashree awardee told A health care group based in northeast England today said it had signed an MoU with a leading Indian health care provider to share expertise in integrated medical care. Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Northumberland County Council (Northumbria) signed the MoU with Indo-UK Healthcare Pvt Ltd (IUHP) in support of the Indo-UK Institute of Health (IUIH) programme. The IUIH programme is one of the world's largest health care initiatives currently underway, aimed at transforming the provision of quality healthcare and medical education services across India. It will deliver a staged rollout linked to the Indian government'sSmart City programme across 100 cities and will involve the setting up of 11 Indo UK Institute of Health Medicities along with 89 Indo UK Clinics across the 100 smart cities. The agreement between Northumbria andIUHPwill see the sharing of NHS expertise, working alongside a small number of other NHS Foundation Trusts who began working with IUHPin 2015 to support the delivery of hospital services in the first of the 11 states in India. Daljit Lally, the deputy chief executive of Northumberland County Council, who has a formal joint role with both the council and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said "India has one of the largest populations in the world so the pressures on its healthcare system are enormous". "Whilst our primary goal is to share how we have developed such a pioneering approach to delivering integrated care in Northumberland, I have no doubt that we will also learn a great deal which will benefit the NHS," he said. Healthcare UK, which was instrumental in creating the partnership between Northumbria andIUHP, also welcomed the tie-up. "The NHS and social care system in Northumberland delivers superb care to hundreds of thousands of people across one of the largest and most rural areas in England. This makes it a unique fit for this venture with India," said Deborah Kobewka, managing director of Healthcare UK. The IUIH hospitals are to be supported by a new model of community care clinics across India, based on the UK model. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 72-hour ceasefire in will go into effect starting Thursday, the United Nations has announced. A cessation of hostilities that first went into effect in April "will re-enter into force at 23:59 (local time) on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal," the UN's special envoy for Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement yesterday. The announcement comes after Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi agreed to the ceasefire in a statement earlier yesterday, a day after calls for a truce. Ahmed on Sunday said he had been in contact with the Huthi militia's lead negotiator and Hadi's government. The United States, Britain and the UN peace envoy to on Sunday urged the warring parties in the country's civil war to declare a ceasefire. Saudi Arabia's impoverished neighbour has been rocked by a deadly war since pro-Iran rebels overran the capital Sanaa in September 2014. However, the conflict escalated after an Arab coalition, led by Riyadh, launched a bombing campaign against the Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies in March 2015. The conflict in Yemen has killed almost 6,900 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million since March last year, according to the United Nations. On Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry met in London with the UN envoy and his opposite numbers from Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the Yemen conflict. "This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters after the talks. Previous attempts to enforce a ceasefire in the country have so far failed with the war intensifying after a round of peace talks in Kuwait ended in August without achieving a breakthrough. The Saudi-led coalition has stepped up its air raids following the breakdown of talks and cross-border attacks from Yemen have also intensified. The previous ceasefire, announced in conjunction with the start of the Kuwait talks, was hardly observed on ground, with both sides trading blame for violating the truce. Earlier this month, the UN envoy had said that a 72-hour ceasefire was expected soon adding that he was hoping to draft a new peace plan for Yemen. The UN hailed an announcement today that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo, but said it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with aid. "We remain of course pleased if there is a reduction in fighting ... Because it will protect civilians," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, told reporters. But he stressed that "when the weapons fall silent, we need all weapons to fall silent," before "critical humanitarian assistance can be provided to the area and the sick and the wounded can be evacuated." "We need to have assurances from all parties to the conflict. Not just a unilateral announcement that this will happen," he said, without revealing if the UN had received security assurances from any of the sides in the conflict. Laerke's comments came after the Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russian and Syrian air forces had stopped bombing Aleppo as of 0700 GMT, in a move he said was meant to pave the way for an eight-hour truce on Thursday. Shoigu said the "humanitarian pause" on Thursday would allow civilians to exit through six corridors and would make it possible to evacuate the sick and wounded from eastern Aleppo. The UN and European Union welcomed the announcement, but said the planned pause in fighting needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. "We continue to call for a 48-hour pause," Laerke said. "The UN has a plan to evacuate the sick and wounded from eastern Aleppo, but has not been involved with any negotiations" around the Russian announcement, he said. "Movement of civilians must be done on a safe, dignified and voluntary basis, and should not be mixed with the UN plan to evacuate the sick and wounded," he said. Once Syria's thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by air raids and intensifying clashes as regime forces fight to capture the rebel-held east. Russian air support for the onslaught -- which has destroyed hospitals and other civilian infrastructure -- has spurred accusations of potential war crimes. More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's war devolved from a widespread protest movement against Assad's rule in March 2011 to a multi-front war between rebels, jihadists, Kurds and regime forces. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court today directed that Director General of Foreign Trade and Department of Family Welfare of the Centre be made parties to a petition filed by a US couple who want to take back their eight embryos kept in a city hospital following a recent ban by the Indian government on commercial surrogacy. Giving this direction, a bench headed by Justice Shantanu Kemkar posted the matter for hearing on October 24. The judges were of the opinion that import and export regulations are being governed by Director General of Foreign Trade and it should be made a party. Moreover, the petition concerns embryos and hence Family Welfare department should be heard in this matter. Counsel for the petitioner Ashutosh Kumbhkoni argued that the government should not adopt an advertorial approach and must find out a solution to the problem. "These are our embryos and what will the government do with them. We had brought them to India in accordance with the laws of this country and after seeking permission of the authorities. Now that surrogacy is banned in India, we want to take them back," the lawyer argued. Earlier, hearing a petition filed by the American couple who wants to take back the embryos to their country, the high court had served notices to the respondents and asked them to spell out the policy of the government on the issue. During the hearing of the writ petition last month, the bench had asked the couple how they could file this petition because the Constitution gave such a right only to Indian citizens. However, Kumbhkoni argued that Article 21 of the Constitution gave such a right to every person, even to foreign national. "This is because right to life includes right to have a baby and hence the couple has a right to file such a petition in the high court," the lawyer had argued. The petition said the couple tried to have a baby for many years but failed. The doctors had advised them surrogacy. Accordingly, the American doctors, with the help of the couple's sperms and eggs, created the embryos and advised them to get a surrogate mother. The couple sent the embryos to India by a special courier (in a frozen state). All the embryos are currently lying in a hospital at Powai in Mumbai. The couple had also obtained surrogacy visa and came to India by following the procedure. In April 2015, the Indian Council for Medial Research had given no objection certificate to the couple to import their frozen embryos from USA. Accordingly, they were sent to India. Meanwhile, in November 2015, the Centre announced a change in policy and banned surrogacy for foreign couples. The couple then asked the hospital authorities to return their embryos but they refused to part with the embryos saying that import and export of embryos was banned in India as per the new policy rules. Thereafter, the couple approached the Indian government which also refused to allow them take back the embryos saying that while banning surrogacy it had also banned import and export of foetus also. The couple argued that taking back their embryos did not amount to exporting them and the authorities should not interpret or make policy decisions that were against the basic tenets of fairness, law and human rights. Their lawyer submitted that technically taking back the embryos was not an export because they were seeking to restore them back to the place from where they had originated. A US Navy warship will visit New Zealand next month for the first time since the 1980s, ending a 30-year-old military stalemate between the countries that was triggered when New Zealand banned nuclear warships. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced today that he had given clearance for the destroyer USS Sampson to visit during celebrations marking the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th anniversary. The visit marks a continued thaw in military relations, which turned frosty when New Zealand enacted its nuclear-free policy in the mid-1980s. The policy prevents ships that have nuclear weapons or are nuclear powered from visiting. Because the US won't officially confirm or deny if its ships have nuclear capabilities, New Zealand had imposed a blanket ban on US ships. But Key said he'd taken advice from his own officials and was "100 per cent confident" the USS Sampson wasn't nuclear powered or carrying nuclear weapons. "I think it's a sign of the fact that the relationship between New Zealand and the United States is truly in the best shape it's been since the anti-nuclear legislation was passed," Key said. "All of those last vestiges of the dispute that we had have really been put to one side." Key said he didn't think the result of the upcoming US presidential election would affect the relationship. The dispute began in 1985 when the New Zealand government refused to allow a US destroyer to visit. The US responded by downgrading its military ties. New Zealand passed its nuclear-free law in 1987. The relationship improved after 2001, said Rear Admiral John Martin, the chief of the New Zealand Navy, when New Zealand agreed to send special forces and later a reconstruction team to Afghanistan. The US and New Zealand signed defence agreements in 2010 and 2012. "We've been working with the US Navy for many decades and we're looking forward to hosting them down here," Martin said. "A birthday is not complete without your friends." Mark Gilbert, the US ambassador in Wellington, said the visit helped clarify the improvement in the relationship. He said the US and New Zealand shared similar values and had much in common, from culture to tourism. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nora P. Boeding, 93, of Beatrice. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016 at the Fox Funeral Home with Mary Beth Tuttle officiating. Burial will be at the Lewiston Cemetery of Lewiston. A memorial has been established to the familys choice. The body will lie in state at the Fox Funeral Home until the time of the service on Wednesday. Melodee Ann (Beach) Costello, 67, A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016 at the Griffiths-Hovendick Chapel in Beatrice with Rosanne Beach Woodyard officiating. Inurnment will be in the Evergreen Home Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established to the family's choice with the funeral home in charge. Jerry Lee Nickels, 80, of Beatrice. Memorial Services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016 at Christ Community Church in Beatrice with Pastor Jack Magness officiating. Inurnment will follow in the Evergreen Home Cemetery in Beatrice. A register book will be available to sign from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. with family greeting friends from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016 at Harman-Wright Mortuary in Beatrice. Memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society in care of the mortuary Marceline E. "Marcy" Roker, 82, of Beatrice. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016 at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church with Reverend Kathee Forrest officiating. Interment will be at the Blue Springs Cemetery. The body will lie in state Wednesday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. at the Griffiths-Hovendick Chapel in Beatrice, and at the church one hour preceding the service on Thursday. A family prayer service will be held at 10:45 a.m. Thursday at the church. A memorial has been established to the church with Robert and Joyce Haecker in charge. Berwin R. Rick Shaffer, III, age 57, of Lincoln. Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016 at Harman-Wright Mortuary in Beatrice with Pastor Dave Miller officiating. Private inurnment will be in the Evergreen Home Cemetery at a later date. Memorials are suggested to the Lincoln City Mission or the American Cancer Society in care of the mortuary. John T. Jack Warren, Manhattan, Kan. A service celebrating his life at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Manhattan, 481 Zeandale Road, Manhattan, KS 66502. Private inurnment with military honors will be in Sunset Cemetery, Manhattan, KS. Memorials in Jacks honor have been established at his church, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Manhattan, and the Good Samaritan Fund at Meadowlark Hills. Contributions may be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502. US-headquartered IT company UST Global today said it has committed investment to the tune of Rs 400 crore in Madhya Pradesh and will set up its a campus in the state. The company signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Madhya Pradesh government at an investors roadshow in New York on September 30, 2016. "We are committing to invest Rs 400 crore in Madhya Pradesh. We will be building our own campus that will be spread over an area 10 acres," UST Global Chief Administrative Officer Alexander Varghese said. Through this investment, the company aims to create jobs in IT, he added. "We are working with governments across the world in such projects and we are proud to work with the MP government as India has a significant number of our employees spread across nine cities," he said. Under a recent project, UST Global had helped the Madhya Pradesh government conduct the largest ever online exam at a state-level in India that covered approximately 10 lakh candidates across 14 cities and 90 colleges. Sajan Pillai, Chief Executive Officer, UST Global said the alliance firmly establishes the company's vision to be a successful business that uses technology and resources to bring about social transformation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President Hamid Ansari today met top Algerian leaders and discussed with them the ways to revamp the bilateral engagements and take the ties to a new level. Ansari, who arrived here from Hungary last night as part of his second leg of two-nation tour, first laid a wreath at the El Alia cemetery, which comprises tombs of numerous Algerian notables and also has the graves of actors, actresses and artists. It also includes the tombs of several scientists, academicians and sport stars. The Vice President met President of Algerian National People's Assembly Mohamed Larbi Ould Khelifa and President of Council of Nations Abdelkader Bensalah and discussed with them various issues concerning both the countries. The thrust of the conversations with both the leaders was on how to revamp the bilateral engagements and take it to a new level and rejuvenation the ties, officials said. During his meetings with Khelifa and Bensalah, Ansari discussed how to further strengthen ties between India and Algeria and facilitate more people-to-people contacts. The Vice President's visit to the North African country came after more than two decades of "cooling off" period in bilateral relations. Earlier, Ansari said that due to some difference of opinion on some third country, there was a "cooling off" period in relations but that period is over now. "They (Algeria) want cooperation and we want cooperation. Both sides want the relations to be strengthened," he had said. Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations in 2001. Ansari will interact with Bouteflika, Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal and other top leaders tomorrow and discuss various issues like anti-terror cooperation and a host of other bilateral issues. "There will be meetings of minds to fight terrorism with all his interlocutors and counterparts," Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs Sujata Mehta said. The Vice President today visited Ketchaoua mosque, a UNESCO world heritage site located at the foot of the Casbah, which was built during the Ottoman rule in the 17th century. Ansari also visited Wilaya Tipaza, which is located along the Mediterranean sea, 68 km west of the capital Algiers. Tipaza, with sandy beach and important archaeological parks tracing the area's Phoenician, Roman, Paleochristian and Byzantine history. Dating from the 6th century B.C. To the 6th century A.D, the well-preserved ruins sprawl over hills and encompass temples, churches, an amphitheater and a large necropolis. Algeria has extensive deposit of phosphate and India wants to explore whether joint venture industries could be set up in Algeria with Algerian phosphate and gas and Indian funds and technology so that fertilizers could be brought to India from Algeria instead to raw materials. Bilateral trade between India and Algeria stood at 1.5 billion per annum, majority of which are related to importing oil and oil products to India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian-American hotelier Vikram Chatwal has been charged with criminal mischief for allegedly trying to light two dogs on fire. Chatwal, 44 turned himself in to the police today early morning at 7. He has been charged with criminal mischief, torture and injure animal, reckless endangerment and arson, a New York Police Department official told PTI. According to a report in local website patch.Com, the charges stem from an October 7 incident in which Chatwal allegedly got into an argument with a woman walking the dogs outside Chatwal's home. Chatwal allegedly pulled out a lighter and aerosol can and used them to burn the two dogs, the report said. It cited the police to say that the dogs suffered minor burns in the incident. Chatwal is expected to make a court appearance in the case later today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A northern Virginia man pleaded guilty for trying to help the Islamic State group after a sting operation caught him buying gift cards and filming potential landmarks in the DC region as targets. Haris Qamar, 26, of Burke, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Alexandria to a single count of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in January, although guidelines will likely point to 12 to 15 years. Qamar, a US citizen born in Brooklyn, came to authorities' attention through his support of the Islamic State on Twitter, using variations of the handle "newerajihadi." According to court documents, an FBI informant made contact with Qamar, and the two discussed traveling to the Middle East to join the Islamic State group. Qamar told the informant that he wanted to go but was prevented from doing so by his parents, who controlled his passport. Qamar also said joining the militant organisation would devastate his family and might provoke his father to commit suicide. The informant then suggested Qamar purchase gift cards that the Islamic State group could use to purchase encrypted messaging apps. At first, the informant gave Qamar $40 to buy the cards. Later, in April of this year, after the informant chided Qamar for spending money on wasteful things, Qamar purchased the cards with his own money. Qamar ate the receipt to try to prevent the purchase from being traced, according to the statement of facts. Qamar and the informant sent the gift card codes to an account Qamar believed was controlled by the Islamic State but was actually controlled by the FBI. In June 2016, Qamar agreed to help the informant take photographs and video of landmarks in the D.C. Region, purportedly for use in Islamic State propaganda to encourage lone-wolf attacks in the nation's capital. As Qamar drove by the Pentagon, he yelled out a slogan supporting the Islamic State group and said, "Bye-bye, DC" according to the statement of facts. Qamar is one of six northern Virginia men from five separate investigations charged in terror-related cases in 2016. Most of the cases developed out of sting operations. Paul Abbate, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, said the case "demonstrates the reach terrorist organizations have through social media and the threat that they pose to our national security." After Monday's hearing, Qamar's father, Qamar Abbas, said his son now recognizes his mistakes, and the long hours his son spent online divorced him from the reality of what he was doing. "He was living in an imaginary world," Abbas said. "Not in reality. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Under pressure over opposition to the upcoming release of his film "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" that features a Pakistani actor, director Karan Johar today said he will not "engage with talent" from Pakistan in future and made a fervent appeal against stalling the blockbuster. Raj Thackeray-led MNS and some other political parties have opposed release of films with actors from Pakistan after the Uri terror attack, putting a question mark on the fate of Johar's movie, slated for a pre-Diwali release on October 28. The Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India too decided not to screen films with Pakistani actors in four states -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. In a short video statement, Johar, 44, said his country comes first for him and while he understands the sentiments, hampering the release of the movie will actually hurt 300 strong Indian crew of the movie. "I understand the sentiments because I feel the same. Going forward, of course, I would like to say that I would not engage with the talent from the neighbouring country given the circumstance. "But with that same energy I beseech you that over 300 Indians in my crew have put their blood, sweat and tears in my film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' and I don't think it is fair to them to face any kind of turbulance on account of other fellow Indians," he said. Johar's film starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is facing trouble for Pakistani actor Fawad Khan's extended cameo. Johar also said he stayed silent because he felt a "deep sense of hurt and pain" to be questioned about his patriotism. Johar said the country comes first to him and he has always kept that over and above everything, so, it is wrong to question his patriotism. "There has been some talk about why I have remained silent for past two weeks. Today I would like to clarify that the reason why I remained silent is because of the deep sense of hurt and pain that I felt. There are few people who actually believe that I am being anti-national. "I need to say this and I say this with strength that for me my country comes first. Nothing else matters to me but my country. I have always felt that the best way to express your patriotism is to spread love and that's all I have ever tried to do through my work and my cinema, he added. (REOPEN DEL 72) "When I shot my film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' in September to December last year, the climate was completely different, the circumstances were completely different. There were efforts made by our government for peaceful relations with the neighbouring country and I respected those endevours and efforts then and I respect the sentiments today," Johar said. Johar said that he condemns any form of terrorism and salutes the Indian army for their role in protecting the nation. "I respect the Indian army, I salute the Indian army for everything they do to protect us in our environment. I respect them with all my heart and I say that I condemn any form of terrorism and especially the terrorism that would affect people of my country and me." MNS has threatened to vandalise multiplexes if "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" is screened. Considering the threat, a team from Johar's Dharma Productions along with filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt and Vijay Singh of Fox Star Studios met Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar and Joint Police Commissioner (law and order) Deven Bharti, and sought protection for the theatres to screen the film. Mukesh is the president of Film & Television Producers Guild of India while Fox Star Studios is distributing the film. Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe assured that "Mumbai police will provide adequate protection to cinema theatres as and when required. A woman lost 20 sovereigns of gold ornaments and cash, including foreign currency, while travelling by a train from Chennai to here today, police said. 56-year old Santhya Stalin, working as a teacher in New Zealand, had boarded the Cheran Express last night and fallen asleep with the valuables in her hand bag. When she woke up in the wee hours, she found the valuables missing from the bag. On her arrival in the city, the woman, on her way here to visit her brother, lodged a complaint with the Railway Police, who are investigating the matter, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several workers of the women Congress today staged a protest against BJP here for failing to rein in the skyrocketing prices of consumer goods and defaced a hoarding depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "City chief of women wing of congress Pooja Chaddha along with several women workers reached the petrol pump in Raj Nagar area and smeared Modi's face (on the hoarding) with black ink," said party's District president Harendra Kasana. Addressing the workers, Chaddha said the advertisement of BJP (in the hoarding) was "misleading". "People are suffering from soaring prices of petrol, diesel, pulses, vegetables and other basic commodities. Such protest will be staged in future at every place where the such hoardings are installed," she said. "No FIR has been lodged by the BJP," SHO Avdhesh Yadav told. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The all-stock deal values the combined company at $1.5 billion, according to a source familiar with the deal. The deal will add popular online ticketing websites such as, goibibo.com and redbus.com, to MakeMyTrip's portfolio, which owns the flagship brand and the alternate accommodation site Rightstay. South Africa-based Naspers Ltd is the majority owner of ibibo, with a 91 percent stake, with the rest being owned by China's Tencent Holdings Ltd <0700.HK>. Their combined stake is valued at about $600 million, according to the source. MakeMyTrip had a market capitalization of about $861.3 million as of Monday's close. The online travel agency has been facing increased competition in its hotels booking business from established Indian companies such as Cox & Kings Ltd , Thomas Cook (India) Ltd and new entrant such as OYO Rooms. MakeMyTrip, which missed profit estimates for the last seven quarters partly due to higher marketing costs, is expected to report a second-quarter loss of 63 cents and revenue of $50 million, according to Thomson I/B/E/S. The company said on Tuesday that the ibibo deal would help "unlock meaningful synergies", but did not provide any deal value. The online travel market in India is estimated to be about $10 billion in terms of gross booking value, according to an analyst tracking the sector. MakeMyTrip shares rose as much as 56.4 percent to $31.90 on Tuesday, hitting a more than two-year high. The combined company will command a market share of about 20 percent of the Indian online flight bookings, MakeMyTrip said on a call with analysts on Tuesday. The combined company's market share in online hotel and bus bookings will be in single digits, the companies added. Naspers and Tencent will own 40 percent of MakeMyTrip after the deal closes by the end of December. Additionally, China's biggest online travel service provider Ctrip.com International Ltd will have about 10 percent stake in the new company. Ctrip.com said in January that it would invest $180 mln in MakeMyTrip via convertible bonds. MakeMyTrip founder Deep Kalra will continue to be the executive chairman and chief executive of the new company. Morgan Stanley advised MakeMyTrip on the deal, while Goldman Sachs was the adviser to ibibo and Naspers. (Additional reporting by Laharee Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza, Anil D'Silva and Shounak Dasgupta) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BRASILIA (Reuters) - Singapore Changi Airport is seeking a potential new partner for its investment in Rio de Janeiro's Galeao international airport, the head of the company running the concession said on Monday. Luiz Rocha told reporters, after meeting with Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles, that Changi was seeking a possible new investor in case its existing partner, a division of Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht SA, leaves the project. "Changi has a stake in other airports outside of Singapore and has relationships with top shelf investors. The idea is to bring one of them to Galeao," Rocha told reporters in Brasilia after a meeting with Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles. Changi partnered with Odebrecht and state airport operator Infraero in 2013 for the rights to expand and operate Galeao. Rocha, chief executive of RIOGaleao, also voiced confidence that state development bank BNDES would disburse a long-term loan to help finance the company. Newspaper Valor said in August that BNDES has declined credit to Galeao because of charges against Odebrecht in a sweeping corruption probe that has rocked Brazilian politics and businesses over the past two years. (Reporting by Leonardo Goy; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Bernard Orr) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ever since Samsung Galaxy Note 7 burst into flames, the company has been struggling to restore confidence and trust in the firms products despite the unreleting attack from users who bought t'he smartphone. The blitzkrieg is even more severe on social media. On Monday, Dose, a viral content website, decided to test whether Note 7 catches fire or not by charging it for four hours and broadcasting it live on its Facebook page. Although many waited eagerly to see the premium phone explode, it did not burst into flames. The video has garnered more than 58k shares and 5.7 million views till now. Samsung to pump Rs 1,970 cr to boost Noida facility capacity Lucknow, Oct 17 : Samsung plans to invest Rs 1,970 crore over the next three years to double the manufacturing capacity at its Noida facility. The Uttar Pradesh cabinet has approved Samsung's investment under Super Mega A by the state's Cabinet Committee in Lucknow today. In line with our commitment to 'Make in India', we are pleased to receive the UP government's approval to invest in the state and expand our manufacturing base here in India, said Samsung India President and CEO HC Hong. The investment is expected to help Samsung ramp up its manufacturing capacities across product lines like refrigerators, mobile phones and LED TVs. Samsung will get an additional 1.3 lakh sqm for the expansion, a move that will generate additional employment for 2,200 people. Samsung's mobile phone manufacturing capacity alone will be doubled from 6 million units a month now to 12 million over the course of time, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar said. We are witnessing an increase in the adoption of electronic devices, appliances and mobile phones, he added. Months after disrupting the country's more than $50 billion telecom sector with the launch of Reliance Jio, Mukesh Ambani on Monday hit out at incumbents for creating trouble and refusing to play fair. Speaking on the problem Jio is facing with the incumbents, he said that Jio is being targeted by the rivals. Ambani went on to compare Jio's current situation to a bright student entering a prestigious institute on merit but getting ragged in the hostel. Ambani said that his company was willing to bear all the trouble, but not at the cost of millions of its subscribers. "You have to take it in the right spirit. There is a principal and there is an ecosystem so there is a governance system...I've no problem as long as I or Reliance get ragged, you are the big boys and you can take it but the consumer should not suffer and I think that is what Jio is doing," he said while speaking at 'Off the Cuff' show organised by The Print. Ever since Jio was launched in September, it has been facing massive call drop problem due to inadequate points of inter-connectivity. Earlier in a statement, Reliance Jio had claimed that the quantum of POIs released by Airtel was substantially less than the requirement. When he was asked to justify the investment of Rs 1.5 trillion on the new entrepreneurial "punt" he had taken, he said, "It is no punt. It is a well thought-out, well-executed, well-engineered ecosystem. It is a Rs 2,50,000 crore investment." At the time of launch, Ambani had said the company had invested Rs 1.5 trillion into his new venture. However, on Monday he said the group had already pumped in Rs 2.5 trillion with the aim of offering high-speed 4G services with focus on data. "The world has moved to the power of ideas. Financial resources are the least of problems," he said. On whether Jio had disrupted the telecom market with low data tariffs, Ambani said, "What I really don't understand is that you progress from generations of technology. It is not new as we had announced it in 2010-11. We didn't do anything on stealth. In all my AGMs we have said we are going to bring the Internet to the masses because I firmly believe that the benefits of technology should go to the end-consumer." Ambani also praised the Prime Minister and said, "India was fortunate to have Narendra (Modi) Bhai's guidance." He further said that the current rhetoric was swept with negativity and cynicism that "we owe to ourselves" to reverse. Ambani also spoke about the ban on Pakistani artists in Indian films, he said while he did not understand the politics around it, it was clear to him that "India is for Indians first." We love celebrations and Indian culture gives us a number of opportunities to celebrate. Our festivals give us enough opportunities to celebrate goodness, celebrate traditions, celebrate cultures, celebrate nature, celebrate individuals and celebrate life. Interestingly, festivities play crucial role in ensuring harmony in diverse India. Indians probably celebrate more festivals than people of any other nationality. Festive season begins around September. While bringing lot of joy and happiness, festivities also pose risks to individuals celebrating them and others. For instance, the riskof accidents is higher during Diwali, which is the most celebrated festival in India. Diwali celebrations are considered incomplete without firecrackers, which are known to be one of the major risk factor. A number of people, especially children, are reported injured in firecracker-related mishaps every year. Other festivalslike Muharram,Janmashtami,Ganesh Festivaland Navaratri, which are characterized by mass participation, also pose risk of accident like stampede or other mishaps due to involvement of number of people. Stampedes are frequent during mass festivals in India. An explosion and blaze sparked by fireworks killed at least 100 people at a temple in the state of Kerala in April earlier this year. At least 10 people were reported killed in a stampede at a religious festival in Jharkhand in August last year. At least 27 people, mostly women, died and more than 40 people were injured in a stampede at a riverside religious festival in Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh. While celebrating festivals is part of Indian culture,we must ensure that we do not fall victim of any unexpected mishap. However, the nature of accidents is such that despite all precautions, accidents do occur. They can happen due to improper handling of electrical equipment, heavy objects, fire or collapsing of pandals. Everyone - from small children to elderly individuals - is prone to accidents during the festive season. While a majority of the accidents that occur to people may not have serious consequences, some accidents may have serious implications on the victim's physical as well as financial health. Such mishaps take only seconds to turn life upside down. Severe accidents may result in partial to permanent disablement and some may result in death. Some mishaps may require hospitalization for treatment and recovery, and may even drain a good chunk of an individual's savings, leaving families in a difficult situation without resources or help. Hence, securing family's future and enabling their basic day-to-day needs becomes utmost priority for the victim of accident, if the victim is the breadwinner of the family. The best way to protect self and the family against such possibilities is a Personal Accident Insurance. You can look forward to enjoy the festive season without any worries. A standard Personal Accident Insurance ensures an individual's family's financial security in the hour of need. This policy covers incidences such as Death, Permanent Total Disability, Temporary Total Disability, Broken Bones, Burns and Ambulance costs. The Personal Accident insurance plan can also be extended to include entire family under a single policy. Most Personal Accident Insurance policies offered by Indian general insurers ensure an individual's protection across the boundaries. And surprisingly, even in today's uncertain world, chances of death or getting hospitalized for some illness are far lower than the chances of meeting with an accident! A standalone Personal Accident policy covers one for such possibilities at nominal premium rates compared to a life insurance policy. A 5-lakh cover can be bought for as low as Rs 1,100 per annum from leading insurers. Unlike health insurance which is valid only in one's country, personal accident gives a worldwide coverage. While a Personal Accident Insurance is quite similar to Health Insurance in terms of paybacks, it costs much less due to its focused coverage. A Personal Accident Insurance is inexpensive, so one can afford it without any major drain on his pocket. The cost of a Personal Accident Insurance with a cover of Rs 15 lakh from a reputed insurers cost approximately Rs 3,000 per year. The premium on Personal Accident Policy does not depend on age. Hence, it is same for a 25-year old youngster as well as 50-year old individual. The premium on Personal Accident Insurance policy depends on one's working conditions and nature of his job. And yes, a Personal Accident Insurance plan can also be extended to include the entire family under a single policy. A Personal Accident Insurance ensures the financial stability of an individual and family in the event of an accident. By, MukeshKumar, Executive Director, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company. Cade Austin talks to his lawyer Gregory Skordas on Monday in 1st District Court in Logan, before he was sentenced for attempted murder and aggravated assault. LOGAN A 31-year-old Preston, Idaho, man who was arrested last winter for shooting at first responders during a traffic accident near Lewiston, was sentenced to at least one year in prison. Cade Austin stood in handcuffs and shackles as he appeared in 1st District Court Monday afternoon. He apologized for his actions and said he didnt begin the day of the shooting, intending to hurt anyone. Judge Kevin Allen said he appreciated the apology but it didnt excuse the very dangerous and life threatening events that took place that day. He told Austin that he was amazed he wasnt killed. On December 15, Austin was driving a Pontiac Sunfire, northbound on US-91, when he ran off the road, striking a gas line and coming to a stop in a bar pit. He then brandished a handgun and exchanged gunfire with an EMT who arrived on the scene to treat him. Police said, Austin continued to wave the gun around inside the vehicle while drinking alcohol from a bottle. He was later pulled from the car by SWAT team members after losing consciousness. He was transported to a hospital by ambulance and treated for gunshot wounds to the chest and right shoulder. In May, Austin pleaded guilty to attempted murder and aggravated assault, both amended to second-degree felonies. As part of the deal, prosecutors dropped the remaining charges. During Mondays sentencing, Austin was ordered to serve two sentences of one-to-15-years in prison. The two sentences will be served concurrently. He was also ordered to pay $16,492 in restitution. Judge Allen told Austin he hoped that he would make something of his life that he could be happy with, when he is released.

will@cvradio.com LOGAN A 33-year-old Logan man, on probation after previously pleading guilty but mentally ill to theft and aggravated assault, was sentenced to prison. Jacob G. Cook asked Judge Kevin Allen for another chance as he stood in 1st District Court Monday afternoon. Judge Allen told Cook he had given him plenty of chances and that prison was the only option left. Court records show, on September 26, Cook accepted a plea to charges of theft, a second-degree felony, aggravated assault and two charges of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, all third-degree felonies. The court evaluated and found he had a mental illness that could be controlled by medications. He was arrested just weeks later after running away and hiding out in Green Canyon.Instead of being sent to jail or prison, Judge Allen placed him on probation for three-years. He was also ordered to take all prescribed medications and continue receiving mental health counseling. He was arrested just weeks later after running away and hiding out in Green Canyon. During Mondays sentencing, Cook told the court that he had gotten stir-crazy after being released from jail and had to get away. He promised that it wouldnt happen again. Judge Allen reinstated his original sentence of zero-to-five years in prison and one-year in jail. He told Cook that he would write the prison director to request that he be placed in the mental health ward.

will@cvradio.com 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." Longtime PBS anchor and Duke alumna says primary campaign revealed deep fissures within Democratic and Republican faithful "PBS NewsHour" co-anchor Judy Woodruff talks with PBS documentary maker David Hartman, who moderated her Oct. 11 presentation at City Club Raleighs National Public Affairs Forum. (CJ photo by Dan Way) Said there is "an entire swath of Americans who believe racism and intolerance is alive and well," and another group "who believe law enforcement officers are not respected for the work that they do, for the sacrifices they make every day." She wonders if the country will be able to have conversations about "the [riots] that took place in Charlotte, and in too many other American cities." and another group She wonders if the country will be able to have conversations about Believes gun control compromise is elusive. "How are we going to deal with the group arguing there should be no meaningful restrictions on gun use? The Second Amendment, that's what the Founding Fathers ... wanted, and that's the end of discussion." On the other side are "people who are crying out for something to be done about gun violence," and seeking background checks or other meaningful reforms. On the other side are and seeking background checks or other meaningful reforms. Lamented that thousands of "shoe leather reporters" who dug for facts are out of work, replaced by "people who simply collect opinion," and are prized for their ability to deliver sharp quips in a few characters, and sound bites. That trend "bothers me," and it is up to the public to inform itself on issues from reliable media sources. and are prized for their ability to deliver sharp quips in a few characters, and sound bites. That trend "bothers me," and it is up to the public to inform itself on issues from reliable media sources. Foresees modifications or attempts to alter existing trade agreements such as NAFTA "given what we've been hearing during this election, not only from Donald Trump but Hillary Clinton's evolution on the issue" opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, "one of the very open splits between Hillary Clinton and President Obama." Deep divisions among Americans will fester long after the Nov. 8 presidential election, and veteran television news anchor Judy Woodruff is concerned about the animus. She also said the fractured Republican and Democratic national parties will undergo intense soul-searching.Woodruff said on Oct. 11 of the Republican presidential nominee, who recently came under fire over the release of a 2005 video in which he made lewd comments about groping women."Even with all the problems in the last few days that he's had, he's still at 38, 40, 42 percent in the national polls," said Woodruff, the featured speaker at City Club Raleigh's National Public Affairs Forum. Duke graduate David Hartman, actor and former host of "Good Morning America" who now lives in Durham, moderated a question-answer session.Woodruff, who attended Meredith College and graduated from Duke University, has anchored and held senior positions at CNN, and NBC, and now co-anchors "PBS NewsHour," said pundits believe Trump is likely to lose the election.If he does,Woodruff said. Nor will thetowards Hillary Clinton.Woodruff asked.Woodruff's appearance occurred five days before the Orange County Republican Party headquarters in Hillsborough was firebombed . Vandals also had spray-painted a swastika and an anti-GOP message on a nearby building.The Trump insurgency will have a post-election effect on the Republican Party, she said.Woodruff said.In response to the Trump video, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., directed resources for the final month of the campaign away from his own party's presidential nominee. Trump vice presidential running mate Mike Pence withheld support of Trump initially, but relented after the Oct. 9 debate against Clinton.Woodruff said.and she expects a Republican revolt in the House against Ryan's pulling campaign funds away from Trump.Woodruff said.On the other side, Woodruff cited statements during the primary campaign from Clinton's chief rival, Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.and contrasting himself with Clinton, whom he labeled beholden to Wall Street, she said.Even as Woodruff was speaking, news outlets were reporting on the latest release of emails WikiLeaks says it hacked from various government and private sources.The emails showed a variety of media outlets and Democratic National Committee interim chairwoman Donna Brazile either leaked debate questions or Sanders campaign information to the Clinton camp, offered other sorts of help to give Clinton high-profile publicity in their publications, and extended to her veto power over quotes in stories. Brazile denied she aided the Clinton team.Political polarization has tunneled into both political parties as well as the electorate, Woodruff said.Woodruff said.and that erodes political middle ground, Woodruff said.Many voters tell their congressional representatives to "stand up for your principles, and don't work for the other side" when they get elected, she said. "The only thing that's going to change that is when the voters of this country say we've had enough of this," and demand elected officials work across the aisle to solve the country's problems.On other matters, Woodruff:Despite its warts and flaws, Woodruff said the American electoral system, including its freedom to vote, is ourHowever, her biggest applause line was about the 2016 campaign season: Mental Health Matters: Yes, depression is a 'real illness.' Research suggests that people who have depression and another medical illness tend to have more severe symptoms of both illnesses. On Friday, people in a little Welsh village near Merthyr Tydfil will pause and think back, with great sadness, 50 years. On October 21, 1966, the world was stunned by the news that a massive landslide at Aberfan had engulfed a farm, houses and a school. Spoil from a nearby colliery, loosened by water, crashed down the mountainside just as youngsters at Pantglas Junior School were starting their first lessons of the day, and the mix of mud and debris poured into their classrooms. A few children managed to escape, but 116 died, together with 28 adults. In the days that followed, a huge national effort was launched to raise money for families in the shattered Welsh village one of our photos here shows a sponsored walk by youngsters in Cambridge in 1966. Next year, it will be the 290th anniversary of a lesser known tragedy in a similarly small community in Cambridgeshire. On September 8, 1727, 51 children, and 27 adults, were killed in a horrific fire in a barn at Burwell, where they had crammed in to watch a travelling puppet show. Astonishingly, the door of the barn had been nailed up after they had gone inside. The shocking story of the Burwell fire in Cuckolds Row is remembered in the graveyard of St Mary the Virgin church, with a memorial depicting a flaming heart. On the tombstone are the words: To the memory of the 78 people who were burnt to death in a barn at Burwell on September 8, 1727." The story is told in Burwell's parish register: At about 9 o'clock on the evening of September 8th 1727, fire broke out in a barn, in which a great number of persons were met together to see a puppet show." The cause of the fire was a lantern with a lighted candle in it, which had been accidentally knocked over, setting fire to straw. A first-hand report from a survivor claimed many more people than the barn could accommodate wanted to see the show, so the door was nailed shut to prevent anyone else from coming in. All those who died were buried in the churchyard of St Mary's, and a few months later the man who had been in charge of the lantern was tried at an assize held in Cambridge, but was acquitted. Nearly half a century later, there was a dramatic conclusion to the terrible tale. A local newspaper reported that an old man living in a village near Newmarket had made a deathbed confession admitting to starting the fire deliberately. The newspaper said: He said he had a burden to disclose. He then confessed that he had set fire to the barn at Burwell on September 8th 1727. He said he was an ostler at the time, and that, having an antipathy to the puppet showman, was the cause of his committing that diabolical action attended with such dreadful consequences." | BY Ricki Green | Googles Creative Agency Team has launched a unique creative competition called The YouTube Skippys where six creative agencies battle it out to be crowned winner, letting the work speak for itself. Agencies involved include BWM Dentsu, Clemenger BBDO Sydney, DDB, Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi and CHE Proximity. Each agency was given the same brief from toilet paper brand Who Gives a Crap and asked to create a video ad. There has always been a strong competitive nature to the creative advertising industry. However, judging creative can be hard. It can be subjective and often short case studies are created to summarise the work which are then judged by a panel of industry peers. Googles Creative Agency Team is hosting a unique creative competition which allows the work to speak for itself. Teams from top creative agency partners will create their own unique video advertising based on an identical brief (to create one TrueView ad). Rather than being judged by a panel, performance will be measured across an equally weighted YouTube media plan looking at view through rate, average watch time and organic view count. The top performing creative will be crowned the winner. He suggested Mr Hanson and Mr Coe had failed to perform in the campaign, and said the party needed to have a "good hard look at itself", and realise that conservatism was not the right approach in Canberra. "The Department of Immigration is happy to grant permanent residency to people who have broken the law but not to honest, hard-working, people like us who have been contributing to the economy for the last six years," she said. "All three of us working: Caitlin has a job at the Supa Express in Watson." Contact: Attila Nemecz Attila Nemecz (252)-940-6387 said Bernadine Hedrick. Hedrick wrote Melissa Hisle, her instructor for ENG 111, after she satisfactorily passed the online class, confessing to her that she still did not know what a rhetorical analysis was. She laughs it off, having made it through most of her career without knowing what it is.The 68-year-old will graduate from Beaufort County Community College in the spring of 2017 with a degree in medical office administration. After spending her career in business, she returned to college to find that the academic world had changed significantly since the late 1960's when she first attended college.The jovial student had a more somber reason for returning to college. Shortly after her daughter Brette had received two degrees and two certificates from BCCC, she passed away from complications related to her diabetes, with which she had struggled all her life. She mourned the loss of her daughter, but decided the best way to work through it was to follow in her footsteps and attend BCCC herself and even pursue the same field.In 2001, she and Brette moved to Beaufort County, buying a house out on Highway 171. An investor bought three equestrian products companies from around the country, combined them into the English Equestrian Group and moved them to Washington. The company offered all of the employees a position in the new location and was generous with helping her relocate; paying for her move, doubling her salary and even helping her with her down payment on her home. Her co-workers were more apprehensive about her move, but jobs were few in Wilkes-Barre, PA and management insisted the company was fine. She could not refuse such a great offer. Two months after leaving Pennsylvania, she found out about the company's financial woes. In 2003, EEG closed its doors. She and 80 other employees would have to figure out what to do.In March 2003, she agreed to start-up a new location for a similar company in Front Royal, VA. The job entailed finding a warehouse, hiring warehouse personnel and shifting production from Granbury, TX.recalled Hedrick. She was not pleased with Fort Royal and left in 2005 after successfully transitioning the company.She worked for an employment agency for five years, and was made a permanent employee of Stanadyne. Layoffs at Stanadyne left her unemployed once more. She was forced to file for Social Security retirement after her unemployment benefits ran out.Her daughter's health began to decline. When Brette had a heart attack, Bernadine was told she would not reach 50. The next year and a half she was in and out of the hospital. She passed away at the age of 44 in December 2011.Hedrick was left alone with her dogs, which she had fostered and adopted over the years and unintentionally named all names that begin with "S": Skamp, Shoe, Splash and Stitch. Bernadine felt like she needed some more marketable skills. After leaving college in her youth, she remembers thinking,But it never happened.She received a Pell grant and enrolled at BCCC.she recalled about her classes.Carol Ingalls, her instructor, did not think she was going to make it. "She'd hover over me." Hedrick had learned to type on a manual typewriter. One day, Ingalls brought one into class to see if the students would know what it was. She told Hendrick to not say a thing. The class guessed it was a label-maker. Ingalls encouraged and supported Hedrick, helping her through the semester.Memories of her daughter were still fresh on campus. Instructor Debra Baker immediately made the connection.Baker assessed. Hedrick got used to it and had new insight on her daughter's life.she wondered.22-year-old Zaere Godley, who found her struggling to get from one class to the next on her first week, befriended Hedrick. "I would have had a lot more difficulty without Zaere," said Hedrick. The two have shared classes and become close friends. She has stayed upbeat and positive during her time at BCCC. "I try to have a lot of fun in a seated class. When I see a student struggling, I see what I can do to make that person happier."Compared to carefree youth, she feels much more focused on college.She thinks she would have performed poorly had she attended then. Now, she is part of Gamma Beta Phi at BCCC, the honor society. Ingalls nominated her for a "Hard Worker" Best of BCCC award. She even works at the college in a work-study position in Continuing Education.Between saving abused dogs and making people smile across campus, Hedrick has taken her life and her pain and used it to brighten the world. Next spring she will complete a 50-year journey and follow in the footsteps of her daughter. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 19 percent increase in education administrator employment through 2020. The growth in this field is primarily due to increased enrollment in postsecondary schools. A large number of postsecondary education administrators are expected to retire between [now] and 2020, which will present many opportunities for graduates entering the field and mid-level professionals aiming to advance their career. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education Salary Survey, the median annual wage of postsecondary education administrators in 2014-2015 totaled $137,484 for top-level administrators, $56,716 for mid-level professionals, and $40,391 for entry-level professionals. In this dissertation published in 2010, titled "Difficult Dialogues: How White Male Graduate Students in Student Affairs Preparation Programs Make Meaning of Their Whiteness, White Privilege, and Multiculturalism," a NC State Ph.D. candidate concluded that "white male graduate students in student affairs preparation programs could benefit from required coursework in the areas of diversity and multiculturalism." And in this dissertation published in 2015, titled "Love and Hip Hop: The Meaning of Urban Reality Television in the Lives of Black College Women," a Florida State Ph.D. candidate examined "the consumption of urban reality television...to determine how the confluence of identity development and media influences inform understandings of Black womanhood among Black undergraduate women." The number of non-academic administrators at colleges and universities has more than doubled in the last 25 years, far outpacing the growth in students and faculty. According to a report from the American Institutes for Research, between 2000 and 2012 the average ratio of full-time faculty and staff per administrator declined 40 percent, to around 2.5 to 1.Today, there's an administrative position for everything: marketing, diversity, disability services, sustainability, environmental health, recruiting, technology, fundraising, and so on and so forth. Every year universities seem to find a "need" for new administrators, and each one brings a host of new lower-level staff positions. This trend has resulted in a vast bureaucracy living " high on the hog" at taxpayer expense. Perhaps equally troubling is that it also has resulted in the creation of advanced degree programs aimed at churning out university administrators.During a period in which many universities are experiencing budget shortfalls and enrollment stagnation, and advanced degree holders in more scholarly fields are working as adjunct professors and underemployed, the rise of higher education administration degree programs should come as a shock to university leaders and to taxpayers. Universities exist to transmit knowledge to new generations and to create new knowledge through research, not to create an army of bureaucrats who have little or no connection to improving student learning, and who enter the profession imbued with the social justice mindset (more on that later).Several hundred universities now offer programs specifically tailored to train the next generation of orientation directors and student affairs specialists. Students interested in entry-level positions in higher education administration, such as dorm manager and diversity coordinator, typically pursue a master's degree.The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), which maintains a database of available degree options, lists 225 different master's programs in the U.S. Those looking to advance to the top of the administrative food chain might seek a doctorate in education (Ed.D.) or doctorate of philosophy (Ph.D.) in higher education administration. NASPA lists 76 options for these programs.Nine universities in the University of North Carolina system-Appalachian State, Fayetteville State, NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Wilmington, East Carolina University, UNC Greensboro, and Western Carolina University-are among those listed by NASPA.For example, East Carolina University's doctoral degree in education leadership UNC Greensboro offers a master's of education program in student personnel administration in higher education designed to prepare graduates for jobs such as "residence hall director, coordinator of leadership programs, orientation director, and coordinator of student activities."After taking courses with titles like "Foundations of College Student Personnel Administration" and completing an administrative internship, Greensboro students can look forward to a nearly 100 percent job placement rate, according to the school's website.For even better odds at landing an administrative job, prospective students might look to Western Carolina University's master's in higher education student affairs, which boasts a 100 percent placement rate in higher education jobs or entrance into a Ph.D./Ed.D program.Programs outside of North Carolina advertise high placement rates as well. For example, Bowling Green State University's master's in college student personnel has a 97 percent rate and Northwestern University reports a 90 percent placement rate for graduates of its master's in higher education administration program. And nationally, it appears that higher education administration will remain a growing and lucrative career field for the foreseeable future. According to Florida State University's higher education degree website Such placement rates and job prospects starkly contrast with those of graduates of other, more academic, advanced degree programs in the humanities and even science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Many of those graduates are struggling to find work or underemployed . The message seems clear: if you want a job at a university, pursue non-academic roles requiring advanced degrees.Many universities are eager to blame the overall growth in administrative staff on the need to comply with a growing list of federal mandates, which the Pope Center analyzed last March. But even so, should these bureaucratic positions require advanced degrees? 2004 survey of chief student affairs officers concluded that graduate programs are not effectively preparing new professionals for the field of higher education administration. But instead of examining if these programs are necessary at all, the survey suggested that universities increase the number of required courses to impart the high-level skills allegedly required in administrative positions.But it would be fairly difficult to measure some of the "skills" that these programs claim to impart. For example, Western Carolina's master's in higher education student affairs program claims that, by the end of their studies, students will have developed an "appreciation of the worth and dignity of all people and to value differences." And graduates of North Carolina State University's master's of higher education administration program will demonstrate a "commitment to social justice advocacy in education and society."There are reasons beyond degree descriptions to doubt the educational quality of these programs, however. For instance, the dissertations produced by higher education administration Ph.D.s often lack scientific rigor and have an ideological slant:While it's not clear how such social justice and pop culture know-how enhances college administration, professional organizations, such as the Council for the Advancement of Standards for Higher Education, have nonetheless continued to push advanced degree requirements for university bureaucrats.This upward ratchet of credential and training requirements is perhaps not surprising, given that the higher education bureaucracy itself has ratcheted up so dramatically in size and scope in recent decades. What is surprising, however, is that university leaders and campus stakeholders have allowed administrators' self-interest to go unchecked.At a time when many universities are looking for ways to increase efficiency and tighten budgets, and many scholars and scientists are unable to find academic work, administrators are operating in a world of excess, as evidenced by the recent rise of administrative degree programs. This trend is yet another consequence of administrative bloat on college campuses. As long as that problem goes unaddressed, we should expect to see more and more universities churning out more and more overpaid, over-politicized, and over-credentialed administrators. [Your Business Name] Contact Info Phone: Fax: Email: Web: CAPITOLHILLCUBANS.COM Business Overview Geographic Area Line of Business Brands We Carry Products and Services Discounts Offered Additional Information Business Hours Timezone We Accept A growing number of police officers, military members of all ranks, firefighters and American citizens who value their constitutional rights are voicing their desires for the impeachment of two of the federal government's top law enforcement officials. Millions are signing petitions, making telephone calls to their representatives and senators, and sending emails imploring their leaders to take action even before the November 8 election. (See link for the official petition below.)As a result of yeoman's work achieved by the staffs of Judicial Watch and others non-profit watchdogs, Americans have learned that the Democratic Party's true leader former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ran world affairs through an unauthorized, unprotected Internet server thrown together by her minions. The computer server was operating via Clinton's New York home.Of course, many have grudgingly given Wikileaks founder and publisher Julian Assange credit for releasing thousands and thousands of pages of emails and other documents but the mainstream news media have practically ignored the most serious evidence of wrongdoing in its quest to get Mrs. Clinton elected.According to a number of reports, including those from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, she conducted government business - including transmission of secret and top secret material - on her private server, private laptop and personal cell phones despite repeated warnings. State Department officials had warned her about security risks to no avail and despite that fact she promulgated her own memo to all of her minions.said former Department of Justice prosecutor Sidney Powell.According to Ms. Powell, Hillary Clinton's home server doubled as a Clinton Foundation communications system that benefited Hillary and Bill Clinton with vast amounts of cash including hundreds of millions of dollars in gratuities, donations, and fees for speeches.Bill's exorbitant " speaking fees " at hundreds of events throughout the world were all quickly approved as requested by Hillary Clinton's chief of staff Cheryl Mills at the State Department even though there was a conflict of interest attached to the entire transaction including the huge fees.said Ms. Powell who spent 10-years at the Justice Department.Attorney Sidney Powell stated:More than a dozen prosecuting attorneys, anti-racketeering investigators and government advisors have noted that Hillary Clinton's personal home server allowed her to send and receive all of her emails and run the State Department free from protected, secure, and required government channels.said Jacob Lerner, a former corporate security investigator who once investigated organized crime cases.That is why 18 USC 793 (d) and (f) make it a crime punishable by imprisonment for 10 years to even move any information relating to the national defense from secure conditions or to fail to return it upon demand. Clinton did both-repeatedly.The unsecure server also facilitated the clearly conflicting roles of Clinton confidant and protege Huma Abedin, who was paid simultaneously by the ClintonFoundation and the taxpayers through the State Department. That made it easier for the double-dipping Abedin to schedule meetings quickly for Clinton with those who had paid to play-substantial donors to the Foundation, such as the Crown Prince of Bahrain, who had been denied a face-to-face through those pesky State Department protocols in place for mere mortals. His millions in contributions to the Foundation got him an appointment with Clinton through Abedin in a matter of hours.said Powell.And let's not forget obstruction of justice under 18 USC 1519. That statute was tailor-made to fit the facts of the Clinton cabal's destruction of evidence. It reads: Whoever knowingly alters, destroys, mutilates, conceals, covers up, falsifies, or makes a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States or any case filed under title 11, or in relation to or contemplation of any such matter or case, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.Click on the link below to sign the petition. This is not a scam or trick. It is a serious attempt to remove two powerful but compromised people from office. 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 Central Board of Secondary Education has reportedly restored the affiliation to the 6 schools of the NPS group. These schools 5 in Bengaluru and 1 in Mysuru were stripped off their CBSE affiliation recently. Being accused of forging and producing fake minority certificates, revoking of the ban by the CBSE comes in as a huge relief. Accusing the NPS schools of forging and producing fake minority certificates, the CBSE had withdrawn affiliation of six schools belonging to the National Public School Group on September 7, 2016. [Read the complete story here] The schools are listed below: National Public School in Rajajinagar, National Public School in Indiranagar, National Public School in Koramangala, National Public School in H.S.R. Layout, National Public School in Mysuru, National Academy for Learning in Basaveshwara Nagar According to reports, the Chairman of NPS Group of Schools said, "CBSE has restored affiliation to the schools with immediate effect. Our students will continue to follow the CBSE syllabus, and appear for the board exams as scheduled." "We are continuing to pursue all legal processes, challenging the allegations made against NPS," Gopalakrishna stated. He also wrote to the parents of the students of NPS saying that the school will function normally and will follow the CBSE syllabus. The issue came to light in February this year when the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions wrote to the Commissioner for Public Instruction pointing out that the minority certificates produced by the schools under the group were forged. An FIR was filed against the school in Mysuru. Earlier in August, the Department of Public Instruction had directed CBSE to withdraw affiliation as the schools had dodged the 25% reservation under the RTE quota by forging and producing fake minority certificates. The letter had stated: "The management of these schools have violated the RTE Act and are indulging in fraudulent means in order to circumvent the provisions of the RTE Act and are involved in criminal activities. Hence, this is a request to withdraw the CBSE affiliation of the schools and to take any further action as per extant rules." Meanwhile, everything is normal with the NPS Group but what about the case? Bringing in a sigh of relief to thousands of students, Stanford University has decided to waive tuition fees for poor students. The lenient tuition fees policy of the Standford University, USA will make education affordable and accessible to students without having to take huge amounts in loan. According to Provost John W. Etchemendy, the highest priority of Stanford remains providing affordable and accessible to the most talented students, regardless of their financial circumstances. "Our generous financial aid program accomplishes that, and these enhancements will help even more families, including those in the middle class, afford Stanford without going into debt," added Etchemendy in his statement. Who is eligible for lenient tuition fees policy of Stanford University? Students whose families annual income is less than $125,000 will be exempted from tuition fees. Also students whose families assets does not exceed $300,000 are also eligible. Here, family assets includes home equity except retirement saving accounts. Tuition fees at Stanford can go up tp $46,000 annually and accommodation charges can be approximately $14,000 per year. However, for those students whose family annual income doesn't exceed $65,000 will not have to pay accommodation fees. Stanford University will not exempt the entire fees. Students have to pay at least $ 5,000 by means of part-time jobs or summer jobs to the varsity. Universities like Princeton, Harvard and Yale also waive tuition fees for those whose families annual income is less than $120,000 per year. Free accommodation is provided for those whose family income does not exceed $60,000 per year. The primary objective of these universities by waiving fees is to provide education to poor students that is affordable and to prevent them from heavy education debt. The cost of education the USA has been increasing in the last ten years and will continue to be so. Stanford University claimed that 77 per cent of its graduate students are debts free unlike most graduates from other universities in US which are debt ridden by the time they graduated. The United State President Barack Obama had vouched to make community colleges free for high school pass-outs with good GPAs earlier this year. Some community colleges in states such as Tennessee and Chicago have adopted free tuition fees model in order to made education accessible to all. American International Group will sell off some of its Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe operations to Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., and the two companies in turn expect to form a strategic partnership to support multinational clients. The deal, pending regulatory approvals, is worth about $240 million, AIG said. It also represents another major step in AIGs ongoing push to streamline, divest some assets and return at least $25 billion to shareholders through 2017. This partnership marks a significant step forward in achieving the strategic priorities of AIG, as well as Fairfax, AIG President and CEO Peter Hancock said in prepared remarks. Fairfax Chairman and CEO Prem Watsa noted that its acquisition of some of AIGs Latin American and Central/Eastern European operations fits with its own expansion strategy. The [Latin American] companies are well established in their respective markets with experienced management teams and a disciplined approach to underwriting, and they will significantly expand Fairfaxs footprint in Latin America, Watsa said in prepared remarks. He added that AIGs Central/Eastern European operations Fairfax will be acquiring follows on our recent expansion in Eastern Europe through our previously announced QBE transaction [in 2014] and will accelerate our plans for long-term growth in the region. AIGs agreement with Fairfax, a global property/casualty insurer and reinsurer, is multifaceted. It calls for AIG to sell Fairfax its local commercial and consumer operations in Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Turkey. As well, Fairfax is also acquiring renewal rights for the portfolio of local business written by AIGs Central and Eastern European operations in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. Additionally, Fairfax is assuming AIGs Central/Eastern European operating assets and employees. At the same time, Fairfax is becoming the primary strategic multinational network partner slated to serve AIGs global clients in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe. AIG will back the effort through reinsurance and claims handling capabilities. In other words, AIG is streamlining, but not quite leaving either market region. The property/casualty insurance giant said the move furthers its goal of refocusing its efforts in regions that will allow for the most profitable growth for its commercial and consumer insurance divisions. But AIG asserts it will still retain global capacity for its individual and corporate clients that require it. AIGs agreement with Fairfax follows its deal earlier in October to transfer about 25,000 auto policies in Brazil to a unit of Porto Seguro SA, another move to reduce its international businesses. Source: AIG Another Expensive Policy Issue in The Beaufort County Commissioners Election -- Building More Schools Some Beaufort County schools are over crowded. And some schools are as much as half empty. We have a school system with a slowly declining enrollment. In round numbers, we have more than 9,000 seats and 7,000 students.. I would estimate two thirds of our buildings are less than 25 years old. I am alarmed at the opinions of the candidates who participated in the Republican Club forum held at a restaurant in Chocowinity on Thursday September 29. My concern was because three Republican commissioner candidates and one school board candidate readily agreed to settle our overcrowding by spending the money to build more buildings. Let's see now, we have two thousand empty seats. At 1,000 students per school that is two whole schools. Today to build those two schools would cost about 20 million dollars. I did not participate in the candidate forum at Chocowinity because the Republican Club did not allow video taping or recording of the event. You know how I am about giving the public all the information. As I understand, three schools are full. Chocowinity, Washington High, and Bath. During the joint meeting between the School Board and County Commissioners held during the Spring of 2016, the school board proposed replacing two modular buildings at Washington High School. Both buildings total about 3,600 square feet. I estimate replacement would cost about $400,000. However, the School Board agreed to do a facilities capacity and districting study before asking for money for new buildings. I thought the issue would not come up until we got the study. Was I wrong? Commissioners, commissioner candidates and some school board members have lobbied each other to the point that the three Republican candidates for commissioner and at least one school board member have decided to just spend the money. The issue is much bigger than the $400,000 for Washington High. If we solve part of our crowding problems by replacing the modular buildings at Washington High School, we would have to build more buildings at Chocowinity and possibly Bath. A cheap fix for all of this would be 3 million dollars but a first class fix could run to as much a 10 million dollars. All of this is increased spending. Beaufort County has a record of bad judgement about the cost of schools. They use the money method, I predict we will spend a lot of money and still have a school system with a huge over capacity. Taxes would go up again to pay for more bonds for the schools. I am concerned about the candidates and incumbents making back room decisions about large money matters without having any information at all. It is the commissioner's duty and job to protect the public from wasteful spending. The basis for the money method of solving this seating capacity problem is that both incumbent commissioners and school board members think they would not be re re-elected if they did anything other than spend the money to build the schools. These four candidates are willing to use the tax payers money to buy themselves a political office. I guess that is the way politicians do it these days. Be careful who you vote for. Most of these candidates are looking after themselves and not the taxpayer. We have seen a lot of that lately in Beaufort County. Audi says that a decision has yet to be made about whether the company will exit LMP1 after the 2017 season. Over the weekend, reports emerged suggesting that the Volkswagen Group had decided to stop Audis LMP1 programme in the wake of dieselgate. According to the firms head of motorsport Wolfgang Ullrich however, thats just not true. While speaking with Motorsport, Ullrich said We have seen so many rumours in the press during the last years, and the good thing is in most cases the negative ones didnt occur/ So Im optimistically looking forward to the future. We are organising our race programme in the standard way, which is always in the autumn of the year. The meeting of the board where normally the motorsport programme is defined has not taken place yet, so nothing is decided, he confirmed. Ullrich also went on to defend the future of diesel engines, despite some automakers shying away from them and suggesting that they only have a limited lifespan. We think that the diesel engine is still one of the most efficient combustion engines you can get. They can be very clean, its just a question of working on it and developing it. As long as efficiency is a key factor, we think the diesel in racing is still a good solution, he said. PHOTO GALLERY The process of finding and fixing the first Honda N600 imported to America has been documented, but now comes the crucial moment: it starts. Honda honored its history in the United States when it recovered the first car it imported to the country in 1969, kickstarting its transition from a motorcycle company to one of the worlds major automotive manufacturers. The success of the N600 later brought on the startling popularity of the Civic and the Accord in the 1970s, laying the groundwork for Honda as we know it today. But the six-month restoration process was the work of Los Angeles-based Tim Mings and his team, who were documented in the 12-part web series from Honda at SerialOne.com. In this final chapter, the car is being given its finishing touches (including doors, so a couple of major things) before it was revealed at Septembers Japanese Classic Car Show amidst a hoard of Honda fans. Check out the clip below and see SerialOne.com for the rest of the series. Video Photo Gallery If you like fast, subcompact Fords, then the 182 PS (180 hp) and 214 lb-ft (290 Nm) Fiesta ST is the best one out there. Unless, you dont take into account Mountunes variant. The British specialist, known for its rallying expertise, has decided to up the Fiesta STs power to levels worthy of an RS model if such a thing existed. Sadly, Ford doesnt offer a Fiesta RS, but the MR265 upgrade kit is the perfect substitute. Mountune says the MR265 builds upon the hardware found in the MR230, adding a new hybrid turbocharger, high-flow rear intake pipework, silicone hoses, a larger intercooler and so on. The result is a re-tweaked 1.6-lire EcoBoost capable of boasting, as the name suggest, 265 PS (261 hp) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) of torque. The M265 wont be available in the U.S., but according to Autoblog, Mountunes mission to make the Fiesta faster wont stop here. Ken Anderson, president of Mountunes US operations, told the magazine that the American branch will squeeze 280 PS (276 hp) out of the Fiestas tiny engine. Mr. Anderson did not reveal the entire upgrade recipe, but he said the kit will include a Garret GT2554R turbocharger bolted on to the stock exhaust manifold, among other mods. Bring it on, we say. PHOTO GALLERY A spectacular Huayra has just landed in China and is certainly among the finest vehicles to ever leave the Italian firms small production facility. The limited-run Huayra Dinastia was initially announced in late 2014 and, at the time, three examples were confirmed for production to mark the inauguration of Pagani China Automotive Limited. One was to be finished in gold carbon fiber, one in blue carbon fiber and one in red carbon fiber. Evidently, Pagani decided to add a fourth to that list with this purple carbon Huayra Dinastia dubbed the Yazi and boy does it look stunning. Alongside the carbon body work, it includes the optional Pacchetto Tempesta package which includes the fitment of new wheels, an extended carbon front splitter and a bespoke rear diffuser. As with other Dinastia models, Yazi has custom side skirts and a special fin on the decklid with a unique graphic. Beyond the bold exterior, the cabin of the car is also rather amazing with bright turquoise leather and stitching as well as black alcantara and numerous carbon fiber parts. PHOTO GALLERY The entire case arose out of testimony delivered by Pixar Animation Studios president Ed Catmull in a related case involving a U.S. Justice Department investigation, begun in 2010, of technology giants Google and Apple, among others. The companies in the earlier case settled for $415 million. Nitsch, a former DreamWorks Animation visual effects artist, first filed his lawsuit in September 2014 and was soon joined by plaintiffs Georgia Cano and David Wentworth. After initially having their suit thrown out based on statute of limitations issues, the plaintiffs managed to revive the case in August 2015. Their case alleges that the animation studios conspired to keep employee salaries artificially low by setting limits on wages and agreeing to not poach each others employees. DreamWorks, recently purchased by NBCUniversal, joins Twentieth Century Foxs Blue Sky Studios, Sony Pictures Animation, and Sony Pictures Imageworks in settling the case. That leaves only the Walt Disney Company and its affiliates Pixar and Lucasfilm, along with the now-defunct ImageMovers, to continue to contest the suit. As in any class action, no member of the class is required to accept any settlement, should he or she feel that the settlement amount is insufficient. Directions on opting out of the settlement will be included in the notice sent out to the class, if and when the court accepts the settlement. In their earlier settlements, Blue Sky agreed to contribute $5.95 million to the settlement fund, and Sony agreed to pay $13 million. The DreamWorks settlement now increases the total settlement among to nearly $69 million. Despite the settlement, DreamWorks continues to deny any wrongdoing in the case, and asserts that it is settling merely to avoid the risks and expense of a trial. Photo: Contributed The driver who rear-ended my car should have to arrange child care for my kids when I have to go for my treatments, and should have to sit in the waiting room with me." A friend is irritated about having to organize and fit medical care into her already busy life. I understand her irritation. I have an incredible family doctor, but I have to be in mighty bad shape before Ill squeeze the travel time to and from the clinic, and the inevitable time in the waiting room, into my schedule. An unglamorous example is the time I waited entirely too long to seek medical attention to deal with a certain growth on my backside that took on a life of its own, becoming known as Bob the boil. I shudder at the thought of having to fit one, two or perhaps three therapies into my weekly schedule, a common reality for those injured in motor-vehicle collisions. This has become my friends reality. My friends irritation isnt only about the scheduling imposition of these therapies, though. Its about unfairness. Its unfair that she should have to spend so much time and effort mopping up a mess that could so easily have been avoided. All the offending driver had to do was pay attention to what was going on ahead of him. Its also unfair that she is the one facing these consequences while the offending driver is going about his life facing none at all except perhaps a modest increase in his insurance premiums. Adding insult to injury, the offending driver unlikely even has any awareness that the victim of his inattentive driving was injured and having to take time out of her life trying to get better. Our liability insurance system, where ICBC steps in with legal responsibility for the injuries and losses caused by inattentive drivers, results in a disconnect between the cause and effect of inattentive driving and the aftermath. If those who cause these ridiculously avoidable collisions have no awareness of the consequences of their inattentiveness, what motivates them to become more attentive? What about the rest of the driving public? We all know that attentiveness is rampant. We could fix this. How about we come up with a set of consequences for inattentive driving just like we did for impaired driving? To avoid unfair application of the consequences, they could be imposed only in that ridiculous rear-ender scenario that on the face of it could not have occurred had the rear-ending driver been attentive. The consequences should be meaningful, just like those for impaired driving. Its fair that you lose your vehicle and driving privileges for a period of time. Its fair that you attend an awareness program that helps you understand the consequences of inattentive driving. Its fair that you pay the dollars and cents required to fund these consequences, i.e. for the towing, storage and programing. aWith the offender paying for the consequences, this would cost taxpayers nothing. Would immediate, significant, roadside imposed consequences for inattentive driving result in an improvement in overall driving attitudes, reduce crashes and end up reducing our insurance premiums? Id bet my house on it. It would also reduce the irritation felt by my friend and the multitude of others who currently are the only ones directly suffering the consequences of inattentive driving. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: Contributed A mother questions the legal system "How do I deal with the legal system after my son was killed by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel?" This was the question in my in-box from a mother who was trying to understand in the aftermath of a recent catastrophe. The two haunting concerns that she has is that this driver is still legally allowed to drive and the most significant consequence he might face for causing death is a traffic ticket. At its most basic, the investigation by police will involve the gathering of information about all involved, photographs, witness statements and perhaps a few measurements. A situation like this one should also involve an officer specially trained in collision reconstruction and a commercial vehicle inspector, as the offending vehicle was a five-tonne van. At best, a dedicated crash investigation team that employs many experienced investigators with a wide range of skills could be called to participate. A quick start and a thorough initial investigation to gather as much information as possible is critical to the outcome of any prosecution of the offending driver. This can take time to complete and then prepare a comprehensive report to Crown counsel for a decision on appropriate charges. What happens to the offending driver between the initial incident and the first appearance in court to face charges depends on many things: The severity of the incident The actions of the driver that led to it The driver's criminal and driving history The possibility of repeated similar behaviour. It is not uncommon to have an alcoholic driver with previous convictions released by a justice of the peace on a condition not to drive until the conclusion of the case for a current offence and could be considered for an incident such as this one. In British Columbia, once the police investigation is concluded and a report to Crown counsel is filed a decision will be made on how to deal with the offence. The Crown Counsel Policy Manual sets out responsibility for decisions and what the possible range of actions might be. Depending on the decision, actions may range from alternate measures, a traffic ticket or criminal prosecution. Finally, the issue of punishment for the offending driver is dealt with by the courts, assuming that the driver is convicted or pleads guilty. Again, the range of outcomes is extensive, ranging from alternative resolutions, Motor Vehicle Act convictions, and criminal convictions including fines, house arrest and jail sentences. The judge is restricted in applying penalty by case law and the charges that Crown Counsel chooses to prosecute. RoadSafetyBC, also known as the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles can choose to take action if advised as well. The Superintendent can choose to prohibit a driver when it is in the public interest to do so. The Criminal Code of Canada says that a person commits homicide when: Directly or indirectly, by any means, s/he causes the death of a human being S/he causes the death of a human being by means of an unlawful act or by criminal negligence A driver is criminally negligent when s/he shows wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons. A commercial driver who must follow hours of service rules and disregards them could be considered to be showing reckless disregard, as well as any driver who is aware that s/he is excessively fatigued or falling asleep at the wheel and continues to drive. Story URL: http://www.drivesmartbc.ca/collisions/how-do-i-deal-legal-system-after-fatal-collision This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: DriveBC A Kelowna woman is lucky to be alive after she was broadsided by a logging truck on the William R. Bennet Bridge Sunday night. West Kelowna RCMP responded after a woman called police to report that she was trapped inside her car, about 9:39 p.m. Const. Jesse ODonaghey said emergency crews arrived on scene to discover the 20-year-old woman had managed to escape the vehicle unharmed, but her grey Mazda 3 sustained significant damage down the drivers side and was towed from the scene. Police have determined that a Kenworth logging truck and the Mazda were westbound on the bridge when the semi sideswiped the car as it pulled into the right-hand slow lane from the centre lane. The driver of the Kenworth was identified as a 53-year-old Revelstoke man. RCMP would like to ensure that motorists are aware that commercial vehicles have larger blind spots than passenger vehicles, said ODonaghey. Driving alongside a commercial vehicle can be dangerous. Drivers should consider slowing down to allow these vehicles to pull ahead or pass them when it is safe to do so. He added that both commercial and personal vehicle drivers are urged to properly signal their lane change. Witnesses are asked to contact West Kelowna RCMP at 250-768-2880. Photo: Contributed I am the young lady that was drawing with chalk on the sidewalk in Peachland in front of Ashlee Hyatts bench. My connection to Ashlee is through her cousin and through her mom. Her cousin is such a good friend that shes considered family in our house. I met Charrie through being involved in the community. It was such a beautiful moment when I realized our connection. Instantly she became family to me. It was after one of the votes that I did my first drawing with chalk. I wanted to show my support for Charrie and to raise awareness for what she has been going through. Shes been defending herself for too long. The chalk drawings created more happiness than I imagined. Instead of crying tears of sorrow Charrie was able to cry tears of joy. I spent less than an hour drawing with chalk and yet it meant so much to Charrie. It made our little town an even happier place. Yesterday (October 14th 2016) I drew with chalk because I was devastated when I heard the news about the flowers not being allowed. Im human. I have emotions. It tore me apart to hear that the flowers would not be allowed. I have lost too many people in my life. My own family has a bench in another city for lost loved ones. I drew more than just flowers yesterday. I also put peaceful quotes. Drawing on that sidewalk gave my such joy. I felt that I was doing something good with my life. That all changed when without warning a man in city overalls and a white truck came up and shoved his phone in my face and took my photo. I was upset and asked him why he was taking my photo. He said what I had been doing was vandalism. He took a few more photos before driving away quickly. I genuinely felt violated. I was in the process of doing something good for myself and for my community. To be made to feel like a criminal for what I was doing was wrong. Plenty of people sped along that stretch of beach avenue while I was drawing with chalk. Plenty of people jaywalked. None of them had a camera shoved in their face. That man was not the bylaw officer. He did not so much as identify himself. He did not ask for my name as he had no right to do so. He took my photo. It was legal but it was not right. He was trying to scare me. He did a good job at that. I was shaken after that. I was thankful to have a man and a woman out walking stop and comfort me. They were complete strangers at that point but showed great compassion. After they left I broke down. I suffer quite severely from Generalized Anxiety Disorder and panic attacks. It was then that I had a panic attack. I was nauseous, dizzy, my hands and feet went numb, I was crying, and I was having trouble breathing. Out there I felt trapped. I was in no condition to drive so I could not even get home. I live here because before this happened this town helped so much with my anxiety. Before this I felt safe and at home within my community. That unknown man came halfway through my drawing. It took over an hour before my panic attack was over. As I started feeling better I started to complete my drawing. It helped me to recover from my panic attack. As I write this it is the next morning and my artwork is most likely gone. The chalk was flying away in the wind even as I was drawing it. I am sad to see it go but that is part of the beauty. The simple act of drawing a few flowers made me feel better and it helped countless others find peace. I was not acting as a criminal. I was acting as a human with compassion. I am hoping I will find the strength to go down a draw just a few flowers underneath the bench again. I feel I have made my point. I am a young person in this community of Peachland. I believe my voice matters. Please prove me right. Amanda Boden Photo: Carmen Weld - File photo Detailed crime scene and blood spatter analysis was presented in a Kelowna courtroom Monday. Crown counsel called a blood spatter expert to the stand at the beginning of the fourth week of Ryan Quigley's second-degree murder trial. Quigley is accused of killing his ex-fiancee, Aimee Parkes, in 2014 at the Hiawatha Mobile Home Park. Two days after Parkes' body was discovered in the home they shared at Hiawatha, Quigley was arrested and charged in her death. Quigleys lawyer, Kevin McCullough, told the court his client doesnt deny killing his ex-fiancee, but still pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Parkes worked at a Kelowna CIBC branch in the years before her death. On March 31, 2014, she told her coworkers she would be leaving work early as she was headed home to meet the locksmith because she was kicking Quigley out that day. Parkes' body was discovered next morning when her coworkers called the RCMP after she did not show up for work. She died from blood loss due to 26 stab wounds her head, neck and shoulders. Crown counsel will continue to call a few more witnesses this week before the trial is turned over to defence lawyer Kevin McCullough. It is expected the trial will much run longer than its originally scheduled four weeks. For past stories on this case, click here. The Cessna 500 Citation I jet was in circulation for more than 40 years before it crashed north of Kelowna Thursday evening. From its first private owner in 1974 to its final owner in 2016, the plane changed hands a dozen times and travelled through much of North America. According to PlaneLogger.com, the plane was first purchased in in 1974, traded hands with one more private owner before being purchased by the Mexican government in 1976. Between 1976 and 1995, PlaneLogger records show the plane was bought and sold twice by Comision Federal de Electricidad and one other private owner. In 1995, RASCO Inc. took ownership of the business jet before selling it to International Auto Brokers Inc. in 1998. The Provident Commercial Group Inc. reportedly bought the plane in 1999, selling it that same year to Chellair Corp. LINC Acquisition One LLC purchased the plane in 2003, before handing it off once again in 2004 to a trustee company, Aircraft Guaranty Title Corp. The plane finally crossed the Canadian border in 2005, purchased by numbered company, 1161071 Alberta Ltd. In 2009, Norjet took ownership of the plane. This specific plane took its first flight in 1974 and was not reportedly involved in any previous accidents or incidents. However, according to the Aviation Safety Network, this type of plane has been involved in dozens. The Citation C-GTNG took off from Kelowna International Airport on Oct. 13 before crashing in the hills near Lake Country. The crash killed Alberta's former premier, Jim Prentice, the father-in-law of one his daughters, Calgary optometrist Ken Gellatly, plane pilot Jim Kruk and Sheldon Reid, a Calgary businessman. It's expected to take a year for the Transportation Safety Board to finish its investigation. Experts have noted that even when the TSB has completed its investigation, the lack of cock-pit recorder or black box means we may never know what caused the Cessna to crash just minutes after taking off. Additionally, there was no distress call or emergency signal transmitted from the aircraft before the crash, leaving few clues as to why the plane failed. There are currently five TSB investigators working at the site, along with members of the BC Coroners Service. Multiple calls for comment to Norjet have not been returned. Photo: CTV Homicide investigators say a man killed in Langley was believed to be a "well-established" member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. Cpl. Meghan Foster of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says 56-year-old Burnaby resident Robert Green was killed Sunday, but she declined to release his cause of death. Langley RCMP say officers were called for a report of suspicious circumstances Sunday morning and arrived to find a male who had injuries consistent with foul play. Foster says police believe the attack was targeted and they are now looking to speak with anyone who may have witnessed the homicide or heard about it second hand. She declined to say whether an arrest has been made in the case, but did say that there are no direct links between the death and a shooting in Langley that left a Mission man with non-life threatening injuries Sunday night. Photo: TSB The Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate the scene of a plane crash just outside of Kelowna that killed four people, including former Alberta premier Jim Prentice. Reached Monday, the independent agency said it had no further details to release about the investigation itself. However, it did renew its call for expanded requirements for cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders. The plane crashed just after 9:30 p.m. Oct. 13 eight minutes after taking off from Kelowna International Airport, killing Prentice, pilot Jim Kruk, Sheldon Reid and Ken Gellatly. The TSB will soon be transferring relevant components from the aircraft wreckage to its Ottawa labratory for further analysis. Investigators will also work to gather more information about the surrounding terrain, weather conditions at the time and air traffic communications when the crash happened. They'll also obtain maintenance and pilot records. It's expected to be a year-long complex investigation that may yield no answers due to the lack of a black box on board. The Cessna 500 Citation I was owned by Calgary-based Norjet Inc., which has said in a statement they "will do everything necessary to fully co-operate with the Transportation Safety Board, and any other investigating authority." Photo: City of Kelowna Illumination comparison between LED streetlights (top) and High Pressure Sodium. Kelowna city council has given a tentative thumbs up to a plan that will see $13 million in savings over 15 years. The plan will see 10,000 of the city's approximately 13,000 street lights converted to LED from the current High Pressure Sodium lights. Conversion will take about a year to complete at a cost of $3.9 million. That will be reduced to $3.4 million after a negotiated $555,000 rebate from FortisBC. "We've been looking at LED lights for a long time, but the business case never worked," said civic operations director Joe Creron. "Over the last five years, between negotiations with FortisBC and an improvement in LED technology, today is a day where it's going to work." He said if FortisBC didn't come to the table, this wouldn't have worked. The city conducted a pilot project on five similar streets using lights from five different manufacturers. Energy programs manager Brydan Tollefson said the city learned through the project it can save about 55 per cent in energy costs switching to LED-based lighting. Maintenance costs will also decrease. Life expectancy of LED lights is between 15 and 20 years. The current lights are five to seven. "You will be interested to know we have LED lights in the parking lot at city hall," said Tollefson. "They've been there for 15 years and we've never had to touch them." Council was enthusiastic about the program but did want to know where the funding would come from. That, said Creron, has not yet been determined. Those details will be worked out before council is asked to give its final stamp of approval during the 2017 budget process in December. Photo: Google Street View Officials with Metro Vancouver's health authority say one person who was hospitalized with signs of a Listeria infection has died. Vancouver Coastal Health issued a public warning last week, advising people of a potential food poisoning outbreak connected to a Richmond grocery store. Spokeswoman Carrie Stefanson says the person who died had been hospitalized with symptoms of a possible Listeria infection, but it is unclear what caused the person's death because he or she was elderly and had underlying health conditions. The health authority has said at least six people were hospitalized with signs of Listeria infection, and urged people not to consume any ready-made products or produce purchased from Foody World since July. Stefanson says the store remains closed and will need to undergo a series of inspections showing health and safety standards have been met before it can reopen. Foody World could not immediately be reached for comment. Photo: TSB The Transportation Safety Board is calling for expanded requirements for cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders following last week's plane crash north of Kelowna. TSB team members are currently focused on the collection of information from the accident site and other sources. The absence of the equipment will make the investigation "particularly challenging," the TSB said Monday afternoon. The Cessna Citation, owned by Norjet Inc. of Calgary, was not equipped with, nor was it required to carry a CVR or FDR. In Canada, only multi-engine, turbine-powered commercial aircraft flown by two pilots and carrying six or more passengers are required to carry a CVR on board. In Canada, Transport Canada requires medium and large commercial aircraft to be equipped with onboard flight recorders, but there are still no requirements for such recorders on smaller aircraft, said Kathy Fox, chair of the TSB. As early as 1991, the board made a recommendation calling for the upgrade of flight recorder requirements. This latest accident is another reminder of how important these recorders are. If we are to get to the underlying causes of these tragic accidents, Transport Canada and the aviation industry need to take immediate action to address this outstanding safety issue. Since then, the aviation industry has developed several different lightweight flight recording systems that could be installed in smaller aircraft at low cost. These could be used by accident investigators to identify safety deficiencies and reduce risk for other pilots. And again in 2013, the board recommended the Department of Transport work with industry to remove obstacles to implementation of flight data monitoring for such aircraft. The TSB urges the industry and private corporate aircraft owners to take advantage of the new, low-cost flight recording technology to advance safety in their operations, said Fox. The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. It does not assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability. Photo: The Canadian Press NBC News has fired "Today" show host Billy Bush, who was caught on tape in a vulgar conversation about women with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump before an "Access Hollywood" appearance. Bush was suspended at the morning show two days after contents of the 2005 tape were reported on Oct. 7. Once it became clear he wouldn't be back, NBC and Bush's representatives had been negotiating terms of his exit. On the tape, Bush is heard laughing as Trump talks about fame enabling him to grope and try to have sex with women not his wife. Trump has denied groping women, and Bush later said he was "embarrassed and ashamed" by what was caught on tape. NBC made the announcement of his firing in a note from "Today" show top executive Noah Oppenheim to his staff. Oppenheim called Bush, who spent 15 years at "Access Hollywood," ''a valued colleague and longtime member of the broader NBC family. We wish him success as he goes forward." Bush, a 44-year-old father of three and nephew of former President George H.W. Bush, said he was "deeply grateful for the conversations I've had with my daughters, and for all of the support from family, friends and colleagues. I look forward to what lies ahead." The settlement with NBC did not include a non-compete clause, meaning Bush "is a free agent," said his lawyer, Marshall Grossman. Financial terms of the deal were kept confidential. In an interview with CNN on Monday, Trump's wife, Melania, said that her husband was "egged on" by Bush in the conversation. "I wonder if they even knew the mic was on," Melania Trump said, referring to her husband and Bush. She said they were involved in "boy talk, and he was led on like egged on from the host to say dirty and bad stuff." Photo: Facebook - BC Wildfire Service UPDATE: 10:25 a.m. It looks like the rapattack base in Salmon Arm isn't in danger of closing, after all. The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations said a decision was made to phase-out catering services and accommodation services for the crews stationed there. "The ministry is not closing the rapattack base," said the statement sent to Castanet. "Accommodations and meals have been provided to Salmon Arm initial attack crews since the late 1970s." The ministry said that as part of a "comprehensive review to ensure best use of taxpayers' dollars and due to Salmon Arm no longer being a remote location," it made the decision to phase out catering services by January 2017 and accommodation services by January 2018 in Salmon Arm. ORIGINAL The future of B.C.'s rapattack forest firefighters is in doubt following a decision to close their barracks in Salmon Arm. CBC reports the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations quietly made the decision following consultations at last month's Union of B.C. Municipalities conference in Victoria. Catering service is slated to end in January, and housing for the fire crews in 2018. Rapattack firefighters rappel from helicopters into remote locations to fight fires where helicopters are unable land and have been a fixture in B.C.'s forest firefighting arsenal since the 1970s. The Salmon Arm base is the only one of its kind in the province, however 33 communities do have initial attack crews to battle forest fires, including ones with accommodation in Fort Nelson, Alexis Creek, Dease Lake and Princeton, according to the Vancouver Sun. That leaves Salmon Arm Mayor Nancy Cooper fearful for the future of the program, as fire season coincides with tourist season, when rental accommodation is at its tightest. The decision will affect about 30 firefighters at the base. A Butte man already charged in state court with robbing the Valley Federal Credit Union in the Billings Heights is facing federal charges. David Lee Brown Jr., 39, pleaded not guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Billings to bank robbery and to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The indictment accuses Brown of using a firearm to rob the Valley Federal Credit Union, located at 1445 Main St., of $2,752 on Sept. 7. Brown was previously charged with the robbery in state court. He pleaded not guilty to armed robbery and evidence tampering charges. Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito said Monday because Brown has been indicted in federal court, the state charges will be dismissed. Court records in the state case said the robbery happened shortly before 2:35 p.m. on Sept. 7. Credit union employees told police that a man walked in wearing dark clothing, gloves and a dark bandanna over his face, while holding a semiautomatic handgun. Brown pointed the gun at an employee and told her to, Fill the bag and no bait. The employee put $2,750 in the bag and handed it back to Brown, court records said. Witnesses told law enforcement that the suspect ran into the Arbys parking lot and got into the passenger seat of a Ford Taurus while a blonde woman waited in the drivers seat. The woman had been in the bank earlier and had left abruptly. Officers tracked the woman and Brown to their home address through a name the woman had written on some paperwork, court records said. Brown and the woman consented to a search of the Ford Taurus and their home, and officers found a $20 bait bill on the floor of the car, court records said. A bait bill has a serial number that the bank keeps on file to track bills that may be stolen. Brown told investigators he stole the money because he was using meth and owed money for drugs, court records said. A co-worker had given him the gun and the two had tried unsuccessfully to rob some drug dealers earlier in the day, the records said. If convicted in federal court, Brown faces a maximum 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the bank robbery count and a mandatory minimum seven years to life in prison on the gun count consecutive to any other sentence. Brown remains in custody. The case will be heard by U.S. District Judge Susan Watters. Photo: YouTube A New Jersey black bear that walked upright on its hind legs due to an injury, and became a social media darling, is believed to be dead. Officials with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on Monday said they believed the bipedal bear nicknamed Pedals had been killed by a hunter. The state's first expanded black bear hunt in more than 30 years ended on Saturday. Rumours surfaced online over the weekend that Pedals had been killed in the six-day hunt. On Monday, the department released pictures showing the lifeless body of a black bear with injured paws, just like the ones Pedals had. The department says it can't confirm the identity of the bear, because Pedals was never tagged. The bear was often captured on video strolling around New Jersey neighbourhoods. Photo: CFIA Those who bought ground meat in Port McNeill may have gotten more than they bargained for. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a number of ground meats sold at the Vancouver Island community's IGA because they may contain metal shavings. "Consumers should not consume the recalled products," says the CFIA. Recalled products include ground beef, ground pork and meatballs. For a detailed list of recalled products, check the CFIA's website. Photo: Getty Images A charity in Metro Vancouver wants to be certain a very unusual donation is not a mistake. The charity, based in Ladner recently found an expensive piece of jewelry in its donation box. The gold and diamond bracelet was spotted around Sept. 22 and Delta Police say the charity is concerned it may have been donated inadvertently. The item is described as unique in design and of significant value. Police have been asked to help track the owner and say the bracelet is unusual enough that the owner should have no trouble describing it. If the owner does not come forward, police say the jewelry will be returned to the charity and accepted as a generous donation. The TSB is again pushing for (black boxes) in small aircraft. I admire the work of the TSB and the many worthwhile changes they have affected. Although this recommendation is well intentioned to make it much easier to determine the cause of a catastrophic aircraft accident, the reality is that there are thousands of small aircraft other then jets to be considered. It has already been acknowledged that a voice recorder would not likely help with a single pilot aircraft as they would not be talking to anyone about what was happening. It would likely be impossible at least financially to retrofit old aircraft such as the Cessna 172 series (as one example) with flight data recorders. It is a four place single engine aircraft with more than 43,000 built. Do we exempt them because they are not as important as four place corporate jets? Where do you draw the line? I do not always agree with Transport Canadas rule making, but they do have to consider all factors and cost is one of them. All things could be safer if money was no object but in real life, dollars matter. Gord Marshall Photo: The Canadian Press Salvage crews have removed more than 23,000 litres of diesel from a sunken tug on British Columbia's central coast in the latest effort to avert an environmental disaster near the Great Bear Rainforest. A second attempt to empty more than 200,000 litres of fuel from the Nathan E. Stewart began late Monday afternoon and continued through the night in Seaforth Channel, about 20 kilometres west of Bella Bella. The latest joint situation report says diesel was being transferred from the ship at a rate of about 500 litres per minute with the entire operation expected to conclude sometime Wednesday morning. About 25,000 litres of fuel was pumped out of the tug shortly after it ran aground last Thursday, but the pumps failed cutting short that salage effort. Once the fuel is removed the tug's owner, Texas-based Kirby Corp., hopes to use a crane to lift it from the water and barge it out of the area. Members of the Heiltsuk Nation, along with provincial and federal agencies have been working to contain any fuel leaks and protect sensitive shellfish beds that are vital to the local economy. A shoreline treatment plan has been developed for Seaforth Channel and officials hoped to put it into effect after wildlife were seen within the spill area, although no oiled birds or animals have been spotted. Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau released a statement Monday confirming his concern about the grounding. He appointed a minister's observer to ensure quick action if preliminary findings from the Transportation Safety Board identify safety issues that could prevent future groundings. Garneau also suspended the exemption that allowed the Nathan E. Stewart to operate without a pilot in Seaforth Channel, and the suspension applies to all vessels operated by Kirby Corp., the tug's owner. "The Nathan E. Stewart incident underlines the need for changes in the way we respond to marine pollution incidents, and that is why I am currently working on a coastal strategy to improve marine safety in a meaningful way," Garneau said in the news release. The Transportation Safety Board announced Monday it was gathering information and conducting interviews with crew members for its assessment of what went wrong. Photo: Contributed Meet new friends, save money and the environment this week. During Carpool Week 2016, residents in the Okanagan are encouraged to share a ride on their way to work and school. The first Canadian Carpool Week campaign started in Calgary in October of 2003. This year, many more communities are on board: Red Deer, Lethbridge, Regina, Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, Summerland, Peachland, Oliver and other Okanagan communities. From Oct. 17-21, increase awareness about the benefits of carpooling and you could win prizes, such as $100 to $200 fuel cards. Participants can enter to win fuel cards by participating in any of these three activities: be a new registrant, returning registrant search, or complete a survey all at www.carpool.ca. Follow carpool alerts on Twitter, Facebook and Google. Photo: Contributed A 40-strong delegation from Armstrong visited its sister city in Rathfriland, Northern Ireland. It's a hill town and pretty unique, said John Trainor, head of the sister city committee. The two communities are linked by Catherine Schubert, the first European woman to enter B.C. overland from eastern Canada in 1862. Schubert was born in Rathfriland and crossed the Atlantic at the age of 16. She moved to Armstrong in 1892. Eleven (members of the delegation) were direct descendents of Catherine Schubert O'Hare, Trainor said. The group met with dignitaries in the region, attended a concert and toured the Bronte Homeland Interpretive Centre where the father of the famous sister authors was born and preached. We've invited them back. Trainor said there's hope a group from Rathfriland will attend next year's Interior Provincial Exhibition as Canada celebrates its 150th birthday. Photo: Getty Images An external review of B.C.'s grizzly bear management procedures provided the province with 51 recommendations to enhance the system already in place. According to Minister of Forests and local MLA Steve Thomson, the province is now taking steps to improve its procedures in light of recommendations from the expert panel. The authors of the Scientific Review of Grizzly Bear Harvest Management System in B.C. found that the province has a high level of rigour and adequate safeguards in place to ensure the long-term stability of grizzly populations. They also note that B.C. has produced more DNA-based population estimates for grizzly bears than any other similar jurisdiction in the world. But the report also includes 51 recommendations aimed at enhancing habitat protection, population inventory, access and harvest management and increasing public consultation. The report was prepared by a panel of three respected wildlife biologists outside of B.C., all leaders in the field of grizzly bear research and conservation. "Assessing the sustainability of wildlife harvest is a challenge for many species, but the B.C. grizzly bear harvest management procedures are rigorous, science-based and have meaningful safeguards, said co-author Andrew Derocher. The future of grizzly bears in the coming decades, however, will depend on planning, habitat management, population monitoring and conservative harvest levels." The province says wildlife staff are now updating the grizzly bear harvest management procedure to address some of the recommendations, while others require additional analysis. "The panel confirmed that B.C.'s population estimates are second to none and has provided many valuable recommendations that will further improve grizzly bear management decisions in B.C. and help guide long-term conservation policy and procedures for years to come, said Thomson. According to the province there are estimated 15,000 grizzly bears in B.C. To read the full report, click here. Photo: CTV Firefighters in Vernon and Salmon Arm won't just be rescuing people from burning buildings anymore. The Happy Dogs Legacy Campaign is donating four pet oxygen masks to each fire department, following a fundraising campaign. The devices are being purchased and sent to fire halls across B.C. at no cost to the fire departments. The campaign began after a Burnaby house fire in late May that took the lives of seven dogs and two cats. "Knowing that there will soon be 328 more pet oxygen masks sets in use around the province gives us hope that more companion animals, of all shapes and sizes, will have a fighting chance if exposed to smoke in a fire and that the heartache over the loss of a pet can be prevented," said Elisha McCallum, spokesperson for the campaign. Photo: Getty Images British Columbia's auditor general says appropriate security controls are not always in place for thousands of mobile devices used by government employees, putting sensitive information at risk. Carol Bellringer says there is no central record of devices such as smartphones and tablets and that's concerning because information can't be protected without an inventory of the equipment being used. Bellringer has issued a report on security of mobile devices used by the Office of the Chief Information Officer and five ministries with the highest security risks. She says any loss, theft, or exposure of information accessed via mobile devices could have serious implications for the government and B.C. residents. The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner also released a report on mobile-device management, focusing on privacy, and both offices have produced a list of 15 tips on how citizens can maintain security of their own devices. Acting privacy commissioner Drew McArthur says the government has a responsibility to protect personal information and provide employees with ongoing training on privacy and security. The father who admitted to helping his wife abduct their children during a supervised visit was given a deferred sentence Monday for his involvement in the kidnapping. Donald Ira Stratton, 35, was given a three-year deferred sentence for a charge of custodial interference. Stratton previously admitted to helping his wife, Maria Christianna Sandoval, abduct their two daughters in November 2015. Stratton's involvement in the abduction was not a plan, his attorney Brandon Hartford argued. "They were my kids and I went after them," Stratton said. Stratton had lost almost everything and regretted his actions that day, Hartford said. "I wish I would have never done it," Stratton said. Yellowstone County District Court Judge Russell Fagg deferred Stratton's sentence, ordering him to pay a $2,500 fine. Sandoval is still in custody and set to be sentenced later this week. According to court documents, Sandoval was scheduled for a supervised visit with her two children, Abbigail Renee Stratton, age 4 months, and Gabriella Rose Stratton, age 2, at the Center for Children and Families on Oct. 26. When an aide left the room to get some paperwork, Sandoval allegedly took the children from the center. According to another worker at the center, Stratton was waiting in a Kia car in the parking lot. The aide did not see if Sandoval and the kids got into the car with Stratton. An Amber Alert was issued as part of the effort to recover the children. At about 3 p.m. on Oct. 26, the Kia was found abandoned at the parking area of Zimmerman Park, just off Highway 3. Authorities later found Sandoval in Vaughn, a town a short distance northwest of Great Falls. Cascade County Authorities said Stratton and Sandoval took a 1994 GMC Suburban to Vaughn and had the children in the car with them. Photo: CTV Port Alberni native Colby Messer. Officials in Denver, Colo., say sexual assault charges against a British Columbia man have been dropped. The Denver District Attorney's Office says in a release that two charges against Colby Messer of Port Alberni were dismissed when new information developed in the case. Messer initially faced six counts of sexual assault related to an alleged attack in a Denver hotel room last November, but four of the charges were dropped in August following a preliminary hearing. The office says it was determined the remaining charges could no longer be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Messer, who is 30, was arrested in March when he returned to the United States. Court documents show three other Vancouver Island men were described as suspects in the case, but charges were not laid against them. Messers lawyer Kenneth Eichner told CTV News that "the only crime my client committed was he went drinking with his friends and he passed out." Its been absolutely traumatic on him, his parents, his community. To be falsely accused and be wrongly vilified like this is extremely difficult, Eichner told CTV. This type of damage to ones reputation is just horrible. If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... A man twice convicted of assaulting a woman and facing new charges for breaking into her home, was held Monday on a $150,000 bond. Glenn Thomas Sneed, 35, was charged with burglary, partner or family member assault and misdemeanor violation of a partner or family member assault protection order. Prosecutors recommended Yellowstone County Justice of the Peace David Carter hold Sneed in place of a $50,000 bond. Carter tripled the prosecutor's suggestion. When Sneed made a sound of disgust, Carter said the bond was justified because Sneed continued to ignore court orders. If Sneed posts out of jail, he will be required to submit to pre-trial GPS monitoring. At about 4 p.m. Thursday, Billings Police got a call from a woman who said her ex-boyfriend was attempting to break into her home, according to court documents. While the dispatcher was on the phone with the woman, the suspect was able to get inside the house through a back window. When an officer arrived on the 200 block of South 29th Street, he saw the woman exit the home as a man attempted to shut the front door. The man was arrested and taken to the Yellowstone County Detention Facility. The woman told officers the man was Sneed, her ex-boyfriend. Sneed had come to her house and started banging on her door, demanding she let him in, according to court documents. The woman refused, dragging a small dresser in front of the door and moving to the back of the house to call 911. While she was on the phone, Sneed ripped off the screen of a window and climbed into the house, according to court documents. At the jail, Sneed refused to sign an order telling him to stay away from the woman. Sneed has two previous misdemeanor convictions from this year for assaulting the woman. Tajikistan starts cement exports to Uzbekistan ICR Newsroom By 18 October 2016 Tajikistan has commenced the export of cement to Uzbekistan, according to the Tajik Ministry of Industry. Since the start of this year, the country has witnessed a steep growth in cement output, boosted by the commissioning of Huaxin Gayur Cement Co, which commissioned its Yovon plant in late September 2015 and first shipped cement to Afghanistan in January 2016. In the first nine months of 2016, Tajikistan produced 1.508Mt of cement, 408,200t more than the previous years corresponding period. During this time, Tajikistan has exported 162,000t of cement to Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and now also Uzbekistan. Published under A large chunk of Montanas economy will be at stake when Congress begins work on a new farm bill, and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., is warning the states farm and timber workers to be prepared. Montanas senior senator met Monday with agriculture leaders in Billings. He said current U.S. politics will make it tough to advance big-ticket farm bill programs like crop insurance and land conservation. Montana farmers need to be ready for the debate. Theres a lot of pressure out there to do away with subsidies, and theres a lot of pressure to make sure were not giving subsidies to the wrong people, Tester told The Gazette. Its going to take some time, to have those debates to make sure that it actually provides a safety net, nobodys getting rich off it, and it supports farmers down the road. Agriculture has contributed as much at $3 billion annually to Montanas economy in recent years, making it the states single largest economic sector, enough so that the farm bill is often called a jobs bill by Montana advocates. But the farm bill provides more than a safety net for agriculture. It sets terms for forestry on public land, assists school lunch programs, and establishes nutrition programs for the poor. The bill also includes the Conservation Reserve Program, the federal governments largest effort to protect land for wildlife, soil and water quality. The nation is scheduled for a new farm bill every five years, and the last one, passed in 2014, weighed in at nearly $1 trillion. It was written as farmers and ranchers experienced historic increases in commodity prices. But that commodity bubble has since burst. Theres real concern among farm groups that the next farm bill script recognizes the challenges that farmers and ranchers now face. Wheat prices are at their lowest point in more than a decade. Wheat farmers are qualifying for subsidies only available when crops are selling for a loss. Calves are worth roughly half what they were 18 months ago. Farm leaders told Tester federal crop insurance programs needed to be more responsive. Payments to cover losses to price and weather usually show up a year later. That delay puts farmers in a tough spot is they grapple with the cost of putting in a new crop, which can cost $1 million for some. It is really difficult to budget when not only do you not know what youre going to get, youre not going to get it until next year, said Michelle Erickson Jones of the Montana Grain Growers Association. The risk of a federally subsidized program that doesnt work, Erickson-Jones said, is that older established farmers who can afford to self-insure will back out. That exit would increase the programs costs for heavily leveraged younger farmers who need crop insurance to qualify for operating loans. Several farmers and ranchers mentioned the need to expand the federal Conservation Reserve Program. In 2014, as farmers responded to high prices by plowing land that that hadnt been touched in years, federal lawmakers chose to cut the Conservation Reserve Program dramatically. CRP is intended to take marginal, erodible land out of production to minimize soil erosion and improve water quality. Its also intended to create wildlife habitat. The cuts in 2014 winnowed CRP from 32 million acres to roughly 24 million. As the number of conservation acres has declined, its become increasingly difficult to get Montana acres into CRP, said Bruce Nelson, Montana Farm Service Agency director. CRP acres are locked into conservation for several years, during which the farmer is paid for land conservation efforts. Next year, contracts will expire on roughly 392,000 Montana CRP acres. The decline is not only a challenge for farmers, but also wildlife advocates. Conservation programs are expensive, Tester said, which will make them a hard sell in the next farm bill. Theres some highly erodible land land thats impacted by alkali that it would be better for the environment, and youre not going to raise that much wheat on that stuff anyway if it goes to salinity, to put it back in, Tester said. But there is no appetite to do that in Washington, D.C., because of the cost. It would take a very concerted coalition of agriculture and wildlife folks to go back and make that happen, and it would be a heavy lift. Tester will continue his discussion on the farm bill before month's end in northwestern Montana, where timber will be the focus. Nigeria: Lafarge raided and closed for suspected for tax evasion 18 October 2016 Lafarge Cement Co Ltd in Onne and IGPES, an engineering company, in Port Harcourt, were raided by Nigerian enforcement officers from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Monday for tax evasion. The leader of the FIRS team disclosed that Lafarge Cement had not paid its taxes since 2012. While the cement company's premises were sealed for failing to pay taxes of over NGN10m (US$31,695), IGPES, an engineering firm, was shut down for allegedly evading tax to the tune NGN1.2bn since 2011. Speaking shortly after sealing the two companies, the leader of the FIRS team, Ruth Mandeun, warned their management to pay their taxes to allow the reopening of their firms. Mrs Mandeun also cautioned authorities of the offending companies not to forcefully open the seals and padlocks used in locking up the premises. She explained that the two firms defaulted through the non-remittance of their VAT, company income tax, withholding tax, educational tax and late return penalty. "The purpose of this exercise is to seal off the entire offices of offending companies. If you are willing to pay within the next one hour, then you would be allowed to operate," Mrs Mandeun said. Published under Dangote Asian expansion? ICR Newsroom By 18 October 2016 According to a Ghanaian news source, Dangote Cement is hoping to expand into the Asian market over the next decade. It is reported that the company plans to launch in southeast Asia and Latin America once it is able to consolidate its operations in Africa. Immediate targets for such an expansion are countries such as Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Colombia, according to Armando Martinez Gallegos, director of Dangotes Ibese plant in Nigeria. Mr Gallegos commented, Dangote has to first consolidate all its operations in Africa to continue the growth it has been establishing on the continent, adding that there was not a possibility of exporting to Europe or USA as there are only two places in the world in which the construction and cement industry is growing: southeast Asia and Africa. Dangote Cement has already announced plans to build a 3Mta plan in Nepal, from which is hopes to export to India to meet the demand of neighbouring countries lacking limestone reserves. According to the IMF, the two southeast Asian countries Dangote is likely to move into, Indonesia and Vietnam, are on track for strong GDP growth. However, the two countries already have a collective capacity of 154.5Mta, with Indonesia operating an installed capacity of 63.1Mta and Vietnam 91.4Mta. Manufacturers in these countries are looking at export markets and there are worries of over supply. Published under NorthWestern Energy knocked about $220 million off its 2016 taxable value in negotiations with the Department of Revenue. The agreement, which was reached Friday, will send ripple effects through local budgets around the state county and municipal governments and school districts, among others where officials have already locked in their local mills and now have to account for a smaller tax base. NorthWestern Energy, Montana's largest taxpayer, gets its property taxes reassessed each year. From 2015 to 2016, its taxable value increased from about $2.2 billion to $2.6 billion, according to the state's original valuation. The settlement is at about $2.4 billion. Negotiations avoided a formal tax protest, which could have had a bigger effect on local budgets. Northwestern Energy and the Department of Revenue began negotiating a tax bill of $144 million for a corresponding $2.6 billion certified taxable value, according to revenue officials. The Departments initial central assessment was $163 million, but the figure and its corresponding taxable value were never certified. The two sides ended up settling on a tax bill of $134 million for a corresponding $2.4 billion certified taxable value. Northwestern's 2015 tax bill was about $122 million. If we dont think its fair, its been our position to go to great lengths to avoid a protest, said NorthWestern spokesman Butch Larcombe. We know it hurts local schools and local governments and the state of Montana, if taxes are protested. It's unclear what the effect will be on local tax jurisdictions across the state; some areas have more NorthWestern infrastructure as a larger proportion of the tax base, which would result in a larger financial impact. Due to the smaller tax base, Billings Public Schools had to fill a roughly $300,000 hole between its elementary and high school budgets, according to district chief financial officer Mike Arnold at Monday's school board meeting. "We've got the reserves in place to make up those tax revenues," Arnold said. "It's not a big hit. It will be some." The Department of Revenue is taking the unusual step of letting tax jurisdictions recertify their taxable values and therefore adjust mills in the budgets. I think they are scrambling with how to deal with the situation, department director Mike Kadas said. If a local group does increase its mills, that would fall back on local taxpayers as a tax increase. The Montana Office of Public Instruction is advising affected school districts to request a recertification, which doesn't require school board authorization, according to guidance sent to districts Monday. The Great Falls School District is requesting a recertification, according to director of business operations Brian Patrick. The district is facing a budget hole of about $474,000 in a combined high school and elementary budget of about $70 million. "We're pulling money out of reserves to make ends meet," Patrick said, but the district wants to keep reserves high, which helps secure a good credit rating. Preventing a protest The department's main goal was to avoid a tax protest, Kadas said. If they had protested, then the amount of revenue that would have been affected would be considerably more than what was affected based on the settlement, he said. If taxes are protested, the amount of the tax bill is held in escrow. Local government entities can tap those funds. But if the final tax bill comes in lower than the original tax bill and a government entity spent money based on the original bill, that entity suddenly could face a shortfall. "Consequently, most local jurisdictions don't use the money. They don't want to take that risk," Department of Revenue spokeswoman Mary Ann Dunwell said. Larcombe said the tax negotiations weren't about any larger concerns about company finances. The tax negotiations are "acting to a large degree in the interest of our customers, Larcombe said. **Correction: A previous version of this story described the Department of Revenue's initial tax assessment as a starting point for negotiations with NorthWestern Energy. The two sides began negotiating at a lower figure, $144 million, before settling at $134 million. For the first time, methamphetamine outpaced marijuana as the most common drug found in addition to alcohol in DUI samples sent to the state crime lab last year. Meth has also been detected more often in other cases that the crime lab's toxicology division handles, according to a summary report from the Montana Department of Justice's Forensic Science Division. I think thats the real take-home of this summary, is the massive increase in methamphetamine, said Scott Larson, toxicology supervisor at the crime lab. Alcohol remains the most prevalent substance found in DUI toxicology cases. In 2015, alcohol was the only detected substance in 2,277 cases. There were 3,380 total DUI cases tested that year. The lab had 294 DUI cases involving meth, and the concentration of the drug increased 123 percent. Thats up from 2011, when state toxicologists processed 73 DUI samples that were positive for meth. Marijuana used to be the most common substance after alcohol found in DUI blood tests. In 2015, meth became more common in DUI blood tests, according to the lab. The toxicology section of the state crime lab in Missoula also does postmortem drug screens for medical examiners and analyzes drug and alcohol tests for cases that involve drug-endangered children. The lab also analyzes urine tests for the Department of Corrections inmates and those on probation. The lab tests for a range of different drugs like marijuana, prescription narcotics, hallucinogens and inhalants. The overall number of positive drug findings has decreased over the years. DUIs make up the largest caseload, accounting for more than half of the 6,139 cases handled last year. In the majority of DUI tests, alcohol is the only substance present in the blood sample. But meth has increased in other test areas. They include postmortem drug screens, where the lab had 20 positive cases for meth in 2011. That jumped to 73 in 2015, though the lab handled 801 total cases. Urinalysis tests conducted on probationers and parolees have turned up more meth as well. No other drug has spiked in the same way. Chris Evans, deputy chief for the Billings region of Montana Probation and Parole, said that there was certainly an increase in violations for meth use since 2011. He said that when officers spoke to the offenders, they heard it was often an easy drug to get. "The availability of methamphetamine during that time was a lot greater," he said. "There was just more of it around." Of the 1,192 urinalysis cases handled by the lab in 2015, more than 550 turned up positive for meth. There were fewer than 200 in 2011. In DUI, urine and postmortem samples, meth was the only drug other than alcohol that has steadily become more common. Other institutions, including the court system, have seen the effects of increased meth use. A February report by The Gazette found that the number of felony drug possession charges in Yellowstone County has significantly increased over the years. Most of them involved meth. Other findings The report also tallied tests from traffic fatalities. In more than a third of fatal crashes cases in 2015, no drugs or alcohol were found in the victims. The report didn't distinguish between drivers and passengers in its data on fatal crash victims. The most common drug present in fatal crashes in 2015 were central nervous system depressants, which cover a range of prescription medications. Larson said they can be drugs that treat anxiety and depression, or they could be sleeping pills. "This is a big problem in terms of DUI cases," Larson said. The numbers are still relatively low, however. There were 14 cases in which the depressants, but no alcohol, were found. Fewer than 20 cases involved those types of depressants and alcohol. The lab studied 213 fatal crash cases in 2015. The presence of marijuana decreased in urinalysis and DUI cases over five years, the report showed. One bright spot in the report, Larson said, was the decrease in the presence of hydrocodone in cases like DUIs. The prescription narcotic was once the most common in its class. But another drug, oxycodone, has gradually increased in tests over the years, nearly replacing the hydrocodone. The overall caseload for the toxicology section of the crime lab has also steadily increased over the years. There were fewer than 4,000 total cases in 2010, but in 2015 it topped 6,000. A second state crime lab opened in Billings this year, but it won't house a toxicology section. Its purpose is to process physical drug evidence, a caseload that has grown alongside the number of possession cases in court. Phil Kinsey, crime lab administrative director, said that there are no plans to expand the Eastern Montana lab for toxicology. Property owners north of Billings will have the chance to comment on the proposed creation of the Fuego Fire Service Area. Yellowstone County commissioners Tuesday approved a resolution of intent to create the new fire service area and will hold a public hearing on Nov. 22 at its board meeting. The proposed Fuego Fire Service Area would be located north of Billings and be created to fight wildfires. Property owners within the proposed area petitioned the commission to create the area. Brad Shoemaker, the countys director of Disaster and General Services, said the area has fewer than 200 property owners and fewer than 100 structures. Most of the residents live in the Lone Eagle Drive area. If created, the Fuego area would set up a volunteer fire company and provide the area with wildlife protection. Structure fire protection would not be provided. The assessment would be $0.15 an acre up to a maximum of $250 per property owner. Fuego also would contract with the county to provide general wildfire protection throughout the county for a fee. Assessments would begin in 2017. Shoemaker said the area has no official fire protection but that the Shepherd Volunteer Fire Department had been providing fire and structure fire protection at no cost. But as the volume of calls has increased in the Shepherd area, its fire department board decided it could no longer send its crews and equipment to the Fuego area and leave its own area with less coverage, Shoemaker said. Talks are ongoing with the city of Billings about the potential for expanding the Billings Urban Fire Service Area to cover the Fuego area, Shoemaker said. So far there has been no agreement. Commissioner Jim Reno said he had hoped the city would have expanded the Billings Urban Fire Service Area rather than having to create another fire service area. CHEYENNE A federal judge in Wyoming has sentenced a former U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs policeman to serve 13 months in prison on a kidnapping conviction stemming from a confrontation with his wife. Judge Alan B. Johnson of Cheyenne on Monday accepted a plea agreement between prosecutors and William Arthur Curran. The agreement limited Curran's prison sentence to a maximum of 13 months while federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss a charge of using a gun in a violent crime. Prosecutors say Curran's wife reported he had handcuffed her and threatened to kill her at their home in Ft. Washakie, on the Wind River Indian Reservation, in April. Johnson rejected a request from defense lawyer H. Michael Bennett to sentence Curran to home confinement or to release him immediately. CASPER A Riverton woman has been charged in connection to a hit-and-run crash that injured three people. KTWO-AM reported that 24-year-old Cecilia Warren was charged Monday with two counts of aggravated assault in connection to the crash on Friday. Bond was set at $20,000. Police say Warren drove her vehicle at the victims after having a verbal argument with a fourth person. The fourth person dodged when she initially charged him. After the crash, Warren left the vehicle and walked away. Police arrested her on foot nearby. One victim of the crash suffered a broken pelvis, a lower back injury and scrapes and bruises, another suffered a concussion. A rancher near Cannon Ball is reporting more cattle shot. The rancher told the North Dakota Stockmen's Association and the Sioux County Sheriff's Department two of his cows were shot in his pasture. One was shot with a small caliber firearm and the other with multiple arrows. The cows were injured and treated by a veterinarian. These shootings come on the heels of two earlier cases, one reported to the sheriff's department Sept. 29 and another reported Oct. 9, involving multiple dead and missing animals in the same vicinity. The rancher involved in this most recent incident is also one of the same producers from the two previously reported cases, said Julie Ellingson, NDSA's executive director. Because the animals in one of the previous cases were butchered, there is no way to connect how they died with the most recent case, according to Ellingson. Social media posts stating that the missing animals reported earlier have been found are false, Ellingson said. These are the first reports of livestock shootings in Sioux County in at least six years, Ellingson said. The Stockmen's Association has a standing reward of up to $14,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible. Anyone with information should call NDSA Chief Brand Inspector Stan Misek at 701-223-2522 or Sioux County Sheriff Frank Landeis at 701-854-3481. A plan that would have Burleigh County Social Services shoulder the local cost of a children's cardiac care program that was previously funded by the state met objections from county commissioners Monday. Kim Osadchuk, the county's director of social services, said the news was sprung on her late last week by an email from a Cass County official who also was affected by the change, which is set to take effect Jan. 1. "The (North Dakota) Department of Health has decided to move the Cardiac Care for Children program under Children's Special Health Services and put it on the counties. It has never been on the counties before," said Osadchuk. "We have 230 potential clients here in Burleigh County. This will be a concern for our budget. Our budgets are done for next year." She said those clients have been advised to turn in their application work to Burleigh County Special Health Services, and each application will take up to three hours to process, which will add to her staff's caseload. She said she has limited information about eligibility requirements and specifics of care provided. Osadchuk and Cass County officials have organized a phone conference for next Tuesday with state health officials and the state Department of Human Services to resolve the issues. She voiced mutual county concerns about the lack of communication from the state about the switch and the failure to notify affected counties. "They made the change and didn't tell us," she said. "And to make the change after the budget process was done, it inhibits us to react to the change." She urged county commissioners to join the conference call. "I have concerns about what is going to happen to the budget," said County Commission Chairman Brian Bitner. "We're limited on that budget. We can't just have a large increase in caseload with no accompanying budget." Commissioner Jerry Woodcox said the state Health Department was pushing this off on the counties so it could balance its budget. "There is no funding with this mandate?" asked Commissioner Jim Peluso. Osadchuk said no. Woodcox said someone from the governor's office also has been invited to participate in the phone conference. "We're not going to take this lying down," he said. "I have real hard time understanding or believing that the governor's office or the Legislature had the intent of balancing their budget on the back of the counties," Bitner said. "I think that is a mistake." If Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump would stick to issues rather than engage in personal attacks, he could still return the White House to GOP hands next month, according to North Dakota's at-large congressman. Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., told Republicans the Trump campaign can be salvaged less than three weeks from Election Day at the October GOP monthly luncheon at the Bismarck Municipal Country Club. "He wins on every important issue," Cramer said of Trump, whose campaign has been reeling in recent weeks. Id tell him you can still win.' The country does not want her to be president," Cramer said of Trump and his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. Following the leaking of a 2005 tape in which he made lewd remarks about groping and forcing himself onto women without their consent, Trump has fired back at GOP officials for distancing themselves from him. Cramer hasnt condoned what was said on the tape but hasnt withdrawn his support for Trump, who, in May, delivered the first major energy address of his campaign at the Bismarck Event Center as the keynote of the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference before a crowd of thousands. Cramer said if Trump stopped the infighting with GOP leadership and focused on issues, such as the economy, trade and immigration, hed be on the right side of the voters. Trump has been trailing in national polls since the first debate. What little polling there is of North Dakota gives Trump a lead in a state the Republicans have won in every presidential election since 1968. Cramer, who was elected in 2012 and is seeking a third term, endorsed Trump during the state GOP convention in Fargo and has been an energy adviser for him, having helped write a white paper on energy policy. My role has largely (been) relegated to being a surrogate, said Cramer said, who is running against Democratic-NPL Party candidate Chase Iron Eyes and Libertarian Party candidate Jack Seaman. During Tuesday's luncheon, Cramer fielded questions from party members on energy, trade, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and expansion of executive branch power in Washington, D.C. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions With three weeks to go to Election Day, nearly one-third ballots by either absentee or in vote-by-mail counties have been cast. Statistics updated daily by the North Dakota Secretary of States Office showed more than 20,200 absentee and votes cast by mail had been turned in as of Tuesday afternoon. As of Tuesday afternoon a total of 11,020 ballots in vote-by-mail counties were returned out of 40,638 or 27.1 percent. Out of 23,749 absentee ballots requested by residents, a total of 9,278 had been returned, or 39.1 percent. Altogether, 20,298 ballots had been returned statewide out of 64,387, or 31.5 percent. North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger said the rate of returned ballots by mail in the 31 counties that vote by mail has been fairly steady as has been absentee ballots. Twenty-two days out and over 17,000 have already made their decision, Jaeger said. It seems to be going well. In 2012, a total of 39,772 votes were cast in vote-by-mail counties and 55,800 absentee ballots were cast. There were a record 325,862 votes cast statewide in the 2012 general election. Information on voting as well as vote-by-mail and absentee ballot totals can be found at www.sos.nd.gov. Jaeger encouraged voters interested in getting an absentee ballot to contact their county auditor and do so as quickly as possible since it takes time to process a request and get the ballot mailed. By Monday afternoon, Burleigh County had received 2,407 absentee ballots out of 5,510 requested so far, or 43.7 percent of those requested. I would say its typical for a general election, said Kevin Glatt, auditor for Burleigh County. Glatt reminded voters to update their addresses on their identification in order to ensure the voting process runs smoothly. In previous general elections, weve had some hotly contested U.S. Senate and U.S. House races, which add to the absentee ballot requests, said Glatt, who indicated the presidential race is driving interest this cycle. Burleigh Countys early voting precinct begins Tuesday. Information on voting in Burleigh County can be found at www.co.burleigh.nd.us. Dawn Rhone, Morton County's auditor, said she was originally expecting there to be about 3,000 absentee ballot requests in the fall election, which would be in line with previous elections. So far, 579 ballots out of 1,494 requested had been returned, or 38.8 percent. Early voting in Morton County also begins Tuesday. She said for those who might be concerned about lines on Election Day, early voting may be an attractive option. Morton County voting information can be found at www.co.morton.nd.us by clicking on the Election Information link. I encourage everyone to get out and vote, Rhone said. Brenntag has signed an agreement to acquire the lubricants business of NOCO Inc., headquartered in Tonawanda, New York, USA. Markus Klahn, Member of the Management Board of Brenntag Group and CEO Brenntag North America: NOCOs lubricants business ideally complements our lubricants business in New England, which we established last year with the acquisition of G.H. Berlin-Windward. We will be able to leverage existing infrastructure, add additional talent and solidify our leading market position. NOCO supplies lubricant products to a broad range of industries in the Northeast region of the United States and parts of Ontario and Southern Quebec. The acquisition does not impact NOCO's energy distribution or retail businesses. Anthony Gerace, Managing Director Mergers & Acquisitions at Brenntag Group: NOCOs geographic coverage makes this a perfect fit and a natural extension of our existing lubricants business in the Northeast region of the US. Furthermore, we are pleased to enter the Canadian lubricants market by acquiring an established distribution network operating in a major industrial region within the country. The business is expected to generate total sales of approximately 209 million USD in the financial year 2016. Closing of the transaction is expected to occur in the course of the next weeks, subject to contractually agreed closing conditions. Morton Mandan Public Library Director Kelly Steckler died Sunday at age 44, according to a spokeswoman from the city of Mandan. No cause of death was released. Steckler was hired in 1994 to serve the Mandan Public Library and was named director in 2004. She helped lead the city and Morton County libraries through a vote to merge in 2006. It is with great sorrow that I reflect on the passing of Kelly Steckler," Mayor Tim Helbling said in a public statement. "Everyone who had the fortune to work alongside Kelly will remember her with great affection. A dedicated employee with a passion for the written word, Kelly led her staff in a way that exemplified leadership. All who knew her will miss her smile, friendliness and charm. Our sorrow is lessened only slightly with the comforting thought that we had the privilege to know her. City Administrator Jim Neubauer said he was saddened to learn of Steckler's passing. "She cared deeply about the library. She had a great sense of humor and was a pleasure to be around. She will be missed by all of us. Steckler was on the legislative committee of the North Dakota Library Association and was an advocate for the Arthritis Foundation. She also served on the Bismarck Mandan Mayors Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities, as well as the Mandan Tomorrow -- Leadership, Pride and Image Committee. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Spirit of Life Catholic Church. Tovala, the Chicago-based startup that makes a smart, cloud-connected countertop oven, has raised $1.6 million in seed funding, the company announced Tuesday. CEO David Rabie wants to see the Tovala oven, which can broil, bake and steam food, replace microwaves and toaster ovens. Advertisement Origin Ventures the Chicago venture fund that was an early investor in GrubHub led the round, which Tovala raised in June after going through Bay Area startup accelerator Y Combinator. Two other Chicago-based firms participated New Stack Ventures and Service Provider Capital. Tokyo-based GREE also invested, along with a handful of individuals. Advertisement Rabie won the New Venture Challenge at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2015 for a three-chamber cooking machine then called Maestro. The company went on to participate in Y Combinator, rebranded to Tovala and launched a Kickstarter campaign for a machine that looked similar to a traditional countertop microwave or toaster oven but promised to do more. Tovala raised more than $255,000 from more than 1,000 backers from that crowdfunding campaign. This summer, the Tovala team moved back to Chicago and has grown to a team of 10 people including, for the first time, an in-house chef who creates the meals Tovala will sell via subscription as a complementary service. Rabie said he hopes to make the meal service available across the country when the oven launches, but the pricing is not yet final. "I think the biggest mindset shift was realizing how crucial the food was to our business," Rabie said of his experience in Y Combinator. Rabie said he didn't want to make the same mistakes as other startups in the food space that focused more on logistics or technology than making good-tasting food. Tovala's subscription healthy meals will be available under weekly subscription plans that include six options including at least one vegetarian meal of prepped food, Rabie said. Users scan the meal's barcode, which tells the oven how to cook it. They will also be able to cook food they prep themselves in the device. While some of the funding went toward hiring, Rabie said he will also use the money to produce "several thousand" units that will be ready to ship in December for early-bird Kickstarter backers and in March for others. The oven is also available to preorder for $289 on Tovala's website. Tovala will also use the money to run a "food truck" that will travel across Chicago to show visitors how the oven works. Advertisement Businesses present another opportunity for Tovala. Rabie said Tovala may develop another unit that could make more than two meals at a time, an industrial version that could be used in hotels, senior homes or offices. Teppei Tsutsui, director of investment at GREE, a Japanese gaming company, said he sees a need for the Tovala oven among those who use meal kit companies such as Blue Apron and Hello Fresh, but want an even quicker option. Tsutsui said on one day, a family could use Blue Apron. On the next, Tovala. "It's not entirely replacing food preparation things, it's more like adding in to them," he said. aelahi@tribpub.com Twitter @aminamania Passengers who try to carry Samsung Electronics Note 7 smartphones on flights will have them confiscated and may face fines under an emergency U.S. order that significantly expands restrictions on the devices linked to almost 100 incidents of overheating and fires. The devices won't be allowed aboard passenger or cargo aircraft even if they've been shut off, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday. Flight restrictions will be extended to each of the 1.9 million Note 7s sold in the U.S. starting at noon New York time on Saturday. Advertisement "We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident in flight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk." Samsung on Tuesday said it was halting production and sales of the device following the latest spate of smoke, overheating and fire incidents in what was supposed to be a version that replaced a faulty lithium-ion battery with a safe one. The company estimates the crisis will cost it $5.3 billion in profits. Advertisement The government urged passengers not to side-step the order. "Passengers who attempt to evade the ban by packing their phone in checked luggage are increasing the risk of a catastrophic incident," the DOT said in a release. "Anyone violating the ban may be subject to criminal prosecution in addition to fines." People in the midst of travel who have the phones were urged by the government to contact Samsung or their wireless carrier "immediately" to arrange for a replacement phone. The government now considers the Note 7s "forbidden hazardous material" under U.S. law. Anyone observed with one of the phones will be prohibited from boarding an aircraft, the release said. Airlines and an industry trade group were notified of the impending ban by the FAA on Friday. Samsung is working with U.S. officials and airlines to notify owners of the phone about the emergency order, SungIn Cho, a spokeswoman for Samsung Electronics America, said in an e-mail. "We have encouraged airlines to issue similar communications directly to their passengers," Cho said. "We realize this is an inconvenience but your safety has to remain our top priority." The action by aviation regulators follows the Consumer Product Safety Commission's announcement on Thursday it was almost doubling the number of Note 7 phones covered under a U.S. government-sanctioned recall. The consumer agency has received 96 reports of overheating batteries in the U.S., including 23 since the first recall was announced on Sept. 15. At least 13 people reported being burned by the devices and in 47 cases there was damage to property, according to the consumer agency. Advertisement Consumer agency Chairman Elliot Kaye on Friday also renewed calls to consumers to take advantage of the recall. "The fire hazard with the original Note 7 and with the replacement Note 7 is simply too great for anyone to risk it and not respond to this official recall," Kaye said in the Transportation Department statement. "I would like to remind consumers once again to take advantage of the remedies offered, including a full refund. It's the right thing to do and the safest thing to do." For passengers who arrive at the airport with a Note 7, and can't return it to their car or hand it to someone not flying, American Airlines will place the device in an area for storage of hazardous materials. The person can reclaim it after the trip, said Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for the carrier. The airline also is updating announcements for passengers checking baggage, before clearing security, at airport gates and on board planes about the ban, he said. Aviation regulators in September ordered passengers and airline crews to power off any recalled Note 7s that were carried aboard flights and forbid the devices from being charged. The Note 7s were also prohibited from checked bags. The expanded action completely bans the devices from all airline flights and applies to all smartphones covered by the latest recall. Advertisement FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc., two major delivery services in the U.S., had already said they wouldn't ship the phones via planes, restricting them to ground vehicles. The devices also have to be packed in special boxes designed to safely house recalled batteries. Delta Air Lines Inc. is adding special containment bags for phones or other electronic devices that overheat or catch fire to at least some of its aircraft, the carrier said on a conference call Thursday. Southwest Airlines Co. is in the process of selecting a vendor for similar bags and hopes to have them on its planes in early 2017, spokeswoman Lori Crabtree said Friday. A number of foreign-based airlines adopted the U.S. ban on Saturday, including Sydney-based Qantas Airways Ltd., Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and Rome-based Alitalia. Lithium-based batteries power millions of devices, from smartphones and laptops to power tools. They hold enough energy to create heat and sparks if they fail, which can ignite the highly flammable chemicals inside. The initial wave of Note 7 failures were linked to batteries made by one of two suppliers to Samsung. The cells had been squeezed into a container pouch so tightly that when they were installed in the phones they became pinched, damaging the interior. That led to short circuits that triggered the failures, Kaye said in September. More recent incidents involving replacement phones containing batteries built by a second manufacturer appear to result from a different flaw, a person familiar with discussions between government agencies and Samsung told Bloomberg. Advertisement With assistance from Ian King Janet Ong and James Thornhill. Abbott Laboratories and St. Jude Medical will divest several products in an attempt to satisfy regulators examining Abbott's acquisition of the medical device company. Abbott, based in north suburban Abbott Park, and Minnesota-based St. Jude will sell the products to Terumo Corp. for $1.12 billion. The Japanese company sells medical devices and pharmaceutical products. Advertisement Abbott spokeswoman Darcy Ross said Abbott expects its $25 billion acquisition of St. Jude to close by the end of the year, though the deal still awaits regulatory approval. The sale of the products would take place when the deal closes. Abbott will divest its Vado Steerable Sheath, which helps doctors perform heart procedures involving catheters, such as procedures for an irregular heart beat. St. Jude will divest its Angio-Seal and Femoseal products, which are used to seal punctures from procedures involving catheters. Advertisement The divestitures, announced Tuesday, follow a series of setbacks faced by St. Jude in recent months as it prepares to be acquired. Earlier this month, St. Jude and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that the batteries in some of St. Jude's heart devices are running out much sooner than expected, creating potentially life threatening situations for patients with the devices implanted in their chests. Two people have died in incidents associated with the devices, called implantable defibrillators, when the devices couldn't deliver needed shocks to the heart after their batteries died early, according to the FDA. Also, in August, investment firm Muddy Waters Capital called for St. Jude's pacemakers and implantable defibrillators to be recalled, saying they could be the target of cyberattacks that could cause them to malfunction. St. Jude has called the allegations "false and misleading" and has sued Muddy Waters and others, accusing them of releasing incorrect information to lower the value of St. Jude's stock so they could profit through a short-selling scheme. The FDA, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, is investigating Muddy Waters' allegations, though it hasn't recommended people stop using the devices. St. Jude shareholders are expected to vote Oct. 26 on the acquisition by Abbott. Abbott's stock was up 1.4 percent to $41.16 early Tuesday afternoon, and St. Jude's stock was up 2.3 percent to $79.45. lschencker@chicagotribune.com Twitter @lschencker Delia Dee Hammel, 97, passed away Oct. 16, 2016, at the Touchmark Retirement Community, Bismarck. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at Church of Corpus Christi, 1919 N. Second St., Bismarck, with the Rev. Paul Becker officiating. Burial will be held at Fairview Cemetery, Bismarck. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Dee was born February 2, 1919, in Dunn County to James and Edith (Knowlton) Darcy. She attended school in Werner and Rochester, Minn. After high school, Dee moved to Seattle, where she attended secretarial college. She married Wilbert Bill Hammel in Seattle on Sept. 14, 1940. Dee and Bill returned to North Dakota in 1947 and resided in Hebron until 1965, when they moved to Bismarck. Dee worked for the U.S. General Services Administration in Bismarck until her retirement in 1989. After retirement, Dee kept busy volunteering, enjoying woodcarving and aerobics, and as a caregiver for Bill until his death in 2005. Dee is survived by her children, James (Pamela) of Crowley, Texas, Linda (Robert) Jurgens of Taylor, and Pamela (Paul) Jenny of Snellville, Ga.; seven grandchildren; seven-great grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren. Dee was preceded in death by her husband, Bill; her parents; five brothers; and two sisters. In lieu of flowers, donations to the charity of your choice or the Church of Corpus Christi would be appreciated. Go to www.parkwayfuneral.com to share memories of Dee and sign the online guestbook. Beam Suntory president and CEO Takeshi Niinami said the company is expected to invest $1 billion in Kentucky over the next five years. The money will come from Japan, Jim Beam's fastest growing market. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Lexington, Ky. Straight off a flight from Tokyo to Lexington, Suntory Holdings president and CEO Takeshi Niinami said Monday he was excited to visit Kentucky, where Beam expects to spend more than $1 billion over the next five years. Most of the investment will come in the form of the daily business of distilling, aging and bottling Jim Beam and Maker's Mark bourbons. Japan is Jim Beam's fastest growing market and is poised to become the largest export market for Jim Beam in time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Niinami said. Advertisement Already the biggest-selling bourbon in the world, Beam exports to Japan are expected to reach 550,000 cases this year, up from about 30,000 in sales before the acquisition, Niinami said. Sales are expected to hit 1 million cases by 2020, making Japan the first million-case market outside the U.S., he said. But the global expansion has come with growing pains: Just before the CEO's arrival, union workers at two Beam plants voted to go on strike after twice rejecting a new contract. Advertisement Niinami did not address the strike in his speech in Lexington to the Japan/America Society of Kentucky. Company spokeswoman Emily York said that Beam officials met with representatives of striking workers late Sunday to clarify points of contention and will be joined by a federal mediator for further negotiations. "We remain committed to doing what we can to promote a timely resolution that is in the interest of our union employees and our business," York said in a statement. Niinami planned to stop by a Frankfort bottling plant, which is represented by a different union, before a reception at the Governor's Mansion with Gov. Matt Bevin Monday night. He planned to then fly to Chicago for a Beam board meeting. The company, which bought Jim Beam two and a half years ago for $16 billion, anticipates Beam also will continue to invest in enhanced production capabilities in Kentucky, such as the recent $67 million expansion at Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto that included adding a third still, Niinami said. "We are committed for the long term here," Niinami said. "To create products with unique value that bring joy to consumers by further blending the strengths of Beam and Suntory." Niinami congratulated Jim Beam master distiller Fred Noe on the naming of Booker's Rye as the World Whisky of the Year by Jim Murray's Whisky Bible for 2017. The rye was made from some of the whiskey put in the barrel by Noe's father, Booker. "I know that it must be very special to you to receive this honor for a brand that your father started and you have enhanced," Niinami said. "It is certainly a reflection of the devotion your family has given to bourbon." Advertisement Tribune News Service BRAVA Investments aims to create a billion-dollar portfolio from scratch by bankrolling start-ups that meet one condition: They must disproportionately benefit women. (Rafe Swan / Getty Images/Cultura RF) The last time Nathalie Molina Nino set up a retirement savings account, she wanted to stash her money in an ethical portfolio that could improve the planet and her net worth. She clicked a button to attach her 401(k) to companies that rejected, say, pollution and sweatshop labor. A message appeared: Expect lower than market returns. Molina Nino, a serial entrepreneur, recalls frowning. So, doing good amounted to charity? Advertisement She had noticed a similar quandary with investing efforts meant to boost women-owned enterprises. The reason, she said, boils down to math: An investor who exclusively backs female-run start-ups, a slim minority in the business world, is less likely to reap jackpot returns than someone who puts their money behind a broader range of companies. "The pool of possibilities is just smaller," Molina Nino said. "If you have good intentions, and you say, 'I only want to help women founders,' you're less likely to hit the next unicorn, the next Google." Advertisement Molina Nino, 40, recently unveiled a project she believes will lift women and yield profits: a holding company called BRAVA Investments. BRAVA aims to create a billion-dollar portfolio from scratch by bankrolling start-ups that meet one condition: They must disproportionately benefit women. Research shows gender bias stymies female founders in Silicon Valley and beyond. Women led only 8 percent of the 205 companies that received between $3 million and $15 million in the San Francisco Bay area last year, according to the Female Founders Fund. Molina Nino, who launched her first Web company at 21 and has worked in technology for the past two decades, said the scene is a boys' club. "Most of the venture capitalists are white men," she said, "and they tend to give money to people who remind them of themselves." Funds that target women-run firms have popped up over the years - to help right a social wrong and to hand cash at good ideas that might be otherwise overlooked. They've helped entrepreneurs get off the ground, Molina Nino said, but they don't exactly generate billions. Over the past 15 years, the amount of early-stage investment in companies with a woman on the executive team has grown from 5 percent to 15 percent, according to a 2014 study. BRAVA's structure borrows from Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's monster conglomerate that owns Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom and Helzberg Diamonds - the roster is long and diverse. Buffett, 86, has said he built his fortune by backing businesses "forever," as opposed to supplying shorter-term funds. As the companies grew, so did shareholders' pockets. Molina Nino envisions building similar relationships. BRAVA will pick companies that already churn out a profit but need a serious cash infusion to reach their potential. The average investment would be between $1 million and $15 million, she predicts, although the company could occasionally give smaller amounts to newbie enterprises with special potential. BRAVA is accepting money from friends-and-family investors, Molina Nino said, and aims to pick a handful of investments next year. She would not disclose how much money has been raised. Advertisement One start-up on the shortlist digitizes medical-device prescriptions, a process that often relies on handwriting and is therefore prone to error. Molina Nino said she realizes this concept is not sexy. But she'll consider backing it if the founder can prove the majority of people who use crutches, for example, are women, and that they would ultimately save money because of his business. Another contender for BRAVA funds updates factory conditions so that manufacturers can meet the standards necessary for green certifications, the kind that would help them ink deals with brands such as Nike. The firm would be eligible if the founder can show most of the workers are female and that they make a living wage. BRAVA has found support from financial and philanthropic juggernauts, including Howard W. Buffett, grandson of the Berkshire Hathaway billionaire. Another is Trevor Neilson, co-founder of the Global Philanthropy Group, which advises charity-running celebrities, including Madonna and Angelina Jolie. Molina Nino met Neilson at a Utah technology retreat a couple of years ago, as he worked with Howard W. Buffett to develop (i)x, a socially conscious holding company with a focus on clean energy, water scarcity and sustainable agriculture. They discovered their values aligned and decided to work together on BRAVA. "We wanted to take a step back and invest in what we thought actually creates meaningful change," said Neilson, (i)x's chief executive, "with the belief that change will create top-tier returns." People work Oct. 18, 2016, at mHub, a shared workspace for technology innovation in Chicago's River West neighborhood where GE will be opening a microfactory in December. The Fuse microfactory, a project of GE and Local Motors, will use crowdsourcing to create prototypes for industrial products. (Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune) GE is opening a microfactory in Chicago to turn big industrial ideas into small-batch prototypes. The Chicago manufacturing facility, set to open in December, will be the first for Fuse, a new GE crowdsourcing initiative to create and build innovative industrial products. One of the first challenges on the Fuse drawing board, for example, is finding a new way to quickly inspect a hot jet engine between flights. Advertisement "The idea of reaching out to the online community really accelerates how we introduce new products," said Axel Grippo, Fuse's inaugural general manager. The microfactory will be housed inside the mHub technology incubator, and will employ a staff of about 15 to 20 once manufacturing gets up to speed, Grippo said. The first prototype is expected to roll out early next year. Advertisement Arizona-based manufacturing company Local Motors is partnering with GE on Fuse. Local Motors previously collaborated with GE Appliances on a microfactory in Louisville, Ky., that developed the Opal nugget ice-maker and the Paragon induction cooktop. GE sold its appliance group including the microfactory to Chinese company Haier Group for $5.4 billion in June. A nonprofit technology innovation center focused on manufacturing, mHub is set to formally open this winter in Motorola Mobility's old River West space at 965 W. Chicago Ave. The 63,000-square-foot facility includes 10 production labs, equipment, open space and everything needed to create and manufacture a prototype product. GE Ventures is a partner in mHub, and Fuse will be among its first tenants. "This is a good example of an industry partner adding value to the whole mHub ecosystem," said Bill Fienup, founder and managing director of mHub. "That's kind of the secret sauce of mHub the combination of industry, entrepreneurs, manufacturers and research coming out of the universities." The jet engine inspection is one of four initial challenges posted on the Fuse website, fuse.ge.com. Other problems: finding ways to compress CT medical scans to make them easier to store and transmit, measuring reflective objects in hard-to-reach places and detecting unseen welds in industrial pipes. Contributors that come up with the top ideas will win cash, and potentially see their creations come to life at the Chicago microfactory. One possible solution that's already being discussed for the jet challenge is using tiny, disposable drones that could buzz in and check out the engines more efficiently than the manual inspection method used today. "We think that a drone could be worth it to explore," Grippo said. Advertisement Choosing Chicago as the site of the first Fuse microfactory didn't require a crowdsourcing challenge, according to Lisa Ralph, innovations program manager at GE. "Chicago is one of the burgeoning tech hubs," Ralph said. "There's been a lot of investments in the digital ecosystem, so we're very excited to position Fuse as a great network across these communities." rchannick@chicagotribune.com Twitter @RobertChannick SAN FRANCISCO Shares of Netflix Inc. soared in after-hours trading Monday as the video streaming service reported stronger-than-expected earnings and subscriber growth for the third quarter. The stock was up $19.75, or nearly 20%, to $119.67 a share after the market closed. Advertisement Netflix posted robust subscriber growth for the quarter, adding 370,000 net memberships in the U.S. and 3.2 million internationally, for a total of about 3.6 million. The company said in July it expected to add 300,000 subscribers in the U.S. and 2 million subscribers internationally in the third quarter. The Los Gatos, Calif., streaming service has 86.7 million subscribers worldwide. Advertisement Netflix reported third-quarter earnings of 12 cents a share, significantly beating estimates of six cents a share from analysts polled by FactSet Research Systems Inc. Revenue during the quarter climbed to $2.16 billion, from $1.58 billion in the same period last year. The company attributed the strong results to a popular slate of original programming. During the quarter, Netflix saw the debut of "Stranger Things," the '80s-themed dramatic series about a missing boy that stars Winona Ryder. The show has been a popular and critical success and has been renewed for a second season. The second season of "Narcos" and the new Baz Luhrmann hip-hop series "The Get Down" also debuted during the period. The company said Monday that it plans to release more than 1,000 hours of original premium content in 2017, up from 600 hours this year. But producing original material as opposed to licensing existing shows would add substantially to costs, which could hurt profitability. Netflix is spending a royal fortune on "The Crown," a new series about the young Elizabeth II that is scheduled to debut Nov. 4. The streaming service is rumored to have spent more than $100 million on the drama series, which was created by "The Queen" screenwriter Peter Morgan. Producing original shows "requires more cash up front," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix, during an investor call Monday. But he said it enables the company to produce shows at a higher quality and allows for more control over rights. "We find it's a great trade-off for cash." The company forecasts spending $6 billion on content in 2017, up from $5 billion this year, putting it ahead of most major TV networks and cable channels. Overall, licensed material as a percentage of Netflix's offerings will shrink in the future, but the company doesn't have a set formula, said Sarandos. "Our financial preference is to produce in our own studio," he said. Advertisement While major Hollywood studios are rushing to embrace China, Netflix indicated Monday that it is taking a more measured approach, saying that it plans to license content to existing online service providers in China instead of operating its own service in the country. "We still have a long-term desire to serve the Chinese people directly, and hope to launch our service in China eventually," the company said in a letter to investors. It described the regulatory environment for foreign digital service providers as "challenging." In other countries, Netflix continues to pursue shows produced in local languages. "Dark," its first German series, recently began production, while "Club de Cuervos" in Mexico and "Marseille" in France have both been renewed for second seasons. "We're having broad success around international," said Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, on Monday's call. But compared to sites like YouTube and Facebook, "we have a long way to go in that localization effort." Wall Street has been anxious about the pace at which Netflix has been able to add subscribers. On Monday, the company said that it is forecasting fourth-quarter additions of 5.2 million subscribers worldwide, down slightly from the same period last year. When Netflix reported second-quarter results in mid-July, its stock tumbled about 13% the next day. The stock has recovered since then. Advertisement Meanwhile, several California cities including Pasadena are mulling whether to tax subscribers of Netflix, Hulu and other video streaming services using existing municipal utility tax codes that initially were designed for taxing cable-television users. david.ng@latimes.com james.peltz@latimes.com Look beyond selling prices when figuring your costs. For example, monthly assessments cover different services in different condo buildings. Read the condo association's documents carefully. (Roberto Westbrook / Getty Images) Condominium sellers customarily pay any upcoming special assessments, but Natalie Renna of Re/Max Vision 212 writes the clause into her contracts to make sure. Recently, while a sale was pending attorney review, the association levied a $15,000 special assessment. Renna's first-time buyer was protected from paying. Advertisement "Surprises like that aren't fun," said the Chicago real estate broker. "Thank God I put it in the contract." Condominium living can be full of surprises. If you're thinking about buying your first condo, the following advice can help you avoid the worst: Advertisement Condo is a lifestyle, not a living space. In addition to getting fancy finishes and huge closets, you're joining an association of homeowners, and you have to do things their way. "If you can't conform well to authority within the condominium arrangement, it might not work for you," said association attorney Charles VanderVennet, of Arlington Heights. You'll learn a lot by exercising your rights under Section 22.1 of the Illinois Condominium Property Act. The law allows prospective buyers to request several documents pertaining to the association's financial condition and way of life. They are dense reading, but there are a few telling items novices should look for. Perhaps the most important are the rules and regulations, said Beth Lloyd, a real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Schaumburg and president of the Association of Condominium, Townhouse and Homeowners Associations. "Buyers often don't realize that associations have rules that can restrict pets, the ability to rent now or in the future, and running a business from their unit," she said. The board's monthly meeting minutes can give a sense of whether the association is laid-back or dictatorial, said real estate broker Michael Michalak of Re/Max Exclusive Properties in Chicago. "If there's a bunch of crazy people, or if they fine people all the time, it might not be the right place for you," he said. One of Michalak's recent deals fell through because his buyer has a 65-pound dog, and the board wouldn't budge on its 50-pound weight limit. Advertisement Compare apples to apples. Look beyond selling prices when figuring your costs. For example, monthly assessments cover different services in different buildings. "Some will charge you $400 a month, and only water is included," Renna said. "Or you might pay less and get a lot of utilities and maybe cable and internet." Property taxes can vary drastically from one neighborhood to another for similarly priced units, she said. Moving fees, which typically range from $100 to $500, add up if you plan to lease your unit, Michalak said. Count the association's money. You're buying a piece of the swimming pool, landscaping and other common elements, and you're expected to help pay for them, said Patricia Bialek, vice president of property management at FirstService Residential in Chicago. Look for a heading called "reserves" in the association's financial documents. That's the savings account for expensive replacements like roofs and boilers. It's not scientific, but Renna likes to see an amount of at least $2,000 per unit in the reserve pot. New buildings may have less, but they probably won't have big expenses for a few years. Advertisement Maintenance-free living is a myth. It's true that condo associations generally handle snow removal, lawn care and maybe window-washing, but owners have obligations. "Everybody has a role," said VanderVennet. "The owner's role is to elect good board members, pay assessments, be eyes and ears for potential problems and comply with the covenants so they don't become a problem." "Whatever happens inside the walls in your property, from drywall to drywall, that's yours," Renna said. "If the stove breaks down, it's your responsibility to take care of it." Scott Oblander, regional director at FirstService Residential in Chicago, said the No. 1 complaint from new condo owners is "I thought the association took care of that." pmckuen@aol.com Watch our latest Real Estate videos. Adam Selzer, a local historian, discusses the history of grave robbing in Chicago, as he prepares to lead a group of people on a tour of Lincoln Park on Aug. 30, 2016. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) (Nuccio Dinuzzo / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune) Truly, has it come to this? On a wet, muggy night recently, Adam Selzer, 36, native of Iowa, resident of Chicago, stood at the edge of Lincoln Park, outside the Chicago History Museum, and asked a reporter: "Are you here for the grave robbing?" Worse, the reporter nodded yes, he was there for the grave robbing. Satisfied, Selzer raised his shovel above his head as a kind of greeting, then added: "I'm going to just keep the shovel raised, to attract any others." Advertisement Selzer sat a moment. As he waited, Selzer explained he has George W. Bush to blame for falling into this life, this grave-robbing gig. Having graduated from a small college in Georgia into a nose-diving economy, Selzer was forced to cobble together something like an existence. He moved to Chicago and began writing books. He started making podcasts. He answered an ad for a ghost-tour guide. "Most of the people who responded were actors, but I could tell a story and I knew how to write." That was 10 years ago. Since then he has given 200 tours a year, on various Chicago stories, about ghosts, serial killers, local architecture, cemetery lore. Advertisement And now, the history of grave robbing, specifically in Lincoln Park. A young professional with a briefcase appeared. "Here for Grave Robbing 101?" Selzer asked and the man smiled. Selzer pulled out his clipboard and crossed off the man's name. There were about 30 people for the tour that night; as Halloween approached, Selzer said, the size of the groups would grow larger. (He charges $20 per head, and the last tour before Halloween is Oct. 25.) Slowly, people trickled in and were checked off: 20-somethings with backpacks, a middle-age woman with a conference name tag still attached, a retired couple, a woman who came alone and listened intensely. Selzer rested his shovel on his left shoulder. The shovel was lime green plastic. Selzer said he didn't plan to dig much. He was dressed like a Dickens character tweed cap, vest, black shirt only cleaner. Selzer is an amateur historian, a digger of public records who thought he could give a better Chicago ghost tour: "When I started working on ghost tours, we were just getting into the era of the smartphone and people could check me on the go. I would get paranoid, you know? The company I was working for told me stories to tell and along the way I started to think maybe those stories were not accurate. And I was completely right. I realized a lot of ghost lore in Chicago was based on bad research. So I started to haunt city archives, the Tribune's (online) archives. There's not a lot of firsthand sources on ghost sightings, but I figured I should at least be getting the history accurate." "This grave robbing," he said, "this started at random, while doing research on Lincoln Park. I got particularly fascinated with the Couch tomb, a mystery that just kept giving." He welcomed everyone. Adam Selzer, an author and amateur historian, gets ready to lead a grave-robbing tour of the Lincoln Park area. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) He explained how Lincoln Park was once City Cemetery but skeletons undoubtedly remain. He asked if they knew how deep a body should be buried, why they might want to steal a corpse (money, jewelry, medical study). He said they would be walking around Lincoln Park and he would do his best to keep everyone on a path; then he set out across wet grass. It squished and sucked his boots with sickening plops. Advertisement The moon glowed behind thin clouds. Selzer said over his shoulder that what remains in any coffin still buried would be "down to dust and bone fragments at this point." He stopped at the mausoleum of Ira Couch, an early Chicago hotelier whose crypt remains the only known burial site in the park. He stepped over the low metal fence around it and cleared cobwebs away from the door. A car on LaSalle Drive slowed to examine the small crowd then picked up speed. Selzer said that the reasons why this tomb remains are disputed. As is what still rests inside. He set a timer on his phone and hooked it to a jury-rigged wire ("My Tomb Snooper 500") that allowed him to slide it beneath a narrow break in the door of the crypt. There was a staccato burst of flashes. Then he slid the phone out and checked the results. He got pictures of a concrete floor. No bodies, no ghosts, no problem. Selzer moved on, asking the group if that was a good place for a grave robbing anyway? They shrugged. No, he said, too much traffic. (Mausoleums were generally bad. A lot of work for a little bone.) He offered more tips for the aspiring grave robber with a time machine set to 19th century Chicago: Do dig a hole near the front of the casket and pull the body up by the head. Don't waste time digging up entire graves. Do bring a sack to carry the body. Don't forget to park your horse and cart where the police won't see it. And don't forget to bring a knife: Stealing a body in Chicago in the late 1800s was not technically a crime, however stealing someone's clothing was. (Pro tip: Cut the clothing off the body and leave it in the grave before removing the corpse.) MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR Advertisement As the group followed behind Selzer, a young woman whispered to her boyfriend: Who would he kill if he could get away with it? His boss, he said. Yes, she would kill her boss, too. The boyfriend asked how. Poison, the woman said immediately. The boyfriend nodded. What kind of person goes on a grave robbing tour? A retired insurance salesman and his wife who loves cemetery history; a Homeland Security employee; Chicago public school teachers; a woman who sells produce; undergraduate college students. Jael Ramon, cheerful, a business analyst with a fascination for cemeteries, said: "The history of a cemetery tells you about a culture. I have been in Chicago a month and half. I thought it was a cool way to learn history." History not headstones, not grave robbing is what Selzer offers. City Cemetery was established in 1843; by 1858, physicians were warning of the potential for disease from the cemetery (which, was too close to the water supply, and included Jewish and Catholic burial grounds, as well as a vast potter's field) and suggested moving it; by the 1880s, most of the 35,000 buried (including 4,000 Confederate POWs) had been moved. But not all. The Great Fire of 1871 destroyed what grave markers remained; as recently as the 1990s, excavations and construction were churning up old skeletons. Couch is mostly what's left for Selzer. Advertisement So he filled in the gaps with a Chicago-hatched conspiracy to dig up Abe Lincoln in Springfield; the Lincoln Park vampire hunts of the late 1800s that led to much grave digging; an oddly resonant tale of how, "despite being on the lowest rung in Chicago city government," cemetery managers in City Cemetery were very bribable and often drunk and sold fresh bodies to diggers. He told 20th century tales of dead bodies cut in half by backhoes. He gave an engrossing lay of the land, rotting corpse-wise. Everything you would want to know about how to dig up a body in Lincoln Park in the 19th century. After 90 minutes, he received a few (cash) tips and thanked everyone. He carried beneath his arm, indeed for the entire tour, his latest novel. The title is "Just Kill Me" and it tells the clever story of a Chicago ghost-tour guide who kills people to make the stops on his ghost tour more interesting and haunting. For now, it's fiction. cborrelli@chicagotribune.com MORE FROM CHRIS BORRELLI: Black superheroes breaking out, but who gets to tell their story? The meaning of Kanye West's floating stage What is actor John Barrowman's superpower? His fans 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) Al Capone and a fellow prisoner, who was not connected to Capone's case, ride a train in May 1932 en route to Atlanta from Chicago. Both were on their way to serve their prison sentences, Capone for income tax evasion and his berth mate for auto theft. (Chicago Tribune historical photo) Go into any souvenir store on a touristy Chicago street and behold the man: Al Capone. His visage will adorn T-shirts, refrigerator magnets, coffee cups and countless tacky tchotchkes people buy to commemorate their visit to the city where the world's most famous gangster made his name. Even worse: Go into enough Chicago-area restaurants or bars, and it may surprise you how many are decorated with framed pictures of the ruthless killer grinning beneath his famed white fedora. The life story of Al Capone is unrivaled in Chicago history, and perhaps American history. How did an ill-educated bouncer from Brooklyn become not just a powerful crime boss many such crime bosses have come and gone but one who fascinates us generation after generation? Advertisement Deirdre Bair's new book, "Al Capone: His Life, Legacy, and Legend," is the latest volume to attempt to answer this question. Bair, who won a National Book Award for her 1981 biography of Samuel Beckett, is a brilliant and engaging writer, able to construct compelling and nuanced life stories in gripping prose. Her latest book distinguishes itself from its competitors due to her access to descendants of Capone's large family. Their memories and family stories are being added for the first time to the Capone narrative. Bair sets out to answer some of the fundamental contradictions Capone poses. She begins: Advertisement This is a story of a ruthless killer, a scofflaw, a keeper of brothels and bordellos, a tax cheat and perpetrator of frauds, a convicted felon, and a mindless, blubbering invalid. This is also the story of a loving son, husband, and father who described himself as a businessman whose job was to serve the people what they wanted. Al Capone was all of these. Indeed he was. A few more complexities might be offered up front: Capone was a self-serving mythmaker, one whose willingness to talk to reporters (until they turned against him) helped fuel what might be called a bootleg version of history. Relatively few stories about Capone's public or private life can be entirely verified, and so writers from his day to ours have had to grapple with myriad sources, to weigh them one against another, and to proceed with caution. The addition of Capone's family stories to the mix has tremendous potential to deepen our understanding of the man as an individual human being. But it inevitably runs the risk of adding another unverifiable ingredient to the already bubbling caldron of legend. Not just more myths, either, but myths from people who can fairly be considered as biased toward a primarily positive understanding of Capone, as his foes (and victims) would be toward a wholly negative one. Bair's subtitle "Life, Legacy, and Legend" suggests that she will attempt to untangle the biography, address what Capone left behind and investigate the mythology surrounding the man. In the end, however, Bair's book does not live up to this promise. Her focus on Capone's family life, marginalizing details of his criminal endeavors, is unbalanced. She pays scant attention to Capone's legacy, the ongoing history of organized crime since he helped create the Chicago Outfit. Finally, a single concluding chapter covers the "legend," the presence of Capone in popular culture and memory, more a gesture than an actual examination. First, the life. Bair seems to take for granted that her readers will know copious details about the Outfit's criminal empire, which had roots in the 19th-century racketeers who focused on prostitution, gambling and extortion, usually within their own ethnic enclaves in immigrant-dominated cities including Chicago and New York. The potential profits for organized crime expanded exponentially once Prohibition gave criminals with business acumen a product and a customer base beyond their fellow immigrants and habitues of illicit urban nightlife. Respectable working-class, middle-class and upper-class people wanted their beer, whiskey and wine, and the Outfit was there to supply it. Bair never even fully narrates, much less explores the moral dimensions of the bloodshed wrought by Capone's men and their enemies on the streets. When discussing Capone's precautions against being poisoned by enemies (including having his cook taste the food in front him), she writes, "All these precautions were necessary because of the carnage of the past several years." But Bair almost never provides cogent details of that carnage. She perhaps assumes that readers will be more interested in details of his family life, and perhaps she'll be correct. Advertisement Her access to Capone's descendants, and their family stories, makes compelling reading, and even fills in a few blank places in narratives of his evasions of the police and rival gangsters that Capone aficionados know well. But even here, Bair stumbles. Bair's decision to focus on the family side of Capone's life (and the lives of some of his compatriots) sometimes leads to statements that are simply astounding. Bair describes Capone's criminal activities as his "professional life." Such diction exonerates unjustly. Another especially galling moment comes early in the book when she asserts that gangster Johnny "Torrio was a gentleman, and although he was never a father, he was a model husband. He was an excellent role model, even a mentor, for an unformed, uneducated boy who wanted to become a good man, and Al Capone was soon working for him full-time. It was a symbiotic relationship." Johnny Torrio was a gentleman? He needed Capone to work for him because he had become vice lord Jim Colosimo's chief lieutenant. "After Torrio had masterminded several murders and other less drastic forms of persuasion." Torrio and Capone are presumed to be the unsubstantiated "gentlemen" behind the murder of Colosimo, who was reluctant to expand his vice empire to include booze. Quite the gentleman, and quite the "good man," Capone would become. Bair does nod to the more famous killings of Capone's professional life, and the gangland murder-a-day average of 1925. But dropping the names of famous victims of Capone's violence is not enough. While this book may be an attempt to rebalance the scales on our understanding of Capone by looking at his family life in more detail than has been possible before, any attempt to re-humanize Capone can result in dehumanizing his victims with narrative neglect. Advertisement Killings that made political trouble for Capone Assistant State's Attorney William H. McSwiggin, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and the murder of dirty Tribune reporter Jake Lingle get more examination from Bair, but only because they affect his family life more directly. When Capone was released after a night in jail following the McSwiggin murder, Bair's own narrative undoes some of her emphasis on his devoted family attitudes: Instead of going home to Prairie Avenue and the wife and child he had not seen for several months, he chose to go directly to Cicero and the Hawthorne Hotel. The first order of business for the undisputed victor was to receive the homage that would solidify his rightful place as the supreme head of Chicago's underworld. In another instance, discussing whether Capone's wife, Mae, knew if he'd been treated for his syphilis, Bair claims that "there was a reason why Mae never knew whether Al sought treatment for his syphilis: it was not the sort of thing an Italian husband discussed with his wife, especially not on the telephone, which for months at a time was the only contact they had with each other." One wonders if such discretion on Capone's part was really ethnically identified. Perhaps he didn't discuss his whoring with his wife because he was a bad individual human being, not just a representative of his ethnic culture's gender norms. Mae, along with Capone's other relatives, especially his sister Mafalda, his mother, Teresa, and his brother Ralph, are vividly portrayed by Bair. But their portrayal is based upon the memories of their own descendants. Images of Capone, mentally debilitated by syphilis, being a doting grandfather at his Miami Beach home are entirely likely to be true. But for a book to claim to delve into the meaning of its subject's life, legacy and legend in American culture, it needs to do more than just juxtapose Capone's occasional sociopathic drunken rages and his generosity to relatives. Advertisement One key moment in Bair's narrative can be seen as a key to understanding the larger challenge she faced as a writer here. In the aftermath of the near assassination of comedian Joe E. Lewis by Capone assassin Jack McGurn, Capone tried to portray himself as a peacemaker who could have avoided all the trouble. This gesture, Bair writes, "made Capone look good before a public curiously indifferent to his complicity, and allowed him, in this and every other atrocity to date, to stand aloof and above the violence." Bair's own narrative, with its emphasis on the Capone family's fond memories of him, has the same effect. Bair's dominant image of Capone is of a flawed but devoted husband, loving father, generous brother and family man, who just happened to have made his millions of dollars in the brutal rackets of Chicago and beyond. Al Capone still awaits the biographer who can fully untangle, and balance, the complexities of his life. 'Capone' By Deirdre Bair, Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 395 pages, $30 New York Review of Books Classics did English-speaking readers an enormous service when it published Hungarian writer Magda Szabo's tense and rending "The Door" in 2015, and it has us another with this fall's release of her elegiac and elemental novel, "Iza's Ballad." Szabo, who was born in 1917 and died in 2007, is one of Hungary's most respected and prolific writers, authoring 50 books over the course of her lifetime. This superb translation by George Szirtes comes with a translator's note in which he considers the book's timely yet eternal themes: "What to do with the old? What to do with parents or grandparents who can't cope with modern life but cling to lost ways of acting and feeling? What, for that matter, will our children do with us?" Advertisement Szirtes also offers cultural context, noting how Stalin's oppressive post-World War II regime stymied Hungary's citizens and brightest writers alike, and how Szabo herself was "declared a class alien and banned from publishing anything but children's literature," a surprisingly common sanction in that era. Originally published in 1963, "Iza's Ballad" takes place in this repressive and uncertain atmosphere of a nation grappling with identity and large-scale change, telling the story of a mother, Ettie, and her daughter, Iza, both of whom have the best of intentions but can't escape the political and technological circumstances of their historical moment. Advertisement Uneducated but competent, mannerly and kind, Ettie is old-fashioned and superstitious to such an extent that when the story opens "The news arrived just as she was toasting bread" we learn that she doesn't trust the toaster given to her by her daughter, preferring to cook in the open stove, and that she doesn't even feel fully confident in electricity. The news she receives is that Vince, her beloved husband of 49 years and a politically blacklisted county judge who suffered for decades for his commitment to justice, is in the final throes of his death from cancer. Ettie's life will never be the same. Iza, "a brilliant doctor" in Budapest, is cosmopolitan, gifted and to Ettie's chagrin divorced. But so, too, is she "a properly grateful child": A dutiful if somewhat distant daughter, Iza does what she thinks is best for Ettie, bringing her to live with her in the city. Both women believe that their lives will be easier if they live in close proximity. Sadly, the reality is far from so simple. Bereft, lonely and purposeless in the urban environment, Ettie asks, "What am I to do the whole day?" Finding a satisfactory answer proves heartbreakingly difficult. Szabo deftly explores not only the complications of life under communism in the mid-20th century, but also the idiosyncratic and individual failures of empathy that infiltrate human life no matter the time or place. She exposes how, in spite of ourselves, we often espouse and admire the noblest ideals even as we hurt and neglect the people who should be closest to us. In Hungary, the novel was published as "Pilatus," as in Pontius Pilate, who washed his hands of Jesus Christ in the same way that Iza heroic as she is in many regards seems to wash her hands of her aging mother to whom she cannot relate and with whom she struggles to know what to do. But it is a testament to Szabo's skill that both women come across as complex and sympathetic. When Ettie thinks, "Iza didn't believe in anything that old people believed in," the reader feels equally the regret of Ettie and the reasonability of Iza, at odds though they are. Hermann Hesse, one of Szabo's mentors, once said of her, "With Frau Szabo, you have caught a golden fish. Buy all of her novels, the ones she is writing and the ones she will write." With "Iza's Ballad" available in English, readers here in the States have and should not miss an additional chance to bask in Szabo's gold. Kathleen Rooney is a freelance writer whose second novel, "Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk," will be published in January. 'Iza's Ballad' Advertisement By Magda Szabo, New York Review of Books Classics, 352 pages, $16.95 Members of The Second City joined forces with Gilda's Club Chicago for a benefit at Park West on October 15. (Annie Grossinger / Chicago Tribune) The Associate Board of Gilda's Club of Chicago hosted its 13th annual "Night of a Thousand Noogies" benefit Oct. 15 at Park West. Members of The Second City performed their signature sketch comedy and improv with emcee T.J. Shanoff as he interviewed notable Chicagoans onstage. The event raised funds for Gilda's Club, a nonprofit that provides free cancer support for anyone affected by the disease. Nearly 250 supporters enjoyed a two-hour program that opened with an interview conducted by Shanoff with GCC Associate Board President Dan Olas and CEO LauraJane Hyde. Advertisement RELATED: TRENDING LIFE & STYLE NEWS THIS HOUR Olas was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 37 and spoke of the unique support he's received at the club. "You feel safe sharing your fears and talking about how crummy you feel going through chemo and its aftermath. You don't have to be brave and strong like you sometimes do in front of your family. You just can't have conversations like this anywhere but at Gilda's Club. There's no place like it in Chicago," he said. Advertisement During the show, The Second City troupe (Alex Kliner, Claudia Wallace, Ross Taylor, Eddie Furman and Andel Sudik) interspersed its particular brand of comedy into interviews with popular guests who included Geoffrey Baer (host of "Chicago Tours With Geoffrey Baer" on WTTW); Jeff Hoover (Emmy Award-winning producer of WGN-TV "Morning News"); Nicole Suarez (Emmy Award-winning TV personality); and Diana Rodriquez (a top brewer at Goose Island). Baer shared his thoughts about Chicago architecture (one of his favorite and "most underrated" buildings is the Inland Steel structure), and Suarez spoke about her pride in being a Latina and a journalist. Gilda's Club of Chicago CEO Laura Jane Hyde talks about the legacy of the club's namesake, Gilda Radner. (Chicago Tribune) Gilda's Club was founded in 1995 in New York, following the death of its namesake, Gilda Radner (an original "Saturday Night Live" cast member), from ovarian cancer. Her late husband, actor Gene Wilder, founded the organization in her honor. In 2003, the first "Night of a Thousand Noogies" was presented, featuring Darryl Hammond, a longtime SNL cast member. Gilda's Club joined forces with The Wellness Community in 2009 to become the Cancer Support Community. Today, CSC provides emotional and social support through a network of more than 50 local affiliates (that includes 22 Gilda's Clubs around the country),100 satellite locations and online support. "I hope we can continue to grow to meet the needs of our community, which is the greater Chicago metropolitan area, by being completely accessible through our outreach programs in the hospitals, the schools, the workplace and the faith community," shared Hyde. The event raised over $50,000 for Gilda's Club Chicago, which last year welcomed more than 7,500 members who participated in 350 activities and programs. Freelance writer Candace Jordan is involved with many local organizations, including some whose events she covers. More coverage Advertisement Find more photos and events at www.chicagotribune.com/candidcandace. Visit Candid Candace's website at www.candidcandace.com, or follow her on Twitter @CandidCandace. Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say that Gilda's Club Chicago members participated in 350 activities and programs last year. A previous version stated a much higher, incorrect number. RELATED STORIES: Green Tie Ball for Chicago Gateway Green beautifies expressways 100 Club celebrates 50 years of supporting families of first responders After School Matters Gala funds programs for teens Patricia Kelly had to watch her husband, William, descend into dementia, but he never wavered from a desire to give his body to science, and what followed his donation inspired her and now their daughter to not only pledge to do the same, but to become fierce advocates of the idea. When William Kelly died in 2011 and Patricia Kelly in 2015, they became part of an unusual program at the University of Indiana Northwest in Gary, which teaches anatomy while encouraging communication with donor families through letters, visits and a memorial service. Her mom cherished the letters she received from International Human Cadaver Prosection Program students, said daughter Susan Ellingsen of Munster, Ind., "taking a big magnifying glass (she was legally blind) and reading them over and over. They were very personal and told us all they discovered about my dad. RELATED: TRENDING LIFE & STYLE NEWS THIS HOUR "My mother made a video to let students know why she donated her body and what hope she had for them to be the best they could be and to always take their patients' lives and families seriously," she said. Ernest Talarico, who runs the prosection program, said he was troubled in medical school when all he knew about a cadaver was a number and maybe a cause of death. Fellow students disrespectfully named bodies, he said. "The tradition in anatomy lab is to focus on the science, not to get too attached," Talarico said. "What we do is a new paradigm. And research shows it makes better doctors." Many bodies donated for research have poignant back stories. William Kelly suffered from a number of ailments and wanted science to more fully explore them. Judy Clemens of Hebron, Ind., had a progressive form of multiple sclerosis that so frustrated her that she took her life, but not before asking that her body be studied to better understand the disease. Other donors are educators, scientists and members of law enforcement who know the importance of hands-on learning to solve crimes, find missing people or bodies and bring closure to aggrieved families. They even designate that their corpses be used for such studies as how fast vultures decimate a body, or how cold or hot weather affects decomposition. Still others specify that their remains be used to train cadaver dogs. Some bodies are donated by families seeking to save money since many programs pay for transportation and stage a memorial service for the deceased or return the cremated remains. A future purpose for donated bodies involves recomposition, the turning of human bodies into nutrient-rich compost. A prototype for what the project director sees as an environmentally friendly alternative to burial and cremation is expected to be built in Seattle in the spring and will accept bodies for a pilot program to fully test the process. "There's scientific value to donating your body, but there's a huge educational value," said Cheryl Johnston, director of an outdoor facility at Western Carolina University where eight bodies are in various stages of decomposition. The training they afford "is benefiting people by applying things in the real world." Daniel Wescott runs the largest so-called body farm in the country at Texas State University, where researchers and cameras document the rate of decay of 70 bodies above and below ground, bodies clothed, unclothed and wrapped in tarps, bodies protected by wire cages and left vulnerable to scavengers. When reduced to skeletons, the bones become part of a permanent research collection. FACTS Marilyn Isaacks measures skeletal remains of donated bodies for research at the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University. Marilyn Isaacks measures skeletal remains of donated bodies for research at the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University. (FACTS) The Forensic Anthropology Center simulates conditions under which bodies or people may be found if they are victims of crime, or missing from wandering off or in a natural disaster, such as a flood. A decomposed body produces soil that's darker in color and vegetation that reflects light differently, allowing a drone to pinpoint a location to be searched. That saves time and money, Wescott said, and then experts can determine how long a body might have been there, leading to quicker identification and finding or eliminating suspects in criminal cases. "It's all for justice, not just for law enforcement, but to keep somebody from going to jail if innocent," he said. Decomposition research and technology have better prepared Texas to handle the border-crossing deaths of immigrants, Wescott said. Bodies are buried without names, leaving loved ones uncertain as to the refugees' fate. Currently, the facility is trying to identify some 80 corpses, but "the very, very slow process" has led to only 10 names so far, he said. Donated bodies also help train human-remains detection dogs. Lisa Briggs, a professor of criminology at Western Carolina University, started training her golden retriever Laila at 7 1/2 weeks, and the 2-year-old has found three bodies and several people alive. Lisa Briggs Lisa Briggs, a professor of criminology at Western Carolina University, started training her golden retriever Laila at 7 1/2 weeks, and the 2-year-old has found three bodies and several live people. Lisa Briggs, a professor of criminology at Western Carolina University, started training her golden retriever Laila at 7 1/2 weeks, and the 2-year-old has found three bodies and several live people. (Lisa Briggs) Briggs feels fortunate to have whole bodies with which to teach Laila because using synthetic versions of decomposed remains or even a single body part such as teeth or a placenta, as some trainers have to do, is inadequate. "Drug dogs are trained on one scent maybe marijuana but with humans, there are so many variables, such as what they had on, whether it was cold or hot, medicines they were taking, if they drowned," Briggs said. "No one can understand how important it is" for dogs to be exposed to all those factors. She remembers an instance in which Laila was looking for two people presumed by police to be dead. The dog found the bodies in water by smelling the gases bubbling to the surface, Briggs said, adding that she can be asked to help on up to 20 cases a year. She's seen the pain families go through when a loved one is missing. "I can only imagine what it's like not knowing," she said. Brittany Winn knew her adopted "nana," Judy Clemens, was donating her body to Indiana University in hopes that something could be learned about the MS that was causing her pain, seizures and as though she lived in a constant fog. But Winn was unprepared for Clemens' suicide in 2011 and the quick disappearance of her body. "We didn't know where her remains were. It was heart-wrenching for us," Winn said. Months later, a Manila envelope arrived from Talarico's program, and his students' first contacts with the family "had us in tears." Winn has gone on to participate in the program for four years as a student and team leader and is working as a medical scribe for a Fort Wayne, Ind., endocrinologist. She wants prosectors to understand the donor and those closest to him or her. On Nov. 8, the voters of North Dakota will have an opportunity to provide the military veterans of North Dakota with adequate program funding. The programs are overseen by the governor-appointed Administrative Committee on Veterans Affairs. A yes vote on Measure 4 will provide an increase in the North Dakota tobacco tax that will be split between veterans programs and community health programs to insure our state's health needs are properly funded. The Legislature has not increased the tax on tobacco products since 1993. A tobacco tax increase has been opposed by the tobacco industry and the industry has successfully lobbied against any increase. It is time for the North Dakota voters to exercise their right to pass this initiated measure and provide proper funding for veterans and community health issues. I have heard it said "Can the veterans who make up the ACOVA be trusted to spend the tax money wisely?" My reply is yes we can trust them. We have trusted our veterans to secure and keep our freedoms ever since the Revolutionary War. We trust our politicians, and our veterans have a much better record than our politicians. Please vote yes on Measure 4 so our veterans can be properly thanked for their contributions to our way of life. Cuba continues to build on its buzz, with more and more tours popping up. Friendly Planet Travel, which specializes in modestly priced tour packages that include air, has recently added new tours, bringing to eight the number of Cuba packages offered. And, if you book by Nov. 22, you can get reduced prices on two of the new tours. Authentic Havana is priced from $1,999 per person, double occupancy, a savings of $300, and Treasures of Eastern Cuba is priced from $2,899, saving $400. The Authentic Havana tour starts with a night in Miami before flying the next day to Havana. Activities in Havana include visiting the Plaza de la Revolucion, a tour of Old Havana that features a lecture on its rehabilitation, and visits to the studio of a local artist, a cigar factory and the onetime home of Ernest Hemingway. The Artisans Market and Rum Museum also are on the itinerary. In addition to the various tours, the price includes air from Miami, one night's lodging in Miami and four in Havana, some meals, English-speaking tour leaders and more. 800-555-5765. http://tinyurl.com/hbuf963 Airlines ranked Advertisement Alaska Airlines heads the list for best overall performance in the 2016 ranking of U.S. airlines by Airfarewatchdog.com. Rankings were based on performance in these areas: canceled flights, customer satisfaction, denied boardings, mishandled baggage and on-time arrivals. I've flown Alaska and found it deserves the high rating. Rounding out the list are Delta, second; JetBlue, third; Southwest, fourth; Virgin America, fifth; Frontier and United, tied for sixth; American, eighth, and Spirit, ninth. In the individual categories, Delta had the fewest canceled flights, Alaska was best for on-time arrivals, Virgin America had fewest mishandled bags, JetBlue had the fewest denied boardings, and JetBlue and Southwest tied in customer satisfaction. Read all the lists at http://tinyurl.com/jveads8. Mekong River cruise Advertisement Cruises on the Mekong River aren't unusual, but most concentrate on the lower part of the river in Vietnam and Cambodia. Pandaw River Expeditions has a new 14-night cruise that explores the upper part of the Mekong, venturing from Laos to China's Yunnan Province while making port calls in Thailand and Myanmar (Burma). Depending on date, the cruise operates upstream or downstream routes, starting in either Vientiane, Laos, or Jinghong, China. The voyage aboard the Champa Pandaw, which has 14 teak-finished staterooms, is priced from $5,670 per person, double occupancy. It's also possible to explore the Lower Mekong by adding on Pandaw's cruise from Saigon to Siem Reap, Cambodia. If you do that, they'll throw in a three-night stay in Siem Reap, including a full day outing to Angkor Wat. Info: 800 729 2651, http://tinyurl.com/jdfx525 Phil Marty is a freelance writer. RELATED STORIES: Cuba tours, airline rankings and more Getting an early taste of authentic food, drink in Cuba Famous for its ties to Dracula, Romania has other surprising stories Activists rally during a protest against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for his 'treatment of women' in front of Trump Tower on Oct. 17, 2016, in New York City. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images) Donald Trump might have earned a reputation as a ladies' man in his lifetime, but clearly he knows very little about women. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," goes a line from the play "The Mourning Bride." Right now, women are mad as hell at Trump. And three weeks from now, they are going to lead the way in taking him down. Advertisement Early on, Trump managed to get away with making vile attacks against Muslims, Hispanics, African-Americans and gays without being punished in the polls. Even when he mocked the disabled, some supporters looked the other way. Some would say his campaign flourished early on because of his keen ability to play Americans against each other. He promised to make America great again while giving a sly wink to constituents who would like to see certain groups removed from the landscape. Those groups never were going to vote for Trump anyway, so he had nothing to lose by turning on them. Advertisement But he met his match when he disrespected women. They represent about 53 percent of the electorate, and ever since women were granted the right to vote, no presidential candidate has ascended to the White House without their support. Even before they could vote, women always have held the power to change the course of our nation. If there's any doubt about that, take a little stroll through history. Harriet Tubman. Susan B. Anthony. Rosa Parks. They're just a few of the women who didn't like the direction America was going and decided to step up and turn things around. It's scary to imagine living in an America where they had not taken on the issues of slavery, suffrage, racial equality and women's rights. On Nov. 8, women collectively will face perhaps their greatest test in modern history stopping Trump from becoming the 45th president of the United States. And they are up for the job. Women could be the deciding factor in this presidential race and the Republican nominee seems to be losing more and more support from this crucial voting bloc every day. An NBC/Wall Street Journal national poll released Sunday showed that women have propelled Hillary Clinton to an 11-point lead over Trump, 48 percent to 37 percent, among all likely voters. Among female voters, Clinton has a 20-point lead over Trump, 55 to 35 percent. Among men, however, Trump still is the preferred candidate, 48 to 45 percent. In the 13 "battleground" states that could ultimately decide the race, Clinton has a 15-point lead over Trump among women voters, significantly higher than the 5-point lead she held a month ago, according to a new CBS poll. In addition, Trump's support among Republican women has fallen to 77 percent from 84 percent a month ago. Advertisement The Republican nominee appeared dumbfounded over the news that women aren't planning to vote for him. He blamed it on media bias. "...can you believe I lost large numbers of women voters based on made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED," he tweeted on Sunday. Apparently, it never occurred to him that women don't like him because he's a jerk. Over the past two weeks, Trump has made serious miscalculations when it comes to women. He seemed to think that most women would be willing to overlook his lewd comments and boasts about sexual misconduct. He thought he could say it was "locker room talk" and women would pass it off as boys' talk. He thought women would turn against other women who have come forward to talk about Trump's unwanted sexual advances against them. He seemed to have no idea that women might find it credible that Trump had actually done the things he bragged about on that "Access Hollywood" audiotape. Advertisement And, in an attempt to put his female opponent on the defensive, Trump thought women would blame the victim for having a philandering husband. But at the same time, women weren't expected to hold his former wives to the same standard. Perhaps Trump's biggest mistake, though, was in thinking he could do all of these things without ever issuing a heartfelt apology. After all, U.S. presidents have been abusing women since Thomas Jefferson assaulted Sally Hemings. What is there to apologize for, especially when Clinton's own husband has been accused of doing the same thing? But, oh, was he wrong about women. They refused to be treated like battered wives who go back to their husbands only to be beaten again. Instead, they are taking up the mantle of the martyrs who have gone before them. And on Election Day, they are going to teach Trump a thing or two about women that he never knew before. Advertisement dglanton@chicagotribune.com Twitter @dahleeng The gun charge against Stephon Mack hinged on the testimony of Chicago police Officer Damen Balesteri. If a Cook County judge found the longtime officer a credible witness, Mack was likely to be convicted for not having a state firearms card for the gun found in his car a 9 mm Glock semi-automatic handgun with 26 bullets in the magazine and another in the chamber. Advertisement It was a relatively minor charge in a city awash in gun violence, but the police view Mack as a dangerous gang member. At a court hearing in February, Balesteri testified he and his partner arrested Mack in August 2015 after their vehicles slowly passed one another on the city's South Side. Advertisement According to a transcript, Balesteri said he had smelled marijuana in the other vehicle. Marijuana that was not lit but fresh. Marijuana that police later found in a small bag in the pants pocket of Mack's passenger. About 7 grams of marijuana the weight of about a dozen small paper clips. In court papers, Mack's lawyer, Stuart Goldberg, called Balesteri's testimony a "Cirque du Soleil olfactory feat" worthy of drug-sniffing police canines but not humanly possible because the cars passed for perhaps a second or so. Prosecutor Rory Quinn stood by Balesteri's testimony. Circuit Court Judge Steven Watkins, though, discredited the officer's testimony and threw out the evidence, dooming the prosecution's case. "I don't believe his testimony at all that he smelled this fresh cannabis coming from the vehicle," the transcript quoted Watkins as saying. Since then the Police Department's internal affairs bureau investigated Balesteri but closed the inquiry because there was no complainant and "not enough independent evidence," according to a police spokesman. A Tribune investigation earlier this year found that Chicago police officers routinely gave false or questionable testimony but rarely were punished for their actions. The result: Innocent people are convicted, the guilty are sometimes allowed to go free and the criminal justice system is tarnished. Advertisement Determining whether an officer lied on the witness stand or was simply mistaken can be difficult; a judge's ruling does not necessarily mean that an officer intentionally testified falsely. Nonetheless, police officials and prosecutors make little effort to root out officers singled out by judges for false testimony. In response to the Tribune investigation, the state's attorney's office said its Professional Standards Unit had begun reviewing cases in which officers' testimony had been called into question by judges. Sally Daly, spokeswoman for State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, said the review was continuing. Until the Tribune's investigation, the state's attorney's office did not routinely issue what are commonly called "disclosure notices," court documents that officially notify criminal defense lawyers that a judge has found an officer's courtroom testimony not credible. The office also was not notifying police departments about their officers' questionable testimony. But the state's attorney's office has now begun to issue the notices, providing a new window into the dimensions of a persistent problem. Since the Tribune's investigation in May, prosecutors have issued notices in more than a dozen cases involving at least four officers, including Balesteri. Advertisement The notice on Balesteri was issued in August, alerting defense lawyers with cases involving the officer as a potential witness and informing them that Watkins had discredited the officer's testimony in Mack's case. Reached by the Tribune, Balesteri, a 22-year department veteran, said he had "an opinion regarding this case" but that department policy barred him from commenting. Balesteri, assigned to a gang enforcement unit, and partner Bradley Ruzak stopped Mack shortly after midnight Aug. 11, 2015, after the two cars passed one another in the 5700 block of South Throop Street. The two officers said in reports and testimony that they noticed Mack was not wearing a seat belt and that his red Jeep Cherokee was missing its front license plate. Police reports filed in the case said Mack, then 18, acknowledged he belonged to the Gangster Disciples street gang. In December, Goldberg sought to throw out the arrest and evidence, calling into question the credibility of the officers. "The incipient fairy tale of this case originated with the remarkable olfactory accomplishment of CPD officers Ruzak and Balesteri each without canine degrees in smell detection boasting the improbable feat of 'smelling an odor of fresh cannabis emitting from the vehicle' as their squad car passed them in the heat of the night," Goldberg wrote in the court filing. "Keep in mind NOT the recognizable odor of burnt cannabis but FRESH CANNABIS." Goldberg contended that Mack and his passenger, Michael Boykin, had already gotten out of the Jeep and started walking away before police stopped them. Nevertheless, the officers still searched the Jeep without Mack's consent, recovered the gun under the back seat and arrested Mack, according to Goldberg. Advertisement At the February court hearing, both officers testified. Mack also took the stand, denying nearly all of the officers' allegations. Quinn, the prosecutor, said Mack "lied about everything" and defended Balesteri's testimony as truthful. "What you have is a veteran of the police force who testified candidly and credibly," Quinn said. A month after Watkins threw out the gun as evidence, prosecutors dropped the charges against Mack. Fabio Valentini, chief of criminal prosecutions for the state's attorney, said the office had no other choice. "We obviously can't prosecute a gun possession case without a gun," he told the Tribune. Mack, however, is not free of legal troubles. A week before his case was dismissed, Chicago police arrested him again after allegedly finding him in possession of four guns and several ammunition magazines that contained numerous rounds, including a 50-round magazine. Mack was charged with 28 felony counts, mostly weapons offenses but also cocaine possession after investigators also seized $1,230 in drugs. Advertisement The department expressed confidence in its newest case against Mack, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. "Mr. Mack is a felony gun offender (and) the department stands firmly behind the investigation and actions of the arresting officers," he said. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > However, one of the officers in Mack's new case was found to have testified falsely in an unrelated case, as the Tribune reported in its May investigation. Earlier this year, Judge William Hooks said he did not believe testimony by Officer Jorge Martinez that he and his partner had broken off an undercover drug surveillance to pull over a car for failing to signal a lane change. The judge quashed the arrests of two men and the seizure of a $50,000 brick of cocaine found in the car. Goldberg, who represents Mack in his current case as well, already has filed a motion to throw out Mack's arrest and the guns as evidence. smmills@chicagotribune.com Advertisement tlighty@chicagotribune.com Twitter @smmills1960 Twitter @tlighty A 26-year-old south suburban Alsip woman has been charged with battery and hate crime after she called two people offensive names during a South Side margarita festival over the summer, Chicago police said. Jessica Sanders, 26, of the 12400 block of South 44th Court, was charged two felony counts of hate crime and two misdemeanor counts of battery, said Officer Michelle Tannehill, a spokeswoman for Chicago police. Advertisement The charges stem from an incident at 6:15 p.m. July 30 in the 7000 block of South South Shore Drive when Sanders began calling a 28-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman offensive names, Tannehill said. She then knocked a cellphone out of the man's hand and spit on the woman, Tannehill said. Video of the encounter was posted on YouTube and went viral on the internet. Advertisement Sanders was arrested at 4:20 p.m. Oct. 12 in the 15200 block of South Cicero Avenue in Oak Forest and appeared Friday for a bond hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, where Judge Peggy Chiampas set a $50,000 bail, records show. Sanders has since bonded out and is slated to appear in court again Wednesday. The Chicago Margarita Festival was a two-day outdoor festival that took place July 30 and 31 at the South Shore Culture Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive. The festival combines a margarita tasting with live original music, dancing, food trucks and fun, according to its website. Richard Stephenson, founder of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, left, and his ex-wife, Alicia Stephenson, head into the McHenry County Courthouse on Oct. 17, 2016. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) A former Cancer Treatment Centers of America executive testified Tuesday that founder Richard Stephenson boasted that his wife would get nothing in their divorce because of the way he organized his business holdings. Lynette Bisconti, who was fired from the company, took the witness stand at Stephenson's divorce trial in McHenry County and said Stephenson "was very proud of the fact that he owned nothing and controlled everything. And he was very proud of the fact that she would not be able to get anything." Advertisement The testimony of Bisconti, whom Stephenson's lawyer sought to portray as "vindictive," was in sharp contrast to statements by Stephenson's former mother-in-law, who broke down as she testified Monday that he continues to support her financially and has "always been so generous and nice to me." Tens of millions of dollars could be at stake as a judge determines how much Stephenson's ex-wife, Alicia, will receive in monthly maintenance payments and what her stake is in various other assets. The rare trial is taking place because the former couple, though their marriage has been legally dissolved, have failed to reach a financial settlement nine years after separating and seven years after Alicia Stephenson filed for divorce. Advertisement Bisconti is the former president of Gateway for Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment Centers' nonprofit research arm and her boss for a time was Alicia Stephenson, whom she still considers a friend despite limited contact in recent years. Bisconti described Richard Stephenson's lavish lifestyle, how he flew his family on private jets and how an Israeli jeweler once flew to Paris to personally deliver a large order to Stephenson. His attorney, David Grund, sought to raise questions about Bisconti's motives, noting not only that she was fired but getting her to admit that she was found three times to have violated Cook County court orders against revealing private financial or propriety secrets of Cancer Treatment Centers of America and was sanctioned three times. "This woman can't keep her word," said Grund, who objected several times during her testimony amid concerns that she would again violate the order by revealing company secrets. A Barrington jewelry store president also took the witness stand Tuesday and estimated that Richard Stephenson spent about $4 million in the shop over the years on gifts for Alicia, including an emerald ring. "He loved surprising her with things," said Michael Miller of M.J. Miller and Co. He and other witnesses were called by Alicia Stephenson's attorney to describe her lifestyle during the marriage. Alicia Stephenson is seeking $400,000 per month in maintenance, in addition to a portion of assets acquired during the marriage. Her lawyer said she's entitled to maintain the luxurious lifestyle she led while married. Richard Stephenson's attorney said in court that Alicia Stephenson was "along for the ride, and that ride ended." He wants a prenuptial agreement to be enforced, which would give Alicia Stephenson considerably less. Advertisement In testimony Monday, Alicia's mother, Marguerite Valentine, appeared frail and was assisted to and from the witness stand by her daughter. Valentine testified that she moved into a two-story home on Richard Stephenson's Tudor Oaks Estate in Barrington Hills in 1994 three years after the couple married there so she could help care for their daughter when they traveled for business and vacations. Valentine said she still lives in the home with a full-time caretaker, which Richard Stephenson pays for, and said she also receives assistance from his staff. She said she also spends time in a condominium in Memphis owned by Richard Stephenson, who also pays for her health insurance. She said she has access to company credit cards for expenses related to her car, including gas. Over the years, she said she also has received monthly stipends of a little more than $3,000, paid from a Stephenson company she identified as ICIC. Valentine said she uses the money to pay personal expenses and toward the care of a son who lives in a health facility in Evanston. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Valentine, who requires a caretaker after suffering two strokes, said her daughter and Richard Stephenson at one time were "very compatible seemed to care for each other, (had a) comfortable life." Valentine said she had a good relationship with Stephenson and his children and grandchildren from a previous marriage. She described private jet trips to spend Christmas at a family home in Colorado and summer vacations in Michigan, where the couple owned a boat and Alicia Stephenson drove a convertible Porsche. Richard Stephenson has never asked her to move out or said he would stop supporting her, Valentine testified. Advertisement At one point during Tuesday's proceedings, Alicia Stephenson's attorney, Elizabeth Felt Wakeman, requested permission from the judge for her client to leave the courtroom, and Stephenson appeared to be in tears as she departed. Wakeman later said outside of court that Stephenson was upset because she had approached her ex-husband at the courthouse and asked if they could settle matters privately but was refused. A spokesman for Richard Stephenson declined to comment. Robert McCoppin is a staff reporter; Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter. rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com Twitter @RobertMcCoppin A handwritten note titled "Boy profile for exploitation" allegedly found in the home of a man accused in the 1992 strangulation of a Skokie teenager can be admitted at the suspect's upcoming murder trial. A Cook County judge ruled that the evidence, as well as details about some other alleged crimes and misconduct, can be used against Robert Serritella, 73. The former Park Ridge man is charged with killing 15-year-old David Chereck, whose body was found in a Morton Grove forest preserve by a dog-walker. Advertisement The boy had disappeared while out walking, becoming one of the Chicago area's better-known cold cases until Serritella was arrested in Los Angeles in 2014. Prosecutors have for months been arguing that Judge Lauren Gottainer Edidin should allow into evidence proof of "other crimes and bad acts" allegedly committed by Serritella in the years before and after Chereck's death. Authorities say the evidence shows a pattern of Serritella soliciting and committing sex crimes against boys, pointing to his motive for allegedly stalking, abducting and strangling Chereck. Advertisement Defense attorneys say past allegations against Serritella, as well as statements he allegedly made saying he had sex with boys, would prejudice the jury. But Edidin said the "exploitation" note apparently a checklist of traits to seek in boys to target for sexual abuse is "relevant evidence," noting it was found in Serritella's apartment. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Its contents included bullet points such as, "an underachiever in school or home," "comes from a home where parents were absent either physically or psychologically," "usually wont (sic) homosexual experiences" and "suffers from poor sociological development," according to court documents. Robert Seritella, suspect on the death of David Chereck in 1992. (Cook County Sheriff photo) Edidin also ruled that she will allow jurors to hear that Serritella was convicted in California in 1992 of "child annoyance" after being accused of repeatedly following a 14-year-old boy, trying to talk to him and trying to run him over after he learned the boy had reported him to police. Serritella pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years probation, prosecutors said. "The defendant appeared to be angry with the victim and attempted to run him over," Edidin said in allowing that crime into evidence. In addition, Edidin said she will allow prosecutors to use as evidence an alleged 1992 phone conversation Serritella had with a 17-year-old male student from Lane Tech High School in Chicago. Serritella allegedly told the teen that he liked being aggressive in sexual encounters and that strangling someone during sex could heighten the experience. Though it took more than two decades to arrest him, Serritella had long been suspected in David Chereck's death. In the days after the teen died, authorities said Serritella twice called police and reported seeing Chereck get into a white car the night he was killed. Serritella himself drove a white sedan at the time, officials said. Authorities have said that Serritella also contacted David's mother, Esther Chereck, in 2013 and told her he only witnessed her son's abduction but acknowledged police considered him a suspect. Photo of 15-year-old David Chereck, who was found dead Jan. 2, 1992, on a bike path in a Morton Grove forest preserve. (Family photo) Serritella, who was in court on Monday dressed in a beige jail jumpsuit, did not speak during the hearing. It's not yet clear when he will stand trial, but it appears to be months away, if not longer. Advertisement Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter. Gary Solomon, co-owner of SUPES Academy, shown in 2015, pleaded guilty Oct. 18, 2016, to a single federal count of wire fraud. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune) A key conspirator in the multimillion-dollar bribery scandal that ended former Chicago Public Schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett's tenure pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud Tuesday in federal court. Gary Solomon's admission of guilt clears the way for Byrd-Bennett's sentencing, a year after Mayor Rahm Emanuel's handpicked schools leader pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge. Advertisement Byrd-Bennett, who faces up to about 71/2 years in prison, has a status hearing scheduled for Oct. 26, according to court records. Her sentencing hearing has not yet been set, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon's office said Tuesday. Solomon, a co-owner of the SUPES Academy and Synesi Associates education consulting companies, had pleaded not guilty to multiple fraud and bribery charges before entering into negotiations with prosecutors. Advertisement His plea agreement includes advisory sentencing guidelines that could mean a top sentence of up to about 11 years, Fardon's office said. Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang was set for March 24. The SUPES and Synesi companies were charged as part of the original 23-count indictment prosecutors leveled against Byrd-Bennett, Solomon and co-owner Thomas Vranas last year. Guilty pleas from each company for one count of wire fraud were entered Tuesday. Fardon's office said each company could face fines as high as $6.4 million, in addition to a total of $254,000 in restitution that Solomon and his co-defendants will collectively pay to the school district. CPS said it would continue to pursue a lawsuit that seeks more than $65 million in damages and other penalties from Byrd-Bennett and her co-defendants. Vranas pleaded guilty in April to a single count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. As part of Tuesday's plea, Solomon admitted his role in a scheme to bribe Byrd-Bennett with a percentage of the value of contracts the former CPS CEO steered to the education consulting companies. Solomon pleaded to offering Byrd-Bennett a bribe in exchange for her work to steer a $2 million CPS training contract to the companies in 2012. Solomon was involved in negotiating the terms of Byrd-Bennett's employment with CPS in 2012, according to his plea agreement. Byrd-Bennett had worked as a consultant for SUPES before she was hired at the district. Advertisement Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Throughout 2012 and 2013, Byrd-Bennett repeatedly pushed for new funding for the Chicago Executive Leadership Academy, an Emanuel-backed initiative to train school leaders, according to her plea agreement. Under her direction, SUPES contracts increased from just a $300,000 pilot program the year before to a $20.5 million no-bid contract that was approved by the board in June 2013. In pushing for the contracts for SUPES, Byrd-Bennett later admitted she lied to other CPS administrators, telling them she had no financial connection to the company. Solomon and Vranas set aside money for Byrd-Bennett in a company fund, with the understanding she would get paid once she left the district and returned to work with SUPES. Solomon and his attorneys declined to speak to reporters after Tuesday's plea hearing. jjperez@chicagotribune.com Advertisement Twitter @PerezJr An Illinois appeals court has blasted a Cook County judge and prosecutor for their handling of an attempted murder case in which three Chicago police officers were injured by gunfire while trying to enter a South Side home with a search warrant. The three-judge panel said it had no choice but to order a new trial for Antonio Jones, now 26, because the assistant state's attorney had repeatedly called Jones a "criminal" in her opening statement in 2013 even though he had never before been convicted of a crime. Advertisement The court also ordered that the case be reassigned to a new judge, ripping the original judge for what it called his "highly offensive" remarks at Jones' sentencing hearing. Moments after Jones had apologized to his children at his sentencing, Judge Stanley Sacks had this to say before imposing his sentence of 23 years in prison: "I don't believe they thought about their kids in the slightest on that day. If someone said, 'Hey, man, how are your kids doing?' their response would be 'What kids? I got kids somewhere?'" Advertisement The unanimous appellate ruling, written by Justice Mary Anne Mason, noted that Sacks' comments "leave little doubt that they were derisive and intended to malign an entire class of criminal defendants. ...The court's sarcasm was unwarranted and wholly inappropriate." Sacks, who has a sign that reads "Life is good" hanging in his sixth-floor courtroom at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, has long had a reputation for delivering strongly worded rebukes from the bench. In 2004, after Sacks gave a profanity-punctuated lecture during a sentencing hearing, Chief Judge Timothy Evans reassigned him for four months to the domestic relations division to be mentored by another judge. "There is no proper context nor justification for my conduct," Sacks said in a statement issued by Evans at the time. Last year, another appellate panel returned a case to Sacks' courtroom after it said his comments at a sentencing hearing for a man who shot at two Chicago police officers, striking one in the shoulder, were improper. The court found that Sacks had relied on a charge Juan Romero was acquitted of in sentencing him to 43 years in prison. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > In its ruling last week, the appellate court also took issue with Assistant State's Attorney Lisa Longo repeatedly calling Jones a criminal in her opening statement even after the defense had objected and the judge told jurors at one point to disregard the comment. "The state's derisive characterization was particularly likely to bias the jury against Jones where it was the jurors' first introduction to him," the opinion said. Longo, who is now in private practice as a personal-injury attorney, did not return a message left for her Monday. The appellate court also found that Sacks had improperly barred Jones who was shot multiple times six months earlier while asleep in the same Auburn-Gresham home from presenting a self-defense claim at trial. Sacks threatened to jail Jones' lawyer if he brought up the earlier shooting at trial. Advertisement Jones was accused of ordering another man to open fire into a back door after the officers attempted to break it down. His attorney argued at trial that Jones and others in the home thought it was intruders, not officers who were outside. sschmadeke@chicagotribune.com Twitter @SteveSchmadeke Warning graphic language: About 150 protesters gathered near Trump International Hotel and Tower on Oct. 18, 2016, to show their opposition to Donald Trump in the wake of his comments about his treatment of women. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune) (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune) About 150 protesters gathered near Trump International Hotel and Tower downtown Tuesday to show their opposition to Donald Trump in the wake of his comments about his treatment of women. The demonstrators, who were mostly women, held signs that read "Real men get consent" and "Keep your tiny hands to yourself" in reference to remarks Trump made in a 2005 recording for "Access Hollywood," in which he bragged about kissing and groping women without their consent. The Republican presidential nominee called his lewd comments in the recently disclosed recording "locker room talk." Advertisement "This is not appropriate conversation. This is not how we should be talking about women, our children, our people in America," said Brittany Meyer, 25, who lives in Wicker Park and attended Tuesday's protest. "It's important that all of us make our voices heard and to let people know that this is not acceptable, that we cannot be out here saying things like this and let that go by and just pass it off as locker room talk." Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 12 Protesters in opposition to Donald Trump's attitude towards women congregate and chant near the intersection of Wabash Avenue and Wacker Drive in Chicago near Trump Tower Oct. 18, 2016. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) In the recording, made public earlier this month, Trump says, "You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p----. You can do anything." Advertisement A number of women have come forward alleging that Trump had groped or assaulted them. Trump has denied their accounts. First lady Michelle Obama has denounced Trump's comments, and many Republican leaders have pulled their support for him. On Tuesday, protesters chanted "GOP hands off me" and "Love trumps hate" as they stood on the sidewalk on Wabash Avenue, across the street from Trump Tower. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "We are just here to be vocal and visible and say we're women, we're voters, we're citizens and we won't have this man represent us," said Alicia Swiz, an organizer of the protest as well as SlutTalk, a performance series designed to create a dialogue to destigmatize that word. Protesters in opposition to Donald Trump's attitude towards women protest across the street from Trump Tower on Wabash Avenue in Chicago on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) "Donald Trump's language is violent," Swiz said. "The message I think is really for the women who are living in this world and having to navigate these things all the time. I know here in Chicago you walk down the street and you're getting catcalled constantly no matter what part of the city you're in." A handful of Trump supporters stood in front of Trump Tower to show their support for the candidate. Some of them chanted "Lock her up," referring to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and held signs calling Clinton a lesbian and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, a rapist. At the counterprotest, Suzzanne Monk, 44, said she found it hypocritical to attack Trump for comments he made years ago when Clinton has supported her husband, who was accused of unwanted sexual advances. Bill Clinton has denied the allegations. "I've heard women make more crude remarks personally. And frankly, if you've listened to one hip-hop album, you've listened to worse," Monk said. "We are here to show that we don't believe in these allegations that are being falsely smeared about our candidate." lvivanco@chicagotribune.com Advertisement Twitter @lvivanco Authorities are compiling criminal histories and in some cases detailed dossiers on those arrested during Dakota Access Pipeline protests including digging through their social media accounts as they try to familiarize themselves with what Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said are sometimes professional protesters with past arrests. This is just to make sure (we know) who were dealing with and so the public knows who were dealing with, too, so they can have their opinions, he said. Information shared with Forum News Service by the sheriffs department included extensive reports on four people arrested for criminal trespass during protest actions, including their personal information, background, protest history and criminal records. Were trying to identify the worst of the worst, spokeswoman Donnell Preskey said. A summary of records for the 123 protesters arrested from Aug. 11 through Friday also showed that: Thirteen percent were from North Dakota and the other 106 were from out of state. Forty-three of the arrested protesters had a total of 276 previous citations and charges. Eleven had a history of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Five had been previously cited or arrested for drug possession. Six had a history of violence, including arrests for domestic violence and child abuse. Seven had arrests for theft, robbery or burglary. Kirchmeier said compiling the histories comes down to public safety and officers safety as we go through this. He said law enforcement wants to separate the agitators from those who are legally and peacefully protesting the $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile oil pipeline that will initially carry 470,000 barrels of crude oil per day from North Dakota to Illinois. I think that the people who want to legally and peacefully protest should be especially concerned about their safety inside these camps, he said. Cody Hall, a spokesman for the Red Warrior Camp within the main Oceti Sakowin overflow camp thats currently home to hundreds of pipeline opponents in southern Morton County, said tribal members are aware of some peoples criminal histories, and it does kind of raise a concern. Hall, whose own history includes convictions for theft in 1999 and reckless driving in 2001 in Grand Forks County, said a group of tribal elders has gone around asking those with a deep checkered past to ask about their situations. A lot of them have said that, Yeah, weve learned from the mistakes and have moved on, but they have an inner desire to protect and defend these lands and the water, Hall said. As for the non-native people from across the country who have joined the cause, Hall said, Were not aware of their situation or their past, so its definitely kind of just talk to them a little more. If they open up, they do, but if not, its just a simple, Please dont try to start something. In the public relations battle over the pipeline controversy, Hall said it seems authorities are using more negative language -- such as describing protesters as rioters -- and disseminating more bad news about the protest movement in an attempt to shift public opinion their way. I believe they are using a different language because theres something in the works here, he said. The detailed reports highlight anti-police propaganda and speech that some of those arrested have previously posted to Facebook and Instagram. One woman was convicted in Minnesota of obstructing the legal process by interfering with a peace officer, a gross misdemeanor, and had a felony charge of assault on a peace officer dismissed. Another woman is described as having a history of protesting pipelines, including the Keystone XL, and of supporting radical left wing environmental groups and causes. The reports also note past participation in protests such as Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter. There are people who do this professionally, and they just go around from protest to protest, Kirchmeier said. As of Tuesday, authorities had arrested 145 people in connection with protest activities since Aug. 11 -- 18 from North Dakota, 25 from South Dakota and the rest from 28 other states and Canada. The majority have been arrested for misdemeanor criminal trespass. Nine people have been charged with felony reckless endangerment or conspiracy to commit reckless endangerment, though the conspiracy charges against two defendants were dismissed in court Monday. A judge Monday also refused to sign complaints against Democracy Now! journalist Amy Goodman and four other people including Hall who were recommended for rioting charges in connection with a Sept. 3 clash between protesters and the pipelines private security. The incident is still under review and additional charges could be coming, officials said. Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Topspin Gov. Bruce Rauner fielded some friendly audience questions Monday at the College of DuPage, where he told business people he wants to cut red tape to make Illinois a destination for businesses. The governor also had to field a budget question. Ines Kutlesa, who runs Guardian Angel Community Services, a Joliet-based organization that serves victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, wanted to know how Rauner planned to solve the state's budget problems. Noting that the budget fight at the statehouse had been "dire and catastrophic for nonprofit agencies," Kutlesa asked Rauner to forecast what he expects next year when a temporary spending measure for state government expires. Rauner's response was long-winded but frank. First, the governor repeated his long-standing pledge that "what I won't do is raise taxes and have no reforms and no changes. I won't do it." Then he pushed back on what he called "spin . . . that I'm heartless, I don't care about the most vulnerable." "Baloney," Rauner said. "Many, many of the agencies that have been hurt, including my wife's work, I personally have donated, I'm a huge supporter, huge advocate. I don't want to cut your service. I'm just trying to bring some principle and some discipline to the process." Next, Rauner said he had offered up a number of reform ideas and was looking for agreement on some combination of those ideas in exchange for a broader budget deal. "Pick your reforms. I would do it for just a few. How about term limits and fair maps and workers' comp reform?" Rauner asked. "Pick two or three. I've laid out 15. Pick any of them. But let's pick something." In fact, Rauner started out with a list of dozens of ideas but quickly narrowed it down to five freezing property taxes while allowing local governments to decide what gets collectively bargained, changes to workers' compensation, changes to the rules governing civil lawsuits, term limits on elected officials and a new way of drawing political maps. He's spent most of his 22 months in office pushing those five items, but also has added fixing the government worker pension system into the mix. It's his disagreement with Democrats, who control the General Assembly and refuse to grant him legislation relating to the original five items, that has driven the state budget stalemate. The situation was put on hold this summer when the two sides agreed to authorize enough spending to keep state government functioning until after the Nov. 8 election. To Kutlesa's question about what happens after that temporary funding runs out, Rauner offered a dire warning. "You're a great spokesperson, because you do wonderful service. God bless you," Rauner told Kutlesa. "We need to hear from you more. But we also need to hear that if all we hear is you, pretty soon we don't have jobs. We need somebody fighting on the other end, and saying, 'Keep the tax burden reasonable, keep the regulatory burden reasonable and grow our economy.' Otherwise, we're never going to fund you, and frankly, there's going to be more trouble in homes with unemployment. There's going to be more trouble in homes because of low family incomes. And that's where we've been going for years." Rauner continued: "That's the reason, unfortunately, you're probably busier than you ought to be. We shouldn't need your services as much as we do because we're not growing our economy. And that causes more human services needs. So it's a vicious cycle that we're in right now." (Kim Geiger) Advertisement What's on tap *Mayor Rahm Emanuel will attend a ribbon-cutting at the new Accenture Digital Hub in Chicago. *Gov. Rauner will address the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services child welfare meeting in Itasca. Advertisement *Chicago City Council budget hearings: city treasurer, city clerk, Department of Innovation and Technology, elections board, police board. *Cook County budget hearings: chief administrative officer, animal control, medical examiner, transportation, human resources, among others. *Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth is scheduled to appear at a higher education roundtable in Chicago with Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. *Democrat Pat Quinn speaks to the City Club of Chicago. Quinn was Illinois governor from 2009 to 2014. What we're writing *Preckwinkle takes page out of City Hall playbook: $500K for each county commissioner for transportation projects. *Emanuel aides try to assuage aldermen on police hiring. *Chicago shootings outpace last year by 1,000. *CTA plans $15 million upgrade for Belmont Blue Line station. Advertisement What we're reading *Caterpillar CEO, who'd piped up on state business climate issues, to retire next year. *Crash photos shared on Facebook horrify relatives. *McDonald's corporate reshuffling continues. From the notebook : *Where's mine, 2016 edition: Mike Royko famously wrote that the motto of Chicago should be Ubi Est Mea (Where's Mine?). During the first day of City Council budget hearings, some aldermen used their time at the microphone to ask Mayor Emanuel's budget aides to give them more money to spend. Advertisement Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, and Budget Committee Chairman Carrie Austin, 34th, said larger wards like theirs should get a bigger pot of so-called menu money the $1.3 million-per-ward in Department of Transportation funds that each of the 50 aldermen gets to dole out for local projects. Beale spoke in the strongest terms, noting that his ward had far more streets, alleys and sidewalks than others that get the same amount of menu money, while suggesting that was designed not to anger any of his colleagues. "Sometimes we have to piss people off to do what's right," he said, eliciting some nervous laughter and this response from Austin: "Wow." Meanwhile, Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, said each alderman should get an additional $60,000 or so to hire one more staff person. As it now stands, each alderman gets about $185,000 a year to hire three workers apiece. "I think we could all use one more person in our office," Sawyer said to applause from his colleagues. The upshot: no commitments from Budget Director Alex Holt. (Hal Dardick) *Dold up with new ad in North Shore IL-10 race: Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Dold has a new TV ad running in his bid for re-election, relating the story of Lisa Weiss of Round Lake and her daughter, Sophie, who suffers from seizures. Advertisement The Dold campaign said the family heard about a natural therapy called CBD oil that was helping other children suffering from serious neurological disorders, but a federal law made it impossible for Lisa to access this oil in Illinois. "Bob told us he was going to help with the federal legislation. It wasn't an empty promise. He stood behind us," Lisa Weiss says in the ad. Dold responds: "Lisa is a mom trying to make her child's life better, and I wanted to make sure Washington didn't get in her way." Federal campaign reports for the July through September period show Dold, of Kenilworth, started October with nearly $2.3 million in cash on hand, compared with just under $300,000 for his Democratic rival, former U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, of Deerfield. (Rick Pearson) *Rauner's latest task force: Gov. Rauner has signed an executive order tasking a newly created commission with finding ways to reduce regulations and license fees on Illinois businesses and entrepreneurs. The Republican governor has long complained about the "bureaucracy" of state government, contending that businesses have fled to neighboring states to escape an overly burdensome regulatory climate in Illinois. Rauner's new commission, made up of representatives from each of the state's regulatory agencies, is supposed to present a report by May 1 detailing which regulations and fees should be changed or eliminated in order to make things easier on businesses, social service providers and taxpayers. "We in Illinois need to have balance, and today, we have no balance," Rauner said. "We've gone to one end, one extreme regulate, regulate, tax, rule, law . . . Some rules and regulations are necessary. We need to protect consumers. We need to protect employees. We need to protect taxpayers, with some rules there. But we've gone to one extreme." Rauner acknowledged that his administration already has the ability to make adjustments to regulations and requirements imposed on businesses, but said the commission will "take this to the next level of intense focus on reducing the red tape and changing the mindset that business is an enemy, that business is to be regulated and beat up and shaken for cash." The commission is supposed to identify rules and regulations that need changing, which the executive branch will implement where possible, allowing Rauner to tout the changes as he tries to court companies to move to the state. "I'm going to use this as a sales tool to bring more businesses to Illinois, and say, 'Look how we changed the culture in Illinois to become much more pro-business, pro-growth." (Kim Geiger) *Strange days, indeed?: Picture of Mayor Emanuel looking grouchy/serious next to artist Yoko Ono? Coming right up. Advertisement Rahm joins Yoko to unveil her first permanent U.S. installation. It's in Jackson Park, and it's called "Sky Landing" https://t.co/HIzxnlRTsm pic.twitter.com/gK8vSYR3Vw Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) October 17, 2016 Follow the money *An attack ad campaign being aired by a Democrat-run super political action committee that attempts to link Republican Gov. Rauner to GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is being funded in large part by labor groups, campaign finance disclosures show. Leading Illinois For Tomorrow, a superPAC run by state Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, reported raising $470,500 by the end of September, most of it from labor groups. The top donation of $262,500 came from the Fight Back Fund, a group headed by Marc Poulos, executive director of the Indiana, Illinois, Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting, which represents the powerful International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. Just one individual donor was listed Howard Rossman, chairman of Chicago-based Mesirow, who gave $25,000. The superPAC has already spent more than $1 million airing the attack ad, but where the PAC raised the rest of that money to fund those ads remains unknown because reports disclosing donations received in October aren't yet due. (Kim Geiger) *Campaign finance reports covering July through September were due Monday. Here's a look at the numbers for some notable politicians: Speaker Michael Madigan: four combined political funds' cash on hand, $9.4 million. Gov. Rauner: $5 million (raised $5 million in Quarter 3; spent $15 million and counting). Mayor Emanuel: $670,000 (raised $425,000 in Quarter 3). Advertisement Attorney General Lisa Madigan: $2.4 million ($330,000 raised in Q3). Secretary of State Jesse White: $421,000 ($32,000 raised in Q3). Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti: $3,500 ($5,000 raised in Q3). *Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here. Beyond Chicago *Hillary Clinton email woes come back with "quid pro quo" note. *Trump lashes out at GOP leaders who push back on "rigged election" idea. Advertisement *U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer focusing on big prize of Senate majority leader. *Major attack on ISIS starts in Iraq. Chicago aldermen on Oct. 18, 2016, urged Business Affairs officials to quickly hire additional inspectors to enforce the city's new regulations on apartment and home rentals being advertised through online platforms like Airbnb. (John MacDougall / Getty-AFP) Chicago aldermen on Tuesday implored city Business Affairs officials to crack down harder on problem stores that are neighborhood centers for illegal cigarette sales and other petty crime, saying those spots often become flash points for violence. One alderman after another urged Business Affairs Commissioner Maria Guerra Lapacek to add business inspectors at night and on weekends, when residents lodge many of their complaints about lawbreaking in and around convenience stores and taverns. Advertisement "I would like to add my voice to my colleagues to have some greater ability to inspect problem businesses in the evening time, which is when, often, the problems occur," said North Side Ald. Joe Moore, 49th. "And if there's a way we can work with our friends in labor to get some flexibility (in when business inspectors work), I think that would help achieve our goal of making sure businesses behave responsibly, not just between nine and five, but 24 hours a day." North Side Ald. Harry Osterman, 48th, tied the effort to keep businesses in line explicitly to Mayor Rahm Emanuel's recent "all hands on deck" call during his high-profile speech on public safety, asking Chicagoans to band together to fight violent crime. Advertisement "You're doing a great job with the businesses: More licenses are being processed, it's helping, our economy's growing in some parts of the city," Osterman said during Business Affairs' 2017 budget hearing. "But we have these problems. And I think the mayor, when he talked about the violence in the city, he asked everyone to come together, and I think Business Affairs is a key role in that. "There are convenience stores that sell illegal cigarettes, and it's people that are involved in one way, shape or form with gangs in doing this," Osterman said. "It's an undercover market." Aldermen have been complaining for years about loose cigarette sales, which they say are becoming more prevalent as Emanuel has increased tobacco taxes and raised the age to buy cigarettes legally to 21, making the black market more lucrative. "I know that we're working, and I see officers out trying to clear the corners; however, it continues to be a huge problem in the community in which I serve," said West Side Ald. Michael Scott Jr., 24th. "They get creative, they're (selling cigarettes) outside of gas stations, they're outside corner stores, they're outside CTA stops. It has become a huge business, I would almost venture to say as big an epidemic in my community as drug sales are at times." Aldermen also pressed Guerra Lapacek to quickly hire additional inspectors to try to enforce the city's new regulations on apartment and home rentals being advertised through online platforms such as Airbnb. Guerra Lapacek said it could be March before three new positions created to monitor the home-sharing websites are filled. That didn't sit well with Ald. Michele Smith, 43rd, whose tony lakefront neighborhoods have been overrun with speculators buying condos and using them exclusively as weekend rental units. "I think it's time that we really get it going, because obviously the hardest time for a new law is right when it starts. That's when you need the people more than ever," Smith said. "That causes a lot of concern." jebyrne@chicagotribune.com Advertisement Twitter @_johnbyrne Ald. Willie Cochran (20th Ward) faces an FBI criminal investigation into whether he improperly used campaign funds for personal expenses, say sources with knowledge of the probe. Meanwhile, protestors in Woodlawn were calling for Cochran's resignation on Oct. 19, 2016. (CBS Chicago) South Side Ald. Willie Cochran faces a federal criminal investigation into whether he improperly used campaign funds for personal expenses, say sources with knowledge of the probe. The full scope of what a grand jury is looking into was not immediately known, but state records show the 20th Ward alderman has made dozens of revisions to his campaign reports over the past two years, often to show he had paid himself with campaign funds months earlier. Advertisement While the sources said the probe focuses on Cochran's alleged misuse of campaign contributions, a real estate developer told the Tribune on Tuesday that the FBI had questioned him about a donation to Cochran for a scholarship fund the alderman supports. "I'll tell you the same thing I told them," said the developer, who asked for anonymity. "I gave him a check, I think it was for a couple hundred dollars. What he did with it, I have no clue." Advertisement Asked about the investigation by the Tribune, Cochran, 64, denied any wrongdoing or that he had been approached by investigators. His tax and campaign records are in order, he said. The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment on the existence of an investigation. Such grand jury probes are kept secret by law. Court records hint at recent financial troubles for Cochran he has been the target of three foreclosure lawsuits over his personal home and laundry businesses he held a financial stake in. Cochran has paid himself more than $131,000 out of his campaign fund, nearly all of it since he won a second term in 2011, according to state campaign records. Those records show Cochran has filed an unusually large number of revisions 70 to his campaign finance paperwork from January 2015 through July 2016. Over the previous eight years, Cochran had filed only six amendments to his campaign records. In some of the amended campaign finance reports, Cochran revealed he had paid himself out of his campaign fund. In several instances, Cochran did not report those payments until well after he filed his campaign reports with state elections officials in some cases more than a year or two later. From 2012 through 2016, Cochran spent $397,574 in campaign funds. About one-third of that $128,297 to be specific went to himself, the records show. It is not against state law for candidates to pay themselves from their campaign fund for working on their own election bid, but it is relatively rare. It's also unusual for candidates to pay themselves such a high percentage of the contributions. Advertisement The developer who says he was questioned by the FBI has not made any personal political contributions to Cochran's campaign, state election records show. However, three companies associated with the developer have made contributions to the aldermen's campaign fund totaling $3,500, records show. Cochran, a former police officer, was elected in 2007 after his predecessor, Ald. Arenda Troutman, was arrested by the FBI on bribery charges alleging she solicited donations from developers seeking to do business in the ward. After Troutman's arrest, Cochran called on her to resign, telling the Tribune that "most people in the ward are tired of our public officials being embroiled in one controversy after another." Troutman pleaded guilty in 2008 and was sentenced to four years in prison. Cochran is paid $116,208 a year as alderman and also collects $60,280 annually from his police pension, records show. While many aldermen have rejected annual raises in recent years because of the city's financial struggles, Cochran has accepted all the raises. In late 2014, he suggested aldermen should be paid more, saying he often works 60 hours a week or more. Advertisement Cochran, who is considered an ally of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, won a third term in office last year, surviving a tough runoff election against challenger Kevin Bailey. After his victory, Cochran told reporters he and his wife were going to celebrate by flying to Las Vegas and renting a convertible for a West Coast road trip. Days later, he was hit with a foreclosure lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court claiming he had defaulted on the $420,000 mortgage on his Woodlawn home, according to court records. He still owed more than $384,000 on the mortgage as of November 2014, records showed. The foreclosure was dismissed in July 2015 "due to the fact that the loan was reinstated," court records state. Records show it was the second time Cochran and his wife had faced foreclosure stemming from the same 2006 loan. A similar lawsuit was filed in 2012 and then dismissed months later after the loan was renegotiated, according to court records. In 2013, Cochran, who for years owned the Rainbow Brite laundromat on East 63rd Street, was named in a foreclosure lawsuit involving a string of laundromats he had a financial stake in, according to court records. That lawsuit alleged the business owner, Alexander Fletcher, had defaulted on a $1.5 million loan involving several laundromats. It was dismissed in 2014. Advertisement According to the biography posted on his ward's website, Cochran is the youngest of 10 children. He has a master's degree in public administration from the Illinois Institute of Technology and also has a bachelor's degree in sociology. Cochran joined the Chicago Police Department in 1977 and served as a patrol officer and sergeant over his 26-year career. The Chicago City Council has a long, notorious history of corruption. Since 1972, 29 aldermen have been convicted of crimes related to their official duties. The most recent, Isaac "Ike" Carothers, pleaded guilty in 2010 to bribery and tax charges for accepting $40,000 in home improvements for backing a developer's controversial project in his 29th Ward. His father, William, a former alderman, was convicted 27 years earlier. Chicago Tribune's John Byrne and Hal Dardick contributed. jcoen@chicagotribune.com jmeisner@chicagotribune.com jgorner@chicagotribune.com Advertisement bruthhart@chicagotribune.com BENTON HARBOR, Mich. Authorities say a police officer in southwestern Michigan has fatally shot a man who opened fire on officers investigating a report of a man with a gun. The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety says officers responded about 2:20 a.m. Tuesday following a report of a person being held at gunpoint in a house. Officers went to the home described in the report and the residents said they weren't aware of any trouble. As officers began to leave the home, police say a man emerged from the street and fired multiple shots at officers. Police say officers ran for cover and one fired at the man, who was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police say he had two guns with him. The officer who shot him is on administrative leave. Associated Press Sen. John McCain, seen here on April 12, 2016, backed off his comments on a radio show on Oct. 17 that Republicans in the Senate would block any nominee to the Supreme Court made by Hillary Clinton. (Olivier Douliery / Abaca Press via TNS) An issue that has been mostly absent from this year's Senate campaigns -- the fate of the Supreme Court -- suddenly erupted Monday after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., indicated during a talk-radio appearance that Republicans would move to block any high court nominee made by a President Hillary Clinton should the Democratic nominee win. McCain made his remarks on WPHT-AM radio in Philadelphia, during an interview in support for fellow Sen. Patrick Toomey, R-Pa.: "I promise you that we will be united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton, if she were president, would put up," he said. "I promise you. This is where we need the majority, and Pat Toomey is probably as articulate and effective on the floor of the Senate as anyone I have encountered." Advertisement The remark immediately raised hackles of Democrats, who have complained about GOP treatment of President Obama's judicial nominees -- most prominently, Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, whose nomination has sat in limbo for more than six months after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., resolved to save the pending vacancy for the next president. McCain's comments raised the prospect that the vacancy could extend much longer than that, particularly if Republicans maintain their control of the Senate. Even if Democrats win the majority, they would still need a handful of GOP votes to confirm any Supreme Court nominee -- current Senate rules require 60 senators to close debate and move to an up-or-down vote. Advertisement If Republicans were in fact "united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton . . . would put up," that could mean the Supreme Court would remain an eight-member body indefinitely -- and perhaps force a change to Senate rules allowing for simple-majority confirmation of Supreme Court nominees. McCain's office issued a statement Monday afternoon backing off his pledge of blanket opposition. "Senator McCain believes you can only judge people by their record and Hillary Clinton has a clear record of supporting liberal judicial nominees," spokeswoman Rachel Dean said. "That being said, Senator McCain will, of course, thoroughly examine the record of any Supreme Court nominee put before the Senate and vote for or against that individual based on their qualifications as he has done throughout his career." Later in the day, during a campaign stop in Chandler, Arizona, McCain avoided the more strident position when responding to a question from local business officials about the court. But the 30-year incumbent, facing his most difficult election since his first race in 1986, made clear that he hopes the issue of defending the court from a Democratic Senate majority and president is something that should galvanize conservatives. "There's estimates as many as three vacancies could be coming over the next three years," he said. "That can affect us for decades. So it's my passionate argument for keeping the United States Senate in Republican hands, as a check and balance to whoever the president of the United States is." After a second stop Monday, with the leaders of the Arizona Farm Bureau, McCain said in an interview that a Republican Senate would temper the types of justices Clinton could get confirmed as president -- not that it would prevent the confirmation of any Clinton nominee. "Hillary Clinton has supported all the liberal nominees that have come before the Senate when she was in the Senate," he said. Advertisement During Clinton's eight years as senator, President George W. Bush nominated two Supreme Court justices, John Roberts and Samuel Alito, both of whom she opposed. As senator she held sway over which lower-level federal judges from New York were nominated and confirmed. McCain's Democratic opponent, Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, trailing in recent polls, slammed the five-term incumbent for advocating "pure, partisan politics at its worst" and "promising broken government if Trump doesn't win." After McCain walked his comments back, Kirkpatrick spokesman D.B. Mitchell said the retraction did not ring true: "he said what he meant, and meant what he said." And the retreat did not stop the Democratic National Committee from emailing a fundraising appeal seizing on his original comments. "The GOP has already caused President Obama's nominee to have the longest Supreme Court wait in our nation's history. If Sen. McCain is to be believed, they're willing to keep up their shameful behavior for years," read the email, which asked for a donation of $10 or more. Melania Trump talks to Anderson Cooper in an interview that aired Monday on CNN. (CNN) Melania Trump said that, as First Lady, she could be interested in leading an effort to combat bullying and negativity on social media. Mrs. Trump - whose husband frequently uses social media to attack opponents - said in an interview Monday on CNN that she was worried about its impact on children. Advertisement She said she is concerned that her 10-year-old son Barron would be exposed to tough talk on Twitter and other social media platforms. Just earlier Monday, Donald Trump took to Twitter to unleash attacks on both sides of the aisle, targeting both Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and House Speaker Paul Ryan and claiming the "dishonest" media was conspiring against him. Advertisement Associated Press According to the Republican nominee for president, his opponents were "on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history." In an ad, his campaign warned of "nationwide voter fraud" that could swing the election. His running mate worried, in a fundraising letter, that "leftist groups" were trying to "steal the election." The candidate was not Donald Trump. It was Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who in the final weeks of the 2008 presidential election embraced the theory that ACORN, a community organizing group previously embraced by Democrats and Republicans, was helping to rig the election for Barack Obama by filing fake voter registration forms. Advertisement In modern times, no candidate for president has questioned the election's integrity more consistently and flagrantly than Trump. According to a new Politico/Morning Consult poll, conducted among 1,999 registered voters in the week after the second presidential debate, 73 percent of Republican voters now worry that their votes will not be counted. That's not all due to Trump. The idea that Democrats and their allies are rigging elections, either through control of machines in Democratic cities or through mass voter impersonation, is a mainstay of conservative politics - one that has powered legislation that is making it harder for some voters in Republican-controlled states such as Wisconsin to register this year. (ACORN ceased to exist after a conservative video sting recorded some of its staffers entertaining questions on how to get tax credits for prostitution, and a Democratic-controlled Congress ended its federal funding.) Advertisement Trump's role in furthering the doubts has drawn condemnation from the media and calls for Republicans to stand up to him. "Conservative journalists have to play a role here, and conservative commentators, too," said CNN's Brian Stelter in a monologue Monday morning. But some of the most wild charges thrown at Democrats by Trump surrogates have been made for years. "Dead people generally vote for Democrats rather than Republicans," former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday. "You want me to [say] that I think the election in Philadelphia and Chicago is going to be fair? I would have to be a moron to say that." That was not much different from what Giuliani claimed in the days before the 2004 election, telling Newsmax that his experience in the 1989 mayoral election, which he narrowly lost to Democrat David Dinkins, showed that voter fraud could swing elections. "There were machines that already had hundreds of votes on them," Giuliani said. "When they open that machine - if you don't have your poll watcher there to look at the back of it, you could start off the election in that district down 100 votes, down 200 votes, down 300 votes." Giuliani was not telling the truth, then or now. The reason that voters hear perennial reports of "vote-switching" and machines loaded with Democratic votes is that volunteer election workers from both parties staff most polling places. There is, in Philadelphia, an ongoing investigation into an incident where four poll workers added six votes to "balance" the totals from their precincts; investigators found out about it because a poll watcher reported it. The infamous 2008 reporters of ACORN "voter fraud" came to light in a similar way. At the time, ACORN ran a mass voter registration program, paying volunteers as they handed in new forms. Thousands of forms were faked, with the names (and sometimes signatures) of dead people boosting the volunteers' numbers. Those registrations did not turn into votes. Often, bipartisan election boards blew the whistle about the fake registrations; sometimes, ACORN itself did. In eight years, there has been no evidence of voter impersonation and fake ballots in the 2008 election. That did nothing to stop the momentum of voter ID laws in Republican states, or even to challenge theories that illegal votes had swung key races. Since the 2000 election, in which a badly designed Palm Beach County ballot and a pre-election purge of voters raised long-term concerns that the election system was unfair, overall voter confidence has decreased. In 2004, according to the Pew Research Center, just 54 percent of Democrats were confident that their votes had been counted. That year, 83 percent of Republicans said the same. By 2012, after two elections in which Republican nominees or party officials questioned the integrity of the vote, just 64 percent of Republicans expressed that confidence. Advertisement In a few swing states, even where polls show Trump badly trailing Clinton, Democrats are girding for a surge of Trump-inspired poll watchers to slow down the vote by challenging voters. In many states they are currently limited in where they can go; Pennsylvania's Democratic governor is holding back a Republican-backed bill that would let Trump voters travel to any precinct in the state to challenge votes. "We've been around a long time; these guys who want to come in are rookies," said Rep. Robert A. Brady, D-Pa., who represents much of Philadelphia. "We're going to do everything right. These guys better not do anything to hinder the election, because it'd backfire completely on them. We'd put it out on the street, that they're challenging black votes, and people will come out in droves. I hope they try to challenge everybody, because we'll have lines and lines and lines." Mohammed Rahami (center), the father of Ahmad Khan Rahami, who is the suspect behind a Sept. 17 explosion in New York City and a second bombing in New Jersey, looks on as FBI investigators gather evidence at the family's business on Sept. 19. (Justin Lane / European Pressphoto Agency) When Aliou Niasse, a Muslim immigrant from Senegal, noticed and reported smoke coming from a car parked in Times Square in May 2010, he prevented a terrorist attack and saved lives. Police were able to disarm a car bomb before it caused any casualties. Niasse was working as a street vendor, not an unusual job for a new immigrant in our country. "If I see a terrorist," he said then, "I am going to catch him before he runs away." Six years later, on Sept. 16, 2016, a homemade bomb was detonated in New York's Chelsea district and was soon linked to other devices found in Manhattan and New Jersey. Afghan immigrant Mohammad Rahami, the father of the suspect, said he had called authorities to report his son's erratic behavior. "Two years ago, I called the FBI," Rahami said. "My son he's doing really bad, OK?" Advertisement During the second presidential debate, Donald Trump called on Muslims who come into the United States to "report when they see something going on." As Niasse and Rahami illustrate, and as the FBI has attested, Muslim immigrants have already stepped up as allies to law enforcement. Newcomers to this country from the Middle East and South Asia, many of whom fled violence and tyranny when they came here, are especially aware of the threat posed to America and to Islam by terrorism. Yet paradoxically, even as immigrants and refugees are invaluable in the fight against terrorism, they are subject to anti-Muslim bias and stereotypes that see all Muslims as potential terrorists. That image is projected on refugee and immigrant communities by violent extremists in the Middle East and xenophobes in the United States, and it is based on a false narrative that Islam and the West are at war, and always will be. Advertisement Muslim immigrants and refugees as well as native-born Muslims shouldn't be viewed as a security risk. The Koran, like biblical scriptures, tells us to protect life, not to destroy it. Like every good American and person of faith, when we see criminal activity, we report it to the authorities. Everyone appreciates the effectiveness of neighborhood watch programs; they aren't about spying on each other but collective protection. What threatens America isn't the arrival of more Muslim immigrants or refugees from Syria but rather the alienation of immigrant communities. Marginalization and stigmatization of particular populations endangers us all, not only because we lose invaluable allies in the fight against homegrown terrorism, but also because these very factors create disaffection and exacerbate anti-social behavior. Stigmatizing Muslim immigrants and refugees and those of other religions and national origins fractures society and gives our enemies an edge. It threatens the stability and the resilience of the United States. Resisting marginalization makes us more united against terrorist threats; it enriches society and makes us safer. Earlier this month, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Bipartisan Policy Center released a report examining immigration, national security and public safety. The "best inoculation" against immediate and future security threats comes from "cooperation and building trust with immigrant and other communities," it concluded. Rather than seeking security by blocking immigrants with border walls and restrictive policies, the report suggested that rationalizing the immigration system with comprehensive reform will make America's immigrant culture into a strong national security asset. The election season has conflated terrorism, immigration and refugee resettlement in ugly ways. But it has also sparked a productive dialogue about the need for reforming immigration policies and creating stronger systems to welcome and resettle newcomers as neighbors, colleagues and contributors to our communities, and as partners with not suspects of law enforcement. The Islamic State spreads the lie that Muslims do not belong in the West, especially in America. And yet Muslim citizens, refugees and immigrants know that the United States can be for them what it has been for so many others: the last best hope. The narrative that we as a country choose will not only demonstrate this nation's values, it will determine the trajectory of our national security and our struggle against terrorism. Tribune Content Agency Salam Al-Marayati is president of the national Muslim Public Affairs Council. During a campaign stop in Florida, Donald Trump said the reality of the election is "a small handful of global special interests rigging the system." Oct. 13, 2016. (C-SPAN) (Chicago Tribune) Donald Trump once again escalated his "rigged election" rhetoric at a rally in Wisconsin recently, and many observers are now warning that if he keeps it up, the smooth functioning of our democracy could be undermined, not just by lack of voter confidence in the integrity of the outcome, but also by outright disruptions on Election Day. This is a bit like warning that an arsonist may end up succeeding in reducing his target to ashes. Advertisement It is now becoming clear that the prospect of undermined public faith in the election's integrity, and even disruptions on Election Day, is not an unintended byproduct of Trump's snowballing claims of a rigged election. Rather, making these things happen is very likely the explicit goal of those claims. In Wisconsin, Trump again alluded to a plot to "rig the election at the polling booths": Advertisement "People that have died 10 years ago are still voting. Illegal immigrants are voting," Trump said. "So many cities are corrupt, and voter fraud is very, very common." Trump also quoted from a recent Pew Research Center study finding that more than 1.8 million deceased individuals are still listed as voters. "I have a feeling they're not gonna vote for me," Trump said of that 1.8 million. "Of the 1.8 million, 1.8 million is gonna vote for someone else." (This study actually urged voting reforms that would maximize participation, which Trump is trying to discourage, but put that aside for now.) The claim that "illegal immigrants are voting" is of a piece with Trump's recent assertion that the Obama administration is allowing them to "pour" over the border to vote in the presidential election. This, combined with Trump's ongoing warnings of rampant voter fraud, and his calls to his supporters to monitor polling places "in certain areas" (read: nonwhite areas), appear to be part of an ongoing strategy to turn the election into a big fiasco in the final stretch. As Trump's own advisers have suggested, making the last days of the election as ugly as possible could help depress the enthusiasm of Hillary Clinton's supporters, perhaps dragging down turnout. But Democrats think Trump's whole scheme goes further still: They think Trump is making an explicit effort to encourage disruptions on Election Day, because the specter of such disruptions could itself depress turnout. As one Democratic lawyer put it: "If you wind up spending a lot of time talking about election fraud and law enforcement, you're generating a message that can have a very discouraging effect on the electorate." Disruptions on Election Day, should they happen, could also serve another obvious objective harbored by Trump. As many have already observed, Trump has spent months preparing to tell his millions of followers that the election was stolen from them, should Clinton win, and will also likely tell them that Clinton is an illegitimate president. Disruptions and possibly violence would further the impression of a messy Election Day that could help him make that case. No one really knows what Trump is thinking. But it's not unreasonable to speculate that Trump is ultimately trying to cast our entire democratic process as illegitimate, laying the groundwork to press this argument long after Election Day. "What he is doing has many objectives, such as suppressing turnout and undermining the legitimacy of a Clinton presidency," Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg argues to me. "Whether there is also a more malevolent motive to wound our democracy itself remains to be seen." If so, you can draw a line from Trump's claim during his convention that only "I alone can fix" our system which was widely denounced as a fundamentally undemocratic sentiment straight to his current claims that the election is rigged against him. Advertisement The Clinton campaign, perhaps not wanting to play into Trump's effort to create the impression of a looming Election Day mess, is sticking to a public line emphasizing that everything will go smoothly, with record turnout. If Clinton does win, this, despite Trump's best efforts, is probably what will end up happening. And Trump's rantings will look increasingly marginal and buffoonish as we move past this ugly election and, hopefully, on to better times ahead. Washington Post Greg Sargent writes the liberal Plum Line blog for The Washington Post. Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX, listens to a question during a news conference in front of the SpaceX Dragon V2 spacecraft, on May 29, 2014. (Jae C. Hong / AP) For years, billionaire entrepreneur and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has expressed his passion for colonizing Mars. With the recent explosion of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral (not to mention the trouble with the Tesla, Musk's other high-profile venture), we wondered if his Mars enthusiasm had waned. We're glad to say that the answer is: Apparently not. In a recent speech to the International Astronautical Congress, Musk revealed engineering details and timelines (optimistic, to be sure) to make the mission happen. He has his sights set on sending humans to Mars by 2024 or so. That's just around the corner, in space flight time. Advertisement Musk figures it will cost about $10 billion to develop a Mars rocket that could ferry 100 passengers on the seven-month journey. Estimated ticket cost: $500,000 per. Not for everyone, but sure, we could see hundreds of people lining up for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. ("What do you do after you've climbed Mt. Everest? Conquer Mars!") Musk wowed his audience. "The mood at the conference was almost as giddy as a rock concert or the launch of a new Apple product, with people lining up for Mr. Musk's presentation a couple of hours in advance," The New York Times reports. Advertisement Good for him. If Musk wants to raise and risk billions to fulfill his dream (fantasy?), we say go for it. We expect those $500K tickets will go fast. And we'll sure be rooting for those plucky space tourists to reach the Red Planet. Meanwhile, however, NASA says it is also on track to launch a Mars mission in the 2030s. But . . . why? NASA has carved out a science-rich niche, sending probes to distant planets (and Mars), reaping tons of data, exploring reaches of the solar system. Just recently, Rosetta, the first spacecraft to orbit a comet, sent its last trove of data back to Earth before it spiraled to its death. From that mission, scientists have reaped major clues about how the solar system formed and evolved, how life came to flourish on Earth. That's thrilling. But the gee-whiz, nation-on-the-edge-of-its-seat days of the 1960s space missions are long gone. A small Florida startup named Moon Express just received permission from NASA to send a robotic lander to the moon. If it succeeds, Moon Express will win a $20 million Google Lunar X Prize competition launched in 2007. Will anyone on Earth notice? Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos walks onstage for the launch of the new Amazon Fire Phone, in Seattle, on June 16, 2014. (Ted S. Warren / AP) Meanwhile, Blue Origin, Amazon zillionaire Jeff Bezos' private spaceflight company, is racing Musk and others to transport people into space. Blue Origin just aced a crucial "in-flight escape test" of its New Shepard rocket. The system is named after Alan Shepard, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, and the first American to reach space. Mars is still a long way off. Musk says he won't be among the first colonists because he wants to see his children grow up. The chances of dying on the initial voyage to Mars, he says, are "quite high." NASA, you want a piece of that action? Our advice is: Stick to those science-expanding probes. Why spend billions to what? beat Musk and Bezos and the others in the Billionaire Rocket Boys Club to Mars? Let them take the risks and sell the $500,000 tickets. You've got better things to do. Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. After Donald Trump said he would get a special prosecutor to look into Hillary Clinton's alleged deletion of e-mails on a private server, he added that she would 'be in jail' if he was in charge of the law. Oct. 10, 2016. (C-SPAN) (Chicago Tribune) When Donald Trump gloated that "the shackles have been taken off me," I immediately wondered, how was he shackled? Was that the shackled Trump, for example, who obsessively attacked Judge Gonzalo Curiel in May, Khizr Khan and his family in July and Alicia Machado in September? Advertisement Trump actually was putting on a defiant face after a stunning event in American political history: He, the Republican Party's nominee for president, was getting a cold shoulder from the party's highest-ranking member in the House, Speaker Paul Ryan. With less than a month to go until Election Day, Ryan announced that he was washing his hands of the monumental task of defending Trump. The break followed the release of an embarrassing 2005 "Access Hollywood" video. In it, Trump happily boasts about what amounts to sexual assault. Advertisement In fact, had there been some restraints on Trump, his whole campaign might actually give Democrat Hillary Clinton some competition again. Instead, Trump's "unshackled" state is looking increasingly unhinged. Since his break with Ryan, he has been going deeper into the dark side of politics and I'm not talking about the African-American vote. A "scorched earth" strategy widely reported to have been urged on by Trump campaign CEO Steve Bannon has catered to Trump's paranoid side the side that caused him to question so profusely President Barack Obama's birth certificate. Now Trump is dangerously pressing buttons with his supporters by claiming the election is "rigged" by a conspiracy vast enough to take in Washington, the media, his Democratic rival Clinton and every poll that shows him falling behind, which is almost all of them. Yet as his fortunes fall, he has become more isolated and more heavily influenced by such far-right friends as Bannon, who took the Breitbart News site in a farther-right direction after founder Andrew Breitbart died. Trump's attacks grew sharper against Clinton, the Republican establishment and "the media," whom he also seems to want to imprison. "This election will determine whether we are a free nation or whether we have only the illusion of democracy, but are in fact controlled by a small handful of global special interests rigging the system, and our system is rigged," he told a rally in West Palm Beach, Fla., last week. " The establishment and their media enablers will control over this nation through means that are very well-known. Anyone who challenges their control is deemed a sexist, a racist, a xenophobe and morally deformed." Advertisement Nor does it help that Trump increasingly has called reporters "scum" and "corrupt." Worse, he occasionally has shown more respect for overseas oligarchs than for our own press freedoms. In one glaring example, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough asked Trump in December if his admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin was at all tempered by the country's history of killing critical journalists. Trump's response was: "He's running his country, and at least he's a leader, unlike what we have in this country." Board members of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists included examples like that in a recent and rare declaration that "a Trump presidency represents a threat to press freedom unknown in modern history." But another strong defense of the First Amendment hit Trump even closer to Trump Tower last week. After his attorney demanded a retraction by The New York Times of a story that quoted two women who claimed to have been groped by Trump without their consent, the Times' newsroom attorney, David McCraw, sharply suggested that Trump didn't have much of a reputation left to protect when it came to his treatment of women. Trump has "bragged about his non-consensual touching of women," the letter said. "He has bragged about intruding on beauty pageant contestants in their dressing rooms. He acquiesced to a radio host's request to discuss Mr. Trump's own daughter as a 'piece of ass.' Multiple women not mentioned in our article have publicly come forward to report on Mr. Trump's unwanted advances. Nothing in our article has had the slightest effect on the reputation that Mr. Trump, through his own words and actions, has already created for himself." So there. The Donald may well come up with another paranoid theory to explain this setback. But this isn't about a conspiracy. It's about the Constitution. Advertisement Clarence Page, a member of the Tribune Editorial Board, blogs at www.chicagotribune.com/pagespage. cpage@chicagotribune.com Twitter @cptime A coyote that wandered into a Chicago sandwich shop is released in Barrington on April 4, 2007, by Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation's Dawn Keller. (Scott Strazzante / Chicago Tribune) Officials in Arlington Heights said this week that despite frequent sightings of coyotes roaming the north side of the village in recent weeks, the wildlife do not pose a danger to residents. At Monday night's Village Board meeting, Mayor Thomas Hayes said as a resident of the Northgate neighborhood, he has spotted a coyote in his own backyard. Advertisement But Hayes said "anti-cruelty" laws prohibit local towns from attempting to control the coyote population. "It's not that we don't care, but to a certain extent, our hands are tied," Hayes said. Advertisement The coyote issue was brought to the board's attention by resident Ann Marie Lundstrom, who said she became alarmed after sighting coyotes at Camelot Park, near her home in the Northgate neighborhood. "People are saying they can't use their yards anymore and they're afraid to go to Lake Arlington," Lundstrom said. "Small dogs and cats are missing from yards, and it's not the owners' faults." Lundstrom who said she is also unnerved by hearing the coyotes' nocturnal howling said after she encountered a coyote recently while walking through Camelot Park, she allegedly called the police department's non-emergency phone number. "The well-being of citizens should be first and foremost the priority of the village," Lundstrom said. Still, Village Manager Randall Recklaus said unless officials are alerted to a coyote that is exhibiting threatening behavior, "there's not a whole lot we can do." "Fortunately, coyotes generally don't pose a threat to people, and if they see you, they scurry away," Recklaus said. "They are a natural part of our ecosystem, but we certainly discourage people from offering coyotes food, and keeping their pets outside, unattended. And if there are situations where residents see a coyote or other animal exhibiting threatening behavior, we encourage them to call 911." Despite reports of an uptick in recent coyote sightings, the coyote population in the Chicago region increased dramatically during the 1980s, but has remained relatively steady since then, according to the Forest Preserves of Cook County website. Coyotes have been a part of North American ecosystems for thousands of years, and with the local extinction of wolves, bears and cougars, coyotes are now the region's sole large resident carnivore, playing a vital role in controlling populations of small animals such as rats, squirrels, mice, voles and even Canada geese, according to the county website. Advertisement kcullotta@tribpub.com Twitter @kcullotta Arlington Heights Firefighter Marc Piscitiello, right, and Sparky the Fire Dog, center, visited with children at the fire department's annual open house on Oct. 15. (Karen Ann Cullotta / Pioneer Press) Tours of the fire house and its rescue equipment, hands-on safety demonstrations and a visit from Sparky the Fire Dog were among the family-friendly activities on the roster at the Arlington Heights Fire Department's Open House on Saturday. The free event, held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fire Station #1, 300 East Sigwalt Street, adjacent to Village Hall, attracted roughly 3,000 residents, most of whom were young families with children in tow, said Lt. Andrew Larson, the fire department's public education officer. Advertisement Hosted by the fire department each October in recognition of National Fire Prevention Week, this year's campaign theme, "Don't wait Check the Date!" aimed to educate the public about basic smoke alarm safety, Larson said. "We've been inviting the public in for our annual open house for more than 20 years, and it's a great way to interact with citizens and educate them about fire safety," Larson said. "It's also a chance for the residents to see the fire house and all the equipment we've purchased with their tax dollars." Advertisement Firefighter-paramedic Sebastian Parker spent Saturday's open house hoisting children aboard the seat of the department's ladder truck, as an American flag waved from the 100-foot-tall tower. A former teacher whose uncles were members of the New York City Fire Department, Parker said he decided to make the career change years ago, and was hired by Arlington Heights. "I've never looked back, and it's the greatest job in the world," Parker said. In addition to the recent open house, the fire department will partner with Trustee Joseph Farwell and local volunteers on Nov. 5 for "The Katie Project," which offers residents the chance to have new batteries placed in their home smoke detectors at no cost, or to have faulty detectors replaced. The community initiative, offered to residents free of charge, started two years ago following a fire that killed three women inside a home on Dunton Avenue with an inoperable smoke detector, officials said. The initiative is named after Farwell's cousin, who died in a home fire in the 1970s, before it was commonplace to have smoke detectors in homes, officials said. Meanwhile, officials are celebrating some good news this month, upon learning that the fire department has received the Insurance Services Office's top rating of Class 1. As the insurance industry's leading source of information about property and casualty risk, a top ISO rating helps keep fire insurance premiums lower for the community, including homeowners and businesses, Deputy Fire Chief Pete Ahlman said. Advertisement According to Ahlman, the ISO Class 1 rating was achieved by less than 200 of 47,000 fire departments nationwide, or just one-third of 1 percent of all fire departments across the U.S. The rating is based upon a review of factors including a fire department's ability to fight fires, its response times to calls for service, and staffing, Ahlman said. "We were certainly hoping for an improved rating, and this took the work of the whole department and village," Alhman said. Fire Chief Ken Koeppen added: "Our firefighters are dedicated, well-trained and committed to being the best. This recognition is very important to them." kcullotta@tribpub.com Twitter @kcullotta A 44-year-old Batavia man has been sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting a young child he knew. Fernando Rogel-Vargas, of the 1200 block of East Wilson Street, Batavia, agreed on Friday to a six-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for pleading guilty to criminal sexual assault, a class X felony, according to the Kane County State's Attorney's office. Advertisement On the afternoon of Oct. 22, 2015, Rogel-Vargas sexually assaulted a young child he knew, prosecutors said. The victim was younger than 12 at the time, according to a news release from the state's attorney's office. Rogel-Vargas must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, according to Illinois law. He was given credit for 356 days already served in the Kane County jail. Advertisement In accordance with the state's sexual offender registration act, Rogel-Vargas must also register for life as a sex offender. Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Lori Schmidt, who is assigned to the county child advocacy center, prosecuted the case. Previously, Rogel-Vargas plead guilty to resisting a peace officer in 2007 in Kane County, records show. hleone@tribpub.com Twitter @hannahmleone The Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora has hired a new executive director for its science, technology, engineering and math education outreach programs. Norman "Storm" Robinson III, an educator and mathematician, will be the new executive director for professional field services at the selective residential school, IMSA officials said in a statement. They highlighted his background in the implementation of science-, technology-, engineering-, and math-focused curricula and the development of STEM educator training. Advertisement Before coming to IMSA, Robinson was program director at the Georgia Institute of Technology's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing, known as CEISMC. He has been an education specialist at NASA's Glenn Research Center, the National Institute of Aerospace and NASA's Langley Research Center. He has also been a classroom teacher at a Greenville, S.C., middle school and a Greer, South Carolina high school, and a STEM-focused magnet middle school in Marietta, Ga. In a statement, IMSA President Jose Torres said he wants to work with Robinson to build the scope and capacity of the school's outreach programs. Advertisement "We are excited to welcome Dr. Robinson to IMSA to lead our team of educators designing and delivering award winning STEM instruction to students and teachers across Illinois," Torres said. "STEM careers in Illinois are showing tremendous growth and pioneering outreach programs, such as Fusion, Summer@IMSA and IMSA Allies, help inspire and prepare students to pursue these professions." Robinson has a Ph.D. in teaching and learning with a concentration in mathematics education from Georgia State University and a master's degree in natural and applied sciences from Oklahoma State University. He has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Tennessee Technological University. "I am thrilled to join IMSA and plan to innovatively build the top-notch outreach programs that brings STEM education to students across the state, especially those in low-income, rural and urban areas," Robinson said in a statement. "IMSA has a phenomenal history of delivering engaging, hands-on STEM education for both students and educators and I am looking forward to expanding the reach of these programs to promote long term interest in STEM in Illinois." Margaret Bowen loves reptiles especially the scaly, slithery species most of us, including yours truly, would just as soon avoid at all costs. That is a good thing since the 35-year-old Aurora woman is the new manager of Phillips Park Zoo. Advertisement In fact, ask her why she got into this business in the first place; and she'll quickly admit it's her fascination with snakes from the time she was an adolescent volunteering with her father at a zoo in the Rockford/Freeport area where she was raised. But ask Bowen what's her favorite of the 80-plus animals she now oversees at the Aurora zoo and she throws out an entirely unexpected answer. Advertisement "Oh, for sure, the little opossum," she quickly replies. Margaret Bowen, the new manager of Phillips Park Zoo in Aurora, checks out photos of the newest addition to the free city zoo, a blind baby opossum that is still in quarantine but will be on display in a few weeks. (Denise Crosby / The Beacon-News) Bowen is referring to a five-month-old North America opossum that also happens to be blind, and came to Aurora via the WIllowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn. The baby is so new in town she's still in quarantine for a couple more weeks. And she doesn't even have a name yet, although Bowen is thinking about inviting residents to help come up with just the right one. It could be said this adorable little opossum -- the manager showed off her pictures like a proud parent and Bowen are starting this new chapter of their life together at Phillips Park Zoo. And she hopes both of them make it home for a very long time. "It was pretty awesome," she said of her first impression of the free city-run zoo that attracts some 200,000 visitors annually. "There is a lot of attention to detail you could tell the staff here really cares." That Bowen is passionate about this job is not only evident in the way she talks about the animals and staff surrounding her office, but also in the myriad plans she has for the zoo that's come a long way in the past decade or so under the leadership of the City of Aurora and long-time manager Randy Johnson, who she replaced in mid-August after he retired. Raising the level of animal care while already good is first and foremost on her list. And not far behind is getting involved in more breeding and survival initiatives to increase the zoo's population. In addition to conservation, Bowen, who has a degree in zoology and zoo animal science technology, is equally focused on the importance of improving education, training, enrichment and volunteerism. Her ultimate mission, she added, is to become accredited by the international Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which is no easy task as only about 25 percent of zoos in the country, most of them far larger, have attained. Advertisement "It's a huge goal," said Bowen, who helped initiate the application for AZA accreditation when she was curator for the Great Bend-Brit Spaugh Zoo in Great Bend, Kansas. "It's all about constantly improving working toward higher standards." Before coming to Aurora, Bowen was a front-desk manager at Bethany Animal Hospital in Sycamore, which specializes in exotic animals. She was also in charge of social media and marketing, both of which play crucial roles, she noted, as a zoo's viability "often depends upon public opinion and the ability to network with other zoos around the country." When I asked for a few examples high on her to-do list, she offered a flood of ideas that included renovation of the historic water wheel and barn; becoming a member of the River Otter Survival Program, implementing more school-based programs, as well as offering more "zookeeper talks" and behind-the-scenes programs on site. Phillips Park Zoo Manager Margaret Bowen, who began her duties in mid-August, visits the gray wolf exhibit where Montana, on the grassy hill, awaits his lunch. (Denise Crosby / The Beacon-News) Bowen estimates she now spends more than 50 percent of her time doing paperwork, but insists she doesn't mind. "I like being behind the scenes," she said, "so the staff can focus on the animals." "She brings a lot of experience and professionalism," said zookeeper Patricia Deuchler. " Getting someone new after having the same manager for so long was a little scary. But we got lucky we're doing good." Still, Bowen says she likes to leave those managerial duties behind at least once a day to stroll around the zoo, helping out staff where needed or visiting with stroller-pushing moms or grandparents who, on this Monday morning, were taking advantage of the beautiful fall weather. Advertisement While Bowen may be crazy about snakes and other reptiles and an orphaned blind baby opossum she still gets a kick out of those walking on two legs. "I really love getting out and talking to people, she said. Her favorite part of the zoo: Seeing the reactions on the faces of those youngest visitors. "It's that real-life connection they get," Bowen said, "when these kids meet the ambassadors of those species." Dcrosby@tribpub.com A Hinsdale South student was charged with disorderly conduct Oct. 6 for allegedly threatening to shoot up the school over the presidential election outcome, according to Darien police officials. The boy, who lives in Darien, was charged under a local ordinance and released to his parent's custody with a court date pending in Downers Grove field court, the Darien Police Department said. Advertisement Hinsdale South principal Stephanie Palmer said an investigation determined the boy was joking when he made the verbal threat. "He was trying to be funny," Palmer said. "But it wasn't funny," she said, and it was very inappropriate, especially happening just three days after another South student allegedly made threats on social media that the Darien Police Department determined were credible. Advertisement Palmer said although the boy on Oct. 6 intended his remarks as a joke, "students were scared." Darien Police Cmdr. Gerry Piccoli said the police learned of the comment through the school's tip line. "It was a little bit hearsay," Piccoli said. But the school resource officer was able to identify a student suspected of making the comment. The student was pulled out of class and questioned, Piccoli said. The boy said it was meant to be a joke and he was very remorseful, Piccoli said. The police determined there was no safety risk, but "we have a zero tolerance for that type of thing." So the boy was charged under a local ordinance. Another student was charged with eight felonies, including possession of an explosive or incendiary device and possession of firearms without a Firearm Owners Identification card, after the police reported finding guns, ammunition, explosives and a Nazi uniform at the 16-year-old's home Oct. 3. Students had told the police about threats they saw on Snap Chat that the 16-year-old is accused of posting. At a School Board meeting Monday, District 86 superintendent Bruce Law thanked the school administration, law enforcement and especially the students for their response to the Oct. 3 threats. Law said more tips about safety concerns have come in to the district website's tip line and through a tip app between Oct. 5 and Oct. 10 than had come in prior to that since the tip line was launched in January. Advertisement "We take them all seriously," Law said. "Keep them coming. If you see something, say something." It sounds trite, but it's so important, he said. kfornek@pioneerlocal.com Twitter @kfdoings St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church brought back a tradition this year with its Taste of Egypt Festival. The church, on 79th Street in Burr Ridge, typically holds the festival annually but skipped 2005 while construction was underway on a new building. Church members brought back the festival this year, including tours of the church as part of the activities. Advertisement The two-day event also offered camel rides and a petting zoo, personalized hieroglyphics, a Kids Corner and shopping opportunities for jewelry, souvenirs and artwork. But it wouldn't have been a Taste of Egypt without the food, which included kabobs, falafel, hummus, grape leaves and baklava. Advertisement Janice Morcos Gerges, one of the organizers, estimates about 2,000 people attended the event with 50 people touring the church at one time. She said additions of a henna art booth and master runs for the kids were popular, as well as lentil soup, which was added to the menu. The church is one of four Coptic churches in the Chicago area, and has about 700 families attend services each Sunday, according to the church's website. Services last about two hours. Actors Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon star in the cult classic, 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' directed by Jim Sharman. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) (Michael Ochs Archives) Actors with the Beverly Arts Center are ready to do the "Time Warp" again when they take the stage as a "Rocky Horror Picture Show" shadow cast Oct. 28. The center will screen the cult classic film while actors perform on stage, encouraging audience participation and adding to the experience. Advertisement The film has drawn audiences for more than four decades. Movie-goers often arrive in costume, and interject lines and use props such as rice to throw at a wedding scene and toast to toss at the appropriate moment. Add to that live actors from the Beverly Arts Center, and it's the best of both worlds, according to Tim Stompanato, theater coordinator at the BAC. "Live actors do the shadow cast. They will act and interact with what is going on the screen," Stompanato said. Advertisement "It's such a different experience than when you go to the movies traditionally. You're encouraged to be loud and wild," Stompanato said. On the flip side, the actors may have memorized the screenplay, but they are also responding to the audience in front of them. "You never know whether you have to scale it down or crank it up, because you're reading the audience," Stompanato said. To complete the experience, BAC will sell prop kits for audience members. People are encouraged to order the kits in advance with their tickets or there will be a limited number available at the door. Tickets are $10 ($9 for members), and the kits are $10. The event is a fundraiser for the center, particularly the theater programming. The actors are volunteering their time for this performance. A cash bar will also be available. The cult classic film from 1975 features a couple (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon) who find themselves in the unusual home of scientist Dr. Frank-n-Furter (Tim Curry), the "sweet transvestite from Transylvania," as his song goes. Stompanato will play both Dr. Scott and Eddie (portrayed by Meatloaf in the original film). The Beverly Arts Center did the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" with shadow cast for the first time last year, and Stompanato said it was a success, drawing people who saw the film during its first release in the 1970s, those who've sought out the midnight showings to this day, and first-timers. Stompanato said he is definitely a longtime fan, someone who spent many nights at Hollywood Palms movie theater in Woodridge with friends, and getting to know the other audience regulars. "It was a blast," Stompanato said. "It's so unlike anything (the audience) has encountered. You find yourself lost in it." Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > The campy horror-comedy-musical film is raunchy fun; no nudity, but the film is rated R. Stompanato suggests that parents use discretion. Paige Fumo Fox is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Advertisement 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' screening with live shadow cast When: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 Where: Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago Information: 773-445-3838l; www.beverlyartcenter.org Tickets: $9 members/$10 nonmembers; additional $10 for a prop kit Allan M. Spooner, a South Side native, has been named president and chief executive officer of the Franciscan Health hospitals in Olympia Fields and Chicago Heights. - Original Credit: Courtesy of Franciscan Alliance (HANDOUT / HANDOUT) A native Chicagoan who has spent his career in health care administration outside the Chicago area is returning home to run the Franciscan Health hospitals in Olympia Fields and Chicago Heights. Allan M. Spooner, 49, who grew up in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood and graduated from the former Mendel Catholic High School in Roseland, has been named the new president and chief executive officer at both south suburban hospitals. Advertisement "This opportunity was really cool because I'm from Chicago, I'm from the South Side, I've got family members that live in the area," Spooner said. "So the idea of being able to be a leader of a Catholic mission and serve folks who are not just friends and neighbors, but also family. I hadn't had the opportunity before and I think it'll be great." Spooner, who most recently served as president of the hospital division of Columbia St. Mary's, a five-hospital system of Ascension Health in Milwaukee, said the decision to accept the job at Franciscan rather than take a new job within his company in Jacksonville, Florida was as much a personal as a professional one. Advertisement "I wanted to be around my kids, and if I was moving and creating new relationships, I wanted to be near my kids and my family," said Spooner, whose 12-year-old twin daughters recently moved with his ex-wife from Copenhagen, Denmark to Dayton, Ohio. His parents still live in the Chatham home where he was raised. Spooner, who plans to relocate to the Olympia Fields area, will succeed Arnie Kimmel at Franciscan. Kimmel, who had been CEO at Franciscan Health's Olympia Fields and Chicago Heights hospitals since late 2013, recently accepted a job as senior vice president of corporate services for Franciscan Alliance. Spooner takes over the reins at the south suburban hospitals amid a major restructuring that will end inpatient operations at Franciscan's aging Chicago Heights campus while its newer Olympia Fields facility undergoes a nearly $115 million expansion. Maria Elena Ramos, the vice president of marketing and public relations for Franciscan, said she expects the transition from Kimmel to Spooner to be a smooth one that does not affect the timeline of the restructuring. The expansion and renovation of the Olympia Fields hospital at 20201 Crawford Ave., is on schedule to be completed by summer 2018, Ramos said. At that point, Franciscan Health will begin moving all inpatient and emergency services from Chicago Heights to Olympia Fields. As part of the restructuring process, the Catholic health system also plans to expand its Franciscan ExpressCare urgent care center, 211 Dixie Highway in Chicago Heights, which would offer around-the-clock urgent care, outpatient behavioral health and occupational health services. Advertisement The Chicago Heights hospital will continue to provide a number of primary and specialty care services, as well as outpatient care like pharmacy, lab and x-ray services, Ramos said. "I think it's actually very exciting, and really what attracted me to the job," Spooner said of the hospital restructuring. "The way I sort of look at it is I did my own demographic research of the area around the hospital and the doctor's offices that are in the south suburbs and I just think there's tremendous potential." Spooner said he foresees an opportunity to expand Franciscan Health's footprint by capturing the business of community members who currently get their health care in the city of Chicago. "I think there's a significant opportunity to keep a lot of that business in the south suburbs," he said. "It's about creating the type of services that are strong, attractive, patient-oriented." Within the industry, Spooner is viewed as a seasoned health care administrator with a strong background in strategic planning. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Spooner also has an engineering degree from Dartmouth College and a M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. Advertisement "He has an accomplished record of quality improvement and clinical program development and growth, as well as patient, employee and physician engagement success," Kevin D. Leahy, president and CEO of Franciscan Alliance, said in a statement. "We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber join our Franciscan Health team as we advance our mission and profound commitment to care for the patients we are privileged to serve." Spooner views himself as a quality leader who values transparency, teamwork and relishes the opportunity to work for a mission-based organization like Franciscan Health. "The great thing about working for a Catholic health care mission," he said, "is that our goal is to improve the health status of the community. So, my job is really to figure out what the community needs and the best way to deliver that from a health care standpoint, not just to get patients to stay at my hospital." Spooner will assume his new role at Franciscan on Oct. 30. zkoeske@tribpub.com Twitter @ZakKoeske Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin talks about the decision of moving into a full-time position as mayor. The Village of Orland Park agreed to make the position full-time. | Gary Middendorf-Chicago Tribune Media Group (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown) The Orland Park village board on Monday approved more than tripling the mayor's salary despite strong protests from residents. Currently paid $40,000 a year, the mayor would make $150,000 at the start of the next term in May. Advertisement Some 80 people crowded into the board meeting room, with residents using terms such as "offensive" and "deplorable" to describe the raise and new salary. "Nobody deserves that," one woman shouted. Advertisement Residents said the matter should have been decided by a referendum question. Nevertheless, trustees voted unanimously on the proposal, which broadens the duties of the mayor. Mayor Dan McLaughlin abstained from the vote. The new salary won't kick in until after the start of the mayor's next term in May. First elected mayor in 1993, McLaughlin plans to seek another term in April. Along with serving as mayor, McLaughlin is executive director of the Builders Association, a trade group for the commercial construction industry in the Chicago area. He has said he would quit that position if the mayor's duties were expanded. Village officials say that expanding the mayor's duties and raising the job's salary will save money because the village won't have to hire a second assistant village manager and an economic development director. The hiring of those positions was recommended in a consultant's study done for the village about four years ago. The salary hike will bring a corresponding jump in McLaughlin's pension, an analysis by the Daily Southtown shows. Advertisement As a member of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, McLaughlin stands to receive 1 2/3 percent of his final rate of earnings for each year of service credit through his 15th year in the fund. After 15 years of service credit, McLaughlin would receive 2 percent for each year of service credit from years 16 through 40, with the formula reaching its maximum of 75 percent at 40 years of service credit. McLaughlin currently has 31 years and 6 months of service credit in IMRF, according to the pension fund. If he wins re-election next spring and serves out the full term, he'll have 36 years of service to his name. That means McLaughlin would stand to receive 67 percent of his final rate of earnings. An IMRF pension is decided by an average of the highest consecutive 48 months out of the last 120 months of what the pension fund calls final rate of earning essentially their reported wages multiplied by the percentage acquired through the previously-described calculation. Typically, the highest 48 months are the final four years before retirement. Since McLaughlin currently makes $40,000 a year in salary as mayor, plus $3,000 annually as liquor commissioner, his highest 48 months would come during his next term in office, under the new pay scale. The Daily Southtown's analysis assumes he wins re-election and does not continue as mayor beyond 2021. At that point, McLaughlin's initial pension would be more than $100,000 per year. The pension would grow by 3 percent simple interest each year, and after 20 years, McLaughlin would collect about $160,000 per year, a Daily Southtown analysis found. By contrast, McLaughlin would start out with roughly a $30,000 per year pension if he retired at that point and kept his current salary. Advertisement Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Should McLaughlin retire at the end of his next term and receive his pension for 10 more years, he'd realize more than $1.1 million in that time frame under the pension calculated using the proposed salary. That's compared to roughly $340,000 under the office's current salary. The village notes that each village employee contributes to his or her pension, while Orland Park also contributes to the IMRF. Based on the higher salary, the village says its contribution toward the mayor's pension would be $19,000 per year, with those payments ending once the mayor retires. McLaughlin won't receive, as was initially proposed, a stipend to purchase health insurance coverage, and he won't eligible for step or cost-of-living pay raises unlike other village employees. Any change to the mayor's salary needed to be approved at least 180 days before the start of the next term. McLaughlin, who turns 63 in January, served as a village trustee from 1983 to 1991. mnolan@tribpub.com, gpratt@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter: @mnolan_j, @royalpratt Residents packed an Orland Park Village Board meeting Tuesday to protest the tripling of the mayor's salary. (Mike Nolan / Daily Southtown) While touted as a cost-saving move for Orland Park, a big raise for that village's mayor, which will kick in next spring, was criticized by angry residents as not justified. Some in a standing-room-only crowd on Monday night a rarity for a Village Board meeting promised retribution at the polls in April when Mayor Dan McLaughlin and three trustees seek re-election. Advertisement Now paid $40,000 as mayor, plus another $3,000 a year for serving as liquor commissioner, the mayor would be paid $150,000 and the position expanded to full-time with added responsibilities of being Orland Park's lead person on economic development matters. The higher salary won't take effect until after next spring's elections. Prior to the board's unanimous vote hiking the salary, with McLaughlin abstaining, he and trustees spent about two hours listening to residents who questioned the size of the increase. One resident said it was "unconscionable" for the board not to have put the issue to voters in the form of a referendum question. Advertisement One asked why the salary couldn't be set at $80,000, or double what the mayor currently makes as a part-time elected official. Others questioned whether taxpayers would have to foot the bill for the higher pension the mayor would receive under the new salary. Trustees insisted that the village faced the need of hiring a second assistant village manager as well as an economic development director, at a cost, including benefits, that would be more than double what the mayor's new salary would be. In a letter handed to residents before the start of the meeting, the village said that, over the course of the mayor's four-year term, the village would make pension contributions totaling $77,000 compared with $111,000 for two new employees over the same period. The mayor won't receive health insurance coverage through the village or be eligible for cost-of-living or merit pay raises. The move to expand the mayor's role and boost the job's pay was discussed by the Village Board's Finance Committee, which recommended it to the full board as an alternative to hiring two more employees. Broadening the mayor's duties "made complete fiscal sense to us," Trustee Mike Carroll, a member of that committee, told residents. Residents packed an Orland Park Village Board meeting Tuesday to protest the tripling of the mayor's salary. (Mike Nolan / Daily Southtown) Changing the position's salary had to, under state law, be approved at least 180 days prior to the start of the next term, which will be in May. Growing the mayor's role doesn't mean the village is abandoning the village manager's position. Police Chief Tim McCarthy is serving as interim manager while the search is underway for a new one. Former Village Manager Paul Grimes, who left earlier this year to take a similar job in McKinney, Texas, was paid just under $162,000 in salary, excluding benefits, in his last year with the village. One resident questioned the need to make the mayor's job full-time, saying "the village hasn't suffered" with McLaughlin handling the job on a part-time basis. Advertisement "I think we're all satisfied" with the condition the village is in, she said. The crowd was mostly older residents, some of whom bemoaned the fact that they've seen nonexistent growth in their incomes due to virtually flat or minuscule changes in Social Security benefits. Others noted that, due to pay freezes or other reasons, salaries for some families have remained stagnant. "We're hurting out here and you're going to get a raise," one woman said. Along with remaining responsible for "resolving constituent issues," the ordinance approving the new salary requires the mayor to devote much of his time to working with existing businesses and otherwise "promoting and facilitating the economic development" of the village. "We're kind of stuck," Trustee Jim Dodge said, noting that Illinois' financial condition and high Cook County property taxes are two big strikes against attracting businesses to move into the village or expand. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > "Do we really need more development in Orland Park?" one man asked to enthusiastic applause. Advertisement If the village isn't aggressive in pursuing development particularly to diversify its heavy reliance on retail sales tax revenue "we're going to be falling way behind," McLaughlin said, later adding: "If we don't compete then we're losing out." One resident said he was concerned that the village, as it spells out the economic development role the mayor will play, may paint itself into a corner, if whoever succeeds McLaughlin lacks the skills to woo businesses. After the residents spoke, Dodge, who faces re-election next year, said the "anger in this room is palpable," and that he and the mayor questioned whether some of the comments were stemming from a wider dissatisfaction with state and federal government. McLaughlin said he understands people are "just plain fed up and frustrated," but that he hoped "people can separate" Orland Park from what's going on in Springfield or Washington. It wasn't all darts aimed at McLaughlin, with some residents commending the job he's done, such as one woman who told the board "we get a good bang for our buck." mnolan@tribpub.com Presidential candidates set the turnout. That's the race voters care about the most by far, so everybody else who's running down-ballot essentially has to work within the structure of that year's presidential turnout numbers. Some organizations can fiddle around with the margins here and there and get some voters out who might not have bothered voting, but down-ballot candidates mainly have to find a way to win with the hand they are dealt by the top of the ticket. So, if one presidential candidate crashes and burns, that's almost always the ballgame. Advertisement That's just something to keep in mind while watching top Republicans abandon their presidential nominee Donald Trump after that ghastly "hot mic" tape surfaced and he, in turn, lashed out at those turncoat Republicans and promised a nuclear attack on the Democratic nominee whom he has pledged to prosecute if elected. Yes, there's still time for Trump to get his act together. The election is still a few weeks away usually considered an eternity in politics. But, man, just look at this mess. Miracles do happen in politics, but miracles ain't plans. Advertisement It goes without saying that the impact of a possible implosion in Illinois will be felt the most in the suburbs where more moderate voters were less receptive to Trump's candidacy to begin with. Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) has been under constant, withering attack from the Republicans for months, so he could really use some help from the top. The Democrats recently sent more than $200,000 to Cynthia Borbas' DuPage County race against Rep. Christine Winger (R-Wood Dale). That's about half of all the money they've given her since July. President Barack Obama lost the district by two points in 2012, so it's worth watching if this weirdness at the top continues. The Republicans maintain that their expensive and meticulously concocted plan, centered around tying Democratic candidates directly to the horribly unpopular House Speaker Michael Madigan, will get people to the polls and convince them to support Republican legislative candidates even if some of them vote for Hillary Clinton. But the Republicans have also said for months that their plan depends on Trump not completely falling apart. He just has to run a "normal" race, which obviously isn't happening. It's hard to see how this will work out well for the Republicans in the suburbs, where moderate women voters are undoubtedly appalled at what's going on with Donald Trump. But it's a bit trickier in Downstate districts, where Trump has been the most popular here. For example, just a couple of short weeks ago, Mike Mathis' Democratic supporters were proudly pointing to the number of homes that had their guy's yard signs planted next to Trump's signs. Mathis is up against appointed Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Raymond) in a district just south of Springfield and has run a credible race. The Mathis campaign's boast about attracting Trump supporters also has happened in most every other contested Downstate district, as what remains of the Democratic blue collar white male vote surged away from Clinton to Trump. Simply put, the Democrats recognized early on that they needed those votes to win. Advertisement Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > In Mathis' case, Obama lost the 95th House District by 13 points four years ago, so the only way he can defeat Bourne is with support from people who normally lean Republican. Mathis was asked about who he was supporting for president at a candidates' forum last week. After much hemming and hawing and complaining about how bad the choices were, he finally said, reluctantly, that he'd be voting for Clinton. Trump has become so toxic that maybe Mathis' position won't hurt him too badly. Then again, lots and lots of Trump supporters believe Clinton is the Devil incarnate (I'm not kidding, do a Google search). They may not like what their guy is doing, but that won't push them toward her. Trump polled a mere 29 percent in a statewide Democratic poll taken the middle of last week and careened downward to an unheard-of 27 percent in a Republican tracking poll earlier last week. He bounced back to above 30 in that GOP tracker, but... oh, man that's still bad. To be clear, a Trump implosion will undoubtedly help Democrats. The fewer people who lean Republican who actually vote on election day or switch parties means Democratic voters will make up a greater share of the Nov. 8th pie. But after positioning themselves as Trump-friendly for months, Downstate Democrats now have to navigate a minefield for the next few weeks. Advertisement Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com. I'm going to vote against the Safe Roads Amendment and I think you should, too. The question on Illinois ballots Nov. 8 asks voters to amend the state Constitution to guarantee that revenue generated from transportation-related taxes and fees be spent exclusively on transportation-related purposes. Advertisement The measure's formal name is the Illinois Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment. In order to become law, at least 60 percent of Illinois voters must approve the question. The measure enjoys broad bipartisan support from business groups, contractors, unions and politicians. Many other states have adopted similar measures. The group, Citizens To Protect Transportation Funding, is leading the campaign in support of the measure. Advertisement "Over the last 10 years alone, $6 billion has been swept from Illinois' Road Fund because of waste and mismanagement in Springfield," the group says on its website. "If the amendment passes, transportation funding will be secured, and we will have the chance to make long overdue investments in our infrastructure. If the amendment fails, money for transportation will continue to be at risk of mismanagement and abuse by Springfield." There's no organized opposition to the question. No one is raising millions of dollars in contributions to pay for television ads and mailers encouraging people to vote against it. The level of political muscle behind the support is one reason I questioned the motive for the amendment in the first place. This is one of those times when I realize I'm taking an unpopular position on an issue. I'm all for safe travel and improving roads and bridges. The measure also affects spending on mass transit, railroads, airports and other transportation projects. I fully support rebuilding our state's infrastructure and using public money for jobs that create tangible, lasting public benefits. However, I believe amending the state Constitution is the wrong way to guarantee funding for transportation projects. You don't use a hammer to swat a fly. A better solution would be for lawmakers and the governor to do their jobs by approving full-year, balanced budgets. The Safe Roads Amendment may sound like a good idea, but it would set a dangerous precedent by encouraging other interests like education, health care and public safety to "lock in" revenues. That would remove flexibility to deal with emergencies. Only four members of the state legislature voted against placing the question on ballots. The four lawmakers all women said in an opinion piece that "enshrining this type of language in our state's core legal document undermines the ability of elected officials in the future to respond to the challenges of the day. Advertisement "If a school can't open because of insufficient funding, what good is the new state road that runs by? How are farmers served by new bridges if our state universities aren't educating the next generation of agricultural experts? A new bus or train line won't help a young parent get to her job or class if she can't afford safe, reliable child care," the legislators said. On Monday, the Better Government Association announced its opposition to the Safe Roads Amendment. "While the maintenance of roads and other transportation infrastructure is important, the BGA doesn't agree that a constitutional amendment is the right route," the nonpartisan consumer advocacy organization said. Among its reasons for encouraging voters to oppose the measure, the BGA said, "legislators should be focusing on passing a clean budget, instead of protecting specific types of funding" and "the amendment complicates our already struggling budget negotiations and benefits a specific industry." In early September, the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board urged readers to vote against the measure. "The diabolical effect is that contractors, and the unions whose members they employ, would have constitutionally guaranteed dibs on future billions of state and local revenue dollars," the Tribune editorial said. "You've seen how rigidly the constitution's pension protection clause forbids public pension reforms? Well, the pavement protection clause would be just as rigid." Advertisement Since Gov. Bruce Rauner took office, Illinois has been in a perpetual state of financial crisis. The legislature and governor refused to agree on a budget for more than a year. Public universities, college students and beneficiaries of social service providers are suffering the worst effects of the impasse. Kindergarten through 12 education was fully funded, and courts demanded Illinois pay public safety personnel and other state employees. Before passage of a six-month stopgap budget, 90 percent of state spending continued, though there wasn't enough money to pay everyone, and there still isn't. I'd hate to find ourselves in this situation year after year, where elderly people die because the state won't pay their caregivers but instead uses funds to build a turning lane that shaves 30 seconds from someone's daily commute. I bet legislators led by House Speaker Michael Madigan are just waiting to get through the Nov. 8 election before agreeing to a budget that raises taxes, hoping voters will have forgiven or forgotten by the next statewide elections in 2018. A constitutional guarantee of transportation funding could lead to other special interests seeking and getting the same protections. Nearly every legislator likes to be viewed as an advocate for education, so it wouldn't surprise me if unions representing teachers sought a constitutional amendment guaranteeing their slice of the pie. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Who could argue the critical need to fund salaries for law enforcement and corrections officers? And how about doctors, nurses and other health care providers? Aren't their services more important than road builders? Advertisement Logically, then, constitutional protections should be prioritized in terms of importance. To parlay a classic Monty Python skit, we don't need constitutional amendments guaranteeing money for the Road Fund any more than we do for the Ministry of Silly Walks. Yes, tax dollars should be spent on the purpose for which they were collected. Yes, it is important to fund roads and other transportation projects. But that's the job of the executive and legislative branches, to figure out how to best spend the money available. Constitutional amendments should be reserved for iron-clad provisions. One example would be ensuring the process of redrawing legislative district is fair and equal for all. I think it's outrageous that opponents managed to get the Independent Map Amendment tossed off Illinois ballots this November. It's insulting to be presented with the Safe Roads Amendment instead. If you want to use your vote to protest the gridlock in Springfield, vote "no" on the Safe Roads Amendment. tslowik@tribpub.com Twitter @tedslowik Steven Garcia of Naperville-based food truck The Cookout on Wheels readies a goat outside Crystal Lake Brewing Sunday. The truck offered goat in tribute to the Chicago Cubs and hopes the team will win the World Series for the first time since 1908. (Mike Danahey / The Courier-News) Any longtime Chicago Cubs fan can fill you in on the details of the fabled curse involving Sam Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, who wanted to bring his goat, Murphy, to a game in the last Word Series involving the Cubs in 1945. The goat was denied entry. Sianis cursed the team. And at least seven stunts ensued to lift the alleged jinx, to no avail. Advertisement This year as the Cubs contend with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League title and a spot in the World Series a mobile restaurateur from Naperville is taking an approach of beating the curse by eating goat. LaTasha Garcia said she and her husband, Steven, thought of offering goat tacos out of their food truck, The Cookout on Wheels, as a way to celebrate the Cubs making it this far in the playoffs. They asked around to the craft breweries and taprooms where they frequently appear and wound up Sunday evening setting up outside Crystal Lake Brewing in downtown Crystal Lake to sell them. Advertisement The couple has offered goat before, in stew form, they said. "We like to throw something exotic on our menu from time to time, to change it up," Steven Garcia said. This time though, Steven Garcia is preparing a whole goat, either cooked over oak embers on a large rotisserie or in a smoker, with the meat to be used in tacos. "It's a chance for him to combine his goat skills with his smoker skills," LaTasha Garcia said. The key to either technique is to go "low and slow," cooking the meat at a relatively low temperature and for a long time to break down the muscle in the lean goat. "In the smoker, I have it at 235 degrees and cook it for about eight hours the same amount of time I do on the rotisserie. The wood gives it a mild, smoky flavor," Steven Garcia said. Steven Garcia also flavors the goat with a Greek-style rub of garlic, oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in which he lets the goat marinate for a half hour before putting it into heat. The tacos come three to a $9 order and are served with a garlic sauce and mango salsa. Sunday, the couple sold 52 taco orders next to Crystal Lake Brewing. Advertisement One appreciative eater was the brewery's co-founder, John O'Fallon. "I actually thought they came out pretty good. I'm a pretty tame eater, and I'd definitely say that they were for the adventurous," O'Fallon said. "But they were tasty, juicy and a little sweet. I heard some people say they were tough, but I didn't find 'em that way. If nothing else, very interesting." The Cookout on Wheels offered other dishes, including ribs and chilis and sides such as a citrus slaw and its signature macaroni and cheese. In their best-of-seven series against the Dodgers, the Cubs are set to play this week in Los Angeles. The Garcias planned to be set up Tuesday night outside Auto Zone in Lisle at Route 53 and Maple Avenue. "It's a spot we go to when we don't have brewery appointments or other events to attend," LaTasha Garcia said. Advertisement For those wanting to try goat meat, it can be found at a few local grocers and brick-and-mortar restaurants. In the Elgin area goat meat is available at the Elgin Fresh Market locations along South McLean Boulevard on the west side and along Summit Street on the east side. In Carpentersville, Hot Masala along Randall Road also sells goat. Prices range from about $3 per pound to $8 per pound, depending on the cut. Some Elgin diners also had recommendations for where to try goat (chivo), particularly in a Mexican stew called birria. Sophia Morales-Calderon said, "It's so good, A guy sells it at the Milk Pail weekend flea market (in unincorporated East Dundee off Route 25). His spot is called Rancho Alba, and his wife makes fresh corn tortillas to go with it." Mary Smith recommends another spot at the flea market for birria, Camarena's. Oswaldo Betancourt noted that Los Girasoles on Elgin's west side has the goat stew. Advertisement "It's good," Betancourt said. "it's only in the weekends though, and you have to either call ahead Friday night or go in early Saturday-Sunday. It sells fast, and they only have so much of it." As for what beer to have with your goat, Crystal Lake Brewing's brewmaster Ryan Clooney of East Dundee has several suggestions. "For braised or stewed goat, I would recommend something on the malty side with a touch of balancing hops like our Lakesider, or Oskar Blues Old Chub Scottish Ale," Clooney said. "Smoked or barbecue, with a salsa like we did here, you could go either a nice stout or porter or a big hoppy IPA. The IPA would really complement the fruity salsa." mdanahey@tribpub.com Officials representing a Turkish Trade Center recently contacted East Dundee about relocating their facility to the site of a vacant Wal-Mart building. (Erin Sauder / The Courier-News) East Dundee soon could be a home base for Turkish companies that want to expand in the United States. A temporary Turkish Trade Center, which serves as an incubator program for Turkish-based manufacturers, is in Elk Grove Village. But investors working with the Turkish government want a more permanent location. They think they've found it in the land where the vacant Wal-Mart sits in East Dundee, along with several adjacent acres owned by Plote Construction, Inc. Advertisement Eray Utucu, managing director of the Eve Group Companies, a business consulting and project management company, told East Dundee trustees at Monday's board meeting he has helped more than 400 Turkish companies expand into the United States since 2012. The Elk Grove Village location, under a five-year lease, consists of showrooms, office space and a warehouse. Advertisement Investors would like to acquire from 30 and 75 acres for the permanent trade center that would be redeveloped for assembly, testing and distribution. They also are considering a hotel, bank, restaurants and retail shops for that area to complement the project. The project could be heavily subsidized by the Turkish government through rent subsidies for Turkish companies wishing to establish a presence in the United States, Utucu said. Those companies could have 75 percent of their first three years of rent paid for by the Turkish government, Utucu said. Approximately $50 million would be invested to bring the project to fruition, according to documents given to the village by Utucu. "The only thing we need is help with the land and whatever incentives possible to get it," Utucu said. Managing broker Emin Tuluce, of Seven Hills Properties and Utucu's associate, said East Dundee's location is ideal because of its proximity to O'Hare International Airport and Interstate 90. Other Chicago-area locations are being considered for the permanent trade center site, including Romeoville and Bolingbrook, as well as some areas in Cook County. "But East Dundee is the preferred No. 1 location," Tuluce said. All companies would be vetted by the Turkish government, he added. Advertisement "Not everyone is accepted into this program," Tuluce said. "They have to have a spotless track record. The Turkish government wants them to come here and do something. Why invest money and they come here and fail?" The project also would include local hiring, Utucu said. The trade center plans to initially hire 100 workers in the first two years, according to the proposal. East Dundee board members plan to continue discussions on the project. "We're very excited," Village President Lael Miller said. Erin Sauder is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. IDNR Region II Stream Specialist Steve Pescitelli shows off a flathead catfish caught in the Fox River in St. Charles by electorfishing, a technique used to conduct population counts. (R. Miller / handout) Some local fisherman are reeling in river monsters from the Fox River and they're happy to share lots of lore about the catches they let loose to live another murky day. Richard Sjurset and Marty Jandura both have Facebook pages for their groups with pictures of the big flathead catfish they and their fellow anglers catch, photograph and release. Advertisement Flatheads have had their 15 minutes of fame thanks to reality TV and shows that featured people in warmer parts of the United States catching large, primordial-looking flatheads by noodling a technique where someone puts his arm in the water where the fish might be and lets it grab onto his hand. As for his first reeled-in flathead, Sjurset, 25, said, "I just started catching the big flathead catfish about 2 to 3 years ago and caught it by accident when I was fishing for muskie." Advertisement That eventually led to setting his "Flatty Heads" page five months ago. The online group now numbers about 115 members, Sjurset said. "It started with a small group of friends that would just help each other out with tips and spots. We would share pictures and post. Next thing you know we have a lot of guys requesting to join," Sjurset said. Sjurset said group members teach people how to fish for flatheads. In the process, friendships have formed, and members also have been part of the Friends of the Fox and Elgin Police Department river clean ups. Sjurset said the biggest flathead he's caught in the Elgin area weighed 32 pounds the same size as one fellow Flatty Heads member Beto Sotelo said he has caught. "The biggest one I've seen pulled out of the river was one my buddy Eric Martinez caught, a 52-pounder around the (Grand Victoria) casino riverboat," Sotelo, 30, said. Sjurset said that typically 2-10 people from the group fish together a few nights a week, frequently above the Kimball Street dam and near the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin. Jandura, 38, of St. Charles, heads Fox Valley Flatheaders, a group of anglers that works with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to collect angler diaries for flathead catches and assists with tagging to keep track of the fish's population. The group has been around since 2008 and its Facebook page is two years old, Jandura said. It has a core membership of about 20 who have fished the Fox for flatheads from where it meets the Illinois River north to the Chain-O-Lakes. Advertisement According to Jandura, flatheads can be found in a variety of areas in the river. "I was once told they are big, but not very tall, which means you can find them (in) very shallow (water) at times," Jandura said. "I prefer to find them in deeper water adjacent to flats and or structures. Any area that provides different options would be preferred channel ledges, neck downs, riprap, dams can all produce fish at different times." Unlike the Elgin anglers, Jandura said he and his fellow flathead fisherman measure how long the fish they catch then release are. "My longest on the Fox River was 42.5 inches, which according to an estimate chart I found would be around 35 pounds," Jandura said. "The biggest I've seen in person was 45 inches, which weighed around 39 pounds." "The key to catching these flatties is luck and finding some deep holes, because that's where they will be," Sotelo said. "I've lost many hooks and weights trying new spots, and the hooks are not cheep." "You really have to study these fish," Sjurset said. "They are very smart. You have to have time and patience and a lot of drive to search for them." Advertisement "I fought the 32-pounder for about 15 minutes, and let me tell you, my arms felt like spaghetti," Sotelo said. "Expect your arms to hurt," Sjurset said. "My best way to explain it is, when you're writing a paper and your hand starts to cramp if you have a big fish, expect that, but in both arms." "Flatheads don't seem to discriminate (when it comes to what bait they will take)," Jandura said. "I've caught them on bullhead, sunfish, carp, drum, creek chubs, suckers. When tagging with the IDNR I have seen flatheads in the holding tank regurgitate shad and channel cats as well. This last outing even had one large flathead with the tail of a largemouth bass of around 14-inches or so sticking out of its gullet." As for the numbers of the flatheads in the Fox, "We are seeing that they are out here, but the population is not as large as we thought," Jandura said. "As with any top end predators, you would expect to see smaller overall numbers but with the amount that have been recaptured over the years it's clear we are seeing some of the same fish repeatedly." Stephen Pescitelli, Region II Stream Specialist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said that in April 2015, regulations were put in place along the Fox limiting an angler's daily harvest of flatheads to one longer than 28-inches and two shorter than 28-inches. "They're amazing and interesting," Pescitelli said. "Look how big they get, and they're a cool looking fish that can live to be 25 years old." Advertisement And, with winter coming, Pescitelli said the flatheads go into deeper holes in rivers and have been found in large numbers In some such places. "No one is really sure why they group up like that," he said. mdanahey@tribpub.com Terrell L. Rogers, 33, of the 300 block of West Chicago Street, Elgin, was charged with Class 4 felony counts of domestic battery causing bodily harm with previous convictions and unlawful restraint, as well as a misdemeanor charge of interfering with reporting domestic violence, following an incident Sunday, Elgin police said. According to police, officers were called to a home early Monday morning for a disturbance. Rogers, police said, would not allow officers into the home and demanded they have a warrant. A man in the home was able to mouth "help me" to officers, the report said, at which time police entered the home. The man told police Rogers assaulted him, knocking him out, and later tied his feet and hands when he tried to escape. Advertisement Bail was set at $75,000, and Rogers was given a Nov. 2 court date. Janelle Walker is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News. A former government official of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks from a construction contractor has pleaded guilty to federal charges in North Dakota. Randall Phelan was an elected representative of the governing body of the Three Affiliated Tribes from the end of 2012 to the middle of 2020. Investigators say Phelan used his official position to help the contractors business by awarding contracts, fabricating bids and managing fraudulent invoices. His trial had been scheduled to begin Tuesday. Phelan and two others were originally charged with receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the bribery scheme on the oil-rich Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. The contractor has pleaded guilty to bribery. Tensions have escalated this fall between the North Shore District 112 School Board and the Reconfiguration 2.0 Committee with individual board members saying the process has been "hijacked" and describing the group's early concepts as putting "Band-aids on 80-year-old buildings." Both sides say they'd like to repair the relationship before the district's latest search for a financially sustainable school reorganization plan is doomed. Advertisement "I think some people on the reconfiguration committee think it is their purpose to find a solution without the 'bumbling board' because we didn't get it right last time," said District 112 board member Karla Livney, referring to voters' rejection of the $198 million referendum which included a controversial middle-school campus. "It is evident, I think, that the better solution is going to come with us working together," Livney said. Advertisement She suggested that 45 percent of voters are going to oppose whatever referendum is put on the ballot. "If we are divided, there will be a hole big enough to drive a bus through," Livney said. Board members have called on leaders of the citizens' group to slow down the timetable and investigate more school reconfiguration options in greater depth. The school board perceived the group was hurrying to come up with a plan in time for an April 4 referendum with the unrealistic hope of delaying school closings. The board plans to close Ravinia and Lincoln elementary schools, Elm Place Middle School and the Green Bay Early Childhood Center prior to the 2017-18 school year. "I feel like we are rushing, and we are doing a giant disservice to this community because we are not being as innovative as we should be," Livney said. "We are not looking as deeply as we should. We are not looking at education enough." Some board members were angered in late September to learn that two members of the steering committee were making presentations to school parent organizations that had not first been reviewed by the school board. Tempers flared when board members learned Sept. 20 that a strategic consultancy based in Washington, D.C. would be conducting focus groups the following week to gauge the priorities and attitudes of a representative sample of constituents. Board members asked the committee to hold off on the focus groups being conducted by Reingold LINK. Board member Jane Mordini contended it was premature to ask people about priorities before they'd been educated about the challenges facing the district. "It is not fair to take the information you are going to get from a focus group and then run with that and take it as a guiding light for how you should proceed," Mordini told members of the Steering Committee. Advertisement Davis Schneiderman, a member of the reconfiguration steering group, said the purpose of the focus groups is to gain more insight into constituent views that can be expected to drive voter behavior. He viewed the focus groups as a preliminary step to educating the community. "One of the problems I see happening in the entire process is there is kind of an echo chamber effect," Schneiderman said. "There are certain people who are very vocal on the internet, and there are all of us and we have strong ideas about these things." Dan Jenks, a member of the leadership team, said the purpose of the focus groups is also to get a sense of what people are willing to do. "Chances are, the electorate the next time is going to be similar," Jenks said. "You want to balance what you want educationally and what you think is foresighted with what the community wants and is willing to do." Some board members want the Reconfiguration 2.0 committee to consider the middle school campus model as one of the options. Livney said she'd asked representatives of the group to price out a new middle school for fifth through eighth graders using pre-fabricated walls that would lower the costs. She contended the lower construction costs and savings from school closings could reduce the amount of the referendum. "The model would look a lot more attractive and would respect some of the board members who put in years on it," said Livney, noting that 32 percent of the community supported the innovative plan during the first referendum attempt. Advertisement But members of the Reconfiguration 2.0 committee look on the 68 percent rejection rate and the results of a post-referendum survey as signs the community won't support the middle school campus. Survey results released in late July showed the $198 million ballot question was opposed by older voters and anti-tax voters, as well as younger families who tend to support school referenda. Constituents opposed both the size of the borrowing question and the plan to create a single middle school for the entire district, the survey showed. In North Shore School District 112, 80 percent of households have no children enrolled in the district's schools. kberkowitz@pioneerlocal.com @KarenABerkowitz. Fans of anime got together at the La Grange Public Library to celebrate the art form. Anime is a shortened form of the word animation, and refers to Japanese animation that features vibrantly colored graphics and intriguing characters. The cartoons can be hand-drawn or done on a computer. Advertisement About 80 people who attended the anime fest Saturday played games, created origami characters, drew cartoons, got air brush tattoos and met with six artists. People could request to have sketch made of themselves from the artists who also were there to sell their books and prints. Advertisement "They could ask to be drawn as Spiderman or a wood nymph or whatever they wanted," said Nicole Zimmermann, public relations coordinator for the library. "The artists is so skilled. They can whip those up in minutes." The idea for the fest, that has been held for three years at the library, stemmed from an anime club that meets monthly at the library. "They decided they wanted to do something bigger," Zimmermann said. The fest drew children, teens and adults. "Anime is a very creative art form and people learn about other cultures. It's also a very inclusive group," Zimmermann said. amannion@tribpub.com Twitter triblocalam A former La Grange police officer has been charged in connection with exploitation of a disabled person. Steven C. Kneifel, 47, of 165 Shadowbend Drive, Wheeling pleaded not guilty Oct. 17 to the charges of official misconduct, financial exploitation of an elderly person or person with a disability, forgery and theft, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. Advertisement The state's attorney filed criminal charges against Kneifel following an investigation by the Illinois State Police. Kneifel is accused of committing official misconduct, along with the criminal charges filed, according to a statement from the village of La Grange. The complaint shows the charges stemmed from a grand jury that met from about April 1, 2013 through March 1, 2015, and allege that Kneifel was in a position of trust or confidence with the victim and had a legal or fiduciary relationship with the victim. Advertisement The complaint states that Kneifel made or altered checks that drew on the victim's bank accounts on a series of occasions, at various times and in various amounts that ranged from $100 to $13,000, from April 5, 2013 through Oct. 11, 2015. The complaint alleges that Kneifel withdrew a total of $65,836 from the victim's accounts at three different banks. The complaint also states that as a sworn police officer he "knowingly committed an act which he knew that he was forbidden by law to perform." Kneifel was an active police officer with the village from January 1997 until November 2013, when he took a leave of absence. Kneifel was on a leave of absence when the village was made aware of the allegations against him. Kneifel never returned to service as a police officer or any other position for the village, according to the village's statement. La Grange officials said they have reviewed records and concluded that no other public complaints of a similar nature were levied against Kneifel, and there were no other public complaints of a similar nature involving any other police officers. The Illinois State Police subsequently confirmed that no other village employees were being investigated. "My current staff consists of men and women who do their jobs with honor and distinction," La Grange police chief Renee Strasser said Tuesday. She declined to comment on any details of the charges. "The village of La Grange does not tolerate this kind of conduct and we believe this is an isolated case in an otherwise honorable department of law enforcement professionals," said Village President Tom Livingston. "We apologize to the victim who is among our own community and will continue to work with others to pursue justice in this case." The village will continue to monitor the proceedings and review further actions appropriate within its own jurisdiction pending the outcome of the case, according to the village statement. Kneifel's next court date is at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 14 in Room 207 of the Circuit Court of Cook County, 26th and California, Chicago. Advertisement amannion@tripub.com Twitter @triblocalam Jose Reyes, of Chicago, left, on the first day of his trial for predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated kidnapping and possession and production of child pornography at the Lake County courthouse on Tuesday, Oct. 18. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) Lake County prosecutor Fred Day outlined a narrative he described as "every parent's worst nightmare" as the kidnapping and sexual assault trial of Jose Reyes got underway Tuesday morning. Reyes, 31, is accused of abducting a 3-year-old girl from outside her Mundelein apartment complex on Sept. 30, 2013, driving away with her and sexually assaulting her before dropping her back off in the parking lot of the complex less than an hour later, according to court records. Advertisement In his opening statement, Day said the girl's sister, who is scheduled to testify at the trial, said the man, whom Day said she would identify as Reyes, drove up in a black car and offered the sisters candy as they were playing outside of the Deepwoods Drive apartment complex where they lived. When the older sister said no, she said the man drove off but returned and got out of the car, offering the girls lollipops. Defendant Jose Reyes, right, speaks with his attorney, Katherine Hatch, during his bench trial for predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated kidnapping and possession and production of child pornography at the Lake County courthouse on Tuesday, Oct. 18. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) Then, Day said, the sister told investigators that Reyes picked up the victim, "threw her over his shoulder" and put her in his car before driving away from the complex. Advertisement Day said surveillance cameras from the apartment complex picked up the car involved in the abduction on video, and police were able to determine the make and model of the vehicle involved which, along with a description of the offender, led them to Reyes. Reyes was arrested at his workplace in Libertyville on Oct. 2, 2013, and Day said when police obtained a search warrant for the car, the evidence found included lollipops that matched those found at the scene and Reyes' cellphone, which contained photos of him and a videotape of the sexual assault. "He filmed it," Day said, adding that the video would be introduced as evidence during the trial. Day said other evidence that would be introduced will include expert conclusions that DNA recovered from the victim at the hospital matched Reyes' DNA profile. In her brief opening statement, defense attorney Katherine Hatch suggested that police immediately honed in on Reyes, a Chicago resident, without looking for other possible suspects. Jose Reyes, of Chicago, left, on the first day of his trial for predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated kidnapping and possession and production of child pornography at the Lake County courthouse on Tuesday, Oct. 18. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) She said it was "scary incident" and Mundelein police wanted the case closed as quickly as possible by excluding the possibility that anyone but Reyes could be the offender. "I feel when you look at all the evidence, you will find he is not guilty of all the charges," Hatch told Judge Mark Levitt. Reyes on Monday chose a bench trial before Levitt rather than a jury trial. Advertisement Reyes has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated kidnapping, predatory criminal sexual assault and possession and production of child pornography. Prosecutors said Reyes faces a possible sentence of between 24 and 120 years in prison if convicted. Due to the number of witnesses expected to testify and other factors, the trial is expected to continue into next week. Following opening statements, a woman who lives at the apartment complex testified she heard a girl crying in the parking lot when she was helping her children with homework, and that she climbed out of a window of her ground-level apartment complex to help the girl, who turned out to be the victim in the case. "She was crying and saying something like 'Mommy.' I called her and she came to me," the woman said. She testified that as she was trying to find the girl's parents, she noticed a crowd and police cars in front of the complex, and that she brought the girl there, where she was reunited with her parents. She testified that when the girl's mother saw her, "She was crying, and hugging her and kissing her." Advertisement Mundelein Police Officer Eric Chrabot testified that he was first to respond to the scene after receiving a dispatch for a possible abduction at about 5:30 p.m. He said when he arrived at the complex, a crowd of about 30 to 40 people "who seemed to be really upset" were standing outside. He said shortly after arriving, he was approached by a woman "with a little girl" who turned out to be the victim. Chrabot said he began interviewing witnesses and others at the scene, as did several other responding officers. Hatch asked Chrabot whether he had interviewed a woman in a black car who told him that her boyfriend had been driving the car earlier, and Chrabot said he had. When asked whether he ever interviewed the boyfriend, Chrabot said he did not. Under questioning by Assistant State's Attorney Eric Kalata, Chrabot said surveillance footage from the complex had captured the make and model of the car in which the girl was taken away, and it did not match the black car driven by the woman that he had interviewed. Reyes has been held in the Lake County Jail since his arrest with bail set at $5 million. jrnewton@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter @jimnewton5 Mikyla Wren, a freshman at Mundelein High School, committed suicide in October 2015. Her mother and grandparents are suing the district for allegedly failing to comply with a 2015 state law that required district officials to update their protocols on what school officials should do when they think a student is contemplating suicide. - Original Credit: (HANDOUT) The family of a 14-year-old Mundelein High School student who committed suicide a year ago has sued the school district, saying it failed to set up state-mandated protocols that may have prevented her death. Mikyla Wren committed suicide on Oct. 26, 2015, five days after meeting with a school counselor and 11 days after the high school's dean of students contacted her mother, Kelly Wren, to inform her that Mikyla had used the word "suicide" in her school-issued Chromebook, according to the complaint filed Monday in Lake County Circuit Court. Advertisement Mundelein School District 120 officials did not properly follow a state law passed in 2015, called "Ann Marie's Law," which required school boards to update their suicide awareness and prevention plans before the 2015-16 school year started, according to the complaint. If the district had done as the law required, Mikyla Wren's death might have been prevented, the complaint claims. "This is the postcard example of why this law was enacted in the first place," attorney Steven Glink said. "The schools are with these kids eight hours a day. Mom did what she could, but she was completely in the dark." Advertisement The family only wants the district to comply with the law and is not seeking monetary damages, Glink said. The complaint also requests that their attorney fees be reimbursed. The district's superintendent and attorney had not seen a copy of the lawsuit Monday and so they could not comment on it, spokesman Ron Girard said. According to the complaint, after Dean of Students Samantha Smigielski contacted Kelly Wren informing her that Mikyla's Chromebook had been flagged, Kelly Wren had requested help in assessing whether Mikyla was at risk. Smigielski told her that a social worker would reach out to Mikyla the next school day, which was a Monday, but that did not happen, according to the court records. Kelly Wren again contacted the school asking when that meeting would occur. Smigielski apologized, saying in an email that, "The beginning and end of terms are always chaotic," and promising that the social worker would do so that day, according to court records. A school social worker later told police that she, "'made an introduction to Mikyla and offered support as needed,'" that day, but Kelly Wren was not informed of the conversation, according to the suit. School staff did not contact Kelly Wren again, the suit claims. After Mikyla's suicide, when the family sought information about the length of the meeting and what was discussed, the district "stonewalled" them, said Thomas Hannigan, Mikyla's grandfather and a former District 120 board member. Advertisement Hannigan filed the lawsuit along with Mikyla's mother, Kelly Wren, an emergency room doctor in the north suburbs, and Mikyla's grandmother, Pamela Hannigan, a former Mundelein School District 75 elementary school teacher. "Our family had been through a tragedy with the death of our granddaughter, and we wanted to reach out so that if there was anything that could be done in the future to learn from our mutual experience, both the school district's and the family's, to help prevent a future suicide," Thomas Hannigan said. "Nothing we could do would ever bring our precious granddaughter back, but other families have precious children also. If there is a policy in effect that will help prevent that problem in the future, that's what we want to do." The court filing names school board members and the district superintendent as defendants. The lawsuit alleges that the district has not updated its policy since 1999 and that an updated policy posted on the district's website after Mikyla's death has not been approved by the board. Pamela and Thomas Hannigan sent a follow-up email in April, listing the questions they hoped to have answered and requesting to see the essay that had triggered Mikyla's Chromebook being flagged, according to the court records. Myers responded about a week later saying that he could not answer any of their questions on advice from the district's attorneys, records show. Advertisement The family had not mentioned the possibility of a lawsuit before that point, but decided it was the only route left that could lead to policy changes at the school, Thomas Hannigan said. "We just want the school to do what they're required to," he said. emcoleman@tribpub.com Twitter @mekcoleman The Lake Forest Police Department is offering a self-defense class to women from Lake Forest College. (Mark Lawton/Pioneer Press/Chicago Tribune) Noemi Mata, 21, throws punches and elbows and practices blocking in a padded basement room of the Lake Forest Police Station. "When you're being grabbed, you have to concentrate on getting away," said Sgt. Dwight Davis, who is leading a women's defense class. "Punches might not affect someone drunk or a person on drugs." Advertisement The Lake Forest Police Department has offered a women's self-defense course for at least 15 years, Davis said. It's composed of four evening sessions and is usually open to any woman who lives or works in Lake Forest though the course that started on Sept. 20 was reserved for female staff or students at Lake Forest College. It's free and tends to fill up quickly, Davis said. Sgt. Dwight Davis demonstrates self-defense moves to Lake Forest College senior Mara Negru during a class at the Lake Forest Police Department. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / Pioneer Press) At the Oct. 4 session, Officer Matt Signa demonstrates techniques. Another officer steps behind and wraps his arms around Signa's chest. Signa reaches back with one foot and hooks it behind his attacker's ankle, tripping him. The officer again grabs him and this time Signa lifts his legs parallel to the ground, forcing his attacker to carry his full weight. Advertisement "You get very heavy very quick," Signa said. Mata says the most important thing she's learned from the four-session course is how to react quickly. "Before this I didn't know what to do and when," Mata said. "If I'm ever in a dangerous situation, I'll know what to do and how." That's important, the instructors say. "Under stress, your subconscious takes over and tries to find a similar situation," Davis said. "If you haven't experienced a similar situation, you panic." Sgt. Dwight Davis instructs a self-defense class at the Lake Forest Police Department. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / Pioneer Press) More than knowing how to physically react, Davis would like to see women avoid a physical confrontation. "Human beings are the only animals that will disregard warning signs," Davis tells the attendees. "Sometimes you make eye contact and something isn't right. When you get that bad feeling, don't ignore it." Davis also teaches self-defense concepts such as "turtle-ing up." If someone tries to grab a person around their neck from behind, make it difficult by shrugging your shoulder up, tucking your chin down and bending forward. Advertisement Davis said the biggest challenge for the participants tends to be throwing a punch. Brittany Schweiger, 21, agrees. "Unless you're in a martial art, I don't think it's something you learn to do," Schweiger said. Lake Forest Police Sgt. Dwight Davis (right) demonstrated choke holds with Officer Matt Signa during a self-defense class for young women at the Lake Forest Police Department. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / Pioneer Press) Mara Negru, 21, said she thinks Lake Forest is safe but she sometimes goes to Chicago and plans to travel after graduation. "As a woman, there are a lot of leverage components," Negru said. "You don't have to be big or powerful." mlawton@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @reporterdude Dancers (left to right) Johanna Alvarado, Maritza Silva and Sara Padilla entertain at a Sonrisitas 21 celebration. (Denys Bucksten / Pioneer Press) Olga and Adrian Salgado experienced considerable stress after the birth of their fourth child, Isaac, over two years ago. Isaac, born with Down syndrome, also became a source of immense happiness. Advertisement Earlier this year the couple set out to celebrate their son and other area children with Down syndrome. A new organization, Sonrisitas 21, held its second event Saturday at La Vina Christian Community Church in Mundelein with close to 200 people attending. Sonrisitas 21 uses the motto, "My chromosome does not define my happiness." Advertisement Claudia Vargas-Gatza, a children's speech pathologist who volunteers her time with the organization, said about two dozen Mundelein area families were identified for the weekend event and about 20 attended. The event featured free food, games, music and bounce houses. Therapists were also on hand to offer information to attendees. Alejandro Gaitan overcame a reluctance to speak in public to describe the love he has for his daughter, Abril Lorena, 4. Gaitan said later the presence of other Down syndrome families gave him the courage to talk. Through an interpreter, Gaitan said when he first learned of Abril's diagnosis he felt like his world collapsed. "We lost so much sleep because she was so fragile," he said. "It took me a while to understand." Adriana Currea (left) and Claudia Vargas-Gatza, a childrens bilingual therapist, share a light moment Saturday at an awareness event in Mundelein for a new organization, Sonrisitas 21. (Denys Bucksten / Pioneer Press) Olga Salgado said through an interpreter that she wanted to create the event as a way for families to get together and interact with each other. "We could socialize and with more families that have the same type of life, we can share and support each other," she said. "Everything turned out as I expected. I am very proud of the mothers who (raise) children with Down syndrome." Daniel Salgado, 12, the family's oldest child, said every day after Isaac came home from the hospital has had a life changing moment. Advertisement "Every morning he is smiling and hugging us and I feel the love of him every time I see him," Daniel Salgado said. Daniel said he feels he's become a better big brother because of Isaac. "I always have to take care of him and he always shares his love with me," he said. "It's like a connection." Adrian Salgado holds his son, Isaac, 2, in a quiet moment at an awareness event in Mundelein for a new organization, Sonrisitas 21. (Denys Bucksten / Pioneer Press) Vargas-Gatza said her training as a bilingual speech pathologist centers on treating children from birth to three years of age, sometimes older. "The kids born with down syndrome typically get involved in (a state program) so we can support the child and family, not just the speech, but also physical and developmental therapy," Vargas-Gatza said. Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal disorder and each year, about 6,000 babies are born with it, according to the CDC. Advertisement Alejandro Gaitan discusses his daughter, Abril Lorena, 4, at a Down syndrome awareness event at La Vina Church in Mundelein. (Denys Bucksten / Pioneer Press) The organization can be reached at sonrisitas21@yahoo.com. Denys Bucksten is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. FARGO -- One of four men charged in the beating death of Joey Gaarsland outside a Fargo bar in May 2015 was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison. Nicholas C. Morris, 35, pleaded guilty in Cass County District Court to one count of accomplice to murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault stemming from the incident that happened May 17, 2015, outside Ricks Bar in Fargo. Judge Wade Webb handed down a sentence that was in line with what had been recommended by Assistant Cass County States Attorney Tristan Van de Streek, who said that while Morris deserved credit for cooperating in the investigation of Gaarslands death, he still should receive a significant sentence for what Van de Streek called a bar fight that went on too long and got too brutal. Morris attorney, Mark Blumer, asked for a sentence of three years, stating that in the chaos of the fight it wasnt clear whether his client ever struck Gaarsland. Gaarsland, who was 35, suffered severe head injuries during the fight and died several days later. Blumer said it appeared Gaarsland had done nothing to provoke the attack, but had stepped in to protect his wife after she was attacked. He said his client didnt plan to be in a fight that night, but joined an altercation that was already in progress after seeing that his acquaintances were involved. Morris told members of Gaarslands family who were sitting in the courtroom, My heart breaks for you. He also said he was sorry for not recognizing during the incident that Gaarsland was in trouble until it was too late. He apologized for being a coward and leaving the scene of the fight. Three other men have pleaded guilty to charges in the case and are awaiting sentencing: Jason Oien, one count of manslaughter and two counts of conspiring to commit aggravated assault. Scott Moen, one count of murder and one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. Jessy Olson, one count of accomplice to murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. Some of the charges pertain to attacks on Gaarslands wife, Laura, and on Matthew Breitbach, a bystander who tried to protect the Gaarslands when they were attacked outside the bar. During Mondays sentencing hearing, two of Gaarslands five children read victim impact statements, telling the court their lives had been forever changed by the death of their father and that they deeply miss him. Van de Streek said that while Morris received a significant sentence, it also gives him a chance in life, something he said the assailants took from the victim. Webb, who gave Morris credit for having served one year and 158 days, told Morris he wished him well. The judge also advised Morris to seek help in prison so that when he is released he can be free from the bottle and free from cocaine. Naperville School District 203 will not support a neighboring district's effort to stop schools from being used as polling places. District officials on Monday reviewed what positions its delegate board member Charles Cush will take at the Illinois Association of School Boards meeting in November, and voted 4-2 to keep local control of whether schools should be used for voting instead of having the state declare them off-limits. Advertisement Indian Prairie School District 204 advocates having the state prevent schools from serving as polling locations when children are in school as a means to ensure the safety of students and staff. Board member said Donna Wandke said if District 203 should have the right to pursue not being used on Election Day. Advertisement "I don't know if there's a small community in central or southern Illinois that would like to have the voting in their schools for whatever reason, and I wouldn't want to eliminate their ability to do that," Wandke said. Board member Jackie Romberg said District 203 might need to reassess safety. "I look at that as local control in my world," she said. Board member Mike Jaensch said elections are a civic duty, and "I think we do a really good job with security." Jaensch said if safety is really an issue during elections, it might also be during concerts, holiday plays, bingo and other community events. Board President Terry Fielden, who joined Kristin Fitzgerald in supporting District 203's resolution, said the issue boils down to safety. In order to ensure students are separated from the public, Fielden said districts must either close or hire security, which some districts cannot afford. Fitzgerald said she's not convinced students are protected, even with all the security in place. She said she heard concerns from members of a Home & School council at a school that's used on Election Day. "As much as I support the civic process, we are able to accommodate the civic process in a lot of other different facilities and I think that would be what I am most comfortable with in terms of the new day," Fitzgerald said. Advertisement Superintendent Dan Bridges said six schools in District 203 four in DuPage County and two in Will County are used as polling places. He recommended the board support the current IASB position calling on schools to be given the right to refuse being used as a polling place. District 204 officials have said they've tried that, but failed to win over election officials in Aurora, DuPage County or Will County. The district will close for the Nov. 8 election. District 203 has 20 of 33 schools that will house voting for the April 4 consolidated election. District 204 initially appealed to the IASB to push changing the date of consolidated elections, but that didn't sit well with the group's resolution committee comprising representatives of 21 state geographic areas. As a compromise, the committee agreed that for the safety of the children, schools shouldn't be used as polling places. subaker@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter @SBakerSun1 Republican incumbent Peter Roskam (left) says his constituents want the Affordable Care Act repealed. Democratic challenger Amanda Howland (right) wants to change Obamacare, not repeal it. (Gary Gibula / Naperville Sun ) The race for the 6th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives pits Democratic attorney and College of Lake County trustee Amanda Howland against Republican incumbent Peter Roskam. Howland, who lives in Lake Zurich, makes the case that a leadership change is needed in the district that encompasses some 379 square miles throughout parts of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties. Advertisement Seeking his sixth two-year term, Roskam of Wheaton prides himself on past accomplishments as chair of the oversight subcommittee on the House Ways and Means Committee. While both agree problems with the Affordable Care Act and the tax code need to be fixed, each is promoting pet issues as well as their respective party nominees for president. Advertisement "Donald Trump's a wild card, that's for sure," Roskam said. "But I think we would get a better result in terms of tax reform, regulatory reform and Obamacare repeal and replacement with (him)." "Hillary [Clinton] has a wealth of experience," Howland said. "She's much more down-to-earth and personable than people give her credit for. She's even-tempered, and I think that's extremely important." Howland sees President Obama's health care plan as too costly for some. "I believe that the premise of the Affordable Care Act was a good one, that everyone should have affordable health care," she said. "But the problem is, the insurance companies didn't expect this big influx of so many sick people who didn't have any insurance." Roskam said most of his constituents would like to see Obamacare repealed and replaced. "Most Americans agree that it's too expensive, so let's deal with the cost-drivers," he said. "A small restaurant in my district wanted to expand from 30 to 50 employees, but that threshold would have cost them $150,000 a year more, so they did not do it. The downward pressure, in terms of growth, is really significant." Roskam last year co-sponsored a bill signed into law that eases government identification of improper Medicare payments. He said the fraud rate of 12-percent translates to $60 billion a year wasted. "Think of that in terms of highways, roads and bridges," Roskam said. "On their $10 trillion of annual transactions, the investigative people from Visa told me their fraud rate is .06 percent, so they're watching their money very closely. There's a lot of room for Medicare to implement the same type of successful initiatives that have been out there in the private sector for 15 years." Advertisement On economics and revenue, Howland sees herself as a compromiser who would take a more critical look at priorities. "We have spent money on national defense for items the military doesn't even want," she said. "There are some planes that the military has said are not effective and yet we've spent billions of dollars on them. I understand that national defense is important, we need to be safe and secure and we need to help protect the rest of the world, but there are things we can do to cut our government spending and decrease redundancies." Howland also believes that the Internal Revenue Service needs an overhaul. "We need to rewrite the tax code, which is so archaic that nobody understands it," she said. "It needs to be taken apart, looked at and rewritten. The rest of us are carrying the burden when there are loopholes, and those loopholes have to be changed." Roskam doesn't disagree. "Our tax code is broken," he said. "The level of complexity is just breathtaking and overwhelming to people. Twenty years ago, the IRS had a reputation of being tough but fair, and they don't have that reputation today." Advertisement Roskam pointed to companies leaving the U.S. and setting up shop in foreign countries with more favorable tax laws. He suggests a new tax code with more modern features. "Think about technology that's now available in our daily lives, where we can go online and check bank balances and mileage points," he said. "Why couldn't we have a secure app where you could find out your tax liability or how much you've paid in this year? We should be driving toward those types of transformational technology and seeing it in the tax code." On the world stage, Howland said the U.S. needs the help of other nations if it is to continue as a superpower. "We've always been a country that's tried to lead by example, but we're also known for coalition building," she said. "We can't do it alone, and we need to be involved with our NATO partners and other foreign allies. Personally, I hope we don't need to get involved with any other wars and get boots on the ground, but I think we do need to have troops in certain places for stability reasons and to show that we mean what we say." Roskam criticized the Iran nuclear pact as being a 'legacy issue' for the Obama administration and that the country would regret signing it. "I'm convinced that there's nothing that Iran could do that would make the administration walk away (from the deal)," he said. "The mullahs told us they would not discuss it unless we took away the sanctions, but ironically, it's the sanctions that drove them to the table." Advertisement Domestically, Howland believes there are ways "to reduce the cost and make four-year college more affordable. Not free, but more affordable." Roskam said, "I've heard from constituents who say their kids are attending community college for the first two years, and I think that's a trend. The smarter schools are going to notice that. The old days of loading kids with more and more debt are gone." Roskam promotes more sensible business regulations, saying companies today either comply with the codes or face the 'wild west.' "My constituents are saying they want regulations that are based on good science, good economics and are reasonable and predictable," Roskam said. "One of the things that has passed out of the House is legislation that's tried to restructure that balance. It's called the REINS Act, or Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny. It says that if there is a regulation from the federal government that would have more than a $100 million impact on the economy, then it first must be voted up or down by Congress." On the issue of gun control, Howland holds a FOID card and is a Second Amendment supporter, but believes assault weapons should be prohibited. "I think they should not have let that ban expire," she said. "If you need an automatic weapon to shoot an animal, that's not hunting. When I worked for a judge, there was a gun in the court chambers because if someone got past security, we had to be able to protect the judge. I believe we have to work to keep guns out of the hands of those who have mental health issues, and if you're on the 'no fly' list, you shouldn't have a gun." Advertisement Howland also maintains that climate change is real, that there should be a 'livable' minimum wage and equal pay for women. "We need change," she said. "I want to be visible, talking to people, know who I'm representing, what they think and how they feel. My goal is to mediate and work with people for sensible solutions that are good for the country and for the 6th District." Roskam pointed to his work on the House subcommittee addressing problems such as the IRS prosecuting individuals who legitimately structured bank deposits of over $10,000. "We passed a bill just a couple weeks ago that takes away the IRS' authority to do this," he said. "I have every confidence that President Obama is going to sign this into law. "I would appreciate voter support to continue this [watchdog] mission." Criminal charges filed against a journalist, who covered a pipeline protest, were dropped Monday after a judge refused to sign the complaint against her. Judge John Grinsteiner did not find probable cause that Amy Goodman had engaged in a riot while reporting on a clash between protesters and private security in September. Goodman told the Tribune she was "deeply relieved" to find out the charge was dismissed. "But it just strengthened my resolve that we have to fight to ensure that the First Amendment is protected," Goodman said. "It's not just for journalists. It's for everyone, because freedom of the press means that there is a way for people to get information so they can make informed decisions." Goodman said she took the arrest warrant issued for her in September as a "clear message" that North Dakota officials did not want her to return to the state. "This is clearly meant to intimidate, and I think the judge saw that clearly today," said Goodman, who indicated she will keep covering the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Prosecutor Ladd Erickson had asked the judge to charge Goodman with engaging in a riot after dropping a criminal trespass charge against her, due to legal problems proving the charge. Erickson said in an email over the weekend the change in charge was based on his review of evidence from a larger investigation into the Sept. 3 incident conducted by the Bureau of Criminal Investigations. "There is a lot more evidence now against the people charged than there was initially," he wrote. Goodman's attorney Tom Dickson said the judge's decision "redeems the North Dakota legal system." "It was never a case. The trespass charge was frivolous," said Dickson, who said the new rioting charge "was beyond salvation." Goodman was one of six people accused of engaging in a riot, based on the new evidence, according to the Morton County Sheriff's Department. The judge found probable cause for charges against one of those people. Additional charges related to the incident are under review. Criminal trespass charges against six people in the incident were dropped, according to the Morton County Sheriff's Department. One of the charges was against protest organizer Cody Hall. In interviews last week, Erickson told the Tribune he thought Goodman was acting more as a protester than a journalist, a point she and Dickson have continually refuted. "I think she put together a piece to influence the world on her agenda, basically. Thats fine, but it doesnt immunize her from the laws of the state," Erickson said Thursday. Dickson said last Tuesday,"She wasn't picnicking or on a summer lark. She was reporting the news to the American people." Goodman is the host and executive producer of Democracy Now, a radio/news program that airs on 1,400 stations worldwide. She has won several prestigious awards for her reporting. Nearly 200 people came to the courthouse to support Goodman. They sang, beat drums and called out "Mni Wiconi," meaning "water is life." After spilling into the street, about 50 officers in riot gear emerged from the police station and urged everyone to stay on the sidewalk or risk getting arrested. One person was taken into custody for disorderly conduct and disobedience of a public safety order under riot conditions, according to North Dakota Highway Patrol Lt. Tom Iverson. The crowd was filled with people who follow Goodman's show and wanted to show their support. Ethan Petersen drove to North Dakota from Utah on a whim last night when he heard about the charges against Goodman. "We couldn't just chill at home when First Amendment rights to assemble and petition were on the line," Petersen said. Rindy Daughters came to Standing Rock from Billings, Mont., this weekend, inspired by what she learned in Goodman's reports. "She's the reason I know about it," Daughters said. "I think they're grasping for whatever they can, because they're not happy with her coverage." The criminal prosecution of a journalist has ignited outrage in North Dakota and across the country. "I have felt all along that it left the wrong impression when you charge a reporter and not many other people that happen to be participating at the same time," said Steve Andrist, executive director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association, in an interview Monday. "Whether it's the law enforcement or the general public, maybe we have some educating to do to make people aware that the First Amendment protects even speech that you may not like or agree with." Journalist Matt Taibbi, author of the 2014 book, "The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of Wealth," wrote an open letter to Erickson last week condemning his characterization of Goodman and demanding the trespass charge be dropped. On Sept. 3, Goodman reported on a clash between protesters and private security at an active construction site south of Mandan that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe said contained historic artifacts. Three guards were reportedly injured, and several protesters said they were pepper-sprayed and bitten by dogs handled by the security personnel. Her coverage of the incident was broadcast on major networks and viewed online more than 14 million times, she told reporters. Goodman told the Tribune she was following protesters up the road from the main camp towards a ceremony, when they saw pipeline workers bulldozing the land. "They were shocked. At first they were praying, then they started saying no, 'stop excavating the site,' and it went on from there," she said. By Samuel Wrest In July this year, Chinas State Council released data showing that the country is aiming for the construction of 3,500 new urban areas by 2030, with a collective capacity of 3.4 billion residents roughly half of the worlds population. Although met with criticism for being unrealistic, the target underlines a very real problem that the Middle Kingdom is currently facing. As a result of Chinas rapid urbanization 56 percent by the close of 2015 demand for affordable housing in the countrys sprawling metropolises has quickly outstripped supply. 60 percent of households in cities with a population of more than seven million are unable to afford basic housing at market rates, according to research from McKinsey. The issue looks set to worsen in the future, with Chinese cities now regularly topping global rankings for home price growth. It is therefore no surprise that the Chinese government is looking to increase and make more affordable the supply of urban housing, reflected in an investment outlay of RMB 1.54 trillion (US$236.9 billion) in its affordable housing program last year but it isnt any kind of home that the country is targeting. Alongside plans to boost the supply of housing overall are plans to increase the supply of green buildings, primarily to cut carbon gas emissions and help meet ambitious clean energy targets. The countrys New Type Urbanization Plan for 2014-2020 mandates that the share of green buildings in new construction rise from two percent in 2012 to a massive 50 percent by 2020. The case for green affordable housing in China then becomes clear. Because most Chinese domestic construction companies are still unfamiliar with green materials, there is a gap in the sector that foreign firms with the necessary expertise are well placed to bridge. And while some may worry that constructing housing that is both green and affordable may not yield a return on investment, China has a strong incentive framework in place both nationally and regionally to ensure that investments made are worthwhile. RELATED: Pre-Investment and Entry Strategy Advisory from Dezan Shira & Associates Defining green buildings in China China classifies green buildings as those that can conserve resources (such as energy, land, and water), protect the environment, and reduce pollution, and the country uses ratings to measure a buildings effectiveness in meeting these standards. While there are a range of rating systems from different countries that qualify, the two most dominant are Chinas own Green Building Evaluation Standard (GBES), and the U.S.s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Foreign companies entering the market are therefore advised to plan their housing around one of these two systems. National incentive framework for green housing Chinas preferential policies for green housing are a primary driver behind their commercial viability. Buildings that are rated 2-Star in an applicable classification system will enjoy a subsidy of RMB 45 per sq. m, while 3-Star buildings qualify for RMB 80. The potential benefits of these subsidies shouldnt be underestimated. According to statistics on the incremental cost of Chinese green buildings, subsidies given by the national government to 2-Star buildings covered up to 68 percent of the incremental cost for residential buildings and 44 percent of public buildings, respectively, while the subsidy for 3-Star buildings covered up to 66 percent and 50 percent. Additionally, Chinas corporate income tax (CIT) law () stipulates that costs incurred while conducting R&D for green buildings in China can be deducted from a companys CIT payment. This means that the cost of the R&D will be reduced from the firms declared profits, resulting in less being applicable for CIT. Local incentives Most local governments across China have separate preferential policies that can stack on top of the countrys national incentives, expediting the investment process and increasing the investment returns for foreign companies. Western China, for example, offers a reduced CIT rate of 15 percent for companies that build green housing in the region, while Shanxi province provides a streamlined application process and additional subsidies of between RMB 10 and 20 per sq. m, depending on the rating attained. Similar incentives exist across a range of first to third-tier cities in the country. Many of these cities have separate green building targets in place, funds to encourage the investment that is required to meet these targets, and even form a link between the dual needs for green buildings and affordable housing. In Dongguan in Guangdong province, for instance, an RMB 10 million (US$ 1.5 million) special fund has been set up to support green building projects, while Heze in Shandong province mandates that 30,000 sq. m of new construction in each of its counties be green and that this should partly be used to provide affordable housing. RELATED: Tax and Compliance Services from Dezan Shira & Associates Viability of green affordable housing and future outlook The chief concern with green affordable housing in China is the comparatively higher upfront cost. Green buildings require high-tech applications that are typically more expensive than traditional building materials. In order for such buildings to be constructed and still have a scalable impact on Chinas housing supply problems, they will have to by necessity be low-cost. However, research has shown that state-level fiscal measures and local level regulations can help make green affordable housing viable. China has both of these in place with its extensive incentive framework, making green housing construction comparable to, and potentially even cheaper than, conventional housing. Moreover, the costs associated with green construction are now significantly less than in the past, with experienced constructors able to build housing at a roughly equivalent price to conventional homes. Green affordable housing is therefore not only possible in the Chinese market, but potentially profitable for foreign investors, and the need for this type of housing is set to only grow in the future. In addition to Chinas ambitious target that green buildings comprise 50 percent of new construction by 2020 are the general sustainability goals laid out in its 13th Five Year Plan, which stipulates that clean energy form 20 percent of Chinas energy mix before 2030. In order for China to both meet these targets and effectively house its urbanizing population, green and affordable housing will have to be at the forefront of construction in the mid to long-term future. About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email china@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. Establishing & Operating a Business in China 2016 Establishing & Operating a Business in China 2016, produced in collaboration with the experts at Dezan Shira & Associates, explores the establishment procedures and related considerations of the Representative Office (RO), and two types of Limited Liability Companies: the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise (WFOE) and the Sino-foreign Joint Venture (JV). The guide also includes issues specific to Hong Kong and Singapore holding companies, and details how foreign investors can close a foreign-invested enterprise smoothly in China. Tax, Accounting, and Audit in China 2016 This edition of Tax, Accounting, and Audit in China, updated for 2016, offers a comprehensive overview of the major taxes that foreign investors are likely to encounter when establishing or operating a business in China, as well as other tax-relevant obligations. This concise, detailed, yet pragmatic guide is ideal for CFOs, compliance officers and heads of accounting who must navigate the complex tax and accounting landscape in China in order to effectively manage and strategically plan their China-based operations. An Introduction to Doing Business in China 2016 Doing Business in China 2016 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in China. Compiled by the professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates in June 2016, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Chinese market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to keep up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes As the world's largest trade fair for books, the 68th Frankfurt Book Fair will run from Oct. 19 to 23 in Germany. With more than 460 books on display, the China International Publishing Group (CIPG) will no doubt be the biggest Chinese exhibitor. Fang Zhenghui, vice president of China International Publishing Group (CIPG). [Photo by Zheng Liang / China.org.cn] "We will provide 465 different books focusing on Chinese culture, literature, language, traditional Chinese medicine, as well as Chinese fairytales to German readers," Fang Zhenghui, vice president of CIPG, told China.org.cn in Frankfurt. "Among them, over 380 are newly published, and 90 percent are written in German, English, Spanish, Arabic and 13 other foreign languages." According to Fang, in September 1952, CIPG made its oversea exhibition debut at the Leipzig International Book Fair. Since the 1970s, the CIPG delegation has regularly participated in all major international book fairs. Fang said, "In the past five years, CIPG has taken part in 65 book fairs in 26 different countries. The total area of our exhibition booth reached over 3,000 square meters, and more than 5,500 various kinds of books were on display, over 5,000 of which were published in 43 foreign languages." In order to improve publications, CIPG has held an international seminar since 2006. The seminar invites foreign and Chinese publication experts and sinologists and explores how Chinese publishing houses can effectively market abroad. Fang said, "This time, the seminar will be held on the morning of Oct. 21 at C area of Hall 4.1. Experts, editors and practitioners both from Europe and China are expected to discuss trends in international publication and how to connect Chinese publishing agencies to readers from across the world." Being the core force of Chinese publishers going abroad, CIPG launched "Overseas Editorial Office on Chinese Theme" with local publication agencies in 2014. Sixteen editorial offices have been established to date. Artist Mei Le signs a Peach Blossom Land green card for visitors at his performance art venue in Beijing on Oct. 15, 2016. [Photo / China.org.cn] Chinese performance artist Mei Le has created a conceptual Bureau of Peach Blossom Land to give out green cards to participants in his ongoing art project in Beijing. The project was inspired by the essay "Peach Blossom Spring" by the ancient Chinese poet Tao Yuanming (365-427), as well as the constantly evolving utopian concept of Peach Blossom Land over the past thousand years. Now, the artist is attempting to create a new pattern for the fabled land. He said: "To the people of East Asia, Peach Blossom Land symbolizes an ideal and holy world. Over the past 1,600 years, numerous literati from China, South Korea, and Japan have described Peach Blossom Land in their own ways through words and paintings." "Peach Blossom Land, which takes up no material space and whose energy field covers the whole Earth, is a multi-dimensional realm parallel to the real world." Mei initiated the non-profit project at the end of 2014 after one of his friends gained a United States Permanent Resident Card (Green Card). Last Saturday, which was billed as "Peach Blossom Land Opening Day," the artist invited friends from different sectors of society. As a special benefit for the Opening Day, the self-claimed "foreign minister" of the utopia accepted applications for a Peach Blossom Land Permanent Residence Card with no conditions attached. A total of 58 people received their cards at the event. China confirmed on Monday that some Australian nationals were detained in Shanghai for suspected gambling crimes, adding that "the case is still under investigation". Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying takes questions at the press conference in Beijing on Oct. 16, 2016. [Photo/www.fmprc.gov.cn] "The police have, in accordance with laws and bilateral agreements, notified the Australian consulate general in Shanghai of the detention," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news conference in Beijing. Australian casino giant Crown Resorts said on Monday that China had detained 18 of its employees, including three Australians. Hua, without confirming the number of Australians detained, said the Chinese side will guarantee the legal rights and interests of concerned parties, and consular officials could visit and offer necessary assistance. Fairfax Media reported over the weekend that police took the three Australians, who were visiting China on business, and local Chinese employees based in several Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, from their homes late on Thursday and detained them. Casino gambling is illegal on the Chinese mainland and Chinese law prohibits agents from organizing groups of more than 10 Chinese citizens to gamble abroad. The crime is punishable by up to three years' imprisonment. The company's executive general manager in charge of international VIP services, Jason O'Connor, is believed to be among those detained, the company said in a statement. O'Connor heads up a program designed to lure "high rollers" to Crown Casino in Melbourne, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Las Vegas casino giant MGM shut its marketing office on the Chinese mainland years ago after a similar brush with police. Crown has benefitted from an upsurge in Chinese tourists at its Australian casinos. The company's 2016 annual report showed that more than one-third of revenue generated by its Australian resorts in the past financial year was from international visitors, mainly from the Chinese mainland, The Wall Street Journal said. In February last year, the Ministry of Public Security started to crack down on gambling nationwide, including on groups that organize trips for Chinese nationals to visit casinos overseas. Last year, police arrested 13 South Korean casino managers and 34 Chinese agents for selling packages with free tours, free accommodation and sexual services. China pledged to lift 10 million people out of poverty every year from 2016 On Monday, October 17, in a white paper on China's progress in poverty reduction and human rights issued by China's State Council Information Office. The aim is to eradicate poverty by 2020. Aerial photo taken on Oct. 14, 2016 shows a road winding through mountains in Chengjiang Township of Du'an Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. [Photo: Xinhua] China was the first developing country to reach the UN's Millennium Development Goals and has already lifted 600 million people (70% of the world's total) out of poverty. Despite the remarkable achievements, at the end of last year, China still had 56 million people living in poverty, roughly the same size as the population of South Africa. The release of the white paper coincides with China's third Poverty Relief Day. The white paper highlights the continued importance of China's large population still living in profound poverty, and the complexity and increasing cost of solving their problems. "This will prove a hard nut to crack," the white paper says in reference to the future task. Although the task ahead seems large and difficult, small-scale projects remain important. On Sunday, agreements between 12 prosperous and wealthy villages, mostly from the eastern side of China, and 12 impoverished villages, mostly in western China were signed. "We believe that by encouraging such cooperation, gaps in wealth and economic development can be narrowed," said Xu Jianmin, an official from the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development. In Du'an Autonomous County, in China's Guangxi Province, about 136,700 people live in poverty. The area is a mountainous and is building roads to connect through the mountains has become a priority in local poverty alleviation efforts. By the end of 2015, over 1,700-km roads were built for the villages in the county. Tourism in Guizhou, southwest China, also contributes economically to the alleviation of poverty. Between 2011 and 2015, due to increased tourism, the amount of people living in poverty decreased almost 50%. Disciplinary charges against 24 teachers who drank alcohol with a meal has been dropped following public outcry. The Commission for Disciplinary Inspection in Tunliu county, Shanxi province, on Sept 30 ordered two principal teachers to publicly self-criticize themselves for consuming alcohol with a meal on a weekday. It ordered the other 22 teachers to appear before the commission. However, the Commission for Disciplinary Inspection in the province's Changzhi city, a higher-level anti-graft authority, announced on Sunday that disciplinary measures taken against the teachers were improper. "The decision did not have appropriate grounds and the measures were improper," it said. Teachers from the county's No 1 Middle School spent a total of 1,390 yuan ($207) on a meal that included alcohol on Sept 9, a day before Teachers' Day. The teachers paid for the meal out of their own pockets. The decision, as well as the revocation, has received wide public attention amid the country's continuing anti-graft campaign. In contrast to the popular support usually offered by netizens over disciplinary decisions against corrupt officials, most comments online said that the local anti-graft authority had misinterpreted the "eight-point rules", or austerity rules, introduced by the central government on Dec 4, 2012, adding that the action taken was unfair. "The teachers did not use public money to pay for their lunch. In addition, they had a half day off on that day ahead of Teachers' Day. They should not be blamed for their behavior," said a post published by Huang Dachuan on Oct 10. The eight-point rules aim to reduce bureaucracy, extravagance and undesirable work practices of Party members. With clauses focusing on various forms of corruption and unauthorized use of government cars, the rules have played a significant role in the country's anti-corruption campaign. The giant panda, with its distinctive black and white coat, is a national treasure in China, and an icon for the nation. Thanks to the aggressive conservation efforts of the Chinese government and agencies, the bear was removed from the endangered species list just last month. Suzanne Braden, founder of Pandas International, delivers a speech at the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan province. [Photo: CRI/Gao Shan] It's early in the morning. In Bifengxia, a mountainous area in Sichuan province, southwest China, panda caretakers have already started their day. Yet among the uniformed keepers, a few Caucasian faces stand out. Kayleigh came all the way from England to be a panda volunteer. "We clean up the outside area with all the bamboo(s) and we clean up all the poop. And later we gonna go and make them some lunch. We just knew this is the best place for us to come and the only place to offer this in the world. That's why we are here. We didn't want to go to a zoo. We want to come to somewhere where they are looked after and we can be a part of that." But Kayleigh and her friend are not the only ones who are offering a helping hand. Hawaii-based William Burke and his wife Karom have been in love with the tubby, fluffy creatures since 2005, when the birth of Tai Shan was broadcast through a web cam. In the past five years, the couple has adopted three pandas and been actively involved in volunteering. "I think they are unique. Animal needs to be preserved and we have to do everything we can in their conservation. We are trying to help with a little bit we can by donating to their donation program. " Overseas institutions also take part in panda preservation. Suzanne Braden is director of Pandas International, a global NGO dedicated to protecting this rarest number of the bear family. She says her original intention of founding this organization was to fill the gap in medical supplies and equipment. "When I first came in 1999, if they needed to do a blood test on a panda in Wolong, they would have to draw the blood, drive down to the nearest human hospital. Sample could be spoiled by the time they made it to the hospital. So one of the first things we started providing was blood chemistry analyser that every hospital in the United States would have. But they were not available at that time in China, so we started sending that type of medical equipment." At the same time, an educational program is launched to encourage young children, especially those from America, to conserve pandas. As the head of Wolong Panda Base, Li Wei speaks highly of the international input. "These organizations act like our branches and representatives in foreign countries. Take Pandas International for example, they help to raise the awareness in America for panda preservation. They have contributed a lot in terms of research and conservation. The Panda Protection Association in Japan strengthens the friendship between our two nations." So far, China has carried out cooperation projects on giant pandas with zoos from 17 countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping(L) shakes hands with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, Oct. 13, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) Chinese President Xi Jinping's successful short trip to Cambodia and Bangladesh recently is being seen as a landmark event, of great importance as far as China's relations with these relatively small countries are concerned. We have witnessed great enthusiasm for better political and trade engagement among the top leaders of the two countries, and this was reflected in 57 agreements signed in Dhaka and Phnom Penh. Cambodia and Bangladesh showed utmost respect to Mr. Xi. The roads of Dhaka were full of hoardings displaying Sino-Bangladeshi friendship slogans and Xi Jinping's portraits. Cambodian people were also enthralled to catch a glimpse of the Chinese president. Though China is the friendly neighbor, still it took almost three decades for the country's president to make a state visit to Bangladesh - when then Chinese President Li Xiannian visited Dhaka in 1986. The Xi visit could be seen as a ground-breaking step for deepening friendship and developing a long term strategic partnership. Undoubtedly, both sides are keen to take their relationship to a much higher level. Xi Jinping received a warm airport welcome from Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid and other high officials. He spoke highly of China-Bangladesh ties, which kept moving forward over four decades, as both have a similar mission of development benefitting from mutual trust and cooperation. The importance of the visit can be understood in the words of information minister Hasanul Haq Inu, "Xi Jinping's visit heralds a new era in relations of the two countries." While Bangladesh is keen to strengthen ties with China, it doesn't want to sour things with India, and government officials were keen to stress Xi's visit would not have any negative impact on its relations with India and other countries. China is the largest business partner of Bangladesh, which, in turn, is the third largest trade partner of China in South Asia. During the visit, the two sides sought to boost bilateral ties in many areas and signed 26 agreements and MOU's worth about $20 billion mainly in power, road and railway sectors. The fact is, Bangladesh needs big investment and the help of countries like India and China for infrastructure development, so China's experience in road and railway construction is very helpful. Furthermore, of late, China has been advocating development of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor and the Belt and Road project. Though India could play pivotal role to fulfill the Chinese dream to bridge the gap between Asia and Europe through these projects, one can't deny the importance of Bangladesh and Cambodia. Chinese leaders do understand the value of being actively engaged in South Asia and Southeast Asia, that's why Xi Jinping chose the moment to visit these countries heading for the BRICS summit in Goa. The Chinese president also visited Cambodia, his first there since 2012. He vowed to strengthen bilateral business relations, and for that purpose, China is willing to increase its imports from Cambodia. In recent years, Cambodia has been giving unconditional support to China. Since Cambodia is also an ASEAN member as well as a traditional friend of China, China attaches much importance to deepening political and trade relations. During the Xi visit, the two countries signed 31 cooperative documents, including construction of power plants in Cambodia and trade agreements. In addition, China is to import 200,000 tons of rice from Cambodia. Notably both the nations have reached consensus on the Belt and Road initiative of China. Xi Jinping met with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni at the Royal Palace, and stressed continuation of the traditional friendship. Even before the visit, we saw the warmth of the bilateral relationship, since the two countries signed $62 million worth of trade agreements on October 11 in the presence of Chinese commerce ministry officials and their Cambodian counterparts. China and Cambodia are traditional good friends for a long time, while China is also celebrating the 41st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Bangladesh. There is no doubt that the historic visit of Xi Jinping will soon produce positive results in Bangladesh and Cambodia, which is a very good thing. Anil Azad Pandey has been working with China Radio, Beijing as a senior journalist since 2009; prior to that, he worked in New Delhi as a senior national correspondent, covering the Foreign, Defense and Education Ministry. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. It was indeed a historic day. Nearly 200 nations thrashed out a deal to reduce the gases considered as lethal for the environment through increasing the danger of global warming. The agreement reached in Kigali, Rwanda, over the weekend is a major step in tackling climate change. The reason is simple. The world has agreed on binding cuts on the Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases used in air conditioners, refrigerators and aerosol sprays. The importance of this is that HFCs are 10,000 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as far as the greenhouse effect is concerned. The agreement is also important because the biggest world economies - the United States and China - agreed to voluntarily reduce the use of the gases that are contributing so much to the warming of our atmosphere. It was hard deal to achieve. Compromises were surely needed to pacify various national interests. For example, it is not one-size-fit-all kind of agreement. In fact, countries have been divided into groups with different target dates to comply with commitments to reduce the use of factory-made HFC. The sticking point was the role of industrialized world in taking the lead to reduce their use. Under the agreement, the U.S. and European countries will reduce them incrementally. They will start with a 10 percent reduction in 2019, scaling up to 85 percent by 2036. The developing countries have been divided into two groups and they will freeze the level of use of the gases by either 2024 or 2028; then, they will gradually reduce their usage. China, along with some Latin American nations and island states, will have to meet the 2024 target mentioned above. But the deadline for freezing the HFC for other nations like India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and the Gulf countries will start from 2028. The agreement is being hailed as a huge contribution to saving the environment. According to various experts, the full implementation of the agreement will remove an amount equal to 70 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 2050. The Kigali agreement comes months after the Paris agreement last December that dealt with ways to control the rise of global temperatures. The new agreement coincides with the Paris deal having finally passed the required threshold to enter into force after several big nations, also known as the biggest polluters, ratified it. The Paris and Kigali agreements should go a long way towards making the globe safer by keeping the global temperature within safer limits. As we know, the temperature has been rising due to increased industrial activities. Experts and scientists have for some time been warning that we face sure disaster unless the situation is drastically controlled and soon. The direct result of global warming is that glaciers will melt and sea level will rise which will drown some island states in particular. It would create an unimaginable human disaster with millions of people uprooted. Nobody knows where they will live after such a disaster. However, even before that happens, living condition on Earth will become intolerable due to rising temperatures. Weather patterns will be more unpredictable and crops, fruits and vegetables production will be affected. The Kigali agreement is expected to directly play a role in checking global warming. According to scientists, it will help to avoid a 0.5 degrees' Celsius rise in temperature by 2100. It will be possible as millions of new units of fridges, air conditioners and sprays will be HFC-free. The hurdles in achieving the goals are lack of availability of new technology and financial resources for underdeveloped nations. The developed world has to shoulder the responsibility of helping poor nations to transform and shift their industries to avoid use of HFCs. Another hurdle involves implementation. As countries are free, they cannot be forced to follow an international agreement. This is especially so, if a country is a leading economic or military power. Only good intentions and a resolve to save humanity count. So, all nations should meticulously follow the commitments made to ensure the agreement will work. Successfully saving the environment will be the biggest gift for the coming generations. Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the eighth BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) The traditional summit photo of the five member state leaders at the weekend's BRICS Summit in the Indian coastal state of Goa was in stark contrast to those from other recent meetings of world and regional powers. Compared to the conga line of leaders at the G20 meeting in Hangzhou and at the ASEAN summit in Vientiane, the relatively intimate group portrait of the Presidents of China, Russia, Brazil, and South Africa, and the Prime Minister of India belied the economic and population might of the BRICS alliance of major emerging economies. All five are indeed members of the G20 and their contribution to the global economy and geopolitical affairs is significant. And while they are affected like all countries by global economic uncertainty, they pull their weight in the global scheme of things. They represent over 3.6 billion people, over half the world's population, and have a combined nominal GDP of US$16.6 trillion, equivalent to approximately 22% of gross world product. And as China's President Xi Jinping noted at the weekend, they contributed to more than half of global growth in the past 10 years. Their recent history has seen them being characterized as "fast-growing" economies and as a result they exert significant influence in their regions' affairs, none more so than China and Russia for different reasons. But in contrast to the past glories and immense expectations of BRICS member states, this eighth Summit was held under a cloud of economic and security concerns which they readily recognized in the Goa Summit Declaration. Its lead statement was an acknowledgement that "emerging challenges to global peace and security and to sustainable development require further enhancing of our collective efforts." The declaration reiterated the world's profound shifts as it "transitions to a more just, democratic, and multi-polar international order based on the central role of the United Nations, and respect for international law," it said This "coordination of efforts" theme touched on the need to address "current security challenges and threats confronting the international community." "Combating terrorism, including cross border terrorism, and its supporters will be a BRICS priority, said BRICS Chairman, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We agreed that those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor forces of violence and terror are as much a threat to us as terrorists themselves. We were unanimous in recognizing the threat that terrorism, extremism and radicalization presents, he added. In effect this global vision mood underscored the collaborative spirit of the BRICS meeting, notwithstanding the underlying challenges being faced by member states. India's Mr. Modi took a swipe at Pakistan for embracing and radiating "the darkness of terror." Russia's Mr. Putin, a staunch BRICS supporter, is embroiled in geopolitical challenges on a number of fronts. And China's Mr. Xi acknowledged that, while member states enjoy bright development prospects, they face many internal and external challenges as a result of weak economic growth. In tacit acknowledgement of BRICS members' place in the broader global environment, Mr. Modi advocated they play a bigger role in multi-national frameworks, including the G20 and World Trade Organization. There was need for closer cooperation in a range of crucial areas, such as economics and trade, infrastructure and security, and building stronger cooperation mechanisms, he said. A sense of clarity was brought to the dialogue by President Xi who saw challenges emanating from the rising threat of protectionism and growing anti-globalization sentiment. He said the bloc's New Development Bank was an important outcome of its collaborations and it would receive China's support in bringing to successful fruition its first group of projects. He also advocated that countries work to boost confidence while economic recovery is weak, suggesting an increase in macroeconomic policies and opposition to all forms of protectionism. In reaching out to support global initiatives and underscore its place in the strategic continuum, the BRICS bloc welcomed the G20 Action Plan for the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted during the Hangzhou Summit. It also extended leaders' gratitude to the outgoing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for his contribution in the past 10 years. On the same theme, the BRICS leaders held a dialogue with the heads-of-state of members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). This body comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand and, in President Xis words, is China's good friends, neighbors and partners and could collaborate more with BRICS. Prior to attending the BRICS Summit, Mr. Xi also visited Cambodia and Bangladesh, both countries being important links in China's 'Belt and Road' revitalization of the ancient Silk Road. The visits were particularly symbolic, as Mr. Xi's first visit to Cambodia as president and the first visit by a Chinese president to Bangladesh since Li Xiannian in 1986. They were also significant for on-going bilateral trade and economic relations. China will host the ninth BRICS Summit in the southeastern city of Xiamen next September, a city in which Mr. Xi served as vice mayor in the 1980s. Flash Jordan said Monday the liberation of Iraq's Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) is decisive to defeat the terrorist group, the state-run Petra news agency reported. Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani said defeating the group in Iraq will help uproot its forces in the area, and will rid the Iraqis from sufferings under the IS control. Iraqi security forces on Monday recaptured nine villages from IS militants as part of a major offensive aimed at liberating Mosul, the last major IS stronghold in Iraq, security sources said. The Iraqi army, Peshmerga forces and allied paramilitary Sunni and Shiite Hashd Shaabi units have been advancing gradually from four directions after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the launch of the long-awaited offensive to free Mosul from IS militants, the source said. Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014. You are here: Home Flash At least 13 people were killed on Monday in airstrikes on a rebel-held area in Syria's northern city of Aleppo, a monitor group reported. Children were among those killed in the raids that targeted the Marjeh neighborhood in eastern Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It added that the death toll could rise as tens of people are either wounded or gone missing. Attempts to dig out the bodies under the rubble are still ongoing, the Observatory said. This comes amid clashes between Syrian forces and the rebels in several areas in Aleppo on Monday. Aleppo, located near the borders with Turkey, is Syria's largest city and once an economic hub. It has been a focal point of clashes between the Syrian army and the rebels. Flash Iraqi forces are fighting all out to retake control of the city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) militants after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday announced the start of long-awaited offensive. Children play games in front a building that was destroyed in battles between Iraqi army and Islamic State militants in Qayyarah, southern Mosul, Iraq on Oct. 17, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] "Today I declare the launch of the operation of liberating Nineveh province. The time of victory has come, and the moment of the great victory is approaching," Abadi said in his brief address aired by the state-run al-Iraqiya channel. Abadi pledged to rebuild Mosul and other towns and villages in Nineveh province after they were destroyed by the extremist IS militants, and vowed to bring stability to Mosul. "Very soon, we will be with you to raise the flag of Iraq in the middle of Mosul, and in towns and villages as well," Abadi said, calling on the people of Mosul to cooperate with security forces to defeat the IS group. Like the previous battles that freed the cities of Tikrit, Ramadi, Fallujah and others from IS militants, the troops are moving to gradually encircle the city of Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, after clearing IS militants from towns and villages around it, before entering the city districts. On Monday morning, the Iraqi forces reportedly managed to free nine villages from IS militants who fled the scene, as they continued their advance to free many areas around Mosul, including the towns of Bashiqa and Himdaniyah in northeast of the city. In Mosul, reports said that some 1.3 million civilians are still living in Mosul's neighborhood and surrounding villages of Nineveh plain, while more than 5,000 IS militants holed up in the city with significant preparations to defend the city. "More than 65,000 Iraq security personnel are expected to participate in the battle of Mosul, their positions located between 15 to 50 km away from the edges of the city's neighborhoods," Major Abdullah al-Jubouri, an Iraqi army officer, told Xinhua. Army brigades backed by elite anti-terrorism forces with an armored brigade, including Abrams tanks, are advancing from the southern axis on the eastern side of the Tigris River. Other army brigades and anti-terrorism forces are also advancing from southeastern axis on the west side of the river, Jubouri pointed out. There are also some 10,000 fighters of the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters who are advancing from the east and northern axis. The Kurdish forces are backed by some 24,000 of police of Nineveh province and paramilitary Sunni tribal units, Jubouri said. The Iraqi forces in Mosul battle are also supported by the Iraqi and international aircraft as well as different kinds of Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition artillery units, Jubouri added. Observers believe that the battles in Mosul could be long, bloody, costly and protracted, let alone the suffering of civilians, but that will mainly depends on whether the IS militants would be ready to show stiff resistance or not. However, the tough part of the struggle is only in the post-IS stage, as many possible conflicts could erupt in Nineveh province among the Iraqi factions in northern Iraq and with regional countries as well. The tacit alliance -- of Iraqi government forces alongside the paramilitary Shiite Hashd Shaabi units, paramilitary Sunni tribal fighters, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and hundreds of U.S. troops -- highlights the significance of the battle of Iraq's last IS stronghold of Mosul. Recapturing Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, would break the back of the terrorist group, demolishing its self-declared state of Islamic "caliphate" in Iraq. "Mosul was chosen by the IS top leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to make his first public appearance after declaring the caliphate after the IS group blitzkrieg large territories in northern and western Iraq in June 2014, and that was dramatically symbolic," Jubouri said. "If Mosul is recaptured by the Iraqi forces, it would be a complete reversal of the IS' sweep, pushing the extremist militants to regroup in a few and isolated pockets of territories in Iraq," Jubouri said. The only option left for the IS group is to respond to their battlefield losses by returning to guerrilla-style tactics, or retreat to neighboring Syria, where the group also sustains increasing defeats, Jubouri concluded. Hassan al-Dulaimi, a military expert, told Xinhua that if the IS group is defeated in Mosul, a question will rise; who will govern the areas vacated by IS extremist group and how? The U.S. strategy to defeat IS from Iraq's northern province of Nineveh and its capital Mosul depends on a variety of allied local armed groups who are often bitterly at odds. All of them consider the IS group as an enemy, but also most of them consider one another as enemies. "The disputed armed groups will stake out claims to capture lands in ways that risking bringing them into conflict with others who also seize territories," Dulaimi said. The situation in post-IS Mosul will be so complicated. According to Dulaimi, one of the anticipated conflicts will be between the Iraqi government and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, as the Iraqi Kurds moved into areas called disputed areas outside the regional boundaries before 2003, that once under control of the Iraqi government. The Iraqi government wants the Kurds to leave these areas after driving out IS militants and that the fate of those disputed areas must be decided after referendum according to article 140 of the Iraqi constitution. However, the Kurds said they won't let go of any territory Kurds have shed blood to free it from IS and that the referendum must be conducted in these areas under their rule to the disputed areas. Another conflict possibly to take place between Kurdish Peshmerga and Shiite militias, many of them backed by Iran, as the Shiite militias have teamed up with the security forces pushing north from Baghdad and cleared many towns and villages on their route to Mosul, Dulaimi said. The reason behind the possible conflict between the Kurds and Shiite militias is also attributed to the disputed areas outside the Kurdistan region. Such conflict has already started in at least one location, the town of Tuz Khurmato in Salahudin province, as clashes have repeatedly taken place late last year and again in April. Tuz Khurmato, some 90 km east of Salahudin's provincial capital of Tikrit, made up mostly of Turkman Shiite and sizable Kurdish and Sunni Arab population. A conflict of Sunni Arabs against Shiite Hashd Shaabi units, or against Peshmerga, as both Shiites and Kurds have fought the IS group which captured the Sunni areas. Many Sunnis are taking part with the Kurds and Shiites in defeating IS militants from the Sunni towns and villages, Dulaimi said. However, there are reports of abuses by Shiites and Kurds against the Sunni communities they liberated from IS. Such abuses included forced displacement of Sunnis from their homes and mass detentions of Sunni men and sometimes killing over sectarian motives. "With the absence of real reconciliation efforts by the Iraqi government, such abuses could ignite Sunni insurgency," Dulaimi concluded. Another complicated conflict could erupt with the presence of the Turkish forces in Baqshiqa military camp, some 30 km north of Mosul, training Sunni fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga, preparing them for the main battle to free Mosul, Dulaimi said. The presence of Turkish troops sparked a political row as Baghdad government has called them "occupying forces" that could trigger a "regional war." Both Baghdad and Ankara have summoned the ambassadors of each other to express condemnation of other side. Ankara overtly rejects the participation of Shiite Hashd Shaabi units, fearing of possible "forceful change in the demographic composition of the region, according to Dulaimi. "Driving IS out of Mosul and other areas in northern Iraq with the persistence of tension between Arabs and Kurds around a liberated Mosul will create ethnic problems that may be as serious as the sectarian ones between Sunnis and Shiites, as well as spill over into Kurdish areas in Turkey and Syria," Dulaimi added. Eventually, bringing back peace to Mosul needs hard work, it is even more important than the necessary military action. The city once was home to a complex mosaic of tribes and ethnic groups, but since IS took over the city; the group planted the seeds of hatred and division. "IS militants have created profound wounds across the society and within families. The situation in post-IS Mosul won't be rosy as people in the liberated city will quickly go into recrimination, revenge and sectarian strife," Dulaimi warned. The Iraqi government, the international coalition and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) will have the duty to pursue long-term engagement strategy with a greater focus on national reconciliation could consolidate the peace and co-existence among Iraqi factions and Mosul and other parts of Iraq, according to Dulaimi. "This is not an imagination or wishes, because the Iraqi factions, regional countries and the international community have the interest to bring peace and dry up the resources of terrorism," Dulaimi concluded. On the other hand, the United Nations and aid agencies expected a human catastrophe with up to 1.5 million people could be displaced or in need for aid in Nineveh province when an offensive is launched to retake Mosul from IS militants. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said in recent report that it is expecting 200,000 people to flee in the first few days of an attack to retake the city, but says the worst case scenario could be up to 700,000 people. Up to 1.5 million people in the city could be in need of aid. Currently, agencies on the ground have supplies for about 100,000 of the estimated 200,000 people who will initially need help. "It's a race against the clock now," said Lise Grande, the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq. Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. Flash Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said that his country expects to boost traditional friendship with China and further bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (L) speaks during an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Manila, the Philippines, Oct. 13, 2016. Duterte has said that his country expects to boost traditional friendship with China and further bilateral trade and economic cooperation. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) Duterte starts a four-day state visit to China on Tuesday at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The visit will help him better understand China, Duterte told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Thursday. He spoke highly of the Chinese government and people, saying that China boasts hard-working people and "good, sound policies, internal and external." "I would say that China deserves the kind of respect that China now enjoys," he added. Duterte also lauded China's commitment to and generosity of helping others as a major player of the international community, adding that besides its own development, China has never forgotten those underdeveloped nations, as illustrated by its devotion to helping African and Southeast Asian countries to promote development. Speaking of the two countries' economic and trade cooperation, Duterte said that since his country is abundant in tourism, mineral and agricultural resources, and China boasts a huge lucrative market, the two neighbors enjoy high complementarity and considerable potential for further cooperation. The Philippine leader said his country needs to retain its friendly relationship with China and learn from the latter's success in economics and trade, especially in times of global financial crisis. In terms of the South China Sea issue, Duterte said he prefers negotiation to confrontation. "There is no sense in going to war. There is no sense fighting over a body of water," Duterte said. "It is better to talk than war. We want to talk about friendship, we want to talk about cooperation, and most of all, we want to talk about business. War would lead us to nowhere." Duterte also made clear his opposition against some specific outsiders' attempts to meddle in the South China Sea issue. "We are not interested in allowing other country to talk. I just want to talk to China," he said, adding he is willing to pursue joint development of the waters together with China. The top Philippine leader also extended his gratitude to China, which, in stark contrast to some Western countries, has extended support for Philippine efforts against illegal drugs, as proved by the funding of a rehabilitation center which is about to open. "Some other countries know we are short of money, (but) instead of helping us, all they had to do was just to criticize. China never criticizes. They help us quietly. and I said that's why it's part of the sincerity of the people," Duterte noted. The philippine president also expressed his desire to let Manila jump onto the bandwagon of the Beijing-proposed Belt and Road Initiative , as his nation is short of funding for infrastructure such as railways and seaports. He added that rapid development is hard to accomplish for any country without railways, saying he hopes China could offer soft loans. "There are so many things in my country which I would like to implement, but for lack of the capital stock," he said. The Philippines also hopes to realize common prosperity. "If we can have the things you have given to other countries by the way of assistance, we'd also like to be a part of it and to be a part of the greater plans of China about the whole of Asia, particularly Southeast Asia," Duterte said. Speaking of his upcoming China tour, Duterte said he will take the opportunity to conduct dialogue with China so as to enhance mutual understanding and partnership. "All that I would need to do is just to talk and get a firm handshake from the officials and say that we are Filipinos and we are ready to cooperate with you, to help us in building our economy and building our country." There are some 2 million ethnic Chinese living and working in the Philippines, he said. "So we might be asking for your help, asking the Chinese people to help Chinese people here. They are Filipinos but they are also Chinese," Duterte said. "My grandfather is Chinese ... It's only China (that) can help us," Duterte said. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping's visits to Cambodia and Bangladesh, and attendance at the eighth BRICS summit in India have yielded fruitful results, contributing to further cooperation among developing countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Jacob Zuma, Brazilian President Michel Temer, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for group photos at the eighth BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) PUSHING TRADITIONAL CHINA-CAMBODIA PARTNERSHIP TO NEW LEVEL The friendship between China and Cambodia has always been solid and full of vigor since the two countries established diplomatic ties 58 years ago, Wang said. In recent years, the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has been developing to a higher level, bringing concrete benefits to both peoples, he said. During Xi's visit to Cambodia, the first leg of his Southeast and South Asia tour, the two sides have reached broad consensus on strengthening pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and have signed 31 cooperative documents on major projects such as those under the auspices of the Belt and Road Initiative, the dovetailing of development strategies, production capacity investment, and the construction of the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone. Xi and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen have agreed to deepen the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership so as to better serve the two peoples, Wang said. ENHANCING MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL COOPERATION WITH BANGLADESH Xi's state visit to Bangladesh is the first by a Chinese head of state in three decades, Wang said. During Xi's visit, the two sides issued a joint declaration, upgrading China-Bangladesh relationship to a strategic cooperative partnership. Xi and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina agreed that their countries will support each other and cooperate closely during their respective processes of realizing the dreams of "two centenary goals" and "Sonar Bangla," Wang said. The two countries have decided to cooperate in major projects in production capacity, energy and electricity, transportation, telecommunications, infrastructure and agriculture, and agreed to start the feasibility studies on the establishment of a China-Bangladesh free trade area, and establish a series of mechanisms such as bilateral dialogue and cooperation on maritime affairs, according to Wang. The two sides have also signed more than 30 important cooperative treaties, Wang added. During the visit, both leaders have reached important consensus on implementing mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly pushing forward the Belt and Road Initiative. They agreed to broaden cooperation in marine economy, seaport construction, and connectivity, a well as speeding up the construction of the BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar) Economic Corridor. REVITALIZING BRICS COOPERATION This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) cooperation mechanism. After 10 years of fast development, the bloc has expanded cooperation and played an active role in promoting global economic growth and improving global governance, Wang said. Xi attended the annual BRICS summit in the western Indian state of Goa on Sunday, and made a five-point proposal for the BRICS nations to join hands in tough times -- building an open world, mapping out a shared development vision, coping with the most pressing global challenges, safeguarding fairness and justice in the international community, and deepening partnerships within the bloc. Xi boosted confidence of BRICS cooperation, and stressed the importance of cultural cooperation among BRICS countries to increase impetus to the mechanism. Xi also attended a dialogue between BRICS and BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) leaders, and called for the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative and the BIMSTEC programs, so as to advance infrastructure construction and connectivity, and strive for common development. Xi's visit successfully implemented China's neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness by consolidating good neighborliness, pushing the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of respective countries, strengthening unity and cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries, the Chinese foreign minister concluded. Flash The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Monday a pause of strikes against the Syrian city of Aleppo for eight hours on Thursday. The humanitarian pause will be introduced from 8 a.m. till 4 p.m. local time on Oct. 20, during which Russian Aerospace Forces and Syrian government troops will cease strikes, Sergey Rudskoy, chief of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate, said here in Moscow. He added that Moscow is ready to cease fire and provide medical personnel with unhindered access to Aleppo at the request of humanitarian groups at any time, and to guarantee the rescue of the injured and sick. Russian warplanes and Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been attacking the rebel-controlled districts of Aleppo since the collapse of the ceasefire agreement reached between Moscow and Washington last month. Flash Yemen's President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has officially agreed on Monday to a 72-hour ceasefire between the warring parties in the war-torn Arab country proposed by the United Nations. The country's Foreign Minister Abdul-Malik Mekhlafi declared on his official Twitter account saying that "the president agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire to be extended if the other party (Houthis) adheres to it." The Yemeni minister said the military commission responsible for overseeing ceasefires will be activated and lifting the siege on Taiz province during the 72-hour cessation of hostilities. A Yemeni government official said that a fresh round of peace talks sponsored by the United Nations will probably start after the three-day truce. However, the pro-Houthi authorities in Sanaa haven't yet announced their response to the 72-hour ceasefire. A number of humanitarian truces between Yemeni warring sides occurred in the past months but failed to stop the fierce fighting across the country. The situation in Yemen has deteriorated economically and politically since March 2015, when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition. Houthis and Saleh's forces hold most of Yemen's northern regions while government forces backed by Saudi-led military coalition share control of the rest of the country including seven southern provinces. The civil war, ground battles and airstrikes have already killed more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, injured more than 35,000 others and displaced over two millions, according to humanitarian agencies. Flash At least 19 extremist militants and one soldier were killed on Monday during a massive security campaign on the dens of extremists in Egypt's restive North Sinai province, the Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement. "The surprise air raids destroyed 31 dens and warehouses of extremist elements," Military Spokesman Mohamed Samir said, noting that other land raids ruined three vehicles, three motorbikes and eight explosive devices prepared to target the security forces. Egypt has been fighting against a growing wave of anti-government terrorist attacks since the military removed former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against his one-year rule. Also on Monday, the Egyptian Interior Ministry announced the death of a wanted Islamist jihadist in a fire exchange in Giza. Hundreds of security personnel were killed in anti-government attacks in the past three years with a Sinai-based militant group loyal to the Islamic State regional group claiming responsibility for most of them. In the past couple of days, about 20 soldiers were killed in blasts and armed attacks in North Sinai province, and security forces retaliated by killing around 100 militants and wounding 40 others. You are here: Home Flash The Syrian army captured a key town in the central province of Hama on Monday amid ongoing battles, a monitor group reported. At least 32 rebel fighters were killed as the Syrian forces captured the town of Maardis, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It added that 14 government soldiers were killed in the battle to capture the town. Capturing Maardis is part of the government forces' push to wrest control over tens of towns and villages in the countryside of Hama. The town has a strategic meaning as it enables the Syrian army to advance into other rebel-held areas in northern Hama. With Maardis under control, the Syrian army has controlled over 22 towns and villages in northern Hama since last week. The northern countryside of Hama has returned under the spotlight after the rebels carried out repetitive attacks on government positions in that area. The rebels carried out such attacks, as part of their effort to get the army busy with more than one front to reduce the pressure on rebels in other parts of northern Syria. You are here: Home Flash Fresh clashes between government and opposition forces near the northern town of Malakal have killed at least 56 over the weekend, a military spokesman said late Sunday. South Sudan's government soldiers take position at a battle field in Alelo near South Sudan's northern town of Malakal, Oct. 16, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] Brigadier General Lul Ruai Koang, Sudan People's Liberation Army spokesman told reporters in Malakal that the fighters linked to former Vice President Riek Machar Friday evening attacked two government bases near Malakal. Koang claimed that 56 rebel fighters were killed and dozens of weapons seized, without giving causalities from the government side. "They attacked us on the western side of the Nile. Over 56 rebels were killed," Koang said. A local area commander, Butrus Bol Bol told Xinhua in Malakal that the rebels attacked their bases at Worjok and Alelo, West of the River Nile late Friday. Koang said rebel forces have intensified attacks on government units, adding that the army registered eight attacks in the past week. He further said another 62 were killed across South Sudan in similar clashes last week. Violence flared in South Sudan on July 8 after fighting broke out between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar, causing deaths in hundreds and displacement of over 100,000 people into neighboring countries. Flash As the 2016 U.S. election was heading into the homestretch, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump clashed with Democrats and his own party on whether the election was rigged. The latest barrage from the bombastic and volatile New York billionaire developer that the election was rigged also raised concerns about whether he would accept defeat or question legality of a Clinton presidency. "The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," Trump tweeted late Sunday. While he had brought up the possibility of a rigged election in the past, he stepped up the accusation recently after about a dozen women accused him of past sexual assaults, which the Trump campaign denied. Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Trump's running mate, meanwhile joined Trump in highlighting the idea that the election was being rigged against the GOP ticket. But in a speech on Sunday, Pence said he and Trump would "absolutely" accept the results of the election. Trump's claim of a rigged election was met with immediate rejection from the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the White House. Calling Trump's claim of a rigged election a tactic of desperation, the Clinton campaign over the last weekend issued a statement expressing confidence of the fairness of the election. "Participation in the system - and particularly voting- should be encouraged, not dismissed or undermined because a candidate is afraid he's going to lose," said the statement. "This election will have record turnout, because voters see through Donald Trump's shameful attempts to undermine an election weeks before it happens." Meanwhile, House Speaker Paul Ryan, the highest-ranking GOP official, also rejected Trump's claims of a rigged election, saying that he was "fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity." Flash The UN Security Council on Monday strongly condemned the most recent failed ballistic missile launch conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Seoul's military said Sunday that the DPRK had test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile but ended in a failure. In a press statement, the 15-nation council said the attempted launch is a grave violation of the DPRK's obligations under Security Council resolutions. The Security Council has adopted five resolutions to curb the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs. The latest one adopted in March imposed the most severe sanctions yet on the country, including an export ban and asset freeze. "The members of the Security Council deplore all Democratic People's Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including this failed launch, noting that such activities contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension," said the statement. "The members of the Security Council reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in North-East Asia at large, expressed their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation and welcomed efforts by Council members, as well as other States, to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue," it added. The failed launch came on the day when the United States and South Korea wrapped up their joint naval exercises in all of the three seas around South Korea. The missile launch was the latest in a series of provocations by the DPRK following its fifth nuclear test last month. Pyongyang said on Sept. 9 that it successfully tested a nuclear warhead that can be mounted on ballistic missiles. Flash Wikileaks said on Monday that its founder Julian Assange's Internet access was cut off by the government of Ecuador when he was taking asylum at the country's embassy in London. "We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's Internet access Saturday, 5 p.m. GMT, shortly after the publication of Hillary Clinton's Goldman Sachs speeches," the anti-secrecy group said on Twitter. Earlier on Saturday, Wikileaks released three transcripts of Clinton's paid speeches to Goldman Sachs. According to the Associated Press, those were part of the tranche of emails hacked from the accounts of John Podesta, campaign chairman for the Democratic nominee. The Australian transparency activist has been holed up at the Ecuadorean Embassy since 2012 to avoid extradition over sex assault allegations. In a brief statement, the Ecuadorean Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its decision on Monday to grant Assange asylum, but did not mention the Internet shutdown. "Faced with the speculation of the last few hours, the Government of Ecuador ratifies the validity of the asylum granted to Julian Assange four years ago," said the ministry. "We reaffirm that his protection by the Ecuadorean state will continue while the circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain." Flash Syria's northern city of Aleppo calmed down on Tuesday, as Russia has halted airstrikes in the city, a security source told Xinhua. The sky over hard-hit Aleppo has never been so tranquil for a long time, the source said on condition of anonymity. Russia announced airstrikes on rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo had been halted from 10:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Tuesday, as a prelude to an 8-hour humanitarian truce in the city, which will enter into force on Thursday. The Thursday truce could see the evacuation of hardline rebels of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, previously known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front. The truce and the rebels' evacuation are believed to be the outcome of a recent meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, where world powers Moscow and Washionton sought to broker a humanitarian pause and eventual political solution to the crisis. The Russian air forces and Syrian army recently upped their offensives in Aleppo, in order to banish the rebels from the east of the city. The Syrian government has issued multiple statements that urged the rebels to leave eastern Aleppo and promised them a safe passage to the rebel-held city of Idlib in northwestern Syria. Meanwhile, Russia has urged the evacuation of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham group, which is listed as a terrorist group by the United Nations, from Aleppo. On the other side, the United States and its allies have accused Russia and the Syrian government of committing war crimes by shelling Aleppo. But observers say both Washington and Moscow are believed to have agreed on evacuating ultra-radical groups from Aleppo in exchange for a halt of Russian airstrikes. Aleppo, located near the borders with Turkey, is Syria's largest city and once an economic hub. It has been a focal point of clashes between the Syrian army and the rebels. The house church Mou attends. (Photo: China Aid) China Aid Reported in Chinese by Qiao Nong. Translated by Carolyn Song. Written in English by Brynne Lawrence. (Zunyi, GuizhouAug. 9, 2016) A local governing body in Chinas central Guizhou province announced the termination of welfare for Christians who attend church activities on July 2, mirroring a similar incident that occurred two years prior. Mou, a house church member, said, [Officials verbally] announced on July 2 that Christians could not have welfare or any old-age insurance Now, the county [government] called on the government in the towns and villages to order believers to sign [a guarantee], stating that if they gathered again, their welfare would be cut off. This kind of pressure is reminiscent of an ongoing persecution case in Chinas inland Sichuan province. On Sept. 28, 2014, 36 Miao Christians, an ethnic minority in China, were detained and then individually released 5-11 days afterward. Since that time, the government interrupted their welfare payments. On July 14 of this year, Zhang Shucai, a member of one of the affected Miao churches, said, Not long ago, I went back to my hometown and asked my parents about [the welfare payment cancellation]. They told me that they still hadnt received their welfare. [Authorities] only arrested my mother last time, but they canceled the [welfare] of [both of my parents]. When asked if the church members plan to take legal action, Zhang replied that many of the Miao Christians do not know how to defend their rights. China Aid exposes abuses, such as those suffered by church members in Guizhou and Sichuan, in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians in China. China Aid Media Team Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] For more information, click here Zhang Xiuhong (center) will soon be tried for a trumped up charge of illegal business operations. (Photo: China Aid) China Aid Reported in Chinese by Qiao Nong. Translated by Carolyn Song. Written in English by Brynne Lawrence. (Guiyang, GuizhouSept. 14, 2016) Charged with illegal business operations, a Christian woman, detained for more than a year, awaits trial after the court convened to discuss her hearing earlier last month. In late July 2015, authorities took Zhang Xiuhong, an accountant who chaired Huoshi Churchs board, into custody for withdrawing church funds at her beauty shop. The local Procuratorate formally arrested her on Sept. 1, 2015. In March, the court initiated trial procedures, which culminated in a pretrial meeting last month. Zhangs defense lawyers, Xiao Yunyang and Li Guisheng, attended the pretrial, but the defendant was not present. According to Xiao, the court addressed concerns related to the trial, and only conferred for 30 minutes. Although it still needs to release an official date for the hearing, they projected it to take place this month. Similar pretrials occurred last July for Wang Yao and Yu Lei, attendees of Huoshi Church who were accused of divulging state secrets. They were apprehended on Dec. 9, 2015, along with Yang Hua, whose pretrial conference is expected to take place soon. However, the government used recently imposed strictures to withhold information about these meetings. China Aid reports on cases such as the unlawful detentions of Zhang, Wang, Yu and Yang, in order to expose human rights abuses by the Chinese government. ChinaAid Media Team Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] For more information, click here Foreign Policy By Kavitha Surana October 12, 2016 1:55 pm See something, say something even a child practicing religion? Thats what China is telling citizens in the majority-Muslim northwestern region of Xinjiang. New education rules released Wednesday encourage people to inform on parents who send their kids to religious schools or coerce them to practice religion. Officially, China guarantees the right to freedom of religion but also stipulates that religious activities should not disrupt public order or interfere with the education system. The Communist Party carefully regulates religious activities, including religious education, and generally discourages minors from becoming believers. Such restrictions are particularly severe in Xinjiang, where almost half the population are ethnic Uighur Muslims. In recent years, restrictions on cultural and religious activities have stoked resentment and led to unrest, including attacks on police, train stations, and markets. The state has tried many methods to tamp down its Uighur minority, including recently banning headscarves and beards, forbidding students and state workers to fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, and cracking down on underground Koranic schools. Two years ago officials began a longer-term strategy by encouraging intermarriage between ethnic Chinese and Uighurs with cash incentives, hoping to dilute Muslim communities over generations. The new education rules, set to go into effect on Nov. 1, say parents cannot organize, lure or force minors into attending religious activities, or force them to wear religious dress or symbols. Parents are also forbidden to abet, coerce, attract, or tolerate minors participation in terrorism, extremism, and underground scripture studies, which essentially gives Beijing carte blanche to determine what is and what isnt extremist behavior. If parents are caught encouraging religion, any group or person has the right to stop these kinds of behaviors and report them to the public security authorities. China denies abuse or suppression of the Uighur community and insists it fully protects minority rights. It blames recent unrest in the region on Islamic extremists. In 2014 China sentenced prominent Uighur intellectual Ilham Tohti to life in prison on separatism charges. But outside the country hes been called Chinas Mandela for his work promoting Uighur rights and was awarded the prestigious Martin Ennals human rights defenders award on Tuesday. Photo credit: KEVIN FRAYER/Getty Images ChinaAid Media Team Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] For more information, click here The Straits Times | Oct. 18, 2016 A Singapore Airlines flight from Zurich to Singapore was delayed by about 28 hours after an A380 airplane was struck by a water servicing vehicle at Zurich Airport. The Airbus A380 was struck in the underbelly of its fuselage by a water servicing vehicle at Zurich Airport on Sunday (Oct. 16) morning. The flight, which was scheduled for departure at 11:45 a.m. Zurich time on Sunday (6:00 p.m. Singapore time), was delayed as a result, said a spokesman from Singapore Airlines. Following repairs to the aircraft, SQ345 is now scheduled to depart for Singapore on Monday at 4pm Zurich time. "No passengers or staff were on board the aircraft at the time, and the vehicle driver was not injured," said the spokesman. "Some passengers have been transferred to other flights while the remaining passengers have been provided hotel accommodation before the departure of the delayed flight," the spokesman added. Singapore A380 9V-SKD has been repaired & towed to gate @ ZRH ready for delayed #SQ345 foll. yesterday's incident: https://t.co/bIsIHNhlSm pic.twitter.com/eMC0X7WytM - Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) October 17, 2016 The stand of Envision Energy Ltd at a wind power expo in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily] A German battery maker that allows people to store and pool electricity said it had secured 76 million euros ($85 million) from venture capital investors, including Chinese wind turbine and energy management group Envision Energy Ltd. The startup sonnen, formerly Sonnenbatterie, said on Sunday that it plans to use the money to expand in Italy, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Its technology allows renewable power to be stored and then used when weather conditions prevent sufficient generation. Such storage is moving into a price range, which makes it more affordable for German householders, potentially challenging utilities such as RWE AG and Uniper SE. Sonnen, with 250 staff members and sales of 26 million euros last year, said it had sold 15,000 of its lithium battery units. It has also launched a scheme to connect households with solar panels on their roofs with other consumers in an online sharing platform which it aims to develop with the help of fresh equity. This "community" has attracted 3,000 members within less than a year, making users relatively independent of conventional suppliers because they can provide each other with energy by exploiting weather patterns in different regions. Envision Energy Chief Executive Lei Zhang said last month that he planned to spend around 1 billion euros on acquisitions and partnerships in northern Europe over the next three to five years, in order to tap growth opportunities in the region's transition to green energy. In the case of sonnen, its involvement would fit in with its smart grid management software that connects decentralized green power production units. REUTERS BEIJING - China launched an industrial investment fund on Monday with funding from central government-owned enterprises to support the economic development of poverty-stricken areas. Fifty-one central government-owned enterprises,including the State Development and Investment Corp (SDIC) and the State Grid, were among the first group of funders. The first-phase funding was $12.203 billion yuan ($1.8 billion), and it will be gradually increased to 100 billion yuan, according to the SDIC. The fund will be used to invest in resource exploitation, industrial park construction and urbanization in poverty-stricken areas to advance regional industrial development, said SDIC Chairman Wang Huisheng. Fourteen poor regions including old revolutionary base areas, minority areas and border areas are priority investment areas, according to Wang. More than 600 million Chinese were lifted out of poverty over the past three decades -- about 70 percent of the people brought out of poverty globally. China became the first developing country to meet the UN's Millennium Development Goals. The government has named poverty reduction as one of its top priorities for the coming years, vowing to help the remaining 70 million people living below the poverty line of 2,300 yuan ($343) in annual income shake off poverty and enjoy essential social services by 2020. SHANGHAI - East China's business hub Shanghai will explore setting up community banks and international funds to encourage innovation and startups, said a senior city official Monday. The city's Yangpu district will explore: the establishment of community banks devoted to small and medium-sized tech firms; the cluster development of early-stage startup investment funds; and international innovation acquisition funds via cooperation with foreign investors, said Xie Jiangang, head of the district. The district will choose banks and financial institutions to pilot the integration of equity and debt financing services for corporate innovation, he said. Yangpu will also strive to take the lead in building an intellectual property rights credit system, and create a new environment for low-cost startups with reforms and policies, said the official. Yangpu was one of 28 demonstration bases listed by the State Council in May to support entrepreneurship and innovation. The list includes: 17 regional bases, such as Haidian district in Beijing and Yangpu in Shanghai; four based on university and research institutes; and seven based on firms such as home appliance maker Haier. TIANJIN - Volkswagen AG posted 10.7 percent growth in sales in the China market for the first three quarters of this year, sources with the company said Monday. The German carmaker's China branch and its two joint ventures in China sold 2.85 million vehicles to buyers in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, including 131,500 imported vehicles, maintaining the automaker's leading position in the China passenger car market. Jochem Heizmann, head of the Volkswagen Group's China business, said the company would expand its product range, especially SUVs and new energy vehicles, to meet growing customer demand. Volkswagen's four models -- Lavida, Jetta, Sagitar and Santana are among the top selling models in China, while Audi is rated as one of the most popular brands in China's premium segment, the company said. China's auto sector has rebounded this year. After the government slashed sales tax on small engine vehicles, demand for SUVs increased and freight transport recovered. In September, 2.56 million cars were sold on the Chinese market, registering the highest growth since 2013, or 26.1 percent year on year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Fans of Xiaomi smartphones in India line up outside a Xiaomi new product release in New Delhi. [Photo provided to China Daily] Singles' Day (11/11 or Nov 11) is nigh. Consumers, allegedly kings who spent $14 billion last 11/11, are forecast to enrich Chinese online marketplaces and manufacturers even more this year. But it's possible the latter may be celebrating already, thanks to glad tidings from India. Starting with the Aug 15 Independence Day-related discount sales, through religious festivals that double up as consumer hyperactivity periods lasting till mid-January, India goes into a shopping frenzy. It peaks during the October-November period when retailers, malls and online marketplaces unleash all sorts of sales and promotions for Dasara and Deepavali, two key Indian festivals. India's online marketplaces are rife with fantastic deals on Chinese products, particularly tech stuff like smartphones, as well as toys, garments, even appliances. Haier, Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, Oppo, Vivo, Gionee, Coolpad, LeEco, TCL, Moto and OnePlus, the new Chinese tech kid on the block, are all raking it in. It appears as if Indian festivals have become a celebration of Chinese goods. A Shanghai-based representative of Indian industry in China said it's not just Chinese tech products that are popular in India. Even small and medium-sized businesses in the auto, air conditioner, pharmaceutical and textile industries source components and raw materials from China, giving the lie to the "myth" that Chinese products are inferior. They are competitively priced, and hence preferred as they generate healthy margins at the end of the day. One acquaintance simply said India can't do without China when it's dependent on even China-made nail-cutters and spoons. A female friend said, "I once bought a silk saree ... thought it was Mysore silk ... It was Chinese." Against this background, the online calls by some Indians to boycott Chinese products appear incongruous. Non-trade issues have stoked emotion and nationalism among some Indians on social media apps, including, ironically, Chinese apps such as WeChat. A New Delhi tabloid last fortnight reported a 20 percent drop in sales of China goods due to the campaign. But Indians in other cities, and consumers online, are buying Chinese goods, according to friends and media. Leading Indian e-commerce websites announced record sales of Chinese smartphones from Lenovo, Moto, Xiaomi and OnePlus this month. Officialdom on either side has been mum on the online campaignthat's a sign it's not a serious issue, a friend said. Another propounded a conspiracy theory: Indian manufacturers and businesses, hurt by imports of Chinese goods, may be behind the campaign. My guess is, every second or third Indian consumer must have used a Chinese smartphone to upload, broadcast or forward messages related to the campaign. I'd bet they, like millions of other Indian consumers, must be continuing to use Chinese gadgets, devices, appliances and services, or may be planning to buy them. (For the record: I still use the Xiaomi Mi-3W I had bought in my third attempt on a popular Indian e-commerce website's flash sale in 2014.) I chatted up compatriots on the raging topic. Several insightful views emerged: In this age of the World Trade Organization, globalization and interdependent markets, it's impossible and impractical to boycott or ban overnight goods and services of any country, least of all China's, especially when trade and outsourced manufacturing are key to your economy. Unless a country has domestic capability, efficiency and economies of scale, it can't afford to boycott superior and competitively priced imported goods. Consumers will buy products that pack value for money, irrespective of who makes them or where they are made. Some form of protection for domestic firms may be necessary in certain situations, but that's a matter of government policy, not jingoistic campaigns. As far as possible, politics should not be mixed with religion, art, culture, science, technology, business or trade. And, yes, most of my pals and ex-colleagues will continue to buy Chinese stuff. So would I. On my Xiaomi is a note, a wish-list I've been drawing up for 11/11. I debuted last year, and I intend to use that experience to land better deals this year. "In business, emotional campaigns will run their short course and die a natural death," said a friend. I think he hit the nail on its head. That nail could well have been manufactured in China. The poster of Tencent's Ying drone is displayed on its official website. [Photo/xirodrone.com] Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd is set to launch a drone that could enable users to share live streaming video directly through WeChat, its instant messaging app, as it enters the burgeoning consumer drone market. The Ying drone, coproduced by Tencent and drone maker ZeroTech Intelligence Technology Co Ltd, is now available for preorder on its website and is expected to be officially released at the end of this month. Priced at $299, the 425-gram drone has a 13 megapixel camera and can shoot video at 4K resolution. It can fold up neatly to be carried in a bag. Its app could synchronize photos to the user's phone, enabling easy sharing of photos or videos with family and friends on WeChat. It also features WeChat's video-calling function. The drone, which was unveiled earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Flight chipset. It is cheaper than both the recently unveiled DJI Innovation Technology Co's foldable drone Mavic Pro, which is priced at $999, and the $799 Karma launched by with US action camera manufacturer GoPro Inc. Founded in 2007, Beijing-based drone manufacturer ZeroTech, which claims to provide technology solution plans for the Ying drone, in May unveiled its pocketable drone Dobby that specifically focuses on photography. "The Ying drone, which centers on video-sharing and social networking, might attract ordinary people trying to use an inexpensive drone to shoot for the first time, while photography enthusiasts are the dominant users of the DJI," said Zhao Ziming, an analyst at internet constancy Analysys. Zhao said Tencent's newly launched drone will not pose a threat to the DJI, which accounts for around 70 percent of the world's consumer drone market, and gained an upper hand in terms of both technology and capital. "The drone is expected to boost sales in the low and medium-end drone market. Moreover, it may drive more internet companies to tap into the competitive drone industry. High-end drones will add social networking functions." The value of China's drone industry could reach 75 billion yuan ($11.1 billion) by 2025, according to a report by Beijing-based iResearch Consulting Group. China confirmed on Monday that some Australian nationals were detained in Shanghai for suspected gambling crimes, adding that "the case is still under investigation". "The police have, in accordance with laws and bilateral agreements, notified the Australian consulate general in Shanghai of the detention," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news conference in Beijing. Australian casino giant Crown Resorts said on Monday that China had detained 18 of its employees, including three Australians. Hua, without confirming the number of Australians detained, said the Chinese side will guarantee the legal rights and interests of concerned parties, and consular officials could visit and offer necessary assistance. Fairfax Media reported over the weekend that police took the three Australians, who were visiting China on business, and local Chinese employees based in several Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, from their homes late on Thursday and detained them. Casino gambling is illegal on the Chinese mainland and Chinese law prohibits agents from organizing groups of more than 10 Chinese citizens to gamble abroad. The crime is punishable by up to three years' imprisonment. The company's executive general manager in charge of international VIP services, Jason O'Connor, is believed to be among those detained, the company said in a statement. O'Connor heads up a program designed to lure "high rollers" to Crown Casino in Melbourne, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Las Vegas casino giant MGM shut its marketing office on the Chinese mainland years ago after a similar brush with police. Crown has benefitted from an upsurge in Chinese tourists at its Australian casinos. The company's 2016 annual report showed that more than one-third of revenue generated by its Australian resorts in the past financial year was from international visitors, mainly from the Chinese mainland, The Wall Street Journal said. In February last year, the Ministry of Public Security started to crack down on gambling nationwide, including on groups that organize trips for Chinese nationals to visit casinos overseas. Last year, police arrested 13 South Korean casino managers and 34 Chinese agents for selling packages with free tours, free accommodation and sexual services. Agencies contributed to this story. Police in Mianyang, Sichuan province, have arrested 15 people suspected of stealing personal information. The suspects, who include bank employees, are said to have been involved in the theft of nearly 2.6 million people's personal information, making 2.3 million yuan ($341,400) from selling such information. In May, a woman surnamed Yang wanted to take out a bank loan to buy an apartment. She checked her personal credit registry at the bank's credit reference center. Soon afterward, she received several phone calls each week from people saying they were calling on behalf of firms that provide petty loans. Suspecting her personal information had been stolen, she reported the case to local police. Later that month, police found a local resident, surnamed Deng, had illegally obtained personal credit reports online. An investigation into Deng showed that he collaborated with others in illegally obtaining personal credit reports as well as bank account and balance details before selling the information to others. A further investigation showed the leakage of such personal information involved a man, surnamed Xia, in Shaoyang, Hunan province. Xia, head of a bank in the city, was able to access people's personal credit reports as well as details of their bank accounts and balances. Three employees of a branch of China Citic Bank in Liaoning province paid to illegally obtain such information before selling the reports and banking details to firms offering petty loans, illegal research companies and fraudsters, police said. China resolved 77,000 cases related to telecom and Internet fraud from January to September this year, punishing 43,000 suspects, police authorities said Monday. The number of suspects punished was 2.3 times more than the same period last year, the Ministry of Public Security revealed at a conference in Beijing. Police closed 6,900 boiler rooms and confiscated ill-gotten gains valued at 2.34 billion yuan (about $347 million), it said. The arrest of suspects also prevented people from being swindled out of 4.75 billion yuan, police allege. Deputy public security minister Li Wei said the ministry will continue to improve its current campaign, with a particular focus on helping victims recover their money. Wei Pengyuan, a former senior energy official, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Monday for accepting bribes of 211.7 million yuan ($31.4 million) and possessing a huge amount of property from an unidentified source, according to a court in Hebei province. Wei, former deputy director of the National Energy Administration's Coal Department, was stripped of his political rights for life, and all of his personal belongings were confiscated, according to the Baoding Intermediate People's Court on Monday. Judicial officers found that he had concealed illicit assets of more than 200 million yuan at his home. Sixteen cash-counting machines were sent from a Beijing bank to tally his illegal funds, and four of them broke down in the process. Wei will have no chance for parole after receiving a suspended death sentence, considering the amount of money involved and the negative social impact of his actions, the court said. According to Chinese law, the death sentence with a reprieve is typically commuted to a life sentence if the convict commits no further crimes during the two-year period. According to the court, Wei abused his power to benefit others and accepted huge bribes during coal project reviews, bidding and examinations by experts, and he also helped others sell equipment illegally, between 2000 and 2014. During those years, he mainly served as a senior official in the Coal Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, senior official in the Coal and Oil Department at the NDRC and vice-director of the National Energy Administration's Coal Department. The court gave him death with reprieve rather than an outright death sentence because "Wei had confessed his crimes and expressed his regret during a court hearing, and the illicit assets were recovered in full," according to a statement by the court. In May 2014, he was placed under investigation for "serious discipline violation" by the nation's top anti-graft watchdog. Judicial officers discovered more than 200 million yuan in cash at his home, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate. The money involved is the largest amount seized from an individual official since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. He is the latest of several high-ranking officials sentenced in recent days. On Friday, Jin Daoming, former senior legislator in North China's Shanxi province, was convicted of taking bribes of 124 million yuan and sentenced to life in prison by a court in Jiangsu province. Since November 2012, when the new leadership was elected, anti-corruption has become a top priority, and President Xi Jinping has launched a sweeping campaign to target both high-and low-ranking officials. More than 140 senior corrupt officials have been investigated for alleged corruption. zhangyan1@chinadaily.com.cn A file photo of President Xi Jinping. [Photo/Xinhua] During his speech at the Forum on Literature and Art in Beijing on October 15, 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for writers to deepen their understanding of the significance of literature and art today. The president's call had a huge impact. The past two years since his speech has seen the publication of a large amount of outstanding Chinese literary works. It's no secret that Xi has a passion for reading. On many different occasions he has mentioned literature from different cultures and countries. Back in 2013, in an interview with media from BRIC countries he said, "I have loads of hobbies, my favorite one is reading." Influenced by China's ancient philosophy that to bring peace to the land one must first cultivate themselves, before moving on to manage their families and then govern the state, Xi decided early on in his life that if he wanted to cultivate himself reading would be the best choice. Although found himself working in mountainous and rural areas when he was 15 , Xi went out of his way to find as many books as possible. Xi once said that at the time there was a great atmosphere for reading among his fellows, so they would spend most of their spare time exchanging books with each other. Overseas classics such as The Red and The Black and War and Peace , and traditional Chinese works from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties made their way onto his reading list. "It can be said that, literally, I read nearly all the literary classics I could find during that time, Xi said. Russian willpower Considering the huge impact Russian literature has had on an entire generation in China , it should come as no surprise that during an interview with Russian media he was able to wow the Russian people with his knowledge of Russian literature. According to a People's Daily article examining Xi's reading habits published on Thursday , classics such as Eugene Oneginby Alexander Pushkin , A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov , And Quiet Flows the Don by Mikhail Sholokhov and War and Peace and Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy , all resonated with Xi. "Dostoevsky is the deepest Russian writer , while Tolstoy is the widest. Comparing the two of them , I prefer Tolstoy , " Xi said. According to Xi, he once was inspired by Nikolai Chernyshevsky's work What Is to Be Done? , in which the leading character lives an ascetic life, even going so far as to sleep on a bed of nails to strengthen his will. Inspired, Xi and his fellows tried sleeping on their beds without mattresses, going outside on rainy and snowy days and taking cold showers to strengthen their willpower. A former police chief, who headed the investigation into a wrongfully executed teenager two decades ago, was sentenced to 18 years in jail by a court in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Tuesday for bribery, embezzlement, illegal possession of firearms and holding a large amount of undeclared assets. Feng Zhiming, former deputy director of the public security bureau in Hohhot, the region's capital, was also fined 1.1 million yuan ($163,000) by the regional Hulunbuir Intermediate People's Court. According to the judgment, Feng abused his position in the bureau between 2008 and 2014 to benefit 13 departments and individuals, accepting money in return. He and his wife sold real estate worth more than 3.8 million yuan at above-market value during the same period, and he could not explain how he had come to own more than 34 million yuan worth of property, the judgment said. Feng was also found guilty of illegally possessing four guns and 549 bullets, and selling a State-owned car worth 150,000 yuan. His trial, which began on Aug 1, generated great public interest as Feng headed the investigation into Hugjiltu, a teenager who was executed for murder and rape in 1996. The young man was declared innocent in December 2014, when it was announced that he was wrongfully convicted. Shenzhou XI manned spacecraft blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China, Oct 17, 2016. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn] The two astronauts aboard Shenzhou XI spacecraft have an unusual companion: a silkworm. The insect will be used in an experiment designed by middle school students from Hong Kong. China launched the manned spacecraft carrying astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong on Monday morning, and it will dock with the Tiangong-II space lab that was launched into space in mid-September. The silkworm will board on the Tiangong-II space lab in a palm-sized aluminum alloy capsule, and its activities would be viewed through the glass in the middle of the capsule. It is expected to spin and cocoon in space. Hong Kong students wanted to know if the silk produced in the space will be more thick and tough, and whether such silk could be used to produce special suits, such as spacesuits. To protect the silkworm from the gravitational acceleration during the launch, scientists used special padding in the capsule, and astronauts will take out the padding after they enter the Tiangong-II. Scientists also prepared delicious feed with mulberry leaf taste for the worm. Its feed is fixed in caps of the capsule at the two sides, and astronauts will change the caps after the insect empties them. The inside of the capsule is taped with nonwoven fabrics that will help the worm to climb on the walls in the micro-gravity environment. And the capsule also has some holes for air circulation and cleaning up the feces. Two other experiments from Hong Kong middle school students include double pendulum movements and the chemical reaction inside the water membrane, an experiment aimed at producing breathable but impervious film. Astronauts will operate a small scientific furnace twice to produce some space materials and take the samples back to the Earth for scientific analysis. It will be the first time that Chinese astronauts will carry out such experiments in orbit. An agricultural experiment has sprouted seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering plant, and rice in the space lab. Astronauts will cultivate the samples in space and take back to the Earth. They will for the first time receive medical ultrasound examinations in the space to monitor their heart and lung functions in real time, an important task to observer the physical effects during long-term stay in space. NANJING -- Ling Zhengce, former senior official of Shanxi province, stood trial on Tuesday for taking bribes. Ling, former vice chairman of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was accused of taking advantage of his various posts to offer help, through other state officials, to companies and individuals including former deputy Shanxi governor Du Shanxue, in project examination and approval, business operations and personnel promotion. Ling accepted bribes worth more than 16 million yuan (around $2.4 million), either by himself or through his son Linghu Shuai, according to the indictment from the People's Procuratorate of Changzhou in east China's Jiangsu province. The procuratorate filed the charges with the Changzhou Intermediate People's Court. During the trial, the prosecutors presented evidence, and Ling and his defense counsel responded to the evidence. In his final statement, Ling pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. The court ruling will be announced at a later date. More than 60 people, including national and local lawmakers, political advisors, journalists and members of the public, attended the trial. BEIJING -- Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao on Tuesday met with a delegation from the Hong Kong Special Administration (SAR) Government, stressing patriotism. The delegation was led by Cheung Wan-ching, Secretary for the Civil Service of China's Hong Kong SAR Government, along with other senior officials. Hong Kong has maintained prosperity and stability since it returned to the motherland 19 years ago under the "one country, two systems" policy, and the central authorities will continue to firmly support the work of the Hong Kong SAR Government, said Li. Li called on the Hong Kong officials to "fully and accurately" implement the "one country, two systems" policy, vigorously join the country's development and strive for Hong Kong's bright future. Astronauts Jing Haipeng (right) and Chen Dong salute inside the spacecraft at the moment of launching on Monday. [Photo/Xinhua] China launched the Shenzhou XI manned spacecraft on Monday morning to transport two male astronauts 49-year-old Jing Haipeng and 37-year-old Chen Dong to the Tiangong II space laboratory. Jing Haipeng, commander of Shenzhou XI, will spend his 50th birthday in space during the 30-day mission and break the age record of Chinese astronauts in service. The mission is Jing's third spaceflight following his 68-hour Shenzhou VII mission in 2008 and 13-day Shenzhou IX mission in 2012, making him the first astronaut to enter the space thrice and holding the record of most hours spent in space by a Chinese. His companion, Chen Dong, with a safe flight record of 1,500 hours as an air force pilot, was named one of China's second generations of astronauts in May 2010, and was selected as a crew member for the Shenzhou XI mission in June 2016. 'Totally believe in each other, but do not totally believe each other' Jing is 12 years older and more experienced than zero-space-experience Chen. How do they cooperate with each other? Chen said they have trained together for six years. "We spent more than 10 hours every day after being selected as crew members, far beyond the time we spent with our family members." "Brother Jing once told me to totally believe in each other, but not totally believe each other," said Chen. "We believe in each other because our lives depend on each other," he said. "But mistakes can happen in anything, he added, "we have to offer strengths to complement the others' weaknesses and make sure every action and every order is right." Jing Haipeng was deeply impressed by Chen's professionalism. Once during training, when Jing was about to carry out a maneuver, Chen suddenly said "No 01, wait a moment please". Jing immediately realized that he had almost made a mistake. "Although I am the commander and an older brother and Chen has to listen to me, he never obeys me blindly and stopped me tactfully," said Jing. Jing and Chen call each other "brothers" in private, but "No 01" and "No 02" at work. "After taking into consideration the current status and the future of the space team, we combined veteran astronaut with new astronaut," said Huang Weifen, deputy chief designer of Astronaut Center of China, adding that he hopes more veteran astronauts will carry out future missions. Xi'an Jiaotong University in Shaanxi province has praised its current students and alumni for their involvement in China's manned space program. The university, which is also known as Xi'an Jiaoda, counts among its students astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong, who launched into space aboard Shenzhou XI on Monday. Jing, 50, is studying for his engineering doctorate while Chen, 37, is studying for his master's in engineering. As a veteran of the Shenzhou VII and Shenzhou IX missions, Jing is the only Chinese astronaut to have been to space three times. In September 2014, when he began studying for his doctorate, he visited the university to share his life experiences with the schoolteachers and students there. Chen, meanwhile, was born in December 1978 and became a PLA Air Force pilot in August 1997. He was formerly battalion chief of a flight regiment, with 1,500 hours flight time under his belt. Among his intake of astronauts, Chen was the first to achieve his dream of visiting space. He started studying for his master's degree last year. Other Xi'an Jiaoda graduates who were involved with China's sixth manned space mission on Monday include Yang Yanbo, general dispatcher for the launch of Shenzhou XI, Liu Weibo, deputy chief of astronaut health monitoring, Situ Bin, designer of the mission's pressurization and transmission system, and Deng Yibing, director of the China Astronaut Research and Training Center. BEIJING -- Xi Xiaoming, former vice president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), and Gu Chunli, former vice governor in Northeast China's Jilin province, have been indicted for taking bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said on Tuesday. The SPP has designated Tianjin and Harbin procuratorates to initiate prosecution against Xi and Gu respectively. According to the indictments, Xi and Gu both took advantage of their posts to seek benefits for others and accepted a huge amount in bribes. Prosecutors have informed Xi and Gu of their litigation rights, questioned the defendants, and listened to representations from their lawyers, according to a statement from the SPP. China's issued incremental housing loans account for 35.7 percent of the total incremental loans in the first three quarters, which still accounts for a high proportion, a central bank official said on Tuesday. Household loans issued by Chinese banks increased by 3.63 trillion yuan in the first three quarters, up by 1.8 trillion yuan compared to the same period last year, official data shows. "The high proportion of increased household lending has to do with booming house markets, asset allocation preferences of residents and financial institutions," said Ruan Jianhong, head of the statistics and analysis department at the People's Bank of China, on Tuesday. China's booming housing market has witnessed spiked trading volumes especially in the first and second tier cities, according to Ruan. "But the percentage of housing lending would be dragged down a little, considering local governments' replacement of existing debts and progress made in dealing with bad assets," said Ruan. Ruan added that seeing the impact brought by new property cooling measures implemented at the beginning of this month takes time. A total of 21 Chinese cities have introduced policies to prevent bubble risks and to stabilize the market since the beginning of October. The final challenge is held in Fangshan district, Beijing, China on October 17, 2016. [Photo by Chen Liubing/chinadaily.com.cn] Unmanned ground systems have been widely applied in multiple military tasks in modern China, including logistics transportation in snow-covered plateaus, anti-terrorism campaigns in the city, post-disaster relief efforts, and strategic investigations under complicated geographic conditions. With a broad application in the military field, unmanned ground systems will profoundly change future military operations, and thus remaining at the strategic forefront of equipment development among the Chinese ground force. To fulfill the technology demand in executing multiple tasks, the PLA Ground Force Equipment Department organized the unmanned ground system final challenge on October 17in Fangshan district, Beijing. As the first competition held after the establishment of the Chinese ground force, the competition emphasized military demands, while also designing the challenge subjects, and will lead the technology development of unmanned ground systems into the future. Seventy-three competition fleets from 44 universities, institutions and private companies attended the preliminary contest held in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province from September 6-13, with 22 of them advancing to the final. The final challenge, held in a real field environment, included wild battlefield task execution, city battlefield search and investigation, and highland transportation, with fleets divided into five groups (A-E) based on platform, tonnage, function and structure. To wherever men cannot reach, do whatever men cannot do: Robot dog A foot joint robot (robot dog) from the China North Vehicle Research Institute. [Photo by Chen Liubing/chinadaily.com.cn] The foot joint robot, or robot dog, designed by the China North Vehicle Research Institute won group D, the bionic platform highland transportation competition. As an R&D center of special-purpose vehicles and unmanned ground systems, the institute is in charge of the research, development and industrialization of unmanned ground systems for the military. Su Bo, deputy director of the institute's unmanned ground system enter, was pleased with the result. The center started the robot dog R&D in 2011, and has planned a series of products, according to Su. "This robot dog is among the first batch of the products, and is also the prototype to testify the technology," Su said. "We plan to produce larger and smaller machineries in the next step, for example, the robot yak and robot goat, which can be used in transportation and investigation under tough geological conditions respectively." The robot dog can carry out multiple tasks with relevant modules, and 10 robot dogs can become storm troopers if equipped with weapons. The center has provided more than 20 options to the military to develop the robot dogs as mortars and investigative equipment. "Complicated and extreme terrains are the best battlefields for machineries," Su said. For one thing, robots can replace humans to avoid unnecessary casualties, for another, they can perform tasks at places beyond men's touch. "And our ideal is to build China's MechWarrior," Su said. The center's robot dogs can also investigate at the field independently, and perform transportation, escort and support tasks with human instructions. "Soldiers in snow-covered regions usually transport logistics with yaks and donkeys; however, plagues, food shortage, and halt out of terrorism always affect the transportation efficiency. Robot dogs, on the other hand, can travel freely through highland, gobi, desert, and cities," Su said. Besides the technology level, robot dogs can also frighten the enemies during military tasks such as anti-terrorism campaigns. "Terrorists always hide in buildings while our troops patrol on the street without any covers. Now we have this ironed robot dogs with body armors, which would be a totally different story," Su said. The Chinese unmanned system academia experts work station, as well as the China, Russia, Germany and Finland robot association, have backed the institute's research. "The basic theory and technology of our robot dogs have made breakthroughs, and are quite close to the released US standards," Su said. The director hopes the robot dogs can be applied to the military soon. Technical "Waterloo" Vehicle of North Guangwei Technology Inc. gets stuck in the mud. [Photo by Chen Liubing/chinadaily.com.cn] Many teams encountered "waterloo" during the competition, given the tough and complex terrains. The group E competition, with participants including 4x4 and 6x6 all-terrain vehicles, mainly tested the passage capacity of vehicles in complex road conditions. The North Guangwei Technology Inc.'s vehicle got stuck in the mud as its rear right tire was cut flat by a piece of stone. Team members spent more than half an hour lifting the vehicle out of the mud, which greatly affected its final result. "We did not try the mud road during the preliminary contest, and got stuck into the mud this time. We will change the driving system into all-wheel drive to avoid such predicament next time," said the company's electric and full-vehicle engineer. Vehicle of Zhejiang Supcon Research Co., Ltd. [Photo by Chen Liubing/chinadaily.com.cn] The Zhejiang Supcon Research Co., Ltd.'s vehicle also failed the competition by missing all hidden hazardous goods, due to signal failures. As a human-machine interaction challenge, the target of the group C competition was to test the mobility, search, and anti-jamming capabilities of the vehicles by detecting hidden goods under remote control. According to Liu Lisheng, a researcher at the company, the vehicle signals failed because of the long distance and roadblocks, such as concrete and containers, which did not show up during the preliminary contest. "Our major job at work is to produce intelligent patrol robots, which can replace human beings in transformer substation patrol during summer," Liu said. "Our routine paths are smoother city roads, and it is our first time to design a machinery for wild battlefield, and I am sure there is large space for improvement." A vehicle of group C moves during the competition. [Photo by Chen Liubing/chinadaily.com.cn ] Member staffs adjust the remote control. [Photo by Chen Liubing/chinadaily.com.cn] The successful liftoff of the Shenzhou XI manned spacecraft sets the stage for a group of Hong Kong students to make space history. Experiments designed by the three winning teams from the Space Science Experiment Design Competition for Hong Kong secondary school students last year have rocketed aloft and will be carried out in space. Wong Yeung, a teacher from Po Leung Kuk Laws Foundation College, was one of a 17-member delegation from the three Hong Kong teams to observe with what must have been a spine-tingling thrill, as Shenzhou XI blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province. "We were all basking in the glory of having our pupils' creations carried into space to be tested," Wong said. The experiments were to see whether saturated saline water could form a porous, waterproof membrane in microgravity, watching the transformation of silkworms and silk production in space, and examining Chaos Theory by a comparative study of oscillating pendulums in space and on earth. Astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong will carry out a series of experiments, including the three designed by Hong Kong students, after Shenzhou XI docks with the Tiangong II space laboratory. Mak Tang Pik-yee, executive director of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, who led the Hong Kong delegation in Jiuquan, said designing experiments that would actually be carried out in space is a dream come true for the students. Mak said that the students had achieved something remarkable in terms of their inventiveness, originality of vision and also coming up with ideas that were workable. The winning entry, she said, once tested and proven successful, was expected to contribute to making artificial skin for medical use. "We hope that the test results will be in line with our expectations," said Tang Chi-yi, a student at Christian and Missionary Alliance Sun Kei Secondary School, and the project designer of the runner-up team. "But even if it doesn't, our team can learn from the failure. Scientific failures, anyhow, are the basic steps toward success." Wong Yeung, who was adviser to the bronze-winning team, said their pitch might be useful in robotic arm applications. "The experiment is meant to verify if gravity is the main driving force behind Chaos Theory," added Wong. "The concept is hard to grasp, especially for secondary school students. The students of our team, after going through a lengthy research process, managed to forge their own experimental model at last," Wong said. China's new yuan loans in September were largely supported by an increase in mortgage lending, but the contribution is expected to decline with tightened policy introduced in the property sector, economists said. Chinese banks issued 1.22 trillion yuan ($181 billion) in new yuan loans in September, up from 948.7 billion yuan in August, according to data released on Tuesday by the People's Bank of China, the central bank. New housing loans issued to individuals stood at 475.9 billion yuan, according to Ruan Jianhong, head of the statistics and analysis department at PBOC. In the first three quarters, China's new housing loans to individuals rose to 3.63 trillion yuan, or 35.7 percent of new loans, said Ruan. "The high proportion of new household lending has to do with the booming housing markets, asset allocation preferences of residents and financial institutions, said Ruan. China's booming housing market has seen a surge in trading volume, especially in first- and second-tier cities, according to Ruan. The release of the data came after Zhou Xiaochuan, the central bank's governor, said at a G20 meeting in Washington earlier this month that China would rein in excessive credit growth. Zhou said the government has been "paying attention" to rising property prices and will take steps to promote the real estate market's "healthy development". Wang Youxin, an economist at the Institute of International Finance, a think tank affiliated with the Bank of China, said that the cooling measures would curb a sharp increase in credit growth. "But what needs to be paid attention to, in regards to economic growth, is corporate credit growth," he said. Although loan demand from the corporate sector increased in September, the government might need to boost confidence in the sector. Zhao Yang, chief China economist with Nomura Holdings, said the tightened policy introduced earlier this month to restrict purchases would reduce the demand for mortgage loans. Yao Yudong, former head of the Research Institute of Finance and Banking of the central bank, said further monetary easing is not very likely. Yao was optimistic about hitting the annual growth target this year, "but more fiscal support is needed to cope with the impact brought by a cooling down in the property sector," he said. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Please click to read more My China Stories In the interest of full disclosure, I must say I have known China for a very long time. My interaction with this country dates back almost twenty five years ago when I learnt how to read and write, and it dawned on me that quite a good amount of stuff around me carried the label, 'made in Shanghai China'. Cecilia Asaj [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] When I joined the job seekers' club very recently, I held China in high esteem. It was, and still is a country I strongly admire to be a part of, leave alone longing to visit. My admiration is however disturbed by what I consider a rumor that long ago found its way through my innocent ears .about a certain machine, China made I suppose, which detected ones HIV status before departure at the airports. Apparently, when carrying the HIV virus in your warm blood, you were not allowed to travel abroad. Do not be surprised to know that the writer is a person living positively. Did I hear you gasp? Sorry, but we all know that this is just but a condition. Back to my serious point, it will be improper for me to analyze China's relations with my country Kenya as a smart calculation for the period we have closely interacted. That said, as a young, passionate, focused, job seeking Kenyan, I would like to make some observations, though some may be totally unrelated to China, but observations that may be helpful to China's admirers. First, unlike any other successful country relating closely with Kenya, China has had to work twice as hard to be accepted by the Kenyan community. Given that China has been the most talked about manufacturer and contactor, it matters little that it is highly qualified as the manufacturer of the product in question or the contractor in the given section. China's economic and trade association with Kenya has become like its shadow following it wherever it is represented. Most recently, it has been publicly acknowledged that there are some Kenyan folks, who, whenever they see a 'china man', they only see three things - A person who resembles all the rest from his origin, a manufacturer of short-lived stuff and a tae-kwondo guru. It seems like there is nothing China can do to change the Kenyan people's perception. The second thing that China did that put it on a collision course with a section of the Diaspora is when it declared war on single sim card phones and introduced the twin sim make. Some Kenyans are notoriously critical on ideas they can never attempt to come up with, due to water melon brains, even though most are too ashamed to accept this fact. The worst are the older generation, a majority kind of fall in the high and mighty group, who have become the gatekeepers of everything Kenya associates with, and believe that for anybody or any initiative to succeed, it has to have their blessings. Some have come up with ideologies that are completely baseless, not to mention how they aim at frustrating the low class citizens. So, when China comes on the scene and proves how successful China-made ideas can be, they take offense and draw daggers, when I thought they should take a step and find out how it was done; to add an idea or two to whatever they have, that is if they had any in the first place. Third, China has closely liased with Kenya in the construction and engineering sectors, bearing almost excellent fruits to the economy of Kenya. You will agree with me that in the mid 80's, though I was barely five, Juja was nothing but a cluster of shanties. It has now seen tremendous growth and transformation with the demand for housing almost outstripping supply as a result of the swelling population catalyzed by yes, the high number of institutions of higher learning , but also sparked off by the unique Thika Highway. Land prices have shot through the roof with real estate becoming the main economic venture. Let me tell you a very short story for free. I happened to be among the Mwiki residents a few years back; This is a small estate situated miles away from the city of Nairobi. Automatically Thika road is a familiar road to me, and I very well understand the humiliating mad traffic disease suffered by its users. So to speak, residents, not forgetting my brothers and sisters from Kayole, Kahawa, Roysambu, Maji Mazuri and many others carried the big law with them, and if broken, it meant you got the small laws, resulting into stifling restraints. It stated that, you shall rise up early and catch the early morning bus. Only this way, will you be able to evade the heavy traffic jam. Many are the days I reached the city very early in the morning and I was forced to sit or stand at a bus terminus having nowhere to go because the offices had not been opened yet. Let me not tell you the troublesome moments of enduring the morning chills and harassment from the city council cleaners who needed 'their space' to do their job well. However, there was a better option to this menace, whereby I could board the overly loaded 6.00 o'clock train and at least get to the city by 7.00 o'clock. The evening hours also carried with them a package that was frustrating to the borne, with a survival for the fittest policy being implemented. Truth be told, we finally heaved a collective sigh of relief at the construction of the Thika Highway. Thanks to Kenya China relations! That said, the friendship and mutual understanding between the people of China and Kenya should take the next level. Allow me to point out that with the help of Kenya China Economic and Trade Association and Kenya Overseas China Association, we can approach the problem of infant industries by implementing a policy of import substitution industrialization. But quick to handcuff some naughty entrepreneurs who may plan to exploit this set up by engaging in non-competitive and substandard production, overcharging consumers and failing to innovate and expand. I pause to visualize that the problem of our domestic industries is three pronged; that is to say, cost of transport, energy and capital. Relying on road transport and not railway or maritime transport is a recipe for making sure that the factor inputs for a manufacturer will always be higher in Kenya than in China. But do I say? China has to chip in anyway. There is an African proverb that says, if you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together .We all need to go far, quickly. As we strengthen the relations between Kenya and China, my opinion is that, Kenya needs to borrow something from China. In my view, I see China as a unique country in many respects, which I may not be able to note here for fear that it might take a lifetime. Rather, it has special relations with Kenya. It has been, and still is a safe haven for many Kenyans when need be. Today, the country continues to help nurture the deepening of the culture of constitutional democracy in Kenya. While still contemplating on how productive China has been in its performance, I keenly spot what makes it tick. There is this amazing air of humility, simplicity and contentment around the China people that is just so humbling and inspiring in equal measure. I will pen down to let you do your research. Guess I am up with my China story. In closing, I must say Im least concerned about the next chapter in the Kenya China relations, because it's not just a good venture, but it is also an initiative that will shine bright whenever fate lands it. I however believe that circumstances change and people must constantly change and re-invent themselves to fit into changed circumstances. However stubborn we may be, we must embrace change. In my view, such relations are the substratum of this universe - the space in which all good things happen. It's been an honor and privilege to interact with China. I wish the Kenya China Economic and Trade Association together with The Kenya-overseas Chinese Association only what they wish for themselves. Please click to read more My China Stories In my first couple of weeks of living in China I met many people and as well as hearing many introductions, I had to introduce myself, over and over again. Many Chinese people have English names they use in order to go easy on us 'laowai' (foreigners), but I try my best to address people by their Chinese names as I love the wonderful meanings they have. In fact, I am learning a plethora of new Chinese words just by learning people's names and asking what they mean. So far I have met people with names that mean strong, happy and wind, to name a few. I even met someone whose name meant that his parents hoped he would study hard'! Khafi Kareem [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] Being a 'Brigerian' (British-Nigerian), this inevitably reminds me of Nigerian custom where the meanings of names are highly important and parents go to great lengths to decide on a name for their child. This usually leads to children being given numerous names, with the aim of bestowing as much blessing upon them as possible. Taking the example of Yoruba culture, names are deemed so important that there is even the tradition of a naming ceremony; an observance that is specifically dedicated to celebrating the name a child has been given. Names may be based on circumstances of birth ie whether the child is a twin (Taiwo/ Kehinde), whether they were born on a holiday (Abiodun) etc, but many Yoruba names make reference to God, ie Oluwafemi (God loves me) or Oluwamayowa (God brought joy). I loved my cousin Subby's name; it was Ogooluwasubomi (pronounced oh-go-olu-wah-shoo-boh-me) and it means the glory of God surrounds me'. She passed away last year but whilst alive she truly lived that meaning, the glory of God really did surround her and she was a blessing unto everyone she met. I never used to think of name meanings as that important and I remember when I was younger I would say that I would make up names for my children so that they would be unique and no one else would have them (pretty much what many celebrities are doing now). The more I've looked into it however and more people I meet here in China, the more I realize the power a name holds. It goes without saying that your name is a key part of your identity, but I am becoming ever more persuaded that names with meanings can have a bearing on your character and in some cases, even the kind of life you end up living. I daren't say that a baby comes out of the womb being an embodiment of his or her name straight away, but even if it is solely because of the power of the tongue/ affirmations etc, I do think that in most cases people reflect their names. For example if your name is Eniola ('person of wealth' in Yoruba), are you telling me that after a lifetime of people constantly professing that you are 'a person of wealth' with every mention of your name, that you won't eventually become that in one way or another? My first name in full is Khafilat and it means servant hearted'. Although there are times I am not very servant-like at all (like when I'm tired and I want to sleeeep), I genuinely love serving others and am at my happiest when doing so. Coincidence? I think not! Okay so having said all that, (I really didn't intend for this to be a cultural lesson!) I am pleased to announce that I officially have a Chinese name. It is Wait for it Keep waiting. Coffee. Or as google translate puts it: Yep my Chinese name is Kafei (coffee). Initially, whenever I introduced myself to people in China, people kept remarking that my name is very similar to how you pronounce coffee in Chinese (kah-fay). Whilst it's quite funny, they said it made my name easy to remember (and it's a great ice-breaker!) so I've stuck with it. At first I thought for all the great Chinese names I've heard, that's a bit boring (and weird) to have as a name, but being the kind of person who tries to find the silver lining on every cloud as they say, I have found that coffee' is actually quite a befitting name for me. Firstly, coffee is a stimulant. Even though during my first week here I wasn't as sprightly as usual due to the jet lag issue, I do bring energy and enjoyment to everything I do and I've been told that my enthusiasm is infectious, so I guess I do 'stimulate' the environment around me. Secondly, have you heard the story of the carrot, the egg and the coffee bean? If not, google it! (Or watch Action Jackson recount it by clicking here.) The story is a metaphor for what kind of person you can be when going through life. In short, an egg, a carrot and a coffee bean are put into separate pots of boiling water and left to cook for a period of time. At the end of that time, the result is that the carrot went in hard but then came out soft and weak. The egg went in soft on the inside, but then came out hard both on the inside and out. The ground coffee bean was different however. It went into the water and changed the water, releasing flavor and fragrance. So although the carrot, egg and coffee bean each faced the same circumstance, for the coffee bean, the very thing that brought adversity (the boiling water) brought out the best in it! So yes, my Chinese name is 'Kafei' and I hope to live the meaning and be a coffee bean! What does your name mean? Khafi Kareem is an avid traveller and language lover. She has lived and worked in China, Italy, America and France and speaks five languages. She is the founder of Language Experience UK, an organisation which helps young people experience the language and culture of the language they are learning through immersive theatre in education workshops. China Daily website is inviting foreigner readers to share your China Story! and here are some points that we hope will help contributors. Please click to read more My China Stories Adventures are what make our life worth living. They can happen to you anywhere: when you are away from home, when you are walking on the street, or they can come with a curious encounter, in my case, for example. August 2011 was my last month before the departure to Beijing. That year I was granted the second China Government Scholarship, and was patiently waiting the beginning of autumn to fully indulge in the exciting university life and Chinese language learning in one of the countrys best language universities, BLCU. But I didnt know that august would bring me an unforgettable meeting with one of the renowned traditional Chinese kungfu masters, Sui Yunjiang. He came to my city with a series of seminars and was to stay for a fortnight. I was asked to be his interpreter and had to accompany him and his wife during all that time, as well as Viktor who was the organizer and the host. The author poses with master Sui at a Sui's birthday party. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] According to the Chinese tradition, we called Sui Yunjiang master Sui, shifu, or Sui laoshi. His personality impressed me deeply. Maybe it was a fate yuanfen, or something other, but it was not the first time I heard his name, since he used to come to my town every two years, mostly in august. However, I never saw him in person, nor did the translation for him. I lacked knowledge in wushu, but the master was very patient trying to explain to me every single word that I couldnt comprehend. He was already in his sixties at that time, but, giving credit to his sharp mind, he could find a way with the youngest disciples as well as the older ones. The two weeks that I had spent with that amazing family inspired me and I continued my kungfu practices in Beijing. Master Sui is a practitioner of two Chinese traditional kungfu styles: baguazhang and meihuazhuang. The first one is more famous, and practiced worldwide. Shifu, who celebrated his 70th anniversary last autumn, became recognized due to baguazhang, especially in Russia. He is a fourth-generation of baguazhang masters and eighteenth-generation master of meihuazhuang masters. He used to train with Li Ziming, third-generation baguazhang master who called Sui Yunjiang one of his best disciples because of his diligence in practices. Moreover, Sui Yunjiangs life was tightly connected with Russia, when he was invited there in 1990 and even made an appearance in one of the programs on Russian TV. He stayed in Russia for two years getting experience of living in another country. He was warmly and kindly welcomed by Russian wushu practitioners, and since then was often invited to give seminars. His deep understanding of traditional wushu met recognition there and for the time being, his Russian kungfu disciples are among his most devoted students. Now Sui laoshi has followers in the USA, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Russia and Italy which made his name big in the world of Chinese traditional wushu. The place where we practice kungfu deserves special mentioning. It is a little island in the heart of the city, Xizhimen. A park with a small river where dragon-shaped boats take passengers to the Summer Palace, is an amazing place with Russian spirit. Beijing is known to be home for many Russians, there is the largest Russian district called Yabaolu with many Russian clothing shops and food restaurants. But this place is something different. Tranquil, peaceful, enchanting, the park is hidden from the eyes of many, showing its true beauty only to those who is in pursue of the miracle. On the opposite side of the wushu training spot there is former Soviet Union Exhibition Center, which was renamed into Beijing Exhibition Center after Soviets and China Republics relations had come into turbulence. The earliest Russian cuisine restaurant Moscow was also placed in this picturesque area. Government officials who took office during that period used to have their lunches and dinners there. During all these three years now that I have known him since our first meeting, he never stopped surprising me with his strong, yet sensitive personality. This is the person who having contracted cancer at such an old age, was able to recover and resume wushu practices on regular basis five times a week. He is a person, who never loses enthusiasm and faith in people, always surrounded by friends and deeply loving him relatives including his daughter. Our lessons go far beyond simply learning kungfu technics. His teaching is more about life, about enjoying every single moment of it because it will not happen twice, about training our will and overcoming difficulties, about harmonious existence, and building relationships with other people. After every kungfu lesson, we are welcome into his house to drink tea. This is another lesson being taugh- the mastery of chadao, or tea ceremony. It was exactly in his home that I learnt and tried different kinds of tea. Cha fairy-tale. His amazing wife prepares tea ceremony every time we come back from the training. Miracles are everywhere. For me, a miracle is meeting Sui Yunjiang. I love being a journalist, interviewing and writing about people from different paths of life, but Sui laoshi is the only person who made such a strong impression on me. I am not an exception. All his disciples admire him for his unique personality and value the knowledge of ancient tradition that master Sui teaches them. The author first came to Beijing in 2009 to study Chinese in Beijing Foreign Studies University. Last year she graduated from BLCU, and now is juggling teaching and journalistic jobs in Beijing. A scene from Disney's Mulan. [Photo/Mtime] Game of Thrones director Alex Graves is in early talks with Sony to direct its live-action film Mulan, according to Hollywood Reporters. The story is based on the household legend of Hua Mulan, a young woman who lived during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589) and disguised herself as a man to go to battlefields in place of her ill father. Sony said the film would be an international-Chinese co-production. The story of Hua Mulan was depicted by Disney in its 1998 animated feature Mulan. Disney is also working on a live-action version, scheduled to be released in November, 2018. Disney's announcement last year of a live-action remake drew an online petition urging the company not to have a white actress play the role. The petition garnered 85,300 signatures. The cast for Sony's production is yet to be announced. Graves has directed several episodes of HBO's award-winning Game of Thrones. He also has episodes for Proof, House of Cards and Bloodline under his belt. Related: A whale in the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, in 2006. [Photo by Wally Hayes/Provided to China Daily] They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It can be in their camera lens as well. A new photo album called 100 Photographers Focus on Canada celebrating the nation's natural and cultural beauty made its debut at the Canadian International School of Beijing on last week. The book, compiled by China Daily, consists of about 300 photos from more than 140 Chinese and Canadian photographers. It displays Canada's charms from flaming maple leaves, dreamlike aurora borealis and rainbows over the Niagara Falls to the joyful interaction between humans and animals and the everyday lives of Canadians of all ages. Argentinean red prawns are among the unlimited supply of seafood at the dinner buffet and brunch. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] It was ten years ago today that the Westin Beijing Financial Street opened its doors, as the flagship hotel of the WESTIN brand in northern China. The hotel has served the business district on the west side of Beijing with its convenient location, modern facility, attentive service and rich food options. To share the celebration with guests, the hotel is offering both a dinner buffet from Oct 18-22 and Saturday brunch on Oct 22nd at Senses for a special price of 288 yuan ($43) per person, which is the same price paid ten years ago. The special dinner and brunch is worth 688 yuan. During the celebration, chefs from Germany, Italy, India and China will dish out the best buffets youve ever savored. There will be unlimited supply of seafood, fresh oysters and sashimi. You can also expect live cooking of roast lamb, baked lobster and oysters, as well as exotic cuisine including Brazil barbecue and Laksa. If thats not enough for you to enjoy, there are over 25 kinds of desserts and ice cream. Just remember to book in advance and bring your appetite! Senses Ground floor, Westin Beijing Financial Street, 9B, Financial street, Xicheng district, Beijing (010- 6229 7810) 5.30pm-21.30pm for dinner and 11:30am-2.30pm for Saturday brunch. Luxury watchmaker points to Asian market to drive growth Updated: 2016-10-18 07:35 By Duan Ting in Macao(HK Edition) Caroline Scheufele, co-president and artistic director of Chopard, believes that at the heart of the company's growth in Asia is the booming Chinese mainland market. Edmond Tang / China Daily Swiss-based luxury watchmaker Chopard considers Asia as the focus of its development, and the proof can be seen in Co-President and Artistic Director Caroline Scheufele, who jets to the continent nearly every month. And, at the heart of the growth is the booming Chinese mainland market, she says. "China is still a newer market compared to the others with regard to sales of luxury watches and jewelry." Founded in 1860 in Sonvilier, Switzerland, the watchmaker and jewelry manufacturer now has more than 2,000 employees and owns over 165 boutiques, with points of sale exceeding 1,200 worldwide. Scheufele reckons that Chinese mainland consumers appreciate the design and quality of products, and they have flocked to luxury brands in the past two years. Using the jewelry industry as an example, only 20 percent of the global jewelry market is branded, highlighting the massive growth potential in Asia and the Middle East. "Asia is a very critical market to us, with greater China as a main part, as well as countries in the neighborhood," she says, adding that she travels to Asia almost monthly, and Chopard representatives make numerous trips each year to visit factories in Asia. The company has also expanded beyond watches and jewelry, moving into fragrances, eyewear, leather goods and other accessories. According to Scheufele, Asian clients favor tradition heritage and are eager to learn more about the background of products before making a purchase. Although founded in Switzerland, Chopard was sold to a German company headed by Scheufele's father in 1963, and she joined the family business at just 16. At that time, there were no computers and most of the work relied on handcraft but, in the past 20 years, all industries have gone through tremendous changes due to technology and communication, she says. "We have to adapt to and live with the changes." A lover of design and creation, Scheufele says her inspiration comes from traveling, nature and going to museums. "You cannot just sit behind the desk and expect inspiration to come to you," she beams. "You should do what you feel you can do well, and do it with passion. You have to know at least one side of the business, such as crafts, marketing or communications." Scheufele created the Happy Diamonds jewelry collection in 1985, which is a Chopard jewelry line based on the concept of making diamonds to shine more brightly. Like all Chopard products, the collection embodies the spirit of happiness, she explains. Looking forward, the company will focus on sustainability, and is currently working on a project to promote fairmined gold from responsibly managed mines. tingduan@chinadailyhk.com (HK Edition 10/18/2016 page6) The reference to lanshouxianggu comes from a video clip that went viral where a young man in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, complains to his girlfriend with in Mandarin but with his strong local accent. A company in Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province has registered the "lanshou xianggu", the latest internet meme, as a company tradename. Guangzhou Daily commented on Monday: The buzzword lanshou xianggu comes from a young man in Nanning in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, who complained about the recent breakup with his girlfriend in a self-filmed video. The video went viral as the man repeatedly cries out in a strong accent "lanshou xianggu", which means "I am so upset and I want to cry". The Shenzhen company, which focuses on equipment manufacturing and engineering has already registered lanshou xianggu as a tradename. Of course, the popularity of such internet memes, which usually only last for a few days, has a lot to do with the tremendous echo chamber effect of the internet and the conformist mentality among netizens. On the one hand, there are fewer limits and restrictions in cyberspace interactions, where participants are allowed to be anonymous and take part in any topic they are interested in or feel obliged to follow. Their participation does not always make sense but can from time to time create meaningless phenomena with the help of internet marketeers, who make a living by exploiting or creating online memes. On the other hand, many overzealous netizens have the urge to play a role in popular online events, however pointless they might be, because that gives them a sense of importance, and they will take great pride in creating a buzzword or a video that goes viral. Those directly made famous by an internet meme might even seek to make the most of their instant popularity. Everybody seems to have something to gain. But the truth is, such whim-like creations are bound to quickly fade away, because they make no sense and have no reason to remain in online public discussions. A girl poses for photos with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump posters at Hofstra University in New York, the United States on Sept. 26, 2016. [Photo/Xinahua] The United States presidential election is now in full swing, with both parties going all out in a feverish effort to gain the upper hand. The 2016 vote is watched very closely all over the world, because whoever occupies the White House next January is going to face a fast-changing world with multiple challenges crying out for active American involvement and a more isolationist and inward-looking America unwilling to take on the role of "world policeman". Before we delve deeper into the impact of the election on China and US-China relations in the coming years, there is a need to offer a brief analysis of what insight this election process has brought us into the American phyche. First and foremost, it has laid bare the rising populist sentiments that are oozing out of every pore of American politics both domestic and international. One example is the Republican candidate Donald Trump whose fiery words on immigration and Muslims has won him high approval ratings even though those words are obviously on the extreme end of populism. Three Republican candidates, Trump, Cruz and Carlson, are considered politically extreme but have consistently won as a group over 50% support among Republican voters based on recent polls. It shows that voters are rejecting traditional candidates. What it reveals is that men-on-the-street in America are simply tired of traditional politics and politicians. The fact that Jeb Bush falls behind Trump therefore comes as no surprise. Populist sentiments reflect the unhappiness ordinary people have against status quo where American economy is still under the shadow of financial crisis and slow recovery as well as enfeebled responses of the American government in the face of global challenges. To put it in perspective, they represent the frustration and anxiety of American people feel about the changed and still fast changing world they live in. The American supremacy and sense of safety both physical and economic is threatened. That's the essence of what people fear. Here comes China, whose economic growth and military modernization in recent years represents, to American people, a world that undergoes rapid changes and evolves to a multipolar one where the US is no longer being able to call shot on everything. The resentment against globalization is on the rise. Overall strategic retrenchment and an emphatic shift to focus more on China are taking place simultaneously. "Scapegoating" China is inevitable. "China has taken jobs away from American workers". "China is manipulating its currency to gain advantage in trade". "China is being aggressive in the South China Sea and trying to drive the US out of the Western Pacific". The list of complaints can go on and on. It doesn't matter whether those accusations and complaints are true or not to American politicians and voters as long as they have "election value". For instance, the renminbi has appreciated against the US dollar to the tune of 30% since 2008, but voices are still strong in America calling for the RMB to appreciate further. We all know from experience that China-bashing is common and "cost-free" in US elections. This time around is no different. What is different is that while without agreeing to the concept of "G2", there is a broad recognition that the US and China are the two major powers in today's world. It is no hyperbole to say that nothing gets done without close cooperation between the two nations, be it climate change, energy security, non-proliferation of WMD, etc. In this connection the US election does have an impact on China and US-China relations as noted by Robert Manning, who said the US-China relationship enters "dangerous waters" in 2016. What can be done to counteract the negative spillover from the US election this year? On the one hand, there need to be more cooperative actions from both sides to reinforce the relationship. Climate change is one, cooperation in the Middle East is another. To quicken the pace of negotiation on BIT is definitely useful with emphasis on shortening the "negative list". The US-China relationship is simply too important for both nations not to make extra efforts in election years to make it stronger in the face of increased headwind. On the other hand, we ought to stay calm and ready to meet any possible frictions and challenges in close coordination and consultation to minimize damage to the bilateral relations. We have to understand that "China-bashing" is more words than actions. Any new administration once in the White House will be more realistic and down-to-earth in its China policy as determined by shared interests of both nations worldwide. In reality, China has not been the key issue in the election so far despite some rhetoric by candidates from both parties. To prioritize the issues that voters care about most, the threat posed by terrorist organizations such as IS ranks at the top of the list. Next comes illegal immigration because as of now there are between 12 million to 20 million illegals residing in the US depending on how you estimate them. Further down the list is tax policy. As is often quoted, "There are two things certain in life. One is death and the other is taxes". Another concern that comes before China is the dangerous situation in the Middle East. So you can see clearly that China figures rather low on this "worry list" in the minds of American voters. Of course what is said above should not give us complacency that we should just go home and rest, letting matters taking their own courses. Our bilateral relations are fundamentally solid and we should observe what happens in the election closely, ready to act in a timely fashion once something goes wrong. At the same time we need to look ahead and have close contact with both US political parties to engage in the formulation of their China policies. President Obama is in his last year and eager to leave a foreign policy legacy. US-China relations being on even keel, I believe, should be one of the most important legacies President Obama can leave behind. The author is vice-minister of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, and former vice-minister of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Courtesy: chinausfocus.com A good apple harvest greets the arrival of autumn in Yantai, a city in Shandong province famous for being China's largest apple production and processing base. Fruit growers are busy picking apples in their orchards. A fresh, fruity fragrance wafts throughout the whole city. Yantai is the hometown of apples, with an apple planting area of 2.72 million mu (181,467 hectares) and an annual output of 4.65 million tons in 2015, accounting for about 16 percent of the country's total. Yantai is China's largest production and processing base for Red Fuji apples. The Yantai apple was introduced in 1871 by American missionaries. With a history of over 140 years, the Yantai apple has more than 100 varieties. It has long been famous and welcomed by domestic and foreign markets for its bright color, and sweet and succulent taste. Yantai has become one of China's largest apple cultivation areas, with its apple planting area increasing by 25 times compared to the 1950s and output growing by 75 times. Qixia, Laiyang, Longkou, Zhaoyuan, Penglai, Haiyang, Muping and Fushan are the major planting areas of Yantai apples. Among them, Qixia is the main producing area, and is known as the "Hometown of Apples in China". Yantai, located in the east of Jiaodong peninsula, enjoys a high altitude and mild climate. Especially in summer and autumn, the moist air and adequate sunshine provide favorable conditions for apple planting. All these conditions have endowed Yantai apples with a bright color and sweet taste. Yantai apples and related products have been exported to more than 30 countries and regions including Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Russia, with an annual export volume of 600,000 tons, accounting for one-fifth of the country's total. The apples are popular with consumers all around the world. For one New Jersey company, the road to the Silk Road and the riches of China goes through the former Soviet republic of Georgia. On Oct 3, Conti International of Edison, New Jersey, signed a deal with Georgian financial firm TBC Holding to build and run a $2.5 billion port and free industrial zone in Anaklia, Georgia, designed to serve as a Black Sea hub for China to Europe. "We're delighted to be breaking ground," Conti CEO Kurt Conti was quoted on Forbes.com. He said Anaklia will be a path "from China to Europe and (will) expand trade and investment for all of China". The Belt and Road Initiative, or the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives, consists of transportation infrastructure projects linking Asia and Europe; it was launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013. Conti partnered with Georgian financial firm TBC Holding to form the Anaklia Development Consortium. The project is expected to be completed in 2020, and the government of Georgia has said it will invest $100 million in the project. Anaklia Deep Sea Port will be constructed on nearly 1,000 acres; the depth and infrastructure of the port will provide access to Panamax and Post-Panamax (larger vessels that could be accommodated by the expansion of the Panama Canal in June) ships that cannot be served by any other port in Georgia. After completion of the first phase, the port will feature two container terminals that will be able to receive containers from 700,000 to 800,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units). ADC is the byproduct of a 20-year friendship between the companies' presidents, Conti's Kurt Conti and Mamuka Khazaradze, ADC co-founder and TBC Holding chairman. A Harvard University reunion dinner hosted in Georgia in 2013 set the stage for the endeavor; Conti was impressed with the Caucasus nation and was looking for ways to work on a project there, according to Littlegate Publishing, a corporate executive news website. Khazaradze suggested the port, and that's how the Anaklia Development Consortium was born. The port facility not only will provide space for logistics companies, financial and training services and light manufacturing, it also will feature a free industrial zone with restaurants and tourist attractions. "Without the free industrial zone, the port would just be a place to exchange cargo," said Paul Force, Conti International vice-president of purchasing and contracts. "The zone should be a catalyst for economic growth in the surrounding area, creating regional development and increasing employment." By 2020, the Georgian government also plans to complete its east-west highway, one of the largest sources of foreign direct investment into the country. "We see tremendous opportunity for US firms in Georgia," Conti told Forbes. "The market is growing quickly, and government-led reforms are making this growth sustainable." ADC also said it will monitor the environmental impact of the development. "Georgia is already a very green country," said Levan Akhvlediani, ADC and TBC Holding CEO. "TBC Holding always go above and beyond existing regulations when we make our impact assessments. ADC is doing the same." Former Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili told China Daily in September 2015 that after the new port is built, it will take only 17 days for Chinese goods to be delivered to Europe, compared with the current route, which takes about a month. "This will be one of the most efficient routes in the Silk Road project," he said. And China and Georgia moved one step closer to their own free trade agreement (FTA) on Oct 5 when Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng met with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili to sign a memorandum of understanding for a preliminary FTA. As a result, Chinese enterprises and consumers will have better access to high-quality products like wine and fruits from Georgia, while Georgians will benefit from less-costly industrial products, Gao said. Dimitry Kumsishvili, Georgian minister of economy and sustainable development, said that "the substantial ending of the FTA talks will provide a better opportunity for the Georgian products ... to enter the vast Chinese market with competitive prices, which will greatly promote the export of our country and benefit the economic development of Georgia". Contact the writer at williamhennelly@chinadailyusa.com China's most beloved and recognized national treasure the giant panda will be featured in the 90th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov 24. The float called Chengdu, its Beauty and Splendor was unveiled exclusively to Chinese media at Macy's Parade Studio in Moonachie, New Jersey on Monday. This will be the third consecutive year that a Chinese-themed float joins the classic parade in New York. Beijing and Yunnan were featured in the past two parades. As the provincial capital of Sichuan Province in Southwest China, Chengdu is known as the home of the giant panda. Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, the world-renowned breeding and research base for giant pandas, is the only endangered species protection facility in the world that is located in a metropolitan area. It attracts almost 100,000 visitors a year. "The float is a representative of China," said Susan Tercero, group vice-president of special productions at Macy's. "On the back of the float, there are a lot of pandas since the area is really known for its pandas." "My favorite part of the float is the pandas. I love pandas," she added. "Everybody loves pandas. They are so cute and adorable and they definitely express the area of China, certainly when you look at that, you know where you are." The float also spotlights other aspects of Chengdu like the Jinsha Culture (1250 650 BC), the Dujiangyan Irrigation System (originally constructed around 256 BC by the State of Qin) and Mount Qingcheng, an important center of Taoism. The Chengdu float is presented jointly by Macy's and the Sino-American Friendship Association, as well as the city government of Chengdu. "I think the big part is identifying a particular region that we want to highlight, something maybe a city or an area that people aren't familiar with but that's really rich in Chinese culture, which is Chengdu," she said. Tercero said that a float can take several months in terms of design and construction. The team started work in January, and since the design team was not that familiar with Chengdu, they put a lot of effort into research. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been held annually since 1924 (with the exception of three years during World War II). "This is a great platform, we had 50 million viewers on TV last year, so it's a great moment for us to be able to bring different cultures and different experiences to the public, so they can actually see something new or something they're not familiar with," she said. Tercero said the biggest challenge every year is having to break apart the larger floats into several pieces to get them through the Lincoln Tunnel and then put them back together in time for the parade. In all there will be 27 floats in this year. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, accompanied by Foreign MinisterWang Yi, is greeted at Beijing Capital International Airport at the start of his fourday state visit on Tuesday. HE XIAOHUI / FOR CHINA DAILY Before Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Beijing on Tuesday evening for his four-day state visit, the Ministry of Commerce confirmed that Beijing and Manila were "actively preparing" for further economic and trade cooperation. The potential outcomes "will be tangible", and will include expanded imports of fruits from the Philippines, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shen Danyang told a regular news conference in Beijing. The Philippines is currently the largest supplier of bananas to China, accounting for 82 percent of the country's banana imports. It also provides 70 percent of China's pineapple imports. Bilateral trade has been overshadowed since 2012, when the relationship deadlocked over a territorial dispute that led to the Philippines unilaterally filing an arbitration case under Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino III. During the visit, both sides will "embark on in-depth discussions about ways to expand bilateral trade, promote and guide (Chinese) enterprises to expand investment in the Philippines and strengthen cooperation in fields including infrastructure construction", Shen said. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that Duterte has chosen to rebuild the friendship with China and return to dialogue and cooperation, and this "shows the wishes of the Philippine people and serves Philippine interests and national development, and no one and no force can prevent it". Wang later greeted Duterte as the Philippine president arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday evening. Chen Qinghong, a researcher on Southeast Asian and Philippine studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Research, said reinforcing economic cooperation with China will maximize Manila's interests. China is now the Philippines' second-largest trade partner, its largest import source and its third-largest export market. The European Commission will propose an "entire package" on Wednesday on how it fulfills the obligations in the accession protocol signed when China joined the World Trade Organization 15 years ago, European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen said on Tuesday. Vice-Premier Ma Kai said China is taking the lead in solving the global problem of steel overcapacity. He spoke at a press conference with the Vice-President of European Commission Jyrki Katainen on Tuesday in Brussels. (Fu Jing / China Daily) "We will abide by the obligations in the World Trade Organization accession agreement and will propose an entire package for the governments of the member states and European Council tomorrow," Katainen said. Katainen spoke at a joint press conference with Chinas Vice-Premier Ma Kai after they co-chaired the annual EU-China High-level Economic and Trade Dialogue (HED) in Brussels. "The European side has agreed to fulfill their WTO agreement obligations," Ma said. The consensus on Article 15 of the accession protocol was one of the biggest outcomes achieved after the one-day meeting. They also agreed to speed up cooperation on cutting steel overcapacity and to try to resort to "pragmatic approaches" in finding tangible results in bilateral investment talks. Katainen said European commissioners will meet on Wednesday to come up with a solution proposal for the European leaders to review when they meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. In accordance with Article 15 of the accession protocol signed when China joined the WTO, the Surrogate Country approach must be dropped on Dec 11 this year. However, some from Europe believe that China is yet to meet the standard set by the EU for market economy status, and that the EU should continue with its use of a non-standard approach in anti-dumping investigations against China. The European Parliament took an initial vote early this year, showing that it refused to give China such due treatment. Ma Kai said on Tuesday that the global economic slowdown and recession resulting from the US-originated financial crisis is the main reason for steel overcapacity, and Beijing and Brussels have agreed to jointly tackle the problem. Ma said that steel overcapacity is a global problem, and all the countries need to contribute to the reduction. China is an early mover and has already made efforts from 2011 to 2015 to cut overcapacity. "We are determined to reduce the steel overcapacity by 100-150 million tons during the 2016-2020 period," said Ma. "This amount is roughly equal to the total of European capacity." Ma said China has taken serious measures to realize the reduction targets. Ma said he himself already has inspected Hebei, the biggest steel province in China, and the plants on the reduction list have already stopped producing. "I can tell you that we are going to reduce 45 million tons this year and we will complete this task," he said. "We have checked the numbers at the sites, and they are solid." Katainen said both sides followed up on the last summit's agreement to establish a dedicated bilateral platform on steel and the Global Forum set up at the G20 summit in Hangzhou. Ma said the "fundamental solutions" to steel overcapacity is to revive the global economy. "And we must implement the agreements G20 leaders reached during their meeting in Hangzhou in September," said Ma. "I have discussed this issue with our European partners." Chinas Relations With the West: Straight Line Decline There are those who believe China's ongoing Party Congress will bode well for companies that do business in or with China. I am firmly convinced that the opposite is true and that it will used as yet another opportunity by China to show that it will not be cowered by the declining relations and sanctions/counter-sanctions between the United States / EU / Australia / Japan on the one hand, and China on the other. I see China using this Congress to let the world (domestic and external) know that it fully intends to fight back and fight back hard. In other words, this Party Congress will lead to China's decoupling from much of the world accelerating, not slowing down. This is a case study on the problems that can arise when public records requirements meet modern forms of communications. On July 15, 2016, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors held a public meeting. One of the supervisors elected to the board (Tony Buffington) did not attend the meeting but was regularly texting other board members. Counsel for the land use applicant whose proposal was being discussed asked whether Buffington was participating in the meeting via text message. (Counsel argued this would violate Virginia open records laws). The other two board members who had been receiving texts from Buffington acknowledged their receipt of messages and read the texts into the record. Shortly after, the Loudoun County official Facebook page posted the following: #Loudoun County Attorney Leo Rogers has determined that text messages sent and receive [sic] during a Board of Supervisors committee meeting did not violate the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The post linked to a press release on Loudoun Countys official government website. Plaintiff tried to comment repeatedly on the Facebook post to criticize the board and the alleged open records violation. He alleges that his comment was hidden. Because this occurred several times, he took a screenshot of a comment and emailed the board. He demanded that his comment be published or restored. When this did not occur, he filed suit. The defendants moved to dismiss, largely unsuccessfully. First, they attach a bunch of exhibitstestimony from the Facebook page administrators and screenshotthat the court finds not appropriate to consider at the motion to dismiss stage. On the merits, the court says the key question is whether the board or its individual members are proper defendants. Plaintiff acknowledges that he does not allege any of the individual board members deleted his comments. So the court dismisses the individual defendants. However, as to the board itself, the court says there is a factual question as to whether it ratified the actions of the page administrators. So the board cannot get out of the lawsuit now. Turning to the First Amendment, the court says the page in question is a limited public forum, and plaintiffs right to comment on the page is bounded by the terms of the [social media policy]. Defendants said there was no First Amendment violation because the county reserved the right to moderate comments but the court replies: That is not so. Once it has opened a limited forum the State must respect the lawful boundaries it has itself set. Rosenberger, 515 U.S. at 829. This rule applies as much to Defendants Facebook page as to any other limited public forum. See Bland v. Roberts, 730 F.3d 368, 386 (4th Cir. 2013), as amended (Sept. 23, 2013) (noting that speech on Facebook is subject to the same First Amendment protections as speech in any other context). Defendants Policy encourage[s] visitors to the Countys Facebook page to submit questions, comments and concerns regarding matters of public interest in Loudoun County, and provides that only comments violating certain enumerated rules will be removed. . . . Therefore, unless Plaintiffs comments pertained to other than matters of public interest in Loudoun County or violated an enumerated rule, Plaintiff was entitled to post them on the Countys Facebook page. Plaintiff alleges that notwithstanding this policy, a County employee deleted his comments because they were critical of the Board, and alleges further that the Board ratified that act. See Compl. . . . The Countys Social Media Comments Policy does not permit the removal of comments on that basis . . . . Defendants therefore fail to square their alleged actions with the lawful boundaries [the County] has itself set with respect to its Facebook page. Rosenberger, 515 U.S. at 829. Having adopted the Social Media Comments Policy, the County government is bound to abide by its terms. Plaintiff has plausibly alleged that the Board failed to do so. The Court will therefore permit Plaintiffs First Amendment claim to proceed against the Board. __ Interesting. The forum status of a public entitys Facebook page is not a question appeals courts have addressed. As this ruling indicates, government entities will not be able to fall back on the argument that, because they created the forum and set the rules, their enforcement of the rules poses no First Amendment concerns. In fact, a government entity places the forum at risk by deleting comments at whim. Note: this is not the first time Loudoun County has been forced to litigate its deletion of a Facebook comment. A separate case also filed by the same plaintiff, and which the court refused to dismiss, is currently pending. Prior blog post on that ruling is here: County Attorneys Deletion of Constituents Facebook Comment May Violate First Amendment. There the defendant (county attorney) tried to defuse the dispute by restoring commenting privileges, but the court still declined to dismiss, citing its concerns about unbridled discretion. Surprisingly, the county is making a similar argument in this casethat it had broad discretion to delete comments at will. Not surprisingly, this argument did not succeed. A question that is unaddressed (and perhaps will be dealt with down the road) is what caused the comments in question to be not visible. Im not familiar enough with Facebooks privacy settings or its newsfeed to know what could cause this. Perhaps it could be the privacy settings on the page or non-content specific settings regarding the newsfeed. In other words, there could be a totally innocuous explanation for why the comments did not show up. NB: Davison the plaintiff looks like he is doing fine on his own but this could be a fun case for a First Amendment lawyer on the lookout for an interesting matter. Case citation: Davison v. Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, 2016 WL 4801617 (E.D. Va. Sept. 14, 2016). Related posts: County Attorneys Deletion of Constituents Facebook Comment May Violate First Amendment City Cant Use Copyright To Censor Critical VideosInglewood v. Teixeira Blogger Can Display County Seal in Blog PostsRothamel v. Fluvanna County First Amendment Precludes Disorderly Conduct Conviction for Ranting on Police Department Facebook Page Demoting Police Officer for Posting Confederate Flag to Facebook Isnt First Amendment Violation Police Officers Lean on School to Fire Social Worker for Facebook Postand May Have Violated First Amendment Police Officers Facebook Venting Isnt Protected By The First AmendmentGresham v. Atlanta The First Amendment Protects Facebook Likes Bland v. Roberts Another School Violated a Students First Amendment Rights by Disciplining Her For Facebook Posts R.S. v. Minnewaska Area School Dist. No. 2149 Facebook Likes Arent Speech Protected By the First AmendmentBland v. Roberts Suspension for Facebook/YouTube Rap Video Critical of High School Coach Does not Violate First Amendment Bell v. Itawamba County School Board Probation Limitations on Internet and Facebook Use Violate First Amendment In re J.J. Facebook Gets Bad Ruling In Face-Scanning Privacy CaseIn re Facebook Biometric Information Privacy Litigation Employee Kvetching About Job On Facebook Still Entitled To Unemployment Benefits Facebook Can Legally Block Pages Without Any ExplanationSikhs For Justice v. Facebook (Forbes Cross-Post) Anti-Employer Chatter On Facebook Protected By NLRATriple Play v. NLRB Threatening to Post Sex Video to Facebook Isnt a True Threat Qualified Immunity Bars Claims Based on Search of Students Facebook Account and Discipline for Private Messages North Carolina Cyber-Bullying Statute Survives First Amendment Challenge Court Rejects First Amendment Challenge Against Cyberharassment Charge Police Officers Facebook Post Criticizing Chiefs Budget Decision Justified TerminationGraziosi v. Greenville Employee Terminated For Ill-Advised Facebook Post Gets Unemployment Benefits City Hall Moss Point.jpg Moss Point Mayor Billy Broomfield announced on Tuesday that the city is under investigation for misappropriation of funds in the Moss Point Utilities Department and the Moss Point Police Department. (Tyler Carter/Gulflive.com) MOSS POINT, Miss. -- Incidents of potential fraud and misappropriation of funds have been discovered in the Moss Point Utility Department and the Moss Point Police Department, according to a statement released Tuesday by Moss Point Mayor Billy Broomfield. According to Broomfield's statement, the city's finance director discovered some discrepancies in the accounting for the Utility Department. Once those issues were found, the city immediately alerted District Attorney Tony Lawrence, who in turn contacted the State Auditor's office. The Mississippi Press placed calls to the State Auditor's office for additional details and was then referred to their press secretary who was not immediately available for comment. Broomfield said the other case came to light after the police department underwent a shift in leadership to Interim Police Chief Brandon Ashley. Ashley inquired about bank statements related to an account set up by the Moss Point Police Department for use in events such as "Night Out Against Crime" and other police functions. According to Broomfield, Ashley noticed the police department's fund only had two signatories on the account, which did not include the mayor, city clerk or any of the Board of Aldermen members. After obtaining the bank statements, "it became apparent that the fund was being used for items unrelated to police sponsored events," Broomfield wrote. Because of this revelation, the city contacted the criminal investigator with the Mississippi State Auditor's office. The employees listed as signatories on the account are no longer employed by the City of Moss Point, according to Broomfield. A Mississippi Press reporter went to City Hall to ask Broomfield additional questions, but he was not in his office. Broomfield's statement does not make clear how much money is involved in either case, or name anyone fired or suspended in relation to the case. He said in his statement that it was "with much regret" that he reported the situation, and that the city was fully complying with both investigations. "I would like the Citizens of Moss Point to know that this Administration will take all steps possible to ensure that these individuals are prosecuted," he wrote. This story will be updated. NEWS-Plant Daniel scrubber project A scrubber unit at Mississippi Power Co.'s Plant Daniel in Jackson County. (April Havens/ahavens@al.com) (April M. Havens) PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The Jackson County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution at Monday's meeting that will save taxpayers money, while placing money back into the county and school district. Because Mississippi Power spent $563 million to make improvements to Plant Daniel, the company was on tap to pay more in taxes. Of the many improvements made, a coal scrubber tower was installed to remove more pollutants to make for improved air quality and cleaner energy. According to Mississippi law, Mississippi Power qualified for an exemption on a portion of property taxes. The company made an investment of $464 million to build the stack, and according to George Freeland of the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, that qualified them for a 10-year exemption. The county, however, has an ad valorem exemption policy and on Monday, supervisors approved a resolution with Mississippi Power on a set fee in lieu of taxes. "Because of this investment, if there were no exemption whatsoever whether school or county, Mississippi Power would've had to pay $184 million in taxes over the next 10 years," Freeland said. "The county exempted $63 million of the $184 million, which provides a break to Mississippi Power, and the county takes in new revenue. The board felt this was a fair and justified agreement and the county wanted to give the company the opportunity to build that stack to make that investment, otherwise, they wouldn't have." Over the next 10 years, the county will receive $61 million in new tax revenue, while the school district will receive $59 million of new tax revenue. Mississippi Power will also receive a tax break because of their investment, according to Freeland. While Mississippi Power did not receive the full tax break they were hoping for, the company wanted to reassure residents of Jackson County that they are fully committed to providing them with the lowest rates possible. "It's important our customers know Mississippi Power pays the second largest tax investment in Jackson County," Mississippi Power spokesman Jeff Shepard said. "We would like for our customers to know we are committed to delivering electricity at the lowest possible cost. When the company is able to reduce the amount of property taxes the company pays, that reduction is passed along to our customers." "The agreement is fair, it strikes the right chord, and the agreement provides new monies to the schools and county," Freeland said. "Because of the supervisors exempting some of the money for Mississippi Power, this sends a message around the world to new companies who may be looking at Jackson County that this board knows what it takes to get existing business to expand, which in turn entices new industries to come to Jackson County. This deal is a win for Jackson County, taxpayers, the school district, Mississippi Power, and most of all, a win for economic development in Jackson County." According to Board President Melton Harris, the money from the deal will help on various projects in the county such as drainage, roads, while borrowing the remaining amount to complete other projects. "This deal allows the county to take on other infrastructure projects so we can take on projects throughout the county," Harris said. "Our population is shifting into the unincorporated area, which is where major construction is taking place. This is like an investment - we have to do what we can do to maintain this investment because that in turn will bring more revenue back into the county. This provides us with extra revenue to achieve these objectives." (Photo : Getty Images) Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (2nd R) and China's President Xi Jinping (L) attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People on November 7, 2014 in Beijing, China. Advertisement Cambodia will open three commercial centers in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai to promote Cambodian exports and culture, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Commerce on Saturday. "The centers will serve as information hubs and will share all information on all trade-related activities," Soeng Sophary, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said, adding that the centers will be avenues for Chinese businessmen to find suppliers and distributors in Cambodia. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The Beijing center will operate with the help of HYT International Transport Service, the Shanghai center with Shanghai Spring International Service, and the Guangzhou center with Guangzhou Jinsui Industry Group, according to Cambodia Daily. Under the bilateral trade agreement, the commercial centers will enjoy free rental fees in the cities. Pan Sorasak, the minister of commerce, reportedly presided over the signing ceremony for the development of the three centers on Saturday, Phnom Penh Post reported. The initiative followed after Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a two-day state visit in Cambodia, where the two nations inked at least 31 deals to enhance cooperation, including $238 million in soft loans, $89 million debt forgiveness, and $15 million military aid. Ngoun Meng Tech, director-general of Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, commended the establishment of the three centers, saying it would then be easier for Chinese investors and traders to gather basic information and more options as well as facilitate investment process. "Without detailed information, investors always hesitate to put investments in, or take a long time before deciding to do business," he stressed, adding that the new centers will save both time and money of both Cambodian and Chinese people. Advertisement TagsCambodia, china, commercial centers, information hub, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou (Photo : Getty Images) The four cooling towers and two reactor blocks of the Temelin nuclear power plant stand illuminated on August 11, 2011 near Temelin, Czech Republic. Advertisement The third unit of Pakistan's Chashma nuclear plant has reportedly gone into full operation, marking China's successful third overseas reactor, the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced on Monday. CNNC said in a notice that the unit was formally installed to the grid on Saturday at a ceremony in Pakistan, the Samaa reported. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The Chashma nuclear facility is located in the central province of Punjab. Dubbed as the Chashma-3 project, the nuclear reactor was inaugurated "on trial basis" last Saturday with an installed capacity of 340 megawatts, a spokesperson from the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, said. "After performing various safety and functional tests, the plant will attain full power in first fortnight of December 2016," Shahid Riaz told the Voice of America News on Monday. The Chashma-3 project is the third nuclear reactor China built for Pakistan. The two other reactors Chashma-1 and Chashma-2, which started its operations in 2000 and 2011, respectively, now supply 600 megawatts of electricity to the grid. The fourth unit is expected to go into full operation in the first half of 2017. Meanwhile, China has also agreed to build a reactor in Pakistan's Karachi worth $6.5 billion. The planned nuclear reactor will mark the overseas debut of Hualong One, China's homegrown third generation reactor. The project is set to complete by the end of the decade with a total capacity of about 2,200 megawatts, according to Reuters. However, the nuclear cooperation between the two nations comes amid controversy that Pakistan is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, an agreement between member nations to make sure fissile materials are not used to make weapons. Although China has a clean slate record, representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency told Reuters last September that China should still ensure that the countries it is importing to are capable of following the necessary regulations. Islamabad, on the other hand, reportedly brushed off such concerns. Advertisement TagsPakistan, china, nuclear reactor, China National Nuclear Corporation, Chashma project, Pakistan Chahma project, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (Photo : YouTube Screenshot) China has detained 19 employees from an Australian firm Crown Resorts including its vice president of its V.I.P. international operations. Advertisement China has detained 18 employees from an Australian firm Crown Resorts, including its vice president of its V.I.P. international operations in an attempt to crackdown gambling in the country. The Australian casino giant said on Monday it had not made contact with its workers yet and did not know why they had been detained. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement China' Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, told Reuters that the some Australian nationals were held for suspected "gambling crimes." The ministry did not elaborate the allegations further, saying it is still investigating the matter. However, local media reported that Crown Resorts' vice president Jason O' Connor was allegedly responsible for attracting rich Chinese gamblers to the casino's resorts in Australia. The New York Times reported that the Crown employees were nabbed in a raid, which appeared to be connected to China's stringent measures against gambling, which prohibit Casino operators from advertising in China. "The Chinese government seems to be making a clear statement about its view on gaming activity being offshored to foreign jurisdictions..." Vitaly Umansky, an analyst from Bernstein in Hong Kong, said. "Crown apparently either thought nothing to worry about, or they have only recently revived operations in [China]. Whatever, they got it wrong," David Green, an analyst from Newpage Consulting, said. The raids were reportedly held in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou, according to the Australian Financial Review. Meanwhile, the Australian government confirmed that three of its nationals were placed behind bars. "We are aware of reports of the possible detention of a number of Crown International Group employees across China overnight on 13-14 October, including three Australians," the Department of Foreign Affairs wrote in a statement. "Chinese authorities have three days in which to notify of the detention of Australian according to the terms of a bilateral consular treaty." Advertisement Tagschina, Crown Resorts, gambling Crimes, Crown detained employees, gambling (Photo : Getty Images) Xinhua News Agency said that while China applauds Philippine President Duterte's efforts to normalize the bilateral ties between both nations, Beijing is watching his moves closely to determine his sincerity Advertisement As Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte begins his four-day visit to China starting on Tuesday, Beijing is watching the Philippine leader's actions which could serve as a test of his sincerity to repair Manila's ties with the world's second largest economy. China's state-run news agency, Xinhua, said the icy relations between Manila and Beijing is being replaced with good faith as Duterte makes his first official state visit to China. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Xinhua reported that the visit surprised the international community as it comes on the heels of years of estrangement between the two countries caused by a case filed by the Philippines against China over disputed territories in the South China Sea. First country "In a reflection of his keenness to repair the seriously damaged relations, the new Philippine president chose China to be the first country he visits outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since taking office in June," Xinhua noted. Xinhua said Duterte's simultaneous shift to China and his spurning of the United States are clear signs of a growing rapprochement between the two countries after being locked in a bitter dispute for years. China praised Duterte for his diplomatic tack in trying to peacefully resolve the South China Sea dispute through dialogue, saying he has not given in to opinions of "outside meddlers" and "war mongers." Beijing's stance "On the South China Sea issue, he has avoided his predecessor's idiosyncrasies of colluding with outside meddlers and making unnecessary provocations, and instead reiterated the need for dialogue and negotiation, an approach that is largely in line with Beijing's stance," Xinhua said, Xinhua warned the Philippine leader to resist the "temptation" to insist on the July 12 ruling of an international arbitration court favoring the Philippines in the South China Sea dispute as Beijing will not accept it. Wounds of the past The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), on July 12, handed down a ruling that rejected China's massive claims to the South China Sea, adding that Beijing violated international law and the Philippines' rights to explore resources within its exclusive economic zone. China has dismissed the ruling as "illegal" and "null and void." Chinese President Xi Jinping has reiterated that Beijing will not accept any talks and propositions by any state based on the ruling. "The verdict issued by a law-abusing tribunal has no place in the negotiations at all," Xinhua said. Xinhua said China is looking forward to Duterte's visit saying Beijing's doors are always open for his administration. "Should President Duterte demonstrate his good faith, the trip will present a long overdue opportunity for the two nations, which enjoy longstanding friendship, to heal the wounds of the past few years and steer their relationship back to the right course." the commentary emphasized. Advertisement TagsPresident Rodrigo Duterte, President Xi Jinping, Philippines, china, PCA, South China Sea, arbitral ruling, ASEAN car theft collage.jpg Jackson County investigators are searching for this man -- pictured in still images from surveillance video -- suspected of stealing a truck from a Vancleave home Monday morning. (Images courtesy JCSO) VANCLEAVE, Mississippi -- Jackson County investigators are searching for a man suspected of stealing a truck from a Vancleave home Monday morning. According to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell, truck owner Deborah Landry May reported the 2007 Nissan Frontier missing from her Hazel Bounds Road home around 9 a.m. Monday. She told the deputies she had washed the truck Sunday afternoon and inadvertently left the keys inside. She last saw the truck about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Still images and video from a surveillance camera at May's home show a tall, white male with slender build and a beard, wearing shorts and a "unique" t-shirt. May is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of her truck and arrest of the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call the Jackson County Sheriff's Department at 228-769-3063. (Photo : Getty Images) A Chinese migrant worker carrying rubbish walks on a railway December 6, 2004 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. Advertisement A group of 51 Chinese enterprises run by the central government has initiated a 12.2 billion yuan ($1.83 billion) fund to invest in the country's poorest region, as part of a state plan to utilize market forces to help eradicate poverty, Reuters reported. Companies including the Three Gorges Project Corporation, the State Grid Corporation, and the State Development and Investment Corporation will eventually increase the fund to 100 billion yuan ($14.8 billion), the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission said as posted on its website on Monday. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement According to a China white paper released on Monday, an estimated 55.75 million Chinese people are still living below poverty line, with annual incomes less than 2,300 yuan ($341). The country aims to raise all of its poor out of poverty by the end of the decade, and this means, at least 10 million people will be lifted from poverty every year. Xinhua noted that the fund will be allocated in resource exploitation, industrial parks construction, and urbanization of poor regions. Priority regions of the initiative include the country's ethnic minority, border areas, and "revolutionary bases" of the Chinese Communist Party, the South China Morning Post reported. Meanwhile, Reuters noted that the government and Communist Party are sending mixed messages to China's giant companies. On the one hand, they advise them to be more responsive to the market, while, on the other hand, they want them to fulfill their social and political duties. Nevertheless, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Party would continue to play its leadership role of the state sector. He describe China's state giants as "the most dependable support for the party and the state" and have key role on the party's efforts to "win many more historical values." Advertisement Tagspoverty reduction, china, poor regions in China, China poor (Photo : Getty Images) An Air China plane reportedly missed the control tower's instructions and made a wrong turn following take-off. Advertisement An Air China passenger jet reportedly flew in the wrong direction after taking off from the airport in Chengdu, Sichuan province, according to The Paper.cn. The Air China plane bound for Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, took off from Chengdu airport on Sunday morning. However, it deviated off its course and had to be directed back on track by air traffic controllers, South China Morning Post reported citing The Paper.cn. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The control tower of the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport allegedly instructed the plane to turn left after take-off, but apparently, the chief pilot did not understand the instruction and turned the aircraft to the right soon after it left the ground, the EJInsight noted citing a source with knowledge about the matter. Upon realizing the mistake, the pilot of flight CA4401 immediately called the air traffic control center, which rescheduled the plane's route. The Paper.cn, however, failed to specify how long it took the pilot to realize the error made. In response to the error committed, Air China has reportedly issued an internal emergency notice regarding flight safety after the unpublicized incident. It reportedly ordered all of its pilots and cabin crew to carry out their respective tasks and cross-check tower instructions in the future, the source said. "The aircrew must always be aware of flight safety and avoid making mistakes on the route or when entering and departing from the airport," the airline said in a statement as quoted by The Paper.cn. "We must ensure safety as the year end approaches." Flying off the wrong route could pose danger and could sometimes lead to accidents like crashing into mountains or colliding with another aircraft. Advertisement TagsFlight Safety, Air China, flight CA4401, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, flights, commercial flights (Photo : https://pixabay.com/en/dutch-flag-flag-red-white-blue-889734/) The Ministry of Foreign Affair has started an investigation. Advertisement Ron Keller, the Dutch ambassador in Beijing, has been suspended following an alleged affair with a Chinese employee. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has started an investigation. It also stated that Keller would not be active in his post while an investigation is bwing done. Keller was sent to China in December last year. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the secret liaison came out just recently. The Chinese woman involved in the case is believed to be an employee of the embassy. It is further reported that Keller met the woman several times at his official residence. The two are also believed to have exchanged explicit pictures. Keller is not married. However, the newspaper stated that the affair made his position "vulnerable." There is no explicit rule against having a relationship with a local staff. In general, the foreign diplomats are advised against such relationships due to the risk of honey traps, potential blackmails or information leakage. The Dutch foreign ministry has not commented on the situation yet, besides stating that all complaints are taken seriously and acted upon. It did not confirm as well whether or not the complaint pertained to a love affair. The ministry also did not disclose the identity of the complainant. Keller is currently in The Netherlands and is unlikely to come back to China. He is the successor of Aart Jacobi. Keller is a veteran diplomat. He had worked as ambassador in Russia, Ukraine and Turkey before his appointment as the ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands to China and Mongolia. (Photo : https://pixabay.com/en/dalai-lama-portrait-discussion-1166021/) The Tibetan spiritual leader is currently on a trip to Europe. Advertisement China's Foreign Ministry said it would retaliate following the Slovak president's meeting with the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan spiritual leader is currently on a trip to Europe. He is also visiting Czech Republic and Italy. The President of Slovakia, Andrej Kiska, met Dalai Lama over lunch in a restaurant in the television tower in Bratislavaon Sunday. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The Dalai Lama's official website carried the picture of them chatting. A similar post was found on the President's Facebook pag as well, where he described the meeting as "a privilege." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the Slovak president did not take cognizance of China's "strong opposition" to the meeting. She further noted that the Slovak government is under obligation to uphold "One China" policy and the meeting goes against the spirit of the policy. The government of China is now looking to make "a corresponding response." However, no further details of any action were provided. Meanwhile, Slovakia responded to the Foreign Ministry by stating that President Andrej Kiska sat down with the Chinese ambassador, a few days before the said meeting with Dalai Lama. Accordingly, he has already explained he has personal reasons in meeting the spiritual leader. Amid the reported stuation, the Slovak president was firm in saying about his desire and commitment to his country's cordial relationship with China. Kiska's communication advisor Roman Krpelan said the president would like to emphasize that the meeting was not meant to challenge Slovakia's stand on One China policy. China had expressed the same reaction last month when Dalai Lama addressed the European Parliament in France and met its president, Martin Schulz. Advertisement Tagschina, Italy, Slovakia, Andrej Kiska Crazy director Puri Jagannadh, who is known for making Thailand his second home by spending most of the time in the glittering city, has made it clear that he never had sex with a Thai girl. Bangkok is famous for Thai massages and the liberal sex trade. When asked about his frequent Bangkok trips, Puri set the record straight saying Bangkok continues to fascinate him for other reasons. He added that Thai people always greet all with smiling faces and they are not greedy like Indians. Puri continued, I sit on beaches and write for 14-15 hours a day. Because of the positivity there, I generally finish writing scripts in just about 2 weeks. For that matter, I never had Thai massage in 15 years. Puri had made these comments during his interview given to promote his upcoming film Ism, which is slated to hit screens on October 21st. One big reason agribusiness interests and the trapping lobby are pushing for Amendment 71 is because The HSUS banned the use of steel-jawed leghold traps and snares in the state 20 years ago through a constitutional amendment. Photo by Dick Randall 3.5K shares Special interest groups and some Colorado politicians have crafted a constitutional amendment, Amendment 71, that masquerades as an election reform proposal but really amounts to an attack on the voting rights of the citizenry. If approved, it will disable future efforts to advance animal welfare and conservation reforms in Colorado through the initiative process. It should be lumped into the same category as other constitutional amendments being promoted by special interest groups arrayed against us measures like the outrageous State Question 777, which seeks to create a right to farm in Oklahoma and prevent any future local or state regulations to govern agricultural practices. For years, our opponents have tried to make the ballot initiative process unworkable, either by increasing signature gathering requirements to make it impossible to qualify a measure for the ballot or by creating a supermajority standard for passage that is virtually impossible to reach. In Utah, for example, the trophy hunting lobby and the trappers some years ago did succeed in requiring a two-thirds vote of the people to pass any wildlife protection measure; but, we defeated similar measures in Alaska and Arizona. In Oklahoma, also some years ago, we defeated a measure to double the number of signatures needed for an animal welfare measure. Amendment 71 combines the worst elements of these measures by adding in a distribution requirement for signature gathering (stipulating that a petition drive draw a substantial number of signatures from every state senate district) and requiring a supermajority standard for passing a constitutional amendment (55 percent). Amendment 71 would make it virtually impossible for grassroots groups like The HSUS to qualify and pass any future constitutional ballot measures to help animals. In fact, one big reason that agribusiness interests and the trapping lobby are pushing for Amendment 71 is because we banned the use of steel-jawed leghold traps and snares in the state 20 years ago through a constitutional amendment. Theyve been wanting to overturn that ballot measure ever since, and Amendment 71 is their latest maneuver to go down that path. If voters adopt Amendment 71, the only entities that could qualify a constitutional ballot measure would be monied interests who could hire signature gatherers and pay for them to get signatures in every corner of the state. Its documented in the campaign finance reports for the Yes on 71 campaign that the oil and gas industry is funding the measure to the tune of millions of dollars, and the states Democratic governor is helping to front for them. They dont want to see a ballot initiative to restrict fracking in the state. But the factory farming industry and the trapping lobby are also pushing the measure. They dont want The HSUS and other animal welfare groups to advance a ballot measure in the state, and this is their way of getting there. Normally, we have no quarrels with advancing a citizen initiative to amend a statute (as compared to a constitutional amendment). But when we advanced a ballot measure in Colorado more than two decades ago to stop spring bear hunting and the unsporting and reckless practices of bear baiting and hounding, lawmakers immediately tried to overturn it, even though we got an astonishing 70 percent of the vote. Still, some lawmakers aligned with the trophy hunting and agribusiness industry, and defying the mandate of the voters in their own districts, tried to overturn it. Thats why, when we took on commercial trapping with steel-jawed traps and snares four years later, we opted for a constitutional amendment, so we could protect against a knee-jerk, ideologically based override effort by lawmakers. And to top it off we continue to see the legislature year after year and as recently as this past session try to overturn the ban on spring bear hunting and reckless methods to kill bears. If its okay for a politician to be elected with a simple majority or even a plurality, its okay for an initiative to be approved by a simple majority rather than a supermajority. Many of the biggest gains in the movement along with important gains for conservation, voting rights, taxpayer rights, and so many other important civil society reforms have come through the ballot initiative process. In fact, a womens suffrage constitutional amendment passed in Colorado with 54.7 percent of the vote in the early part of the 20th century. If Amendment 71 had been in place,that voting rights measure for women would have been defeated. We must protect this process if we want to protect our ability to advance reforms. There is a growing left-center-right coalition opposing Amendment 71, from the American Civil Liberties Union, Common Cause, and NARAL on the left to the Independence Institute, Colorado Shooting Association, and Colorado Right-to-Life on the right. They all care about the erosion of citizen power. Many of the states leading papers have also panned the measure: Paying for a signature gathering effort in 35 districts across the state, and defending signature challenges in all of those districts, would easily render the cost of presenting a ballot unaffordable to all but the wealthiest of campaigns, wrote the Denver Post. Amendment 71 would only undermine the critical power of untouchable legislation held by voters to protect themselves from partisan scams. This is no time to surrender that poweronly questions asked by the oil industry and big interests, such as those funded by the Koch Brothers, big labor unions and others, would ever see Election Day, opined the Aurora Daily Sentinel. The Greeley Tribune wrote: the backers of Amendment 71 havent applied these new, tougher standards to themselves. They could have easily written into the language of this measure that for it to take effect it would need at least 55 percent of the vote. They didnt. Nor did they reach their own bar for signature gathering its likely the only groups that could afford to reach such a high bar are those funded by out-of-state special interest groups that want to use Colorado for one of their pet projects. And the Boulder Daily Camera said, Adoption of Amendment 71 would allow the oil and gas industry to checkmate Colorado environmental interests Aside from civil disobedience, the only remaining alternative for community and environmental groups is pursuing the initiative process to win back local control over land-use decisions. Amendment 71 is a power grab. Lets defeat it, and give them a real lesson on direct democracy. INTERVIEW: Kirk Cameron's 'Revive Us' to remind Christians 'our hope is in Christ' not elections Guest Reviewer | 18 October, 2016 by Michael Foust LOS ANGELES (Christian Examiner) Kirk's Cameron's friends are no different than the rest of America during this presidential election that is, far from unified. "The people that I know who love Jesus and love this country and love their kids find it very difficult in this election season," Cameron told the Christian Examiner. "There's so much division. It's hard to know who to believe." On Tuesday night at theaters across America, Cameron is holding what he is calling a "national family meeting" in what has been dubbed Revive Us, a two-hour live event in which Cameron and other leaders including pastors Francis Chan and James MacDonald -- will speak. There also will be a time of singing and prayer, and even an appearance by Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie) from the movie War Room. An encore will be held in theaters Oct. 24. Already, theaters are being sold out, and as of Tuesday morning, Revive Us was the No. 1-selling event in theaters on MovieTickets.com, pulling in 31 percent of all tickets sold, compared to No. 2 The Accountant (15 percent) Ben Carson, Eric Metaxas and Jennifer Rothschild also will speak. Passion, the Vertical Church Band and Isabella Cameron will sing, and there will be a Q&A session, too. Revive Us is not a political event but is being held as Christians grow concerned about the future, Cameron said. "The best thing I have to offer is not a political analysis of what is going on or to tell people how to vote," he said. "What I'm offering is hope and perspective and vision, and I get to do that in a unique way by gathering some of the brightest and most faithful people I have met and offering, collectively, their thoughts and ideas to create a sense of unity and optimism." The Christian Examiner interviewed Cameron about Revive Us. Following is a transcript, edited for clarity: Christian Examiner: What is Revive Us? What will people see and experience? Kirk Cameron: This came out of my experience travelling across the country, visiting churches all over the nation. I teach marriage conferences. What I hear is consistent everywhere: People are deeply concerned with what's going on with America how did we get here? Are these the last days of our great nation? My message to people is loud and clear. I'm saying there's never been a better time, a more exciting time, to be a Christian in America. This could be our finest hour. Things have never been teed up so perfectly for people of faith to be salt applied to the corruption and light applied to the darkness. This is the point in the story, when you're reading the book, that all hope seems lost and all of a sudden, God parts the waters. I'm believing this could be a Red Sea moment for you and me and for us in our America story. And Revive Us is a condensing of all of that. It's hope and all of that optimism and all of that turning to God in a moment of despair and confusion, to see God do something miraculous. I'm calling it a national family meeting. It's a live two-hour interactive gathering of the people of faith in a thousand movie theaters across the nation. We will simultaneously be worshiping together, praying together via satellite and hearing from some of the brightest, most faithful people in my life. CE: This is taking place several weeks before the election. What is the significance of that? What now and not in a month? Cameron: People are experiencing election anxiety, particularly after each debate. It seems that people are more concerned than ever before. Revive Us will take place the night before the final presidential debate. We're right there at the edge of the political cage match. And before the blood hits the floor, we have a chance to gather in a thousand theaters and remember where our real hope comes from it comes from the power of God working in the hearts of people. It's very helpful and important to remember that during this time of election anxiety, we in America are not electing a king. George Washington turned that offer down twice when our nation was first formed. We don't want a king. We already have a king. His name is Jesus. What we want and what we need is for us as a people to remember who we are and whose we are, and be the salt and light that transforms the nation from the bottom up to the top, and the inside all the way to the edges. On Nov. 9, our hope is still the same. Our hope is in Christ. It may be a very different challenge and a different battle, depending on who is elected, but the real long-term solution is the power of God working in the hearts of people at your dinner table, in your school classroom, at your work. CE: Will politics be discussed during Revive Us? Cameron: This is a faith event. This is not a political event. But we will also be discussing the fact that it is the duty of every Christian to not divorce their faith from any aspect of life, including the leaders that will be shaping the future for our children. So we will be discussing this election season. We will be discussing our responsibility and our opportunity to shape the future by being engaged in the voting process. But it's not a political event per se, because this is about reviving the country, and the way that you do that is by nourishing the root of faith in the heart of the country, which is the church. For more information, visit ReviveUs2016.com. Thousands of Christian refugees who fled their homes in Iraq due to persecution are only finding more persecution in Turkish refugee camps. ChristianToday.com reports that about 45,000 refugees who fled Iraq are now living in poverty in Turkey and are discriminated against by their Muslim neighbors. Juliana Taimoorazy, president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council and a senior fellow with the Philos Project, discussed the stark plight of the Christians. They cannot reveal their faith, she said, because then their Muslim neighbors would persecute them. She added that mosques would also refuse to help them if their Christian faith was made known. The refugees are hoping to come to the U.S. or another country where they would be able to live out their faith without fear, but the U.S. State Department is slow to take any action to help them. Taimoorazy said it may be up to churches to do something about this humanitarian crisis. There have been some churches that extended help, financial or prayer, but this is such a monumental situation that we need more churches to wake up," she said. One way Christians can help the refugees is to hold prayer vigils, Taimoorazy said. Her organization has even provided a prayer vigil kit called Rise Vigil for Christians to use to raise awareness for their brothers and sisters in Christ in the Middle East. "If we don't talk to our fellow Americans, our fellow Christians, in our churches, and if we don't pray unitedly for the body of Christ, the Middle East will be empty of Christians," she warned. Publication date: October 18, 2016 As election day is quickly approaching, activists and leaders have been encouraging members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community to get out the vote. During the last national elections in 2012, some 47.9 percent of eligible Asian American voters actually voted, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus data on voters who are ethnically Asian alone and Asian with other race combination. We estimate that more than 1.6 million AAPI individuals will vote, which is about 11 percent of the electorate, Karin Wang, the vice president of programs and communications at Asian Americans Advancing Justice Los Angeles (AAAJ), said regarding the upcoming elections. Organizers and civic leaders have pointed to a disillusionment towards or frustration with this years candidates on the presidential ballot as a possible reason that Asian Americans may choose not to vote. In response, theyre taking different approaches to encourage members of the ethnic group to vote. Wang, for instance, said she encourages eligible voters to get out the vote because the reality is that theres much more [than the President] that will be decided on. Voters in California will vote on 17 state ballot measures, and voters in Los Angeles will also vote on seven county, city, and community college district measures. Among them include state propositions to increase taxes on cigarettes to two dollars per pack (Proposition 56); repeal most of a previously passed proposition which required education in English only, which would now allow school districts to use any educational approach to teach English learners, including bilingual programs (Proposition 58); and legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 years old or older (Proposition 64). Local measures include one that proposes to institute a parcel tax to continue securing funding for existing and new parks before current funding runs out (Measure A), and another that would increase sales tax in the county to invest in traffic improvement projects including subway lines, bike paths, streets, and sidewalks (Measure M). State and local ballot measures will have more of an impact on our daily lives, said Wang. Meanwhile, David Ryu, Los Angeles City Councilmember of the 4th District, said that the national ticket actually serves as a clear reminder of our need for greater understanding and representation of minorities in every aspect of our society. While this election cycle is more important than ever, too many Americans still take their right to vote for granted, he said. But for me and many Asian Americans, this election is too personal not to vote. In recent weeks, Asian American non-profits in the greater Los Angeles area have held numerous events and drives to encourage voter turnout. Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the Asian Pacific Policy & planning Council (AP3CON) hosted a press conference on October 13 during which representatives from various Asian American non-profits shared their stances on local and state ballot measures. In late September, voter registration drives were held across Los Angeles by a joint effort of Korean American organizations including the Korean American Coalition and the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance. The Korean Resource Center (KRC), based in the Crenshaw area of Los Angeles, will also be holding a phone drive on October 17 to call eligible Asian voters. Voting shows that our community has a voice, and that our voice matters, said Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, the executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center. That the Asian American vote matters. Unshaken - Standing Strong in Uncertain Times Contact: Diane Morrow, 800-927-1517 CORSICANA, Texas, Oct. 18, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- A brief glance at the headlines on any given day is enough to make anyone unsettled, frustrated, or down right scared of what might happen next. Horrific acts of terrorism, destruction wrought by natural disaster, and economic volatility in world markets are just a few of the headlines that are becoming common in the daily news reports. "As I speak with people around the world, I see more and more believers becoming either paralyzed by fear of the times or by apathy (just waiting for Jesus to return), or caught up in frustration, blame, and anger because of the unrelenting turbulence and uncertainty in the world and their private lives," states Jeanne Nigro, author of UNSHAKEN: Standing Strong in Uncertain Times (Destiny Image - October 2016). Instead of focusing on the doom and gloom of the usual end-time fare or attempting to navigate the milieu of theological positions on the subject, Jeanne offers anchors for the soul to keep believers standing strong as lights for God in these uncertain times. Even if we lay aside the idea of a global meltdown for a moment and simply take a look behind the closed doors of the average American home, it won't be surprising to find an environment that is equally as unstable. On a nightly basis, evening television chips away at moral values that once served as a strong foundation for a great nation. Mom and Dad are stretched to the max trying to juggle responsibilities at work and home. Tensions are high as well as debts. Cancer, diseases, and new viruses threaten our lives each day. Many are living life on the edge and know that it could all come tumbling down with the slightest unexpected and unplanned intrusion into their fragile world. With an unwavering belief that personal intimacy with God is the #1 anchor for our souls, Nigro provides not only encouragement, but practical steps for individuals to deepen their relationship with God, as well as an action plan for what they can do now in a world that seems so out of control. UNSHAKEN will lead the reader to the very heart of God, empowering them to not just survive, but to thrive, walking on the water with Jesus and experiencing His abundant life regardless of the storm that rages around them. www.jeannenigro.com Share Tweet home US Boston City Council ignores Satanic Temple's request to perform invocation The City Council of Boston has not responded to the Satanic Temple's request to allow its member to perform an invocation at the beginning of a council meeting. The head of the Satanic Temple in Boston, who identified himself as Travis L, wrote a letter to City Council president Michelle Wu on Tuesday, asking for an invocation slot which is given by the council by invitation. He said he has already reached out to other council members but he has not received a reply. "It would be shocking if I am to be turned away due to my faith while other religions are allowed to hold prayers in a government building," Travis wrote. He added that the temple could increase diversity in its schedule if the organization is allowed to say a prayer at a council meeting. "Our goal in this specific endeavor is to either receive equal religious protection from the city of Boston or to prove the inequity and hypocrisy of the city's leadership," he told the Boston Globe. Wu said that the invitations are based on the choices of the individual councilors. Each councilor is allowed to invite two to three people each year. "It's not based on anyone's religious preference, but it does often recognize figures that have done work in the community and are representative of the district," said Wu. Wu said her office already received a call from Travis asking for an invitation but no councilor has invited anyone from the Temple. She explained that council members have already invited faith leaders to give an invocation and there are just a few slots left. "Many of us have a long list of folks who we would like to have the chance to invite to the council meetings," she added. Travis stated that other chapters also applied to open council meetings with invocations in other cities. Last July, a Temple member named David Suhor was allowed to open a meeting in Pensacola, Florida, with his own prayers but he was interrupted by Christians who recited the Lord's prayer. He was able to proceed with the invocation when City Council President Charles Bare told the audience members to be quiet. home World Dutch politician Geert Wilders to go on trial for inciting hatred A Dutch court in The Hague ruled last Friday that Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders will be tried for inciting hatred based on a speech he made in 2014. During a party rally in 2014, the Dutch politician asked the crowd whether they want fewer or lesser Moroccans in the Netherlands, to which the crowd replied, "Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!" More than 6,400 complaints were filed against Wilders due to the incident, as reported by The Washington Post. The trial began in 2014 but was suspended. A judge ruled that the trial can proceed again on Oct. 31, in which he will be tried on the "suspicion of insulting a group of people based on race and inciting discrimination and hatred." Wilders has been tried previously for calling for the ban of the Quran and comparing it to Hitler's "Mein Kampf." He won the case in 2011 when a court ruled that the justice system should allow for the free expression of political ideas even those which are deemed repulsive. According to The Economist, his accusers are now arguing that the speech he made in 2014 does not deserve the same protection because it is directed against an ethnic group rather than a religion. In response to the ruling, Wilders tweeted, "Prosecuted for what millions think. #politicalprocess #goaway." His lawyer, Geert-Jan Knoops, said the case is just an excuse for political repression. "This discussion belongs in political debate, not in front of a court," he said to the judges in The Hague. Maurice de Hond, a Dutch pollster, believes the case will not diminish Wilders' chances in the elections. "If it has any effect, it will be positive for him," said de Hond. "It will confirm his followers' belief that he is being persecuted by the elite," he added. The Sun reported that PVV is ahead in most opinion polls and is predicted to take 35 of the 150 available seats in the Dutch parliament. Wilders has promised to remove Holland from the European Union if he is elected. home World Few U.K. churches applied for government security funding despite terror warnings Despite the warnings of terrorist attacks, less than half a percent of the churches in the U.K. have applied for government funding to improve the security of church buildings. The National Churchwatch has warned that the risk of terrorist attacks against churches have increased after the murder of the French priest inside a parish in Normandy last July. The government has since allocated 2.4 million ($2.6 million) for the improvement of the security of religious venues such as churches and mosques. A webpage was created to allow those who operate places of worship to place their bids for security equipment such as CCTVs, bollards, door locks, intruder alarms, external lighting and security doors. The bidding was opened on July 26. It was initially scheduled to close on Sept. 20 but it was extended until Oct 4. It was revealed that only 223 churches have applied for funding during the bidding period. "The take up doesn't look good," Labour MP Mark Hendrick said at the parliament. "Maybe a combination of a lack of awareness or the churches themselves in some areas don't need it," he added. Professor Anthony Glees, a security expert from the University of Buckingham, is worried about the low number of applications. "It [an attack] could happen and good security is about prevention more than anything else, so it should be taken up and it should be taken up as a matter of urgency," he told Premier. Nick Tolson of National Churchwatch told Premier that there had been churches that were rejected because there had been no reports of hate crimes. He added that those same churches could be facing a lot of security issues. "We need a bit more funding from the government to help those churches who need security improvements," he said. In an earlier statement, Tolson noted that smaller churches are more likely to be attacked. "It won't be Westminister Abbey or St Paul's, it will be a little church in Bolton or Birmingham. It's the small churches, just like the one in France," he told Telegraph. home World Iraqi monk takes pride in persecution and forgives his oppressors An Iraqi monk whose family suffered under the hands of Islamic militants has chosen to forgive his oppressors. He now stays in his monastery to help those who are fleeing from persecution and heavy fighting. Father Yousif, the Deputy Bishop of St. Matthew's monastery located 40 kilometers east of Mosul, encourages his family and others to leave Iraq and seek a better future elsewhere. But despite his bad experience in the city, he has chosen to remain. The monastery is one of the many places that offers shelter to those who have been displaced from their homes. "I'm a monk, like a soldier I don't think about [myself]," he told World Watch Monitor. Yousif's brother, Ragheed Fahmy Ibrahim, 37, was killed when his family was still living in Mosul. Ibrahim was an electrical engineer who also served as a deacon at a church. He was shot on his birthday on May 11, 2006. Yousif believes that the militants monitored the movements of his brother and chose a specific day to kill him. "They knew everything. They chose a Thursday evening, as they knew no doctors would be staying at hospitals late before a weekend in Mosul. They made sure he would die," he explained. The monk assisted Ragheed's wife and children to flee from Mosul but his other family members chose to stay. Things changed months later when his other brother was threatened by a man who worked as an apprentice in his electric appliance business. The apprentice named Mohamed revealed that Yousif's younger brother has been placed on a hit list and extremists were planning to kill him the next day. His family decided to flee to nearby Kurdistan after learning about the threat. Yousif said it was hard for Christians to live in Mosul even before ISIS occupied the city. He said Christians could not work with the government because they did not associate themselves with any political power that came after Saddam. The monk considers his brother Ragheed as a hero who was killed in Jesus' name. "Persecution is a pride for us," said Yousif. He said that he has forgiven his persecutors and Ragheed's wife has forgiven them as well. "You know, there is a chance they might know God someday," he said. "I forgave them. Believe me, I can tell you even Ragheed's wife now forgave those who killed her husband," he added. According to Open Doors, the border areas between the Kurdish region and Arab Iraq are the most dangerous places in Iraq. Christians are caught in a battle for an autonomous Kurdish region. At the same time, they are under threat from religious cleansing carried out by Islamic extremists. home US John Halpin responds to accusations of anti-Catholic bias John Halpin, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP), has responded to accusations of his anti-Catholic bias in relation to the leaked emails that drew outrage from conservative Catholics and Evangelicals last week. In the April 2011 exchange, Halpin pointed out that News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch and Wall Street Journal managing editor Robert Thomson were raising their children in the Catholic faith. He went on to complain that many powerful members of the conservative movement are Catholics and described it as "an amazing bastardization of the faith." The email was addressed to Jennifer Palmieri, who is currently the communications director for Hillary Clinton's campaign. In a statement Halpin wrote for ThinkProgress, he said that he himself is a Catholic and he has relatives who are conservative Catholics. He confirmed that he is the author of the leaked emails but he clarified that the messages were not meant to insult Catholics. "What I reacted to in my email, rightly or wrongly, was the grand public display of Catholicism from a right-wing billionaire who owns a media conglomerate, including Fox News, that routinely assaults the values of the poor, sows racial discord, and attacks immigrants," Halpin explained, referring to Murdoch. "This seemed inconsistent with what I was taught about Catholic values, so I penned off an email to my other Catholic colleagues," he added. Halpin also said that he was also concerned about the economic policies being forwarded by House Speaker Paul Ryan and other conservatives. He noted that policies such as tax reductions for the rich, privatization of Medicare, repeal of health care and cuts in social welfare spending were promoted by Thomson's newspaper at the time he wrote the email. "So, I'm a progressive Catholic who was reacting in a private email to the arguments of leading conservatives who often misuse Catholicism to defend their agenda," he wrote. He stated that the messages have been taken out of context and the other individuals involved are being unfairly slandered. Catholic and Evangelical Christians have recently released a statement to demand an apology from the Clinton campaign. home US Less than half of evangelicals plan to vote for Trump, according to latest survey The latest survey conducted by LifeWay Research shows American Evangelicals are still divided when it comes to politics, with only less than half declaring to vote for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. The study, conducted between Sept. 27 and Oct. 1, has revealed that 45 percent of evangelicals are planning to vote for Trump while 31 percent say they would vote for Hillary Clinton. About 8 percent are going to vote for Gary Johnson while 15 percent remain undecided. Clinton remains popular among African-Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian-Americans who profess evangelical beliefs. About 62 percent favor her over Trump who has 15 percent. Seven percent say they would vote for Johnson while 13 percent are undecided. A majority of white American evangelicals are supporting Trump over Clinton at 65 to 10 percent. Eight percent are planning to vote for Johnson. Thirteen percent say they are still undecided. Most evangelicals remain loyal to their political parties. Three-quarters of registered Republicans are planning to vote for Trump. About the same percentage of registered Democrats are voting for Clinton. Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, says the division among evangelicals is likely to remain even after the elections. "This group of Christians share the same core beliefs a but they don't vote the same way," said McConnell. "There are significant cultural and political divides among evangelicals that won't easily go away," he added. LifeWay also asked the respondents about the issues that are most important to them. Improvement of the economy is on top of the list at 30 percent. About 17 percent said that national security is important while another 17 percent valued the candidate's personal character. Ten percent say that Supreme Court nominees are significant. Five percent believe that immigration is an important issue. Two percent are concerned about religious freedom while only one percent prioritize the issue of abortion. The survey also indicated that those who go to church at least once a month favor Trump over Clinton at 41 to 34 percent. Those who skip church choose Clinton over Trump at 46 to 31 percent. A previous survey conducted by LifeWay indicated that 40 percent of American pastors are undecided in the coming elections. Most of them do not expect Christians to pick the same candidate if they vote according to their conscience. home World One in three Brits would take a Bible to a desert island A new survey shows that one in three people in the U.K. would still want a Bible with them if they are stranded in a desert island. The study, conducted by ComRes for the Church and Media Network, suggests that the Bible is still valued by Britons who are living in an increasingly secularized culture. About 31 percent of adults said they would take a Bible with them if they are going to be stranded on an island. However, as much as 56 percent said they would not want to bring a Bible and 13 percent said they are not sure. The results show that the Bible is more popular among older generations. Around 39 percent of the respondents who are over the age of 65 want to bring a Bible compared to 18 percent of Britons aged 18 to 24. The number is significantly higher among 25 to 34-year-olds at 28 percent. "Despite the claims we live in a secular country, it's encouraging to see that a third of Brits still value the Bible as an important work," said Steve Cox, chairman of the Church and Media Network. "As Christians we also happen to believe that it is not just a piece of literature, but God's Word. I cannot think of a better book to take with me if I were to be stranded on a desert island," he continued. The survey was similar to the format of Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs" where guests are asked whether they would bring a Bible to a desert island along with the complete works of Shakespeare and eight musical pieces of their choice. "As a network interested in both faith and the media, we would encourage mainstream media outlets and broadcasters to see the importance of communicating the richness of the Bible as a key work in our nation's past, present and future," said Cox. According to the Guinness Book of World records, the Bible remains to be the world's best-selling and most widely distributed book. It is estimated that about 5 billion copies have been printed between 1815 and 1975. Christian Forces Will 'Fight Relentlessly' To Free Mosul From ISIS Christian forces in Iraq have sworn to "fight relentlessly" to free Mosul and the surrounding areas from ISIS control. In a statement released on Monday, the Nineveh Plain Forces (NPF) said: "we salute the Peshmerga forces, all Iraqi military forces, the federal police and the international coalition on the launch of the operations that will allow the retaking of the province of Nineveh". Government troops backed by the US and other forces on Monday launched an air and ground offensive to recapture Mosul in the biggest operation since the Iraq invasion of 2003. The city, once considered the heartland of Iraq's Christian population, was overrun by Islamic State in June 2014 and remains the jihadist group's last stronghold in Iraq. The NPF said in its statement that it represents the "Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian" people of Iraq, and is "honoured to participate in these operations to liberate all of our occupied territories, and to push out the terrorist gangs of ISIS. "We have sworn to fight relentlessly, side by side with the allied forces, in order to free all of our cities and villages in the Nineveh Plain and Mosul area," the statement continued. "We promise our people that we will honour this commitment." The NPF is one of several Christian militias operating in Iraq. The Nineveh Plain Protection Unites (NPU) is another the two belong to different political parties. The NPU last month claimed to have driven out ISIS militants from Badaneh, a "traditionally Christian village" south of Mosul. But though Assyrian Christians are among a number of religious minorities who have suffered immensely under Islamic State, there has been some disagreement within the Assyrian community as to whether so-called 'Christian militias' should exist at all. Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako said in May that supporting Christian forces would be "a bad idea". "There are no 'Christian militias', but only politicized groups and simple people who are in desperate need of a salary," he said. "The remaining Christians in Iraq are only the poor and those belonging to the middle class, and among them, there are 100,000 displaced people." The Assyrian Confederation of Europe (ACE), however, said it was concerned by Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako's comments. "There is broad agreement between Assyrian organisations in Iraq and the diaspora that Assyrians must actively participate in the military campaign to liberate the Nineveh Plain and secure the area after the liberation," ACE said. "The Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU), which is tasked with that mandate, is officially recognised and supported by the Iraqi government." On Tuesday, the armed forces closing in on Mosul said they had secured around 20 villages on the outskirts of the city. Early reports suggest that forces are already stationed close to Qaraqosh and Bartalla, two Christian towns that have been under ISIS control for more than two years. Qaraqosh was once home to Iraq's largest Christian community, with at least a quarter of the country's Christian population living in the city and its surrounding towns. Tens of thousands were forced to flee when militants moved in on August 6, 2014. Up to 1.5 million are expected to flee Mosul in the coming days and weeks, which could make it the worst humanitarian crisis this year. Freed At Last: Iranian Pastor Released From Prison After Six Years The Iranian pastor held in prison for six years for Christian activities that Iran brands crimes against the state, has been released, according to charity and advocacy groups. Behnam Irani, 43, was first arrested in December 2006, four years after he became a pastor. In April 2010, security forces reportedly raided one of his house church services, assaulted him and took him into custody, while other security officials interrogated those attending the service and confiscated Bibles, Christian literature and DVDs. The evangelical Christian from Karaj city was sentenced in 2011 to six years in prison for action against the state. In 2014, it emerged that Irani faced 18 new charges, including one for a capital crime. "Irani has been released from prison and is now free," advocacy group Present Truth Ministries (PTM) was quoted as saying by BosNewsLife. "We thank you all for your prayers. The Lord has preserved him in a mighty way!" Separately, partners of Release International (RI) confirmed that Irani had been freed. "However, he is said to be in poor health following his ordeal in Ghezal Hesar prison, reputedly one of the toughest jails in Iran," RI said. The group's CEO, Paul Robinson, said: "Release International is delighted that Pastor Irani has finally been set free. We have been campaigning for this for years. "However, our partners report that 200 other prisoners remain in jail in Iran because of their faith a number have been arrested over the past year. Like Behnam Irani, many of these Christian prisoners have been beaten, abused and threatened. "Release urges Iran to end its long-running crackdown on the church and set free all of its prisoners who are behind bars for their religious beliefs." PTM said that Irani "came to know Jesus Christ in 1992 and has been a pastor since 2002." In 2008, Irani was given a five year suspended sentence. According to BosNewsLife, "Irani continued his activities as an effective evangelical pastor of a 300-strong house church congregation of the evangelical Church of Iran movement, raising anger among authorities in this strict Islamic nation." PTM said: "Brother Behnam was in prison for two months then he was released on bail in June 2010. In January 2011 he was tried for and convicted of crimes against national security. Basically, in this instance, crimes against national security is holding house church services and leading Muslims to Christ." Irani gave a rare interview with BosNewsLife from prison, through a mediator, saying: "I've the joy of the Holy Spirit. I'm very thankful for Christian activists who are fighting alongside with us." The pastor confirmed at the time that he was in poor health including reported intestinal problems and rheumatism due to mistreatment and poor hygiene in the prison, but said he is "is fighting". Irani was expected to be reunited with his family: he is married to Kristina, an Armenian Christian, and has a daughter, Rebecca, 11 and a son Adriel, 5. Iran has a long history of human rights abuses and persecution of Christians. Earlier this month, three Iranian Christians were sentenced to 80 lashes for taking communion wine. Like Irani, they face charges of crimes 'against national security'. It is illegal for a Muslim to drink alcohol in Iran and these Christians are converts from Muslim backgrounds. According to RI, "These charges reflect the state position that once a Muslim, always a Muslim." Robinson said: "Why should Christians be whipped for taking communion? Release calls on Iran to give its citizens freedom of religion, and to stop confusing that most basic of human freedoms freedom to choose your faith with state security." RI added: "There is a risk the pastor could still be charged with apostasy converting from Islam which carries the death sentence." Christians make up one half of one per cent of Iran's population. In 2010, Ayatollah Khamenei branded house churches a threat to national security. Hillary Clinton On The Christian Faith That Shaped Her Politics Nearly a quarter of a century ago, Hillary Clinton, then First Lady, spoke about the importance of her Christian faith and how it shaped her as a person. Now The Washington Post has republished the interview, in which she gives particular credit to her Methodist youth minister Don Jones. The New York Post recently claimed that Clinton had declared war on religious Americans. But the interview shows a different side to the Democratic presidential nominee. Clinton described how her father traced his Methodist roots through his own parents and grandparents in England and Wales. "And then the church itself really appealed to me, because, well, the church I grew up in was very child-oriented, very supportive of kids in their early years as they tried to find their way through faith, not in a dogmatic way, but in a real open way in which anything could be discussed. "No question was out of bounds. "And I think that gave me a grounding in my faith that has sustained me. And the whole discipline of the Methodist church appeals to me, with the emphasis on scripture and reason and tradition and experience. So for both family and personal reasons it just made a real fit for me." She said everyone on her father's side of the family was christened in the same small church in Scranton. "It was a part of the real motivating force in our lives," she said. One event that stood out was when Jones took some of the young people down to hear Martin Luther King Jr preach in downtown Chicago. "It was a wonderful time for me," she said. Her father was a Republican but she was impressed by the way he supported disadvantaged people - such as by helping them into employment. She said she had "a burning desire" to make the world a better place for everybody. She herself was a Republican until her first year when at Wellesley, 1965-66, when she was asked to be president of the college Republican Party but her views shifted to the left and she began moving towards the Democrats. As regards her Christian practice, she said she went sporadically to church when in college and in grad school. "I'd go to chapel at Wellesley and I'd go into town at Wellesley on occasion, and the same at Yale. I'd go to chapel or, I'd go to--there were a couple of small churches in New Haven that I really liked. There was a really small, beautiful episcopal church that I liked to go to." She shopped around. "It was mostly because I wanted to go to different services or I wanted to go to different churches because I heard that somebody was going to preach great sermon or some church had a great choir. So I was, yeah, just real open. And I knew that I wasn't going to be living in those communities when I graduated from college or law school so I kept my membership at home." Her religious beliefs were not separate from her political beliefs. "I've tried to lead an integrated life and so the spiritual, the emotional, the psychological, and physical, and all of that -- I'm not there, I don't want to mislead you. But I'm trying very hard to have that be the primary purpose of my life. I want to feel as though I've led a coherent, integrated life. "And the spiritual part of my life is a very important element to me in defining who I am and what I care about. It's a real benchmark, I mean, when I disappoint myself because of the way that I have treated somebody, or behaved, it's against a backdrop of believing that, you know, there's some effort I should make to try to be better than that, and it's something very personal with me." She also said the search for meaning should cut across all kinds of religious and ideological boundaries. "That's what we should be struggling about, not 'You have a corner on God and I don't' or 'You're the real true person and this other one isn't.' "I mean, that is an unfortunate and in many ways destructive debate. What we ought to start from is a sense that I think is widely shared now in a lot of elements of society, which is that being economically prosperous, having a religious country, having most people able to participate in the market and have luxuries beyond their grandparents' wildest dreams and all of this stuff that we now have is not sufficient, or leading a meaningful personal life, or a meaningful community life." Battle Begins To Liberate Largest Christian Town In Iraq From ISIS A town that once had the largest Christian population in Iraq may soon be liberated from Islamic State, according to local reports. Forces entered Qaraqosh, which was before ISIS home to at least a quarter of Iraq's Christian community, on Tuesday and began the battle for liberation. Kurdish troops stationed to protect Qaraqosh withdrew on August 6, 2014, leaving ISIS free to move in overnight and take it along with three other Christian-majority towns. The insurgency happened less than a month after ISIS overran nearby Mosul, which is now the subject of a major offensive led by Iraqi troops backed by the US and other forces. The battle to retake Mosul began on Monday, and the army has already secured 20 villages on the outskirts of the city. Fraternite en Irak, an organisation set up in 2011 to help victims of religious violence in Iraq, reported on Tuesday that Peshmerga forces had entered both Qaraqosh and nearby Karamless. "Qaraqosh and Karamless were taken this morning," the group wrote on Twitter, noting that it would take some time for military forces to establish control of the city. A source from the Nineveh Operations Command of the Iraqi military told the BBC that troops had "entered Qaraqosh without meeting any resistance". However, an Iraqi general told the BBC that reports Qaraqosh had been retaken were untrue. There are believed to be no Christians left in the city after tens of thousands fled when ISIS took over. Father Nageed Michaeel, a Dominican priest, was among those who left Qaraqosh in 2014, walking 40km on foot to Erbil in the middle of the night with around 50,000 others. "It was terrible. There were women and children with no food and water," he previously recalled of the journey in an interview with Kurdish news agency Rudaw. Of the situation in Erbil, he warned that the tens of thousands left stranded were getting desperate. "We are in a tunnel and cannot see the light," he said. In December 2014, an Iraqi priest told the Sunday Times that Bahnam Wa Sara and Al Kiama churches in Qaraqosh were being used by ISIS to hold prisoners. "These two churches are being used as prisons and for torture," Abu Aasi said, speaking from Baghdad where he had fled. "Most inside are Christians and they are being forced to convert to Islam. ISIS have been breaking all the crosses and statues of Mary." Despite intense persecution, however, there have been incredible stories of forgiveness from those forced to flee. Speaking to SAT-7 in March, a 10-year-old girl from Qaraqosh, Myriam, said she would ask God to forgive the militants who threatened her family's life. "God loves everybody," she said. "I'm not angry with God because we left Qaraqosh, I thank him because he provided [for] us. Even if we're suffering here, he provides for us." She ended her interview which has been watched hundreds of thousands of times online with a song about how much she loves Jesus. Another priest who fled Qaraqosh two years ago, Father Roni Momika, told Catholic News Agency on Monday that he was hopeful "good news" of his home city would come soon. It is a "big centre for Christians," he said. Fr Momika was training to be a priest in Qaraqosh when he and his family were forced to flee, so he completed seminary in Lebanon and now works in a camp for the displaced back in Iraq. He is hopeful of returning home, but returning to Qaraqosh "is very dangerous now because we don't know if our homes and churches have been destroyed or bombed," he said. "If all is bombed, as it is now in Qaraqosh, they [ISIS] will have destroyed everything," he added. "They will have destroyed our homes, the churches, schools, pharmacies, hospitals.... Please pray for us." Marking the beginning of its 50th anniversary year PFLAG National has elected the first Indigenous person to serve on its board of directors... Marine Le Pen Would Ban All Religious Clothing, Including Crosses, 'To Fight Islam' Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader in France, has promised to ban all religious clothing including Christian symbols, in a bid to defeat radical Islam. The National Front chief enjoyed a surge in polls after recent terror attacks and is expected to come top or second in the first round of presidential voting in April. She said on Sunday that Jews and Christians would have to accept the ban in order to "fight the advance of political Islam". If elected in April and May next year Le Pen, 48, said she would extend the current ban on religious symbols in state schools to all public spaces. "I know this is a sacrifice, but I believe that the situation is too serious today." The proposed ban would include Christian crosses and Jewish kippah as well as Muslim garments like the hijab and burka. Le Pen was recently accused of "waging Hitler's campaign" but "replacing Jews with Arabs and blacks". Comedian Guy Bedos, 82, told his audience that Le Pen's message was: "If you are unemployed and you're suffering it's because there are too many Arabs, too many blacks and if we throw them into the sea you will have work." Her comments this weekend came after French President Francois Hollande said his country had "a problem with Islam". In an explosive 660-page book called 'A President Should Not Say That', Hollande was revealed to have said there were too many illegal migrants and suggested a "veiled woman" could be the female symbol of France. Pope's Man In Iraq Urges Christians Not To Flee One in three of the entire population of Iraq is in desperate need of humanitarian aid, according to the Pope's representative in the war-torn country. Archbishop Alberto Ortega, Apostolic Nuncio, said that the current crisis of war will not end without a political will to end it. Christians can help bring that about, he said. Ortega told Catholic News Agency: "If the international community, if they really want to make peace, to promote peace, they can engage more intensively and to reach the agreements necessary to reach peace." Christians had a potentially important role to play in helping dialogue and can be agents of reconciliation. "Even if as a number they are a minority, they can play a very important role as wielders of reconciliation, of peace, of unity, as they have done in the past. They have always been a factor of stability and a factor of development in the country." He was speaking at a symposium in Rome involving religious congregations and other charities working in the Middle East. Ortega said there are 10 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, nearly one-third of the population. There are 3.5 million internally displaced and escalating tensions between different groups. Trust has been a big issue. "At the end, mercy is the only way to reconciliation. In this aspect the Christians can play a very important role. Even if as a number they are a minority, they can play a very important role as wielders of reconciliation, of peace, of unity, as they have done in the past. They have always been a factor of stability and a factor of development in the country," he said. He urged Christians to remain because their presence is so important for the country. "They have a special mission of being Christians in the Holy Land, of being Christians in a context that is difficult but is very necessary." However, an Aid to the Church in Need meeting at Parliament on the Iraq crisis yesterday was told that eight in ten Christians remaining in Iraq now want to leave. Just a few months ago, eight in ten were committed to staying. Sorry Secularists, But Yes, The UN Can Be Led By A 'Fervent Catholic' Should being a practising Christian bar you from holding a top diplomatic job? And is the Church a force for bad or good in the world? Like around 85 per cent of his fellow countrymen, the former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres is a Catholic. He has also just unanimously been appointed by the UN General Assembly as its next Secretary General. And in an interesting and carefully worded piece for the Huffington Post, the executive director of the UK National Secular Society, Keith Porteous Wood, has raised some objections and warnings. Wood prefaces his comments with the statement that, "We need the best person for the job regardless of their religion or belief." He also praises Guterres' widely acclaimed work as the UN High Commissioner for refugees. But he begins his critique by citing a report by the Agence France Press which describes Guterres as a "fervent Catholic". Wood goes on: "[The report] says that while he allowed a referendum in 1996 on liberalisation of Portugal's strict anti-abortion laws, his opposition to any change in the law contributed to the referendum's failure." Aside from the very loaded use of the word "failure" here, it's worth remembering that referendums are very major events in politics, not granted lightly, and their results can often go dramatically against incumbent governments, as we have learned recently in the UK. It would have been surprising had the then prime minister not taken a position. Like Guterres, David Cameron backed the status quo in the EU membership referendum earlier this year (as, incidentally, he did in the widely forgotten electoral reform referendum of 2011). Doubtless many of Portugal's nine million Catholics were against holding such a referendum in the first place (the decision was, as Wood points out, overturned in a subsequent referendum in 2007). "Abortion will have featured little if at all in Mr Guterres' activities on refugees, but will be important in the culture war raging at the UN alongside issues associated with contraception and homosexuality," writes Wood. "These are also areas where conservative Catholic doctrine comes into conflict with individuals' human rights." As well as pre-empting the positions of a man who has yet to begin his new role, this, of course, skates over the "human rights" of the unborn. Wood's article then goes on a long and somewhat bizarre diversion into the world of Vatican diplomacy. It is almost as if Guterres who by all accounts is a very good listener, according to this commendably balanced article by the BBC's Lyse Doucet is himself representing the Holy See itself. "The Vatican may be the smallest state in the world but is very active at the United Nations," Wood writes. "At the Human Rights Council, it is the only country I have seen that always has two representatives in the chamber listening to every syllable as though their lives depend on it, handing over the headphones to each other like relay runners do the baton." Wood concludes: "When acting as Secretary General I would urge Guterres to embrace rather than obstruct the expansion and strengthening of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Gay Rights. The world will be watching and hoping fervently that he will not be unduly influenced by regressive religious forces." It is unclear whether Wood considers the pope to be among those "regressive religious forces". But as it happens, Pope Francis has been at the forefront of global efforts in highlighting the plight of refugees, of Syria and of the poor and disadvantaged around the world. Further, as the former British Ambassador to the Holy See, Francis Campbell has highlighted: "The Catholic Church alone is reckoned to be the world's second largest international development body after the UN. More than 50 per cent of the hospitals in Africa are operated under the auspices of faith-based organisations. The Catholic Church in Africa is responsible for nearly one quarter of health care provision, including over 25 per cent of HIV care worldwide. In education too the Catholic Church is a huge provider. It provides places in school to some 12 million children each year." The Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies produced a prophetic report on religion and foreign policy in July 2007, saying that "miscalculating religion's role has sometimes led to failure to anticipate conflict or has actually been counterproductive to policy goals. It has kept officials from properly engaging influential leaders, interfered with the provision of effective development assistance and at times harmed national security." The former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright has said that "since the terror attacks of 9/11, I have come to realize that it may be I who was stuck in an earlier time. Like many other foreign policy professionals, I have had to adjust the lens through which I view the world." And as Campbell points out: "The late Harvard Professor Samuel Huntington argued that some of the religious movements helped to usher in the "third wave" of democracy in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Sub Saharan Africa and Asia from the 1970s to the early 90s. The US Council of Foreign Relations cites more than 30 of the 80 countries that became freer in 1972-2000, owed some of that improvement to religion. For example, in Nicaragua and El Salvador, Christian Churches played a prominent role within the reformist and revolutionary movements of the 1980s. In the 1990s, religion, ethnicity and nationalism collided with devastating force in the Balkans. In the Philippines, Cardinal Sin and Catholic organisations openly condemned the Marcos regime." It may be unfashionable to say it, but when it comes to these issues, the Catholic Church as well as the wider Church often are and can be progressive forces in international relations. Contrary to Wood's analysis, in a world broken by war, it would surely be a mistake for the UN Secretary General to ignore religion in his new role. Trapped Civilians Could Leave Aleppo On Thursday, As Russia Announces Brief Ceasefire Thousands of civilians trapped in the besieged city of Aleppo in Syria could be able to leave on Thursday after Russia announced it would hold an eight-hour ceasefire. The Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday that it would pause attacks to allow civilians and rebels passage out of the city. The UN estimates that 275,000 people are currently trapped in the east of Aleppo. But Moscow ruled out a lasting ceasefire, a step that Western governments have been demanding, saying that would only give Islamist rebels in the city an opportunity to regroup. The United Nations, which has long called for weekly 48-hour humanitarian pauses in the fighting, welcomed the Russian announcement. "Any lessening of the violence, lessening of the fighting, any pause that's actually implemented, would be very much welcome," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. "We will use whatever pause we have to do whatever we can. Obviously there is a need for a longer pause in order to get [aid] trucks in," he said. Russian aircraft and Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been bombarding rebel-controlled districts of Aleppo since the collapse of an internationally-brokered ceasefire last month. The US and some European states have accused Moscow and Syria of committing atrocities such as deliberately targeting civilians, hospitals and aid deliveries, but Russian officials deny that and accuse the West of abetting terrorists. Speaking at a briefing in Moscow, Lieutenant-General Sergei Rudskoy, a senior Defence Ministry official, said rebels in parts of Aleppo were killing civilians while Western governments turned a blind eye. "Given the situation, a unilateral ceasefire makes no sense, since Jabhat al-Nusra and groups allied to it will once again be given a breather, will regroup and restore their military capability," Rudskoy said, referring to a rebel group previously allied to al Qaeda. He said Russia was working with other powers to achieve a peace deal for Aleppo, but that would take time, so in the meantime it had decided to initiate a humanitarian pause. The pause is intended "first and foremost so that civilians can move freely, for the evacuation of the sick and wounded, and also for the removal of rebels," he said. "On Oct. 20 from 0800 (0500 GMT) until 1600, a humanitarian pause will be implemented in the area of Aleppo. For that period, Russia's air force and Syrian government forces will halt air strikes and firing from other weapons," he said. Speaking in London on Monday, a Catholic nun who works in Aleppo to coordinate and deliver emergency aid supplied by Aid to the Church in Need described the horror of living under constant bombardment. "The tears of grief have become dry from too much sadness but our people are persisting and resisting, awaiting the dawn but unable to see the horizon," Sister Annie said. "They suffer silently and cry with no tears. The dreams of our people were great in the past when they dreamed and dreamed of the possibilities for their lives, but this brutal war has not left any place without destroying it: the country's infrastructure, the people themselves together with their hearts and dreams." Earlier this month, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the bombardment of Aleppo was "demonic" and shows "absolute contempt for the human spirit". In an interview with ITV News, Welby said: "What is being done is evil, it is demonic, it is the absolute contempt for the human spirit, for the dignity of the human being. It is the brushing aside of the poor and the weak and the fragile, in a way that is as bad as anything we've seen in the last century." The Archbishop also called for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to stand down, saying that to do so would be "heroic". Additional reporting by Reuters. Why Our Refugee Policy Needs To Be Driven By Compassion, Not Cruelty This week, more than 100 refugee children will move to the UK to be reunited with their families. Having made the perilous journey from as far away as Syria and Afghanistan, fleeing war, violence and persecution, they will finally be with their relatives again, and able to begin piecing together some semblance of a normal childhood. No doubt traumatised, it will be a long and painful process. They are among the first of hopefully many more to come the Red Cross has identified at least 178 children living in the Calais 'Jungle' refugee camp as eligible to live in the UKdue to having close relatives here. Hundreds more are eligible under the Dubs amendment an amendment to the Immigration Bill tabled by Labour peer Lord Alf Dubs earlier this year, under which unaccompanied refugee minors in Europe can legally be relocated to the UK. Sadly, even more children are not able to legally move to Britain, and have been abandoned to the squalor of the camp, soon to be demolished, with nowhere to go. According to charity Help Refugees, there are more than 1,000 unaccompanied minors living in the 'Jungle', under constant threat of sexual violence, abuse and human trafficking. Our failure to help them is a national disgrace. But we must celebrate the small victories. Fourteen teenage boys arrived in Croydon yesterday, all of them aged between 14 and 17. The brother of 14-year-old Aimal Khan told the Press Association how excited he was to see his younger sibling again. Asif, 25, fled Afghanistan in 2005, but Aimal stayed behind. The 14-year-old made it to Calais in the spring, but has until now not been able to travel to the UK to be with his brother. "I really appreciate this. It was a blessing to receive him from there I'm really happy," Asif said ahead of Aimal's return. "His journey was so difficult, it was by walking, by bus to Calais. He gets a new life now, because there are many people who died in Calais... I will just hug him because I haven't seen him since I left I just miss him." It's heart-warming to know that the result of relentless campaigning by human rights groups is brothers like Asif and Aimal getting to be with one another again. Though it's been a slow process, it's Britain's willingness to act on behalf of the poorest and most vulnerable that makes it worthy of the title 'Great'. And yet David Davies, Conservative MP for Monmouth, said on Twitter of the refugees' arrival: "These don't look like 'children' to me. I hope British hospitality is not being abused." According to the Telegraph, he added: "These young men don't look like minors to me. They are hulking teenagers who look older than 18. I'm all for helping the genuine children but the well of goodwill is rapidly being exhausted here. "I'm also curious that there are no young women I would have thought they would be much more vulnerable. I worry that once again British hospitality is being abused. "There is no way of knowing if someone is a child. We could end up causing even more misery if we are not careful. We should invite anyone who wants to come to the UK to take dental tests." It's an extraordinary example of total ignorance. There are very few women in the Calais camp in part because of the difficulty of the journey to get there. The Home Office confirmed it carried out stringent checks to verify the boys' ages, working "closely with the French Authorities to ensure that the cases applying to come to the UK qualify". "Initial interviews are conducted to gather information on identity, medical conditions and age among other criteria," a spokeswoman said, and documents were provided by each of the boys to prove their age. For Davies to chime in with criticism is entirely unnecessary, even cruel. The boys have already arrived his comments can only serve to contribute to the anti-immigrant sentiment that has risen dramatically since Brexit. As for Britain's "well of goodwill", the UK has taken in only around 80 children under EU asylum law this year. We can and must do much more. This shouldn't even be about "goodwill" or wanting applause for doing the right thing. It's about simple human decency, and extending the right to live free from fear to children who have been through unimaginable suffering. It's not the first time Davies has spoken on this he previously criticised Archbishop Justin Welby's call for the UK to welcome more refugees. In an article on his website in January, Davies said: "How wonderfully saintly it must feel to sleep at night with an easy conscience knowing you have roundly condemned the wicked politicians and bigots who worry about mass migration without actually having to take difficult decisions yourself and live with the consequences." There's no doubt that politicians have a very difficult job with regards to immigration policy. But Davies, sitting behind his comfortable desk, would do well to look beyond the "hulking" bodies of these teenage boys, and consider that compassion is usually the best place to start. Why Willow Creek Community Church Is Promoting the 'Love Everyone, Always' Campaign As U.S. Election Day draws nearer, the Willow Creek Community Church in the Chicago suburb of South Barrington, Illinois is launching a billboard campaign called "Love Everyone, Always" in hopes of unifying people despite their political differences. The "Love Everyone, Always" campaign will be launched on Oct. 22 on digital billboards over the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway at Elmhurst Road near Des Plaines and at the Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago, according to the Daily Herald. The billboards promoting love and unity will be up until Nov. 20. Willow Creek leaders came up with the idea for the campaign over the summer after seeing so many people torn by strife and racial injustices. Over the past few months, several black men have already lost their lives in Minnesota and Louisiana because of police shootings, and church leaders believe it's time to put an end to hatred and bitterness. Their billboard campaign hopes to bridge the gap among people of different backgrounds, race, and even political affiliations. The message is simple: Love your neighbour as you love yourself. "I think our world would be fascinated in a time where there seems to be so much negativity, so much rhetoric, so much cynicism, by just a fresh pop of inspiration that brings you back to roots of good news," said Teaching Pastor Steve Carter. Aside from love, the animated message on the billboards will also include other positive reminders to "respect," "forgive" and "serve" other people. Church members will not stop with just the billboard. As part of the "Love Everyone, Always" campaign, volunteers will also distribute yard signs and bumper stickers that promote the biblical message. "We wanted to kind of get back to this is what Jesus invites us to do, to love and respect and welcome and bless everyone always," Carter said. Vern Whitten Photography Oasis Petroleum Inc. is banking on the proceeds from millions of shares of common stock to fund part of its planned acquisition of another company's Bakken Shale assets. The Houston-based exploration and production company has begun selling 48 million shares of common stock, the company announced Tuesday. The company anticipates gross proceeds of $518.4 million. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate River Oaks Theatre 2009 W. Gray, landmarktheatres.com AMERICAN PSYCHO: An investment banking executive hides his psychopathic ego from his friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies. Midnight Friday and Saturday Alamo Drafthouse 531 South Mason Road, Katy; drafthouse.com THE EXORCIST: When a teenage girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests. 7:30 p.m. Saturday Rice Cinema 6100 Main, film.rice.edu A FACE IN THE CROWD: Andy Griffith plays an Arkansas drifter who becomes an overnight media sensation, but the star's ego and arrogance threaten his rise to the top. 7 p.m. Friday ELECTION: A high school teacher's personal life becomes complicated as he works with students during the school elections. 7 p.m. Saturday QUIET STORMS OF REFORM: Documentary film about ending America's homelessness. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 1001 Bissonnet; mfah.org DRAGON INN: Expert swordsmen defend the son and daughter of a condemned army commander. 7:30 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday A TOUCH OF ZEN: A fugitive on the run is joined by an unambitious painter and skilled Buddhist monks. 5 p.m. Sunday ANCHORMAN: Ron Burgundy is a top-rated newsman, but everything changes when an ambitious woman is hired as a new anchor. 7 p.m. Monday Italian Cultural Center 1101 Milford, iccchouston.com PROFONDO ROSSO: After witnessing the murder of a famous psychic, a musician teams up with a reporter to find the killer. 7:15 p.m. Tuesday Houston Museum of Natural Science 5555 Hermann Park Drive; hmns.org WILD AFRICA 3-D: A contrast of stunning deserts beside wild oceans and coral reefs. Multiple screenings daily. DINOSAURS ALIVE: 3-D adventure follows paleontologists as they uncover evidence of dinosaur descendents. Multiple screenings daily. NATIONAL PARKS ADVENTURE: World-class adventurers, hike and climb their way across America. Multiple screenings daily. I have spoken to many in the industry this year who are upset that the channel isn't bringing in more deals - non-network deals. As one CEO told me, "Luddites are still selling network. And the price compression is killing everyone." I know. Revenue and price compression are working against everyone. I get requests for Gigabit pipes in rural areas that come with a budget of less than $3K. It is unrealistic, but you can't explain it to people. They don't want to hear it. Providers would like to sell more managed services. They probably could if they told a better story besides we want to manage your technology. MSPs do a good job of explaining the value of outsourced services to businesses, but carriers do not (yet). While partners hear all the chatter about cloud, colo, SD-WAN and UCaaS, they realize that network is the easier sale. And you have to sell more and more to stay even. Some of it is a Trust issue. If the vendor has screwed up number porting on a PRI or POTS line, are you really going to sell their UCaaS? If the carrier can't find their network maps, do you think they can do a good job with SD-WAN? If the billing is always an issue, why would you sell complicated stuff with that vendor? Personally, I have an issue selling managed router. It is overly automated with no human interaction at all. Automated emails and trouble tickets mean an angry customer. Would I use that carrier for managed security? Um, no. Some of it is a Clarity problem. By that I mean, the vendor catalog is so larg - and it is usually delivered to the channel in a fashion similar to confetti: thrown at you. There needs to be more context. What is the core product? How do the rest of those services align or add value to that core? Who buys it? Why do they buy it? Additionally, there needs to be more proof that clients are buying it. Meanwhile, another provider enters the network fray: Google Fiber is looking to partners to reach the small business market. "Aaron Withrow, channel partner manager for Google Fiber, acknowledged the challenges in selling to businesses and offering them value beyond a boatload of bandwidth." [CP] An ASIDE: the reason folks sell SIP Trunks in place of UCaaS is a similar argument. It is a faster sale - straight up replacement transaction. Two Houston men are facing a smattering of felony charges after a series of local bank robberies, the FBI said in a press release Monday. Calvin Germany, 25, is charged with two counts of robbery after he allegedly held up a Woodforest National Bank inside a Walmart on the North Freeway on Oct. 5. When Walter Cronkite turned the anchor desk of "CBS Evening News" over to Dan Rather in 1981, he was not only passing the job from one iconic television newsman to another. He was passing it from one Houston-area native to another. For nearly 43 years, the two legendary reporters and anchormen steered the flagship news program at CBS through seminal moments in American history, from the assassination of John F. Kennedy to the war in Vietnam, to Watergate and the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. Though they traversed the globe to bring the American public the latest news, their upbringing in Texas continued to influence the stories they told. Born in 1916 in St. Joseph, Mo., Cronkite moved with his family at age 10 to Houston, where he attended Lanier Junior High School and later San Jacinto High School. From his childhood home in Montrose, Cronkite displayed a prescient interest in telecommunications, stringing wires across the neighborhood to create a telegraph system among his friends. "We communicated by Morse code and were pretty good at it when it all ended abruptly," Cronkite recalled in his 1997 memoir. "The telephone company took what we considered to be unnecessary umbrage at our use of the poles to string our wires." More Information OffScreen Though they shared some Houston roots, worked together and separately manned the same anchor desk at CBS News for a combined 43 years, Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite were not the best of friends. Tension between the two sometimes was captured in comments contained in Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley's biography "Cronkite." Rather on Cronkite: "It was like he woke up in 1987 and saw me in his old job with successful ratings, making more money than he ever did - and I was relatively young to boot. He wanted to destroy me. I didn't know what to do. I kept wondering how to handle his venom. I decided I didn't want to fight him. So I hunkered down in the fetal position and just took it." Cronkite on Rather: "I think it's unfortunate that any other person feels about another as I do about Dan. But to me, I guess, Dan just reeks of insincerity." See More Collapse While at Lanier, Cronkite got his first experience with journalism reporting for the school's Purple Pup. At San Jacinto High School, where he was editor of the Campus Cub newspaper, he met Fred Birney, a former Houston reporter who, Cronkite later wrote, "would inspire me to become a career print and broadcast journalist." In 1933, Cronkite enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked for the Daily Texan before dropping out in the fall of his junior year. In 1937, he joined the United Press wire service, where he became an influential World War II reporter, covering conflicts in North Africa and Europe. Cronkite was recruited to join CBS in 1950 by famed newsman Edward R. Murrow, and he hosted a number of shows before succeeding Douglas Edwards as anchor of "CBS Evening News" in 1962. Shortly thereafter, on Nov. 22, 1963, Cronkite solidified his place in the public imagination as "the most trusted man in America." "From Dallas, Texas, the flash, apparently official: 'President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time.' 2 o'clock Eastern Standard Time, some 38 minutes ago," Cronkite told viewers. He paused, put his glasses back on and swallowed, as he struggled to hold back emotions. With a tremor in his voice, he continued. "Vice President Johnson has left the hospital in Dallas, but we do not know to where he has proceeded; presumably he will be taking the oath of office shortly and become the 36th president of the United States." Perhaps Cronkite's favorite story was the space race, according to Don Carleton, a friend and director of the University of Texas' Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. "From the earliest days of the space program, Walter brought the excitement, the drama and the achievements of space flight directly into our homes," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a 2009 statement mourning Cronkite's death. With live coverage of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon, Cronkite famously exhaled "Whew boy," a reaction he later described as "a speechless moment for all of mankind." After nearly 19 years at the helm, Cronkite passed the "CBS Evening News "anchor desk to Rather in 1981. With the transition came a distinct shift in style, with Rather departing at moments from the strict objectivism that typified Cronkite. For the next 24 years, Rather cemented his place as an influential reporter, clashing with Vice President George H.W. Bush over the Iran-Contra scandal, conducting the first interview by a U.S. journalist of Saddam Hussein after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, interviewing President Bill Clinton following the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and presenting the first TV reports of abuses of Iraqi inmates at Abu Ghraib prison. Once described as "Houston's Horatio Alger," Rather was born in 1931 in Wharton County. The family moved to the Heights, where he attended Love Elementary, Alexander Hamilton Middle School and John H. Reagan High School. He became the first of his family to attend college when he enrolled at Sam Houston State Teacher's College, graduating in 1953 with a degree in journalism. Though he has vaulted far from Huntsville since, he has kept close ties with his alma mater. "He's given money well into seven figures, has visited with students and conducted seminars," said James Gaertner, the former president of the since renamed Sam Houston State University and a friend of Rather's. "Every time I've been around, he's just been the most gracious, nicest man you could possibly imagine, and it seems like it comes naturally to him. He's not trying to be someone he's not." Following graduation, Rather cut his journalistic teeth in Houston media. "I tried desperately to get on with the Chronicle," Rather recalled in a 2005 interview, "but I was a horrible speller." So he began in radio, later working at KTRH, KTRK-TV, KHOU-TV, and, eventually, the Houston Chronicle. While working as the director of news and public affairs for KHOU in 1961, Rather came to the attention of CBS executives for his pioneering coverage of Hurricane Carla. Enduring heavy winds and rain, and wading waist-deep in Galveston floodwaters, Rather confronted the elements long before it became a commonplace trope of weather reporters. "The coverage of Hurricane Carla turned out to be a big break, maybe the biggest break I had as a professional," Rather later recalled. CBS hired Rather in 1961 to head its newly established Southwest bureau in Dallas and later its Southern bureau in New Orleans, where he contributed to on-the-ground coverage of the JFK assassination for CBS News, filing reports disseminated by Cronkite. Alongside his hard-hitting news persona, Rather intermittently inserted folksy Texas expressions, known endearingly as "Ratherisms," into his coverage. "The presidential race is hotter than a Laredo parking lot," Rather said during the 2000 election, later adding, "This race is as tight as rusted lug nuts on a '55 Ford." Rather came under fire in 2004 following a faulty report on "60 Minutes" that questioned President George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard. Further scrutiny, as well as an internal investigation by CBS, led Rather to apologize, and in 2005 he signed off for the final time from "CBS Evening News." He left the network in 2006. He remains an active journalist, hosting "The Big Interview" on AXS TV. Cronkite died in 2009 at age 92. His legacy in the world of journalism remains palpable. "His may be the only voice of a television newsman that we still hear in our heads," said Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley, whose biography of the famed newsman "Cronkite" was published in 2012. "The way he delivered the news was so memorable and distinctive, but it was never grating. It was reassuring." Karl Stolleis/Staff Johnson & Johnson Innovation announced Tuesday that it has created the Center for Device Innovation at Texas Medical Center to speed up development of "breakthrough" medical devices. CDI will consist of a new medical device engineering studio with a staff of researchers and developers, and will have access to preclinical facilities at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Texas Heart Institute, according to a statement from Johnson & Johnson. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Houston Methodist St. John Hospital in Nassau Bay has named Dr. Akhila Vijayakumar medical director of inpatient neurology and stroke. "It is an honor to serve as medical director and continue to advance the great work that our physicians and staff do on behalf of our patients," Vijayakumar said in a news release. "We are committed to ensuring that Houston Methodist St. John Hospital is leading the way in identifying and utilizing clinical best practices in neurology and stroke care to deliver the best possible patient outcomes." Houston Methodist St. John Hospital is certified Stroke Ready by the healthcare quality assurance company DNV-GL. "Dr. Vijayakumar is an excellent physician who is well respected by her peers and we are extremely pleased that she will be leading our inpatient neurology and stroke services," said Dan Newman, CEO of Houston Methodist St. John Hospital. "Our recent Stroke Ready certification is just one example of how we are positioning Houston Methodist St. John to deliver advanced care for Bay Area residents." Vijayakumar is board certified in neurology and internal medicine. She works extensively with patients suffering from stroke, migraine, epilepsy and other neurologic conditions. Vijayakumar earned her medical degree from the Academy of Medical Sciences at Kannur University. She completed a residency in neurology at Yale University School of Medicine and a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston. Retailer to allow customers to design own apparel Big Frog Custom T-Shirts and More is to open a new location in Pearland sometime in mid-November. The store, opening at 9415 Broadway St., Suite 119, will allow customers to decorate their own apparel. The store is owned by Ntasha Charles, a former history and general studies teacher from Trinidad and Tobago. She has a master's degree in Globalization and Development. Charles and her husband, Evlon, moved to Pearland in 2013. The couple attended Franchise Expo South and learned about the Big Frog brand. Big Frog's Direct to Garment printing technology bonds ink to the fabric's molecules allowing products to be washed in hot and cold water and with color-safe bleaching without risking damage, cracking or peeling the image. "We are beyond excited to bring a spark of creativity to the Pearland community with the opening of our Big Frog location," said Charles. "Our main objective is creating a fun value-added experience for our customers as they experiment with colors, fonts and graphics to get just the look they want. With our advanced printing technology and talented artists, the sky's the limit on what you can do." This will be the fourth location to open in the greater Houston area, according to the company. An additional 10 locations are to open within the next three years. Big Frog launched in 2008 and opened its first franchised location in 2009. Since then, the company has open more than 65 locations in 22 states. Another seven locations are in development. The retailer is aiming to have 75 stores open by the end of the year. Scholarship can cover honor society fee The COM Foundation has created a new scholarship to cover the $85 application fee for students interested in joining Phi Theta Kappa, an international community college honor society. The foundation is the fundraising arm of College of the Mainland and provides scholarships as well as supports student programs and innovative instructional projects. Matthew Busby, a representative of the COM Foundation, said the scholarships might be small but they come "with an unbelievable return on investment" for the students who receive them. Phi Theta Kappa offers its members mentorship, access to scholarships and networking opportunities. "It puts students on a path to success at COM and at a transfer university," Busby said. "The $85 scholarship can turn into a $10,000 scholarship when they transfer to a university and earn an honor society scholarship. No one else is doing this kind of scholarship anywhere in Texas." According to College of the Mainland, when a student transfers to a private or state university in Texas, they are often awarded scholarships solely for being members of the honor society. "Phi Theta Kappa is one of the best student organizations," Busby said. "It encourages students to stay in college, maintain academic excellence, be mentored by faculty and build leadership skills." The society's members gain leadership and research skills while taking part in community service projects. Last year COM Phi Theta Kappa students launched Peers That Kare, a project to help the community college's students finish school by pairing them with an honor society student. To apply for the scholarship covering Phi Theta Kappa's membership fees, students must complete one hour of community service and fill out an application. Students with a GPA of at least 3.5 and at least 12 college credit hours qualify for Phi Theta Kappa membership. To learn more about this, visit www.com.edu/scholarships or contact Busby at 409-933-8613. Credit Union building Alvin branch AMOCO Federal Credit Union has begun construction on what will be a new branch in Alvin. Officials with AMOCO and the Alvin-Manvel Chamber of Commerce hosted a groundbreaking Sept. 27 in celebration of the start of construction. The branch will be AMOCO's 10th and is under construction at 12999 E. Highway 6. The new branch will be approximately 3,177 square feet and will include four teller lines, four drive-thru lanes and one drive-up ATM. The credit union is to open the branch in February. AMOCO Federal Credit Union is a member-owned cooperative organization. Deer Park FFA collects teddy bears The Deer Park chapter of the National FFA Organization collected stuffed animals that will be given to children who have experienced trauma such as car wrecks, house fires, or the loss of a loved one. Members of the school district's FFA organization were inspired to collect the stuffed animals in 2015 after attending the Pasadena Livestock Show and Rodeo's President's Reception. "At this gathering we heard a story about a little Iraqi girl who put her life on the line to save our American soldiers," said Stephanie Rankin, adviser of the Deer Park FFA, in an email. "Later, she was asked why she did such a brave thing and she said because an American soldier gave her a Teddy bear and she wanted to make sure they were safe. After hearing this story, we learned that the American Legion Post 521 collects Teddy bears to give to the fire and police departments." The teddy bears, she said, are given to fire and police departments whose first responders give them as comforting aides to children who have gone through a traumatic experience. The Deer Park FFA members were inspired by this program to put together a yearlong community service project during which the group collected stuffed animals. The FFA members donated the stuffed animals Sept. 25 to the Veterans Committee of the Pasadena Livestock Show and Rodeo during this year's President's Reception. Clinic sponsors T-shirts for career and tech students Neighbors Emergency Center in Pasadena recently donated 1,600 T-shirts to the Dr. Kirk Lewis Career and Technical High School. It is the second consecutive year the health clinic has sponsored T-shirts for the school. This year's bright orange shirts were handed out to the school's students, staff and faculty in August. "The students and staff love the shirts and appreciate the generosity of Neighbors," said Diane Barnes, the campus' career and community coordinator, in a news release. "Any day of the week you will see the bright orange shirts on our campus. You can actually see a mixture of all three of the shirts that have been donated on any given day. I do think this orange one is their favorite." Neighbors Health System operates Neighbors Emergency Center, 24-hour freestanding emergency centers. Burger joint under construction in Pasadena Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers is building a 3,600-square-foot fast-casual restaurant at Beltway 8 and Crenshaw in Pasadena. The restaurant is known for its ground beef burgers, Vienna Beef hot dogs, shoestring fries and freshly churned frozen custard. The Pasadena location will open early next year. The new location will be the second in Houston's eastern metropolitan market. A location opened earlier this year at Chambers Town Center in Baytown. Franchise owner Padden Nelson said seven restaurants are located along the western edge of Houston and an eighth is under construction at 21420 Kuykendahl Road in Spring. It is expected to open later this fall. "We're excited to make Freddy's a more convenient dining option for eastern Houston metro market residents," Nelson said in a news release. The restaurant will seat 100 guests, and provides additional patio seating. A drive-thru also be available. Freddy's was co-founded in 2002 by Scott Redler and Bill, Randy and Freddy Simon. The first location opened in Wichita, Kansas. Today, 217 Freddy's restaurants are located in 30 states. For more information about the restaurant, visit www.freddysusa.com. Brad Freels Brad Freels, chairman of Midway Holdings, developer of Houston's CityCentre, will talk about commercial redevelopment at the Oct. 27 Bellaire Business Association meeting. Freels will discuss how a development like CityCentre gets started, financed and completed and what type of development he might see appropriate for an area like Bellaire. Sept. 26 At 6:39 a.m. Bellaire Police Department (BPD) Officers Proctor, Ortega, Vorhees, Lt. Brown and Lt. Cotton responded to the 4000 block of Law Street above location to assist West University Place Police Department (WUPD) and the Houston Police Department (HPD) with an active shooter. Oct. 3 At 9:35 a.m., Officer Vorhees was dispatched to the 6800 block of Mapleridge Street in regards to check forgery. Officer Vorhees met with the victim who stated an unknown suspect(s) used their business checking account information to cash seven checks without her consent. After further investigation it is determined that this is an identity theft. Oct. 4 About 7:30 a.m., Officer H. Lopez observed a vehicle traveling in the 6700 block of the IH 610 East Service Road with expired registration. The registration was shown to have expired in 05/2015. Upon stopping the vehicle, the driver was found to have a suspended drivers license and was subsequently placed under arrest for driving while license suspended/invalid. About 4:14 p.m., Bellaire Police Officers were dispatched to an assault in progress in the 5300 block of Bissonnet. The Officers were later advised the suspect fled the scene in a red Chrysler 300. Sergeant Hefferin and Officer R. Guerra observed the suspect vehicle south bound on Mapleridge. Sgt Hefferin and Officer R. Guerra made contact with the driver who matched the suspect description for the in progress assault. During the course of the investigation it was discovered no assault had occurred. Sgt Hefferin was later advised the driver had multiple active and outstanding suspensions listed on his driver's license and no proof of financial responsibility for the vehicle. The driver was taken into custody and transported to the Bellaire jail. Oct. 5 At 4:02 p.m., Officer Delgado conducted a traffic stop in the 6500 block of IH 610 South on a tan Toyota Camry. Through investigation the vehicle was shown to be stolen out of El Campo, Texas. During the investigation two subjects were detained and later released due to the Assistant District Attorney refusing charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The vehicle was recovered and taken to a storage lot for safekeeping. At 11:16 a.m., Officer Lysack was dispatched to the 6800 block of West Loop South in reference to a theft. Officer Lysack met with the reportee who stated his company issued laptop was stolen from his office on September 30, 2016 between approximately 11:45 a.m. and 2 p.m. Oct. 6 At 7:34 a.m., Officers Lysack and Bledsoe were dispatched to an FSGI accident which occurred in about the 6800 block of Interstate Highway 610 Northbound. Officers Lysack and Bledsoe caught up to the suspect and victim at about Interstate Highway 610 and Ella Boulevard. Upon further investigation the suspect was placed into custody for driving while intoxicated and fail to stop and give information. At 8:49 a.m., Officer Bledsoe was dispatched to 5110 Jessamine St. to meet with a victim of identity theft. An unknown suspect took out a payday advance through Speedy Cash using the victim's identifying information without her consent. At 4:24 p.m., Officer Younger was dispatched to the 5200 block of Bellaire Boulevard in regards to an aggravated robbery in progress. Officer Younger arrived at approximately 4:27 p.m. and made contact with the victims who advised the store was robbed at gunpoint with the suspect fleeing eastbound on foot. Responding Officers were unable to locate the suspect. Oct. 7 At 6:22 p.m., Officer Manriquez was dispatched to the lobby of the Bellaire Police department in reference to a theft. Officer Manriquez made contact with the reportee who advised between the hours of 4:10 and 4:15 p.m. an unknown subject struck her in the rear bumper in the 6700 block of IH 610 northbound in the #1 lane. The reportee stated she exited her vehicle to gather information from the other driver and to take pictures of the damage. The reportee stated the subject approached her saying not to call the cops. The reportee was walking back to her vehicle from his vehicle that was parked in front of hers. Reportee stated the subject grabbed her phone from her left hand which was near her left cheek and got back into his vehicle and fled the scene traveling northbound on IH 610. At 10:30 p.m., Officer Younger was dispatched to a disabled vehicle in the 6700 block of IH 610 North. Officer Younger made contact with the driver and noticed blood shot, red eyes, and slurred speech. After further investigation, the driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI) and the passenger for public intoxication. At 11:26 p.m., Officer Proctor was patrolling the 5200 block of Bellaire Blvd. W/B in lane 2 when he observed a blue, Chevrolet Prism traveling in lane 1 next to him. Officer Proctor observed this vehicle to be swerving in its lane and almost strike Officer Proctor's patrol vehicle. Officer Proctor also observed this vehicle run the red light at the intersection of 5200 Bellaire Blvd. and 5200 Bissonnet St. Officer Proctor initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and made contact with the driver. After further investigation, Officer Proctor determined the driver to be intoxicated and discovered the driver had previously been convicted of DWI. At approximately 11:41 p.m., Officer Proctor placed the driver into custody for driving while intoxicated and transported him to Bellaire Jail for booking. Oct. 8 At 12:56 p.m., Officer Delgado was dispatched to to the 4600 block of Park Court to speak with a victim concerning an identity theft. Officer Delgado made contact with the victim who stated her personal information was stolen and used to open a credit card account. Oct. 9 At 5:18 p.m., Officer Liccketto was patrolling the area of 4700 Bellaire Blvd E/B. Officer Liccketto observed a silver Ford Fusion in front of his patrol vehicle with expired registration of 07/2016. Officer Liccketto conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and conducted an interview with the driver. During the interview, the driver was found to have a suspended driver's license and no proof of financial responsibility. The driver was taken into custody for driving while license invalid-enhanced. Houston Society for the Performing Arts head June Christensen's knowledge about her daughter Lauren Pham's work proved valuable when the society kicked off its 50th anniversary season on Sept. 23 with its first autism-friendly performance at the Cullen Theater inside Houston's Wortham Center. Kicking off SPA's 50th anniversary season, the modern dance performance was tailored for intellectually disabled students in middle school and high school, as well as post-graduates, along with their parents, teachers and chaperones. Christensen's daughter, Lauren Pham, helped advise SPA on how to accommodate the specialized audience, based on her training. Pham has worked as an inclusion teacher for seven years at Fairmont Junior High in Deer Park. "My first reaction was doubtful, because these students have so many different needs, regarding the loudness, the lighting, if they need to take a break during the performance," said Pham, who lives in Seabrook and graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1999. "But my mother knows every part of my job. By the end of the conversation, I was thinking, 'This is really neat. It sounds fantastic, actually.' " More Information Subscriptions Subscriptions for the 2016-2017 season are on sale. Renewing subscribers will be seated first; all other orders will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information regarding performance dates, times and details, call 713-227-4772 or visit spahouston.org. SPA is the largest nonprofit presenting organization of its kind in the Southwest. SPA continues to present internationally acclaimed artists from the entire performing arts spectrum, from traditional to avant-garde, from large orchestras and dance companies to recitalists and solo performers. See More Collapse Among the Deer Park ISD students who attended the performance, Pham said, "Some said they had never been to a theater. Some had never been to Houston. This opened the door to more experiences in that manner." Such local connections are important to Christensen, who finds life in the Bay Area a welcome retreat from her world travels as head of the society, which is based at elegant Jones Hall in downtown Houston. "The water brings me peace and re-energizes me," said the Nassau Bay resident, whose family immigrated to Dickinson from Scotland when she was 2 years old. "I was born in a castle," she said, explaining that Lennox Castle, in a peaceful meadow outside of Glasgow, Scotland, had been turned into the maternity ward in which she was born. "Everybody in my family, except for me, was very talented musically," said Christensen, whose parents were John F. and Jessie Smith. Christensen, who graduated from Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena in the 1970s, didn't discover her role in the world of performing arts until she returned from living with her husband, Steve Christensen, and their two daughters for four years in Italy. June Christensen, who became SPA's chief executive officer in October 2007, was first hired by Texas Opera Theater, an educational, touring component of Houston Grand Opera, to translate Italian librettos into English. What intrigued her most, she said, was "seeing numbers put together, developing budgets, how information was disseminated to crews and artists and management." Job requires world travel Christensen's 15-year tenure at SPA includes a stint as director of programming and operations, where she managed aspects of production and behind-the-scenes operations. Since October 2005, she has curated SPA's seasons of events, which requires traveling throughout the world to preview performing arts presentations and determine whether to bring them to Houston audiences. "Fortunately, many cultural agencies around the world have offered me the opportunity to travel to their country and observe culture specific work," she said. "I also attend national and international booking conferences, here and abroad. It is not unusual to travel either to New York or Chicago to attend a performance that we might be considering for an upcoming season. Chicago is great because it is such a short flight - there are many times that I arrive late afternoon, catch an 8 p.m. curtain and depart before 8 a.m. the next day." SPA's 2016-2017 season also expands its lineup of family programming with two series: the Family Fun Jr. Series, geared towards children ages 4-10, and the Family Fun Series, with shows for the entire family.Don Maines is a freelance writer who can be reached at donmaines@att.net Local school districts have focused on their policies regarding alleged improper teacher-student relationships as the Texas Education Agency reports a record-high number of investigations into such cases from throughout the state. At the end of the 2016 fiscal year in August, the TEA, which oversees public education in grades kindergarten through 12, reported that it had opened 222 investigations into cases that fall under the classification of inappropriate communication between educators and students, an increase from the 150 in 2015. Those numbers continue a trend for increased investigations over the last seven years. The issue has arisen locally, too. In July, Oscar Perez, a former Clear Creek Independent School District teacher of the year, was charged with continual sexual assault of a child relating to an alleged incident in 2009 at McWirter Elementary School. He was released on a $40,000 bond. That case initiated one community organization to reach out to the district as a resource. The Bay Area Turning Point, a nonprofit group based in the Bay Area that provides services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and facilitates and promotes preventive strategies with the community, recently participated with a Clear Creek elementary campus on training educators on how to identify signs of sexual assault in children and adolescents. "We took it upon ourselves to make sure that the district was aware that we are available to assist in whatever way we could in providing training to teachers," Turning Point COO Sybil Winters-Little said. Pasadena ISD recently confirmed an investigation into allegations of improper "electronic communication" between one of its teachers and a student, but no arrest was made and no charges filed. "The TEA has strict guidelines regarding the reporting of alleged student-teacher relationships, and Pasadena ISD follows these guidelines," Pasadena ISD spokesman Art Del Barrio said. The Pasadena, Clear Creek and Friendswood school districts have clearly defined guidelines regarding electronic media use between educators and students, essentially prohibiting all private or personal communication through any form of social media, including text messaging, instant messaging, e-mail, blogs, chat rooms, video-sharing web sites, comments posted on the Internet and social network sites. Electronic media also includes all forms of telecommunication, such as phone landlines, cell phones and web-based applications. "From a professional standpoint, educators are not to have communication with students via social media," Polson said. "The only exception is if it's a school-sponsored activity, and they need to get parent permission." Some school groups like band, theater and other curricular organizations may have Facebook accounts, said Polson, but only with the permission and supervision of parents and which are accessed by the district. "We have curriculum platforms where teachers can have forums with students, but that's what we would consider to be a virtual classroom," she said. "But there should not be a situation where a teacher is texting a student without a parent knowing." Pasadena and Friendswood ISD have adopted similarly defined policies regarding electronic media. In a statement, Friendswood ISD stated that district employees "may use electronic media to communicate with currently enrolled students about matters within the scope of the employee's professional responsibilities" and that "private messaging should never be used for teacher/student communication." "Friendswood ISD is committed to fostering a learning environment that promotes academic and professional success in learners and teachers alike, however, we believe clear and established safeguards promote and maintain a healthy atmosphere and encourage responsibility with respect to modeling appropriate professional behavior," the statement continued. Pasadena ISD adheres to the same basic criteria, following guidelines set by the state. "Pasadena ISD does everything it can to keep our students safe, and these policies are in place to keep them safe," said PISD spokesman Art Del Barrio. Statewide, the TEA will push for changes in the upcoming legislative session to require school districts to adopt strict electronic media policies and allow them better access to employment history. But it essentially falls to local districts to adopt their own proactive strategies. "We provide videos on our YouTube channel on teacher ethics and teacher behavior that we encourage the districts to use, but we can only do so much," TEA spokesperson DeEtta Culbertson said. "It's up to the local districts to also carry forward on that." At Clear Creek ISD, teachers are required to participate in face-to-face training programs conducted by an assistant superintendent twice a year. "The training is focused on maintaining clear boundaries in student/staff relationships, and the training is further supported by breakout sessions with new teachers," Clear Creek spokeswoman Elaina Polson said. "The school district also provides mandatory training for all employees, including bus drivers and custodians, on the signs of child abuse and child sexual abuse as well as how to immediately report an outcry or suspicion of abuse." The district also heavily promotes a "see something, say something" strategy on the part of students, staff and parents. "Our policies allow for us to place an employee on leave immediately if there is a suspicion of an inappropriate relationship to allow for the district and/or police to investigate," Polson said. The TEA said most investigations in the past several years involve some type of electronic communication. The agency cited greater social and electronic media accessibility as a factor in the increase in investigations into inappropriate relationships between teacher and students, but social and professional propriety has been a long-established code, said Polson. "The social norms that you would expect prior to social media still exist," she said. In July, Oscar Perez, a former Clear Creek ISD teacher of the year, is out on bond after being charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child stemming from a 2009 incident. Conviction carries a potential life sentence. Some of Turning Point's training involved how to recognize child abuse, how to get involved to ensure that you are protecting children, awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace: between teacher-to-teacher, teacher-to-student and student-teacher. How the community at large, including districts and parents, responds is an integral part of addressing the issue, said Winters-Little. "What is important with this issue in our opinion is that parents and students know that you've addressed it and that everyone is aware on how you addressed it and that there are measures in place to protect children in the future," she said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Scarecrow Festival Delightfully quaint Chappell Hill will host its 38th annual Scarecrow Festival this weekend. The admission-free festival will feature more than 250 juried exhibitors offering everything from fine jewelry to homemade jams. The event also includes live music, pony rides and tours of the town's historical sites. Chappell Hill is located about 65 miles northwest of Houston at U.S. 290 and FM 1155. 14 October 2016 marks the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. It is sometimes said that winners write the history books. However, some recently digitised accounts of the Battle of Hastings held at the British Library show that this was not always the case. Count William came from Normandy to Pevensey on Michaelmas Eve, and as soon as they were able to move on they built a castle at Hastings There King Harold was killed... and always after that it grew much worse. (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle D, 1066). Detail of the final lines of version D of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ('... from England. And Bishop Odo and Earl William stayed behind and built castles far and wide throughout this country, and distressed the wretched folk, and always after that it grew much worse. May the end be good when God wills!'): Cotton MS Tiberius B IV, f. 80v 950 years ago, King Edward the Confessor (10421066) died, sparking a contest for the throne of England. Edward was succeeded by his brother-in-law Harold Godwinson, a member of an ambitious political family. King Harolds rule was soon challenged by the Scandinavian leader Harold Hardrada, who was supported by Harold Godwinsons own brother Tostig, and William, duke of Normandy. Harold Godwinson defeated Tostig and Harold Hardrada at Stamford Bridge in September 1066, but he was defeated and killed in turn by William at the Battle of Hastings. William took the crown of England and became known as King William I, or William the Conqueror (10661087). Left: seal of Edward the Confessor, from a partially rewritten writ pertaining to the jurisdiction and lordship of Archbishop Stigand and Christ Church Canterbury, allegedly 1052 x 1066 with later interventions, Lord Frederick Campbell Charter XXI 5; Right: seal of William the Conqueror, from a confirmation to St Mary's Coventry, allegedly 1070, Add Ch 11205 The Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest inspired a great deal of historical writing. Over a dozen writers recounted the battle and its aftermath within a century of those events taking place, and the British Library holds manuscripts of many of these texts. These manuscripts represent a variety of perspectives, from an account closely based on the work of William the Conquerors personal chaplain, William of Poitiers (Cotton MS Nero A XI); to chronicles from Battle Abbey (Cotton MS Domitian A II), built near the site of the battle; to much later, fanciful legends which claimed Harold survived the battle and went on to live as a hermit on the Welsh border. The British Library has recently digitised several manuscripts composed by writers who identified with the losing, Anglo-Saxon side. Opening of second part of the Vita dwardi Regis, England (Christ Church, Canterbury?), c. 1100, Harley MS 526, f. 52r Early references to the Battle of Hastings can be found in an anonymous Life of Edward the Confessor known as the the Vita dwardi Regis. This Life was written for Edward's queen, Edith, in two parts: the second part, which laments the battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest, may have been finished by 1067 and certainly by Edith's death in 1075. This second part begins: 'Amid the many graves, hurt by the death of kings, what, Clio [muse], are you writing now?' (translated by F. Barlow, The Life of King Edward who Rests at Westminster (London: Thomas Nelson, 1962), p. 56.) Edith was Harold II's sister and, unsurprisingly, the account written for her praises Harold in exaggerated terms, as the best soldier ever and Edward's chosen heir. The sole copy of the Life is preserved at the British Library (Harley MS 526, ff. 38r-57v). Other Anglo-Saxon perspectives on the battle can be found in the series of related Old English annals known as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Of the six surviving versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, four cover the year 1066. Of these four, the two most extensive accounts for the year 1066 (in the C and D recensions of the Chronicle) are held by the British Library and are also now available online. The C version (Cotton MS Tiberius B I), probably compiled somewhere in southern England, offers a lot of detail about the earlier invasions, but frustratingly it cuts off just before the Battle of Hastings. By contrast, the D version of the chronicle (Cotton MS Tiberius B IV) offers an early account of the Battle of Hastings. This chronicler claimed that William built a castel at Hastings before Harold arrived. Harold then gathered a large army, but, according to the chronicler, William attacked before Harold could organise his troops: Description of the Battle of Hastings, Cotton MS Tiberius B IV, f. 80r King Harold assembled a large army and came against him at the hoary apple tree. And William came against him by surprise before his army was drawn up in battle array. But the king nevertheless fought hard against him, with the men who were willing to support him, and there were heavy casualties on both sides. There King Harold was killed and Earl Leofwine his brother, and Earl Gyth his brother, and many good men, and the French remained masters of the field, even as God granted it to them because of the sins of the people (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle D, 1066) It is not clear how accurate this description of the battle is: there are a mass of contradictory accounts about Hastings, and there is no particular reason to believe this Anglo-Saxon chronicler was an eyewitness. The compilers of this version of the chronicle have been associated with a northern monastery, such as York, or a monastery with northern connections, such as Worcester, and this manuscript may have been written more than a decade after the battle. Nevertheless, this account is witness to the beliefs held by at least one Old English speaker within living memory of the battle. The compiler(s) of Anglo-Saxon Chronicle D blamed the defeat of Harolds forces on the sins of the [Anglo-Saxon] people. However, this Old English chronicler (or chroniclers) was also uncomplimentary about the next regime, concluding the entry for 1066 with the famously pessimistic assessment: [O]n Christmas Day, Archbishop Aldred consecrated [William] king at Westminster. And he swore (before Aldred would place the crown on his head) that he would rule all this people as well as the best of the kings before him, if they were loyal to him. All the same he laid taxes on people very severely And Bishop Odo and Earl William built castles far and wide throughout this country, and distressed the wretched folk, and always after that it grew much worse. (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle D, 1066). End of the entry for 1066, from Anglo-Saxon Chronicle D, England (?Worcester or ?York), Cotton MS Tiberius B IV, f. 80v Anglo-Saxon Chronicle D is the longest Old English account of the battle. By contrast, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle A (now Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 173), sums up the whole year in only two sentences: In this year King Edward died and Earl Harold succeeded to the kingdom, and held it 40 weeks and one day; and in this year William came and conquered England. And in this year Christ Church was burnt and a comet appeared on 18 April. (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle A, 1066). This chronicle was probably being compiled at Canterbury in the mid- and late 11th century, hence the reference to Christ Church. The version of the battle found in Anglo-Saxon Chronicle E (Oxford, Bodleian Library, Laud Misc. 636) is also brief: Count William landed at Hastings on Michaelmas Day, and Harold came from the north and fought with him before all the army had come, and there he fell and his two brothers Gyrth and Leofwine; and William conquered this country (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle E, 1066). This manuscript was made at Peterborough in the 12th century. It was probably copied from a Canterbury manuscript to replace a manuscript lost in a fire in Peterboroughs library in 1116. These two accounts were not, however, the shortest descriptions of the Norman Conquest in the Old English annals. One set of Easter table annals, also kept at Canterbury in the mid- and late 11th century, did not even mention the Norman Conquest. The lines adjacent to the entry for the date of Easter in 1066 and 1067 simply say, Here King Edward died. Here, in this year, Christ Church burned. A later hand has added At this time came William (her co[m] Willehm) to the side. One wonders why the original annalist, who wrote the annals up to 1073, did not think the Battle of Hastings was worth mentioning. Equally, why did the later hand amend the entry for 1066? Detail from Easter Table Annals, England (Canterbury), late 11th century-12th century, Cotton MS Caligula A XV, f. 135r Between the time the Christ Church Easter table annals were being compiled, the only surviving copy of Vita dwardi Regis was copied around 1100, possibly at Christ Church. Meanwhile, the monks at the nearby monastery of St Augustine, Canterbury, also remembered the Battle of Hastings in their martyrology. Under 14 October in this martyrology made at St Augustines in the late 11th century, someone noted the deaths of Harold, king of the English, and many of our brothers. The entry for each day in the martyrology was supposed to be read out in the daily chapter meeting of the monastery, and so the Battle of Hastings may have been commemorated there every year. Entry for 14 October with addition mentioning the death of Harold king of the English and many of our brothers, from Usuards Martyrology, Canterbury (St Augustines), c. 10751125 with later additions, Cotton MS Vitellius C XII/1, f. 145v All these accounts of 1066 imply that the fallout from the Norman Conquest was not a simple, clear-cut story of winners and losers. The complexity of the situation is revealed by the abundance of differences in their accounts, even though they all identified with or primarily remembered the losing side. While one Old English speaker recorded details like the type of tree near where Harold assembled his troops, others were more concerned with the burning of Christ Church than with the Battle of Hastings, while others did not even mention the battle at all. Moreover, the extent to which any of these writers can be considered losers is debatable. The scribes of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles portrayed themselves as wretched following the conquest, but they belonged to institutions which still had substantial resources. The martyrology which records the deaths of King Harold and our brothers from St Augustines Abbey contains finely decorated initials, belying the communitys wealth and cultural creativity in the decades immediately after the Conquest. Detail of initial for the month of October, Cotton MS Vitellius C XII/1, f. 143v These manuscripts disprove the view that only winners write history. The views of people who identified with the losing side at the Battle of Hastings can still be read today, thanks to these British Library manuscripts. This abundance of perspectives on the battle and its aftermath may be one of the reasons the Norman Conquest still continues to fascinate us, 950 years after the sun set on the battlefield. Sympathy for the losing side at Hastings continued long after the Conquest. In the early 13th century, an account of Harolds life was produced for Waltham Abbey. If you are interested in learning more about this alternative perspective on the Norman Conquest, you can visit Epping Forest District Museum in Waltham Abbey, which has an exhibition on Harold II: The Life, Legend and Legacy of the Last Anglo-Saxon King of England until 24 December 2016. The British Library is delighted to have loaned the Vita Haroldi (Harley MS 3776) to this exhibition. Alison Hudson @BLMedieval All translations of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle are taken from D. Whitelock and others, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (London: Eyre and Spottiswode, 1961). This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Theater Duck for President: Unhappy with the working conditions on Farmer Brown's farm, Duck campaigns to put himself in charge. Presented by Main Street Theater. 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, through Oct. 29; $20; MATCH, 3400 Main; 713-524-6706, mainstreettheater.com. De Kus (The Kiss): U.S. premiere of Ger Thijs' play. Presented by Stages Theatre. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, through Oct. 30; $25-$45; 3201 Allen Parkway; 713-527-0123, stagestheatre.com. Remote Houston: The Alley Theatre hosts an audio tour through Houston. 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, through Nov. 18. $39; Evergreen Cemetery, 500 Altic; 713-220-5700; alleytheatre.org. Becky Shaw: Houston premiere of Gina Gionfriddo's off-Broadway play. Presented by Firecracker Productions. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; $10-$40; 1502 Sawyer, Studio 232; 281-300-9656, firecrackerproductions.org. The Musical of Musicals, (The Musical!): One story becomes five delightful musicals, each written in the style of a different master of the form. Presented by Theater LaB Houston. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; $34; MATCH, 3400 Main; 713-868-7516, thelabhou.org. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Four young lovers and a troupe of actors find themselves in the middle of a dispute between the King and Queen of the fairies. Presented by Alley Theatre. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, through Nov. 5; $26-$79; 615 Texas; 713-220-5700, alleytheatre.org. The Bear & The Proposal: Classical Theatre Company presents two plays that examine love among the landed aristocracy of Czarist Russia. 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Wednesday, 2 p.m. Sunday; $10-$25; 4617 Montrose; 713-963-9665, classicaltheatre.org. Little Shop of Horrors: A floral assistant stumbles across a new breed of plant. Presented by Stageworks. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, through Oct. 30; $15-$26; 10760 Grant; 281-587-6100, stageworkshouston.org. Sherlock Holmes: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic story on stage. Presented by A.D. Players. 7:30 Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, through Oct. 30; Grace Theater 2710 W. Alabama; $12; 713-526-2721, adplayers.org. Wolf Hall Part One: Part one of play based on Hilary Mantel's novel. Presented by Main Street Theater. Rice Village location, 2540 Times Blvd.; 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, through Dec. 18; $10-$45; 713-524-6706; mainstreettheater.com. Classical/Opera Itzhak Perlman: 7 p.m. Saturday at Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana, $53-$178, 713-224-4240, houstonsymphony.org. Lorenzo Coppola: The renowned Italian clarinetist pays tribute to Richard Muhlfleld. Presented by Music in Context. 4 p.m. Sunday; Alice Pratt Brown Hall, Rice University; $35; 713-665-2620, musicincontext.org. Chamber Choir: Houston Cecilia's "Peace" concert. 5 p.m. Sunday; All Saints Catholic Church, 215 E. 10th; free; 281-486-5052; houstoncecilia.org. Dance Deep:Seaspace: Karen Stokes Dance premieres an evening-length work inspired by Houston's historical relationships with water and space, with a commissioned score by Bill Ryan that will be played live. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; Hobby Center, 800 Bagby; $15-$38.50, 713-315-2525, thehobbycenter.org. Comedy Dance Festival: Suchu Dance Company hosts other area companies and choreographers in a program of comedic works. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; The Pilot, 1502 Navigation; $20 or pay what you want; suchudance.org. Dracula: Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre performs its production of the Victorian-era vampire story. 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; University of Houston-Clear Lake, Bayou Theater, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., $27.50-$37.50; 281-480-1617, babt.org. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Fort Bend ISD parent Iona Pollard headed to Marshall High School last week to learn more about the district's plans for student college and career readiness. She wasn't the only one. Over the course of 45 minutes on Oct. 10, about a dozen parents and teachers spoke with Fort Bend ISD trustee Grayle James and Chief of Schools Mark Foust about the district's curriculum and preparation for its students headed to college or into the workforce. What Pollard wanted to know: When is Fort Bend ISD, like nearby Clear Creek ISD and Pearland ISD, going to offer a way for students to get associates degrees during high school? "We're definitely headed in this direction," James said, citing the district's new partnership with Houston Community College and its existing partnership with Texas State Technical College. But, she added, "We're not where some of the other districts are at." Pollard was one of about 100 parents that attended the first stop on Oct. 10 on the Fort Bend ISD board of trustees inaugural listening tour. Understanding parent and teachers' priorities was the purpose of the event, school board president, Kristin Tassin, said. And that's often a challenge in a district that spans from just south of the Westpark Tollway to Missouri City. So Tassin decided to meet the parents at their neighborhood high schools. Next up is Bush High School on Nov. 7. The board will also visit Hightower High School on Feb. 6 and Travis High School on March 6. At Marshall, parents and staff could join in on the round table discussions like the one James led on topics ranging from special education to district facilities for about an hour. Each table had a district administrator and a school board member, who dispensed common-sense advice as both district representatives but also as parents. Tassin led the Special Education and Gifted and Talented roundtable. Her conversations about the IEP process and educating diverse learners reminded her of the conversations she's had advocating for her own daughters' educational needs, Tassin said. After the roundtables, the school board trustees conducted their regular workshop meeting at the Marshall campus. Of the 100 parents that attended, only a handful stayed on for the meeting. The board will repeat that same format at future listening tour stops. When Pollard left that night, she said she understood the board's plan for postsecondary work or education. It isn't where she wants it to be yet, but she thinks the district is on track. "I feel like Fort Bend is actually trying to head in the direction that will benefit my younger students, but I think they have a long way to get there," Pollard said. As for James? It gave her an idea of what the board needed to prioritize going forward. "We had a number of folks asking about early college and dual credit," James said. "So that's an important thing for us to consider: Where is that on our timeline?" This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AMOCO Federal Credit Union has begun construction on what will be a new branch in Alvin. Officials with AMOCO and the Alvin-Manvel Chamber of Commerce hosted a groundbreaking Sept. 27 in celebration of the start of construction. The branch will be AMOCO's 10th and is under construction at 12999 E. Texas 6. It will be approximately 3,177 square feet and will include four teller lines, four drive-thru lanes and one drive-up ATM. The credit union is to open the branch in February. AMOCO Federal Credit Union is a member-owned cooperative organization. customers to Design own apparel Big Frog Custom T-Shirts and More is to open a new location in Pearland sometime in mid-November. The store, opening at 9415 Broadway St., Suite 119, will allow customers to decorate their own apparel. The store is owned by Ntasha Charles, a former history and general studies teacher from Trinidad and Tobago. She has a master's degree in Globalization and Development. Charles and her husband, Evlon, moved to Pearland in 2013. The couple attended Franchise Expo South and learned about the Big Frog brand. Big Frog's Direct to Garment printing technology bonds ink to the fabric's molecules allowing products to be washed in hot and cold water and with color-safe bleaching without risking damage, cracking or peeling the image. "We are beyond excited to bring a spark of creativity to the Pearland community with the opening of our Big Frog location," said Charles. "Our main objective is creating a fun value-added experience for our customers as they experiment with colors, fonts and graphics to get just the look they want. With our advanced printing technology and talented artists, the sky's the limit on what you can do." This will be the fourth location to open in the greater Houston area, according to the franchise company. An additional 10 locations are to open within the next three years. Big Frog launched in 2008 and opened its first franchised location in 2009. Since then, the company has open more than 65 locations in 22 states. Another seven locations are in development. The retailer is aiming to have 75 stores open by the end of the year. DEER PARK FFA collectING bears The Deer Park chapter of the National FFA Organization collected stuffed animals that will be given to children who have experienced trauma such as car wrecks, house fires, or the loss of a loved one. Members of the school district's FFA organization were inspired to collect the stuffed animals in 2015 after attending the Pasadena Livestock Show and Rodeo's President's Reception. "At this gathering we heard a story about a little Iraqi girl who put her life on the line to save our American soldiers," said Stephanie Rankin, adviser of the Deer Park FFA, in an email. "Later, she was asked why she did such a brave thing and she said because an American soldier gave her a Teddy bear and she wanted to make sure they were safe. After hearing this story, we learned that the American Legion Post 521 collects Teddy bears to give to the fire and police departments." Burger joint under construction in Pasadena Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers is building a 3,600-square-foot fast-casual restaurant at Beltway 8 and Crenshaw in Pasadena. The restaurant is known for its ground beef burgers, Vienna Beef hot dogs, shoestring fries and freshly churned frozen custard. The Pasadena location will open early next year. The new location will be the second in Houston's eastern metropolitan market. A location opened earlier this year at Chambers Town Center in Baytown. Franchise owner Padden Nelson said seven restaurants are located along the western edge of Houston and an eighth is under construction at 21420 Kuykendahl Road in Spring. It is expected to open later this fall. "We're excited to make Freddy's a more convenient dining option for eastern Houston metro market residents," Nelson said in a news release. The restaurant will seat 100 guests, and provides additional patio seating. A drive-thru also be available. Freddy's was co-founded in 2002 by Scott Redler and Bill, Randy and Freddy Simon. The first location opened in Wichita, Kansas. Today, 217 Freddy's restaurants are located in 30 states. For more information about the restaurant, visit www.freddysusa.com Clinic sponsors T-shirts for career and tech students Neighbors Emergency Center in Pasadena recently donated 1,600 T-shirts to the Dr. Kirk Lewis Career and Technical High School. It is the second consecutive year the health clinic has sponsored T-shirts for the school. This year's bright orange shirts were handed out to the school's students, staff and faculty in August. "The students and staff love the shirts and appreciate the generosity of Neighbors," said Diane Barnes, the campus' career and community coordinator, in a news release. "Any day of the week you will see the bright orange shirts on our campus. You can actually see a mixture of all three of the shirts that have been donated on any given day. I do think this orange one is their favorite." Neighbors Health System operates Neighbors Emergency Center, 24-hour freestanding emergency centers. Houston Methodist St. John appoints medical director Houston Methodist St. John Hospital in Nassau Bay has named Dr. Akhila Vijayakumar medical director of inpatient neurology and stroke. "It is an honor to serve as medical director and continue to advance the great work that our physicians and staff do on behalf of our patients," Vijayakumar said in a news release. "We are committed to ensuring that Houston Methodist St. John Hospital is leading the way in identifying and utilizing clinical best practices in neurology and stroke care to deliver the best possible patient outcomes." Houston Methodist St. John Hospital is certified Stroke Ready by the healthcare quality assurance company DNV-GL. "Dr. Vijayakumar is an excellent physician who is well respected by her peers and we are extremely pleased that she will be leading our inpatient neurology and stroke services," said Dan Newman, CEO of Houston Methodist St. John Hospital. "Our recent Stroke Ready certification is just one example of how we are positioning Houston Methodist St. John to deliver advanced care for Bay Area residents." Vijayakumar is board certified in neurology and internal medicine. She works extensively with patients suffering from stroke, migraine, epilepsy and other neurologic conditions. Vijayakumar earned her medical degree from the Academy of Medical Sciences at Kannur University. She completed a residency in neurology at Yale University School of Medicine and a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston. Scholarship can cover honor society fee The COM Foundation has created a new scholarship to cover the $85 application fee for students interested in joining Phi Theta Kappa, an international community college honor society. The foundation is the fundraising arm of College of the Mainland and provides scholarships as well as supports student programs and innovative instructional projects. Matthew Busby, a representative of the COM Foundation, said the scholarships might be small but they come "with an unbelievable return on investment" for the students who receive them. Phi Theta Kappa offers its members mentorship, access to scholarships and networking opportunities. "It puts students on a path to success at COM and at a transfer university," Busby said. "The $85 scholarship can turn into a $10,000 scholarship when they transfer to a university and earn an honor society scholarship. No one else is doing this kind of scholarship anywhere in Texas." According to College of the Mainland, when a student transfers to a private or state university in Texas, they are often awarded scholarships solely for being members of the honor society. "Phi Theta Kappa is one of the best student organizations," Busby said. "It encourages students to stay in college, maintain academic excellence, be mentored by faculty and build leadership skills." The society's members gain leadership and research skills while taking part in community service projects. Last year COM Phi Theta Kappa students launched Peers That Kare, a project to help the community college's students finish school by pairing them with an honor society student. To apply for the scholarship covering Phi Theta Kappa's membership fees, students must complete one hour of community service and fill out an application. Students with a GPA of at least 3.5 and at least 12 college credit hours qualify for Phi Theta Kappa membership. To learn more about this scholarship or COM Foundation, visit www.com.edu/scholarships or contact Busby at 409-933-8613. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate For 16 years, she endured physical and mental torture at the hands of her husband. Threats, weapons and bruises became normal for her. "I experienced all of the different forms of abuse that one could have," said the Katy woman who asked for her name to not be revealed. "I have mental and emotional trauma and (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), which still continues to today." It took years for her to find the strength to escape and become one of the many survivors of domestic violence. Now, she is one of the approximately 200 people expected to attend a 5K run in Katy on Saturday that will raise awareness for domestic violence in the United States. The run will be hosted by the nonprofit Katy Christian Ministries and will begin at 8 a.m. "We want to let the survivors know that they're not alone and that there's help out there," said Deysi Crespo, the executive director at the nonprofit. "Unfortunately, there are a lot of domestic violence cases in our communities. We are here to help them." In America, approximately 28,000 people per day are abused physically, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. One in three woman have been victims of some type of physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, and one in five woman have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. In 2015 alone, Katy Christian Ministries assisted 996 individuals dealing with domestic violence in their life, according to Crespo. The Katy woman contacted KCM days after escaping her dangerous relationship in 2013. The ministries provided counseling during her first year of recovery. Since then, she has continued therapy with private counselors while attempting to heal the mental and physical scars formed by years of abuse by her now ex-husband. At the third annual 5K, silhouettes of people carved on red cardboard and located along the running path will represent symbols of domestic violence, Crespo said. The run will also include a bounce house, face painting and live music The nonprofit began to hold the runs in order to highlight Domestic Violence Awareness month, which is every October, and to also raise funds for the Ministries' crisis center, Crespo said. "It's a symbol of 'Wow, this is how we see our victims when they've gotten through their journey' it just makes it very meaningful," she said. "It's people coming together for good cause." The run costs $30 for adults and $20 for children 16 and under for those who preregister. Preregistration is open until Friday. Regular registration opens on Saturday at 6:30 a.m. at KCM's facility located at 5504 1st Street. Costs on that day will be $40 for adults and $25 for children 16 and under. To register, visit http://ktcm.org. Runners will walk from KCM to the start line at the nearby No Label Brewery and follow a running path through downtown Katy. The Katy woman plans to participate in the run again this year after running in it last year. She said she enjoys the unity it provides and the symbolism it holds for survivors like her. "Domestic violence is real and people suffer, but they don't have a voice and a way to reach out," she said. "So (the run) raises awareness. You're running to celebrate that freedom and that you survived. You're no longer a victim, you're victorious." In January 2014, Terry Stierman visited a town near Cartagena, Colombia, to view areas of poverty that were devastating communities there. He saw dirt floors inside buildings and children with ragged clothes. He knew he had to help. "I used to be a chemical engineer, but that trip transformed my life. I decided to change careers soon after," said Stierma, a 58-year-old Kingwood resident. "The thing that struck me is that these families there were so positive despite their situation. You see that and think, 'If you can just work to help provide that opportunity for them, it can transform them.'" Stierman is now the director at the Houston branch of Conviventia, a nonprofit based in Colombia that combats poverty throughout the country. Conviventia's Houston branch, the only branch in the United States, will be hosting its annual gala to raise awareness about the nonprofit at the Red Oak BallroomHouston/CityCentre in west Houston on Oct. 28. "This year's special because it is our 50th year of service," Stierman said. "A lot of people don't know the history of Colombia and the conflict there. People need the help in their communities in Colombia, and they will run with it." Approximately 24,000 Colombians are living in the Houston area, making it the fourth-largest Colombia population in the country. Colombia is the greatest source of South American immigrants to the U.S., according to a 2015 report by the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank. Most of Houston's numerous Colombia restaurants are concentrated in the west Houston area, where many from this population have settled. Colombia's more than 50 years of armed conflicts between the government, guerilla groups and paramilitary has devastated the country and left its poorest residents at more of a disadvantage. While Colombia has grown much safer and economically stable in the past decade, its political issues have fueled inequality, Stierman said. His nonprofit, staffed by hundreds of people with about 15 in Houston attacks poverty in Colombia by focusing on needs in education, child protection, income generation, community development and basic services. The nonprofit funds four schools in impoverished neighborhoods near three major cities in Colombia. It also trains adults there in skills to attain jobs, provides small loans for families to begin businesses, assists in the development of community leaders and provides basic medical services. Conviventia's Houston branch partners with churches such as Katy's Grace Fellowship United Methodist to send missionaries throughout the year to provide aid. In total, the nonprofit assists about 10,000 people per year. "I've seen how poverty looks like and how difficult it is to escape it," said Ana Maria Garcia, a volunteer at the nonprofit's Houston branch who was born in Bogota, Colombia. "To me, it was important to support a cause that's targeting all aspects of the poverty cycle. It is one of the only nonprofits that is going to make a difference because they are actually aware of how it works and how to break the cycle." The nonprofit expects more than 100 people to attend the gala, where replicas of homes similar to ones found in Colombia's poor neighborhoods will be on display, Stierman said. Some Colombians who have been helped by the nonprofit will also be present. The gala occurs each spring or fall, and the group hopes to raise $50,000 through it. Conviventia's Houston branch holds outreach events throughout the year at places such as churches to raise awareness for their cause. Tickets to the gala cost $75 per person and can be purchased at the nonprofit's website, www.conviventia.org/USA/index.html Stierman said the nonprofit often struggles to meet its yearly funding goal of about $4 million. Their efforts to help can have added difficulty because of Colombia's wars with guerilla groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. On Oct. 2, voters in Colombia struck down a recently signed peace treaty between the FARC and the Colombian government that would have ended a 52-year war. The reasons for the results are complicated, but Stierman said he hopes the country can find peace soon so that his nonprofit can reach its ultimate potential. "Without peace, it's very hard for nonprofits to go and do anything." Katy Bar Association Area attorneys are invited to the Tuesday, Oct. 25, lunch meeting of the Katy Bar Association at 11:30 a.m. at Hasta la Pasta, 1450 W. Grand Parkway South, Katy. Attorney Stanley P. Santire will talk about "The New Federal Trade Secrets Law: Impact on Employees and Employers," with discussion on the current Texas Trade Secrets law and (lack of) preemption. What is the worst value tourist attraction in Texas? Its always hard to know, when visiting a new destination, which tourist attractions are worth... Does Bigfoot live near Houston? A crowd came out to hear a talk on "Bigfoot in the Big Thicket." The Jersey Village City Council spent nearly 90 minutes in a closed session meeting recently with a representative of an executive search firm ironing out the parameters for the recruitment of the next city manager. The city council announced the selection of Waters and Co. Executive Recruitment last month to begin the search to replace former City Manager Mike Castro, who submitted his resignation in July. Jersey Village City Council Andrew Mitcham said Castro's sudden and unexpected departure left a huge void in the city, but that the city council will take a methodical approach to finding the right candidate. "We are casting a wide net in the hopes of finding a high quality candidate," Mitcham said. "I would expect 4 - 5 months for the entire process to shake out. I think it is very important that we do our due diligence considering this position will play a big role in the development of Jersey Village over the next decade." Mitcham said he expects to see candidate resumes sometime in November, but the interview process could take a little longer, since many of those resume will come during the start of the holiday season. One of those resumes will belong to Interim City Manager Jim Gray, who was one of three the council considered to fill the immediate void of Castro's departure. Gray, made it clear during the interview process for interim that he wanted the job permanently, and he continues that same stance. "I plan on applying," Gray said. Gray, who has been serving in the interim role for nearly three months, said he sees a lot of potential and enjoys the small town feeling that Jersey Village provides, while being so close to Houston. "I believe my background in infrastructure is a good (fit) while the city has these issues they are dealing with, with the flooding and road construction. I think those are strong points for me," he said. Gray, however, doesn't expect to get the job, based solely on the fact that he's already here, because there are a lot of highly qualified candidates out there. However, he feels he is the right candidate at the right time. "I believe I am qualified and would enjoy working with Jersey Village," he said. "I am looking forward to the process and we will see where it all goes." Although it is early in the process, Mitcham said and other members of the council are happy with the work Gray has done so far. "He's taken the pressure off of us to fill the position as quickly as possible, which is exactly what I was looking for in an interim City Manager, so I am very grateful for that," he said. "In my opinion, Jim fits the criteria to be considered, but it's too early in the process to label any candidate (as) serious." So far, nearly every U.S. Secretary of Education came into the job with a long record in K-12 policy. But, if Hillary Clinton is elected president, she may break with that longstanding tradition. No, you didnt miss an announcement from the Clinton campaign, which is busy trying to win the election, not pick its cabinet. But there are a lot more names of college presidents or university system leaders in the rumor mill on the Democratic side than there have been in past years. (More on just who later down.) Thats partly because Clinton has spent way more of her time on the campaign trail talking about higher education access and affordability, which was a signature issue for her rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Clinton even revamped her college-cost proposal to better match Sanders pitch. Her plan would offer free tuition at public universities for students from families that make less than $125,000 a year. (Everything you ever wanted to know about Clintons education proposals and how they compare to GOP nominee Donald Trumps here .) Clintons proposal would amount to a very expensive operation, said Marshall Mike Smith, who has served in the department under three different presidents, including as acting deputy secretary under President Bill Clinton. It might be easier for a well-known college president to carry the load on that in Congress. There are plenty of political vehicles for a new higher education proposal. Reauthorizations of the Higher Education Act and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education program are still pending, while congressional lawmakers passed the Every Student Succeeds Act last year and probably wont engage on K-12 in a big way for a while. Plus, theres a need for a good solid debate about the purpose of postsecondary education, the cost of postsecondary education, said Jack Jennings, who served as an aide to Democrats on Capitol Hill for nearly three decades. A secretary with a postsecondary background could help lead that debate, he said. Whats more, ESSA sought to rein in the secretary of education when it comes to a lot of the flashier K-12 issues, including teacher evaluations, standards, turnarounds, and more. But the secretary still has as much running room as ever when it comes to higher education. The decision has been made in elementary and secondary that the feds will not take much of a role for a while, Jennings said. It would be prudent for the federal government to step back a little and let states and school districts go ahead and do what they can. And, not insignificantly, there a lot of issues in K-12 that tend to divide Democrats, including charter schools, testing, and teacher evaluation. Higher education access, though, is a lot less politically dicey. It could be pretty easy to get much of the education community behind a postsecondary pick who doesnt have much of track record in K-12. Still, a secretary from the higher education world could result in a bigger role on K-12 for other high-level folks at the department (the deputy secretary, the undersecretary, the assistant secretaries of planning, evaluation, and policy, or the assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education). And it would be a significant departure from past picks. The last four secretariesRod Paige, Margaret Spellings, Arne Duncan, and John B. King Jr.all had big K-12 backgrounds. (Paige and Duncan were district superintendents, of Houston and Chicago, respectively. King was the state chief in New York, and Spellings had been a top White House adviser on K-12 issues. She also advised President George W. Bush on K-12 when he was governor of Texas.) And the two secretaries before that were governors who had been very active on K-12 issues. (Richard Riley of South Carolina served under President Bill Clinton, and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee served under President George H.W. Bush.) In fact, you have to go all the way back to Lauro F. Cavazos, the former president of Texas Tech University, who served in both the Reagan and first Bush administrations, to find a secretary who came from the higher education world. So would a secretary from higher education mean K-12 would be just an afterthought at the department? Dont bet on it, Jennings said. You cant ignore K-12, he said. For instance, the next secretary and his or her team will have to turn pretty quick to approvingor rejectingstates ESSA plans, which are due as early as March or as late as next summer. College Presidents to Watch Some college presidents who folks have suggested might make a good secretary of education include: Mike Crow, the president of Arizona State University; Janet Napolitano, the president of the University of California system (and a former Secretary of Homeland Security, and governor of Arizona); Nancy Zimpher, the New York state higher education system chancellor; Eduardo Padron, the president of Miami Dade Community College; and Freeman A. Hrabowski III, the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County , who chaired President Barack Obamas Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. To be sure, there are still plenty of K-12 names in the mix. Many folks are guessing that if elected Clinton could go the same route her husband did with Riley and pick a current or former governor (Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware, former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont, Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, former Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, and more.) And others are betting shed choose someone else from the K-12 world, like Denise Juneau, who is running for Congress and is currently Montanas state superintendent, or Kaya Henderson, the former District of Columbia public schools chancellor. (Hendersons has said shes not interested in the gig.) More here . Would Trump, if elected, also pick someone from the higher education world? Its tough to say. Trump has been a lot more vocal on school choice than on any other education issue . Presumably his secretary would share his views on that. A Trump advisor, Sam Clovis, said he wants student loans to originate with banks, not the federal government. More here . Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 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. 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. "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. 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. 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. 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. "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. 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. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When Joshua Castro completed his Army service, including 1 years in Iraq, he found himself struggling. "I was in Iraq between 2007 and 2008," said Castro, who was a sergeant when was discharged. "I saw guys blown up. I lost guys. And I was having a lot of problems trying to acclimate. I was self-medicating." Castro, 31, was affected by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, a psychiatric disorder caused by experiencing or wit nessing life-threatening events. Castro's struggles were touch ing every aspect of his life: work, relationships, physical health. That's why he decided it could be worth the 27-hour drive from California to Texas when friend Wyatt Pena, who'd deployed with him - told Castro about his experiences with Camp Hope in northwest Houston. "I heard something different in his voice: hope," Castro said. Castro experienced a flicker of hope himself when he arrived at Camp Hope in March. "The second I walked in the house I felt it: instant brotherhood. The staff members have served and gone through the program. You want what they have." Camp Hope, 9724 Derrington Road, provides interim housing and peer support for veterans learning to cope with PTSD. Since the Houston-based PTSD Foundation of America launched the community of modular housing units in May 2012, Camp Hope has been home to more than 300 residents: veterans and their families. And earlier this summer, Camp Hope opened its fourth house, bringing its capacity up to 80 beds. The camp's master plan calls for two more houses, which will give it a 180-bed capacity. During their time there, an average of six months, veterans get help with coping skills, anger management and leadership development during group lessons and support ses sions with other combat veterans, along with mentoring ses sions with combat trauma mentors. Staff members also help residents with job placement and connect them with other organizations and resources. "They give you so many tools," Castro said. "It's done more for me in the past few months than I could do for myself in eight years. Things are starting to come together now." Camp Hope strives to support family members, too, by giving them a better under standing of PTSD and equipping them to help the veteran in their lives. PTSD Foundation of America works closely with Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, which refers veterans to Camp Hope. Residents also have access to free counseling from Conroe-based Refuge Trauma & Counseling Center, and through community donations, the bulk of residents' food is provided to them at no cost. "It has been a grassroots community effort that Houston should be very proud of," Executive Director of Support and Fundraising David Maulsby said. PTSD Foundation of America also is working to get the word out about PTSD. There is a false perception that people suffering from this disorder are violent, Maulsby said. "PTSD results in 22 suicides a day, not 22 homicides. PTSD leads to self-destruction, not outward destruction." Camp Hope can use volunteer help in areas from child care to answering phones to facilitating support groups. Visit http://ptsdusa.org/camp-hope for details. Also, PTSD Foundation of America will hold its fifth annual BBQ Cook-Off and fundraiser 5-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at Camp Hope. The event, which features competitors from throughout the country, features free barbecue and music for the community, children's activities and silent auctions. "Last year, over 1,600 people came by during the weekend," Maulsby said. "It's a lot of fun; it's family friendly; and it gets people on our campus." -- breakout Want to know more? For details about the cook-off, visit http://ptsdusa.org/th_event/5th-annual-bbq-cook-off-benefiting-camp-hope Veteran Crisis Line: 800-273-TALK (8255) Four Types of PTSD Symptoms: Reliving the event Avoiding situations that remind you of the event Negative beliefs and feelings Feeling keyed up Details: www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/symptoms_of_ptsd.asp -- photo Staff photo by Jerry BakerFor the Chronicle Veteran Josh Castro, left, of Sacramento, Calif. and a resident of Camp Hope, visits with Executive Director David Maulsby in the interim housing area of the camp on June 23, 2016. (Photo by Jerry Baker/Freelance) Simon Foster of Katy was recently honored by his alma mater, Albright College. Foster, Class of 2010, received the Young Alumni Achievement Award on Oct. 1, as part of Albright's Homecoming weekend. An active member of the Albright community as a student, Foster has maintained strong ties to his alma mater. Born in Australia, raised in New Jersey, and now living in Texas, Foster has served on several committees, including the President's Council and the young alumni executive committee. Foster is marketing manager, North America, for the Houston-based Global Oilfield Solutions, part of BASF Corp., one of the largest global suppliers of chemicals to a variety of industries. Fort Bend County Luis Antonio Romero, 42, of Houston was convicted of driving while intoxicated on Oct. 5 by a jury after it deliberated for only 30 minutes. Judge Robert J. Kern then sentenced Romero to 90 days in the county jail. Romero was arrested in Missouri City after almost crashing into a police car in May 2014. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate On Monday, President Barack Obama announced the national high school graduation rate hit a record high. The magic number: 83.2 percent. For the state who downplayed the importance of Thomas Jefferson in its history textbooks, Texas is often the butt of the joke when it comes to education. But despite the bad rap, the Lone Star State is actually one of the states helping the national graduation rate become a figure that can be touted by President Obama. In 2015, Texas saw an 89 percent high school graduation rate. It's the best graduation rate of any state after Iowa (90.8), New Jersey (89.7) and Alabama (89.3). READ MORE: Can you pass the TAKs test? In addition, Texas' graduation rate among Hispanic students is the second highest in the nation at 86.5 percent, behind Alabama's 90 percent. Similarly, Texas' 85.2 percent graduation rate among black students is the second highest, losing again to Alabama with 87 percent. So when it comes to the nation's report card, Texas is the bespectacled straight-A student helping pull the class average up. As for Alabama, it's fair to say the "Forrest Gump" jokes have run their course. Texas came a long way to get to this point. In 2005, the Texas Supreme Court said the state had a "severe dropout problem," and that the poor graduation rates of blacks and Hispanics were "especially troublesome." READ MORE: New law boosts Texas' high school graduation rates to record highs But starting in 2007, those figures began to steadily rise. Now, they're the best they've ever been, but there is discussion as to whether that's a positive thing. According to the Austin American-Statesman, many have criticized Texas' high graduation rate as "padding," arguing that a bill signed into law in 2015, which allowed students to graduate without passing state-wide standardized exams, made the requirements for receiving a diploma too easy in Texas. Still, Texas' graduation rate had been rising eight years before the bill became law, meaning the Lone Star State, when not editing textbooks, is doing something right when it comes to education. Click through the gallery above to see which school districts in the Houston-area have the best graduation rates. A former Aldine middle school teacher accused of having a long-term sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy appeared in court Tuesday where prosecutors and defense lawyers met to discuss the allegations. Alexandria Vera, 24, was present in state District Judge Michael McSpadden's court but did not appear before the judge or comment after the docket setting. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers is building a 3,600-square-foot fast-casual restaurant at Beltway 8 and Crenshaw in Pasadena. The restaurant is known for its ground beef burgers, Vienna Beef hot dogs, shoestring fries and freshly churned frozen custard. The Pasadena location will open early next year. The new location will be the second in Houston's eastern metropolitan market. A location opened earlier this year at Chambers Town Center in Baytown. Franchise owner Padden Nelson said seven restaurants are located along the western edge of Houston and an eighth is under construction at 21420 Kuykendahl Road in Spring. It is expected to open later this fall. "We're excited to make Freddy's a more convenient dining option for eastern Houston metro market residents," Nelson said in a news release. The restaurant will seat 100 guests, and provides additional patio seating. A drive-thru also be available. Freddy's was co-founded in 2002 by Scott Redler and Bill, Randy and Freddy Simon. The first location opened in Wichita, Kansas. Today, 217 Freddy's restaurants are located in 30 states. For more information about the restaurant, visit www.freddysusa.com Clinic sponsors T-shirts for career and tech students Neighbors Emergency Center in Pasadena recently donated 1,600 T-shirts to the Dr. Kirk Lewis Career and Technical High School. It is the second consecutive year the health clinic has sponsored T-shirts for the school. This year's bright orange shirts were handed out to the school's students, staff and faculty in August. "The students and staff love the shirts and appreciate the generosity of Neighbors," said Diane Barnes, the campus' career and community coordinator, in a news release. "Any day of the week you will see the bright orange shirts on our campus. You can actually see a mixture of all three of the shirts that have been donated on any given day. I do think this orange one is their favorite." Neighbors Health System operates Neighbors Emergency Center, 24-hour freestanding emergency centers. FFA collects teddy bears to comfort children The Deer Park chapter of the National FFA Organization collected stuffed animals that will be given to children who have experienced trauma such as car wrecks, house fires, or the loss of a loved one. Members of the school district's FFA organization were inspired to collect the stuffed animals in 2015 after attending the Pasadena Livestock Show and Rodeo's President's Reception. "At this gathering we heard a story about a little Iraqi girl who put her life on the line to save our American soldiers," said Stephanie Rankin, adviser of the Deer Park FFA, in an email. "Later, she was asked why she did such a brave thing and she said because an American soldier gave her a Teddy bear and she wanted to make sure they were safe. After hearing this story, we learned that the American Legion Post 521 collects Teddy bears to give to the fire and police departments." The teddy bears, she said, are given to fire and police departments whose first responders give them as comforting aides to children who have gone through a traumatic experience. The Deer Park FFA members were inspired by this program to put together a yearlong community service project during which the group collected stuffed animals. The FFA members donated the stuffed animals Sept. 25 to the Veterans Committee of the Pasadena Livestock Show and Rodeo during this year's President's Reception. Houston Methodist St. John appoints medical director Houston Methodist St. John Hospital in Nassau Bay has named Dr. Akhila Vijayakumar medical director of inpatient neurology and stroke. "It is an honor to serve as medical director and continue to advance the great work that our physicians and staff do on behalf of our patients," Vijayakumar said in a news release. "We are committed to ensuring that Houston Methodist St. John Hospital is leading the way in identifying and utilizing clinical best practices in neurology and stroke care to deliver the best possible patient outcomes." Houston Methodist St. John Hospital is certified Stroke Ready by the healthcare quality assurance company DNV-GL. "Dr. Vijayakumar is an excellent physician who is well respected by her peers and we are extremely pleased that she will be leading our inpatient neurology and stroke services," said Dan Newman, CEO of Houston Methodist St. John Hospital. "Our recent Stroke Ready certification is just one example of how we are positioning Houston Methodist St. John to deliver advanced care for Bay Area residents." Vijayakumar is board certified in neurology and internal medicine. She works extensively with patients suffering from stroke, migraine, epilepsy and other neurologic conditions. Vijayakumar earned her medical degree from the Academy of Medical Sciences at Kannur University. She completed a residency in neurology at Yale University School of Medicine and a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston. Scholarship can cover honor society fee The COM Foundation has created a new scholarship to cover the $85 application fee for students interested in joining Phi Theta Kappa, an international community college honor society. The foundation is the fundraising arm of College of the Mainland and provides scholarships as well as supports student programs and innovative instructional projects. Matthew Busby, a representative of the COM Foundation, said the scholarships might be small but they come "with an unbelievable return on investment" for the students who receive them. Phi Theta Kappa offers its members mentorship, access to scholarships and networking opportunities. "It puts students on a path to success at COM and at a transfer university," Busby said. "The $85 scholarship can turn into a $10,000 scholarship when they transfer to a university and earn an honor society scholarship. No one else is doing this kind of scholarship anywhere in Texas." According to College of the Mainland, when a student transfers to a private or state university in Texas, they are often awarded scholarships solely for being members of the honor society. "Phi Theta Kappa is one of the best student organizations," Busby said. "It encourages students to stay in college, maintain academic excellence, be mentored by faculty and build leadership skills." The society's members gain leadership and research skills while taking part in community service projects. Last year COM Phi Theta Kappa students launched Peers That Kare, a project to help the community college's students finish school by pairing them with an honor society student. To apply for the scholarship covering Phi Theta Kappa's membership fees, students must complete one hour of community service and fill out an application. Students with a GPA of at least 3.5 and at least 12 college credit hours qualify for Phi Theta Kappa membership. To learn more about this scholarship or COM Foundation, visit www.com.edu/scholarships or contact Busby at 409-933-8613. Credit union building alvin branch AMOCO Federal Credit Union has begun construction on what will be a new branch in Alvin. Officials with AMOCO and the Alvin-Manvel Chamber of Commerce hosted a groundbreaking Sept. 27 in celebration of the start of construction. The branch will be AMOCO's 10th and is under construction at 12999 E. Highway 6. The new branch will be approximately 3,177 square feet and will include four teller lines, four drive-thru lanes and one drive-up ATM. The credit union is to open the branch in February. AMOCO Federal Credit Union is a member-owned cooperative organization. retailer to allow customers to design own apparel Big Frog Custom T-Shirts and More is to open a new location in Pearland sometime in mid-November. The store, opening at 9415 Broadway St., Suite 119, will allow customers to decorate their own apparel. The store is owned by Ntasha Charles, a former history and general studies teacher from Trinidad and Tobago. She has a master's degree in Globalization and Development. Charles and her husband, Evlon, moved to Pearland in 2013. The couple attended Franchise Expo South and learned about the Big Frog brand. Big Frog's Direct to Garment printing technology bonds ink to the fabric's molecules allowing products to be washed in hot and cold water and with color-safe bleaching without risking damage, cracking or peeling the image. "We are beyond excited to bring a spark of creativity to the Pearland community with the opening of our Big Frog location," said Charles. "Our main objective is creating a fun value-added experience for our customers as they experiment with colors, fonts and graphics to get just the look they want. With our advanced printing technology and talented artists, the sky's the limit on what you can do." This will be the fourth location to open in the greater Houston area, according to the franchise company. An additional 10 locations are to open within the next three years. Big Frog launched in 2008 and opened its first franchised location in 2009. Since then, the company has open more than 65 locations in 22 states. Another seven locations are in development. The retailer is aiming to have 75 stores open by the end of the year. The threatening text messages came in September. The anonymous caller demanded a ransom from the Friendswood man in exchange for the life of the man's son. The texts warned him not to contact the police or his son would be killed. But, no one was actually at risk. Friendswood police categorized the call was one example of how scammers prey on residents. Friendswood police have seen a steady increase in such cases in the last five years, according to police spokeswoman Lisa Price. Reported fraud cases in Friendswood rose from 139 in 2011 to 236 in 2015, with 160 so far for 2016. The most common type of fraud reported is identity theft. The League City and La Porte police departments have also reported an increase in fraud, but according to La Porte police Sgt. John Krueger, while increase has occurred "relative accordance with other crimes and the general rise in population." "Fraud is essentially a deceptive act or series of actions of any kind which deprives someone of money, property or anything else of value," he said. "The first thing people need to recognize about fraud is that it can be cloaked in a countless number of ways." The increase in cases could also be attributed to fraudulent techniques evolving, making anyone open to being targeted, said Krueger. With the increase in technology and business practices, criminals will use scams, unethical sales tactics or thefts related to technology. The La Porte department regularly issues a list of warning signs that someone is trying to scam you. Those with home phones are vulnerable because scammers collect published phone numbers and use tricks such as lying to residents about mandatory utility repairs, arrest warrants for unpaid fines, possible actions for failing to appear for jury duty or court subpoenas or falsely reporting that family members being in jail. Internet and email fraud includes: IRS tax return and payment claims, home repair gimmicks, offers requiring little or no money down, so-called improved health care hoaxes and medical equipment fraud. Checks sent by standard mail are susceptible to theft or loss. As an alternative, the La Porte police remind citizens that checks can easily be deposited through a bank account via automatic deposit. Utility bills can also be set up in an automatic draft format, based on either a fixed or specific amount. "Remember to monitor card and account statements frequently, report missing cards immediately and cancel all inactive accounts," Krueger said. "Do not volunteer any personal information unless necessary, sign new cards upon receipt, shred sensitive documents before disposing of them, install anti-virus and anti-spyware software and change passwords regularly." Krueger offers some tips on recognizing suspicious solicitors. Angry pitch equals a scam "If a caller, agent or salesperson becomes angry at your questions, raises their voice, tries to cut you off in conversation, or uses any other forms of intimidation, they have just proven to you that they are a scammer. Good and reputable people, businesses or organizations don't yell or intimidate, as they value you as a person and as a customer," Krueger said. Elderly residents and consumers can be especially open to scammers and imposters, Price said. On Sept. 30 in Friendswood, caregivers for an elderly woman took all the money in her bank account and spent it. "While all populations are susceptible to fraud, elderly residents tend to be particularly open to phone scams involving Western Union, Money gram, Green Dot cards and more recently iTunes cards," she said. Anyone can be a victim, said Krueger. "Otherwise intelligent people are still subject to victimization from time-to-time," he said. The Texas Attorney General's Office also provides a detailed list on how the public can protect themselves against the various forms of fraud. If you think you are the target of a scam artist, visit www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/frauds-and-scams. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Life in the Bay Area provides a welcome retreat for June Christensen from her world travels as head of Society for the Performing Arts at elegant Jones Hall in downtown Houston. "The water brings me peace and re-energizes me," said the Nassau Bay resident, whose family immigrated to Dickinson from Scotland when she was 2 years old. "I was born in a castle," she said, explaining that Lennox Castle, in a peaceful meadow outside of Glasgow, Scotland, had been turned into the maternity ward in which she was born. "Everybody in my family, except for me, was very talented musically," said Christensen, whose parents were John F. and Jessie Smith. More Information Subscriptions Subscriptions for the 2016-2017 season are on sale. Renewing subscribers will be seated first; all other orders will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information regarding performance dates, times and details, call 713-227-4772 or visit spahouston.org. SPA is the largest nonprofit presenting organization of its kind in the Southwest. See More Collapse Christensen, who graduated from Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena in the 1970s, didn't discover her role in the world of performing arts until she returned from living with her husband, Steve Christensen, and their two daughters for four years in Italy. June Christensen, who became SPA's chief executive officer in October 2007, was first hired by Texas Opera Theater, an educational, touring component of Houston Grand Opera, to translate Italian librettos into English. What intrigued her most, she said, was "seeing numbers put together, developing budgets, how information was disseminated to crews and artists and management." Job requires world travel Christensen's 15-year tenure at SPA includes a stint as director of programming and operations, where she managed aspects of production and behind-the-scenes operations. Since October 2005, she has curated SPA's seasons of events, which requires traveling throughout the world to preview performing arts presentations and determine whether to bring them to Houston audiences. "Fortunately, many cultural agencies around the world have offered me the opportunity to travel to their country and observe culture specific work," she said. "I also attend national and international booking conferences, here and abroad. It is not unusual to travel either to New York or Chicago to attend a performance that we might be considering for an upcoming season. Chicago is great because it is such a short flight - there are many times that I arrive late afternoon, catch an 8 p.m. curtain and depart before 8 a.m. the next day." SPA's 50th anniversary season kicked off with its first autism-friendly performance at the Cullen Theater inside the Wortham Center. The modern dance performance on Sept. 23 was tailored for intellectually disabled students in middle school and high school, as well as post-graduates, along with their parents, teachers and chaperones. Christensen's daughter, Lauren Pham, helped advise SPA on how to accommodate the specialized audience, based on her training. Pham has worked as an inclusion teacher for seven years at Fairmont Junior High in Deer Park. "My first reaction was doubtful because these students have so many different needs, regarding the loudness, the lighting, if they need to take a break during the performance," said Pham, who lives in Seabrook and graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1999. "But my mother knows every part of my job. By the end of the conversation, I was thinking, 'This is really neat. It sounds fantastic, actually.' " Among the Deer Park ISD students who attended the performance, Pham said, "Some said they had never been to a theater. Some had never been to Houston. This opened the door to more experiences in that manner." SPA's 2016-2017 season also expands its lineup of family programming with two series: the Family Fun Jr. Series, geared towards children ages 4-10, and the Family Fun Series, with shows for the entire family. When I went to see the movie "Deepwater Horizon" with some of my graduate students last week, I did not expect accuracy. Drilling for oil and gas is not typically viewed favorably or depicted correctly in Hollywood movies. When I tell non-oilfield people that I am a professor of petroleum engineering, someone usually brings up the dreadful movie "Armageddon," in which Bruce Willis' character, Harry Stamper ("the best deep-sea driller in the world"), is coerced into giving up his offshore drilling job to embed a nuclear bomb into an asteroid that threatens all life on Earth. Conditions on Stamper's rig, with explosions hurling people through the air, bear little resemblance to the safe, well-controlled environment that one finds on virtually all deepwater rigs around the world. I had other reasons for low expectations. Most people seem to remember that the Macondo/Deepwater Horizon blowout (more about this terminology below) caused the worst environmental oil spill in U.S. history, but forget that it also killed 11 offshore workers. The idea of Hollywood profiting from sensationalizing this tragedy seemed quite inappropriate to me. In the dedicated class that I teach on this disaster, I stress not only that many technical mishaps contributed to it, but also that leadership failures largely by BP, the company that owned the well - allowed the blowout to occur. I did not think it would be possible to explain the complexities and nuances in a two-hour movie. And I worried that the film would not convey the fact that virtually all of today's deepwater wells are safely constructed. Technical failures and bad decisions Overall, though, my students and I agreed that "Deepwater Horizon" deserves its largely positive reviews. The movie gets a number of points about the blowout wrong, but it accurately depicts the atmosphere on an offshore drilling rig. It is also a fitting testament to the workers who died in this disaster, and to others who are working to make offshore drilling safer today. There are many inaccuracies in "Deepwater Horizon." Some are small: For example, Mike Williams, chief electronics technician for Transocean (Mark Wahlberg), barrels down a flight of stairs on the rig carrying his luggage without holding any handrails, which would be a clear violation of Transocean safety policy. Other errors are much larger: The movie depicts gas breaking out around the wellhead even before the blowout event, but such a "broach" of gas to the seafloor never occurred. Like investigations of the event, the movie focuses primarily on the ill-fated and malfunctioning blowout preventer the device designed to seal any fluids and gas beneath it and prevent them from coming to surface. But it ignores many important facts that are essential to understanding why the blowout occurred. As just one example, BP made an ad-hoc and, in hindsight, poorly informed decision to circulate a fluid waste mixture into the well instead of disposing of it as waste onshore. Operators sought to use the fluid as a "spacer" to separate seawater from dense drilling mud in the well, but the solids-laden fluid may have plugged a critical line and skewed results from two "negative tests" that were designed to verify that the well was tightly sealed. The movie shows confused rig staff trying to interpret the test results, but offers no explanation. Animation of the Macondo/Deepwater Horizon blowout, produced by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. The movie also gives short shrift to the implications of removing the weighted column of mud that forms a primary barrier against oil and gas rising in the well. This mud barrier is removed when drillers plug and abandon a well, but the process can precipitate a blowout if oil and gas formations deep in the well are not properly sealed with steel casing and cement. In the film, Mike Williams' young daughter explains the process using a soda can and straw as props, resulting in a "soda blowout." This scene comes very early, passes in an instant, and many viewers may not grasp its significance. More broadly, the title of the movie is wrong: it should be "Macondo" (or at least "Macondo/Deepwater Horizon"), since Macondo was the name of the well that blew out. "Deepwater Horizon" was the name of the Transocean semi-submersible drilling rig that BP leased. As the movie shows, this rig had safely drilled numerous wells before Macondo. Names do matter: In the aftermath of the disaster, BP consistently referred to it as the "Deepwater Horizon" event, apparently trying to shift blame to Transocean. Heroes and villains On the positive side, "Deepwater Horizon" cleverly tells a human story through the eyes of Mike Williams, who becomes the hero once the rig catches fire and lives are at stake. The casting is excellent, and I recognized the workers' camaraderie and sense of duty from my own experience working offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. "Deepwater Horizon" also captures the often-tense relationship between the oil company operator (in this case, BP) and the rig contractor (here, Transocean) which often makes it difficult for the latter to go against the former's wishes. Kurt Russell is excellent as the frustrated offshore installation manager, James "Mr. Jimmy" Harrell, and Mark Wahlberg's performance is good enough to forgive him for not just one but two "Ted" movies. Some performances are almost too good. John Malkovich portrays BP well site leader Donald Vidrine as a sly, uncaring villain, and the movie pins responsibility for the blowout squarely on Vidrine and rig supervisor Robert Kaluza, played by Brad Leland. Vidrine and Kaluza were indicted after the spill for involuntary manslaughter, based on their negligent supervision of two negative tests. In the movie Vidrine attributes high pressure in the drill pipe during the first negative test to an illogical "bladder effect," and overrules Transocean on the second negative test. The truth is more complicated. The "bladder effect" hypothesis was raised by a Transocean crew member , not by BP, to explain ambiguities in the second negative test, not the first. (In general, "Deepwater Horizon" takes Transocean's side of the story; I believe this perspective is appropriate, but filmmakers still should strive for balance and accuracy.) Moreover, the blowout did not result from a single bad decision, but from a whole series of events that allowed barriers meant to prevent a catastrophic event to become compromised. In my view, most of this happened due to poor decisions by BP managers, both at the rig site and in the office, who were trying to curtail spending on a well that was behind schedule and significantly over budget. "Deepwater Horizon" shows one example, when BP sends a Schlumberger crew home without performing a cement bond log a measurement to verify the presence and quality of the cement used to seal the oil and gas-bearing rock formations. Without a bond log, there was no way to verify the presence of cement, let alone its quality. Many viewers will be outraged to learn at the end of "Deepwater Horizon" that manslaughter charges against Vidrine and Kaluza were dismissed in 2015. But these men represented an organization with a culture of cost-cutting and excessive risk-taking that also was responsible for a deadly explosion at a Texas City refinery in 2005 and a massive oil spill from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in 2006. By portraying Vidrine and Kaluza as the only guilty parties, "Deepwater Horizon" ignores the larger failure of BP's corporate leadership. Despite these flaws, "Deepwater Horizon" is worth seeing and will certainly provoke questions. My students wanted to know much more about both technical issues and leadership mistakes after seeing the movie. Asking these questions will serve them very well in preparing then for future leadership roles in this global industry. The offshore industry has made significant safety improvements since the Macondo/Deepwater Horizon tragedy, and the Interior Department has adopted a new well control rule that sets tighter standards for offshore well construction. More work remains to be done, however. For my part, I hope this movie will lead to better public understanding of exactly what happened on April 20, 2010, and serve as a permanent reminder to all stakeholders involved to remain vigilant to prevent a repeat occurrence. Eric van Oort is a professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. As you may have heard, the national graduation rate hit an all-time high of 83.2 percent for the 2014-15 school year . But theres more to the story. The U.S. Department of Education has already given us a list of states with the biggest increases in graduation rates in terms of percentage pointsAlabama was the biggest winner here, with an increase of nearly 18 percentage points. But which states have made the most progress relative to where they stood before? To answer that, lets go a simple step further and see which states have seen the largest increases in graduation rates as a percentage of where their graduation rates stood in 2010-11. (Remember, that was the first year all states and D.C. began using a single method for calculating graduation rates.) Once again, Alabama comes out on top here. But which other states are top performers in this area? See the chart below: So what about the states with the top graduation rates now, compared to 2010-11? Check out the top performers now and five years ago in the chart below (note that some states do not appear for both years): So the best performers are fairly consistent here, with Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas all remaining in the top five. Not only that, those three states kept their ranks of first, fourth, and fifth in this category from 2010-11 to 2014-15. What about those at the back of the pack? Heres a then-and-now comparison along the same lines as the chart directly above: Overall, most states experienced at least a modest gain in their graduation rates. In fact, among states that provided data from 2010-11 to 2014-15, every state except Arizona and Wyoming had gains in their graduation rates of at least 1 percent. (Kentucky and Oklahoma did not providing data until 2012, while Idaho did not begin doing so until 2013.) Click here for a more detailed state-by-state breakdown . And keep in mind that theres a good deal of skepticism about whether rising graduation rates represent clear and unadulterated progress. For example, Achieve President Mike Cohen said that the rise in graduation rate is a positive development, hes skeptical that those diplomas are truly meaningful in many cases. "[F]or too many new graduates, a high school diploma is still a ticket to nowhere rather than a passport to opportunity. For many new graduates, their high school diplomas only provide them with a false sense of achievement and with little ability to enter the workforce or college without significant remediation, Cohen said in a statement. Alexandra Harwin, a research analyst with the Editorial Projects in Educations Research Center, contributed to this blog post. Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . As brought to life by director Renee Van Nifterik at the Pearl Theater, Sarah Ruhl's "Eurydice" pulls back the veil that divides the worlds of the living and the dead through the retelling of the ancient classical myth of Orpheus. "The play seems simple but it's really not, because just like the world within the story, the real themes lie below the surface and are much deeper than they first appear," Van Nifterik said. "On one level, this is a story about sacrifice. It's also a story about growing up and it's a story about grief and loss. The playwright asks, 'Is it more painful to remember someone or to forget when we lose someone we love?' " The play, which is one of the most ambitious productions to come to the Pearl Theater, is part of the director's training to gain a teaching certification from the National Michael Chekhov Teaching Certification Candidacy and features a cast of actors from Houston, Pearland and surrounding areas. Houston-actress Amanda Marie Parker plays the title character, Eurydice. "What if there were the chance we could go back and talk to someone we've disconnected from because they're in the underworld? That's what happens to Eurydice. She does die. She does go to the underworld and she spend times with her father and gets to know him again," Parker said. "Sarah Ruhl wrote this play and dedicated it to her father, who did pass on. I think that's a beautiful concept - What if we could go back and talk to our loved ones and tell them about our lives and getting married and all those things?" Edwin Green, who plays the role of the musician, Orpheus, said he developed a very personal connection with his character. "This play has a lot to do with coping and dealing with death, and unfortunately that's something that is part of the cycle of life. People are born. People die," Green said. "Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away last week and while it's sad, it has given another layer to the play for me and to the character I'm playing, who is having a difficult time coping with death as I am in real life. It is strange to see this play and reality intertwine." "Eurydice" also features performances by Jonathan Gonzalez as the Father, David Alexander Balbuena as the Nasty Interesting Man/Child, with a trio of stones, Rebecca Lewis as Big Stone, Sara Denton as Loud Stone and Amber Holtz as Little Stone. Peter Van Nitererik serves as the production's assistant director. The production opens Friday, Oct. 21 and runs until Sunday, Nov. 6. Performances are scheduled at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for senior adults and students, with discounts available for groups of 10 or more. On Thursday, Oct. 27, tickets will be available through a buy-one-get-one-free price. Tuesday, Nov. 1, is "pay what you can" admission night. The Pearl Theater is at 14803 Park Almeda, just west of Pearland near Beltway 8. For more information, call 832-459-4674 or visit www.pearl-theater.com Fort Bend County is in the midst of construction to extend Westpark Tollway and widen FM 1093, a project Precinct 3 County Commissioner Andy Meyers hopes could alleviate traffic in what he calls one of the most congested parts of Fort Bend County. "As development continued in this area -- obviously it has been very rapid growth for the last 20 years -- the roads became overwhelmed," Meyers said. "It takes 20 minutes to go five miles." For Meyers, who is running for re-election unopposed in November, the project has been nine years in the making. Slowdowns came from finding funding and fulfilling environmental requirements, Meyers said. The extension and expansion come not a moment too soon for commuters in the area's fast-growing developments, including Cinco Ranch and Westheimer Lakes North, who have seen first-hand the traffic worsen as population growth continues. For some, the slowest part of their commute into Houston is taking FM 1093 out of Katy toward the Westpark Tollway or State 99. "It takes almost 15 minutes to go a quarter of a mile," said Westheimer Lakes North resident Dan Thai, a sales manager who works in the Energy Corridor. "FM 723 to 99, that's a parking lot." The project will be completed in two phases. Construction for Phase 1 began in March, Fort Bend County Engineer Richard Stolleis said. The county will extend Westpark Tollway about two miles to FM 723 from its current end at State 99. The extended Westpark Tollway will be a four-lane highway and two frontage lanes on either side. Phase 2 will widen the existing FM 1093 east of FM 723 from a two-lane road to a four-lane road, from 723 through downtown Fulshear, out to James Lane. Construction is expected to start by summer of 2017 for Phase 2. The two projects have a combined budget of about $170 million. The Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority and Fort Bend County will fund the entire project, primarily with sales-tax revenues. No county property taxes will be spent on the project, Meyers said. TxDOT will reimburse the county $40 million over the 10 years following the opening of the tollway extension, Stolleis said. Phase 1 is scheduled to be completed by February 2018, and Phase 2 is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018, Stolleis said. In the meantime, the already-congested neighborhoods face additional traffic, because of the construction. For Thai, that means another 15 minutes each direction added on to his already 30- to 45-minute commute. But he's hopeful that the outcome of the project will make a difference. At least, Thai quipped, "I don't think it can get very much worse." Houston's recent floods have culminated in record-breaking rainfall totals for the past 18 months. Space City Weather writer Eric Berger on Tuesday shared data for the six most recent floods in the area, from spring 2015 through summer 2016. PHOTOS: The worst hurricanes in Texas history In 2015 we experienced these floods: May 11-13th floods, Memorial Day Floods, Oct. 24-25 rainfall, Halloween rains. The Memorial Day flooding resulted in roughly 6,335 flooded Harris County homes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency granted assistance to more than 13,000 residents who sought roughly $57 million in aid. (Story continues below.) In 2016 the "Tax Day Floods" and Brazos River flooding wreaked havoc on the area. The Tax Day Floods on April 17 through 18 resulted in seven fatalities in Harris County, one in Austin County and one in Waller County. Roughly 40,000 vehicles, mostly parked at homes, were flooded. Roughly 300 to 400 families had to be evacuated near the Brazos river. The river reached "a record 54.7 feet in Richmond." Berger believes that, because no tropical storms were the source of the historic rainfall, it may be "just an extremely moist atmosphere and a series of very potent upper-level storm systems." He also reports that, while the cause hasn't been determined, widespread development and warmer climate are factors. Whatever is causing the flooding, the city needs to find a solution to the problem. The HoustonChronicle.com reports that more than just drainage needs to be repaired. Old infrastructure, bayous that need improvements and an underground pipe system that could benefit from some changes. In some areas there's "no rhyme of reason how we develop," the Houston flood czar Stephen Costello told the Houston Chronicle. Costello also points out that instead of blaming developers, it's the "responsibility of the regulatory agencies to keep the development community in line." A group of computer science experts released a framework today for what K-12 students should know about the subject and what they should be able to do in the field. The Association for Computing Machinery , Code.org , the Computer Science Teachers Association , the Cyber Innovation Center and the National Math and Science Initiative developed the K-12 Computer Science Framework , which is a core set of concepts and practices for teaching rather than curriculum standards. The framework includes what students should learn about the discipline from the earliest grades through high school graduation with an emphasis on core concepts such as computing systems and core practices such as developing and using abstractions. I think the framework represents a pivotal point in computer science education in the United States, said Leigh Ann DeLyser , who helped to write it. Shes also the director of education and research at the New York City Foundation for Computer Science Education and the co-chair of the national CSforAll Consortium . The framework has the support of several large tech companies such as Apple, Google, and Amazon and is also backed by many education organizations including the Afterschool Alliance and the National Association of State Boards of Education . We live on computers, said DeLyser. Theres not a single person in the United States who doesnt interact with a computing device in some form or fashion in every single day of their lives. Its important that students, just as they understand how blood gets pumped through their veins and how rain happens, its also important that they understand how the digital parts of their world interact with them on a daily basis. But DeLyser stresses that the framework isnt designed to turn every student into a developer or programmer. What the framework does is actually provide a common language for what computer science means, said DeLyser, who points out that Google surveys have found that some school administrators consider keyboarding classes and courses on Word and Excel to be computer science. The framework includes data from surveys that show most schools dont include computer science courses at all, while most parents want their children to have an opportunity to take these courses. More Than Coding In recent years, theres been an emphasis on students learning to code, particularly students from underrepresented groups in the field such as women, African-Americans, and Hispanics, but DeLyser said the framework is about going beyond that. What the framework does is that weve broadened that definition to not only be about whether students can produce code but whether they understand the ways that code impacts society, the way data can be used by code to determine things in the world around them, and the way that all of that then can interact with other disciplines like math, science, and history to give them a richer educational experience, said DeLyser. So what happens now? It will be up to states and individual districts to decide if they want to use the framework to shape their computer science curriculum. DeLyser contends that states are ready to take this on. She said many have not updated their technology education standards since the 1980s and 90s. Were not asking for the addition of a brand new subject here, said DeLyser. Were instead providing a roadmap for a modern update to technology instruction that has been in schools for years. When asked about the future impact of the framework on students, DeLyser points to her work with the Academy for Software Engineering . She co-founded this nonselective high school in New York City that focuses on computer science. Students are admitted through a lottery. The school just graduated its first class earlier this year, and she said offering computer science to every child has had a dramatic effect on their performance in all of their classes. So I think what were going to see is integrated computer science across the disciplines that will both raise student participation rates because of the engagement but also raise their performance in those classes as well, said DeLyser. Computer Science for All In some circles, computer science is thought of as a discipline that only the brightest students can master. But DeLyser hopes the framework will help to wipe out that notion. She noted that in many schools the only codified computer science education is at the advanced placement level. I think the framework is an amazing leap forward for the United States to move past this geek-gene notion or the idea that somehow computer scientists or programmers are somehow special, said DeLyser. They are average, everyday people with special knowledge that we can give to every child. Related stories: Oct. 7 An officer was dispatched to Wier Park, in regards to a vandalism call. The officer used a department issue body camera to record the graffiti and provided the report number to the public works employee. An officer was dispatched the West U FD bay in reference to a possible intoxicated male subject. Officers responded, and identified the subject. The subject showed sign of intoxication and admitted to consuming a large amount of alcohol. Subject was placed into custody for Public Intoxication. An officer observed a vehicle that failed to stop at a designated point at a stop sign in the 5400 block of Belmont. A stop was conducted and contact was made. With consent, a search was conducted and narcotics were found. The subject was placed in custody for the possession of marijuana and possession of a dangerous drug. Oct. 8 An officer was dispatched to the West U PD lobby on an identity theft call. After conducting a preliminary investigation of the incident the officer provided the victim with a report number and an identity theft package. An officer observed a vehicle failing to stop at the designated point in the 3100 block of Rice. The Officer initiated a traffic stop and upon further investigation, the female driver was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance and the male passenger was arrested for several warrants for outside agencies. The female subject has prior arrest history including theft. The male subject has prior arrest history including possession of controlled substance, evading, theft, and disorderly conduct. Oct. 9 Officers were dispatched to the 3200 block of Bissonnet for a report of a suspicious homeless male screaming at people. Officers arrived and located the subject in the 3500 block of Sunset. It was determined that the male suffers from mental illness and is at risk to himself and other by walking in the roadway and approaching moving vehicles and screaming at people. An Emergency Detention Order was obtained and the subject was transported and released to Ben Taub Hospital. An officer was dispatched to the 2700 block of Werlein on a suspicious person call. Upon arrival the Officer was flagged down by a citizen, who advised the Officer that the male was passed out at the back residential porch. Upon locating the male and after conversing with the male, the officer determined the male was intoxicated. Subject was placed into custody for Public Intoxication. This subject has prior arrest history including trespassing (11x), resisting arrest (4x), assault on public servant, public intoxication (28x), interference with public servant duties, possession of marijuana (3x), burglary of habitation, theft, harassment (4x), criminal mischief (2x), and deadly discharge firearm in a habitation. Oct. 10 At 11:50 am, an officer observed a vehicle in operation with an expired registration sticker in the 2600 block of Arbuckle. A traffic stop was conducted and during the stop, a loaded pistol, and marijuana was located within the subjects' vehicle. The driver was subsequently arrested for Unlawful carry of a weapon, and possession of marijuana. This subject has prior arrest history including aggravated assault w/deadly weapon (2x) At 6:58 pm, an officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in regards to a walk-in report of a theft. Upon arrival, the reportee advised that various items had been taken out of the home. A report for theft was generated. Oct. 11 An officer was dispatched to the Harris County Jail Facility in order to obtain custody of a subject who had West University Place warrants out for his arrest. Upon arrival, the subject was taken into custody and transported to West University Place Police Department Jail Facility with his personal property, without incident. This subject has prior arrest history including theft, possession of controlled substance (3x), possession of cocaine and aggravated rape (2x) Oct. 12 Officers were dispatched the 6500 block of Wakeforest for a report of vandalism. Sometime during the night an unknown person intentionally and knowing marked with black spray paint several symbols on a utility box. Officers were dispatched the 6200 block of Wakeforest for a report of vandalism. Sometime during the night an unknown person intentionally and knowing marked with black spray paint a word and several symbols on a City of West University Place lift station surface top. Oct. 13 An Officer was dispatched to the Harris County Jail facility to pick a male subject with warrants out of our Police Department. This subject has prior arrest history including theft (2x) Oct. 14 An Officer observed a vehicle traveling northbound failing to maintain a single lane in the 6300 block of Buffalo Speedway. The Officer initiated a traffic stop in the 5500 block of Buffalo Speedway and upon further investigation; the driver was arrested for the offense of Driving While Licensed Invalid. This subject has prior arrest history including criminal mischief, driving while license invalid, theft, escape, unauthorized use of vehicle By Evie Blad In the midst of a lead crisis that threatens the health and well-being of children in Flint, Mich., state and local education officials have not done enough to identify children in need of special education services and to provide those services to qualifying students, a federal lawsuit alleges. The suit, filed by the Education Law Center and the ACLU of Michigan on behalf of 15 Flint students and their families, says that defendantsthe Michigan Department of Education, Flint Community Schools, and the Genesee Intermediate School Districthave committed violations of federal civil rights laws, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, through an alleged improper handling of special education services. Plaintiffs seek class-action status. In anticipation of an expected increase of children in need of servicesa fallout of the finding of toxic levels of lead in the citys water the lawsuit demands that the defendants take a number of steps, including: Working to identify the academic and behavioral needs of all Flint students; Reworking of discipline practices to avoid unnecessary suspensions of students with disabilities; Working with a panel of experts to evaluate current special education services in Flint; and Appointing a special monitor to oversee implementation of the remedies demanded by the lawsuit. We know that Flint schools are not currently meeting the needs of special education students, and we know that exposure to lead in drinking water can be highly toxic for children, potentially leading to or exacerbating disabilities, Jessica Levin, staff attorney for the Education Law Center said in a statement. It is imperative that the local district and the State of Michigan make sure students are evaluated and provided with appropriate programs and services, especially now that the number of affected students could grow significantly. Sixteen percent of the 5,400 students enrolled in Flint Community Schools are qualified to receive special education services, the lawsuit says. Beyond failing to identify new students in need of disabilities services, local schools have not done enough to meet the needs of children already identified, the suit says. Instead, the schools have resorted to suspension, discipline and shuttling students from school to school with no long-term plan for educational progress or success, the ACLU says. Steven Tunnicliff, associate superintendent of the Genesee Intermediate School District, told CNN that the district is reviewing the lawsuit and will not comment on pending litigation. The GISD has been, and remains, deeply committed to the needs of all students and families in Flint and Genesee County, he said in a statement. Other defendants did not return requests for comment. Photo: Registered Nurse Brian Jones draws a blood sample from Grayling Stefek, 5, at the Eisenhower Elementary School on Jan. 26. The students were being tested for lead after the metal was found in the citys drinking water--Carlos Osorio/AP More coverage of the Flint water crisis and Flint schools: A Mississippi school district that was ordered in May to desegregate its middle and high schools is offering the court an alternative desegregation plan, the Associated Press reported. But the Cleveland school districts proposal to comply with the judges ruling and integrate its schools would lead to the closure of the citys historically black schools, the AP said. U.S. District Judge Debra Brown had ordered the district, in the Mississippi Delta, to consolidate its two middle schools and high schools so that all high school students would attend one high school and all middle school students would attend a single middle school. Under Browns order, high school students would attend a combined campus on Cleveland High and Margaret Green. East Side High School, a historically black school, would have become a combined middle school, according to the AP. D.M. Smith Middle School was scheduled to close. The district had said it would appeal the courts ruling, arguing, among things, that the courts proposal would lead to an exodus of white students. The Associated Press reported that based on a new district proposal, students in grades 7-12 would attend Cleveland High School and Margaret Green Junior High School, while most sixth graders would attend classes at what is now an alternative school. East Side High School would close under the districts plan, the AP said. The district, which is predominantly black, hopes the new proposal would prevent white flight, the AP reported. Judge Brown still has to approve the districts plan, and a hearing on the districts proposal could be held in January, according to the AP. Brown had sought to integrate the schools by the fall 2017. Many African-American residents were not happy that the districts new plan would close schools in black neighborhoods, the AP said. The plan calls for closing down all the schools on the black side of town and moving all the kids to the white side of town, the Associated Press quoted Rev. Edward DuVall, as saying. The bottom line is racism. DuVall and others supporters would like the district to build a new high school to house white and black students and offer new programs. Graduation rates among students with disabilities rose from 59 percent in the 2010-11 school year to 64.6 percent in the 2014-15 school yeara 5.6 percentage point increase that is higher than the 4.2 percentage point increase seen among the overall student population in the same time period. The graduation rate among students with disabilities still trails the overall student graduation rate, though. The graduation rate for all students was 83.2 percent, which is 18.6 percentage points higher than the rate for students with disabilities. That overall graduation rate is the highest it has been since the federal government first started requiring all states to use the same method of calculating how many students graduate from high school on time with a standard diploma. States must calculate how many 9th graders leave school with a diploma four years later, after making adjustments for transfers both into and out of the class. The growth in the overall graduation rate, however, was seen by President Barack Obama as a cause for celebration on Monday. My colleagues at Politics K-12 covered the presidents visit to Benjamin Banneker High School in Washington D.C., a rigorous public magnet school, where he talked about the graduation results and the administrations work in education in general . The National Center for Education Statistics lists the overall, and state-by-state, graduation rates . Challenges Tracking Graduation Rates Among Students with Disabilities As Ive mentioned in other articles about graduation rates, observers have to be careful about these percentages. As I wrote last year, states may have different definitions for what a counts as a regular high school diploma for a student with a disability. Also, states may have different definitions of a student with a disability. Some states may consider those who started high school with an individualized education program to fit the definition, while others may consider only students who graduated with an IEP in place to be students with a disability. And, students with disabilities are allowed to stay in school until age 21, so they may take longer than four years to earn a regular high school diploma (though students who stay in school longer generally have more severe disabilities and are on an alternate academic track.) Americas Promise Alliance, an advocacy organization pushing for a 90 percent graduation rate by 2020, said that states would have to continue to close graduation gaps among some student groups to reach that goal. While we are pleased to see continued progress in raising graduation rates, we realize that much work remains, said Alma Powell, the chairwoman of the Alliance, in a statement. Too many young people are still being left behind. There are currently nearly 700,000 16-19 year olds who are not in school and do not have a high school diploma. If we are to reach 90 percent, we must redouble our efforts to close graduation gaps for key subgroups, including students of color and students from low-income families, English-language learners, homeless students, and students with disabilities. Three top executives at a physical therapy company were convicted this week by a federal jury in Houston of conspiracy, health care fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. After a five-week trial and 14 hours of deliberation before U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein, Jr., the jury on Monday convicted three officials from Team Work Ready, which operates clinics in five states, including Texas and Louisiana, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Ken Magidson in Houston. Convicted of more than 20 criminal counts each were Jeffrey Eugene Rose, 54, the CEO; his wife, Pamela Annette Rose, 55, who was the chief financial officer; and Frankie Lee Sanders, 55, the vice president of operations. A fourth defendant, Dr. Hugo Gerardo Jaime, 44, who signed treatment notes and trained the technicians at the clinic, was found not guilty on all counts. Vivian R. King, the defense attorney for Pamela Rose, said she respected the jury's verdict but feared it might have been influenced by cultural bias against her client, who along with the other two convicted defendants is black. King said Rose has spinal cancer and worked offsite. The three or four witnesses who testified they knew her said she worked in the business office and had little to no role in the billing process. Lawyers for the other two convicted defendants could not immediately be reached for comment. On Tuesday, the jury heard more testimony and returned a special verdict requiring the company to forfeit $220,807, an annuity contract and real property. Christopher Downey, who represents Sanders, was also very surprised at the verdict and agreed about King's client. "I thought it was absurd for the federal government to prosecute Pamela Rose given the fact that she was essentially a part-time worker and a survivor of bone cancer who is confined to a wheelchair," he said. In addition, he said, he believed this investigation that led to his client's prosecution, was based in an effort by the U.S. Postal Service to put companies that serve postal workers who have been injured out of business. "These were very, very good people who helped a huge number of federal workers," he said. "This was a company that met a very special need in the marketplace for injured federal workers and had marketed itself well but was struggling to meet the needs of the customers it brought in. The mistakes it made, I believe, were not intentional. This verdict was based on a finding that those acts were intentional and I just don't think that's supported by the evidence." Chip Lewis, who defended Jeffrey Rose, said, "With the acquittal of the chiropractor, the guilty verdict of the executives is both illogical and completely contradictory to the government's theory and witnesses' testimony. The government alleged the chiropractor intentionally overbilled the Department of Labor while the executives turned a blind eye and enjoyed the profits of his malfeasance." Witnesses testified that the company submitted $9.6 million in claims for postal workers getting treated at four clinics for physical therapy services that were not provided. The defendants were found guilty of billing for one-on-one physical therapy, when experts testified that the patients said they simply used treadmills, bicycles and elliptical machines, the Nintendo Wii game and other exercise equipment. According to witnesses, a patient at the San Antonio clinic was told to use the massage chair for therapy. According to court documents, patients at the packed New Orleans clinic saw the treatment program as the equivalent of a gym. Sanders and Jeffrey Rose were ordered to remain in federal custody until sentencing on Jan 13 and 20, respectively. Pamela Rose will remain free on bond until her sentencing Jan. 13. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It started as the rescue of a dog found in northwest Houston with duct tape over its eyes and mouth. No one knew who left the dog in the 800 block of Rushcreek on Monday or why it had been treated like it had. "It's a very bad situation when a dog is done in this manner or any animal," said Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman. READ MORE: Animal 'crush' videos bring more prison time for Houston man The area, between Spears and Ella Boulevard, is known for being a dumping ground for unwanted items. Houston Police Department officer V.E. Rogers told KRIV in Houston that the pooch was barely moving when officers found it. "Bleeding appeared to be from the inside out and looked like some kind of infection going on in her lower legs," Rogers said. Officers at the scene removed the tape and gave the dog water before taking it to the SPCA for a vet to examine. The vet discovered the dog's skull had been crushed. The dog had to be euthanized. READ MORE: Harris County animal abuse officials face Internet flames Herman said Tuesday morning that officers were taking pictures of the dog to nearby apartment complexes and neighborhoods, hoping someone would recognize the pooch. If the owner is found and the dog was abused and abandoned, more action could be taken. "If we can file charges, we will file charges as soon as we can," said Herman, who was circulating pictures of the dog. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Arnold Ray Jones got the break many inmates would celebrate - clemency from President Barack Obama. Then, Arnold did the unexpected. He turned it down. In a rare move, Arnold opted to serve out his full sentence of slightly more than 19 years in prison and four years of supervised release. The clemency grant came with the condition of less time in prison and no supervised release if he completed a residential drug treatment program. READ MORE: Obama commutes prison sentences for 2 Houstonians P.S. Ruckman Jr., a professor of political science at Rock Valley College and an instructor at Northern Illinois University, said about a dozen or so people out of the 30,000 individuals granted commutations or clemency have turned it down. The rejections usually came because they found the conditions attached were untenable - joining the Army, leaving the United States never to return, living with a specific family member, said Ruckman, who runs the Pardon Power blog. "The thing that makes this case unusual is the innocuous nature of the condition," Ruckman said. "Drug treatment? That is amazing! Never seen anything like that?" READ MORE: Obama grants commutations to 13 Texas inmates The unusual rejection came to light last week, when Obama commuted the sentences of 102 more federal inmates. With the 673 previous commutations granted, the total should have been 775 but the White House accounting had only 774. The clemency issued Aug. 3 would have put Jones out of the Beaumont minimum security federal prison in August of 2018. Instead, should he serve out the sentence for drug offenses issued in Lubbock, Jones will be released April 12, 2019. Trade in rare Mexican artifacts may be a lucrative business, but smuggling them into the country is illegal. A Texas man found that out when he was indicted last week. Federal prosecutors in Pecos charged Andrew Marion Kowalik of Rockport with two counts of trying to sneak in "prehistoric flaked stone artifacts such as projectile points, knives and other stone tools." Prosecutors put a value on the items of $5,000.00 or more and said the items were stolen or someone was defrauded out of the items. Kowalik has pleaded not guilty. READ MORE: 'Red List' drawn up to help recover stolen artifacts Thousands of relics smuggled out of Latin America in recent years remain in the hands of private collectors in the United States and Europe. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Mark Lambie/MBI Show More Show Less 2 of 3 AP Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Despite international agreements to preserve national patrimonies, the illicit trade in pre-Columbian antiquities has been steadily increasing, according to scientists and art experts. INTERPOL, the international police cooperative, says it is nearly impossible to get a grip on the number and types of artwork and artifacts stolen every year. But, when purloined pieces of history are recovered, it makes a splash. READ MORE: Pre-Columbian artifacts repatriated to Mexico In 2014, Mexico filed claims against Bonhams Auction House in New York after it sold more than 100 pre-Hispanic artifacts, including several Aztec and Mayan warrior statues. The Mexican government claimed that at least half of the pieces were fake, and the rest were stolen. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A central Texas woman is facing six separate charges after being accused of pimping a 16-year-old girl on Backpage.com. The Hays County Sheriff's Office has charged 43-year-old Nancy Cisneros of Kyle with three felony charges of trafficking a child and three charges of compelling prostitution as far back as June 2015. READ MORE: Police: Backpage ad leads to fatal stabbing at hotel Court documents obtained by news station KXAN read Cisneros trafficked the victim by posting online escort advertisements on Backpage.com. She then brought the victim to hotels to engage in prostitution, according to the documents. According to the news station, the teen met Cisneros through a friend who was a prostitute. Cisneros then sent the victim's name and phone number to a man known as Bernell Quillens. He and another man identified as Cameron White then picked up the victim at 1 a.m. June 29, 2015. The two men drove her to a hotel in San Marcos. They took pictures of her and posted them online. READ MORE: Life in prison for man who coerced girl into prostitution After the first encounter, the men would pick up the victim when her mother was at work or asleep, according to KXAN. The court documents state Quillens and White picked up the victim on an unknown date and drove her to a 7-11 in Kyle. The news station reports Cisneros met them at the 7-11 and told the men, "B*** better make me some money because I own her." KXAN states Quillens and Cisneros exchanged money. The victim told police the money she made went directly to Quillens. How and when the teen escaped was not reported by XKAN. According to the Hays County Clerk's Office, Quillens is charged with three felony counts of trafficking a child and three felony counts of compelling prostitution. READ MORE: 4 men accused of human trafficking, murder of Florida teen Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer was arrested on Oct. 6 at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on "charges of pimping a minor, pimping, and conspiracy to commit pimping," according to the California Department of Justice. Backpage hosts prostitution-related ads under its "adult services" section. On Friday, Ferrer, 55, posted a $500,000 bail. The site's controlling shareholders Michael Lacey, 68, and James Larkin, 67, posted $250,000 bail each. On Wednesday, hundreds of educators in the Seattle school district will dress alike. They will don shirts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in solidarity with a district elementary school that received threats over a black-community outreach event last month. Social Equality Educators, a group of teachers in the Seattle Education Association who are hosting the event, ordered more than 700 shirts that say Black Lives Matter and We Stand Together for the day of solidarity, according to the Seattle Times. Participating educators at elementary, middle, and high schools across the district will gather for rallies before and after school, teach about racism and black history, and meet with community members for a district-wide discussion about how to better support black students. And though the event is not affiliated with the Seattle school district, it falls during the districts Day of Unity, which is meant to draw attention to racial equality and the districts #ClosetheGap campaign, an effort to remove opportunity gaps for all students, including students of color. We respect our teachers rights and desire to express themselves, the district said in a statement to the Seattle Times. While t-shirts are a visual, we hope the message inspires people to do the work to eliminate opportunity gaps. The efforts come after the districts John Muir Elementary School canceled an event last month in which more than 100 black men planned to gather in the school parking lot and welcome students. The plan was to combat negative stereotypes, and some teachers were going to wear Blacks Lives Matter shirts in support, but the school canceled the event after receiving at least one threatening phone call, the Times reported. Many people still came to high-five students on the day the event was scheduled. One parent, who heard about the elementary schools event on a local radio show, voiced his concern about teachers wearing the shirts and bringing politics into the classroom . Students are in school for academics and math and not to learn the politics of the day, he told the radios site MyNorthWest.com. Educators who wear political t-shirts or are open about their beliefs often face criticism from students or parents who disagree with the message or feel that teachers are forcing political opinions in the classroom. Teachers and schools must navigate the line between personal activism , support for all students, and a varying spectrum of beliefs from parents, community members, and teachers and students themselves. Last month, a law and social studies teacher in Medford, Ore., was asked to remove a Black Lives Matter poster from his classroom at the request of some parents, according to the Mail Tribune. And students at a high school in Mountain Home, Idaho, led protests and counter-protests in September over a districts decision to paint over a parking lot mural depicting a black woman with a #BlackLivesMatter caption . The district said it did not have an issue with the mural content, but that it was a mistake for the principal to approve the murals in the schools parking spaces in the first place. In recent months, a coalition that includes the Black Lives Matter group has called for an education policy platform that makes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to fully fund education, so that all students have equal access. Educator Christina Torres echoed the need for the change in a recent Education Week Teacher blog post. Generations of harmful educational practices cant be healed with one conversation, and nuances in culture and values will cause tension, she wrote. Still, I believe that these tough conversations are worth it. Source: Image by Flickr user Kelly Hunter licensed under Creative Commons Save Save Save -- Clinton campaign to spend $1.5M in Texas ads, by the Chronicles Kevin Diaz. Texas Republican Party Chairman Tom Mechler declined to comment on the Clinton ad buy. A state GOP aide, however, questioned the impact of television ads running for a limited time in largely Democratic urban markets. While the ads may demonstrate some muscle-flexing on the part of the Clinton campaign, Republicans consider them a play for the more pervasive earned media of news and social media reaction. -- Patrick calls for churches to step up in foster care crisis, by the Chronicles Mike Ward. Without providing details, Patrick said several elected state officials have opened their homes to children in need of loving families and are working with me to inspire a statewide movement to answer this calling. I hope you and your family will consider doing the same. Patrick aides said several state officials and lawmakers who are assisting with the placement campaign have adopted foster children in the past, and will be speaking out in videos to encourage other Texans to do so. -- State dismisses complaint against Harmony Charter School, per the Chronicles Andrea Zelinski. The two allegations reviewed by the state include: one that accused Harmony of violating state law by favoring Turkish vendors in violation of open and competitive bidding laws. The other charged that the charter school illegally guaranteed a $7 million bond debt to a Turkish charter school network in Arkansas. The TEA's Special Investigations Unit found a minority of vendors working with the school were registered to people with Turkish surnames and the Harris County Department of Education provided oversight over the procurement process. It also found the bond debt guaranteed to Arkansas came from gifts, bequests and miscellaneous local revenue, not state funds, according to the TEA. -- House hearing shows though road ahead for school choice supporters, by Quorum Reports Kimberly Reeves.Members of the committee appeared universally opposed to the choice options, with the exception of Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston. Bohac insisted school choice had broad, broad bipartisan support, which others disputed. Outgoing Rep. Marsha Farney, R-Round Rock, was exceptionally vocal, launching into a long list of questions to a panel of advocates. >> How Trump could keep Texas: GOP women, Houston Chronicle -- No Trump effect likely for Texas Senate races But any Democratic dreams of a Trump effect on the ballot stop at the state senate. Major gains in the Republican-dominated body are already out of the question. Even picking up a single seat remains a long-shot. Eight senate seats currently held by Republicans are up for election this fall. Democrats didn't even field a candidate in six of them. In the remaining two races, it would take a huge upset for the Democrat to win, writes the Texas Tribunes Matthew Watkins. CAPITOL DAYBOOK JOINT 11 a.m. Border Security [E1.012] SPEED READ Donors behind $2M check to Missouri's Greitens still secret, AP Jill Stein: Texas is on fire, Statesman TEA dismisses complaint against Harmony charter schools, Houston Chronicle Keep stores closed on Thanksgiving, Houston Chronicle NBC News fires Billy Bush after lewd Donald Trump tape airs, AP GOP State Lawmakers Sign Brief Opposing Same-Sex Benefits, Texas Observer The Many Costs of Campus Carry, New Yorker Texas Chainsaw Massacre gas station restored to its glory days, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Texas troopers to ride some school buses in safety push, AP Judge drops charge against 'Democracy Now' reporter, AP RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE -- How Trumps extremism could help down-ballot Republicans, per Politico: Based on recent research we've done on voting behavior, Trump might be inadvertently handing the Republican Party a big opportunity. And the more extreme his behavior, the better the opportunity gets. Its conventional wisdom in politics that a popular candidate lifts up Senate and House candidates running under the party banner, and an unpopular one hurts them. But based on our voting experiments, that pattern can break down when a party nominates an extreme candidate. True, an extreme candidate can spell electoral disaster for the entire slatebut its also possible that if the candidate is extremeenough, and the rest of the party sees it the same way, then it can give those co-partisans a major advantage. >> Melania Trump says assault charges 'not true' from the Houston Chronicle -- New surveys suggest the GOP nominee is perilously close to historic rebuke, by Politicos Steven Shepard. Now, though, after weeks of negative news coverage after Trumps poor performance in the first debate, the tape of his sexually aggressive remarks leaked earlier this month and reports from a number of women claiming he sexually assaulted or harassed them, its also clear Trump has a floor of about 40 percent of the electorate. >> Trump: Maybe Paul Ryan wants me to lose so he can run in 2020 -- Tight races remain in three battlegrounds: Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio, by CNN: The polls were taken October 10-15 as accusations of sexual assault against Trump began to roll out in the wake of the release of a video of the real estate mogul captured on a hot mic talking about women in a sexually aggressive and lewd way. All three find most voters in these battlegrounds had heard a great deal about the video itself, and most say the way Trump talks about women on the tape reflects his views about women generally. But in both Ohio and North Carolina, comparisons to CNN/ORC polls in September and late-August respectively suggest the allegations aren't hurting Trump in either of those states, either among likely voters or among the broader pool of registered voters. 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. Will Wells Fargo's CEO Face Criminal Charges? Since the recent Wall Street bailout of 2008, the public's trust still has not fully recovered in the banking establishment. The recent Wells Fargo scandal has lawmakers and the public demanding justice. However, justice in this case is not just restitution of the ill-gotten bank fees paid by victimized customers; the justice being demanded includes criminal charges against the bank's CEO. Lawmakers have been pressing for a criminal investigation and for criminal charges against CEO John Stumpf. To date, no charges have been filed, but many people, lawmakers included, want the CEO to be held criminally liable for the actions of his company. Responsible Corporate Officer Doctrine Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf could find himself facing criminal charges even if he had no actual knowledge of what was happening. Under the Responsible Corporate Officer doctrine, Stumpf can be prosecuted if it is found that he should have known about the illegal activity, and could have prevented or corrected it. The theory behind the Responsible Corporate Officer doctrine relies on the premise that a corporation must be held accountable for criminal actions, and when the corporate officer in charge either knew of, or should have known of, the criminal wrongdoing, they should be held criminally liable for the corporation's crimes. In the Wells Fargo case, prosecutors would need to have evidence that shows Stumpf, as part of his duties as CEO, was or should have been aware of the widespread fraud. This can be achieved by showing he was made aware of employees being disciplined, or retaliated against, for complaining about being, or refusing to be, forced to make quotas by signing up customers for new accounts without their consent. Can the Wells Fargo Employees Face Criminal Charges? Although Wells Fargo has boasted about the 5,300+ employees they fired as a result of the scandal, not much has been said about whether individual employees will face criminal liability. Typically, businesses can be held civilly liable for their employees' actions (taken in furtherance of the business), and individual employees can also face criminal liability. Generally, everyone involved in a criminal enterprise will be liable for the criminal actions they committed, as well as potentially the crimes of the entire enterprise. Although Wells Fargo employees may claim duress (that they were forced under threat of losing their jobs), this may not be enough to overcome criminal liability for fraud. Related Resources: We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. California Pro-Life CPCs Must Provide Abortion Notices, 9th Cir. Rules A recent Ninth Circuit decision requires all crisis pregnancy centers to distribute information about publicly funded contraception and abortion services. This is not welcome news for pro-life groups. California's Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency Act went into effect on January 1st, 2016 and requires that pregnancy centers and clinics provide a notice to their patients about the available, publicly funded, prenatal, abortion and family planning services. The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, a pro-life organization, and two other groups, challenged the act's constitutionality and sought a preliminary injunction exempting them from posting the required-by-law notifications. After the lower court rejected and dismissed their claims, they appealed. The 9th Circuit upheld the act in a decision published last Friday. What Is the FACT Act? The California Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency Act, known as the Reproductive FACT Act, requires crisis pregnancy centers and other pregnancy clinics to provide patients or clients with information about publicly funded and available services for abortions, prenatal care, and contraceptives. Additionally, facilities that are not licensed are required to post an additional notification advising clients that the facility is not licensed by the State of California. According to the Washington Times, the Reproductive FACT Act was a response by the California legislature to the increase in pro-life focused crisis pregnancy centers that advertise to pregnant women considering abortion with the focus of persuading the women not to abort. The California legislature found it important to the welfare of the state that pregnant women be provided with all the information about their available options so they can make the best choice for themselves. Free Speech Challenge to FACT The pro-life groups challenged the FACT Act on the grounds of free speech. The challenge was based on the act's requirement that the crisis pregnancy centers would be forced to post a statement that went against the center's beliefs. While the circuit court recognized that the case raises a First Amendment issue, the court squarely decided that the act is constitutional. The Ninth Circuit ruled that regulating the health and welfare of the people of the state is a very compelling purpose. Also, the court found that the purpose of the California legislature in enacting the FACT Act was sufficient to require that centers and clinics post the required notices. Related Resources: Liberals often excoriate the Right for its supposed hostility to science. But as John Tierney argues in our cover story, the real war on science is being waged by the Left. From shutting down debate on global warming to fear-mongering over genetically modified foods, from falling prey to confirmation bias to blurring the lines between politics and research, liberals have regularly betrayed the Enlightenment ideals that they claim to uphold. Tierneys important essay sets things straight. In Ronald Reagans Quiet War on AIDS, Peter W. Huber explodes another myth. He shows how the Republican president, wrongly criticized by liberals for ignoring the AIDS crisis, appointed scientifically informed regulators, who bent Washington rules to speed up the delivery of lifesaving drugs for people suffering from the lethal diseasethereby providing a model for fighting grave illnesses today. As the 2016 presidential race staggers to its conclusion, this issue of City Journal devotes considerable space to American politics. Three stories look at the presidential scene. Weve heard a lot this year about the emergence of the populist alt-Right, its support of Donald Trump, and the centrifugal forces ripping apart the Republican Party. Michael J. Tottens Children of the Revolution charts the growing influence of what one can call the alt-Left: the assorted Marxists, safe-space activists, cop-haters, anti-Zionists, anti-vaxxers, and blame-America-firsters who threaten to blow up the Democratic Party. The alt-Left, which enthusiastically backed Bernie Sanders in his failed bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination from Hillary Clinton, isnt going away, Totten shows, reporting vividly from the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. In fact, with youth on its side, its likely to shape the partysand the nationspolitics in disturbing ways. In The Obama Tragedy, Myron Magnet returns to the outgoing presidents unusual upbringing and his psychologically conflicted embrace of authentic blackness to understand how a leader many believed heralded a post-racial America has instead left the country far more racially divided and pessimistic about the future. Harry Steins The Goldwater Takedown goes back to the 1964 presidential race, when the press did everything in its power to sink the Republicans candidacyrevealing a partisanship in the media that has become all too familiar in the years since. Local politics get a hearing in our issue, too. Illinois is a fiscal disaster zone, and one man can take a disproportionate amount of the blame, argues Daniel DiSalvo in Madiganistan. Democrat Michael Madiganspeaker of the Illinois House for 31 years and countinghas built a vast political machine of patronage appointees, lawmakers, lobbyists, donors, friendly businesses, and family. The machine serves the ends of the politician, not the people, and its draining the stateand its great metropolis, Chicagoof vitality. Seth Barron tells another story of self-serving governance in Charlies Angles, his reflection on the career of retiring Harlem congressional titan Charles Rangel. More hopefully, Steven Malangas City Hall GOP profiles a new generation of Republican mayors, whove been focusing on the nuts and bolts of urban governance: balancing out-of-kilter budgets, keeping streets clean, and ensuring public safety. And Hadley Arkes, in The Lost Structures of Civility, recalls the wonderfully civil Chicago of his youth, when a ten-year-old could ride the El to go downtown alone. The latest in our ongoing series on the dysfunctional Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is Judith Millers report, The New York Police Force That Doesnt Work. The Port Authority police are responsible for protecting some of the regions high-profile terrorism targets, including the World Trade Center, but theres plenty of reason to worry about whether theyre up to the task. Working less and paid far more than most other tristate police forces, including the NYPD, and operating under a doorstop-size contract filled with absurd work rules, the Port Authority cops need reform badly, as a never-released 2011 report, from the former director of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, found. Millers eye-opening piece should galvanize new calls for change. Brian C. Anderson Imagine a tax proposal so unusual that it turns traditional political alliances inside out: a tax hike on fossil fuels that Democrats, unions, and green groups oppose, while the Western States Petroleum Association remains neutraleven though the levy is aimed at its products! Such a proposal, youd think, could only be the product of a diabolical mind. Sort of: the plans author, Yoram Bauman, is known as the stand-up economist. When hes not teaching at the University of Washington, Bauman travels the country doing economics-based comedy. An example: Microeconomists are economists who are wrong about specific things. Macroeconomists are economists who are wrong about things in general. Still, Bauman is deadly serious (sort of) about Washington State Initiative 732, which will appear on the ballot this November, thanks to the efforts of a group that he helped assemble. If it passes, it will impose a carbon tax on fossil fuels in Washington but reduce general taxes by about the same amount. Its designed to cut consumption of carbon-based fuels in a revenue-neutral way without putting any additional financial burden on state residents. Behind the proposal is Baumans notion that our current approach to taxation doesnt make sense. We tax things that we want more of, like profits and income, and wind up getting less of those things because taxation tends to make them scarcer. Instead, we should tax things that we want less ofand, for Bauman, that means taxing fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse emissions. From a traditional economics perspective, Initiative 732 isnt outrageous at all. The early-twentieth-century English economist Arthur Pigou argued that the actions of individuals and firms sometimes impose costs on societysuch as the sale of alcoholic beverages, which required employing more cops to deal with the resultant disorder. That cost, in Pigous mind, justifies an extra government levy on alcohol, an example of whats come to be known as a Pigovian tax. Its from a political perspective that Baumans proposal is causing a stir, exposing previously unknown fault lines. Most assume that the environment is the primary concern of groups like the Sierra Club, but many green advocates oppose the Bauman tax because of its revenue-neutral character. Groups such as the progressive-minded Washington Environmental Council are less enthusiastic about a tax that doesnt also grow government. The climate-justice organization OneAmerica is backing an alternative tax that would generate new state revenues. The groups director says that its tax proposal, which is not on the ballot this year, would take on entrenched fossil-fuel interests, which Initiative 732 apparently doesnt do. The Washington State Democratic Party also opposes the tax, in part because of what it decries as ridiculous commentary by Bauman. Earlier this year, in a message to environmentalists, Bauman argued that the path to climate action is through the Republican Party. He believes that the GOPs skepticism on climate change is surmountable. The same cannot be said of the challenges on the left: an unyielding desire to tie everything to bigger government, and a willingness to use race and class as political weapons in order to pursue that desire, he said. In fact, the one tax already in effect that most resembles Initiative 732 is an emissions levy passed in British Columbia in 2008 not by the Left but by a center-right government. Some business groups also oppose the measure, in part because any tax package creates winners and losers. This tax will raise the cost of gasoline and electricity but cut the sales tax and some corporate taxes. Figuring out how that will affect the bottom line is a complex calculation, and some businesses would rather not take the risk that such a change in policy involves. Still, even without the backing of major business groups, unions, or the Democratic Party, the effort to pass the initiative has collected more than $1 million in contributions, largely from individuals in a state considered among the nations most eco-friendly. Most politics these days seems a case of familiar coalitions battling over familiar policy issues framed in predictable legislative solutions. Initiative 732 turns all that on its head and prompts a new spin on the classic punch line of another comedian: Take my initiative . . . please! Photo by Standupeconomist.com Caritas Cehia in cautarea unui expert/unei experte sau unei echipe de experti in prestarea serviciilor de consiliere psihologica (pe segmentul burnout) pentru echipa mobila de prestare a serviciilor psiho-sociale pentru refugiatii ucraineni During this most contentious election season, politically correct has come in for more than its share of discussion. Depending on whos defining it, it means agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people, as Merriam-Webster says, or it means The idealogy of weird left wing liberals who want society to be nothing but accepting of all perverts and freaks everywhere, as Urban Dictionary has it, misspellings included. While not a new termThe Oxford English Dictionary dates it to 1805it really took off in the 1980s and 90s, not coincidentally a time when many racial, ethnic, gender, and other groups were gaining visibility and demanding respect. This Google Ngram, which tracks the appearance of terms in many books, shows the dramatic jump. Whatever you might think of political correctness, its impact on how we refer to people and groups is unmistakable, and it goes beyond changes such as identifying women by their own names, instead of by their husbands, or calling adult black males men instead of boys. Women have been the beneficiary of many of these changes. They are usually referred to now as, well, women in news reports, instead of the more ubiquitous girl that pervaded in much of the 20th century. It is much less common to see a qualifier like female firefighter or woman soldier than it was through most of the 20th century, though it is still far too common to see a womans marital or parental status highlighted when shes in the news, when a mans is not. (A cursory Nexis search of news reports since October 1 shows more than twice as many uses of mom or mother in headlines than of dad or father.) Sign up for CJR 's daily email We frequently advocate that information like race, religion, gender, or even age are relevant sometimes but that such relevance must be clear to the reader and then must be applied equally to all. The news media have gotten better about not referring to a lady cop or male nurse when there is no relevant reason for giving the persons sex. Even calling someone a lady, as Garners Modern English Usage says, has become increasingly problematic. Outside of a title in British peerage, on restrooms, or in idioms like ladies and gentlemen, most other uses of the term might invite disapprovaldepending on the readers or listeners views about sexism. Some fights are still being waged, and are worth waging. For many years, news reports commonly reported about someone, usually a man, who fondled someone else, usually a woman or child, in an inappropriate, sexual way. That evokes such nice images: A lover fondles a partner; a child fondles a puppy. The implication is that its a good thing: The earliest meaning of fondled was to pamper, and the root, fond, means to have warm feelings about. But lets be clear: Anyone who touches someone else inappropriately is not fondling, no matter the touchers motives. That person is groping, or sexually assaulting, or something that does not carry positive connotations. Even many dictionaries have accepted that fondling has been skunked: Websters New World College Dictionary lists a second definition as touch or stroke (someone), often inappropriately, in making sexual advances. Yet in discussing the accusations that Donald Trump forced his attentions on women, a fair number of publications have said that the women accused Trump of fondling them. And many laws still use the word fondling to describe something that the receiver of the act is not feeling very good about. That must change. The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage advises against fondling, saying: It means caress or stroke in a tender way. The word is not suitable for descriptions of rape, assault or unwelcome advances. Grab, grope or touch may be more appropriate. The Associated Press Stylebook does not weigh in on it. This is not about being politically correct. It is about being just plain correct. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Merrill Perlman managed copy desks across the newsroom at the New York Times, where she worked for twenty-five years. Follow her on Twitter at @meperl. Nearly every president, and most serious candidates for that position, exhibit a love/hate relationship with the press. In the popular mind, John F. Kennedy expressed mainly the love part, partly due to his witty manner at frequent White House press conferences. Actually, while displaying affection for a number of reporters, JFK was extremely critical of the media. In the second half of 1962 alone he tried to kill two NBC and CBS news specials. He even approved the wiretapping of a leading reporter for The New York Times (and a secretary in the newspapers D.C. bureau)and then set in motion illegal CIA domestic surveillance embraced years later by Richard Nixon. President Kennedys order to the CIA to begin collecting intelligence on American reportersshattering its own charterwas formalized as Project Mockingbird. In the spring of 1963, this resulted in the wiretapping of two columnists, Robert S. Allen and Paul Scott, after they allegedly revealed classified secrets. Other reporters were also monitored in this program until its end in 1965. This drama began with a front-page scoop in The New York Times on July 26, 1962, by chief military correspondent Hanson Baldwin, who revealed the Soviets were hardening their missile silos with concrete covers to protect nuclear weapons in the event of an American attack. Top American officials kept this from the media and the public. Baldwin also revealed that US cameras were now capable from high in the sky of detecting such precise retrofitting, citing the new science of image interpretation based on infrared and radar images and electronic emanations. The Soviets were sensitive to any sort of US spying, and now they would likely try to hide their missile sites from aerial view. Baldwin had also revealed the current number of nuclear missiles in the US arsenal which, he claimed, gave us a clear edge over the Soviets. Baldwin, 59, had joined the paper back in 1929 and won a Pulitzer for World War II reporting in the Pacific. The White House quickly moved to find out who was behind the leak, with Attorney General Robert Kennedy ordering FBI director J. Edgar Hoover to take action. It wasnt the first time RFK had approved such a step with the presidents knowledge. The previous year, Lloyd Norman wrote a piece for Newsweek based on classified information. FBI agents had monitored Normans home phone in Washington. This is an excerpt from Greg Mitchells new book, which is set to be published by Crown on Oct. 18. Now, on July 27, just one day after the Baldwin scoop was published, agents tapped the phone of a secretary in The New York Times Washington office. The next day they bugged Baldwins home phone in Chappaqua, New York. At the same hour on the evening of July 30, FBI agents visited the DC apartment of the secretary and residence of the reporter. The startled secretary told them appointments Baldwin had recently made. When they left she called one of her bosses at the Times, who ordered her not to talk to the FBI further. Sign up for CJR 's daily email When Baldwin answered the door in Chappaqua that same evening, he told the agents he did not like this kind of approach. He offered to talk with them at his office the next day, but he was so hostile they sensed this would be fruitless. After they left, Baldwin received a call from the highly influential Times editor and columnist James Scotty Restonwith the FBI listening in, of course. Reston informed him about the FBIs visit with the secretary. He called it a witch hunt, an outrage and we ought to print the whole thing. Baldwin concurred and said he would never name his sources. He suggested they contact the Times publisher, Orville Dryfoos. This is going very far in this administrationI think it is extremely dangerous, he complained. Reston said there was a feeling in Congress that dossiers were being kept on certain people. Baldwin agreed this was something new and advised, I think the real answer to this is Robert Kennedy and the president himselfbut Robert Kennedy particularlyputting pressure on Hoover. Reston suggested the Times could fight back by blowing the whistle: All it takes to deal with Kennedy [uncertain which one], who is essentially a politician and not cop, is for us to print the news.I propose, if you agree, after we know what more is in back of all this, merely to file a story, then if they [Times editors] want to take the responsibility of killing it, well know where we are. Baldwin met with publisher Dryfoos and managing editor Turner Catledge (with Reston on speaker phone) to consider exposing the administrations assault on the free press. They decided as a first step that Reston should call Kennedy aide McGeorge Bundy and extract full details on the scope of the FBI inquiry and who initiated it. That evening, Pentagon chief Robert McNamara stopped by Restons home. He claimed he knew nothing about the FBI probe in advance and apologized for the rough tactics. He also called the leak a clear violation of the law, without identifying which law. *** On August 1, President Kennedy sat down with his Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, including its chairman Dr. James Killian (president of M.I.T.), prominent lawyer Clark Clifford, Gen. Maxwell Taylor, and Robert Kennedy. The subject: that high-level leak in The New York Times. The meeting was recorded by JFKs secret taping system. JFK had approved the FBI probe and the taps on the phones of Baldwin and a Times secretary, but what was most on Kennedys mind was not nailing the leaker but preventing such disclosures in the future. Killian declared it was the judgment of your board today that this is one of the most damaging unauthorized disclosures and leaksa tragically serious breach of security. But how to expose the leaker? The discussion quickly shifted from catching the culprit to policing the bureaucracy. Killian called for unprecedented procedures in light of the fact that leakers have no real fear that any punitive action will be taken. He advocated drastic action even if that might result in adverse criticism temporarily, from journalists and some in Congress. He advocated new policies to be adopted by the Department of Defense and other agencies that handled classified information. His proposal: After any interaction with the media, the staffer must file a memo with his superior revealing whom he talked to, and what was discussed. Kennedy asked: Why not just force the employee to get clearance before talking to the reporter? Killian replied that the media would yelp about pre-censorship (they might even compare it to Soviet-style controls). Better to allow interviews but discourage loose lips by holding a hammer over them.. So the burden would be on the government rather than on the newspaperman, Kennedy affirmed. Killian claimed, somewhat improbably, We dont see that the press could have an adverse reaction to this, at all. Because this is none of their business.You are not interfering with their access to personnel. But Killian was hardly finished. He suggested a new office in the defense or intelligence fields, an expert group that would be available at all times to follow up on security leaks. Its very existence would create a deterrent effect. Clark Clifford urged that they go beyond investigating after the fact. They should follow the pattern of leaks and the activities of certain journalistsover time becoming pretty knowledgeable about the reporters and who they were probably talking to: There are many things that such a sensitized group could do thatthey could follow the press and see evidence of The president interrupted: Thats a very good idea. Well do that. Clifford elaborated: Lets then begin to get up a file on these different menTo my knowledge its never been done before and it is long overdue. Kennedy asked for a draft of a letter to Dryfoos written in such a way that it would demonstrate that this is not an overly sensitive administration. Everyone laughed, as he probably intended, and the meeting broke up. That was all right with the president, as he advocated requiring memos on conversations with any reporter. The press, Kennedy believed, are the most privileged group.They regard any action in this area as a limitation on their civil rights. And they are not very used to it. Kennedy asked for a draft of a letter to Dryfoos written in such a way that it would demonstrate that this is not an overly sensitive administration. Everyone laughed, as he probably intended, and the meeting broke up. *** On August 6, revealing another strain of anti-press attitudes within the administration, Dean Rusk, the secretary of state, personally bullied CBS Newswith the approval of the presidentinto killing a report by Daniel Schorr on a daring escape by East German citizens in a tunnel under the Berlin Wall. The argument: This might exacerbate tensions between the US and the Soviets in the worlds most dangerous hot spot. (Schorr would remain angry about this for the rest of his life.) The CBS coveragea focus in my new book, The Tunnelsmight have been quashed, but the Baldwin leak still occupied the presidents attention. On August 8, Kennedy forwarded his intelligence panels plan to monitor journalists to CIA director John McCone and others, and expected action to protect our intelligence and our intelligence sources and methods from unauthorized disclosure. He also sent his promised protest letter to Times publisher Dryfoos, but closed without making an explicit threat against the Times. That evening, the FBI recorded a lengthy phone conversation between Dryfoos and Baldwin. The reporter urged Dryfoos to insist to JFK that protecting sources is a safeguard of the press and you dont intend to violate it. Dryfoos decided not to go public with an article on the FBI vs. The Times. The FBI phone taps, meanwhile, remained active. The bureau had conducted 125 interviews in its leak probe, while providing Kennedy aide Kenny ODonnell with excerpts from transcripts, which were passed on to the president. *** On the evening of August 22, President Kennedy met with CIA Director John McCone and General Taylor at the White House. The meeting opened with an update on the new CIA office recommended by JFKs intelligence panel. The office shattered the CIAs charter, under the National Security Act of 1947, which strictly forbade any intelligence activity within US borders. McCone said that all high-level staffers who had access to sensitive material would have to write up a memo on every contact with the press and submit it to their superiors. Kennedy predicted that if the press ever learned of this, I would think we are going to get some abuse, but he was delighted to take it on this issue. Kennedy added that it would have a very inhibiting effect on officials talking with nosy national security reporters, knowing they were expected to pen a memo about the interview. McCone pointed out that it could be set up so that the president would not look like he was involved. And so what became known as Project Mockingbird began. On August 27, the FBI finally removed the tap on Hanson Baldwins home telephone. Six weeks later, as I cover in my book, Kennedy and Rusk would again try to kill landmark coverage of a Berlin escape tunnel, this time by NBC, and succeeded in postponing the airing for seven weeks. When declassified documents revealed Mockingbirds existence in 2007, New York Times reporter Tim Weiner observed, So now the record is clear: Long before President Nixon created his plumbers unit of CIA veterans to stop news leaks, President Kennedy tried to use the agency for the same goal. The Times separately noted: By ordering the director of central intelligence to conduct a program of domestic surveillance, Kennedy set a precedent that Presidents Johnson, Nixon, and George W. Bush would follow. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Greg Mitchell is the author of The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill. He has written 10 previous books, including The Campaign of the Century, winner of the Goldsmith Book Prize. He was the editor of Editor & Publisher from 2001-2008. A typical criminal act exclusion states that there is no coverage for bodily injury or property damage arising out of any criminal act. Typically the exclusion applies regardless of whether the insured is actually charged with or convicted of a crime. In Country Mutual Ins. Co. v. Dahms, 2016 IL App. (1st) 141392, 405 Ill.Dec. 311, 58 N.E.3d 118 (2016), the Illinois Court of Appeals held that the insurance company was required to defend its insured during the pendency of both a criminal proceeding and a tort action for bodily injury where the complaint in the tort action contained allegations of negligence as well as criminal activity. The Court found that the insurer was required to defend the insured because there was a potential for a non-criminal finding in the tort action. However, while the tort case was still pending, a jury convicted the insured of aggravated battery. According to the Court, the conviction extinguished the insurance companys duty to defend based upon the criminal act exclusion. The Court found that [a]t that moment, [the insurance company] could not be accused of self-serving, unbridled discretion in determining that [the insureds] conduct constituted a criminal act; [the insurance company] could point to a jury verdict based on the highest burden of proof known to our legal system. At that moment, the applicability of the criminal-acts exclusion became clear and free from doubt. 58 N.E.3d at 132. Of significance is the fact that at the time in the proceeding that the Court held the duty to defend was extinguishedat the time of the convictionthe criminal conviction was not final. In fact, the insured appealed the criminal conviction which was affirmed on April 23, 2015. A Petition for Review was then brought to the Illinois Supreme Court which was denied on September 30, 2015. On March 7, 2016, the United States Supreme Court denied the insureds Petition for Certiorari. 58 N.E.3d at 123. Thus, the Courts decision was not dependent upon the finality of the conviction, but on the strength of the factual determination indicating that a criminal act had occurred, i.e., a determination by a unanimous jury, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a crime had been committed. Notwithstanding the fact that the conviction was not final, the certainty of the jurys determination, factually, provided sufficient clarity for the Court to conclude that the exclusion applied. Remember, the typical exclusion does not require an actual conviction itself. The exclusion only requires that the bodily injury or property damage arise out of a criminal act. The exclusion defines a criminal act as meaning, any act or omission which is criminal in nature or for which a penal statute or ordinance permits or requires any term of imprisonment or sentence or public service duties. The typical exclusion applies irrespective of whether an insured is actually charged with or convicted of the crime. According to the Illinois Court, an insurance company is not entitled to make its own determination that the insured committed a policy defined criminal act but that a jury, after hearing all of the evidence and applying a rigorous standard of review (beyond a reasonable doubt), is sufficient. The state of Kansas plans to appeal a jurys ruling that ordered it to pay $120,000 to the family of a 2007 car crash victim who died after a state trooper demanded she be sent to Missouri hospitals rather than a closer one in Kansas. The Kansas Court of Appeals earlier this month upheld the 2014 jury award related to Kristin Saragusas death, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported. The Kansas Attorney Generals Office will ask the Kansas Supreme Court to review the case, spokeswoman Jennifer Rapp Montgomery said. Authorities said Charles Barker was fleeing a trooper after an attempted traffic stop when his car crossed into oncoming lanes and collided with a car occupied by Saragusa. An ambulance carrying Saragusa initially was sent to a Kansas hospital four minutes away. But it was rerouted at another troopers behest, eventually to two Missouri hospitals, keeping her in an ambulance for 16 minutes. Saragusa died three minutes before arriving at the second Missouri trauma center, the newspaper reported. Saragusas family filed a wrongful death lawsuit. During the trial, jurors awarded $1.2 million to the womans children and estate. and assessed the states blame at 10 percent, putting its liability at $120,000. Jurors cleared the trooper who gave chase to Barker of wrongdoing. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, which oversees the paramedics who treated Saragusa, agreed to a settlement that is to pay Saragusas children $325,000 over 30 years. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The century old state workers compensation system is outdated, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The system needs to be reset and reshaped to address the needs of todays employees, according to David Michaels, the assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Stakeholders, including workers, employers, insurance carriers, unions and government agencies will all need to take part in the conversation. The DOL and the National Academy of Social Insurance hosted a forum recently to discuss the release of two reports: the DOLs Does the Workers Compensation System Fulfill its Obligations to Injured Workers and the Academys report on the latest data on workers comp benefits, coverage and costs. Every day, 12 workers are killed in the workplace, according to OSHA. While that is down considerably from 1971 when 37 workers were killed per day, more than three million serious injuries a year are recorded by U.S. employers. Despite the sizeable financial cost of workers compensation, only a small portion of the overall costs of occupational injury and illness is borne by employers and carriers. Costs are instead shifted away from employers, often to workers, their families and communities, said Michaels. He said there is evidence on the costs being transferred to other benefit programs, including social security disability programs. According to the report, As the costs of work injury and illness are shifted, high hazard employers have fewer incentives to eliminate workplace hazards and actually prevent injuries and illnesses from occurring. Under these conditions, injured workers, their families and other benefit programs effectively subsidize high hazard employers. Many states have adopted changes that have limited benefits and discouraged injured workers from filing for benefits. The report stated that These include changes that have resulted in the denial of claims that were previously compensated, a decrease in the adequacy of cash benefits to those awarded compensation, imposition of restrictions regarding the medical care provided to injured workers, and the institution of new procedural and evidentiary rules that create barriers for injured workers who file claims. In addition, the elimination by several state legislatures of Second Injury Funds that is, state-administered funds that provide compensation for injuries not otherwise covered creates additional holes in the fabric of insurance and coverage. The report even cites invasive workers comp fraud investigations where workers are videotaped as a reason workers are discouraged to file claims. Opt-out legislation passed in Oklahoma most recently was also highlighted as alarming because of the restriction of benefits and greater control given to employers over benefits and claims processing. Programs meant to address medical costs such as fee schedules and utilization review, according to the report, instead deny or limit medical treatment to injured workers. The report notes that the growing problem of misclassification of injured workers also contributes to a problematic workers comp system. As a result of the changes to workers compensation which negatively impact workers, Michaels said best practices need to be developed in order to increase the likelihood that injured workers can access the wage replacement benefits they need. An appointment of a new national commission and new national standards should be considered, he said. In addition, continued focus on safety must be a priority. The DOL report offered research recommendations that could benefit the national conversation on improving the current system. These include research into: Workers compensation injury and illness benefits and the relationship of these benefits to the health and wellbeing of workers and their families, and to primary prevention. Access, adequacy and quality of medical care for injured workers. Identification of evidence-based approaches to improve the effectiveness of workers compensation systems. The impact of experience rating on injury and illness prevention. Rita Nowak, vice president, policy development and research for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, responded to the report. While the Department of Labor report highlights some of the challenges state workers compensation systems are facing, in many sections it provides an inaccurate assessment of how the system really works for the vast majority of injured workers, Nowak said. Overall, todays work environment is safer which means fewer workplace accidents. When workers are injured, on average they are receiving higher benefits than in the past, and health outcomes for injured workers have improved. This means workers are able to return to work sooner and resume productive employment. These improvements to the state workers compensation system have all been achieved without federal involvement. Nowak defended the state-based system, noting that it had and will continue to evolve as necessary. Flooding spawned by Hurricane Matthew has caused $1.5 billion in damage to 100,000 homes, businesses and government buildings in North Carolina, according to a state estimate. The figure released late Saturday represents one of the first detailed analyses of damage from the storm, and its part of a growing picture of Matthews financial impact. With floodwaters yet to recede in some communities, officials say the number could fluctuate. I do think that there may be more out there, John Dorman, an assistant state emergency management director, said of whether the number could grow. Dorman said the states computer modeling combines property records, topography and stream gauges to estimate how many feet of water have affected a given building and how much damage that water caused. The state also used manned aircraft and drones to verify projections. Damage estimates for buildings where the water only reaches the base of the foundation can be as low as $200 to $300, while estimates for buildings in which the water reach several feet are much higher, Dorman said. The system uses property tax values that are updated regularly and other calculations to estimate damage. The figure released this weekend is one piece of the overall picture of how the storm affected the state. For example, it doesnt include the cost of repairing damaged roads and bridges or replacing belongings inside damaged buildings, which are often covered by insurance policies. Early next week, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory plans to release a detailed plan of how North Carolina will rebuild, including how to pay for the effort. Even before the extent of the flooding was known, real-estate and insurance research firms had estimated that damage from Hurricane Matthew would be at least several billion dollars across multiple states. In North Carolina, the hurricane dumped more than a foot of rain 100 miles inland, causing massive flooding in the eastern part of the state. Towns such as Princeville, Lumberton and Fair Bluff were inundated. Meanwhile, in South Carolina, emergency officials are still closely watching the swollen Waccamaw and Little Pee Dee rivers. Hurricane Matthew was blamed for killing at least 43 people in the United States 26 of them in North Carolina with most deaths caused by flooding. In Haiti, at least 500 storm-related deaths were reported. Beyond estimating losses, North Carolinas software directed rescue crews to areas where flooding was dangerous, and prompted evacuations of inmates from two facilities, Dorman said. The computer mapping project began in the years after Hurricane Floyd in 1999. The state remapped North Carolinas flood plains and collected data on more than 5 million buildings in the state. This is also helping to save lives and be operational, as opposed to just damage information, Dorman said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Investigators have determined a New Mexico wildfire that destroyed a dozen homes as it raced through part of the Manzano Mountains earlier this year started after a wood-chipping machine struck a rock and sent sparks flying into brush and forest debris. It took just minutes for a small patch of flames to erupt into a blaze that would burn for weeks and end up costing more than $10 million to put out. Details of the fires cause and the response by firefighters are outlined in a report released this week by forest officials. The Dog Head Fire charred about 28 square miles after it started in June. Residents in several communities along the eastern side of the central New Mexico mountain range were forced to gather their belongings and round up their livestock before fleeing their homes as the fire ballooned. The three-person crew that was using the machine to thin the area in hopes of preventing such a fire was armed with a shovel, an axe and one fire extinguisher. The report states the crew did not fight the flames because they were too intense. The fire was reported to a supervisor and the crew moved their equipment further down the hill to a safer location. By then, the fire was moving along the forest floor and crowning in the tree tops. There were no fire restrictions at the time of the incident given weather conditions and recent fire activity. According to the report, officials called out two engines and aircraft to battle the flames from above. Two air tankers that had been ordered were put on hold as one official thought a helicopter would provide better support for crews on the ground. After a half-hour, it was learned the helicopter had yet to take off due to the startup process and safety checks so the air tankers were reordered. More engine crews were called out and the battalion chief on the scene tried to establish an anchor point so arriving crews could flank the fire on the northern and southern sides. Fire behavior was intense in the heavy slash and forced ground resources to back out to a safe area until conditions moderated, the report stated. By the end of the first day, more than 100,000 gallons of fire retardant had been dropped around the perimeter by a fleet of several air tankers. The flames had burned just over one square mile and were reportedly cooling. Things changed the following afternoon as the fire intensified and started its march toward the community of Chilili, forcing evacuations. Wind gusts into the night and favorable terrain helped the fire to grow. It would be nearly a week before firefighters could stop the spread and it wasnt until Sept. 12 that the fire was considered contained. Forest officials said they are working with their partners to develop a complete assessment and identify what lessons can be learned. They have already pointed to the importance of communication among firefighters and law enforcement in different jurisdictions. Rehabilitation of the burned areas is ongoing, and officials said the total cost of that work has yet to be calculated. Remembering Mary Beth Bergum The sun shone down on the Brothers of Mercy campus on Tuesday morning as people congregated near the main entrance, preparing to honor Mary Beth Bergum in a remembrance and... Abortion, economy on ballot for November election On Tuesday, Nov. 8, voters throughout Western New York will head to the polls in what will prove to be a referendum on some major issues facing the nation. Abortion,... Dont forget the children this Liver Disease Awareness Month Pretty much everything in our world runs through some sort of filter. Our words are filtered to be socially acceptable. Our water is filtered to be drinkable. Even our blood... CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The gallery above includes some of my cartoons from 1998 on Bill Clinton's sex scandals that were first published in The Plain Dealer. As Donald Trump has come under fire for his comments about women and his conduct with them, he has sought to make an issue of Bill Clinton's sex scandals while he was governor and president. The common retort from Trump critics, pundits and Clinton campaign surrogates, is that Bill Clinton is not running for president, his wife is. Here's why Bill Clinton's past indiscretions are still relevant now. Last I've heard, he's still married to Hillary Clinton who stands a very good chance of being elected president in a few weeks. And if elected, Hillary Clinton has already gone on record saying Bill will have an active role in her administration. On May 16, The New York Times reported that Hillary Clinton told voters in Kentucky that Bill would be "in charge of revitalizing the economy, because, you know, he knows how to do it, especially in places like coal country and inner cities." She also said she'd put him in charge of job creation. While Trump is denying allegations he sexually assaulted women, it's worth remembering that in 1998, Bill Clinton paid $850,000 to Paula Jones in an out-of-court settlement to end her sexual harassment lawsuit. Jones accused Clinton of propositioning her and exposing himself in a Little Rock hotel suite. While giving a deposition for that case, Bill Clinton admitted under oath he had a sexual encounter with Gennifer Flowers, while he was Governor of Arkansas, which he had long denied. Flowers alleges they had a long term affair, not just one encounter. Juanita Broaddrick testified in Ken Starr's investigation that Bill Clinton had raped her in 1978. Like Jones, Kathleen Willey accused Clinton of sexual harassment. Clinton infamously denied having sexual relations with White House intern Monica Lewinsky in the Oval Office suite. But Lewinsky and the alleged evidence left on her dress say otherwise. Bill Clinton's cigar isn't talking. It would be easier to dismiss Bill Clinton's past conduct as being worth consideration today if it was truly in the past. But there's good reason to believe it's not. The recent WikiLeaks document dump revealed emails about people close to Hillary and Bill Clinton expressing concerns that Bill Clinton's sex life could be damaging to Hillary Clinton's campaign. Hacked emails from Colin Powell revealed he was hesitant to vote for Hillary Clinton because of Bill's alleged ongoing philandering. "I would rather not vote for her, although she is a friend I respect. A 70-year old person with a long track record, unbridled ambition, greedy, not transformational, with a husband still d****** bimbos at home", wrote Powell. The New York Post reported that Bill Clinton has been having an affair with a New York neighbor. The woman, who has divorced her husband, a Wall Street Banker, is such a frequent visitor to the Clinton home, the secret service have allegedly given her a code name. It's fair and justified that Donald Trump is called to account for his treatment of women. What isn't fair, is that Bill Clinton's own conduct is dismissed, by Democrats and some in the media, as a legit campaign issue. Clinton's charm and the economy being strong when he was president, has long given him a pass he doesn't deserve. That pass just feeds the claims of media bias and that liberals live by double standards. Define "is"? While you're at it, define hypocrisy. Too many signs point to Hillary Clinton being a one term president, if she's elected. If her own hubris and secrecy don't sabotage her presidency, it seems odds are good Bill Clinton's self-indulgent, reckless lack of self-control will. Both Trump and Bill Clinton are con men. Bill's just more charming, intelligent, polished and politically astute. One of them will be working and living in The White House for at least the next four years. A ceremony was held at Park Royal Hotel in Yangon at 2 pm on October 16 cementing a deal between the Burmese language service of Voice of America (VOA)and the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB). The deal will see VOA Burmese TV programs aired on the DVB channel. DVB makes radio and television broadcasts aimed at providing news and information about Myanmar while VOA is a United States government-funded multimedia news source and the official external broadcasting institution of the country. East Cleveland police car.png East Cleveland police are investigating a shooting that left a man dead early Tuesday. (File photo) EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Detectives are investigating a shooting that left a man dead early Tuesday in East Cleveland. The man had been shot multiple times before officers found him unresponsive just after midnight near the intersection of Shaw Avenue and Plymouth Place, police said. The man died after East Cleveland paramedics took him to University Hospitals. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office has not released his identity. Detectives have not reported any arrests or released any additional information. Anyone with information on the shooting is being asked to call the East Cleveland Police Department at 216-451-1234. If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section. Eddie Vedder Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn. The late rapper Tupac Shakur and Seattle-based rockers Pearl Jam are among the first-time nominees on the ballot for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Amy Harris) CLEVELAND, Ohio - As the President/CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, Joel Peresman knows the praise and condemnation that comes with overseeing the annual induction process. "You get nasty letters," admits Peresman. "But you love to see the passion people have for their favorite act - 'How come this one isn't nominated or that one?' That passion fuels the process." Peresman oversees the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee and the induction ceremony itself, which will take place in New York City this coming April. It will air on HBO weeks later. The 2017 nominees, announced Tuesday, represents one of the largest (a total of 19) and most diverse ballots in history. And they are... Chaka Khan Chic Depeche Mode Electric Light Orchestra J. Geils Band Jane's Addiction Janet Jackson Joan Baez Joe Tex Journey Kraftwerk MC5 Pearl Jam Steppenwolf The Cars The Zombies Tupac Shakur Yes Last year, the nominating committee dismissed several of its members. But the process remains anything but transparent. But Peresman was ready to take on all criticism when we spoke with him before the announcement of this year's nominees. Let's talk about the changes you guys made to nominating committee last year. A lot of people saw it as a controversial move. One of the reasons we changed the committee was to reduce the size to be able to have time to talk. To have less people in the group really gives you the opportunity to have a back and forth discussion and advocacy for a particular artist. I think that is important. That's something we look to do all the time. It's not a perfect science. We look to do things that make the process better and more interesting. We try to be as fair and democratic as possible. Would you say the diversity of this year's ballot is a reflection of those changes? I think so. I think it comes from a timing issue, with some artists having the light shining on them. That was part of the discussion within the committee as well. These are artists people are constantly asking us about. Not that it has everything to do with it. But it's one of the factors. Does an artist being active, touring or having a new release play a part in their candidacy? Does someone having a new record out put something into a member's head? I'm sure. Is someone is having a resurgence or a new record is that a factor? Yes. But that still has to be backed up with what they've done throughout their career. Tupac Shakur is a nominee this year. Some fans have been critical of the Rock Hall's inclusion of hip-hop. That's people's opinions and passion about what's important to them. I've always looked at rock and roll as being very broad. You look where rock and roll comes from, with the deep history of blues and evolving into a variety of things. You have to look at it as an art form that's constantly evolving. That's one of the things that's important for people to realize. Inductee Steve Miller was very vocal about his displeasure with the induction process during this past April's ceremony. How do you feel when an artist goes off like that? He kind of went off on his own. I think we addressed some of the things he brought up pretty accurately. Why don't we give more money to educational programs? We've done that. He even came into [Cleveland] when one of our educational programs was at work and attended it. So what is he talking about? Another controversial aspect of the 2016 ceremony was N.W.A. not performing. Did it come down to a conflict between the group members and your team? No. If you remember Ice Cube had the "Barber Shop: The Next Cut" movie coming out and Dr. Dre had an idea of doing something at the ceremony that involved a lot of rehearsals and time that didn't exist. The amount of time Ice Cube had to devote to this was limited. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band gets inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. It was recently determined the Rock Hall ceremony would take place every two years in Cleveland instead of every three years. What went into that decision? The level of excitement in Cleveland is amazing. We have this magnificent museum in Cleveland that's going on 21 years. To do that you have to get the artists and their managers into the museum to see it. Naturally, there's a model now to be able to do this in Cleveland and afford it every other year. Is this year's 19 nominees the most you've ever had on a ballot? It is the most nominees we've had since I've been here. It really was a factor of how the voting came in. It just made sense to expand. Now that we're into the 1990s and genres like hip-hop and alternative rock become more prominent, is the nominating process getting harder? Not really. There is still a lot to come when you look at hip-hop with artists like Jay Z and Eminem. Also when you get into bands like Radiohead and Dave Matthews, artists that really blew up during that time. As you can see from the list of people that are nominated this year, there are still some great quality acts coming through that excite us. It's also one of the most diverse ballots we've seen. I think so. Rightfully so, we took criticism for not having enough women represented in the past. This year we have Joan Baez, Janet Jackson and the women of Chic. It's quite diverse, especially when you're going from artists like MC5 to Steppenwolf. Is it hard to spend all this time deliberating and then hand voting off to the living members of the Rock Hall, historians and critics? No, because that's what we do. Now is when it gets fun. The voting starts and I'm one of the executive producers of the event. That's when the creative part begins. We get to look at who is being inducted and how can we put the show together in April. e11PearlA Eddie Vedder and his Pearl Jam band mates, captured in a 2010 show at Quicken Loans Arena, top the list of 19 acts nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2017. (John Soeder / The Plain Dealer) CLEVELAND, Ohio - Pearl Jam and Tupac Shakur top one of the most diverse lists of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees in recent memory. The Rock Hall on Tuesday announced via Sirius radio 19 artists and bands who are up for induction in ceremonies in Brooklyn, New York, next spring. The Class of 2017 nominees are Bad Brains, Chaka Khan, Chic, Depeche Mode, Electric Light Orchestra, J. Geils Band, Jane's Addiction, Janet Jackson, Joan Baez, Joe Tex, Journey, Kraftwerk, MC5, Pearl Jam, Steppenwolf, the Cars, the Zombies, Tupac Shakur and Yes. Tupac Shakur, pictured in a 1993 file photo originally provided by Columbia Pictures, shows the hip-hop artist in a scene from "Poetic Justice." Shakur, who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996, was nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2017 in his first year of eligibility. Typically, five to seven of the 19 nominees - a list decided by a 29-member committee chaired by public relations guru Jon Landau and including such people as Rock Hall President and CEO Greg Harris and musicians Steven Van Zandt, Questlove, Paul Shaffer and Tom Morello - are chosen for induction. Now that the nominees for the 32nd class have been chosen, ballots will be sent to roughly 800 artists, historians and members of the music industry - including all the surviving Hall of Fame inductees. Janet Jackson, second left, captured during a performance in South Africa in 2011, is among the 19 nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2017. Fans again will get a chance to vote online at rockhall.com in the race to be in the Class of 2017. The top five vote-getters in the online balloting will comprise a single "fan ballot'' to be submitted along with the 800 or so official ballots. Officials at the Rock Hall said that steps have been taken to prevent the robo-balloting the spiked the numbers last year. Fans can vote once a day by logging in with either a Facebook account or a valid email address. Just who makes the cut and join the 774 people who can call themselves Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will be announced in mid-December. To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, artists or bands must have released their first recording at least 25 years ago. So in this case, that would be 1991. Inductees can gain membership under a variety of labels, including performer and influence. The list of nominees this time includes two acts in their first year of eligibility - grunge rockers Pearl Jam and the late hip-hop artist Tupac. Several nominees are making their first appearance on the ballot. That list includes folk legend Baez, who has been eligible since 1985. She may be the most surprising member of the first-time-on-the-ballot class. Other first-time nominees are Bad Brains, Depeche Mode, ELO, Jane's Addiction, Journey and Steppenwolf. The induction ceremony again will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Once again, the Rock Hall will host a simulcast of the ceremonies, and HBO will air a much-edited (the ceremonies usually last as long as four hours) version about a month after the actual inductions. The Class of 2018 will be inducted in ceremonies back in Cleveland, where the actual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame building is located, under a plan that puts them here every other year starting then. Tickets for the Class of 2017 induction ceremony will go on sale early next year. Prices and on-sale dates, however, have not been announced. GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio - A Maple Heights man has been released from a hospital after being shot Sunday outside a Garfield Heights bar. An unidentified person shot the 24-year-old man in the side just before 2:30 a.m. outside Thirsty's Bar on Warner Road, according to a police report. Two women drove the man to Marymount Hospital before a medical helicopter took him to MetroHealth. That hospital released him sometime before Tuesday morning, a spokesman said. The man had been at the bar with his cousin but went outside to smoke a cigarette. Several women started fighting before he felt the shot hit his side, according to the police report. Seven witnesses told officers that they did not hear a gunshot. Investigators later found a loaded Taurus 9 mm pistol under a 2005 Saturn Vue and a 9 mm shell casing in front of the bar, the report says. The shooting remains under investigation. If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section. Loomis.JPG Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association President Steve Loomis is at the center of controversy again this week, as members of several agencies, including the NAACP, call for his ouster from the community police commission. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com) CLEVELAND, Ohio - Several agencies representing minorities, immigrants and activists have asked Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson to remove Police Union President Steve Loomis from the Community Police Commission -- a group assembled to help guide police reform under a federal consent decree. In a series of letters, the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP, the Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network, Cleveland Peace Action and others contended that Loomis stands in the way of reform by publicly arguing against the basic premises of the consent decree seeking to address police use of excessive force and establish Constitutional policing in Cleveland. The Community Police Commission was formed to bridge the divide between the police and citizens and to offer the police department recommendations along the road to reform. Loomis, as president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, was empowered to appoint a commissioner to represent the union. He chose himself. But Loomis, who has called the federally mandated reforms "politically motivated," has said that the changes underway have "emboldened the criminal element" and have made officers' jobs more dangerous. The agencies cited in their letters an Oct. 5 interview with WKYC Channel 3's Russ Mitchell in which Loomis said police need training and resources from government, "not their disdain." And he rejected the notion that the police have been at odds with the community they serve. "Loomis' failure to recognize the need for police reform and his ongoing public denials that the CDP should be under a Federal Consent Decree reinforces the fact that he is not a good fit for this very important work," wrote NAACP President Michael Nelson. "Police reform is too important to be derailed by Loomis' toxicity." The letters also chastised the union for its controversial endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump -- a choice the agencies equated with misogyny, xenophobia and racism. Loomis could not be reached for comment Tuesday. See the full text of the letters in the document viewer below. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland police officer charged in the 2015 shooting death of an unarmed burglary suspect pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor negligent homicide charge. Officer Alan Buford appeared in Cleveland Municipal Court for the first time since a grand jury charged him in the shooting death of 18-year-old Brandon Jones outside a grocery store in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood. Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Michael Swilinski gave Buford a personal bond and he was released. He is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 2. Buford shot Jones about 2 a.m. March 19, 2015, after the 18 year old walked out of Parkwood Grocery store. The shooting happened after a struggle with Buford and fellow officer Greg King who were called to the scene to investigate, according to police reports. Buford fired the single, fatal shot, according to reports. Jones broke into Parkwood Grocery store by prying back the metal cage with a crow bar and kicking in the front door, according to an employee. He stuffed a bag with cigarettes and a stack of Canadian coins that customers have paid with since the store opened in 1968. He tried to take the cash register, but dropped it at the front door. He died at MetroHealth Medical Center later that morning. Cleveland police handed the investigation over to the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department, after the city reached an agreement to have sheriff's detectives investigate shootings involving Cleveland police. Buford faces a maximum up to six months in county jail if convicted. The union representing rank-and-file Cleveland police officers raffled off a gun to raise money for Buford who was placed on restrictive leave following the shooting. He will remain on restrictive duty until his case makes its way through court, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said. To comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts section. campus5.jpg Miami University has reached a proposed consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice to improve technology for disabled students. (Scott Kissell) OXFORD, Ohio - Miami University, which settled a lawsuit filed by a blind student, has reached a proposed consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department to resolve allegations that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by using inaccessible classroom and other technologies. Under the consent decree, which is pending court approval, the university will make significant improvements to ensure that technologies across all its campuses are accessible to individuals with disabilities, the federal department said in a release. In 2015 the Justice Department intervened in a lawsuit filed by former student Aleeha Dudley. Her lawsuit said course materials were inaccessible to her text-to-speech software and she hadn't received material in Braille or other forms she could use without help, the Dayton Daily News reported. Dudley, from New Paris, said touchscreen systems used at Miami prevented her from ordering food or even doing laundry without help. Miami settled the lawsuit in February, agreeing to cover tuition, books, room and board at Ohio State University, where Dudley is seeking an undergraduate degree. Miami will also pay costs up to $108,000 for up to five years, it said in a statement. Miami will also repay Dudley's loans and pay her cash, with the total for both not to exceed $142,000. The university said it has hired staff and made other improvements to serve students with disabilities. The consent decree incorporates some of the initiatives that Miami had already commenced, such as the migration of its web pages to an accessible content management system, the university said in a statement. NTSB meeting Chief NTSB investigator Jim Silliman, left, released findings of his investigation on Tuesday into the plane crash that killed nine people in Akron. (National Transportation Safety Board) AKRON, Ohio -- Pilot error, a failure by the company leasing the flight and lax FAA inspectors were to blame for the Akron plane crash that killed nine people last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday. The Hawker 125-700 twin-engine charter crashed Nov. 10, 2015 into an apartment building in Akron's Ellet neighborhood with two pilots and seven passengers on board. All nine died. No one on the ground was injured. The pilots were Renato Marchese, 50, who was flying the plane at the time of the crash, and Oscar Chavez, 40, the captain of the flight who was acting as Marchese's co-pilot. The seven passengers who died were: Gary Shapiro, 35; Thomas Virgin, 31; Jared Weiner, 35; and Nick Weaver, 34 - all of Boca Raton Florida; Diane Smoot, 50, and Ori Rom, 32, of Delray Beach, Florida; and Diana Suriel, 32, of Wellington, Florida. They worked at Pebb Enterprises of Boca Raton, Florida. The real-estate company was scouting new locations for shopping centers. They were flying to Akron Fulton from Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport. The plane crashed four miles from its destination at Akron Fulton International Airport. Its left wing tilted toward the ground on its descent. It clipped utility wires, hit the ground and crashed through an apartment building. The plane was owned by Augusto Lewkowicz of Execuflight in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Experts interviewed by cleveland.com in April after the NTSB released hundreds of pages of investigation records said it appeared pilot error and weather could have caused the crash. Newly released depositions in the case showed that a former employee of Execuflight, Donnie Shackleford, told investigators that Lewkowicz ordered him to lie to investigators in the wake of the crash. He also told investigators the company destroyed or altered flight records. One of the flight records Shackleford said was falsified was the flight's weights-and-balance measurements. The NTSB found the plane was 600 pounds overweight. Shackleford also told investigators that Marchese, who was flying the plane at the time, expressed reservations about flying with Chavez. Shackleford told investigators Marchese told him he felt they did not have enough collective experience to fly together, and that if Execuflight paired them for a flight, "we're going to get ourselves killed." Family members of at least five of the Pebb Enterprises employees who died in the flight have sued Execuflight, other companies involved in leasing the plane and the estates of the pilots involved in the crash. The families of Rom, Weiner, Weaver and Virgin all filed lawsuits in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court seeking $75,000 and damages. The lawsuit says the pilots' negligence caused the crash. Suriel's husband, Joe Castillo, also sued Rais Group International, which owned the plane leased to Execuflight. Castilo's lawsuit also accuses the pilots of flying negligently and accused Rais Group of leasing the jet knowing it had malfunctioning equipment. This post will be updated with more information. ballot.jpg Taking a photo of your ballot before you cast appears to be illegal in Ohio. Courts have overturned other more explicit bans on so-called ballot selfies. (David I. Andersen, The Plain Dealer, File, 2004) Cleveland, Ohio - Before you post that vote photo or a smiling selfie of you and your ballot, know that in Ohio you're probably committing a felony. One that carries at least the possibility of time behind bars. However, while sharing your ballot - whether on social media or otherwise - is technically illegal, authorities say they won't will be scouring Twitter for #ballotselfie posts in order to snag scofflaws. That is, unless there's evidence that the messages have been coerced or part of a pay-for-vote scheme. The intent of Ohio's ballot sharing ban, last revised almost 20 years ago, was to prevent voter intimidation, and Tammany Hall-era election fixing, Dan Tierney, a spokesman for Attorney General Mike DeWine said. Though Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump recently has alleged this years' contest is rigged, there's no proof that in Ohio or elsewhere voter fraud is common. The idea of poll booth secrecy is sacred in many states, though, whether a new generation of voters wants it to be or not. It harkens back to an era of political machine-era election rigging, long before the advent of digital cameras, cell phones or sharing Snaps. Absent that sort of complaint, "a ballot selfie case might be difficult to prosecute," Tierney said. Secretary of State Jon Husted's office this week declined to offer guidance on Ohio's the law. That appears to be a departure from Husted's stance on other election-related issues, such as early voting, which the top election official says should be uniform statewide. Any enforcement of the law should be discussed with county prosecutors, said spokesman Josh Eck, who disputes that creates a departure. He said a number of responsibilities are left to law enforcement and people on the ground. A spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's office said, "We will review the facts of any cases that are brought to our attention and proceed with appropriate discretion." Voters and the American Civil Liberties Union, with support from the social media platform Snapchat (now Snap) challenged the law. New Hampshire had a ban on capturing images in the voting booth that dated back to the 1970s but in 2014 updated the law to include taking digital versions of marked ballots and sharing them on social media. Snapchat, in a brief supporting ballot selfie rights, argued that the sharing of digital information, like Snaps and selfies, are the way younger voters participate in the political process and make their voices heard, which is protected by the First Amendment. (Read the brief here.) It called "flimsy," information attorneys for the state presented that suggested the photos could be used for nefarious purposes, such as to force voters to reveal who they cast ballots for. Circuit Court Judge Sandra Lynch quoted a 1957 U.S. Supreme Court decision in an obscenity case, writing that the state's overly broad ban was like "burning down the house to roast the pig." It's not clear what effect the ruling will have in more than 20 other states with similarly styled prohibitions, or other like Ohio, where the intent of law that restrict ballot sharing are less-than-clear. (Here's a look at how often #ballotselfie is showing up on Twitter.) Ohio's law is muddled and confusing, said civil rights attorney Subodh Chandra. He's representing the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and the Ohio Democratic party in a different voting rights case that challenges new requirements to certify absentee and provisional ballots. Ohio's law doesn't explicitly ban the sharing of ballot photos. It bans letting anyone else see your ballot, kind of. Chandra said the language of the ballot sharing law - if read plainly - actually bans voters from letting anyone see their ballot if their intention is "to let it be known how the elector is about to vote." (There's an exception if someone needs help casting their ballot because of a disability.) The law also makes it illegal to "induce" a voter into showing their marked ballot. As written, the law is either unconstitutionally vague or it violates the First Amendment, Chandra said. Posting a ballot selfie as a form of expression to "encourage friends to vote, as a means of free association is also protected by the First Amendment, Chandra said. Chandra said he's not sure Ohio's statute, as written, would withstand a challenge, but if enforced it could have "a chilling effect" on free expression. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is taking a low-key approach to the issue, a community outreach worker said. In the spring, they Tweeted this message: We love seeing all the voter pride, but know it is illegal in OH to post a picture of your voted ballot! Show your sticker instead! #vote Board of Elections (@cuyahogaboe) March 15, 2016 If a voted ballot photo is spotted during this election cycle, the board's policy is to contact the voter, explain the law is there to prevent bribery and ask them to delete the photo. The iconic American elm is down, but not out By Peter Krouse, cleveland.com The devastating Dutch elm disease was first identified in the United States about 85 years ago, when American elm trees along railroad tracks in Northeast Ohio began to wither and die. Over the next several decades, Dutch elm disease systematically laid waste to tens of millions of elms across much of the country, resulting in one of the worst invasive-species disasters in American history. Fortunately, that's not the end of the story. Some American elms have managed to survive. And thanks to efforts by tree experts - including those in Ohio - the surviving elms are being screened for tolerance to Dutch elm disease and then cloned for re-introduction to the American landscape. I recently paid a visit to the federal Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Delaware, Ohio, where much of the Dutch elm research is going on today. Before we take a closer look at that research and the future of the American elm, let's look back at the history of the elm and why its near annihilation was so sad. Next slide: The elm has been a witness to history Photo by Henryhartley. Publication permission granted under the GNU Free Documentation License Don't Edit The elm has been a witness to history The American elm holds a special place in American history. George Washington took charge of the revolutionary troops under an elm tree in Cambridge, Mass. Next slide: And a witness to tragedy Painting of General George Washington at Trenton by John Trumbull, Yale University Art Gallery (courtesy Wikipedia) Tree graphic/By Unknown - Scribner's Magazine May 1876, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7099163 Don't Edit And a witness to tragedy In Oklahoma City, an American elm that survived the 1995 Oklahoma City terrorist bombing has become an important part of the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The tree is not infected with Dutch elm disease and is thriving. Next slide: Elm trees once lined streets across much of America Photo courtesy of Oklahoma City National Memorial Don't Edit Elm trees once lined streets across much of America In the past, cities and towns planted elm trees along their thoroughfares, hence the prolific number of Elm streets across America. The tree is very hearty. Its very tolerant of pollution and can thrive in compact soils. It can even withstand salt, which is important in northern areas where salt is used on streets during the winter. Next slide: The bearer of bad fungus Elm trees along Lafayette Street in Salem, Mass. in the early 20th century. Graphic is a reproduction on Wikipedia of an original postcard published by the Hugh C. Leighton Co. of Portland, Maine. Don't Edit The bearer of bad fungus What the American elm tree isnt, however, is resistant to a fungus spread by bark beetles that feed in the crotch of the trees' small branches. The beetle leaves fungal spores behind that then infect the tree. The spores get inside the tree where the beetles are chewing. Next slide: Cut off from water by vein-clogging fungus Photo by J.R. Baker and S.B. Bambara, North Carolina State University, Bugwood.org. Don't Edit Don't Edit Cut off from water by vein-clogging fungus The fungus plugs up the vascular system of the elm tree, preventing water from circulating through it. The fungus was called Dutch elm disease because it was first identified by researchers in the Netherlands. Next slide: Historical accounts point to Northeast Ohio as the entry point for Dutch elm disease in the United States. Photo courtesy of Westchester (N.Y.) Tree Life Inc. Don't Edit Historical accounts point to Northeast Ohio as entry point for Dutch elm disease in the United States Outbreaks of Dutch elm were reported in various places during the first half of the 20th century, but the entry point in America is often cited as Northeast Ohio around 1930, and blamed on a shipment of logs from France. An account from the Ohio Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture states in its history that the disease was first discovered after a shipment of elm veneer logs passed through the Cleveland area on a train in 1929. The steam trained stopped for coal and water in Creston, a village that straddles Medina and Wayne counties. A short time later, elm trees along the tracks started to die. The International Society of Arboriculture credits a plant pathologist named Paul E. Tilford of the Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center as being the first person in North America to identify Dutch elm disease. The logs most likely harbored beetles that carried the disease, said Jim Slavicek, research scientist with the United States Department of Agriculture's Forest Service in Delaware, Ohio. And the beetles emerged and so it began, he said. Next slide: The Forest Sciences Laboratory in Delaware, Ohio, is developing elm trees tolerant of Dutch elm disease. Don't Edit The Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Delaware, Ohio, is developing elm trees tolerant of Dutch elm disease Over the past several decades, researchers have screened more than 100,000 individual elm trees for resistance to Dutch elm disease and nine of them have proven to be highly resistant to Dutch elm, according to Slavicek. Each of the nine varieties is called a genotype," he said. All are American elms, in the way that each person is a human, but with a unique genetic makeup. Two of the more tolerant genotypes have been given the names Valley Forge and New Harmony. They were discovered in Ohio at what is now the USDA Forestry Sciences Laboratory. The most commercially available American elm that is tolerant of Dutch elm is called Princeton and it came out of New Jersey. Next slide: The "Valley Forge" emerges as a desirable American elm that is tolerant of Dutch elm disease. Photo by Peter Krouse, cleveland.com Don't Edit The "Valley Forge" emerges as a desireable American elm that is tolerant of Dutch elm disease The "Valley Forge" genotype is one of the leading American elms being cultivated today. The Valley Forge tree in this photo is identical genetically to a highly tolerant elm that was growing at the Delaware, Ohio, facility in the 1970s when it was occupied by the USDA's Agricultural Research Service. The genotype was dubbed Valley Forge by researcher Denny Townsend after he transferred from Delaware to a National Arboretum research facility in Maryland. He called the genotype Valley Forge because it proved durable, as were George Washington's revolutionary troops that cold and snowy winter at Valley Forge, Pa. The National Arboretum released the tree to commercial nurseries for sale to the public in 1995. Nest slide: The "New Harmony" species of elm is tolerant of Dutch elm disease, but has a less vase-like shape. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Don't Edit The "New Harmony" species of elm is tolerant to Dutch elm disease, but has a less vase-like shape The tall tree in the photo on the left is a "New Harmony" genotype growing at the lab in Delaware, Ohio. All New Harmony trees are genetic duplicates of a thriving elm (shown in the photo to the right) that Townsend spotted among dead elms along Interstate 70 in western Ohio in the 1970s. He called the variety New Harmony after the utopian village of New Harmony that was founded along the Wabash River in Indiana during the early 1800s. Next slide: American elms are being commercially grown in Perry, Ohio Photo (left) by Peter Krouse, cleveland.com. Photo (right) by Denny Townsend Don't Edit Don't Edit American elms are being commercially grown in Perry, Oh. At Klyn Nurseries in Perry, Ohio, owner Bill Hendricks has been growing American elms for more than a decade. He obtained his first trees from the National Arboretum. Hendricks, a wholesaler, has sold American elms from Maine to Nebraska, including to a number of municipalities in Northern Ohio, as well as to the Central Park Conservancy in New York City and the Cincinnati Zoo. Next slide: Returning elms to the forest is also a goal Photo by Bill Hendricks Don't Edit Returning elms to the forest is also a goal While American elms are being reintroduced to the urban landscape, the U.S. Forest Service and others are also cultivating and screening trees for reforestation and to populate river banks where the trees once thrived. The Delaware lab includes an orchard that produces seeds from cross-bred American elms. Next slide: Reforestation experiments are ongoing Photo by Peter Krouse, cleveland.com Don't Edit Reforestation experiments are ongoing The Forest Service is experimenting with elm tree reforestation in the Midwest. Other efforts by the Forest Service in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy are underway in New England. Slavicek believes about 20 highly tolerant genotypes are needed before full-scale re-introduction of the American elm can occur across forests, farms and cities. The more strains there are, the less likely some other pathogen can emerge to wipe them out. The difficulty is that it takes time. Once a genotype is identified as a good candidate for future cultivation, it has to be exposed to Dutch elm and studied to make sure it is reasonably tolerant. Nurseries arent going to want to sell a tree to a customer knowing theres a 25 percent chance, or even a 50 percent chance, that the tree will die. Next slide: The elm is being returned to the Appalachian region Graphic courtesy of USDA Forest Service Don't Edit The elm is being returned to the Appalachian region Elms are being used to reclaim mining areas and even to accent the Flight 93 National Memorial in western Pennsylvania. Next slide: Yes, some American elms have survived Photo courtesy of USDA Forest Service Don't Edit Yes, some American elms have survived the onslaught of Dutch elm disease There are examples of old elm trees that have not been killed by Dutch elm disease because they are tolerant or somehow have never been exposed to the disease. This thriving elm shown in spring before it fully leafed out is located in near the Lake County community of Kirtland. Next slide: A dramatic elm in Lyndhurst Photo by Bill Hendricks Don't Edit Don't Edit A dramatic elm in Lyndhurst This American elm tree at the Cleveland Metroparks Acacia Reservation in Lynhurst looks healthy. It's part of the Metroparks effort to preserve elm trees by pruning them and inoculating them with fungicides. Next slide: Isn't it a pretty leaf Photo by Peter Krouse, cleveland.com Don't Edit Isn't it a pretty leaf Hopefully, the American elm will one day regain its prominence as one of America's more iconic botanical wonders. The USDA Forest Service is trying to identify more old elm trees that have survived and might prove to be Dutch-elm tolerant and good candidates for being reproduced by cloning. If you know of such a tree, go to http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/disturbance/invasive_species/ded/survivor_elms/ to submit it for consideration. Photo by Peter Krouse, cleveland.com Photo by Peter Krouse, cleveland.com Project Include a "group effort to accelerate diversity and inclusion solutions in the tech industry" has announced that it will no longer work with the Y Combinator accelerator because of its ties to Peter Thiel, the billionaire Facebook investor who has backed Donald Trump and donated $1.25M to his campaign. Project Include co-founder Erica Baker tweeted, "Firing an average employee over supporting an average political candidate doesn't make sense. "Trump is not an average political candidate. Trump is a fascist. He has never called himself this, because fascists rarely announce themselves. We learn who they are by deed/word. If Thiel is a partner in name only, does not depend on YC for his livelihood, [and] is contributing little, why keep him on? What's the benefit? To that end, what YC companies would still want Thiel's advice? Who would want to remain associated with a man funding a campaign of hate?" Y Combinator president Sam Altman says that he is wary of terminating the group's association with someone merely for supporting one of the two major parties' presidential candidates, and he says that Thiel has endorsed Trump, but has not explicitly endorsed Trump's racist or sexist point of view a narrow distinction. Project Include provided "access" to more than 1,000 investors to companies in the Y Combinator accelerator. Earlier, by way of comparison, Altman asked me if I'd keep Thiel on Facebook's board given the choice. (I'm not a billionaire who's paid to make these kinds of decisions, so it's easy for me to give a hypothetical no.) As for Altman, he suggested that Thiel actually added diversity to Facebook's board. "So one thing I agree with is that companies' boards should reflect their end users. And although I think they are utterly wrong, probably 43 percent of Facebook's users [in the US] are Trump supporters. I think a company like Facebook should target having a board that represents the community they serve. And although I think supporting Trump is a bad thing, it's sort of hard for me to say Trump supporters should be disqualified from the board." Altman however added that it was probably "less important" than increasing gender or racial diversity on Facebook's board. Facebook's board is made up of eight people, two of whom are women. All are white. When the latter fact was pointed out, Altman replied, "That seems like the most important thing to talk about?" Horrified by Trump, Silicon Valley Leaders Debate Cutting Ties to Peter Thiel [Sarah Jeong/Motherboard] Peter Thiel, YC, and hard decisions [Ellen Pao/Medium] (Image: Peter Theil at the Hy! Summit Heisenberg Media, CC-BY) UC Campus Recreation Center and Mainstreet area Subject: for Steve Litt, last image of Rec Center Cutline: The University of Cincinnati's Campus Recreation Center designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Thom Mayne. To the right, foreground, is UC Shots reportedly were fired Monday night on the University of Cincinnati campus. (cleveland.com file photo) CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Students at the University of Cincinnati were told to shelter in place after shots were fired on the campus Monday night, reports say. "Everyone is being advised to shelter in place, stay away from the windows and lock your doors," a statement on the school's website said. "Updates will follow when available." The shelter-in-place order was lifted at around 10 p.m. There were no reports of injuries. Police and SWAT members were searching for a male suspect in connection with the incident, wlwt.com reports. If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Monday's crime and courts comments section. Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton's campaign announced Monday that it is increasing its TV ad buy and mail advertising in Arizona, a traditionally red state, by $2 million. (Andrew Harnik, Associated Press) Hillary Clinton is ramping up efforts in a traditionally Republican state. Donald Trump criticizes Republicans who push back on his talk of a "rigged" election. President Obama plans to focus on redistricting after the election. Read more in today's Politics Extra. Clinton looks to Arizona: Hillary Clinton's campaign is ramping up efforts in Arizona, reports ABC News. Campaign manager Robby Mook announced Monday that First Lady Michelle Obama will campaign for Clinton Thursday in the traditionally red state. Chelsea Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders are also scheduled to campaign there this week. Additionally, Mook said the campaign is increasing its TV ad buy and mail advertising in Arizona by $2 million, in addition to a six-figure ad buy that was announced last month. Clinton resurrects Facebook tool: Even though Facebook cited privacy concerns and yanked the feature two years ago, Clinton's campaign has recreated a feature that allows her volunteers to contact vast numbers of people they know on the social network, reports Politico. The tool, which allowed President Obama's reelection campaign to tap into details about his supporters' friends and contacts, could give Clinton a key advantage over Donald Trump just weeks before Election Day. A tweak of the latest Apple iOS version of the Facebook app lets the campaign, with the permission of Facebook users, tap into their friend lists that have been synced with their phone's address book, allowing volunteers to send text messages to those friends encouraging them to donate or knock on doors. TGFW: "Let me be clear: Thank God for Wikileaks - doing the job that MSM WON't! #ASSANGE #wikileaks," South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan tweeted Monday, according to CNN. The Republican slammed "mainstream media" for what he sees as a lack of coverage of the stolen emails. Duncan, who is supporting Trump, was retweeted by the GOP nominee's son, Donald Trump Jr. He clarified in a subsequent tweet that he was not praising WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and suggested that the press has been coordinating with the Clinton campaign. The latest WikiLeaks: According to hacked Clinton campaign emails published by WikiLeaks, the Clinton campaign collected data to discredit Juanita Broaddrick, who has long accused former President Bill Clinton of raping her in 1978, reports The Washington Post. Additionally, Clinton's aides scrambled during the Democratic primary to address Sanders' comments on the debate stage about Clinton's support for welfare reform her husband enacted in 1996, which opponents say made it too difficult for many poor families to get government assistance. Although they were concerned about Sanders' criticism from the left, they were especially wary of ideas that could alienate centrist and conservative voters who are skeptical of welfare. Trump supporters warm to Russia: Nearly half of Trump's supporters describe Russia as an ally or a friendly nation, according to Monday's Politico and Morning Consult poll. Less than one third of Republicans accept the Obama administration's conclusion that Moscow is trying to influence the November election through computer hacking, compared to 50 percent of Democrats. The poll shows the impact of Trump's unorthodox view that the U.S. should have friendly relations with Russia, even as most other Republicans call for a hard-line response to Moscow's military role in Syria and Ukraine. Trump on Republicans who push back against "rigged" election talk: Trump lashed out Monday at GOP leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, who have spoken out against the nominee's comments about the election being rigged against him, reports Politico. "Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!" he tweeted. Voters think rigged election is possible: The American electorate has turned skeptical about the integrity of the nation's election system, with 41 percent of voters saying the presidential election could be "stolen" from Trump due to widespread voter fraud, reports Politico. The Politico and Morning Consult poll released Monday showed that Trump's repeated warnings are having an effect, as 71 percent of Republicans think the election could be swiped from him. Just 17 percent of Democrats agreed with the prospect of massive voter fraud at the ballot box. But King disagrees: New York Rep. Peter King said Monday that the presidential election is not rigged, despite Trump's claims, reports CNN. King, a Republican who supports Trump, was asked on the radio show "Imus in the Morning" if he agreed with Trump's claims that the election is rigged. "I think, no, it's not," he said. "Is it legally rigged? No, it's not. Whoever wins, wins. But I do think there's a lot to what he's saying, whether it's conscious or not, of having people in the so-called establishment, whatever that is, the big money people, the media, the political leaders, they are petrified of the thought of Trump being elected. So they consciously and unconsciously just do everything they can." Ellmers looks back to 2000: North Carolina Rep. Renee Ellmers invoked the 2000 contested election on MSNBC Monday in defending Trump's claims that the election is rigged, according to Politico. "Let's remember that the 2000 election, we are still hearing Al Gore say that he really won that election and that George W. Bush stole it from him," the Trump surrogate said. "So I know I heard it for eight years of the George W. Bush administration, and we heard it as lately as the other day when Al Gore was on stage with Hillary Clinton. So this isn't an odd concept to think that an election could be stolen." Ellmers also said she has not seen any cases of mass voter fraud. Democrats look past election: Looking to capitalize on this year's Republican turmoil and start building stronger coalitions, Democrats are forming a new umbrella group to focus on redistricting reform, reports Politico. Former Attorney General Eric Holder will chair the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which hopes to take on the gerrymandering that's left the party behind in statehouses and made it more difficult to win a House majority. President Obama strongly endorsed Holder's selection and is planning more involvement in state races this year. Jon Husted Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted speaking to supporters in this November 2014 file photo from the Ohio Republican Party's Election Night celebration in Columbus, Ohio. T (Tony Dejak, The Associated Press) Donald Trump keeps saying the election is rigged. Jon Husted keeps saying that's not true. And Ohio's U.S. Senate candidates meet again. Read more in Ohio Politics Roundup. The rig is up: Donald Trump insists the presidential election is being stolen from him. To hear the Republican nominee tell it and tweet it, it's a vast conspiracy involving Hillary Clinton and the Democrats, the media, and the many people responsible for tabulating results. "The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," Trump said on Twitter over the weekend. Ohio's Jon Husted has emerged as one of the loudest critics of this rhetoric. "It's irresponsible," the Republican secretary of state - and chief elections administrator - said of Trump's accusation in one of at least two appearances Monday on CNN. "I can reassure Donald Trump," Husted continued. "I am in charge of elections in Ohio, and they are not going to be rigged. I'll make sure of it. ... Our institutions like our election system is one of the bedrocks of American democracy. We should not question it or the legitimacy of it. It works very well. In places like Ohio, we make it easy to vote and hard to cheat." That last part - easy to vote, hard to cheat - is Husted's signature line. He has been using it for years in interviews with Ohio reporters and, more recently, in public service announcements that double as a way to boost Husted's profile for his likely run for governor in 2018. Deja vu: "What I have said is that Hillary Clinton is wrong when she talks about voters being disenfranchised in America, and Donald Trump is wrong when he talks about the election being rigged," Husted told cleveland.com's Andrew J. Tobias all the way back in August, when Trump began road-testing the "rigged" election message. "It's irresponsible of the candidates to say these things. They should be a more constructive voice in this democracy, and make people feel confident that when they go out to cast their votes, that they can trust the process." In spite of all of this ... Husted reaffirmed Monday that he will vote for Trump. He even offered some words of empathy to angry Trump supporters who might believe the election is rigged. "I understand the frustration that they have with our institutions, because our institutions have let them down over the course of the last 30 years," Husted told CNN's Carol Costello. Turn out for what? Husted's office announced late Monday that roughly 1.2 million requests for absentee ballots had been received as of Friday. That's down from 1.4 million that had been requested at this point four years ago. So far, more than 74,000 early votes have been cast. Polls, polls everywhere: The race between Clinton and Trump in Ohio is tied at 45 percent, according to results of a new Quinnipiac University survey. Another poll released Monday, from CNN/ORC, has Trump ahead, 48 percent to 44 percent. Tobias takes a deeper look. The only poll that matters: Election Day is 21 days from today. Three more weeks to go. Round 2: Sen. Rob Portman and Democratic challenger Ted Strickland met Monday evening in Columbus for their second of three debates, writes cleveland.com's Jeremy Pelzer. Issues took a backseat as the candidates traded attacks, he reports. Recent polls - including the new CNN/ORC survey that has Portman up 16 points - show the Republican incumbent with a healthy double-digit lead over Strickland, the former governor. Their final face-off is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Idea Center in Cleveland. This week in Senate race outreach: Team Portman is targeting a new radio ad - narrated completely in Ukrainian - at Cleveland's Ukrainian community. (Listen to it here.) Meanwhile, Strickland's allies at the Ohio Democratic Party are in the midst of a canvass aimed at "45,000 households ... from Chillicothe to Portsmouth, Athens to Marietta, St. Clairsville to Steubenville and all along the [Ohio River]," the Portsmouth Daily Times reports. Strickland once represented these eastern and southern Ohio areas in Congress. The region has trended Republican in recent years, but Strickland hopes to keep things close with Portman there. Hillary to the rescue? The Clinton team will split more than $6 million among seven battleground states, including Ohio, to pay for mail and digital advertisements in down-ballot races, campaign manager Robby Mook said Monday on a media conference call. It's unclear how big of a cut the Buckeye State will receive, cleveland.com's Mary Kilpatrick reports. But it's Strickland who stands to gain from the extra cash on the way. Running mates in state: Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican nominee for vice president, campaigned Monday in Mason (near Cincinnati) and Columbus. "It's not like this is a far fight," Pence said at the first stop, per the Cincinnati Enquirer's Keith BieryGolick. At the latter stop, "Pence echoed statements by Trump alleging large-scale voter fraud, though - like Trump - he offered no evidence to back up such accusations," cleveland.com's Pelzer reports. "Pence said there's been 'a lot of talk about voter fraud,' and he urged onlookers to volunteer to be poll watchers 'in a respectful way' to "ensure the integrity of the vote.'" Pence's Democratic counterpart, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, will campaign Wednesday in the Columbus area and in Springfield - part of closely watched battleground Clark County. Seamless transition alert! The Enquirer's Jeremy Fugleberg, writing for USA Today, has this dispatch from Clark County: "Its purple-county status isn't the only reason Clark County matters this year, either. For Trump to win the election, he must steal away blue-collar Democrats from Hillary Clinton - people who, like Clark County's residents, generally are whiter, poorer and less educated than Ohio as a whole. ... In Clark County, it's clear not all of these blue-collar voters are sold on Trump. His protectionist promises and rhetoric about job-stealing immigrants resonate with some of the county's fence-sitters. But many others are turned off by his inability to campaign with discipline and stay on point on the topics they care about." Why not Y-town? The Trump campaign, reports M.L. Schultze of WKSU, has pulled television ads from the airwaves in the Youngstown media market, where the Republican's populist, anti-trade message could appeal to voters who traditionally back Democrats for president. "The rural areas were so strongly for him anyways that, why waste the money when your support was solid anyways?" GOP media consultant Robert Clegg tells Schultze. "His problem in Ohio, and in states like Florida and North Carolina were the suburban areas around the urbans." Here's the thing about that: Youngstown isn't rural. The media market reaches such areas, sure - particularly in Columbiana County. But it is anchored by the urban cores of Youngstown and Warren and their blue-collar suburbs. Maybe Trump sees this as solid ground. It's certainly promising ground for him, even if he can't flip the Mahoning and Trumbull counties red. But given the region's rich Democratic past, it's not one Trump should take for granted. Stuck in the middle: Ohio Senate President Keith Faber met with cleveland.com editors and reporters Monday and was asked about the feud that erupted over the weekend between Trump's Ohio campaign director and Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges, Peter Krouse reports. Faber, who believes Trump will win Ohio, said that "in conversations, Borges has been very supportive of the Trump campaign. 'But, I can tell you,' [Faber] said, 'it isn't good for a campaign or a party to have a rift going into the last three weeks of an election.'" Mingo Junction: Think Ohio Republicans are ready for 2016 to be over? Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo just took a big step toward 2018. Michael Hartley, a GOP operative with close ties to Gov. John Kasich, announced Monday that he has signed on to help Mingo explore a run for statewide office (likely treasurer). I have more on the move here. More on the 2018 watch: Likely U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel, Ohio's term-limited Republican state treasurer, faces some questions from cleveland.com's Jackie Borchardt in this story about a state investment program his office administers for local governments. Get Battleground Briefing, our FREE politics newsletter, delivered to your inbox: Sign up here. Tips or links? Send here. Follow along on Twitter: @HenryJGomez. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State's home game against Michigan on Nov. 26 is going to have sidelines packed with important official visitors from elite 2017 prospects. They won't be alone. Five-star linebacker Teradja Mitchell of Virginia Beach (Va.) Bishop Sullivan Catholic posted on Twitter on Tuesday that he plans to visit Ohio State soon. According to LandOf10.com, that unofficial visit is going to be for the Michigan game. Rated the No. 1 inside linebacker in the 2017 recruiting class in the 247Sports composite rankings, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Mitchell already has 30 scholarship offers. Mitchell is most closely considering offers from Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Virginia, but the Buckeyes have to be considered among the favorites given the news of the unofficial visit. Here is Mitchell's highlight tape: Here is our Ohio State coverage from Monday: * What did Urban Meyer say to Ohio State at halftime Saturday? Nothing! Because who cares * Cleveland Cavaliers bring Larry O'Brien Trophy to Ohio State football practice * See Urban Meyer's gripe with 15-yard penalty for getting hit in face by official * Ohio State football: Good vibes only with the Buckeyes coming off a win at Wisconsin? * Everything Urban Meyer said from his Monday news conference preveiwing Penn State * Was J.T. Barrett's performance vs. Wisconsin like Penn State 2014? Five things to know from Urban Meyer's news conference University Heights Police.jpg University Heights detectives are investigating after a student reported being sexually assaulted by schoolmates at Cleveland Heights High School. (File photo) UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio - A Cleveland Heights High School student accused several schoolmates of sexual assault on the school's campus, according to a police report. University Heights detectives have identified three juvenile suspects but have not filed charges. The school district has suspended the students while the investigation is ongoing, a district spokesman said in a statement. The girl said the incident took place during school hours Oct. 12 in a storage closet, according to the police report. The high school's head of security reported the incident to police at 1:30 p.m. the next day. The school also notified the girl's parents. The Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District is assisting in the investigation, the spokesman said. "The school district takes this matter very seriously, and we are cooperating with police in order to ensure the matter is investigated thoroughly," the statement reads. No additional information has been released. If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section. Austria Hitler's House Austria's government said on Monday that it plans to tear down the house where Hitler was born and replace it with a new building. (Kerstin Joensson, Associated Press file photo) BRAUNAU, Austria -- The home where German dictator Adolf Hitler was born will be torn down by the Austrian government, which hopes that will end pilgrimages to the location by neo-Nazis. The three-story house currently is empty, but the government has been in a legal battle with the owner for years, NPR reports. The government is confiscating the property. The BBC reports a new building will be constructed on the site, housing either a community center or government offices. Hitler was born in the house in 1889, and it became a shrine to the dictator during his rule of Germany. The location still draws admirers, the BBC reports. "I've even witnessed people from Italy or from France coming here ... for adoration purposes," Josef Kogler, a teacher in Braunau, tells the BBC. "One Frenchman, a history teacher I think it was, came and asked me for Hitler's birthplace. ... It's hard to understand." The independent tribunal ruled on a case brought by Privacy International, concluding that the UK spy agency GCHQ was acting illegally for 17 years while it amassed huge databases of "bulk collection" data of cellphone location and call-data a practice revealed by the Edward Snowden docs. The surveillance violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which the UK Conservative Government had pledged to nullify in the UK, with our without a Brexit. Last November, Parliament amended the UK's surveillance law to bring some transparency to "bulk collection" by spy agencies, thus legalising the practice, which continues to this day. The case exposed inadequate safeguards against abuse, including warnings to staff not to use the databases created to house these vast collections of data to search for and/or access information 'about other members of staff, neighbours, friends, acquaintances, family members and public figures'. Internal oversight failed, with highly sensitive databases treated like Facebook to check on birthdays, and very worryingly on family members for 'personal reasons'. The Tribunal ruled that "we are not satisfied that there can be said to have been an adequate oversight of the BCD system, until after July 2015" with "no Codes of Practice relating to either BCD or BPD or anything approximating to them." There was no statutory oversight of BPD prior to March 2015 and there has never been any statutory oversight of BCD. Noting the highly secretive nature of the illegal BCD regime, the Tribunal ruled "it seems difficult to conclude that the use of BCD was foreseeable by the public when it was not explained to Parliament". Press Release: New court judgment finds UK surveillance agencies collected everyone's communications data unlawfully and in secret, for over a decade [Privacy International/Medium] UK admits it spied illegally for 17 years, is sorry, won't stop [Russell Brandom/The Verge] It's that time again! Jim Cramer rang the lightning round bell, which means he gave his take on caller favorite stocks at rapid speed: Procter & Gamble : "I like Procter. I'd like you to buy it a little bit cheaper, because I think it can come down to $84 or $85. But I think it's a good choice." Synchrony Financial : "That thing has come down too much. That's kind of attractive to me ... You know what's more attractive? If Visa sells off a couple of bucks. My charitable trust owns it. I think that Charlie Scharf [outgoing CEO] has got some personal things he has to attend to at home in New York, and that stock is coming down and that may be a better opportunity." Petrobras : "It has made a big comeback because the real has gotten very strong. Petrobras, I don't know. This is a play on the real, and the real is good but I think I don't want to overstay my welcome. I would be tempted to cash in on half." Bristol-Myers Squibb : "Candidly, I was disappointed with the study that just came out. I thought that Opdivo had more opportunities to do it ... I do not expect anything good near-term for Bristol-Myers. That was just a disappointing study." CIT Group : "Why don't you focus on Citi? My charitable trust owns Citi, that was the best quarter so far. I would be in Citi. JPMorgan was a great quarter, don't get me wrong. But they have done nothing but great quarters." Radius Health : "Bob Ward [CEO], he has done a fantastic job, and I like Radius. Everyone keeps saying it's going to get a bid. I think it's going to have good test results, and therefore it is OK to own. But this whole bid thing is just getting out of control. I see this stock trading up a couple of bucks every morning, and I say come on." Chesapeake Energy : "Chesapeake's got good natural gas exposure, but my problem is that I don't like the balance sheet. And because of that, there are so many others that are better. I think that you should just stock with Schlumberger. I think Schlumberger is the way to play the oil business." Russia accused Britain of political censorship on Monday after a British state-owned bank withdrew its services from Kremlin-backed Russian broadcaster RT. RT said NatWest, owned by Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS), which is majority-controlled by the British government, had not explained why it was withdrawing its banking services in Britain and accused the bank of attacking freedom of speech. In a letter published on RT's web site, NatWest said it had decided to withdraw its services after "careful consideration". It did not offer an explanation for what it said was a final ruling, but said it would cancel RT's services from Dec. 12. In a statement later, RBS said: "These decisions are not taken lightly. We are reviewing the situation and are contacting the customer to discuss this further. The bank accounts remain open and are still operative." Western critics dismiss RT, whose British arm produces UK-specific content, as a Kremlin mouthpiece designed to sow disinformation. The channel, previously known as Russia Today, says it offers a refreshing Russian-slanted alternative take on global events to mainstream Western media. NatWest's decision is likely to inject further tension into relations between Moscow and London, already strained over Syria and Ukraine, and make it harder for RT to operate in Britain, something the channel said it would continue doing regardless. "The situation will cause some insurmountable obstacles for the normal functioning of the channel in Britain," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding it was deeply concerned and would raise the matter with British authorities. "This gives rise to the thought that the bank has taken the decision in agreement with official London to get rid of a news resource that is inconvenient for the official narrative but popular among the British public." RT, which counts President Vladimir Putin among its supporters and relies on Russian state funds, said the bank's decision was consistent with "countless measures" taken in Britain and elsewhere in Europe to try to impede its work. 'A matter for the bank' A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May distanced the British government from the row, saying it was up to NatWest who it offered services to based on its own appetite for risk. Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT, reacted sarcastically to the move on social media, writing "Long live freedom of speech!". British broadcast regulator Ofcom has ruled against RT in the past, saying programs on Syria and Ukraine were misleading and flouted Britain's broadcasting code. RT has called those decisions unfair. A similar row erupted last year when the Russian government accused Barclays of censorship after the British bank accounts of state news agency Rossiya Segodnya were shut. The agency's head, Dmitry Kiselyov, is on a European Union sanctions list related to Russia's actions in Ukraine. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. Apple is planning to introduce new Macs at an Oct. 27 event, sources confirmed to Recode. The move had long been expected, given that the company released MacOS Sierra last month but had yet to introduce any new computer models sporting the software. It also comes just in time for Apple to have the new products on sale for the full holiday season. Apple has gone a long time without making significant changes to any of its Mac models, with most experts encouraging customers to hold off all but essential new purchases until the lineup was updated. Tops among the rumors have been reports that Apple will introduce a new MacBook Pro sporting a row of customizable touchscreen keys. More from Recode: Apple's MacOS Sierra is here, bringing Siri to the desktop Apple has hired a big brain in AI to make Siri less dumb How iMessage could be Apple's next big app platform Sierra, for its part, adds support for Apple's Siri voice assistant and the ability to copy and paste between iOS and MacOS devices, among other features. The number of people living in poverty could rise by as much as 122 million thanks to climate change, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The report, "The State of Food and Agriculture 2016," states that while climate change "is but one driver of poverty and food insecurity," its effect was set to be significant in the years to come. The global population living in poverty had the potential to rise "by between 35 and 122 million by 2030 relative to a future without climate change," the report found, citing a study from the World Bank. Sub-Saharan Africa would be hardest hit due to the fact its population is more dependent on agriculture, the report added. "There is no doubt climate change affects food security," Jose Graziano da Silva, director general of the FAO, said in a statement. "What climate change does is to bring back uncertainties from the time we were all hunter gatherers. We cannot assure any more that we will have the harvest we have planted." The report added that farming and food systems needed to change and adapt to a warmer world, with smallholders in particular requiring urgent help to cope with climate change. With changes in temperature affecting crop yield, and with it food prices, the use of heat-tolerant and nitrogen-efficient crop varieties and "integrated soil fertility management" could help supply, boost productivity and improve the income of farmers, the FAO said. It is not just the UN that regards climate change as a threat to food supplies. In August a report from Australia-based The Climate Institute said that climate change could dramatically impact the quality, price and production of coffee. Extreme weather events and rising temperatures could slash areas where coffee can be grown by as much as 50 percent by 2050, the report said. Earlier this year Andrea Illy, chairman of global coffee business illy, told CNBC at Davos that climate change was a threat to coffee production in the medium and long term. "Coffee is one of the crops which is severely affected by climate change, which is a threat both in terms of too high temperature in some regions when it is produced, (and) a threat in terms of water security either droughts or excessive rains in certain other regions," Illy said. Illy went on to explain that while climate change looks set to impact production, consumption was still growing. "We predict that we will need twice as much as coffee at least more probably three times as much by the end of the century, with less than 50 percent of the land available. I think we have a problem we need to fix." Following on their earlier statement that "Julian Assange's internet link has been intentionally severed by a state party," the Wikileaks organization has accused Ecuador of being that state party. Assange has been trapped in the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012, resisting Swedish prosecutors' calls for him to be brought to Stockholm for questions regarding accusations of sexual assault (Assange has offered to meet with Swedish authorities in the Ecuadoran embassy, but says he will not travel to Sweden for fear of being extradited to the USA, where he fears trial under the Espionage Act). The relationship between Assange and the Ecuadoran officials seems to be fraying; there are political changes underway in Ecuador, and then there is the financial and institutional cost to hosting an internal exile in one's embassy. Wikileaks has played a high-profile role in the US elections, publishing leaked Democratic Party documents that have embarrassed the party and its candidate with revelations that party officials had taken steps to help Hillary Clinton secure the nomination over her rival, the anti-establishment democratic socialist Bernie Sanders; more recently, Wikileaks has published more Democratic Party docs, but these have largely revealed that Clinton was paid an extraordinary amount of money to say some pretty ordinary things to bankers, and that her staff and strategists are risk-averse, establishment-friendly political hacks. In its followup tweet, Wikileaks linked the internet shutdown to the organization's publication of transcripts of Clinton's Goldman Sachs speeches, writing, "We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access Saturday, 5pm GMT, shortly after publication of Clinton's Goldman Sachs speechs." We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access Saturday, 5pm GMT, shortly after publication of Clinton's Goldman Sachs speechs. WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 17, 2016 A woman who picked up the phone at the Ecuadorean embassy said: "I cannot disclose any information." Wikileaks: Julian Assange's internet access 'cut' [BBC] (Image: Julian Assange in Ecuadorian Embassy cropped, Snapperjack, CC-BY-SA) (via /.) President Rodrigo Duterte's state tour to China, his first outside of Southeast Asia, is a stern test for the leader's strongman image as he attempts to navigate a hot-button territorial conflict while luring investments from the mainland. The former Davao City mayor, the first Philippine leader to visit China since 2011, arrived Tuesday in a visit that he called a "key turning point in both our [nation's] histories." The 71-year old, who recently marked 100 days in office, has been increasingly cozying up to the mainland to gain Chinese funds and distance his country from the U.S., which has criticized the extra-judicial killings under his war on drugs. Philippine's President Rodrigo Duterte waves to Philippines nationals living in Brunei after delivering his speech during his official visit in Brunei on October 16, 2016. Duterte arrived for a three-day official visit to hold talks with Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah before leaving for China. DEAN.K / AFP / Getty Images Duterte, who previously said he would ride a jet ski to the Scarborough Shoalthe South China Sea island claimed by both Beijing and Manilato stake his country's claim, has recently adopted a friendly attitude towards the world's second-largest economy, dubbed the 'China pivot'. This comes even after President Xi Jinping's administration refused to recognize the Philippines' legal victory regarding the territory. Now, the big question is whether Duterte will use the state visit to bargain away his country's assertion of sovereignty in the Scarborough Shoal in return for greater mainland investment. So far, it's unclear whether the 71-year old leader, nicknamed 'The Punisher' and 'Duterte Harry' for his hard stance on crime, will raise the matter during his four-day stay. On Monday, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay announced that the conflict wouldn't be "specifically discussed" during bilateral meetings, local media reported. "The President has made it clear that maybe this is not the time to talk about resolving the South China Sea dispute as we are still continuing to build trust and confidence between the two countries," Yasay was quoted as saying. Benefits of closer China ties Duterte's 'China pivot' is essentially economic in nature, CSIS explained. "He would like Chinese aid to develop badly needed infrastructure, including a railroad in his native Mindanao, and he has said Beijing has offered him a 25-year loan to buy weapons from China." Just this month, China reversed a four-year ban on Philippine bananas, a billion-dollar industry for the Southeast Asian nation, as Beijing took note of Duterte's newfound attitude. A contingent of around 250 business executives also accompanied the President to Beijing, and is expected to ink a slew of deals. Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chairman and CEO of Ayala Corporation , one of the largest Philippine conglomerates, told CNBC it would be building on existing linkages it held with Chinese multinational Huawei. Economic motivations aside, warming up to China has other advantages. "While much of the international community reprimands Duterte's anti-drug campaign, China offers its support and collaboration....China's non-interference in Duterte's anti-drug campaign may serve as a push toward a stronger tilt to China as it supports the Philippines aims of steering a more independent course," CSIS noted. Expected outcomes Eli Lilly is expanding its international operations to target diabetes and tuberculosis in areas without access to proper treatment, CEO John Lechleiter said Tuesday. Lechleiter told CNBC's "Squawk Box" the pharmaceutical giant will expand a program already in place to provide parts of Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and India with treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Lechleiter, who is stepping down as CEO, president and chairman this year, said the company hopes to reach 30 million people on an annual basis by the year 2030. Lechleiter, who will stay on as nonexecutive chairman, is being replaced by Senior Vice President Dave Ricks. Lechleiter said Ricks, a longtime employee, will be the "perfect person" to lead the company through the numerous product launches it expects by 2023. The pharmaceutical giant reports earnings on Oct. 25. Analysts expect $3.59 earnings per share, according to Thomson Reuters. "You don't have to support or agree with any of Warren's positions or crusades to know she can get things done, and more importantly she wants to get things done." And hey, you don't expect Matt Damon to mention too many U.S. Senators by name when giving graduation speeches at Harvard, but he did more than that in June when he attacked Wall Street in the commencement speech and said: "I don't know if justice is coming for you in this life or the next but if it does come in this life? Her name will be Elizabeth Warren." Compare that to Clinton. Let's say the polls are right and she wins on Election Day. Ask yourself: What will be her #1 legislative agenda or program? Go ahead, take all the time you like. Still having trouble coming up with a clear answer like "Obamacare" or "wipe out ISIS?" You're not alone. In fact, it's likely Clinton wouldn't be able to directly answer that question either. That's what happens when your top goal in life is winning an office as opposed to sticking with a set of principles or philosophies you want to advance if you ever do get into power. Her numerous flip flops on major issues and the methods she's used while in government positions, like having that presidential-campaign-boosting private email server at the State Department, are examples of Clinton's singular and overriding goal of winning the presidency that even most of her staunchest supporters can recognize. For the last six months, the only message Clinton has promoted successfully and repeatedly is that Trump is a bad person and she's not him. Sounds simplistic, but so far it's been enough to get the Nate Silver types of the world to proclaim her an 80 percent favorite to win the whole thing. But after elections are over, you have to govern. And not one of Clinton's proposals or plans has resonated with the public. That's the kind of serious vacuum Warren will be able to fill with what even casual followers of Washington politics know is her agenda. Clinton won't need Warren to get Democrats in Congress to vote for her agenda, she'll need Warren to actually set her agenda in the first place. That will be true even if the Democrats win control of Congress and longtime Clinton cronies Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer become Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader, respectively. Pelosi and Schumer wield no national power at the polls and it's not clear what they stand for at any given time. That's especially true for Schumer who was once known as "the Senator from Wall Street," and now seems to have only his seniority going for him. Sanders, in case you were expecting him to get into the legislative fray, has already been in Congress for decades and has a remarkably short list of accomplishments on Capitol Hill. Schumer and Pelosi lead no movement. Warren does. And unlike Sanders, she's already put a number of trophies on her wall. Of course Clinton could have simultaneously gained Warren's needed help and neutralized her power to demand anything in return by choosing her as a running mate, but the wisdom of that move someone eluded the folks at Clinton's Brooklyn HQ. But what if the polls are generally wrong and Trump is the winner on November 8th? In that scenario, it's possible Warren will become even more powerful. She already beat Clinton and almost everyone else to the punch earlier this year as Trump's biggest critic and social media heckler. So look for her to grab the mantle as the most visible Trump opponent on the Hill. But dig a little deeper, and you'll see that Trump and Warren actually have a number of policy issues in common. They include eliminating the carried interest tax loophole for hedge fund managers and coming up with more ways to block or punish corporate offshoring. If Trump really wants to make his presidency about deal making, he'll realize the woman he slams by calling her "Pocahontas" will be the key to getting some of those deals made and goals achieved. If that happens, it will be very similar to the way President Ronald Reagan made deals with Democrat House Speaker Tip O'Neil during Reagan's first term. Reagan knew where the opposition party's power was and Trump will likely figure that out too. But either way, Warren is rising and enduring while everyone else seems to be either withering, disappearing, or just holding on. Remember, Sanders dropped out of the race and is in his mid-seventies. Either Clinton or Trump will lose the election while the other candidate will "win" with the highest unfavorable ratings in history for a president-elect. When this election is over, Warren will look a lot more like the winner than any of them. She already does. A man looks on as flares burn from pipes at an oil flow station in Idu, Rivers State, Nigeria. Chinese investors could provide a much-needed lift to Nigeria's ailing economy by investing in its energy sector - but not necessarily in the country's vulnerable oil industry, one analyst has told CNBC. Dolapo Oni, an energy analyst for Ecobank, told CNBC via telephone that Chinese "interest is less towards oil more towards gas." He attributed this to security fears in the Niger Delta region, rather than a potential OPEC production cut. Nigeria's economy officially fell into recession at the end of August this year, partly due to falling oil prices on which it is heavily dependent. Earlier this month, Nigerian Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun told CNBC that her country was undergoing a "fundamental change in how we finance our oil," moving away from treasury cash calls and towards private funding. In a statement reported by Reuters, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said in June that: "Memorandum of understandings worth over $80 billion to be spent on investments in oil and gas infrastructure, pipelines, refineries, power, facility refurbishments and upstream have been signed with Chinese companies." Chinese firms involved include Huawei, Norinco and Sinopec. Following up on the pledges, Chinese investors are to visit Nigeria at the end of this month. Supermodel Kathy Ireland still graces the covers of magazines, but lately she's more likely to be on Forbes than Cosmo. In fact, her most recent cover shoot was the Forbes June edition, which featured her as one of the richest self-made women in the U.S., with an estimated net worth of $360 million. The model turned mogul is the founder and CEO of lifestyle company Kathy Ireland Worldwide. It has annual merchandise sales of more than $2 billion from licensing the brand out to some 17,000 products. But moving from modeling to business wasn't easy, and she learned some valuable career lessons along the way. "My old job description as a model was 'shut up and pose,'" Ireland told CNBC. When she did speak, she said critics judged her every word. Paying property taxes is not one of the joys of homeownership. Those necessary but often hefty payments cost the average American household $2,127 a year, and helps to fund local governments and schools. That annual levy is even higher in states such as New Jersey or Illinois, which are among the highest average tax rates. No matter where you live, you likely wish you paid less. Here are a few steps you can take to cut your property taxes. "I think this month will be the month where we turn the page and move into the future," CEO David Sacks said Monday, a day before the company launched its online Z2 platform. The platform is tailored to help small businesses with a wide array of human resources tasks. After dealing with a lot of bad buzz, Zenefits is looking to get back to growing its business with a redesigned and expanded HR software platform. "A lot of people are going to be surprised by how a big a release it is, and I think it's going to force the entire HR industry to respond to it," said Sacks, a veteran of PayPal, and founder of the work-chat app Yammer. In Z2, Zenefits is offering its own payroll service to customers for the first time. Z2 also features a suite of fully integrated apps for a slew of functions, including expense reporting, stock options, performance management, recruiting and productivity. Zenefits has partnered with 17 companies to provide those apps including Salesforce , Slack, Quickbooks, Expensify and eShares. It also has built Z2 to allow potentially hundreds of other third-party applications to be integrated into the system. "Zenefits was the first all-in-one solution to the market three years ago," Sacks said. "What we're doing with this release is redefining what 'all-in-one' means, and the way to have that is through partners. There's no way that one company can do everything." Z2 also will offer small businesses the ability to browse thousands of health insurance plans. To help narrow their choices, businesses will also be able to see how cost-effective those health plans are for individual workers, and how close geographically doctors in a plan's provider network are to employees. Sacks is more than ready for the different-looking future that he believes Z2 will bring. For the past eight months, Sacks has been dealing with the fallout of a series of scandals at Zenefits, which had resulted in the then-chief operating officer taking over as CEO from Parker Conrad in February. Under Conrad's watch, Zenefits had grown spectacularly with its HR software platform, eventually getting valued by investors as $4 billion. But there were problems a number of problems at the San Francisco-based company. First, it was revealed that many of the health insurance brokers Zenefits had on staff were not licensed to sell plans in states where Zenefits was operating. Then, Sacks learned from Zenefits' lawyers that Conrad had written a piece of software the so-called macro that allowed company workers to satisfy California broker licensing requirements without actually doing the required work. That discovery led to Conrad's resignation, under pressure from Zenefits' board. In the following months, there was a series of stories about the hard-driving, often hard-partying atmosphere at Zenefits, where big deals were celebrated with staffers gathering to down shots of alcohol. A June 2015 email that Business Insider obtained revealed that Zenefits' director of real estate and workplace services admonished employees not to "smoke, drink, eat or have sex" in the building stairwells, where the building's manager reported that cups of beers, cigarettes and used condoms had been found. During a recent interview with CNBC, Sacks still cringed about that email. He noted that Zenefits isn't the only the tenant in the building, so it's not clear that the company's workers were the guilty parties. watch now July was the hottest month ever recorded on the planet. The epicenter of the global heat wave was Kuwait, where the temperature in Mitribah hit 129.2 degrees, making it the hottest place on Earth. Like other countries in the Persian Gulf sweltering from high temperatures and humidity, Kuwait is positioning its economy for a century of steadily rising heat waves so severe that parts of the Middle East may become unlivable outdoors. By 2100, the desert cities near the Arabian Sea, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha, may regularly experience days of temperatures that feel like 165 degrees, when heat hits 95 degrees and humidity is taken into account, based on research and statements by scientists at California's Loyola Marymount University and MIT. Even the fittest humans can't survive those temperatures for more than a few hours outside. (It's worth noting that parts of far northern climes in North America, Europe and Asia are also technically uninhabitable outside for much of the year.) The buckle on the world's sunbelt, petro-state Kuwait is looking to cope with the trend and perhaps capitalize on it. It has a goal to supply 15 percent of its energy with renewables by 2030, up from 1 percent last year, and to become a leader in technology that prepares for the new future. More from Global Investing Hot Spots: The trillion-dollar pipeline in the Mideast no one is talking about Is the 'Trump effect' behind the billion-dollar move into Canadian stocks? Guess which companies are stockpiling $2.4 trillion in offshore profits The country last year signed an agreement with Spain's TSK Group for a $385 million solar plant that will produce up to 50 megawatts and come online in 2017. A planned technology park in the Al Shagaya desert will also include a 10-megawatt solar photovoltaic station and 10-megawatt wind-power stations, according to Oxford Research. But the solar power push is just one part of what Kuwait needs to do to move away from oil that accounts for about 60 percent of its GDP and about 95 percent of government revenue, according to OPEC and the IMF. Kuwait, like other Gulf countries, has long seen the need to diversify its economy. Now the likely long-term drop in oil prices to less than $50 a barrel due to a global oversupply means it needs to move much faster. "We are going to go bankrupt if we don't change," said Abdulaziz Al Loughani, an advisor to Kuwait's $7 billion National Fund for Small and Medium Enterprise Development (SME), aimed at investing in and spurring small businesses. "I think we have the courage not to be taken by our egos." Lucky for Kuwait, it has a big asset to leverage: money. With one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, at nearly $600 billion, Kuwait is pouring cash into a three-track approach to diversify the economy: It's trying to encourage entrepreneurship, and it's investing heavily in its own infrastructure from renewable energy plants to workforce training to hospitals. That's opening opportunities for companies from other countries. For instance, the government is contracting with outside companies and investing $5.2 billion to build 17 hospitals. Nine of the hospitals will boost the number of available beds by 3,334 and create an estimated 15,000 new jobs, according to Oxford Research Group. The emirate is looking for ways to cope with the rising temperatures and even capitalize on it. Above, Salmiya, a city area in Hawalli Governorate in the State of Kuwait. Emad Aljumah | Getty Images The third leg of the strategy is that Kuwait has set up sector-specific funds, including in renewable energy and life sciences, to invest in companies in other countries. It hopes to draw technological innovation home. An example of the technology strategy is the investment by EnerTech, Kuwait's $50 million renewable energy fund, in Kinetic Renewable Energy Services, a Dubai-based developer of renewable power plants. Kinetic has a $150 million pipeline of projects, according to Abdullah Al-Mutairi, CEO of EnerTech. The renewable-energy fund has seven companies in its portfolio. If EnerTech finds a promising technology, Al-Mutairi said, Kuwait will help it set up manufacturing and distribution in Kuwait and other Gulf countries. Overall, Kuwait's moves are showing some promise, though it has a long way to go. There is the planned renewable-energy park, a new start-up scene that is encouraging entrepreneurship and some examples of successes in growing private-sector companies. For instance, the country's life science's fund, Kuwait Life Sciences, helped former Pfizer executives who wanted to build a platform to import drugs into the Middle East establish a venture, New Bridge Pharmaceuticals, said Mussaad M. Al-Razouki, the fund's business development officer. An Irish company, Elan Science One, purchased a majority stake in the company, now valued at more than $100 million, said Al-Razouki. Diversification can't come too fast for Kuwait. The IMF forecasts Kuwait's GDP growth at less than 2 percent a year for 20162017, far below the peak levels of more than 15 percent during the oil boom of 20002010. Fiscal 2016 saw a $15.3 billion budget deficit after 16 years of surpluses due to the decline in oil revenue, which led to an increase in gas prices and talk by high-ranking government officials of cuts to lavish benefits for Kuwait's 1.3 million citizens that include interest-free housing loans and free education. (The country is also home to about 2.9 million foreign workers.) It tends to be in the middle of rankings of economic freedom. For instance, the World Economic Forum ranked it 34th for global competitiveness last year, up from 36th in 20132014. It has low scores on innovation and technological readiness and it's a relatively small market. But its pile of cash, built up during the budget surplus years, means a lot of opportunity for companies that want to do business in or with the emirate. Foreign direct investment into Kuwait is currently low, at $293 million last year, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development. That's compared with almost $5.5 billion worth of investment Kuwait made abroad. Emerging start-up scene Kuwait hasn't taken the dramatic steps of many of the emirates in the United Arab Emirates, like eschewing most or all taxes, opening up ownership to foreigners or establishing robust-free trade zones. One of Kuwait's biggest efforts now is its SME fund.To change the long-standing practice of young Kuwaitis to picky cushy government jobs over the trials of going into business, Kuwait is using the first $170 million of its $7 billion small-business fund to establish workforce training and business incubation programs. Out of a workforce of about 330,000, nearly 80 percent of people are government employees, based on an analysis provided by Al Loughani. The fund has a plan to privatize 50 gas stations and find entrepreneurs willing to run convenience stores and restaurants. It is also working on training and incubation programs. Kuwait's start-up sector is small, but more Kuwaitis are comfortable with e-commerce, Al Loughani said. On average, Kuwaitis own more than two mobile phones apiece. He is one of the rare private sector success stories in Kuwait as the former CEO of Talabat, a food-delivery company, which was purchased in 2015, about 10 years after its founding, by Berlin-based Rocket Internet. It's widely-suspected that there's more out there of millionaire presidential candidate Donald Trump boasting about assaulting women, but the obvious sourcesTV producers and radio hosts, sayaren't going to shit where they eat just to give Hillary Clinton another point in the polls. Enter Larry Flynt and Hustler Magazine. Attention Citizens! $1,000,000 Offer! Beverly Hills, CA October 17, 2016 Larry Flynt announced today that his Hustler companies are offering up to $1 million dollars for verifiable video footage or audio recordings for use prior to the November 8 election clearly showing Donald Trump engaging in illegal activity or acting in a sexually demeaning or derogatory manner, if Hustler chooses to publish or otherwise use such materials. Mr. Flynt states, "I have always celebrated women. Women in all shapes and sizes. To treat a woman like Mr. Trump himself has is both disappointing and unbelievable, especially coming from someone who wants to be our President." Mr. Flynt continues to be appalled by the hypocrisy of our elected officials who dictate how the American people should live their lives behind closed doors while themselves engaging in the variety of activities they publicly condemn. Mr. Trump claims that "nobody has more respect for women than me" despite tremendous amounts of evidence to the contrary. Mr. Flynt has made it his mission to call these hypocrites out and provide the public with as much information about their indiscretions as possible. The last time Mr. Flynt made such an offer was in 2007 when he announced that he was willing to pay one million dollars for documented evidence of illicit sexual liaisons with a prominent member of public office. He also made similar offers in 1998 during the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair to root out hypocritical officials who had engaged in the same behavior they publicly condemned. Please contact Minda Gowen with any questions about the offer, or issues regarding file transfers. Contact: Minda Gowen | mgowen@lfp.com | 323-655-6942 Hillary Clinton has invited wealthy business figures Mark Cuban and Meg Whitman to Wednesday's third presidential debate in Las Vegas, NBC News reported. Cuban, a billionaire entrepreneur and frequent Donald Trump critic, sarcastically tweeted Tuesday that he wanted to give his "bestie" Trump a "big hug" at the debate. Tweet: Cant wait to give a big hug to my bestie @realDonaldTrump at the debate tomorrow night. I know you miss me ! Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, backed Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's presidential bid last year before switching her allegiance to Clinton in the general election. Clinton has highlighted her support from business leaders like Cuban, Whitman and Warren Buffett on the campaign trail as Trump touts his own business success. But her association with them has opened her to criticism from both sides of the aisle that she is too friendly with the wealthy. Billionaire Peter Thiel's $1.25 million backing of Donald Trump's presidential campaign has caused rifts in Silicon Valley. Over the weekend, news broke that Thiel co-founder of PayPal and chairman of start-up Palantir had donated $1.25 million in support of Trump. Thiel already voiced his support for Trump at the Republican National Convention. But his donation is an outlier in the tech world, which had donated around $8 million to the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, versus $300,000 to her rival, according to Recode, citing Crowdpac data. Thiel is a part-time partner at Y Combinator, a major Silicon Valley start-up accelerator run by Sam Altman, who tweeted on Sunday that Trump's views are an "unacceptable threat to America." But Altman added that he would not fire Thiel because it's a "dangerous path to start down." TWEET Altman's comments about Thiel drew the ire of Ellen Pao, co-founder of Project Include, a company working to help tech organizations become more diverse. Pao was the former chief executive of Reddit the site that bills itself as the "front page of the internet." Last year, Pao was locked in a discrimination lawsuit against her former employer, venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which she subsequently lost. In a blog post on Monday, Pao hit out at Altman's decision not to fire Thiel, as well as the latter's support for Trump. "While all of us believe in the ideas of free speech and open platforms, we draw a line here. We agree that people shouldn't be fired for their political views, but this isn't a disagreement on tax policy, this is advocating hatred and violence," Pao wrote. An employee waits at the front gate of the Stewart Detention Facility, a Corrections Corporation of America immigration facility in Lumpkin, Ga. Corrections Corporation of America shares extended their gains Tuesday on word that a Texas facility would extend their contract. Shares spiked Monday after the company reported it is extending and amending a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the 2,400-bed South Texas Family Center in Dilley, Texas. Corrections Corp. shares closed at $14.55 on Tuesday, up 20 cents, or about 1.4 percent. The contract will extend through 2021, thought ICE will pay a lower monthly fixed rate to the company. The agreement is subject to termination upon 60-day notice. The move "removed some uncertainty" about the company's future relationship with government agencies, according to a note SunTrust analysts Tobey Sommer and Kwan Kim. In the same note, Sommer and Kim said "the volume of illegal immigrant families detained at the southwest border increased >80% YoY in September, so the basic building block of demand for this service seems to be robust, in our view." This comes after a slew of bad news for both Corrections Corp. and another prison company, GEO Group. In August, the Department of Justice announced it would instruct the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin phasing out the use of private contractors for correctional facilities. More recently, the Department of Homeland Security has asked the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to review its use of contractors. And Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has called for the end of private prisons. At the end of September, both stocks posted their worst quarter in roughly 16 years. The Bureau of Prisons and ICE make up significant portions of each company's client base, though other government contracts Corrections Corp. and GEO Group also have agreements with other government entities such as state agencies and the U.S. Marshals. In 1971, Shirley Cromartie, a housekeeper for President Richard Nixon at his Key Biscayne retreat, was arrested for shoplifting four dresses. According to Cromartie, she was hypnotically coerced into the theft by a young woman who approached her, "released a jasmine-like scent from her left hand" to told her "to take the dresses former children." Psychiatrist Dr. Albert Maslow who examined Cromartie said he "believed she was telling the truth." Clip below of a Philadelphia Inquirer article from October 23, 1971. More at Weird Universe. Despite all the warnings and news coverage, telephone scammers continue to run very successful "businesses" posing as Internal Revenue Service agents. In May the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration announced the arrests of five people said to be involved in an IRS phone scam. The five individuals were arrested in Miami and charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to the court documents, the suspects pocketed almost $2 million in schemes that defrauded more than 1,500 victims. Just a few weeks ago, dozens of arrests were made in another IRS phone scam that plagues American taxpayers. In this case, workers were arrested for their alleged roles in tax-related scams following a police raid on call centers outside of Mumbai, India. Champja | Getty Images The scam involved call center employees sending mass text messages announcing an urgent inquiry to as many as 10,000 American cellphone numbers, according to Parag Manere, deputy commissioner of police in Thane, in the western state of Maharashtra. If recipients called back, the call center employees would introduce themselves as "Christopher" or "Daniel" and speak with an American accent, impersonating IRS officers. They would then warn the victims that the local police or IRS agents would raid their homes within 30 minutes unless they sent an immediate payment, Thane police officials explained. That call center was certainly getting a return on its investment. The local authorities believe the IRS scam was collecting some $90,000 to $150,000 a day and had been operating for a year. So as crazy as all this sounds, people still fall prey to these IRS phone scams. The bad guys apparently are still doing a great job targeting unsuspecting taxpayers. To that point, some 6,400 victims have collectively paid more than $36.5 million to scammers posing as IRS officials since October 2013, according to TIGTA. Over that same time period, TIGTA has received reports of roughly 1.2 million calls made to taxpayers demanding they send cash to resolve outstanding tax liabilities. The average amount of money lost in the scam is $5,700. More from FA Playbook: Don't get stiffed on Social Security No joke: 'Tis the season for planning your taxes It's key to plan for unexpected events As part of the typical IRS impersonation scheme, the scammers make calls alleging to be from the IRS or the Treasury Department. Calls are often made using a technology called Voice Over Internet Protocol. It's a cheap and easy way to mask the origin of the calls and "trick" the person's caller ID to show up as the IRS or other agency. The scammers advise taxpayers that, due to adjustments made on their individual tax accounts, additional tax is owed to the IRS. The scammers demand immediate payment over the phone by cash, wire or services, such as MoneyGram. In some variations of the scheme, the scammers ask for payment in iTunes gift cards. "These telephone scams are being seen in every part of the country, and we urge people not to be deceived by these threatening phone calls," IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said, adding, "We have formal processes in place for people with tax issues. The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and these angry, shake-down calls are not how we do business." Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 fiasco has been top of the headlines for the past six weeks with the world's largest smartphone maker finally deciding to stop making the highly combustible phablet. The result was an expected $5 billion-plus hit to the company's profit from the third quarter to the first quarter of next year. But throughout the saga, the electronics giant gave very little clarity about what was actually going on. CNBC among other news organizations reached out to the company as to what the precise issue is. Samsung usually issued vague statements about how safety was a priority and the way it was working hard to resolve the problem, but never were there any details on what was exactly wrong with the Note 7. Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine said a Hillary Clinton White House would seek to strengthen regulations on Wall Street. Kaine, Clinton's running mate, spoke with CNBC's "Closing Bell" on Tuesday afternoon, saying that his team is aligned in many ways with the liberal branch of the Democratic Party. "Sen. (Bernie) Sanders and Sen. (Elizabeth) Warren have really important ideas that they've put on the table," Kaine said. "We've got to keep regulation on abusive practices and on Wall Street, so that Wall Street doesn't tank Main Street again. These are their ideas, but they're our ideas too: We put Dodd-Frank in place for a reason, and we want to strengthen it, not get rid of or weaken it." While some have alleged that Clinton is too close to Wall Street to adequately regulate it, others have said she would be too harsh on the financial sector. Addressing those conflicting expectations, Kaine said that "there's not a conflict with being willing to work with (Wall Street) and also being for tough regulation." "You often have to work with to find the dimensions of the problem and make sure that your solutions are going to have the effect that you want rather than unforeseen consequences," he said. "(Clinton) is going to listen, but we are very very committed, with respect to Wall Street, that the kinds of abuses that led the American economy to go into a free fall at the end of the last administration we're not going to tolerate that again and we're going to make sure we keep protections and guardrails in place so that the American public is protected." Kaine, addressing potential Wall Street fears, added that "nobody should be worried about fair regulations that will enable the economy to grow, but in a sustainable way." In fact, Kaine hammered those on who argued that GOP nominee Donald Trump would be better for the economy than Clinton. "I can't imagine any savvy financial person who thinks that the Trump plan is going to be better when the independent analysts, who are pretty sharp at this, say it will be dramatically worse," he said, adding that the Republican nominee's economic plan would actually "raise taxes on millions of middle-class families." A new analysis from the Wharton School's Penn Wharton Budget Model found Trump's tax plan would initially boost job creation and gross domestic product , but both swung in the other direction by 2027. Meanwhile, it found that Hillary Clinton's tax plan would initially result in job loss and a lowering of the GDP, but those would be positive by 2027. "Trump wants to cut taxes, reduce regulation, unleash the energy sector, eliminate our trade deficit by increasing exports, reducing imports. Everything about that pushes towards growth," Trump senior policy advisor Peter Navarro told CNBC's " Closing Bell. " Donald Trump 's campaign shot back Tuesday against a recent report that said the Republican nominee's tax plan would help the economy in the short term but Hillary Clinton's would be better in the long term. Wharton professor Kent Smetters, faculty director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, told "Closing Bell" on Monday the report makes a "crucial link" that others have missed. "Our model takes the additional deficits that are created by any plan into account," Smetters said. "In particular if the economy is an open economy, similar to the United States today, and we have capital flows that we've seen historically, then as the government produces new debt, that debt competes with private capital for household savings as well as international capital flows." Navarro pointed out that Wharton and other think tanks are only looking at tax plans. "That skews against Republicans because of course [with] tax cuts, you get tax reductions," he said. "When you include the positive offsets from energy, regulation and trade, it's revenue neutral and you get twice as much growth as Clinton, millions more jobs." Smetters responded in a statement to CNBC on Tuesday saying that the budget model provides nonpartisan, research-based analysis that helps people understand various economic policies. "Penn Wharton's tax, immigration and Social Security simulators provide access to fact-based information that allows people to decide for themselves what initiatives are best for the country's future," he said. Both Wharton's report and Navarro's arguments are predicated on the theory that the proposals will be passed by Congress and become law. However, Navarro is confident that Trump will be able to work with lawmakers. "Trump is the art of the deal. If anybody can sit in a bipartisan basis and push things through, it's going to be Donald Trump," he said. "Many U.S. suppliers have recently been moving aircraft parts production and assembly to Mexico as a way of lowering their cost base," Canaccord Genuity aerospace analyst Ken Herbert said in a recent research note. "The potential impact on U.S.-Mexico relations under a [Donald] Trump presidency are a material concern." For more than a decade, Mexico has aggressively pitched itself as a pro-business and lower-cost alternative for U.S. industrial companies seeking to relocate or expand. Canaccord Genuity estimates Mexican facilities allow some U.S. companies to achieve a labor savings of as much as 80 percent. Talk of trade protectionism this presidential season is having a chilling effect on U.S. aerospace companies looking to locate production south of the border. U.S. companies or their contractors with an industrial presence in Mexico include Fortune 500 names General Electric , Honeywell , Eaton , Textron , L-3 Communications and Rockwell Collins . Even major suppliers to aerospace giants Boeing and Europe's Airbus have operations in Mexico. Privately held Icon Aircraft recently announced plans to open a composite air-frame components plant in Tijuana, Mexico, where it eventually expects to employ as many as 1,000 workers. The Vacaville, California-based manufacturer of the A5 light-sport aircraft plans to have the Mexico plant operational next month. Still, experts say the influx of aerospace companies into Mexico has started to moderate and some blame the U.S. election. "Right now they are a little bit on hold," said Isaias Rivera, marketing coordinator of American Industries Group in Guadalajara, Mexico. American Industries Group assists U.S. companies establish manufacturing or distribution operations in Mexico. Rivera said potential customers are generally "not taking positions right now" out of fear the next U.S. president could change the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. Indeed, Rivera said the firm postponed a Mexico business seminar it holds annually in the U.S. "because we were not having the response that we usually have. They are waiting for the elections to see what happens." The automotive industry another major industry with operations in Mexico appears to holding up better. "Aerospace has been decreasing compared to other years and auto has increased," said Rivera. Trump, in remarks last month during the first debate with Democrat Hillary Clinton, called NAFTA "defective" and "one of the worst things that ever happened to the manufacturing industry." Clinton, meanwhile, has shied away from fully embracing NAFTA and has been critical of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and China, including need for "a trade prosecutor." "While pushback on the Trans-Pacific Partnership could have some implications for aircraft sales into the Asia region, we do not view this as a significant risk," said Herbert. "Some speculate that the lack of the TPP could ultimately help Airbus gain share as the perception of Boeing is negatively impacted in the Asia region, but it is early to make this call." Still, the supply chain situation presents vulnerabilities to the aerospace industry due to the extensive nearshoring, or manufacturing in Mexico for the U.S. market. Some of the companies with operations in Mexico warn about the risks in their annual 10-K filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "A number of risks inherent in international operations could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations," TransDigm Group said, citing among other things currency fluctuations, trade policies and political uncertainties. The Cleveland-based company, which lists Boeing and Airbus as its two top customers, operates two industrial plants in Mexico. According to Canaccord's Herbert, the relocation of manufacturing "is often done with the encouragement and direct support of Boeing." As an example, he estimates some commercial program suppliers such as TransDigm, Triumph Group , Esterline Technologies and Ducommun have production in Mexico that accounts for as much as 10 percent of total manufacturing capacity. CNBC reached out to the suppliers for comment but they declined comment or didn't respond. "While sales are typically in U.S. dollars, and each of these suppliers uses some hedging to limit the FX risk, the risk of incremental costs, or a deterioration of U.S.-Mexico trade relations are a concern," Herbert said. Most of the American companies have facilities in aerospace and defense industry hubs where there's a growing labor force of engineers for everything from assembly work and manufacturing to repair, maintenance and design. "In order to fully develop its A&D industry, the Mexican government paid attention to the talent management and established many research centers and institutions to serve the industry and enhance its current situation in the A&D industry," PricewaterhouseCoopers' Mexico unit said in a report last year. In all, about 300 foreign companies have operations in Mexico and more than three-fourths of them are American, according to PwC. As of 2014, nearly 30 percent of the aerospace work was concentrated in the Mexican state of Baja California, where an aerospace forum is scheduled next week in Tijuana to promote the region's manufacturing prowess. The Mexican central state of Queretaro is where GE has an advanced engineering center that employs 1,800 Mexican engineers to design products, solutions and software for aviation, power and other sectors. Another aerospace cluster is in the Mexican border state of Chihuahua, where Textron does work on airplanes and helicopters. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, speaks to supporters as he stops to thank volunteers at a phone bank on the final day before the Florida primary election on Aug. 29, 2016 in Miami. Getty Images ORLANDO, Fla. Ricardo Garcia is the kind of voter Republicans need to turn out in November: he's a veteran, a small-business owner here and has reliably voted Republican in the past. But this year, Garcia said he's probably going to vote for Hillary Clinton for president. Over lunch at ZaZa New Cuban Diner in Orlando, Garcia said he's disappointed in his party for nominating Donald Trump. "They're backing a very abrasive personality," Garcia said. "It's not depicting what the Republican Party is." watch now Clinton has a narrow lead in Florida in some recent polls, but GOP Senate candidate Marco Rubio was ahead of his Democratic challenger by as much as seven points before Monday's debate with Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy. That makes it Rubio's challenge to capture Republican voters who are turned off by the top of the ticket. Which is why Rubio fresh off his presidential primary loss to Trump called the election a "horrifying choice" between Trump and Clinton during the debate at the University of Central Florida. "I'm not arguing here that this is a race between Abraham Lincoln and George Washington," Rubio said. "These are two deeply flawed candidates. Which is why it's so important as I've already said repeatedly that we have a candidate for the U.S. Senate that if elected will stand up to these people." Ricardo Garcia, Republican voter CNBC watch now Yahoo is continuing to prepare for its acquisition by Verizon and taking "deep responsibility" in protecting users, as a massive hacking looms over the deal. "In addition to our continued efforts to strengthen our business, we are busy preparing for integration with Verizon," CEO Marissa Mayer said in the company's earnings release. "We remain very confident, not only in the value of our business, but also in the value Yahoo products bring to our users' lives." Marissa Mayer Getty Images The comments came as the company on Tuesday reported quarterly earnings that topped analysts' expectations and revenue that met estimates. Yahoo shares rose about 1.5 percent after hours, while Verizon stock was up slightly. Verizon agreed in July to buy Yahoo for $4.8 billion, after Yahoo struggled to adopt "strategic alternatives" for many months amid scrutiny from activist investors. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to approval by Yahoo shareholders and regulators. But an extensive data breach at the company could have a material impact on the deal, Verizon's general counsel told Reuters last week. A source told CNBC that Verizon is anxious to get more information so it knows what asset it is buying. Verizon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Yahoo revealed in September that the information of 500 million user accounts was stolen in late 2014, likely by a state actor. But the company showed that the number of messages sent and received on Yahoo mail actually ticked up after the notification of the breach. Chart from Yahoo filings Chart from Yahoo filings "We take deep responsibility in protecting our users and the security of their information," Mayer said in Tuesday's earnings release. "We're working hard to retain their trust and are heartened by their continued loyalty as seen in our user engagement trends." The internet technology and media company posted third-quarter earnings per share of 20 cents, adjusted, on revenue of $1.31 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected Yahoo to report earnings of about 14 cents a share on $1.31 billion in revenue. The results were up slightly from 15 cents per share on $1.27 billion in revenue in the year-ago period. The company said in July it was expecting third-quarter revenue of $1.275 billion to $1.325 billion on a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis. AUBURN, N.Y. Cayuga Centers President and CEO Edward Myers Hayes announced the appointment of Ann Sheedy as chief of operations for Central New York. This completes the human-services agencys restructuring of its leadership team, begun earlier this year. Sheedy will oversee out-of-home care, community-based interventions, and services for people with developmental disabilities departments, as well as facilities operations including health and wellness, maintenance, and food service. As we have grown our programs we have added structure as well as resources to our organization. Dr. Sheedys role will help maintain the high quality of our interventions and services, which differentiates us from other organizations, Hayes said in a news release. For Sheedy, its a home-coming of sorts. She first worked for Cayuga Centers in 1991, when as supervisor then as director, she was instrumental in starting the agencys family preservation program. The home-based program was the beginning of numerous other community-based programs, which resulted in the agencys development of the community-based initiatives department, the agency said. Before leaving in 2002 to pursue work in other human-services agencies and a return to academia, she had advanced through several agency positions including deputy chief executive officer. With a masters degree in social work and a Ph.D. in children and family studies from Syracuse University, Sheedy held a faculty position at Cazenovia College before returning to Cayuga Centers. The Auburnbased nonprofit says it offers a variety of evidence-based programs, residential and foster-care treatment, and services for persons with developmental disabilities. Cayuga Centers employs more than 500 people and has a $47 million budget. Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com The UK government says it wants to stop people under 18 from looking at pornography, and so it's going to make all the porn sites operating in Britain collect some kind of age-verification in order to make this happen, on pain of being blocked by the UK's Great Firewall. This amounts to a giant database of the nation's porn-consumption habits, ripe for leaking and abuse. To make things worse, the obvious way to do this is by tying age-verification in with some payment method, which will produce a list of the nation's porn-consumption habits, which you can sort by income. The Open Rights Group published an extensive critique of this proposal, pointing out all the many, many ways it could go very, very wrong. In response, the UK government referred the group to Draft BSI Security Standard (Draft PAS 1296:2017), a standard apparently designed to prevent under-18s from buying knives. On Twitter, Alec Muffett live-tweeted a close reading of the standard, which calls for "unique identifiers" to be assigned to each user of the system (Muffett: "THIS IS YOUR GOV'T PORN-BROWSING ID NUMBER") and goes downhill from there, citing 10-year-old statistics to validate its assumptions, acknowledging that databases like the one proposed leak like crazy, and so on. The standard itself has been taken down by the BSI group, who note, "This draft is no longer available to be viewed. The comments that have been made on it have been collected, and will be considered by the committee responsible for the draft." Meanwhile, as ORG points out, teens and anyone else looking to download porn without reporting on it to Her Majesty's Government will just use proxies to visit sites from non-UK IP addresses. The Digital Economy Bill's impact on privacy of users should, in human rights law, be properly spelled out ("in accordance with the law") and be designed to minimise the impacts on people (necessary and proportionate). Thus failure to provide protections places the entire system under threat of potential legal challenges. User data in these systems will be especially sensitive, being linked to private sexual preferences and potentially impacting particularly badly on sexual minorities if it goes wrong, through data breaches or simple chilling effects. This data is regarded as particularly sensitive in law. Government, in fact has at its hands a system called Verify which could provide age-verification in a privacy friendly manner. The Government ought to be explaining why the high standards of its own Verify system are not being applied to Age Verification, or indeed, why the government is not prepared to use its own systems to minimise the impacts. As with web filtering, there is no evidence that Age Verification will prevent an even slightly determined teenager from accessing pornography, nor reduce demand for it among young people. The Government appears to be looking for an easy fix to a complex social problem. The Internet has given young people unprecedented access to adult content but it's education rather than tech solutions that are most likely to address problems arising from this. Serious questions about the efficacy and therefore proportionality of this measure remain. A database of the UK's porn habits. What could possibly go wrong? [Jim Killock/Open Rights Group] Herbert Hicks' research on Washington quarter dollar die varieties earned him recognition in 1987 from the American Numismatic Association, with the Wayte & Olga Raymond Memorial Literary Award, for his article that appeared in the February 1986 issue of the ANAs monthly journal, The Numismatist. Variety specialist Herbert P. Hicks, right, and his wife, Marion L. Hicks, left, passed away Oct. 3 and Oct. 1, respectively. Marlborough, Mass., collector Herbert P. Hicks noted within numismatic circles for his research and study of varieties of Washington quarter dollars and Eisenhower dollars died Oct. 3 at age 81. Mr. Hicks death came two days after the passing of his wife of 60 years, Marion L. Hicks, at age 82. A graduate of the University of Maine where he earned a bachelor of science degree in physics, Mr. Hicks worked for many years for GTE Systems in Needham, Mass., as a systems analyst. Connect with Coin World: Sign up for our free eNewsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Mr. Hicks was the American Numismatic Associations 1987 recipient of the Wayte & Olga Raymond Memorial Literary award for his extensive article, The Washington Quarter Dollar Reverse: A Die Variety Bonanza, published in the February 1986 issue of the ANAs monthly journal, The Numismatist. The article was republished in two parts in the Nov. 18 and Nov. 25, 1987, issues of Coin World. In biographical information accompanying the award-winning article on Washington quarter dollars, Mr. Hicks, a native of Maine, was identified as a past president and former treasurer of the Marlborough Historical Society. Mr. Hicks was also a past president of the Framingham Coin Club. Mr. Hicks contributed articles to a number of numismatic publications. His research on Eisenhower dollar varieties appeared in the April 1974 edition of The Numismatist. Mr. Hicks also wrote for Error-Variety News in the 1970s. Mr. Hicks was also a frequent contributor of numismatic information and Letters to the Editor to Coin World. Herbert P. and Marion L. Hicks are survived by their children, Dr. Richard J. Hicks (Michelle) of Longmeadow; Randall D. Hicks (Melissa) of Marlborough; Robert W. Hicks (Rita) of Marlborough; Michelle M. Murray (Brian) of Bolton; and Amy L. Foster (Toure) of Marlborough; and 13 grandchildren. The Hickses were also co-guardians of Diana L. Boivin, a former foster child with multiple disabilities who found a warm and caring home with Herbert and his wife. A joint funeral service was held Oct. 8 in Marlborough at the John P. Rowe Funeral Home Inc. Burial followed at Evergreen Cemetery. Contributions may be made in the Hickses memory to either Crayons to Cradle (155 N. Beacon St., Brighton, MA 02135) or the American Heart Association (7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231). October 18, 2016 Russia is set to launch the second in its new line of Soyuz crewed spacecraft to the International Space Station and, at the same time, mark the first flight of its next-generation space vehicle albeit in miniature. Soyuz MS-02 is scheduled to launch Wednesday (Oct. 19) at 4:05 a.m. EDT (0805 GMT or 2:05 p.m. local time) from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Flying on board the vehicle for their two-day trip to the space station will be Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Borisenko and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough. Hanging over their heads, suspended by a red, white and blue ribbon, will be a small model of Russia's new piloted transport spaceship, which Roscosmos, the nation's space agency, plans as a replacement for the Soyuz. "Our zero-g indicator will be a toy of the new generation spacecraft," said Ryzhikov, Soyuz MS-02's commander, in an interview with collectSPACE, "because the [Soyuz] MS includes equipment that will be used in the new craft." Artist renderings of Russia's Federatsiya spaceship. (RSC Energia) The ship, which is similar in purpose to NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle, was named by a public vote and then jury selection the "Federatsiya," or Federation. "Federation is a perfect name for a series of new Russian spacecraft," officials with RSC Energia, the contractor that is building the vehicle for Roscosmos, said in a statement. "Russia is a federation of 85 constituent entities and each of them will be able to give its name for one of the ships." Energia also builds the Soyuz, including the Soyuz MS-02 that will lift off with Ryzhikov, Borisenko and Kimbrough on Wednesday morning. The crew's toy version of the Federatsiya reproduces the shape of the spacecraft's descent and propulsion modules, including the ship's two solar array wings. Flying a zero-g indicator basically, a small toy hung on a string that starts floating when the Soyuz reaches orbit is a tradition that dates back to the first human spaceflight by Soviet-era cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in April 1961. More recent Russian spacecraft commanders have chosen their children's favorite dolls to be their indicator, including plush versions of Disney's Olaf snowman from the film "Frozen," R2-D2 from "Star Wars" and a red bird from "Angry Birds." Technicians prepare the Soyuz MS-02 zero-g indicator, a toy model of the Federatsiya transport spaceship, for launch. (Roscosmos) The zero-g indicators, or talismen, have also been used to commemorate key spaceflight anniversaries, including the 55 years since Gagarin's Vostok 1 mission by the crew of Soyuz TMA-19M in 2015, which used a medallion and toy rocket. The Soyuz MS-02 crew, and their toy Federatsiya zero-g indicator, will stay at the space station for a little more than four months before returning to Earth in late February. Like NASA's Orion, the real Federatsiya is being designed to go beyond low Earth orbit, to "deliver people and cargo to the moon," according to Energia. The new spacecraft is planned to be partially reusable, fly autonomously for 30 days and be able to stay docked to a space station for up to one year. Developed to launch atop Russia's future Angara heavy-lift rocket, the first spaceflight of the Federatsiya, the full-size version, is targeted for 2023. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form Farr named city's next fire chief Clayton Farr Jr., who has served in the Columbia Fire Department for 24 years, will be its next chief. It's still Cybersecurity Awareness Month, so in today's post I'm passing on a number of security recommendations for online activity, some that the FBI has been promoting for Internet safety. Never forget that any kind of business or work you do online -- including email, shopping, social media sites, and surfing warrants some level of scrutiny. So spend some time during Cybersecurity Awareness Month thinking about what you need to do to make yourself less vulnerable to attack as you use the Internet. Another diatribe about passwords Changing passwords and making sure that you don't use the same password for multiple sites is still very important -- in spite of recent warnings that frequent password changes might result in simpler, more guessable passwords. If one of your accounts is compromised, you probably don't want all of them to suffer the same fate. And the passwords you choose should be complex enough to not be easily guessed. Once you have dozens of passwords, you might elect to use a secure password repository to keep track of them. I've been hearing warnings for years about not writing passwords down, but how much of a problem this is depends on where and how you write them down. At one point in my career I kept track of a few lock combinations by disguising them as phone numbers in my address book along with carefully concocted names that reminded me which combination belonged to which lock. Only I could tell the difference between those entries and all the legitimate contact information that filled the book. Because the names made up and weren't related to people I really knew, they served as clues. These days a very secure password storage tool serves the same purpose -- and can be kept on a USB drive so it's not even online unless needed and is securely stashed otherwise. Multi-factor Logins You can also add levels of security for some of the services you use. I was surprised when I checked that multi-factor login credentials are easily configured for Gmail/Google. Go to this URL and select the kind of verification service you would like to use. For example, you can request that a code be sent to your phone -- a code you need to enter after your password when you log in. The choices include: Getting a prompt on your phone that you have to respond to by typing Yes (no codes to remember, but your phone has to be involved in the login). Using the authentication app to get a list of verification codes. No phone required. You'll get ten codes, each can be used only once. Setting up a backup phone in case your primary phone is lost or stolen. Using a security key on a USB that you plug into your system. Maybe someday all of your accounts will require some out-of-band confirmation that you're really you. And, while this will add a level of complexity to every login, the extra trouble can go a long way toward keeping your accounts, your reputation, and your money safe. Privacy Don't post anything you're not willing to have go public. I hear so many people complaining about their lack of privacy. At the same time, they share the intimate details of their lives on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Keep enough information private that you have a chance of knowing some things that no one who isn't very close to you will know. Scrutinizing links Don't trust links -- examine them, retype them, and don't click unless you're confident they're not leading you astray. Hover your mouse over links and make sure they point to the resource they pretend to point to. And beware of carefully crafted look-alikes. An extra letter, a 0 in place of an O, or a b in place of a d might not be obvious unless you look closely. Don't trust public WiFi Don't trust WiFi in public places with anything you wouldn't share with anyone -- especially don't log into sensitive accounts like your bank accounts. You might be sharing everything you type and could be completely oblivious to the possibility that someone is snooping. Multi-level backups Back up your system to multiple sites, offline media, sometimes even to hard copies. Imagine how you'd manage if you were totally cut off from the internet. At one point, I found out that I couldn't even call my service provider when my internet connection was down -- because I didn't have a phone book and had no idea what their phone number was. Talk about lack of planning! Wrap up Yes, security can be a bit of a pain in the butt, but it's going to pad that seat of yours when you least expect it.The FBI offers its internet security thoughts for Cybersecurity Awareness Month in its "Simple Steps for Internet Safety." Just make sure you first check the source address in this link. If it doesn't start with https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories, don't click on it! You'd be forgiven if you were a little suspicious of Google's resolve in the smartphone game. This is, after all, the company that's used a revolving door to partner with every major player/competitor except Apple for each generation of device. This is the company that bought Motorola, strip-mined it for patents and sold the husk to Lenovo. That being said, it's impossible not to pay attention when Google presents its new smartphones, the Pixel and Pixel XL, which are billed as "the first phone[s] made by Google." The Pixels are indeed the first phones to carry only Google's name, with no credit to a development partner. But if you've tried out a lot of smartphones (and done a bit of online research) you'll realize that the Pixels are very much the work of HTC -- which is a good thing. The smaller Pixel has a 5-in. display; it measures 5.7 x 2.75 in., about 0.1 in. longer than the Samsung Galaxy S7, and 0.3 in. longer and 0.1 in. wider than an iPhone 7. The XL, which has a 5.5-in. display, measures 6.1 x 3 in., about 0.1 in. bigger in both dimensions than an S7 Edge, and about 0.1 in. shorter and the same width as an iPhone 7 Plus. Both phones come in Quite Black, Very Silver and (in a limited edition) Really Blue. (I just write these, I don't make 'em up.) The Pixel XL that Google made available for review is more than a little reminiscent of the HTC 10, a phone I reviewed in April and liked very much. The Pixels use the same solid aluminum case, with chamfers along the rounded edges that make it comfortable to hold. The back is flat, without any bulge for the fingerprint sensor or camera. The top third of the back, though, has a glossy plastic insert. The fit and finish are perfect, but it's unclear why Google didn't use metal for the whole back. One probable reason may be to enhance radio power, but it's a bit of an odd look. There's a knurled power button and volume rocker on the right edge, a SIM drawer on the left, a single speaker with two ports and a USB-C socket on the bottom, and a headphone jack on the top. Google branding is subtle to the point of invisibility: a small phone-color logo on the bottom of the back. The displays are AMOLED and covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The Pixel's screen is full HD (1920 x 1080 at 441ppi) and the XL's is quad HD (2560 x 1440 at 534ppi). The display is okay; I've seen better, and there's no evident way to adjust the color accuracy. There's very little bezel along the left and right edges. The Back, Home and Recent buttons are done in software on the screen, not as hard buttons on the phone's chin. The chin, interestingly, is featureless: no mic, no buttons, no obvious sensors (although it's a sure bet that there are proximity sensors underneath). The internals are about what you'd expect from a high-end phone: a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor, 4GM of RAM, either 32GB or 128GB of local storage (although no provision for an SD card). The Pixel's battery is 2770mAh, and the XL's is 3450mAh. I ran the AnTuTu Benchmark suite on the XL review unit, which yielded a score of 140747, compared to 134599 for the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and 133781 for the iPhone 6S. (Scores for the iPhone 7 phones weren't available for comparison.) The higher benchmark is not surprising: Qualcomm says the Pixel's Snapdragon 821 runs about 10% faster than the S7 Edge's 820. Sure enough, the Pixel benchmarks are about 6% higher. There's more to a benchmark than raw processor power, of course. And, in fact, the 821 chip also promises better battery life. The Pixel XL lasted about 4.5 hours in the AnTuTu battery drain test; in comparison, the S7 Edge got about 4 hours out of a 5% bigger battery. Using Qualcomm's increasingly common Quick Charge 3.0, the Pixel XL charged from zero to 100% in about two hours. The drawback: Quick Charge 3.0 requires a fairly chunky wall plug. The other drawback: Charging through a standard USB 3.0 port is very slow, on the order of seven hours to go from 50% to 100%. Subjectively, the Pixel XL ran quickly with no evident delay and no freezes or crashes during testing. Because of recent events with Samsung's Note7, I've started to play closer attention to battery temperature. The Pixel XL's battery never reached higher than 110 degrees F, even during stressful rapid charge or high demands of benchmarks. In normal use, the battery never even felt warm. Pixel phones do not support wireless charging. There is an NFC chip that supports Android Pay. Unlike some current top-of-the-line phones, you won't want to bring the Pixel swimming. Google advises that the phones have a penetration rating of IP53. That means it won't get hurt by dust, and will survive getting sprayed and splashed a little. Don't use it as a waterski for your pet squirrel, though. Network flexibility Where you can buy the Pixel gives an important clue into how the phone fits into Google's plans. You can get it from Verizon (or one of its resellers, including Best Buy) or from Google itself, either directly or as part of its Project Fi smartphone service. Verizon's core phone network uses the CDMA standard, which no one else uses. Its data network, however, runs on 4G LTE, which uses the global GSM standard. The review unit came with a Verizon 4G LTE SIM card. A close look at the phone's settings reveals that Pixels are designed to use the LTE network for calls and data whenever possible. Moreover, the phone -- even the Verizon version -- does not appear to be locked. I put a Project Fi SIM into the Pixel (which, because it was sent with a Verizon SIM, would reasonably be expected to be locked into Verizon), and it worked fine using Fi's mix of GSM and Wi-Fi. Verizon, of course, offers a zillion Android smartphones to choose from. Google, however, has just two others: The Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X, both of which are a little long in the tooth. For Verizon, the Pixel is just another phone. For Google, the Pixel is the flagship it's going to have to live with for a while. Nougat-y goodness The Pixel is the first U.S.-available phone that runs Android Nougat (7.1). LG's V20 was the world's first Nougat phone, but despite widespread teases and previews to journalists, it is not yet sold in the United States. However, Nougat has begun to be sent to existing phones. Most of the changes in Nougat are under the hood, but there are a couple of interface changes that I found especially interesting: Split-screen and Settings. Phones running Nougat can now show two apps running side-by-side (as long as those two apps are enabled for the feature). With, for instance, Chrome open, hold down the Recent button and you'll be shown a list of your recently opened apps. Touch one of them, and your screen will split and you'll see -- and be able to work with -- both apps. It's really handy, and works in both portrait and landscape modes. [ Further reading: Get ready for the bot revolution ] The changes to Settings seem designed to simplify what had threatened to become an endless set of possibilities and options. A first swipe from the top of the screen displays five customizable frequently used controls: By default, Wi-Fi, cell signal/data usage, battery use, Do Not Disturb and flashlight. Where a second swipe used to open the full Settings menu, it now shows a few more customizable settings. To see the full Settings menu, touch the Gear icon. And when you do get to the Settings menu, you'll find it much simplified, with many fewer top-level categories. To find a feature that's been moved, there's an effective Search window. And rather than forcing you to work your way up and down a menu tree to get things done, there's now a menu icon on all sub-menu screens that lets you move to another setting quickly. It's a big improvement. Phone as cloud device It will not come as a surprise that the cloud is a key part of the Pixel experience. Why no SD card slot? Because The Cloud. Your photos and videos are automatically uploaded to your Google Photos account, as is other data when your phone gets too full. And Google has a point -- no SD card is necessary when you have infinite storage at the other end of your data pipe. But because this is a Google phone, you're going to have pushed at you what Google wants to push at you. Hangouts is here, but so is the new Allo chat app, Google Assistant voice control and Duo video calling. (And because it's from Verizon, the phone came with My Verizon, Message+ and go90 apps, which at least is a lighter payload than usual.) Pixel's pixels Google brags that the Pixel's 12MP back camera (the front camera offers 8MP) earned the best-ever score of 89 from the DXOmark photo benchmarking team. It's true as far as that goes, but it's also true that the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and the HTC 10 got an 88 -- and that the Samsung's screen is better. What struck me is that the Pixel's camera's functions were very limited in comparison to what some other high-end phones are offering. It has the expected photo and video functions, and also slow motion, panorama, photo sphere and lens blur function -- this last for close-ups where you want to blur out everything but the subject. But there's no hyperlapse or manual mode. There's a way to control white balance, but nothing that lets you play with things like exposure compensation or metering modes, and there's no way to capture RAW format images. In selfie mode, there's no voice or gesture control, or image recognition. For a phone called the Pixel, one might have imagined more devotion to photography. There's more to a good camera than a great benchmark. Bottom line The Pixel phones are an important jump up in class for Google, especially for users of Project Fi. But if you're not a Fi user, it's hard to recommend the Pixel. Samsung's reputation has been badly dinged by the Note7 recall, but that doesn't change the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are great phones -- water resistant with fine cameras, excellent displays and wireless charging. Similarly, the HTC 10 is near the top of its class. The Pixel sells for $649 with 32GB of storage and $749 with 128GB; the Pixel XL sells for $769 for 32GB and $869 for 128GB of storage. In comparison, Verizon sells the 32GB version of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge for $792, and the HTC 10 with 32GB for $648. The prices are more or less equivalent, and in my opinion, the Pixels don't quite measure up -- unless you feel that Nougat and the improved Google Assistant are deal-breakers. So from here, it doesn't look like the Pixels quite make it to the top of the heap. At a Glance Google Pixel and Pixel XL Price: Pixel: $649 (starting vendor price); Pixel XL: $769 (starting vendor price) Pros: Uses new Android Nougat, Google's latest OS; usable both on Verizon and Googles Project Fi; solid construction Cons: Price is as high as the competition's; camera functionality could be better Related video A digital mapping company has partnered with a crowdsourcing traffic app maker to help city governments and drivers communicate more efficiently about traffic conditions, including construction delays and accidents. Esri, a provider of digital mapping software to governments, on Monday announced a partnership with Waze, a commercial provider of a free, crowdsourced traffic and navigation app used by 65 million people globally. By using widely deployed Esri ArcGIS (Geographic Information System) software to connect to a new Waze Connected Citizens Program, cities can share data about the conditions of their roads with drivers, while drivers can anonymously report accidents, potholes and other road condition information. Waze The Waze app. The connection of publicly available, open data with driver crowdsourcing data has benefits such as making it possible to get faster police responses to accidents and other hazards. Cities can also gain insights about traffic patterns to help with economic development and planning for capital investments for their streets, traffic signals and related transportation. Both Esri and Google-owned Waze hailed their partnership as the first of its kind, but similar partnerships are expected because they offer advantages to cities as well as commuters. With this approach, "a city can avoid investing in Internet of Things technology to capture the same kind of data that citizens already collect in an app," noted Carl Piva, vice president of strategy programs at TM Forum, an association that helps cities and other groups share ideas about digital innovations. The kind of partnership Esri and Waze have announced also means that "cities can meet the citizen where he or she wants, by inserting city data in their favorite commuting app," Piva added. "We are going to see many more application areas like this develop over the years to come." Andrew Stauffer, product manager for civic technology at Esri, said the partnership with Waze will save cities money. "The impact can be big for a relatively low investment," he said in an interview. Esri has worked with cities, states and nations globally for 40 years and has about 40,000 clients that use Esri database and mapping software, including ArcGIS to manage a wide collection of city assets, ranging from sewers and electricity infrastructure to locations for planting trees, he said. The city of Johns Creek, Georgia, has already been seeing a benefit from an early deployment of the Waze-Esri partnership, said Nick O'Day, senior GIS manager for the city of 80,000 near Atlanta. Businesses and enterpreneurs can quickly and easily use the data to predict traffic patterns for free, which is seen as a boon to economic development efforts, Stauffer said. Gartner analyst Bettina Tratz-Ryan called the collaboration between Esri and Waze "very beneficial for cities as it helps them to provide more user-focused services based on the social DNA of an urban community in terms of location and space." Injecting crowdsourced information with geospatial data makes the data "extremely rich" for business users and application developers while also avoiding broad data privacy concerns, she added. This approach opens up the opportunity to stream content to users about a variety of topics: Options for restaurants, availability of handicap ramps, cleanliness of park benches, locations of playgrounds and greenspaces and even event information, Tratz-Ryan added. News / National by Staff reporter OPPOSITION parties and pro-democracy groups have petitioned the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and Security Council to force the withdrawal of Zimbabwean security personnel on various peacekeeping missions across the globe.The petition, signed by MDC-T, Zimbabwe People First, People's Democratic Party, National Vendors' Union (Navuz), #ThisFlag , Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, student groups and residents' associations, among others, said President Robert Mugabe's government stood accused of violating a litany of international instruments."We, the petitioners, thus, call for the UN General Assembly and Security Council to immediately issue a resolution condemning the actions and activities of Zimbabwe. Consider such appropriate penalties, as defined in international law against the Republic of Zimbabwe," the petition, handed over to the UN representative in Harare yesterday, reads."Order the immediate withdrawal of all forces and individuals deployed by Zimbabwe on various peacekeeping missions and call on Zimbabwe to immediately stop and abate the omissions and commissions against international law and its own institutions and restore immediately the rule of law and constitutionalism."Led by Navuz frontman, Standrick Zvorwadza, the petitioners said the deployment of peacekeepers assumed that those contributing forces were compliant with international statutes."Whereas the deployment of troops to the UN presupposes that the contributing member State is in itself in a fit and proper condition for such deployment. Further, whereas such deployment presupposes that the member State is in full compliance with the UN Charter and with other international instruments that pertain to the rule of law, constitutionalism and human rights."Whereas it is patently clear that Zimbabwe is in breach of the UN Charter, in particular the rights protected under Article 13, 9, 8, 18, 19 and 20, being the rights, among other things, to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, freedom to hold opinion and freedom of movement. Whereas Zimbabwe has breached Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which makes it clear that no one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment," the petition read."In addition to the above and contrary to international instruments, the Zimbabwe Republic Police has proscribed the rights of individuals to protest through, for instance, the issuance of bans and other proscriptions through use of the Public Order and Security Act, which is a direct violation of citizenry rights." Cllr Chris Wood is a Hampshire County councillor and Fareham Borough councillor, and was until recently leader of the UKIP groups on both councils. I have been a UKIP Member for the last four and a half years. I have met some fantastic people, had many laughs along the way and I believe we have accomplished a huge amount by helping to win the most important democratic vote that our country has ever participated in. I joined UKIP because I wanted the United Kingdom to leave the European Union and I am incredibly proud of the role that we have all played in securing this momentous achievement. Many of the residents I represent will recognise that I am and always have been a conservative. At a local level the Conservative Party are investing hugely in our local infrastructure, in particular great strides have been taken to fund our absolutely essential Stubbington Bypass, which was at the centre of my campaigns to become a county and borough councillor. Nationally under Theresa May the party will deliver Brexit, something which I have always called for. It is because of these commitments that I have chosen to step down as Leader of the UKIP Groups on both Hampshire County and Fareham Borough Council and re-join the Conservative Party. I have not taken this decision lightly, there are many good and decent people in UKIP who I regard as friends, however I dont believe in opposition for oppositions sake. Many will recognise that UKIP has become toxified over the last 18 months through comments about HIV and AIDS among other issues such as Nigels un-resignation. In recent weeks an out of touch and unreformable NEC, Diane Jamess 18 day stint as leader, and alleged violence in the European Parliament have been the final straw. It is an exciting time for our nation. The Conservative Party will deliver Brexit and I wholeheartedly support Mays leadership. I look forward to working with fellow Conservative colleagues in Hampshire and Fareham, delivering our bypass in conjunction with Cllr Sean Woodward, Cllr Rob Humby and our MP Caroline Dinenage as well as continuing to work hard for the residents of Stubbington and Hill Head. Locally, I have found both Hampshire County and Fareham Borough Council ably capable of coping with the reduction in government grant. They have invested wisely and have been inventive in their methods to continue to deliver a high level of service. The government budget reductions to councils are incredibly challenging and I dont actually think this is entirely appreciated by central government. However, I have two options as a councillor: to shout from the sidelines, or to be actively involved in the decision-making process. I believe I can be most effective as an actively involved Conservative councillor working for the benefit of the residents I represent. I am incredibly enthused by the Prime Minister. She looks like Thatcher and sounds like Churchill. Brexit provides us with a massive opportunity as a nation to be outward looking, independent and to diversify our economy still further to ensure that we can maximise our growth through new and exciting technologies as they develop globally. May is committed to controlling immigration which has been a key concern of the British people for many years, she wasnt able to as Home Secretary, but now as Prime Minister overseeing Brexit with a strong Cabinet supporting her I trust this issue will finally be resolved. The Conservative Party is the best party placed to deliver a successful Brexit for the United Kingdom and I am proud to be a member once more. Christopher Howarth is a senior researcher working in the House of Commons. Prior to this he worked for Open Europe, as a Conservative Foreign Affairs Adviser and senior researcher to a Shadow Europe Minister. Before the referendum David Cameron was admirably clear: What the British public will be voting for is to leave the EU and leave the Single Market. If anyone was in any doubt, his Government sent an information booklet to every household with a highly partisan economic scenario based on just that leaving the Single Market. The document ruled out remaining in the Single Market because: No other country has managed to secure significant access to the single market, without having to: follow EU rules over which they have no real say, pay into the EU, accept EU citizens living and working in their country Nick Clegg went further, if the UK left the EU we should not remain in a system where we had to accept EU laws without any formal say over their creation fax democracy, Clegg wrote. Is that really the future we want for the UK? Of course not. In case there was any lingering doubt, the CBI and the official Remain campaign, Stronger IN,set out their cases based on leaving the Single Market, and Michael Gove for the official Leave campaign also stated in terms that a vote to leave was a vote to leave the Single Market. Given that leaving the Single Market was one of the few certainties of the campaign, it is curious that the CBI, Treasury officials and Clegg himself are now discussing what they ruled out only a few months ago. They were right then, wrong now. What is the Single Market/Internal Market? So what is the Single Market they are keen to stay in? Firstly, the Single Market is not a unified Single Market (particularly in services), and is correctly called the Internal Market as it is internal to the EU. It is not a free trade zone such as NAFTA: it is based on the harmonisation of laws, which is why the new Secretary of State for Brexit recently referred to it as a Single Legal Area an apt description. Over the decades, there have been widely differing views as to its extent. We have focused on free circulation of goods and services, but others saw it as a political project. To the French, harmonisation of social policy was vital to provide a level playing field and so was always to be an integral part of the internal market. To other EU states, regional policy was key to the internal market, to compensate them for exposing their economies to competition. Free movement of people was there at the beginning but, in truth, was never really an economic concept, more a citizenship right of a nascent state called Europe. Others believed that environment policy and ultimately economic policy centred on a single currency are all vital to the functioning of an internal market. The difference between the Customs Union and the Internal Market The second level of confusion surrounds the EUs Customs Union, which the Treasury is reportedly discussing remaining in, instead or probably in addition to the Internal Market. These are two different concepts. The Internal Market at its core includes all the 28 EU states surrounded by a common tariff (tax) or customs wall. In addition to these Switzerland, Iceland and Lichtenstein are members of the EEA but not within the Customs Union. Switzerland has its own bilateral arrangement with the EU essentially the same as the EEA, accepting all of the EUs laws in return for access. The EEA states have to follow EU laws in most areas and in return can trade in goods and services on the same terms. As these states conform to EU laws, it is therefore possible to say that a state can be a member of the internal market without being in the member of the Customs Union. The reverse however is not really possible. The key characteristic of a Customs Union is that tariffs on physical goods are paid at a common border, once a good is imported it is free to circulate. This necessitates harmonisation of all external trade deals, otherwise if one EU state decided to conclude a bilateral deal allowing in goods at a lower tariff it would become the entry point for all EU states. All EU states therefore must have the same external trade agreements. The EEA states however are outside of the Customs Union, and therefore retain the ability to conduct their own trade policy. This necessitates some administration to ensure the correct tax is paid. A good that goes into say Switzerland under a Swiss/China trade agreement cannot automatically travel on to the EU and if a Chinese component is placed in say a Swiss watch special rules (rules of origin) will determine whether tax is payable. Staying in the Customs Union would mean following all the EUs product standards and the Court in one way or other A UK exit from the Customs Union could also mean tariffs being charged on UK exports to the EU and on the UKs EU imports (the UK would incidentally collect around 4 billion more from the EU than UK companies would pay). However, even if a zero tariff deal is concluded there would be some extra administration. This would present a challenge for Treasury Officials and manufacturers with supply chains i.e: the car industry. That may be, but staying in the Customs Union is not an option, as a study of the only example of it happening Turkey will show. Turkey has a limited Customs Union agreement with the EU for industrial goods. As a result, their goods can circulate within the EU without customs. In return for free passage, the EU has demanded (perhaps not unreasonably) that Turkey upholds its product standards. To do this, the EU forced Turkey to accept the jurisdiction of the ECJ over its domestic economy, not just its EU exports (for more information read Lawyers for Britain here). This in turn binds the Turkish economy to the EU, which worked politically as long as Turkey was set to join. To make matters worse, as Turkey is within the Customs Union it cannot sign their own trade agreements with foreign states, except in areas not covered by its agreement, in their case services and agricultural products. To rub salt into the wound, if the EU signs a deal to reduce tariffs with a third party, those goods can flow straight into Turkey even though Turkey is not automatically a beneficiary of the same trade deal and will not share in the customs duties. These imbalances have led many in Turkey to conclude the agreement is no longer in their interests. The need for certainty. If not the Internal Market or Customs Union, then what? If the UK wishes to have its own trade policy and be free from EU laws it cannot remain within the EUs Customs Union. Likewise, if the UK wishes to regain control over its economy it cannot stay in the Internal Market, encompassing as it does the majority of EU policy areas, laws and case law. It is difficult to imagine the EU redefining its core project in an agreement with a departing member, and even if it did it is unclear the benefits of membership of a partially formed market would be worth the regulatory and democratic burden of EU laws and ECJ jurisdiction. If remaining in these policies are unlikely, it is a vanishingly remote possibility, as some have suggested, that the EU would agree to allow the UK to remain in the Internal Market for certain sectors (i.e financial services) without accepting the rest of the Internal Markets laws. It is equally difficult to conceive staying in a Customs Union for just some products (i.e: cars). Ultimately it seems clear that the UK will not remain in David Daviss Single Legal Area, and given we have just over two years to negotiate something else, politicians and officials should waste no more time on it and move on. We should use our time to explore ways to access the EU market via mutual recognition of standards rather than through the harmonisation of laws, and seek EU agreement to a zero tariffs agreement on goods. We may also wish to seek a wider partnership agreement to take in security, crime and policing, defence and foreign policy cooperation. What we cannot afford to do is let those who refuse to accept the outcome of the referendum pour treacle all over the exit negotiations via time-consuming, uncertain and complex negotiations to stay in something that is not in our interests and commands no democratic legitimacy. Theresa Mays recent remarks to the Conservative conference about the good that government can do upended 25 years of Thatcherite consensus within the Party about harm that government actually does. Indeed, there is a case for claiming that the latter view has been a Tory fundamental since at least the war. In principle, the Prime Minister was right to make what you could call a market correction. The Conservatives are not simply a party of economic liberals. But in practice, the timing was risky. We have already pointed out that a large slice of the activist base didnt like it, and that this has consquences namely, to make May even more reliant on delivering a hard form of Brexit to keep it happy. Furthermore, this section of her conference speech has caused a wider problem. To understand it, one has to look ahead to post-Brexit Britain. It could turn out to be what this site calls a Closed Britain protectionist, averse to big infrastructure decisions, suspicious of foreign investment, and featuring unreformed public services and rigid social protection. Or it could become what we call Open Britain free-trading, enterprise-friendly, eager to attract investment from abroad, reforming at home, and resolute in agreeing major infrastructure projects. The country must either choose the second or, ultimately, see it imposed by necessity: the way the world works doesnt give us a choice. But the effect of the Prime Ministers speech, combined with her belief in a real industrial strategy, has made some business people nervous. It would be an error to confuse bigger businesses with all of them. However, it is plainly not just the usual suspects who feel that they were assailed as a bunch of tax-dodging, pension fund-raiding, bonus-grabbing shysters. That this is not Mays view at all is beside the point. Business people are not usually political sophisticates. They werent tuned into the Prime Ministers wavelength as she made her pitch to Erdington Man. What many of them heard instead was a prospectus for a Closed Britain. This would have been unfortunate at any time. But with Britain poised to embark on its post-Brexit journey, for which business confidence is important, the timing was star-crossed indeed. The Article 50 process involves uncertainties that are unavoidable. Creating avoidable ones should be, well, avoided. What is required to help reassure business is a Chancellor of the Exchequer who ideally is a businessman himself and one, furthermore, of a reassuringly uncomplicated Conservative kind. He should have a history of support for a smaller state, free markets, lower taxes, less regulation, and the rest of the market verities. Like his predecessor, George Osborne, he should be a political heavyweight. But unlike him, he should stick to his day job in Number 11, concentrate on economic policy, and not co-run the Governments campaigning strategy from Number 10. Indeed, it would be no disadvantage for him to be thought of as rather boring since, with so much post-referendum excitement around, a dash of boredom is required to help steady the ship. Philip Hammond might almost have been laboratory-designed to meet these requirements. In private, for all this site knows, he may come on all Harry Hill. In public, he has the animation of driftwood. It is hard to believe that he was ever anything as dramatic as a Goth. The jokes in the text of his own conference speech were strangely punctuated with exclamation marks. Like this! His team presumably believed that drastic measures were needed in order to ensure that his audience got them. This site mulled referring to him from then on as Philip Hammond! but thought the better of it in the end. All this sounds like criticism of the Chancellor, but it really isnt meant to be so. It is a plus to have a man in charge at the Treasury who is reassuringly dull. It gets better. Hammond is a proper businessman indeed, a millionaire, for those moved by these things. He is a free market Conservative. You know he will be for Open Britain without even having to ask. His critics claim that he is a Remainer, that he is making heavy weather of Brexit and that he cant work with the Prime Minister. It is true that the negative briefing from the Treasury about Brexit is a bad portent. But so is the negative briefing about Hammond from some pro-Brexit Ministers. And in making the internal case for the maximum degree of Single Market access and the minimum reduction in EU immigration the Chancellor is doing his job. Brexit will bring long-term growth if the right decisions come with it. But the Treasury is tasked with guarding the short-term too. It is even a plus that Hammond was a Remainer (like the Prime Minister herself). Many business people were for Remain and most exporters want as much continuity as possible. That a Chancellor is in place who understands how they tick is a positive. The deal within the Government should be as follows. Hammond is going to have to accept a cut in EU migration and, therefore, that we cannot continue as a member of the single market or ship out. Nor can he take the departmental lead on Brexit. He must take that on the chin. But he has to help steer an economy reliant on financial services and cheap imported labour. He must persuade investors that Britain will stay open for business. And he will shortly deliver an Autumn Statement drawn up in the aftermath of a political and policy earthquake. So the Chancellors critics should cut him a bit of slack. But both he and the Prime Minister need to march closer in step and not get ahead (or behind each other) on, say, Mark Carneys record at the Bank of England. And there is a fine line between disagreement and division. Restored Cabinet Government, with Ministers debating policy in committees, is a good thing. Leaks and counter-leaks are not grist to our journalistic mill as they may be. Resignation chatter is part and parcel of these febrile times. And, in the last resort, the Chancellor is not irreplacable: no Minister ever is. But he is a symbol of Open Britain, and will work for it too. Hammond is unlikely ever to burst into a chorus of Show me love. Such a demand would be a bit on high side. But he deserves a bit of understanding. News / Press Release by Clemence Nhliziyo We receive news of the death of leader and revolutionary Cephas Msipa with sadness.He represented the vanguard of the revolution and those who remained true to the liberation struggle.Indeed he fought gallantly for our freedom and chose to stick to the founding principles of the liberation war.Leader Msipa was truly a son of the soil who spoke truth to power.He was a well of historical facts and by deciding to retire from active politics he became one of the revolutionary icons and revered luminaries.Leader Cephas Msipa will be remembered for his reproach and reminder that Zimbabwe should be a true democracy .We have lost a citadel of common sence and chivalry .He cried for restoration of the ideals of the liberation struggle.Indeed he was frank and rebuked those who abused state institutions and are corrupt.We take solace in his memoirs and hope his recital and capture of our history will be published for all.He was a leader who envisioned a new Zimbabwe without greed, violence, vigilantism and nepotism.Zimbabwe has lost a true son of the soil.We mourn with his family and note that his hero status is befitting a person of his stature.Indeed he will be remembered until the end of time.Our condolences to all Msipa family and clan. Opinion / Columnist An attentive examination of the existing political and economic prevailing situation in Zimbabwe seems to suggest that corruption is crippling the smooth running of the country and this has led to the suffering of many people. The sprouting of many political parties indicates that people want power and influence in order for them to accumulate the much needed scarce resources. The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Professor Jonathan Moyo and his deputy Dr Godfrey Gandawa used their influence to distribute the scarce resources to the unintended beneficiaries.Understanding the concept of corruption presupposes that one should have a clear dichotomy of what it entails and what constitutes it in the simplest term. There is no simple accepted definition for the term corruption because what may seem corrupt in one society may not necessarily be perceived as such in another. Professor Moyo has drawn brickbats from students unions' from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) for siphoning $270 000 whilst getting a pat and a hero's welcome from the people in his constituency.The most commonly used and popular definition of corruption is seen as the use of public office for private advantage. In the ongoing investigations instituted by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) Professor Moyo used Zimdef funds to develop his constituency and party programmes in order to fortify his position. It is high time that we should raise concern about the fallout in government run institutions.It is high time that we should urge ZACC to advise Moyo to fully cooperate with it in order to bring this matter to finality as soon as possible as many people are interpreting it in different ways. The presumption of innocence until proven guilty remains a sacrosanct principle of our law, and ZANU PF has full confidence in our judiciary to act as final arbiters in these matters. It is therefore prudent for all of us to call for all people to desist from public comments that would undermine due process and create further confusion.Moyo sees himself as the proverbial sacred cow hence he is now spilling the beans in order to clean himself from the ongoing allegations. Yesteryear Professor Moyo was on record that people who misused public funds should be held accountable, now it is his turn he is now crying foul. It is right and proper to urge all parties, as well as external stakeholders to allow the law to take its course.We should take heed of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa's words that everyone, including Cabinet ministers and Vice Presidents, can be prosecuted if there are reasonable grounds to suspect the commission of the crime as they are not above the law. We should unite and fight against corruption as it is the root cause of all the problems bedeviling the country. We should also respect and give credit to ZACC as it is a State arm mandated with investigating and dealing with cases of corruption.In an interesting development that the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) is set to embark on a life-style audit of its staffers, amid revelations that the government was losing millions of dollars through corruption. This comes as the forensic audit confirmed the existence of endemic corruption in Zimra, with the board now more resolved to eradicate it.The Zimra board chairperson Willia Bonyongwe should be hailed for fighting against corruption within the organisation. She said corruption by the authority's workers was costing the government money and lifestyle audits would be carried out to flush out corrupt staffers. The authority embarked on extensive lifestyle audits on selected individuals in an effort to evaluate their compliance. While our economy is considered resilient it could no longer now withstand the current levels of corruption.Some of the methods being deployed in corruption include fake documents, tempering with scanners by some security personnel in order to facilitate false declarations, and connivance between Zimra officials and touts. The Zimra board and management team should be glorified for not tolerating corruption and institutionalizing the lifestyle audit.It would be prudent and proper to extend lifestyle audit to all government departments especially the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) and other parastatals. If we eradicate corruption or try to minimize it our economy would improve thereby improving the deteriorating living conditions of the populace.The Corruption Perceptions Index has ranked Zimbabwe number 150 out of 168 countries. Therefore this means that we should not sit on our laurels but fight hard against corruption so that the country prospers. Hotel Neighbors Forcibly Evict Couple For Loud Sex Trending News: This Couple Boned So Loud They Got Yanked From Their Hotel Room Why Is This Important? Because weve all been on the other side of the wall at one point in our lives, begging for one of them to finish so you can go back to sleep. Long Story Short A couple in China was loudly fornicating in their hotel room when neighboring guests took action to shut the duo down because the erotic noise was keeping them all awake, annoyed, and probably slightly turned on. Long Story And the Oscar goes to: Lei Mou and his lady friend for their portrayal of Woman Orgasming at the Top of her Lungs in a hotel in China late last week. While Adina Rivers notes The Screamer and The Faker as two types of common female orgasms, that doesnt change the fact that trying to sleep in the room next to one of these howlers is next to impossible. This time, the sex was so loud that about half the hotel guests were woken up and decided to take action. A businessman staying at the hotel known only as Zhang, knocked on their door to stop the noise, but was met with defense and abuse. So, in the words of Drake, the group congregating outside of Mous room went from zero to hundred real quick and knocked down the door and physically dragged the couple out into the hallway. Metro reported that the police eventually came to break up the brawl and the brave Zhang had to pay a 15,000 yuan fine to Lei for the abuse, and for being a boner killer. Seems the same problem is happening across the pond, as Manchester United star Paul Pogba is being accused of the same thing while hes been staying at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester. Only, the guests didnt get physically involved with Pogba. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question What was this guy doing to cause such a ruckus, and where can I learn it? Disrupt Your Feed Is the concept of citizens arrest a thing in China? Drop This Fact Sometimes your loud sex can lead to police arrest, which happened to a woman in Canada earlier this year. Leonardo DiCaprio Is Making A 'Captain Planet' Movie Trending News: Leonardo DiCaprio Is Making A 'Captain Planet' Movie Why Is This Important? Because this may be the last untouched 90s franchise reboot. Long Story Short Leonardo DiCaprio is making a Captain Planet movie. Repeat: Leonardo DiCaprio is making a Captain Planet movie. Long Story Not to bum you out, but you should probably see Leonardo DiCaprios climate change documentary Before the Flood when it comes out later this month. Curiously, though, it looks like Leo himself doesnt want to bum you out either, because environmental documentaries be damned, hes now making a Captain Planet movie! Lets be honest. The titular captain was a pretty terrible superhero, summoned by the lamest bunch of multicultural poindexters the 1990s ever produced. But things are different in 2016. Back then, Captain Planet was a novelty for the after-school cartoon set. Now, our rapidly heating globe could quite clearly use a blue-skinned bro in a leotard whos gonna take pollution down to zero. via GIPHY And DiCaprios delivering. Or his Appian Way Productions company is at least, the Hollywood Reporter writes, teaming up with Paramount to grab the rights to the cartoon series, with Jono Matt and Glen Powell tapped to write the script. Matt is a relative unknown, but Powell made his name for his acting work on FXs Scream Queens. This isnt the first time Captain Planet has tried to make a comeback. There was talk of a Cartoon Network movie back in 2011, and the rights most recently sat with Sony. Interestingly, Matt and Powell are said to have a subversive and darkly comic take on the character, with their treatment taking place some time after the original series with the dear old Captain now needing the kids more than they need him. Wed settle for a feature length version of this, but whatever: its great news either way. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question Whos gonna play the captain? Disrupt Your Feed What other cornball 90s cartoons could be given a modern makeover? Drop This Fact The 2015 Californian drought the states worst water shortage in 1,200 years was estimated to have been intensified by 15 to 20 percent by global warming. Add this to the cool stuff I did in Vermont list! I had so much fun driving around in my dream car, catching up with a friend and off roading in a very expensive car. What more could you want? SHOP MY LOOK HERE: JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. SHOP MY LOOK HERE: JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. One of the main reasons we wanted to visit Vermont ( besides the shooting school ) was to see our friend David at the Land Rover Experience and drive some cars on their track! If you remember I met David at Sandanona last time I was up for the day doing the True Barbour Experience . I had so much fun during our little 15-minute session that he told me whenever I came up to Vermont to give him a call.Of course I did! This was for sure one of the highlights of our trip. We spent about an hour together; 30 minutes driving around the course and the other 30 heading up to Equinox Mountain for some amazing views.The driving was so much fun. Just as crazy as last time where we were going straight down a hill or driving on two wheels (the other two are in the air and will touch down after the bumps) but it was still SO much fun. Their course (and land) is massive so there are so many things to do and test out while you're there.It's still amazing that these cars can offroad. You always picture Land Rovers as these really high-priced fancy cars and while they are, they also are total off-roading machines! The car is so smart that it can help you navigate at a 90-degree angle, can drive through a ton of water and can fit in the smallest places.I always have left David and this Land Rover experience a better driver having always learned something new. This time it was about turning radius, so you can fit into tight spots and turn without scratching the side of the car. He said that when you are looking forward (and going straight) and the obstacle you are turning around is out of your line of vision (still looking straight), that's when it is safe to turn. Your blind spot and the cars axis are similar. I thought it was amazing!!If you ever want to try out the Land Rover Experience for yourself, check out their website ! They have a ton of locations and options for the course (1 hour, 2 + hours, full day...). And if you're ever at the Vermont location, ask for David! He is the BEST!! It also thinks Jeff Goldblum is pure sex, which ... OK, point, Spielberg. Quite obviously, the moral of the film is that hubris (specifically, the kind that makes you clone dinosaurs and fill an amusement park with them before you even know how to take care of them) is bad. The antihero is John Hammond, a leisure-suited billionaire with childlike enthusiasm for the possibilities of genetic science. Of course, all of the main protagonists are reasonably sure that this whole "resurrecting dinosaurs" thing is a bad idea, which the movie and its three sequels all illustrate using the helpful visual aid of dinosaur-related fatalities. Continue Reading Below Advertisement But the most consistently correct character in the film is Jeff Goldblum, playing Jeff Goldblum, a mathematician who has nothing but disdain for the scientific method. In one monologue, he describes scientific discovery as "a violent, penetrative act that scars what it explores. What you call discovery, I call the rape of the natural world." That's right -- Jurassic Park is a science fiction film that refers to science as a form of rape. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Hammond goes on to joke about how the only person on his side around a table of scientists is the "blood-sucking lawyer" -- who represents the careless pursuit of wealth, and incidentally is the first person to be eaten by a dinosaur. Later in the film, Goldblum's character continues to proselytize on the folly of science's inclination toward playing God -- at one point musing, "God creates dinosaurs, God destroys dinosaurs, God creates man, man destroys God, man creates dinosaurs." Written for Arutz Sheva, translated from Hebrew by Rochel Sylvetsky, Arutz Sheva Op-ed and Judaism Editor. Dr. Mordechai Kedar is a senior lecturer in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University. He served in IDF Military Intelligence for 25 years, specializing in Arab political discourse, Arab mass media, Islamic groups and the Syrian domestic arena. Thoroughly familiar with Arab media in real time, he is frequently interviewed on the various news programs in Israel. Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work. . ..Israelnationalnews.com..16 October '16....Hope, not despair, is the reason for Islamic-Arab terror in Jerusalem. A glance at the Islamic-Arab map of terror against Jews makes the picture clear: The terror attacks in Jerusalem are on a larger scale and are more complex and intensive than in other Israeli cities which have a significant Israeli Arab Islamic population - Jaffa, Nazareth, Acre and Haifa. That is what gives rise to the question why the Arab terror in Jerusalem? What makes this city such an attractive goal for terrorists and terror?In previous articles, we discussed the historical and religious factors behind Israel's conflict with its neighbors; namely, that Israel's very existence and its capital's establishment in Jerusalem pose a religious challenge for Muslims, who view Islam as the true religion while Judaism, like Christianity, is considered a religion of lies. The return of the Jews to their homeland and historic capital city puts the lie to that concept and threatens Islam's status in the world.In addition to the religious component, there is the nationalist one: Israel's existence is a reflection of the Arab failure to prevent its establishment in 1948 and the additional failure of the Arab nations in every war whose main goal was the destruction of the entire State of Israel. The Arab nations were humiliated - and making peace with Israel is an admission of the continuing shame they feel at the very existence of a Jewish state.However, all this does not explain why the Arabs living in Jaffa, Haifa, Nazareth and Acre (Akko) for the most part do not take up terror, while many of the Arabs living in Jerusalem spend their days and nights planning terror attacks. Some say that the proximity of the Al Aqsa Mosque is the reason, but that is not true, because the Muslims in Jaffa and Nazareth consider Al Aqsa to be holy as much as the Jerusalem Arabs do, and still they avoid committing terrorist attacks while the Jerusalem Arabs are actively involved in terror .There has to be another difference between Jerusalem and the other Israeli cities with sizable Arab populations. One could claim that the difference is a result of the length of time Israel is in control of these cities: The four cities of Nazareth, Acre, Haifa and Jaffa have been under Israeli sovereignty for 68 years, while Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods have been part of the Jewish State for only 50 years. But the four cities were tranquil and free of terror way before Israel's 50th birthday, so why aren't 50 years enough to calm down the Arab-Muslims in Jerusalem?The answer is elementary. There is a fundamental difference between Jewish control in Jaffa, Haifa, Nazareth and Acre and Jewish control of Jerusalem. It has to do with the finality of Israeli sovereignty: from that day in June 1949 when armistice - by no means peace!! - agreements were signed in Rhodes between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the Arabs in those four cities realized that they had been transformed permanently, against their will, into citizens of Israel - and will remain that way unless Israel disappears (inshallah!). While Israel exists, there is no other possibility open to them, and that means the end of the struggle and a coming to terms on some level with Israeli sovereignty, whether or not they like it. The 1949 Arabrecognition of Israel brought them to the realization that the Arab world had betrayed them and so they set aside any hopes of being liberated by Arab armies. International recognition of Israel's sovereignty over their cities increased the feelings of helplessness in the face of the Jewish state and they accepted the rules of that state's societal, economic and political game, not out of love but because there was no other political game in town that they could join.And most important: they never saw any Israeli, from the radical left to the extreme right, call on Israel to give Jaffa, Haifa, Acre or Nazareth over to Arab control. Facing Israeli unanimity on the subject as well as Arab and international acceptance, they understood that their struggle had ended in failure and that their lives would be lived and their interests pursued within a Jewish state.In contrast, the Arabs in Jerusalem live in a totally different state of mind, one in which Israeli rule over eastern Jerusalem is not the end of the story. There are many reasons for this: they, too, hear all the Jews who call themselves Zionists and who want to divide Jerusalem in order to establish the capital of a Palestinian State in the eastern sector of the city, the area that has been holy to Judaism for over 3000 years. They cannot help seeing delusional NGO's such as "Ir Amim" (literally city of nations") whose agenda includes recognition of Arab "rights" to establish an Arab capital in Jerusalem although the city was never the capital of any Arab or Islamic state. They cannot but see the environmental neglect in the eastern part of the city as compared with the investment in the appearance of the western part. They see that Al Quds University is not under the aegis of Israel's Higher Education Council - and they see another thousand proofs that Israel is not really serious about annexing eastern Jerusalem, although 50 years have passed since the "occupation" began.Jerusalem's Arabs see, that as opposed to the 1949 Treaty of Rhodes in which Israel demanded Arab recognition of its sovereignty over Jaffa, Haifa, Nazareth and Acre, Israel did not demand recognition that united Jerusalem is Israel's capital at the signing of peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan. They see that Israel allows every lowlife who gets hold of a camera and microphone to stand in the middle of Jerusalem and call it "occupied Al Quds" without any interference - and to carry on a media jihad from within. I am referring particularly to the Jihad Media Channel al Jazeera, financed by Qatari oil revenues.Jerusalem's Arabs watch the BBC, broadcasting from London, calling Israel's government the "Tel Aviv government" - and changing reality so as not to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. They see that even presidents of the United States who support Israel in every possible way, are against moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem - and by the way, to west, not east Jerusalem - even though the Embassy has purchased land there and built apartments for its staff.They see that US State Department records do not record the American Consulate in Jerusalem as being in Israel and they read in the newspaper that the State Department will not permit children who are American citizens but were born in Jerusalem to write that they were born in Jerusalem, Israel - just Jerusalem alone - on their birth certificates, as if Jerusalem is located in outer space. Of late,they saw that President Obama was at Shimon Peres' funeral in Jerusalem, but not in Israel.They hear that there are Jews in Europe and the US, members of organizations such as J-Street, Jewish Voice for Peace, J-Call and Jews for Justice in Palestine who are trying to promote Israeli concessions in Jerusalem. They also know that some Hillel Houses located in American universities do not allow Jerusalem Day festivities because Jerusalem is a controversial issue and that the New Israel Fund works to promote this agenda within Israel.Jerusalem's Arabs hear that the Europeans, despite their horrendous transgressions against the Jewish people generation after generation, including WWII, also do not recognize United Jerusalem as Israel's capital and that even Israel's warmest friends keep their embassies in Tel Aviv, rather than in Jerusalem.All these factors, starting with Israeli and Jewish attitudes, on to the Arab world's and leading up to the rest of the world's attitude to Jerusalem, cannot help but give Jerusalem's Arabs the feeling that if they can only injure, murder, run over, burn and blow up enough Jews - in short, use terror as a way to show their desire to rid Jerusalem of Israeli rule - the day will come when Israelis get tired of the battle, give up, raise their hands and leave Al Quds to the Arab-Muslims. This is how it was from the time they conquered it from the Byzantines in 638 C.E., up until the British Mandate of 1917 and during the illegal and illegitimate Jordanian "occupation" from 1948 to 1967.As opposed to the mental state of Jaffa, Haifa, Nazareth and Acre's Arabs, who gave up and accepted the 1948 defeat as final, Jerusalem Arabs are not convinced that the 1967 defeat is final.They are encouraged by some Israelis, some of the Jews in America and the rest of the world, the Arab nations and the world of nations.This is what motivates them to terror, using rocks, firebombs, knives, explosives, car-rammings and bullets. Hope, not despair, is behind terror attacks in Jerusalem as are all those who feed that hope, even if they consider themselves "friends of Israel,' if they do not recognize that Jerusalem is the historic eternal capital of the Jewish State.On the day that Israel is unified on the subject of Jerusalem and decides to persuade the rest of the world to accept the liberation of Jerusalem in 1967 the way it accepted the liberation of Jaffa,Haifa, Nazareth and Acre eighteen years before that, Jerusalem's Arabs will give up and accept their fate, exactly as the rest of Israel's Arabs did. They will then begin to search for - and find!! - ways to live more or less in peace with Israel as do the rest of Israel's Arabs.Peace in the MIddle East is granted only to those who manage to convince their enemies that it is in their best interests to let things be and to busy themselves with their own affairs. This is the only peace to be had in this region and the sooner Israel realizes this, the less suffering it will endure and the easier it will be to live tranquilly in this crisis-prone area.The Jerusalem issue is not an unusual one. When Jerusalem's Arabs understand that their struggle to remove Jerusalem from Israel has failed totally, they will cease to engage in terror and follow in the footsteps of the rest of Israel's Arabs.Happy holiday to all. Imagine someone accusing you of a crime so ridiculous that the crime itself isn't a real thing, like "French-kissing a pink elephant while enjoying free healthcare and a living wage." And before you can even figure out how to mount a reasonable defense, you and a dozen other people in your community are dead, swinging from a hanging tree while the rest of the town pats themselves on the back for sending the pink-elephant-kissers back to Hell where they belong. Now imagine that a few hundred years have passed, and instead of mourning the terrible crime committed against you, everyone in town dresses up as a cartoon version of you and encourages tourists to buy trinkets that minimize and celebrate your death. Got all of that? Cool, you've basically pictured what's happened in Salem, Massachusetts. This town is famous for witches and witch trials, which is another way of saying "mob hysteria which resulted in the murder of over 20 people." Instead of solemnly remembering their dark past with humility, Salem has gone a different route -- specifically, the route populated with merchandise and Ferris wheels. Continue Reading Below Advertisement The home of America's most famous assault against allegedly supernatural women has decided "Fuck it, let's just run with our biggest crime against the human race" as a tourist attraction. Salem has an amusement park, where devouring cotton candy and enduring nauseating rides are presumably an elaborate metaphor for pledging your eternal allegiance to Satan. Former MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden will replace the injured Dani Pedrosa in the Repsol Honda team at Phillip Island. Pedrosa is recovering after sustaining a broken collarbone in a huge high-side during practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi. Honda World Superbike rider Hayden, who filled in for Jack Miller at Aragon in the Marc VDS team, says he is delighted to have the chance to return to 'my old dream team'. Hayden began his MotoGP career at Repsol Honda in 2003, going on to claim three wins, 25 podiums and the 2006 world title during six seasons at the squad. He is also something of a specialist at Phillip Island with three podiums, two poles and a fastest lap. "First of all my best wishes to Dani, I'm sure he will come back stronger than ever like he always does," Hayden said. "For me it's crazy hard work but it's a chance, ten-years after winning my World title, to get back to my old dream team! "Doing a weekend in Phillip Island on a factory Honda, it's pretty emotional for me to even think about it and I'm very grateful for this opportunity and the trust that Honda gives me. "I want also to thank my current team for allowing me to go and do this and the sponsors. "Everybody worked a lot on every detail to make it possible for me, so now I'm excited to get on a plane, get down to Phillip Island and hopefully I can do a good job for the team," he added. "Regarding Phillip Island there are two things to always consider, the weather and the tyres, but it's a track I love and I can't wait to ride the bike there. Let's get started on Friday morning and go forward." HRC test rider and former 250cc world champion Hiroshi Aoyama replaced Pedrosa for the remainder of the Motegi weekend, qualifying last and finishing 15th in the race. Hayden, fifth overall with one win so far in his rookie WorldSBK season, finished 15th on the satellite Marc VDS bike at Aragon. Meanwhile, Pedrosa has left the Universitari Dexeus Hospital, where he underwent successful surgery to his right collarbone last Saturday. He will have a follow-up appointment with his doctors on Wednesday. "I felt a strong pain for a few days after the operation, but things are starting to get a little bit better now,2 Pedrosa said. "I left the hospital and I have a check-up scheduled for Wednesday. Only after that will I have a better idea about the recovery time and about when I'll be able to get back on my bike. I wish also to congratulate Marc and Honda for the title achievement." Sussex News Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. We all have lifestyle needs and need money to fulfill them. However, we may not have cash on hand at all times. This is when Channel programs News Dell CMO: EMC's Enterprise Muscle Will Be Key To Success Of Dell Technologies Joseph F. Kovar Share this With several of Dell's top executives coming from EMC, EMC's impact on Dell cannot be minimized. And that is going to be key to Dell Technologies' future success, said Jeremy Burton, chief marketing officer of Dell and the former president of products and marketing at EMC. As the companies went into the merger, Dell's sweet spot was in the commercial or midmarket business, while EMC was focused on the enterprise. Both companies were eyes-wide-open in how to combine their best attributes, Burton said. "I think both of us, going into this, realized that there are strengths we both bring to the table," he said. "And if you let the EMC guys try and run the midmarket business, that might not be the best answer. And if the Dell guys run the big enterprise business, that might not be the best idea." [RELATED: CRN's Coverage Of Dell EMC World 2016] Dell's acquisition of EMC brings together the world's largest storage vendor, the world's second-largest server vendor, and the leading software-defined networking and storage developers, according to reports from research firm IDC and others. One area where EMC will change Dell is the storage technology Dell can use with its servers to build new converged infrastructure offerings, Burton said. "If you talk to Chad Sakac, who runs the Dell EMC converged platform team, formerly VCE, he's aggressively moving to Dell compute," he said "And you're going to see that happen very quickly." Dell EMC is also moving aggressively on the VxRail hyper-converged infrastructure offering and the VxRail and VxRack are actually the most obvious place to align Dell and EMC product strategy, at least initially, he said. "Hyper-converged is storage essentially becoming a server with [direct-attached storage] and some fancy clustering software," he said. "That's where the world is going. With Dell servers, VMware software to cluster these nodes, and a lot of the EMC know-how on things like hardware abstraction and backup and recovery, you've got the perfect offering." In the past, Dell and EMC and VMware built their own components, Burton said. "[Now] you've got those three components coming together into a real market-leading offering with VxRail," he said. "And I think the same thing's happening with VxRack." VxRail will be the preferred hyper-converged infrastructure offering for Dell and EMC and VMware, Burton said. However, Dell will also continue to support sales of the individual components, particularly VMware technology, to anyone wishing to use it, including to Dell's top competitors like Hewlett Packard Enterprise, he said. "Are we going to support an ecosystem?" he said. "Will Dell supply servers to other companies that want to run or build hyper-converged infrastructures? Sure. Will VMware supply VSAN so that HPE can offer VSAN Ready Nodes? Absolutely." Building an ecosystem while also building for preferred platforms is not an easy thing to do, Burton said. "To me, that's the model we've got to perfect," he said. "Whether you're Dell or whether you're EMC or whether you're Pivotal, we have to have independent ecosystems because there are going to be plenty of scenarios where people are not running our entire stack." Dell will also make sure that Dell, EMC, VMware, and big data and PaaS business Pivotal will get an orchestrated product strategy, Burton said. "There is a renewed enthusiasm to drive a more aligned product strategy at the top level as well," he said. While Pivotal's cloud and big data technology can run on any cloud infrastructure, Dell wants to make sure the combined VMware-Dell-EMC infrastructure is where it will run best, Burton said. "From a Dell Technologies standpoint, we want to build a preferred stack, and then we want to support an ecosystem just in recognition of the fact that not every customer's going to go with our stack top to bottom," he said. "There are folks who are going to run Pivotal in AWS, and that will run just fine. But we want to make sure we have a great offering for Pivotal running on-prem with VMware-Dell-EMC, or running off-prem with Virtustream." Scott Miller, director of data center at World Wide Technology, a St. Louis-based solution provider and longtime EMC channel partner, told CRN that Dell will most likely prioritize its newly acquired technology from EMC on its own offerings first. "Dell will focus on appliances built on VMware's VxRail software," said Miller. "Better margins for Dell. And it's a way for Dell to control the sales cycle." Dell also now has two market-leading software-defined storage technologiesEMC's ScaleIO and VMware's VSANit can combine with its server business, Miller said. "We can expect to see in the near term a rapid marketing of solutions featuring software-defined storage on Dell compute," he said. "There will be room for traditional arrays for a while. But in the future, it won't take long to disrupt the array market with compute and software-defined storage." Gary Alexander, CEO of Alexander Open Systems, an Overland Park, Kan.-based solution provider and longtime EMC partner, said he doubts VMware's relationship with other vendors and with the channel will change. "I have great trust in VMware's executive team," he said. "They don't have a lot of competition. [Former EMC CEO Joe] Tucci kept VMware vendor-agnostic. That strategy worked very well for EMC." On the channel side, Dell is still very much in the planning phase, Burton said. Both Dell and EMC saw a large portion of their revenue from the channel but had different approaches to their channel programs. As a result, John Byrne, Dell's global channels president, said he is taking his time with the combined company's new programs. "We're thoughtful about the moves that we will make," Byrne said. "I'm pretty sure that as we get more toward the back end of this year and into the next, we'll be announcing top to bottom what we're going to do with the channel." The channel is something Dell would like to settle quickly but without being too hasty, Burton said. "Sometimes when you're in a hurry, it's best to take more time," he said. "When you're in a hurry, accidents can happen. So I think John's doing the right thing, just trying to be diligent and really understand what's going on on both sides before he makes the call." Planning product changes is easier than planning channel changes, Burton said. "The impact to your [channel] decision you'll see a lot more quickly," he said. "The impact to a product decision takes a lot more time. You always have time to run it past customers. You'll see it evolve. You'll make tweaks, and so on. But we get one chance to roll out a new channel program for the first time. We just want to make sure we get it right." Burton said the new Dell has managed to combine its strengths with those of EMC. "We want to maintain the enterprise selling motion that made EMC a great company," he said. "[We want to maintain] the commercial selling motion, and on the PC side the consumer motion, that made Dell a great company. If we can bring those two together and not lose anything in translation, then that's probably a good foundation to move forward on. And that's why you see the blend." Networking News ScanSource-Intelisys Deal Shines Light On Solution Selling, Hardware Opportunities for Agent Partners Gina Narcisi Share this The convergence of the IT and telecommunications is influencing the traditional VAR community to include connectivity and services-based offerings in their portfolios. But the ScanSource-Intelisys acquisition now has some agent partners curious about selling hardware, too, according to the two companies. At the Intelisys Channel Connect partner event in Napa, California last week, ScanSource's Buck Baker, president of worldwide communications and services, said that the concept of building a hardware practice has been surprisingly well-received by the Intelisys agent partner community, who primarily have been selling only services-based solutions. "We weren't expecting this interest level on Intelisys side as we've seen here at [Channel Connect], and we think that's a great thing, but to be frank, we were a bit taken aback by it," Baker told CRN. [Related: ScanSource To Intelisys Partners: 'We Live To Serve You' ] The level of interest in hardware also came as a "pleasant surprise" to Intelisys, according to Jay Bradley, president of Petaluma, California-based Intelisys. For the first time during its annual partner event, the master agent held two crowded sessions for agents on how to get started building a hardware practice last week. ScanSource's breadth of products and global reach will go a long way in helping partners go from agent partners selling connectivity to complete solution providers that also offer hardware, according to Joe Monaco, CEO of The Monaco Group, an IT consulting firm and Intelisys partner in the audience at Channel Connect. Monaco said he planned on attending one of the hardware sessions during the event. Boca Raton, Florida-based Monaco Group is already selling some hardware -- specifically, the company is a Palo Alto Networks VAR -- but the partnership between an IT distributor and a master agent will help partners put complete solutions in front of customers, Monaco said. "This really allows you, during a customer meeting, to open a new door for more discussion and opportunity," he said. "It gives [partners] a faster path to being a trusted advisor." There's no denying that software and cloud are eating into hardware margins, so the value of the ScanSource-Intelisys deal is obvious for VAR partners, according to Mark Morgan, vice president of sales for ScanSource's communications business unit, who led the two breakout sessions on building a hardware practice last week. "Nearly 100 percent of the things that ScanSource sells requires connectivity, but we've been stepping right over connectivity," Morgan said. At the same time, however, agent partners are stepping over hardware that would complement their portfolios, such as unified communications (UC) headsets and desk phone endpoints. For agent partners interested in hardware, the easiest point of entry in hardware solution selling will be around cloud and hosted voice solutions, he said. "If you're allowing customers to go somewhere else, or to someone you don't see as being a competitor, like an IT distributor, you're allowing others to come in we can plug some of those holes," Morgan added. Building a hardware practice won't happen overnight for agent partners. These partners still need to meet certain requirements and receive authorization from IT vendors. Additionally, agents will need a reseller certificate, something that many agent partners don't already have. ScanSource said that while it has yet to work out all the details, it is ready and willing to help agent partners with this new endeavor. ScanSource is working "feverishly" to figure out how to make hardware selling a reality for interested partners, Baker said. The company is putting together teams that will focus on helping and educating agent partners on how to build successful hardware businesses. Agent partners will have access to ScanSource's business development managers located across the country who are advocates at the vendor level, as well as dedicated product managers that can help with marketing funds, training and education. Partners can also work with financial managers to establish credit terms, Morgan explained. ScanSource is interested in working with Intelisys partners to learn about agent selling models, and how this model could potentially translate to hardware selling. One way that could be appealing to agents is bundled solutions, or hardware-as-a-service selling that would still provider partners with the familiar recurring revenue model. "If we can find the right formula for building out a hardware-as-a-service unit for you, that would be the right route. I think something like hardware-as-a-service really fits what you're doing today," Morgan told partners. Of course, not every agent partner will be interested in adding hardware to their portfolios, acknowledged ScanSource's CEO Mike Baur. With that in mind, both Intelisys and ScanSource are working to bolster existing programs including the Partner Investment Program -- and potentially putting new programs in place aimed at helping both VARs and agent partners grow their business. Among these plans is a portal that could be used to broker deals between agents and VARs so that agent partners can still earn a percentage on hardware deals, without with stocking hardware or handling returns themselves, Morgan said. At the same time, many Intelisys partners have existing relationships with ScanSource VAR partners, in addition to partners of other large IT distributors in which partners exchange referrals back and forth. These relationships will continue to be encouraged, and the ScanSource-Intelisys deal will help take those relationships to the next level, Intelisys' Bradley said. "We are building programs that work for everyone, but we are going to be very deliberate and take our time with it," he said. Nigerias Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, has spoken about the release of 21 girls and a boy born in captivity to one of their number: This is only the first step in what we believe will be total liberation and release of all the remaining girls. Already we are on phase two and we are already in discussions, he said on Sunday (16 Oct.). But of course you know these are very delicate negotiations, there are some promises we made also about the confidentiality of the entire exercise and we intend to keep them. According to the governments Senior Special Assistant for Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, a splinter group of Boko Haram is willing to negotiate the release of 83 more girls. CNN reported that the other 114 girls are dead, or, reportedly, dont want to leave their kidnappers because they are now married or have been radicalised. This release is only the second time any of the 219 long-term captives (over 50 girls escaped shortly after being taken) have found freedom. Amina Ali Nkeki, 19, was the first of the 219 to be found alive when she was discovered by vigilantes in the Sambisa Forest. Nkeki revealed that she knew of six of the remaining 218 who had died. If negotiations to release 83 more are successful, that leaves at least 100 girls either still among Boko Haram or unaccounted for. There are conflicting reports about the terms of the girls release, which was brokered by the Swiss Government and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The government has denied any prisoner exchange, but, according to Associated Press, two military officers have said four detained Boko Haram commanders were freed; AP reports that a Nigerian who negotiated previous failed attempts also said a large ransom was paid by the Swiss government on behalf of Nigerian authorities. The released girls finally met with their families on Sunday in Abuja after some parents had travelled for days for the emotional reunion. One of the girls, Gloria Dame, said they had survived for 40 days without food and narrowly escaped death at least once. Muta Abana, who has been reunited with his daughter, Blessing, said he thought the girls abduction had been politicised, complaining that peoples children arent money, peoples children are not clothes you wear to campaign, peoples children are their pride. The girls are currently receiving medical attention and trauma counselling in a hospital. Previous update (14 October): Details have now emerged about the conditions of release of the 21 Chibok girls. They were freed before dawn on 13 Oct. in the north-eastern town of Banki, near the border with Cameroon. They were then transported to the capital, Abuja, where they met the Vice President. The whole country has been waiting that one day we will see you again and we are very happy to see you back, said Yemi Osinbajo. The president in particular has asked me to tell you how excited he is. When you were away, he kept saying that if it were his daughter he wouldnt even know what to do. So we are all very excited that you are here. We are all happy that God has preserved your lives and brought you back. Presidential aide Garba Shehu said the girls release was the outcome of negotiations between the administration and the Boko Haram brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government. There was speculation that the girls were handed over in exchange for the release of Boko Haram fighters. AFP quoted a local source in saying that four Boko Haram prisoners had been swapped for the girls, but the information minister, Lai Mohammed, denied this. Please note that this is not a swap. It is a release, the product of painstaking negotiations and trust on both sides, he said. We have nothing to add, said a Swiss government official, when asked if it had been a prisoner swap. The talks with the radical Islamic group will continue, according to the Nigerian government. Pictures released by local media and a presidency official showed one of the girls holding a baby when they met Vice President Osinbajo. Many of the girls looked frail. Most of the girls were reportedly forcibly converted to Islam and forced into marriage by their captors. The government also released the names of the 21 girls: 1. Mary Usman Bulama 2. Jummai John 3. Blessing Abana 4. Luggwa Sanda 5. Comfort Habila 6. Maryam Basheer 7. Comfort Amos 8. Glory Mainta 9. Saratu Emmanuel 10. Deborah Jaafaru 11. Rahab Ibrahim 12. Helin Musa 13. Mayamu Lawan 14. Rebecca Ibrahim 15. Asabe Goni 16. Deborah Andrawus 17. Agnes Gapani 18. Saratu Markus 19. Glory Dama 20. Pindah Nuhu 21. Rebecca Mallam. Previous article (13 Oct.): Boko Haram has released 21 of the girls kidnapped in Chibok in April 2014 to the Nigerian Army in Maidugiri, capital of Borno state (where the Islamist group has been strongest), according to the Nigerian Presidents spokesman. This has not yet been independently confirmed. Its been two and a half years since 275 schoolgirls were kidnapped from their dormitories in Chibok, in the north-eastern state of Borno. Their disappearance eventually generated headlines around the world and fuelled a social-media storm, with the hashtag #bringbackourgirls. Today is the first time any of the schoolgirls have been found since May, when two girls were discovered in the space of two days. A Christian girl, Amina Ali Nkeki was found on 17 May in the Sambisa Forest, close to the border with Cameroon. Two days later, Nigerias army said it had rescued a second girl, Serah Luka, believed to be the daughter of a pastor, though she was later found to not have been among the Chibok girls. Nkeki had escaped with the Boko Haram fighter to whom she had been forcibly married, and with their child. She appealed for support for the young man, whom she implied might have been himself forced into becoming a fighter, saying he had not treated her too badly, and that she missed him. I would have celebrated even if one person was freed. I am very, very happy to hear that 21 of them are free. My heart is also rejoicing that one day soon the majority of them, if not all of them, are going to be freed. --Rev. Joel Billi, EYN A month after she escaped, some members of BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) an advocacy group campaigning for the safe rescue of the girls expressed concerns over Nkekis whereabouts, saying she had been kept under close control by the government, and that she appears to be now treated as if shes become a Muslim (which she would have done against her will). President Muhammadu Buhari had promised the government will do everything possible to ensure she receives the care to make a full recovery and to be reintegrated fully into society. But some of the group were concerned she had not been allowed to return to her Christian family, which they assumed would be a strong element in her recovery from trauma. Rev. Joel Billi, president of the Ekeklesiya Yanuwa Nigeria (EYN) Church, told World Watch Monitor that 201 of the kidnapped girls belong to his church. I would have celebrated even if one person was freed. I am very, very happy to hear that 21 of them are free, he said. My heart is also rejoicing that one day soon the majority of them, if not all of them, are going to be freed. When I heard about this news, I said that the church has to come out and talk to the federal government. The church should be in forefront of all things because Anima, who was rescued few months ago, as I am talking, we dont know where she is. This is to say we have mixed feelings about the whole thing. Meantime, in September, the Nigerian government had for the first time disclosed the details of its failure to secure the release of the girls during negotiations which began in July 2015, shortly after Buhari took office. Three times the negotiations were derailed once at the last minute, even after the president had agreed to free imprisoned Boko Haram fighters. Another time, talks failed because key members of Boko Haram's negotiating team were killed. Buhari, who has been criticised by parents and activists, again appealed for the parents trust. In August, Boko Haram had released a video which appeared to show some of the Chibok girls looking physically weak and traumatised. It showed a masked man demanding the release of militants in exchange, and one girl, who called herself Maida Yakubu, asking her parents to appeal to the government. Anima, who was rescued few months ago, as I am talking, we dont know where she is. This is to say we have mixed feelings about the whole thing. --Rev. Joel Billi, EYN In April, the Boko Haram group had released a separate video, apparently filmed on Christmas Day 2015 and broadcast on CNN amongst other outlets showing 15 of the girls pleading with the Nigerian government to co-operate with the militants for their release. The girls said they were being treated well but wanted to be with their families. Some parents who attended a screening of that video in Maiduguri identified some of the girls. Two mothers, Rifkatu Ayuba and Mary Ishaya, said they recognised their daughters in the video, while a third mother, Yana Galang, identified five of the missing girls, Reuters reported. One mother said her daughter looked well, much better than she had feared, giving some hope to the families. The parents have been under a lot of strain: at least 18 of them have died of stress-related illness; three others have themselves been killed by militants; many others have persistent health problems brought on by stress. Forced to convert and marry Most of the girls were reportedly forcibly converted to Islam. It is feared that many have been sexually abused and forced into marriage by their captors. A report by Nigerias Political Violence Research Network, Our Bodies, their Battleground, detailed this kind of treatment of minority Christians in northern Nigeria going back to 1999. It reveals how tremendously effective and efficient it is to focus attacks on women and girls because the knock-on effects are devastating to the community. Entire families and Christian communities are thus dishonoured, regularly leading husbands to reject wives who are victims of rape, and embarrassment and shame for their children. The fact that Christian women and children suffer at the hands of Boko Haram is a carefully calculated part of the movements multi-pronged front-line offensive, designed to intimidate the population into accepting political-religious change, points out the report. The use of rape was also justified by Boko Haram militants on the basis of sex as jizya, a reference to a tax that early Islamic rulers demanded from their non-Muslim subjects for their own protection. For hundreds of women and girls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants, their ordeal did not end when they escaped, nor when Nigerian soldiers rescued them and reunited them with their families. Instead of being admired for their bravery, many have become outcasts in their communities, stigmatised due to their perceived association with Boko Haram, reports humanitarian news agency IRIN. Moreover, others pregnant after rape by their captors have been shamed and are now accused of spawning or seeking to spawn future Boko Haram fighters, says IRIN. This all backs up Angelina Jolies message of rape as a policy aimed at terrorising and destroying communities. It's a message she first spoke about at the UK Parliament in June 2014 and repeated at the House of Lords in September 2015. [Islamist groups such as] Islamic State are dictating [it] as policy ... beyond what we have seen before, said Jolie, a UN Special Envoy. The Hollywood actress said the groups know it is a very effective weapon and they are using it as a centre point of their terror and their way of destroying communities and families, and attacking and dehumanising. Jolie shared stories of girls she had met in war zones, who had been repeatedly raped and sold for as little as $40. In 2014, she co-hosted a global summit in London, attended by representatives from more than 100 countries, aimed at raising awareness and tackling the issue of sexual violence in conflict, especially rape as a weapon of war. Courtesy: World Watch Monitor Publication date: October 18, 2016 I cried to the Lord in anguish as I read her letter. Troops are closing in on my town. I dont know if Im going to live or die. My dear friends cousin had just been shot on Christmas Eve, dying slowly and alone in the street. Her father and brother had just barely escaped being shot dead. And by the time Medines letter had reached me, perhaps it was too late even to pray. Her town had been destroyed, and it would be eighteen months before I learned her fate. My heart was broken, because I really loved Medine. As I poured out my heart to God, I thought I felt His assurance that He would do what was best for her and what was best for me. In the months that followed with no further word from her, however, it was easy to wonder whether I had heard him accurately. Ours was an impossible lovea love narrated in the longer version of our story, a book called Impossible Love: The True Story of an African Civil War, Miracles and Hope against All Odds. Medine and I had met through an evangelical campus ministry when I was a doctoral student at Duke and she was a doctoral student at University of Paris 7. We were interested in each other, but both of us were too shy to let the other know. Our friendship persisted over the years, however, and we each prayed that God would send the other a good spouse. Now that we had finished our Ph.D.s, I was teaching at a seminary near Philadelphia and writing New Testament commentaries. Medine, no less qualified than I, had returned to her war-torn country of Congo seeking work. Unfortunately, war had now overtaken her, and I had no way to locate heror even to be sure if she was alive. Medine had sent that fateful letter to me by a relative fleeing the country, days before a close call with soldiers persuaded her and her family to finally flee their otherwise abandoned neighborhood. Yet they wrestled with how they could escape with Medines father. Disabled by a stroke, he could not walk. They ended up pushing him in a wheelbarrow, but as they left the town amid explosions and gunfire, Medines mother realized that she had to go back. I left his medicines on the table! she exclaimed. He cant live without them! No, I should go, Medine protested. Eventually they had to leave the medicines behind, fleeing into the forest. In the months that followed, Medine often had to walk for hours through snake-infested swamps and fields streaming with army ants to secure food for the family. After running through the ants, she had to pick off those that fastened to her body. As refugees far from access to international aid, they lived on one meal a day, sometimes eating rats and ferns. Medines mother contracted typhoid; there were dead bodies and excrement in the only drinking water available. At any given time, a member of the family was close to death. On one occasion Medine herself lay helpless with malaria as military helicopters flew by from a raid. And yet Medine often could feel that I was praying for her, just as she kept praying for me and her other friends abroad. As the war continued to expand, the family fled from one place of refuge to another. Soldiers overran one village after another, residents fleeing just ahead of the advancing armies to escape rape and death. One day as Medine was fleeing, she looked down from a mountain into the beautiful valley below, overcome by the beauty of Gods creation. The gunfire below, however, jolted her back into the reality of her situation. She and her family continued along the trail until they reached a chasm forged by the river surging violently below. Above the river, serving as a bridge, lay a single rail, narrower than the length of a human foot. Keeping ones balance while crossing this rail would be very dangerous for any single person, but it would be impossible for them to carry her father across in the wheelbarrow. Medines brother Emmanuel was going to have to carry him on his back, all the while balancing himself to make sure that he did not slip. In all these struggles for survival, Medine, Emmanuel and others had to act courageously to help others. Her father refused to stop thanking God or loving even their enemies. Faith alone kept them going, but each also had moments when courage gave way to despair. Ultimately, the one unfailing hero of the story is the one we experience in the Bible: the Lord Himself who remains faithful even when we are broken. Most of the people we read about in the Bible were people like us; they didnt eagerly volunteer for their trials. Like Joseph, some came from dysfunctional families. Like Abraham, Sarah, David and others, most endured great hardship before they saw Gods promises come to pass. Like Elijah or Jeremiah, sometimes they just wanted to give up. But theyand weserve a God who is faithful. God often uses even our very times of testing to form us into what He has called us to be. Not everyone lived to see this story have a happy ending. By the end of the war, for example, most of the precious children from Medines neighborhood had died. Yet every member of her own family, from young children to her disabled father, survived. Their homethe fruit of her fathers life savingswas destroyed, but they thanked God for sparing their lives. Today Medine and I are married. But the story of Gods faithfulness to us along the way can be an encouragement to those who may face hard times. There were scary momentssuch as when Emmanuel was caught in the midst of crossfire between two opposing militias. Or when a man began beating me one night on the street as I was sharing my faith. There were rewarding momentssuch as when, after a time of deep grief, I found healing in an African-American church that knew how to deal with pain, and began a journey of working for ethnic reconciliation. But through any hardship, the God of the cross remains faithful. Whatever you are going through or will go through, God is worthy of our trust. Even when it feels like our trust isnt big enoughthe God in whom is our trust is always big enough. Thats the story of an unimaginable love even greater than that between Medine and methe story of Gods love for every one of us. Craig and Medine Keener are the authors of Impossible Love: The True Story of an African Civil War, Miracles and Hope Against All Odds (Chosen Books). Craig S. Keener (PhD, Duke University) is F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky (www.craigkeener.com). He is the author of many books, including Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts, the bestseller The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, The Historical Jesus of the Gospels, Gift and Giver, and commentaries on Acts, Matthew, John, Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, and Revelation. Medine Moussounga Keener holds a PhD from the University of Paris and is the pastoral care coordinator of Formation Ministries at Asbury. Medine and her husband, Craig, work for ethnic reconciliation in the US and Africa. Publication date: October 18, 2016 Image courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com Virgin Voyages is already making changes, and today announced at a press event in Miami a new branding platform and name. Virgin had previously started-up as Virgin Cruises, now dropping Cruises for Voyages. Virgin unveiled a branding platform, promising to "change cruising for good" and travel "should celebrate your curiosity and not force you to follow one itinerary." A tagline on the companys Twitter reads: Were here to make your travels irresistible. These will not be your average cruise ships. Tom McAlpin, who helped start up Disney Cruise Line, is at the helm for Virgin, which has opened offices in South Florida. Construction on the companys first ship will start in late 2017 at Fincantieris yard in Genoa, Italy. The first of three ships in a class, the vessels are to be 110,000 tons and 2,800 passengers. The company is promising green ships, too. "The smart people at Climeon found a way to efficiently turn waste heat into electricity, saving stacks of C02. So were excited to announce our partnership with Climeon. Its just one thing were doing to meet our commitment to launch one of the cleanest fleets to sail the seven seas," said Virgin on its recently re-launched website at www.virginvoyages.com. Bain Capital is running point on financing for the operation. >> More to follow, this story will be updated. Oh so many fish in da sea! And thats only the beginning....what kind of fish do you want to prepare? Do you know how to prepare it? Oh, yeah, and where should you go to get this fish, short of heading out into open waters yourself? And wait, and heres the $100,000 question: is the fish you are buying everything it says it is? Good grief. Its almost easier dating and looking for *those* fish in the sea. Well, fear not, CTBites sat down recently with one of the Big Fish out there, Jim Thistle of Fjord Fish Market, and he helped guide us through seemingly murky waters... Fjord Fish Market (formerly Fjord Fisheries) was acquired by Jim and neighbor/business partner Mark Scozzafava, in December 2012. Jim hopes that customers will view Fjord not only as a beacon for responsibly-sourced seafood, but a neighborhood establishment that works hard to educate and treat customers to the individual service, quality, and craftsmanship that they deserve and are seeking. Q: You took over ownership at Fjord Fish Market several years ago. What was it about the seafood business that appealed to you? A: I was sitting at a desk 12 hours a day staring at spreadsheets and thinking that this was not the way to spend those 12 hours (laughs). Also, having grown up in Madison, CT, Ive loved food and seafood in particular, all of my life. I began looking at the seafood industry and seeing that retailers were doing such a bad job bringing good seafood to market. The more we looked at the industry, the more we realized that there was some great fish out there and admirable people doing great things in the world of seafood. Unfortunately, none of the good seafood was making its way to the retail market. The retail seafood departments seemed dominated by low quality product coated with thick layers of clever marketing. I (we) saw an opportunity to jump in and change whats on the market, so I jumped and its been 3 1/2 years doing this now...these are *much* better 12 hour days (big smile)! Q: What industry problems/challenges did you immediately recognize? A: Well, the U.S. has poor standards about what comes into the country. Take farm raised shrimp from Thailand for example, there is effectively no meaningful oversight by the local government and a high percentage routinely test positive for banned antibiotics when they hit the U.S. shores. It just seems shocking that the U.S. allows it to be sold here. At Fjord, weve eliminated farm-raised shrimp from our cases completely as we just cant get comfortable with the supply chain right now. We carry only two types of farm-raised salmon: Ora-King and Hidden Fjord. In our opinion, these are the top two aquaculture practices in the world in terms of quality and commitment to sustainable aquaculture. No one around here was selling this kind of salmon, but now we are! Q: Define responsibly-sourced seafood. A: Responsibly sourced is a term that is being more widely used these days and often that means different things to different people. At Fjord, it means fish that is free from antibiotics, added colors, not genetically altered and comes from a supply chain that we can trust. Were partnering with aquacultural practices that have stringent oversight and high levels of transparency. We want to align our company with transparency issues and feel strongly about standing up to that test. Q: Why is responsibly-sourced seafood important? A: Simply put, its ultimately better for the consumer and the planet. There is so much information and misinformation out there about fish for the average consumer to digest. We want to offer a product that the consumer can trust without having to do tons of research. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRIDGEPORT The battle for the 128th House District seat pits an incumbent Democratic insider against a maverick Republican who supports Donald Trump and is fed up with the states budget woes. State Rep. Christopher Rosario is being challenged by Republican Ethan Book, a one-time U.S. Senate candidate who lost a bid for the statehouse seat two years ago. The district covers the East Side and Hollow neighborhoods in the city. Book, 68, said Rosario is among the General Assemblys Democratic majority that followed Gov. Dannel P. Malloy off a fiscal cliff and made the states budget deficits worse. There are six representatives from Bridgeport and all are Democrats, and all have had problems with state budgets and failed to consider good proposals and modifications to the budget, Book said. There needs to be a good Republican in Hartford to better represent residents. Rosario, 37, discounted Books accusations, saying his caucus fought to restore funding for myriad social services reduced by the governor. We fought hard for the neediest people and against social service cuts, Rosario said. We fought hard to restore more money. Ive accomplished a lot, brought a lot money back to the district for local youth groups. Asked about Trump, Book said he supports the Republican nominee for president. But Book said hes not campaigning for the nominee. It comes up, Book said, referring to Trump. And I say that Im not campaigning for Mr. Trump, Im campaigning for you. Book called Rosario an invisible candidate who is mostly good at posing for photos. The biggest issue is the budget, Book said. Im running because I see some important positions that need to be raised. Rosario said the main issue in the campaign is jobs and the need to create more employment in cities such as Bridgeport. People are having a hard time finding work, Rosario said. We are under employed and we want to improve our jobs climate and provide opportunities for small business and partnerships with the state economic development department. Book, a former vice president of the Connecticut Bank & Trust Co., now owns the New England Limo Service. He is the father of three sons, all of whom graduated from Boise State University. Rosario, a blight director in former Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finchs administration, now works in the Shelton Police Departments records department. He was born and raised in Bridgeport and graduated from Harding High School. He is married and has two children. In 2001, Book was convicted on 24 counts of criminal harassment, all misdemeanors, involving communications with a competing limo service owner, and he served time in prison before being released on probation. Book does not shy away from his past, and said he fought his conviction for years while pushing to reform harassment statutes, which he says are too broad. It was my experience with that matter which began to show me that there are many innocents who have been victims of systematic biases in our state criminal courts, Book said. BRIDGEPORT - A New York man was arrested after police said he charged a patrol car with a pool cue. Roy Assam, of Wood Haven, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief. He was released after posting $5,000 bond. As Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces push toward Islamic State-held Mosul, fighters discovered tunnel abandoned by IS fighters, giving the outside world a rare look at the insurgent group's tactics. The Associated Press gives us a rare look inside the tunnel, which can be used to avoid airstrikes and sniper fire. The latest from the fight to retake Mosul: The pace of operations slowed Tuesday in the fight to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group, as Iraqi forces advancing to the east and south of the city began pushing toward larger villages and encountering civilian populations. Iraq's Kurdish fighters, also known as the peshmerga, largely paused their advance, according to commanders stationed along the front to Mosul's east, consolidating gains from the previous day. Iraqi army forces advanced to the south and east of Mosul, reaching the outskirts of the town of al-Hamdaniyah, a historically Christian town also known as Bakhdida and Qaraqosh that was once home to tens of thousands, east of Mosul. On the southern front, Iraq's federal police pushed toward up to the town of al-Houd, still home to hundreds of people, according to estimates from the United Nations. Iraqi army Lt. Col. Mohammed Shaker said al-Hamdaniyah has been surrounded and his forces have retaken six other villages over the past two days. More than 25,000 troops have mobilized for the Mosul fight, a massive operation that's expected to take weeks, if not months. Iraq's second largest city is still home to more than a million people and humanitarian groups have warned that up to a million could be forced to flee, unleashing a large scale humanitarian crisis. "The operation is going according to schedule and we have been very successful," said Iraqi army Maj. Gen. Qassim Al-Maliki. "The enemy is pulling back but they are leaving small mobile units behind, each composed of three to four persons, and we are mopping them up." Monday, Kurdish forces had retaken some 200 square kilometers (80 square miles), according to Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdish region. Peshmerga commanders on the ground estimated they retook nine villages and pushed the front line with IS back eight kilometers (five miles). The front line east of Mosul is now some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the city. Tuesday morning, those front lines were largely quiet, a day after Iraqi Kurdish forces advanced amid a barrage of U.S.-led airstrikes and heavy artillery. "We are just holding our positions," said Col. Khathar Sheikhan, of the peshmerga. "The Iraqi army will now advance past our arenas of control." "We have achieved our objectives," he said. A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said the operation was proceeding as planned and that Iraqi forces were making "excellent progress." "There's no pause in efforts to liberate Mosul. Troops are on the move on various axes of advance toward the city," said Col. John Dorrian. "Some commanders have reached their objectives ahead of schedule after encountering light-to-moderate resistance." In Baghdad, thousands of followers of an Iraqi Shiite cleric marched in front of the Turkish Embassy on Tuesday demanding the withdrawal of Turkish troops from a base near Mosul. "Get out, Get out, occupier!" and "Yes, yes, for Iraq," chanted the followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Turkey says the troops are training Iraqi fighters to help retake Mosul, and that they are there with the permission of the Iraqi government. Baghdad denies it granted permission and has ordered the Turks to withdraw a call Ankara has ignored. The spat has raised concerns that the defeat of IS could lead to renewed conflict among the various fighting units currently allied against it. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Tuesday that the fighters who were trained at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul were at the forefront of the Mosul operation, fighting alongside Kurdish forces. "Those who say Turkey has no business in Mosul have gotten their answer," he said. Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama are apparently outraged over the allegations that Donald Trump sexually assaulted some women in his past. Mull that over: Hillary Clinton is outraged over allegations that a man sexually assaulted several women. The only adjective I can come up with to describe that is Orwellian. Hillary Clinton is known to have condoned her husbands sexual peccadilloes and played a part in intimidating those women who came forward to complain of his attacks. Paula Jones won more than $800,000 from the Clintons because Bill exposed himself to her while he was the governor of Arkansas. Was Hillary outraged? Was Michelle Obama shaken to her core? Juanita Broaddrick states that Bill Clinton raped her when he was the Arkansas attorney general. Bill Clinton never denied it and Im still waiting for Hillary to be outraged and for Michelle to be shaken to her core. Dozens of women have accused Bill Clinton of sexual abuse ever since he was a Rhodes Scholar in England and Ive yet to hear Hillary say she is outraged or Michelle is shaken to her core. Senators Ted Kennedy and Chris Dodd sexually assaulted a waitress at La Brasserie in Washington, D.C. and Im still searching the archives for Hillarys outrage. (Article clip from the Hartford Courant: Dodd and Kennedy were also reported to have made a human sandwich with a waitress at La Brasserie, another Capitol Hill restaurant. The report had it that Kennedy threw the woman on Dodd, who was slumped in a chair, and then jumped on top of her. She was said to have run screaming from the room.) Still no outrage from Hillary or core shaking from Michelle. Farbe it from me to say theres a double standard with liberal Democrats and their sexual proclivities and Republicans and their sexual proclivities. But I will. Someone tell Anthony Wiener that its okay to come back and run as a Democrat. Kim Raseman Milford These real PA creatures could become cryptids if we don't save them Ed Miliband left) and Nick Clegg (right) Yes, Im one of the 48 per cent who voted Remain. I campaigned energetically for the UK to stay in the European Union. As skills minister in David Camerons government, I toured colleges around the country, urging young people to make sure their voice was heard, to get themselves on the register and fight to keep Britain in the EU. Like most people on my side of the argument, I was disbelieving when the first results from Sunderland were announced on the night of June 23, and was plunged into despair when I woke up the next day to find that a clear majority of the British people had voted to Leave. But even then, in the deepest slough of despond, it was clear what Remain-supporting MPs like me had to do. Thats why, at 7.19am, I sent the following tweet: The people I work for [ie. the voters, not the Tory leadership!] have made a momentous decision. I advised against it. But they call the shots and I will try to make a success of it. Its called democracy, and if MPs dont respect it then we shouldnt be in Parliament. That is why it is depressing to find others in the Remain camp have come to a very different conclusion: they havent understood we really are going to leave the EU. In fact, they are doing their damnedest to stop it happening. The purpose of the guerrilla war being waged by these Remainers is to cling on to as many of the membership arrangements as possible in the not-so-secret hope a future government of the liberal Left will be able to take us back in. In the case of Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband, of course, they fancy that this future government will be led by people like them or, preferably, no doubt after a brief pantomime of pretend reluctance, by them. Following 18 months in which both have been refreshingly absent from our TV screens, it is an astonishing, and frankly nauseating, double act. In Clegg we have the man who devastated the Liberal Democrats as a political force, taking his revenge on the voters by launching a campaign to neuter the result of the largest exercise in democracy the UK has ever seen. Having been on the losing side of yet another referendum his previous attempt to monkey with our voting system was soundly rejected in 2011 you would have thought a man who styles himself a Democrat might acquire a little humility. But no. Instead, we find him back on the BBC sofa where else! issuing threats that would be blood-curdling if they werent so ludicrous, about the catastrophic effect of Brexit on the prices of beef, chocolate and cheese. How can he predict that export tariffs of respectively 59, 38 and 40 per cent will be imposed on those products if we leave the Single Market? Clegg said this week that a so-called hard Brexit would lead us off a cliff edge towards higher food prices, with a triple whammy of punishing tariffs, customs checks and workforce shortages. These are the kinds of things he was saying before the referendum, as part of what turned out to be the wholly futile Project Fear. And here he is fighting the same battles months after the polls closed. It reminds me of the French diplomat Talleyrands comments about the Bourbons: They had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing. And who is Cleggs sidekick in this attempt to delay the triggering of Article 50, which begins the formal process of decoupling from Europe? It is, of course, Ed Miliband, whose main contribution to British politics was to surrender Scotland to the Scots Nats and meekly relinquish the sorry husk of a once great Labour Party into the hands of Jeremy Corbyn and his motley crew of Trotskyites and anti-Semites. Not content with destroying his party and in no way shamed by the fact 69 per cent of his own constituents in Doncaster rejected membership of the EU Miliband has a spring in his step. Thats because hes never happier than when he is telling the Northern working classes whats good for them. Frankly, as his most admirable predecessor as Labour leader Clement Attlee might have said, a period of silence from both of these gentlemen would be most welcome. Clegg and Miliband are not alone. They have allies in both Houses of Parliament. In public, most of them go through the motions of acknowledging the referendum verdict. In last weeks Brexit debate in the Commons, every other speech opened with a perfunctory declaration that the speaker accepted the result or even, if they were feeling very generous, respected the result. Strange then that their next word was almost invariably but . . . The but . . . of the recalcitrant Remainers takes a number of forms. One popular, though spurious, argument is that the referendum addressed only the narrow question of whether the UK should leave the EU or remain not what we should do about the Single Market. The advocates of this position stop their ears to any examination of the reasons why so many people voted to leave or any discussion of the arguments deployed during the campaign about what leaving would entail even though both sides asserted it would involve leaving the Single Market. They calculate the best way to frustrate the referendum result is for Britain to confine itself to a technical exit only. This would mean sliding seamlessly into a position like Norways, where we are still in the Single Market, still bound by freedom of movement laws and still subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Nick Boles: 'Its called democracy, and if MPs dont respect it then we shouldnt be in Parliament' For the most stubborn Remainers, it doesnt matter that we would have gained almost nothing while losing any say over future developments in EU rules. Other MPs have been attempting to champion the idea of Parliamentary sovereignty. I accept the result of the referendum, but Parliament must determine how the Government negotiates Brexit, they intone. This argument is at least superficially respectable. Of course, Parliament must hold ministers to account for their decisions about strategic priorities for the negotiations and must vote on all the stages of the Great Repeal Bill that will formalise our exit. So far, so uncontroversial. The problem is recalcitrant Remainers want to have a parliamentary debate on when we should trigger Article 50. This is despite the fact our Government was elected on a manifesto commitment to honour the result of the referendum, whatever the outcome. And David Cameron was clear a vote for Leave would require the immediate triggering of the Article. Even more disreputable is the stance taken by Baroness Wheatcroft. Appointed to the House of Lords by Mr Cameron after a career as a journalist, she has never subjected herself to the peoples verdict. Yet she had the brass neck to question whether the British people knew what they were voting for in the referendum and to urge her fellow peers to defy the Commons by stalling our departure from Europe. Noisy and opinionated though these diehard Remainers are, fortunately there are relatively few of them, at least in the Tory Party. Most of us who campaigned to stay in recognise we have a special responsibility to listen to the voters. In discharging this duty, we know that leaving the EU does not mean were turning our back on free trade or denying ourselves the opportunity to welcome talented and hard-working people from around the world. The EU was a means to an end, but it imposed constraints that ultimately chafed too much. Now the people have rejected it, we must find other, better ways to achieve our goals for the people we serve. Police in Leicestershire are making a determined dash for the supreme prize in this years prestigious Mind How You Go Awards. Readers will remember that these are handed out to police forces which display outstanding stupidity, bloody-mindedness and dereliction of duty. No one is likely to catch the outgoing Met Commissioner Bernard Hyphen-Howe, who has been nominated for a special Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his exemplary mishandling of the Paedos In High Places fiasco and deranged witch-hunts against innocent journalists and ageing celebrities falsely accused of historic sex abuse. But there are still a number of glittering prizes up for grabs. Leicestershire put down a marker last year when they announced they would only send forensics teams to probe attempted burglaries at homes with even, but not odd, numbers. Now their Assistant Chief Constable has gone a step further by suggesting that they may not attend break-ins in future where householders are suspected of leaving doors or windows unlocked. Assistant Chief Constable Phil Kay said burglary victims had only themselves to blame if they failed properly to secure their properties. He compared them to obese patients being refused NHS treatment because they were too fat. Correct me if Im wrong, but I thought wed gone beyond the victim blaming game. Perhaps ACC Kay should try refusing to investigate alleged rapes on the grounds that the woman was wearing a short skirt and was therefore asking for it. Lets see how far that gets him, before the monstrous regiment of Millie Tants strings him up by the unmentionables from the nearest CCTV camera. But then rape, quite rightly, remains a serious offence unlike burglary, which police have been downgrading for years to the point where its barely considered a crime at all any more. For as long as I can remember, Ive been drawing attention to what these days is known fashionably as the disconnect between the Old Bill and the people they are paid to protect. Not that I hold responsible the dwindling number of brave officers on the front line. They are only obeying perverse policies laid down by the modern army of social workers and professional politicians masquerading as senior police chiefs. Ask the average taxpayer what they want from the police and theyll tell you: bobbies on the beat, an accessible local police station and routine traffic patrols to catch dangerous drivers not more speed cameras set to nick anyone creeping a few miles an hour over the limit. But ask one of the new breed of chief constables and theyll inform you condescendingly that quaint kind of policing went out with Dixon of Dock Green. Their exciting new priorities are perceived hate crimes; trawling the internet for anyone making inappropriate comments; and treating every minor road accident as a crime scene requiring motorways to be shut in both directions for hours on end and to hell with the inconvenience caused to anyone trying to go about their lawful daily business. Assistant Chief Constable Phil Kay said burglars often targeted student houses because they knew they might find iPads, laptops and smartphones (file picture) After the police started the wholesale closure of local nicks and withdrawing from the streets, more people began to use the 999 emergency service. So the Old Bill introduced a non-emergency 101 number. Fair enough, I suppose. We dont want people reporting missing cats getting in the way of genuine emergencies. But, needless to say, this has turned out to be worse than useless. Figures just released show callers to the Mets 101 line are routinely left hanging on for up to an hour. Last year alone, almost 70,000 calls were abandoned without being answered. In the interests of research and so that you dont have to I dialled 101 yesterday . . . Thank you for calling 101. Calls are recorded for training purposes. For Arabic, press 1. For Farsi, press 2. For Scribble, press 3. If you wish to speak to somebody in English, please hang up and dial the Nick Ferrari show on LBC radio. Hello? Thank you for holding. Your call is important to us. All our operators are located in Calcutta, pretending to be in London. You are being held in a queue. Your current wait time is Sixty minutes. Please continue to hold. Hello? Did you know you can now report a crime on our website, www.iplod.com? All our operators are currently busy, searching the world wide web for incidents of transphobia. If you wish to report a transphobic incident, press 1 and your call will be answered immediately. If not, please continue to hold and your call will be answered in Fifty-Nine minutes. Assistant chief of Leicestershire Police Phil Kay, pictured, said victims of burglary who leave doors or windows open should not expect police to investigate Hello? If you are ringing from the Jungle refugee camp at Calais, press 1. To arrange a lift from Toddington Services to the immigration centre at Croydon, please hold and a police escort will be with you shortly. For legal aid, press 2. For welfare benefits, press 3. Hello? Thank you for holding. Your call will be answered in Fifty-Eight minutes. If you once attended a recording of Top Of The Pops in 1974 and think there might be a drink in it for you, press 1. If you ever saw Jimll Fix It on television and claim to have been traumatised for life, press 2. If you were sexually assaulted by Field Marshal Montgomery before the Battle of El Alamein, press 3. Hello? If you claim to have been castrated by Sir Winston Churchill during a drunken orgy in the Cabinet War Rooms in 1943, please press 3 and ask for Fat Pat. All claims of historic sexual assault will be treated as credible and true. Hello? All our operators are currently busy, dealing with people who claim to be victims of cultural appropriation. If you are Mexican and have just spotted a white university student wearing a sombrero, please press Uno and you will be put though to our hate crimes command. Hello? Leicestershire police said the comments were made during an hour-long interview about the Cambridge crime harm index, a tool which measures how certain crimes affect victims FILE PICTURE Thank you for holding. If you are ringing to report a burglary, please take a moment to complete our survey. If you live in a house with an even number, press 1 and well see if we can send someone round three weeks on Tuesday. If you live in a house with an odd number, tough. Hello? If you left a window open, press 1. If you left the door ajar while you watered the roses, press 2. Frankly, it serves you right. What do you expect us to do about it? All our officers are currently engaged, watching Pointless in the canteen. Hello? If your car has been stolen, why are you calling us? Its your own stupid fault for leaving it unlocked. All our officers are busy gawping at CCTV screens, or filling in diversity forms and claims for racial and sexual discrimination. If you want a note for the insurance, press 2. For victim counselling, press 3. Hello? You still there? Havent you got anything better to do? Your current wait time is Seventy-Five minutes. Seventy-Five? It was Fifty-Eight ten minutes ago. Thank you for holding. Your call is being recorded just in case you say something inappropriate, which could lead to you being arrested and your home being ransacked by 20 police officers. If you wish to confess to an historic crime of any description, press 1, and a dozen squad cars and a helicopter containing a BBC camera crew will be with you in Five minutes. Hello? Legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan's (pictured in 1965) won the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature - but did you know he won the Celebrity Bake Off in 2013? 1) The 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature is Bob Dylans first award since he won Celebrity Bake Off in 2013. Theyre the perfect combination of very rich and tasty, yet as light as a feather, purred judge Mary Berry of his drop scones. The shows producers were upset at Dylans insistence on receiving his Bake Off trophy with his back to camera. 2) Later that same year, Dylan released Tangled Up In Teacake, his powerful seven-minute protest against dough-based competitions in the 21st century. The songs first line I dreamed last night I ate a tasty toasted teacake was described by Dylan expert Sir Christopher Ricks as a moving, yearning and ultimately tragic paean to the overwhelming human need for a tea- time snack. 3) In April 2015, he was runner-up in Celebrity Pointless, triumphing against other songwriters, including Gary Barlow, Tim Rice and Mel C. He stumbled in the final round, unable to think of a leading character from Emmerdale beginning with the letter B. The shows eventual winner was James Blunt. 4) Since 1988, Dylan has been on his so-called Never Ending Tour, performing on stage night after night all over the world. In March 2006, he was standing in the wings of the Ipswich Regent, ready to go on, when he discovered veteran comic Ken Dodd had just beaten him to it. Happily, the two performers reached a compromise. For the first 45 minutes, Dylan appeared alongside Dodd, kitted out as a Diddyman. After the interval, Dodd returned the compliment by singing backing vocals on A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall. Scroll down for video Dylan, pictured in concert in 2008, made his first British television appearance on the BBC's Call My Bluff 5) Bob Dylans 1973 classic cover version of Middle of the Roads Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep lasts 22 minutes 30 seconds. He turns an apparently anodyne song into a searing hymn to the coming apocalypse, commented Professor Sir Christopher Ricks. 6) His hobbies include making chutney, yodelling, collecting Beverley Sisters memorabilia and playing the popular board game Cluedo. 7) His first appearance on British television was as a panellist on the BBCs Call My Bluff. It was a programme that had been a favourite of mine since before I could remember, and it was a thrill to swap anecdotes with team captains Frank Muir and Patrick Campbell, Dylan recalled in his 2008 autobiography, Chronicles. With the help of team-mate Fanny Cradock, I managed to convince Frank Muir that a tetrapulate was a type of turtle found only in the Red Sea, when in reality it was a form of paper-folding popular in South East Asia. 8) He is a member of Londons Garrick Club, and every second Tuesday in the month can be spotted nursing a ginger wine beneath the painting of Sir Henry Irving on the first-floor landing. 9) In honour of his Nobel Prize, his fellow Garrick Club members passed an Emergency Motion releasing him from the obligation to wear a suit and tie. Instead, he readily agreed to wear the white tie and tails he had specially made for the forthcoming Nobel award ceremony in Stockholm. 10) His bitter-sweet ballad Sarah is said to be inspired by his on-off love affair with the Duchess of York. 11) He is a lifelong devotee of Radio 4s long-running serial The Archers. He is thought to have recorded his most recent protest song, Robbie, Oh Robbie, as a reaction to the unfair media hounding of Rob Titchener, whose wife Helen he believes to have been wrongly acquitted of attempted murder. Theyll hound you in The Bull, Robbie/ Theyll hound you til youre blue/ Theyll hound you til you cry with pain/ There aint nothin you can do. Over the past few days, he has told friends that he will be putting the case for Robs innocence during his Nobel acceptance speech in December. 12) Each of his last 15 studio albums has been hailed a stunning return to form by leading rock critics. They include his last two albums, Grunts And Groans and Dylan Sings Lloyd Webber. 13) He was born Robert Zimmerman, but agreed to change his name after his manager argued that it made him sound too old. He opted first for Robert Cardigan, then for Robert Horlicks, before agreeing to Bob Dylan. 14) Over the years, Dylan has successfully adapted many old English folk songs, making them more relevant to the modern era. In 2013 she attempted suicide and was Stefani Caminiti is like many young women her age: she's studying, working, and planning her wedding to her fiance. She also has, like more than four million Australians, been diagnosed with a mental illness or behavioural problem. The 28-year-old from Perth has lived with depression and anxiety for most of her life, but was only officially diagnosed 10 years ago. Stefani Caminiti (above) was first diagnosed with depression when she was 18 'I went undiagnosed as a child,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'My first memory of feeling that way would have been when I was eight years old.' Despite discussions around mental illness becoming more prevalent, Ms Caminiti explained that there was a stigma around it, and so she didn't tell people about her diagnosis. 'For many years it was a big dirty secret, I didnt want to tell anyone,' she said. 'People have a misconception of mental illness. Society is scared of what they dont know.' The 28-year-old battled with her mental illness for many years, until in 2013 things got so bad that she attempted suicide. 'I tried to end my life and I survived,' Ms Caminiti explained. 'That resulted in a three month stay in a psychiatric facility.' In 2013 she tried to end her life, and ended up spending three months in a psychiatric hospital After spending three months in hospital doing intensive therapy, Ms Caminiti decided that she needed to be open and vocal about mental illness. This meant no more hiding her 'big dirty secret' but instead telling family and friends what she was going through and trying to break the stigma. Now she is speaking out about mental health and the stigma associated with it She also started the Inner Ninja Foundation and began to work as mental health advocate and speaker. 'Theres no stigma if you break your arm, but because you cant see mental illness there's a stigma,' she explained. 'You can be highly functioning and have depression, but you can also manage your mental illness and have a productive life.' This speaking out, however, becomes particularly difficult when meeting new people and starting to date. Ms Caminiti was apprehensive, and unsure when to disclose her health struggles to potential partners. 'When you meet someone new you wouldn't say "Hi I'm Stef and I have a heart condition,"' she said. 'But people expect you to for mental illness.' 'Theres no stigma if you break your arm, but because you cant see mental illness there's a stigma,' the 28 year old said (pictured third from right, at a mental health advocacy event) Until she met her now-fiance, Ms Caminiti (left, with friends) hadn't told any of her boyfriends about her depression, but said he was 'fantastic' She hadn't previously told any of her boyfriends about her depression and anxiety, but then revealed it to her now-fiance. Whilst he supported her and was 'fantastic' about it, the same can't be said for everyone in Ms Caminiti's life. 'Over time unfortunately I have lost a lot of friends, the people who stuck by me I can count them on one hand,' she said. 'That did suck and it hurts a lot.' Now, the 28-year-old says that her advice for other young people with mental illness is to try not to be afraid to tell people. It's the kind of stuff most of us would throw away after it had served its purpose. But one Australian designer is taking product packaging and turning it in to a fashion statement. Alexandra Hackett, who owns the label ALCH, uses everything from McDonald's takeaway bags to NASA space foil to create bags, jackets and pants. Fashion forward: Australian designer Alexandra Hackett uses product packaging to make clothing. Pictured is a jacket made from a windscreen protector Unique: She uses everyday products, such as a McDonald's takeaway bag (pictured), to make accessories and clothing Out of this world: Some of her favourite designs are made from NASA space foil (pictured) 'My practice generally focuses on exploring the concept of the body as a product and clothing as a form of product packaging,' the 24-year-old told Daily Mail Australia. 'On a base level, clothing can offer very similar functions to packaging: protection, brand association, social status, concealment. 'Im interested in how the function of a material can be translated into a function useful for clothing design.' Vision: 'My practice generally focuses on exploring the concept of the body as a product and clothing as a form of product packaging,' Miss Hackett (pictured) said Best foot forward: 'For that welcome home feel all day long,' she captioned this photo of what appeared to be a pair of sandals made from doormats New purpose: She created wallets using the bright blue Frakta carrier bag from Ikea Examples of her work include a McDonald's takeaway bag covered in PVC to create a handbag, a pair of Apple earphones turned in to earrings and tracksuit pants made from polyethylene Nike shopping bags. One of Miss Hackett's favourite designs is a quilted puffa jacket made from NASA space foil. 'Im really interested in the relationship between fabrication and function, in the form of apparel and accessory design, which is why I work with a plethora of textiles that are not traditionally associated with fashion design,' she said. Making a statement: She turned pink Coles bags in to a 'shopping bag twinset' In the bag: These orange tracksuit pants are made from polyethylene Nike shopping bags Miss Hackett said she had always been interested in the creative industries and started to sew when she was just 13. She studied a Bachelor of Design (Fashion) at RMIT University in Melbourne, before moving to London six months ago to further her career. 'There are very limited job opportunities in Australia for contemporary design, let alone menswear design - its heavily focused on a quite commercial side,' she said. 'In London, youre operating on a global scale rather than a domestic one.' Global reach: Six months ago Miss Hackett moved to London to further her career. She is pictured in the NASA space foil puffa jacket Original: She used a pair of Apple headphone to make a pair of 'Apple EarPod Earrings' Sealed and delivered: This bomber and tracksuit pants set is made from Royal Mail packaging And already people are starting to take notice. The ALCH Instagram page has amassed more than 8,700 followers, and Miss Hackett said the response to her designs are mostly positive. It was a case that became famous in not one, but two countries, with six former students becoming embroiled in the death of a doorman. Lino Rodriguez was found dead outside a hotel in Lima, Peru, in January 2012. His death was initially dubbed a suicide but Mr Rodriguez's family campaigned for the case to be reopened. Dubbed the 'Peru Six': Hugh Hanlon, Tom Hanlon and Jessica Vo, from Melbourne, and Sam Smith, Harrison Geier and Andrew Pilat, from Sydney, became suspects in his death. The Peru Six (above) were suspects in a case in Peru after a doorman from their hotel was found dead In 2013, Peruvians walk in a protest dedicated to getting justice for deceased man Lino Rodriguez Vilchez The group were staying in the hotel that Mr Rodriguez worked at and were labelled 'killers' by the local media. The six continually proclaimed their innocence, saying they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Judges wanted them to travel back to Peru to be questioned but in late 2013 they won the right to give statements from Australia. It wasn't until 8 October this year that they were officially cleared by the Lima authorities, four and a half years after the doorman was found dead. This meant that for almost five years the Australians' lives were in limbo, with the investigation hanging over their heads. Now they have been cleared, Jessica Vo (above), one of the six, has spoken about the ordeal Police initially ruled the death a suicide from jumping off a balcony but the man's family launched a campaign to re-open the case One of the six, Jessica Vo, has spoken to Mamamia about the case and what it was like until recently. 'Getting a job proved to be difficult given if you typed my name in Google, all you could find is "alleged murder"' she said. 'It was a constant black cloud hanging over us in everything we did.' Ms Vo, who now lives in the UK, found getting a visa overseas hard too, and the stress both financially and emotionally was immense. The group were terrified of ending up in a Peruvian jail, something that was a possibility if they were forced to return to the country to give statements. 'I had a few people reach out to me via Facebook of experiences they or their family members have had and ended up in jail of being falsely accused,' she explained. 'It sounded horrific and I dont think I could have handled it.' Ms Vo said that she found it difficult to get a job because if you googled her name 'alleged murder' came up The group say they are saddened by Mr Rodriguez's death but are looking forward to getting on with their lives Now the Peru Six are hoping to get on with their lives. 'The past four and half years have caused immense uncertainty, frustration as well as emotional and financial strain. The immeasurable stress and has left a dreadful toll on all of us. Today, we feel overwhelming relief as we close this chapter of our lives and finally move on,' a statement on the group's Facebook page said. Ms Vo is currently working in the United Kingdom in the advertising sector, and says she feels incredibly lucky and relieved that the ordeal is over. Ms Duran found out Dylan's friend's mum was jobless and was touched His friend merely ate a fruit cup at lunch and seemed hungry due to it He said that one of the lunches was for him, while another was for a friend The mum from Albuquerque one day asked her son, Dylan, was he not full? Josette Duran had no idea why she was packing two lunches for her son For months, Josette Duran, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, had been in a rather unconventional lunchbox prep routine. Instead of giving her son, Dylan, just one lunch to take to school, the mum-of-one carefully prepared two delicious midday meals, which Dylan then packed away for later on. While Ms Duran had no idea why her son needed double as much food as he used to in order to get through the school day, one day she said she stopped him and asked: 'Are you not getting full, boo? [sic].' Dylan then told his mother why he wanted two lunches - he was eating one bagged lunch and giving the other to his friend. Scroll down for video Unusual routine: Josette Duran was for a long time preparing two lunchboxes for her son, Dylan (both pictured), to take to school No idea: Though she didn't know why, she one day asked Dylan and he told her that his friend only ate a fruit cup at lunch and seemed hungry (pictured: the two lunches Ms Duran prepared) 'Mom, it's for this boy. He only eats a fruit cup for lunch. Can you make him lunch, too? I don't think he has lunch money,' the 14-year-old said. Dylan is too kind-hearted... He is my hero 'I was totally shocked, I had no idea why I was making two lunches, I just did it,' Ms Duran told Daily Mail. After she found out that Dylan's friend's mother was a single parent who had recently lost her job, Ms Duran was totally touched by what her little boy wanted to do for his friend. 'Dylan is too kind-hearted,' the mother told Daily Mail. 'He is my hero.' Hero: After she found out that Dylan's friend's mother was a single parent who had recently lost her job, Ms Duran was touched by what her little boy (pictured) wanted to do for his friend When Dylan's friend's mum found out what was being done for her child, and tried to pay Ms Duran back for her kindness, the mother of one wouldn't accept any money. 'We were homeless for a period and as a result are rather soft hearted,' she told Daily Mail. Instead, the mum-of-one donated USD $400 which was raised by her girls' volleyball team to the school cafeteria, so that no child would go hungry at lunchtime again. Kind: After her girls' volleyball team raised USD $400 to give to Ms Duran as thanks, she donated it straight to the school cafeteria so that no child would go hungry at lunchtime again Ms Duran later took to Facebook, to share her story, and since then it has been making waves around the world. '[I'm not doing this] for praise or anything; its pretty - it's pretty intense,' she said to camera in a Facebook live video - as she held back the tears. It seems too good to be true, having your holiday paid for by a stranger and jetting overseas whenever you had time off work. Well for 21-year-old Jessica, it's not a dream, but a reality. The Brisbane native recently travelled to California for two-and-a-half weeks with a man she met online, all paid for by him. Jessica (above) went on a two-and-half week holiday to California for free The 22-year-old personal trainer gets her holidays paid for by men wanting company It's the premise of website MissTravel.com, which pairs 'attractive women' with men who need travel companions. There are no strings attached and no obligation on women using the site, just to spend time with the men who want someone to travel with. Jessica first became aware of the site after seeing a story about it shared on Facebook and was curious. She went to the website and signed up, hopeful she would get holiday offers but not convinced. 'It took 24 hours to approve my profile and even before then I had men messaging me,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Some people wanted to have a chat first, others would just say straight away "These are the dates and where I'm going, do you want to come?"' She joined the website Miss Travel after seeing a news story on it and was inundated with messages One man offered to pay for her trip to California with him for two-and-a-half weeks Eventually she found a man who was travelling to California for a convention and wanted her to come with him. He lived in the US, so they couldn't meet prior to the trip, but Facetimed and sent messages via WhatsApp so they didn't feel like strangers to one another. Once Jessica decided she was comfortable and wanted to go, he booked Jessica a flight from Australia to LA. 'I got myself an international sim a the airport but other than that I didn't spend a cent,' she said. 'I got there and realised I forgot to pack some things and he took me shopping and bought me what I wanted. I was living in luxury for a while.' During the trip she didn't spend any money and he bought her gifts She said that they stayed in different rooms at the luxury hotels and got on very well They stayed at The Hilton in LA, then The Wynn in Vegas and on Ocean Drive in Miamiin separate bedrooms. Jessica said that whilst some men on the site tried to proposition her with dates and expected her to sleep in their room, that she 'puts it all on the table' when someone messages her so they know what she expects. She had such a good time she's planning on taking another trip soon, when someone offers her a holiday to a destination she's keen on. Her decision has left Chinese social media polarised as a result The 24-year-old opted to save the life of her brother with family support However, experts told her it would hurt the baby and she had to choose Ms Li was recognised to be a perfect match for her 29-year-old brother Her brother, Yang Jun, has lymphoma and needed a marrow transplant For most, it is a decision you would never have to make. But for a young woman from China, it was her only choice - whether to save her big brother's life or save the life of her unborn baby. Yang Li, 24, from Hangzhou City, was 12 weeks into her pregnancy, when she decided to give up her child so that she could provide a bone marrow transplant for her brother, Yang Jun, 29. Impossible: A pregnant Chinese woman, Yang Li (pictured with her brother) has chosen to save her brother's life over the life of her newborn baby after being faced with the decision Mr Jun suffers from lymphoma - he was diagnosed in September 2015. The doctors told the 29-year-old that his only chance of survival came in the form of a marrow transplant, to which followed the news that his sister, Ms Li, was a perfect match. Sadly for the 24-year-old, after discussing the potential donation with experts, she was warned that donating marrow would have a significant negative effect on her child. She was recommended to choose either her baby or her brother. Expert view: She was found to be the perfect match as a bone marrow transplant for her brother, but was also warned that it would have a negative effect on her baby With the support of her husband and her in-laws, Ms Li made the impossible decision to save Yang Jun. She recently underwent abortion surgery in Hangzhou and is recovering. The doctors will perform the marrow transplant surgery in the near future as soon as Ms Li's body is ready. Divided: While Chinese social media has been divided since the decision became public, Ms Li did it with the support of her husband and in-laws However, opinions on Chinese social media have been polarising, with some labelling the woman a 'hero' and others criticising her decision. A hairdresser from Sydney's Bondi Beach plans to rehome an entire community in the Northern Territory using houses made from garbage. The 300 residents of Jilkminggan are hammered by floods every year and the region's derelict amenities have not been repaired in almost two decades. When hairdresser Kelly Wright witnessed the 'confronting' plight of the town, she decided she could not live a happy life in affluent Bondi without helping out. 'Fell in love': Kelly Wright (right) decided to help the town of Jilkminggan after visting and meeting 18-month-old resident Alima (left) The mother-of-two has hatched a plan to move the entire community out of their crumbling homes and into flat-pack houses they can assemble themselves. The prefabricated homes will be built using three tonnes of recycled waste plastic and the community will be taught how to assemble them. 'They are an amazing community,' Mrs Wright told Daily Mail Australia. 'I love the people. It's quite confronting to see people living in third world conditions in a first world country like Australia.' Ravaged: Every year the town is battered by heavy flooding and vital amenities and infrastructure have not been repaired for almost two decades. Pictured is a derelict house after a flood 'Amazing community': Mrs Wright is hoping to supply the town with flat-pack houses which can be easily assembled (prototypes of the houses pictured) Mrs Wright first heard about Jilkminggan, 90 minutes' south east of Katherine, when a friend asked her to help find second hand clothes for the town's new op-shop. The 39-year-old visited the town to hand deliver the 500 bags of clothing she had gathered, where she 'fell in love' with an 18-month-old girl the same age as her son. 'In the town I met Alima. She was beautiful,' Mrs Wright said. 'She was my little sidekick for a couple of days. It was heartbraking when I left I knew what I was going home to and what opportunities my children would have. 'I thought it was really unfair. That in Australia, the land of dreams, this little girl would not have the same opportunities.' Sustainable: Three tonnes of recycled plastic will be incorporated into the construction of the flat-pack homes As Mrs Wright travelled back from Darwin to Sydney at the end of the trip, she devised a plan to make a lasting difference to the town's fortunes. She drew up a business case on the flight and enlisted the help of the Nev House sustainable housing company when she arrived back in Sydney. Nev House helped design the easy-to-assemble houses, and the Yulang Aboriginal Education Unit at Sydney TAFE is designing a course that will teach the community how to build them. Mrs Wright hopes the project will be finished by the end of next year and has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance it. 'Once you see how the community is living you can't unsee it. If I don't do anything I'm part of the problem. 'I'd love for everybody to decide to make a difference and to get the message out there. 'I'm hoping to get the funding to make the lives of the children more like the Australian dream.' But she defended him, saying he has ADHD and a An Australian mum has defended her son, who was called a 'bully' by other children. Sonia Buckley, from Rowville in Victoria, published a six-minute long video to Facebook on Monday, where it has already been viewed more than 28,000 times. She says it is an open letter to parents of her son Billy's peers. Defence: A distraught Australian mum has defended her son, who was called a 'bully' by other children, in an online video (both pictured) Ms Buckley said that other parents may have judged Billy without ever meeting him, because of what they have heard from their children. 'You may think hes a bully. He may have said some nasty things or even hurt your child, and for that Im truly sorry,' she said. But the mum-of-two defended Billy, who is in Year 7, and said that it's not his fault he acts the way he does. Open letter: Ms Buckley read an open letter, and said that other parents may have judged Billy without ever meeting him, because of what they have heard from their children Difficult: 'From a very young age Billy has suffered from ADHD, ODD, intellectual learning disability and severe behavioural disorder,' she explained 'From a very young age Billy has suffered from ADHD, ODD, intellectual learning disability and severe behavioural disorder,' she explained. Ms Buckley said that her son also has a very low comprehension and language skills, meaning he doesn't perceive the world how everyone else does. 'Billy interprets everything very differently to what most people would. If Billy doesn't understand he may react,' the mum said. Hard: Ms Buckley (pictured) said that her son also has a very low comprehension and language skills, meaning he doesn't perceive the world how everyone else does Honest: She also described times she had seen other children shunning Billy, not wanting to play with him or talk to him She also described times she had seen other children shunning Billy, not wanting to play with him or talk to him. 'It's so sad to see your child not invited to birthday parties or sleepovers...it breaks my heart. Billy comes home crying most days saying he has no friends and hates school,' Ms Buckley said. 'People think Billy is a bully... but Billy doesn't understand the world and the world doesn't understand him 'Unfortunately, kids know they will get a reaction out of Billy and deliberately provoke him,' she went on She's lost four stone, had lip fillers injected and removed and her boobs increased to a 34E so Lauren Goodger is no stranger to a body transformation. But the star, 30, who recently made her return to TOWIE has prompted speculation that's she's recently had a more radical procedure - bum implants. The former fiance of Mark Wright has been flaunting her very curvy figure on social media, prompting speculation she may have achieved her rounded derriere through surgery. Scroll down for video TOWIE star Lauren Goodger, 30, has prompted speculation that she's had bum implants thanks to her very curvy new appearance Back in January 2014 on a visit to the ITV studios, Lauren's derriere was looking much flatter The reality star was pictured showing off her curves in a leather skirt earlier this month as she arrived on set in Essex to film TOWIE, looking noticeably more shapely than she did back in January when she visited the This Morning studios. And even when Lauren had a fuller figure, prior to her weight loss, her rear was nowhere near as curvy. MailOnline has contacted a representative for Lauren for further comment. MYA Cosmetic Surgery surgeon, Mr Riccardo Frati told FEMAIL: 'There is no doubt that Lauren's buttocks look rounder, higher and firmer than in the previous image of her earlier this year. 'This could be a sign that she has had buttock implants, or a Brazilian buttocks lift with fat graft to enhance her buttock and give her more of a curved shape. 'However this look could also be achieved with rigorous gym routines on certain people. 'Without a physical examination I could not be 100% certain but should Lauren have had cosmetic surgery to enhance her posterior it is very natural and in proportion with her frame.' Dr Ross Perry,Clinical Director of Cosmedics, agreed that she may well have gone under the knife. Lauren in 2014, prior to her four stone weight loss. Even when her figure was fuller, her posterior was not as shapely as it is now 'Clearly Laurens weight fluctuates and even though that can give a fuller figure around the bottom it is often mirrored elsewhere,' he said. 'In recent photos the fuller shape remains in her bottom whilst her overall shape is thinner which may suggest she's had some help to maintain a fuller shape in the buttocks.' Recently, the tanning entrepreneur has been keen to share photos of her new shape with her 684,000 Instagram followers. The TOWIE star has recently been proudly flaunting her new curves, which she insists are the result of a rigorous gym regime This Instagram snap taken after a meal at Nando's prompted speculation that Lauren has had surgery to enhance her rear One snap shows her posing after a Nando's meal, flaunting her posterior in gym leggings. Fans rushed to compliment her on her shape, describing her as 'booty goals', but many questioned how she'd achieved it. Natasha_zayb commented: 'Right you literally had noooo bum, it was flat. How have you achieved this?' Juliarooke was certain the results were down to surgery. 'Sorry but you've definitely had work done,' she said. 'You didn't have a bum before and now suddenly a bubble but. I don't believe it for a minute. Nobody does that from squats.' Lauren herself addressed speculation in her column in this week's new! magazine. She said: 'I have been training my a**e off, literally, ahead of TOWIE filming. I've definitely noticed a difference too. She was inspired to don an apron by her late grandmother, and here is Bake Off star Candice Brown with the adored 'nanny' who brought her to tears on the hit show. The 31-year-old revealed last month how having to produce a raspberry Bakewell tart during pastry week was particularly 'nostalgic' as it brought back fond memories. Speaking to host Mel Giedroyc during the challenge Candice said: 'It's quite nostalgic for me this' before adding: 'Have I not shown you my picture of me and my nanny?' The baker, from Bedford,then produced a grainy photograph of herself as a child with her grandmother. Scroll down for video Fond memories: She was inspired to don an apron by her late grandmother, and here is Bake Off star Candice Brown with the adored 'nanny' who brought her to tears on the hit show The 31-year-old (pictured) revealed last month how having to produce a raspberry Bakewell tart during pastry week was particularly 'nostalgic' as it brought back fond memories When Mel asked about her grandmother's Bakewell Candice added: 'It was a really really good Bakewell. Mum text me this morning saying nan would be really proud.' The star baker then got emotional before being comforted by the presenter, who told her to 'channel her nan'. Candice, who grew up pulling pints in the pubs her parents ran, loves vintage clothes and switches between baking in her pyjamas and high heels. She has caused huge division among Great British Bake Off fans with many eyeing her as a screen siren and other slamming her 'smug pouting'. Yet she appears defiant in the face of her critics as she gushed about her love of baking in an interview with Radio Times magazine before revealing her mortification over her mishap in Bread Week. The P.E. teacher revealed she found it 'heartbreaking' when she served raw bread in the third week, leaving fans stunned with her offerings of raw dough, a collapsed chocolate loaf and an ill-tempered tantrum. Candice joins Andrew Smyth, Selasi Gbormittah and Jane Beedle in the semi-final and as the finale approaches the gang of experts chatted to the publication about their history of baking and time on the show thus far. The teacher was extremely expressive about her concerns from her bread week failure as she discussed her bitter disappointment. New pet: Candice is thought to have bought a bulldog (left) after her pug Dennis died (right) Candice, who grew up pulling pints in the King William IV pub her parents ran in Kempston (pictured), loves vintage clothes and switches between baking in her pyjamas and high heels All gone wrong: Candice Brown appears defiant in the face of her critics as she gushed about her love of baking in an interview with Radio Times magazine before revealing her mortification over her mishap in Bread Week Getting lippy: Candice, who describes herself as 'a whirlwind' in the kitchen, has become known for her facial expressions as she frustrated viewers with her many pouts and grimaces - all highlighted by her lipstick-stained lips In a mood... The 31-year-old P.E. teacher revealed she found it 'heartbreaking' when she served raw bread in the third week when she stunned fans and hosts with her offerings of raw dough, a collapsed chocolate loaf and an ill-tempered tantrum Oh no! The teacher was extremely expressive about her concerns from her bread week fail as she discussed her bitter disappointment She said: 'Biggest low undoubtedly my raw bread! Heartbreaking and mortifying. I was so embarrassed and still dont know what happened.' Candice, who describes herself as 'a whirlwind' in the kitchen', has become known for her facial expressions as she frustrated viewers with her many pouts and grimaces - all highlighted by her lipstick stained lips. Having kept her job as a P.E. teacher in the special needs department of a secondary school, she revealed she was running on 'adrenaline' with little sleep while the show was being filmed in June. While Candice has caused division among viewers, one star to win legions of fans is Ghanaian bank worker Selasi whose laid-back demeanor has won a place in the hearts of Bake Off fans all over the country. Like Candice, Salasi lamented one of his bakes as he begrudged his less than perfect churros on the fourth week of the show. Cheering on: While Candice has caused division among viewers, one star to win legions of fans is Ghanaian bank worker Selasi whose laid-back demeanor has won a place in the hearts of Bake Off fans all over the country Uh oh! Both Jane and Andrew admitted their lows came in week six's botanical theme, with both falling short and believing the trying tasks would lead to their departure from the show Radio Times is on newsstands now Despite initially hoping to be a chef, the baking hunk began baking and never looked back although admits he has made some big mistakes in the past including a memorably 'shambolic' souffle. Both Jane and Andrew admitted their lows came in week six's botanical theme, with both falling short and believing the trying tasks would lead to their departure from the show. Atop chatting to this year's finalists, Radio Times spoke to previous winners including winner of 2010's inaugural series Edd Kimber. After Channel 4 controversially bought the rights to the show, leading to the departure of Mary Berry, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, he is adamant the programme will never be the same. He said: 'Now its going to C4, I honestly dont think it can really be called The Great British Bake Off, can it? So many ingredients are missing, its like making a loaf of bread and calling it a cake.' Radio Times is on newsstands now Baking their way... The finalists were seen baking away in a twee photo shoot Instead of having surgery, Tom wants his wife to consider alternative medicine A Married at First Sight star fears his marriage is over after he and his wife slept in the same bed for the first time in a long time but she still wasn't ready to be physically intimate. On Tuesday night's episode of the FYI reality series, Nick Pendergrast, 32, and Sonia Granados, 33, enjoy a trip together just a week before they have to decide whether they will stay married or get divorced, but things didn't go exactly the way he is hoping for. Nick has been tirelessly trying to convince Sonia to move back in with him after he regretfully said he wasn't attracted to her during an argument, and while they have been making some progress, he is concerned it may be too late to save their marriage. Scroll down for video Worried: Nick Pendergrast, 32, fears his marriage to Sonia Granados, 33, is over on Tuesday night's episode of the FYI reality series Married at First Sight Disapointed: Nick reveals that Sonia finally agreed to sleep in the same bed with him during an overnight getaway, but they didn't have sex 'Last night Sonia and I slept in the same bed together and it felt good because it was the first time in a long time,' he explains in a preview clip published by Us Weekly. 'It just reminded me that the one thing I am missing in my life is a partner to share everything. I want to fall in love with someone and be married and live happily ever after.' Although he repeatedly claimed a few weeks prior that he wasn't attracted to her, he has since been singing a different tune. 'I am really attracted to my life, but unfortunately, we did not have sex last night,' Nick admits. Regrets: The vacation rental manager says sleeping in bed with Sonia reminded him how much he wants to be married and have someone to share his life with Already over: Meanwhile, Sonia wishes they had more time on their vacation together The vacation rental manager went on to say that he doesn't 'see her really wanting to move back in' before decision day, and he's not entirely sure why. 'She's not emotionally ready or feels like it's worth it, or I don't know what it means,' he says. 'I feel like she should maybe be giving it a little more forward effort because, like, in a week we have to decide if we're going to stay married,' he adds. 'I'm scared because our marriage might be over.' And while Nick is confused about the status of their relationship, Sonia tells the cameras that it wasn't weird waking up with her husband, which is a good thing. Hard to tell: Sonia insists it wasn't weird waking up with Nick, but she seems confused about where they stand as a married couple Impressed: During their trip, Nick is blown away by how stunning Sonia looks in a little black dress 'I'm sad that we're leaving because I wish that we can stay here longer,' she says of their trip. 'But I'm ready for this last week, and [we will] see what happens. You never know with this.' During their getaway, Sonia got all dolled up for one of their dinner dates, wearing a bright red lip and a low-cut black dress that hugged her curves. 'I am absolutely blown away by how she looks in that dress,' Nick says, and Sonia admits that her husband's admiration is 'nice to hear'. Sonia explains that their day together had been 'amazing', but she was worried about what would be said during dinner. Eating his words: Although Nick claimed he wasn't attracted to Sonia in a previous agreement, he is now singing a different tune Hesitation: When Nick asks Sonia if she wants to move back in before they have to decide whether or not they will stay married, she looks unsure Nick once again brought up her moving back in, and from the looks of things, Sonia isn't too keen on the idea. Meanwhile, Tom Wilson, 28, convinces Lillian Vilchez, 25, to take the refurbished bus he was living in before they got married on a weekend getaway before decision day. Lillian, who says she is willing to do anything to make her marriage work, agrees, but she looks a bit uncomfortable living on a bus, especially when a pile of dust bursts out of the vents because Tom forgot to clean them. However, it is clear when they returned to Miami that their second honeymoon was a success. 'We had a great trip. You know we had a lot of positive moments,' Tom tells the cameras. 'We are still working together to make marriage work, and especially traveling with somebody else, especially on a bus I mean we had a great trip.' Going for it: Meanwhile, Tom Wilson, 28, convinces Lillian Vilchez, 25, to take the refurbished bus he was living in before they got married on a weekend getaway Price and joy: It took Tom a long time to finally admit to Lillian that he lived on a bus before they got married However, things start to go south when they went out for some celebratory beers, and Tom brings up Lillian's upcoming shoulder surgery. After Lillian reveals that she has already gotten a second and a third opinion from other doctors about the surgery, Tom asks her whether she would be willing to consider seeing someone who specializes in alternative medicine. Tom insists that 'it's not like hocus pocus', but Lillian is uninterested from the get-go. 'You're not willing to give it a chance?' Tom asks, and Lillian reiterates that she went to medical school in Nicaragua and 'an MRI isn't going to lie to you'. Whoops! Lillian is appalled when a pile of dust bursts out of the vents of the bus because Tom forgot to clean them Cheers! After their successful trip, the couple happily celebrate by grabbing a few beers However, he continues to push the issue, noting that there are 'way more options out there'. 'You've only gone with physicians that are teaching the same group of medicines. You are getting the same people telling you the same thing,' he argues. 'It's not like you are committing to anything, but see what they have to offer,' he adds. 'It could save you thousands and thousands of dollars.' Lillian admits to the cameras that she doesn't think Tom fully understands everything she has been through with her shoulder injury, and while she claims she appreciates his intentions, she is clearly not pleased that he won't drop it. Trouble in paradise: However, things turn sour when Tom insists Lillian should consider seeing an alternative medicine practitioner before having surgery on her shoulder Different opinions: Lillian refuses, and while she is frustrated that Tom isn't listening to her, he is annoyed that she won't consider what he is saying She finally tells her husband that it is difficult for her to listen to him tell her that she should be seeking alternative medicine when she has been to medical school and understands the science. 'You won't even give it a chance?' Tom asks, and Lillian counters that there is a tear in her ligament that is a part of her bone. 'I am too young to be having to worry about bone disease at my age. Like I am 25, No,' she says, completely shutting him down. Lillian admits that she worries about her relationship with Tom because he doesn't know 'when to just listen'. Meanwhile, Tom is equally concerned with his wife's behavior. Your wedding day is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. But one man feared his nuptials would be ruined because of his embarrassing sweat problem - so much so that he has been forced to seek expert help. Appearing on last night's episode of Body Fixers, Jonathon told doctors he was unable to control his perspiration - a fact which was destroying his confidence and even his sex life. Appearing on Body Fixers, Jonathon explained: 'I only put this t-shirt on half an hour ago and its not even hot today. Its not comfortable for me. Its more abnormal than anything else' Jonathon shows off his sweat patches. He told doctors he was unable to control his perspiration - a fact which was destroying his confidence and even his sex life Meeting the team of experts alongside his fiancee Gemma, Jonathon removed his jacket and held up his arms to reveal large sweat patches on his t-shirt. The pair revealed their fears that Jonathon sweat-drenched pits and forehead would ruin their wedding photos. 'I only put this t-shirt on half an hour ago and its not even hot today,' he explained. 'Its not comfortable for me. Its more abnormal than anything else. 'It looks like Ive had water chucked in my face. I feel like everyones laughing at me. I am the joke. They say its good to sweat, but not this much. The pair worried their big day would be ruined with Gemma saying: 'Were getting married abroad next year and I just feel like its really going to get in the way and ruin our wedding' Doctors diagnosed hyperhidrosis, a condition which causes a person to sweat excessively. The couple explained they had booked a wedding in Santorini, Greece, next summer Gemma added: 'Were getting married abroad next year and I just feel like its really going to get in the way and ruin our wedding. 'Im really worried its going to ruin all the photos, were going to have all these memories to look back on - and theyre not going to be fantastic.' The couple explained they had booked a wedding in Santorini, Greece, next summer, where Jonathan had originally proposed. Doctors diagnosed hyperhidrosis, a condition which causes a person to sweat excessively. The condition can be localised in certain parts of the body - from hands to feet or even groin - due to the high concentration of sweat glands. Body Fixers expert Melissa is stunned when she sees the extent of Jonathon's problem. Following his diagnosis the team sent Jonathon to Dr Tijion Esho Jonathon shows off his sweat patches. For people with hyperhidrosis, surgery is often a last resort if antiperspirants and other medications havent worked and it is relatively low risk They even asked the pair how Jonathon's condition was affecting their sex life, to which Gemma replied: 'It's not very nice.' Her partner added: 'It's dripping in her mouth. It's her hair.' Following his diagnosis the team sent Jonathon to Dr Tijion Esho who said it was a 'very common' problem and he would be happy to help. For people with hyperhidrosis, surgery is often a last resort if antiperspirants and other medications havent worked and it is relatively low risk. Botox can be also used to treat the condition, but is not a permanent solution and is not always covered by insurance. Last week the Body Fixers team spoke to 'tanorexic' Hanna, from South Wales, who said she had spent a staggering 35,000 on fake tan. The 21-year-old said she had been labelled an 'oompa loompa' thanks to her habit that sees her spending around four and a half hours applying tan herself each day. Walking down the aisle in a sweeping white gown, Melissa looks the picture of happiness next to her new husband Clark. With the ceremony over, the guests burst into applause and throw confetti over the young couple, who lean in for a kiss on what appears to be the happiest day of their lives. Just one thing is amiss, though - Clark and Melissa have never set eyes on each other before in their lives, and their nuptials will be their first ever meeting. Student nurse Melissa, 27, was paired with business development executive Clark, 26, in the new series of Married At First Sight - despite the pair never having met before The duo have been thrown together courtesty of Married at First Sight, the Channel4 dating show that pairs couples based on scientific data. The series sets out to see whether science can really help us to fall in love, by throwing together a group of young men and women who have so far been unable to find a long-term partner. Student nurse Melissa, 27, reacts in shock when she is told that experts have managed to find her a potential love match and she'll be tying the knot in just six weeks. 'It's just crazy, oh my God,' she says, burying her head in her hands. Meanwhile her husband-to-be - and complete stranger - is 26-year-old Clark, a business development executive. Melissa donned a sweeping white gown for the lavish ceremony at Islington Town Hall. Until their wedding all the bride and groom knew about each other were their first names Special moment: as the pair locked eyes for the first time they were both close to tears, with Clark telling his bride: 'You look amazing,' before the pair exchange their vows When vicar Nick Devenish - part of the panel of experts - tells Clark they have found him a bride, he appears speechless, eventually managing: 'Wow, that's great, that's amazing.' He is told nothing about his wife-to-be apart from her name, saying: 'Wow, that's a very nice name. I am so nervous right now.' Despite not having laid eyes on Melissa, he tells cameras: 'I don't think I've ever been more ready in my life. To be committed to someone is the one thing I've been missing, massively. I don't think I've ever been more certain of anything in my entire life. I am ready to say "I do."' The pair arrange to marry at Islington Town Hall, London - and despite his friends' doubts, Clark is adamant that he is making the right decision. Melissa makes her way to the wedding venue. She reacted in shock when she was told that experts had found her a potential love match. 'It's just crazy, oh my God,' she said The bridal party make their entrance. Clark had previously told cameras: 'I don't think I've ever been more ready in my life. To be committed to someone is the one thing I've been missing' Melissa has an emotional moment as she prepares to see her husband for the first time at the wedding venue. Later the pair bonded over the ideal 'teeth to gum ratio' and zodiac signs When the big day arrives in June 2016, the nerves begin to set in and Clark tells friends: 'I just hope she likes me. I can actually feel my heart in my head.' And as the pair lock eyes for the first time they are both close to tears with Clark telling his bride: 'You look amazing.' 'So do you, thank God!' she replies. The couple exchange a brief kiss on the cheek before exchanging vows. After the ceremony, they sit down with a glass of champagne and begin the awkward process of getting to know everything about each other - with Clark admitting he's relieved his new wife has the right 'tooth to gum ratio'. Before the ceremony begins, the nerves begin to set in and Clark tells friends: 'I just hope she likes me. I can actually feel my heart in my head' Emotional: And as the pair lock eyes for the first time they are both close to tears with Clark telling his bride: 'You look amazing' Melissa appears to be regretting her decision when the best man reveals that Clark has ploughed through 'numerous' failed relationships in his life. However, romance is in the air when they take to the floor for their first dance to Ray Charles' Come Rain or Shine. 'I really am the luckiest guy ever,' Clark says. As they leave the wedding party, he adds: 'We've known each other for less than five hours and it feels like I've known you for ages. According to the show's formula, the pair now have five weeks to see if their marriage will work. This year, producers received nearly 3,500 willing volunteers looking for love. Guests throw confetti following the ceremony. The couple will now have to survive a honeymoon and four weeks of living as man and wife despite being complete strangers So far so good: Melissa and Clark appear the picture of happiness after their wedding. This year, producers received nearly 3,500 willing volunteers looking for love on the programme By putting their trust in science and a panel of experts - psychologist Mark Coulson; sex and relationship therapist Jo Coker; evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Machin; and Nick Devenish, a Church of England vicar - they all hope to find the man or women of their dreams. Experts sift through thousands of applicants until eight singletons are set to become four couples. The five-week 'experiment' begins when the couples meet as complete strangers and marry at first sight, and continues with a honeymoon and four weeks of living together as man and wife. It concludes with 'decision day', when the couples must decide whether to stay together or seek a divorce. The surgery costs around AUD $4,000 and recovery time is just 1-2 days FEMAIL talks to cosmetic surgeon, Dr Jack Zoumaras, about the procedure The surgery works best for older women who want more youthful labias This involves injecting fat from one part of the body to a woman's labia If you thought the recent cosmetic surgery trend for 'scrotox' (that's having Botox injected into your scrotum for the uninitiated) was gross, try this one for size. 'Labia puffing' involves injecting fat from one part of a patient's body into the labia majora in order to boost volume, add elasticity and remove creases. The idea is that it makes an older woman's private parts look more youthful, while also rejuvenating someone's lower half. Bizarre and new: The latest cosmetic surgery trend is for 'labia puffing', which basically involves injecting fat from one part of the body into the labia majora (stock image) Designer vagina: This procedure is done in order to boost volume, add elasticity and remove creases - FEMAIL chats to cosmetic surgeon, Dr Jack Zoumaras (pictured) about the surgery The procedure costs around AUD $4,000, and takes a mere hour to complete. 'As we age, we lose fat and labia puffing aims to restore that fat lost,' cosmetic surgeon, Dr Jack Zoumaras, from Artiste Plastic Surgery, told Daily Mail Australia. 'Fat is harvested via liposuction from the stomach or outer thighs and transferred via injection into the labia majora.' Takes years off: The idea is that labia puffing makes an older woman's private parts look more youthful, while also rejuvenating someone's lower half (stock image) Short and sharp: The procedure costs around AUD $4,000, and takes a mere hour to complete (pictured: Dr Jack Zoumaras) OTHER BIZARRE SURGICAL PROCEDURES * NAIL BED PROCEDURE: This involves removing a portion of the hard nail and exposing the underlying nail (matrix) where the nail forms. This nail matrix is then alter by surgical excision to manipulate the width of the nail. This procedure takes 90 minutes and costs AUD $3-$4,000. * CHIN OR CHEEK DIMPLE PROCEDURE: A chin or cheek dimple is created by forming an internal adhesion or scar in the chin or cheek by suturing the internal mucosa and muscle to the dermis (deep skin). This procedure takes an hour and costs AUD $3,000. * CALF DEFINITION: This increasingly popular service makes the calf muscle appear more defined and larger. * EXCESS BOOB SKIN REMOVAL: Surgeons report that the removal of the flap of skin that spills over the bra has also become another common as a form of surgery. Advertisement According to the experts, the surgery includes minimal downtime (around one to two days), and works best on older women or those who have lost a significant amount of weight. Labia puffing is also billed as a less significant surgery option than a labiaplasty, which, according to Dr Zoumaras, who trained under Audrey Hepburn's plastic surgeon, 'is more invasive as you are shaping the inner labia (minora) surgically'. Downtime for this sort of treatment is around one week. 'As we age, we lose fat and labia puffing aims to restore that fat lost,' Dr Jack Zoumaras told Daily Mail Australia 'In Australia at the present time, this is not a procedure that is hugely requested, but watch this space,' Dr Zoumaras said. 'The vast majority of patients interested in labia surgery request a labiaplasty or "designer vagina". They are usually of a younger age group. 'But, for an older patient, a combined labiaplasty and labia puffing can create a youthful and younger vagina.' It often leaves us with a red eye, painful to touch and extremely itchy. But other symptoms of conjunctivitis include watering eyes and a sticky discharge. Many are left confused as to what causes the irritating condition - without knowing there are a few different forms and a range of triggers. Here in a piece for The Conversation, Jason Yosar, from the University of Queensland, explains exactly what the different forms are and how you can get it. Jason Yosar, from the University of Queensland, explains exactly what conjuctivitis is Conjunctivitis is an eye disease that has been described since antiquity. Ancient Roman oculists, the eye physicians of the time, prescribed remedies such as vinegar lotions and copper oxide for its treatment. Though the treatments have changed over the last 2,000 years, the disease has not. Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva, the normally transparent membrane that sits atop the sclera (the white part of the eye). It can affect one or both eyes and commonly causes redness, grittiness, irritation, itchiness and discharge that can be watery or sticky. THE CONJUNCTIVA: THE EYEBALL'S PROTECTIVE COAT The conjunctiva is a thin, transparent mucous membrane that is about 33 microns thick (roughly the same thickness as two sheets of cling wrap stuck together). It lines the front part of the eyeball over the white sclera as well as the inner aspect of the eyelids, forming a continuous layer that physically prevents debris such as fallen eyelashes from migrating to the back of the eye socket. The conjunctiva is a thin, transparent mucous membrane that is about 33 microns thick. It lines the front part of the eyeball over the white sclera as well as the inner aspect of the eyelids The conjunctiva secretes mucus and tears to help lubricate the eye, and contains immune cells and tissue that help to prevent infection. Its rich supply of blood vessels dilate in response to irritation and inflammation. This leads to the distinctive red eye that occurs in conjunctivitis, dry eye, tiredness and other eye diseases. Conjunctivitis may be divided into three main categories according to cause. VIRAL CONJUNCTIVITIS Viral conjunctivitis is the most common form of infectious conjunctivitis. A virus called adenovirus - which also causes respiratory infections and diarrhoea - is responsible for 65-90 per cent of all cases of viral conjunctivitis. Other viruses, such as herpes simplex virus and varicella zoster virus can also cause conjunctivitis. The affected eye is red, itchy, irritated and gritty and produces watery discharge similar to tears. A virus called adenovirus - which also causes respiratory infections and diarrhoea - is responsible for 65-90 per cent of all cases of viral conjunctivitis The virus commonly affects one eye first before quickly spreading to the other eye. It may be accompanied by a sore throat or runny nose typical of a common cold. It occurs more frequently in adults than in children. Eye secretions and droplets from the respiratory tract of infected people transmit the virus. Because it is highly contagious, it often causes epidemics in schools and workplaces and among household members. No effective antiviral medication currently exists for viral conjunctivitis. Antibiotic eye drops are not effective. Treatment is aimed at symptom relief. This involves lubricating eye drops, cold compresses and antihistamine eye drops. The disease usually self-resolves in two to three weeks. BACTERIAL CONJUNCTIVITIS Bacterial conjunctivitis is less common than viral conjunctivitis. It is caused by bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Moraxella catarrhalis and Haemophilus influenzae. These bacteria are members of the normal colonies living on healthy eyes and usually do not cause disease. However, they can proliferate and cause conjunctivitis in certain conditions, such as dry eye, after damage to the eye, or in a weakened immune system. Bacterial conjunctivitis leaves eyes red, irritated and gritty and can affect both eyes More commonly, though, these bacteria simply cause conjunctivitis when transmitted from an infected person to a non-infected person. Like viral conjunctivitis, bacterial conjunctivitis is contagious. One or both eyes may be involved and they are also red, irritated and gritty. However, bacterial conjunctivitis usually produces a sticky whitish or yellowish discharge like pus, in contrast to the watery tears of viral conjunctivitis. Broad-spectrum antibiotic eye drops, such as chloramphenicol, are effective in reducing how long the symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis last. However, it is important to note bacterial conjunctivitis frequently resolves even without treatment. Antibiotic eye drops are effective in reducing the symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis Less commonly, gonorrhoea and chlamydia can cause conjunctivitis. These typically occur in sexually active young adults with direct or indirect eye exposure to infected genital secretions, or in babies born via vaginal delivery to infected mothers. These diagnoses should be suspected in any case of conjunctivitis that features excessive pus-like discharge, or fails to respond to standard antibiotic eye drops. These conditions should be assessed promptly by an ophthalmologist. ALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVITIS Allergic conjunctivitis is triggered by exposure to allergens. These include pollen, dust mites and animal dander. Because it is not caused by micro-organisms, this condition is not contagious and avoiding school or work is not required. Redness, itchiness and watering of both eyes are the prominent features. These may be accompanied by an itchy nose, itchy throat and sneezing. Redness, itchiness and watering of both eyes are the prominent features of allergic conjunctivitis. These may be accompanied by an itchy nose, itchy throat and sneezing Identifying and avoiding the offending allergen is important for treatment. This may require an allergy test. Symptom relief can be achieved through lubricating eye drops, cold compresses and antihistamine eye drops and tablets. These are available over the counter at pharmacies. However, eye drops containing the active ingredients antazoline and naphazoline should not be used for long periods as these may cause a rebound red eye when they are stopped. I THINK I HAVE CONJUNCTIVITIS - WHAT NOW? It is important to note that pain, sensitivity to light and visual disturbances are not features of conjunctivitis. These may indicate a sight-threatening eye disease which requires urgent treatment by an ophthalmologist. A visit to the nearest hospital emergency department is warranted if any of these symptoms occur. A visit to the nearest hospital emergency department is warranted if any symptoms occur With any case of suspected conjunctivitis, first, stop wearing contact lenses (if you do) for the duration of the episode, and see your GP. If necessary, your GP can refer you to an ophthalmologist or ophthalmology walk-in clinic to ensure you do not have a more serious variety such as herpes simplex, varicella zoster, chlamydia or gonorrhoea. People with viral or bacterial conjunctivitis should avoid work or school and public swimming pools until symptoms settle. Working as a teacher makes it easier for women to become pregnant by IVF, a study shows. Teachers were six times more likely than comparable occupations to conceive because their long summer holidays mean they are less stressed and freer to attend appointments. But female bankers were 60 per cent less likely to become pregnant than women of similar income and education, the researchers said. Teachers were six times more likely than comparable occupations to conceive because their long summer holidays and being freer to attend appointments (stock image) Jacob Anderson, who co-founded the website Fertility IQ with his wife Deborah, collected information from 1,123 respondents who had had fertility treatment. In findings to be presented to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine congress in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mr Anderson says: Patients who reported their occupation as teacher during the time of treatment recorded a six-fold higher likelihood of success, after controlling for variables like age, income, race and geographical location. HOW HAIR TESTS CAN HELP WOMEN'S HOPE FOR A BABY A test that measures how stressed a woman is from strands of their hair can help predict how likely they are to become pregnant. Those with high levels of the stress hormone cortisol which can be measured in hair were 27 per cent less likely to become pregnant during IVF treatment, said scientists at Nottingham University. They hope the test will help stressed people make changes in their lives that may improve their chances of pregnancy. The researchers, whose findings are published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, believe that interventions to reduce cortisol prior to infertility treatment could improve outcomes for patients. Because hair grows at the rate of about 1cm a month on average, 3cm of hair can provide an average read-out of stress levels over three months. Scientists took cortisol readings from hair or saliva samples from 135 women at a fertility clinic and noted that short-term spikes in cortisol did not affect pregnancy chances only raised levels over longer periods had an effect. Professor Kavita Vedhara from the universitys School of Medicine said: These findings are compelling but more research is needed to more fully understand the factors that influence cortisol levels in patients. Advertisement Patients who reported working in fields categorized as sales, marketing and public relations recorded a two-fold higher rate of success. But bankers and female software engineers had greater difficulty becoming pregnant. Mr Anderson told the Daily Mail that follow-up interviews with teachers showed that nearly all of them had their IVF cycle during the long summer school holiday. This meant they were less stressed and freer for the appointments, which could otherwise be during work hours. He said: Most teachers think they have a very stressful job. But they have the summer vacation off to undergo IVF cycles, they can make appointments, get everything done, at a time when their stress levels go right down. He said that in the US the exception was teachers who worked in Catholic schools, where they may have to keep quiet about having IVF because it is not approved by the Catholic Church. Bankers fared badly because in the traditionally male-dominated profession it was difficult to get time off work for IVF appointments. This was despite many banks offering lavish financial support for fertility treatment. Mr Anderson said: What these women [bankers] tell us is they are leading a double life they are not allowed out to go to appointments for fertility treatment. This is a very fragile process if you are hours too early, or hours too late, the IVF procedure may not work. In addition, high levels of stress produce a hormone, cortisol, that has been shown to have a negative impact on fertility. Sales people many of whom worked out of the office and were able to set their own schedules were also more successful at becoming pregnant. Working as a teacher makes it easier for women to become pregnant by IVF, a study shows (stock image) The difficulties of bankers becoming pregnant went against a trend where higher household income generally meant women having IVF were more successful. Patients enjoying a joint household income of more than $99,000 (81,000) were 80 per cent more likely to succeed at becoming pregnant than those earning less. In conclusion, the authors write: Patients working in the fields of education, sales, marketing and public relations may benefit in ways patients employed in other categories do not. Taapsee Pannu plays a fierce, independent Delhi girl in Aniruddha Roy Choudhary's latest movie, PINK, out now in cinemas across India. A blazing courtroom drama, PINK has wowed critics and audiences alike and actress Taapsee Pannu, who plays Delhi-based event manager Meenal Arora, is being heralded as the face of a new brand of strong Indian woman. Scroll down for video: Taapsee Pannu says her life has changed after PINK PINK is the story of three girls (Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari and Andrea Tariang) who are molested by Rajveer (Angad Bedi) but are instead charged of assault for attacking the molester. The Indian Express called it, "A blazing indictment of all thats wrong with us". While the Times of India said, "PINK is a powerful statement on the existing feudal mindset of a majority of India, where men and women are judged by a different yardstick". Taapsee played an independent Delhi girl Meenal MailOnline spoke to Taapsee about PINK, and the rights of other independent Indian women who take great encouragement in PINK's narrative as three girls fight for the right to lead a life on their own terms. Taapsee is currently shooting Naam Shabana, an action thriller narrating the story of a Muslim girls journey to become a secret agent. The success of PINK, has opened the door for the actress to take up strong characters and her career is expected to blossom after such a commanding performance. Taapsee is currently shooting Naam Shabana in Malaysia along with her Baby co-star Akshay Kumar "PINK made me the brand ambassador of women fighting and raising a voice for their rights. Its heartening to note that the movie sent across the message without being too preachy, says Taapsee. 'When a woman says 'no' she means NO' was the message that Pink offered, and ever since the movie was released in September, Taapsee has been giving speeches, attending seminars to talk about the life of urban, young women and their freedom to explore their sexuality. A blazing courtroom drama PINK came across as a powerful narration in Indian mainstream movies in which Amitabh Bachchan played a lawyer Produced by Shoojit Sircar, the movie was hailed as one of its kind for Bollywood; but in many ways similar to Hollywood film The Accused, starring Jodie Foster. "I have grown up suffering eve-teasing and cat calls. Touched and rubbed inappropriately while travelling in Delhi's public transport. "What's most appalling is that like most Indian girls, I was also conditioned to ignore such people and never to react." says Taapsee. "Most of the time I would not tell anything to my parents, fearing I would be grounded at home by them," she adds. "I may sound politically incorrect, but our surroundings are truly unsafe," adds Taapsee. Born and bred in Delhi, Taapsee has faced eve teasing and abuse, while growing up Taking her journey forward, Taapsee will soon be seen in Naam Shabana along with Akshay Kumar - a prequel to hit 2015 action thriller Baby, which was directed by Neeraj Pandey. Taapsee's small yet defining action sequence in Baby had left her fans asking for more. "Naam Shabana is revolutionary in its own way as it is about hardship faced by Indian women who intend to work as an undercover agent," said Taapsee. "I was told that my small action role in Baby was smashing and they wanted to see more. The movie will take the audience to the journey for which I am learning Japanese martial arts," she adds. Taapsee started her Bollywood career with Chasme Baddoor PINK narrated life of three close friends and room mates who seek an independent life A normal middle-class girl from a Sikh family, Taapsee was more inclined towards achieving her academic goals as a kid, and her only association with the arts was her weekly Kathak and Bharatnatyam lessons. It was only when she received an offer letter from tech giant Infosys when Taapsee finished her engineering studies that she realised her true calling was to be an actor. A short modelling stint, and a whopping 23 southern films later, Taapsee finally made a foray into Bollywood movies with the David Dhawans Chasme Baddoor. But her performance in PINK has propelled her to a much higher level. "PINK has reflected the times that we are living in. We all dream of having a clean and a safe society, but, do not want to work for it. "Nobody wants to speak about it and no one really care to create a safe society," says Taapsee, who has so far answered umpteen emails sent by women from all across south-Asia, discussing subjugation and exploitation of women. Rajkumar Santoshi's Damini, released in 1993, was the last memorable movie discussing sexual exploitation and rape, made more than two decades ago. Indian movies have popularly gained infamy for objectifying women on screen, or reducing the female characters to banal decorative pieces with larger than life role safely offered to the hero. Thankfully, the ideology is changing as a distinct shift is being noticed in many contemporary movies. "This is the best time to be an actress in Indian films. Though female-oriented movies have been made on regular basis, the frequency has increased lately as the audience taste has changed," signs off Taapsee. Amid indications that the BJP will not be revealing a chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, the party has sounded the poll bugle by scheduling eight rallies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the next two months. Beginning with Mahoba on October 24, the party will kick-start its poll campaign with Parivartan Yatras, which will start from four corners of Uttar Pradesh and culminate in a mega rally in Lucknow on December 25, the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. BJP president Amit Shah, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, veteran party leader Kalraj Mishra and state party chief Keshav Prasad Maurya will flag off the four yatras. BJP will use armys surgical strikes in its poll campaign. Union minister Mahesh Sharma and MP Yogi Adityanath have been entrusted to counter-mobilise Hindu votes against similar attempts by SPs Azam Khan among Muslims. Other rallies will be held in Saharanpur, Lalitpur, Ballia and Sonbhadra. Party leaders said the four yatras will pass through every district of Uttar Pradesh in the 62 days. The BJPs massive election campaign will be centered around the decisive leadership of the Prime Minister, along with his empathy and concern for the poor in the form of about 80 Central schemes. Apart from the surgical strikes, the BJP is also building up a campaign around Modi by portraying him as the main architect of developmental projects undertaken by the Centre. Modi has already addressed two rallies in Saharanpur and Lucknow. On the issue of surgical strikes by the Indian Army, party insiders said that the BJP is making people aware on the governments role in the decision. BJP sources said the party will project the developmental works done by the Centre. On Monday, state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya gave indications that the party will not project any chief ministerial candidate. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressing the Regional Editor in Chandigarh All parties are waiting for the chief ministerial candidate of BJP... It is a clear policy of our party that we will contest the elections without projecting any face, he said in Bareilly. BJP had projected chief ministerial faces for the Assam and Delhi Assembly polls. While we succeeded in Assam, we lost in Delhi. We fought Haryana and Jharkhand without projecting any CM candidate and won, Maurya said, adding that the BJP will win over 300 of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh and the partys central parliamentary board will decide on the chief minister. Having decided to project Modi in the campaign in a bigger way, the senior leadership has also advised the state leaders, including Yogi Adityanath, Mahesh Sharma and others, not to make unnecessary political statements which often lead to controversies. Though a section of the BJP believes the Hindutva card will not help the party, no chances are being taken. Former Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna could join the BJP in the next few days. The 67-year-old MLA from Lucknow Cantonment has been chomping at the bit ever since former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and her new team took charge of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC). Though both her brother, Vijay Bahuguna and the BJP have feigned ignorance about the possibility of her joining the party, those in the know claim that negotiations with the BJP top brass are currently underway, and it is just a matter of days before she is formally inducted into the BJP party. Rita Bahuguna Joshi is an MLA from Lucknow Cantonment and is apparently upset over Sheila's elevation Her position in the Congress party had come under a cloud ever since her brother and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna decided to defect to the BJP, with 9 MLAs including his son, Saket Bahuguna. Since then, she has found herself sidelined within the Congress. One important reason that appears to have motivated her to think in terms of changing her party is the fact that Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law, Dimple Yadav will also contest the 2017 Assembly polls from Lucknow. She was keen on changing her constituency, but the party did not accede to her request for such change. Sources close to India Today, on the condition of anonymity said that she feels hemmed in and the only recourse left, in case she wants to prolong her political career, is to move to the BJP. Samajwadi Party supermo Mulayam Singh Yadav is looking for strong strategy ahead of polls in UP She is no longer a major player in the Congress party. The leaderships trust in her appears to have eroded after her brother jumped the ship and those around her feel that if she cannot retain her seat, it could well spell the end of her political career. Bahuguna has a fair amount of political pedigree. Her father Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna was one of UPs formidable politicians and has been both a chief minister and a Union Cabinet minister for several years. Her brother served as the CM of Uttarakhand before he was replaced by Harish Rawat in the wake of his mishandling of the Uttarakhand landslide. She began her career in the Samajwadi Party and was the mayor of Allahabad and later moved to the Congress. Her father was a staunch secularist and vehemently opposed to the BJP. Though he fell out with the Congress, he is still remembered in UP for his opposition to the Sangh Parivars ideology and its world view. Bahuguna has been incommunicado ever since the news of her possible drift towards the BJP started making the rounds. Members of her extended family and her political associates did suggest that a move cannot be ruled out, but the final word on this will have to come from Bahuguna herself. Bahuguna is said to be unhappy with the Congress leadership over projection of Sheila Dikshit as the Congress partys chief ministerial face and feels increasingly marginalised since Raj Babbar was made the UP party chief. She believes she had better credentials to be projected as a Brahmin chief ministerial face than Sheila Dikshit. She also faces a tough electoral prospect as Congress candidate in the coming state elections in UP. Samajwadi Party has announced that Aparna Yadav, daughter-in-law of its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, will contest the assembly poll from Lucknow Cantonment seat. At the AICC briefing, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said, some television channels have been running this with a question mark, but party spokespersons do not answer speculation. Flipkart and Amazon kicked off their second festive sale on Monday with an ad blitz announcing hefty discounts. Amazon in its four-day sale offered mobile handsets such as Apple iPhone 6s 64GB at a discounted price of Rs 46,000, which it claimed was significantly lower than the market price of Rs 54,000. Similarly a Moto X Force was being sold at Rs 25,000, down from the market price of Rs 35,000. Flipkart and Amazon, kicked off their second festive sale for October. Pictured Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Wearables and mobile accessories were also on offer at discounts ranging from 20% to 40%. Electronics such as TVs and cameras were also available at a 30% discounts while as much 60% was off on kids clothing. Flipkart which has launched a three-day sale from October 17 to 19 was offering 60% off clothing and 50 to 70% discounts on shoes. The online shopping portals are giving huge discounts on iphone, watches, backpacks, sky-bags and sunglasses The discount on goods such as watches, backpacks, sky-bags and sunglasses was even higher at 50 to 80%. The two companies along with Gurgaon-based Snapdeal have been slugging it out for a greater share of the Indian e-commerce pie. The earlier sale, a fortnight ago, had seen frenzied buying by consumers on all e-commerce platforms following which a spat had broken between home grown Flipkart and the Indian arm of US giant Amazon with each claiming to have notched up bigger sales. The debate was triggered by Redseer Consulting saying that the festive sale had generated $ 1.2 billion for e-commerce companies, but Flipkart may have outperformed Amazon to consolidate its top position. Flipkart is reported to be in talks with US-based retail giant Walmart, among others, to raise fresh funds of up to $1 billion After the slowdown in the first six months, the festival sale was to be a green patch. This has been a bumper sale and Flipkarts execution has been much stronger and it is evident, Anil Kumar, founder and chief executive of RedSeer Consulting had said. However, Jeff Bezos-led Amazon had dismissed the RedSeer claim as directionally off and false. Both Flipkart and Snapdeal have seen a markdown in their values and it is becoming increasingly difficult to raise fresh funding as investors are keen that they generate profits. Both companies are keen to increase sales in order to drive up valuations ad present a rosy growth-oriented picture. Flipkart is reported to be in talks with US-based retail giant Walmart, among others, to raise fresh funds of up to $1 billion. Since he took over CEO in January, Binny Bansal has gone back to Flipkarts original premise of superior customer service, while cutting costs, consolidating sellers and improving logistics to reach buyers more quickly. A Morgan Stanley managed mutual fund has slashed the valuation of Flipkart by 15.5 per cent to USD 9.39 billion. The mark down in May came close on the heels of similar scaling down in the valuation of the leading e-commerce major by a number of investors like Fidelity Investments and T Rowe Price. Morgan Stanley is a minority but significant investor in Flipkart. This was the second devaluation in three months bringing down the value of the e-commerce major by 38% from its peak in June 2015 at USD 15.2 billion. Deepika Padukone's fans cannot stop raving about her 'Indian accent' since the first trailer of her Hollywood debut with Vin Diesel, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, was aired on Sunday night. Twitter has been abuzz with mixed response over her ethnic accent as the one-minute long video was revealed at the opening episode of reality show Bigg Boss season 10, hosted by Salman Khan. While a few slammed her for speaking in a 'typical south-Indian accent' similar to what was seen in her previous blockbuster hit Chennai Express, while some of her fans were clearly happy for retaining her 'originality'. Scroll down for video: Deepika launched the trailer of xXx: The Return of Xander Cage at the opening episode of reality show Bigg Boss 10 Deepika's accent was celebrated by the Indian audience, who had earlier slammed Priyanka Chopra for her 'fake American accent' when the trailer of Quantico was aired last year. Deepika herself seemed surprised when British-Indian actor Sanjeev Bhaskar, famous for his show The Kumars At No. 42, was appreciative of the Bajirao Mastani actress. "Never met @DeepikaPadukone, but always liked her. Will watch this for her," wrote Sanjeev on his Twitter handle. Deepika has carefully chosen not speak in an accent, which made her sound different in her first Hollywood outing. In an recent interview to Hindustan Times, Deepika said that her accent in the trailer emerged as a point of debate. Her fans are happy that she retained her original accent instead of sounding fake in xXx The Piku star clarified that she was proud to speak in her natural Indian accent, and added that it was a matter of great pride. One of Bollywoods top heroines, Deepika has said the Indian accent, like any other accent, should also make a global impact. Deepika's accent has been compared to her southern accent in Chennai Express Why not? For years, we have accepted the British and Australian accent, for example. So its high time we accept an Indian accent, she said. Deepika further said that accents,"will happen on project-to-project basis or role-to-role basis." Of course such things (accents) matter, but this one particular film and role gave me an opportunity to be proud of who I am and where I come from. Why wont I make most of it?," she said in the same interview. Deepika will be seen opposite Vin Diseal in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage Deepika's character Serena Unger is Indian, which explains why she did not feel the need to acquire a distinct accent. She portrays an Indian character named Serena Unger I play an Indian girl in the film, and for me its a matter of great pride that I get to be myself. That is one of the aspects that drew me to the script and attracted me to do this film, the fact that for once, I was allowed to be myself is fantastic. I was allowed to flaunt that I am Indian she added. Her accent has come has a whiff of fresh air for her loyal fans who thought it was departure from Priyanka's American accent as FBI agent Alex Parish in Quantico. Since Priyanka had played an Indian-American agent, her accent was needed for the character. She had clarified the secret behind her American accent, after she was mercilessly slammed on Twitter. The Indian Air Force has been accused of acting too harshly over the dismissal of fighter pilot after an "illicit" affair led to the suicide of a senior female officer. This landmark observation has been made by a military court while giving relief to a fighter pilot who was removed from service after the affair was revealed. While scrapping the decision to dismiss the officer for, "stealing the affection of a brother officers wife", the Armed Forces Tribunal has also advised the Indian Air Force against giving harsh punishments out to male officers for having affairs with their colleagues spouses. The Indian Air Force has been accused of acting too harshly over the dismissal of fighter pilot after an "illicit" affair led to the suicide of a senior female officer (pictured - an Su-30MKI) The court also hit out at the strict military offence of having an affair with fellow officers spouse, saying it "smacks of patriarchy and punctilious mindset" that holds only men responsible for such affairs. The court said the fact that the offence did not hold women responsible "who may be as educated, as mature, even older and senior than the male is reflective of a pre-disposed and biased mindset that also assumes that the wife of a brother officer is the property or chattel of the male and not an independent person in her own right who has the freedom to choose to live her life on her own terms." IAF officers refused to comment on the issue. The Indian Air Force commissioned its first female fighter pilots this year, paving the way for more women to be given combat roles as one of the worlds biggest armed forces takes steps towards greater gender parity. The military began recruiting women to non-medical positions in 1992. "The application of Flt Lt Ishan Sharan is allowed in part," the tribunal said in its verdict. "He is to be considered as released from service from the date of his dismissal that is 28 June 2013 with whatever financial benefits, if any, that he may be entitled to". Sharan, an ace Su-30MKI pilot posted at Jodhpur, was dismissed from service in June 2013 after a female Squadron Leader committed suicide. It was revealed, after an Air Force inquiry, that the officer had engaged in an "adulterous relationship" with the woman. The Indian Air Force commissioned its first female fighter pilots this year, paving the way for more women to be given combat roles as one of the worlds biggest armed forces takes steps towards greater gender parity The young pilot and the husband of the deceased were posted in the same Su-30MKI fighter squadron in Jodhpur, while she was posted in another nearby radar unit. As per the allegations, the Flight Lieutenant (equivalent to a Captain in the Army) had an affair with the female officer since their posting in Bareilly, and it had continued even in Jodhpur after their relocation. The problems in the affair started when the female officers husband read their Facebook chat history suggesting an intimate relationship between the two, and also when he threatened to divorce his wife. The young male officer, meanwhile, went on to marry another woman, which allegedly pushed the female officer into depression. The probe under a Group Captain (Colonel) rank officer found Sharan guilty of Behaving in a manner unbecoming of an officer by luring the Squadron Leader who was wife of another officer of the same rank into a relationship hereby stealing her love and affection. Indian Flight Cadets from the Indian Air Force Acedemy (IAF) march during the combined graduation parade Despite the IAF inquiry accepting that increased interaction between male and female officers increases the "likelihood of developing attraction", it recommended strong action against the officer, while asking for a education campaign among all its personnel against falling into such relationships. The Air Force also put the onus of the affair on the male officer alone, saying "it may be possible that the relationship was mutual and complimentary, implying that the lady is also an active and willing partner. "In such cases, the onus is upon the air warrior (sic) to withdraw and desist from having such relationship." As per the allegations, he had entered into an "inappropriate, illicit and amorous relationship" with the female officer. Appealing against his dismissal from service, Sharan accepted before the Air Force chief that his involvement with the female officer was "a mere error of judgment and not any wrongful intention on my part." The officer who had joined the IAF in 2007 was the topper of his batch as he was awarded the prestigious "Sword of Honour" by the Chief of Air Staff for his stellar performance in training. Despite the IAF inquiry accepting that the 'likelihood of (men and women pilots) developing attraction is high', it recommended strong action against the officer while asking for a education campaign among all its personnel against falling into such relationships "The only mistake of mine is that I should have ended my interaction with her abruptly. "But I chose to stand by her in her times of distress which at that time I felt was the right thing to do," he told the Air Force. A serious difference of opinion has emerged between Congress party strategist Prashant Kishor and the party's political managers over whether Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should campaign in Uttar Pradesh for the forthcoming Assembly elections. While Prashant Kishor favours a more vigorous campaign, with both Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka leading from the front, the Congress vice-president is said to be in favour of Raj Babbar, Sheila Dikshit and Sanjay Singh taking forward the campaign. Congresss political managers appear to be having second thoughts about deploying Priyanka for the Assembly election in which the Grand Old Party is likely to perform badly. Serious differences have emerged between Congress partys strategist Prashant Kishor and the political managers over whether Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should campaign in Uttar Pradesh. However, Kishor wants Priyanka to campaign in a sustained manner soon after Diwali. A source close to Kishor said: "Priyankas campaign would tilt the balance and be a game-changer". Kishor believes that the party now needs to do everything to regain the lost ground in Uttar Pradesh. Kishor wants Priyanka to campaign in a sustained manner soon after Diwali Kishor has been masterminding the Congress partys election campaign for both UP and Punjab which saw Rahul Gandhi spend over a month at a stretch campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. On her part, Priyanka Gandhi has been playing an important backroom role in helping the party formulate its election strategy for Uttar Pradesh. The expectation has been Priyanka would break from the past and campaign beyond Rae Bareli and Amethi, all across the state. Meanwhile, Kishors team denied reports of any difference with the party managers. "We continue to be involved as we always were. Reports of Kishor being asked to pack his bags are a figment of the oppositions imagination," said sources close to the strategist. Kishor is on his way to Lucknow to attend a strategy session of the party to formulate its Dalit outreach. His office staff is also involved in planning and executing the three-day Kisan Yatra of the Congress in Punjab. While Prashant Kishor favours a more vigorous campaign, with both Rahul Gandhi (pictured) and his sister Priyanka leading from the front, the Congress vice-president is said to be in favour of Raj Babbar, Sheila Dikshit and Sanjay Singh to take forward the campaign It was on September 6 that Rahul launched the Kisan Yatra in UP. Embarking on longest 30-day road journey, the Deoria se Dilli Kisan Yatra was tailored and designed to pep-up the pro-farmer image of the party that has been in shambles in the politically crucial state. A group of women demanded an apology for her criticism of the Chief Minister (above) On October 14, 21-year-old Rajashree Chattopadhyay posted on Facebook a comment regarding the Durga Pujo carnival on Kolkatas Red Road area. What the first-year MTech student didnt know was that her one-line post would land her on a 5-feet-high hoarding. Speaking to India Today, Rajashree said her protest was about the 'amount of money spent on the carnival'. "With unemployment being such a huge issue in our state, I find such investments questionable," she said. "If this was to promote Bengali heritage, I dont think a few hand-picked clubs can do justice to that," said Rajashree. Two days later, Rajashree received a shocking call from her neighbour, who told her picture, along with the words Tibro dhikkar (Shame on you) has been put up on an advertising hoarding. It was actually a screenshot of her Facebook post, along with her picture and other details, blown up into a 5-feet tall hoarding, hanging at the corner of a road near Rajashrees house in Clive House, Dum Dum. "When my parents found out about the hoarding, they thought I had done something terrible," said Rajashree. Soon, a group of women (who Rajashree says were Trinamool Congress party members) came knocking at her door, demanding an apology for her criticism of the Chief Minister. First-year MTech student's one-line Facebook post criticising CM Mamata Banerjee put on an advertising hoarding as party members arrive at her doorstep and demand an apology A supporter of SFI, Rajashree said she has refused to apologise for her statement. She also refused to lodge a complaint against the hoarding, which has now been taken down. Reports say a Nagorik Samaj (citizen forum) had made the hoarding to react to Rajashrees criticism with criticism. The bugle for elections to Delhis three municipal corporations is set to be sounded in December. And the villainous mosquito could prove to be the undoing for both reigning kings - BJP in the civic bodies, and AAP at the state government. With more than 3,700 cases of chikungunya and 15 deaths, and another 19 deaths from dengue, political parties are aware that there is an incredible amount of anger among Delhiites on the issue. The Swaraj India attacked AAP ministers and MCD chiefs for going abroad when the city was reeling under an outbreak of air-bourne diseases Swaraj India, the newly launched electoral front for Swaraj Abhiyan, has also declared its intention to contest the polls. Its leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan have already started attacking the AAP over the mosquito menace. Attacking Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his tweet that he cannot even buy a pen after the Delhi HC, Yadav said that at the same time, the CM ordered 600 fogging machines. The number of people contracting chikungunya, a viral ailment transmitted by mosquitoes, has soared, with monsoon rains adding to the problem of mosquito swarms If a man cannot buy a pen, how can he buy 600 fogging machines? Its a game where there is minimal attention to governance. Its pure cynicism, Yadav said. Referring to the outbreak of vector-borne diseases in Delhi, Yadav also attacked the BJP and the central government. All the powers responsible for governance in the city have abdicated it. When the entire media was pointing out that Delhis ministers were abroad, the North Delhi mayor from BJP was abroad too, Yadav said. The sheer lethargy of the BJP-led MCD is matched by the political cynicism of AAP, he added. The BJP has dominated the 272-member civic body for nearly a decade now. If a man cannot buy a pen, how can he buy 600 fogging machines?" said Yogendra Yadav of Kejriwal's plans to buy more machines to counteract the mosquitos However, in the May 2016 by-election, it fell short of both the Congress and AAP. While the Congress won four of the 13 seats up for grabs, AAP, making its civic poll debut, won five seats, which was disappointing for it as it was hopeful of replicating its Assembly election success and win all 13. The BJP bagged only three seats. The current BJP-helmed MCDs tenure is set to end in April-May 2017, following which elections will be held. The Congress has launched a campaign to connect with voters in preparation of the polls, especially with a focus on 21 Assembly segments where sitting AAP legislators face the threat of disqualification over the office-of-profit issue. The mountains of trash at dumping grounds in the Capital is only making matters worse Mosquitos: responsible for many deaths The campaign process has begun with the appointment of sector in-charges in 12 of the 21 Assembly constituencies where AAP MLAs are likely to face disqualification. The campaign will cover all the 13,000 polling booths, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken told reporters. In the first phase of the campaign titled Meri Delhi-Mere Sapne, feedback will be collected from voters through a questionnaire. Their suggestions to improve civic conditions in the city will also be collected. AAP has also not fallen behind in the race. It held protests this week against the mayors of the three MCDs on the issue of sanitation and vector-borne diseases. Labour Minister Gopal Rai, who participated in the protests against EDMC and NDMC mayors, branded the civic bodies as acronyms for malaria, chikungunya and dengue. This is how mis-selling scandals tend to play out. It starts with a few brave souls complaining that they got a raw deal. They're called loonies and their pleas for recompense fall on deaf ears. Everyone trots out the same line: 'That's just the rotten lot you get in modern Britain.' Then newspapers such as Money Mail catch wind of what's going on and the nefarious sales tricks used to lure customers into shoddy deals start to emerge. Asleep at the wheel: It took Money Mail several years to convince the dozy Financial Conduct Authority that insurers were depriving long-standing customers of vital old-age income The guilty companies try to brush everything under the carpet and watchdogs carry on sleeping at the wheel. It stays that way for years . . . until the mess finally unravels and millions of customers win compensation. That was the story with 25 billion PPI mis-selling furore in the 2000s, and doorstep pension sales, and endowment mortgages in the Eighties and Nineties. The annuity scandal could well be on the same path. It took Money Mail several years to convince the dozy Financial Conduct Authority that insurers were depriving long-standing customers of vital old-age income. If greedy insurers had their way, the past would have been buried by the time former Chancellor George Osborne ruled that all over-55s could access their pensions without buying an annuity. Three years ago we compiled a dossier exposing the dirty tricks insurers were using to cut pension payouts for savers in poor health. We revealed that one saver was signing up to a poor annuity every seven minutes. The insurance trade body went ballistic, questioning our motives and evidence. After an investigation, the Association of British Insurers issued new industry guidelines and said everything was fixed. But nothing was done to compensate those who'd lost out. Last Friday the FCA finally published its own evidence of mis-selling. And once again, insurers insisted there was nothing to worry about. Yvonne Braun, director of long-term savings at the ABI, said she was 'pleased but not surprised' that the 'thorough and wide-ranging review' by the FCA 'found no evidence of an industry-wide or systemic failure'. 'As the FCA points out, the information firms have given customers about enhanced annuities in the majority of cases has been timely, relevant and adequate and enabled customers to make informed decisions,' she said. Not a word of apology to the 90,000 victims of blatant mis-selling. How shameful. Those who lost out were pensioners in poor health forced to live on unfairly low incomes for up to six years. In some cases, very sick savers have died without seeing justice. It's little comfort to their families that they had no idea they were being ripped off. Figures show as many as 1.3 million people could have qualified for an enhanced annuity rate but failed to get one. So just like with previous scandals, we could be looking at the tip of an iceberg. If you think there was any chance you were mis-sold, put in your claim for compensation using our template letter on the cover of Money Mail. We mustn't let these greedy insurers whitewash their shady pasts. Tactless con Contactless cards make me nervous. Unlike with chip and Pin, anyone can use any card without any security check. You simply wave the plastic over a reader in a shop and, without CCTV, there's very little way of proving whether it was you or a criminal making the payment. As our investigation reveals today, these cards are dangerously unsafe. You can fall victim to a 21st century 'pickpocket' and lose 30 to a card reading machine while you're wandering down the street and be left none the wiser. Banks absolutely must keep offering an alternative to customers for whom all this technology is a step too far. Having said all that, I do have a lingering desire to use this technology. Shops everywhere from Bath to Newcastle are having contactless card terminals installed. When I'm grabbing a sandwich at lunch or a newspaper before I catch the train, the speed and efficiency is a big draw. The elderly and disabled can benefit, too, because there's no need to remember Pins or battle with fiddly keypads. The good news is that the answer to the security flaws might not be so far away. Over the summer I started using my mobile phone to make contactless payments. By loading my card details on to the Apple Pay app I can wave the phone over a shop's contactless reader to pay. Crucially, nothing will come off the card unless I place my finger over the fingerprint reader on my smartphone. That means I can pay by tap-and-go and still be sure who made the purchase if there's a problem. Not everyone wants to use a smartphone (I often feel like ditching mine, it's such a incessant distraction). But if banks could find a way for everyone to use fingerprint ID technology to pay and withdraw cash, it might help eliminate fraud and make life easier. Purple haze Walking down the vegetable aisle at my local Sainsbury's the other day I spotted something strange happening with the aubergines. You could get a 'Basics' bag containing two or three small aubergines weighing an estimated 500g for 1.30. Yet right underneath were single ordinary sized aubergines for 55p. I took a loose aubergine to the scales and it weighed 300g. What a ruse. Sainsbury's has always marketed its Basics range as being cheap and cheerful. If this example is anything to go by, you could face forking out more in your efforts to economise. It would cost 2.60 for a kilo of Basics bagged aubergine and 1.83 for a kilo of loose aubergines. It's not the first time I've seen this type of price trap in a supermarket they're all at it. If you've spotted a shocker, let me know and I'll print the best. Frankfurt, we are told, is the new London. Thousands of bankers are about to turn their backs on Canary Wharf, bid farewell to the bright lights and hot-foot it to Germany. In a post-Brexit world, the City is over. Or so we are warned. But are bankers and equally important, their wives and girlfriends really going to trade their chi-chi London lifestyles for a provincial German city? First, a confession. I have been in love with London ever since I first visited as a ten-year-old girl and vowed that, one day, I would become a Fleet Street journalist. Frankfurt will have to work hard to win me over. But the minute my plane lands, the Germans are out in front. I whizz through the gleaming terminal and on to a train costing just 4.68 that has me in the Hauptbahnhof in the city centre in just over ten minutes. It takes well over an hour to get from central London to Heathrow by tube, or you can take the Heathrow Express, which takes 15 minutes but costs 22. Frankfurt airport is huge, gleaming and has four runways compared with Heathrow's two. While we have been wrangling for years about whether to put a new one at Heathrow or Gatwick, they have just got on with it and put shovels in the ground. En route to a morning meeting with Herr Hubertus Vaeth, managing director of Frankfurt Main Finance, which promotes the city as a financial centre, I stop at a cafe called Unser Taeglich Brot. A gigantic, and delicious, strudel and a coffee leave me plenty of change from 10, whereas I rarely escape with a bill of under a tenner in London. Another score for the Germans. Frankfurt, as a number of locals tell me, is known as 'Mainhattan' after the river Main that runs through it but in truth, there aren't very many skyscrapers. In contrast with the City, which is humming with activity at any time during the week, the financial district is quiet, with a lone lady on a bicycle wheeling serenely down the street. The reality is that about the same number of people work in financial services in London as live in the whole of Frankfurt. 'The City employs around 750,000 people but only around 75,000 work in financial services here. One to ten,' says Herr Vaeth. He admits: 'We would be swamped if thousands of people moved here, but in London you would barely notice they had gone.' So how many people does he think will come to Frankfurt as a result of Brexit? Until the terms of leaving the EU have been worked out, no one really has a clue but Herr Vaeth has come up with a figure of 10,000 over five years. 'If you ask me how do you derive that, I will tell you I have a very detailed spreadsheet with a lot of parameters going in, and it exactly works out at 10,000,' he says. Are you maybe having a little German joke here, I ask? He laughs: 'People are trying to say you could see figures of 20,000 or 70,000 or 100,000 coming, but we don't think it's helpful to come out with such ballistic numbers.' He is not trying to increase the numbers coming from London to Frankfurt, he says, but would rather reduce them to 8,000. 'We would be happier to have only 8,000 and to have London maintain its role as the world's foremost financial centre for the simple reason we believe it is good for Europe.' Capital of snooze? A tram passes the euro sculpture in Willy Brandt Platz in Frankfurt Far better that than to risk London losing out to New York, in his view. He adds: 'It is good for German industry and German finance for London to keep its status. Brexit is fair enough voters must be respected. We just want to be constructive. We are not advocating that everybody move here.' That may be a relief to both cities. Frankfurt is the headquarters of major institutions such as the European Central Bank and the Deutsche Boerse stock market. It is also the home turf of Deutsche Bank, Germany's biggest, but given its current woes perhaps the less said about it the better. But if London is the epicentre of cool and culture, Frankfurt is rightly or wrongly seen as the capital of snooze. 'Everybody seems to believe that Frankfurt is somewhere between a cemetery and a country beauty spot. 'This is not a cemetery and it is not the countryside, it is the smallest global financial centre, vibrant yet pleasant' says Herr Vaeth. Hmm but what about the banking WAGs? I quiz Sabine Alexander, a guide for bespoke sightseeing company Touriocity. She is also a blogger and has a sideline as a fashion guide to female executives who want to go clothes shopping during business trips to Frankfurt. She points me to Goethe Strasse, home to designer boutiques including a large Chanel shop. She then takes me to the top floor of the shopping mall My Zeil, which has a lovely view across the city. It's fair to say, though, that the mall isn't a patch on Westfield and the vista would not bowl over anyone who has been up the Shard. For nightlife, she says, there is the 22 Lounge. 'It is a very nice and sophisticated bar on the 22nd floor of the main towers. Sometimes they have smooth jazz.' There's also an English theatre, and the magnificent opera house, which looks old but was rebuilt in the 1970s after being bombed in 1944. Even so, you might have to pay London-based bankers extra to move, says Mark Boleat, head of the City of London's Policy and Resources Committee. He says: 'Frankfurt has a charm offensive going on and some people will go, just as they go to Dubai or Singapore the question is, are you prepared to trade theatre and Arsenal for money.' Michael Mellinghoff is the managing director of TechFluence, a company based in Frankfurt and London that matches fintech entrepreneurs with investors. Brought up in Hamburg, he moved to London a year ago from Frankfurt. He says: 'In Frankfurt you can have a very nice life. London is a different story, you can't really compare the two.' The two big plus points for Frankfurt are house prices and ease of travelling around. One senior banker, who has lived in London, says: 'If you live in Hampstead or Richmond and you are selling a 3million house, then you would live in an area like the Taunus, outside Frankfurt, and you would get a palace for that. I live in the city centre and I can walk to work. In 15 minutes I can be at the airport. In London it can take you an hour to drive down the street.' The banker is also sceptical about a mass exodus from the City, saying that the international banks want to minimise any movement of their staff because of the expense. So where have all the scare stories about a huge diaspora to Frankfurt come from? Suspicion must fall on the banks themselves, as a way of seeking leverage over the Government as Brexit negotiations unfold. They have form: they have threatened to quit London over the banking levy, regulation, protests against bonuses and other gripes, though each time they have cried wolf. Frankfurt is utterly charming, but it won't put the City out of business any time soon. It may be the case, as Michael Mellinghoff suggests, that London's position as 'unquestioned leader' among the financial centres might change and that 'in the very long term' Frankfurt could eat our lunch. But it's time for some realism amid the hysteria. And, as Mark Boleat says: 'We hope that in five years time any loss of business will be barely noticed and that we have made up for it by being innovative.' Some in the Square Mile may fear Brexit fallout but the City has survived several wars and numerous economic downturns. It will be a long time before Frankfurt has a chance of seizing its supremacy. Fashion sales suffered their worst decline in seven years as bargain hunters refused to pay full price for their summer wardrobes and winter woollies. Shoppers have become used to heavily discounted clothing and many have been delaying their purchases until prices fall. Retailers have also blamed changing habits of shoppers, who are instead spending their cash on eating out and experiences rather than updating their wardrobes. This caused fashion shops to lose almost 700million over the 52 weeks to the end of September compared to this time last year, a report shows. Downturn: Shoppers have become used to heavily discounted clothing and many have been delaying their purchases until prices fall The gloomy update from research firm Kantar Worldpanel will send a shiver across the High Street as retail giants Next, Marks & Spencer and Debenhams all struggle to grow sales. It could prove even worse as the latest figures do not take into account the loss of BHS worth over 400million in sales which shut its doors at the end of August. And experts at Kantar fear another big name could soon go bust. Glen Tooke, the firm's insight director, said: 'Given the events of this summer, this no longer seems impossible.' In June, Kantar revealed the value of the fashion market, which includes clothing, footwear and accessories, contracted for the first time in six years, with sales growth falling by 0.1 per cent. Its latest data shows the decline continued over the summer and the market has now seen four months of consecutive sales falls. Tooke added: 'Fashion retailers are still following the same patterns of over-buying and deep discounting, and consumers are increasingly reluctant to pay full price.' He warned that retailers are refusing to listen to their customers, preferring to tell them what to buy rather reacting quickly to what they want. This is because many order their items months ahead so cannot react to changing trends. Tooke said: 'Most recently the decline has been driven by falling frequencies of buying, giving retailers fewer opportunities to encourage shoppers to part with cash.' British chains have been shamed by nimbler foreign rivals. Zara owner Inditex uses Spanish factories to react faster to changing demand, giving executives tighter control on production and the time taken getting clothes on shelves. This sets it apart from competitors using Far East manufacturers which sometimes have to wait months for their cut-price designs to arrive. Tooke said: 'Rather than chasing after the same 'micro trends' as every one of their competitors, they need to work on understanding what their customers really want and to fulfil their needs. Retailers have responded to falling sales by investing less in their lines, when what they need to be doing instead is addressing these problems more proactively.' Only ten top fashion retailers are worth more than 700million, which means the decline in the market is equal to one of them disappearing from the High Street. Earlier this month a survey from accountant BDO said that Britain's fashion retailers suffered a slump in sales during September as unseasonalbly warm weather deterred sales of autumn and winter collections. As federal authorities continue to investigate Anthony Weiner's sexually charged online chats with an underage girl, DailyMail.com has learned that a grand jury could hear the case against the ex-congressman as soon as the end of the month. The FBI, the New York Police Department, and US attorneys in New York and North Carolina opened investigations into Weiner's conduct in late September, after DailyMail.com reported that the former politician carried on a months-long online relationship with a 15-year-old high school girl. Weiner has already been hit with a federal subpoena for his cell phone, CNN reported last month. The feds are apparently looking to move quickly - a federal grand jury is expected to hear allegations against Weiner in the next few weeks, sources tell DailyMail.com. A federal grand jury is expected to hear allegations against disgraced Anthony Weiner in the next few weeks, sources tell DailyMail.com The DailyMail.com first reported on Weiner's conversations with the 15-year-old girl (pictured), who he traded photos and sexy messages with for several months starting in January In the messages, which were obtained by the Dailymail.com, Weiner repeatedly complimented the girl's body, told her that she made him 'hard' The timing of the potential hearing - shortly before the US presidential election - could cause a political headache for Hillary Clinton, whose top aide Huma Abedin is still officially married to Weiner, 52. Abedin announced in August that she was separating from Weiner, after he was caught sending a suggestive photo of himself to another woman with his four-year-old son in the background. Abedin and Weiner continue to share an apartment, and Clinton's political opponents have sought to tie the presidential candidate to the scandal-plagued former congressman. After DailyMail.com reported on Weiner's conversations with the 15-year-old girl, Donald Trump called on Clinton to return any campaign donations from Weiner. Legal experts say there are several possible avenues prosecutors might pursue if they are looking to build a case against Weiner under either New York State or federal laws. Celebrity lawyer Joe Tacopina told DailyMail.com that Weiner could potentially face a misdemeanour of endangering the welfare of a child, which could carry up to a year in jail. Hillary Clinton's top aide, Huma Abedin (pictured on October 15 with her son), is still officially married to Weiner, 52 Abedin announced in August that she was separating from Weiner, though they continue to share an apartment 'All you really have to do is look at the messages there to substantiate 90 per cent of her story,' said Tacopina. Other legal experts said he could have violated federal laws against sending obscene materials to minors. Weiner's conversations with the girl also drew criticism from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who said during a press conference: 'If the reports are true, it's possibly criminal and it's sick.' The DailyMail.com first reported on Weiner's conversations with the 15-year-old girl, who he traded photos and sexy messages with for several months starting in January. In the messages, which were obtained by the Dailymail.com, Weiner repeatedly complimented the girl's body, told her that she made him 'hard', and invited her to chat with him on the video-messaging application Skype. One message said: 'I would bust that tight p***y so hard and so often that you would leak and limp for a week.' Weiner and the girl used several anonymous messaging apps, like the one pictured above, where every line of text - and the sender's name - disappear after the message is opened. In one message he told he would 'bust that tight p***y so hard' The message continues, and Weiner says he would bust that tight p***y so hard and so often that you would leak and limp for a week'. Weiner began talking to the girl in January, after she messaged him on Twitter The girl told DailyMail.com in an interview that she and Weiner also spoke over Skype, where the ex-congressman asked her to get undressed and masturbate in front of him Weiner began talking to the girl in January, after she messaged him on Twitter. In the messages, the girl told Weiner she was in high school and discussed her school activities and newly acquired learner's permit. The girl told DailyMail.com in an interview that she and Weiner also spoke over Skype, where the ex-congressman asked her to get undressed and masturbate in front of him and engage in teacher-student 'roleplaying' scenarios. In a statement to DailyMail.com, Weiner said that he was sorry for having poor judgment with his online conversations and said he might have been the victim of a 'hoax' in this scenario. This is far from the first time Weiner has been entangled in a sexting scandal. He resigned from congress in 2011 after he was caught sending photos of his crotch to a female college student, and admitted to sexting with several other women during his marriage. In 2013, he ran for New York City mayor, but his campaign tanked after it came out that he had been exchanging sexual messages with yet another college student. This past summer, Abedin announced that she was separating from Weiner after the New York Post reported that he had sent shirtless photos to another woman, including one that showed his four-year-old son in the background. Advertisement The hotel security guard at the centre of the 8.5million Kardashian heist has told how he tried to comfort terrified Kim as she was bound and gagged in her room by jewel thieves. The traumatised Algerian father-of-one, who asked to be identified only by his first name Abdulrahman because of fears for his safety, told MailOnline that he pleaded with the robbers not to harm Kim, but admitted that he let them in to her luxury Parisian apartment and even acted as the gangs interpreter. In a world exclusive interview, he said: I went up to the apartment with the robbers. I was tied up in the first minutes, with handcuffs. I was in the room of Kim Kardashian. One was attacking her, the second one was with me. I saw Kim being pulled out of bed.' The PhD student, who works part-time as a security guard to fund his studies, revealed how he desperately tried to throw the robbers off the scent by claiming not to know who Kim was, then was marched to her door by the scruff of his neck and forced to open it with a spare key from the front desk. He watched in horror as the star said she only had a small amount in cash to give them. I told him, I ask you, dont hurt her. I repeated it. He told me, dont worry, we are here for money. I repeated another time, please dont hurt her. He told me: Keep calm and all will be OK. Dont move or make a sound. One of the gang kept telling her to shut up. I put my hand on her shoulder and told her to be calm. I said, you have to be silent, you know. She sat down on the bed. She asked me, are we going to die? I said, I dont know, how can I know?' She said, I have family and babies. I told her, me too, I have one son. And she began to scream again. Thats why he put the tape on her mouth. A long piece of tape, all the way round her head. The hotel security guard at the centre of the 8.5million Kardashian heist has told how he tried to comfort terrified Kim as she was bound and gagged in her room by jewel thieves. The traumatised Algerian father-of-one, who asked to be identified only by his first name Abdulrahman because of fears for his safety, told MailOnline exactly how the robbery unfolded, above Ordeal: Abdulrahman, above, said he let the gunmen into the building because they were dressed 'perfectly' in police uniforms. Once inside, they the robbers forced him to the floor and handcuffed him. 'At first I looked at them and one got very angry, Abdulrahman said: 'He told me to put my head down and never look at him again. He repeated, never, never look at me, or I will kill you.' Terrified: Once inside Kim's apartment the bungling thieves demanded cash from the star, Abdulrahman recalled. But the men, in their 40s or 50s, were French speakers, so the security guard had to translate for them. He told MailOnline the men became very angry when they she told them she only had a small amount of cash in the room Recalling his ordeal, Abdulrahman, said: I went up to the apartment with the robbers. I was tied up in the first minutes, with handcuffs. I was in Kim's room. One was attacking her, the second one was with me. I saw Kim being pulled out of bed.' Pictured: French police guard the luxury Hotel de Pourtales on the morning after the October 3 heist As the men tied up Abdulrahman, he said: 'Then I was scared, because it was the end of the story and maybe they were going to kill me. When the leader told one of them to tie my feet with zip ties, I began breathing hard, because I didnt know what they would do. At the last minute, I got scared.' Pictured: The robbery aftermath in Paris He attacked her, holding his gun in her face. She was crying, she was screaming, saying, dont kill me, I have babies, dont kill me, please, I have babies! Im a mom! Take whatever you want! She was terrified. She was wearing a white bathrobe and her hair was tied up. Security guard Abdulrahman Describing the moment robbers targeted Kim, Abdulrahman told MailOnline: We got to her bedroom and slid open the door. She was in her bed. Before we opened the door, she heard a noise and began to say, hello? hello? I assume she thought it was her sister. The intonation of her voice changed when there was no answer, I felt she was worried. After that, one of them opened the door. The other one was fastened to me. He attacked her, holding his gun in her face. She was crying, she was screaming, saying, dont kill me, I have babies, dont kill me, please, I have babies! Im a mom! Take whatever you want! She seemed terrified. She was wearing a white bathrobe and her hair was tied up. Reality star Kim, 35, was bound, gagged and tied up on the floor of her bathroom in the luxury Hotel de Pourtales in Paris on October 3 while her bodyguard protected her sisters in a nearby nightclub. Thieves made off with gems worth 8.5million, including her 3.5m engagement ring. The identity of the concierge who was forced to lead the intruders to her room at gunpoint has so far been kept secret, and only brief details of the heist have emerged. But today MailOnline can reveal the full, devastating account of how a gang of robbers attacked one of the worlds biggest celebrities in her own bedroom, and how the concierge was in fact a night security guard who had been left alone at the front desk. Traumatised: In a world exclusive interview with MailOnline, the security guard at the centre of the 8.5million Kim Kardashian jewellery heist has revealed how he pleaded with the gang not to hurt her. Identified only as Abdulrahman over fears for his safety, above, the father-of-one, above, said he opened the door to Kim's apartment and led the gunmen upstairs to the reality star's bedroom Bling: Kim posted this image of the 3.5m ring that was stolen on Instagram before the robbery that forced security guard Abdulrahman to open her apartment door at gunpoint. The guard told MailOnline: I told [the robbers], I ask you, dont hurt her. I repeated it. He told me, dont worry, we are here for money. I repeated another time, please dont hurt her. He told me: Keep calm and all will be OK. Dont move or make a sound 'She was so scared. Reality star Kim, 35, was woken at 2.35am on October 3 as she slept in her luxury Paris apartment. Two men burst into her room and pulled her out of her bed. Kim was tied up by her wrists and dumped, terrified, on the bathroom floor. The gang stole money and took a jewellery box worth 5million and a 3.5million engagement ring before escaping on pushbikes. Pictured: Kim with bodyguard Pascal Duvier, who was at a nightclub two miles away with two of her sisters during raid In a hotel room in Paris, Abdulrahman is visibly nervous as he recalls the chilling moment he realised he was about to become the victim of a vicious robbery gang. The ordeal began at 2:35am, he recalled, when three men dressed in police uniforms appeared at the glass doors within the hotel complex. I was behind the desk. The glass door was closed but not locked, and they told me to open the door, making a motion behind the door, he said. In the first seconds, I thought they were policemen making an arrest, he said. I told them, Im working here, what is wrong? After that he questioned me, where is the security video? At that time, I knew it was a robbery. I saw the police uniforms, the hats, also the jackets with reflective badges, like the police have. All perfect. So I came to open it and just when I opened it, they grabbed me and handcuffed me. Two of the gang were wearing balaclavas, he added, and the third had a high collar pulled up to his eyes. In the first seconds, I thought they were policemen making an arrest, he said. I told them, Im working here, what is wrong? After that he questioned me, where is the security video? At that time, I knew it was a robbery. Describing how the robbers forced him to the floor and handcuffed him, Abdulrahman said: At first I looked at them and one got very angry. He told me to put my head down and never look at him again. He repeated, never, never look at me, or I will kill you. I saw that two of them had guns, so I just looked down. They were very violent, shaking me, making me lie down on the floor. In the first minute, I was on the floor, handcuffed with my hands in front. It was very scary. Devastated: Describing how the robbers forced him to the floor and handcuffed him, a clearly disturbed and nervous Abdulrahman said: 'I saw that two of them had guns, so I just looked down'. Pictured: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian arrive back at their Manhattan apartment in the days after Kim was robbed Heist: Abdulrahman said he opened the door and the men crept upstairs to Kim's room. We got to her bedroom and slid open the door,' he said. 'She was in her bed. Before we opened the door, she heard a noise and began to say, "Hello? Hello? I assume she thought it was her sister. Pictured: Dressed down Kim wearing a cap and white hooded top holds daughter North in LA after the robbery Terror: Kim, 35, screamed the moment she realised it was a robbery as one of the men held a gun into her face. 'She was crying, she was screaming, saying, "Dont kill me, I have babies, dont kill me, please, I have babies! Im a mom! Take whatever you want!" She was terrified,' he added. Pictured: Kim reunited with Kanye in New York, left, and Kanye in LA, right Gruelling: The ordeal began at 2:35am when three men dressed in police uniforms appeared at the glass doors at the building's entrance. I was behind the desk. The glass door was closed but not locked, and they told me to open the door, making a motion behind the door, he said. Pictured: Kim lands in the US on her private jet after giving a statement to French police Lying on the floor, it took Abdulrahman several minutes to convince the robbers that there were no other security cameras and no armed guards on duty. Always he was asking me, you are not kidding me? If so, well kill you, he recalled. I told them I had no choice, why would I lie? In an attempt to persuade the robbers to abandon the heist, Abdulrahman then told them that many guests were about to return to the apartment. This appeared to catch the gang off-guard, and they shoved him into a stairwell behind an emergency door while they discussed their next move. After a few minutes, he said, one of the thieves pushed open the door and demanded to be told the location of the wife of the rapper. Abdulrahman played for time as long as he could. I tried to confuse things, because my friend who also works in the night security is a rapper, I said, you mean the black guy? I gave his name. He told me no, I mean the wife of the rapper. I told him, the rapper is not here, trying to confuse things. But he insisted, is the wife here? The wife? Dont lie, or I will kill you. Then finally I admitted she was there in the hotel. I told him, I cant force you, because you have a gun, but I ask you, dont touch her. Dont harm her. He told me, no, we are just here for money. This made me confident they were not killers.' Bungling: The operation lasted half an hour, Abdulrahman said, as the gangsters held whispered discussions about what to do next. They became agitated when Kim said she only had a small sum of money and then moved on to her jewels. Pictured: French detectives guard the red door to Hotel de Pourtales After being handcuffed, Abdulrahman was forced into the lift by two gang members while another remained in the reception area. They made their way to the apartment, where Abdulrahman was forced to open the door with the key which they had taken from the key-rack behind the desk. All of the keys were labelled for anybody to read, Abdulrahman said. They forced me to tell them the number of Kims apartment, then they could just take the key and go up. They marched up the stairs to Kims bedroom, and they entered through a pair of sliding doors leading to a mezzanine floor. We passed the room with Kims friend in, he recalled. I was praying, maybe she will call someone. But I think it was actually better that the police didnt arrive. Otherwise it would have been very bad. Jennifer Lawrence had been staying at the 11-apartment property just days before the theft, while pop star Robin Thicke was renting another of the exclusive units but had gone out several hours before the robbery took place. The thieves repeatedly said they were looking for money, Abdulrahman said, and asked for jewellery when they discovered that Kim had only a small amount of cash in her apartment. The operation lasted at least half an hour, he said, as the gangsters held whispered discussions about what to do next. They did not seem to be aware of the value of the stars jewellery. Exclusive: She [Kim] was crying and screaming, the men were shouting,' said Abdulrahman. 'The fact that she couldnt understand made him worse and more upset. I told them to wait and I put myself in the middle, between the thieves and Kim. I said "Wait, she cant understand you." Then I played the interpreter of the scene.' Pictured: Inside Kim's Paris hotel One of the gang kept telling her to shut up,' the security guard recalled. 'I put my and on her shoulder and told her to be calm. I said, "You have to be silent, you know." She sat down on the bed. She asked me, "Are we going to die?" I said, "I dont know, how can I know?"' Pictured: Kim with Kanye in the apartment during their show 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' Abdulrahman, who is described by colleagues as 'exemplary', recalled: She said, "I have family and babies". I told her, "Me too, I have one son". And she began to scream again. Thats why he put the tape on her mouth. A long piece of tape, all the way round her head. Pictured: Inside the apartment during an earlier broadcast of the Kardashians' reality TV show The father-of-one, who said he has received no counselling for his trauma, added the masked men then bound the reality stars hands and feet with black tape before carrying her into the bathroom and dumping her on the floor, he claimed, not in the bath as has been reported. Pictured: Inside the apartment where Kim was staying alone without her bodyguard The thieves had also come unprepared for the fact that the American star didnt speak French and became upset and angry when they were unable to communicate, only calming down when Abdulrahman stepped in to help. 'She was so scared. She was crying and screaming, the men were shouting, and the fact that she couldnt understand made him worse and more upset. I told them to wait and I put myself in the middle, between the thieves and Kim. I said wait, she cant understand you. Then I played the interpreter of the scene. One of the gang kept telling her to shut up. I put my and on her shoulder and told her to be calm. I said, you have to be silent, you know. She sat down on the bed. She asked me, are we going to die? I said, I dont know, how can I know? The men took Kim's iPhone as they fled, but left her Blackberry in the hotel, he added. They marched him down the stairs to the foyer where he saw three more men waiting for them, making five in total. There were also two bicycles in reception. Pictured: Kim is driven away from the crime scene in a black Mercedes people carrier in the early hours of October 3 They tied me up behind the emergency door in the reception and left me there,' he said. Five minutes after the thieves made their escape, Pascal, returned and freed him. Pictured: Shaken Kim comforted as she flees Paris following her terrible ordeal She said, I have family and babies. I told her, me too, I have one son. And she began to scream again. Thats why he put the tape on her mouth. A long piece of tape, all the way round her head. The men then bound the reality stars hands and feet with black tape before carrying her into the bathroom and dumping her on the floor, he claimed, not in the bath as has been reported. The intruders only left the premises after Kims bodyguard, Pascal Duvier, called on her Blackberry, and the gang told Abdulrahman to switch it off. I saw his name on the screen and I told them, you know who is ringing now? It is her bodyguard. If she doesnt answer, he will come here with the police, Abdulrahman said. They ran immediately. They even left their rucksack open, allowing some of the haul to fall out as they later fled, he said. They took Kims iPhone but left her Blackberry. They pushed me downstairs and when we got to the bottom, I saw all five guys and two bicycles in the reception area. Then I was scared, because it was the end of the story and maybe they were going to kill me. When the leader told one of them to tie my feet with zip ties, I began breathing hard, because I didnt know what they would do. At the last minute, I got scared. Then I was scared, because it was the end of the story and maybe they were going to kill me. When the leader told one of them to tie my feet with zip ties, I began breathing hard, because I didnt know what they would do. At the last minute, I got scared. Security guard Abdulrahman They tied me up behind the emergency door in the reception and left me there. I didnt get the feeling that they were some kind of wild people who have a lot of negative energy. Now I feel like I want to thank the robbers for not harming me or Kim. As Abdulrahman lay, bound by hand and foot in the stairwell in reception, the thieves made their escape. Five minutes later, Kims bodyguard, Pascal Duvier, entered and together with her driver, set Abdulrahman free. Within minutes, police were on the scene. As they had not brought an interpreter, Abdulrahman who was still handcuffed once again acted translator so that Kim could give her statement. I saw Kim a lot then, he said. When she left, she hugged me and I told her, the most important thing is that we are safe and we are alive. When you are with someone through such an experience, I think there is something linking you, there is some connection. I hope really she is feeling better, but I dont think she is. It was very, very scary. You cant imagine. Kim, who by then had changed into black Adidas trousers and a black hooded top, left the country on a private plane while Abdulrahman went to the police station to continue helping with the investigation. The security man said police were at the scene 'within minutes' and he helped the star give her statement to police. 'I saw Kim a lot then,' he revealed. 'When she left, she hugged me and I told her, "The most important thing is that we are safe and we are alive".' Pictured: Kim with her sister Kourtney Kardashian Now, a fortnight after the robbery, Abdulrahman says he is angry that there was not better security at the hotel. Despite stars such as Kim, pictured, Leonardo Di Caprio and Madonna regularly staying at the hotel, there was no working CCTV and there was only one security staff on duty overnight I ended up having the handcuffs on until almost five in the morning because policemen did not have the ability to open them, he said. It made me upset. The police were not very professional. They did not look after me afterwards, they didnt offer me any counselling or anything. Psychologically, I have to repair myself. He added that the police had leaked confidential information he had given them during his witness statement to the press, potentially putting him in danger. They told the press that I said the robbers were between 40 and 50 years old, he said. That was very dangerous for me, as it shows I gave evidence to the police. But when asked who he blamed for the heist, Abdul had only one answer. Immediately afterwards, I was very angry, and the first one I blamed was the hotel. I told them years ago that we needed better security. And they didnt care. The code of the door was never changed and everybody knew what it was. I told them after the robbery, look what you did! What have I been telling you for six years? Security cameras are meant for days like today. If you had good guards and electronic systems to lock the doors, it would have been possible to secure the hotel. On Sunday, MailOnline tried the same security code at the front door and found that it had still not been changed. By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor for Dailymail.com In 2010, after an earthquake tore through impoverished Haiti, Bill Clinton planned a dramatic visit as a show of support but some State Department aides apparently registered concerns with the idea because it might interfere with vital relief, previously sealed emails reveal. 'Meghann, who can we talk to about getting our plane cleared for landing in Port au Prince,' Clinton Foundation aide Ami Desai wrote an aide to Cheryl Mills on January 17, 2010. Meghann Curtis formerly served as an assistant to State chief of staff Cheryl Mills, according to emails the Republican National Committee obtained in a lawsuit that were obtained by DailyMail.com. U.S. development official Nishant Roy responded with what reads like skepticism in his own email the following day to State Department chief of staff Cheryl Mills and Clinton Foundation aide Justin Cooper. 'Do you know what time they are due in Port au Prince?' Roy wrote. 'Concern is commodities will not be able to come in with a VIP on the ground. Tim and team would like to plan accordingly,' he continued, under the subject heading 'Cheryl and WJC,' Bill Clinton's initials. Former President Bill Clinton is pictured loading supplies at the general hospital in Port-au Prince, Haiti in 2010. A State Department official raised concerns that his rapid flight to the devastated country days after the earthquek could tie up 'commodities' on an airport runway Cooper, of the Clinton foundation, answered a few hours later: 'We don't need them,' in an unexplained response. Roy later served on a veterans working group at CGI America, part of the Clinton Global Initiative. Craig Minassian of the Clinton Foundation responded, when asked about the flight issue: 'President Clinton, who was already serving as the UN Special Envoy to Haiti before the earthquake, immediately sought to focus the worlds attention on the post-earthquake devastation in every way he could including by traveling there to deliver critical emergency supplies and meeting with Haitians to amplify their voice about what they needed.' According to the Foundation, it distributed $30 million in relief support In the aftermath of the devastating quake, providing cash and in-kind donations including trucks, solar lights, and clothing, distributed all of the donated resources. Another series of emails appear to show the Sirius radio network seeking to donate satellite radios for Haitians kept in a virtual information blackout, while a foundation official bristled that word of the trip had spread. 'We stand ready to provide whatever number of satellite radios President Clinton might have room to carry on his flight to Haiti,' wrote Joe Mathieu of the satellite network to Katie Stanton. Stanton then turned around and passed on the information to Clinton foundation officials: 'Generous offer from Sirius. 'Do you want them to give the goods for WJC's trip on Monday,' she wrote, in reference to the president's trip. 'Concern is commodities will not be able to come in with a VIP on the ground,' a State Department official warned when Clinton's trip was being discussed 'But now seems Sirius radio knows?' A Clinton Foundation official chafed when informed that a Sirius radio official had learned about the trip and sought to get donated radios aboard the president's plane Then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton visited Haiti just two days before her husband on a separate flight at the invitation of the nation's president Bill Clinton helps unload a cargo plane at the airport in Haiti on January 18 State Department official Nishant Roy raised concerns in an email that having a 'VIP' on the ground might stall relief. Roy later served on a veterans working group at CGI America, part of the Clinton Global Initiative Joe Mathieu, then a program director at Sirius radio, sought to provide satellite radios if President Clinton had room on his flight Clinton Foundation official Amitabh Desai sought help from the State Department 'getting our plane cleared for landing in Port au Prince' following the devastating earthquake 'How does she know about trip?' was Desai's only response. In another branch of the email two minutes after the inquiry on January 16, senior State official Caitlin Klevorick states: 'Ami, Pls note katie and I are the only ones that know about the trip bc of her relationship with googleshe was a big wig there,' in relation to the software giant. Stanton joined the White House and the State Department after a stint at Google, and now works at Twitter. Desai, of the foundation, seemed principally concerned that word had gotten out. 'But now seems Sirius radio knows?' he wrote curtly. 'As a possibility,' Stanton replied, 'but they r happy to just send them down on any flight, vouching that the contact was a 'good guy.' Klevorick, the state official, then intervened to try to set up a separate channel at the the USAID development agency 'to try to facilitate movements on any vessel.' It isn't clear whether President Clinton ultimately brought any radios along with him. The station sought special U.S. government permission to set up a special channel for disaster communications, working with the State Department to donate 500 radios and battery operated 'boom boxes' to set up a creole language broadcast. Clinton was in country for a single day, another email exchange reveals. He made another visit, and President Obama made him a special envoy for Haiti. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake ripped through the country on January 12 of 2010. The airport was jammed, and sea and air routes were blocked. Then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton visited Haiti just three days after the quake at the request of the country's president, and came bearing soap, bottled water, and other supplies. An Associated Press report at the time revealed the chaos in the aftermath of the quake, as relief flights came in on a first-come, first-serve basis using a single landing strip. The former president has taken up Haitian relief as a personal and foundation cause meant to improve conditions in the hemisphere's poorest nation. His spokesman and the Clinton Foundation didn't provide comment when contacted. Another email, leaked as part of a hack and Wikileaks dump Thursday, revealed that the government of Qatar made a $1 million contribution for Haiti as a 'birthday present' for President Clinton in 2012, making good on a previous offer. According to emails, the Qatari ambassador sought just 'five minutes' to meet with Clinton to present the check. The Irish Times reported this week on another back channel effort to get supplies into Haiti. Denis O'Brien, a billionaire friend of Bill Clinton, reached out to Clinton aide Doug Band around the same time. 'We are finding it impossible to get landing slots to bring in communication equipment and engineers into Port au Prince,' O'Brien, whose cellular firm Digicel has Haiti as one of its largest markets, wrote in an email to Mr Band. 'Is there any way you can give me a high-level introduction to someone in the State Department to get this resolved rapidly? I am so sorry to bother you but I am not making any progress through conventional channels.' 'Never a bother. Will do what we can,' responded Band, who then wrote to Desai urging him to 'pls get on this.' Desai then emailed Caitlin Klevorick and referred to O'Brien as a 'WJC VIP.' O'Brien has donated between $10 million and $25 million to the Clinton Foundation. The report followed an ABC News on the ways in which State officials priorities efforts by friends of the former president to get relief into Haiti. 'This WJC VIP just called again from Jamaica to say Digicel is getting pushed by US Army to get comms back up but is not being cleared by the US government to deploy into Haiti,' Klevorick wrote. She wrote the Clinton Foundation: 'Need you to flag when people are friends of WJC. Most I can probably ID but not all.' Klevorick told ABC: 'Everyone's priority was to get the necessary resources to the right places as soon as possible to save lives.' Russia says 'goodwill' is behind its decision to announce a temporary ceasefire over Aleppo - a day after dozens of civilians were killed in a wave of deadly airstrikes. The Kremlin said it had stopped bombing the war-ravaged Syrian city this morning ahead of plans for an eight-hour truce on Thursday. The decision was a 'manifestation of goodwill', according to Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin. Rescuers found a Syrian child desperately clinging to the ruins of a crumbling block of flats in Aleppo a day after deadly airstrikes killed 20 members of one family The 12-year-old boy, called Maarouf, was left hanging from the upper floor of a residential building in the Qaterji neighbourhood of the city He was found with his legs trapped under rubble a day before Russian and Syrian air forces temporarily stopped bombing Aleppo Peskov said: 'This is an obvious continuation of Russian efforts, on the one hand, to fight terrorists in Syria, and on the other, to unblock the situation in Aleppo. It is exclusively a manifestation of goodwill by the Russian military.' It comes a day after harrowing images emerged showing the moment rescuers found a Syrian child desperately clinging to the ruins of a crumbling block of flats in Aleppo. The 12-year-old boy, called Maarouf, was left hanging from the upper floor of a residential building in the Qaterji neighbourhood of the city. He was found with his legs trapped under rubble a day before Russian and Syrian air forces temporarily stopped bombing Aleppo - ahead of a planned eight-hour truce later this week. Activists said last night that 20 from the same family - including two six-week old babies - perished on Monday in heavy bombardment of east Aleppo despite Western warnings of sanctions against Syria's regime over attacks on the city. Bombardment stopped at 7am GMT today, Russia's defence minister said, in a move designed to pave the way for an eight-hour truce on October 20. In the video, a volunteer from the White Helmet rescue group could be seen in a crane trying to reach the boy, who was wriggling in vain to get himself free. Maarouf, who was wearing a dust-covered shirt with the words 'Don't shoot' on it, was extracted and his injured right leg treated at a field hospital. It came after ferocious airstrikes overnight in the neighbourhood which, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, killed civilians. In the video, a volunteer from the White Helmet rescue group could be seen in a crane trying to reach the boy, who was wriggling in vain to get himself free Maarouf, who was wearing a dust-covered shirt with the words 'Don't shoot' on it, was extracted and his injured right leg treated at a field hospital The brutal government offensive against rebel-held eastern Aleppo backed by Russian airpower has plunged Syria into some of the worst violence since the conflict erupted in March 2011 Once Syria's thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by bombing raids and intensifying clashes as President Bashar al-Assad's forces fight to capture rebel-held parts of the city. Russian air support for the onslaught - which has destroyed hospitals and other civilian infrastructure - has spurred accusations of potential war crimes and threats of punitive sanctions. World powers are expected to follow up Monday on last-ditch efforts at the weekend aimed at ending Syria's five-year conflict. The deaths brought to 47 the number of people killed since Sunday morning in east Aleppo, the Observatory said. Bombardment has been so heavy in recent days that streets have been blocked off by massive piles of rubble from destroyed buildings, an AFP correspondent said. This morning Russia's defence minister said bombing had stopped. An injured Syrian man cries out in pain as he receives medical treatment at a field hospital after war plames belonging to the Russian army carried out air strikes over Aleppo Once Syria's thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by bombing raids and intensifying clashes as President Bashar al-Assad's forces fight to capture rebel-held parts of the city A Syrian father mourns next to the lifeless body of his child at a field hospital in Aleppo Devastation: Syrians inspect the destroyed buildings after jets pounded buildings in the city Destroyed buildings are shown after the Russian army carried out air strikes in Aleppo 'Strikes in the Aleppo region by the Russian and Syrian air forces are stopping today starting at 10:00 am (local time),' Sergei Shoigu said in a televised briefing. 'The early cessation of air strikes is necessary to introduce a 'humanitarian pause' on October 20. This guarantees the security of civilians' exit through six corridors and prepares the evacuation of the sick and injured from eastern Aleppo.' Russia's defence ministry said Monday that its forces and the Syrian regime would halt fire in Aleppo on Thursday for eight hours amid mounting criticism of the Moscow-backed assault against Syria's second city. Shoigu on Tuesday called on countries that 'have influence on armed groups in eastern Aleppo' to convince group leaders to cease hostilities and leave the city. Shoigu said the initiative could 'contribute to the success' of international military talks in Geneva on Wednesday on efforts to distance Syrian opposition fighters from jihadist group Fateh al-Sham Front, which changed its name from Al-Nusra Front after renouncing its ties to Al-Qaeda. America has dismissed plans for an eight-hour pause in attacks by Russian and Syrian forces on rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo as 'too little, too late'. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the people of Aleppo 'have been subjected to near constant bombardment and air strikes' that have killed many civilians and levelled much of the city's infrastructure in an effort 'to starve out and to drive out the opposition and civilians'. Members of the White Helmets search for victims amid the rubble of a destroyed building following reported air strikes in Aleppo, on October 17 Bombardment has been so heavy in recent days that streets have been blocked off by massive piles of rubble from destroyed buildings Members of the Syrian Civil Defence, known as the White Helmets, search for victims amid the rubble of a destroyed building following reported air strikes in the rebel-held Qatarji People remove belongings from a damaged site after an air strike Sunday in rebel-held besieged al-Qaterji People bury relatives whom died in an airstrike yesterday in the rebel held besieged al-Qaterji 'If there is actually an eight-hour pause in the unremitting suffering of the people of Aleppo, that would be a good thing. But frankly, it's a bit too little, too late,' he said. Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, said Monday that Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have agreed to take part in talks on distancing rebels from the Syrian jihadist group. Russia has repeatedly demanded that the Syrian rebels break off from Fateh al-Sham Front, which the United Nations considers a terrorist group, as a condition to revive a ceasefire in Aleppo. The brutal government offensive against rebel-held eastern Aleppo backed by Russian airpower has plunged Syria into some of the worst violence since the conflict erupted in March 2011. The last king of Rwanda has died. Kigeli V ruled the east African nation for less than a year before being forced into exile and finally settling in the United States. He passed away early Sunday aged 80. Born Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa, King Kigeli came to power in 1959 and was forced to leave the country the following year after clashing with the Belgian colonial power. In 1961, the monarchy was abolished. The king began a life of exile in east Africa, including Kenya and Uganda, before leaving for America, where he settled in the suburbs of Washington in 1992. Kigeli V ruled the east African nation for less than a year before being forced into exile and finally settling in the United States. He passed away early Sunday aged 80 In exile, he lived in subsidised housing, on food stamps and donations, in Oakton, Virginia (pictured in Maryland in 1994) Details of his death were not immediately known. 'It is with a very heavy heart that we announce that His Majesty King Kigeli V Ndahindurwa, the last King of Rwanda, died early this morning,' read a statement on his website. 'He was a devout and dedicated believer and the last anointed African Roman Catholic king to reign over a full country.' Funeral arrangements, and details on the heir to the throne will be announced at a later date, the statement said. King Kigeli had come to power after succeeding his half-brother Mutara III, who died in unclear circumstances on the eve of the Hutu 'social revolution,' which sent hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsi fleeing. Most of them did not return home to Rwanda until after the 1994 genocide, which left some 800,000 dead, mostly from that minority. Kigeli V is a Tutsi, but the tradition is that the monarchy represent all Rwandans of all ethnicities. In September 1961, the monarchy was abolished by referendum and Rwanda gained independence the following year. King Kigeli had come to power after succeeding his half-brother Mutara III, who died in unclear circumstances on the eve of the Hutu 'social revolution,' which sent hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsi fleeing Since 1994 and the rise to power of current President Paul Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) which emerged from a former Tutsi rebellion the issue of a potential return by the king was regularly brought up. Every effort to do so failed While in the United States, the exiled monarch led the King Kigeli V Foundation to aid Rwandan refugees. A 2013 profile in Washingtonian magazine, found him living in subsidised housing, on food stamps and donations, in Oakton, Virginia, happy to hand out chocolates to neighbours' children. 'They call me the King of Africa,' Kigeli said of the neighbours, in that report. 'Ah, it's good.' For decades he spoke of returning to his tiny, landlocked east African homeland. While in the United States, the exiled monarch led the King Kigeli V Foundation to aid Rwandan refugees Since 1994 and the rise to power of current President Paul Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) which emerged from a former Tutsi rebellion the issue of a potential return by the king was regularly brought up. Kigeli V is a Tutsi, but the tradition is that the monarchy represent all Rwandans of all ethnicities Yet every effort failed: the RPF authorities have always said they were ready for him to return, yet only as a private citizen. The former monarch held out hope he could return to the throne. The issue got a new boost in May from the Democratic Green Party, a small Rwandan opposition group which argued that the king might be a force of unity for a country still torn by the legacy of the genocide. 'We are very saddened by his passing away before he could return to his country,' party chair Frank Habineza told AFP on Monday. Habineza had asked the Rwandan government to ensure that the king could return to Rwanda with an official role of 'safeguarding Rwandan culture,' enjoying the benefits of a former head of state. Some observers suggested Kagame's government was deliberately preventing Kigeli's return, fearing that respect for his traditional authority could challenge the hegemony of the ruling party. Only three constitutional monarchies remain in Africa, in Morocco, Lesotho and Swaziland - whose King Mswati III is one of the last remaining absolute monarchs in the world. However hundreds of traditional kings still play an important role across the continent and in some cases, like South Africa's Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, receive hefty allowances from the state. Angelina Jolie's former nanny has broken her silence to dramatically call on the actress to end her war with husband Brad Pitt. Devastated Krisann Morel says she is deeply concerned that the star is demonizing her ex and using her children as weapons against him - just like Jolie's mother did when she was a kid. Morel, 63, cared for Jolie during her formative years and was close friends with her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, before she died of cancer. She said there are startling parallels between what is happening now and the star's own troubled childhood when her mother cut off her famous father Jon Voight - leading to years of heartache and estrangement. In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Morel said: 'I'm speaking out because I want to send a message to Angelina, who I care about very much. Morel (pictured left and right with Jolie as a child), 63, who cared for Jolie during her formative years and was close friends with her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, before she died of cancer, fears that a divorce could lead to to years of trauma for the kids 'I want to tell her, "Please don't cut Brad out of the children's lives. Don't use the children as weapons in your divorce. And don't demonize your husband". 'Because that is exactly what your mother did when she was breaking up with your father. And the result was you had a lonely and traumatic childhood. Why would you inflict the same tragedy on your kids? Jolie's parents, Marcheline Bertrand and Jon Voight split in 1977, just two years after Jolie was born 'I am worried that Angie is repeating the past - repeating the same mistakes her mother made during her divorce - and I want to get this message across to her before it is too late.' Grandmother and mother-of-one Morel opened up about 41-year-old Jolie's troubling upbringing and how the vicious war that broke out between her mother and father still seems to affect her today. She revealed that Bertrand could barely stand to look at her daughter when she was a baby because she looked so much like her cheating father, who ran off with a young drama student named Stacey Pickren. And she said that the young star and her brother James Haven, 43 - raised by a coterie of nannies - were frequently used as weapons to attack their womanizing dad. She said: 'Angie to me was a very lonely and troubled child. Even before she was born her mother became convinced that her husband Jon was having an affair with Stacey. Morel was one of Jolie's several nannies, who took care of the now actress and her brother, James Haven, in their younger years Morel revealed that Bertrand could barely stand to look at her daughter (pictured above as a child) when she was a baby because she looked so much like her cheating father Morel said that Jolie and her brother were frequently used as weapons to attack their womanizing dad Grandmother and mother-of-one Morel said that Jolie and her brother spent much of their younger years being raised by nannies Jolie and her older brother, James Haven, pictured above riding horses together, are just two years apart in age 'It broke her heart and it made the atmosphere in the house very tense. There would often be furious arguments and things were rocky between them. 'At some point they started renting an apartment above their own. I still remember the address - 468 South Roxbury in Beverly Hills. 'It was supposed to be for Jon's production company but Angie ended up living there with a team of nannies. 'We are talking literally three floors above the one where Marcheline lived with her son Jamie. Angelina Jolie's former nanny Krisann Morel says she is deeply concerned for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's six children 'And while her mother's apartment was beautifully decorated with expensive antique furniture, Angie's place was sparsely furnished with white walls and carpets. I used to call it the Ivory Tower. 'There were so many helpers that she often had one nanny put her in bed at night and another one to wake her up in the morning. 'I always thought that must be so unsettling for a child and Marcheline did not spend much time with her daughter during those early years. 'She told me, "Angie looks so much like Jon it is hard for me". She struggled to bond with her daughter in the same way she had with Jamie. 'But I told her, "You have to pull it together for the kids". And that's what I want to tell Angie now.' Jolie blindsided Pitt, 52, when she announced she was filing for divorce amid rumors he had been abusing alcohol and weed and cheating with co-star Marion Cotillard, 40. Voight and Bertrand's 1977 split led to years of heartache and estrangement in the family. For a time, Jolie (pictured left with her father and right with her mother) even cut Voight out of her life Pitt is also being investigated by the FBI for allegedly attacking their 15-year-old son Maddox during a private jet flight over the United States. Sources close to Pitt said that a smear campaign has been launched against him as his ex seeks sole custody of their six children. And Jolie's former nanny said that what is going on is all too familiar. Morel first met the Lara Croft actresses' mom when she was working as a waitress at the star-studded Rainbow Bar and Grill on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1975. They met when Bertrand, who died of breast and ovarian cancer at the age of 56 in 2007, was pregnant with her daughter and struggling to balance her Hollywood career with raising her two-year-old son, James, known as 'Jamie'. Speaking from her home near Las Vegas, Morel said: 'I was in my early 20s and I would often chat with Bertrand and her friends when they came to the restaurant. 'One night they were stuck between a rock and a hard place finding a babysitter so one of them asked me if I could help out. Jolie's older brother, Jamie Haven, is also an actor and producer. They are pictured together at the Golden Globes in 2000 'I said yes and after that I started working for the family on a regular basis. They had around six nannies in total and none of us were full-time, we just turned up whenever we were asked to and were paid three dollars an hour. 'I didn't think it was a good way to raise children as it meant the kids had this carousel of people around them were not given the consistency they needed. 'But that was the system Marcheline put in place - and it seems to be the same one Angie has for her children now.' Jolie's father, Voight, 77, an Oscar-winning actor who made his name in hit movies including Midnight Cowboy, made every effort to visit his children after the couple separated in 1977, according to Morel. But he was often barred from seeing them by Jolie's furious mother, who never recovered from his betrayal when he left her for lover Pickren. Jolie cut her father out of her life after she got her big break in Hollywood and even though they later reconciled, their relationship is said to be strained because she has never fully forgiven him for his cheating. Morel said: 'Marcheline was devastated and depressed. She had just had a baby and her husband, who she loved, had walked out on her. 'She often asked me, "Why did he leave me for her?" I told her, "I can't answer that". 'Marcheline was trying to regain her confidence as she was so deflated. She went to acting classes and was attempting to get her career as an actress going again. 'I remember there were lots of big names in Hollywood who started to take an interest when she became single again - I once had to deliver a cake from Marcheline to the actor Burt Reynolds. 'Jon was away working a lot but whenever he was around he made a real effort to see his children. He would call me and say, "Is Marcheline there, can I come over?" And it was Jon who made the effort to do normal things with them like take them to the park. Morel fears that the vicious war that broke out between Jolie's mother and father still seems to affect her today, and worries that it could have lasting affects on her and Pitt's children 'I was friends with both Marcheline and Jon, but I've always felt that Jon got the raw end of the deal. 'Angie's mom for instance, hardly ever cooked for her children and they would live off raw foods like avocado. 'Jon was portrayed as this evil figure and Marcheline succeeded in turning both his children against him. But it led to years of heartbreak and wounds that still haven't healed to this day. 'And I'm so surprised that Angie is now doing the same thing to her children.' Morel quit her job as Jolie's nanny when the future star was three years old because she could no longer handle the chaos and bitterness in the house. And her decade-long friendship with mother Bertrand ended in the mid-'80s when they lost contact. She added: 'Angie has abandonment issues that are still being played out now. 'I don't know Brad Pitt but he seems like a good person and he looks just like Jon, so this is an exact repeat of the past. 'Angie doesn't have any concept of what a normal family is like. Brad does, he came from one. Two divers have drowned while inside a deadly cave system described as the 'Mount Everest' for underwater explorers. Patrick Peacock and Chris Rittenmeyer were in the Eagle's Nest diver area in Weeki Wachee, Florida, with a friend, Justin Blakely, on Saturday. They were missing for about three hours before Blakely called police to report the incident. The dive site is about 50 miles north of Tampa, and the trio was there for a three-day trip, according to WFLA. Divers have referred to the caves as the 'Mount Everest' or 'Grand Canyon' of dives. Peacock and Rittenmeyer were experienced divers, and they decided to tackle the incredibly dangerous caves - ignoring severe warning signs. Two divers, Patrick Peacock (left) and Chris Rittenmeyer (right), have drowned while inside a cave system described as the 'Mount Everest' of underwater explorers 'Stop. Prevent your death. Go no father,' a sign at the mouth of the cave reads. 'There's nothing in this cave worth dying for. Do not go beyond this point.' The extreme message is accompanied by a cartoon drawing of the grim reaper hovering above the bodies or doomed divers. Despite the sign, Blakely said his friends headed down into the underwater maze as he stayed on the surface. He told investigators they were supposed to regroup at 3pm - about an hour after the duo descended into the caves. Peacock and Rittenmeyer did not return to meet their friend, and Blakely checked back every 30 minutes until 6pm. When they had not surfaced after three hours, he called police, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. Rescue divers immediately began the search for the two men, but they were unable to locate them on Saturday. On Sunday morning, about 9am, rescuers found the bodies in about 260 feet of water inside the caves. They were found close together, according to police. The two divers were in the Eagle's Nest diver area (pictured) in Weeki Wachee, Florida, with a friend, Justin Blakely, on Saturday Peacock (pictured) and Rittenmeyer were both experienced divers and had experience in the complex caves The two divers had to pass by this sign on the way into the sinkhole near Tampa, Florida Hernando County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Denise Moloney said they were in a, 'very dangerous and complex area of the cave system'. Peacock taught history and philosophy at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, and operated the Blue Zen Diver group, the Sun Sentinel reports. He was also a Air Force veteran. Rittenmeyer was described by family members as a 'a great athlete', in addition to being an experienced diver, according to the newspaper. 'He has been diving since he was 12 years old, and cave diving for a long time,' his father, Ron, said. 'They dove that cave on Friday and everything was fine. He told me about the next day's dive; he felt great.' Rittenmeyer (pictured) had been diving since he was 12 years old, and 'cave diving for a long time', his father said Diving expert Chuck Walls said the two men could have suffered from nitrogen narcosis - also known as Martini's Law, a condition that can cause those struck by it to become confused while underwater. 'You have a lack of judgment and lose some of your inhibitions,' he told ABC News. 'Some people may even freeze up and do what we call "white out".' 'The Sinkholes challenging caves and and harsh conditions are not to be taken lightly,' Aquaview magazine said of the location. Sylvester Muller, vice chairman of the National Speleological Society's Cave Diving Section, told the Sun Sentinel the caves are like a 'Venus fly trap'. 'You get in there, and there is so much to see you get distracted, and it gets deep quickly,' he said. Pictures taken inside the cave by other divers show some of the conditions that those who venture inside have to deal with The massive cave system has a number of small areas where a person could easily become stuck or trapped The two men are the ninth and tenth divers to die in the caves since 1981. The last two to die in the cave were Daren Spivey, 35, and his 15-year-old son Dillon Sanchez, who drowned on Christmas Day in 2013. A sheriff's office investigation has found that pair died accidentally after apparently losing track of time and diving to 233 feet while using just air in their tanks. Rescuers found Spivey's body floating 120 feet below the surface with his breathing device out of his mouth - an indication that he had perhaps tried to give his son air after the teenager ran out. The high number of deaths led to the system being closed off to divers in 1999, however the sinkhole was reopened in 2003, according to the Washington Post. An apparent 'death stare' led to a man being fatally stabbed in the neck in an outer Sydney car park. The 26-year-old stabbing victim, David Campbell, was driving out of the Hawkesbury River reserve car park when three men in a Nissan Skyline coming in gave them a 'death stare'. It was a late Saturday afternoon on February 28, 2015 and Mr Campbell and his friends had been drinking beer, vodka and bourbon on the north-western outskirts of Sydney. Scroll down for video David Campbell (pictured left) was fatally stabbed in the neck after fighting in a car park Mr Campbell's final hours were outlined on Monday in the NSW Supreme Court, where Stephen McGuiness pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter. Justice Robert Hulme was told how McGuiness stabbed Mr Campbell in the neck in front of his mates. A dispute had broken out between two carloads of young men at the Macquarie Park recreational area in Freemans Reach, across the river from Windsor. Mr Campbell was driving out of the car park with Scott Wilson, 25, and another friend when three men in a Nissan Skyline coming in gave them a 'death stare'. Mr Wilson told Mr Campbell, 'Let's just go', but Mr Campbell made a U-turn and followed the Skyline into the car park, Mr Wilson said in a statement of agreed facts tendered in court. Stephen McGuiness (pictured right) has pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing David Campbell Mr Campbell was heard by a Skyline passenger to say, 'What the f*** are you looking at?' and, once the cars had parked, Mr Wilson approached and started swinging his fists at the Skyline driver. An independent witness saw a shirtless Mr Campbell push 26-year-old McGuiness's chest and say, 'Come on, fight me,' the facts said. McGuiness was seen to back away and say he didn't want to fight but Mr Campbell felled him with a punch to the head, before a fist fight broke out between them. Mr Campbell looked to have gained the upper hand but, after he delivered four blows to McGuiness's head, McGuiness stabbed him in the neck with a knife. David Campbell's distraught friends (pictured) had witnessed a fight and fatal stabbing Mr Campbell stumbled back, saying words to the effect of, 'he stabbed me', before collapsing and dying at the scene, the facts said. An autopsy later found he had a blood alcohol level of 0.138. McGuiness tried to escape in the Skyline but it crashed nearby, and he fled. He was arrested at his home the next day but denied stabbing Mr Campbell and even being in the area that day. He was charged with murder and had been due to stand trial on Monday, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter instead. McGuiness is due to face a sentence hearing on December 9. Outside court, Mr Campbell's sister Patricia Campbell said she hoped her brother's death would prevent future violence. 'David was a loving, caring, person - we are a very, very close family and David was very family orientated - David was our rock,' she told reporters. 'Our family is now broken and we are all struggling.' Paramedics try to revive David Campbell at the Hawkesbury River car park in February 2015 Fentanyl has contributed to almost half of New York Citys overdose since July a shocking increase compared to a year ago. The synthetic drug which is considered up to 100 times more potent than morphine - was involved in 47 per cent of confirmed drug overdose deaths in the city since July 1, health officials said. Last year, only 16 per cent of overdose deaths involved the powerful opioid, according to an alert issued by the Health Department on Monday. The shocking rise was attributed to a greater availability of fentanyl. Scroll down for video Fentanyl has contributed to almost half of New York Citys overdose since July a shocking increase compared to a year ago. File photo Data suggests that the increased presence of fentanyl is driving the increase in overdose deaths, the alert said. The drug is used in prescription drugs to treat severe pain under names including Actiq and Submimaze. But most of the overdose deaths are not linked to prescriptions, but to illicitly-made fentanyl pills or fentanyl that has been mixed with and sold as heroin, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. Street names for heroin laced with fentanyl include China Girl, China White, TNT, Tango and Cash, according to authorities. Pop legend Prince died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl in April Pop legend Prince became the most high-profile victim of the addictive pills sweeping the nation when he died of an accidental overdose in April. Now, the Health Department is alerting doctors that a higher dose or multiple doses of the antidote Nalaxone is needed to fight fentanyl because of its strength, the New York Post reports. Officials also warn medics that patients who end up in hospital with symptoms of heroin use may not be aware that they have ingested fentanyl. Providers should be mindful that fentanyl is not detected by standard urine screens, the alert added. Preliminary figures show there have been 725 overdose deaths so far in 2016. There were 937 unintentional overdose deaths last year - up 800 from 2014. But data from the past ten years showed that at most, three per cent of overdose deaths each year involved fentanyl. Ambulances are late to a third of life-threatening emergencies, shocking figures reveal. In the year to August, more than 1.1million critically ill patients were left waiting for an ambulance longer than the target of eight minutes. They included victims of cardiac arrests, strokes and road traffic accidents. Some had to wait for nearly two hours. Ambulances are late to a third of life-threatening emergencies, shocking figures reveal (stock) The NHS figures the worst on record were blamed on migration, the failure of GP services and a shortage of paramedics. To make matters worse, ambulances are having to queue outside busy A&E units and so cannot respond to other 999 calls. Separate figures today show almost 77,000 ambulances waited at least an hour outside casualty departments last year twice as many as two years ago. Paramedics are meant to arrive on the scene of category A calls the most serious within eight minutes of being dispatched. A 27-YEAR-OLD STUDENT'S FATAL FIVE-HOUR WAIT FOR HELP Lisa Day died after suffering a heart attack Lisa Day died after suffering a heart attack and waiting almost five hours for an ambulance. An inquest earlier this year heard the 27-year-old student would have survived had paramedics arrived sooner. She suffered from type one diabetes and had been staying with a friend last September when she suddenly began vomiting blood. Her friend dialled 111 and was put through to the London Ambulance Service and was promised a response within 30 minutes. But the service was experiencing unprecedented demand with 300 new calls every hour. While she was waiting, Miss Days condition worsened and she suffered a cardiac arrest. Paramedics found her unconscious. She died five days later at the Royal Free Hospital, north London, of a lack of oxygen to the brain a complication of her diabetes. Her brother-in-law Matthew Edwards blamed under-resourcing at the service. After the inquest at St Pancras Coroners Court in February, he said: We are extremely saddened by Lisas death, and the sadness will last with us for the rest of our lives. We believe the death was completely avoidable and ultimately resulted from the under-resourcing of the ambulance service in London. I hope these lessons will be learnt and this case will not happen again. Advertisement But a Daily Mail analysis of NHS England statistics shows that, in 12 months, they took longer than eight minutes in more than 1.1million category-A calls. This means they were late in 35 per cent of the 3.18million of category-A calls. The figures show the extent to which the under-staffed ambulance service struggles to cope with the soaring numbers of 999 calls. In January ambulances were late for 36 per cent of category-A calls compared with 32 per cent in January last year. And in March they were too late for 42 per cent, while in March last year the figure was 30 per cent. In August, the most recent figures, targets were missed for 36 per cent of calls compared with 30 per cent for the same month last year. The crisis is fuelled by unprecedented demand from the ageing population and patients who are not seriously ill but use ambulances like a taxi service. Paramedics say they are increasingly called to patients with minor injuries or illnesses who have been unable to get hold of a GP. Some reported pressure due to migrants who do not register with a surgery or do not know where their nearest walk-in centre is. The ambulance service is also desperately short of paramedics with an estimated 12 per cent of posts vacant. These factors mean fewer ambulances are ready to respond to serious 999 calls. FIRST AID IGNORANCE KILLS 10,000 A YEAR A lack of resuscitation skills means 10,000 Britons die of cardiac arrest each year, experts warn. A study suggests one in eight cardiac deaths occur without anyone trying to keep the sufferers heart going until paramedics arrive. By the time professional medical help arrives, it is often too late to save someone if CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation has not been tried. The researchers, led by Warwick University, wrote in the journal Resuscitation: When cardiac arrest occurs there is sudden cessation of circulation to the brain and other vital organs. Irreversible death will occur within minutes unless circulation is restored. The scientists analysed 11,451 cardiac arrests attended by paramedics who could do nothing in 13.1 per cent of cases as too much time had passed without CPR. Applying that rate to all cardiac arrests suggests 10,000 die because of a lack of CPR. Professor Gavin Perkins, who led the study, said the community response was critical, and that immediate CPR doubles the chance of survival. A YouGov poll of 4,345 adults found 53 per cent had no training in CPR, and 47 per cent were too worried about causing harm to try it. Advertisement Meanwhile Freedom of Information responses from the ten English ambulance trusts reveal 76,725 ambulances had to wait at least an hour outside A&E in 2015/16. This was up from 51,632 in 2014/15 and 28,162 in 2013/14. Katherine Murphy, of the Patients Association, said the figures were terrifying. She said: It is particularly concerning that thousands of sick patients are made to wait in ambulances outside A&E for more than an hour, as their condition may deteriorate in this time. You can only imagine the panic anyone would be in if this was you and your loved ones in an emergency situation. Sarah Carpenter of the Unite union, which represents paramedics, said the figures reveal a catalogue of pain and suffering for patients. She said: Hardworking and dedicated ambulance staff and paramedics are being pushed to their limit of endurance and beyond. And Labours health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth said: For patients already in distress this absolutely will not do. In March, South Western Ambulance Service reported a small number of category-A patients waiting more than 108 minutes for a response. And last month another trust, South East Coast, wrote to GPs urging them not to call 999 from surgeries in a desperate bid to reduce demand. The same organisation was last year found to have downgraded thousands of emergency calls in a bid to hit response targets. Many trusts increasingly rely on firemen, the police or private ambulance crews to transport patients to hospital. NHS England said the figures demonstrate the rise in demand. On ambulances waiting outside A&E, it said some had to delay handing over patients in order to continue giving care. The Department of Health said: We expect patient handovers from ambulance to A&E to happen within 30 minutes. An Iraqi refugee who wanted to set off bombs at two shopping malls in Houston, Texas, has pleaded guilty to trying to help ISIS. Omar Faraj Saeed al-Hardan, 24, admitted as part of a plea deal yesterday that he had pledged loyalty to the Islamic State in November 2014 and had obtained training to use tactical weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle. Al-Hardan, who came to Houston from Iraq in 2009, admitted a charge of attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization and faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced in January. Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, being escorted from a courthouse in Houston by a U.S. Marshal, faces up to 20 years in jail Al-Hardan's case comes during a presidential election race in which the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, has raised fears about the danger of admitting refugees from the Middle East. Trump has called for 'extreme vetting' of all Muslim migrants. The federal authorities say al-Hardan began to develop a relationship in June 2014 with a confidential informant, discussing hopes to travel overseas to fight with ISIS. The popular Galleria shopping mall in Houston (pictured) was one of al-Hardan's targets Al-Hardan (pictured) was in touch with another Iraqi refugee in California Homeland Security Special Agent Herman Wittliff testified that the suspect had been learning how to make electronic transmitters which could be used to detonate explosives. Agent Wittliff said al-Hardan hoped to bomb two Houston malls, including the Galleria, using cellphones to detonate the devices. An FBI statement at the time said al-Hardan did not have an 'active or planned plot targeting a specific location in Houston or elsewhere'. The Houston Chronicle said al-Hardan had said: 'I want to blow myself up. I want to travel with the Mujahideen. I want to travel to be with those who are against America. I am against America.' Prosecutors said al-Hardan was in touch with another Iraqi refugee in California, Aws Mohammed Younis al-Jayab, and the two men discussed getting weapons training and eventually sneaking into Syria to fight with ISIS. Al-Jayab, 23, is in custody in Chicago awaiting trial, alleged with trying to support a terrorist group. Al-Jayab flew from Chicago to Turkey in November 2013, then traveled to Syria, federal prosecutors said. Authorities say he joined a group later affiliated with ISIS, but he told investigators he was just visiting his grandmother in Turkey. A Thai woman accused of insulting the monarchy was forced to kneel before a portrait of the late king in front of a baying crowd of royalists. Two police officers led 43-year-old Umaporn Sarasat to a picture of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and told her to get down on her knees and bow towards the picture. A 500-strong crowd, some holding images of the revered monarch, jeered when she left the police station, and had to be held back by police officers linking arms. Two officers led 43-year-old Umaporn Sarasat out of the police station as a 500-strong mob jeered her The public humiliation happened on Sunday in Koh Samui, a palm-fringed island resort popular with British tourists. It was the latest of several such incidents since King Bhumibol died last week after a reign of 70 years, plunging Thailand into intense mourning. Small business owner Ms Sarasat was said to have posted disrespectful comments on Facebook. Some reports said she criticised King Bhumibol, while others said the comments were directed at his son, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn. It is likely she will face charges of insulting the monarchy. 'We are going to proceed with the case as best we can,' district police chief Thewes Pleumsud told the crowd. 'I understand your feelings. You came here out of loyalty to his majesty. Don't worry, I give you my word.' The small business owner was told to get down on her knees and bow towards the picture Authorities are also urging calm as social media throbs with criticism of people who are not wearing traditional black and white mourning clothes. The government were forced to explain that some people cannot afford these clothes and stressed the need for tolerance. There have been reports of price gouging as demand for such clothing has surged since King Bhumibol's death on Thursday. Tens of thousands of Thais have descended on the Grand Palace in Bangkok where his body is being kept, and a year of mourning has been declared. Several foreign governments have warned citizens traveling in Thailand to avoid behavior that could be interpreted as festive, disrespectful or disorderly. It is likely she will face charges of insulting the monarchy. Pictured is the crowd who came to watch her public humilation On Friday, police and soldiers on the Thai resort island of Phuket dispersed a mob of several hundred people confronting a man they believed insulted the king. Thailand has a draconian law that imposes stiff prison sentences for actions or writings regarded as derogatory toward the monarch or his family. British spies secretly and illegally collected huge volumes of confidential data belonging to millions of citizens. In a major judgment yesterday, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal said the intelligence agencies broke the law by scooping up sensitive information without adequate oversight or supervision. They harvested and stored data on the websites people visited and who they called, texted or emailed. Agents also unlawfully swept up large databases containing medical and tax records, financial data and travel schedules. British intelligence agencies 'breached human rights laws' by illegally collecting huge volumes of confidential data, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal said (file picture) The IPT, which is the only judicial body with the power to probe MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, said the actions breached human rights laws for more than a decade. But spy chiefs were free to carry on using the techniques after they became legal last year. The ruling was published yesterday as the Government tries to push the Investigatory Powers Bill through the House of Lords. The legislation was introduced in the aftermath of damaging leaks about security service snooping by US fugitive Edward Snowden. Ministers insist it is an attempt to bring all new and existing spy tactics in the digital age under one piece of legislation. But critics warn the turbo-charged snoopers charter will ride roughshod over privacy. The tribunal said it was not satisfied that there can be said to have been an adequate oversight on collecting bulk communications data between 1998 and November 2015. The Government is trying to push legislation through to bring spy tactics under one Act following the leaks about security service snooping by US fugitive Edward Snowden, pictured It also said the holding of bulk personal datasets, which might include medical, tax, commercial and financial information, failed to comply with the European Convention On Human Rights between 2006 and March 2015. Privacy International, which brought the complaints against the intelligence agencies, said it was a highly significant judgment. Mark Scott, of Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, which represented Privacy International, said: This judgment confirms that for over a decade UK security services unlawfully concealed both the extent of their surveillance capabilities and that innocent people across the country have been spied upon. Millie Graham Wood, legal officer at Privacy International, said: The public and Parliament deserve an explanation as to why everyones data was collected for over a decade without oversight in place and confirmation that unlawfully obtained personal data will be destroyed. Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said the ruling showed mass spying on the British people should be replaced with targeted surveillance of specific individuals suspected of wrongdoing. GCHQ FEARED STAFF SPYING ON CELEBRITIES Staff at Britains intelligence agencies were warned not to use the huge databases to spy on friends, family or famous people. Documents released by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal showed officers at GCHQ, the UKs eavesdropping service, were ordered not to access the information frivolously. It was revealed they were sent internal warnings not to use the harvested data to pry about other members of staff, neighbours, friends, acquaintances, family members and public figures. The tribunal also revealed concerns within the security agencies about their secretive collection of communications data and other personal details, including millions of British citizens tax and medical records. Staff at the Government Communications Headquarters in Gloucestershire, pictured, were warned not to spy on famous people In 2010 a Mr Hannigan of the Cabinet Office wrote: It is difficult to assess the extent to which the public is aware of agencies exploiting personal bulk datasets, including data on individuals of no intelligence value. 'Although existing legislation allows companies and UK government departments to share personal data with the agencies if necessary in the interests of national security, the extent to which this sharing takes place may not be evident to the public. The ruling does not give a first name but, at the time, current GCHQ director Robert Hannigan was the Cabinet Office head of security, intelligence and resilience. Advertisement He said: Allowing the state to collect endless amounts of personal data is not just a gross invasion of privacy, it is a waste of precious resources. Every pound the Government spends monitoring peoples emails, text messages and calls is a pound taken away from community policing. A Government spokesman said an official policy about how such data collection should be carried out lawfully came into force in February 2015 and was put into practice by the intelligence agencies later the same year. The spokesman added: The powers available to the security and intelligence agencies play a vital role in protecting the UK and its citizens. We are therefore pleased the tribunal has confirmed the current lawfulness of the existing bulk communications data and bulk personal dataset regimes. Fallen former AFL champion Ben Cousins has been released on bail but warned he'll be arrested and locked up if he breaches any conditions placed. The 38-year-old's long list of drug-related incidents, going back a decade, received another entry when he was arrested outside what is understood to be the home of his former partner and two children in Canning Vale, Perth on Monday. The Brownlow Medallist and former captain of the West Coast Eagles was charged with breaching a violence restraining order and possessing methamphetamine. Scroll down for video Fallen AFL star Ben Cousins leaves the Armadale Magistrates Court after being granted bail after spending the night behind bars Former West Coast Eagles AFL player Ben Cousins leaves Armadale Magistrates Court in Perth Cousins had appeared in court on charges of breaching a violence restraining order and possessing methamphetamine Cousins was granted bail after spending the night behind bars at the Perth Watchhouse No one had put up a surety for Cousins, his lawyer Damien Cripps told the Armadale Magistrates Court. At past court appearances family members including his father and former VFL footballer Bryan Cousins have provided surety to keep him out of jail, but they were not present on Tuesday. Cousins looked dishevelled, fidgety and agitated in court, wearing tracksuit pants and a windcheater, after spending a night in a cell. He asked magistrate Sandra De Maio about whether he would be able to see his children, aged three and five, when the VRO prevented him going within 50 metres of his former spouse and her home. 'I have just been seeing them in the front yard or in the street,' he said. A parenting plan had also been drafted, he said. Despite receiving bail, the 38-year-old - who appeared 'dishevelled' - was having issues getting a surety to allow his release, it was reported. Cousins is surrounded by media as he leaves court on Tuesday Cousins (pictured in 2007) has been arrested in Perth for allegedly breaching a violence restraining order and drug possession She agreed to relax the VRO conditions after reading an email sent to her about the matter, saying he could communicate with the children's mother via text message but only about parenting issues. 'If you breach any of your bail conditions you will be arrested,' Ms De Maio said. Despite his predicament, Mr Cripps said Cousins had told him he was 'in a very good place'. However, Ms De Maio said it appeared to be a difficult time for him. He will appear in Armadale Magistrates Court again on November 22. Cousins, who has a history of drug abuse, was suspended from the AFL for one year in 2007 for bringing the game into disrepute. Since then, his troubles have continued under the glare of the public, most recently in June when he was reportedly treated in hospital after standing in the middle of Canning Highway in Como directing traffic. THE RISE AND FALL OF FORMER AFL PLAYER BEN COUSINS 1996: Debuts for the West Coast Eagles, wins Norwich Rising Star award 2005: Wins Brownlow Medal 2006: Wins AFL premiership with West Coast Eagles Involved in incidents including running from a police breath test station in Perth In December is arrested for public drunkenness in Melbourne 2007: Receives clubs suspension and goes on bender before attending rehab clinic in the U.S. Admits drug use problem on television and later returns to play AFL In October, his mentor Chris Mainwaring dies while Cousins is present His club sacks him and he receives a 12-month ban from the AFL commission Picked by Richmond in the final draft 2010: Announces he is retiring from AFL 2011: His partner, Maylea Tinecheff, gives birth to their child, Bobby 2012: Cousins is sent to a mental health unit after suffering drug-induced psychosis Later charged with possessing methamphetamine Splits with Ms Tinecheff after she gives birth to their second child, according to reports 2015: Pleads guilty to reckless driving, failing to stop, failing to give a breath sample. Fined $2600 and loses licence Caught inside an SAS barracks in Swanbourne, Perth 2016: Found behaving bizarrely on a Perth highway and taken to hospital. Arrested for breaching VRO and possessing drugs Source: The Herald Sun Advertisement An older image of Cousins, who was in custody in Perth on Tuesday The 911 call reporting a firebombing attack on a GOP party headquarters in North Carolina and graffiti referring to 'Nazi Republicans' has been released by police. Bennie Sparrow was outside feeding stray cats before church when she first spotted the graffiti that read: 'Nazi Republicans leave town or else'. Sparrow, 68, owns the shop Balloons Above Orange right next to the GOP headquarters in Hillsborough. The graffiti was on her building's wall. 'I saw the hate in it,' she said. 'And the only reason they used the side of my building, because it was a blank canvas to the message to the Republican Party people'. A bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County headquarters early Sunday, damaging the interior before burning out, according to authorities. Scroll down for audio A Republican party headquarters in Hillsborough, North Carolina was firebombed and vandalized with the words: 'Nazi Republicans leave town or else' (pictured) A bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County headquarters early Sunday, damaging the interior before burning out, police said Workers at the Orange County GOP office set up a makeshift operation with folding tables on Monday as police continued their investigation inside Sparrow told the emergency dispatcher at 8.54am that someone 'firebombed the window of the Republican party', adding that she could smell smoke. 'I'm not going over there and sticking my head in the window but...you can see where it did smoke up inside,' she said. 'Obviously it went out on its own or didn't work well, but its some sort of incendiary device.' Sparrow added that she couldn't see any flames but said it had 'smoked up outside the window'. 'They obviously threw something flaming through the window...and I'm not sure what kind of damage is inside,' she said. 'I'm not about to go look.' Volunteers sent emails, made phone calls and got ballots ready on fold-out tables outside The firebomb was thrown through the building's front window, which once read 'Freedom Speaks', leaving shattered glass all over the floor Pictures released on Monday showed a couch burned down to its springs, while the headquarter's floor and walls were covered in black char Lost in the fire were 2,000 sample ballots for local Republicans, dozens of yard signs that were melted and banners for events that were ruined by soot Lost in the fire were 2,000 sample ballots for local Republicans, dozens of yard signs that were melted and banners for events that were ruined by soot. Pictures released on Monday showed a couch burned down to its springs, while the office's floor and walls were covered in black char. Police have not been able to estimate the total value of the damages, but executive director of the state's GOP, Dallas Woodhouse, said the office was 'a total loss'. But volunteers went back to work on Monday, sending emails and getting ballots ready on fold-out tables outside the headquarters. Meanwhile, investigators combed through shards of glass and looked for residue of flammable accelerant as the graffiti was cleaned up next door. Police have not been able to estimate the total value of the damages, but executive director of the state's GOP, Dallas Woodhouse, said the office was 'a total loss' Police believe the attack happened sometime between midnight Saturday and the time of Sparrow's phone call on Sunday morning Authorities have said there is no evidence that whoever firebombed the building represents the Democratic party Police believe the attack happened sometime between midnight Saturday and the time of Sparrow's phone call on Sunday morning. Authorities have said there is no evidence that whoever firebombed the building represents the Democratic party. But just hours after the news broke, Trump claimed it was done by the 'animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina'. The GOP presidential candidate added that he believed the attack was prompted 'because we are winning', although a new CNN poll shows that Clinton is leading Trump 48 to 47 percent in the key battleground state. Clinton also tweeted about the bombing, calling it 'horrific and unacceptable'. 'Very grateful that everyone is safe,' she added. But just hours after the news broke, Trump claimed it was done by the 'animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina' Clinton also tweeted about the bombing, calling it 'horrific and unacceptable' A GoFundMe page created by Democrats raised more than $13,000, meeting its goal of $10,000 in just 40 minutes, to 'help the office re-open as soon as possible'. David Weinberger, a researcher at Harvard University who created the page, said he believed it showed that Americans are 'thirsty for civility and decency'. With three weeks left until election day, Mayor Tom Stevens acknowledged the significance of the attack, saying: ' This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property.' 'It willfully threatens our community's safety, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation.' North Carolina's Republican Gov Pat McCrory has called the attack 'anarchy'. North Carolina's Republican Gov Pat McCrory, who visited the office on Monday to inspect the damage, has called the attack 'anarchy' 'That's what they do in other countries, not in North Carolina,' he said on Monday afternoon as he visited the wreckage 'That's what they do in other countries, not in North Carolina,' he said on Monday afternoon as he visited the wreckage, according to WBTV. 'The graffiti is even a type of intimidation that is not called for.' 'The worst I've seen is people tearing down each other's signs or using the middle finger when someone has the wrong bumper sticker that they disagree with - which is bad enough, by the way,' he added. 'Both parties has its extremists, but this is anarchy...This is someone who wants anarchy. And that's not our country and that's not our state.' 'I have no idea who did this or why they did this. There is no excuse for doing it, whatever the reason is.' The state's Democratic Party Chair Patsy Keever added: ' I'm appalled that this would happen, certainly we don't need violence for any reason.' 'Clearly this is outrageous that anybody would do this kind of destruction to either party's buildings or people.' A police investigation with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is ongoing. An eagle-eyed car booter who bought an old vase for 10 is set make 3,000 times that when it sells at auction. The bargain-hunter, who does not want to be identified, snapped up the 5ins tall Chinese vase at a car boot sale because it looked interesting. He only suspected he had something special when he put the item on eBay and he was inundated with questions about it and the bidding rocketed to over 10,000. The anonymous bargain hunter only suspected he had something special when he put the item on eBay and the bidding rocketed to over 10,000 The man, from the Hampshire area, withdrew the listing and took the oriental piece to auctioneers Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury, Wiltshire, where it has been valued at 30,000. John Axford, head of the auction house's Asian art department, identified the vase as Imperial Chinese enamel, thanks to his extensive records of the Imperial Collection in Beijing. He revealed to the startled owner that it was actually a rare 'two quails' vase and is at least 220 years old. The vase has the four character Qianlong mark - the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty - and would have been made by Imperial command in the Beijing Palace workshop between 1736 and 1795. The lucky vendor had spotted the antique on a stall at the end of the day. The vase comes with a 3ins tall enamel base which has previously suffered damage. Mr Axford said: "We are delighted to be offering this lot. In 2012 we sold a brush pot on behalf of a charity to whom the pot was donated and it sold for 360,000. "This vase is another example of why it is important that members of the public can bring items to specialist auctioneers for information and an auction appraisal. "The owner bought it at the end of the day at a car boot sale, where it had just sat on a stall. "He thought it looked interesting and decided to offer it on eBay but within a very short space of time he had been inundated with questions and the bids had gone to 10,000. "It was then he realised it was possibly something very special." The vase and the hexagonal base it is attached to measure less than eight inches and it is believed there is a matching vase in the British Museum. Landlords will be banned from renting tiny rooms and 'beds in sheds' to migrants for hundreds of pounds (file picture) Landlords will be banned from exploiting migrants by renting out beds in sheds or cramming them into tiny box rooms. The new blitz by ministers on rogue property owners will impose maximum penalties of 30,000. It follows shocking cases of migrant workers from Eastern Europe and elsewhere being crammed into small living spaces by slum landlords. In some cases, they have been charged hundreds of pounds a month to live in tiny outbuildings, dubbed beds in sheds. The practice has caused tensions within local communities who complain of large numbers of migrant workers sharing two or three bed houses in residential streets. Ministers will also force private landlords to provide more storage space for dustbins in any house which contains five or more people who are not from the same family. It is aimed at stopping waste spilling into the street and will mean there must be enough bins to cope with the expected level of waste. Housing minister Gavin Barwell said he wanted to clamp down on rogue landlords cramming tenants into unsafe and overcrowded homes. He warned there were too many cases of ruthless landlords who exploit tenants and charge them extortionate rents to live in poor conditions. In future, the minimum room size which can be rented out must be 70 square feet (6.52 square metres). It will apply to any shared rented home containing five or more people from two or more different families, and to flats above and below shops and other business premises. It comes after migrants in Eastern Europe have been crammed into small living spaces in slums (file picture) Currently licensing rules only kick in for homes with three or more floors and excludes those attached to businesses, unless they are in a three-storey buildings. This has allowed a string of rogue properties including the beds in sheds to slip through the net. Last year a raid on overcrowded slums by Barking and Dagenham Council in London uncovered more than 50 migrant workers living in just four houses. Families will be paying 164 on their energy bills by 2020 to subsidise wind farms and cut greenhouse gas emissions. The figure which is already running at 130 a year is higher than expected because ministers failed to spend money on green energy schemes wisely, revealed the National Audit Office. The last Labour government and the Tory-Lib Dem coalition thought on-shore and off-shore wind farms would protect consumers against the rising cost of gas to heat homes and generate electricity. Families will be paying 164 on energy bills by 2020 to subsidise wind farms (pictured is Scout Moor wind farm near Rochdale) The new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said efforts are being made to reduce green subsidies, such as cutting payments to households which generate electricity through solar panels (file picture) In fact, wholesale gas and electricity prices have fallen and may well be lower in 2020 than they are today. The NAO puts the UK average energy bill at 1,029 in 2016 and expects it to be 991 in 2020. An NAO inquiry found that ministers rushed to give long-term subsidies to wind farms when the cost of electricity from them was very high. Whitehall also underestimated how much electricity would be generated by wind turbines. The NAO said it would have been more cost effective if the government had delayed spending on the schemes which have swallowed up billions of pounds in subsidies because electricity costs from wind farms have fallen over the past year. The last Tory-Lib Dem government set up the Levy Control Framework, which was designed to cap the amount spent on wind and solar power that could be added to customers bills. A cap of 7.6billion in 2020-21 uses 2011-12 prices. But the NAO expects the schemes to exceed the cap and cost 8.7billion in 2020-2. It said: This is equivalent to 110 around 11 per cent on the typical household dual fuel energy bill in 2020, 17 more than if the schemes stayed within the cap. And it said another 54 a year will be added to bills by 2020 to cut the nations energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The schemes include giving subsidised double-glazing to the poor and installing smart meters in homes and businesses. This table shows how policies have been eating into our fuel bills and what is still to come The NAO head, Amyas Morse, said: A lack of transparency over the [Levy Control] Framework and expected future energy bills has undermined accountability to Parliament and consumers. The new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said efforts are being made to reduce green subsidies, such as cutting payments to households which generate electricity through solar panels. Miss Rudd was accused of being economical about what she knew The Home Secretary last night admitted she had been aware of racism allegations against the ex-chairman of the child abuse inquiry. Amber Rudd said she was alerted about allegations over Dame Lowell Goddards professionalism and competence several weeks before she told MPs the judge had quit because she was lonely. Miss Rudd was accused of being economical about what she knew after the admission, which follows claims of a Home Office cover-up. She told MPs last month that New Zealander Dame Lowell had left the inquiry because she felt lonely and a long way from home. The beleaguered public inquiry threatened to turn into a political scandal last night as: Victims called for chairman Alexis Jay to resign as she signalled the probes remit will be cut back, so it does not last beyond 2020; Dame Lowell Goddard strenuously denied claims she turned to drink at the inquiry; Its top lawyer, Ben Emmerson QC, was accused of bullying behind the scenes. Hauled before the Commons yesterday, Miss Rudd said it would have been entirely inappropriate to tell the home affairs committee about the racism allegations against Dame Lowell. In evidence to the committee on September 7, she said of the judges departure: I think she went I have to say that it is a matter for her, but I have the information that you have because she found it too much ultimately she found it too lonely, she was a long way from home and she decided to step down. That is all the information I have about why she decided to go. But yesterday Miss Rudd admitted she became aware on July 29 that concerns about Dame Lowells professionalism and competence had been raised by inquiry staff with a senior Home Office official. Dame Lowell Goddard has strongly refuted the allegations about her On July 29, the secretary to the inquiry met my permanent secretary and reported concerns about the professionalism and competence of the chair, she said. My permanent secretary encouraged the inquiry to raise those matters with the chair. He reported this meeting to me the same day. Despite this, Miss Rudd agreed to a payoff of almost 90,000 for the New Zealand judge when she resigned as chairman on August 4. The Home Secretary revealed there was a meeting between her permanent secretary Mark Sedwill and inquiry panel members on the day Dame Lowell quit. It will prompt speculation the judge quit under pressure from ministers. Labour MP Lisa Nandy said Miss Rudd had serious questions to answer about why she authorised the payoff when she knew of the serious concerns. Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said Miss Rudd was open to accusations of misleading the committee, and the SNPs Stuart McDonald said she may have been economical with what she knew. But Miss Rudd defended her original evidence in the Commons yesterday, saying: Dame Lowell had not spoken to me about her reasons, so I relied on the letter she had sent to the committee. In her letter she said she was lonely and felt she could not deliver and that was why she stepped down. Dame Lowell has strongly refuted the allegations about her. The only way we could understand properly why she resigned would be to hear from Dame Lowell herself. To echo any further allegations, which are now likely to be the subject of legal dispute, would have been entirely inappropriate. But Tim Loughton, acting chairman of the committee, said it was inconceivable the Home Office did not know of problems with Dame Lowell earlier. The judge denied claims yesterday that she turned to drink as the 100million probe spiralled out of control. She issued a detailed statement denying allegations she was drunk on occasion during her 18 months in the role. Professor Alexis Jay took over from Dame Lowell Goddard in August Her comments come after contested claims last week that she was racist and abusive to inquiry staff which have been dismissed by her husband as total rubbish. Yesterday she issued a statement through her lawyers. Persephone Bridgman Baker, an associate from libel firm Carter-Ruck, said: Our client has never turned to drink, the imputation of which is that she used it either as an escape or as a means of support. Our client has never needed a chaperone in public as a result of alcohol intake. Last week it was reported in another newspaper that a senior inquiry official had been permanently drunk and expressed racist views on official business. But Dame Lowells lawyers hit back saying: To the best of her recollection, our client went out only five times for lunch during the whole of her time at the inquiry. Her invariable daily practice was to have a sandwich lunch at her desk for efficiency, where clearly no alcohol was consumed. The statement comes after a Westminster source claimed: Things had got so toxic they had to bring in a mediator between her and the other panel members. He lunged menacingly at the teen before being chased out of the home The man got up and fled through the hallway where Jhakai's A nine-year-old boy has recounted the terrifying moment he spotted a knife-wielding intruder hiding underneath his mother's bed. Jhakai Williams calmly yelled out to his mother Lucinda Sutherland to ask who was inside his home in Casino, west of Ballina, when he saw someone lurking in the corner of his eye last Tuesday. He thought it could be his mother's friend and wandered into the lounge room, but when Ms Sutherland confirmed it was 'just us' he quickly noticed there was a man armed with a knife inside the house, the Sunshine Coat Daily reported. Scroll down for video Lucinda Sutherland (left) chased a knife wielding intruder out of her house after her son Jhakai Williams (right) spotted him hiding underneath her bed 'I saw the guy with a white shirt and he was under my mum's bed,' Jhakai told the Sunshine Coast Daily. The nine-year-old school boy screamed out to his mother to alert her of the danger, which prompted the intruder to slink out of his hiding spot and into the hallway. Holding the knife in front of him, the man was met with Jhakai's teenage brother, Cleve. Jhakai said the man motioned menacingly towards his sibling with his knife before Ms Sutherland grabbed the closest thing to her a beach umbrella and chased him away from her boys. While no-one was hurt, the break-in has left Jhakai (pictured) so rattled that he intially did not want to sleep at the house Ms Sutherland (pictured) said she reported the incident to police, but officers could not find any sign of the intruder when they attended the scene He leapt through an open window in the bathroom and disappeared, only getting away with Ms Sutherland's mobile phone and a pack of cigarettes. Ms Sutherland said she reported the incident to police, but officers could not find any sign of the intruder when they attended the scene. While no-one was hurt, the break-in has left Jhakai so rattled that he initially did not want to sleep in the house out of fear someone else could force entry. Labour MPs have hit out at Jeremy Corbyn over Shami Chakrabarti's (pictured) peerage Labour MPs last night accused Jeremy Corbyn of pouring petrol on the partys anti-Semitism row by refusing to give full details of his talks with Shami Chakrabarti over her controversial peerage. Critics say there remain deeply damaging questions over whether Miss Chakrabarti was offered the honour before her whitewash report into the partys handling of complaints of anti-Semitic abuse. Whitehall sources, who were involved in the honours process, have claimed that Mr Corbyn made the request for a peerage for the human rights lawyer after he commissioned her to conduct the inquiry but before its conclusion was released. At a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, MPs voiced concerns about Mr Corbyns response to another report, published on Sunday, in which Westminsters home affairs committee accused Labour of creating a safe space for those with vile attitudes towards Jewish people. Mr Corbyns response to the cross-party committee which was also critical of Baroness Chakrabartis failure to answer questions over her peerage was to accuse it of a disproportionate focus on Labour. At last nights PLP, Wes Streeting MP demanded Mr Corbyn explain when Baroness Chakrabarti was offered the honour and put an end to allegations that she accepted it as part of an agreement to chair the anti-Semitism inquiry. She has denied the peerage was transactional. Sources said Chuka Umunna and David Winnick, both senior members of the home affairs committee, also spoke out against Mr Corbyns response to their report. Mr Streeting said: The home affairs select committee asked a series of questions to Shami Chakrabarti, who is now shadow attorney general, which went unanswered. Until those questions are properly answered we wont be able to draw a line under this and move forward, and those questions go to the heart of the independence of the Chakrabarti report, but also her credibility as shadow attorney general. Sources claim Baroness Chakrabarti, pictured in the House of Lords, was put forward for a peerage before the conclusion of her controversial inquiry into anti-Semitism in Labour Mr Corbyn's, pictured, response was to accuse the cross-party committee asking for full details of the talks over her peerage of a disproportionate focus on Labour 'What the Labour Party should have done is respond in an open-minded way, look carefully at what the report says and then respond to the substance instead of effectively pouring petrol on an already difficult situation. In his response to the committees report, Mr Corbyn said its political framing and disproportionate emphasis on Labour risks undermining the positive and welcome recommendations made in it. Tony Blair, pictured above arriving for a press conference after the Chilcot report, announced he is focusing on not-for-profit work and two charities are being revamped Just a few weeks ago, Tony Blair announced that he was focusing on his not-for-profit work, after squirrelling away millions from secretive deals with despots around the world. Now, I learn that two of the former Labour Prime Ministers charities, the Africa Governance Initiative [AGI] and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, are to be revamped. During 2016, the trustees have been reviewing new opportunities for the charity and its future strategic direction, confirms a spokesman for the Faith Foundation. In particular, they have been considering an invitation by the founder [Blair] as to whether the charity might transition its operations and expertise to a new not-for-profit entity to be established by him. Blair wont spell out in detail how the AGI and Faith Foundation are to be restructured. The globe-trotting moneybags has been criticised in the past for mixing his charity work with his commercial activities, so a new entity might help get both organisations off to a fresh start and avoid their being dogged by controversy. It certainly still pays to work for the charities headed by the acquisitive former PM. I can reveal that the AGI hiked staff costs by almost 400,000 last year, taking the charitys total staff costs to more than 3 million or an average of around 57,300 per employee. Latest accounts show that the AGI, which works shoulder to shoulder with African governments, spent almost 200,000 on hiring consultants and temporary staff last year, up from 138,000 in 2014. As of December 31 last year, the AGI had 52 staff and two secondees, compared with 54 staff and one secondee in 2014. A spokesman says: Over the course of 2015, AGI employed extra staff to work on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Donations to the Faith Foundation which works to prevent religious extremism shot up from around 3 million in 2014 to 4 million last year. Blair said last month that he would retain a small number of personal consultancies for his income, but 80 per cent of his time would be pro bono on the not-for-profit side. Doc Martin star Martin Cluness father, Alec, was a distinguished actor, as was his uncle, Jeremy Brett, who memorably played Sherlock Holmes in the Eighties ITV series. Martin Clunes (right) with wife Philippa Braithwaite (left) and daughter Emily Clunes. Martin Clunes said his daughter is too smart to be an actress He is, though, delighted his 17-year-old daughter, Emily (pictured with her father), will not be keeping up the family tradition. Shes too smart and she has her whole future mapped out, says Clunes, 54, who owns a farm in Dorset with his second wife, Doc Martin producer Philippa Braithwaite. Shes going to be a horse physiotherapist. There arent many jobs in the equestrian world that can keep you riding, keep you around the horses and pay you a living, so Im delighted. Clunes does not seem to have a very high opinion of the women working in his profession: If she said she wanted to be an actress, Id have considered my work as a parent a failure. David Beckham leads a globe-trotting lifestyle these days but he enjoys a taste of home on his regular trips to New York. The former England captain, 41, visits an English retro barber shop run by London-born Russell Manley. I charge him $75 [62] for a shampoo, beard trim, cut and hot towel, he says. Former New York City Michael Bloomberg expressed interest in being secretary of state under Hillary Clinton, according to emails released by WikiLeaks. A new batch of emails unearthed by the site reveals that a senior advisor to the billionaire mogul was in contact via email with an associate of Clinton's last year when rumors were abound that Bloomberg was mulling a run for the White House. Neera Tanden, a longtime confidante of Clinton's, asked Howard Wolfson, a senior adviser to Bloomberg, 'what is up' with reports that Bloomberg was thinking of throwing his hat in the ring. Wolfson, who helped Clinton win election to during her campaign to represent New York in the US Senate in 2000, said that the reports which surfaced in June 2015 were 'laughable.' Emails released by WikiLeaks suggest Michael Bloomberg (left), the former mayor of New York, expressed interest in being secretary of state under Hillary Clinton (right) Tanden replied by inquiring as to which positions Bloomberg would be interested in filling under a potential Clinton administration. 'Is there something Mike Bloomberg would want to do in his life in an Admin? Is like Ambassador to China way too small,' Tanden asked. 'Secty of state Which ain't gonna happen,' replied Wolfson. Tanden then forwarded the message to John Podesta, the chairman of Clinton's presidential campaign, writing that Bloomberg's interest in being the country's top diplomat was 'something to know for down the road.' Wolfson denied that Bloomberg was angling for the secretary of state position. 'I think Mike made it pretty clear over the last year that the job he wanted was the top job,' he told US News and World Report. Neera Tanden (left), a close confidante of Clinton, contacted Howard Wolfson (right), a senior Bloomberg adviser, who wrote in an email that talk of a White House run was 'laughable' Wolfston was asked by Tanden if there was a job in a future Clinton administration that would interest Bloomberg. He replied 'sec of state' Tanden forwarded the email to John Podesta, the head of Clinton's presidential campaign, saying that Bloomberg's possible interest in being secretary of state was 'something to know for down the road' When asked what he meant by 'top job,' Wolfson replied: 'POTUS'. Bloomberg currently holds the title as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special envoy for cities and climate change. Although Bloomberg entered the mayor's office as a Republican in 2001, he dropped his party affiliation and was officially listed as an independent. Prior to 2001, he had been a Democrat. During this election campaign, he has endorsed Clinton while calling her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, a dangerous demagogue. 'When I enter the voting booth each time, I look at the candidate, not the party label,' Bloomberg told the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this past July. The new chair of the child sex abuse inquiry has hit out at her predecessor's handling of the troubled probe as it emerges concerns were raised as early as April. Professor Alexis Jay said Dame Lowell Goddard had shown little interest in working with the expert panel, and it would have been 'very difficult' if she had not quit. It has also emerged that a relationship counsellor was drafted in to try to smooth over tensions between the New Zealander and her team. The details, revealed during an evidence session with the Commons Home Affairs Committee, came as Dame Lowell said she was ready to 'assist' the MPs but stopped short of agreeing to appearing before them for a grilling. Professor Alexis Jay is the fourth chair of the child sex abuse inquiry, which was launched by Theresa May when she was Home Secretary Professor Jay was giving evidence to MPs on the Home Affairs Committee today The committee heard this afternoon that concerns about Dame Lowell were raised with a senior Home Office official as April - months before she resigned in August. But the department's top mandarin, Mark Sedwill insisted he was completely unaware of the worries until the end of July. Prof Jay - the fourth head of the struggling inquiry - told the committee: 'It was clear from the beginning that Lowell Goddard really would have preferred to sit on her own without the assistance of a panel ... 'As a consequence of this view that was conveyed to us, we did feel that we were kept at a distance from a lot of the activities of the inquiry.' Prof Jay added that 'we did make every effort to make the arrangements work from the beginning'. Professor Jay made clear she did not recognise the claims in a letter sent by Dame Lowell after her resignation, in which she suggested the huge scope of the inquiry meant it was doomed to fail. Giving evidence alongside Prof Jay, panel member Ivor Frank said that things were so bad at one point a 'relationship' facilitator was drafted in help them work together. He suggested that Dame Lowell had spent a good deal of her time in New Zealand. 'What I will say is the chair was not always present in the United Kingdom through that entire sixteen month period, so we were able to continue with our work for extensive periods without very much contact with the chair,' he said. 'There were times when things were perfectly amicable and perfectly professional. There were other times when it was less the case.' Asked what this meant, he said: 'There are different working methods that people have and different experiences and backgrounds. 'It may be that as a judge working perhaps mostly on her own, it wasn't easy for her to adapt to a situation where she was necessarily having to work in a more collegiate way.' Mr Frank told the committee that a 'facilitator' was brought in to try to resolve differences between the panel and Dame Lowell. Dame Lowell Goddard, a judge from New Zealand, suddenly stood down from the role chairing the inquiry in August The panel members were speaking after the inquiry was wracked by months of turbulence He said: 'The inquiry staff asked for the assistance of a facilitator, I think is the expression, who has a professional role in engaging parties who have difficulties in understanding a common purpose.' He also strongly defended the cost of the inquiry, which racked up a 14.7 million bill in the last year, saying: 'Reducing the level of child sexual abuse in this country is not a choice between competing priorities, it is an imperative. 'Every child has a right to be brought up without the threat of being subjected to sexual abuse. It is our job to make sure that we hold institutions to account for past failures and put in place procedures to stop it happening in the future.' The most senior lawyer appointed to the inquiry, Ben Emmerson QC, resigned last month, but Prof Jay would not comment on 'anything to do' with his circumstances. She denied having any disagreement with the barrister. 'There was no truth whatsoever in the suggestion that he and I had a disagreement about anything, that was entirely untrue.' Another member, Drusilla Sharpling said she had met the director general of the Home Office in April to report 'concerns' about the chair. She said the discussion related to worries about the 'leadership and progress' of the inquiry. Drusilla Sharpling said she had met the director general of the Home Office in April to report 'concerns' about the chair FURY OF THE MPS FACED WITH A WALL OF SILENCE The chairman of the child abuse inquiry was criticised yesterday for not answering questions about the departure of its top lawyer. Victims and MPs reacted with fury as the inquirys fourth chairman, Professor Alexis Jay remained silent about why Ben Emmerson QC was suspended last month. The senior lawyer, who was appointed to the inquiry as lead counsel by Theresa May, dramatically quit just 24 hours after being suspended over concerns about his leadership. Mr Emmersons resignation has been linked to his junior colleague Elizabeth Prochaska, who also left her role weeks earlier. But both have signed non-disclosure agreements and the inquiry has refused to comment amid claims of a cover-up. Yesterday Professor Jay denied having any disagreement with the barrister, telling the Home Affairs Select Committee: Any individual is entitled to privacy and confidentiality as is any employee of any organisation. But David Winnick, a senior members of the Home Affairs Select Committee said: This is a public inquiry, a great deal of money, public money, has been spent, which has been justified. Do you expect MPs to leave it at that? Andi Lavery, of Catholic survivors group White Flowers Alba, reacted furiously to the blocking tactics. He told the Mail: I believe it was a contempt of Western democracy that these people were able to get away without decent cross examination by MPs. Advertisement 'At the end of April, with the panel's knowledge, I reported my concerns about the leadership of the inquiry to the then director general of the Home Office, Mary Calam,' she said. 'I want to take the opportunity to make absolutely clear that I did not give anyone permission to spread these concerns amongst anybody else, that I did not, and neither did the panel, require any action to be taken.' TIMELINE: HOW THE TROUBLED INQUIRY INTO CHILD ABUSE HAS HAPPENED July 7, 2014 - Theresa May, then home secretary, announces a public inquiry with the remit of investigating whether 'state and non-state institutions' have taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse within England and Wales. Its chairwoman will be Baroness Butler-Sloss, a retired High Court judge. July 9 - Baroness Butler-Sloss faces calls to quit due to a potential conflict of interest over a family connection. Her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, was attorney general in the 1980s. Then prime minister David Cameron stands by the appointment. July 14 - Baroness Butler-Sloss steps down. September 5 - Dame Fiona Woolf, a leading tax lawyer and then Lord Mayor of the City of London, is appointed as the new chairwoman of the inquiry. October 22 - Child sex abuse victim launches a legal challenge against Dame Fiona's appointment over her suitability for the role. She is accused of having 'close association' with Lord Leon Brittan, the late Labour peer against whom allegations of sex abuse were later dropped. October 31 - Dame Fiona quits as chairwoman. February 4, 2015 - Mrs May tells the House of Commons she is disbanding the former inquiry into child sex abuse and setting up a new statutory inquiry. Dame Lowell Goddard - described as 'one of the most respected and experienced judges in the Commonwealth' - is announced as its chairwoman. March 12 - New inquiry is set up with same remit as first. April 29 - Dame Lowell announces the inquiry will conduct a full investigation into the issues surrounding the allegations of sexual abuse against Lord Greville Janner, citing 'clear public interest' over the adequacy of institutional responses to allegations against public figures. July 9 - Dame Lowell officially opens the inquiry. October 16 - Former child protection manager Peter McKelvie resigns from the inquiry's Victims' and Survivors Consultative Panel as it is revealed that he may face questioning over his own handling of pursuing allegations of child sex abuse. November 27 - Inquiry announces its first 12 investigations and Dame Lowell says she is committed to completing the in inquiry in five years. December 19 - Lord Janner dies aged 87. March 9, 2016 - Inquiry holds first hearing on the investigation into allegations against Lord Janner. August 4 - Dame Lowell writes to Home Secretary Amber Rudd to offer her resignation citing her career and family life. August 11 - Professor Alexis Jay, who led an earlier inquiry into abuse in Rotherham, is promoted from within the inquiry to take over as chairwoman. September 28 - Ben Emmerson is suspended as the inquiry's top lawyer amid reports he fell out with Professor Jay over the scale of the inquiry. September 29 - Elizabeth Prochaska, who was junior counsel to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), confirms that she had stepped down a fortnight ago. Advertisement There are allegations that Dame Lowell made 'racist' comments in private and behaved like a tyrant - claims that she has vehemently denied. The new chair and the panel members refused to be drawn on the nature of the 'concerns' they reported back about Dame Lowell, insisting they could not speak about 'HR' matters. Mr Sedwill, permanent secretary at the Home Office, said he was not aware of the meeting in April 'for the reasons that Drusilla Sharpling set out'. He told the Committee: 'I presume - the director general has now left the Home Office but she has spoken to one of my colleagues - she was observing the conditions that were set by Dru Sharpling in having that exchange, which was not to share the information and not to seek any action on it. Anyway, it wasn't drawn to my attention.' He added: 'It wasn't until the 29th of July that the tensions within the inquiry were drawn to my attention.' Mr Sedwill dismissed any suggestion that the department may have picked up 'rumblings'. He added: 'I wasn't aware, there's nothing in the Home Office records to suggest any of my staff dealing with the inquiry were aware, of concerns about the leadership and progress of the inquiry until it was brought to my attention on the 29th of July - with the exception of the separate conversation, which again was not brought to my attention, between Dru Sharpling and the director general of the group responsible.' Professor Jay, who took over from Dame Lowell in August, said yesterday that it was unrealistic to hold a public inquiry-style hearing into all of the institutions where abuse is said to have occurred. She said while the inquiry would endeavour to look at many institutions where youngsters were allegedly abused, it would be 'impossible to do so for all of them'. Professor Jay sought to appease victims by saying the inquiry remained 'very interested in the past' and promised to complete most of its work by the end of 2020. But she refused to say if she plans to cut any of the 13 investigations examining child abuse claims in institutions from Westminster to the Church, schools and Armed Forces over the last 60 years. Professor Jay had ordered a review of the inquiry amid concern its scope was so vast it was unlikely to be completed within a decade and could cost more than 100million. Amber Rudd said she was alerted about allegations over Dame Lowell Goddard's 'professionalism and competence' several weeks before she told MPs the judge had quit because she was 'lonely'. Miss Rudd was accused of being 'economical about what she knew' after the admission, which follows claims of a Home Office cover-up. She told MPs last month that New Zealander Dame Lowell had left the inquiry because she felt lonely and 'a long way from home'. Hauled before the Commons yesterday, Miss Rudd said it would have been 'entirely inappropriate' to tell the home affairs committee about the racism allegations against Dame Lowell. In evidence to the committee on September 7, she said of the judge's departure: 'I think she went I have to say that it is a matter for her, but I have the information that you have because she found it too much ultimately she found it too lonely, she was a long way from home and she decided to step down. That is all the information I have about why she decided to go.' But yesterday Miss Rudd admitted she became aware on July 29 that concerns about Dame Lowell's 'professionalism and competence' had been raised by inquiry staff with a senior Home Office official. 'On July 29, the secretary to the inquiry met my permanent secretary and reported concerns about the professionalism and competence of the chair,' she said. 'My permanent secretary encouraged the inquiry to raise those matters with the chair. He reported this meeting to me the same day.' Despite this, Miss Rudd agreed to a payoff of almost 90,000 for the New Zealand judge when she resigned as chairman on August 4. Mr Sedwill said today that Mrs Rudd had not misled the committee, and insisted she had been right to base her answer on the reasons given by Dame Lowell in her letter. Another panel member, Ivor Frank, said tensions were such that at one point a 'relationship' facilitator was drafted in to mediate between the experts and Dame Lowell Hauled before the Commons yesterday, Home Secretary Amber Rudd admitted being made aware of problems at the inquiry a week before Dame Lowell's resignation Labour MP Lisa Nandy said Miss Rudd had 'serious questions to answer' about why she authorised the payoff when she 'knew of the serious concerns'. Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said Miss Rudd was open to 'accusations of misleading the committee', and the SNP's Stuart McDonald said she may have been 'economical with what she knew'. A policewoman, 51, was stripped naked, beaten, capsicum sprayed and held in cells for 16 hours for being 'drunk'. Yvonne Berry was allegedly assaulted by officers in Ballarat, north-west of Melbourne, in January last year. She said the alleged brutality, captured on CCTV, made her think she was 'in Guantanamo Bay', she told ABC's 7.30 and Fairfax Media. Ms Berry had been on extended leave from internal affairs, and the police involved did not know they were dealing with a fellow officer. Scroll down for video Yvonne Berry was allegedly stripped naked, beaten, and capsicum sprayed by officers in Ballarat, north-west of Melbourne, in January last year A photo taken of her ankle after the incident shows deep bruising. A doctor later said it was fractured 'If that's not why they were nasty to me, then they were just ... nasty to a member of the public, which is worse,' she told 7.30. 'It could happen to anyone and I've since found out that it did, and it does.' Ms Berry took time off in 2014 to deal with serious mental health issues which she partially attributes to dealing with the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires of 2009. She said she and many other officers turned to alcohol after witnessing the trauma. 'I can still see the visions of all of that stuff today,' she said. A local woman called police about 11pm on January 15 when she found Ms Berry drunk and incoherent. She was arrested when she tried to run away. At the station, CCTV footage shows Ms Berry attempted to use a broken drinking fountain before gesturing for water. She drank from the toilet when she got no response. Ms Berry is pictured in her police uniform before she took stress leave The two police officers accused have been told they could return to work, and the only person charged over the night is Ms Berry When an officer later entered her cell, Ms Berry accidentally swiped her lanyard. She then reacted after seeing a bottle of capsicum spray and struggled with two officers until she was sprayed in the face. She said the spray 'burns like fire on your skin'. Ms Berry was then allegedly handcuffed 'so tight they nearly broke my wrists', and photos reveal she sustained dark bruising. She was then dragged on the floor to a cell. Facedown and still handcuffed, a male officer pulled down her underwear, apparently searching for the lanyard. While she was still naked, a 95-kilogram policeman stood on her feet, stomped on her ankle and kicked her, the CCTV footage shows. He later said he was trying to stop Ms Berry kick other officers, he told Victoria's Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC). A female office said she had kicked Ms Berry to 'calm her down'. But Ms Berry rejected their explanations. 'I was basically lying there like a fat jellyfish,' she said. She said the alleged brutality, captured on CCTV, made her think she was 'in Guantanamo Bay' Ms Berry believes the officers involved should have been charged, with CCTV footage of her allegations A doctor later said Ms Berry's ankle was fractured. Photos show she sustained deep bruising, cuts and welts. 'I was just thinking: "I'm in Guantanamo Bay. This isn't Ballarat, it can't be",' she said. She was then scalded in a hot shower, which exacerbated the effects of capsicum spray, and officers ignored her requests to turn the water down, Ms Berry claimed. One of the officers instead called her 'f***ing disgusting', in an apparent reference to her weight. Ms Berry believes the officers involved should have been charged, with CCTV footage of her allegations. But she was told in February this year there was 'insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution in relation to allegations of assault'. Despite CCTV footage of her allegations, Ms Berry was told in February this year there was 'insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution in relation to allegations of assault' Ms Berry was allegedly handcuffed 'so tight they nearly broke my wrists', and photos reveal she sustained dark bruising The two police officers accused have been told they could return to work, and the only person charged over the night is Ms Berry. She was charged in January this year with multiple offences, including resisting arrest. She was also charged for theft of a car after police found a stolen vehicle parked outside her home. But all charges against Ms Berry were withdrawn in August, following advice from a senior barrister. Number Ten was yesterday forced to shore up the position of Philip Hammond as he came under ferocious attack from his own side for not backing proper Brexit. In an extraordinary move, Theresa May declared her full confidence in the Chancellor, who has been accused of delaying plans for a new work permit regime for EU migrants. MPs said they could not recall another Chancellor in living memory needing such a show of support from a prime minister during his first three months in office. In an extraordinary move, Theresa May declared her full confidence in the Chancellor Downing Street also ordered the rest of the Cabinet to stop sniping against Mr Hammond. Senior Government figures have been alarmed by the leaks and anonymous briefing by ministers and ordered them to stop. Mrs Mays official spokesman said: We need to make sure we are all working together to make a success of Brexit. But MPs and ministers continued to criticise Mr Hammond for his negativity. One minister said: Its all very well for the Chancellor to wish to be pragmatic. 'Its another thing altogether if it looks like you are frustrating the publics wish to regain control of immigration and bring down numbers. Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, a member of the Treasury Select Committee, said Mr Hammond, a businessman, should relish the opportunity of Brexit. He added: Im a bit surprised by the negativity coming out of the Treasury. 'I think the Treasury may be re-heating some of George Osbornes briefings and they need to move away from that and give their Chancellor proper information. Proper Brexit is what he needs. The controversy was triggered by revelations from a Cabinet committee on the EU. During a meeting, Mr Hammond urged caution over plans to ban EU workers from entering the UK unless they have a skilled job. MPs said they could not recall another Chancellor in living memory needing such a show of support from a prime minister Government insiders denied there was a row, saying Mr Hammond was right to consider the wider impact of the blueprint on the City and big business. But critics said it was part of a wider pattern of the Chancellor not appearing to be with the Brexit programme. His Cabinet colleagues are irritated by what they call a torrent of negativity from Mr Hammond and his officials on the economic prospects outside the EU. In a bid to draw a line under the rows, Mrs Mays official spokesman said: The Prime Minister has full confidence in the Chancellor and the work that he is doing. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt also tried to play down the split, telling the BBC: You would expect lively debates to be happening in government. In a move which could cause further tension, No 10 refused to rule out paying some contributions to the EU to maintain passporting rights so City firms can continue trading on the Continent. The promise that Britain would stop paying 10billion a year when out of the EU was central to the campaign run by Vote Leave. No 10 said: The Prime Minister is pursuing a collective government approach where, either at Cabinet or through cabinet committees, the relevant Cabinet ministers involved are able to discuss and debate issues before decisions are reached. The Prime Minister is focused on making sure that we prepare for the negotiations and that we get the best deal for the United Kingdom. Mr Hammond was defended by other senior ministers. One said: The Chancellor isnt out on a limb here There are many people inside the Cabinet and the Government urging caution. A Melbourne man charged with punching a woman in the teeth during a New Year's Eve party caused his victim to suffer $4,000 worth of dental damage. Gokturk 'George' Aktas is accused of assaulting his victim as she attempted to intervene in a violent dispute he was having with his girlfriend, Denise Thornburgh, at a house party in the nightclub district of Prahan. He appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday morning charged with recklessly causing injury on January 1, 2015. Gokturk Aktas (left) and his girlfriend Denise Thornburgh (right) had a dispute at the party The alleged assault on the 33-year-old woman is believed to have occurred shortly after midnight outside the inner-city house, causing more than $4000 worth of damage to her teeth, The Age reported. Aktas' lawyer argued his client was unfit to stand trial and would begin attending a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre on Tuesday, the story said. Ms Thornburgh is the former wife of Melbourne nightclub owner Darren Thornburgh. In an unrelated development, Ms Thornburgh's luxury Port Melbourne home was sprayed with gunfire on Friday morning as she and her teenage daughter slept in upstairs rooms. Shots were also fired into a Mazda CX7 SUV parked outside the Beacon Vista house. Ms Thornburgh was absent from court on Monday, The Age said. Police are investigating if the attack on Ms Thornburgh's home is connected to another drive-by shooting on October 7 of the Boutique nightclub, in Prahran, which Darren Thornburgh owns, the report said. Denise Thornburgh (pictured) was absent from court as her partner Gokturk Aktas appeared A Conservative aide has been arrested for allegedly raping a woman in Parliament. Sam Armstrong, chief of staff to Craig MacKinlay MP, attacked a woman in an office building just yards from the Commons after a drinking session on the House of Lords terrace, it is alleged. The Metropolitan Police confirmed a 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of rape following an incident in the early hours of Friday. Mr Armstrong is said to have been drinking with a group of Tory aides and female guests at the taxpayer-subsidised bar on the Parliamentary estate. A woman then claimed she went with him to Mr Mackinlays parliamentary office in the nearby Norman Shaw North complex of the estate where she was raped. Sam Armstrong (pictured right with David Cameron) is said to have been drinking with a group of Tory aides and female guests at the taxpayer-subsidised bar on the Parliamentary estate The Houses of Parliament can be seen far left, the Portcullis Building is the dark building next to it. The Norman Shaw North Complex is the orange building on the right of that The office of the MP for South Thanet, Kent, was raided by six uniformed officers on Friday and sealed as a crime scene, according to The Sun. Sam Armstrong, chief of staff to Craig MacKinlay MP, has been arrested for allegedly raping a woman in Parliament Speaking to the newspaper, a witness said: There were a group of Tory advisers and female guests drinking there all night. Some were very drunk indeed. Mr Armstrong is also described as Mr Mackinlays press representative and spokesperson. He was drawn into the Tatler Tory scandal last year, sparked by the suicide of Conservative activist Elliot Johnson, amid claims of bullying. Mr Armstrong was also said to have attempted to blackmail a senior minister who was having an affair, by filming him leaving a club in London so he could use the footage to later gain political favours. He denied the allegations and no further action was taken. However, he was banned from last years Conservative Party conference along with two others while the claims were investigated. Mr Armstrong, who has posed for pictures with former Prime Minister David Cameron, has been banned from entering the Parliamentary estate until further notice and has been released on police bail until January. Police were called to the Palace of Westminster at around 1am on Friday after the alleged victim raised the alarm. The Norman Shaw buildings on the Embankment by the Thames were the Metropolitan Police HQ before New Scotland Yard opened nearby in Westminster. Mr Armstrong is chief of staff to to Craig MacKinlay (pictured), the MP for South Thanet, in Kent, who is aware of the arrest A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Detectives from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command are investigating an allegation of rape at the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of Friday, October 14. A 23-year-old man was arrested that same day on suspicion of rape. He has been bailed pending further enquires to a date in mid-January 2017. A spokesperson for the House of Commons added: We are aware of an incident on the parliamentary estate which is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service. Parliament is working closely with the police on their investigation and we cannot comment further while this is ongoing. A spokesman at the office of Mr Mackinlay last night confirmed the MP was aware of the incident. He said: Craig was made aware of an allegations against a member of his staff and following a request from police and parliamentary officials, gave access to his office. Infamous gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger (pictured) is decling to testify on behalf of Frederick Weichel, who is in prison for the 1980 murder of Robert LaMonica Infamous gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger has refused to give information about a murder that could possibly exonerate a man convicted of the crime. Boston native Deborah McCauley Chin wrote to Bulger, who is serving life in prison for partaking in 11 murders among other charges, on behalf of Frederick Weichel, who is incarcerated for the 1980 murder of Robert LaMonica. In the letter, Chin begged Bulger, 87, to give his account of the LaMonica murder in an affidavit. She claims Weichel, 64, didn't commit the crime and has spent more than half of his life in prison. But Bulger couldn't be swayed and wrote back to Chin in a letter obtained by the Boston Globe saying: 'I have never testified against any man, have never caused any man to be put in prison.' Bulger, who led the Bostons Winter Hill Gang for more than 20 years, said he didn't even testify in his own case, let alone Weichel's. He called it a 'waste of time' to testify. He also claimed he had been 'falsely accused' of crimes and was able to empathize with Chin and Weichel, but could help no further. Bulger said what Weichel was going through was a 'fate worse than death'. He wrote that LaMonica's killer is a boxer who was friendly with Weichel. Bulger, who led the Bostons Winter Hill Gang for more than 20 years, said he didn't even testify in his own case, let alone Weichel's (pictured) and called it a 'waste of time' to testify Weichel's only chance at being freed is if the boxer 'has some courage' and comes clean, Bulger wrote. 'I wont name or force him Just as I choose not to tell the truth in my trial about certain incident even though the guilty lied Strange Perhaps but thats what I felt the thing to do Keep Silent in a Corrupt Trial,' Bulger said in the letter. He signed the note: 'No Regrets J.B.' In the margin he wrote: 'Free Fred!' Bulger (pictured in undated FBI handout) said what Weichel was going through was a 'fate worse than death'. He wrote that LaMonica's killer is a boxer who was friendly with Weichel But Weichel told the Globe he didn't think an affidavit from the former fugitive would help his case. 'Hes never going to come forward to help me. Even if he wanted to, his credibility would be zero. Whos going to believe him?' Weichel said. Weichel and his attorney were unaware that Chin had written to Bulger until she came forward with the correspondence. The 64-year-old Weichel had previously claimed that Bulger had potentially framed him for the LaMonica murder, the New York Post reported. LaMonica was 25 years old in 1980 when he was killed outside his apartment in Braintree, Massachusetts. Weichel was found guilty of the murder the next year. A witness identified Weichel as the murderer. A Superior Court judge heard Weichel's claim that his trial was unfair because of a report of another suspect had not been submitted. That claim, heard in August, has not had a ruling yet. Weichel has had false hopes in the past. Bulger wrote a letter in 2013 to an unidentified person who knew Weichel, in which he stated that Weichel had beaten a man in a street brawl and now that man's friend wanted revenge. That man's friend was LaMonica. '"What would I do?" I told him get him first, kill him. If you dont get him first Id say he will get you,' Bulger wrote. Weichel's (pictured in August) only chance at being freed is if the boxer 'has some courage' and comes clean, Bulger wrote. He signed the note: 'No Regrets J.B' and in the margin he wrote: 'Free Fred!' Bulger was believed to be referring to Thomas Barrett, according to Weichel's attorney. Barrett is alleged to have written a letter to Weichel's mother in 1982 in which he confessed to the LaMonica murder. That 1982 letter was entered into evidence in 2004 and a judge granted Weichel a new trial, but that ruling was later overturned in 2006 by a state Supreme Judicial Court. Weichel was to remain in prison. Attorneys representing Weichel as a part of the New England Innocence Project said letters written by Bulger won't exonerate Weichel and a witness will need to come forward. A mother and her two-year-old who was pricked by a dirty needle hidden in toilet paper must wait six months to find out if the toddler is HIV free. Alliera Vipont was using a public toilet at Geelong's Eastern Beach when she reached into the toilet paper dispenser and yelled out in pain. Her mother Ashlee said a needle with blood on it fell from the dispenser and then rushed her to Geelong Hospital, 9 News reported. Alliera Vipont, two, with her mother Ashlee after the incident at Geelong's Eastern Beach Ms Vipont said her daughter yelled out in pain after being pricked by the syringe, which was hidden inside a toilet paper dispenser It had been jammed up inside the dispenser with the tip bent, as if on purpose, she said. 'I was shaking so much afterwards. As a parent, you just assume the worst straight away. It's such an awful feeling, I was so anxious,' she told another publication. Alliera underwent blood tests for HIV and Hepatitis C. While initial tests will come back this week, it will be six months - April 2017 - before follow up tests will let her know if she's not infected. Alliera must wait six months - until April 2017 - to find out for certain if she is HIV free Ms Vipont had rushed her daughter to the Geelong Hospital immediately 'She should be OK... It's still in the back of your head, though, that something could happen. 'If you want to use that's fine, but just don't put other people's lives at risk.' Ms Vipont took the dirty, bloody needle to the hospital in case they needed to test that, too, The Herald Sun reported. She said there had been a sharps disposal container in the toilets and that the placement of it seemed intentional. A spokesman for The City of Greater Geelong said: 'The City takes all reasonable steps to maintain a high level of safety and cleanliness of its public facilities, including daily professional cleaning and emptying of sharps containers'. Police recommended anyone with an injury from a needle or syringe attend a hospital and contact them. Victorian woman Debra Barbu (above) went missing after visiting the Northern Hospital in Epping last month Desperate police have gone to the bizarre step of setting up a roadside mannequin as the search for a woman who went missing last month continues. Victorian woman Debra Barbu went missing after visiting the Northern Hospital in Epping at about 5.15pm on September 25 and police believe she then got on a bus at the Pacific Epping shopping centre. The mannequin which was set up on Tuesday is positioned close to Ms Barbu's home in Thomastown and is wearing a gray hoodie with three black and white 'peace' symbols attached to the front, blue cargo pants and is donning a black cropped wig. Police have set up the mannequin along with an information caravan in the hopes of 'jogging' people's memories as the search enters its fourth week. Police had previously searched the woman's home and hold grave fears for her as she suffers from a medical condition. Debra is described as 160cm tall with a slim build and messy collar length hair. Anyone who sees Debra is urged to contact the Epping Police Station on 03 9409 8100 Police have gone to the bizarre step of setting up a roadside mannequin of Ms Barbu in the hopes of 'jogging' people's memories Debra is described as 160cm tall with a slim build and messy collar length hair as police continue to appeal for information (above) Micah Dsheigh Jester, 26, was shot dead by police in Austin early Sunday morning Texas authorities said on Monday that a 26-year-old woman who was shot and killed by police was holding a BB gun. Mother-of-two Micah Dsheigh Jester was shot dead by officers in Austin on Sunday. In a statement, Austin police said that Jester was holding a BB gun and yelling shoot me, shoot me, kill me while pointing the weapon at them, according to NBC News. Police were responding to a 911 call made by Jesters husband at around 3:45am, who was complaining about her erratic behavior. He warned police that his wife had a weapon. Police said that one of the responding officers, Deborah Lindeman, had a background in mental health training. The other officer who responded to the call was a three-year veteran of the force. When the officers approached Jester at her apartment complex in south-central Austin, she aimed her gun at them and began moving toward them. Police said that Jester refused the officers repeated demands to drop the weapon and then opened fire. Police were called to Jester's south-central Austin apartment complex (above) after her husband said she had a BB gun and her behavior was 'erratic' Austin police said the photo above depicts a replica of a semi-automatic BB gun that Jester was holding while approaching officers outside of her apartment complex When Austin police officers approached Jester, she aimed her BB gun at them and refused to drop it, police officials said The boyfriend of Jesters mother, Jason Meeley, told The Austin American-Statesman that she had two children, a 4-year-old girl and a newborn. It was not a justified kill, Meeley told the newspaper. They could have used a stun gun on her. They could have Tasered her. They could have done a lot of stuff. The two officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave while the authorities investigate the incident. Jester is the sixth person to be shot and killed by Austin police this year, according to the Statesman. In 2005, Fernando Manrique and Maria Lutz moved to Australia from Colombia and bought a house in Sydney's north, ready to start their new life. On Monday the couple were found dead in this very home, along with their two children, Elisa, 11, and Martin, 10, both of whom had non-verbal autism. The couple purchased the four-bedroom home in February 2005 for $590,000, and by May Ms Lutz had given birth to their first child, their daughter Elisa. A family-of-four who died in a murder suicide have lived in their home in Davidson, in Sydney's north since 2005 Fernando Manrique and Maria Lutz bought the home for $590,000 when they moved to Australia from Colombia. It would now be worth over $1 million On Monday the couple were found dead in this very home, along with their two children, Elisa, 11, and Martin, 10, (pictured when they were younger) Just over a year later, in August 2006, their son Martin was born. The family settled in to the community, and sent their children to a nearby school for children with disabilities. Now, police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide after one of the family members 'deliberately gassed' the rest. Daily Mail Australia understands 'toxic paraphernalia' was found in the kitchen of the Sir Thomas Mitchell Drive home on Monday. Their 804 square metre family home had four bedrooms, one bathroom and a garage The home appears to have been renovated since they purchased it over a decade ago Flowers have been left outside the property in a tribute to the young family Police forced their way in looking for the young family who had failed to turn up to work and school commitments. Mother Maria Lutz was found in a room with one of her children, her other child was in another room, and her husband alone in another. According to neighbours, the father was often working on the house. He is believed to have installed a system to spray gas through the house when he was spotted working on the roof with power tools two days earlier, News.com.au reported. Gas bottles were seen at the back of the house on Tuesday, a day after the family's bodies were discovered by police These are the shocking scenes purportedly showing the assassination of a Mexican Federal Judge who was dealing with the case of notorious drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzmen. Judge Vincente Bermudez Zacarias was shot in the head at point blank range while jogging near his home in Metepec, a town located about 43 miles from Mexico City, according to news agencies. The judge was on the bench during appeals by Guzman, who is serving time in prison for his role as the head of the Sinaloa Cartel, as well as Miguel Trevino, the former leader of the Zetas cartel. The shooting prompted the Mexican president, Enrique Pena Nieto, to hold a news conference and vowing an investigation by his attorney general. The gunman approached Judge Bermudez from behind and shot him in the back of the head The judge was unaware the assassin was behind him until the bullet was fired According to local media, Bermudez was shot in the head at point-blank range and succumbed to his wound while being taken to a hospital. The judge was exercising outside when he was killed, according to the newspaper Reforma. Bermudez became a district court judge in December 2013 and served in the Fifth Tribunal for appeals and civil judgments in the State of Mexico when he was killed. The court has handled cases related to organized crime, but the motive of his murder was not immediately known. 'I have given instruction to the attorney general to take up this case, undertake the corresponding investigations and find those responsible for this terrible event,' Pena Nieto said during an international meeting of judges that was scheduled before the murder. Before the start of a public hearing, Supreme Court president Luis Maria Aguilar Morales urged the authorities to ensure the safety of judges. 'Federal judges are people who dedicate their lives, their personal, moral and physical integrity to serve federal justice in our country,' Aguilar said. The shocking murder was captured on CCTV cameras covering the victim's house Judge Bermudez heard a number of appeals including those of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman 'They require security and peace conditions that guarantee their independence because in an atmosphere of peace and security, judges can reflect on their decisions,' he said, before holding a minute of silence. El Chapo was transferred to Ciudad Juarez back in May, just across the border from El Paso, Texas, from the Altiplano jail near Mexico City that he broke out of twice before. While no official reason was given for the move, it is believed to be in order to make it easier to deport him when the time comes. Mexico has already cleared the way for Guzman's deportation, the appeals process could mean it takes months or even years before he is finally moved. Mexican authorities have given up on the idea of holding Guzman permanently on their side of the border - where the death penalty has been abolished - after he broke out of jail twice. The head of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel bribed his way out of jail once in 2001, and then used more bribes and an extensive tunnel dug by his henchmen to break out a second time. He was first arrested in Guatemala back in 1993 and brought back to Mexico where he was locked up in the Puente Grande in Jalisco. He was later indicted on drug charges in California and was awaiting extradition to the US when he bribed virtually every official inside the jail in order to bust out in 2001. Mexican security forces escort Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, the former head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, in this January 8, 2016, file photo. El Chapo's appeal was heard by Zacarias Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto (above) condemned the killing of Judge Vicente Bermudez Zacarias on Monday and vowed an investigation by his attorney general El Chapo was let out of his jail cell and slipped into a laundry basket before being wheeled out of the front doors of the jail and into a waiting car. Dozens of people, from guards to maintenance workers and even the prison director were eventually implicated in the escape. After a lengthy manhunt he was recaptured in 2014 in a hotel in the beach town of Mazatlan and sent back to jail, this time at Altiplano. He spent just a year in that jail however, breaking out for a second time in 2015 after members of his cartel dug a mile-long tunnel which came up under his cell shower block. With guards paid to turn the other way, El Chapo escaped by crawling through the bottom of his shower and into the tunnel, where he used a motorbike affixed to a rail to drive to a nearby building site, where the underground passage emerged. Advertisement The razing of a Melbourne hotel built during the gold rush has angered Victoria's planning minister. The Corkman Irish Pub, built in 1857, was demolished at the weekend, in breach of heritage and work safety regulations. Richard Wynne has asked Victoria's building regulator to investigate how the inner-city Carlton hotel was destroyed without proper approval and has vowed to stiffen penalties for developers. Rubble at the old Corkman Irish Pub (pictured above) which was demolished in breach of heritage and work safety rules The Corkman Irish Pub built in 1857 (pictured above) before a demolition crew started pulling it down on Saturday morning The planning minister said the Corkman was pulled down despite a council 'stop work' notice and heritage overlay, which requires a Melbourne City Council permit for significant changes. 'Two cowboys come along, ignore all demolition and planning permits rules ... and just knock the place over,' he told radio station 3AW on Tuesday. Developers face a maximum fine of $200,000 but that could be flouted with large profit margins, he said. 'I'm very happy to have a look at what other opportunities there are for us to consider much stronger penalties when clearly you have a commercial development here for which the developer is going to make a lot of money,' Mr Wynne told ABC radio. The minister will refer the matter to the Victorian Building Authority. The 159-year-old pub was not listed on the more powerful Victorian Heritage Register. Melbourne Heritage Action president Tristan Davies said demolition work started on one of Carlton's oldest buildings on Saturday, in breach of heritage and work safety regulations. 'Obviously, it's outrageous,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'There was a mysterious fire there last weekend and this weekend they've come and started knocking it down without any kind of permit. 'Council went there and ordered them to stop half way through and it seems like they've continued anyway on Sunday. 'The way it was done was just so brazen. It's really quite shocking.' Mr Davies said the developers hadn't lodged any plans to build apartments but that would be the logical step for the site, which has a 40-metre height limit or about 12 storeys. The old Corkman Irish Pub was razed and turned into rubble (pictured above) despite a stop-work order from council An empty block (pictured above) is all that remains of the old Corkman Irish Pub, which was a key venue for Irish music Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne (pictured) has ordered an investigation into the demolition Chris Fitzgerald was a licensee at the Corkman for 14 years but moved out a month ago after finding a new venue a block away. 'We had no idea what the plans of the owners were, we just gave notice once we purchased The Last Jar,' he told AAP. 'We were there for 14 years. It's a long time. It was a great venue. It accommodated the uni crowd, both students and staff and academic groups.' He said he was sad to see the destruction of the building, previously known as the Carlton Inn. 'Of course I was surprised to see that occur, but there's nothing else I can really say,' he said. 'It was one of the key venues for Irish music in Melbourne.' Attempts to contact the company behind the building's destruction were unsuccessful. The venue was popular with students from the nearby University of Melbourne before it closed in August. Some of those students want the developers to be forced to fully restore the building. 'The council has the power to order restoration, and it needs to exercise that power,' a student, Duncan Wallace, posted online on Monday. A Carlton resident, who declined to be named, said the circumstances of the demolition appeared suspicious. 'This makes me really angry,' he said. 'Beware thug developers.' The parents of a disabled child 'rationally discussed' killing their family and have said people should hold their judgement after a couple and their two autistic children were found 'deliberately gassed' in north-Sydney. An anonymous woman has written about her family's struggle after discovering her three children could be suffering a severe genetic metabolic disease. 'In June this year, my husband and I had a rational discussion about ending our lives and the lives of our three young children,' the anonymous mother wrote for Mamamia. A woman has anonymously called for people to hold judgement after a suspected murder-suicide Fernando Manrique, 44, Maria Lutz, 42, and their two nonverbal autistic children Elisa, 11, and Martin, 10, were found dead in their home in Davidson, north Sydney, on Monday morning 'Don't judge me. Don't assume anything.' The woman's call for sympathy comes after Fernando Manrique, 44, Maria Lutz, 42, and their two nonverbal autistic children Elisa, 11, and Martin, 10, were found dead in their home in Davidson, north Sydney, on Monday morning. They are believed to have been deliberately gassed to death in a murder-suicide. Their family dog was also killed. The anonymous Mamamia writer said she and her husband had also gone to dark places to care for a disabled child. The anonymous woman said raising disabled children is difficult (Martin, 10, and Elisa, 11, are pictured) The Manrique family dog (pictured) was also killed in what appears to be a deliberate gassing The couple had discovered their three-year-old son 'likely had a severe genetic metabolic disease' which would kill him by the time he turns 10 after spending his life since birth in and out of hospital. 'Our bright boy would gradually fall into the grips of full mental retardation. He would die a very horrible and painful death, most likely due to cervical spine instability and spinal cord compression.' Medical staff conducted genetic testing on the couple's two other children, which cleared their five-year-old child and newborn baby after two-months. The anonymous Mamamia writer said she and her husband had also gone to dark places to care for a disabled child (Mr Manrique and Ms Lutz are pictured - the couple and their two children were found dead in a suspected murder-suicide on Monday) Advocacy group Autistic Family Collective said this was a 'dangerous justification' A reader commented on the Mamamia article to say raising children with autism can be difficult 'It is easy to judge. It is easy to blame. But I challenge anyone faced with the prospect of watching their children die a painful death not to go where we went. Even just for a fleeting moment,' the woman wrote, sympathising with the family from Davidson. Advocacy group Autistic Family Collective said this was a 'dangerous justification'. 'Disabled people are worthy of full lives in our families and communities. Media and community messages that these autistic children were a burden on their family are dangerous justifications of filicide which we must never accept,' the collective said in a statement on Tuesday. A reader commented on the Mamamia article to say raising children with autism can be difficult. 'Sometimes it's a struggle, sometimes it seems pointless. But I hang on to the days when it's not pointless and it's not a struggle,' the reader said. The Mamamia writer noted support networks for autistic people and families needed more resources. The Coroner is pictured taking a body from the scene in Davidson, north Sydney on Monday Advertisement A candlelit vigil was held on Monday evening for the 15-year-old daughter of Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay after she was killed in a parking lot shootout this weekend. Trinity Gay died in the early hours of Sunday after being caught in the crossfire at a Cook Out fast-food restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky at 4am. Her Olympian father and mother, Shoshanna Boyd, embraced during the memorial service at Lafayette High School, where their daughter was a rising track star. Several thousand people turned out to honor the student, many wearing her favorite colors of pink and purple and holding homemade signs and balloons. Scroll down for video Former Olympian Tyson Gay speaks to the mourners gathered in memory of his daughter Trinity at Lafayette High School, on Monday in Lexington, Kentucky. He embraced the girl's mother, Shoshanna Boyd (right) during the service Shoshanna Boyd (left), Trinity's mother, and and Gay embrace during the emotional candlelit vigil. Thousands of people showed up to pay their respects Trinity Gay (pictured with her Olympian father) died in the early hours of Sunday after being caught in the crossfire at a Cook Out fast-food restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky at 4am A student at Lafayette High School holds up a candle as she hugs a friend during the service on Monday night The friends who were with Trinity on the night she died shared the details of her last hours with DailyMail.com and revealed how they frantically tried to save her life after she was shot in the neck. One friend also revealed that Trinity had known the father and son who were involved in her fatal shooting. On Monday, Chazerae Taylor, 38, and his son, D'Markeo Taylor, 19, were indicted on charges of wanton endangerment. The third suspect, Dvonta Middlebrooks, 21, was charged with wanton endangerment and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to reports, all three have admitted to firing multiple shots. Police have given no suggestion to a motive for the shooting. The high school students had spent Saturday evening with around 40 other teens at a house party to celebrate a friends birthday in Lexington. Princess Stewart, 17, told DailyMail.com that she had been at Trinitys side for the entire night before the shooting. They were surrounded by family and friends on the field at Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky, on Monday night Gay hugs two women who were standing alongside him during the vigil A classmate of Trinity's offers his sympathy to her Olympic sprinter father during the memorial He holds up a microphone as he speaks about his daughter, just a day after she was shot and killed after going to a party Two girls stand alongside Tyson Gay during the vigil as mourners support each other One of her emotional classmates embraces another mourner as the crowds gathered to pay tribute to the teenager People gather during a candlelight vigil at Lafayette High School for Trinity Gay Friends who were with Trinity Gray at the time of her death revealed that she knew two of the suspects who have been accused of shooting her Some of her classmates hug each other during the vigil. She had taken the school athletic's program by storm and was a rising star We were laughing and talking with everyone. She had her hand wrapped around my arm the whole night, she said. A little girl tries to keep her candle burning as she holds a balloon during the vigil Princess said that around 2am, herself, two cousins and Trinity left the party in a small group and drove to Cook Out fast-food restaurant. Although the restaurant closes at 2.30am, the drive-thru is still open and a crowd who had been at the house party began to gather in the parking lot. I think there was a good 50 or 60 people in the parking lot, Princess said. She said some guys were driving in circles around Cook Out and others were out of their cars, hanging out, listening to music and dancing. Me and Trinity were sitting inside the car, laughing and talking to each other. She said she had to go to the bathroom but Cook Out was closed, so she went to Waffle House next door. I watched her walk across the parking lot from the backseat. She made it over the Waffle House so I thought she was fine. Then I had to use the bathroom myself, I dont know why I didnt think to go with her to Waffle House. So I went to Shell [gas station] which is right across the street. Princess broke down in tears as she recalled: I had run to Shell really quick and by the time I got back, I saw gunshots firing. All I was looking for was Trinity but I didnt see her. Friends Alexa Garner, 17, Taylor Middleton, 18, and Morgan Gaines, 16, who were also with Trinity on Saturday, said they heard more than 20 gunshots at the Cook Out and that everyone was desperately trying to take cover. They emptied out a clip and reloaded a clip and emptied out that too, Taylor said. It was so many shots. Morgan added: They were still shooting when we pulled out in the car to get Trinity to hospital. Members of the crowd held up candles and signs in the middle of the school's field The mourners released a hoard of balloons into the air in the middle of the school's football field during the vigil Classmates looked somber as they held up posters with pictures of Trinity in the middle of the crowd Darrell Ugboaga, 16, hangs his running shoes on a memorial for Trinity Gay Two classmates support each other during the service that took place just 24 hours after Trinity was shot outside a Cook Out restaurant Students from Trinity's school held candles and struggled to fight back tears during the emotional service An athletics jersey, running shoes and a relay baton are attached to the fence ahead of the memorial service (Left to right) Dvonta Middlebrooks, DiMarkeo Taylor, and his father Chazerae Taylor have been arrested in connection with Trinity's death and have all pleaded not guilty Trinity (pictured left and right) was a rising track star and had told her father she wanted to be the world's fastest woman The friends said the gunmen had been in the parking lot before they started shooting. We had a weird feeling that something was about to go on, everyone was getting in their cars. You could tell something was going to happen, Alexa said. Taylor told DailyMail.com she was standing near Trinity when the shooting broke out. I tried to get in the car but the doors were locked so thats when I got on the ground. I saw Trinity on the other side [of the car] and we start crawling towards each other. She looked up and said, Taylor Im shot, Im shot. I couldnt see, I couldnt hear, I didnt know what was going on. Then I saw the blood pouring down, I didnt know what to do. I tried to stand up but then I realized, oh my God, they are still shooting. I got back down and I got behind Trinity to get her to the car. They finally stopped shooting and Trinity started yelling, Ive got to get to a hospital. Tyson (pictured left and right with his daughter) said on Sunday: 'She didn't make it. I'm so confused. She was just here last week for fall break. It's so crazy' She was still talking. I dont think she felt it. There was so much blood on her chest. As we were going to hospital, I was in the back seat with her and she was going in and out of consciousness. She leaned up against the door and Alexa was yelling to me to keep her up. I grabbed her and I was shaking her, holding on to her and saying, Trinity, youve got to keep going, youve got to stay with me. She kept asking, Am I shot? Am I shot? I told her yes she was shot and that we were almost there. Princess said that she recognized the men who have been charged over Trinitys shooting and added that Trinity knew the father and son. She said that she didnt think her friend had recognized them in the Cook Out parking lot because she wasnt paying attention. At least 18 inmates died in clashes in two separate penitentiaries in Brazil's Amazon region and more than three dozen escaped after a third prison riot caused a large fire in a complex outside Sao Paulo, officials said Monday. Authorities were investigating a possible connection between the first two uprisings in the jungle states of Rondonia and Roraima, police said. Ten prisoners died in the mutiny between rival gangs at the Monte Cristo prison in the city of Boa Vista in Roraima. The commander of the Police Special Operations Battalion, Captain Falkner Ferreira, said trouble broke out during visiting hours when some inmates broke padlocks and attacked those in another wing, who are believed to have been members of a rival gang. Riot police officers patrol outside a prison after clashes between rival criminal factions at the at the Monte Cristo prison in Boa Vista, Brazil The rioters also took 100 women visitors hostage. Captain Ferreira said prisoners had been armed with knives and wooden sticks. At least two other bodies were found in a different section of the Monte Cristo prison, but it wasn't immediately clear where the tenth was found. Roraima's justice secretary Uziel Castro says at least three of the bodies were beheaded and efforts to identify them have been slow. The secretary said the clashes erupted between rival crime gangs. Eight others were killed in a similar riot about 800 miles away in the penitentiary in Rondonia. Riot police officers check inmates after clashing between rival criminal factions at a prison Castro said at least seven of the bodies were piled up and burned after the Sunday prison mutiny in that state. 'Every penitentiary system in Brazil was aware that something was about to happen,' Castro told a news conference. But he said authorities were surprised when the riots erupted on a day the prisoners had visitors. Officers said Monday that about 50 people who were visiting the penitentiary in Roraima, on the border with Venezuela and Guyana, were held hostage. They were later released unharmed. Hours later, police confirmed that a similar riot killed at least eight inmates in Rondonia state's capital of Porto Velho in the Santos Pinheiro penitentiary. The rioters took to the roof of the Monte Cristo prison in the city of Boa Vista during the clash A police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because the uprising was still under investigation told The Associated Press there was evidence that the riot was started by 'the biggest criminal organization of Sao Paulo state.' The organization known as Primeiro Comando da Capital is a powerful Brazilian prison gang that has been expanding into other states and even into Bolivia and Paraguay. The motive behind the third prison riot was not immediately clear. Sao Paulo's corrections department said police officers managed to recapture 18 of 55 inmates who had escaped the psychiatric ward Monday evening in Franco da Rocha, a suburb of greater Sao Paulo. Broadcaster Globo showed images of flames billowing from the prison complex. Brazil has the fourth largest prison population in the world, with 600,000 inmates packed into a number of increasingly ramshackle jails. At Monte Cristo 1,400 inmates were being held in a prison which was supposed to have a capacity of half that figure. A man who forced a young boy to have sex with a cow and repeatedly sexually abused him is set to be sentenced. Allan Kenneth Brookes, 55, from the Coffs Coast on the NSW mid north coast pleaded guilty in Sydney District Court this month to a bestiality charge. Brookes faced allegations he pressured a young boy to engage in sex with the cow and repeatedly sexually abused him, according to the Coffs Coast Advocate. Allan Kenneth Brookes forced a young boy to have sex with a cow and repeatedly sexually abused him and is due to be sentenced Brookes was found guilty by a jury of the bestiality charge and 16 other charges including multiple counts of aggravated indecency against a victim aged younger than 16, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault. He was first arrested in 2014 outside of his Coffs Harbour workplace and an earlier suppression order meant the 55-year-old was unable to be named. Brookes was refused bail and is due back in court on November 25 for sentencing. Brookes pleaded guilty in Sydney District Court this month to a bestiality charge This is the crazy moment a driver was filmed allegedly stealing a police car after escaping from handcuffs and taking the wheel. Police in Hamilton, on New Zealand's North Island, said they pulled the man over at about 12.50pm on Monday before handcuffing him and placing him in the back of their vehicle. A passerby then captured the moment the man managed to wriggle free, vaulting into the driver's seat before speeding away up the road. This is the crazy moment a driver was filmed stealing a police car after escaping from handcuffs and taking the wheel The bungling officers can be seen watching in helpless horror for a few moments, before commandeering the man's own vehicle to give chase. The suspect even leaves his girlfriend behind, who is forced to jump into the back seat alongside the officers as they race away. The police vehicle was discovered a short time later, but the offender is still on the run, officers said. Police in Hamilton confirmed to the New Zealand Herald that the incident had taken place after the footage emerged online. The bungling officers can be seen watching in helpless horror for a few moments, before commandeering the man's own vehicle to give chase Commander Inspector Greg Nicholls said: 'Whilst police were outside the vehicle the arrested man has climbed through from the back seat and driven off. 'The taking of a police vehicle is a serious offence. Police know the identity of the offender and are following lines of inquiry to locate him.' The son of a senior member of the white supremacist movement the Ku Klux Klan turned his back on extremist nationalism when he befriended a Jewish man while in college. Derek Black, whose father, Don Black, once held the title of grand wizard of the KKK, revealed how his exposure to people of various faiths and ethnicities at New College in Florida pushed him to renounce racism in favor of multiculturalism. Black's metamorphosis was first reported in an in-depth feature by The Washington Post. What makes the story all the more remarkable is that Black is the godson of David Duke, the former imperial wizard of the KKK and one of the more prominent white supremacists in the United States. Scroll down for video Derek Black (left), 27, is the son of Don Black, a onetime senior member of the Ku Klux Klan, and the godson of David Duke (right), America's best known white supremacist leader Duke, who is mounting a campaign in his home state of Louisiana to win a seat in the US Congress, has also come out in support of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. The tenor of Trump's campaign is believed to be behind the appeal that his candidacy holds for white supremacists who feel that their cause has been thrust into the mainstream of American politics this election season. Black, for his part, has left behind his former life one in which he passionately spoke at meetings of white supremacists. He also launched a website for white nationalist children, hosted his own radio show, and won an election in Florida. Don Black (above) is also the founder of Stormfront, one of the most popular white supremacist websites in the country 'The way ahead is through politics,' Black, then just 19, told a meeting of white supremacists who had gathered to discuss strategy following the 2008 election victory of Barack Obama. 'We can infiltrate. We can take the country back.' Black maintained his beliefs but kept them secret when he started college. He was appearing on a radio show with his father, who also founded Stormfront, the most popular white supremacist website in the country. His ideology became known when a fellow student came across Black's posts on an Internet message board. The revelations touched off a firestorm on campus, where Black was largely ostracized. Despite his avowed racism, Matthew Stevenson, an Orthodox Jewish acquaintance whom he met on campus, invited Black to join him at a traditional Sabbath dinner. Stevenson was the only Jewish student at New College, and he believed that inviting Black to spend time with a Jew offered him an opportunity to present him with a different perspective. Soon, Black was a regular guest at these dinners, and his discussions with his Jewish peers about race and ideology led him to alter his thinking. Now, the man who once wrote messages like 'Jews are NOT white,' 'Jews worm their way into power over our society,' 'They must go,' was now breaking bread with Jews on a regular basis. Don Black would comment that his son's transition was 'the worst event of my adult life.' Derek Black turned his back on the white supremacist movement and began advocating for more immigration. He wrote an apologetic letter to the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that seeks to combat hate ideologies, in which he renounced white nationalism as 'principally flawed.' He also developed an affinity for Obama. 'I realize not all will instantly believe me, or may perceive this as a seemingly abrupt change when it has been instead a gradual awakening process,' he wrote in the latter dated July 15, 2013. A new poll shows Hillary Clinton is now leading Donald Trump by nine points nationally. The CBS News poll found that 47 per cent of likely voters support or lean towards Clinton while 38 per cent support Trump. Eight per cent of likely voters chose Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party hopeful Jill Stein got three per cent of the vote. It was conducted between October 12 and 16 among a sample of 1,411 people across the country. Scroll down for video A new CBS poll shows Hillary Clinton is now leading Donald Trump by nine points nationally The latest poll was carried out as Trump faced allegations from numerous women that he had sexually assaulted, groped or made unwanted advances towards them. The women came forward in the wake of the leak of a hot mic tape from 2005 in which Trump is heard boasting that his fame allows him to force himself on women. The Republican nominee has steadfastly denied the accusations, saying the women either support his opponent or are seeking fame. Despite this, the scandal has seen Clinton increase her lead on the 70-year-old Republican nominee especially among female voters. It comes after CBS News reported that a major swing in the female vote had supercharged Clinton's share in battleground states. Above, Hillary Clinton at a rally last week Two weeks ago, she was ahead by just four points. It comes after CBS News reported that a major swing in the female vote had supercharged Clinton's share in battleground states with seven in ten women saying they feel Trump does not respect them. Trump is now trailing in national polls and in key battleground states just three weeks before Election Day November 8. The latest poll was carried out as Trump (above, on Monday) faced allegations from numerous women that he had sexually assaulted, groped or made unwanted advances towards them A Monmouth University poll showed Clinton leads Trump by 12 points - 50 percent to 38 percent - among likely voters nationwide in a four-way contest with third-party candidates. Meanwhile, a survey from Quinnipiac University had Clinton leading in several key swing states - Colorado, Florida and Pennsylvania - and tied with Trump in Ohio. A CNN poll puts Trump ahead by four points in Ohio, but gives Clinton a slight lead in battlegrounds North Carolina and Nevada. Her leads in key states correspond to her advantage of 6.4 percentage points in an average of recent national polls given by RealClearPolitics. A transgender pupil who was threatened with suspension when she turned up to school wearing the girls' uniform has emerged triumphant after hiring a solicitor to fight her corner. Sixth former Lily Madigan, 18, from Chatham in Kent, was born male but decided to start wearing the girls' uniform as part of her transition. But she was left devastated when school bosses threatened to suspend her from St Simon Stock Catholic School in Maidstone, Kent, for wearing the 'wrong uniform' earlier this year. Lily Madigan, 18, from Chatham, Kent, was left devastated when bosses threatened to suspend her from St Simon Stock Catholic School in Maidstone for wearing the 'wrong uniform' (Pictured: Lily in the boys' uniform, left, and wearing the girls;, right) She was told that along with not being allowed to wear the girls' uniform, she was also not allowed to use the girls' toilets or changing rooms. But Lily decided to fight back and launched a petition online where 200 fellow pupils backed her cause. Lily, who is just one of the 1,000 pupils at the mixed Catholic school, even hired a solicitor to fight her corner after being sent home from school in March this year. Her solicitor sent the school details of the 2010 Equality Act, which states that a person 'must not be discriminated against because of their gender reassignment as a transsexual'. Sixth former Lily Madigan, 18, from Chatham in Kent, was born male but decided to start wearing the girls' uniform as part of her transition And a lengthy battle with her school, Lily, of Chatham, Kent, has now been told she can wear a school uniform for girls as well as use the girls' toilets and changing rooms - and has been sent a letter of apology. Speaking last week after winning her battle, Lily said: 'I decided to come in dressed in the girls' dress code, which basically meant I was wearing a top instead of a shirt. 'It made me feel so happy, until I was sent home.' Talking about the school's reversal of policy, she said: 'I am very happy about the changes but I felt it was something I shouldn't have had to fight so hard for, if at all. Lily, who is just one of the 1,000 pupils at the mixed Catholic school, even hired a solicitor to fight her corner after being sent home from school in March this year 'I'm encouraged in that I've seen what I'm capable of achieving and I'm proud, but I'm not encouraged about the school's attitude to equality.' Bosses at the school say staff are now being given transgender training. A spokesman for the school said last week: 'We value highly the views of all our students, and take all points of view into account as we develop. 'Transgender is an important issue for us, as for schools up and down the country. 'As an inclusive, Catholic academy, we are confident that the attention we have given to transgender, including carefully listening to students, has been invaluable in us going even further to make sure all students are happy and comfortable, so that they can be as successful as possible.' Lily's petition on change.org read: 'For any transgender students, or anyone seriously considering it within the school, to be allowed to abide by the dress code and use the bathrooms of their correct gender. 'Transgender students make up some of the most vulnerable students in schools. 'Changing these policies wouldn't affect other students but not doing so clearly and greatly affects trans students. 'The school already has an equality and diversity policy (created in response to the equality act 2010) so treating us equality should be a no issue. Grave fears are held for a baby dolphin spotted with marine netting tightly wrapped around its neck. The entangled calf was spotted off Cairns in far-north Queensland, sparking a search to rescue the mammal and address a surge in marine debris. The stricken-calf has been seen twice with its mother since the end of September, but marine scientists fear it will die if it is not rescued as they have been unable to find it over the past week. Grave fears are held for a baby dolphin spotted with marine netting tightly wrapped around its neck The stricken-calf was seen twice with its mother twice since the end of September James Cook University's Isabel Beasley said the mother and calf looked healthy but feared the netting - believed to be old rope or fishing net - would not break down any time soon. 'It's important anyone who sees this calf reports it to the RSPCA hotline,' she said. 'During my recent survey work in the Cairns region I have unfortunately seen large amounts of litter in the water which can be fatal to marine creatures.' World Wide Fund Australia spokesman Darren Grover said the case was a prime example of the impact of rubbish on marine life. 'That netting will ultimately cause the calf's death as it cuts deeper and deeper into the tissue,' he said. In April a Senate committee report on plastic pollution cited estimates that more than 50 per cent of the world's sea turtles had ingested marine debris and 99 per cent of seabirds will have ingested plastic by 2050. Experts say the mother and calf looked healthy but feared the netting - believed to be old rope or fishing net - would not break down any time soon James Cook University's Isabel Beasley has been unable to find it over the past week The report said macroplastics, including lost fishing gear, were the main contributors to entanglements. The graphic injuries suffered by marine animals that become entangled include loss of limbs, scoliosis and infection. The committee was given evidence of entanglements that killed and maimed dolphins, seabirds, turtles, whales, dugongs, sea snakes, sharks, fish, crabs and crocodiles. The son of Kos digger driver Konstantinos Dinos Barkas has told of his anger that his father has been branded the killer of missing toddler Ben Needham without a shred of evidence. And he has warned heartbroken mother Kerry Needham to choose her words carefully after she condemned his father to burn in hell for allegedly covering up her sons death. Valantis Barkas says his family has worked with investigators for a quarter of a century to try to solve the mystery of 21-month-old Bens disappearance. But now he can barely hold back his anger as his beautiful fathers name is dragged through the mud for killing little Ben and taking the secret of his death to his grave. He said: Kerry should be ashamed of herself. We are very upset by the things she has said about my father Dinos such as that he should burn in hell.' Fury: Digger driver Dinos Barkas, left, who is accused of taking the secret of Ben Needham's death to his grave, was a 'beautiful' father according to son Valantis Barkas, right, who is furious that his father's name is 'being dragged through the mud' Pain without end: Ben's devastated mother Kerry, left above, grandmother Christine, centre, and grandfather Eddie, right, broke down in floods of tears as they visited the farmhouse where Ben was last seen 25 years ago Heartbreak: Tiny Ben Needham was just 21 months old when he vanished in Kos in 1991 whilst in the care of his grandmother. Yesterday police investigating said they had found an item Ben had with him on the day he disappeared Speaking exclusively to MailOnline following the completion of South Yorkshire Polices Operation Ben Valantis Barkas said: Its been 25 years and they have found nothing at all not a shred of evidence to support these wild allegations against my father. My father has been accused of being a child killer and his picture has been published everywhere without a trace of evidence. I have remained calm throughout all of this. We have nothing to hide. We have tried to help [the Operation Ben police investigation]. It is too easy to blame the dead. My father is dead and his name has been dragged through the mud. He was a beautiful man. He was well respected. There was no better man than my father Dinos, God always wants good people with him. Dinos died of cancer last year. A witness came forward in May and told British detectives Dinos had killed little Ben in a terrible accident. He had been digging on a site next door to where Ben's grandparents Christine and Eddie were staying. The friend claimed Ben had wandered onto the site and in the midday heat, Dino had not seen the boy amongst the swirling dust and crushed him under the wheels of his digger. Ridden with guilt, the witness said Dinos buried Ben in the rubble. Smeared: Valantis Barkis, right with his wife Ioanna , told MailOnline: My father has been accused of being a child killer and his picture has been published everywhere without a trace of evidence' Investigation: Detective Inspector Jon Cousins of South Yorkshire Police yesterday said 'it is his belief' that Ben died in an accident as he concluded the search for his body on the Greek island of Kos Grief: Ben's mother Kerry (left) said she hopes Greek digger driver Konstantinos Barkas (right) 'is burning in hell' after she claimed he took secrets about the toddler's death on Kos to his grave Barkas was interviewed by police in the hours after Ben was reported missing in July 1991 and released. But he was later seen in a distressed state sweating and shaking when he returned from the police station, the witness claimed. The witness's 'credible' evidence led detectives from South Yorkshire police to begin digging at the site last month. Yesterday Detective Inspector Cousins said his team had unearthed an item that Ben had with him on the day he went missing, later revealed to be a Matchbox toy car. It was found at the spot where Dinos was dumping materials at the time Ben disappeared in 1991. Ben's heartbroken mother Kerry accused Dinos of taking the truth about her son to his grave. She condemned him to burn in hell after she was told the digger driver knew that Ben had died at the remote farmhouse but had never told anyone. But now his son Valantis has accused Kerry of shaming his memory. In a press conference on Monday, DI Cousins said his team had found an item, believed to be a toy car, Ben had with him when he vanished. It was found where Dinos had been digging Pictured: A toy car similar to the one belonging to Ben when he vanished that was discovered at the dig site in Greece. His grandmother, Christine, confirmed she recognised it as Ben's He told MailOnline: We have always respected Kerry Needham but we are very upset by the things she has said about my father Dinos such as that he should burn in hell. I would tell Kerry please choose your words more carefully. We have nothing against British people. Why is she trying to provoke us by saying that? We have nothing to hide. Its very upsetting for the whole family. This whole affair has really upset my mother [widow Varvara Barkas] and our friends and neighbours. I understand her despair but she should blame someone else not my father who is dead and cannot defend himself. How is my dad going to be remembered after all of this? My daughter is called Konstantina, she is named after my father, she is six months old. But Dinos grandchildren will grow up and read all of these bad things against him.' His wife Ioanna added: Kerry Needham should come and apologise to my husband about what she said about his father.' Valantis went on: For as long as dad was alive he helped the police. For 25 years they have found nothing. Ms Needham, mother of missing Ben holding up a newspaper showing a photo of her missing son, 1991. She said Dinos should 'burn in hell' for taking the secret of Ben's death to his grave Dinos Barkas is accused of accidentally killing Ben Needham when he went under wheels of his JCB digger while playing outside the remote farmhouse in Kos, above, which his grandfather Eddie was renovating A map above shows the area British detectives, along with volunteers, have been searching for three weeks in Kos. The farmhouse is where Dinos was digging next door to where Ben's grandparents Eddie and Christine were staying The police, the volunteers, even the army searched whole area in 1991 and they did not find anything. These allegations against my father have come out of thin air. When you are driving a digger you are high up, the cabin has glass all around, you have very good visibility, unlike an articulated lorry, you can even see a mouse on the ground below you. He has been accused of shaking and being nervous but that is not true. When my father left the prosecutors office he was a cool as a cucumber. He does not look like a guilty man [in the picture that has been published of him]. It was a long time ago. I was six years old when Ben Needham went missing. He added: I have met [British police lead investigator detective inspector] Jon Cousins. He is welcome to search the whole island [of Kos]. I have answered every question that he asked of me. The Ben Needham case had worsened Greeces problems, the family claimed. Family friend Elias Nobiles said: Kos has had really bad business because of migrants and now because of Ben Needham, we really cant afford that. Everyone is talking about Kos in a bad way. For Gods sake let Dinos rest in peace. Ms Needham, left with her parents Christine and Eddie, broke down in tears when they visited the farmhouse which Ben disappeared from 25 years ago Valantis Barkas, 31, runs a cafe on the outskirts of Kos Town, is understood to be Dinos' only son. He supports his elderly and widowed mother Varvara. Last night regulars at the Deluxe Cafe condemned Kerry Needham for ruining Dinos' reputation. One said angrily: How can this woman say these bad things about Dinos. He was such a good man. He would help anyone. But now she has ruined his reputation! DI Jon Cousins said it was his professional opinion that Barkas then dumped the little body at a fly-tip where his team recovered Bens toy car on Saturday. DI Cousins said: It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result of an accident near to the farmhouse in Iraklis where he was last seen playing. Based on the information that I have now, as a result of an extensive and thorough investigation, it is without doubt that the current line of enquiry is the most probable cause for Bens disappearance. My team and I know that machinery, including a large digger, was used to clear an area of land on 24 July 1991, behind the farmhouse that was being renovated by the Needhams. The events leading up to and following that incident have been explored by my team of experts to great lengths. The fact that we have not had a direct result during this visit to Kos does not preclude the facts that we know to be true. molesting 11 young girls, aged between eight and 17 Robert Ellis, 70, has avoided the death penalty and chemical castration An accused Australian paedophile has revealed why he does not deserve time behind bars for allegedly molesting Balinese girls as young as eight. Robert Andrew Fiddel Ellis, who is charged with sexually abusing children, claimed his alleged crimes were 'not a serious thing' and referred to his alleged victims as 'friends', Fairfax Media reported. 'I have settled with the girls completely. I have paid them generously,' he told the media ahead of his sentence in the Denpasar District Court on Tuesday. Described as the worst Australian paedophile in Bali, the 70-year-old man insisted he had not committed 'anything serious enough to be in prison'. 'I haven't hurt anybody and none of my friends want me in prison I am sure of that,' the Melbourne man said, adding that he 'should be acquitted'. 'They are my friends.' Accused Australian paedophile Robert Andrew Fiddel Ellis (pictured) has avoided the death penalty and chemical castration as he revealed why he doesn't deserve time behind bars The elderly Melbourne man has been accused of molesting Balinese girls as young as eight His comments comes after he avoided his sentence on Tuesday - but will have to return to court on October 25 after the case was adjourned. Indonesia had recently passed laws to allow judges to impose chemical castration for child sex offences. But Ellis will not undergo the chemical castration or the death penalty after prosecutors requested a 16 year jail term. The Victorian man allegedly lured Indonesian children into his home with money, food and toys before forcing them to bath. The elderly man has been accused of molesting at least 11 young girls, aged eight to 17, before he was arrested in January 2016. He has been accused of luring Indonesian children into his Bali home before molesting them Prosecutors previously recommended a 16 year jail term for Ellis, who is accused of molesting at least 11 young girls, aged eight to 17, before he was arrested in January 2016 In a letter Ellis wrote to his lawyer last month, which in the third person, he defended his actions, The Age reported. 'He paid the girls in full immediately after the liberties were taken and the law in full by his 16-week ordeal in the Polda [police] remand cell,' Ellis wrote. 'I am solitary and unmarried and my sex instinct was not ministered to in my own country. In all probability my young friends desperately want me returned to them.' Ellis allegedly targeted girls from poorer backgrounds and molested the children while bathing them. On one occasion Ellis allegedly bathed and touched three girls together and took them to the mall afterwards. In court, prosecutors claimed he paid the girls 200,000 rupiah each, the equivalent of $AUD20. He was arrested in January 2016 suspected of molesting young girls aged eight to 17 years old A man who kept a golden eagle in a squalid kitchen has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years. Adam Smith, 54, kept the beautiful and massive bird of prey in the filthy, rubbish-strewn kitchen of the flat Pembroke, West Wales, which was so small she could not even spread her wings. Haverfordwest Magistrates' Court heard that the RSPCA was called in January this year after receiving reports the female bird was living at the block of flats in Main Street. Adam Smith, 54, kept the beautiful and massive bird of prey in the filthy, rubbish-strewn kitchen of the flat Pembroke, West Wales, which was so small she could not spread her wings The court heard Smith failed to ensure the golden eagle was provided with a suitable environment which was hygienic and or free from hazards. Smith, of Billesley, Birmingham, had previously pleading guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act. He received a 12-month community order, was disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years, ordered to pay a 73 fine, a 60 victim surcharge and 200 costs. RSPCA inspector Keith Hogben said: 'This was an extremely unique case as you certainly don't expect to see a golden eagle in someone's kitchen. The court heard Smith failed to ensure the golden eagle was provided with a suitable environment which was hygienic and or free from hazards 'It was the craziest thing I have ever seen. It is totally just unthinkable. 'The conditions that the golden eagle were kept in were not suitable by any means, there were bags full of rubbish scattered over the floor and the bird was unable to spread her wings in all directions in what was a dark, alien environment. 'She had been kept in disgusting conditions that were totally unsuitable for any animal, let alone a golden eagle. 'Golden eagles require very specialist and expert care and members of the public should not be looking after them in their homes.' The RSPCA said the golden eagle, which was aged around three to four years, is currently in specialist care and is doing well. Terrifying body cam footage has captured fierce fighting with ISIS as the battle for Mosul finally got underway. A Kurdish fighter filmed the moment he sprinted across open land amid deafening gunfire and explosions during an early advance on the terror group's northern Iraq stronghold. The soldier is joined by a team of Peshmerga fighters as they risk their lives trying to reach a building in the battle field. ISIS fanatics were seen 'running around like rats', emerging from a network of tunnels around the city and surprising troops with suicide attacks, Kurdish fighters said. It comes as the UN said it expected people to start fleeing the city 'basically any minute now' - and that there were fears ISIS would use escaping residents as human shields. There are fears today that fanatics will use chemical weapons, snipers, booby traps as they look to defend their position. Terrifying body cam footage has captured fierce fighting with ISIS as the battle for Mosul got underway A Kurdish fighter filmed the moment he sprinted across open land amid deafening gunfire and explosions during an early advance on the terror group's northern Iraq stronghold The soldier is joined by a team of Peshmerga fighters as they risk their lives trying to reach an abandoned building in the battle field Footage released by the Kurdish Rudaw TV station showed fighters joining the battle in Khazer, close to ISIS-held Mosul. Amid intense gunfire, they run to the safety of a house before climbing the stairs and opening fire on extremists. It comes as it emerged that Peshmerga fighters have found their progress hampered by ISIS tactics which included starting oil fires and launching car bomb attacks. The terror group claimed it had launched 12 suicide bomb attacks in one day in a bid to repel advancing forces. Footage released by the Kurdish Rudaw TV station showed fighters joining the battle in Khazer, close to ISIS-held Mosul Amid intense gunfire, they run to the safety of a house before climbing the stairs and opening fire on extremists Kurdish Lieutenant Mehsen Gardi told the Daily Telegraph that during the battle for one outlying village, ISIS extremists were 'running around like rats in and out of tunnels and surprising us with suicide attacks and snipers'. Last night, they paused their in their advance on Mosul after capturing a handful of villages to the east from ISIS as the Iraqi army pressed ahead with the next stage of the operation to retake the city. Colonel Khathar Sheikhan said on Tuesday that his troops have achieved their objectives and 'are just holding our positions' in the Khazer area. The pause comes after a day of intense fighting involving air strikes and heavy. CORNERED ISIS FANATIC BLOWS HIMSELF UP IN MOSUL WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Footage has emerged showing the moment a cornered ISIS suicide bomber blew himself up in a Mosul battlefield. The extremist is said to have emerged from a tunnel only to have been met by a convoy of armed forces. Video shows soldiers firing towards the man, who appears to be lying on the ground. Footage has emerged showing the moment a cornered ISIS suicide bomber blew himself up in a Mosul battlefield Seconds later, there is a large explosion as the fanatic detonates his explosive vest just yards away. The clip, shown by CNN, is said to have been captured as the battle for Mosul got underway. Advertisement The battle for Mosul, Iraq's second largest city and the ISIS group's last urban bastion, started on Monday. The front line east of Mosul is some 20 miles from the city. Fighting is expected to take weeks, if not months, as government forces, Sunni tribal fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga first encircle the city of more than 1 million and then attempt to oust between 4,000 and 8,000 ISIS militants. British warplanes played a key role in the battle for Mosul yesterday, with fleets of Typhoon jets targeting ISIS positions in a bid to cripple the terror group's last major stronghold in Iraq. Peshmerga forces advance in the east of Mosul to attack ISIS militants in Mosul, Iraq today Smoke rises from clashes at Bartila in the east of Mosul during clashes this morning More than 40,000 Iraqi and Kurd troops are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a difficult assault that could take weeks or even months RAF heroes supported the Iraqi army during the major attack which has already inflicted 'heavy losses of life and equipment' on ISIS southeast of the city, according to military chiefs. More than 40,000 Iraqi and Kurd troops are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a difficult assault that could take weeks or even months. CHEMICAL WEAPONS FEAR AS UN WARNS OF MASS EXODUS International aid groups including the Red Cross say they are preparing for the possible use of chemical weapons in the battle for the Iraq city of Mosul. Iraqi forces backed by an international coalition are making gains in their advance on the city, the last major urban centre in Iraq under ISIS control. There have been warnings the battle to take Mosul will be a long, bloody affair, with the jihadists expected to fight back with hit-and-run tactics, snipers, booby traps and and trenches. Robert Mardini of the International Committee of the Red Cross's (ICRC) Near and Middle East division warned: 'We cannot exclude the use... of chemical weapons.' He told reporters the ICRC was preparing by training healthcare workers and providing equipment to health facilities around Mosul 'that would be able to absorb the cases of people contaminated and offer decontamination.' 'As we speak, we have a team in Iraq liaising with the health authorities and working hand-in-hand with health personnel in Iraq in order to develop this response capacity,' he said. International aid groups including the Red Cross say they are preparing for the possible use of chemical weapons in the battle for the Iraq city of Mosul. Peshmerga forces are pictured advancing in the east of Mosul Iraqi forces backed by an international coalition are making gains in their advance on the city, the last major urban centre in Iraq under ISIS control Thomas Lothar Weiss, who heads the International Organization for Migration's Iraq mission, also voiced fears that chemical weapons might be used in Mosul, pointing to recent reports ISIS had used them nearby against Kurdish peshmerga forces. 'We also fear, and there has been some evidence that ISIL might be using chemical weapons,' he told the Geneva news conference, via phone link from Baghdad, using another acronym for ISIS. He acknowledged that the organisation had 'started to procure, within the limits of our very limited funding, ... gas masks.' The start of the assault on Monday has raised deep concerns for hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Iraq's second-largest city, with aid groups warning of a massive humanitarian crisis. The UN fears that up to a million people could be forced from their homes by the fighting, with some 200,000 fleeing during the first weeks of the assault alone. Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, said they expected the exodus to begin 'any minute now'. The UN, Red Cross and other aid organisations are racing against the clock to set up camps and get food, water and medical supplies ready for those who flee. 'There are real fears that the offensive to retake Mosul could produce a humanitarian catastrophe, resulting in one of the largest man-made displacement crises in recent years,' warned William Spindler, spokesman for the UN refugee agency. Mardini urged all sides to 'preserve your humanity in the heat of battle' and protect the civilians trapped in the city. He said the ICRC, which has some 900 staff in Iraq, wanted to maintain dialogue with all parties and to access all areas of detention to ensure prisoners were being treated properly. He acknowledged that the organisation had so far been unable to create such a relationship with IS, but said it was vital to do so. 'We will do everything we can to establish a dialogue with this group,' he said. Advertisement Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said with UK help, Iraqi forces 'will prevail' as ISIS is on the 'back foot'. RAF Typhoon jets and Reaper drones fired missiles and dropped bombs at IS targets around Mosul, paving the way for local forces. Kurdish peshmerga fighters also played a crucial role and advanced in armoured vehicles along roads laden with booby traps and roadside bombs. 'We have achieved a lot of success so far,' said Masoud Barzani, president of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government. More than 40,000 Iraqi and Kurd troops are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long and difficult assault British warplanes have played a key role in the battle for Mosul today, pictured is an explosion seen from the top of Mount al-Shourah RAF heroes supported the Iraqi army during the major attack which has already inflicted 'heavy losses of life and equipment' on ISIS southeast of the city, according to military chiefs Footage earlier emerged showing the moment a giant explosion rocked the Mosul battlefield as ISIS terrorists detonated a suicide car bomb next to Iraqi forces after trying to ram a tank A couple who bought a 55,000 Porsche as an anniversary present have been left out of pocket after police stormed their home and seized it - claiming it was 'stolen'. Simon and Susan Walker bought the burgundy Porsche Cayenne 4.8 Turbo for their 25th wedding anniversary from SK Performance in Bolton, Greater Manchester. However, days later officers arrived at their home in Stockport claiming the vehicle needed to be seized after police in Scotland said they believed the Porsche had been stolen by means of fraud. Simon and Susan Walker (pictured) bought the 55,000 Porsche Cayenne 4.8 Turbo for their 25th wedding anniversary from a garage in Bolton, Greater Manchester but were disappointed when police turned up and seized it - claiming it had been reported stolen by means of fraud They bought the burgundy Porsche Cayenne 4.8 Turbo (pictured) as a wedding anniversary present but were shocked to discover police in Scotland had received reports it was 'stolen' The original owner of the vehicle had contacted Scottish police after handing over his car to the Bolton garage, which has since gone into liquidation. He had given it to the garage to sell but never received his money after the sale to the Walkers. A tracking device still attached to the Porsche showed it was in the Walkers' garage, prompting police to arrive at their home, question them and take the vehicle. The couple now claim they have been left out of pocket after not only was their vehicle seized but their newly-laid driveway 'damaged' by the responding officer. They have made a formal complaint to Greater Manchester Police claiming the officer walked across the 'wet' driveway - causing 16,000 worth of damage. Mrs Walker, 52, said: 'There was red tape across the entrance to the drive. It had just been finished and we weren't allowed to drive on it for at least three days. 'The officer had pushed open my gates, gone through the tape up to my front door. When I told him the drive was new he said 'I thought it was a bit sticky when I was walking across it'. 'After showing him proof that we had bought the car through a bank transfer, he made a call and agreed not to arrest Simon. Instead, he just took the keys for the car. 'But the PC had damaged the drive walking on it before it was dry and we now have seven footprints in it. To put it right the whole driveway needs to be relaid, which will cost 16,000.' However, in a letter the force says it is not liable for the damage to the resin-bound driveway as the actions of the officer were 'lawful, reasonable, and necessary' and there was 'no signage or writing that stated that a new drive had been laid'. The couple now claim they have been left out of pocket after not only was their vehicle seized (pictured above) but their newly-laid driveway 'damaged' by the responding police officer They bought the vehicle for 55,000 from SK Performance garage in Bolton (pictured) After their car was seized, the couple tackled the garage owner who showed them an email from an officer in Scotland which said he was satisfied the matter would be resolved between the garage and the original owner in no longer than 14 days. In the email, the officer adds: 'At this time no criminality can be attributed. I will ask he (the owner) holds off on any further action until you have the opportunity to conclude the financial matters.' Mrs Walker, who runs a boarding home for rabbits, said: 'The email is dated October 1 - on October 9 the police came to our house, before the end of the 14 days the garage had promised to resolve the issue.' The garage gave the Walkers two BMWs as compensation for the Porsche being seized. The couple have made a formal complaint to Greater Manchester Police claiming the officer walked across their newly-laid 'wet' driveway - causing 16,000 worth of damage (pictured) They claim the police officer left size nine footprints on their newly-laid driveway (pictured) But Mrs Walker said: 'It was our intention to trade them in at Porsche Wilmslow in exchange for a Porsche Cayenne. But a week later I got a call from an enforcement officer saying the BMWs were going to be seized as part of the liquidation order, and we had no legal right to those cars. Once again we were spoken to like criminals. 'The next day ten enforcement officers turned up at our house. We also got told by Porsche Wilmslow that police had asked them what sort of people we were.' The Porsche has since been returned to the original owner, resold and is now on sale at a showroom in Essex for 47,500. Meanwhile, the Bolton garage is under investigation by Greater Manchester Police. Mrs Walker added: 'We were the only people to have their car seized. The whole situation has been traumatic, upsetting and embarrassing having police cars outside our house.' In a formal complaint to the police force, her husband said: 'We want answers as to why we were treated as criminals and not as victims, and compensation for the damage caused to our property.' The older girl has been rescued from sex-trafficking ring by police Police say the deceased girl and her sister, 15, were given the drugs to help them forget about having sex with men after overdosing on combination of Xanax and over-the-counter cold medicine dextromethorphan Four people have been arrested on murder and human-trafficking charges after authorities say a 14-year-old girl in Florida fatally overdosed on pills she was told would help her forget about having sex with men. Karla Alsina, 20, and Arthur Coleman, 26, were arrested Saturday evening in Atlanta, while 19-year-old Avorice Holman and 22-year-old Jose Santiago-Sotomayor were taken into custody on Wednesday in Orlando. The four are accused of luring two sisters, ages 14 and 15, into prostitution in August. Caught: Karla Alsina, 20 (left), and Arthur Coleman, 26 (right), were arrested Saturday evening in Atlanta, on charges of murder and human trafficking of a child in the drug overdose death of a 14-year-old Orlando girl Police say the younger of the two teens overdosed on a cocktail of Xanax and the cold medicine dextromethorphan on August 14. Her older sibling has since been rescued from the sex-trafficking ring. She's doing fine, said Orlando police detective Michael Fields last week. She is receiving help, and she's getting everything that she needs. The suspects each face multiple charges including first-degree murder and human trafficking of a child, racketeering and transmission of child pornography. During a news conference last Wednesday, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said they are seeking murder charges because the 14-year-old died while the four suspects were allegedly committing other felonies. 'It was foreseeable to everyone involved in an inherently dangerous felony that someone could have died during the commission of these felony crimes,' Mina said. When the girl overdosed, an officer at Orlando Regional Medical Center where she was brought started investigating and called detectives. 'Accomplices': Jose Santiago-Sotomayor, 22 (left), and Avorice Holman, 19 (right) were previously arrested in Orlando in connection to the August 14 death of the teenage girl Police then conducted interviews, looked at records including text messages and surveillance video, and executed search warrants. Fields' affidavit, which ran to 732 pages, was only partially released last Wednesday. Fields said the girls were introduced to Santiago-Sotomayor through a mutual friend. They were looking to make money, though not through the sex trade, he said. But, Fields said, Santiago-Sotomayor told the girls sex would be lucrative and introduced them to the other suspects in the human-trafficking ring. The Orlando Sentinel reported that for about a week in August the 14-year-old girl told her mother she was going to a friend's home whenever she left her house. The traffickers asked the sisters to send nude photos to prove they weren't working with police, Fields said. An affidavit says the men used the site Backpage.com to find clients and drove the girls to meeting locations. The teenage victim was taken on August 14 to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where she died after overdosing on a cocktail of drugs Police say the girl and her 15-year-old sisters were given Xanax and a cold medicine to help them forget about having sex with men They gave the drugs to the girls in order for them to forget about having sex with the men, said Orlando police detective Michael Fields. The girls felt threatened, they were shown guns, firearms and told that bad things would happen to them if they were to tell. The abuse of the two sisters allegedly went on for eight days. The two suspects who were arrested in Florida last week, Holman and Santiago-Sotomayor, remained in the Orange County Jail without bond Monday. A shocking video has emerged of the moment a bride jumps into a swimming pool and was weighed down by her heavy wedding dress. The clip, believed to have been filmed in Beirut, Lebanon, starts with the married couple standing on the side of the pool. The pair are egged on by the wedding guests who count down: 'One, two, three'. The couple then leap into the water and the crowd cheer and applause. Her head can be seen bobbing under the surface as her husband tries his best to help her while treading water at the same time. After, the guests spring into action and reach a long pole to the struggling woman which she grabs and is pulled to safety. A shocking video has emerged of the moment a bride jumps into a swimming pool and was weighed down by her heavy wedding dress Viewers were surprised at the unusual wedding activity. One internet user said: 'I think a champagne toast is safer.' Last year another newlywed bride nearly drowned after she jumped into the sea in her gown as part of a 'trash the dress' photo-shoot. Amy Zuno had to be rescued by her new husband, Eric, and several other people after the weight of her gown pulled her under the water for about 25 seconds. Despite the lighthearted ritual, which has grown increasingly popular in recent years, almost causing her to drown, Zuno from Riverside, New Jersey, said she had 'no regrets'. NatWest has caved in to Kremlin pressure less than 24 hours after pledging to close the UK accounts of the Vladimir Putin-backed Russia Today. The threat sparked a diplomatic row and led to Russian claims the state-owned bank was guilty of trying to censor the channel known to be a favourite of the president. In a letter to the broadcaster, NatWest, which is part of the taxpayer bailed out Royal Bank Scotland Group, said it was closing RT's accounts next month, the decision was 'final' and it was 'not prepared to enter any discussion' about it. RT's editor in chief Margarita Simonyan suggested it was part of a US and British plot to target Russia over Syria and there were calls for the BBCs bank accounts in Russia to be shut down as a reprisal. Last night, in the face of major pressure from the Kremlin and as the Treasury sources refused to back them, the bank said it was now 'reviewing the situation'. RT editor Margarita Simonyan , 36, right with Vladimir Putin last December, revealed NatWest was shutting its accounts - but the bank has now backed down Frozen accounts: RT published a letter sent by NatWest, which said: 'We have recently undertaken a review of your banking arrangements with us' Twitter post: Ms Simonyan said: 'Our accounts in the UK have been closed. All accounts. 'The decision is not subject to revision'. Long live freedom of speech!' A spokesman added that they would now be discussing the matter despite previously refusing to. The decision sparked a furious diplomatic row yesterday and their decision to back down will be seen as a victory for Putin. Boss: Russia Today editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan revealed NatWest's threat Downing Street said the decision which will make it harder for the broadcaster to operate in the UK had nothing to do with the government and was a matter for the bank. The taxpayer owns 73 per cent of the RBS group after it was bailed out in 2008. But the Russian Embassy in London issued an extraordinary statement which blamed the British government and said the decision was an outrage. It also claimed other Russian news outlets had also had their accounts frozen or closed. The statement said: It makes it abundantly clear that this ham-fistedness is all HM Government can say in support of its position on the international issues where we differ. The Russian side will request explanations, including as regards UKs compliance with OSCE [an intergovernmental security organisation] and other norms guaranteeing freedom of speech. Prime Minister Theresa Mays official spokesman was forced to wade into the argument and reiterated that it was not a government decision, but added: More broadly, do we want to make sure that misinformation is not being spread? Of course we do. Reaction: Some Twitter users suggested those who defend RT's free speech should 'expect to be laughed at', and it was ignorant to suggest the channel is part of the 'free press' RT which was previously known as Russia Today has been accused of being a mouthpiece for Vladimir Putin. In a letter to the channel NatWest gave the station notice, saying: We have recently undertaken a review of your banking arrangements with us and reached the conclusion that we will no longer provide these facilities. The bank said its decision was final and it is not prepared to enter into any discussion. It said accounts will be closed on December 12. A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in London said that Russian news outlets Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik and VGTRK also had their accounts frozen or closed. We are concerned over the said decision and the pressure exercised against Russian news outlets in UK, he added. RT is a foreign-language network that is primarily aimed at audiences in Europe and the United States and broadcasts 24-hours a day in English, Arabic and Spanish. But it has come under fire for its one-sided reporting, which includes failing to show the presence of Russian soldiers deployed on the Crimea when the peninsula was annexed. It has also portrayed Russias involvement in Syria as an attempt to purge the country of terrorists and glossed over the death of civilians caused by Russias bombardment of Aleppo. Relations with Moscow are already strained after Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, called on anti-war activists to protest outside the Russian Embassy in London. Support: The channel is known to be favoured by Labour's Jeremy Corbyn (pictured on air) Praise: Mr Corbyn tweeted in April 2011 that he liked how it was 'free of Royal Wedding and more objective on Libya than most' Downing Street insisted the account freeze had nothing to do with the government, saying it was a matter for the bank which had carried out its own risk assessment. As the diplomatic row with London intensified, one Moscow-based politician even threatened reprisals against the BBCs operation in Russia. Igor Morozov, a member of the Russian parliaments upper house, called for the BBCs bank accounts in Russia to be arrested as a reprisal. The broadcaster reacted with fury at the decision to close its accounts, suggesting that it was being censored. Margarita Simonyan, 36, editor of the news network, said she has been contacted by a number of customers who are pledging to bank elsewhere in solidarity with the channel. She had earlier taken to social media to reveal that all of Russia Today's UK bank accounts had been closed, adding: 'Long live freedom of speech!' She later suggested the closure of the accounts was an attempt to stop RT from broadcasting: They have failed to defeat us by simply vilifying us, by picking on our broadcast, so they decided to try the banking flank: Try broadcasting when all your accounts have been closed. Yet we will try. She suggested it could be linked to the fact that we are expecting new British and US sanctions against Russia. Sergei Zheleznyak, from the ruling United Russia party, told the Interfax news agency: We will be demanding an explanation from Britains official authorities in connection with this situation. Mr Zheleznyak, who sits on the international affairs committee of the State Duma called NatWests withdrawal of banking services outrageous and an infringement of the rights of journalists. Alexander Nekrassov, a former Kremlin spokesman now based in London, said that by closing RTs bank accounts, Mays lot are giving Russian broadcaster a huge promotion. A spokesman for RBS, the parent company of NatWest, said: These decisions are not taken lightly. We are reviewing the situation and are contacting the customer to discuss this further. The bank accounts remain open and are still operative. 'Are there grounds for a Russian retaliation against the British state propaganda machine the BBC?': George Galloway calls on Moscow to 'take action' on Auntie Former MP George Galloway today led calls for Russia to take action against the BBC Former Respect MP George Galloway today led calls for Russia to take action against the BBC following the bank account freeze. He tweeted that he had told RT: 'The British deep state is nervous. RT's popularity grows as the BBC's credibility declines. 'The British state is a significant shareholder in NatWest. This is a political decision and an attack on Russia. This is a crude, brute decision by a British government-owned bank. 'Are there grounds for a Russian retaliation against the British state propaganda machine the BBC? 'The good news is this is the 16th year of the 21st century, and no one is going to be able to stop British people watching RT.' Advertisement Meet Putin's favourite chain-smoking glamorous journalist: Editor of Kremlin-backed news network Russia Today is involved in a scandalous love-triangle with a well-known film director and actress Russia Today editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan (pictured) is Putin's favourite journalist By Jenny Awford and Mark Duell She hit the headlines after revealing the bank accounts of Kremlin-backed TV channel Russia Today had been frozen by NatWest. But Margarita Simonyan, the glamorous editor-in-chief of the state broadcaster, is used to life in the spotlight - and the scrutiny that comes with being Putin's favourite journalist. The chain-smoking brunette, 36, received flowers from the Russian president on her 25th birthday, the same year which saw her hastily promoted to the top job at RT. She clearly feels comfortable mixing in A-lister circles and is involved in a 'love triangle' with a well-known film director and actress which caused a furore in Russia. Ms Simonyan shares the second of her two children with film director Tigran Keosayan - who is 14 years her senior. And she enjoys a friendly relationship with his ex-wife, stunning actress Alena Khmelnytsky - with whom she was seen swilling white wine earlier this year. 'I spent the evening with Alena Khmelnytsky. That's how it is,' Ms Simonyan captioned an image of the pair giggling and posing together with their drinks. They seem to relish being part of a 'modern family' and attend the birthday parties of children on both sides. Ms Simonyan, who boasts 426,000 followers on Twitter, also has a three-year-old daughter, Mariana, from her first marriage to journalist Andrew Blagodyrenko. She clearly feels comfortable mixing in A-lister circles and is involved in a 'love triangle' with a well-known film director and actress Alena Khmelnytsky (pictured together) Her meteoric rise to the top of the journalistic profession - as well as the upper echelons of Russian society - is even more incredible given her humble upbringing. She was born in Krasnodar, Russia, to two Armenian parents who were descended from refugees. The journalist has bravely spoken in the past about how her great-grandmother survived the Armenian Genocide while the rest of her family was slaughtered. Her parents were poor as her father her made a living repairing refrigerators and her mother sold flowers at the market. At the age of 15, she spent a year living in Bristol, New Hampshire, as part of a student exchange programme to the US. Ms Simonyan began her career aged 18, was appointed editor-in-chief of Russia Today just seven years later in 2005 and has won several journalism awards Ms Simonyan has been critical of what she sees as a bias in Western coverage on TV 'When I was in the US I came to better appreciate life in Russia. At the same time I got into American habits and beliefs, large and small,' she said of the experience. She started her career in journalism at the age of 18 and was appointed editor-in-chief of Russia Today just seven years later in 2005. During those years she reported from the 2004 Beslan school siege and on the Second Chechen War in 1999 and 2000, winning numerous awards in the process. Mr Putin sent her flowers after he is believed to have heard other journalists talking about her 25th birthday at a press conference. Speaking about the incident to Passport magazine in 2007, she said: 'It was very spontaneous. I don't think that you can call it a presidential high regard. 'Don't you think that the president has more important things to think about? Like all of the other heads of TV channels, we meet at celebrations.' In recent days Ms Simonyan has been critical of what she sees as a bias in Western coverage on TV when it comes to coverage of the conflict in Syria. She said: 'Aleppo, unfortunately, has become the spot where we've seen a lot of mainstream media journalists become activists, cynically using shocking imagery in pursuit of a political agenda.' And she told the New York Times in 2008: 'I'm a bit tired to try to explain that we are independent, that I don't get calls from the government - I do not. Last year she told her followers on Twitter that she had finally quit smoking after two decades, having got through two or three packs every day since she was 14 'We want to develop into a really trusted name that people turn to because they want to know what's going on in the country.' She has claimed that she wanted RT to do something different to 'mainstream western TV channels' because they were all broadcasting the same content. The channel has become known for its unorthodox guests and those at the political extremes of the right and left, such as Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn. Speaking to the Financial Times in July, Ms Simonyan added: 'We are far less critical of Western policy than Western media are critical of Russia. 'When was the last time you read anything good about Russia? Anywhere? Name me one publication. 'That's why this cliche that Russia Today is an anti-Western channel brings a smile to my face.' Fighter: Four-year-old George Hall (pictured with his mother Hollie Pearson) was given days to live following a heart defect Three schools have turned away a four-year-old boy who suffered heart failure because he has a tracheostomy hole in his windpipe, his family claimed today. George Hall, of Skipton, North Yorkshire, was given days to live following a heart defect before battling to survive after having 15 operations including 15-hour surgery on his first birthday. But his family claim three mainstream primary schools have now refused to give him a place due to his health needs, despite him having no learning issues. His grandmother Nicola Garbutt claimed schools are discriminating against George, who has not been to lessons since the new term began last month. Mother-of-four Ms Garbutt, 46, said: George went to a mainstream nursery and has the right to go to a mainstream school. He is just a normal little boy. 'But three schools have turned him down and said they cant meet his needs. It is disgusting and is just so frustrating. We are living in 2016, not 1916. Appeal for help: George, of Skipton, North Yorkshire, battled to survive after having 15 operations including 15-hour surgery on his first birthday In hospital: George was born with a rare congenital heart condition similar to congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries 'Surely in this day and age we should be able to see beyond a disability? George has had to fight so hard throughout his life and fight to survive. 'Now he is fighting to have an education too. He is bright as a button, a normal four-year-old who just wants to go to school with his friends. It is not right. 'The system is failing an innocent child and they are denying him an education. No school wants him (or) can see beyond his medical needs. It is discrimination. George was born with a rare congenital heart condition similar to congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries. This sees babies born with the pulmonary artery and aorta the wrong way around - and it also affects his six-year-old brother Harvey. George had five open heart surgeries as a baby including a 15-hour operation which saved his life - and he has been under the knife for surgery 15 times in total. Brave: The four-year-old had a tracheostomy - an incision in the windpipe to remove a breathing obstruction - three years ago due to having a paralysed diaphragm He first hit the headlines as a toddler when his mother, 23-year-old Hollie Pearson, claimed switching hospitals saved the youngsters life. HOW A TRACHEOSTOMY CAN HELP SOMEONE BREATHE A tracheostomy helps someone breathe after an opening is created at the front of the neck for the insertion of a tube into the windpipe. The tube can be connected to an oxygen supply and a ventilator breathing machine, and used to suck out fluid in the throat and windpipe. It can be used to allow a patient to breathe if their throat is blocked or to deliver oxygen to the lungs when someone cannot breathe normally. A tracheostomy can also be created to reduce the risk of food or fluid going into someones lungs if they find coughing difficult. The NHS says there is a small risk of complications from tracheostomies such as bleeding, infection and breathing difficulties but insists that the procedure is generally safe and effective. The produce to create a tracheostomy hole is called a tracheotomy. Advertisement His family alleged a childrens heart surgery unit told them palliative care was the only option but claimed when they self-referred George - who was suffering from heart failure and had days to live - for a second opinion at another hospital medics there said he was eligible for a life-saving operation. The four-year-old had a tracheotomy - an incision in the windpipe to remove a breathing obstruction - three years ago due to having a paralysed diaphragm and also is fitted with a pacemaker and has a gastronomy feeding tube and oxygen ventilation mask at night. Ballet-loving George has an education healthcare plan from the local authority which includes funding for a one-on-one carer to come to school with him in case of issues with his tracheostomy. At first his family turned down a place at one unsuitable primary school following an initial meeting, when they were not invited back for any more discussions. They then approached three other mainstream schools but claim all of them have said they are unable to meet his needs. Ms Garbutt, who looks after George while her daughter Ms Pearson is at university training to be a nurse, said: We thought finding him a school would be straightforward - we never thought it would come to this. Growing up: George's family claim three mainstream primary schools have now refused to give him a place due to his health needs, despite him having no learning difficulties We had a school sorted for him but we knew it wasnt going to be suitable after the initial meeting so we just thought we could pull him out and find another school. But three other schools have turned him down, saying they cant meet Georges needs. They are making the decision without understanding who he is. A lady got in touch with me to say the same thing happened to her 15 years ago - she was forced to go to a special needs school for two years just for having a tracheotomy and she said it set her back. George has had to fight so hard throughout his life and fight to survive. Now he is fighting to have an education too Nicola Garbutt, grandmother of George Hall It feels like nothing at all has really changed as far as additional needs children are concerned. It seems it is normal to have such a fight on your hands.' Victoria Townsend, the founder of Breathe On UK, a charity supporting the families and carers of young people who are life dependent on medical breathing or long-term ventilation, said: Children with tracheotomies are being discriminated against. For children who have a very high standard of educational understanding it is wrong to send them to a special school. Children like this are falling through the net. 'There cant be a one size fits all approach - education really needs to be looked at with a much more flexible approach. A North Yorkshire County Council spokesman said: Officers within the local authority are working closely with the family and schools to identify a suitable school for George. It is important to all of us that his identified school is absolutely confident they can provide the necessary support for George. Bosko Herman continues to draw a salary of 3,327 per month, 10 years after leaving his job A French civil servant who left his job a decade ago because of a 'disagreement' with his boss has nevertheless pocketed more than 450,000 in that time - despite not doing a day's work. Bosko Herman continued to pick up a salary of 3,700 Euros (3,327) per month - and is entitled to do so until he reaches retirement age in 2023. For five years, between 2001 and 2006, Herman was general director of services in Saint-Savine in eastern France. But Le Figaro reports that he was let go because of a 'personal disagreement' with the town's mayor in 2006. An alternative role in another Town Hall, in Vitry-le-Francois, did not work out - but French rules dating back to 1984 stipulate that whenever a director moves on from a municipality, their former employer has to pay part of their salary until they find an equivalent job. It means the Saint-Savine authority has been paying 75 per cent of his salary for 10 years. And Mr Herman, now 55, did not miss out on the other 25 per cent, as this was paid by a civil service management centre which has been unsuccessfully trying to help him find a job. For five years, between 2001 and 2006, Herman was general director of services in Saint-Savine in eastern France French newspaper Le Figaro reports that 150 civil servants in France are in the same position. Yves Laboure, from the Aube departments civil service management centre, told Le Figaro: 'Hes not been sitting on his hands doing nothing. 'In 2015 he sent off 49 job applications and by August 2016 he had sent off another 34.' Advertisement Amazing aerial footage shows incredible patterns formed by 30,000 Kung Fu students at Shaolin temple in China's Henan province. The 11th International Shaolin Wushu Festival will be held from October 16 to October 20 at the birthplace of Shaolin Wushu in China. The footage shows thousands of Kung Fu students demonstrating their skills in formation while creating incredible patterns, reports the People's Daily Online. What a sight! Kung Fu students perform during the opening ceremony of the Shaolin Martial Arts festival A clever way of sending messages: The group get into formations making messages for their audience Students of martial art schools take part in rehearsals for the upcoming 11th International Shaolin Wushu Festival in Zhengzhou There are 1,500 students taking part from 73 countries in the four day festival in Zhengzhou, the birthplace of Shaolin Wushu The festival will include group calisthenics and martial arts to promote cultural communication of martial arts. In the footage posted on the People's Daily Online's Youtube account, the martial arts students can be seen demonstrating their skills. The group move quick, weaving in and out to create shapes and patterns. At one point, they use long sections of material to create the Chinese flag. The students display their incredible core strength as they pull water from a well while hanging upside down from bars Now that's a crowd! Thousands of martial arts students took part in the exercise in China's Henan province The competitors scoop water from the buckets with one hand held behind their backs, hanging upside down on the bars Students spent Friday rehearsing, and making key preparations for the competition and festival, which formally starts on Sunday The hundreds of competitors don brightly coloured uniform for their international festival, in gold, red and blue The four-day festival has been held 10 times before since 1991, and according to the organisers, is a good way for martial artists to explore the country's culture, make friends and exchange skills. As well as the competitions, there are demonstrations of different forms of martial arts, throughout the long weekend and a grand evening party. These incredible images show the scale of the event and the level of discipline and training undertaken by the participants ahead of the festival. Shaolin Wushu, also called Shaolin Kung Fu, is about 1,500 years old, and originated in the Buddhist Shaolin temple in Henan province. Records of the art go back to 495AD. The four-day festival will include group calisthenics, martial arts sitcom to promote cultural communication of martial arts Records of Shaolin Wushu, also called Shaolin Kung Fu, go back to 495AD, and the art is about 1,500 years old The incredible image shows the scale of the huge event and organisers hope it will bring people from different disciplines together Hundreds of students practice together, wearing the same red tops and dark trousers with white trainers in the large open space It originated in the Buddhist Shaolin temple in Henan province, the same province where the festival is now held Wushu is both an exhibition and a contact martial art with various forms that have been standardised over the years The competitors hold up a huge Chinese flag, during the rehearsal days of the festival, as others crowd around In a LinkedIn invitation to the event, the organisers wrote: 'Athletes from more than 60 countries and regions all over the world have participated in this grand festival. 'Zhengzhou China International Shaolin Wushu Festival is a comprehensive festival comprizing Wushu, business and trade, tourism and culture exchange. 'In this festival, we will arrange a lot of activities including Wushu competition, Taolu Competitions, Wushu performances, Chinese Martial Arts Duan Wei Exam, Chinese martial arts training and exchangegrand evening party, Greeting ceremony in Dengfeng, sightseeing of Shaolin Temple, Zen Music ShaoLin Grand Ceremony, and other culture exchange activities. 'We are confident that Zhengzhou China International Shaolin Wushu Festival is a good platform for you to make friends, exchange martial arts skills and deeply understand Chinese culture.' Chinese monks in traditional orange robes watch on outside a red temple as the competitors get ready for the event One student takes the lead in front of the festival's official logo, as his colleagues look on before their turns A group of men in orange costume hold up one man in white, in something akin to a Saturday Night Fever pose during the rehearsals The competitors will be able to enjoy some sightseeing during their stay in the province as well. Above, competitors work in unison in the displays as the festival prepares to start The president of one of the largest police organizations in the United States has apologized for historical mistreatment of minorities, calling it a 'dark side of our shared history'. Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which represents 23,000 American officers, said it was a problem that must be acknowledged and overcome. His comments have been met with mixed reaction from leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement, with some saying his words needed to be backed by actions. Terrence Cunningham told a convention of top cops in San Diego that police have historically been a face of oppression The president of one of the largest police organizations in the United States has apologized for historical mistreatment of minorities, calling it a 'dark side of our shared history'. He is seen speaking at the conference His comments were also dismissed by the head of an officers' union in Minnesota, who said there was no need to apologize. Speaking at the organization's annual convention in San Diego, Mr Cunningham said that police have historically been a face of oppression, enforcing laws that ensured legalized discrimination and denial of basic rights. He did not elaborate on specifics, but Mr Cunningham stressed today's officers are not to blame for past injustices. He did not speak in detail about modern policing, but said events over the past several years have undermined public trust. His comments come as police shootings of black men have roiled communities in the United States. These include the death of Minnesota man Philando Castile, a 32-year-old school cafeteria supervisor, who was shot by police on July 6, when he, his fiancee and her daughter were stopped because of a broken taillight. Footage of Mr Castile drenched in blood and slumped behind the wheel was livestreamed to Facebook by his fiancee, Diamond Reynolds. Recent deaths at the hands of police, include that of black street seller Alton Sterling, who was shot by two white police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Just days before, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, another black man had been fatally wounded by police. Alton Sterling, 37, was shot several times at close range while held down on the ground by two white police officers, sparking protests in the city and calls for a civil rights investigation by the U. S. Department of Justice. Addressing the conference of police chiefs, Mr Cunningham did not draw attention to specific incidents, or focus solely on recent events. 'While we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we must change the future,' he said. 'We must forge a path that allows us to move beyond our history and identify common solutions to better protect our communities. 'For our part, the first step in this process is for law enforcement and the (International Association of Chiefs of Police) to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society's historical mistreatment of communities of color.' Police shootings have sparked protests in cities across the U.S., including in Baton Rouge, following the death of Alton Sterling. A protester is seen above in a stand-off with cops Mr Cunningham received a standing ovation for his remarks before he introduced U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who largely avoided the topic. He has been police chief since 1999 in his hometown of Wellesley, Massachusetts, an affluent, overwhelmingly white, low-crime suburb near Boston. He served three years as vice president of the police chiefs association before becoming president in 2015 for a one-year term. David Alexander III, police chief in Pensacola, Florida, said recognizing historical injustices is key to addressing race relations, just as acknowledging domestic violence was a step forward. 'When you don't know the history and you say, 'Well, there is no problem,' then you pretty much present yourself as insensitive to the issues,' said Mr Alexander, who is black. 'The issue of racial tension has been a part of American history since its settlement.' Other recent deaths include that of Terence Crutcher, pictured top, who was pursued and shot by police officers as he walked to his SUV Delrish Moss, who has been police chief of Ferguson, Missouri, since May and is black, said he had negative encounters with police when he was growing up, including being called racial epithets. 'There are communities that have long perceived us as oppressors, there are communities that have long perceived us as the jackbooted arm of government designed to keep people under control, and that's one of the things we have to work hard to get past,' Moss said. 'I'm glad it's being addressed ... because the only way to get past it is to first acknowledge the existence of it.' Garland Pruitt, president of the NAACP's Oklahoma City branch, said the apology was 'way overdue.' A 40-year-old unarmed black man, Terence Crutcher, was fatally shot by a Tulsa officer last month. 'It lets folks know there is a thing called compassion,' Pruitt said. However, some leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement were less enthusiastic. Campaign Zero co-founder DeRay Mckesson said he looked forward to Cunningham's comments being backed up by deep, structural changes to policing and the criminal justice system. Jamar Clark, 24, was shot by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last November Charlene Carruthers, national director for Chicago-based BYP100, said an apology didn't go far enough. She said a major step would be taking financial resources away from law enforcement and redirecting them to community-based programs. Lt. Bob Kroll, head of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, in Minnesota, also dismissed Mr Cunningham's statement, saying it went too far. In his city, two white officers fatally shot a black man, 24-year-old Jamar Clark, last November. But the appointment of the former journalist was not approved in No 10 Boris Johnson has lost his closest aide after Downing Street refused to sign off on the appointment. No 10 has placed strict limits on the personal staff around senior ministers and did not accept Mr Johnson continued to need the services of Will Walden. Mr Walden was still working for the Foreign Secretary at the Tory conference a fortnight ago but this week withdrew his application for the post. The revelation Mr Johnson's appointment was blocked comes in a week where Cabinet rows over Brexit policy have exploded onto the front pages. Will Walden, left, has been a constant presence at Boris Johnson's side since 2012, including last week at the Conservative Conference in Birmingham (pictured) Mr Walden has worked closely with the Uxbridge MP since 2012 when he was hired from the BBC by the then Mayor of London to be his Director of Communications. In July, Mr Walden joined Mr Johnson at the Foreign Office but the job was not signed off in No 10. The Times today said the appointment was first resisted on cost grounds, questioning whether Mr Johnson still needed a full press operation of his own. Mr Walden's LinkedIn profile today still lists him as a 'senior advisor' to Mr Johnson for 'communications and policy'. He has overseen Mr Johnson's communications through some of his most high profile moments and was alongside the MP in February during a chaotic press conference outside his home when he declared for Brexit. Mr Walden then advised Mr Johnson throughout the Brexit campaign and was a key member of his brief but doomed bid to be Tory leader and Prime Minister. Mr Walden's LinkedIn profile lists him as a senior advisor to the Foreign Secretary but the appointment has not been made permanent and he has now left the post Mr Walden followed Mr Johnson from City Hall to Parliament and worked on his brief leadership campaign in July (pictured together right in June). Mr Johnson was today back in Downing Street for Cabinet (right) The pair were still working together at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham a fortnight ago but Mr Walden has since withdrawn his application. Mr Johnson has two other special advisers on his staff at the Foreign Office. The Foreign Secretary was in Downing Street today for the latest Cabinet meeting as Mrs May attempts to keep a lid on squabbling over Brexit. Reports have emerged all week claiming Chancellor Philip Hammond is being 'negative' about leaving the EU and No 10 was forced to insist Mrs May had 'full confidence' in him yesterday. Advertisement Drug dealers in the Philippines who have escaped being shot dead in the street are being forced into overcrowded prisons or in rehab programmes where they make coffins for victims of the crackdown. Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte has launched a deadly campaign on narcotics that has left more than 3,000 dead across the country. And new pictures have show the grim reality of life in the capital Manila, where dead bodies are piling up in the streets following nightly bloody gun battles. People gather around as the body of man lies in the street in Manila after he was shot dead. A sign was found nearby which said he was a drug pusher A street cat then walks past the man's body which has been covered with cardboard and left lying in the street in Manila Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte has launched a deadly crackdown on narcotics that has left more than 3,000 dead The sister of the dead man kneels down to collect his belongings from the ground after he was shot dead in the street Police show some of the drugs paraphernalia and weapons that were discovered during a bust on a house in Querzon city close to Manila The violence has become so bad, that some people are taking to sleeping on the streets outside churches, where they believe they will be safe from the bloodshed. However, some pushers have avoided the scenes that have seen people shot dead in the street and their bodies left with signs on them indicating they are drug dealers. Many have been thrown into the country's overcrowded jails where hundreds of inmates are forced into tiny cells and have to take it in turns to sleep. The prisoners at Querzon City jail all have to jockey for space in the facility, which is designed for 800 prisoners but is currently holding 4,000 men. A woman hugs her grandson after being forced to tell him that his father was shot dead by police. She is accompanied by the boy's uncle, who has suffered a stroke Children lie on the ground and sleep on a single blanket in a square close to a church in the capital Manila, which is in the midst of a war on drugs People sleeping on towels and deck chairs outside the church. It is believed they are sleeping there as they think they will be safer and protected from armed gangs Meanwhile others who surrender themselves to the authorities are put into rehab programmes where they are forced to make coffins for the growing number of victims for the war on drugs. As the number of drug related killings, surrenders and arrests continues to rise, the local government of Olongapo city, north of Manila, thought of a way to help in the rehabilitation of drug dependents, by having them build coffins. However, gaining a place on one of the rehab programmes is almost impossible as centres across the Philippines have been massively overwhelmed from an astounding influx of more than 700,000 surrenders and 15,000 arrests. It comes as the Philippine government has formally invited a United Nations rights rapporteur to investigate the thousands of killings during President Duterte's war on crime. Presidential spokesman Ernesto Arbella told reporters: 'The (presidential) palace has sent the invitation to UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard and is awaiting her response.' Drug dealers who escape death are forced into already crowded prison cells where inmates have to take it in turn to sleep The inmates, all dressed in yellow shirts are forced into cramped conditions at the Quezon City Jail, one of the country's most congested jails in Quezon City Quezon City Jail is designed to hold only 800 inmates but it is now packed with nearly 4,000 prisoners following the crackdown The prisoners at Querzon City jail all have to jockey for space in the facility due to the crowded conditions inside the jail Prisoners gather near fans at the windows for a blast of cool air in the hot and packed conditions inside the prisons Since July Duterte has overseen a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs that has left more than 3,000 people dead, both at the hands of police as well as in unexplained circumstances, according to official data. The United Nations, the European Union, the United States and international human rights groups have all raised concern over alleged extrajudicial killings. But the acid-tongued Duterte has rejected the allegations and called the campaign an internal affair of the Philippines. He has also branded US President Barack Obama a 'son of a whore' and UN chief Ban Ki-moon a 'fool' over their criticism. Other drug dealers who surrender themselves to the authorities are put into rehab programmes, where they make coffins for victims on the war on drugs The local government of Olongapo city, north of Manila, thought of a way to help in the rehabilitation of drug dependents, by having them build the coffins With only a handful of drug rehabilitation centers across the nation, authorities have been caught massively overwhelmed from an astounding influx of more than 700,000 surrenders and 15,000 arrests The coffins are needed to keep up with demand as more than 3,000 people have been killed on the streets of the Philippines since June Duterte last month challenged Ban and international human rights experts to visit the country, both to investigate the allegations and to face him in a public debate. The government initially rebuffed Callamard when she announced plans to take up Duterte's challenge. Brexit could cut food prices as farmers will be freed from Brussels red tape, according to a report. The UK was on track to be hit with additional compliance costs worth up to 7.5 billion a year before it decided to leave the EU, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) said. Compliance with existing agricultural regulations - such as the Common Agricultural Policy which provides subsidies to EU farmers - are already costing England at least 600 million a year, the think tank said. The report from the Institute of Economic Affairs suggests that food prices could fall as farmers are freed from EU red tape If a review of existing legislation led to an EU-wide ban on pesticides, the UK food chain could see lower yields, higher prices and be hit with additional raw material costs of about 7.5 billion a year that could be passed on to shoppers, the paper explained. Mark Littlewood, IEA director general , said: 'EU member states face staggering food price rises unless the march of increased regulation is halted. The UK is fortunate that it now has the opportunity to repatriate control of its farming regulations. 'It's crucial that decisions stem from good scientific evidence, and pay attention to consumers' interests and the potential crippling costs that overregulation can have in pushing up food prices and the cost of living.' The report contradicted claims from Nick Clegg that the price of cheese, chocolate and wine could soar if Theresa May goes for a 'hard' Brexit. The former deputy prime minister said yesterday that fears over the price of Marmite were just the tip of the iceberg - with other popular goods set to be hit with a 'triple whammy of punishing tariffs' if we leave the single market without a new trade deal. As the Lib Dems published a report on the impact of Brexit on the food and drinks industry, Mr Clegg predicted that automatically reverting to the World Trade Organisation's trading rules would have serious consequences for consumers. Nick Clegg, seen during a tour of TV and radio studios yesterday, said prices of everyday goods will soar if Theresa May goes for a 'hard' Brexit Tariffs could affect imports of cheeses like Camembert, as well as exports of UK cheeses 'It's clear that Marmite was just the tip of the iceberg,' he said. 'A hard Brexit will lead us off a cliff edge towards higher food prices, with a triple whammy of punishing tariffs, customs checks and workforce shortages. 'The only way the Government will be able to avoid this outcome is if it maintains Britain's membership of the single market. 'We must hold Theresa May's Government to account and fight to ensure what comes next is best for British consumers and businesses.' The Lib Dem report said 11 billion worth of agricultural products the UK sells to the EU each year would be hit with an average tariff of 22.3 per cent. While tariffs on beef exports would be set at 59 per cent, chocolate at 38 per cent, cheese at 40 per cent and wine at 14 per cent. Chocolate could also be covered by tariffs if we leave the EU without a new trade deal, according to Mr Clegg Under WTO rules, tariffs will also apply to all imports into the UK until a trade deal with the EU is struck. The higher tariffs could lead to a significant increase in food prices, compounded by increased costs to producers from extra red tape such as customs checks and labour shortages caused by the end of EU free movement. The report also warns of a short-term hit to food prices in the coming months, as supermarket supplier contracts expire and have to be renewed at current exchange rates, which could force some companies out of business. Outfit: Asda has been criticised for merging two separate events with its Halloween Day of the Dead skeleton costume Asda was today accused of cultural appropriation for selling a Halloween costume which has been labelled as disrespectful to Mexicans. The supermarket has been criticised by shoppers for its Halloween Day of the Dead skeleton costume inspired by the annual Dia de Muertos festival in Mexico. Critics argue that Halloween and Day of the Dead are two separate events with different origins, and say it is culturally disrespectful to sell these outfits. Dia de Muertos is a holiday to honour the dead, with participants decorating altars with flowers, candles, food and pictures in memory of loved ones. The celebration originated as a ritual in South America as long as 3,000 years ago - and was merged with Catholicism following the Spanish Conquest. Halloween is on All Hallows Eve, the evening before the Christian festival All Saints Day, and began 2,000 years ago as the Celts marked the end of summer. People at that time believed the barrier between our world and that of ghosts and spirits became thin at this point, so had a huge party to scare them away. Irish immigrants to the US raised the popularity of Halloween in the 19th century, before it became more commercialised and spread further in recent decades. On sale: Asdas Halloween Day of the Dead costumes are available in both male and female styles and adult and childrens sizes, costing 16 and 11 respectively In the Halloween range: The store is also offering Sugar Skull themed items, including masks, based on the traditional calavera skulls, which are used in Day of the Dead celebrations Asdas Halloween Day of the Dead costumes are available in both male and female styles and adult and childrens sizes, costing 16 and 11 respectively. The store is also offering Sugar Skull themed items, including masks, based on the traditional calavera skulls, which are used in Day of the Dead celebrations. However some critics have tweeted their disappointment at the collection. Christina Bradley said: The sugar skull range/the advert with sugar skull makeup for Halloween is awks. Learn what theyre about before you appropriate them? Berni Botto, from Gillingham, Kent, tweeted: It makes me mad that Asda thinks Halloween and Dia de los Muertos is the same holiday. And a woman called Donna tweeted: Hey Asda, Dia de los Muertos isnt a Halloween costume. Costumes like this are appropriative and disrespectful. The polyester female Day of the Dead costume is a red and black dress with a skeleton print design, mesh skirt, floral corsages and lace trims, loosely based on the traditional long floral Mexican dresses worn by women on Day of the Dead. Dressing up: Critics argue that Halloween and Day of the Dead are two separate events with different origins, and say it is culturally disrespectful to sell these outfits The mens version consists of a top hat attached to a mask, suit-style trousers, and a top and jacket with a skeleton design, as Mexican men often wear fine, smart clothing on Dia de los Muertos. TV and film extra James Valentine from Cardiff criticised the phenomenon of dressing up using Day of the Dead inspiration altogether. He posted on Facebook: If you think sugar skull/Day of the Dead make up is appropriate and you are not Mexican, please kindly forget I existed. It is racist, and cultural appropriation. You cannot cherry pick things from other peoples belief systems and culture just because you think it looks pretty. A spokesman for MexSoc UK, a society for Mexican students in Britain, complained that the sale of the costumes displayed a lack of cultural knowledge. President Miguel Nunez said: We strongly believe the Halloween Day of the Dead costumes on sale at supermarkets across the UK evidence the lack of cultural knowledge of marketing campaigners. Traditional: Dia de Muertos is a holiday to honour the dead, with participants decorating altars with flowers, candles, food and pictures in memory of loved ones However we do not take offence - if we did then we should ask for a ban of the James Bond movie Spectre where the British secret agent is shown in the middle of a carnival procession. These kind of displays have never happened on Day of the Dead celebrations. The Day of the Dead is something much more conservative and traditional celebrated in Latin America, especially in Mexico, and it has a very intimate links with our predecessors, relatives and friends that have passed away. This tradition dates back to the pre-Hispanic cultures before 1520 AC, such as the Aztecs and Mayans which were civilizations based on war that strongly believed in an afterlife. With the cultural conquest from the Catholic Church on hands of the Spanish Kings at the time, the celebrations were intended to be merged with Catholic celebrations. Celebrations across cemeteries are still a huge attraction, but rather than be a spooky ceremony, people decorates the tombs and put a display called Ofrenda where they put objects, pictures and the favourite food and drinks of the relative who passed away. Day of the Dead: The celebration originated as a ritual in South America as long as 3,000 years ago - and was merged with Catholicism following the Spanish Conquest A British Mexican Society spokesman said Asda should have differentiated between Halloween and Day of the Dead. Chairman Richard Maudslay said: This is very interesting because when I lived in Mexico in the late 1970s Halloween was starting to take off and the Mexicans said we dont want our culture taken over. There has been a lot of work done in Mexico to get people to celebrate Day of the Dead. Whenever I visit Mexico now it is celebrated everywhere, and there are also a lot more people in the UK doing Day of the Dead ceremonies and alters. If Asda want to sell stuff, they will sell stuff - but it would be nice if they could differentiate between the two things. One is quite a deep religious festival, and the other - well, who knows what Halloween is now? I dont think its a case of being disrespectful, but I think they should explain what Day of the Dead actually is. In popular culture: British secret agent James Bond, played by Daniel Craig (right), is shown in the middle of a Day of the Dead carnival procession in the latest 007 film Spectre We are in a big wide world and we need to collaborate and get people thinking about other cultures. He added: Perhaps we should take the Asda chief executive on a Mexican course. In response to the criticisms, an Asda spokesman said: We know that our customers love Halloween and are looking to get a bit more creative with their scare wear this year. Weve created a range of costumes that is inspired by current trends and makes sure everyone has a great selection to choose from and enjoy Halloween in their own way. Weve had some great feedback from our customers and it is never our intention to cause offence. Day of the Dead coincides with the Catholic holy days of All Saints on November 1, a celebration of all Christian Saints, and All Souls on November 2, a commemoration for all souls of the dead. Hillary Clinton has been accused of stealing furniture from the State Department and using it in her home, according to recently released FBI records. The claim came from an ex-agent with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security who served as part of her security detail while in office. A 100-page dossier also provides evidence of claims that Clinton's staff tried to convince the FBI to downgrade the classification of some emails on her private server in return for more special agents stationed abroad. The dossier, which is redacted, does not show who initiated the discussion about altering the classification of the emails. Scroll down for video Hillary Clinton has been accused of stealing items of furniture from the State Department DC home: Hillary and Bill Clinton have a large house on 'embassy row' in the capital. It was here the agent alleged State Department lamps and furniture were taken Insulting: The agent revealed how Clinton insisted on breaking protocol that she ride with the US ambassador on foreign visits and instead went with Huma Abedin, her aide The ex-agent told the FBI that they were aware of Clinton or her aides 'removing lamps and furniture from the State Department which were transported to her residence in Washington, D.C.' The female agent did not know whether the items were returned, the FBI noted. The claim is particularly resonant for the Clintons, who left the White House with massive amounts of furniture and other items which they then either returned - including sofas, a chair, and an ottoman - or paid for. In total they declared $190,000 in gifts as they left the White House, but ended up paying $86,000 in cash and handing back $48,000 worth of items - after public outrage at what they had done. The State Department denied the ex-agent's allegation, saying it was 'not true' and that the items removed from the building had been paid for by the then Secretary of State. State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said: 'Secretary Clinton did not remove State Department furniture or other U.S. government property from the premises. 'Secretary Clinton brought a small number of personal items - including lamps - from her personal residence to the State Department when she became Secretary, and she took those personal items with her when she departed. 'An inventory of the Secretarys office was conducted when she arrived at the Department and when she left. No State Department or U.S. government property was removed.' The disclosure was included in 100 pages the FBI released from its now-closed investigation into whether the former secretary of state and her aides mishandled sensitive government information that flowed through the private mail server located in her New York home. The FBI interviewed a member of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security at the State Department about Clinton's security awareness. The female agent had also worked for the former Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice. She described 'a stark difference' between Clinton and Rice's obedience to 'security and diplomatic protocols'. The female agent, whose name has been redacted from the publicly released file, said: 'Rice observed strict adherence to State Department security and diplomatic protocols while Clinton frequently and blatantly disregarded them'. The agent claimed Clinton often traveled to meet foreign leaders in a limo with her chief of staff Huma Abedin rather than the local ambassador. Donald Trump, pictured, has tried without success to capitalize on the Clinton email scandal 'This frequently led to complaints by ambassadors who were insulted and embarrassed by this breach of protocol.' The agent told investigators: 'Abedin possessed "much more power" over Clinton's staff and schedule than other former chiefs of staff. '[The agent] believed Abedin herself was often responsible for overriding security and diplomatic protocols on behalf of Clinton.' The agent accused Clinton of 'using her position as Secretary of State to campaign for President of the United States'. She said Clinton placed 'her staff, the media and her security detail in unnecessary danger in order to conduct a photo opportunity for 'her election campaign'. The agent accused Clinton of ordering the driver of an armored limo in the West Bank of Palestine while in 'occupied territory' to wind down his window, exposing himself and his passengers to potential danger. Later, the same agent claimed: 'Early in Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State, she and her staff were observed removing lamps and furniture from the State Department which were transported to her residence in Washington, DC.' The source claimed she 'does not know whether these items were ever returned to the government'. However, the State Department confirmed the items had been paid for by Clinton. Later in her testimony, the same agent complained about Clinton's continued use of her Secret Service protection detail while at home in New York. The agent claimed: 'Clinton's treatment of DS agents on her protective detail was so contemptuous that many of them sought reassignment or employment elsewhere. 'Prior to Clinton's tenure, being an agent on the Secretary of State's protective detail was seen as an honor and privilege reserved for senior agents. 'However, by the end of Clinton's tenure, it was staffed largely with new agents because it was difficult to find senior agents willing to work for her. '[The agent] claimed to have had at least one conversation with Secret Service agents who experienced the same poor treatment.' The agent also claimed Clinton ignored security procedures when entering a special secure area called the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) which had been built in her home. No cell phones were allowed in the SCIF, although Clinton has been accused of making herself 'exempt from the same regulations'. Hundreds of angry police officers have caused chaos in the Champs-Elysees - blocking traffic, honking their horns and flashing their lights in a protest over violence. An estimated 500 took part in the unofficial rally, which follows a violent attack which left two officers seriously injured. The duo suffered serious burns after masked thugs pelted two cars with petrol bombs during a patrol on a notorious housing estate in a southern suburb of Paris. An estimated 500 officers took part in the protest, which caused chaos at around 1am They were among a team of four officers attacked in the Grande Borne estate in the suburb of Viry-Chatillon on Saturday, October 8. The two officers were rushed to intensive care units after the attack, which happened in broad daylight at around 3pm. A 28-year-old police officer is still being treated in hospital, having reportedly suffered injuries to his face and hands. Feelings were running high as plainclothed police staff staged the high-profile protest in the early hours of this morning, claiming officers were not being given enough support. Protestors circled the Arc de Triomphe at around 1am. One officer - who was not named, told TV network BFM: 'We're sick of hearing about colleagues getting attacked. France's top police officer, Jean-Marc Falcone, has hit out at the protest, and an investigation has been launched 'And on top of it all, it feels like we're getting no emotional response from the government.' And another said: 'My wife is afraid for me when I go to work.' But officials have hit out at organisers, with the director general of France's national police force, Jean-Marc Falcone, branding the event 'unacceptable' and launching an investigation. The police staff were protesting violence against officers after a vicious attack saw two seriously injured after being attacked with firebombs 10 days ago He said: 'With this behavior, they weaken the national police and also undermine each police officer.' Le Figaro reports that several dozen cars took part in the protest. Last Tuesday staff across France gathered in silence outside police stations to show solidarity with the injured officers. A 'cowardly' drunk who knocked a man out with a single punch to the back of the head has been jailed for a year. Brent Robert Johnston, 22, brutally attacked Tristan Ceccato, 23, at a bar in Perth in January in a drunken rage after losing his job. Shocking CCTV footage of the assault shows Johnston bumping into Mr Ceccato before smacking his victim in the back of the head as he tried to walk away. 'Cowardly' drunk Brent Robert Johnston (pictured throwing a punch), who knocked Tristan Ceccato out with a single punch to the back of the head, has been jailed for a year. Johnston (left), 22, tried to flee after the attack but was tackled by witnesses and bouncers The video shows the attacker fleeing after an unconscious Mr Ceccato slammed to the ground, smashing his face on a table and the brick floor. Johnston did not get far and was tackled by witnesses and bouncers while they waited for the police to arrive. Meanwhile Mr Ceccato was out cold for minutes and was left with broken teeth and bruises to his face, neck, chest and shoulder, Perth Now reported. The economist has had surgery on his face and has undergone physiotherapy but could be left with permanent damage. Johnston pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm and was on Tuesday sentenced to 12 months in prison. He had recently been fired from his job in marketing and sales, and had gone out to the Amplifier nightclub to get 'written off', Judge John Staude said. Mr Ceccato was out cold for minutes and was left with broken teeth and bruises to his face, neck, chest and shoulder The economist has had surgery on his face and has undergone physiotherapy but could be left with permanent damage Calling Johnston's vicious attack 'cowardly' and 'deliberate and forceful', Mr Staude said the attacker's apology, therapy and payment of Mr Ceccato's $7,000 medical bills were not enough to see him avoid a prison sentence. 'This was an offence aggravated by the fact that it was entirely unprovoked. Moreover, it was a blow to the back of the head of the victim, a blow thrown in circumstances where the victim could not see it coming and could do nothing to protect himself,' he said. The brutal attack took place at the Amplifier nightclub (pictured) in Perth 'It would seem that instead of dealing with the issues which confronted you in a mature and responsible way you've indulged yourself in alcohol, and I dare say self-pity, leading to a situation where you were prepared to take out your frustration by an act of random violence.' The judge added that Johnston was in a 'slough of despondency' and said he should have stayed at home that night, instead of putting revelers 'at risk of your simmering antagonism'. He added that he hoped the sentence would put others off carrying out similar drunken violence. Mr Ceccato said the sentence 'exceeded my expectations' and said both he and Johnston were 'incredibly lucky' his injuries were not worse. 'But I think that does come down to luck because as the CCTV footage shows, the actual attack was incredibly cowardly and could have certainly resulted in a worse outcome for me,' he said. Tragedy: Sophie Hague first complained of symptoms in November 2009 and February 2010 but died at home in Surbiton, Surrey in November 2011 after losing her battle with cervical cancer The family of a 25-year-old who died from cervical cancer have gone to the High Court over claims GPs missed two chances to diagnose her. Sophie Hague first complained of symptoms in November 2009 and February 2010 but was not physically examined by doctors on either occasion. She died at home in Surbiton, Surrey in November 2011 after losing her battle with cancer. Her mother Suzanne and Sophie's fiance David Rich asked lawyers to investigate her care under two GPs at Langley Medical Practice. They claimed there was an inappropriate delay in diagnosing Ms Hague and she only had an ultrasound scan after her stepfather intervened. After her death it was admitted that there were failures to adequately explore the nature and extent of her symptoms and that, if a pelvic examination had been undertaken, Ms Hague would have been referred to a gynaecologist. At London's High Court, a judge will be asked to decide whether Ms Hague's death would have been avoided had she been diagnosed and treated earlier. Before the three-day hearing, Suzanne Hague said: 'Sophie was a beautiful and popular young woman with everything to live for. 'Her loss has devastated us all - her fiance, Dave, younger brother and sister Tom and Emily, and father Paul - as well as her extended family and many friends from school and university, where she studied exercise science. 'Earlier in the year when she first experienced her symptoms, she had returned from the trip of a lifetime, to Bali, with a best friend. The following year, when she was finally diagnosed, she had just started a new job and career in medical practice management. Failed: Sophie went to see GPs twice over her symptoms but was twice sent away without being examined 'Sophie and Dave had planned to marry and have a family - all things which were not only taken from Sophie in a few short months, but from Dave as well. Much loved: Sophie was due to marry fiance David but died in November 2011 'We hope the trial will help us understand whether Sophie's death could have been avoided and help raise awareness of the symptoms of cervical cancer. 'As a family, we want lessons to be learned from Sophie's death which will prevent other young women suffering as she did and instead lead to timely diagnosis and treatment to save lives. 'Many GPs - especially male ones - need to have a greater understanding that young women may be reluctant to discuss their symptoms because of fear and embarrassment, but it is their job to overcome this in whatever way possible, suggesting a nurse or female GP if necessary, and ensuring that physical examination and/or referral is carried out whenever red flag symptoms are suspected.' It was not until late June 2010 that Ms Hague had an ultrasound examination and, after her diagnosis, she underwent a hysterectomy, chemo-radiotherapy and emergency surgery from which she never recovered. Georgie Cushing, of law firm Irwin Mitchell - which is representing the family, said: 'Cervical cancer is a treatable disease with a good long term prognosis when it is diagnosed early, but delays can have terrible consequences. 'In this case, had Sophie's stepfather not arranged an ultrasound scan for her, Sophie's cervical cancer would have gone undiagnosed for even longer. 'Any symptoms should not be dismissed; it is vital that women know what to look out for and take medical advice but, equally, that doctors pay attention to their concerns. 'Sophie was a young woman embarking on the next exciting chapter of her life with David, when her life was cut tragically short. A taxi driver who sexually abused a teenager was jailed after his victim came forward four decades after the attacks took place. Esther Hoad was 14 when she was first abused by Evan Jones, who drove children from their homes in rural Carmarthenshire, to the school bus stop. For two years Esther suffered in silence as Jones repeatedly groped and molested her on the school run, blaming herself for the abuse. Ms Hoad, now 53, went to police with her teenage diary in 2014 after telling her therapist of her childhood trauma. Targeted: Esther Hoad (right) was 14 when she was first abused by Evan Jones (left), who drove children from their homes in rural Carmarthenshire, West to the nearest school bus stop Jones, 71, was jailed for three years at Swansea Crown Court after being found guilty of four counts of indecent assault between 1976 and 1978. Sentencing Jones, Judge Thomas said: 'You abused your position to take advantage of the situation.' Ms Hoad, a mother of two, has now waived her right to anonymity to encourage other victims to speak out and report their abusers. She said: 'When the abuse first started I just felt wretched. I felt confused and guilty that I had somehow attracted all this unwanted attention to myself. 'I cringed in the school taxi every time he touched me or spoke to me. 'My feelings were guilt and self-loathing, confusion and powerlessness for allowing this to happen to me. Traumatised: For two years Esther suffered in silence as Jones repeatedly groped and molested her on the school run, blaming herself for the abuse. Pictured, Esther as a schoolgirl 'As an adult I now know that this was misplaced guilt, but as the child I was then, I felt I was to blame.' Ms Hoad, who now lives in Ireland with her husband, described how Jones started by touching her leg and calling her 'sweetheart'. She said: 'The first time he kissed me on the lips I was in absolute distress. He said, "I love you". I was hysterical. I went into the house and I was bawling my eyes out. 'It was a dreadful time. The abuse went on and on and on and I thought it was my fault so I didn't tell anyone. I didn't know who to trust.' It wasn't until she was 52 that she formally reported Jones to the police. Support: Joe, Esther Hoad's husband She said: 'As the statements gathered by police came in from people I grew up with, from people I went to school with, from other members of my family, I was appalled and angry, because it became crystal clear that everybody knew and that nobody did anything.' Now Ms Hoad is urging other sexual abuse victims to speak up and seek help. She said: 'I'm in a privileged position that it went to court and that it was successful and that he [Jones] was found guilty. 'He is in prison now where he no longer poses a threat to children and that is key. 'There is hope for anyone who has been abused. Forty years later I got justice in court and it is never too late to come forward. 'Keep telling people until you find someone who will listen and who will help. It doesn't matter how long ago it happened there's always the chance that you can get help.' Her husband Joe said: 'It took her 40 years to do it and anybody whos suffered this in their past really should think about it if they have the courage to go do it. A City banker died when the humidifier on his ventilator was switched off for 19 hours after he underwent major heart surgery at a top private hospital, an inquest heard. Robert Entenman died after having an operation to repair a broken valve in his heart at London Bridge Hospital, one the country's largest private hospitals. American-born Mr Entenman, who had lived in Britain for more than 30 years, had successfully come through the procedure on May 15 last year. Robert Entenman pictured with his wife Athina and children Alexander and Chloe, died following heart surgery at London Bridge Hospital last year The 57-year-old, who was global head of e-commerce for Uni-Credit Bank in the City, suffered from mitral valve disease, type 2 diabetes and arthritis in the hip and back. Southwark Corners Court heard his recovery was progressing normally in the hospital's intensive care unit. But eight days after his operation he went into respiratory cardiac arrest after one of the ventilator pipes became blocked with mucus, the inquest was told. The humidifier on the ventilator, which helps prevent the build up of mucus in the lungs, had been turned off for 19 hours, the inquest heard. Two days later, on May 26, doctors carried out CT scan and found there had been significant brain injury and he eventually died on May 30. Mr Entenman is survived by his wife of 10 years, Athina, and two children Alexander and Chloe. London Bridge Hospital could face possible legal action at the end of the inquest He began his 35-year career in banking in New York before moving to Europe and specializing in financial modeling. He was also an accomplished sailor. Lawyers for the Entenman family are currently investigating whether to sue over negligence. Donald Trump has invited the mother of one of the four Americans who were killed in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 to be his guest at the final presidential debate, taking place Wednesday night in Las Vegas. Pat Smith, the mother of the late Sean Smith, a State Department IT consultant, confirmed to Yahoo News that she had been extended an invite by team Trump on Monday and that she planned to accept it. 'I think I'm going to be in the front row,' she told the online news organization. 'But I'm not sure.' Scroll down for video Pat Smith, the mother of Benghazi victim Sean Smith, told Yahoo News that she was invited Monday by Donald Trump's campaign to attend Wednesday night's presidential debate Smith was already a fixture in Republican politics after having delivered an impassioned speech condemning Democrat Hillary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio at this summer's Republican National Convention. 'I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son,' Smith told the raucous crowd. 'Personally,' she added. Smith isn't the first human distraction that Trump has used to get Clinton off her game at the debate. Before the first debate, the billionaire businessman threatened to bring Bill Clinton's ex-mistress Gennifer Flowers to the event, after hearing that the Clinton campaign was bringing billionaire Mark Cuban who had endorsed Hillary Clinton in his native Pittsburgh, referring to Trump as the local dig, a 'jagoff.' Then a 2005 'Access Hollywood' clip was published by the Washington Post capturing Trump making incredibly lewd remarks about women. In order to offset his scandal with a Clinton scandal, Trump paraded three women who claimed Bill Clinton sexually assaulted to raped them, and another woman who was raped at age 12 and Hillary Clinton, as a public defender, got a plea deal for her attacker. After Hillary Clinton invited Mark Cuban to the first debate, Donald Trump retaliated and invited three women who accused Bill Clinton of sexual misdeeds to sit front row, along with a rape victim whose attacker Hillary Clinton represented During last week's debate in St. Louis, Donald Trump invited Clinton accusers (from left to right) Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, Juanita Broaddrick and Kathy Shelton to sit front row The four women Paula Jones, who won a sexual harassment case against Clinton, Kathleen Willey, who says the ex-president fondled her in the White House and Juanita Broaddrick, who say Clinton raped her back when he was running for Arkansas' governor, were joined by rape victim Kathy Shelton were Trump's guests and sat in the front row. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a top adviser and surrogate for Trump, suggested that Smith's presence at this debate might get the families of Benghazi victims a 'solid answer' from the former secretary of state. 'Hillary said, "What difference does it make" the difference was four lives were lost in Benghazi, and the families have still never had a solid answer from Hillary Clinton as to why we allowed this to happen,' Flynn told Yahoo News. 'Hopefully Wednesday these families will get their answer.' Police are looking for missing 14-year-old Charlotte Dutton, who was last seen in Maidstone, Kent Police searching for a missing Grammar school pupil who had not been seen in over 24 hours say she has been found safe and well. Charlotte Dutton, 14, was reported missing at 5.10pm yesterday having not turned up for school. The youngster, a pupil at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, was last seen in the Fant area of Maidstone wearing her uniform. This is the moment ISIS brutes forced two child executioners to shoot prisoners in the head after accusing the men of being 'crusader spies'. The men were forced to kneel on the ground close to a wooded area in northern Iraq as two boys, who appear to be aged about 12, aim handguns at their heads. Shocking pictures then show the two prisoners, dressed in orange jumpsuits, lying dead on the ground. ISIS brutes forced two child executioners to shoot prisoners in the head after accusing the men of being 'crusader spies' The men were forced to kneel on the ground close to a wooded area in northern Iraq as two boys, who appear to be aged about 12, aim handguns at their heads Shocking pictures then show the two prisoners, dressed in orange jumpsuits, lying dead on the ground The children were dressed in military outfits and had been given gun holsters and green hats for the execution. They stand behind their prisoners, who were accused of spying for coalition forces, before preparing to fire. According to Heavy, the pictures were released along with the words: 'Capturing and eliminating a number of spies who worked for the Crusader coalition and their proxy #Rafidi.' The prisoners were forced to pose for pictures before being dragged away to their death Condemnded: Both of the men were accused of acting as spies for coalition forces in Iraq It is not the time, the terror group has ordered children to carry out acts of barbarism. In August, ISIS footage emerged showing a British boy and four other children executing men in cold blood in Raqqa, Syria. The video showed five boys - so-called Cubs of the Caliphate - believed to be from Britain, Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia and Uzbekistan, wielding handguns and wearing desert camouflage. Boris Johnson, seen in Downing Street today, will be given the rare chance to oppose a Government decision A decision on which airport in the south east will get a new runway will finally be made by ministers next week. A special sub-committee of the Cabinet will decide whether to expand Heathrow or Gatwick 'next week', No 10 revealed today. But the final vote on whether to go ahead has been delayed for at least a year as the Government will launch a full public consultation on its chosen scheme. But acknowledging senior ministers including Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, bitterly oppose a new runway for Heathrow 'special arrangements' have been made. Mr Johnson, and any other minister with a long-standing view or constituency concern, will be allowed to publicly oppose the final decision for a 'limited period'. The Foreign Secretary has spent years campaigning against Heathrow expansion and as London mayor advocated the radical solution of an entirely new airport in the Thames Estuary. Education Secretary Justine Greening is also known to be strongly opposed to expansion at Heathrow. Expansion at Gatwick is much less controversial and the decision to allow ministers to oppose the final decision raised expectations of a green light for Heathrow. The rare suspension of collective responsibility will be detailed in a letter to all ministers. No 10 would not say today whether the 'limited period' would extend to opposing the Government in a Commons vote. Mrs May told her Cabinet about the special arrangements during a Cabinet meeting today. It included an hour-long discussion of airport policy. Ministers who cannot publicly back the Government are normally expected to resign. Heathrow, pictured, is one of the busiest airports in the world but a decision over its expansion has been long delayed by the Government. Cabinet is reportedly to discuss it again tomorrow Education Secretary Justine Greening, seen in Downing Street today, also opposes Heathrow Mrs May's official spokeswoman today said: 'The PM wanted to approach this in a mature way, recognising that a number of ministers have long-held views on this issue and previously set out positions. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION BACKED BIGGER HEATHROW IN JULY 2015 The Davies Commission spent years wrestling with how to tackle the problem of expanding airport capacity in the south east. Amid much fanfare, it reported in July 2015 but the decision was kicked back into the long grass by David Cameron. The commission considered whether to back a new runway at Heathrow, extending one of the existing two runways, or to add a second runway to Gatwick. It had earlier dismissed Boris Johnson's idea of an entirely new airport on a purpose-built island in the Thames Estuary. It concluded: A new full-length runway at Heathrow is a better way of increasing airport capacity than expanding Gatwick or extending an existing runway. London's airports are showing signs of 'strain' and the entire system would be full by 2040 without action. A new runway will generate up to 147billion in economic output over 60 years and create more than 70,000 jobs by 2050. Advertisement 'In light of that, there would be a certain period of time after the committee has taken a decision where they would be able to express those views and they would not be expected to publicly support the Government's position.' The spokeswoman added: 'Some ministers have long-held views. 'They are also MPs, some have specific constituency issues they want to address.' Ministers will not be allowed to actively campaign against the Government once the decision has been made. David Cameron took the rare step of suspending collective responsibility during the EU referendum and painstakingly set out the rules for doing so. But examples of similar decisions on specific policies or pieces of infrastructure are virtually unprecedented. Ministers who oppose the High Speed 2 railway, for example, have been forced to keep concerns private in the past. No 10 insisted yesterday a decision on whether to expand Heathrow or Gatwick would be reached 'soon' and insisted there had been no change to plans. A free vote is expected to be offered to both Conservative and Labour MPs. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling (left) led an hour-long discussion on airport policy at Cabinet today. It included his predecessor Patrick McLoughlin (centre) and Chancellor Philip Hammond (right), all pictured in Downing Street arriving for the meeting today Cabinet - including (from left) chief secretary David Gauke, Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns - spent an hour on airports today Justice Secretary Justine Greening (left), Aid Secretary Priti Patel (centre) and Culture Secretary Karen Bradley (right), all pictured today arriving for Cabinet, were told the outline of the suspension of collective responsibility at the meeting today Adding a third runway at Heathrow is a controversial decision because of concerns over cost, air pollution and noise. Backing Heathrow would also prompt Zac Goldsmith, the Tory MP for Richmond, to resign and trigger a difficult by-election for Mrs May. More than a year ago, the Davies Commission recommended expanding Heathrow over Gatwick but the report was kicked into the long grass ahead of the general election. Gatwick insists its plan costs less and will be much easier to deliver but Treasury officials are thought to favour Heathrow because of its relative proximity to other population centres. One unnamed Cabinet minister told the BBC yesterday: 'I would do both Heathrow and Gatwick - that would tell the world Britain is open for business.' Mrs May is not thought likely to back expansion at both airports. Tory MP Adam Afriyie has said he would vote against Heathrow expansion in defiance of party whips if there was no free vote on the issue in the Commons. Theresa May, right campaigning in Witney on Saturday, is working toward a decision on whether to expand Heathrow after it was delayed by David Cameron, left, while he was PM Asked whether he would oppose a third runway on BBC One's Sunday Politics show, the Windsor MP replied: 'Oh, 100 per cent yes. I'm going to fight tooth and nail.' Meanwhile, fellow Tory MP Kwasi Kwarteng said reports that there are 60 opponents within the party are 'way off the mark', telling the programme there are about '20 hardcore people'. 'I think it may well be a free vote,' he added. It is believed Jeremy Corbyn is likely to offer Labour MPs a free vote if Mrs May plumps for Heathrow, with many in favour of a third runway in opposition to the leader and shadow chancellor John McDonnell Zac Goldsmith will quit and run AGAINST the Tories as an independent if Theresa May backs expanding Heathrow Tory MP Zac Goldsmith has vowed to quit Parliament and force a difficult by-election if the Government backs Heathrow expansion Zac Goldsmith will resign his Commons seat and run against the Tories as an independent if Heathrow expansion is backed, it emerged today. The Richmond Park MP - who flew the Tory banner in the race for City Hall in May - has long vowed to trigger a by-election over Heathrow to try and stop it. Mr Goldsmith believes a third runway at Heathrow would be disastrous for his West London constituents and cannot be justified on grounds of cost or environmental impact. Running as an Independent, as revealed by today's Evening Standard, would turn a difficult by-election for the Tories into a deeply perilous prospect. Theresa May's Government currently has a working majority in the Commons of just 16 and any losses would amplify a series of problems in getting new laws passed. Mr Goldsmith won the constituency in 2015 with a huge 23,000 majority, having first won it from the Liberal Democrats in 2010. Running as an independent could see him reclaim the seat on his personal following or let the Liberal Democrats back in if he splits the Tory vote. Mr Goldsmith has been backed by neighbouring Tory MP Tania Mathias - despite it being against Tory rules to endorse rival candidates. The Twickenham MP told the Standard: 'Zac is doing the honourable thing by committing to his pledge and I fully support him in that.' She vowed to fight a third runway in Parliament. A man with blood pouring down his face was beaten and asked if he wanted to die by royalist vigilantes, and an elderly woman was forced off a bus and slapped, after they were accused of insulting Thailand's late king. Two shocking videos have emerged online showing angry mobs reacting to alleged slurs directed at King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last Thursday. The attacks happened as Thailand's justice minister called on citizens to 'socially sanction' those who defame the monarchy. The teenager was marched outside by an angry mob and made to kneel in front of a picture of the king, while he was kicked in the head and threatened It followed another humiliating punishment, which saw 43-year-old Umaporn Sarasat forced to grovel in front of a portrait of the late king, as she was jeered by a crowd of 500 furious monarchists. In one of the latest videos, a man was forced to kneel in front of the late king's portrait, where he was kicked in the head. The 19-year-old, named by Khaosod English as Jirawat Pathumthong, had allegedly posted unflattering comments about King Bhumibol, who died aged 88. The video of the teenager being led outside and set on by an angry mob was posted online One man was heard shouting at the teenager in Chonburi, east of Bangkok: 'Do you want to die here? Apologize to him now!' Reports across Thailand suggest the number of attacks on those who insult the monarchy has shot up in the past week, with similar mobs forming in Phuket and in nearby Phang Nga province, sparked by alleged comments. Another video posted on Facebook - which has since been deleted - show police boarding a bus in Bangkok amid reports that an elderly woman had been defaming the king. The woman was viciously slapped as onlookers called for her to be punished after she was forced off the bus As she walked off the bus, she was viciously slapped by a passer-by, as passengers shouted insults at her. One person in the video is heard shouting: 'You defamed the royal father. You shouldnt have been born.' Insulting the monarchy, a crime known as lese majeste, carries a sentence of 15 years in Thailand. Police confirmed another man, Manorusdeen Samutbal, was arrested in Phuket at the weekend on suspicion of posting critical comments on Facebook, a crime he denies. Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej died on Thursday at the age of 88 Ultra-monarchist supporters have been scouring the web and dispensing 'justice' since the death of the king, who was the world's longest serving monarch. King Bhumibol's death has been met with outpourings of grief by black-clad mourners across the country. Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya has called on Thais to 'socially sanction' those who defame the monarchy. He said: 'There is no better way to punish these people than to socially sanction them.' He vowed to 'pursue those people who violate the law'. Junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha did not address the mob violence when he briefed reporters on Tuesday, though he urged Thais not to make inflammatory comments. 'I ask for cooperation from (the) public not to broadcast or send such messages as it hurts the feeling of Thai people and is illegal,' he said. David Streckfuss, a Thailand-based expert on the monarchy, said the country's junta has presented the royal family as being under attack. He said: 'They've created a sort of bunker mentality.' Yesterday King Bhumibol's oldest daughter, Princess Ubolratana, 65, made a surprise visit to well-wishers outside the Grand Palace. 'We have to work to move forwards, not backwards,' she said according to video uploaded by eyewitnesses.' Other social media users in Thailand have berated those deemed not to be mourning sufficiently deeply or failing to wear black clothes. The latter phenomenon dubbed 'black-shaming' has been condemned by the junta. Justice minister Paiboon said the junta would renew extradition requests for Thais abroad who criticise the monarchy. The King's death has been met with widespread outpourings of grief across Thailand, where he had reigned for more than 70 years Married: James and Sarah Roberts spent six months planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip A newlywed was cured of his crippling fear of flying just in time to go on his honeymoon when he bumped into a hypnotist at the airport. James and Sarah Roberts from Hythe in Kent spent six months and more than 2,000 planning a once-in-a-lifetime adventure road-tripping around the US. But Mr Roberts had never flown long-haul before and found himself in floods of tears when the couple when they arrived at London Gatwick Airport. The 34-year-old postman told his 31-year-old marketing executive wife he was too scared to board the Virgin Atlantic plane - and she was resigned to the fact that they would not be going. But as Mrs Roberts watched all the other passengers file onto the flight to Los Angeles, a man running late for the same service rushed to the boarding gate. After noticing that Mr Roberts was distressed, the man on his way to his sister's wedding introduced himself as the hypnotherapist Jason O'Callaghan. And upon hearing about the ordeal, he put Mr Roberts in a trance while his wife and airport staff watched and escorted him onto the plane ten minutes later. Mrs Roberts, said: We were the last ones in the lounge. I was in tears, James was in tears. By that time I had tried everything. I got upset with him, angry with him. Assistance: Mr Roberts (left) is pictured on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London Gatwick Airport to Los Angeles with hypnotherapist Jason O'Callaghan, who helped him get on board Selfie: Mr O'Callaghan put Mr Roberts in a trance while his wife and airport staff watched and escorted him onto the plane ten minutes later I said I was going to go on my own. I started to walk and he wasn't following me. I was literally about to say, OK, let's go home, I can't put you through this. But at that exact point, this guy just appeared. I didn't even see him enter the lounge. He looked at me and looked at James and said, Does he have a fear of flying? I answered, Yes, and he said, Will you let me help him? Mrs Roberts said Mr O'Callaghan then put sat her hysterical husband down, put him into a trance and talked softly to him for five to six minutes. Then he brought him round and led him - smiling and calm - onto the plane. The Virgin staff at the gate were so amazed by what they saw, they offered the newlyweds and Mr O'Callaghan free seat upgrades for the 11-hour flight. Mrs Roberts, who married her husband in May, said: I'm a sceptical person and I have to see these things to believe them, but what I witnessed was crazy. Picture perfect moment: As a result of the bizarre encounter, the couple were able to fly out to the US and enjoy a two-week adventure holiday Cheers: They visited Las Vegas before driving to San Francisco and ended up in Los Angeles We hadn't known how bad James's fear was going to be, but when we got to the airport he had a complete meltdown. He was just in bits. I'd managed to get him to the gate and at first I thought, Surely he is going to get on, but as time went on we began to contemplate that we wouldn't be going. Newleyweds: On the flight home, Mr Roberts listened to a voice recording of Mr O'Callaghans voice to get him through I asked if the staff could be the last to board the plane and said, Let me know when the last opportunity is, and our bags were on standby. We literally had to get on there and then. As a result of the bizarre encounter, the couple were able to fly out to the US and enjoy a two-week adventure holiday. They visited Las Vegas before driving to San Francisco and ended up in Los Angeles. On the flight home, Mr Roberts - who isn't permanently cured of his fear - listened to a voice recording of Mr O'Callaghans voice to get him through. Mrs Roberts said: We are just so grateful. Honestly, if it wasn't for Jason and what happened we wouldn't have gone on our honeymoon. I can only put it down to fate. Mr Roberts said: I used to love flying but in the last few years I've developed this massive fear of it. I thought I'd be able to handle it, but when we got to the airport I just broke down in tears. I was shaking and in extreme panic. The couple said they would not have gone on their honeymoon if it wasn't for Mr O'Callaghan Then Jason turned up out of the smoke and sat me down. You couldn't make it up. Within a few minutes he had hypnotised me and the next thing I know we were walking onto the plane. I was relaxed during the flight. It was like I was still in a trance because all the anxiety had drained out of me. He saved our honeymoon and it was the holiday of a lifetime. If it wasn't for him we would have just had two weeks at home. Sarah has always wanted to go to America and to go with her new husband was the dream. We would've lost thousands of pounds if it hadn't been for Jason because we had booked rooms and car hire and everything. We owe him massively. The couple would have lost thousands of pounds if it hadn't been for Mr O'Callaghan's help Mr O'Callaghan, who runs the D4 Clinic in Dublin, said: I had an idea what was up when I saw James and he asked me to help him. As a psychologist and clinical hypnotherapist I talked to him and used a hypnotic induction to relax him. Under hypnosis, we took away the anxiety and then got him to focus on what good things he was going to in the USA on his honeymoon. Melania Trump said that her husband's attacks against Bill Clinton and his sexual past are fair game in an interview on Fox & Friends that aired Tuesday morning. 'Well, if they bring up my past, why not? They're asking for it. They - they started,' Melania told host Ainsley Earhardt, referring to the media and the Clinton campaign. 'They started from the - from the beginning of the campaign putting my - my picture from modeling days, as you want that to be a first lady. 'That was my modeling days and I'm proud what I did. I worked very hard. I had a successful business career, as well, later on. And now my focus is my - our son.' Melania also spoke about what her focus would be as first lady in the interview, saying that she would want to focus on eliminating the 'negativity' on social media. Scroll down for video Fair game: Melania Trump said that her husband the the media are fair to attack Bill Clinton and his sexual past in an interview on Fox & Friends Tuesday (above) Examples: Melania pointed out in the interview that the media published her nude modelling photos and stories about her past as a model and immigrant (above with Bill Clinton at second debate) 'I would help children and women. Also, I will - in the 21st century, it's very important now to...we see social media, it can be very bad,' said Melania. 'I'm not on social media for a long time now. I decided not to be. And I've seen negativity that the children go through and it's really sad, because social media could be positive, but could be very damaging as well. And I would focus on that, as well.' She then added: 'It's very important because it's a lot of negativity that I see and people talking about nasty stuff. I could even see the people talking about me, nasty stuff. They don't know me. 'I would suggest to them, look at yourself in the mirror, take care of your actions and take care of your family. You don't know me.' Melania then said that when she sees negative comments about herself on social media she makes the choice to 'brush them' and not respond. 'They are not worth my energy,' said Melania. Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com That comment came just three weeks after her husband Donald went after former Miss Universe winner Alicia Machado on Twitter, encouraging people at one point to watch a sex tape featuring the former beauty queen, who has a young daughter. 'Wow, Crooked Hillary was duped and used by my worst Miss U. Hillary floated her as an angel' without checking her past, which is terrible!' wrote Donald. 'Using Alicia M in the debate as a paragon of virtue just shows that Crooked Hillary suffers from BAD JUDGEMENT! Hillary was set up by a con.' He then closed out by writing: '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?' Negative: Three weeks ago, Donald Trump encouraged his Twitter followers to watch a sex tape featuring former Miss Universe Alicia Machado Sexual past: Trump bought three of the women who have accused Clinton of sexual assault or harassment to the second debate (l to r: Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey and Juanita Broaddrick) Melania also took some time to speak about the woman who have come forward to accuse her husband of groping or kissing them against their will over the past three decades. 'I was not surprised in one way, because as I said before, everything was organized and it is three weeks before the election. All these women are coming out and they are allegations but they are not true,' said Melania. 'Why now? Why three weeks before the election? And what they are accusing my husband, that is not the person that I know.' When asked by Earhardt why she believed the women were lying, Melania responded by saying: 'Because they want to damage the presidency of my husband, and it was all planned, it was all organized from the opposition.' Those allegations, along with comments Trump made in as 2005 interview with Billy Bush on Access Hollywood, have angered many women. When asked if she had a message for those women, Melania said: 'My husband is kind. He's a gentleman. He cares about people. He cares about women. He pushes them to the best level they could be. 'They - he gives them a chance to prosper in his organization and in his campaign. And he's not the man that we saw - we heard him on the tapes. 'He was pushed on and many times, I give him an advice and I didn't agree to do all the tapes on Howard Stern, with Billy Bush. 'Because I know those people. They hook him on, they - they try to get from him some - some inappropriate and dirty language.' Going high: Melania also had positive things to say about Hillary Clinton in the interview (above with Ainsley Earhardt) Nearing the finish line: Donald and Hillary will square off Wednesday in the third and final debate (above at the second debate) Melania was also incredibly positive in the interview when asked to speak about Hillary Clinton, saying of the former Secretary of State: 'I think she - she's fighting. I see its like a Clinton machine behind it. 'And they are playing politically correct games and they have perfected it very well.' She said that she was prepared for what would come during the election, and that she and Donald spoke before he made his decision to run, knowing that it would impact their family. 'Well, we talked about it. And, of course, we knew, because his life, what he achieved in life -- where he was. He - his life was an open book,' said Melania. 'A lot of people know about it. My husband, he's raw and he's real. And he tells it as it is. He doesn't want to brush it off under the rug, the stuff that - that he would just say. 'Everything is perfect, because it's not. Let's look at the reality, what's really going on in the United States.' Melania also reiterated that she has personally not been on the campaign trail much because she wants to be home with the couple's son Barron and give him the most 'normal' life possible while his father is running for president. And with just one day until the third and final debate between Donald Hillary, Melania was asked if she had any advice for her husband. 'Just to be himself. Be himself. I know how smart he is. I know what he is capable of,' said Melania. A paedophile caught out by Dark Justice 'bent his phone like a banana' to destroy evidence and fought 'like a pitbull' when he was confronted in the street, one of the campaigners said. Richard Hewitt, 40, drove 200 miles from Cheshire to Newcastle thinking he was going to meet a 13-year-old girl after he made contact on a teen chat room. He had asked the girl called 'Jessie' for naked selfies and sent her Whatsapp messages asking for sex, telling her 'I will be your first'. When the 40-year-old arrived at the pre-arranged meeting point in Newcastle, he was met by members of Dark Justice rather than 13-year-old 'Jessie' Hewitt was jailed for two years with a further ten year period of sex offender registration When he was met by Dark Justice campaigners, Hewitt turned violent and tried to smash his phone Dark Justice campaigners said Hewitt went crazy and fought with them 'like a pitbull' Hewitt, who has been subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) since 2007, did not realise the profile was a fake, set up by Dark Justice. The group has been running for two years this month and has led to 64 people being arrested. When Hewitt - who had claimed to be 22 - arrived in Newcastle in August, the group blocked in his car to stop him leaving. The campaigners said he 'absolutely flipped' when they stopped him and tried to smash his phone to destroy evidence. One of the campaigners suffered a bite injury to the arm and the other a suspected dislocated thumb. They said: 'He looks like a chihuahua, but he fought like a pitbull.' The 40-year-old asked the girl whether she would 'be ready' for her first time by WhatsApp He later asked the girl whether she could send him naked selfies - he turned violent when he was met by Dark Justice campaigners Hewitt, who has 26 offences on his record, admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and breaching his SOPO. The 40-year-old served a two-year jail term in 2010 after he sexually assaulted an under age girl in the street and warned police he would 'come looking for her' if she told police. Judge Robert Adams jailed him for two years, saying Hewitt had a 'bad record for sexual offending'. The judge told him: 'You arranged to meet her in Newcastle, you drove to Newcastle, you told her it would be OK, you would be her first. 'When you got here you sent a picture of yourself driving as you approached. 'Your vehicle was trapped by members of Dark Justice to stop you from driving away. 'You became agitated and tried to damage your own phone, knowing what might be on it. 'There is an obvious risk of you committing further offences, as demonstrated by your repeated offending. 'You have a very bad record for sexual offending generally. The 13-year-old girl in fact did not exist. We do not know what precisely you would have done.' Hewitt sent a message to the girl while he was driving to Newcastle with a picture of his face Hewitt, from Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, appeared in court via a prison videolink. During the sentencing, he mumbled 'I'm sorry' and 'I need help' until the judge told him to stop interrupting. Outside court, Dark Justice activist 'Scott' said he and his counterpart 'Callum' were injured in a struggle during the consultation, although police did not charge Hewitt with any offence of violence. He said: 'We were on a chat room and he popped up and straight away messaging us, saying 'I would like to meet you'. 'He travelled up the same day.' Scott said: 'He snapped his own phone and bent it like a banana, trying to destroy the evidence. 'He went crazy, he absolutely flipped out. 'He looks like a chihuahua, but he fought like a pitbull. 'He tried to take my phone. I was a bit shocked at the time. I wasn't scared, more angry. 'We have been spat on, but never anything like this. Donald Trump said Monday night that House Speaker Paul Ryan might have a selfish reason for withholding his support in a presidential election year: his own plan to run for the White House in 2020. Trump spoke to ABC News before a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, just minutes after his partisans shouted down Wisconsin Republican Party chairman Brad Courtney with chants of 'Paul Ryan sucks.' Backstage, Trump said he's not sure Ryan wants him to win in November. 'Maybe not,' the presidential nominee offered, 'because maybe he wants to run in four years. Or maybe he doesn't know how to win. Maybe just doesn't know how to win.' 'I mean, who can really know? But I know I'm in his territory, and they are all screaming for Trump.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Donald Trump said Monday morning that House Speaker Paul Ryan may be withholding his support in order to set himself up for a White House run in 2020 Ryan has been lukewarm to Trump at best, calling his comments 'racist' and advising members of Congress to abandon the White House nominee if it helps them keep their seats in Congress Trump said Courtney had just visited with him: 'The head of the [Wisconsin] Republican Party just left me. He shook my hand. He says, "You are gonna win Wisconsin".' Tensions have run high between Trump and Ryan the GOP's highest elected officeholder since earlier this year when the first-time campaigner attacked a federal judge, saying his Mexican heritage should preclude him from hearing a lawsuit against his defunct Trump University program. 'Claiming a person can't do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment,' Ryan said in June. Wisconsin Republican Party chairman Brad Courtney tried Monday night to calm voters who shouted 'Paul Ryan sucks!' He had already committed to voting for Trump, however. By early October, Ryan was telling members of his House caucus to 'do what's best for you in your district' even if it means abandoning the White House contender. As the GOP's standard-bearer, Trump has avoided publicly counter-punching. 'I don't want to be knocking Paul Ryan,' he said Monday night. 'I think he could be more supportive to the Republican nominee.' 'We are doing well. I think we are gonna win the election.' Trump loudly broke with Ryan a week ago following reports of an angry conference call in which rank-and-file GOP congressmen hammered the House speaker for abandoning Trump Courtney issued a statement after Trump's rally, defending Ryan 'and the work he does for the conservative movement here in Wisconsin and across this great nation.' 'He has always and continues to inspire Republicans all across our state with his principled leadership and bold conservative solutions,' he said. Courtney made no mention of Donald Trump. Ryan easily won his August primary election with 85 per cent of the vote, trouncing a Trump-backing challenger. The most recent Wisconsin presidential poll from Marquette University shows Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton beating Trump by a 7-point margin. Hillary Clinton is in good shape going into the third and final presidential debate, polling six points ahead of her rival Donald Trump. The Democrat captures a 46 per cent share of the vote, while Trump slips a point to 40, according to a weekly NBC News/Survey Monkey poll published Tuesday. Libertarian Gary Johnson holds firm at eight per cent while the Green Party's Jill Stein has four. The survey was conducted October 10-16, a week in which nine women accused Trump of sexual assault. Another poll, conducted by FOX News also shows Clinton with a six-point lead over Trump. The poll was conducted from October 15 through October 17 among likely voters. Trump has denied the claims, but Clinton leads by 18 points among likely women voters, and is ahead in every female age group. Charm offensive: Trump put his softer side on display in Wisconsin on Monday Clinton, seen here Oct. 12 in Las Vegas, has been keeping a low profile over the past week amid revelations from the emails of John Podesta and as she prepares for the final debate Among men the picture is more mixed: the GOP candidate leads among men age 45 and over by an average of 12 points. But younger men, age 18-44, lean towards Clinton, albeit by a narrower margin: Five points among 18-29-year-olds, and just one point for those aged between 30 and 44. Women support Clinton regardless of their education level. But the male vote depends on a college education: Those without a degree support Trump by an 18-point margin, whereas those with one choose Clinton by a 12-point gap. Clinton and Trump will go head-to-head in the last presidential debate on Wednesday. The former secretary of state is currently ahead by seven points over Trump, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. Election Day is exactly three weeks away. After Trump was hammered last week over the allegations of sexual assault, this week the Clinton campaign has been on the defensive as WikiLeaks continues its dripfeed of emails hacked from the account of her campaign chairman John Podesta. On Monday it was revealed that a senior State Department official pressured the FBI to declassify one of Hillary Clinton's emails related to the Benghazi terror attack, so that he could use a loophole in the Freedom of Information Act to make sure it would never see the light of day. State Department Undersecretary for Management Patrick Kennedy, the FBI file shows, allegedly discussed the possibility of approving the FBI's request for funding 'to place more agents in countries where they are presently forbidden' in a 'quid pro quo' deal. Trump meanwhile remains at war with his own party, and on Monday claimed that Speaker of the House Paul Ryan isn't supporting him in order to foster his own presidential campaign in 2020. Ryan has not officially renounced his endorsement of Trump. But following the release of Trump's'p***y' tape - in which the candidate was shown bragging in 2005 about sexually aggressive behavior towards women - Ryan told colleagues that he would no longer campaign for or defend his party's own candidate. A Fayetteville man turned the backyard of his subdivision into a 'farmyard of horrors' that saw 139 animals crammed into 'deplorable' conditions without food or water, Ohio authorities said. Sheep, goats, dogs, rabbits and chickens were found by local deputies to be packed in so tightly they couldn't move. Some of them were dead. 'It was just crazy,' Renee Bates of Brown County Humane Society told Fox 19. 'It was just crazy town. I don't even know how else to put it.' Deplorable: 139 animals - including sheep and goats - were crammed into this subdivision backyard, which had been divided into a series of pens and outhouses Drowned: At least two dead chickens were seen in what appeared to be filthy water troughs. Many animals had no food or water, and nine died before authorities could save them Filth: A neighbor called in an anonymous odor complaint that led to animal shelter volunteers finding the filthy, cramped conditions. The animals were packed in so tight they couldn't move Authorities were called in after an anonymous neighbor odor complaint was made about the backyard, which had been equipped with makeshift pens and outhouses. Volunteers from the Brown County Humane Society and the Brown County Animal Shelter then investigated and discovered the animals being cruelly kept without food or water. Photographs from the Humane Society's Facebook page show areas of the ground were nothing but mud and what appeared to be urine. Other photos show the bodies of two chickens in what appeared to be two separate water troughs full of murky green water. Elsewhere, chickens appeared to be trapped in a tiny battery area with no room to move in any direction, and n one photo a dead rabbit in a small cage appears to lie on top of a pile of straw. It took two days for volunteers and dog wardens to remove the 130 surviving animals from the pens. Chief warden Josh Davis took time off from his holiday to help rescue the animals. 'They started running and jumping through the air,' Deputy dog warden Barb Ashmore said. 'They were happy to be able to stretch their legs.' Saved: Of the 139 animals, most of which were chickens, 130 were rescued by volunteers and animal wardens. Chief warden Josh Davis (pictured left and right) worked on his holiday The would-be farmer, who is not being named, told authorities he hoped to feed his family with the tortured creatures. He gave up the animals voluntarily, Ashmore said, so is not currently facing charges. Most of the animals were chickens, according to a Facebook post by Brown County Humane Society. It promised that all of the rescued animals were given veterinary care and were fed 'good quality food.' The society also says that many of the animals - including all of the goats - have successfully been put up for adoption. Hillary Clinton and her family are operating one 'giant criminal enterprise,' former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said Monday. And the 'elite media, which really shouldnt be considered news media,' are servicing the Clinton political machine, he argued. 'They are methodical propagandists for the left,' Gingrich told Fox News' Sean Hannity, 'smothering negative information about Hillary and maximizing negative information about Trump in a way that is a huge disservice to the United States of America and to the people of the United States.' Hillary Clinton and her family are operating one 'giant criminal enterprise,' former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said Monday Fox News' Sean Hannity had run down a list of embarrassing factoids revealed by the hack into John Podesta's emails, including what he called 'dirty tricks' against Barack Obama in 2008 to cast him as a Muslim and a 'pay-to-play scheme' in Haiti for Clinton Foundation donors Hannity had run down a list of embarrassing factoids revealed by the hack into John Podesta's emails, including what he called 'dirty tricks' against Barack Obama in 2008 to cast him as a Muslim and a 'pay-to-play scheme' in Haiti for Clinton Foundation donors. 'In its totality, what are we to make of all of this?' Hannity asked Gingrich, a surrogate for Donald Trump who was nearly the billionaire's running mate. Gingrich replied, 'This is a giant criminal enterprise disguised as a foundation and disguised as a campaign.' Pivoting to a report published by The Center for Public Integrity, Gingrich noted that journalists were found to have given $382,000 to Clinton this election and $14,000 to Trump. 'So that means among the news media, the ratio was 24 to 1 in favor of Hillary Clinton,' he extrapolated. 'Now, of course, they wouldn't suggest that they're biased.' But that's also the same ratio of time that the networks spent publicizing Trump's 2005 Access Hollywood video compared to their coverage of the Wikileaks' Podesta emails last Friday. 'It was 23 minutes on Trump and 57 seconds in all three networks combined on Wikileaks,' he claimed. The 'elite media, which really shouldnt be considered news media,' are working in service of the Clinton political machine, Gingrich said in his response Columbia's School of Journalism 'should rename itself the Columbia School of Propaganda,' Gingrich said, mocking the Ivy League institution. 'These people arent engaged in news,' he barked. Gingrich's assault on the media follows several days of complaints from Trump that the media is helping to rig the election for Clinton. Syria's first lady has claimed she has been given multiple offers to flee the war-ravaged country with her children but has refused them all saying they were ploys to bring down her husband. British-born Asma Al-Assad, wife of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, has given an interview with broadcaster Russia24, which was aired yesterday. It is the first time the 41-year-old has spoke with international media since Syria's revolt erupted in 2011, with demands for her husband to be ousted from office. Scroll down for video British-born Asma Al-Assad, wife of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, has given an interview with broadcaster Russia24, which is due to be aired later today But despite the danger she faces staying in the country, Mrs Al-Assad said she would not be leaving Syria But despite the danger she faces staying in the country, Mrs Al-Assad said she would not be leaving Syria. She explained: 'I never thought of being anywhere else at all... Yes, I was offered the opportunity to leave Syria or rather to run from Syria. 'These offers included guarantees of safety and protection for my children, and even financial security. 'It doesn't take a genius to know what these people were really after. It was never about my wellbeing or my children. Mrs Al-Assad's marriage to Mr Al-Assad was announced by state media six months after he assumed the presidency in July 2000 following the death of his father Hafez The former investment banker styled herself as a progressive rights advocate and was seen as the modern side of the Assad dynasty The mother-of-three has stood at her husband's side in his rare public appearances, posing for selfies with supporters in pictures posted to the presidency's Instagram account 'It was a deliberate attempt to shatter people's confidence in their president.' Mrs Al-Assad's marriage to Mr Al-Assad was announced by state media six months after he assumed the presidency in July 2000 following the death of his father Hafez. The former investment banker styled herself as a progressive rights advocate and was seen as the modern side of the Assad dynasty. She did not appear much in public in the first few years of the uprising, but over the past two years has been a lot more active. Mrs Al-Assad's interview comes as Russia says 'goodwill' is behind its decision to announce a temporary ceasefire over Aleppo. Pictured is a father carrying the lifeless body of his child into a hospital in the city An injured Syrian man receives medical treatment at a field hospital after aircraft belonging to the Russian army carried out strikes over Aleppo The mother-of-three has stood at her husband's side in his rare public appearances, posing for selfies with supporters in pictures posted to the presidency's Instagram account. But with the death toll in Syria's conflict now at least 300,000 and pictures emerging of her smiling beside children, athletes and graduates in shared images the United States has denounced the account as 'a despicable PR stunt.' Mrs Al-Assad's interview comes as Russia says 'goodwill' is behind its decision to announce a temporary ceasefire over Aleppo - a day after dozens of civilians were killed in a wave of deadly airstrikes. The Kremlin said it had stopped bombing the war-ravaged Syrian city this morning ahead of plans for an eight-hour truce on Thursday. Once Syria's thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by bombing raids and intensifying clashes The Kremlin said it had stopped bombing the war-ravaged Syrian city this morning ahead of plans for an eight-hour truce on Thursday. The decision was a 'manifestation of goodwill', according to Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin. Once Syria's thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by bombing raids and intensifying clashes as President al-Assad's forces fight to capture rebel-held parts of the city. Advertisement From a mini Eiffel Tower to a fake English town, China has seen a craze of copying European landmarks in the past two decades or so. And the trend doesn't seem to be slowing down. Changde, a city of five million people in southern China, has just unveiled its latest tourist attraction: a German district styled after the old town of Hannover. The 'Little Hannover', reportedly costing 370 million (330 million) to build, opened to the public today. Changde, a city in southern China's Hunan Province, has constructed a new town styled after the German city of Hannover The 'Little Hannover', which is reported to cost 370 million (330 million) to build, opened to the public today The main part of the 'Little Hannover' is a 450-metre-long (1,476 feet) shopping avenue, called Hannoversche Strassem The German town in Changde, China, has been inspired by the historic centre of Hannover (pictured) in northern Germany RhineScheme GmbH, a Germany architecture and urban planning firm, is hired to replicate Hannover (pictured) in China RhineScheme GmbH, a Germany architecture and urban planning firm, was hired to construct the town, which occupies 46,800 square metres (11.6 acres). The main part of the town is a 450-metre-long (1,476 feet) shopping avenue, Hannoversche Strassem, which is due to have restaurants, bars and fashion stores. Pictures of the area, taken today, show various commercial outlets lining up the streets, including a fast-food store called 'Gourmetfreunde', a wine shop called 'Weinkeller', a bar called 'Full house' and a pizzeria called 'Yummy'. Although most of the 138 shops are yet to open, the German town has already become a popular destination for Changde residents. Locals were seen visiting the new area with their families and friends. Hannoversche Strassem, a German-style town inspired by Hannover, is built by the city of Changde in southern China The 12-acre German-style area, situated by the river of Chuanzi, is expected to be Changde's window to the world Although most of the shops are yet to open, the town has already become a popular destination for Changde residents The 1,476-foot-long Hannoversche Strassem has 138 shops in total, including restaurants, bars and fashion stores Locals were seen visiting the new area with their families and friends after it was unveiled to the public on October 18 Wang Qun, the mayor of Changde, expected 'Little Hannover' (pictured) to act as a link between China and Germany Wang Qun, the mayor of Changde, expected 'Little Hannover' to act as a link between China and Germany, reported the state-run Chinese news website rednet.cn. According to Mr Wang, stores on the Hannoversche Strassem will be managed by German people and will present real German culture. The mayor said visitors could expect to taste real Hannover coffee, drink real German beer and see top-notch German art in the district. Stefan Schostok, Lord Mayor of Hannover, was invited to attend the opening ceremony of 'Little Hannover' in Changde. In a statement to MailOnline, Lord Mayor Stefan Schostok said: 'The construction of Hannoversche Strasse demonstrates the great interest shown in China for Germany and of course in particular for Hannover.' Three establishments from the Hannover city have already opened branches in the 'Little Hannover' in China: coffee brand Hannoversche Kaffeemanufaktur, a Hannover Centre and a German restaurant. A grand Hannover House has also been constructed. Lord Mayor Stefan Schostok said: 'In the Hannover House, we are promoting our city and our region as a destination for tourists, but also for other commercial contacts. 'Our economic development company, hannoverimpuls, is already very active [in China] - and is also involved in the opening of the German quarter.' Lord Mayor of Hannover said the construction of the new town demonstrates the great interest shown in China for Germany The Hannover House on Hannoversche Strasse will promote the city and the region of Hannover to Chinese tourists Various commercial outlets line up the German-style streets, including a bar called 'Full house' and a pizzeria called 'Yummy' Changde (pictured), in China's Hunan Province, and Hannover, in Germany's Lower Saxony, became sister cities in 2006 Changde, in southern China's Hunan Province, and Hannover, in northern Germany's Lower Saxony, became sister cities in 2006, according to the website of Changde Government. According to a statement released by the Changde government last September, the area, situated by the river of Chuanzi, is expected to be a platform for the city to showcase its economy as well as to host foreign affairs. It's also set to be a major tourist attraction of Changde. Construction of the German town began in February, 2016. After seven months, the majority of the 'Little Hannover' were completed, and the area soft opened in September. The German town was unveiled during a grand opening ceremony on October 18, as a part of the Changde Tourism Festival. The area is expected to be a platform for the city of Changde to showcase its economy as well as to host foreign affairs Construction of the German town, reportedly designed by German architects, began in February, 2016 After seven months, the majority of the 'Little Hannover' were completed, and the area soft opened in September The German town was unveiled during a grand opening ceremony on October 18, as a part of the Changde Tourism Festival Fake European-style towns have popped up all around China since the late 1990s. The most famous ones are the Thames Town, a surreal English-style community in the suburbs of Shanghai; Tianducheng, a fake Paris in the suburbs of Hangzhou with a replica of the Eiffel Tower; and Hallstatt in Guangdong, a 766 million Chinese clone of one of Austria's most picturesque villages. These communities are usually built by the local government who hope to showcase their Western taste. A Polish man who collapsed at Miami International Airport had 53 rubber pellets filled with cocaine removed from his stomach. Waldemar Wojtczack, 45, collapsed during his layover from Trinidad to Finland and spent several days in an intensive care unit before surgeons removed more than one pound of drugs from his body. He pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of cocaine trafficking and using commercial transport while committing a felony. Waldemar Wojtczack, 45, collapsed at Miami International Airport before doctors removed 53 rubber pellets (pictured) filled with cocaine from his body Wojtczack (left) was flying from Trinidad to Finland, where half a kilo of cocaine would be worth a street price of about $53,000 USD (picured, right one of the pellets broken open) Wojtczack collapsed inside the airport and was rushed to Hialeah Hospital, in Florida according to a police report cited by the Miami Herald. Despite the fact that he does not speak English, Wojtczack managed to communicate to a doctor that he ingested cocaine. He remained in the hospital for numerous days, waiting for the drugs to pass through his body while his health faltered. When that didn't happen, doctors performed surgery on him, with narcotics detectives standing by to collect the small, rubber pellets filled with cocaine, weighing a total of half a kilogram. Wojtczack appeared at his arraignment on Monday with a Polish interpreter before pleading not guilty. The drug mule is believed to have taken similar trips before from Poland, according to his passport records cited in the police report. Florida has become a huge hub for cocaine smuggled from South America into the US, making Wojtczak's trip from a Trinidadian island to Finland an unusual path. But the Scandinavian country boasts some of the highest cocaine prices in Europe. If the drugs were intended to be sold in Finland, the street value of half a kilo of cocaine would be worth $53,000 USD based on figures from 2010 cited by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. An eight-year-old girl has been left in a wheelchair after being seriously injured in a plane crash with her grandfather on Sunday in Georgia. Jamie Thompson and his granddaughter, London Buckley, were flying back to Cherokee County when his Cessna 150 crashed into trees as they attempted to land in a field near Millers Mill Road around 2.30pm, the Henry County Fire Department said. Thompson, who is an experienced pilot in his 40s, has taken Buckley out for trips dozens of times, his wife Jennifer Thompson told WSB-TV. 'They do everything together when she's here and when he's home from work,' she said. Jamie Thompson, who is in his 40s, (above left) and his eight-year-old granddaughter, London Buckley (above left and right), were flying back to Cherokee County when his Cessna 150 crashed on Sunday The Henry County Fire Department said the small plane crashed into trees (above) as Thompson attempted to land in a field near Millers Mill Road around 2.30pm Before first responders could arrive to the scene, Thompson worked to save his granddaughter's life, despite the fact that he was injured as well. 'He was trapped inside the plane and he was twisted because he was trying to get her out,' his wife said. The little girl was flown via helicopter to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta with broken bones in her lower body and she is now in a wheelchair. Her grandfather was treated at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta for broken bones and head injuries. He was released from the hospital on Monday. His wife is thankful that both of them survived the crash and said it 'was a miracle.' Before first responders could arrive, Thompson (above second right with Buckley on shoulders) worked to save his granddaughter's life, despite the fact that he was injured as well Buckley (above center) was flown to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta with broken bones in her lower body and she is now in a wheelchair. Thompson (above second right) suffered broken bones but has since been released It's unclear what caused the small plane to crash, as family members said that neither remembers what happened. Their family dog was also aboard the plane and was killed in the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The family created a GoFundMe page to raise money for hospital expenses for the pair. The teenager was sentenced to two years in young offenders' institute Cawley later abandoned car and baby was found in car seat on a doorstep She was left standing in road screaming 'my baby, my baby' as he sped off Teenage car-jacker stole her car while her two children sat in the back seat Mother had left vehicle with keys in ignition as she popped to nearby shop Martin Cawley, 19, was high on drugs when he got into a parked car and drove off A teenage thug who stole a car with two children inside while high on drugs before abandoning the baby on a doorstep has been sentenced to two years' detention. Martin Cawley, 19, was high on drugs when he got into a parked car and drove off in what was described as 'every parent's worst nightmare' in Enfield, north London, on July 2. The children's mother had parked in Enfield, north London, and gone into a nearby shop at the time of the incident, described as act of 'unspeakable cruelty' by a judge. Shocking CCTV footage shows the woman's terrified 12-year-old daughter dramatically leaping from the car leaving her 11-month-old baby brother in the back seat. The baby boy was found, uninjured, on the doorstep of a house three miles away in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, after what the judge called an 'entirely traumatic' incident. The car was discovered later in Coopers Walk, Cheshunt. Cawley of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at Wood Green Crown Court, to kidnap, child abduction and aggravated vehicle taking and was sentenced to two years in a young offenders' institute. The court heard a victim impact statement in which the mother told how she left the shop to find her car missing and screamed 'my baby, my baby'. She joined police to track down the car but was horrified to find it empty. She said: 'When I found the car locked and neatly parked it dawned on me that he took my car to take my baby. 'I actually felt like I would never see him again.' The 12-year-old girl told officers she 'does not really like being by [herself]' since the incident. 'I just remember it,' she said. 'When I am by myself trying to sleep I just remember it. I just start getting scared so I just go to my mum's room.' The mother added she still has nightmares he has been abducted and worries she will struggle to part with him when he starts education. 'I feel things will never be the same again,' she added. Scroll down for video Shocking CCTV footage shows the woman's terrified 12-year-old daughter dramatically leaping from the car leaving her 11-month-old baby brother in the back seat The distraught woman and her family were in court to see Cawley sentenced, and sat sobbing as details of the abduction were given in court. Prosecutor Nick Cribb told Wood Green Crown Court: 'At the plea hearing, the Crown said that this case represented every parents' worst nightmare. We do not renege on that. 'This was an offence of unspeakable cruelty to the children involved and the parents.' Cawley, from Gospel Oak, north London, climbed into the car after the children's mother stopped - on her way to a wedding - to go to a shop in Kempe Road in Enfield, leaving the keys in the ignition. Judge Noel Lucas QC told Cawley he was of the opinion he simply 'did not care' what happened to the baby after he dumped him. The children's mother had parked in Enfield, north London, and gone into a nearby shop at the time of the incident He added: 'You could have had no idea when you abandoned that baby who would have picked him up, and what harm he might come to, or in the end whether he would have been reunited with his parents. 'Your subsequent actions suggest you simply did not care. 'I accept that this is amongst the worst nightmares for any parent.' Wearing a black t-shirt, and with a black eye, Cawley, who appeared in court via videolink from HMP Pentonville, showed no reaction as he was sentenced. Mr Cribb added: 'While high on drugs, Mr Cawley stole the family car containing two children. 'No doubt she was scared out of her wits, one child jumped from the moving car, the other - an 11-month-old baby - was driven away and abandoned some miles away.' The court was shown CCTV footage that appeared to show Cawley peering into the car before he took it, ultimately parking in a car park near his aunt's house, having dumped the baby. Narcotics: Martin Cawley, 19, was said to be high on drugs when he committed the crime Mr Cribb continued: 'He went in, he smoked a joint and he told his aunt that he had just got a new car and needed some new number plates.' Police found the car, having tracked the mother's phone, but the child was no longer in his seat. He was discovered nearby around 10 minutes later - the ordeal lasting around 40 minutes. The youngster's nappy had been changed and he had been looked after by the woman whose doorstep the baby had been left. Waleed Aly has been left lost for words after controversial radio broadcaster Steve Price refused to believe the Australian Government was responsible for the 'torture' that happened on Nauru. The Project host, who is known for his passionate editorials on the Network Ten news program, was discussing Amnesty International's damning report into the treatment of asylum seekers at the Pacific Island detention centre with Price. The report says the conditions the detainees live in 'amount to torture'. But Price refused to lay the blame of Nauru at the Australian Government's door. Scroll down for video The Project host Waleed Aly and panellist Steve Price (pictured) butted heads on Monday's program after Price claimed Australia is not responsible for the 'torture' conditions at Nauru Detention Centre A frustrated Aly (pictured) rebutted the conditions are Australia's problem 'Torture is obviously a very inflammatory word. I mean we've got to remind ourselves of a few things,' the broadcaster said. 'The Nauruan Government administers what happens there, the Australian Government provides education and health services. 'I don't like Australia to be described as someone as torturing people, I don't think we are.' But Aly disagreed, saying: 'I think it's time to stop hiding behind Nauru, let's not prend they're in charge of this - they're not. 'We give them heaps of money as part of this arrangement - the High Court has found that we are in effective control of this. This is our problem.' Aly stumbled over his words as he responded that it is 'time to stop hiding behind Nauru' and to not pretend 'they're in charge of this' It comes as Amnesty International released a report with statements from more than 100 asylum-seekers, refugees and current and former staff who claimed to see sexual and physical assault, as well as self-harm and despair while living in camp There is a wide-spread self harm epidemic among refugees and asylum-seekers in Nauru Detention Centre, according to the Amnesty International report Price argued the detention centre was 'not a closed prison' but an 'open' one where people could go home at the expense of the Australian Government. But Aly rebutted, saying: 'But if they're going back home to a place they're fleeing, it's not an option.' A frustrated Aly began to stumble over his words as Price continued to argue with him. 'I think that youre missing the point,' Aly said as his eyes widened in disbelief. 'I dont think I am. I like Australia to be described as someone as torturing people, I dont think we are,' Price persisted. Viewers weighed in on the debate online, with many disagreeing with Price's comments (pictured) Viewers weighed in on the debate online, with many disagreeing with Price's comments. 'Steve Price can not like Australia being told they are torturers as much as he likes, that is negligible, we are torturing like it or not,' one woman said. '90% are genuine refugees. I'm 99% sure it's torture and 100% sure Steve Price is wrong,' a man said. 'Why even bother asking Steve Price any question regarding the Government. he is a right wing mouthpiece,' another said. Children face unimaginable conditions in Nauru after escaping conflicts in their home country Refugees and asylum-seekers attempt to hurt themselves to possibly escape the conditions of Nauru Detention Centre, according to the Amnesty International report An Amnesty International researcher interviewed more than 100 asylum-seekers, refugees and current and former staff who claimed to see sexual and physical assault, as well as self-harm and despair while living in camp. The Nauruan government has since argued that the allegations in the report are false. It also revealed nearly all the asylum-seekers interviewed had reported mental health issues that had developed after arriving at the camp. Contributing to their feelings of despair were inadequate medical care, exposure of children to abuse, and attacks and threats by some Nauruans outside the centre, it said. The FBI released a trove of information on its investigation of Hillary Clinton on Monday but it would take a forensic investigation to try to make sense of many of the heavily-redacted documents. Some pages that were technically released have their contents entirely redacted. Others are redacted piecemeal so as to make them almost completely unreadable. The documents consist of summaries and notes from the agency's long investigation into Clinton's private email server and whether she mishandled classified information. The agency released 100 pages Monday. Hillary Clinton was not charged with a crime in connection with her email scandal. The FBI has been releasing heavily redacted documents that related to its investigaiton FBI Director James Comey denied to recommend charges against the former secretary of state, although he chided her for showing 'extreme carelessness in her conduct. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has grown increasingly critical of the agency in public, as he lashes out at the government and the media for covering up Hillary Clinton's 'crimes.' Comey rejected such criticisms in July. NOT MUCH TO SEE HERE: This FBI document relates to a source who did not have 'direct knowledge' of sources using 'barely classified' channels. Information is blocked out 'per CIA' This person got interviewed by the FBI at CIA headquarters. But the statement is blocked out A disclaimer calls the documents of 'public interest and historical value' This person was interviewed at the offices of Platte River Networks, a private firm that handled Hillary Clinton's home email server 'To the best of [blank] recolleciton, [blank] was not hired by Hillary Clinton ...' This document is almost entirely blocked out, per the CIA NOT REVEALING: This document contains the words 'top secret,' but they are marked out with an 'X' 'I want the American people to know we really did this the right way. You can disagree with us, but you cannot fairly say we did it in any kind of political way,' the FBI Director said then. 'We don't carry water for anybody. We were trying to do what the right thing is.' According to the American Mirror blog, the documents released today include at least 4,500 redactions. The veil has been lifted on the extraordinary perks offered to lure high-rolling Chinese gamblers into forking out cash at Melbourne's Crown Casino. From five-star penthouses to private jets to meals cooked by a Cordon Bleu chef, staff from the James Packer-owned casino have been showering Chinese gamblers with incentives to continue betting. The mysterious practice came into the spotlight after 18 employees at the Crown were arrested for organising gambling activities for Chinese Nationals in Australia, Executive Style reported. Extraordinary perks are offered to high-rolling Chinese gamblers to lure them into forking out cash at Melbourne's Crown Casino (pictured) Three of the 18 Crown Casino staff arrested in China are Australians, including executive Jason O'Connor (pictured) The practice of tempting the high-rollers is known as 'duchessing', and also involves plying them with Cristal and Krug and helping them apply for Australian visas to gamble. A major Australian casino VIP services manager who declined to be named said it was her job to ensure gamblers stayed in the city. 'They had access to free activities, VIP tickets to shows and special events, a choice of private parties, and the opportunity to meet and greet celebrities that nobody else could get near,' the manager said. 'The casino could flex its muscles and get them whatever they wanted, just as long as they extended their stay and continued to gamble.' Three of the staff arrested are Australians, including executive Jason O'Connor. The Crown Resorts staff were arrested late last week and are expected to be charged with organising gambling activities for mainland nationals overseas. Crown's biggest shareholder James Packer, who owns a 48.2 per cent stake, saw the value of his investment fall by $500 million on Monday morning The practice of tempting the high-rollers is called duchessing, and also involves helping them apply for Australian visas to gamble Crown Resorts' share price has taken a dive as the arrest of 18 employees in China scares Australian stock market investors and causes James Packer to lose $500 million in one hour. Crown's biggest shareholder James Packer, who owns a 48.2 per cent stake, saw the value of his investment fall by $500 million on Monday morning. Council officials in Mostoles, a dormitory town 18km southwest of Madrid, were sent to the Our Lady of the Assumption Church after neighbours complained A church is facing a 16,000 fine because its bells are too noisy. Council officials in Mostoles, a dormitory town 18km southwest of Madrid, were sent to the Our Lady of the Assumption Church after neighbours complained. They discovered the bells of the 12th century church measured nearly 30 decibels above the 55 decibels permitted under the town's regulations. The standard fine for exceeding noise levels by more than 10 decibels is 16,000 for establishments, though the church has said it has not yet received notice of the fine. Eduardo Gutierrez, the town planning spokesman and a councillor for the left-wing IU-LVCM party, said: 'The town council had to act after receiving complaints about the noise from those living nearby. 'The reading showed that the noise was far above permitted levels,' he told El Pais newspaper. Parish priest Ignacio Torres said the same bells have always chimed in Mostoles, usually only at noon, before evening Mass and during village fiestas Parish priest Ignacio Torres said the same bells have always chimed in Mostoles, usually only at noon, before evening Mass and during village fiestas. The ruling has been criticised by the opposition conservative party PP, and council Jasus Pato told The Local: 'They seem to permit illegal parties held in squats and do nothing about the problems of late night noise in the town but instead consider it a priority to punish the church for the sound of the bells. But the family only got $400 and Holder stopped returning their calls Holder set up a Go Fund Me saying the funds were for his three daughters Sutton died along with three other employees when a car bomb exploded He was a civilian contractor in Afghanistan after being in the Marine Corps A Georgia woman will spend two years behind bars after raiding the Go Fund Me she had set up after a family friend's passing. Brandy Michelle Holder, 41, was sentenced last week in Rome, Georgia after pleading guilty to felony theft by conversion. She had created the fundraiser after the death of Barry Sutton, a former Marine Corps serviceman who worked as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan. Sutton, a father of three daughters, died in a suicide attack in Kabul in August last year. He was 46 years old. Brandy Michelle Holder (left), 41, was sentenced last week in Rome, Georgia after raiding a Go Fund Me she had set up following the 2015 death of Barry Sutton (right), 46 Holder, a friend of the family, said she would set up a Go Fund Me to organize a hunting trip for the three girls - a hobby they shared with their father. 'She just wiggled her way in,' Sutton's older brother Freddie told the Washington Post. 'I don't know how she got put in charge of the idea. I think she sold the kids on it first.' The fundraiser, which has now been removed from Go Fund Me's website, included details about the trip Holder claimed she wanted to set up for Summer, Erin and Katlin, Sutton's daughters. 'I am currently searching for a place to have the deer hunt,' Holder wrote. 'Part of this money I'm hoping will also go to purchase a special bracelet for each daughter, it will be unique and one of a kind.' Holder claimed on the Go Fund Me page that she wanted to set up a hunting trip for Sutton's three daughters. He is pictured with his daughter Katlin Sutton was training Afghani officers as part of a NATO effort when he was killed by a car bomb during a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. Pictured is the scene after the blast The page raised $4,778.32, but Sutton's relatives only received $400, according to the Washington Post. They asked several times where the rest of the funds had gone but Holder stopped returning their calls. The Go Fund Me raised $4,778.32 for Sutton's three daughters. Sutton (pictured) was a former Marine and police officer Holder paid a deposit on the trip but didn't cover the rest of the fee, the Rome News-Tribune wrote. It is unclear what she did with the rest of the funds. She was also ordered at sentencing to pay restitution for that money. Sutton went to high school in Armuchee and served in the Marine Corps before joining the Floyd County Police Department. He later worked at the Floyd County Sheriffs Office, then became an employee at DynCorp. The company was the biggest US contractor in Afghanistan at the time of Sutton's death. Sutton was training Afghani officers as part of a NATO effort when he was killed by a car bomb. The attack, which happened outside a hospital on a busy residential street in Kabul, killed two more American DynCorp employees, nine Afghan civilians and wounded more than 60 people. Government insists the PM can do so using the ancient 'royal Government lawyers 'baffled' senior judges at the High Court today as they tried to see off a court challenge to Theresa May's Brexit powers. The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, said he was confused by the case made by Jason Coppel QC. Mrs May plans to invoke Article 50 of the EU treaties and trigger the start of the Brexit negotiations without calling a vote in Parliament. The Prime Minister's decision is under attack in a historic legal challenge launched by a group of campaigners, led by former model Gina Miller, 51, referred to as 'concerned citizens'. Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas (file picture at the House of Lords in May) today told a Government lawyer he was 'baffled' by his case They are asking the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, sitting with two other senior judges in London, to rule that Mrs May has gone wrong in law and is in danger of undermining the sovereignty of Parliament. They say UK citizens face being deprived of statutory rights granted under the European Communities Act 1972, which made EU law part of UK law, without proper scrutiny by Parliament. As the evidence concluded today, the judges reserved judgement and promised to deliver a ruling 'as quickly as possible'. In the hearing this morning, Mr Coppel argued invoking Article 50 without a vote was right and proper because the Government was not seeking to amend EU treaties - something which would require a Commons vote. It prompted Lord Thomas to remark: 'I am sorry, I am slightly baffled. I don't understand why the content of these rights are not controlled by Parliament.' Mr Coppel said the case against the Government was withdrawing from the EU amended the rights - and he insisted this was not correct. He said invoking Article 50 - which contains the EU's divorce proceedings - did not in itself do anything to the rights contained in EU treaties. By contrast, the court heard later, any new treaty agreement with the European Union following Brexit would 'very likely' have to be ratified by Parliament. The historic legal challenge launched by a group of campaigners, led by former model Gina Miller, 51 (pictured at the High Court today), referred to as 'concerned citizens' Another Government QC said the 'view at the moment' was that ratification was likely if the royal prerogative was used to launch the Brexit process. Mr Eadie told the court there still would be scrutiny. KEY BREXIT COMMITTEE HAS A MAJORITY OF REMAIN BACKERS The Cabinet committee responsible for Britain's withdrawal from the EU contains a majority of ministers who campaigned to Remain, it has been revealed. Membership of the European Union Exit and Trade Committee was made public when Downing Street published a list of 14 Cabinet committees and seven implementation taskforces appointed by Prime Minister Theresa May. Mrs May herself, who was a low-profile supporter of Remain in this year's EU referendum, will chair the committee of 15 Cabinet ministers. The so-called 'three Brexiteers' Boris Johnson, David Davis and Liam Fox are also members, along with fellow Leave campaigners Chris Grayling, Andrea Leadsom and Priti Patel. But they are outnumbered by ministers who campaigned on the Remain side, including Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who accused the Leave campaign of misleading the public over potential savings from withdrawal in a bitter TV debate clash with Mr Johnson. Others on the committee who backed Remain in the referendum inlulde Chancellor Philip Hammond, Business Secretary Greg Clark, Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green, Conservative Party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin, Scotland Secretary David Mundell, Wales Secretary Alun Cairns and Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire - though the last three will attend meetings only 'as required'. Responding to suggestions that the committee was weighted against enthusiasts for Brexit, Mrs May's official spokeswoman said: 'The Prime Minister and a number of Cabinet ministers who indeed advocated the UK remaining in the European Union have been clear that we are all now there to deliver the decision of the British people, which is to leave. 'Therefore, this is a Government that is all about Brexit, because it is about respecting the will of the British people.' Advertisement He argued that a minister using the royal prerogative to trigger Article 50 without prior parliamentary approval would only be 'firing the starting gun' for the Brexit process, and it would not of itself change any common law or statutory right enjoyed by citizens. Mr Eadie said: 'Any such changes are a matter for future negotiations, Parliamentary scrutiny, and implementation by legislation.' Mr Eadie said that scrutiny was likely to include Parliament having to ratify any new treaty reached with the EU during the Article 50 process. The QC said: 'The Government view at the moment it that it is very likely that any such agreement would be subject to ratification.' But Mr Eadie stressed he could not go further than 'likely' and say it was a certainty. Leading for the Government yesterday, the Attorney General told the High Court Brexit must happen without a vote by MPs because it 'is the will of the people'. Mr Wright says Theresa May can legally use her royal prerogative to trigger Article 50 by the end of March and said: 'Once given, will not be withdrawn'. Campaigners led by former model Ms Miller have mounted a historic challenge to argue that Mrs May cannot leave the EU without the prior authorisation of Parliament. But Attorney General Jeremy Wright, sent by the Prime Minister to represent her, said that the Government will stand by the result of the June 23 referendum and give effect to 'the will of the people'. He told three senior judges that Article 50 would be used and that 'notification - once given - will not be withdrawn'. He added: 'It is our case that Parliament's consent is not required.' Ms Miller was accused of 'arrogance' as she demanded that Theresa May stages a vote in parliament before invoking Article 50. Ms Miller, a campaigning former model who is married to a multi-millionaire fund manager, was a supporter of Remain during the referendum campaign and has previously said she 'felt physically sick' when she heard the result. But the Prime Minister has dismissed her calls of those of her supporters - and took the unusual step of dispatching the Attorney General to argue the case in person. A schoolboy allegedly beat up on a bus by a bully was left with a concussion and a broken nose. The attack on Year 11 student Rhun Ward-Suerz by a Year 10 boy on a Perth bus on Friday afternoon was captured on camera. Rhun's father said his son was trying to get home from Eastern Hills Senior High School after being bullied and threatened earlier in the day, WA Today reported. Year 11 student Rhun Ward-Suerz (in white) was allegedly brutally attacked by a year 10 pupil on the public bus in Perth on Friday afternoon Disturbing footage appears to show the schoolboy being pounced upon as he travelled on the bus, with other children filming as he was repeatedly punched in the face and head. The video appears to show both the alleged bully and Rhun throwing punches, as well as a girl's hair being pulled. Rhun returned home with blood all over his shirt and was taken to hospital for treatment for his injuries. The two boys shook hands at school on Monday as they appeared to forgive each other for the fight, but police are already investigating the incident. Officers are reviewing the mobile phone footage and CCTV and have not ruled out bringing charges. Mr Suerz has called for the Year 10 to be expelled and for the school to take disciplinary action against other children seen in the video. The video appears to show both the alleged bully and Rhun throwing punches, as well as a girl's hair being pulled Rhun (pictured) returned home with blood all over his shirt and was taken to hospital because of his injuries 'My son missed a class to get on a bus early because he didn't want to get involved in this altercation,' the father told Radio 6PR. 'He was seated at the back [of the bus] when the others came on. 'He's told me there's violence going on at that school and it's pretty prevalent.' Mr Suerz went into school to talk to the headmaster about the fight and tried to film the conversation. Eastern Hills Senior High School posted on its Facebook page, saying: 'You may be aware of police and media at our school this afternoon. This relates to an incident that occurred between two students after school hours and off school grounds on Friday. 'Please be assured other students are not affected. If you have any concerns, please contact the school.' Lindsay Hale, from Perth's Department of Education, told WA Today that there had not been any reported incidents of bullying between the two students. 'The school could not foresee that a verbal disagreement between them earlier in the day would escalate,' she said. Port denies four counts of murder and a catalogue of sexual offences A man who escaped the flat also told them of 'bizarre' experience there Jury were today shown pictures of the inside of his east London flat Stephen Port is accused of drugging and killing four men he met online Stephen Port is accused of poisoning four men with drugs designed to knock them out so he could have sex with them A jury was today shown pictures from inside of home of alleged gay serial killer Stephen Port. The 41-year-old's one-bedroom flat in Barking, east London was searched following the death of his first alleged murder victim, Anthony Walgate, 23. Among items photographed on 27 June 2014 was a pair of underpants emblazoned with the words: 'Born 4 Porn.' Police also found a bottle of 'Amsterdam Gold' poppers on the bedside table and another inside the fridge, as well as an empty bottle of baby oil. Inside a bedroom drawer was a dildo, condoms and lubricating gel, while a living room cabinet contained a large number of DVDs, including pornography, the court heard. Port pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice over Mr Walgate's death and was sentenced to eight months imprisonment on 23 March 2016. But by the time he was jailed Port had allegedly gone on to claim the lives of two more young men. Slovakian Gabriel Kovari, 22, and 21-year-old chef Daniel Whitworth, from Gravesend, in Kent, were allegedly murdered within weeks of each other in August and September 2014. Both, like Mr Walgate, had died of GHB poisoning and were found in an almost identical position in St Margaret's churchyard, in Abbey Green. The jury in his trial were today shown photos of the inside of his flat in east London Port is alleged to have brought the men to the flat before drugging, raping and killing them Port is said to have killed again just three months after being released from prison, in September 2015, when forklift truck driver Jack Taylor, 25, was found near the same churchyard. He was arrested on 15 October last year when police again photographed his home. A 35-year-old man today told of a narrow escape from Port's flat after meeting him for sex on hook-up app 'Grindr'. The alleged victim said Port sent him a picture of another man's face before he agreed to go there. 'It was dark. All I could see was a silhouette,' said the complainant. 'Then someone else emerged from another room.' The man, described as 'quite large' told the alleged victim: 'Have fun,' the court heard. He met his alleged victims on gay dating websites, where he had many profiles, the jury heard Photos taken by police during an earlier investigation show his laptop resting on the sofa The jury also heard from one of the men who say they were attacked in the flat but got away The man said he went into Port's bedroom where they both stripped before the alleged killer inserted something into his backside, it is claimed. 'I heard a click,' he said before telling jurors he felt a burning sensation. 'I didn't know what was going through my head. As I heard the click, I started to panic.' He added: 'I quickly ran to the front door in case he tried to stop me. I was panicking.' Prosecutors say Port was trying to administer drugs in order to have sex with the man while he was unconscious. After Port's arrest in October last year, the alleged victim told police: 'The whole episode was very bizarre. In fact it was the most bizarre and strangest meeting I had ever experienced.' The men men allegedly murdered by Port were found in a churchyard not from the flat As well as the four alleged murders, Port is accused of carrying out rapes and sexual assaults 'Poppers' drugs, baby oil and a range of medicines were in the flat when it was raided The first alleged victim was found slumped not far from the front door of Port's block But David Etherington QC, defending, suggested the complainant may have only formed this view after Port's arrest for murder. He said: 'Is it what happened afterwards that put ideas into your head? Do you think that might have influenced the way you think back on it?' The alleged victim is one of 12 men said to have been attacked by Port over three-and-a-half years, between 2012 and 2015. Four died of an overdose of the party drug GHB and were found dumped in and around a graveyard in Barking, east London between June 2014 and September 2015, it is claimed. Port, formerly of Barking, east London, denies four counts of murder, four counts of manslaughter, four counts of administering a poison with intent to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm, seven counts of rape, six counts of administering a substance with intent to overpower to allow sexual activity, and four counts of sexual assault by penetration. Police are today hunting for an attacker who grabbed a Muslim woman's hijab and tried to tear it off as she walked along Oxford Street in London. The victim, in her 40s, was targeted in the busy West End shopping road on October 4 when her assailant repeatedly told her to remove the headscarf, before trying to drag it off her. He managed to unpin her scarf but did not manage to remove it and Scotland Yard said today the attack is being treated as an Islamophobic hate crime. Attack: Police are today hunting for an attacker who grabbed a Muslim's woman hijab and tried to tear it off as she walked along Oxford Street in London Detective Sergeant Steve Stamp said: 'This was an unprovoked and hate-filled attack in broad daylight in the middle of a busy street. The woman was targeted by this suspect purely based on what she was wearing. The suspect managed to unpin her head scarf (pictured) but did not manage to remove it crimes will not be tolerated. I would appeal to anyone who witnessed this attack to contact police.' The woman was walking alone along Oxford Street at about 8.15am when she was attacked. Police are looking at CCTV to try to trace the suspect, who is a white man, aged between 30 and 40, around 5ft 5in, with short, black, greased-back hair. He was wearing a grey sweatshirt and light blue jeans. The suspect ran off towards Marble Arch. Earlier this month official figures showed that hate crime leapt by more than four-fifths in the wake of the EU referendum. The number of racially and religiously aggravated alleged offences logged by forces in England and Wales in July was 41 per cent higher than in the same month last year. A mother took to social media to share some images of her daughter's leg - covered in what she believes are bed bug bites that she picked up in her local Walmart. Sarah Gindro, who lives in Chandler, Arizona said her six-year-old daughter was bitten after buying a pillow from the store. Ms Gindro said she was shopping with her daughter Sophia at the Walmart near the Loop 101 and Chandler Boulevard, when the little girl asked for a new pillow. Sarah Gindro was shopping in Walmart with her daughter Sophia, 6, when the little complained that her leg was itching 'We went down the aisle and she saw this long one, zebra-colored - but, rainbow-colored, and so she said, "That's the one that I want," so we got it,' Gindro told ABC 15. Ms Gindro said as they continued down the aisles Sophia started to complain that her leg was itching. 'She said, "Mom, my leg itches,"' Ms Gindoro told the news channel. 'I didn't think nothing of it - didn't pay no attention. I was like "whatever" and continued on about our way.' Ms Gindro said she believes the bites came from a pillow her daughter had picked up in the Walmart store In a post on Facebook, Ms Gindro said she only noticed the marks on her daughter's leg as she went to leave the store. 'And I looked down and she was covered in bites and I freaked out,' she told ABC 15. She then went to customer service, and told store staff what had happened, showing the employee the bites on her daughter's leg. Ms Gindro said she does not blame Walmart for the incident, but wanted to raise awareness of the risks of buying unpackaged products Ms Gindro said the employee said 'oh my God' and returned the pillow, putting the money straight back on to her card. She said she does not blame Walmart, but told her story to raise awareness of the risks of buying unpackaged products. In a statement to ABC15, Walmart said: 'We take this seriously and want to thank Ms. Gindro for bringing it to our attention. Drivers on Southern Railway are to be balloted for industrial action after last-ditch talks failed to resolve a row over driver-only trains, it was revealed today. The move by the drivers' union Aslef worsens industrial relations at the company, which is embroiled in a bitter dispute with the Rail, Maritime and Transport union over the role of conductors. The RMT has launched a three-day walkout, which led to the cancellation of hundreds of trains today, with further stoppages planned in the coming weeks. More travel misery: Commuters wait to board a train at East Croydon station in South London today as staff hold a second three-day strike over plans for drivers to operate train doors Busy: Commuters pack onto a Southern train as they wait to leave East Croydon station today Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: We have genuinely sought to reach a compromise with Southern. We have always been prepared to talk to the company, and we have always been of the view that it is, or should be, possible to do a deal - as we did with ScotRail - but it takes two to tango and the company has not been prepared to negotiate. They want to impose, not to discuss. They have dug in their heels and forced us to ballot our members. Aslef is arguing that there should be no introduction, or extension of new driver-only operated routes on Southern without the agreement. Ballot papers will go out on November 4 and the result is due two weeks later. A spokesman for Govia Thameslink Railway, which owns Southern, said: We are very disappointed that Aslef has decided to ballot its members for industrial action. More misery: Train passengers wait on platform four at East Croydon station this morning Row: Southern is embroiled in a bitter dispute with the Rail, Maritime and Transport union We will now sit down with union officials as quickly as possible to see if we can resolve the issue. If we can't, we'll await the outcome of the drivers' ballot and the union's next steps and we'll respond at that time. RMT general secretary: Mick Cash said Southern Rail under Govia Thameslink Railway has been 'an unmitigated disaster' Aslef threatened industrial action in the summer but pulled back after the threat of a legal challenge. The RMT said the latest strike was solidly supported, causing more travel misery for passengers. The union accused the company of mounting a vicious campaign of lies and dirty tricks after it claimed that conductors had defied previous stoppages. Southern said more than 27 per cent of conductors turned up for work during strikes last week. Union members will remain on strike for three days this week, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of services. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: Despite a vicious campaign of company lies and dirty tricks, including the spreading of bogus numbers about staff working and an attempt to bribe our members with a 2,000 bounty to sell out on passenger safety, the strike action this morning remains absolutely solid. Hotly-contested issue: Drivers on Southern Railway are to be balloted for industrial action after last-ditch talks failed to resolve a row over driver-only trains More strike action: Commuters arrive at London Victoria station on Southern services today Passengers know that Southern Rail under GTR is an unmitigated disaster, a fact confirmed by the all-party Transport Select Committee last week. They also know that the guards are fighting to put safety before private profit. That is the issue at the core of this dispute. GTR chief executive: Charles Horton said he wants passengers to 'get better on-board customer service and fewer delayed trains' The solution to this dispute can be achieved easily through a cast-iron guarantee of a second, safety-critical member of staff on all current services with a guard. If that safety guarantee is good enough for Scotland, it is good enough for the South of England. Southern said first-class travel had been declassified across all its services, telling ticket holders they could claim back the difference. GTR chief executive Charles Horton said: We'll have a second person on board every train that has one now and more. By modernising the train service so that drivers have sole control, passengers will get better on-board customer service and fewer delayed trains. This method of operation is safe - independent experts agree and a third of the UK's trains have operated this way for over 20 years. Belgian terror police have questioned 15 people after launching a series of early morning raids across the country. Officers descended on addresses in the Belgian cities of Ghent, Antwerp and Deinze, according to the federal prosecutor. Of those arrested, four were charged with involvement in terrorism as part of a probe into the financing of militant groups and recruiting fighters for ISIS. Belgian terror police have questioned 15 people after launching a series of early morning raids across the country (file picture) But the raids were not linked to the deadly Brussels attacks of March 22 in which 32 people were killed, authorities said. 'Those persons have been indicted for participation in the activities of a terrorist group, amongst others its funding,' a statement said. 'Some of them are suspected of recruiting people with a view to departing to Syria and joining Islamic State there,' it added. Of those arrested, four were charged with involvement in terrorism as part of a probe into the financing of militant groups and recruiting fighters for ISIS Belgium and much of the rest of Europe has been on edge following a wave of ISIS attacks. In March this year suicide bombers attacked Brussels Airport and a metro station killing 32 people. It came just months after fanatics went on a murderous rampage through Paris, using machine guns and bombs to murder 130 in cafes, bars and at the Bataclan music theatre. Proud 62-year-old mum Lina Alvarez has left hospital with her week-old daughter after a cesarean. The Spanish doctor shed tears and said, 'I couldn't feel happier', on the steps of Lucas Augusti Hospital in the Galician city of Lugo. Lina, who has named her daughter after herself, sparked debate in her home nation by announcing last month she was eight months pregnant with her third child thanks to IVF treatment. The Spanish doctor shed tears and said, 'I couldn't feel happier', on the steps of Lucas Augusti Hospital in the Galician city of Lugo The new arrival was born two weeks ahead of schedule last Monday weighing 5.2lbs after her mum was admitted for observation when she began to suffer high blood pressure. Lina's eldest son Exiquio, 28, who is disabled after a medical error left him injured during her pregnancy, and her second son Samuel, 10, met their sister shortly after her birth. She insisted today she felt 'phenomenal' as she left the hospital which has been her home for just over the past week and agreed to pose with her baby daughter for waiting photographers. She said: 'I feel phenomenal. I couldn't be better. I'm very very grateful to life for such a precious little thing.' Speaking before leaving hospital, she added: 'I'm looking forward to resting for at least a couple of days now so I can enjoy time with my daughter and recover. 'My emotions have got the better of me and I've been crying a lot out of happiness. 'My eldest son's smile since Lina was born is worth much more than all the criticism I might get for this.' Proud 62-year-old mum Lina Alvarez has left hospital with her week-old daughter after a cesarean Her pregnancy has caused heated debate in her native Galicia and prompted calls for a limit on the age at which women can obtain fertility treatment. Ms Alvarez had her second child 10 years after her menopause at the age of 52 thanks to IVF treatment. She ended up having to travel to Madrid to see a gynaecologist after many clinics refused to help her because of her age when she decided she wanted a third baby. Before the birth of her new daughter, she brushed off criticism and said: 'When she is 30 I'll be 90. 'She'll have been raised and life expectancy for women is growing all the time. 'I always wanted to be a mother again but most medical experts said 'no'. 'Then some years ago I met a gynaecologist who agreed to help me if the tests were okay. They were positive and so he helped me to implant an embryo. 'They said there was only a six per cent chance of success but I got pregnant with a baby girl. Lina admitted yesterday she had received calls from all over the world including London from well wishers and wannabe mums asking for information about the clinic which helped her get pregnant 'I feel like I'm having a second chance and the pregnancy has made me younger and stronger.' The world's oldest documented mother is Daljinder Kaur from India, who gave birth last year at the age of 70 after two years of IVF treatment. Baby Armaan was born weighing 4.4lbs. Britain's oldest mum is Elizabeth Adeney, from Suffolk, who had a son aged 66 in 2009 after travelling to Ukraine for treatment. Lina admitted yesterday she had received calls from all over the world including London from well wishers and wannabe mums asking for information about the clinic which helped her get pregnant. So far she has declined to reveal the name of the clinic or the gynaecologist. New figures have revealed seven in 10 ice users arrested by police are on the dole. A survey of 1,146 criminals done by the Australian Institute of Criminology also found 40 per cent of offenders would steal to support their drug habit. Their main crimes were robberies and drug dealing, the Herald Sun reported. Seven in 10 ice users arrested by police said they have been on government welfare, according to a report from The Australian Institute of Criminology Justice Minister Michael Keenan (pictured) said this was why the government has promised to put $300 million towards stopping the nation's ice epidemic 'We already know that too many Australians are addicted to ice. And it's a disturbing revelation that many are also on welfare,' Justice Minister Michael Keenan said. Mr Keenan said the ice epidemic was why the government had promised to put $300 million towards stopping the issue. The report found methamphetamine use of police detainees sky rocketed from 14 per cent in 2009 to 37 per cent in 2014. It also concluded addictive drugs such as ice are now stronger and easier to get. The study said it provided more evidence of the link between drug use and crime. A grandmother was busted by federal agents after she allegedly flew across the country with more than $500,000 worth of cocaine in her luggage. Cheryl Cheatham made a trip from Las Vegas to Detroit last week with the cocaine individually bagged in two separate pieces of luggage, according to federal court paperwork. After arriving to the Detroit Metro Airport on Friday at 5.39am aboard Delta Flight 1979, federal officers observed the 63-year-old woman looking suspiciously for her luggage while standing at the baggage claim area, the criminal complaint states according to the Detroit Free Press. Cheatham checked the tags on several pieces of luggage, 'as if she did not own the luggage for a very long period', the criminal complaint states. Busted: Cheryl Cheatham (pictured left in her arrest photo and a Facebook photo right), a grandmother was busted by federal agents after she allegedly flew across the country with more than $500,000 worth of cocaine in her luggage After arriving to the Detroit Metro Airport (file above) on Friday at 5.39am aboard Delta Flight 1979, federal officers observed her looking suspiciously for her luggage while standing at the baggage claim area She eventually picked up two large suitcases, and federal officers decided to follow Cheatham who hopped in a taxi. She then went to a Westin Southfield Hotel, however she did not check in. Cheatham, who is originally from Phoenix, Arizona, left in a chauffeured SUV and moments later it was stopped by police. The driver of the SUV gave consent for officers to search the vehicle. A drug dog began alerting that there was something in the SUV, and officers found the cocaine in her luggage, the complaint said. Flights from Las Vegas to Detroit are considered a drug smuggling route, according to the criminal complaint against Cheatham. Once she was arrested, Cheatham asked to call her daughter, however, she called a contact labeled on her cell phone as 'Loverboy', a prosecutor testified in a Michigan court. The prosecutor said the phone number did not match the number authorities had for her daughter and they did not reveal the identity of who 'Loverboy' is in court. Cheatham checked the tags on several pieces of luggage, 'as if she did not own the luggage for a very long period', the criminal complaint states. Once she picked up two bags, federal officers followed her Her lawyer, Todd Shanker, had requested that she return to Arizona, where she lives with her daughter and three grandchildren. In addition, her lawyer said she has numerous health issues, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, diabetes and emphysema. He also questioned the Constitutionality of the traffic stop that led to her arrest. 'At best, this looks like a mule situation,' Shanker said. 'When all is said and done, locking her up is not... good. I think she needs help.' Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Hutting argued that bond be denied in the case. 'This is a significant seizure in this area,' Hutting said. 'We can't chalk this up to youth and immaturity. These are crimes she committed as an adult.' She was arrested after the vehicle she was riding in was stopped by police. Cheatham (above) was denied bond due to the large amount of cocaine that was found on her and her lengthy criminal history Cheatham was denied bond by Judge David R. Grand due to the large amount of cocaine that was found on her and her lengthy criminal history. According to The Detroit Free Press, she has had numerous convictions since her early 30s including shoplifting, selling and possessing drugs, theft and failing to appear in court seven times. In addition, Cheatham also served a six and a half year sentence in prison for theft, prosecutors said. 'People make bad choices when they're younger,' Grand said, adding that 'as they get older' better decisions are made, the newspaper reported. 'Unfortunately, in your situation, that doesn't seem to have happened. More than 17,000 asylum seekers in Germany have filed lawsuits against the government aimed at getting their families to join them leaving courts struggling to cope. And now it is feared the legal action will open the floodgates to a new wave of mass immigration into the country. It comes as many in Germany say the social fabric is already at breaking point in many places and the fear of violence with natives is a real danger. More than 17,000 asylum seekers in Germany have filed lawsuits against the government aimed at getting their families to join them in the country. Pictured are migrants lining up at a temporary shelter in Giessen last year The migrants are seeking a change to their subsidiary protection status in Germany which can delay family reunification by two years. This wave of litigation is rolling through the country's administrative courts. In the first eight months of this year over 17,000 cases were filed, 6,000 of them in August alone, with 15,000 of the claims by Syrians. It is believed that judges are more likely to uphold their complaints in 90 per cent of cases, affording them 'superior protection' in accordance with the Geneva Convention on refugees. The protection status has significant implications for refugees. The majority of them who live with only subsidiary protection in Germany have to wait at least two years before applying for a spouse or children to join them. The affected asylum seekers have only to claim persecution due to religion, belonging to an ethnic group or belonging to a particular political group to change their status. And as a result, there are hundreds of lawyers willing to represent them in court. In the first eight months of this year over 17,000 cases were filed, 6,000 of them in August alone, with 15,000 of the claims by Syrians. Pictured are migrants at a refugee centre in Frankfurt Combined with the thousands of rejected migrants fighting deportation orders, observers say the German justice system could be mired in costly refugee-related litigation for a decade to come. Those opposed to increases in the numbers of refugees coming to Germany point to flashpoints where integration simply isn't working. In Chemnitz last month neo-Nazis hunted a group of immigrants through the streets of the city while this week in picturesque Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria the mayor appealed for help in handling 250 refugees whose behaviour is said to be out of control. After an influx of almost 900,000 migrants last year, some Germans fear their country is being overrun by foreigners. Donald Trump is 'wrong' about Russia, President Barack Obama said today, putting the Republican on blast for comments he made Monday about tension between the United States and its Cold War foe. 'Any characterization that somehow we have improperly challenged Russian aggression or have somehow tried to encroach on their legitimate interests is just wrong,' Obama proclaimed from the White House's Rose Garden. Obama said Trump's 'continued flattery' of Russian President Vladimir Putin 'and the degree to which he appears to model many of his policies and approaches to politics on Mr. Putin is unprecedented in American politics.' Trump suggested Monday that he could meet with Vladimir Putin before he's inaugurated, if he wins, to clean up after Obama. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Donald Trump is 'wrong' about Russia, President Barack Obama said today, putting the Republican on blast for comments he made Monday about tension between the United States and its Cold War foe He said it's no wonder that Putin has no respect for the sitting president and his preferred successor, Hillary Clinton, because they 'insult him constantly.' Clinton 'shouldn't be talking so tough' to Putin, Trump said. The former Obama administration official's obvious disdain for the Russian leader is a 'very serious problem,' Trump argued, and so is Obama's. Bickering between the two nations could lead to a 'really catastrophic situation,' Trump told conservative radio host Michael Savage. 'If I win on Nov. 8, I could see myself meeting with Putin and meeting with Russia prior to the start of the administration.' Putin's government is accused of hacking Democratic Party officials' email accounts and sending the contents to Wikileaks. An email dump in July forced Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to step down on the eve of the party's nominating convention. Wikileaks has published more than 12,000 stolen emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's account of the last week that contained cringeworthy messages about Chelsea sent by a former executive to the political family's charity and juicy details about the Democratic candidate and her staff. Emails that show coordination between Clinton staffers and the State Department, as well as the Department of Justice, have Trump and his supporters up in arms. The Republican says he'll put a special prosecutor on her case if he's elected, and she'll wind up in jail. The FBI is investigating the cyberthefts, which officials say they're confident were committed by Russia. The Russians 'seem to be doing everything that they can on behalf of our opponent,' Podesta said last week. Trump suggested Monday that he could meet with Vladimir Putin before he's inaugurated, if he wins, to clean up after Obama The Kremlin has denied its involvement while arguing that it doesn't matter who orchestrated the crimes. Trump has likewise said the government can't be sure it was Russia and defended Putin against the allegations - a move that has Clinton's campaign claiming he's being played like a 'fiddle' by the former KGB agent. Now he's pledging to do damage control with the foreign leader he believes can be an ally in the fight against ISIS. 'Putin has no respect at all for Obama. And I think that you have potentially a really catastrophic situation here, I'll be honest with you,' Trump told Savage, per the Washington Post. Trump said, 'They insult him constantly I mean, no wonder he cant stand Obama and Hillary Clinton.' Responding to Trump today during a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Obama said he 'showed Russia plenty of respect' at the beginning of his administration. The former Obama administration official's disdain for Russian leader Vladimir Putin is a 'very serious problem,' Trump said, as is the attitude of President Barack Obama. Trump said he may meet with Putin before he's inaugurated, if he wins But then the country invaded eastern Ukraine and wouldn't leave, he said. Putin continued to support Syria's Bashar al Assad despite the 'brutality' of the dictator's treatment of his own people. Russia's 'behavior has undermined international norms and international rules in ways that we have to call them out on,' Obama stated. 'And anybody who occupies this office should feel the same way, because these are values that we fought for and we protected.' Obama said Trump's rhetoric 'rarely surprises me these days.' The Democratic president said he's much more 'troubled' by Republican leaders who were 'constantly haranguing us' for having diplomatic talks with the Russians that are now behind Trump. A 'social experiment' set up by a YouTube star showing black men destroying a car with Donald Trump stickers all over it has been exposed as a hoax. Joey Salads set up the video, which has already racked up nearly 1 million views since it was posted on Monday, to show what happened after he got a car, put Trump paraphernalia on it, and 'parked it in a black neighborhood'. After five black men destroyed the car, Salads made a gross generalization and concluded: 'As you can see from this video, the black community is very violent towards Trump and his supporters.' But video footage from another angle exposed the 'vandals' as actors waiting patiently on the sidelines while a cameraman first trained the lens on Salads. Salads, whose real name is Joseph Saladino, hails from Staten Island, New York, where he has repeatedly come under fire for his controversial and misleading 'social experiments' and prank videos. Salads has been vocal about his support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and many of his followers on Twitter were quick to conclude the men in Monday's video were Hillary Clinton fans. Many expressed racist sentiments. Others slammed Salads for falsifying the events, with one Twitter user writing: '#JoeySalads doing America another disservice by making fake a** videos to perpetuate hate.' A YouTube 'social experiment' by Joey Salads (upper right hand corner) was exposed as a hoax after 'vandals' who trashed a Trump car were revealed to be actors standing on the sidelines (bottom left corner) Salads (pictured) said he wanted to capture the reaction after he got a car, put Trump paraphernalia on it, and 'parked it in a black neighborhood' A comparison of the aerial footage (inset) with Salads' video (main) shows the five men wearing the same clothes (noted in color coordinated circles) In the video, Salads does not specify where he is and what demographics make up a 'black' neighborhood. Salads establishes the premise of the experiment by stating that 'a lot of black people don't like Trump'. After the YouTube prankster steps out of the frame, suggesting he let the camera roll for 30 continuous minutes 'to see what happens', one man approaches the car before returning with four others. But eagle-eyed skeptics were quick to point out that a metal rod mysteriously appears in the bottom right hand corner of the shot after the '30 Minutes Later' title screen about 17 seconds into the video. With no explanation of how it got there, the editing suggests the metal rod was planted there since it serves as a useful prop later on. The rod was conveniently available to one of the actors, who used it to hit the car a few times, while his friends threw rocks into the windows and tore off Trump banners. Another video, which appears to be taken from inside the building overlooking the parking lot where Salads' was filmed, emerged online. The aerial shot showed the five men in the same clothes, standing off to the side, while the camera was trained on Salads as he appeared to be giving his opening monologue next to the car. The video showed one man approaching the car before returning with four other black men to tear at the Trump signs, break windows, and throw rocks at the car The video claims 15 more minutes elapse before the man returns with a group of people. The group then appears to begin destroying the in perfect unison Then, before all fleeing in unison, a man says: 'Get out of here with that Trump bulls***'. Salads claims the video shows how violent black neighborhoods are toward Trump and his supporters When Salads first posted the video, many of his 61,000 Twitter followers denounced the vandals thinking the events shown in the social experiment were real. Many of the Twitter users piled on a barrage of racist abuse, while others tried to use the video as 'proof' that the vandalism was typical of Democrats, liberals and Hillary Clinton supporters. Social media users soon pushed back, with people calling out Salads for his misleading message. Some admitted they initially believed the video, while user @DeadNed88 wrote: ''#JoeySalads doing America another disservice by making fake a** videos to perpetuate hate.' When Salads tweeted a post slamming Miley Cyrus as a 'role model to the liberal world', user @willburt31 wrote: 'Who are you to talk about role models? You're making fake social experiments portraying black people to be a certain type of way'. Salads has made his support for the Republican presidential candidate very clear, echoing Trump's sentiments that the media is 'rigged' while slamming Clinton. Some admitted they initially believed the video, while user @DeadNed88 wrote: ''#JoeySalads doing America another disservice by making fake a** videos to perpetuate hate.' Salads has become notorious for his controversial videos. A previous 'social experiment' sought to contrast people's reactions to a 'Muslim terrorist' compared to a Christian one. Salads posted shocking footage showing a man in a thawb running past people yelling 'Allahu Akbar' and flinging a silver case at their feet. Their terrified reactions were wildly different compared to the responses after another man wearing a t-shirt did the same thing, saying 'Praise Jesus' instead. Many commenters were appalled that the 'Islamic terrorist' was portrayed as someone simply donning cultural clothing. Posted one day after the nightclub shooting in Orlando, outraged viewers accused him of trying to use the horrific deaths of 49 people as clickbait to make money for his YouTube channel by tagging it with the keywords 'Orlando shooting' and 'Orlando gay club'. YouTube videos, by default, dont make money. Users have to enable them for monetization, which gives permission for YouTube to put adverts on videos and channels. Having at least one video approved for monetization makes that user a YouTube partner. Google, which owns YouTube, takes around 45 per cent of the earnings from advertisements based on what's known as CPM, or cost per 1,000 ad views. This means a YouTube channel owner doesnt make money until at least 1,000 people have clicked on a video running an advert - but once that happens, the YouTube partner can earn anywhere from 60 cents to $7 per CPM. According to the website Social Blade, Salads' annual salary from his YouTube page is estimated to be anywhere from $42,500 - $679,800 a year. Thousands of passengers suffered major disruption today after rail services through the Channel Tunnel were suspended because of a power failure. The disruption affected customers using Eurostar, which runs passenger trains using London St Pancras, and Eurotunnel, which operates freight and car services. The electrical supply problem in the train tunnel blocked traffic between Britain and destinations on the continent such as Paris, Brussels and Lille. Thousands of passengers suffered disruption today, including at London's St Pancras Station, after rail services through the Channel Tunnel were suspended because of a power failure The electrical supply problem in the train tunnel blocked traffic between Britain and the Continent. Pictured is the International Departures area at St Pancras Technicians were examining what caused the outage at 2pm. Here, a police officer talks to stranded passengers In March, Eurostar announced that it's underlying operating profit had fall by 38% over a year The fall in profits was mainly attributed by the ISIS-inspired terror attacks in Paris last November A line of passengers gathered outside shops in the main terminal of the station. While no trains were stuck underwater, stranded passengers had to wait for services to restart Technicians were examining what caused the outage at 2pm - and while no trains were stuck underwater, stranded passengers had to wait for services to restart. A Eurostar spokesman said: Were sorry for the current delays. Weve held traffic due to a technical issue on the line. Updates to follow. Eurotunnel said: Our passenger service is temporarily suspended due to a technical fault in the tunnel which is in the process of being resolved. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to your journey. Eurostar warned passengers that the issue was expected to take a few hours to fix. Some people were said to be stuck on trains. Passengers voiced their frustration, with one tweeting: So got to St Pancras only to find the Eurotunnel has been closed and no trains likely to run today *sigh* Simon Atkinson, of Barnet, North London, said: 'Britain is an island once again as power failure shuts tunnel and brings carnage to Eurostar Gare du Nord. Avoid!' Eurostar said sorry, adding: 'Weve held traffic due to a technical issue on the line'. Pictured is a woman talking on the phone while waiting at St Pancras Eurotunnel passengers have been offered alternatives for travel and are able to use the ferries. Pictured is a woman sitting by Departures in St Pancras station Some customers complained on Twitter that the communication they had received from Eurostar was insufficient A service update at St Pancras station asked passengers to rebook their journey online An electronic display board shows delayed Eurostar services in the international departures area at London St Pancras One man reads to pass the time in a busy departures area at St Pancras station There was also chaos at Gare de Nord station in Paris, where hundreds of people waiting at the bottom of this escalator waiting for information Eurotunnel said: Our passenger service is temporarily suspended due to a technical fault in the tunnel which is in the process of being resolved' And tour guide Genevra Charsley added: Delays coming, delays going, delays every time. Le Shuttle, will you ever change the habit of a lifetime in my lifetime? Other passengers sent messages to Eurostar to express their frustration. One passenger wrote: On train in Gare du Nord with delay - can someone turn the blasting air con off? Uncomfortable enough without being frozen into seats! Another Twitter user said: Are you aware yet of the estimated time of departure? My husband has serious mobility issues and it's unbearable in here Lille! Reaction: Passengers voiced their frustration at the situation by taking to Twitter today Meanwhile, Eurostar said today that a number of cross-Channel services are set to be cut as the company reviews its operations. Some passengers have been reluctant to travel to Paris and Brussels following terrorism incidents in both cities. Hillary Clinton was initially vetting 39 people to be her veep, a list that included her primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and a number of top business leaders such as Apple's Tim Cook and Microsoft's Bill Gates. The list was made public in the most recent Wikileaks dump, with John Podesta sharing a draft compiled by the campaign with Clinton in a March 17, 2016 email. It named a series of powerful figures from Silicon Valley - including Tim Cook and Bill Gates - retired generals and other non-politicians, such as Howard Schultz of Starbucks. Offering some insight into who will be seen in a Clinton White House for appointments or advisory roles, it suggested she consider a series of African-American and Hispanic mayors and other officials. Eventually the campaign opted for Tim Kaine. Scroll down for video Hillary Clinton was initially vetting 39 people to be her veep, a list that included a number of top business leaders, including Apple's Tim Cook (left) and Microsoft's Bill Gates (right) The list was made public in the most recent Wikileaks dump. Also on it: Clinton's primary rival Bernie Sanders Clinton's list was laid out by 'rough food groups,' as the campaign put it, clustering together Hispanic politicos, female politicians, white guys - including her eventual running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine - black government officials, ex-military and business leaders and tacking Sanders' name on the bottom HILLARY CLINTON'S LIST OF POSSIBLE VEEPS Clinton's campaign laid out her list by 'rough food groups,' as she put it, clustering together Hispanic politicos, female politicians, white guys - including her eventual running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine - black government officials, ex-military and business leaders, tacking Sanders' to the bottom. The campaign did not say it was grouping them this way, but it inserted space between politicians it was considering in sets. THE HISPANIC POLS Javier Becerra (Congressman representing Downtown LA) Julian Castro (Housing and urban development secretary) Eric Garcetti (Mayor of Los Angeles) Tom Perez (Secretary of labor) Ken Salazar (Ex-secretary of interior) THE FEMALE POLS Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin senator) Kirsten Gillibrand (New York senator) Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota senator) Claire McCaskill (Missouri senator) Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire senator) Debbie Stabenow (Michigan senator) Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts senator) WHITE MEN Michael Bennet (Colorado senator) Sherrod Brown (Ohio senator) Martin Heinreich (New Mexico senator) Tim Kaine (Virginia senator) Terry McAuliffe (Virginia governor) Chris Murphy (Connecticut senator) Tom Vilsack (Secretary of agriculture) BLACK MEN Steve Benjamin (Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina) Corey Booker (New Jersey senator) Andrew Gillum (Mayor of Tallahassee) Eric Holder (Ex-attorney general) Deval Patrick (Ex Massachusetts governor) Kasim Reed (Mayor of Atlanta) Anthony Foxx (Secretary of transportation) EX-MILITARY John Allen (Retired Marine general, ex- commander of allied military in Afghanistan) Bill McCraven (Retired admiral, ex-commander of US Special Operations Command) Mike Mullen (Retired admiral, ex-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) BUSINESS LEADERS Mary Barra (Chairman and CEO, General Motors) Michael Bloomberg (President and CEO, Bloomberg L.P.) Ursula Burns (Chairman and CEO, Xerox) Tim Cook (CEO, Apple) Bill Gates (Microsoft founder) Melinda Gates (Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) Muhtar Kent (Chairman and CEO, Coca-Cola) Judith Rodin (President, Rockefeller Foundation) Howard Schultz (Chairman and CEO, Starbucks) TACKED ON AT THE END Bernie Sanders Advertisement The email came after Clinton scored what was to prove the decisive blow against Sanders. 'I can breathe again!' the aide relayed to his boss after Clinton bested Sanders in five of the five March 15 primaries. 'Congrats on a fabulous night.' Podesta then told Clinton that he was ready to 'get back to the longer term again' and then supplied the list, which he called 'a first cut of people to consider for VP.' Clinton's campaign laid out the list by 'rough food groups,' as Podesta put it, clustering together Hispanic politicos, female politicians, white male politicians - including her eventual running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine - black elected or appointed officials , ex-military and business leaders, tacking Sanders to the bottom in a category by himself. The use of the term 'food groups' is likely to haunt Clinton's attempts to highlight her record on diversity as it suggests an interest in symbolic gestures to specific electoral groups on the part of her campaign. Among the Hispanic politicos included were Julian Castro, the Democrats' 2012 keynote convention speaker who was the mayor of San Antonio, Texas, a state the Democrats hope to turn blue, before taking on his current role as President Obama's HUD secretary. Tom Perez, the secretary of labor and Rep. Javier Becerra, were also on Clinton's short list for the veep slot. She was also apparently eyeing Ken Salazar, the former interior secretary, and Eric Garcetti, the Latino mayor of Los Angeles. Clinton's female picks were her sisters in the Senate, including the ultra progressive Elizabeth Warren, who left-wing liberals wanted for the White House before Sanders jumped in, and the openly gay Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. Among Clinton's white male political picks she has longtime Clinton ally, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and politicians from swing states including Iowa's Tom Vilsack, the current secretary of agriculture, and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a progressive voice in the Midwest. There were seven black men Clinton was considering including more well known names like New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who came to national prominence while mayor of Newark, Eric Holder, President Obama's first attorney general and Deval Patrick, the former governor of Massachusetts and Anthony Foxx, who heads Obama's department of transportation. Clinton also included on her list a handful of up-and-coming Democrats, who are black, Southern mayors. She liked Steve Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, Andrew Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, Florida - another swing state - and Kasim Reed the mayor of Atlanta Georgia. The former secretary of state was looked at a trio of military types too, including John Allen, a four-star Marine Corps general, Bill McCraven, a Navy admiral and Mike Mullen, also a Navy admiral. In a likely effort to counteract what Republican primary voters liked about Donald Trump's business savvy, Clinton's list included nine top American business leaders. At this point in the Republican primaries, Trump had become the comfortable frontrunner having pushed Florida Gov. Jeb Bush out of the race after South Carolina and besting Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida - his home state - by about 20 points in the primary two days before, forcing Rubio to also drop out. To her list, Clinton added Cook, Gates and Melinda Gates, the Microsoft CEO's successful and philanthropic spouse. Clinton also included Starbucks' Howard Schultz, Michael Bloomberg - the businessman and former New York City mayor who would go on to endorse Clinton and speak in front of the Democratic National Convention. Other business leaders Clinton thought about tapping included Mary Barra, the CEO and chairwoman of General Motors, Ursula Burns, the head of Xerox who was the first black female CEO to head a Fortune 500 company, Muhtar Kent, the CEO of Coca-Cola and Judith Rodin, the president of the Rockefeller Foundation. Intriguingly, it did not name one of Silicon Valley's most prominent women - Cheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, who had presented the campaign with research on female leadership the previous year. Finally, at the very end of her list, she included Sanders - who nipped at her heels all primary season before endorsing her and coming on board as a surrogate to her campaign. 'Let me know if there are people you would like to see added or removed before we begin the process,' Podesta wrote to Clinton before signing off the email. Ursula Burns (left), the head of Xerox and the first black female CEO to head a Fortune 500 company, pictured with President Obama (right), was among the 39 names on the veep list Among the prominent business types that the Clinton campaign added to the veepstakes list was General Motors CEO Mary Barra Cory Booker, the energetic senator from New Jersey and former mayor of Newark, was among the prominent black politicians included on the Clinton list The list suggests that Clinton could have opted to set a precedent on the VP pick in any number of ways. Among the options suggested by Podesta were, if Clinton had gone for a woman, the first female vice-president. Only two women have ever been on the ticket, for the Republicans Sarah Palin with John McCain in 2008, and for the Democrats Geraldine Ferraro with Walter Mondale in 1984. Other firsts which were rejected were the first black vice-president, the first Hispanic vice-president, and the first openly gay vice-president, in the form of Tim Cook, the chairman and CEO of Apple, or Tammy Baldwin, the Wisconsin senator. She could also have opted for a non-politician, with a list from the world of business and the military. Instead she opted for Tim Kaine, a white married father of three who has been an elected politician since 1994, and whose father-in-law was the governor of Virginia before him. Pictures have emerged of Russian warships sailing towards Britain as they make their way to Syria. Norwegian Armed Forces captured images of a fleet of Russian warships sailing off its coastline, including an aircraft carrier, submarine and nuclear powered battleship. It comes just days after the Royal Navy was put on red alert after it was revealed that Russia planned to send a fleet of warships along the British coast as they made their way to the Mediterranean. An MOD source told MailOnline today that the ships were still north of Scotland but were expected to head toward the Channel 'within days'. The Russian fleet, which includes the 55,000-tonne aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, will 'be escorted by a Navy destroyer', the source said. Scroll down for video Pictures have emerged of Russian warships sailing towards Britain as they make their way to Syria. Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is pictured passing the Norwegian island of Andoya in international waters Norwegian Armed Forces captured images of a fleet of Russian warships sailing off its coastline, including an aircraft carrier, submarine (pictured) and nuclear powered battleship The Royal Navy was put on red alert after it was revealed that Russia planned to send a fleet of warships along the British coast. The Russian nuclear powered battleship Pyotr Velikiy is pictured above Russia's flagship Admiral Kuznetsov and seven additional vessels will pass the UK on their voyage to the war-torn country as it prepares to bomb rebel forces in Aleppo. The fleet is expected to carry out practice bombing north of Scotland before potentially sailing down the English Channel - a mile off the coast of Britain. It comes amid rapidly escalating tensions between the west and Russia, as the Kremlin looks to give a show of strength right on the doorstep of the UK. Two British warships, possibly HMS Duncan and HMS Richmond, will be deployed by the Royal Navy to escort the vessels past Britain,The Times reported. The Russian ships departed from the naval port of Severomorsk. Fellow Nato countries are expected to track the fleet's progress along Scandinavia, past the UK and into the Mediterranean, while British fighter jets will be on standby. After arriving off the coast of Syria, the Kuznetsov is expected to take up position there for almost half a year. The deployment comes amid tense relations between the UK and Russia, exasperated by comments made by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Mr Johnson was roundly criticised for his shameful callcall for anti-war protests over the bombing of Sryia outside the Russian embassy in London. Russian ships were pictured today sailing past the Bosphorus Straight off Istanbul and are believed to be heading for the Syrian port Tartus The Tapir class warship BSF Nikolay Filchenkov 152, pictured, was seen off Turkey today Sailors were shown wrapping up warm, pictured, aboard the ship as they head for Tartus, where Russia is poised to create a permanent naval base Relations with the West are rapidly deteriorating over Russia's role in the Syria conflict Russia accused him of Russophobic hysteria and said his claims Moscow had committed every deadly sin was a storm in a teacup full of muddy London water. It comes as many defence experts warned that Russia's economy appeared to be on a war footing. Reports from Moscow suggested the Kremlin had ordered officials to fly home all relatives living abroad - with some residents claiming it is 'another step towards war'. The Kremlin is said to have told high ranking officials to bring their loved ones back to the 'Motherland' immediately - with any who disobey being overlooked for promotion. Relations with the West are rapidly deteriorating over Russia's role in the Syria conflict and just days after Putin moved nuclear-ready missiles closer to the border with Poland. The Royal Navy is on red alert after it was revealed that Russia plans to sail a fleet of warships along the British coast as it makes it way to Syria Two British warships, possibly HMS Duncan and HMS Richmond (pictured), will be scrambled by the Royal Navy to navigate the vessels past Britain Admiral Kuznetsov, a heavy aircraft-carrying missile cruiser, is the flagship of the Russian Navy (pictured, sailors on the Kuznetsov's deck) Putin also cancelled a planned visit to France amid a furious row over Moscow's role in the Syrian conflict and just days after it emerged the Kremlin had moved nuclear-capable missiles near to the Polish border. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned just days ago that the world is at a 'dangerous point' due to rising tensions between Russia and the US. Moscow has been accused of posturing to the rest of the world by prepping civilians for potential war, instructing them to check on the availability of bomb shelters and gas masks. In response, US intelligence officials told NBC News that the CIA is preparing for a possible cyber attack on the Kremlin to embarrass its leadership. The deployment comes amid tense relations between the UK and Russia (President Vladimir Putin, left), exasperated by comments made by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (right) Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned just days ago that the world is at a 'dangerous point' due to rising tensions between Russia and the US Many defence experts believe Russia is not intent on war but is instead throwing its weight around to deter western countries from intervening with Russian bombing in Syria. Among the 'stunts' carried out by the Kremlin have been state-sponsored television guides on how to prepare in the event of an attack on Russian soil. State-controlled media has also carried news bulletins warning civilians to familiarise themselves with the nearest bomb shelters and clarifying which government bodies would take command in the breakout of war. Last week Russia moved nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles into one of its regions on the Baltic Sea - prompting a fearful response from Poland and Estonia. Russia says the missiles are being deployed as part of regular military manoeuvres to Kaliningrad, but it comes amid heightened tensions between the country and the West. Newly elected Labor MP Chansey Paech proclaimed he is 'young, gay and black' in a powerful speech on the first day of the Northern Territory's Parliament. Mr Paech, a 28-year-old from Alice Springs, was elected in August to represent Namatjira, which includes Uluru. 'Madam Speaker, I am young, I am gay, I am black, a true blue Territorian,' Mr Paech told the 13th Parliament on Tuesday, according to the ABC. Newly elected Labor MP Chansey Paech (pictured) proclaimed he is 'young, gay and black' in a powerful speech on the first day of the Northern Territory's 13th Parliament on Tuesday Mr Paech (pictured second from right with former MP Nova Peris), a 28-year-old from Alice Springs was elected in August to represent Namatjira, which includes Uluru 'I am a Centralian man, I am the nation's first openly gay, Indigenous parliamentarian.' 'I am eternally proud of who I am and where I come from, I own it and wear it with pride.' His mother is of Eastern Arrernte and Gurindji heritage, while his father is Caucasian. Mr Paech said he represented the diverse rural community, and called for marriage equality and roadways to some of Australia's most isolated areas. Mr Paech posted a photo with his fellow Labor representatives on Tuesday (pictured fourth from right) Mr Paech is the first openly gay, Aboriginal MP to be elected (pictured on his election night) He said his family had always been passionate about local and national politics, Mr Paech told SBS. Mr Paech said getting involved himself was the natural next step after working for multiple community organisations in Alice Springs. 'Quite often we talk about wanting things to change,' he says. 'I didn't want to be the kind of person who just sits around and talks about change, I wanted to be part of making that change happen.' Restaurants and food stalls in Malaysia must rename their 'hotdogs' or risk having them banned, the government there said today. Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country and the government's religious authority has threatened to withdraw the snack's halal certificate. Although hotdogs in the West are traditionally made of pork, in Malaysia they have have to be made of chicken in order to pass strict halal rules. But now it seems the name itself has fallen foul of the authorities. People eat at the Jalan Alor Bukit Bintang street market in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Apparently some Muslim tourists have taken the name hotdog too literally Sirajuddin Suhaimee, director of the halal division of the Department of Islamic Development, said there had been a number of complaints from tourists from other Muslim countries who had apparently taken the name too literally. He said: 'Any halal products that make consumers confused, we have to change,' he said. 'In Islam, dogs are considered unclean and the name cannot be related to halal certification.' Numerous street vendors and restaurants must rename hotdogs or risk being refused a halal certificate in Malaysia The ruling, which also bans any other canine food names such as cheesedog or chillidog, has been ridiculed on social media. One Facebook user wrote: 'Please stick to religion...don't be an English language adviser.' Another mischievously suggested: 'Pet shops please rename ur dogs as sausages.' Mr Sirajuddin said they would be checking up on hundreds of food outlets which currently advertise 'hotdogs' to make sure they are not flouting the ban. US pretzel chain Auntie Anne's, which has 45 outlets in Malaysia, said it had no qualms about renaming its pretzel dogs - sausages wrapped with pretzels - following the edict. 'It's a minor issue. We are fine with changing the name and are still working on it,' said Farhatul Kamilah Mohamed Sazali, an executive at Auntie Anne's Malaysia. Hot sausage? Doesn't sound as good as hot dog, does it? Mr Sirajuddin suggested pretzel dogs be called pretzel sausages and he is thought to favour 'hot sausages' as the dull but factually accurate replacement for 'hotdogs'. Malaysia has long practised a moderate form of Islam but conservative attitudes are rising. A company last year introduced halal bottled mineral water in Malaysia, and Islamic speed dating sessions - where single women are chaperoned - have been embraced. A halal convention in Kuala Lumpur last year, which drew thousands of delegates and hundreds of exhibitors, showcased products ranging from food and cosmetics to collagen produced from yaks in Tibet. Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump's eldest daughter and one of his most powerful female surrogates, says she has no plans of making her campaign role permanent if the billionaire wins the White House. 'No, I don't intend to be part of the government,' Trump told Fast Company in an interview released Monday. That doesn't mean her father hasn't flirted with the idea, telling 'First Coast News' in August, as Politico pointed out, that supporters would love to see Ivanka in his cabinet. Scroll down for video Ivanka Trump said in an interview with Fast Company that she would not be entering the government should her dad win the White House When Donald Trump was mulling who he might want to put in his cabinet, his daughter's name was the first to come up. But Ivanka Trump said she wouldn't be working in Washington In mulling over future cabinet members Trump said, 'Well, there are so many different ones to choose, I can tell you everybody would say "Put Ivanka in! Put Ivanka in! You know that, right?"' Trump said. 'She's very popular, she's done very well. And you know Ivanka very well,' Trump continued. 'But there really are so many that are talented people, like you,' the Republican nominee adding broadening his cabinet search outside his family tree. As far as a role in the campaign, Ivanka Trump even pushed back when the writer of the Fast Company profile referred to her as a 'surrogate wife,' likely referencing the fact that Ivanka Trump is on the campaign trail more than her dad's wife Melania. It's 'deeply offensive,' Ivanka said of that term. 'I feel that that's a very sexist thing to say.' Fast Company detailed some of the highs and lows of being Ivanka Trump throughout this campaign. Business-wise, her father's presidential bid has been a boon for the young businesswoman. Net sales of the clothing arm of the company were up $11.8 million during the first six months of 2016 compared to last year and the light pink dress that Ivanka Trump sported when introducing her father at the Republican National Convention quickly sold out. The company's website traffic is up 50 percent over last year, Fast Company also reported, due to Ivanka Trump's even more public profile. But the potential first daughter has also had to deal with her family's name and reputation dragged through the mud. She said the media coverage of her father has made her 'tougher.' 'I mean, it's been a year and a half of enormous scrutiny of my family, every business, every movement, action,' Ivanka Trump said. 'But I think that, you know, that sort of comes with the territory. And I think I've probably learned a lot through it and I've probably grown a bit tougher in terms of my resilience toward what is our thrown our way because, you know, I've read some very negative stuff.' As far as some of the more painful accusations, like women coming out publicly to say that they'd been kissed or groped by the Republican nominee against their will, Ivanka Trump said she doesn't believe it. 'The greatest comfort I have is the fact that I know my father,' she said. 'Most of the people who write about him don't. I do.' Tech billionaire Peter Thiel is facing backlash over his decision to donate $1.25 million to Donald Trump. Thiel announced he was forking over the hefty sum to the Republican candidate last week, which almost immediately led to people calling for a boycott of PayPal - which he co-founded. Other powerful figures within Silicon Valley also took a stand against Thiel's decision, with Ellen Pao cutting ties with Y Combinator - an organization where the billionaire is a 'part-time partner'. Scroll down for video Tech billionaire Peter Thiel is facing backlash over his decision to donate $1.25 million to Donald Trump Pao, who has been a strong advocate for diversity in the tech industry and was an executive with Reddit, said her group, Project Include, would no longer be associated with the start-up accelerator. 'Diversity and inclusion are hard, especially in tech,' she wrote on Medium. 'But we are completely outraged to read about Thiel donating $1.25 million to Trump, "apparently unfazed by the storm around the candidate in the last week following the broadcasting of lewd conversations." 'While all of us believe in the ideas of free speech and open platforms, we draw a line here. We agree that people shouldnt be fired for their political views, but this isnt a disagreement on tax policy, this is advocating hatred and violence. Thiel (pictured after speaking at the Republican National Convention in July) has come under fire from other Silicon Valley executives, who accuse him of 'advocating hatred and violence' by supporting Trump 'We agree that people shouldnt be fired for their political views, but this isnt a disagreement on tax policy, this is advocating hatred and violence,' Ellen Pao wrote after Thiel's donation 'And donating $1.25 million is a lot more than speech. Money is power. 'Giving more power to someone whose ascension and behavior strike fear into so many people is unacceptable.' Many took to social media to criticize Thiel for the political donation, with others taking it a step further and saying people should stop using PayPal. 'Time to boycott PayPal... Peter Thiel doesn't deserve money coming from groups defamed and abused by Trump,' one person tweeted. People called for a boycott of PayPal, which Thiel (pictured with Elon Musk in 2000) co-founded in 1998 The hashtag '#BoycottPayPal' was widely shared on social media by people annoyed by Thiel's support of Donald Trump 'What tech do I have to stop using to boycott Peter Thiel?' Nico Crisafulli asked. 'Boycott #paypal and #Thiel. #ImWithHer,' another wrote. '#BOYCOTTPAYPAL FOR DONATING TO TRUMP. CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNTS NOW,' Amarie Gibson tweeted. 'Well, let me go delete my account. I can't support those that support Trump,' Sharon Chandler said. Thiel founded the payment company in 1998 with Max Levchin. It was then sold to EBay for $1.5 billion in 2002. However, other pointed out it would be more impactful if users stopped using Facebook - as Thiel was an early investor in the company and still sits on the Board of Directors Many suggested a PayPal boycott would not hurt Thiel, as he no longer is involved with the company after selling it in 2002 The sale had other users pointing out that a boycott of PayPal might not be the most impactful course of action. 'Peter Thiel hasn't been involved with PayPal since EBay's takeover, (but) he does however own lots of Facebook stock, you might want to boycott FB,' one person said. 'Wonder if the folks claiming to #boycottpaypal are also deleting their @facebook pages since Peter Thiel is a shareholder and on the FB (Board of Directors),' another said. 'If you're silly enough to #boycottPayPal, you should boycott #Facebook too. #PeterThiel is on the board,' Philister Sidigu added. Thiel was an early investor in Facebook, and he was reelected to the social network's board in July. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Green Bay on October 17 Peter Thiel speaks on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio The billionaire made headlines earlier this year when it was revealed he funded former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker Media. Hogan won the suit, which he filed after the website published a snippet of a sex tape he filmed, and the company was bankrupted as a result. He also took the stage at the Republican convention, implying that Silicon Valley was out of touch in his speech. 'My industry has made a lot of progress in computers and in software - and of course it's made a lot of money. But Silicon Valley is a small place,' he said. 'The great debate is now who gets to use which bathroom. That is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares?' A Maine grandfather was working on a tractor while babysitting his two-year-old grandson when police say he accidentally backed over the toddler, killing him. The deadly incident that took the life of 54-year-old Raymond Rayeski Sr's namesake grandchild occurred Monday in the town of Burnham. According to state police say, the young victim, identified as Raymond Rayeski III, had been on the tractor with his grandfather, working near a woodpile. Tragic accident: Raymond Rayeski Sr, 54, was working on his tractor with his two-year-old namesake grandson when he backed over the boy, killing him (stock image) The deadly accident took place at the grandfather's home on Pond Road in Burnham, Maine At one point, the toddler climbed off to play, but the grandfather continued operating the tractor. Rayeski was cleaning up debris from his property on Pond Road and dumping the items a short distance away and didn't realize that little Raymond had walked behind the tractor. After running over the toddler, Mr Rayeski rushed him to Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield, where the two-year-old succumbed to his injuries. TOWIE actress Lauren Goodger is being investigated by police following an alleged bust-up with two women at the Sugar Hut nightclub in Essex. Bouncers had to reportedly separate the busty reality TV personality from two others towards the end of a busy Saturday night. Sugar Hut has been made famous by the ITV2 series and a source claimed Goodger was checked over by the bouncers while the other revellers were viewed as 'trouble makers'. Lauren Goodger is being investigated by police over claims she was caught up in a fight with two women at Sugar Hut nightclub The nightclub is a favourite hangout for TOWIE celebrities such as Joey Essex, Chloe Simms and Megan McKenna A source claimed bouncers checked over Goodger but viewed the other two as troublemakers A source told The Sun that Goodger had been partying at the Essex club before the scuffle. The paper claimed a third party was trying to pull Goodger's hands from a girl's head when security stepped in. A police spokesman said: 'We are investigating reports of assaults occurring at around 1.30am on Sunday morning, October 9, on the first floor of the Sugar Hut in Brentwood High Street. 'Officers were contacted with reports three women were assaulted.' A spokesman for Goodger, who made a return to the reality show on Sunday, declined to comment. A spokesman for Sugar Hut said: 'CCTV recordings have been reviewed and there is no evidence of the alleged altercation. 'Sugar Hut operates a zero tolerance on violence and any persons acting or being violent to our staff or customers would be ejected from the premises immediately regardless of who they are.' Lauren Goodger's TOWIE return sent fans wild on Twitter on Sunday night as they struggled to tell the difference between her and Megan McKenna (left) The nightclub is a favourite hangout for TOWIE celebrities such as Joey Essex, Chloe Simms and Megan McKenna. In August a bouncer at the club was filmed smacking a reveller in the face outside the venue in a savage attack. A ponytailed dwarf has been arrested on suspicion of leaving a backpack bomb outside a police station in a small Colorado mountain town. The homemade explosive device was found by a police officer, and although someone had tried several times to remotely detonate it using a cellphone it had failed to go off, according to court documents released Monday. David Michael Ansberry, 64, of San Rafael, California, was arrested this weekend in Chicago after he was caught on surveillance video buying cellphones that were used to try to trigger the explosive in the town of Nederland, investigators said. He was easily recognizable because he is 3 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 100 pounds, wore a ponytail and ball cap, and walked using crutches. The Nederland police chief told investigators he spotted a man matching Ansberry's description leaving a hotel as it was being evacuated during the October 11 bomb scare. Video courtesy of CBS Denver A bomb was left in a rucksack outside a police station in the small town of Nederland in Colorado, a community famous for its love of legal marijuana Ansberry was charged with a federal explosives count after the FBI launched an investigation following the discovery of the bomb. U.S. Justice Department counterterrorism prosecutors are handling the case, and court documents have not indicated a possible motive. Sources told CBS4 that Ansberry has been linked to a radical hippie group known as STP, or the STP Family. The counterculture group was reportedly once based in the mountains outside of Boulder and known to be violent. Sources also said Ansberry may have been seeking revenge for something that happened more than 40 years ago. The bomb scare rattled the mountain-ringed town of 1,500 people, which lies southwest of Boulder - an artists' refuge which has long thrived on its embrace of outsiders. Robots searched the device, before it was eventually detonated in a parking lot The newly-released court documents say that a detective found the backpack and brought it into the police station, believing it was lost property. After opening the bag, the detective discovered a cellular device with protruding wires that connected to a battery and a suspicious powder, the documents said. Robots searched the explosive, and it was eventually detonated in the parking lot of the town's main retail complex, a strip mall that houses the five-officer police department. Authorities have not said what kind of destruction the bomb might have caused. A front desk agent at The Boulder Creek Lodge said Ansberry told him he was in town to visit an old friend who was a professor but did not elaborate. David Michael Ansberry, 64, of San Rafael, California, was arrested following an FBI investigation, which was launched after the bomb was discovered J.P. Farrell told The Associated Press that Ansberry stayed at the hotel, which is within sight of the police station for about two weeks, then left and returned, describing him as a pleasant guest. Ansberry was staying there the day of the bombing, authorities said. 'The community knows there has been an arrest, and that goes to calming people's fears,' said Alisha Reis, administrator for the town best known for its love of legal marijuana and its annual celebration of a frozen corpse that draws tens of thousands of revelers. 'But folks are still confused as to why it occurred. Who is this person? And why would he have done it here?' Residents have recently complained about homeless campers and wanderers who live off the land. Two people camping near an area popular with transients attracted to the laid-back community were charged this summer with accidentally sparking a fire that destroyed eight homes. A community leader involved in the negotiations to obtain the release of the schoolgirls abducted from Chibok in northern Nigeria has said more than 100 of them are unwilling to return home. More than 200 girls were taken from a school in Chibok in April 2014 by members of the extremist Islamist Boko Haram group, who have held them in captivity ever since, forcibly converting many from Christianity. After 21 of the girls were released last week - possibly following the payment of a ransom - Nigeria's government is negotiating the release of another 83. But Pogu Bitrus, chairman of the Chibok Development Association, said more than 100 others appeared unwilling to leave their captors. He said they were ashamed to return home because they were forced to marry extremists and have their babies. This video was released by Boko Haram in August. Some of the girls may be be suffering from 'Stockholm syndrome', where they identify with and feel affection for their captors Mr Bitrus said the freed girls have told their parents they were separated into two groups early on in their captivity, when Boko Haram commanders gave them the choice of joining the extremists and embracing Islam, or becoming their slaves. The latter group - made up of 104 girls - never saw their classmates again. Mr Bitrus said they were used as domestic workers and porters but were not sexually abused. That group contain the 21 who were released last week and the 83 who the government are negotiating over. A father and mother were overcome with emotion when they are reunited with their daughter, one of 21 freed after being kidnapped by Boko Haram, at the weekend He said the 21 girls freed last week might have to be educated abroad because of the stigma they will face in Nigeria. The girls were reunited with their parents at the weekend and are expected to meet Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari tomorrow. Mr Buhari has said his government is prepared to talk with Boko Haram about the release of the remaining girls. A total of 276 schoolgirls were taken from a school in Chibok by armed men. Dozens escaped early on and Mr Bitrus said the girls who were released last week have said six more died during their 30 months in captivity. Mr Bitrus said many of those who escaped two years ago were taunted as 'Boko Haram wives' by people in Chibok and had moved away. At least 20 were being educated in the United States. A delighted father hugs his freed daughter at the weekend (left). Earlier Oludolapo Osinbajo , the wife of Nigeria's Vice President, consoled one of the 21 released Chibok girls in Abuja (right) Mr Bitrus: 'We would prefer that they are taken away from the community and this country because the stigmatisation is going to affect them for the rest of their lives. 'Even someone believed to have been abused by Boko Haram would be seen in a bad light.' One Chibok girl, Amina Ali Nkeki, escaped in May this year. Yakubu Nkeki, chairman of the Chibok Parents' Association, said she has been reunited with the 21 freed girls, who were still being treated by doctors, psychologists and trauma counsellors at a hospital in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. Emos Lawal, whose daughter was freed last week, said his daughter was 'praying that let the rest of them have the chance to come out.' One girl in the freed group, who was pregnant when she was abducted, is now a mother of a young child. Pouring rain did not deter families who came many miles to be reunited with their daughters. There were emotional scenes as they were reunited after more than two years apart Chibok is a small and conservative Christian enclave in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria, where many parents are involved in translating the Bible into local languages and belong to the Nigerian branch of the Elgin, an evangelical church based in the United States. Nigeria's government has denied reports the girls were swapped for four Boko Haram commanders, or that a large ransom was paid. Their abduction in 2014 made headline news globally and US First Lady Michelle Obama joined the #BringBackOurGirls online movement. Abana Muta, (left), and his wife Hawa, smile during an interview as they wait for their daughter, Blessing, one of 21 schoolgirls freed by Boko Haram Families celebrate with their daughters, who have been freed after negotiations with a Boko Haram faction Some of the 21 freed Chibok girls were brought to the office of Nigeria's Vice President, Yemi Osinbanjo, last week Buhari, who hails from the overwhelmingly Muslim and Hausa north of Nigeria, was elected president in May last year. Despite winning back swathes of territory from the jihadists, President Buhari has faced intense criticism for failing to recover the young captives, who became the defining symbol of Boko Haram's brutal campaign to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state in the country. The insurgency has claimed more than 20,000 lives and displaced 2.6 million people since Boko Haram took up arms against the Nigerian government in 2009. The house where Adolf Hitler was born may not be knocked to the ground after all, after a fresh row broke out over a controversial ruling. It was announced yesterday that the building in Austria's northern town of Braunau would be 'torn down' to prevent it becoming a neo-Nazi shrine. The demolition was announced by Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka. The home where Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau will be demolished and replaced with another building But now several members of the panel behind the decision have denied that demolition was agreed, meaning the house where the evil dictator was born on April 20, 1889, could remain standing after all. 'The demolition option had been explicitly mentioned in the (government's) proposal and was not approved by us,' said Clemens Jabloner, the ex-president of Austria's highest administrative court, in a joint statement with historian Oliver Rathkolb. Instead, the committee had suggested a 'profound architectural redesign'. 'A demolition would amount to negating Austria's Nazi past,' the pair said. Hitler was born in the building on April 20 1889. During the Third Reich it was a place of pilgrimage for loyal Nazis Braunau mayor Johannes Waidbacher, another panel member, also said there had been 'no mention of demolition' in the report. Sobotka had said the decision was based on recommendations from an expert committee, and said a new building on the site could be used by a charity or local authorities. Today he insisted that the main goal was to destroy any 'resemblance' to the current house, 'especially its outer appearance'. Whether this process would an involve an actual demolition could be discussed, he told journalists in Vienna. The former pub in Braunau-am-Inn, north of Salzburg, will be demolished The government would put the new building design out to tender, Sobotka added. A copy of the commission's report showed the experts had been 'against leaving an empty space instead of a building'. 'A complete transformation or removal of the building is in principle suited to erase the place's ideological connotation and dissolve the emotional ties with Hitler. But... a historical contextualisation remains necessary,' the report read. Hitler's birthplace has long been a thorn in the side of politicians and townspeople. The owner of the former pub in Braunau-am-Inn, north of Salzburg, had repeatedly refused to sell the building. The taxpayer has been paying over 4,000-a-month rent to the woman who owns the building for years, just to keep it empty. A panel of experts has disputed saying that Hitler's birthplace should be demolished, bringing the building's future back into question During the Third Reich it was a place of pilgrimage for loyal Nazis. After the war it served, at various times, as a workshop for disabled people, a library and a storeroom. Earlier this year Austrian authorities took the decision to compulsory purchase the building, fearful that it could one day fall into the hands of neo-Nazis who journey with infuriating regularity to the site to pay homage to their idol. Every year on Hitler's birthday, anti-fascist protesters organise a rally outside the building, next to a memorial stone reading: 'For Peace, Freedom and Democracy. Never Again Fascism, Millions of Dead Warn.' 'Whether the house stays or not changes nothing in our responsible dealings with history,' said district commissioner Georg Wojak on Tuesday. 'Braunau doesn't deserve to be reduced to Hitler's dictatorship.' The parents of a 17-year-old boy who smashed a car killing his friend who had allowed him drive are facing prosecution for failing to teach him the difference between right and wrong. Jordy Kinoo from Kruiseke, eastern Belgium managed to scramble free of the car after he crashed through a concrete pole and rolled the Citroen onto its roof. Niels Forrest, 24, had given his friend the keys of the car - despite knowing the teenager did not have a driving licence. Niels Forrest, pictured, died after he gave the keys of his car to a 17-year-old Jordy Kinoo who smashed the vehicle into a lamp post and rolled the Citroen C2 onto its roof in May 2015 Jordy Kinoo, pictured, was speeding in the car when he lost control and crashed into a pole Forrest, pictured here in the high-viz jacket, was a major rally fan. He died instantly when the concrete pole came through the passenger side of his car after Kinoo lost control A court in Flanders heard that Forrest had given the teenager the keys of his car on several previous occasions before the fatal smash in May 2015. Eyewitnesses said the car was speeding along the road which had been closed to traffic when the youngster lost control of the Citroen C2. Kinoo was banned from driving for two years with the final twelve months suspended and fined 1,200. He also received a 12-month suspended sentence. Kinoo, pictured, was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence, fined 1,200 and banned from driving for two years with the final 12 months suspended by a court in Flanders The accident happened near Wervik in Belgium near the border with France However, his parents now face prosecution for failing to teach him the difference between right and wrong. In court at Ypres, the lawyer for the parents Kinoo claimed that the car's owner was responsible for the crash as he handed over the ignition keys knowing their son had not passed a driving test. But the judge ruled that the parents of the driver were also partly responsible for the accident because they had failed in their duty as citizens to teach their son to respect the law. The Republican mayor of a small Pennsylvania town has resigned following months of protest after he posted racist memes about the Obamas to his Facebook page. West York town council unanimously voted to accept Mayor Charles Wasko's resignation, after an uproar over racist posts on his Facebook page, including two depicting apes with captions referring to Democratic President Barack Obama and his family. One image of a wagon full of orangutans mentioned 'moving day' at the White House, while another referred to lynching. Scroll down for video Republican Mayor Charles Wasko has resigned after he caused uproar with racist posts on his Facebook page Courtesy ABC 27 The council in the borough of 4,500 residents, which lies about 100 miles west of Philadelphia, had voted last week to censure Mayor Wasko, but had no power to throw him out of office. Democratic Council President Shawn Mauck was set to take over as mayor. 'I think Mayor Wasko missed a golden opportunity,' Mauck said. 'He could have come out and apologized, and that would have been a signature move forward.' Wasko said he was the victim of a 'witch hunt', which began with a fight over the acting police chief. Two of the posts referred to outgoing President Barack Obama and his family But in an interview this month with Harrisburg TV station WHTM he also said: 'The racist stuff, yeah. I'll admit I did that, and I don't care what people label me as.' He added that he did not regret the posts referencing Obama, the nation's first black president. Wasko offered to resign if the borough reinstated the previous police chief, who is on paid leave. The council had to address Wasko's conditions but did not have to meet them, Mauck said. Although it considered Wasko's requests it made no changes to the police chief position, Mauck said. But the force says it is investigating and has launched a witness appeal Father-of-one Mr Tole is now offering a reward to anyone who can ID thief But Nottinghamshire Police said they were 'too busy' to investigate The incident was captured on two Electrician Fran Tole, pictured, is furious with police for not investigating the theft of 8,000 of equipment from his van despite it being captured on two CCTV cameras An electrician who had expensive equipment stolen from his van has blasted police after officers refused to investigate - despite the whole theft being caught on CCTV. Fran Tole, 47, said he has been forced to turn detective himself after police told him they were too busy and didn't have the resources to look into the crime. Despite a crook being captured on camera stealing 8,000 worth of his tools, Mr Tole claims Nottinghamshire Police said they could not help due to 'cutbacks'. He is now offering a reward to anyone who help identify the suspect who was caught on two separate security cameras outside his home in Clifton, Nottinghamshire. Today the father-of-one blasted the force and says he feels like he has been left to do officer's jobs for them. He said: 'I don't really understand it. The footage is all there for them, its not like they have to go door-to-door to obtain CCTV. 'If I had no evidence, then fair enough I would understand that I could be wasting their time. 'But when you have clear-cut evidence on two cameras and they refuse to do anything, it just leaves you pulling your hair out. 'All they have to do is issue it as part of an appeal and there's a good chance he will be caught. 'But instead I've been left to do their jobs for them on social media and offer a reward from my own wallet.' The theft was captured on CCTV, pictured, but Mr Tole said he was told Nottinghamshire Police 'did not have the resources' to investigate The father-of-one is now offering a reward to anyone who can identify the thief, pictured Mr Tole added: 'I know that someone is going to recognise him on that film. 'Also, if they had responded quickly they might have been able to take this guy down and reacquire the tools. 'But this far down the line what chance am I going to have of getting them back? 'I was just repeatedly told it wasn't a priority crime, but I explained to them that my CCTV footage might help them to solve the other crimes. 'They weren't interested. They said they wouldn't send a copper out. 'I appreciate that all resources are being cut back because of the government- but I feel that my argument is about how they allocate their resources. 'If they have guys who they can allocate to flyovers to monitor traffic why couldn't one of those people be out investigating crimes? 'How are they supposed to get to crime if they're not responding to calls in the first place? 'These cut backs are opening the UK to exploitation.' The footage, recorded at 4.10am on last Wednesday, shows a white, middle-aged man with a large build, getting out of a Vauxhall Astra and walking towards the van. The thief makes several trips between the two vehicles during the 20 minute crime and also appears to break-in to a white transit van parked just metres away from Fran's. The CCTV footage shows the man walking with a slight limp as he takes tools and a lap-top from Fran's vehicle, before leaving around 4.26am. Mr Tole said he was outraged at the police's refusal to investigate, particularly because the incident was caught on two different security cameras, pictured The 47-year-old, pictured, has questioned the 'justice' of the situation given the cost of the equipment stolen and the 'clear-cut evidence' he can provide However, the footage does not capture either the glove-wearing suspect's face or the licence plate of his car. Mr Tole has shared the full 19 minutes and 20 second footage on his Facebook page, offering a 500 reward to anyone who could help him track down the crooked thief. The 47-year-old, who looks after his 11-year-old daughter and is only able to work part-time because of health problems, said it will take him years to replace what was taken. He added: 'Its my livelihood that will suffer because they couldn't be bothered to come out and see me for almost a week after the crime. 'Even then it was just a PCSO. I'm not holding my breath. If they're not finding this guy then I'm going to find him myself. 'I uploaded the CCTV to Facebook and I'm getting all my friends to share it. 'This guy is wrecking tradesmen's lives and needs to be caught. There have been 27 similar break-ins in the area recently. 'If the criminals know the police aren't bothered then they are going to carry on offending. 'Where's the justice in that?' Nottinghamshire Police claims it is investigating the incident, pictured, and has urged witnesses to come forward with any information Nottinghamshire Police has had to find savings of 54m over the past four years due to budget cuts and has been asked to reduce its budget by a further 12m this year. Officers are not being made redundant but around 200 are expected to retire or move on in the next year and are unlikely to be replaced. Money will be saved on wages, overtime, pensions and non-pay efficiency savings such as contract management and sale of buildings, in a scheme which will save 8m. A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police said: 'Police were called on Wednesday, October 12, 2016 to a report of a theft from a vehicle in Brandish Crescent, Clifton, which happened between 5.30pm on October 11 and 10am on October 12. 'Officers visited the victim on Monday and viewed CCTV and investigations are ongoing. Donald Trump complained bitterly on Monday that major media organizations have largely ignored the firebombing of a Republican Party headquarters building in rural North Carolina, saying the news would have played out differently if the victims were Democrats. 'It would be the biggest, and they would have made Trump into being the worst, horrible, horrible human being,' the Republican presidential nominee told syndicated radio host Mike Gallagher. 'They hardly even covered it. And if that were done to a Democratic place of the same nature it would be worldwide news. It would be the biggest thing, and they'd say "racism" and all of this other nonsense that they use.' Donald Trump (left) told conservative talk radio host Mike Gallagher (right) on Monday that the mass media has largely ignored the Oct. 9 firebombing of a North Carolina Republican Party office, and that if the tables were turned it would have become a massive story A Molotov cocktail a bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County, N.C. GOP headquarters, damaging the interior before burning out The next-door building, also in the town of Hillsborough, was also vandalized with the words: 'Nazi Republicans leave town or else' Authorities in Orange County, North Carolina determined that a bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the building's window a week ago Sunday, shattering painted letters that spelled out: 'Freedom Speaks.' The fire consumed furniture, papers , banners and yard signs before burning out. Also lost were 2,000 sample ballots the party intended to hand out to voters on Election Day. One photo taken after the fire showed a couch burned down to its springs, along with charred and soot-coated floors and walls. An American flag flying near the building's porch was also singed and blackened by the flames. An American flag was charred in the fire, which one GOP official called 'political terrorism' 'It's really a very sad thing,' Trump said Monday. 'I tell you, the country's got a lot of problems.' If the tables were turned, he said, 'a story like that would be the biggest story in the world.' 'They'd be calling for my resignation I mean, the whole thing they'd say that I did it, that I lit the fire.' Graffiti left nearby, however, left little doubt that the Molotov cocktail came from someone who opposes the GOP. 'Nazi Republicans leave town or else,' it read. The firebomb was thrown through the building's front window, which once read 'Freedom Speaks', leaving shattered glass all over the floor Trump claimed on Twitter just hours after the news broke that 'animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina' were responsible. The Republican nominee wrote that he believed the potentially deadly attack came 'because we are winning.' Clinton also tweeted about the bombing, calling it 'horrific and unacceptable,' and saying she was 'very grateful that everyone is safe.' Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, have yet to visit the site of the firebombing personally. A Trump campaign aide told DailyMail.com on Monday that a trip is in the planning stages. Workers at the Orange County GOP office set up a makeshift operation with folding tables a day later as the local police and fire departments continued their investigations inside Pictures released the day after the attack showed a couch burned down to its springs, while the headquarters' floor and walls were covered in black char Police have not been able to estimate the total value of the damages, but state GOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse called the office 'a total loss' Police have not been able to estimate the total value of the damages, but North Carolina GOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse said the office was 'a total loss.' Volunteers went back to work the next day, sending emails and getting ballots ready on fold-out tables outside the ruined building. Meanwhile, investigators combed through shards of glass and looked for residue of flammable accelerant as the graffiti was cleaned up next door. Authorities have said there is no evidence that whoever firebombed the building represents the Democratic Party, but Trump quickly blamed the firebombing on people loyal to Hillary Clinton Trump claimed the arson was committed by 'animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina,' while Clinton called it 'horrific and unacceptable' With three weeks left until election day, Mayor Tom Stevens acknowledged the significance of the attack, saying: ' This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property.' 'It willfully threatens our community's safety, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation.' North Carolina's Republican Gov Pat McCrory called the attack 'anarchy.' North Carolina Republican Gov Pat McCrory, who visited the office on Monday to inspect the damage, called the attack 'anarchy' 'That's what they do in other countries, not in North Carolina,' he said as he visited the wreckage, according to WBTV. 'The graffiti is even a type of intimidation that is not called for.' 'The worst I've seen is people tearing down each other's signs or using the middle finger when someone has the wrong bumper sticker that they disagree with which is bad enough, by the way,' he added. 'Both parties has its extremists. ... This is someone who wants anarchy. And that's not our country and that's not our state.' 'I have no idea who did this or why they did this. There is no excuse for doing it, whatever the reason is.' The state's Democratic Party Chair Patsy Keever added: ' I'm appalled that this would happen, certainly we don't need violence for any reason.' New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio may have found the solution to his often criticized habit of being late to events across the Big Apple. In an attempt to avoid rush-hour traffic, Hizzoner traveled from Brooklyn to Queens on Friday in a New York Police Department helicopter, his office confirmed. His spokesman Eric Phillips would not explain exactly what the mayor was doing in Brooklyn late Friday afternoon, but simply told the New York Daily News he had 'meetings he needed to attend.' While running for mayor, de Blasio ran as a champion for the people by saying he would narrow the inequality gap. He has faced criticism throughout his term for being late to events across the city. Photos and video of the NYPD helicopter landing in Brooklyn's popular Prospect Park circulated on social media. In an attempt to avoid rush-hour traffic, Mayor Bill de Blasio traveled from Brooklyn to Queens on Friday in a New York Police Department helicopter. Video of the chopper (above) in Prospect Park was shared to social media The mayor flew in the helicopter to Long Island City, where the chopper landed in Hunters Point South Park and he traveled by car to a tech industry event nearby. The mayor is pictured above on Friday morning at an event Maggie Lehrman recorded video of the NYPD helicopter landing around 4:30pm in the park on Friday while she was walking her son in a stroller near 15th Street in Park Slope. 'I've never seen that before in Prospect Park; I've lived in Park Slope for a long time,' she told The New York Times. 'I don't want to judge too harshly. It was definitely unusual. It seemed a little odd.' The mayor flew in the helicopter to Long Island City, where the chopper landed in Hunters Point South Park. He then traveled to a training center in the area for a 6:30pm tech industry event hosted by the Joint Industry Board of the Electrical Industry, according to his public schedule. It's estimated that the trip in a car would have taken about 30 minutes or longer to make the seven-mile drive from Brooklyn to Queens. Phillips also would not confirm if de Blasio's time in Brooklyn on Friday was for the upcoming 2017 campaign. However, a source told the paper de Blasio was in Brooklyn and not City Hall because the mayor was making fundraising telephone calls for his re-election either at a restaurant or a coffee shop in Park Slope. The mayor still maintains a home in the neighborhood and frequently exercises, often times riding on a stationary bicycle at the local Y.M.C.A. on Ninth Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn. In fact, for the entirety of his 30 months in office, de Blasio starts his morning off at the location. Since being elected, the mayor has faced criticism numerous times for being late to events across the city. He is pictured above on Friday morning at an event According to his public schedule, de Blasio gave a speech and had two call-in radio appearances earlier in the day. When asked about the use of a helicopter by the mayor, his office referred questions about it to the NYPD. 'The security and transportation of the mayor are determined by the NYPD. We do not discuss the specifics of security,' Deputy Commissioner John Miller said. This is not the first time the mayor has used a helicopter to travel around the city. Last month, he attended the presidential debate at Hofstra University and made it on time alongside his wife thanks to the couple using the NYPD's helicopter. He and his wife were flown from Prospect Park to Queens and were picked up in a car that took them to the debate in Hempstead, Long Island. According to The New York Post, they flew in one of the 'NYPD's flagship Bell 429 choppers that has a base price around $5.4 million and costs an estimated $463 to $667 an hour to operate, based on maintenance and fuel.' In addition, he was flown to and from Rikers Island where he announced security upgrades at an event in October. Last year, the Democrat told a reporter with NY1 that riding in helicopters was 'not his thing' and rejected the use of them in the city to travel and avoid being late. 'It's just not my thing. I prefer to be on the ground,' he said at the time days after he was booed for being late at the St. Patrick's Parade in the Rockaways. An NYPD source told the Daily News that de Blasio has seemingly gotten over his nervousness about flying in helicopters, as he has used them more in recent months. A Missouri man was arrested in South Dakota early Tuesday morning in connection to the Sunday night road-rage killing of a 22-year-old mother who was shot dead with three children in her car. Christopher Taylor, 39, was taken into police custody in Box Elder, South Dakota - more than 700 miles away from the crime scene - on charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the slaying of Whitney Gray in independence, Missouri. According to newly filed court documents, police officers responded to the shooting in the 1600 block of South Sterling Avenue in Independence at around 7.40pm Sunday and discovered the mother-of-two suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest. Justice for Whitney: Christopher Taylor, 39 (left), was arrested and charged Tuesday in the suspected road-rage killing of Whitney Gray (right) Mom killed: The 22-year-old woman was shot in the chest Sunday while driving her two young sons (pictured above) and a teenage relative Caught on camera: Police in Independence, Missouri, were able to track down the suspect's white Toyota Squoia, seen in this screenshot from a surveillance video Gray was driving a minivan carrying her two sons, an eight-month-old and a three-year-old, along with a 16-year-old relative, when police say Christopher Taylor opened fire on her, 'apparently due to road rage,' a press release from the Jackson County Prosecutors Office stated. The court records indicate that Taylor was closely following Gray's Chevy Venture as she drove north on Sterling Avenue, and at one point tried to pass her, nearly causing a collision. At Winner Road, witnesses reported seeing someone throw a drink or liquid from Gray's vehicle onto Taylors white Toyota Sequoia. Then a loud pop was heard. Paramedics who responded to the shooting attempted to resuscitate Gray, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. None of the three children in the vehicle, among them the womans two sons, were physically injured during the incident. Police later obtained surveillance video showing Whitney Gray's minivan being followed by a large white SUV. Killed over a spilled drink? Court records indicate Christopher Taylor allegedly shot Gray after someone threw a drink from her minivan that landed on his SUV Police tracked down Taylor's SUV Tuesday in Box Elder, South Dakota, more than 700 miles away from the crime scene in Independence, Missouri Witnesses told investigators that Christopher Taylor's white Toyota Sequoia may have been involved in the road rage incident after they saw the CCTV footage on the news. On Monday, according to the prosecutors office, Taylor failed to show up for work, which his boss said was out of character for him. His family then became suspicious that the 39-year-old was the wanted gunman after he packed up his belongings, including firearms, camping equipment and gold pieces, and left his home in independence. A probable cause affidavit states that when police interviewed James Taylor, the man's father, he described his son as a loner who was paranoid of the government and made every effort to stay off the grid. A car dealer ultimately helped investigators track down Taylor's Toyota to a hotel in Box Elder, South Dakota, where he was taken into custody by the US . Marshals Services Tuesday morning. Prosecutors have requested a bond of $100,0000 cash for Taylors release. Meanwhile, the victims brother, Dylan Gray, took to Facebook calling his sisters killer 'a son of a b****.' In an earlier post preceding Taylors arrest, Mr Gray wrote: 'One step at a time sanity be with me and my family through these raging emotions and pain nothing will ever bring my baby sister back but this coward is gonna pay for what he has done.' A man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to fatally shooting a rival furniture salesman in the final conclusion of a 24-year-old cold case. Sam Perone, 68, will serve a decade in prison for the voluntary manslaughter of Richard Woods and the gross abuse of his corpse. Woods' body was found in 1992 in Lebanon, Ohio with gunshot wounds to the head, but his blood wasn't discovered on the carpet of Perone's store nearby until 2006. It took another eight years before new technology linked Perone to the killing. Sam Perone, 68,(left) admitted Tuesday that he fatally shot rival furniture salesman Richard Woods (right) 24 years after the father of four died with two gunshot wounds in the head Perone, who was extradited from Phoenix, Arizona, to Ohio last year, previously pleaded not guilty to murder charges and denied involvement in Woods' death. He was sentenced to 11 years by Warren County Common Pleas Judge Donald Oda with credit for time served since his 2015 arrest. Woods, who was known throughout the furniture industry as a Columbus-area salesman, visited Perone's store, Just Living Rooms, about 80 miles away on the day of his death. Perone was a rival salesman who peddled goods from a different manufacturer, and prosecutor David Fornshell made the case that he was jealous of the successful father of four. Even though deputies knew Perone was the last person to see Woods alive on October 8, 1992, they struggled to pin him down after they found Woods with two gunshot wounds in the head. Perone's attorney said his client's only statement was that his wife, Deb Perone, had nothing to do with what happened. The blood on Perone's store carpet was discovered in 2006, but tests were inconclusive until new technology in 2014 linked Perone to the killing. Perone (pictured in court last year) was a rival salesman who peddled goods from a different manufacturer, and prosecutor David Fornshell made the case that he was jealous Members of Woods' family sat in the courtroom today, and his widow Susan Woods Schneider (pictured last year in court) told the judge they were seeking just 'a small measure of justice' Evidence included 15,000 pages of documents and 50 compact discs, along with wiretaps, DNA evidence, photographs and phone records, WCPO reported. Members of Woods' family sat in the courtroom today, and his widow Susan Woods Schneider told the judge they were seeking just 'a small measure of justice.' She also called Perone 'a bad man' who had threatened her husband. Fornshell said the family supported the plea agreement, especially because even if Perone were convicted, he would have been eligible for parole at age 82. Fornshell said he and the family believed it wasn't worth the risk of going to trial over a difference of four years in prison. Stuart Brownhill, pictured, 59, absconded from an open prison last month only to be caught 130 miles away in a pub trying to 'chat up' a woman A prisoner serving life for the murder of a mother he met in a nightclub went on the run from an open jail - and was caught chatting up a woman in a pub 130 miles away. Stuart Brownhill, 59, told police who swooped to arrest him shortly before closing time they had ruined his evening and complained that he had been planning to get the unsuspecting woman into bed. Brownhill was jailed in 1985 after a court heard he had attempted to rape Lynne Taylor before killing her as her 11-year-old son slept upstairs. The couple had met that evening and took a taxi from the nightclub to Mrs Taylor's home, just nine days after heroin addict Brownhill had been released from an earlier prison term. Yesterday Mrs Taylor's son, Geoffrey, now 43, declined to comment on Brownhill's escape. But a relative said: 'We hadn't even been told Brownhill had escaped. 'He should never have been placed in an open prison. It sounds like the woman he met may have had a lucky escape.' Sentencing Brownhill for the prison escape this week, Judge Simon Hirst described the circumstances of Brownhill's latest arrest as 'very worrying', and asked that the probation service be informed. Police launched a nationwide manhunt for Brownhill last month, after he absconded from HMP North Sea Camp near Spalding, Lincolnshire. Lincoln Crown Court heard the alarm was raised after the prisoner was last seen at a midnight roll call at the jail, which was once home to former Tory MP and novelist Jeffrey Archer, early on September 16. Prosecutor Laura Pitman said Brownhill, 59, took a train across the north of England to his native Manchester, where he visited his parents' graves before heading straight to the Halfway House pub in the city's Droylsden district. Brownhill was found by officers in the Halfway House in Droylsden, pictured, and told the police they had 'ruined his evening' When police arrived at 10.45pm that evening, Brownhill was sat drinking with the woman, who was not named in court. The woman, who had not met Brownhill before, then watched as he was placed in handcuffs. Miss Pitman, prosecuting, said: 'In the police car... Brownhill complained that the officers were ruining his evening and that he was going to get his end away.' Neil Sands, mitigating, said Brownhill went on the run because he was concerned at the number of inmates who were taking legal highs behind bars. The barrister said Brownhill's behaviour once on-the-run had to be put in the context that it was his first day out of prison in 31 years. Brownhill admitted escaping from prison and Judge Simon Hirst sentenced him to six months in custody in Monday, to run concurrent with his life sentence. The judge also asked for the parole board to be informed of the circumstances of Brownhill's arrest. Brownhill, then a homeless drifter, had been given a life sentence at Manchester Crown Court in 1985 for the murder and attempted rape of Miss Taylor, 31, a furniture shop manager who was separated from her husband. Following their taxi ride from Fritters nightclub, he had asked to come into her home for a cup of tea. The following morning, her strangled body was found in the terraced property, which Brownhill had set on fire - despite knowing her son was asleep upstairs - in a bid to cover his tracks. Brownhill was transferred to North Sea Camp prison near Boston, Lincolnshire, in January and had only previously been let out while under supervision. Brownhill was jailed for murdering a woman he met in a nightclub in 1985. He was transferred to HMP North Sea Camp, pictured, in January and had previously been let out when supervised North Sea Camp has been criticised for escapes by a number of lifers in recent years as well as allegations of drinking and drug taking by inmates. The jail's former inmates famously include Jeffrey Archer, who served part of his sentence for perjury at the Category D prison, and Gary Hart, who caused the Selby rail crash. In September 2015 inmate Douglas Ward, 26, walked out of the jail between roll calls and booked in to a 110 a night hotel in Spalding with his wife. Earlier that year, serial rapist Alan Wilmot , 49, was convicted of raping a woman he met while on day from release from the prison while serving life. He was given four further life terms. Double murderer Steven Wilkins, 62, was convicted of escaping from North Sea Camp in June 2014. The Chipotle executive charged with criminal possession of cocaine over the summer appeared in court on Tuesday. Mark Crumpacker, 53, and his lawyer were at Manhattan Supreme Court for a brief hearing in the case, with the judge telling the Chief Marketing Officer for the health-conscious fast food chain that his next appearance date would be in December. Over the weekend, Crumpacker gave his first interview since his arrested after returning to work following a stint in rehab. In an interview with Fast Company, Crumpacker said of his arrest: 'Obviously having something so incredibly personal made so public is not something anybody would want, but Im a particularly quiet, private person.' Mark Crumpacker, 53, appeared in court in Manhattan on Tuesday for a brief hearing. He has been charged with criminal drug possession after he was allegedly caught up in a cocaine ring Over the weekend, Crumpacker (pictured left and right in court on Tuesday) gave his first interview since his arrested after returning to work following a stint in rehab. He claimed he was a 'quiet' and 'private' person In that interview Crumpacker also said that he believed the fact that he had been with the company for over eight years and produced great work made the decision to being back easier on his fellow executives. 'Weve learned that any mistake Mark may have made in his personal life was not related to, nor did affect, his work,' the company said in a statement last month. 'The recent months have been personally challenging for Mark, but he has remained committed to doing what is best for Chipotle.' Crumpacker noted during his interview: 'This team knows what Ive done and what Im capable of doing and my commitment. That afforded me the luxury to stay here. When I think if I had had a shorter tenure . . . I dont know.' Crumpacker asked for cocaine to be delivered 13 times to his $2.5million apartment on West 13th Street near Union Square in Manhattan, and spent $3,000 according to the district attorney. He was charged with criminal possession in the seventh degree and bail was set at $10,000 or $4,500 cash back in July. Crumpacker made just shy of $4.3million in total compensation in 2015 in his role as CMO at the Mexican fast food chain, receiving roughly $45,00 for housing expenses and over $30,000 for a company car. Judge Edward McLaughlin said to Crumpacker and his lawyer during his first appearance: I don't want someone who is a purported bigshot to think they should be treated differently.' He is seen speaking to members of his legal team outside the courtroom on Tuesday. He was charged with criminal possession in the seventh degree in July Crumpacker was named Chipotle's first Chief Marketing Officer in January 2009, and according to his LinkedIn page he oversees all of the company's marketing functions including advertising, design, events, public relations, social media, and research. In 2013, Crumpacker was named Chipotle's Chief Development Officer and now leads the company's real estate, design, construction and facilities functions worldwide. Prior to joining Chipotle, he was the founder, CEO and Creative Director at Sequence, a San Francisco-based branding and interactive agency. The salaries of Chipotles top executives were hit earlier this year thanks to a damaging E. Coli outbreak linked to its restaurants. Co-CEOs Steve Ells and Monty Moran had their pay cut in half in 2015. Ells pay dropped to $13.8m in 2015, down from $28.9 million; while Morans pay dropped to $13.6 million from $28.1 million. They were awarded no stock. One school in Milan is so short on funds it has started asking pupils to supply four rolls of toilet paper Pens, pencils, files... These are all normal things to expect a child to bring along on their first day at school. But one school in Milan is so short on funds it has started asking pupils to supply four rolls of toilet paper, according to a note shared by a bemused British parent. William Hardy, whose child goes to Scuola Primaria Casati, a state primary school in the centre of the city, the wealthiest in Italy, was also asked to bring paper and cups. He received the message at the start of the school year and shared it with The Local. It read: 'We've run out of toilet paper. So that this great friendship can continue we have to bring one packet of four rolls of toilet paper (each)!' At the bottom was an image of a smiling poo and toilet roll. Unfortunately, such desperate measures are not particularly uncommon among schools in Italy. Marilena Lombardi, whose child goes to an elementary school in Campania, in the south of the country, was told to bring paper towels and soap. She told MailOnline: 'We were asked to bring all these necessities to the school because of the cuts the government had on the schools from north to south. 'So we did, each one of us parents bought toilet paper, paper towels and soap for the school. 'We were all willing to participate and didn't make a fuss, we want our children to have all they need in school but still we found it unfair that we had to do this. William Hardy's child goes to Scuola Primaria Casati, a state primary school in the centre of the city, the wealthiest in Italy. Pictured is the opulent Galleria Vittorio Emanuele shopping centre Mrs Lombardi spent 3 on buying the goods for the whole year along with other parents of the 150 children at the school. She added: 'These are things that don't cost much but I find it absurd that we have to do that. Another witness, Mark Wilson, was in a DUI 'holding pit' when Harris arrived at the police station. He was 'pretty nonchalant and didn't appear sad or upset,' Wilson recalled Alleged child killer Justin Ross Harris was in tears in court once again on Tuesday, as a medical examiner described the 'prolonged' and 'agonizing' death of his infant son Cooper after he was left in the family car on a hot summer's day in 2014. Former Cobb County Medical Examiner Brian Frist detailed Cooper's final hours, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, saying his death would have been a slow one. 'I believe he went through various stages as he was passing,' Frist said. 'He would've experienced nausea, a headache, dehydration, seizures, anxiety.' Harris wept as jurors were shown 34 autopsy photographs of Cooper's body. The child died of hyperthermia after he was left in the SUV for roughly eight hours on that June day while his father, a Home Depot worker, sat in his office nearby. Justin Ross Harris broke down in tears in court on Tuesday as a medical examiner detailed the final hours of his son Cooper Cooper Harris was 22 months old when he died of hyperthermia in the family car Temperatures that day reached 92 degrees outside; medical examiner reports say the heat within the car could have exceeded 120 degrees. Harris says he did not realize he had left his son in the vehicle until it was too late. At one point he stopped by the car to drop off some light bulbs. By that point Cooper had already been in there for around four hours. Frist could not say with any certainty whether Cooper would have been alive by that time. Another witness, Mark Wilson, told the court Tuesday that he was in the Cobb County Police 'holding pit' on a DUI charge when Harris arrived. Harris said, 'What's up, guys?' Wilson recalled. He was 'pretty nonchalant and didn't appear sad or upset,' he added, saying that Harris never told Wilson why he had been arrested. They sat beside each other in the large holding area and engaged in 'small talk' for two to three hours as they waited to be processed into the system, Wilson said. Video from the jail showed Harris sitting in a chair near the front with his arm on the back, in a seemingly relaxed way. Wilson learned the reason for Harris' arrest from newscasts the next day. When prosecutors asked if Harris' behavior in the holding area was consistent with someone who had just lost a child, Wilson replied, 'Absolutely not.' Wilson admitted to selling his story to the National Enquirer the following month. The car seat in which Cooper was left on the hot summer's day in June 2014 Jurors have had to endure hard-hitting photos of Cooper's body after he was removed from the car Harris cried in court two weeks ago during opening statements, when his defense attorney Maddox Kilgore told the jury that ' Cooper's death was an accident, it was always an accident.' But prosecutors say he deliberately left his son in the car as he wanted him out of his life. On Monday an Alabama teenager testified that she exchanged sexually explicit messages with Harris. 'C' was 15 years old when she and Harris began texting each other, sending explicit images of their genitals over their mobile phones. The woman, now 19, testified Monday that she and Harris found each other on Whisper, an anonymous website, in May 2014. Harris's son Cooper was discovered dead a month later. On Monday, the young woman identified as 'C' said she had initially lied about her age to Harris, posing as an 18-year-old. 'I love older guys,' she posted on the website. Harris soon responded with a photo of himself as well as a graphic image of his penis, which was introduced as evidence Monday. 'I apologize,' Cobb Prosecutor Chuck Boring told the jury as he displayed the image of Harris' genitals to jurors. The teen girl told the court: 'He told me he wanted me to make him a naughty old man.' During testimony, prosecutor Chuck Boring showed jurors the photo of Harris' penis that was sent to the girl. Jaqueline Robledo also described using multiple apps to communicate with Harris in 2013 when she testified on Monday. Jaqueline Robledo (pictured in court on Monday) also described using multiple apps to communicate with Harris in 2013. She said she was 19 when they first started sexting after she posted on the app Whisper about the Fifty Shades of Grey movie. They had sex at Harris's house in 2013 Justin Ross Harris with his son Cooper, who died aged 22 months after being left in his father's car Robledo said she was 19 when they first started sexting after she posted on Whisper about the Fifty Shades of Grey movie. Robledo told the court their conversation quickly turned sexual and they eventually agreed to meet at his place, where they had sex. 'It was at night, and it was at his house,' and he wasn't the least bit nervous, she said. They maintained their friendship following the tryst, and Harris also revealed to her that he 'had relations' with a man while on vacation the following year in 2014. Harris met that man on the Whisper site as well, according to her testimony. Last week Daniela Doerr, a former prostitute, told the court that Harris had sex with her three times in the weeks before his son died. Harris, 35, had contacted her after finding an ad that listed her services, she said. Police located her after discovering her number on Harris' cell phone following his arrest for Cooper's death. 'He had no presence, he was just dumpy. It was vanilla sex,' she told the court. Doerr (pictured) distinctly remembered Harris as a 'repeat' client when police showed her his photograph, she testified on Friday during the seventh day of Harris' murder trial Detective Ray Yager testified that if Harris had used his computers to search for information on 'hot car deaths' neither he nor his colleges could confirm it, despite investigators' claims The alleged searches of 'children dying in hot cars' that Harris had reportedly admitted to police couldn't be verified on any of his numerous computers, cell phones or external hard drives, Yager explained to the jury Cooper's death came under public scrutiny after investigators said they found evidence Harris had researched child deaths inside vehicles just weeks before his son perished. But on Friday Detective Ray Yager testified that if Harris had used his computers to search for information on 'hot car deaths' neither he nor his colleagues could confirm it. Yager, a computer forensics expert for the Cobb County police, had been alerted that Harris and his wife Leanna had researched child deaths online. But the alleged searches of 'children dying in hot cars' that Harris had reportedly admitted to police couldn't be verified on any of his numerous computers, cell phones or external hard drives, Yager explained. 'No notable files' were detected with key words including 'murder, child, cruelty to or in-car deaths, surviving prison, murder, homicide, divorce, alimony or legal defense,' according to Yager. The only topic revealed was a Reddit link to 'child free,' he added. And on Monday Harris' college friend revealed that the story behind that link may not be as terrible as it first seemed. Defense attorney Maddox Kilgore cross examines teen girl. 'He told me he wanted me to make him a naughty old man,' the girl told the court on Monday Harris faces life in prison if he is convicted James Alex Hall, who also works with Harris at Home Depot, testified that he sent Harris the link. Harris clicked on the site and quickly replied 'Grossness', defense attoney Maddox Kilgore showed the jury. That evidence contradicts the prosecution's assertion that it was Harris himself who initiated the search, court observers noted. In opening statements two weeks ago, prosecutor Chuck Boring told the jury Harris wanted a new life without children, and that desire may have served as motivation to allow his son to die in his hot car. Prosecutors previously said Harris was messaging six women the day Cooper died and reportedly told one woman on Whisper: 'I love my son and all but we both need escapes.' They are arguing that Harris intentionally killed Cooper by leaving him for more than seven hours in a vehicle parked outside his workplace. Harris' lawyers called the death accidental. An indictment filed against Harris in September 2014 listed the following eight charges: malice murder, two counts of felony murder, cruelty to children in the first degree, cruelty to children in the second degree, criminal attempt to commit a felony of sexual exploitation of children, and two counts of dissemination of harmful material to minors. He faces life in prison if convicted of murder. The huge ground offensive against ISIS-held Mosul could push Islamic State terrorists to come to Europe, a senior British diplomat has warned. Sir Julian King said it was relatively easy for jihadist fighters to make it to Europe, even with fake IDs, as the terror group loses ground in Iraq. The newly appointed EU Commissioner for the Security Union said a possible influx of battle-hardened fanatics posed a 'very serious threat'. The huge ground offensive against Mosul could push ISIS terrorists to come to Europe, a senior British diplomat has warned. Pictured are Peshmerga fighters near the city Sir Julian King said it was very easy for Islamic State to make it into Europe as the terror group loses ground in Iraq 'Re-taking the Islamic State stronghold in northern Iraq can lead to a scenario in which violent militants would return to Europe,' he told Die Welt. 'This is a very serious threat and we must be prepared to face it.' Sir Julian said the possibility of a mass exodus was unlikely, as the majority of fighters would die in battle or attempt to move to other war zones. But he insisted: 'Even a small number of them is still a considerable threat.' It comes as Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said aid agencies are ready to assist civilians fleeing the fighting. A battle for the liberation of Mosul began at midnight on Sunday with some 34,000 local forces advancing towards the city backed by British warplanes and drones. Iraq and Kurdish commanders recently announced a pause in the advance. As many as 5,000 IS fighters are believed to remain in Mosul braced for a bloody battle and equipped with deadly chemical weapons. 'Re-taking the Islamic State stronghold in northern Iraq can lead to a scenario in which violent militants would return to Europe,' Sir Julian told Die Welt There are fears tens of thousands of civilians could be used as human shields by retreating ISIS forces Residents said IS militants were preventing people fleeing the city and had directed them towards buildings they had recently used themselves. Speaking in the Commons yesterday, the Secretary of State for Defence said ISIS was 'failing' in Iraq, but warned the battle 'will not be a quick operation'. Sir Michael Fallon said ISIS was 'failing' in Iraq, but warned the battle 'will not be a quick operation' 'We are dealing with a ruthless enemy that hasn't hesitated over two years to kill anybody: woman, child or fellow Muslim. 'There is very little we can do to control that other than to show our absolute determination, whatever the cost, whatever the difficulty of this campaign, to deal with Daesh and to get it out of Iraq altogether.' Sir Michael said around half of the RAF's bombing raids in the region were now concentrating on Mosul. Responding to an urgent question, he said: 'Defeating Daesh in the long term will help make the streets of Britain and Europe safer.' The Defence Secretary said aid agencies are ready to 'go in alongside the United Nations to make sure there is sufficient food and medical supplies and tented accommodation'. 'It is important for the House to understand that there is already a humanitarian crisis inside Mosul. A naked statue of Hillary Clinton appeared on the streets of New York City Tuesday morning, sparking a fight between the artist and a woman who deemed it 'obscene'. Created by Anthony Scioli, the artwork depicted Clinton with hooves stomping on deleted emails with what appears to be a Wall Street banker wrapping his arms around her naked body. Witnesses said the statue appeared before 6am, and it wasn't before long that an employee at a neighboring museum named Nancy toppled it over, the New York Daily News reported. Scroll down for video Created by Anthony Scioli, the artwork depicted Clinton with hooves and a Wall Street banker resting his head on her bare breast Outside the Bowling Green subway station, a woman named Nancy toppled the statue over, wrestled it away from Scioli (left), and sat on it to prevent it from being erected (right) The statue, which credited Mini Master and Boogie Night Production with its creation, appeared outside the Bowling Green subway station in the city's financial district before 6am, witnesses said. With deleted emails scattered around her feet, the statue combined the harshest criticisms plaguing Clinton's campaign, including accusations that she is cozy with Wall Street banks because she delivered paid speeches to banks like Goldman Sachs. A National Museum of the American Indian employee who only identified herself as Nancy yelled, 'This is obscene!' A crowd gathered around as Nancy as she toppled the artwork, wrestled it away from Scioli, and sat on the statue to prevent it from being erected again. One woman in the crowd tried to break up the commotion, telling people to leave it alone, while others shouted at Nancy for damaging the statue. Nancy was on the brink of tears when she later told the Daily News: 'To put something up like this in front of my work place...I should have to see this.' Within three hours, the statue got the attention of officers on the city's counter-terrorism unit, who ordered Scioli to take it down because he did not have the proper permit. The artwork appeared two months after similar statues of a naked Donald Trump emerged in multiple cities, including New York (pictured), San Francisco, LA, Cleveland and Seattle The artwork appeared two months after similar statues of a naked Donald Trump emerged in multiple cities, including New York San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. They were all eventually taken down by city officials. On the night of Halloween in 1992, millions tuned in to see what many thought was a live documentary about the paranormal. Presented by chat show national treasure Michael Parkinson, along with Craig Charles, Sarah Greene and her husband Mike Smith, Ghostwatch (Parikinson, Greene and Smith shown left) centred on single mother Pam Early and her two daughters (top right) as they were tormented by a poltergeist. Presenting 'live' from a studio, Parkinson liaised with Greene, who was based in the Earlys' home in Northolt, north-west London, as Charles spoke to 'neighbours' outside about the affected house's violent history. The cameras that had been set up in the home then quickly picked up what appeared to be real evidence of the activity of poltergeist 'Mr Pipes', including the moment when Mrs Early's daughters Suzanne and Kim screamed in terror (bottom right) as objects flew around their bedroom and their lamp bulb smashed. In reality, the show had been planned months in advance and had been filmed in July of 1992 - but that did not stop many viewers going into a panic as the supernatural suddenly seemed very real. Both the BBC and the police received a flurry of calls, with the broadcaster getting so many that its lines became jammed. The BBC was ultimately also bombarded with complaints. As many as three women are said to have gone into premature labour as a result of the stress invoked by what she saw. A teen has been hospitalized after crashing a stolen SUV on top of a house in Atlanta, Georgia early Tuesday morning. The crash happened just after 6.30am, when the teen - who has not been identified by name - lost control of the vehicle while speeding southbound on Maxwell Drive. Police say the teen then crashed the vehicle on top of a neighborhood house, and was himself ejected onto the front lawn of a different home. The teen was rushed to the hospital where he is in stable condition. Scroll down for video An Atlanta, Georgia teen is in stable condition at the hospital after crashing a stolen SUV early Tuesday morning The teen - who has not been named - lost control of the vehicle while speeding and somehow crashed it on top of a roof The driver is now in stable condition at an area hospital Lt. Dorian Graham told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the crash scene was like something he had never seen before. 'It's weird,' he said. Pictures from the scene show that the car nose-first in the front lawn of a house, while the rear is propped up on the home's roof. Neighbor Vince Person told WSB-TV that he hopes the crash is a wake-up call for the teen. The teen was ejected from the vehicle in the crash, and was found lying unconscious on this neighboring lawn Lt. Dorian Graham told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the crash scene was like something he had never seen before A towing company hooked up chains to try to remove an SUV from the home 'He doesn't realize life is short and stealing cars, running. Thats exactly where you end up, in the hospital. He is lucky hes not dead looking at that car,' Person said. Another neighbor, Jonathan Williams, told the Journal-Constitution that he was sitting in his living room, about to take his 10-year-old daughter to school, when the crash happened. 'Something told me to wait for a second,' Williams said. 'And I waited, and thats when I heard everything, and I could see the flashing from where he hit the power line. The transformer exploded.' Rescue workers got imaginative when it came to saving an unborn endangered bird. Claire Travers managed to patch up the badly damaged egg of an endangered Kiwi bird with some masking tape when it was brought into the Rainbow Springs Nature Park in New Zealand. The egg was found by a Department of Conservation worker, who brought it to the park in bad shape. Scroll down for video The badly damaged egg (pictured hatching) was found by a Department of Conservation worker, who brought it to the Rainbow Springs Nature Park in bad shape Claire Travers managed to patch up the badly damaged egg of an endangered Kiwi bird with some masking tape The park's staff filmed the egg hatching to show just how well the masking tape bandage had worked. Ms Travers told Newshub: 'The shell was broken through to the egg's internal membrane, splitting it so the membrane had collapsed on top of the chick, which is very dangerous.' There are five recognised species of Kiwi birds, two of which are currently classed as 'vulnerable', one is endangered and one is critically endangered. The reserve posted on Facebook: 'Low tech saves the day - this little guy had a damaged shell, so we patched it up with a piece of shell from another egg and a bit of masking tape! So pleased it was successful and now we have a very wriggly, fluffy kiwi. Check out his white eyebrows Most species of Kiwi bird are endangered but, despite the trauma, this egg later hatched This is the moment a bungling thief allegedly tried to steal a Venetian blind from a furniture store - by stuffing it down his jacket. The hapless crook appears to have the 7ft long blind clearly sticking out from the top of his coat as he tries to make a getaway from a Northampton Dunelm Mill store. Police say the suspect entered the shop at around 2pm on Sunday before concealing the Venetian blind down one trouser leg and up the back of a jacket. CCTV images of the suspected theif show what appears to be a blind protruding from his green jacket above his head He then left the premises based at the Nene Valley Retail Park, in Northampton, without paying for the item in front of baffled workers. After staff noticed his suspicious bulge they followed him up a nearby canal path, where he dropped the blind before escaping empty handed. Yesterday Northamptonshire Police released two CCTV images of the suspect in a lift, showing the blind appearing to protrude from his green jacket above his head. A force spokesman said: 'Officers would like to speak with the man pictured or anyone with information can contact Northamptonshire Police on 101. After staff noticed his suspicious bulge they followed him up a nearby canal path, where he dropped the blind before escaping empty handed 'Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.' Web users took to Facebook to comment on the police appeal with one writing: 'This has got to be Britain's dumbest crook.' With all the dangerous animals lurking across Africa, even the biggest beasts have to be alert for anything that could catch them off guard. But Mark the white rhino, who had been happily relaxing at a Zimbabwean protection reserve, probably did not expect to meet his match in the shape of a tyre. While the incident, which was captured on video, looked somewhat comical his rescuers claim that it highlights the more serious issue of pollution, and Mark could have faced a severe struggle if they had not been on hand. The bull can be seen at the edge of a waterhole, looking extremely glum with the rubber ring stuck around his horn. Sick and tyred: Mark the white rhino had been happily playing at a Zimbabwean Rhino protection reserve when he suddenly got the huge tyre stuck on his horn The bull can be seen at the edge of a waterhole, looking extremely glum with the rubber ring stuck around his horn A team from Aware Trust Zimbabwe were alerted and travelled to the park, which is around one-and-a-half hours away from their base, in order to relieve him of his unwanted accessory. Mark was then sedated and the ring took around 11 minutes to remove. After his rescuers come in to remove the offending tyre, the animal looks visibly relieved and begins wagging his tail. A team from Aware Trust Zimbabwe were alerted and travelled to the park, which is around one-and-a-half hours away from their base, in order to relieve him of his unwanted accessory While the incident looked somewhat comical his rescuers claim that it highlights the more serious issue of pollution After his rescuers come in to remove the offending tyre, the animal looks visibly relieved and begins wagging his tail Aware said in a statement: 'We found Mark, the dominant bull, lying close to his girlfriends, looking decidedly dejected and exhausted from his ordeal on this scorching hot day. 'With the drought at its zenith, the Lake has receded a lot and pollutants such as nets and tyres are washing up all the time. the student has died, but hospital spokeswoman told Daily Mail he was alive as of 3.30pm Tuesday Police do not believe Guthrie was intoxicated at the time of the incident The fraternity member had gone on the roof to smoke a cigarette in the middle of the night Police say the 20-year-old slipped and fell from gabled roof of Kappa Alpha house in Morgantown, West Virginia, Sunday morning Sean Guthrie, a WVU junior majoring in industrial engineering, was on life support and in critical condition A 20-year-old student at West Virginia University is in critical condition after slipping and falling 20 feet from the roof of his fraternity house over the weekend. Sean Guthrie, a junior majoring in industrial engineering at WVU and a member of the Kappa Alpha Order, has been on life support at JW Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown since early Sunday morning. While multiple local news outlets have been reporting that Guthrie has passed away, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed to Daily Mail that as of 3.30pm Tuesday, the college student was alive and listed in critical condition. Scroll down for video Critically injured: West Virginia University student Sean Guthrie, 20 (pictured left and right), was in critical condition Tuesday after falling 20 feet from the roof of his fraternity house Long way down: Guthrie, a member at Kappa Alpha fraternity, had gone on the gabled roof of the frat house in Morgantown (pictured) to smoke a cigarette Sunday morning Accident: Police say Guthrie slipped and fell while attempting to get back inside the residence (pictured) through a window Guthries family, including his parents and younger sister, live in Toms River, New Jersey. West Virginia University Police Chief Bob Roberts told Asbury Park Press that Guthrie had gone out to the gabled roof of his fraternity house on North High Street in Morgantown to smoke a cigarette Sunday morning. When he tried to get back inside the residence through a window at around 4.15am, he slipped and fell 20 feet. Speaking to the Daily Athenaeum, Roberts said that based on the results of a preliminary investigation, it did not appear Guthrie was intoxicated when he fell. On Monday, a candlelight vigil was held at the Mountainlair Plaza in honor of the 20-year-old student. His parents, who have been by his side in the hospital since the accident, took part in the somber event, which drew hundreds of well-wishers. Out of state: Guthries family, including his mother Michelle (right), father Daniel and younger sister (pictured), live in Toms River, New Jersey Guthrie has been described as an exemplary student and a leader at the WVU community. He is vice president of community relations for the Interfraternity Council Video courtesy: WDTV My son loved being here at WVU, Daniel Guthrie was quoted by The Dominion Post as saying. 'Its a place he found a sense of belonging and KA [Kappa Alpha] gave him a sense of brotherhood.' Cameron Gleason, a WVU alumnus and Kappa Alpha brother, has launched a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of Sean's mother, Michelle, to help the family with his presumed future funeral expenses. In the description of the fundraiser, Gleason called Guthrie 'an exemplary student' and a leader within the WVU's community. 'Sean positively influenced each and every member through his leadership skills, and devout loyalty to not only the organization - but to all of us, his brothers, whenever called upon to do so,' Gleason wrote. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $17,000 has been raised in donations, easily surpassing the initial goal of $13,000 The sordid details of a father and son's tacky 8 million sex parlour have been exposed by police after they raided the brothel and arrested the owners. West Midlands Police have released a video touring the seedy inside of the Libra Club on Summer Hill Road in Birmingham, where up to 200 clients splashed their cash every day. Achilleos Neophytou, 66, and his son Stefanos Neophytou, 25, have been jailed for running the joint after they admitted keeping the brothel used for prostitution. The sordid details of a father and son's tacky 8 million sex parlour have been exposed With an additional 10 entrance fee, the brothel's estimated turnover was 1.7 million per year They were handed 27 months each, with club manager Martin Tierney getting a suspended 10-month jail term, and three women were also given community orders. The revealing video taken inside the club shows what appears to be a red-lit poledancing area, price lists for services, and a private room with a hot tub. The Libra was being advertised as somewhere for massage and relaxation. West Midlands Police have released a video tour exposing the inside of the Libra Club on Summer Hill Road in Birmingham Yet when officers raided the property in February 2015 there was 'not a massage table in sight'. Judge Richard Bond added Achilleos Neophytou was the 'controlling mind' of the club, and ran a 'highly-organised conveyer-belt of prostitution' with his son. Customers shelled out 65 for 30 minutes with a sex worker who kept 40 of the fee and the club kept the remainder. With an additional 10 entrance fee, the brothel's estimated turnover was 1.7 million per year. The Libra was smashed by 50 police officers following a series of incidents including a firearms discharge, several outbreaks of disorder, and one case where a petrol bomb was thrown at the entrance. They discovered up to 20 women were working at the premises. Achilleos Neophytou, 66, and his son Stefanos Neophytou, 25, have been jailed for running the joint after they admitted keeping the brothel used for prostitution The revealing video taken inside the club shows what appears to be a red-lit poledancing area, price lists for services, and a private room with a hot tub Customers shelled out 65 for 30 minutes with a sex worker who kept 40 of the fee with the club keeping the rest Along with Cyprus-born Achilleos Neophytou, Marilyn Egan, 65, Anita O'Donnell, 55, and Ogun Olufunlola, 30 were also sentenced in connection with running the club. 'Madams' Marilyn and Anita were given 12-month community orders and electronically tagged for three months. Ogun was also handed a 12-month community order, and is expected to do 120 hours of unpaid work. Club manager Martin Tierney got a suspended 10-month jail term, and 'Madam' Marilyn Egan, 65, was given a 12-month community order The prosecution also said how police found 400 Viagra pills at Marilyn's home. The six-member crew pleaded guilty last month to a count of keeping a brothel used for prostitution, and were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday. Chief Inspector Chris Mallett said the venue put lives at risk due to the disorder it was attracting, and vowed police were attempting to ' claw back the ill-gotten gains' of those involved. The Libra was smashed by 50 police in a raid last year following a series of incidents including one case where a petrol bomb was thrown at the entrance He said: 'Fortunately no one was injured during the firearms or arson offences but brothels often attract wider criminality and organised crime. 'It prompted a lot of concern from within the community and its closure has given them some piece of mind and shows we take such illegal operations seriously. 'Following these court proceedings we will now seek to claw back the ill-gotten gains through the Proceeds of Crime Act. Those who do not pay can expect to see their sentences increased.' The Duchess of Cambridge has revealed how Princess Charlotte has already developed a love of horses and riding, while Prince George is fascinated by fencing. Kate let slip about her children's favourite hobbies while hosting the Olympic and Paralympic heroes at a Buckingham Palace reception today. Wearing a patriotic poppy dress by Alexander McQueen, Kate joined the Queen, Prince Harry and her husband Prince William to honour the stars of the Rio Games. Equestrian triple-gold medallist Natasha Baker had a chat with the mother-of-two about how Charlotte - aged 17 months - may follow in her aunt Zara's footsteps to the Olympics. The Duchess of Cambridge has revealed how Princess Charlotte has already developed a love of horses and riding 'I asked her how the children were and she said Charlotte is really enjoying her riding which is great to hear and I said we may see her here on a line-up in 20 years time,' Ms Baker said. 'She emphasised that Charlotte has this passion about horses and although she doesn't echo it, she'll do her best to champion and encourage it.' The Duchess reportedly told her: 'George is fascinated by fencing but I think that's because of the face shields. 'Charlotte would have loved to be here but she'd be running riot.' Kate spoken about how the 17-month-old has a passion for horses which she will do her best to champion Wearing a patriotic poppy dress by Alexander McQueen, Kate joined the Queen, Prince Harry and her husband Prince William to honour the stars of the Rio Games Champion swimmer Ellie Simmonds, who claimed her fifth gold medal after winning the 200m medley in Rio, also spoke to Kate about her daughter's love of horses. 'The duchess was telling me how George likes swimming and Charlotte loves horses,' she said. It is hardly surprising that Charlotte has developed an early appreciation of horses given her family's passion for all things equestrian. The Queen, 90, was a keen rider when she was younger and continues to own racehorses, which she regularly watches in action. Her daughter, Princess Anne, also shares the family's love of horses. Kate said Prince George (shown) was 'fascinated' by fencing because of the 'face shields' It is hardly surprising that Charlotte has developed an early appreciation of horses given her family's passion for all things equestrian And Charlotte's aunt Zara Tindall (nee Phillips) became the first royal to win an Olympic medal when she won silver in an equestrian event at London 2012. The Duchess of Cornwall also shares the family's love of horses and she has been president of the Ebony Horse Club in Brixton since 2009. Charlotte was taken to watch the Houghton Hall International Horse Trials near her family's Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, when she was just one-year-old. The royals were spotted cheering on the competitors in the crowd, with onlookers saying they 'looked very relaxed and were obviously enjoying themselves'. Equestrian triple-gold medallist Natasha Baker (pictured) had a chat with the mother-of-two about how Charlotte - aged 17 months - may follow in her aunt Zara's footsteps to the Olympics Champion swimmer Ellie Simmonds (pictured), who claimed her fifth gold medal after winning the 200m medley in Rio, also spoke to Kate about her daughter's love of horses Jeremy Corbyn has spent another night on the red carpet after attending the premiere of Ken Loach's latest film. The Labour Party leader turned out for the first showing of I, Daniel Blake at the Vue cinema in London's West End tonight. Tonight's outing is the second time he has been spotted at a prestigious screening in a matter of days, after attending a screening of Snowden at the London Film Festival on Saturday night - a biopic about the American whistleblower who leaked government documents revealing massive domestic surveillance programmes run in the US. Jeremy Corbyn (right) made another red carpet appearance tonight at the London premiere of friend Ken Loach's (left) new film I, Daniel Blake It was the second premiere (left) in three days for Mr Corbyn after he was seen shaking hands with Oliver Stone (right) ahead of his film Snowden at the London Film Festival on Saturday Loach's film follows a joiner campaigning to get sickness benefits and Mr Corbyn was out to support its message, with a banner featuring people who died 'due to benefits cuts' put up on the red carpet, pictured I, Daniel Blake follows a joiner who falls ill with heart disease who fights against bureaucracy in his bid to get sickness benefits while leading the charge for other down-on-their luck characters. Blake, played by Dave Johns, even takes up graffiti in his anti-establishment quest, and Mr Corbyn joined a host of others in paying tribute to the character by scrawling his name on a promotional wall erected on the red carpet. The Labour leader has a strong relationship with English director Loach, whose works are known for their socialist messages. Loach even made a short film for Mr Corbyn ahead of his recent Labour leadership election campaign, and has previously been outspoken in support of the politician. Speaking last month, he said Mr Corbyn has the ability to 'transform the country and stand up to the Government's abusive behaviour' if his own MPs can halt their hostile attacks on him. He said: 'Absolutely he [Corbyn] can be elected. The problem is he is low in the polls because most of his senior MPs keep telling people he is no good. 'The party has huge confidence in him, he has trebled the membership and he is clearly popular once you actually can get through the bad propaganda from right-wing Labour MPs, the BBC and the press.' Loach added: 'When you see him connect to people there is no question that he makes real connections in the way other politicians don't. He was also pictured signing a makeshift wall (left and right) in tribute to the film's titular character, who takes up graffiti in order to get his message across Mr Corbyn was seen inspecting the banner alongside the film's production and writing staff He was all smiles in a smart shirt and blazer as he posed with Loach (far left), writer Paul Laverty (far right) and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell (second right) 'That's why they are so afraid of him and that's why they are after him.' Much like Saturday night, Mr Corbyn opted for a smart-casual style, donning a blue blazer and dress shirt but again forgoing a tie. Mr Corbyn has previously praised the moral courage of Snowden, who currently lives in an unknown location in Russia after being allowed to stay by Putin's government. Loach, whose 1969 film Kes was voted the seventh greatest British film of the 20th Century in a British Film Institute poll, was awarded a BAFTA fellowship in 2006, the highest honour the academy can give out. Hillary Clinton's campaign says Donald Trump's call for drug-testing before tomorrow's Las Vegas showdown are 'curious.' 'Why is that on his mind? I dont understand,' the Democratic candidate's communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, told reporters Tuesday. 'It's just odd that thats whats I dont understand why that is whats on his mind.' Democrats have been mocking Trump since he said at a Saturday rally that Clinton's exuberance at the beginning of the last debate, and exhaustion by the end of it, warranted an explanation. Scroll down for video Hillary Clinton's campaign says Donald Trump's call for drug-testing before tomorrow's Las Vegas showdown are 'curious' 'Why is that on his mind? I dont understand,' the Democratic candidate's communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, told reporters riding Clinton's campaign plane Tuesday Clinton and Trump will square off one last time tomorrow night in Las Vegas and the University of Nevada Palmier, pictured talking to reporters last week, said, 'I find it very curious that suggesting a candidate is doping for the debates is on Donald Trumps mind' 'You're telling me that the candidate who snorted his way through the first two debates is now accusing the other candidate of taking drugs?' White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said with snark at his daily briefing on Monday. Earnest said, 'That's a curious development in the campaign.' David Axelrod, one of President Barack Obama's top strategists in 2008, floated the idea that Clinton should skip the final presidential debate. 'Drug testing?!? You have to wonder if @HillaryClinton will/should reconsider next debate, given the depths to which this has sunk,' the political operative who helped Obama get to the White House twice tweeted Saturday. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi suggested to CNN's Jake Tapper that Trump was 'projecting.' 'I'm curiously watching the behavior of Donald Trump, because he's always projecting,' she said on State of the Union. ' Pelosi said that Trump 'projects onto Bill Clinton' when he's confronted with sexual assault charges. 'When his he knows that his temperament is not going over very well he said, "I have the temperament for the job." When he knows that his stamina is lagging he says, "I have the I have the stamina for the job,"' Pelosi said. 'When he knows that I don't know what this drug things is, but I'm very suspicious that he is saying, she should take a drug test,' Pelosi said. 'What's he talking about there.' Democrats have been mocking Trump since he said at a Saturday rally that Clinton's exuberance at the beginning of the last debate, and exhaustion by the end of it, warranted an explanation David Axelrod, who helped President Obama get elected twice, thought maybe Hillary Clinton should skip the last debate over the unfounded doping allegation Chiming in on Donald Trump's drug talk, Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi suggested Trump was 'projecting' Trump's allegation that Clinton doped herself before their last meet-up came out of left field on Saturday as he campaigned in New Hampshire. 'Athletes, they make them take a drug test right?' he mused. 'I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate.' 'Why don't we do that? We should take a drug test prior, because I don't know what's going on with her, but at the beginning of her last debate, she was all pumped up at the beginning, and at the end it was like, "Oh, take me down,"' Trump said, doing an impression of Clinton. He said Clinton 'could barely reach her car' by the end of the 90-minute match. 'So I think we should take a drug test. Anyway, Im willing to do it,' he offered. Speaking to reporters on Clinton's campaign plane Tuesday afternoon Palmieri said, 'I find it very curious that suggesting a candidate is doping for the debates is on Donald Trumps mind.' 'Im glad that, you know...he thinks her performance was that great,' she added. Fox News' Bret Baier (left) asked Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence (right) about The Donald's drug comments on Sunday - Pence deflected Trump audibly sniffed his way through the first debate, blaming the noises on his broken microphone afterward. But he snorted over and over again two weeks later during a debate in St. Louis, too, prompting a new round of jokes about his own possible struggle with drugs. After Trump's first case of the sniffles, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a certified doctor, suggested the billionaire was on drugs. 'Notice Trump sniffing all the time. Coke user?' Dean, a supporter of Clinton's, tweeted. After the second debate 'Star Wars' actress Carrie Fisher made the same allegation. 'I'm an expert & ABSOLUTELY,' Fisher replied when a fan tweeted at her to ask if Trump was on coke. Fox News' Bret Baier, standing in last weekend for 'Fox News Sunday' host Chris Wallace, the moderator of tomorrow's debate, asked Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, if he agreed with Trump that Clinton should submit herself to drug testing. The Indiana governor deflected. But this evening both teens have been found and sound by an uncle Two high school students who were reported missing on Monday have been found safe and sound by an uncle. Alyssa Schaefer, 15, was last seen leaving Klein Collins High School, near Houston, Texas, on Monday with 16-year-old Noah Lewis who is also a student at the school, officials said. The school has issued a desperate plea to Alyssa to return home after the pair disappeared. 'Alyssa, if you're listening, your mom is waiting for you,' said Klein ISD spokeswoman Judy Rimato at a news conference held Tuesday morning. Alyssa Schaefer (pictured) 15, was last seen leaving Klein Collins High School, near Houston, Texas, on Monday. Now an uncle says they have found her and a 16-year-old boy Officials say they do not yet know the nature of the relationship between Alyssa and Noah. But the girl's mother Victoria Schaeffer said her daughter would never run away from home and even claimed she was kidnapped by the teenage boy, Click2Houston reports. 'She has never, ever done anything like this. She won't even ride half the rides at Splashtown,' she told the Chronicle, adding that Alyssa is a 'good kid'. 'Please, Alyssa. We love you so much and we just want you to come home safe,' Victoria Schaefer appealed to her daughter. 'Everybody is worried about you.' Schaefer (left and right) was last seen in the company of a 16-year-old boy who has also vanished Police have are searching for the teenager after she was reported as missing by her mother yesterday The concerned parent said she had become worried after Alyssa did not return home on the school bus with all the other kids on Monday night. She tried calling her daughter but the call went straight to voicemail. Her text messages were never answered. Victoria said she called the school to find out if Alyssa was kept late but filed a missing person's report when she learned that her daughter was last seen leaving school with a boy. Rimato confirmed the girl never got on the bus after school on Monday. 'We have now received information that a 16-year old male student from Klein Collins is also missing,' Rimato said. 'The male student fits the description of the unidentified male seen leaving campus with the missing female. During the ongoing investigation, it was reported that the two missing students were seen together after school and the female student asked one friend if the two could come to her house after school.' Officers with K9s, ATVs and a helicopter were searching the area of the phone's last known location. Klein Collins High School (pictured) confirmed that Alyssa never got on the school bus after classes on Monday Klein ISD police Chief David Kimberly said Alyssa's phone was turned off until about 7:50am on Tuesday. An app placed the phone's location not far from Klein Collins High School. Officers with K9s, ATVs and a helicopter were searching the area of the phone's last known location. Advertisement ISIS thugs have resorted to using human shields as they attempt to defend Mosul as it emerged the terror group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is thought to be trapped in the city. Fanatics have been preventing the city's 1.5 million residents from escaping in recent weeks, according to Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis. They are being held there 'against their will' and coalition forces 'know they are being used as human shields,' Davis added. It comes as it was claimed that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was holed up in the city along with his explosives expert Fawzi Ali Nouimeh. Senior Kurdish official Hoshiyar Zebari said there were 'solid' intelligence reports saying Baghdadi was in the city. It was in Mosul's Great Mosque of al-Nuri that the terrorist declared the ISIS 'caliphate' in 2014. The head of Russia's General Staff Valery Gerasimov said today that that any ISIS militant trying to escape Mosul for Syria should be killed on the spot. Scroll down for video ISIS thugs have resorted to using human shields as they attempt to defend Mosul as it emerged the terror group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is thought to be trapped in the city. Aerial pictures show how ISIS fanatics are torching oil in the city Fanatics have been preventing the city's 1.5 million residents from escaping in recent weeks, according to Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis. Iraqi forces are pictured in the Bajwaniyah village, south of Mosul Residents are being held there 'against their will' and coalition forces 'know they are being used as human shields,' Davis added ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is believed to be holed up in the city along with his explosives expert Fawzi Ali Nouimeh It comes as British jets and drones hit ISIS targets as part of the push to drive the jihadist group out of their Iraqi stronghold. The RAF took part in strikes around the northern Iraqi city, hitting targets including a truck bomb and anti-tank gun in support of the ground offensive. The assault on Mosul has led to warnings of a humanitarian crisis as people flee the city, which has been under ISIS control since 2014. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has described the effort to liberate Mosul as a 'big moment' in the war against ISIS and vowed that British forces would continue to play a major role as part of the coalition supporting the Iraqi and Kurdish forces on the ground. The Ministry of Defence released details of a series strikes carried out by the RAF on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, a Reaper drone was in action south-east of the city, attacking targets including a mortar position, an armed truck and two ISIS heavy weapons teams - one equipped with an anti-tank gun. A Typhoon flight to the south of Mosul used a Paveway IV guided bomb to destroy a large truck bomb before it could be used by IS, with video footage capturing the large explosion on impact. On Tuesday, a Reaper flying to the south-east of Mosul targeted two groups of ISIS fighters and an armed truck, while to the north-east of the city Typhoons destroyed targets including a string of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) laid out in a defensive belt. Coalition forces expect ISIS to have laid a series of booby traps in and around Mosul as part of their effort to hamper Iraqi advances. British jets and drones hit ISIS targets as part of the push to drive the jihadist group out of their Iraqi stronghold. Aerial pictures show a truck bomb south of Mosul A video grab shows an RAF Typhoon using a Paveway guided bomb to safely dispose of a large truck-bomb, before it could be used by ISIS The RAF took part in strikes around the northern Iraqi city, hitting targets including a truck bomb and anti-tank gun in support of the ground offensive Discovery: Peshmerga forces stand around a tunnel used by ISIS militants on the outskirts of Bartila, east of Mosul Displaced people, who are fleeing from clashes in Al-hud village, south of Mosul, head to Qayyarah, during an operation to attack ISIS In an indication of the humanitarian consequences of the attack, Save The Children said thousands of desperate Iraqis have made their way to an already-overcrowded Syrian refugee camp in an effort to escape the offensive. About 5,000 people, mostly women and children, have arrived at the Al Hol camp from the Mosul area in the last 10 days, and at least 1,000 more are now massing at the border waiting to cross, the charity said. Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood said 'huge amounts of planning' had gone into preparing for the liberation of Mosul. 'The place will be covered in booby traps, in IEDs, it will not be safe for anybody to enter, there will be huge sums of refugees seeking shelter and support elsewhere,' he told BBC Radio 4's World At One. The city would be liberated by Iraqi Sunni forces and made safe, allowing refugees to return, he insisted. Last night, ISIS radicals started setting fire to oil wells as they carried out scorched earth tactics in Mosul - with striking similarities to Saddam Hussein's defeated troops 25 years ago. The jihadis have begun sending huge plumes of black smoke into the air above the key territory, as the battle to defeat the terror group enters a third day. But images showing smoke flying in the sky have already been compared to the tactics used in the 1991 Gulf War, when Saddam took his troops out of Kuwait with defeat in sight. ISIS radicals have begun setting fire to oil wells as they flee Mosul - with striking similarities to Saddam Hussain's defeated troops 25 years ago A truckload of refugees flee the area as the flames and plumes of smock billow out behind them The jihadis have begun feeling the key territory, as the battle to defeat the terror group starts to reach a conclusion Iraqi army forces arrive in the village of Hut as smoke can be seen rising from oil wells behind them A vehicle full of Iraqi soldiers arrive in Hut as an Iraqi flag is seen planted in the ground two years after the army's defeat there The scorched earth tactics are used to limit the visibility of enemy pilots during air strikes. It also destroys millions of dollars worth of oil that is crucial in a way that is also extremely bad for the environment. Civilians have already begun fleeing the villages around Mosul as the allies advance, in a bid to stay clear of the ongoing fighting. The ongoing conflict brings Iraqi forces back to the scene of their disastrous collapse in 2014, but ISIS has long since been put on the defensive. Commanders have said progress is already being made in the battle to recapture the area. Iraqi forces have even been said to be 'ahead of schedule' as they push into the dusty plains surrounding the city, reports AFP. More than 40,000 Iraqi and Kurd troops are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long and difficult assault. From the south the Iraqi army are just 24 miles away, with Kurdish fighters 19 miles to the east. Yet there is still a large amount of ground to cover before the city boundaries can be breached, with berms, bombs and burning oil trenches blocking the way. As many as 5,000 IS soldiers are thought to remain in Mosul, with US President Barack Obama warning of the tough battle ahead. Iraqi refugees are seen after they have arrived at Al Qayyarah town, which has been secured by Iraqi Army Iraqi internally displaced civilians are seen as they have arrived at Al Qayyarah The civilians fleeing from ISIS-controlled areas of Mosul to find safer locations while the battle rumbles on More Iraqi army vehicles arriving in Hut as the oil wells burn - a tactic used to limit coalition forces pilots' eyesight A line of Iraqi women and young children leave as they head towards Al Qayyarah A group convenes as the near the town where the refugees are heading to escape the conflict During a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi he said: 'Mosul will be a difficult fight. There will be advances and there will be setbacks.' Even though the IS forces are vastly outnumbered, the battle looks set to be lengthy affair that could last months, according to the French Defence Minister. Jean-Yves Le Drian said it won't be a 'Blitzkrieg', a lightning war achieving success in a short period of time. 'It's a city of a million-and-a-half inhabitants, so this is an affair that will last a long time,' he said, adding that the offensive is 'essential' to prevent new IS attacks. French war planes are supporting the military campaign on the ground, where US, British and French special forces are advising local troops. The images have already been compared to the tactics used in the 1991 Gulf War, when Saddam took his troops out of Kuwait with defeat in sight The similar tactics were used by Saddam Hussein in Kuwait. The burning of oil wastes millions of dollars worth of supplies and damages the environment Several blown-out wells damaged by retreating Iraqi soldiers in Al-Ahmadi oil field burn in the Gulf War of 25 years ago Iraqi troops retreating after a seven-month occupation in 1991 smashed and torched 727 wells The scorched earth tactics are used to limit the visibility of enemy pilots during air strikes But most of the coalition's backing has come from air strikes, which reportedly destroyed 52 targets on the first day of the operation. Despite the warnings of a protracted assault, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said: 'Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far, and that they are ahead of schedule for this first day.' The UN is expecting people to start fleeing the city 'basically any minute now', fearing IS soldiers will use the escaping residents as human shields. And humanitarian agencies have warned the battle could unleash the 'worst man-made humanitarian crisis' seen in modern times. 'In a worst-case scenario, we're literally looking at the single largest humanitarian operation in the world in 2016,' said Lise Grande from the UN. 'In Mosul, depending on what happens militarily, a million people could move in a time span of a couple of weeks.' Heavily armoured military vehicles head towards Mosul on Tuesday in a major offensive 'Ahead of schedule': Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers stand above a tunnel dug by ISIS Long road ahead: The battle looks set to be lengthy affair that could last months according to the French Defence Minister As the battle got underway, terrifying body cam footage captured the fierce fighting between the two sides. A Kurdish fighter filmed the moment he sprinted across open land amid deafening gunfire and explosions during one of the early advances. ISIS fanatics ran around 'like rats' as they emerged from a network of tunnels to surprise the soldiers with suicide attacks. A 15-year-old boy who was attacked and beaten in an upscale suburb near Orlando, Florida, has died in a hospital. Roger Trindade was taken off life support Monday following the brutal attack at the weekend, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The Brazilian transfer student and his family moved from Brazil to Central Florida after his father, Rodrigo received a work transfer, the newspaper reported. Trindade, who was a student at Winter Park High School, got into a confrontation with a group of juvenile males Saturday night on Park Avenue and was brain dead by the time he arrived at a hospital. Roger Trindade, 15, (left and right) was taken off life support Monday following a brutal weekend attack that left him brain dead in a suburb near Orlando Winter Park Police Chief Michael Deal (pictured) said detectives are investigating the case as a suspicious death, adding that police don't 'believe this was a group of juveniles in the park looking to hurt someone' Friends and classmates said Trindade was nervous and shy when he first came to the school, but that all changed once his English improved. Classmate, Ashley Julison, who is a senior at Winter Park High School, told the Sentinel that Trindade was 'really positive' and 'had this contagious laugh that was the cutest thing ever'. He began taking advanced courses, making new friends and happily sharing Brazilian desserts from home when he wasn't playing soccer, the Sentinel reported. Earlier on Tuesday, police said the attackers could be students at the Winter Park High School, which is about four miles from where Trindade was attacked. Winter Park Police Chief Michael Deal has since said the department has identified suspects in the case. Some suspects and their parents are cooperating with the investigation, he told the Sentinel. On Saturday night, by the time police arrived at the scene, the males involved had scattered and fled, police told the Sentinel. Deal said detectives are investigating the case as a suspicious death, but said that police don't 'believe this was a group of juveniles in the park looking to hurt someone'. Police said because there were not many signs of external trauma, a medical examiner will need to determine cause of Trindade's death A makeshift memorial made up of teddy bears and flowers were placed near a tree in remembrance of the teen Police have not said how many people were involved in the attack and no arrests have been made. But a task force of detectives from agencies across central Florida is investigating the attack Police said because there were not many signs of external trauma, a medical examiner will need to determine cause of death. In a statement posted to Facebook, police said the incident appeared to be isolated and 'does not provide further safety concern for our residents and visitors'. The school's principal, Tim Smith, sent a message to parents letting them know that grief counselors would be available to students, according to the Sentinel. Smith said in the message: 'The tragedy that occurred in the community leading to our student's death leaves us all with many questions, and we are here to support students.' The teen's family asked for privacy as they mourn the loss of their child. The Brazilian Consulate is also in contact with Winter Park police since the news spread on social media and made headlines in Brazil. Police have not said how many people were involved in the attack and no arrests have been made. A woman who accused Donald Trump of groping her on a flight 35 years ago has likened his wife Melania to Hillary Clinton, saying they both jumped to their husbands' defense after being accused of doing bad things. Jessica Leeds, a 74-year-old former businesswoman, said the Republican candidate's wife did the same thing as Hillary when former president Bill Clinton has been accused of sexual misconduct. Leeds told The New York Times earlier this month that she was victimized by Trump when she was 38 years old. In an interview with TMZ on Tuesday, she slammed Melania for saying in recent interviews that she didn't believe the women who have accused Trump of unwanted sexual advances. But she added that she feels for the billionaire mogul's wife, because she has to make 'compromises' to save her marriage. Jessica Leeds, a 74-year-old former businesswoman who lives in Manhattan, told The New York Times earlier this month that she was victimized by Trump when she was 38 years old While Leeds has sympathy for Melania, she slammed The Donald for 'beating up' on Hillary 'The wives are in a difficult position if they want to save their marriage,' Leeds told TMZ when asked about Melania. 'They'll make compromises and accept the good with the bad.' She added: 'I feel it's terrible Melania is being viewed as sympathetic when Donald is beating up on Hillary for doing the same with Bill.' In an interview with Fox News, which aired in full on Tuesday, Melania said that bringing up Bill Clinton's past during the race is fair game. 'Well, if they bring up my past, why not? They're asking for it. They - they started,' Melania told host Ainsley Earhardt, referring to the media and the Clinton campaign. 'They started from the - from the beginning of the campaign putting my - my picture from modeling days, as you want that to be a first lady. Melania Trump (left) defended her husband against the allegations by Leeds (right) and other women. Leeds criticized Melania, but also said she feel's sorry for The Donald's wife, as she has been left in a compromising position 'That was my modeling days and I'm proud what I did. I worked very hard. I had a successful business career, as well, later on. And now my focus is my - our son.' Leeds publicly came out earlier this month to accuse Trump of sexual assault. She claimed she was sat beside the Republican nominee in first class, when he lifted the arm-rest between then and allegedly began touching her. 'He was like an octopus,' said Leeds. 'His hands were everywhere.' Hillary Clinton (left) has been attacked by Trump (right) for defending Bill Clinton against allegations of sexual misconduct made by women in decades past. But Leeds claims Melania is doing exactly the same thing Leeds, who told the New York Times the incident 'was an assault', said she rushed to the back of the plane to escape Trump's advances. She also said that when she heard Trump deny ever inappropriately touching a woman during the second televised debate, she wanted 'to punch the screen'. Trump has denied the allegations made by Leeds and nine others that he initiated sexual contact with them without their consent. Those allegations, along with comments Trump made in as 2005 interview with Billy Bush on Access Hollywood, have angered many women. When asked if she had a message for those women, Melania said: 'My husband is kind. He's a gentleman. He cares about people. He cares about women. He pushes them to the best level they could be. 'They - he gives them a chance to prosper in his organization and in his campaign. And he's not the man that we saw - we heard him on the tapes. Melania Trump (seen here in 2011 at an event with her husband in New York) says the Clinton campaign was 'asking for it' when it used allegations against her husband as a campaign tool 'He was pushed on and many times, I give him an advice and I didn't agree to do all the tapes on Howard Stern, with Billy Bush. 'Because I know those people. They hook him on, they - they try to get from him some - some inappropriate and dirty language.' High profile attorney Gloria Allred has warned Donald Trump more 'victims' will come forward to accuse him and revealed women have been contacting her about the Republican nominee for years. 'Women will not be bullied into silence... I can assure him that more women will be coming forward,' she said. 'Women who have alleged they're victims of Mr Trump called me prior to the Access Hollywood tapes being released and after the release of those tapes.' 'In fact, I have received calls from women about Mr Trump even prior to his ever announcing he was going to run to be the nominee for the President of the United States for the Republican party.' When asked how long women have been contacting her, she replied, 'I would say years,' before explaining she has received more calls since Friday. A woman who claimed she was gang raped in the now-discredited story in Rolling Stone said the dean accused of covering up the attack by the magazine, 'did everything right,' an attorney said Tuesday. The magazine is being sued for $7.85 million by a University of Virginia counselor who claims she was made the villain of its November 2014 story 'A Rape on Campus.' University administrator Nicole Eramo claims the article cast her as the 'chief villain' who sought to protect the school by discouraging Jackie from reporting her alleged assault to police. Today the court heard the deposition from the alleged victim, named only as Jackie, who said that Eramo had done 'everything right' when she counselled her. Scroll down for video Sabrina Erdely, center, author of 'A Rape on Campus' enters the federal courthouse in Charlottesville on Monday 'I never felt like she suppressed my sexual assault,' Jackie said in the deposition. 'I personally thought that she did everything right.' Eramo's attorney said Jackie's remarks contradict the magazine's portrayal of the dean as indifferent. Attorney Tom Clare read part of Jackie's deposition aloud in court. The jury will get to watch a video of Jackie's deposition, but it will not be shown to the public, according to Libby Locke, another attorney for Eramo. Jackie's last name has not been released by the court and she will not take the stand. The article, written by Sabrina Rubin Erdely, described in alarming detail Jackie's account of being raped by seven men at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house in September 2012. An investigation by Charlottesville police found no evidence to back up Jackie's claims and details in the lengthy narrative did not hold up under scrutiny by other media organizations. Nicole Eramo, a counselor at the college, claims she was painted as the story's 'chief villain' Rolling Stone officially retracted the story in April 2015. Eramo, who was then associate dean of students, now works in a different administrative role at the university. An attorney for Rolling Stone acknowledged during his opening statement that the magazine made reporting mistakes. But Scott Sexton stressed that Eramo must prove that the magazine acted with 'actual malice,' meaning it knew what it was writing about the dean was false or at least should have known it wasn't true. Erdely, the magazine's editors and the woman who fact checked the article all believed Jackie was credible, Sexton said. He played an audio recording of Erdely interviewing Jackie in 2014, noting that the woman was 'energetic' and 'engaging.' He told the jury that Jackie appears completely different 'like a shell' of a person in her deposition video, which was taken in April. 'We do believe that something bad happened to Jackie,' he said. But 'we have no idea what it was.' Eramo's attorney said that the dean arranged meetings between Jackie and police and urged her to file a formal complaint, but Jackie refused to press charges or name her alleged assailants. Jackie told Eramo that she was forced to perform oral sex on several men, while Jackie told Rolling Stone she was gang raped. The article's author relied heavily on Jackie's word even though she knew the woman was depressed, having panic attacks and taking antidepressants, Clare said. He noted that Erdely didn't know the full name of the Jackie's alleged assailant and quoted Jackie's friends without interviewing them. 'This case is about a journalistic failure,' Clare said. Rolling Stone will face court on Monday in Charlottesville, Virginia, over its publication of the now debunked article A Rape On Campus Before opening statements, the court played audio of Erdely discussing the article on a podcast shortly after it was published. Eramo cried quietly toward the end of the clip, during which she claimed the university's administration 'doesn't really treat rape as a violent crime.' Erdely, who remained emotionless throughout most of the opening statements, began crying and put her hand over her face when the court played a voicemail she left for Jackie right before she emailed her editors to tell them they needed to retract the story. In that voicemail, Erdely urged Jackie to only go to police with her story if she feels confident that she's telling the truth. Eramo's lawsuit is one of three filed against the magazine over the story. A judge earlier this year threw out a case brought by three fraternity members, but a $25 million lawsuit filed by the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at the university is scheduled to go to trial late next year. Rolling Stone had retracted the article in April 2015 after admitting there were widespread 'discrepancies' in Jackie's version of events. In the article, Jackie claimed that Eramo tried to discourage her from going public about the alleged gang rape to save the university's reputation. She claims that Eramo told her: 'Nobody wants to send their daughter to a rape school.' The university administrators insists she would never have said that to someone claiming to be a sexual assault survivor. Jackie was forced to answer questions about the case in April, but her comments had been kept under wraps until now. The article, written by Sabrina Rubin Erdely (left), caused a firestorm when it was eventually retracted. Eramo (right) claims the reporter deliberately ignored information which would have discredited Jackie's version of events 'Jackie' claimed she was raped by seven male students during a party at the Phi Kappa Psi's fraternity house in September 2012 (above) Eramo's attorneys claim the article portrayed her as indifferent to Jackie's plight and only interested in protecting the university's reputation. 'It portrayed her as a callous, indifferent administrator who became a false friend of Jackie in order to coddle her into not reporting her sexual assault beyond the bounds of Dean Eramo's office,' Libby Locke, one of Eramo's lawyers, told ABC News. After it was published, Eramo, who then served as associate dean of students, received hundreds of emails and letters calling her a 'wretched rape apologist' and 'disgusting, worthless piece of trash.' Rolling Stone's lawyers counter that Erdely had no reason not to trust Jackie, but stress that the young woman's credibility isn't the issue in the case. In court documents, its attorneys described its reporting of Eramo as 'accurate and well substantiated'. 'Dean Eramo's lawyers are attempting to shift the focus of her lawsuit in the media to Rolling Stone's reporting errors surrounding Jackie,' Rolling Stone spokeswoman Kathryn Brenner said separately. 'The depiction of Dean Eramo in the article was balanced and described the challenges of her role. We now look forward to the jury's decision in this case,' she said. The jury is expected to view hundreds of pages of documents, including Erdely's reporting notes, emails between Erdely and her sources and audio recordings of Erdely's interviews with Jackie. In giving the green light last month for the case to proceed to trial, Judge Conrad noted that the evidence suggests that several people told Erdely her portrayal of Eramo wasn't accurate and that Erdely had reasons to question Jackie's credibility. Among other things, the judge pointed to Erdely's apparent disbelief when Jackie told her that two other women were gang raped at the same fraternity. Erdely told Jackie that was 'shocking,' according to her reporting notes. Liz Securro, who says she was raped at the University of Virginia in the 1980s, claimed 'Jackie ' stole her story 'I don't know the stats on gang rape but I can't imagine it's all that common? So the idea that three women were gang raped at the same fraternity seems like too much of a coincidence,' Erdely wrote. 'It happens a lot more often than people might think,' Jackie replied. Last week a rape survivor who attended the university spoke out to claim Jackie sensationally 'stole' her story. Liz Securro was raped at the same fraternity house in 1984 when she was 17. She published a memoir about her ordeal in 2011 and continues to advocate for sexual assault survivors. Appearing on ABC's 20/20 special, What Happened To Jackie, on Friday, she said she did not believe any of Jackie's story. Blue hoodie: The migrant who is at the centre of the row over age Concerns over the age of child refugees from Calais intensified yesterday, as a second group arrived in London. One migrant in particular, wearing a blue hoodie with stubble on his chin, was rated by a facial recognition program as having the features of a 38-year-old. He was one of 14 to be bussed to Croydon from the notorious Jungle camp shanty town before it is demolished by the French authorities. They followed 14 who arrived on Monday, as Britain works to reunite unaccompanied youngsters from war-torn countries with family members in the UK. But it has emerged the Home Office has no way of verifying the migrants ages before they come to Britain, stoking concerns about adults posing as children to take advantage of the scheme. Official figures show that two-thirds of child refugees who were quizzed by the Home Office about their age were found to be adults. Scroll down for video Last night an immigration source said the blue-clad migrant had told officials he was under the age of 18. He says that he is a minor and that he has fled the war in Afghanistan, the source said. He says he has an older brother living in the UK. That is why he has been allowed to come here. Smiles: The migrants arrived in London yesterday. They followed 14 who arrived on Monday UK Border Force staff escort a group of unaccompanied minors from the Jungle migrant camp in Calais as they arrive at an immigration centre in Croydon, south London this lunchtime MIGRANT CATCH 22 FARCE Home Office officials say they are unable to use dental checks to verify the age of child refugees because such tests require parental consent. It means that because the 'children' are unaccompanied, it is in effect impossible to obtain such permission. The catch 22 situation means there is no way to verify the ages of child refugees coming to Britain unless they have papers including their personal details. Meanwhile, Tory MP David Davies has been condemned by dentists after calling for tests on teeth to verify the age of child migrants. The British Dental Association said his demands for testing on those heading to Britain from the Jungle refugee camp was 'inappropriate and unethical'. Advertisement It has been chaotic and slow here today. The computer system crashed at least once, so there has been a lot of waiting around. Officials insist the migrants have undergone rigorous interviews and document checks to establish they are aged under 18. But it has emerged that this is simply a screening process where they are verified as a child based on their 'physical appearance' and 'demeanour', with social workers signing off an 'age assessment'. A Home Office spokesman admitted that routine medical tests, such as checking dental records, have not been carried out because it could be 'intrusive'. They added that children may appear older 'because war has toughened them up'. But in the year ending September 2015, 590 age disputes were raised against asylum seekers claiming to be under 18. Two children, one in a black jacket and another in a light blue hooded top, are pictured arriving in the UK from a migrant camp in Calais It has emerged the Home Office has no way of verifying the migrants ages before they come to Britain, stoking concerns about adults posing as children to take advantage of the scheme Of that number, 574 were put through screening and 371 were found to be adults lying about their age - or 65 per cent. Since 2006 there have been more than 11,000 age disputes with almost 5,000 'children' actually adults. Home Office guidance says an asylum seeker should be treated as an adult if their physical appearance or demeanour 'very strongly suggests' that they are significantly over 18 years of age'. It adds careful consideration must be given to assessing whether an applicant falls into this category as they 'could be liable for detention'. Whitehall sources said some of the children look older because they have been aged by war, which had probably toughened them up, so theyve grown up a bit quicker. Britain is taking in dozens of youngsters from war zones including Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan. The refugee children were escorted from a coach into the immigration centre in Croydon A Home Office spokesman admitted that routine medical tests, such as checking dental records, have not been carried out because it could be 'intrusive'. Pictured: Arrivals in Croydon As unaccompanied children, they are entitled to move to the UK under EU asylum law if they have families in Britain. But the Home Office does not begin rigorous verification of their claimed ages until after they arrive in Britain, charity workers have told the Mail. Until then, UK officials largely rely on checks made by charities working in the Jungle. But after the blue-clad migrants photograph was widely published online yesterday, some wondered about his age. Analysis of his picture by Microsofts face recognition program How Old Do I Look? suggested he had the facial features of a 38-year-old, although the software company cautioned it was just an estimate. HOW TWO IN THREE 'CHILD' MIGRANTS WERE REALLY ADULTS Nearly two-thirds of child refugees quizzed about their real age last year were found to be adults, according to the Home Office. In the 12 months to September last year, 65 per cent were found to be aged over 18. The figures show the scale of how adult migrants try to deceive the UK authorities in a bid to be granted sanctuary. They emerged after Tory MPs raised questions about the ages of 28 refugees brought to the UK this week from the Calais Jungle. Official figures show that in the year ending September 2015, some 590 asylum applicants had their age disputed. Of those, 574 had an age assessment with 371 were found to be adults. Since 2006 there have been 11,121 age disputes. Of those, 4,828 or 43 per cent were found to have been adults. Safe Passage, the migrant arm of charity Citizen UK, has been identifying children in the Jungle. Sources say it insists on seeing a document which states the names, ages and addresses of their relatives plus evidence such as family pictures. Migrants are then interviewed by a psychologist who reports to the Home Office, which conducts more checks before they are allowed to cross the Channel. Advertisement A spokesman said: 'How-old.net was designed to be an example of how developers could build a fun app using modern development practices. It is not intended to be used as a definitive assessment of age.' And Dr Ross Perry, medical director of the Harley Street skin clinic Cosmedics, said: It is very difficult to assess someones age based on just one photograph, but I would guess he is late 30s to early 40s. 'The wrinkles around the eyes are the tell-tale sign, and the loss of volume in the cheeks. He doesnt look like a child. But then if he has been living in a war zone, it could well have aged him prematurely, and it is impossible to know without meeting him. As he left the immigration centre in Croydon last night, the migrant in the blue hoodie was clutching a piece of paper entitled: Application for biometric resident permit. The 14 youngsters were taken to temporary foster homes, where they will stay until social workers have interviewed their British-based relatives to ensure their homes are safe for them to live in. Last night Tory MP David Davies said: This is just a joke. Some of these people are clearly not children, theyre not even young men. 'This one has got lines around his eyes, lines on his face and what appears to be flecks of grey in his hair. There is no way of knowing if someone is a child. We could end up causing even more misery if we are not careful. We should invite anyone who wants to come to the UK to take dental tests. Conservative MP Peter Bone told MailOnline he was worried knee jerk moves to bring children from Calais to Britain could make things worse. Mr Bone, former chair of the all-party group on human trafficking said: One of the dangers we found when looking at trafficking was they would say they were visiting relatives uncles, aunts for example and it turned out they were not family members. They often then disappeared and were then re-trafficked. I am very dubious about this idea there are lots of children who somehow found their way to Calais and they have relatives in this country. I would have thought there is huge potential there for very nasty trafficking gangs to be involved. The Wellingborough MP said children in Calais should be treated the same as any other young person who arrives at a British port without papers. He said people who are 18, 19 or 20 are not children being reunited with family members but are young adults. Wave: A refugee from the Jungle camp in Calais. Alp Mehmet, of the MigrationWatch think-tank, said the migrants should be given the benefit of the doubt Officials unload the migrants' luggage from the coach that transported them from Calais The children, pictured, are part of a group of around 300 that are expected to be resettled in the UK with family that are already here He said: Its an area where the Government should proceed with great caution and should not be swayed by a public opinion which is uninformed. I understand people are doing it for the right reasons. If someone was coming into this country through an airport, under normal processes, and they did not have documents, there are detailed ways we can work out their age. We would do that so they get the can get the appropriate support. I have a feeling, I worry, that there is a knee jerk reaction to public opinion making things worse, not better. Fellow Tory Ranil Jayawardena, a member of the Commons home affairs select committee, added: People will be very surprised. 'They expected young children to be saved from the Jungle and supported by the British Government and a real effort to help the most vulnerable. Instead, we seem to have helped grown adults. But Alp Mehmet, of the MigrationWatch think-tank, said the migrants should be given the benefit of the doubt. He added: To most people, these people will seem older but they will say, Is it any surprise I look like that after what I have been through: fighting in the hills and being tortured and travelling thousands of miles? You have to be circumspect and inclined to give the benefit of the doubt unless there is good evidence to suggest they are a lot older. Claims of asylum must normally be made in the first safe country a migrant arrives in, but under a law known as the Dublin Regulation, children with family in the UK can ask for their asylum claim to be considered here. Pensioners were promised the right to swap their rip-off annuities for a lump sum under George Osbornes pension reforms Five million pensioners have been robbed of the chance to cash in their rip-off annuities. They had been promised the right to swap them for a lump sum under George Osbornes pension reforms. But Treasury officials announced last night that the plans had been scrapped. The U-turn is a huge blow to older savers who were forced to convert their retirement savings into annuities. They can no longer hope to escape the often poor-value deals. Ministers say they acted to stop pensioners being exploited they were facing fees of up to 20 per cent for cashing in. But campaigners accused the Government of breaking its promises and leaving millions in the lurch. This is going to be really disappointing for all those people who have desperately wanted to get rid of annuities which they were forced to buy and which were often not sold properly to them in the first place, said Ros Altmann, a former pensions minister. Now these savers will be stuck with these deals for life. The Government got their hopes up and many people will be very upset. Bought by workers with their pension funds when they retire, annuities pay a regular income for life. Many produce meagre returns. Under pension freedoms introduced in April last year savers reaching retirement were told they no longer had to buy an annuity with their pension pots and could instead spend the money as they liked. But the reforms excluded those who had already bought an annuity. Some had only small pension pots and received little income. Others were victims of mis-selling. Ministers announced a few months later that the freedoms would be extended to these five million annuity holders from next April. That raised hopes that a second-hand annuities market would spring up to throw them a lump sum lifeline. But insurers have proved reluctant to buy back the annuities with as few as two in ten major players saying they intended to do so. For their part, savers faced handing over thousands of pounds for financial advice. The Treasury said it was scrapping the policy because so few firms had signed up and that savers risked being stuck with poor deals. It claimed that only a small proportion of pensioners would have cashed in. The U-turn is a huge blow to older savers who were forced to convert their retirement savings into annuities (stock photo) It has become clear that we cannot guarantee consumers will get good value for money in a market that is likely to be small and limited, said Simon Kirby, Tory economic secretary to the Treasury. Pursuing this policy in these circumstances would put consumers at risk this is something that I am not prepared to do. But Billy Burrows, an independent pensions expert, said: This is one in the eye for people who missed out on the freedoms but were promised they could cash in their pension pots. They may have had plans to spend that money but have had the rug pulled under their feet by the Government. There has been huge interest in this from savers and its really poor form to U-turn on these changes just a few months before they were supposed to come into force. Bought by workers with their pension funds when they retire, annuities pay a regular income for life. Many produce meagre returns The climbdown comes despite Theresa May telling her party conference this month she wanted to intervene in the market if she felt consumers were losing out. Norman Webster is among the millions facing disappointment. The 70-year-old retired engineer from Bognor Regis in West Sussex took out a deal that pays just 100 a month a decade ago. He believes he could have received a higher payout and had hoped to swap his deal for a lump sum under the new rules. He said: It is really poor from the Government to backtrack like this. They told us we would be able to take our pensions as cash but now they have broken their promises. Debbie Abrahams, Labour work and pensions spokesman, said: This U-turn is yet another example of Tory chaos over pensions. The Tories have no answers to the problem of providing proper security in retirement. It is a further blow to the legacy of Mr Osborne, who has already seen key economic policies scrapped by the new administration. His successor as Chancellor, Philip Hammond, scrapped his pledge to clear the deficit and put Britain back in the black by 2020. RETURN OF PENSIONS APARTHEID: COMMENTARY BY DAN HYDE, MONEY MAIL EDITOR Amid the fanfare surrounding last years pension freedom reforms, one group of savers was cruelly excluded. Five million pensioners who had already retired and taken annuity deals - many paying a pittance for life - found they would be blocked forever from cashing in their pots. These annuities paid pensioners miserable annual sums of around 1 a week for every 1,000 in their pots when they retired. Once signed, the contract was irreversible. Worse still, some savers were mis-sold annuities with unfairly low rates of return. Anyone in poor health, for example, should have received up to 40 per cent extra income each year but very few were given these boosts. Meanwhile, those who could enjoy George Osbornes new reforms could spend their pots as and when they wished. In trying to lead a pensions revolution, Osborne had inadvertently created a pensions apartheid. After the initial outrage, the former Chancellor came up with a solution to rescue those excluded from the pension freedom reforms. Savers who had bought annuities were promised an annuity resale market where they could cash in their guaranteed lifetime income for a lump sum. For many, it would have freed up the money they needed to pay off debts, treat grandchildren and tick off everything theyd planned to do in old age. The idea was mired in difficulty from the start, with many insurers who have made a fortune from the miserable rates they paid customers unwilling to play ball. Ironically, some complained that the ability to cash in their deals would create a new mis-selling scandal. Now the vital lifeline Osborne promised has been cut in this latest U-turn. In a statement, the Treasury said there would be no big launch of a new re-sale market for annuities next year as planned. It claimed it could not guarantee consumers would get good value for money because too few insurers were willing to buy annuities back from customers. With so many people wishing to sell their pensions and so few companies looking to buy, the market would have been heavily stacked against pensioners, it claimed. Its a devastating blow for the millions who were diligently waiting for this new marketplace to spring up. Have ministers really considered the implications of ditching the plan entirely? Clearly, the Treasury decided pensioners were so badly ripped off under the old annuity system that all the rules about accessing your pension had to be re-written. Yet at the same time its decided to do precisely nothing to help those worst affected. The truth is that insurers knew they were on to a good thing with annuities. They were raking in huge profits by selling poor deals to the elderly and the idea of giving up these income streams didnt appeal. What a shame that Philip Hammond, the new Chancellor, has caved in to industry lobbyists rather than sticking up for ordinary savers who now face seeing out the rest of their days on pathetic pension incomes they should never have been burdened with in the first place. Advertisement Derrick Rose's (pictured on Tuesday) rape case moved into its final day before the jury heads into deliberation The accuser in Derrick Rose's rape case sobbed on the witness stand on Tuesday as closing arguments in the civil suit were heard before the jury deliberations. The woman accusing the New York Knicks star and two of his friend of raping her testified that she had always defied Rose's requests to have orgies. An attorney asked the woman, a former girlfriend of Rose's, if she had ever engaged in group sex with Rose before August 26, 2013 - the date she claims Rose and two of his friends gang raped her in her Los Angeles home while she was 'black out drunk'. 'No, never,' she replied as her voice broke and tears quietly streamed down her face. Waukeen McCoy, the accuser's attorney, asked her if a text message exchange with Rose two months earlier had led to consensual sex, the New York Post reported. She said she didn't recall the text messages and said she was 'blacked out' on August 27, 2013 when the alleged gang rape happened. But when Rose's attorney, Mark Baute, questioned the woman she said she had had her final drink at 11pm that night, which would have given her time to sober up, according to the attorney. The woman accusing Rose and two of his friends of raping her in 2013 sobbed on the stand as she was questioned by the NBA star's attorney (pictured on Tuesday) Mark Baute, Rose's attorney, question the woman who admitted had had her final drink at 11pm that night, which would have given her time to sober up, according to the attorney (pictured October 6) Baute also said that all of the texts sent from the accuser had perfect punctuation and used slang words, despite claiming she was drunk beyond being able to consent to sex. 'You were able to send and receive over 20 texts with Ryan Allen and Derrick Rose the entire time you were blacked out, right,' Baute asked. She also admitted during questioning that she was upset after Rose broke up with her a month before the alleged rape via text message. Later, the defense played a video of Keyana LaVergne, a co-worker of the accuser, who said that the woman leaked her federal lawsuit to TMZ last year. LaVergne added: 'Not one time did I hear rape come out of her mouth.' Toward the end of the day, a psychologist for the accuser testified that she had mental trauma from an experience beyond her control. She also admitted during questioning that she was upset after Rose broke up with her a month before the alleged rape via text message (pictured playing for the Knicks on October 4) Dr Elena Konstat said the woman has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She said the woman has numerous symptoms of PTSD, which include anxiety, depression, flashbacks, nervousness, twitching, shaking, hair pulling, chest pains and panic attacks. The doctor also said the woman was likely hesitant to report the rape because of her relationship to Rose, in the way domestic abuse victims might be hesitant to report a spouse. Baute questioned the psychologist and asked if the woman could be expressing symptoms because she 'was trying to prosecute a fake lawsuit with the entire nation watching', but the doctor said she didn't understand the question. When the case goes to the jury, the panel will have to determine whether the woman agreed to sex or was too incapacitated to do so. Heckling from the public seats is rare at parliamentary committee meetings, writes Quentin Letts. Pictured is Professor Jay Heckling from the public seats is rare at parliamentary committee meetings. That it happened yesterday during Alexis Jays evidence to MPs may be a sign of how frustrating the hour-and-a-half had been opaque, legalistic, leaving a regrettable impression of self-enriching inertia by todays managerial, politically-correct elite. The interruption came just after one of Prof Jays panel colleagues suggested that the child sex-abuse inquiry now led by Prof Jay could last beyond the year 2020, not least because inquiry workers wanted their lives back. So do we! shouted the heckler, later identified as Raymond Stevenson from one of the victims group. The discussion halted briefly as Mr Stevenson was ejected from the room. His shouts to the effect that the inquiry was full of hot air and run by muppets continued to resonate from the corridor outside. Who could blame the poor chap for snapping? The session had made little headway in explaining why the enormous inquiry it employs 166 people has been so riven by mishaps. Prof Jay is its fourth chairwoman after her predecessors quit. Senior lawyers, one of them on 1,600 a day, have also left the inquiry in recent days. That it happened yesterday during Alexis Jays evidence to MPs may be a sign of how frustrating the hour-and-a-half had been opaque, legalistic, leaving a regrettable impression of self-enriching inertia by todays managerial, politically-correct elite Wed like to know what on earth has been going on, said Tim Loughton (Con, Worthing & Shoreham), chairing the session. He was not given much of an answer. These matters were confidential. Prof Jay sat there shooting Mr Loughton lopsided, pursed-lip grins, as if she were sucking a Murray mint. She came across as a likeable sort an old dear on an Edinburgh tram, perhaps. But does she possess the necessary strength of character to succeed in this tricky position? More of the talking was done by her colleague Drusilla Sharpling, a member of the inquiry panel and very much a shop steward for the National Union of Snooty Lawyers. Prof Jay did stealthily apply the knife to her predecessor, Dame Lowell Goddard (pictured) Not one of lifes sunbeams. So repeatedly did the scowling Sharpling leap into the fray often when Prof Jay seemed about to summon the courage to contribute that it was hard to avoid the suspicion Ms Sharpling hankered to be in charge. Or was she there to protect the more floaty-minded Jay? Prof Jay did stealthily apply the knife to her predecessor, Dame Lowell Goddard. It was clear she would have preferred to sit on her own without the assistance of a panel, said Prof Jay softly. Possible translation: she was didactor. Or: she found the panel impossible to work with. The more one heard from Ms Sharpling, the more one was certainly tempted to sympathise with the absent Dame Lowell, who has fled home to New Zealand. MPs want her back for questioning. Mr Loughton said it sounded as if Dame Lowell was a nightmare. There were challenges, said buttery-voiced panel member Ivor Frank. Mr Loughton thought challenge to be a very all-encompassing word. Mr Frank: These were some all-encompassing challenges. If the Kiwi Dame was an impossible tartar, why not say so? Ms Sharpling said she went to the Home Office in April to let it be known the panel had concern about the qualities of leadership at the inquiry. She yesterday made a distinction between concern and complaint a nicety that may be lost on anguished victims of abuse who just want something done. Ms Sharpling insisted she was not going to engage in personal matters about Dame Lowell. It was clear she would have preferred to sit on her own without the assistance of a panel, said Prof Jay softly. Pictured is Dame Lowell Goddard She added, I dont indulge in gossip an expression which, in my experience, is often followed by but. We heard that inquiry members and Dame Lowell were by the end getting on so badly, a facilitator had to be employed. Mr Loughton: Do you mean a mediator? Mr Frank again waltzed on a pin-head, saying mediator was not the correct word. Oh, for heavens sake. Juicy, tasty and cheap mince pies from Iceland have beaten the best that the likes of Harrods and Selfridges can offer in blind taste tests. The budget chain is moving upmarket and also claimed a win with its brined turkey amid evidence luxury need not mean big bills this Christmas. The findings come from the Good Housekeeping Institute and will be a magnet for sought-after Middle Britain shoppers. Iceland's Luxury Mince Pies cost 1.50 for a pack of six just 25p each. Mince pies from Iceland have beaten the best that the likes of Harrods and Selfridges can offer in blind taste tests Despite the budget price they beat the rest of the high street and even the Harrods Classic Mince Pies with Brandy, which are 1.49 each, and Selfridges Selection Speciality Mince Pies, at 1.33 each. The judges praised the Iceland pies for having 'juicy mincemeat with a rich flavour in a lovely crisp and buttery pastry case'. Iceland won the Christmas dinner category with its Luxury British Whole Brined Turkey with Orange & Thyme Butter, at 4.95 per kg. That is 19.80 for a 4kg bird. Its stuffing offering Luxury Outdoor Bred Pork, Honey and Rosemary Parcels, at 3 for 300g also beat the best of the rest. And Iceland's Luxury 12-month Matured Christmas Pudding was runner up in its category, despite a price tag of 6 for 454g. It beat many other puddings from more upmarket retailers, such as the equivalent Harrods Decadent Christmas Pudding (12.50). Iceland won the Christmas dinner category with its Luxury British Whole Brined Turkey (shown) with Orange & Thyme Butter, at 4.95 per kg Iceland, Britain's answer to Aldi and Lidl from Germany, is trying to move upmarket and attract middle and high earning families especially around Christmas The success for Iceland, Britain's answer to Aldi and Lidl from Germany, is recognition of a move to attract middle and high earning families. It coincides with the fact it has become the first supermarket to gain accreditation from the highly esteemed Craft Guild of Chefs, which includes Raymond Blanc. Fourteen meat products, 14 fish products and six desserts have been given the guild's seal of approval. For those looking to celebrate Christmas with some fizz, a 5.29 prosecco from Lidl proved to be the best value. The Allini Prosecco Spumante was runner up in the sparkling wine category to Morrisons Prosecco Spumante at 8.25. Consumer director at Good Housekeeping, Caroline Bloor, said: 'Our expert team and panel of consumer testers blind test an incredibly wide range of Christmas products, so we can be very confident that these results shine a light on the food and drink that tastes the best. 'Everyone loves a bargain and so it's good to see Iceland mince pies and Lidl prosecco beating more expensive upmarket brands.' Its judges ate and drank their way through 211 different festive foods from more than 30 stockists across 12 categories. Christmas is vital to Marks & Spencer and its products featured in the top five in ten of the 12 categories. It took the dessert crown with its The Collection Belgian Chocolate & Orange Star Christmas Pudding, at 12. Judges said it was a 'delicious twist on a traditional pud'. Its Wedge Blue Stilton and Red Mulled wine came out on top in their categories. Advertisement A set of stunning photos have revealed the hidden beauty of a Taoism temple sitting on the peak of Tayun Mountain in north-west China. Tayun Mountain, located in Chaiping town, is one of the most famous peaks associated with Taoism. The series of photos taken by 'Da Qin Farmer' in September show the isolated temple with a golden top situated on top of the mountain. The temple worships Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy in Taoism. The tiny temple with an area of less than 65 square feet had its four stone pillars rooted in the gap of mountain rocks Tayun Mountain is a famed mountain in Taoism, located in Chaiping Town. Its main peak, Golden Peak, is 1665.8 metres (5,465 feet) above sea level A Taoism temple, with a golden top, can be seen sitting on the peak of Tayun Mountain in northwestern China Stunning images show the isolated location of the temple which stands on top of the 5,460ft peak. 'Ta', the Chinese word for pagoda, and 'yun' which means clouds, is used to name the mountain with its peak similar to the shape of building. The tiny temple with an area of less than six square metres (64.5 square feet) has its four stone pillars rooted in the mountain's rocks. Stone strips have been stacked up to make up the foundation of the temple, reports the People's Daily Online. Stunning images: Pictures show the temple perched on the rocks at the peak of the famous Taoist mountain Built in the Zhengde Period of the Ming Dynasty, the cluster of ancient Taoist buildings also includes a guesthouse, a pagoda, a hall, and nine palaces Built in the Zhengde Period of the Ming Dynasty, the cluster of ancient Taoist buildings on Tayun Mountain also include a guesthouse, pagoda, a hall and nine palaces. The buildings have a history dating back some 500 years and are classified as secondary cultural relics. Since the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) , the buildings have been repaired and renovated for five times. The temple used for worshiping Guanyin, the goddess of mercy in Taoism, is the icon of the Tayun Mountain Tayun mountain is known for its steep peaks and is viewed as a Holy Land of Taoism, according to the Shaanxi provincial government website. Taoism, with a history of more than 1,800 years, is one of the mainstream traditional religion in China, according to a research by People's Daily. It places a strong emphasis on respect for nature as it advocates the worship of natural objects including mountains. A baby in China was saved after doctors performed heart surgery while it was still in the mother's womb. On September 21, doctors in southern China's Guangdong province, carried out the operation to fix a cardiac developmental defect, reports the People's Daily Online. Doctors at Guangdong General Hospital used a miniature needle to operate on the child's heart which was around the size of a walnut. The mother was told that her baby's heart needed operating on while still in the womb Amazing: Doctors used a miniature needle and balloon to widen the pulmonary valve Incredible: Doctors at Guangdong General Hospital carried out the operation on September 21 Doctors carried out the successful operation on a 28-week-old foetus. It's the first time that this surgery has been performed in China. The mother, surnamed Xie was told by medical staff that one valve of the fetal heart was developing to be too narrow. This meant hat the amount of blood coming from the heart to the lungs was severely restricted. One of a kind: This was the first successful surgery on a foetus in China Important procedure: Doctors performed life-saving surgery on the 28-week-old foetus Doctors told the mother that the foetus needed surgery immediately otherwise the baby would have been born with one ventricle which would have been life-threatening. A team of specialists carried out the 20-minute-long surgery on September 21. They inserted a needle into the narrow pulmonary valve and inserted a catheter to expand the valve. A balloon was then passed along the wire to stretch the valve even further. The International Space Station is about to get its first delivery from Virginia in two years - and it gave the East Coast a show in the process. Orbital ATK, one of NASA's shippers, launched its own cargo ship for the first time in two years from Wallops Island, after its launch exploded on the pad on Oct. 28, 2014. Liftoff occurred at 7:45 p.m, and was visible along much of the East Coast, including Washington, New York and Boston. Scroll down for video Liftoff occured at 7:45 p.m, and weather permitting, was visible along much of the East Coast, including Washington, New York and Boston as a 'fireball' in the sky. The Orbital ATK Antares rocket takes off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. It will be making a supply delivery to the International Space Station Orbital ATK spent the past two years redesigning the unmanned rocket replacing the old-time Russian engines with newer ones, among other things and rebuilding the launch pad WHERE TO WATCH Sky gazers along much of the East Coast Washington and New York included were in for a treat. Weather permitting, the launch should be visible as far south as Charleston, South Carolina; as far north as Boston; and as far west as Pittsburgh. However, Nasa did warn local to the Wallops area, Arbuckleneck Road and Assateague Island have been closed to the public by area officials and will not be available for viewing the Antares rocket launch. Advertisement 'Liftoff of Orbital ATKs Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo spacecraft occurred at 7:45 p.m. EDT liftoff this evening, Oct. 17, 2016, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A at NASAs Wallops Flight Facility on Virginias Eastern Shore,' Nasa confirmed. The Cygnus spacecraft separated from the Antares rocket second stage at 7:55 p.m. EDT, leaving Cygnus safely in space. 'Welcome back to Wallops,' beamed Frank Culbertson, Orbital ATK's space systems president. An Antares promptly exploded the last time one took off, on a space station supply run for NASA on Oct. 28, 2014. Orbital ATK spent the past two years redesigning the unmanned rocket replacing the old-time Russian engines with newer ones, among other things and rebuilding the launch pad. It also made good on two station deliveries using another company's rockets in Florida. 'This is a very exciting time for us at Orbital ATK,' Culbertson said. 'A lot of hard work has gone into this.' The deputy manager of NASA's space station program, Joel Montalbano, couldn't help but get personal. Orbital ATK, one of NASA's shippers, launched its own cargo ship for the first time in two years from Wallops Island, after its launch exploded on the pad on Oct. 28, 2014. Altogether, five Cygnus ships have delivered food, clothes, equipment and science experiments to the space station since 2013. 'We've missed these guys and we've missed seeing launches from here,' he told reporters. More than 130 VIPs were expected from Capitol Hill for the launch at 8:03 p.m. on Sunday. In fact, sky gazers along much of the East Coast Washington and New York included were in for a treat. Weather permitting, the launch should be visible as far south as Charleston, South Carolina; as far north as Boston; and as far west as Pittsburgh. Liftoff is set for 7:40 p.m, and weather permitting, the launch should be visible along much of the East Coast, including Washington, New York and Boston. 'We're very excited ... to have the biggest show back in town,' said Sarah Daugherty, test director at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The Antares will carry up a Cygnus cargo carrier, named after the swan constellation. Altogether, five Cygnus ships have delivered food, clothes, equipment and science experiments to the space station since 2013. AN EXPLOSIVE ROCKET An Antares promptly exploded the last time one took off, on a space station supply run for NASA on Oct. 28, 2014. Orbital ATK spent the past two years redesigning the unmanned rocket replacing the old-time Russian engines with newer ones, among other things and rebuilding the launch pad. It also made good on two station deliveries using another company's rockets in Florida. Advertisement 'Every cargo mission is like Christmas, right, and they never know what they're going to find when they open the hatch,' said Culbertson, a former astronaut who lived on the space station more than a decade ago. The latest Cygnus is packed with more than 5,000 pounds of goods, including presents for the space station astronauts. The current crew of three will double in size with the launch of three more astronauts from Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Culbertson and others acknowledged they were nervous going into Sunday's launch, but stressed their confidence in the changes to the Antares. Everything seemed to be going well at the pad over the weekend, following a succession of rocket tests in recent weeks and months. Even better, forecasters were calling for a 95 percent chance of good flying weather this after Hurricanes Matthew and Nicole caused a slight flight delay. Matthew held up work at the Virginia pad a week ago, while this week Nicole threatened a tracking station in Bermuda that's necessary for the launch. Fortunately, the station was not damaged. Matthew held up work at the Virginia pad a week ago, while this week Nicole threatened a tracking station in Bermuda that's necessary for the launch. Fortunately, the station was not damaged As it turns out, now NASA's other supplier, SpaceX, is grounded. During a test last month at Cape Canaveral, a SpaceX rocket exploded on the pad; the company is still trying to figure out exactly what happened. NASA hired the private companies to keep the space station stocked following the shuttles' retirement in 2011. The space agency instead is focusing on getting astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. Mars is the prime target. Move to make mobile results a priority will take place in next few months Desktop search results would not be updated as often, Google said People using desktop computers to search on Google could soon be left behind. The firm is said to be altering the way its search function works so that people searching on mobile get more up-to-date results. Currently, all Google users get the same search results whether they're using smartphones, tablets or a computer. But the latest move could create a 'second class' of web surfers, experts have warned. Google is said to be introducing a 'primary index' for mobile searches, while those using desktops to search will be relegated to a second-class service which won't be updated as regularly GOOGLE SEARCH ISN'T ALWAYS RIGHT While Google is usually helpful at answering weird and wonderful questions, it may have got itself into deep water with a question about racism. When asked 'can you be racist towards white people?' the search engine is claimed to have highlighted an answer claiming that ethnic minorities can't be racist to white people. Google, however, has insisted the answer is not a conscious promotion and is instead the result of an algorithm linking another site. Advertisement The update was announced by Gary Ilyes, a webmaster trends analyst at Google, at last week's Pubcon digital marketing conference in Las Vegas, reports The Guardian. The firm is set to introduce a 'primary index' for mobile searches, while those using desktops to search will be relegated to a second-class service which won't be updated as regularly. This is because many old web pages don't look good on mobile, and Google wants to stop customers seeing these sites on their phones. The move to make mobile search results a priority will take place in the next few months, Mr Ilyes said. In May 2015, Google revealed that searches on mobile devices had over taken those made in computers in the US and many other parts of the world. More search requests are now being made on mobile devices than on personal computers in the U.S. and many other parts of the world. The milestone was announced at a digital advertising conference. 'The future of mobile is now,' says Jerry Dischler, a Google vice president in charge of the company's 'AdWords' service for creating online marketing campaigns. The news came a month after Google changed to way its search function ranked websites, giving preference to those considered to be 'mobile-friendly'. Websites not fitting the description have since been demoted in Google's search results on smartphones and tablets while those meeting the criteria will be more likely to appear at the top of the rankings a prized position that can translate into more visitors and money. While the company is trying to make searching on mobile for effective, critics argue that desktop users will be left behind, potentially creating a 'second class' of web surfers To stay in favour with Google, websites must be designed so they load quickly on mobile devices. Content must also be easily accessible by scrolling up and down without having to also swipe to the left or right. It also helps if all buttons for making purchases or taking other actions on the website can be easily seen and touched on smaller screens. If a website has been designed only with PC users in mind, the graphics take longer to load on mobile devices and the columns of text don't all fit on the smaller screens. Google has been urging websites to cater to mobile device for years, mainly because that is where people are increasingly searching for information. While the company is trying to make searching on mobile for effective, critics argue that desktop users will be left behind. A new video has emerged on YouTube which conspiracy theorists claim shows an image of a UFO taken on the moon in 1969. The image shows a missile-shaped object with what appears to be a bright trail behind it. The black and white picture is thought to have been taken on the Apollo 11 space mission, which was manned by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. A new video has emerged on YouTube which conspiracy theorists claim shows an image of a UFO taken on the moon in 1969. The image shows a missile-shaped object with what appears to be a bright trail behind it THE APOLLO 11 SPACECRAFT Apollo 11 was the first spaceflight that landed humans on the moon. Mission commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module Eagle in July 1969. Mr Armstrong became the first to step onto the lunar surface six hours later while Aldrin joined him about 20 minutes later. They spent about two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft, and collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar material for return to Earth. Launched from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, Apollo 11 was the fifth manned mission of NASA's Apollo programme. Broadcast on live TV to a worldwide audience, Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface and described the event as 'one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.' Advertisement The UFO theory comes from YouTube channel Paranormal Crucible, who posted a video showing the mysterious image, earlier this month. The description for the video reads: 'Bizarre image from the Apollo archives which appears to show a missile type UFO cruising across the moon. 'Could Nasa be bombing alien installations on the lunar surface, possibly using high tech ships from the secret space programme? 'Very odd object, not convinced it's an alien craft, more likely something we launched, but at who and why?' While the video has had more than 100,000 views, not everyone seems convinced. User xNyc008X commented: 'Another channel that loses credibility because of the doctored main pic. Just be real, especially with stuff like this.' Spectrumwiz added: 'Rocket plumes do not happen in the vacuum of space.' The black and white picture is thought to have been taken on the Apollo 11 space mission, which was manned by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual told MailOnline: 'The main problem is that we have no sense of scale here, and it would be worth checking the same area at different times of day to see if this is an optical illusion caused by a combination of geographical features and the angle of the sun.' Apollo 11 was the first spaceflight that landed humans on the moon. Mission commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module, Eagle, in July 1969. During its time on the lunar surface, Apollo 11 captured several images, although it unclear whether the picture used in the YouTube video is an official Nasa image. WHY PEOPLE SEE FAMILIAR OBJECTS IN STRANGE PLACES Seeing familiar things in random objects is nothing new. The phenomenon is called Pareidolia is the psychological response to seeing faces and other significant and everyday items in random stimulus. It is a form of apophenia, which is when people see patterns or connections in random, unconnected data. Human eyes can spot faces within their environment and it helps them recognise friends in a crowd, work out how fast a car is travelling, and see patterns. Scientists claim we also tend to use this ability to 'enrich our imagination' and recognise meaningful shapes, even when they're not there. Advertisement Apple users still clinging onto their iPhone 4 handsets will soon find them officially out-of-date. That's according to new reports that the aging device will be added to Apple's official list of obsolete products on 31 October. Apple defines 'vintage' products as those that have not been manufactured for more than five years and less than seven years ago. The Cupertino tech firm considers anything that was discontinued more than seven years ago to be obsolete. Scroll down for video Apple users still clinging onto their iPhone 4 handsets will soon find them officially out-of-date. That's according to new reports that the aging device will be added to Apple's official list of obsolete products on 31 October END OF THE HOME BUTTON? Apple's latest patent reveals technology that places the home button underneath the display. The innovation uses an electrostatic lens that connects the screen and sensors, allowing the device to accurately read fingerprints on the screen. Depending on the position of these lenses, relative voltage and shape, the layer or layers are able to shape or bend the electric field associate with the users finger, reports AppleInsider. These specially designed lenses would also reduce the spreading of the electric field of a users finger when placed on the screen, as this type of bending can sometimes offset a fingerprints natural dispersion. Advertisement While the firm offers limited service repairs for vintage products, no such support is continued for obsolete products. 'Apple has discontinued all hardware service for obsolete products with no exceptions,' the company explains on its website. 'Service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products'. While Apple made versions of the iPhone 4 using CDMA technology officially obsolete last year, the new October deadline will include all iPhone 4 handsets, reports Japanese website Macotakara. The iPhone 4 was first released in 2010 and was succeeded by the iPhone 4S in 2011. Apple ceased making the iPhone 4 in 2013, after it achieved the milestone of being the firm's longest serving flagship handset, racking up 15 months in the top spot. The late 2010 13-inch MacBook Air, the third-generation AirPort Extreme and the mid 2009 AirPort Time Capsule Wi-Fi stations will also be added to Apple's 'obsolete' list at the end of October, reports Macotakara. While the report concentrates on Japan, any products added to Apple's official obsolete list are likely to suffer the same fate in other major markets, including the UK and US. The iPhone 4's rumoured obsolescence is unsurprising, given that the handset is more than six years old. As the firm continues to update its iOS software to work with its latest handsets, it isn't primarily designed to work with ageing hardware. The same is also true for other phone manufacturers. Apple has been contacted for comment. Now the inventor of the drive has filed a patent for an upgraded version Nasa has investigated the drive and is expected to publish a paper soon It has been dubbed the 'impossible engine', that some say could take humans to Mars in just 10 weeks, but nobody knows exactly how it works. Now the 'EmDrive', that creates thrust by bouncing microwaves around in an enclosed chamber using only solar power, has been given an upgrade. Inventor Roger Shawyer has filed a patent for a new version of the machine, which includes a superconducting plate to make the thrust more powerful. Scroll down for video Inventor of the EMDrive Roger Shawyer has filed a patent for a new version of the machine, that includes a superconducting plate on one end to make the thrust even more powerful. Diagram pictured WHAT IS THE EMDRIVE? The concept of an EmDrive engine is relatively simple. It provides thrust to a spacecraft by bouncing microwaves around in a closed container. Solar energy provides the electricity to power the microwaves, which means that no propellant is needed. The implications for this could be huge. For instance, current satellites could be half the size they are today without the need to carry fuel. Humans could also travel further into space, generating their own propulsion on the way. But when the concept was first proposed it was considered implausible because it went against the laws of physics. Its allegedly fuel-free nature also means that the drive may directly contradict the law of conservation of momentum. It suggests it would produce a forward-facing force without an equal and opposite force acting in the other direction. Advertisement The new EMdrive thruster design has a single flat superconducting plate on one end, with a uniquely shaped, non-conducting plate on the other. The plate will minimise the internal Doppler shift, a change in frequency or wavelength of a wave for an observer moving relative to its source. This will make the drive even more powerful. It will also keep manufacturing costs down as the plate can be made to be flat. Many argue the concept of the EMDrive is hype, suggesting the design goes against the laws of physics. But its secrets could be set to be revealed this year as a Nasa lab that has been studying the concept is set to publish its findings for the first time in December, it claimed in August. The idea for an EmDrive was proposed in 2000 by a researcher named Roger Shawyer. Since then four independent labs, including one at Nasa, have recreated the drive. But the mysterious engine had baffled scientists because it appeared to violate the law of conservation of momentum, which states for every action there has to be an equal and opposite reaction. This means the rocket can only accelerate forward if a force of equal magnitude is sent in the other direction - the rocket's exhaust. Nasa's Eagleworks team is getting ready to reveal its findings, it has been claimed - sending the physics world into a tizzy. 'It is my understanding that Eaglework's new paper has been today accepted for publication in a peer-review journal, where it will be published,' claims one user on the Nasa Spaceflight forum. Earlier this year, an employee confirmed the team was working on the paper. 'The Eagleworks Lab is NOT dead and we continue down the path set by our Nasa management. 'Past that I can't say more other than to listen to Dr Rodal on this topic, and please have patience about when our next EW paper is going to be published. Peer reviews are glacially slow,' Eagleworks engineer Paul March wrote on the same forum. A prototype of the 'impossible' fuel-free engine that some say power a spacecraft to Mars in just 10 weeks. The design is now set to undergo peer-review. Many maintain the system goes against the laws of physics A paper published in AIP Advances earlier this year suggested the EmDrive produces an exhaust like every other rocket. 'EmDrive works just like any other engine,' Dr Arto Annila, physics professor at the University of Helsinki and lead author of the paper, told MailOnline. 'Its fuel is the input photons at microwave lengths.' The researchers suggest the photons coming out of the machine interfere with each other, so the overall effect seems as if nothing is there. 'In the cavity the input photons will bounce back and forth, and invariably some of them will interfere completely destructively.' The technology has been dubbed the 'warp drive' for its similarity to the power plant from the fictional Star trek series. 'Then the two photons will be exactly 180 degrees out phase. 'At the complete interference electromagnetic fields for the two photons will cancel exactly, but the photons themselves continue to propagate.' The idea is the same as water waves travelling together, at the exact right time so that the crest of one wave is exactly at the trough of the other and cancelling each other out. The water does not go away, it is still there. In the same way the pairs of photons are still there and carrying momentum even though they cannot be seen as light. The Nasa Eagleworks team is tasked with investigating radical propulsion methods The idea is the same as water waves travelling together, at the exact right time so that the crest of one wave is exactly at the trough of the other 'The paired photons without net electromagnetic field will escape from the cavity,' Dr Annila said. 'This efflux of paired photons is the exhaust of EmDrive.' 'When the cavity is asymmetric, like the tapered cone, the efflux of paired photons is also asymmetric. Therefore the loss of momentum carried by the paired photons is uneven. In other words, thrust is non-zero.' Dr Annila came up with the idea along with Dr Erkki Kolehmainen, an organic chemistry professor at the University of Jyvaskyla and Patrick Grahn, a multiphysicist at engineering software firm Comsol. 'Thrust without exhaust is of course impossible,' the authors wrote in their. 'Yet, certain resonant cavities, when fueled with microwaves, deliver thrust without apparent exhaust.' Their theory suggest the exhaust produced by the EmDrive is there, but just cannot be seen. Dr Annila said the photons could theoretically be detected by an interferometer, the same instrument used to detect gravitational waves. 'My gut feeling is that it will be very difficult to detect such a small excess in energy density, especially when operating EmDrive steadily,' he said. 'Namely changes are more amenable to detection in any case. But still our idea about the exhaust can be useful to design the cavity for pairing photons better for an exit in a preferred direction, and hence to generate more thrust.' HOW IT PRODUCES THRUST WITHOUT AN EXTERNAL FORCE The EmDrive creates thrust by bouncing microwaves around in an enclosed chamber, and uses only solar power. According to classical physics, the EM Drive should be impossible because it seems to violate the law of conservation of momentum. The law states that the momentum of a system is constant if there are no external forces acting on the system which is why propellant is required in traditional rockets. But Mike McCulloch of Plymouth University came up with a possible explanation based on a new theory of inertia. McCulloch's suggests inertia arises from an effect predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity called 'Unruh radiation'. The Unruh radiation effect states that if you're accelerating in a vacuum, empty space will contain a gas of particles at a temperature proportional to the acceleration. According to McCulloch, inertia is the pressure that the Unruh radiation exerts on an accelerating body. When the accelerations involved are smaller, such as is the case with the EmDrive, the wavelength of Unruh radiation gets larger. At extremely small accelerations, the wavelengths become too large to fit in the observable universe. As a result, inertia may only take on whole-wavelength units over time, causing it to become 'quantized.' This means it can only in some multiple of a unit of measure, causing sudden jumps in acceleration. But because of the EmDrive's truncated cone, the Unruh radiation in tiny. The cone allows Unruh radiation of a certain size at the large end but only a smaller wavelength at the other end, according to an in-depth report by MIT. This means the inertia of photons inside the cavity change as they bounce back and forth. To conserve momentum, they are forced to generate thrust. The concept of an EM Drive engine is relatively simple. It provides thrust to a spacecraft by bouncing microwaves around in a closed container. Dr Mike McCulloch, a scientist at Plymouth University, says something known as 'Unruh radiation' may be behind the bizarre performance of drive Advertisement Artworks created by Ice Age cave artists 15,000 years ago have shed light on a previously unknown hybrid species of bison and cattle. The animal is dubbed the Higgs Bison because of its elusive nature, in reference to the Higgs Boson or 'god particle' - the existence of which was only confirmed in 2013. The beast originated 120,000 years ago when now-extinct Aurochs the ancestor of modern cattle bred with Steppe Bison that ranged across the cold grasslands from Europe to Mexico. Ice Age artists charted the origins of a newly discovered species of European bison on cave walls more than 15,000 years ago, research has shown. This drawing was found in the Chauvet-Pont dArc cave in Ardeche, France THE HIGGS BISON The researchers found a distinctive genetic signal from many fossil bison bones, which was quite different from the European bison or any other known species. Radiocarbon dating showed the mystery species dominated the European record for thousands of years at several points, but alternated over time with the Steppe bison, which had previously been considered the only bison species present in Late Ice Age Europe. Professor Cooper said: 'Once formed, the new hybrid species seems to have successfully carved out a niche on the landscape, and kept to itself genetically. 'It dominated during colder tundra-like periods, without warm summers, and was the largest European species to survive the megafaunal extinctions.' Advertisement 'Finding that a hybridisation event led to a completely new species was a real surprise - as this isn't really meant to happen in mammals,' said study leader Alan Cooper, Director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) at the University of Adelaide. 'The genetic signals from the ancient bison bones were very odd, but we weren't quite sure a species really existed - so we referred to it as the Higgs Bison.' The research team included experts from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), Polish bison conservation researchers, and palaeontologists across Europe and Russia, They studied ancient DNA extracted from radiocarbon-dated bones and teeth found in caves across Europe, the Urals, and the Caucasus to trace the genetic history of the populations. They found a distinctive genetic signal from many fossil bison bones, which was quite different from the European bison or any other known species. The genetic signals from the ancient bison bones were very odd, but the researchers weren't quite sure a species really existed - so referred to it as the Higgs Bison Radiocarbon dating showed the mystery species dominated the European record for thousands of years at several points, but alternated over time with the Steppe bison, which had previously been considered the only bison species present in Late Ice Age Europe. Lead author Dr Julien Soubrier, from the University of Adelaide explained: 'The dated bones revealed that our new species and the Steppe Bison swapped dominance in Europe several times, in concert with major environmental changes caused by climate change. This blurred black charcoal drawing of a steppe bison shows long horns stepping out the head profile and a high hump. This drawing was found in the Chauvet-Pont dArc cave in Ardeche, France THE OLDEST ARTWORK What are claimed to be the oldest works of art were found in a cave on Spain's Costa del Sol, in 2012. Experts at the time said the six paintings of seals are at least 42,000 years old and are the only known artistic images created by Neanderthals. Professor Jose Luis Sanchidrian, from the University of Cordoba, described the discovery as 'an academic bombshell', as all previous art work had been attributed to Homo sapiens. The paintings were found in the Nerja Caves, 35 miles east of Malaga in the southern region of Andalusia. Advertisement 'When we asked, French cave researchers told us that there were indeed two distinct forms of bison art in Ice Age caves, and it turns out their ages match those of the different species. 'We'd never have guessed the cave artists had helpfully painted pictures of both species for us.' The cave paintings depict bison with either long horns and large forequarters - more like the American bison, which is descended from the Steppe bison - or with shorter horns and small humps, more similar to modern European bison. Professor Cooper said: 'Once formed, the new hybrid species seems to have successfully carved out a niche on the landscape, and kept to itself genetically. 'It dominated during colder tundra-like periods, without warm summers, and was the largest European species to survive the megafaunal extinctions. The modern European bison looks genetically quite different to the Higgs bison, as it went through a genetic bottleneck of only 12 individuals in the 1920s, when it almost became extinct 'However, the modern European bison looks genetically quite different as it went through a genetic bottleneck of only 12 individuals in the 1920s, when it almost became extinct. 'That's why the ancient form looked so much like a new species.' Professor Beth Shapiro, of UCSC, first detected the mystery bison as part of her PhD research with Professor Cooper at the University of Oxford in 2001. 'Fifteen years later it's great to finally get to the full story out. 'It's certainly been a long road, with a surprising number of twists,' she said. While connecting to the Wi-Fi might seem like a good way to save precious data, you might want to think twice before logging on. A new system has been designed that uses Wi-Fi signals to track where you are and who you're with. The system reveals that many external applications have access to this sensitive information, which could be seen as an 'erosion of privacy'. While connecting to the Wi-Fi might seem like a good way to save precious data, you might want to think twice before logging on. A new system has been designed that uses Wi-Fi signals to track where you are and who you're with (stock image) HOW DOES IT WORK? The system tracked 800 participants by studying which Wi-Fi networks they connected to, and when, to slowly piece together their movements. But the system goes one step further than this, to work out 'physical proximity between pairs of individuals' by looking at the Wi-Fi signals they pick up. For example, the system can track when two users are picking up the same WiFi signal which suggests that they are in the same place. Advertisement Researchers from the Technical University of Denmark devised the new system, which they say could be used to spy on people. In their paper, the researchers, led by Piotr Sapiezynski, write: 'The idea of exploiting Wi-Fi signals for this purpose is not new. 'However, to our best knowledge, researchers have not yet tested this approach in practice, over a long period, and in a large population that interacts in various environments.' 'WiFi can be efficiently used for high-resolution mobility tracking of entire populations and infer who people interact with, not only where they are,' they added In their study, the system tracked 800 participants by studying which Wi-Fi networks they connected to, and when, to slowly piece together their movements. But the system goes one step further than this, to work out 'physical proximity between pairs of individuals' by looking at the Wi-Fi signals they both pick up. For example, the system can track when two users are picking up the same Wi-Fi signal which suggests that they are in the same place. The researchers suggest that the main privacy issue with the system will affect Android users. The system can track when two users are picking up the same WiFi signal which suggests that they are in the same place (stock image) They wrote: 'A vast majority of the applications available in Google Play Store has access to Wi-Fi information, including all the scan results requested by the system as often as every 15 seconds.' But they add that this problem has been addressed in the latest version of Android. They wrote: 'In the latest versions of the system an application has to hold a location permission to listen to Wi-Fi scan results. 'However, the vast majority of handsets currently in use will not receive these crucial updates.' of last 12 months to break temperature record This makes it the 11th Federal meteorologists say Earth's 16-month streak of record high temperatures is finally over. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says last month's 60.6 degrees (15.9 Celsius) was merely the second hottest September on record for the globe. However Nasa, which averages global temperature differently, considers last month as record hot. Scroll down for video The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says last month's 60.6 degrees (15.9 Celsius) was merely the second hottest September on record for the globe. However Nasa, which averages global temperature differently, considers last month as record hot. That's slightly cooler than the September record set last year. But it was warmer than the 20th century average. NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden says a lack of a record doesn't reflect an end to global warming. Natural variability means not every month sets records. But the space agency's list doesn't have the same big hot streak. It didn't consider June as record hot. Records go back to 1880. According to Nasa's calculations, September 2016's temperature was a razor-thin 0.004 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous warmest September in 2014. The record-warm September means 11 of the past 12 consecutive months dating back to October 2015 have set new monthly high-temperature records. September 2016's temperature was a razor-thin 0.004 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous warmest September in 2014. HOW NASA DID IT The monthly analysis by the GISS team is assembled from publicly available data acquired by about 6,300 meteorological stations around the world, ship- and buoy-based instruments measuring sea surface temperature, and Antarctic research stations. The modern global temperature record begins around 1880 because previous observations didn't cover enough of the planet. Monthly analyses are updated when additional data become available, and the results are subject to change. Advertisement The new monthly analysis of global temperatures is collated by scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. The September margin is so narrow those two months are in a statistical tie. Last month was 0.91 degrees Celsius warmer than the mean September temperature from 1951-1980. Updates to the input data have meant that June 2016, previously reported to have been the warmest June on record, was in facers, in GISS's updated analysis, the third warmest June behind 2015 and 1998 after receiving additional temperature readings from Antarctica. The late reports lowered the June 2016 anomaly by 0.05 degrees Celsius to 0.75. 'Monthly rankings are sensitive to updates in the record, and our latest update to mid-winter readings from the South Pole has changed the ranking for June,' said GISS director Gavin Schmidt. 'We continue to stress that while monthly rankings are newsworthy, they are not nearly as important as long-term trends.' Monthly temperature anomalies with base 1980-2015, superimposed on a 1980-2015 mean seasonal cycle. Just weeks ago August tied July as the hottest month ever recorded, keeping up an alarming trend that has seen eleven consecutive months of record-breaking temperatures. Last month was hotter than the previous warmest August, in 2014, by .16C according to Nasa and it's passed the mean temperatures from 1951-1980 by nearly a full degree. The researchers have created a new visualization to show how dramatically the temperatures have climbed since scientists began tracking this data, revealing a long-term warming trend over the past century. The Nasa Earth Observatory chart created by Joshua Stevens reveals how temperatures have risen since scientists began keeping records in 1880 CLIMATE CHANGE ALREADY CAUSING DEATHS A new study has revealed the dangers of climate change are already affecting humanity and led to the death of hundreds of people across Europe sixteen years ago. A heatwave in 2003 killed 506 people in Paris and 315 in London, experts have said in a new study. A fifth of those deaths can be blamed on man-made pollution. The study led by University of Oxford scientists said there were 315 heat-related deaths in London as Europe experienced its hottest summer on record, out of which 64 were caused by climate change. The study was the first to calculate the number of premature deaths and it's link to air pollution and warned heatwaves will become more common and more severe in the future. Advertisement The animated graph reveals the temperature anomalies dating all the way back to 1880, when the global temperature record began. This past August marks the hottest month in 136 years of observation. 'Monthly rankings, which vary by only a few hundredths of a degree, are inherently fragile,' says Gavin Schmidt, director at the Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. 'We stress that the long-term trends are the most important for understanding the ongoing changes that are affecting our planet.' Seasonal temperatures usually reach their highest in July, the researchers explain, but this year, August was so warm that the two months tied, with last month being .98C warmer than the mean August temperatures from 1951-1980. The analysis was conducted with data from roughly 6,300 meteorological stations around the world. August has now tied July as the hottest month ever recorded, keeping up an alarming trend that has seen eleven consecutive months of record-breaking temperatures. The map reveals August temperature anomalies compared to the 1951-1980 mean According to the researchers, 2016 is set to be a record-breaking year entirely given the January-August trend. In a tweet, Schmidt says there is more than 99 percent chance that this will be the case. This comes after it was revealed that July was the hottest month on record, despite the fading of a strong El Nino, which causes global temperatures to rise. Seasonal temperatures usually reach their highest in July, the researchers explain, but this year, August was so warm that the two months tied, with last month being .98C warmer than the mean August temperatures from 1951-1980 According to the researchers, 2016 is set to be a record-breaking year entirely given the January-August trend, illustrated in the graph. In a tweet, Schmidt says there is more than 99 percent chance that this will be the case The month was 1.51F (0.84C) warmer than the global average between 1950 and 1980, and they say it was 0.18 degrees warmer than the previous records seen in July 2011 and July 2015. Nasa declared the first half of 2016 to have been the warmest six months on record, as many parts of the world experienced 'oppressive' levels of heat this summer, according to Nasa's Earth Observatory. In June and July people living in Siberia, the Middle East and large areas of North America faced extreme heatwaves. The US's three largest metropolitan areas New York, Los Angeles and Chicago all experienced heatwave alerts in July as well. Nasa has found that the global temperatures were 1.51F (0.84C) warmer than its instrumental record in July 2016 (illustrated). It marks another record breaking month in a trend that has seen temperature records tumble in the past year California is also in the grips of its worst drought in decades. Parts of Siberia, where the weather is normally relatively cool, saw temperatures more typically found in the tropics. Hot weather melted the permafrost in the Yamal Peninsula to reveal an infected carcass of a reindeer, triggering a major outbreak of anthrax. Kuwait recorded a temperature of 129.2F (54C) on July 21 in what may be the hottest temperature on record in the Eastern Hemisphere if it is confirmed. Forty years ago, two landers in a Martian experiment known as the Viking Labeled Release produced positive evidence for microbial life on the red planet. Separated by 4,000 miles, both of the Viking landers yielded similar, repeatable results, prompting researchers to conclude controversially that Martian life had been detected. Though many have dismissed the findings as non-biological, the soil materials that would support this explanation have yet to be identified. With the historical data considered, along with recent evidence of water, complex organic molecules, and methane on Mars, astrobiologists are now warning against ruling out the possibility of life, and instead argue that the evidence shows it must be considered. An image of the Martian surface is pictured above, taken approximately in September 1976 at Utopia Planitia by the U.S. Viking 2 unmanned spacecraft. Researchers say the evidence from the Viking experiments is consistent with a biological explanation WAS MARTIAN LIFE FOUND 40 YEARS AGO? Researchers examined the results from the 1976 Viking Labeled Release experiment, which at the time was said to have found extant microbial life. The results showed simiarities to responses seen in terrestrial soil, including data from samples collected in California, Alaska, and Antarctica They also evaluated non-biological hypotheses which have suggested that the results were most likely caused by a non-biological soil oxidant. But, no such oxidant that could satisfy all of the findings has ever been identified, and there have been no further metabolic experiments on the red planet. The researchers determined that the findings from the Viking experiments are consistent with a biological explanation, suggesting microorganisms on Mars adapted and evolved to meet harsh environmental conditions. Advertisement In an article published to the journal Astrobiology, experts from Arizona State University, Tempe, and the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda say the evidence is consistent with a biological explanation, suggesting microorganisms on Mars adapted and evolved to meet harsh environmental conditions. The researchers delved into the findings from the 1976 Viking Labeled Release (LR) experiment, and evaluated the non-biological hypotheses. In the LR experiments, samples of Martian soil from both landers were subjected to nutrient injection, preheating, and were even stored in the dark for roughly two months. The results showed striking similarities to responses seen in terrestrial soil, including data from samples collected in California, Alaska, and Antarctica. Each of these characteristics is reminiscent of responses by a compendium of terrestrial microorganism species, including the initial positive responses, the 160C and 50C heat controls, the reabsorption of evolved gas upon second injection of nutrient, and death from isolated long-term storage, the authors note. In the LR experiments, samples of Martian soil from both landers were subjected to nutrient injection, preheating, and were even stored in the dark for roughly two months. The results, pictured, showed similarities to responses seen in terrestrial soil THE VIKING LANDERS The two landers in Nasas Viking mission touched down to Mars on July 20, 1976 (Viking 1) and September 3, 1976 (Viking 2). They were equipped with a slew of instruments, including gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer, X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, seismometer, meteorology instrument, and stereo color cameras. This enabled them to search for possible signs of life, along with studying the physical and magnetic properties of the soil and atmosphere. The craft continued their mission until the final transmission to Earth on November 11, 1982 (Viking 1) and April 11, 1980 (Viking 2). Advertisement Numerous explanations have been proposed over the years to address these findings, including those which have suggested that the results were most likely caused by a non-biological soil oxidant. But, no such oxidant that could satisfy all of the findings has ever been identified, and there have been no further metabolic experiments on the red planet. As manned missions to Mars are now inevitable in the years to come, the researchers say it is a concern for health, safety, and biology to explain the results found in 1976. Plans for any Mars sample return mission should also take into account that such a sample may contain viable, even if dormant, alien life, the authors write. The authors urge future missions to carry out life-seeking experiments, including the search for organic molecules of biological importance And, according to the team, this is the only pristine life-detecting experiment that we will ever have, as the Viking landers were heat treated to reduce microbial counts and no other spacecraft have been since. Consequently, these untreated craft may have infected the planet with terrestrial hitch-hikers. The authors urge future missions to carry out life-seeking experiments, including the search for organic molecules of biological importance. Even if one is not convinced that the Viking LR results give strong evidence for life on Mars, this paper clearly shows that the possibility must be considered, says Chris McKay, PhD, Senior Editor of Astrobiology and an astrobiologist with Nasa Ames Research Center. Global sea level rise in the 20th century resulting from Greenland's melting ice may have been more significant than previous estimates suggest. A new analysis using Nasa satellite data has determined that tide gauges, the records typically used to plot these changes, may have underestimated the actual global average by roughly 25 percent. By examining ice melt fingerprints, the team found that the pace of the rising water is inconsistent between different locations, and many of the records taken during the 20th century were from sites where local changes were lower than the global average. Scroll down for video A new analysis using Nasa satellite data has determined that tide gauges may have underestimated the actual global average by roughly 25 percent. In the image black circles show locations of the best historical water level records ICE MELT FINGERPRINTS According to the researchers, the fingerprints reveal a process that seems counter-intuitive. As a glacier is melting, the sea levels in the surrounding area drop rather than rising, due to the glaciers reduced gravitational influence as the ice disappears. This phenomenon cause the nearby ocean water to move elsewhere. Farther away from the glacier, the oceans rise much faster as a result of the water its added. Advertisement Tide gauges are the longest and highest-quality records of historical ocean water levels, Nasa explains. But, the team from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Old Dominion University now says these may have overlooked nearly a quarter of the global average sea level rise from the Greenland ice melt. Based on analyses of the various processes that contribute to the pace of sea level changes, the researchers now say the global average increase was likely no less than 5.5 inches, and was probably closer to 6.7 inches. Its not that theres something wrong with the instruments or the data, but for a variety of reasons, sea level does not change at the same pace everywhere at the same time, said Philip Thompson, associate director of the University of Hawaii Sea Level Center in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Manoa. As it turns out, our best historical sea level records tend to be located where 20th century sea level rise was most likely less than the true global average. Among other factors, the team looked at ice melt fingerprints, the global patterns of sea level changes caused by deviations in Earths rotation and local gravity that occur when a large ice mass melts, according to the space agency. Using data from Nasas Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) satellites on Earths changing gravitational field, and a modelling tool developed by one of the studys co-authors, the researchers simulated the redistribution of ocean mass as ice melts. Global sea level rise in the 20th century resulting from Greenland's melting ice may have been more significant than previous estimates suggest. Pictured, icebergs float in a bay off Ammassalik Island, Greenland This revealed unique fingerprints for the glaciers, ice caps, and ice sheets. According to the researchers, the fingerprints reveal a process that seems counter-intuitive. As a glacier is melting, the sea levels in the surrounding area drop rather than rising, due to the glaciers reduced gravitational influence as the ice disappears. This phenomenon cause the nearby ocean water to move elsewhere. Farther away from the glacier, the oceans rise much faster as a result of the water its added. The researchers found that, during the 20th century, the records were taken in areas where the Northern Hemisphere fingerprints show reduced local sea level changes. Along with this, they say other factors that are known to contribute to sea level rise, including wind or Southern Hemisphere melt, likely did not counteract the effects of the Northern Hemisphere ice melt fingerprint. This is really important, because it provides answers to the question about how melt fingerprints and the influence of wind on ocean circulation affect our ability to estimate past sea level rise, said Thompson. These results suggest that our longest records are most likely to underestimate past global mean change and allow us to establish the minimum amount of global sea level rise that could have occurred during the last century. Advertisement A woman with spectacles perched on the edge of her nose sits surrounded by oranges at her fruit stall, an ageing Fidel supporter drinks rum at 9am and an old man sits on his porch smoking a cigar. An evocative photo series by Toronto-born photographer Luke Gram spans continents, from Asia to South America, examining the life of locals close up. Most of Gram's subjects sport greying hair, their weather-beaten faces creased with wrinkles, as they stare in the lens, telling the photographer their story. Many are impoverished, resorting to begging and living on the streets. Some try to make money by selling goods on the pavement - although often they find more hardship in crime-riddled cities than in the small towns and villages they left behind. Yet they are also proud - with one homeless man in Delhi refusing to accept money to have his photograph taken. Gram, 24, began his working life on an oil-rig but soon turned to travel photography and has now explored more than 40 countries. And his explorations are far from over. 'An ageing Fidel supporter sits on the streets of Havana, explaining to me his love for Fidel while consuming an entire bottle of rum at 9am,' Gram explains (left). The traditional women of Bolivia flock to La Paz to make money by selling goods on the streets (right). Often they find more hardship than in the towns and villages they left, as La Paz is full of crime and poverty 'A homeless man sits on the street. I was in Delhi for three days and saw him in the same spot every day. I returned to Delhi three weeks later and he was still there. When I offered him some money for his photograph he vehemently declined and said: "I don't like money". He is one of India's many spiritual warriors,' says Gram A man smokes his pipe in front of Amer Fort in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India (left). An old man begs among tourists in Cusco, Peru (right). While Machu Picchu draws in thousands of tourists every year, they all first arrive in Cusco. Often among the tourist boom, it's easy to forget so many people still suffer extreme poverty A man sits on his porch with his dog, safe from a tropical rainstorm. A classic scene of the ageing Cuban population and their love for cigars One of the many fruit vendors in the lavish markets of Peru. Here in Arequipa a woman with spectacles perched on the edge of her nose sits surrounded by oranges, apples, bananas and more Virgin Hotels Chicago won top hotel in the US and the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo won best hotel in Asia They voted the 18th century five-star Ballyfin hotel in Co. Laois. in Ireland as the top hotel in the world of the US magazine Conde Nast Traveler's Readers Awards were voted for by more than 300,000 Advertisement If you're thinking about your next holiday already (and have a spare few thousand sitting in the bank) then the following destinations are likely to hit the spot. Conde Nast Traveler's Readers Awards have been released today and the list features a dizzying array of five-star hotels, exclusive island resorts and world-class airlines. From a luxury guest ranch in Wyoming to an exotic island in the Philippines, there is something on the list to impress even the most discerning of customers - but the best of all comes from Ireland in the form of the five-star Ballyfin hotel in Co. Laois. The 18th-century Ballyfin, at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains in Ireland was voted the best hotel in the world The 614 acre estate with just 20 bedrooms was the honeymoon destination for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West The 18th-century Ballyfin, at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, which was the honeymoon destination for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, has only 20 rooms on the 614 acre estate and it aims to be a relaxing haven for its guests. It came out on top in the Conde Nast Traveler Awards despite stiff competition from the likes of the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, India, at number four, the contemporary hotel Mathilda in Mexico City in third place and an ultramodern new Virgin Hotels Chicago by Richard Branson in sixth place. Incredibly, Ireland has no less than three hotels in the world's top ten, with Waterford Castle, in Co. Waterford placing at number seven and The Lodge at Ashford Castle in Co. Mayo coming in ninth place. Elsewhere across the world, Como The Treasury in Perth, Australia, came a close second to the Ballyfin, with people praising its innovative restaurant menu. Summer Lodge Country House Hotel in Dorset came fifth due to its quintessential English charm and the chic Hotel Il Pellicano in Tuscany rounded out the top ten. In South America, the top hotel was awarded to the quirky Hotel Unique in Sao Paulo, Brazil More than 300,000 readers of the luxury travel magazine cast votes for their favourite 7,394 hotels, 606 cities, 500 cruise ships and 236 islands which have now been published. In America, New York City still continues to reign supreme as a tourist destination after being voted as the best large US city, while the quaint South Carolina port city of Charleston with its cobbled streets and pastel antebellum houses was voted best small US city. In South America, the top hotel was awarded to the quirky Hotel Unique in Sao Paulo, Brazil. For those looking for bit more peace and quiet on their holidays though, the gong for the best island in the world went to Boracay in the Philippines. With its crystal clear blue waters, sandy shores and a phenomenal underwater river, the idyllic Palawan archipelago in southeast Asia easily claimed the top spot. With its crystal clear blue waters, sandy shores and a phenomenal underwater river, the gong for the best island in the world went to Boracay in the Philippines In the Caribbean, the best beach resort went to the luxury, ocean-view hotel Le Sereno in St. Barths With its similarly dazzling water and white sands in the Caribbean, the best beach resort went to the luxury, ocean-view hotel Le Sereno, St. Barths, the brainchild of famous Parisian designer Christian Liaigre. The top resort in the US looked a little different though, with the rustic The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch, Saratoga, Wyoming chosen. The 30,000-acre working cattle ranch was the venue for Girls star Allison Williams' wedding to Van Veen back in the summer of 2015. The rustic The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch in Saratoga, Wyoming, won the best resort in the US The best safari camp went to the Ulusaba Private Game Reserve in Sabi Sand, South Africa Over on the African continent, there was a different kind of luxury on offer in the award for the best safari camp, which went to the Ulusaba Private Game Reserve in Sabi Sand, South Africa. Elsewhere, Singapore Airlines, with its lavish first class suites and shared bathrooms saw it crowned top airline in the world, and Virgin America won the prize for the US. Among visitors to Asia, there was no doubt that the top hotel on the continent was the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo. The top hotel in Asia was the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, which occupies the top nine floors of the 34-storey Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower The luxury high-rise hotel, which occupies the top nine floors of the 34-storey Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, has outstanding views across the busy capital city. Meanwhile, in the cut-throat world of cruise lines, Disney's magical appeal meant it was voted best large cruise line. Crystal Cruises was ranked favourite middle-sized cruise line and Seabourn Cruise Line won the small category. Have you ever gazed at an A-list couple and thought, 'Why aren't WE like them?' The declarations of love, the picture-perfect family, the hugely extravagant gifts - famous duos often leave us feeling like frumpy failures. But as hilarious new comedy Keeping Up With The Joneses hits cinemas, we look at what rich and famous are really like behind closed doors. They might appear to be hot, sophisticated and irritatingly perfect (just like new neighbours Natalie and Tim Jones in the film), but things are not quite what they seem.... From snap-happy Kimye to red carpet royalty Posh and Becks, you'll be surprised at just how similar your relationship is to theirs. So take our quiz to find out which celebrity couple is your double... As hilarious new comedy Keeping Up With The Joneses, starring Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot and Isla Fisher, hits cinemas, we examine our favourite celebrity couples Kim Kardashian and Kanye West How are they like you? Their bad habits annoy each other Ok, so Kimye aren't exactly your run-of-the-mill married couple. They jet around the world on private jets, spend hours getting ready every day with the help of a glam squad, and sit on fashion show FRows all over the world. And while you're probably more likely to be slobbing about on a Netflix binge with popcorn like the film's unlikely heroes Jeff and Karen Gaffney rather than wearing Balmain in front of 100 cameras, you could be Keeping Up With The Kardashians more than you think. Does your partner annoy you by falling asleep as soon as they plonk themselves down? Well, you're just like Kim. They may always be Instagram ready, but Kim and Kanye have to deal with the same stuff as the rest of us - their partner's annoying habits and dealing with nappies! 'He took me to a fashion meeting in Paris once. I'd never met these people; I was so nervous!' Kim explained. 'It was the beginning of our relationship, and I didn't know anyone in fashion. And he passed out at the table.' Beyonce and Jay Z How are they like you? They get all soppy They are the epitome of strong, sexy and successful. Two superstars who came together to produce music's most unstoppable superpower. World tours, headlining Glastonbury and never getting left behind the pack - Beyonce and Jay Z are at the top of their game together. But being an Independent Woman who pays her own bills just like the enigmatic and glamorous Natalie Jones, doesn't mean Beyonce can't be as soppy as the rest of us. But being an Independent Woman who pays her own bills doesn't mean Beyonce can't be as soppy as the rest of us Ever banged on about how much you love your other half after too many Pinots? Well, Beyonce seems to like to gush about her man regularly! Collecting one of her many awards, she couldn't wait to thank her man for being by her side, saying: 'I'd also like to thank my best friend. I don't wanna put you on the spot [because] I know they're probably putting the camera in your face right now. But I love me some Jay Z!' As for Jay Z, even he had to put in some serious work at the beginning of their romance - just like everyone else! He says: 'Well, you know, youve got to try (at) first. You got to dazzle . . . wine and dine.' Take our quiz to find YOUR celebrity couple double Take the quiz here Victoria and David Beckham How are they like you? They argue over disciplining the kids When it comes to building an empire together, not many others compare to Brand Beckham. But life all isn't what it seems with the unshakably suave Joneses, behind the picture perfect family, pouting and very expensive clobber, it turns out the Beckhams are just like the rest of us Sick of hearing yourself scream at the kids to do their homework or thinking about throwing the biscuit tin over the neighbour's hedge? Well, you're more Posh than you thought. Behind the picture perfect family, pouting and very expensive clobber, it turns out the world's most stylish pair are just like the rest of us - and occasionally bicker over disciplining their kids Victoria revealed it's a constant struggle to get her brood to knuckle down to their after school studies - and David admits he is often in hot water for not backing up his wife when she's already said 'NO!' Posh says: 'Sometimes when Im screaming at them to do their homework or clean their teeth, I say "Mummy was a pop star once". "Mummy was somewhat cool"', while David adds: 'Im not so good at the rules with the kids, especially with my little girl. My wifes definitely the strict one in the house.' Think YOUR neighbours are irritatingly perfect? Try Keeping Up With The Joneses! We've all been there - you're happy with your lot, you love your partner, you could lose a few pounds but you don't crack the mirror and then, all of a sudden, some new neighbours arrive. They're sleek, chic, well travelled and completely head over heels - in other words, really irritating. That's exactly the predicament suburban couple Jeff and Karen Gaffney (Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher) have on their hands when they found out the house across the street in their idyllic cul-de-sac was bought for cash. Cue the arrival of the impossibly glamorous Joneses (Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot) who arrive in style and immediately woo the neighbourhood with their beauty, talent and intrigue. But all is not what it seems and the Gaffneys soon realise that being perfect isn't all it's cracked up to be as they are dragged along on one helluva ride by the enigmatic Joneses. The brand new comedy is set to hit cinemas on October 21, 2016. Book your tickets here. John Legend and Chrissy Teigan How are they like you? They embarrass you when they're drunk She's the sex siren cover star with a goofy side, he's the cool crooner everyone wants singing at their wedding. But behind her sultry image, Chrissy is forever putting her foot in it (just like lovable Jeff Gaffney when he reveals his wife Karen has been SPYING on the new neighbours).... The witty beauty once let slip that she and John got very intimate at an event hosted by President Obama.... She also confessed to having a blazing, boozy row on Kim and Kanye's big day - she even heckled him when he sang during their first dance! Behind her sultry image, John Legend's wife Chrissy Teigen is forever putting her foot in it Chrissy said: 'I remember being so mad at him, and everyone was like, "He's so amazing, isn't he amazing?" and I was like, "NO!"' And at their own wedding Chrissy got friendly with a gatecrasher: 'The rehearsal dinner was crazy. There are pictures of me lying on the ground with a bulldog, just some random bulldog that had been walking through!' Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds How are they like you? They're constantly exhausted To us lot poring over pictures of them on the red carpet together, all loved-up looks and gorgeous faces, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are living the A-list dream. Fab careers, stunning looks and they even managed to come out from that Taylor/Tom weekend away smelling of roses! But those Hollywood smiles are hiding a huge secret - they are absolutely knackered. Much like parents of two Karen and Jeff who hop into bed purely to sleep, Ryan was so exhausted after the birth of his second child this year he even likened his stunning wife to a chain of American diners. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are living the A-list dream but those Hollywood smiles are hiding a huge secret - they are absolutely knackered He quipped: '[As] the guy, I'm just like a diaper-changing facility hooked up to a life-support system. But my wife, she's breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She's a human Denny's, all day long and all night long. Romantic, right? She's the most beautiful Denny's you've ever seen, though. Its amazing that you can be that exhausted and that happy at the same time.' How did they cope? Like the rest of us, of course - by laughing. Always the Hollywood joker, Ryan admitted he'd do anything to protect his daughter - including chucking Blake into the line of fire to save the tot. She's never been one to shy away from flaunting her killer curves in barely-there ensembles. So, it comes as some surprise to hear Victoria's Secret model Shanina Shaik prefers to wear a one-piece over an itsy bitsy bikini. Speaking to InStyle Australia, the 25-year-old admitted: 'There's something very sexy about it'. Scroll down for video 'There's something very sexy about it': Shanina Shaik revealed to InStyle Australia that she prefers a one-piece swimsuit over an itsy bitsy bikini 'I find it really suits my body shape and elongates my legs,' she continued. And indeed, a scan of her Instagram shows the lingerie model parading about in a number of high-cut swimsuits that highlight her enviable figure. And despite being one of Australia's hottest modelling exports, the exotic beauty is adamant she will never succumb to the pressure of being stick-thin. 'I'm a huge sweet fan. I don't deprive myself,' Shanina said. Killer curves! The Victoria's Secret model has posted a range of pictures on her social media as she dons a range of swimsuits, with the beauty believing they highlight her fantastic figure much better Shanina's enviable figure, which sparkles on the magazine cover in a sequins dress, has landed her numerous modelling gigs since her start on Make Me A Supermodel. It's also helped the stunner stand out in front of Hollywood film producers. With aspirations to land roles in action movies, the Melbourne-born star is well on her way, having landed a small part in the new Mummy film starring Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe. Shanina is also planning her wedding to DJ Ruckus, real name Gregory Andrews, after the musician proposed to the model in December. She's just like us! Several snaps on Shanina's Instagram see the star indulging in various sweet treats as she admits, they're her weakness Balanced approach: While the star allows herself to indulge in various sweet treats, she also keeps up with her exercise regime, also documented on her Instagram page In love: The popular personality is also planning her wedding to DJ Ruckus, real name Gregory Andrews [pictured], after the musician proposed to the model in December The personality, who has modelled for the likes of Seafolly and Chanel, recently spoke about their upcoming wedding to Who magazine. She told the publication about her wedding dress, saying it will be 'simple and sleek and a bit bohemian.' 'For me the most glamorous day of my life will be my wedding day. I just want to look beautiful and feel like a goddess,' Shanina said. Earlier this year, she claimed they will have a 'location wedding,' telling Daily Mail Australia it will most likely be on a beach. Pulling out all the stops: Shanina recently told Who magazine she wants to feel like a goddess for her wedding: 'For me the most glamorous day of my life will be my wedding day. I just want to look beautiful and feel like a goddess' She has no problem with speaking candidly about her love life. And Australian actress Tammin Sursok was back at it again, while launching a kids clothing line on Tuesday's episode of The Morning Show. The 33-year-old made co-host Larry Emdur blush as she revealed three-year-old daughter Phoenix 'knows how she was conceived,' adding that she has sex on 'Tuesdays and Fridays.' Scroll down for video No holds barred chat: Actress Tammin Sursok, 33, made co-host of Channel Seven's The Morning Show Larry Emdur blush on Tuesday's episode, as she revealed she has sex on 'Tuesdays and Fridays' Co-host Larry Emdur quizzed Tammin on the difficulty of explaining to young children why parents cuddle. And in true Tammin form, the Los-Angeles based star was quite frank in her response. 'I think she [three-year-old daughter Phoenix] knows how she was conceived,' she joked. 'She knows how she was conceived, right? I mean c'mon,' Tammin continued. Forthright: 'She (Phoenix) knows how she was conceived, right? I mean c'mon,' Tammin continued. Pictured with two young girls This is not the first time the South-African born star has revealed details of her sex life. August saw Tammin reveal on her web series In Bed With Tammin, that she sometimes finds it hard to get intimate due to her demanding career, but that sex is 'really important for a relationship.' 'I've been with my husband for ten years, which is like 55 in LA, we have no prenup, we're in it forever,' she said on her show. 'It's hard doing what we're doing plus trying to be intimate. But if there's no connection, which I feel like is so important, than you're just friends.' Candid: August saw Tammin reveal on her web series In Bed With Tammin, that she sometimes finds it hard to get intimate due to her demanding career, but that sex is 'really important for a relationship.' Pictured with actress Wendi McLendon-Covey, 47 Tammin made the admission while interviewing actress Wendi McLendon-Covey, 47. The pair were talking about Wendi'a sex life with her husband of 20 years, Greg Covey. Wendi said that in marriage, sex comes and goes. 'Sometimes it's a lot, sometimes it's like "who are you?",' she mused. To which Tammin added: 'It ebbs and flows.' Wendi then joked: 'you just have to f**k each other though it.' Tammin and Sean are parents to daughter Phoenix, three, and the clan are based in the US. Raunchy: The Pretty Little Liars star has never been shy of sharing intimate details of her love life with her fans. Pictured with husband Sean McEwen The Pretty Little Liars star is planning to expand her brood, telling the Today show earlier this year: My husband keeps trying to have a baby with me everyday.' 'He would like five kids,' she beamed. Meanwhile, Tammin is back in Australia to launch her new children's line, Stella.Phoenix, that's been two years in the making. Despite the former Home And Away star having relocated to the United States for several years with husband Sean McEwen, Tammin is thrilled to be launching an Australian brand, where a portion of proceeds go to World Vision International. Pieces in the range vary from neutral hues to bold pinks and patterns, making each item perfect for a different occasion. Actress-turned-fashion-designer: The former Home And Away star is back in Australia to launch her new children's line, Stella.Phoenix, that's been two years in the making She's one of the world's most successful transgender models. And in a new feature for Australian Vogue, Andreja Pejic has opened up about her personal style and goals for the future. 'I'm that kind of girl who will wear a gown to a grocery store,' the 25-year-old revealed to the publication. Scroll down for video Stunning: Andreja Pejic opened up about her personal style and plans to become an actress in the new issue of Australian Vogue The stunner continued: 'Sometimes I can't decide whether I want to look like Mommie Dearest or Almost Famous; ultra-chic and classic or boho rock chic.' Andreja added that she's a fan of luxury designer labels like Balenciaga, Gucci, and Celine, as well as trendy Parisian label Vetements. On top of discussing her style, the blonde beauty also revealed her desire to become an actress in the future. 'I'm that kind of girl who will wear a gown to a grocery store,' the 25-year-old revealed to the publication 'Sometimes I can't decide whether I want to look like Mommie Dearest or Almost Famous,' the transgender beauty told the fashion tomme 'I've dabbled in lots of acting on Turkish television,' she explained, before acknowledging: 'I know it's a very cliche thing for a model to get into acting.' Andreja's friend, model Rita Ora, has also followed the cliched path of model-turned-actress. The singing socialite spun modelling gigs for Roberto Cavalli and DKNY into blink-and-you'll-miss-it roles in movies like Fifty Shades of Grey, Southpaw, and Fast & Furious 6. 'I know it's a very cliche thing for a model to get into acting:' The blonde beauty wants to follow in the footsteps of her model-turned-actress friend Rita Ora Despite Andreja's acting ambitions, she isn't planning on leaving the modelling world behind. 'I like modelling and I think I'm pretty damn good at it, so I never want to completely turn my back on that,' the Elle cover girl said. Leggy blonde Andreja can currently be seen on the cover of British magazine Attitude. She spent last week hanging out with gal pals Taylor Swift, Cara Delevingne, Dakota Johnson, Martha Hunt and Lily Donaldson at various events in New York. And on Monday it looked like Suki Waterhouse was very much back to business when she was spotted out and about in the city. The 24-year-old British model-turned-actress, who hails from London, wore a smart black edge-to-edge jacket with caramel-colour trim around the neckline and on either side of the zip-up front, around the hemline and pockets. Scroll down for video Suki suits up: Miss Waterhouse looked elegant in a black jacket with trim the colour of her dark blonde hair, black trousers and loafers that she teamed with a titfer in New York on Monday She paired it with black skinny-leg trousers and Everlane black loafers with tassels. Suki completed her fashionable ensemble with a black hat with a wide brim and she slung a small black leather Pop and Suki bag over her shoulder. The beauty's dark gold tresses, which were nearly the same colour as the trim on her jacket, cascaded over her shoulders. And she wore very little in the way of make-up beyond mascara to draw attention to her long lashes and light pink lipstick. Suki has been busy promoting her upcoming film, The Bad Batch, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September but has yet to be picked up for a wide release. Going to work? The 24-year-old British model-turned-actress, who hails from London, looked as if she may have been heading to a metting The film, which is a follow-up to Ana Lily's directorial debut A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, also stars Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves, Jason Momoa and Diego Luna. Lily is also playing Quintana alongside Kevin Spacey, Emma Roberts and Ansel Elgort in Billionaire Boys Club, due out this year. She has been cast as Cecily of York in the Starz miniseries adaptation of the novel, The White Princess, by Philippa Gregory. Set in the late 1400s and early 1500s it tells the story of Henry VIII's mother Elizabeth of York. Fun night out: Last week Suki, front, donned her leather trousers as she hung out with Taylor Swift and her gal pal pack at a couple of events in the city Meanwhile, Bradley Cooper's ex-girlfriend has also launched her own line of affordable accessories with her best friend, television presenter and entrepreneur Poppy Jamie and their pal Leo Seigal. Debuting last month, Pop & Suki is an affordable accessory line that features a customized camera bag, chic shopper tote, charm jewelry and other unique pieces. She's never afraid to make a fashion statement. And Kylie Jenner kept up with appearances on Monday - this time for a good cause - as she posted two racy Instagram snaps. The 19-year-old was promoting one-for-one reading glasses charity D I F F Charitable Eyewear as she showed off her rose tinted shades. Looking fab! Kylie Jenner kept up with appearances on Monday - this time for a good cause - as she posted two racy Instagram snaps The pink haired beauty sported a skimpy bandeau top as she displayed her flawless skin. Meanwhile, in 2015 Jenner told People: 'The people who really inspire my style-wise are obviously Kim and Kanye.' The E! princess also said she is very aware of how she can influence others. Giving spirit: The 19-year-old was promoting one-for-one reading glasses charity D I F F Charitable Eyewear as she showed off her rose tinted shades Kim's mini-me: Kylie had been spotted in a saucy outfit earlier on Monday 'I am definitely conscious of it. It is a little intimidating to look good all the time, but I just try to make outfits and meet with my stylist [Monica Rose]. We will just talk and collaborate. We will throw ideas around and talk about the stuff that we like. So its really cool. Some people just follow me because I post a lot of outfits and shoes and jewelry.' The cover girl also mentioned she loves big shirts: 'I always wear boxers and a huge T-shirt and just eat everything. I dont have one favorite its just whatever I can find thats big and comfy.' Gone too far? Jenner shared this Instagram snap on Sunday where Tyga rested his hand on her bikini line Yes, she wore that outside: Jenner had on the leotard as she helped Tyga throw his son Cairo his second Ferrari themed birthday bash on Sunday Kylie has been stealing the style spotlight for the past week while Kim recovers from her scary encounter in Paris on October 3 when she had a gun pointed at her head then was bound and gagged as a pack of thieves took off with a reported $11m worth of her gems. On Sunday Kylie also looked sexy in a thin white leotard as she helped Tyga throw a lavish second birthday for his son King Cairo. His other hand met hers. She held onto a phone that had Lip Kit emojis on them. The only caption the Lip Kit queen was of a roaring cat. Too much? The rapper had a Ferris wheel, DJ, giant inflatables and a photo booth The two were standing in her living room of one of her Hidden Hills mansions. In the background his Ferrari gear from son King Cairo's birthday party. Kim Kardashian's assistant has announced that she will be helping to update the reality star's app while she takes time off. Stephanie Shepherd posted a handwritten note to kimkardashianwest.com letting fans know that there will still be new content coming while Kim recovers after the Paris robbery. The note, posted on Monday, read: 'Hey guys, so you may have noticed we haven't updated the app in a couple weeks, Kim Kardashian's assistant Stephanie Shepherd has posted a note to the reality star's website to announce she, along with Kim's other friends and family, will be posting updates while she takes time off Stephanie wrote: 'Keeks is taking some much needed time off. But not to worry guys we've called upon kims closest friends, fam & yours truly to serve up some exclusives' 'Keeks is taking some much needed time off. But not to worry guys we've called upon kims closest friends, fam & yours truly to serve up some exclusives, 'Stay tuned for new posts and app takeovers!! Thank you so much for your support for my girl, love you mean it!' Meanwhile, Kim's stepbrother Brody Jenner has spoken out for the first time about the star's ordeal. Trusted friend: Stephanie, pictured with Kim in April, was in Paris with the Kardashian clan when the jewelry heist took place on October 3 The 33-year-old DJ told Us Weekly that he'd reached out to the KUWTK star. Kim's sisters Khloe and Kendall Jenner stepped in to plug her emoji app on their websites. 'I don't want to get too much into it, but I'll say I haven't talked to Kim; I've texted her to show my support and let her know I'm thinking of her. Other than that, I haven't spoken to her,' he said. Brody added: 'I wish her all the best, I really do.' 'I wish her all the best, I really do': Meanwhile, Kim's stepbrother Brody Jenner has spoken out for the first time about the star's ordeal Kim has canceled public appearances as she recovers from the terrifying ordeal in which several armed men burst into her Paris apartment and stole her jewelry Helping Kim! Kendall Jenner and Khloe Kardashian both plugged Kim's emoji app on Friday on their websites as their sister takes a break following Paris robbery Kendall posted on her site: I'm so obsessed with the new KIMOJI Family Packit's too good!' 'They're so realistic (like that mouthwatering burger) and all of the Halloween ones are so fun!' she added. 'And, of course, I love the ones of my sisters and mom. Keep your eye out for my own KIMOJI coming soon, too. Make sure to download the new pack now!!!' Kendall posted on her site : I'm so obsessed with the new KIMOJI Family Packit's too good! While Khloe wrote on her website: 'I love all of the new KIMOJI packs, but this month's Family Pack is dope!!! 1. I am a KIMOJI!!!!! It's official. You can finally send the Khloe KIMOJI. Here are ways I'd use them. When you're tired of his bullsh*t.' She went on with her list writing: '2. Kim's epic Halloween costumes from the past; 3. Halloween themed KIMOJIS; 4. I saved the best for last: Kourtney's frozen face, LOL!' Meanwhile, Kim stepped out in Los Angeles on Thursday for the first time since her Paris robbery. The 35-year-old reality star suffered a terrible ordeal when she was tied up and locked in the bathroom of her apartment in Paris, France, whilst five armed raiders stole $10 million worth of jewellery. Khloe wrote on her website : 'I love all of the new KIMOJI packs, but this month's Family Pack is dope!!! Since the theft, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star has stayed out of the public eye, but was spotted late on Thursday as she stepped out to visit a restaurant in pictures obtained by E! News. An eyewitness told the publication: 'She was with security. She made a brief, 30-minute trip to a restaurant in Beverly Hills. She was with a female friend and looked very downcast and sombre, not wanting to be seen.' The last time the beauty was photographed was when she landed in Los Angeles after traveling back from New York where she stayed for several days after the heist. The usually spotlight orientated star - who has two children North, three, and Saint, 10 months, with the rapper - has been keeping a low profile since the robbery, as insiders have revealed she still has a 'long way' to go before she recovers. In recovery: Kim and Kanye seen in New York one day after the heist A source said previously: 'Kim is doing better but she still has a long way to recover from the robbery. She has been receiving some professional counselling. Her friends and family have been really supportive. Her sisters and mom have been checking on her every day.' In the early hours of October 3 Kim was robbed by five armed men wearing ski masks and clothes with police markings, who entered her Paris hotel building at around 3am after the concierge let them in. They tied her up and held a gun to her head as she begged for her life and told them she was a mother of two, before the robbers made off with $6 million worth of jewelry. The night of: Kim and Kourtney seen in Paris on October 2 just hours before Kim was bound and gagged in her apartment as robbers took over $10 million worth in jewelry The whole family has been keeping a relatively low profile since the scary ordeal including Kourtney Kardashian's baby daddy, Scott Disick. The father-of-three was spotted going to dinner with friends at Catch restaurant in West Hollywood on Monday night. Scott, 33, dressed down in a blue hoodie and green trousers for the night out and tried to not draw too much attention to himself. Spotted: The whole family has been keeping a relatively low profile since the scary ordeal including Kourtney Kardashian's baby daddy, Scott Disick Out and about: The father-of-three was spotted going to dinner with friends at Catch restaurant in West Hollywood on Monday night She never fails to showcase her creative streak when she takes to the red carpet. And Monday night was no exception, as Fearne Cotton cut an eye-catching figure as she arrived at London's Royal Festival Hall for the Red Women of the Year Awards. The 35-year-old Radio One star put on a leggy display as she sashayed into the event wearing a retro-inspired monochrome mini dress. Scroll down for video Monochrome beauty: Fearne Cotton cut an eye-catching figure as she arrived at London's Royal Festival Hall for the Red Women of the Year Awards at Skylon on Monday evening Slipping her slinky frame into the black and white thigh-skimming number, the Celebrity Juice regular channeled a sassy yet modest vibe. Featuring sheer detail extending from an off-the-shoulder neckline, the dress played up to Fearne's quirky but chic sense of style. She rounded the outfit off with a pair of towering heels which highlighted the mother-of-two's svelte frame. Retro chic: Slipping her slinky frame into the black and white thigh-skimming number, the Celebrity Juice regular channeled a sassy yet modest vibe Wearing her blonde locks carefully styled into gentle waves, the DJ and presenter allowed her hair to fall around her pretty face. Opting for a pale palette of make-up, the star subtly highlighted her striking features with tones of pink and a flash of silver eyeliner and mascara. After her arrival at the soiree, held to honour exceptional women and their achievements, Fearne mingled with other guests before taking to the stage. Eye-catching style: Featuring sheer detail extending from an off-the-shoulder neckline, the dress played up to Fearne's quriky but chic sense of style Pins on parade: She rounded the outfit off with a pair of towering heels which highlighted the mother-of-two's svelte frame Blonde beauty: Wearing her blonde locks carefully styled into gentle waves, the DJ and presenter allowed her hair to fall around her pretty face Introducing Samantha Cameron, the wife of former PM David, Fearne ensured the fashionable and much-loved businesswoman was greeted with applause. Clearly delighted with Fearne's kind words, Samantha gave the DJ a hug and a kiss before presenting the Style Award. Another famous face making waves in the style stakes at the event was former Made In Chelsea star Millie, 27, who also went for a retro look, donning a midnight black velvet jumpsuit. Shining light: Introducing Samantha Cameron, the wife of former PM David, Fearne ensured the fashionable and much-loved businesswoman was greeted with applause Best of friends? Clearly delighted with Fearne's kind words, Samantha gave the DJ a hug and a kiss before presenting the Style Award THE WINNERS: RED MAGAZINE WOMEN OF THE YEAR 2016 The Style Award presented by Samantha Cameron - Anna Orisini and Niamh Tuft The Community Award presented by Joanne Froggatt - Taban Shoresh The Pioneer Award presented by Melanie C - Hope Powell The Women To Watch Award presented by Amanda Abbington and Edith Bowman - Sammy Payne, Michaela Coel and Clementine Chambon The Clinique Difference Maker Award presented by Victoria Pendleton - Claire Throssell The Stem Award presented by Red's Philippa Perry - Praminda Caleb-Solly The Creative Award - Ammah Asante The Pioneer Award - Hope Powell The START-UP Award - Kathryn Tyler and Nikki Cochrane of Digital Mums The Community/Charity Award - Jayne Senior The Lifetime Achievement Award - Joan Burstein CBE Advertisement Fashionable females: Millie Mackintosh and Joanne Froggatt also upped their style game for the evening Keeping her outfit chic and simple, the healthy living guru went for a one-piece with a cinched-in waistline and a low-cut V-shaped neckline. Opting for the age-old addage that 'less is more', the former E4 reality beauty kept her look uncluttered and only wore a pair of matching killer heels to round things off. She wore her light brown tresses in a carefully dishevelled manner, allowing her long locks to cascade down and around her shoulders. Joanne Froggart, who shot to global fame in Downton Abbey, looked worlds away from her former period character, Mrs. Bates. Retro chic: Former Made In Chelsea star Millie, 27, went for an equally retro look and donned a midnight black velvet jumpsuit Subtly sassy: Keeping her look chic and simple, the healthy living guru went for a one-piece with a cinched-in waistline and a low-cut V-shaped neckline Simply the best? Opting for the age-old addage that 'less is more', the former E4 reality beauty kept her look uncluttered and only wore a pair of matching killer heels to round things off Mr. Bates will be surprised! Joanne Froggart, who shot to global fame in Downton Abbey, looked worlds away from her former period character, Mrs. Bates Quirky yet chic: Showing off her own fashion credentials the 36-year-old actress donned a fitted white dress, which featured pattern detail and cut-away sections Showing off her own fashion credentials the 36-year-old actress donned a fitted white dress, which featured pattern detail and cut-away sections. The Yorkshire-born star's figure-flaunting garment featured a metallic blue and red pattern across the mid-section and shoulders, while cut-out detailing at the waist and shoulders helped to accentuate her frame. She rounded off her look with a pair of towering silver peep-toe heels, which she complemented with a small clutch. Another famous face: Samantha was also out to impress in the fashion department with her low-key yet creatively chic look Simply stylish: The 45-year-old style guru opted for an understated yet seriously stylish maxi dress Fashionable freinds: Samantha (pictured with Sarah Bailey) showcased her trim figure, while a bright yellow shirt-style collar and big button detailing caught the eye Chinwag: Samantha also exchanged words with entrepreneur Dame Natalie Massene Joanne wore her long blonde hair tied up, leaving her famous features clear as day. Samantha was also out to impress in the fashion department with her low-key yet creatively chic look. The 45-year-old style guru opted for an understated yet seriously stylish maxi dress. Spicing things up: Mel C showed off her incredible figure in a fitted black dress In the pink: Model Amber Le Bon arrived in a seasonally chic ensemble, teaming a pink sweater with a floral layered mini skirt Lacey lady: Helen George opted for a lacy pink number It runs in the family: Amber was accompanied by her fashionable mother Yasmin The long fitted number clung to Samantha's slender curves showcasing her trim figure, while a bright yellow shirt-style collar and big button detailing caught the eye. Mrs Cameron rounded off her stylish ensemble with a pair of black stilettos. Mel C showcased her own trim and toned figure in a fitted maxi dress which clung to her slender curves. Other famous faces at the awards included the model Amber Le Bon and her mother Yasmin, award-winning artist Grayson Perry, and Helen George. Arriving in style: Actress Helen George (left) and Amanda Berry turned up in an Audi Glamour gals: Designer Jasmine Guinness and model Jade Parfitt arrive in an Audi at the RED Women of the Year Awards Turning heads: Amanda Berry stunned in an exotic dress along side singer Melanie Chisholm and cyclist Victoria Pendleton (right) L to R: Blogger Jasmine Hemsley, Red Magazine editor Sarah Bailey and presenter Lisa Snowdon Catching the eye: Cross-dressing artist Grayson Perry donned some snazzy heels while fashion designer Savannah Miller stunned in a patchwork dress Embrace: Actress Amanda Abbington (L) and Melanie Chisholm bore beaming smiles at the event Boozing: Ann Scott (L) and model Jade Parfitt seemed delight as they held their wine L-R: Fashion mogul Joan Burstein and Natalie Massenet, Jasmine Hemsley and Lisa Snowdon Matching shoes: Jasmine Hemsley and Lisa Snowdon sported very similar footwear Having a good time: Lisa Snowdon, Millie Mackintosh and Jessica Moloney posed for the cameras Stunner: Millie wowed in her black jumpsuit as she stalked the drinks bar Overjoyed: Jasmine Hemsley, Sarah Bailey and Lisa Snowdon flashed beaming smiles Karen Danczuk couldn't keep her hands off her Spanish toyboy lover as they enjoyed a date night out in Manchester. The 33-year-old selfie queen wore a big smile on her face as she locked lips with David, 26,who she started dating earlier this year. Karen pulled out all the stops for the night out, as she showed off her ample assets in an extreme plunging white mini dress. Scroll down for video In love? Karen Danczuk, 33, couldn't keep her hands off her Spanish toyboy lover David, 26, as they enjoyed a date night out in Manchester Smooching: The pair were seen giving one another a big kiss as they let their hair down on date night The short number showed off her lithe limbs and she added some extra height with a pair of tri-colour court shoes. Holding hands with her handsome chap, Karen brightened up her look with an oversized metallic clutch bag in red and pink. Meanwhile: Karen's ex-husband MP Simon has been in contact with police after intimate photos of himself were circulated online, it has been reported The couple recently enjoyed a trip to Costa Brava together where they were snapped frolicking on the sands. Back in September, Karen explained why she's on 'amicable' terms with her former husband, MP Simon despite a holiday altercation leaving her with 40 stitches. The couple took a post-divorce holiday to Alicante where the MP for Rochdale reportedly smashed a glass door after they argued over Karen taking a phone call from another man. Karen, 33, refused to press charges to protect the couple's two young sons, and she told FEMAIL that they are determined to remain amicable for their sake. She said: 'We have two lovely boys together and the last thing we'd want is for them to be picked on in the playground or be able to read any mud-slinging once they get older,' Karen said. Working her magic: Karen pulled out all the stops for the night out, as she showed off her ample assets in an extreme plunging white mini dress 'We want to set a good example for them.' Over the weekend, Labour MP Simon was in contact with police after intimate photos of himself were circulated online, it has been reported. The images are said to show the politician, 49, on a bed. Police are reportedly looking into whether the distribution of the photographs falls under revenge porn laws. It is believed the images were first sent to a former lover of the Rochdale MP and then circulated from there, according to The Sun. The photos, believed to have been taken by Danczuk, are said to include a close-up of the politician's face. Fun in the sun: The couple recently holidayed together in Costa Brava as their romance heats up Kate Beckinsale was the grey lady on Monday while filming in New York City. The 43-year-old English actress donned a monochromatic outfit while shooting Only Living Boy In New York with co-stars Pierce Brosnan and Kiersey Clemons. Kate wore loose grey silky trousers cinched with a cloth tie. Going grey: Kate Beckinsale donned an all-grey ensemble on Monday while filming in New York City She also donned a similarly hued flowing shawl top. Kate had her caramel brown hair down in soft curls and accessorised with black sunglasses. She completed her costume with open-toed silver platform heels. Pierce Brosnan, 63, also was spotted on the outdoor set. Flowing outfit: The English actress was draped in a shawl and silky trousers On the set: Kate has been filming The Only Living Boy In New York recently in the Big Apple The Irish actor looked typically dapper in a blue suit and white dress shirt sans tie. Kiersey Clemons, 22, also was on set filming scenes for the drama. She was dressed in urban chic style with a long-sleeved sheer, lacy crop top, ripped skinny jeans and brown lace-up boots. Good times: Pierce Brosnan also was spotted on the set having fun Fan favourite: The Irish actor looked typically dapper The movie follows recent college graduate Thomas, played by Callum Turner, whose life dramatically changes when he begins a relationship with his father's mistress Johanna, played by Kate. The film directed by Marc Webb, 42, is due out in 2017. Marc previously directed 500 Days of Summer and the 2012 Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man and its 2014 sequel. Kate can next be seen on the big screen in Underworld: Blood Wars due out on January 6. Kate Hudson is known for her bold - but always stylish - fashion choices. And the 37-year-old did not disappoint on Monday while attending the annual God's Love We Deliver Golden Heart Awards dinner in New York City. The actress wowed in a plunging floral dress from Michael Kors' spring 2017 ready to wear collection - retailing for $1,995. Star power: Kate Hudson wowed on Monday while attending the annual God's Love We Deliver Golden Heart Awards dinner in New York City The How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days star showed a hint of cleavage in the low-cut frock. The brown, white, navy and black piece had long sleeves, a knee-length skirt and a nipped waist. The number - called the Plunge Dress - debuted at New York Fashion Week in September; Kendall Jenner sported the look during the designer's runway show. Fancy: The 37-year-old wowed in a plunging floral dress from Michael Kors' spring 2017 ready to wear collection - retailing for $1,995 What a gorgeous lady: The actress showed a hint of cleavage in the low-cut frock What a gorgeous lady: The brown, white and black piece had long sleeves, a knee-length skirt and a nipped waist; pictured with Michael Kors Kate styled the elaborately patterned look with pointed black heels and a blue and black clutch. Kate, who is a co-chair for the Golden Heart Awards, added dangling diamond earrings for a sparkling touch. The mother of two chose a deep side part with large waves. Wow: The number - called the Plunge Dress - debuted at New York Fashion Week in September; Kendall Jenner sported the look during the runway show Glamorou: The mother of two chose a deep side part with large waves, adding bold blue eye makeup Staying close: Michael and Kate are co-chairs for this year's event Smiles all around: Kate posed on the carpet with Michael Kors and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour - who are both co-chairs for the event She sported bright blue eye liner and shadow with pink blush, clear glossed lips and defined brows. Kate posed on the carpet with Michael Kors and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour - who are both co-chairs for the event. Model Joan Smalls looked incredible in a black turtleneck with a maxi skirt featuring thigh-high slits. Having a blast: Kate posed with Michael and Iman inside the venue Puckering up: Kate greeted Chrissy Teigen with a peck on the cheek Pretty star: Model Joan Smalls looked incredible in a black turtleneck with a maxi skirt featuring thigh-high slits Sparkling: Chrissy Teigen arrived for the awards ceremony dressed in a slightly sheer sequined frock, adding a large belt Lovely couple: The 30-year-old model beamed while at the event with her musician husband John Legend, 37. Chrissy Teigen arrived for the awards ceremony dressed in a slightly sheer sequined frock, adding a large belt. The 30-year-old model beamed while at the event with her musician husband John Legend, 37. The lovebirds, who welcomed daughter Luna in April, locked eyes and leaned in for a kiss during the ceremony. Happily ever after: The lovebirds, who welcomed daughter Luna in April, locked eyes and leaned in for a kiss during the ceremony Not shy: Model Constance Jablonski stepped on the carpet in a sheer long sleeved blouse with brown trousers Peek-a-boo: The 25-year-old French runway star's nipples were on full display in the revealing ensemble On full display: The blonde beauty styled her long locks with a deep side part while rocking a slight wave Model Constance Jablonski stepped on the carpet in a sheer long sleeved blouse with brown trousers. The 25-year-old French runway star's nipples were on full display in the revealing ensemble. The blonde beauty styled her long locks with a deep side part while rocking a slight wave. Edgy: Fellow model Sara Sampaio opted for a studded black sleeveless dress Putting her best foot forward: The Portugal-born star, 25, paired the look with Mary Jane heels and stick-straight tresses Fun catching up: Constance posed with Michael and Sara after the ceremony Showstopper: Lily Aldridge, 30, wore a textured blazer with a matching skirt, adding a large belt to cinch her waist Fellow model Sara Sampaio opted for a studded black sleeveless dress. The Portugal-born star, 25, paired the look with Mary Jane heels and stick-straight tresses. Lily Aldridge, 30, wore a textured blazer with a matching skirt, adding a large belt to cinch her waist. Sister, sister: Her younger sister Ruby Aldridge, 25, chose a similar look - opting for a low-cut sequined frock Colorful: Model Nina Agdal brightened up the carpet in a ruffled blush toned frock Bold: The 24-year-old wore her blonde locks loose while toting a graphic clutch in her hand Good looking: Nina posed with Soo Joo Park, who wore a fringed black number Simply stunning: Joan Smalls, Sara Sampaio, Martha Hunt and Taylor Marie Hill showed off their stunning good looks at the event Her younger sister Ruby Aldridge, 25, chose a similar look - opting for a low-cut sequined frock. Model Nina Agdal brightened up the carpet in a ruffled blush toned frock. The 24-year-old wore her blonde locks loose while toting a graphic clutch in her hand. Textured: Hilary Rhoda also sported a see-through frock; the dress had a feather pattern with flared sleeves and a cinched waist Tailored: The 29-year-old model arrived with designer Prabal Gurung, who wore a grey and white suit Lights, camera, action! Hilary and Prabal were seen snapping a selfie together Coordinating: Models Taylor Hill and Martha Hunt both chose shimmering striped looks for the evening event Immaculate: Iman, 61, looked chic in a fringed black blouse with silver sequined trousers, a blazer and pointed heels Hilary Rhoda also sported a see-through frock; the dress had a feather pattern with flared sleeves and a cinched waist. The 29-year-old model arrived with designer Prabal Gurung, who wore a grey and white suit. Models Taylor Hill and Martha Hunt both chose shimmering striped looks for the evening event. What a good look: Actress Taylor Schilling showed off her toned stems in a spaghetti strap navy and gold number Good times: Anna looked like the epitome of elegant in her patterned maxi dress - which featured a geometric pattern; pictured with Michael Stylish: The Vogue editor rocked her signature hair style while stepping out in snakeskin printed heels Bold choice: Television chef and author Sandra Lee donned a floral patterned strapless dress; the piece had an embroidered top half with a bold orange and black skirt Mingle time: Blaine Trump, Iman, Michael Kors, and Kate posed for a snap together Swanky crowd: John, Chrissy, Michael Kors, Bollywood actress Prianka Chopra and Audrey and Danny Meyer looked in good spirits Iman, 61, looked chic in a fringed black blouse with silver sequined trousers, a blazer and pointed heels. Actress Taylor Schilling showed off her toned stems in a spaghetti strap navy and gold number. Anna looked like the epitome of elegant in her patterned maxi dress - which featured a geometric pattern. The Vogue editor rocked her signature hair style while stepping out in snakeskin printed heels. Handsome: Johannes Huebl, 38, looked dapper in a tailored navy suit with a patterned tie What a gorgeous group! Harley Viera-Newton stunned in a nude colored dress featuring a branch pattern; (from l) Sara, Martha, Ruby, Harley and Soo Joo Playful: Martha pictured having a laugh with Wing Tat Leung, Lily and Soo Joo Stopping for a chat: Chrissy with John, Wing Tat Leung and actress Sutton Foster On stage: Neil Patrick Harris, a co-chair of the event, hit the podium Television chef and author Sandra Lee donned a floral patterned strapless dress; the piece had an embroidered top half with a bold orange and black skirt. Johannes Huebl, 38, looked dapper in a tailored navy suit with a patterned tie. Harley Viera-Newton stunned in a nude colored dress featuring a branch pattern. Keeping it real: The 43-year-old actor, who hit the stage during the ceremony, donned a dark hued suit The image-conscious women of The Real Housewives franchise are known for their preened appearances, perfect bodies, and attention-grabbing antics. So it was no surprise to see Melbourne star Pettifleur Berenger, 51, turning back the clock on Monday as she took to Instagram to flaunt her impeccable physique in nothing but lacy lingerie. The self-proclaimed fitness fanatic, who hails from Sri Lanka, is the latest in a string of Housewives stars to showcase their age-defying bodies on social media in recent months. Scroll down for video Damn! Real Housewives of Melbourne star Pettifleur Berenger, 51, showed off the results of her fitness regimen by stripping down to revealing lingerie on Instagram Pettifluer's RHOM co-star, Gamble Breaux, recently went topless in a very racy Instagram photo. While, former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills bombshell Brandi Glanville made headlines everywhere this year after posting raunchy 'belfies' to social media. The 43-year-old mother-of-two said that the images, which saw her pert derriere on full display in skimpy G-strings, were to show that mothers can be sexy at any age. 'I've struggled with wanting to post this but I've worked so hard on my body and at 43 after 2 kids I'm very proud,' wrote the former model. Bad girl: Real Housewives of Melbourne fan favourite Gamble Breaux recently went topless in a very racy Instagram photo Repeat offender: Brandi Glanville is one of the most scantily-clad stars of the Real Housewives franchise 'I've worked so hard on my body:' The 43-year-old mother-of-two shared some provocative 'belfies' to social media to prove that mothers can still be sexy She continued: 'I love that Kim Kardashian makes the point that moms are hot even after kids and posts sexy selfies.' Fellow RHOBH babe Erika Jayne has become known for her voluptuous curves since making a splash on the Bravo show last year. The 45-year-old recently posted a handful of revealing swimsuit snaps from Greece, where she was filming the next season with the show's villain Kyle Richards. Workin' it! Erika Jayne (L) showed off her enviable curves in Greece alongside wannabe Kyle Richards as the pair filmed scenes for the new season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Kyle, 47, even joined Erika for one photo, stripping down to a similar swimsuit in a bid to keep up with the fan favourite. Bethenny Frankel, 45, has been famous for her svelte frame since skyrocketing to fame on The Real Housewives of New York almost 10 years ago. The outspoken businesswoman, who founded the low-calorie food and beverage brand Skinnygirl, often shows off her slim bikini body on Snapchat and Instagram. Bikini babe: Skinnygirl mogul Bethenny Frankel regularly flaunts her trim bikini body However, the most impressive Housewife body of the bunch is Orange County's Tamra Judge. The 49-year-old mother-of-four turned a love of fitness into a career, opening up her own gym before becoming a professional female bodybuilder. In May, the blonde beauty's hard work paid off after she placed first in the 35 & over division at the Muscle Mania competition. Impressive: Orange Country star Tamra Judge turned a love of fitness into a career, opening up her own gym before becoming a professional female bodybuilder Winning! The 49-year-old mother-of-four's hard work paid off after she placed first at the Muscle Mania competition this year Last, but not not least, is Real Housewives of Atlanta queen bee Nene Leakes, who has taken to flaunting her figure at every given opportunity since shedding some serious pounds earlier this year. The actress and comedian, who turns 49 in December, credits portion control for her shrinking curves. 'I've been trying to be good and eat something small for breakfast to kick start my metabolism and I'm eating smaller dinners earlier in the evening,' she told E! earlier this year. Blonde bombshell: Former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak has become infamous for her racy bathroom selfies It's one of their favourite holiday spots. And Mark Wahlberg and wife Rhea Durham were back in Barbados this week enjoying some well-deserved downtime. The duo appeared to be without their four children as they indulged in some low-key beach time on Monday as showing off their impressive beach bodies. Scroll down for video Looking good! Mark Wahlberg and his wife Rhea Durham soaked up the sun in Barbados on Monday Movie stud: The Shooter star showed off his toned torso and long locks Longtime loves: The couple married in 2009 after dating for eight years Wahlberg, 45, donned shark print swim shorts by Vilebrequin to showcase his buff torso. The Shooter star wore his long locks loose and proving he's definitely in chill-out mode the father-of-four displayed some serious stubble. Rhea, 38, wore a stylish bikini with turquoise top and orange briefs which complemented her bronzed skin. So much love! The couple hugged it out in the ocean Kisses: Rhea and Mark couldn't keep their hands off each other as they embraced in the water Beach bodies: The actor opted for some patterned shorts while Rhea wore a flattering colourful bikini Downtime: The 45-year-old star has been busy filming the newest Transformers film, The Last Knight The couple spent some time cooling off in the ocean where they packed on the PDA, proving they're still very much in love after seven years of marriage. They have four children together: Ella Rae, 13, Michael, 10, Brendan Joseph, eight, and Grace Margaret, six. In May the actor opened up about how having children has changed him. The actor told KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O that he's mellowed since having children, admitting: 'I'm a 44-year-old father-of-four now. I'm not the crazy, fun guy that I used to be.' Mark added that people in his native Boston expect a 'certain type of guy' when meeting the action movie star, but insists he's a reformed party boy. Off duty: The Hollywood star enjoyed a cooling dip Holiday ready: Rhea showed off a glossy red manicure and accessorised with a gold watch Fit mum: The 38-year-old model has four children with The Fighter actor Wahlberg wore some fetching shark-print shorts by Vilebrequin Getting hands-on: The couple embraced on the sand Bright and bold: Rhea showed off her tan in orange briefs and a turquoise top Bikini beauty: Rhea donned some trendy sunglasses as she enjoyed the view 'If you can't grow up and become more mature having children, then nothing's going to work for you,' he said. Meanwhile, Wahlberg has been working on the newest Transformers film, The Last Knight. Set to hit theaters on June 23, 2017, it will see the return of Wahlberg as Cade Yeager, Josh Duhamel as Lieutenant Colonel Lennox, Tyrese Gibson as Robert Epps, and Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce. Alone time: Rhea and Mark were seen without their four children Ella Rae, 13, Michael, 10, Brendan Joseph, eight, and Grace Margaret, six Just chillin': The model did some holiday reading as she topped up her tan Checking in on the kids? The Hollywood star watched on as his wife appeared to be making a phone call Bronzed beauty: Rhea covered up in a white sundress and a summery fedora as she soaked up some rays on a sun lounger Carrie Bickmore led the line of glamorous media personalities attending the Andrew Olle Media Lecture in Sydney on Friday. The Project co-host caught the eye in a sparkly cut-out black dress as she joined at Today presenters Lisa Wilkinson and Sylvia Jeffreys. Fellow TV stars Natarsha Belling, Sandra Sully and Deborah Knight also turned out to watch Waleed Aly deliver his speech. Scroll down for video Perfect presentation: The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore led the line of glamorous media personalities attending the Andrew Olle Media Lecture in Sydney on Friday There was one notable absentee in the form of Today's Karl Stefanovic, following reports he has separated from wife Cassandra. But his brother Peter Stefanovic attended, joined by his stunning fiancee Sylvia Jeffreys - both rising stars at Channel Nine. And before his speech, Waleed was photographed on the red carpet with his wife Susan Carland, who wore a stylish skirt and gold headscarf. Great minds! Network Ten presenters Natarsha Belling (L) and Sandra Sully (R) appeared to wear a similar style of dress, both featuring a one-shoulder design Opposites attract: Despite the similar look, Sandra opted for white while Natarsha chose black Man of the moment: Before his speech, Waleed Aly (L) was photographed on the red carpet with his wife Susan Carland (R), who wore a stylish skirt and gold headscarf Blooming lovely! Also leading the style stakes was veteran Channel Nine broadcaster Lisa Wilkinson, who wore a floral print dress Meanwhile, Network Ten stars Natarsha and Sandra appeared to wear a similar style of dress, both featuring a one-shoulder design. Also leading the style stakes was veteran Nine broadcaster Lisa Wilkinson, 56. The Today show co-host, 56, opted for a floral print dress with cut-out detailing across the sleeves. Happy couple: Peter Stefanovic (R) was joined by his stunning fiancee Sylvia Jeffreys (R), who are both rising stars at Channel Nine Dinner for three: Today co-host Karl Stefanovic was conspicuous by his absence, as his brother and Sylvia were joined by Deborah Knight (R) Little black dress: Channel Ten's Angela Bishop an off-the-shoulder black dress to the event The annual event, held in honour of the late ABC journalist Andrew Olle, focuses on the role of the media in Australia and its future. During his speech, The Project host Waleed addressed what he considers the shortcomings of today's media landscape. But the 38-year-old made no apologies for his own career , admitting he often picks stories that may 'go viral' over serious issues. Constance Jablonski looked likely to set hearts racing as she arrived in a see-through top at the Golden Heart Awards in New York on Monday. The 25-year-old model left little to the imagination as she flashed the flesh in a mesh top at the event at the star-studded event. She teamed her saucy sheer garb with chocolate-hued trousers. Scroll down for video Sheer delight: Constance Jablonski looked likely to set hearts racing as she arrived in a see-through top at the Golden Heart Awards in New York on Monday Her honey tresses were styled over one shoulder, and she added no accessories keeping attention on her exposed chest. Lily Aldridge put the focus on her cleavage as she strutted her stuff at the awards ceremony, which saw Karlie Kloss receiving The Michael Kors Award for Outstanding Community Service. The 30-year-old Victoria's Secret beauty wore a black gown which featured a plunging neckline to her trim waist. Gorgeous trio: Lily Aldridge joined Constance and Nina Agdal at the evental at the event Saucy: The 25-year-old model left little to the imagination as she flashed the flesh in a mesh top at the event at the star-studded event Sweet: She teamed her saucy sheer garb with chocolate-hued trousers She cinched her shape in further with a wide belt, and flashed her toned legs with a split front on her outfit. The beauty styled her dark tresses sleekly in a ponytail, emphasising her striking cheekbones and facial features. Nina Agdal had a licence to frill alongside her fellow models. Stylish: Lily put the focus on her cleavage as she strutted her stuff at the awards ceremony Striking: Nina had a licence to frill alongside her fellow models Beauty line up: Nina Sara Sampaio, Martha Hunt and Taylor Hil showed off their slim figures and stunning good looks Terrific trio: Sara, Martha and Taylor cosied up together outside the event The 24-year-old showcased her impressive physique in a salmon outfit which clung to her curves. The Danish beauty was unmissable in the frilly outfit, that revealed her tanned cleavage and legs. The Victoria's Secret darling wore her honey locks in a centre parting, and rocked a black studded clutch. Stunning: The 24-year-old showcased her impressive physique in a salmon outfit which clung to her curves Hugo Weaving has revealed how he came to the aid of a damsel in distress, chasing down and fighting a handbag thief. Speaking on Fitzy and Wippa's breakfast show on Nova 96.9, the 56-year-old told how he heeded the pleas of a passerby who had just been the victim of a robbery. The actor, best known for his role as Agent Smith in The Matrix trilogy, didn't say when or where the incident took place, but revealed it was a violent encounter. Scroll down for video Man of action: Hugo Weaving came to the aid of a passerby after she'd had her handbag stolen, giving chase and apprehending the culprit following a fight In response to Wippa asking Hugo and Rachel Griffiths, his co-star in new film Hacksaw Ridge, if either of them had ever been an accidental hero, the actor had a fascinating reply. 'There was a woman who came screaming out of her house. She came running out screaming that a man had stolen her bag,' he recalled. 'He was running away with something of hers. So I just chased after him. He jumped the fence, I ran around the other side of the house. He came quickly out of the front and then I grabbed him. Story time: The Matrix star told Fitzy (L) and Wippa (R) about the altercation as he promoted his new film Hacksaw Ridge alongside co-star Rachel Griffiths Double act: The Nova 96.9 duo were left speechless as the 56-year-old describes being kicked and punched by the thief 'I thought what am I doing as he started to punch me. Then he kicked me. Then he broke my glasses. He was on the ground, I had my hands around his legs and he was kicking me. I was thinking "what am I doing here?!" In his role as Agent Smith in the Matrix, it was commonplace to see Hugo involved in hand-to-hand combat. But the revelation that the actor had been involved in a real life altercation took the fellow studio members by surprise, with the show's hosts lost for words. The film star then told how the police arrived to take the heat out of the situation before he declined to press charges against the offender. Suit up: Vince Vaughn (R) will appear alongside Hugo (L) in the Australian-American biographical war film Hacksaw Ridge 'Sometimes you do stupid things,' he added. 'He was a junkie who had stolen a handbag. The cops came around and wanted to give me a medal. They said I could have him on an assault charge. I said "no, I assaulted him!"' Hugo was appearing on the show to help promote Hacksaw Ridge after the film premiered in Sydney on Sunday. The actor will portray Tom Doss, the father of main character Desmond Doss, in the Australian-American biographical war film directed by Mel Gibson. Two of Hollywood's loveliest ladies, Anne Hathaway and Sienna Miller, were among the stars that took the stage in New York City Monday to support Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at Stronger Together: Broadway for Hillary. Miller, 34, and Hathaway, 33, both looked amazing in matching white-T-shirts as they were among a series of A-list performers to grace the stage at the St. James Theater for a two-hour fundraiser that was streamed on Clinton's Facebook and YouTube pages, as well. Miller wore a black skirt while Hathaway wore a glittery skirt as the duo stood in front of a replica of the Mona Lisa set on the stage. Call to action: Sienna Miller, 34, and Anne Hathaway, 33, were a vision of beauty attending a Broadway benefit for Hillary Clinton in New York City Monday Masterpiece: The A-list actresses spoke on stage in front of a replica of the Mona Lisa The duo was part of a larger group that drew an Oscar night-level group of talents to The Great White Way, just three weeks ahead of Americans picking between the 68-year-old former United States Secretary of State or Republican nominee Donald Trump on November 8. Miller, who is originally from England and now calls New York City home - told Variety Sunday that she was giving serious thought to moving out of the country should Trump, 70, be voted as the nation's 44th president. 'I'm really horrified ... I dont know if I can stay if it goes the wrong way,' she said, 'so Im really hoping that Hillary comes through.' No laughing matter: While Miller's smiling her, she said the prospects of Donald Trump becoming U.S. president have 'horrified' her Sirens: The Devil Wears Prada beauty joined in on a duet with Broadway stalwart Kelli O'Hara Back in the city: Sarah Jessica Parker, 51, was among the A-listers who showed up to support the Democratic nominee Holding on: Parker joined Annie star Andrea McArdle for a spirited performance Passion: The Sex and the City star went to hug the 52-year-old stage standout at the end The Foxcatcher beauty said she found Trump's campaign - recently stung by a 2005 hot mic recording in which he said his celebrity enabled him to kiss starstruck women and grab them by their genitals - 'really funny, initially, until I realized it wasnt a joke.' 'Ive never been here for an election - Ive never felt as invested in the outcome as I do now,' she said. Hathaway also might have a bone to pick with the Republican nominee for remarks he made to former Access Hollywood host Billy Bush - not those ones - but rather in June of 2008, when she broke up with Italian businessman Raffaello Follieri after a four-year relationship. In the chat, Trump questioned Hathaway's personal values upon her split with the Italian businessman, a Trump Tower resident who, at the time, was on the verge of being arrested in connection with fraud. (He later went on to spend about four years in federal prison in connection with his conviction later that year.) 'She hasnt remained very loyal to him, has she?' Trump said of the Les Miserables beauty. 'So when he had plenty of money, she liked him, but then after that, not as good, right?' Others at the star-laden benefit, which Billy Crystal hosted, included Academy Award winner Julia Roberts, who said that voters should not cast their ballots out of 'cynicism, boredom or neglect' in this landmark election. A hand in politics: Julia Roberts was a vision of sophisticated beauty at the glitzy fundraiser Pretty woman: The Oscar-winner told the audience to not be cavalier in who they cast their vote for Others involved included Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Mirren, Hugh Jackman and Emily Blunt. Bill and Chelsea Clinton were at the event, where the ex-president told attendees, 'It is not true that our best days are behind us - you can be forever young and that's what she would like to lead us towards.' The nominee herself appeared in a pre-taped video, in which she expressed her gratitude to the stars who came out en masse to show their support. 'Were in the final stretch of this campaign,' Hillary said, 'and we need your help to reach as many people as possible.' She was one of Australia's most famous and successful models before transitioning to the big screen as an actress. And Gemma Ward played the role of guest judge on this week's episode of Australia's Next Top Model, helping to score the contestants on their modelling as well as presenting skills. 'This week, you'll be learning about iconic fashion, iconic people, and most importantly, what it takes to be an iconic model,' host Jennifer Hawkins told the finalists. Scroll down for video Iconic! Supermodel and actress Gemma Ward was introduced as this week's guest judge in the girls' first challenge The Myer ambassador reminded the girls that they're at the half-way point of the competition before introducing this week's superstar guest judge. Linnea, 16, admitted she was 'in shock' to see be meeting the model and actress in person, having idolised her from a young age. The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides star told the contestants: 'I actually entered into a competition a bit like this when I was 14. So I know it can be tricky, especially if you're juggling a lot.' Star struck: The nine remaining finalists were gobsmacked to be meeting the supermodel in real life Difficult: Being faced with a modelling and speaking challenge, the girls were nervous going into the task The aspiring models are tasked with a screen test, in which they'll need to write their own scripts and present in front of camera. In order to impress both Gemma and Jennifer, the girls will have to take 'the little black dress, made iconic by Coco Chanel' and make it unique to their own personalities and style, while also showing off their presenting talents. 'You'll have just one hour to style yourself, write a script, rehearse, and then present it down the lens of the camera to Gemma and I,' the former Miss Universe Australia instructed. Mentoring: Self-proclaimed tomboy was apprehensive while writing her script for her monologue, seeking advice from her idol Gemma Stiff: Despite looking glamourous in a satin slip dress, Adelaide-born Jessie stumbled over her first sentence multiple times and mispronounced a part of her script Self-proclaimed tomboy and avid skater Linnea was 'nervous' about not only slipping into a more glamourous look than she's used to, but also about presenting in front of her idol Gemma. Sensing the 16-year-old's apprehension, the Great Gatsby actress offered her some sage advice, telling the teen to 'take a few breaths' and 'warm up' before the challenge. Donning a satin shift dress with her hair tied in a neat bun, Jessie was first of the girls to present her piece in front of the camera. Perfect score: After being warned about her poor attitude last week, Daisy blazed through this week's challenge with a perfect score Impressed: Both Jennifer and Gemma were pleased with Daisy's 'scripted but natural' monologue After stumbling over the first sentence multiple times and mispronouncing Audrey Hepburn's name in her script, the nervous brunette eventually got through her segment, albeit awkwardly. 17-year-old country girl Christy was next and started off by saying: 'Growing up on a small farm, I'm always outside riding my horses...' Letting the nerves get the better of her, the brunette stopped to apologise to the judges repeatedly for forgetting her lines. Next up: This week's photo shoot challenge took the girls to the scenic mountains of Tasmania Daisy impressed Jennifer with her confidence and 'scripted but natural' performance. The blonde beauty, who received brutally honest feedback from guest judge Doll Wright last week about her attitude, managed to convey great energy throughout her monologue. And after being ranked the lowest in the previous challenge, Daisy topped this week's leaderboard with a perfect 10 out of 10 score. Braving the elements: The girls were both excited and nervous to be shooting at such an idyllic location Christy, Jessie and Linnea received the lowest scores of 7, but were encouraged by judge Gemma to 'fake it 'till you make it' and work on their confidence. Next up, the contestants are travelling to Tasmania where they will be shooting amongst the state's magical landscapes. For many of the girls, including 16-year-old Aleyna, it would be their first ever trip interstate without family. Ice queen: Linnea's role for the shoot was to run through the icy water while also working her best angles in a barely-there outfit Flaunt it: Daisy did well not to be overwhelmed by the below-zero temperatures while wearing a bikini Mentor Jordan Stenmark explained to the girls that shoots are done ahead of season in the fashion world, and that they'd be showcasing summerwear despite it currently being winter. With photographer Adam Flipp especially flown in to the state for the shoot, the girls were expected to wow with their energy despite the freezing temperatures. Some, including Jessie and Christy, were distracted by the fierce elements and took a little longer to get the perfect shot. Outstanding: Aleyna performed the best overall, with both photographer Adam Flipp and mentor Jordan Stenmark praising her work during the shoot Meanwhile, Aleyna left both photographer Adam and Jordan impressed as she posed up a storm while playing the role of a fly fisherman. Before she even had the chance to step outside and in front of the camera, 18-year-old Belinda was struck with illness. The redhead was examined by a doctor and told her heartbeat was extremely fast and sometimes irregular, posing a huge danger to her health. Heartbreaking: Belinda fell ill ahead of the shoot and was forced to forfeit the challenge Dramatic: The 18-year-old was rushed to hospital under speculation that she was suffering from appendicitis Following the initial examination, the teen was rushed to hospital by medics for further tests, under speculation that she might have suffered from appendicitis. Luckily, she was later sent back into the competition with a clean bill of health. In the elimination ceremony, Belinda was notified she'd be exempt from this week's judging and therefore was safe for another week. Impressed: At the elimination ceremony, all three judges were particularly pleased with Aleyna's photo Thrilled! The teen scored a perfect 10 from all of the judges and said she couldn't wait to tell her family After being told last week by judge Alex Perry that he needs to see 'more' of what she can do, Aleyna blazed through the challenge with a perfect score from all three judges. 'There's just nothing wrong with this photo, it's just perfection,' judge Megan Gale told the teen. Adelaide-born brunette Jessie disappointed the judges with her shot, receiving a score of 27 and putting her at the bottom of the ladder. The weakest links: Jessie (left) and Christy (right) had the least impressive photos of the bunch and landed in the bottom two 'I want more from you,' Jennifer said. It ultimately came down to Jessie and Christy, who also had a tough time in the photo shoot. Receiving a total score of 28, Christy was just one point above her opponent and remained safe from elimination. She's a familiar face on morning television, not afraid to pay herself out. And Today Extra's Sonia Kruger, 51, shared a hilarious clip to Instagram on Tuesday, that saw her attempting to use the goat Snapchat filter with co-host David Campbell, 43. The bubbly blonde claimed the two of them 'are so annoying,' as she joked that they're simply 'too old' for the popular app. Scroll down for video 'We are so annoying': Today Extra's Sonia Kruger, 51, shared a hilarious clip to Instagram on Tuesday, that saw her attempting to use the goat Snapchat filter with co-host David Campbell, 43, claiming that the two of them are 'too old' for the popular app 'David's still not convinced that we're too old for #snapchat #9today,' Sonia captioned the short video shared with her 174,000 Instagram followers. The clip saw the presenters, clad in their television best, saying hello to one another in chipmunk-style voices, while using the goat Snapchat filter. Adding a caption to the short video, Sonia simply wrote 'we are so annoying.' Antics: The video comes shortly after co-host David make a few jokes about his sex life with wife Lisa, from the Today Extra show's outtakes The video comes shortly after co-host David make a few jokes about his sex life with wife Lisa, from the Today Extra show's outtakes. The larrikin lad jokingly referred to the couple's bedroom as a 'dead zone.' During a weekly wrap-up of the week's unaired gaffes, Sonia introduced a particularly funny moment. 'David work-shopped this joke on the show,' she said, before the screen cut to the pair several days previously. 'How to make the most of the dead zones in your home,' Sonia said, introducing the segment. Not shy: The larrikin lad jokingly referred to the couple's bedroom as a 'dead zone' All in good fun: David interrupted: 'Does the bedroom count as a dead zone? Asking for a friend.' Pictured with wife Lisa Family ties: David and Lisa share three children, six-year-old son Leo, and one-year-old twins William and Elizabeth David interrupted: 'Does the bedroom count as a dead zone? Asking for a friend.' Subsequent footage showed another segment, in which Sonia said: 'They call it the dead space, those areas in your home where nothing's happening. Some say David's bedroom. No furniture, no light, no real purpose.' The 51-year-old blonde started laughing, prompting David to burst into a fit of giggles as well. David and Lisa share three children, six-year-old son Leo, and one-year-old twins William and Elizabeth. She is known for her porcelain skin and raven-coloured locks. But Coco Rocha showed that even by changing up one of the major components to her signature look, she could still look gorgeous. The 28-year-old model showed off her new platinum blonde locks at a Jimmy Choo x DKMS Charity Cocktail Party on Monday night. Stunning: Coco Rocha showed off her new platinum blonde locks at a Jimmy Choo x DKMS Charity Cocktail Party on Monday night She looked absolutely fantastic at the event held inside a Jimmy Choo store in New York City. The Canadian model rocked a burgundy long-sleeved midi dress featuring a string which tied around her waist. Coco looked like she could pair perfectly with a glass of Merlot as she matched her frock with a pair of wine-coloured velvet ankle booties. PRetty: The 28-year-old model looked absolutely fantastic at the event held inside a Jimmy Choo store in New York City Golden girl: Her newly-dyed medium-length tresses were worn down as some were even tucked behind her ear Her newly-dyed medium-length tresses were worn down as some were even tucked behind her ear. She accessorised the look with a gold necklace as she complimented her porcelain skin and cheekbones with contouring blush and a swipe of shiny lip. As the event benefitted blood cancer charity DKMS, many guests were given a sign to explain why they give to the organisation. Coco proudly posed with her poster which read: 'This is why I give... Because we all want to be Super Heroes!!' Fine in wine: The Canadian model rocked a burgundy long-sleeved midi dress featuring a string which tied around her waist along with matching velvet booties Sending a message: Coco proudly posed with her poster which read: 'This is why I give... Because we all want to be Super Heroes!!' She was not alone at the gala as she was joined by President of Jimmy Choo, Tanya Golesic and Chief Inspiration Officer at DKMS Katharina Harf. The model for over a decade first unveiled her bold new 'do just three weeks ago as part of a Balmain campaign. Meanwhile, Coco and her husband James Conran recently celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary in June. The model and her longtime love have a one-year-old daughter, Ioni. Dynamic duo: She was joined at the event by President of Jimmy Choo, Tanya Golesic She was seen locking lips with business partner Dennis Papageorgi in a Greek nightclub over the weekend. And Lindsay Lohan, 30, seemed to be continuing with her fun and flirty attitude as she posted a sizzling topless selfie on Monday. But seemingly having second thoughts about the snap, she deleted it soon afterwards, but not before her loyal fans went wild for the saucy offering. Scroll down for video Carefree Lindsay: Lindsay Lohan, 30, seemed to be continuing with her fun and flirty attitude as she posted a sizzling topless selfie on Monday with just her arms protecting her modesty Protecting her modesty with her arms, the black and white picture saw Lindsay smoulder down the lens, with her top wrapped around her waist instead of covering her chest. Clutching rosary beads, the stunning starlet also sported a bandage on her finger - the result of having her finger reattached after a recent boating injury in Turkey. She finished off the look by wearing her auburn locks in loose waves, whilst a pair of delicate diamond earrings peeked out beneath her glossy tresses. Just friends? Lindsay's saucy selfie will no doubt have come as a treat to her business partner Dennis - who she was seen caught in a steamy tryst with in Athens on Friday Lindsay's saucy selfie will no doubt have come as a treat to her business partner Dennis - who she was seen caught in a steamy tryst with at Athens' Bouzoukia nightclub on Friday. Despite denying just hours earlier that they were dating, the pair only had eyes for each other as they got hot and heavy on the dancefloor. It came after she wrote on Instagram: 'Dennis is not my boyfriend. He is my business partner and dear friend.' Cold feet? Lindsay seemed to have second thoughts about the snap, she deleted it soon afterwards, but not before her loyal fans went wild for the saucy offering Lindsay recently split from Russian businessman Egor Tarabasov following an explosive public row on the Greek island of Mykonos in July. Speaking on Russian TV, the Mean Girls star also said of her ex-fiance: 'I went to bed and he broke into my house. He started strangling me. I feared that Egor may splash acid in my face.' Egor strenuously denied the claims, however, accusing the star of starting a 'smear campaign' against him as he elaborated: 'There were numerous attempts to discredit my name by inaccurately portraying the nature of our relationship, publishing distorted facts, and making false accusations.' Lily-Rose Depp kept it casual on Monday while grabbing lunch with friends in Los Angeles. The 17-year-old actress donned a black cropped sweater over a black tank-top and faded blue jeans while lunching in the Los Feliz area. The daughter of Johnny Depp, 53, and Vanessa Paradis, 43, completed her outfit with black high-tops with pink trim. Out to lunch: Lily-Rose Depp kept it casual on Monday while out to lunch with pals in Los Angeles Lily-Rose accessorised with small hoop earrings and had her hair gathered in a loose ponytail. The teenager accentuated her natural beauty with just a hint of makeup. The actress can next be seen in the Franco-Belgian feature film Planetarium alongside Natalie Portman, 35. They star as sistersin pre-war France who believe they can communicate with the dead. Simple style: The teenage actres kept it simple with a black sweater and blue jeans Planetarium premiered last month at the Venice Film Festival and was screened two days laters at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is scheduled for release in France on November 16. Lily-Rose told The Wrap that their director Rebecca Zlotowski introduced her to Natalie by sending them to a spa together. Big bite: Lily-Rose enjoyed an al fresco meal with friends The 36-year-old French film director's idea worked as Lily-Rose and Natalie hit it off. Lily-Rose recently portrayed Isadora Duncan in the 2016 French film The Dancer and her previous screen credits include Yoga Hosers and Tusk She was born to Johnny and Vanessa in Paris in May 1999. It's been a long, hot summer for New Yorkers. And it seems Sienna Miller is refusing to swap to her autumn wardrobe just yet. Despite it being mid-way through October, the Alfie beauty stepped out in a flirty polka dot summer dress in the Big Apple on Monday. Scroll down for video Still feeling the heat: Sienna Miller is refusing to swap to her autumn wardrobe just yet as she rocked a summer frock in New York this week The British actress showed off her lean legs in the number, which boasted a Bardot neckline. The British actress showed off her lean legs in the number, which boasted a Bardot neckline. Sienna has been busy whipping up support for US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, as she battles against Donald Trump for the White House. The blonde beauty and Anne Hathaway were among the stars that took the stage in New York City Monday to support the Democratic nominee at Stronger Together: Broadway for Hillary. The British actress showed off her lean legs in the number, which boasted a Bardot neckline The British actress showed off her lean legs in the number, which boasted a Bardot neckline Miller, 34, and Hathaway, 33, both looked amazing in matching white-T-shirts as they were among a series of A-list performers to grace the stage at the St. James Theater for a two-hour fundraiser that was streamed on Clinton's Facebook and YouTube pages, as well. Miller wore a black skirt while Hathaway wore a glittery skirt as the duo stood in front of a replica of the Mona Lisa set on the stage. The duo was part of a larger group that drew an Oscar night-level group of talents to The Great White Way, just three weeks ahead of Americans picking between the 68-year-old former United States Secretary of State or Republican nominee Donald Trump on November 8. Miller, who is originally from England and now calls New York City home - told Variety Sunday that she was giving serious thought to moving out of the country should Trump, 70, be voted as the nation's 44th president. 'I'm really horrified ... I dont know if I can stay if it goes the wrong way,' she said, 'so Im really hoping that Hillary comes through.' Call to action: The blonde beauty has been whipping up support for Hillary Clinton alongside Anne Hathaway at a Broadway benefit for the US presidential candidate in New York City Monday Masterpiece: The A-list actresses spoke on stage in front of a replica of the Mona Lisa No laughing matter: While Miller's smiling her, she said the prospects of Donald Trump becoming U.S. president have 'horrified' her Sirens: The Devil Wears Prada beauty joined in on a duet with Broadway stalwart Kelli O'Hara Back in the city: Sarah Jessica Parker, 51, was among the A-listers who showed up to support the Democratic nominee Holding on: Parker joined Annie star Andrea McArdle for a spirited performance Passion: The Sex and the City star went to hug the 52-year-old stage standout at the end The Foxcatcher beauty said she found Trump's campaign - recently stung by a 2005 hot mic recording in which he said his celebrity enabled him to kiss starstruck women and grab them by their genitals - 'really funny, initially, until I realized it wasnt a joke.' 'Ive never been here for an election - Ive never felt as invested in the outcome as I do now,' she said. Hathaway also might have a bone to pick with the Republican nominee for remarks he made to former Access Hollywood host Billy Bush - not those ones - but rather in June of 2008, when she broke up with Italian businessman Raffaello Follieri after a four-year relationship. In the chat, Trump questioned Hathaway's personal values upon her split with the Italian businessman, a Trump Tower resident who, at the time, was on the verge of being arrested in connection with fraud. (He later went on to spend about four years in federal prison in connection with his conviction later that year.) 'She hasnt remained very loyal to him, has she?' Trump said of the Les Miserables beauty. 'So when he had plenty of money, she liked him, but then after that, not as good, right?' Others at the star-laden benefit, which Billy Crystal hosted, included Academy Award winner Julia Roberts, who said that voters should not cast their ballots out of 'cynicism, boredom or neglect' in this landmark election. A hand in politics: Julia Roberts was a vision of sophisticated beauty at the glitzy fundraiser Others involved included Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Mirren, Hugh Jackman and Emily Blunt. Bill and Chelsea Clinton were at the event, where the ex-president told attendees, 'It is not true that our best days are behind us - you can be forever young and that's what she would like to lead us towards.' The nominee herself appeared in a pre-taped video, in which she expressed her gratitude to the stars who came out en masse to show their support. 'Were in the final stretch of this campaign,' Hillary said, 'and we need your help to reach as many people as possible.' Her mother is heir to a $4billion fortune. So Tamara Ecclestone's daughter Sophie will never be seen in typical toddler garb, as illustrated on Sunday when the duo enjoyed a day at the Formula 1 successor's Wimbledon blow dry bar, SHOW. The two-year-old tot was clad in a sweet ensemble comprising of an 85 Kenzo dress with 188 Moschino biker boots, just days after she was spotted in a 4,000 Tom Ford leather jacket. Designer darling: Tamara Ecclestone's daughter Sophie will never be seen in typical toddler garb, as illustrated on Sunday when the duo enjoyed a day at the Formula 1 successor's Wimbledon blow dry bar, SHOW Tamara is known for her lavish taste which springs from her phenomenal fortune, inherited from her father Bernie Ecclestone, with her most plush buy being her 57-room, 70 million mansion in London's most expensive street. While she is frequently spied in her own designer garb, her beloved daughter Sophie is also clad in the highest fashion including Sunday's eye-watering look. The adorable tot looked incredibly trendy in the mullet hemmed grey dress adorned with the instantly recognisable Kenzo tiger logo. Proving one designer label is certainly not enough, her Moschino biker boots boasted the brand's bold gold lettering on a buckle across the front of the shoe. How much!? The two-year-old tot was clad in a sweet ensemble comprising of an 85 Kenzo dress with 188 Moschino biker boots, just days after she was spotted in a 4,000 Tom Ford leather jacket Lavish: Tamara is known for her lavish taste sprung from her phenomenal fortune, inherited from her father Bernie Ecclestone, with her most plush buy being her 57-room, 70 million mansion in London's most expensive street Cheeky! While she is frequently spied in her own designer garb, her beloved daughter Sophie is also clad in the highest fashion including Sunday's eye-watering look With her dress ringing in at 85 and the boots nearly hitting 200, Tamara proved money is truly no object when it comes to dressing her beloved toddler, who she is seldom seen without. On Thursday, little Sophia was once again sporting head-to-toe designer wares as she bounded along the streets of west London. The cute toddler was no doubt the most stylish girl in her dance class, topping off her adorable pink tutu, tights and ballet shoes with a matching Tom Ford jacket. The leather number, which retails at a staggering 4,000, was impossibly stylish with edgy zip detailing. Kenz-OH! The adorable tot looked incredibly trendy in the mullet hemmed grey dress adorned with the instantly recognisable Kenzo tiger logo Walkies: Proving one designer label is certainly not enough, her Moschino biker boots boasted the brand's bold gold lettering on a buckle across the front of the shoe The eye-wateringly expensive garment comes from designer Tom's limited-edition childrens collection of biker jackets, first designed for his his own son Jack in the autumn of 2014. The covetable collection features a safari biker jacket in brown suede, a pink and blue jean jacket in suede and two different styles of biker leather jackets, in both black and pink. The doting mother recently revealed she doesn't have time to go to the gym anymore because she's so busy with Sophia, who she raises with husband Jay Rutland. Inseparable: With her dress ringing in at 85 and the boots nearly hitting 200, Tamara proved money is truly no object when it comes to dressing her beloved toddler, who she is seldom seen without Working on out: 'As far as workouts go, it's running around after Fifi 24/7 and pushing her in the stroller,' Tamara told FEMAIL of her very laidback exercise regime 'As far as workouts go, it's running around after Fifi 24/7 and pushing her in the stroller,' Tamara told FEMAIL of her very laidback exercise regime. 'As for food, I tend to have porridge for breakfast, wholegrain pasta for lunch and then quinoa and chicken for dinner.' With Sophia off to nursery soon, Tamara has been considering expanding her brood. 'Not right now but, eventually, yes,' she hinted. Tamara boasts an estimated net worth of $300million and ensures her only daughter wants for nothing in life. The jetsetting toddler boasts a wardrobe bursting with designer clothes and is accustomed to a jet-setting lifestyle. Another one? With Sophia off to nursery soon, Tamara has been considering expanding her brood. 'Not right now but, eventually, yes,' she hinted Pretty in pink: On Thursday, little Sophia was once again sporting head-to-toe designer wares as she bounded along the streets of west London It was reported last year the youngster had been whisked off on 11 holidays in 16 months, naturally travelling by private jet. Socialite Tamara is the eldest daughter of Croatian model Slavica Ecclestone, whose net worth is thought to be $1.19billion, and Formula One boss Bernie, whose fortune was estimated at $4billion as of May 2012 by the Sunday Times UK Rich List. Bernie is alleged to have spent $177.8 million buying luxury homes in west London for Tamara and her younger sister, Petra. Cutie! It was reported last year the youngster had been whisked off on 11 holidays in 16 months, naturally travelling by private jet Her raunchy new comedy has so far featured sex toys, strippers and plenty of smooching. But the focus shifted on Sunday evening as Scarlett Johansson prepared for a comparatively tame outdoor shoot on the set of forthcoming female driven film Rock That Body. The American actress, 31, was joined by co-stars Jillian Bell, Zoe Kravitz and IIana Glazer for location filming in and around Beverly Hills as principal photography continues in earnest. Scroll down for video Quiet on set: Scarlett Johansson mingled with members of the production team while waiting to film scenes on the set of forthcoming comedy Rock That Body in Beverly Hills on Sunday evening Dressed casually in a striped vest and denim shorts for her latest role as central character Jess, Scarlett idled with members of the production team before shooting another anarchic scene with her cast-mates. Piling into a cramped, open topped silver convertible, the three actresses were joined by a shirtless male co-star, who stood in the rear as they set off. Scarlett's new movie is about a group of girlfriends who head to a beach house for a bachelorette party, where things go wildly off the rails and they kill their male stripper. Here we go: Piling into a cramped, open topped silver convertible, Scarlett was joined by actresses Jillian Bell, Zoe Kravitz, IIana Glazer and a shirtless male co-star In October Scarlett was seen sporting a sex toy on a pink headband while filming scenes at JFK Airport in New York City. The actress flashed a smile as she greeted actress Jillian, before planting a kiss on fellow co-star Paul W. Downs, who also co-wrote the movie with director Lucia Aniello, as her character got ready to fly off on a romantic getaway. She wore a blue sleeveless dress with pleated skirt and collar, and slung a suede handbag over one shoulder. Let's go: Scarlett and her co-stars wree on hand to film another riotous scene on the set of their new film, which is scheduled for a summer release in June 2017 The film also stars Demi Moore, SNL standout Kate McKinnon, as well as Modern Family actor Ty Burrell and Arrow's Colton Haynes. Elsewhere Scarlett also has a number of other projects in the works, including voicing an animated character in cartoon musical Sing, and reprising her role as Black Widow in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War sequel, due out in 2018. Rock That Body is scheduled for a summer release in June, 2017. He is the breakout Bachelorette star whose racy Instagram snaps have sent fans abuzz. And saucy entrepreneur Rhys Chilton, 29, once again sent fans into meltdown when he disrobed to a scant pair of Calvin Klein underpants for a very daring shoot this Tuesday. Leaving nothing to the imagination, Rhys gave Calvin Klein ambassador Justin Bieber a run for his money as he proudly revealed his chiselled torso and pert derriere in the brazen snap, which was taken by photographer Joel Devereux. Scroll down for video Gherkins, aisle five! Saucy entrepreneur Rhys Chilton, 29, sent fans into meltdown when he disrobed to a scant pair of Calvin Klein underpants for a very daring shoot this Tuesday 'Two for Tuesday? This ain't a pizza deal... don't worry im scratching my head too,' quipped the ladies' events model in the caption. Poking fun at his provocative post, Rhys completed his caption with the addition of hashtags such as #gerkin, #mycalvins, #pizzadeal, #tanned and #bootay. Former Bachelorette contestant Dale Brown was quick to comment on the piquant post, mischievously writing: 'Is that a flashlight or are you just happy to see me?' Scant enchanter! Days earlier, Rhys showcased his gym-honed physique in another flesh-baring snap, this time featuring the bronzed seducer wearing nothing but a pair of jeans Days earlier, Rhys showcased his gym-honed physique in another flesh-baring snap, this time featuring the bronzed seducer wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. In the caption, he gushed: 'Sooo.... I stared at a gym too long the other day and this happened', before revealing that his 'body progress' had reached 'about 50%'. It comes after the sassy Brisbane-native suffered an unceremonious booting from The Bachelorette mansion after he and protagonist Georgia Love decided that they weren't a good match. A date with the gym! Rhys often takes to social media with updates on his admirable fitness regimen Not to be! It comes after the sassy Brisbane-native suffered an unceremonious booting from The Bachelorette mansion after he and protagonist Georgia Love decided that they weren't a good match Not one to take himself too seriously, Rhys poked fun at his foray into the world of reality TV dating in a cheeky Instagram post on Tuesday morning. In the snap, Rhys is seen standing in front of two Channel 10 promotional posters- one representing the Bachelorette and the other depicting an ad for Australian drama, The Wrong Girl. 'Hahaha there are sooo many captions I could think of here.. but I'd love to hear some funny ones from you guys! So caption this for me?' he wrote in the caption as he pointed toward The Wrong Girl logo. Fans were titillated by the creative opportunity, with one gleefully commenting: 'I thought I signed up for this one.' 'Hmm think I prefer this chick,' giggled another. Who will 'the right girl' be? Not one to take himself too seriously, Rhys poked fun at his foray into the world of reality TV dating in a cheeky Instagram post on Tuesday morning He shot to fame as the arrow-shooting blond elf in the Lord of the Rings franchise. And Orlando Bloom is rocking his Legolas look once again as he showed off his newly bleached locks on the red carpet. The star, who debuted his new look on Friday, was promoting his new film S.M.A.R.T Chase: The Dragon and Phoenix in Shanghai. Scroll down for video Back to blond: Orlando Bloom is rocking his Legolas look once again as he showed off his newly bleached locks on the red carpet on Monday It is believed his new look is for the role, in which he plays a washed-up private security agent transporting a valuable antique out of China. The 2017 action flick is being helmed by Kevin Bernhardt and it will also feature Simon Yam. It brought back memories for Lord of the Rings fans, in which the hunk sported a long blond wig for his role as the loyal warrior. He certainly seemed to be enjoying being a blond again as he gave his all during a martial arts lesson, which he shared on Instagram over the weekend. Blonds have more fun: The star, who debuted his new look on Friday, was promoting his new film S.M.A.R.T Chase: The Dragon and Phoenix in Shanghai and looked pleased with his new image Big change: It is believed his new look is for the role, in which he plays a washed-up private security agent transporting a valuable antique out of China Different: Orlando usually rocks his natural raven-coloured locks Action star: The 2017 action flick is being helmed by Kevin Bernhardt and it will also feature Simon Yam and Hannah Quinlivan (above) All for the cameras! He's certainly getting into the theme of the movie and shared a video of him fighting with a 'Shaolin master' while inside a Shanghai gym over the weekend Orlando wrote to his 159K followers: 'He's a shaolin master imma have to practice lots to keep up' Action! Bloom's makeover and Chinese martial art stunt session was likely for his role in Smart Chase: Fire & Earth He certainly appears to be getting into the theme of the new film as he demonstrated in an Instagram video over the weekend. Orlando - who is dating Katy Perry - appeared shirtless in a clip which saw him battling his way through a Chinese martial arts stunt session alongside a Shaolin master. The SAG Award winner can next be seen opposite Malin Akerman in Joe Swanberg's sexually-charged, eight-episode series Easy, which begins streaming Thursday on Netflix. She's famed for her distinctive looks and quirky fashion selections. And Tilda Swinton, 55, put on another eye-catching display when she attended a press conference in Shanghai, China, for her new film Doctor Strange, on Monday. She was joined at the promotional event by her handsome British co-star and the film's leading man Benedict Cumberbatch, 40. Scroll down for video Striking: Tilda Swinton, 55, put on another eye-catching display when she attended a press conference in Shanghai, China, for her new film Doctor Strange The actress took to the stage in an elaborate patterned kimono and sported perfectly styled short back and sides. Tilda slicked the top of her blonde locks in a sweeping motion and added a touch of pink lipstick to her make-up which brightened up her porcelain complexion. She calmly addressed the audience while sat in a director's chair beside Benedict. Star attractions: She was joined at Monday's promotional event by her handsome British co-star and the film's leading man Benedict Cumberbatch, 40 Distinctive: The actress took to the stage in an elaborate patterned kimono and sported perfectly styled short back and sides Sitting pretty: Tilda slicked the top of her blonde locks in a sweeping motion and added a touch of pink lipstick in make-up brighten up her porcelain complexion The Sherlock Holmes star put on a dapper display in a dark jacket and trouser combo with a pair of pale grey shoes. He clutched a microphone as he gazed towards the crowd with his defined features and well-groomed dark hair. In the latest offering from the Marvel universe, Tilda plays the Ancient One, and trains Benedict's character Stephen Strange in the ways of magic. Best of British: He clutched a microphone as he gazed towards the crowd with his defined features and well-groomed dark hair Magic touch: In the latest offering from the Marvel universe, Tilda plays the Ancient One, and trains Benedict's character Stephen Strange in the ways of magic He is then forced to use his newfound powers for good, most pertinently to take on the evil Kaecilius, who is played by Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen. Thankfully our hero is not alone in his struggle, as he will be battling with the aid of his trusty manservant Wong. Doctor Strange also stars Chiwetel Eljiofor, Rachel McAdams and Benjamin Bratt and is in UK cinemas on October 25. Looking good: The Sherlock Holmes star put on a dapper display in a dark jacket and trouser combo Naomi Campbell and Iman lead the biggest and brightest names in the fashion industry as they gathered to pay their respects to Bill Cunningham. Attending the renowned fashion photographer's memorial service at Carnegie Hall in New York on Monday, the models ensured they showcased their iconic sense of styles as they paid tribute to him. Naomi, 46, who previously described the photographer as 'a great man with a beautiful soul', opted for a cream dress for the ceremony which featured a thigh high split. Scroll down for video Paying tribute: Naomi Campbell and Iman lead the biggest names in the fashion industry as they paid their respects to Bill Cunningham at Carnegie Hall in New York on Monday Donning her trademark oversized sunglasses, the star seemed in sombre spirits as she headed inside, pursing her lips - which were painted a rich shade of red. She accessorised with a pair of embellished black heels and carried a metallic silver clutch bag in her manicured hands. Meanwhile, Iman opted for a darker colour scheme as she teamed a structured navy blazer with billowing trousers. Sad news: Stars gathered to pay their respects to the renowned fashion photographer Bill Cunningham (pictured) Sombre: Naomi, 46, who previously described the photographer as 'a great man with a beautiful soul', opted for a cream dress for the ceremony which featured a thigh high split Still dressed to impress: Donning her trademark oversized sunglasses, the star seemed in sombre spirits as she headed inside, pursing her lips - which were painted a rich shade of red Sad day: Iman opted for a darker colour scheme as she teamed a structured navy blazer with billowing trousers Brave face: Whilst the model seemed merry, the loss of Bill was another tragedy to unfold in the star's personal life Whilst the model seemed merry, the loss of Bill was another tragedy to unfold in the star's personal life. The mother-of-two lost her husband of 24 years on January 10 from liver cancer. Just two months after her husband's passing, the supermodel was also struck by the death of her mother. But Iman put on a brave face as she shared her memories of Bill with the rest of the star-studded guests, which included Vera Wang, Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren. Respected: Bill worked as a photographer for the New York Times for nearly 40 years, and died in June at the age of 87 after being hospitalised for a stroke Fashion royalty: Anna Wintour - who performed a reading at the memorial - and Vera Wang were among the star-studded guests at the ceremony Bill worked as a photographer for the New York Times for nearly 40 years, and died in June at the age of 87 after being hospitalised for a stroke. In a 2010 documentary about his work, he explained that he was not swept up in celebrity culture, stating: 'I'm not interested in celebrities with their free dresses. I'm interested in clothes.' Anna Wintour - the editor of American Vogue and one of the photographer's muses -- also marveled at his ability to 'see something, on the street or on the runway, that completely missed all of us. And in six months' time, that will be a trend!' Paying tribute: Designer Cynthia Rowley and fashion blogger Leandra Medine attended Remembrance: Designer Ralph Lauren donned a smart black suit for the memorial Respectful: Designer Michael Kors and PAPER magazine's Mickey Boardman attended Sad news: Crowds gathered to pay tribute to the respected photographer Still smiling: New York Times Photo Editor Whitney Richardson and Philanthropist Jean Shafiroff swapped fun stories about the photographer Heading inside: Linda Fargo (R) also attended the star-studded service She was also present at his memorial and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, read the Lord Byron poem So Well Go No More a Roving at the ceremony. She explained: 'I chose this poem to read because it reminds me of the joy Id always feel seeing Bill out on his rounds on a magical New York night.' During the reading, the normally restrained publisher was said to have teared up as she remembered the legendary photographer. She showed off her newborn baby Daisy Josephine Sudeikis in an adorable Instagram snap two days ago. And on Monday, Olivia Wilde was spotted taking the newest addition to her family out for the first time in a stroll around Brooklyn, New York. Looking happy and contented, the 32-year-old actress wore the tot in a baby carrier on her front for her walk through the New York neighbourhood. Baby's first outing! Olivia Wilde takes baby Daisy on a stroll for the first time since sharing an adorable snapshot of the newborn two days ago The star looked svelte in a pair of navy blue jeans, trainers and a casual green jacket, while she wore a pair of sunglasses and a loose hairstyle. There was no sign of Olivia's fiance Jason Sudeikis, 41, who was earlier spotted with the House actress as they headed out for a spot of breakfast. The pair welcomed Daisy on October 11, with Olivia posting a sweet Instagram of the new arrival several days later. No more baby weight: The star looked svelte in a pair of navy blue jeans, trainers and a casual green jacket, while she wore a pair of sunglasses and a loose hairstyle Their little bundle of joy: Last Tuesday Olivia and Jason welcomed their second child together, Daisy Josephine She wrote alongside the snap: 'There goes the neighborhood. Daisy Josephine Sudeikis. Born, like a boss, on #internationaldayofthegirl. [heart emoji].' And like most new mums, Olivia appears to be suffering from sleep deprivation, posting an Instagram shot with the caption 'You awake?' on Monday. 'Yup. Yup I am,' she captioned the snap. 'My current nocturnal existence.' Some alone time: Olivia was spotted grabbing breakfast with fiance Jason Sudeikis in New York City on Monday Jason and Olivia also share a two-year-old son Otis who was born in April 2014. They began dating in 2011, with the We're the Millers star later proposing in January 2013. Olivia was previously married to Tao Ruspoli for eight years, before divorcing in 2011. Jason split with Pitch Perfect writer Kay Cannon in 2010 after six years of marriage. She's been enjoying a luxurious holiday in the Maldives. And Fiona Falkiner, 33, ends her envy-inducing soujourn with one last dip in the ocean. On Tuesday the TV presenter took to Instagram to share a pic of her exiting the turquoise waters in a tiny black bikini. Scroll down for video Jealous much? On Tuesday the TV presenter took to Instagram to share a pic of her exiting the ocean in a tiny black bikini The two-piece hugged her ample curves showcasing generous cleavage and a glowing tan. Five days ago she landed on the stunning island and has been making her fans jealous with endless holiday selfies. On Friday she posted a pic of her on the beach enjoying an icy-cold beer. 'Well deserved': Fiona Falkiner, 33, spotted holding a cold beer while posed in the picturesque island getaway of the Maldives The blonde beauty was seen flaunting her toned legs while giving the thumbs up as she held her glass of beer. In the picture captioned, 'Well deserved after a long hard day in the water! Cheers!' Fiona appears to be in utter holiday bliss. The envy inducing holiday photo comes just hours before she took to the pool to enjoy a dip beside a covered lounge area. Fiona is seen soaking herself in a beautiful aqua pool in the picture captioned: 'Omg I have arrived in Maldives heaven!' 'I have arrived in Maldives heaven': The envy inducing holiday photo comes just hours before the busty blonde took to the pool to enjoy a dip beside a covered lounge area 'So beautiful': Another picture saw Fiona in swimming in the ocean wearing a snorkel and gesturing the peace sign Another picture saw her in swimming in the ocean wearing a snorkel and gesturing the peace sign. The caption for the snorkel image revealed that Fiona saw beautiful brightly coloured fish just off the coast of her island getaway. Drinking coconuts and freshly made green juices also featured on the trip as she walked beneath the shade of palm trees on the white sand beaches. 'Coconuts': Drinking coconuts and freshly made green juices also featured on the trip as Fiona walked beneath the shade of palm trees on the white sand beaches 'Found myself something green': Fiona posted an image drinking a green beverage after spending time on a sea plane at her island getaway The exotic pictures come just five days after Fiona posed at Sydney International airport with her passport and wrote: 'Next adventure starts now!!!' The blonde beauty appeared makeup free with the exception of a light gloss on her plump lips. Her face was mostly masked by a stream of light which was coming from a window near her as she waited to fly to 'paradise' in the Maldives. Azealia Banks made headlines last week when she accused Russell Crowe of choking and verbally assaulting her during a party in his Beverly Hills suite on Saturday night. Now, Australian comedian Jim Jefferies, who was apparently witness to the encounter, has defended Russell by branding Azealia as a 'complete liar.' Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Jim wrote: 'This is 100 percent the truth. I was there, she was out of control. Russell did absolutely nothing wrong. Scroll down for video 'I was there, she was out of control: Australian comedian Jim Jefferies has defended Russel Crowe after Azealia Banks accused the famous actor of choking her during a party in his Beverly Hills suite on Saturday night In a follow-up Tweet, he added: 'Azelia [sic] Banks is a complete liar. I was in the room. Russell Crowe is completely innocent. I would take a lie detector.' His Tweets were uploaded in response to an article published by TMZ claiming that 'at least four of the guests/witnesses gave statements during the investigation, and all four used the word 'erratic' to describe Azealia's behaviour.' It is not known whether Jim provided a statement to police following the incident. 'I was there': Jim Jefferies claimed to have witnessed the encounter 'I would take a lie detector': The comedian threw his support behind the Gladiator star Speaking out: His Tweets were uploaded in response to an article published by TMZ claiming that 'at least four of the guests/witnesses gave statements during the investigation, and all four used the word 'erratic' to describe Azealia's behaviour' According to TMZ, Russell threw the rapper out of his suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel after she allegedly threatened to stab him and his friends According to TMZ, Russell threw the rapper out of his suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel after she allegedly threatened to stab him and his friends. The publication claims that Azealia, who attended Russell's party with fellow rapper RZA. TMZ claims that when a female guest defended Russel, Azealia became aggressive before threatening to launch an attack upon Russell and his guests. TMZ claims that when a female guest defended Russel, Azealia became aggressive before threatening to launch an attack upon Russell and his guests. TMZ has also claimed that witnesses said she used racial slurs several times before reaching for a glass and cocking it back. 'You would love it if I broke my glass, stabbed you guys in the throat, and blood would squirt everywhere like some real Tarantino s***,' the 212 rapper said, TMZ claims. TMZ has also claimed that witnesses said she used racial slurs several times before reaching for a glass and cocking it back. Russell proceeded to grab Azealia before escorting her from the room and calling security guards, says TMZ. Russell proceeded to grab Azealia before escorting her from the room and calling security guards, says TMZ. The next day, Azealia proceeded to file a battery report at the Beverly Hills Police Department, alleging Russel had assaulted her on Saturday night. Meanwhile, she took to Facebook with a series of now-deleted posts about the incident, writing: 'To recap my night, I went to a party at Russell Crowe's suit, at which he called me a n*****, choked me, threw me out and spat at me.' 'Last night was one of the hardest nights of sleep I've had in along time. The men in the room allowed it to happen. I feel terrible today,' she continued. In a subsequent post, she wrote: 'Just feel so low and mishandled and alone and f****** depressed right now. I wish I had someone to beat him up for me. 'And just weak as f*** man. I want to f****** die,' she wrote in a third post. It has now been reported that Azealia has vowed to cut off contact with RZA over claims he failed to stand up for her. However, sources tell TMZ that the producer/rapper - whose label was in talks to sign Azealia - he has closed down talks on the deal and insists she's 'full of it' when it comes to what happened at the party. Representatives for both Russell Crowe and Azealia Banks have been contacted by DailyMail.com for comment. The next day, Azealia proceeded to file a battery report at the Beverly Hills Police Department, alleging Russel had assaulted her on Saturday night. He said, she said: The 212 rapper took to her Facebook to explain her side of the story Disappearing act: She has since deleted the posts from her Facebook page The director husband of celebrated Hollywood star Cate Blanchett looked 'very close' with actress Harriet Dyer during a late night out in Sydney on Wednesday evening. Following an appearance at a local bar, filmmaker Andrew Upton, 50, draped an arm across the 27-year old stars shoulders and pulled her close as they made their way onto the street. The two friends, who have previously worked together through the Sydney Theatre Company, looked affectionate while idling on the sidewalk, with the director still clutching his glass as Harriet pressed a hand against his chest. Scroll down for video Inseparable: Hollywood star Cate Blanchett's director husband Andrew Upton was seen looking 'very close' with actress Harriet Dyer during a late night out in Sydney on Wednesday evening Both appeared to be in high spirits after their night out, during which they were inseparable while mingling with fellow patrons. Indeed, there are appeared to be no shortage of conversation and the pair were rarely apart while joining locals for a game of pool. Harriet, best known for her role as Patty Saunders on Australian drama Love Child, used a set of stair banisters for support as Andrew took a shot. In good company: Following a late night out at a local bar, filmmaker Andrew, 50, draped an arm across the 27-year old Love Child stars shoulders as they made their way onto the street Good friends: Andrew and Harriet looked extremely close during a late night out in Sydney, with the director still clutching his glass as she pressed a hand against his chest Blending in: The pair mingled with fellow revelers while idling outside the local bar Tactile: Both appeared to be in high spirits following their night out, during which they were inseparable At one point she reached out and playfully grabbed the director's arm as he patiently waited for his turn on the pool table. The pair eventually left the bar together, briefly idling on the sidewalk before Andrew hailed a passing cab. Both looked mildly bemused after spotting onlookers as they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Leaning in: The pair were rarely apart while joining locals for a game of pool, with Harriet frequently leaning in to the married director On the ball: Upton wrapped an arm around the Love Child star's shoulders as they waited their turn Something to say: Andrew leaned in close while chatting to Harriet Drink up: Andrew raised his glass as Harriet curled an arm around his back and drew him close Over here: Harrier reached out and touched the director's arm while leaning against a set of stair banisters Worth a shot: The celebrity pair looked on as a friend racked up the balls ahead of another game Reaching out: Harriet ensured she was never too far from Andrew Close call: Upton leaned into the actress as they idled close to the pool table on Wednesday night High spirits: The pair appeared to be in the mood to let their hair down Andrew has since confirmed their relationship is strictly platonic, explaining: 'We've been friends for years. She's a good friend.' An insider previously told Australian publication New Idea: 'At one point they were holding hands and he had his arm around her.' The source added that the pair were never far from each other, engaged in 'close conversation' and were quite affectionate. Long term: Andrew has been married to Hollywood star Cate Blanchett for nineteen years In good company: Andre and Harriet were joined by fellow patrons during their night out Face to face: There was no shortage of conversation as the two pals quietly chatted A shoulder to lean on: Harriet frequently hung on to the director as they passed the time I've got you: Insiders have since claimed the pair were never far from each other, engaged in 'close conversation' and were 'quite affectionate' Friends united: Andrew kept the actress close while nursing a drink with his free hand Strictly platonic: Upton has since confirmed their relationship is strictly platonic, explaining: 'We've been friends for years. She's a good friend' My turn Andrew and Harriet looked on as a friend took his turn on the pool table Quiet words: Andrew spoke into his pal's ear as they enjoyed a quiet drink Taking his cue: Andrew looked focused while weighing up another shot Audience of one: Harriet leaned back as she watched the director work the table Andrew and double Academy Award winner Cate recently relocated from their Sydney home to Los Angeles, where the actress continues to dominate Hollywood following recent performances in Cinderalla and the Oscar nominated Carol. The pair - parents to children Dashiell, 14, Roman, 12, Ignatius, eight, and 20-month old Edith - married on December 29 1997 after meeting on the set of a television show the previous year. Meanwhile, Harriet was dating Australian actor Ben Lawson until late last year, when they split after their long distance relationship didn't work out. Let's go: The two friends eventually made their way onto the street Taxi for Upton! The director raised a hand while hailing a cab ahead of the journey home Walk this way: The two friends were arm in arm as they crossed the deserted street Fancy meeting you here: Harriet looked bemused after being spotted by onlookers Don't mind us: The pair were side by side while waiting for an approaching cab Just one: Andrew signaled to the cab driver as he pulled to a stop Farewell: He offered the actress a kiss goodnight before they went their separate ways She's passionate about health and fitness and often shares snaps from her gruelling workouts. And Vogue Williams showed off the results of her hard work as she stripped down to a bikini in a sizzling Instagram snap on Tuesday. Showing off her phenomenal figure, the 30-year-old model was a vision of beauty as she smiled down the lens whilst revealing she was planning her 'next trip to the sun'. Scroll down for video The proof is in the selfie: Vogue Williams, 30, showed off the results of her hard work as she stripped down to a bikini in a sizzling Instagram snap on Tuesday Clad in a plunging white bikini top with thick black straps, the blonde beauty flaunted her impeccably toned abs, whilst simultaneously offering a look at her perky cleavage. Crossing her legs and throwing her head back as she laughed, Vogue looked simply sensational in the candid shot. Wearing her golden locks loose and tousled, she accessorised with a pair of mirrored silver sunglasses, whilst her plump pout was lined with a slick of scarlet gloss. Tanned and toned: The star is passionate about health and fitness and often shares snaps from her gruelling workouts before displaying the results in her swimwear Vogue's sizzling snap comes after she was linked to actor Laurence Fox - who split with wife Billie Piper earlier this year. According to The Sun, the pair - who first met on Bear Grylls' Mission Survive in 2015 - are now officially dating after they found strength in each other following their own marriage break-ups. A source told the paper: 'Its very early days but both Laurence and Vogue consider themselves an item. Theyre enjoying spending time together and have had some great nights out.' Friends? Vogue's sizzling snap comes after she was linked to actor Laurence Fox who she first met on Bear Grylls' Mission Survive in 2015 and has continued to see They continued: 'Its very recently turned into a romance because they get on so well. Laurence finds Vogue hilarious and they have so much fun. 'The fact they were both experiencing big break-ups at the same time only strengthened their bond and eased the pain they were feeling.' MailOnline have contacted Laurence and Vogue's reps for comment. Split: Laurence finalised his divorce from wife of eight years Billie Piper earlier this year following their shock split announcement in March Despite sharing cosy snaps with the thespian, Vogue previously insisted they have enjoyed nothing more than a friendly drink. The blonde, who is estranged from popstar husband Brian McFadden, told Closer magazine in August: 'We went out for a drink, but that was it. 'It's weird that people are putting us together and it's very untrue.' It's been more than five years since the last film of the Harry Potter franchise hit cinemas. And, Eddie Redmayne is feeling the pressure ahead of the prequel, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, set for release in November. The 34-year-old actor spoke to Sunrise at a special fan event in London and admitted he 'constantly have(s) the shakes' when asked how he felt about entering the Harry Potter franchise. Scroll down for video 'I constantly have the shakes': Eddie Redmayne revealed at a special fan event for Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them in London he his nerves were about entering the Harry Potter franchise with prequel The Oscar winner told the show's UK Showbiz reporter, Steve Hargrave: 'I love the Potter films. 'The Potter films have such a huge following, and you don't want to screw that up.' English heartthrob Eddie, brings his youthful good looks to the production as magizoologist Newt Scamander in the world set 70 years prior to Harry's adventures. 'When I first picked up a wand, it was like your inner nine-year-old is having a disco. It's the greatest moment,' he said. Frightened! The English heartthrob was convinced he would be a natural with the wand, but admitted to getting 'stage fright' when it came time to hold one Eddie also pointed out: 'I was convinced I was going to be natural, but I picked this thing up and I sort of got stage fright.' However, he had access to an on-call expert during filming and revealed he had wand-work lessons to cast his spells just right. J.K.Rowling also made a surprise appearance and announced there would be five more movies to come for Harry Potter fans. Novice wand user: The Theory Of Everything actor admits he took wand work lessons by an on-call expert during filming the flick The Theory Of Everything actor's character wreaks havoc on 1920s New York City when he releases a case full of his magical creatures. The American wizarding authorities subsequently pursue the Brit as his collection of dangerous creatures and their habitats roam the metropolis. His error drives a deeper wedge between the city's magical and non-magical communities as Newt races to correct his error. The film is due for a worldwide release date on November 17, 2016. Shes ambitiously set her sights on Hollywood stardom after bidding farewell to her career defining character on long running teem drama Hollyoaks. And British actress Jorgie Porter looked every inch a California native as she hit the beach ahead of a modelling shoot in Malibu on Monday afternoon. The former soap star, 28, displayed her curves in a striking black one-piece while frolicking in the surf during a day out in the sweeping coastal city. Scroll down for video California girl! Former Hollyoaks star Jorgie Porter showed off her curves in a black one-piece after hitting the beach in Malibu on Monday afternoon With a plunging cut out chest panel the beachwear ensured Jorgie was hard to miss by exposing her cleavage. Given her picturesque surroundings the actress was in understandably high spirits as she waded knee-deep into the Pacific water for a relaxing dip. Jorgie kept her willowy blonde locks tied back while showing off her extremely pert derriere while testing the water. Here we go: Jorgie kept her willowy blonde locks tied back while showing off her extremely pert derriere Looking good: Revealing an impeccably toned physique, Jorgie appeared to have fully embraced the healthy LA lifestyle High spirits: Given her picturesque surroundings the actress was in understandably high spirits as she waded knee-deep into the Pacific water for a relaxing dip The actress allowed her striking swimwear to take centre stage by opting for the merest hint of make-up ahead of her latest appearance in California. Making her way back onto the beach, the actress offered a playful laugh while jogging across the sand. Jorgie is reportedly hoping to make her mark in Hollywood after quitting her role as Theresa McQueen in Hollyoaks earlier this year. Subtle: The actress allowed her striking swimwear to take centre stage by opting for the merest hint of make-up ahead of her latest appearance in California Strike a pose: Jorgie was in fine form while taking part in a modelling shoot on Malibu Beach I say: The former Hollyoaks star commanded attention as she made her way across the beach A source told The Sun: 'Jorgie has been in LA wooing acting agents and managers and hopes to start landing film roles soon. She can sing and dance too so has as lot to offer.' However, the actress, a former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and Dancing On Ice contestant, admits she has not always been the happy-go-lucky woman she is today. 'When I was about 16, my skin was so bad that I found it hard to go out,' she told FEMAIL. 'I wouldn't even dream of going out without wearing make-up. 'I had proper acne and still have the scars from it today. I would make me not want to go out or make friends - or even stay over at people's houses.' True-crime fans will delight in knowing FX has already renewed American Crime story for a third season. According to Deadline, the 10-episode installment centers on the 1997 murder of Gianni Versace detailed in Maureen Orth's 2000 book Vulgar Favors. Titled 'Versace/Cunanan,' the anthology series will begin filming next spring in Los Angeles and Miami at the same time the second season, Katrina, films in New Orleans. Scroll down for video Even more to come! True-crime fans will delight in knowing FX has already renewed American Crime story for a third season 'An A-list actress' is already in negotiations to play the openly gay designer's sister Donatella, who took over the Italian fashion label following his death. Versace was 50 years old when he was killed on the front steps of his now-famous South Beach home, The Villa Casa Casuarina. Serial killer Andrew Cunanan shot Gianni twice in the head before turning the same gun on himself eight days later. Tragedy: According to Deadline, the 10-episode installment centers on the 1997 murder of Gianni Versace detailed in Maureen Orth's 2000 book Vulgar Favors Fashion icon: Titled 'Versace/Cunanan,' the anthology series will begin filming next spring in Los Angeles and Miami at the same time the second season, Katrina, films in New Orleans Who could it be? 'An A-list actress' is already in negotiations to play the openly gay designer's sister Donatella, who took over the Italian fashion label following his death (pictured in 1996) The 27-year-old Californian - whose motive is still unknown - also ended the lives of four others during the same three-month period. FX will first air ACS: Katrina - focusing on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina - which is based on Douglas Brinkley's 2007 book The Great Deluge. 'We're trying to get it right. We're not going to shoot it until we get it right,' co-creator Ryan Murphy told the Hollywood Reporter on September 21. Morbid tourist attraction: Versace was 50 years old when he was killed on the front steps of his now-famous South Beach home, The Villa Casa Casuarina Obsessed: Serial killer Andrew Cunanan (L) shot Gianni (R) twice in the head before turning the same gun on himself eight days later (pictured in 1987 and 1996) FBI's most wanted: The 27-year-old Californian - whose motive is still unknown - also ended the lives of four others during the same three-month period 'And we had that liberty with O.J. We had more than half of the scripts done and pretty much locked before we started shooting. We're in no rush; we just want it to be good and to get it right, and nobody is pressuring us.' The popular and critically-acclaimed first season - The People v. O.J. Simpson - recently scored nine Emmy Awards, including outstanding limited series. Disaster: FX will first air ACS: Katrina - focusing on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina - which is based on Douglas Brinkley's 2007 book The Great Deluge (pictured in 2005) Co-creator Ryan Murphy told THR on September 21: 'We're in no rush; we just want it to be good and to get it right, and nobody is pressuring us' (pictured September 18) Kim Kardashian's assistant Stephanie Shepherd announced she will be helping to update the reality star's web app kimkardashianwest.com while the beauty takes some 'much needed time off' after the Paris robbery. But that same day Kim released a slew of very raunchy kimonjis. One of them sees her in a plunging white top and black panties with her legs spread open. She has her giant diamond ring on her left hand. it is not known if that is her engagement ring from Kanye West or the newer rock that was stolen last month. Naughty time: Kim Kardashian released several new kimojis on Tuesday Another sees her bottom with marijuana on it. And then there is a marijuana leaf with green, yellow and red. A familiar one is of her naked with bar codes over her privates, a take on her criticized nude selfie from earlier this year. And there is one where she is nude with pearls strewn over her breasts. One shows off her breastsd and says, 'Shake your tits.' The kimojis even come with a Parental Advisory Explicit Content warning on them. Crazy collection: A familiar one is of her naked with bar codes over her privates, a take on her criticized nude selfie from earlier this year Trick or treat: There is also a set of Halloween makeup themed kimojis The fam: And there is a collection of her and her family, including Kourtney, Khloe and Kris. One sees Kim crying There is also a set of Halloween makeup themed kimojis and a collection of her and her family, including Kourtney, Khloe and Kris. One sees Kim crying. Kim has been in seclusion ever since the October 3 robbery in Paris that left her bound and gagged. Jewelry and cash was stolen totaling around $11m. She has been seen only three times - twice in New York City and once in Bevelry Hills. All times she was jewelry free and kept her head down. Her assistant's note, posted on Monday, read: 'Hey guys, so you may have noticed we haven't updated the app in a couple weeks.' An end of an era: Kardashian's assistant Stephanie Shepherd has posted a note to the reality star's website to announce she, along with Kim's other friends and family, will be posting updates while she takes time off Stephanie wrote: 'Keeks is taking some much needed time off. But not to worry guys we've called upon kims closest friends, fam & yours truly to serve up some exclusives' 'Keeks is taking some much needed time off. But not to worry guys we've called upon kims closest friends, fam & yours truly to serve up some exclusives, 'Stay tuned for new posts and app takeovers!! Thank you so much for your support for my girl, love you mean it!' A break: Kim has canceled public appearances as she recovers from the terrifying ordeal in which several armed men burst into her Paris apartment and stole her jewelry Kendall has also posted on her site about Kim's emojis: 'I'm so obsessed with the new KIMOJI Family Packit's too good!' 'They're so realistic (like that mouthwatering burger) and all of the Halloween ones are so fun!' she added. 'And, of course, I love the ones of my sisters and mom. Keep your eye out for my own KIMOJI coming soon, too. Make sure to download the new pack now!!!' Kendall posted on her site : I'm so obsessed with the new KIMOJI Family Packit's too good! While Khloe wrote on her website: 'I love all of the new KIMOJI packs, but this month's Family Pack is dope!!! 1. I am a KIMOJI!!!!! It's official. You can finally send the Khloe KIMOJI. Here are ways I'd use them. When you're tired of his bullsh*t.' She went on with her list writing: '2. Kim's epic Halloween costumes from the past; 3. Halloween themed KIMOJIS; 4. I saved the best for last: Kourtney's frozen face, LOL!' Meanwhile, Kim stepped out in Los Angeles on Thursday for the first time since her Paris robbery. The 35-year-old reality star suffered a terrible ordeal when she was tied up and locked in the bathroom of her apartment in Paris, France, whilst five armed raiders stole $10 million worth of jewellery. Khloe wrote on her website : 'I love all of the new KIMOJI packs, but this month's Family Pack is dope!!! Since the theft, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star has stayed out of the public eye, but was spotted late on Thursday as she stepped out to visit a restaurant in pictures obtained by E! News. She takes yoga classes on a near daily basis. And it's clear that Kaley Cuoco's exercise routine is very much paying off. The 30-year-old was spotted showing off her impressively long and toned legs while heading to her latest yoga session in Sherman Oaks, California. Namaste!: Kaley Cuoco was spotted heading to a yoga class in Sherman Oaks, California on Tuesday Kaley was sporting casual workout wear in the form of a white T-shirt with the word 'Namaste' printed across it, along with black gym shorts with pink trim. The Big Bang Theory star carried her own baby pink yoga mat and also sported furry black sandals, while a matching gym bag was slung over one shoulder. Kaley pulled her blonde hair into a fuss-free top knot and wore sunglasses over her make-up free face. The actress was seen laughing with a female friend as she made her way home after the class. In fine form: The 30-year-old showed off her long and toned legs in workout wear Working it out: Kaley wore a white 'Namaste' T-shirt and black gym shorts with bright pink trim, along with black furry sandals Earlier in the day, Kaley had shared a photo of herself and Chuck Lorre to Instagram in honour of the Big Bang Theory creator's birthday. 'Happy happy birthday to the incomparable Chuck Lorre...you gave me the job of a lifetime 9 years ago and forever changed my life,' she captioned it. 'There is no one like you. Love you to the moon and back! #bts @thebigbangtheory__ #kaleyspolaroids #welikeplaidshirts.' Natural beauty: The actress, who carried a yoga mat and gym bag, went make-up free under her sunglasses and wore her blonde hair in a fuss-free top knot Feeling those endorphins: Kaley was seen sharing a laugh with a female friend as she left the class Kaley has previously revealed that she auditioned twice for the character of Penny, only to be hired after a pilot had been filmed and a decision was made to change up the character. In 2014, the blonde was asked by TVLine what advice she would give to aspiring actors, and she said: 'That you just never know whats going to happen. The fact that I auditioned for this show three times and twice didnt get hired. Its about perseverance. 'I remember the third time I went back, I was thinking, Its obviously not right for me, I dont know why they keep bringing me back! But Im really glad I did go in that third time, because obviously it changed my life.' 'Love you to the moon and back!': Earlier in the day the Big Bang Theory star shared a snapshot with the show's creator Chuck Lorre on Instagram to wish him a happy birthday Kaley is now making $1million per episode of the sitcom, and will also be appearing in comedy movie Handsome next year with Natasha Lyonne and Leah Remini. Meanwhile the former 8 Simple Rules star is currently in a relationship with Karl Cook following the end of her marriage to Ryan Sweeting. Kaley and Ryan married on New Year's Eve in 2013 after six months of dating, and split after less than two years of marriage. Their divorce was finalised in May. Trump doubles down on voter fraud claim in US election Facing sinking poll numbers and accusations of sexual assault, Donald Trump doubled down Monday on charges that the presidential campaign is being rigged, warning of "large scale voter fraud" in the US election. With just three weeks to go in the rollercoaster presidential race, the brash billionaire Trump sharpened his message that the election system is plagued with deep problems, despite vehement denials by members of his own party. The Republican nominee takes the stage Wednesday with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in their final debate. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has blamed a media conspiracy for his lack of support with women voters But neither candidate has focused much on policy in recent weeks, as Trump intensifies criticism of the election system, raising concerns about possible post-election unrest should he lose. "Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day," Trump wrote on Twitter, without backing up his charge. "Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!" In a series of tweets the previous day, Trump also railed against the media, as tensions mount ahead of the November 8 election. "Polls close, but can you believe I lost large numbers of women voters based on made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED. Media rigging election!" Trump wrote. After the first debate, Trump said he would respect the election result. But he backtracked in an interview with The New York Times last month, saying, "We're going to see what happens." Trump's running mate Mike Pence sought to ease tensions, insisting his camp would accept defeat if voters reject the Republican ticket at the polls. "We will absolutely accept the results of the election," he told CBS Sunday. One official who oversees election operations in his state, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, insisted Monday that Trump was being "irresponsible" for warning of voter fraud. "If there is a systemic problem, please identify it. Don't just make an allegation on Twitter. Tell me," Husted said on CNN. "They're not going to be rigged," he said of the election. "I'll make sure of that." Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook told reporters that Trump's warnings about election rigging are meant to divert the public's gaze from the candidate's own shortcomings. "He's desperately trying to shift attention from his own disastrous campaign," Mook said during a press call on Monday. "He knows he's losing and he's trying to blame that on the system. This is what losers do." But Trump's warnings may be having an impact. A new poll by Politico and Morning Consult reveals that some 41 percent of voters believe the election could be "stolen" from Trump through massive voter fraud. More than seven in 10 Republicans believe the election could be taken from them, while 17 percent of Democrats agree with the potential for serious ballot box fraud. The poll of 1,999 registered voters was conducted October 13 through 15. The nation's top elected Republican, House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has declared that he would no longer "defend" the party's nominee, rebuked Trump over his comments questioning the validity of the election process. Ryan was "fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity," his spokeswoman AshLee Strong said. - Clinton out front - Underscoring how divisive this election campaign has been, a Republican Party office in North Carolina was firebombed overnight Sunday, with the message "Nazi Republicans leave town or else" sprayed on an adjacent building. No one was hurt in the attack, swiftly condemned by both candidates. Two polls released Sunday -- taken after a slew of sexual misconduct allegations against Trump emerged last week -- put Clinton ahead. The RealClearPolitics average of recent polls gave her a 6.3 percentage point advantage over Trump in a four-way race including third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein. Clinton is lying low ahead of the final debate, apparently relying on Trump self-destructing. "She is trying to avoid issues for the next 22 days in the hopes that this will just end up being about Mr. Trump," his campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN Monday outside of Trump Tower in New York. Conway also added fuel to her boss's contention that the election could be stolen. "If there's compelling evidence of voter fraud, obviously as early voting goes on... certainly we would take action," she said. Trump who is heading to Wisconsin later Monday for a rally, is scheduled to hold two events Tuesday in Colorado. Map of the US showing states that currently intend to vote Republican or Democrat and those that remain undecided Paz Pizarro (AFP) Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attend a rally in Edison, New Jersey, on October 15, 2016 Kena Betancur (Getty/AFP) First launch for Orbital's Antares rocket since 2014 explosion Orbital ATK launched its Antares rocket en route to the International Space Station for the first time since a massive explosion after liftoff two years ago. The new Antares 230 rocket propelled an unmanned cargo capsule, called Cygnus, toward the orbiting outpost carrying 5,100 pounds (2,300 kilograms) of supplies, food and science experiments. The white rocket emblazoned with an American flag lit up the clear night sky as it blasted off from Wallops Island, Virginia, at 7:45 pm (2345 GMT), and was visible to millions of people along the US East Coast from Massachusetts to South Carolina. The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, takes off on October 17, 2016 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia NASA/Bill Ingalls (NASA/AFP) The first and second stage portion of the rocket separated about five minutes after the launch as planned, and the Cygnus cargo ship reached orbit shortly after, according to a live broadcast of the launch on NASA television. "We have Cygnus spacecraft separation," an Orbital ATK commentator said amid the sound of applause in mission control. It is scheduled to berth at the space station early on Sunday, October 23. After the Cygnus is unloaded, astronauts will repack it with trash from the space station. The spaceship will unlatch from the ISS in a month and burn up on re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. The previous Antares rocket exploded in a fireball on October 28, 2014 just seconds after liftoff, destroying the cargo capsule and damaging the launch pad. After an investigation, Orbital blamed the accident on a flaw in the rocket's AJ26 engines, which had been designed four decades earlier in the Soviet Union, and were supplied by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The Antares 230 is powered by new RD-181 engines from Russian manufacturer NPO Energomash. "These engines have flown in slightly different variations on other rockets," said Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK, in a news conference Saturday. Since the blast, the launchpad has been rebuilt at a cost of $15 million, and the rocket has been overhauled to be more powerful. "So yeah, we are always nervous, but I am extremely confident in this team and in this hardware," he told reporters. The launch was initially planned for Thursday, October 13, but was rescheduled a few times. A liftoff for Sunday was scratched due to a ground support cable that "did not perform as expected during the pre-launch checkout," the company said in a statement. - Cargo missions resumed - In December 2014, Orbital resumed cargo missions to space as part of a $1.9 billion contract with NASA. Instead of the Antares rocket, the company used a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to propel the cargo to space from a launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. After the 2014 blast, the Cygnus cargo ship was redesigned to be able to carry a larger payload. Monday marked the third such flight of a similarly improved Cygnus vehicle, with new solar arrays and fuel tanks. The cargo ship is carrying food and supplies for the six-member astronaut crew in orbit, including science experiments to test the behavior of fire in space. In addition to Orbital ATK, US company SpaceX is engaged in a contract with NASA to supply the space station, using its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo ship. SpaceX has also suffered explosions after launch, including one in June 2015 that destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo ship headed to the space station, and a blast last month that blew up a Falcon 9 rocket and its Israeli satellite during a routine launchpad test. The 30-year US space shuttle program was retired in 2011, leaving the United States no program for reaching space. For now, the world's astronauts must purchase seats aboard Russia's Soyuz spaceships at a cost of some $71 million each. Orbital and SpaceX can ship cargo to orbit, however. NASA has also signed contracts with SpaceX and Boeing to begin launching astronauts to space in the next two years. The Antares rocket emblazoned with an American flag lit up the night sky as it blasted off from Wallops Island, Virginia NASA/Bill Ingalls ((NASA/Bill Ingalls)/AFP) The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard is heading to the International Space Station carrying 5,100 pounds (2,300 kilograms) of supplies, food and science experiments NASA/Bill Ingalls ((NASA/Bill Ingalls)/AFP) Dozens of Japan lawmakers visit controversial war shrine Dozens of Japanese lawmakers visited a controversial war shrine on Tuesday in an annual pilgrimage criticised by China and South Korea, which see it as a painful reminder of Tokyo's aggressive past. The group of about 85 politicians arrived at the leafy Yasukuni shrine in central Tokyo during a four-day autumn festival. Led by priests, the dark-suited lawmakers entered the main shrine building to pray for Japan's war dead as they bowed at the threshold. A Shinto priest (R) leads a group of lawmakers at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, on October 18, 2016 Toru Yamanaka (AFP) The visit comes a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe -- often criticised for what some see as revisionist views on Japan's wartime record -- sent an offering to the shrine, but avoided a visit. Yasukuni honours millions of Japanese war dead, but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes after World War II. The indigenous Shinto religious shrine has for decades been a flashpoint for criticism by countries that suffered from Japan's colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century, including China and Korea. South Korea in a statement expressed "deep concern and disappointment over the fact that (lawmakers) have once again sent offerings to and paid tribute at the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's past war of aggression". Seoul called on Japanese politicians to "demonstrate through action their humble self-reflection and sincere remorse for Japan's past wrongdoings". - Paying respects - While Japan-China relations have been on the mend, Beijing also had a frosty response to the lawmakers' visit. "We hope Japan's politicians can maintain a correct view of history, and do more to promote cooperation with and win the trust of neighbouring Asian countries," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. Earlier Tuesday four Chinese coastguard ships entered Japan's territorial waters close to disputed islands that have been a thorn in the side of diplomatic relations for years. Visits to Yasukuni by senior Japanese politicians routinely draw an angry reaction from Beijing and Seoul. More controversial than the shrine itself is an accompanying museum that depicts Japan as a liberator of Asia and a victim of the war. Abe and other nationalists say Yasukuni is a place to remember fallen soldiers and compare it to Arlington National Cemetery in the United States. "Every country pays respects to people who died for his or her country," said Hidehisa Otsuji, who headed the group of lawmakers. The site attracts many ordinary visitors who come to pay their respects to friends and relatives who died in military conflicts. "I heard that my grandfather died in the battlefield so I came here to comfort his spirit," said Kazuya Ono, a 40-year-old businessman, who visited Yasukuni on Tuesday. "I prayed for him to be well in heaven." Abe visited the shrine in December 2013 to mark his first year in power, a pilgrimage that sparked fury in Beijing and Seoul and earned a diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United States which said it was "disappointed". He has since refrained from going, sending ritual offerings instead. A wooden plaque (L) showing the name of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is seen with a 'masakaki' tree that he sent as an offering to Yasukuni Shrine, in Tokyo, on October 17, 2016 Jiji Press (Jiji Press/AFP) Ocean warning for Pacific's Melanesia Marine ecosystems in one of the Pacific's most vulnerable regions face decline unless they are better managed, a WWF report warned Tuesday. The report described the ocean as the lifeblood of Melanesia -- a vast Pacific swathe comprising Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji. But it said a range of factors including overfishing, population growth and climate change were damaging the oceans and could have a major impact on the region's economic prospects. A WWF report warns that the oceans of Melanesia -- a vast Pacific swathe comprising Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji, are suffering from overfishing, population growth and climate change James Morgan (WWF-International/AFP) "The physical and chemical conditions in the ocean are changing faster than at any other point in history," it said. "And there is a strong chance that the declining ocean assets of the Melanesian region will constrain options for future generations." The report estimated that Melanesia generated about US$5.4 billion a year from the ocean, largely from fisheries and tourism. The report's lead author, University of Queensland climate specialist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, said Melanesia could no longer take the health of its oceans for granted. "There is no doubt the ocean has delivered the majority of food, livelihoods and economic activity for Melanesia for a very long time," he said. "Given some of the troubling trends in the status of the ecosystems that generate these benefits, however, the question is now: how long will these benefits last?" The report argued that coastal fisheries were already over-exploited but demand on them was set to increase 60 percent by 2030 to feed the region's growing population. It recommended managing population growth, although did not specify how this would be done. The report also said climate change was destroying coral reefs and increasing the frequency of storms such as Cyclone Winston, which killed more than 40 people and destroyed infrastructure when it hit Fiji in February. It called for local government to adopt measures such as sustainable fisheries management, saying a business-as-usual approach was not feasible. Trump bashes Clinton but she extends campaign lead White House hopeful Donald Trump branded Hillary Clinton's operations a "criminal enterprise" as he assailed her for creating conditions for a rigged election, and accused US media of wanting to "poison" voters' minds. Trailing in national polls and in key battleground states just three weeks before Election Day November 8, Trump came out swinging on the campaign trail, accusing Clinton of colluding with US authorities to cover up misconduct regarding her private email system and denouncing it as "one of the great miscarriages of justice" in US history. Trump, whose campaign has been reeling in the face of lewd comments about women and accusations of sexual assault, has doubled down on claims of massive voter fraud in 2016, despite denials from within his own party. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton cheers after speaking at a fundraiser at the Paramount Theater October 14, 2016 in Seattle, Washington Brendan Smialowski (AFP/File) And his team has deployed his wife Melania in a media blitz to try to tamp down the furor over the allegations, with interviews airing late Monday on CNN and early Tuesday on Fox News. "Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. And he apologized to me. And I accept his apology. And we are moving on," Trump told Fox, in an excerpt released by the network. A firestorm erupted earlier this month when a 2005 video was made public and caught Trump saying lewd things about women, in a mostly off-camera conversation with host Billy Bush of the show "Access Hollywood." Melania Trump told CNN that she felt her husband had been "egged on by the host to say dirty and bad stuff." The Republican nominee takes the stage Wednesday with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in their final debate before voters make their choice. Trump unleashed a litany of complaints recently about the nation's election system, and also blamed the media for his woes, raising concerns about possible unrest should he lose. - 'Tell the truth!' - He let loose again Monday at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. "Voter fraud is very, very common," he told a fired up crowd, who at various times broke into chants of "Lock her up!" "Tell the truth!" and "CNN sucks!" "This is a rigged election folks," he said. "And the media's trying to rig the election by giving credence... to false stories that have no validity," he added. "They want to poison the minds of the voters." Trump also accused Clinton of colluding with US authorities by seeking to pressure the FBI to alter its findings in a probe of Clinton's use of private servers while she was secretary of state. Federal Bureau of Investigation documents released Monday showed a senior State Department official, undersecretary of state Patrick Kennedy, had asked the FBI to declassify or lower the classification of one Clinton email that had been rated secret." Trump said the State Department official made the request for altering classification "as part of a 'quid pro quo.'" "We're witnessing a criminal enterprise" at work, he said of the Clinton campaign. "This is felony corruption by any standard." Clinton leads Trump by 12 points, 50 percent to 38 percent, among likely voters nationwide in a four-way contest with third-party candidates, a Monmouth University poll showed. Meanwhile, a survey from Quinnipiac University had Clinton leading in several key swing states -- Colorado, Florida and Pennsylvania -- and tied with Trump in Ohio. A CNN poll puts Trump ahead by four points in Ohio, but gives Clinton a slight lead in battlegrounds North Carolina and Nevada. Her leads in key states correspond to her advantage of 6.4 percentage points in an average of recent national polls given by RealClearPolitics. - 'Irresponsible' - The polls indicate that the allegations swirling around Trump have taken their toll. Monmouth found that six in 10 voters believe he made unwanted sexual advances towards women -- claims he vehemently denies. Trump's running mate Mike Pence sought to ease tensions, insisting his camp would accept defeat if voters reject the Republican ticket at the polls. "We will absolutely accept the results of the election," he told CBS Sunday. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican who oversees election operations in his state, insisted that Trump was being "irresponsible," after the nominee tweeted a warning Monday about "large scale voter fraud" in the US election. "If there is a systemic problem, please identify it. Don't just make an allegation on Twitter. Tell me," Husted said on CNN. For Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook, Trump is "desperately trying to shift attention from his own disastrous campaign." "He knows he's losing and he's trying to blame that on the system. This is what losers do," Mook said during a press call on Monday. Clinton was lying low Monday, prepping for the final debate. "She is trying to avoid issues for the next 22 days in the hopes that this will just end up being about Mr. Trump," his campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN Monday outside of Trump Tower in New York. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds a child as he speaks during a rally at the KI Convention Center on October 17, 2016 in Green Bay, Wisconsin Tasos Katopodis (AFP) Melania Trump has told CNN that she felt her husband had been "egged on by Billy Bush to say dirty and bad stuff" in the "Access Hollywood" recoding Rick Wilking (POOL/AFP/File) Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence sought to ease tensions, insisting his camp would accept defeat if voters reject the Republican ticket at the polls Jeff Swensen (Getty/AFP/File) Hong Kong harbour race under review after death Hong Kong's harbour race is under review along with future open water events globally after the death of a swimmer at the weekend, the world aquatics governing body said. The man died when he was rushed to hospital after being pulled unconscious from the water by a rescue boat Sunday during the city's annual event, which attracts world-class international competitors and recreational swimmers. "FINA is very sad to hear of the unfortunate incident," the governing body said in a statement Monday. A swimmer drowned on October 16, 2016, in Hong Kong and another was left in critical condition as they took part in the city's annual cross-harbour swim, which attracts world-class international competitors - (AFP/File) "We will be conducting a thorough review of the incident and the overall safety and organisation of future outdoor mass participation events," FINA said, adding it was working closely with race organiser the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association and other groups responsible for similar events around the world. The 1,500-metre (4,900 feet) race saw around 3,000 people swim between two piers on opposite sides of Hong Kong's famous harbour -- 500 up from the previous year according to reports. Some local media questioned why only 10 extra lifeguards had been added when the field had expanded so much. There were 120 lifeguards at the event, broadcaster RTHK reported. A 59-year-old woman was also pulled out of the water unconscious and is in hospital in intensive care, a race spokesman told AFP Tuesday. Both harbour race victims were taking part in the leisure category, which is for slower swimmers. The Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association and the title sponsor New World Development have expressed their "deepest sorrow" over what they called a tragic accident. It is the first death in the race since it resumed in 2011 after a 30-year break, local media reported. The decades-long hiatus was because of fears over pollution levels in the water. Hong Kong is one of the world's busiest ports, with more than 400,000 vessels arriving and departing annually. Nauru asylum-seeker 'torture' claims false: Australia PM Amnesty International's claims that Australia's detention of asylum-seekers on the Pacific island of Nauru amounts to torture are "absolutely false", Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Tuesday. Canberra sends asylum-seekers trying to reach Australia by boat to Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, but the camps' conditions have been widely criticised by refugee advocates and medical professionals. The asylum-seekers are blocked from being resettled in Australia even if found to be refugees. Amnesty International's senior director for research Anna Neistat speaks during a press conference in Sydney on October 18, 2016, as Amnesty claimed in a report that asylum-seekers and refugees on tiny Nauru were 'driven to absolute despair' William West (AFP/File) Amnesty said in a report Monday that asylum-seekers and refugees on tiny Nauru were "driven to absolute despair" and were struggling with an "epidemic of self-harm", adding that their living conditions fit international law's definition of torture. But Turnbull blasted the allegations and said his country's tough policies stopped people dying at sea on dangerous boat journeys. "I reject that claim totally. That is absolutely false," he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio of Amnesty's charge of systematic neglect and cruelty on Nauru. "The Australian government's commitment (to offshore processing of asylum-seekers) is compassionate and it's strong. "As far as Nauru is concerned... there is a very substantial investment there, to improve the circumstances of the people that are there." Amnesty's senior director for research Anna Neistat, who travelled to Nauru for the report, said her organisation did not "come to these conclusions (about torture) easily". "It is the nature of the harm, the fact that it is systematic... (and) deliberate, in the sense that it is being done with a clear purpose to create a deterrence, to punish," she told reporters in Sydney Tuesday. Neistat slammed the veil of secrecy around the centres, saying she had to travel to Nauru in a personal capacity after her official applications were rejected six times. Canberra last year brought in secrecy provisions making it a crime for anyone who works for the immigration department, including contractors, to disclose information they obtain on the job, which critics say silences whistleblowers. A former case manager on Nauru, Sandra Bartlett, on Tuesday cried and said she was terrified about the legal consequences of speaking out, but that "more people will die" if action was not taken to remove them from the island. The furore came as the ABC broadcast an investigation Monday night depicting the plight of refugee children living on Nauru. Nauru's government Tuesday rejected the ABC report as "denigrating, racist, false and pure political activism" and "an insult to the people of Nauru". The Nauru facility holds just over 400 men, women and children. Just over 800 asylum-seeker men are held on Manus, with Australia in August agreeing to close the camp following a PNG Supreme Court ruling. A former case manager on the island nation of Nauru, Sandra Bartlett (L), fronts an Amnesty International press conference in Sydney, on October 18, 2016 William West (AFP) S. Korea military service objectors cheer court ruling A South Korean appeals court on Tuesday overturned the convictions of two conscientious objectors in an unprecedented ruling hailed as a key victory by opponents of mandatory military service. More than 60 years after the end of the Korean War, nearly every able-bodied South Korean man between the ages of 18 and 35 must still complete around two years of military service. There is currently no alternative community service option for conscientious objectors, and anyone refusing the call-up faces up to two years in jail. South Korea requires most able-bodied men, aged between 18 and 35, to complete two years of military service Ed Jones (AFP/File) But the appeals court in the southwestern city of Gwangju overturned the convictions and 18-month jail terms handed down by a lower court on two Jehovahs Witnesses, arguing they had genuinely been motivated by religious convictions in refusing to serve. "Religious and personal conscience is guaranteed by the constitution and cannot be restrained by criminal punishment," Yonhap news agency quoted the court as saying. "The international community is recognising conscientious objectors," it said, while noting that "a consensus is shaping in our society on the need for an alternative service". The judges also rejected prosecutors' calls to overturn a rare not-guilty verdict on a third conscientious objector -- also a Jehovah's Witness. It was the first time an appeals court has ruled against the government in such cases. The timing and language of the judgement will provide a huge boost for advocates of reforming military service regulations. The Constitutional Court is expected to rule in the next few months on a complaint that criminalising conscientious objection violates an individual's basic rights. The main rationale behind the continuation of mandatory military service is the threat posed by North Korea, given that the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty and left the two Koreas technically at war. Amnesty International welcomed Tuesday's ruling and said providing an alternative form of service was "long overdue". "The government needs to act on the ruling and stop punishing young men who refuse military service on grounds of conscience," said its East Asia researcher Hiroka Shoji. Every year, hundreds of conscientious objectors in South Korea -- mostly Jehovah's Witnesses -- are put on trial for defying the draft. Some 12,000 South Korean Jehovah's Witnesses have been jailed as conscientious objectors over the past six decades, and the movement's South Korean branch applauded the court ruling. "It is a major step forward toward meeting the international standard on conscientious objectors," the national branch said in a statement. China's Xi revives Long March myths to rally Communist Party As China marks 80 years since the Red Army ended its epic Long March, the Communist Party is attacking revisionist history in an effort to compel reverence for its founding legend. Facing annihilation at the hands of Nationalists during China's civil war in 1934, 80,000 Communist soldiers and leaders -- Mao Zedong among them -- broke through encircling forces and embarked on a gruelling escape. Nine out of 10 had deserted or died by the time the last units reached Yanan in the northern province of Shaanxi as much as two years later, where Mao and his cohorts founded a base from which they went on to take over the country. Mao Zedong dreamed of transforming China into a communist paradise Nicolas Asfouri (AFP/File) According to Communist Party lore the marchers travelled at least 12,500 kilometres (7,750 miles) through some of the country's most remote and hazardous terrain. The anniversary is being marked this week, with a daily drumbeat of newspaper articles and op-eds -- plus dozens of TV dramas, documentaries, trivia contests, radio broadcasts and special exhibitions -- extolling their heroism. President Xi Jinping has put his stamp on the occasion, visiting museums in the northern region of Ningxia and Beijing. Xi has declared the party must emulate the march's spirit in pursuit of his "Chinese Dream", a vaguely defined promise of national rejuvenation, and the party's centenary goal to build a "moderately prosperous society" by 2021. "We, the new generation, should accomplish our new Long March," he said. The drive comes just ahead of a top party meeting in the capital this month, with speculation mounting that Xi may delay appointing a successor and seek to stay in power beyond the traditional 10-year term. Evoking the legend is "a good reminder to everybody that the party actually did, and does, stand for something" despite the Communist Party's loss of "purpose and legitimacy", Trey McArver, a London-based China politics analyst at Trusted Sources research firm, told AFP. Xi's embrace of the Long March reflects his desire to gather the party's passion around him and channel Mao's authority, said Liu Tong, historian at Shanghai Jiaotong University. China's governance has become more focused on the leader under Xi, a style that "mimics Mao's in many respects", Liu said, adding that celebrating the Long March connects Xi to "the Communists' symbol of triumph". But much recent propaganda surrounding the march, he added, "departed from the truth". - Politics over history - In reality the long retreat was a "military disaster" for the Communists, argues University of Hong Kong historian Xu Guoqi. Rather than Mao's brilliance, it was Japan's invasion of China that saved the party by diverting and weakening the Nationalists, he told AFP. Survivors have spoken of rapes, executions, kidnappings and forced requisitions of grain by the Red Army on the routes it walked. Two British men who spent more than a year following the Red Army's route calculated that it was about 6,100 kilometres -- far shorter than officially claimed. Others such as documentary filmmaker Sun Shuyun have interviewed survivors and witnesses who reported that celebrated incidents such as the Battle for Luding Bridge, where Red Army heroes reportedly made a perilous crossing under heavy gunfire, did not occur as described. Such accounts have been blasted in state media. Those who cast doubt on the 12,500-kilometre figure are guilty of "historical nihilism", wrote Lu Yi, a scholar at the Central Party School, an institution where Communist Party officials are trained, in a commentary in the People's Liberation Army Daily newspaper last month. Lu singled out Sun and the British travellers as examples of people who "fly the flag of 'restoring the truth' to maliciously sever history and fabricate lies". The widely circulated commentary ended with a warning that "this historical nihilism must be firmly refuted". Warren Sun of Monash University in Australia told AFP that while Xi understands the "less-than-savoury real story" of the march, in "issuing the new marching order, political necessity clearly overrides any historical truth". - Mandatory homage - Although Mao's own units reached Yanan in 1935, China celebrates the reunification of Communist forces on October 22 the following year, and the 80th anniversary is being marked with museum exhibitions across the country. At the National Museum on Tiananmen Square, visitors gazed at oil paintings of Mao astride a white steed and displays of the Great Helmsman's handgun. An elderly visitor named Shan said he admired the early Communist Party members, whose achievements "represent the indomitable spirit and strong mind of the Chinese nation". "Today, people's thinking has relaxed," he said. But several younger visitors said their state-run companies had bussed them in for the exhibit and required them to write a report about it. One group of visitors posed with a Communist Party flag at the entrance. Asked if she considered whether the official history was distorted, a 30-year-old woman surnamed Feng answered: "History is never objective. As ordinary people, we cannot tell whether history is true. But we can still learn from the spirit of the Long March. A poem by Mao Zedong is displayed at the National Museum in Beijing as part of an exhibition to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Red Army's Long March Fred Dufour (AFP) Mao Zedong on October 1, 1949, declared the foundation of the People's Republic of China in Beijing's Tiananmen Square China's National Museum in Beijing is hosting an exhibition to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Red Army's Long March Fred Dufour (AFP) Speculation is mounting that Chinese President Xi Jinping may delay appointing a successor and seek to stay in power beyond the traditional 10-year term Lintao Zhang (Pool/AFP/File) In Florida, Puerto Ricans could help sway White House race A group of volunteers registering Hispanic voters gets down to business at an apartment complex in the center of Florida, one of the key battleground states in the White House race. The bad news for Republicans is that most of those waiting to sign up before Tuesday's deadline are Puerto Ricans. Since the 2012 election, the dire financial crisis in Puerto Rico has brought hundreds of thousands of new residents from the US commonwealth in the Caribbean to Florida. Supporters of US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gather next to a vehicle before a rally in West Palm Beach, Florida on October 13, 2016 Leila Macor (AFP/File) They strongly support Hillary Clinton and could deliver the Sunshine State to the Democratic candidate. Ana Iris Vazquez, a 54-year-old housewife, is preparing lunch in her Orlando apartment when two women knock on her door. They work for Mi Familia Vota (My Family Votes), an NGO seeking to register Hispanics eligible to vote. "For Hillary!" Vazquez exclaims when asked who she will vote for on November 8. "If I voted for this man (Trump), we'd all be screwed," she says with a smile, referring to Republican nominee Donald Trump. When she left her home island, Vazquez and her fellow new "Flo-Ricans" never thought they could have the power to decide the fate of the US presidential race. But one million Hispanics have come to this state since 2012, most of them Puerto Ricans. Many have settled in the Orlando area -- home to Disney World and other theme parks. "The migration of Puerto Ricans has really made a huge impact on the number of Hispanics registered to vote in central Florida," says Mark Hugo Lopez, director of the Pew Hispanic Research Center. Puerto Ricans are US citizens and are eligible to vote in the US mainland -- unlike foreign immigrants, who must first become citizens, a process that can take years. The 1.9 million Hispanics currently registered to vote in Florida represent 15.4 percent of the state's electorate. According to Pew, between 2006 and 2016, the number of registered Hispanics increased 61 percent. Most of them are Democrats. - Swing state - At the Mi Familia Vota office in Orlando, a dozen volunteers are preparing to register voters in supermarkets and homes. Hand-colored signs glued to the wall chart the 28,200 Hispanics that the group has registered so far. "Wherever the Puerto Rican voting trend goes is where you will see the Hispanic vote go" in Florida, said Soraya Marquez, the group's state director. Historically, elections in Florida have been extremely close between Republicans and Democrats. In 2000, Republican George W. Bush won the state -- and the presidency -- with a 537-vote margin over Democrat Al Gore. For decades, every Republican elected president has carried Florida. The last one who won without the southeastern US state was Calvin Coolidge in 1923. That explains why both candidates have so fiercely courted Florida voters in the campaign's home stretch. With 20.2 million people (24.5 percent of them Hispanic), Florida is the third most populous US state. But more important than its size is Florida's swing state status -- from election to election, it tends to alternate between the two major parties and by an extremely small margin. Florida is complex electorally because it is anything but homogeneous. The south leans Democratic, the north leans Republican, and the center is a close race that's widening because of Puerto Rican migration. It is this election's real battlefield. "Anything can happen because the state is very evenly divided," says Kevin Hill, an associate professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University. According to the latest Real Clear Politics poll averages, Clinton is 6.4 percentage points ahead of Trump nationwide, but in Florida the margin is 3.6 points. - No hiding - Trump has earned the antipathy of Latinos, especially Mexicans whom he has called "criminals" and "rapists" while promising to build a giant wall on the US-Mexican border. "That man discriminates against us, he denigrates us. What on earth would happen to us with that guy. And the way he talks!" says Vazquez, stirring meat for tacos. According to a Pew poll released on October 11, nearly six out of ten Latinos registered to vote in the country (58 percent) support Clinton, while 19 percent support Trump. Mi Familia Vota is also focusing on getting a high turnout. Though it is officially nonpartisan, the group defends immigrants' rights. "We are going to knock on door after door, of the people who registered with us, to urge them to turn out," Marquez says. "In other words: they won't be able to hide," she says with a laugh. Historically, elections in Florida have been extremely close between Republicans and Democrats Rhona Wise (AFP/File) Ankara, coalition agree Turkish jets to join Mosul operation: minister Turkish jets will continue to take part in the air operation backing Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga to retake Iraq's second city of Mosul from jihadists after the defence minister said late Tuesday Ankara had agreed a deal with its coalition partners. "We have agreed with coalition forces for our air forces to take part in the Mosul operation," Fikri Isik was quoted as saying by the official Anadolu agency. "Without Turkey, it is impossible to make decisions on the future of Mosul," he added during a visit to Rome. Smoke billows as Iraqi forces deploy in the area of al-Shurah, south of Mosul on October 17, 2016 Ahmad Al-Rubaye (AFP/File) His comments were further clarification of Turkey's future involvement after Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said earlier in the day that the country's jets joined in the air operation to recapture the city from the Islamic State group. "Our air forces took part in the coalition forces' air operations in Mosul," Yildirim told his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group in Ankara. Yildirim, who admitted he did not know "the operational details", told reporters afterwards there was agreement "in principle" to be part of the coalition. The long-awaited offensive began Monday with air and ground support from a US-led coalition. Yildirim said Turkey was "closely-watching" what was happening but did not give details on the nature of the Turkish air support. Mosul was captured by IS jihadists in June 2014. But ahead of the offensive, Turkey and Iraq were entangled in a war of words over Turkey's presence in northern Iraq. Yildirim repeated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments from Monday that Turkey would be involved in the operation and will be "at the table". While insisting it cannot be left out of the operation, Turkey has often spoken of its fears over the potential involvement of Shiite militias and anti-Ankara Kurdish militia in the fight for mainly Sunni Mosul. - 'Don't act tough with us' - In a separate speech in Ankara, Erdogan said Turkey did not want to be party to any sectarian conflict in Iraq, but spoke of his concern for "our Sunni Arab brothers, our Turkmen brothers". Earlier this month, Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi traded barbs over Turkey's presence in Bashiqa in northern Iraq, where, according to Erdogan, nearly 700 Turkish soldiers are based. Erdogan insisted Turkey had a historical responsibility to be in Iraq, referring to Mosul's past as part of the Ottoman Empire. "We will be (present) on the ground and we will be at the table," Erdogan said. Erdogan told the Iraqi government that "rather than acting tough with us" it should "deal" with other extremist groups like IS. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said an Iraqi delegation was due to arrive in Turkey towards the end of the week -- "maybe Thursday -- as diplomats try to de-escalate the tensions. "Both sides essentially have the will to solve this through dialogue," Cavusoglu said Tuesday during a visit to Tashkent, quoted by Anadolu. It comes after a top-level Turkish delegation led by foreign ministry undersecretary Umit Yalcin went to Baghdad on Monday. Late Tuesday, the Turkish foreign ministry reissued its travel guidance from December 2015 to its citizens, warning against travelling to Iraq because of the security risk. The advice applied to all provinces except Dohuk, Arbil and Sulaymaniyah, all of which are in the northern region of Iraqi Kurdistan. Those currently in the country were strongly advised to withdraw from areas including Baghdad and Basra, referring to the latest developments in Mosul. The ministry urged its citizens in a statement on its website to be vigilant, avoid crowded places and limit the time of travel in 15 provinces including Kirkuk, Anbar and Najaf. Iraq: the battle for Mosul Iris ROYER DE VERICOURT, Alain BOMMENEL (AFP) 20 dead in Pygmy-Bantu caterpillar clashes in DR Congo Pygmy-Bantu clashes over a caterpillar collection tax have left 20 people dead in DR Congo and sparked fears of a new flare-up in trouble that over the past two years displaced tens of thousands of people. Local MP Kalunga Mawazo told AFP on Tuesday that the fresh fighting was triggered by a dispute over the caterpillar harvest, a common food staple for the hunter-gatherer Pygmy people of the Tanganyika region in northern Katanga province. "The attacks since Sunday left four (Bantu) Lubas and 16 Pygmies dead in a row over the tax traditionally paid to the Bantus by the Pygmies," Kalunga said. Northern Katanga, a region as big as Spain, has seen repeated clashes between Bantu Lubas and Pygmy Twa people since 2013 Phil Moore (AFP/File) A local priest who asked not to be named said that "the Pygmies believe they now have the same rights as citizens as the others. They refused to pay this illegal tax and shot two Luba people dead with arrows when they demanded payment." Another two Lubas, who are Bantu people, were killed in revenge attacks. The bodies of 16 Pygmies were also found, the priest said. Tanganyika governor Ngoy Kitangala said that security forces were being dispatched to the area where tension remains extremely high. Pygmies from the local Twa group have long complained of being marginalised, exploited and despised by Bantu people living in farming communities, saying they treat them like second-class citizens. - Love affair leads to war - But it was a love affair between a Bantu and his Pygmy mistress that served as the trigger to repeated clashes between the two communities that broke out in 2013 in northern Katanga, a region as big as Spain. "A Bantu was surprised in flagrante delicto of adultery with a Pygmy woman," a Bantu village chief told AFP at the time. Due to the long simmering problems between the two peoples, the fighting in one of the world's poorest regions quickly degenerated, unleashing a cycle of revenge killings, looting and the burning of entire villages. More than 200 people were reported dead in the 2014-2015 violence and tens of thousands fled fighting that pitted bows and arrows against machete blades. Cohabitation has never been easy between the two communities, with the land-owning Bantus accused of exploiting the hunter-gatherers, paying them meagre wages, or paying them in alcohol and cigarettes for labouring the land. For generations the Pygmies have wandered the bush and tropical forests of DR Congo, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Gabon. But their millennial lifestyle is increasingly under threat from deforestation, mining and extensive farming. Tension with the Bantu people had eased in recent months thanks to mediation efforts by local authorities and UN officials. But in September new clashes near the eastern town of Kabalo left eight dead. France to host talks Thursday on Mosul's future France will host an international meeting Thursday on the future of Mosul, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on the second day of a major offensive to retake Iraq's second city from the Islamic State group. "We must anticipate, plan for the 'day after', and the stabilisation of Mosul after the military battle," Ayrault said Tuesday, adding that Iran -- which wields substantial influence in Iraq -- was not invited to the talks. "We must win the war but also look at everything that will enable us to win the peace," he said. Iraqi forces deploy south of Mosul as they advance towards the city to retake it from Islamic State group jihadists on October 17, 2016 Ahmad al-Rubaye (AFP) The French foreign minister said the international coalition fighting IS also had a "responsibility" to retake Raqa, in Syria, which would be the last major city in either country under the group's control if Mosul falls. "Not to go on to Raqa would be a bad mistake," Ayrault told reporters. "If we want to fight effectively against terrorism it is essential to take this city." The long-awaited offensive on Mosul was launched on Monday, with some 30,000 forces involved in Iraq's largest military operation since the pullout of US troops in 2011. The US military, which is leading a coalition providing air and ground support, said Iraqi forces looked "ahead of schedule" but warned the battle would be long and difficult. The coalition's defence ministers will meet in Paris next Tuesday to assess progress in the battle for Mosul. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter will be among 13 ministers at the talks, an aide to French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. Le Drian said Tuesday the battle for Mosul could take "several weeks" or even months. The ministers are also expected to stress the importance of routing the jihadists from Raqa. The coalition is concerned that IS will attempt to move fighters and military equipment from Mosul to Syria as the offensive intensifies. Although the coalition includes around 60 countries, the meeting will comprise only Western nations providing air support. They are: United States, France, Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Norway, Denmark and New Zealand. Syria's first lady says rejected offers to leave country: report Syria's first lady Asma al-Assad said she rejected multiple offers to flee the war-ravaged country with her children, according to an interview with broadcaster Russia24 aired on Tuesday. The comments were part of the British-born Assad's first interview with international media since Syria's revolt erupted in 2011 with demands for her husband Bashar's ouster. "I never thought of being anywhere else at all. ... Yes, I was offered the opportunity to leave Syria, or rather to run from Syria," the 41-year-old said. British-born Asma Al-Assad, wife of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, has given a rare interview where she claimed she has been given multiple offers to flee the war-ravaged country with her children "These offers included guarantees of safety and protection for my children, and even financial security." "It doesn't take a genius to know what these people were really after. It was never about my wellbeing or my children -- it was a deliberate attempt to shatter people's confidence in their president," she said. The full interview with Russia24 is to be aired later Tuesday. Asma's marriage to Bashar was announced by state media around six months after he assumed the presidency in July 2000 following the death of his father Hafez. The former investment banker styled herself as a progressive rights advocate and was seen as the modern side of the Assad dynasty. She did not appear much in public in the first few years of the uprising, but over the past two years has been a lot more active. The mother-of-three has stood at her husband's side in his rare public appearances, posing for selfies with supporters in pictures posted to the presidency's Instagram account. UN will not enter Aleppo until safety assurances The UN hailed an announcement Tuesday that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo, but said it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with aid. "We remain of course pleased if there is a reduction in fighting because it will protect civilians," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, told reporters. But he stressed that "when the weapons fall silent, we need all weapons to fall silent," before "critical humanitarian assistance can be provided to the area and the sick and the wounded can be evacuated." Syrian men look at a heavily damaged building following air strikes on rebel-held eastern areas of Aleppo Karam al-Masri (AFP/File) "We need to have assurances from all parties to the conflict. Not just a unilateral announcement that this will happen," he said, without revealing if the UN had received security assurances from any of the sides in the conflict. Laerke's comments came after the Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russian and Syrian air forces had stopped bombing Aleppo as of 0700 GMT, in a move he said was meant to pave the way for an eight-hour truce on Thursday. Shoigu said the "humanitarian pause" on Thursday would allow civilians to exit through six corridors and would make it possible to evacuate the sick and wounded from eastern Aleppo. The UN and European Union welcomed the announcement, but said the planned pause in fighting needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. "We continue to call for a 48-hour pause," Laerke said. "The UN has a plan to evacuate the sick and wounded from eastern Aleppo, but has not been involved with any negotiations" around the Russian announcement, he said. "Movement of civilians must be done on a safe, dignified and voluntary basis, and should not be mixed with the UN plan to evacuate the sick and wounded," he said. Once Syria's thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by air raids and intensifying clashes as regime forces fight to capture the rebel-held east. Russian air support for the onslaught -- which has destroyed hospitals and other civilian infrastructure -- has spurred accusations of potential war crimes. Battle for Mosul could take 'months': French minister French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Tuesday that the battle to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State group could take "months". "It could be a long battle, it's not a blitzkrieg... It's a lengthy affair (lasting) several weeks, maybe months," he told reporters in Paris a day after the offensive began. The long-awaited offensive on Mosul was launched on Monday, with some 30,000 forces involved in Iraq's largest military operation since the pullout of US troops in 2011. Iraqi forces hold a position in the area of al-Shurah, south of Mosul, as they advance towards the city to retake it from the Islamic State (IS) group jihadists, on October 17, 2016 Ahmad Al-Rubaye (AFP) The US military, which is leading a coalition providing air and ground support, also warned the battle would be long and difficult. Iran gives Iranian-US businessman and father 10 years for spying An Iranian-American businessman and his 80-year-old father have been given 10 years in prison for espionage, Tehran's prosecutor said Tuesday, prompting the United States to demand their release. "Baquer and Siamak Namazi... have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage and collaboration with the American government," said prosecutor-general Abbas Jafari Dolat-Abadi, according to the Fars news agency. Siamak Namazi, a well-connected business consultant who has supported reformist politicians in Iran, was arrested as he arrived in Tehran a year ago. Siamak Namazi, an international relations expert and business consultant, was arrested as he arrived in Tehran a year ago Atta Kenare (AFP/File) His father, Baquer, was detained in February when he came to Iran to seek his son's release. He is a former employee of the UN Children's Fund, or UNICEF, and served as a governor of the Iranian province of Khuzestan before the Islamic revolution of 1979. The United States demanded the release of the Namazis. "We are deeply concerned about reports that US citizens Siamak Namazi and Baquer Namazi have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. "We join recent calls by international organisations and UN human rights experts for the immediate release of all US citizens unjustly detained in Iran, including Siamak and Baquer Namazi, so that they can return to their families." The US also expressed concerns about reporters of the "declining health" of Baquer Namazi. UNICEF voiced its "deep sadness and personal concern" over the sentence, appealing for the release of the elder Namazi on humanitarian grounds. Fars said four others -- Farhad Abd-Saleh, Kamran Ghaderi, Nezar Zaka and Alireza Omidvar -- had also been sentenced to 10 years in jail. - Hardliners criticise Namazis - Zaka is the Lebanese-American arrested in November 2015 and accused on state television of "numerous deep links to the US military intelligence community". The hardline Kayhan newspaper has described Omidvar as an "associate" of Namazi. Conservative media have criticised Siamak Namazi's links to the National Iranian American Council, a Washington-based NGO created by Iranian nationals aimed at boosting ties between the two countries. At the time of his arrest last year, he was working for Crescent Petroleum, an energy firm based in the United Arab Emirates, which is involved in an ongoing legal dispute with Iran over a failed gas deal, and is seeking billions of dollars in compensation. Video footage of Namazi's arrest was published by Mizan, which is linked to the judiciary, earlier this week. It was presented with dramatic music alongside images of his US passport and shots of Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian who spent two years in prison on espionage charges. Mizan published a long article in February, criticising the Namazi family's efforts to "influence internal events in Iran" through its financial contributions to NGOs. It also criticised their role in promoting ties between Iranian and Western businesses during the rule of reformist president Mohammad Khatami. Rezaian was released in January at the same time as a nuclear accord with world powers came into force, lifting sanctions on Iran. Washington helped to airlift $400 million worth of Swiss francs and euros to Iran shortly afterwards -- part of the money owed by the US because it cancelled defence sales at the time of the revolution. The White House has denied accusations from hardline critics that this amounted to a hostage ransom for Rezaian and four others released at the same time. In its statement, the State Department also raised the case of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent and ex-CIA contractor who went missing on Iran's Kish Island in 2007. "We also respectfully underscore the importance of Iran cooperating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Mr Robert Levinson," Toner said. Israeli army unprepared for 2014 Gaza tunnel threat: report An investigation has found that Israel's military was unprepared for the threat posed by tunnels dug by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip in the 2014 war between them, reports said Tuesday. The findings are likely to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced criticism from political rivals over allegations that not enough was done to prepare for the tunnel threat. Militants in Gaza, run by Islamist movement Hamas, used the tunnels during combat in the 2014 war, including to carry out cross-border attacks. Israel said Hamas militants used the tunnels to carry out cross-border attacks in 2014 Mahmud Hams (AFP/File) Tuesday's reports cited leaked findings from an internal military investigation, which was not released publicly. Israel's army radio said the probe found that military brigades were not prepared for the magnitude of the threat the tunnels posed. It also said that the "enemy's command and its capacity to fire rockets remained intact continuously until the end of the operation and the number of Hamas victims was lower than would have been expected given the firepower used". Israel's army said in a statement late Tuesday: "The conclusions of the investigation have been implemented." "The IDF recognises underground warfare as a major challenge in modern warfare, and has placed it as its top priority," it said, referring to the Israeli military. Despite the findings, the Gaza Strip suffered an overwhelmingly higher number of victims and amount of damage in the 2014 war. The 50-day conflict killed 2,251 Palestinians and left 100,000 homeless. On the Israeli side, 73 people were killed, most of them soldiers. A UN report said both Israel and Palestinian militants may have committed war crimes, decrying "unprecedented" devastation and human suffering. Israel's preparations ahead of the Gaza war have faced criticism before. In May, Israeli media reports said a draft of a separate inquiry by the state comptroller found that "the security establishment did not have a comprehensive plan for dealing with Hamas's offensive tunnels". Israel angered as UNESCO adopts Jerusalem resolution The UN cultural agency on Tuesday adopted an Arab-sponsored resolution condemning Israel's actions at a flashpoint holy site in east Jerusalem, deepening anger in the Jewish state. The UNESCO resolution on "occupied Palestine" was endorsed Tuesday by the agency's executive board at its headquarters in Paris, after being approved at the committee stage last week. Referring throughout to "the occupying power," it condemns Israel for restricting Muslims' access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound -- Islam's third holiest site -- and criticises damage by security forces to the site and nearby excavations. The Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem is Islam's third holiest site but the area is also venerated by Jews as the Temple Mount, the most sacred place in Judaism Ahmad Gharabli (AFP/File) It is the latest episode in a series of rows at UNESCO, which is responsible for protecting important heritage sites and is one of few international organisations that recognises Palestine as a member state. Israel suspended its cooperation with UNESCO last week in response to the draft resolution and its ambassador, Carmel Shama Hacohen, accused the Palestinians of playing "games" on Tuesday. "This is the wrong place to solve problems between countries or people," he told AFP. Israel is furious that the resolution refers to the Old City site in Jerusalem by its Muslim name, Al-Aqsa or Al-Haram al-Sharif. It is considered holy by Muslims, Christians and Jews. Jews refer to it as the Temple Mount and it is considered the holiest site in Judaism. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complained last week that saying "Israel has no connection to the Temple Mount and Western Wall is like saying China has no connection to the Great Wall of China or Egypt has no connection to the pyramids". While acknowledging the importance of the Old City to "the three monotheistic religions" -- Islam, Judaism and Christianity -- the resolution focuses on Israeli restrictions on Muslims accessing the mosque. It also includes condemnation of Israel's blockade of Gaza and "constant aggressions by the Israeli settlers" in the West Bank. - Violations - Deputy Palestinian ambassador to UNESCO, Mounir Anastas, welcomed the decision on Tuesday. "This resolution reminds Israel that they are the occupying power in east Jerusalem, and it asks them to stop all their violations, especially in the fields of competence of UNESCO such as the excavations," he told reporters. Since 2011 when Palestine was admitted to UNESCO, the body has been the scene of numerous diplomatic spats resulting from resolutions condemning Israel, most recently in April but also in October last year. The east Jerusalem site is a 14-hectare (35-acre) rectangular esplanade at the southeast corner of the Old City which was seized by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never internationally recognised. Israel considers all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, but the Palestinians want the eastern sector as capital of their future state. - Unease in UNESCO - The atmosphere before the vote on Tuesday was soured further by threats received by telephone and on social media last week following a vote on the draft resolution, a UNESCO official said. The text had created unease at the top of the organisation, with Michael Worbs, who chairs UNESCO's executive board, saying he would have liked more time to work out a compromise. The resolution was voted on last Thursday at the committee stage, with 24 votes in favour, six against and 26 abstentions. There were two absentees. UNESCO chief Irina Bokova also distanced herself from the resolutions, saying in a statement that "nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space." Israel's envoy to UNESCO defended the Jewish state's suspension of its cooperation with the organisation as a "proportional reaction" to the resolution passed on Tuesday. "I hope it will not last long," Shama Hacohen told AFP. He also saw Mexico's decision to change its position Tuesday from voting in favour of the resolution to abstaining as a small victory. "We hope it will come to a point that the Palestinians understand that there is no place for these games at UNESCO," he said. The UN body also on Tuesday adopted a separate, less controversial resolution on schools in Palestinian territories. Jewish men take part in the Cohanim prayer (priest's blessing) during the Pesach (Passover) holiday at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 25, 2016 Menahem Kahana (AFP/File) Obama: 'Mosul will be a difficult fight' President Barack Obama warned Tuesday of a tough battle ahead as Iraqi forces backed by a US-led coalition advance on Mosul to wrest the city from the Islamic State group. Obama said he was confident the offensive on the northern city, now in its second day, would succeed in driving the jihadists from their last stronghold in Iraq. "There will be ups and downs in this process, but my expectation is that ultimately it will be successful," he told a joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. US President Barack Obama (R) and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi conduct a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, DC, October 18, 2016 Nicholas Kamm (AFP) "This will be, I think, a key milestone in what I committed to doing when ISIL first emerged," Obama said, using an acronym for the jihadist group. "We are going to roll them back, and we are going to ultimately drive them out of population centers," he vowed. Obama said he was "confident that ISIL will be defeated in Mosul and that will be another step toward their ultimate destruction." But the US leader warned of a challenging road ahead. "Mosul will be a difficult fight. There will be advances and there will be setbacks," he said. "Perhaps one million civilians are still living there," he added. "In addition to rooting out ISIL, our focus is on the safety and humanitarian aid for civilians escaping the fight. That will be a top priority for both our governments." Obama said he expected "significant displacement" of civilians from Mosul, and that the US-led coalition, in conjunction with the United Nations and major aid organizations was prepared to respond to it. Clinton team mulled Apple's Cook for veep, emails show Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign considered tapping Apple chief executive Tim Cook to be her running mate, according to hacked emails published Tuesday by WikiLeaks. In an email dated March 17 to Clinton, campaign chairman John Podesta also proposed the mega-billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, his wife Melinda and General Motors chief executive Mary Barra as possible Democratic vice presidents. "Let me know if there are people you would like to see added or removed," Podesta wrote, enclosing a list of more than 30 names. Hacked emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta show campaign considered Apple CEO Tim Cook as possible vice presidential pick Josh Edelson (AFP/File) "I have organized names in rough food groups." The email also identified well known military figures -- such as Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Marine Corps General John Allen, the former commander of US forces in Afghanistan -- as well as Clinton's opponent for the Democratic nomination, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and other lawmakers. Podesta also suggested billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as well as more conventional political choices, such as Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. Clinton ultimately settled on Virginia Senator Tim Kaine to campaign with her. Podesta has not publicly verified that the emails are authentic, but told reporters earlier this month that he believed that "Russian intelligence agencies" had hacked into his email account as part of efforts to favor Republican nominee Donald Trump. Shabaab assault on key Somali town leaves 10 dead Fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group launched a major attack on a strategic town near Mogadishu on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people, including civilians, before retreating. Witnesses and officials reported heavy clashes between Shabaab militants and Somali troops in Afgoye, which lies just 30 kilometres (18 miles) northwest of the capital Mogadishu. The main target of the assault was a police post attacked with a car packed with explosives, and Somali army posts. Heavy exchanges of fire were also heard around the town. Somali security forces patrol the scene of a suicide car bomb blast in Mogadishu in August 2016 Mohamed Abdiwahab (AFP/File) The Shabaab fighters pulled out before troops from the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Somalia, AMISOM, arrived. "The terrorists have retreated back from the town and the situation is back to normal, Somali government forces are now in full control," local police official Abdukadir Ahmed said by phone. "We dont have the exact number of casualties so far but we have seen the dead bodies of more than 10 people, including civilians, who were killed in the attack." He said the attackers also suffered casualties. AMISOM confirmed on Twitter that a car bomb had been used to target a police post but said Somali forces had held their position, waiting for reinforcements. Witnesses said the Shabaab fighters left town and dead bodies were strewn in some roads. "Shabaab fighters left the police station and other locations they have taken this afternoon, there are dead bodies and I saw 11 of them at our neighbourhood. Somali and AMISOM soldiers are now in some parts of the town," Abdirisak Isgowe, a resident, said. Another resident, Fadumo Wariri, said most of those killed perished in the blast, and most were soldiers. - Shabaab claim - A statement from Shabaab said they had killed 35 government soldiers and seized a sizeable quantity of military equipment from the posts it attacked. It was not immediately clear whether the main aim of the Shabaab operation was to seize equipment or to show they were capable of launching attacks at will, even in daylight. The attack on Afgoye, which lies at a strategic crossroads of routes heading north, west and south into Somalia, shows the country's continuing fragility. On Saturday the UN humanitarian agency said a week of violent clashes in northern Somalia had left 11 people dead and driven more than 50,000 people to flee. In just a few weeks Somalia is due to hold elections that it is hoped will bring a measure of stability to the conflict-plagued nation. Burundi set to quit ICC as president promulgates law President Pierre Nkurunziza on Tuesday signed legislation enabling Burundi to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). A copy of the law seen by AFP and dated October 18 allows "the Republic of Burundi's withdrawal from the Rome statute", the ICC's founding treaty. The next step will be for the country to officially notify the United Nations, launching a year-long departure process that will make the country the first ever to quit the tribunal. Members of Burundi's National Assembly attend a voting session on October 12, 2016 in Bujumbura, for the withdrawal of the International Criminal Court Onesphore Nibigira (AFP/File) Burundi's lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favour of the move on October 12, its latest snub of the international community after the release of a damning UN report in September detailing atrocities and warning of "genocide". Burundi was plunged into crisis in April 2015 when Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term in office, which he went on to win. A vicious government crackdown on protests and widespread violence followed, which some rights organisations estimate has left more than 1,000 people dead. US denies it urged Ecuador to unplug Assange's internet access The United States on Tuesday denied charges from WikiLeaks that Washington asked Ecuador to cut the internet connection of the website's founder Julian Assange. WikiLeaks on Monday alleged that Assange's internet access was cut Saturday after it published private speeches by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to Goldman Sachs. Assange has been staying at the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012 to evade prosecution by Sweden over a rape allegation. Julian Assange has been staying at the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012 to evade prosecution by Sweden over a rape allegation Jack Taylor (AFP/File) In a series of tweets beginning late Monday, the anti-secrecy site said it learned from "multiple US sources" that Ecuador cut off Assange's internet connection at the behest of US Secretary of State John Kerry. But State Department spokesman John Kirby, in a brief statement, denied that Washington had played any role in the move. "While our concerns about WikiLeaks are longstanding, any suggestion that Secretary Kerry or the State Department were involved in shutting down WikiLeaks is false," Kirby said. "Reports that Secretary Kerry had conversations with Ecuadorian officials about this are simply untrue. Period." On Saturday, WikiLeaks published three private, paid speeches Clinton made to Wall Street investment giant Goldman Sachs, after she left her position as secretary of state and before launching her White House bid. Hong Kong leader in court battle with pro-independence lawmakers Hong Kong's leader sparked fury Tuesday after he launched a court bid against two pro-independence lawmakers which could block them from taking up their parliamentary seats. Chief executive Leung Chun-ying is seen by critics as a pro-Beijing stooge and his move comes as fears grow that China is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city. Hong Kong was handed back by Britain to China in 1997 under an agreement protecting its freedoms for 50 years, but there are concerns those liberties are being eroded. Hong Kong's leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is seen by critics as a pro-Beijing stooge and his move comes as fears grow that China is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city Anthony Wallace (AFP/File) Rising tensions have sparked calls for Hong Kong to break completely from Beijing and a new wave of legislators who were voted in last month support independence and self-determination. Leung's late-night court bid came after new pro-independence lawmakers Yau Wai-ching and Baggio Leung draped themselves with "Hong Kong is not China" banners while taking their oath of office last week in the Legislative Council (Legco) -- Hong Kong's lawmaking body. The oath specifies Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. The pair's pledges were rejected after both refused to pronounce China properly. Yau was heard to replace the words "the People's Republic of China" with "the People's refucking of Zeena". Newly-elected Legco president Andrew Leung -- a pro-Beijing lawmaker -- had indicated he was prepared to give them a second chance and both were expected to take the oath again Wednesday morning, which if approved would allow them to officially take up their seats. But at the eleventh-hour the justice department, acting for the chief executive and the justice secretary, sought a review of that decision, arguing they should be disqualified based on their first oath. The Legco president opposed the application. In a hearing Tuesday night at the High Court, Baggio's lawyer Hectar Poon said his client "does not accept that the chief executive has any standing to mount any legal proceedings". But department of justice counsel Johnny Mok said the lawmakers had brought the trouble upon themselves. Judge Thomas Au refused to grant an application for an interim injunction against the oaths being retaken Wednesday. But he agreed to allow the requested judicial review into the decision to give them a second chance, which will go ahead on November 3. It is unclear how the judicial review will affect their future as lawmakers if they are successfully sworn in on Wednesday. Baggio described the legal bid as a "political decision", and accused the chief executive of ambush. Pro-democracy lawmaker Dennis Kwok accused the chief executive of putting political pressure on the court. "(He) pays no respect to the dignity and the independence of our legislature," Kwok told the South China Morning Post. Top US lawmaker vows to keep embargo on Cuba Congress will keep a decades-old embargo on Cuba, the top Republican in the US House of Representatives vowed Tuesday, despite recent moves by President Barack Obama to ease sanctions against Havana. "I fully intend to maintain our embargo on #Cuba," House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a tweet. Obama issued an executive order last week that further loosened restrictions on trade with Cuba, nearly two years after Washington began the process of rapprochement with its former foe. "I fully intend to maintain our embargo on #Cuba," House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a tweet Mark Wilson (Getty/AFP/File) The embargo remains a major holdover from decades of Cold War enmity between the two neighboring nations. But Ryan, the top lawmaker in the Republican-led House, insisted in a longer statement that he would resist "the Obama administration's unilateral move to lift trade restrictions on Cuba." "The Castros continue to jail pro-democracy activists at a rate of hundreds per month, yet it is full steam ahead for the Obama administration's efforts to appease this oppressive regime," he said, referring to the government of longtime revolutionaries Fidel Castro and his brother Raul, the current president. Put in place in the early 1960s, the trade embargo was designed to starve Fidel Castro's regime of US currency. Despite the mid-2015 restoration of diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana, the embargo remains largely in place today. Ryan said President Castro has made little progress in improving the lot of the Cuban people, despite better economic prospects as a result of the thaw with Washington. IS traps Mosul civilians as human shields, Pentagon says Islamic State jihadists are trapping Mosul's civilians to use as human shields, the Pentagon said Tuesday as President Barack Obama warned of "significant" potential displacement as the offensive for the Iraqi city progresses. Authorities and aid agencies are bracing for a massive flow of civilians fleeing the northern Iraqi city as the fight to seize the last remaining IS stronghold in the country progresses. The battle, which began Monday, has so far focused on the villages surrounding Iraq's second-largest city, most of which are traditionally Kurdish. A woman sits at a refugee camp housing Iraqi families who fled fighting in the Mosul area on October 17, 2016 in the northeastern town of al-Hol in Syria's Hasakeh province Delil Souleiman (AFP) Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said IS had for weeks kept Mosul's estimated population of 1.5 million from escaping, with the start of the offensive offering them no respite. "We know they are being used as human shields, absolutely," Davis said. "They are being held there against their will. We have not seen any change in the last day of people leaving or fleeing." Although there has been no mass exodus of civilians so far, Obama warned of "significant" displacement in the coming weeks, saying the United Nations and other aid groups were ready to respond. "We have put together plans and infrastructure for dealing with a potential humanitarian crisis that are as extensive as the military plans," Obama told reporters. United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said an estimated 200,000 people are expected to be displaced in the first weeks of the offensive, growing to as many as one million under a worst-case scenario. For now at least, Iraqi authorities and the US-led coalition want civilians to stay put, fearing they will be executed if they are caught leaving. A US B-52 superbomber dropped thousands of leaflets giving advice to the people of Mosul, explaining how to minimize risks to life and property during the battle. - Masked by smoke - The fighting so far has been fairly light, mainly focused on villages east of Mosul that Kurdish peshmerga fighters are reclaiming from IS. Davis said jihadists were deploying suicide-car attackers and had been attempting to thwart air raids and intelligence drones by igniting giant pits of oil and tires to create thick smoke to hide their movements and positions. "We've seen very good progress," he said. "It's going to be a while. There's a lot of movement they have to do to get in (to Mosul) but it's very much under way." A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the smoke clouds hadn't had any tactical effect. Estimates vary for the number of IS fighters inside Mosul, where they have had two years to dig in, build tunnels and booby trap countless roads and buildings. Davis said a high-end maximum number of jihadists in the city and surrounding areas was a little more than 5,000. Officials fear the jihadists may attempt to use rudimentary chemical agents, as they have previously, particularly in the battle's later stages. Military planners also acknowledge it may take weeks for Iraqi security forces to arrive in Mosul proper, as the roads into the city are expected to be very heavily mined. Approximately 10,000 Kurds are moving in on the city, with another 20,000 Iraqi security forces and police following behind. The plan is for the Kurds not to enter Mosul itself, as it is a Sunni-majority city. The US-led coalition has trained tens of thousands of Iraqi fighters and is providing continual air and artillery cover. About 100 US advisory troops are on the ground near Mosul but are staying away from the front lines, Davis said. US judge 'strongly inclined' to back $15 bn VW settlement A US judge on Tuesday said he favored approving a $14.7 billion class action settlement in Volkswagen's sprawling emissions scandal. Judge Charles Breyer of the US District Court in San Francisco said he would rule on the matter next week but was "strongly inclined to approve" the proposed buyback of tainted diesel cars and compensation offer for owners. The settlement offer would concern nearly a half-million owners of 2.0 liter Volkswagen and Audi diesel vehicles. German automaker Volkswagen is eager to put an emissions scandal behind it after admitting last year that it had installed pollution test "defeat devices" in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide Josh Edelson (AFP/File) Breyer granted preliminary approval in July after the settlement was reached the month before, and said Tuesday he would give his final ruling on October 25. The German automaker is eager to put the scandal behind it after admitting last year that it had installed pollution test "defeat devices" in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide. The configuration deceptively lowered harmful nitrogen oxide pollution during emissions testing, hiding what cars produced during actual driving. The settlement involves more than $10 billion to buy back affected vehicles or terminate leases, as well as proposed emissions modifications to owners who keep their cars. The company has also agreed to pay $4.7 billion towards environmental remediation and the development of zero-emissions technology. During Tuesday's hearing, lead plaintiffs' attorney Elizabeth Cabraser said that litigation would be "complex, risky, lengthy, and time is of the essence here." She urged Breyer to approve the settlement: "People shouldn't have to wait years for a seemingly perfect resolution," she said. US extradites Chinese-born businessman to Mexico US authorities extradited on Tuesday Chinese-Mexican businessman Zhenli Ye Gon to Mexico to face drug-related charges, nine years after a whopping $205 million were seized from his mansion in the capital. Salvador Sandoval Silva, a deputy attorney general, showed a video of Ye Gon arriving on a plane and said he would be taken to the Altiplano maximum-security prison near Mexico City. In March 2007, authorities found $205 million in cash in his luxurious Mexico City home, which was considered the largest-ever seizure of drug-related money. In March 2007, authorities found $205 million dollars in Chinese-Mexican businessman Zhenli Ye Gon's Mexico City home Ye Gon was accused of importing chemicals from China that were used to produce methamphetamine in Mexico, which was then shipped to the United States. The Shanghai-born man, who had a pharmaceutical company in Mexico, was arrested near Washington in July 2007. The US charges were dismissed in 2009 but he remained in jail due to the Mexican extradition request, which a judge approved in 2011. He has proclaimed his innocence and sought to fight the extradition, but he lost his appeal. Sandoval said Ye Gon was wanted on charges of organized crime, drug-related crimes, possession of illegal weapons and conducting operations with illegal proceeds. In another US case, the Las Vegas Sands Corp. casino company agreed in 2013 to pay more than $47 million to the US government to avoid charges over its failure to alert the authorities about Ye Gon's gambling at its Venetian-Palazzo hotel complex in Las Vegas. UN peacekeeping chief to visit Western Sahara UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous will travel to Western Sahara this week as the United Nations works to ease tensions with Morocco over its mission in the disputed territory. Ladsous told reporters on Tuesday that he will hold talks in Rabat, visit the headquarters of the UN mission MINURSO in Laayoune and cross into Algeria to visit the refugee camps in Tindouf. The visit will be the first by a senior UN official since Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made a controversial trip in March, angering Morocco over his use of the term "occupation" to describe the status of Western Sahara. UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told reporters that he will hold talks in Rabat, visit the headquarters of the UN mission MINURSO in Laayoune and cross into Algeria to visit the refugee camps in Tindouf Issouf Sanogo (AFP/File) Ladsous described his visit to MINURSO as a "morale-boosting" exercise for the mission after Morocco cut dozens of staff in angry retaliation over Ban's use of the term. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in April demanding that MINURSO return to "full functionality" but not all 75 staffers are expected to go back. A review of the staffing is under way and some of the mission's work could be handled by the UN regional hub, a senior UN official said. The United Nations announced in August that UN envoy Christopher Ross was prepared to travel to the region for talks on ending the decades-old conflict over Western Sahara. That trip is "still under discussion," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, adding: "To say that Western Sahara is a complex and complicated issue would be an understatement." Ban is due to return to Morocco in November to attend the COP22 conference on climate change in Marrakesh. The council met behind closed doors on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Western Sahara, but there was no concrete outcome to the discussion. MINURSO was established in 1991 after a ceasefire ended a war that broke out when Morocco sent troops to the former Spanish territory in 1975 and fought Sahrawi rebels of the Polisario Front. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, declared by the Polisario in 1976, is a full member of the African Union. NBC News fires Billy Bush after lewd Donald Trump tape airs NEW YORK (AP) NBC News on Monday fired "Today" show host Billy Bush, who was caught on tape in a vulgar conversation about women with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump before an "Access Hollywood" appearance. Bush was suspended at the morning show two days after contents of the 2005 tape were reported on Oct. 7. Once it became clear he wouldn't be back, NBC and Bush's representatives had been negotiating terms of his exit. On the tape, Bush is heard laughing as Trump talks about fame enabling him to grope and try to have sex with women not his wife. Trump has denied groping women, and Bush later said he was "embarrassed and ashamed" by what was caught on tape. FILE - In this Sept. 19, 2014 file photo, Billy Bush arrives at the Operation Smile's 2014 Smile Gala in Beverly Hills, Calif. NBC News has fired "Today" show host Billy Bush, who was caught on tape in a vulgar conversation about women with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump before an "Access Hollywood" appearance. Bush was suspended at the morning show two days after contents of the 2005 tape were reported on Oct. 7. NBC and Bush's representatives had been negotiating terms of his exit before Monday's announcement. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File) NBC made the announcement of his firing in a note from "Today" show top executive Noah Oppenheim to his staff. Oppenheim called Bush, who spent 15 years at "Access Hollywood," ''a valued colleague and longtime member of the broader NBC family. We wish him success as he goes forward." Bush, a 44-year-old father of three and nephew of former President George H.W. Bush, said that he was "deeply grateful for the conversations I've had with my daughters, and for all of the support from family, friends and colleagues. I look forward to what lies ahead." The settlement with NBC did not include a non-compete clause, meaning Bush "is a free agent," said his lawyer, Marshall Grossman. Financial terms of the deal were kept confidential. In an interview with CNN on Monday, Trump's wife, Melania, said that her husband was "egged on" by Bush in the conversation. "I wonder if they even knew the mic was on," Melania Trump said, referring to her husband and Bush. She said they were involved in "boy talk, and he was led on like egged on from the host to say dirty and bad stuff." Asked to comment, Grossman said, "I thought that Donald Trump would claim that he was not on the bus." In the 2005 tape, which was first revealed by The Washington Post, Trump discusses unsuccessfully seeking an affair with another "Access Hollywood" employee, Nancy O'Dell. Trump said that when he was attracted to beautiful women "I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet." He said that when you're a star, women let you. "Grab them by the p----. You can do anything," Trump added. The two men discussed an actress who was waiting from at the end of the bus ride. When they got off, Bush urged the woman to hug Trump and added, "how about a little hug for the Bushy?" Trump said in the second presidential debate that he never did any of the actions heard on the tape, which he described as locker room talk. But a number of women have since come forward and said that Trump had surprised them in the past by groping or unexpectedly kissing them on the lips. Bush had only worked at "Today" for two months. Since women make up roughly two-thirds of the audience during the hour that he hosted, he faced an uphill battle gaining the trust of viewers. NBC, which did not comment on the agreement beyond Oppenheim's statement, had Harry Connick Jr. filling in for Bush on Monday and Tuesday. ___ Colombia kills ELN rebel 10 days before peace talks BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) Colombia's military killed a guerrilla belonging to the country's second-largest rebel movement in combat just 10 days before peace talks with the group are scheduled to begin. The army on Monday said that six other members of the National Liberation Army, including two minors, were captured during the ambush of a rebel unit dedicated to extortion in three eastern states. The firefight took place at more than 3,800 meters (12,460 feet) above sea level. The ELN and government this month announced they are starting peace talks on Oct. 27 in Ecuador. Case moves ahead against former Salvadoran attorney general SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) A court in El Salvador says a case against a former attorney general can move forward, but the ex-top prosecutor can remain free while it does. The decision Monday supersedes a judge's ruling in September that said there was not sufficient evidence against Luis Martinez Rosales. The court also instituted a gag order to keep prosecutors and defense from discussing the case. Martinez is accused of divulging intercepted phone conversations while prosecuting a Roman Catholic priest from Spain in 2014. Rev. Antonio Rodriguez, better known as "Father Tony," was convicted of smuggling illicit items into prisons and having a relationship with the country's gangs. US warship to visit New Zealand and end 30-year stalemate WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) A U.S. Navy warship will visit New Zealand next month for the first time since the 1980s, ending a 30-year-old military stalemate between the countries that was triggered when New Zealand banned nuclear warships. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced Tuesday that he had given clearance for the destroyer USS Sampson to visit during celebrations marking the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th anniversary. The visit marks a continued thaw in military relations, which turned frosty when New Zealand enacted its nuclear-free policy in the mid-1980s. The policy prevents ships that have nuclear weapons or are nuclear powered from visiting. Because the U.S. won't officially confirm or deny if its ships have nuclear capabilities, New Zealand had imposed a blanket ban on U.S. ships. But Key said he'd taken advice from his own officials and was "100 percent confident" the USS Sampson wasn't nuclear powered or carrying nuclear weapons. "I think it's a sign of the fact that the relationship between New Zealand and the United States is truly in the best shape it's been since the anti-nuclear legislation was passed," Key said. "All of those last vestiges of the dispute that we had have really been put to one side." Key said he didn't think the result of the upcoming U.S. presidential election would affect the relationship. The dispute began in 1985 when the New Zealand government refused to allow a U.S. destroyer to visit. The U.S. responded by downgrading its military ties. New Zealand passed its nuclear-free law in 1987. The relationship improved after 2001, said Rear Admiral John Martin, the chief of the New Zealand Navy, when New Zealand agreed to send special forces and later a reconstruction team to Afghanistan. The U.S. and New Zealand signed defense agreements in 2010 and 2012. "We've been working with the U.S. Navy for many decades and we're looking forward to hosting them down here," Martin said. "A birthday is not complete without your friends." Mark Gilbert, the U.S. ambassador in Wellington, said the visit helped clarify the improvement in the relationship. He said the U.S. and New Zealand shared similar values and had much in common, from culture to tourism. The Latest: China praises Duterte ahead of his visit BEIJING (AP) The Latest on Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to China (all times local): 4 p.m. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says no "foreign force" can stand in the way of progress in the long-neglected relationship between China and the Philippines. FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016 file photo, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a ceremony where he was decorated with The Great Cross of the Andes Condor by Bolivia's president in La Paz, Bolivia as part of his tour of Latin America. Wang Yi says no "foreign force" can stand in the way of progress in the long-neglected relationship between China and the Philippines. Speaking in Beijing on Tuesday, Oct. 18, Wang praised Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who visit to China Tuesday, for working to improve ties and for returning to "the track of dialogue and cooperation." Wang said: "This reflects the wish of the Philippine people, and is in line with the Philippines' national interest. No foreign force can stand in the way of such process." (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File) Speaking in Beijing on Tuesday, Wang praised Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for working to improve ties and for returning to "the track of dialogue and cooperation." Wang said: "This reflects the wish of the Philippine people, and is in line with the Philippines' national interest. No foreign force can stand in the way of such process." While Wang gave no details, he was likely referencing the United States as a foreign force that could upset the rapprochement between Manila and Beijing, given the 65-year-old mutual defense treaty between the U.S. and the Philippines. ___ 3:35 p.m. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has told China's official news agency that China is his country's only hope for development. Duterte said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that his visit to China beginning Tuesday points toward a restoration of trust between the sides following recent tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. He said China is a potent source of capital for much-needed infrastructure development and that the Philippines should leverage its 2 million-strong ethnic Chinese minority as a bridge to encourage Chinese investment. Duterte said in the interview that his own grandfather was Chinese, and that "It's only China (that) can help us." He said that unlike the U.S. and other Western nations, China has offered its support for his 3-month-old government without criticism. ___ 3:20 p.m. A new poll shows that most Filipinos strongly trust the United States but have opposite feelings toward China. The independent poll was released Tuesday as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte starts a visit to Beijing to bolster ties. The Social Weather Stations survey showed 76 percent of adult Filipinos have "much trust" in the U.S., while 13 percent are undecided. The rest have "little trust" for a "very good" net trust rating of plus 66. China, on the other hand, is regarded with "little trust" by 55 percent of Filipinos, while 19 percent are undecided. Only 22 percent have "much trust" on the Asian economic powerhouse, the poll results showed. The poll outcome came despite Duterte's praises for China and his efforts to rebuild relations between Beijing and Manila that have been strained by long-seething territorial conflicts in the South China Sea. The SWS Sept. 24-27 survey polled 1,200 adult Filipinos and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent. ___ 3:10 p.m. China's state news agency says this week's visit by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte points toward a restoration of trust between the sides following recent tensions over their South China Sea territorial dispute. Xinhua News Agency says Duterte's arrival on Tuesday will be a step toward ending years of estrangement between the countries. Duterte has said he wants to reduce contacts with treaty ally the U.S. in favor of closer ties with China. Xinhua said in a commentary Tuesday that Duterte's visit shows the "bad blood between Beijing and Manila has finally begun to give place to good faith." France: Equatorial Guinea's world court case is abuse of law THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) France told judges at the United Nations' highest court on Tuesday that they do not have jurisdiction in a case brought by Equatorial Guinea aimed at halting a Paris money-laundering case against the son of the African nation's president. Alain Pellet, a law professor representing France, told the International Court of Justice that Equatorial Guinea's case was a "flagrant and evident abuse of law." Equatorial Guinea filed the case with the world court earlier this year, saying that Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue has immunity from prosecution in France because of his position as vice president and insisting that a swanky mansion on one of Paris' most upscale avenues that figures in the French case is actually the country's embassy and cannot be confiscated. Equatorial Guinea lawyers on Monday asked the Hague-based court to impose interim measures ordering France to halt the prosecution. French lawyers responded by saying that the court lacks jurisdiction and even if it does there is no urgent reason for an interim order to halt the Paris proceedings, which are scheduled to start next week. It was not immediately clear when the world court would issue a ruling. France said that the hearing next week in Paris would be procedural and it could take years for the case to progress through French courts. The long-running French case and the world court proceedings have again highlighted details of the lavish lifestyle of Obiang, whose father is Africa's longest-serving president. Equatorial Guinea is rich in oil and gas, but most of the country's population still lives in poverty. The same cannot be said for the ruling elite. In 2011, French authorities seized assets from the Paris mansion including Ferrari and Bugatti Veyron sports cars, expensive art works and "countless" high-end suits and shoes, Pellet said. "What was found at 42 Avenue Foch cannot possibly be associated with a diplomatic mission," he told judges. The French case is not the first time Obiang's opulent way of life has been targeted overseas and it doesn't look like being the last. In 2014, he reached a deal with U.S. authorities to sell a Malibu mansion, a Ferrari and Michael Jackson memorabilia to raise more than $30 million. The U.S. had in 2011 filed claims against Obiang's U.S.-based assets worth more than $70 million, alleging they were the proceeds of corruption. Obiang said after the U.S. deal that he was pleased to end the proceedings, even though his property "was acquired with funds earned in accordance with the laws of my country." On Tuesday, Swiss authorities said they have begun a preliminary investigation into Obiang. The Swiss Federal Office of Justice said it had sent a judicial request to French authorities seeking support for its probe. ____ Environmental groups sue Norway over oil drilling STOCKHOLM (AP) Two environmental groups sued the Norwegian government on Tuesday for allegedly violating the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Norwegian constitution by allowing oil drilling in the Barents Sea. The lawsuit filed by Nature and Youth and Greenpeace Nordic against Norway's Ministry of Petroleum and Energy asks the Oslo district court to invalidate the latest round of production licenses in the Barents Sea, which is on the edge of the Arctic Ocean. The groups argue that allowing companies to drill for oil in the Arctic violates the Paris Agreement and an article about environmental protection in Norway's constitution. "Signing an international climate agreement while throwing open the door to Arctic oil drilling is a dangerous act of hypocrisy," Greenpeace spokesman Truls Gulowsen said. Petition: Impeach judge who issued 60-day incest sentence HELENA, Mont. (AP) An online petition calling for the impeachment of a Montana judge over the sentencing of a 40-year-old man to 60 days in jail in an incest case involving a 12-year-old girl has more than 16,000 signatures. The author of the petition on Change.org says it has been sent to Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and other officials. Bullock's office and at least one other official said Tuesday they have not received it. The man was sentenced to the jail time, plus a 30-year suspended prison term last week as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. District Judge John McKeon has defended himself against criticism, saying a plea agreement that recommended a 25-year minimum sentence allowed for a lesser one, depending on the results of a psychosexual evaluation. He said that evaluation found the defendant could be safely treated and supervised in the community. McKeon also notes the victim's mother and grandmother asked that the defendant not be sentenced to prison. Croatia charges 8 ex-Yugoslav officers with war crimes ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) A Croatian prosecutor has charged eight former Serb troop commanders with torture, rape, expulsion and killing of more than 100 civilians during fighting in Croatia in 1991-95. The County Prosecutor's office in Split said Tuesday the suspects include former Yugoslav army officers and rebel Serb commanders. It says the suspects ordered attacks on civilian areas and failed to prevent crimes by the troops. Clashes in Croatia erupted after the country declared independence from the Serb-led former Yugoslavia. Croatia's minority Serbs, backed by the Serb-led Yugoslav army, took control of large swaths of land and declared their own mini-state. Luka Modric extends his contract with Real Madrid until 2020 MADRID (AP) Real Madrid says the contract of Luka Modric has been extended until June 2020. The 31-year-old Croatia midfielder has been with the Spanish club since transferring from Tottenham in 2012, playing a key role both defensively and offensively. He was a starter when Madrid won its most recent Champions League titles, in 2014 and last season. Modric has been sidelined from recent matches because of a left-knee injury. French court OKs Calais migrant camp closure, amid NGO fears CALAIS, France (AP) A French court on Tuesday rejected a request by aid groups to delay the closure of the migrant camp in Calais, allowing authorities to clear out its thousands of residents in the coming weeks. French authorities are gradually relocating or deporting the 6,000 to 10,000 migrants from the camp, also known as "the jungle." No date has been set for a large-scale clear-out operation, but the government has promised to shut it down by the start of winter. Several aid groups filed an emergency request last week to postpone the closure, arguing that authorities aren't ready to relocate its residents. A Lille court rejected the request Tuesday, according to Pierre Henry of aid group Terre d'Asile. An aerial view of a makeshift migrant camp near Calais, France, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. The government is gradually deporting migrants without right to asylum and relocating the rest to more than 160 centers around France. It is expected to close the camp in the coming weeks but no official dates have been announced. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Charity groups warn that many of the migrants don't want to stay in France and may set up camp elsewhere to continue trying to cross the English Channel to Britain. The head of the local administration, prefect Fabienne Buccio, welcomed the court decision. She said the government has secured 4,400 places for Calais' migrants in towns around France so far, and that French and British authorities would speed up efforts to transfer underage migrants to Britain. Under heavy pressure from France and mounting concern of aid groups, Britain agreed to take in some of the unaccompanied children in Calais who have family in the U.K., but it remains unclear what will happen to the hundreds of others. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve also hailed the decision, and pledged that each person in the camp would be given clear information about their choices and offered "humanitarian" shelter. "France is a great nation," he said. "Its history, its tradition and its values demand that we offer solutions for these men, women and children who were thrown onto paths of exile by war and persecution, and who reached Calais in the illusion of a passage to Great Britain promised by cynical players in the traffic of human beings." French authorities announced a solution Tuesday for 80 migrants of university age: They were taken to Lille to study in a public university compound. The students will study French for a year, and then will be able to pursue specialty courses toward a diploma. Students heading to the Lille program hugged other migrants as they left the Calais camp, though one cried as sat in the bus. ___ Angela Charlton contributed to this report from Paris. Mandy Gonzalez steps into 'a dream role' in 'Hamilton' NEW YORK (AP) The night Mandy Gonzalez made her triumphant debut in "Hamilton" on Broadway, there was a special guest in the audience cheering her on: a Jedi Master, in fact. Mark Hamill came backstage afterward and took photos with the cast of the hit show. Gonzalez's husband was there, too, and she jokes that he was as excited for her that night as he was to meet Luke Skywalker. "I understand. That's like a deep love. It's like people I had on my wall at 15," said the actress. "When I meet them, it's deep, deep feelings there. So I understand." In this Sept. 29, 2016 image taken from video, actress Mandy Gonzalez appears during an interview in New York. Gonzalez, a Broadway veteran of such shows as Wicked, Aida and In the Heights replaced Renee Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler in Lin-Manuel Mirandas musical about Alexander Hamilton. (AP Photo) A long list of celebrities has followed Hamill, including Paul Rudd, Sean Penn, Adele, Eddie Vedder, Alfonso Ribeiro from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," the girl who voices Doc McStuffins and John Tesh. Such is life now for Gonzalez, a Broadway veteran of shows such as "Wicked," ''Aida" and "In the Heights" who has replaced Renee Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler in Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical about Alexander Hamilton. "I've never been a part of anything like this. Even though I've done 'Wicked' and I've done these other shows that have been big, it's really something special," she said. "I only hope to continue the journey and do justice to that role." In many ways, Gonzalez has gone back to the past. She was in the opening cast of Miranda's "In the Heights" and has been reunited now with some of the actors who also made the jump to the new musical, like Christopher Jackson and Javier Munoz. Plus, she's in the same theater where "In the Heights" played. She's even in the same dressing room. "I truly feel like I'm back home," she said. Gonzalez grew up in Santa Clarita, California, in a house filled with music. Her dad worked three jobs and on Sundays, his one day with the kids, he'd put Elvis movies into the LaserDisc. Meanwhile, her grandmother loved musicals. "So my life was pretty much show tunes and Elvis growing up. I fell in love with music through that," she said. She attended the California Institute of Technology until she won a part backing up Bette Midler on tour. "I went back to California and I said, 'I'm leaving the LaserDisc behind. I need to move to New York.'" She did and won an Obie Award her first time out in "Eli's Comin'" and then was Idina Menzel's standby in "Aida" on Broadway. Gonzalez said she identifies with Angelica Schuyler's sacrifice and her sense of duty. She also knows what it's like swiping a line from the musical to be "young, scrappy and hungry." "I worked so hard to be here so there are a few tears shed at the end of the show for myself. This is where I want to be. This is right where I want to be," she said. "This time in my life, this part, I can relate with it, with her. I think that this is a dream, a dream role." Gonzalez was part of the team that first tackled "In the Heights" at a reading in the basement of a drama bookshop in Manhattan in 2004. That's when she first met Miranda, who sang all the songs that day. "I had never heard anything like it. I had never seen anything like him. And I've been working with him ever since," she said. Also in the room was Thomas Kail, an Emmy Award-winning director who helmed "In the Heights" and "Hamilton." He said she brought grace and humanity and warmth to the project and continues to do so. "Her diligence, her approach to the work, her seriousness about making theater, was at an incredibly high level," Kail said. "Mandy was always at rehearsal 10 minutes before you and she would stay 10 minutes later. She was always there, she was always ready." Gonzalez, who is married to Douglas Melini, an abstract painter, is also on the small screen, having snagged parts as an assistant to the president on "Madam President" and an agent in "Quantico." The couple are the parents of a 4-year-old daughter, who proudly brought a Playbill of "Hamilton" to show her pre-kindergarten class recently. "She loves the soundtrack and plays it for all her friends," said Gonzalez. After looking at the photos of her mom's opening night, the little one did have one question: What was Luke Skywalker doing there? ___ South Sudan's second city scorched by renewed fighting MALAKAL, South Sudan (AP) This used to be South Sudan's second largest city, a bustling center on the White Nile River of more than 120,000 people, many employed in the oil fields nearby. Today Malakal is rubble and almost entirely deserted by civilians, a city emptied by three years of civil war and now by new rounds of fighting. Following clashes in the city's outskirts last week, the army flew in journalists to show that the government retains control of the strategic city, even though rebels still vow to take it. The army said 56 rebels and four government soldiers were killed in the fighting. In this photo taken Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a South Sudanese government soldier wearing a wig holds a rocket propelled grenade launcher while standing in a trench in Malakal, South Sudan. Following clashes last week in the outskirts of the city, which has been reduced to rubble and almost entirely deserted by civilians, the army flew in journalists on Sunday to show that they retain control of the strategic city, even though rebels still vow to take it. (AP Photo/Justin Lynch) Racing through the city on the back of a pickup truck and traversing the Nile with amphibious vehicles, the soldiers still exhibited a battle high. "I want to kill," one soldier snarled, approaching the scene of the fighting. Many identified the corpses of rebel fighters by their ethnicity. "Nuer, Nuer," one soldier said, pointing at bodies he said were from the Nuer tribe among the dozens scattered in a burned field. South Sudan's second largest group, the Nuer, largely follow rebel leader Riek Machar, who is now in exile but vows to return. "Shilluk," said another soldier pointing to a nearby body, calling out another ethnic group. The soldiers' identification of the corpses by their ethnicity is an indication that South Sudan's current conflict continues to be fueled by tribal differences. Fears grow that this East African nation is on the brink of another catastrophic outbreak of violence between President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Machar, more than a year after a peace deal that has been violated repeatedly by fighting. Standing in a burnt field, army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang urged journalists to take photos of fighters' bloated corpses. Many of them had their hands or feet bound. The spokesman emphasized that the rebels had attacked army positions, justifying the deadly response. "We have not violated the permanent cease-fire," Koang said, adding that the location of the bodies near army positions proved that the army had been fighting in self-defense. South Sudan's peace deal, signed in August 2015, was supposed to end the country's civil war that began in December 2013 and killed tens of thousands. But the agreement was never fully implemented, and now it is rapidly crumbling. Hundreds of civilians died in July after clashes broke out in the capital, Juba, and fighting has again spread to many parts of the country. A rise in ethnic tensions began after the July fighting, which saw ethnically targeted killings, according to a recent U.N. panel of experts report. Kiir is largely supported by the Dinka, the largest of South Sudan's more than 40 tribes. There are important exceptions to South Sudan's tribal narrative. A handful of prominent figures in the government are Nuer and Equatorian, and some figures in the opposition are Dinka. Fighting in some areas of South Sudan is mainly driven by local disputes, not tribalism. In public, Kiir has urged reconciliation and fought against the ethnic tensions, saying in a recent speech that he cannot "become a tribal leader." In this photo taken Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, South Sudanese government soldiers point to a dead body they claim was a rebel fighter killed during a recent attack, in Malakal, South Sudan. Following clashes last week in the outskirts of the city, which has been reduced to rubble and almost entirely deserted by civilians, the army flew in journalists on Sunday to show that they retain control of the strategic city, even though rebels still vow to take it. (AP Photo/Justin Lynch) In this photo taken Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a group of South Sudanese government soldiers sit on the back of a pickup truck before visiting the scene of a recent battle in Malakal, South Sudan. Following clashes last week in the outskirts of the city, which has been reduced to rubble and almost entirely deserted by civilians, the army flew in journalists on Sunday to show that they retain control of the strategic city, even though rebels still vow to take it. (AP Photo/Justin Lynch) In this photo taken Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, the body of a rebel soldier who died in a battle days before is seen with his hands tied, in Malakal, South Sudan. Following clashes last week in the outskirts of the city, which has been reduced to rubble and almost entirely deserted by civilians, the army flew in journalists on Sunday to show that they retain control of the strategic city, even though rebels still vow to take it. (AP Photo/Justin Lynch) In this photo taken Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, South Sudanese army spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang, center left, stands on a vehicle near the site of a recent battle, in Malakal, South Sudan. Following clashes last week in the outskirts of the city, which has been reduced to rubble and almost entirely deserted by civilians, the army flew in journalists on Sunday to show that they retain control of the strategic city, even though rebels still vow to take it. (AP Photo/Justin Lynch) PICTURED: Tattoo artists gather for convention in Romania BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) More than 100 tattoo and piercing artists have brought their skills and art to a three-day convention in the Romanian capital. The three-day event which ended Sunday showcased artists inking elaborate designs of animals, children and fantasy creations for customers. Others came simply to watch the body artwork being created. Stars included Paul Booth, one of the world's most famous tattoo artists. The American is known for his bold and dramatic full-body, leg and neck tattoos. Well-known tattoo collector Yall Quinones from Puerto Rico also attended the event. In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, well-known tattoo collector Yall Quinones, from Puerto Rico, shows off his tattoos during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Organizers noted how the tattoo culture has become more popular in the past 30 years, evolving from events that drew mostly bikers in the 1970s to more mainstream conventions where thousands turn up. A beard and mustache competition was also held at the convention, just behind the giant palace built by late Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu. One man who attended the convention claimed he had not trimmed his mustache since 1979. In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a a woman covers her face during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. More than 100 tattoo and piercing artists brought their skills and art to a three-day convention in the Romanian capital.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a man gets a tattoo during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. More than 100 tattoo and piercing artists brought their skills and art to a three-day convention in the Romanian capital.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a man gets a tattoo during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a man gets a tattoo during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. More than 100 tattoo and piercing artists brought their skills and art to a three-day convention in the Romanian capital.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a man performs final adjustments on another's mustache during the National Competition for Beards and Mustaches which took place along with the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. More than 100 tattoo and piercing artists brought their skills and art to a three-day convention in the Romanian capital, while men showed off their facial hair in a contest.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a woman takes a break from getting a tattoo during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, Serghei, from the Republic of Moldova, poses with a fresh tattoo showing his son Chiril applied to his hand, during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, men smile while posing for a selfie during the National Competition for Beards and Mustaches which took place along with the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. More than 100 tattoo and piercing artists brought their skills and art to a three-day convention in the Romanian capital, while men showed off their facial hair in a contest.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a man smiles after having his beard evaluated by a jury during the National Competition for Beards and Mustaches which took place along with the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, people get tattoos during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. More than 100 tattoo and piercing artists brought their skills and art to a three-day convention in the Romanian capital.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, Ave, 4 year-old from the United States, paints on her father's arm during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. More than 100 tattoo and piercing artists brought their skills and art to a three-day convention in the Romanian capital.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a woman gets a tattoo during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. More than 100 tattoo and piercing artists brought their skills and art to a three-day convention in the Romanian capital.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, Serghei, from the Republic of Moldova, gets a tattoo showing his son Chiril applied to his hand, during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, Paul Booth of the U.S., one of the world's most famous tattoo artists, works during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a woman gets a tattoo during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, Yall Quinones, from Puerto Rico, shows off his tattoos during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. More than 100 tattoo and piercing artists brought their skills and art to a three-day convention in the Romanian capital.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) In this picture taken on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, a man gets a tattoo during the International Tattoo Convention Bucharest 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. More than 100 tattoo and piercing artists brought their skills and art to a three-day convention in the Romanian capital.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Germany: Panama taking right steps after accounts scandal BERLIN (AP) German Chancellor Angela Merkel has praised Panama's response to the offshore accounts scandal that followed leaks of documents from a Panamanian law firm. Following a meeting with Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela Tuesday, Merkel says "Panama has taken the right steps" but that it needs to "deal clearly" with the past in order to regain trust. Merkel backed Panama's intention to apply the financial transparency standards of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela brief the media after talks at the chancellery in Berlin, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) She said negotiations on an information-sharing agreement between the two countries that started in July should be completed by early 2017. Panama was at the heart of an international storm earlier this year when leaked documents from the Mossack Fonseca law firm exposed the tax-evading practices of wealthy clients around the world. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela leave a news conference after talks at the chancellery in Berlin, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Hundreds in Warsaw bid farewell to filmmaker Andrzej Wajda WARSAW, Poland (AP) Hundreds of Warsaw residents and public figures packed a church Tuesday for a mourning Mass to bid farewell to renowned filmmaker Andrzej Wajda. Wajda, who received an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar in 2000, died in a hospital Oct. 9 at the age of 90, just months after finishing "Afterimage," a movie that will compete for a foreign language Academy Award. The film is a biopic about avant-garde artist Wladyslaw Strzeminski fighting totalitarian Stalinist ideology. Priests attend a mourning Mass t for Poland's leading filmmaker Andrzej Wajda , at the Dominican friars' church in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. Wajda died in hospital on Oct. 9, at the age of 90. He is to be buried in a private funeral ceremony Wednesday in the southern city of Krakow. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Culture Minister Piotr Glinski, former presidents Aleksander Kwasniewski and Bronislaw Komorowski as well as popular Polish actors, many of whom played in Wajda's movies, were in the crowd that packed Warsaw's St. Jack church for the special Mass. "I came here for him, because he merits our memory," Stella Wiktor, 82, told The Associated Press before the Mass. "I saw almost all of his films and they will always be with me." An urn with Wajda's ashes and his portrait stood near the altar, which was decorated with white gladiolas. "We are losing a teacher, someone with great authority," the Rev. Andrzej Luter said in the homily. "He knew how to effectively expose the world of primitive propaganda around us," Luter said. In awarding him an Oscar for lifetime achievement, the Academy members said Wajda was "a man whose films have given audiences around the world an artist's view of history, democracy and freedom, and who in so doing has himself become a symbol of courage and hope for millions of people in postwar Europe." He made more than 40 movies, including the 1977 "Man of Marble," which looked at the roots of worker discontent in communist Poland in the 1950s; and "Man of Iron," in 1981, on the rise of the Solidarity labor union movement that won him the top prize, the Palme d'Or at Cannes festival that year. Crowds are expected for Wajda's funeral that will be held Wednesday in the southern city of Krakow, where his mother is buried. He is survived by his fourth wife, stage designer and actress Krystyna Zachwatowicz, and by his daughter Karolina, as well as by former wife, actress Beata Tyszkiewicz. Choir members arriving to sing at the special mourning Mass for Poland's filmmaker Andrzej Wajda at the Dominican friars' church in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. Wajda died in hospital on Oct. 9, at the age of 90. He is to be buried in a private funeral ceremony Wednesday in the southern city of Krakow. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Hamas sentences alleged spy to death GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) A Hamas-run court in Gaza has sentenced a man to death for allegedly collaborating with Israel. Officials said Tuesday that the sentence raises the number of people on death row to six half for allegedly spying. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Human rights groups have said Hamas' justice system is unfair and relies on torture. The executions also lack the required approval by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In 2007, the Islamic militant Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas' forces. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights says Hamas has executed 22 people sentenced in its courts since the takeover. 1 dead, 1 wounded after shooting in western Germany BERLIN (AP) German police say that a man died and a woman was seriously wounded after a shooting described as a possible "crime of passion" in the western town of Dueren. A spokesman for Dueren police said an armed response unit was sent to the site Tuesday after reports that a man had entered a hair salon and fired several shots. Police spokesman Ulrich Braun told The Associated Press that on arrival, officers searched the building complex and found two seriously wounded people. He said that the man died shortly afterward, and the woman was being treated. VIEWERS' GUIDE: Candidates hone final arguments for Round 3 WASHINGTON (AP) It was barely three weeks ago that Donald Trump opened the first presidential debate by asking, with faux deference, if it was OK to refer to his opponent as "Secretary Clinton." By Round 2 he was back to calling Hillary Clinton "the devil." Since then, the Republican candidate's scorched-earth campaign tactics have left all sides wondering just how low things will go in the third and final presidential debate, coming up Wednesday night. For her part, Clinton steps up as a flood of hacked emails provides an unprecedented real-time look into the machinations of a presidential campaign hers. In the disclosed material, Clinton is shown taking positions in paid, private speeches at odds with some of her public pronouncements. And she is revealed as resistant to advice by aides to apologize for her email practices and clear the air. That's all fodder for the debate. A television camera operator tests his position during a rehearsal for the third presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at UNLV in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Trump, never known for self-censorship, has pronounced himself "unshackled" at last in the final weeks of the campaign. That has people wondering what Trump possibly has left to unleash. Moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News will have new information about both candidates to delve into during this debate. For Trump, there is the drip-drip drama of women who have come forward to allege that he went after them with unwanted sexual advances. For Clinton, there is the drip-drip of WikiLeaks. Some things to watch for in Wednesday's 90-minute faceoff at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas: RIGGED Trump in recent days has tried to deflect attention from the allegations about his sexual advances by complaining that the election process is rigged against him. Without providing any evidence, he wraps together the potential for voter fraud with assertions that his female accusers are part of a plot to smear him. With millions of viewers tuning in, will Trump dwell on conspiracy theories or give voters a more positive reason to vote for him? HACKED Largely overshadowed by the allegations against Trump has been WikiLeaks' day-after-day release of thousands of hacked emails from the Clinton campaign. The emails include excerpts of Clinton's closed-door speeches to Wall Street interests and lots of campaign strategizing over how to contain the political damage related to her handling of classified emails and her use of a private email server. Trump has responded with a scattershot series of criticisms about "Clinton corruption," but he has yet to hone a disciplined line of attack. Wednesday night gives him a fresh opportunity to try to synthesize his message and find a way to make the email controversy stick. BREATHE The campaign took a dramatic detour last week when a series of women came forward with allegations about Trump's sexual advances. Trump's combative response, calling the women "sick" and "liars" and alleging that there's a global conspiracy against him, overtook all other aspects of the campaign for a time. How much oxygen will it suck up in the final debate? CIVIL WAR With a number of Republican officials in open revolt against Trump and worried that he will be a drag on the rest of the ticket, watch to see whether Trump gins up more discord with his party and whether Clinton steps in to make the case for Democratic control of the House and Senate. FINGERS CROSSED Immigration was hardly mentioned in the first two debates. Social Security never came up. The national debt has gotten only passing notice. Policy wonks have their fingers crossed that neglected issues will finally get an airing in the final debate. Wallace's list of potential topics includes debt and entitlements, immigration, the economy, the Supreme Court and foreign hot spots. IT'S BAAACK A subject that both candidates love to dwell on also is teed up for Round 3: "fitness to be president." Trump and Clinton already have made plain their disdain for each other's qualifications to occupy the Oval Office, but they can be counted on to look for new ways to inveigh against each other's fitness for office. CLOSING ARGUMENTS The first debate attracted a record 84 million viewers and the second 66.5 million. Whatever the viewership for Round 3, it is sure to be the candidates' last chance to speak to such a large audience before Election Day on Nov. 8. Watch what messages the candidates pick to drive home as their closing arguments. MIND GAMES Both candidates have used the debates to try to rattle their opponents: Clinton baited Trump by questioning his wealth and his business acumen. Trump tried to throw off Clinton by seating three women who have accused her husband of sexual impropriety in the front row of the audience at the second debate. Odds are both candidates have saved some fresh theatrics for the final debate. MODERATION Wallace has served notice he won't try to "truth squad" the debate. Given Trump's habit of skirting the truth, that may put the onus on Clinton for more real-time fact checking. So far, she's largely punted, pointing viewers toward her website. BEEN THERE, DONE THAT By the time the debate gets under way, more than 1.6 million Americans already will have voted. For those viewers, the debate could serve to validate their choices or give them buyer's remorse. WANNA PLAY COMEDY WRITER? Keep an eye open for the most mimic-worthy moments: They're likely to show up on "Saturday Night Live's" next parody of the Trump-Clinton contest, featuring Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon as the candidates. "SNL" got an unintended boost when Trump tweeted that Baldwin's Trump impersonation stinks. __ Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/nbenac A law enforcement officer walks in the aisles during a rehearsal for the third presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at UNLV in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Stats show nearly 1 in 5 drivers in US is over 65 WASHINGTON (AP) The government says nearly 1 in 5 drivers in the U.S. is over 65 years old, thanks in part to the aging baby boomer generation and greater longevity overall. Preliminary data from the Federal Highway Administration also show there are more drivers today than ever before, an estimated 217 million. Drivers over 65 are one of the fastest-growing demographic groups among U.S. drivers, increasing 2 percent last year. That's the biggest single-year percent increase on record that population, and represents 4.4 million additional older drivers. Autopsy photos of son make father cry in hot car death case BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) A man accused of intentionally killing his toddler by leaving him in a hot car shed tears in the courtroom as jurors were shown 34 autopsy photos. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (http://on-ajc.com/2eNwsFG ) reports that Justin Ross Harris wept on Tuesday when Cobb County Medical Examiner Brian Frist described the final hours of his son, Cooper. Frist testified that given the temperatures that day in June 2014, the toddler's death would have been "prolonged." He calls the death "agonizing." Harris's lawyers call the death accidental. He faces life in prison if convicted of murder. Tom Cruise accompanies Jack Reacher to Tennessee for charity KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A screening of Tom Cruise's new film brought the actor to Knoxville, Tennessee, where it raised $600,000 for the Children's Charity of Eastern Tennessee. Media outlets report the fundraiser was held Monday night at the Pinnacle 18 theater in Turkey Creek. The event included live music, a catered meal, some time for attendees to interact with Cruise on the carpet outside the theater and an advance screening of Cruise's new film, "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back." About a thousand people attended the event, which raised $600,000 for the Children's Charity of Eastern Tennessee. Also known as Variety of Eastern Tennessee, the organization raises money for numerous organizations that serve at-risk children. Egypt extends state of emergency in north Sinai for 3 months CAIRO (AP) Egypt has extended a state of emergency in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula for three months, with a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the most troubled areas where it is fighting militants including an Islamic State affiliate. The Tuesday decree by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, announced in the Official Gazette, comes after fighting picked up in recent weeks, with soldiers being killed nearly daily. A militant attack last week on an army checkpoint left at least 12 soldiers dead and six wounded. The curfew was originally instated in late 2014 following a militant ambush that killed 31 Egyptian soldiers near the border town of Rafah. Pregnant manatee flown from Connecticut aquarium to Florida MYSTIC, Conn. (AP) A pregnant manatee that was rescued off Cape Cod has been flown from Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium to Florida. The manatee is named Washburn after the island where she was rescued. She was moved Tuesday to SeaWorld in Orlando, where she'll be cared for until she can be released back into the wild. Manatees are mammals and are sometimes referred to as sea cows. A spokeswoman for Mystic Aquarium says it's very rare to see them as far north as New England. The 800-pound manatee was rescued Sept. 22 as water temperatures were dropping below 67 degrees, too cold for it to survive. Chinese-Mexican businessman extradited to Mexico MEXICO CITY (AP) A Chinese-Mexican businessman who had fought extradition from the United States for years has arrived in Mexico. Deputy Attorney General Salvador Sandoval said in a news conference Tuesday that Zhenli Ye Gon would be taken to the maximum-security Altiplano prison. Sandoval showed a live feed of Ye Gon arriving at the Mexico City airport. Ye Gon had been jailed in the United States since July 2007, when authorities seized more than $205 million from his Mexico City mansion, one of the largest drug-related cash seizures ever. FILE - In this May 17, 2007 file photo, Chinese-Mexican businessman Zhenli Ye Gon is interviewed in his lawyer's office in Queens, N.Y. The businessman was extradited from the U.S. to Mexico, according to Deputy Attorney General Salvador Sandoval on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. Ye Gon had been jailed in the U.S. since July 2007, when authorities seized more than $205 million from his Mexico City mansion, one of the largest drug-related cash seizures ever. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) The Latest: Lawmaker says she'll push for amendment LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) The Latest on a lawsuit challenging Louisiana legislation that has prevented some foreign-born U.S. citizens without birth certificates from obtaining marriage licenses (all times local): 1:45 p.m. A Louisiana lawmaker who sponsored legislation that has prevented some foreign-born U.S. citizens without birth certificates from obtaining marriage licenses says she will push for an amendment. A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday claims a state marriage law that took effect in January is unconstitutional and discriminates against immigrants. After the suit's filing, Republican state Rep. Valarie Hodges told The Associated Press that she never intended for the 2015 measure to prevent legal immigrants from getting a marriage license. She called it "basically a technical oversight." Hodges has said the intent of the law was to prevent marriage fraud. Viet "Victor" Anh Vo is a U.S. citizen who was born in an Indonesian refugee camp. He claims in his lawsuit that court clerks in three Louisiana parishes denied his application for a marriage license because he couldn't produce a birth certificate. ___ 10 a.m. A Louisiana man is suing to challenge a state law that has prevented him and other immigrants from obtaining a marriage license because they couldn't produce a birth certificate. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court claims the marriage law amended last year by state lawmakers violates the constitutional rights of 31-year-old Viet "Victor" Anh Vo. Vo told The Associated Press that he and his fiancee were stunned when a court clerk rejected their application for a marriage license two weeks before their February wedding. A Republican lawmaker who sponsored January's changes in the state's marriage laws said it was designed to crack down on fraudulent marriages. Romania: 10 arrested, in suspected wine tax evasion BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) Prosecutors have arrested seven staff at one of Romania's biggest wine companies along with three public officials on suspicion of tax evasion worth 600 million lei ($147 million) at the winery. A court in Bucharest on Tuesday ordered the seven workers at Murfatlar jailed for 30 days pending the investigation. Anti-corruption prosecutors also placed three finance officials, suspected of abusing their positions and illicit personal gain, under house arrest. The rulings can be appealed. Prosecutors say that from 2010-2014 the seven winery workers aided by public officials kept fictitious financial records, did not pay sales taxes and other taxes. 5 Things to Know about the Smithsonian's ruby slippers WASHINGTON (AP) The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History has launched a crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter to preserve the ruby slippers from the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz." The museum hopes to raise $300,000 in a month. Here are five things to know about the famous relic: THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY PAIR: At least seven pairs of slippers were made for the movie, and four pairs are known to exist. The Smithsonian's pair was donated anonymously in 1979 after being sold at auction in 1970. Two other pairs are owned by private collectors, including a pair purchased by Leonardo DiCaprio and Steven Spielberg for display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opens next year in Los Angeles. A fourth pair was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005, and remains at large. THEY'RE MISMATCHED: One shoe is wider than the other, and there are other subtle differences in their shape and construction. Each has Garland's name scrawled on the inside. One is marked as "#1," the other as "#6." File- This Nov. 9, 2001, file photo shows the sequin-covered ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" at the offices of Profiles in History in Calabasas, Calif. Smithsonian Museum officials started a Kickstarter fundraising drive Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, to repair the iconic slippers from 1939s The Wizard of Oz and create a new state-of-the-art display case for them at the National Museum of American History. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File) NO RUBIES: The shoes are made from about a dozen different materials, including wood pulp, silk thread, gelatin, plastic and glass. Most of the ruby color comes from sequins, but the bows of the shoes contain red glass beads. They began as ordinary shoes that were dyed red, and a netting with the sequins was fitted for them and sewn on. They have felt on the soles to muffle their sound for dance sequences. NOT MADE TO LAST: The shoes are nearly 80 years old, and like most movie props, they weren't built to last. During their time at the museum, the color has faded significantly from exposure to light and moisture. Some of the sequins have no red plastic coating left and are no longer translucent. New pool of Zika-positive mosquitoes trapped in Miami Beach MIAMI (AP) Officials say a new pool of mosquitoes taken from Miami Beach has tested positive for Zika. A Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control news release says officials learned about the new pool Monday. The insects had been collected from a trap Oct. 5. The new pool is in the previously designated Zika transmission zone. A large portion of Miami Beach remains an active Zika infection zone. Officials announced last week that several people had been infected with Zika in a 1-square-mile area of Miami just north of the Little Haiti neighborhood. Last month, another transmission zone in Miami's Wynwood district had been cleared. A woman who was allegedly shot dead by her husband was found in a shallow grave behind her in-laws' home, along with a bag of potato chips, a bottle of perfume and an 'apologetic' note. An autopsy record shows Valerie Tieman, 34, was found in the grave in Fairfield, Maine, alongside the items last month. Her husband Luc, 32, has been charged with murder. He initially claimed his wife had run away, then when her body was found he said she died as a result of a drug overdose. But it soon emerged that she had in fact been shot twice in the head. Valerie Tieman (left, and right with her husband Luc), was found buried in a shallow grave behind her in-laws' home in Maine He has been described by friends as a disabled army veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A report obtained by the Morning Sentinel said a note that 'reportedly has an apologetic tone' was found beneath her body on September 20. Police say the victim was shot in the head and neck. The victim's husband first claimed he thought his wife had run away with another man, then after her body was recovered he said she had died from a drug overdose A toxicology report discovered buprenorphine - which is often used to help heroin or opiate users fight their addiction - and tramadol, used to manage pain. Mrs Tieman had first been reported missing by her parents on September 9. Her husband first told police that she vanished while he was in a Wal-Mart store, and he suspected she had run off with another man. When her body was found, he said he had watched as his wife overdosed on heroin. FBI: Drop in total law enforcement officers killed on duty WASHINGTON (AP) The number of law enforcement officers killed as a result of criminal acts decreased in 2015 from the year before, dropping from 51 to 41, the FBI said Tuesday. The report covers officers who were killed during ambushes, traffic pursuits, tactical situations, domestic disturbance calls and while handling prisoners and individuals with mental illness, among other situations. More than half of the officers killed were on vehicle patrol when they died. Most who died 38 were killed with firearms. In addition, more than 50,000 officers were assaulted last year while performing their duties, the FBI said. And the report says 45 law enforcement officers died accidentally in the line of duty, many during automobile and motorcycle accidents. The report includes the cases of a Philadelphia police officer who was killed during a robbery attempt; a New York City police officer fatally shot while investigating a suspicious person; and an Omaha, Nebraska, officer who was slain while pursuing a fugitive just as she was about to go on maternity leave. Judge recommends no injunction in transgender lawsuit CHICAGO (AP) A federal magistrate recommended Tuesday that a district judge deny a group of parents' request for an injunction to bar a suburban Chicago transgender high school student from the school's restrooms and locker rooms. It now goes to U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso, who is presiding over a lawsuit filed by the conservative group Students and Parents for Privacy on behalf of parents whose children attend Palatine-based Township High School District 211. If Alonso agrees with Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Gilbert's recommendation, the transgender student will continue to use a bathroom and locker room for the gender she identifies with rather than being forced to use a facility separate from fellow students. The transgender student told the Education Department in November that she was denied access to facilities for the gender she identifies with. In response, federal authorities found the school district in violation of Title IX, which bans discrimination based on gender. A month later, the district allowed the student access to restrooms and locker rooms to settle the complaint, meaning the district to kept millions in federal funding and wasn't open to possible legal action by the federal government. Gilbert's recommendation shows that there's no harm in students sharing restrooms and locker rooms with students they perceive as different, according to John Knight of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which is representing the transgender student. "Barring Student A and other transgender students from the restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender challenges their basic identity and humanity, suggests that they should be ashamed of who they are, and puts them at serious of long-term emotional and psychological injury," Knight said in a statement. Attorney Gary McCaleb of Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom, which is assisting the parents group, says the group is hopeful the federal court will ultimately decide in favor of the privacy rights of students. "Young students should not be forced into an intimate setting like a locker room with someone of the opposite sex," McCaleb said in a statement. "The court should exercise its authority to stop the Department of Education and the Department of Justice from redefining federal law and violating the privacy of thousands of students." Official: Thousands of Indiana voter registrations altered INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana's chief elections official said Tuesday that thousands of voter registrations were altered, raising concerns about possible fraud and prompting her office to warn voters to check whether their information is correct online and vote early to avoid problems on election day. Secretary of State Connie Lawson said in a statement that Indiana's online voter registration database had not been hacked but records were changed on paper forms, online and at Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices. "At this time, my office is not sure why these records were changed, but we have evaluated the Statewide Voter Registration System and have found no indication it has been compromised," said Lawson, a Republican. The Indiana incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of voting systems ahead of the general election on Nov. 8. The Department of Homeland Security has warned states of attempts to hack election systems and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has repeatedly said at rallies that the election could be rigged, without providing any evidence. Elections experts say cases of election fraud have been rare in the past. In addition to the presidential vote, Indiana has two fiercely-contested statewide races to replace Gov. Mike Pence, who became Trump's running mate, and to succeed retiring U.S. Senator Dan Coats. The Indiana voter registration problem surfaced when voters contacted the Secretary of State's office after discovering through the online system voters can use to check their registration status that their dates of birth or first names were incorrect, the office said. That prompted the office to run a report in the statewide system and it found that thousands of registrations had been altered. The office declined to provide a more precise number. All of those who contacted the office after discovering changes had voted in Indiana's May primary, Lawson's office said. The information collected on the altered registrations has been turned over to Indiana State Police, which already was conducting a separate investigation of possible voter registration fraud in 56 counties, said Valerie Warycha, a spokeswoman for Lawson. That investigation focuses on Washington, D.C.-based voter mobilization group, Patriot Majority USA, which denies any wrongdoing and says it is being targeted for political reasons. State Police are investigating whether some voter registrations applications submitted by the group were forged, or other possible fraud. State Police spokesman Capt. Dave Bursten has said investigators found "a number of applications" with signatures apparently written in the same person's handwriting. Bursten said in a statement Tuesday that State Police only received information late Monday from the Secretary of State's office about the changes in first names and/or dates of birth "and will investigate to see if there is a specific connection." "What I can tell you at this moment is the changing of a first name and/or date of birth is consistent with what we are seeing on a number of voter registration applications submitted by" Patriot Majority USA's Indiana Voter Registration Project, he said. Attorneys for the group asked the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights division earlier this month to look into whether the State Police investigation is an attempt to suppress the votes of black residents. The group is headed by longtime Democratic strategist Craig Varoga, who says some voter registration applications the group submitted to county clerk's offices were missing information, but none were fraudulent. The secretary of state's office said voters who participated in the primary and can no longer find their registrations on Indianavoters.com should contact their county election officials. The county election offices may be able to find a voter's record if there is an issue with a voter's date of birth or first name. The office said it is encouraging all voters to cast early ballots to ensure they will not encounter issues on election day. If a registered voter does not check online in advance and shows up at the polls on Nov. 8, the person will be allowed to vote even if their record shows some incorrect information, Warycha said. Julia Vaughn, the policy director for the nonpartisan government watchdog group Common Cause Indiana, said that before Lawson makes allegations of possible fraud her office "should make sure the voter file records haven't been altered through software snafus or human errors made by people in county or state agencies." Police: Bandit with taste for fancy cookies, espresso nabbed STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) Police say a bandit with a taste for espresso and fancy cookies has been nabbed because he asked an officer for directions to a Connecticut pastry shop. Stamford police Lt. Thomas Barcello tells the Stamford Advocate (http://bit.ly/2dykpKN ) that Donald Newman-Smith's face was covered with a bandanna when he robbed a convenience store on Monday, getting away with around $800. Police say an investigator was responding to the convenience store later when Newman-Smith asked him how to get to the pastry shop. They say the investigator later recognized him as he watched surveillance footage of the robbery. Officers went to the shop and found Newman-Smith sitting at an outside table, drinking an espresso with a dozen Pignoli (pin-YOH'-lee) cookies. Prosecutor asks ranching standoff jury to use common sense PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The trial of a man who led a standoff at an Oregon wildlife refuge has raised many complicated issues, some of them political. But federal prosecutor Ethan Knight told a jury Tuesday during closing arguments that the case comes down to common sense and one simple fact: "They made a choice to take over someone else's workplace." Ammon Bundy and six co-defendants have been charged with conspiring to prevent federal employees from doing their jobs at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by seizing the refuge Jan 2 and occupying it for 41 days. Knight reminded jurors the case isn't about land policy in the U.S. West, a 2014 standoff at Cliven Bundy's Nevada ranch or what Ammon Bundy considered to be an unjust sentence for two ranchers convicted of arson. Those are all issues Bundy has raised or tried to raise in his defense. "They decided to pick and choose the rules and laws that apply and take over property that didn't belong to them," Knight said. While Knight stood at a lectern to address the jurors, most of the defendants and their lawyers looked straight ahead toward U.S. District Judge Anna Brown. The exception was Bundy, who backed his chair away from the defense table, swiveled to the left and looked at Knight and the jury for two hours. Bundy's attorney, Marcus Mumford, followed Knight, delivering a four-hour argument that included civics-related quotes from former president Woodrow Wilson, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart and other figures from the past. Mumford said Bundy and his fellow occupiers made a peaceful stand but a determined one against what they saw as federal government overreach in the prosecution of Harney County ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond. "The problem wasn't with the employees," Mumford said. "It was with their employer, the federal government. It won't respect its limits." Mumford reiterated many points that Bundy made when he testified for three days earlier this month, including that the presence of firearms ensured the protest wouldn't be immediately stormed by armed federal agents. The lawyer said the plan was to take ownership of the refuge by adverse possession, occupying it for years and then turning it over to local officials. Mumford said Bundy expected government officials to dispute the claim, and that would force them to prove in court they have proper title to the land. As part of that effort, Mumford said, the protesters made improvements to the refuge and didn't trash the place as the government claims. He displayed a photo of an occupier with a broom, supposedly sweeping up rat feces that government workers had allowed to build over time. "Is it a conspiracy to clean up rat poop?" Mumford asked. "Or it is responsible." Knight said in his argument that the plan to stake a claim through adverse possession proves there was a conspiracy. The prosecutor said the conspiracy started two months before the armed takeover, when Bundy and another out-of-state activist met with Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward and vowed there would be civil unrest if the sheriff didn't protect the Hammonds from returning to prison. Newspaper office being sold, set to become doughnut factory TRENTON, N.J. (AP) A New Jersey newspaper's headquarters may soon become a doughnut factory. The Trentonian newspaper reports (http://bit.ly/2eOBHoF ) its Trenton headquarters is being sold to a company that makes products for local Dunkin' Donuts stores. Central Jersey CML was granted $18.9 million in tax credits over 10 years to move to Trenton and create 171 jobs. The new Dunkin' Donuts factory would be right next door to the Trenton police department's headquarters. Trentonian editor John Berry says the sales process has begun and the company expects it to be done by the end of the year if it's finalized. The Trentonian is owned by Digital First Media. The Trentonian moved to the building in 1965, but its staff now only takes up about a quarter of the building. ___ FBI, State Dept. official say no talk of email quid pro quo WASHINGTON (AP) A now-retired FBI agent and a State Department official involved in a discussion over the classification of information in one of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's emails said Tuesday they had discussed mutual agency requests but had not linked the two as a bargain, as another FBI employee had reported. The two men's accounts of a 2015 conversation were not identical and will likely not calm the furor over allegations of the State Department trying to arrange a "quid pro quo" to reduce the classification of an email from Clinton's private server in exchange for more FBI positions at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. The issue was thrust into the presidential campaign Monday when the FBI published documents containing the allegation, which has been seized upon by Republican lawmakers and GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. In a statement released by the State Department, Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy said he had called the agent, who was not named in the FBI documents but was identified by The Washington Post as Brian McCauley, "to better understand a proposal the FBI had made to upgrade one of former Secretary Clinton's emails prior to its public release." FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2016 file photo, Undersecretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Kennedy sought last year for the FBI to change the classification level of an email from Hillary Clintons private server in a proposed bargain described as a quid pro quo that would have allowed the FBI to deploy more agents in foreign countries, according to internal FBI records released Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File) Kennedy said he and other State Department officials wanted an explanation of the upgrade, which they believed was unnecessary. "The FBI official I spoke to raised the topic of FBI Iraq slots as an entirely separate matter," Kennedy said. "The two matters were not linked. There was no quid pro quo, nor was there any bargaining. At no point in our conversation was I under the impression we were bargaining. In the end, State upgraded the email at the FBI's request and in addition, no increase in FBI Iraq slots resulted from this conversation." Kennedy was a close aide to Clinton during her tenure as the nation's top diplomat between 2009 and early 2013. He had served in his position since November 2007, under President George W. Bush. In his statement, he denied any political motive in making the call. In an interview with The Washington Post, McCauley, the former FBI international operations official, recalled a 2015 phone call in which he said the two men each raised something that they wanted. "He said: 'Brian. Pat Kennedy. I need a favor,'" McCauley told the Post. "I said: 'Good, I need a favor. I need our people back in Baghdad." According to McCauley's account, Kennedy replied: "There's an email. I don't believe it has to be classified." McCauley acknowledged to the Post that he had agreed to do a favor for Kennedy, but he said that after consulting with another FBI official about the email in question, he told Kennedy that he was unable to help him. He said there was no "collusion" between the two men and nothing improper occurred. McCauley did not immediately respond to a phone message left in the mailbox of a company, Brainwave Science, that named him to its advisory board earlier this year. The use of the phrase "quid pro quo" actually arises in a separate interview with a different FBI official from the bureau's records management division. That official, whose name is redacted in the documents, relayed to the FBI a conversation between Kennedy and a colleague in the international operations division presumably McCauley that was characterized as a "quid pro quo" agreement to change the email's classification status in exchange for allowing the FBI to place more agents in countries where they are currently forbidden, according to a summary of the interview. The email in question described reports in November 2012 that Libyan police were arresting suspects in the attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya. It had been forwarded to Clinton's private email address by Jake Sullivan, one of her top aides and the department's director of policy planning, who was using his government email account. The Associated Press reported the existence of the secret Benghazi-related email in May 2015, though the classified content of the document has never been made public. At the time, administration officials acknowledged interagency disagreements about whether certain information in the emails was classified. Although the State Department and FBI denied there had been a quid pro quo, Republicans seized on the report as collusion within the Obama administration to protect Clinton, now the Democratic presidential nominee. "CORRUPTION CONFIRMED: FBI confirms State Dept. offered 'quid pro quo' to cover up classified emails," read a tweet from Team Trump, retweeted by the candidate. Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said the campaign had never been part of any such discussion about email classifications. House Republicans said Monday the reports of behind-the scenes maneuvering with the FBI were "extremely disturbing." "Those who receive classified intelligence should not barter in it that is reckless behavior with our nation's secrets," House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said in a joint statement. The ambiguities laid bare in the FBI documents summaries of interviews are fairly standard for criminal investigations, where different witnesses offer different accounts of the same interaction and agents and prosecutors behind closed doors are left to try to determine the truth. The summaries being released in this case reflect what witnesses told agents without presenting an agreed upon or easily reconcilable narrative. In promising extraordinary transparency in the Clinton email investigation, FBI Director James Comey authorized the release of interview summaries and agents' notes that are almost never seen by the public particularly in cases that close without charges. ___ Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report. ___ Mosul push 'big moment' in war against Islamic State The effort to oust Islamic State (IS) fighters from their Mosul stronghold in Iraq is a "big moment" in the war against the extremist group, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said. Concerns have been raised by aid agencies that the long-expected attack has left civilians trapped in Iraq's second-largest city facing an "impossible decision" on whether to attempt to flee or seek shelter as the military operation happens around them. British aircraft have been providing "intensive" support to Iraqi troops in the build-up to the Mosul operation and Sir Michael said the UK would continue to play a "leading role" in the fight against IS. Kurdish Peshmerga fighters advance towards villages surrounding Mosul in Iraq (AP) But he acknowledged the Iraqi forces faced a "tough" task operating in the "complex" urban environment. More than one million people, including hundreds of thousands of children, are believed to be in Mosul, which has been under IS control for two years. Safe escape routes out of the city for civilians caught up in the bloody conflict "do not exist", Save the Children has warned. Families and children have been advised by local forces to stay inside and erect a white flag on their homes in a bid to stay safe, the charity's spokesman, Ruairidh Villar, said. Speaking from Irbil in northern Iraq, he told the Press Association: "Whether families and children stay or they flee, right now it's an impossible decision." Save the Children, which said humanitarian agencies are able to get no closer than 30 miles (48km) to the city, is calling on people to urge the Government to do what it can to ensure there are safe pathways for people to leave the area. He said: "We are calling on the UK Government to put pressure on the Iraqi and coalition forces around Mosul now to establish safe corridors, safe escape routes for children to get out." The UK Government has said the creation of such safe passages for civilians "hinges entirely on the good will of all parties to the conflict" and said this is unlikely where IS, also known as Daesh, is concerned. In the days leading up to the launch of the offensive, RAF aircraft struck a series of IS targets around Mosul. Tornado and Typhoon jets and Reaper drones have been involved in strikes, including against tunnel complexes, weapons caches and IS vehicles. The militants are believed to have prepared for the expected onslaught by digging trench networks and setting booby traps. On Sunday, the eve of the Iraqi offensive, a British Reaper drone targeted an artillery piece while Typhoons attacked IS positions to the east and west of the city. Sir Michael said: " Daesh are on the back foot. The beginning of the encirclement of Mosul today is a big moment in our efforts to rid Iraq of Daesh. "Mosul is a large and complex city and operations there will be tough but with coalition support Iraqi forces will prevail. "Alongside our coalition partners, the UK will continue to play a leading role in the air and on the ground, including through our strike missions, specialised surveillance, humanitarian support and the mentoring and training of Iraqi forces." The head of the UN's refugee agency Filippo Grande warned that protecting civilians must be an "essential part of military strategies" in the city. He said he had raised the issue of protection civilians with the Iraqi government and received the "strongest assurances" from prime minister Haider al-Abadi. But Cornwall-based charity Shelterbox said not knowing which locations people might flee to creates difficulties in organising aid provision, and makes it "a matter of instinct and assumption". Rachel Harvey from the charity, who is in Irbil, about 85 miles (137km) from Mosul, said: "The aim is to get aid to displaced families as quickly as possible. So we are pre-positioning stock close to places where we think they might arrive. They are likely to be exhausted and traumatised by their recent experiences. "Giving people shelter and essential items such as a solar lamp, blankets and a water carrier will allow them a degree of dignity and security to rest and recover." Shadow international development secretary Kate Osamor said: "As the combined offensive of the Iraqi government and Kurdish forces against the Daesh occupation of Mosul makes important progress, everything possible must be done to safeguard the lives of the hundreds of thousands of civilians who live there. "The needs of women, men and children fleeing Mosul, as well as those trapped inside the city, need to be addressed urgently in order to prevent a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the area. "It is important that all sides engaged in this conflict take every step possible to ensure that civilian lives are not put in peril and provide unfettered access to humanitarian aid." International Development Secretary Priti Patel said the protection of civilians must be a "paramount concern". She discussed the situation with UN emergency relief co-ordinator Stephen O'Brien. Ms Patel said: "Retaking Mosul will be an important step towards defeating Daesh in Iraq and ending its tyranny over the civilian population in the city. "However, with up to one-and-a-half million people still living in the city, it is clear that their protection and wellbeing must be a paramount concern. "As I discussed with Mr O'Brien, we urge all parties in this conflict to ensure aid agencies get the access and support they need and that international humanitarian law is upheld. "The government of Iraq, international community and aid agencies must work closely together to co-ordinate their plans. Most Britons willing to pay extra tax to help fund NHS Seven out of 10 Britons would be willing to pay an additional 1p in the pound in tax to help fund the NHS - while almost half (48%) would pay 2p, according to a new survey. An extra penny on the basic rate of income tax would raise around 4.5 billion, and 70% of those questioned for ITV1's The Agenda said they would be happy to see a tax-hike on this scale if it was guaranteed that all the money would go to the NHS. The results also found that almost half (46%) of Brits thought the current NHS was performing badly, with only 23% saying that it was performing well. A survey found aeven out of 10 Britons would be willing to pay an additional 1p in the pound in tax to help fund the NHS However, there was less appetite to raise extra funds for the health service by charging for specific treatments. Just 27% of those questioned said they would be willing to pay 5 to see their GP, against 66% who said they would not. And if the cost was hiked to 10, only 15% would be happy to pay, while 79% said they would not. Some 77% said they would not be ready to pay part of the cost of being treated in hospital as an out-patient, compared to 23% who said they would be willing to pay. Aide to Tory MP Craig Mackinlay held over Parliament rape claim Police are investigating an allegation that a Tory MP's aide raped a woman in Parliament. Sam Armstrong, chief of staff to South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay, was arrested last week. The 23-year-old has been released on bail while inquiries continue into the incident, which is alleged to have occurred in the early hours of Friday. A 23-year-old man has been arrested and bailed by police investigating an alleged rape at the Houses of Parliament Police searched Mr Mackinlay's office in Westminster in connection with the allegation later that day. A spokesman for the MP said: "On Friday morning, Mr Mackinlay was made aware of an allegation against a member of his staff. "Following a request made by the police and parliamentary services he granted full access to his Westminster office. "Mr Mackinlay is currently awaiting further information from the police." A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Detectives from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command are investigating an allegation of rape at the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of Friday 14 October. "A 23-year-old man was arrested that same day on suspicion of rape. He has been bailed pending further inquires to a date in mid-January 2017." A House of Commons spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident on the parliamentary estate which is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service. "Parliament is working closely with the police on their investigation and we cannot comment further while this is ongoing." According to The Sun, the allegation was made after a group of Tory aides had been drinking on the House of Lords terrace, overlooking the River Thames. Anthony Joshua waits for confirmation of Wladimir Klitschko bout Anthony Joshua is still waiting to hear if his dream world heavyweight title unification bout against Wladimir Klitschko will go ahead. Joshua and Klitschko had agreed terms on a December showdown in Manchester but the bout has been thrown into doubt over issues with the sanctioning bodies. Klitschko is reportedly reluctant to fight without at least one of the WBA or WBO titles on the line - and both organisations are yet to confirm this will be the case. Anthony Joshua, pictured, may be forced to wait for his super-fight against Wladimir Klitschko Now Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has said he is looking for alternative options for Joshua in December should the multi-million pound unification fight fall flat. Hearn told Sky Sports: "The deal is there but we are awaiting sanctioning from the WBA. "Both teams have written to the WBA to request sanctioning of our fight, but Wladimir wants the WBA belt to be on the line so until that is approved we cannot move forward. "We expect news in the next few days, but in the meantime I believe both sides will be looking at alternative options for December 10 while we hope to get the news we need to make the fight happen." Klitschko has been without a title since losing them to Tyson Fury last year and has a number of options with the WBA and WBO belts now vacant. One possibility is that the Ukrainian will agree instead to fight highly-ranked American Joseph Parker for the WBO belt in Germany - arguably an easier option than facing Joshua in front of his home fans. Five-star Real Madrid ease past Legia Warsaw Real Madrid continued their resurgence with a 5-1 Champions League win over Legia Warsaw at the Bernabeu. Zinedine Zidane's side had put six past Real Betis in LaLiga on Saturday to end a run of four successive draws. There was no let-up on Tuesday night as the Poles were swept aside, with Gareth Bale opening the scoring after 16 minutes before an own goal from Tomasz Jodlowiec double Real's lead. Gareth Bale set Real Madrid on their way to victory Although Miroslav Radovic briefly reduced the arrears from the penalty spot, there was no way back once Marco Asensio added a third before substitutes Lucas Vazquez and Alvaro Morata completed the route. Real remain in second place in Group F, level on seven points with Borussia Dortmund, who won away at Sporting Lisbon. The hosts had made a positive start, with Cristiano Ronaldo's effort going into the side-netting, and the visitors were out of luck themselves in the 11th minute. Midfielder Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, who joined from English club Norwich in the summer, cut in from the right and sent a low shot which beat Keylor Navas but came back off the base of the far post. Before Legia Warsaw could regroup for another counter-attack, they found themselves 1-0 down. Bale ran into space down the right channel after 16 minutes and t he Wales forward cut back inside his marker into the penalty area and drilled a low left-foot shot into the far corner. Real remained on the offensive and doubled their lead in the 20th minute when Karim Benzema fed Marcelo on the edge of the Legia penalty area. The defender's low shot was deflected off Tomasz Jodlowiec and past a wrong-footed Arkadiusz Malarz in the Legia goal. Legia, though, were immediately handed a way back into the match when Kleper Pepe tripped Radovic to concede a penalty and t he Serbian forward got up to take the spot-kick himself, coolly beating Navas with a low shot into the bottom right corner. Ronaldo had a chance to move a step closer to his 100th European goal with a 25-yard free-kick, but Malarz got across to make a smart save. The Legia keeper was, however, soon beaten again when Danilo cut the ball back to Ronaldo in the penalty area, and the Portugal forward laid it off to Asensio, who slotted home on 37 minutes. Real continued where they had left off when the second half got under way as Malarz turned away Benzema's volley. Ronaldo hit a low free-kick into the wall, before Madrid further extended their lead in the 68th minute. Morata, who had come on for Bale, darted down the left before clipping the ball back through the Legia penalty area, where fellow substitute Vazquez arrived at the far post to drill in a low shot from six yards. Ronaldo shot wide before, with six minutes left, setting up Morata with a lay-off into the left side of the penalty area, and the Spain forward finished inside the near post. British companies told 'no excuse for inaction' against slavery By Temesghen Debesai and Tom Esslemont LONDON, Oct 17 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Some of Britain's biggest firms are failing to properly check their supply chains for exposure to modern-day slavery despite tougher laws and a government-led crackdown on human trafficking, a monitoring group said on Monday. Just two out of 27 FTSE 100 companies - firms with high market capitalisation - delivered "rigorous" statements that demonstrated "robust action" in line with new anti-slavery legislation, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre said. A further 11 failed to meet minimum standards in the key categories of policy, due diligence, staff training and mitigation against slavery, the campaign group said in a report, adding that no company received top marks in all areas. "This analysis exposes a shocking level of inaction within big business on modern slavery," said Marilyn Croser, the director of CORE Coalition, a non-profit group which helped analyse the company reports. Consumer and clothing company Marks & Spencer and brewing and beverage company SAB Miller, which was acquired by AB InBev earlier this month, came top of the table in the report. BT Group, Burberry Group and Vodaphone also produced good statements on supply chains, the report said. Babcock International received the lowest score for failing to provide sufficient information, the report said. The company did not respond to a request for comment by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in time for publication. Under Britain's Modern Slavery Act, companies operating in the UK with a turnover of 36 million pounds ($44 million) or more, must disclose what they have done to ensure slave labour is not in their supply chains. Some companies showed "wilful misunderstanding" of the aims of the legislation, the report said. The law was passed in 2015, in response to growing alarm over revelations that slave labour is being used to produce everything from cotton T-shirts and cell phones to cat food for global consumption. "No company wants the scourge of slavery in its operations and supply chains. We hope the next group (of companies)... will emulate the better practice of the (top performers)," said Phil Bloomer, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre's executive director. The next batch of FTSE 100 companies is due to report in December, the report said. Nearly 46 million people are enslaved globally, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index. There are an estimated 13,000 victims of forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude in Britain. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May announced in July that 33.5 million pounds ($42 million) of the overseas aid budget would be put into a five-year fund to tackle the issue in countries like Nigeria. Belgian 'Non' clouds EU meeting to approve Canada deal By Philip Blenkinsop LUXEMBOURG, Oct 18 (Reuters) - European Union trade ministers meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday aiming to approve a free trade agreement with Canada but facing regional opposition in Belgium that threatens to scupper the entire deal. All 28 EU governments now back the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which would be the bloc's first trade accord with a G7 country. But they risk not getting the unanimity they seek because the French-speaking south of Belgium does not support it. Belgium has a centre-right coalition firmly in favour of CETA, but its peculiar structure means it cannot sign up without backing from all five sub-federal governments representing its regions and its linguistic communities. EU and Canadian negotiators sealed an accord in 2014 after five years of talks, since revising a particularly contentious section on investment protection and in the past month hatching a binding declaration to show the limits of the trade pact. The latter won over most doubters, including wavering Austria. But Belgium's French speakers continued to say 'Non!'. EU ministers responsible for trade meet from 9 a.m. (0700 GMT). A positive vote would pave the way for CETA to be hailed as a success by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday and then to be signed at an EU-Canada summit attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Oct. 27. Assuming the European Parliament then approved the deal, it would likely enter force provisionally next year. This would allow an immediate removal of import tariffs on 98 percent of goods, but would leave out the most contentious aspect of the deal - a court to protect foreign companies' investments. CETA supporters say it will increase bilateral trade by 20 percent and boost the EU economy by 12 billion euros ($13.4 billion) per year and Canada's by C$12 billion ($9.0 billion). The deal would be the first time Canada's states and municipal governments have committed to opening their markets for procurement to EU suppliers and allow Canadian farmers to export much more pork, beef and wheat to Europe. EXPERT VIEWS-Does UK's landmark anti-slavery law live up to the hype? By Timothy Large LONDON, Oct 18 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From life imprisonment for human traffickers to forcing pimps to pay compensation to their victims, Britain has some of the world's toughest sanctions against modern slavery. Passed a little more than a year ago, Britain's Modern Slavery Act has been hailed as a milestone in the anti-slavery fight, combining harsh penalties with progressive measures such as better protections for people at risk of being enslaved. It also requires companies to disclose what they are doing to make sure supply chains are free from slavery, a crime that affects some 46 million people worldwide, with up to 13,000 in Britain. Last week, British Prime Minister Theresa May warned traffickers: "We are coming after you." But does Britain's approach to fighting slavery live up to the hype? Is it a model for other countries to follow? Does it offer the right balance of carrot and stick to ensure meaningful change on the front lines of the anti-trafficking fight? As Britain marks Anti-Slavery Day, a day set by parliament to raise awareness of slavery and trafficking, we asked experts for their views on the effectiveness - or otherwise - of the Modern Slavery Act. Here are their responses. KEVIN HYLAND, UK INDEPENDENT ANTI-SLAVERY COMMISSIONER: When I meet with representatives of different organisations across the world, people do talk about the Modern Slavery Act as being groundbreaking and being world-leading... The legislation is seen as capturing all areas, from looking after the victims, from real rule of law, from prevention, from accountability and then from bringing in the private sector as well. AIDAN MCQUADE, DIRECTOR, ANTI-SLAVERY INTERNATIONAL: Anti-Slavery International has lobbied for a law like the Modern Slavery Act for nearly two decades, so it's a strange feeling now to feel rather unsatisfied. We have argued for years that providing a comprehensive support and protection to all victims of modern slavery should be at the heart of anti-slavery law and practice. Sadly, this is the area that is still lacking the most. Too often victims are still not believed, don't get the support they need, or are treated as immigration offenders and deported rather than protected. ANDREW WALLIS, CEO, UNSEEN: What's needed is a complete overhaul where the focus is on how we help survivors long-term from a position of vulnerability to a place of resilience. Most survivors we work with want to thrive, despite the trauma of modern slavery, but the current system is perfectly designed to deliver the results we have: a safety net temporarily arresting the plunge down the side of a cliff. NICK GRONO, CEO, THE FREEDOM FUND: The UK transparency provisions are light touch - in the sense that companies can comply simply by saying they have no policies in place to deal with forced labour or slavery (assuming that's the case). And the provisions are not backed by any meaningful sanctions. But their power comes from the fact that they require directors and management to turn their mind to issues of forced labour and modern slavery - often for the very first time. GEORGETTE MULHEIR, CEO, LUMOS: Tackling human trafficking is vital in destination countries such as the UK, to identify and support victims and prosecute offenders. The Modern Slavery Act provides the backbone for this work by many statutory agencies and NGOs. But if we fail to address the problem in source countries, then the number of people who go through the trauma of being trafficked will not reduce. PHIL BLOOMER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BUSINESS & HUMAN RIGHTS RESOURCE CENTRE: No company wants slavery in its supply chain. The Modern Slavery Act allows us to compare companies' commitments to eliminate this scourge that was supposed to be abolished 150 years ago. Our Modern Slavery Act Registry of over 750 company statements enables investors and consumers to reward the leading companies, and press the laggards to improve. So far, only a handful of companies, such as M&S and SAB Miller, Burberry, Ford and Mothercare, have produced statements to be proud of. GORDON MILLER, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, SUSTAIN WORLDWIDE: The Transparency in Supply Chains clause is genius ... All this doesn't mean some companies will still treat it as a 'tick box exercise'. But, equally, it does, at the very least, compel them to consider how their business impacts on the broader human rights of people working in their entire supply chain and not only those employed in their direct business operations. BRANDEE BUTLER, HEAD OF JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS, C&A FOUNDATION: Governments seeking to eradicate slavery should take note of the UK's leadership, and learn from its flaws. The act requires only that companies report on their actions, and imposes few consequences for non-compliance with even this basic requirement. Early reporting shows that few companies have fully complied. There is tremendous opportunity to build upon the UK government's efforts to crack down on slavery in supply chains. In consultation with business and civil society, legislators in other countries should craft policies that demand meaningful action to combat slavery and address the impacts of business practices on the lives and liberty of workers. TJ BIRDI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HELEN BAMBER FOUNDATION: The Modern Slavery Act has been lauded by politicians as a 'world leader in the fight against modern slavery'. However, the only way to fight such a serious and prolific crime is by setting effective standards for the identification, support and sustained recovery of victims ... The experience of the Helen Bamber Foundation over decades has shown that if victims are not recognised and assisted, they remain vulnerable to further slavery and serious harm. HOUTAN HOMAYOUNPOUR, TECHNICAL SPECIALIST, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION: Japan lawmakers' group visits Yasukuni shrine for war dead TOKYO, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Dozens of Japanese members of parliament visited the Yasukuni Shrine for war dead on Tuesday to mark an autumn festival at the shrine, seen in China and the two Koreas as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. Kyodo news agency said about 80 lawmakers visited the shrine. Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki sent an aide to represent him, an official at Shiozaki's office said. Earlier, Kyodo had said Shiozaki himself went. The group visit came a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine, prompting a sharp rejoinder from China and a reminder from Tokyo's close ally Washington of the importance of reconciliation over the past. Visits by Japanese leaders to Yasukuni have outraged China and South Korea because the shrine honours 14 Japanese leaders convicted by an Allied tribunal as war criminals, along with other war dead. South Korea expressed "deep concern and disappointment" over the shrine visit and offering by Japanese political leaders. "(We) urge Japanese politicians to gain trust from neighbouring countries and the international community by showing an act of humble introspection and sincere self-reflection on the foundation of the correct perception of history," the foreign ministry said in a statement. In Beijing, China's foreign ministry also expressed concern. "We hope Japanese political figures can adhere to correct historical views and do more to realise reconciliation and increase mutual trust with neighbouring Asian countries," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing. Abe has visited the shrine in person only once, in December 2013, since becoming premier the previous year. Eager to improve ties with China and South Korea, strained by territorial and other disputes, he has instead opted to send ritual offerings on several occasions. There was no sign that Defence Minister Tomomi Inada, who has been accused by China of recklessly misrepresenting wartime history, had visited or made an offering at the shrine. Americans in Philippines jittery as Duterte rails against United States By Kanupriya Kapoor and Enrico Dela Cruz OLONGAPO, Philippines, Oct 18 (Reuters) - In a bar along the Philippines' Subic Bay owned by an American military veteran, the main topic of conversation is not the upcoming U.S. election despite the Donald Trump coffee mugs, photographs and caps on display. The talk is of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's tensions with Washington and his courting of China, which is worrying the bar's mostly American clients who have settled in the vicinity of the huge Subic Bay base, a former U.S. navy installation. "The biggest fear is that one day he's going to wake up and say 'everybody from the U.S., get out of town' and we'd have to leave our loved ones behind," said Jack Walker, a retired Marine sergeant who has lived in Olongapo, the town around the base, for five years. For more than a century the Philippines and the United States have had a shared history of colonialism, wars, rebellion, aid and deep economic ties. That could change as Duterte's three-month-old administration re-examines the relationship. In a series of conflicting statements, Duterte has insulted U.S. President Barack Obama and the U.S. ambassador in Manila for questioning his war on drugs, which has led to the deaths of more than 2,000 suspected users and pushers. He told Obama to "go to hell" and alluded to severing ties with Washington. Then, after weeks of anti-American rhetoric, Duterte said the Philippines would maintain its existing defence treaties and its military alliances. The comments have left Americans and U.S. businesses in the Philippines jittery about their future, said Ebb Hinchliffe, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce. "Every time he opens his mouth and says something negative about America, that hurts me personally ... and from a business standpoint, it's not helping," he said. He said three trade delegations representing American technology, financial services and manufacturing companies had cancelled trips to the Philippines in recent weeks. At least two American companies have opted to do business in Vietnam instead "because of the president's anti-American sentiment". Hinchliffe declined to name the companies or give further details. MOST PRO-U.S. NATION The United States effectively ruled the Philippines from 1898, when it acquired the country from Spain, until recognising its independence in 1946. About four million people of Philippine ancestry live in the United States, one of its largest minorities, and about 220,000 Americans, many of them military veterans, live in the Philippines. An additional 650,000 visit each year, according to U.S. State Department figures. According to a Pew Research Centre study last year, the Philippines is the most pro-U.S. country in the world. Despite the shared history, though, the Philippines has a strong nationalistic movement that has questioned the U.S. alliance. In 1991, the government asked Washington to vacate the Subic Bay naval facility and the nearby Clark Air Base. But as tensions increased with China over the territorial dispute in the South China Sea, the Philippines signed an Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States in 2014 that grants Washington increased military presence through rotation of ships and aircraft for humanitarian and maritime security operations. However, Duterte has said that agreement will be reviewed and he insists that the Philippines, the third-largest Asian recipient of American military aid after Pakistan and Afghanistan, can do without assistance. He was to leave for China on Tuesday on a state visit that could shift alliances in the region. Philippine government officials have sought to play down Duterte's comments. "Where the president is coming from is that he wants to encourage the Filipino people to be more independent," said government spokesman Ernesto Abella. "It's not so much an anti-American relationship as a pro-Philippine sentiment." Still, the mood was sombre at Dynamite Dick's bar in Olongapo when a Reuters reporter dropped in recently. Edward Pooley, a former Marine colonel who has lived in the Philippines for nearly 30 years, said Duterte's words were "heartbreaking" but he remained optimistic about the bilateral relationship in the long term. "We've always done a lot of charitable activities and ... we feel the appreciation. Don't give up on us," he said. The mayor of the city of 220,000, Rolen Paulino, said his people were "pro-American" but that he supports Duterte's shift in foreign policy. "If the president wants to invite Russia and China ... I will teach my people Russian and Chinese because we have to adapt," Paulino said. But many in the business community have labelled Duterte's rhetoric as largely bluster and take comfort in the fact that he has yet to translate it into action. The business process outsourcing (BPO) sector - expected to account for 9 percent of GDP this year - remains largely optimistic about growth in the Philippines. Reuters Odd News Summary Following is a summary of current odd news briefs. Two to get comfy coffin for overnight stay in Dracula's castle "No garlic or garlic-scented items allowed, including perfume," read the house rules of Count Dracula's castle to ensure that Halloween night guests cannot avoid the vampire. On Oct. 31, two people will be allowed to sleep in velvet trimmed coffins in the seclusion of the count's crypt and will spend the rest of the night in the Carpathians castle completely alone, says vacation rental marketplace Airbnb. New St Andrews students welcomed with shaving foam fight Students dressed in costumes chased each other with shaving cream in a massive foam fight at the University of St Andrews on Monday, as part of a decades old tradition for newcomers. Each year, freshers at the Scottish university, where Prince William met his now wife Kate Middleton when they were both students, join so-called academic families where they are adopted by older students for mentoring. Fruit juice stunt turns sour for Ghana's ruling party An attempt by Ghana's ruling party to make fun of the main opposition candidate in the presidential election by posting a photograph of him sipping from a small carton of Kalyppo fruit juice has backfired, with his supporters adopting the brand to rally support. The new craze for Kalyppo juice, a locally-produced drink marketed mainly for children, is giving Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party the sort of free publicity politicians crave. Target, McDonald's react to U.S. creepy clown sightings Majority on Norway commission says wealth fund should raise equity investments to 70 pct-DN OSLO, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Norway's sovereign wealth fund should raise its share of equities investments to 70 percent from 60 percent, the majority on a government-appointed commission will say on Tuesday, daily Dagens Naeringsliv reported, citing unnamed sources. The head of the commission will dissent with the opinion of the majority on the commission and say that the fund should cut its investments in equities to 50 percent, the newspaper reported. The commission will publish its conclusions at 1100 CET (0900 GMT). They will be used by the Norwegian finance ministry in its annual white paper in April. The central bank, which manages the fund, will present its own proposals in December. Hays says hiring in London's finance industry hit by Brexit By Esha Vaish Oct 18 (Reuters) - Hiring in London fell sharply after Britain's vote to leave the European Union and companies are still cautious about adding to existing staff levels because of uncertainty over Brexit, recruitment company Hays said on Tuesday. Hays, which places workers in areas such as finance and IT, reported a 10 percent year-on-year fall in net fees at constant currencies from the UK and Ireland in the three months to Sept. 30, after a 4 percent fall in the preceding three months. But the biggest impact was in London, where net fees tumbled 17 percent. Finance Director Paul Venables said companies had begun to replace "leavers" since mid-July, but they remained cautious on incremental spending on new jobs as they drew up contingency plans for Brexit. "The referendum result meant that all businesses stopped hiring, very shortly, for a period of time and after that they've returned to at least replacing leavers," Venables told Reuters. "Clients are not looking to increase headcount and they're being cautious on any incremental investments," he said. Surveys this month have suggested companies are wary about making investments in the aftermath of the June vote. Hiring for permanent jobs in Britain stabilised following a step-down in activity immediately after the vote, which Venables said suggested the market "may well have seen the worst" and Hays "may well get a gradual improvement" through the rest of its financial year. Barclays and UBS said Hays' UK performance was better than expected. Shares in Hays, which makes just over a quarter of its net fees from the UK and Ireland, were up 2.8 percent at 139.2 pence at 1108 GMT. Rival PageGroup has said confidence among employers was "fragile" following the vote, with finance firms particularly holding off from hiring, while smaller rival Robert Walters said hiring levels in London investment banking had picked up recently. Following the vote there has been a lot of speculation that banks in London might start moving some operations to continental Europe to ensure continued access to the EU market. Venables said Hays had not seen any large outflow of jobs from the UK at the moment. PRESS DIGEST - RUSSIA - Oct 18 MOSCOW, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The following are some stories in Russia's newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. VEDOMOSTI www.vedomosti.ru A global poll shows that Russia is the only country where U.S. Republican election candidate Donald Trump is more popular than his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, the daily reports. Russian banks have earned 5 times more in profits in 2016 so far compared to the same period last year, according to the Central Bank, the newspaper reports. AFK Sistema is buying around 66,000 hectares of land in the Rostov and Stavropol regions from a Russian unit of Glencore, the daily says. KOMMERSANT www.kommersant.ru The Ministry of Finance has tweaked its plans for the level at which it will set excise taxes on oil and gas products in the next three years, the newspaper reports. IZVESTIA www.izvestia.ru Russia is trying to convince Mongolia to cancel a project to build hydroelectric power stations in the Selenga River basin, arguing they would damage Siberia's Lake Baikal, the daily reports. Taliban restart secret talks with Afghanistan in Qatar - report ISLAMABAD, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The Taliban and the Afghan government restarted secret peace talks in September and have held two rounds of discussions in Qatar, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing anonymous sources. Citing a Taliban official, the Guardian said a senior American diplomat was present at the meetings in Qatar, where the Islamist group has a diplomatic office. The newspaper said the talks were attended also by Mullah Abdul Manan, the brother of Afghan Taliban founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, who died in 2013. Officials in Kabul could not be immediately reached for comment. Previous Pakistan-brokered peace talks yielded little progress and ground to a complete halt when the United States killed former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistan in May. Under new Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada fighting has raged across Afghanistan during the summer months, with the Taliban attacking the northern city of Kunduz and threatening Helmand's provincial capital Lashkar Gah. No Pakistani official took part in the latest talks, according to the Guardian. Relations between the governments in Kabul and Islamabad have deteriorated over the past year, with Afghanistan and the United States alleging Pakistan harbours the Taliban and was not doing enough to bring the group to the negotiating table. Pakistan denies providing the Taliban a safe haven. The Taliban have gathered strength over the past two years, carrying out major attacks in Kabul and taking over swaths of territory for the first time since being ousted during the 2001 U.S.-led military intervention. Portugal continues surge ahead of crucial DBRS review By Abhinav Ramnarayan LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Portugal's government bond yields hit one-month lows on Tuesday ahead of a crucial ratings review from DBRS this week. Portugal on Friday slashed its deficit target for 2017 to 1.6 percent of economic output from this year's estimated 2.4 percent, and a report overnight from German newspaper Handelsblatt suggested the government is planning to set up a bad bank to deal with the struggling banking sector. Those two developments strengthened expectations that DBRS would leave the country's last investment grade rating untouched at a scheduled review this Friday. Concerns over the rating - with eligibility for the European Central Bank's asset purchase programme in the balance - has weighed on Portugal's government bonds since mid-August. "I think the market now believes the investment grade rating should survive, and we tend to that view as well," said Commerzbank rates strategist David Schnautz. "It remains to be seen if this is just a feel good environment or if it is justified." He sounded a note of caution, saying that it remains to be seen if the deficit target - part of the draft budget proposal for 2017 - proves feasible. Portugal's 10-year bond yields rose from an Aug. 15 low of 2.69 percent all the way up to 3.63 percent last Monday, October 10. Since then, government comments suggesting the rating was safe and further good news have pushed yields lower. On Tuesday, the yield on the Portugal 10-year benchmark fell 1.5 basis points to 3.25 percent by 0700 GMT, before rising again. One of DRBS's key concerns have been around the Portuguese banking sector, and the government is planning to create a bad banks to absorb its bank's non-performing loans (NPLs), Handelsblatt reported on Monday. "This is a reminder that there are issues for Portugal beyond Friday's review, and NPLs are a very difficult beast to tackle," said Schnautz. "Though the mechanics of the bad bank are still unclear, at the very least they are dealing with issue head on." The yield on other southern European government bonds also fell on Tuesday, with Spain's 10-year bond yields dropping 1.3 bps to 1.11 percent and Italy's 10-year dropping 1.2 bps to 1.39 percent . Higher-rated euro zone government bonds were more or less flat on the day, following Monday's sharply volatile session. Indonesia says coal price rally to extend into Q1, boost mining revenues JAKARTA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The current rally in thermal coal prices could extend through to the end of the first quarter of 2017, an Indonesian mining ministry official said on Tuesday, helping cash-strapped miners boost revenues in Southeast Asia's largest economy. Coal prices sank 70 percent over 2011 and 2015 amid worries imports by top consumer China had peaked on measures to combat pollution. However, contrary to expectations of further falls, prices have rallied by about 75 percent this year with producers trimming supply due to concerns over demand. Indonesia, where thousands of coal mines went out of business as prices cratered, is now confident of achieving its target of 30.11 trillion rupiah ($2.32 billion) in non-tax revenue from the coal and minerals sector this year, Coal and Minerals Director General Bambang Gatot told Reuters. In 2015, the world's top thermal coal exporter had missed its target by 43 percent. "Right now we're almost at 50 percent. With the rise in coal prices hopefully we'll reach it," Gatot told Reuters. Given the mining sector accounts for around 4 percent of Indonesia's GDP, any rise in revenue would be welcome news for the government at a time when the country's fiscal deficit is expected to widen to 2.7 percent of GDP from the 2.15 percent initially planned. In the first half of 2016, Indonesia's non-tax revenues from mining reached 12.3 trillion rupiah, about 40 percent of the full-year target, the finance ministry website shows. Good post-Brexit relationship with UK crucial, Iceland says By Steve Slater and Marc Jones LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Iceland sees scope to strike more effective cooperation deals with Britain and wants to keep a "successful relationship" as Brexit talks begin, the Icelandic foreign minister said. Britain is Iceland's biggest trade partner, representing about 12 percent of Icelandic exports and imports. Foreign Minister Lilja Alfredsdottir said the country's government had set up a Brexit unit for a detailed assessment of trade relationships and was enlarging its presence in London. "A successful relationship with the UK going forward is a key priority," Alfredsdottir told Reuters in an interview. "There's a lot of interest to continue the current relationship we have with the UK, but there will be a new format, which we will try to decide with the UK authorities. "There might also be new opportunities, which is what we are looking at, and we're increasing our staff in London due to Brexit," Alfredsdottir said. The Brexit unit will have five to eight staff - a significant number in relation to the ministry's total of 100 employees. Iceland has a population of about 330,000. Situated on the edge of the Arctic Circle, it is not part of the European Union, but it is a member of the European Free Trade Association {EFTA) - along with Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein - which can provide access to the EU's single market. Britain voted on June 23 to leave the EU. The terms of the divorce are unlikely to be agreed for at least two years, but investors are growing concerned that Prime Minister Theresa May is heading towards a "hard Brexit", or a clean break from the EU's lucrative single market. Iceland's future relationship with Britain was likely to take one of three options, Alfredsdottir said: a bilateral free-trade or economic agreement; an agreement with a group of countries, such as EFTA; or, as part of the European Economic Area, to join any trade agreement Britain reaches with the EU. "It also depends on what the UK wants to do. Does it want to do lots of bilaterals or try to do agreements with groups," she said. For the moment, at least, it looks as if the first is more likely, she said. Iceland's own economy is rebounding after a banking meltdown eight years ago that brought it to its knees. It has just taken a big step towards dismantling capital controls and tourism is booming. Alfredsdottir said a decline of nearly 20 percent in the value of the British pound since the EU referendum could reduce the 250,000 Britons that visit Iceland each year. That is almost 20 percent of all Iceland's tourists, but she predicted visitors from elsewhere would more than compensate. "We might see less tourists coming from the UK, but we still forecast there will be an increase of 20 percent coming to Iceland all-in-all next year," she said. Iceland aims to complete its own assessment of possible post-Brexit areas of co-operation with Britain by the end of the year. Fishing is one such area, although Alfredsdottir said that would be on issues such as sustainable fishing, not on allowing access to each other's fishing zones. "We are open-minded and trying to maximise the possible benefit both countries have with trading with each other," she said. China may give Filipino fishermen access to Scarborough-sources By Benjamin Kang Lim and Ben Blanchard BEIJING, Oct 18 (Reuters) - China will consider giving Filipino fishermen conditional access to disputed waters in the South China Sea after the presidents of the two countries meet in Beijing this week, two Chinese sources with ties to the leadership said. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte plans to raise the plight of Filipino fishermen when he meets his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Thursday, a Philippine official told Reuters. China seized Scarborough Shoal - claimed by Beijing as Huangyan island and by Manila as Panatag - in 2012, denying Philippine fishermen access to its rich fishing grounds. The seizure formed part of a case the Philippines took to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, which in July rejected China's territorial claims over much of the South China Sea, including its assertion of a 200-mile (320 km) exclusive economic zone around the disputed Spratly Islands. China immediately declared the ruling "null and void" but said it was time to get talks started again between the countries directly involved in the territorial disputes to reach a peaceful resolution. Arriving at his hotel in Beijing, Duterte told reporters he expected to achieve "plenty of happiness for my country" during his trip to China. Asked about the South China Sea dispute, he said: "No, that is not one of the topics on the agenda. It might crop up but it is going to be a soft landing for everyone. No impositions." "EVERYBODY CAN GO" Beijing is now considering making a concession to Duterte, whose rapprochement with China since taking office on June 30 marks an astonishing reversal in recent Philippine foreign policy. "Everybody can go, but there will be conditions," one of the Chinese sources who speaks regularly with senior officials told Reuters, referring to Chinese and Filipino fishermen. Asked what the conditions were, the source said: "The two countries would have to form working groups to iron out details." It was unclear, however, if China would agree to joint coastguard patrols. The sources did not say what, if anything, China might demand from Manila in exchange for the fishing concession. "It will be a return to the Arroyo days," the second Chinese source said, referring to the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001-2010), when fishermen from both countries had access to waters near Scarborough Shoal. If all goes according to script, fishery cooperation would be one of more than 10 broad framework agreements the two countries would sign during Duterte's visit, the sources said, without giving further details. The Philippine foreign ministry said it had "no comment at this time". FREE NAVIGATION China has overlapping claims in the South China Sea with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The United States, along with Japan and other powers, want to ensure Beijing doesn't interfere with free navigation in the strategic South China Sea, which connects the Indian and Pacific Oceans and through which flows $5 trillion of trade a year. U.S. Navy ships have conducted "freedom of navigation" operations around artificial islands China has been building in the disputed Spratly Islands, which mostly consist of coral reefs and tidal features in the South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi did not answer directly, when Reuters asked on Tuesday whether China would offer any concessions to the Philippines on the South China Sea, including fishing rights around Scarborough Shoal. "China's position on the South China Sea is clear and consistent. There is no change and there will be no change. This position accords with historical facts and international law," Wang said at a news conference with his New Zealand counterpart. "HISTORIC VISIT" Wang, however, was upbeat about Duterte's trip. "This will be a historic visit and a new beginning in China-Philippines relations," the foreign minister said. China's ambassador to Manila, Zhao Jianhua, said last Friday a budding bilateral friendship could boost chances of removing one of their biggest bones of contention in the South China Sea. But on Sunday, Duterte said he would raise the Hague ruling and vowed not to surrender any sovereignty, comments that will not sit comfortably with Beijing. Philippine Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio warned that Duterte could be impeached if he gives up the country's sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal, according to Philippine media. China's objective is to jointly develop resources in the South China Sea with its neighbours, said Lu Xiang, an international relations expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think-tank. "Disputes with any neighbour are not conducive for China," he said, when asked what China wanted in exchange for any concession to Duterte. France wants progress on disengagement, Donbass at Ukraine summit PARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - France said on Tuesday a summit in Berlin to put peace accords on Ukraine back on track needed to establish a calendar for elections in the Donbass region and get agreements to pull government and separatist troops back from more zones. "We need to get Ukraine and the Russians to go further in (military) disengagement ... to show sincerity," Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said ahead of a meeting in Berlin on Wednesday. Russian missile transfer an aggressive move - Lithuania president HELSINKI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Russia's transfer of nuclear-capable missiles to its western outpost of Kaliningrad this month was an aggressive move against the whole of Europe, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said on Tuesday. The presence of Iskander-M missiles in the Kaliningrad enclave between NATO members Lithuania and Poland means the western military alliance should seek greater security cooperation with non-members Sweden and Finland, she said. Russia has said the transfer of the missiles was part of routine drills. Some modifications of the Iskander can hit targets 700 km (450 miles) away. Russia and NATO are both building up their military capability across eastern Europe, spurred by the conflict in Ukraine which has prompted officials on both sides to talk of the risk of a new, Cold War-style confrontation. "Knowing that Iskanders are not defence but offence equipment, that means an aggressive, open demonstration of power and aggression against not the Baltic states but against European capitals," Grybauskaite said at a news conference after meeting her Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto. "What is important today for all of us is to have deep comprehensive partnership with non-NATO members Finland and Sweden... What matters is not the memberships, but real cooperation," she said. NATO launched its first annual naval exercise with Finland last June. Niinisto, noting his country has a large conscription army, said Finland was keeping the door open for possible NATO membership, while it also seeking to reduce tensions in the Baltic Sea area. AIG to sell some Latin America, European units to Canada's Fairfax Oct 18 (Reuters) - U.S. insurer American International Group said on Tuesday it would sell some businesses in Latin America and central and eastern Europe to Canada's Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd for about $240 million in cash. AIG, which has been under pressure from shareholders including billionaire Carl Icahn to slim down, said it would sell commercial and consumer insurance operations in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela and Turkey. Fairfax will also acquire renewal rights for a portfolio of business written by AIG's central and eastern European operations, AIG said. French police stage impromptu protest after violence against officers PARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Hundreds of French police officers staged an unauthorised protest overnight in Paris against anti-police violence, driving their vehicles down the Champs Elysee boulevard with sirens and flashing lights. French security forces are already under immense pressure following a string of deadly Islamist militant attacks in the past 18 months. Police say they face staff and equipment shortages, and are frequently forced to work overtime. Police unions complained angrily a week ago about the risk of being sent into gang-ridden "no-go zones" after two officers were injured in a petrol bomb attack on their patrol car in notoriously crime-ridden zone 30 km south of Paris. Local TV channels LCI and BFM TV broadcast interviews with the police officers who said they had decided to organise the protest spontaneously, without official backing of their labour unions. Their job was becoming impossible, the officers, whose identities were concealed, told the television stations. National police director Jean-Marc Falcone condemned the protest action in a statement on Tuesday. "Police officers cannot transgress the responsibility their status imposes and which underpins the legitimacy of their police and public service mission as well as the laws of the republic," Falcone said. An internal investigation will establish who was responsible, he said. The government of Socialist President Francois Hollande, who faces presidential and legislative elections in the first quarter of 2017, has started restoring thousands of police posts axed by former President Nicolas Sarkozy. Iran sentences two U.S. citizens to 10 years in prison By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI/WASHINGTON Oct 18 (Reuters) - An Iranian court has sentenced an Iranian-American businessman and his elderly father to 10 years in prison on charges of cooperating with the United States, Iranian media reported on Tuesday, the latest sign of an intensifying crackdown against Iranians with ties to the West. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in October 2015 detained Siamak Namazi, a businessman in his mid-40s with dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship, while he was visiting family in Tehran. The IRGC in February arrested his 80-year-old father, Baquer Namazi, a former Iranian provincial governor and former UNICEF official who also has dual citizenship. Both men were sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying and cooperating with the U.S. government, said Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, according to the Fars news website, without specifying when exactly the sentences had been handed down. The U.S. State Department's deputy spokesman, Mark Toner, said the father and son had been "unjustly detained" in Iran, and called for their immediate release. The sentences were the latest against dual nationals directed by hardliners who are powerful in Iran's judiciary and security forces, in the aftermath of Iran's historic nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers last year. Washington and Tehran have not had formal diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed shah. Babak Namazi, Siamak's brother and Baquer's son, called the sentences unjust. "My father has been handed practically a death sentence," Babak Namazi said in a statement. Baquer Namazi has a serious heart condition and other medical issues requiring special medication, his wife wrote on Facebook in February. On Tuesday, UNICEF called for his release on "humanitarian grounds." Baquer Namazi previously served as UNICEF's representative in Somalia, Kenya and Egypt. He also ran Hamyaran, an umbrella agency for Iranian non-governmental organisations. Siamak Namazi, who was born in Iran and educated in the United States, worked as a business consultant in Iran for several years, and was well-known in Washington circles. He most recently worked for Crescent Petroleum, an oil and gas company in the United Arab Emirates. Mizan, the Iranian judiciary's official news site, published on Sunday video images of Siamak, set to dramatic music and spliced together with images of U.S. President Barack Obama and Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who was released from an Iranian jail in January after more than 18 months in detention. The video showed Siamak's U.S. passport and identification card from the United Arab Emirates, where he previously lived. It then showed him standing and holding his arms outstretched, as if being searched, while being filmed by at least one other cameraman. The website said the video depicted "the first images of the moment of Siamak Namazi's arrest." The father and son were each given a single court session lasting a few hours before the sentences were given, Babak Namazi's statement said. HARDLINE BACKLASH Iran's deal with world powers lifted most international sanctions and promised Iran's reintegration into the global community in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. The potential detente with the West has alarmed Iranian hardliners, who have seen a flood of European trade and investment delegations arrive in Tehran to discuss possible deals, according to Iran experts. Security officials have arrested dozens of artists, journalists and businessmen, including Iranians holding joint American, European or Canadian citizenship, as part of a crackdown on "Western infiltration." Four other Iranian-Americans, including Rezaian, were released from Iranian prisons in January as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. The arrests have undermined Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's goals of reviving Iran's business and political ties with the West, as well as pushing for more political and social reforms at home, Iran experts and observers said. Some Taliban officials say secret Afghan peace talks held in Qatar ISLAMABAD, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Two Taliban officials said on Tuesday that the militant movement held informal, secret peace talks with the Afghan government earlier this month in Qatar, but a Taliban spokesman denied they took place. The Afghan Taliban officials, based in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the talks had yielded little. They added that U.S. officials were part of the process, although they did not specify whether they were directly involved in the talks. Afghan and U.S. officials demanded that the Taliban declared a ceasefire, laid down arms and started formal peace talks, said the UAE-based official. In response, he said, Taliban officials demanded that the group be officially recognised as a political movement, its leaders' names be removed from a UN blacklist and all prisoners be released. "Like our previous meetings, it was a waste of time and resources, as we could not achieve anything from the meeting," said the UAE-based official. Mark Toner, deputy spokesman at the State Department, said the United States supported a negotiated settlement to the Afghan conflict, but declined to comment on the reported talks. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed reports of the meeting, saying they were propaganda aimed at creating divisions within the insurgency. He was responding to an article earlier on Tuesday by Britain's Guardian newspaper that cited anonymous sources saying the Taliban had held two rounds of discussions, some of which included U.S. officials. According to the Guardian, the officials said the talks were attended by Mullah Abdul Manan, brother of the Afghan Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, who died in 2013. A spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani would not confirm or deny any recent talks in Qatar when asked by Reuters, but added: "We will use all possible ways in order to reach a lasting peace in the country". Previous Pakistan-brokered peace talks have yielded little progress, and ground to a halt when news of the death of Mullah Omar was confirmed in 2015. Efforts to revive the talks collapsed when the United States killed former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistan in May. Under new Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, fighting has raged across Afghanistan, with the Taliban attacking the northern city of Kunduz and threatening Helmand's provincial capital Lashkar Gah in the south. No Pakistani official took part in the latest talks, according to the Guardian. Relations between the governments in Kabul and Islamabad have deteriorated over the past year, with Afghanistan and the United States accusing Pakistan of harbouring the Taliban and not doing enough to bring the group to the negotiating table. Inter-ethnic violence kills over a dozen in southeastern Congo KINSHASA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - More than a dozen people have died since the weekend in fighting in southeastern Congo between Bantus and Pygmies, local activists said on Tuesday, in the latest escalation in a bloody three-year ethnic conflict. The Luba, a Bantu ethnic group, and the Twa, a Pygmy people who inhabit the Great Lakes region, have been in conflict since May 2013 in Democratic Republic of Congo's Katanga region, known for its rich deposits of copper and other metals. The violence, which has killed hundreds of civilians, has been fuelled by social tensions between Bantu villagers and the Twa, a hunting and gathering people who have long been denied access to land and basic services. David Ngoy Luhaka, a local priest and member of the Diocesan Commission for Justice and Peace, told Reuters that at least 16 people had been killed in fighting since Sunday and many houses were burned near the town of Kabalo, about 1,000 kilometres northwest of Congo's mining hub of Lubumbashi. Ngoy said it was unclear what sparked this round of violence in the remote area. Rogatien Kitenge, an advocate for Pygmy rights in the provincial capital of Kalemie, said he had received reports of between 13 and 16 people killed in tit-for-tat attacks between the two groups. The provincial governor could not immediately be reached for comment. Experts say security and humanitarian needs in Congo's southeast have largely been neglected as foreign donors and U.N. troops focus on the eastern Kivu provinces and Ituri province further north, which have been ravaged by two decades of deadly conflict. Netflix's big bet on original shows finally seen paying off By Tenzin Pema Oct 18 (Reuters) - Netflix Inc's shares jumped 20 percent on Tuesday - on track for their best day in more than three years - as original shows helped the company add far more subscribers than expected in the third quarter. The boom in subscriber additions, coming off disappointing second-quarter subscriber growth, allayed some concerns about the company's expensive bet on producing original content such as the Winona Ryder-starrer sci-fi series "Stranger Things". Wall Street analysts scrambled to bump up their price targets on the stock, with most of them praising the company's focus on developing original content. Netflix's shares were up 18.9 percent at $119.40 in midday trading, adding about $8 billion to the company's market value. The video streaming company also said it was getting ready to spend $6 billion on content next year, up $1 billion from 2016. "The benefits of NFLX-produced original content including attractive economics and greater control are clear and we believe returns on original spend are high," J.P. Morgan Securities analyst Doug Anmuth said in a research note. Anmuth said he believed Netflix was on track toward 60 million plus subscribers in the United States and about 100 million internationally by 2020. Some analysts, however, sounded a note of caution about the company's lofty valuation and its ability to sustain its pace of growth. "Netflix continues to spend exorbitantly for original and exclusive content, while international profitability remains elusive and competition for both content and subscribers is becoming more fierce," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said. "In addition, cash burn is unacceptably high, and we are skeptical that the company can successfully build a content library that will justify its high level of spending." Netflix, whose competitors include Hulu and Amazon.com Inc, said on Monday it expects a higher free-cash-flow burn at $1.5 billion in 2016 as producing original content consumes more cash up front. The company's stock trades at 131 times forward earnings. SURGE IN SUBSCRIBERS But most analysts remained bullish about Netflix and its ability to woo subscribers with its original content. At least 16 brokerages, including Goldman Sachs and RBC Capital Markets, raised their price targets on the stock. "We believe Netflix is still quite early in penetrating international markets, and its content strategy seems poised to help subscriber growth," Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Graham said. The second season of "Narcos", a Netflix original show on Colombian druglord Pablo Escobar, has proved highly popular, following up on the success of "Orange is the New Black" and "House of Cards". The company plans to launch "Crown", a show about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, next month. Netflix plans to release more than 1,000 hours of original programming in 2017, up from 600 hours this year. The company added about 3.20 million subscribers internationally in the third quarter, compared with the 2.01 million average analyst estimate. In the United States, Netflix added 370,000 subscriptions, compared with analysts' estimate of 309,000, according to research firm FactSet StreetAccount. "This is unprecedented growth that should drive a substantial improvement in the breadth and depth of content on the service, which should provide a tailwind to subscriber growth in 2017," said Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves. Pennsylvania town's mayor quits after racist anti-Obama posts Oct 18 (Reuters) - The mayor of a small Pennsylvania town is resigning after sparking outrage by posting images on his Facebook page comparing President Barack Obama and his family to apes and referencing a noose. The council of the borough of West York, located about 100 miles (160 km) west of Philadelphia, voted unanimously on Monday to accept Mayor Charles Wasko's offer to step down, council President Shawn Mauck said. Wasko's resignation will become effective on Oct. 21, and Mauck will fill out the rest of the mayor's term, which runs until Dec. 31, 2017, Mauck said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. Wasko could not immediately be reached for comment. Wasko had resisted calls to step down earlier this month, after he was accused of racism for the images on his page. The West York Borough Council voted 7-0 on Oct. 3 to censure him over the posts. Mauck said he feared the episode had damaged the community's economy and that he wanted to repair its reputation. "We're going to move forward together to do everything we can to help the community heal," he said. Wasko posted an image in June of five orangutans in a wheelbarrow with the caption, "Aww... moving day at the Whitehouse has finally arrived." Another image showed actor Clint Eastwood holding a noose in a scene from a Western movie. The image carried the caption, "Barry, this rope is for you. You wanna bring that empty chair over here!" Obama used Barry as a nickname when he was young. Nooses were used for decades in the lynchings of black people by white supremacists in the segregated U.S. South. There have been other instances across the country of public officials spreading racist images and jokes since Obama took office in 2009 as the first black U.S. president. For example, a federal judge in Montana retired in 2013 after acknowledging that he had used court email to circulate a racist joke about Obama. German police deployed in western town after shooting - TV BERLIN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - German police deployed on Tuesday in the centre of the western town of Dueren after a shooting incident was reported at a hair salon, Germany's n-tv television channel reported. Police have blocked off roads leading to the town's centre, where at least one shot was heard. It is unclear if there are any deaths or injuries, n-tv added. The motive of the shooting is also unknown. Police in the town could not be reached for comment. Shelves go bare in Egypt as soaring sugar prices catch government off guard By Eric Knecht and Arwa Gaballa CAIRO, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Borrowing a cup of sugar from your neighbour has rarely been so contentious in Egypt. At supermarkets across the country sugar has all but vanished, prompting media talk of a crisis and pushing the state to rapidly increase imports despite an acute dollar shortage and soaring global prices of the sweetener. Egypt consumes around 3 million tonnes of sugar annually but produces just over 2 million tonnes, with the gap filled by imports, usually between July and October when local beet and sugar cane supplies have wound down. But traders said high global sugar prices, which surged 50 percent over the past year, combined with a rising black market rate for dollars has made it too expensive and risky for many importers to obtain sugar in recent months. Importers have no choice but to turn to the black market to get dollars, as banks ration meagre supplies, paying 15 Egyptian pounds or more per dollar versus an official rate of 8.8. At such rates, more and more traders say they can no longer buy. "No one is willing to source dollars for this. It is way too expensive," one sugar trader said. In the absence of steady imports, sugar supplies have all but dried up, shop owners, commodity traders, and producers of sugary foodstuffs told Reuters. "It's been four weeks since we've had sugar at any of the branches," said Aly Ibrahim Aly, a manager at Metro Market, one of Egypt's largest supermarket chains. Other shops across Cairo told Reuters they were getting just a small fraction of their needs, with stocks sold out within the hour they arrive as customers fight over bags that have doubled in price in recent weeks. "I just want to make a cup of tea and I can't," one shopkeeper said. He echoed growing complaints from the public about rising prices and shortages even as the country looks to implement further austerity measures ahead of a $12 billion IMF lending programme granted preliminary approval in August. BLANK CHEQUE Traders describe the current sugar shortage as partly self-inflicted, the result of delayed government reaction to conflicting policy pronouncements. The Ministry of Supply said in June that the country had sugar reserves to satisfy demand for a year. In August, it reneged, saying it needed 500,000 tonnes to make it until February, the start of the next harvest. An arm of the supply ministry bought around 225,000 tonnes of sugar in August from state-owned factories, earmarking for government outlets stocks that normally supply the private sector, traders told Reuters. The private sector has struggled to procure adequate quantities since then. "All the sugar is being dedicated to the government subsidy programme and nothing is going to the private sector," the sugar trader said, referring to government-run supermarkets that sell subsidised sugar. "One company basically offered us a blank cheque and said do whatever it takes to get it," he added. Ultimately they couldn't find any, he said. Egypt's state grain buyer GASC has issued several sugar tenders over the past two months, buying about 250,000 tonnes so far. GASC's recent tenders have called for white, as opposed to raw, sugar in order to bypass local refinement and head straight to supermarket shelves. That cuts time but adds an $80-$100 dollar per tonne premium, traders said. Man dies, woman injured after shooting in German town BERLIN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - A man suspected of an apparent criminal shooting in the western German town of Dueren was found dead by police special forces who also rescued an injured woman believed to have been his hostage, a police spokeswoman said. Police had blocked roads leading to the town centre after shots were reported at what German media said was a hair salon. Germany has been on high alert after two attacks this summer claimed by militant group Islamic State. "Police special forces found the body of a man who was seriously injured and later died of his injuries. They also found an injured woman who may have been his hostage," the spokeswoman said. She declined to say if the man had killed himself or whether he had been shot by police. The local prosecutor's office, which has taken over the case, could not be reached for comment. Turkey's EU minister says migrant deal may end without visa liberalisation By Tulay Karadeniz and Tuvan Gumrukcu ANKARA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The European Union should implement visa-free travel for Turks by the end of the year and stop insisting Turkey change its anti-terrorism laws or Ankara may cancel its side of a deal to readmit illegal migrants, Turkey's EU minister told Reuters. Turkey agreed in March to stop illegal migrants from crossing into Greece in exchange for financial aid for those in its care, the promise of visa-free travel for its citizens to much of the EU, and accelerated membership talks. But there has been deadlock over the plan to grant Turks visa-free access to Europe, initially planned by October. Brussels first wants Turkey to change its anti-terrorism law, which it deems too broad for European standards. "Forcing this despite the situation is putting a roadblock in front of the visa liberalisation, and therefore we will assume they aren't keeping the promises they made," Turkey's EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik said in an interview in Ankara. "In that case we won't carry out the readmission deal, and we will cancel it if necessary," he said. Celik said that Turkey had been keeping its promises, with illegal migrant arrivals from Turkish shores to Greece dropping to 20-30 people a day from a peak of 7,000 in 2015. Bulgaria competition watchdog fines Telenor for misleading customers SOFIA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's competition watchdog on Tuesday fined Telenor's Bulgarian business 5.2 million levs ($2.92 million) for misleading customers about its mobile internet service network. The Commission for Protection of Competition said Telenor Bulgaria had told consumers over a period of 10 months from November 2015 that they could upload and download mobile data faster than the company's 4G LTE network was capable of. The Commission said in a statement the company's website said consumers could download and upload content at speeds which did not match the achievable maximum speed of the processing network. Telenor Bulgaria, which has 3.5 million subscribers in the Balkan country, said it was disappointed with the ruling and disagreed with the findings and the imposed sanction. "We are currently reviewing in detail the decision of the Commission and will comment further when this review is completed," Telenor Bulgaria said in a statement. Former Virginia dean accuses Rolling Stone of defamation in trial By Gary Robertson CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Oct 18 (Reuters) - An attorney for a former associate dean of students at the University of Virginia accused Rolling Stone magazine of defaming her in a retracted 2014 story about an alleged gang rape on campus in the first day of a federal court trial. Nicole Eramo, who is seeking $7.9 million in damages, has accused the magazine of painting her as the villain in a story of a freshman named only as "Jackie" who described being sexually assaulted by seven men during a fraternity party. "This case is about a journalistic failure. It's not about rape or sexual assault," Eramo's attorney, Thomas Clare, said in opening statements in federal court in Charlottesville, Virginia. The story, "A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA," set off a firestorm of protests and debate about rape on college campuses, but an investigation by the Charlottesville police found that the attack described never actually occurred. Rolling Stone retracted the article in April 2015, in an embarrassing blow to the magazine founded by Jann Wenner in 1967. Clare accused Rolling Stone of not checking its facts and publishing even when it had questions about the reliability of the primary source of the rape account. Eramo, who now works in an administrative role at the school, testified on Tuesday that Rolling Stone had reported she told Jackie that it was hard to find statistics on the prevalence of sex assault at the school because "nobody wants to send their daughter to the rape school." Eramo denied having said that and said no one at the magazine contacted her to ask. She also said that before the article's publication, Jackie had expressed concerns that it would contain inaccuracies and that her efforts to correct them had been unsuccessful. Rolling Stone's attorney, Scott Sexton, argued that because Eramo was a public figure, the article could not be defamatory unless she could prove that they were made with actual malice. The magazine's staff believed that the story was true when they printed it, he said, admitting that they had put too much faith in Jackie. "It's a case about what was in (their) head," Sexton said of Rolling Stone's staff. "Whether Jackie's rape story was true or false is not the issue." Ukraine says $500 mln World Bank loan guarantee approved for gas buys KIEV, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The World Bank has approved a $500 million loan guarantee for Ukraine that will allow state energy firm Naftogaz to buy gas from Europe this winter, Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk said on Tuesday. This follows a decision by the International Monetary Fund to disburse a third tranche of aid worth $1 billion under a $17.5 billion bailout programme in September. "I welcome today's decision of the Board of the World Bank to provide guarantees for a Naftogaz loan of $500 million for the purchase of gas," Danylyuk wrote on Facebook. "This will allow us to safely get through the heating season." 13 Nigerian soldiers wounded, others missing after Boko Haram clashes ABUJA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Thirteen Nigerian soldiers were wounded in clashes with the Islamist militant group Boko Haram and others are missing, the army said on Tuesday. Army spokesman Sani Usman said the clashes took place at Gashigar, a town in the northeast's Borno state, near the border with Niger. "The troops did their best to defend the location in vain. In the process, 13 soldiers sustained injuries while some are still missing in action," said Usman. He did not say how many were missing. Islamic State (IS), to which the Nigerian jihadists have pledged allegiance, said on Twitter that a total of 20 soldiers from Nigeria and neighbouring Niger had been killed and many others were wounded. Usman denied this. Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency in a bid to create a caliphate in the northeast where a strict interpretation of Islamic laws would be observed. During that time 15,000 people have been killed and two million displaced. It controlled a swathe of land in northeast Nigeria about the size of Belgium at the end of 2014. The Nigerian army, aided by troops from neighbouring countries, has, since early last year recaptured most of that territory. But the group still stages suicide bombings in the northeast, as well as in neighbouring Niger and Cameroon. Divisions within Boko Haram were exposed in August when a new leader of the group was announced by IS only for Abubakar Shekau, the Nigerian jihadist's traditional figurehead, to reject the move in statements circulated on social media. Two factions of Boko Haram -- one loyal to IS and the other loyal to Shekau -- are based in northeast Nigeria. Exxon Mobil to start drilling first Liberia well in November MONROVIA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp will start drilling its first exploratory well off the coast of Liberia in November, the world's largest publicly traded oil company said on Tuesday. "ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Liberia Limited, an affiliate of ExxonMobil, plans to drill a deepwater exploration well on the Liberia-13 Block, located about 50 miles offshore Liberia, beginning in November 2016," a spokeswoman said. Matthew Scharf, Exxon regional public and government affairs adviser, told Reuters it was not known how much drilling would cost or how long it would take. Liberia does not produce oil unlike its eastern neighbour, Ivory Coast, which produces about 53,000 barrels a day, and Ghana, the next country along the West African coast, which pumps about 100,000 bpd. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is in Belgium on an official visit, paid a visit to the production house of the world famous Laurent Gerbaud Chocolatier in Brussels on Monday. Production house owner Laurent Gerbaud welcomed the Prime Minister and the Sri Lankan delegation. On the request of Mr. Gerbaud, the Premier joined him in making chocolate at the shop which was a new experience to the delegation and to himself. Pix by Prime Ministers Media Unit A group of fishermen today held a protest march in Colombo towards the Presidential Secretariat urging the ban of illegal fishing methods. Pix by Kushan Pathiraja The Sri Lanka Customs today destroyed forfeited stocks of ninety kilogrammes of Indian Swiftlets nests and precook feathers at the Madampitiya cemetery. There were about forty kilograms of edible Indian Swiftlets nests, which had been seized during several detections made by the Customs officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) destined to far eastern countries. Birds nests were protected under the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance and the Forest Ordinance. Pix by Kushan Pathiraja The European Union announced in Brussels today that it would provide a sum of Euro 210 million (the equivalent of Rs. 34 billion) to Sri Lanka for its development up to year 2020. A statement issued by the Prime Minister's office said this was twice as much as the aid received during the years 2007 to 2013. European Union is to provide this aid for the establishment of sustainable development, the resettlement of internally displaced persons and the development of poverty stricken areas in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has been commended by the European Union for the progress it has made during the past 21 months. (Yohan Perera) An American plane flown by Soviet forces during the Second World War could one day fly again, after it was crash landed in Siberia in 1947. Captain Maxim Tyurikov brought the plane down after encountering stormy weather and amazingly, there were no casualties among the 32 passengers on board. But nine people, including the captain and two crew members, died as they trekked through icy conditions to find the nearest settlement and rescue the other passengers. Now, the wreckage of the Douglas C-47 is to be recovered in a joint Russian and American expedition and examined in the hope it could be restored to its former glory and flown again. Part of the wreckage includes a message written in indelible ink by the captain, explaining when he took off, crashed, and that there were no casualties. (dailymail) During an official visit to the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) yesterday, Public Enterprises Development Minister Kabir Hashim pledged that the government would not privatise the state-owned insurance giant. There are many misconceptions that my Ministry is all about selling and privatising State assets. This is not the case at all and I want to assure all of you that this organization will not be privatised under this government headed by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Hashim said. He requested all SLIC employees to increase productivity of their services to serve their customers better as well as to compete with the private sector insurers. We plan to increase the profits of the organization by three times within the next few years, he said. Hashim was accompanied by Public Enterprises Development Ministry Secretary Ravindra Hewavitharana and was welcomed by SLIC Chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya and Joint Managing Director T.M.R. Bangsa Jayah. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has informed members of independent commissions that neither President Maithripala Sirisena nor Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had negative attitudes towards any of the said commissions. The Speaker expressed these sentiments and sent an explanation to the commission members in response to an inquiry they have made from him whether the top brass of the government had developed any negative attitudes on the commissions. They had made this inquiry form the speaker as the head of the constitutional councils which appoint members to the independent commissions. He had also informed the commissions that the attitude of the President and the Prime Minister did not differ. Sources close to the Speaker said he had informed that both the President and the Prime Minister were of the view that inflicting undue influence on the members of the independent commissions should not be allowed. He had also informed them to carry out their duties to the best of their abilities. Mr Jayasuriya had assured that he would make sure that the commissions would get all necessary support from everyone. (Yohan Perera) Planters and workers reluctantly agree on Rs.730 daily wage Planters say a better model will be hammered out next time Productivity clause included in the new agreement PA Chairman says new agreement still puts tea industry in jeopardy The Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) which signed the Rs.730 daily wage tripartite agreement with the plantation trade unions and the Sri Lankan government yesterday, said that the agreement was not sustainable, and stressed that a completely different model would be hammered out during the next wage negotiations in two years time. With statutory payments, total wages under the new agreement will be at Rs. 805 per day. An estate worker was previously paid Rs. 620 a day for picking 18kg of tea leaves. However, the workers demanded Rs.1, 000 as daily wage. The trade unions were unhappy to come down, and we were unhappy to go up. This is not a sustainable model, Planters Association of Ceylon (PA) Immediate Past Chairman Roshan Rajadurai told Mirror Business. The newly signed agreement includes a productivity clause as well. The agreement includes Rs.500 in basic wages and a price share supplement of Rs.30, leading to a total guaranteed wage of Rs. 530. A further attendance incentive of Rs 60 will be provided to workers who maintain a minimum attendance of 75 percent, while a new productivity incentive of Rs. 140 will also be provided for workers who obtain the estate/divisional norm, leading to a minimum total wage of Rs. 730, a PA statement added. A worker who plucked 25 kilogrammes of tea leaves could earn as much as Rs. 975 a day, in addition to communist style welfare benefits including education, health and housing provided by the RPCs, which call it a cradle to the grave programme. PA Chairman Sunil Poholiyadde noted that the new productivity-linked model would still put the tea industry in jeopardy. Rajadurai said the next wage negotiations in 2018 would transform the RPC labour into entrepreneurs, with either a revenue share model, or the outgrower model practiced by the smallholders. We signed this with an understanding that in the next round of negotiations we would go for a revenue share or outgrower model, which is sustainable, he said. The labour wages had accounted for almost 70 percent of the production cost of a kilogramme of finished tea in the past. At present, Sri Lankas cost of production rates among the highest in the world at Rs. 575 per kilo, as compared with Rs. 450 per kilo in 2015. Meanwhile, current sales averages at the Colombo Tea Auction for Western High Grown tea stood at around Rs 440 per kilo, the PA statement said. The RPCs have accrued nearly Rs. 15 billion in losses over the past 3 years due to rising labour costs and poor international prospects for tea. Plantation Industries Minister Navin Dissanayake had recently opined that the RPCS should have pushed for a productivity based model several years ago. The National Freedom Front (NFF) today asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to resign from his post because he was the one who was responsible for politicizing the independent institutions including the CID, FCID and the Bribery Commission. NFF media spokesman Mohammed Muzammil told a media briefing that the Presidents statement made on Wednesday had proved that these institutions were working to a political agenda. There is no use of the National Police Commission if the FCID is functioning to satisfy various political forces. These so called independent institutions are not functioning in an independent manner. Therefore, the IGP should resign from his post as he had failed to fulfill his responsibility, said Mr. Muzammil. (Kalathma Jayawardhane) A group of officers from the Police Special Investigations Unit (SIU) today searched UPFA MP Kumara Welgamas residence at Horawala, Mathugama for bulletproof state vehicles. The SIU had launched an investigation based on a complaint that the parliamentarian was illegally keeping bulletproof vehicles at his home. However, Welgamas media secretary said that vehicles belonging to the state were not found by the SIU officers during their inspection. (Bandu Thambavita) A group of artistes, alumni of the Sinhala Cultural Institute widely known as Sudarshiya, today held a protest march starting from the Sudarshiya premises towards the Japanese Embassy in Colombo. The protesters charged that there was an alleged move by the government to sell Sudarshiya to a Non Governmental Organization of Japan named Sasakaawa. (Pix by Nisal Baduge) Sri Lanka has come very close to regaining the GSP plus facility which the country lost in 2010, European Council (EC) President Donland Tusk said on Monday when he met visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. A statement from the Prime Ministers office said Mr. Tusk had informed Mr. Wickremesinghe that the European Council was happy about Sri Lanka moving out of anarchy, dictatorship and ensuring good governance. Against this backdrop the EC Chief told the Sri Lankan Prime Minister that he would support the granting of the GSP plus facility to Sri Lanka Mr. Tusk in his twitter message said EU was looking forward to strengthening bilateral and trade ties with Sri Lanka and would fully back the country on improving good governance and reconciliation. The statement from the Prime Ministers office said Mr Tusk has accepted an invitation extended to him by the Prime Minister to visit Sri Lanka and that he would do so next year. Mr. Tusk is also reported to have told the Prime Minister to focus on stopping illegal immigrants from leaving to Europe. The Premier had informed him that a task force to prevent illegal immigrants would be set up shortly and that it would be set up with the involvement of several ministries including Law and Order, Resettlement, Justice, Department of Emigration and Immigration and the European Commission. (Yohan Perera) Boycott of Chinese items during this festive season has left wholesalers and retailers across the country in a dilemma. Campaign to boycott Chinese products on social media platforms has impacted not only the Delhi markets, but the smaller markets in other states as well. As per indications, as of now, there is an expected decline of about 30 per cent in the consumption of Chinese products on this Diwali compared to last year, said the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). If words and phrases, repartee and rhetoric were to win the day, Indias campaign on terrorism against Pakistan would have achieved its desired result. India ripped apart Pakistan with smart ripostes such as host to Ivy League of terrorism at the UN last month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi deployed the same tactics at BRICS summit in Goa to tear into Pakistan. Calling Pakistan the mothership of terrorism linked to terror modules across the world sounded impressive for sound bite journalism. But Modi appears to have left BRICS leaders unimpressed. As the dust settles on the Goa summit, the governments orchestration of using the BRICS platform to isolate Pakistan has failed. Moreover, Modis loud claim of success has turned out to be embarrassing for the country. Modi erred on three major counts. Firstly, he overplayed the terrorism issue. At almost every session, he single-mindedly pursued his Pakistan agenda, derailing BRICSs own agenda in the process. Secondly, he made the mistake of treating the five-nation grouping of BRICS as a debating club like the UN, which it is not. Soft, smart diplomacy ceded space to overt, unilateral pursuit of Pakistan-centric agenda that was outside the brief of BRICS. Thirdly and most importantly, Modi not only failed to read the mind of the Chinese but also misread the mood of Russian president Vladimir Putin. The result was expected. The Goa Declaration did talk of the menace of terrorism stalking the world in general terms. It addressed the global concern over terrorism, the battle being fought over it in Syria and other West Asian countries. But it omitted mentioning Pakistan, the mothership, in any manner whatsoever. Syria got mentioned because Russia wanted it. Pakistan was omitted because China opposed it. In more than a 100 points of the declaration, 109 paragraphs to be precise, Modi failed to have Pakistan named either in the context of cross-border terrorism or as a state sponsoring terrorism to further his political heft. Xi Jinping snubbed India by talking about addressing the symptoms and root causes of terrorism. (Photo credit: India Today) Even the LeT and JeM, designated as terrorist organisations by the UN, didnt find mention in the teeth of Chinese opposition. Ironically, Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and Jabhat Al Nusra, also designated terrorist outfits like the LeT and JeM by the UN, figured in the declaration. Thats because Russia had its way and China acted in coordination with Russia. China came out all guns blazing in favour of Pakistan and played spoilsport at the summit and later in Beijing. In response to Modis mothership of terrorism remark, the spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry Hua Chunying bluntly told journalists in Beijing that China was opposed to linking any country or religion" with terror. On the contrary, China asked the world to acknowledge Pakistans great sacrifices in combating terrorism. Xi at the meet snubbed India by talking about addressing symptoms and root causes of terrorism. Thats precisely the language Pakistan has been using in reference to Kashmir. The BRICS fiasco is the result of unimaginative and immature diplomacy. Perhaps, its more a result of Modis love for big-stage power play that accords primacy to optics rather than substance and subtle pursuit of national interests. BRICS has turned out to be as dead and irrelevant a platform as SAARC. The South Asian platform had at least one thing in common among all members - geographical proximity that binds the people of the subcontinent together. BRICS members are neither bound by geography, nor culture. BRICS was born with the ambition to emerge as an alternative to the IMF, World Bank-led system that protects and advances the interests of the developed world. As the trade and economic fulcrum began to shift from the developed to the developing world, the notion of emerging markets as pivotal to the new economic order took shape. But it didnt take too long for the rising balloon of emerging economies to burst. India is the only one flaunting rising GDP growth, though a jobless one. China is slowing with a five-times larger economy than India, Brazil is in recession, South Africa is struggling with economic and political crises and Russia is hobbled by US-EU sanctions and low energy prices. Except the New Development Bank that BRICS members set up with headquarters in Shanghai and KV Kamath of India as its first president, there is nothing that this grouping can showcase as achievement in almost a decade of its existence. A proposal was mooted at Goa to set up a credit rating agency to challenge western agencies such as S&P, Moodys and Fitch. But no decision was taken. One is surprised how Modi forgot BRICS is all about economy and trade, investment and infrastructure. The other issues are peripheral to its member countries. How come Modi forgot that Brazil and South Africa face no challenges of terrorism? Russia and China have their own terror-specific challenges but they feel that Pakistan can be their partner, not adversary, in meeting the challenges. India must take the outcome of the BRICS summit in Goa as a wake-up call. China has begun flexing its muscle against India and in favour of ally Pakistan more brazenly than in the past. Russia is well past the "bhai-bhai" stage of the erstwhile Soviet Union. Repeated terror strikes, especially after the Pathankot attack, have turned the residents of towns and villages in Punjab oversensitive. Dozens of incidents were reported during the last one year in which people supposedly saw terrorists attired in an Indian Army fatigue and carrying weapons, but nothing was heard of them thereafter. In fact, in many cases, the probe led to ridiculous findings. For instance, the bag spotted outside a cantonment in Pathankot belonged to a jawan who was posted there. Likewise, an unclaimed bag found on a train in Pathankot in January this year was inadvertently left by a passenger. This particular bag was treated like a bomb and placed under sand bags. When the bomb disposal squad arrived, it found that the bag only contained clothes! In another case, the joint-combing operation launched by the Punjab and Himachal Police failed to trace the four suspicious men spotted near Pathankot last month. The police search led to the discovery of Army uniforms, some of them were even put on fire. Later, Pathankot SSP Rakesh Kaushal revealed that these uniforms were thrown away and destroyed by the Army staff themselves after they got new ones. In January this year, the Army and police combed fields near a cantonment in Pathankot after two suspects were spotted in the area. Such was the panic that an unmanned aerial vehicle was also pressed into service. Air Force Station, Pathankot. (Photo credit: PTI) The results were embarrassing as the terrorists were not humans but a couple of pigs! People also sighted suspected terrorists outside Mohali, Chandigarh and in Ambala cantonment recently. While those spotted in Ambala and Mohali remained a mystery, those traced in Chandigarh were found to be the CISF men who were moving in a vehicle registered in Uttar Pradesh. Two recent terror alerts about the movements of terrorists in cars from Jammu and Kashmir also proved to be a hoax. What has helped create the panic is the easy availability of an Army uniform. For, it's a common knowledge that these uniforms are openly sold by private vendors under the nose of the local administration. Be it the Akhnoor Bazaar in Jammu or the Kabadi Bazar of Ambala, one can buy the complete dress of an Army officer/jawan by just spending Rs 500. It is this easy availability of the Army uniform that makes people believe such terror-related theories. Also, adding to such theories is the fact that the Army and the Air Force base in Ambala has always been on the target of terrorists. Several people have been arrested from the military area on spying charges. Pakistan had also attacked the Ambala Indian Air Force base in 1965 and 1971. Whenever there is a terror alert or an attack, the district administration asks the shopkeepers to maintain a record of people buying Army uniforms. As per the instruction issued by the civil administration, Army personnel buying dress from these shops have not only to write their name but also their mobile number, along with the unit name and number. Now, this is quite sensitive an information to be shared with any civilian. "Which unit is posted where or who is working in a particular unit is very sensitive information. If this information is accessed by the enemy, they can contact the Army personnel buying the uniform and even mastermind a terror attack by fleecing the jawans," says a senior Army officer. While the sale of Army combat uniform continues unabated in the civilian market despite ban, the sensitive security alerts when leaked only benefit anti-social elements. It's time the authorities strictly enforce ban on the sale of Army uniform to civilians. If declarations of commitment, intent and belief that are customarily issued at the end of bilateral or multilateral conferences were to be held up to close scrutiny, most would prove to be not worth the paper they are printed on. This is largely because of the fluff in which lies hidden what is often described as the "sense of the house" - elusive to untrained eyes that are easily distracted by stilted diplomatese. Possibly that's the way it is intended. Purpose So to comb through the lengthy and verbose Goa Declaration issued after the weekend's BRICS summit and look for specifics endorsing India's position, especially on the issue of transnational and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, would be akin to missing the woods for the trees. Or, to put it more bluntly, it would be silly. The main purpose behind Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to come together on a common platform was to jointly pursue, to the extent possible, the goals of emerging economies. To facilitate that objective, BRICS was to create an alternative to the antiquated Bretton Woods financial architecture that does not quite meet the needs of these five countries representing 50 per cent of the global population and 25 per cent of the world's GDP. Masood Azhar. (Photo credit: PTI) Everything else, especially collaboration on geopolitical and geostrategic issues, was and remains no more than dressing on the salad. Each of the member-states has its own national and regional concerns; their national interests do not coincide; and, multilateral action is not necessarily the sum total of bilateral relations. So to presume that Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, like Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley and Lauderdale, would think and act like a cabal, united in ideology and purpose within the larger global council of states, would be entirely misplaced. As would be to attach extraordinary importance to the Goa Declaration in determining who stands with India in its opposition to Pakistan's use of cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy. Declaration The Goa Declaration stating, "We strongly condemn the recent several attacks, against some BRICS countries, including that in India" is, frankly, as meaningless as "We are deeply concerned about the situation in the Middle East and North Africa." The strange phraseology "recent several attacks" is sufficiently vague not to pin accountability on the attacker, just as expressing concern over "Middle East and North Africa" is vacuous moralising. Russia and China, let us not forget, have more than a finger in the MENA pie; Brazil, India and South Africa have no role in either exacerbating or taming the situation, much as all three of them may want to see an end to the conflict and death of the Islamic State. On the other hand, it is only to be expected that China would at best allow the mention of "recent several attacks" and not the specifics of those attacks. It has too heavily invested in Pakistan to deviate from stated positions like blocking the listing of names like Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed in the UN Security Council. Isolation Chinese intransigence and Russian hazing need not deter us from forcefully and forthrightly stating our case. Prime Minister Narendra Modi did precisely that, mincing no words in describing Pakistan as the "mother-ship of terrorism". At every bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS and BIMSTEC conferences, he drove home the point. This was in continuation of India's aggressive stance after the Pakistan-sponsored attack on the Indian Army base in Uri. Since then, New Delhi has sought to isolate Islamabad with commendable success. The collapse of SAARC is the most visible impact. Less visible is the gathering revulsion towards Pakistan among its benefactors, most notably America. China is an exception. These are still early days in New Delhi's attempt to forge a regional and larger global coalition that would hopefully force Pakistan to abandon its policy of inflicting a thousand cuts on India. There is no guarantee that this effort will yield immediate results, there never was. Used as the world is to an India willing to compromise its national interest to accommodate Pakistani belligerence, it will take time to convince others that it is a new India, a resolute India, not the artificially projected limp-wristed caricature they have dealt with till now. Looked at from this perspective, the Goa Declaration may not be brimming with support for India against Pakistan; it is not a washout either. India has begun to speak up and speak out. Sooner or later India's voice will resonate - if not in Beijing then in other capitals of the world. While the jurys out on the pros, cons and everything else about the ban on Pakistani actors from Bollywood, as well as the surgical strikes, no one seems to be talking about the venom-spewing Pakistani ambassador to India, Abdul Basit. Its strange that he, from time to time, and that too frequently makes provocative statements, only to be summoned to the external affairs ministry and given a dressing down (over tea and biscuits, of course). Not only that, the Srinagar to Muzaffarabad (in PoK) bus route, which had been suspended for nearly three months in the wake of the Burhan Wani killing, was reopened immediately after the Indian Armys cross-border operation. This happened at the height of charges and counter-charges being hurled across the border. I have always held the view that we do not need Pakistani actors in India. We have enough talent in India, with hundreds of thousands arriving each day in Mumbai to make it in the glitz and glamour of Bollywood. At the same time, we do not need the Pakistani ambassador. We also do not need the train or the bus. We do not need pilgrims coming from that country. We do not want them to take advantage of our medical facilities. In a nutshell, we do not need Pakistan, its people or have anything to do with the country. Ambassador Abdul Basit has been spewing venom. (Photo credit: India Today) The border should be sealed, the ambassador shunted out, the train and the bus stopped and the so-called ceremony at Wagah cancelled. We should not have anything to do with Pakistan at any level. We do not need them; they need us. They need our medical facilities, our goods, our services, our trains, buses and everything else. So why are we soft"? Beats me. We have never been friends with Pakistan. Nor will we ever be. The Pakistani army will make sure that the status remains. Once we take these drastic steps, this mothership of terrorism will be brought to its knees. I have to admit, Amsterdam has never really been on my travel bucket list. Ive heard its really fun and a great place to go for a short excursion, but I didnt know much about it. SO, when Haley, Marissa and I opted to visit the Netherlands instead of Paris, we were all thinking, well see how this goes! I was completely blown away by the charm of Amsterdam. We stayed in the recently renovated Pulitzer Hotel, and the decor was incredible. Bicycles are such a huge method of transportation in this city (as in there are over 800,000 bikes in the city), and I love how they incorporated them into the design we even had one hanging from the ceiling in our room! The hotel is beautiful, has great food and the staff is so helpful. I even left my sunglasses in one room of the hotel and realized the following day. I asked the front desk and within minutes, they had handed me my sunglasses. SO, I will break down our trip the same way I did with yesterdays London guide! Sightseeing: Bicycle Rental: I am thankful beyond words that we chose to rent bikes for our two days in Amsterdam. This is how everyone gets around here, and you can see so much more when youre traveling by bike! We used Green Budget Bikes and had a great experience. Anne Frank House: I would really encourage you to buy tickets in advance so you can avoid the lines, but this is an absolute must. I was moved to tears walking through the attic where Anne Frank wrote in her diary and hid with her family for years during World War II. The audio tour is incredibly moving, and now I want to reread the book! Van Gogh Museum: I confess, we ended up biking around the Van Gogh museum but decided not to pay for tickets and I regret it. Ive heard this museum is amazing, and my mom is such a fan of Van Gogh. Its probably my biggest regret from the trip! Canal Tour: There are more canals in Amsterdam than Venice, Italy who knew!? We took a boat tour through the canals and it was breathtaking. Some boat tours even offer dinner I think that would be so fun! Red Light District: So this area is definitely the sketchy part of town but we felt like we had to see it right? We biked through and didnt spend much time here. It almost reminded me of an even more amped up version of Bourbon Street in NOLA. So Id recommend briskly walking through to check it off your list but its not going to change your life. Eating: Pause: We ended up eating at our hotel restaurant twice because it was so good. Maybe the best hot chocolate Ive ever had! The Pancake Bakery: You can expect lines out the door everyone recommends this place! SkyLounge: we had dinner and drinks here and you can see the most insane view of the city. If you can get here for sunset, all the better! Shopping: The Nines: there are 9 narrow streets together in Amsterdam with lines of shops, hot chocolate and the best of window shopping. We had so much fun walking around the area! Consignment Shops: while biking around, we popped into a few designer consignment shops that had Hermes scarves, Chanel boy bags and plenty of vintage Burberry coats. There scattered throughout the main town, so if you see them while perusing, you should definitely pop in! sweater | denim | similar scarf here and here | similar ballet flats | bag | sunglasses similar dress here and here | boots | sweater | bag | sunglasses Do you have any favorite spots in Amsterdam? We were only there for a little over two days, so I know there is so much more we could have seen if we had stayed longer. Ultimately, it was such a surprise little city, and between you and me, I think I may have even enjoyed it more than London. Who knew!? Thanks so much for reading! XO Cenovus Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in Canada, the United States, and the Asia Pacific region. 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LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES CHILE LIMITADA, NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO INVESTMENTS U.K. LIMITED, NALCO ISRAEL INDUSTRIAL SERVICES LTD, NALCO ITALIANA HOLDINGS S.R.L., NALCO ITALIANA MANUFACTURING S.R.L., NALCO ITALIANA SrL, NALCO KOREA LIMITED, NALCO LIMITED, NALCO MANUFACTURING BETEILIGUNGS GMBH, NALCO MANUFACTURING LTD., NALCO NETHERLANDS B.V., NALCO OSTERREICH Ges m.b.H., NALCO OVERSEAS HOLDING B.V., NALCO PAKISTAN (PRIVATE) LIMITED, NALCO PHILIPPINES INC., NALCO PORTUGUESA (QUIMICA INDUSTRIAL) UNIPESSOAL LDA, NALCO PWS INC., NALCO SAUDI CO. LTD., NALCO TAIWAN CO. LTD., NALCO TWO INC., NALCO U.S. HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO UNIVERSAL HOLDINGS BV, NALCO WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, NALTECH INC., NANOSPECIALTIES LLC, NLC PROCESS AND WATER SERVICES SARL, Nalco (BN) SDN BHD, Nalco (China) Environmental Solution Co. Ltd., Nalco Anadolu Kimya Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Nalco Canada ULC, Nalco Company LLC (1), Nalco Contract Operations LLC, Nalco Deutschland Manufacturing GmbH, Nalco Japan G.K., Nalco Libya, Nalco Middle East FZE, Nalco Polska Sp. z o. o., Nalco Production LLC, Nalco Real Estate GmbH, Nalco Schweiz GmbH, Nalco US 1 LLC, Nalco Wastewater Contract Operations Inc., Nalco Water India Private Limited, Nalco Water Pretreatment Solutions LLC, Nalco Worldwide Holdings S.a.r.l./B.V., National Wiper Alliance Inc., Nigiko, Nuova Farmec S.r.l., Oksa Kimya Sanayi A.S., Oy Ecolab AB, PT Ecolab International Indonesia, PT Ecolab Technologies and Services, Purate business - AkzoNobel, Purolite, Purolite (China) Co. Ltd., Purolite (Int.) Ltd, Purolite (Pty) Ltd, Purolite AG, Purolite GmbH, Purolite Ileri Kimyasal Ticaret Ltd, Purolite KK, Purolite LLC, Purolite Ltd, Purolite NZ Limited, Purolite Private Limited, Purolite Pte. Ltd., Purolite Pty Ltd, Purolite S. de R.L. de C.V., Purolite SAS, Purolite SRL, Purolite do Brasil Ltda, Purolite s.r.o., Purolite sp. z o.o., Purolite C Corporation, QazSorbent LLP, Quantum Technical Services LLC, Quimicas Ecolab S.A. de C.V., Quimiproductos S.A. de C.V, RP Adam Ltd, Research Fumigation Co., Royal Pest Solutions, Shield Holdings Limited, Shield Medicare Limited, Soluscope International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Soluscope SAS, Swisher Hygiene, TechTex Holdings Limited, Technical Textile Services Limited, Terminix, Ultrafab, VanBaele Hygiene AG, Wabasha Leasing LLC, Zhe Jiang Purosoft Home Appliances Sale Co Ltd, and vanBaerle Hygiene AG. Read More This is a current list of the top 250 companies by market capitalization on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Learn more . The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is one of the largest, and most recognizable, stock exchanges in the world. The NYSE is in New York City, New York at 11 Wall Street. The NYSE has been in existence since the earliest days of the United States becoming a nation, in 1792 and is primarily made up of blue-chip companies with large market capitalizations. In fact, many of the stocks that make up the Dow Jones Composite Index (i.e. The Dow) are listed on the NYSE. This article gives a brief history of the New York Stock Exchange. In addition, it covers topics such as what kind of stocks trade on the exchange, what are the listing requirements, how trading is performed, and what the daily price movement of the NYSE tells investors about investor sentiment. What Were the Origins of the NYSE? Today, the New York Stock Exchange is known as the center of the financial universe. However, the exchanges origin is far more humble. On May 17, 1792, 24 stockbrokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement creating a centralized exchange to help provide order to the securities market in what was still a young nation. The "Buttonwood Agreement comes from the tree of the same name under which the founders signed the agreement. An initial benefit of the exchange was how it removed the need for auctioneers when trading commodities like wheat and tobacco and to set a commission rate. The exchange initially focused on government bonds. However, the exchange had no formal home. Business was usually conducted informally in the local coffeehouses. In 1817, the exchange changed its name to the New York Stock & Exchange Board which later became the New York Stock Exchange. At this time, the exchange adopted a constitution that set the rules for trading. A group of stockbrokers met twice a day at 40 Wall Street to trade 30 stocks and bonds. Over time, the exchange moved became the financial hub of the country and moved to its current location in 1865. What Kind of Stocks Trade on the NYSE? As of June 2022, the NYSE includes approximately 2,400 companies with a market capitalization of over $28.2 trillion. Although the NYSE trades stocks of all market capitalizations, its best known for trading the stocks of large cap companies. These have the benefit of being mature companies in mature industries. And many of these companies reward shareholders with dividends. However, that also means that many of these companies are better suited for value investors as opposed to growth investors. In bear markets this stability can be a benefit for investors as these stocks tend to perform less bad than more volatile stocks. But in a bull market, these stocks are not likely to provide investors with the growth that they look for. An interesting fact about how the NYSE and NASDAQ operate is that the companies with the five largest market caps on the NYSE are also listed on the NASDAQ exchange. What Are the Listing Requirements For the NYSE? The NYSE has strict guidelines that govern the types of companies that can list on the exchange. Here are the major requirements that all companies must meet: The company must have at least 2,200 shareholders The company must trade over 100,000 shares per month The company must have a market valuation of over $100 million The company must generate more than $75 million in annual revenue However, there is at least one advantage of having such stringent requirements. That is the companies that meet the requirements generally find it easier to get more investors funds when they hold their initial public offering (IPO). Once a company begins trading on the NYSE, it must continue to meet these requirements. If it doesnt it can be delisted. In addition to these requirements, the stock must continue to trade above $1. If the price of a stock drops below $1 for more than 29 consecutive trading days, the stock receives an Initial Price Violation Notice. At that point, the company has 10 days to provide the exchange with a plan for bringing their shares above $1. How are Trades Executed on the NYSE? For over a century, the floor of the NYSE was the place for investors to be. This meant trades were conducted by traders who ran buy and sell orders across the trading floor looking to broker a deal for their clients. But with the birth of the NASDAQ exchange in 1971, the New York Stock Exchange began conducting electronic trading. However, the NYSE continues to conduct trades in an auction style. Brokers purchase stocks on behalf of their clients or firms. Every order features a broker who will enter the order electronically and a specialist who serves as the market maker for that stock. The specialist posts bid and ask prices and manages the actual execution of the trades. And there are still a handful of stockbrokers who still traffic buy and sell orders physically on the floor of the exchange. How Does the NYSE Signal Investor Sentiment? Like its counterpart, the NASDAQ, the NYSE measures the risk appetite of investors. When the NYSE is moving higher over a length of time, it signals that a risk on environment. Conversely when the NYSE moves lower over a significant period, it signals that investors are moving to a risk off position. Some Final Thoughts on the NYSE Financial news networks plan their programming schedule around the opening and closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange. Its still considered a distinguished honor when individuals or groups are invited to ring the opening bell. In fact, Warren Buffett is attributed with saying that in the short term, the stock market acts like a voting machine. A fact that many U.S. presidents will attest to. The NYSE is the oldest and most recognizable of all the stock exchanges. It also has the most stringent requirements for inclusion. And those requirements must be maintained even after a stock begins publicly trading on the exchange. Although the NYSE still has a small in-person Trading Floor, much of the trading is done electronically to provide traders with the speed to execute trades. The Boeing Company is the worlds largest manufacturer of airplanes and commands more than 50% of the market in some channels and categories. The company and its family of subsidiaries design, develops, manufacture, sell, service, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight, and related services worldwide. The company operates through four segments including Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital providing products and services to end-users in 150 countries. Boeing got its start in 1910 when William E. Boeing developed a love for aircraft. Soon after he takes his first plane ride which leads him to build a hangar and begin construction of his first plane. The onset of WWI helped spur the companys growth but business was cut drastically in its wake. The start of WWII was another milestone for the company and one that led to its current position of dominance. The company was incorporated in 1916 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. Boeing employs over 140,000 people in 65 countries making it one of the most diverse employers on the planet. The Commercial Airplanes segment is built around the iconic 7-series which includes the 737, 747, and 787. The segment provides commercial jet aircraft for passenger and cargo requirements, as well as fleet support services for regional, national, and international air carriers and logistics and freight companies. In terms of global volume, the company estimates about 90% of all air freight is carried aboard one of its jets. This segment also includes the Dreamliner family of planes. The Dreamliner is a game-changing airplane for many carriers as it opens up the potential for new one-stop destinations because of its capacity and range. The Defense, Space & Security segment develops and manufactures a range of systems including manned and unmanned aircraft, missiles, missile defense systems, satellites, communications equipment, and intelligence systems for governments. Among the many iconic brands within this segment are the AH-64 Apache, Air Force One, B-52, C-17 Globemaster, Chinook, F/A-18, and the V-22 Osprey VTOL aircraft used by the Marines. The Global Services segment offers a range of products and services that include supply chain and logistics management, engineering, maintenance, upgrades, conversions, spare parts, pilot and maintenance training, technical and maintenance documents, and data analytics to its commercial and defense customers. Boeing is also a leader in innovation, leveraging its many decades and avenues of experience to further aerospace and defense technology. Among the many innovations is the MQ-25 Stingray which will be the worlds first autonomous aircraft. The Stingray is only one of many areas of research that also include drones and undersea vehicles. Global Payments Inc. provides payment technology and software solutions for card, electronic, check, and digital-based payments in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through three segments: Merchant Solutions, Issuer Solutions, and Business and Consumer Solutions. The Merchant Solutions segment offers authorization services, settlement and funding services, customer support and help-desk functions, chargeback resolution, terminal rental, sales and deployment, payment security services, consolidated billing and statements, and on-line reporting services. This segment also provides an array of enterprise software solutions that streamline business operations of its customers in various vertical markets; and value-added services, such as point-of-sale solutions, and analytic and engagement tools, as well as payroll and human capital management services. The Issuer Solutions segment offers solutions that enable financial institutions and retailers to manage their card portfolios through a platform; and commercial payments and ePayables solutions for businesses and governments. The Business and Consumer Solutions segment provides general-purpose reloadable prepaid debit and payroll cards, demand deposit accounts, and other financial service solutions to the underbanked and other consumers, and businesses under the Netspend brand. It markets its products and services through direct sales force, trade associations, agent and enterprise software providers, referral arrangements with value-added resellers, and independent sales organizations. The company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. Its Wealth Management segment provides a suite of advice-based solutions and strategies to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, and institutional clients. The company's Insurance segment offers life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth, annuities, and reinsurance advice and solutions; and business insurance services to individual, business, and group clients through its advice centers, RBC insurance stores, and mobile advisors; digital, mobile, and social platforms; independent brokers; and travel partners. Its Investor & Treasury Services segment provides asset servicing, custody, payments, and treasury services to financial and other investors; and fund and investment administration, shareholder, private capital, performance measurement and compliance monitoring, distribution, transaction banking, cash and liquidity management, foreign exchange, and global securities finance services. The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, advisory services, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Banco Santander-Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides commercial and retail banking products and services in Chile. It operates through Retail Banking, Middle-Market, Corporate Investment Banking, and Corporate Activities segments. The company offers debit and credit cards, checking accounts, and savings products; consumer, automobile, commercial, mortgage, and government-guaranteed loans; and Chilean peso and foreign currency denominated loans to finance various commercial transactions, trade, foreign currency forward contracts, and credit lines, as well as mortgage financing services. It also provides mutual funds, insurance and securities brokerage, foreign exchange, financial leasing, factoring, financial consulting and advisory, investment management, foreign trade, treasury, and transactional services, as well as specialized services to finance projects for the real estate industry. In addition, the company offers short-term financing and fund raising, and brokerage services, as well as derivatives, securitization, and other tailor-made products. It serves individuals, small to middle-sized entities, companies, and large corporations, as well as universities, government entities, and local and regional governments. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated 326 branches, which include 220 under the Santander brand name, 14 under the Select brand name, 7 specialized branches for the middle market, and 22 as auxiliary and payment centers, as well as 1,338 ATMs, including depository ATMs. Banco Santander-Chile was incorporated in 1977 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile. Capital One Financial Corporation was founded in 1988 with the goal of revolutionizing the credit card industry. The companys ground-breaking services were data-driven, opened the doors of credit to millions of people, and today Capital One is one of the worlds largest banks. The companys commitment to connecting people with responsible credit helped to rank it 10th in the US in regard to total assets and 72nd globally. The company has nearly $400 billion in assets in late 2022 and operated a network of subsidiary institutions including Capital One bank. Capital One Financial Corporation is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, and operates a network of branches and offices throughout the US, Canada, and the UK. Capital One Financial Corporation is the holding company for Capital One Bank (USA), National Association; and Capital One, National Association, which provides various financial products and services in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Capital One Financial Corporation operates in three segments: Credit Card, Consumer Banking, and Commercial Banking. The Credit Card segment operates a wide range of revolving consumer credit cards while the Consumer Banking segment offers a range of traditional banking and investment products including auto and home loans, savings, and certificates of deposit. The Commercial segment offers business accounts, financing, commercial and multifamily real estate, and commercial and industrial loans. In the US, the company serves its clients through digital channels, branches, cafes, and other distribution channels located in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and California. Digital services include online accounts, account services, loan applications, and investments. Among the many features of banking with Capital One are fee-free checking accounts, cloud-based financial tracking services, and Capital One Cafes. The company operates more than 40 cafes across the US where anyone, not just account holders, can get a coffee or snack as well as improve their financial education. The cafes are equipped with ample public space, nooks for private work, and even event space for meetings. Capital One continues to advance the digital financial industry to this day. The company was among the first to move its operations to the cloud, doing so in 2012, and it is now developing machine learning, open source, and cloud technology applications to help detect and prevent fraud, secure accounts, and improve banking services. Capital One is committed to aiding the worlds fight against climate change. To that end, it is pursuing several avenues that include influencing its value chain, fostering a sustainable office culture that is in sync with its surroundings, promoting and financing sustainable energy projects, and transparency in regard to its climate goals. Carnival Corporation & plc is a leisure travel company operating a fleet of cruise ships, hotels, and resorts with international destinations. Brands under the Carnival Corporation umbrella include Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America, P&O Cruises, Seaborn, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, and Cunard. The companys goal is to provide extraordinary vacations at an exceptional value. As of 2022, the company laid claim to nearly half of the global cruising market share with several new ships in the works. Carnival Cruise Line was launched in 1972 with one second-hand ship and a tank of fuel. The first port of call was San Juan, Puerto Rico, but soon more were added. The original growth strategy included a festive atmosphere, features and amenities unlike any other cruise line at the time. Slow to start, the growth strategy shifted into overdrive in 1980 when Carnival shocked the world by building its own ship. The Tropicale became an iconic name in the cruising industry and sparked a wave of shipbuilding that is still underway. The companys growth hit a new stride in 1987 following the IPO which floated 20% of the company on the open market. The proceeds from the IPO allowed the company to embark on a voyage of acquisition and now Carnival is the worlds largest travel and leisure business. Today, Carnival Corporations 87 ships visit approximately 700 ports worldwide and employ more than 120,000 people while serving more than 13 million guests annually for a total of 85 million passenger cruise days per year. Net revenue, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, peaked out at over $6.5 billion annually. Carnival Cruise Line is the companys largest brand serving guests on all coasts of North America. The brand's 22 ships make 1500 voyages per year with trips ranging from 2 days to 3 weeks and ports of call from the Caribbean to Alaska. The company's largest ship is named Panorama and can accommodate more than 4,000 passengers. Carnivals 9 brands provide access to a wide range of cruising styles and destinations including the Caribbean, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, England, and ports in Asia. The company is headquartered in Miami, Florida and has offices around the world. The company also has the distinction of being the only company included in both the S&P 500 and FTSE 250 indices. The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen France SAS, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Suzhou Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel Ireland Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Brooks Instrument LLC, Brooks Instrument Shanghai Co. Ltd, Buell Industries Inc., CCI Realty Company, CFC Europe GmbH, CS Australia Pty Limited, CS Mexico Holding Company S DE RL DE CV, Calvia Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnosci, Capital Ventures Australasia S.a r.l, Capmax Logistica S.A. de C.V., Celeste Industries Corporation, Coeur, Coeur Asia Limited, Coeur Holding Company, Coeur Inc., Coeur Shanghai Medical Appliance Trading Co. Ltd, Compagnie Hobart, Compagnie de Materiel et d'Equipements Techniques-Comet, Constructions Isothermiques Bontami C.I.B., Crane Carrier Company, Denison Mayes Group Limited, Despatch Industries, Diagraph Corporation Sdn. Bhd, Diagraph ITW Mexico S. de R.L. De C.V., Diagraph Mexico S.A. DE C.V., Dongguan Ark-Les Electric Components Co. Ltd., Dongguan CK Branding Co. Ltd., Duo Fast de Espana S.A.U., Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd., Duo-Fast LLC, E.C.S. d.o.o., E2M Production B.V.., E2M Technologies B.V.., E2M Technologies Inc.., ECS Cable Protection Sp. Zoo, ELRO Grosskuchen GmbH, ELRO Holding AG, ELRO-WERKE AG, Elro Group, Eltex-Elektrostatik-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Envases Multipac S.A. de C.V., Eurotec Srl, Exhibit 21, FEG Investments L.L.C., Filtertek De Mexico Holding Inc., Filtertek De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Filtertek SAS, GC Financement SA, Gamko B.V., Gun Hwa Platech Taicang Co. Ltd., HOBART Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hartness International, Hobart Andina S.A.S., Hobart Belgium B.V., Hobart Brothers International Chile Limitada, Hobart Brothers LLC, Hobart Dayton Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Hobart Food Equipment Co. Ltd., Hobart International Singapore Pte. Ltd., Hobart Japan K.K., Hobart Korea LLC, Hobart LLC, Hobart Nederland B.V., Hobart Sales & Service Inc., Hobart Scandinavia ApS, Hobart Techniek B.V., Horis, ILC Investments Holdings Inc., ITW AEP LLC, ITW AOC LLC, ITW Aircraft Investments Inc., ITW Ampang Industries Philippines Inc., ITW Appliance Components EOOD, ITW Appliance Components S.A. de C.V., ITW Appliance Components S.r.l.a, ITW Appliance Components d.o.o., ITW Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITW Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd., ITW Australia Pty Ltd, ITW Automotive Components Chongqing Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Components Langfang Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Japan K.K., ITW Automotive Korea LLC, ITW Automotive Parts Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Automotive Products GmbH, ITW Automotive Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Bailly Comte, ITW Befestigungssysteme GmbH, ITW Belgium B.V., ITW Brazilian Nominee L.L.C., ITW Building Components Group Inc., ITW CER, ITW CP Distribution Center Holland BV, ITW CS UK Ltd., ITW Canada Inc., ITW Celeste Inc., ITW Chemical Products Ltda, ITW Chemical Products Scandinavia ApS, ITW China Investment Company Limited, ITW Colombia S.A.S., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Construction Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Construction Products Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Services Manila Inc., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Contamination Control Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Deutschland GmbH, ITW Diagraph GmbH, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EAE B.V., ITW EAE Mexico S de RL de CV, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW EU Holdings Ltd., ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.L., ITW European Finance Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance II Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance III Co. Ltd., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Thailand Ltd., ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France Luxembourg S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW Materials Technology Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Ningbo Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology China Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion Shenzhen Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Illinois Tool Works Chile Limitada, Illinois Tool Works ITW Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Inc., Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, Instron Shanghai Ltd., Instron Thailand Limited, International Leasing Company LLC, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., Itw Spraytec, KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems Canada Inc., Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MTS 2 LLC., MTS 3 LLC., MTS China Holdings LLC, MTS Europe Holdings LLC, MTS Holdings France S.a.r.l., MTS Japan Ltd.., MTS Korea Inc.., MTS Systems China Co. Ltd., MTS Systems Corporation, MTS Systems Danmark ApS., MTS Systems Europe B.V., MTS Systems Finance C.V.., MTS Systems Germany GmbH, MTS Systems Holding B.V.., MTS Systems Hong Kong Incorporated, MTS Systems Limited, MTS Systems Norden Aktiebolag, MTS Systems S.r.l, MTS Systems., MTS Systems.., MTS Sytems Do Brazil, MTS Testing Solutions India Private Limited., MTS Testing Systems Canada Ltd., Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology Suzhou Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited Enping, Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners Shanghai Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., R&D Engineering A/S., R&D Prague s.r.o., R&D Steel ApS., R&D Test Systems A/S., R&D Tools and Structures A/S., RDGDK Engineering Private Limited, Ramset Fasteners Hong Kong Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco Japan Inc., Simco Nederland B.V., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes B.V., Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Hong Kong Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Shanghai Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stokvis Tapes Taiwan Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Tianjin Co. Ltd., Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Subsidiaries, Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek China Limited, Teknek Japan Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Kunshan Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta Global Limited, Vesta Guangzhou Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil South Africa Pty Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, and Zip-Pak International B.V.. Read More Telecom Argentina S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Argentina and internationally. The company offers telephone services, including local, domestic, and international long-distance telephone services, as well as public telephone services; and other related supplementary services, such as call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls, caller ID, voice mail, itemized billing, and maintenance services. It also provides interconnection services, such as traffic and interconnection resource, dedicated Internet access, video signals transportation in standard and high definitions, audio and video streaming, dedicated links, backhaul links for mobile operators, data center hosting/housing services, dedicated links, layer 2 and layer 3 transport networks, video links, value-added services, and other services. In addition, the company offers mobile telecommunications services, including voice communications, high-speed mobile Internet content and applications download, online streaming, and other services; and sells mobile communication devices, such as handsets, Modems MiFi and wingles, and smart watches under the Personal brand. Further, it provides internet connectivity products, including virtual private network services, traditional Internet protocol links, and other products; data services; and programming and other cable television services. The company was formerly known as Cablevision S.A. and changed its name to Telecom Argentina S.A. in January 2018. Telecom Argentina S.A. was founded in 1979 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Charlottesville police have arrested a second person in connection to the slaying of Floyd Randolph Alston Jr., 31, who was shot and killed at his home on South First Street last Novem-ber. Police arrested Pierre Gerard Augustine, 26, of Charlottesville, and charged him with four felonies, including first-degree murder in the commission of an attempted robbery, first-degree murder while in commission of a burglary, burglary while armed with a deadly weapon and attempted robbery. Augustine is being held at Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail without bond and is scheduled to appear in Charlottesville Circuit Court at 1 p.m. Wednesday. Alston was found inside his home by police late Nov. 21 with an apparent gunshot wound in what appeared to be an attempted home invasion. He was later pronounced dead at the University of Virginia Medical Center. The first arrest in this case was made in May. Jordan Jerome Eaddy, a 26-year-old Culpeper resident, is currently awaiting trial. The investigation to this incident is still ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Bradley Pleasants at (434) 970-3280 or Crime Stoppers at (434) 977-4000. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian nominee for president, was at the University of Virginias Miller Center on Monday afternoon for a taping of American Forum. The Miller Center hosted a full house, complete with an overflow room in the lobby, as American Forum host Douglas Blackmon grilled Johnson on the economy, foreign policy and the viability of the Libertarian Party. Johnson said he hopes to make inroads for the party, which he believes would have broader appeal if it had more media exposure. The former New Mexico governor said a fiscally conservative, socially liberal platform might even appeal to the majority of American voters. Sixty percent of Americans are Libertarian and they dont know it, Johnson said. Hes already captured the attention of between 5 percent and 8 percent of voters, according to national polling. Real Clear Politics, which aggregates polling data, puts his average at around 6 percent. Many of Johnsons supporters are hopeful that support will grow after the election. Its all about raising awareness telling people what the Libertarian Party is, what we stand for and showing people that we are a viable option, said Harrison Premen, a first-year UVa student and Johnson supporter. Lining up in front of the Miller Center before the speech, Premen said that even though many voters might like Johnsons message, its difficult to get them on board with the campaign. I feel like many people are open to the idea of fiscal responsibility and social tolerance. Its just that many of them grow up with the two-party system and [the idea] that a third-party vote is a wasted vote, Premen said. During the interview, Johnson laid out his platform. He said hed like to end mandatory sentencing for federal drug crimes and legalize marijuana. He described himself as pro-immigration and said hed like to give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. He talked about replacing income and corporate taxes with a single consumption tax. The national debt now around $19 trillion is one of Johnsons central issues, and he told Blackmon that he and his vice presidential running mate, William Weld, are hoping to cut federal spending by about 20 percent. When Blackmon asked if the reductions also would cut into things such as scientific research, Johnson said the cuts could be made judiciously. Some things work, some things dont, he said. We cut funding for things that dont work, we add to what does work. Later, he said that simply slowing the growth of federal spending by about 2 percent annually, coupled with economic growth, could produce a balanced budget in about five years. Johnson also said hes against minimum wage, which he sees as unnecessary, and Blackmon asked whether the spare approach of a Libertarian could ever alleviate income inequality. Johnson said its not a problem the government can ever solve. Government picks winners and losers, and government can ensure equal opportunity, he said. If thats what youre looking for, then that can be accomplished overnight. Johnson also tried to put to rest the questions surrounding his knowledge of foreign affairs. The candidate has had two moments on live television in which hes blanked on answers to foreign policy questions. In one instance, he said he didnt know about Aleppo, the Syrian city that is a major battleground in the war between government forces and rebels. In another, he couldnt name a world leader he admired. Johnson told Blackmon the U.S. has overextended itself by interfering in conflicts in the Middle East. Attempts to arm the Free Syrian Army, for example, have bolstered extremist groups such as the Islamic State. In my lifetime, I cant think of one instance where we supported regime change and that regime change was positive, he said. Johnsons message resonates with some conservatives who have been alienated by the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, but dont want to vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Nate Sullivan, of Augusta County, said he has voted Republican since 2000, but is planning to support Johnson this year. This cycle has definitely turned me off to a lot of what we see in the GOP, he said. Id like to see it reorganized into more of a Libertarian party. NASA facilities in Hampton and on Wallops Island will take on 23 students from state community colleges each year in 2017 and 2018. Its part of a partnership between the Virginia Community College System and the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, which have agreed to a two-year extension of their partnership. Each year, community college students selected from a pool of applicants work alongside researchers at one of two NASA facilities the Langley Research Center in Hampton or the Wallops Flight Facility. The University of Virginia is part of the Virginia Space Grant Consortium. More information is available at vsgc.odu.edu/STEMtakesFlight. Democratic House of Representatives candidate Jane Dittmar is decrying conservative bloggers reports of a 1999 car crash and charges of drunk driving and non-restraint of a child as an attempt by her opponent to discredit her campaign. Dittmar, who is running against Republican Tom Garrett Jr., R-Buckingham, for the 5th Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep. Robert Hurt, said the accident and court case were resolved without a formal DUI charge. The DUI charge and conviction is mentioned in a LexisNexis background report of Dittmar, and the charge is mentioned in an Albemarle County Police Department response to a conservative blogs Freedom of Information Act request. But there is no record in Albemarle County courts of any formal charge having been filed, no record of a charge being dropped and no record of a conviction. Dittmar said she was charged with and pleaded guilty to reckless driving for the single-vehicle crash, which is backed by court records. Dittmar said neither she nor her attorney at the time of the crash knows how the DUI made it into the record, but said she believes her opponent is using it to harm her reputation in the campaign. Tom Garrett is trying to retry a case that was settled in court over 17 years ago, said Dittmar. Regarding this traffic violation, I was guilty of a traffic accident nothing more, nothing less. My DMV record has never had a DUI violation and I have never been convicted of a DUI violation. Garretts campaign officers said they have no intention of using the information in any campaign effort or advertisement and called the accusation that the Republicans campaign was involved a desperate attempt to implicate the Garrett campaign in this story. A LexisNexis background report conducted by The Daily Progress lists Dittmar as being arrested in Albemarle County in August 1999 and charged with drunk driving. The report indicates she was found guilty of the charge in 2000. That information was circulated by conservative bloggers based on the same background research. A Freedom of Information request filed with Albemarle County police by the conservative blog The Bull Elephant showed that Dittmar, who served as the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce president at the time, also was charged with not restraining a child in the car during investigation of the crash. The police department did not release the accident report when responding to the blogs request, citing exemptions to the open records law for investigative materials and because the report would include names of juveniles who were in the car. The crash, according to the police departments response, occurred on Milton Road. The bloggers reports made the rounds on social media, calling attention to the charges, but no case file or court records of the charges or final disposition could be found in Albemarle County courts. Dittmar said the attorney who represented her in the case, Ron Tweel, confirmed that the background report was in error and that the case did not result in a DUI conviction. Dittmar told The Daily Progress that the accident occurred in the evening on the unlighted back road with narrow or no shoulders when the right wheel of her car went off the pavement and pulled the front fender into a roadside embankment. That impact deployed the cars airbag. Dittmar said she left the car and went home, leaving her information for police who were delayed in getting to the rural area to take a report. When she contacted the police the next day, she said they had filed the DUI charge and the charge of not having a properly secured child restraint. Dittmar said the DUI charge was never prosecuted by the commonwealths attorney because there was no proof that she had been intoxicated. No court record could be found of a DUI charge being officially filed or officially dropped. I was charged with reckless driving because of the accident, and thats what I pleaded guilty to, Dittmar said. We are not sure why a DUI charge appears on the LexisNexis report because that charge was never prosecuted. Dittmar said she believes the Garrett campaign is behind the publicity. Im disgusted that my opponent, who should understand due process, would sink to this level, Dittmar said. People do not expect candidates to lead perfect lives, but they do expect them to learn from their mistakes. I learned my lesson and have not had a traffic accident since before the turn of the century. Andrew Griffin, Garretts campaign spokesman, said he doesnt understand why Dittmar is accusing the Republican candidate. With regard to Ms. Dittmars excuse that her arrest happened before the turn of the century, I would say that during that same time frame, Senator Garrett was honorably serving in the United States Army, Griffin said. I cannot reason as to why she is attempting to change the narrative to sleazy Republicans rather than owning up to her poor choices. Jane Dittmar, the Democratic candidate for Virginias 5th Congressional District, will deliver a statement at the Free Speech Wall on the Downtown Mall on Wednesday to address the recent language, behavior and tone of the campaign. The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Dittmar temporarily shut down her campaigns Facebook page over a series of threats and aggressive language directed toward the campaign and persons involved, according to campaign spokeswoman Genni Cox. Cox cited comments received from across the nation after the campaign posted about a protester, who was legally carrying a firearm and standing outside of Dittmars Fluvanna County campaign office on Thursday. The Facebook page, Jane for Congress, was back up just before noon Tuesday after being down approximately 12 hours. The campaign accounts of Dittmar, who is running against state Sen. Tom Garrett Jr., R-Buckingham, posted on Facebook and Twitter a picture of the protester, his truck and Donald Trump campaign signs outside of the Palmyra office. There is an armed man outside of our Fluvanna office intimidating volunteers - if you feel uncomfortable please contact 911 immediately, Dittmars campaign tweeted Thursday. The man, Daniel Parks, is a Fluvanna County resident and stood outside the office for almost 12 hours to show his support for Trump. The incident received national attention from various media outlets, including The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Esquire and Breitbart News. After the incident gained attention, Cox and Dittmar said the Facebook page began receiving comments and messages that were threatening or aggressive in nature, many using lewd comments directed toward Dittmar and some of the campaigns volunteers who were featured on the pages timeline. Cox said voicemails also were left with the campaigns main office, many of them of a similar nature, from outside of Virginia. Cox saved screenshots of comments and messages left on the Facebook account, as well as transcripts of voicemail messages left for the campaign office. Cox said the level of this type of communication wasnt seen on the campaigns Twitter account, so it was left up while the Facebook page was down. Shortly after the page went back up, the campaign shared a post. Hey, Facebook! You may have noticed we took down our page last night, according to the post. We had to do so because of disgusting and threatening messages weve been receiving. We refuse to be bullied by anyone in our work to get good-paying jobs, solid infrastructure and a clean environment for the people of the Fifth District. Andrew Griffin, spokesman for the Garrett campaign, was contacted for statement, but requests were not immediately returned. Both Dittmar and Cox will speak at Wednesdays news conference, which is expected to start at 11 a.m. Fairness has prevailed for now after a North Dakota judge dropped a misdemeanor riot charge against a journalist. Judge John Grinsteiner said there was no foundation for charging Democracy Now reporter Amy Goodman. The riot charge had been instituted by a prosecutor after a previous misdemeanor trespassing charge was dropped. The prosecutor claimed the reporter was acting like a protester. Ms. Goodman was in North Dakota to report on Sioux protests against a controversial oil pipeline. Because Virginia is in the midst of turmoil over proposed construction of two natural gas pipelines, many local residents have followed the North Dakota case with interest. There are at least two questions regarding the protests that need to be resolved: Were they riots? Law enforcement authorities claim that hundreds of protesters turned violent when they broke through a fence with their dogs and horses and stampeded into the construction area. But authorities must be very, very careful not to use riot laws simply as an excuse to quell protests. Stopping riots? Thats different. Subduing violence? Also different. But protesting has an honorable place in American history. It represents the right of the people to demand a hearing from the powers-that-be. In many cases, protests have been integral in moving justice forward. There is reason to suspect, in a number of cases across the country in recent years, that authorities are failing to respect the legitimate place of protests and instead are using heavy-handed methods to suppress dissent. The same could be said about actions against journalists. Was Ms. Goodman rioting or even protesting? If she were with the Sioux protesters in her capacity as journalist, then her presence could have been misinterpreted as participation in events at least, initially. If the protests moved from outside private property to inside, then she would have had to make a calculated decision on whether to risk a trespassing charge in order to follow the action. Traditionally, such decisions have been an element of investigative journalism. As representatives of the Fourth Estate keeping tabs on government, journalists have often been in places they werent supposed to be in order to report on leaders doing what they werent supposed to do. Its a risky choice that shouldnt be taken lightly and shouldnt be abused. But, like protesting, it has an honorable history. As the Goodman story unfolds, more details may come to light about what happened at the pipeline construction site. But for now, a judges ruling that a riot charge was unjustified hints at the kind of excessive enforcement that weve seen used against journalists in other situations. Those in power dont even want to be scrutinized, much less exposed. All the more reason to keep the spotlight of inquiry trained upon them. HAMBURG - Germany - Bank robbers hoping for a lucrative robbery were shocked to find nothing at the main branch of Deutsche bank. Herman Liepzig and his crew of four bank robbers were left fuming on Monday morning when they raided the Hamburg branch of Deutsche Bank. It was going to be a regular heist. First thing Monday morning. We crashed into the bank and told the cashier to open the vault. There was little or no resistance as the lady just handed over the key and told us to go for it. This bank we know has millions, so we opened the vault, and we only found a few euros. I felt so angry as we had been staking this joint out for weeks. All in all we got away with six euros and forty three cents, a tearful Leipzig told German news channel ZDF. The disappointed robbers were so shocked at the empty bank that they even lent the cashier twenty euros so she could get some food, as she had not had her wages paid for weeks. We lent her some money, she was hungry and on the verge of starvation. I cant believe they treat their employees so badly, another bank robber revealed. The clueless bank robbers vow to prepare their next heist with more intricate planning and this may entail reading the news. We didnt read the news, we just concentrated on the technical details. All we had to do was read the news about Deutsche Bank and we would not have hit it. Im sure my local launderette has more money than that bank. Absolute disgrace, Liepzig added from his hideout. The Hamburg police have said they will not be pursuing the robbers but the CCTV footage was received with great laughter at the station. Hans Gruber, Chief of Police said: When they opened the vault and saw nothing there, it was something out of a comedy show. We Germans do not have a sense of humour but we laughed our fucking faces off at that one. It was like the Keystone robbers, they were running around like headless chickens opening empty boxes. Proactively From the Sea; an agent of change leveraging the littoral best practices for a paradigm breaking six-sigma best business case to synergize a consistent design in the global commons, rightsizing the core values supporting our mission statement via the 5-vector model through cultural diversity. TEXAS - USA - Joan Wilder was the ceremonial priestess present at the birthing of the now President of the United States, George W Bush. She recounts her harrowing tale after many years of silence. The following description is from the harrowing tale of Joan Wilder. She spoke to the Squib from a safe location after many years in hiding. The stories have been corroborated by other ceremonial staff present at the birthing of George W Bush. Be warned some of the descriptions may upset some readers. The birthing chamber described by Mrs Wilder is a dark dungeon beneath the Bush residence and amongst all the ceremonial paraphernalia and remnants of past sacrificial offerings there is a central platform jutting out from the stone floor. The dark and moist walls are decorated with scribblings from the Sumerian script Cuneiform and speak of ancient scriptures long lost in the sands of time. Before the birthing, we prepare the ground for the brood mother by sacrificing a pot bellied pig on the altar, then drinking the blood. We invoke Moloch, then the birthing begins: Barbara Bush straddles the altar and utters a blood curdling banshee scream, the windows judder in unison to this unholy vibration. She lifts her dress exposing her undergarments, their antiquated design of the last century yellow with fluid, easing them down under her hairy varicose veined knees she exhales a gut-blasting fart so almighty that a waft of methane clouds the windows, the noxious fumes heavy particles hang like rain clouds over Nebraska in the winter. Her puckering anus erupts further as her eyes roll back in her head exposing only the whites. Out of her over-stretched balloon knot the beastly chuffs head emerges as her frothing rabid mouth recites ancient incantations at speed. A guttural nonsense low in tone and reminiscent of an animals she exhales. We assist the brood mother by whipping her body with chains until the final grunt. The evil joy is unceremoniously ejected from her puckered arse with an audible popping sound and then a further gaseous fart release. A champagne cork of effluent is released and bubbles cohesively. A wry smile now appears over her brooding face and she coos with delight at the sight of her unholy sh*t covered spawn as it gnashes its sharp teeth. I shall name him George Walker The brood mother is satisfied and proceeds to lick her offspring clean with her hairy rasping tongue. George will be presented to the rest of the brood later on in the evening and the sacrificial celebrations will begin in earnest. Joan Wilders tell-all book Confessions of a Satanic Priestess will be published in August by Macmillan The mecca for champagne socialists everywhere, the Islington champagne socialist distillery will cater for the upwardly mobile socialists who pretend to care, but really dont give a shit for the poor. Our champagne has a distinct taste fermented from the finest grapes imported from France, a particular region where champagne socialists thrive. Francois Hollande, we hear is a big fan, and whilst he sits in the Palais de lElysee he sips our champagne and talks about more socialist reforms and taxation, Chakrabarti told left-wing Fabian rag, the New Statesman. Besides sending her children to 45,000 per term private schools, Chakrabarti lives in a 3.8 million Georgian mansion replete with fine furniture and artefacts from all over the world. Shami Chakrabarti is the epitome of champagne socialism, but what is more troubling to many is how she persuaded someone to breed with her in the first place? She is now sending her brood to expensive private schools. The same children that some man I presume spawned with her. Who the fuck would even try such a thing? We are truly living in an insane world when some jumped up leftie feminist champagne socialist bitch, who frankly looks like an effete man can get knocked up, a man at a bus stop outside Chakrabartis mansion said before six empty buses all turned up at the same time. The next EnVision Bus Read more [...] Wednesday, October 19th 1pm to 3pm for this GPS & McCallie cancer walk through downtown Chattanooga. GPS & McCallie Mission Remission Walk: No road closures, but motorists are advised to watch out for walkers fromfor this GPS & McCallie cancer walk through downtown Chattanooga. Friday, October 21st 4pm to 9pm for this kid's event put on by Olivet Baptist Church. Spiritual Youth Rally : Peeples Street will be closed between MLK Blvd.and E. 10th St. fromfor this kid's event put on by Olivet Baptist Church. Saturday, October 22nd 8am with a water start from downtown Chattanooga and end at Hales Bar Marina. ChattaJack 31 : No road closures, but this paddleboard race will commence atwith a water start from downtown Chattanooga and end at Hales Bar Marina. 11:00am to 1:00pm with detours set up on W. Shepherd Rd. There will be free food, games, and different tables set up with activities for everyone. Shepherd Community Homecoming & Bridge Celebration : There will be a rolling closure along Shepherd Rd., from Tuskegee Blvd., across the Hwy. 153 overpass and ending at the Shepherd Youth & Family Development Center. In addition, Shepherd Rd. will be closed fromwith detours set up on W. Shepherd Rd. : Kirby Avenue will be closed between Hickory St. and Hawthorne St. from 12:00pm to 4:30pm for this block party welcoming new neighbors to the Highland Park area. They will have games, food, bouncy castles, and a dog costume contest. Attendees are encourage to wear costumes, as well. Missionary Ridge Block Party: S. Crest Rd. from Rose Terrace to Sheridan Rd. will be closed from 3pm to 9pm for this neighborhood block party. Detours will be posted. Sunday, October 23rd Global Woman PEACE Foundation in Washington, D.C. recognized Chattanooga native and Gandhi's Be Magazine Editor-in-Chief Missy Crutchfield with a Global PEACE Award in Journalism and Social Media during their annual "Walk to End FGM" events on Saturday. The "Walk to End FGM" is an annual event to raise funds for reconstructive surgeries for survivors of Female Genital Mutilation and also to raise awareness of this global issue impacting girls and women. It is the hope of "Walk to End FGM" organizers that one day in the near future there will be an end to the horrific ritual of FGM, which is a human rights violation. Ms. Crutchfield was interviewed for the Global Woman PEACE Foundation and shared her story of how when her father, the late Ward Crutchfield (who passed earlier this year), was serving as the Senate Majority Leader in the Tennessee Legislature, she played an instrumental role in getting legislation drafted and introduced to make FGM illegal in the state of Tennessee. "When I first heard about FGM I was blown away, and I sort of froze up in horror that this could happen," said Ms. Crutchfield in a blog interview with Global Woman PEACE Foundation. "When I learned about it, it was a pretty graphic experience. And I had some material I was reading as well, and I just could not believe the cutting and I remember seeing the crusty, dirty razor blades and thinking, this is how HIV is spread and other infections and diseases that are happening to these girls; not to mention the horrific pain and experience they have with them the rest of their lives. "So how do we stop this, how do we stop this nightmare of health and human rights abuse? Then I found out FGM is sometimes happening in America, and I thought I can do something about this. At the time, my father Ward Crutchfield was the senate majority leader in the state of Tennessee, and I had come to him with some legislative bills in the past and he would always make me defend them. He also introduced me to people in the Tennessee General Assembly where I had interned, so I could make connections in Nashville and get some advice. I had advocated for some previous bills in the past and had some success, so I came to him with this and said, 'This is unbelievable and theres no reason not to have this bill.' Tennessee needs to send the message across the country, saying 'We don't do this to our daughters or women. FGM needs to be considered a crime in the state of Tennessee and in the country'." Senator Ward Crutchfield agreed to sponsor the bill. Ms. Crutchfield added, "When the bill was getting ready to go to the floor of the state legislature, two of the most powerful African American women, Senator Thelma Harper and the late Speaker Pro Temp Rep. Lois DeBerry marched into Wards Senate Majority Leaders office and said, 'Ward, we love you, but we want to take this bill to the floor.' And he said, 'Absolutely!' I think he was tickled and proud of this moment for his daughter and for all women, girls, as well as the country. The bill was voted unanimously. I later shared a copy of the bill with the domestic violence groups I had met with in the state of Florida and they started working on it as well. The next thing you know, Washington finally got off their hands and passed the bill to protect our women and girls from FGM on a national level. Not long after the FGM bill was passed, I had the opportunity to perform in The Vagina Monologues and also read one of the 'Not-So-Happy' facts for the performance. The 'Not-So-Happy' fact I was given to read was the one about FGM. I felt like this coincidence was Gods way of saying, 'Well, done. Well, done, my daughter'." Although FGM has been outlawed in the United States, it still occurs under the radar and among immigrants from countries in Africa and the Middle East where FGM continues to be practiced to this day. This year, Gandhi's Be Magazine and Gandhi Global Center For Peace contributed $500 to Global Woman PEACE Foundation to fund reconstructive surgeries for survivors of FGM. Ms. Crutchfield said, "As one of our program partners, Gandhi Global Center For Peace raises money each year to help support Global Woman PEACE Foundation in providing reconstructive surgeries to survivors of FGM. Our team goal for 2017 is $5,100 to pay for three surgeries for women who have suffered this brutal ritual. We would like to invite everyone to contribute something to our IndieGogo campaign which we just launched today or join our team and walk with us at the 'Walk to End FGM' in Washington, D.C. in 2017." Donate to the "Gandhi Global Center For Peace End FGM Challenge" IndieGoGo Campaign here: https://igg.me/at/bKZsJvTnBh8. For more information on how to join the Global Woman PEACE Foundation annual "Walk to End FGM" or for more information about the global efforts to end FGM, visit Gandhi's Be Magazine (www.bemagazine.org) or Gandhi Global Center For Peace (www.gandhicenterforpeace.org). Linda Ballew presents the September program for UDC on "Good Enough for a General" Pictured, left to right: Debbie Riggs, Marilyn Kinne, Amy Kibble, Back-Helen Riden, Lisa Pritchett, Peggy Morrison, MiniSu Willard, Anita Green, Harriett Caldwell, Robin Ramsey, and Linda Ballew Pictured, left to right: Amy Kibble, Marilyn Kinne, Peggy Morrison, Anita Green, and Lisa Pritchett Previous Next The United Daughters of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis Chapter 900 held its first monthly meeting of the new year on Sept. 17 at the Kinser Church of God in Cleveland. Meeting Minutes: The meeting was called to order by President Marilyn Kinne. The ritual was read by Helen Riden, chaplain. Salutes were given to the Christian flag, United States flag, Tennessee flag, and Confederate flags. The songs, How Firm A Foundation, The Star-Spangled Banner, Tennessee Waltz, and Dixie were sung. The minutes of the previous meeting were read by Secretary Debbie Riggs. The treasurers report was given by Peggy Morrison. MiniSu Willard reported on the Children of the Confederacy and their up-coming projects. Anita Green presented the registrars report. Debbie Riggs presided over the installation of the new officers for the 2016-2018 term. New officers are as follows: President-Marilyn Kinne, Vice-President-Lisa Pritchett, 2nd Vice-President-Robin Ramsey, 3rd Vice-President-MiniSu Willard, Secretary-Amy Kibble, Treasurer-Linda Ballew, Registrar-Anita Green, Registrar of Military Service Awards-Marilyn Kinne, Historian-Christy Peden, Chaplain-Harriett Caldwell, Librarian-Teresa Silvers. President Kinne, and Registrar Anita Green presented Amy Kibble with her membership certificate. Her Confederate ancestor was Ansel Green Whitmire, Company A, 11th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, CSA. Peggy Morrison was presented a Supplemental certificate on her Confederate ancestor Andrew Bain. Lisa Pritchett was also presented a Supplemental Certificate for her ancestor, James Alexander Womac. Amy Kibble furnished the meal for the meeting. In new business, everyone is working hard on finishing touches for Hosting the United Daughters of the Confederacy 120th Annual Convention to be held in Chattanooga at the Historic Read House Hotel in October. Linda Ballew presented the September program on Good Enough for a General. She states she came across the information while researching her great-great grandfather John Henry Myers. He was born May 20, 1845. He enlisted in Walker County, Al. as a private in Company B, 10th Alabama Calvary, CSA. The story was about her great, great, great grandmother Sarah James Myers. She was born October 1817 in Warren County, Ga. and moved to Autauga County, Al. with her parents, Phillip and Sarah Margaret (Windham) James before 1834. It was there that she met and married William James Myers. Together they made their home in Coosa County, Al. Sarah gave birth to 12 children. William always called her Sarrie. Although not unusual for the time, Sarrie was an accomplished spinner and weaver. She took great pride in the fact that she could spin thread from cotton or wool so thin and fine, it would rival the finest linen of the day. She had learned from her mother a process of weaving wool and cotton together in a way to make the most comfortable and beautiful cloth around. The norm of the day was fabric so coarse and rough it would scrape the hide right off your bones. Perhaps until the very day she died, Sarrie hand made every single garment worn by her family, including the hats on their heads. And so superior in quality was her material, neighbors started to take notice and begin buying yard goods from her. Soon a cottage industry was born and it was all Sarrie and her oldest girls could do to keep up with the demand. The boys picked the cotton and sheared the sheep, the girls spun the cotton and wool and Sarrie wove her beautiful cloth using her secret process. William hunted fresh meat, tended the corn and bee hives. It was just as he insisted they do, everyone worked, everyone contributed, no one was going to be lazy in his house. Times were looking good for the William James Myers family. With all the extra cash coming in, William began to look with hungry eyes to the north. In the late spring of 1857 he heard of soil so rich, a fence post would grow. He took a month off working and with his new son-in-law James Edward Ed Windham, went to Walker County to see for himself. Upon his return, the first thing out of his mouth was Be a packin up the goods and gather up th younguns Sarrie, were a fixin to make a move after harvest time. And just like that, in two ox carts the two families came to Walker County, near Pleasant Grove Church, Al. to spend the rest of their days. As the years passed, Sarrie continued making her family's clothes, but with most of the older children getting married and leaving home, she didnt have the extra money coming in. But truth be known, I think she was okay with that, she still had more than enough to do, there were now grandchildren to teach and nurture. In April 1861 when word came that a war was going on with the Northern United States over states' rights her sons reluctantly at first began joining up with the Confederacy. Soldiers needed uniforms and what better place to have them made at the hands of their own mother. The color of the uniforms was to be gray or butternut. And what better coloring agent to make gray than coal dust, coal dust boiled in vinegar. When the whitish cloth was allowed to soak overnight in the black brine and then rinsed in a clear stream of water, gray was the resulting color. Since certain parts of Walker County were abundant in surface deposits of coal, there was no shortage. In 1863, John Henry Myers, (Ms. Ballew's great-great grandfather) volunteered to fight and joined the newly organized 10th Alabama Calvary. The Commanding Officer was General Phillip Dale Roddy. When John Henry enlisted, he was wearing one of the uniforms his mother had made and it just so happened that the General noticed the fine cut of his clothes. Asking where he got such a nice uniform, General Roddy then commissioned a uniform made by Sarrie (James) Myers from the same beautiful material that she had woven. She had been making clothing for her men-folk for so many years, that all she needed to know was height, breadth and weight and she could fit a man perfectly without ever seeing him. In the fall of 1864, the southern cause in the war between the states was becoming desperate. The year before had been a disaster for the Confederacy. On the fourth of July, 1863, Vicksburg, Ms. had fallen to General Ulysses S. Grant and just the day before that, the Union had won at Gettysburg, Pa. exactly when they needed a victory the most. Those two victories were perhaps responsible for saving the Union. When Sarrie completed the magnificent uniform for General Philip Roddy, he couldnt wait to show it off to his fellow generals. In December at a meeting of the minds in Richmond, Va., Major General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, who had just recently been released from a federal prison was searching for just the right birthday gift for his father. Upon seeing the quality of General Roddys new Sarrie made uniform, General Fitzhugh Lee knew he had found the perfect gift. It took Sarrie two weeks to make it and another month to deliver it, but finally the uniform was in the hands of its recipient, none other than the General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert Edward Lee himself, just in time for him to wear it to Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, to sign the articles of surrender that ended the American Civil War. Ms. Ballew concluded she is very proud and honored to have Sarrie James Myers as her great-great-great grandmother, and John Henry Myers as her great-great grandfather. The meeting was adjourned. Anyone interested in the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis 900 can visit www.facebook.com/udcjeffersondavischapter900 or www.udcjeffersondavischapter900.com. The Chattanooga Airport continues to get busier and is headed for its third year in a row of record enplanements, president Terry Hart said. He said for September, Delta was up five percent, American up four percent, and Allegiant up 13 percent. Plus, new flights were launched by United on Sept. 7 to Chicago and Newark. Mr. Hart said the Chicago flights are about 80 percent full and the Newark flights between 50-55 percent and improving. He said the airlines are also using larger jets to fly out of Chattanooga, including 150 seaters. Additional cargo freight is going in and out of the Airport as well. Robert Belcher of Elliott Davis Decosimo said the Airport had $18 million in revenues for the year just audited. He listed $6.4 million income from operations. Equity is up by $9 million at the Airport and the debt was paid down by $700,000. The Walker County Chamber of Commerce celebrated the Ribbon Cutting ceremony of the Station House restaurant on Friday, October 14 at 4:30 p.m. Station House is located at 123 N Chattanooga Street, LaFayette, Georgia 30728. The Station House serves contemporary food which combines French, Italian, Spanish and Asian cuisine with fresh and local produce, and they welcome everyone to visit their new restaurant in LaFayettes Mars Theater District. For more information on Station House, please call (706) 996-8031. Residents at Morning Pointe of Collegedale at Greenbriar Cove met the clowns at Alhambra Shriner's Circus at Camp Jordan. As part of the Life Enrichment Program, the assisted living community takes outings to favorite local events, never hesitating to make new friends and new memories. At the Marsh House in Lafayette, Ga., participants are being sought for the 2016 Christmas season. Volunteers are needed to portray members of the Marsh family in character reenactments and to lead tour groups as Hosts in the Marsh Houses annual Candlelight Christmas Tours. The tours will be offered in the evenings at the historic house on the first three Saturdays and Sundays in December. All the 'characters', per say, are envisionments of real people from the past: the descendents of Spencer and Ruth Marsh, the original owners of the house, says Emily Miller, one of the volunteers for the event who will be coordinating actors. The event is being prepared by a dedicated team of Marsh House volunteers. "It's Christmas Eve in the year 1890. In the chilly evening weather, you hurry up the porch steps of a festive antebellum house. You note hints of a warm, captivating atmosphere inside, waiting to be explored: a host of candles flickering in the windows, a resonance of Christmas carols playing on piano, and the sound of the tenants' merry laughter dancing from within the walls. But just who are the residents creating the merry laughter described above? Get excited because one of those residents could be you," officials said. The house was built in 1836, but the tour re-imagines events in the year 1890, after the Civil War, when life for the Marsh descendants was extremely prosperous. Roles include Marsh family descendants: caucasian females late 50s to early 60s, late 20s, late teens, and ages 9 to 12; Caucasian males late 50s to early 60s, late 20s. Loyal hired servants to the Marsh family: African American female in mid 50s & African American male in mid 50s. To play a character or be a host in the Candlelight Christmas Tour, acting experience is not required. If you are interested, attend an organizational meeting on Tuesday, Oct.25 at 7 p.m., at the Welcome Center. The center is at 309 North Main St. in Lafayette, across from the Marsh House. For questions or more information contact Emily Miller by email at EmilyElizabethMiller13@gmail.com, or by phone at 423-653-8531. Tokyo: Honda said Tuesday it will build a new factory in China, as the Japanese automaker expands its reach into the world's biggest vehicle market. The firm, which already has several factories in China, would build its new plant in the city of Wuhan, a Tokyo-based company spokeswoman said, without supplying further details. The factory will start operating in 2019, the leading Nikkei business daily said. The plant will be able to produce 120,000 vehicles a year in the beginning, eventually doubling to 240,000 units, according to the report. That would be roughly a 20 percent boost from Honda's current China factory capacity of 1.08 million units, excluding facilities solely for exports, the Nikkei story said. Honda has three plants in southern Guangzhou and two in Wuhan, in addition to a factory dedicated to exports mainly to the Middle East, Russia and Africa. Last year, Honda said it would delay building a planned $822 million plant in Wuhan owing to an industry wide slowdown. But it revived the plan as sales began to recover late last year following the introduction of a tax cut on purchases of smaller vehicles, a key business for Honda, reports said. The company's share in the overall motorcycle market in India expanded to 8 per cent after the launch of the motorcycle and it intends to achieve 10-12 per cent share in the next two years. Victor, the popular brand by TVS motorcycles , was relaunched nine months ago and now the all-new commuter motorcycle has passed the 1 lakh sales mark. This is quite an achievement for a new motorcycle. The company's share in the overall motorcycle market in India expanded to 8 per cent after the launch of the motorcycle and it intends to achieve 10-12 per cent share in the next two years. The credit for this success goes to its build quality, performance and fuel efficiency. The company's shares expanded to 8 per cent in the overall motorcycle market in India after the launch of the motorcycle and the company plans to achieve 10-12 per cent share in the next 2 years. Apart from its popularity, the reason behind the success of the motorcycle goes to its built quality, performance and fuel efficiency. Speaking on the success of the new TVS Victor, Arun Siddharth, vice president, marketing (motorcycles), TVS Motor Company, said, We are delighted to have 1 lakh families join us on this journey to spread smiles. It is our endeavour to add more members to the growing family of TVS Victor and we are confident that we will build on the growth momentum. The company continues to position the Victor as a family bike that is an ideal combination of decent styling, sufficient performance and better comfort than a regular commuter. Powering the bike is an advanced 110cc, 3-valve, Ecothrust engine that comes mated to a 4-speed transmission. The powertrain delivers 9.6PS of power at 8,000 rpm and a peak torque of 9.4Nm at 6,000rpm. Along with a satisfactory performance, the bike claims to return a fuel economy of 76kmpl under standard TVS test conditions. It faces major competition from its peer TVS Sport and Honda Livo which also host a 100 cc engine and give a similar mileage figure. The TVS Victor has been made available in two trims, drum brake variant for Rs 50,715 (ex-showroom, Delhi) along with a disc brake variant with a front disc brake for Rs 2,000 extra. The bike comes in six colours with attractive contrasting graphics including Blissful Blue, Generous Grey, Beatific Black Silver, Serene Silver, Balanced Black Red and Restful Red. Source: BikeDekho.com Mumbai: The 17-lender consortium led by State Bank of India will auction the Kingfisher Villa, the sea-facing plush property once-owned by the beleaguered Vijay Mallya in Goa, tomorrow. The reserve price for the property, which once was used by Mallya to host lavish parties, has been set at Rs 85.29 crore. Lenders had taken the possession of the villa in May this year after a protracted legal battle with United Spirits over tenancy rights. The villa was owned by United Breweries Holdings, one of the Mallya group companies and was mortgaged by the now-grounded Kingfisher Airlines to the consortium of banks to obtain loans in 2010. Lenders had opened the villa for inspection to interested bidders in two slots--September 26-27 and October 5-6. In the four days during which the property was thrown open, around half-a-dozen entities had visited the palatial villa. "The response was good. Nearly six to seven parties from the hospitality industry and a media organisation have visited the villa," a source had earlier told PTI. SBICap Trustees, which is auctioning the property on behalf of the lenders, said the e-auction will include only the immovable part of the villa and not its movable assets. Mallya owes over Rs 9,000 crore to lenders like SBI, PNB, IDBI Bank, BoB, Allahabad Bank, Federal Bank and Axis Bank, among others. He had left the country in March and is currently said to be in Britain, having defied several court orders to return to India. The lenders efforts at selling other KFA properties including a luxe private jet and brand kingfisher as well the Kingfisher House in Mumbai all met with repeated failure. LPG subscribers also get their subsidy in the form of DBT. File photo. New Delhi: The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme was highlighted during by several panelists in an international conference on anti-corruption held in Paris. A G-20 seminar on corruption and global economy was organised in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris yesterday. "The panelists in the seminar comprised experts from OECD, International Monetary Fund and World Bank as well as economists and researchers from leading universities. "The Direct Benefit Transfers in India through JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile) was highlighted by several panelists as an example of practical implementation tool resulting in the reduction of pilferages and delays besides bringing down corruption levels," a press release issued today by Personnel Ministry said. The panelists also appreciated the fact that around one billion people are being covered at a fraction of cost of similar projects in developed countries, it said. The delegation from India is headed by Devesh Chaturvedi, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation), Department of Personnel and Training. New York: Goldman Sachs is losing an architect of its Asia-Pacific division at the same time it confronts slowing activity in the region and a probe over its dealings in Malaysia. Mark Schwartz, 62, has decided to retire from his post as chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific, according to a memo Monday from chief executive Lloyd Blankfein and president Gary Cohn reviewed by AFP. Beijing-based Schwartz, a 27-year Goldman veteran, will leave his post at the end of 2016. He will serve as a senior director at Goldman following his departure from China. Schwartz played an "instrumental role" in building Goldman's business in Asia, as chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific in Tokyo in the late 1990s and reprising the role again in 2012 from Beijing, said the memo. Facing a slowdown in initial public offerings and merger advisory in Asia, Goldman plans to cut 30 percent of its staff throughout the region with the exception of Japan, a person familiar with the plan told AFP last month. Goldman's Asia operations have also been tainted by its work with Malaysian state investment fund 1MDB, which is enmeshed in a political scandal over allegations that billions of dollars were looted in an audacious campaign of fraud and money laundering. The auction will be done on a new revenue sharing model where bidders will be asked to quote the revenue they will share with the government at low and high end of price and production band. New Delhi: The government has postponed by three weeks the last date for bidding for auction of 46 small oil and gas fields that were given up by state-owned ONGC and Oil India. "Last date of bid submission extended till November 21, 2016, 1200 hours IST," the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) said on the website of the 'Discovered Small Field Bid Round 2016'. Bidding for the auction, the first in over four years, was to earlier close on October 31. While potential bidders had sought more data on the fields on offer to make informed decision on bidding, an official said the date was extended as bids were closing during the Diwali holiday. Industry sources said there were apprehensions about the response after prospective bidders complained about the quality and amount of data being made available on the fields that have been put on offer. For bidders to make decisions, more data particularly about size of reserves are required and making that available will require extending the deadline, they said. DGH Director General Atanu Chakraborty in a presentation on the bid round said 67 discovered fields are being offered under 46 contract areas. Of these, 26 are onland, 18 shallow water and 2 deepwater fields. The fields hold an inplace reserves of 48 million tonnes of oil (17.85 mt in onland blocks and 30.19 mt on offshore blocks) and over 38 billion cubic metres of gas reserves (7.20 bcm in onland blocks and 31.18 bcm in offshore areas). "Many of the blocks offered are located in the vicinity of the existing operating fields of ONGC/OIL enabling possibility of use of existing facilities by successful bidders," he said in the presentation. The auction, which was announced on May 25, is to be conducted on simpler contractual terms together with pricing and marketing freedom. The auction will be done on a new revenue sharing model where bidders will be asked to quote the revenue they will share with the government at low and high end of price and production band. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India (OIL) "surrendered" these as they could not develop them because of huge overhead cost and uneconomic size. The last exploration licensing round concluded in March 2012. That was the ninth round of bidding under New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP). A total of 256 blocks were awarded in the nine rounds of NELP. Kanpur: Reserve Bank Governor Urjit Patel will chair the central board meeting in Kanpur on Thursday, October 20. This is first such instance that RBI will hold the meeting at this industrial city of Uttar Pradesh. It also happens to be the first central board meet under new Governor Patel. Patel will reach Kanpur tomorrow evening and will have interaction with industrialists and technocrats here, said Deepesh Tewari, Manager (Personnel). Tewari said there is no prior information about whether the Governor will interact with the media or not. Total penalty of Rs 10.8 crore has been imposed on telecom service providers," according to the data shared by the telecom ministry at the consultative committee meeting held at Parliament on October 18. New Delhi: The government on October 18 said it has imposed a total penalty of Rs 10.8 crore on telecom companies for violating mobile towers radiation rule, assuring that it will look into various safety concerns that have been raised. "As on July 31, 2016, the Department of Telecom tested 3.19 lakh base station and found 205 of them were non- compliant to radiation rules. Total penalty of Rs 10.8 crore has been imposed on telecom service providers," according to the data shared by the telecom ministry at the consultative committee meeting held at Parliament on October 18. As per an official who attended the meeting, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said radiation norms are 90 per cent more stringent in India compared to global practice. Sinha said there are around 25,000 studies conducted by World Health Organisation over a period of 25-30 years but none of these found adverse impact on human health. Members of Parliament, however, raised concern on health hazard from radiation emitted by mobile towers and even questioned the studies denying such claims. MP Rabindra Kumar Jena, who attended the meeting, said the studies that gave clean chit to mobile radiation were sponsored by telecom companies which is conflict of interest. "Jena alleged that mobile towers in India are emitting eight times higher radiation as per study by a top institution in the country compared to widely agreed global norms. He referred to some European Studies which claim that using mobile for half an hour daily for 10 years will lead to brain tumour and a similar study from Sweden claimed that it may also lead to spinal disorders," the official said. The telecom minister assured Jena that he will look into the concerns raised by him. Besides the telecom minister and Jena, the meeting was attended by seven Members of Parliament-- Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Bhola Singh, Darshana Vikram Jardosh, Gaurav Gogoi, Nepal Singh, PK Biju and Jena. Officers from Department of Telecom, Department of Posts, BSNL and MTNL were also present. According to another official, Sawant alleged that DoT officials of colluding with private telecom operators and ignoring high radiation emitted from their towers. "He said that BSNL, MTNL also have towers installed at same place where private operators have theirs. However signal of PSUs come till the gate of the house and that of private operators reach even inside bathroom. He alleged that BSNL, MTNL follow stringent norms but radiation levels from private cell sites are overlooked," the official said. Sinha warned of strict action against officials found colluding with private telecom players. "Minister (Sinha) at consultative committee meeting said that whosoever will be found colluding with private telecom operators will face consequences," the official said. Sinha said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to see improvement in services of MTNL and BSNL and government intends to ensure that their services are competitive. The mercy of the world is you don't know what's going to happen. Im wondering today if the veracity of this Wendell Berry-ian utterance might prove a warm shower for strained worry muscles that have been overworked of late. Imaginations, where the most vigorous worry muscles are housed, especially among the sensitive, the experienced, or the most overly visual have a way of darting away from the yard of the present into the surrounding forest of a calamitous future like a hyper-kinetic beagle on a bathroom break in the yard. We, like that pesky dog, catch whiffs of so many luring scents of worry ourselves that the millions of self-preserving detectors in us are, without a vigorous counter-effort, susceptible to being carried away many more weeks and months in advance than weve ever been given or promised. So its helpful to browse around your own life from time to time, or to survey the little pieces of history we know, to remember that the mercy of the world is that we dont know what is going to happen. It is Ours To Remember Im envisioning this aphorism as a call to humble action as we edge toward an election and the unknown future it will inaugurate with considerable dismay, sour-tempers, disgust, terror, crankiness, touchiness, and suspicion. In CS Lewis Prince Caspian, Glenstorm the Centaur, reminds himself and a talking badger called Trufflehunter, I watch the skies, badger, for it is mine to watch as it is yours to remember. It may be that remembering Trufflehunters are tottering on the edge of extinction while sky-watching Glenstorms are experiencing an invasive plant sort of overgrowth at present. Rifle through the news neighborhood on your flat screen. Abruptly scroll through your Twitter feed. Peruse the daily stacks of emails clogging your inbox like a hairball. Listen to radio chatter or water cooler banter, and youll quickly surmise that most feel called to watch the skies. They are looking for signs, composing predictions, and spreading their forecasts to any who will listen. Gloomy cultural storms will stomp the future if the other candidate wins, whoever that other may be. With earnestness, this sky watching becomes cultural guidance and voting instruction. Unintended Consequences One sky-watching species among many insists that Christians must vote for Mr. Trump even though he is hateful, degrading, and abusive. We are, the argument insists, morally obligated before the God who is watching us in the ballot box and who will enact the fine print provisions of judgment on us for the misdeeds of Clinton should we permit her to relocate to Pennsylvania Avenue. This the devil you dont know is better than the one you do argument, which youve surely seen and to which many may be sympathetic hinges on constitution-protecting supreme court justices, preserving religious liberty, limiting abortions, and perhaps, strong national security. This fairly fatalistic view neglects however, that, for instance, Roe v Wade, has been upheld for over 40 years despite during our being led by Presidents who opposed it for easily half that time. And while it has stood, the number of abortions since 1990 has fallen by more than half! Furthermore, in 5 of the 6 states where abortion rates have dropped most substantially in the last quarter century, the decreases cannot be attributed to legislative measures. We dont know what is going to happen. Apparently other factors can be at play besides what is legislated by lawmakers or enacted by judges on a court. There are all manner of sky-watching views and theyre worth considering, to be sure. We must simply make sure we arent letting their predictions conspire with our fear, anger, or worried suspicion to induce mean-spirited panic or God-amnesia. Most generally, there is a prescription attached to a prediction. If you choose her not him or him not her, then this awful thing will happen or be averted, or this excellent future will be thwarted, or realized. Avoid the Fatalism of the Over-Confident If-Then But we are focused on being mere badgers today. It is ours to remember not to watch the skies. Gods people are told to remember way more frequently than they are ever asked to predict the future. They are told to predict the future approximately zero times. They are told to remember, call to mind, and not to forget, exactly one gazillion times. So lets rehearse, recall, and repeat our calling to remember we dont know what will happen but God does: When you are sick with worry about either candidate, and sure that if the one you most abhor is elected, it will be the beginning of the end, pause, be a badger to yourself, and remember that not even you knows what is going to happen. Truly. You have no idea. To presume you do is to torture yourself. Tomorrow could turn out exceptionally better than expected or dismally worse. Theres no way to know. So quit trying to know it. For your own sake! The brother of our Lord, James, says as much regarding our yapping about what were gonna do next quarter, by saying essentially You dont even know whats gonna happen in the morning, much less in January!...so make and speak your plans tentatively, as the future belongs to God...say instead, If the Lord wills it, we will do this in January or next Friday morning. We Make Plans, God Laughs And while you are busy refusing to torture yourself or others with ridiculous over-confidence in political prognostications, bolster your memory with things like: The kings heart is in the hand of the Lord, and he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. Or no one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves. It is God who judges; He brings one down, he exalts another. And recall that so staunchly had the Apostle Paul appropriated this sense of Gods rule behind the scenes in Jesus Christ who is working out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will that he could tell Roman Christians under the insane, sadistic and inventively cruel reign of Nero that there was no authority except what God had put in place and that they were to submit themselves to the governing authorities. Oh, and its likely that Nero beheaded Paul. And its a mercy Paul didnt see that coming. He surely didnt realize thatd be his fate when telling Roman Christians to submit to the God-established government even if, like Nero, that government wound up tarring and lighting them on fire like human candles. Paul was apparently more interested in remembering the Ruler behind the rulers, and the Hands on the Reigns of all our tomorrows, even the eternal ones, than how good his present life became or what he might stand to lose. Who Has the Final Say? And if that doesnt help, remind yourself like a Trufflehunter, that when Pilate granted the people the privilege of choosing to exonerate either Jesus or an insurrectionist and murderer named Barabbas, they chanted with the vehement insistence of a modern day political rally, Give us Barabbas! And when he replied, You sure about this?---I cant find a speck of dirt on this Jesus? They just grew more and more insistent, Crucify him. Crucify him! In that instance, the people picked a known felon, and colluded to mow down a splendidly innocent and remarkable man in the most embarrassing way possible. And when you think about that, and the supposed outcomes of whatever pick you make politically, wonder aloud, Did they make the right choice? The wrong one? Were the eventual consequences of their sure choices even faintly imaginable to anyone but Jesus that day? And then, for the worlds solace and yours, remember, like a badger whose life depended on it, we believe that wrongly selected man who died like a common thief; naked, abused, and abandoned, actually has, as Lesslie Newbiggin once wrote, the final say in human affairs. We dont know what will happen. But we know the One apart from whom nothing good can happen. And we know that with him, even what was intended for evil can be converted to a stunning good. And we recall that he intends to make all things new, no matter how tarnished, moldy, vile, or disconcerting they have become. Its ours to remember these things and to forget the fatalism of presuming to know what will occur if we vote for her, or him, or for another, or maybe, for none at all. New Delhi: With the Election Commission (EC) giving its nod, the Union cabinet is likely to consider fixing February 1 as the day of budget presentation in its meeting on Wednesday. ECs nod was required to ensure that budget is not presented in the middle of upcoming polls in five states of UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. Sources said the cabinet is likely to meet on Wednesday to decide on the date for presentation of Union budget 2017-18 by finance minister Arun Jaitley. The Union Cabinet on September 21 had in-principle decided to end the colonial-era tradition of presenting the Union budget on last day of February and advance it by about a month to help complete the legislative approval for annual spending plans and tax proposals before start of the new financial year on April 1. The reason we wanted to advance the date was that we want the entire budgetary exercise to be over and the Finance Bill to be passed and implemented from April 1 onwards rather than June because then the monsoon sets in and effectively, the expenditures start in October, Mr Jaitley had stated last week. Stating that the government wants expenditure to start in April itself, he had said there are five state Assembly elections lined up in 2017. So, we are just trying to co-ordinate that you do not have to announce the Budget bang in the middle of an election date. It should be reasonably before that or after that, he had said. The finance ministry had proposed that the budget be presented on February 1 and the entire exercise be completed by March 24. It wanted the budget session to begin before January 25 and go in for a three-week recess sometime in February. New Delhi: Companies have raised nearly Rs 78,000 crore through issuance of debt securities on private placement basis on BSE's electronic book mechanism in less than four months since the launch of platform. The platform BSE-BOND was launched on July 1 to facilitate online bidding for private placement of debt securities. Since then, 35 companies have raised Rs 77,955 crore through the exchange mechanism. "The BSE platform for bond issuances has been a preferred choice for companies to raise debt capital in India... Till October 17, 2016, 35 issuers have done 148 issues of bonds and have successfully raised Rs 77,955 crore using the BSE debt platform," the exchange said in a statement. Individually, Axis Bank garnered Rs 5,000 crore and Power Finance Corporation mopped up Rs 4,335 crore by issuing bonds through private placement on the BSE BOND platform. Besides, Energy Efficiency Services and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) raked in Rs 500 crore each. The funds have been raised from various sources, including banks, mutual funds, insurance companies, foreign portfolio investors and corporates, among others. The platform, which allows all categories of investors to place bids, helps bring in transparency and efficiency in price discovery for private placement of debt securities. It is optional for issues below Rs 500 crore, but the issuers will have to disclose coupon, yield, amount raised, number of investors and category of investors to the electronic book provider or the information repository for corporate debt market in the format as specified by regulator Sebi. Mumbai: The release of Diwali release Ae Dil Hai Mushkil has been in limbo after political parties threatened to stall the film for featuring a Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in it. And later the Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India had also refused to release the film, as a result of which the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa would not screen the film. However, the Film & Television Producers Guild of India Ltd (Guild) had backed the release of the film, urging the government to ensure the release citing the massive amounts that has been put into the making of the already completed film. The President of the Guild, Mukesh Bhatt, once again stood up for the film, and has openly appealed to one of the protesting political parties, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, to allow the release of the film. MNS is my brother, only with different thinking. I can only appeal to my brother to go on in peace," Bhatt was reported as saying by ANI. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is scheduled to release on 28 October. Mumbai: If Falak Ali wooed you with her calm-yet-gutsy demeanour, wait until you watch her don the avatar of Indu in Madhur Bhandarkars film Indu Sarkar based on Indias 21-month state of Emergency. Kirti will be playing a girl with speech impediment. When asked about her role in the film, a visibly excited Kirti said, Indu is raised in an orphanage and has a stammering problem but loves to write and read poetry After Pink, I wanted to do something that would challenge me further as an actor. We want to create the same impact as Tabus turn in Chandni Bar with my character. Kirti took to Twitter to share the good news with her fans. Flashing the victory sign, both Kirti and Bhandarkar looked happy about this professional association. She wrote: #imbhandarkar thank u..#So looking forward to the challenge "Indu Sarkar".. Lots to do.Lots to learn.Super excited#Let's do it. The National award-winning Director, on the other hand, is leaving no stone unturned to get the plot right. He has drowned himself in extensive research work which ranges from visiting the Nehru museum to meeting veteran politicians like L K Advani. The Fashion Director is spending a lot of time with writers like Coomi Kapoor and Kuldip Nayar, who have vast knowledge on the subject and have written books named The Emergency: A Personal History and The Judgement: Inside Story of the Emergency in India respectively. Kirti will start preparing for the part once she is back from her Andaman holiday. Mumbai: Amid the veiled threat by MNS of vandalism at multiplexes if they screen Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' for featuring a Pakistani actor, the film's producers today met Mumbai's top police officials seeking protection for the theatres to screen it. A team from Johar's Dharma Productions along with filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt met Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattaray Padsalgikar and Joint Police Commissioner (law and order) Deven Bharti, and sought protection for the theatres to screen the soon-to-be-released film. Mukesh is the president of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India. "Mumbai police will provide adequate protection to cinema theatres as and when required," Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe said. The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had yesterday said it would intensify its opposition to Karan Johar's film as it features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. They issued a veiled threat of vandalism to the multiplexes if they screened it. The opposition by MNS and some other political parties to films with actors from Pakistan in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack has put a question mark on the fate of Johar's film. "We will oppose the screening of the movie everywhere in the state. If any multiplex operator dares to screen the film, they (operators) should remember that multiplexes are decorated with expensive glass sheets," MNS leader Amey Khopkar had said on Monday. The party did not favour employing and cherishing the Pakistani actors so its opposition to such films will continue, he said. "We will also oppose Shah Rukh Khan's 'Raees' though it is slated to release in January," Khopkar had said. The single-screen theatre operators have announced that they would not screen Johar's upcoming film, but there was no similar assurance from the multiplex operators so MNS made its stand clear, the party had said. The Karan Johar-directed 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' stars Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma in lead roles and also features Fawad Khan. Mumbai: Amidst heightening tension revolving around Pakistani actors working in Indian films, it comes as no surprise that the makers of Dear Zindagi have decided not to show Ali Zafar in the trailer. The SRK-Alia Bhatt starrer movie was supposed to witness Ali playing a pivotal role, which now, is highly unlikely to happen. Co-produced by Dharma Productions, this films fate is hugely dependent on the fate of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which is clouded in controversies owing to Pakistani actor Fawad Khans association with the film. In an interview, a source reportedly revealed, Ali is not part of the trailer, but chopping off his role completely isn't possible since he is crucial to the narration. His fate will be decided after the release of ADHM." Zafar, who has acted in big banner movies like YRFs KIl Dill in the past, is well aware of the decision and has no option but to make peace with it. If rumours are to be believed, the production house is looking for a young talent who can compose songs as an alternative to Zafars two songs in the movie. Actors Kunal Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapoor are also part of Dear Zindagi. While Director Gauri Shinde chose not to comment on the issue, the spokesperson said, Dear Zindagi is on schedule. The film is in post production." Speculations of Dear Zindagi missing its November 25 release is also doing the rounds. Mumbai: Deepika Padukone didnt have any release in 2016 but next year is going to be extremely eventful for her. The actress has been making news for her action moves and attitude in the trailer of her upcoming Hollywood debut xXx: Return of Xander Cage opposite Vin Diesel, and the film is releasing in January. She has also been signed on for another big-budget film Padmavati, which would also release next year. Deepika will be seen sharing screen space with Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in the film. In the last few weeks, the two heroes, Shahid and Ranveer, were spotted multiple times visiting Bhansalis office and now, Deepika was also snapped arriving at his office, perhaps to have a discussion regarding the film. The film will see Deepika enacting the titular character of Mewar queen Rani Padmavati, with Shahid playing her husband, Rana Ratan Singh, and Ranveer will essay the role of Sultan of Delhi Alauddin Khilji. Reportedly the actress will be kicking off the shoot for the film with a traditional Rajasthani dance called `ghoomar'. Mumbai: The first look of the highly anticipated 'Dear Zindagi' is here and the excitement of watching two powerhouse performers on-screne has multiplied manifold. The Gauri Shinde helmed film, stars Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan in the lead roles, along with an ensemble of male actors including Aditya Roy Kapoor, Ali Zafar, Kunal Kapoor and Angad Bedi. The still has the characteristically bubbly Alia looking her cheerful self alongside a bearded Shah Rukh Khan, presumably playing his age, both on their respective bicycles. The film, slated for a November 25, 2016 release, had earlier been mired in controversy, owing to the involvement of Pakistani actor Ali Zafar in the cast. Co-produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions whose own 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' is at the zenith of the tension between political parties vying for a blanket ban on films involving Pakistani artistes and the film fraternity, the film has reportedly done away with Zafar's portions in the trailer. SRK and Alia had earlier taken to social media to tease fans on the generic theme and mood of the film, with their own take on the proverbial 'Monday Blues'. The first look being as vibrant and delightfully colourful as it is, the interest surrounding the trailer has also been piqued. The industry had been polarised in its stance and Karan had been the most affected with the release of the film in itself being in jeopardy. Mumbai: Amid widespread outrage over his decision to not replace Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in his upcoming directorial Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, under existing political tension between the two neighbouring countries, Karan Johar has finally come out to clarify his stance on the burning issue. In an interview to a news channel, the filmmaker has clarified that the country is priority to him. "I condemn terror in the strongest terms and I respect our Army. There has been some talk about why I remained silent, for the past two weeks. Reason why I remained silent is because of the deep sense of pain I felt that a few people would actually believe that I am being anti-National. For me my country comes first, nothing else matters to me but my country. The best way to express your patriotism is to spread love and thats all I have ever tried to do through my work and cinema. When I shot my film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil between September to December last year, the climate was completely different, circumstances were different, he clarified. Post the Uri terror attack, that claimed the lives of 19 Indian Armymen, and Indias retaliatory surgical strike on terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, there has been a generic dissent towards the involvement of Pakistani artistes in the Indian film industry. The MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) had come out strongly asking for a blanket ban on Pakistani artistes and films featuring them, also giving them an ultimatum of 48-hours to leave the country. Karans Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, and Shah Rukh Khans Raees also featuring Mahira Khan had come under the scanner. The industry had been polarised in its stance and Karan had been the most affected with the release of the film in itself being in jeopardy. Filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt had said today that Pakistani actor Fawad Khan has a mere four-minute appearance in the film and requested the MNS to support the movie and protect a product made by Indians. "This film has 150 technicians, only one Pakistani actor who has a four-minute scene. We have put in our money. It is a request to MNS, an appeal on the behalf of the whole film industry that we, all brothers, should come together and protect the investment made by Indians. Why should we spoil Diwali?" he had told reporters. Mumbai: Actor J K Simmons may not have worked with Ben Affleck in any film before The Accountant but he says he has always been a great fan of the Oscar-winner. The 61-year-old star revealed that one of the reasons he accepted Gavin O'Connor's crime film drama was, Affleck's presence in the project. When asked what prompted him for The Accountant, Simmons said, The true answer is that, initially, it was just the script. That was definitely the first thing that appealed, and Ben was attached. I don't think we'd ever met at all, but I was a fan of his. I think he brings everything that the role required. He's a serious and smart actor and filmmaker." The Accountant follows the story of a small town man, Christian Wolf (Affleck), who works as a freelance accountant, for world's most dangerous criminal organisations. The actor praised Affleck and Connor for developing the characters in a way that was unbelievable. "Ben did his homework and then, throughout the movie, he found the specificity in his work, so much of which is spent alone, obviously by design, and in the way that Christian is able to, or not always able to, relate to other characters in his life. "Gavin and Ben talked often about how there is no sense of, 'This is how people with autism' - or Asperger's or anyone on the spectrum - 'behaves.' It's as individual as people who are not on the spectrum. So, Gavin's direction and Ben's research, they created a character who was specific and just real, it was unbelievable. The Warner Bros film released in India last Friday. To expand the diversity and amount of suppliers doing business with the City of Chattanooga, the Purchasing Department is hosting a fair to share how companies can bid for contracts, which blanket contracts are coming up, and what projects major departments have planned for the year ahead. The fair will be held on Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Development Resource Center, 1250 Market St. Our City is stronger when businesses of all backgrounds and sizes can contribute to our local economy. The Purchasing Fair is a chance for new businesses -- and those who havent even considered pursuing a government contract before -- to see that its possible and meet the right representatives to help them complete the process, said James McKissic, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Any interested vendor or business is encouraged to attend and learn about how to do business with the City. The Purchasing Fair is free and open to the public. Schedule of Events: 8:30 - 8:55 a.m. Breakfast/Networking 9 - 9:10 a.m. Welcome 9:10 - 9:30 a.m. Doing Business with the City 9:30 - 10 a.m. Construction/Subcontracting Break 10:05 - 10:20 a.m. Public Works 10:20 - 10:35 a.m. Transportation 10:35 - 10:50 a.m. General Services 10:50 - 11:05 a.m. Police/Fire Break 11:10 - 11:25 a.m. General Government 11:25 - 11:40 a.m. Economic & Community Development 11:40 - 11:55 a.m. Information Technology 11:55 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. Youth & Family Development 12:10-12:30 p.m. Meet with Buyers/Networking Parking is available off of King Street at the back of the Development Resource Center. There is also on-street parking available along Market Street. It can also become an opportunity to deal with health hazards (Photo: AFP) Washington: A recent research suggests that the 'neighbourhood effect' of slums could alleviate some of their associated health problems. A team of academics led by Warwick Medical School conducted a review of international slum research. Residents are exposed to what the authors call the neighbourhood effect - that is many people are affected by one factor because they live in close proximity to one another. However the authors argue that this can be a benefit because a single intervention can simultaneously improve many lives in one densely packed community. Massive slums have become major features of cities in many low- and middle-income countries. The nearly one billion people who live in slums are a marginalised group facing unique health issues. The study was led by Richard Lilford, who along with colleague, Oyinlola Oyebode, is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) West Midlands initiative. He said: "The neighbourhood effect in slums is both a problem and an opportunity. It is a problem because it is likely to amplify health hazards. However this effect is likely to offer economies of scale and increasing returns on investments to create a healthy environment. "A historical example of this can be found in Victorian London when a water pump was shut down which averted a cholera epidemic," he said. Adding, "In addition our research highlighted that higher population density allows more people to be treated by clinic staff in less time; another potential example of increased economies to scale when intervening at the neighbourhood level in slums." The academics argue that all slums should be included in censuses. Although slums are easily identifiable physically in many cities, statistics about them are often non-existent. Slums are rarely identified in national censuses, which form the sampling frames for national surveys. The team recommended that all censuses include identification for slum and non-slum clusters for all urban areas. They believe this will encourage better recording of information about health indicators for slum and non-slum areas both for research purposes and to identify local priorities for action for instance determining where disease outbreaks are most prevalent. The researchers also argued that the topic of slum health should become a standalone academic disciple to help understand and improve conditions in slums. Fellow author, Oyinlola Oyebode said: "To tackle the issue of slums we need to start looking at them in a different way." "After all not all people living in slums fall below the poverty line, with anecdotal reports that there are even millionaires living in some slums. Poverty isn't the only cause of ill health in slums, the neighbourhoods themselves as 'spaces' need attention," he concluded. The study was published in the Lancet journal. Cambridge: As one of the worlds oldest museums dedicated to anthropology turns 150, it is undergoing some big changes to showcase its significant role in developing the discipline. Leaders of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University hinted this month at changes to come when they trotted out _ for one day only _ some of its quirkier, rarely seen pieces as part of a birthday bash marking the day in 1866 when philanthropist George Peabody committed $150,000 to help found the museum. Among the curiosities was a grizzly bear claw necklace from Meriwether Lewis and William Clarks expedition to the Pacific coast and a grotesque, 19th century mermaid made of papier-mache, wood and fish parts that showman P.T. Barnum once took on a national tour to fanfare. The FeeJee Mermaid and other items long sitting in storage will find a permanent home in public view as part of a new exhibition exploring the Peabodys role in anthropology, said Castle McLaughlin, a museum curator. When it opens in April, All the World is Here: Harvards Peabody Museum and the Invention of American Anthropology will feature roughly 600 objects. Officials hope to show a greater range of the museums more than 1 million items, only a fraction of which are on display now. Harvard was very much in the business of developing anthropology, said Jane Pickering, head of Harvards science and culture museums. Its a really interesting occasion to reflect on the Peabody and its role. Within its field, its incredible. The size and quality of its collection is truly astonishing. McLaughlin said the display will be the largest and perhaps most ambitious the museum has attempted, taking up an entire floor. The museum, which opened on Harvards campus in 1877, currently has two levels of exhibit space open. The new exhibition will highlight curiosities collected by American ship captains that traveled to the Far East from the late 1700s to mid-1800s, of which the Feejee Mermaid is a prime example. The museums many famed excavations _ from the prehistoric earthwork in Ohio known as Great Serpent Mound to the Mayan ruins of Copan in western Honduras _ will also be a focus, as will the museums role in the Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893. The Peabodys director at the time, Frederick Ward Putnam, played a leading role in planning the lavish fair, which took place in Chicago and celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus first voyage to the Americas. Putnam scoured the globe for unique artifacts and helped introduce the principles of anthropology to the wider public through the fair. Jeffrey Quilter, the Peabodys current director, said the Worlds Columbian Exposition highlights the dual legacy of anthropology during those early decades of the profession. On one hand, he said, it exposed more people to the diversity of world cultures. On the other, it inadvertently helped bolster advocates of colonialism and imperialism. As the Peabody turns 150, Quilter said, the museum continues to play a vital role in navigating the complex cultures humans have created. Were not just an anthropology museum. Were interacting with so many other disciplines, from literature to political science to the study of ancient DNA, he said. These collections are never dead. Theyre constantly being revitalized by people who come back with new ways to study them. The couple realised that the jewel bag was missing only when they sat down to eat at a restaurant at around 4 pm. Chennai: A 56-year-old woman-habitual offender was arrested on Sunday night by the city police after she pocketed a bag of jewels containing Rs 16 lakh worth ruby and diamond jewellery belonging to a woman from Andhra Pradesh. The culprit was caught within three hours on the very day of the theft thanks to CCTV footage and an alert cop, who identified the woman as a habitual offender from the surveillance tapes. The victim Shailaja Reddy (60), and her husband Janardhanan Reddy (65), from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, came to Chennai to attend a domestic function, after which they were exploring the Citys famous shopping hub in T. Nagar for their Deepavali purchases. The couple realised that the jewel bag was missing only when they sat down to eat at a restaurant at around 4 pm. The couple reported the loss of the jewel bag to the Mambalam Police, who then began poring through all the available CCTV footage. The suspect was identified as J. Mary (56), resident of Mylapore, who is speech impaired and involved in thestealthy trade for quite some time, with at least 10 cases of theft against her in the City. In the tape, she was seen diverting the attention of Shailaja in a textile showroom and pocketing the handbag which had the bag of jewellery. She was traced to her residence in Mylapore where she admitted to have stolen the jewels - a ruby necklace, diamond bangles and earrings which were then recovered from her possession. She had been arrested in theft cases by Mambalam Police in 2006 and Pondy Bazaar Police in 2011. If she was flagged or caught while operating her nefarious plans, she would use her handicap to wriggle out of any tight situations.Sympathy would usually see her win over her victim who would prefer not to initiate any action against her, a senior police official told DC while explaining her modus operandi. The City Police took the help of a sign-language translator in order to record the formalities of the arrest, and the woman was subsequently remanded to judicial custody. New Delhi: A 36-year-old married man has been arrested from north-west Delhi for duping a divorced woman of Rs 75,000 by listing himself as a high-income businessman on three matrimonial sites and promising to marry her, police said on Tuesday. They said Manish Gupta, married with two daughters, had 30 other divorced or widowed women on his radar. He had listed himself as a divorcee, a management graduate and alumni of a prestigious DU college, they said. DCP (north west) Milind Dumbere said, Gupta, a resident of Rohini, was arrested on a case registered last week at Ashok Nagar police station by a divorced woman from whom he had allegedly cheated Rs 75,000. The woman in her complaint told police she was a divorcee and was looking for a suitable match on a matrimonial site. She said she got in touch with Gupta who introduced himself as a divorced businessman with an annual income of Rs 1 crore, police said. They said after winning her confidence, he asked her to deposit money in his accounts claiming that he had lost his wallet with his credit card and a diamond ring in it. Believing that she was helping her "future husband", the woman deposited Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 on two occasions in June, police said. He, however, ended all contacts with the complainant after the money was deposited. During the scrutiny of his bank statements, it was found that he had duped other women also by promising to marry them, police said. Many divorced women and widows had fallen in the trap of the accused through matrimonial sites. The data of his mobile phone was scanned. It was found he had details of more than 30 women who are on his radar and with whom he has been chatting regularly on WhatsApp. During investigation police also met the brother and mother of the accused, who told them that Gupta had been living separately from them for the last 10 years and they had disowned him due to his "unwanted actions and cheating activities". Indore: In a fit of anger, a man allegedly strangulated his three-year old niece to death for weeping continuously after her mother left the child under his care, police said. The incident took place on Sunday and the maternal uncle of the girl, Dilip Badia, was arrested yesterday under Chandan Nagar Police station area, police said. "On October 16, the mother of the girl, Jani Dawar, left her with Dilip and went to work. After some time, the child started crying for her mother. Dilip tried to pacify her, but the girl continued to weep. Thereafter, he lost his cool and strangulated her to death," City Superintendent of Police Sunil Patidar said. According to police, the accused even tried to hide the matter. "He told the parents of the girl that she was unwell and vomiting. He took the child to the district hospital, where the doctors pronounced her dead. They informed the police about the child's death and asked for a post-mortem," the officer said. However, even before the police team could reach the hospital, the accused had left the place and took the body without autopsy, he said. "We went to the victim's house and recovered the body. After the post-mortem, it came to light that the toddler had been strangled to death," Patidar added. When police grilled Dilip, he confessed to killing his niece, he added. He told the police when Jani did not stop weeping for a long time, he slapped her twice. After this, the child started crying even more loudly, following which Dilip lost his temper and strangulated her after which the child died on the spot. The accused has been booked under section 302 (murder) of IPC and further investigation is on, he added. They used women from their families to conduct surveys of surroundings of their target and then robbed using attention-diversion tactics. (Representational image) Hyderabad: The Rachakonda police has busted a notorious gang involved in around 30 robberies on Monday. The Nagari gang from Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh had decamped with property worth more than Rs 1 crore. Police arrested four members of the gang and seized stolen goods worth around Rs 20 lakh. Ten others belonging to the gang are absconding, police said. Rachakonda commissioner of police Mahesh Bhagawat told the media that the gang was famous as the Nagari gang or OG Kuppam gang and operated in groups of eight to 10 members. They used women from their families to conduct surveys of surroundings of their target and then robbed using attention-diversion tactics. The gang had perfected this modus operandi. Their target areas were banks and registration offices where people carry huge amounts in cash, he said. The gang is active since 2014 and is involved in 37 cases in Rachakonda, seven in Cyberabad and 14 in Hyderabad. In a recent case in Kushaiguda, the gang followed the victim for about 12 km from the sub-registrars office till Bhupeshgupta Nagar in Meerpet police station limits and looted him of Rs 14 lakh. Using clues retrieved from CCTV footage in surrounding areas police nabbed the gang. The police has launched a hunt to trace the absconding members of the gang. Hyderabad: A five-member gang smuggled counterfeit notes from Jharkhand and exchanged such notes worth thousands by buying groceries, vegetables etc from traders on the citys outskirts. The gangsters made sure that they did not visit the same market again to avoid suspicion and the police. However, the Rachakonda police busted the racket by arresting five members of the gang, and found that they had been exchanging fake currency in the city since June 2016. The suspects divide the fake currency among themselves before going to the market. Each person will carry only one fake note at a time. They purchase things for smaller amounts from street vendors and get the change back in bonafide currency. In this way they exchange the entire counterfeit in weeks and months. Of this, they keep 15 per cent as commission and the rest is given to the ring leader named Nagavalli, said a senior police official of Rachakonda SOT. Police said two of the arrested were from Jharkhand and the others were from Hyderabad and Mahbubnagar. They exchanged counterfeit worth Rs 1.5 lakh in markets across the city. Police seized fake currency worth Rs 54,000 and genuine notes worth Rs 34,300 from the suspects. The arrested men are Jahangir Shaik, 19, and Abdul Daalim, 23, from the Saheb Nagar district of Jharkhand, Dilavath Vishal, 20, from Kushaiguda, Jerpula Jail Singh, 23, from Neredmet, Nenavath Hari Krishna Naik, 21, from Amangal in Mahbubnagar. Police said her body was totally burnt and covered with books and clothes. She did not leave any suicide note. (Representational image) Hyderabad: An Intermediate student committed suicide by setting herself ablaze in the college hostel on Tuesday. Police said she was depressed as she was staying away from her parents. Nadikuda Satvika spoke to her mother Latha just before ending her life. Meanwhile, the Balala Hakkula Sangham blamed college managements stating that their style of functioning was forcing students to end lives. They demanded a criminal case against the institution and an inquiry into the incident. The Sangham said that managements were blindly attributing all suicides to love affair. N. Satvika, 16, the daughter of Santosh Reddy and Latha, of Armoor in Nizamabad district, was studying first-year Intermediate MPC at the Sri Chaitanya Junior College on Bollaram Road. She came to the college two days ago after Dusserah. Since then she looked upset and was alone. On Tuesday, at around 1 pm, she called her mother Latha and told her that she did not want to stay at the hostel. After that she went to lunch along with friends but returned midway. When her friends came back they found her completely burnt. Police said her body was totally burnt and covered with books and clothes. She did not leave any suicide note. Her parents are clueless about the incident. We are sending cloth samples and other objects for forensic analysis, Kukatpally ACP N. Bhujanga Rao said. Police registered a suspicious death case and handed over the body after post-mortem. The man pulled the girl to an abandoned house, took her to the bathroom and sexually assaulted her (Representational image) Hyderabad: A nine-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a man in his early thirties in Borabanda. The man, who has not been identified, misguided the girl, took her to an unoccupied house and sexually assaulted her. He escaped from the area soon after the incident. The police has launched a search for him. The incident occurred at around 6.30 pm at Swaraj Nagar when the girl was walking home after attending madrasa. Seeing the girl alone the suspect came behind her and shouted that a dog was following her. When the girl got frightened and started walking fast, the suspect caught hold of her hands and walked with her for a while. He then told her that his phone battery fell down somewhere and asked her to help him find it. While walking he pulled the girl to an abandoned house, took her to the bathroom and sexually assaulted her, said inspector Md. Waheeduddin of SR Nagar. Soon after the incident, the suspect left the girl and fled the spot. The victim went to her house and told her parents about the incident. Her parents then took her to the police station and filed a complaint. The girl explained everything that happened to her and told the cops that she can identify the man if she sees him again. We have booked a case under IPC for rape and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso). A manhunt has been launched to find the suspect. Meanwhile, doctors said the girls condition was stable and that she had not suffered any injuries. State Chief Secretary Aditya Padhi said, the injured persons have been admitted to various hospitals including AIIMS Bhubaneswar. (Photo: PTI) Bhubaneswar: 19 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a fire that broke out at a private hospital in Odisha capital Bhubaneswar on Monday evening. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of the Sum hospital and spread to the nearby Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Following the incident, the state government has formed a three member committee under a Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) to probe the mishap. State's Health Minister Atanu S Nayak said stringent action will be taken if the hospital authorities are found guilty of negligence. The fire rapidly spread to other areas on the same floor of the four-storey hospital building and most of the victims were in the first floor ICU of the ill-fated hospital. Doctors said most of the deaths took place due to suffocation. Police and fire brigade personnel along with volunteers and hospital staff launched a massive rescue operation as more than 500 indoor patients were trapped in the building. At least 10 fire tenders were pressed into service to control the blaze and over a dozen ambulances deployed to shift the critical patients to other hospitals. State Chief Secretary Aditya Padhi said, the injured persons have been admitted to various hospitals including AIIMS Bhubaneswar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep anguish at the loss of lives in the massive blaze. In a series of tweets, he described the tragedy as mind-numbing and said his thoughts are with bereaved families. The Prime Minister spoke to Union Health Minister JP Nadda and asked him to facilitate transfer of all those injured to AIIMS in Bhubaneswar. He also spoke to Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and asked him to ensure all possible help to the injured and affected. The Prime Minister also spoke to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik about the tragedy and assured all possible help from the Centre. Nadda said the Centre is providing all necessary support to the State government. Mr Nadda said he has already spoken to the AIIMS in Bhubaneswar and asked it to provide all necessary help to the patients. He said that Union Health secretary CK Mishra has already spoken to Odisha Health department officials and is in constant touch with them. Patnaik expressed serious concern over the mishap and described it as very tragic. He directed the government hospitals to provide necessary treatment to patients shifted from Sum Hospital. The Chief Minister also requested all private hospitals to extend treatment to the patients. The Cress Gallery of Art at UTC will present Sangram Majumdar, Fall 2016 UTC Diane Marek Visiting Artist, from Oct. 22-15. He will give a lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 5:30 p.m. in Room 101, Derthick Hall, 624 Vine St., followed by an opening reception in the lobby of the Fine Arts Center, 752 Vine St. Mr. Majumdar appears in association with an exhibition of his paintings on display from Oct. 25-Dec. 13. The Gallery and all events are open to the public; admission is free. Gallery hours are 9:30 a.m.7:30 p.m. MondayFriday; and 1-4 p.m. on the weekends. Other Diane Marek Series events open to the public include a Process and Materials Discussion, Cress Gallery, Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m.-noon and Professionalism Session, Room 356 Fine Arts Center, Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 2-3 p.m. Review for Sangram Majumdar: Sangram Majumdar explores the intersection of varying pictorial conventions, from the figurative to the purely abstract. The resulting paintings evolve as conversations between reality and fiction, logic and ambiguity, the familiar and the unexpected. For his exhibition in the Cress, Mr. Majumdar presents nine paintings created between the years of 2012 and 2016 including four monumental oils on canvas that reach a height of seven feet. In addition, the Cresss auxiliary gallery holds 52 small individual works most on paper in materials ranging from charcoal, pencil, oil, and mixed media. These function in a variety of roles, some as explorations, some as rehearsals, others as finished paintings in their own right. All sow seed for new thought and provide continuity and connection in the artists practice. Mr. Majumdars paintings operate as thresholds into experience. His approach to painting is centered around the process of perception, as he works from objects in his domestic space, materials he arranges in his studio, the pattern of light and shadow cast by the sun streaming through a window, a photograph, a memory, even his own painterly interventions. All can be an image and each are formally analyzed and dissected. Their reconstruction reveals and obfuscates. Shape and color become synonyms of their origin, and recognitionthe naming of somethingbegs the mystery of its presence. Swaths of vibrant color give way to passages of tonal subtlety. Gravity and weightlessness coexist. Mr. Majumdar seeks the point at which the painting conveys more than its surface. The paradoxical role of the painter is at once that of navigator finding way, and that of engineer allowing the painting to move along a determined path. An absence of human presence in these works is amended by layers of human observation arranged in a contained and embraced space where elements that are yet unfinished create an unfolding moment in time. Ultimately Mr. Majumdars work is about painting. Its presence and transformative potential, and its magnificent purpose through the millenniums, has evoked thought about the evolving nature of what life is and who we are. This exhibition is an oasis, where the tumultuous and uncertain external world may be escaped for a time to contemplate, repair, and restore, and celebrate the grounding in reality and the elevation of being that our own perceptual senses provide. Painting for me is about slowing down, and finding a way to use the world around me to better understand myself," said Mr. Majumdar. "In turn I believe it makes me more empathetic towards others. Born in Kolkata, India, Mr. Majumdar holds an MFA from Indiana University and a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally and has lectured on his work at numerous colleges including SVA, Pratt, RISD, PAFA, SUNY-Purchase, Princeton University and the New York Studio School. Recent solo exhibitions include Georgetown University, DC; Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, NY; Rothschild Fine Art, Tel Aviv, Israel, and the Kresge Art Museum, MI. Recent selected group exhibition venues include James Cohan Gallery, NY; Zurcher Gallery, NY; Morgan Lehman Gallery, NY; Come Together: Surviving Sandy, curated by Phong Bui, Brooklyn, NY; Salon Zurcher, Paris, France; the 2010 Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts, American Academy of Arts and Letters, NY; US Embassy, Sierra Leone, and the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Nagoya, Japan. Awards include a MacDowell Fellowship, a residency at Yaddo, the 2009-10 Marie Walsh Sharpe Studio Space Program Grant, a MICA Trustees Award for Excellence in Teaching, and two Maryland State Art Council Individual Grants in Painting. His work has been published in drawing textbooks: Drawing Essentials: A Guide to Drawing from Observation (Oxford University Press, 2008), Drawing: Structure and Vision, (Prentice Hall, 2008) and Exploring Life Drawing (Thompson Delmar Publishing, 2007). Mr. Majumdar lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He is a full-time Professor of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art. For more information about Mr. Majumdar visit: http://www.sangrammajumdar.com, http://www.gorkysgranddaughter.com/2013/12/sangram-majumdar-october-2013.html, http://www.wldfoundation.org/artist.php?artist=MAJU. Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minster Akhilesh Yadav has ordered a judicial probe into the Varanasi stampede which claimed 25 lives and left over 100 people injured. The chief minister has constituted a one-man inquiry commission to probe into the stampede, a government release issued in Lucknow said on Tuesday. The commission will be headed by retired Judge of Allahabad High Court, Justice Rajmani Chauhan, who has been asked to submit his report within two months, the release said. Read: Varanasi stampede: Govt suspends top officers for dereliction of duty As many as 25 people, mostly women, were killed in the stampede on the overcrowded Rajghat Ganga bridge in Varanasi on Saturday. The incident happened when thousands of Jai Guru Dev followers were on their way to attend a religious congregation, two kms away in a village in Chandauli district. The SEZs in Andhra Pradesh have also turned out to be major export hubs (Representational Image) Visakhapatnam: Special Economic Zones (SEZs) of both Telugu states Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been contributing significantly to overall exports by Indian SEZs. In the just-concluded 2015-16 fiscal year, exports from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana SEZs were pegged at about Rs 55,000 crore which is almost 25 per cent of the overall exports from Indias SEZs. The SEZs in Andhra Pradesh have also turned out to be major export hubs, registering a 20-plus per cent growth rate in 2015-16. The same for the rest of the SEZs was just 0.77 per cent. Of the total exports from both the states, Information Technology (IT) sector contributed more than half. IT exports, from Hydera-bad significantly, stood at Rs 32,000 crore during the 2015-16 fiscal year. IT sector continued to dominate SEZ exports from this region. That is due to the world-class infrastructure facilities in and around Hyderabad. After IT, it is pharma products, apparel and building materials. Since new pharma units have begun operations this year at Vizag we are expecting exports to go up in the present fiscal, VSEZ joint development commissioner Dr G. Trinadh Kumar told this newspaper. SEZs coming under Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Yanam come under the VZES office here. On the flip side, not all SEZs are functional. In the two Telugu-speaking states, about 109 SEZs had been approved since 2005. But only 70 SEZs are notified; and out of them, only 50 are operational. Among the 70 notified, apart from the 50 operational, the remaining are at various stages of being operational. Among the 50, Andhra Pradesh has a total of 21 functional SEZs. The exports would have been more if all the approved SEZs were functional. The SEZs in both the states belonged to Union and state governments, besides some that are run by private players. Around 20 SEZs in both the states that remained only on paper and never saw the light of day were cancelled recently. The cancellation procedure was initiated for another 10 such SEZs. We regularly review the progress of the-se SEZs. If the SEZs do-nt start functioning within the stipulated time, they will be cancelled, added Trinadh Kumar. Across the country, approval has been accorded to 412 SEZs, out of which 204 SEZs are functional and the remaining 226 SEZs non-functional. Hyderabad: Investigations into the Aradhana case has hit a roadblock with police officials left with very little evidence to prove the charges against the victims parents, who are accused of culpable homicide. The cops could not question them a second time as they are technically absconding. The parents and local Jain leaders have informed police that they will not be available as they have gone on a pilgrimage. Meanwhile, pressure from Jain organisations is mounting on the police to drop the case. The case may not move forward. There are no witnesses and no technical evidence. The police has only a doctors report which said the girl died of cardiac arrest. There was no autopsy and now there is no scope for one as the body was cremated, said an official. The officials also do not know when the parents of Aradhana will come back to the city. Meanwhile, the Jain community has started a campaign to glorify Aradhana by naming her a saint. Hundreds of organisations have been sending letters to the government explaining the importance of fasting. They have also asked the city police to drop the case against the parents. Lucknow: Asserting that there was no dispute over Ayodhya being Lord Ram's birth place, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti on Monday said that the actual disagreement was over the ownership of the land and assured that it would be sorted soon without any hassles. "The issue is not if the land is Ram Janmabhoomi or not. Even the panel of three judges have concurred that the land belongs to Ram. The challenge is the dispute between the Waqf board and the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas over possession of the land, not if it belonged to Lord Ram or not," Bharti told the media here. Read: Modi govt plans to set up a Ramayana Museum in Ayodhya BJP MP Vinay Katiyar has also raised the issue and urged the Centre to introduce a Bill in the Lok Sabha facilitating the construction of a Ram Temple at the site, emphasising that the temple had been a priority for the BJP. Meanwhile, Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma will visit Ayodhya on Tuesday to inspect the proposed site for setting up a Ramayana museum. "We want it to be a museum where people from around the world come, and get an insight into Lord Ram's life and the Ramayana," Sharma told ANI. Earlier, the opposition had criticised Prime Minister Modi's recent visit to Lucknow to participate in the Dussehra festivities, stating that this was nothing but mere vote bank politics. However, the BJP has been insisting that the Ram temple will not be an electoral tool in their campaign for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections to be held early next year. New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday expressed grief over the loss of lives in the fire mishap at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. Gandhi extended her condolences to the families of those who were bereaved in the "most unfortunate tragedy" that happened last night leaving 19 dead. Read: 19 dead, over 100 injured in Odisha hospital fire, govt forms probe team She has instructed the Pradesh Congress Committee and workers of the party to reach out to the victims and their families, the Congress said in a statement. The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of the private hospital which spread to the nearby Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Women say the Muslim Personal Law Application Act, which is based on Sharia law and permits triple talaq, is being misused. (Photo: AFP) Hyderabad: Claiming that Uniform Civil Code issue is another "trump-card" of the BJP, the Communist Party of India on Tuesday alleged that the lead party of NDA government may try to keep it alive till the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with an aim to reap political dividends. CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy sees the current debate on the code as a "diversionary tactic" adopted by the BJP-led NDA government. He expressed the view that the code is a "diverse and complex issue" and not an "urgent issue at the moment" as "there are so many other problems". Reddy, however, said there is a necessity to take a relook at the triple talaq issue. "Some reform should come (in Muslim Personal Law) but it is necessary to convince the minority community (on the need for it)", he told PTI. "This (debate on the code and triple talaq, among others) is being brought as a diversionary tactic. There is necessity to discuss the whole in the Muslim community itself about such demand for reforms," he said. "It's not something urgent to divide the nation on that issue and I don't think the government is serious in bringing the code. The debate before the Uttar Pradesh elections (due early next year) is aimed to get political dividends," Reddy alleged. Asked if he expected the code issue to "die down" after Uttar Pradesh elections, he said, "They may continue till 2019 also. This (the code) is another trump card like Ayodhya, so called nationalism, patriotism to cover up pro-corporate, anti-labour, anti-people policies of Government of India. They may keep it as an important point of debate." Chennai: Mass rail blockades by opposition parties and farmers continued for the second day on Tuesday at various places across the state over the Cauvery issue, with police detaining Tamil Maanila Congress leader GK Vasan and about 300 farmers for staging protests. Leading an agitation at the Egmore Railway station here, MDMK General Secretary Vaiko and VCK Chief Thol Thirumavalavan, along with several workers including those from the Left parties, blocked an express train. The two senior leaders climbed onto the railing of the train's engine and shouted slogans condemning the stance of the Centre against the constitution of CMB. Protests were held at the Central railway station, by Naam Tamizhar Katchi leader Seeman along with his supporters, who were later taken away by the police. Similar protests witnessed huge participation of people in the Cauvery Delta region of the state including Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts. Scores of farmers and members of political parties were arrested at different places for attempting to block rail traffic. Vasan was detained along with hundreds of his party workers in Thanjavur for staging a protest.While in Tiruchirappalli district, about 300 farmers were apprehended for blocking the Vaigai Express bound for Chennai, at Pullampadi station. A heavy posse of police personnel had been deployed at railway stations including Madurai, to prevent any untoward incidents. In Madurai, police outnumbered the agitators and security barricades were erected to prevent agitators from entering the station. The Supreme Court-appointed high-level technical team, formed to inspect the Cauvery basin to assess the ground realities in both the states, had yesterday submitted its report to the Court. The report had suggested doing away with "outdated and unscientific water application techniques" to resolve the wrangle, saying both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were facing water shortage, creating unemployment and financial hardship for the people. Hyderabad: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will most likely reshuffle the Cabinet before Diwali. Sources close to him said there are strong indications of this. In the Cabinet reshuffle, Mr Naidu will induct his son and TD national general-secretary Nara Lokesh and two or three more into the Cabinet. Sources said Mr Naidu is not yet clear on taking YSRC MLAs who defected to the TD into the Cabinet. If Mr Naidu takes a decision on this, only one MLA will get Cabinet berth. In the reshuffle, Mr Naidu is likely to drop two ministers. A minister from Rayalaseema and a minister from Andhra may lose their position. Sources said that except inducting Mr Lokesh into the Cabinet there will be no surprises in the Cabinet reshuffle. Along with Mr Lokesh, MLC M.A. Shariff from West Godavari will get Cabinet berth. If Mr Naidu decides to take defected MLAs, then Jaleel Khan, MLA from Vijayawada West, may get a chance to be in the Cabinet. The state government has decided tentatively to conduct Janma Bhoomi Programme from Nove-mber 1 to 10 across the state. Mr Naidu will leave for the US on a 10-day visit on November 12. Keeping this in view, Mr Naidu has decided to complete the long-pending Cabinet reshuffle before Diwali festival which falls on October 30. Sources said that if for any reason it is not possible to reshuffle the Cabinet before Diwali, it will be definitely be one or two days after the festival. Mr Naidu has also decided to change the portfolios of some of the present ministers. Mr Lokesh is likely to get IT, industries and power portfolios. At present, industries and power are looked after by Mr Naidu. IT portfolio was given to information and public relations minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy. Mr Lokesh has to be elected as a member of the Assembly or legislative council within six months of being inducted into the Cabinet. Mr Naidu may choose to have Mr Lokesh as a member of the legislative council. New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has supported the demand of Muslim women against the arbitrary practice of triple talaq, but alleged that the ruling dispensation at the Centre was not interested in securing women's equality but in targeting the minority communities. "In this context the claims being made by government spokespersons that personal laws for Hindu women have already been reformed shows that their interest is not in securing women's equality but in targeting the minority communities, particularly the Muslim minority. Even now laws concerning, adoption, property rights and even the right to choose your own partner discriminate against Hindu women," the CPI (M) said in a statement. "With the offensive of the communal forces on the very identity of minority communities, any move to push the agenda of Uniform Civil Code as is being done by the Government directly and through its institutions is being counterproductive for the rights of women. Uniformity is not the guarantee for equality," the statement added. The Supreme Court will express its views on the Constitutional legitimacy of triple talaq and polygamy in the Muslim community, as the hearing on the matter involving women petitioners, religious organizations and the Centre is set to be heard today. Several Muslim women have approached the judiciary and the apex court is presently hearing three petitions against triple talaq. The Muslims organizations, however, perceive this development as an attempt to meddle with their religious practices and are boycotting the process. Earlier, the Centre had filed an affidavit in the apex court saying that triple talaq is not an essential religious practice in Islam. "Gender equality and dignity of women are non-negotiable, overarching constitutional values and can brook no compromise," the government said in an affidavit filed in the top court. The Muslim law board has claimed that triple talaq is a 'personal law', and hence, cannot be modified by the Centre. In August, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), in its reply to the petitions, had defended the validity of triple talaq, saying that if the practice is discontinued, a man could murder or burn his wife alive to get rid of her. "If there develops serious discord between the couple, and the husband does not at all want to live with her, the legal compulsions of time-consuming separation proceedings and expenses may deter him from taking the legal course. In such instances, he may resort to illegal, criminal ways of murdering or burning her alive," the AIMPLB's affidavit had stated. New Delhi: Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has ordered transfer of Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and posted him as the Registrar of Guru Gobind Singh Inraprastha University. The Services Department has transfered Sisodia's Secretary C Arvind, an officer of Delhi Andaman Nicobar Island Civil Services (DANICS). The department issued the order with approval of the Lt Governor. "The Lt Governor is pleased to order transfer/posting of DANICS officer (C Arvind) with immediate effect," the order, dated October 14, stated. It further stated the officer has been posted as Registrar of Guru Gobind Singh Inraprastha University on deputation. It said the terms and condition of deputation in respect of the officer (C Arvind) will be settled in due course. However, the AAP government, which has been at loggerheads with the Lt Governor office over transfers and postings of its officers at several occasions in the past, has not launched an attack publicly this time. ORME BRANCH RAILROAD, 1904 The Orme Branch Railroad (OB) was built by the Campbell Coke and Coal Company in 1904 as the Dorans Cove Branch Railroad (DCB), primarily to send its coal and coke from its mines at Orme, opened in 1902, to market along a more efficient route than the mountain roads it had been using. The Battle Creek Coal and Coke Company bought the operation in 1905, and the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway changed the name of the railway. The OB switched off the Sequatchie Valley Branch Railroad (SVB) about a mile out from Bridgeport. Like the SVB, the DCB,as the OB, began offering trips all the way into Chattanooga in the early 20th century. The stations on the Orme Branch Railroad and its successor were as follows. Orme The town of Orme, which is still incorporated with about 150 citizens, came into being as company town for the Campbell Coal and Coke Company. It lies in upper Dorans Cove along the end of Orme Road. The town center and its depot, which still stands, though the tracks were removed decades ago, are at the junction of Old Shop Hollow and Payne Cove. The town is only easily accessible by going through Alabama; you also can get there from the top of the plateau by way of Orme Mountain Road if you are up for an adventure. The post office of Needmore was established in 1902, changing later that year to Orme, as which it operated until 1965, when service moved to South Pittsburg. Crownover This station stood next to Crownover Spring east of the intersection of Orme Road, Cluck Cove Road (Jackson County Road 298), and Dorans Cove Road (County Road 98). Montague A little over four miles later (according to the Official Railway Guide) came this station on the west side of the tracks across from the end of Needmore Road. It mainly served the Needmore Coal Mines and its company town, also named Needmore, atop Montague Mountain. Mount Carmel This station stood at whats now the intersection of Old Stevenson-Bridgeport Road (County Road 75). Cumberland Junction This station a half mile down stood near the intersection of Rocky Springs Road (County Road 74) and County Road 572, reached by a spur that switched off the main line to the south. Johnsons Crossing This station was a little over a mile-and-a-half down the line. Orme Junction Another two miles down the line came the junction with the SVB, a mile out from that railways Bridgeport Depot. Bridgeport The Dorans Cove/Orme Branch Railroad used SVBs depot here. For more Bridgeport information, see the sections on the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad and on the Sequatchie Valley Branch Railroad. Chattanooga After the OB began offering trips all the way into Chattanooga, it used the NC&StLs Union Depot as its terminal here. For more information, see this entry under the section on the Nashvile and Chattanooga Railroad. CHATTANOOGA TRACTION COMPANY, 1913 While this was strictly an electric railway operation, Im including it because of its connection with the Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Texas Pacific Railway (CNO&TP) and because it reached areas not included in any of the steam or diesel railways. In addition to being the last major electric railway lines built in Chattanooga, they were also the last railway lines built by C.E. James. The main purpose for building the first line was to carry passengers to another venture of his, the Signal Mountain Inn. Traction in the title of the company refers to the kind of engine using electric power for propulsion. The Chattanooga Traction Company (CTC) built three lines north of the river, the Signal Mountain Division, which opened in 1913; the Dry Valley (or Red Bank) Division, which opened in 1916; and the Hixson Division, which was sold to Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Texas Pacific Railway in 1917 before it opened. In building this last line, CTC had intended to load freight at CNO&TPs Tenbridge Station to carry on its lines to haul into Chattanooga but discovered it would come under scrutiny of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and sold the line to CNO&TP. Unified Line North Chattanooga This station stood at the north end of the County Bridge (now Walnut Street Bridge) until John Ross Bridge opened, when it moved to a spot just west of that bridge. Signal Mills This station stood at the former Signal Knitting Mill on Manufacturers Roads now serving as the home for Food Works. Magnolia Roughly halfway between the stations in either side, this station may have served the needs of the Magnolia Petroleum Company, which had a presence here in the early 20th century. Divine This station stood where Power Corporation Drive runs under US 27. The brick depot here is one of the very few (possibly the only) surviving such structures from the CTC days. The railways car barns sat nearby to the east. Tennessee Paper Mills This station stood at the eponymous factory on Manufacturers Road. Riverside This station was at Riverside Road and Manufacturers Road, and a spur line from here ran south down to Moccasin Point, not quite reaching the end. Valley Junction This depot was at the intersection of Pineville Road and West Elmwood Drive and was the junction from which Signal Mountain and Dry Valley Divisions went their separate ways. Signal Mountain Division Passenger service on this line operated from September 1913 until 4 July 1934. Pineville This station stood at the Pineville Road crossing. Williams Island This station stood approximately at the Baylor School Road crossing, and there was a spur line from here onto the schools campus. Silver Creek This station stood at the Old Signal Mountain Road crossing. Crystal City This station was about where the northern entrance to the Wal-Mart complex in Signal Mountain Boulevard is now. From the station there was a road that circled Crystal Lake, a feature which long ceased to exist long before Wal-Mart came. Jones Station This station stood behind Food City on Signal Mountain Boulevard. Glendale This station stood at the intersection of Glendale Drive with Signal Mountain Boulevard. Elks This station stood just below the first sharp curve to the east on Signal Mountain Boulevard. Sub Station This station stood below Williams Point, roughly at the intersection of Sunset Drive with Signal Mountain Boulevard. Shoal Creek This station stood approximately at the intersection of Shoal Creek Road with Signal Mountain Boulevard, below Brady Point. Wilder This station stood near where North Palisades Drive crosses Shoal Creek. Adams This station stood at the intersection of Adams Street with Palisades Drive. Oakwood This station stood near the intersection of Ladder Trail with Palisades Drive. Hollywood This station stood near the intersection of Wood Street with Mississippi Avenue. Fairview This station stood at the intersection of Fairview Avenue with Mississippi Avenue. Tennessee Avenue This station stood at the intersection of Tennessee Avenue with Mississippi Avenue. Exchange This station stood approximately at the intersection of Mississippi Avenue, James Boulevard, and Brady Point Road. Signal Mountain Inn The Signal Mountain Inn, the terminus of the Signal Mountain Line, is now the Alexian Brothers of Tennessee Retirement Community. Since there is no Signal Mountain Station, I will add the postal information here. The post office of Signal Mountain was established in 1915 and continues to this day. Dry Valley Division Passenger service on this line operated from March 1917 until 31 March 1928. Woodland This station stood at the McRoy Road crossing. Hillside This station stood at the Signal Mountain Boulevard crossing. Valdeau This station stood at the Dayton Boulevard crossing. The post office of Valdeau operated from 1897 until 1915, when service was moved to Chattanooga. Midvale This station stood at the Midvale Avenue East crossing. White Oak This station stood at the Memorial Drive (formerly Whiteoak Road) crossing. Walters This station was at the east end of Signal View Street, which once went to the tracks. Flora This station was at the Culver Street crossing. C & D Junction This station stood at the junction of the Red Bank Division with the Hixson Division, at whats now the intersection of Harding Road and Dayton Boulevard. Morrison This station stood at whats now the insection of Newberry Street East with Dayton Boulevard. Ford This station stood at whats now the intersection of Euclid Avenue with Dayton Boulevard. Red Bank This station stood at whats now the intersection of East Leawood Avenue with Dayton Boulevard. The post office of Red Bank operated from 1875 until 1902, when it was moved to Valdeau. Hixson Division This line was completed in 1917 and sold to CNO&TP before CTC ever operated on it. C&D Junction This station was at the junction of the two railways. See the entry under the Red Bank Division. Lupton City The passenger depot, if there was one, probably stood at the end of Mill Street, near where it meets the tracks. The post office of Lupton City operated from 1925 until 2009. Tenbridge This station was the junction of this line with CNO&TPs main line into Chattanooga. For more information, see the entry in the section on the Cincinnati Southern Railway. Chuck Hamilton DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan said the applicants can fill up the application forms and submit them by October 20. (Photo: Representational Image) Chennai: DMK on Tuesday invited applications from prospective candidates for the November 19 election to Thanjavur and Aravakurichi Assembly constituencies, besides the by-election to Tirupparankundram seat. DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan said the applicants can fill up the application forms in this regard and submit them by October 20 at party headquarters, Anna Arivalayam. Interview of the applicants will be held the next day, he said in a release in Chennai. The Election Commission had on Monday announced in Delhi that polls to Thanjavur and Aravakurichi Assembly seats, which it had rescinded in May in view of complaints of money distribution, will now be held on November 19, 2016. Assembly elections were held on May 16 in Tamil Nadu this year, where the ruling AIADMK secured a successive term. The Tirupparankundram bypoll, necessitated by the death of sitting AIADMK MLA SM Seenivel, will also be held on the same day. Chandigarh: Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Tuesday said that the government was committed to increasing the income of farmers and give a boost to the allied sectors. "We are committed to increasing farmers' income and at the same time input cost has to be brought down," the Minister said. He was interacting with regional editors from north and north-eastern States on the concluding day of a two-day conference organised by Press Information Bureau in Chandigarh on Tuesday. He also lashed out at the previous UPA government, claiming they had slept over the issue of soil health cards to farmers and did not take it seriously. Singh said Rs 568 crore provision was made for issuing soil health cards to 14 crore farmers in the country. "By next year all farmers will be given soil health cards, and they will know which fertiliser has to be used, because we have seen in some cases blind use of fertiliser affects soil fertility," he said. He also said the Modi government had taken steps to prevent black marketing of urea. The government gives Rs 50,000 crore subsidy on urea. He said that earlier 30 per cent urea used to find its way illegally into chemical factories, resulting in shortage in many parts of the country. "Now, urea is being Neem quoted, as a result it has prevented from misuse rendering it for use only by farmers," he said. Singh said that DAVP and potash fertilisers prices have also come down for the first time. "Another thing which is important is creating good market for farmers produce," he said. The Electronic National Agriculture Market or eNAM, a key initiative of the Modi government to improve farm incomes, has surpassed its target by bringing 250 wholesale markets on to the platform, he said. "Our target is to link 585 mandis by December 2017," he informed. The Government was working to give a boost to allied sectors like dairy, fisheries, bee keeping and organic farming, the Minister said. Singh also claimed that India's kharif harvest will be the highest ever in history this year. "The kharif harvest targeted this year will break records, after 131 million tonne kharif production in 2011-12, it is set to touch 135.03 million tonnes this year," he said, adding last year's figure was 124 million tonne. Rice production this year has been targeted at 94 million tonne as against record of 92 mt in 2011-12, Singh pointed out. New Delhi: Union Health Minister J P Nadda today said the Centre is providing all necessary support to Odisha where at least 22 patients died and several were injured in a fire that broke out at the Sum Hospital in Bhubaneswar. Nadda said that he has already spoken to the AIIMS in Bhubaneswar and asked it to provide all necessary help to the patients. "Deeply saddened by the fire incident in Inst. of Medi Sciences & SUM hospital Bhubaneswar. My condolences rest with the bereaved families. "I have spoken to Director, AIIMS Bhubaneswar to provide all necessary support and help the patients in the best way possible," Nadda tweeted after the incident. He said that the Union Health secretary C K Mishra has already spoken to Odisha Health department officials and was in "constant touch" with them. "Union Health Secretary has spoken to the Principal Secy Health, Orissa. Officials of @MoHFW_INDIA are in constant touch with state officials," he said in his tweet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight voiced "deep anguish" at the loss of lives in a massive blaze at a hospital in Bhubaneshwar, calling it "mind-numbing". "Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. The tragedy is mind-numbing. My thoughts are with bereaved families," Modi said on microblogging website twitter. "Spoke to Minister @JPNadda (Health Minister) & asked him to facilitate transfer of all those injured to AIIMS. Hope the injured recover quickly. "Also spoken to Minister @dpradhanbjp and asked him to ensure all possible help to the injured and affected," he said in a series of tweets. The fire was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of the private hospital which spread to the nearby Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The fire rapidly spread to other areas on the same floor of the four-storeyed hospital building. The commissionerate of police and fire brigade personnel along with volunteers and hospital staff launched a massive rescue operation as more than 500 indoor patients were trapped in the building, hospital officials said. At least seven fire tenders were pressed into service to control the blaze and over a dozen ambulances deployed to shift the critical patients to other hospitals. Imphal: Anti-AFSPA activist Irom Sharmila launched her own political party in Imphal on Tuesday. According to reports, Sharmila launched Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance which will take part in the Manipur assembly elections scheduled for 2017. We hope to bring about a political change in Manipur where draconian laws like AFSPA will not trouble the common man, Sharmila said, announcing the party. The 44-year-old crusader said her party would be based on the principles of justice, understanding, love and peace. Sharmila will contest two assembly seats, Thoubal and Khurai, and said she hopes to field at least 20 candidates for Manipur's 60 seats. Contesting the Thoubal seat will pit her directly against Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, whose constituency is Thoubal. She has since visited capital Delhi and sought advice on how to defeat major political parties from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the Delhi elections last year, decimating both the BJP and the Congress. She had also said she would like to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "good advice." Read: Irom Sharmila wants to meet Modi, take good advice from him Irom Sharmila Chanu was on a hunger strike for 16 years demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Manipur. She had given up her fast on August 9, 2016, leading to astonishment and outrage among some of her supporters. Sharmila had said then that she would contest the Manipur elections and wants to become the Chief Minister of the State so that she can repeal AFSPA. Srinagar: Possibly for the first time in Kashmir, security forces have recovered Chinese flags along with incriminating material during raids at suspected hideouts of militants in Baramulla and arrested 44 people for their alleged involvement in "terror-related activities". "Over 700 houses were searched in a span of 12 hours on October 17 in an extensive search operation in old town in Baramulla, during which 44 persons involved with terror related activities have been apprehended," an army spokesman said here tonight. The security forces sanitised the area and a number of hideouts were busted during the operation, the spokesman said. "A large quantity of incriminating material such as petrol bombs, Chinese and Pakistani flags, Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) letter head pads, unauthorized mobile phones and seditious anti-national publicity material were seized," he added. He said the operation was jointly carried out by teams of army, police, BSF and CRPF in 10 sensitive localities including Qazi Hamam, Ganai Hamam, Taweed Gunj, Jamia and other mohallas reportedly being used as "safe havens by the terrorists". Meanwhile, police, in a major crackdown, has arrested 122 more people allegedly involved in disrupting the public order in the valley. "Continuing its action against the persons involved in disrupting the public order in different parts of the valley, police arrested 122 such individuals during past 24 hours," a police spokesman said. Kashmir valley had witnessed unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8. Kerala, the gateway of Indias long winding monsoon season, is faced with the spectre of drought as the rainfall in the state during the South West Monsoon season was down by 34 per cent. (Representational image) Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram: Eminent scholar D.D. Kosambi once remarked that it is always worthwhile to do something about the climate than talking about it. The significance of these words is yet to be understood by policy-makers despite climate change becoming part of everyday vocabulary. Kerala, the gateway of Indias long winding monsoon season, is faced with the spectre of drought as the rainfall in the state during the South West Monsoon season was down by 34 per cent. This is probably the first time the State is facing a drought-like situation at this time of the year and the government has drawn up plans to mitigate the condition, especially in the six districts which have been declared drought-hit. Dr. A. Krishna Kumar, scientist at the natural resources and environmental management (NREM) at NCESS which is the former Centre for Earth Science Studies at Thiruvananthapuram, told DC that this early drought was unexpected. He said that instances such as earthworms dying at this time of year was an indication to undertake further study on climatic changes. NCESS has got the land base details, but we dont have atmospheric data on parameters like how much rainfall has been received, details on temperature, humidity etc. We have to take mitigation measures to reduce the intensity of the drought, said Dr Krishna Kumar. NCESS cannot be blamed for not undertaking any study on atmospheric science as it is conducting a study on climate changes in the Periyar basin. This was started only six months ago but scientists are yet to start generating data. By comparing the land use data collected from the various weather monitoring stations across the State, the scientists would be able to get rainfall data. By collecting the statistics from across the State, they would be able to know the trend on land degradation. But scientists warn that if authorities do not take steps to control the rise in land reclamation, Kerala will face further drought-like situations. It is a matter of concern that south-west monsoon was deficit in the state, said S. Sudevan, director of Indian Meteorological Department at Thiruvananthapuram. We hope a good spell of north-east monsoon would help partially offset the ill-effect. In the current scenario, the retreating monsoon is likely to be delayed as there was no sign of it so far, he added. Normally, the north-east monsoon is from the second half of October to early December. Dr. N.B. Narasimha Prasad, executive director of the Kozhikode-based Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) says that the state will have to long-term planning based on micro and macro level requirements. The government alone will not be able to find a solution for the conservation and preservation of water in the state, he said. The people also needed to be aware of the scarcity of the resource. He, however, cautioned against reaching a hasty conclusion on drought and said the state may wait for the performance of the north-east monsoon. While the authorities have failed to take preventive steps such as preservation of rainwater, the government has of late woken up to the sepctre. A recent high level meeting of a team of officials from revenue, irrigation, agriculture, State disaster management cell and local self government bodies called by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan evaluated the conditions. It decided to declare six districts as drought-hit districts and to assess the situation in the others after watching the rainfall in the north-east monsoon. Agriculture minister V. S. Sunil Kumar told DC that the government had asked the respective department officials to waive off agriculture loans and give moratorium to the farmers in the affected districts. A mechanism will be brought forth to protect drinking water and water meant for agricultural purposes, he said. Also, the rains received from the current north east monsoon would have to be saved for future use as ground water. We have also asked local panchayats to dig canals and ponds in various districts to save water. The incident took place in Mumbai when the Air India plane was making its landing. (Representational Image) Mumbai: An Air India plane carrying 128 passengers and crew members from Ahmedabad suffered a tyre burst while landing at the city airport Tuesday morning. All passengers are safe and another aircraft has been arranged to ferry passengers to their onward journey, an Air India spokesperson in New Delhi said. "Air India flight AI 614 from Ahmedabad for Mumbai with 128 passengers and crew members suffered a tyre bust at 0904 hours during landing at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport today," the spokesperson said. The Airbus A320 aircraft was to fly to Raipur as AI 651, the spokesperson said, adding the airline has already pressed into service another aircraft to fly the passengers to their destination. Ludhiana: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said his "head hangs in shame" over incidents of atrocities on Dalits that take place even after 70 years of Independence and called for more focused efforts to correct social anomalies. Citing the example of Guru Gobind Singh in raising his voice against casteism and untouchability, Modi said: "We know that due to our societal anomalies, hearing out some incidents targeting our Dalit brothers even today, my head hangs in shame. After 70 years of Independence, we cannot wait longer". At the launch of a National SC/ST Hub here, he said: "We will have to sharpen the focus of our direction. The aspirations of a Dalit or an Adivasi exceed those of other youth in the country. If they get an opportunity they will not lag behind in changing the fortunes of India." The Hub for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe will help Dalits and Adivasis become entrepreneurs so that they can provide jobs to others, he said. Modi also mentioned that under the Startup India, Standup India scheme, 1.25 lakh branches of nationalised banks in the country have been directed to sanction loans up to Rs 1 crore to at least one woman, and one person each belonging to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe categories, adding that the move can help create 3.75 lakh such entrepreneurs. The National SC/ST Hub, under the MSME Ministry, was announced in the Budget. With an initial outlay of Rs 490 crore, the hub will work towards strengthening market access/linkage, monitoring, capacity building, leveraging financial support schemes and sharing industry-best practices. It will also enable central public sector enterprises to fulfil the procurement target set by the government. The Public Procurement Policy 2012 stipulates that 4 per cent of procurement done by ministries, departments and CPSEs will have to be from enterprises owned by SC/ST entrepreneurs. "I have requested the state governments that 4 per cent should be procured from goods manufactured by Dalits to encourage them," Modi said. The Prime Minister emphasised upon efforts to bring backward sections of the society into the centre of economic activity. New Delhi: Pakistan will attend a three-day international conference being organised by Election Commission of India (ECI) in New Delhi this week. According to reports, Pakistan will however not be sending a senior representative to the event. Earlier, Shakeel Ahmed Baloch, member, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was scheduled to attend the conference, but now, Altaf Ahmed, director (public relations and political finance), ECP, will be present in his place. ECI officials though claimed that the last minute change had taken place because Baloch needed to focus on a local election back in Pakistan. But there was confusion even regarding this. Earlier, the ECI officials said Pakistan would not be attending the event, but then issued a correction. The first-ever global conference on voter education is being organised by the ECI in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the main purpose of exchanging the experiences of election management bodies. The conference is being attended by representatives of 27 countries. The conference will discuss several topics including electoral literacy and enhanced participation by special categories of voters. The ECI will also launch an NRI survey-cum-competition with the aim of gathering useful data and engaging NRIs about their voting eligibility and rights. India-Pakistan relations have soured ever since Pakistan-based terrorists killed 19 soldiers in an ambush in Uri sector of Kashmir last month. India responded with surgical strikes inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India has also sought to isolate Pakistan over its support for cross-border terrorism, pulling out of the SAARC summit in Islamabad (which led to several other nations also pulling out) and labelling Pakistan a terrorist state at the United Nations. Pakistani troops fired 82 mm mortar bombs, used small and automatic weapons in the firing on forward Indian posts in Laam Battalion area in Naushera. (Photo: Representational Image) Jammu: Violating ceasefire, Pakistani troops fired from small arms and shelled mortar bombs on forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from Indian troops. "There was ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Naushera sector of Rajouri district", a Defence Spokesman said. Pakistani troops fired 82 mm mortar bombs, used small and automatic weapons in the firing on forward Indian posts in Laam Battalion area in Naushera from 8:30 pm to 1:30 am, the spokesman said. Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in the ceasefire violation. Few rounds were also fired in Naushera sector late last night. There have been 29 ceasefire violations along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes by the Army in PoK to dismantle terror launching pads. On October 16, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire twice along the LoC in Naushera and Rajouri sectors in which one jawan was martyred. On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Poonch district resulting in injuries to a jawan. Pakistani troops had on October 5 violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts. Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shells in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts. They shelled mortar bombs and opened fire from small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district. Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times and restored to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district. On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district. On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is opening an office in downtown Chattanooga. Several world class facilities at the lab have been used to solve business and manufacturing problems for corporations nationwide and the lab will now focus on the Chattanooga area, said officials. I have strongly advocated over the last several years to connect the state-of-the-art technology assets of Oak Ridge National Lab with the entrepreneurial business strength of Chattanooga, said Congressman Chuck Fleischmann. The event will mark a pivotal day for the Chattanooga area. I look forward to this new partnership increasing manufacturing productivity, creating jobs and fostering new business startups. Congressman Fleischmann met frequently with officials from the EPB, Enterprise Center, Hamilton County, the city of Chattanooga, and Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. It was after he led visits between both cities that Congressman Fleischmanns goal of a Chattanooga ORNL office became a reality, said officials. The office opening will be held on Thursday at 10 a.m. with a press conference. Those attending include Congressman Fleischmann, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger, City of Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, President and CEO UT-Battelle Dr. Thom Mason, Senior Vice President UT-Battelle Dr. Thomas Zacharia and EPB Chairman of the Board L. Joe Ferguson. The press conference will be at EPB Downtown, 10 West M.L. King Blvd., 7th Floor Community Room. The police said that Pune was one of the most peaceful cities in India. (Representational Image) Pune: The city police on Monday refuted the claim of a right-wing outfit that due to "rise in Jihadi fanaticism" Hindus in Pune were scared and were migrating. The organisation, Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, claimed in a post on its website that "Pune was on the verge of becoming Kashmir and Kairana (the UP town where a BJP leader had claimed exodus of Hindus)". But the police dismissed the claim. Joint Commissioner of Police Sunil Ramanand said no incidents of this kind had happened. "We will investigate the post with the help of cyber cell and will question the organisation," he said, adding that Pune was one of the most peaceful cities in India. Indian army soldiers patrol near the Line of Control in Nowshera sector, about 90 kilometers from Jammu. (Photo: AP) Boniyar: The Army on Tuesday said it was prepared to deal with any misadventure from across the LoC by Pakistani troops or terrorists in the wake of surgical strikes on terror camps in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. "Along the LoC, our preparedness is of the highest degree. The Indian Army is ready to deal with any misadventure from across the LoC, whether it is by regulars or otherwise," General Officer Commanding of Srinagar-based 15 corps Lt Gen Satish Dua told reporters here. He said there has been a spurt in infiltration attempts from across the LoC, but the Army foiled most of these bids as is evident from the encounters taking place near the LoC. "I do admit that some infiltration has taken place, but the encounters along the LoC and the number of militants eliminated shows the preparedness of the Army," he said. Gen Dua refused to comment on the surgical strikes by the Army in PoK last month, saying the armed force and the political leadership has already said whatever was to be said about it. "I do not have any different point of view," he added. Asked if there was a trust deficit between the Army and the Kashmiri youth, Gen Dua said while there were some misguided youths who take part in protests, the majority were with the armed forces. "Recently, one of our vehicles met with an accident and our jawans were trapped inside the vehicle. It was the local Kashmiri youths who extricated the jawans. "We have conducted some anti-militancy operations recently and the youths have not indulged in stone-pelting after the purpose of the operation was explained to them," he said. New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee has given his approval for a probe into allegations of financial and other improprieties against Aligarh Muslim University's (AMU) Vice Chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah. The nod of the President, who is also the Visitor to the University, comes on a proposal from the HRD Ministry to which former Janata Dal MP Wasim Ahmed had given a memorandum seeking a probe into allegations against the Vice Chancellor. President Mukherjee's action also follows approval of a similar probe against Allahabad University Vice Chancellor R L Hangloo. Ahmed, a member of the AMU executive council, welcomed the approval for probe against the AMU Vice Chancellor saying it was long overdue. Zameer on the other hand has denied all allegations against him saying some vested interests were carrying out a campaign against him. New Delhi: Hitting out at the Congress party for calling Manohar Parrikar a 'national embarrassment' after the Defence Minister gave credit for the recently conducted surgical strike to the teachings of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday launched a veiled attack on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and said the grand old party's "youth leader" has been an embarrassment for India endless times. BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao told ANI that they do not need suggestions from the Congress party as to who should be the Defence Minister of India, as they have issues with the ruling dispensation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fight against terrorism. "Manish Tewari knows better about national embarrassment because his party and his party's youth leader has been an embarrassment for our nation a lot many times," Rao said. "Before accusing the Defence Minister of our country, Congress party should think once. Today also, Congress party has issues with the ruling government and Narendra Modi for their fight against terrorism," he said, adding that the Congress party should answer as to why they have issues with the Centre fighting terrorism and why "do they speak the language of Pakistan." Following Parrikar's statement giving credit of the recently conducted surgical strikes to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) teachings, the Congress fired yet another salvo at the Defence Minister and said that the latter is an embarrassment to the nation and is unworthy of his post. "The Defence Minister is very quick to credit everyone from the mythology to the RSS for the operations along the LoC. This leads to two inescapable conclusions, number one: Manohar Parrikar does not deserve to be the Defence Minister of India, this man is a national embarrassment; number two: that the operation along the LoC were unfortunately targeted towards domestic consumption rather than changing the behaviour of the deep state in Pakistan," Manish Tewari said. "The problem is that where the government has to speak it is keeping silent. And the Goa declaration of BRICS is perhaps the most sterling example of the government's absolute and abject failure. Despite all the rhetoric and the laser sharp speeches on terror and isolating Pakistan what you have is one sundry remark. One little generic remark in almost a 20 paragraph Goa declaration and what does it say, "We strongly condemn the recent several attacks against some BRICS countries including that in India." I read the statement for the second time, we have an attack in Uri, we lose security personnel and the government is not even able to convince its interlocutors that it was a terrorist strike," said Tewari. Speaking at an event in Ahmedabad, Parrikar had said on the strikes,"Maybe the RSS teachings were there, but this was very different kind of combination, a Prime Minister from Mahatma Gandhi's state and a Defence Minister from Goa". Bengaluru: The broad daylight murder of Rudresh R., the 35-year-old mandal president of the Shivajinagar shakha of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Shivajinagar unit, on Sunday in the city bears a strong resemblance with the murders of two other Right wing leaders in the state since 2015. K. Raju, a VHP activist in Mysuru, was killed in March this year and the police have so far arrested six accused, including the two assailants. He was opposing the construction of a place of worship near his house. Last year, Prashanth Poojary of Bajrang Dal was hacked to death in Moodabidri in Dakshin Kannada for his alleged role in cow vigilantism. Nine accused were arrested in the case. In both cases, the accused reportedly owe allegiance to a South India-based frontal organisation, which claims to work for social empowerment of the marginalised and minorities. Rudreshs murder has strong footprints of the earlier two murders. It was a premeditated and organised killing by a local sleeper cell of the frontal organisation, with a larger design to create communal unrest in Karnataka. The involvement of hired professional killers cannot be ruled out in the broad daylight murder of the RSS worker, said an officer on condition of anonymity. The police, who had registered a criminal case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (302) against the two unknown assailants, are now also investigating the conspiracy theory behind Rudreshs murder. The police, according to sources, are examining the similarities in the three murders in Karnataka and the murders of BJP/Right wing activists in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other parts of the country, including Gujarat. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating the murders of BJP president of Bharuch and senior RSS member Shirish Bangali and general secretary of BJP Morcha Pragnesh Mistry by two unidentified gunmen in Gujarat in November 2015, has chargesheeted 10 accused, who are alleged members of the fugitive terrorist Dawood Ibrahims syndicate. Last week, RSS worker Remith was hacked to death in Kannur in Kerala. Last month, C. Sasikumar, a leader of the Hindu Munnani (Hindu Front), a Right wing Hindu outfit in TN, was killed by unknown assailants in Thudiyalur, about 11 km from Coimbatore. In 2013, Hindu Munnani leader S. Vellaippan was murdered by gang of eight in Vellore, Salem. K.P. Suresh, district president of the Hindu Munnani Thiruvallur East district, was hacked to death by unknown killers. Cops probe personal rivalry The city police probing the murder of RSS functionary Rudresh R. from all angles, including his financial and land disputes, as he was into real estate and finance business. Sources said that though the issue has turned political with BJP leaders accusing the role of some fundamental organisations behind the murder, prima facie, it appears to be a murder over personal rivalry. We have questioned over 20 people so far. Rudresh too had cases against him. All those related to the old cases have been questioned. Also, the financial and land dealings of Rudresh over the last few months are being verified to know whether he had disputes with anyone, an official said. The police, however, strongly believe that its a very well planned murder. We suspect that the killers had an idea that the murder could take on a political colour and the people would think it was anti-RSS. It is a known fact that if an RSS man is killed, it will garner attention and the issue will be politicised. The killers would have possibly taken advantage of it and executed their plan just after the RSS Path Sanchalan. Its just a probability and we are probing the case from all angles, the official said. The footage recorded in more than 30 security cameras in the locality have been analysed. Some cameras have recorded the movement of the assailants, but the footage is not clear enough for the police to get the registration number of the bike used for the crime. DG&IGP Om Prakash visited the scene of crime on Thursday, along with city Police Commissioner and other senior police officials. Visakhapatnam: An agreement signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on shipbuilding is expected to usher in Russian investments to Vizag. Under the agreement, signed on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Goa, Russian shipbuilding major United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) may explore the option of a joint venture with HSL on manufacturing their orders. Vizag was chosen by USC for its good sea, road and air connectivity. USC will make Vizag its manufacturing hub and also export products to other countries. USC is a Russian government-owned entity. USC president Alexey L Rakhmanov, during his visit to Vizag in September, had said that Russian shipbuilding firms are inclined to set up joint ventures with Indian firms as part of indigenising defence equipment. He had said that USCs proposed manufacturing hub in India could be the company's global manufacturing unit from where their products can be exported to foreign clients. Its good that USC has chosen Vizag as their manufacturing hub. They are exploring the option of a joint venture with Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. Details are to be worked out in this regard. Most likely they will work with HSL, said a senior government official. USC is the largest shipbuilding company in Russia employing over 80,000 people. It includes about 40 domestic shipyards, design offices and ship repair yards. USCs enterprises operate in all major port and transportation hubs of Russia from Kaliningrad in the west to Vladivostok in the east and from Severodvinsk in the north to Astrakhan in the south. USCs design offices are responsible for almost all warships that are built and developed for the Russian Navy and foreign customers. There was a lot of competition from seven to eight states for investments by United Shipbuilding Corporation. But the Russian shipbuilding giant was impressed with the facilities and ecosystem available in AP and Vizag, the CEO of the states Economic Development Board, J Krishna Kishore had said on an earlier occasion. New Delhi: A prominent Muslim body on Tuesday vehemently opposed the scrutiny of the practice of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy by the Supreme Court, saying it would amount to "judicial legislation" and personal laws cannot be challenged on the ground that they violate fundamental rights. All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), in a fresh affidavit, rubbished the stand taken by the Narendra Modi government that the apex court should re-look these practices as they are violative of fundamental right like gender equality and the ethos of secularism, a key part of the basic structure of the Constitution. Stoutly defending the prevalent practice in the community, AIMPLB Secretary Mohammed Fazlurrahim said "if this court proceeds to examine questions of Muslim personal laws and lays down special rules for Muslim women in matters concerning marriage, divorce and maintenance, it would amount to judicial legislation and will be violative of doctrine of separation of powers." AIMPLB has listed out grounds for its opposition to the judicial scrutiny of the practices. The questions raised in the petition are matters of "legislative policy" and, moreover, personal laws cannot be challenged as being violative of fundamental rights like right to equality under the Constitution, the affidavit said. It also said the personal laws of Muslims cannot be "re-written in the name of social reform" and these practices are protected under Article 25, 26 and 29 (freedom to practice religion) of the Constitution. Opposing the Law Commission's fresh endeavour on Uniform Civil Code, the body said it pertained to the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Constitution and hence "not enforceable". Highlighting importance of religious scriptures, AIMPLB said the courts "cannot supplant its own interpretations over the text of scriptures" in a situation where "unique importance" has been attached to such texts. Government, for the first time, has opposed the practice and said, "the issue of validity of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy needs to be considered in the light of principles of gender justice and the overriding principle of non-discrimination, dignity and equality." AIMPLB referred to a 2002 judgement in which the apex court had dealt with the issue of talaq and placed "explicit measures to check" the practice by laying down the test of "reasonable cause" and "prior reconciliation". Opposing the reopening of the issues, the 69-page affidavit said there were adequate remedies available to Muslim women under the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act and the Muslim Women (Protection of rights on Divorce) Act. It maintained that Muslim personal law provided for the practices to be followed on the issues of "marriage, divorce and maintenance" and were based on "holy scriptures - Al Quran and sources based on Al Quran". It elaborated on the aspect that personal laws cannot be challenged on the ground that they are violative of fundamental rights under the Constitution. "Personal laws do not derive their validity on the ground that they have been passed or made by a legislature or other competent authority. The foundational sources of personal law are their respective scriptural texts. "The Mohammedan Law is founded essentially on the Holy Quran and sources based on the Holy Quran and thus it cannot fall within the purview of the expression 'laws in force' as mentioned in Article 13 of the Constitution of India, and hence its validity cannot be tested on a challenge based on Part III (which deals with fundamental rights) of the Constitution," the affidavit said. Personal laws cannot be re-written in the name of social reform, it said, adding, "The institution of marriage is differently looked upon by different religions, and consequently the issues of marriage, divorce and maintenance are dealt with in different manners by different religions. "While one community might be prepared to accept and work social reform, another community may not be prepared for it." "In any event, even while bringing in such a social reform, it is not permissible to change the entire practice or acts done in pursuance of such religion," it said. "It is submitted that the issue of Muslim Personal Law is a cultural issue which is inextricably interwoven with religion of Islam. Thus, it is the issue of freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion guaranteed under Article 25 and 26 read with Article 29 of the Constitution," the affidavit said. The Muslim body supported the practice of granting right to divorce to husbands and said "all jurists unanimously agree that husband has the right to divorce. No jurist in Islamic history ever held a view to the contrary". "Shariah grants the right to divorce to husband because men have greater power of decision making. They are more likely to control emotions and not take a hasty decision," it claimed. Supporting the practice of triple talaq, AIMPLB said that entrusting the responsibility of divorce entirely to court would increase the burden on judiciary. It further listed out certain disadvantages like delay in grant of divorce through judicial means. "Granting husband the right to divorce indirectly provides security to wife. Marriage is a contract in which both the parties are not physically equal. Male is stronger and female weaker sex. Man is not dependent upon woman for his protection. On the contrary, she needs him for her defence. "If there develops serious discord between the couple and husband does not at all want to live with her, legal compulsions of time consuming separation proceedings and expenses may deter him from taking the legal course....," the affidavit said. The AIMPLB also said that the court should not thrust its views while dealing with religious questions. "Constitutional scheme clearly provides that judiciary which is one of the important organs of the State shall not lay down religion for any religious denomination or section thereof and whenever the Court is confronted with any religious issues, it will look to the religious books of a particular denomination held sacred by it. "In other words, there is no scope for the Court to import its own views while dealing with religious questions or scriptures or beliefs of any religious denomination," it said. It also said the sources of Muslim Personal law have been "approved and endorsed by Holy Quran and the practices of marriage, divorce and maintenance are based on such sources all of which flow from the Holy Quran itself". AIMPLB said though several leading Islamic jurists have opined that pronouncement of triple talaq in one go is "undesirable and irregular", they have unanimously agreed that the effect of this is that it "effectively terminates the marriage". "In addition to the above, it is pertinent to point out that it is a misconception that Triple Talaq is always a result of haste and is a power which is freely misused by a Muslim male. "In fact, over the years, the practice in the community is such that usually the families of the spouses intervene in case of any marital discord and only when all attempts of reconciliation fail and when the spouses want instant dissolution, does the male resort to usage of Triple Talaq," it said. Dealing with the practice of polygamy, it submitted that the Quran, Hadith and the consensus view allow Muslim men to have up to four wives. "Though polygamy is permitted, it is not obligatory or desirable, rather, jurists regard monogamy as a better practice in usual conditions. However, Polygamy meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women," it said. Prior to this, the Ministry of Law and Justice, in its affidavit, had referred to constitutional principles like gender equality, secularism, international covenants, religious practices and marital law prevalent in various Islamic countries to drive home the point that the practice of triple talaq and polygamy needed to be adjudicated upon afresh by the apex court. The apex court had also taken suo motu cognisance of the question whether Muslim women faced gender discrimination in cases of divorce or due to other marriages of their husbands and a bench headed by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur is examining the issue. Subsequently, various other petitions including one by triple talaq victim Shayara Bano were filed challenging the age-old practice of 'triple talaq' among the Muslim community. Army conducted surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads along the LoC on the intervening night of September 28 and 29. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Indian army and foreign ministry top brass including the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) might face questions from the Opposition on Tuesday on surgical strikes conducted across the Line of Control (LoC) early on September 29. According to reports, this will be the second briefing on army operations in PoK to parliamentarians within a week. The defence panel was briefed last week after some Congress MPs demanded it. However, this time, the MPs will be allowed to ask questions. During the first briefing, panel chairman BJPs BC Khanduri did not encourage members to seek clarifications. Following this, some Opposition members in the foreign affairs panel want to seek more clarity over the strikes. There are no restrictions so far on asking questions. We may seek more information, if necessary, an Opposition member on the panel was quoted as saying. The parliamentary standing committee on external affairs is headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, which might help members to pose a few queries to the government. Briefing by the foreign secretary, home secretary, defence secretary and director general of military operations (DGMO) on the subject Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), said the notice for the meeting. Before the previous briefing, surgical strikes had been removed from the title, leading to protest by some members. The strikes, though initially supported by all parties, have led to a political battle. Congress has said the government must reveal more details and proof to counter Pakistans propaganda that the army operation never took place. Rahul Gandhi had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in political exploitation of the sacrifices made by soldiers. His khoon ki dalali remark had drawn strong criticism from the government, BJP and some other parties. The Uri Army base was attacked by heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists on September 18, in which 19 soldiers were killed. In a well-calibrated retaliatory action, the Indian army carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC on the intervening night of September 28 and 29. The farmers in other fields saw the incident and shifted Bal Reddy to hospital. epresentational image) Nizamabad: A farmer was electrocuted and his son was injured in Mylaram village on Monday. Sources said Narella Chinna Balaiah, 45, died after suffering an electric shock in his turmeric fields, while repairing a pump set. While trying to rescue his father, Bal Reddy also suffered shock. The farmers in other fields saw the incident and shifted Bal Reddy to hospital. Mandi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday likened the army's anti-terror surgical strikes to Israel's exploits and said the Indian forces have shown they are no less than anybody. "Our army's valour is being discussed across the country these days. We used to hear earlier that Israel has done this. The nation has seen that Indian army is no less than anybody," he said. Israel is known for its targeted military strikes against enemy countries and militant outfits. Modi was speaking at a rally in Himachal Pradesh where he inaugurated three hydro-power projects. The issue of surgical strikes has snowballed into a political row with the opposition accusing the BJP and its government of "milking" it for political benefits. The charge has been rejected by BJP which has insisted that it is taking the issue to the masses to boost the army's morale and highlight the strong political will of the Prime Minister. Underscoring his commitment to the welfare of armed forces, Modi today said his government had fulfilled its promise of 'One-Rank, One-Pension' for ex-servicemen, an issue which he said had been hanging fire for over 40 years. Previous governments, he said, duped the people by making tall claims and some of them even allocated Rs 200 crore-500 crore in this regard but never did an analysis of cost burden and how it could be executed. "I did it and was puzzled to find that the economic burden kept rising. It worked to be more than Rs 10,000 crore," he said, adding that it was difficult for any government to make such a big allocation in one go. Modi said he spoke to armed forces and offered to release the money in four instalments to which they agreed. "Over Rs 5,500 crore in first instalment has been given. The rest will be to. A promise hanging fire for the last 40 years has been fulfilled," he said. At the 'Parivartan Rally', Modi also targeted Virbhadra Singh, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh where elections are due late next year, saying BJP chief ministers dedicated themselves to causes like drinking water and roads while the Congress leader was concerned about his own welfare. "Do I need to explain what the current chief minister is known for?" he said and then added, "When BJP gave chief ministers, somebody dedicated himself to water, somebody to roads but when others came they dedicated so many things for their personal welfare," he said. BJP has accused Singh of being involved in corruption but the Congress leader has rejected the charges and claimed that he was a victim of "political vendetta". Just imagine receiving support throughout high school for whatever you wanted to study. This, along with countless perks to enhance your educational experience, is exactly what Collegiate High student Anemone Hansen received when she applied for and received a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholarship during middle school. Now in her junior year of high school, on track to graduate high school early in May 2017, Anemone has enjoyed and participated in a greater number of experiences than the average high school student thanks to this scholarship. In addition to paying for her Collegiate High tuition and most of her textbook expenses, a number of expeditions funded by JKC broadened her cultural experiences. Expeditions included a week long journalism camp in Michigan, a two-week language immersion in Minnesota, a Spanish Service adventure in Costa Rica, dance studies at Ballet Tennessee, and some summer intensives. Her three trips with the JKC Foundation to the Northeast included a welcome weekend, service project week, and a scholars college preparation/visitation week. Anemone is also a Global Scholar honors student with an impressive 3.954 GPA. On target to graduate high school and Chattanooga State with an associate degree in 2017, she hopes to attend Covenant College, majoring in English. Despite a heavy academic schedule, Anemone balances it by reading, writing, dancing and crocheting. Without the JKC scholarship Anemone admits she would not have been able to attend Collegiate High School something she truly loves. I'm so glad that I could come here for high school because I am more of an independent learner, so I am able to go at my own pace and I don't have to deal with busywork. I also am grateful for the varied life perspectives of my classmates because I learned so much more about what's important than I would have at a regular high school, state Anemone. There are many scholarship opportunities out there, but unfortunately, not all students realize that or take advantage of them. Anemone shared her advice for other students interested in applying for a Jack Kent Cooke scholarship, They look for students who do well in school, who have financial need, and who have a variety of interests and things in which they are involved. They emphasize service, so keep a clear record of activities, honors, test scores, and grades when preparing the application. The writing is also very important for the college scholar application. Anemone also says that JKC looks for young people who are unique and able to express what they are passionate about. Anemone credits her middle school teachers at the Center for Creative Arts for their support in obtaining the scholarship, as well as Collegiate High mentors Amy Blazek, counselor, and Dr. Sonja Rich, principal, who continue to help her with her class schedule and provide encouragement regularly. For more information about Hamilton County Collegiate High at Chattanooga State, call 423-697-4492 or visit https://www.chattanoogastate.edu/high-school/collegiate-high. Karnataka will comply with SC order to release 2,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu till further orders, says MB Patil Water Resources Minister New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of water every day to Tamil Nadu till further orders and asked both the states to maintain peace and harmony. A three-judge Bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra, Amitav Roy and A.M. Kanwilkar passed the order taking note of the report of the technical committee giving its assessment on the ground realities in the Cauvery river basin that farmers are facing a distress situation due to 50 per cent deficiency in rainfall. The report said that farmers are in dire need of water in both the states. The Bench said that since the technical committee had given its conclusions without making any recommendations on the quantum of water to be released, it was directing that the earlier arrangement made on October 4 till today should continue until further orders. The Bench told Karnatakas Advocate General M.R. Naik that the executive should comply with the orders. The Bench said that since the court was seized of the matter, common sense must prevail. It asked both the states to ensure that public properties are protected and citizens are not allowed to take law into their hands. Senior counsel Shekar Naphade for Tamil Nadu said that even as per the technical committees report, the state was entitled to get 63 tmcft of water in October and it has so far received only 52 tmcft. The Bench took note of the submission and passed the order directing Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs daily at least till North-East Monsoon sets in Tamil Nadu. The Bench also heard preliminary submissions from the Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi on behalf of the Centre on the question of maintainability of the appeals filed by Karnataka, TN and Kerala, challenging the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in February 2007. The AG argued that there is an embargo on the apex court under Article 262 of the Constitution, read with Section 11 of the Inter-State River Disputes Act, 1956 not to entertain any appeal against the final award of the Tribunal. New Delhi/Lucknow: BJPs Varun Gandhi initiative to help poor farmers, is now turning into a movement in Uttar Pradesh. After taking the initiative to help the debt-hit farmers, BJPs Sultanpur MP on Tuesday donated nearly 100 homes to poor farmers, who so far lived only under thatched roofs. The homes, donated by the partys youth icon was a dream coming true for the farmers hit by poverty. Painted in bright sunshine yellow, these homes were built with Mr Gandhis salary and donations. Even as the BJP has decided to go to the polls without a chief ministerial candidate, a demand to project him continues to grow among the youth in the Uttar Pradesh. Mr Gandhi, however, made it categorically clear; My work has nothing to do with politics, any political party or any government. Its purely a citizen revolution. And there were bouquets, blessings and unending applause for him. The BJP MP said that his real earning in life was the blessings of the poor and farmers and his aim was to make every person free from the burden of debts. His initiative has also helped many debt-ridden farmer families, whose member had either committed suicide or were on the brink of taking their lives. Mr Gandhi said he would continue to work for the welfare of the poor from the resources at hand. Sunil Singh, a local resident said, These houses have been built on the land of the local people that includes local businessmen, rich farmers and others and Mr Gandhi has taken the initiative by making a major financial contribution. The houses have one room and a toilet and the cost of each house is about Rs 1.5 lakh. Mr Gandhi intends to provide 2,000 such homes by next year across the state. The houses made of bricks were also a blessing as in the rural areas fire incidents during summers reduce kuccha houses to ashes almost every year. With pucca houses now, we no longer have to worry about fire incidents, said Sunil. The move has also been appreciated by his arch political rivals which include the Akhilesh Yadav government. From next year onwards assisted by a team of volunteers, Mr Gandhi is planning to come up with an interactive digital platform and an app to help debt-ridden farmers. Mr Gandhis initiative has so far helped more than 3,650 marginalised farmers to become debt free. This digital platform will have data collection of over 20,000 farmers from the state, who are under debt. This platform will act a link to those who want to financially assist these farmers. Details of debt-ridden farmers, including their bank accounts and other information through audio and video clips will be available on this digital platform. To maintain check and balance, a panel of local panel and agriculture experts, will also be associated with this platform, who will also suggest farmers on varieties of crops other than the traditional crop patterns, which would suit their land. Mr Gandhi said he is planning to include others states also as he has been receiving queries and suggestions from other states also about this initiative to help marginalised farmers. The real work has been done by our army of unpaid volunteers from rural and semi-rural background. This initiative would not have reached this far without the efforts and blessings of thousands, who remain nameless, but contributed in every way they could for this initiative to help farmers from debt and save them for taking their lives, said Mr Gandhi. They lashed out at Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and minister K.T. Rama Rao for failing to keep their promise of bringing them back to Telangana for the past one year. (Representational image) Hyderabad: Tension prevailed at TNGOs Bhavan on Monday after 20 TS employees locked up themselves inside the building holding petrol-filled bottles and threatening to immolate themselves if the state government failed to repatriate them from AP immediately. They lashed out at Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and minister K.T. Rama Rao for failing to keep their promise of bringing them back to Telangana for the past one year. They said over 700 Class III and IV employees belonging to TS had been allotted to AP during bifurcation of staff by the Kamalnathan committee; they were facing several problems. They alleged that AP officials and staff were harassing them and they would no longer work in Velagapudi. Despite TNGOs honorary president G. Deviprasad and others trying to persuade them, they refused to backout until a firm assurance. Following this, Mr Rama Rao assured them to bring back all TS employees working for AP by Dasara. The farmers claimed that their dues amounted to about Rs 26 crore, accumulated over a couple of years. (Represenatational Image) Mumbai: Four farmers, including a woman, allegedly tried to set themselves ablaze in district collectorate of Solapur to protest against non-payment of dues, amounting about Rs 26 crore, from a sugar mill there. The four farmers doused themselves in kerosene in the Solapur collectorate on Monday, but the police staff present there stopped their attempt to set themselves ablaze and detained them, a police official on duty said. The farmers were expressing their woes towards the Solapur-based sugar mill, controlled by a powerful politician. The farmers claimed that their dues amounted to about Rs 26 crore, accumulated over a couple of years, but the mill management has allegedly refused to pay it. There have been several requests before the management but in vain, they further said. A case has been registered against the four farmers for attempting suicide in Solapur's Sadarbazar police station. "A notice has been issued to the farmers and they have been asked to report to the police station once they get the notice. We are probing the matter further," an official attached to Sadarbazar police station. The farmers have been identified as - Amar Nagnath Mhaske, Vijaya Chandrakant Lawate, Dinkar Namdev Chavan and Audumbar Tukaram Chavan. New Delhi: Non-Government Organisations receiving foreign and domestic grants beyond a threshold limit and their staff have been asked to declare whether they own yachts and airplanes, while mandatorily giving details of their assets and liabilities under the Lokpal law. The NGOs and their employees also need to give details of jewellery, cash in hand, deposits in banks, investments in bond, debentures and shares in an assets declaration form. According to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, all public servants, including a person who is or has worked as director, manager, secretary or any other officer in an NGO, need to file details of their assets and liabilities every year. The last date for filing such information is December 31, 2016. However, these provisions are applicable to NGOs getting more than Rs one crore as government grant and donations above Rs 10 lakh from abroad, the Act says. The details of investment in national savings scheme, postal saving, insurance policies and investment in any financial instruments in post office or insurance company need to be given. "Motor vehicles/ aircraft/yachts/ ships (details of make, registration number etc., year of purchase and amount)" also need to be given in the form. Such executives have to also give information on jewellery, bullion and valuable thing in their possession to the government. The requirement of giving details of yachts and aircrafts is being criticised by the NGOs. "Some of the movable assets such as yachts and others are not likely to be owned by NGOs and including them in the assets declaration form makes no sense," said Venkatesh Nayak, who works with NGO Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. He demanded that the government should bring corporates under the ambit of Lokpal law to check private sector bribery and ensure transparency in their working. The Centre is yet to set up the institute of Lokpal as mandated under the Lokpal Act to deal with corruption complaints relating to certain class of public functionaries. Central government employees also have to file such declarations, in addition to such declarations filed under respective service rules, under the Lokpal Act. Kolar: In the third such case in recent months in Karnataka, a police official allegedly shot himself dead with his service revolver at Malur Police Station in Kolar district in the early hours of Tuesday. 38-year-old Raghavendra Muniyappa, a circle inspector, returned to the police station after a night patrol and shot himself fatally around 2 am, police said. The reason for the extreme step by the police official was not known immediately, they said. Kolar district Superintendent of Police Divya Gopinath said the reason for the alleged suicide was not known and police were investigating the case. The latest alleged suicide by a police official comes months after two similar incidents which had triggered a controversy. DySP in Mangaluru M K Ganapathy had allegedly committed suicide in July, which had stirred a huge political storm, as he had blamed Minister K J George and two top IPS officials for his extreme step. George had resigned as minister amid the controversy but was recently reinducted after the Karnataka CID gave a clean chit to him and the two senior police officers in its 'B' report filed in a court in Madikeri court. Ganapathy was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room at a lodge in Madikeri, prior to which told a local TV channel that George and IPS officers AM Prasad and Pranab Mohanty would be responsible "if anything happens to me." On July 5, the body of deputy SP of Chikkamagaluru sub-division Kallappa Handibag (35), accused of kidnapping a person for ransom, was found hanging in his father-in-laws home at Murgod in Belagavi district. DMK treasurer M.K.Stalin on Monday leads a rail roko protesting against the Centre for its stand on the Cauvery conflict at the Perambur railway station. (Photo: DC) Chennai: Political leaders, including the Opposition Leader M.K. Stalin, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan and prominent Left party members, besides thousands of their supporters and farmers, were arrested when they tried to block trains to demonstrate their opposition to the Centres refusal to accept the Supreme Court verdict to form the Cauvery Management Board. Stalin, holding the DMK flag while being accompanied by thousands of party cadre and functionaries, proceeded to the Perambur railway station to commence the 48-hour train blockade agitation announced by opposition parties and associations of farmers. As policemen stopped the Leader of Opposition from entering the railway station, the DMK leaders squatted along the road and raised slogans against the Union government and demanded CMB formation. After about 30 minutes of slogan shouting, DMK leaders led by Stalin, pushed away the barricades and moved to the railway tracks where they squatted to stop a suburban train from Avadi. Vaiko, CPM state secretary G. Ramakrishnan and CPI leader D. Pandian stopped trains bound for Karnataka at the Central station. There was a scuffle between the police and protesters and heated arguments followed. The Mangalore-bound West Coast Express was delayed by about half an hour. The protesters were arrested after they sat on tracks and shouted slogans for some time. Addressing the protesters, Vaiko said the Centre had refused to comply with the Supreme Court order and colluded with Karnataka to betray Tamil Nadu farmers. Despite the participation of lakhs of party men and farmers, the demonstrations throughout the state were peaceful. Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MP and the party's youth wing president Abhishek Banerjee was injured on Tuesday when his vehicle met with an accident on NH-2 near Singur, while he was returning to Kolkata from Murshidabad. "Abhishek Banerjee was injured when the vehicle he was travelling in met with an accident on Durgapur Expressway near Singur," ADG (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma said. "He has been rushed to a hospital in Kolkata. I am yet to receive details about the accident or any report in this regard from the Superintendent of Police, Hooghly, Praveen Tripathy," Sharma said. Abhishek, who is the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was returning from Murshidabad district after a party programme. Soon after his SUV reached Singur on Durgapur Expressway, it hit a trailer and overturned injuring the occupants, eyewitnesses said. The nature of injury of the other people travelling with the TMC MP is yet to be ascertained. He was rushed to Kolkata and admitted to Belle Vue Clinic, Sharma said. Hospital sources said a medical board has been formed for his treatment, while some medical tests and investigations have already been conducted. While the Chief Minister was keeping in touch with the hospital authority, senior party leaders have already rushed to the hospital to enquire about Abhishek's condition and treatment. Hyderabad: The Telangana state government has decided to hand over the preparation of designs of the proposed new secretariat to Mumbai-based architect Hafeez Contractor. The file is under circulation and will be sent to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for his approval. According to sources, chief secretary Rajiv Sharma and senior officials held discussions with the architect about the design of the new Secretariat. The government has informed Mr Contractor that there should be separate entrances for the CM, ministers and IAS officers and the building should face the east. The designs will be ready by November end and Mr Rao will lay the foundation in December 2017, sources said. The Secretariat will be built on 5 lakh square feet with 10 floors. The state government is trying to take over the Secretariat buildings allotted to the AP government since the AP Secretariat departments have shifted to Velagapudi in the new capital area of Amaravati. Andhra Pradesh had been allotted five blocks in the Secretariat for its departments after bifurcation. A senior official said that the Governors decision was enough to take over the buildings allotted to the AP government and there was no need for the Central governments approval. The official added that if the AP government wanted some space, the TS government was ready to give alternative accommodation. Apparently, Mr Rao had discussed the issue with the Governor who may take it up with AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Bengaluru: Former Union Minister Srinivas Prasad parted ways with the Congress party and quit the state Assembly on Monday, accusing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of betraying him like Brutus in the bards famous play, Julius Caesar. Making no secret of the fact that his next mission was to defeat Mr Siddaramaiah in the 2018 Assembly elections, the veteran Dalit leader said, I will prepare for my next political battle but refused to disclose anything about his future plans. There has been speculation in recent months that he was planning to join the BJP. Coming down heavily on the Chief Minister for unceremoniously removing him from the state Cabinet four months ago, the former minister said, At one point, Siddaramaiah was sinking like the Titanic in his political career and I lifted him up. But he has humiliated me at the fag end of my career. Mr Prasad was revenue minister in the Cabinet and had represented Nanjangud in the Assembly. Emerging from handing in his resignation to Speaker K.B. Koliwad in his chamber at the Vidhana Soudha, Mr. Prasad told reporters that his mission now was to defeat Mr Siddaramaiah in the next Assembly elections. I will prepare for my next political battle, he declared, but refused to disclose anything more about his future plans. Coming down heavily on the Chief Minister for unceremoniously removing him from the Cabinet four months ago, he said it was all the more disappointing as Mr Siddaramaiah and he were old friends. At one point of time, Siddaramaiah was sinking like the Titanic in his political career and I lifted him up. But he has humiliated me at the fag end of my political career. Like Brutus in Shakespeares Julius Caesar, he has stabbed me, Mr Prasad added bitterly. Claiming the state Congress was in the clutches of a coterie of six - All India Congress Committee General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Digvijay Singh, Mr Siddaramaiah, Congress floor leader in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjuna Kharge, KPCC president, G. Parameshwar, Bengaluru Development Minister, K.J. George and Energy Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, the former minister said that nothing moved in the party without their say so. These six people provide the funds the party needs to the high command. Without them the high command cannot conduct elections in Karnataka, he charged. Asked about the role of Public Works Minister Dr H.C. Mahadevappa, Mr. Prasad said that he was a reflection of the Chief Minister. I dont see him as a separate identity, he added. But he thanked senior Congress leaders, Oscar Fernandes and A.K. Antony for their support. Mr. Antony called me before I left for the Speakers office to give my resignation and asked me to reconsider, he said. Erlanger Health System recognizes pastoral care interns, residents and chaplains during Pastoral Care Week, Oct. 16-22.Funded by the Erlanger Baroness Hospital, the Baroness Foundation, Chattanooga Association for Clinical Pastoral Care, and Erlanger Auxiliary, chaplains from the Clinical Pastoral Care Department provide spiritual support to Erlanger patients, family members, and associates of all religious affiliations.In January 1986, Erlanger, along with the Chattanooga Association for Clinical Pastoral Care, saw a need to educate clergy and lay care givers in healthcare support and began a clinical pastoral education program accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Care Inc.In August 2004, Erlanger established a pastoral care residency program as a way for ministers and theological students to gain one year of full time clinical pastoral education in a hospital setting. Through the Clinical Pastoral Care Residency Program, theological students and ministers serve as pastoral care givers and counselors at Erlanger, providing spiritual guidance to patients and loved ones. The residents attend educational seminars in order to complete their clinical pastoral education requirement for possible Board Certification by the Association for Professional Chaplains.After completing the program, chaplains become specialists in offering care by integrating their theological training with knowledge in behavioral sciences, such as personality theory and individual and family counseling theory.The residents of the Clinical Pastoral Education Program at Erlanger work tirelessly to ensure that patients and families receive world class care for their spiritual needs, said Chaplain Olen H. Grubbs, Pastoral Care and Education director. Our goal is to effectively discern the needs of every patient and family at Erlanger, so we can facilitate the resources of spirituality for their coping and healing. Ahmedabad: Taking a swipe at Congress, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Monday claimed that the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru failed to fulfil his promise on Kashmir, giving rise to a perennial problem. Congress was quick to take exception. State Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki said Patel needed to take history lessons, and Kashmir was a part of India today only because of the Congress leadership of the past. "During Congress rule, there was a law under which Kashmir's CM was referred to as Prime Minister of that state. Kashmir also had a separate flag other than the tricolour," said Patel, addressing a government function in Gandhinagar. "Unfortunately, when the issue of Kashmir emerged, Nehru told everyone to leave it to him as he belonged to Kashmir and promised that he will annex it to India. But it never happened, as separatists did not accept Nehru's idea. Even after 70 years, protests by separatists are on," he said. Reacting to Patel's remarks, Solanki contended that Kashmir became a part of India only because of the efforts of Congress and its past Prime Ministers Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. "I feel that Patel needs to understand India's history first. It is an indisputable fact that Kashmir became a part of India because of the efforts of Nehru and Congress. Contribution of Congress, Nehru, Shastri-ji, Indira-ji and Rajiv-ji helped India keep Kashmir," he said. "If Rahul-ji (Rahul Gandhi) had been our PM today, the issue of Kashmir would have been solved long ago," Solanki added. Rajgir: Projecting Nitish Kumar as a worthy candidate to become India's next Prime Minister, Janata Dal (United) leader K.C. Tyagi has said that the Bihar Chief Minister is ideal for the post. Tyagi said that the decision to nominate Kumar as prime ministerial candidate was discussed at a meeting of the party on Monday. "I think Nitish Kumar is suitable for the post, but it is up to our members to decide who could be the next Prime Minister," Tyagi said. The JD(U) currently has two seats in the Lok Sabha and Bihar offers a total of 40 seats in the lower house. With the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress as alliance partners, Nitish could increase his tally for the upcoming 2019 elections. The two parties are in a grand alliance with Lalu Yadav's RJD in Bihar and the latest proposition is an attempt to form a similar affiliation for UP where the ruling Samajwadi Party is on a wobbly track and the BJP is fast gaining ground posyt its phenomenal 2014 Lok Sabha poll performance. New Delhi: Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma has downplayed the political uproar created by the announcement of the allocation of huge funds for the building a Ram Museum in Ayodhya. He said it is being taken to give a boost to tourism in India. "Elections are a different thing. Our Prime Minister wants that the nation should develop through all means and similarly he wants development of our country through tourism, and this step will attract tourists," Sharma says. "When our government came to power, so, from the tourism perspective, we announced plans for theme based circuits, which included a Ram circuit, a Krishna circuit and a Buddha circuit. And under that announcement for Ramayan circuit, the government announced Rs.225 crore, for the Krishna circuit Rs.15 crore and similar amount for the Buddha circuit," he added. Sharma further said the Ram museum will educate the youth about Ramayan and Lord Ram. "Ayodhya is known by the name of Lord Ram. A lot of people impose their faiths in Ayodhya. We want that the infrastructure should be developed there. We want to build a museum on Ramayana and the life of Lord Ram there so that our young generation visits the place and learns from it," he said. According to reports, Sharma is expected travel to Ayodhya next week to discuss the blueprint for the museum. He is also scheduled to visit the site of the proposed museum that is expected to come up on 25 acres. This is supposed to be a true story. A lawyer was examining a witness in an unnamed American court. Lawyer: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse? Witness: No. Did you check for blood pressure? No. Did you check for breathing? No. So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy? No. How can you be so sure, doctor? Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless? It is possible that he could have been alive and practising law somewhere. Somewhere in the US, I hasten to add. Dont try this line at home in our country brimming with brains, such smartchat could land you in jail. Courts of law take themselves very seriously in India. As they should. Its a pity that Justice itself is not given the same respect. So we are not really shocked that the 13 young men charged for plotting terror strikes in Karnataka in 2012 have now, after spending four years behind bars pleading their innocence, decided to plead guilty. That way they get away with five years of imprisonment, of which they have already spent four years. They can be free in another year. And reclaim their life. The tag of terrorist doesnt matter as much as the prospect of spending maybe their entire youth in jail. In May, Nisaruddin Ahmed, also from Karnataka, was acquitted and released from prison after 23 years in jail on terror charges. He was 19 when he was picked up by the cops on his way to college, and thrown in jail. Now 43, he returns to his family devastated by almost a quarter century of fighting legal battles that also killed his father. There are so many like him. Mohammad Aamir Khan, who was picked up by the police in his Delhi neighbourhood on his way to buy medicines, writes his own story in Framed as a Terrorist. The 18-year-old was tortured and made to sign papers and finally acquitted after 14 years. Once slapped with charges of terrorism, getting bail is almost impossible. So we can see why these 13 young men of Bengaluru chose to embrace the stigma of being aspiring but failed terrorists, rather than miss out on life indefinitely. When undertrial prisoners are detained in jail custody for an indefinite period, Article 21 of the Constitution is violated, said the Supreme Court. Which means the undertrials right to life and liberty is violated. In spite of such well-meaning pronouncements, 68 per cent of our prisoners are undertrials. A huge number of them are innocents. And most undertrials are not terror suspects. They are the poor, the marginalised, the historically oppressed, the dispossessed unfortunate citizens of an unfortunate land trapped in a system of abuse and apathy. The rich can afford access to proper legal aid and bail, and can get away with murder. Prison doesnt just rob you of your freedom, it very often kills you. Today, thanks to an RTI query by human rights activist Naresh Paras, we learnt that on an average one prisoner dies every 26 hours in Uttar Pradesh alone. Between January 2010 and February 2016, in UP 2,062 prisoners had died more than half of them were undertrials. Their deaths are mostly passed off as natural or suicides, and hardly ever are the police or jail authorities made accountable for custody deaths and murders. According to government records, more than 22 million cases are pending just in district courts. Our huge shortage of judges adds to the backlog on an average we have just 13 judges for every one million people. Our once majestic system of justice now stands as a dilapidating structure weakened by lack of judges and proper lawyers, weighed down by millions of unmanageable court cases, eaten away by corruption and unforgivable delays. The police, administration, political parties regularly fail to do their part in upholding the law, and often are enthusiastic in breaking it. Our juvenile homes make criminals out of innocent children through terrible abuse. Meanwhile, lawyers believe they are justice personified and have the audacity to undermine democracy by beating up journalists or throwing them out of the courts like they did in Delhi and in Kerala. Forget atrocities against the invisible people in the boondocks, even cases that have been in the international spotlight like the 1984 massacre of Sikhs in Delhi are still awaiting justice. Given this impossible situation, we need to urgently rethink our justice delivery mechanism. Is it necessary to further crowd the already cramped jails with poor people picked up from the streets for vagrancy or petty theft? Why dont we implement Section 436A CrPC, which states undertrials who have been in jail for over half the time they would have served if convicted of the crime they are accused of must be freed? And why on earth cant we think of justice beyond this maze of laws and police and a largely dysfunctional prison system that weighs heavy on the taxpayers pocket? Instead of trying to lighten the load of prisons, we seem to be interested in increasing it. Now you can be jailed for forwarding a joke against a powerful leader, or for accessing a blocked website. Lets talk of justice. Not about cops and jail and endless litigation. Just justice. There are alternative ways paying fines by those who can afford it, or community service that Sikhs put to such excellent use. There could be public shaming, and a public apology. Lesser crimes could be decriminalised, like vagrancy, drug use or prostitution. Not only would it save the State millions in prison and legal expenses, it would also protect innocents from harassment. Not to mention reducing drug-related deaths and HIV infection. Most of all, lets talk of cultural change. About how, in our minds and social discourse, poverty is criminalised, homelessness is criminalised, certain food habits are criminalised, certain castes and religions are criminalised. Lets talk about how we can make society safer through education, jobs, housing, healthcare, respect and dignity. Caging every offender can never be a solution, specially in a poor country. Lets look beyond prisons and focus on building a more confident, more integrated and thus a safer society. Two decades ago, I underwent several body searches and was led through multiple layers of electronic steel doors at the New York Metropolitan Correction Centre in Manhattan. Not as a convict, but as a TV reporter who had been granted permission to interview Pakistani terrorist Ramzi Yousef, now serving a life sentence in a Colorado prison for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Centre. I had heard of how inmates of the centre were shackled, chained, handcuffed and escorted through an underground tunnel equipped with surveillance cameras to attend court trials. As I watched two hefty policemen bring Yousef into the room where we had set up our camera, I wryly recalled Bikini Killer Charles Sobhrajs satin-smooth escapes from prisons in India and Afghanistan and his life of luxury in Delhis Tihar jail. Wanted men slipping past clueless immigration officials, convicts bribing cops and digging tunnels to freedom: if the international media is to be believed, things like that dont happen in the West as frequently as in anarchic Asia. So how does one explain the suicide of 22-year-old Jabel Albakr, a Syrian suicide bomber in the making, inside his prison cell in the German city of Leipzig last week? Fellow Syrians had identified, tied up and handed over the radicalised refugee to the police just days before his suicide. In Albakrs flat, the German police had found 1-1/2 kg of explosives and a suicide vest in the making. Albakr spent the three days in custody on hungerstrike. He also tampered with plug-points and smashed lamps: easy to do, since German laws forbid the use of surveillance cameras in prison cells. By now, it was common knowledge both among the authorities and the public that Albakr had been radicalised by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and a maulvi in Berlin, and had recently even visited the German capital, where one of several airports would soon be the target of his dastardly suicide attack. And yet, a psychological evaluator who met Albakr in prison briefly and with no interpreter present, declared him free of suicidal tendencies. Consequently and instead of being shifted to a high-security cell with a dedicated guard outside it, Albakr remained where he was and was found hanging by his own T-shirt on an iron grill the next day. The invaluable information Albakr could have given the German authorities on his handlers and other suspects is now lost forever. Over the past years, Saxony has come to be known as a failed state, says German reporter Michael Weidemann. Right-wing extremists openly abuse the President and Chancellor of Germany but are not stopped, Saxon politicians boast about the states economic success but there is anarchy both in the state parliament and on the streets. Albakrs death in custody therefore, doesnt surprise me. The valley of the clueless, the failed state, the banana republic: these are but some of various unfortunate terms employed by Germans themselves for the free state of Saxony, Germanys 10th largest and sixth most populous state today, one that ironically boasts of a glorious past. It is in Saxony that the historic movement for German reunification began. It is this landlocked state bordering the Czech Republic that boasts of some of the best and oldest universities in the world. Goethe, Nietzsche and even Chancellor Angela Merkel were alumni of Saxonys University of Leipzig. Indeed, it is Ms Merkels own Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) which has remained firmly ensconced in power in the state legislature since 1990. The beautiful land of Saxony is where composer Richard Wagner was born and this was the karmabhoomi and final resting place of Johann Sebastian Bach. But Saxony is also the birthplace of Lutz Bachmann, controversial founder of the two-year-old, and abusively xenophobic group, Patriotic Europeans against the Islamicisation of the Occident (PEGIDA). Saxony receives significantly lower numbers of Syrian and other refugees compared to other parts of Germany. And yet, PEGIDAs frequent demonstrations and growing popularity have lent Saxony the reputation of being Germanys most intolerant and racist state. Attacks by neo-Nazis on foreigners have increased over the years, as has a noticeable reluctance on part of the Saxon police to contain the aggression. Public broadcasters last week reported 5,000 demonstrators at a PEGIDA rally to mark its second anniversary in the heart of Dresden, but the presence of only 150 people to demonstrate against PEGIDA. Some of those who attended the latter, however, say that the police intentionally kept them away from the right-wing demo at the city centre, citing imaginary Islamic terror threats. It is a tribute to Saxony that thousands against PEGIDA demonstrated in the heart of town, the day after the racists had taken centrestage. The rise of anti-foreigner sentiments in a country bearing the bulk of war refugees is understandable, though certainly not acceptable. But Saxony is one of 16 states of a country legendary for administrative efficiency and since the Munich attack in July of picture-perfect responses to terror threats. Its economy is healthy, its unemployment rate not particularly alarming. Known as a major centre for IT and micro-electronics even before reunification, Silicon Saxony a conglomerate of 300 IT firms today employs more than 40,000 people, including many Indian techies. So how does one explain the simultaneous laxity of Saxonys state machinery? And if anarchy and xenophobia have grown since the birth of PEGIDA and other right-wing groups and become unmanageable for the state police, why has Berlin not intervened with, say, the German equivalent of Presidents Rule? Analysts point out that Germany does not have a legal provision for federal rule, unless there is a specific request from a given state government. But also that the rot in Saxony runs deeper than thought. If you count the thousands of Saxons who protest against PEGIDA and other right-wing goons, this talk of banana republic is exaggerated, says veteran editor Hermann Denecke. But I will concede this: the administration and police of Saxony are lax because they are permeated by the same right-wing sentiment as a growing number of Saxons too. This is not a failed state, its a failed society. Some years ago Joel Stein wrote a witty and perfectly appropriate column in Time magazine titled My Own Private India, about a town called Edison in New Jersey. Stein was thoroughly excoriated as racist and anti-Indian by people purporting to represent the Indian community in the United States. Time chipped in with an apology of its own but apparently not convinced about the extent of anger said: We sincerely regret that any of our readers were upset by this humour column of Joel Steins. Very clever indeed, which is why Time is what it is. Now Edison has another reason to be deemed notorious. It is home to the only ethnic group that played host to Donald Trump. Two days ago over 5,000 people, including the elderly and children, attended the nearly five-hour event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition, founded and chaired by Indian-American industrialist Shalabh Kumar, chairman and CEO of the AVG Group of Companies. Indians and Indian-Americans turned out in large numbers to show their support for Mr Trump, carrying placards that read Trump Make America Great Again, Trump for Hindu Americans, Trump Great For India and Trump for Faster Green Cards. Dressed in traditional Indian finery, the audience broke into loud applause and cheers as Mr Trump came on stage against the backdrop of the American flag. Clearly the only thing that endears Mr Trump to this lot is that he has come out vocally against all Muslims. And they seemed to have imbibed their Kautilya somewhat. Kautilya in Arthasastra, Book VI, The Source of Sovereign States, wrote: The king who is situated anywhere immediately on the circumference of the conquerors territory is termed the enemy. The king who is likewise situated close to the enemy, but separated from the conqueror only by the enemy, is termed the friend (of the conqueror). Simply interpreted by the simple desis of Edison, this is interpreted as my enemies enemy is my friend. Now about Edison, that neighbour of Newark and a transportation hub with an extensive network of highways such as US Route 1, which also sits astride a five-mile length of the New Jersey Turnpike. Edison was incorporated as Raritan Township and became Edison in 1954, ostensibly hoping to ride piggyback on the name of the great inventor who had made it his home in 1876. For many decades Edison has been a magnet for Indian immigrants, particularly those from Gujarat. Today about 20 per cent of its estimated population of about 99,000 is identified as Indian-American, most of them Gujarati. I have driven through Edison, NJ, on a few occasions and it is not the kind of town I would want to live in. Its at once grungy and noisy, seems to teem with Indians noisily looking for bargains or cheap desi food. My friend with whom I used to drive through Edison used to describe it as the second armpit of America. The first one being Hoboken, also in New Jersey. Desi means homegrown and is used in a self-pejorative manner by almost all NRIs when referring to a fellow Indian. At last count there were over 2.5 million desis in the US. The US Census 2000 map shows that Indian Americans (officially called Asian Indians) tend to concentrate themselves in certain areas. Whenever I visit the US, it never ceases to amaze me that my Indian American friends and relatives seem to only socialise with other desis. They do tend to flock together. The US has a fair number of Indian American clusters. But it is Edison that has the highest concentration. Indian Americans have the highest median incomes in the United States and are generally white-collar professionals in most parts of the US. Edisons Indian American community however has a fair sprinkling of less well-off people doing jobs which probably fetch them much less than the median Indian American income. It shows easily. One out of five desis is of Gujarati origin, and like Indians from other regions tend to live and socialise within themselves. Gujaratis, referred to within desi circles as Gujjus, are more entrepreneurial by nature and tend to be in business. The 400,000-strong Gujarati diaspora in the US consequently has a smaller number of professionals. They now own more than half the economy lodging properties in the US. Since a large proportion of the Gujaratis in the US have the Patel surname, these hotels are popularly referred to among the Indian American community as potels, and quite often are places that rent out rooms by the hour. Edison is a perfect hotspot for the RSS and Rambhakts, who prefer the superior creature comforts it would offer in comparison to Rajkot or Surat. This is Narendra Modi country. Indians, in general, are very racist, sectarian and colour conscious, and our standards of political correctness are not very high. Our discourse is laced with racist and derogatory references to others. The desi community in the US is not very different. Mira Nairs 1991 movie Mississippi Masala, set among the Indian American community living in steaming Biloxi, Miss, captures in full all the prejudices and inward-looking mores prevalent in Hindu society back home carrying on as before among an expatriate Indian American community. The story is about the romance a girl of Ugandan Indian Gujarati origin and a handsome African American, played by Denzel Washington. But expectedly the family and friends, mostly in the potel business, vigorously oppose the romance with a kalu, as persons of African origin are derogatively referred to by desis. Indians also generally derogatively refer to white people as goras when not referring to them as white monkeys. As Americas wealthiest median income community, they are now bigger players in US politics with PACs active in serving many Indian causes, be it the civil nuclear deal with the United States or an increase in the number of work visas. The economic clout of Indian Americans is also being felt in many ways. Its good that they have begun to flex their muscles a bit, but it is not good that some of them are showing themselves to be numbskulls. DDoS or Denial of Service attacks are a type of cyber-attack where hackers and criminals will flood a system from multiple systems that in turn, overloads servers and turns critical. Cyber threats in Middle East are growing rapidly with the average attack size in 2016 significantly higher than the global average, with Saudi Arabia the top target, according to a report. A US-based software company's latest Worldwide Infrastructure Security Report said that so far this year, Saudi Arabia has been the top target for large DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks in the Middle East, with 2/3rd of the region's largest attacks having targeted the Kingdom. DDoS or Denial of Service attacks are a type of cyber-attack where hackers and criminals will flood a system from multiple systems that in turn, overloads servers and turns critical. Iraq and Kuwait were placed second and third on the list respectively. With almost every organisation now depending on the internet for doing business, the consequences can be disastrous when it is cut off. The cost of internet downtime was one of the questions addressed to enterprises, the report said. Nearly two-thirds of respondents estimated the costs to their organisation to be above USD 500 per minute, with 7 per cent indicating more than USD 10,000 per minute. A number of respondents chose not to answer this question because they had no idea on the same. With Middle East average attack size predicted to rise over 2.5 Gbps by the end of 2016, it has never been a more important time for businesses to ensure they are protected. Large attacks are classified as anything over 10 Gbps. The report said organisations in the Middle East need to rethink their approach towards this growing threat. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Abuja: After rumours of his death started doing the rounds, the 92-year-old Nigerian cleric, who shot to international fame for having 97 wives, has come out to clarify that he was hale and healthy and that he intended to marry more women. According to a report in the Independent, Mohammed Bello Abubakar an Islamic cleric in Nigerias Bida state, has married around 107 women and has divorced 10 of them, making him husband to 97 women. Scholars agree that it is permitted under the scriptures to marry up to four women if he has the ability and resources to look after them well and equally. But Bello believes that there is no specific cap on the number of wives, and also claims that he was fulfilling a divine purpose by marrying so many women. It is an assignment and I will keep doing it till the end, Bello told Vanguard, a Nigerian paper, and dismissed the allegations of his death as the handiwork of detractors. Bello also has had over 180 children, many of whom he has outlived. He garnered international attention in 2008, when he had 86 wives, and gave interviews to journalists claiming that he had done it because God asked me to do it. His announcement ruffled feathers in the community and he was arrested on the behest of the local Sharia Court, after the Emir of Bida accused him of creating tensions by speaking to journalists. Bello was released later, on conditions that he divorce 82 of his 86 wives, but he refused to follow the order, and went on to take his tally up to 97. He also gave interviews announcing that he would marry many more. My large number of wives? I only have 97 wives. I am still going to marry more. I will keep marrying them for as long I am alive. Left for me, I would have married maybe two wives, but what I am doing is divine. I just want to advise those fighting against the number of my wives to stop because such people are waging war against God, their creator, he said. The newly freed girls have told their parents they were separated into two groups early on in their captivity, when Boko Haram commanders gave them the choice of joining the extremists and embracing Islam, or becoming their slaves, Bitrus said. (Photo: AP) Abuja, Nigeria: Nigeria's government is negotiating the release of another 83 of the Chibok schoolgirls taken in a mass abduction two-and-a-half years ago, but more than 100 others appear unwilling to leave their Boko Haram Islamic extremist captors, a community leader said Tuesday. The unwilling girls may have been radicalized by Boko Haram or are ashamed to return home because they have married extremists and have babies, chairman Pogu Bitrus of the Chibok Development Association said in a telephone interview. Bitrus said the 21 Chibok girls freed last week in the first negotiated release between Nigeria's government and Boko Haram should be educated abroad, because they will probably face stigma in Nigeria. The girls and their parents were reunited Sunday and are expected to meet with Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday or Wednesday, Bitrus said. Buhari flew to Germany on an official visit the day of the girls' release. Some 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped early on and at least half a dozen have died in captivity, according to the newly freed girls, Bitrus said. All those who escaped on their own have left Chibok because, even though they were held only a few hours, they were labelled "Boko Haram wives" and taunted, he said. At least 20 of the girls are being educated in the United States. "We would prefer that they are taken away from the community and this country because the stigmatization is going to affect them for the rest of their lives," Bitrus said. "Even someone believed to have been abused by Boko Haram would be seen in a bad light." One Chibok girl, Amina Ali Nkeki, escaped in May. Chibok Parents' Association chairman Yakubu Nkeki said the young woman has been reunited with her freed classmates, all of whom are being treated by doctors, psychologists and trauma counsellors at a hospital in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, run by the Department of State Security, Nigeria's secret service. Human rights advocates and the Bring Back Our Girls Movement have been asking if the girl is a detainee of the government and have been demanding she be allowed to return home, as she has requested. The newly freed girls have told their parents they were separated into two groups early on in their captivity, when Boko Haram commanders gave them the choice of joining the extremists and embracing Islam, or becoming their slaves, Bitrus said. The girls freed and those whose release is being negotiated, numbering 104, are believed to be in the group that rejected Islam and Boko Haram, he explained. The freed girls said they never saw the other girls again. Bitrus said the freed girls were used as domestic workers and porters but were not sexually abused. He said that was why only one girl in the freed group is carrying a baby, and her parents have confirmed that she was pregnant when she was kidnapped. An aid worker had said that he had seen the girls on their release and that all but three carried babies. Bitrus said that report was incorrect. Previous negotiators in talks that failed also had corroborated that more than 100 of the girls did not want to return to their parents, Bitrus said. Chibok is a small and conservative Christian enclave in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria, where many parents are involved in translating the Bible into local languages and belong to the Nigerian branch of the Elgin, Illinois-based Church of the Brethren. Nigeria's government has denied reports that the girls were swapped for four Boko Haram commanders, or that a large ransom was paid. Washington: With the airstrikes on Aleppo in Syria garnering massive outrage the across the globe, a particular horrific incident of 14 people from the same family being wiped out at once has struck a particularly painful note, depicting the sheer horror of the bombings. Quoting activist group Aleppo Media Center, CNN reported that fourteen members of the same family -- including two infants and eight other children -- were killed. At least 45 people have been killed since Sunday in the airstrikes in two neighborhoods in Aleppo. More than 30 people were killed in airstrikes that hit the Al-Qaterji neighborhood Sunday night. Monday morning another round of airstrikes killed 14 more people in the al-Marjah neighborhood, all from one family and among them, a pair of six-week-old infants and an eight year old, AMC said. The death toll has continued to mount as Russians continued to bolster the Syrian army's air attack, after Moscow vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution Saturday to halt the action in Aleppo and allow access for humanitarian aid. The Erlanger schedule for Oct. 24-28 includes family planning classes, weight management information, and diabetes education. Erlanger offers online childbirth education class. "The online class is an easy-to-understand interactive program that includes more than 70 videos, animated illustrations, downloadable PDF files, review quizzes and information specific to Erlanger East and Erlanger Baroness birthing services. By choosing the online childbirth program, participants will have access to all the information for six months<" officials said. The cost for the courses is $25. Visit www.erlanger.org/classes to register for the online course. For more information on the online childbirth program and other classes and events mentioned below, call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-LINK (5465), seven days a week, from 8 a.m.-midnight. HealthLink Plus is a free membership program open to adults 18 and older. Monday, October 24 Diabetes Education Class 1:30 4:30 p.m. Erlanger Chattanooga Lifestyle Center This class will explore ways to manage diabetes. Call 778-9400 for more information on physician referral and insurance reimbursement. Bariatric Support Group 5:30 6:30 p.m. Siskin Hospital Bariatric Support Group meetings are for individuals scheduled to have Bariatric surgery or who have already had weight loss surgery. Call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-2906 for more information. Wednesday, October 26 Bariatric Support Group 12:00-1:00 p.m. Erlanger Medical Mall (C620) Bariatric Support Group meetings are for individuals scheduled to have Bariatric surgery or who have already had weight loss surgery. Call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-2906 for more information. Thursday, October 27 Monogrammed Maternity 10 a.m. 4 p.m. 5:30 p.m. Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road) Monogrammed Maternity at Erlanger East Hospital provides a personalized approach to childbirth education and is tailored to each couples' unique needs. Registration is recommended around 36-weeks gestation; and is for patient's delivering at Erlanger East. This one-on-one session with our Prenatal Educator provides couples with the opportunity to privately discuss their personalized birth plan, begin the admission process for delivery, visit with a lactation consultant if needed for breastfeeding preparation, ask questions, and receive assistance in making those all important decisions that help make the birth experience less stressful and uniquely their own. The session is available every Tuesday and Thursday. Space is limited. Registration is required. Registration fee is $40. Call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-LINK (5465) to register. Moments to Share (Grief) Support Group 7:00 p.m. Ronald McDonald House For parents who have lost a baby during pregnancy or in intensive care. Call 423-778-5149 for more information. Friday, October 28 Cancer Support Group 10:00 11:30 a.m. Ronald McDonald House Have you or someone you know been touched by cancer? Erlanger Cancer Center and Pastoral Care services offers a cancer support group open to patients, family members and friends and offers education through self-care topics and support with discussions and fellowship. A cancer navigator and pastoral care representative will guide attendees through topics that include navigating through a cancer diagnosis, management of cancer treatment, emotional support and much more. For more information on the support group, call 423-778-5030. Iraqi forces are deployed during an offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants outside Mosul. (Photo: AP) Washington: Iraq and the United States have launched a crucial battle to liberate the city of Mosul without determining how its volatile region will be governed once Islamic State militants are ejected, US and other officials said. US officials acknowledge gaps and risks in the plan for Mosul, amid worries that defeat of Islamic State in its de facto Iraqi capital could give way to sectarian score-settling and land grabs in the country's ethnically mixed north. But they argue that the alternative -- waiting to first sort out Iraq's fractious sectarian politics -- is unrealistic. With Islamic State hurting militarily, now is the time to strike, they say. Plans for administering Mosul itself, and aiding hundreds of thousands of civilians who could flee the fighting are in place, Western and Iraqi officials say. But being left for later, they say, are fundamental issues likely to determine Iraq's future stability. Among them are bitterly contested territorial claims in the country's north, including the divided city of Kirkuk and the disputed borders of the Kurds' autonomous region. In Mosul, it remains to be seen how power will be shared among the city's Sunni Arabs, Kurds, and minority Turkmen, Christians, Yazidis and others. "Some of those big-picture governance, territorial issues, are going to be pushed down the road," a senior State Department official said. Lukman Faily, Iraq's ambassador to Washington from 2013 until earlier this year, said that while military planning is advanced, "on the politics, we still need to get our house in better shape." The United States has repeatedly found in recent years that the aftermath of war can prove more troublesome than the fighting itself. It invaded Iraq in 2003 without a detailed post-war plan and with insufficient troops, contributing to the chaos that still engulfs the country more than 13 years later. In Afghanistan, the Taliban are making gains 15 years after U.S. and allied Afghan forces ousted them from Kabul. Iraqi government forces, backed by air and ground support from the U.S.-led coalition, on Monday launched the initial stages of the offensive to retake Mosul. The assault has been in preparation since July. Fighting is expected to take weeks, if not months, as government forces, Sunni tribal fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga first encircle the city of more than 1 million and then attempt to oust between 4,000 and 8,000 Islamic State militants. "If we try to solve everything before Mosul, Daesh will never get out of Mosul. And this is really a war of momentum," Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's counter-Islamic State envoy, told reporters this month. Daesh is a derogatory Arabic term for Islamic State. At stake for Obama is his hoped-for legacy of seizing back as much territory as he can from the jihadists before he leaves office in January. The launch of the Mosul campaign comes three weeks before the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 8. "There is a desire to make as much progress against Daesh as possible," said a Western diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity. Unease The decision to back Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's move on Mosul, which involves a force of more than 30,000 fighters, has support in key quarters of Obama's administration. But some U.S. defence and intelligence officials question whether Iraq's rebuilt army is ready. And they say they worry that the aftermath of a messy battle could be a political nightmare as Sunnis, Kurds and Shiites each try to hold parts of the city they have helped liberate. "In some circles around Washington, they want ... things completely in place before the military campaign starts," said an administration official, speaking before Abadi's announcement of the start of the offensive early on Monday. "Taking Iraqis focus away from the military fight to resolve all the longstanding political fights will only achieve a loss of momentum against ISIL," the official said, using another acronym for the group. Other spoilers are possible, officials acknowledge. Turkey, which has longstanding cultural and historic ties to Mosul, says a force it has trained in northern Iraq is now participating in the fight. Powerful Shi'ite militias also want a role, raising fears of sectarian clashes in majority Sunni Mosul. In weeks of intense regional diplomacy, senior U.S. envoys drove home the message that all forces must be under Abadi's command, the officials said. Whether the message sticks remains to be seen. While bigger issues will be left for later, plans have been laid for governing and stabilizing Mosul in the near-term after the fighting subsides, the officials said. The plan calls for the governor of Mosul's Nineveh province, Nawfal al-Agoub, to be restored and the city divided into sub-districts with local mayors for each. Agoub will govern along with a senior representative from Baghdad and from Erbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. Screening procedures for civilians fleeing Mosul have been enhanced, in an effort to learn from the battle for Fallujah, in Anbar province. There, Sunni men and boys were held, tortured and in some cases killed by Shi'ite militia members, who had erected makeshift checkpoints. US and Iraqi officials are working to ensure displaced civilians take safe routes out of the city, and that checkpoints are overseen by provincial authorities and monitored by international non-government groups. They are also hoping that Mosul's populace stay in their homes if possible, unlike in the cities of Tikrit, Fallujah and Ramadi, which virtually emptied out as they were being freed from Islamic State's grip. The United Nations has said the Mosul battle could leave as many as 1 million people homeless. "There's a chance, maybe a significant chance, that it's going to be fewer people than we expect, but of course it would be dangerous to assume that," the senior State Department official said. The Western diplomat acknowledged that moving now against Islamic State's stronghold in Mosul involves a balancing act. "Theres a certain amount where you can prepare as much as possible, but once you sort of hit the ground and things actually start happening, you actually have to be quite flexible and ready," the diplomat said. Dempsey, 64, is well-known in the US military for his extroverted personality, irreverent sense of humor and a penchant for singing in public. (Photo: AP) Washington: Martin Dempsey, who was the top general in the US military until his retirement last year, has been awarded an honorary knighthood by Britain's Queen Elizabeth, the embassy in Washington said Monday. "I accept this honor on behalf of those who have sacrificed so much for our two countries, and I thank Her Majesty the Queen for her steadfast support for those who continue to serve and their families," Dempsey said in a statement. Non-British nationals can be awarded a knighthood, but they are not given the honorific "Sir." British officials said the honorary knighthood was in recognition of Dempsey's "steadfast" commitment to defense cooperation between Britain and the United States. The two countries have tightly interlinked militaries and have operated closely for decades. Dempsey's "leadership has been a driving force behind closer collaboration in all aspects of policy, operations and welfare," the British embassy said in a statement. An Irish-American who taught English literature to cadets at West Point, Dempsey graduated from the same class at the military academy as another four-star general, David Petraeus. Dempsey, 64, is well-known in the US military for his extroverted personality, irreverent sense of humor and a penchant for singing in public. Prosecutors opened their case Monday against Justin Ross Harris, who is charged with malice murder and other crimes in the June 2014 death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper. (Photo: Facebook) Brunswick: An Alabama teenager exchanged sexually explicit messages with a Georgia man accused of intentionally leaving his 22-month-old son in a hot SUV to die, she testified on Monday. The 17-year-old girl said she and Justin Ross Harris exchanged photos of their genitals and sexual messages weeks before the death of his son, Cooper. They began exchanging messages a couple of years ago, the girl testified. During testimony, prosecutor Chuck Boring showed jurors the photo of Harris' penis that was sent to the girl. Prosecutors say Harris intentionally killed Cooper by leaving him for hours in a vehicle parked outside his workplace. Harris' lawyers called the death accidental. Harris moved from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Georgia in 2012 to take a job with The Home Depot's corporate office. He faces life in prison if convicted of murder. Allegations that Harris had sexually explicit online conversations with an underage girl are completely unrelated to the murder and child cruelty charges he faces in the death of his son, defense attorney Maddox Kilgore has said previously. But prosecutors contend that those alleged actions can provide evidence of a motive for the murder charges and can demonstrate Harris' state of mind leading up to and on the day of the boy's death. The 17-year-old, whose identity was shielded by Judge Mary Staley Clark, was 15 years old at the time she and Harris began exchanging sexual messages, according to Monday's testimony. They first began communicating with one another on the anonymous service called Whisper and later on another service called Kik, the Journal-Constitution reported. Eventually, the girl told Harris she was actually 15 years old, but that didn't deter him from continuing their conversation, she told jurors. "He told me he wanted me to make him a naughty old man," she testified, adding he said he wanted to have sex with her. Washington: A retired top US general pleaded guilty on Monday to making a false statement during an FBI probe into a classified intelligence leak about a cyber attack against Iran's nuclear program in 2010. Marine Corps General James Cartwright, 67, formerly the vice chairman to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was accused of lying to investigators when he said he had not confirmed classified information to New York Times journalist David Sanger. Sanger wrote a book describing a joint US and Israeli operation that deployed a virus called "Stuxnet" that reportedly destroyed or damaged centrifuges being used by Iran to enrich uranium in 2010. The malicious code reportedly dealt Iran's disputed nuclear program a serious blow. "After investigators showed Cartwright a list of quotes and statements from David Sanger's book, a number of which contained classified information, Cartwright falsely told investigators that he was not the source," prosecutors said on a charge sheet. Prosecutors also said Cartwright had spoken with journalist Daniel Klaidman. "It was wrong for me to mislead the FBI on November 2, 2012, and I accept full responsibility for this," Cartwright said in a statement provided by his lawyer. "I knew I was not the source of the story and I didn't want to be blamed for the leak. My only goal in talking to the reporters was to protect American interests and lives; I love my country and continue to this day to do everything I can to defend it." The judge in the case set a sentencing hearing for January 17. A letter from prosecutors said Cartwright could theoretically face a maximum of five years in prison. As part of the plea deal, however, the sentence will likely be between zero and six months, and prosecutors will not pursue additional charges. Cartwright, who retired with four stars in 2011, was considered a close military advisor to President Barack Obama. Washington: India and Pakistan should look for ways to resolve their deeply-held differences peacefully, the US has said even as it refrained from making any comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks calling Pakistan as the "mothership" of terrorism. "I have to admit, I have not been briefed on those comments. What I can say in general is that we have encouraged India and Pakistan to look for ways to resolve peacefully their deeply-held differences on a range of issues," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters yesterday in response to a question on Modi's remarks at the BRICS Summit. "We have discussed in here on a number of occasions the significant threat that exists in Pakistan from extremists. We've actually seen that the Pakistani people have been victims of those extremist activities on far too many occasions," Earnest said. "The United States and Pakistan have an important relationship when it comes to our shared security concerns in the region, particularly when those concerns emanate from extremist groups," he added. "The United States and India also have a very important relationship as well and the friendship and effective working relationship between the United States and India and between Prime Minister Modi and President (Barack) Obama have allowed the citizens of both of our countries to enjoy significant benefits not just when it comes to our shared security concerns, but also when it comes to our intertwined economies as well," Earnest said. US has been able to "confront successfully" in the war against terrorism, but the Obama Administration believes there is more that Islamabad needs to do, he said. Washington: A senior State Department official sought to shield Hillary Clinton last year by pressuring the FBI to drop its insistence that an email on the private server she used while secretary of state contained classified information, according to records of interviews with FBI officials released on Monday. The accusation against Patrick Kennedy, the State Department's most senior manager, appears in the latest release of interview summaries from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's year-long investigation into Clinton's sending and receiving classified government secrets via her unauthorised server. Although the FBI decided against declassifying the email's contents, the claim of interference added fuel to Republicans' belief that officials in President Barack Obama's administration have sought to protect Clinton, a Democrat, from criminal liability as she seeks to succeed Obama in the Nov. 8 election. The FBI recommended against bringing any charges in July and has defended the integrity of its investigation. Clinton has said her decision to use a private server in her home for her work as the U.S. secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 was a mistake and has apologised. One FBI official, whose name is redacted, told investigators that Kennedy repeatedly "pressured" the various officials at the FBI to declassify information in one of Clinton's emails. The email was about the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, and included information that originated from the FBI, which meant that the FBI had final say on whether it would remain classified. A State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said Kennedy was not pressuring the FBI but was just trying to understand better how the FBI's classification process worked. The dispute began in the summer of 2015 as officials were busy reviewing the roughly 30,000 emails Clinton returned to the State Department ahead of their court-ordered public release in batches in 2015 and 2016. The official said the State Department's office of legal counsel called him to question the FBI's ruling that the information was classified, but the FBI stood by its decision. Soon after that call, one of the official's FBI colleagues received a call from Kennedy in which Kennedy "asked his assistance in altering the email's classification in exchange for a 'quid pro quo.'" The FBI official said he also joined at least two discussions in which Kennedy "continued to pressure" the FBI about the email. The official said Kennedy appeared to be trying to protect Clinton by minimizing the appearance of classified information in emails from the server that Clinton used while she was the country's most senior diplomat. Agencies say no 'quid pro quo' In a separate interview summary among the 100 pages released on Monday, another unnamed FBI official confirmed a discussion of a "quid pro quo." He said Kennedy told him in a phone call that the FBI's classification of the email "caused problems" for Kennedy. The official said he told Kennedy he would look into the email, which he had not yet seen, if the State Department would consider allowing more FBI agents to be posted in Iraq in exchange. The State Department and the FBI both confirmed that a conversation about the email's classification and an increase in FBI slots in Iraq took place, but both agencies said there was no "quid pro quo." After a year-long FBI investigation into the server, FBI Director James Comey said in July he found that while laws governing classified information may have been broken no reasonable prosecutor would bring charges. He said, however, that Clinton and her staff had been "extremely careless" in handling information that had been classified to protect national security. Toner, the State Department spokesman, said there was "no quid pro quo," and told reporters that it was the FBI official who raised the possibility with Kennedy of allowing more agents in Iraq during the conversation about the email. "After the conversation took place about the upgrading classification, at the end of that, there was a kind of, 'Oh, by the way, hey, we're looking at how we want more slots" in Iraq, Toner said, calling it a "clear pivot" in the topic of conversation. "No increase in FBI Iraq slots resulted from this conversation," he said. The FBI also confirmed both topics were raised in the same conversation, and that the FBI official who discussed the email and Iraq with Kennedy had since retired. "Although there was never a quid pro quo, these allegations were nonetheless referred to the appropriate officials for review," the FBI said in its statement, which did not say what the outcome of the review was. Trump calls it "collusion" Other officials have made similar complaints to investigators of unusual pressure not to mark information as classified in Clinton's emails last year. According to earlier documents the FBI released last month, at least one official at the State Department told investigators that there was pressure by senior department officials to mislead the public about the presence of classified information in Clinton's emails ahead of their public release. A summary released on Monday showed at least two other State Department officials making similar allegations. One official who worked in the State Department's office that deals with Freedom of Information Act requests told investigators they felt "intimidated" by senior department officials if they suggested that any of Clinton's emails on Benghazi contained classified information, and named Kennedy as one of the officials who pressured "employees to not label anything as classified." The State Department has said these allegations are also false. Ultimately, the FBI told Kennedy that declassification was not possible, according to the interview summaries, and the State Department posted it online last year marked as classified, with heavy redactions. Clinton's Republican rival for the White House, Donald Trump, posted a video online on Monday in which he said the FBI documents showed "corruption at the highest levels." "This is collusion between the FBI, Department of Justice and the State Department to try and make Hillary Clinton look like an innocent person when she's guilty of very high crimes," Trump said. Later on Monday, Trump proposed a series of ethics rules he said would crack down on government corruption, including a five-year ban on former administration officials lobbying after leaving government and a lifetime ban on senior officials lobbying for foreign governments. He said former President Bill Clinton had a five-year lobbying ban but lifted it at the end of his administration. Obama put his own "revolving door" rules in place at the beginning of his time in office. Several Republican lawmakers called on Obama to investigate Kennedy and remove him from the department. Toner of the State Department said Kennedy "has the full confidence" of John Kerry, Clinton's successor as secretary of state. Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee's chairman, said in a statement that Obama, who is campaigning for Clinton to become his successor as president, was trying to "shield" Clinton and that she "cannot be trusted" with classified information. Paul Ryan, the top elected Republican in the U.S. Congress, referred to the FBI summaries on Twitter. "This bears all the signs of a cover-up," he wrote. In 2015, Clinton repeatedly said she never sent or received classified information via her server, but since the release of the FBI report in July she has said she relied on the judgment of her subordinates at the department. Robby Mook, her campaign manager, downplayed the account from the FBI interview summary, telling reporters it was "not uncommon for officials within a department to fight over classification." Washington: Donald Trump is insisting that voter fraud does, indeed, pose a significant threat to the integrity of the U.S. electoral system, claiming the election could be rigged at the polling booths despite a lack of evidence and experts insistence to the contrary. Speaking at a rally on Tuesday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Mr Trump doubled down on his widely condemned attempts to undermine the elections outcome, which are unprecedented in modern presidential politics. They even want to try to rig the election at the polling booths. And believe me, theres a lot going on, Mr Trump said. Do you ever hear these people? They say theres nothing going on. People that have died 10 years ago are still voting. Illegal immigrants are voting. I mean, where are the street smarts of some of these politicians? Mr Trumps comments have alarmed voting rights experts and civil rights groups, who say they threaten to undermine faith in the nations elections. Meanwhile, other Republicans are expressing confidence in the voting systems. Numerous studies, however, have shown that voter fraud in U.S. elections is very rare. Republican campaign lawyer Chris Ashby said Trumps charges could foment unrest and were unfounded and dangerous. When you say an election is rigged, youre telling voters, your supporters, their votes do not matter, Mr Ashby said in an interview. Mark Braden, partner at Baker and Hostetler and former chief counsel for the Republican National Committee, said that any sort of election rigging at the national level just is impossible, citing the various systems in place that would make such an endeavor complicated and unfeasible. On March 1, 2002, 23 people from the Muslim community were burnt alive in a house in Pirwali Bhagol area of Ode village. (Photo: PTI) London: A 40-year-old man wanted in connection with the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat was on Tuesday extradited from the UK to stand trial in India, becoming the first person to be sent back from Britain 24 years after the two countries signed an extradition treaty. Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel had been arrested by Scotland Yard in west London in August on a Red Corner Notice issued by Indian authorities. His extradition order was signed by UK home secretary Amber Rudd on September 22 and the "surrender arrangements" were finalised for his departure. It marks the first extradition from the UK since the signing of the India-UK Extradition Treaty in 1992. "Following Government of India's request for extradition, Mr Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, an Indian national, is being extradited on 18th October, 2016 to face trial in India," the High Commission said in a statement today. "Mr Patel is facing trial in connection with post-Godhra riots in India in 2002. He is charged with the offence under Section 302 of IPC, along with 43 other accused. The offences include being member of an unlawful assembly; rioting and murder. The accused was arrested in India and was on bail and after jumping bail had escaped to UK," the statement added. According to Gujarat Police, Patel is wanted in connection with riots in Ode village of Anand district. A team of officials from India will take him into their custody to fly him back to India today. "On 22 September the Secretary of State (Amber Rudd), having carefully considered all relevant matters, signed the order for Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel's extradition to India. He is accused, whilst being part of a rioting mob, of three counts of murder, two counts of using unlawful violence with others for a common purpose and one count of arson," a UK Home Office spokesperson had confirmed last week. On March 1, 2002, 23 people from the Muslim community were burnt alive in a house in Pirwali Bhagol area of Ode village. Patel along with two other accused, who are still at large, are accused of being part of the rioting mob at the time. Patel's whereabouts were traced to a home in Hounslow, west London, after which Scotland Yard nabbed him on August 9. "On 9 August officers from the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) extradition unit attended an address in Beavers Lane, Hounslow and arrested Samir Vinubhai Patel, aged 40, on a warrant issued under section 71 Extradition Act 2003. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on August 10, 2016," a Scotland Yard statement said. "We can confirm that Mr Patel has consented to his extradition to India. However, we are unable to comment on any surrender arrangements as this is an operational matter for the police," a UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) statement added. London: Days ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May's India visit, the UK on Tuesday hailed Pakistan's "significant sacrifices" in combating terror while responding to a petition calling on the British government to "strongly condemn" Pakistan for providing a safe haven for terrorists. The petition titled 'UK Government to strongly condemn Pakistan or providing safe haven for terrorists' on the official government website had crossed the 10,000 signatures required to make it incumbent upon the UK government to respond. "Pakistan has made significant sacrifices in opposing terrorism. The UK has regularly raised with Pakistan the need to take consistent action against all terrorist groups operating within its borders," the response from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) read. "The UK regularly highlights to Pakistan, at the highest level, the importance of taking effective action against all terrorist groups operating in Pakistan, as Pakistan has committed to do," the response said. "We recognise the significant sacrifices that Pakistan and its people have made in combating terrorism. We are helping Pakistan develop its capacity to protect itself and prosecute those who plan and commit terrorist attacks," it said. The petition, authored by an Indian-origin professional Naman Paropkari, was launched with the aim of gathering as many as 100,000 signatures by the March 29, 2017, deadline so that the issue is considered for a parliamentary debate in the House of Commons. "Pakistan continues to double speak on issue of terrorism. It has aided and 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," the petition said. The 19,429 signatures gathered so far on the UK-wide petition have come largely from London and northern regions of England with heavy Indian-origin populations. May is scheduled to arrive in India on November 6 for a three-day visit, which will include a bilateral dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The UK's lauding of Pakistan's "significant sacrifices" in combating terrorism comes a day after China staunchly defended its all-weather ally from Prime Minister Modi's terming of Pakistan as a "mothership of terrorism", saying it is against linking any country or religion with terror. China also asked the world to acknowledge Pakistan's "great sacrifices". "We are strongly against terrorism of all forms, maintaining that terrorism should not be linked to certain country, ethnic group and religion," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had told a media briefing in Beijing while responding to questions on Modi's criticism against Pakistan at the BRICS Summit in Goa. The FCO's response to it also highlighted the various ways in which the UK was helping Pakistan combat terrorism, including training on how to detect and disrupt improvised explosive devices, advice on other counter terrorism security matters, such as aviation and airport security and assistance in developing narratives to counter the extremist ideology that is the root cause of terrorism. The various ways UK is helping Pakistan in combating terror also included guidance on reforming the justice system to ensure that Pakistan can successfully prosecute those who are responsible for attacks in line with international standards on human rights and providing senior support to help develop effective civilian counter terrorism responses through the Prime Minister's Counter Terrorism Capability Envoy, it said. "Countering the terrorist and extremist threats in Pakistan also requires investment in the underlying issues that can contribute, such as improving the rule of law and education as well as tackling poverty. The UK is working to help address these issues including through our bilateral aid programme," the FCO said. Medics said that they have collected samples to determine the genetic profile of the rapists. (Representational Image, Photo: AP) Paris: A woman who was working on a sexual abuse documentary in the notorious "Jungle" camp near Calais in France, was raped by a group of UK-bound migrants after being held at knifepoint. According to a report in the Mirror, the victim, who was working with her crew, was attacked at around 2:30 am when she was acting as an interpreter to the reporter. As the crew was busy filming, they were attacked by the migrants who then pushed the victim to the ground. The migrants initially tried to steal the crew's equipment, later one of them turned to the victim and his accomplices followed. After the assault, the victim along with the crew members went to the Calais police station to lodge a complaint. She was later admitted to the hospital. Medics said that they have collected samples to determine the genetic profile of the rapists. Meanwhile, Calais police are on the lookout for the accused who fled the scene soon after the crime. French government says about 7,000 migrants live in the camp, while aid groups estimate the population at more than 9,000. Iraqi forces are deployed during an offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants outside Mosul. (Photo: AP) Baghdad: Residents of Mosul said ISIS was using civilians as human shields as Iraqi and Kurdish forces captured outlying villages in their advance on the terrorists' stronghold. The leader of ISIS and one of its main explosives experts were reported to be among thousands of the hardline terrorists still in Mosul, suggesting the group would go to great lengths to fend off any ground attack within the city limits. With the attacking forces still between 20 and 50 km (12-30 miles) away, residents reached by telephone said more than 100 families had started moving from southern and eastern suburbs most exposed to the offensive to more central parts of the city. ISIS terrorists were preventing people fleeing Mosul, they said, and one said they directed some towards buildings they had recently used themselves. "It's quite clear Daesh (ISIS) has started to use civilians as human shields by allowing families to stay in buildings likely to be targeted by air strikes," said Abu Mahir, who lives near the city's university and offered food to the displaced. Like other residents contacted by telephone in the city, he refused to give his full name, but Abdul Rahman Waggaa, a member of the exiled Provincial Council of Nineveh of which Mosul is the capital, corroborated his account to Reuters, urging government and coalition forces to update their targeting data. Around 1.5 million people are still living in Mosul and the International Organisation for Migration said it was preparing gas masks in case of chemical attack by the terrorists, who had used such weapons previously against Iraqi Kurdish forces. The fall of Mosul would signal the defeat of the ultra-hardline Sunni terrorists in Iraq but could also lead to land grabs and sectarian bloodletting between groups which fought one another after the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. For US President Barack Obama, the campaign is a calculated risk, with US officials acknowledging that there is no clear plan for how the region around Mosul will be governed once ISIS is expelled. Disoriented The Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces from autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan began moving towards the city at dawn on Monday under air cover from a US-led coalition set up after ISIS swept into Iraq from Syria in 2014. Hoshiyar Zebari, a senior Kurdish official, said initial operations succeeded due to close cooperation between the Iraqi government and Kurdish peshmerga fighters, allowing them to clear ISIS from 9 or 10 villages east of Mosul. "Daesh is disoriented they don't know whether to expect attacks from the east or west or north," he told Reuters. On Tuesday the attacking forces entered another phase, he said. "It won't be a spectacular attack on Mosul itself. It will be very cautious. It is a high risk operation for everybody." ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and explosives expert Fawzi Ali Nouimeh were both in the city, according to what he described as "solid" intelligence reports. A total of 20 villages were taken from the terrorists east, south and southeast of Mosul by early Tuesday, according to statements from the two forces, fighting alongside one another for the first time. ISIS said on Monday its fighters had targeted the attacking forces with 10 suicide bombs and that their foes had surrounded five villages but not taken them. None of the reports could be independently verified. Residents kept in the city Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the offensive on Monday around two years after Iraq's second-largest city fell to the terrorists, who exploited the civil war that broke out in Syria in 2011 to seize territory there. The operation had been planned since July with US and other coalition forces and Western and Iraqi officials, mindful of the civil war that followed Saddam's fall, say plans for administering the mainly Sunni city and accommodating those who flee the fighting are in place. The United Nations has said up to a million people could flee the city and that it expected the first big wave in five or six days, indicating fighting would reach the city then. But some residents said ISIS was making sure people did not leave. Anwar said he fled his Sumer district, which lies near Mosul airport, fearing ground forces and ariel bombing. "I told Daesh fighters at a checkpoint I'm going to stay at my sister's house," he said. "A Daesh fighter made calls through his radio to make sure I was not lying and only after the voice on the other side said 'Let him go', did I let myself breathe." Fighting is expected to take weeks, if not months, as some 30,000 government forces, Sunni tribal fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga first encircle the city then attempt to oust between 4,000 and 8,000 ISIS terrorists. More than 5,000 US soldiers are also deployed in support missions, as are troops from France, Britain, Canada and other Western nations. The Iraqi army is attacking Mosul on the southern and southeastern fronts, while the Peshmerga carried out their operation to the east and are also deployed north and northwest. The Kurdish forces said they secured "a significant stretch" of the 80 km (50 mile) road between Erbil, their capital, and Mosul, about an hour's drive to the west. Coalition warplanes attacked 17 ISIS positions in support of the Peshmerga operation in the heavily mined area, the Kurdish statement said, adding that at least four car bombs were destroyed. There was no indication about the number of military or civilian casualties in the Iraqi or Kurdish statements. Obama is seeking to put an end to the "caliphate" - a launch pad for attacks on civilians in the West - before he leaves office in January. France said it would co-host a multilateral meeting with Iraq on Oct. 20 to discuss how to stabilise Mosul and its surroundings once ISIS has been defeated. Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the terrorists were likely to retreat to their Syrian bastion Raqqa, so it was vital to consider how to retake that city too. "We can't let Islamic State reconstitute itself or strengthen to create an even more dangerous hub," he said. The Mosul plan calls for the governor of the city's Nineveh province, Nawfal al-Agoub, to be restored and the city divided into sub-districts with local mayors for each. Agoub will govern along with a senior representative from Baghdad and from Erbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. Screening procedures for any civilians able to flee Mosul have been enhanced, in an effort to learn from the battle for Fallujah, in Anbar province. There, Sunni men and boys were held, tortured and in some cases killed by Shi'ite militia members, who had erected makeshift checkpoints. The UN refugee agency said it had built five camps to house 45,000 people and plans to have an additional six in the coming weeks with a capacity for 120,000, that would still not be enough to cope if the exodus is as big as feared. Iraqi forces are deployed during an offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants outside Mosul, Iraq, Monday. (Photo: AP) Al-Shura (Iraq): Iraqi forces are "ahead of schedule" in an offensive aimed at retaking Mosul and dealing a death blow to the Islamic State group, but the battle will be difficult and protracted, the Pentagon has said. The start of the long-awaited assault raised deep concerns for hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Iraq's second-largest city, with aid groups warning of a massive humanitarian crisis. Some 30,000 federal forces are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long assault on IS's last major Iraqi stronghold. Iraqi forces readied weapons and ammunition as columns of armoured vehicles headed towards Mosul from the town of Al-Shura, some 45 kilometres (30 miles) south of the city. The Pentagon said late Monday the operation had begun well but warned it would be a "difficult campaign that could take some time". A top US general earlier said it would take several weeks or even longer. "Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far, and that they are ahead of schedule for this first day," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had announced the beginning of the assault in a televised address earlier in the day. "Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh (IS)," Abadi said. IS seized control of large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in mid-2014, declaring a cross-border "caliphate" and committing widespread atrocities. The jihadists have suffered a string of territorial defeats this year in both countries, and the retaking of Mosul would all but end their presence in Iraq as a land-holding force. Iraqi forces have been closing in on Mosul in recent weeks but the battle begun Monday could be the toughest yet against IS. IS forces are vastly outnumbered, with the US military estimating 3,000 to 4,500 jihadists in and around Mosul. But they have had months to prepare and will seek to use hit-and-run tactics, ambushes, snipers, bombs, berms and trenches to slow down and bleed Iraqi forces. In an online statement after the assault began, IS claimed it launched a series of deadly suicide car bombings against Iraqi forces. Early Monday, federal forces moved from their main staging base of Qayyarah, south of Mosul, as Peshmerga forces from the autonomous Kurdish region advanced from the east. Around 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga took part in a push to reclaim villages once inhabited by members of the Christian and Kakai minorities, a statement said. Several villages were promptly recaptured and peshmerga forces had moved to the edges of Qaraqosh and Bartalla, two Christian towns IS seized in August 2014, commanders said. The UN's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, told reporters that an exodus could begin within a week and some aid groups worried about preparedness. "It is estimated that as many as 200,000 people could flee from the city in these first weeks, though there are currently only 60,000 tents available in seven emergency camps," the International Rescue Committee said. In London, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Riyadh had urged Iraq's government not to let Shiite militias enter Sunni-majority Mosul, fearing "mass atrocities". "It could add fuel to the sectarian fires raging in the region and so we have urged the Iraqi government not to use the Shia militias. That is the greatest danger that we see," he said. Iraqi forces advancing on multiple fronts are some distance from Mosul and are expected to eventually take up positions on the city's edge and lay siege before breaching its boundaries and directly engaging die-hard jihadists. "This operation to regain control of Iraq's second-largest city will likely continue for weeks, possibly longer," warned Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition. Most of the coalition's support has come in the shape of air strikes and training, but US, French and British special forces are also on the ground to advise local troops. "This is a decisive moment in the campaign to deliver ISIL a lasting defeat," US Secretary of Defence Ash Carter said, using an alternative acronym for IS. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday indicated that Turkey would also play a role in the offensive despite concerns raised by Baghdad. As the biggest Iraqi military operation since the 2011 withdrawal of US troops unfolded, a Turkish delegation arrived in Baghdad for talks and coalition defence ministers agreed to meet in Paris on October 25 to take stock. IS once controlled more than a third of Iraq's territory but its self-proclaimed "state" has been shrinking steadily. It lost its emblematic bastion Fallujah in June, the Anbar provincial capital Ramadi months earlier and on Sunday Syrian rebels retook the town of Dabiq, which held special ideological significance for the group. If Mosul falls, only Raqa in Syria would remain as the last major city in either country under IS control. But even the recapture of Mosul will not mark the end of the war against IS, which is likely to increasingly turn to insurgent tactics as it loses more ground. Just hours after the offensive began, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing targeting an Iraqi army checkpoint south of Baghdad that killed at least 10 people. Baghdad: Iraqi and Kurdish forces closing in on Mosul said on Tuesday they had secured some 20 villages on the outskirts of the city in the first day of an operation to retake what is Islamic States (IS) last major stronghold in Iraq. With around 1.5 million people still living in Mosul, the International Organisation for Migration said it was preparing gas masks in case of chemical attack by the jihadists, who had used such weapons previously against Iraqi Kurdish forces. Tens of thousands of civilians could be forcibly expelled, trapped between fighting lines or used as human shields, said the IOM, one of many aid organisations to sound the alarm. The fall of Mosul would signal the defeat of the ultra-hardline Sunni jihadists in Iraq but could also lead to land grabs and sectarian bloodletting between groups which fought one another after the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. For US President Barack Obama, the campaign is a calculated risk, with US officials acknowledging that there is no clear plan for how the region around Mosul will be governed once Islamic State is expelled. The Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces from autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan began moving towards the city at dawn on Monday under air cover from a US-led coalition set up after Islamic State swept into Iraq from Syria in 2014. Hoshiyar Zebari, a senior Kurdish official, said initial operations succeeded due to close cooperation between the Iraqi government and Kurdish peshmerga fighters, allowing them to clear Islamic State from 9 or 10 villages east of Mosul. Daesh is disoriented they dont know whether to expect attacks from the east or west or north, he told Reuters, using an Arabic acronym for the hardline Sunni group. On Tuesday the attacking forces entered another phase, he said. It wont be a spectacular attack on Mosul itself. It will be very cautious. It is a high risk operation for everybody. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and explosives expert Fawzi Ali Nouimeh were both in the city, according to what he described as solid intelligence reports, indicating the group would put up significant resistance. A total of 20 villages were taken from the militants east, south and southeast of Mosul by early Tuesday, according to statements from the two forces, fighting alongside one another for the first time. Islamic State said on Monday its fighters had targeted the attacking forces with 10 suicide bombs and that their foes had surrounded five villages but not taken them. None of the reports could be independently verified. The advancing forces were still between 20 and 50km (12-30 miles) from Mosul and officials described it as a shaping operation designed to enhance positions ahead of a major offensive by taking hilltops, crossings and important crossroads. Exodus feared Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the offensive on Monday around two years after Iraqs second-largest city fell to the militants, who exploited the civil war that broke out in Syria in 2011 to seize territory there. The operation had been planned since July with US and other coalition forces and Western and Iraqi officials, mindful of the civil war that followed Saddams fall, say plans for administering the mainly Sunni city and accommodating those who flee the fighting are in place. The United Nations has said up to a million people could flee the city and that it expected the first wave in five or six days. Fighting is expected to take weeks, if not months, as some 30,000 government forces, Sunni tribal fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga first encircle the city then attempt to oust between 4,000 and 8,000 Islamic State militants. More than 5,000 US soldiers are also deployed in support missions, as are troops from France, Britain, Canada and other Western nations. The Iraqi army is attacking Mosul on the southern and southeastern fronts, while the Peshmerga carried out their operation to the east. The Peshmerga, who are also deployed north and northwest of the city, said they secured a significant stretch of the 80km (50 mile) road between Erbil, their capital, and Mosul, about an hours drive to the west. Obama is seeking to put an end to the caliphate - a launch pad for attacks on civilians in the West - before he leaves office in January and the Mosul campaign comes three weeks before the U.S. presidential election on November 8. Coalition warplanes attacked 17 Islamic State positions in support of the Peshmerga operation in the heavily mined area, the Kurdish statement said, adding that at least four car bombs were destroyed. There was no indication about the number of military or civilian casualties in the Iraqi or Kurdish statements. Post-war plan The Mosul plan calls for the governor of the citys Nineveh province, Nawfal al-Agoub, to be restored and the city divided into sub-districts with local mayors for each. Agoub will govern along with a senior representative from Baghdad and from Erbil, capital of Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region. Screening procedures for civilians fleeing Mosul have been enhanced, in an effort to learn from the battle for Fallujah, in Anbar province. There, Sunni men and boys were held, tortured and in some cases killed by Shiite militia members, who had erected makeshift checkpoints. The UN refugee agency said it had built five camps to house 45,000 people and plans to have an additional six in the coming weeks with a capacity for 120,000, that would still not be enough to cope if the exodus is as big as feared. Amnesty International urged Iraqi authorities to keep Shiite paramilitary groups away from Mosul whose population is largely Sunni. The rights group said the Shia-led government in Baghdad would bear responsibility for the actions of the militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, which are officially considered to be part of the countrys armed forces. US and Iraqi officials are working to ensure displaced civilians take safe routes out of the city, and that checkpoints are overseen by provincial authorities and monitored by international non-government groups. Moscow: Russian and Syrian armed forces will pause attacks on the Syrian city of Aleppo for eight hours on Thursday so that civilians and rebels can leave the city, the Russian defence ministry said on Monday. "On October 20 from 0800 (0500 GMT) until 1600, a humanitarian pause will be implemented in the area of Aleppo. For that period, Russia's air force and Syrian government forces will halt air strikes and firing from other weapons," said Russian defence ministry official Sergei Rudskoy. Too little too late A US State Department spokesman says an eight-hour pause in attacks by Russian and Syrian forces on rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo "would be a good thing," but he cautions that "it's a bit too little, too late." Spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington, said the people of Aleppo "have been subjected to near constant bombardment and air strikes" that has killed many civilians and leveled much of the city's civilian infrastructure. He said the goal is "to starve out and to drive out the opposition and civilians who've held on there for so long." The Russian and Syrian militaries say they will observe a "humanitarian pause" between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Oct. 20 to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city. Ahmed takes over from Motiur Rahman Nizami, who was hanged in May after a controversial tribunal convicted him of murder during the country's 1971 war of independence with Pakistan. (Photo: Social media) Dhaka: A Bangladeshi Islamist party allied to the opposition has elected a new chief untainted by war crime allegations, seeking to turn the page after the execution of several of its top leaders. Jamaat-e-Islami said in a statement late Monday it had sworn in former school teacher Maqbul Ahmed as its leader after a secret ballot of party members. Ahmed takes over from Motiur Rahman Nizami, who was hanged in May after a controversial tribunal convicted him of murder during the country's 1971 war of independence with Pakistan. Four other top leaders, including the party's secretary general, its two joint secretaries and its main financier, have been executed since 2013 following trials that rights groups have condemned as unfair. They were tried by the same war crimes tribunal set up by the secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which said Jamaat leaders had to be prosecuted to heal the wounds of the war. Sources close to Jamaat said Ahmed, believed to be in his early seventies, had been chosen from a panel of three senior party officials who had not been tainted by war crimes. In his debut speech he paid tribute to Hasina's father, who led the war of independence against Pakistan, in a sign the party is looking to break from its past policies. "He is an experienced leader and a very good organiser," said Abul Asad, the editor of the pro-Jamaat Bengali daily Sangram. "He has said he wants to forget the pains and sorrows of the past and wants to look forward." Jamaat, Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, was barred from contesting the 2014 general election, effectively disenfranchising millions of its supporters. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party -- allied to Jamaat -- subsequently boycotted the polls, which became a one-horse race held against a backdrop of violent protests. Many observers believe the lack of genuine democracy in the country has contributed to a recent upsurge in Islamist violence, including a deadly siege at an upmarket Dhaka cafe in July. Jamaat opposed Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, but denies its leaders were involved in genocide, murders and rapes during the nine-month long conflict. The conviction and execution of Jamaat officials plunged Bangladesh into one of its worst crises in 2013, when tens of thousands of Islamist activists clashed with police in protests that left some 500 people dead. In the same year the government launched a nationwide crackdown on Jamaat activists in which tens of thousands of Islamists were either detained or charged over the protests. ISIS claimed the responsibility for the July 1 attack, but Bangladesh's government insists the JMB was behind it. (Photo: AP) Dhaka: A counter-terrorism official says Bangladesh has discovered who funded the July 1 attack in which a group of terrorists tortured and killed 20 hostages at a restaurant in Dhaka. The police counter-terrorism chief, Monirul Islam, says the $101,606 in financing came from three Bangladeshis, including a paediatrician who fled with his family to Syria to join the ISIS. Islam on Tuesday identified the other financiers as a retired army major who donated his pension and savings and a man who donated proceeds from a Dhaka apartment sale. Both were killed in police raids. Islam said the three belonged to the banned terrorist group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, or JMB. The ISIS claimed the responsibility for the July 1 attack, but Bangladesh's government insists the JMB was behind it. Islamabad: Several Pakistani lawmakers have warned that USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor could turn into another East India Company if the country's interests were not protected, as they accused the government of ignoring local people in the project. "Another East India Company is in the offing; national interests are not being protected. We are proud of the friendship between Pakistan and China, but the interests of the state should come first," Senator Tahir Mashhadi, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development, said when some committee members raised the concern that the government was not protecting the rights and interests of the people. The East India Company was the British trading mission sent to India, which became the precursor to the British colonial presence in the subcontinent, eventually gaining power and overthrowing the Mughals who ruled India at the time. Following a briefing by Planning Commission Secretary Yousuf Nadeem Khokhar, a number of committee members voiced their fears over what they perceived as the utilisation of local financing for CPEC projects, instead of funding from the Chinese or any other foreign investment. They also expressed concern over the fixing of power tariff for CPEC-related power projects by the Chinese. Since only one of three Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members of the committee was present at the meeting, most of the criticism went unanswered, the Dawn reported.Even Senator Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail, the lone PML-N senator in attendance, endorsed the committee chairmans complaints. The meeting was informed that a major portion of the CPEC depended on local finances rather than Chinese investment. "It will be very harmful for us if we have to bear the entire burden; will this (project) be a national development or a national calamity? Whatever loans taken from China will have to be paid by the poor people of Pakistan," Mashhadi observed. Highlighting the status of CPEC-related power projects, the Planning Commission secretary said that the Matiari-Lahore transmission line project had "not been scrapped" and was being pursued by its Chinese sponsors. The secretary also informed the committee that the Gadani power plant complex had been shelved due to the lack of a dedicated jetty. He also said that the 6,000MW project was not part of the CPEC. Senator Kakar said that despite the fact that the project was not part of the CPEC, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong had recently claimed that the Gadani power plant had not been scrapped and was indeed a part of the corridor. "Why is this project, which does not even exist, being counted in our account?" he asked. He said that the infrastructure being established in Gwadar would only benefit the Chinese and Punjab governments, not the local community. He said that no electricity or railway projects had been planned for Balochistan under the CPEC. Senator Mandokhail said that a sense of deprivation was being instilled in smaller provinces. "We do not want the CPEC at the cost of the federation," he added. Afghan refugees enter Afghan territory after leaving Iran at the Islam Qala border crossing in Kohsan, Herat, west of Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo: AP) Islamabad: More than 350,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their war-torn homeland from Pakistan this year, UN data show, with the torrent of people crossing the border expected to continue. Earlier in October the UN's refugee agency UNHCR said the number of documented Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan had soared past 200,000. But this week the body's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan released updated figures that also include the number of undocumented refugees crossing the border. "So far this year, 162,186 undocumented returnees and 207,236 registered returnees (369,422) have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan," an OCHA statement said, noting that the majority, some 333,000 people, have returned since July. "If that sounds like a lot, it is," the statement continued. "Based on current trends, we expect a further 446,000 (both registered and undocumented) Afghans to arrive before year-end." The influx of refugees threatens to overwhelm Afghanistan, with authorities there already warning of a humanitarian crisis as hundreds of thousands of people flee fighting within the country. "Due to hostilities in Kunduz and intensified fighting across the south we have seen a jump of 37,000 IDPs (internally displaced people) alone -- more than 10 percent of the year total in just one week," Danielle Moylan, a spokeswoman for OCHA, said on Monday. The total number of IDPs due to fighting since the start of the year stands at 323,500. Struggling to accommodate For decades Pakistan has provided safe haven for millions of Afghans who fled their country after the Soviet invasion of 1979. Pakistan hosts 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees, according to UNHCR figures from earlier this year, making it the third-largest refugee hosting nation in the world. A further one million unregistered refugees are estimated to be in the country. Since 2009, Islamabad has repeatedly pushed back a deadline for them to return, but fears are growing that the latest cutoff date in March 2017 will be final. A security crackdown against undocumented foreigners in Pakistan coupled with a UN decision announced in June to double cash grants for voluntary returnees to $400, has also seen a surge in returnees. OCHA said that the vast majority of undocumented returnees claim they intend to return to the eastern province of Nangarhar. Many also settle in Kabul. The capital already has one of the highest population growth rates in the region -- some 1,200 people every day, according to European Union ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin -- and is struggling to accommodate the new arrivals, with many forced to shelter in informal settlements on the city's edge. Many of the returnees to conflict-torn Afghanistan have lived in Pakistan for decades and hope to one day come back to their adopted country. "Inshallah, we will come here again, this time with passports," Mohammad Anwar said last month as he prepared to leave the country he arrived in as a child and has sheltered him for 35 years. Geneva: Continuing to commit atrocities on Baloch civilians, Pakistani forces burnt down several houses, abducted many locals and also killed an innocent Baloch civilian during an operation in Naseerabad area. According to Baloch Republican Students Organisation based in Germany, another Baloch civilian was killed and several women were taken away by the Pakistan Army during an operation in Dilband and Nagahi areas. Meanwhile, Baloch Republican Party spokesman Sher Mohammad Bugti, in a statement condemned Pakistani aggression against Baloch civilian. He said that Pakistani forces conducted a heavy military operation Goburd area of Mand and abducted several Baloch people. Relatives of the victims protested in front of an army camp installed on a hospital but attracted the attention of no media or so-called human rights organizations. "State aggression has grown to limits. An innocent Baloch civilian was killed due to indiscriminate firing by Pakistani armed forces," he said. On the other hand, military operations are taking place in Dilband and Nagahi areas of Kalat from past three days. Pakistani forces sieged the area and abducted, hanged an innocent Baloch civilian identified as Mubarak Bugti s/o Jana Bugti upside down to a tree for an entire night and then took him along with his family. He further said that Pakistani forces also launched military operations in Chattar, Sherani, Hoti and adjacent areas of Naseerabad. Helicopters have indiscriminately bombarded the area killing an innocent Baloch civilian, Lalu Bugti. He urged the human rights groups to take all practical measures to ensure put an end to state atrocities on Balochistan people. Police said the aircraft crashed near Musharraf colony which is close to the Masroor airbase in Karachi. (Representational Image) Karachi: A Mirage fighter jet of Pakistan Air Force crashed in Karachi today while on a routine training flight, killing the pilot. The French-made fighter jet took off from Masroor Base and crashed during flight at Musharraf colony, about 16 km from Karachi, a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) spokesman said. The pilot was killed while trying to steer away the aircraft from residential localities, he said. "The flight was on a routine training mission when it crashed. Orders have been issued for an inquiry into the crash," he said. Police said the aircraft crashed near Musharraf colony which is close to the Masroor airbase in Karachi. "It crashed at a desolate spot so there was no casualties or damage on ground," the official said. Rescue teams have reached the site of the crash. In September, a PAF fighter jet had crashed and its pilot killed in the country's northwestern Khyber agency bordering Afghanistan. Last year, a double-seat version of F-7PG PAF fighter jet, which was on a routine training mission, caught fire and crashed near Mastung district of Balochistan province. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in an intra-party election re-elected 66-year-old Sharif unopposed as no one contested his leadership. (Photo: AFP) Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is under pressure to quit following the Panama Papers leak, was on Tuesday unanimously re-elected as president of his party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in an intra-party election re-elected 66-year-old Sharif unopposed as no one contested his leadership. Senior party leader Raja Zafarul Haq, an old loyalist of Sharif, was elected PML-N chairman. He was also elected unopposed. Senior party leaders Sartaj Aziz, Sir Anjam Khan, Yakoob Khan and Mir Changez Khan Marri were elected senior vice presidents. A five-member election committee headed by Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal organised the election. Sharif's election as PML-N chief comes at a time when Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, has been demanding for his resignation. Khan has threatened to launch a massive protest on November 2 to dislodge Sharif by locking down the capital Islamabad. After his re-election, Sharif criticised Khan for ignoring his supporters in north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where PTI is in power. "Today the people of KP are searching for their elected leader. They are searching for those who promised them a 'Naya Pakistan' but they are only found on containers," he said. Khan had given the slogan of Naya Pakistan in his 2013 election speeches. "Had you focused on your province, people would be praising you, but the situation now is such that you need months of effort to organise a gathering and to get people to attend it," Sharif said. According to the Panama Papers, three of Sharif's four children - Maryam, Hasan and Hussain were owners of offshore companies and "were owners or had the right to authorise transactions for several companies." Sharif and his family have dismissed the allegations of money laundering and denied any wrongdoing but the opposition is demanding an independent probe. Soon after his re-election as PML(N) chief, Sharif said the agenda of his party was development of the country and his party will win 2018 election on the basis of performance. "Forget about Pakistan, the PTI will have washed their hands of KP by 2018," he said. Sharif said the politics of protest would fail and no one would be allowed to shut the roads. "These people claim they will come onto the streets and 'jam' Islamabad. We are the people who will continue building roads. You (Imran Khan) will keep wandering in the streets," he said. Sharif also said that his government had achieved major success by turning around economy and starting several project to end power shortages. The government is helping them to attack the BJP workers and escape from Karnataka. The BJP respects the Karnataka police.The police should not yield to pressure from the government and instead conduct an impartial investigation. The governments action is forcing the BJP workers to carry weapons for self-protection, Karandlaje stated. Former deputy chief minister R Ashoka said, Six BJP workers have been murdered in Bengaluru city in the last few months, but there have been no arrests. The repeated attacks are testing the patience of the party leaders. Bengaluru will turn into a war zone if Rudreshs assailants are not arrested immediately. We will hold protests across the state against Rudreshs murder. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh called me on Sunday expressing shock over Rudreshs murder. But, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G Parameshwara are mum on the issue he said. Mahadevapura MLA and former minister Aravind Limbavali said the credibility of the state police had taken a beating as those who had attacked the BJP workers are still at large. There is political pressure on the police officers. Karnataka is the most peaceful state in south India. Karnataka should not become another Kerala and the police should immediately arrest Rudreshs assailants, he said. Rajajinagar MLA and former Law minister S Suresh Kumar demanded the police to issue licenses to the BJP workers to possess weapons for self-defence. Only the BJP workers are being targeted and murdered and, the police have failed to arrest the attackers. The situation has forced the workers to possess weapons for self-protection, he said. The BJP workers took out a procession from Shivajinagar to the City Police Commissioners office. However, the police stopped them at the Balekundri Circle. Police Commissioner N S Megharikh and other senior officers met the BJP leaders there and assured them that the suspects would be arrested at the earliest. The BJP on Monday said that the state government was sponsoring attacks on its workers. Addressing the BJP workers who took out a rally here seeking immediate arrest of the assailants of the RSS-BJP worker Rudresh who was hacked to death on Kamaraj Road in Bengaluru on Sunday, Chikkamagaluru-Udupi MP Shobha Karandlaje sought immediate ban on Popular Front of India and Karnataka Dignity Forum for their terrorist activities and attacks on the RSS and BJP workers. The state government is sponsoring attacks on the BJP workers. Assailants are from Kerala. Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Monday called Chief Minister Siddaramaiah a dictator who has scant respect and utter contempt for public opinion. He slammed Siddaramaiah for being absolutely insensitive, unreasonably rigid and needlessly adamant on the issue of constructing the steel bridge. In a statement, he said, The tone, tenor and the terminology used by the chief minister that the steel bridge will be a reality, come what may is nothing but height of arrogance mixed with audacity. The chief minister has demonstrated his authoritarian streak and brazenness which is totally unacceptable in democracy. The proposed steel bridge would be an extravagant exercise in utter futility that would not serve the purpose for which it is intended to. The problem of traffic bottlenecks which the steel bridge is expected to clear, will only shift the location of the problem. He added that any infrastructure project should be people-friendly, environmentally viable, cost-effective and less damaging to aesthetics. Going by the haste and the hush-hush manner in which the project has been taken up, it looks like it is not in the interest of the people but for extraneous reasons. Yeddyurappa termed the statement of Bengaluru Development Minister K J George that the project was conceived by BJP as ridiculous. It is true that this project proposal came up, but it was rejected at the loud-thinking stage as it was found to be not feasible, he added. The traffic police, for whom speeding on the Ballari Road has been a problem, may find it difficult to regulate speeds on the 6.7-km steel flyover. While the speed limit in the city is 40 kmph, vehicles travel at 60-80 kmph on the six-lane, signal free Ballari Road NH 7 leading to the airport. Police believe speeds on the steel flyover will tend to rise leading to more problems. Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) R Hitendra admitted that so far, they had no plan to regulate speed. The steel flyover will take at least two years to build and it is too early to come up with a plan. The number of vehicles would also increase by then, he said. He agreed that curtailing speed, especially of vehicle splying to and from the airport, is a challenge. Another senior traffic police official pointed that the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) did not consult the traffic police before chalking out the route map and introducing the extension to the steel flyover. This will only make it difficult for us to manage traffic when the project is being constructed and when it is completed, the official said. The traffic police use four to five interceptors on NH7. They also have three highway patrol vehicles on the rounds. But these vehicles are not limited to NH7 alone. They have to be used at other places also. Also, once the flyover is constructed, traffic volume and speed will increase. Though many taxis are fitted with speed governors, drivers turn them off while driving, especially at night and early morning when the number of interceptors are sparse. Private vehicles, especially SUVs tend to overspeed, causing accidents, said a former traffic police official. Vivek Menon, Bangalore Vision Group Member, pointed that speed of vehicles will increase and the travel time will reduce by seven to 15 minutes, which happens when any flyover is constructed. But that should not be a problem as travel time will be saved. Citizensthink otherwise. What is the need of a steel flyover to increase speed? People can leave home early. There is no space for pedestrians to cross on Palace Road and Esteem Mall is an accident zone. Things will worsen if the flyover is built, said S R Lakshmi, a resident of Sanjaynagar and frequent traveller on Hebbal Road. A government schoolteacher and her 18-year-old daughter were found hanging at their house in southwest Delhis Najafgarh area on Monday morning. A three-page suicide note was found near the bodies, purportedly written by the mother and referring to the daughter. Now no bad person can say that she was not made to work. Now she has gone to God, it said in Hindi. Police remained unclear about the motive for the apparent suicide pact.Anita was a teacher at Najafgarh Stadium Government Girls Senior Secondary School, and her daughter studied at the same school in class XII. Police learnt about the deaths after Anitas husband Satpal, who is a principal at a government school, tried to call her from Jaipur. He had gone to Jaipur with their son Aditya to meet a doctor for Adityas breathing-related problem. The Delhi government has become the first administration in the country to start online registration of private security agencies, enhancing transparency in the process and promoting e-governance. In the last two months, over 500 fresh licences have been issued by the AAP governments home department to clear the backlog, said an official, adding that there are a total 990 licensed private security agencies in the city. On an average, about 15-20 fresh applications for security agencies are being filed and approved every month, said an official. The response to the online application has been good. The police verification reports link needs to be attached in the online application and the whole processing can be completed within 10 days, said an official. The online application is a part of the Delhi governments efforts to regulate private security agencies as per the provisions of the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005. A special focus is on the compulsory 45-day training of all private guards recruited by these agencies. During this training, the guards are given basic training on disaster management and their task-specific drill, said an official. The Delhi government has made provision in the rules to verify about imparting of required training by the private security agency. The controlling authority a designated officer also has the power to review continuation of the licence of a private security agency which does not adhere to the condition of ensuring the required training, said an official. As per the provisions of the PSARA, a register needs to be maintained by a private security agency. The register contains the names and addresses of the persons managing the private security agency; the names, addresses, photographs and salaries of the private security guards and supervisors under its control. A list of the names and addresses of the persons whom a security agency had provides guards or services is also maintained. The Delhi government keeps receiving representation from private security agency guards over alleged exploitation and ill-treatment by the company. We recently issued a show cause notice to a security agency which had not deposited the certificate of training of its guards, said an official, pointing to an advisory from the central government to check manipulations. The PSARA also prescribes strict punishment for directors of security agencies who do not follow the provisions. Operating a security agency without a licence may invite a jail term of up to one along with a fine of Rs 25,000. Employing a person who is not an Indian citizen as a guard or recruiting a person who is a minor also carries a fine of Rs 25,000. Any person or private security agency who contravenes, the provisions of sections 9, 10 and 12 of the Act, shall be punishable with a fine which may extend to twenty-five thousand rupees, in addition to suspension or cancellation of the licence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today likened the army's anti-terror surgical strikes to Israel's exploits and said the Indian forces have shown they are no less than anybody. "Our army's valour is being discussed across the country these days. We used to hear earlier that Israel has done this. The nation has seen that Indian army is no less than anybody," he said. Israel is known for its targeted military strikes against enemy countries and militant outfits. Modi was speaking at a rally in Himachal Pradesh where he inaugurated three hydro-power projects. The issue of surgical strikes has snowballed into a political row with the opposition accusing the BJP and its government of "milking" it for political benefits. The charge has been rejected by BJP which has insisted that it is taking the issue to the masses to boost the army's morale and highlight the strong political will of the Prime Minister. Underscoring his commitment to the welfare of armed forces, Modi today said his government had fulfilled its promise of 'One-Rank, One-Pension' for ex-servicemen, an issue which he said had been hanging fire for over 40 years. Previous governments, he said, duped the people by making tall claims and some of them even allocated Rs 200 crore-500 crore in this regard but never did an analysis of cost burden and how it could be executed. "I did it and was puzzled to find that the economic burden kept rising. It worked to be more than Rs 10,000 crore," he said, adding that it was difficult for any government to make such a big allocation in one go. Modi said he spoke to armed forces and offered to release the money in four installments to which they agreed. "Over Rs 5,500 crore in first installment has been given. The rest will be to. A promise hanging fire for the last 40 years has been fulfilled," he said. At the 'Parivartan Rally', Modi also targeted Virbhadra Singh, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh where elections are due late next year, saying BJP chief ministers dedicated themselves to causes like drinking water and roads while the Congress leader was concerned about his own welfare. "Do I need to explain what the current chief minister is known for?" he said and then added, "When BJP gave chief ministers, somebody dedicated himself to water, somebody to roads but when others came they dedicated so many things for their personal welfare," he said. BJP has accused Singh of being involved in corruption but the Congress leader has rejected the charges and claimed that he was a victim of "political vendetta". People will demand that Virbhadra Singh government give an account of its work, Modi said, noting that the state was getting Rs 72,000 crore following the implementation of the 16th Finance Commission report instead of Rs 21,000 crore allocated earlier. Modi said BJP leaders were asking him to seek an account of the money sent to the state government. "Not only us, the people of Himachal Pradesh will demand an answer (from Singh)." The Prime Minister recalled his old association with the hill state, which was under his charge as the then BJP General Secretary, and noted that the projects he was inaugurating were founded by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "I was also present as the organisation's in-charge and who would have thought that I will get the opportunity to inaugurate them," he said. A large numbers of people from Himachal were working in the armed forces, the Prime Minister said and hailed the state as the land of valiant people and stressed that similar respect should be accorded to ex-servicemen as to the serving soldiers. His government, he said, had begun executing projects stalled for decades and said wryly that he had never thought that he, as Prime Minister, would have to run in the PMO an "archaeology department" that would have to dug up "skeletons" of very old projects which never took off after their foundation stones were laid. With New and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal in attendance, he said households in the state will collectively save almost Rs one crore daily with the use of LEDs and noted that the project could be executed more quickly. Rights activist Irom Sharmila Chanu, who ended in August her 16-year long fast she undertook to demand repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from Manipur, today formed a political party. She said she would take on Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in his constituency Thoubal in the Assembly polls next year. The name of her party "People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance" was announced at the Johnstone Higher Secondary School here. On the day she had broken her fast, she had let known her desire to form a political party to contest the Assembly election. Interacting with the media, the 44-year-old activist sought the blessings of the people in her endeavour to enter active politics. Later, at the Manipur Press Club, she said she would contest the election from Thoubal and also from Khurai Assembly constituencies. She said she wanted to tell the masses that she had the "guts" to challenge the chief minister himself in his own turf, but pointed out that her decision might not be appreciated by the electorates in that constituency. Earlier, she had met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and expressed her desire to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take their advice on how to devise a strategy to contest the Assembly poll. Sharmila had earlier said her sole agenda to contest the elections was to have the AFSPA repealed from Manipur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his "head hangs in shame" over incidents of atrocities on dalits that take place even after 70 years of Independence and called for more focused efforts to correct social anomalies. Citing the example of Guru Gobind Singh in raising his voice against casteism and untouchability, Modi said: "We know that due to our societal anomalies, hearing out some incidents targeting our Dalit brothers even today, my head hangs in shame. After 70 years of Independence, we cannot wait longer". At the launch of a National SC/ST Hub here, he said: "We will have to sharpen the focus of our direction. The aspirations of a Dalit or an Adivasi exceed those of other youth in the country. If they get an opportunity they will not lag behind in changing the fortunes of India." The Hub for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe will help Dalits and Adivasis become entrepreneurs so that they can provide jobs to others, he said. Modi also mentioned that under the Startup India, Standup India scheme, 1.25 lakh branches of nationalised banks in the country have been directed to sanction loans up to Rs 1 crore to at least one woman, and one person each belonging to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe categories, adding that the move can help create 3.75 lakh such entrepreneurs. The National SC/ST Hub, under the MSME Ministry, was announced in the Budget. With an initial outlay of Rs 490 crore, the hub will work towards strengthening market access/ linkage, monitoring, capacity building, leveraging financial support schemes and sharing industry-best practices. It will also enable central public sector enterprises to fulfil the procurement target set by the government. The Public Procurement Policy 2012 stipulates that 4 per cent of procurement done by ministries, departments and CPSEs will have to be from enterprises owned by SC/ST entrepreneurs. "I have requested the state governments that 4 per cent should be procured from goods manufactured by Dalits to encourage them," Modi said. The Prime Minister emphasised upon efforts to bring backward sections of the society into the centre of economic activity. The election news is starting to suggest to me that Trump may well lose the election to Hillary. What would that mean? Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt person to get this close to the presidency since Aaron Burr. he blamed Hamilton for besmirching him as a candidate, and, eager to defend his honor, challenged Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton accepted, and the face-off took place on the morning of July 11, 1804; it ended when Burr shot Hamilton to death. Though the public cried murder, Burr was let off, and after laying low for a while, he was able to complete his vice-presidential term. What then? In 1807, Burr was brought to trial on charges of conspiracy and high misdemeanor, for leading a military charge against Spanish territory and for trying to separate territories from the United States. Chief Justice John Marshall acquitted Burr on the treason charge and eventually revoked his misdemeanor indictment, but the conspiracy scandal left Burrs political career in ruins. Final Years Burr spent the four years following his trial traveling throughout Europe, attempting unsuccessfully to garner support for revolutionizing Mexico and freeing the Spanish colonies. Burr was a traitor after having his ambitions thwarted. We all know Hillarys story. She was a student radical at Wellesley and her senior thesis was on Saul Alinsky. The thesis was sympathetic to Alinskys critiques of government antipoverty programs, but criticized Alinskys methods as largely ineffective, all the while describing Alinskys personality as appealing.[4] The thesis sought to fit Alinsky into a line of American social activists, including Eugene V. Debs, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Walt Whitman. Written in formal academic language, the thesis concluded that [Alinskys] power/conflict model is rendered inapplicable by existing social conflicts and that Alinskys model had not expanded nationally due to the anachronistic nature of small autonomous conflict. Her sympathies are clear. What will she be like as president if she wins? We know she is dishonest by most definitions of the term. She evaded the law on security when she accepted the position of Secretary of State. Her security detail at State, rebelled at her ignoring security rules, and her personal abusive style. The latter was well known from her time in the White House as First Lady. During her interview, the agent said Clinton treated agents rudely and with contempt, and was so unpleasant that senior agents typically avoided being on her security detail. [Redacted] explained that CLINTONs treatment of DS agents on her protective detail was so contemptuous that many of them sought reassignment or employment elsewhere, the interview summary says. Prior to CLINTONs tenure, being an agent on the Secretary of States protective detail was seen as an honor and privilege reserved for senior agents. However, by the end of CLINTONs tenure, it was staffed largely with new agents because it was difficult to find senior agents willing to work for her. The same attitude was described in FBI agent Gary Aldrichs book Unlimited Access. From one Amazon review: As one of two FBI agents permanently assigned to the White House, one of his responsibilities was to do the background checks on White House staff and advisors. At almost every turn, he was stonewalled and not allowed to do even perfunctory checks of Clintons friends and associates Though it is supposed to be complete within 90 days of the new President assuming office, many people never did get properly vetted. The White House Travel Office was a bipartisan fixture in the White House until Hillary fired the employees and installed her cousin and cronys. Soon after her husband became president in 1993, first lady Hillary Clinton allegedly engineered the firing of seven employees of the White House travel office and the hiring of a firm with ties to the Clintons to replace them. Multiple investigations absolved the president of involvement but Hillary Clinton was found to have made false statements to investigators. The dismissed head of the office refused to accept the smears she alleged and went to trial. He was acquitted. Billy R. Dale, a White House official fired for allegedly mismanaging staff and press travel arrangements, was acquitted Thursday by a federal court jury of charges that he embezzled $68,000. Culminating a 13-day trial, jurors decided in less than two hours that federal prosecutors had failed to prove charges that Dale stole funds paid to his office by reporters and photographers who traveled with the President. A White House employee for more than 30 years, Dale broke into tears as the verdict was announced. Dale, 58, was at the center of a Clinton Administration travel office fiasco two years ago that resulted in seven employees being fired, and later in reprimands for those responsible for the dismissals. The 1993 dismissals were inspired by complaints of mismanagement from Catherine Cornelius, a distant cousin of the President, and Hollywood producer Harry Thomason, a close friend of Clintons. Cornelius wanted a more powerful job in the travel office, and Thomason was seeking a federal aviation contract. A pattern was established for Hillary Clinton. It continued during her term as Secretary of State. In 2005, Bill Clinton and Frank Giustra visited Kazakhstan. Giustra is a massive donor to the Clinton Foundation. Giustras goal was to buy uranium mines in Kazakhstan. To this end, he and Bill Clinton met with leaders of the Kazakhstan government. As a result of the visit, Giustra got major mining concessions, which were approved by the Kazakhstan government. Kazakhstan got Bill Clinton publicly to praise its alleged progress in democracy and human rights. The Clintons received a $31 million donation to their Foundation from Giustra, along with a pledge to donate $100 million more. The deal with Kazakhstan made Giustras company, Uranium One, a major player. It proceeded to buy large amounts of holdings in the United States, and became an attractive target for Russia. A Russian company made a hugely attractive offer to purchase the company. Uranium One agreed to the purchase. The Russians bought 20% of US Uranium deposits. The deal required approval by the U.S. government, including by the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. During the period when the deal with Russia was under consideration, the Clinton Foundation reportedly received $2.6 million from Uranium One. Its contributions were not disclosed by the Clintons, despite an agreement Hillary had reached with the Obama White House to publicly identify all donors. There are so many examples of collusion between the Clinton Foundation and donors seeking influence that there is not room for all of them. What about Policy Matters ? One is gun control and the Second Amendment. She has made different statements to different audiences. Unknowingly caught on tape, Clinton supporter and former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold said there might be executive orders if a President Hillary Clinton cannot get gun control measures through bipartisan opposition in Congress. Conservative commentator David Webb told Tucker Carlson, Abby Huntsman and Clayton Morris on Fox & Friends that the revelation just goes to show the way [Clinton Democrats] approach things like gun control. What will she do about terrorism ? She says the usual thing. We have to defeat ISIS on the battlefield by: 1. Intensifying the coalition air campaign against ISIS fighters, leaders, and infrastructure; 2. Stepping up support for local Arab and Kurdish forces on the ground and coalition efforts to protect civilians; and 3. Pursuing a diplomatic strategy aimed at resolving Syrias civil war and Iraqs sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiasboth of which have contributed to the rise of ISIS. This seems unrealistic. The Russians have just about secured Assad in place. In return they have acquired ports on the Mediterranean Sea, an old Russian aim. Russia has wanted that Mediterranean port for over a century. For a while, Russian success was in doubt. The memo filed to the State Departments dissent channel seems to have assumed that Russia would basically remain passive if the United States intervened further in Syria. In a leaked draft of the cable, its signatories caveated their advocacy for military action by saying, We are not advocating for a slippery slope that ends in a military confrontation with Russia. They acknowledged the risk of further deterioration in U.S.-Russian relations and the possibility of a number of second-order effects from military intervention. I dont think that is going to happen. Obamas fecklessness has convinced the Russians we will do nothing. That is dangerous, especially if a President Clinton thinks she can move them out. That ship sailed years ago. What about the Saudis ? They have donated millions to the Clinton Foundation, the usual conduit for bribes. What were they buying ? an Associated Press investigation revealing that while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state, more than half of the private citizens she met with during the reporting period had donated to the Clinton Foundation. The AP investigation comes after a three-year battle to gain access to State Department calendars. The analysis shows that at least 85 of 154 people Hillary Clinton had scheduled phone or in-person meetings with were foundation donors. We speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept. His most recent piece is headlined Why Did the Saudi Regime and Other Gulf Tyrannies Donate Millions to the Clinton Foundation? The Saudis were essential allies after Iran fell in 1979. That is undoubtedly the reason we have tolerated their funding of Wahhabi Muslim agitation and terrorism. Now, the fracking revolution, opposed by the Democrats and the Saudis who want to prevent energy independence by the West. New shale oil discoveries are threats to any oil-producing country in the world, said Prince Alwaleed in an interview with The Globe and Mail. It is a pivot moment for any oil-producing country that has not diversified. Ninety-two percent of Saudi Arabias annual budget comes from oil. Definitely it is a worry and a concern. Those who oppose fracking, seeking to stop it on the unproven assertion that it pollutes ground water or causes need to take a deep breath here. Saudi Arabia has been funding the poison of Wahhabi Islams spread throughout the world, building mosques, providing textbooks, and paying for imams to both gain converts and convert existing Muslims to the fundamentalist doctrines of the desert extremists: extreme subjugation of women, deep hatred of Jews, and jihad, peaceful when effective and violent whenever it appears advantageous. Thanks to the miracle of fracking, we have in prospect the breaking of the Muslim worlds stranglehold on the world economy, making it possible for Western democracies to grow a spine and stand up to the oil-powered theocrats who want to extinguish other religions and impose their seventh century way of life on the globe. I agree. So what will Hillary do ? Mother Jones says she is against it. Shes against it when any locality or any state is against it, when the release of methane or contamination of water is present, and unless we can require that anybody who fracks has to tell us exactly what chemicals they are using. Until those conditions are met, weve got to regulate everything that is currently underway, and we have to have a system in place that prevents further fracking. By the time we get through all of my conditions, I do not think there will be many places in America where fracking will continue to take place, she added. I think the NeverTrump Hillary voters think she is lying and that is a fair assumption since she lies about almost everything. What about Gender Issues? NPR thinks it is enough to have a vagina. I identify with her immensely; you know, shes a woman; Im a woman, said Chantel Moses, an entrepreneur in New York. Theres a lot of tasks thats associated with being a woman multi-tasking, making sure that youre not only able to have a career, but also to provide for your family. Moses wants a woman lead the country, but she also wants to ensure a competent woman is in charge, she explained. I could go through a long list of issues but these seem to be the primary ones. Personally, I think her election would be a disaster but we have to be realistic. Trump has brought out large crowds but so did Romney the last few weeks in 2012. On immigration, we have her assurance that opposition to unlimited immigration is unAmerican. That is probably the most stark contrast with Trump. On healthcare, Hillarys big issue in the 1990s and the one that cost Bill the Congress in 1994, Phil Gramm has the best prediction, I think. The Achilles heel of ObamaCare today is the same weakness that felled HillaryCarethe coercion required to force millions of young, healthy people into the exchanges where they can be exploited. Why the Republican majority in Congress has never forced a vote on health-care freedom, giving families the rightpromised by President Obama and his Democratic alliesto choose not to participate in ObamaCare and to buy the health care of their choice independent of the exchanges, remains the greatest mystery of the 114th Congress. Obama evaded the issue of freedom in 2009 by lying to the American people. If you like your healthcare. For the ObamaCare of today to be transformed into the HillaryCare of 1993 and finally into a nationalized health-care system, a president is needed who has the willpower to impose the coercive details, nail down hard deadlines and unleash agencies to tighten controls and squeeze the life out of private insurers. In 1993 Hillary Clinton unapologetically proposed to do just that. If she is elected president she will have the unilateral power under ObamaCare to do it. The loss of what remains of Americans health-care freedom is an election away. I agree. Lord Ram looked set to occupy political centrestage in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh despite BJP's claim of a temple to the deity not being on its agenda, with Union Minister Mahesh Sharma today saying those who get to do "Ram Ka Kaam" (serve Ram) were fortunate. "If anyone gets a chance to work for Bhagwan Ram he is most fortunate...it will be good fortune if Bhagwan Ram gives us a chance to do 'Ram ka kaam' and this responsibility has been given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the country," Sharma said during his visit to Aodhya to inspect the proposed site for setting up a Ramayana musuem. The proposed museum, to be built on a 25 acre plot given by the Uttar Pradesh government nearly 15 km from the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex, has reignited demands by BJP hardliners like Vinay Katiyar for building a Ram temple at the site where the Babri mosque stood before being pulled down in 1992. Katiyar, who had yesterday demanded that a bill be brought in the Lok Sabha for creation of Ram temple, today said no positive efforts were being made for construction of the temple and only "lollipop" was being offered to the devotees of the deity. "A race is on...somebody is building a museum, somebody else (the Akhilesh Yadav government) a Ramleela Theme Park. We welcome development of Ayodhya, but everything is useless without construction of Ram temple. We cannot compromise on that. "No positive steps are being taken for building Ram temple, which is the core job that needs to be done. The Samajwadi Party government shot dead the Kar Sevaks and now it is offering lollipop in the form of a theme park," Katiyar, a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha who once represented Faizabad, the district where Ayodhya is located, in Parliament, said. "Mann ban chuka hai, mahaul ban chuka hai (we have made up our mind, a conducive atmosphere has also been created). The beginning has been made and we have got the directives from Ram Lala," Sharma said, adding, "We are the Lord's children and so have to do his work of spreading education". Insisting that Ram temple was not on the Modi government's agenda, Sharma said Ayodhya's development will get a big push from the Rs 151 crore allotted for developing the proposed museum, which will present the life of the deity as portrayed in sage Valmiki's epic. He said there was no politics behind the proposed museum being constructed as part of the Ramayana Circuit. Similarly Krishna Circuit and Buddhist Circuit were also being developed, Sharma said. He said Ram temple was an "issue of faith" for millions of people, but it was not on BJP's electoral agenda. The Minister said the government would try to have the museum inaugurated before Uttar Pradesh votes to elect a new government. The Modi government, however, came under attack from the Congress over the issue with party general secretary Digvijay Singh alleging the museum and Ram temple were being raked up with an eye on the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh due early next year. "Come election, come Ram Mandir issue. This is what BJP has as a strategy. Nobody is against the temple. I am a practising Hindu, but even Lord Ram would not have wanted a temple in the atmosphere of dispute. BJP has been trying to fool all the people all the time," Singh said. Singh said Modi's chant of "Jai Shri Ram, Jai Jai Shri Ram" at a Dussehra event in Lucknow was "obviously" intended to polarise Hindu votes in favour of the BJP. However, another Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan claimed there was "no attempt at polarisation" by constructing a Ramayana museum in Ayodhya. "Lord Ram is not an issue linked with polls. Mahesh Sharma has been trying for Ramayana museum for the last year- and-a-half. If not a Ram musuem, will a Babur (Mughal emperor) museum come up there," Balyan, an accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case, said. About Katiyar's demand for building a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, he said,"The matter is pending with the court, nothing will happen without its verdict." Days ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May's India visit, the UK today hailed Pakistan's "significant sacrifices" in combating terror while responding to a petition calling on the British government to "strongly condemn" Pakistan for providing a safe haven for terrorists. The petition titled 'UK Government to strongly condemn Pakistan or providing safe haven for terrorists' on the official government website had crossed the 10,000 signatures required to make it incumbent upon the UK government to respond. "Pakistan has made significant sacrifices in opposing terrorism. The UK has regularly raised with Pakistan the need to take consistent action against all terrorist groups operating within its borders," the response from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) read. "The UK regularly highlights to Pakistan, at the highest level, the importance of taking effective action against all terrorist groups operating in Pakistan, as Pakistan has committed to do," the response said. "We recognise the significant sacrifices that Pakistan and its people have made in combating terrorism. We are helping Pakistan develop its capacity to protect itself and prosecute those who plan and commit terrorist attacks," it said. The petition, authored by an Indian-origin professional Naman Paropkari, was launched with the aim of gathering as many as 100,000 signatures by the March 29, 2017, deadline so that the issue is considered for a parliamentary debate in the House of Commons. "Pakistan continues to double speak on issue of terrorism. It has aided and 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," the petition said. The 19,429 signatures gathered so far on the UK-wide petition have come largely from London and northern regions of England with heavy Indian-origin populations. May is scheduled to arrive in India on November 6 for a three-day visit, which will include a bilateral dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The UK's lauding of Pakistan's "significant sacrifices" in combating terrorism comes a day after China staunchly defended its all-weather ally from Prime Minister Modi's terming of Pakistan as a "mothership of terrorism", saying it is against linking any country or religion with terror. China also asked the world to acknowledge Pakistan's "great sacrifices". "We are strongly against terrorism of all forms, maintaining that terrorism should not be linked to certain country, ethnic group and religion," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had told a media briefing in Beijing while responding to questions on Modi's criticism against Pakistan at the BRICS Summit in Goa. A prominent Muslim body today vehemently opposed the scrutiny of the practice of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy by the Supreme Court, saying it would amount to "judicial legislation" and personal laws cannot be challenged on the ground that they violate fundamental rights. All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), in a fresh affidavit, rubbished the stand taken by the Narendra Modi government that the apex court should re-look these practices as they are violative of fundamental right like gender equality and the ethos of secularism, a key part of the basic structure of the Constitution. Stoutly defending the prevalent practice in the community, AIMPLB Secretary Mohammed Fazlurrahim said "if this court proceeds to examine questions of Muslim personal laws and lays down special rules for Muslim women in matters concerning marriage, divorce and maintenance, it would amount to judicial legislation and will be violative of doctrine of separation of powers." AIMPLB has listed out grounds for its opposition to the judicial scrutiny of the practices. The questions raised in the petition are matters of "legislative policy" and, moreover, personal laws cannot be challenged as being violative of fundamental rights like right to equality under the Constitution, the affidavit said. It also said the personal laws of Muslims cannot be "re-written in the name of social reform" and these practices are protected under Article 25, 26 and 29 (freedom to practice religion) of the Constitution. Opposing the Law Commission's fresh endeavour on Uniform Civil Code, the body said it pertained to the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Constitution and hence "not enforceable". Highlighting importance of religious scriptures, AIMPLB said the courts "cannot supplant its own interpretations over the text of scriptures" in a situation where "unique importance" has been attached to such texts. Government, for the first time, has opposed the practice and said, "the issue of validity of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy needs to be considered in the light of principles of gender justice and the overriding principle of non- discrimination, dignity and equality." AIMPLB referred to a 2002 judgement in which the apex court had dealt with the issue of talaq and placed "explicit measures to check" the practice by laying down the test of "reasonable cause" and "prior reconciliation". Opposing the reopening of the issues, the 69-page affidavit said there were adequate remedies available to Muslim women under the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act and the Muslim Women (Protection of rights on Divorce) Act. It maintained that Muslim personal law provided for the practices to be followed on the issues of "marriage, divorce and maintenance" and were based on "holy scriptures - Al Quran and sources based on Al Quran". It elaborated on the aspect that personal laws cannot be challenged on the ground that they are violative of fundamental rights under the Constitution. "Personal laws do not derive their validity on the ground that they have been passed or made by a legislature or other competent authority. The foundational sources of personal law are their respective scriptural texts. "The Mohammedan Law is founded essentially on the Holy Quran and sources based on the Holy Quran and thus it cannot fall within the purview of the expression 'laws in force' as mentioned in Article 13 of the Constitution of India, and hence its validity cannot be tested on a challenge based on Part III (which deals with fundamental rights) of the Constitution," the affidavit said. Personal laws cannot be re-written in the name of social reform, it said, adding, "the institution of marriage is differently looked upon by different religions, and consequently the issues of marriage, divorce and maintenance are dealt with in different manners by different religions. "While one community might be prepared to accept and work social reform, another community may not be prepared for it." "In any event, even while bringing in such a social reform, it is not permissible to change the entire practice or acts done in pursuance of such religion," it said. "It is submitted that the issue of Muslim Personal Law is a cultural issue which is inextricably interwoven with religion of Islam. Thus, it is the issue of freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion guaranteed under Article 25 and 26 read with Article 29 of the Constitution," the affidavit said. The Muslim body supported the practice of granting right to divorce to husbands and said "all jurists unanimously agree that husband has the right to divorce. No jurist in Islamic history ever held a view to the contrary". "Shariah grants the right to divorce to husband because men have greater power of decision making. They are more likely to control emotions and not take a hasty decision," it claimed. Supporting the practice of triple talaq, AIMPLB said that entrusting the responsibility of divorce entirely to court would increase the burden on judiciary. It further listed out certain disadvantages like delay in grant of divorce through judicial means. "Granting husband the right to divorce indirectly provides security to wife. Marriage is a contract in which both the parties are not physically equal. Male is stronger and female weaker sex. Man is not dependent upon woman for his protection. On the contrary, she needs him for her defence. "If there develops serious discord between the couple and husband does not at all want to live with her, legal compulsions of time consuming separation proceedings and expenses may deter him from taking the legal course....," the affidavit said. The AIMPLB also said that the court should not thrust its views while dealing with religious questions. "Constitutional scheme clearly provides that judiciary which is one of the important organs of the State shall not lay down religion for any religious denomination or section thereof and whenever the Court is confronted with any religious issues, it will look to the religious books of a particular denomination held sacred by it. "In other words, there is no scope for the Court to import its own views while dealing with religious questions or scriptures or beliefs of any religious denomination," it said. It also said the sources of Muslim Personal law have been "approved and endorsed by Holy Quran and the practices of marriage, divorce and maintenance are based on such sources all of which flow from the Holy Quran itself". AIMPLB said though several leading Islamic jurists have opined that pronouncement of triple talaq in one go is "undesirable and irregular", they have unanimously agreed that the effect of this is that it "effectively terminates the marriage". "In addition to the above, it is pertinent to point out that it is a misconception that Triple Talaq is always a result of haste and is a power which is freely misused by a Muslim male. "In fact, over the years, the practice in the community is such that usually the families of the spouses intervene in case of any marital discord and only when all attempts of reconciliation fail and when the spouses want instant dissolution, does the male resort to usage of Triple Talaq," it said. Dealing with the practice of polygamy, it submitted that the Quran, Hadith and the consensus view allow Muslim men to have up to four wives. "Though polygamy is permitted, it is not obligatory or desirable, rather, jurists regard monogamy as a better practice in usual conditions. However, Polygamy meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women," it said. Prior to this, the Ministry of Law and Justice, in its affidavit, had referred to constitutional principles like gender equality, secularism, international covenants, religious practices and marital law prevalent in various Islamic countries to drive home the point that the practice of triple talaq and polygamy needed to be adjudicated upon afresh by the apex court. The apex court had also taken suo motu cognisance of the question whether Muslim women faced gender discrimination in cases of divorce or due to other marriages of their husbands and a bench headed by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur is examining the issue. Subsequently, various other petitions including one by triple talaq victim Shayara Bano were filed challenging the age-old practice of 'triple talaq' among the Muslim community. Online travel firm MakeMyTrip will acquire rival Ibibo in an equity deal that will create one of the biggest consolidation moves in the online travel agency (OTA) business in India. Ibibo Group, owned by South Africas Naspers and Chinas Tencent Holdings, will be selling its India business to MakeMyTrip in exchange for an issuance of new shares by MakeMyTrip, the company said in a statement. Upon closing of the transaction, MakeMyTrip will own 100% of Ibibo Group. Naspers and Tencent will become the single largest shareholder in MakeMyTrip, owning a 40% stake and will contribute proportionate working capital upon closing, it added. According to a Morgan Stanley note, the combined entity is valued at $1.8 billion. Additionally, prior to closing, a $180 million, five-year convertible notes issued by MakeMyTrip to Ctrip.com International in January 2016 will also be converted into common equity, resulting in Ctrip having an approximately 10% stake in the combined entity, it added. According to sources familiar with the development, the transaction is expected to close by the end of December 2016 and is subject to approval by MakeMyTrip shareholders and regulatory approvals. Commenting on the development, MakeMyTrip Founder Deep Kalra said: We expect this deal to create an even more scalable business with the expertise to transform the booking experience for Indian travellers. The combination will bring together a bouquet of consumer travel brands, including MakeMyTrip, goibibo, redBus, Ryde and Rightstay, which together processed 34.1 million transactions during FY 2016, MakeMyTrip said in a statement. When DH contacted Prakash Sangam, redBus India CEO, he declined to comment on the development. India is a key market for Naspers and this deal reinforces our commitment to the country. ibibo and MakeMyTrip have built leading companies through their innovative use of technology to create exceptional experiences for people traveling throughout India and, increasingly, beyond, Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk said. Following the closing of the proposed transaction, MakeMyTrip Founder Deep Kalra will remain Group CEO and Executive Chairman of the company and Co-founder Rajesh Magow will continue to remain CEO India of MakeMyTrip, it added. Founder and CEO of ibibo Group, Ashish Kashyap, will join MakeMyTrips executive team as a Co-founder and President of the organisation, MakeMyTrip said. Deep, Rajesh and I saw a great opportunity to join forces, and I am excited that this merger enables all of us to continue a great journey together as the leading travel group in India, ibibo Group CEO Ashish Kashyap said. Major acquisition South Africas Naspers and China's Tencent Holdings are selling Ibibo Group to MakeMyTrip The transaction is expected to close by the end of December 2016 The combined entity is valued at $1.8 billion Government thinktank Niti Aayog has favoured creating independent regulators for steel and mining sectors in India, in a bid to make both industries profitable. The premier policymaking body has also pitched for a new and dynamic steel policy to bring the over $100 billion industry back on track as well as meet the target of 300 million tonnes (mt) capacity by 2025. Since steel is a deregulated sector, there is need for an independent regulator for effective regulation, which the sector presently lacks, Aayog said in a working paper. Also, in the mining sector, though NMDC should act as a regulator, it itself is engaged in iron ore mining, which may create conflict of interest. Therefore, a new independent regulator is required in the mining sector as well, the paper said. About the deteriorating financial health of steel firms, Niti Aayog said that firms have a huge debt load over the past couple of years due to the combined effect of supply and demand factors. The situation is quite critical as they are not even able to service their interest cost. There was an aggregate debt of Rs 45,160 crore on the iron and steel industry in 2014, according to the corporate debt restructuring cell progress report, which has increased to Rs 53,580 crore in March, 2016, it added. The working paper prepared by Niti Aayog member V K Saraswat and Niti Aayog professional Ripunjaya Bansal said that share of stressed advances has reached 25%, of which 19% are restructured standard advances, and 7% are NPAs. It said the government has provided financial support to steel firms earlier in 1999 and 2003, while it is trying to support through RBIs strategic debt restructuring scheme currently. Therefore, the steel sector, which has a long gestation period, needs long-term finance like pension funds, which have the capacity to withstand cyclical volatility of profits unlike funding from banks, external commercial borrowing (ECB) or capital markets, the paper suggested. According to the thinktank, mere changes in the National Steel Policy, 2012, will not benefit the sector, which over the last few years has been flooded with cheap imports from China, South Korea and Japan impacting its sales and profit. Former chief minister and BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday, criticised the Congress government for turning a blind eye to the rising crime rate and poor law and order situation in the state. Addressing media persons here on Tuesday, Yeddyurappa said that the Congress government had failed miserably in tackling law and order problems. He pointed at the murder of a RSS worker in Bengaluru recently, rising atrocities against women, farmers death and others. The entire system has collapsed and murder of activists belonging to Hindu outfits are rising. The murder of Kuttappa and Prashant Pujari in Madikeri, Raju in Mysuru and Rudresh in Bengaluru have created fear among the people. The government has failed to trace the murder accused in a few cases, he alleged. Protest today Condemning the governments failure, a mega protest will be staged in Bengaluru on October 19, Yeddyurappa said. Answering to a query on BJP trying to politicise the recent murder, Yeddyurappa said, They are doing their duty as the Opposition party and not politicising the issue. The Congress in the state is in total confusion. V Srinivas Prasad, who has tendered his resignation, has revealed the weaknesses of the party. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is meteing out injustice to the people of the state by stalling pro-people schemes introduced by the BJP government. He said that the state was witnessing the worst drought in the last four decades. All water sources have dried up and several parts of the state had been facing severe water crisis. But, the state government has not taken the issue seriously. The chief minister, who should tackle the issue on a war-footing is struggling to save his position, Yeddyurappa criticised. The government had not been releasing funds despite availability. The cooperative societies should waive farmers loans, he stressed. With the Centre releasing sufficient funds, the works in connection with the railway overbridge near the new bus stand in Hassan will be launched soon, he said. Assembly poll Speaking about the 2018 Assembly polls, Yeddyurappa exuded confidence that the BJP candidates would win in three Assembly constituencies in the district. Lauding the efforts of district unit president Yoga Ramesh, he warned stringent action against those involved in activities that bring disrepute to the party. Replying to a question on Rayanna Brigade, Yeddyurappa said, the difference of opinion over the brigade between him and K S Eshwarappa has been solved mutually. Condemning the Supreme Courts directions to release 2,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu till further orders, protests were staged in Mandya and Srirangapatna of the district on Tuesday. It may be mentioned that the Supreme Court continued its direction to Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu till further orders and asked the two governments to ensure peace and harmony. Members of Kasturi Karnataka Janapara Vedike staged a protest in front of Visvesvaraya statue in the city, while members of Raitha Sangha staged a protest in Srirangapatna. In view of the Cauvery river water sharing issue coming up before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, police security was beefed up in the district as a precautionary measure. Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Reddy said, As many as 2,700 police personnel have been deployed, including 10 CPIs, two platoons of RAF at the Krishnarajasagar (KRS) dam. Six mobile traffic police vans are patrolling the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway to ensure smooth vehicular traffic. The inflow to the KRS dam was 1,127 cusecs on October 18, outflow was 241 cusecs. The water level was 81.62 feet as against the maximum level of 124.80 feet. 1 Dead, 4 Wounded In Shooting As Chicago Passes 600 Homicides By Stephen Gossett in News on Oct 18, 2016 2:40PM Five people were shotone fatallyon Monday night when someone fired into the front yard of a residence in West Englewood, according to police. One of the non-fatal victims is a 13-year-old boy. Chicago has now recorded at least 600 homicides, according to Tribune. Multiple people approached the yard in the 6700 block of South Winchester Avenue at 8:50 p.m. and someone fired into a crowd, a police spokesperson told Chicagoist. One man, in his 20s, was shot in the head and pronounced dead on the scene. A boy, 13, suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the thigh and was listed in critical but stable condition at Comer Childrens Hospital. A 23-year-old man was listed in stable condition at Stroger Hospital after being shot in the left leg. A fourth victim, a 30-year-old man, was hit in the left leg and buttocks; he was listed in stable condition at Stroger. The fifth victim, a man, 34, was hit in the leg, shoulder and hand and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, according to police. One other man was fatally shot and at least four more were wounded in gun violence on Monday in Chicago. The Tribune reported on Monday that 1000 more people have been shot in 2016 compared to the same time in 2015. The Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation has announced a housing scheme for the sexual minorities, but the community members in Dakshina Kannada district have been unable to avail of the benefit so far. Speaking to DH, Karnataka State Women Development Corporation development officer Chandrika Nayak said that as per the guidelines of the Corporation, the benefits of the housing scheme can be sanctioned to only those who have site in their name. In Dakshina Kannada, however, sexual minorities do not have sites. The Corporation, in its guidelines, has clearly stated that funds will be released for the construction of houses on sites owned by the beneficiaries. It has announced housing facilities for sex workers, physically challenged, widows and devdasis as well, under the special category a year ago. The Women and Child Welfare Department has written to the Mangaluru tahsildar to identify sites for around 30 sexual minorities who have applied under the scheme. As there is no government land available within the city limits, the tahsildar has been asked to look for the government land on the outskirts of the city to be distributed among poor siteless sexual minorities. Applications Once the land is identified and the RTC is issued in the name of the beneficiaries, the applications will be sent to the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation seeking funds for the construction of houses, said the officer. An official in the Women and Child Welfare Department said, Majority of the transgenders do not have houses. Many of them beg for living or are sex workers. Getting a house through the government will, therefore, be of great help for them. Further, the community will get an identification in the society. An activist said, It has been more than a year since the Supreme Court passed a landmark judgment recognising transgenders as the third sex. It gives them the option to identify themselves with the gender of their choice. There is a set of guidelines for their welfare too, but the situation in the society remains far from rosy for them. HIV victims Chandrika Nayak said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in his budget, had announced the Dhanashree scheme for HIV-positive women in Karnataka. The scheme has been introduced to help the victims to stand on their feet through self-employment or other activities using the amount and bring them to the mainstream of society. The state government will give a loan of Rs 40,000 and subsidy of Rs 10,000 to the beneficiaries, who should be in the age group of 18 to 60 years. It is estimated that there are around 2.50 lakh HIV-positive women in Karnataka. The state government intends to provide the benefit to at least 1,000 beneficiaries in 2016-17. The target for Dakshina Kannada district is 25 beneficiaries, she added. Street vendors The government has also announced Samruddhi scheme for women street vendors during the year 2016-17. Under the scheme, the beneficiaries will be given subsidy of Rs 10,000, to empower them. According to an estimate, there are 1,53,197 women street vendors in Karnataka. The government intends to provide the benefit to 10,000 street vendors in the state and has set aside Rs 10 crore for the purpose. The target for Dakshina Kannada district during the year is 50 vendors, the officer explained. The last date for submitting applications for Dhanashree and Samruddhi scheme is October 22, Nayak added. District In-charge Minister Pramod Madhwaraj said the contribution of Basel missionaries to the field of education, health and industry has been immense. Speaking after inaugurating the newly-built Basel Missionaries Memorial Auditorium at Mission Compound here on Tuesday, the minister said the development process in the coastal region had been largely dependent on the initiatives taken up by Basel missionaries during the initial years. The state government has allotted Rs one crore grant for any minority community auditorium under the Karnataka State Minorities and Backward Classes Development Corporation. He added that the Congress-led state government has introduced many number development programmes catering to the needs of the minority communities. Former minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said Basel missionaries were responsible for the quality education imparted all over the coastal areas. These institutions played a vital role in imparting quality based disciplined education, which is highly praiseworthy. The Basel missionaries had planned for an overall development of coastal Karnataka through their social and economical service since 1838. The state government has been committed to the welfare and economic development of the minorities. The government has been implementing various schemes for the welfare of minorities and has earmarked crores of rupees in the budget for the purpose, he added. Karnataka State Minorities and Backward Classes Development Committee president J R Lobo MLA said Siddaramaiah-led government is committed to the development of minorities. In the last budget, Sidaramaiah allotted Rs 100 crore to the Christian Development Council for the purpose of renovation of churches, building community halls, compound walls, orphanages, old age homes among others. In the current financial year, the government has allotted Rs 120 crore for the purpose. The government has also allotted Rs two crore for study on Kittel taken up by Mangaluru University in present fiscal year, he said. Delivering the talk on the occasion, Dr Peter Wilson Prabhakar, principal of Vivekananda College, Puttur, said that in 1834, three missionaries of Basel Mission arrived at Calicut in Kerala and spread their activities gradually. During the period when people, especially women, had less opportunities for education, the mission worked hard to provide education to all. It is also responsible for opening new chapters in printing, cottage industry, medicine and agriculture. Basel Mission started its ministry in Mangalore on October 30, 1884 and later extended its services to other parts of the state. Rev Hebich and his companions established many educational institutions including an Anglo-vernacular school. The first printing press in the region was established in 1841 at Balmatta. Books were printed in different languages including Kannada, Tulu, Malayalam, Telugu, English, Sanskrit, Tamil, Konkani and German. Basel missionary Herman Frederick Mogling wrote several books in Kannada and also published Mangalura Samachara, considered as the first Kannada newspaper. He informed that Basel Mission started a weaving factory at Balmatta in 1844, tile factories at Jeppu in 1865, at Kudroli in 1882 and at Malpe in 1886. It started first hospital at Udupi in 1923, first of its kind in the erstwhile South Kanara, he added. BJP Udupi district president Mattar Ratnakar Hegde said the district BJP will organise a huge protest rally at Clock Tower condemning the failures of the Congress-led state government. Speaking to mediapersons here on Tuesday, Hegde said the recent murder of RSS activist Rudresh in Bengaluru has shocked the people in the state. He was brutally hacked to death. Stating that the state government is glorifying violence, he said the BJP and RSS activists hare fear for life. There is no security for the lives of Sangh Pariwar members. He said the state government has done nothing to set right the law and order, which is deteriorating every day. Mattar added that the government is full of confusions. The previous BJP government had introduced many programmes for the people. However, most of the benefits are discontinued by the present Congress-led state government. The milk incentive worth Rs 450 crore is kept pending, he said. Kerosene, which was being offered at subsidised rate, is not provided to the fishermen, he said and added that protest would be held against the problems encountered by the fishermen in the days to come. He said that the roads are filled with potholes and the repair works have not yet been taken up. Chalo Udupi He also strongly condemned the remarks made by the activists who took part in Chalo Udupi. He said the so-called, self-claimed intellectuals have issued derogatory remarks against Pejawar seer. If at all the activists dare to lay seize to Sri Krishna temple, the public of the temple town would be compelled to show off their strength, he warned. Ridiculing District In-charge Minister Pramod Madhwaraj over his statements made against Rama, Krishna and Valmiki, Hegde said the statement by the minister is nothing but to support and please beef consumers. The irresponsible statements were untimely and the minister should be held responsible for everything. Development works He said that let the district in-charge minister take up the development works instead getting into unnecessary controversies. Let Madhwaraj take up the repair work of the roads and set right the problems and unhygienic conditions that exist in the government hospital, he added. The minister should also stop interfering in the affairs of gram panchayat. The concept of decentralisation of power is intrigued. He demanded that immediate measures should be taken to eliminate the scarcity of sand. The sand should not be transported to the neighbouring districts, he added. The core problems faced by the Dalits in Karnataka were suppressed during the Chalo Udupi programme organised demanding the right for Dalits. Chalo Udupi ended in raking up unwanted controversy, felt social activist Lolaksha. Speaking to mediapersons here on Tuesday, he said the Chalo Udupi was organised under the banner of Food is Our Choice, Land is Our Right (Aahara Namma Ayke Bhoomi Namma Hakku). The issue of land for Dalits should have been given priority in the coastal region. The convention gave utmost priority to food, however, the discussion lost track, he said. Noting that beef is not an issue of food for Dalits in Karnataka, he said majority of Dalits in Una are engaged in works related to cattle and meat. No clarity The statement of activist Jignesh Mewani at Chalo Udupi, on laying siege to the Udupi Mutt, clearly showed that the movement does not have clarity on the issue. The Indian Constitution Article 25 (2) (a) and (b) has given right of religious affairs to the various religious denominations. As a result, there is no meaning is creating an hurdle in the affairs of Udupi mutt, he said. Instead, the respective governments can bring in reforms in mutts through legislation, he felt. However, the reaction of the Pejawar seer and the members of pro-Hindu organisations for the statement of Jignesh on laying siege to Udupi mutt has exposed their hypocrisy. Stating that the government is empowered to bring in a legislation to eradicate practice of Pankti Bheda in Udupi mutt, Lolaksha said, Hinduism is the most liberal religion in the world and added that the loopholes in the system needs to be set right to help Hinduism to strengthen democratic principles of the country. There is a need to strengthen the movement by pro-Dalit leaders to help Dalits in availing the land. He appealed to the members of pro-Hindu organisations and Pejawar seer not to divert the core issue of the problems faced by the Dalits. Let us create an atmosphere to live in harmony in undivided Dakshina Kannada district. He said that the failure of the state government has made way to the cow vigilantes to take law into their hand. Had the state government implemented the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act 1964 effectively, the miscreants would not have taken law into hand in the coastal belt. The Rajasthan government on Tuesday filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against acquittal of Bollywood actor Salman Khan in two chinkara poaching cases. On the sidelines of an event held in Jaipur, State Law Minister Rajendra Rathore told the media, "The government was studying the documents and evaluating its merits and demerits. Government then decided to move the Supreme Court against the decision." The Rajasthan High Court's Jodhpur bench had on July 25 last, acquitted the actor in two cases of chinkara (black buck) poaching in Jodhpur, observing that the statement of a key witness could not be considered as he had "disappeared" and the defence could not cross-examine him during the trial. Justice Nirmaljeet Kaur of Jodhpur principal seat of the High Court pronounced the verdict. The High court held that the pellets recovered from the chinkaras were not fired from Salman's gun as investigation revealed that they did not match. The 50-year-old actor had appealed to the Rajasthan HC against a lower court verdict that convicted him in both the cases, sentencing him to one year and five years imprisonment on February 17, 2006 and April 10, 2006 respectively. Hearing of both the petitions by the HC had begun on November 16, 2015 and completed on May 13, 2016. Thereafter, Justice Nirmaljit Kaur had reserved her judgement. After the 2006 sentencing, Salman had spent a week in jail in Jodhpur before being granted bail. A third case of alleged poaching of endangered black buck by the actor is yet to be decided in Rajasthan. Khan, along with his co- actors, was in Jodhpur for the shooting of movie Hum Saath Saath Hain when the incident took place. With the Supreme Court hearing to continue on Wednesday over the Cauvery issue, the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu is planning to convene a special Cabinet meeting to discuss the future course of action. Secretariat sources said that the Cabinet meeting will be chaired by O Panneerselvam, who was given additional portfolios that were held by chief minister J Jayalalithaa, who is in hospital. The Cabinet meeting, which is likely to be held on Wednesday morning, assumes significance as the Tamil Nadu government expressed its dissatisfaction over the recommendation of the Cauvery technical team in the apex court on Tuesday. Sources said that the meeting was expected to chalk out detailed plans for the future course of action over the Cauvery issue. With the Opposition parties, including DMK and delta farmers demanding an all-party meeting and a special Assembly session to pass resolution to pressure the Centre for the constitution of Cauvery Management Board, the Cabinet meeting is expected to discuss the matter. In addition, amid Election Commission of India announcing elections to Aravakurichi and Thanjavur and subsequently, the Madras High Court refusing to lift the stay on civic polls, the meeting is expected to discuss details about both the matters. Train services were affected for the second consecutive day in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday in view of the 48-hour rail roko strike by Delta farmers that began on Monday. Various political parties have backed the strike over the Cauvery issue. Thousands of protesters were arrested when they blocked train traffic across the state. Farmers in Kancheepuram, Madurai, Theni, Cuddalore, Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli districts too staged rail roko in their respective regions to support the Delta farmers. The Delta farmers are urging the Centre to immediately constitute the Cauvery Management Board (CMB). Many political leaders including MDMK general secretary Vaiko, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi president Thol Thirumavalavan, Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Vasan and CPI state secretary Mutharsan were arrested for the second day when they tried to block train services in different districts. Over 500 farmers and workers of various political parties were arrested in Theni district when they tried to lay siege to Karnataka Bank. About 700 persons were arrested in Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district when they tried to block a highway. Meanwhile, Delta farmers and political parties welcomed the order of the Supreme Court on Tuesday directing Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water every day to Tamil Nadu until further orders. The leaders, however were worried over the Centres stance in the apex court that constitution of CMB could be decided only by Parliament. Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take all steps to form CMB at the right time. I strongly believe that Modiji will take a decision at the right time, he remarked. The Union government on Tuesday contended before the Supreme Court that the decision of a inter-state river water tribunal cannot be questioned since it was considered as a decree passed by the apex court. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Centre, questioned before a three-judge bench presided over by Justice Dipak Misra the maintainability of the appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal of February 5, 2007. He said once the Tribunal's order is published, it partakes shape of the Supreme Court's order, which cannot be assailed. Citing Article 262 (1) and (2) of the Constitution, Rohatgi contended that the power of the Supreme Court is eclipsed after the Tribunal formed under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act,1956 has adjudicated over the issue. He maintained that such a decision cannot be challenged either in writ jurisdiction under Article 32, appellate jurisdiction under Article 136 or original jurisdiction under Article 131 of the Constitution. Appearing for Karnataka, senior advocate Fali S Nariman, however, differed with him by contending the state had filed its appeal against the Tribunal's order in 2007 before it was published on February 19, 2013. Senior advocate A S Nambiar, appearing for Puducherry, supported the Advocate General's view. The bench said the power of judicial review cannot be taken away and how this power of the apex court is to be appreciated, understood and applied in terms of Article 262 is the question that has to be determined. The hearing, which remained inconclusive, would continue on Wednesday. Govt will consult legal experts: CM Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said his government will take an appropriate decision on the Supreme Court direction on releasing Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu after consulting legal experts. We do not have water in our reservoirs. And I have not gone through the order copy. An appropriate decision will be taken after consulting legal experts, he told reporters upon seeking his reaction on the court order, in Bengaluru. The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu per day till the next order. Let us wait and see: Madegowda Mandya Zilla Raitha Hitharakshana Samiti president G Madegowda told media in Mandya on Tuesday: The high-level technical team of the Centre has submitted its report to the Supreme Court stating that both the states are in need of water. Let us wait and see what decision the Supreme Court takes tomorrow. If it is just for a day, we can release water. But, if the court orders the state to release more water, a tough and strong decision should be taken. Justifying Indias bid to focus on terror in the just-concluded BRICS summit in Goa, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that state-sponsored terrorism now posed the biggest global challenge. The international community could only ignore it at its own peril, Sushma added.(The) BRICS has always been global in its approach and today, there is no bigger global challenge than state-sponsored and state-protected terrorism, Swaraj said on Tuesday. She was inaugurating a BRICS media forum. Her comment came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the 8th summit of the BRICS a bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in Goa. While our economic engagement and political cooperation remained key factors in BRICS, there was a sharp realisation that global development and prosperity was very much dependent on continued peace and security, the external affairs minister said referring to the discussion in the summit of the five-nation bloc. The BRICS held its summit in Goa less than a month after the Uri attack. The terrorists, who carried out the attack on an Indian Army camp, had sneaked into India from areas under the control of Pakistan. Altogether 19 soldiers of the Indian Army were killed in the attack, which escalated tension between India and Pakistan. New Delhi was obviously keen to get the bloc strongly denounce terrorism. Terrorism was universally recognised as a key threat to stability, progress and development. Consequently, it featured strongly in the conference narrative and its eventual outcome, Sushma said. During the summit in Goa, the prime minister repeatedly drew the attention of the other BRICS leaders President Xi Jinping of China, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Michel Temer of Brazil and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa to the fact that the epicentre of terror was in the neighbourhood of India. The Goa Declaration, however, avoided a direct reference to cross-border terror, even as it did remind all nations of their responsibilities to prevent terrorist actions from their territories. There is a developing consensus that it cannot be business as usual. We must be prepared to extract costs for those who sponsor and support terrorists, who provide them sanctuary, and who, despite their own claimed victim-hood, continue to make the false distinction between good and bad terrorists, said Swaraj. The High Court on Tuesday directed the Union and the Karnataka governments to formulate a scheme or bring in a piece of legislation to pay compensation to victims of terrorist acts, taking reference from the schemes available in other countries, particularly the UK and the USA. Justice A S Bopanna issued the direction and disposed of a petition filed by Leesha, who was severly injured in the bomb blast near the BJP office in Malleswaram here in April 2013. Leesha had sought a national policy for compensation for victims of terrorist attacks. Leeshas counsel Sunil Kumar H had argued for more compensation to her to meet the medical expenses and also sought a government job for her. The judge directed the Centre to treat Leeshas case as special and decide on an appropriate quantum of money to be paid as compensation within four months. Justice Bopanna directed the Karnataka government to provide a suitable job to Leesha within three months on compassionate grounds, commensurate with her educational qualification. The judge directed the state government to pay the actual medical expenses incurred by Leesha treating it as a special case. The judge said that compensation paid by the Centre based on the guidelines of Central Scheme for Assistance to Civilian Victim/Family of Victims of Terrorist Violence is too inadequate. The lump sum amount is more of grant rather than compensation. It is not based on any intelligible method, criteria or formula. There is not even a basic reference to the avocation or future prospects of the victim in that light; the nature of injuries suffered and the treatment of the manner in which the medical expenses are reimbursed, the order said. The Union and the Karnataka governments should show sensitivity to comfort citizens by reasonably compensating or rehabilitating them without driving such victims to litigation. The order said, The compensation paid by the government is so meagre that we cannot even consider it as society's way of recognising that a citizen of this country has been a victim of terrorism and such citizen has been empathised with at least, if not cared for. The order said the court cannot unilaterally substitute the scheme by overstepping and entering the domain of the executive or the legislature. The Union and the Karnataka governments will have to bestow their attention to take a policy decision to formulate an appropriate scheme or legislation to be in tune with the times. Justice Bopanna said that the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act and The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, 2012 formulated under the Criminal injuries Compensation Act, 1995 in the United Kingdom may assist the wisdom of Central and Karnataka governments to formulate an appropriate scheme. JUSTICE A S BOPANNA: The compensation paid by the government is so meagre that we cannot even consider it as society's way of recognising that a citizen of this country has been a victim of terrorism and such citizen has been empathised with at least, if not cared for. Hundreds Rally At Trump Tower To Tell GOP 'This Pussy Votes' By aaroncynic in News on Oct 18, 2016 3:55PM Hundreds gathered Tuesday morning in the shadow of Trump Tower in Chicago as part of a national day of protest to remind the Republican Presidential nominee that women are, in fact, peopleand they vote. The things that have been said and done by Donald Trump and Mike Pence are unacceptable, we cant take this lying down anymore, said Linday Cogan, who was among the huge crowd of mostly women that gathered at the corner of Wacker and Wabash avenues before marching across the river to the plaza across the street from Trumps hotel. His treatment of women, people of color, Islamophobiatheres a laundry list of things...we cant have someone like this in the White House, were better than this as a country, she said. This pussy votes, the group chanted as they marched into the plaza across from the phallic monument to Trump's ego Trump International Hotel and Tower, along with chants of Trump thinks he runs this town, pussy came to shut him down and my body, my choice. The protest, part of a national set of demonstrations organized to call out the carnival barkers sexist and misogynistic comments, comes as at least nine women have leveled various accusations of sexual assault against him. Trump has repeatedly denied all the allegations, calling the women who came forward liars and mocking their appearance. In an interview with Fox News on Monday, wife Melania also said the allegations were untrue and should be handled in the courts. All these women are coming out and they are allegations but they are not true, she said, according to the Hill. Why now? Why three weeks before the election? And what they are accusing my husband, that is not the first time that I know. Alizia Swiz, who organizes the group Slut Talk, a Chicago-based feminist collective that hosts regular events and performances and helped organize the demonstration, said that Trumps status as a man and business mogul and his vast wealth have allowed him to continue on as the leader of the GOPs three-ringed xenophobic circus. We see men still as powerful and leadersthats kind of ingrained in us, she said. Trump already has that status as a businessman. Hes rich as shit and money gets you lots of places. A handful of counter-demonstrators stood nearer to Trump tower, waving large flags and holding huge cardboard signs which that referred to Hillary Clinton as a lesbian and former President Bill Clinton as a rapist. After chanting "read Wikileaks" and "free Assange," a reference to the website's founder Julian Assange, who's spent 5 years in exile inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, one shouted towards the women "you bitches don't read anyway." Swiz however, said that she was hopeful that the event, along with the potential of a presidency by Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, could help combat the rampant sexism and misogyny in America. Trump represents what a lot of Americans are comfortable with about the way our world works unfortunately, she said. Vote for someone else thats not Trumpbut I really hope theyll vote for Hillary. I think shed make a great president. Part of what that shift will do and part of what today is doing will help us all get over this internalized sexism that pervades our culture and makes us unable to look at women as equally valuable citizens. Four farmers were injured in an elephant attack at Hoogyam forest range, under Male Mahadeshwara wildlife sanctuary near here on Tuesday night. The injured identified as Nagaraju, Govinda, Chandru and Joguvali all farmers have been admitted to KR Hospital in Mysuru for treatment. The farmers were on vigil to guard their jowar crop and were said to have been sleeping on a cot under a tree. A tusker that had strayed into the fields lifted the cot, flung it into the air and attacked the farmers in the wee hours. They were provided first aid at Koodluru primary health centre and later shifted to KR Hospital. District Lambani Sangha president Krishna Nayak has urged that suitable compensation be provided to the injured. The repeated jumbo attacks have created panic among the residents. A farmer was killed by a jumbo last year near Hanur. The Forest department personnel had captured the rogue elephant and shifted it out. But, the resurfacing of jumbos in the region has left the people worried. The village residents want the Forest department to act swiftly to curb the menace. Speaking to Deccan Herald, J Chandru, assistant conservator of forests, MM Hill wildlife division, said the department would decide on the compensation to be provided to the injured, based on the reports by doctors at the KR Hospital, where the farmers are being treated. The Karnataka legislature secretariat, which is preparing to celebrate the 60th year of the Vidhana Soudha, is considering inviting the President of India to address a special joint session of the legislature. Speaker K B Koliwad on Tuesday held the second meeting to discuss preparations. He has formed a committee of officials headed by IAS officer Lakshminarayana for preparing a blueprint. The departments of Public Works, Finance and Personnel and Administrative Reforms are involved in the planning. The late chief minister Kengal Hanumanthaiah is acknowledged as the architect of Vidhana Soudha, whose foundation was laid on July 13, 1951, by Jawaharlal Nehru. The construction was completed in 1956 and it was formally inaugurated on October 10, coinciding with Vijayadashami. K C Reddy was the chief minister during the inauguration. When the building project was conceived, Kengal Hanumanthaiah was the Congress party head in the state. The building was constructed at a cost of Rs 1.84 crore. Koliwad said, We are planning to request President Pranab Mukherjee to address a special session of the legislature. A lot of discussions and planning have to be done. Many people had worked hard for the construction of the building. We will try to trace engineers and officials who had contributed significantly towards the projects completion and felicitate them. Asked when the special session would be held, he said the date is yet to be finalised. However, the plan is to conduct the session before December-end. The winter session of the legislature in Belagavi will not be cancelled. There are suggestions to combine the celebration of the diamond jubilee of the Soudha with the reorganisation of the state, he pointed out. Sources in the secretariat said that it would be tough to hold the special session before December. The buildings interiors will need a fresh coat of paint, and this would take at least three months. The session could be held anytime before next October, the sources said. Officials are planning to come out with a book highlighting the uniqueness of Vidhana Soudha and hold an exhibition to depict its history. Cultural events would be part of the celebrations and hence, the event may extend for two days, the sources said. After the media reported that the government had no plans to mark the Vidhana Soudhas diamond jubilee, BJP leader Jagadish Shettar demanded that the government take pride in the building and organise an event. Later the secretariat began working towards it. In November 2005, Abdul Kalam, as President of India, had addressed a joint session of the legislature as part of Suvarna Karnataka, the year-long golden jubilee celebrations of Karnatakas formation. If parties show negligence or try to bring cheap politics into the drinking water issue during the October 21 meeting on the Mahadayi issue, to be held in Mumbai, leaders will have to face the peoples wrath in the next Assembly elections. This was the clear warning by religious heads during the Mahadayi river-linking round-table conference at the Karnatak Vidyavardhaka Sangha here on Tuesday. The meeting, which was attended by over a dozen pontiffs from across religions, was chaired by Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami of Kudalasangama. At the meeting, the seers said that it was a positive move that after a gap of almost four decades, the chief ministers of all three riparian states - Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa - are meeting to discus the Mahadayi river-linking project, which would help four districts of North Karnataka to ease the drinking water crisis and revive agriculture activities. Farmers have been holding protests for the past 450 days and it has now turned into a huge movement. Leaders of JD(S), Congress, and BJP have displayed unity over the Cauvery dispute and the same should happen in the Mahadayi water row too, the pontiffs said. The all-party meeting called by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on October 19 (Wednesday) should send a message across that politicians stand united for the cause of the people. Prior to the October 21 meeting, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Water Resources Minister M B Patil should seek the suggestions of environmentalists, irrigation, water and legal experts and go to the meeting with confidence. The government should be able to highlight the present drought situation in North Karnataka and the need to link Mahadayi and Malaprabha rivers, Mrutyunjaya Swami said. All-party meeting today Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has convened an all-party meeting on Wednesday to discuss the stand the state government must take in the Mahadayi river water sharing dispute. Maharastra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has invited his counterparts in Karnataka and Goa for a meeting on the issue on October 21 in Mumbai. Siddaramaiah wants to elicit the opinion of leaders of all the political parties before attending this meeting. Leaders of the BJP and the JD(S), Union ministers from the state, MPs and MLAs from Gadag, Haveri, Bagalkot, Belagavi and Dharwad districts are invited to attend the all-party meeting, official sources in the chief ministers office said. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday sought to strike a common chord with Myanmars democracy icon and state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Islamist terrorism. Sushma called on Suu Kyi, who is currently on a visit to New Delhi, and conveyed to her condolences over the recent killing of several police and military personnel in terrorist attacks at Rakhine State of Myanmar, sources said. Five soldiers and nine police personnel were killed by the terrorists during attacks on three border posts in conflict-torn Rakhine State on October 9. Myanmars armed forces killed 30 terrorists and arrested 29 in a subsequent crackdown. Sushmas reference to the incidents during her meeting with Suu Kyi is in sync with Indias bid to forge a new regional consensus against terrorism and isolate Pakistan. Suu Kyi is on her maiden visit to India after she led her party National League of Democracy to a landslide victory in the November 2015 elections. Though the Nobel laureate holds the office of the foreign minister and state counsellor in the new government, she is perceived to be the de facto ruler of her country. New Delhi launched a diplomatic blitzkrieg against Islamabad in the wake of the September 18 terror attacks on an Indian Army camp at Uri in north Kashmir. Four terrorists, who had sneaked into India from areas under illegal occupation of Pakistan, had carried out the attack, killing 19 Indian soldiers. New Delhi pulled out off the 19th Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) summit, which was proposed to be held in Islamabad on November 9 and 10. All the other members of the eight-nation bloc too, supported New Delhis move, some candidly, while others tacitly, due to which the summit had to be postponed. Suu Kyi attended the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) meet in Goa, before reaching New Delhi on Monday to commence her bilateral visit. She called on President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday and will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Like other BIMSTEC leaders, Suu Kyi too referred to the terror attack at Uri while addressing a meeting of the leaders of the seven-nation bloc on Sunday. We wholly sympathise with the people of India with regard to terror attack not so long ago, she said. She also referred to the terror attack in Rakhine State and said that the international community must be united in standing together against all forms of manifestations of violent extremism relating to religion, cultural and social intolerance. Sushma and Suu Kyi discussed ways in which India could support Myanmars agenda of national reconciliation, socio-economic development and strengthening democracy. The Myanmar state counsellor outlined her priorities in areas of agriculture, training, capacity building, job creation, infrastructure and health-care and sought Indias assistance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday advocated the use of Khadi for fashion, urging people to buy Khadi clothes this Diwali. Modi, who visited Ludhiana on Tuesday for an industrial excellence award ceremony, said buying Khadi will help the poor who spin the charkha celebrate. Earlier, it was only Khadi for nation and now it is also Khadi for fashion, the prime minister said. After distributing 500 charkhas to women, Modi even tried his hand on the spinning wheel (charkha). He talked about a dream of making products with zero defect so that all the countries buy them without a second thought. The global market is waiting for us, he said. The prime minster maintained that his government has started the trend of launching important schemes in various parts of India and not only confining it to Delhi. He emphasised on the need to promote the SC/ST entrepreneurship saying, This sense of entrepreneurship among Dalits will benefit all. There are youth whose dreams are to create enterprises and jobs. On the occasion, he launched ZED certification scheme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and SC/ST hub for providing support to entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, on Monday, ahead of Modis visit, a war widow returned her husbands Sena medal after failing to get a favourable response to meet Modi to share her grievance. The Punjab Congress lamented the development describing it as a slap on the face of the prime minister as well as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Surinder Kaur (60) returned her husbands medal on Monday accusing the government of failing to provide her any help even 30 years after her husband was killed in Jaffna in Sri Lanka in 1987. The body of Kashmir Singh, a Hawaldar with 13 Sikh Light Infantry, never came back home. He was awarded the Sena Medal posthumously in 1991. Punjab Congress leaders on Tuesday pointed out that Surinder Kaur had come to Ludhiana with her family ahead of Modis visit only with the hope that Modi would intervene and come to their help. However, when it became clear that they would not be allowed to even meet him, Surinder decided to return the medal. While our soldiers are fighting at the borders to protect our lives, Modi is busy taking mileage out of the deaths of the armed personnel, Congress leaders said in a statement on Tuesday. Modis refusal to meet the war widow shows the extent of his depraved thinking, they said. Breaking his silence on the issue of threats against the release of his Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, filmmaker Karan Johar on Tuesday said for him India comes first and in future he would not hire Pakistani artistes, but appealed for the release of the film. ADHM is written and directed by Johar and produced by Dharma Production, his home banner. The film stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Deepti Naval, and Lisa Haydon. Pakistani artiste Fawad Khan made a special appearance in the film. Even Shah Rukh Khan did a cameo in the movie. Following the Uri incident, the issue of using Pakistani artistes and technicians became a major issue. The film is slated to be released on October 28. However, this is the first time the 44-year-old filmmaker spoke out through a video statement. There has been some talk of why I remained silent for the past two weeks. Today, I would like to clarify why I remained silent. It is because of a deep sense of hurt, deep sense of pain that I felt, that a few people would actually believe that I am being anti-national, he said. Karan pointed out that when the film was shot in September to December last year, the climate was completely different, the circumstances were completely different. There were efforts made by our country for peaceful relationships with the neighbouring countries and I respected those efforts then, those endeavors then, and I respect the sentiment today. I understand the sentiment because I feel the same. Going forward I would like to say of course I will not engage talent from neighbouring country given the circumstance, he said. With that same energy, I beseech you to know one thing that over 300 Indian people in my crew have put their blood, sweat and tears in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and I don't think it is fair to them to face any kind of turbulence on account of other fellow Indians, Karan said pleading against disruption of the film in theatres. Speaking about the army and on the issue of terrorism, the filmmaker said: I respect the Indian Army, I salute the Indian Army for everything they do to protect us in our environment. I respect them with all my heart and I condemn any form of terrorism. Any form, especially the terrorism that would affect the people of my country and me. Continue releasing 2,000 cusecs a day to Tamil Nadu until further orders, the Supreme Court told Karnataka on Tuesday. It also directed the two states, engaged in a bitter feud over sharing water from the Cauvery, to rein in trouble-makers and maintain peace and harmony. A three-member bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra reiterated its October 4 interim order on the quantum of water Karnataka must share with its neighbour. The bench simultaneously began a hearing on whether appeals by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunals decision of 2007 were maintainable. The tribunal had then apportioned each states share of water. We are not going to modify our order. We will continue with the order for release of 2,000 cusecs, the bench, also comprising Justice Amitava Roy and Justice A M Khanwilkar, said. Karnataka, for its part, maintained it had complied with the court's order to release water from October 7 to 18. The Northeast monsoon, expected to set in on October 25, will provide relief for Tamil Nadu, Karnataka told the court. Tamil Nadu in turn contended it was in dire need of water. Citing reports about unrest in parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the bench told the counsel, Please tell your executives and citizenry to follow the order. Common sense must prevail. It will be the obligation of the executive to see that mutuality of respect between the states and the citizens should be maintained, the bench remarked. Maintenance of law and order and care for public property is a sign of elevated democracy. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Centre, submitted a report filed by a technical committee headed by G S Jha, Chairman of the Central Water Commission. Rohatgi highlighted the committees finding that both states were water-starved. Senior advocate F S Nariman, representing Karnataka, sought time to respond to the report. Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, appearing for Tamil Nadu, told the court the state was facing a deficit of 11 tmcft. State Bank of India (SBI) chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya, on Tuesday, urged employees to change the way the bank is perceived - as one for the older generation. She was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Gram Ujwal project, under which SBI has installed over 1,000 solar lamps in 212 villages across Karnataka at a cost of Rs 1 crore, in association with renewable energy firm UV Green. Arundhati said, We are celebrating 210 years of existence.Even today, our bank is perceived as being for the older generation, that cannot be the case. We have products meant for the younger generation too. But how much are we delivering to them? Our bank is excellent, but in patches. That excellence is not uniform. SBI has its roots in the Bank of Calcutta, which came into existence in June 1806. Thus, SBI completes 210 years, she said. Our Internet products are by far the best in the market. Believe me, my friends from Citibank and Deutsche Bank tell me that they use SBI digital products along with their own bank products, because they cant give up their own bank, Arundhati said. By December, we will bring in more products related to the Internet. By mere interaction, you will be able to perform transactions. For instance, say please pay my bill and it will do so. We are going to bring in real cutting-edge products, Arundhati said. Recollecting an experience at the specialised premier banking branch, she said, An old customer informed me that the branch people taught him how to use the Internet. It helps him do transactions from home and avoid traffic. If each employee promises to spend one hour every day with one customer, teaching them how to use the Internet, imagine the number of satisfied customers you would have by the end of the year, she said. Pearl Jam, Chaka Khan, Janet Jackson Nominated For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 18, 2016 5:20PM Pearl Jam, photo by Jim Kopeny / Tankboy The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame released its list of nominees on Tuesday morning and, as usual, there are a few groups on the shortlist either based in Chicago or with deep local ties. Topping the list of "get them in there now" is Chicago native Chaka Khan. Khan's early career with Rufus helped define funk and R&B in the '70s, and when Stevie Wonder handed them "Tell Me Something Good," their careers blew up. While with Rufus, Khan released her first solo album, including "I'm Every Woman," a stone cold classic that found new life when a new soul diva by the name of Whitney Houston covered it years later. Rufus and Khan split for good in the '80s, and Khan's solo career during that decade continued to bring a certain amount of genuine soul to a period where too many of her compatriots from the '70s were turning to cold, lifeless compositions in an attempt to keep up with the times. Her cover of Prince's "I Feel For You" in 1984 actually made that song even sexierno small featwhile still managing to bend the more mechanical sound of the time to her will. Pearl Jam makes their first appearance as a nominee, and while the band is based in Seattle, we feel rather safe in assuming they consider Chicago their second home. Eddie Vedder hails from the area, and is a fixture at Cubs games whenever he's in town (which, this year, seemed more often than not). The band has played a number of legendary shows in the area, spanning from their 1995 show at Solider Field that came at the height of their war against Ticketmaster, all the way through to this summer's double header of concerts at Wrigley Field. Vedder is also active in local charities, and you're probably more likely to run into him at a bar than someone like Billy Corgan, who actually still lives here. Which, as an aside, it should be noted that The Smashing Pumpkins are also now eligible for the Hall Of Fame, though they didn't warrant a nomination this year. Really? We know it may be hard to remember through the haze of some of Corgan's eccentricities through the years, but that doesn't detract from the massive impact that band had on music the same time as Pearl Jam. Maybe next year, Billy? Janet Jackson is also on this year's list, so we're pulling that the Gary, Indiana native can celebrate both a new baby and membership in the Hall this year. The Midwestern band MC5 is also up for the Hall, and we think the Detroit band that mixed hard rock, verging on as-yet-officially undiscovered punk, with fiery political rhetoric is as rock and roll as it gets. Also nominated this year is Jane's Addiction, which may be one of the most L.A. of L.A. bands, but still has ties to Chicago. In fact, due to Perry Farrell's involvement in the Chicago-based Lollapalooza, by this point it sometimes feels as if Jane's Addiction plays more shows here than anywhere else. And the band has always had "family" in Chicago, based on ties that extend decades back. Heck, after their Metro show in November, 1988 the band stayed in town to celebrate Thanksgiving with some of that venerable venue's staff, leading to lifelong friendships (and we'd argue, a love affair with Chicago). O.K., maybe it's a stretch, but we're claiming some small part of them as our own, anyway! The full list of nominees : Bad Brains Joan Baez The Cars Chaka Khan Chic (Seriously? How are they not in yet???!!!) Depeche Mode Electric Light Orchestra J. Geils Band Janet Jackson Jane's Addiction Joe Tex Journey Kraftwerk MC5 Pearl Jam Tupac Shakur Steppenwolf Yes The Zombies RSS and BJP worker Rudresh was cremated on Tuesday amid police security. The body was handed over to the family members after a post-mortem at Victoria Hospital. The body was kept at Milk Colony in Shivajinagar for about three hours for public to pay respects. Thousands of BJP party workers, including former ministers R Ashoka, Shobha Karandlaje, Katta Subramanya Naidu, Aravind Limbavali and MP P C Mohan paid their tributes and consoled the family members. Ashoka alleged that the Congress government was not serious about arresting the assailants. The governments stand is suspicious. Neither the chief minister nor the Home Minister have met the family members so far and consoled them. The police are tight-lipped about the investigation as they are under political pressure. The BJP will organise state-wide protests on Wednesday seeking justice for the murdered BJP and RSS workers, he said. MP Shobha Karandlaje alleged that the suspects were linked to Karnataka Forum for Dignity and Popular Front of India. The BJP would intensify the protests if the two organisations were not banned. She alleged that goons in Kerala were hired only for murdering BJP workers in Karnataka. Several BJP workers were murdered across the state in the past few months. There was a political angle to the murders, she alleged. Compensation Aravind Limbavali demanded compensation to Rudreshs family members. He was the lone bread winner in the family. Rudresh did not have real estate or financial disputes with anybody. He was murdered as he was attached to the BJP, he alleged. The procession to Kallapalli burial ground began around 2.30 pm. It passed through Shivajinagar, Commercial Street, Pulakeshinagar and Old Madras Road. The BJP workers raised slogans against the government as they went in the procession. The police had blocked all entry roads to Shivajinagar. The Shivajinagar bus stand wore a deserted look as BMTC had withdrawn buses to the terminus and stopped them at Balekundri Circle and Cubbon Road. There was congestion on Cubbon Road, Police Thimmaiah Circle, Queens Circle and TTMC Junction. The police deployed additional men at BRV Junction and Kamaraj junction due to heavy traffic. Bus services partially resumed towards the evening. Shops and business establishments remained closed in Shivajinagar, Commercial Street, Bharathinagar and Pulikeshinagar due to prohibitory orders. The police had deployed additional forces to ensure law and order. Additional Commissioner (East) P Harishekharan, DCPs Dr Boralingaiah and N Satheesh Kumar camped at Shivajinagar monitoring the security situation. Thirty-five junctions that see substantial traffic but do not have signals will get them by the end of this year. Traffic junctions in Bengalurus IT hub and on roads that link the national highways will get the signals. Police hope the measure will help reduce congestion, regulate traffic and withdraw additional men from these junctions. Junctions in Yelahanka, Malleswaram, Hebbal, Vijayanagar, Ashoknagar, Halasuru, Indiranagar, KR Puram, Banaswadi, Rajajinagar, Peenya, Jalahalli, Chamarajpet, Jayanagar, Banashankari, Madiwala, Adugodi, Mico Layout, Whitefield, Hulimavu, Upparpet, Kengeri and Byatarayanapura will get the signals. Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) R Hithendra told DH, Tender has been floated and the work will begin in the first week of November. We have written to Bescom and the BBMP seeking permission for road-cutting. The signals will be functional by December-end. The signals will be installed under the B-Trac project, with each of them costing Rs 35 lakh. All the signals will have pan, tilt and zoom cameras for effective traffic regulation, he added. The junctions were chosen after a study. The study showed that these junctions are congested as they see higher vehicular density, report more traffic violations and therefore need more men for regulation. It takes more than three minutes to get past an intersection. Hence, it was decided to have signals there for streamlining traffic, a senior officer involved in the study said. An traffic planning officer said that having the signals would help reduce congestion. The waiting period at each of the four directions will be 60 seconds, he added. The chosen junctions are those where more than three roads merge. Eight roads merge at Mother Diary junction in Yelahanka and five roads merge at 19th main Diacon junction in Malles-waram, MS Palya junction in Hebbal and P&T junction in Vijayanagar. Sixty-year-old Wang Kanliang sat with his wife Ding Caifeng in the courtyard built near a fork in the road not far away from the Qinling mountain range. The day was rainy, dark and chilly and the old couple occasionally exchanged words when staring at the layers of land and foliage on the mountains drenched by drizzle. The old couple have spent their life farming in Nanwan Village, Shaanxi Province; however, nowadays, they can seldom work due to being diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. Last month, Ding was admitted to hospital after she started to spit blood, but she insisted on returning home, after lying in the ward for no more than two weeks, because of concern about the mounting expenditure running into tens of thousands of yuan, a huge cost for the poor family. More than once, Ding had spit blood. Worrying she might not survive long, the family built a tomb without her knowledge when she was hospitalized for the same reason as early as March this year. "The diagnosis and medicine costs have eaten up the family savings," said Wang. "We cannot further involve our children in paying the bills for our illness; therefore, we'll just have to let the disease take our lives." A few miles away from Wang's family, a complete new tomb was spruced up among others in a highland region, overlooking the traumatized village affected by the hepatitis C virus that has forced a generation of farmers -- feeble and fragile -- to face premature death. The spread of Hepatitis C in the village started from the 1970s into the 1980s when the destitute farmers in the desolate land sold blood to gain a bit more income. An organizer touted the blood-selling business among villagers who were later taken to cities extending from Shaanxi to Gansu in the far west of China. "I can still remember the day when people from the village flocked to the blood stations talking and laughing en route since it was a rare opportunity for us to see the world outside the village," Ding recalled. Before the repeated visits to the blood transfer centers, Wang and Ding were energetic and robust. They were happy to earn the quick-money -- 36 yuan -- every time when selling 30ml of blood. Apart from the commissions, the villagers could get the money and presents, such as, bread and quilts, for doing nothing more than rolling up their sleeves. The easy rewards enticed them to repeatedly sell their blood without considerations of hygiene and safety. However, in the 1990s when Ding set out to Tianshui, Gansu Province again to sell her blood, her physical report showed her to be Hepatitis C positive, an illness, and this was shared by many Nanwan villagers. Then, the blood-selling business long prevailing there had come to an end. The blood selling business was divided into whole blood and plasma, which required the operator to extract the plasma from the blood and re-inject the haemoproteins (such as haemoglobin) back into the blood vessels of the sellers. The rampant blood selling business did not abate until the 1990s when a certain number of villagers tested Hepatitis C positive. "Right before the 1990s, the blood transfer stations could only exam viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis B, and there was a lack of medical technology to identify Hepatitis C carriers," said Wang Jianjun, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) of Shangzhou District, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province. Research conducted by the CDCP in Shangzhou District, where Nanwan Village is located, showed 40 out of 47 respondents involved in the blood selling experience, ranging in age from 43 to 72, had contracted Hepatitis C. The infection probably came from the needles used to collect blood. And the injection of haemoproteins also likely carried a high risk of contamination. Huang Shaojun, deputy director of the Health and Family Planning Bureau in Shangzhou District, said patients were encouraged to receive appropriate treatment and their medical costs would be reimbursed in accordance with pertinent regulations. Blood contamination, other than the transmission from mothers to children and sexual intercourse, is the major cause of the spread of Hepatitis C, with syndromes of fever and dysfunctional digestive tracts and livers. In the nascent stage, Hepatitis C is highly possible to be cured through use of ribavirin and interferon, said Chen Yanwei, a staff member from the CDCP in Shangzhou District. People should not be panic about their liver illness, he advised. By Karl Mathieson 16 October 2016 (Mercury) It was one of the worlds great marine ecosystems. Stretching hundreds of kilometres along the eastern coastline of Australia, it provided shelter to a multitude of fish, algae and crustaceans and for many divers was considered a must-see spectacular. But this year a massive underwater heatwave smashed it into oblivion. This is not the Great Barrier Reef, but its southern equivalent; an underwater jungle that in the middle of last century ran the length of Tasmanias East Coast. The trees, often more than 30m tall, were Macrocystis pyrifera giant kelp the worlds largest seaweed. Two weeks ago, Mick Baron, a dive operator and marine biologist, went to search for a patch on the inner coves of Munroe Bight at the extreme southern end of the East Coast. It was the last patch remaining of the great eastern forest that once choked the unbroken 250km stretch of coast from Eddystone Point to the Tasman Peninsula. But when Baron arrived an almighty storm had ripped the trees from the rocks below. Baron has dived on the East Coast since the 1970s. Back then it was impossible to get a boat through the thick mats of canopy it left floating on the surface. All those years ago it was everywhere. I mean, it was common as muck, he says. Now its just gone. It has been an extraordinarily rapid decline. But unlike deforestation on land, these forests are neither being cut nor burnt. They are being starved. The Australian arm of the huge gyre that moves water around the Pacific is the East Australian Current (well known to Finding Nemo fans as the EAC dude). Traditionally, it pushed warm water south along the coast of the mainland before turning east towards South America long before it hit Tasmania. But in recent decades, something has gone awry. The warming global climate has discombobulated this once-reliable system. Huge eddies of hot, nutrient-poor water keep spinning down towards the Tasmanian coast. Because of this, eastern Tasmania has some of the fastest-warming ocean water on Earth, rising at two to three times faster than the global average. Over the past two decades, says Baron, the ocean has been getting more and more rapidly mad. Tiger sharks, marlin and Queensland grouper have all been recorded in places where they have no right to be. This February, one tuna fisherman caught 500 southern bluefin before the normal season even began. The current is bringing change, but it doesnt carry the nitrogen the forests need to fuel their prodigious growth rate. You get a double-whammy for the giant kelp. They get stressed because of heat and they get nutrient-starved and that combination is lethal, says Dr Thomas Wernberg from the University of Western Australia. [more] TIANJIN, China, Oct. 17, 2016 -- Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC"; NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981), one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world and the largest and most advanced foundry in mainland China, announces the laying of the foundation stone to mark the official launch of its capacity expansion project at SMIC's TianJin facility. After the project's completion, SMIC TianJin is expected to become the world's largest integrated 8-inch IC production line. SMIC TianJin is located in the Xiqing Economic Technological Development Area, Tianjin, and currently has a mature 8-inch IC production line with a capacity of 45,000 wafers/month. After completion of the expansion project, SMIC TianJin's capacity will reach 150,000 8-inch wafers/month. The project's progress and capacity arrangement will depend on customers' needs. The main product applications supported by the project include IoT related IC's, fingerprint identification, power management, mixed signal processing, and automotive electronics. The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, said: "The launch of capacity expansion of our 8-inch production line is another milestone in the history of SMIC TianJin. SMIC TianJin has long been running at full capacity, and this expansion will significantly ease the balance of demand and supply and provide more high-quality capacity to our clients. Moreover, SMIC's capacity distribution throughout mainland China will be further optimized." The TianJin Deputy Mayor, Mr. Shushan He, the Secretary of Xiqing Area, Mr. Xuewang Wang attended the ceremony. The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, and the CEO and Executive Director of SMIC, Dr. Tzu-Yin Chiu, together laid the foundation stone for the new project. About SMIC Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC"; NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981) is one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world and the largest and most advanced foundry in mainland China. SMIC provides integrated circuit (IC) foundry and technology services on process nodes from 0.35 micron to 28 nanometer. Headquartered in Shanghai, China, SMIC has an international manufacturing and service base. In China, SMIC has a 300mm wafer fabrication facility (fab) and a 200mm mega-fab in Shanghai; a 300mm mega-fab and a majority-owned 300mm fab for advanced nodes in Beijing; 200mm fabs in Tianjin and Shenzhen; and a majority-owned joint-venture 300mm bumping facility in Jiangyin; additionally, in Italy SMIC has a majority-owned 200mm fab. SMIC also has marketing and customer service offices in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Taiwan, and a representative office in Hong Kong. For more information, please visit www.smics.com. Flash Moscow will make a "symmetrical" response if Washington decides to impose new sanctions on Russia, a senior Russian diplomat said on Monday amid escalating tensions between the two powers over the Syria settlement. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (L) and US Secretary of State John Kerry give a joint press conference after a meeting on the situation in Syria at Lancaster House in London on October 16, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying that "no hostile actions against Russia will be left without a response." "I would like to remind that Moscow has warned more than once that the answer would not necessarily be tit-for-tat, but it will be symmetrical," Ryabkov said. On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the United States was considering new sanctions to pressure Russia in the search of a political settlement of the Syria crisis. Washington and its allies have slapped several rounds of sanctions on Russia in response to its takeover of Crimea and its involvement in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. In response, Moscow has banned food imports from countries that had applied sanctions against it following the U.S. moves. Here's Proof That Bigg Boss 10 Contestant Manoj Punjabi Is Not A Commoner! Reliance Communications has signed a non-binding agreement to sell a 51% stake in its tower unit to Canadian Brookfield Infrastructure Group. The deal includes an upfront cash payment of INR110 billion ($1.7 billion), with RCom confirming that it intends to use the income solely to reduce its debts. The companies have stated that the Indian operator will also enjoy 49 per cent future economic upside from the towers business, based on certain conditions. Assets will be transferred from Reliance Infratel to a special purpose company owned by Brookfield. RCom will continue as an anchor tenant on the tower assets as part of a long-term agreement. The deal requires various customary approvals along with other terms and conditions. RCom is Indias fourth largest operator, and its net debt is over five times its operating profit at $6.3 billion. The operators billionaire owner Anil Ambani has professed his goal of slashing the firms debt by 75% within the next year. Brookfield and RCom stated that they expect considerable growth in tenancies based on increasing 4G offerings by all operators, and the fast accelerating trends in data consumption, which are expected to contribute to significant growth in revenues and profitability for the towers business in the future, adding that consolidation of tower companies in India would further enhance growth and value creation in the future. Last year, RCom attempted to sell its tower assets to a consortium led by TPG Capital Management, signing a non-binding agreement. However, the deal didnt come to pass. Flash China on Tuesday voiced support for Iraq in fighting terrorism as Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced a major offensive to retake its second largest city, Mosul, from the Islamic State (IS) group. "China supports the Iraqi government's efforts to maintain national stability and fight terrorism. China hopes for national security and stability in Iraq at an early date," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing. Abadi pledged to rebuild Mosul and other towns and villages in Nineveh province after they were destroyed by the extremist IS militants, and vowed to bring stability to Mosul, which is located some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Mosul, the last major IS stronghold in Iraq, has been under IS control since June 2014. With this deal Nokia has become the largest supplier of 4G services for Bharti Airtel. After Huawei scored a three year managed services contract worth $220mn for telecom operator Vodafone, it is now Nokias turn to boast of a $230 million contract to update Airtels 4G network across India. With this deal Nokia has become the largest supplier of 4G services for Bharti Airtel. The Finnish communications company will be setting up 4G infrastructure for Bharti Airtel in nine circles across India including - Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rest of Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Kerala and UP East. This network expansion will provide the capacity, coverage and speed the company needs to meet the next wave of data demand in India, Sanjay Malik, India Head for Nokia, said in a statement. Responding to the same, Bharti Airtel stated, We are pleased to continue to leverage Nokias leading radio access technology and services expertise to expand 4G capacity and coverage and further increase the quality of service for subscribers. The deal value for this Nokia-Airtel partnership has not been disclosed officially, but sources told PTI that it is estimated to be around $230mn. Along with increasing Airtels 4G presence, Nokia will also be expanding the telecom operators 3G network in eight of the territories as part of this rollout and modernization of legacy 2G BTS. Avon Rubber, a manufacturer of rubber products to the defence, protection and dairy industries, announced that its finance director is to step down in November and that the financial year had concluded in line with its own expectations. Andre Lewis will step down on 30 November after overseeing preparation for the financial statements for the current financial year. He will be replaced by Paul Rayner in the interim on 1 December. Chairman David Evans said Lewis was a key member of the executive team during a period when the company had repositioned itself. His stewardship of the group's finances has placed it in a good position to take advantage of the many opportunities to continue its growth. Rayner had recently completed an interim assignment as chief financial officer at Liberty Living, a 1bn business owned by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Evans added: "Paul has significant expertise in managing and delivering organic business growth and extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions. He is therefore an ideal fit for Avon at this stage in its development." In a trading update, the company said its protection and defence business received a non-Department of Defence order for 15,000 mask systems in September, which will be delivered in the first quarter of the new financial year. In its dairy business, the company said the rise in the price of milk globally provides an encouraging backdrop to start the new financial year. The company, which described its balance sheet as "strong", finished the year with net cash of 2m compared to net debt of 13.2m at 30 September 2015 thanks to "good" operating cash flow. Shares in Avon Rubber were up 1% to 1,009.98p at 1245 BST. Cambria Africa announced a further improvement in its operating results for the year to 31 August on Tuesday, with its Payserv division achieving $5.4m in revenues, an increase of 7.8% year-on-year. Payserv's consolidated EBITDA for the year increased by 44.7% to $1.78m, while profit before tax increased by 85.7% to $1.43m. Excluding minority interests, EBITDA increased by 70.7% to $1.4m, while profit before tax increased by 197% to $1.1m - or 0.5 cents per share. Millchem reported positive cash flow from operations following a significant improvement in inventory and trade receivables management. The board said Millchem's EBITDA loss improved by 74% to a loss of $250,000, while its loss before tax improved by 72.5% to a loss of $280,000 - or 0.1 cents per share. Its reduction in losses was also attributable to the discontinuation of unprofitable operations in Malawi and Zambia. As a result of these closures, revenue decreased by 39.7% to $3.19m. Cambria's central costs, excluding non-recurring legal costs, decreased by 85.5% to $290,000, which the board said underscored the turnaround implemented under the company's new management. As a result of the repayment of the Nurture and Consilium loans, the company will achieve an estimated annual interest cost saving of $435,000 in the ensuing financial year from lower debt levels, the board said in its statement. The overall improvement in results is further demonstrated by the settlement of approximately $1m in debt using cash flow from operations. This, together with the continued financial support from Ventures Africa Limited, allowed the group to settle the Consilium and Nurture loans resulting in a significantly improved financial position. Digital advertising company Matomy Media Group announced on Tuesday that it has engaged RBC Capital Markets as its financial advisor to lead a review of strategic alternatives. The AIM-traded firm said the appointment forms part of a process initiated by the board in June, and the intention is that all opportunities for maximising shareholder value will be considered. Notwithstanding the recent progress against strategic milestones and the company's financial strength, the board determined it was appropriate at this juncture to evaluate all opportunities to maximise value for shareholders, it said in a statement. Subject to the conclusion of the strategic review, the board will continue to deliver demonstrable progress against its existing strategy and these strategic initiatives are expected to drive growth and build shareholder value. It said no decision has been made to enter into any transaction at this time, and there can be no assurance that the consideration of strategic alternatives will result in any transaction. There is no set timetable with respect to the strategic review, and the company does not expect to make further public comment regarding these matters unless and until the Board approves a specific action or otherwise concludes its review. The company said has also extended the scope of its existing corporate broking relationship with Canaccord Genuity Limited. Premier African Minerals Ltd has nabbed a 4.5% stake in Mauritius-based Casa Mining Ltd , which holds prospective gold mining and exploration licences in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Casa is the 71.25% owner and operator of the Misisi Gold Project, located in South Kivu, eastern DRC. Premier said it had raised 300,000 before costs and expenses through the issue of new shares at 0.32p each to fund the investment in Casa and for general working capital purposes. CEO George Roach said the investment in Casa secured exposure to an exciting gold project in a very prospective region. "The Akyanga deposit has a large and well defined resource base as well as the potential to be brought into production relatively quickly," Roach said in a statement. He said the scoping study potentially demonstrated a technically viable and economically robust project. "And, the plan to commence an exploration programme to validate the 3 million ounce potential target should generate significant value for the company," he said. "I am also delighted that our lender, Darwin, has consented to this investment which we believe provides excellent value at a time when investment demand in the gold sector is picking up." At about 10:49 BST, shares in Premier African were down 6.25% to 0.38p. Charles Scharf, chief executive of Visa Inc , is to step down from his position later this year, and he will be replaced by former American Express president Alfred Kelly. Scharf oversaw a successful period for the company which included the reunion with its European operations. In a letter to employees, he said that he wanted to spend more time with his family, who do not live in California. In an interview with Reuters, Kelly said that he does not envisage wholesale changes to the company during his tenure. "I don't come in here expecting to make a lot of big changes," adding that he "got a front row seat to the various opportunities" during his time serving on Visa's board. Kelly takes over at a troublesome time however, as Visa faces a tricky legal challenge along with Mastercard over an alleged attempt to fix credit card fees. It also faces another court challenge with Wal-Mart with regard to the use of PINs in the retailers stores. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has invited Russian president Vladimir Putin to Berlin this week in an attempt to come to an agreement over trouble in Ukraine. Tensions between Russia and the West are particularly fraught at the moment due to Russia's involvement in the Syria conflict, with many European leaders promising sanctions against Putin's government. Also invited to the meeting are French President Francois Hollande, and Ukraine President Petro Porshenko. Trouble broke out between Ukrainian forces and Russian backed separatists in 2014 after Russia's annexation of Crimea, with fighting continuing ever since. Merkel has spoken of her hope that the meeting will be able to cool tensions with Russia at a time when relations are at a long-time low. "The situation has become even more disastrous there and that is clearly because of Syrian and Russian air attacks which have hit helpless people, hospitals, doctors," Merkel said of Syria. Russia and Ukraine both have attributed responsibility to each other for the lack of progress in negotiations. US presidential candidate Donald Trump has once again criticised one of the main detractors from within his own Republican party, accusing House Speaker Paul Ryan of withdrawing his support because of his own presidential ambitions. Ryan, the GOP's highest elected official, has not yet officially backed out from Trump's campaign, but said he will not be defending him or actively campaigning any longer. In an interview with Good Morning America on Tuesday, Trump made the claim that Ryan wanted to run for the nomination in 2020 and that he would not want to face the New York businessman. He was asked by the interviewer whether he thought Ryan wanted him to win or not. "Well, maybe not, because maybe he wants to run in four years or maybe he doesn't know how to win," Trump said. "I mean, who can really know. But I know I'm in his territory and they are all screaming for Trump." Ryan changed his position after the furore which enveloped Trump following the release of a leaked tape which appeared to show the Republican nominee bragging about sexual misconduct. Trump has since responded in his own unique style, repeatedly attacking Ryan for "weak and ineffective" leadership via Twitter. Democrat Hillary Clinton appears to be building a sizeable lead in the majority of national polls ahead of the final televised debate on Wednesday. Bookmaker Paddy Power has already begun to pay out on a Clinton victory, confident that the tycoon's self-implosion has ended his chances of victory. FTSE 250 recruiter Hays reported growth in net fee income for the first quarter as a strong performance in Asia Pacific and Continental Europe & Rest of world offset declines in the UK and Ireland market. In the quarter to the end of September, total net fee income was up 17% on the year on a headline basis and 3% on a like-for-like basis. The company said the difference between actual and LFL growth was the result of the weakening of the pound versus the euro and the Australian dollar. RBC Capital Markets said net fee growth of 3% was slightly ahead of its forecast of 2.3% and consensus of 2%. Net fee income in Asia Pacific was up 5% on a LFL basis thanks to strong public sector activity and an acceleration in private sector growth. In Continental Europe & Rest of world, net fee income was up 13%, but the UK and Ireland saw a 10% decline as the company saw a step-down in permanent recruitment activity in the aftermath of the Brexit vote. Chief executive Alistair Cox said: We have started our new financial year well, with continued strength in our International businesses, including all-time records in Germany and France and an acceleration of growth in Australia. Our performance was again consistent and broad-based, as 28 of our 33 countries delivered year-on-year growth, 19 of which grew by over 10%). In the UK, following a step-down in Perm recruitment activity immediately after the referendum, the business stabilised, and followed the normal seasonal pattern through the remainder of the quarter. Looking ahead, Europe continues to deliver strong, broad-based growth and market conditions remain supportive in Australia and the Americas, where we continue to invest. At 0910 BST Hays shares were up 2.4% at 138.70p. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. Winbond SpiStack memories Winbond Electronics has announced an expansion of its flash product portfolio with the introduction of a family of stackable SpiFlash memory devices. The new SpiStack W25M Series is Winbond's first to allow the "stacking" of homogeneous or heterogeneous flash, thus achieving memories of varying densities for code and/or data storage, while providing designers with the flash solutions most appropriate for their design requirements. The Winbond SpiStack W25M series provides a wide range of densities in the well-established 8-pin package to which designers are accustomed. Additionally, W25M memories feature the popular, multi-IO SpiFlash interface and command set. SpiStack homogeneous memories are achieved by stacking SpiFlash dies. For example, two 256Mb dies combining to form a single SpiFlash 512Mb NOR memory in the industry-standard 8-pin 8x6mm WSON package. Winbond's stacked product, W25M512JV, is also available in the widely used 16-pin SOIC or 24-pad BGA packages and is sampling now. SpiStack heterogeneous memories call for the stacking of a NOR memory with a NAND die, such as a 64Mb SpiFlash NOR blended with a 1Gb Serial NAND die, which gives designers the flexibility to store code in the NOR die and data in the NAND memory. Winbond's SpiFlash memory devices are manufactured at the company's 12-inch wafer fabrication facility in Taichung, Taiwan. Columbus man convicted of aggravated murder in bar shooting A Franklin County jury convicted a Columbus man for killing one man and wounding another in a 2020 shooting at a Far East Side pub. Subscriber content preview The two segments will be part of the 1,000-mile Gateway West transmission line that will move electricity from Wyoming to points west. By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho Federal officials released a plan for two high-voltage transmission lines in southwestern Idaho that avoid sage grouse habitat and private land but cross about 9 miles of conservation area for raptors. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management released its final environmental impact statement earlier this month for the two segments of the Gateway West project proposed by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power. . . . Subscriber content preview NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) About 300 peaceful protesters marched to the Chinese embassy in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi to urge the Chinese government not to build a railway across the Nairobi National Park and surrounding areas. Kenya is redoing its railway line from Nairobi to the port city of Mombasa, and the line would cross over the park as it approaches the town of Naivasha, where the government wants to construct an industrial hub. . . . Jio is disruptive, but a viable investment model: Mukesh Ambani Reliance Jio is not a gamble, but a well thought out and well-engineered business, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Monday, even as he compared the denial of points of interconnection by incumbent telecom companies to Jio as something similar to meritorious students ''getting ragged'' by jealous students. Replying to a question on the justification of Rs1,50,000 crore investment in the telecom venture, Ambani said it is in fact a Rs2,50,000-crore business ecosystem and that it is worth all the money and investment. Reliance Jio follows an internet focused telecom business model where data is being offered at a discounted rate while voice calls come almost free of any charges. Jio offers high-speed 4G services with focus on data. "It is no punt. It is a well thought-out, well executed, well engineered ecosystem. It is a Rs 2,50,000 crore investment," Ambani said at 'Off the Cuff' show organised by The Print, a digital media outfit owned by senior journalists Shekhar Gupta and Barkha Dutt. Ambani said Jio, being a disruptive venture, had troubles with the regulator and the incumbents. "Yes we had troubles" and compared it to a bright student getting admission into prestigious institute on merit but getting ragged in the hostel for being meritorious. "You have to take it in the right spirit. There is a principal and there is an ecosystem so there is a governance system...I've no problem as long as I or Reliance get ragged, you are the big boys and you can take it but the consumer should not suffer and I think that is what Jio is doing." Ambani had, at the launch of Reliance Jio last month, said the company had invested Rs1,50,000 crore into his new venture. But that figure has increased to Rs2,50,000 crore. On the Reliance Jio initiative, Ambani said it was again conceived because of bad connectivity in the Ambani home. Ambani said the idea of a data-focused telecom venture struck him when his daughter Isha, back in India after her higher studies in Yale, US complained of the internet's connectivity problems across operators. I had "all" the available Internet options at home at the time, but none was dependable and realisation came that there was scope for disruption in this market. "You have to take it in the right spirit. There is a principal and there is an ecosystem so there is a governance system," Ambani said. "I've no problem as long as I or Reliance get ragged, you are the big boys and you can take it but the consumer should not suffer and I think that is what Jio is doing." On the philosophy behind Jio, Ambani said, the company must provide value to the consumers beyond just making money, adding that there is a duty to the shareholders to increase the stock value. However, he did not go into any details about how Reliance will accomplish this, and instead said, "as usual, we will prove the financial community wrong." "We will prove all (financial analysts) wrong, just watch our quarter by quarter results," he said. "I am in a fortunate position of pursuing my conviction, with a board to stand behind me." Financial markets have typically been wrong about technology companies, he pointed to the cases of Apple and Google. "We will prove all (financial analysts) wrong, just watch our quarter by quarter results," he said. "I am in a fortunate position of pursuing my conviction, with a board to stand behind me." In the digital world, individuals interact with servers and therefore are running and are being billed all the time compared with a call, which only starts to tick when both the caller and recipient come online. Ambani said, just as electricity increased muscular ability to move things mechanically, the digital transformation has brought the world to the brink of the ability to augment brain power. On the current Indian government Ambani said, "India was fortunate to have Narendra (Modi) Bhai's guidance." He said that the current rhetoric was swept with negativity and cynicism that "we owe to ourselves" to reverse. He further added that it has become nearly fashionable to be negative, but that was pulling the nation's youth's morale down. The government the moment is sticking with the right thing to do irrespective of who it affects, he said citing the example of retaining the Adhaar card initiative from the previous regime. Speaking on the ban on Pakistani artists in Indian films, Ambani said while he did not understand the politics around it, it was clear to him that "India is for Indians first." In a lighter vein he said that at 9PM in the evening he followed Arnab Goswami's news show and liked it.om German regulator bars Tesla from advertising Autopilot function German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt has told Tesla to stop advertising its electric vehicles offering an Autopilot function as this might suggest that the attention of the driver was not required, his ministry said on Sunday. According a spokeswoman for the ministry, who confirmed a report in the daily Bild am Sonntag (BamS), the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) had written to Tesla to make the request. Tesla's Autopilot had come under intense scrutiny after a Tesla Model S driver was killed while using the technology. ''It can be confirmed that a letter to Tesla exists with the request to no longer use the misleading term Autopilot for the driver assistance system of the car,'' she said in a written response to a query from Reuters. A Tesla spokeswoman pointed out that the Autopilot term, had been used in aerospace for decades. The term described system which operated in conjunction with a human driver. She further said Tesla had always made it clear to customers that the assistance system required drivers to be attentive at all times. ''Just as in an airplane, when used properly, Autopilot reduces driver workload and provides an added layer of safety when compared to purely manual driving,'' she said. The autopilot function has been in the news for all the wrong reasons after a Model S, in May, met with an accident killing the driver (See: Florida death puts big question-mark on Tesla autopilot). In September Tesla sought to address criticism about Autopilot by releasing an over-the-air update to improve its 3D model of the car's surroundings. The update included additional warnings to Autopilot if drivers were not paying attention, and if they failed to respond, the cruise control was switched off. In an added blow to the company, following the accident, Tesla's former sensor supplier Mobileye, in September, accused Tesla of ''pushing the envelope in terms of safety'' (Mobileye tried to block development of vision capability for cars: Tesla). SM Energy to buy assets in Texas for $1.6 bn and sell North Dakota assets for $785 mn US oil and natural gas company, SM Energy Co today struck two deals: to buy some assets in West Texas for about $1.6 billion and sell its assets in North Dakota for $785 million. The Denver, Colorado-based company is buying 35,700 net acres in Howard and Martin Counties in West Texas from QStar LLC, a portfolio company of EnCap Investments L.P, for $1.1 billion cash and 13.4 million of its shares. SM Energy is also selling its Williston Basin assets in North Dakota for $785 million to Oasis Petroleum Inc. The company plans to fund the majority of the $1.1 billion cash portion of the acquisition with the proceeds from the Williston Basin asset sale and the remainder through its revolving line of credit. The purchase of assets in Howard and Martin Counties will expand the SM Energy's Midland Basin footprint to approximately 82,450 net acres. The acquired acreage complements, and is partially contiguous to, the company's recently closed Howard County acreage acquisition and includes approximately 2,400 Boe per day net production. ''Our strategy is straight-forward, we intend to deliver growth in cash flow per debt-adjusted share by being a premier operator of top tier assets. We have established a position as an outstanding operator in the Midland Basin, and with this acquisition we also establish significant scale,'' said president and CEO of SM Energy, Jay Ottoson. Kelly's American Roadside Diner at the Mountain Top in Letterkenny has added yet another award to its already impressive list of accolades. The Letterkenny eaterie won the Best Family Restaurant 2016 award at an event hosted in Jacksons Hotel, Ballybofey on Friday night. Restaurant Manager, Leah McNulty, said that she and her team were extremely proud and thankful to be win the award. She said: We are extremely proud and most thankful to be awarded the prestigious "Best Family Restaurant 2016" at the Families First Annual Awards Ceremony." The diner's valued customers had nominated the restaurant for the award in early Spring this year. This was followed by a judging process carried out by mystery auditors and online votes collectively and they ranked Kelly's American Diner the 'Best Family Restaurant in the North and West of Ireland'. The award which was presented on Friday night is a celebration of the exceptional service and unbeatable value the restaurant demonstrates and is recognised throughout Northern Ireland and right along the west coast to Galway, Ms. Mc Nulty said. The owner of the American Diner, Mairtin Kelly said: "Kelly's American Diner caters for every budget and boasts an extensive menu, including our famous Steak Saturday's and ever-popular early bird breakfast. The massive menu of milkshakes and slushies offering over twenty four different flavours, the introduction of the 'Heavenly Zone' menu earlier this year along with complimentary dvd players, unlimited juice and ice cream with all kids meal deals sets the restaurant apart as an exceptional experience for the whole family." In addition to the "Best Family Restaurant 2016" award, the team at Kelly's is this week being presented with their "Customer Service Excellence" award. This award is testament to the teams dedication to excellence where they ensure customer service and delicious food is placed at the forefront of their proposition, Ms. McNulty said. After picking up the Families First "Best Family Restaurant 2016" Award at Jackson's Hotel, Manager Leah McNulty said: "We are extremely excited and delighted by this honour, to be recognised as the best is so humbling. I would like to congratulate the Kelly's American Diner team for this award and also take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to all our loyal customers for the nominations and votes. We look forward to continue to provide the best experience and fresh wholesome food at affordable prices to you all into 2017." She added that as a mark of gratitude to all their customers, Kellys American Diner are offering free kids meals to all under-10s this Sunday, October 23rd. Kelly's staff are looking forward to seeing you then. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. The Glenties Municipal District cathaoirleach has praised the local community for the tone of their campaign to oppose the proposed siting of oyster farms at Keadue Strand and Cruit Strand. A local group, Save Our Strands, formed to oppose two separate applications submitted for oyster farms at the Rosses strands. Members of the group had emphasised that they did not oppose oyster farms, but they believed those locations were not appropriate because the scenic strands are well used by local people and tourists. Last week, the applicant for the Keadue proposal withdrew his application. The application for the Cruit project still stands. Sinn Fein Cllr. Marie Therese Gallagher, Glenties Municipal District cathaoirleach, said she had never seen anything like the response to the campaign, which had been running for less than a fortnight, after public notices for the projects appeared in local newspapers. There was a strong local response, with several well-attended meetings after the plans became public. Theyre a credit to themselves and their community, she said, also crediting SOS for the respectful manner in which they conducted the campaign. And they got the message across that they were not anti-oyster farm, and that was a credit to them, she said. It was all about the value of the strands as an amenity for local residents and not against aquaculture, she said. Declan McHugh of Sweeney McHugh Solicitors, Dungloe last week issued a statement on behalf of Manus Bonner of Belcruit, Kincasslagh, saying Mr. Bonner was withdrawing his application for Keadue. The statement said, in part, It was never our clients intention, nor that of his family, to create any hostility or contention with his neighbours or the people who regularly use Keadue Strand. While our client does not fully concur with the impact that the proposed venture would have on the Keadue Strand, having spent much time and resources planning the application, he has fully accepted the concerns raised by the local people and the submissions that have been lodged in opposition to the application. The department confirmed on Friday that they regard the Keadue application as withdrawn. A different application proposes a 12.5-hectare project in Kincasslagh Bay at Cruit Strand. The applicant is Benedetta M.C. Cazzamali of County Cork. Deadline for submissions to the department on that application is Monday, Oct. 17th. The 109th Infantry Battalion, which has been training at Finner Camp, will take to the streets of Donegal Town next Monday head of their six month deployment to Lebanon next month. Minister for Defence, Paul Kehoe, TD will be on hand to review the troops on this, the first time that personnel from Finner have marked their departure to Lebanon by such a march in Donegal Town. Among the 336 personnel are 59 members of the 28th Infantry Battalion, which is based at Finner and is the largest unit in the battalion. The 109th was formed last month, with its headquarters based at Finner Camp, and the unit has undertaken extensive training here in Donegal as well as at Gormanstown Camp in Co. Meath and the Glen of Imaal in Co. Wicklow. Members of the Infantry, Military Police, Cavalry, CIS, Engineers, Ordnance, Artillery, Transport & Medical Corps, Air Corps and the Naval Service are all represented in the battalion, which also includes 21 female personnel. In south Lebanon, the troops will serve as part of UNIFIL (United Nation Interim Force In Lebanon), assuming the lead of IRISHFINBATT, which also includes a company of Finnish soldiers, and a platoon of Estonian troops. Together, they will man observation posts along the Blue Line near the Zone of Separation. The Blue Line, or line of withdrawal, to call it by its proper name, was established in 2,000 to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and UNIFIL have been on the ground there for the last ten years. The 109th Infantry Battalion will assemble and parade at The Quay car park, Donegal Town at 1.30pm , where the Minister for Defence will review and address the troops. They will then parade through the town and on to the St John Bosco Centre. 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. A Rwandan man found unresponsive in his apartment in Dundalk died from carbon monoxide poisoning apparently from a gas heater he had only recently bought, an inquest heard last Thursday. The hearing was also told it that a carbon monoxide alarm was found on the window sill outside the flat where 37 year old Jean Pierre Gasore had been living. The inquest was told that colleague of the deceased man, had called to his home at Seatown Place at 8am on November 26th last year, as they were due to do a leaflet drop that morning. He knocked on the door but got no answer, but the light was on, and when he opened the door, he saw his colleague sitting on the couch. He tried to wake him but was unable to. The hearing was told Mr. Gasores body was warm and the gas heater at his feet was on. A carbon monoxide alarm was found on the window sill outside, switched off, and Louth County Coroner Ronan Maguire said it looked like the gas heater, which was made in 1984, had been bought the day before and it appeared that after the alarm went off, it had been put outside the window. An employee of Gas Networks Ireland found a high level of carbon monoxide in the room, which had been ventilated by fire service personnel Toxicology tests found the level of carbon monoxide in the blood was 53 per cent, and Pathologist Dr. John Ryan said theres no doubt it was a lethal level. A report from an engineer who examined the gas heater found that as the heater was still lit and had cut out at 150 parts per million, there could not have been a carbon monoxide concentration of above 20% in the room However, Dr. Ryan said there was no doubt the cause of death was carbon monoxide poising at 53% and as far as he was aware there was no other source. The Coroner returned a verdict of accidental death. Very small businesses in Australia are not typically bullish when it comes to growth and they are content with their size, according to new research from SMB tech provider GoDaddy. Modest ambitions, however, werent a sign of meekness; rather, GoDaddy found many operators are driven by flexible lifestyle not profits and would get back on the horse if a business failed. GoDaddy surveyed 500 small business owners from Australia as part of a larger global study undertaken with Morar Consulting. Detailed below are some of the key insights about small business owners in Australia, who were asked questions about their aspirations, the impact of technology and awareness of government and industry support available. Motivations Flexibility focused: more than half (54%) started their business to work flexibly, not earn more. Desire to stay small: more than half (51%) said their ideal business size is five workers or less while only one in ten (8%) anticipate 50% growth in next 3 to 5 years. Socially-responsible: three in five (59%) would accept profits to ensure their business was environmentally sustainable. Resilient, undeterred: two in five 44% would try again if their business failed. Locally minded: four in five (81%) dont think it is overseas expansion is necessary for success. Tara Commerford, Country Manager, GoDaddy ANZ, suggested to Dynamic Business that small business owners are content with generating repeat business from a smaller customer base due to a desire to lead a lifestyle-oriented career that affords flexibility and isnt unwieldly. Compared with their peers in the Asia Pacific, Australias small business owners differ in their motivations, Commerford said In Singapore, Hong Kong and China, for instance, its a very different story: owners tended to be motivated by status, prestige and profitability, rather than lifestyle. Similarly, only 8% of small businesses anticipate growth of 50% more in the next 4 to 5 years, compared with 75% of small businesses globally, which feeds into the diea that their approach to growth is less bullish. Support A majority (85%) do not use any of the governments SMB/start-up initiatives. Two in three (67%) are not aware of the potential impact of the governments newly-introduced National Innovation and Science Agenda on their business. SMB owners believe more Government backing (34%) and industry collaboration (32%) will shift our entrepreneurship culture forward. Commerford told Dynamic Business, Small business owners in Australia are not taking full advantage of industry and government initiatives, whether thats because they lack awareness of the support available, dont believe the support is relevant to their business or and this speaks to their resilience and resourcefulness they believe they can go it alone. In any event, more needs to be done to raise awareness of and educate the small business community about the industry and government support available, such as the Incubator Support initiative, tax breaks and programs that help businesses commercialise their ideas. Technology Tech advocates: 67% said technology has made it easier to become an entrepreneur and nearly half believe stronger tech infrastructure will shift Australias entrepreneurship culture forward. Tech savvy: 65% manage tech themselves while 15% outsource to a friend. Only 14% outsource to a company or web professional. Tool of choice: Websites ranked more highly (31%) than social media (18%) in terms of online tools are that are valued as critical platforms to drive online awareness. Commerford commented, Digital technology makes it easier and more cost-effective to extend any successful business idea to new markets without compromising on flexibility and maintaining the operating principles they value. Moving forward with climate change action in Morocco this November After close to 200 countries signed up to a historic Climate Agreement in Paris at the end of 2015, the focus this year is firmly on the follow-up meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco in November, the 22nd Conference of the Parties, or COP22. Last years Paris Agreement was a statement of collective determination to make real progress in what had been an elusive search for global consensus in battling climate change. In Paris parties agreed to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius. This remains a challenging task, as it means that industrialised countries will need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by mid-century and become carbon-neutral thereafter. And climate change will continue, so adaptation will grow as well. Both climate change mitigation and adaptation will need climate finance investments. If 2015 was about the principle that finally something had to be done, 2016 is about how to achieve this new set of ambitious environmental goals and make them a concrete reality. The EBRD took part in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, COP22, in Marrakesh, Morocco. More videos COP22 is currently referenced as the implementation COP, explained Jan-Willem van de Ven, Associate Director and Head of Carbon Market Development at the EBRDs Energy Efficiency and Climate Change department, who is coordinating the Banks work at the meeting. This years Marrakesh session, from 7-18 November, wont be just for diplomats and political leaders. Morocco will host a simultaneous meeting for engineers, researchers, scientists, and policy-makers to devise actionable pathways for meeting the goals of the treaty. 2016 has already been dubbed the Year of Green Finance, with a spotlight on how to deliver the trillions of dollars worth of investments needed to make a decisive difference on global warming. Now when the 2015 Paris Agreement ratification threshold has been reached, the priorities this November will be strengthening the steps to deal with both climate change itself and its effects, so-called climate change mitigation and adaptation. A key focus for negotiators will be to further develop the regulations and decisions to implement the Paris Agreement. As an example, in Paris it was agreed to schedule every five years a global stock-take that would help countries determine how to increase and accelerate their emission reduction targets. The rules and procedures on monitoring these processes are yet to be agreed. Due to the complexity of issues and number of parties involved these will remain slow negotiations, but the process is moving forward. Ways will be sought to support individual countries in translating into action their climate pledges as per their National Determined Contributions (NDCs) through capacity building, technology transfer and climate finance. The responses will be strengthened by developing collaborative initiatives and there will be sessions on how to mobilise the finance, technology and skills to deliver the climate goals. The EBRD through its new Green Economy Transition (GET) approach, an initiative that places even more emphasis on climate finance stands ready to support the countries where it works in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. By 2020, the EBRD aims to be dedicating 40 per cent of its annual investments to green economy projects, doubling the pace of financing in this sector compared with the last five years. As in 2015, the EBRD will play an active role in the COP22 conference and it is organising a number of events itself as well as participating in other meetings. The planned EBRD-led activities will focus on capacity building in relation to the NDCs, energy efficiency, carbon market policies, adaptation and technology transfer. As this COP is in Morocco, an EBRD country of operations, the Bank will profile its work in the country and the region. As part of the climate finance day organised around COP22, the Bank will showcase the Morocco Sustainable Energy Financing Facility. Through SEFFs, the EBRD indirectly lends to local banks for on-lending for energy efficiency and small-scale renewable energy projects. Moroccos MorSEFF has been extended to two commercial banks in Morocco, BMCE and BCP. EBRD supports investment with 6.2 million loan The Italian cable and wires manufacturer La Triveneta Cavi has inaugurated a new factory in Moldova's Straseni industrial park, following a 24 million investment supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Moldovas Prime Minister Pavel Filip said at the opening ceremony: We have been trying to draw the attention of the international business community to Moldova, talking about the advantages and disadvantages of our economy, and stressing the opportunities and reforms. These and many other measures we are taking on a daily basis have a single goal to attract more investors, local and foreign, to generate more employment. My government wants to be a partner for the private sector, creating jobs and prosperity for citizens. Ultimately these efforts culminate in significant occasions such as the one today. The new factory will produce low- and middle-voltage electrical cables for use in buildings, industrial processes, power distribution, telecommunications and data transmission. The planned output capacity is 12,000 tonnes per year. The factory will initially employ 49 people, with a planned expansion of the workforce to above 200 employees. Fabio Fracasso, General Manager and member of the Board of Directors of La Triveneta Cavi, said: This is a first achievement which will start a virtuous circle of employment, which means more work, more production, more markets as well as an increase in turnover. Founded in 1965, La Triveneta Cavi has become one of the major players in the European market for low- and medium-voltage cables for industrial and home use, power distribution and renewable technologies. The companys expansion to Moldova is the first time La Triveneta Cavi is investing outside Italy. To support the expansion, the EBRD extended a 6.2 million loan to the Moldovan subsidiary of La Triveneta Cavi in June 2015. Dimitri Gvindadze, Head of the EBRD office in Chisinau, added: The EBRD is pleased to have played a role in supporting La Triveneta Cavis investment in Moldova. The Bank remains committed to supporting foreign investors creating local jobs and bringing new skills, technologies and innovation to the country. Such investments enhance employment opportunities, strengthen economic resilience and anchor Moldova in regional logistical and supply chains. This loan to La Triveneta Cavi is the EBRDs third investment in Moldovas cable sector. The Bank has previously financed the expansion of the German automotive component supplier Draexlmaier and the construction of a greenfield plant by the Austrian automotive cables manufacturer Gebauer & Griller, both located in the Free Economic Zone of Balti, the countrys second largest city. The EBRD is the largest institutional investor in Moldova with over 1.1 billion of cumulative investment in over 110 projects in agribusiness, energy, the financial sector, infrastructure and manufacturing. The EBRDs strategic plan for the countries where it invests for the period 2016-18 has three priorities: strengthening economic resilience, addressing global challenges and supporting regional integration. There are a lot of recriminations being aimed at the Republican Party these days about allowing a narcissistic, sexist bigot to be their presidential nominee. But there was little they could do once Trump began his march toward the primary. After spending decades laying the groundwork for his faux populist candidacy, demonizing liberals, Democrats, immigrants, women, and all the other groups Trump continues to malign (including Hillary Clinton, of course), they ended up with a candidate who exploited their years-long efforts to his own benefit. And, unlike Democrats, Republicans dont have anything similar to the Democrats super delegates to step in and save them from the stupidity of their voters. So they are stuck with a candidate who is going down and taking the entire party with him. To use my favorite mixed metaphor, they have hitched their horses to a sinking ship. I think you can all but count on something like super delegates being created by the GOP after the election to help them save their party in the future. Here in Michigan, the Michigan Republican Party claimed to have no way to rid themselves of the odious Dave Agema who held his spot on the Republican National Committee even after his xenophobia and racism stained them with its rancid filth. Their rules simply didnt allow them to shake him off like a dog shakes off fleas. And now we have further evidence that the MRPs own rules are creating civil war inside the state party. Yesterday MRP Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel ousted tea party activist Wendy Day from her position as grassroots vice chair: The Michigan Republican Party ousted one of its state leaders Monday for her refusal to support presidential candidate Donald Trump, in a move that shone a brighter spotlight on party divisions over the controversial nominee. Late Monday, party Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel removed tea party activist Wendy Day of Howell as grassroots vice chair, a party officer post she was elected to at a state convention last year. Day, a Michigan leader of Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs presidential campaign, has refused to back Trump and has criticized him in media interviews. Upon seeking advice from our legal counsel, and recognizing that our Grassroots Vice Chair is unable to fulfill the duties of her office, I am declaring the position vacant, McDaniel said in an e-mail to state committee members. The MRPs choice of Wendy Day was always fraught with a certain amount of peril. She has quite a history. Heres what I wrote about her earlier this year: Wendy Day [is] a Howell-based tea partier who is best known, at least to me, as the woman claimed, after failing to derail the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in Michigan with a ballot initiative petition drve, that We didnt fail. We just didnt succeed enough. Day has a long history of failures. She was elected to the Howell Board of Education while she was homeschooling her own kids. She was busted for blogging about the school board during meetings, supported efforts to have others on the Board recalled, and was widely reviled for her efforts to throw sand in the gears of a school system. In 2014, Day ran for State Representative with the support of the Koch brothers front group Americans For Prosperity but never made it past the GOP primary. Last June, the campaign of Texas tea party Senator Ted Cruz picked her to head up his campaign in Michigan, a campaign that fizzled out by late spring of this year. The firing Day from her position shows very plainly that the GOPs efforts to reach across the divide to embrace the tea party activists who threatened to take over their party did nothing to truly assimilate them. While a large number of Trumps supporters are very likely tea partiers to begin with, Day is such a purist that when her choice of a tea party leader like Cruz did not receive the nomination, she had no interest in falling in line. Itll be interesting to see what rises from the ashes of the Republican civil war that Trump has created or at least exacerbated. Will the Republicans who dont see compromise as an anathema find a way back to power? Will the tea partiers finally take them over entirely? Will corporatists exploit the division and rush in to fill the vacuum, armed with bank accounts full of corporate cash? Or will the white nationalist wing of the party rise to the top and usurp the part once and for all? Unless the grownups remaining in the Republican Party can somehow take back the reins of power, its hard to see them remaining relevant for too many more election cycles. McLaren Technology Group, which manufactures Formula One and luxury supercars, last week denied rumors that it was engaging in discussions with Apple regarding a possible purchase or strategic investment. Apple has been pursing a highly secretive project to develop its own venture in the electric and autonomous vehicle space, code-named Project Titan, and it recently entered negotiations with McLaren on a potential deal, according to The Financial Times. We can confirm that McLaren is not in talks with Apple in respect of any investment or acquisition, spokesperson Wayne Bruce told the E-Commerce Times. When we asked specifically if Apple had approached the company about a potential deal, Bruce responded, Such is the nature of our business that a variety of different companies have confidential discussions with us and must remain so. Led by CEO Ron Dennis, McLaren is known in the industry as a long-standing innovator in the European racing and luxury performance car circuits. It built the 12C and 12C Spider and the McLaren P1, and it is known for using lightweight carbon fiber materials that give its vehicles a unique combination of speed and durability. The company is pursuing its own strategy of autonomous vehicle technology, Bruce said, confirming earlier reports that its focus was on adding autonomous safety features to its line of performance cars. Apple Retools Such a tie-up could make sense for Apple, given its history of failed negotiations and its desire to kick-start its car development project to catch up with rivals Tesla and Google, among others. Having McLaren by their side would give [Apple] a unique position in the automotive arena, a step above what Tesla, Faraday Future and Karma automotive have in mind for their future losses, said Vishwas Shankar, mobility research manager at Frost & Sullivan. Apple, after many failed talks with German OEMs, needs a partner with global appeal, he told the E-Commerce Times. McLaren has a number of proprietary patents related to its proficiency in race technology, high-tech medical devices and research, Kelley Blue Book analyst Michael Harley told the E-Commerce Times. Second Front Apple also has entered talks to buy startup Lit Motors, which has developed an electric self-balancing motorcycle, according to a New York Times story following up on the FT report. The Times piece cites three anonymous sources. Lit Motors C-1 is actually a two-wheeled, electric-powered vehicle that looks like a miniature car, with a windshield, roof and doors, and steering wheel. Otherwise, it has features similar to a motorbike or scooter. It uses two gyroscopes to keep it upright, and it uses a steer-by-wire system with sensors. Several former engineers from Lit Motors currently work for Apple, according to the Times report. The rumors come at a critical time for Apple. Its autonomous vehicle project earlier this month suffered a partial closure with layoffs of dozens of employees, according to the NYT. The company this summer lost a key executive, Bart Nabbe, to startup Faraday Future. A feeding frenzy is developing, with major tech companies maneuvering to snap up resources that will help them win the race to dominate the autonomous vehicle business, suggested Steven Polzin, director of mobility policy research at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida. Its interesting how the players are being pretty aggressive to stakeout collaborations and partnerships, and nobody wanting to be left out, he told the E-Commerce Times, but its not clear how well thought through some of their relationships are. Perhaps still reeling from whats widely viewed as the bruising he took in a debate watched by more than 80 million people on TV earlier this week countless more online Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday opened a campaign rally with a previously discredited attack. Trump began his speech at the Waukesha, Wisconsin, event by touting an online Google poll that showed him up two points nationwide but then followed that by saying Googles search engine was biased in favor of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Google was manipulating search results to suppress negative stories about her, Trump claimed. Trump did not elaborate on the basis for his accusation or indicate whether his campaign had made any formal complaint about the issue. Campaign officials did not respond to our request for further details. Debunked Conspiracy Theory The allegation echoes a conspiracy theory that surfaced after Clinton clinched the Democratic nomination earlier this year. In brief, it accuses Google of meddling with its autocomplete algorithm to prevent negative results from turning up in response to searches of Hillary Clintons name. However, Googles autocomplete feature is designed to avoid completing name searches with offensive or inappropriate material regardless of who is the subject of the search, explained Tamar Yehoshua, vice president of product management for Google Search, in a post published in response to those charges. Autocompletion is not an exact science, and the output of prediction algorithms depends in part on the popularity and freshness of search terms, Yehoshua wrote. Those making the accusations had suggested there was a conspiracy between the Clinton campaign and Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google parent Alphabet and a supporter of President Obama. A Google spokeperson declined to comment on Trumps Wednesday remark but pointed to the companys earlier denials of bias and its explanation of the autocomplete feature. Clinton campaign officials did not respond to our request to comment for this story. Difficult to Pin Down Trumps accusation is so vague, it is hard to say just what we are talking about, let alone whether it has any merit, Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at the Poynter Institute, told the E-Commerce Times. It is unlikely that an outside party can predict with any degree of accuracy whether Googles algorithms are biased one way or the other, suggested Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at Tirias Research. Googles news aggregation service also is based on algorithms, as are a great many online information services. Its impossible to make a definitive analysis of whether Googles news feed has a bias against Donald Trump, Krewell told the E-Commerce Times, but Googles news feed is based on an algorithm which likely weighs the relative importance of the sources. The news algorithm, therefore, would favor widely read sources and more reliable sources over smaller, less established niche sites. Facebook Brouhaha A controversy over Facebooks alleged algorithm-tampering erupted earlier this year, following publication of an inside story accusing staff of manipulating its Trending Topics. Human team members were curating the feed, according to the report, downplaying certain information that came from politically conservative outlets. The company conducted an internal investigation and found no systematic effort to manipulate trending topics. However, after sitting down with a group of conservatives, including media pundits and officials, CEO Mark Zuckerbergagreed to make several changes in how it compiled the Trending Topics. For example, Facebook ended the policy of relying on outside websites or news outlets to determine whether stories were worthy of inclusion. 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Marco Rubio requesting a meeting with the presidential candidate to talk about the climate change risk facing the states communities. The mayors underscore the economic burden of climate change in South Florida, urging Rubio to acknowledge the reality and urgency of climate change and to address the crisis it presents our communities. It will likely be difficult to get Rubio, who has cast his lot with the anti-science climate deniers, to seriously discuss this issue with the mayors. Photo credit: Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock Anyone who thinks that the topic of climate change is a partisan issue is not focused on the reality which we as public officials and citizens are dealing with. This is a crisis that grows day by day, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado said, asking Rubio to help us face and tackle this urgent issueand the risks associated with itso we may deal with it head-on. Several recent studies project the total rise of global sea level caused by climate change will be as much as 6.5 feet during the 21st century. Experts say there is no practical way to protect some populated coastal areas and barrier islands, including Brooklyn, Long Island and the coasts of Texas and Florida. According to a 2015 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy Sciences, Miami is one of dozens of U.S. coastal cities in the U.S. that may be submerged by 2025. Geology.com has created an interactive map showing areas of Florida that would be flooded at various stages of sea level rise. The red areas in the map indicate regions of the southeastern U.S. that would be below sea level for regionally uniform rises of one, two, four and eight meters, respectively. Photo credit: NOAA Theres a great economic opportunity for this country to innovate in clean energy and technology to respond to climate change, but were not taking it, Coral Gables Mayor Jim Cason said. Meanwhile in South Florida, we have billions of dollars and millions of lives at risk. This shouldnt be a political issue. Its about assessing reality and acting accordingly. The risk to lives and livelihoods is clear. The mayors sentiment echoes that of the Florida Oceans and Coastal Council, which stated in its 2010 report, Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise in Florida: It is widely accepted that human activities can impact global climate patterns. While there are legitimate disagreements among scientists on the nature, magnitude and impact of these changes, the potential risks to Floridas natural resources and our economy compel us to seek a thorough understanding of possible impacts and to provide current and future generations with the information necessary to adjust to them. It will likely be difficult to get Rubio, who has cast his lot with the anti-science climate deniers, to seriously discuss this issue with the mayors. In April of last year, he told Face the Nation: Humans are not responsible for climate change in the way some of these people out there are trying to make us believe, for the following reason: I believe the climate is changing because theres never been a moment where the climate is not changing. The question is, what percentage of that is due to human activity? If we do the things they want us to do, cap-and-trade, you name it, how much will that change the pace of climate change versus how much will that cost to our economy? Scientists cant tell us what impact it would have on reversing these changes, but I can tell you with certainty, it would have a devastating impact on our economy. When he was a state legislator, Sen. Rubio recognized that cutting carbon emissions would create economic opportunities and protect Florida from the worst effects of climate change, Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner said. After all, during his tenure in the state house he saw Florida hit by dozens of hurricanes and suffer billions in damages. But even though extreme storms and sea level rise are both expected to get worse, hes now saying theres nothing we can do. Running for president shouldnt mean running away from your community. The bipartisan group of 15 signatories also includes Jack Seiler, mayor of Fort Lauderdale and Jeri Muoio, mayor of West Palm Beach and represents more than 920,000 South Florida residents. The letter was sent to Rubios campaign offices on Jan. 21, with a similar letter sent to the campaign office of Gov. Jeb Bush. Neither candidate has so far responded to the requests. We know that climate change will be a disaster for South Florida, but the speed and scale of the disaster will depend on how quickly we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard said. We are doing what we can at the local level, but the big changes have to come from our elected leaders at the national level. We are still waiting to see that thoughtful leadership from Sen.Rubio, but to our considerable dismay, he is running in the exact wrong direction, proposing new ways to thwart the Clean Power Plan. The letter was organized as a joint initiative of ClimateTruth.org, a climate advocacy organization and the CLEO Institute, a Miami-based not-for-profit organization advancing climate literacy and civic engagement. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE The Role of Direct Action in the Battle to Slow Climate Change Doomsday Clock Stays at Three Minutes to Midnight: At the Brink of Man-Made Apocalypse Josh Fox: We Are Not drowning, We Are Fighting Robert Redford Speaks on Climate Change and #OscarsSoWhite From Sundance Solar energy currently represents a relatively small fragment of the global energy economy, yet its gaining in popularity, largely thanks to the falling prices of solar panel installation , combined with a growing desire among homeowners to reduce their utility bills and their carbon footprints. There are nuclear fusion reactions happening in the suns core all the time, producing huge amounts of energy that radiate out into space in the form of light and heat. Large quantities of this solar radiation ultimately reach Earths surface. Solar power can be collected via a technology called photovoltaics, then it will change sunlight directly into electricity that can be used to supply power to a home or a business. Generally, solar power works by converting energy from the sun into power. It might surprise you to learn that, during any given hour, the Earth receives enough solar energy that it could theoretically fulfill the entire planets energy needs for one full year . But where does all this solar power actually come from? Well, keep in mind that the sun is a star, and like any other star, its basically one big nuclear reactor. Lets begin with a general overview of solar power. The sun provides us with natural light during the day. In doing so, it sends individual particles of sunlight, known as photons, to the Earth. Each photon contains energy, and that energy fuels the Earth in various ways. Though in recent years other solar companies have started to offer similar guarantees, ADT Solar has been at it since 2008, performing over 30,000 installations across the country. This is what ADT Solar refers to the manufacturer warranty as, and it ensures that any manufacturing defects are repaired or your ineffective panels replaced. This covers any issues with the installation of your system and is also known as a workmanship warranty. Also known as a performance guarantee, this ensures your solar system will produce the amount of electricity thats outlined in your proposal, or ADT will write you a check for the difference. Its warranty coverage includes all of the following for 25 years: ADT Solar sets the industry standard for warranty coverage by including a multifaceted guarantee, making it one of the top installers for homeowners who want added peace of mind. In contrast, other installers can only offer similar financing through solar leases, PPAs or third-party providers (such as Mosaic or Sunlight). Third-party loan providers can complicate the process, while opting for a loan or PPA will disqualify you from some of solars biggest benefits (additional property value, federal solar tax credit and local solar incentives). Eligible homeowners enjoy 18 months of solar power before having to pay their first bill. When coupled with the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC), the initial energy savings can offset more than a third of the overall cost of a system before requiring a dollar down. For that reason, Blue Raven Solar developed an innovative solar financing plan that offers in-house, flexible, zero-money-down options. The results speak for themselves, as Blue Raven Solar is now one of the fastest-growing solar companies in the nation and was recently acquired by SunPower. Its BluePower Plus+ plan (exclusive to Blue Raven) mimics the flexible structure of a lease while still providing the greatest benefits of owning your system. We like Blue Raven Solar because it understands that, for most homeowners, the cost of solar presents the biggest barrier to entry. SunPowers biggest downside? Its high-efficiency panels are considerably more expensive than most of its competitors products. However, its powerful panels are workhorses that make up for the initial cost with more backend production (think about this like spending more money for a car that gets more miles per gallon). If that werent enough, SunPower systems come packaged with products all manufactured in-house by its sister company, Maxeon. This means that your panels, solar cells, inverters, battery and EV chargers are designed to work together and are all covered under the same warranty. SunPower earns its position as the top national installer on our list for a handful of reasons: It installs the most efficient solar technology on the residential market, offers the most expansive service area and backs its installations with a warranty well above the industry standard. All the while, SunPower pioneers sustainability efforts within the industry. SunPower designs and installs industry-leading residential solar and storage solutions across all 50 states. With a storied history of innovation dating back to 1985, no other company on this list can match SunPowers experience and expertise. Using Solar Power Now lets take a closer look at solar technologies and the process of harvesting and using energy from the sun. We already mentioned photovoltaics, which represents the most common method of harvesting solar energy. This approach is generally used for small-scale applications, such as portable solar generators or residential solar systems. Another option, called solar thermal capture, is typically better suited to produce solar electricity on a larger scale. Heres a quick breakdown of these two basic options for harvesting solar energy. Harvesting Energy With Photovoltaics This is the method youre more likely to be familiar with, as it describes the way solar energy is harvested in residential settings. By installing solar energy systems made with photovoltaic cells, or PV cells, homeowners can collect energy from the sun, using solar panels positioned on their roofs that convert sunlight into energy. An inverter turns that solar energy into an electrical current, which can be used to power household systems, appliances and connected devices. With some photovoltaic systems, any surplus electricity is funneled back into the power grid, resulting in a credit from the utility company; in turn, if the PV system does not create enough solar electricity to power the home, the homeowner may draw power from the main utility grid. By contrast, some PV systems come equipped with a solar panel battery bank, which means surplus energy can be stored and used at a later date. There are a few types of solar panels, but most residential ones use whats known as the photovoltaic effect. This process allows them to convert raw solar power into usable energy. Heres a rough breakdown of how solar panels work: The suns rays hit a semiconductor within a solar panel (usually made of silicon), which releases electrons. These electrons move through a conductor to produce an electric current. The current produced by these wires is known as direct current, or DC; your house requires alternating current, or AC electricity. A component known as a solar inverter turns the DC power into AC power. AC power is then fed into the primary circuit board, meaning it can power any of the outlets or connected appliances in the home. Surplus solar electricity may be stored in a battery to be used when the sun isnt shining directly on the panels. This is a basic description of how solar electricity works in a residential setting, enabling homeowners to control their electricity generation. The benefit is that you can reduce or even eliminate your reliance on utility companies, and thus, your monthly utility bills. Even more impactful, it allows you to lessen your reliance on fossil fuels and municipal power plants, which cuts down on environmental pollution. But first, if youre interested in speaking with a solar company to have solar installed on your house, click one of the buttons below to be connected for a free quote. Harvesting Energy With Solar Thermal Another option for harvesting solar energy is to directly capture heat from the suns radiation. The solar thermal method actually has a much broader range of uses than the photovoltaic process. With that said, its not nearly as practical or as feasible to use the solar thermal method on a small scale, which is why residential solar systems use the PV method. There are three main kinds of solar thermal energy used in industry: Low-temperature solar thermal energy is used to heat and cool the air. Mid-temperature is used specifically for heating water. High-temperature is used for generating electrical power. So, to flesh those out a bit more: Low-temperature solar thermal methods are primarily used to heat or to cool the air, as a means of climate control like space heating or air conditioning. Mid-temperature solar thermal methods capture the suns energy and transfer it to pipes, heating the water those pipes contain. High-temperature solar thermal is used to generate electricity on a larger scale, such as in an electrical plant. This process actually revolves around a series of mirrors, which are positioned to catch the sunlight and reflect it onto a series of tubes. These tubes contain liquids that are effective in capturing and holding heat energy. This heated liquid is then used to turn water into steam, turning turbines to produce electrical power. You can understand why this complex system is not a feasible option for individual homes, but it represents a very promising renewable energy source for large-scale use. Using Solar Energy in Your Home Now that weve exhausted the solar energy definition, lets turn toward practical questions: Are solar panels worth it for your home? Lets go through some solar energy pros and cons. Installing a Solar Power System Offers Immense Benefits There are certainly a number of benefits to solar power, including: Solar energy use can allow you to reduce your monthly electric bills and, in some cases, eliminate those bills completely. This produces big cost savings over time. Solar power is a clean, renewable energy source, meaning you wont be contributing to direct pollution (unlike with oil or coal) and greenhouse gas emissions. When you buy solar panels, there are a number of tax incentives and rebates available to offset startup costs, including some available at the federal level and some that are state-specific. Most residential solar systems will produce electricity for 20 to 30 years and require very little maintenance. There Can Also Be Drawbacks Solar power boasts numerous advantages, but that doesnt mean its perfect. Some of the most significant downsides include: The initial cost of going solar is fairly extensive, averaging out to around $13,000, and in some cases topping $20,000. Tax incentives and monthly utility savings can offset this cost, but even still, going solar always requires a big investment on the front end. Some homes just arent suited for solar. If you dont get enough exposure to the sun, then a home solar system may not work out. If you live in an area where electricity is inexpensive, then the savings you get from a solar system will be comparatively small. Is My Home Suitable for a Residential Solar System? The best way to determine whether your home is a good fit for solar electricity is to contact one of the top solar companies in your area. A solar panel installation specialist can come take a look at your home and give you an individualized recommendation. Solar energy is best suited for those who live in sunny areas; who have plenty of surface area on their roof; and who dont have to worry about shading from nearby trees, buildings or other obstructions. What to Look for in a Home Solar System As you shop around for home solar systems, make sure to keep the following factors in mind: The efficiency of your solar panels, or how much sunlight they actually turn into electricity (the most efficient solar panels convert over 20%). The capacity of your solar battery. Warranties and other protections for your home solar system. The total number of panels you need to get the desired results. The services offered by your solar installer (such as individual system design). Are You Ready to Embrace Solar Power? For anyone seeking a clean and efficient energy solution, solar electricity may be the best bet. If youre ready to continue your education, we recommend checking out some demos of specific solar panels, or connecting with a local installer to get a solar energy quote. You can do that right now by clicking one of the buttons below: By Climate Denier Roundup ExxonMobil filed a motion Monday to add New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to its court case against Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healys investigation. Exxon turns from cooperating with NY attorney general's #climate fraud probe to fighting it. https://t.co/H526dfk6Vx pic.twitter.com/Zw4RcAraqQ Inside Climate News (@insideclimate) October 18, 2016 Apparently emboldened by last weeks ruling that Healy needed to provide the court with evidence that they were not unduly biased in presuming guilt before beginning the investigation, ExxonMobil asked that the same standard be applied to the New York case. For Healy, the Texas District Court must first be satisfied that the investigation wasnt biased before it will decide on whether to throw out ExxonMobils complaint or force the Attorney General to back down. Alleging that the investigations are part of a broad conspiracy, Exxons filing is a reversal of their prior cooperation with Schneiderman. The purported reason for this newfound conspiracy charge are recent media reports that Schneiderman is investigating whether or not ExxonMobil properly accounted for climate risk and stranded assets when valuing its reserves and dealing with investors. Its not clear how big a change this is from the initial investigation but apparently it is enough for ExxonMobil to worry about and to charge that the narrowed scope is a reason to believe Schneiderman is looking for any excuse to persecute the company. (As opposed to simply following where the evidence is leading him and doing his job investigating a potential breach of New York state laws). In the filing, deemed a meritless delay tacit and desperate attempt at forum shopping by a New York Attorney General spokesperson, ExxonMobil claims that Schneidermans accusations of fraud are without evidence and that Healy declared before the investigation began that the company was guilty. Both Attorney Generals were merely describing the implications of the reporting done by InsideClimate News and the LA Times/Columbia School of Journalism. With that research, they had sufficient evidence to warrant an investigation, as giving millions of dollars to climate denial groups while their own researchers provided consensus-supporting research seems rather duplicitous. On a side note, the funding relationship between ExxonMobil and Republican state Attorneys General made a small splash last month. And Rep. Lamar Smiths request for documents from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about their new investigation has been rebuffed. When asked by Annika Barth, a New Hampshire resident and freshman at American University, if he would support a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation on all that Exxon knew about climate change, Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio referred to the investigation as nothing but a left-wing effort to demonize industries in America. Contrary to Rubios perception, Exxon is not being investigated for their political views, but rather for actively misleading the public and their investors on their extensive knowledge of climate change. A series of investigative reports revealed that as early as the 1970s, Exxon knew that burning fossil fuels caused climate change, but spent millions to sow public doubt around their own research. Just yesterday, in light of these reports, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin called on the states pension funds to divest their holdings in Exxon. Now, momentum is growing to prosecute Exxon for their climate lies. New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has launched an investigation to uncover all Exxon knew. All three Democratic presidential candidates, as well as more than 60 prominent indigenous peoples, social and environmental organizations, have called on Attorney General Loretta Lynch to launch an investigation. Sec. of State John Kerry has also supported a DOJ investigation, saying Exxon stands potentially to lose billions of dollars in what I would imagine would be one of the largest class-action lawsuits in history. Organizers across the country are urging their state Attorney Generals to launch similar investigations. To date, Rubio has accepted more than $13,500 in funding from ExxonMobil according to DirtyEnergyMoney.org. That amount doesnt include donations from Exxon employees, nor any support that the corporation may have already made to Rubios presidential campaign or Super PACs supporting his candidacy. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE EPA Scientists Call Foul on Fracking Study, Say Findings Inconsistent With Data Presented TransCanada Sues Obama Administration for $15 Billion for Rejecting Keystone XL It Wasnt Only Exxon That Knew About Global Warming Since the 1970s 10 Reasons Wall Street Hates Bernie Sanders What Is Climate Change? Is It Different From Global Warming? Climate change is actually not a new phenomenon. Scientists have been studying the connection between human activity and the effect on the climate since the 1800s, although it took until the 1950s to find evidence suggesting a link. Since then, the amount of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases) in the atmosphere have steadily increased, taking a sharp jump in the late 1980s when the summer of 1988 became the warmest on record. (There have been many records broken since then.) But climate change is not a synonym for global warming. The term global warming entered the lexicon in the 1950s, but didnt become a common buzzword until a few decades later when more people started taking notice of a warming climate. Except climate change encompasses a greater realm than just rising temperatures. Trapped gases also affect sea-level rise, animal habitats, biodiversity and weather patterns. For example, Texas severe winter storms in February 2021 demonstrate how the climate isnt merely warming. Related: What Are The Top States For Solar Incentives? Why Is Climate Change Important? Why Does It Matter? Marc Guitard / Moment / Getty Images Despite efforts from forward thinkers such as SpaceX Founder Elon Musk to colonize Mars, Earth remains our home for the foreseeable future, and the more human activity negatively impacts the climate, the less habitable it will become. Its estimated that Earth has already warmed about one degree Celsius, or two degrees Fahrenheit, since the start of the Industrial Revolution around the 1750s, although climate change tracking didnt start until the late 1800s. That warming number may not sound like much, but this increase has already resulted in more frequent and severe wildfires, hurricanes, floods, droughts and winter storms, to name some examples. Environmental Impacts Then theres biodiversity loss, another fallout of climate change thats threatening rainforests and coral reefs and accelerating species extinction. Take rainforests, which act as natural carbon sinks by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But as rampant deforestation is occurring everywhere from Brazils Amazon to Borneo, fewer trees mean that rainforests are becoming carbon sources, emitting more carbon than theyre absorbing. Meanwhile, coral reefs are dying as warming ocean temperatures trigger bleaching events, which cause corals to reject algae, their main food and life source. Fewer trees, coral reefs and other habitats also equate to fewer species. Known as the sixth mass extinction, a 2019 UN report revealed that up to a million plant and animal species could become extinct within decades. Human Impact It can be easy to overlook climate change in day-to-day life, or even realize that climate change is behind it. Notice theres yet another romaine lettuce recall due to E. Coli? Research suggests that E. Coli bacteria are becoming more common in our food sources as it adapts to climate change. Cant find your favorite brand of coffee beans anymore? Or that the price has doubled? Climate change is affecting that too. Climate change is also worsening air quality and seasonal allergies, along with polluting tap water. Not least, many preliminary studies have also drawn a line between climate change and the deadly COVID-19 pandemic that is still gripping much of the world. Future pandemics are likely to happen more frequently until the root causes, such as deforestation, are addressed. Speaking of larger-scale issues, global water scarcity is already happening more frequently. The Caribbean is facing water shortages due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall; Australias dams may run dry by 2022 as severe wildfires increase and Cape Town, South Africa has already faced running out of water. As touched upon earlier, its one thing to be inconvenienced by a lack of romaine lettuce for a couple of weeks or higher coffee bean prices, but reports warn how climate change will continue to threaten global food security, to the point of triggering a worldwide food crisis if temperatures surpass two degrees Celsius. Many of these factors are already contributing to climate migration, forcing large numbers of people to relocate to other parts of the world in search of better living conditions. Unless more immediate, drastic action is taken to combat climate change, future generations will have to contend with worst-case scenario projections by the end of the 21st century, not limited to coastal cities going underwater, including Miami; lethal heat levels from South Asia to Central Africa; and more frequent extreme weather events involving hurricanes, wildfires, tsunamis, droughts, floods, blizzards and more. Related: What Are The Best Solar Companies? Whats Happening and Why? Fiddlers Ferry power station in Warrington, UK. Chris Conway / Moment / Getty Images The Earths temperature has largely remained stable until industrial times and the introduction of greenhouse gases. These gases have forced the atmosphere to retain heat, as evidenced by rising global temperatures. As the planet grows warmer, glaciers melt faster, sea levels rise, severe flooding increases and droughts and extreme weather events become more deadly. The Greenhouse Effect In the late 1800s, Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius studied the connection between the amount of atmospheric carbon and its ability to warm and cool the Earth, and while his initial calculations suggested extreme warming as carbon increased, researchers didnt start to take human-induced climate change seriously until the late 20th century. But proof of human-led climate change can be traced to the 1850s, and satellites are among the ways that scientists have been tracking increased greenhouse gases and their climate impact in more recent years. Climate researchers have also documented warmer oceans, ocean acidification, shrinking ice sheets, decreased snow amounts and extreme weather as among the events resulting from greenhouse gases heating the planet. Numerous factors contribute to the production of greenhouse gases, known as the greenhouse effect. One of the biggest causes involve burning fossil fuels, including coal, oil and natural gas, to power everything from cars to daily energy needs (electricity, heat). From 1970-2011, fossil fuels have comprised 78 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Big Ag is another greenhouse contributor, particularly beef production, with the industry adding 10 percent in 2019. This is attributed to clearing land for crops and grazing and growing feed, along with methane produced by cows themselves. In the U.S. alone, Americans consumed 27.3 billion pounds of beef in 2019. Then theres rampant deforestation occurring everywhere from the Amazon to Borneo. A 2021 study from Rainforest Foundation Norway found that two-thirds of the worlds rainforests have already been destroyed or degraded. In Brazil, deforestation reached a 12-year-high in 2020 under right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. As it stands, reports predict that the Amazon rainforest will collapse by 2064. Rainforests are important carbon sinks, meaning the trees capture and remove carbon from the atmosphere. As rainforests collapse, the remaining trees will begin emitting more greenhouse gases than theyre absorbing. Meanwhile, a recent study revealed that abandoned oil and gas wells are leaking more methane than previously believed, with U.S. wells contributing up to 20 percent of annual methane emissions. Not least is the cement industry. Cement is heavily used throughout the global construction industry, and accounts for around eight percent of carbon dioxide emissions. Natural Climate Change Granted, natural climate change exists as well, and can be traced throughout history, from solar radiation triggering the Ice Ages to the asteroid strike that rapidly raised global temperatures and eliminated dinosaurs and many other species in the process. Other sources of natural climate change impacts include volcano eruptions, ocean currents and orbital changes, but these sources generally have smaller and shorter-term environmental impacts. How We Can Combat Climate Change Participant holding a sign at the climate march on Sept. 20, 2020, in Manhattan. A coalition of climate, Indigenous and racial justice groups gathered at Columbus Circle to kick off Climate Week with the Climate Justice Through Racial Justice march. Erik McGregor / LightRocket / Getty Images While the latest studies and numbers can often feel discouraging about societys ability to prevent the worst-case climate scenarios from happening, theres still time to take action. As a Society In 2015 at COP 21 in Paris, 197 countries came together to sign the Paris Agreement, an international climate change treaty agreeing to limit global warming in this century to two degrees Celsius, and ideally 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels; its believed that the planet has warmed one degree Celsius since 1750. Studies show that staying within the two-degree range will prevent the worst-case climate scenarios from happening. Achieving this goal requires participating parties to drastically slash greenhouse gas emissions sooner rather than later. However, there have already been numerous setbacks since then, from former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrawing from the Paris Agreement in 2020 to world leaders, such as China, the worlds biggest polluter, failing to enact aggressive climate action plans. Yet many of the treaty participants have been slow to implement changes, putting the world on track to hit 3.2 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century even if the initial goals are met. However, its worth noting that U.S. President Joe Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement in 2021, and pledged to cut greenhouse gases in half by 2030. Then theres the Montreal Protocol, a 1987 global agreement to phase out ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons, chemicals that were commonly used in air-conditioning, refrigeration and aerosols. Recent studies show that parts of the ozone are recovering, proving that a unified commitment to combatting climate change issues does make a difference. On a smaller scale, carbon offset initiatives allow companies and individuals to invest in environmental programs that offset the amount of carbon thats produced through work or lifestyle. For example, major companies (and carbon emitters) such as United Airlines and Shell have pledged to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in part by participating in carbon offset programs that remove carbon from the atmosphere. The problem is that these companies are still producing high levels of fossil fuel emissions. While individuals can make a small impact through carbon offsets, the greater responsibility lies with carbon-emitting corporations to find and implement greener energy alternatives. This translates to car companies producing electric instead of gas vehicles or airlines exploring alternative fuel sources. It also requires major companies to rely more on solar and wind energy for their energy needs. In Our Own Lives While its up to corporations to do the heavy lifting of carbon reduction, that doesnt mean individuals cant make a difference. Adopting a vegan lifestyle, using public transportation, switching to an electric car and becoming a more conscious consumer are all ways to help combat climate change. Veganism Consuming meat relies on clearing land for crops and animals, while raising and killing livestock contributes to about 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UNs Food and Agricultural Organization. By comparison, choosing a plant-based diet could reduce greenhouse gas footprints by as much as 70 percent, especially when choosing local produce and products. Public Transportation Riding public trains, subways, buses, trams, ferries and other types of public transportation is another easy way to lower your carbon footprint, considering that gas-powered vehicles contribute 95 percent of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Electric Vehicles Electric cars and trucks have come down in price as more manufacturers enter the field, and these produce far lower emissions than their gas counterparts. Hybrid vehicles are another good alternative for lowering individual emission contributions. Conscious Consumption Buying locally produced food and items is another way to maintain a lower carbon footprint, as the products arent shipped or driven long distances. Supporting small companies that are committed to sustainability is another option, especially when it comes to clothes. Fast fashion has become a popular option thanks to its price point, but often comes at the expense of the environment and can involve unethical overseas labor practices. Not least, plastic saturates every corner of the consumer market, but its possible to find non-plastic alternatives with a little research, from reusable produce bags to baby bottles. Climate Activism Those interested in becoming even more involved can join local climate action organizations. Popular groups include the Sunrise Movement, Fridays for Future, Greenpeace and the Sierra Club, to name a few. Voting, volunteering, calling local representatives and participating in climate marches are additional ways to raise your voice. Takeaway Its taken centuries to reach a climate tipping point, with just a matter of decades left to prevent the worst-case climate scenarios from happening. But theres still hope of controlling a warming climate as long as individuals, companies and nations make an immediate concerted effort to lower greenhouse gas emissions. As the world already experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic, a rapid unified response can make all the difference. Meredith Rosenberg is a senior editor at EcoWatch. She holds a Masters from the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in NYC and a B.A. from Temple University in Philadelphia. The same scientists who provided the population viability analysis to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for the red wolf have sent a rebuttal to the agency, accusing it of many alarming misinterpretations in its justification for removing most of the remaining animals in the wild. Last month, the USFWS announced that it would recapture 32 of the 45 wolves in the wild and leave only those on federal lands. Currently, there are about 200 red wolves in captive breeding programs in the U.S. as part of the agencys Species Survival Plan (SSP). The letter, released to the public today, bluntly counters the agencys proposal to recapture 32 wolves and place them in captive breeding programs: A singular focus on the SSP will no doubt result in extinction of red wolves in the wild. On Sept. 29, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina issued a preliminary injunction ordering the USFWS to stop capturing and killingand authorizing private landowners to capture and killmembers of the rapidly dwindling population of wild red wolves. Theres no need to capture wild wolves in an effort to save the captive population, which is what the service contends, said Defenders of Wildlife attorney Jason Rylander. In their letter, the three scientists, from Lincoln Park Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and the AZA Population Management Center, dispute the agencys contention that the captive breeding program needs more wild red wolves for greater genetic diversity. The scientists letter makes clear that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services proposal to withdraw red wolves from most of their range in North Carolina has no scientific basis and confirms that the agencys conclusion that the captive population is at risk is wrong, said Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife. Fate of World's Last 45 Red Wolves in the Wild in Hands of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service EcoWatch https://t.co/bEAhwsEVn8 @earthisland EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) September 7, 2016 A poll of North Carolina voters and the state legislature have shown strong support for the efforts to restore the red wolves to their native habitat. For now, the injunction remains in effect. No court date has been set for a hearing and it is not expected until sometime in 2017. The letter asks the agency to edit or append its decision memo. This letter confirms what red wolf advocates have been saying all along: capturing wild red wolves and placing them into captivity isnt the answer. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needs to recommit to red wolf recovery in the wild, Clark said. Perus National Forest and Wildlife Service, SERFOR, is investigating the deaths of hundreds of critically endangered Titicaca water frogs, whose bodies were found floating in the waters of Lake Titicaca, the only place in the world the species is found. Hundreds of the critically endangered Titicaca water frogs have been found floating on the surface of the Coata River in southern Peru. SERFOR SERFOR responded to the banks of the river in the buffer zone of the Titicaca National Reserve to investigate the reported deaths and found 500 dead frogs in a 200-meter (656-foot) area. However, based on statements from locals and samples taken in the days after, SEAFOR estimated that more than 10,000 frogs were likely affected in a 30-mile span. SEAFORs investigation found the presence of solid waste and sludge formation in the area. The Committee Against Pollution of the Coata River told the BBC pollution in the Coata River that flows into Lake Titicaca is to blame for the deaths, and that the government has ignored pleas to address the problem. After this latest incident, committee leader Maruja Inquilla and other supporters brought 100 of the dead frogs to the central square in the regional capital, Puno. Ive had to bring them the dead frogs, Inquilla told AFP. The authorities dont realize how were living. They have no idea how major the pollution is. The situation is maddening. The committee said a sewage treatment plant is needed to clean up the lake and its tributaries. Titicaca Water Frog Arturo Munoz / iNaturalist.org Titicaca water frogs are also known as Titicaca scrotum frogs because of their wrinkly, baggy skin that helps them breathe. They live their entire life in the water and it is estimated their population has declined by more than 80 percent over the past 15 years due to over-exploitation, habitat degradation and invasive species. (Ed. note: This is the second of two candidate profiles for the 67th Assembly District. Mondays Herald profiled Democrat Dennis Hunt.) Rob Summerfield says if he is elected that his focus will be on bringing jobs to the 67th Assembly District. We have a lot of great available business parks, the Bloomer Republican said. His next goal is to have a great business climate. Summerfield will face Democrat Dennis Hunt in the Nov. 8 election. The winner will succeed three-term Republican Rep. Tom Larson, who is not running for re-election. Summerfield owns Chippewa Valley Land Title and is general manager of Two Acres Supper Club in Bloomer. He said his business experience will help him in securing better-paying jobs in the 67th District, which covers most of Chippewa County and part of Dunn County. Its not an overnight fix. Its a long work in progress, he said. The state needs to keep investing in technical schools and in universities, and people need to be encouraged to get the the skills and training needed to fill those better-paying jobs. Businesses and residents depend on a sound transportation system in the state, but how road maintenance and replacement is funded in Wisconsin, with a large amount of borrowing, has been a matter of dispute. Some ideas that have been floated include raising the state gas tax or raising the vehicle registration fee, or even tolls roads. Summerfield said the state needs a major fix on how it funds road repairs and replacement. He will monitor an audit of the state Department of Transportation later this year on how well the DOT is run. Im open to anything, he said of a way to provide a stable method of funding state roads. On another issue, Summerfield said he supports school vouchers, where parents can use public money in the form of vouchers to pay for their childs education in private schools. "Competition can be better on both sides," he said, adding that switching schools could potentially save a child. He wants to give parents and their children options. Summerfield said if a voucher helps a student to succeed and in turn become a productive member of society and contribute as a taxpayer, the investment in vouchers would be worthwhile. On the school funding formula, Summerfield said the Assembly Speaker's Task Force on Rural Schools has come out with several good ideas, such as providing more state revenue to cut a rural school district's transportation costs. He hopes to sit on that committee if elected. Summerfield said he's running for the Assembly so he can provide strong representation for the district in Madison, so the 67th District is not forgotten during budget time. Correction: An earlier version with incorrect paraphrasing of Rob Summerfield's stance on vouchers has been corrected. Student entrepreneur Maurice Carpenter is making music Elizabeth City State University senior Maurice Carpenter has a plan. Although the sound recording major has yet to graduate, hes already setting in motion what he hopes will be his future beyond ECSU. This past summer Carpenter launched Black Gold Records; a recording company he says was a part of his post-graduation plans. It was an idea started in high school, says the Washington D.C. area native. I came to college knowing I would start my business out of college. But circumstances led Carpenter to fast-tracking his career and now his label is about to release its first CD, Blu 22, featuring neo-soul R and B artist Marresa Love. Carpenter isnt simply putting together a CD. Hes creating a business model that includes a team of 15 people in what he calls Black Gold North and Black Gold South. North is Washington D.C. where some of his team members live and work. South is here, in Elizabeth City. Black Gold Records consists of a marketing team, a business team, a You Tube team and four recording artists. The artists are Love, jazz saxophonist David Nichols, hip hop artist Laron Melton and gospel performer Danisha Downing. Each of these artists will be featured on their own CDs, highlighting their original material. And all of these musicians are ECSU students. For Carpenters part, although hes a sax player in the Mighty Vikings Marching Band, hes a businessman, an entrepreneur who is very interested in pursuing his dream of being a music business success story. And that success, he says, also includes producing shows. Over the summer we had three different shows where we got to work with members of CBN (Christian Broadcast Network), said Carpenter. They brought a play down here (to Elizabeth City). We did their sound; we helped with lighting and also organizing the event on campus. The show brought in 786 people that day. Carpenter says his early-launch success of Black Gold Records is in part due to his experience here at ECSU. He says professors such as former band director Tanisha Brock helped him organize his plan, and develop ideas. She allowed me to understand that maybe I should continue and build it right now, said Carpenter. Other faculty and staff members have contributed to Carpenters success as a student entrepreneur. He says it is because of their dedication to ECSU, and their interest in him as a student, that he is able to pursue his dream. The CD, Blu 22 will go on sale through local retail outlets. A shooting at an elementary school rocked Townville, S.C., leaving a 6-year-old dead and two other students and a teacher injured. But school leaders say the situation that unfolded late last month could have been worse if not for practices that limited the alleged 14-year-old shooters access to the building and the students inside. Those included self-locking external doors, visibility inside the building, and staff members prepared to respond to an active shooter, Anderson District 4 Superintendent Joanne Avery said in a letter to parents. The shooter, who police say shot and killed his father before arriving at the 285-student Townville Elementary School, began firing from the playground as children were coming outside for recess. Immediately upon those shots being fired, our students were led to safe locations by the teachers, Avery said. The doors were secured, and the shooter was denied access to the building and our students. Administrators and teachers at Townville Elementary followed all district procedures by immediately placing the school on lockdown and taking children to secure locations. In the aftermath of school shootings, public debate often focuses on such issues as arming teachers, increasing police in schools, or investing in costly security infrastructure. Thats the case now in Anderson County, where some leaders have proposed placing school resource officers in every elementary school or allowing teachers to carry guns. But many school safety experts say more basic efforts to limit schools exterior access, boost visibility indoors, and train teachers and staff about how to respond to an intruder are some of the most important steps schools can take. We need to reinforce or reintroduce these basic fundamentals, school security consultant Kenneth Trump said. We have a number of people in the post-Sandy Hook era whove been focused on questionable, over-the-top tactics, he said, referring to the 2012 shooting at the Newtown, Conn., school that took the lives of 20 students and six staff members. The Shooting The family of 6-year-old Jacob Hall, who died after several days in critical condition, laid the kindergartner to rest in Townville last week after a superhero-themed service. The alleged shooter awaits trial on two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He never made it into the building, officials said. A volunteer firefighter, who arrived on the scene, restrained him until law-enforcement officials arrived seven minutes after the shooting started. The school canceled classes for several days before planning to return last week. Teachers were to return a day early to prepare to address the issue in classes, and the district planned to provide counselors and therapy dogs for students to help them process the events emotionally, the superintendent said. The school took additional safety precautions as students were scheduled to return, including an increased police presence to calm parents fears, Avery wrote in a message to families before school was set to resume. We want our children to feel safe, but we dont want the additional police presence to scare them, Avery wrote. We are attempting to find a healthy balance. Its not unusual for educators and policymakers to explore upgraded safety measures in the aftermath of an attack, and those conversations often extend beyond district and even state boundaries as parents around the country respond to news reports with fear and anxiety. The fundamentals of school safety training and controlling exterior access were stressed at schools across the country after the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado, which dramatically changed practices, said Trump, who is based in Cleveland. Emotional Topic But the safety of vulnerable children is an understandably emotional topic, so members of the public often look for quick fixes like untested response plans and expensive gadgets, he said. Theres been this sort of mantra of do something, do anything, and do it fast, Trump said. Townville Elementary School and the entire Anderson County district had made a number of safety upgrades in the last six years, Avery said. Those included locked entry vestibules in all schools, systems that require visitors to buzz for entry, cameras to improve visibility in hallways, and regular safety drills with students and staff members, she said. Trump said its important for schools to focus on such human elements of safety such as training and teaching staff members about proper protocols because even the most sophisticated door lock wont keep a school safe if that door is propped open against school rules. The nuts and bolts things that need to be done take as much time as they do money, Trump said. No one who knows me will be surprised that I will not be voting for Republicans in the upcoming election. Except for two they are not evil people, they just are not compatible with my beliefs. Yes, they are going around right now saying they support local control, education, road building and infrastructure repairs, but when they get back to Madison (if they do) this is what will happen: They will continue to restrict a womans reproductive rights; they will continue to take away local control; they will try and restrict voting rights; and, of course, any new taxes to pay for infrastructure and roads are out of the question. The Republicans will continue to attack unions and impose even more strict right-to-work laws. They will leave the fire and police unions alone, but they will continue to smack teachers and the schools around, including more schemes for voucher schools. Gays? Heaven forbid. The Republicans, through word and deed both on the state and national level, have come to believe that they are the only party with the right to govern. They have effectively gerrymandered districts to ensure that Republicans have safe seats. That is why in Wisconsin there were more Democratic votes cast than Republicans in the last statewide elections, yet the Democrats still have a minority in the state Assembly and Senate. The Republicans will continue with the above wedge issues because they cannot help themselves. They are easily distracted by the next new right-wing political bubble because that is far easier than governing. And as to Ms. Bernier proclaiming her independence from the party line and Robin Voss, the Assembly majority leader, a reminder to her from the public record: Ms. Bernier voted the party line 97.5 percent of the time. John Andersen, Lake Hallie 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. The Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, Mr. Andrew Mc Dowell and the Minister for Education and Skills, Mr. Richard Bruton TD, today signed a long term loan agreement which will allow the Department of Education to draw down EUR 200m in European Investment Bank funding. This EUR 200 million long-term loan will help deliver the Department of Educations EUR 530m School Building Programme which was announced in September 2015. It will support the construction, enlargement and modernisation of 71 schools over the next 4 years as well delivering improved energy saving measures to these schools. Andrew McDowell, European Investment Bank Vice President said: Investment in Irish schools is investment in Irelands future. The European Investment Bank is committed to supporting crucial investment across Ireland and this record new scheme will benefit thousands of school students, teachers and construction workers across the country. This new support builds on the EIBs strong track record of enabling investment at schools and universities to continue during a time of constrained public investment. Minister Bruton said: You cant achieve a prosperous economy without a fair society, and you cant support a compassionate society without a strong economy. Investment in education is a prime way to grow our society and economy together. Investing in educating improves human capital, ensuring that all our people have opportunities to achieve their potential, as well as generating wider benefits for our economy. The decision of the EIB to make available a further 200 million loan to support the Governments Capital Investment Programme is continued evidence of the Banks commitment to large scale school projects, and provides my Department with a cost-effective mechanism for delivery of part of the school building programme. I want to thank the EIB and Vice-President Andrew McDowell for their support and continued engagement and to acknowledge their assistance in the roll out of PPP projects and significant projects within the university sector. The EUR 200 million loan represents the largest ever support for school investment in Ireland approved by the European Investment Bank. The loan will be used by the Department of Education and Skills to finance a broader EUR 530 million programme enabling renovation and construction work, expected to benefit up to 71 schools and 44 thousand students across the country. Since 2010 the European Investment Bank has provided more than EUR 294 million to support investment at 108 primary, secondary and special schools across Ireland. The 25-year loan is provided to the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) acting on behalf of the Irish State, and represents the seventh European Investment Bank loan provided to the NTMA. Over the last 5 years the European Investment Bank has provided more than EUR 3.6 billion for new investment to improve transport, education, rural internet and flood protection across Ireland, as well as enhancing access to finance by small business. List of schools EIB financed in Ireland Egyptian archbishop to Christians: Prepare yourself for martyrdom 18 October, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , | CAIRO (Christian Examiner) Just like their Chinese brothers and sisters in Christ who are anticipating a wave of persecution in their homeland, the Anglican archbishop of Cairo (who is also the primate of Jerusalem) has told the faithful in the Global South they must be prepared and "ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Christ." Archbishop Mouneer Anis of Cairo told a group of more than 100 bishops meeting in Cairo Oct. 3-8 that they are increasingly like to face persecution in the form of terrorism, infringements on religious liberty and religious-based violence, World Watch Monitor reported. Anis said Christians in the Sudan, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Southern Africa, West Africa, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia are particularly vulnerable. Like all other morally wrong behavior, same-sex unions alienate us from God and are liable to incur God's judgment. We hold these convictions based on the clear teaching of Scripture. We hold them not in order to demean or victimize those who experience same-sex attractions, but in order to guard the sound doctrine of our faith, which also informs our pastoral approach for helping those who struggle with same-sex impulses, attractions and temptations. But the threats won't come solely from the outside. Anis said the churches of the Global South should be aware of the "ideological slavery" from the West that threatens the church. "Some western churches and organization use their wealth and influence to push their own agendas in the Global South," Anis said. "We need to be aware of this and resist all kinds of slavery, whether financial or ideological." If they do not resist, he said the churches will face "cultural defeat and captivity." By that, Anis was referring to the shifts in the theology of churches in the West as they have become increasingly accepting of homosexuality, same-sex marriage and the redefinition of family. One archbishop, Stephen Oo of Myanmar, said the Anglican Communion was being covered "by darkness due to Satanic power exercised through the decisions of men." To counter the impulses of the West, Anglican Church leaders issued an 11-point statement reaffirming the church's teaching on homosexuality. In point seven of the statement, church leaders affirmed that "sexual intercourse between two persons of the same sex is contrary to God's design, is offensive to him and reflects a disordering of God's purposes for complementarity in sexual relations." "Like all other morally wrong behavior, same-sex unions alienate us from God and are liable to incur God's judgment. We hold these convictions based on the clear teaching of Scripture. We hold them not in order to demean or victimize those who experience same-sex attractions, but in order to guard the sound doctrine of our faith, which also informs our pastoral approach for helping those who struggle with same-sex impulses, attractions and temptations." Bishop William Love of the Diocese of Albany called the full statement "the most pastorally sensitive statement on human sexuality" he had ever read. Another, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh of Nigeria, said the statement expresses the group's "collective frustration, hope, and counsel to the Anglican Communion leadership on the state of our communion. It shows our faith, determination, and effort to restore this communion to wholeness. And it shows we are getting ready for the possibility of further deterioration, that we should be able to speak and act decisively." Anis also referenced challenges brought by the "false teaching" of the prosperity gospel and non-Christian groups such as the Church of Jesus Christ-Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and Jehovah's Witnesses. "This is a critical moment in the life of the Anglican Church," Anis told the Anglican Church leaders, as well as some representatives from other churches. "We pray that as we strive for both truth and unity, our efforts will be 'found faithful' by God Almighty." MAF Sends Additional Aircraft and Crew to Haiti, Installs Satellite Communication System to Aid Relief Efforts Contact: Dianna Gibney, Mission Aviation Fellowship, 208-498-0778, dgibney@maf.org PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Oct. 18, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has deployed a fourth airplane and three additional staff to Haiti to join its team conducting relief flights following Hurricane Matthew. The KODIAK airplane, which took off from MAF's Idaho headquarters on Thursday, carried a GATR satellite communication system that was set up Sunday in the town of Dame Marie to aid disaster communication. Photo: Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) staff load relief supplies aboard an airplane bound for Les Cayes, Haiti. MAF has deployed a fourth airplane and additional staff to assist in the relief work following Hurricane Matthew. Photo by Paul O'Brien/MAF. Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti on Oct. 5, killing more than 500 people, damaging or destroying some 145,000 homes, and leaving 750,000 people in need of food for the next several months. In Haiti's southern peninsula, Hurricane Matthew destroyed roads and bridges, leaving the people cut off from help. Airplanes are the only means of reaching many areas. MAF has been flying doctors and medical supplies, aid workers, food, hygiene kits, and other needed supplies to communities that have experienced massive destruction. "Even before the hurricane, the poor condition of Haiti's roads made travel very difficult," said John Boyd, MAF president and CEO, who previously served as a pilot in Haiti. "Now the people are virtually cut off, at a time when they so desperately need help. In this kind of situation MAF's services are critical." Mission Aviation Fellowship is a Christian organization that uses airplanes and other technologies to reach the most remote places in the world. MAF has been working in Haiti since 1986, and maintains a permanent base in Port-au-Prince with six missionary families, 15 Haitian staff, and three airplanes. Since Hurricane Matthew struck, MAF has deployed 11 additional personnel to Haiti to assist with the relief efforts. The GATR is a solar-powered VSAT satellite communication system that will supply direly needed high-bandwidth communications to relief workers in Dame Marie. Cell towers have been damaged all across Haiti's southern peninsula, hampering relief efforts. John Gorenflo of MAF's Technology Resources Department explained, "The GATR looks like a giant beach ball but inside is a parabolic reflector that can be accurately pointed to a satellite 22,236 miles away. The GATR sends and receives internet from the satellite and then I create a Wi-Fi hotspot/network with that internet to provide communications for relief efforts." Disaster response has been an MAF area of expertise for more than 70 years. In past disaster situations, including the Haiti earthquake of 2010, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, and the earthquakes which struck Nepal in 2015, MAF has provided critical services that enabled other organizations to reach those in need. Water-borne disease is on the rise in Haiti's southern peninsula and MAF's services are critical, according to Robin Horak, a physician with No Time for Poverty, which operates a pediatric medical clinic in Port Salut, Haiti. "We're seeing a large increase in diarrheal diseases, both typhoid and cholera, so we're bringing IV fluids, supplies to start IVs, antibiotics to treat those conditions," said Horak. "I got in contact with MAF and asked if we could get a plane to help us move these objects, all the supplies, to Port Salut. The roads right now are both dangerous as well as it's very difficult to get through. MAF is really one of the only organizations that is consistently in Haiti, and actually is always willing to move supplies and people, not just to Port Salut but to other parts of Haiti. We're very appreciative that service is available and how quickly they're willing to respond to needs." Founded in 1945, Mission Aviation Fellowship (www.maf.org) is a family of organizations with a singular mission: to share the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology so that isolated people may be physically and spiritually transformed. MAF serves in 37 countries of Africa, Asia, Eurasia, and Latin America with a fleet of 135 aircraft. Its recent work includes coordinating transportation to remote areas of Nepal devastated by earthquakes, helping combat a 2014 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and supporting the work of churches, missionaries, and Bible translators around the world. Share Tweet Rick Warren Visits San Diego to Launch Saddleback Church at Canyon Crest Academy SAN DIEGO, Calif., Oct. 17, 2016 / The weekly services will feature live Saddleback Worship an inspiring message of hope and programs for all ages. The San Diego campus will move toward providing a full range of services for the local community as it grows, including a food pantry, small groups, Celebrate Recovery, and various other support groups and events. "Saddleback San Diego is one we've been wanting to do for a long time," says Pastor Rick Warren. "We have members who drive every week from San Diego to our other campuses, but there's no reason for that in the future, because we're starting Saddleback San Diego! We've been waiting for the right pastor, and I'm happy to say that Jeff Gonzalez is coming back on our staff to become the new campus pastor at Saddleback San Diego." The San Diego Campus will be lead by Pastor Jeff Gonzalez. Jeff is a former Marine that previously served as a volunteer at Saddleback San Clemente. He also led services in Afghanistan while deployed. Between Camp Pendleton Marine Base in Oceanside, and the Naval Base at Point Loma, Jeff's experience will resonate with the spiritual needs of retired military and those in active service. He served over 20 years in and then retired with four combat tours two in Iraq and two in Afghanistan. Jeff Gonzalez, campus pastor of Saddleback San Diego, shares, "We have been praying for the San Diego community for nearly a decade and this is a prayer come true. The launch of this Saddleback church family will provide an epicenter of hope and resources for our San Diego community." San Diego is the seventeenth Saddleback Church campus, including four international campuses. Each campus offers a relaxed, friendly environment with contemporary music, inspiring messages, and age-appropriate programs for children. Saddleback Church San Diego will meet at Canyon Crest Academy, 5951 Village Center Loop Rd, San Diego, CA 92130. Sunday services are 9 a.m. & 11 a.m. For information, visit Share Tweet Contact: Mei Ling Nazar, Saddleback Church , 858-254-6019SAN DIEGO, Calif., Oct. 17, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Saddleback Church founded by Pastor Rick and Kay Warren will launch its newest campus in San Diego on Sunday, October 23, 2016 at Canyon Crest Academy. Warren, Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life, will be on location for the launch. The book topped the Wall Street Journal best seller charts as well as Publishers Weekly charts with over 30 million copies sold by 2007.The weekly services will feature live Saddleback Worship an inspiring message of hope and programs for all ages. The San Diego campus will move toward providing a full range of services for the local community as it grows, including a food pantry, small groups, Celebrate Recovery, and various other support groups and events."Saddleback San Diego is one we've been wanting to do for a long time," says Pastor Rick Warren. "We have members who drive every week from San Diego to our other campuses, but there's no reason for that in the future, because we're starting Saddleback San Diego! We've been waiting for the right pastor, and I'm happy to say that Jeff Gonzalez is coming back on our staff to become the new campus pastor at Saddleback San Diego."The San Diego Campus will be lead by Pastor Jeff Gonzalez. Jeff is a former Marine that previously served as a volunteer at Saddleback San Clemente. He also led services in Afghanistan while deployed. Between Camp Pendleton Marine Base in Oceanside, and the Naval Base at Point Loma, Jeff's experience will resonate with the spiritual needs of retired military and those in active service. He served over 20 years in and then retired with four combat tours two in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.Jeff Gonzalez, campus pastor of Saddleback San Diego, shares, "We have been praying for the San Diego community for nearly a decade and this is a prayer come true. The launch of this Saddleback church family will provide an epicenter of hope and resources for our San Diego community."San Diego is the seventeenth Saddleback Church campus, including four international campuses. Each campus offers a relaxed, friendly environment with contemporary music, inspiring messages, and age-appropriate programs for children.Saddleback Church San Diego will meet at Canyon Crest Academy, 5951 Village Center Loop Rd, San Diego, CA 92130. Sunday services are 9 a.m. & 11 a.m. For information, visit saddleback.com/sandiego 18 October 2016 EPO Vice President Raimund Lutz and Brazilian Industry Minister Marcos Pereira The European Patent Office and the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Service of Brazil have agreed to increase their co-operation in the field of patents. A joint statement was signed by EPO Vice President Raimund Lutz and Brazilian Industry Minister Marcos Pereira. The declaration paves the way for the EPO to renew its bilateral co-operation programme with Brazil and also start discussions on a joint Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme. Under the PPH pilot, patent applicants from Europe and from Brazil will be able to request accelerated patent prosecution at the EPO or at Brazil's National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), which is expected to speed up the process and reduce costs for companies on both sides of the Atlantic. The EPO and Brazils National Institute of Industrial Property have a long tradition of co-operation aimed at increasing the use of patents and improving conditions for innovation in both regions. INPI was the first intellectual property office in a non-EPO member state to use EPOQUE Net, the EPO's professional online patent search tool, in 2005. Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America and its trade with Europe accounts for over a third of the EUs total trade with the region. In 2015, over 600 filings of Brazilian origin designated the EPO. A third of the more than 33 000 patent applications at INPI in Brazil last year came from EPO member states. Further information Sachin Chaudhuri, the founder-editor of the Economic Weekly (EW) and the Economic & Political Weekly (EPW), was my fathers classmate in Dhaka University. But after their Dhaka days they lost contact for decades, until Chaudhuri traced us in Calcutta during my college days. He soon became my mentor and friend. My first article to be published in the EW was written even before I finished my undergraduate studies at the Presidency College in Calcutta. I remember my last meeting with him shortly before he passed away. I was staying with him in his apartment in Bombay before catching an early morning flight to go abroad and he made me sit up through half the night in his study and work on drafting one of the EPW editorials, while he kept plying me with my favourite liqueur (how he procured it in those strict days of prohibition in Bombay I have no idea). (Those of you who read Bangla can find many of my stories about Chaudhuri in my quasi-memoir Smriti-kanduyan, Ananda Publishers, 2014.) Pakistan A's first-innings total was set up by Zain Abbas (78), but a mini-collapse resulted in them slipping to 289 for 6. That they managed a 167-run lead was largely due to the seventh-wicket stand of 130 between Saad Ali (97) and Shadab. The hosts let it slip away further by allowing the last three wickets to add 93 runs. home World Christian aid worker abducted from his home in Niger An American Christian aid worker has been abducted from his home in the town of Abalak in Niger by armed men last Friday. A night guard and a national guard stationed at his house were reportedly killed. Jeffery Woodke has lived in Niger since 1992. He has been working with a local NGO known as JEMED and he has close ties with the Christian aid group, Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Woodke works alongside JEMED to aid Tuareg and Fulani nomads in drought-stricken regions. "It is not known where he has been taken and no group has yet claimed responsibility for his abduction," Pete Thompson, a spokesman for YWAM, told The Independent. He said that Woodke's family has already been informed about his abduction and the U.S. government is now monitoring the situation. Woodke was reportedly driven away in a Toyota Hilux pickup truck headed towards Mali. Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum said that Niger forces are already on the trail of the abductors. Ahmed Dilo, the town mayor, told Reuters that gunmen on a motorbike arrived first to kill the guard before Woodke was taken away. Reuters reported that Woodke was listed as an instructor on the website of The Redwood Coast School of Missions, a ministry based in Arcata, California. The entry for his biography has since been removed. A cached copy of the website states: "Jeff has spent over a quarter of a century involved in missions ministry. He has committed the past 25 years of his life to a ministry he founded in Niger amongst a number of unreached people groups." Woodke was reportedly the first American citizen to be kidnapped in Niger. Suspected Islamists tried to kidnap U.S. embassy personnel from a hotel in the town of Tahoua back in 2009. Abductions of foreigners are less common in Niger than in Mali. In the latter, Islamic militants are more active and often take hostages for ransom or political leverage. German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently visited West and East Africa in a historic and symbolic trip that has left analysts and observers with mixed feelings. Policy makers and politicians are unsure whether the trip that predominantly focused on migration, security and investment actually added any value to Africa. Chancellor Merkel addressed a number of challenges and issues that both continents have in common. In Niger, Mali and Ethiopia, Mrs Merkel spoke about the mutual cooperation as the three African economies are battling with terrorism, Islamic insurgency and migration of their people to Europe. Chancellor Merkel also promised a development aid package of 77 million to improve infrastructure and support Agadez region in Niger, which is home to many migrants heading for Europe, and a 10 million package to improve communication equipment and vehicles for the countrys army. However, analysts argue that Germanys influence in Africa has been mostly driven by the influx of migrants while Mrs Merkels efforts to target the root causes of migration right at the source is a welcome move both in Europe and in Africa. Professor Ambani Mulunda of the University of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania argues that Germany understands the need to address the root causes as well as the need to make the regional military well equipped to guard the borders and create a good environment in these countries to entice more investors who will create local jobs. According to United Nations statistics, Germany welcomed more than 890,000 migrants in 2015. Meanwhile, Ethiopia, the impoverished Eastern African country, is a source of many migrants to Europe but itself hosts about 700,000 migrants, the highest number in Africa and one of the largest numbers of refugees in the world. The European Union has condemned the latest terrorist attacks on a border post in Sinai, for which the Islamic State has claimed responsibility. The EU commented that the terror act is a tragic reminder of a continuous threat to Egypt that threatens the stability of the country and the entire region. Brussels also reminded that the EU stands in support of the Egyptian people and government in their fight against the terrorist group, which is an integral part of the fight against the organization and Islamic insurgency in the wider region. Regarding Libya, the EU commented on the latest development in the country, reminding that the use of force to seize the power will only lead to more disorder and continuous violence in which the Libyan people will necessarily be the main victims. Brussels urged all sides to cooperate in support of the implementation of the Libya Political Agreement in order to start and pursue a democratic process that will enable the Libyan people to finally find peace after years of civil strife in the North African country. The EU has also called on the Presidency Council to immediately strike a compromise on an inclusive new proposal for the formation of the Government of National Accord, and on which the House of Representatives needs to vote in a fair and orderly manner. Brussels also reassured that the EU would continue to lend support to the Libyan people and to the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in its efforts to bring about a lasting solution to it multiple problems. The EUs policy towards the North African countries seeks to encourage political and economic reform in each individual country in due respect for its specific features and regional cooperation among the countries of the region themselves and between the MENA countries and the EU. Brexit was an accident waiting to happen. For 40 years we have been a semi-detached member of the EU. When the Treaty of Rome was signed by the original six we declined to join certain that our destiny, as an island nation, was elsewhere. When, under Harold Macmillan, we changed our mind, we were vetoed by General de Gaulle who, with considerable prescience, considered that we were not European enough. From the moment we did join we were half-hearted. Margaret Thatcher fought, with great success, to get our money back. John Major negotiated opt-outs on the Euro and the Social Chapter. Tony Blair made no effort to join Schengen. Gordon Brown ensured that we kept out of the Single Currency and David Cameron signed the death warrant with the referendum. The referendum, itself, was not a battle between Eurosceptics and Europhiles. Most who voted to remain, including me, were sceptics with no interest in the UK joining the single currency or opening our borders by becoming part of Schengen. While deeply disappointed with the decision to leave, our view was that we got the best of both worlds by being in the EU while rejecting the bits we didnt like. This background is highly relevant to where we go from here. There is a facile assumption that it is logical for those who voted to Leave to now want a hard Brexit while remainers are anxious for a soft Brexit. I consider this to be a rather foolish misunderstanding of the issues that have to be resolved. It is surely reasonable to assume that all in Britain, on both sides of the divide, would like British companies and businesses to face the lowest possible tariffs and other barriers in the trade they seek to do, over the years to come, with the half billion consumers who live in the European Union. The task for our negotiators will be to help our exporters, in both goods and services, as much as possible as long as any agreements and compromises made do not violate the decision that the electorate reached on 23rd June. While there can be no certainty as to what the majority of the electorate who voted to leave expected, the following would, surely, be acceptable to the vast majority. Firstly, we will leave the European Union. Secondly, the European Court of Justice will be unable to determine the laws under which we live. Only our own Parliament will be able to do that. Thirdly, Parliament, not Brussels, must have the last word as to how much access citizens of the European Union will have, in future, to live and work in the United Kingdom. What does this mean for the access we will have in future to the single market? It is best to bear in mind that we use the term single market to describe four separate freedoms: free trade, free movement of capital, free movement of people, and free trade in services. Disaggregating these four freedoms helps us predict what is likely to happen. A free trade in goods agreement may involve hard bargaining but will be achieved without much difficulty. The EU has such agreements with many countries elsewhere in the world. Free movement of capital is not a problem for the UK. We do not have, and do not want, any exchange controls. Restricting free movement of peoples will be difficult and will limit our full access to the single market. But this is not a zero-sum issue. The government has already made clear that it has no problem with current residents from elsewhere in the EU and that it will continue to welcome those with special skills such as in financial services, or where the needs of the NHS and other public services will benefit. It is worth mentioning that Angela Merkel has said that full access to the single market will not be possible without full freedom of labour. There is a huge range of options between zero and 100% as the negotiations will show. As regards the City of London and financial services, 5,500 UK companies use passporting to gain access to sell their financial products elsewhere in the EU. But over 8,000 companies from elsewhere in the EU themselves use passporting to have access to the City of London and our financial markets. This will ensure that there is serious negotiation as both sides will have much to preserve and much to lose. Finally, we need to ensure that on the wider question of foreign policy and security the UK and the rest of Europe continue to work together. France and Germany know that without the UK we would not have been able to enforce financial and banking sanctions against Russia; nor achieve the deal with Iran to cease their nuclear weapons programme. What we will need, in future, is a EU+1 forum whenever the countries of Europe are seeking to promote a common foreign policy to ensure that global policy is not the monopoly of the US, China and Russia with Europe excluded. The United Kingdom has always believed that any threat to the security of continental Europe is also a threat to us. That is why we led the wars against Napoleon in the 19th century. It is why we declared war immediately after the Kaiser invaded Belgium in 1914 and Hitler invaded Poland in 1939. The European Union did not exist in those years but the geopolitical reality required the UK to stand four square with those fighting to preserve freedom and repel aggression. That remains as true as ever as we contemplate the years to come. On such issues Europe must seek to continue to speak with one voice. The opinions articulated above represent the views of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Leadership Network or any of its members. The ELNs aim is to encourage debates that will help develop Europes capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence, and security challenges of our time. At the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, Arturo Fuente Cigars unveiled a new blend under its Casa Cuba brand known as the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration. This blend holds special significance to the Fuente company as it was the last blend worked on by the late Carlos Fuente Sr. The concept of the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration is that Fuente Sr. had a dream about a modified version of the Casa Cuba blend. Fuente Sr became inspired to make what he dreamt about into reality. At that time, Fuente Sr. was not well enough to travel to the Dominican Republic to work on the blend, but he was able to phone into the factory and give direction on what needed to be done. The end result was the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration. Shortly after his passing in August 2016, Fuente Srs blend would be released to the market. Today, we take a look at the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable cigar and one that is quite different from the original Casa Cuba line. The original Casa Cuba brand was a creation of Fuente Sr. The brand itself is unique to Fuente in that it doesnt carry the Fuente name on the packaging. Casa Cuba was originally soft-launched to select retailers in late 2013. At the time, it was released with a special secondary band that said Pre Release 2013. Once Casa Cuba became more widely available, the secondary band was dropped. While the Casa Cuba line is a regular production offering, the Divine Inspiration is a more limited release. Without further ado, lets take a closer look at the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration and see what this cigar brings to the table. Blend Profile Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration is blended at the Fuentes Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia factory in the Dominican Republic. It features an Ecuadorian wrapper over Dominican binder and filler. Arturo Fuente Cigars has said this is a different blend that the original Casa Cuba; however to what extend, we do not know. Wrapper: Ecuadorian Havana Binder: Dominican Filler: Dominican Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia) Vitolas Available The Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration has been released in one size a 6 1/8 x 47 Short Churchill. The cigar is packaged in 30 count boxes. Appearance The Ecuadorian wrapper of the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration has a slightly weathered looking light brown color to it. The wrapper itself seemed a couple of shades darker than a typical Connecticut Shade wrapper would look like. There was a light coating of oil on the wrapper. The wrapper itself had some visible veins and visible wrapper seams. The primary band features a red and gold shield sitting on a black circular background surrounded by a gold wreath. Above the wreath is the text Casa Cuba in a partial red colored cursive font on a pale yellow background. Below the wreath is the text FLOR FINA in red font. To the left and right of the front of the band is a gold medallion sitting on a red background. On the far left side is the text HAND MADE in small red font on a pale yellow background. On the far right side is the text SANTIAGO in small red font also sitting on a pale yellow background. The remainder of the band has gold trim. Preparation for the Cigar Experience Prior to lighting up the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The dry draw had a unique sweetness to it. This sweetness was had elements of cedar, natural tobacco, and a sweet herb note. Overall I considered this to be a very good pre-light draw. At this point I was ready to light up the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration and see what the smoking experience had in store. Flavor Profile The start of the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration picked up where the pre-light draw left of as I picked up additional notes of cedar, natural tobacco, and sweet herbs. This combination delivered a similar unique sweetness that I derived on the pre-light draw. During this early stage, there was not a dominant note that was present. Meanwhile on the retro-hale delivered notes of red pepper. As the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration moved through the first third; the cedar / natural tobacco / herbal combination remained in the forefront. In the background a bakers spice also emerged delivering a slight amount of additional sweetness and spice. I also detected a subtle salty component in the background. During the second third, the primary notes switched to more of a combination of cedar and herb notes with the natural tobacco component moving into the background. The sweetness in the forefront varied at different degrees, but to some extent it was diminishing overall. Meanwhile the bakers spice and salty component also remained in the background. By the final third of the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration saw an earth note replace the cedar in the forefront. The herbal notes were also still present in the forefront. Meanwhile the cedar moved into the background with the salty component. By this stage, there still was a touch of sweetness, but most of it had diminished. When the cigar experience came to a close, the resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature. Burn and Draw Overall the burn and draw of the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration performed scored very nicely. There was a slight curvature on the burn line of the Divine Inspiration, but overall I found the cigar still took a straight path with its burn. This was a cigar never in danger of tunneling or canoeing. The resulting ash had a silver gray color with some darker speckling in it. This was an ash that was on the firmer side. Meanwhile the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal. The draw to the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration performed quite well. This has a draw that I would describe as open, but not loose. Overall, this was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavors from. Strength and Body In terms of strength, I found the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration to be at a medium level for the first two thirds of the smoking experience. By the last third, I found there was a slight increase in strength pushing just over the threshold into medium to full territory. From a body standpoint, I found the flavors of the Divine Inspiration started out medium to full. The body slowly built up and by the second half, I found this to be a full-bodied smoke. During the second half, the increase in body did level off. When looking at strength versus body with the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration, I found the body to have the edge throughout the smoking experience. Final Thoughts When the original Casa Cuba line first came out, I found it to be a very different offering than anything else offered in the Arturo Fuente portfolio. In terms of the Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration, it also is a unique offering although I did find some more traditional Fuente qualities in this blend. Overall I found it to be a positive smoking experience. As Ive stated in other assessments, I think sometimes sweetness can go overboard on a cigar. With the Divine Inspiration, its not heavy on the sweetness, but it is a predominant note particularly in the first half. On the either hand, I found this to be a unique sweetness and that made this enjoyable. At the same time given this is a unique flavor, this might not be a cigar for everybody. Finally, while this was a well-aged cigar, Im curious to see what longer term aging does to this cigar. This is a cigar that Id steer to an experienced cigar enthusiast, but its one I wouldnt discourage a novice from trying either. As for myself, this is a cigar Id smoke again and its worthy of a box split. Summary Burn: Excellent Draw: Excellent Complexity: Medium to Full Strength: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Last third) Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half) Finish: Very Good Assessment: 3.5-Box Split Score: 90 References News: Arturo Fuente Casa Cuba Divine Inspiration Arrives at Stores Price: $9.00 Source: Purchased Stogie Geeks Podcast: n/a Stogie Feed: n/a Brand Reference: Arturo Fuente Biologist Michael Behe is the star of the new documentary Revolutionary: Michael Behe and the Mystery of Molecular Machines which goes on sale today. The film tells the hitherto largely untold story of how Behe wandered (and wondered) his way into intelligent design, how his work ignited a furor in the scientific community, was subsequently vindicated, and where the ID revolution is headed today. See the trailer here: Dr. Behe spoke to packed auditoriums twice in the Dallas-Forth Worth area last week, following sneak peek screenings. I was able to attend the second of the two screenings. Behe got a standing ovation, and the questions after the screening were mostly friendly though not all of the questions were softballs. One man asked an interesting question about a molecular biological machine that features prominently in the evolution/design debate: the type-3 secretion needle complex. By way of introducing the film, Id like to focus on that. But first a bit of background, then the question, and Behes answer. The type-3 secretory needle complex is a molecular machine that Darwinists argue served as a simpler steppingstone in the evolution of the bacterial flagellum motor. This flagellum is far more sophisticated than, say, an outboard boat motor designed by human engineers, and in Darwins Black Box, Behe argued that Darwinian evolution could not have evolved it since evolution has to proceed one tiny, beneficial mutation at a time, and theres no viable pathway from a single protein machine all the way to the symphony of proteins needed for a functioning bacterial flagellum. Behe says the reason theres no such pathway is that Darwinian evolution cant use dysfunctional stages as steppingstones. Dysfunctional organisms dont survive, reproduce and pass along their mutations. In other words, the islands of function between the imagined primitive precursor and the distant bacterial flagellum are too few and far between, and theyre separated by oceans of shark-infested dysfunction. The Darwinian process cant make the journey, but intelligent design can, since it can do what Darwinian evolution cant. It can bring together parts in pursuit of a distant and functional end, and never mind about how well the thing functions at each step along the way from the beginning to the end of the construction process. Kenneth Millers Needling Objection Revolutionary shows how Darwinist Kenneth Miller countered Behe by arguing that the evolutionary process could have co-opted parts from early and simpler molecular machines that performed very different functions. In other words, the evolutionary process isnt restricted to working from a primitive and minimally effective bacterial flagellum motor. Instead, it could proceed like a garage tinkerer taking parts from other machines in a garage and slowly cobbling together a new machine. One biological steppingstone on the way to the bacterial flagellum, Miller further argued, is the type-3 secretion needle complex, a simpler biological machine that shares several protein sub-machines in common with the bacterial flagellum. Yarns Unspun But the weight of the evidence from wide-ranging mutational studies now suggests that the needle complex probably came along long after the flagellar motor. If so, it couldnt possibly have served as an evolutionary precursor to the flagellum. Both the film and Behe noted this, but then the questioner mentioned above asked a follow-up question: Say the needle from the bacterial flagellum motor did come after the bacterial flagellum. Isnt that still a pretty impressive example of Darwinian evolution at work? The Darwinian process took an outboard motor and evolved a needle complex with a new and distinct function from the original motor. The answer came in two parts. First, Darwinian evolution has been shown to create new functions by devolving more complex biological machinery into simpler, devolved designed with niche functions. The needle complex devolving from the motor would be one more example of this. But Darwinists need to show how life evolved from the simplest original precursor into more and more complex forms. All the examples of devolution in the world dont get us any closer to demonstrating evolution from the simpler to the more complex. Second, Behe said, no one has demonstrated that that type-3 secretion needle complex actually developed from the bacterial flagellum motor. Right now its just an idea, a just-so story. Darwinists havent demonstrated it in a lab. They havent even described a detailed, credible pathway as to how it could have devolved from the one to the other. Kenneth Millers Magical Evolutionary Garage This shouldnt surprise us. Its no mean feat to take the needle complex and ingeniously cannibalize, reconfigure and repurpose it to build an outboard motor. (More on the problem here.) In garages when such tinkering breakthroughs occur, theres always a designing intelligence hard at work. But in Kenneth Millers magical evolutionary garage, all this ingenious tinkering happens by magic. Sprinkle a little Darwinian pixie dust and a few million years onto the needle complex and, presto, you get a bacterial flagellum motor. That sleight of hand is enough for many evolutionists. As Behe explained at the Denton event I attended, many biologists have a prior ideological commitment to purely materialistic explanations, so they simply dismiss his design arguments out of hand. They refuse to study them firsthand or dig into the back-and-forth of the debate. The good news: Occasionally an accomplished scientist lets his ideological guard down. One of the applause lines during the Denton screening of Revolutionary came when a leading German scientist is describing how he spearheaded a celebration of Darwins grand idea in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Darwins book The Origin of the Species. One display at the science museum where he worked was going to include a big pair of scales. On one side of the scales were several intelligent design books. On the other side would be Darwins book. Despite being outweighed by all the ID books, the scales were going to be set so that Darwins tome was clearly the weightier. The point: IDs critique of Darwinism had been weighed in the balances and found wanting. But at this point in the film the German scientist makes a confession. He says that in planning this striking little display, he made one mistake: He read the books on the ID side of the scales. When he did, he realized that what he had been told about the design arguments were highly misleading caricatures of the real ID arguments, and that the ID books by Behe, William Dembski, and other design proponents actually raised substantive and potentially devastating objections to modern evolutionary theory. One of Behes final words of encouragement to the audience at the Denton event: Those Darwinists bent on suppressing the truth often succeed, but they can only succeed for so long. In the end, the truth will out. Similar to phishers, tech support scammers are getting craftier in their attempts to separate people from their money. IT pros, computer experts and younger folks who have grown up surrounded by devices generally know better than to fall for tech support scams. Falsely claiming that their victims PCs are at risk of imminent failure or infected with malware, fraudsters have been known to prey on the elderly by calling them up claiming to be from a well-known or reputable company and scaring them into paying for unneeded and often ineffective remedies. According to a new study from Microsoft, relative youth and an aptitude for technology are no longer guaranteed to keep tech support scammers at bay. By leveraging pop-ups, unsolicited email and scam websites as additional entry points for scams, fraudsters are reaching a broader number of people, including younger-than-expected victims, guest blogger Courtney Gregoire, a senior attorney in Microsofts Digital Crimes Unit, wrote in an Oct. 17 post on the National Cybersecurity Alliances website. The data indicates that victims older than 65 are more likely to be reached by telephone (44 percent unsolicited call, 38 percent pop-up or online ad, 33 percent unsolicited email, and 26 percent redirected to website), continued Gregoire. In contrast, millennials aged 18 to 34 are more likely to have been redirected to a fraudulent website (50 percent) or duped by a pop-up advertisement (59 percent) as compared to receiving an unsolicited call (26 percent). In total, two-thirds of consumers worldwide have experienced a tech support scam in the last 12 months. A fifth of consumers continued a so-called fraudulent interaction after being first contacted, and nearly 10 percent lost money. Those who kept getting led on by scammers generally hailed from India (54 percent), China (35 percent) and the United States (33 percent), according to the report. Fifty-five percent of those who continued to interact with scammers in the United States lost money. However, the vast majority (92 percent) were able to recoup at least some of their funds. Consumers in China (58 percent) and India (67 percent) were somewhat less successful in recovering lost funds. Besides draining pocketbooks, fraudsters are also pilfering sensitive personal information by offering unneeded remote support services, setting the stage for identity theft. Every consumer needs to be vigilant and skeptical of any person who seeks remote access to their device, warned Gregoire. During a remote-access session, fraudsters can access personal and financial information, alter device settings and leave behind unwanted or even malicious software. Previous reports indicate that fraudsters have turned off anti-virus software, downloaded unwanted and potentially harmful software and often regained access to the computer long after the support session had ended. Microsoft encourages users to be on the lookout for scammers and not purchase unsolicited software or services. Also, the company warns users not to relinquish control of their PCs to unknown third-party support teams. And if a caller makes a monetary demand, hang up immediately, advised Gregoire. Thats probably your problem - the authorities here will view you as a Pakistani. There are numerous threads here of people born, or whose parents were born in a country different to their passport. They appear to accept a change of nationality to be an attempt to hide your real nationality - you may also wish to investigate your parents situation as there have been cases here where the parents are considered persona non gratis and their relationship clouds yours.Your only solution will be to get the employers PRO to get to ask exactly why you are being rejected. There's no point reapplying until you know. If they say 'security' then your chance reduce greatly. Monday, October 17, 2016 Not only is Sunday, October 30 Create a Great Funeral Day, its also the official launch day for KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die! At 3:00 p.m. on October 30, the great local independent bookstore Bookworks will host a talk and book signing in their store at 4022 Rio Grande Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM. Heres a link to their event listing. Come to Bookworks and hear about Gails Adventures in Downsizing and how you can get in on the fun! Youll also get some great tips on what you need to know before you go. There will also be a drawing for the 4-DVD set of the TV interview series, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Dont Plan to Die (a $50 value). Baby Boomers facing their parents estates and their own downsizing will especially appreciate the information in Kicking the Bucket List. If you need guidance to downsize and organize, this book is for you. Monday, October 17, 2016 John Reyland, PhD Instructor of ATIs Signal Processing for Software Defined Radio ATI offers two scheduled courses on Software Defined Radios (SDR). Additional courses are offered on-site at your facility worldwide to groups of 8 or more. Practical Software Defined Radio Development Software Defined Radio Development- Practical Applications The schedule for these SDR courses is provided at the link below. Check frequently as additional courses are added based on the demand. If you are interested in courses for the SDR area, please post a comment on the ATI blog and send an email to ati@aticourses.com. Visit: http://www.aticourses.com/schedule.htm#radar First we should define what is a Software Defined Radio (SDR). The author of the reviewed article neglects to do this so I will provide a definition. In my view an SDR is a radio system with control and reconfiguration defined by a highly organized SDR frameworks. This frame work reads configuration files and reconfigures radio hardware and software to bring about the desired radio operation. An example of a standardized set of SDR configuration files is the Software Communication Architecture (SCA) domain profile. SCA domain profile is a set of Extensible Markup Language (XML) files that describe waveform components and interconnections. One example of an SDR that meets this definition is at: http://redhawksdr.github.io/Documentation/ This is a useful article on examples of Software Defined Radios and the source of inspiration for this tutorial blog post. http://blog.bliley.com/12-popular-software-defined-radios-sdrs None of the radios in the reviewed article meet this strict definition. So here is a simpler definition that will cover most of them. An SDR is a hardware device that tunes to a range of radio frequency carriers. The selected carrier is down converted to an intermediate frequency, filtered and converted to a stream of digital samples. Ironically, this definition does not imply any user changeable software at all! Indeed, there is very little user changeable software in most of these 12 devices. The author neglects to mention that the software defined part is written in GNU radio, Simulink or some pre-written third party software (for example, see http://airspy.com ) running on the computer the SDR is connected to. These products are more properly called SDR front end tuners. To be fair, I will admit that common usage seems to prefer calling them SDRs. A disappointment with these products is that most of them do not have a sensitivity spec. This would be, for a digital signal, the minimum bit error rate for a certain low receive level (for example -100 dBm on the antenna input). For a voice signal sensitivity could be the signal to noise and distortion (SINAD) for a similar low level signal. In my opinion, the lack of serious specs like sensitivity puts these products in the hobby or educational category. A professional application would need a link budget and other parameters like probability of outage. Lack of a sensitivity spec makes these difficult. Another observation is that most of these SDRs do not tune down into the 3 30 MHz HF band, where most of the ham radio signals are. This may be because the tuner chips they use were designed for applications, such as TV and commercial wireless, that did not need these low frequencies. There are a few that offer adapters to reach these low frequencies. This article provides sparse comments about 12 SDR products. Prices, applications, frequencies and ease of use are given as the reason these 12 were chosen. In what follows I am going to reorder the authors choices, starting with the products that seem to offer the most usefulness to the average SDR experimenter. RTL-SDR This is a low cost (about $25) 24 MHz to 1.8GHz tuner with a USB interface. You can put together a complete SDR receiver by controlling the RTL-SDR with pre-written SDR software (for example SDR#). The well written book The Hobbyists Guide to the RTL-SDR by Carl Laufer is an absolute must for getting the most out of this receiver. NooElec NESDR This is made by the same company (NooElec) and is very similar to the RTL-SDR. The RTL-SDR started out as a TV tuner for use in countries other than the US. The NESDR is specifically designed for SDR use. A primary difference is the TCXO (Temperature Controlled Crystal Oscillator) in the NESDR has much better specs then the cheap crystal in the RTL-SDR. HackRF One This is a higher performance wide range tuning version of the RTL-SDR. With 1-6GHz tuning range and both transmit and receive capability, this may be the best value of any of these SDRs. Price is only $299.00. However, for those who want to program receiver DSP into an on-board FPGA, the USRP may be a better value. The HackRF is RF only, no FPGA. AirSpy With a $199 price tag, this is another upgrade from the low cost RTL-SDR. However, unlike the HackRF, the 24MHz 1.8 GHz tuning range is not much better than the RTL-SDR. Also, unlike the HackRF, the AirSpy does not seem to include a transmitter. Ubertooth One This is a USB dongle based SDR with better specs than the RTL-SDR. Tuning range is restricted to the 2.4 GHz ISM bands, not as versatile as the HackRF. National Instruments USRP This is similar to Ettus USRP. These devices are both based the Analog Devices AD9361 transceiver chip. The Ettus USRP is commonly used with GNU radio and the NI USRP is probably designed specifically for Labview, a block diagram oriented signal processing tool from National Instruments. Other devices called SDR The reset of this list has various circuit cards that could possibly be used as SDRs, however they either have high prices or they simply do not include any radio tuning or they simply were not designed to be SDRs. Red Pitaya Surprise, surprise, this is not an SDR even with our simpler definition. There is a 125MHz analog to digital converter (ADC) and a 125 MHz digital to analog converter (DAC). However, there is no antenna matching, AGC, tuning or IF filtering. Seems like the Red Pitaya is more suited to some kind of electrical mechanical control. Now that I have bashed it as an SDR I will point out a very positive feature. The Red Pitaya has a Xilinx ZYNQ FPGA. Some of the other SDRs have a smaller FPGA that, with some effort, the user can implement radio digital signal processing. The Red Pitaya has a much larger FPGA that could possibly perform all the signal processing need to completely decode the received message if it was a radio. Quadrus SDR Except for a much smaller FPGA, Quadrus SDR is similar to the Red Pataya. There are four channels of phase coherent sampling but no front end RF components. Most radio front end circuits provide frequency down converting, filtering and up to about 100 dB of gain to match the receive signal to the ADC dynamic range. Here, we have up to 30 dB gain going directly into the ADC input. Coupled with properly designed radio front end hardware this device could be a good platform for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) signal processing. RDP-100 This is a 6U Compact-PCI form factor hardware platform that can be used for SDR. This hardware is quite large compared with the other products discussed here. The fact that a card this large only has a Virtex 5 FPGA and no radio hardware tells me it is probably not a good choice for an SDR. The Rad Pitaya will perform better for less money. ThinkRF WSA5000 With a tuning range up to 27 GHz, this SDR is unique. The pricing starts at $3500, a bit outside the hobby category and more like professional test equipment. Comes with spectrum analysis software. SignalHound BB60C This has radio front end components however is it is designed for use as a spectrum analyzer and is not an SDR. Rating 3.00 out of 5 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate This Halloween season (and beyond) there are more ways than ever to get your shocks off, with record numbers of frightful haunted houses, spine-tingling escape rooms and eerie ghost tours ready to scare the bejeezus out of you. An unofficial count by the Express-News found almost two-dozen of these terrifying attractions open for business. And theres also a company that lets you send friends or enemies strange packages of baffling riddles, wrapped mysteries, all inside a mysterious wooden box. San Antonians, apparently, like to let their freak-out flag fly. Since we opened our doors on the first of October, the lines have been out the door, said Sylvia Fernandez, owner of a pair of paranormal palaces, Psycho Asylum and Slaughterhouse. Weve had as many as 600 people come through our two haunted houses in one evening. An increasing number of these horror attractions are no longer open only during the weeks leading up to All Hallows Eve. Most escape rooms and ghost tours, and a blood-smattering of haunted houses now operate year-round. Haunted houses used to be a Halloween-only thing, said Larry Kirchner, publisher of HauntWorld magazine. Then they started opening for Spring Break, Valentines Day and other holidays. Theyd even do something not scary for Christmas. Eventually, its become a full-time thing for many house operators. Another sure sign of the public demand for the demented: last years Halloween & Attractions Show, the annual trade show of all things scary, attracted 10,000 buyers from 70 countries, a record, according to Richard Bianco, vice president of TransWorld Trade Shows, which owns the show. When the economy crashed in 2008, people started staying closer to home, and haunted houses and escape rooms grew in popularity, he said. And who doesnt like Halloween? Apparently not many because, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation, Halloween spending is expected to reach $8.4 billion this year, the highest level in the surveys 11-year history. But why is it that people enjoy being scared? Thats a question for Margee Kerr, a sociologist professor at the University of Pittsburgh who studies fear. When it comes to being scared, context is everything, she explained. If you know youre safe, it can be exhilarating. The physiological response to being scared is similar to when youre excited, happy and joyful. That response includes release of a host of chemicals in the body, including adrenalin, endorphins and serotonin. If terror-while-safe feels good to some, for others its just plain scary. According to Kerr its all a combination of early childhood development, genetics and personality traits. I tell people who dont like to be scared that they shouldnt feel bad about it, she said. And parents should never force a child into a scary situation if they dont want to go. Although haunted houses have been around since the early years of the last century, for the longest time they were the province of nonprofits that lured blindfolded thrill seekers to dip a hand into a bowl of guts that, in fact, was only cold spaghetti. But todays haunted houses have evolved into multimedia extravaganzas with Hollywood-level special effects populated by dozens if not hundreds of actors in elaborate costumes. Escape rooms challenge participants to solve puzzles, answer riddles and decipher clues to free themselves from various scary scenarios all while the clock is ticking. And ghost tours most of which take place after dark guide those interested in the paranormal on excursions to haunted hotels, spooky homes and other poltergeist-infested places. Many use equipment said to help in the detection of the not-quite-dead. And if your interest runs to the more intellectually challenging, consider the Mysterious Package Co., a Canada-based firm that, since 2012, sends a series of cryptic mailings to the person of your choice at mysteriouspackage.com. Each mailing there are usually three per scenario contains painstakingly crafted and aged letters, photos, postcards, newspaper clippings and fliers, as well as items such as necklaces and even a surprisingly hefty and menacing statue. Together, these mailings tell of a byzantine mystery that the recipient must suss out. We call it an adventure that comes to you, said Timothy Sullivan, co-founder of the company that sells its mysteries for anywhere from $99 to $399, depending on the complexity. We try to make each mailing compelling and unlike anything else youll receive in the mail these days. Sullivan describes his customers as affluent nerds who enjoy a good mystery and are fascinated by weird, unexpected things. Sounds like just the thing if youre looking for a unique Halloween scare. For a list of San Antonios escape rooms, haunted houses and ghost tours, please click here. rmarini@express-news.net Twitter: @RichardMarini This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The transformation of Kirk Mills house started with a sunset. I was in Olmos Park, and I took a picture with my phone, he recalled. It was really beautiful. At the time, the lawyer with Texas ranching roots wanted to nudge his all-beige Tudor style Terrell Hills home out of the color doldrums. So he commissioned muralist Paige Holland to paint a dome above his staircase based on the sunset photo. Inspired by the lavender, gold and pink sky, she got the color ball rolling. Then a bold New York decorator stepped in and took it over the top. Kirk met Carleton Varney of Dorothy Draper & Co. in New York at a party in Terrell Hills. I invited Carleton to come see my house and he was here only about 10 or 15 minutes, Mills recalled. Not long after, Varney sent him a detailed plan of what he could do to take the space into the stratosphere. When Varney came next, he explained everything he intended to do, from floor to ceiling, room by room. Id thought about ranching, cars, fishing. Id never thought about interior design, said Mills. It took all day. I was exhausted. During the yearlong project, packages arrived regularly with decorative pieces Varney had bought including an old pub sign he found while traveling in Ireland. The aptly named Carleton Home Brewery sign hangs on the deep green walls of an upstairs study that references Mills ranching roots. There, his hand-tooled Ryon saddle and family cattle brands are displayed. A pair of custom-designed wrought iron triangles with his brand are set in corners of the doorway. As he preferred a more masculine approach to windows, treatments are minimal jabots. Mills paintings by Valley artist Gabriel Salazar and San Antonio artist Porfirio Salinas add a Texas touch. Artworks acquired with Varneys help including a predominately turquoise painting by Gloria Vanderbilt that hangs above the living room fireplace add pizazz. While guest bedroom wall colors run to apricots and yellows, colors downstairs are more vivid. Both dining and sitting rooms feature brilliant tangerine walls painted with the strie technique. An 18th-century Waterford chandelier Kirk unearthed at an estate sale in Terrell Hills brightens the sitting room, as do a pair of large 17th-century gilded Italian dogs, set in mirrored niches flanking the fireplace. Collections of crystal and antique Nippon porcelains add to the elegance. The colors that draw the most reaction, however, are in the entry hall. In an old Tudor house the hallway is the dead spot of the house, Mills said. But not here. Walls are covered in vinyl printed with a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. And on a shocking green stair rug, custom woven in Ireland, engraved paw prints of Mills beloved miniature Schnauzer, Whitt short for Whittenberg run up the stairs. Kids come to the door and light up, people of all ages, he says. They all react, and I sometimes wonder what they are thinking. One thing for sure is what Mills thinks about his exuberant space. What a nice place to be, he said, glancing about with a smile. Mary M. Fisher is a San Antonio freelance writer. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The only one present at the Career Point College campus Monday afternoon was a former student who had lodged a complaint against the for-profit college that abruptly announced its closure the day before. Angela Richardson read the letter, taped inside the doors at Suite A22 of 4522 Fredricksburg Road from president and CEO Larry Earle, that the two-year college had closed after managements discovery that three long-time employees had collaborated to violate the rules related to student aid funds and the government would not accept the schools promise to repay inappropriately received funds. She had heard of the closure and had come to see for herself. She said she left the colleges registered murse program in November 2015, after bullying and verbal confrontations from fellow students went unchecked. She said she lodged a complaint of a hostile environment with the Department of Education in June. I was supposed to graduate next month, Richardson, 52, said. Now shes trying, through the federal agency, to get a refund for 11 months in the program. She said she worries about a friend who has graduated, but isnt sure if shell get last-minute paperwork to take a required state test. Earles letter said the college reported the funding violation to the Department of Education but the agency would not accept the colleges offer of a repayment plan and cut its ability to access federal financial aid dollars. Some 472 students attended two Career Point campuses in San Antonio and one in Austin, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; an unspecified number attended a campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On Monday, the Coordinating Board said the agency was working to offer other educational options to the displaced students, setting up a resource page on its website and coordinating with the Texas Workforce Commission to provide information to students and their families. The Southern Careers Institute invited displaced students to continue their training at its campuses in Austin and San Antonio. CEO Jacob Mayhew said they would do what they could to help students about to graduate, even allowing them to finish at no cost. Coordinating Board officials said they were notified about the closure Sunday, just as the general public was. Its rules require institutions to notify the agency before closing. The board said it sent a letter requesting specific information on the campuses last week to the Department of Education, which had put Career Point on heightened cash monitoring. The requested information included the self-reported fraud; tuition status; refunds due, and current student account balances. Career Points closure follows the shutdown of two ITT Technical campuses in San Antonio and 129 others across the nation in September. The Department of Education had cut off federal financial aid for new students and required ITT to vouch that it had the resources to fund its students education at another institution if it decided to close. Kiersten Rieper had nine months to go in Career Points licensed and vocational nurse program. She called her time at the campus a chaotic experience. I was devastated Rieper, 23, said of the announcement. Now, thinking back, it kind of makes sense that this was coming. Its ridiculous. They should have given us some kind of warning. Retired Air Force Col. Ronald Swansburg, 88, who lives at Air Force Village, said he is part of a group thats helped send several people who work at the retirement community to nursing school. He said he hoped the State Board of Nursing and Texas Nurse Association would help the displaced students get into another program. I just think people are getting rooked every time they turn around, Swansburg said. I dont know whats going to happen to these people, but theyre being taken for a ride. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Joseph Sanchez was 18 months old when his mom noticed a problem. He wasnt speaking yet or responding to directions. His pediatrican brushed off the concern, saying it was normal for boys to develop slower than girls. But just before he turned 3, he was referred to the Autism Community Network, where he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Over the next two years, Joseph received occupational and speech therapy from the Brighton Center, referral services from The Arc of San Antonio and treatment through the Autism Treatment Center. His mother, Linda Fierro, attends a family support group at Any Baby Can. Those five agencies and four others are part of a new coalition called Autism Lifeline Links, and on Tuesday, they launched a website thats meant to help those on the autism spectrum and their families connect to services. Tullos Wells, managing director of the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, which funds the new nonprofit coalition, said the website autismlifelinelinks.org will serve as a single point of entry for families once their loved one receives an autism diagnosis. They can fill out those forms one time, and not have to go chasing around the city trying to find each of those different services, Wells said. The website was created in response to a report released in May that said more than 30,000 people in the San Antonio area were on the autism spectrum. One of the biggest problems identified in the study was the dearth of qualified providers in the area that treat autism, resulting in long wait times. The key to really treating autism is early diagnosis and intervention, and in San Antonio and across the nation we know that there are really long wait times and not enough services to effectively treat autism, said Berenice de la Cruz, chief operating officer at Autism Community Network. Applied Behavioral Analysis, or ABA therapy, is considered the gold standard of treatment for autism, but its most effective when children start early. Joseph was on a wait list for a year before starting ABA in July. His mother says shes already seen progress, and Joseph is now speaking in five-word sentences. The goal of Autism Lifeline Links is to eventually eliminate wait times in the San Antonio area. In addition to connecting families with services, the website will collect data that the coalition hopes will help service providers make treatment more efficient. Were gathering data to determine how we can collectively work to create a community that is able to provide timely and effective treatment for all people impacted by autism, de la Cruz said. Dr. James Rubin, whose team at TAVHealth created the online platform, said the system will capture information about lifestyles, support networks and barriers that will give professionals the insight needed to achieve the best possible outcomes for every person. Fierro said her son might have progressed further at this point if he hadnt spent a year waiting to enter treatment. My son couldve been doing more within that year if there were enough programs and availability for other children, Fierro said. bmartin@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When Army Pfc. Karlyn Ramirez was found shot to death in her Maryland apartment more than a year ago her 5-month-old daughter next to her, unhurt her husband almost immediately became a person of interest to investigators. But Army Sgt. Maliek Kearney, the babys father who lived in South Carolina, had an alibi. It held up, at first, and he received a compassionate transfer to Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, so he could be closer to his daughter, who now lives with her maternal grandparents in Del Rio. Then came his arrest Oct. 6, and on Tuesday in federal court, Kearney, now 35, listened to an FBI agent describe how he shot Ramirez, 24, four times and put their daughter with her body before fleeing, leaving a sliding door open. Kattaleya Vale Kearney spent nearly eight hours alone with her dead mother, said FBI agent Jonathan D. Shaffer. The child was placed on the arm of Ms. Ramirez, where it was left until the next morning (when) she was found, Shaffer testified. Kearney, meanwhile, was driving the 500 miles back to South Carolina to make it to work the next morning in a bid to throw off investigators, Shaffer said. It was a carefully thought out plot, executed with the complicity and help of Kearneys now former girlfriend using her gun and her car, which he refueled with gas cans she had assembled for him to avoid the need to stop where he might be caught on security cameras, Shaffer said. U.S. Magistrate Judge Pamela Mathy denied Kearney bail and ordered him transferred to Maryland to await trial. Its a horrifying crime, in particular because of the references to the baby, Mathy said. Kearney and Dolores Delgado, 31, were indicted in Maryland and arrested here, charged with crossing state lines to kill Ramirez. Delgado met Kearney while she also was in the Army, and now lives here. She waived her bail hearing and will also be transferred to Maryland to face trial. Ramirezs killing was meticulously planned out by the defendant and his co-defendant, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wannarka told the judge. Ramirez grew up in Del Rio and met Kearney while in the Army. They married after Kattaleya was born, when Ramirez was stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland, working for the National Security Administration, prior news stories said. Kearney was stationed at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. Delgado lived in Florida. She loaned him the car, supplied him with the .357-caliber revolver and the gasoline containers, and stayed behind in South Carolina on the afternoon of Aug. 24, 2015, while Kearney drove to Maryland to kill his wife less than six weeks after he married her, Shaffer said. They were husband and wife, but they were estranged, Shaffer said. From early on in the marriage, things went south quickly. The pair had separated two weeks after they married, Shaffer testified. He said Ramirez sought a restraining order after Kearney showed up at her apartment unnanounced in a failed attempt to reconcile, days before the killing. At the time, he ended up hospitalized after attempting to end his life with sleeping pills, Shaffer said. Kearney told police that he fell asleep at home watching Netflix the night Ramirez was killed and went to work the next morning, Shaffer said. But investigators learned of Kearneys relationship with Delgado and that she often drove to visit him on weekends. The probe focused on her, and she eventually confessed she was with Kearney in South Carolina before and after the killing, and that he left his cell phone with her, Shaffer said. Detectives found Kearney had installed a wipe app on his cell phone that was used between Aug. 24 and 25, 2015, Shaffer said. Investigators also found Delgado deleted a text she had sent asking relatives for gas cans, and that she bought two 5-gallon cans herself, he said. Shaffer also said Kearney instructed Delgado what to tell detectives afterward, and said she posted some ammunition for sale on Facebook after the slaying. Kearney, a decorated Army veteran of 15 years who had served tours in Iraq, Pakistan and South Korea, has denied any involvement in the murder. After moving here, he began a relationship with a San Antonio woman, Lisette Villalpando, who testified Tuesday that Kearney had been caring, positive and generous to her and her two kids. One of his superiors at Fort Sam testified that Kearney has been nothing but an exemplary soldier. But prosecutor Wannarka argued that Kearneys actions were sick and depraved. Slightly laughable was his compassionate transfer to San Antonio to be close to the child he put in her dead mothers arms, Wannarka said. Gerald South of San Antonio, a friend of Delgado who attended the hearing, said in an interview that he had helped her move into her Northwest Side apartment when she relocated here in March from Florida, where she had been attending vocational school. South said Delgado grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and they met through his ex-wife, who was in the Army and had served with Delgado at Fort Hood. Id never even known she was with him, said South of her relationwhip with Kearney. She never talked about him. This is so shocking. Its too surreal. I wish she would have reached out, so I could have steered her away, South added. But as they say, You make the bed, now youve got to lie in it. gcontreras@express-news.net Twitter: @gmaninfedland Psst... Heres a dirty little secret about the dishonest and distorted media, as Donald Trump has called it, straight from the conniving, pro-Clinton nerve center of an American newsroom: Actually, we dont have time to participate in vast conspiracies. Seriously. Im on deadline. The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary SAD, Trump tweeted on Sunday. Youd expect Trump to scapegoat the Jews next. Oh wait, he just did. Hillary Clinton meets in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of U.S. sovereignty in order to enrich these global financial powers, her special-interest friends and her donors, Trump said last week, echoing an old anti-Semitic trope. On Monday, his scapegoating sights were back on the press. New polls are good because the media has deceived the public by putting women front and center with made-up stories and lies, and got caught, he tweeted. His supporters believe this. One of them emailed me on Monday. I was wondering why you have not written a column about all of the wikileak documents showing all of the corruption in the democratic party, the reader wrote. Is it because you do not believe they are authentic. Or is it because your paper will not let you write anything negative about the democratic party. I think we all know it is the last one. Trump may be a true ass but at least he has some guts and speaks what he believes. Reader, youre absolutely right. Trump is an ass. Youre wrong about everything else. Heres why. Rigging a national conspiracy is surprisingly hard work. Imagine the collusion required. All of the cogs must move in concert, the tentacles in tandem. Orders barked from some inner sanctum must be passed down and obeyed by soulless underlings across the land. If this scenario doesnt strike you as impossible, at least believe this: The idea of a monolithic media empire working proactively to boost a single candidates bid for the White House is at odds with the reality of reactive news gathering. Ive been doing it for 11 years. Three mornings a week, an editor will drop by my desk and ask, What are you writing about? I try to keep the answer interesting. At the very least, it should satisfy a simple question: Why would anyone care? In other words, is it newsworthy? Thats a value judgment journalists are paid to make. Its in the job description. And in the glut of daily news, its a relative concept. That simply means a fatal, six-vehicle wreck that shuts down a major interstate is more newsworthy than a fender bender on Broadway. By the same measure, a barrage of sexual assault allegations against a presidential candidate who once boasted of sexual assault is going to attract more media than a leaked email showing representatives from Qatar tried to score a meeting with Bill Clinton and donate to his familys foundation while his wife was secretary of state. Journalists should feel obligated to cover the Qatar story. Indeed, they have covered it. But more news consumers are going to care that America is on the cusp of electing an admitted sexual predator to the Oval Office. Trump brought this on himself. Since the start of his incendiary campaign, Trump has milked nearly $2 billion of free media from the press precisely by acting scandalous. Now hes blaming journalists for continuing to do what he has encouraged all along: cover his outrageous scandals. If thats distorted, its only because Trump is a distorted and demented candidate. Now, stop tweeting insults at my profession, Donald. Im on deadline. bchasnoff@express-news.net Dakota Gardener: The pumpkin pie is a lie The best pumpkin pies aren't actually made of pumpkin, according to NDSU horticulturalist Tom Kalb. The Brexit impact and particularly concerns about long-term currency volatility is currently casting a very 'unwelcome shadow' of uncertainty over international trade. Looking at the impact of Brexit on overseas trade, Jim McLaren, Chairman of Quality Meat Scotland described it as having a push-pull effect on the market. "On the one hand, the weakness of Sterling is creating opportunities for us at home and abroad," he said. "In terms of lamb exports this currency situation is making the UK extremely competitive on the European market. The QMS presence is highlighting the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status of Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb "However being price-competitive does not alone guarantee a market if demand is weak. "In the beef sector, the current exchange rate is making beef imports to the UK less attractive and as a result of increased home demand we are seeing back-filling meaning there is less product available for export." UK exports to Germany, and some other northern European countries, have shown some strengthening over the past six months, but the volumes involved are not significant, compared with the decreased demand from France. Despite the tough European trading environment, Scotlands red meat exporters are this week focused on further developing relationships with overseas customers. Scotch beef and lamb Eleven Scottish exporters are this week on the Quality Meat Scotland stand at SIAL in Paris - one of the worlds largest and most influential food fairs. Mr McLaren who is at SIAL this week, said it was important to ensure the industry has a strong presence at this sort of event, attended by meat exporting nations from around the globe The QMS presence is highlighting the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status of Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb and the guarantees of quality assurance, provenance and welfare that underpin the brands. We are here to ensure strong awareness of the Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI brands and what sets them apart from our competitors. The strength of our industrys brands in overseas markets is underpinned by the strong relationships forged over decades with our key overseas customers. "Face-to-face meetings at an event like this offer the opportunity to refresh and reinforce these important relationships, said Mr McLaren. However, he said that there was no doubt trading conditions in overseas markets have become increasingly tough, despite some currency movements in the UKs favour. France remains our biggest market for lamb but consumption in France has been under pressure for some time now and over the past six months exports to France have been down year-on-year. This cooling of demand is having an effect, not only on UK exports to France but also on exports to France from New Zealand and Ireland which have eased back, he added. The needs of Welsh farms and rural businesses must not be overlooked as the UK prepares for Brexit, the Country Land and Business Association have said. MPs representing constituencies in Wales will be part of a cross-party discussion on the future of Welsh rural economy after Brexit. Hosted by Mark Williams MP for Ceredigion, the CLA is creating this forum for discussion as part of the CLAs New Opportunities campaign to ensure that farming, the rural economy and the environment are treated as priorities by UK governments as the UK prepares for Brexit. Following the discussion, CLA President Ross Murray and CLA Cymru Director Rebecca Williams will meet with Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales Guto Bebb to discuss the particular needs and concerns of rural businesses in Wales. 'Dynamic relationship' CLA Cymru Director Rebecca Williams said farmers and other rural business owners across Wales are looking to the UK and Welsh government to 'work together effectively' in planning for a future outside the EU. "Currently critical policy issues related to agricultural and rural economic development policy are delivered by the Welsh Government working within an EU framework," Miss Williams said. "Once the UK has exited the EU it will mean a new dynamic in the relationship between Westminster and Cardiff. "Our hope and expectation is that the result will be a strengthened relationship which reinforces the powers of Welsh Cabinet Secretaries and the Assembly. "We are absolutely clear that the priority has to be what is in the best interest of businesses and people working in rural Wales. "Politicians must ensure that the settlement is fair and comprehensive and that it provides adequate resources to meet rural economic and environmental policy objectives and that businesses are fully consulted at every stage. "We are looking forward to this opportunity to talk with our MPs about how they can make sure that an optimum solution is presented to Welsh farmers and business leaders," Miss Williams concluded. Dairy exports have a key role to play to boost the industry and foster growth, said Dairy UK to Defra Secretary of State Andrea Leadsom. The Secretary of State joined the Dairy UK Exporters Group as a special guest at a meeting hosted by AHDB Dairy, to discuss the Governments export plan for food and drink. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss current and upcoming challenges linked to the Brexit negotiations and to reiterate Dairy UKs priorities in terms of trade and dairy exports. Dr Judith Bryans, Chief Executive of Dairy UK, said the industry has been working hard to develop dairy exports and unlock new opportunities with countries around the world. Dr Judith Bryans, Chief Executive of Dairy UK "The strategy we published earlier this year set out the necessary next steps to help the UK dairy industry take its proper place on the global market and we have already made significant progress working with Defra," Dr Bryans said. "However, with 80% of our dairy exports going to EU countries, it is absolutely vital that we should maintain our access to the EU market without any tariff or non-tariff barriers. "The government needs to maintain continuity and avoid any disruptions to existing trade partnerships. "If we want to remain competitive, we need a level playing field with our European and global partners. "When looking at food and drink regulations, the Government must make sure it does not inadvertently create non-tariff barriers which would hinder dairy companies ability to export their products across the world. "We need food and drink regulations on par with our competitors so we can strengthen our position in the global market." The support of the farming industry and Defra is 'vital' in reaching markets abroad for British farmers' produce after Brexit, the Defra Secretary has said. Defra Secretary Andrea Leadsom visited Stoneleigh Park to speak to dairy processors at an export forum, organised by Dairy UK and AHDB. She then addressed industry stakeholders and journalists on the customised 32-tonne truck, which acts as the mobile hub. It has been touring the UK this week promoting food and drink exports and pulled in at Stoneleigh to coincide with the high level dairy talks. Ms Leadsom was there to discuss the governments export plan for food and drink. It showcases the value to the British economy gained from the exports of farmer and grower produce, along with the work being undertaken to develop new overseas markets. Peter Hardwick, AHDB Head of Exports, said: "There is significant scope for other commodities and the seminars focused on how exporters could best approach issues such as working in partnership with industry and identifying potential new markets. The support of the industry, Defra and the Department of Internal Trade is vital to this ongoing work. 'Champion favorites' Food and drink is the UKs fourth largest exporting sector worth 18 billion a year, with exports of agricultural commodities alone valued at 6.25 billion a year. Addressing stakeholders in the export hub, Ms Leadsom said the government was there to help and would do so whenever it could to help farmers, growers and processors looking to sell their goods overseas. Last year we sold 18 billion of our food and drink across the world and Im determined to build on this success, she said. Through our Great British Food campaign I want to champion favourites from across the region both at home and abroad to help cement Britains reputation as a global food nation. AHDB also used the high profile occasion to unveil its dairy export activities until spring 2017. Farming union NFU Cymru has urged the EU's Agricultural Commissioner Phil Hogan to implement the European Sheep Meat Forums recommendations and deliver 'real change' for sheep farmers. This message comes following the final meeting of the European Sheep Meat Forum in Brussels recently. As part of the European Sheep Meat Forum a collection of cross-industry experts - NFU Cymru Deputy President, John Davies and colleagues have identified thirteen areas for action in the sheep meat sector. European Sheep Meat Forum explored ways to tackle sheep industry problems across the EU A key priority for Mr Davies is to ensure greater market transparency through price reporting based on standard dressing specification. Mr Davies and his colleagues also called on the Commission to recognise the contribution made to the wider economy, particularly in upland areas, by the sheep sector. 'Sheep sector has huge potential' Mr Davies said: The sheep sector has huge potential; but the report recommends that the sector is protected from distorting trade imports and existing tariff rate quotas should not be extended. Europe has 900,000 sheep producers, creating an industry worth 5.5billion. This must be protected and promoted through a targeted communication and promotion programme that encourages the European consumers to make lamb a regular menu choice. I very much welcome the dashboard for sheep price reporting that the Commission has already introduced. But I feel strongly that more measures need to be put in place to make price reporting more accurate and worthwhile to the whole supply chain. I have urged Commissioner Hogan to act on the points in this report. This is a living document that must develop and continue to benefit sheep farmers. The Commission should take the reports aims on board and ensure its recommendations are not left on the shelf. A new laboratory has opened to help drive vital research into the control of fungi which attacks the world's most important cereal crops. The research centre has been opened at Hilldale Research Centre in Wickham to develop novel fungicide compounds, based on groundbreaking research at the University of Sussex. Work planned at the site will help to drive vital research into the control of respiratory activity in fungi which attack the worlds major cereal crops. With the help of a recent 1million award, including a contribution of 602,390 from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the opening will signal a step forward in the fight to help ensure global food security. Fungal pathogens are adept at developing resistance to treatments by expressing an enzyme called the alternative oxidase (AOX). The novel compounds formulated by Professor Tony Moore, of the University of Sussex, prevent this enzyme from being functional. Protecting vital yields of crops With further development, these compounds may be effective for longer and require less frequent spraying of crops. The laboratory represents a significant investment in UK industry and innovation, as the only UK-owned commercial research facility for new agrochemical actives, in the country. Existing nanotechnology capability is a successful example of the governments investment in innovative technology and research, with a number of commercial products already derived from this technology currently being marketed in the UK and the EU. Professor Moore said the implications of this ongoing research are "potentially huge". "Both in terms of protecting vital yields of wheat, barley and rice across the world, and lessening the environmental damage caused by multiple applications of fungicides, he said. Following its membership consultation on post-Brexit farming, the NFU has said the Norwegian European Economic Area arrangement was the most favoured model for British farmers. The farming union has today laid out the key priorities for its trade and access to labour policies. NFU policy position on trade is mainly centred around access to the EU Single Market. Of the existing models, the Norwegian European Economic Area arrangement was the most favoured in the consultation, but a larger number are looking for some bespoke UK arrangements. The NFU said it 'appreciates the political sensitivity' over issues such as labour movements, regulation and budget contributions. These are matters that will need to be settled by negotiation, the NFU said. The primary concern is that farmers access to European market should not be fettered by tariffs or non-tariff barriers. Access to markets in the rest of the world The EU has negotiated more than 50 preferential access agreements with countries around the world. The government will need to commit to holding further discussions on permanent labour and seasonal labour for the medium to long term In the worst case all these would need to be renegotiated by the EU, in addition to any further deals which the British Government might like to conclude. The NFU's determination is that any future trading arrangements with any country, in or out of the EU, must be balanced, with the same conditions applying to imports as to exports. "If this is the case then the best outcome would be that the UK remains part of the European customs union," the NFU said. "We need the government to be acutely aware of whats at stake for British food and farming," Mr Raymond said The consultation demonstrated overwhelming support for arrangements which limit farmers exposure to imports produced to lower standards (e.g. lower animal welfare standards, goods produced with products prohibited domestically). This is not a straightforward matter as WTO rules prohibit discriminating against imports on the basis of their production methods. The UK farming sector can promote the qualities and values of British production through assurance schemes, and the NFU believes more needs to be done both publically and privately in this area. But there are limits to what can be done and this can only be a 'partial solution', the consultation has said. NFU policy position on access to labour The consultation found that most farmers want to trial a 'substantial' fixed-term work permit scheme for agriculture and horticulture targeted at non-EU workers during 2017. There will also need to be assurance that EU workers that are already in positions have right of residency in the UK and that they will have right to leave and return to their home member state. The government will need to commit to holding further discussions on permanent labour and seasonal labour for the medium to long term. AHDB and the government are to provide significant investment in innovation, productive technology, robotics, automation and mechanisation, and to support science funding for research and development. And in the longer term - working with the education system provide the relevant technical skills needed for the industry. 'We want full unfettered access to single market' NFU President Meurig Raymond said if Brexit is well executed, then the 'whole of society and the economy can benefit from competitive, profitable and progressive farm businesses.' We want full unfettered access to the single market - our consultation was clear that members wanted a new bespoke deal with the EU," Mr Raymond said. Trading tariff-free has been hugely beneficial to both the UK and the EU - 38% of British lamb ends up on the EU market. We will be working with other UK farming unions and partners across the farming and food chain to achieve this outcome. "Trade needs to be on fair terms, so we're calling on Ministers to ensure imported goods produced to lower standards or using practices banned in the UK are controlled. Access to a flexible and competent workforce is essential to British farming's competitiveness with 80,000 seasonal employees on farm now. We are calling for the Government to trial a substantial fixed-term work permit scheme for agriculture and horticulture targeted at non-EU workers during 2017. It is also right that EU workers already in positions have right of residence in the UK. And we'll be holding discussions with the Government on the level of permanent labour and seasonal labour for the medium to long term," Mr Raymond concluded. Over 1 million worth of vintage tractors, steam engines, classic vehicles and collectors items were sold at the Cheffins Cambridge Vintage sale on Saturday. The most popular items on the day were four rare steam engines which were sold to a total value of 237,000. The biggest ticket item in this section was a 1927 Foden C Type steam wagon which made 122,000 and was sold to a collector from Cambridgeshire. The other steam engines sold included a 1930 Aveling and Porter Steam Tractor for 37,000; a 1932 Ruston and Hornsby Portable Steam Engine for 38,000 and a 1926 Fowler steam roller which made 40,000. Over 237,000 spent on four steam engines Only one of four examples known to exist in the UK, an incredibly rare Holt 75 made a stunning 62,000, making it the most expensive item in the 150 lot tractor section. It dates back to 1914 and was built in Peoria, Illinois, sometime from 1914-1924 The Holt was initially built for the military and was supplied to the British, French, Russian and US armies during WW1. This specimen in particular was originally part of the famous Heidrick Tractor Collection, part of the California Agriculture Museum and is thought to have been built in 1917 to military specifications. It was sold to a private collector from Lincolnshire. Other tractors which saw strong prices included a 1989 Marshall for 23,000 and a 1978 Massey Ferguson 1505 which made 10,200. Some stunning collectors items saw record prices paid at Saturdays sale Live steam models were also popular items of the day, with a storming 12,500 paid for a four inch scale Foster agricultural engine which was built from scratch. A number of three inch scale smaller models, belonging to a Mr N H Melton of Horncastle sold for over 1,000 per piece. In his 90s, Mr Melton sold his collection due to his advancing years, all of which were meticulously built by hand over a number of decades. The most popular item in his collection was a small 3 inch scale Massey Ferguson 780 combine harvester which sold for an incredible 6,400. Jeremy Curzon, Director, Cheffins comments: Mr Meltons collection was something utterly unique. He chose some most unusual subjects which were keenly contested by our buyers. Achieving over 10,000 in total, these items popularity is a testament to Mr Meltons skill and dedication to his hobby. Now over 90 years old, Mr Melton was happy to see the items go to new homes. A series of rural and domestic bygone items from Holkham Hall sold for over 15,000 in total, with all proceeds going to the new interactive farming exhibition at the estate, Field to Fork. An ex-Anglia TV studio camera on its steerable dolly made 1,000, whilst a collection of Edwardian camera equipment made 640. Enamel signs always prove popular, with a Raleigh sign making 1,600, which is one of the highest prices achieved for an item such as this on the day. A number of the bygone items were sold to antique dealers, collectors and enthusiasts. William King, Director at Cheffins comments: Some stunning collectors items saw record prices paid at Saturdays sale. We always expected the Holt 75 and the steam engines to achieve some serious money, however there were some surprises with a number of models making strong prices. The market for everything vintage, from vast steam engines down to enamel signs and small models, continues to be buoyant. Purchasers and serious collectors are willing to part with vast sums of cash for the best items and we are pleased to see this market continue to thrive against the backdrop of economic uncertainty across the UK. Bird flu: Poultry housing order to be introduced in England By Patricio Grassini Cropping Systems Specialist Figure 1 a-c. Tip-back, pollination, ear malformation, and insect damage are among a variety of factors contributing to less-than-expected yields for some growers this year. Corn harvest has begun in many areas of the state and producers are reporting varying yield results as we had anticipated. Some are reporting yields that exceeded their goals while others are reporting yields below expectations and questioning what may have happened. Conditions varied widely across the state from the start of the 2016 season to harvest, with potential impact on crop production and yields from individual fields becoming apparent now (Figures 1 a-c). In this article, we address some of the possible causes for reduced yield in the hopes of helping producers troubleshoot their own situations and consider adjustments for the future. Figure 2 a-b. April 2016 (left) and May 2016 total precipitation in inches for Nebraska. Planting and Early Season As we review planting and early season conditions, variability in precipitation with excess moisture (Figure 2 a-b) in some locations led to variable planting dates with some replanting. It also led to variable emergence and plant growth within fields. Damping off and other seedling diseases were a problem in some fields and in some hybrids, resulting in stand losses. Excess moisture may have resulted in denitrification and/or leaching of nitrogen in some fields where nitrogen was applied pre-plant. If rescue treatments or the majority of nitrogen could not be applied in-season, nitrogen stress may have occurred. Excess moisture also affected some post-herbicide applications which may have resulted in weed pressure in some fields, potentially impacting yield. Figure 3. Number of days in June 2016 when the maximum temperature was greater than or equal to 90F. Map is interpolating station data at 5 km grid using the Natural Neighbor method; quality control was not performed. Use map as visual only as values may be over/underestimated. Figure 4. Number of days from July 10-24, 2016 when the minimum temperature was equal to or more than 70F. Mid-Season As June rolled around, growers may recall plants appearing yellow from lack of root development from April/May rainfall. We also had high heat and high winds in June (Figure 3) which made the soil hard and increased plant stress from lack of root development. Some corn plants were in a critical growth stage (V5-V8) during this time. Irrigation was recommended to help reduce plant stress. Rapid plant growth continued to occur. A cold snap over the July 4 weekend followed by a July 7 windstorm with hail affected pockets throughout the state. Plants most affected by greensnap were between V10 and V14 growth stage at this time. By the end of July there was a period of high nighttime temperatures which may have affected kernel setting (Figure 4). By late summer, portions of the state were in drought due to limited rainfall from early June through August (Figure 5). Solar radiation was good for both corn and soybean yields; however, the high relative humidity (Table 1, below) resulted in reduced evapotranspiration (ET). The high humidity did appear to help plants in drought-stricken areas hang on longer. Ear malformation concerns were also observed on racehorse hybrids and determined to be the loss of the primary ear node although exact reasons for this are still being determined. Figure 5. August 2, 2016 US Drought Monitor for Nebraska. Insects such as western bean cutworms and grasshoppers were an issue throughout the state this past year. Spider mite flare-ups occurred during milk to early dent growth stages with some farmers questioning additional pesticide applications given current economics. Leaf Diseases Leaf diseases were found at varying severities in corn in several parts of Nebraska. Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) BLS was officially reported in August 2016, but likely present in some areas of Nebraska prior to that. The disease severity has varied greatly in different parts of the state and on different hybrids. Thus far, the disease has been confirmed in at least 45 counties stretching from southwest to northeast Nebraska. No samples from the Panhandle or extreme southeast Nebraska have tested positive. In some corn fields BLS developed in the lowest leaves during vegetative stages, as early as V7. In some sensitive hybrids, such as some popcorn, it continued to worsen throughout the season; in other hybrids, its development stalled or stopped for most of the remaining season. In other fields, it was only reported after July storms and developed in the upper canopy first. The disease affects leaf area, which could ultimately impact grain fill and yield as the disease becomes more severe. However, one of the biggest challenges with the disease is that it is frequently misdiagnosed as other diseases, such as the fungal disease gray leaf spot. It has been common in areas with gray leaf spot, such as in south central. Sometimes both diseases have occurred in the same fields and in the same leaves, complicating diagnosis and treatment decisions. In some fields this and other foliar diseases quickly developed later in the growing season and may have had an impact on yield. Figure 6 a-b. Bacterial leaf streak lesions on narrow stripes, usually with jagged margins. (Right) The outline of lesions may still be visible on dead, dried leaf tissue, but diagnosis is difficult after senescence, especially if multiple disease lesions are present. Figure 7 a-b. Gray leaf spot lesions are rectangular with smooth, linear margins. The outline of lesions may still be visible on dead, dried leaf tissue, but diagnosis is difficult after senescence, especially if multiple disease lesions are present. Gray leaf spot (GLS) The fungal disease gray leaf spot (GLS) is common in most of Nebraska. The fungus is favored by warm, damp conditions or high relative humidity and causes rectangular lesions between veins. These lesions begin on the lowest leaves and progress upward throughout the season as long as conditions persist. The fungus overwinters in infected crop debris from previous seasons and so is favored by continuous corn and minimum tillage systems. Fortunately, many hybrids are now more resistant to the disease and foliar fungicides can provide effective control. However, this disease quickly developed late in the season and may have impacted yield in some fields. The fungal disease gray leaf spot (GLS) is common in most of Nebraska. The fungus is favored by warm, damp conditions or high relative humidity and causes rectangular lesions between veins. These lesions begin on the lowest leaves and progress upward throughout the season as long as conditions persist. The fungus overwinters in infected crop debris from previous seasons and so is favored by continuous corn and minimum tillage systems. Fortunately, many hybrids are now more resistant to the disease and foliar fungicides can provide effective control. However, this disease quickly developed late in the season and may have impacted yield in some fields. Southern corn rust (SCR) The SCR fungus is not known to overwinter in Nebraska and spores blow in from southern locations. SCR was confirmed in late July in Nebraska. It was slow to develop in some parts of the state, but increased quickly in others, such as in south central Nebraska. Some producers were surprised at the rapid increase in rust late season that may have impacted yield and standability. Foliar fungicides can help manage the disease, but application timing decisions are difficult. Growers need to anticipate when the disease will develop and taking advantage of the window of protection, expected to be 21-28 days for most systemic products. The SCR fungus is not known to overwinter in Nebraska and spores blow in from southern locations. SCR was confirmed in late July in Nebraska. It was slow to develop in some parts of the state, but increased quickly in others, such as in south central Nebraska. Some producers were surprised at the rapid increase in rust late season that may have impacted yield and standability. Foliar fungicides can help manage the disease, but application timing decisions are difficult. Growers need to anticipate when the disease will develop and taking advantage of the window of protection, expected to be 21-28 days for most systemic products. Diagnostics Unfortunately, samples submitted to the UNL Plant & Pest Diagnostic Clinic for diagnosis at harvest may have limited value for identifying certain problems that may have impacted yield earlier in the season. Many pathogens may still be detectable, but it may be impossible to determine their earlier severity, whether they could have impacted yield, and what other potential problems may have also contributed to yield loss. Keep in mind that it is important to provide as much information as possible when submitting a sample, including the distribution of symptoms in the field, on the plant, and on various plant parts. Its also helpful to provide when plants developed symptoms and the appearance of other seemingly unaffected plants. Drydown and Fill Period September resulted in corn appearing to rapidly lose health and we didn't see the long period of drying husks on green stalks as is often observed. Weather data shows a period with very low solar radiation during this time, which may have impacted corn plants physiologically (Figure 8). Figure 8. Daily solar radiation, maximum and minimum air temperature (Tmax and Tmin), total rainfall, and total reference grass-based evapotranspiration (ET) for the time from August 25 to September 7, 2016. Vertical bars indicate the range for these variables based on 20+ years of weather records. The horizontal thick line indicates the long-term average and the red dots indicate the 2016 values. Stalk and Ear Rot Diseases Several stalk and ear diseases were observed in the state and may have impacted yield, depending on when they developed during grainfill. Stalk rot diseases Several stalk rot diseases can cause early plant death and potentially impact yield if they infect and develop early. These diseases are caused by fungi that survive in the soil and infect and develop in plants that may have been grown under crop stress, such as nutrient deficiency, moisture imbalance (too wet or too dry), wounding, and loss of leaf area, such as caused by leaf diseases, among others. Hybrid selection may help to reduce the incidence of stalk rot diseases. Using the push or pinch tests can help to identify corn fields with compromised stalks. Anthracnose stalk rot (and top dieback), as well as Fusarium stalk rot have been observed, and others, such as charcoal rot, which is more common in dry growing conditions, also could be possible. Harvesting high risk fields first or early may help to avoid harvest losses due to lodging, but may lead to grain drying costs. Ear rot diseases Ear rot diseases have only been observed in a few areas of the state since harvest progress is still early. Its important to scout high risk fields and to know whether theyre a problem to help make informed decisions about storage, feeding, etc. Conclusion A number of factors across this production season may be affecting yields. If you are experiencing lower than expected yields, we would recommend considering the factors listed in this article to help determine what might have affected your crop on a field-by-field basis. Gray's Creek neighborhood takes a hit as mom and pop restaurant closes Everybody eats at The Creek Bar & Grill, owner Casper Critchfield said but Nov. 13 is the restaurants last day in operation. A lack of information about the people who ultimately own or benefit from legal entities is one of the most pervasive challenges in increasing transparency and fighting against corruption. The U.S. Government oversees a vast network of contractors, and the collection and publication of the beneficial ownership information of such contractors as part of procurement protocol could greatly benefit the level of transparency in government contracting, cut down on government waste, and decrease fraud and corruption. Transparency International-USA is hosting a panel discussion on the importance of knowing who is ultimately pulling the strings of companies who bid for public contracts. The panel discussion will provide examples of how the U.S. government and U.S. businesses, and taxpayers have been defrauded by anonymous companies and explore solutions such as adopting Open Contracting Principles and requiring the collection and publication of ultimate ownership information of companies bidding for government business. The panelists will then discuss practical recommendations for increasing transparency in federal procurement to reduce fraud and corruption. Our distinguished panel will feature: Claudia J. Dumas President and CEO, TI-USA Opening Remarks Shruti Shah Vice President of Programs and Operations, TI-USA Moderator James H. Cottrell, Jr. (Chip) Partner, Deloitte Advisory, and Member of the B-Teams Anti-Corruption Group Gavin Hayman Executive Director, Open Contracting Partnership Eryn Schornick Policy Advisor, Banks and Corruption, Global Witness Michelle Sternthal Deputy Director of Policy & Government Affairs, Main Street Alliance * * * Friday, October 28, 2016 10:00-11:30 am (registration and light refreshments at 9:30 am) OpenGov Hub 1110 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005 Please RSVP by October 26 to [email protected] ____ Shruti Shah is a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog. Shes Vice President of Programs and Operations at Transparency International-USA. She can be contacted here. Police near Richmond, Virginia arrested a man who allegedly impersonated a McDonalds corporate compliance officer to defraud hotel and rental car companies. David Scott Goldstein, 47, of Minneapolis, Minnesota wore a McDonalds dress shirt with the companys logo. At McDonalds restaurants, he went into secure areas and took corporate documents. He later used those documents to convince people he worked for McDonalds, police said. He had an earlier arrest in Bloomington, Minnesota for posing as a McDonalds corporate employee. He stayed in a hotel near the Mall of America and said McDonalds would pay his bill. He was charged then with felony fraud. He was later arrested by police in Virginia when he didnt pay his bill at a Homewood Suites in Sandston. An employee at the hotel advised [police] that Goldsteins form of payment had been declined, Henrico police spokesman Lt. Chris Garrett said in an email to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Goldstein drove out of the hotel parking lot while police were inside talking with the clerk. Police caught Goldstein and charged him with defrauding an innkeeper, identity theft, eluding police, and two traffic offenses. Police said Goldstein ran the alleged scam throughout the Midwest and New England. In August, police in Rutland, Vermont warned the public that Goldstein was in the area posing as a McDonalds compliance officer and stealing from businesses. Rutland police said Goldstein would walk into businesses dressed in a red shirt with the McDonalds logo and carrying a binder with the McDonalds emblem. In Bloomington, at a hotel a block from a McDonalds, Goldstein told the staff he crashed his rental car and wanted them to arrange a replacement. He was kind of rude to my staff, obnoxious, the hotel manager told the Star Tribune. Goldstein has a preliminary hearing in Virginia on December 13. He was denied bail. ____ Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. Nichelle Nichols has revealed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a 'Trekkie'. Nichelle Nichols The 83-year-old actress starred as Lieutenant Uhura on board the USS Enterprise spaceship in the iconic original 'Star Trek' TV series from 1966 until 1969, and was part of the very first interracial kiss shown on US television when she locked lips with Captain Kirk, played by William Shatner. Now, she has revealed that Baptist minister King, who was the leader Civil Rights Movement and paved the way for racial and ethnic equality in America in the 60s, told her he was a fan of the sci-fi show when they met. Nichelle met King - who was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee - just after she had made an internal decision to leave the show but he told her she had to stay because she was a role model for African American women as she was the only woman of colour in a prominent television role at the time. Talking about the first time she was introduced to him, she recalled: "I turned, and about 10 or 12 feet away from me, was Dr. Martin Luther King, and my mouth just dropped open. He was both attractive and a Trekker. He was an attractive Trekker!" Revealing how he insisted she stayed on as Lieutenant Uhura, she added to The Guardian newspaper: "He told me not only that I shouldn't but I couldn't leave. He knew more than I knew. He knew more about me, where I was going to in my life, than I did." Nichelle also revealed that current US President Barack Obama is also a fan of 'Star Trek' and is a "wonderful man". The story for 'Shrek 5' is being penned by 'Austin Powers' writer Michael McCullers. Shrek and Puss in Boots DreamWorks Animation previously unveiled plans to release another instalment in the franchise about the lovable green ogre and now it has been revealed that McCullers is currently writing the script and will be reunited with Mike Myers, who starred as spoof spy Powers and voices Shrek. In an interview with Hollywood News, 'Trolls' co-director Mike Mitchell - who directed 'Shrek 2' - said: "They've got a pretty good story. It's being written by Michael McCullers who wrote all of the 'Austin Powers' films. He came up with a really great idea that they're exploring." His 'Trolls' co-director Walt Dohrn - who helmed 'Shrek Forever After' - added in the join interview: "There's more story to tell there and we're ready to help tell it for sure." As well as his work on the three 'Austin Powers' movies, McCullers is known for his work on 'Saturday Night Live' and also wrote and directed 'Baby Mama' and contributed to the screenplay for the animated film 'Mr. Peabody & Sherman'. Although the writer has been confirmed, there is currently no director attached to 'Shrek 5', but Dohrn is hoping he and Mitchell will be asked following their work on latest DreamWorks Animation 'Trolls'. Dohrn said: "We wanna be (involved). We'd love that." The fourth film, 'Shrek Forever After', was released in 2010 and was followed by spin-off 'Puss in Boots' in 2011. Myers has voiced Shrek in every film with Cameron Diaz playing his wife Princess Fiona, Eddie Murphy as Donkey and Antonio Banderas as Puss. Kings of Leon have announced a surprise show in London on Tuesday night (18.10.16). Kings of Leon's Caleb Followill The 'Sex on Fire' hitmakers will perform at the intimate 229 club on Great Portland Street to celebrate the release of their new album 'WALLS'. Tickets go on sale at 1pm and those wanting to catch their set at the small venue will only be able to purchase a single ticket. However, there will be the chance to win tickets on the band's social media channels. Meanwhile, the indie rock group - comprised of brothers Caleb, Jared and Nathan Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill - are dead set on playing Glastonbury Festival, which is held at Worthy Farm in Somerset, south west England, next year because it is due to go on a break in 2018. Singer Caleb told the BBC: "We love Glastonbury. "I think that was the first festival we played in Europe. Do they still do it where it's on one year, off one year to the grass grow? ... OK, then we'll have to get on it in 2017. I'll have to text Mr Eavis." The band last headlined the music extravaganza in 2008. Kings of Leon worked on the follow-up to 2013's 'Mechanical Bull' with Coldplay and Florence + The Machine's producer, Markus Dravs. The album is full of "personal stories" including a song about Caleb's alcohol addiction and a haunted house stay experienced by his wife Lily Aldridge. The 34-year-old rocker previously explained: "There are a lot of personal stories on this album... We're still hungry and still young at heart." He says his supermodel spouse's brush with the supernatural inspired love song 'Find Me'. He said: "She stayed in this hotel in Los Angeles. This is going to sound weird and a lot of people will roll their eyes, but she felt like it was haunted. When she tells the story, it's the scariest thing. So I took that and turned it into a love story." 'WALLS' is out now. Stephanie Davis doesn't think Jeremy McConnell "deserves" to be at the birth of their baby next year. Stephanie Davis The 23-year-old actress has claimed she's reached out to her ex-boyfriend - who she met in the 'Celebrity Big Brother' house in January - on numerous occasions since they split up in May but, with no avail, she's now had enough and doesn't want the heavily-inked Irish hunk to have anything to do with their little son. She explained: "He doesn't deserve to be there [at the birth]. I don't think he wants to be there either. I don't think I could ever forgive him for how he's been. I used to send him scan photos but he doesn't care and he never has. It's just me and my son now. I never thought he'd be that type of guy." Although she doesn't want the 26-year-old star present when her little one - who is due in January - enters the world, the former 'Hollyoaks' beauty feels guilty that her child will have to grow up without a father figure in his life. Speaking to OK! magazine, she said: "I really did love Jez and I tried to reach out so he wouldn't regret missing out with his son. That kills me. But I can give our son the life Jez never had and hope that he'll be a better person. It's easier to let go of Jeremy because I've still got part of him with me in our son. It's heartbreaking because I feel like I've let my baby down because I couldn't give him both parents." Despite her turbulent relationship with Jeremy, which saw him cheat on her numerous times, Stephanie hasn't been put off finding love but doesn't want to rush anything. She explained: "At the moment I'm keeping my options open and I haven't met anyone I'm ready to tell the world about yet ... I'm not going to introduce a boyfriend to the public until I've been seeing him for a while. I'd want to know it's true love and that it's right for my son. Hopefully I'll find someone who loves my son like he's his own." And Stephanie may not have to wait too long to find her new lover as a psychic she met in Tenerife recently has told her that she'll be engaged by the end of 2018. She said: "She also said the baby will have fair hair and I'm going to meet someone next year, but right now it's all about me and my baby. She said I'll have a ring on my finger by the end of 2018 and the person will be someone I've never met. I've been looking at the bin men and the window cleaners thinking, 'Is it you?' " Tameka Empson is furious with the 'Strictly Come Dancing' producers for not telling the audience or the judges about her crippling back injury ahead of the dance off. Tameka Empson The 'EastEnders' star was left devastated two weeks ago when she was given the boot from the ballroom and latin show when she lost out to Laura Whitmore in the head-to-head but she feels she was hard done by because the pain she was in wasn't taken into consideration when the panellists chose who they wanted to take through to the next round of the competition. She said: "I don't know why they didn't mention it because everyone knew that I was injured. The show knew - I didn't hide my injury and I had a lot of physio." The 39-year-old actress insists she's not trying to use the injury as an excuse and simply doesn't understand why the judges didn't think her dance with professional partner Gorka Marquez was "good" enough. She told heat magazine: "I didn't want to play the injury card because I just wanted to go out there and perform. And I thought I gave a good performance." Tameka previously said she is disappointed she didn't last longer in the competition for the sake of Gorka. She said: "I had a bit of pain in my back but I used that pain to drive through ... "I know I'm not what you call a dancer, a dancer type, but I did put the work in. I didn't want it to be so short for Gorka." However, the soap beauty insists she loved the experience and all the people she worked with on the popular celebrity contest. She said: "They are a great group of people. The talent was tough this year, but think it was a great year for me to do it. I'm going to keep dancing. I love it. I love the whole process." Lavanya Bharadwaj, who played the role of Sahadev in Siddharth Kumar Tewary's Mahabharat, has become a father. The actor was blessed with a baby girl on October 14. And unable to contain his joy, Lavanya shared first pictures of his baby, along with his wife, on social media. ALSO READ: We all cried at the same time on the sets: Lavanya Bhardwaj Take a look at the adorable picture of the family: Lavanya tied the knot on 5 February 2016 with Dede Frescilla, who is a lawyer from Indonesia. WATCH: Lavanya Bharadwaj shares his experience Next Story : Not Your Average Gift: Our Handpicked Thoughtful Diwali Gifts The third edition of the Global Denim Awards (GDA), made possible by e3 Cotton , will be held on October 26 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. GDA, a platform for the future of denim design, sustainability and craftsmanship, will present 11 pairs of fashion designers and denim mills that will present their co-created capsule collections during the award ceremony. The 11 collections that result from the collaborations between selected mills and designers will be judged by a jury of international denim experts on the overall look, the innovative nature of the design, and the creative use of denim. The designer of the winning collection will receive a 10,000 award, made possible by e3 Cotton, said an official statement. An additional award will go to the mill with the most innovative fabric. The panel of jury that will judge the collections include denim and casual wear designer Amy Leverton, designer Sam Lambert and stylist Shaka Maidoh (founders of Art Comes First), designer and trend forecaster Kelly Harrington and global sales director of Scotch & Soda Alex Jaspers. The designer - mill teams that will present their collections during the GDA are - Marina van Dieren and Christina Albrecht - Advance Denim, MariusPetrus - Atlantic Mills, EdithMarcel - Berto Industria Tessile, Outkastpeople (Emre Aktuna) - Calik Denim, Lavinia Mustapha - Candiani Denim, Anbasja Blanken - ITV Denim, Tess van Zalinge - Knitdigo, Lisa Konno and Karin Vlug - Prosperity Textile, Roosmarijn Koster - Arvind, Deniz Gur - Kipas Denim and Leandro Cano - Tejidos Royo. Participating designers are required to spend at least a week at their partnered mills to develop an in-depth understanding of the mill's latest technological possibilities related to fabrics, washes, finishes, treatment and sustainable manufacturing processes. The designers will work together with the mill to develop a capsule collection on the spot, comprised of five total looks to be presented at the GDA. GDA is initiated and organised by HTNK fashion recruitment and consultancy agency, Kingpins denim sourcing show and House of Denim, an Amsterdam-based foundation. What's unique about the Denim Awards is that it puts some of the most innovative mills worldwide front-row. In this way, GDA is also a preview to the future, since brands will have to offer transparency regarding where and how their products are produced within the next few years," said Mariette Hoitink, CEO, HTNK. The winning collection will be exhibited at Kingpins Shows in New York City and Hong Kong, before returning to the Netherlands for Amsterdam Denim Days 2017. (KD) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India In the run-up to ITMA Asia +CITME 2016, to be held from October 21 to 25, 2016 in China, Nicolai Strauch, press officer VDMA Textile Machinery, representing medium-sized companies in the capital goods industry, spoke to VDMA member companies about how their technologies and concepts can be best put to use for resource efficiency and energy savings.Andre Wissenberg, vice president, Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Segment said, Our latest WINGS technology (Winder Integrated Godet Solution) reduced average energy consumption by 40 per cent per ton of the POY yarn type (Pre-oriented Yarn). The manufacture of textile products and components, machines and systems used for this are traditionally associated with many unfortunate environmental consequences. By applying the latest in scientific and technical expertise, we help to reduce these negative effects to a minimum.Jan Siebert, head of Rieter, leading supplier of systems for short-staple fibre spinning said, The new RSB-D 50 single-head drawframe generation offers a hitherto unattained level of productivity of the highest quality, compared to its predecessor. The new coiler CLEANcoil-PES extends the cleaning cycle for critical polyester fibres by at least 100 per cent. The patented drive concept ECOrized uses 25 per cent fewer belts, saves up to 1,000 in energy costs annually and allows higher output speeds for polyester and combed wool , for example.Talking about technological solutions for sustainability, Andre Imhof, CEO Autefa Solutions, that covers automation and nonwoven technologies said, The EnRec, Energy Recovery technology for ovens has being continuously improved over the last years. Among the first we equipped complete factory roofs with thermal solar panels to pre-heat the air to 100C. Since the sun does not send you a bill, it is almost free of charge. We installed block heating power plants to use electrical energy produced by a gas generator and get heat for the ovens free of charge.Eric Scholler, managing director, Groz-Beckert said, The new modules in our expanded warp knitting range. When they are used together with a Groz-Beckert knitting machine needle, perfectly coordinated tools are guaranteed. This, in turn, means that processes run smoothly in every sense, and are not interrupted by errors, thus ensuring maximum productivity while conserving resources.Thomas Laissle, product manager, Weko said, Surface coating is part of the standard procedure in the paper, textile, printing or foil industries, for example. With our rotor, which works like a rapidly rotating disc, the corresponding liquids can be applied without contact and continuously according to a precise quantity specification.Axel Pieper, CEO Bruckner Trockentechnik said, We offer for our customers solutions saving resources and energy and helping thus to minimise the ecological footprint. For the finishing of elastic fabrics, we developed an indirect gas heating system with a unique heat-recovery. This system saves energy and prevents the yellowing of elastic fabric despite using a gas heating. (GK) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India The arrival of cotton at ginneries in Pakistan by October 15, 2016, is down 6.19 per cent year-on-year to 4.374 million bales, according to the fortnightly report on cotton arrivals, prepared by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners' Association (PCGA), in joint cooperation with All Pakistan textile Mills Association (APTMA) and the Karachi Cotton Association (KCA). Last season, as on October 15, ginneries had received 4.663 million bales, according to PCGA data. In Punjab province, total cotton arrivals decreased by 9.03 per cent year-on-year to 1.957 million bales, according to the data. In Sindh province, cotton arrivals dropped 3.77 per cent to 2.417 million bales as on October 15 during the ongoing cotton season 2016-17. The arrival of cotton at ginneries in Pakistan by October 15, 2016, is down 6.19 per cent year-on-year to 4.374 million bales, according to the fortnightly report on cotton arrivals, prepared by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners' Association (PCGA), in joint cooperation with All Pakistan textile Mills Association (APTMA) and the Karachi Cotton Association (KCA).# Of the total arrival of 4.374 million bales, 3.547 million bales were pressed by ginners, of which 3.239 million bales were sold, leaving an unsold stock of 307,770 million bales with the ginners, as on October 15. The textile mills in Pakistan consumed 3.144 million bales, while another 95,490 bales of cotton were sold to exporters, according to the data. The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has not procured any bale of cotton so far this season. As of October 15, a total of 661 ginning factories were operational in Punjab compared to 694 ginneries that were operational during the same time last season. Similarly, 270 ginning units were operational in the Sindh region, compared to 271 operating units during the corresponding period last year. In 2015-16 cotton season, Pakistan's cotton output decreased by 34.28 per cent to 9.768 million bales, compared to the previous season's production of 14.871 million bales. For this season, final output is expected to drop further by at least 0.5 per cent. (RKS) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Indian cotton yarn exports dropped 11.58 per cent in value and 4.44 per cent in volume during the first quarter of fiscal 2017 ended June, as against the same period last fiscal. Average cotton yarn exports from India which used to stand at 140 million kg per month have declined to around 100 million kg currently, driven by lower exports to China.China, India's biggest cotton yarn importer, bought 99.09 million kg of yarn in the April-June 2017 quarter as compared to 149.66 million kg in the corresponding quarter of prior fiscal, down a massive 33.78 per cent, a leading daily quoted M. Senthil Kumar, chairman of Southern India Mills' Association (SIMA) as saying. Indian cotton yarn exports dropped 11.58 per cent in value and 4.44 per cent in volume during the first quarter of fiscal 2017 ended June, as against the same period last fiscal. Average cotton yarn exports from India which used to stand at 140 million kg per month have declined to around 100 million kg currently, driven by lower exports to China.# This has also led to lower utilisation in mills. India has capacity to produce 500 million kg of yarn vis-a-vis which, capacity utilisation is only 470 million kg currently.However, exports to Bangladesh, which is the second biggest buyer of Indian cotton yarn, witnessed exports shooting up by 38.87 per cent year over year in value and 52.1 per cent in volume during the same period. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced an intervention fund of N50 billion to revive the cotton textile and garment sector of the country . The fund will be given to beneficiaries of the bank to facilitate takeover of existing debts and provide working capital and long term loans to Nigerian textile and garment manufacturing companies. The intervention fund will be provided to 40 beneficiaries belonging to the entire textile value chain, stated acting managing director of Bank of Industry (BOI) Waheed Olagunju at a textile forum held in the Nigerian city of Abuja. CBN already released an amount of N13.37 billion that has been paid to a few beneficiaries, according to Nigerian media reports. As part of its efforts to promote the development of the textile and garment sector, the CBN recently put in place a N50 billion special intervention facility to facilitate takeover of the existing debt as well as provide additional long term loan and working capital facility to existing companies in the cotton, textile and garment sectors, said Olagunju. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced an intervention fund of N50 billion to revive the cotton, textile and garment sector of the country. The fund will be given to beneficiaries of the bank to facilitate takeover of existing debts and provide working capital and long term loans to Nigerian textile and garment manufacturing companies.# He also added that the BOI and the Federal ministry of industry, trade and investment is working together to find solutions for issues like smuggling, counterfeiting and patronage of locally made goods. Additionally, BOI has approved loans amounting to N60 billion for 70 projects under the cotton value chain. (KD) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Saurer Group, a leading textile industry group specialising in machinery and components for yarn processing, has followed the path to sustainability with Autoconer 6 , the new automatic winding machine, by The Saurer Group Business Unit Spinning brands Schlafhorst and Zinser, that works on E3 strategy, which follows zero wastage of energy and raw materials.The target of zero waste in the winding process is realised by the Autoconer 6 more effectively than any other automatic winding machine. It consumes up to 20 per cent less energy than its predecessor, reduces yarn waste, and saves on compressed air. With its E3 concept, Schlafhorst consistently exploits potentials to achieve feasible savings. Saurer Group, a leading textile industry group specialising in machinery and components for yarn processing, has followed the path to sustainability with Autoconer 6 , the new automatic winding machine, by The Saurer Group Business Unit Spinning brands Schlafhorst and Zinser, that works on E3 strategy, which follows zero wastage of energy and raw materials.# Zero yarn waste operating cycles in winding processes causes waste. Schlafhorst has therefore reduced the number of cycles through a reliable yarn pick-up system, avoidance of tension breaks and economical yarn clearing that concentrates on the clearer cuts that are absolutely necessary.The zero waste concept would not be complete without having the possibility of reusing valuable yarn residues, which can therefore be collected separately from dust in the Autoconer. With its FX technologies, in particular PreciFX, the Autoconer is able to produce packages that are optimally prepared for downstream processes. This does away with rewinding processes, for example during dyeing, that cause yarn loss.In the new Autoconer 6, maximum performance efficiency is ensured thanks to the Eco-Drum-Drive system, high-slide energy-saving bearings and motors that meet the IE3 standard. Vacuum production is another important factor in the energy budget of a winding machine. The Autoconer 6 works with a significantly lower vacuum requirement than other automatic winding machines, while maintaining maximum process stability. Progressively shorter cycle times have reduced the energy consumption of successive Autoconer generations.Thanks to the process-optimised package design enabled by PreciFX, there is no longer any need for rounding-off before the dyeing process or for the rewinding of hard packages to dye packages and vice-versa. Finally, with optimally structured packages the energy-intensive dyeing process itself becomes more efficient through an optimised liquor ratio and maximum capacity utilisation of the dyeing equipment.Zero wastage of compressed air is mainly used for cleaning the machine. With an open design, in which all areas are easily accessible, Schlafhorst has succeeded in significantly reducing the cleaning requirements. (GK) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India HON. PM VOREQE BAINIMARAMA'S SPEECH AT THE FIJI AUSTRALIA BUSINESS COUNCIL MEETING IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Ladies and Gentlemen, Bula vinakaIm delighted to be here for this Roundtable discussion on the state of the Fijian economy and in particular the opportunities for investment and doing business in Fiji.As you know, I am now the Foreign Minister as well as Prime Minister and to assist us this morning in particular for technical and precise information you want on doing business and investment in Fiji, I have my Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Faiyaz Koya, his Permanent Secretary, Shaheen Ali, our Director of Trade, Seema Sharma, our Trade Commissioner in Sydney, Zarak Khan and our High Commissioner to Australia, Yogesh Punja. ( Truman Bradley, the Chairman of Investment Fiji and his Chief Executive, Godo Mueller-Teut).Any one of our senior officials is capable of addressing your enquiries. So lets have a free flowing discussion in which those most capable of addressing areas of specific concern to you can answer the questions.Id like to start, however, by saying this: our economic prospects in Fiji have had unprecedented buoyancy. I am sure that many of you know by now that we are enjoying the seventh consecutive year of growth the longest in Fijian history. And even with the impact of Tropical Cyclone Winston back in February, the Fijian economy is still on track to grow by up to three per cent this year.There are a number of reasons for this but first and foremost is our sound management of the economy and the implementation of effective and forward looking policies which have been recognised by global financial institutions such as the World Bank, the IMF and the Asian Development Bank. Coupled with the political and social stability that my Government has forged in Fiji over the past decade and that has been sorely lacking in previous eras in Fiji.We are also open for business, with a range of investment incentives and some of the lowest corporate and personal tax rates in the region. We are eager to explain all of this to those of you who have any questions at all about the investment climate. And, of course, there are a unique set of circumstances about Fiji that make us such an attractive investment option for Australian companies and those of other nations.These include our position at the hub of the Pacific, with easy access to other regional markets; our educated, English-speaking workforce; our investment in new infrastructure such as new roads and airports and dramatically more efficient ports; our general connectivity that includes world class telecommunications; plus a Government that is pro-business and regards the private sector as a vital partner in development, couple with our zero tolerance for corruption and is committed to adhering to international standards and best practices.Ladies and Gentlemen, all these things make Fiji a compelling investment destination. I want to thank all of you who are already doing business with Fiji for your continuing support. And we are also here today not only to take your questions and suggestions but to explain my Governments policies to anyone who may be interested in investing in Fiji for the first time or to expand an existing investment.Thank you for coming and I look forward to a positive engagement that is in both our interests as a nation and your interests as business people, potential investors or as members of the financial sector.Vinaka vakalevu and I look forward to your questions. Yodha (1992) Yodha had many interesting action sequences to offer, especially in the second half. The film takes a different turn in the second half and towards the climax there are some stunning stunt sequences, in the form of sword fights. Spadikam (1995) Spadikam, directed by Bhadran did offer some high octane and thrilling action sequences. How can we forget the trendsetting action sequences of the film, which are still among the best action sequences of Malayalam? Thacholi Varghese Chekavar (1995) Thacholi Varghese Chekavar had Mohanlal in the role of a Kalari master. Once again, Mohanlal impressed the viewers with the way he handled the role. The audiences would get a feel like the actor has originally learned Kalari Payattu. Narasimham (2000) Narasimham was fully loaded with some exhilarating stunt sequences. There is a fight sequence in the market where the character played by Mohanlal, bashes the villains. This particular sequence was thoroughly entertaining one and it was Mohanlal, who made it a perfect one. Raavanaprabhu (2001) Remember the action sequence before the interval block of the film? The built up for the sequence was amazing and it perfectly suited the situation of a face-off for the characters played by Mohanlal and Siddique in the film. The lengthy action sequence was effortlessly performed by the actor. Naran (2005) Nothing much has to be said about this film. The actor performed some breath-taking stunts for the film, without the help of dupes. Especially, the climax sequences were shot during adverse climatic conditions. But, that definitely was not a reason enough for Mohanlal, to shy away from doing the stunts. Chotta Mumbai (2007) Chotta Mumbai might not have many action sequences in the film. But, there is a fight sequence in the introduction scene of Thala, the character played by Mohanlal in the film. The actor has displayed amazing flexibility in those sequences. Sagar Alias Jacky (2009) This film directed by Amal Neerad had some stylish action sequences. There is an action sequence in the first half of the film, where Sagar fights a sharp-shooter. That definitely, is one of the finest action sequences of Mohanlal. Mohanlal, who is riding high on the success of his recent films in both Telugu and Malayalam, has some interesting projects in his kitty. The actor would be seen next in Jibu Jacob's Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol. But, the fans of the actor have been waiting for his project with S S Rajamouli. Speculations were rife regarding a project named Garuda but later the director himself clarified no such project is on the card Now, certain rumours are doing the rounds that S S Rajamouli would take up the project with Mohanlal, once the director completes the work of his upcoming film Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. Well. we all know that Rajamouli is a big fan of Mohanlal and is hugely fond of him. The director had made it a point to see Mohanlal's Manamantha, on the first day itself. He also took to Twitter to praise Mohanlal and the film. Importantly, Mohanlal's market in Tlugu film industry has touched new heights. His recent film Janatha Garage, which also had Jr NTR in the lead role was a big success in Tollywood. Mohanlal also received praises for his performance in the film. Interestingly, the actor's most recent release Pulimurugan, would be dubbed in to Telugu. The dubbed version of the film has been titled as Manyam Puli and is expected to hit the theatres soon. So, there are high chances for Mohanlal and S S Rajamouli to team up for a movie. If it happens, it would be a treat for all Mohanlal fans. DIAMONDSPIRIT-SA Hideo Ikuno h.ikuno@daiya-pr.co.jp +81-3-6716-5277 TOKYO, Oct 17, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Printing & Packaging Machinery, Ltd. (MHI-PPM), a Group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) based in Hiroshima, has received an order for two press lines of the "DIAMONDSPIRIT-SA", a newspaper offset printing press, from The Malayala Manorama Company Limited, one of India's leading newspaper publishers. In 2013 Malayala Manorama ordered five of the same press lines, including the very first unit produced. Placement of the latest order coincided with the launch of the fifth line this August. Deliveries of the newly ordered units will be completed between late 2017 and early 2018.The DIAMONDSPIRIT-SA is a strategic product developed specifically for emerging countries in Asia. It incorporates numerous proven technologies from the DIAMONDSPIRIT, a high-speed offset press that was introduced in 2003. The DIAMONDSPIRIT has been widely adopted, particularly in the Japanese market, and is known for its superlative print quality and significant savings in operating costs. The DIAMONDSPIRIT-SA is more compact in size, thereby enabling reductions in plant costs and power consumption, offering higher returns on investment to meet the rapidly changing media needs of emerging economies.Malayala Manorama is a newspaper publisher based in Kerala state, in southern India, with a long history tracing back to 1888. The company currently prints 2.4 million newspapers per day in the local Malayalam language, making it the third-largest local language newspaper in India. Malayala Manorama operates eleven printing plants, four of which now use the DIAMONDSPIRIT-SA press lines ordered in 2013. The most recent order was made in recognition of those presses' high productivity, coupled with the positive assessment the company gave to MHI-PPM's customer response team, both during the systems' installation and test operations, and after operations were underway.In emerging countries, media industries such as newspaper publishing have been undergoing brisk changes fueled by economic growth, particularly in Asia. To keep pace with such changes higher returns on capital investments are being sought. Going forward, MHI-PPM will actively promote the DIAMONDSPIRIT-SA as a newspaper offset press perfectly matching the needs of these newly emerging markets.About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. ("MHI"; TSE:7011), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading heavy machinery manufacturers. MHI's diverse lineup of products and services encompasses shipbuilding, power plants, chemical plants, environmental equipment, steel structures, industrial and general machinery, aircraft, space rocketry and air-conditioning systems. For more information, please visit the MHI website at www.mhi.co.jp.Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Contact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. HONG KONG, CHINA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/17/16 -- Crowned "the queen of polka dots", renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's artistic themed zone will launch at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong on 3 November 2016. As the only Yayoi Kusama wax figure themed zone outside of Tokyo, this brand-new zone's design draws from the artist's iconic polka dots and gourd motifs, and invites visitors to experience the concept of "self-obliteration". From now on, art lovers need not make a pilgrimage to Japan -- simply visit Madame Tussauds Hong Kong to embark on an artistic journey! As today's most valuable contemporary female artist, Kusama's countless masterpieces include Infinity Nets, Infinity Mirror Room and Pumpkin, just to name a few. With polka dots as one of her works' most iconic elements, Kusama has also channelled her endless creativity to crossover projects with numerous fashion brands and magazines, with each crossover project guaranteed to create a buzz. The soon-to-be-revealed Yayoi Kusama themed zone adopts yellow as the main colour and is manifested with repeating black dots. As visitors step into the space, they will be greeted by an overhanging "gourd" specially made in Japan. Parallel mirrors, along with dramatic lighting effects, instantly create a sense of inifinite space and dissolve the border between space and oneself, inviting visitors to let loose as they embark on a journey of self-obliteration. Seated at the centre of her artistic world, the highly lifelike wax figure of Kusama dons an eye-catching red hairpiece and a yellow dress with black polka dots. Yayoi Kusama said: "I was delighted to accept Madame Tussauds Hong Kong's invitation to build an artistic themed zone for Hongkongers to experience my creative concept first-hand. I hope everyone who passes through Madame Tussauds Hong Kong can fully embrace the positive energy evoked by the zone." Ms. Jenny You, General Manager of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, said: "As the first artistic themed zone at our attraction, this milestone underlines our effort in elevating our visitors' interactive experience by keeping our fingertips on the market pulse. This uniquely artistic themed zone also serves as witness to the transformation of our attraction's image, which has transcended the common belief that 'you'll only find wax figures at Madame Tussauds.'" Yayoi Kusama will soon arrive Madame Tussauds Hong Kong http://release.media-outreach.com/i/Download/5827 The Madame Tussauds production team takes measurements for Yayoi Kusama http://release.media-outreach.com/i/Download/5828 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3068046 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3068049 BoBo Yu Email Contact SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- SafetyCulture, the company that has enabled more than 30 million safety and quality inspections at companies such as Coca-Cola, Hilton and AECOM, today announced that it has raised $23 million USD. The Series B investment round is led by the international venture capital firm Index Ventures, with participation from Blackbird Ventures and Atlassian Co-founder Scott Farquhar, who led the Series A round in 2014. SafetyCulture provides mobile-first technology that puts safety and quality applications into workers' hands. Companies rely on the SafetyCulture iAuditor app and platform to create smart checklists, conduct on-site inspections, analyze data and share insights in real time. The funding will be used to focus on marketing efforts, product development, customer outreach and global team expansion to continue gaining ground in the $150 billion market. The SafetyCulture iAuditor mobile app is the world's most used workplace inspection platform, facilitating 1 million inspections per month. This pace has allowed SafetyCulture to create one of the largest safety and quality databases in the world. The data, for example, predicts a New York City restaurant using SafetyCulture iAuditor daily can improve from a B to an A rating with the Health Department. The Series B round will support the creation of more ways to share the data with customers to help them reduce risk and improve quality. Luke Anear, CEO of SafetyCulture, said, "Employers are empowering their teams with our technology so workers can take responsibility for their personal safety and drive higher quality from the front line. With each inspection conducted, the organization gains more insight. They can now use the collective knowledge of their teams to make better and informed decisions." "SafetyCulture iAuditor has been a success story for us at Siemens Health and we're excited to see how the team at SafetyCulture will grow and develop the product even further with the latest investment," said Mark McNamara, ANZ Head of Strategy and Process at Siemens Healthineers. "Companies in all industries are interested in fostering a culture of quality and safety but too many still rely on outdated pen-and-paper solutions that lead to inefficiency, inconsistency and limited visibility across the organization," said Jan Hammer, Partner at Index Ventures. "Businesses need more than a static paper checklist to run their operations, ensure compliance and quickly respond to customer needs. SafetyCulture, via its mobile app, delivers consistent, standardized experiences at a large scale. It is outpacing a growing industry with its proactive solutions and we believe it is well-positioned to increase its industry lead." Jan Hammer will also join Rick Baker, co-founder of Blackbird Ventures, and Luke Anear, SafetyCulture CEO, on the company board of directors. Co-founder and Co-CEO of Atlassian Scott Farquhar said: "It's been a rewarding journey working with Luke and the SafetyCulture team and I'm excited to be part of their next milestone. There is strong market potential globally and it will be great to see the new funding ramp up their expansion efforts and accelerate the rollout of new product features." Word of mouth about SafetyCulture iAuditor and the growing industry movement toward safer, data-driven workplaces have added momentum to the company's growth. The Series B investment round will help expedite hiring efforts in SafetyCulture's San Francisco, Sydney and Manchester offices, specifically in engineering, product management, customer support and success, and marketing. About SafetyCulture SafetyCulture makes mobile-first technology that puts safety and quality into workers' hands. Teams rely on the SafetyCulture iAuditor app and platform to create smart checklists, conduct on-site inspections, analyze data and share insights in real time. By elevating the standards of safety and quality, SafetyCulture users are driving a worldwide movement to save time -- and lives -- on the job. From its home base in Australia and offices in the U.S. and U.K., SafetyCulture has driven more than 30 million inspections for customers around the world, including AECOM, Hilton and Coca-Cola. The company collaborates with HP, Apple and Microsoft to bring its technology to all mobile devices. For more information, visit www.safetyculture.com and follow @SafetyCultureHQ on Twitter. Media Contact: Shannon McLoughlin Nectar Communications for SafetyCulture Email Contact +1 (415) 399-0181 CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Mkango Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: MKA)(AIM: MKA) (the "Corporation" or "Mkango"), is pleased to announce that the Government of Malawi has granted a further two-year renewal for Exclusive Exploration Licence ("EPL") 0284 ("the Phalombe Licence"), in south-east Malawi. Mkango's flagship project, the Songwe Hill rare earth project ("Songwe"), for which an updated Pre-feasibility study was completed in November 2015, is located in the Phalombe Licence, as are the Nkalonje, Mantrap, Knoll and Namangale prospects. Songwe and the Nkalonje, Mantrap and Knoll prospects were recently visited by a large delegation of international and Malawian geology and geophysics experts in connection with the EUR5.4 million HiTech AlkCarb research project led by the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter and funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme in which Mkango (through its wholly owned subsidiary, Lancaster Exploration) is an industry partner. The scope of the research project encompasses building exploration expertise in hi-tech raw materials, improving and developing interpretation of geophysical and downhole data. Of particular relevance to Mkango is the opportunity to better understand the potential for large but unexposed mineralised bodies of carbonatite (the host rock for rare earth mineralisation) on either a prospect or regional scale. Based on work to date, such targets within the Phalombe Licence may include the summit of Songwe hill (which lies outside and to the south of the Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate at Songwe) and the Nkalonje vent system, where, in both cases outcrop is largely fenite (altered country rock) with occasional carbonatite, but there may be potential for underlying and larger zones of mineralised carbonatite. Rare earth mineralisation and mineral assemblages for both the fenite and carbonatite will be evaluated in the context of the geophysics covering the areas, to further assess their potential as future drill targets. Subsequent visits by some members of the HiTech AlkCarb team together with Mkango management were also made to Namangale in the Phalombe Licence and also Little Ngona and Chikoleka uranium, tantalum and niobium prospects in the Thambani Licence. Alexander Lemon, President of Mkango, stated: "The renewal of the Phalombe Licence is a strong validation by the Government of Malawi of Mkango's strategy and progress to date at Songwe, where we have invested significant funds to advance the project from an early stage to a pre-feasibility study. We much appreciate the continued support of the Malawian Government, the Ministry of Natural Resources Energy and Mining, the Geological Survey, the Mines Department and local stakeholders as we continue to progress the project and foster capacity building and collaboration between Malawi and the international community." About Mkango Resources Ltd. Mkango's primary business is the exploration for rare earth elements and associated minerals in the Republic of Malawi, a country whose hospitable people have earned it a reputation as "the warm heart of Africa." Mkango holds, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lancaster Exploration Limited, a 100% interest in two exclusive prospecting licenses in southern Malawi, the Thambani licence and the Phalombe licence. The main exploration target in the Phalombe licence is the Songwe Hill rare earths deposit, which features carbonatite hosted rare earth mineralisation and was subject to previous exploration in the late 1980s. Mkango completed an updated Pre-feasibility study for the project in November 2015. Mkango's strategy for Songwe is to further optimise the project with a view to maximising efficiency and reducing costs, thereby providing a strong platform both for entering into partnerships, marketing and offtake arrangements. The main exploration targets in the Thambani licence are uranium, niobium and tantalum. In January 2015, Mkango announced the first set of assay results of 142 soil and rock chip samples from 9 trenches, which returned variably anomalous uranium, niobium and tantalum values in most trenches, ranging up to 4.70 % U3O8, 3.25 % Nb2O5 in soil and up to 0.42 % U3O8, 0.78 % Nb2O5 and 972 ppm Ta2O5 in rock chips. In July 2016, the Corporation announced the results of an airborne geophysical survey covering approximately two thirds of the licence area, highlighting a number of significant radiometric and magnetic anomalies. The company's corporate strategy is to develop new sustainable sources of rare earth elements and other minerals geared to growth in the low carbon "green" economy, technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur, which may cause actual performance and results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, without limiting the foregoing, delays in obtaining financing or governmental or stock exchange approvals. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the Corporation disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities law. Additionally, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed above. The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any equity or other securities of the Corporation in the United States. The securities of the Corporation will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold within the United States to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act. Contacts: Mkango Resources Limited William Dawes Chief Executive Officer UK: +44 207 3722 744 Canada: +1 403 444 5979 will@mkango.ca Mkango Resources Limited Alexander Lemon President alex@mkango.ca SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP Nominated Adviser and Broker Jeff Keating, Caroline Rowe UK: +44 20 3470 0470 NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Over one million students in North America and 14 other countries have logged in to access mobile and web digital learning content on MagicBox, indicating that digital learning is becoming mainstream in the school year 2016-17. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429641LOGO ) MagicBox is a cloud-based mobile learning platforms used to create & distribute rich interactive eBooks and track learner's progress through analytics dashboards. It hosts over 9000 interactive eBooks/courseware and has delivered over 6 million hours of reading time. Over 700,000 books have been downloaded so far, using its offline apps, and more than 43 million pages have been read by students Schools are demanding that publishers deliver their digital content in mobile-ready formats along with content analytics to support adaptive, personalized learning. MagicBox has partnered with over twenty publishers to deliver core academic courses and supplemental education material over web and mobile e-readers with online and offline capabilities, at a very low risk and low cost to publishers. MagicBox has gone beyond delivering just eBooks, and courseware. Recently, one of its partners has launched new generation science standard (NGSS) education product that relies heavily on game simulations to deliver immersive learning experience - that goes beyond serving schools and could potentially become a platform for many institutions like museums and parks. MagicBox offers analytics dashboards that provide key insights to the publishers and teachers on content consumption, while supporting adaptive learning for students. "MagicBox continues to add features to enhance the learning experience of the students without creating additional overheads for the publishers who are aggressively launching new digital and immersive education products," says Acky Kamdar, CEO Magic Software. "Our client feedback has been instrumental to help MagicBox become a leader in its category, but there is more disruption coming in the next 3-5 years. Magic team is excited with the growth opportunities as new immersive content technology like AR/VR is becoming mainstream." About Magic Software : With 25 years in the business, Magic Software is an educational technology company that partners with the world's leading publishers and eLearning content companies to provide consulting, platforms and solutions, rich interactive content and technology applications, and product testing solutions, across North America, UK, Europe, Australasia and Latin America. To learn more about MagicBox, contact: Neha Batra neha.batra@magicsw.com +91-9953651639 LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Home builder Bellway Plc. (BWY.L) reported Tuesday that its fiscal 2016 profit before taxation climbed 40.6 percent to 497.9 million pounds from last year's 354.2 million pounds. Earnings per share were 328.7 pence, up 42 percent from 231.5 pence a year ago. Total revenue climbed 26.9% to 2.24 billion pounds from 1.77 billion pounds last year. The number of homes sold grew 12.5% to 8,721. The company recorded 12.9% rise in the average selling price to 252,793 pounds. The net asset value per ordinary share increased 18.4% to 1,522 pence. Further, the company proposed a final dividend of 74.0p per share, bringing the total dividend for the year to 108.0p per share, up 40.3 percent from last year. Looking ahead, Chairman John Watson said, 'The long term outlook continues to be positive, supported by strong customer demand, a substantial forward order book and favourable trading conditions across all areas of the country where Bellway operates. Whilst there is some uncertainty following the result of the EU referendum, trading since that date has remained resilient.' The company said it is well placed to deliver additional value for shareholders through further disciplined volume growth in the current financial year. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - The Board of William Hill PLC (WMH.L) announced, after canvassing views from a number of major shareholders, it has decided the Group will not pursue discussions with Amaya. On 10 October 2016, the Board said it was in discussions regarding a potential all share merger of equals with Amaya. William Hill said its share buy-back programme, which has been suspended since 23 July 2016, will now recommence. The Board of William Hill continues to expect operating profit1 for 2016 to be at the top end of the previously guided 260-280 million pounds range. Separately, Amaya Inc. (AYA, AYA.TO) said that the Special Committee of independent directors of the Group's Board has announced the completion of its strategic alternatives review. Following an extensive review, upon the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee, the Board concluded that at the current time remaining as an independent publicly-traded corporation best positions Amaya to deliver long-term shareholder value. Amaya also said it has been informed by former CEO, David Baazov, that he continues to be interested in acquiring all of the outstanding shares of Amaya. The Group said, while the Board will consider any bona fide offer that Baazov or any other party may make, its review of strategic alternatives has concluded. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Intertrust Technologies Corporation and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced a partnership that will expand digital rights management (DRM) standardization for digital media. Under the agreement, Samsung will ship Marlin DRM software in its HbbTV 2.0-enabled Smart TVs for users in Italy. HbbTV 2.0 is an open standard that allows adopters to combine traditional IPTV services with new over-the-top (OTT) Internet video distribution. The solution will be available in early 2017 to video service providers in Italy, where both companies enjoy a strong partnership with TivuOn!, a joint venture owned by Mediaset, RAI and Telecom Italia. Intertrust and Samsung are both founders of the Marlin DRM open standard, which is currently the world's leading open standard for DRM used extensively in Europe, China and Japan. DRM technology is an essential ingredient in music and video Internet distribution and allows content and service providers to monetize and protect their assets and services. Intertrust has created a rich set of products for Marlin DRM from software SDKs to cloud services, software and hardware tamper resistance technologies, and partnerships that meet the approval of Hollywood's strictest security standards. TivuOn! launched in July 2016 using Marlin DRM and technology from the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP). TivuOn! has announced plans to transition to HbbTV 2.0 in 2017. "We warmly welcome this announcement," said Alberto Sigismondi, chief executive officer of Tivu. "We designed the TivuOn! Platform with a strong emphasis on open standards to provide our viewers with the richest set of cost-effective and futureproof products and services. The Intertrust-Samsung partnership is a major step in ensuring that our viewers in Italy enjoy an outstanding experience, and we look forward to other European broadcasters and service providers following the use of open standards in this way." "Intertrust and Samsung have worked together for years to build Marlin, an open standard for DRM that brings together the world's leading consumer electronics companies with Intertrust's expertise in distributed secure systems and standardization," said Talal G. Shamoon, Intertrust's chief executive officer. "The adoption of Marlin DRM in national ecosystems in Italy, the United Kingdom, and in China and Japan is a clear demonstration of how open systems resonate well with those who wish to provide consumers with products and services that are not dependent on the technology agendas of large proprietary platform providers." About Intertrust Technologies Corporation Intertrust provides trusted computing products and services to leading global corporations from mobile and CE manufacturers and service providers to enterprise software platform companies. These products include the world's leading digital rights management, software tamper resistance and privacy-driven data platforms for ad tech, DNA storage and IoT. Founded in 1990, Intertrust is based in Silicon Valley, with regional offices in London, Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing. The Company has a legacy of invention, and its fundamental contributions in the areas of computer security and digital trust are globally recognized. Intertrust holds hundreds of patents that are key to Internet security, trust and privacy management components of operating systems, trusted mobile code and networked operating environments, web services, and cloud computing. Additional information is available at intertrust.com, or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161017006571/en/ Contacts: DC2SFGroup LLC Robin Buckley, 703-533-9805 or 703-201-3524 (mobile) robin@dc2sfgroup.com or Varney Business Communication Leigh Anne Varney, 415-713-0713 la@varneybusiness.com Comprehensive projections reveal trends and business opportunities in the Commercial Aviation, Military, Business Aviation and Helicopter sectors NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Penton's Aviation Week Network, the largest information provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industry, has released its 2017 Fleet & MRO Forecasts. The 2017 Fleet & MRO Forecasts provide in-depth analysis in four sectors: Commercial Aviation, Military, Business Aviation and Helicopter across numerous geographical regions including Africa, Asia-Pacific, China, Eastern Europe, India, Latin America, Middle East, North America, and Western Europe. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429266LOGO Aviation Week's 2017 Fleet & MRO Forecasts assist industry professionals in discovering new business opportunities for MRO services by aircraft model, aircraft type, world region, and more. They also offer insight into fleet retirements and additions, changes to the overall fleet makeup, and insight into how today's actions and activities will impact the demand for future maintenance services. The 2017 Fleet & MRO Forecasts are based on unbiased data and predictive intelligence gathered by Aviation Week Network's data and analytical team. These experts - along with advisory boards - provide forecasts that include fleet size projections through 2026 and MRO demand growth rates worldwide, by global region and aircraft type. "The 2017 forecast products not only include totally revamped aircraft fleet and MRO cost expectations across nine distinct geographic regions, but also include a brand new online interface to help users easily spot trends and business opportunities. Through customizable filters, users can readily see the future markets through the lens of their choice or explore potentially new market opportunities," said Brian Kough, Director, Forecasts & Aerospace Insights, Aviation Week Intelligence Network. Among the findings within the forecasts are: There will be strong growth of the Western-built airline fleet - an increase of 3.7% over the next decade - with the Asia Pacific region leading the world in commercial aircraft deliveries by retail value region leading the world in commercial aircraft deliveries by retail value Over the next decade, the business fleet is expected to grow at a rate of 1.6%, from almost 31,900 aircraft in 2017 to 36,700 aircraft in 2026 Helicopters will generate $76 billion in MRO demand, 40% of which is attributable to Component MRO in MRO demand, 40% of which is attributable to Component MRO Military aircraft will generate almost $800 billion in MRO demand over the next decade New features for 2017 include a fresh, intuitive user interface with improved navigation, an enhanced ability to export charts and graphs, headline reports which provide an overview of events to come, an Eastern Europe regional Helicopter forecast, and a Regional Fleet tab enabling comparison by aircraft and MRO demand. For more information or to subscribe, visithttp://aviationweek.com/2017forecast or call +1.866.857.0148 (outside North America, call +1.847.763.9147). ABOUT PENTON'S AVIATION WEEK NETWORK Penton's Aviation Week Network is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries that has a database of 1.2 million professionals around the world. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week for analysis, marketing and intelligence. Customers include the world's leading manufacturers, suppliers, airlines, business aviation operators, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this global market. The product portfolio includes Aviation Week & Space Technology, AC-U-KWIK, Aircraft Blue Book, Airportdata.com, Air Charter Guide, Air Transport World, AviationWeek.com, Aviation Week Intelligence Network, Business & Commercial Aviation, ShowNews, SpeedNews, Fleet and MRO forecasts, global maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) tradeshows and aerospace & defense conferences. ABOUT PENTON Penton is an innovative information services company that empowers nearly 20 million business decision makers in markets that drive more than 12 trillion dollars in purchases each year. Our products inform with rich industry insights and workflow tools; engage through dynamic events, education and networking; and advance business with powerful marketing services programs. Penton is the way smart businesses buy, sell and grow. Headquartered in New York, Penton is privately owned by MidOcean Partners and Wasserstein & Co., LP. For more information, visit http://www.penton.com or follow us on Twitter @PentonNow. MEDIA CONTACT Elizabeth Sisk Director, Marketing Communications Aviation Week Network 860.245.5632 elizabeth.sisk@penton.com CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- (TSX VENTURE: BBI) Blackbird Energy Inc. ("Blackbird" or the "Company") wishes to provide an update regarding the Company's recent increased market activity. Blackbird believes that the Company's increased market activity is the result of the encouraging results of industry leaders in close proximity to Blackbird's lands, and Blackbird's recent operational achievements. Encana May 17, 2016 and October 5, 2016 Investor Days and Presentations On May 17, 2016 and October 5, 2016 Encana held investor days in New York City, New York, which included discussion regarding their Pipestone Montney asset, which is located within five miles of Blackbird's lands. Encana's May 17, 2016 and October 5, 2016 presentations (the "Presentations") may be found on the Encana website. Based on Encana's mapping illustrated in the Presentations, Blackbird believes that it holds approximately 40 sections of Montney rights in what Encana originally called the "Super Condensate" area. The Super Condensate area was defined as having greater than 100 bbls of condensate per MMcf of natural gas. Encana now calls this area the "Volatile Oil" area, which they now define as having greater than 250 bbls of condensate per MMcf of natural gas. The Presentations reference up to four stacked horizontal horizons in the Montney at Pipestone. In the Encana October 5, 2016 investor call, Encana stated that two wells at their 11-13 pad tested at 2,800 boe per day, per well (including 1,900 barrels of condensate per day, per well). Encana went on to state that these are some of the best results that they had ever seen in the area. Nuvista October 11, 2016 News Release On October 11, 2016, Nuvista issued a news release (the "News Release") which contains references to Nuvista's Pipestone Montney asset, which is located within 2-3 miles of Blackbird's lands. The News Release may be found on Marketwired. In the News Release Nuvista made several statements regarding the Pipestone block. With respect to the status of Nuvista's Pipestone block, Nuvista stated: "Well results in the Gold Creek and Pipestone areas of Wapiti have continued to mature to the point that we now have the confidence to declare both areas as development blocks." With respect to Nuvista's new gas processing agreement, Nuvista stated: "With this agreement, NuVista and SemCAMS have moved past Final Investment Decision. Both parties have received all board approvals needed to proceed with construction of the AER licensed gas plant. NuVista will supply gas to this contract from the Gold Creek, Pipestone, Elmworth, and surrounding areas." Nuvista added: "NuVista now possesses the well location inventory and the processing capacity to provide profitable and predictable growth surpassing 60,000 Boe/d by the year 2021. In conjunction with the opportunities described above, NuVista plans to accelerate the pace of spending and growth in our five year plan including additional development and delineation wells across all four blocks. In addition we will be adding Gold Creek trunk pipelines and water handling, and Pipestone compression and gathering facilities in 2017 and 2018." Infrastructure Construction Update As announced on September 29, 2016, Blackbird began the construction of its infrastructure facility and pipeline gathering system immediately upon receiving Alberta Energy Regulator approval on September 28, 2016. 02/2-20 Well Update Blackbird's 02/2-20 Upper Montney well, previously announced on September 29, 2016, was spud on October 8, 2016. Conclusion Blackbird remains encouraged by the results of industry leaders in close proximity to the Company's lands, and by the Company's achievements to date. It is Blackbird's belief that periods of increased market activity may arise as industry leaders disseminate information relating to their successful operations in our corridor, and as Blackbird executes on its business plan. About Blackbird Blackbird Energy Inc. is a highly innovative oil and gas exploration and development company focused on the condensate and liquids-rich Montney fairway at Elmworth, near Grande Prairie, Alberta. For more information please view our Corporate Presentation at www.blackbirdenergyinc.com. Advisories and Forward Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. Such forward looking statements include but are not limited to: the dissemination of information by competitors regarding their operations and the execution of Blackbird's business plan. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: (1) a downturn in general economic and business conditions in North America and internationally, (2) the inherent uncertainties and speculative nature associated with oil and gas exploration, development and production including drilling and completion risks, (3) the price of and demand for oil and gas and their effect on the economics of oil and gas exploration, (4) any number of events or causes which may delay or cease exploration and development of the Company's property interests, such as environmental liabilities, weather, mechanical failures, safety concerns and labour problems, (5) the risk that the Company does not execute its business plan, (6) inability to retain key employees, (7) inability to finance operations and growth, and (8) other factors beyond the Company's control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive. Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements. The impact of any one factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as such factors are dependent on other factors, and the Company's course of action would depend on its assessment of the future considering all information then available. All forward-looking statements in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change. See the Presentations and the News Release for advisories and forward looking information regarding the Presentations and the News Release. THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE INC. HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Contacts: Blackbird Energy Inc. Garth Braun Chairman, CEO and President (403) 500-5550 gbraun@blackbirdenergyinc.com Jeff Swainson Chief Financial Officer (403) 699-9929 jswainson@blackbirdenergyinc.com Joshua Mann Vice President, Business Development (403) 390-2144 josh@blackbirdenergyinc.com www.blackbirdenergyinc.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- RewardStream Solutions Inc. ("RewardStream" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: RE)(FRANKFURT: JL4L) (WKN Number A2APX1), a world leader in automated referral marketing solutions has announced that senior executive Jamie Anderson has joined the Advisory Board. Anderson is currently the Vice President of Partnerships at Points International Ltd. Points is the global leader in providing loyalty eCommerce and technology solutions to the world's top brands. Most recently, Anderson lead the expansion of the Points business into Europe and the Middle East. Prior to Points, Anderson worked in senior online marketing roles at AOL, DoubleClick and Loyalty One. "We are pleased to welcome Jamie to our Advisory Board," said Rob Goehring, Chief Executive Officer of RewardStream. "Jamie has had an extensive career in digital marketing, loyalty and ecommerce. His background serving major global brands will add tremendous capabilities to our team, and we look forward to leveraging his expertise to grow RewardStream in North America as well as Europe." "I look forward to helping RewardStream accelerate the growth of their business in both domestic as well as international markets," stated Anderson. "Referral marketing is an excellent extension of many marketing programs and I believe with their flexible technology platform, RewardStream is in a unique position to offer their expertise to brands around the world." About RewardStream Solutions Inc. RewardStream specializes in the execution of automated referral marketing programs that help brands to acquire, engage, and retain their most valuable stakeholders - customers. By utilizing an innovative blend of marketing insight and proprietary technology, RewardStream turns an existing customer base into a powerful new sales channel for all of our clients. RewardStream delivers a scalable, real-time technology platform as the foundation of our client's referral program. The platform provides customer acquisition programs that deliver new, highly loyal customers at very low cost per acquisition rates. Our award-winning marketing solutions have powered loyalty and referral marketing programs across 39 countries for brands including Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Envision Financial, Koodo Mobile and more. For more information please visit www.rewardstream.com. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors - including the availability of funds and the results of financing efforts - that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contacts: RewardStream Solutions Inc. Rana Vig Vice Chairman Rana.vig@rewardstream.com (604) 282-7572 Rob Goehring CEO Rob.goehring@rewardstream.com (877) 692-0040 DUBLIN (dpa-AFX) - Irish no-frills airline Ryanair Holdings Plc (RYA.L, RYAAY) Tuesday said it has reduced its full year net profit guidance by 5% to a range of 1.30 billion euros to 1.35 billion euros from a previous range of 1.375 billion euros to 1.425 billion euros. The company attributed the revision in outlook primary to the 18% fall of Sterling post Brexit which will reduce second-half average fares by between 13% to 15% as opposed to the previously guided 10% to 12%. For the full year, profits are now expected to grow by 7 percent, compared to previously expected growth of 12 percent. Further, Ryanair confirmed that its first half fares were marginally weaker at minus 10%, compared to previously guided minus 9%. However, these lower fares will be partly offset by a better than expected cost performance. Ryanair now expects full year ex-fuel unit costs to decline by 3% compared to previously guided 1%. Ryanair also expects full year load factor to be 1% better than guided at 94%, and now expects that full year traffic will increase to 119m, which is 12% growth on last year's 106m customers. Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary said, 'The recent sharp decline in Sterling post Brexit (which accounts for approx. 26% of Ryanair's FY17 revenues) will weaken H2 yields by slightly more than we had originally expected. While higher load factors, stronger traffic growth and better cost control will help to ameliorate these weaker revenues, it is prudent now to adjust full year guidance....' O'Leary added that the company would caution that this revised guidance remains heavily dependent upon no further weakness in H2 fares or Sterling from its current levels. In London, Ryanair shares were trading at 11.71 euros, down 0.85 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Newly opened museum features E Ink displays that offer custom language settings, providing a personalized experience for museum-goers E Ink Holdings, "E Ink" (8069.TWO), the leading innovator of electronic ink technology in the world, today announced its ePaper signage solutions have been deployed at the Estonian National Museum, displaying valuable exhibit information to visitors. Each display application interacts with RFID tickets, which are provided to attendees prior to entering the exhibit. After programing their language of choice, visitors then glean useful information in their chosen language when they are near a display. The solutions are part of the museum's larger goal of enabling visitors to learn about Estonian culture effortlessly. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005465/en/ E Ink's ePaper Signage Solutions Enhance the Learning Experience at the Estonian National Museum (Photo: Business Wire) The museum will use over 600 of E Ink's 32", 9.7" and 6.8" black and white signs throughout the 5,000 square meter exhibit space. The 32" signs will be used mainly for providing wayfinding information around the museum to guide visitors along the way, while the smaller signs will be used to describe artifacts. "The new National Museum embodies the Estonian spirit and is a shrine for all people to learn about the country's rich, colorful and sometimes painful past," said Kaarel Tarand, head of public and foreign relations at the Estonian National Museum. "In seeking a partner that will help us promote a deeper understanding of Estonian culture, E Ink was a natural choice for us. Its displays not only complement the museum's aesthetics, but it also offers our visitors a personalized experience and allows us to go digital in a sustainable manner." "With the completion of this building, our debt to those individuals who cared deeply about the preservation of Estonian culture and language and who built a foundation for our independence has been repaid," said Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of the Republic of Estonia. "The Estonian National Museum will support us in coping, enduring and growing in the modern world. Museums have long ceased to be mere repositories for antiques. A museum is a center for learning and progress. In the same way, every culture and language must develop if it is to last." Having the same ultra-low power properties as all E Ink displays, along with being lightweight and readable in all light conditions, the displays seamlessly blend into the museum environment, allowing pieces of art and artifacts to remain the main focal point, while aiding visitors gain a deeper appreciation for Estonian culture. Working with 3 + 1 Architects on the concept and Artec Design on development, E Ink leveraged its 32" displays which are specifically designed for signage applications. The low power, Quad HD (2560 x 1440) high resolution displays are ideally suited for the bright and airy decor of the museum. The smaller 6.8" and 9.7" displays are less than 2mm thin and each weigh less than 100g making them extremely easy to deploy and take up minimal footprint in the museum. The 6.8" and 9.7" displays are powered using Power Over Ethernet (POE) eliminating the need for multiple cables for delivering power and data. "This is one of the first large-scale commercial deployments of E Ink's signage in museums. It is a testament to the unique value proposition of E Ink's display technology which can enable digital updates without taking any focus away from the artwork," said Harit Doshi, head of the signage business at E Ink Corporation. "Our warmest congratulations go to the Estonian National Museum, 3 1 Architects and Artec Design for a successful opening and implementation of ePaper signage. Thank you for the privilege to support you in your noble cause." The Estonian National Museum is now open to visitors. For more information, please visit: http://www.erm.ee/en to learn more about E Ink technology, click here. About E Ink Holdings Founded in 1992 by Taiwan's leading papermaking and printing group YFY (1907.TWSE), E Ink Holdings Inc. (8069.TWO), based on technology from MIT's Media Lab, has transformed and defined the eReader market with its ePaper technology, enabling a new multi-billion dollar market in less than 10 years. Its corporate philosophy aims to deliver revolutionary products, user experiences, and environmental benefits through advanced technology development. This vision has led to its continuous investments in the field of ePaper displays as well as expanding the use of its technologies into a number of other markets and applications. Its EPD products make it the worldwide leader for ePaper. Its FFS technologies are a standard for high end consumer electronic products. Listed in Taiwan's Taipei Exchange (TPEx) and the Luxembourg market, E Ink Holdings is now the world's largest supplier of displays to the eReader market. For corporate information, please visit www.einkgroup.com; for EPD information, please visit www.eink.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005465/en/ Contacts: Media Contact: Racepoint Global Jon Diaz, +1-415-694-6708 jdiaz@racepointglobal.com BENGALURU, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Emerging markets panel specialist & technology innovator, Borderless Access has expanded in Middle East with its New Office in UAE for its fast-growing client needs. It has existing offices in US, United Kingdom, India and Germany (new office) and has now opened up office in Dubai for its Middle East based clientele. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429158LOGO ) Ejaz Mirza comes to Borderless Access with over 16 years of experience, cutting across multiple sectors and has worked extensively on both strategic and tactical research. His prior experience pans across Kantar Group companies - IMRB International (India) & TNS (Dubai) where he was heading the Brand Health tracking business for past 8 years. He has spent the last 9 years in ME region working with leading global and strong regional brands and brings learning and experience from both ad-hoc as well continuous research practices as development and service lead. Experienced in F&B, household products, banking and finance, personal care, technology, social, automotive & telecom sector and has worked closely with global & regional companies such as Almarai, Saudia, Friesland, Agthia group, ABN Amro, Samba, UAE Exchange, Unilever, Nestle, McDonald's, Wrigley, Henkel to name a few. Ejaz will be focusing on cultivating business from existing clients, establishing the brand name and developing new business opportunities in Middle East region. Ruchika Gupta, CEO of Borderless Access says, "This expansion is being led by the growing clientele across Middle East, having its own needs and focus for the global emerging economies and segments. We are very happy to have Ejaz join Borderless Access, as he has strong market research experience across world class organizations, with flare to ensure client needs are understood and addressed." Borderless Access an ISO 27001:2013 certified company provides access to hard-to-reach audiences and segments with their 2 million+ opinion panels in 22 growing markets across the globe. In addition to its panel solutions, Borderless Access also provides panel technology, mobile apps and community analytics & management solutions. For more visit - http://www.borderlessaccess.com Media Contact: Anshul Agarwal marketing@borderlessaccess.com +91-80 4931 3800 ROSH HAAYIN, Israel, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Solving major challenges of IIoT implementation: Cybersecurity and Interoperability WaterfallSecurity Solutions, a global leader in cybersecurity technologies for critical infrastructure and industrial control systems,today announced the launch of its Unidirectional CloudConnect', an innovative solution based on Waterfall's patented Unidirectional Gateway technology. It is designed to meet the challenges of both cybersecurity and interoperability, thereby enabling the widespread adoption of the IIoT. A recent survey conducted by IOT Nexus revealed that more than 80% of the current roadblocks to the IIoT adoption relate to cybersecurity and interoperability concerns. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160119/323489LOGO ) "The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is clearly a hot topic today. Owners and operators recognize the potential benefits of more operational information and advanced, data-driven asset management strategies," said Sid Snitkin, VP and GM of the Enterprise Advisory Service at ARC Advisory Group. "Cloud-based analysis and data sharing enable many of these IIoT benefits, but cybersecurity concerns are inhibiting more rapid IIoT adoption. We applaud efforts like Waterfall's Unidirectional CloudConnect to overcome these concerns and protect industrial sites from the cloud." "Waterfall's Unidirectional CloudConnect is an essential enabler for the Industrial Internet of Things. CloudConnect secures industrial sites from cyberattacks from the cloud and the Internet, while delivering seamless interoperability of the industrial systems with cloud applications," said Lior Frenkel, CEO and Co-founder at Waterfall Security Solutions. "As a secure gateway to the cloud, combining Waterfall's renowned cybersecurity with innovative protocol interoperability and unification, CloudConnect enables industrial sites to reap the efficiencies of the IIoT." Use cases for the Unidirectional CloudConnect include: Direct connection to Internet cloud services by industrial sites leveraging the efficiencies of predictive maintenance, big data analytics, and other business-transforming benefits. Connection to the cloud via IIoT vendors offering big data analytics and operational efficiencies to industrial sites. Unidirectional CloudConnect uses Unidirectional Gateways to gather data from industrial sources such as historians, industrial systems and devices. It seamlessly recodes gathered information into cloud-friendly unified formats, including relational databases, publish/subscribe protocols, and XML/SOAP web services. CloudConnect then transmits the cloud-friendly data to Internet-based industrial cloud providers. "We are already experiencing interest from both industrial customers and vendors, due to our success in providing stronger-than-firewall cybersecurity," remarked Frenkel. "From airports with sensors gathering data, to big data analytics vendors working with oil & gas companies, our Unidirectional CloudConnect has received a warm welcome by the industrial community." Unidirectional Gateways were pioneered by Waterfall Security and deployed worldwide since 2007. Waterfall's Unidirectional Security Gateway product family is an evolutionary alternative to firewalls, providing protection for the safety and reliability of industrial systems that firewalls simply cannot match. Industrial sites around the world deploy Waterfall products to provide industrial systems with safe and reliable IT/OT integration, vendor and cloud services, and remote monitoring. The products are recognized to reduce the cost and complexity of compliance with NERC CIP,NRC, NIST,CFATS, ANSSI, ISA, and other standards, regulations and best practices, worldwide. Waterfall Security Solutions is exhibiting at IOT World Congress as part of the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) pavilion. Click here to schedule a meeting. About Waterfall Security Solutions Waterfall Security Solutions is the global leader in industrial cybersecurity solutions employing hardware-enforced unidirectional communications technology. Focused on protecting industrial control systems and critical infrastructure from cyberattacks originating from external networks, Waterfall products represent an evolutionary alternative to firewalls. The company's growing list of customers include national infrastructures and control systems in power plants, nuclear plants, on/off-shore platforms, refineries, manufacturing plants, utility companies plus many more. Deployed throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Waterfall products support the widest range of leading industrial remote monitoring platforms, applications, databases and protocols. For more information, visithttp://www.waterfall-security.com. For inquiries: Susan Becker +972-508-10777 susan@waterfall-security.com LAGOS, Nigeria, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- T.B. Joshua's Church Provides Assistance and Advice As the world grapples to handle Europe's worst migrant crisis, over 3,500 have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in 2016. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429622 ) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429623 ) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429624 ) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429625 ) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429626 ) While headlines report on the statistics of migrants who sentence themselves to death in search of better economic opportunities in Europe, the personal and distressing narratives of those who make these journeys often remain untold. The Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), a Lagos based church, has found itself continuously coming to the aid of deportees, who, after making these regrettable journeys, visit the church in need of financial and psychological support. On Sunday 16th October 2016, a group of Nigerian deportees from Libya revealed appalling details of inhumane circumstances they encountered on their journeys to enter Europe through North Africa and across the Mediterranean. Tracy Stephen, a 23-year-old from Edo State, Nigeria, tearfully spoke on behalf of the group of 52 at The SCOAN during a live broadcast on Emmanuel TV. She recollected horrific details of torture, abuse and starvation which included - drinking water from a well with a corpse inside, nearly suffocating while hiding in a truck covered with watermelons as camouflage and witnessing teenage girls raped at gunpoint by their traffickers. Lucky to be alive, her attempt to reach Italy was almost fatal when the over-filled rubber dinghy she had boarded ran out of fuel. "There were no life-jackets and none of us could swim," she said, adding that children and babies were among the 140 crammed onboard. Finally rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard, she was imprisoned for three months before being repatriated to Nigeria through the intervention of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), who subsequently provided a vehicle to bring the deportees to The SCOAN in recognition of the church's humanitarian efforts. Stephen's narrative was one of many disturbing stories recounted, including a lady whose two children had to drink her urine to survive. While the congregants and viewers of Emmanuel TV were shocked to hear such horrific accounts, T.B. Joshua warned those who were on the verge of making similar journeys. "It is where God wants you to make it that you will make it, not where you want to make it or where you admire," he counselled. In support of the downtrodden deportees, T.B. Joshua presented gifts amounting to N10,000,000 (US$33,000), each of the group receiving N150,000 (US$500) alongside two bags of rice to "start their lives afresh." LONDON and TEL AVIV, Israel, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Matomy Media Group Ltd. (LSE: MTMY, TASE: MTMY.TA, the 'Company' or 'Matomy'), one of the world's leading digital advertising companies, announces that it has engaged RBC Capital Markets, LLC as its financial advisor to lead a review of strategic alternatives. This appointment forms part of a process initiated by the directors of the Company (the 'Board') in June 2016 and the intention is that all opportunities for maximising shareholder value will be considered (the 'Strategic Review'). Notwithstanding the recent progress against strategic milestones and the Company's financial strength, the Board determined it was appropriate at this juncture to evaluate all opportunities to maximise value for shareholders. Subject to the conclusion of the Strategic Review, the Board will continue to deliver demonstrable progress against its existing strategy and these strategic initiatives are expected to drive growth and build shareholder value. No decision has been made to enter into any transaction at this time, and there can be no assurance that the consideration of strategic alternatives will result in any transaction. There is no set timetable with respect to the Strategic Review, and the Company does not expect to make further public comment regarding these matters unless and until the Board approves a specific action or otherwise concludes its review. The Company has also extended the scope of its existing corporate broking relationship with Canaccord Genuity Limited. The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. About Matomy Media Group Ltd. Matomy Media Group Ltd. (LSE: MTMY, TASE: MTMY.TA) is a world leading media company delivering smart technology solutions and a personalized approach to advertising. By providing customized performance and programmatic solutions supported by internal media capabilities, 'big data' analytics and optimization technology, Matomy empowers advertising and media partners to meet their evolving growth-driven goals. Matomy offers a single gateway to digital media channels including mobile , video, display, social, email marketing, search marketing (SEM, SEO, and ASO) anddomain monetization. Founded in 2007, with headquarters in Tel Aviv, growing presence in the USA and six offices around the world, Matomy is dual listed on the London and Tel Aviv Stock Exchanges. Learn more about Matomy at www.matomy.com. For more information: www.Matomy.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/MatomyMediaGroup Follow Matomy on Twitter: @MatomyGroup LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/matomy-media-group Urban rail transit in China to enter a new phase of development during the government's13th Five-Year Plan SHANGHAI, Oct 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The2017 China International Rail and Metro Exhibition(Rail+Metro China 2017)" will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center on November 21-23, 2017. Rail+Metro China 2017 is produced by China International Engineering Consulting Corporation, Shanghai Shentong Metro Group and Shanghai INTEX. The show enjoys great support from the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, China Academy of Transportation Sciences, the Ministry of Commerce Department of Outward Investment and Economic Cooperation of the People's Republic of China. Rail+Metro China 2016 hosted over 200 exhibitors from 13 countries worldwide, with the show floor spanning 20,000 square meters. Rail+Metro China 2017 will showcase rail and urban rail transit vehicles, subassemblies and components, communication signals and IT technology, vehicle interior systems, maintenance and repair systems, traction power supply and drive devices, public service facilities, and tunnel engineering equipment. In addition, more than 10 conferences focusing on industry trends and hot spots will also take place. The themes cover investment and financing of rail transportation, big-data and information, rail transit operation and management, vibration and noise reduction andrail traffic multi-standard development trends. During the "12th Five-Year" period, China's urban rail transport completed a total investment of RMB1.23 trillion (USD$183 billion). By the end of 2015, 26 cities operated urban rail transport systemswith a total operating length of 3,618km, and annual total passenger trafficof 13.8 billion. 20 cities have more than two urban rail transit lines, and are gradually formingnetwork operating patterns. The authorities inBeijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which have already formed network operations, plan to invest RMB695 billion in the next five years and create982 kilometers in new lines.Thereis currently atotal of 40 cities with rail transit lines under construction in China, while about 60 cities are carrying out the preparatory work of planning, surveying, design andconsulting, with plans tobe ready to beput into construction during the"13th Five-Year" period. Rail+Metro China 2017 is committed to showcasing comprehensive rail transit solutions, and to beinga platform for whole industry chain business docking. It is a not-to-be-missed annual eventfor the rail and urban rail transit sector. Contactsis Mrs Jessie Hu +86-21-6295-1060 huxiaoping@intex-sh.com SALT LAKE CITY, UT--(Marketwired - October 18, 2016) - GPS Capital Markets, Inc. (www.gpsfx.com), a leading corporate foreign exchange brokerage firm, will be exhibiting at the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, October 23 rd -26 th . The AFP Annual Conference is the largest networking event for corporate finance professionals in the world. The 2016 Conference is expecting 6,500 treasury and finance professionals to attend. Financial professionals meet to network, learn of new products, attend continuing education classes and to have the opportunity to hear world-renowned business speakers. GPS Capital Markets' Director of Business Development, David Pierce said, "AFP is the venue where GPS Capital Markets chooses to release their new products. The attendees are always looking to learn and are open to our groundbreaking technology." GPS has attended and exhibited at the AFP Annual Conference for over a decade. Many of GPS' clients came from connecting at the Annual Conference. It is a great platform for GPS to demonstrate its product suite and for its consultants to educate corporations on foreign exchange strategies that will benefit them. "The AFP conference allows GPS an opportunity to showcase our award winning FX treasury management platform to clients and prospects. We look forward to a record number of planned meetings and updating our clients on appropriate FX strategies given the current volatile environment." said Al Manbeian, Managing Partner of GPS Capital Markets. About the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) is the professional society that represents finance executives globally. AFP established and administers the Certified Treasury Professional and Certified Corporate FP&A Professional credentials, which set standards of excellence in finance. For more information, go to: http://www.afponline.org and http://www.afpconference.org About GPS Capital Markets, Inc. Based in Salt Lake City, GPS Capital Markets, Inc. provides corporate foreign exchange services that help companies manage their foreign currency risks and execute foreign currency transactions. Founded in 2002, GPS brings together a senior management team rich in international banking experience from the world's leading financial institutions. GPS has several offices throughout the United States, as well as in London, England. Press contact: GPS Capital Markets Lindsey Wing 801-979-6114 lwing@gpsfx.com OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Canada's unions are excited to be launching Rise Up!, a national human rights conference, with an opening night celebration featuring a DJ set by A Tribe Called Red, celebrity guest speakers including Daily Show Senior Correspondent Hasan Minhaj, author and MLA for Fort Rouge Wab Kinew, and Dr. Dawn Lavell-Harvard, former president of the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC), a live performance art production, a scavenger hunt and interactive exhibits. The opening night performances are highlighting the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Canadian unions have supported and amplified the call for an inquiry, which was finally announced earlier this summer. The evening will celebrate the victories and contributions of Canadian unions, and highlighting some of their key human rights priorities. Other conference speakers include actor and human rights activist Danny Glover, journalist and community activist Desmond Cole, and Executive Director of First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada Dr. Cindy Blackstock. Media are invited to attend the opening celebration and conference plenary sessions. What: Rise Up! CLC human rights conference opening celebration When: Thursday October 20, 2016 7:00 p.m. Where: Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa Contacts: To organize an interview or to register for opening night, please contact: Chantal St-Denis National Representative, Media Relations 613-355-1962 cstdenis@clc-ctc.ca MONTREAL, CANADA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- (NYSE: CAE)(TSX: CAE) - CAE announced today a series of contracts, including training programs with airlines in North America and Asia, as well as the sale of 12 full-flight simulators for airline training worldwide. These agreements, valued at more than C$200 million, highlight some of the orders CAE has won during its second quarter, and illustrate the span of its commercial aviation training solutions. They include: Airline pilot training agreements, demonstrating the recurring nature of CAE's offering -- An exclusive 3-year training contract renewal for CRJ200 pilot training with Air Georgian in North America -- A training contract extension for Boeing 737NG with JEJU air in Asia The sale of 12 full-flight simulators and update services, highlighting CAE's continued training equipment market leadership -- Three Airbus A320 full-flight simulators to JetBlue Airways in North America -- One Airbus A320 full-flight simulator to Lufthansa Flight Training in Europe -- One Phenom 100/300 full-flight simulator to Embraer CAE Training Services (ECTS), the joint-venture between Embraer and CAE -- One Airbus A320 full-flight simulator to CAE Simulation Training Private Limited (CSTPL), the joint venture between CAE and InterGlobe Enterprises in India -- One Embraer E190 full-flight simulator to SIMAERO in Singapore -- Five full-flight-simulators, including one C Series, one Boeing 737NG and one Airbus A320, to undisclosed customers in North America and the Middle-East "The global commercial aviation market continues to be strong and these contracts reaffirm CAE's position as the global training partner of choice", said Nick Leontidis, CAE's Group President, Civil Aviation Training Solutions. "We are privileged to support our partners' continued success and we are committed to supporting their training needs long into the future." The sale of 12 full-flight simulators (FFSs) brings the total number of FFS sales announced in the first-half of fiscal 2017 to 21. The FFSs are at list prices, which include the value of OEM aircraft-specific data, parts and equipment (DP&E). In the case of these contracts, some customers are providing part of the OEM content. More detail about the contracts is available in the trade media fact sheet following the press release. About CAE CAE is a global leader in training for the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets. Backed by a 70-year record of industry firsts, we continue to help define global training standards with our innovative virtual-to-live training solutions to make flying safer, maintain defence force readiness and enhance patient safety. We have the broadest global presence in the industry, with 8,000 employees, 160 sites and training locations in over 35 countries. Each year, we train more than 120,000 civil and defence crewmembers and thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide. www.cae.com. Follow us on Twitter @CAE_Inc ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trade Media Fact sheet Air Georgian: CRJ200 Pilot Training Air Georgian has renewed its pilot training contract with CAE for an additional 3 years. Under the exclusive agreement, CAE will provide CRJ200 pilot training to more than 140 of the airline's pilots. Pilots began training last month at the CAE Training Centre in Toronto, Canada. Air Georgian has been a CAE customer since 2014. JEJU air: Boeing 737NG Pilot training JEJU air, Korea's number one low-cost carrier and third largest commercial airline, has renewed its pilot training contract with CAE. Under the exclusive agreement, CAE will continue to provide Boeing 737NG pilot training to support the airline's training needs. Pilots will continue training at the CAE Seoul Training Centre in Korea. JEJU air has been outsourcing its pilot training to CAE since 2015. JetBlue Airways: Three Airbus A320 full-flight simulators JetBlue Airways signed a new training equipment contract with CAE for the provision of three Airbus A320 full-flight simulators to support the airline's aircraft growth. The three CAE 7000XR full-flight simulators will be equipped with the innovative CAE Tropos 6000XR visual system, and will be delivered to the JetBlue University in Orlando, Florida starting in Q3 2017. This order brings the total number of CAE-built full-flight simulators owned by JetBlue to nine. CAE and JetBlue share a relationship that spans over a decade, with the provision of training equipment, training centre operations, turnkey maintenance services, and pilot training through the recently launched Gateway Select program, the first competency-based ab- initio training program in North America. Lufthansa Flight Training: one A320 full-flight simulator Lufthansa Flight Training (LFT) signed a new training equipment contract with CAE for the provision of one Airbus A320 full-flight simulator. The CAE 7000XR full-flight simulator will be equipped with CAE Tropos 6000XR visual system, offering unprecedented realism. The FFS will be delivered to LFT's training centre in Frankfurt, Germany and will be ready-for-training in Q1 2018. LFT and CAE share a relationship that spans over 35 years, bringing the total number of FFS purchased and on-order to more than 30. CAE Simulation Training Private Limited (CSTPL): A320 full-flight simulator CAE Simulation Training Private Limited (CSTPL) in Greater Noida, NCR Delhi, India, the joint venture between CAE and InterGlobe Enterprises, has ordered one Airbus A320 full-flight simulator. The CAE 7000XR full-flight simulator will be equipped with the innovative CAE Tropos 6000XR visual system. This sale represents the 5th Airbus A320 owned by CSTPL. The 4th FFS was inaugurated on September 14th. The full-flight simulator will be located at the CSTPL 6-bay training center in Greater Noida along with the other 4 Airbus A320 full-flight simulators currently in operation. The new simulator will be ready-for-training by early Spring 2017. ECTS: one Phenom 100/300 full-flight simulator Embraer CAE Training Services (ECTS), a joint venture between Embraer and CAE, has signed a contract for the provision of one Phenom 100/300 full- flight simulator. The CAE 7000XR Series full-flight simulator will be located at CAE's training centre in Amsterdam and will be ready for training in the first quarter of 2018. At the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in May 2016, ECTS announced the expansion of its training program for Embraer Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 pilots and maintenance technicians through the addition of a new location at CAE's training centre in Amsterdam SIMAERO: one Embraer E190 full-flight simulator SIMAERO purchased one Embraer E190 full-flight simulator from CAE. The state-of-the-art FFS will be equipped with CAE Tropos-6000 Visual Systems, Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) projectors, and electro-mechanical motion systems (EMM). The FFS will be owned by PT SIMAERO INDONESIA and will be ready for training in the first half of 2017. The simulator will be located at the Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/BurgessHill_SimulatorsBay_MG_1321_04.jpg Contacts: CAE contacts: General Media: Helene V. Gagnon, Vice President, Public Affairs and Global Communications 1-514-340-5536 helene.v.gagnon@cae.com Investor relations: Andrew Arnovitz, Vice President, Strategy and Investor Relations +1-514-734-5760 andrew.arnovitz@cae.com Trade Media: Frederic Morais, Marketing Leader, Civil Aviation Training Solutions +1-514-506-8331 frederic.morais@cae.com MONTREAL, CANADA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- (NYSE: CAE)(TSX: CAE) - CAE today announced that it has won defence contracts valued at more than C$100 million to provide a range of training and support services for global military customers. Some of the key contracts include the United States Air Force exercising a contract option for CAE USA to continue providing KC-135 tanker aircrew training services; the United States Navy exercising a contract option for CAE USA to continue providing T-44C aircrew training services; Rotorsim to provide long-term maintenance and support services on a variety of helicopter simulators; and Insitu to provide ScanEagle remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) instructors. "The KC-135 and T-44C aircrew training services contracts are prime examples of long-term contracts that provide sources of recurring revenue for CAE, while the contract to provide ScanEagle Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) instructors for Insitu's training center is another win in the growing RPAS training market where CAE is already a leader," said Gene Colabatistto, CAE's Group President, Defence & Security. "We are proud to continue to be the training partner of choice of defence customers globally." About CAE CAE is a global leader in training for the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets. Backed by a 70-year record of industry firsts, we continue to help define global training standards with our innovative virtual-to-live training solutions to make flying safer, maintain defence force readiness and enhance patient safety. We have the broadest global presence in the industry, with 8,000 employees, 160 sites and training locations in over 35 countries. Each year, we train more than 120,000 civil and defence crewmembers and thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide. www.cae.com Follow us on Twitter @CAE_Inc and @CAE_Defence ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fact sheet for defence trade media U.S. Air Force KC-135 The U.S. Air Force has exercised the option for the seventh year of aircrew training services provided by CAE USA as the prime contractor on the KC-135 Aircrew Training System (ATS) program. CAE USA will continue to provide classroom and simulator instruction as well as upgrades, maintenance, and support of all KC-135 aircrew training devices. CAE USA provides KC-135 aircrew training services at Altus Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma; Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina; MacDill AFB, Florida; Fairchild AFB, Washington; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; March Air Reserve Base, California; Milwaukee Air National Guard (ANG) Base, Wisconsin; Scott AFB, Illinois; Grissom AFB, Indiana; McConnell AFB, Kansas; Pittsburgh ANG Base, Pennsylvania; Kadena Air Base (AB), Japan; and Mildenhall AB, United Kingdom. U.S. Navy T-44C The U.S. Navy has exercised the option for the third full-year of comprehensive T-44C aircrew training services provided at Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi in Texas. CAE USA provides T-44C aircrew training services under a contractor-owned, contractor-operated training program. CAE is providing academic and simulator training for approximately 600 U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and international students who annually go through the Navy's T-44C training program. The Navy's T-44C aircraft is used for multi-engine intermediate and advanced flight training. Rotorsim Rotorsim, the joint venture owned equally by CAE and Leonardo's Helicopter Division (formerly AgustaWestland), awarded CAE a contract to provide long- term maintenance and support services on a range of helicopter simulators located at the Rotorsim Training Centre, which is part of the A. Marchetti Training Academy in Sesto Calende, Italy, as well as an AW189 simulator located in Aberdeen, Scotland. The Rotorsim Training Centre was established to provide synthetic training solutions for the full range of Leonardo's family of helicopters, and now includes Level D full-flight simulators for the AW109, AW139, AW169, AW189 and NH90 helicopters. Insitu CAE USA has been awarded a contract by Insitu to provide ScanEagle Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) instructors for Insitu's training center in White Salmon, Washington. CAE instructors will complement Insitu's existing instructor cadre and provide classroom and simulator instruction for ScanEagle RPAS operators. In addition, instructors at the Insitu schoolhouse provide unmanned aircraft system (UAS) familiarization training as well as mission coordination and planning instruction. Insitu, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, is an industry-leading provider of unmanned systems and software technology that deliver end-to-end solutions for collecting, processing and delivering superior information. About CAE's Defence & Security business CAE's Defence & Security business unit focuses on helping prepare our customers to develop and maintain the highest levels of mission readiness. We are a world-class training systems integrator offering a comprehensive portfolio of training centres, training services and simulation products across the air, land, sea and public safety market segments. We serve our global defence and security customers through regional operations in Canada; the United States/Latin America; Europe/Middle East/Africa; and Asia/Pacific, all of which leverage the full breadth of CAE's capabilities, technologies and solutions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To view the photos associated with this press release, please visit the following links: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/T-44C_FTD_cockpit_USMC_student_pilots_1.jpg http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/T-44C_row_of_FTDs_NAS_Corpus_Christi_3.jpg http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/USN_T-44C_aircraft_lined_up_at_NAS_Corpus_Christi_1.jpg Contacts: CAE contacts: Helene V. Gagnon, Vice President, Public Affairs and Global Communications +1-514-340-5536 helene.v.gagnon@cae.com Trade media: Chris Stellwag, Director, Marketing Communications - Defence and Security +1-813-887-1242 chris.stellwag@cae.com Investor relations: Andrew Arnovitz, Vice President, Strategy and Investor Relations +1-514-734-5760 andrew.arnovitz@cae.com SINGAPORE, Oct 18, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - The first Singapore International Robo Expo (SIRE), organised by Experia Events and co-organised by the Singapore Industrial Automation Association (SIAA), will be held from 1 to 2 November 2016, at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands.Themed Forging the Future of Robotics Solutions, SIRE will comprise an exhibition, product demonstrations, networking sessions and conferences. SIRE aims to be the global platform for governments, the private sector and the academia to engage in dialogues, share industry best practices, network, forge partnerships, and explore funding opportunities for the adoption of robotics solutions."SIRE debuts at a time when robotics has been gaining traction in the world due to the need for automation and better productivity. The latest World Robotics Report by the International Federation of Robotics has also identified Singapore as a market with one of the highest robot density in manufacturing - giving us more opportunities for further development in this field, and well as its extension into the services sectors.With the S$450 million pledged by the Singapore government to the National Robotics Programme to develop the industry over the next three years, SIRE is aligned with these goals to cultivate the adoption of robotics and support the growing industry. As an association, we are constantly looking for ways to bring together robotic adoption, collaboration among partners, and providing support with funding for our members. SIRE is precisely the strategic platform for this," said Mr Oliver Tian, President, SIAA.SIRE has attracted strong interest from institutes of higher learning (IHLs), research institutes, local and international enterprises, with innovation and technology applicable for a vast range of industries from manufacturing to healthcare.ST Kinetics, the Title Sponsor for the inaugural edition of the event, is one of the key exhibitors, together with other leading industry players such as ABB, Murata, Panasonic, SICK Pte Ltd, and Tech Avenue amongst others. Emerging SMEs such as H3 Dynamics, Design Tech Technologies and SMP Robotics Singapore will also showcase their innovations at the exhibition. Participating research institute, A*STAR's SIMTech, and other IHLs supporting the event include Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).Visitors will also be able to view "live" demonstrations at the Demo Zone and come up close with the latest innovations and technologies. Some of the key highlights at the zone includes the world's only fully autonomous outdoor security robot developed by SMP Robotics Singapore, as well as ABB's Yumi, IRB 14000, a collaborative robot designed to work in close collaboration and proximity with humans safely. Dynamic Stabilization Systems, SIMTech and Design Tech will also be demonstrating the capabilities of their robotic innovations at the zone.At the Singapore International Robo Convention, key speakers representing regulators, industry leaders and academia will come together, exchange insights and engage in discourse to address the various aspects of robotic and automation technology, industry trends and case studies of robotics solutions. There will also be a session discussing the details of the Singapore National Robotics Programme led by Mr Haryanto Tan, Head, Precision Engineering Cluster Group, EDB Singapore.SIRE will also host the France-Singapore Innovation Days in collaboration with Business France, the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy. The organisation will lead a delegation of 20 key French companies to explore business and networking opportunities with Singapore firms, and conduct specialized workshops.To further foster a deeper appreciation and to inspire the next generation of robotics and automation experts, the event will also host students from higher institutes of learning on Education Day on 2 November. Students will be able to immerse themselves in the exciting developments of the robotics industry and get a sampling of how robotics can be applied to real-world settings by visiting the exhibits and interacting with representatives from participating companies.Mr Leck Chet Lam, Managing Director, Experia Events, says, "SIRE will be a game changer for the industry. We are expecting the industry's best and new-to-market players to showcase their innovations, which could potentially add value to the operations across a wide spectrum of industry sectors, from manufacturing to retail and service, and healthcare. We also hope to inspire the robotics and automation experts of tomorrow with our Education Day programme.Experia Events prides itself as a company that organises strategic events for the global stage, featuring thought leaders and working with the industries' best. It is an honour for us to be partnering SIAA, a recognised body and key player in the robotics industry. We are privileged to be able to help elevate Singapore's robotics industry through SIRE and are pulling out all stops to ensure that the event will be a resounding success."SIRE is supported by Strategic Partner, IE Singapore as well as agencies including EDB Singapore, GovTech Singapore, InfoComm Media Development Authority, A*STAR's SIMTech, and Spring Singapore.About Singapore International Robo Expo (SIRE)The inaugural Singapore International Robo Expo (SIRE) is organised by Experia Events and co-organised by the Singapore Industrial Automation Association (SIAA). It will be held from 1 to 2 November 2016, at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands. It aims to be the next global marketplace to discover business opportunities, projects and funding availabilities for the adoption of robotics solutions. SIRE is a platform for government and private sectors, research and academia to share, address economic and social challenges, co-create solutions, and forge partnerships. For more information, visit www.sire.com.sg.About Experia Events Pte LtdExperia Events specialises in organising and managing exhibitions and conferences of strategic interest, fostering industry development and thought leadership. It has built a strong portfolio in aerospace and defence with the highly successful Singapore Airshow, Asia's largest aerospace and defence event, as well as the inaugural Singapore International Robo Expo and key events such as IMDEX Asia, Asia Pacific's flagship maritime defence show and Rotorcraft Asia, the premier dedicated event for the global civil helicopter industry. Experia Events' expertise also extends to the government and lifestyle sectors, through key events such as the World Cities Summit, Singapore International Water Week and CleanEnviro Summit Singapore. With a proven track record underscoring its aspirations to stage events that influence, Experia Events aims to diversify its range of strategic events globally. For more information, visit www.experiaevents.com.About Singapore Industrial Automation Association (SIAA)Incorporated since 1982, SIAA is a professional association for companies and professionals in the Automation, Internet-of-Things (IoT) and Robotics sectors. SIAA plays a crucial role in galvanizing the Automation, IoT and Robotics (AIR) business community, through its extensive line-up of highly-valued programs and events, As SIAA spearheads the automation related initiatives, it also aims to foster industry collaboration and advancement through staging of flagship industry platforms.SIAA's member charter is to serve as the voice of members and provide members with opportunities to increase their market presence as well as to internationalize their businesses. Our task is to open doors to business opportunities in Singapore and around the region. Through our various activities, initiatives and alliances, we promote our members to local and foreign network of alliance.Forming alliances with various organizations locally, regionally and on the international front is also top priority for SIAA to reach out to like-minded groups who through the strategic alliances are able to come together for greater synergy in collaborations to continue to serve our respective communities more meaningfully. Please visit www.siaa.org.For further enquiries, please contact:Marilyn HoExperia Events Pte LtdDirector, CommunicationsTel: +65 6595 6130Email: marilynho@experiaevents.comGenevieve YeoExperia Events Pte LtdAssistant Manager, CommunicationsTel: +65 6595 6131Email: genevieveyeo@experiaevents.comSource: Singapore International Robo ExpoCopyright 2016 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. OBERHACHING, GERMANY -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- From October 2016, EnOcean will market its energy harvesting wireless modules and white label products under the Dolphin brand. EnOcean strengthens leadership position in energy harvesting wireless technology for self-powered Internet of Things (IoT) applications. EnOcean, the world's leading developer of energy harvesting wireless technology, will offer its energy harvesting wireless modules and white label products under the new brand name "Dolphin - Self-powered IoT by EnOcean" in the future. The Dolphin portfolio includes energy harvesting wireless modules for use in building automation and smart homes with EnOcean wireless technology on the sub 1 GHz band: "868 MHz EnOcean" for Europe, "902 MHz EnOcean" for North America and "928 MHz EnOcean" for Japan. The Dolphin portfolio also contains wireless modules for ZigBee and BLE systems on the 2.4 GHz band, which can be used globally in smart homes and for modern light control. This comprehensive range of products from EnOcean enables product manufacturers to develop reliable and self-powered wireless sensor solutions for the Internet of Things. The company thus strengthens its position as the world's leading supplier of energy harvesting wireless technology that combines energy converters with ultra-low power electronics based on open wireless standards. The battery-free Internet of Things The Dolphin modules use the energy harvesting principle, in which energy is obtained from the surroundings, to supply self-powered wireless sensor networks. As a special feature, the technology includes miniaturized energy converters that convert motion, light or temperature differences into electrical energy. Together with an efficient energy management system, the energy harvesting technology facilitates communication between maintenance-free IoT devices based on a variety of wireless standards, such as EnOcean, ZigBee and BLE. The solutions are used in building automation, smart homes, LED light control systems as well as industrial applications. "Networked devices form the basis of the Internet of Things. They process large volumes of sensor data to make our everyday lives easier, safer and more comfortable," explains Wald Siskens, CEO of EnOcean. "Our Dolphin modules are a key component of this extensive network: self-powered, radio-based sensors that supply the IoT systems with data." Maintenance-free wireless sensor networks increase system capacity by reducing outages caused by batteries, which means less maintenance work is required. They also help conserve resources and permit sustainable solutions, since fewer cables and batteries are needed. Batteries, in particular, are expensive to maintain, harm the environment and have to be disposed of regularly. The world's leading supplier of energy harvesting wireless solutions for more than 15 years Energy harvesting wireless sensor solutions based on the EnOcean wireless standard on the sub 1 GHz band (ISO/IEC 14543-3-1x) have been in use for the past 15 years. EnOcean technology has already been installed in more than 400,000 buildings around the world. As a partner to the EnOcean Alliance, which has more than 400 members active in the area of building automation, EnOcean offers its customers the benefits of an ecosystem consisting of interoperable energy harvesting wireless sensor solutions. Due to the continuous further development of system solutions with maintenance-free wireless switches and sensors, the extensive EnOcean ecosystem helps make buildings more flexible, more energy-efficient and more cost-effective. Smart solutions for the Internet of Things The development of a solution for the IoT sector is one example of the successful collaboration between companies in the EnOcean ecosystem that rely on the EnOcean wireless standard: Together with its partners, element14, Digital Concepts and IBM, EnOcean has launched a certified kit called "Intelligent Building - Self-powered IoT Solution" with batteryless EnOcean-based wireless sensors. The kit's Enterprise Edition for the real estate business provides easy connection to the IBM Watson IoT platform as well as IBM's Bluemix service and TRIRIGA facility management software for securely networking and managing devices, analyzing data and using cognitive services. The Dolphin portfolio from EnOcean for maintenance-free wireless sensor solutions To meet ever-increasing customer requirements and to make it possible to use the patented energy harvesting wireless technology worldwide, EnOcean GmbH is now expanding its Dolphin product portfolio. Starting in October 2016, the company will offer energy harvesting wireless modules for use in ZigBee and BLE systems on the 2.4 GHz band along with the sub 1 GHz EnOcean wireless technology. Thanks to the low power consumption of the EnOcean technology, the batteryless sensors and switchers are perfectly suited to use in smart buildings. The product lines "868 MHz EnOcean" for Europe, "902 MHz EnOcean" for North America and "928 MHz EnOcean" for Japan consist of batteryless, radio-based switch, sensor and receiver modules as well as various tools. They are based on the EnOcean wireless standard introduced by the EnOcean Alliance (ISO/IEC 14543-3-1X) on the sub 1 GHz band, which has proven to be a resounding success in building automation and smart homes, due to its high reliability and a radio range of up to 30 meters. Standardized sensor profiles help ensure the interoperability of more than 1,500 products from the EnOcean ecosystem, which makes it possible to develop interoperable system solutions. The Dolphin portfolio also includes the "2.4 GHz ZigBee" product line with energy harvesting wireless switch modules as well as a wireless receiver for ZigBee systems in the 2.4 GHz band, which can be used in smart home applications all over the world. Moreover, the "2.4 GHz BLE" portfolio includes a wireless switch module for BLE systems for modern light control. Radio-based 2.4 GHz BLE sensors will also be available, starting in 2017. About EnOcean EnOcean GmbH is the developer of the patented energy harvesting wireless technology marketed under the Dolphin brand. Headquartered in Oberhaching, near Munich, the company produces and markets maintenance-free wireless sensor solutions for batteryless applications in the Internet of Things, which are used for building and industrial automation, smart homes and LED light control. The EnOcean products are based on miniaturized energy converters, energy-efficient electronics and reliable wireless technology for a variety of standards. Leading product manufacturers have been relying on EnOcean wireless modules for their system solutions for the past 15 years and have installed the products in several hundreds of thousands of buildings around the world. For more information, please visit www.enocean.com. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3068244 Press Contact Gina Klute EnOcean GmbH T +49 (0)89 67 34 689-76 M +49 (0)160 908 117 29 Email Contact www.enocean.com Dawn Fontaine Ripple Effect Communications T +617-536-8887 Email Contact FREMONT, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Foxit Software, a leading software provider of fast, affordable, secure, and connected PDF solutions, today announced the availability of PhantomPDF 8.1, bringing new levels of editing, conversion, and storage to the industry's most feature-rich solution. PhantomPDF also comes with ConnectedPDF technology, providing a range of cloud-delivered capabilities to improve document security, tracking, synchronization and more. PhantomPDF 8.1 enhancements provide users with unmatched ease in converting PDF documents into, and out of, Microsoft Office. The solution also has advanced its convenient editing features, allowing changes to be made natively within the PDF more easily than ever. The update includes easy integration with document management solutions, including Box, the leading online file sharing and content management service and iManage (formerly HP Autonomy), a leading provider of work product management solutions, giving enterprises the ability to fully leverage existing systems that have already received significant investment. All of these new features will be available to Foxit customers at a fraction of the cost of other PDF editing solutions. "Foxit is committed to making document sharing and editing more convenient and accessible for users in all environments and industries," said David Ronald, Vice President of Marketing with Foxit Software. "We are especially excited about what PhantomPDF 8.1 means for enterprise users who can now not only integrate with current document management systems, but also have software that can function as a client for interfacing with such systems to be installed in the future." Key improved features in PhantomPDF 8.1 include: More accurate page layout recognition, creating a smooth editing experience for even the most complex documents Expanded integration with content management systems including Box, iManage, Alfresco and NetDocuments, giving organizations more choices of where to store critical documents Integration with Foxit Archive's document management solution Better conversion from PDF to Microsoft Office files, providing better accuracy and easier editing Enhanced owner control to make ConnectedPDF editing, sharing and collaboration more secure Add-ins to major web browsers; including Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox that enable users to convert webpages into PDFs with one click Much lower cost of ownership than Adobe Acrobat For more information on Phantom Reader 8.1, please visit https://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf-editor/ ConnectedPDF All of these new features are compatible with Foxit's newly launched ConnectedPDF, a breakthrough technology from Foxit that is bringing new levels of accountability, collaboration, and productivity to the creation, sharing, and tracking of PDF documents worldwide. ConnectedPDF enables a wide range of cloud-delivered capabilities, including document locating and tracking, file update notifications, shared and synchronized reviews, remote file protection, data collection, and much more.. Learn more about ConnectedPDF at https://www.connectedpdf.com/ About Foxit Software Foxit is a leading software provider of fast, affordable, and secure PDF solutions. Businesses and consumers increase productivity by using Foxit's cost-effective products to securely work with PDF documents and forms. Foxit's ConnectedPDF is a breakthrough technology that brings new levels of accountability, collaboration, and productivity to the creation, sharing, and tracking of PDF documents worldwide. Foxit's Software Development Kits (SDKs) help developers reduce costs and improve time to market by easily integrating industry-leading PDF technology into application workflows. Foxit has over 425 million users and has sold to over 100,000 customers located in more than 200 countries. The company has offices all over the world, including locations in the US, Asia and Europe. For more information, please visit https://www.foxitsoftware.com Media Contact: Kevin Sugarman GlobalFluency 408.677.5311 Email Contact BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- ProGreen US, Inc. (ProGreen), (OTCQB: PGUS), www.progreenus.com, through its joint venture with Inmobiliaria Contel (CONTEL), has recently offered a first 300-acre tract of land for sale in Baja California, Mexico. As CEO Jan Telander describes, "We have had great interest in the 300-acre land tract, from more than 10 interested parties, with offers from $500,000 to $700,000 to purchase the property outright. However, there has been a new development and we have decided not to sell and instead to lease the land. The principal reason is that we now have the opportunity to acquire an additional 1,500 acres bordering this property, at a very low cost." "As announced previously, we have much more water available from the original 300-acre tract than is required for the 150 acres that have been prepared for farming. Our permit application allows for 400,000 cubic meters of water/year, while approximately only 150,000 cubic meters will be required for farming the 150 acres. We will simply pipe this large over capacity of water from the wells we have already drilled to the adjacent land." "We calculate to have at least 300 net acres to be leased on the second tract and don't expect the total cost to be higher than on the first tract even though we will gain access to twice the usable land. We intend to offer this land 'inclusive' of water with the lease, and power will be provided by solar only, making it a 'green farm,' attractive to organic growers. The solar power installation with some 250 panels will provide electricity for the wells." "Leases are usually for 10 years with the first and the last year due initially, thus creating immediate cash flow. We will lease the 150 acres of the original land tract immediately upon execution of a contract, providing a temporary solution for power generation to pump the water. The lessee for the first land tract will have first right of refusal for leasing the second tract as soon as the land has been prepared and the power and water depositor installation have been completed." "I am very pleased with this new development, as we will be able to leverage the value of this particularly unique piece of land," says Jan. "We will be able to not only generate a much larger sustainable income stream, but also use the entire installation as a show piece for our future leases, as both of these properties are bordering the main road." ProGreen US, Inc. (ProGreen), (OTCQB: PGUS), based in Bloomfield, Michigan, is engaged in the business of acquiring, refurbishing and upgrading residential real estate into modern affordable homes, offered for sale with Land Contracts to buyers still unable to obtain conventional credit. The company has also recently entered into property investments in Baja California, Mexico and will be intensifying this activity, with the aim of creating a sustainable income stream for years to come. This press release might contain information, which may constitute 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 'Forward-looking statements' are based upon expectations, estimates and projections at the time the statements are made that involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated. For further Information, please contact: Jan Telander President and CEO jan@progreenUS.com Phone: 1 (248) 805-3652 www.progreenus.com RALEIGH, NC -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 --Percona, the company that delivers enterprise-class MySQL and MongoDB solutions and services, today announced the success of Percona Live Europe Open Source Database Conference, which took place October 3-5, 2016 at the Movenpick Hotel Amsterdam City Centre. Percona also announced that the Call for Papers for Percona Live Data Open Source Database Conference 2017, scheduled for April 24-27, 2017, in Santa Clara, Calif., will be open until October 31 2016, and Super Saver registration discounts will be available until Nov 13, 2016. Next year's conference in Europe will take place September 25-27, 2017, in Dublin, Ireland. Percona Live Europe Open Source Database Conference 2016, a three-day event featuring sessions on MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL and other open source databases, featured 122 speakers addressing a sold-out crowd of more than 400 attendees from more than 50 countries around the world. Attendees enjoyed in-depth discussions on subjects such as analytics, architecture and design, security, operations, scalability and performance. Companies with the greatest representation at the event included Booking.com, Facebook, MariaDB and Oracle -- a clear indication of the value these companies see in the increasingly popular Europe-based event. "I want to thank all the sponsors, speakers and attendees at this year's Percona Live Europe Open Source Database Conference for making this the most compelling and fun event we've hosted in Europe," said Peter Zaitsev, co-founder and CEO of Percona. "We were particularly excited that Facebook chose the event to announce that the flash-optimized transactional storage engine MyRocks will now be included in Percona Server. This will deliver a tremendous benefit to Percona users with high-performance applications." Breakout Sessions This year's event featured more than 75 Breakout Sessions including: "MySQL 8.0: what's new in Optimizer" "Securing your MySQL/MariaDB data" "Transactional Data Dictionary in MySQL 8.0: An Internal Server Component That Matters" "MySQL Monitoring with Percona Monitoring and Management (PMM)" "WiredTiger B-Tree vs WiredTiger In-Memory" Sponsorships Percona Live Europe Open Source Database Conference 2016 was made possible through the support of the following sponsors: Diamond -- Booking.com Platinum -- Red Hat, Facebook Gold -- VividCortex Exhibitors -- Mangstor, MariaDB Foundation, ProxySQL, ScaleDB, Severalnines, SolarWinds, Tarantool, trivago, Zabbix, Media -- Amsterdam eWeek, CMSWire, Packt, Women Who Code Web -- Ivinco, phpMyAdmin The Next Percona Live Conference What: Percona Live Data Open Source Database Conference 2017 Where: Santa Clara, Calif. When: April 24-27, 2017 Discount pricing deadline: Nov. 13, 2016; sponsorships are available. About Percona With more than 3,000 customers worldwide, Percona is the only company that delivers enterprise-class solutions for both MySQL and MongoDB across traditional and cloud-based platforms. The company provides Software, Support, Consulting, and Managed Services to large, well-known global brands such as Cisco Systems, Time Warner Cable, Alcatel-Lucent, Rent the Runway and the BBC, as well as smaller enterprises looking to maximize application performance while streamlining database efficiencies. Well established as thought leaders, Percona experts author content for the Percona Database Performance Blog and the Percona Live Open Source Database Conferences draw attendees and expert technical speakers from around the world. For more information, visit www.percona.com. Percona, XtraBackup, TokuDB and Fractal Tree are registered trademarks of Percona LLC or its subsidiaries. All other registered and unregistered trademarks in this document are the sole property of their respective owners. Press Contacts Brigit Valencia For Percona (360) 597-4516 Email Contact GARNER, NC -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- CloudJumper, a Workspace as a Service (WaaS) platform innovator for agile business IT, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has recognized CloudJumper in its 2016 Cloud Computing Partner Program Guide, a list of leading technology vendors with cloud-related partner programs that enable and accelerate the growth of solution providers' cloud initiatives. The CRN 2016 Cloud Computing Partner Program Guide serves as a valuable resource for solution providers navigating the booming cloud marketplace, helping them to identify technology suppliers that offer innovative cloud solutions and partner programs. To qualify for participation in the Cloud Partner Program Guide, technology vendors must have a unique set of partner program benefits for solution providers that deliver cloud infrastructure or applications. "For channel partners, active support for their cloud-based solutions is more critical than ever," said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. "CRN's 2016 Cloud Computing Partner Program Guide recognizes vendors that provide excellent resources, training and financial incentives for cloud, doing their best to help partners make the most of this now foundational practice area. We congratulate all the innovative, forward-looking companies on the 2016 list and invite the solution provider community to take full advantage of this terrific resource for finding the right cloud vendors to partner with." CloudJumper's channel leadership in the WaaS market includes a qualification-free partner program that provides the tools, training, and technology needed for success. Partners receive access to business development collaterals that include a cloud marketing toolkit, sales playbook and prospecting guide, specialized technical training, and a tightly controlled deal registration platform. The program also includes an industry-first partner portal, with exclusive access to detailed business and technical analytics using the new WaaS partner dashboard. The portal also provides for web-based quoting and ordering, support integration, and comprehensive financial reporting and billing capabilities. "With our recently announced partner portal and channel program, CloudJumper's growing list of partners are well-equipped to achieve substantial success in what IDC has classified as a growing multi-billion dollar market(1)," said Max Pruger, Chief Sales Officer for CloudJumper. "Inclusion in CRN's 2016 Cloud Partner Program Guide complements our progress in this space, but the recognition belongs to our partners who go the extra mile to deliver best of breed services to their customers." The Cloud Partner Program Guide will be featured in the October issue of CRN and can be viewed online at http://bit.ly/2dZPsih. To learn more about CloudJumper nWorkSpace or the CloudJumper partner program, please visit http://cloudjumper.com/services/nworkspace/. Tweet This: @TheChannelCo recognizes @CloudJumperWaaS in 2016 @CRN Cloud PPG CRNCloudPPG - http://bit.ly/2dZPsih Resources: Contact CloudJumper today to schedule a product demonstration at: http://cloudjumper.com/contact/ Follow CloudJumper on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/CloudJumperWaaS Visit CloudJumper at: http://www.cloudjumper.com About CloudJumper Founded in 2016, CloudJumper is a workspace as a service (WaaS) platform innovator for the agile business. It launches itself from the platform its sister company, nGenx built over more than 16 years as a cloud pioneer, taking its new Workspace as a Service solution to a greater height with its concurrent user model. Many of the key personnel from nGenx have also made the transition to CloudJumper. CloudJumper built its concurrent WaaS model working with strategic partners such as Microsoft, Intuit, Google, and others. Head and shoulders above the competition, the CloudJumper concurrent WaaS model provides the industry's most robust cloud desktop and provides a unique cost-savings option that focuses on both named and simultaneous users. CloudJumper markets its solutions through both white label and agency programs supported by the CloudJumper control panel, a single pane-of-glass provisioning system that provides partners with complete control over their IT environments. For more information, visit About CloudJumper. About the Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook (1) International Data Corporation (IDC), IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Virtual Client Computing Software 2015 Vendor Assessment, https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=256606 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3068754 CloudJumper Agency Contact: Joe Austin The Ventana Group 512-531-9119 Email Contact Contact CRN: Melanie Turpin The Channel Company (508) 416-1195 Email Contact AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwired - October 18, 2016) - Betts Recruiting (Betts Recruiting, Inc.), the leading recruitment firm specializing in revenue-generating talent for high growth companies, has seen dramatic growth throughout the US. Betts Recruiting in Austin, TX announced today that it is moving to a larger office in downtown Austin as of October 2016. The expanded office will also serve as the headquarters for an increased Betts presence throughout the entire Central US, including Dallas, TX; Boulder, CO; Denver, CO; Chicago, IL; and Atlanta, GA. Join Betts Recruiting at their new office location to celebrate and kick off their new expansion November 1, 2016 at 6:00pm. See event details below. The growing office also includes a much larger Betts Recruiting team ready to partner with companies in these thriving markets. Managing Director Kelsey Haden, Head of Betts Recruiting Austin, said, "Our Austin team has quadrupled in size since opening a year ago and we are so excited to be moving in to a new space to continue to increase our team and our presence throughout the US. We have become recognized as market experts in scaling sales, marketing, and customer success teams both for local Austin companies and for companies looking to establish a presence throughout the Central US." Based on the latest industry hiring trends, Betts Recruiting is excited to expand its sales recruiting services to meet the growing needs of Austin's growing startups and established companies. According to a consolidation of job databases such as Crunchbase, AngelList, LinkedIn, and Area Startups, there are over 1,500 startups in Austin alone that are hiring. Currently, Betts Recruiting Austin's clients include ThousandEyes, MongoDB, Able Lending, AlertMedia, uShip, RunTitle, and Datical. From entire sales teams to strategic hires such as Sales Leadership, Sales Engineers and Marketing roles, Betts Recruiting Austin has found incredible success matching top talent with Austin's innovative companies. After working with Betts Recruiting Austin to find a Director of Demand Generation Marketing, Brett Andrew, the Vice President of Sales at AlertMedia, had this to say about the Austin market and the growing need for recruiters in the new sprawling job market: "We're excited about Austin's community of talented, passionate software professionals, and we love the city's great quality of life for our people. We're growing quickly, and we needed a recruiting and hiring plan to keep us on pace with our market opportunity. The Austin market has been active lately, so we've really benefitted from getting in front of strong candidates quickly." A Larger Betts Presence The larger Betts Recruiting office in Austin, TX will also serve as the hub for job seekers and hiring managers throughout the entire Southwest, Central US, and Southern regions of the US. Betts Recruiting Austin is already actively working with companies in Dallas, TX; Boulder, CO; Denver, CO; Chicago, IL; Salt Lake City, UT; and Atlanta, GA. Each of these growing markets offers new opportunities for job seekers to break into sales and hiring managers looking to expedite their company's growth. With an increased presence, both spatially and in terms of employees, Betts Recruiting Austin has ramped up their reach across the US. Betts Recruiting's Expanded Office Launch -- November 1, 2016 Join Betts Recruiting at their new office location at 515 Congress Ave., Suite 1450, Austin, TX on November 1, 2016 at 6:00 PM - 9:00PM for their office launch party. For more info and to RSVP visit: http://bit.ly/AustinOfficeLaunch About Betts Recruiting Betts Recruiting is the leading global recruitment firm specializing in recruiting revenue-generating talent such as Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success for innovative companies in tech, consulting, biotech, logistics, media agencies, and more. Betts brings a customized approach to each search, ensuring hiring managers find the best person for each position they are looking to fill and job seekers find the best company for their background, skills, and interests. Betts Recruiting works with all individual candidates to understand their goals, career growth, and experience. This method ensures companies only see top quality candidates and are able to quickly move forward in their hiring process. Betts Recruiting's four offices in the US include San Francisco, Palo Alto, Austin, and New York. These headquarters also cover areas such as Denver, CO, Boulder, CO, Salt Lake City, UT, Provo, UT, Dallas, TX, Phoenix, AZ, Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA, Seattle, WA, and Atlanta, GA. Abroad, Betts Recruiting's London-based office services Amsterdam, Dublin, Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg as well. Some of Betts Recruiting's clients include: EATClub, SurveyMonkey, GitHub, Grovo, VentureBeat, and MuleSoft. You can find Betts Recruiting on Twitter @BettsRecruiting and on LinkedIn. Follow Betts for sales news, interview tips, hiring best practices, and more. Betts Recruiting Tim White info@bettsrecruiting.com OTTAWA, ON--(Marketwired - October 18, 2016) - C-COM Satellite Systems Inc., (TSX VENTURE: CMI) the leading global provider of mobile auto-deploying satellite antenna systems, announced today that it has received type approval for its iNetVu Driveaway and Flyaway antenna systems from Telenor Satellite, a major satellite provider of broadcast and data services throughout Europe and the Middle East. The iNetVu Ka-98G Driveaway and the iNetVu FLY-98G 3-axis transportable, along with the advanced 7710 auto-acquire controller, was able to deliver in excess of 10Mbps upload and download rates over Telenor's THOR 7 High Throughput (HTS) satellite. THOR 7, positioned at 1 West, offers 6-9 Gbps throughput with up to 25 simultaneously active spot beams in Europe and the Middle East. "C-COM's next generation vehicle mounted and transportable antennas continue to rack up approvals with first class satellite operators and service providers, most recently with Telenor on THOR 7," said Drew Klein, Director of International Business Development for C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. "Customers can now easily roam between beams with C-COM's 3-axis motorization and our auto-polarization switching function. This will give Telenor customers the option of a fully approved, land based system capable of finding satellite in just a few minutes with the press of a button," Klein continued. "Telenor Satellite launched Occasional Use (OU) Ka-band services on THOR 7 at the end of September. In the period before the launch Telenor worked closely with C-COM to achieve type approval for their Ka-band auto-deploy antennas," commented Lisa Barlow, OU Sales Director at Telenor Satellite. "During the testing period, the iNetVu FLY-98G achieved upload/download speeds of 10Mbps, and we are very pleased with the results." The test was assisted by a leading European C-COM partner, Primetech UK. "Primetech are delighted to work with both C-COM and Telenor Satellite in achieving type approval of the iNetVu 98G series," said Henry Walker, Managing Director of Primetech. "The addition of the Telenor Ka-band service using a world renowned product is a huge benefit, particularly where reliability in the provision of resilience is crucial," Walker continued. About Telenor Satellite AS Telenor Satellite is a major European satellite provider of broadcast and broadband services for customers in the media, maritime, and oil and gas sectors. Utilising a hybrid network that comprises our satellite fleet, teleports and a terrestrial fibre network, Telenor Satellite delivers turnkey broadcasting solutions, end-user connectivity and application services via satellite throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. From the distribution of digital TV and radio content to millions of European homes to the provision of reliable communications in remote locations on land and at sea, we are committed to keeping our customers connected via satellite. Visit the company's website at www.telenorsat.com About C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. is a leader in the development, manufacture and deployment of commercial grade mobile satellite-based technology for the delivery of two-way high-speed Internet, VoIP and Video services into vehicles. C-COM has developed a number of proprietary Mobile auto-deploying (iNetVu ) antennas that deliver broadband over satellite into vehicles while stationary virtually anywhere where one can drive. The iNetVu Mobile antennas have also been adapted to be airline checkable and easily transportable. More than 7000 C-COM antennas have been deployed in 103 countries around the world in vertical markets such as Oil & Gas Exploration, Military Communications, Disaster Management, SNG, Emergency Communications, Cellular Backhaul, Telemedicine, Mobile Banking, and others. The Company's satellite-based products are known worldwide for their high quality, reliability and cost-effectiveness. C-COM is also involved in the design and development of a new generation of Ka-band (communications on the move) antennas, which will deliver satellite broadband solutions into vehicles while in motion. More information is available at: www.c-comsat.com iNetVu is a registered trademark of C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. About Primetech (UK) Ltd. Primetech has been serving emergency service, government and business customers for many years, and is widely recognised for its high business and technical standards, as well as for its track record of introducing cutting edge technologies in support of improved public safety and business communications. The company is a leading technological innovator and delivers unparalleled customer support for its emergency services, government, education and business customers. It also has a growing programme of creative partnerships with emergency services suppliers and is driving a highly successful phase of business expansion for leading UK emergency services. For further information, please visitwww.primetech.co.uk Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/10/17/11G118286/Images/image_for_c-com-e3069d855122a0fe95212508c212f7bd.JPG Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/10/17/11G118286/Images/thor7-23aaf65a098bba7394e8471715daba51.jpg Contact: Investor Relations C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. Tel: (613) 745-4110 ext. 4950 Fax: (613) 745-7144 lklein@c-comsat.com MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd (the "Corporation" or "Osisko") (TSX: OR)(NYSE: OR) today announces that it has filed an Early Warning Report in connection with a non-brokered private placement with QMX Gold Corporation ("QMX") (TSX VENTURE: QMX). Today, QMX issued 15,000,000 treasury common shares to Osisko at a price of $0.10 per share for an aggregate consideration of $1,500,000 (the "Private Placement") as part of a non-brokered private placement. Following the Private Placement, Osisko now has ownership and control over 15,000,000 QMX shares (representing 14.7% of the issued and outstanding QMX shares) Osisko holds the shares of QMX for investment purposes and may from time to time acquire additional shares of QMX either on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell shares of QMX either on the open market or through private dispositions. This news release is being issued under the early warning provisions of Canadian securities legislation. A copy of Osisko's Early Warning Report containing further details of the Private Placement can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under QMX's profile. About Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd Osisko Gold Royalties is an intermediate precious metal royalty company focused on the Americas that commenced activities in June 2014. It holds over 50 royalties, including a 5% NSR royalty on the Canadian Malartic Mine (Canada) and a 2.0-3.5% NSR royalty on the Eleonore Mine (Canada). It maintains a strong financial position with cash resources of $425 million at June 30 2016 and has distributed dividends to its shareholders during the past seven consecutive quarters. Osisko's head office is located at 1100 Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montreal, Suite 300, Montreal, Quebec, H3B 2S2. Contacts: Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd. Joseph de la Plante Vice President, Corporate Development (514) 940-0670 jdelaplante@osiskogr.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Pasinex Resources Limited (CSE: PSE)(FRANKFURT: PNX) (the "Company" or "Pasinex") today announced the appointment of Victor Wells, FCPA, FCA, ICD.D, as a New Chairman effective immediately. Victor Wells has served on the boards of several public companies and is currently a member of the board of Student Transportation Inc. and Contagious Gaming Inc. During his career he held increasingly senior financial positions such as Vice President Finance and CFO of Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund from its IPO in July 2001 to April, 2006. Mr. Wells was Chair of the Canadian Financial Executives Research Foundation (2011 - 2016): A past Director and Chapter President of FEI Canada, he was awarded the Frank S. Capon Distinguished Service Award by FEI Canada in 2011. He obtained his Chartered Accountant designation with Ernst & Young LLP in Toronto and is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia and Ontario. Mr. Wells obtained his Institute of Corporate Directors designation in 2007. Steve Williams, President and CEO of Pasinex said, "Our rapid growth requires us to address our governance and oversight needs, to ensure Pasinex's continuing success. Victor will succeed me as Chairman of the Board. As Pasinex has grown it has become important to separate the roles of Chairman and CEO. Victor's experience over the years and his expertise in corporate governance and managing audit committees makes him an ideal Chairman for Pasinex going forward. An awarded and recognized leader, known for his integrity and honesty, Victor is also an expert in assessing the balance between risk and reward in complex finance strategies. We look forward to working with Victor as we stay the course of mining zinc in Turkey with our joint venture partner." The Board of Directors also announced that they have approved the issuance of 2,200,000 incentive stock options to officers and directors of the Company. The options are exercisable at a price of $0.19 per share for a period of two years from the issue date of October 18, 2016. About Pasinex Pasinex Resources Limited (CSE: PSE)(FRANKFURT: PNX) is a metals company which is a 50% owner of the high grade Pinargozu zinc mine which is in production and, under its DSO Program, is shipping directly to zinc smelter / refiners from its mine site in Turkey. The Company has a strong technical management team with many years of experience in mineral exploration and mining project development. The mission of Pasinex is to build a mid-tier zinc company based on building a large land within a productive CRD district in Turkey. The Pinargozu Mine is included in the 50-50 company, Horzum Arama Isletme AS (Horzum AS), which is a corporate joint venture between Pasinex and Turkish mining house, Akmetal Madencilik San ve Tic. AS (Akmetal AS). Akmetal AS is one of Turkey's largest family-owned conglomerates with the nearby past-producing Horzum zinc mine. Visit our web site at: www.pasinex.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors PASINEX RESOURCES LIMITED "Steve Williams" The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from the historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although Pasinex Resources Limited believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, exploration results, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Contacts: Pasinex Resources Limited Steve Williams President/CEO 416.861.9659 info@pasinex.com Pasinex Resources Limited Cathy Hume CHF Investor Relations 416.868.1079 ext. 231 cathy@chfir.com www.pasinex.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Torino Power Solutions Inc. (CSE: TPS) (the "Company" or "Torino"), is pleased to report that it has completed the FCC Certification of its Power Line Monitoring (PLM) system. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) issued a grant of equipment authorization to Torino Power Solutions, Inc. to operate its Power Line Monitoring system within the specified frequency band. The equipment is certified under FCC part 15C. Torino's real-time Power Line Monitoring system provides a major advance in enabling electric utilities to maximize the capacity of their power transmission lines. Without real-time information, utilities must use historical, ambient, or "static" temperature data to make their transmission capacity decisions and cannot react to local events and current weather conditions. Rav Mlait, CEO of Torino commented, "This is an important milestone in the Company's commercialization of the Torino PLM system which gives the utility companies an important tool to manage their transmission line infrastructure, increase the transmission capacity and increase their bottom line." Please visit www.torinopower.com for more information. We seek Safe Harbor. On behalf of the Board of Directors Rav Mlait, CEO and Director Torino Power Solutions Inc. The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company, such as final development of a commercial product(s), successful trial or pilot of company technologies, no assurance that commercial sales of any kind actually materialize; no assurance the Company will have sufficient funds to complete product development. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) risks regarding protection of proprietary technology; (iii) the ability of the Company to complete financings; (v) the ability of the Company to develop and market its future product; and (vi) risks regarding government regulation, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements and filings. There is no assurance that the DTCR business will provide any benefit to the Company, and no assurance that any proposed new products will be built or proceed. There is no assurance that existing "patent pending" technologies licensed by the Company will receive patent status by regulatory authorities. The Company is not currently selling commercial DTCR systems. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. Contacts: Torino Power Solutions Inc. info@torinopower.com www.torinopower.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Highlights: -- Callinex has discovered a high-grade zone over 10.3 meters grading 13.1% Zn Eq. (6.0% Zn, 1.8 g/t Au, 60.4 g/t Ag, 0.7% Cu and 0.4% Pb) by extending a previous Placer Dome drill hole by 38 meters; -- The original hole, 284-3-93, was drilled in 1993 when Placer Dome had a mandate to discover a 30 Mt VMS deposit at the Pine Bay Project; -- Large geophysical target associated with intersection that projects along strike to the southwest for 700 meters and at depth for 1,050 meters; and -- The discovery is situated within a mining lease located 16 km from HudBay's processing facilities, which have less than four years of ore remaining. Callinex Mines Inc. (the "Company" or "Callinex") (TSX VENTURE: CNX) (OTCQX: CLLXF) is pleased to announce a new high-grade zinc, gold, silver and copper discovery at the Company's Pine Bay Project, located near HudBay's operations in Flin Flon, Manitoba (See Figures 1, 2 and 3). The discovery hole, 284-3-93-DPN, intersected 10.3m grading 13.1% zinc equivalent mineralization ("Zn Eq.") containing 6.0% Zn, 1.8 g/t Au, 60.4 g/t Ag, 0.7% Cu and 0.4% Pb including a higher grade interval over 4.2m grading 20.8% Zn Eq. containing 11.8% Zn, 2.4 g/t Au, 73.8 g/t Ag, 0.7% Cu and 0.7% Pb. The discovery was made by extending a historic Placer Dome drill hole by 38 meters. The historic drill hole, which ended in copper-bearing sulphide mineralization, was initially drilled as part of their mandate to discover a 30 million tonne Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide ("VMS") deposit at the Pine Bay Project. Max Porterfield, President and CEO, stated, "We are very encouraged by this new discovery which indicates potential for a large, high-grade deposit located within the existing mining lease at Pine Bay. This exploration success comes at a time when the current processing facility in Flin Flon, which has operated for more than 90 consecutive years, has less than four years of ore remaining. In terms of context, the new intersection has encountered the most significant gold and silver results from over 80 years of exploration including 625 holes drilled on the property." Jim Pickell, Chief Geologist, stated, "Having seen several discovery hole intersections over the years, including at the 777 Mine, I'm particularly impressed with this one because of where it sits, its high grade nature and its width. I've always been intrigued by the special geological environment in the Pine Bay area and its likely ability to host a prolific volcanogenic massive sulphide system." Many of the largest deposits within the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt have been discovered at depth, such as the 777 Mine that was the discovered at a down-hole depth of 1,278m and the Lalor Mine that was discovered at a down-hole depth of 781m. HudBay's nearby 777 Mine has proven and probable reserves totaling 6.3 Mt grading approximately 11% Zn Eq. over an average width of 8 meters to a vertical depth of approximately 1,500m. Exploration efforts have reportedly been unable to extend the life of mine. The existence and abundance of zinc, gold and silver indicates that the hole may have intersected the edge of the VMS system. The high-grade nature and strong continuity of gold and silver, with assays including 2.4 g/t Au and 74 g/t Ag over 4.2m suggests that the system is long-lived and robust (See Table 1). In addition, the geophysical interpretation also supports the geological interpretation, showing the majority of the target is at depth (See Figure 4). The Company's geophysical target is modeled to have similar conductance as the intersected zone and extends for approximately 700m along strike and 1,050m in vertical extent, almost entirely below the hole (See Figure 4). The intersected zone consists primarily of lower conductivity or non-conductive metals including zinc, gold and silver. Several historic deposits at the Pine Bay Project, along with the Centennial Mine to the south, are poor geophysical conductors. After reviewing drilling results from earlier this year, Callinex theorized that the Cabin Zone Horizon may not have actually been intersected at depth by historic drilling. Several previously drilled holes including 284-3-93 and 95-02 were selected for deepening as part of the ongoing drilling campaign. Placer Dome had interpreted that the Cabin Zone Horizon was intersected at a down-hole depth of 923m, approximately 77m before where we now know the horizon is located (See Figure 1 and 2). Despite Placer Dome's incorrect interpretation that the down-plunge portion of the Cabin Zone Horizon had been tested, they continued to recommend additional drilling to the south where they believed that the most prospective area remained. This target area is coincident with the newly detected, large (700m wide by 1,050m deep) borehole geophysical target identified from hole 284-3-93-DPN that intersected the newly discovered mineralization. Placer Dome's final hole, 284-5-93 was drilled to test this area but was abandoned due to drilling difficulties and represents an upcoming drill target. This discovery hole is located within the Baker Patton Felsic Complex, one of the largest and most highly altered accumulations of felsic rocks within the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt. A major alteration zone had previously been identified at surface and spans 1,100m by 700m as defined by values of more than 90 using the Hashimoto (Ishikawa et al.) Alteration Index (See Figure 2), a quantitative approach to evaluate alteration trends that ranges from 0 to 100. Since the huge alteration zone seen at surface is structurally overturned, the exploration thesis is that the massive sulphides associated with this mineralizing event would be preserved at depth. Typically, there is a correlation between the size of an alteration zone and the size of VMS deposit it is associated with. The exploration model for large VMS deposits within the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt, such as the Lalor and 777 deposits, includes having several smaller deposits in close proximity to a large alteration system within a major felsic volcanic centre. Historic and recent exploration has identified three VMS deposits, along with the new Pine Bay East Zone, known to exist in close proximity to the huge Baker Patton alteration zone. Inmet Mining Corporation also attempted to test the Cabin Zone Horizon with hole 95-02, which was drilled 400m along strike to the south of hole 284-3-93 but was stopped short of the horizon. Callinex is currently deepening this hole to test the down-plunge extension of the recently discovered Pine Bay East Zone (See News Releases Dated March 7th, 2016 and May 31st, 2016). Table 1: 284-3-93-DPN Assay Results ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hole From To Interval Zn Eq. Zn Cu Au Ag Pb (1)-(4) (m) (m) (m) (%) (%) (%) (g/t) (g/t) (%) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 284-3-93-DPN 998.80 1010.26 11.46 12.23 5.61 0.68 1.65 56.38 0.35 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Including 999.26 1009.59 10.33 13.06 6.00 0.71 1.78 60.39 0.35 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Including 999.80 104.00 4.20 20.77 11.82 0.70 2.43 73.77 0.73 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Including 999.80 102.50 2.70 26.35 16.37 0.86 2.57 79.21 0.98 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes(1)(2)(3(4): -- Dip and azimuth for hole 284-3-93-DPN is -85 degrees and 317 degrees Az. The 1,101m deep diamond drill hole is located at the following Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates using the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) within UTM Zone 14N: 332882m East and 6071554m North. The collar of the hole is 321m above sea level. -- Zinc equivalent grades are based on the following metal prices: zinc US$1.00/lb, copper US$2.50/lb, gold US$1,300 per oz, silver US$18.00 per oz, lead US$0.90/lb. Metal recoveries of 100% are applied in the zinc equivalent calculation. The zinc equivalent calculation is as follows: ZnEq = 100 ((Au Price in (g) x Au Grade) + (Ag Price in (g) x Ag Grade) + (Pb Price(i)2204.6 x (Pb Grade(%)/100) + (Cu Price(i)2204.6 x Cu Grade(%)/100) + (Zn Price(i)2204.6 x (Zn Grade(%)/100))/Zn Price(i)2204.6 -- The numbers may not add due to rounding. -- True widths are not currently known. Figures Figure 1: Overview of Flin Flon Area Properties http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Fig%201%20Callinex.pdf Figure 2: Plan Map of the Northern Pine Bay Area http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Fig%202%20-%20Callinex.pdf Figure 3: Cross Section of the Northern Pine Bay Area with 3-D Surface http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Fig%203%20Callinex.pdf Figure 4: Longitudinal Section of the Cabin Zone Horizon and Geophysical Target http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Fig%204.pdf QA/QC Individual samples were labeled, placed in plastic sample bags, and sealed. Groups of samples were then placed in security sealed bags and shipped directly to SGS Canada Inc in Vancouver, B.C. for analysis. Samples were crushed to 75% passing 2mm and pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns in order produce a 250g split. All copper, zinc and silver assays were determined by Aqua Regia digestion with a combination of ICP-MS and ICP-AES finish, with overlimits (greater than 100 ppm Ag, greater than 10,000 ppm Zn, and greater than 10,000 ppm Cu) completed by fire assay with gravimetric finish (Ag) or Aqua Regia digestion with ICP-AES finish (copper and zinc). All samples were analyzed for gold by Fire Assay of a 30 gram charge by AAS, or if over 10.0 g/t were re-assayed and completed with a gravimetric finish. QA/QC included the insertion and continual monitoring of numerous standards and blanks into the sample stream at a frequency of 1 per 10 samples, and the collection of duplicate samples at random intervals within each batch at a frequency of 1 per 10 samples. SGS Canada Inc carried out some or all of following methods to obtain the assay results for Callinex: G_LOG02 Pre-preparation processing, G_WGH79 Weighing and reporting, G_PRP89 Weigh, dry, crush, split, pulverize, G_SCRQC QC for crush and pulverize stages, G_CRU22 Crush greater than 3kg, G_DRY11 Dry samples, GE_FAA313 @Au, FAS, AAS, 30g-5ml (Final mode), GE-IC14A Aqua Regia digestion/ICP-AES finish, GE_IMS14B Aqua Regia digestion/ICP-MS package, GE_IMS14 Aqua Regia digestion, GO_FAG303 30g, Fire assay, gravimetric finish (Au)(Final Mode), GO_FAG313 30g, Fire assay, gravimetric finish (Ag)(Final Mode), G0_ICP13B Ore Grade, Aqua Regia digest/ICP-AES. Ag greater than 10ppm was analyzed by ICP and GO_XRF77B-pyrosulfate fusion. James Pickell, P.Geo, a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 and a consultant to Callinex, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release. About The Pine Bay Project The Pine Bay Project is located 16km east of HudBay's 777 Mine and processing facilities near Flin Flon, MB. The project area spans 6,000 sq. ha. and covers a significant portion of the Baker Patton Felsic Complex, one of the largest and most highly altered packages of felsic volcanic rocks within the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt. Historic exploration activities have outlined four mineral deposits, three of which are located within a mineral lease that has advanced permitting status and includes the right to conduct mining activities. The Pine Bay deposit, the largest of the four historic deposits, has a 212m vertical shaft with significant underground workings from previous exploration activities. The project has two distinct areas with VMS mineralization, the northern Pine Bay area and the southern Sourdough area. These areas are each related to historic deposits and occur along an approximate 10km NE-SW VMS trend near the top of the Baker Patton Felsic Complex. The Sourdough area is immediately adjacent to HudBay's past-producing Centennial Mine. Callinex has recently intersected new VMS zones in both the Pine Bay and Sourdough areas. During the 1990s, majors including Placer Dome Inc. and Inmet Mining Corporation conducted limited exploration programs in the Pine Bay area to define a large VMS deposit at depth. A review of historic work has confirmed that several proposed drill holes and targets outlined by Placer Dome that were never completed. The property position was recently consolidated for the first time combining several large claim blocks previously operated by companies including Placer Dome, Inmet, Newmont, HudBay and Cameco. Previous to Callinex' modern geophysical and geological exploration programs, very limited work was conducted between 1996 and 2014. Callinex has digitally compiled more than 1,000 mostly shallow drill holes and has completed large airborne and ground geophysical surveys to identify and evaluate the most prospective drill targets. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pine Bay Historic Resources(1)(2) (3) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deposit Tons Cu Eq%(2) Cu % Zn % Au g/t Ag g/t ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pine Bay 1,113,200 2.76 2.76 N/A N/A N/A ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sourdough 291,150 2.98 1.46 1.71 1.03 29.8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cabin 125,000 2.18 0.84 4.02 N/A N/A ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baker Patton 95,000 3.66 0.80 5.28 0.83 56.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 1,624,350 2.81 2.26 0.92 0.24 8.9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: (1) Values have been converted from the imperial to metric system (2) Historical resource estimates include (a) a Cerro-Mining-Guggenheim Joint Venture report titled "Feasibility Study for 550 ton per day mine & mill", prepared by Wright Engineers Limited in 1971, reported a "geological ore reserve" 1,113,200 tons at 2.76% Cu at the Pine Bay deposit, (b) a Keys report in 1963 reported a historical resource estimate of 291,150 tons at 1.46% Cu at the Sourdough deposit, (c) a Pine Bay Mines report in 1976 reported a historical resource estimate of 125,000 tons at 0.84% Cu at the Cabin deposit and (d) a Macmillan report in 1968 reported a historical resource estimate of 95,000 tons at 0.80% Cu at the Baker Patton deposit. The historical "geological ore reserve" and resource estimates cited above is mentioned for historical purposes only and uses terminology not compliant with current reporting standards. The reliability of these historical estimates is unknown but considered relevant by the Company as it represents a significant target for future exploration work by the Company. The assumptions, parameters and methods used to calculate this historical resource estimate are not known to the Company. The qualified person has not made any attempt to re-classify the estimates accordingly to current NI 43-101 standards of disclosure or the CIM definitions. In order for these resources to be current, the Company will be required to conduct additional drilling on the Pine Bay Property. The Company is not treating this estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves as defined in NI 43-101. Although the Historical resource estimate was also designated as "ore" it cannot be compared to mineral reserves as it is not supported by at least a current pre-feasibility study. (3) Copper equivalent grades are based on metal prices of: copper US$3.00/lb, zinc $1.00/lb, gold US$1200 per oz, silver US$20 per oz. Metal recoveries of 100% are applied in the copper equivalent calculation. CuEq = 100 ((Au Price in (g) x Au Grade) + (Ag Price in (g) x Ag Grade) + (Pb Price(i)2204.6 x (Pb Grade(%)/100) + (Cu Price(i)2204.6 x Cu Grade(%)/100) + (Zn Price(i)2204.6 x (Zn Grade(%)/100))/Cu Price(i)2204.6 About Callinex Mines Inc. Callinex Mines Inc. is focused on discovering and developing zinc and copper rich mines within prolific Canadian VMS mining jurisdictions. The Company is actively exploring its Pine Bay Project, located in the Flin Flon mining district of Manitoba, which hosts significant historic VMS deposits that are within close proximity to a processing facility. The larger project portfolio hosts three significant zinc rich mineral resources including the Point Leamington, Nash Creek and Superjack Projects located in Eastern Canada. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future expenditures. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, among others, the ability to complete contemplated work programs and the timing and amount of expenditures. Callinex does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Contacts: Callinex Mines Inc. Max Porterfield President and Chief Executive Officer (604) 605-0885 info@callinex.ca Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 18, 2016) - THE JENEX CORPORATION (TSXV: JEN) ("Jenex" or the "Corporation"), Rob Fia, CEO and Chairman of Jenex, reports the Corporation has entered into an exclusive product development agreement with Microbonds Inc. of Markham, Ontario to design Jenex's next generation thermal therapy insect device. Microbonds, is an advanced coatings and electrical design company. Microbonds has worked with many of the largest semiconductor companies in the world and has technical expertise in chemical, mechanical, and electrical engineering and extensive experience in electronics manufacturing. Jenex's next generation thermal therapy insect device manufacturing will be sub-contracted to qualified manufacturing partners either locally or overseas based on economic, quality control and delivery time considerations. Microbonds is a leading developer of advanced materials for a broad range of industries. Jenex will be incorporating Microbonds proprietary silver anti-microbial coating into the next generation thermal therapy insect device under an exclusive license agreement to provide additional benefit to its customers. Silver is a well-known anti-microbial agent with a deep history of efficacy and is currently used in a broad range of applications such as water and air filtration, wound/burn bandages, textiles, building supplies and food packaging. "We are delighted to be partnering with Microbonds in executing our overall strategic business plan" says Fia. Jenex continues to seek a strategic corporate partner to license and market their next generation thermal therapy insect device in the US and various countries around the world. Jenex has made excellent progress in shortlisting various potential partners and expects to report back on this matter in the near future. The ideal partner would have extensive consumer product and marketing expertise and a well-established OTC distribution channels. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. More particularly, this press release contains statements which include the timing of closing the offering, the anticipated use of proceeds and the receipt of the required approvals. The forward-looking statements are based on certain expectations and assumptions made by Jenex. Although Jenex believes that those expectations and assumptions are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Jenex can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. In addition to other risks, the closing of the offering could be delayed if Jenex is not able to obtain necessary approvals when planned and the offering will not be completed at all if approvals are not obtained or some other condition to the closing is not satisfied. Accordingly, there is a risk that the offering will not be completed within the anticipated time or at all. The intended use of the net proceeds of the offering by Jenex might change if Jenex determines that it would be in the best interests of Jenex to use the proceeds for some other purpose. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof. Jenex disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For Further information please contact: The Jenex Corporation Rob Fia CEO & Chairman Phone: (416) 722-4994 e-mail: rfia@thejenexcorporation.com NOT FOR DISSEMINATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- The City of Montreal has selected its LEADING BOARDS online governance solution following a request for proposals aimed at addressing some of the challenges of a smart and digital city, particularly in the running of various committees. In the long term, a total of 32 committees and boards at the City of Montreal will benefit from the implementation of the Leading Boards platform, a simple and intuitive portal for paperless management of boards of directors and their committees. Accessible in real-time and on demand, Leading Boards' online governance solution enables users to fully apply their expertise with a collaborative and high-performing tool complete with advanced management features, an intuitive interface, versatility and accessibility. The result is increased meeting productivity, providing unique governance and communication leadership for the benefit of the entire organization. The Leading Boards portal is a Canadian solution that meets the most stringent international information security standards (ISO 27001) and is supported by a data archiving policy protecting data access. Last May, the City of Montreal awarded a contract following the issuance of its request for proposals for the supply and implementation of a SaaS solution for Paperless Instances. The Leading Boards service stood out from its main competitors by offering the only solution to comply with all requirements. "Our service is exactly in line with the strategic orientations the City of Montreal wishes to adopt to go digital, and this new partnership is very meaningful to us," said Jean-Marc Felio, President of Reseau C.A. "The agreement also shows how our online governance platform can adapt to public administration in terms of efficiently operationalizing its decisions and easily integrate the decision-making process of a municipal organization," added Jean-Marc Felio. About Reseau C.A. and Leading Boards Since 2008, Reseau C.A. has been offering Leading Boards, a leading-edge digital governance solution that provides organizations with leadership on governance and organizational communication best practices. Reseau C.A.'s business vision is based on three fundamental principles: offer a solution that enables the emergence and amalgamation of the expertise of its users to contribute fully to the success of organizations; offer a world-class international solution in terms of advanced security and management functionalities; and offer a solution that corresponds to the imperatives of informed governance leadership. Contacts: Romain Isaac Reseau C.A. - Leading Boards 514 664-5377, ext. 207 C: 514 553-7007 romain.isaac@leadingboards.com MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Genius Properties Ltd. (CSE: GNI) ("Genius" or the "Corporation") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an assignment agreement dated October 17, 2016 (the "Agreement") to acquire from Mt. Cameron Minerals Inc. ("Mt. Cameron") up to a 100% interest in the Mt. Cameron Graphite Deposit (the "Property") located in the Boisdale Hills region of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, marking a strategic entry into the large flake graphite market. Reports have indicated that this deposit has the potential of becoming one of the largest graphite mines in the world producing ultra high purity flake graphite. Property Highlights The Property is conveniently located 25 kilometers west of Sydney, Nova Scotia and is comprised of 7 licenses (82 claims over 13.3 km2). In regards to infrastructure, the property is easily accessible by paved roads and is in close proximity of an electric utility. With the potential construction of NOVAPORT, a deep-water mega-terminal in Sydney, trans-Atlantic shipping would be readily available, Moreover, having an extensive history in steel manufacturing and coal mining, Sydney has a highly skilled workforce to offer. The mineralization on the Property is flake graphite in marble of the George River formation and has been identified along a strike length of approximately 12 km with zones up to 1.5 km wide and interpreted to be up to 300 m deep. Mt. Cameron has carried out prospecting, drilling and geophysics on the Property; all of which indicate an extensive mineralized zone. Preliminary mineral processing studies have been carried out by Dr. Ian Flint, former Director of the Minerals Engineering Center at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Historical work by Mt. Cameron 2004 - As part of a regional reconnaissance exploration program, Mt. Cameron mapped extensive beds and ridges of graphitic marble and schist in Pre Cambrian - Grenville Age rocks on the eastern flank of the Boisdale Hills, some 25 km west of Sydney, Nova Scotia. Preliminary metallurgical work on samples taken during the mapping of these units determined that the graphite in these rocks is of the rare flake form. Average grade of the marble hosted surface samples was greater than 4% graphite. 2007 - The Province, through the Office of Economic Development and DNR, commissioned a graphite market study to determine market trends and supply / demand worldwide. The study determined that the Property had good potential to be one of the largest graphite mines in the world. Indications are that this deposit is substantial and has the potential to be mined at annual rates resulting in annual production as high 200,000 tonnes of ultra high purity flake graphite and still maintain a 20 year, or longer, mine life. 2008 - In August 2008, Mt. Cameron initiated an exploration and metallurgical testing program budgeted at $4 million. Initial results from deep penetrating geophysics, drilling, assaying, bulk sampling, and pilot plant testing at the Mineral Engineering Centre at Dalhousie University met or exceeded expectations. 2009 - Further metallurgical work determined that the flake graphite could be readily separated from the marble by flotation with expected commercial production after refining of above 99% graphite. Bench scale metallurgical testing has already achieved a grade of 99.3% from a large bulk sample taken in 2008. Assays of historic drill core averaged greater than 6% graphite over a zone of approx. 20 m. Extensive beds of higher- grade (4 to 6%) flake graphite occur in outcrop over the 12 km strike. 2010 - In the late Fall, a 1,300 m diamond drilling program identified an area west of Campbell Lake where 10 holes intersected up to 40 m of high grade graphitic marble extending about 400 m along strike. This area shows considerable promise for the development of a substantial mining operation. "The Mt. Cameron Graphite deposit could be one of the largest in the world," says John Wightman, M.Sc., FGAC, P.Eng, President of Mt. Cameron Minerals Inc. Mr. Wightman's optimism about the potential value of the graphite deposit has received support in a report to Mt. Cameron regarding a bulk sample assessed by Separation Technology LLC of Needham, Mass. "The report is another indication of a potential large deposit of battery-grade graphite throughout the site. The attributes of graphite marble allow for low-cost clean separation technology, with little or no damage to the high-quality graphite when separated from the surrounding material," specified Mr. Wightman. The numbers in this latest bulk assessment align with those from previous tests at Dalhousie University by Dr. Ian M. Flint, a senior consulting metallurgist. Jimmy Gravel, the President and CEO of the Corporation further stated: "The opportunity to acquire the Mt. Cameron Graphite deposit was a game changer that we could not pass up. What we announce today is directly in line with our goal of bringing an anchor asset, which could develop into a world class quality project, to accelerate Genius development while limiting shareholder dilution." Terms of the Agreement: Under the terms of the Agreement, Genius acquired the exclusive assignable right and conditional option (the "Option") to acquire either 80% or 100% of the Property. In order to exercise the Option and acquire a participating interest (the "Initial Interest") for 80% of the Property, Genius must (i) incur $1,000,000 work expenditures within a two year period, (ii) issue 3,000,000 common shares on or before December 1, 2016, and (iii) make aggregate cash payments of $175,000, as follows: -- $25,000 upon entering into this Agreement which has been paid; and -- $50,000 on or before December 1, 2016; and -- $100,000 on or before December 14, 2016; and -- a 3% net smelter return royalty (the "Royalty") on the Property, which the Corporation shall have the right to purchase 2.5% of the Royalty for sum of $2,000,000. Following the exercise of the Initial Option, the Corporation can acquire an additional 20% interest in the Property, directly or indirectly through the acquisition of Mt. Cameron, (the "Additional Option") in exchange for a cash payment of $600,000 on or before be December 31, 2016 or $700,000 thereafter. The Additional Option is exercisable on or before October 14, 2018. Corporate Update The Corporation announces that Mr. Neil Novak has resigned as a member of the Board of Directors. The Corporation would like to thank Mr. Novak for his contribution. Qualified persons John Wightman, M.Sc., FGAC, P.Eng, President and a shareholder of Mt. Cameron, and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release. About Genius Properties Genius is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on developing projects with some of the world's most critical metals and minerals for use in various industries including in particular, batteries for storing electrical energy and the raw materials essential for Lithium-ion battery production. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All information other than historical fact is forward-looking information. Forward-looking information relates to future events or future performance and is based on GNI current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "expect", "project", "proposed", "intend", "seek", "anticipate", "budget", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "forecast", "may", "will", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. Although management considers the assumptions and estimates, reflected in forward-looking information, to be reasonable, based on information currently available, there can be no assurance that such information will prove to be correct. As a consequence, actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information which is inherently uncertain, and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties (both general and specific) and other factors that contribute to the possibility that the future events or circumstances contemplated by the forward looking information will not occur or that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks include, but are not limited to risks associated with general economic conditions, the actual results of current exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future metal prices, financial risks and substantial capital requirements. Further information regarding certain of these risks (as well as risks relating generally to the Company's business) may be found under the headings "Risks and Uncertainties", "Forward-Looking Information" and "Financial risk factors" in the latest Company's Management's Discussion & Analysis on www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and GNI does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contacts: Genius Properties Ltd. Jimmy Gravel President & CEO jgravel@geniusproperties.ca Genius Properties Ltd. Stephane Leblanc Executive Chairman sleblanc@geniusproperties.ca VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Otis Gold Corp. ("Otis" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: OOO)(OTC PINK: OGLDF) is pleased to announce that it has increased its land position at the Kilgore Gold Project ("Kilgore") by approximately 116% via the staking of an additional 230 federal lode mining claims. The new claims staked at Kilgore increase the land package at Kilgore to 8,720 acres, or 35.3 square kilometers. A map identifying the increased footprint can be viewed on the Otis website here. Otis enjoys a 100% ownership interest in the entire land package, which is subject to no underlying royalties or other encumbrances. President & CEO Craig Lindsay states: "We have been generating very strong drill results at Kilgore since the release of our NI 43-101 Technical Report and Resource Estimate in 2012, and as a result of both drill success and the continued delineation of additional exploration targets beyond the existing known gold deposit, we felt it was very important to expand our land position. While further defining the existing Kilgore deposit is our immediate focus, we want to ensure our ability to expand exploration targets as we continue to build out the Kilgore project into the future. It is interesting to note that in the mid-1990s, when the project was operated by Echo Bay Mines, Kilgore consisted of a land package totaling 11,460 acres, so a strong rationale exists to increase our the land position even further in the future." On another note, Otis is pleased to report that approximately 5.7 million warrants with a strike price of $.15 per warrant and an expiry date of October 10, 2016 have been exercised, contributing approximately $0.86 million in cash to the Otis treasury. The Company is very appreciative of the continued support of its shareholders in this regard. Further, the Company reports that its ongoing 9,000 metre, 36 hole drill program at the Kilgore Gold Project is nearing completion. The Company will communicate drill results in batches as they become available. About the Kilgore Gold Project A NI 43-101 Technical Report and Resource Estimate dated September 7, 2012 on the Kilgore Gold Project identified an Indicated Resource of 520,000 ounces (oz) gold (Au) in 27.4 million tonnes at a grade of 0.59 g/t Au and an Inferred Resource of 300,000 oz Au in 20.2 million tonnes at a grade of 0.46 g/t Au. The deposit is part of an extensive zoned low-sulfidation quartz-adularia epithermal hot-spring system hosted in volcanic rocks of late Miocene age and basement Aspen Formation calcareous siltstone, shale, and sandstone of Late Cretaceous age. Gold mineralization is of the classic disseminated, bulk-tonnage type similar to that comprising the classic and world-class size volcanic-hosted gold deposits at Round Mountain, Nevada and McDonald Meadows, Montana. The deposit features very attractive metallurgy with excellent gold recovery averaging greater than 80% at 1.5" crush size based on column leach test results (see Otis News Release dated June 5, 2012). About the Company Otis is a resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious metal deposits in Idaho, USA. Otis is currently developing its flagship property, the Kilgore Gold Project, located in Clark County, Idaho. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Craig T. Lindsay, President and CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof and Otis undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Contacts: Otis Gold Corp. Craig Lindsay 604.683.2507 craig@otisgold.com www.otisgold.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) said it has entered into an agreement to settle the direct purchaser class action litigation, Standard Iron Works v. Arcelor Mittal, et al, for $4.6 million. The antitrust lawsuit was brought in Chicago federal court in 2008 by a class of direct steel purchasers, alleging that the company had participated in a conspiracy with other steel manufacturers to restrict steel production. A Motion for Summary Judgment, earlier filed by Steel Dynamics, was pending at the time of settlement. The settlement requires preliminary and final approval by the Court, which the company anticipates it will receive. Mark Millett, President and Chief Executive Officer said, 'While we had great confidence that we would prevail on the facts and the law, we felt it was prudent at this time to exit this costly, protracted and distracting litigation. We maintained at all times that the lawsuit was without merit and that we did not conspire to limit steel production.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - U.S. Department of Labor is expected to release the Consumer Price Index for September at 8.30 am ET Tuesday. Consensus is for a growth of 0.3 percent, up from 0.2 percent in the previous month. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against its major rivals. While the greenback held steady against the yen and the pound, it rose against the franc and the euro. The greenback was worth 1.0995 against the euro, 1.2274 against the pound, 104.02 against the yen and 0.9900 against the Swiss franc as of 8:25 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Reflecting higher prices for gasoline and shelter, the Labor Department released a report on Tuesday showing that U.S. consumer prices rose in line with economist estimates in the month of September. The Labor Department said its consumer price index climbed by 0.3 percent in September after edging up by 0.2 percent in August. Excluding food and energy prices, the core consumer price index inched up by 0.1 percent in September after increasing by 0.3 percent in August. Economists had expected core prices to rise by 0.2 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Nine out of ten companies (93 percent) worldwide acknowledge the impact of digitalization, yet don't know where to start when it comes to addressing the issue. Only with the right price strategy will companies be able to overcome the challenges of this mega trend. This is a key finding of Simon-Kucher's Global Pricing Study 2016, in which approximately 2,200 managers from companies in more than 40 countries and 25 industries participated. "Pricing plays a key role when it comes to digitalization within a company, but is often overlooked. Without professional pricing, even the best digitalization strategies won't pay off", explains Dr. Georg Tacke, CEO at Simon-Kucher. Optimistic outlook in the tourism industry, pessimistic in the retail sector The mega trend is mainly met with optimism, since 73 percent of companies see digitalization as an opportunity, particularly respondents from the tourism, software, transport, logistics and insurance industries. Nevertheless the results are alarming: 27 percent of the surveyed companies consider the digital revolution to be a risk. This pessimism is mainly present in the retail, paper and packaging and automotive industries. Furthermore, every fifth company within this 27 percent is uncertain which measures are necessary to overcome the potential risks of digitalization. This number decreases to every tenth company among the optimists. Moreover, six out of ten participants expect digitalization to have a positive impact on their sales. Still, almost just as many fear it will have a negative impact on prices and margins. Pricing tools: Companies can prepare themselves for digitalization Most companies either completely neglect the topic of price management in their digitalization strategy, or are simply unable to handle the issue. "The problem is that when it comes to pricing, many companies are still working with outdated tools. It's similar to racing a carriage against a car", says Tacke. The study's 'best' companies prove that tailor-made tools are definitely worthwhile. By investing in their price management, their profits, as measured by EBITDA margins, are 27 percent higher than the profits of the 'rest'. Focus on online retail: There's no more time for experimenting! Particularly with online retail, it can already be seen which companies have found the right answers to digitalization. Ever-improving algorithms, whereby customers not only receive individualized offers but also personalized prices, maximize the likelihood of a purchase. Even though 49 percent in the retail sector use pricing software, 65 percent also believe they should invest more in this area. "The fact is that e-commerce has long seen the end of its trial period! Companies need to keep up with the times when it comes to online pricing", explains Tacke. Are price models digital-ready? Tacke recommends every company to check whether its price models are ready for the digital age. Especially when it comes to dynamic pricing, price differentiation and innovative price models, digitalization offers an array of opportunities. More information www.simon-kucher.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018005927/en/ Contacts: Nora Neuwinger (PR Manager, Germany) Nora.Neuwinger@simon-kucher.com +49 2289843372 MISSION, KS -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- (Family Features) When the pace of family life gets busy, it seems easier than ever to forgo healthy eating plans, and the hectic autumn season is a big culprit. However, you don't need to compromise flavor for nutrition when turning to convenient options that fit your busy lifestyle. On average, Americans are only meeting the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate recommendations for servings of vegetables, fruit, proteins, dairy and grains a mere seven days out of 365. Despite their best intentions to eat more healthy meals, many families need inspiration and simple solutions so they can make better eating choices a reality more often. Using educational tools like Nestle's Balance Your Plate program, you can put together delicious and nutritious meals that incorporate both frozen and fresh foods. It's surprisingly simple to take a mindful approach, even for a fun and tasty option like pizza. Using the nutrition facts on the packaging, determine your serving size and then add a simple and nutritious side dish. Here's one way to pair a frozen pizza with a fresh side dish: Start with a delicious, DIGIORNO pizzeria! thin crust pizza, like primo pepperoni, which includes 100 percent real cheese and premium meats. Then, round out your meal with a simple side dish recipe focused on vegetables, such as this Chili Lime Butternut Squash or Caul-Slaw. Find more recipes and tips that allow you to choose the perfect pairings at mealtime at nestleusa.com/balance. Chili Lime Butternut Squash Recipe courtesy of Nestle Servings: 4-6 4 cups butternut squash, large diced 1 teaspoon Chili Powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon lime zest 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper olive oil spray Heat oven to 400 F. In bowl, toss all ingredients except olive oil spray together. Spray foil-lined sheet tray with olive oil spray and spread vegetables over tray. Roast in oven 20 minutes. Caul-Slaw Recipe courtesy of Nestle Servings: 8 5 cups cauliflower, grated 1 cup carrots, peeled and grated 3/4 cup ranch dressing, fat free 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 cup green onions, sliced In bowl, mix all ingredients together. Let rest 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Tip: Cut cauliflower into quarters, keeping core attached; this will keep cauliflower from falling apart during grating. About Family Features Editorial Syndicate Established in 1974, Family Features is a leading provider of free food and lifestyle content for print and online publications. Our articles, photos, videos and web content solutions save you time, money and help create advertising opportunities. Registration is fast and free -- with absolutely no obligation. Visit editors.familyfeatures.com for more information. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3068968 Michael French mfrench@familyfeatures.com 1-888-824-3337 editors.familyfeatures.com SEATTLE, WA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- CFN Media Group, the leading creative agency and digital media network dedicated to legal cannabis, announces the publication of an article covering Canada's new cannabis testing regulations and why Abattis Bioceuticals' (OTCQB: ATTBF) Northern Vine Labs is well positioned in this burgeoning market. In July 2016 the Globe and Mail conducted an investigation into contamination in cannabis after purchasing products from nine storefronts in Toronto. Their research team found that one-third of the samples would not pass a Health Canada safety test. Three of the nine samples contained excessively high levels of bacteria and one not only contained mold but yeast at concentrations that could cause serious lung conditions. Surprisingly, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act prevented government-approved cannabis testing facilities from possessing any amount of the drug brought in by the public. With hundreds of illegal dispensaries operating outside of the MMPR program, this meant that consumers had no way of knowing if their product was safe. Consequently, in August 2016, Health Canada introduced an exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that allowed government-approved labs to test any cannabis products. Abattis Bioceuticals' Northern Vine Labs recently secured a Controlled Substance License with Health Canada for the possession of cannabis and related active ingredients, as well as the production of extracts for the purpose of analysis. The company offers cutting-edge cannabis testing and research services to licensed producers, law enforcement and other CSLs. Northern Vine's long-term goal is to become a partner in both cannabis testing and product development. By building up its expertise in extracts, the company is positioned to take advantage of the industry's transition from dried cannabis to more conventional delivery methods like functional foods and capsules. While the independent nature of the lab results will reassure medical professionals and patients, licensed producers would benefit from the cost-savings of outsourcing these activities. Click here to read the full article: http://www.cannabisfn.com/abattis-attbf-a-leader-in-canadas-cannabis-testing-industry/ Learn how to become a CFN Media featured company, brand or entrepreneur: http://www.cannabisfn.com/become-featured-company/ Download the CFN Media iOS mobile app to access the world of cannabis from your smart phone: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cannabisfn/id988009247?ls=1&mt=8 Or visit our homepage and enter your mobile number under the Apple App Store logo to receive a download link text on your iPhone: http://www.cannabisfn.com About CFN Media CFN Media (CannabisFN) is the leading creative agency and media network dedicated to legal cannabis. We help marijuana businesses attract investors, customers (B2B, B2C), capital, and media visibility. Private and public marijuana companies and brands in the US and Canada rely on CFN Media to grow and succeed. Disclaimer: Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this release contain forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Emerging Growth LLC, which owns CFN Media and CannabisFN.com, is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority, and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. Emerging Growth LLC may from time to time have a position in the securities mentioned herein and may increase or decrease such positions without notice. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice. Emerging Growth LLC may be compensated for its services in the form of cash-based compensation or equity securities in the companies it writes about, or a combination of the two. For full disclosure please visit: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/. CFN Media Frank Lane 206-369-7050 flane@cannabisfn.com NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- ADVANTIS CORPORATION (OTC PINK: ADVT) CEO, Chris Swartz, was recently interviewed by SmallCapVoice and is taking the time to further update shareholders on the current state of business. Swartz summarized the company's latest developments and crafted the vision of what Advantis' future has in store. "This is an exciting time," Swartz said. "We are aggressively implementing our strategy to become a leader in the legal cannabis space. We have partnered with leading medical marijuana providers, developed an innovative extraction technology, and are actively marketing the Amstercan packaging to medical marijuana cooperatives across the state of California." Swartz hinted at what these developments will lead to, saying, "In preparation for the passage of California's Proposition 64, we have a team of experts working in partnership with existing cooperatives so that we can hit the ground running when the law takes effect. We are creating the branding necessary to step into the role of aiding in the cultivation, production and distribution of marijuana and all of its ancillary products... we are poised to be the industry leader in both, the medical and recreational spaces." Highlighting the most recent company development, CEO, Christopher Swartz, trumpeted the upcoming arrival of the Rosin6 Press. "We will be taking delivery of the Rosin6 Press within the next seven to ten days," Swartz said. "We developed this Rosin6 technology to meet the demand for a safe, efficient, and organic solution to extract resins. There is currently no other machine in the marketplace specifically designed to do what the Rosin6 Press does -- our research shows that the current methods are dangerous and produce a contaminated end result. This is an amazing technology and Advantis is filling a huge void in this market space." Swartz affirmed that the new press will comply with all of Proposition 64's safety regulations and the byproducts can be labeled pure and organic. "We are taking advantage of this synergy between the Rosin6 Press and Amstercan technology," Swartz expanded. "With the new container and labeling regulations within the Proposition, Advantis can proudly label the co-branded Amstercans products with the purest ingredients and the labeling has plenty of space to comply with the mandated legal language." Swartz alluded to the benefits that Advantis can provide to marijuana providers, and foresees business rising exponentially after the law takes effect. "We are a single stop for clients that want to ensure compliance with the new labeling law (within Proposition 64), package their highest quality products, and help them produce the purest extracts that will all be packaged and labeled in Amstercans. In addition, dispensaries love the extended shelf life, delivery drivers enjoy a lack of aroma in their vehicle, and the end user simply loves the quality of every product packaged in an Amstercan." Swartz summarized the developments with a brief outline of how these anchors within the industry will propel the future of Advantis. "These technologies, along with our dedicated partners, provide Advantis with a firm foothold in the burgeoning legal marijuana industry. We are working with experts to develop the infrastucture to provide a full range of products and services to dispensaries in California and beyond; we will be in every aspect of the cannabis business that we can legally participate in. Advantis... Amstercan... Rosin6 -- these names are synonymous with the highest quality." Swartz concluded by saying that upcoming announcements will further define the exciting future for Advantis. The company periodically posts updates on their Amstercan website and Facebook. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements made by ADVANTIS CORPORATION. All such statements included in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations Advantis Corp. CEO Highlights Newest Company Developments Reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these statements. The following risk factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic conditions, changes in the law or regulations, demand for products of the Company, the effects of competition and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or represented in the forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the words: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, and similar expressions or which by their nature refer to future events. The Company is not entitled to rely on the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 because it is not registered under either Act. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3068823 For further information, contact: Media Relations Contact Name: Woo Kim Director Organization: Advantis Corporation Phone: 949-354-3585 Address: 1048 Irvine Ave #900, Newport Beach Ca. 92660 E-mail: info@advantiscorp.com HyTrust DataControl provides advanced zero downtime encryption and key management for VMware workloads VMworld Europe - Today, HyTrust Inc., a leading workload security provider, announced encryption and key management support for VMware vSphere VM Encryption, announced as part of VMware vSphere 6.5. This support through HyTrust DataControl provides organizations with a virtual machine encryption option using the VMware platform that allows them to encrypt workloads with HyTrust's robust key management policies for their virtual machines. HyTrust DataControl is a complete cloud and virtualization encryption solution that includes both encryption and key management and is available for Windows and Linux. With the addition of support for VMware vSphere VM Encryption, admins will be able to leverage DataControl's powerful, policy-based key management capabilities to help secure their vSphere environments via the industry-leading Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) standard. VMware is a longtime HyTrust partner and became a strategic investor in 2012. HyTrust first delivered security for VMware ESXi in 2009 with HyTrust CloudControl, winning both the security and overall best of show awards at VMworld 2009 and in 2015 announced HyTrust CloudControl for NSX, winning best of show for security and compliance at VMworld 2015. To meet customer needs for data security, VMware has been a partner with HyTrust for years, reselling HyTrust DataControl to its vCloud Air, VSAN and vSphere customers. Through its long-standing partnership, HyTrust once again has added critical security capabilities to VMware infrastructure. "Data security is a top concern across most organizations and we are seeing tremendous growth in HyTrust DataControl to enable VMware workload encryption," said Eric Chiu, co-founder and president of HyTrust. "We are excited to expand our data encryption and key management solutions for VMware with new KMIP-based key management for VMware's new vSphere VM encryption solution." Unfortunately today, data remains at risk in many organizations. A recent HyTrust Cloud Adoption survey found that 28% of organizations did not have encryption in place for cloud workloads. HyTrust's newly added support takes encryption and key management one-step further. When used with VMware's vSphere VM Encryption, HyTrust's encryption key management for VMware will allow organizations to pursue a robust key management strategy that is aligned with their need to meet compliance and meet industry best practices for encryption policy management. According to a new IDC report, worldwide spending in cyber-security is expected to reach $101.6 billion by 2020, which underscores the need and importance of having a strong security and encryption strategy in place. For organizations looking to adopt multi-cloud data encryption across their private and public cloud infrastructure, HyTrust DataControl not only provides the critical key management required but also provides data encryption that supports VMware Cross-Cloud Architecture and other multi-cloud deployments. It protects portable workloads that may move across different vSphere installations and also span multi-vendor private and public cloud infrastructure. With its zero downtime encryption, DataControl eases operational disruptions that often arise from initial encryption or subsequent rekeying operations, the latter not only a best practice but also often required to meet regulatory mandates. To learn more please visit: www.hytrust.com and https://www.hytrust.com/products/datacontrol/ About HyTrust HyTrust's mission is to make private, public and hybrid cloud infrastructure more trustworthy for enterprises, service providers and government agencies. HyTrust provides solutions that automate security controls for software-defined computing, networking and storage workloads to achieve the highest levels of visibility, granular policy control and data protection. HyTrust customers benefit from being able to accelerate cloud and virtualization cost savings while improving their security posture by automating and enforcing security policies in real time, adapting quickly to compliance requirements, and preventing unplanned outages. Headquartered in Mountain View, CA, HyTrust is backed by the leading providers of strategic IT infrastructure including VMware, Cisco, Inteland Fortinet; by the vanguard of innovative solutions for the intelligence community, In-Q-Tel; and by a world class group of financial investors including AIT Ventures, Granite Ventures, Trident Capital and Vanedge Capital. HyTrust was recently named one of CRN's "20 Coolest Cloud Security Vendors", a recipient of VMworld's 2015 Gold Award for Security/Compliance and Virtualization, and the Most Innovative Cloud Company at Intel Security Focus 2015. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018006093/en/ Contacts: For HyTrust Inc. Carmen Mantalas, 503-997-5987 Carmen.Mantalas@blancandotus.com Taiwan whiskymaker scores triple recognition from world's leading whisky guide TAIPEI, Taiwan, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2017 has named Kavalan "Asian Whisky of the Year" for its Solist Moscatel Sherry Single Cask Strength, as part of about 4,600 whiskies rated in the latest 25th edition. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429669 Kavalan's Moscatel has proven popular this year, scooping gold at the World Whiskies Awards, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the International Spirits Challenge, and the International Review of Spirits. The 2017 Whisky Bible result makes it a hat trick for Kavalan, which has won the award twice previously in 2014 for its Podium and in 2015 for the Kavalan Classic Single Malt. Kavalan founder Mr YT Lee said his master blender, Ian Chang, describes Moscatel as "fruit jams on brownie cake." "The nose on the Moscatel is floral, rich in honey and sweets, has a touch of toffee and caramel. On the palate, it's dry fruit and nutty flavours. We'd describe it as creamy, silky smooth buttery with chocolate notes," said Mr Lee. Previously, Kavalan collected the 2015 "World's Best Single Malt Whisky from the prestigious World Whiskies Awards (WWA) for its Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique and the 2016 "World's Best Single Cask Single Malt Whisky"for itsSolist Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Strength. About Kavalan The Kavalan Distillery in Taiwan has been dedicated to the art of single malt whisky since 2006 and is the recipient of more than 210 gold awards or above. Aged in American oak bottles in intense humidity and heat, Kavalan also benefits from sea and mountain breezes and the Snow Mountain's spring water, which combine to create Kavalan Whisky's signature creaminess. Kavalan takes its name from the old name for Yilan County and is backed by 30 years of beverage-making thanks to parent company, King Car Group. It is available in 40 countries.Visit www.kavalanwhisky.com/en/ Media Contact: Yvonne Chou +886-3922-9000#7162 yvonne@kavalandistillery.com MOUNTAIN VIEW (dpa-AFX) - Twitter Inc. (TWTR) may have lost two potential suitors due to the struggling social media site's long-running problem dealing with trolls. Twitter has turned out be a platform where bullies and extremists can conceal their identities and play with sentiments of other people. Harassment on Twitter has led many people, including celebrities, to delete their account and leave the social platform forever. Bloomberg reported that Walt Disney Co. (DIS) decided not to pursue a bid for Twitter, partly due to concerns that bullying and other uncivil forms of communication on the social media site might damage the company's wholesome family image. According to the Bloomberg report, Disney had gone so far as to hire investment banks to help evaluate a bid for Twitter. Disney management also listened to a presentation about the business from Twitter executives. However, there are said to be other reasons too for Disney deciding against pursuing a bid for Twitter. While Twitter is losing money, it has a market value of almost $12 billion, which would be a big deal even for Disney. In addition, some of Disney's largest investors reportedly called the company over the past few weeks to express their displeasure with a Twitter purchase. Meanwhile, CNBC's Jim Cramer reported that cloud computing company Salesforce.com Inc.'s (CRM) CEO Marc Benioff was also put off by Twitter's endemic troll problem. Salesforce shares rose sharply last Friday after numerous reports that the company ruled out a takeover bid for Twitter. Alphabet Inc.'s Google (GOOG, GOOGL) is also said to have decided against a Twitter bid. Takeover speculation for Twitter was gaining ground for the past few months as Twitter's investors started to express their concern about the company's weak financial results reflected by its sluggish user growth. The social networking site is struggling to attract new users as it used to. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. PT&C|LWG Forensic Consulting announced today that the Company has changed its name to Envista Forensics. This new brand captures the essence of the Company's strength in investigation and conveys their global forensic consulting capabilities. The name change was made effective January 1, 2017. In December 2014, PT&C|LWG Forensic Consulting was formed when Atlanta, GA based PT&C Forensics acquired Northbrook, IL based LWG Consulting. Both industry leading forensic engineering firms providing consulting services to the insurance and legal industries, the PT&C|LWG brand facilitated the smooth, global integration of two extremely successful organizations. CEO Grover Davis said, "Two years ago, when PT&C and LWG joined forces, we believed it to be critically important that we convey to our clients, and especially to our associates, that we were one company and one brand with a common culture predicated on serving our clients with a sense of urgency. We believe that our combining the brands of these two great companies, at least for a period of time, coupled with our continued growth, successfully accomplished this. Now that we have had these two years to demonstrate that we truly are one company, it is time to take the next step. Our new brand, Envista Forensics, captures the essence of who we are, and who we continue to aspire to be." As PT&C|LWG, the organization has made exceptional progress including: Focused, strategic growth of their Canadian operations. Expansion of their successful digital forensics practice, through the May 2016 acquisition of Raleigh, North Carolina based Guardian Digital Forensics. Investments in internal finance, accounting and customer relationship management systems to ensure the successful continued growth of the organization. Bob Wedoff, President of the firm, shared, "With its subtle reference to providing a clear view, our new name affirms our mission to provide 'Certainty in an Uncertain World.' The arc in our logo is clearly a nod to the proud history of our company, but its pairing with the checkmark announces our commitment not only to be the global choice for forensics, but also to be the employer of choice for smart, talented individuals who desire to serve others when it is most needed." About Envista Forensics Envista Forensics is a global leader in forensic engineering recovery solutions. We provide failure analysis, fire and explosion investigations, digital forensics, accident reconstruction, building consulting, geotechnical engineering, damage evaluations and equipment restoration services following disasters of all kinds. Envista has served the insurance, legal and risk management industries for over 30 years. Our experts travel globally from over 30 offices located across Canada, the USA, Latin America, the U.K., Singapore and New Zealand. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170103005013/en/ Contacts: Envista Forensics Jennifer Gaster, Vice President-Marketing +1 224 406-9809 Jennifer.gaster@envistaforensics.com NEW YORK, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Booming garment & textile industry, favorable trade policies & agreements and growing industrialization to drive Vietnam textile chemicals market through 2025 According to TechSci Research report, "Vietnam Textile Chemicals Market By Product Type, By End Use Application, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2025", the textile chemicals market in Vietnam is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of over 16% during 2016 - 2025, on account of higher living standards of consumers and growing demand for fine fabric items coupled with increasing number of industrial set-ups. Moreover, growing inclination of consumers towards new and brighter shades demand from beige and off-white shades is expected to positively influence the Vietnam textile chemicals market. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 ) Browse 12 market data Tables and 32 Figures spread through101 Pages and an in-depth TOC on "Vietnam Textile Chemicals Market" https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/vietnam-textile-chemicals-market-by-product-type-auxiliaries-and-colorants-by-application-apparel-home-furnishing-and-technical-textiles-by-region-competition-forecast-opportunities-2011-2025/785.html The Government of Vietnam is increasingly taking steps and measures towards economic integration, trade liberalization and improving industrialization in the country. For instance, on account of signing Vietnam-Korea Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA) in 2014 and EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement in 2015, the country is witnessing enormous textile exports as a result of reduced import duties. Moreover, with nearing implementation of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, the country is expected to increase Vietnam's garment and textile exports to the US to nearly USD30 billion by 2020, as compared with USD8.6 billion exports recorded in 2013, showcasing magnificent growth of roughly 250%. Favourable trade environment of the country is expected to aid the growth of Vietnam textile chemicals market over the span of next five years. Technical Textiles segment is the fastest growing end use application of textile chemicals in Vietnam on account of strong emphasis on utilization of industrial and smart fabrics in textile factories by the government as well as foreign investors. South region of Vietnam accounted for the largest share in the country's textile chemicals market in 2015. South region has 114 industrial parks built along the banks of the Dong Nai river. Tan Thuan export processing zone, Tan Tao industrial zone, Tan Thoi Hiep industrial zone and Vinh loc industrial zone are some of the major industrial zones found to be marked with textile clusters in the southern part of Vietnam. Download Sample Report @ https://www.techsciresearch.com/sample-report.aspx?cid=785 Customers can also request for 10% free customization on this report. "Vietnam is exhibiting huge export potential for textile & garments owing to the reduced trade barriers and easy availability of educated and skilled labour in the country. As a result, various textile & garment manufacturers are looking forward to set up textile production pants and factories in Vietnam. The country is taking steps to reduce the dependency of textile industry on foreign nations for raw materials. Consequently, several textile chemical companies are planning to expand their production base in Vietnam as an effort to increase consumption of textile specialties in the country's growing textile & apparel industry.", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm. "Vietnam Textile Chemicals Market By Product Type, By End Use Application, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2025" has evaluated the future growth potential of Vietnam textile chemicals market and provides statistics and information on market size, structure and future market growth. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyses the emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities in Vietnam textile chemicals market. Browse Related Reports Global Petroleum Coke Market (Pet Coke) By Type (Fuel Grade Calcined, Fuel Grade Calcined), By End Use (Cement, Power, Smelting & Others), By Region Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2011-2025 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-petroleum-coke-market-pet-coke-by-type-fuel-grade-calcined-fuel-grade-calcined-by-end-use-cement-power-smelting-others-by-region-competition-forecast-opportunities-2011-2025/797.html Global Propylene Market By Application (Polypropylene, Acrylonitrile, Acrylic Acid, Propylene Oxide, Cumene & Others), By Region (North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America and Middle East & Africa), Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2025 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-propylene-market-by-application-polypropylene-acrylonitrile-acrylic-acid-propylene-oxide-cumene-others-by-region-north-america-asia-pacific-europe-south-america-and-middle-east-africa-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2025/798.html India Phosphoric Acid Market, By Grade (Fertilizer and Technical), By Application (Fertilizers, Pharmaceutical, Food & Beverage etc.), By Region, Competition Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2011-2021 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/india-phosphoric-acid-market-by-grade-fertilizer-and-technical-by-application-fertilizers-pharmaceutical-food-beverage-etc-by-region-competition-market-forecast-opportunities-2011-2021/708.html Iran Oil Refinery Chemicals Market By Type (Merchant Hydrogen, Refining Catalysts, etc.), By Application (Petroleum Conversion, Petroleum Treatment, Water and Wastewater Treatment and Others), Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/iran-oil-refinery-chemicals-market-by-type-merchant-hydrogen-refining-catalysts-etc-by-application-petroleum-conversion-petroleum-treatment-water-and-wastewater-treatment-and-others-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/670.html About TechSci Research TechSci Research is a leading global market research firm publishing premium market research reports. Serving 700 global clients with more than 600 premium market research studies, TechSci Research is serving clients across 11 different industrial verticals. TechSci Research specializes in research based consulting assignments in high growth and emerging markets, leading technologies and niche applications. Our workforce of more than 100 fulltime Analysts and Consultants employing innovative research solutions and tracking global and country specific high growth markets helps TechSci clients to lead rather than follow market trends. Contact Mr. Ken Mathews 708 Third Avenue, Manhattan, NY, New York - 10017 Tel: +1-646-360-1656 Email: sales@techsciresearch.com Connect with us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TechSciResearch Connect with us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/techsci-research LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- We all like to travel, take pictures and share them with friends, discover hidden treasures in cities that are trodden by thousands of people every day... Still, holidays only come once a year and it is often difficult to work out dates, set a budget and choose a destination. Well this is now a thing of the past. It's now possible to work out all of these items with city breaks: short-stay holidays in tourist apartments. Inviting, with no waiting for your well-deserved holidays, and with immediate booking. Rome, Amsterdam, London, Berlin, Lisbon... all in just one fun-filled weekend with plans for all different tastes based on the information provided by Only-apartments. Perfect plans for all kinds of travelers... Who could resist that? Venice of the North: Amsterdam is Just One Click Away Holland and its canals, openness and tulips. The red light district and exotic window displays with neon lights. We have seen thousands of photos on the Internet and dreamt of finding the perfect opportunity to go on this trip, and we've even strived to find accommodation in Amsterdam for a weekend! Perfect plans to visit with friends or even in family. Museums in the Streets of Rome Enjoy a Roman ice cream, eat a tasty pasta dish next to the Colosseum and go for a stroll while discovering every last bit of Roman history. Spending a weekend in the Italian capital is packed with options: street food, rented apartment and, above all, a good pair of shoes to walk around the cobbled Roman streets! Time Flies as you Visit the Big Ben in London Time and its relativity... that's what Einstein said when he thought about the Big Ben. But time in London isn't so relative, it flies by! So in order to make the most out of your stay, a good thing to do is choose a short term tourist apartment and be sure to always have an umbrella at hand. In London weather moves fast and can change from one moment to another. The City of 7 Hills... Get Excited in Lisbon Lisbon is another option if you're thinking about taking a city break. You only need to think about its wonderful sweets, such as the Belem pastries, in order to start salivating. According to Only-apartments, the apartments in Lisbon cost around EUR40.36 on average, and interestingly enough the fluctuations between the off-season in January around EUR36.50 and the high-season in August around EUR44.23 isn't that much of a fluctuation. This price is for two people per night. The city has thousands of low cost options hidden in its streets for individuals who love food, squares, and lookouts with exceptional views. A beautiful city to walk around while in good company. Berlin in One Frenzied Weekend Arrive, drop your luggage at the apartment, grab the hand of your partner and... start enjoying the fantastic weekend that lies ahead! The beautiful city of Berlin is another option for taking that highly-anticipated short getaway. Visit the Brandenburg Gate, make your way over to the Berlin Wall, or go see the majestic Altar of Pergamum. A fabulous choice for couples or groups of friends that are looking for a one-of-a-kind city break. Contact Fernando Garcia Marketing Department Email Contact (+34) 933 417 997 TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Euro Sun Mining Inc., (TSX: ESM) ("Euro Sun" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has obtained a new prospecting permit from Romania's National Agency for Mineral Resources for the Stanija area, located approximately 3 kilometres east of its Rovina Valley Mining Licence, in west-central Romania. The Stanija property covers 42 square kilometres in the highly prolific Golden Quadrilateral mining district in the South Apuseni mountains. The permit is valid for three years and exploration work will begin immediately. Extensive exploration activities were conducted in the Stanija area after the modern mining law became effective, in 1998; initially from 2000 to 2004 by European Goldfields, and again by Euro Sun's subsidiary, SAMAX Romania SRL, in 2007. Based on results from this historical work, Euro Sun has already identified several exploration targets within the two target areas. Stanija Western Target Previous exploration work has intersected porphyry-style gold-copper mineralization in surface trenches, underground works, outcrop rock chip sampling, and RC and DDH drilling. Three areas within this western target will be subject to detailed geological mapping and rock chip sampling this quarter. Stanija Eastern Target Samax Romania SRL, European Goldfields and the Romanian State mining company had conducted extensive exploration within this target area which indicates porphyry-style mineralization at depth and mineralized epithermal vein-style mineralization at near surface. Euro Sun will conduct discrete soil geochemistry on these target areas with detailed surface mapping, rock chip sampling, and additional geophysics. G. Scott Moore, President and CEO of Euro Sun Mining stated, "The granting of this new prospecting permit by the Romanian Government clearly demonstrates that the country is supportive to new mining projects. We have been in continuous dialogue with the government since taking over management in May of 2016 and feel we are well aligned with respect to the ratification of our mining licence, as well as our commitment to developing a sustainable long-life mining asset in Romania. In addition, the prospectivity of the Stanija area is enhanced by its proximity to our Rovina Valley Project for which a feasibility study is planned in 2017." Figure 1 - Stanija Prospecting Permit Location is available at the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1072978_fig1.pdf Recent Corporate Developments In September 2016, Euro Sun successfully re-launched the Rovina Valley Project with a new brand identity and website. The Company graduated to the Toronto Stock Exchange on September 12, 2016 under its new ticker symbol, ESM. In parallel with the TSX listing, the Company implemented a share consolidation, resulting in approximately 50 million shares outstanding. About Euro Sun Mining Inc. Euro Sun is a Toronto Stock Exchange listed mining company focused on the exploration and development of its 100%-owned Rovina Valley gold and copper project located in west-central Romania, which hosts the second largest gold deposit in Europe. Caution regarding forward-looking information: This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the election of directors. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including risks inherent in the mining industry and risks described in the public disclosure of the Company which is available under the profile of the Company on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.eurosunmining.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Contacts: Euro Sun Mining Investor Relations +1 416.309.4299 info@eurosunmining.com Smart Meter Connections to Dwarf All Other China IoT Markets at 63% Connection Share OYSTER BAY, New York, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart meters are China's largest IoT application segment thanks to China's massive investments in its utility infrastructure. ABI Research finds that more than 45% of China's IoT connections today stem from smart meters. When measured by cellular and fixed line connections, more than 63% are smart meters, with that percentage expected to climb over the next five years. The net result may mean lopsided investments in IoT that eventually undercut China's competitiveness in the global market. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160907/404951LOGO China's meter, module, and gateway vendors-including Holley Metering, Kaifa Technology, and Wasion Group for electricity, gas, and water meters, as well as Neoway, SIMCom, and ZTE for cellular modules- will benefit from local utilities sourcing from local Chinese OEMs. ABI Research also expects proprietary LPWA technologies to play a role, with LoRa to be the likely winner; though, this is highly dependent on how other vendors position themselves to appeal to Chinese markets. But there is a downside to such market dominance, which is the region's lack of investment in two critical IoT services markets. "Concentrated IoT investment may mean other application segments do not get the attention deserved, particularly in advanced analytics and professional services," says Dan Shey, Managing Director and Vice President at ABI Research. "If China's goal is to modernize industries, IoT is a strategic technology sector, but it dictates investments in the specific IoT application markets serving those industries." Advanced analytics and professional services both require a vibrant, competitive market. Investment in advanced analytics needs to be broad-based, because each connected machine and object is unique in the data that defines its attributes and operation. Professional services, meanwhile, command a broad range of applications/development, systems integration, solutions/hardware design services, and strategic consulting services. A healthy supply of system integrators and value-added resellers providing professional services is critical for filling in the IoT solution gaps. In both service segments, if the IoT opportunity is far smaller in the non-smart meter segments, lack of competition will limit innovation and solution quality. "The bright side could be more opportunities for non-Chinese firms to fill in for lack of local suppliers and skill sets," concludes Shey. "The growing population in China's urban centers means opportunities for smart city services integration beyond metering markets, particularly in autonomous driving. China's aging population also portends growth in smart home, patient monitoring, and aging-in-place services. But all of these opportunities are at the mercy of China's fragmented regulatory environment, which already hinders market access to foreign fleet telematics and smart meter vendors." These findings are from ABI Research's IoT Market Tracker - Worldwide (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/product/1025384-iot-market-tracker-worldwide/). This report is part of the company's IoT, IoE & M2M sector (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/practice/ioe-enterprise-m2m/), which includes research, data, and analyst insights. About ABI Research ABI Research stands at the forefront of technology market research, providing business leaders with comprehensive research and consulting services to help them implement informed, transformative technology decisions. Founded more than 25 years ago, the company's global team of senior and long-tenured analysts delivers deep market data forecasts, analyses, and teardown services. ABI Research is an industry pioneer, proactively uncovering ground-breaking business cycles and publishing research 18 to 36 months in advance of other organizations. For more information, visit www.abiresearch.com. Contact Info: Mackenzie Gavel Tel: +1.516.624.2542 pr@abiresearch.com SAN FRANCISCO, CA and BOSTON, MA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Rubicon Labs, a cybersecurity company providing secure identity for IoT devices, will unveil the industry's first true high speed / low power / low memory Zero Knowledge Identity Platform at The IoT Security Summit in Boston, Massachusetts, October 18-19, 2016 and The IoT Solutions World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, October 25-27, 2016 (IIC Pavilion). Public-key cryptography visionary and 2015 Turing Award Winner Whit Diffie said: "IoT will require the development of new primitives for secure computation, which is exactly what the researchers at Rubicon Labs are focused on bringing to market." The unprecedented growth of IoT represents the greatest expansion of the cybersecurity attack surface in history, as billions of small, inexpensive microcontrollers and sensors are being connected to the Internet. The majority of these devices are ill-equipped to handle the computing load necessary to sign data, perform device authentication and encrypt messages using the legacy public key infrastructure (PKI). Rubicon Labs' demonstration will showcase how its Zero Knowledge Platform provides secure identity from a cloud service down to very low end ARM Cortex-M0+ class of MCU processors. The platform supports the provisioning speed, scale, extremely low power consumption and attractive economics essential to realize the promise of IoT. Rubicon will demonstrate the secure provisioning of both identity and secure services built on top of this secure identity such as data signing/validation, data encryption/decryption, secure Network Time Protocol and secure cloud data aggregation. Together, the platform and cloud services provide a true plug-and-play IoT framework to allow an enterprise to create a secure cloud controlled service for the emerging wave of IoT devices. "Simple, secure and managed device identity that scales readily and massively, yet consumes a small fraction of the power drawn as compared to current solutions will be the lynchpin of new generations of IoT innovation," said Rod Schultz, VP of Product, Rubicon Labs. "Boston and Barcelona mark the launch sites and first demonstrations of Rubicon Labs' Zero Knowledge Platform, which breaks through barriers for speed, economy, efficiency, service flexibility, control and -- most of all -- security." About Rubicon Labs: Rubicon Labs was founded in 2012 with a mission to provide trust, identity, and security. It is disrupting the world of digital identity in the IoT space with an identity service from the cloud down to the smallest micro-controllers that allows unique identities to be easily provisioned across networks. Rubicon's choice of symmetric cryptography allows identity be done at very low power and high speed. This service abstracts the challenges of security and identity and allows for the monetization of IoT networks and data. Rubicon Labs is venture-backed with funding from Akamai, Third Point Ventures, and Pelion Venture Partners. The team has driven the development of globally successful technologies with Apple (including key contributions to the DRM structure for iTunes), Logitech, Broadcom, and key defense technologies. The company holds 13 patents with additional pending. For more information, please visit: https://www.rubiconlabs.io/ Media Contact: Dan Chmielewski Madison Alexander PR 714-832-8716 949-231-2965 Email Contact MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Reve Marketing, the leading force in customer acquisition and engagement technology, formerly known as SocialTwist, today announced the formation of a partnership with Torani, the leading flavored syrup brand, to launch Torani Recipe Assistant. The new solution, launching over Facebook Messenger with other platforms soon to follow, will offer conversational chatbots to cultivate loyalty and help consumers navigate through more than 1,650 recipe options on www.torani.com. In addition to enabling seamless and more comprehensive assistance, Torani Recipe Assistant will generate analytical data in four major categories: Chat engagement metrics, consumer pathway modeling, content-based metrics, and eventually, loyalty measurement. "Torani fans are always looking for creative ways to use our products, and we think the conversational bot technology will make it easier than ever to access our recipes and discover new ways to try out our flavors," said Jennifer Morimoto, Sr. Digital Marketing Manager at Torani. "Our fans include people of all ages, and when Reve Marketing suggested recipe chatbots for messaging we were excited to explore the concept. Messaging, especially on Facebook, has clearly established itself as the preferred method of communication for Millennials and Gen Z. Reve Marketing has become our trusted partner and innovator in the loyalty and engagement space and we're excited to be able to offer our customers this innovative new way to engage with our recipes." The Company recently made the brand transition from SocialTwist to Reve Marketing and this is the first initiative announced under the new name. "Our innovation is fueled by the kind of collaborative relationships we have with partners like Torani," said Vijay Pullur, Founder and CEO of Reve Marketing. "We were working with them on building loyalty architecture around their online recipe library and were inspired by their willingness to incorporate new technologies to support their highly engaged customer base. So we thought beyond social and beyond loyalty and speculated as to what the next level of scalable engagement could be. We have had great success in the development of first-generation chatbots and we were convinced they could provide the logical solution to matching the high level of consumer curiosity with comprehensive advice. With more than 140 flavors serving as ingredients to over a thousand delicious beverages and more, a conversation with Torani Recipe Assistant is truly the best way to explore the possibilities of one of America's favorite syrup brands." Torani Recipe Assistant is standing by 24/7 to help consumers find recipes for Torani products quickly on Facebook Messenger: https://www.facebook.com/ToraniFlavor. "Our number one goal with chatbot technology is to enhance and not depersonalize the customer experience, so we are always looking for situations in which AI can be combined with CRM and loyalty," said Vivek Lakshman, Co-Founder and Vice President Products of Reve Marketing. "By embracing the technology through recipes and loyalty, Torani is leading the way for CPG companies taking engagement to the next level with conversational commerce. For the consumer we are providing laser fast access to information and expertise and for the company we enable these intricate conversations to take place on a grand scale." About Torani: Is it only in the Bay Area that you could find a 90-year-old start-up company? Established in 1925 in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California, Torani crafts real flavor by starting with the best ingredients like natural flavors and pure cane sugar, carefully blended to deliver amazing flavor. Torani is still family-owned, and we offer a wide range of products including Sauces, Smoothies, Frappes, and Chai, along with our iconic Torani Syrups, the most popular consumer brand of flavored syrups in North America. Sold at retailers, online and proudly served in cafes and restaurants around the world, Torani continues to stay on the creative edge of flavor. For more information about Torani, visit www.torani.com. About Reve Marketing: Reve Marketing helps marketers stay on the cutting edge of martech, with solutions they need to power any digital strategy, fast and affordably. The firm also partners with top agencies, helping them to leverage breakthrough technology -- such as chatbots -- with their clients. Taking an agile and collaborative approach to marketing technology, the firm's unique component-based solutions are enterprise-grade scalable and require minimal IT involvement to implement. Technology for customer engagement, referrals, loyalty and digital promotion can be used out of the box or combined, extended or easily customized. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3066258 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3066261 Media Contact: Pete Holmberg / Zach Williams Code Morris Email Contact / Email Contact 917-501-7434 HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Editors Note: There are three photos associated with this press release. Erdene Resource Development Corp. (TSX: ERD) ("Erdene" or "Company") is pleased to announce the second set of results from on-going drilling at its 100%-owned, high-grade Bayan Khundii gold project ("Bayan Khundii") in southwest Mongolia. Today's results confirm a significant new discovery under shallow cover, 170 metres north of the Striker Zone. In addition, drilling continues to support continuity of the high-grade mineralization within the Striker Zone. Results are pending for 12 holes. Highlights (see attached map and cross sections for reference) -- New zone discovered under shallow cover, 170 metres north of Striker Zone (hole BKD-60) -- Includes 30 metres of 3.0 g/t gold near the top of the hole -- Consistent gold mineralization beginning at 20 metres, averaging 123 metres of 1.3 g/t gold -- High-grade intervals with visible gold, up to 19 g/t gold over one metre -- Confirms significant gold mineralization continues north of the Striker Zone under younger cover -- Striker Zone continuity strengthened with 90 metres of 2.5 g/t gold to bottom of hole at 126 metre depth in hole BKD-57, includes 31 metres of 6.8 g/t gold -- Western extension of Striker Zone confirmed under cover with 31 metres of 1.0 g/t gold and 5 metres of 2.2 g/t gold in holes BKD-59 and BKD-53, respectively -- New zone intersected in southwest Striker Zone in hole BKD-55 with 24 metres of 1.3 g/t gold Q3-Q4 2016 Drill Program Results Drilling Summary The Q3-Q4 drilling program includes 28 holes drilled since September 5, 2016, totaling 3,518 metres. A total of 73 holes have been completed, totaling 8,097 metres, since the initial holes were drilled in October 2015. Today's release includes results for holes BKD-53 to BKD-61 and follows the first batch of results (see October 4, 2016 press release here) for holes BKD-46 to BKD-52. Results are pending for holes BKD-62 to BKD-73 which have been completed within, north, and east of the Striker Zone, and within the Northeast Zone, approximately 1 kilometre northeast of the Striker Zone. New Wide Zone of Mineralization Identified Under Shallow Cover in Hole BKD-60 Step-out drilling was completed 170 metres north of the Striker Zone where hole BKD-60 has returned a very wide intersection of gold mineralization. Starting immediately below the 20 metres of younger Cretaceous cover, BKD-60 averaged 1.3 g/t gold over 123 metres and included 30 metres of 3.0 g/t gold near the top of the hole. Visible gold was observed in multiple locations, particularly between 29 and 59 metres, but continued locally to a depth of 117 metres. This hole confirms that significant gold mineralization continues beyond the Striker Zone under the younger Cretaceous units that lie between the main exposed area of mineralization in southwest Bayan Khundii (includes Striker Zone) and the Northeast Zone, located 750 metres to the northeast, demonstrating the strong potential for expansion of the mineralized zones. Table 1 - Bayan Khundii drill results for Drill Hole BKD-60 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drill Hole From (m) To (m) Interval (m)(i) Gold (g/t) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BKD-60 20 143 123 1.32 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 24 92 68 1.96 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 29 59 30 2.98 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 58 59 1 19.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 91 92 1 16.6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 137 141 4 2.18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i) Reported intervals are not true width. At this time there is insufficient data with respect to the shape of the mineralized system to calculate true orientations in space. They represent drill intersection widths from holes drilled at a 45 to 90 degree angle. The Bayan Khundii mineralization is interpreted to be moderately dipping (approximately 40 to 50 degrees). Striker Zone Continuity Strengthened with Hole BKD-57 Striker Zone drilling continues to establish continuity of the high-grade gold mineralization. Drilling intersected intensely altered volcanic tuffs with variable quartz-adularia and stockwork veining, with visible gold identified in hole BKD-57, as well as within holes BKD-63 and BKD-70, for which results are pending. Hole BKD-57, located in the western portion of Striker Zone, has returned one of the most intensely mineralized areas within the Striker Zone with 90 metres of 2.5 g/t gold, including a very high grade zone of 26 g/t gold over 7 metres. Additionally, hole BKD-55, located along the southwest portion of the Striker Zone, intersected a new, near-surface zone returning 24 metres of 1.3 g/t gold. Immediately north of the Striker Zone, hole BKD-65 (results pending) returned moderate quartz adularia, chalcedonic quartz and stockwork veins and locally visible gold within altered volcanic tuff. This hole tested a new zone previously uncovered in trench BKT-13 (2 metres of 8.6 g/t gold). In three areas (southwest portion of Striker Zone, east of Striker Zone, and at depth in the Northeast Zone) intrusive rocks have been intersected at varying depths, both post and pre mineralization. Based on the magnetic signature associated with the post-mineralization syenite in the vicinity of the Striker and Gold Hill Zones, these intrusions seem to be of limited extent and are considered to be small syenite plugs. Table 2 - Bayan Khundii drill results for Drill Holes BKD-54 to 58 and BKD-61 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drill Hole From (m) To (m) Interval (m)(i) Gold (g/t) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BKD-54 41 92 51 0.16 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BKD-55 10 34 24 1.26 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 21 24 3 4.40 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BKD-56 24 44 20 0.87 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- and 53 89 36 0.60 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 53 58 5 1.70 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BKD-57 0 2 2 1.00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- and 36 126(ii) 90 2.51 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 62 93 31 6.80 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 66 73 7 26.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 90 93 3 4.98 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BKD-58 4 6 2 0.35 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- and 22 24 2 0.46 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BKD-61 11 18 7 1.10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- and 66 82 16 0.59 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i) Reported intervals are not true width. At this time there is insufficient data with respect to the shape of the mineralized system to calculate true orientations in space. They represent drill intersection widths from holes drilled at a 45 to 90 degree angle. The Bayan Khundii mineralization is interpreted to be moderately dipping (approximately 40 to 50 degrees). (ii) End of hole Gold Mineralization Intersected Under Cover to the West Approximately 100 metres west of the Striker Zone, two holes, BKD-53 and BKD-59, tested for gold mineralization under younger Cretaceous cover to a vertical depth of 200 metres and 250 metres, respectively. Results indicate a continuity of, and locally an increase of intensity in, gold mineralization; including 5 metres of 2.2 g/t gold in BKD-53 and 2 metres of 7.4 g/t gold at depth in BKD-59. The mineralized lithology includes silicified volcanic tuffs with stockwork and quartz, plus/minus adularia veining including some with colloform and crustiform textures, indicative of an epithermal system and typical for Bayan Khundii. These results further demonstrate the potential for the discovery of additional gold mineralization under cover to the west. Table 3 - Bayan Khundii drill results for Drill Holes BKD-53 and BKD-59 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drill Hole From (m) To (m) Interval (m)(i) Gold (g/t) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BKD-53 72 105 33 0.59 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 99 104 5 2.19 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BKD-59 121 152 31 0.95 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 133 143 10 1.71 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- and 174 181 7 0.82 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- and 202 230 28 0.74 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incl. 216 218 2 7.41 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i) Reported intervals are not true width. At this time there is insufficient data with respect to the shape of the mineralized system to calculate true orientations in space. They represent drill intersection widths from holes drilled at a 45 to 90 degree angle. The Bayan Khundii mineralization is interpreted to be moderately dipping (approximately 40 to 50 degrees). Northeast Zone In the Northeast Zone, approximately 1 kilometre northeast of the Striker Zone two holes have been completed, BKD-62 and BKD-72 (results pending). Under 45 metres of cover on the northern portion of the Northeast Zone, BKD-62 intersected altered and sulfide mineralized volcanic tuffs and syenite porphyry units with locally intense zones of quartz veining with pyrite-sulfide mineralization and increasing quartz veining deeper in the hole, and terminated at 175 metres. Hole BKD-72 was drilled approximately 150 metres southwest of BKD-62 to a depth of 150 metres. This hole was collared in altered lapilli tuff and intersected multiple zones of quartz veining, locally quartz-adularia and chalcedonic quartz veins, as well as disseminated and quartz vein hosted sulfides. Drilling Plans The drill program will recommence on October 21, 2016 and will continue through mid-December. Drill targeting will be based on results of current drilling and the results from the independent technical evaluation studies completed in Q3 2016. The remaining, expanded program is expected to consist of a further 5,500 metres of drilling including an additional 2,000 metres at Bayan Khundii; 3,000 metres of resource expansion and scout drilling along the 5.6 kilometre long mineralized trend at the Company's Altan Nar Gold-Polymetallic Project, located 19 kilometres northwest of Bayan Khundii; and a 500 metre initial drill program to test newly identified targets at the Company's Altan Arrow gold prospect, located 3.5 kilometres north of Bayan Khundii. Background on Bayan Khundii, Altan Nar and Altan Arrow Gold Projects Bayan Khundii Gold Project In Q2 2015, Erdene conducted an initial exploration program on the southern portion of the Company's 100%-owned Khundii license in southwest Mongolia. This reconnaissance work led to the discovery of the Bayan Khundii, low sulphidation epithermal gold prospect. Gold mineralization at Bayan Khundii has been identified over a 1.7 kilometre trend, with detailed exploration only taking place over a 500 metre by 350 metre zone in the southwest portion of the prospect area, where the Company's Q4 2015 and Q2 2016 drill programs have focused. Visible gold was observed in multiple drill holes, and results include several high-grade intersections within a series of parallel structures exposed at surface. Results include up to 35 metres of 5.9 g/t gold in hole BKD-10 from surface to the bottom of the hole (including 12 metres of 16.2 g/t gold), and 63 metres of 5.3 g/t gold in hole BKD-17 starting at 50 metres. Drill results and program details are included in Erdene's press releases (click here). In Q1 2016, the Company concluded preliminary metallurgical test work at Bayan Khundii, indicating that gravity concentration and cyanidation of the gravity tails yield very good overall gold recoveries for both high-grade and low-grade composites: 99% gold recovery from the high-grade composite (24.9 g/t gold), and 92% gold recovery from the low-grade composite (0.7 g/t gold). The license has a 2% net smelter returns royalty ("NSR Royalty") in favour of Sandstorm Gold Ltd. with a buy-back option to reduce the NSR Royalty to 1%. Altan Nar Gold-Polymetallic Project Discovered in 2011, the Company's Altan Nar gold-polymetallic project (19 kilometres northwest of Bayan Khundii) hosts a total of 18 mineralized gold-silver-lead-zinc target areas within a 5.6 kilometre by 1.5 kilometre mineralized corridor. Two of the early discoveries, Discovery Zone ("DZ") and Union North ("UN"), are the most advanced targets, hosting wide zones of high-grade, near-surface mineralization over variable widths (up to 53 metres apparent width) averaging in excess of 1 g/t gold, including intervals up to 19 metres averaging 5.8 g/t gold (7.8 g/t gold equivalent(i)). The DZ and UN targets were the focus of an initial National Instrument 43-101 resource estimate released by the Company in Q1 2015. Altan Nar remains at an early stage of exploration with only shallow, detailed drilling of DZ and UN with the remaining 16 targets either undrilled or scout-drilled, and are considered by the Company to have good potential for hosting additional resources. The license has a 2% NSR Royalty in favour of Sandstorm Gold Ltd. with a buy-back option to reduce the NSR Royalty to 1%. (i)Gold equivalent has been used to express the combined value of gold, silver, lead and zinc at Altan Nar as a percentage of gold, and is provided for illustrative purposes only. No allowances have been made for recovery losses that may occur should mining eventually result. Calculations use metal prices of US $1200/ounce gold, $18/ounce silver, and $0.90/pound for lead and zinc. Altan Arrow Gold Project The Altan Arrow gold project ("Altan Arrow") is situated on the Bayan Khundii license, 3.5 km north of the Bayan Khundii project and 15 km southeast of Altan Nar. Previous exploration by Erdene in the Altan Arrow prospect area confirmed the presence of high-grade gold within epithermal quartz veins and the potential for broader mineralized zones. Erdene geologists identified an approximate 1 square-kilometre area of anomalous gold-silver mineralization in quartz veins that returned up to 57 g/t gold in hand samples and 1 m of 31.4 g/t gold and 6 m of 4.5 g/t gold in trenching. The license has a 2% net smelter returns royalty ("NSR Royalty") in favour of Sandstorm Gold Ltd. with a buy-back option to reduce the NSR Royalty to 1%. Qualified Person and Sample Protocol Michael MacDonald, P.Geo. (Nova Scotia), Director of Exploration for Erdene, is the Qualified Person as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. All samples have been assayed at SGS Laboratory in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. In addition to internal checks by SGS Laboratory, the Company incorporates a QA/QC sample protocol utilizing prepared standards and blanks. Erdene's sampling protocol for drill core consisted of collection of samples over 1 metre or 2 metre intervals (depending on the lithology and style of mineralization) over the entire length of the drill hole, excluding minor post-mineral lithologies and un-mineralized granitoids. Sample intervals were based on meterage, not geological controls or mineralization. All drill core was cut in half with a diamond saw, with half of the core placed in sample bags and the remaining half securely retained in core boxes at the Company's Bayan Khundii exploration camp. All samples were organized into batches of 20 samples including a commercially prepared standard and blank. Sample batches were periodically shipped directly to SGS in Ulaanbaatar via Erdene's logistical contractor, Monrud Co. Ltd. About Erdene Erdene Resource Development Corp. is a Canada-based resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of base and precious metals in underexplored and highly prospective Mongolia. In addition to Bayan Khundii and Altan Nar, the Company has two other exploration licenses and a mining license in southwest Mongolia. Other deposits and prospects within these licenses include: Khuvyn Khar - an early-stage, copper-silver porphyry project with multiple drill targets and significant copper intersections; Nomin Tal - a narrow, high grade copper-gold discovery; Zuun Mod - a large molybdenum-copper porphyry deposit; and Altan Arrow - an early-stage, high-grade, gold-silver project. In addition to the above properties, the Company has an Alliance with Teck Resources Limited on regional copper-gold exploration in the prospective Trans Altay region of southwest Mongolia. For further information on the Company, please visit www.erdene.com. Erdene has 121,155,992 issued and outstanding common shares and a fully diluted position of 134,432,906 common shares. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information regarding Erdene contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Erdene believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Erdene cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Erdene currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS RELEASE To view the photos associated with this press release, please visit the following links: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Fig1-PlanMapofBayanKhundiiGoldProject.jpg http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Fig2-CrossSection1-StrikerZoneHeadingNE.jpg http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Fig3-CrossSection2-StrikerZoneHeadingNW.jpg Contacts: Erdene Resource Development Corporation Peter C. Akerley, President and CEO, or Ken W. MacDonald, Vice President and CFO (902) 423-6419 info@erdene.com / www.erdene.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErdeneRes MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- GardaWorld, the world's largest privately owned security and cash services provider, announced today that the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) has signed the optional five-year extension of its pre-board screening contracts in both the Central and the Prairies regions comprised of 28 airports, including Toronto Pearson International airport - the largest and busiest airport in Canada with 41 million passengers and 441,000 flights in 2015. The extended five-year agreement valued in excess of $1.4B is effective from April 1, 2017, until March 31, 2022. More than 3,500 GardaWorld pre-board security screening professionals and administrative staff are currently employed under these contracts. "Since 2003, GardaWorld has built a true partnership with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. This extension is a testimony of CATSA's confidence in our ability to provide best-in-class security screening services and offer a safe passage to Canadians and visitors traveling through Canada," said Chantal Baril, Vice President, Aviation Services at GardaWorld. About GardaWorld Aviation Services GardaWorld Aviation Services is a trusted partner of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) - we provide pre-board security screening at 28 airports across Canada. Using specialized equipment, our rigorously trained and CATSA certified screening officers ensure safe and efficient screening for passengers, baggage and vehicles. About GardaWorld GardaWorld is the world's largest privately owned security and cash services provider. Our 62,000 highly trained, dedicated professionals serve clients throughout North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. GardaWorld works across a broad range of sectors, including natural resources and critical infrastructures, retail, construction, telecommunications and manufacturing, and on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, governments, NGOs and humanitarian relief organizations. For more information, visit www.garda.com Contacts: Garda World Security Corporation media@garda.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Donald Trump has suggested House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is rooting against a Republican victory in the upcoming presidential election due to his own political ambitions. In an interview with ABC's Tom Llamas before a campaign event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Monday, Trump was asked whether he believes Ryan wants him to win the race for the White House. 'Well, maybe not, because maybe he wants to run in four years or maybe he doesn't know how to win,' Trump said. 'Maybe just doesn't know how to win.' 'I mean, who can really know,' he added. 'But I know I'm in his territory and they are all screaming for Trump.' Trump said Ryan could be more supportive of the GOP's presidential nominee but predicted that he would still win the election. The real estate tycoon told Llamas he doesn't want to be 'knocking' Ryan despite previously calling the speaker 'disloyal' and a 'very weak and ineffective leader.' 'The Democrats have a corrupt political machine pushing crooked Hillary Clinton. We have Paul Ryan, always fighting the Republican nominee!' Trump said in a post on Twitter on Sunday. He added, 'Paul Ryan, a man who doesn't know how to win (including failed run four years ago), must start focusing on the budget, military, vets etc.' Ryan has not officially unendorsed Trump but has distanced himself from the Republican nominee since the release of a recording of him making lewd remarks about women. The move by Ryan and Trump's subsequent attacks led the billionaire's supports to chant 'Paul Ryan sucks!' at the rally in the speaker's home state. (Photo: Michael Vadon) Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/02/17 -- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario, will make an announcement in support of an innovative telecommunications company. Minister Bains will be available to answer questions from the media, following the announcement. Please note that all details are subject to change. All times are local. DATE: Friday, March 3, 2017 TIME: 2:30 p.m. - Tour 3:00 p.m. - Announcement PLACE: iS5 Communications Inc. #1-1815 Meyerside Drive Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1G3 Contacts: Media Relations Office FedDev Ontario 416-954-6652 fdo.mediarel-relmedias.fdo@canada.ca OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Thriving fish populations and healthy fish habitat are vital to the well-being of Canadian society. The Government of Canada is inviting Canadians to join in a conversation about the protections needed to ensure our fish have a healthy environment to live, feed and reproduce, and healthy corridors to migrate between these places. Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced the launch of an online public consultation to seek Canadians' views on recent changes to the Fisheries Act. This online public consultation is part of the Government of Canada's Review of Environmental and Regulatory Processes, announced on June 20, 2016. The consultation will look at ways to restore lost protections and incorporate modern safeguards into the Fisheries Act in order to best safeguard our fish and fish habitat for future generations. The feedback heard through this consultation will be provided to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. This Committee will consider all feedback as part of its recommendations for changes to the Fisheries Act. Canadians can share their views and have their voices heard by visiting letstalkfishhabitat.ca. Quote "Canada's fisheries need the proper safeguards in the right places. I want to hear from all Canadians, including scientists, environmentalists and Indigenous peoples, as well as our industry partners and small business owners. Together, we can find the best path forward to protect sustainable aquatic ecosystems in Canada." The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Quick Facts -- The Fisheries Act gives the government the powers to manage Canadian fisheries and to protect the habitat that supports them. It is an essential tool to conserving the sustainability of our fisheries. -- Gaining royal assent in 1868, the Fisheries Act is one of Canada's oldest pieces of federal legislation. It was most recently amended in 2012. This current consultation is seeking Canadian's views on whether any lost protections from the latest amendment should be restored. Associated Links letstalkfishhabitat.ca Internet: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca Follow us on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/DFO_MPO Contacts: Media Relations Fisheries and Oceans Canada 613-990-7537 Media.xncr@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Sebastien Belliveau Director of Communications Office of the Minister Fisheries and Oceans Canada 613-992-3474 Sebastien.belliveau@dfo-mpo.gc.ca EQS Group-News: Research Dynamics / Key word(s): Research Update Report on CPH by Research Dynamics: Company update on land purchase 2016-10-18 / 17:30 *This report is published by Research Dynamics, an independent research boutique* *Site for new European manufacturing unit acquired * *Land acquisition to diversify manufacturing base* CPH Chemie + Paper Holding AG announced today that it has purchased a 5,400 meter square industrial site in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company's chemicals' subsidiary, Zeochem, intends to build a plant to manufacture molecular sieve powders (Purmol), specialty zeolites (ZEOflair) and silica chromatography gels (ZEOprep) at the newly acquired land in Zvronik. The new plant is expected to be completed by end of 2017 with "high-single-digit million-franc" investment and to employ 40 personnel. The acquisition of an industrial land in Europe will extend the production sites of the Chemistry division from two (one in Louisville/USA and one in Lianyungang/China) to three, thus re-balancing the global presence of the Group once the relocation of the Uetikon site will be concluded. The new site is also in proximity to Alumina d.o.o., a long term partner of Zeochem for its downstream materials supply, which would lower transportation costs for the company. *Sale of Uetikon facility* Uetikon was the place the company's Chemistry division was founded in 1818. The sale of the site was finalized earlier this year after lengthy negotiations, with the Canton of Zurich agreeing to purchase the 65,000 square metres of industrial land from the CPH group. The total sales price of CHF 52 mn includes CHF 32 mn for environmental clean-up of the site, which will be held back by the Canton. The two-year lease back period between the two parties gives CPH time to continue with its current activities (R&D, production and administration) on the site till the relocation is completed. The rationale behind the sale was primarily to make the Chemistry division more competitive on a global basis by reducing the Swiss cost base. *In line with the Chemistry segment's strategy * Transferring its production over a two-year period from Switzerland to a) China - by way of acquiring 80% of molecular sieve manufacturer ALSIO - and b) building a European plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina is thus a consequent step in the division's strategy. By increasing production capacities in lower cost regions, the division intends to reduce the cost of production and help improve margins in the current tough economic environment. In addition, it will also reduce the company's exposure to the Swiss Franc as well as increase the share of revenues from outside of Europe, which is the Group's strategic objective. While with this investment CAPEX is expected to increase this year and next, we are leaving our estimates unchanged at this stage, as the division's outlook for this year and next remains unchanged (expected increase in sales and improved margins). *Valuation and conclusion* The CPH stock has outperformed the Swiss market over the last few months. Given its low profitability during the current transformation/restructuring phase, we look at the company's sales and EBITDA multiples. CPH currently trades at a 45% discount to the 2016 peer average P/S, and a 47% discount to the 2017 P/S. Looking at the EV/EBITDA multiple, the company trades at a 8% discount to its peers on 2016 estimates and 25% discount to peers on 2017 forecast. With operating profit expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 30% between 2016E and 2019E, we think the stock could command a higher multiple. Additional features: Document: http://n.eqs.com/c/fncls.ssp?u=CWPPRFMCKH [1] Document title: Report on CPH by Research Dynamics: Company update on land purchase End of Corporate News 512179 2016-10-18 1: http://public-cockpit.eqs.com/cgi-bin/fncls.ssp?fn=redirect&url=2d8b174bae2d732659179d8b91f8174f&application_id=512179&site_id=vwd&application_name=news (END) Dow Jones Newswires October 18, 2016 11:30 ET (15:30 GMT) Intrinsic-ID is the world's leading digital authentication company and the inventor of SRAM Physical Unclonable Function (SRAM PUF). Intrinsic-ID leverages inherent manufacturing variations in chips to create unique IDs and keys to authenticate chips, data, devices and systems. Since a unique ID can be extracted easily from SRAM with Intrinsic-ID's technology, adding authentication and key provisioning is less expensive and eliminates the need for any additional hardware. Due to the low cost and ease of implementing SRAM PUF, Intrinsic-ID's authentication technology is ideally positioned to address the critical security needs of the fast-growing IoT market. Intrinsic-ID's solutions are used worldwide to validate payment systems secure connectivity, authenticate sensors and protect sensitive government and military data and systems. Intrinsic-ID is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with offices in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and San Jose, California and sales offices in Tokyo and Seoul. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. DUBLIN, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Nerve Repair And Regeneration Market Analysis By Product, By Surgery And Segment Forecasts to 2024" report to their offering. The global nerve repair and regeneration market is forecast to reach a value of USD 15.7 billion by 2024, according to this new report. In January 2016, The EU Horizon 2020 program funded a research project AUTOSTEM' launched by the NUI Galway's Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) amounting toUSD 6.73 million. This project is to develop a robotic stem cell production factory, involved in fully automated manufacturing of stem cells in large volumes; thus, having an edge over the old traditional techniques. Also, this technique will treat a range of therapies pertaining tocancer,arthritis, diabetes and other complications. North America dominated the market in 2015 owing to the technological advancements in the region and the introduction of new devices by the manufacturers. In 2015, U.S proved to be the most potential market. The rise in number of cases withinjuries in the Central Nervous System (CNS), including injuries to the spinal cord and the brain,and increase in the governmentinitiatives and funding,as well as funding fromvarious other agencies were some of the major reasons responsible for the growth. In March 2016, Baxter International, Inc. completed the CE marking, the indication for marketing of HEMOPATCH', the ready-to-use surgical patch in the European market. This patch was approved for use in dural defect repair, for treatingtraumatic injuries of the brain, CNS, andas a surgical sealant to contain leakage of bodily fluids in otherbody parts, oras a hemostatic device to prevent the loss of blood. APAC is expected to be the fastest growing region of the nerve repair and regeneration market. Aging population, technological advancements, and unmet medical needs in this region are some of the reasons for the growth of the market In February 2016, Indian scientists working for Revita Life Sciences and Bioquark, Inc. gained permission to conduct clinical trials in 20 clinically dead patients to bring specific parts of their central nervous system back to life. Combination of therapies are to be applied including injecting the brain with stem cells, cocktail of peptides, use of lasers and nerve stimulation techniquesthat have been proven successful in reviving comatose patients.A blend of regenerative medicine tools and treatment devices are to be employed to achieve success with such a complex undertaking. Manufacturers are collaboratingwith the aim of combining the use of innovative devices and therapies to improve treatment efficiency and provide better therapy outcomes In November 2012, UCB (Euronext Brussels) and NewBridge Pharmaceuticals entered into an agreement to engage in geographical expansion of its core products (Neupro, Vimpat, and Cimzia)to include majority of the African and Middle east countries in its distribution channels. On the other hand, Newbridge Pharmaceuticals is to focus on product commercialization, gaining regulatory approvals from local bodies, and perform pharmacovigilance. This agreement is estimated to elevate the uptake of products related to CNS and immunologic diseases in the Middle-east and Africa region. Companies Mentioned: AxoGen, Inc. Baxter International, Inc. Boston Scientific, Inc. St. Jude Medical, Inc. Cyberonics, Inc. Integra Lifesciences Corporation Medtronic plc. Stryker Corporation Polyganics B.V. Report Structure: 1. Methodology and Scope 2. Executive Summary 3. Nerve Repair and RegenerationIndustry Outlook 4. Nerve Repair and Regeneration Product Outlook 5. Nerve Repair and RegenerationSurgery Outlook 6. Nerve Repair and Regeneration RegionalOutlook 7. CompetitiveLandscape For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jt3mff/nerve_repair_and Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- From 12-2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19th, 2016, Dr. Karen Horton and her team are scheduled to host a Breast Cancer Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day event at 2100 Webster Street, Suite 506, San Francisco, CA 94115. This marks the fifth consecutive year the San Francisco Plastic Surgeon will hold the event at her practice, and it is once again the only official BRA Day function taking place in the Bay Area. Celebrated annually, BRA Day is an attempt to increase awareness about the various breast reconstruction and cancer-related surgery choices individuals have after lumpectomy and mastectomy. While no two breast cancer journeys are the same -- and though breast reconstruction is not for everyone -- Dr. Horton and numerous other Board-Certified Plastic Surgeons across the nation want women to be fully informed about the reconstructive options to which they are entitled. Along with a light, healthy lunch for those in attendance, the event for BRA Day 2016 in San Francisco will feature: An office-based campaign regarding innovative breast reconstruction methods First-hand accounts from some of Dr. Horton's previous breast reconstruction patients A slideshow of breast reconstruction before-and-after images A photo booth for attendees to take pictures wearing fun breast cancer awareness props Multiple local businesses that support breast reconstruction awareness "Breast reconstruction has come a long way over the years," states Dr. Horton. "Whether or not they are considering breast reconstruction as an option at the time of their initial diagnosis, BRA Day is an opportunity for women to simply learn about advanced techniques like single-stage implant reconstruction and microsurgical free flap reconstruction that have helped countless patients restore their sense of femininity and wholeness after breast cancer. Everyone interested in learning about and/or joining in the promotion of breast cancer reconstruction awareness is welcome, and I truly hope to see a wonderful turnout of supporters and prospective individuals." About Karen Horton, MD, MSc, FACS, FRCSC Dr. Horton is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. In addition to a full range of cosmetic procedures for the face, body, and breasts, she offers several breast reconstruction options for women undergoing lumpectomy or mastectomy as part of their breast cancer treatment. These include single-stage implant reconstruction, DIEP / SIEA / TUG flap reconstruction, and fat grafting to the breasts. For more information about Dr. Horton, visit drkarenhorton.com and facebook.com/drkarenhorton. To view the original source of this press release, click here: https://www.drkarenhorton.com/practi ce-news/only-bra-day-event-in-san-francisco-and-bay-area-to-be-hosted-by-dr-karen-horton Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3069157 Dr. Karen M. Horton 2100 Webster St. #506 San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 923-3067 Rosemont Media (858) 200-0044 www.rosemontmedia.com SHANGHAI, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Finnish publishing company Dramaforum today signed an agreement with Chinese publisher Shanghai Zhiyuang Culture Communication Co. Ltd that will launch Petra's Planet products in China. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161018/429939 ) The agreement is for eight books; combining four already published titles with four new books to be developed in cooperation with Shanghai Zhiyuang Culture Communication. The books will be available in Chinese from early 2017 after their official launch in Beijing in January. With this co-operation our mutual target is to sell minimum of 800000 copies per year. "We are delighted to be in partnership with an established and trusted publisher in China and we are excited about introducing Petra to children across China," said Ms. Eevamaria Halttunen, founder of Dramaforum Oy. Drawing on the Nordic approach to children's learning, Petra's Planet products combine fun, quality content, cultural and environmental awareness, and global citizenship. With each book, children go on a journey to a new culture. Ms. Selena Huang, CEO of Shanghai Zhiyuang Culture Communication Co. Ltd is confident that Petra's Planet will be a great success in China. "We chose to partner with Dramaforum thanks to the high quality content and educational nature of the Petra's Planet range. While the books are great fun, they also provide an opportunity for children to learn more about the world around them," said Ms. Huang. Dramaforum Oy Ltd is an independent Finnish transmedia company specializing in children's products. Established in 2003 by Ms. Halttunen, Dramaforum has offices in Finland, UK and Canada, employing a team of experienced learning and digital media experts. "Our goal is to inspire children to stay curious and discover the wonders of the world. Through Petra's Planet, children learn about the richness and diversity of our planet and are empowered to become global citizens," said Ms. Halttunen. The company delivers a host of Petra's Planet products, including Petra's Planet virtual world - which has more than 1.7 million subscribers worldwide. Majority of the subscribers are coming from USA and UK. Dramaforum also delivers a range of Petra's Planet products designed for primary school use by teachers in Finland and the UK. The school products focus on 21st century skills, digital literacy and e-safety. http://www.dramaforum.fi VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Leading Edge Materials Corp. ("Leading Edge Materials") or (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: LEM)(OTCQB: LEMIF) announces that at the Company's Annual General of Shareholders held on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 (the "Meeting"), Messrs. D. Blair Way, Nick DeMare Mark Saxon, Michael Hudson and Mikael Ranggard were elected to serve as directors of the Company for the ensuing year. In addition, shareholders also approved the ratification of the Company's 10% rolling stock option plan and the appointment of D+H Group LLP, Chartered Accountants, as the auditors of the Company for the ensuing year and the authorization for the directors of the Company to fix their remuneration. Subsequent to the Meeting, the directors appointed Mr. Way as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. DeMare as Chief Financial Officer and Ms. Mariana Bermudez as Corporate Secretary of the Company. Messrs. DeMare, Hudson and Ranggard were appointed as members of the Audit Committee. On behalf of the Board, Blair Way, President & CEO The TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange), accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Contacts: Leading Edge Materials Corp. +1 604 685 9316 www.leadingedgematerials.com DELSON, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Goodfellow Inc. (TSX: GDL) ("Goodfellow" or the "Corporation") announces today the grant by the Autorite des marches financiers of an order prohibiting all trading of the securities of the Corporation by its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and its directors. This order was granted at the request of the Corporation as an alternative to a cease trade order in relation to the delay in the filing of the Corporation's interim financial report, interim management discussion and analysis and interim certificates for the quarter ended August 31, 2016 which were required to be filed by October 15, 2017, as announced by way of press release on October 13, 2016. Please refer to such prior press release for the details concerning such situation and the Corporation's intentions going forward. ABOUT GOODFELLOW Goodfellow Inc. is one of eastern Canada's largest independent re-manufacturers and distributors of lumber and hardwood flooring products. Goodfellow shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol GDL. For more details, please go to www.goodfellowinc.com Contacts: Goodfellow Inc. Denis Fraser President et CEO 450 635-6511 450 637-3730 (FAX) info@goodfellowinc.com GREENVILLE, SC--(Marketwired - January 16, 2017) - KEMET Corporation (NYSE: KEM), will host a conference call at 9:00 AM (EST) on Thursday, February 2, 2017, to discuss its financial results for the third quarter ended December 31, 2016. The call will last approximately one hour. To access the call via telephone, participants in the United States should dial 1-800-416-8033, and participants outside the United States should dial 1-706-643-0979. Participants should reference "KEMET Corporation" and Conference ID #54113371. Participants can view a corresponding presentation from the KEMET website at www.kemet.com by clicking on the third quarter conference call link in the Investor Relations section of the website. The presentation will be available immediately prior to the beginning of the call. Following management's comments, there will be an opportunity for questions. In conjunction with the conference call, there will be a simultaneous live broadcast over the internet that can be accessed at http://ir.kemet.com/. A replay of the conference call will be available until midnight, February 16, 2017, through the same link. About KEMET The Company's common stock is listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol "KEM" (NYSE: KEM). At the Investor Relations section of our web site at http://www.kemet.com/IR, users may subscribe to KEMET news releases and find additional information about our Company. KEMET applies world class service and quality to deliver industry leading, high performance capacitance solutions to its customers around the world and offers the world's most complete line of surface mount and through-hole capacitor technologies across tantalum, ceramic, film, aluminum, electrolytic, and paper dielectrics. Additional information about KEMET can be found at http://www.kemet.com. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements included herein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws about the Company's financial condition and results of operations that are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections about the markets, in which the Company operates, as well as management's beliefs and assumptions. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," variations of such words and other similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management's judgment only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or otherwise. Factors that may cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: (i) adverse economic conditions could impact our ability to realize operating plans if the demand for our products declines, and such conditions could adversely affect our liquidity and ability to continue to operate; (ii) continued net losses could impact our ability to realize current operating plans and could materially adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to continue to operate; (iii) adverse economic conditions could cause the write down of long-lived assets or goodwill; (iv) an increase in the cost or a decrease in the availability of our principal or single-sourced purchased materials; (v) changes in the competitive environment; (vi) uncertainty of the timing of customer product qualifications in heavily regulated industries; (vii) economic, political, or regulatory changes in the countries in which we operate; (viii) difficulties, delays or unexpected costs in completing the restructuring plans; (ix) equity method investment in NEC TOKIN exposes us to a variety of risks; (x) acquisitions and other strategic transactions expose us to a variety of risks; (xi) possible acquisition of NEC TOKIN may not achieve all of the anticipated results; (xii) our business could be negatively impacted by increased regulatory scrutiny and litigation; (xiii) inability to attract, train and retain effective employees and management; (xiv) inability to develop innovative products to maintain customer relationships and offset potential price erosion in older products; (xv) exposure to claims alleging product defects; (xvi) the impact of laws and regulations that apply to our business, including those relating to environmental matters; (xvii) the impact of international laws relating to trade, export controls and foreign corrupt practices; (xviii) volatility of financial and credit markets affecting our access to capital; (xix) the need to reduce the total costs of our products to remain competitive; (xx) potential limitation on the use of net operating losses to offset possible future taxable income; (xxi) restrictions in our debt agreements that limit our flexibility in operating our business; (xxii) failure of our information technology systems to function properly or our failure to control unauthorized access to our systems may cause business disruptions; (xxiii) additional exercise of the warrant by K Equity which could potentially result in the existence of a significant stockholder who could seek to influence our corporate decisions; and (xxiv) fluctuation in distributor sales could adversely affect our results of operations. Contact: William M. Lowe, Jr. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer williamlowe@KEMET.com 864-963-6484 Biolog-id received the "Best Solution for Industrial Smart Objects" award for its complete blood bag traceability solution during the Connect+ Event awards ceremony on Thursday, December 8, 2016, part of the Smart Industries show in Paris. Biolog-id has developed a fully integrated system that guarantees blood bags can be efficiently identified, tracked and managed from donor to patient within a system that is always connected using medical software at transfusion and/or treatment centers. These smart bags guarantee transfusions are safe by ensuring the right blood bag is delivered to the right patient. Bags are identified and traced using RFID tags. Smart cold storage facilities store blood in optimal conditions and make it easy to track stock levels and movements in real time. The entire system is controlled by a dedicated IT solution that is compatible with the majority of existing operating systems. Biolog-id President Pierre Parent says, "This award is an excellent reward for the teams who worked on this product. They're seeing the quality and relevance of their work recognized by the main players who are impacted by the major changes the industrial sector is experiencing." Connect+ Event is a show focused on Professional Smart Objects and a stakeholder in the "Convergence for the Industry of the Future" event, which brings together MIDEST, Smart Industries and the Convergence Forum. This show was encouraged and inaugurated by French President Francois Hollande and has an international reach. About Biolog-id Biolog-id is a French company that designs, develops, and markets management and traceability solutions for health products, in particular labile blood components (red blood cell concentrate, platelets and therapeutic plasma), plasma for fractionation for manufacturing blood-derived drugs and injectable chemotherapy products. In 2015, the LFB Group, Biolog-id and the Etablissement Francais du Sang announced the introduction of an RFID traceability system developed by Biolog-id for all bags containing plasma. The company's in-depth knowledge of RFID traceability has led to its position as the worldwide leader in sensitive health product traceability. http://www.biolog-id.com Biolog-id is supported by Xerys Gestion, a portfolio management company accredited by the French financial markets authority (A.M.F.), specializing in private equity. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161220005838/en/ Contacts: Biolog-id: Brigitte Postel Tel.: +33 (0)6 10 71 25 10. brigitte.postel@biolog-id.com LINCOLN Nebraska Medicaid received federal approval to expand its behavioral health service array to better serve the needs of at-risk youth and their families. The state will now cover multisystemic therapy (MST) and functional family therapy (FFT), intensive family- and community-based treatments designed to provide intensive family therapy to troubled and delinquent teens. This empowers youth in Nebraska's Medicaid program to cope with the family, peer, school, and neighborhood problems that they encounter, with the goal of preventing recidivism in the juvenile criminal justice system. In the past, Nebraska has historically relied on out-of-home placement options for youth, many of which provide structure and supervision but struggle to impact the root of problems. The new treatments focus more attention on intensive in-home services that offer necessary support for youth and families to succeed in their own environments. Through its research, Medicaid recognized that coverage for MST and FFT is an important component of a comprehensive evidence-based strategy to improve outcomes. The Nebraska state plan amendment approval adds multi-systemic and functional family therapies as Medicaid-covered services and ensures that eligible youth will not be restricted to a single funding stream for the services. Within DHHS, Medicaid, Behavioral Health and Children and Family Services are working closely together, as well as with Nebraskas Administrative Office of Probation, on the service array. MST combines cognitive behavioral therapy, behavior management training, family therapies and community psychology. For FFT, therapists work with all family members to create specific interventions looking at each individuals unique challenges and strengths. The combination of these two services is projected to lead to improvement in outcomes for at-risk youth, reducing out-of-home placements and preventing recidivism in juvenile offenders. Families and youth will gain valuable tools and skills, build resiliency and protective factors while navigating through and overcoming complex life situations. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- Lara Exploration Ltd. ("Lara" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: LRA) is pleased to report on progress of both permitting and site works, as our partner Tessarema Resources Inc. ("Tessarema") moves the Maravaia Copper Deposit towards commercial production. The Installation License for the processing plant was issued August 23 and the Final Exploration Report approved October 14, both important milestones in the permitting process. Tessarema plans to file its Feasibility Study (known in Brazil as the Plano de Aproveitamento Economico) with the Department of Mines by month end, along with its application for a full Mining License. Site works, focused primarily on construction of the processing plant and related infrastructure, will continue in parallel with the remaining permitting steps. Tessarema plans to extract and process mineralized material from the Osmar resource, under the terms of its Pilot Mining License (renewed on October 10), while awaiting issue of the full Mining License. For details of the Osmar resource, please refer to the National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Maravaia Copper-Gold Deposit, Carajas Mining District, Para, Brazil", prepared for Tessarema and Lara by Joao Batista G. Teixeira, Geologist, PhD, P.Geo., dated January 15, 2016 which is filed on SEDAR. Tessarema can complete its earn-in to a 100% ownership of the Maravaia Deposit and the Curionopolis Copper-Gold Project, by achieving commercial production at a rate of not less than 500 tonnes per day and making a final US$750,000 payment to Lara. Thereafter, Lara will retain a Net Smelter Returns royalty of 2% on any production from the project. Qualified Person Michael Bennell, Lara's Vice President Exploration and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has approved the technical disclosure and verified the technical information in this news release. About Lara Lara is an exploration company following the Prospect Generator business model, which aims to minimize shareholder dilution and financial risk by generating prospects and then exploring them in joint ventures funded by partners. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of prospects and deposits in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Chile. Lara's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LRA". Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contacts: Lara Exploration Ltd. Chris MacIntyre VP Corporate Development +1 416 703 0010 www.laraexploration.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- First Mining Finance Corp. (TSX VENTURE: FF)(OTCQX: FFMGF)("First Mining" or the "Company") announces that, as a result of a review by the British Columbia Securities Commission, it is issuing this news release to clarify certain disclosure. In a recent webcast recorded at the OTCQX Energy & Mining Conference (the "Webcast"), the Company made certain statements regarding the economics of the Springpole Gold Project and the Cameron Gold Project. These statements were contrary to Sections 2.3(3)(a) and 3.4(e) of National Instrument 43-101- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and, accordingly, the Company wishes to clarify them. The Company advises that there is currently no preliminary economic analysis (a "PEA") for the Cameron project and, accordingly, any discussion of the economics of the Cameron project is not permitted under NI 43-101 and is withdrawn. The Company does have a PEA for the Springpole project but wishes to advise that the PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves and there is no certainty that PEA will be realized. In both the Webcast and in its management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") filed on August 12, 2016, the Company disclosed a pre-tax net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) for the Springpole project and it did not disclose the comparative post-tax values, as such values were not stated in the original PEA for the Springpole project. In connection with the foregoing, the Company has filed an amended PEA for the Springpole project (the "Amended Springpole PEA"). The Amended Springpole PEA discloses the comparative post-tax values of the NPV and the IRR for the Springpole project, and the conclusions in the Amended PEA remain unchanged from the original PEA, with certain minor changes having been made to ensure the Amended PEA is in accordance with NI 43-101. Accordingly, readers are advised to refer to the Amended Springpole PEA rather than refer to the disclosure in the MD&A and the Webcast. In the Webcast, on the mineral resources page of its website, in its October 2016 corporate presentation (the "Presentation") and in its MD&A, the Company combined categories of mineral resources rather than reporting each category separately. This disclosure is contrary to Section 2.2(b) of NI 43-101. The Company has now corrected the Presentation and its website. Readers are advised to refer to the corrected Presentation rather than the disclosure in the Webcast and the MD&A. In the Webcast, the Company disclosed historical estimates relating to the Goldlund Gold Project and combined these estimates with its current resources. This disclosure is contrary to Section 2.4 of NI 43-101, as the disclosure required by Section 2.4 of NI 43-101 was not included in the Webcast. Readers are directed to the Company's press release dated May 16, 2016 for a full description of the historical estimate on the Goldlund Gold Project, the key assumptions and the relevance and reliability of the historical estimate. It is also contrary to Section 2.4(5) of the Companion Policy to NI 43-101, which provides that issuers must not add historical resource estimates to current mineral resource estimates unless it is treating such historical estimate as a current estimate. The Company wishes to clarify this disclosure in the Webcast and confirms that the Company is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource. The Company is currently working on upgrading the historical estimate at the Goldlund project and anticipates issuing an NI 43-101 technical report on the project prior to the end of 2016. In addition, in the Webcast, the Company made statements regarding the potential for additional ounces at the Hope Brook Gold Project and at the Goldlund project. Section 2.3(1)(a) of NI 43-101 prohibits issuers from disclosing the quantity of mineral content of a deposit unless it has been categorized as one of the categories of resources or reserves described in NI 43-101. The Company retracts this disclosure and confirms that the Goldlund project does not have a current mineral resource estimate and no additional resources have been attributed to the Hope Brook project other than those contained in the technical report for the project dated January 12, 2015. The Company believes that the exploration upside at both projects remains promising. In the Presentation and in the Webcast, the Company disclosed metal equivalent grades that do not include the individual grade of each metal used to establish the metal equivalent grade. The Company has revised this disclosure in the Presentation and readers are advised to refer to the corrected Presentation rather than the disclosure in the Webcast. In those instances where the Company has amended or clarified previous disclosure, the Company advises readers not to rely on such previous disclosure as such statements may continue to be found in the public domain. Finally, the Company is pleased to announce that it is currently in the budgeting process to commence drilling programs at each of the Springpole, Goldlund, Cameron, Hope Brook and Pickle Crow gold projects from late 2016 throughout 2017. The Company will issue further news as the drilling programs for these projects commence. Dr. Chris Osterman, P.Geo., CEO of First Mining. is a "qualified person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed and approved of the technical disclosure contained in this press release. ABOUT FIRST MINING FINANCE CORP. First Mining is a mineral property holding company whose principal business activity is to acquire high quality mineral assets with a focus in the Americas. The Company currently holds a portfolio of 25 mineral assets in Canada, Mexico and the United States with a focus on gold. Ultimately, the goal is to continue to increase its portfolio of mineral assets through acquisitions that are expected to be comprised of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and nickel. ON BEHALF OF FIRST MINING FINANCE CORP. Chris Osterman, Ph.D. Chief Executive Officer Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements"(collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the future operating or financial performance of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things: commencement of drilling at the Company's projects; the issuance of an updated technical report and a current mineral resource estimate for the Goldlund Project; and the exploration potential and upside of the Company's projects. Actual future results may differ materially. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, management's discretion to refocus its exploration efforts and the risk that a current mineral resource estimate for the Goldlund Project cannot be delineated. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, First Mining does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contacts: First Mining Finance Corp. Patrick Donnelly President 604-639-8854 Derek Iwanaka Vice President, Investor Relations 604-639-8824 www.firstminingfinance.com DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - October 31, 2016) - Pinnacle, one of the nation's leading multifamily management firms, announces the promotion of Valery Carter to a regional property manager position with oversight for six apartment communities in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. She brings 17 years of multifamily experience with apartments, condos and retail space to the North Texas team. Carter reports to Toni Rials, regional vice president, who is currently responsible for a 9,314-unit portfolio. "Valery has proven herself to be a strong leader, mentor and operator," said Rials. "I am so excited to watch her career grow and know that she will benefit the entire Dallas team with her operational expertise, strong customer service skills and in depth understanding of Pinnacle's operating platform." Carter began her career as a leasing agent in Omaha, Neb., and was quickly promoted to a property manager role. From the onset, she learned to orchestrate all facets of a large unit property while motivating employees to do their best work and focusing on resident satisfaction and retention. Carter finessed her management skills at three separate companies -- Gaines Investment Trust, The Lund Company, and The Richdale Group -- prior to joining Pinnacle in 2015. As a property manager for one of Pinnacle's largest communities in Dallas, Carter not only oversaw all elements of operations but she also placed great emphasis on instilling the company's mission to maximize positive interactions with team members, customers and clients. She advanced at developing high-performing teams, driving revenues and providing consistent and prompt resolution for community residents. Carter brings each of these talents to her regional position. Carter is a graduate of Peru State College in Peru, Neb., where she focused her studies on business administration, management and real estate. She is currently working on her Certified Apartment Manager certification through the National Apartment Association. About Pinnacle Property Management Services, LLC Pinnacle Property Management Services, LLC, ("Pinnacle") is a privately held national real estate provider specializing in third party management of multifamily residential communities. As one of the nation's preferred third-party managers, Pinnacle's portfolio includes over 165,000 residential units and 2.5 million square feet of commercial assets. With the Corporate headquarters located in Dallas, Texas, Pinnacle has more than 4,000 employees located in 32 states. For more information, visit www.pinnacleliving.com. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/10/31/11G120173/Images/Valery_Carter_NEW-b1eef234fc9390acb0380f7672780564.jpg MEDIA CONTACT Kerri Fulks (972) 499-6617 Kerri.Fulks@hck2.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 2, 2017) - B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO) (NYSE MKT: BTG) (NSX: B2G) ("B2Gold" or the "Company") reports that the DENR has announced the results of the Philippines Mine Audit. Masbate Gold Project ("MGP") is not among the mines to be suspended or closed. MGP will continue to work closely with the DENR to maintain compliance with regulations and continue to promote improved quality of life in the communities where we operate. Operations remain as normal at the mine. In 2016, the DENR conducted two mine audits at the Masbate Gold Project: the first in August and the second in September. Those findings were then provided for comment to the two companies that operate the Masbate Gold Project on October 11, 2016. Responses from Filminera Resource Corporation and Philippine Gold Processing and Refining Corp. were independently submitted back to the government on October 21, 2016 for review. Since the initial release of the Mine Audit findings in September of 2016, MGP has worked closely with the DENR to resolve the issues raised in the audit. Beyond the audit findings, MGP and the DENR both recognize that community relationships and community development continue to be priorities. MGP will maintain its leadership role to improve its ongoing programs by working with local communities. Masbate Gold Project operations are ISO 14001 compliant which demonstrates that our environmental systems meet Philippine requirements. MGP remains committed to industry best practices and to ensure that the Companies continue to comply with the terms of the ECC ("Environmental Compliance Certificate") and other mine and environmental regulations, and fulfill their obligations to the DENR. Masbate Gold Project will promote continued community development while providing a modern, safe work environment for our workforce. MGP has an outstanding Safety Performance record that today stands at more than 478 days of accident-free operation. MGP is the largest producing gold mine in the Philippines. The operation is the largest employer on the island employing more than 1900 Filipino workers and contractors. B2Gold will continue to provide updates of MGP's progress with the DENR. ON BEHALF OF B2GOLD CORP. "Clive T. Johnson" President and Chief Executive Officer For more information on B2Gold please visit the Company website at www.b2gold.com or contact: Ian MacLean Vice President, Investor Relations 604-681-8371 IMacLean@b2gold.com Katie Bromley Manager, Investor Relations & Public Relations 604-681-8371 kbromley@b2gold.com The Toronto Stock Exchange neither approves nor disapproves the information contained in this news release. This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation, including statements with respect to future events or future performance; the expected resolution of the issues raised in the DENR Audit Report and the final outcome of the DENR Audit; the Company's environmental management systems meeting Philippine requirements and our operations continuing uninterrupted. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond B2Gold's control, including the uncertainty whether the Company's response to the issues raised in the Audit Report will be satisfactory to the DENR and whether the issues raised in the DENR Audit Report will be resolved in a timely manner; the uncertainty of estimates regarding the costs of construction and the timing and amount of production; risks associated with the volatility of metal prices and currencies; risks and dangers inherent in exploration, development and mining activities; uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates; financing risks; risks related to hedging activities; the ability to obtain and maintain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for mining activities; shortages or cost increases in necessary equipment, supplies and labour; regulatory, political and country risks; litigation risk; risks related to environmental regulations or hazards and compliance with complex regulations associated with mining activities; the ability to replace mineral reserves and identify acquisition opportunities; unknown liabilities of companies acquired by B2Gold; fluctuations in exchange rates; availability of financing and financing risks; risks related to operations in foreign countries and compliance with foreign laws; risks related to remote operations and the availability adequate infrastructure; fluctuations in price and availability of energy and other inputs necessary for mining operations; risks related to reliance upon contractors, third parties and joint venture partners; challenges to title or surface rights; dependence on key personnel; the risk of an uninsurable or uninsured loss; changes in tax laws; community support for our operations including risks related to strikes and the halting of such operations from time to time; as well as other factors identified and as described in more detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in B2Gold's most recent Annual Information Form and B2Gold's other filings with Canadian securities regulators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which may be viewed at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, respectively. The list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits or liabilities B2Gold will derive therefrom. The Company's forward looking statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Proposed Capital Increase Regulatory News: On October 18, 2016, ESIRA, the KEOPSYS Group holding company, acquired for 5 million, 93.8% of the capital of EURODYNE1, which holds 1,184,513 QUANTEL shares and 1,928,579 voting rights, representing 14.6% of the capital and 21.3% of the voting rights of QUANTEL. The remaining balance, representing 6.2% of EURODYNE's capital, is subject to a reciprocal sales agreement with ESIRA based on a sales price of 330,000, while a 650,000 earnout could be paid to the sellers under certain conditions. The reciprocal sales agreement with ESIRA also concerns the 1 million partner current account recorded in EURODYNE's books. As EURODYNE's only significant asset is its equity interest in QUANTEL, and taking into account its net debt of 900,000, this acquisition gives, for information and to ensure transparency, a price of around 5.252 per QUANTEL share, and, if the earnout is paid, around 5.803 per QUANTEL share. Based in Lannion, France, the KEOPSYS Group is made up primarily of KEOPSYS, LEA PHOTONICS and SENSUP, which are all fully owned by ESIRA and specialized in designing and marketing fiber lasers and integrated fiber laser systems for scientific, industrial and military applications. With around 100 employees, the KEOPSYS group recorded revenues of approximately 16.2 million and net income of around 2.2 million in 2015. In the first half of 2016, revenues of KEOPSYS group was approximately 8.3 million and net income came to approximately 0.8 million. At June 30, 2016, the KEOPSYS group cash position was about 3.9 million. With a financial debt of 7,8 million, the Group's net debt at the end of the first half of 2016 was approximately 3.9 million.4 As part of this equity investment, ESIRA said it wanted to establish an industrial and commercial partnership with Quantel in order to develop all possible synergies, aiming at establishing a leading global player in optronics and photonics. Alain de Salaberry will be resigning from his positions as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and as a director of QUANTEL following the proposed capital increase presented hereafter. Mr Christian Moretti, Mr Patrick Schoenahl and Mr Ghislain du Jeu have also indicated that they will resign from their positions as directors at the same time as Alain de Salaberry's resignation. Following these resignations, ESIRA has indicated that it intends to ask for two directors to be coopted, including Marc Le Flohic, ESIRA's current Chairman, as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of QUANTEL and to appoint a new permanent representative of EURODYNE to the Board of Directors, in replacement of Florent de Salaberry, also resigning. Following these changes, the Board of Directors will consist of six members instead of eight previously In this context, Marc le Flohic will rely on Laurent Schneider-Maunoury, General Manager, while Alain de Salaberry will provide support as an advisor. Alain de Salaberry, QUANTEL's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "I am very pleased with this operation, which will enable the QUANTEL Group to maintain a stable major shareholding structure around Marc Le Flohic, a talented business leader who has successfully and quickly developed his group in the laser sector thanks to his determination, his scientific relevance and his professionalism" Marc Le Flohic, ESIRA's Chairman, declared: "Both QUANTEL and KEOPSYS Groups have built up expertise in very closely related technologies and market product ranges that complement together perfectly. I am delighted with this future collaboration, which will enable to support the QUANTEL Group's growth over the coming years, aiming to develop a world leader for optronics and photonics, bringing together most of the laser technologies that exist today, such as semiconductor lasers, solid-state lasers, dye lasers and fiber lasers" Following the takeover of EURODYNE, ESIRA indirectly crossed the thresholds of 10% of share capital and 20% of voting rights of QUANTEL and indicated that it will proceed with the required notification of significant holdings and statement of intent within the legal timeframe. Such notification and statement of intent will be published on the AMF website (amf-france.org). ESIRA has already indicated that for the next six months, it does not plan to increase its stake in QUANTEL beyond the threshold that would trigger a mandatory tender offer, nor take control of QUANTEL. Proposed capital increase In addition, QUANTEL's Board of Directors, under the option granted by the extraordinary general meeting on June 9, 2015, has decided to carry out a capital increase with a view to further strengthening the QUANTEL Group's financial structure. The capital increase will be carried out with shareholders' preferential subscription rights maintained and an option to subscribe on an irreducible and a reducible subscription basis and subject to allocation for a maximum gross total, including issue premiums, of around 2.5 million, by issuing ordinary new shares with a par value of 1. In accordance with the terms of Article L.411-2 of the French monetary and financial code (Code monetaire et financier) and Articles 211-2 and 211-5 of the general regulations issued by the French financial markets authority (Autorite des marches financiers, AMF), the capital increase will not require a prospectus approved by the AMF because (i) the total amount of the offer will be included between 100,000 and 5,000,000 and will concern financial securities representing no more than 50% of the Company's capital, and (ii) the number of Company shares to be admitted to Euronext Paris will represent no more than 10% of the number of Company shares already admitted for trading on this market. Esira expressed its intention to subscribe to the capital increase as follows: Irreducibly to the amount of preferential subscription rights held by EURODYNE and Reducibly and or freely to a minimum amounting to a subscription of 75% of the capital increase, provided that this amount would not lead EURODYNE to cross the threshold that would trigger a mandatory tender offer (30% of the voting rights of QUANTEL). The final conditions for this capital increase (including the subscription price and the number of new shares to be issued), which is presently scheduled be launched at the end of October, will be presented in further detail in a dedicated press release and in a shareholder notice that will be published in the French official gazette (BALO) before the opening of the subscription period. For information, the impact of the capital increase on the capital interest of a shareholder owning 1% of the Company's capital prior to the capital increase and not subscribing for this capital increase (calculations based (i) on the number of shares comprising the Company's capital at September 30, 2016 and (ii) under the assumption of an issue of a maximum of 809,600 new shares representing 10% of the capital of QUANTEL, i.e. the maximum number of shares that can be listed on Euronext Paris without a Prospectus approved by the AMF) would be as follows: Shareholder's interest (%) Undiluted Diluted (1) Before issue of new shares with the capital increase 1.00% 0.96% After issue of 809,600 new shares with the capital increase, if carried out on a 100% basis 0.91% 0.88% After issue of 606,750 new shares with the capital increase, if carried out on a 75% basis 0.93% 0.90% (1) If the vesting period is completed for all the bonus shares subject to a vesting period, i.e. 315,000 shares, while noting that there are no dilutive instruments in place on the date of this press release Founded in 1970, Quantel is one of the world's leading specialists in laser technology for scientific (laboratories and universities), industrial (material processing, process analytics, marking) and medical (ophthalmology) markets. With design and manufacturing facilities in France and the US, the Quantel Group achieved in 2015 a turnover of 62 M, with close to 70% worldwide, divided into scientific and industrial laser applications (56%) and medical applications (44%). Quantel shares are listed on the Euronext Paris C Compartment. FR0000038242 QUA www.quantel.fr 1 EURODYNE is a Luxembourg-law limited holding company (societe anonyme holding), registered in the Luxembourg trade and companies register, section B-10646. Until October [18], 2016, the majority of EURODYNE's capital was held by Mr Alain de Salaberry, its Chairman, and his heirs. EURODYNE and Mr Alain de Salaberry were considered to be acting in concert until this date under the terms of Article L.233-10 of the French commercial code (Code de commerce). 2 Sales price including current account. 3 Sales price including current account 4 Non audited consolidated financial data. The scope for the KEOPSYS group's consolidated accounts for FY 2015 comprises ESIRA (group holding company), KEOPSYS, KEOPSYS Inc. (fully-owned subsidiary of KEOPSYS), LEA PHOTONICS, SENSUP and VELDYS ("SCI" real estate company holding the group's real estate assets). View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161018006688/en/ Contacts: Quantel Alain de Salaberry Chairman and CEO Tel. +33(0) 1 69 29 17 00 info@quantel.fr or Quantel Luc Ardon CFO Tel. +33(0) 1 69 29 17 00 info@quantel.fr or Calyptus Mathieu Calleux Investor Relations Tel. +33(1) 53 65 37 91 quantel@calyptus.net VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/18/16 -- This press release is issued by CRH Funding II Pte. Ltd. ("CRH"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cartesian Royalty Holdings Pte. Ltd., pursuant to the early warning requirements of National Instrument 62-103 with respect to common shares ("Common Shares") of K92 Mining Inc. ("K92"), a reporting issuer in certain jurisdictions in Canada and with a business address of 700 - 510 West Hastings, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L8. In accordance with such early warning requirements, CRH is required to report certain information in respect of its holdings of securities of K92. As of the date hereof, the outstanding share capital of K92 consists of 113,463,467 Common Shares and 7,500,000 preferred shares ("Preferred Shares"), each of which is convertible into one Common Share subject to the terms and conditions thereof. CRH announced today that between September 8, 2016 and October 12, 2016, it has sold 6,052,400 common shares of K92 through market transactions on the TSX Venture Exchange, which resulted in CRH's ownership being reduced by more than 2% of the outstanding common shares that were the subject of CRH's most recent early warning report on June 17, 2016. During the same period, CRH acquired 10,000,000 common shares by exercising 10,000,000 warrants of K92 and acquired 4,751,831 common shares by converting 2,500,000 class A preferred shares of K92. These transactions have resulted in CRH's owning 8,882,060 common shares, representing 7.84% of the issued and outstanding common shares of K92, 7,500,000 preferred shares, representing 100% of the issued and outstanding class A preferred shares of K92 and 182,629 common share purchase warrants. The class A preferred shares are convertible into 14,255,493 common shares at the election of CRH. If the class A preferred shares were converted to common shares, CRH would hold 23,320,182 common shares of K92, representing 18.3% of the issued and outstanding common shares of K92 on a partially diluted basis. The average price received by CRH per common share sold was $1.34 and CRH received an aggregate of $8,089,073 as consideration. CRH paid $0.75 per common share to exercise the warrants and in total paid K92 $7,500,000. No consideration was paid for the conversion of the class A preferred shares, which were converted in accordance with their terms. Prior to the transactions CRH owned 182,629 common shares, representing 0.2% of the issued and outstanding common shares of K92, 10,000,000 preferred shares, representing 100% of the issued and outstanding class A preferred shares of K92, and 10,182,629 common share purchase warrants. The common shares were sold, the warrants were exercised and the class A preferred shares were converted for investment purposes. Depending on market and other conditions, or as future circumstances may dictate, CRH may from time to time increase or decrease its holdings of common shares or other securities of K92. For further information or a copy of the early warning report filed by CRH: CRH Funding II Pte. Ltd. 10 Changi Business Park Central 2 #05-01 HansaPoint@CBP Singapore 486030 Attention: Andrew Wehrley Telephone number: +1 212 461 6342 Note on Forward-Looking Information This press release includes certain forward-looking information, including statements relating to CRH's interests in K92 and its future intentions in respect thereof, using words including "anticipate", "believe", "could", "expect", "intend", "may", "plan", "potential", "project", "seek", "should", "will", "would" and similar expressions, which are intended to identify a number of these forward-looking statements. This forward-looking information reflects current views with respect to current and future events and circumstances and is not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those relating to changes in business, performance and markets. Actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking information as a result of a number of those factors. Forward-looking information is provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. CRH undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information contained in this press release, except as required by applicable laws. Contacts: CRH Funding II Pte. Ltd. Andrew Wehrley +1 212 461 6342 TerraCom Ltdhas signed a binding term sheet for a 5.5 year offtake in regards to hard coking coal, produced from the BNU Coal Mine in Mongolia.The company signed this deal with a subsidiary of the Kingho Group, which is one of the largest private coal companies in China.TerraCom says this agreement is for a total of 7.5 million tonnes over the 5.5 year term.The company also says a definitive sales agreement will be developed in the coming weeks, and that payment terms are in USD in the form of 100% irrevocable Letters of Credit.TerraCom posted a net loss of $51.8 million at 30 June 2016. Comcast Ventures, the venture capital arm of Comcast Corporation, hired Dinesh Moorjani as managing director. Based in Santa Monica, the serial entrepreneur, senior operating executive and seed investor will lead investments across various sectors, including data and business intelligence, marketplaces and social networks. Amy Banse, managing director and head of funds at Comcast Ventures. Prior to joining Comcast Ventures, Moorjani served as executive-in-residence at Warburg Pincus where he continues to serve as an advisor. He was the founder and CEO of Hatch Labs, where he and his team conceived of, built, and ran mobile startups. Moorjani also cofounded Tinder in Hatch Labs and has been the cofounder and CEO of numerous early stage companies. He has also held leadership roles at IAC/InteractiveCorp as well as Samsung Electronics. Consisting of the previously combined Comcast Interactive Capital and NBCUniversal Peacock Equity Fund, Comcast Ventures invests in innovative businesses that are developing technologies that aim to change the way people live, work and interact. The firm, which is also led by MDs Amy Banse, Andrew Cleland, Sam Landman, Rick Prostko, Louis Toth, Michael Yang, David Zilberman and Kim Armor, is based in Palo Alto, San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York. FinSMEs 18/10/2016 Ravelin, a London, UK-based machine-learning fraud detection company, completed a 3m funding round. The round was led by Playfair Capital with participation from Amadeus Capital, Passion Capital, Errol Damelin (founder of Wonga) and Paul Foster (founder of Indeed.com). The company intends to use the funds to to grow the team, invest in the infrastructure and technology needed to expand the adoption of its platform globally. Led by Martin Sweeney, CEO, Ravelin is a real-time fraud detection platform for online businesses, which analyzes customer behaviour and transactions using proprietary data science and machine learning technologies, and works with merchants to provide accurate fraud detection. Since the first release of the product, nine months ago, the company has been adding features and adopting techniques to allow such clients as Deliveroo, EasyTaxi, and Via Taxis, among others, to accept more legitimate orders and refuse those which are suspicious or fraudulent. FinSMEs 18/10/2016 Metamarkets, a San Francisco and New York-based interactive analytics platform for programmatic marketing, closed a $14.25m credit facility. Wellington Financial LP and City National Bank provided the financial resources. The company intends to use the funds to expand its engineering team and invest in its real-time data processing infrastructure. Led by Mike Driscoll, CEO, Casey Steele, Vice President of Sales & Client Services, and Nhan Phan, Vice President of Engineering, Metamarkets provides customers such as Twitter, AOL and LinkedIn with an interactive analytics platform to see whats happening in the media marketplaces where they operate via real-time information and to take action to gain a competitive edge. The company recently announced the general availability of its Metamarkets API to allow clients to directly pull data into their own systems and build web applications directly on Metamarkets infrastructure. Metamarkets is backed by Khosla Ventures, Data Collective, IA Ventures, Village Ventures, True Ventures and Founder Collective. FinSMEs 18/10/2016 Detention Center The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility Monday was 80, with 51 from Platte County and 29 from out of county. Police Oct. 11 12:10 p.m. At 2460 Kummer Drive, Kyle Carney, 26, 2460 Kummer Drive, was cited for no city license. 3:16 p.m. At the intersection of 13th Street and 25th Avenue, Claudine Briggs, 42, 1352 36th Ave., was cited for no proof of insurance. 3:16 p.m. At the intersection of 13th Street and 25th Avenue, Abby Kelley, 34, 2118 Ninth St., was cited for an improper turn. Oct. 13 2:05 a.m. At the intersection of 15th Street and 44th Avenue, Alisha Adams, 26, 4110 Goedekin St., was cited for an illegal U-turn and no operators license. 6:48 a.m. In the 3800 block of Howard Boulevard, Jan Metlenko, 21, 1354 27th Ave., was cited for a window view obstruction violation. 3:33 p.m. In the 2000 block of 23rd Street, Kay Miller, 76, 3555 25th Ave., was cited for failure to yield right of way. Oct. 14 7:20 a.m. Criminal mischief at 2512 Ninth St., vehicle window damaged, no loss amount. 7:38 a.m. Criminal mischief at 2017 Sixth St., windshield damaged, $225 loss. 8:02 a.m. Theft at 3111 21st St., stereo and CDs stolen from a vehicle, $100 loss. Oct. 15 10:12 a.m. Burglary at 952 21st Ave., under investigation. Sheriff Oct. 14 7:59 a.m. Traffic violation at the intersection of U.S. Highway 81 and Shell Creek, Evan Brandt of ONeill cited for speeding. 2:32 p.m. Wanted person at the Platte County Detention Facility, 1125 E. 17th St., Miguel Espino-Coria of Schuyler turned self in on a Platte County warrant. Oct. 16 2:18 p.m. Traffic violation at the intersection of 23rd Street and 28th Avenue, Javier Velasco of Shelby was cited for failure to signal. Fire Oct. 13 8:20 a.m. At the intersection of Sixth Street and 17th Avenue, medical. 8:54 a.m. In the 1300 block of 33rd Avenue, medical. 9:27 a.m. In the 1700 block of 23rd Street, medical. 1:31 p.m. In the 1600 block of 17th Street, medical. 3:08 p.m. In the 2200 block of 26th Street, medical. 3:35 p.m. At the intersection of 23rd Street and 20th Avenue, medical. 11:03 p.m. At the intersection of 35th Avenue and 15th Street, medical. Oct. 14 4:43 a.m. In the 1600 block of 21st Avenue, medical. 9:24 a.m. In the 4700 block of 38th Street, medical. 9:27 a.m. In the 2700 block of 35th Street, medical. 1:42 p.m. In the 3600 block of 30th Street, medical. 3:39 p.m. In the 1300 block of 30th Avenue, medical. 5:44 p.m. In the 2500 block of 47th Avenue, medical. 6:51 p.m. In the 2900 block of Fairlane Avenue, medical. 7:20 p.m. In the 2900 block of Fairlane Avenue, medical. 9:03 p.m. In the 1400 block of 26th Avenue, medical. 9:07 p.m. In the 2400 block of East 13th Avenue, medical. Oct. 15 8:04 a.m. In the 300 block of East 23rd Street, medical. 8:23 a.m. In the 4500 block of 38th Street, medical. 9:06 a.m. In the 2100 block of 14th Street, medical. 3:34 p.m. In the 2400 block of East 12th Avenue, medical. 4:47 p.m. In the 1100 block of 15th Street, medical. 6:18 p.m. At Bay Meadows Trailer Court in the 100 block of Road 42, medical. 7:30 p.m. In the 1900 block of 28th Street, medical. Oct. 16 12:32 a.m. Grass fire at 4826 29th St., wood chips smoldering. SafetyCulture, a provider of mobile-first technology that allows workers to manage safety and quality applications, raised $23m in Series B funding. The round was led by Index Ventures, with participation from Blackbird Ventures and Atlassian Co-founder Scott Farquhar. In conjunction with the funding, Jan Hammer, Partner at Index Ventures, will join SafetyCultures board of directors. The company intends to use the funds to expand its marketing, product development, and customer outreach efforts as well as to grow its engineering, product management, customer support and success, and marketing teams in San Francisco, Sydney and Manchester offices. Luke Anear, CEO, SafetyCulture provides companies with the iAuditor app, a workplace inspection platform to create smart checklists, conduct on-site inspections, analyze data and share insights in real time. To date, the company has enabled more than 30 million safety and quality inspections at companies such as Coca-Cola, Hilton and AECOM. FinSMEs 18/10/2016 Ysios Capital, a Barcelona, Spain-based biotechnology venture capital firm, held the final closing of its second fund, at 126.4m. Ysios BioFund II Innvierte FCR, which exceeded its initial target fund size of 100m, attracted both returning investors as well as new investors. These include CDTI (Spanish Ministry of Economy) through its Innvierte program, the European Investment Fund (EIF), the European Commission through InnovFin SME Venture Capital, a financial instrument developed under the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020; pension funds Orza and Lagun Aro; Banc Sabadell (BIDSA) and other private investors. The fund has a strategy similar to its predecessor fund Ysios BioFund I (currently under divestment) planning to invest in biotech, medtech and diagnostic companies across Europe with a special interest in Spain. It will finance up to 15 startups and development phase companies with disruptive products, platforms or technologies that address unmet medical needs. To date, Ysios BioFund II Innvierte has invested in five companies, including: Sanifit (Spain); Minoryx Therapeutics (Spain); Aelix Therapeutics (Spain); Prexton Therapeutics (Switzerland); and Aura Biosciences (U.S.). Founded in 2008 and led by Josep Ll. Sanfeliu, Joel Jean-Mairet, Karen Wagner, Julia Salaverria and Cristina Garmendia, Ysios Capital now manages almost 200m across two funds. It has a team of 13 international professionals in both Barcelona and San Sebastian. FinSMEs 18/10/2016 The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Monday had said it would intensify its opposition to Karan Johars soon-to-be-released film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil as it features Pakistani actors and issued a veiled threat of vandalism to the multiplexes if they screened it. The opposition by MNS and some other political parties to films with actors from Pakistan in the aftermath of Uri terror attack has put a question mark on the fate of Johars film which features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. We will oppose the screening of the movie everywhere in the state. If any multiplex operator dares to screen the film, they (operators) should remember that multiplexes are decorated with expensive glass sheets, MNS leader Amey Khopkar said. The party did not favour employing and cherishing the Pakistani actors so its opposition to such films will continue, he said. We will also oppose Shah Rukh Khans Raees though it is slated to release in January, Khopkar said in a statement. The party also pointed out that the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association has supported its stand. The single-screen theatre operators have announced that they would not screen Johars upcoming film, but there was no similar assurance from the multiplex operators so MNS today made its stand clear, it said. MNS, which once had 13 MLAs in Maharashtra Assembly but was reduced to single member in the House in 2014, has taken an aggressive stand over the issue, apparently to make its presence felt ahead of next years municipal polls in Mumbai. Irrfan Khan's next film, after his Hollywood release Inferno with Tom Hanks, is in trouble thanks to the current whiplash that films with Pakistani artistes are facing. The film, tentatively titled Hindi Medium, is indefinitely postponed due to the lead actress from Pakistan Saba Qamar, reports DNA. The film was supposed to be directed by Saket Chaudhry of Pyaar Ke Side Effects fame. Meanwhile, as the country debates over whether Anurag Kashyap is right in questioning the PM's visit to Pakistan in December, #KeepCinemaOutOfPolitics has been trending on Twitter. Here's what Twitterati is saying (suffice it to say that there was no unison on this): Keeping art and entertainment separate from politics because art does not have any boundaries. #KeepCinemaOutOfPolitics Kumari Ratna (@_iratna) October 18, 2016 Stop using Paki pigs & Hindu Religious Sentiments as Entertainment & Cinema will remain out of Politics by default#KeepCinemaOutOfPolitics pic.twitter.com/GhNrjU5hKC The Surgical Kernel (@thekernelspeaks) October 18, 2016 An actor acts takes his money and goes home. The Ban is hurting the producer who is an Indian & not the actor #KeepCinemaOutOfPolitics pic.twitter.com/2zP1PXQMeN maanmohan singh (@msgpahujaa) October 18, 2016 An interesting point; 31st October is a film that traces the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assasination A biggest Industry of India from which GVT collects so much tax, today is Vulnerable ! GVT must act to protect it #KeepCinemaOutOfPolitics https://t.co/3ElMgWDY1D seema(Kalam Se) (@seemaadhikari) October 18, 2016 "A society without drama is a dull society". Cinema and theatre is a mirror of our society #KeepCinemaOutOfPolitics Richard M. Marak (@richardmarak) October 18, 2016 I said end all buisness ties with Pak, them banning our movie is more reason to do so. Y target film industry alone?#KeepCinemaOutOfPolitics https://t.co/OqqVMXCExr Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadejjaa) October 18, 2016 Change the name of ADHM to AFHMM->Ae Film Hai Mushkil Me #KeepCinemaOutOfPolitics (@nachorenacho) October 18, 2016 Meanwhile.... This is Madhur Bhandarkar's film Calendar Girls. And this dimwitted clown thinks Pakistani artists are a problem. #KeepCinemaOutOfPolitics pic.twitter.com/jX2z5LVqsS lindsay pereira (@lindsaypereira) October 18, 2016 As the MNS has issued a thinly veiled threat stating that multiplex owners who screen Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil will be vandalised, the producers of the film have met the Joint Commissioner of Police in Mumbai for protection. We will oppose the screening of the movie everywhere in the state. If any multiplex operator dares to screen the film, they (operators) should remember that multiplexes are decorated with expensive glass sheets, MNS leader Amey Khopkar said. Mukesh Bhatt, president of The Film & Television Producers Guild of India, was also a part of the meeting and has stated that the police has ensured protection to movie halls as and when required. The Mumbai Police, has now ensured that they will provide as much protection as possible to multiplex owners. Ashok Dudhe, the DCP of Mumbai Police, has come out in support of ADHM and said, "We, Mumbai Police, will provide adequate protection to cinema theatres as and when required." MNS is my brother, only with different thinking. I can only appeal to my brother to go on in peace: Mukesh Bhatt #AeDilHaiMushkil pic.twitter.com/3K763pDqeA ANI (@ANI_news) October 18, 2016 This meeting with the police comes after the Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India recently announced that no film with Pakistani actors will release in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. Around 400 single screen theatre operators and very few multiplexes in these areas have confirmed solidarity, but no such assurances comes from other multiplex owners. New Delhi: The Cabinet is likely to consider this week fixing 1 February as date of presentation of the budget after the Election Commission gave its nod in light of upcoming Assembly elections in five states. Having decided to advance the budget presentation by a month, the government took the line that it should not be presented in the middle of Assembly poll in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. So, it consulted the Election Commission, which has concurred with the finance ministry's view that it is an annual financial statement and can come anytime of the government's choice, officials said. The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet on Wednesday or Thursday to decide on the date for Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to present the budget for 2017-18. The Cabinet on 21 September had in-principle decided to end the colonial-era tradition of presenting the Union budget on last day of February and advance it by about a month to help complete the legislative approval for annual spending plans and tax proposals before beginning of the new financial year on 1 April. "The reason we wanted to advance the date was that we want the entire budgetary exercise to be over and the Finance Bill to be passed and implemented from 1 April onwards rather than June because then the monsoon sets in and effectively, the expenditures start in October," Jaitley had stated last week. Stating that the government wants expenditure to start in April itself, he had said there are five state Assembly elections lined up in 2017. "So, we are just trying to co-ordinate that you do not have to announce the Budget bang in the middle of an election date. It should be reasonably before that or after that," he had said. The finance ministry had been proposing that the Budget presentation be fixed for 1 February and the entire exercise be completed by 24 March. It wanted the Budget Session of Parliament to begin before 25 January and go in for a three-week break between February 10-15 before reconvening between 10-15 March to complete the legislative exercise. But with Assembly elections in five states likely to be held in phases, there is a probability that this budget schedule may clash with the campaigning and the polling. While tenure of Punjab, Manipur and Goa Assemblies is due to end on 18 March, 2017, that of Uttarakhand is till 26 March, 2017. Uttar Pradesh Assembly's tenure expires on 27 May. The official said the Election Commission has given a go-ahead with presentation of the Budget as per Centre's wishes. The Cabinet had last month also decided to scrap the 92-year old practice of having a separate railway budget, merging it with the general budget. As things stand, the budget approval process happens in two parts spilling over to the second or third week of May, hampering early implementation of schemes and spending programmes. To facilitate its early presentation, the finance ministry had proposed that the Budget Session be convened some time before 25 January, a month ahead of the current practice. Consequently, preparation for the Budget would start this month and GDP estimates would be made available on 7 January instead of 7 February. For full coverage of Union Budget 2017 click here. Google has a clear India strategy in mind and a large part of it is YouTube. Even though the Internet giant, which has had a tumultuous journey in India, with court cases and censorship issues, it still considers India strategic to its business, the company's India head, Rajan Anandan was quoted saying in a Mint report . The company's India strategy will be five pronged: YouTube, where it continues to tie up with more partners to put up original content online; social media, where it wants to increase the presence of brands on Google plus; cloud offerings, which the company is looking to strengthen in India and get ahead of rivals such as Microsoft and Amazon, solutions for small and medium businesses (SMBs) where it sets up free websites for small businesses; and finally, its mobile strategy where it wants to gain prominence in the smartphone space with android and apps. The Economic Times reported earlier thatIndia has the largest number of content uploaders inAsia for Youtube. And after the partner programme that Google launched in September last year, the number of Youtube users has grown to 31 million. A lot of original content from its partners gets uploaded making it an attractive proposition for advertisers. The Mint report also notes Google's plan to introduce TrueView -a feature which will help users reject the ad within five seconds. With 20 million mobile-only Internet users inIndia, Google believes there is a sea of opportunity that can be tapped on the mobile front with the rising popularity of its android system and Google also wants to take existing products such as search, video, email and social media and get them ready for mobile. In the cloud space, Google will have to fight out rivals such as Amazon web services (AWS), Microsoft's private cloud solutions players such as Salesforce.com for whom India is a big market. But by setting up free websites for SMBs, Google has a good start. While it does enjoy the privilege of being an Internet behemoth, Google does have rivals in each of this space. What remains to be seen is how long will it be till India also becomes a battlefield. By Katya Golubkova | MOSCOW MOSCOW Russian private investment group United Capital Partners (UCP), which is teaming up with oil giant Rosneft to buy India's Essar Oil in a $12.9 billion deal, said it may sell its stake within five years.The purchase of Essar Oil, by Russia's state-owned Rosneft and a consortium of UCP and global oil trader Trafigura, will be the biggest foreign acquisition ever in India and Russia's largest overseas deal. The takeover, agreed on Saturday, is expected to be completed in the next few months.The chief executive of Russian lender VTB, which advised on the deal, has said it was specially structured to ensure it was not affected by Western sanctions imposed on Rosneft and its boss Igor Sechin, an ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.Since Rosneft will control only 49 percent of Essar under the deal, with Trafigura and UCP jointly holding another 49 percent, the sanctions risk is mitigated.But the structure has raised questions about whether UCP and Trafigura will cede their shares to Rosneft once sanctions are lifted or eased, giving Sechin full control over the acquisition.The sanctions were imposed over Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine."We do not plan to sell our stake to anyone in the near future," Irina Lanina, a director of UCP, said in a written response to Reuters' questions. "We plan to make this investment in a consortium with our partner Trafigura and are likely to exit together with them as well. As of now, we are looking at (remaining in Essar) for 3-5 years but time will tell," Lanina said.Lanina said that UCP plans to use its own funds and credit facilities to finance the acquisition of its stake but did not say how much it would cost. ASSOCIATION Rosneft has close and long-standing ties with its other partners in the Essar deal.UCP's President Ilya Shcherbovich was a Rosneft board member in 2012 and 2013. Shcherbovich has said that UCP has acted as a consultant to Rosneft on investments, though without disclosing concrete deals or projects.UCP is also a minority shareholder in Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft, and took the company to an arbitration court earlier this year over what it said was an insufficient dividend payout. Transneft and Rosneft have had bumpy relations over several issues, including usage of pipelines and tariffs the monopoly charges oil producers for shipments. UCP has denied it brought the court case on Rosneft's behalf.Rosneft also has a long association with Trafigura, which is its biggest long-term buyer of Urals crude oil.The Indian company's assets include a 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery, import and export facilities, and gas stations. Under the agreement, the 49 percent stake held by UCP and Trafigura is equally split between the two. The billionaire Ruia brothers own the remaining 2 percent stake.The acquisition gives Rosneft a gateway into the world's fastest growing fuel market at a time when Sechin has predicted competition for global energy market share will intensify, especially with Saudi Arabia. (Additional reporting by Oksana Kobzeva in MOSCOW and Nidhi Verma in NEW DELHI; Writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Christian Lowe and Susan Fenton) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BRASILIA Singapore Changi Airport is seeking a potential new partner for its investment in Rio de Janeiro's Galeao international airport, the head of the company running the concession said on Monday.Luiz Rocha told reporters, after meeting with Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles, that Changi was seeking a possible new investor in case its existing partner, a division of Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht SA, leaves the project. "Changi has a stake in other airports outside of Singapore and has relationships with top shelf investors. The idea is to bring one of them to Galeao," Rocha told reporters in Brasilia after a meeting with Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles. Changi partnered with Odebrecht and state airport operator Infraero in 2013 for the rights to expand and operate Galeao. Rocha, chief executive of RIOGaleao, also voiced confidence that state development bank BNDES would disburse a long-term loan to help finance the company. Newspaper Valor said in August that BNDES has declined credit to Galeao because of charges against Odebrecht in a sweeping corruption probe that has rocked Brazilian politics and businesses over the past two years. (Reporting by Leonardo Goy; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Bernard Orr) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Sometime October last year, a graffiti scrawled at the sidewalk of the faculty of arts in the north campus, caught the attention of the most oblivious passerby. A silhouette of girl; painted red, rested on the floor, with a message accompanying it loud and clear: "I am out tonight!" This was part of the campaign called 'Pinjra Tod' started by the female students of different colleges and universities in the Delhi, against the discriminatory hostel rules; the most significant being the curfew timing in girls hostels which disallowed female students from staying out late. It was a protest against the 'discriminatory rules' that applied only to female students; rules that automatically made male students the privileged lot. A year on to the campaign, the discrimination remains in various universities across the country and now the protest has reached to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The women hostel dwellers of AMU are now posing resistance to what a student remarked as against the demeaning moral policing at the hands of the hostel administration". The Indira Gandhi Hall (one of the girls hostel of AMU ) is witnessing a clash between the students and the Provost starting from the eve of the big event organised at AMU on the birth anniversary of Sir Syed Day, which is celebrated every year on 17 October. This is the first major stand that the female students of the university have taken since the Students Union was formed on 13 October 2016 in which girls had actively participated. Large numbers of AMU female students have been protesting since Sunday morning demanding the resignation of Farrukh Arjumand, the Provost of Indira Gandhi Hall. Over 500 girls have signed the petition and the demand list and about 400 girls have been sitting on dharna for the last two days and two nights. A few girls also slept out in the open through the night. The second night saw hungry protesters as most of the Indira Gandhi Hall girls boycotted the dinner on the much-celebrated occasion of Sir Syed Day. The reasons behind the protest have been a series of alleged untoward remarks and behaviour of the hostel administration. There has been seething anger among the students towards the inconvenient rules-regulations and public shaming of the hostel girls at the hands of the authority. The recent protest was triggered by an incident in which the provost stopped hostelers from attending the cultural evening held on Saturday, October, 15 and threatened the girls of expulsion in case they sought help from the newly elected Students Union. The hostelers have prepared a long petition, against the hostel management, including a strong demand for Provosts resignation along with other demands for the improvement in hostel management. Students from Delhi also joined hands in solidarity. Members of Pinjra Tod group boosted the morale of the protesters with their presence. Students are disappointed in the vice chancellor as he did not listen to them and kept insisting on calling it off. Vice Chancellor did not come to meet the girls despite knowing the fact that some of them will be spending the night in the open. He came in the early hours of Monday morning only to reprimand the girl students for their alleged misconduct, said one of the protesting students. "Moral policing and inconvenient rules of girls hostel is reportedly a widespread phenomenon in AMU", remarked another protesting student. AMU has been catching attention in matters regarding the female students. In the past there has been a major issue of stopping the female students from accessing the universitys library and also the issue of the choice of female students in taking admission either in Abdullah College for women or in the departments on main university campus. Womens issues have been a major bone of contention in AMU, which keeps erupting in one way or the other. The recent ongoing hostelers protest is not just a demand for the resignation of the provost but a bigger agitation in the direction of changing the rules for women on campus. A protesting student who did not want to be identified said, On most trivial issue the hostel authorities resort to character assassination. Like if we go out of the hostel, it is assumed that we are indulging in some wrongdoings. If we go to Delhi for some educational purpose or to give an entrance and we if we get late while returning, which usually happens given the distance we are not allowed to enter the hostel. Our character and intention is questioned. She adds, This harassment is not limited to the hostel timings. If we try to reach out to hostel authorities with any other complaint or demands like for better food, or a cooked breakfast, we are threatened of being thrown of out of the hostel. We are threatened that if we hold any protest or in any manner become part of any such gathering we will be thrown out of hostel. Some of the very reasonable demands made by the girls are 24 hours hostel entry, ambulance facility, permission to be part of all events of the university, abolishing of late entry fine in the hostels, inspection of hygiene condition, providing of newspapers and magazines etc. The letter written by the residents of the IG Hall to the Dean Students Welfare (DSW ) of the AMU clearly reflects the angst and pain of the female students. In response to the past one year and the recent chaos created by the misuse of the administrative powers of the Provost , Indira Gandhi hall appeal and demand the immediate change of our Provost , Farukh Arjmanad, on democratic ground as she being the dictator tries to suppress every genuine issue of the hall raised by the resident students by threatening us with expulsion , remarking us on our character using rude language and our parents and family on every petty issue, states the letter. The demand note further reads, Every voice raised against the mismanagement of the provost has been every time met with brutal threats and immoral allegation. It is not even five years since the AMRI Hospital fire tragedy in Kolkata that killed 90 patients. In a similar disaster, a devastating fire at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar late Monday evening claimed 22 lives. How many more patients in the ICUs need to die not due to critical illness, but due to an outbreak of fire before the government and the private hospital owners will wake up from their deep slumber to have a foolproof system in place? According to the latest report available, 22 patients died after the fire broke out reportedly due to short-circuit at SUM Hospitals ICU in Bhubaneswar last evening. Nearly 50 critically-ill patients were in the ICU when the fire broke out, of which 22 died either due to the fire or while being shifted to another hospital. Nearly 30 patients have been reported to be in serious condition. Despite the worst hospital fire tragedy at AMRI Hospital on 9 December, 2011, hospital administration in India continues to be in crisis. The deaths of patients in Kolkata and Bhubaneswar hospitals were not due to any natural disaster, but due to negligence on part of hospital management. How could a fire take place in a sensitive zone like the ICU is beyond comprehension? Even if the fire broke out due to short-circuit as has been claimed, why it couldnt be doused at an initial stage? The hospital authorities may argue as happened in the case of AMRI Hospital that the inferno was an accident and not intentional, but it has been found in large number of fire incidents, including the one in Kolkata that lack of precautionary measures, improper safety measures and failure to deal with emergency situation had led to fire breakouts and deaths. Some of the worst fire tragedies that took place in recent years June 1997: Uphaar Cinema tragedy at Green Park, New Delhi 59 people died. August 2001: Private mental asylum at Erwadi, Tamil Nadu 28 died. January 2004: Srirangam marriage hall fire, Tamil Nadu 57 guests died. July 2004: Kumbakonam school tragedy in Tanjavur district, Tamil Nadu 94 children died. March 2010: At Stephen Court, a historical building at Park Street in Kolkata 42 died. December 2011: AMRI Hospital at Dhakuria in Kolkata 90 patients died. Investigations into all these cases revealed lack of preparedness to combat fire outbreak, lack of safety measures and violation of mandatory conditions in fire safety norms. No lesson has yet been learnt. A case in point: AMRI Hospital, Kolkata Post-Independence, AMRI Hospital, Kolkata stands to be the worst case in death of patients due to fire in a hospital. Both investigations and academic studies revealed that the inferno at the hospital had been due to multiple factors like storage of highly inflammable substances in an illegally built basement in the hospital; lack of adequate fire-fighting equipment and trained staff to deal with the situation; dysfunctional fire-fighting equipment; fire brigade wasnt informed when the fire broke out, which is against the protocol; faulty construction of hospital building; gas stove was used next to inflammable substances and electric cables didnt have mandatory fire-proof casing that led to short-circuit. According to a published research paper by Prof Mahesh Bendigeri and Prof Ramesh Olekar Hospital governance in crisis: A case study of AMRI Hospital, Kolkata in International Journal of Development Studies the AMRI Hospital had violated fire safety norms, did not follow standard fire protocol and there was absence of internal audit system. What regulation says According to the National Building Code 2005, hospitals are classified as institutional buildings and therefore require fire-fighting equipment. At all times, the area around a hospital building must be kept clear for easy access of fire tenders (Note: This was absent in AMRI Hospital case). It has also mentioned clauses to be followed mandatorily while constructing a hospital or sanatorium. This is often violated in India. The National Association of Fire Officers has a detailed checklist that recommends the hospitals and nursing homes to have active fire protection system, fire fighting installation details, fire prevention and awareness measures, and building plan. But, in most of fire accidents it has been found that these measures were neglected. Is it a repeat in the case of Bhubaneswar hospital? Speaking to media, Tathagata Satpathy, BJD MP said, It must have taken enough time for the fire to spread in such a manner due to which 22 patients died. It speaks of lack of fire fighting system and poor infrastructure in the hospital. The study by Bendigeri and Olekar further mentioned, AMRI Hospital tragedy in Kolkata has brought to light many gaping holes and there is undoubtedly much work needed by both government authorities and hospital board. The government should set up committees to draft new guidelines considering the gaps existing in the present system and incorporate best international practicesNegligence in performing duties and not adhering to compliance of norms resulted into such cruel act showcasing poor governance. Was there a gap in the system? Did SUM Hospital fail to follow the mandatory norms and blatantly violated them as in the case of AMRI Hospital? Its the high time government acted in this matter to ensure no patients die due to fire, while in deep sleep. It is not often that we get to hear voices from China on Sino-Indian relationship and various pulls and pressure that the intriguing pirouette between two neighbouring powers entails. It was therefore informative to go through Kai Xue's column on The Times of India's edit page on Tuesday. Most interestingly, the Beijing corporate lawyer starts by complaining about India's 'aggressive posture' near its north-eastern border. "India has recently deployed 120 tanks in Ladakh, cleared deployment of around 100 supersonic BrahMos missiles in Arunachal Pradesh, and within this year has reactivated and upgraded five advanced landing bases in Arunachal Pradesh. These actions are the culmination of a large scale multi-year arms buildup near the border with China that has included drilling of new bunkers and additional troops and artillery at the edge of the disputed line. China has during this time not moved new weapons to the border" and has merely "engaged in upgrading non-military transportation infrastructure in border provinces." In an act of supreme victimhood, the author suggests that all of India's actions were "unilateral". I have quoted the paragraph in full because it reflects somewhat the way China approaches the Sino-Indian relationship. Unlike Pakistan, whose enmity towards India is one-dimensional and replete with rhetorical flourishes (and hence, open to reception), Beijing's moves are deceptive. It plays the aggressor and the victim at the same time. It provokes, needles and bullies New Delhi, yet does not hesitate to play the victim card when India reacts. The author, for instance, magnificently ignores the weight of history, China's frequent, unprovoked incursions into India's territory and the way Beijing has traditionally treated Arunachal Pradesh, calling it 'south Tibet' and claiming it in full. To jog the memory, in 2006, just a week ahead of former President Hu Jintao's India visit, China announced that Arunachal Pradesh was "our territory". It criticised Japan last year for calling the region a part of India and reportedly even went to the extent of lodging an official protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, adding that the move was "not conducive" to developing bilateral relations. This deft interspersing of dandabaazi and diplomatic sleight of hand was again on full display during the just-concluded Brics Summit. While Chinese obstinacy on not letting the names of Pakistan-based terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba be mentioned in the Goa Declaration was on expected lines, more surprising has been Russia's ambivalence on terrorism emanating out of Pakistan. Nobody was surprised by China's umbrage at Modi's 'mothership of terrorism' jibe against Pakistan but India's discomfort was evident at Vladimir Putin's silence on terrorism at the Brics Plenary. Firstpost had argued on Monday why the Brics Summit was actually a huge success for India despite Chinese machinations, but it did rankle Indian negotiators that Russia failed to do its bit in pushing more for Indian concerns while ensuring that the terror outfit with which it engages with finds mention in Goa Declaration. It would be erroneous to attach too much important to Russia's joint military exercise with Pakistan beyond an obvious attempt to provoke India into splurging on defence deals. More instructive would be to look at the Sino-Russian relationship in the wake of Moscow's plummeting ties with Washington. As Indrani Bagchi writes in The Times of India, "As the West has shunned Russia, slapped sanctions on it, Russia has moved East. To China. Chinese students go to Russia, as do Chinese tourists. Russia is now almost completely subservient to China Indians have been alarmed at the depth and quality of the Russia-China relationship. Moscow is sharing military technologies with Beijing that would have been unimaginable earlier." It is not difficult in this context to interpret why Russia was forced to dump its "old friend" from the Cold War era and settle for a more pro-Chinese stance. The lesson for India, therefore, is manifold. A nation's geopolitical influence and its ability to bend the regional curve in line with its strategic interests depends almost entirely on its economic heft. Three decades of robust growth have given China unprecedented hard power and in President Xi Jinping, it has a president willing to wield that power to assert its hegemony, have a say in international relations and in the long run, even challenge the supremacy of the US. India's problem is that it shares China's economic ambition but lags behind woefully on developmental scale, a point Kai Xue also makes in his aforementioned column where he says that "India has withered under mediocre governance and slow-growth socialist economics." India wishes to have peaceful and friendly relationship with its neighbours but must somehow tackle China's burning global ambition and its usage of various of levers (which includes using Pakistan's nuisance value or heavy infrastructural spending aimed at throwing a military-strategic ring around India) to check New Delhi's rise. The extent of China's belligerence under Xi can be gauged by taking a look at the most recent defence white paper, Chinese Military Strategy, published in May 2015. According to Richard A Bitzinger in Policy Forum, "the PLA will continue to de-emphasise land operations, all but abandoning Peoples War (except in name and in terms of political propaganda), particularly in favour of giving new stress and importance to sea- and airpower." What must India do to if not tackle, at least maintain a reasonable equilibrium against such an aggressive power with whom it runs a trade deficit of $52.7 billion? For starters, it must invest in new ties as the prime minister has tried to do with the Bimstec (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) initiative. The new conglomerate of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand and Myanmar may not be a Saarc substitute but provide a vital hedge against Chinese manipulation since many of these nations are themselves victims of China's naked aggression. The investment gave a handy early return to India when it said in the outcome document that terrorists cannot be called "martyrs" which was a direct jab at Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif's attempt to glorify Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani at the UN. Two, India must develop its ties with Japan on a war footing. As The Financial Times noted (subscription required) during Modi's 2014 visit to Japan when he famously gave Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe a bear hug, Modi's decision to make Japan his first "foreign port of call" was "informed by hard-nosed calculations of how India and Japan can work together on undertakings of mutual interest and concern reviving their respective economies, and grappling with Chinese expansionism". Much needs to be done on this front beyond a symbolic hug or a bullet train project. Commerce and industry minister N Sitharaman's urge to Indian industry to make more use of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is important. What must India do to if not tackle, at least maintain a reasonable equilibrium against such an aggressive power with whom it runs a trade deficit of $52.7 billion? India must also get over its distrust of US and understand that for Washington, courtship of India isn't an act of benevolence but a necessity to gain an Asia pivot against China. Towards that end, India must shed its coyness over the crucial Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with US that allows both militaries to work closely and improve logistical cooperation. If that paves the way for future pacts, India must not be defensive. Non-alignment as a foreign policy has expended its usefulness. Of particular importance is Brazil's acquiescence on India's NSG membership. An outcome of a bilateral between Modi and Brazilian president Michel Temer on the sidelines of the Brics Summit, the development has far-reaching consequences. Brazil, as The Times of India points out, was one of the very few countries along with China to refuse a waiver for non-NTP signatory India in the NSG. However, as MEA secretary Preeti Saran noted: "Prime Minister (Modi) conveyed to Brazil India's aspiration for joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and Brazil president conveyed its understanding of India's aspirations and conveyed that he would work with other countries of the NSG in helping India to move towards its membership". This portends well for India. New Delhi cannot match Beijing's economic heft and consequent influence in the medium to short term. But India's action plan must include avoidance of direct confrontation and rhetoric, developing relations with powers not tied to China's apron strings and initiating reforms and growth measures domestically. Pakistan is a great country; it must be. Otherwise it won't occupy our national mindspace the way it does. Our media won't go on and on about it for months, the government won't appear so desperate to raise it in every international forum and elicit a few words against it and our own people won't be at each other's throat over the way to look at the country. If there's a growing feeling that Pakistan is dividing India in ways certain but as yet not well-defined the patriotic Indian versus the unpatriotic Indian is one of the fissures visible it is not unfounded. As our testosterone-fuelled television studio superheroes go about distributing certificates of patriotism to fellow Indians, political and social outfits of little consequence threaten our own thinking and creative people, neighbourhood thugs with or without an ideology discover a cause to harass others and the venomous troll army in the social media vents fury at Indians with a different view, Pakistan has reason to feel happy. It could not have divided India the way the local 'patriots' have. Terrorists pushed through the border cause minor damage; this self-inflicted damage goes much deeper. That the Pakistan obsession in India has taken the psychopathic edge needs no overstating. It's certainly not the way vastly superior country conducts itself with an inferior one we have made Pakistan our equal, as great as us. One is still not sure what the television news is trying to achieve by 'exposing' Pakistan before the Indian viewers repeatedly it must be more than a few thousand times they exposed the nefarious designs of that country on us. Every time Prime Minister Narendra Modi utters a word about Pakistan it is invariably a 'stern message' or a dire 'warning' or an 'attack' and every time a terrorist is killed on the border it's the Pakistani army's that is 'crushed'. Something is utterly silly here. Or we are missing something in the hysteria. The celebration over the 'surgical strikes', where a few terrorists were killed in retaliation for the death of 18 of our soldiers, was, in fact, an ode to our collective immaturity as people. It was made to look and sound as if India had finally won a decisive war against Pakistan. And we still cannot stop raving about it though nothing has changed visibly in the bilateral power equation. Something is terribly wrong with our sense of perspective or it has to be an acute case of low self-esteem. It can be both. Or is there something more, say some ulterior motive? Ever since Pakistan started dominating the television discourse - that was quite long back - almost everything else has gone off the radar. The farmers, the poor, the tribal population, the jobless and all such groups that used to trouble the conscience of the nation have all but vanished from the media. They break into the news space by accident, through tragedies and great losses. It is as if someone wants to keep the country perennially distracted from them and everything uncomfortable by design. It is curious indeed that the media, a huge section of it at least, and the government would think so much alike on important issues. The convergence of minds could be purely coincidental, but the combination of both has the potential to create artificial reality for all of us, something akin to a smokescreen where we come to accept the smoke as the reality, not what it conceals. This is what, historians would say, Nazis managed in Germany. The result was disastrous for the country. Terror and Kashmir are indeed important matters for us, but are they that important that we forget whatever else matters to the country and its people? Our Pakistan obsession has started doing exactly that. When we make that country the single-point agenda of the nation, the very way Pakistan has made India, we run the risk of reducing ourselves to people without dimensions and ideas. India certainly has better things to achieve. We must guard against falling into the psychological trap. On 19 September, Lateef Ahmad Malik, a junior laboratory assistant in sheep husbandry department, woke up during the night to the rumble of vehicles outside his house at Andresh colony, Bemina, in Srinagar city. Consistent pounding on his door left him terrified and soon he heard the yells of police personnel. But when his family opened the door they told a police party that the house didnt belong to Lateef. Police took away his older brother before beating up his family members. Lateef couldnt sleep and when dawn broke he walked up to the police station to inquire the reason for the raid. He was detained by police for five days and taken to an interrogation Centre and asked whether he knew any of the Hurriyat leaders. "The police started questioning and told me why I evaded them during the night. I told the personnel that I was terrified; I asked them why was I required for questioning. I am a government employee and had not done anything. I was detained for five days and there was no FIR registered against me. I was mentally tortured, he said. Following the police raid the health condition of Lateefs mother, who has undergone a stroke, deteriorated. She remains hospitalised since then and his sister-in-law was injured in the shelling that police resorted to during the raid. "It was harassment, police fired shells which landed in our house. We cried asking for help but the neighbours were also terrified due to the shelling. When police had left our neighbours came and asked us that we would make an announcement in the mosque, but I told them there was no need. There were around 20-30 vehicles which stopped outside our house and I still dont know what was my crime, he said. Lateef is not the only one who has faced detention by police. There are over 300 government employees including the senior rank gazetted officials who are facing police cases for either taking part in the stone pelting incidents or lading the anti-India protests and having incited a mob. A top police official said that "predominately the employees are from education department." "In many cases the employees were found to be organising the protests and leading anti-India processions. Many of the employees are facing departmental inquires, many others have been suspended, he said. The police have booked the employees for being a "threat to the peace of the state", but employees said that the charges have been fabricated against them. According to officials police have registered cases charging employees of disturbing the peace. Legal expert and general secretary of the High Court Bar Association, Basheer Sidique, said that the police was misusing the provisions of the law to arrest the government employees and the local people. "Under 107 CrPC a person is being detained for an apprehension of breach of peace. A person can furnish a bond to the Teshildar that he willnt indulge in any unlawful activity for 6 months. The police have to issue a notice to an accused and seek an undertaking, but the procedure is not followed," he said. Vice President of the Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC), Wajahat Durrani, said that a number of employees have been booked even as they had no role in the current unrest. `` Many people have been arrested in false cases. There are over 300 employees who are facing cases including the gazetted cadre employees. Of them nearly 100 have been suspended by the government. The government has implicated the employees on frivolous charges, he said. The employees have been largely booked in Southern part of Kashmir and in frontier district of Kupwara. Deputy Inspector General of Police, North Kashmir range, Uttam Chand, said that the police have valid evidence against the people including the employees for their involvement in the "incidents of stone pelting due to which the cases have been registered against them. "They have been found involved in serious anti-national activities," he said. Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan, said that "we are examining the cases of the employees involved in the incidents of stone pelting. He however said that only an appropriate legal action is taken against them as warranted under the law. New Delhi: The Supreme Court today retained its direction to Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu till further orders and asked the two governments to ensure peace and harmony, saying citizens should not become law unto themselves. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, which commenced the crucial hearing on various issues arising out of the dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over sharing of Cauvery waters, said it first intended to adjudicate the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by both the states and Kerala against the tribunal's 2013 award. "We intend to first adjudicate the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. At this juncture, the interim order dated 4 October directing Karnataka to release 2000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu will continue till further orders," the bench also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and AM Khanwilkar said. The bench said, "Morality of respect for both the states, among people of both the states and properties, should be maintained." The court also noted the submission of Karnataka that it has complied with the earlier order of releasing 2,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu said they were in dire need of water, which was even supported by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi. During the hearing, Rohatgi submitted that the apex court-appointed Supervisory Committee, formed to inspect Cauvery basin to assess the ground realities in the region, has submitted its report. The bench said it would first go into the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry against the award of the tribunal and then hear the arguments on the report filed by the committee. The Attorney General said the appeals filed by the states were not maintainable as per article 131 and 262 of the Constitution and the provisions of Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956. He said as per the constitutional provisions, a decree passed by a tribunal will be like a decree of Supreme Court which cannot hear the appeals against its own order. Senior advocate and noted jurist Fali S Nariman, appearing for Karnataka, said the appeals are maintainable as Supreme Court can only adjudicate the disputes between two states. The hearing remained inconclusive and will continue on Wednesday when Tamil Nadu will advance its arguments on maintainability of appeals. The apex court-appointed panel had yesterday in its finding suggested doing away with "outdated and unscientific water application techniques" to resolve the wrangle, saying both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were facing water shortage which created unemployment and financial hardship for the people. It had said the neighbouring riparian states needed to appreciate the interest of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to protect their established irrigation and Karnataka's aspirations for development and educate their people accordingly. The panel in its 40-page report has noted that farmers in both states were in severe distress and adequate crop compensation must be provided to them. The Supreme Court had on 4 October directed Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs Cauvery water every day to Tamil Nadu from 7 to 18 October and deferred its earlier order asking the Centre to set up Cauvery Water Management Board (CWMB) till it finally decided on appeals relating to the age-old water dispute. The apex court had agreed to the suggestion that a Supervisory Committee, comprising officials and technical experts from the Centre, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry, be set up to inspect Cauvery basin for assessing ground realities. On 30 September, SC had directed Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs water from 1-6 October, warning it that no one would know when the "wrath of the law" would fall on it. The apex court had also directed the Centre to establish the CWMB, saying once it was constituted, its team would visit the sites to take a prima facie view of the ground reality and submit a report. On 1 October, Karnataka had moved a review petition in the apex court against its three orders on Cauvery water release to Tamil Nadu and direction to the Centre to create the CWMB. In its review petition, Karnataka said "grave miscarriage of justice" has been caused to it pursuant to the three apex court orders of 20, 27 and 30 September, by which it was directed to release 6000 cusecs of water till 6 October and the Centre was to constitute the Board by 4 October. Chennai: Mass rail blockades by opposition parties and farmers continued for the second day on Tuesday at various places across the state over the Cauvery issue, with police detaining Tamil Maanila Congress leader GK Vasan and about 300 farmers for staging protests. Leading an agitation at the Egmore Railway station in Chennai, MDMK General Secretary Vaiko and VCK Chief Thol Thirumavalavan, along with several workers including those from the Left parties, blocked an express train. The two senior leaders climbed onto the railing of the train's engine and shouted slogans condemning the stance of the Centre against the constitution of Cauvery Management Board. Protests were held at the Central railway station in Chennai, by Naam Tamizhar Katchi leader Seeman along with his supporters, who were later taken away by the police. Similar protests witnessed huge participation of people in the Cauvery Delta region of the state including Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts. Scores of farmers and members of political parties were arrested at different places for attempting to block rail traffic. Vasan was detained along with hundreds of his party workers in Thanjavur for staging a protest. While in Tiruchirappalli district, about 300 farmers were apprehended for blocking the Vaigai Express bound for Chennai, at Pullampadi station. A heavy posse of police personnel had been deployed at railway stations including Madurai, to prevent any untoward incidents. In Madurai, police outnumbered the agitators and security barricades were erected to prevent agitators from entering the station. The Supreme Court-appointed high-level technical team, formed to inspect the Cauvery basin to assess the ground realities in both the states, had on Monday submitted its report to the Court. The report had suggested doing away with "outdated and unscientific water application techniques" to resolve the wrangle, saying both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were facing water shortage, creating unemployment and financial hardship for the people. The committee's report will come up for perusal during the hearing on the Cauvery dispute in the Apex Court on Tuesday. Chief Information Commissioner of Maharashtra and former chief secretary of state Ratnakar Gaikwad on Monday asked authorities to ensure a thorough probe into the murder of RTI activist Bhupendra Vira and make public the information sought by him. He gave the direction after former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi filed a complaint under the RTI Act. According to Mumbai Mirror, RTI activist Shailesh Gandhi wrote to Gaikwad for the immediate release of all pending RTI applications filed by Vira and to give police security to Vira's family along with a speedy investigation into his murder. "The incident is despicable and I request the commission to treat this as a complaint under Section 18 (Powers and functions of Information Commission) of RTI Act. This continued violence against activists must be brought to an end," he wrote. In his order, Gaikwad asked the chief secretary, additional chief secretary (home) and police commissioner to carry out a thorough probe into the incident. He directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to upload on its website information sought by Vira through applications pending with its Public Information Officers (PIOs). "The Municipal Commissioner shall review all pending applications filed with various PIOs in BMC by Bhupendra Vira during the last one year and ensure information sought is put on the BMC website before 31 October, 2016 without fail," Gaikwad said. The Additional Chief Secretary (General Administration Department) shall review pending RTI applications filed by Vira during the last one year with various public authorities other than BMC and make sure information sought is put on the government websites concerned before 31 October. The 72-year-old campaigner, who had taken on land mafia and encroachers, had filed applications with BMC and Slum Rehabilitation Authority and Lokayutka, among others. Vira is survived by a daughter and two sons. He was shot dead on Saturday night at his residence in Mumbai's Santacruz. Former corporator Razzaq Khan and his son were arrested in connection with the murder, which police suspect, is a fallout of a land dispute. Mid-day reported that Bhupendra Vira worked to put out 100 notices and demolition orders against illegal structures, mainly belonging to the accused. There were past records of the long-standing dispute between Vira and Khan. The activist had also complained of danger to his life to the police. "The assailant entered Vira's residence around 9 PM yesterday (15 October), put a gun to his temple and fired. The activist died on the spot," a police officer attached with Vakola police station said. Social activist and former AAP leader Anjali Damania, who had worked with Vira, demanded immediate arrest of the accused. She said Vira was attached to 'Voice of Kalina', an advanced locality management (ALM) body and a citizen's group. Describing him as committed social worker, Damania said, "Vira along with other members of the ALM were fighting against encroachments, illegal structures and land mafia in and around Kalina by filing RTIs." According to her, several activists had received threats and many of them, including Vira, had filed several complaints at Vakola Police Station in this regard. According to The Hindu, Razzaq Khan and his son, Amjad were produced in court on Monday and placed in police custody till 24 October. They are being interrogated about the identity of the assassin and the source of the firearm and other such details. According to The Indian Express, local politicians said that Vira was a BJP member and used to attend party meetings. According to Yeshpal Kanchan, a former Mumbai BJP leader, the deceased was not an RTI activist and was only filing applications against Khan's illegal properties when his gala shop was seized about six years ago. A settlement was being reached in a series of meetings at the local corporator's office and the BJP office but could not be concluded because of a disagreement over the "sum demanded to peacefully settle the issue". This was reiterated by the local Congress corporator Brian Miranda, who added that a personal grudge and money was involved in between Vira and Khan. In another report by Mid-day, Clarence Pinto from Voice of Kalina said that there is a lot of pressure on activists to stop questioning the system. With inputs from agencies The Indian government should immediately shut down the National Defence Academy. Henceforth, all our soldiers should be sent to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh shakhas for training. If Defence Minister Manohar Prabhu Parrikar is to be believed, nothing prepares you better to dealing with India's enemy than a few years at a neighbourhood shakha. Forget the backbreaking drills and sophisticated training at Khadakwasla for our soldiers. India, if Parrikar is right, would be in safer hands with our soldiers trotting up to the nearest ground in their knee-length kachchas coffee brown trousers, a danda in hand, topi on head and a pot-bellied shakha babu as their instructor and preacher. Also, it would cost next to nothing. Parrikar has been delirious with joy since the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes along the LoC. Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his cabinet colleagues to avoid chest-thumping and politics on the sensitive issue, Parrikar has been rolling on the floor with joy and self-praise. First, he boasted that like Hanuman, the army learnt about its capabilities to strike the enemy only under his command, as if he had personally imparted special combat and psychological training to our soldiers in his trademark chappals and loosely-hanging bush-shirts. Then he got himself felicitated at a function in Uttar Pradesh for the army's achievement and boasted about his tedha (crooked) credentials as a warning to the enemy. On Monday, carrying on with his surgical tripe, he gave credit for the army offensive to his alma mater, the RSS. Speaking at a Know Your Army event in Gujarat, Parrikar said, I wonder that a prime minister from land of Mahatma Gandhi and a defence minister from Goa and surgical strikes maybe the RSS teachings was there, but this was very different kind of a combination. For a moment, let's accept Parrikar's argument that this two RSS men in the driving seat is a different kind of "combination", or something that, like Halley's Comet that comes along once in several decades. So, what does Parrikar have to say about the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-LK Advani combo that was in power when a) terrorists struck at the Indian Parliament, b) massacred Indians at Kaluchak and c) hijacked an Indian plane to Kandahar? Both Vajpayee and Advani were dyed-in-khaki Sanghis, the doyens of its first post-Independence generation leaders. By every conceivable parameter, they were more Sanghi than Parrikar. So, why did they respond differently to these crises? Did the so-called RSS training not force them to strike back, instead of not only preferring restraint but also sending the then foreign minister to escort terrorists released in exchange for the hijacked plane's passengers? Did the famed RSS blood did not boil then? Does Parrikar has a different variety of khaki blood singing in his veins? Were Advani-Vajpayee mudbloods compared to wizard Parrikar? That brings us to RSS drills. Presuming that he is fond of reading anything other than Amar Chitra Katha volumes on the Miracles of Bal Hanuman, Parrikar should find some time to peruse the Sangh's history. Even a cursory reading would tell him its shakhas were modelled on Benito Mussolini's philosophy of indoctrinating youth at an early age. Their structure, as AG Noorani pointed out in the Frontline, was similar to some Fascist organisations that recruited boys from the age of six, up to 18: The youths had to attend weekly meetings, where they practiced physical exercises, received paramilitary training and performed drills and parades. If India's defence minister believes indoctrinating youth and teaching them to wield lathis is adequate physical and mental training against rival armies, he needs to revisit the fate of the original proponents of this doomed philosophy. Interestingly, as the Jeevan Lal Kapoor report on the murder of Mahatma Gandhi points out, soon after Independence there were rumours that the Sangh was raising a private army to lead a coup against the Congress government. Private armies, the Kapoor Commission was told, were assembled in Alwar, Gwalior and a few other princely states. Unfortunately for the RSS, all its rumoured training came to nothing and the Congress went on to rule India for several decades, destroying its dream of a rashtra ruled by Hindus. It is quite likely that Parrikar is not aware of the history of "RSS training" and the fruit it bore in the past. Or, maybe he is under obligation to give credit to the organisation to which he owes his existence at the cost of the Indian Army. None of it, unfortunately, behoves a man in his position. Several Indian governments have dealt with the Pakistan question in the past. Some, like Vajpayee's, decided to exercise restraint in spite of grave provocation. Some, like Manmohan Singh's, practised a combination of restraint and covert strikes. Parrikar has been different only because of his attempt to usurp the army's credit for political gains. If that is the result of RSS training, Parrikar may have made a valid point. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded the Indian armed forces for their valour and successfully carrying out the surgical strike at Pakistani terrorist bases in PoK. The prime minister was speaking at a rally in Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh, where he inaugurated three state-run mega hydro power during his day-long maiden visit to the state. Evoking the memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi also sought to strike a chord with the crowd amassed for his maiden rally in the state. "Atal ji hamesha maante thhe, ki agar unka koi dusra ghar hai to wo Himachal hai (Atal ji always considered Himachal his second home)," Modi said adding that Himachal Pradesh is not only the "devbhoomi (God's land)" but also "veerbhoomi (The land of the brave)". Modi also said that Himachal is the land of the brave because every second family in Himachal has given at least one personnel to the country. Lauding the armed forces, the prime minister said that earlier we used to hear about similar feats of Israel. But now everyone knows Indian Army is no less. "Israel used to do it earlier; now Indian Army has shown it is no less capable" Modi said in the backdrop of surgical strike. Modi also brought up the One rank One Pension Scheme that recently got the government's nod, and praised his government for finally implementing what has been "stuck for the last 40 years." While others made promises, we gave you your right," the PM said. Recalling one of his rallies in Himachal at the time of 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi said that at that time he had promised OROP but today, his government has been successful in giving the ex-servicemen their rights. He also blamed the previous governments for making shallow promises on the issue of OROP, stating that they merely allocated inadequate funds for the implementation of the scheme without assessing the state of government coffers. Modi also took a dig at the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister without taking any names. Recalling past BJP governments and chief ministers he said, "Shanta Kumar ji is remembered as that 'paani wala chief minister', Dhumal ji is remembered as the 'grameen sadak wale chief minister'. And we all know about this chief minister and how he will be remembered." This was Modi's maiden visit to the hill state after becoming prime minister. "Aaj chhoti Kaashi mei sar jhukaane ka avsar mila hai. Mai soch raha thaa aap logh naraaz honge ki maine yaha aane me itna samay liya (Today I got the opportunity to bow my head at 'chhoti kaashi' but I thought you will be angry at me for taking so long in coming here)," he said at the rally. During his day-long visit, Modi will inaugurate NTPC's 800MW Koldam Hydro Project in Bilaspur district, NHPC's 540MW Parbati Stage-III project in Kullu district and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd's 412MW Rampur project in Shimla district. The Prime Minister is also likely to address another rally in Nahan town in Sirmaur district, adjoining Uttarakhand. Union health minister JP Nadda and the party's national president Amit Shah are accompanying Modi. The foundation stone of NTPC's Koldam hydro project was laid on June 5, 2000, by then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "Modi has expressed extra concern for this hill state by announcing so many incentives, including re-granting special category status. But the state (Congress) government has failed to derive full benefits of the central projects," BJP leader and twice chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal told IANS. With inputs from IANS While a heated debate on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has gained momentum in the national media, the Law Commission of India has sought public views in its recently issued questionnaire on triple talaq. The objective of this questionnaire, as the Law Commission claims, is to engage all the concerned with the 'comprehensive exercise of the revision and reform of family laws'. The law commission also states that the questionnaire is aimed at addressing 'social injustice' rather than striking the 'plurality of laws'. The questionnaire, in its initial paragraph, states: "The objective behind the endeavour is to address discrimination against vulnerable groups and harmonise the various cultural practices" and that the "norms of no one class, group or community will dominate the tone and tenor of family law reforms". Along with various controversial religious laws and customary practices, the triple talaq in this questionnaire is most pertinent to Indian Muslims both males and females. The question is: whether triple talaq should be abolished altogether, retained only in customs without legal sanctity, or retained with suitable amendments. Regardless of the question whether the personal laws need an overhaul or codification, or should the practice of triple talaq be abolished or rethought, the All India Muslim Law Board (AIMPLB) has outright rejected the complete questionnaire. It does not even allow the common Muslims to think over the basic question whether a uniform civil code should be made compulsory or optional. The AIMPLB, which has been dominated by the males, has directed its women wing also not to engage with the Law Commissions questionnaire. Instead, it has issued its own pro forma strictly conforming to its norms and doctrines, which is being widely distributed in mosques and religious gatherings. Ironically, there are two separate forms for both men and women. They are being asked to sign and submit the forms which unconditionally endorse the AIMPLB and its obstinate stands. Thus, the AIMPLB is trying to prevent the Muslim community from helping the Law Commission in its democratic procedure of the enactment of the law. At the same time, it is also hampering the Muslim minds from engaging in creating a reconsideration or debate on the pertinent issues. Recently in a mosque at Haji Colony in Okhla, I came across the same pro forma of the AIMPLB meant for the Muslim males. It tends to be perfunctorily signed by the Muslim men as a formality to prevent them from rethinking their stand on the controversial issue. Slamming the 16 questions mentioned in the Law Commissions questionnaire, the AIMPLB has predetermined three proclamations in particular: We, the signatories, do hereby declare that we are fully satisfied with the commands of Islamic shariah particularly Nikha inheritance, Divorce, Khula and Faskh (dissolution of Marriage) We deny that these need any reform or there is any scope for change in them. We fully support All India Muslim Personal Law Board and firmly stand with it in its endeavours to protect the Sharia Law. One wonders why the AIMPLB has castigated the Law Commission when it has sought the opinion from the entire socio-religious spectrum on the "revision and reform of family laws". Isnt it the democratic process meant to seek the pulse of the mainstream Muslims on the personal laws? Clearly, it is a political ploy of the AIMPLB to maintain its monopoly over the Muslim affairs in India. Regrettably, it has shrewdly grabbed the support of the two diametrically-opposed Muslim sects the Barelvis and the Ahl-e-Hadisis or Salafi sect of Muslims in India. It should be noted that Salafis have nothing to do with the issue of triple talaq, as the matter relates to the Hanafi jurisprudence (Fiqh-e-Hanafi), one of the four schools of law in Islam. Hanafi jurisprudence has the largest number of followers among Sunni Muslims in the Indian subcontinent. However, while the Barelvis and Deobandis the overwhelming majority of Indian Muslims follow the Hanafi jurisprudence, Salafis adhere to none of the Islamic schools of law. Therefore, they basically dont practice the triple talaq. But surprisingly enough, even the Salafis are lashing out at the law commission's question whether the triple talaq should be abolished or retained. Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi, the leader of the Indian Salafis, in a rare interview, told The Indian Express: "We oppose the idea of triple talaq. This is not in keeping with the Quran and hadees (practice/sayings connected with the Prophet)." But at the same time, very interestingly, Maulana Asghar Ali is also seen in the forefront in the agitation boycotting the Law Commissions questionnaire. He states that "the Centre and the courts should not interfere in personal matters of religion." Thus, in an organised way, the commissions questionnaire is painted as an infringement on personal laws and rights of the Muslim minority. According to the website officially run by the Jamat-e-Islami Hind, indiatomorrow.net, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board along with all prominent Muslim organisations like Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Muslim Majlise- Mushawarat, Milli Council, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees along with other schools of thought like Deoband, Barelvi, Ahle Hadith reject the questionnaire prepared by the Law Commission. Perhaps, the apex body of Sufi Muslims in India, All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB) is the only outfit of the Sunni Muslims which has taken the questionnaire in a good spirit. Speaking to Firstpost, the founder-president of AIUMB, Maulana Syed Muhammad Ashraf Kichchawchchvi expressed an entirely different opinion on the questionnaire. He said, The AIUMB did not reject the law commissions questionnaire, but rather, it has got it translated into Urdu and Hindi for its wider distribution among the Sufi Muslims attached to various wings of the board across the country Remarkably, Kichchawchchvi opines that the calls for the ban on the uniform civil code are pointless because the UCC is already well-established in the multifaith and multicultural Indian society except for a few customary practices like marriage, divorce, and inheritance. However, he averred that the AIUMB will put up to the government the consensus of the mainstream Indian Muslims adhering to the Hanafi jurisprudence. In this backdrop, the AIUMB is planning a national seminar on triple talaq which will gather the leading muftis and experts on Islamic law and Hanafi jurisprudence. It will be quite interesting to know the forthcoming consensus of the Indian ulema and muftis on the triple talaq, which is basically an issue raised by the Muslim women in India, rather than the government. It will also be an opportune time to debate many other personal laws and customary practices like Halala which are prone to misuse. At this juncture, the Indian ulema should also consult with the progressive Islamic scholars in Muslim countries, including Pakistan, which has rethought the complete concept of triple talaq. Needless to say, any attempt to imitate what the AIMPLB is doing in its agitation against triple talaq does not augur well. The author is a scholar of Comparative Religion, Classical Arabic and Islamic sciences, cultural analyst and researcher in Media and Communication Studies. Views are personal. Write to him at grdehlavi@gmail.com Prime Minister Narendra Modi isnt just a man of words. He backs up his arguments with pictures and videos presented in dramatically changing slides to the tune of arousing background scores; he creates a sensory experience when he talks about development, about possibility, about the handful of positives that India has and the strength in them to battle thousands of negatives it hasnt been able to. To a mind fatigued in the relentless desire of public and personal good, Modi is magically cathartic. Two and a half years after it was bulldozed by the NDAs promises and plans, the Congress is now digging up the virtues of Indira Gandhi's regime to arm the Grand Old Partys year-long campaign celebrating the former PMs birth centenary. The campaign is scheduled to take off on 19 November, 2016 in New Delhi. The special session of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) will conclude the celebrations, exactly a year later. The wonders of Indiras charisma will be splashed all over social media with documentaries, short films and music videos eulogising her charm. On 15 October, the Congress general secretary, Janardan Dwivedi, informed all the state presidents about the final programme as approved by the Central Committee comprising senior party leaders. The Central Committee has prepared a booklet in Hindi and English on the struggle and achievements of Indira Ji which will be sent to you immediately after publication. You are expected to get them translated in the language of your state and re-publish as per requirement at the state level, Dwivedi wrote in his letter that has been reproduced below. Sonia Gandhi, on 23 June, had formed two committees to plan events around the centenary. The first panel, a 21-member Indira Gandhi Birth Centenary Celebrations Committee was headed by Sonia and featured former PM Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi, AK Antony, Karan Singh, Madhav Singh Solanki, Shivraj Patil, Sushilkumar Shinde, Sheila Dikshit, P Chidambaram, Anand Sharma and Kumari Selja among others. The second committee had Dikshit as Convenor, Anand Sharma and Mani Shankar Aiyar as co-convenors and comprised Motilal Vora, Janardan Dwivedi, Ajay Maken, Asha Kumari, Milind Deora and Priya Dutt as members. The programme details reviewed by Firstpost suggest that Congress plans to organise the Indira Gandhi Centenary Memorial Lectures in at least 20-25 important cities and plans to hold seminars at Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru and two other venues. Besides, the party, looking for an iconic face with positive influence over people ahead of next years Assembly polls, is set to organise block level year-long programmes in an attempt to neutralise BJPs constant attack. The Congress will not only launch music videos, but will also utilise virtual reality formats like 3D technology and voice call radio. As per Dwivedis letter, all four frontal organisations have prepared their own programme separately and have got them approved by the central committee. He added that the Indian Youth Congress will hold conventions on 'Maa Tujhe Salaam', invoking the idea of an overarching maternal instinct thats common to India and Indira. Whether the party is able to convert this image into votes will be tested first up in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls due early next year. The party, led by Rahul Gandhi, with poll strategist Prashant Kishor and its chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit, will be pitted against the buoyant BJP and two strong regional parties the ruling Samajwadi Party and the main opposition Bahujan Samaj Party in the high-stakes battle. And, in case the Rahul-Sheila dispensation fails, given that the party recently sank in West Bengal besides getting dethroned in Assam and Kerala, the muted clash of civilisation between old and new guards may trigger a new order in the party by next years special AICC session, that is to be held in Indiras shadow. As per Dwivedis letter, the Mahila Congress is to organise national, state, district and block conventions. Apart from this, health camps will be held at the block level, gender sensitisation camps will be set up along with the National Students' Union of India (NSUI); self-defence training camps will be conducted and Swayam Siddha Priyadarshini Awards will be presented; and seminars will be conducted along with nukkad nataks and elocution competitions. The Seva Dal will conduct a National Convention in Delhi on 17 February, 2017, and five zonal conventions in Guwahati, Shimla, Bengaluru, Bhopal/Jabalpur and Ahmedabad. It will also organise state and district level conventions, prabhat pheries, dhwaj bandanas, shramdaans, tree plantations and sevakaryas in hospitals at the block levels. The programme, designed and approved by the Central leadership of the party, is an effort to reach out to the already shrunk local cadres. For Rahul, the 2017 challenge is two-fold: To ensure a good performance in the UP and Punjab Assembly polls and to set a template of Congress politics that matches up to the pace of the high hopes generated by his grandmother in 1980. However, amid reports that former UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi is likely to join BJP, the side-lined leaders move just ahead of polls may cast a cloud on the year-long celebrations. What the party thought it had lost has found its way back into its workings. To what extent can the passions of the past determine the perceptions of today, is yet to be seen. Here are the letters: Manipuri human rights activist Irom Sharmila on Tuesday launched a new political front to take forward her battle to get Afspa (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) repealed from the state. Her political front will be called Peoples Resurgence Justice Alliance, which she formally launched at a press meet in Imphal, according to ANI. Sharmila who ended her 16-year-old hunger strike in August this year, had vowed to press on with her fight by entering politics. She had expressed her desire to become the chief minister of the state to pursue her battle. "I'll never forget this moment... I want to be the Chief Minister of Manipur to take positive steps," Sharmila had said after breaking her fast. "I know nothing about politics. My education is very, very low...But I will use everything I have for the society," an emotional Sharmila added. However, there was widespread discontent amid Manipuris as Sharmila decided to break her fast. From being revered as a shining icon of unbending will, the 44-year-old activist was suddenly transformed into an object of furious disapproval, writes Shuma Raha for Firstpost. The article further states that after being released on bail, Sharmila had to strufggle to look for a home to stay. She was denied entry twice into a colony in Imphal, where she wanted to live. Even an Iskcon temple denied her the permission to stay. The Iron Lady however stood by her decision. An emotional Sharmila had said that she will still try to become a CM to push her demands, even if her own people did not support her. "People have reacted negatively to my decision to enter politics. But this is my decision," she said. Stressing on the point that she was not afraid of the consequences of her actions, Sharmila said, "Let them kill me the way they killed Mahatma Gandhi." Sharmila's 16-year-long battle clearly had won her inetrnational recognition and widespread support from the Manipuris, but her decision to deny (or later accept) food had multiple dimensions which went beyond her fasting. The toughest one was not to go home and meet her 84-year-old mother Shakhi Devi till achieving her goal of getting Afspa revoked. Sharmila has not visited her house at Kongpal Kongkham Leikai, on the edge of Imphal city, even once all these years. But despite breaking her fast she has decided that she will only meet her once she has succeded in her aim to get Afspa repealed from Manipur. "I will see my mother only after I achieve my goal of repealing Afspa," she said. With all major political parties extending support to Sharmila after she expressed her desire to join mainstream politics, the Iron lady had made it clear that she will form a new front to do justice to her battle. However, Sharmila had earlier in September met with AAP convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal giving rise to speculations about her next move. She met Kejriwal on 26 September and sought his advice on how to defeat "major political parties" in her state while Kejriwal assured her of all possible support for fighting the election, according to PTI. She also sought to know how Kejriwal managed the feat of handing out a crushing defeat to traditional political players with his newly floated political front. Sharmila had also expressed her desire to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi expecting "good advice" from him. Sharmila, who is often referred to as the Iron lady of India had been forced fed through a nasal tube for all these years, as she decided to go on a hunger strike against the army law that she said led to atrocities in her northeastern state. Sharmila, in tears, broke her fast in front of reporters by dripping honey into her mouth on 9 August, 2016. She said she would continue to fight a law that gives security forces wide powers to search, enter property and shoot on sight in parts of remote Manipur state. She launched her hunger strike in 2000 after security forces killed 10 people near her home following a rebel attack on a military convoy. Her long protest won her worldwide recognition and the rights group Amnesty International described her as a prisoner of conscience. Manipur, a state with a population of 2.5 million, has struggled for decades with an insurgency even as other northeastern states have become more stable. Last year, 20 soldiers were killed in an attack there. Queen of the Tribe, Noble Warrior and other Native costumes are back on store shelves at Spirit Halloween Headquarters following a mandate from its corporate office, according to a local store manager. Last week, Kim Peters pulled dozens of Native-themed costumes, headdresses, tomahawks and beads from her Spirit Halloween stores in Lincoln, Grand Island and Papillion after receiving complaints from the Native community that the costumes were offensive and mocked the culture. Her quick actions drew praise among local Native Americans and shoppers. But almost as quickly as Peters responded, so did Spirit Halloween and Spencer Gifts corporate offices in New Jersey. The president of Spirit called my boss and you know how things roll downhill , said Peters, who has operated the Lincoln store for 10 years. I fought and I tried, she said of her efforts to permanently remove the Native costumes. Not only did she have to put the merchandise back on the shelves, she had to take photographs to send to corporate to prove she had followed their demands, Peters said. The corporate office did allow her to pull the Reservation Royalty costume featuring a short and low-cut fringed faux leather dress and tall boots. But pretty much everything else is back, Peters said. Im sorry this whole incident had to happen. Its only 40 or 50 costumes. It's not a big deal to take them off the shelf, Peters said. Im considering putting in my resignation at the end of the year. Leo Yankton, host of KZUM-FMs The Drum and Native Sounds, Native Voices, voiced dismay at the turn of events. We need to address and expose the corporate leaders who are desensitized and are more worried about making money than the dignity of a cultural base in America. Its a sad trend in America that money is more important than humanity, Yankton said. Spirit Halloween and Spencer Gifts are not the only Halloween stores offering Native costumes. Party America has several Native-themed costumes -- mostly for adults. Colin Costello, shift manager of Lincolns Party America store, said he was unaware of any complaints regarding the costumes. Target, which pulled a clown mask it deemed inappropriate last week in light of scary clown incidents across the country, offers two Native-themed costumes for adults on its online site. A spokesperson with Targets corporate office in Minneapolis said they haven't received any complaints but would look into the issue. Wal-Mart had multiple Native-themed costumes for both children and adults at walmart.com. In this day and age, Americans should not be comfortable purchasing costumes that mock another culture, Yankton said. These costumes do not honor our culture, Yankton said. And unlike Renaissance, Viking, pilgrim, old western cowboy and saloon girl costumes, which depict times of the past, the Native costumes mimic a culture that is still very much alive, Yankton said. The fact that some stores are willing to pull scary clown costumes, but will still sell Native costumes, just exposes the truth," Yankton said. There is a disconnect in America between Native and mainstream, a sad disconnect that has been there since the beginning of colonization in this country, Yankton said. It is not as important to honor us as it is to be sensitive to a scare that is going around in America. Costumes like Princess Little Deer, Chief Long Arrow and Pocahottie -- all costumes sold through Party America -- are no less offensive than black-face or a costume depicting a Holocaust victim, he said. A lot of people think this is a superficial cause. But it is part of an underlying trend that needs to change in order for larger, more important issues for us to be taken seriously, Yankton said. In a month from now, the AIADMK will be on test. It will face by-elections to three constituencies Aravakurichi in Karur district, Thanjavur and Thiruparankundram in Madurai district on 19 November. This when its supremo, Jayalalithaa is in hospital and unlikely to be in a position to campaign for the party candidates. Aravakurichi and Thanjavur were a blot on electoral democracy in India. The two constituencies witnessed such a blatant attempt to vitiate the electoral process that the Election commission in a first, cancelled elections over bribing of voters. The by-poll in Thiruparankundram is taking place because the newly-elected AIADMK MLA SM Seenival died on 25 May, just six days after he won the election. The local body polls on 17 and 19 October were to be the political test for both the AIADMK and DMK. It worked to the advantage of both parties that the Madras High court stayed the election process. The ruling party was crippled by a leadership crisis. With its top two decision makers Jayalalithaa in hospital and Sasikala looking after her the AIADMK did not look like a cohesive fighting unit. Particularly when such elections witness quite a bit of local level intra-party rivalry and sabotage, that needs astute micromanagement. The DMK was not sure how the sympathy factor for Jayalalithaa would play out at the panchayat and ward-level. Usually, hyper local issues carry the day but with Jayalalithaa in hospital, the DMK could not read the mind of the voter. The three by-elections will be important in more ways than one. For the AIADMK, it is an opportunity to show that the party can stand on its feet even when Amma is not active on the battlefield. It will also test the second line of leadership that is otherwise dormant in the party. The party can be expected to seek votes in the name of an ailing Jayalalithaa and it may also garner significant sympathy vote. It is still early days for the AIADMK government and there isn't any perceptible anti-incumbency in the air. With Jayalalithaa not in a position to decide on strategy, who calls the shots will be significant. Sasikala, her trusted aide is the de facto number two in the AIADMK, even though she does not hold any position in the party. With several caste-based factions emerging within the ruling party since the time Jayalalithaa was admitted to hospital, the three bypolls will also test the ability of different warring groups to stick together to ensure the AIADMK candidates win. The DMK faces a dilemma as well. It will be difficult to attack Jayalalithaa or her leadership directly as that may turn the public mood against it. At best, DMK can tap the resentment among farmers over Tamil Nadu's inability to compel Karnataka to release sufficient Cauvery water. That is expected to be a key election issue in the three constituencies. For DMK to give the AIADMK a tough fight, a lot will depend on how united the opposition is in the three constituencies. One of the reasons for Jayalalithaa returning to power in May was the divided opposition, with the Third Front led by Vijaykanth taking away a chunk of the votes. Parties like the PMK, DMDK, MDMK, VCK, BJP came a cropper but took away vote share that the DMK-Congress would have fancied coming into its kitty. Would Vijaykanth, Ramadoss and Vaiko act differently this time is the crucial question? In all probability, the DMK would contest all three seats. More so, since Rahul Gandhi's visit to enquire about Jayalalithaa's health led to speculation that the Congress Tamil Nadu is looking to do business with the AIADMK. The DMK was not amused with the flying visit by the Congress vice president. Along with all these political parties, the Election Commission too will be on test. During the election period, Aravakurichi saw seizure of Rs 7.12 crore in cash, 429 litres of liquor and 33 kg of silver worth Rs 9 lakh. Thanjavur saw Rs 75 lakh in cash and 2145 litres of liquor being confiscated. This is not to count the one lakh dhotis and sarees distributed by both the Dravidian parties. There were indirect ways of inducing the voter too. According to the EC, the AIADMK candidates had gifted between Rs 5 lakh and 50 lakh to villages and residential localities to renovate temples. Tokens were given to families to purchase Home appliances after the May 16 election. In fact, in April in the run-up to the elections, the Karur SP raided the premises of CP Anbunathan, a businessman and recovered Rs 4.8 crore and 12 currency counting machines. The police also seized a van that had been done up to look like an ambulance with a Government of India sticker on its front windshield. The intention clearly was to use the fake ambulance to transport the cash. What is significant is that Anbunathan is known to be extremely close to some powerful politicians in Tamil Nadu. One of the netas still wields significant clout. It will be a challenge for the EC to ensure the same people do not showcase the same kind of obscenity of money power in the next four weeks. The episode was a watershed for Indian democracy because the EC showed spine in standing up to the office of the Governor of Tamil Nadu who took the unprecedented step of writing to EC to conduct the bypoll immediately. Then Governor K Rosaiah's reasoning was that if elections are held, the two MLAs too can vote in the Rajya Sabha polls in June. The EC refused. The AIADMK would hope that by the time people come out to vote, Jayalalithaa is in better health so that the opposition charge of a directionless government does not hold water. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised a full-throated religious cry and chanted Jai Sri Ram at the Aishbag Ramleela ground in Lucknow last week, probably a first by any prime minister so far, opposition cried foul and said that Modi tried to hijack a religious event to serve his party's "political ends". "The BJP should not use the religious occasion for furthering its political motives...his trip to Lucknow for Dusherra seems a bit illogical," Samajwadi Party spokesman Ashok Bajpai was quoted as saying by PTI last week. Modi's mention of Ram on Dussehra was a shot in the arm for all the party workers, including Sangh workers, who have been waiting for the construction of the famed Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Ayodhya and creation of a Ram temple at the janmabhoomi has been BJP's dream plan since the party took shape as a political party in 1980. And as campaigning has started to gain dust in Uttar Pradesh, the state BJP leaders think that the time is ideal for Modi to announce building the temple. "For how long will Ram Lalla be covered with tarpaulin ?" Vinay Katiyar, founder-president of Bajrang Dal and a pro-temple voice told Bhupendra Chaubey of News 18. Even though the issue remains sub-judice in Supreme Court, BJP leaders think the central leadership should at least let the people know that a temple construction is in the offing. As argued by this piece in Firstpost, even as Opposition saw red in Modi's speech in Lucknow and alleged that he tried to score brownie points ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh elections, the Prime Minister managed to avoid political landmines and delivered a strong blow to Pakistan. But the mention of 'Ram' was enough to send several political parties, fringe Hindu groups, who are in favour of the construction of the Ram Temple and the media into a tizzy. The fact that Ayodhya will be a critical poll agenda in Uttar Pradesh is not new. BJP knows it. BSP and SP know it. Even Congress knows it. And all the parties are doing their bit by furthering this agenda in their own way. Ruling Samajwadi Party got into the competitive politics with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav giving a go-ahead for the release funds to develop amenities for tourists in the temple town, and construction of a Ram Theme Park in Ayodhya. BSP chief Mayawati on Monday criticised the BJP-led central government's decision to build a Ramayana Museum in Ayodhya and the Samajwadi Party-led Uttar Pradesh government's plan to construct a Ramleela Theme Park there as only for electoral gains. "Decision to build a Ramayana Museum and Ramleela Theme Park in Ayodhya by the BJP and the SP just before the assembly elections shows their intentions," the BSP chief said in a statement. She also said that these promises would remain unfulfilled due to the lack of the budget. "Attempts at taking political mileage by linking religion with politics is condemnable. And if their intentions were good, these projects would have started earlier," Mayawati said. Ayodhya is becoming a defining test of Modi's ability to navigate a tension central to his administration: appeasing Hindu nationalist activists who corral votes for the ruling BJP while preventing them from derailing his pro-business growth agenda. As for their part, senior BJP leaders like Union Minister Uma Bharti and Mahesh Sharma have brought the issue to the forefront by strongly pitching for the need of a Ram Temple. On Tuesday, Sharma, who was in Ayodhya to inspect the site for the Ram museum said, "fortunate are those who get a chance to do Ram ka kaam (serve Ram)". The minister earlier had refuted assertions that "Ramayana museum" was being planned for the communally-sensitive town of Ayodhya is the political agenda of BJP. "Mann ban chuka hai, mahaul ban chuka hai (The intent is clear and the atmosphere is ready). The beginning has been made and we have got the directives from Ram Lalla," he said, adding, "We are the Lord's children and so have to do his work of spreading education." "If anyone gets a chance to work for Bhagwan Ram he is most fortunate...it will be good fortune if Bhagwan Ram gives us a chance to do Ram ka kaam and this responsibility has been given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the country," Sharma said during his visit here to inspect the proposed site for setting up a Ramayana museum. Bharti said "that disputed land in Ayodhya belongs to the Ram Temple". She is also likely to flag off one of the four Parivartan Yatras being planned by the party in the run-up to the state elections, reported News18. Right wing organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Prashad say a temple must be built where the mosque once stood because that is the exact spot where Lord Ram was born. While campaigning for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stressed on the development and economic growth, and his government has avoided giving hardliners within the party licence to talk of constructing a new temple. Political experts have argued that BJP, or for that matter any political party, cannot be blamed to use the issue of Ram Temple, during a highly-charged UP elections. An election on the soil of Uttar Pradesh without the mention of Ayodhya or the Ram Temple is almost unthinkable as it unites a majority of the Hindus and the upper-class voters of the state. But it is almost safe to say that BJP will use it as a crucial scheme in the upcoming elections. But whether promises be transformed into work, is left to be seen. Katiyar, who had on Monday demanded that a bill will be brought in the Lok Sabha for the creation of Ram temple, today said no positive efforts were being made for the construction of the temple and only "lollipop" was being offered to the devotees of the deity. "A race is on...somebody is building a museum, somebody else (the Akhilesh Yadav government) a Ramleela Theme Park. We welcome development of Ayodhya, but everything is useless without the construction of Ram temple. We cannot compromise on that. "No positive steps are being taken for building Ram temple, which is the core job that needs to be done. The Samajwadi Party government shot dead the Kar Sevaks and now it is offering lollipop in the form of a theme park," Katiyar, a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha who once represented Faizabad, the district where Ayodhya is located, in Parliament, said. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh was quoted by PTI as saying, "Come election, come Ram Mandir issue. This is what BJP has as a strategy. Nobody is against the temple. I am a practising Hindu, but even Lord Ram would not have wanted a temple in the atmosphere of dispute. BJP has been trying to fool all the people all the time." With inputs from PTI and IANS "Ram Lala hum ayenge mandir wahin banayege" was a common war cry issued by Sangh Parivar leaders and Ram temple enthusiasts in the early 1990s. Two decades later, Ram Lala remains exactly where he was, in a small yet well-guarded makeshift structure. But now it seems that with a full majority Narendra Modi government at the Centre, Ayodhya is set to get a Ram museum. In days to come, pilgrims and other visitors to Ayodhya will witness frantic construction activity in order to build a grand Ram museum; possibly equipped with a state of the art audio-visual system and other artificial wonders, something which the Akshardham temple in New Delhi boasts of. The banks of river Sarayu would also possibly be remade and beautified. But everything will remain quiet on the temple front. It has to be all quiet. There is no other option. Even if the Modi government and Sangh Parivar want to do something over the temple issue. Under the circumstances, Modi government's idea of constructing a Ram museum spread across several acres of land, with beautified landscapes mimicking the look and feel of a temple is undoubtedly a smart move. The fact that this move has been proposed right before the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls makes it a political one. The BJP, though, cannot be blamed for any wrongdoing, except for the charge that the timing of the move is politically motivated. The BJP leaders would be at ease to counter such charges based on merits and rhetoric alone. It is an administrative and cultural project, one from which the BJP will have no qualms in harvesting political yields if any. No one can really challenge the building of a museum on Lord Ram. This cannot be termed as a communal project. One can challenge the historicity of it but, in issues of faith, mythological beliefs always trump historical facts. More so, if a museum on Ram had to be built, there couldn't have been a better place than Ayodhya his supposed birthplace and kingdom. The brass in the Modi government and the BJP would have known beforehand that the move would make a lot of waves in the news, for it had all the right ingredients a BJP government at the Centre, the name Ram, Ayodhya as the venue and the timing of it all matching with the UP elections. BJP leaders would be very pleased with how things have unfolded over the past two days. Another thing that has turned out in the party's favour is the handling of the issue by Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Mahesh Sharma. Sharma, who has often spoken out of turn and is prone to have foot-in-the-mouth moments has in fact been quite articulate this time around, sticking to his brief and talking as a responsible minister of the government. He managed to limit his words to just the administrative aspects of the project and let the media engage in all the speculations and debates. The minister also covered his ground well by linking the Ram museum with the development of pilgrim tourism for Buddhist and Jain divinities. The move to make the museum was officially placed on record a year ago, but nobody cared for it back then and things have blown up now only because Mahesh Sharma visited Ayodhya to inspect the proposed site recently. It can be concluded that the timing of his visit was carefully planned in order to get the desired publicity and public hype. Things were looking quite good for the BJP, but in came Vinay Katiar, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP, a resident of Ayodhya and a onetime prominent Ram temple protagonist. With his intemperate remarks, the founder president of Bajrang Dal has now for all practical purposes become irrelevant in the BJP's organisational structure. Talking to CNN-News18, he likened the Ram museum project in Ayodhya to a 'lollipop' and said we want nothing short of a temple in the city. "Ram Mandir ke liye prayaas hona chahiye, yeh lollipop se kuch nahi hone wala (Efforts should be made to build a Ram Temple , other projects will not do)." His 'lollipop' remark is rather interesting. The BJP's political rivals might pick it up for targeting the ruling party but it has its own manifestations. The fact that Katiar has gone on talking like this on more than one news channel on Tuesday indicates that the BJP brass has not restrained him from speaking. After all, the party needs to respond and keep up with the sentiments of radical elements in BJP and the Parivar, as well as supporters outside of the organisational boundaries. Katiar and Uma Bharti, another BJP leader who was closely associated with the Mandir movement, made remarks that serve that purpose well. For the moderates in BJP and in the outside support base, a lollipop (museum) would come as a sweetener and would serve well to quench the thirst (when nothing else is in sight) while leaving a good lingering taste. This would also cater to the sentiments of temple enthusiasts and keep their hopes up that someday, maybe in some other generation, their demands would be fructified by a favourable government at the Centre. While the debate around the issue is gaining heat and momentum, BJP president Amit Shah and other senior leaders have not spoken a word. The prime minister is unlikely to speak on it either, at least for now. They would all perhaps wait and see how the debate on this emotive subject goes and what kind of popular sentiments it evokes. It appears that the construction of a grand Ram temple will remain as a mirage and an unrealistic lofty slogan for the Ram temple enthusiasts. The idol of Ram Lala continues to exist in a makeshift kachha structure. One has to go through rigorous security checks and unending walls of iron poles to take a glimpse into Lord Ram's childhood. If the security guard posted there does not point you towards the idol, chances are that you might miss it entirely. But the temporary structure and the elaborate security around it serves as de-facto recognition that the Ram temple exists, irrespective of the final outcome of the case pending with the Supreme Court on the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site. The rhetoric around the construction of the Ram temple has lost its punch and credibility. The BJP has harvested whatever political dividend it could from the movement. The Modi government's decision to build a Ram museum in Ayodhya could be seen as a bid to regain some of BJP's lost credibility among people. The voters had otherwise lost trust in BJP over the issue. The ruling party leadership is well aware of that. In the 2014 Parliamentary poll campaign, neither the party nor its then prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, had a talk about it except for a one-line mention on the subject in the election manifesto. No sane party leader talks about the construction of the Ram temple. All queries around the issue are addressed in a standard template: "For us it's a matter of faith, not a political issue. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court and our position is well known." They known that any rhetoric around the Ram temple would yield diminishing returns in the electoral arena. The problem for the BJP is that even though it cannot be seen as cheering for the construction of the temple, it cannot abandon this emotional plank altogether either. After all, this issue was pivotal in helping them reach BJP's present day glory from just two parliamentary seats in 1984, to 85 in 1989, to 120 in 1991, and so on. From the late 1990s till date, the party has cleverly moved away from the Mandir issue while managing to keep its Hindutva credentials intact. The BJP is treading a cautious yet meaningful path as an obvious attempt to polarise the temple issue would be counter-productive. The party has therefore found a convenient alibi in the museum; bringing Ram and Ayodhya on the forefront, with all its latent implications, while staying away from the obvious. The most revolutionary thing you can do is get to know your neighbours Karl Hess Yes, this is precisely what Varun Gandhi Sanjay Gandhis son and Indira Gandhis grandson who represents the Sultanpur Lok Sabha seat on behalf of the BJP is busy doing these days almost alone, silently. But he is making waves nonetheless. His activities have already made headlines in the media. Newspapers and news-portals including The Times of India, The Economic Times, Deccan Chronicle, NDTV and so on have given him rave reviews. But what is it that Varun is doing? Is he upping the political ante in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. No, not at all. He is, in fact, busy searching genuine marginal farmers who, if not helped, would certainly commit suicide. And after the search is over, he goes to them, pays off their bank loans and builds homes for them. Commendable. Whats even more surprising is that news-hounds are now beginning to see merit in even non-juicy, apolitical events. Its indeed a blissful, pleasant development in the midst of Uttar Pradeshs political turmoil. Can you believe that as many as 3,540 families, who would have otherwise died of starvation, have already been given a sum of Rs 16.2 crore in all so far, making them debt-free? And this is not government money that is being given to them. Its all a private initiative. Varun contributed Rs 1.4 crore (his parliamentary salary in the last seven-and-a-half years) while 8,000 more individual donors came forward, on Varuns call, to pool in another Rs 16.2 crore. The monies first went to those agricultural families where the main earner had committed suicide and thereafter to those who were on the brink of survival those marginal farmers whose average debt ranged from Rs 30,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh, Varun says and talks about his probing journey through 20 districts including Bijnor, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, Pratapgarh, Aligarh, Sulatanpur, Sitapur and Allahabad. Speaking of the silent private initiative, Varun adds, Before visiting a district, we reached out to the local elite lawyers, rich farmers, traders, businessmen providing them with data on specific cases of farmers on the brink of bankruptcy, and requesting them to directly donate to them. The data is collated with local banks on hand to scan, to see the level of indebtedness, the amount of years indebted and the frequency of loan default. We have tried to build a model which analyses these indicators to understand the likelihood of the farmer committing suicide and how soon this may happen. Typically, if a farmer defaults on a loan for three cycles in a row, combined with adverse weather conditions, the chances of suicide rise to almost 50 percent. The cases that are chosen all fall in this extreme category," he points out, adding, We send volunteer teams in advance in coordination with local administration in order to ascertain the physical environment of his economic condition, assets, family landholding, any fallback provision etc. Other than my own donation, I was conscious that I didnt want to create an NGO, but simply act as a direct via-media between the giver and the marginal farmer. For instance, in Moradabad, Varun states, "Aside from my personal contribution, we managed to raise a further Rs 18 lakh, which saved 26 families from falling into a debt-trap. In Allahabad, we raise Rs 22 lakh and helped 32 such families. Asked about the future of his movement, he says, While it remains a limited exercise with limited resources, I want to transform it into a mass movement by increasing its scale. We will now take to crowd-funding for the next phase where we aim to help 10,000 families in agrarian distress and are working with young technology professionals to help us create a platform to do so. Over the course of discussions with Varun, one thing was clear: We all thought farmer suicides were endemic to Vidarbha (Maharashtra) alone. We never knew that the scene was as bad in Uttar Pradesh. How on earth can India go ahead on the highway to glory, unless our farmers, who account for more than 70 percent of our population, get two square meals a day and a roof to live under? All big, high-sounding talk about our diplomatic victories over Pakistan, national growth rate figures and undiminished political stability will otherwise sound hollow. Like it or not, its a wake-up call. On 29 September, the world at large was informed that India had conducted surgical strikes by crossing the Line of Control and tackling terrorists. The move was hailed as a success and before you knew it, everyone had an opinion. Uddhav Thackeray said that Narendra Modi fought with Pakistan like a "mard (man)". The Art of Living Foundation's Sri Sri Ravishankar said that terrorists has been shown their place and that he "would also congratulate our prime minister. It shows that peace needs to be protected not only through shaastra (scriptures) but also shastra (arms)." Amit Shah, BJP supremo called the surgical strike a frontal fight against terrorism. Those in the government did make statements about the attacks; Venkaiah Naidu, urban development minister said that Pakistan is "like a thief bitten by a scorpion and cannot even cry." But these were few and far between. All except one member of government. If there is one person in the Modi Cabinet who has had plenty to say on the subject, it's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Modi had strictly ordered his Cabinet and party members to not make stray comments about the surgical strikes and that only those with authority should speak on the matter. Only those authorised and when specifically directed to speak on the matter should do so," sources have quoted the prime minister as saying. In his first statement after the attacks, Parrikar had said that "anyone who casts an evil eye on the country would not be spared". Parrikar further said that Pakistan had been stunned into silence after the surgical strikes and was in a comatose condition. "Pakistan is like a patient who has been put under anaesthesia before an operation," he said as people clapped in agreement. In the most recent statement, on Monday, 18 October, twenty days after the strikes, Parrikar said that the RSS ideology inspired Modi and him to carry out the strikes across LoC. The minister said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh teachings were at the back of his mind and that of the prime minister while ordering the surgical strikes on the terrorist launch pads. It was not possible that a prime minister from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and a defence minister from Goa with a common RSS orientation would not take such a strong decision, he said. The minister was addressing students and teachers of Nirma University here during a 'Know Your Army' programme in Ahmedabad. " I wonder that a prime minister from land of Mahatma Gandhi and a defence minister from Goa and surgical strikes maybe the RSS teachings was there, but this was very different kind of a combination," he said, as reported by Firstpost. Manohar Parrikar: Mahatma ke goan se aane wale PM,Goa se Defence Min aur surgical strike,equation was diff,maybe RSS teaching was basic core pic.twitter.com/viDMizWdRu ANI (@ANI_news) October 17, 2016 At another event, Parrikar said that a major share of the credit goes to the prime minister. "For myself, I would only share the credit, at the most, the major share goes to the prime minister but the issue, I will at least claim the credit for, is decision-making ability and planning." Parrikar also said that the 29 September operation was carried out by the Indian Army and not a political party. "I think that should settle the nerves of many people I understand quite well, because I am a politician... I understand peoples' sentiments are satisfied and when population is satisfied, 'Wo khuda jaisa hi hota hai, chhappar phad ke deta hai' (they are like gods, they give in abundance)," he said. Parrikar also compared the Indian Army with Lord Hanuman of Ramayana, Parrikar said as the deity was reminded of his strength before going to Lanka, "I reminded our army of their powers and they did the job brilliantly. I congratulate the soldiers of special forces on behalf of the entire country," he said in Dehradun. Indian troops were like Hanuman who did not quite know their prowess before the surgical strikes, Parrikar had said. Parrikar's chest-thumping didn't sit well with many as Goa Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar said that "Parrikar is a defence minister with verbal diarrhea. He should speak less, act more, respect the forces and equip them. Our armed forces are strong enough to hit hard. Don't undermine them with your political pitch." Soon after the surgical strikes, Manohar Parrikar was supposed to participate in a victory rally in Goa the state BJP's plans to accord a hero's welcome to Parrikar for choreographing the surgical strikes across the Line of Control. But this was cancelled as the move drew ire from political parties and prominent personalities. Probably for the best. As the Iraqi government and Kurdish forces, backed by US-led coalition air and ground support, launched the long-awaited fight to wrest the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State, the world is eyeing the developments in this vicious battle with bated breath. Mosul, Iraq's second largest city is home to over a million people has been occupied by Islamic State for more than two years. But the Iraqi government in alliance with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces finally launched a coordinated military operation to reclaim the city. Why is the strike historic? Mosul is the last urban stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq. It fell to Islamic State fighters during the militants' June 2014 blitz that left nearly a third of Iraq in the extremists' hands and plunged the country into its most severe crisis since the US-led invasion. After seizing Mosul, Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi visited the city to declare an Islamic caliphate that at one point covered nearly a third of Iraq and Syria. But since late last year, the militants have suffered battlefield losses in Iraq and their power in the country has largely shrunk to Mosul and small towns in the country's north and west. Mosul is about 360 km (225 miles) northwest of the capital, Baghdad. But still, IS wields complete influence over the city, which is strategically important for it because it epitomises the IS's idea of caliphate rule, which it aspires to spread over the rest of the world. If the security forces succeed in reclaiming the city, which according to media reports is highly likely, it will be a huge setback for the IS. Moreover, the operation to retake Mosul is expected to be the most complex yet for Iraq's military, which has been rebuilding from its humiliating 2014 defeat when the Iraqi soldiers were forced to eat dirt and escape after the vicious offensive launched by IS. In Washington, Defense Secretary Ash Carter called the launch of the Mosul operation "a decisive moment in the campaign" to deliver a lasting defeat to Islamic State. Convoys of Iraqi, Kurdish and US forces moved east of Mosul along the front line as US-led coalition airstrikes sent plumes of smokes into the air and heavy artillery rounds could be heard. What it means for Iraq? The push to retake Mosul will be the largest military operation in Iraq since American troops left in 2011 and, if successful, the biggest blow yet to the Islamic State. Moreover, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi is also hoping that a successful strike against the much-dreaded extremist group will help him gain political mileage, and the International media is keenly watching the developments. A report in the The New York Times states that Abadi has been attaching his political fortunes to the possibility of reclaiming the city. He announced the operations at around 2 am on Monday, hours before the Kurdish forces were about to launch the operation. According to a report in the Associate Press, Al-Abadi pledged the fight for the city would lead to the liberation of all Iraqi territory from the militants this year. The prime minister's impassioned statements are in fact indicative of what the high-stake army operation means for the political leadership of the country. "These forces that are liberating you today, they have one goal in Mosul which is to get rid of Daesh and to secure your dignity. They are there for your sake," Al-Abadi said, addressing the city's residents and using the Arabic language acronym for the Islamic State group. "God willing, we shall win," he added, flanked by military commanders. News reports from around the world are terming the military operation, a "decisive battle", a "difficult and protracted battle" and even a death blow to IS. A report in Guardian says that the "decisive battle" has due support from the US-led coalition forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces. The forces on ground pass on coordinates of enemy targets for airstrikes while the US, British and French special forces play a supportive role. According to another report in AP, some 30,000 federal forces are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition. Apart from this Around 4,000 Kurdish peshmerga are taking part in the offensive. Sectarian crisis in post-IS Mosul Whether or not the military offensive serves its purpose depends on how the Iraqi government tackles the post-IS Mosul; International media reports keenly observe that a handful of parties involved in the operations have clashing interests, which they warn should not dictate the narrative in the post-IS Mosul. A report in The New York Times highlights that the political tension between the Kurds and the Iraqi government are a cause of concern. Their apparent coming together for a common cause must last beyond the Mosul military offensive in order to have even an iota of a chance of rebuilding what was once a cosmopolitan trade hub. Apart from this the natural clash of interest between the Kurdish peshmerga and Iran-backed Shiite militia makes for another gray despite the chances that the coalition forces may finally reclaim Mosul. The two, no doubt are right now fighting on the same side, if only to defeat a common enemy, but their conflicting interests can compromise the stability of the region. A report in CNN also states that one of the major concerns is keeping the Kurdish and Shia's on the side once the military targets are achieved. Although, according to The Guardian, in view of tackling this situation, a US-brokered agreement has been put in place that bars the peshmerga and Shia militias from entering the city, who will just help in taking down surrounding villages and encircling Mosul. Only Iraqi troops will engage in the "house to house" battle on the street. This arrangement is made to quell the fear of a sectarian crisis in the Sunni-dominated Mosul. Another report in Saudi-owned news website Al Arabiya also cautions that even a successful military offensive cannot guarantee a stable region unless it is coupled with a sound political road map that is equally well planned. It warns that the Iraqi government wants to reap the benefits of a successful military strike, it must have a mechanism for addressing local grievances apart from which it should also ensure that the clashing interests of Kurdish peshmerga and Shiite militia should not dictate the post-IS Mosul. Media reports also indicate that even the locals are apprehensive of this aspect even as they badly want the IS to be defeated. Another report in The Guardian states that the people have seen too much violence and been through much anguish to want to have IS rule the city. However, it quotes several Sunni residents of the city, who had escaped after IS took over, as saying that his biggest fear for them is that after IS is defeated, the Shia militias now fighting with the government might carry out a sectarian reprisal. We do not want to go back to the time of sectarian war and killing civilians. The involvement of Shia militias would have hurt morale, one of the escaped Sunni residents is quoted as saying. Another report in Vocative speaks of another problem that the escaping IS fighters may inadvertently fold their arms recede in the folds of the city, hiding amid innocent civilians. Those who are neither killed and would not be able to escape to Syria will seamlessly blend into the community, to which they are so inextricably connected. And this, the article states, has happened too many times before to be ignored as a possibility. A Russia-based news agency RT, claims a different narrative altogether. It states that according to its diplomatic sources, the US and Saudi Arabia have clandestinely agreed to grant free passage to over 9,000 IS militants to Syria. "During the storm of the city in northern Iraq the US-led coalitions planes would only strike detached, vacated or uninhabited buildings while keeping terrorists as targets," the report reads. Humanitarian crisis looms ahead A report in RT throws light at another problem that stares in the face ahead of the military offensive. According to the report, the ongoing battle may generate as many as 1 million internally displaced refugees but it points out that Iraq is only prepared to provide for 300,000 of them. Besides, civilians fleeing their homes is a problem that the government and the forces might face even during the battle. Amid the chaos of the brutal attack, civilians may panic and attempt to flee the city, where they were earlier forced to stay under IS rule. This may cause a serious issue of safety and collateral damage in the battle. Although according to Bloomberg, the Iraqi forces have tried their best to warn and advised the civilians to survive the crisis situation. They are airdropping around 7 million leaflets advising people not to flee their homes while telling them how to escape glass shards, or what are the safest places in a house to hide. Still, the possibility of civilians fleeing a conflict zone cannot be ruled out. The report in The New York Times states that the United Nation is worried that the civilians fleeing may be harmed in the battle. It states that the UN has stockpiled supplies to support up to 400,000 people at ready, but that they are afraid may not be enough. The military has also drawn up secret escape routes for civilians stranded in the fight, but as happened in the battle of Falluja, there is always a chance that the IS fighters may catch wind of the routes known as 'humanitarian corridors' and target them. With inputs from AP Paris: WikiLeaks has blamed Ecuador for cutting off founder Julian Assange's internet access while he is holed up at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, and while his group is releasing thousands of emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. Assange has been at the embassy for more than four years after skipping bail to avoid being extradited over sex crimes allegations. WikiLeaks initially blamed an unidentified "state actor" for cutting off Assange's internet access, then on Monday said in a tweet that it was Ecuador. It said access was cut off at 5pm GMT Saturday. Calls, texts, and emails left with WikiLeaks weren't immediately returned yesterday. A woman who picked up the phone at the embassy said: "I cannot disclose any information." Ecuador's Foreign Ministry released a brief statement that didn't mention the internet cut off, but reaffirmed its decision to grant Assange asylum. We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access Saturday, 5pm GMT, shortly after publication of Clinton's Goldman Sachs speechs. WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 17, 2016 "Faced with the speculation of the last few hours, the Government of Ecuador ratifies the validity of the asylum granted to Julian Assange four years ago," the Foreign Ministry said. "We reaffirm that his protection by the Ecuadorean state will continue while the circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain." London's Metropolitan Police declined to comment. Assange's cramped quarters haven't prevented the Australian transparency activist from working and WikiLeaks continues to deliver scoops, including revelations that have rattled Clinton's campaign for president as the US election enters its final stretch. WikiLeaks said in its tweet blaming Ecuador that Assange's internet was cut shortly after it published transcripts of paid speeches Clinton gave to Goldman Sachs. Those were part of the tranche of emails hacked from the accounts of John Podesta, campaign chairman for the Democratic nominee. By Wa Lone and Simon Lewis | YANGON YANGON Violence in a Muslim-majority region of Myanmar is stopping aid agencies from delivering food and medicines, a United Nations official said on Tuesday, as security forces respond to deadly raids that the government says were inspired by Islamists.Troops have been sweeping northern Rakhine state for more than a week, hunting an estimated 400 fighters who officials believe are members of the mostly stateless Rohingya Muslim community acting with the support of Islamists abroad.The Myanmar military has declared the area an "operation zone" and has tightly controlled the flow of information since insurgents seized dozens of weapons in raids on border posts on Oct. 9 in which nine police officers were killed.U.N. agencies "don't have access to the affected areas to assess humanitarian needs", Pierre Peron, spokesman for the U.N's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said by email.Health clinics and nutrition programmes in northern Rakhine have been hampered by movement restrictions imposed after the attacks, he said."We hope that the situation will improve as soon as possible so that humanitarian organisations can restart vital programmes to assist all communities in Rakhine state," Peron said.The spike in violence in ethnically divided Rakhine state poses a serious challenge to the six-month-old government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who was swept to power in an election last year but has faced criticism abroad for failing to tackle rights abuses against the Rohingya and other Muslims.ETHNIC DIVISIONS At least 30 suspected militants and five military personnel have been killed in clashes since the Oct. 9 raids. [nL4N1CN3QY]Nearly 120,000 people, mostly Rohingyas, were already displaced in Rakhine after an outbreak of communal violence in 2012. Local sources said the latest violence has displaced thousands more.Ethnic Rakhine political leaders have proposed that the government arm local militias to fight what they see as a growing violent threat from the Rohingya population."Villagers are scared about their security because their hostile neighbours have a huge population," said Khin Maung Than, chairman of the Arakan National Party in Maungdaw Township, which has been at the centre of the violence.He estimated around 5,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists have fled their homes, fearing attack by Muslim "Bengalis" - a term widely used in Myanmar but rejected by the Rohingya themselves because it implies they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Rohingya leaders insist few of the 1.1 million Rohingya in Rakhine state - many of whom have lived there for generations and face discrimination and severe restrictions on their movements - believe violence is the solution to their plight.The office of President Htin Kyaw has named a little-known group, "Aqa Mul Mujahidin", which it says has links to Islamists abroad, as responsible for the Oct. 9 attacks. International human rights groups have raised concerns that civilians are being caught up in a heavy-handed crackdown.Amnesty International has been told that villagers wounded in the violence have been unable to access medical treatment, said Laura Haigh, a researcher for the group. AFRAID TO RETURN A senior Rohingya leader in Maungdaw, who asked not to be named because he was afraid of repercussions, told Reuters he had received reports that as many as 9,000 Rohingya have been displaced from 21 villages.About 1,200 people, mostly ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, are sheltering in a school in northern Rakhine State's Buthidaung Township, according to the United Nations.Many more are believed to be staying with relatives in other parts of the state and about 800 people - mostly women and children - are packed into small monasteries in the state capital of Sittwe.Moe Thida, 31, journeyed with her four children over mountain roads and on a packed ferry to reach Sittwe after fighting came within earshot of her home.As with several other displaced members of the mostly Buddhist Rakhine ethnicity who have fled Maungdaw, she told Reuters she was too afraid to return, although no attacks have been reported on ethnic Rakhine civilians."This time it's different" from previous bouts of intercommunal violence in the area, she said. "I'm afraid because the Muslims have weapons now." (Editing by Alex Richardson) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Ginger Gibson | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON A Super PAC backing Republican Donald Trump is buying TV airtime in parts of Florida beginning this week for a commercial aimed at using first lady Michelle Obamas words against Hillary Clinton to erode the Democratic presidential candidate's support from women voters in the battleground state. The ad which the Super PAC has already been running online shows Michelle Obama in 2007 saying, If you cant run your own house, you cant run the White House," which could be taken as a reference to infidelity by Clinton's husband, Bill Clinton.The ad says Michelle Obama was talking about Hillary Clinton. However, at the time, then-candidate Barack Obama denied that his wife's words referred to his opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination. Representatives for Clinton and Michelle Obama declined to comment on the commercial.The Super PAC, Make America Number 1, is hoping the ad, to be aired in the Orlando and Tampa areas, will resonate with women, a spokesman, Hogan Gidley, told Reuters on Tuesday. Trump has struggled for support from women voters, many of whom have cited his temperament and past negative comments about women, including comedian Rosie O'Donnell and Fox News host Megyn Kelly.Eleven days ago, the New York businessman's campaign was shaken by the release of a tape showing Trump lewdly bragging about kissing and touching women without their permission. A series of women have since come forward with allegations about such behaviour on his part, but he has denied the accusations.In Florida, a Quinnipiac University poll released on Monday found Clinton leading among likely women voters, with support from 54 percent of those surveyed, compared with 39 percent for Trump. Michelle Obama has become one of the most powerful campaigners for Clinton. A speech the first lady gave in New Hampshire last week attacking Trump for the tape was praised by many as one of the most powerful speeches of the campaign.Make America Number 1 plans to spend $400,000 to put the ad on TV, spokesman Gidley said.In addition to the TV run, the commercial initially appeared as a Facebook ad. The group spent $72,000 targeting women in nine key battleground states - states where the vote could swing to either candidate. Super PACs - or super political action committees - are permitted to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, but are prohibited by law from coordinating with a campaign. Make America Number 1 is one of a handful of such groups supporting Trump's White House bid.Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton have never directly addressed how they mended their relationship after the fierce 2008 primary campaign, in which Clinton lost to now-President Barack Obama. Both Obamas have campaigned aggressively for Clinton this year. During last week's second presidential debate, Clinton called Michelle Obama "my friend." (Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Emily Stephenson and Alana Wise | GREEN BAY, Wis./WASHINGTON GREEN BAY, Wis./WASHINGTON Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday cited studies he said showed rampant voter fraud, saying the Nov. 8 election was "rigged" against him even as Republican lawyers called his allegations unfounded.Trump, a New York businessman making his first run for public office, has sought to raise fears of a flawed election as he has fallen in opinion polls against Democrat Hillary Clinton."They even want to try to rig the election at the polling place," Trump told a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. "So many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is very, very common."Trump cited Pew Trusts research from 2012 that called for updates to the voter registration system because about 24 million registrations were inaccurate. (bit.ly/1HN4uTF)He also referred to a 2014 article by two political scientists in the Washington Post that said non-citizens who voted could have accounted for Democratic victories in a few close elections in 2008, although the authors acknowledged the sample size of their study was small. (wapo.st/1pX17Bf)Numerous studies have shown that voter fraud in U.S. elections is very rare.Republican campaign lawyer Chris Ashby said Trump's charges could foment unrest and were unfounded and dangerous."When you say an election is rigged, youre telling voters, your supporters, their votes do not matter, Ashby said in an interview. "I think some of Donald Trumps comments could cause unrest at the polls."Some Republicans have urged Trump to drop the assertions. Early voting and voting by mail have already begun in many states.Mark Braden, partner at Baker and Hostetler and former chief counsel for the Republican National Committee, said that any sort of election rigging at the national level just is impossible, citing the various systems in place that would make such an endeavour complicated and unfeasible. Our system is principally a system based upon each side watching the other side, Braden said in an interview. Our system is dependent on local volunteer participation. Our system has worked very well because we have people who get involved in the process and perform these functions.Trump also pounced on the release on Monday of Federal Bureau of Investigation documents that he alleged showed "felony corruption."The documents cited an FBI official as saying a senior State Department official sought to pressure the bureau in 2015 to drop its insistence that an email from Clinton's private server contained classified information.. Clinton's decision to use a private server while secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 has drawn criticism that she was careless with national security."This is worse than Watergate, what's going on with this," said Trump.He also proposed a package of ethics reforms, saying that if elected he would ban his administration officials from lobbying government for five years after leaving government.'NOT GOING TO BE RIGGED' Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said Trump's assault on the voting system was an act of desperation."He knows he's losing and is trying to blame that on the system. This is what losers do," Mook told reporters. The RealClearPolitics average of national opinion polls shows Clinton currently leading Trump by 7.1 percentage points, at 46 percent to 38.9 percent.The country's top elected Republican, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, tried to counter Trump's message about election fraud. Spokeswoman AshLee Strong said Ryan "is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity." In the traditionally hard-fought state of Ohio, the top elections official, a Republican, said concerns about widespread voter fraud were simply not justified. "I can reassure Donald Trump: I am in charge of elections in Ohio and they're not going to be rigged, I'll make sure of that," Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted told CNN. In a report titled "The Truth About Voter Fraud," the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law cited voter fraud incident rates between 0.00004 percent and 0.0009 percent.An August study by the Washington Post found 31 credible cases of impersonation fraud out of more than 1 billion votes cast in elections from 2000 to 2014. Arizona State University studies in 2012 and 2016 found similarly low rates. A number of Republican-led states, citing the need to prevent voter fraud, have passed laws with stricter ID requirements. But several have been struck down by courts that ruled they were designed to hinder minority voting.MELANIA TRUMP SPEAKS OUT Trump's campaign has been shaken since the release 10 days ago of a 2005 tape showing him lewdly bragging about kissing and touching women without their permission. A series of women have since come forward with allegations about such behaviour on his part, but he has denied those accusations."They want to put nice sexy headlines up even though nothing happened," Trump said, blaming the media for trying to "poison the minds of the voters."On Monday, the allegations were in the headlines again after Trump's wife, Melania Trump, spoke publicly for the first time about the "Access Hollywood" tape.A former model who has mainly stayed off the campaign trail, Trump told CNN she was surprised by her husband's language and said she thought he had been "egged on" to "say dirty and bad stuff," calling it "boy talk."Melania Trump told CNN that the allegations of unwanted touching from women were "all organised from the opposition" and said media did not "check the background of these women."In a separate interview with Fox News Channel, she said she had forgiven her husband for the comments in the tape."Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. And he apologised to me," Melania Trump said in an excerpt released by Fox News Channel."I accept his apology. And we are moving on," she said. (Additional reporting by Luciana Lopez and Jonathan Allen in New York, and Susan Heavey, Susan Cornwell and Eric Walsh in Washington; Writing by Doina Chiacu and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Leslie Adler and Peter Cooney) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. UNITED NATIONS The United Nations Security Council on Monday condemned a failed ballistic missile test by North Korea, saying it fueled tensions and contributed to the Asian state's development of a nuclear weapons system.The U.S. military detected a failed North Korean test launch of an intermediate ballistic missile on Saturday."The members of the Security Council further regretted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs," the 15-member body said in a statement. The council agreed to take "further significant measures." Pyongyang is already under heavy international sanctions over its missile and nuclear tests. North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9 and since then the United States and China have been negotiating a new draft Security Council resolution to punish Pyongyang. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Alistair Bell) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Aden: The United Nations has announced a new ceasefire in war-ravaged Yemen from early Thursday, after a week of escalated fighting sparked new international calls to end the conflict. While President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government and its Saudi backers said they would support the truce, there has been no word from the Iran-backed rebels who control the capital Sanaa and other areas of the Arabian Peninsula country. A cessation of hostilities that first went into effect in April "will re-enter into force at 23:59 Yemen time (20.59 GMT) on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal", UN special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement late Monday. Yemen has been rocked by war since the Shiite Huthi rebels and allied forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh overran Sanaa in September 2014. The conflict escalated after a Saudi-led Arab coalition began a campaign against the rebels in March 2015. The UN says the fighting has since killed almost 6,900 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million, with civilians paying the heaviest price amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. Unicef's representative in Sanaa, Mohammed al-Assadi, told reporters Sunday that "10 million" children in Yemen need "water, food, medicine, social protection, and general services". The United States, Britain and the UN peace envoy on Sunday urged the warring parties in Yemen's civil war to declare a ceasefire. Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mekhlafi welcomed the truce which he said will be extended if the rebels adhere to it, activate a truce observing committee, end a months-long siege of Taez and allow "unrestricted" humanitarian aid into the loyalist-controlled third city. Before the UN announcement, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir also said Riyadh was in favour of a truce if the rebels respect it, the daily Asharq al-Awsat reported. Sixth truce attempt This is the sixth attempt to establish a Yemen ceasefire. The April truce declared in conjunction with the start of peace talks in Kuwait was hardly observed on the ground, with each side blaming the other for violations. It collapsed as the talks ended in August with no breakthrough, prompting an intensified round of fighting. The Arab coalition stepped up its air raids and cross-border attacks from Yemen on Saudi Arabia intensified. One of the deadliest coalition attacks was an October 8 air raid on a funeral ceremony in Sanaa that killed 140 people and wounded 525, drawing severe criticism of the coalition, which is backed logistically by Washington. In a rapid escalation, Washington accused the rebels of targeting American warships in the Red Sea on 9 and 12 October with missiles that fell short. The US then hit radar sites in rebel-controlled territory in Washington's first direct action against the insurgents. However, de-escalation swiftly followed as the coalition on Saturday acknowledged that one of its warplanes had "wrongly targeted" the funeral in Sanaa based on "incorrect information". It announced disciplinary measures, compensation for the families of victims and an easing of the air blockade it enforces to allow the most seriously wounded to be evacuated for treatment abroad. On Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry met in London with his counterparts from Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates along with the UN envoy to discuss Yemen. "This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," Kerry told reporters afterwards. Earlier this month, the UN envoy had said that a 72-hour ceasefire was expected soon, adding that he hoped to draft a new Yemen peace plan. The coalition has carried out hundreds of air strikes and provided ground troops to support Hadi's forces but has failed to dislodge the rebels from key areas. They still control Sanaa, large parts of the north, their historic stronghold, and parts of western and central Yemen. Government forces have recaptured the south and east but failed to make other significant advances. The fake-account scandal that's plagued Wells Fargo (WFC -0.78%) over the past few weeks didn't stop the bank from beating analyst expectations when it reported third-quarter earnings last Friday. The nation's third-biggest bank by assets earned $1.03 per share compared to the consensus forecast of $1.01 per share. On the top line, Wells Fargo's revenue came in at $22.3 billion versus an expected $22.2 billion. "I am deeply committed to restoring the trust of all of our stakeholders, including our customers, shareholders, and community partners," said newly appointed CEO Tim Sloan. "We know that it will take time and a lot of hard work to earn back our reputation, but I am confident because of the incredible caliber of our team members. We will work tirelessly to build a stronger and better Wells Fargo for generations to come." If you've followed Wells Fargo closely over the past few weeks, its better-than-expected results shouldn't have come as a big surprise. In a conference call at the beginning of last week, its executives had said that the scandal in which thousands of employees opened up millions of fake accounts for customers wouldn't have a material impact on its third-quarter profit. That prediction came to fruition. While Wells Fargo paid a $185 million fine as a result of the companywide scam, that's a drop in the bucket when you consider that the bank tends to earn more than $5.6 billion a quarter. Moreover, the amount of revenue that Wells Fargo generated from the fake accounts was nominal, at around $2.6 million. What's important to appreciate, however, is that the long-term implications for Wells Fargo may not be so benign. The scandal led to the resignation of now-former chairman and CEO John Stumpf, who had led the bank since the financial crisis. Wells Fargo also announced that it has suspended all sales goals in its branches, which many people, myself included, believe incentivized its employees to open the unauthorized accounts. To this end, as a part of its third-quarter earnings release, Wells Fargo offered quantitative evidence that its businesses have been impacted by revelations of the scam. Data from September showed that: Customer visits to its branches fell 10% compared to the same month last year. Consumer checking account openings dropped 25%. Credit card applications were down 20%. Mortgage referrals from its retail bank were off by 24%. Most of these don't generate revenue in the short-run, so it makes sense that they wouldn't have had a material impact on last quarter's results. But they most certainly will hurt Wells Fargo in the quarters and years ahead. At the very least, they'll temper its growth. The question for investors is whether the current scandal changes the thesis underlying Wells Fargo stock, which has long been one of the best and steadiest performers in the bank industry. On the one hand, all of this could blow over, as scandals at major companies tend to do over time. On the other hand, if it incites regulators to push for more change at Wells Fargo, as well as other banks, it could make the current environment even more inhospitable for the California-based lender. And to be clear, even before the fake-account scandal was revealed, Wells Fargo's performance had already begun to lose some of its luster. Its return on equity dropped to 11.6% in the quarter, its lowest level in years. And a major share of its earnings growth over the past five years have come not from revenue growth or expense contraction, but rather from the release of loan loss reserves. Given all of this, there's no reason for investors to rush into Wells Fargo stock now -- nor, to be clear, is there any reason to flee from it. Sure, its stock has fallen 18% since the beginning of the year. And sure, it will eventually emerge from all of this intact. But a lot could happen between now and then that could make its shares even cheaper. Rio Tinto's (RIO 0.98%) massive Simandou iron ore project in West Africa just had another nail driven into its coffin after the World Bank announced it was forcing the miner to buy out its stake in the project. Simandou may have the potential to completely upend and alter the look of the iron ore market were it ever to come online, but industry economics make it clear it's not going to see the light of day for a very long time. A mountain-sized opportunity The project is located deep in the heart of the Simandou mountains in the Republic of Guinea, and though it holds vast stores of iron ore that have been estimated at about $50 billion, the cost to develop the mine has become untenable as commodity prices, including iron ore, have plunged. Although the import price of 62% iron content ore at the Chinese port of Tianjin has staged a rally this year, surging 32% to reach some $56 per tonne despite expectations of further declines in Chinese steelmaking after a decade of growth, prices still remain well below the peaks hit back in early 2011 when they topped out just north of $191 a tonne. There remains a supply glut that isn't expected to dissipate anytime soon. This past summer analysts at Morgan Stanley forecast a supply glut of 33.4 million tonnes this year before rising to almost 100 million tonnes by 2018 as new projects come online. BHP Billiton (BHP 0.61%) expects the situation to remain out of equilibrium for at least another decade. The western Australia Pilbara mining region is rich with ore and the world-class Roy Hill project is on track to ramp up to 55 million tons annually by the end of the year. Vale (VALE 2.37%) has also said it expects its S11D expansion project at Carajas in the Brazilian Amazon to begin producing in December and reach full capacity by 2018, with Liberum Capital saying iron suppliers will add some 50 million tons of supply over the next year. Maybe some other time All of which explains why Rio Tinto mothballed Simandou. Just weeks after delivering a feasibility report on the giant project, the miner seemingly reversed course and announced it was pulling the plug on it altogether. Yet all along, the odds against developing the project were high. Because of Simandou's remote location, vast and expensive infrastructure needed to be built. Some $20 billion would need to be invested in constructing 80 miles of roadway and 400 miles of railway because the government wanted its own ports used for shipping the ore rather than allowing the use of a shorter route to the ports in nearby Liberia. The investment by the World Bank's International Finance Corporation was to help defray the costs. It is exercising its put option on its 4.6% state in the project, which means that Rio Tinto, which owns 46.6% of Simandou, and China's Chinalco, which owns 41.3% -- the government of Guinea owns the remaining 7.1% -- are required to buy out their partner. If it ever comes to fruition, Simandou would transform Guinea. The country currently depends on its bauxite deposits for most of its revenue, but Simandou alone could double the country's GDP. The high cost of carrying That, however, looks like it's a long way away from happening. Rio Tinto swung to a loss earlier this year because of a $1.8 billion writedown on the project, and it has left just $10 million of value related to it on its balance sheet. Simandou has a troubled history with tales of fraud and bribery checkering its potential. But as the project's owners continue to question the wisdom of moving forward, that may be all the project represents -- potential, with nothing ever coming to fruition. When former President Bill Clinton called parts of Obamacare "crazy," he put his wife Hillary Clinton on the defensive and gave much-needed ammunition to her Republican rival for the presidency, Donald Trump, who wants to scrap it. Bill Clinton said this month that while millions more Americans now have insurance coverage under President Barack Obama's signature 2010 healthcare law, small businesses and some families are still "getting killed" by surging healthcare costs. He later clarified that he was not criticizing the entire initiative, he was just making an argument for fixing it. Still, Clinton's comments may not have been so crazy. He put a spotlight on an uncomfortable truth: after six years, billions of dollars and a sweeping reform that stands as Obama's single biggest domestic policy achievement, health care is still unaffordable for many Americans. Americans are growing increasingly anxious about rising healthcare costs, and critics of the law have said it is not living up to its promises. Two of the nation's largest health insurers, Aetna and United Healthcare, are also pulling out of the state-based health insurance exchanges that are the best-known creations of Obamacare. Clinton says she wants to save the best of Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, while reducing costs. Trump says it is an expensive "disaster" that is on track to implode in 2017. He wants to replace it with something cheaper. Whoever wins the presidency on Nov. 8 will likely face pressure to move quickly to reshape a healthcare initiative that affects millions of Americans. WHY CONSERVATIVES THINK OBAMACARE IS CRAZY Republicans opposed Obamacare from the start, labeling it a government intrusion into the healthcare market. Some of them say the individual exchanges where Americans shop online for coverage are already in a "death spiral." They warn that with fewer consumers using the exchanges, more health insurers will exit them, sending premiums even higher, and further deterring people from signing up. As the U.S. population ages, U.S. spending on healthcare - $2.9 trillion in 2014 - is projected to rise to more than one-fifth of the nation's gross domestic product. Spending rates under Obamacare did slow for a time, but they are on the rise again. Trump has proposed getting rid of the exchanges and setting up tax-free health savings accounts for people with high-deductible insurance plans. He has also said he would set up state-based high-risk pools for people with medical conditions that make it hard to get coverage on their own. He also wants to allow companies to sell insurance across state lines to boost competition and drive down prices. His advisers say he would draw on a plan proposed by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes a refundable tax credit to help Americans buy individual plans. Republicans, like Trump, also want to change how they fund Medicaid, which serves poor families. Obamacare increased federal funding to states that expanded the program to more people with low incomes. Now Trump wants to limit funding by switching to pre-set, block grants. Health policy experts are skeptical selling insurance across state lines would do much to rein in health insurance costs. And health wonks on both sides of the aisle said Republicans would likely balk at any proposals that threatened to yank health insurance away from 20 million people. "Even Republican members of the House and the Senate are going to end up resisting rolling back the Medicaid expansion if that means that lots of people in their states would go uninsured," said Jim Capretta, a health policy expert at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute. LIBERALS DON'T THINK IT'S CRAZY, BUT . . . Liberals like former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders haven't called Obamacare crazy, but Sanders does believe it doesn't go nearly far enough. During his campaign, he proposed replacing it with a single-payer insurance system he called "Medicare for all," based on the government plan for elderly and disabled Americans. Hillary Clinton's plan doesn't go that far, but she would build on Obamacare by expanding tax credits for people shopping on the individual marketplaces, letting Americans buy into Medicare at a younger age, and adding a "public option," or a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers on the exchanges. She has also proposed reducing Americans' out-of-pocket expenses outside their private insurance by offering a new refundable tax credit, and she would give states more federal funding to expand Medicaid for low-income people. Two-thirds of states expanded Medicaid under the 2010 law, and that's where most of the newly insured people got coverage. Policy experts said that after Obama leaves office, more Republican-led states that objected to a plan so closely identified with Obama might be willing to expand Medicaid too. Clinton's ability to expand tax incentives likely depends on which party controls the U.S. Congress. And while some states could act independently to launch public plans on their exchanges, many Republicans view the idea as wildly expensive and would strongly resist any effort by Clinton to require them nationwide. WHAT EVERYONE THINKS IS CRAZY - DRUG PRICES Obamacare did little to deal with soaring drug prices for lifesaving treatments like Mylan NV's EpiPen. Democrats and Republicans say that's a problem for the next president, even though it's getting little attention on the campaign trail. Trump and Clinton both want Americans to be allowed to buy cheaper drugs from overseas (Americans pay the highest prices in the world for drugs). Former Democratic U.S. Representative Henry Waxman made a similar proposal in 2009, but he was defeated by pressure from drug companies, which would likely oppose it again. Clinton says Medicare should negotiate drug prices with companies, using its 55 million users to get a better deal. Trump made a similar call during the Republican primaries but it does not appear on his campaign website now. Some health policy experts believe drug companies would respond to lower prices for Medicare patients by raising prices for everyone else. And to negotiate better prices, Medicare would have to be willing to stop covering certain drugs, which would be unpopular, they say. Clinton has also suggested creating a commission that would watch for sudden spikes in prices of older life-saving drugs, a proposal that health policy experts said is achievable through rule making rather than legislation. She has also proposed a cap on drug co-payments. Clinton has already put Wall Street on watch. Her tweets have brought down shares of Mylan and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, which helped push many institutional investors out of healthcare stocks. Drug companies are already responding to political pressure. Botox maker Allergan Inc, for example, recently committed to keeping price increases below 10 percent. Image source: McDonald's Instagram page. When McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) reports third-quarter 2016 results on Oct. 21, shareholders will seek out clues that the company's turnaround plan, which began last fall, still has legs. The following five themes may prove useful for those who are interested in cutting through the noise of the report to gauge the burger behemoth's progress year to date. 1. Have we hit peak all-day breakfast? All-day breakfast, the innovation that rallied McDonald's stock off its hospital gurney last year, is showing signs of fatigue. U.S. comparable sales growth dropped to 1.8% last quarter, although for the year, comps are still up 3.5%. While the novelty of all-day breakfast is wearing off, McDonald's can still derive benefits by tweaking aspects of the program. During the organization's second-quarter conference call in July, CEO Steve Easterbrook discussed the importance of being responsive to customer desires. Easterbrook shared that after working out operational challenges, the company is heeding customer requests to offer McGriddles, muffins, and biscuits all day in all U.S. markets this fall. Frankly, all-day breakfast isn't a permanent solution to the company's continuing relevance as a competitive quick-service dining option. Yet it's an important intermediate piece in the company's strategy to evolve into a contemporary, "progressive" burger chain. Look for a discussion on Friday of the impact of all-day breakfast on third-quarter comparative sales. 2. Value execution in U.S. and Germany Like all-day breakfast, the company's value offering, McPick 2, plays a key role in the intermediate-term strategy. Menu item pairings under McPick 2 change frequently depending on geographic region, with "McPick 2 for $3" and "McPick 2 for $5" being the most prominent configurations. McDonald's has benefited from commodity deflation this year, as falling prices for its 10 major grocery commodities in the U.S. are projected to be 3.5%-4.5% cheaper than 2015.This trend, coupled with still robust consumer demand for value items and higher margins versus the discarded dollar menu, illustrates why McDonald's wants to push value items to its adherents for the time being. In particular, investors should pay attention to management's comments on Q3 McPick 2 success in both the U.S. and in Germany, as these two developed markets are characterized by deal-seeking customers who have so far proved responsive to the McPick2 formula. 3. Refranchising update As it moves from an organization that's 80% franchised to one that will be almost totally franchised in the coming years, McDonald's is seeking out new partners, particularly in Asia, to take over the beachheads into new markets it's built over the past few decades. News outlets have reported over the past month that McDonald's has received bids on its businesses in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. It's possible that we'll get one or more concrete deal announcements on Friday. Any such news is likely to be met positively, as franchise margins have proved to be the highest driver of operating income at McDonald's in recent years. 4. The tail end of a massive shareholder initiative -- what's next? In July, CFO Kevin Ozan announced that McDonald's was nearing the completion of an enormous three-year, $30 billion program to return cash to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks. I haven't been a fan of this initiative, as it increased the company's debt substantially, resulting in a downgrade by the Standard & Poor's credit-rating agency to just three notches above "junk" status. The program has also cut average cash balances in half, compromising what used to be one of the most pristine balance sheets in the Fortune 500. About $5.6 billion of the promised return to shareholders remains to be executed in the back half of the year. The company's post-release earnings call won't be too soon for management to discuss capital structure, operational cash flow, and debt repayments as they relate to life after the shareholder program. 5. Clarity on general and administrative spending plans In November 2015, as McDonald's shared details of its turnaround plan, management floated an ambitious goal to cut $500 million in costs annually from the general and administrative line item on its income statement, by 2018. So far, there hasn't been much visible progress on this front, although executives recently confirmed the target date and promised to share details of restructuring and cost cutting initiatives in the company's third=quarter update. Thus, on Friday, investors should have a fairly good sense of the road map to achieving the half-billion dollars in yearly savings. The narrative will almost certainly touch on head count, as McDonald's has signaled on numerous occasions that it's aware of the need to be more efficient with its operational structure, especially regarding its numerous layers of middle management. Improving overhead productivity will demonstrate that McDonald's can operate more efficiently, even as it figures out methods to jump-start top-line sales. If the company can illustrate tangible gains on its G&A plan, as well as progress on the accompanying themes mentioned here, long-term holders of this stock should have reason to feel reassured after earnings come out later this week. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. Asit Sharma has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Diversification is a fundamental strategy that every investor should employ, but what's best to add to your asset menu depends on what you already own. In this segment of Motley Fool Answers, Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp discuss what having a large fraction of your net worth in income-producing buildings means for your investment strategy, how it effects your risk profile, and more. A full transcript follows the video. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. This podcast was recorded on Sept. 13, 2016 Alison Southwick: This one comes from Bruce. Now you told me to edit this down, and you left out some of the praise that Bruce had for you, but I stuck it back in. Robert Brokamp:OK. Southwick:Bruce says: "Love the show. I listen every week and I also have read every word that Bro has written forRule Your Retirement." Brokamp:That is more than 12 years' worth of issues, so good for you, Bruce. Southwick:God bless you, Bruce. His question is: "I have a substantial amount of investable assets in income-producing rental real estate -- close to half, as I started investing in real estate at a very young age. I have been ignoring this in my allocations but, after thinking about it for a while, realized that is pretty dumb. What is your recommendation for considering these properties in my investment allocation and in creating a model portfolio?" Brokamp:Well, Bruce, the question you would ask with any non-portfolio asset (including your human capital, which is your ability to earn a paycheck) is how it affects the risk profile of your overall household finances. So if you have rental properties, and they're cash flow positive, that adds diversification to your overall household portfolio, because you've got an asset that can increase in value, and it's producing income. Because it is adding this diversification, it lowers your overall risk profile (which means you can take more risk) in your investment portfolio. You might have more stocks than you otherwise would have. You do have to look at the properties themselves. For example, just like stocks, you want to make sure you are diversified. If all your properties are in the same area serving the same sort of people, they're not quite as diversified as if you had properties in other locations. Maybe you have rental properties that are at the beach, or rental properties on a lake. You want to look at the location of the properties. Is that location economically diversified? Is it in a place like Detroit that was very reliant on the auto industry, or is it in a place like the Washington, D.C., area which has a diversified economy? Then the other question people often bring up when it comes to real estate and their portfolio is, "I have a house. I have rental properties. Maybe I don't need to invest in things like real estate investment trusts," which is a good type of stock to have in a diversified portfolio. But REITs are very different than rental properties and your house, because REITs invest in companies like hospitals, storage facilities, or office buildings, so they perform very differently than rental real estate or your own house. Just because you have rental property doesn't necessarily mean you should not have REITs. Overall, I think having real estate is a great idea and allows you to take more risk in your portfolio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Research showsthat investing in high-yield dividend stocks and reinvesting those payments is a surefire way to secure a safe retirement. So to begin this process, it makes sense to point out some of the highest-yield dividend stocks on the market today. Source: Google Finance. However, looking at payout only skims the surface. Let's look more closely at a few of the names above to see what makes them compelling dividend stocks for investors to buy today. Image source: Getty Images. The Blackstone Group: A leading asset manager with a high yield Despite CEO Stephen Schwarzman's repeated case for a highershare price, shares of global alternative-investment powerhouse The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) today hover around a still-respectable $25. With that said, Schwarzman's arguably aggressive assessment of his company by no means derails the generally favorable outlook for this high-yield stock. Blackstone generates its profits through a series of different fees and other payments from its four core business segments: private equity, real estate, credit, and hedge fund solutions. Thanks to its long-standing tradition of excellence in investing, Blackstoneenjoys a tremendous capacity to attract new funds over the long term. It's for this reason that the average of 16 sell-side analysts covering the company rate Blackstone stock as a buy. According to estimates, though its top-line revenue generation can prove volatile from year to year, the company is forecast to grow its earnings per share at an average annual rate of 26.2% over the next five years. This implies that the overall direction of the company is largely positive despite some lumpiness that might materialize in any given quarter. It also bears noting that Blackstone's current high yield might not prove as alluring as it does at first glance. Though the company's quarterly dividend currently yields roughly 7% on an annualized basis, Blackstone generates its quarterly payments based on the fees it collects from its investments, which, as mentioned above, can ebb and flow. Due to this, investors looking for consistency as a core trait in a dividend stock, such as people currently in retirement, might wish to look elsewhere for their high-yielding stocks, though the long-term outlook for this pre-eminent asset manager appears largely positive. Image source: Getty Images. Las Vegas Sands: A high-yield casino powerhouse Shares of casino operator Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) have had something of a spring in their step of late, rising over 15% in the month of September alone, and for good reason. After suffering from a prolonged slump, gambling revenue in Macau -- China's lone casino destination -- rose in both August and September. Naturally, this lead to speculation that Macau's fortunes have finally shifted back into growth mode after a 26-month slump in gaming revenue -- rendering such a judgment from two months' worth of data admittedly seems slightly pre-emptive. In the long term, Las Vegas Sands certainly finds itself in arguably the most formidable competitive position in the entire gaming industry. As noted by my talented Foolish colleague Andres Cardenal, Las Vegas Sands will control roughly 45% of all four- and five-star hotel rooms in Macau now that its Parisian Macau has opened. In a market driven disproportionately by high rollers, being able to accommodate these visitors will allow Las Vegas Sands to continually attract rainmakers from across the region. As far as Las Vegas Sands' dividends are concerned, the impressive 5% dividend yield makes the company a compelling option. What's more, Las Vegas Sands has demonstrated a noteworthy commitment to growing its already-high yield. Though the company only began paying its dividend in 2012, it has nearly tripled its quarterly cash dividend in the past five years. Like Blackstone, Las Vegas Sands stands as a fantastic option for investors looking to invest in high-yielding stocks. Image Source: Philip Morris International. Philip Morris International The former international arm of U.S. tobacco giantAltria,Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) is a fascinating high yield stock for a number of reasons. Philip Morris' international focus shields them to some degree from the shrinking domestic market. Although smoking rates globally continue to fall, smoking rates in the U.S. are lower than the global average according to World Bank data . The company currently controls a 28.5% share of the international cigarette market minus the U.S. and crucially China -- aheavy smoking country whose cigarette industry is currently controlled by a powerful state sponsored monopoly . If Philip Morris can find a way to capture a more meaningful share of the Chinese cigarette market, where its current presence is negligible, it could ignite significant new growth for Philip Morris and its investors. However, Philip Morris' results in recent quarters have been hamstrung to an incredible degree by macroeconomic changes, particularly the overwhelming strength of the U.S. dollar. As a U.S.-based company whose results are completely international in nature, foreign exchange rate fluctuations can have a disproportionate effect on Philip Morris' top line. The rising U.S. dollar has significantly impacted the company, as CEO Andr Calantzopoulos commented in Philip Morris' Q4 and full-year 2015 earnings call: Currency headwinds obscure what has otherwise been a largely positive performance from the international tobacco giant. No one knows definitely when the U.S. dollar's multi-year rally against other currencies will abate, but it certainly cannot continue indefinitely. This means high yield investors looking at Philip Morris' stock could see a number of challenging quarters ahead. However, the company's above 4% dividend yield should help compensate shareholders in the meantime. To be sure, near-term risk factors could hamper this high yield stock, but its long-term income producing outlook still remains highly favorable. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. Andrew Tonner has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Last week, Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) reported a sharp decline in unit revenue for the third quarter. Falling fuel prices weren't enough to prevent Delta's profit from sinking on a year-over-year basis. However, Delta did forecast that its unit revenue trajectory will start to improve in Q4. Following the earnings release, Delta's management spent about an hour discussing the company's results and outlook with analysts and members of the media. The earnings call focused heavily on Delta's plans for returning to unit revenue growth. Here are five key points that Delta Air Lines executives emphasized. Domestic unit revenue declines flattening out For a while, Delta executives have been projecting that unit revenue would soon stabilize. Fares for advanced bookings started moving in the right direction earlier this year. However, Delta's revenue growth efforts were undermined by persistent weakness in close-in yields: fares for the last-minute tickets that are frequently sold to business travelers. Delta has been hurt in 2016 by falling fares for last-minute business travel. Image source: The Motley Fool. That harmful trend is finally petering out. Close-in yields for domestic travel have improved significantly since mid-August and are now roughly flat year over year. Barring another downturn in demand, domestic revenue per available seat mile should return to growth by early 2017 at the latest. Capacity discipline and rising fuel prices will bolster unit revenue Slower capacity growth will be one of Delta's key tools for returning to sustainable unit revenue growth. Through the first seven months of 2016, Delta increased its domestic capacity by about 5% year over year. During Q4, it plans to grow at half that rate in the U.S. Looking ahead to 2017, Delta plans to grow global capacity by just 1% relative to 2016. Additionally, based on the discussion during the earnings call, Delta's management appears to expect rising fuel prices to quickly change the competitive environment. According to this line of reasoning, as higher costs crimp airlines' profit margins, they will all stop trying to undercut one another's fares. At some point, this is bound to occur. It's much more profitable to cut some capacity if demand misses forecasts than to drive fares ever lower. However, it's not clear yet whether rising fuel prices will translate to higher fares as quickly as Delta expects. Latin America becomes a bright spot The one geographic region that has turned the corner is Latin America. Delta reported 1.5% unit revenue growth there, driven by an astonishing turnaround in Brazil. Unit revenue had declined on Delta's routes to Brazil for four years running, including particularly steep declines last year. However, a rebound in the Brazilian real led to a 30% surge in unit revenue on routes to Brazil during Q3. Mexico was the other main point of strength in Latin America. Indeed, solid demand in Mexican business markets has driven steady unit revenue growth there throughout 2016. On the other hand, Delta faces more intractable problems in many of its other international markets. Overcapacity and fare wars are having a particularly severe impact on unit revenue for routes to Europe and China. Costs are starting to rise again Delta Air Lines' revenue recovery efforts are becoming particularly vital because unit costs are starting to creep higher again. After non-fuel unit costs increased just 0.1% in Q3, Delta is projecting a 1%-2% rise in Q4. Fuel prices are also starting to move higher, although for now Delta is still benefiting on a year-over-year basis from lower hedging losses. The big whammy is Delta's new tentative pilot contract. If it is ratified, it will add hundreds of millions of dollars in labor costs. That could drive non-fuel unit cost growth above 3%. New aircraft configurations coming? The combination of cost creep and fare pressure in international markets may drive Delta to make bigger changes to its product offerings to remain competitive. Those could include creating new aircraft configurations. Delta President Glen Hauenstein remained vague about what Delta may change. However, he hinted that Delta could squeeze more seats onto airplanes flying some transatlantic routes. By spreading its costs over more seats, Delta would be better able to match fares from no-frills airlines like Norwegian Air without undermining its margins. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. Adam Levine-Weinberg is long January 2017 $40 calls on Delta Air Lines. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Image source: Getty Images. Rio Tinto's (NYSE: RIO) massive Simandou iron ore project in West Africa just had another naildriven into its coffin after the World Bank announced it was forcing the miner to buy out its stake in the project. Simandou may have the potential to completely upend and alter the look of the iron ore market were it ever to come online, but industry economics make it clear it's not going to see the light of day for a very long time. A mountain-sized opportunity The project is located deep in the heart of the Simandou mountains in the Republic of Guinea, and though it holds vast stores of iron ore that have been estimated at about $50 billion, the cost to develop the mine has become untenable as commodity prices, including iron ore, have plunged. Although the import price of 62% iron content ore at the Chinese port of Tianjin has staged a rally this year, surging 32% to reach some $56 per tonne despite expectations of further declines in Chinese steelmaking after a decade of growth, prices still remain well below the peaks hit back in early 2011 when they topped out just north of $191 a tonne. There remains a supply glut that isn't expected to dissipate anytime soon. This past summer analysts at Morgan Stanley forecast a supply glut of 33.4 million tonnes this year before rising to almost 100 million tonnes by 2018 as new projects come online. BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) expects the situation to remain out of equilibrium for at least another decade. The western Australia Pilbara mining region is rich with ore and the world-class Roy Hill project is on track to ramp up to 55 million tons annually by the end of the year. Vale (NYSE: VALE) has also said it expects its S11D expansion project at Carajas in the Brazilian Amazon to begin producing in December and reach full capacity by 2018, with Liberum Capital saying iron suppliers will add some 50 million tons of supply over the next year. Maybe some other time All of which explains why Rio Tinto mothballed Simandou. Just weeks after delivering a feasibility report on the giant project, the miner seemingly reversed course and announced it was pulling the plug on it altogether. Yet all along, the odds against developing the project were high. Image source: Getty Images. Because of Simandou's remote location, vast and expensive infrastructure needed to be built. Some $20 billion would need to be invested in constructing 80 miles of roadway and 400 miles of railway because the government wanted its own ports used for shipping the ore rather than allowing the use of a shorter route to the ports in nearby Liberia. The investment by the World Bank's International Finance Corporation was to help defray the costs. It is exercising its put option on its 4.6% state in the project, which means that Rio Tinto, which owns 46.6% of Simandou, and China's Chinalco, which owns 41.3% -- the government of Guinea owns the remaining 7.1% -- are required to buy out their partner. If it ever comes to fruition, Simandou would transform Guinea. The country currently depends on its bauxite deposits for most of its revenue, but Simandou alone could double the country's GDP. The high cost of carrying That, however, looks like it's a long way away from happening. Rio Tinto swung to a loss earlier this year because of a $1.8 billion writedown on the project, and it has left just $10 million of value related to it on its balance sheet. Simandou has a troubled history with tales of fraud and bribery checkering its potential. But as the project's owners continue to question the wisdom of moving forward, that may be all the project represents -- potential, with nothing ever coming to fruition. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. Rich Duprey has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Companhia Vale. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Americans are apparently still hot for home-delivered pizza: Domino's Pizza posted a jump in sales in the last quarter, even as other fast-food companies have reported weaker sales growth. Domino's also reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings and revenue, and its shares jumped to an all-time high Tuesday. Rivals McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King have blamed weaker-than-expected growth on cheaper groceries, political uncertainty and other factors, but Domino's didn't report any of those problems Tuesday. It said that sales at U.S. stores open at least a year considered an important measure of a retailer's health rose 13 percent in the last quarter from the year before. That's above the 8 percent rise analysts had expected, according to FactSet. The company's year-old loyalty program "significantly" increased orders, Domino's Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Lawrence, said in a conference call with investors and Wall Street analysts. Customers earn a free pizza after they spend a certain amount on online orders. Easy online ordering may also be helping. Paul Westra, an analyst at Stifel, said in a note to clients that Domino's is in the "forefront" of how Americans want to order and pay for food. Beginning last month, for example, customers could order a pizza through Facebook's Messenger app. Before that, users could text or tweet a pizza emoji to Domino's to send in their order. In April, it launched a no-click smartphone app that automatically orders when the app is opened. For the quarter that ended Sept. 11, the company posted net profit of $47.2 million, or 96 cents per share, up from $37.8 million, or 67 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago. Revenue rose 17 percent to $566.7 million in the period. Both earnings and revenue beat Wall Street expectations, according to Zacks. Shares of Domino's Pizza Inc., based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, rose $10.99, or 7.2 percent, to $163 in afternoon trading Tuesday. Earlier, the stock touched an all-time high of $163.73. _____ Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on DPZ at http://www.zacks.com/ap/DPZ _____ Keywords: Domino's Pizza, Earnings Report Ford's Kansas City assembly plant, one of two factories that make the top-selling F-150 pickup, is one of four Ford plants that will close for a week because of rising inventories. Image source: Ford Motor Company. Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is idling four of its North American factories in response to swelling inventories -- including one of the two factories that makes its top-selling F-150 pickup. It's the latest hint that the U.S. new-vehicle market could be near or past its cyclical peak. That should concern investors in all automakers doing business in the United States. Key Ford factories are getting some unwelcome downtime Ford's typical practice is to idle a factory for a week when inventories of the factory's products are piling up (or put another way, when sales aren't keeping pace with production). Two Ford plants in the U.S. and two in Mexico are getting some surprise time off: Louisville Assembly , in Louisville, Kentucky, builds the Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC crossover SUVs. It's closed this week, and will close again in the week of Oct. 31. , in Louisville, Kentucky, builds the Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC crossover SUVs. It's closed this week, and will close again in the week of Oct. 31. Kansas City Assembly , in Claycomo, Missouri, builds the Ford F-150 pickup and Ford Transit vans. It will be closed for one week starting next Monday. , in Claycomo, Missouri, builds the Ford F-150 pickup and Ford Transit vans. It will be closed for one week starting next Monday. Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly , in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, builds the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans. It's closed this week. , in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, builds the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans. It's closed this week. Cuautitlan Stamping and Assembly, in Cuautitlan Izcalli, Mexico, builds the Ford Fiesta. It's closed this week. One more Ford plant was closed last week: Flat Rock Assembly, in Flat Rock, Michigan, which builds the Mustang. Are inventories of all of these products too high? Yes and no. Here are Ford's U.S. inventory figures for these models for Sept. 1 and Oct. 1. Vehicle inventories are typically expressed in terms of "days' supply". For most models, 60 days' worth is considered about right. Inventories for pickups, which come in many different configurations, are generally somewhat higher. Data source: Automotive News. As you can see, some are more out of hand than others. A 64-day supply of the Escape is probably no big deal in and of itself. But 96 days' worth of MKCs is far too many, and it's possible that Ford will reshuffle the production mix to make a larger percentage of Escapes after the Louisville plant reopens. Likewise, 72 days' worth of Fusions is a bit high, though it's down from 77 a month earlier. But 115 days' worth of its Lincoln MKZ sibling is far too many. The most interesting -- and concerning, for investors -- figure is the 93 days' supply of F-Series pickups. On the surface, that's not especially high for the F-Series. But there may be more to the story. F-Series includes the F-150, which is made at Kansas City Assembly and at another plant in Michigan, and its Super Duty siblings, which are made in Kentucky. The Super Duty is all-new for 2017, the factory changed over just recently, and supplies are believed to be quite tight. It may be that that 93 days' supply includes more F-150s (and fewer Super Duty models) than Ford would like. It's also possible that Ford is taking note of a recent big boost in incentive spending by pickup rival Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (NYSE: FCAU), and anticipating some lost F-150 sales if it refuses to match its rival's discounts. Likewise, Mustang inventories likely rose because of a big boost inGeneral Motors'incentives on the rival Chevrolet Camaro. What does this mean for investors? Through September, overall U.S. sales of light vehicles (the industry term for cars, pickups, and SUVs) are up slightly (0.5%) from last year's record totals. Ford's are also up slightly (0.8%) -- but they've been down year over year in recent months. What's (probably) happening is that the market is coming off its cyclical peak. That's not really a surprise: CFO Bob Shanks said during Ford's second-quarter earnings call that a slowdown in U.S. retail sales was possible during the second half of 2016. We should be very clear about this: The pace of sales is still very high by historical standards, and it could stay high as long as the U.S. economy continues to chug along. But without overall market growth, automakers will fight harder for incremental sales gains -- and that means incentives, or discounts, will grow. While Ford has so far resisted boosting its incentives to extreme levels, we've seen that some other automakers (like FCA with its Ram pickups) have been more willing to spend freely in search of sales gains. That leaves Ford with a choice: It can boost incentives to match its rival's, or it can cut back production. As a Ford investor, I'd rather see the Blue Oval choose to idle factories for a week here and there rather than boosting incentives to profit-killing levels. But either way, it's a sign that the peak of the U.S. market is probably behind us -- and that means profits are likely to get squeezed going forward. We'll know more when Ford reports its third-quarter earnings next week. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. John Rosevear owns shares of Ford and General Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Ford. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Author of The Sale of a Lifetime, Harry Dent told FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney he predicts a market selloff beginning in the next three months. I cant tell when a bubble is going to burst, when a grain of sand is going to cause an avalanche. But what I can tell you is when the trends are down, and theyre down very strongly over the next three years, Dent said on Varney & Co. Tuesday morning. He cited what he calls a bubble in Chinese real estate, coupled with global banking issues from giants like Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) contributing to the instability. This is going to come to a head and the markets are just going to keep going up until something hits them that they cant deal with and central banks cant print their way out of, he said. Dent said the next market downturn will be deeper and longer than the one seen in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. And he predicts central banks will have less influence this time around. But he said it could be a buying opportunity for long-term investors. Were going to see a once-in-a-lifetime buy opportunity for investments long term. But Im telling people right now, its better to be safesell a bit early because bubbles crash much faster than they build. Just look at China last year, he said. Boston Beer investors might not be smiling after the craft beer brewer reports earnings this week that could send its stock price lower. Management appears to be ready to scoop up shares if that happens. Image source: Getty Images. Should Boston Beer (NYSE: SAM) investors be worried the brewer is about to fall flat when it reports earnings on Thursday? Its recent stock buyback authorization suggests that may be a possibility. Stocking up on its stock The maker of Samuel Adams beer, Angry Orchard cider, and Twisted Tea has historically never been a big buyer of its own stock. According to Barron's, analysts at Cowen & Co. say that the five-year period between 2010 and 2014 saw Boston Beer buy back $37 million worth of its shares. But last year it suddenly bought $136 million worth and through the first half of 2016 has repurchased another $125 million of its stock. It looks like it has big plans to buy again, since just ahead of its third-quarter earnings report, the brewer announced its was hiking its stock repurchase program by $180 million, raising the total spending limit from $601 million to $781 million. That may be a sign it thinks its stock is about to get a whole lot cheaper real soon. In January 2015, Boston Beer's stock peaked at a record $325 per share, and since then has been on an inexorable slide lower to the point where it now trades for half the value it did back at its high point. The massive repurchase of shares hasn't been able to prop up its stock or earnings, though it has been buying them back at progressively lower prices. SAM data by YCharts. No longer a frothy head Arguably Boston Beer remains the face of the craft beer industry. Despite its growth over the years, the Brewers Association trade group has moved the goalposts on occasion to ensure that its most famous member can still be included. And with good reason. It was Samuel Adams beer that really helped craft beer go mainstream to the point where the industry now accounts for 12% of all the beer brewed in the U.S., some 24 million barrels in all. Where the overall beer market grew just 0.2% in 2015, craft beer jumped almost 13% from the prior-year period. Image source: Getty Images. Yet as Boston Beer's earnings attest, the industry is starting to slow. The Brewers Association's midyear reckoning showed that production volume rose 8% over the first six months of 2016, about half the rate of increase seen a year ago, and some analysts think it's even lower. While the slowdown can be attributed to Samuel Adams underperformance, along with other mass-brewed "craft beers" from Anheuser-Busch InBev, Molson Coors, and others also seeing sales weakening, it indicates Boston Beer is still facing headwinds. Some hard choices But what's proving more problematic for Boston Beer is the turbulence it's seeing in cider, and maybe also its recent new product introductions, hard soda and hard seltzer. In the second quarter, depletions fell 5% from last year as Samuel Adams, Angry Orchard, and the Travelers brand all suffered. Though the company said the back half of the year should see more favorable comparisons, and it will have contributions from its Coney Island brand of hard soda and the Truly Spiked & Sparkling seltzer line,analysts think the fanfare from these beverages is already fading. Since these new brands were supposed to provide some ballast for the brewer as it works to get its flagship Samuel Adams brand back on track, the new stock buyback plan may suggest management thinks it's going to take more time than they thought, and that the market isn't going to like what it has to say. There doesn't appear to be any way Boston Beer can turn the ship around. Craft beer drinkers are still drinking craft beer, but they're buying the ones that are true small-batch brews. Industry observers noted when you removed the biggest names from the list, the craft beer industry was still chugging along at 16% growth. So don't be surprised when Boston Beer reports its third-quarter numbers this week and sales are flatter than a day-old open long neck. It may once again have the chance to buy its stock at a discount, but just because the brewer is doing so, doesn't mean you have to buy them as well. There will probably be plenty of opportunity in the months ahead to gets Boston Beer's shares at an even better price. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. Rich Duprey has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and Boston Beer. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The state of Massachusetts will stop using Wells Fargo & Co as a bond underwriter for a year, joining a growing list of state and local governments to suspend business with the bank after revelations it opened millions of unauthorized accounts. Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg instructed her staff late on Monday to immediately remove Wells Fargo from the state's approved list of underwriters for a term of one year, her spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Compared with other states, Massachusetts' exposure to the bank is "extremely limited," but Goldberg "isn't convinced that Wells Fargo has grasped the level of seriousness of their actions nor have they addressed systemic failures within their organization," spokeswoman Chandra Allard said in an email. "We value the Commonwealth of Massachusetts business and will work to earn it back," the bank said in a statement. Last month, Wells Fargo agreed to pay a $190 million settlement over its staff opening as many as 2 million accounts without customers' knowledge. The misconduct triggered a raft of federal and state investigations and led to the resignation last week of its chief executive and chairman, John Stumpf. Earlier this month following the scandal, Massachusetts, as well as Oregon and the city of New York, said they were reviewing their business relationships with the firm. The backlash has since widened. On Friday, Ohio said it would ban state business with Wells Fargo for a year, following the city of Chicago and the states of Illinois and California. In Massachusetts, the bank said, it employs 1,300 people and contributed $1.3 million to nonprofits and schools statewide in 2015. Its business with the state is conducted through Wells Fargo Securities, which is a separate business line from its retail banking operations. (Reporting by Hilary Russ; editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Jonathan Oatis) Netflix Inc's shares jumped 20 percent on Tuesday - on track for their best day in more than three years - as original shows helped the company add far more subscribers than expected in the third quarter. The boom in subscriber additions, coming off disappointing second-quarter subscriber growth, allayed some concerns about the company's expensive bet on producing original content such as the Winona Ryder-starrer sci-fi series "Stranger Things." Wall Street analysts scrambled to bump up their price targets on the stock, with most of them praising the company's focus on developing original content. Netflix's shares were up 18.9 percent at $119.40 in midday trading, adding about $8 billion to the company's market value. The video streaming company also said it was getting ready to spend $6 billion on content next year, up $1 billion from 2016. "The benefits of NFLX-produced original content including attractive economics and greater control are clear and we believe returns on original spend are high," J.P. Morgan Securities analyst Doug Anmuth said in a research note. Anmuth said he believed Netflix was on track toward 60 million plus subscribers in the United States and about 100 million internationally by 2020. Some analysts, however, sounded a note of caution about the company's lofty valuation and its ability to sustain its pace of growth. "Netflix continues to spend exorbitantly for original and exclusive content, while international profitability remains elusive and competition for both content and subscribers is becoming more fierce," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said. "In addition, cash burn is unacceptably high, and we are skeptical that the company can successfully build a content library that will justify its high level of spending." Netflix, whose competitors include Hulu and Amazon.com Inc, said on Monday it expects a higher free-cash-flow burn at $1.5 billion in 2016 as producing original content consumes more cash up front. The company's stock trades at 131 times forward earnings. SURGE IN SUBSCRIBERS But most analysts remained bullish about Netflix and its ability to woo subscribers with its original content. At least 16 brokerages, including Goldman Sachs and RBC Capital Markets, raised their price targets on the stock. "We believe Netflix is still quite early in penetrating international markets, and its content strategy seems poised to help subscriber growth," Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Graham said. The second season of "Narcos," a Netflix original show on Colombian druglord Pablo Escobar, has proved highly popular, following up on the success of "Orange is the New Black" and "House of Cards." The company plans to launch "Crown," a show about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, next month. Netflix plans to release more than 1,000 hours of original programming in 2017, up from 600 hours this year. The company added about 3.20 million subscribers internationally in the third quarter, compared with the 2.01 million average analyst estimate. In the United States, Netflix added 370,000 subscriptions, compared with analysts' estimate of 309,000, according to research firm FactSet StreetAccount. "This is unprecedented growth that should drive a substantial improvement in the breadth and depth of content on the service, which should provide a tailwind to subscriber growth in 2017," said Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves. (Reporting by Tenzin Pema in Bengaluru; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) It took only one day for Wells Fargo's new CEO to lose credibility among those who've followed its fake-account scandal closely. Image source: iStock/Thinkstock. Let me paint a picture for you that will cast doubt on the credibility of Wells Fargo's (NYSE: WFC) executives, including new CEO Tim Sloan. 2005 In 2005, the same year now-former CEO John Stumpf became president of Wells Fargo, an administrative assistant emailed the bank's human resources department to report that employees were fraudulently opening accounts for customers in order to meet unconscionably high sales goals. She was fired. 2006 In 2006, a different employee brought the same issue to the attention of managers in the bank's retail division, where the fraud occurred. He was accused of harassment by senior managers, suspended from his job, and received a menacing response from those higher up the chain. He was told that his employment was "at will," that "staffing decisions are under the complete and arbitrary discretion" of his superiors, that he would "not be reinstated" into his former job, and that he will "never be allowed back in the same office." He was instructed to "sue us if you disagree." 2007 That same employee wrote a letter in 2007 to then-CEO Stumpf detailing the ongoing fraud, as well as the retaliation. Here's a portion of his letter: He sent a second letterthe same day -- Sept. 13, 2007 -- to the bank's board of directors warning of the same thing. He never heard back. 2008 In 2008, he prevailed in a whistleblower lawsuit against Wells Fargo, even though only 2% of whistleblowers prevail in such cases. 2009 In 2009, a banker in Northern California reported the ongoing fraud to her branch manager, her branch manager's boss, and Wells Fargo's ethics hotline. She was fired one year later. She then sued, submitting "thousands of pages of documents and testimony from multiple branch workers about the unethical acts they said they witnessed." She lost the case. While the court found that she had an "objectively reasonable" belief that the bank was committing fraud, the judge ruled that Wells Fargo still had grounds to fire her because she fell short of her sales goals, reported The New York Times. 2011 In 2011, an employee sent an email to Stumpf detailing the very same thing. She was fired. Another employee in 2011 reported the fraud to the Wells Fargo ethics line. He too was fired. And he too sent an email to Stumpf about the fraud and retaliation, but never heard back. Yet another employee detailed the fraud in an email to Stumpf that same year, after she was fired for falling short of her sales goals. It was also in 2011 that Wells Fargo started cleaning house in its retail division, firing 1,000 people that year for fraudulently opening accounts. 2012 Wells Fargo fired another 1,000 people for opening fraudulent accounts in 2012. 2013 Wells Fargo fired another 1,000 people for opening fraudulent accounts in 2013. And on Dec. 21, 2013, the Los Angeles Times broke the story about what was going on, in an article titled: "Wells Fargo's Pressure-Cooker Sales Culture Comes at a Cost." Fast-forward to 2016 Stumpf told Congress last month that he learned of the widespread fraudulent behavior "later in 2013," though he didn't recall "exactly the time frame." In other words, despite the fact that he and the board had received multiple letters and emails from employees since at least 2005, and that 1,000 employees had been fired in each of the three preceding years for perpetrating the scandal, Stumpf claimed that he hadn't heard about it until sometime in late 2013. Obviously, he either lied under oath or was an incredibly incompetent chief executive officer who didn't even remotely satisfy his duty to oversee the bank. Which brings us to today... Given that Stumpf has since resigned, leaving with $130 million in Wells Fargo stock, it's tempting to conclude that the bank can now put all of this in the rearview mirror and begin rebuilding its brand. The problem is that it replaced Stumpf with someone who seems equally indifferent to the interests of Wells Fargo, and who chooses instead to, in effect, defend Stumpf. Here's what Sloan said in his first interview as Wells Fargo's new CEO about Stumpf's resignation: And in response to a question about whether he felt sorry for Stumpf, Sloan replied that: When I heard this, I couldn't help but wonder whether Sloan has any clue about Stumpf's role in all of this. And if he does, why would he defend him? There's simply no way around it: Wells Fargo's insular culture among top-level executives that protects those in its C-suite at the expense of shareholders, customers, and lower-level employees must end. And the only way for it to end is if Wells Fargo looks outside for a new CEO. The best bet for Wells Fargo is to find a replacement who learned the trade from JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. John Maxfield owns shares of Wells Fargo. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Wells Fargo. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The 2016 presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump has left one U.S. casino magnate ready to believe that the earth is flat. CEO Steve Wynn, of Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN), said the political discourse is straying from far more important issues affecting the entire nation. I think the conversation is all wrong. I dont think the dialogue has shown the proper respect for the process itself. Whats going on America is complicated, important and worth serious, serious public discussion, Wynn said during an interview on Fox News Your World with Neil Cavuto. Wynn said the increase in government spending has destroyed the quality of every paycheck and living standard of every American. "People that create jobs, create tax payers, which benefits society as a whole." - Steve Wynn, Wynn Resorts CEO That conversation is relevant. Not to mention a serious discussion about globalization, trade, immigration, but instead, I feel that the exchanges have devolved. I think the conversation is all wrong, he said. Wynn also addressed the paying your fair share narrative and said 70% of the tax revenues paid to the U.S. government in income tax are paid by 5% of the citizens. When you hear a politician say fair share, you are talking about hypocritical political propaganda. You are not talking about an intelligent discussion of who is paying what and who isnt paying taxes, Wynn told host Neil Cavuto. The casino mogul thinks the U.S. corporate tax rate is excessively high for businesses to create jobs, and he said offshore profits can be a gateway for tax breaks on corporations. People that create jobs, create tax payers, which benefits society as a whole, Wynn said. When asked who he is putting his chips behind come Election Day, Wynn said, I am so focused on the fact that the conversation doesnt address any of the things I think are important. I think our political dialogue in America is distorted and completely off track. Billy Bush may have gotten the heave-ho from NBC on Monday following the video release of his lewd decade-old conversation with presidential hopeful Donald Trump, but celebrity experts say Bush's days on TV are far from over. Marc Marcuse, president of Reel Management, believes the 44-year-old father-of-three definitely needs a cool-down period. Billy was clearly a fall guy for Trump, you just can't be tied to a presidential scandal... and then expect your career to survive, he told FOX411. But that's short-term. I would think he's toxic for a little while, but he'll rebound just fine Billy will probably be just fine once this blows over. Dan Gainor, VP of business and culture at the Media Research Center, also suggests Bush lay low. The best thing he can do is drop out of sight for a bit. If Trump wins, it will go hard on him, he said. If he loses, media will let Billy do penance by embracing a few liberal causes and doing the equivalent of going through reeducation. Michael Vick, Charlie Sheen, and Kobe Bryant just a few celebrities who have been able to make comebacks after massive scandals. And Cate Meighan, pop culture expert, is confident Bush will work again especially because of Americas willingness to give second chances. Time and again we have watched celebs fall from grace, and if they law low for awhile they often can return, she said. Think of Martha Stewart, Paula Deen or Robert Downey Jr. all of those years ago. If Billy comes back, owns his behavior and apologizes without trying to explain things away, he'll be forgiven. Meighan, however, suggested Bush's options may be limited. "I think he will work again. He may not be at a top network, but he'll work." Gainor notes that Bush has friends in all the right places in Hollywood. They'll help him out," he said. "They even let Mel Gibson out of purgatory. It just takes time and money. NBCs announcement of Bush's firing came hours after Melania Trump told CNN Bush egged on" her husband during a lewd conversation that was leaked from 2005. The settlement with NBC did not include a non-compete clause, meaning Bush "is a free agent," his lawyer, Marshall Grossman told the Associated Press. Financial terms of the deal were kept confidential. Michael Moore has been secretly working on Donald Trump film, titled TrumpLand, that is set to premiere Tuesday night in New York City. The Liberal filmmaker announced the existence of the Trump film late Monday night via his social media accounts. Moore labeled the project his October Surprise. Hey NYC- Who wants a peek @ what I've been up 2? Tues, 9:30pm, IFC Center. TIx free, 1st come, b.o. opens 8:30pm. pic.twitter.com/SrAhaq74ME Michael Moore (@MMFlint) October 18, 2016 The film will be screened at New Yorks IFC Center for free at 9:30 p.m. According to the IFC Centers website it is the film Ohio Republicans tried to shut down. Moore had a run-in last month with Ohios Newarks Midland Theater, which declined to feature his one-man show. Another area theater, in Wilmington, invited him to perform. The description for TrumpLand on the IFC Center website reads: Oscar-winner Michael Moore dives right into hostile territory with his daring and hilarious one-man show, deep in the heart of TrumpLand in the weeks before the 2016 election. Moore has stated several times that he expects GOP nominee Trump will beat out Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Moore wrote on Facebook that he expects TrumpLand will hit a wider market soon. If you don't live in the NY area, your time for my October Surprise is coming very soon. Public-health efforts to encourage breast-feeding are increasingly coming into conflict with guidelines to ensure babies sleep safely, new research suggests. A recent study published in the journal Acta Paediatrica found that far more mothers who share their bed at night with their baby were still breast-feeding at six months. Breast-feeding is associated with a host of health benefits for the mother and child. But bed-sharing is strongly discouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics and some other experts who believe it raises the risk of suffocation, strangulation and SIDS, or the unexplained death of an infant, usually during sleep. The controversy is also showing up in hospital maternity units, which increasingly push for newborns to room in with the mother. The move, one of several steps that can earn hospitals a Baby-Friendly designation as part of a program started by the World Health Organization and Unicef, is meant to promote breast-feeding. It also increases skin-to-skin contact, another practice believed to benefit the child and mother. Although data on the risks are limited, some doctors worry about the potential dangers of rooming-in, including suffocation and infants falling out of a bed or a chair. An opinion piece highlighting the risks was published in JAMA Pediatrics in August, stirring debate in the medical community. Large numbers of parents in the U.S. are believed to sleep with their babies, though many are reluctant to admit to disregarding safety rules. A study, published in the journal Pediatrics in August filmed families in their homes and found that 28 percent of 1-month-olds, 22 percent of 3-month-olds, and 16 percent of 6-month-olds shared a sleep surface at some point in the night. The parents knew they were being filmed, so actual bed-sharing was possibly higher. Tired parents have to feed their infants somewhere at night, says Melissa Bartick, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who served on the board of the nonprofit U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. Not everyone believes bed-sharing is always unsafe, but there is broad agreement that falling asleep with an infant on a sofa or armchair is far more dangerous than on a bed, she says. Click for more from The Wall Street Journal. Stiff Bull Herbal Coffee is a Malaysian-based company selling an instant herbal coffee powder that it says is designed to improve male sexual performance. The coffee contains exotic ingredients such as tongkat ali, a purported aphrodisiac native to Malaysia and vicinity; maca root, a South American plant related to broccoli that may also have libido-enhancing properties; and guarana, another South American plant, whose seeds contain about twice the caffeine of coffee beans. According to Stiff Bulls website, these ingredients have been used for centuries by the people of Asia and South America to greatly improve sexual health, libido, and overall wellness. The company claims that the effects of its coffee can last from two to three days. However, an FDA laboratory analysis found that the product also contained desmethyl carbodenafil, an ingredient the company failed to list on its packaging. The structure of desmethyl carbodenafil is similar to that of sildenafil, the main active ingredient of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra. According to the FDA, this undeclared ingredient may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugsand may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Men with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates. As a result of this discovery, the FDA has added the Stiff Bull product to its list of Tainted Sexual Enhancement Products and has warned health care professionals and patients to report any adverse side effects. Stiff Bulls president, Keith Hanson, responded to the FDAs censure by saying that he was unaware that his Malaysian-based manufacturer was adding the unidentified ingredient, but theorized that it was meant to offset the costs of the more expensive herbal ingredients. Scientists announced Tuesday that a womans vaginal mucous tested positive for Zika virus for weeks and remained in her body for days after symptoms subsided. While its still unclear how long Zika remains in the body after infection, researchers findings suggest that period is longer than noticeable. Published in the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, the study involved a previously healthy, non-pregnant 26-year-old white woman who contracted Zika while traveling to Honduras. Five days after her return to the United States, she developed symptoms of the virus, including a rash, fever, headache and conjunctivitis. Symptoms cleared up by the 17th day. In the days following her arrival back to the U.S., before symptoms appeared, and intermittently several times after they did, researchers at Baylor University College of Medicine collected several specimens to study for traces of Zika. Those specimens included serum, whole blood, urine, saliva, and vaginal mucosa swabs when the patient wasnt menstruating. Researchers detected Zika virus RNA in serum up to eight days after the onset of illness and in body fluids up to 14 days after illness onset. However, urine and vaginal swab samples didnt test negative until after the 14th day, and whole blood samples continued to test positive for Zika up to 81 days after illness. Although animal studies have supported Zikas presence in vaginal mucous up to 14 days after illness onset, only one human study reported Zika virus RNA in cervical mucous up to day 11 after onset of signs and symptoms, researchers wrote in the study. With the recent finding of possible female-to-male virus transmission, infectious virus might be present in the vaginal canal and could serve as a risk for sexual or intrapartum transmission, they wrote. Researchers noted detecting Zika in whole blood up to 81 days after illness was the longest reported duration of detection in this type of sample. They added that the patients rash, which was scaly, and appeared on her hands and feet, has yet to be described in medical research. Additional studies involving larger cohorts of acutely ill Zika virusinfected patients tested over a longer period would solidify our understanding of the natural history of infection, duration of viral detection, and clinical outcomes, researchers wrote in the study. These studies will enable further development of evidence-based policies regarding diagnosis and clinical management of Zika virus-infected patients. Arlington National Cemetery has officially banned biking across its grounds for the general public, the Army announced Monday. "While we know that riders intend no disrespect, bicyclists traversing the cemetery grounds do impact funeral services and the experience that families expect and deserve as they visit their loved one's grave," the Army said in a statement. Bikes were previously allowed across much of the cemetery, but the Army said cyclists intermingling with drivers and pedestrians is a hazard. According to NBC Washington, visitors with family passes may still bike to and from their loved ones' graves. The policy change will go into effect Oct. 26. Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Monday night at a campaign rally in Wisconsin that newly released FBI records reveal "a criminal act" he claims is worse than Watergate while calling for a senior State Department official to resign. "This is one of the great miscarriages of justice in the history of our country," he said. Newly released FBI documents revealed Monday that a senior State Department official proposed a quid pro quo to convince the FBI to strip the classification on an email from Hillary Clintons server and repeatedly tried to influence the bureaus decision when his offer was denied, even taking his plea up the chain of command. Fox News first reported Saturday that the FBI interview summaries and notes, known as 302s, contained allegations of a quid pro quo. Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who initially told Fox News of the claim, called it a flashing red light of potential criminality. Documents published Monday morning confirm the account. Notes from an interview with an unnamed FBI official reveal the State Department Undersecretary for Management Patrick Kennedy tried to horse-trade with the FBI, offering additional slots for the bureau overseas if they would de-classify a particular email marked SECRET. Trump accused the State Department Monday night of "trying to cover up Hillary's crimes of sending classified information on a server our enemies could easily access." He also blasted Kennedy, saying his actions were a sign of a "cover-up." "The FBI documents show that Under-Secretary of State Patrick Kennedy made the request for altering classification as part of a 'quid pro quo,' in other words a deal," Trump told supporters. "This is felony corruption. Under-Secretary Kennedy needs to resign." Before his rally, Trump described the actions by the State Department to Fox News' Carl Cameron as "a criminal act," while also hurling criticisms at fellow Republicans. "It's a crime, and I hear the Republicans are going to hold hearings after the election, why would you hold them after the election? We want to hold those hearings before the election," Trump said. "It's a criminal act and it's incredible that they can do this and get away with it." When asked if he was taking shots at Republicans again, Trump pushed back as to why hearings should be held sooner. "I mean, you'd think you'd hold these hearings frankly immediately, this is serious stuff," Trump told Fox News. "This is big stuff. This is Watergate." When asked further by Cameron about his recent public hostility with Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, who represents Wisconsin, Trump said he was "trying to unite the party." "I mean every once in a while Paul will stand up and say he disagrees with this or that," he told Fox News. "For instance when I talked about a rigged election, when I talk about the press taking people with no case whatsoever and putting them on the front pages." Before Trump took the stage at his rally, the crowd broke into chants of "Paul Ryan sucks," the Associated Press reported. The man introducing Trump on Monday, Wisconsin GOP Chairman Brad Courtney, was reportedly briefly drowned by the chant. While continuing to discuss his plan to reform government, the Republican nominee claimed he'll "end government corruption" if he's elected to the White House. Trump said he wants to ban executive branch officials from lobbying the government for five years after they leave the White House -- and wants Congress to do the same for members and their staffs. He also wants to expand the definition of lobbyist and is calling for a lifetime ban on senior executive branch officials lobbying on behalf of foreign governments. The Associated Press contributed to this report. While the media started asking critical questions about The Clinton Foundation when Hillary Clinton launched her presidential bid last year, newly published emails show Chelsea Clinton was digging deeper into the foundation's dealings as far back as 2011. According to hacked documents released by WikiLeaks, the former first daughter discovered and shared wide-ranging allegations involving conflict-of-interest concerns, suspected internal cyber spying and other issues. In nearly four-dozen emails from October 2011 to February 2012, Chelsea Clintons sometimes-abrasive relationship with her fathers top confidant and other key Clinton aides is on full display. The emails are purportedly part of a trove of 50,000 messages stolen from the gmail account of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta. Podesta was named a special adviser for The Clinton Foundation on Oct. 31, 2011, when Chief Executive Bruce Lindsey fell ill and required a hospital stay. The same day Podesta was appointed to the post, Chelsea Clinton, using the pseudonym Anna James, emailed Podesta with an urgent issue. This is all coming to a head more quickly than we all had hoped, she wrote. Chelsea, writing shortly after her grandmother had died, went on to describe an encounter between Bill Clinton and longtime aide, Doug Band. At the time, Band was a board member with the Clinton Global Initiative, an offshoot of The Clinton Foundation, and was co-founder of global advisory firm Teneo. Bill Clinton also had a financial relationship with Teneo in addition to his Clinton Foundation responsibilities. But with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton entering her final year in President Obamas cabinet, preparations were under way to clear the foundation of any conflicts of interest that could hinder her post-State Department aspirations. A law firm-directed Governance Review was under way, too, in an effort to identify best practices and cut down on any possible conflicts. Evidently, the changes under way did not go over well with Band. Doug called and yelled and screamed at my Dad about how could he do this to [senior adviser] Justin [Cooper] and him, he would be nothing without him, etc., Chelsea wrote to Podesta on Nov. 1. My Dad responded that he could not have this conversation with Doug and that he was trying to do the right thing by all. I cannot believe Doug did this on the day my grandmother died. My mother is exhausted, we are all heartbroken but we need a strategy and my father needs advice/counsel. Podesta responded that he would speak to Bill Clinton the next morning. Dont want this situation to get to a point of no return and things are said that hurts everyone, he wrote. But Podestas efforts evidently were for naught. Three days later, Chelsea unloaded on specific issues that had been reported to her. She claimed an employee witnessed Cooper loading spyware onto two other employees computers, and Cooper also was alleged to have read the emails of at least one other co-worker. She further relayed allegations that Band threatened various employees; Band was hustling business for Teneo while working at CGI; and Cooper and Hannah Richert, a personal assistant, had taken significant sums of money from my parents personally. As ever, on some of the above I am sure there are three sides as my grandmother would say his, hers and the truth, Chelsea wrote. On others, it seems more clear. All of it makes me very sad. On Nov. 10, Chelsea told Podesta about a private meeting Bill Clinton had with Cooper and Band. During the conversation Doug apparently kept telling my dad I was trying to push him out, take over. Two days later, Band sent a memo apparently addressing some of the issues Chelsea raised to top Hillary Clinton aide Cheryl Mills, who forwarded the message to Podesta. Band wrote the memo needed to get out asap. Although Im sure [Chelsea] wont believe it to be true [because] she doesnt want to, he wrote. I realize it is difficult to confront and reason with her but this could go [too] far and then we all will have a real serious set of other problems. Then Bands growing frustration spilled out. I dont deserve this from her and deserve a tad more respect or at least a direct dialogue for me to explain these things, he wrote. She is acting like a spoiled brat kid who has nothing else to do but create issues to justify what shes doing because she, as she has said, hasnt found her way and has a lack of focus in her life. A little more than a week later, an email went out announcing that Chelsea has been appointed to the CGI board, though that doesnt seem to decrease tensions. Following a benign back-and-forth on Nov. 27 to arrange a meeting time, Band emailed Podesta: This is the 3rd time this week where she has gone to daddy to change a decision or interject herself in the process she says is so important to maintain On Dec. 6, Chelsea emailed Podesta and other foundation leaders with more distressing information, including reports that one employee has called members of the British Parliament on behalf of President Clinton without my fathers knowledge and inelegantly and ineffectually at best Chelsea also shared misgivings regarding Teneo. Podesta responded to say the situation needed to be resolved quickly. Clinton severed his financial ties with Teneo on Dec. 17, no longer serving on the groups advisory board. Band, meanwhile, decided to leave CGI. Bill went to Doug and said, You can do CGI or Teneo, but you cant do both, a friend of the Clintons told The New York Post at the time. Doug chose Teneo. But problems between Band and Chelsea persisted even after the split. Chelsea reportedly told one of the Bush 43 kids that she is conducting an internal investigation of money within the foundation from CGI to the foundation, Band wrote in a January email to Podesta. One of the Bush daughters allegedly repeated the information to someone else who then passed it on to a Republican operative. Then, after repeatedly raising concerns about them to Podesta, Chelsea wrote Band and Cooper on Jan. 27 to report on a conversation she had with a mutual friend, in a generally pleasant exchange. Band forwarded the message to Podesta. She sends me one of these types of emails every few days/week, Band wrote. As they say, the apple doesnt fall far. A kiss on the cheek while she is sticking a knife in the back, and front. Republicans pressured the State Department on Monday to remove Undersecretary for Management Patrick Kennedy after newly released FBI records showed he offered a "quid pro quo" with federal authorities during the Hillary Clinton email probe. Documents revealed claims that Kennedy tried to horse-trade with the FBI, offering additional slots for the bureau overseas if they would de-classify a particular email from Clintons server marked SECRET. The files also revealed he repeatedly tried to influence the bureaus decision when his offer was denied, even taking his plea up the chain of command. The allegation of a "quid pro quo" was first reported by Fox News on Saturday. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Wisconsin that the new revelation was worse than Watergate. "This is one of the great miscarriages of justice in the history of our country," he said. Trump went on to accuse the State Department of "trying to cover up Hillary's crimes of sending classified information on a server our enemies could easily access." He also blasted Kennedy, saying his actions were a sign of a "cover-up." "The FBI documents show that Under-Secretary of State Patrick Kennedy made the request for altering classification as part of a 'quid pro quo,' in other words a deal," Trump told supporters. "This is felony corruption. Under-Secretary Kennedy needs to resign." On Tuesday morning, State Department spokesman John Kirby insisted on "Fox & Friends" there was no quid pro quo as described in the FBI documents. Before his rally Monday, Trump described the actions by the State Department to Fox News' Carl Cameron as "a criminal act," while also hurling criticisms at fellow Republicans. "It's a crime, and I hear the Republicans are going to hold hearings after the election, why would you hold them after the election? We want to hold those hearings before the election," Trump said. "It's a criminal act and it's incredible that they can do this and get away with it." Earlier, Republican lawmakers pounced on the revelation, calling for Kennedys removal or resignation. In a joint statement, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., called Kennedys actions extremely disturbing and reckless. Someone who would try to get classification markings doctored should not continue serving in the State Department or retain access to classified information. Therefore, President Obama and Secretary Kerry should immediately remove Under Secretary Kennedy pending a full investigation," they said. North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, hammered Clinton and the State Department in a series of tweets. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said in a statement that Kennedy should be removed immediately. The fact that Under Secretary Kennedy allegedly pressured the FBI to change the classification of an email to benefit Secretary Clinton as part of a quid pro quo after her behavior came to light is alarming, and a sign of just how corrupt the State Department became under her tenure. Kennedy should be removed from his position immediately until a real investigation is completed. Even as pressure ramped up, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Kennedy isnt going anywhere. Toner also denied there was any proposed deal, saying the FBI official first raised the number of bureau personnel approved to be in Iraq at the end of the phone call as a separate issue. As for the FBI official's account, he said, "I can't speak to what this person's intent, whether they misunderstood the atmosphere of that conversation, I have no idea. All I can say is that there was no quid pro quo." Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon downplayed the release, saying there was strong disagreement among government agencies about the decisions to retroactively classify material that had been sent to the then-secretary of state. He said Clinton's campaign played no part in that debate. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Already accused of "rigging" the election to help Hillary Rodham Clinton beat Donald Trump, America's journalists have reinforced that perception of bias by handing Clinton nearly $400,000 in donations so far, according to an explosive new report. The watchdog Center for Public Integrity on Monday said that journalists favored Clinton 27-1 over Trump, who got a tiny $14,000. Some 430 in the media business donated to Clinton compared to 50 to Trump. Journalists from the ESPN, Vogue, Elle, the New Republic, Facebook, and many others coughed up cash for Clinton in record form. Even the Pulitzer Prize winning media critic for the New Yorker wrote a check for the Democrat. Click for more from The Washington Examiner. Donald Trump is now openly accusing the media of rigging the election, while much of the media accuse him of trafficking in crackpot conspiracy theories. Theres no pretense any more, no fig leaf of honest but aggressive engagement. And that is driving us toward a bizarre finish in the strangest election of modern times. From Trumps vantage point, the press is pounding him with past allegations of sexual misconduct from nine women, which he vehemently denies. And he is using more dramatic rhetoric, as in this tweet: Polls close, but can you believe I lost large numbers of women voters based on made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED. Media rigging election! From the medias vantage point, on-the-record allegations from the women accusing Trump are worthy of reporting, as they were in many cases during Bill Clintons sex scandals during the 1990s. And many journalists fear Trump is laying the groundwork for discrediting the system if he loses the electionand blaming the press. Whats stunning to me is that the Republican nominee is spending so much time building a case to explain a possible loss in three weeks, rather than stressing the issues that could help him win. He is riling up his base, which is good for him, but doing little to expand that base as he trails Hillary Clinton. The media view is perfectly captured in the first paragraph of this Washington Post news story yesterday: He is preaching to the converted. He is lashing out at anyone who is not completely loyal. He is detaching himself from and delegitimizing the institutions of American political life. And he is proclaiming conspiracies everywhere in polls (rigged), in debate moderators (biased) and in the election itself (soon to be stolen). The Post goes on to say that Trump is fully inhabiting his own echo chamber, that he is increasingly isolated from the countrys mainstream and leaders of his own party, that he is feeding his fiercest fans dire warnings that their populist movement could fall prey to dark and collusive forces. And: This is a campaign right out of Breitbart. That, of course, is the conservative website and self-described champion of the alt-right, Steve Bannon, the Trump campaign chairman who is on leave from running the site. Speaking of Breitbart, its playing up a Morning Consult/Politico poll in which 73 percent of Republicans and 17 percent of Democrats believe the election could be stolen from Trump. Kellyanne Conway, Trumps campaign manager, told CNN in a brief interview that her boss has been talking about the media being rigged, not the electoral system. Anybody who reads the newspaper online or in print or has a remote control probably has recognized that in many ways, the fix is in for Mrs. Clinton when it comes to the mainstream media, she said. Conway said the campaign would act only if theres compelling evidence of voter fraud, especially in early voting. But as Mediaite noted, CNN then cited a Trump tweet: Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive! Even such conservative journals as National Review are taking issue with that: Donald Trump is playing the sore loser, and he hasnt even lost yet As a factual matter, this is, of course, bunk. The electoral process, from bottom to top, is managed by citizens and governed by a dense body of election law. Vote-counting is heavily scrutinized by party officials and independent monitors, and irregularities are subject to legal challenge. But , the magazine adds, as for the media, there is no doubt that the press hates Donald Trump with a passion, and it shows. Politico, which days ago accused Trump of joining the black helicopter crowd, now serves up a dark view of the post-election landscape: Donald Trump is laying the groundwork to lose on Nov. 8, refuse to concede the election, and teeter the country into an unprecedented crisis of faith in government. Republicans and Democrats, in Washington and beyond, fear that the aftermath of the 2016 election will create a festering infection in the already deep and lasting wound that the campaign is leaving on America. Politico adds that top Clinton and Obama aides, plus congressional leaders, see the Trump strategy as part kamikaze mission to take down Clinton, part temper tantrum by a man who has never been embarrassed on either this scale or spotlight. Even worse, says Politico, they fret about how his egged-on followers might respond, and the violence perhaps against Muslims, Latinos or any of the many other groups he has targeted in his campaign rhetoric that might follow. Now were predicting outbreaks of violence? I always think its risky business to hold candidates responsible for what nutty followers say or do in their name. At a Trump rally in Ohio, the Wall Street Journal found a guy named Dan Bowman who said: I feel Hillary needs to be taken out. If she gets in the government, Ill do everything in my power to take her out of power. If I have to be a patriot, I will. Rather chillingbut unfair to blame the candidate (even with that flap over what he once said about Second Amendment people). Meanwhile, the greatest actual violence of the campaign took place with the firebombing of a Trump campaign office in North Carolina, along with spray-painting about Nazi Republicans. Obviously, this was done by someone who hates Trump. I dont think its fair for liberal commentators to blame the attack on an atmosphere whipped up by Trump. But I also dont think its fair to blame animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems, as Trump tweeted, without knowing who was responsible. Bottom line: The media can certainly influence an election, but they cant steal it. Ronald Reagan and both George Bushes won the White House without much admiration from the mainstream media. Newt Gingrich, on ABC, embraced a bloggers view that we are seeing a media coup detat in which 20 TV executives have decided to destroy him. But Ed Rollins, the Fox News contributor who runs a pro-Trump Super PAC, told Trish Regan that he disagrees with his candidates talk about a rigged election. If he loses the election, said Rollins, it wont be because of the media. A Politico reporter called himself a hack when he asked Hillary Clintons top campaign aide John Podesta to look over sections of his unpublished report on the Democratic presidential candidate before publication, a recent email revealed by WikiLeaks shows. The May 2015 story, written by Glenn Thrush, Politicos chief White House correspondent, was titled, Hillarys big-money dilemma. The article focused on early difficulties Clinton's campaign would face to raise money during the 2016 White House run. But the language used in his email raised eyebrows, especially in the conservative blogosphere. Because I have become a hack I will send u the whole section that pertains to u [sic], Thrush wrote to Podesta. Please dont share or tell anyone I did thistell me if I f---ed up anything. Podesta responded and gave the section his blessing. Brad Dayspring, Politicos vice president of communications, defended Thrush as one of the top political reporters in the country who makes sure he dots his is and reaches out to sources on both sides of the aisle. Dayspring, apparently referring to the hack comment, said Thrush is self-deprecating. Glenn got the chairman of the notoriously secretive Clinton campaign to confirm a bunch of inside information that he culled from other sources, Dayspring said in an email to Fox News. This was not the first time this year Dayspring was forced to come to the defense of one of his publications reporters due to a WikiLeaks dump. In July, it was revealed that reporter Ken Vogel submitted a copy of a report to a Democratic National Committee communications official before it was published, a violation of the publications policy, The Hill reported. In that case, Dayspring said Politicos policy is to not share editorial content pre-publication except as approved by editors. "Checking the relevant passages for accuracy was responsible and consistent with our standards," the statement continues. "Sharing the full piece was a mistake and not consistent with our policies. There were no substantive changes to the piece." Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday called for sweeping Washington reform including term limits for congressional lawmakers, telling supporters its time to drain the swamp. Under Trump's proposal, members of the House of Representatives would serve a maximum of six years, while Senators would be limited to 12 years in office. Decades of special interests, decades of failure must come to an end, said Trump, who vowed, if elected, to try to impose the term limits through a constitutional amendment. In announcing the proposal at a rally in Colorado, Trump also called for five other major changes. He wants to re-institute a ban to prevent Executive Branch officials from lobbying the government for five years after they leave government service and to ensure the ban cannot be lifted by executive order. Trump also wants Congress to institute its own five-year lobby ban for members and their staff. And he wants to close loopholes that he says allow former congressional and Executive Branch officials to lobby while calling themselves consultants and advisers. We all know they are lobbyists, Trump told the crowd. Trump is also calling for a lifetime ban on senior Executive Branch officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government and for Congress to pass campaign-finance reform to keep registered foreign lobbyists from raising money in U.S. elections. In 21 days we are going to end the government corruption and drain the swamp in Washington, D.C., Trump repeated. Ardent Donald Trump supporters are expected to turn out Election Day in large numbers, but their support for GOP congressional candidates -- particularly those distancing themselves from the party's presidential nominee -- appears increasingly uncertain. Dozens of House and Senate candidates bolted from Trump after the recent release of a 2005 audiotape in which he brags about his celebrity status allowing him to make uninvited advances on women. Rep. Joe Heck, the Republican nominee for an open Senate seat in Nevada, immediately felt the backlash from Republican voters, getting booed at a party unity rally when calling for Trump to quit the race. House Speaker Paul Ryan, though not in a tight race, faced similar heckling at a Wisconsin rally from which Trump was dis-invited. In Pennsylvania, some Trump loyalists are vowing not to vote for incumbent Republican Sen. Pat Toomey -- who is in a close race with Democratic challenger Katie McGinty and has refused to endorse Trump. As of right now, I will not vote for McGinty, Trump supporter Steve Johansen told FoxNews.com on Monday. I am strongly considering leaving that box blank. Johansen, who founded the online, Pennsylvania-based Trump group MAG -- for "Make America Great" -- says his dissatisfaction with Toomey started long before he abandoned Trump. Toomey was looking for the first opportunity to jump off the train, Johansen said. Its always, Reelect Toomey. Reelect Toomey. When are we going to send a message? Indeed, the rift between Trump nation and the Washington establishment seemed to emerge the day Trump announced his candidacy, saying: Ive watched the politicians. They will never make America great again. They dont even have a chance. And he has continued the argument -- railing against Democrats and Republicans alike -- through the final weeks of the campaign. There is nothing the political establishment will not do -- no lie that they won't tell -- to hold their prestige and power at your expense, Trump said at a rally last week in Florida. Rhetoric like this raises concerns that his supporters might not be motivated to vote Republican down the ballot, as Democrats fight to win back the Senate -- and hold out hope for a much-less-likely takeover in the House, where Republicans hold a 30-seat majority. At the same time, Republicans distancing themselves from Trump are trying to keep the peace with swing and undecided voters. Johansen and others acknowledge the political tightrope GOP incumbents are trying to walk -- support Trump and bear all of his controversial remarks or abandon him and risk losing votes from the most energized faction of the party. Missouri GOP Sen. Roy Blunt, in a surprisingly close reelection bid, is sticking with Trump, who leads Democratic rival Hillary Clinton there by 8 percentage points, according to the RealClearPolitics poll average. And at least a couple candidates who split with the billionaire businessman after the tape controversy have since warmed back up to him, including Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska. I understand they are trying get votes, Chris Pirritano, another of the estimated 2,000 MAG members, said Tuesday regarding lawmakers trying to determine the appropriate level of support for Trump. And its a nice game they have going on. But a lot of us are getting a little fed up. .. I might be throwing away my vote, but Im strongly considering voting for the independent in the Toomey race. Asked about his stance on Trump last week, Toomey's office provided this statement: "I have not endorsed Donald Trump and I have repeatedly spoken out against his flawed policies, and his outrageous comments, including his indefensible and appalling comments about women." He contrasted that against his rival, saying: "Katie McGinty has yet to say a single word against Hillary Clintons disastrous policies that have endangered our country, her widespread dishonesty, or the corruption of her behavior with the Clinton Foundation." The extent to which Trump is truly tied to GOP House and Senate candidates remains to be seen. Most Republican voters can tell the difference between a viable candidate and one who is not, David Payne, a Republican strategist and partner at Vox Global, said Tuesday. But they could cast a protest vote or not vote at all. There is some danger here, most notably in the Senate." Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, who leads the National Republican Congressional Committee, last week told an Omaha TV station that surveys across the country suggest roughly 20-to-25 percent of voters connect GOP congressional candidates to Trump. There is not that tight of an attachment, he told ABC affiliate KETV. Nathan Gonzales, of the Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, recently suggested a good bellwether is anti-Trump GOP Rep. John Katkos bid for a second term in upstate New York, where he has led by as many as 15 percentage points. If that race completely turns around, everybody should take note, he said. On Wednesday, the European Space Agency will attempt to land a craft on Mars. Its a difficult stunt to accomplish and even if its successful, the lander, which will approach the planet at about 13,000 mph, wont be active for too long. Both the lander, dubbed Schiaparelli, and a spacecraft called the Trace Gas Orbiter (which will look for signs of gases like methane and is the primary part of the program) are part of a larger mission called ExoMars. While the orbiter will ideally keep working for years, the lander is designed to last just a few days, according the ESA. The reason the craft wont do much is because its meant to be a test of the technology needed to land on Mars. Mars, with a large gravity field but thin atmosphere, is almost precisely designed to be difficult [to land on], Scott Pace, the director of the Space Police Institute at George Washington University, told FoxNews.com. The primary point of the [Schiaparelli] mission is really doing a safe entry, descent, and landing, Pace said, setting the stage for a European rover to be launched in 2020. Lasting a couple days on the surface with a battery system sounds perfectly reasonable to me, he said, considering past failures. One of those failures was the ESAs 2003 landing of the Beagle 2, Phil Smith, a senior space analyst with the Tauri Group, said in an email to FoxNews.com. Only the U.S. and Soviet Union have landed on Mars, he said. All Soviet landings were unsuccessful, except one functioned for a few seconds. The Schiaparelli lander will employ a mix of a parachute, then thrusters, and finally a crushable section on the bottom to help it survive the landing. The lander is designed to test technologies necessary for landing on Mars, Smith said. It does have a scientific instrument, but its primary mission is to test a crushable structure designed to absorb impact energy immediately after its landing thrusters have done their job. But if its successful, the ESAs accomplishment will be one for the record books. If it can be confirmed that Schiaparelli landed intact and its instrument functioned, he added, ESA can claim it is the second organization in history to have successfully landed on the martian surface. Follow Rob Verger on Twitter: @robverger NASA's Juno Jupiter probe won't be settling into its final orbit around the giant planet this week after all. Juno was scheduled to fire its main engine for the final time during the probe's close Jupiter flyby on Wednesday (Oct. 19), in a maneuver that would reduce the time it takes the spacecraft to circle the gas giant from 53 Earth days down to 14 days. But the mission team decided to postpone the burn in order to investigate an issue with valves that are part of Juno's fuel-pressurization system, NASA officials said. "Telemetry indicates that two helium check valves that play an important role in the firing of the spacecraft's main engine did not operate as expected during a command sequence that was initiated yesterday," Juno project manager Rick Nybakken, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in a statement Friday (Oct. 14). [Photos: NASA's Juno Mission to Jupiter] "The valves should have opened in a few seconds, but it took several minutes," Nybakken added. "We need to better understand this issue before moving forward with a burn of the main engine." The earliest that the engine burn could now occur is during Juno's next close Jupiter flyby, which will take place on Dec. 11, NASA officials said. The Juno team had planned to observe Jupiter with a limited number of the probe's nine science instruments during Wednesday's close approach. But, as a result of the valve issue, all of the instruments will be turned on during the upcoming flyby. Even if Juno never makes it into that 14-day orbit, the spacecraft will still be able to gather good data about Jupiter, mission team members said. "It is important to note that the orbital period does not affect the quality of the science that takes place during one of Juno's close flybys of Jupiter," Juno principal investigator Scott Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, said in the same statement. "The mission is very flexible that way. The data we collected during our first flyby on Aug. 27 was a revelation, and I fully anticipate a similar result from Juno's Oct. 19 flyby." The $1.1 billion Juno mission launched in August 2011 and arrived in orbit around Jupiter on July 4 of this year. The spacecraft is collecting data about the huge planet's composition, structure, gravity and magnetic fields, in order to help scientists better understand how Jupiter, and the solar system overall, formed and evolved. The original mission plan called for Juno to shift into the 14-day orbit this month, then circle Jupiter more than 30 times before ending its mission in February 2018. Researchers using an imaging technology called muography to see inside the Great Pyramid of Giza believe they have found two previously undiscovered cavities in the more than 4,500-year-old structure, which is the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu. We are now able to confirm the existence of a void hidden behind the North Face, that could have the form of at least one corridor going inside the Great Pyramid, Scan Pyramid reported over the weekend. The precise shape, size, and exact position of this void is now under further investigation. It should be done with the help of 12 new Muon Emulsion plates that are installed in the descending corridor, and will be collected by the end of October 2016. The team said it had also found a second void behind the pyramids descending corridor. Muography records elementary particles called muons that are produced when cosmic rays collide with the earths atmosphere. They are highly penetrative; millions pass through our bodies daily. Muography, like an X-ray, enables scientists to see through things, but it is capable of seeing through much larger objects, such as giant pyramids. "Just like X-rays pass through our bodies allowing us to visualize our skeleton, these elementary particles, weighing around 200 times more than electrons, can very easily pass through any structure, even large and thick rocks, such as mountains," Mehdi Tayoubi, co-director of ScanPyramids, told Discovery News last April. ScanPyramids was launched last Oct. 25 under the authority of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and is led by engineering faculty at Cairo University and the Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute. About 3,000 years ago, a fire destroyed the Near East city of Tel Megiddo, leaving ash and burned mud-brick buildings in its wake. And according to a new study, the blaze may have leveled the entire city in a mere 2 to 3 hours. That's right Tel Megiddo, located in present-day northern Israel, could have burned in about the time it takes the watch a long movie, for instance, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." The findings, based on scientists' own experiments with homemade mud bricks, not only help archaeologists understand the destruction of this ancient city in the Near East, but also serve as a window into how fires affected other settlements, researchers said. [8 Grisly Archaeological Discoveries] "Mud bricks are important to study, because they account for as much as 90 percent of standing architecture in many ancient settlements," said Robert Homsher, a postdoctoral research fellow at the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, who was not involved with the research. Heating up mud bricks For their study, the researchers made their own mud bricks, a process that was like "playing with mud," study researcher Ruth Shahack-Gross, an associate professor of geoarchaeology at the University of Haifa in Israel, told Live Science. Shahack-Gross, worked with postdoctoral fellow Mathilde Forget, while both were employed at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. To make the bricks, the researchers took soil, removed large stones from the soil, and mixed it with straw, also called chaff, and water. Then, they poured the mixture into brick molds and dried the bricks in an oven. This "ancient" method is still used today, especially in rural areas in the Near East, as "it's a very cost-effective method of construction because you use the soil around you," Shahack-Gross said. Rather than set the bricks on fire, the researchers put them in a hot oven and measured how long it took the bricks' cores to reach 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius), a temperature reached by the ancient burned bricks at Tel Megiddo, according to previous analyses, Shahack-Gross said. In addition, the researchers tested bricks that had different sizes and shapes, as well as different amounts of chaff. As expected, larger bricks took longer to heat up than smaller bricks, but the amount of chaff didn't significantly affect the time needed to heat the brick, the researchers found. Moreover, items within the dwellings such as wood-support beams, furniture, matting, stored food and oil, and bedding could have fueled the fire, helping it spread, she said. The study provides, "for the first time, a quantitative tool by which archaeologists [can] estimate the duration of destructive conflagration events" within ancient cities, the researchers wrote in the October issue of the journal Antiquity. Fiery research Other researchers suggested follow-up studies to account for other factors involved in a burn. For instance, Homsher said a future experiment could look at whether old bricks with holes from decayed chaff would burn more slowly than newly made bricks. In addition, temperature alone may not give an accurate burn time, said Karl Harrison, a lecturer of forensic archaeology at Cranfield University in England, who was not involved with the study. [Photos of First Fire-Scarred Petrified Wood] "Fires need to be understood as complex events of dynamic energy release," Harrison told Live Science in an email. "Concentrating on temperature alone, while it can be an important indicator, will tend to give a simple picture of a fire that is erroneous without putting [it] into a wider context." For instance, during a real fire, the bricks may be heated only from one side, rather than from all sides as they were in the oven, Harrison said. "By heating a brick all the way around and measuring how long it takes to reach 600 degrees [Celsius] you'll find a minimum (the authors say 2 to 3 hours), but that time will have little if any bearing on a real time of burning in an urban fire," he noted. Shahack-Gross acknowledged that the study is one of many that may help researchers understand how long it took for fires to burn ancient cities. "Clearly, there are many limitations," she said. "We are totally aware of the fact that the experiment, [which was done] in controlled conditions in the lab, does not mimic what happened in the past." Days before his death this summer, 39-year-old Max Spiers texted his mother these words: "If anything happens to me, investigate." The Brit just happened to be a well-known figure in the world of UFO researchers, and now conspiracy theories are running wild. Authorities in Poland, where Spiers died, say it was natural causes, and the British government has declined to investigate, reports the Independent. His peers in the UFO community, however, are more than a little skeptical. Kerry Cassidy at Project Camelot says "the entire circumstances are suspicious and I urge everyone to encourage [the release of details] about what really happened and call for an autopsy." Another UFO blogger says, per SFGate: "Healthy people don't just get sick and die, they get poisoned." According to the Telegraph, Spiers had been invited to Poland to speak about his theories at a conference. Friends say he had been staying with a woman in Warsaw ahead of the conference and was vomiting black liquid and suffering from migraines before being found dead on a couch. Spiers' mother, Vanessa Bates, describes him as a "very fit man who was in good health," and she fears her son made enemies after "digging into dark places." But UFO expert Nick Pope tweeted Sunday that the idea of Spiers being silenced is a little much. "Having run the UK government's UFO project I promise we don't go around killing UFO researchers." (Only in Roswell could police investigate a missing flying saucer.) This article originally appeared on Newser: UFO Researcher's Odd Death Raises Eyebrows More From Newser Cutting the Internet cord on Julian Assange has not silenced the WikiLeaks mastermind, who likely has multiple backup systems in place to ensure his reign of terror on the politically powerful continues long after he loses web access. Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for five years, but Wikileaks managed on Tuesday to unleash yet another massive dump of emails hacked from key Hillary Clinton aide John Podesta. Those disclosures came a day after his international hacktivist group said their leader's access to the cyber world was severed by the South Ameerican government. Experts contacted by FoxNews.com suggest that there may be a variety of ways WikiLeaks could continue to release documents even with Assange's Internet access gone, from forms of communication that dont involve the Internet to a dead-mans switch. The simplest explanation is that the rest of WikiLeaks has access to unreleased documents, online accounts, and servers, and a protocol to operate if they cannot communicate with Assange, Shuman Ghosemajumder, the CTO at Shape Security, told FoxNews.com in an email. Its unclear just how Ecuador cut off Assanges Internet access, so its possible the WikiLeaks founder still has some form of connection, Ghosemajumder speculated. The could be something as simple as connecting to an external WiFi access point, to using a MiFi connection, to having access to a telephone and using dialup, he said. And even without Internet access, there are still ways to get a message out to the rest of his organization, Ghosemajumder pointed out, writing that if he is able to communicate with the external world in any way, he can at least give the rest of WikiLeaks instructions. And while Ghosemajumder said that there are easy ways to set up a dead-mans switch one method would involve a computer automatically publishing documents if it doesnt get a routine message not to from Assange that might not have been necessary. If there are other people in the WikiLeaks organization with access to the same documents and a protocol to operate if they cannot communicate with him, there's no need for a digital dead man's switch, he said. Gary Miliefsky, CEO of Snoopwall, agreed with Ghosemajumder that Assange may have other ways to get online. He could use cellular technology and a VPN client to get on the internet wirelessly, he wrote in an email to FoxNews.com. And the WikiLeaks servers are no joke, he pointed out. Currently, WikiLeaks is hosted mainly by the Swedish internet service provider Bahnhof in the Pionen facility, a former nuclear bunker in Sweden, he said. Other servers are spread around the world with the main server located in Sweden. Then theres the concept of a dead-mans switch, which Assange could have arranged for, Miliefsky said. He could have setup (which many believe and hes stated in the past) a deadmans switch where backup sites on all the leaked data could be ready to pour out information under pre-instructions provided by him or his top staff located anywhere in the world, Miliefsky said. It seems after a few CRYPTO message tweets that the deadmans switch was triggered. The tweets that Miliefsky was referring to contained codes series of letters and numbers and the phrases pre-commitment 1: John Kerry, pre-commitment 2: Ecuador and pre-commitment 3: UK FCO. Those tweets were published before WikiLeaks announced that Assanges Internet connection was cut. Miliefsky said that the codes could be unlock keys for specific files, and its unclear whether the tweets were manually written or set up in advance. Josh Wieder, a technical consultant, said that the leaked documents might have been on other computers. "It seems likely that a copy of these documents would be available on a remote server that multiple staffers have access to, in which case Assange could notify staffers via phone, SMS, letter, carrier pigeon, etc to proceed with publication of those documents without his assistance," he told FoxNews.com in an email. "Shared copies of these documents could be encrypted with multiple public encryption keys, so that multiple parties could decrypt the documents as needed without the need to share key or authentication data." At 2,716 feet, the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai, U.A.E is the world's tallest building. It towers over many of the world's most famous landmarks and is nearly 1,000 feet taller than One World Trade Center-- the tallest building in the U.S. But what's a tourist to do who has a major fear of heights but wants to experience the Burj Khalifa in all its glory? Head over LEGOLAND Dubai to catch a glimpse of the world's tallest replica structure of-- what else-- the Burj Khalifa. Here is some exciting news! We've unveiled the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest LEGO model of a building in MINILAND at @LEGOLANDDubai! pic.twitter.com/hL6PakrgVs LEGOLAND Dubai (@LEGOLANDDubai) October 17, 2016 At 17 meters (almost 56 feet tall), the mini Burj clocks in at over a 1,000 pounds and took 5,000 hours to build, reports the Khaleej Times. It also utilizes 439,000 LEGO bricks. Located in the middle of LEGOLAND Dubai, the Burj Khalifa model is one of many attractions that will officially be unveiled to visitors when the park opens Oct. 31. At the newest LEGOLAND outpost, visitors can construct their own LEGO structures, visit six cities and walk among some other replicas of real locations and historical sites. FoxNews.com reached out to Guinness to verify whether this new tower is smashing any records. A spokeswoman confirmed that the committee is aware of the impressive feat but no official title has been designated as of yet. In 2015, Lego Italia built a structure in Milan that measured a soaring 35.05 meters (114 feet 11 inches) and required approximately 550,000 LEGO bricks to complete. That holds the current world record for tallest LEGO structure-- but it's not a replica of a real building and is no longer standing. The president of one of the largest police organizations in the United States on Monday apologized for historical mistreatment of minorities, calling it a "dark side of our shared history" that must be acknowledged and overcome. The reaction from leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement was mixed, saying words needed to be backed by actions, while the head of an officers' union in Minnesota said there was no need to apologize. Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, said at the group's annual conference that police have historically been a face of oppression, enforcing laws that ensured legalized discrimination and denial of basic rights. He was not more specific. Cunningham said today's officers are not to blame for past injustices. He did not speak in detail about modern policing, but said events over the past several years have undermined public trust. His comments come as police shootings of black men have roiled communities in Ferguson, Missouri; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota; and as black shooters have targeted officers in Dallas, the St. Louis suburb of Ballwin and Baton Rouge. "While we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we must change the future," Cunningham said. "We must forge a path that allows us to move beyond our history and identify common solutions to better protect our communities. "For our part, the first step in this process is for law enforcement and the (International Association of Chiefs of Police) to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society's historical mistreatment of communities of color," he said. Cunningham received a standing ovation for his remarks before he introduced U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who largely avoided the topic. He has been police chief since 1999 in his hometown of Wellesley, Massachusetts, an affluent, overwhelmingly white, low-crime suburb near Boston. He served three years as vice president of the police chiefs association before becoming president in 2015 for a one-year term. David Alexander III, police chief in Pensacola, Florida, said recognizing historical injustices is key to addressing race relations, just as acknowledging domestic violence was a step forward. "When you don't know the history and you say, 'Well, there is no problem,' then you pretty much present yourself as insensitive to the issues," said Alexander, who is black. "The issue of racial tension has been a part of American history since its settlement." Delrish Moss, who has been police chief of Ferguson, Missouri, since May and is black, said he had negative encounters with police when he was growing up, including being called racial epithets. "There are communities that have long perceived us as oppressors, there are communities that have long perceived us as the jackbooted arm of government designed to keep people under control, and that's one of the things we have to work hard to get past," Moss said. "I'm glad it's being addressed ... because the only way to get past it is to first acknowledge the existence of it." Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement were less enthusiastic. Campaign Zero co-founder DeRay Mckesson said he looked forward to Cunningham's comments being backed up by deep, structural changes to policing and the criminal justice system. Charlene Carruthers, national director for Chicago-based BYP100, said an apology didn't go far enough. She said a major step would be taking financial resources away from law enforcement and redirecting them to community-based programs. Lt. Bob Kroll, head of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, thought Cunningham's statement went too far. In his city, two white officers fatally shot a black man last November. "Our profession is under attack right now and what we don't need is chiefs like him perpetuating that we are all bad guys in law enforcement," Kroll said. "I think it's an asinine statement. ... We've got officers dying on almost a daily basis now because of this environment, and statements like that don't help." Garland Pruitt, president of the NAACP's Oklahoma City branch, said the apology was "way overdue." A 40-year-old unarmed black man was fatally shot by a Tulsa officer last month. "It lets folks know there is a thing called compassion," Pruitt said. Snapchat set off a flurry of chatter among the technology classes this autumn with the leaked news that the social-media company appears to be preparing a push into virtual-reality hardware. Much of the talk in the mass media, however, missed an important point: Virtual reality and augmented reality, its closely related sister technology, already represent a $1 billion market -- and the market-research firm SuperData estimates that investors will pump $2.8 billion into VR and AR companies this year alone. But its not just a business of headset-manufacturers and mass-market content producers. An ecosystem of specialized companies is growing up, each targeting a segment of a market whose revenues are projected by market analysis Digi-Capital to reach $120 billion a year by the end of the decade. Related: Why Virtual Reality Is Vital A veritable gold rush is developing as entrepreneurs look to cash in. Just take a look at these five companies that are combining old-school smarts with new-school technology to take their piece of that $120 billion: 1. enerG. enerG, a Los-Angeles based fitness and media startup, is laser-focused on a growing niche market -- fitness and wellness -- as it develops content that uses VR technology to bring the hottest workout trends from big-name urban studios to users across the country. Co-founded by Tracey Raftery and Saara Vakil, a couple of experienced television and business-strategy consultants, enerGs financial strategy includes branded virtual fitness studios as well as revenue from product placements and sponsorships. (Its already nailed down a deal with Reebok.) First up: An immersive, VR meditation program. The company is one of four closely watched VR and AR startups that rolled out of an intensive summer-long incubation at Green Screen Institute at the video-technology hotbed of Nevada County in Californias Sierra foothills. 2. Hot Bit VR. Hot Bit VR is another Green Screen Institute alumnus company focused on VR and AR content. Hot Bit VR plans to deliver "did-you-see-that" stunts in virtual reality as a cornerstone of its programming. Its founders, feature filmmakers Marcy Boyle and Rachel Holzman of Dpyx Productions, say the company based in Los Angeles and New York also will deliver edgy comedians, games and provocative art. They key to all of it, they say, interaction, immersion and shareability. Related: Will You Be Ready for the Virtual Reality Future? In fact, they view Hot Bit as something like Comedy Central for VR -- a place where upcoming comedians grab the spotlight and advertisers rush to get their messages in front of the highly attractive audience of VR users. 3. CrowdOptic. With a technology thats generating big buzz among potential users that range from militarys Special Operations Command to the NFLs Denver Broncos, CrowdOptic draws rave reviews for its collective awareness engine. Essentially, the technology gathers GPS data in real-time and combines it with live-video streaming. The result: An app that calculates precisely where peoples smart glasses or smart phones are looking in real time. While GPS shows where a smart phone user is standing, CrowdOptic shows what the user is looking at. Firefighters, for instance, can use a version of the technology developed in partnership with Solford Industries, to stream live video from fires back to command centers, where commanders can see whats happening through the eyes of firefighters. Jon Fisher, the companys co-founder and CEO of CrowdOptic, is no stranger to fast-paced technology startups. Fisher previously built an enterprise software security company thats now owned by Oracle as its Oracle's Adaptive Access. Crunchbase reports San Francisco-based CrowdOptic has raised more than $10.7 million from investors since its seed round in 2010. 4. Theia Interactive. Theia Interactive, a San Francisco-based company, isnt betting on any specific type VR programming. Instead, its positioning itself as a custom provider of VR and AR programming. Some of the early markets targeted by the company include builders -- VR walk-throughs can save expensive, time-consuming issues that arent foreseen in traditional renderings -- as well as hospitality and retail customers. Its four founders, who fine-tuned the company vision at Green Screen Institute this summer, combine backgrounds in movie special effects, game development and digital strategy. Related: Someday Virtual Reality Will Be Entertaining But It's Useful Right Now Its highly likely, says CEO Mark Pullyblank, that no one yet has identified some of the biggest potential users of virtual environments. Theia Interactives cloud-based platform is ready to handle applications that havent yet been imagined. 5. Haptical. Like the fellow who figures out that the real money comes from selling shovels to the miners headed for the Gold Rush, Deniz Ergurel of Haptical is already finding success selling information to the fast-growing audience of people interested in VR and AR. Headquartered in Nevada City, CA, Haptical is a digital media publication focused on news, information and analysis of the VR industry. The publication describes itself as providing the connections that link motivated VR users from around the globe. Ergurel, a fellow of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at City University of New York, already has launched two newsletters, and hes see the number of monthly visitors grew from 2,000 to 35,000 in just three months. Ergurel kept up a furious pace of journalism -- hes producing multiple articles himself nearly every day of the week -- even while he worked with industry experts at Green Screen Institute to shape the vision of Haptical. A priority for the next funding round: Building an editorial team that allows the publication to continue Ergurels habit beating competitors on breaking news. The VR and AR ecosystem demands all sorts of players. As the market booms in the next five years, only one thing is certain: There will continue to be plenty of opportunity for nimble entrepreneurs to stake their claims. A man accused of intentionally killing his toddler by leaving him in a hot car shed tears in the courtroom as jurors were shown 34 autopsy photos. Ross Harris wept on Tuesday when former Cobb County Medical Examiner Brian Frist described the final hours of his son, Cooper, local news media outlets reported. Frist testified that given the temperatures that day in June 2014, the toddler's death would have been "prolonged." He calls the death "agonizing." "I believe he went through various stages as he was passing," Frist said. "He would've experienced nausea, a headache, dehydration, seizures, anxiety ." A police officer testified last week that he smelled "the odor of death" emanating from the vehicle. Officers have said Harris would have noticed the smell immediately as he drove home from work with his dead son in a back seat. Frist testified that he recalls a stale odor coming from Cooper's body, but not one of decomposition exactly. "I don't think that type of smell was there. But when we get to 4 p.m. in the afternoon you'd have a stale odor of someone who had been breathing a long period of time, sweating a long period of time, gases released from GI tract, urinating." Prosecutors said Harris intentionally killed 22-month-old Cooper by leaving him for hours in a vehicle parked outside his workplace. Harris's lawyers call the death accidental. He faces life in prison if convicted of murder. Harris moved from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Georgia in 2012 to take a job with The Home Depot's corporate offices in Cobb County. Pretrial publicity prompted the trial's move to Brunswick, 275 miles from the Atlanta suburbs. A Missouri man was arrested Thursday and charged with four counts of identity theft and one count of impersonating a federal officer after allegedly posing as a U.S. Marshal to con women to buy him luxury vehicles. KMOV-TV reported Saturday that Timothy Rossell, 28, drew some suspicions when he was seen driving around Union in a $200,000 white Lamborghini Gallardo. Rossell began dating women in Pennsylvania, Florida and Union, Missouri after meeting them through the matchmaking service Plenty of Fish, authorities said. Rossell convinced each of the women to buy him a luxury vehicle in which he would drive and then sell. However, he claimed the cars were stolen. Rossell told his victims that he was a U.S. Marshal and a paramedic. He also had a U.S. Marshal identity card and a ballistic vest, according to KMOV-TV. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Rossell had been living with his fiancee for about nine months. The fiance knew Rossell as Deputy U.S. Marshal Austyn Gardner. Without her knowledge, he had opened up three credit card accounts and a PayPal account in her name. According to KMOV-TV, Rossell convinced her to buy him a Cadillac Escalade, Ford Mustang Shelby and a Can-Am Spyder three-wheeled motorcycle. After she confronted Rossell, he fled in the Lamborghini. Thats when the woman called police and U.S. Marshals discovered that his badges were fake and he had never been an employee, according to the newspaper. Detective Sgt. John Bisher told the station that Rossell convinced a woman from Ft. Myers, Fla. to buy the Lamborghini Gallardo and a Corvette Z06. Bisher said Rossell appeared to love his Lamborghini. "Oh, he'd rev the engine. It was a 12-cylinder. He'd get out there and rev it up and I thought, 'my god what kind of a job does this guy have to buy a car like that." The Ft. Myers woman knew Roselli as Deputy U.S. Marshal Austyn Labella. The woman knew that Rossell was in Illinois because his Lamborghini blew a tire. Police found him in Effingham trying to buy a bus ticket, according to the Post-Dispatch. The online dating scam was just one of many fraudulent cases Rossell had been involved in. His name was originally listed on federal charging documents as Rosselli, but he told U.S. Magistrate Judge John Bodenhausen on Thursday that his real name was Rossell. While using the name Rosselli, he had racked up active arrest warrants in two Missouri counties. One in Gasconcade County in 2012 for a felony theft case and another in Ste. Genevieve County in 2013 involving a misdemeanor stealing case involving two puppies. He had an active arrest warrant in a separate Franklin County case in a 2013 stealing incident involving rented property. The newspaper reported that Pennsylvania court records showed another alias for him, Remington Rosselli. He had pleaded guilty to theft by deception and other charges and also violated his parole there. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported in Jan. 2014 that he tried to assume the identity of a Pennsylvania constable and a Missouri state trooper. Click for more from KMOV-TV. Click for more from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 The mother of a 2-year-old Ohio girl who was starved and beaten to death has rejected a plea deal a day after the girl's father was sentenced to death for aggravated murder. Thirty-year-old Andrea Bradley refused a plea deal Tuesday in a Cincinnati courtroom. Bradley's attorneys told the judge they want a doctors' report on Bradley's mental status. They say her IQ is low enough that it could remove the death penalty as a possibility. Bradley has pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated murder. She previously refused a deal from prosecutors that would have removed the death sentence possibility. A judge on Monday ruled 34-year-old Glen Bates should be executed for the 2015 death of his daughter, Glenara. Prosecutors say Glenara had belt and bite marks and other injuries. The woman who claimed she was gang raped in a now-discredited story in Rolling Stone magazine said the University of Virginia dean who counseled her after she came forward about her alleged assault "did everything right," an attorney said Tuesday. The attorney's comment came during the opening of a $7.85 million defamation trial against the magazine over its November 2014 story "A Rape on Campus." It was the first time that any portion of the deposition from the woman identified in the article only as "Jackie" has been publicly revealed. University administrator Nicole Eramo claims the article cast her as the "chief villain" who sought to protect the school by discouraging Jackie from reporting her alleged assault to police. Eramo's attorney said Jackie's remarks contradict the magazine's portrayal of the dean as indifferent. Attorney Tom Clare read part of Jackie's deposition aloud in court. "I never felt like she suppressed my sexual assault," Jackie said in the deposition. "I personally thought that she did everything right." The jury will get to watch a video of Jackie's deposition, but it will not be shown to the public, according to Libby Locke, another attorney for Eramo. Jackie's last name has not been released by the court and she will not take the stand. The article, written by Sabrina Rubin Erdely, described in alarming detail Jackie's account of being raped by seven men at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house in September 2012. An investigation by Charlottesville police found no evidence to back up Jackie's claims and details in the lengthy narrative did not hold up under scrutiny by other media organizations. Rolling Stone officially retracted the story in April 2015. Eramo, who was then associate dean of students, now works in a different administrative role at the university. An attorney for Rolling Stone acknowledged during his opening statement that the magazine made reporting mistakes. But Scott Sexton stressed that Eramo must prove that the magazine acted with "actual malice," meaning it knew what it was writing about the dean was false or at least should have known it wasn't true. Erdely, the magazine's editors and the woman who fact checked the article all believed Jackie was credible, Sexton said. He played an audio recording of Erdely interviewing Jackie in 2014, noting that the woman was "energetic" and "engaging." He told the jury that Jackie appears completely different "like a shell" of a person in her deposition video, which was taken in April. "We do believe that something bad happened to Jackie," he said. But "we have no idea what it was." Eramo's attorney said that the dean arranged meetings between Jackie and police and urged her to file a formal complaint, but Jackie refused to press charges or name her alleged assailants. Jackie told Eramo that she was forced to perform oral sex on several men, while Jackie told Rolling Stone she was gang raped. The article's author relied heavily on Jackie's word even though she knew the woman was depressed, having panic attacks and taking antidepressants, Clare said. He noted that Erdely didn't know the full name of the Jackie's alleged assailant and quoted Jackie's friends without interviewing them. "This case is about a journalistic failure," Clare said. Before opening statements, the court played audio of Erdely discussing the article on a podcast shortly after it was published. Eramo cried quietly toward the end of the clip, during which she claimed the university's administration "doesn't really treat rape as a violent crime." Erdely, who remained emotionless throughout most of the opening statements, began crying and put her hand over her face when the court played a voicemail she left for Jackie right before she emailed her editors to tell them they needed to retract the story. In that voicemail, Erdely urged Jackie to only go to police with her story if she feels confident that she's telling the truth. Eramo's lawsuit is one of three filed against the magazine over the story. A judge earlier this year threw out a case brought by three fraternity members, but a $25 million lawsuit filed by the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at the university is scheduled to go to trial late next year. A Pennsylvania town council voted on Monday accepting the resignation of Republican Mayor Charles Wasko. Wasko came under fire earlier this year following racist posts made on his Facebook page. He had posted pictures of apes with captions referring to President Barack Obama and his family, and had one referring to lynching. The West York town council met on Monday, with a unanimous vote to accept Waskos resignation. The mayoral duties will be taken over by Democratic Council President Shawn Mauck. Mauck said, "I think Mayor Wasko missed a golden opportunity," adding, "he could have come out and apologized, and that would have been a signature move forward." Wasko was elected mayor of the small Pennsylvania town of nearly 4,500 residents back in 2013. He was not paid as mayor, only voting to break council ties and oversees the police department. Wasko had an interview with Harrisburg TV station WHTM earlier this month and said, "The racist stuff, yeah. I'll admit I did that, and I don't care what people label me as. Also adding that he did not regret the postings on social media referencing the president. Wasko had offered to resign if the council reinstated the previous police chief. According to Mauck, the council had to address his conditions but did not have to agree to the terms. He said, "Our chief is still the chief. Mauck also added, we took a look at his requests and gave them appropriate consideration, as required, but we made no changes. The Associated Press contributd to this report. The bodies of two experienced divers were pulled Monday from a deadly underwater cave system in Florida known as the "Mount Everest" for diving enthusiasts. Patrick Peacock and Chris Rittenmeyer traveled from Fort Lauderdale to Weeki Wachee, Fla., with a friend to conduct a three-day dive at Eagle's Nest -- an underwater labyrinth of caves also known as the "Lost Sink" containing a mile of passages, one more than 300 feet deep. Deputies from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office were called to the dive area Sunday evening after the men's friend, identified as Justin Blakely, said he could not locate them. Blakely told authorities that all three divers entered the water at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Blakely, the most inexperienced diver, was to remain closer to the surface while Peacock and Rittenmeyer explored the caves of Eagle's Nest, which they had done several times before. The plan was for the two to check in with Blakely at a predetermined location at around 3 p.m., authorities said. When the two failed to surface, Blakely notified law enforcement. Rescue divers entered the waters Sunday night searching for the two men but were unable to locate them. The following morning, another group of divers found Peacock and Rittenmeyer "in close proximity to one another in 260 feet of water," according to a press release from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. Authorities said the men died in a "very dangerous and complex area of the cave system." Eagle's Nest -- often referred to as the 'Mount Everest' or 'Grand Canyon' of dives -- is near Weeki Wachee in the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Refuge. A sign at the mouth of the cave offers a deadly warning to anyone attempting to explore the underwater caves. "STOP! Prevent your death. Go no farther," reads the sign, which includes a black-and-white sketch of the Grim Reaper. "More than 300 divers, including open water scuba instructors, have died in caves just like this one," the sign says, noting that special cave training and equipment is required in order to enter. In 2013, a man and his 15-year-old son drowned in the underwater cave system on Christmas Day while testing out diving equipment they had received as a gift. After the drownings, family members pushed for the state to close the site, but state wildlife officials said they had no plans to do so. At least six others have died at Eagle's Nest since 1981, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The vast underwater cave system was closed to divers from 1999 to 2003, the newspaper reported. "It is absolutely gorgeous, but its deep and a complex cave system, so its only suited for people who have that training and experience, Jeff Tobey, an experienced diver familiar with Eagle's Nest, told WFLA-TV. FoxNews.com's Cristina Corbin contributed to this report. German police say a man has died and a woman was seriously wounded in a shooting at a hair salon in the western town of Dueren. The dpa news agency reported that a police armed response unit was sent to the site after reports of several shots being fired Tuesday. It quoted a Dueren police spokeswoman saying that on arrival officers found two seriously wounded people in the salon. The man died shortly afterward, and the woman was being treated. It wasn't immediately clear who fired the shots and what the motive for the shooting was. The mayor of a town just outside Ethiopia's capital says 1,000 people have been arrested this month after violence that led to the burning of factories and vehicles. This East African country declared a state of emergency this month after sometimes deadly anti-government protests demanding wider freedoms. Businesses have been a target over suspected government links, hurting Ethiopia's reputation as one of Africa's best-performing economies. Sebeta Mayor Ararsa Merdesa told The Associated Press on Tuesday that some people have been released but many remain detained and under investigation. Ararsa says only 50 of those arrested were local and the rest came "to cause the violence." The violence came shortly after more than 50 people were killed in a stampede when police tried to disperse protesters in the Oromia region. Somali police say at least seven are dead after hours of clashes as Somali and African Union troops pushed back al-Shabab extremists from a town near Mogadishu. The attacks in Afgoye started when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a Somali police station and African Union base. Gunmen then attacked military bases. Capt. Abdullahi Ali, a senior Somali military officer, says troops have now fully secured the town and the extremists have fled. Police say two al-Shabab fighters and five Somali soldiers were killed. Al-Shabab claims its fighters killed more than 40 soldiers during the clashes in the town 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Mogadishu. Residents confirm that troops have recaptured the town, with hundreds of soldiers patrolling the streets. An Australian official says two Australian executives of Australia's largest casino operator are in good health after being detained in China last week over suspected gambling crimes, but they still do not know whether they will be charged. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Wednesday the head of Crown Resorts Ltd.'s VIP International team, Jason O'Connor, is among three Australian and 15 Chinese Crown employees detained on Thursday or Friday. They have been caught up in an apparent crackdown on overseas tours for high rollers. Bishop says Australian consular officials visited O'Connor and another Australian, whose name was not made public, in Shanghai for the first time on Tuesday. The third Australian is a dual Chinese citizen who might have been traveling on his Chinese passport. Liberating Mosul from Islamic State (ISIS) could cause a surge of IIS fighters into Europe, it has been warned. The European Union's security commissioner Julian King said: "The reconquest of the northern Iraqi IS stronghold Mosul can cause violent IS fighters to come back to Europe. "This is a very serious threat that we have to prepare for," he told German newspaper Die Welt. King said more than 2,500 people have traveled from European countries to ISIS regions to fight and that some of them could return. The security official said that while he did not believe there will be an "exodus" of fighters arriving in Europe, "even a small number represents a serious threat". Click for more from Sky News. EXCLUSIVE: It was the dead of night when an 11-year-old Nigerian orphan boarded an overloaded dinghy to take on the daunting task of crossing the Mediterranean Sea to a better life in Europe. The boy, whose name is unknown, was among 175 strangers, all trusting their lives to a battered raft and the promises of ruthless men vowing to deliver them from danger. Hours later, the boy and his fellow passengers were plucked from rough seas by the Responder -- one of many within the waters between Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Europe -- tasked with saving those in distress on the high seas as they search for safety in Europe and beyond. He has no parents. No relatives. Nobody looking after him, Jenelle Eli, a relief worker with International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told FoxNews.com. He said he was running away from bad people in Libya. He could hardly look me in the eye, but was relieved to be out of that rubber dinghy and treated with kindness. Eli has worked on behalf of refugees for more than a decade, but currently she volunteered to be a part of the organizations relief efforts in the Mediterranean in conjunction with the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS). Watching these tragedies at sea unfold over the past few years has been nothing short of heartbreaking," she said. "I cant stop thinking about how bad things must be on land for people to risk the dangerous journey at sea. Eli just boarded the Responder for a three-week mission. The ship has set out to rescue refugees and migrants in danger on the choppy waters and bring them to the shores of Italy -- the closest European port. They also address urgent medical needs and ensure refugees are kept warm and fed. Many of the refugees who cross the Mediterranean do so in tiny wooden boats or rubber dinghies and face risk of drowning, dehydration, hypothermia or being crushed from over-crowding. Eli, along with her organization, provided FoxNews.com with exclusive photos of rescue efforts, as well as harrowing stories of those they saved. We have welcomed more than 770 migrants onboard the Responder since I arrived, Eli said. The first rescue I experienced took place before 5:30 a.m. Using radar and binoculars, the crew spotted a wooden boat crammed with 31 people who were clearly in distress. The new arrivals -- who were from Nigeria, Senegal, and Bangladesh -- had such anxiety on their faces, so part of my job was to help them feel secure and reassured right away, she said. The Responder patrols the waters over 12 miles out from the shores of Libya in international waters, scanning the sea for the endless fleet of vessels laden with desperate human cargo. Once they rescue those on board, they help them complete their journey to Europe, traveling 24 hours to the shores of Italy, from where they move on to various places like Germany with the hopes of a new life. More than 3,600 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year alone. Europe has felt the strain of those who made it, after allowing nearly 1 million refugees in, a number that is expected to triple in 2016. According to figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the number of those displaced has reached 59.5 million worldwide at the end of 2014 -- numbers not seen since World War II. A majority of the refugees are fleeing war and persecution in such places as Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. But their ranks have been swollen by economic refugees from African nations such as Sudan, Sengal and Eritrea, where torture and slavery are commonplace. The influx has put a strain on the European Union. Since the crisis began, there has been growing strife between Greece, where many of the refugees have been entering Europe, and its partners in the EU. Greece saw more than 800,000 refugees arrive in 2015, or two-thirds of those bound for Europe last year. Critics say allowing millions of refugees to cross into Europe threatens the continent's safety, economy and culture. The EU has had to make hard decisions on how to absorb the influx of refugees and migrants. Eli and others who work to help those making the harrowing journey for a better life do not focus on the politics of the issue. Instead, they work to alleviate the suffering of the people caught playing out their bit parts in a dangerous drama. One woman from Benin was balling her eyes out," she said. "When we tried to comfort her, she said of the sea crossing, I couldnt imagine that I would make it. When I stepped on this ship, I was overwhelmed. Hers were tears of joy. Ecuador's government acknowledged Tuesday that it has "temporarily restricted" internet access at its embassy in London for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after the website published a trove of documents from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. The foreign ministry said in a statement that while it stands by its decision in 2012 to grant Assange asylum in London, it doesn't interfere in foreign elections or "support a candidate in particular." The ministry didn't specify the extent of the restrictions on Assange's internet access, saying only that the restrictions on his communications wouldn't affect WikiLeaks' ability to carry out its journalistic activities. Leftist President Rafael Correa's government said it was acting on its own and not ceding to foreign pressures. On Monday, the group tweeted: "We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access Saturday, 5pm GMT, shortly after publication of Clinton's Goldman Sachs (speeches)." In follow-up messages posted Tuesday, the group claimed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had personally intervened to ask Ecuador to stop Assange from publishing documents about Clinton. Citing "multiple US sources," WikiLeaks said the request was made on the sidelines of negotiations which took place last month in Colombia. The State Department denied the allegation. "While our concerns about Wikileaks are longstanding, any suggestion that Secretary Kerry or the State Department were involved in shutting down Wikileaks is false," U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in an email to the Associated Press. Speaking to reporters later, deputy spokesman Mark Toner said Kerry never even raised the issue or met with Correa during his visit to Colombia. "There just was no meeting," he said. "They didn't discuss any of this stuff." Even after cutting off internet access, WikiLeaks managed on Tuesday to release more emails purportedly part of a trove of 50,000 messages stolen from the gmail account Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta According to newly published emails, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton discovered and shared wide-ranging allegations involving conflict-of-interest concerns involving the The Clinton Foundation when her mother launched her presidential bid last year. Experts contacted by FoxNews.com said there may be a variety of ways WikiLeaks could continue to release documents even with Assange's Internet access gone, from forms of communication that dont involve the Internet to a dead-mans switch. The simplest explanation is that the rest of WikiLeaks has access to unreleased documents, online accounts, and servers, and a protocol to operate if they cannot communicate with Assange, Shuman Ghosemajumder, the CTO at Shape Security, told FoxNews.com in an email. Its unclear just how Ecuador cut off Assanges Internet access, so its possible the WikiLeaks founder still has some form of connection, Ghosemajumder speculated. The could be something as simple as connecting to an external WiFi access point, to using a MiFi connection, to having access to a telephone and using dialup, he said. And even without Internet access, there are still ways to get a message out to the rest of his organization, Ghosemajumder pointed out, writing that if he is able to communicate with the external world in any way, he can at least give the rest of WikiLeaks instructions. If Assange is being cut off from the internet for diplomatic reasons, it may be due to Correa's politics. The leftist politician recently told the Moscow-backed RT broadcaster that he'd prefer Clinton over Trump. "For the United States, I'd like the winner to be Hillary, whom I also know personally and appreciate very much," Correa said. Marc Becker, a professor of Latin American history at Truman State University in Missouri, told the AP that while Clinton had successfully pulled Correa into her orbit during her tenure as secretary of state, he doubted Ecuador had merely bowed to U.S. pressure. He ventured that Correa's government opposes the idea of interfering in another country's affairs "and doesn't appreciate their guests using their resources to that end." Assange originally fled to the Ecuadorean Embassy on June 19, 2012, after a drawn-out and ultimately unsuccessful legal battle to being sent to Sweden, where he remains wanted over an allegation of rape. Ecuador granted him asylum, but British authorities have made clear they would arrest him if he tried to leave. London's Metropolitan Police used to maintain a visible presence outside the building, although officers were nowhere in sight when an AP journalist visited on Tuesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Ninety lawmakers from left-leaning German parties are meeting to explore possibilities of working together in the future, something that could increase chances of a government without Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. The center-left Social Democrats, the Greens and Left Party govern one German state together but so far have been too deeply divided to join together nationally. The Left Party grew out of opposition to economic reforms conducted by a Social Democrat-led government and opposes military deployments abroad. Tuesday's planned meeting doesn't involve the most senior lawmakers and concrete decisions aren't expected. But Left Party deputy caucus leader Jan Korte told ARD television it's important to show "there is an alternative" to Merkel, who currently governs with the Social Democrats as junior coalition partners. A national election is due next year. Two environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the Norwegian government for allowing oil drilling in the Barents Sea. Nature and Youth and Greenpeace Nordic argue that by allowing companies to drill for oil and gas in Arctic waters, the government violates the Paris Agreement on climate change and an environmental paragraph of the Norwegian constitution. Greenpeace spokesman Truls Gulowsen says signing an international climate agreement while at the same time allowing the drilling represents "a dangerous act of hypocrisy." The Barents Sea north of Norway and western Russia is on the southern edge of the Arctic Ocean. The Norwegian government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Hungary's far-right Jobbik party said Tuesday it would only support the government's constitutional amendment opposing the mass settlement of migrants if it also bans a disputed arrangement offering residency permits to foreigners buying a special state bond for 300,000 euros ($330,000). Jobbik president Gabor Vona said that his party wants "to protect Hungary from all kinds of settlements." "We are ready to vote for the amendment of the constitution but we are not ready for partial solutions," Vona said after a meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orban. "We can only support a solution which creates Hungary's real security." Vona's announcement could make it harder for Orban's Fidesz party to secure the two-thirds majority needed in the legislature to approve the amendment and the government said it would consider the Jobbik request. Plans to amend the constitution were announced by Orban after an Oct. 2 referendum against any future European Union plans to relocate asylum seekers. The referendum was invalid due to low turnout but 98 percent of the valid votes supported the government position. The residency bond has drawn widespread criticism because of its lack of transparency and the government's efforts to keep secret many details of the scheme introduced in 2013. According to data from the Office of Migration and Nationality obtained by daily newspaper Magyar Nemzet, Hungary had sold bonds to 2,727 foreigners by the end of August. Since bond buyers can also apply for residency permits for their immediate families, a total of 7,559 people gained residence in Hungary under the scheme, including 6,405 from China and 497 from Russia. Vona noted that number of foreigners settling in Hungary under the bond scheme was much higher than the 1,294 asylum seekers the European Union allocated to Hungary in a plan meant to relocate 600,000 asylum seekers from Greece and Italy to other EU countries. According to Transparency International Hungary, intermediary companies with murky ownership structures which sell the bonds to foreigners have already made profits of some 100 billion forints ($358 million). "The bond program not just enables immigrants to enter the Schengen zone of the European Union without any reliable background checks, but also allows for the allocation of significant sums of public money to intermediary companies whose proprietary structure is unclear," Miklos Ligeti, legal director for Transparency International Hungary, told The Associated Press. ISIS is preparing for a protracted fight in Mosul, with many of its foreign fighters remaining in the Iraqi city, U.S. officials told Fox News on Tuesday. Officials believe that it will take weeks for Iraqi forces to enter Mosul, with concern that the foreign fighters in the city are more ideologically zealous then fighters elsewhere in Iraq. The cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria are important to ISIS, and there is a higher portion of capable fighters there, U.S. officials told Fox News. So far in the first 48 hours of the military operation, Iraqi forces have seen less resistance outside the city. Some ISIS fighters have left Mosul to the west, where the terror group controls territory, including the road and 50 miles west to Tal Afar, officials said. The western side of Mosul remains open because ISIS controls that territory west of the city, and Iraqi forces and Kurdish peshmerga dont have access to that area, partly because of geography, but mainly because ISIS controls that area, according to officials. In previous battles against ISIS in Fallujah and Ramadi, Iraqi security forces were able to approach the city and surround it from safe ground. That is not the case however in Mosul, according to US officials, as Iraqi and Kurdish forces cannot surround the city at the moment. So far in the battle for Mosul, small groups have left the city but no large groups of ISIS fighters have fled. There also have not been any large groups of civilians seen leaving Mosul, according to U.S. officials. So far, 7 million leaflets have been dropped by U.S. Air Force B-52 members telling residents in Mosul to stay in their homes, officials said. At some point, the U.S. military expects senior ISIS leaders to try and leave Mosul and head to Raqqa. As the battle for Mosul enters the later stages, U.S. officials told Fox News they expect ISIS to use chemical weapons, but the terror group so far has only shown rudimentary knowledge of using them. ISIS is also burning tires in an effort to mask their movements, but officials told Fox News that it is having no effect on U.S.-led coalition aircraft overhead conducting airstrikes. While the Pentagon has said publically that more than 100 U.S. special operations forces are embedded with Iraqi counter terrorism service (CTS) and Kurdish peshmerga fighters, Fox News is told that number is much higher -- upwards of 300. The forces are made up of 12-man teams farmed out to various units. Officials however insist the U.S troops are not on the front lines, and so far, there have been no U.S. troops under attack while embedded with Iraqi forces. On Monday, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook reiterated that the Mosul operation was an Iraq-led fight and the U.S. military would be acting in a support role. One group Cook said the US military would not support is Iranian-backed Shia militias. Cook said so far U.S. Army Apache attack helicopters have not been used in Mosul. This is their fight, said Cook of the Iraqi forces. The Iraqis are at the front and Americans are providing in their advisory role, but they are behind the forward line of troops. And they are providing that same sort of advice and assistance that they have in Iraq previously and will continue to do so as this fight progresses, he added. Cook said Monday that U.S. forces are located on the outskirts of Mosul and in harms way, but would remain behind the front lines with the Iraqis in the lead. I think it's fair to say that there are Americans at the outskirts of the city, but I'm not going to get into the disposition of every single American, Cook told reporters. He later said a small number of Americans were advising the Iraqi forces on the ground. A Swedish prosecutor may have set a dangerous precedent last week in regards to the Islamic State flag. Prosecutor Gisela Sjovall announced last week that a 23-year-old man wouldnt be charged after posting the flag to his Facebook page in June, according to The Local. Authorities in Laholm had investigated the man, who came to Sweden from Syria, on suspicion of committing hate speech. In comparison to the Nazi symbol which has come to be a symbol for prejudice against Jewish people, the same couldnt be said for the Islamic State flag, Sjovall added. Up until now, we havent come to that point, she told the Hallandsposten, a local newspaper. That could change in ten years. The Local noted that under Swedens hate speech laws, for an image to be considered hate speech, it needs to threaten or disparage a group of people in connections to their race, nationality, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. If there had been anything in the text (posted alongside the flag) with more specific formulations about certain groups, for example homosexuals, the ruling could have been different, Sjovall said. For me, there are no doubts about the decision not to prosecute. Sjovall said the man told authorities in June that he does not support ISIS. The mans lawyer said that what he posted wasnt an ISIS flag, but a symbol of what had been used within Islam for hundreds of years before ISIS misconstrued its meaning. The flag had already been banned in the Netherlands and Germany. Former British Prime Minister David Cameron had also said that anyone displaying the ISIS flag should be arrested, but there wasnt a law barring people from displaying it. Click for more from The Local. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 Nigeria's government is negotiating the release of another 83 of the Chibok schoolgirls taken in a mass abduction two-and-a-half years ago, but more than 100 others appear unwilling to leave their Boko Haram Islamic extremist captors, a community leader said Tuesday. The unwilling girls may have been radicalized by Boko Haram or are ashamed to return home because they were forced to marry extremists and have babies, chairman Pogu Bitrus of the Chibok Development Association told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Bitrus said the 21 Chibok girls freed last week in the first negotiated release between Nigeria's government and Boko Haram should be educated abroad, because they will probably face stigma in Nigeria. The girls and their parents were reunited Sunday and are expected to meet with Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday or Wednesday, Bitrus said. Buhari flew to Germany on an official visit the day of the girls' release. Buhari said Monday that his government is prepared to talk with Boko Haram as long as the extremists agree to involve organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross, which was an intermediary in last week's release. Some 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped early on and at least half a dozen have died in captivity, according to the newly freed girls, Bitrus said. All those who escaped on their own have left Chibok because, even though they were held only a few hours, they were labelled "Boko Haram wives" and taunted, he said. At least 20 of the girls are being educated in the United States. "We would prefer that they are taken away from the community and this country because the stigmatization is going to affect them for the rest of their lives," Bitrus said. "Even someone believed to have been abused by Boko Haram would be seen in a bad light." All Nigerian institutions and the freed girls' communities and families must "stand strong" to "protect them from stigma, ostracization and rejection," the U.N. special rapporteurs on the sale of children, on slavery and on the right to health said in a statement Tuesday. One Chibok girl, Amina Ali Nkeki, escaped in May. Chibok Parents' Association chairman Yakubu Nkeki said the young woman has been reunited with her freed classmates, all of whom are being treated by doctors, psychologists and trauma counsellors at a hospital in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, run by the Department of State Security, Nigeria's secret service. Human rights advocates and the Bring Back Our Girls Movement have been asking if the girl is a detainee of the government and have been demanding she be allowed to return home, as she has requested. One father of a newly freed girl, Emos Lawal, said his daughter was "praying that let the rest of them have the chance to come out." The freed girls have told their parents they were separated into two groups early on in their captivity, when Boko Haram commanders gave them the choice of joining the extremists and embracing Islam, or becoming their slaves, Bitrus said. The girls freed and those whose release is being negotiated, numbering 104, are believed to be in the group that rejected Islam and Boko Haram, he explained. The freed girls said they never saw the other girls again. Bitrus said the freed girls were used as domestic workers and porters but were not sexually abused. He said that was why only one girl in the freed group is carrying a baby, and her parents have confirmed that she was pregnant when she was kidnapped. An aid worker had told The Associated Press that he had seen the girls on their release and that all but three carried babies. Bitrus said that report was incorrect. Previous negotiators in talks that failed also had corroborated that more than 100 of the girls did not want to return to their parents, Bitrus said. Chibok is a small and conservative Christian enclave in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria, where many parents are involved in translating the Bible into local languages and belong to the Nigerian branch of the Elgin, Illinois-based Church of the Brethren. Nigeria's government has denied reports that the girls were swapped for four Boko Haram commanders, or that a large ransom was paid. It was anything but a show of unity in Dresden on Oct. 3, the Annual Day of German Unity, which marked the 26th anniversary of the reunification of East and West Germany. Crowds shouted traitor and called for Chancellor Angela Merkels resignation, voicing their dissatisfaction with her decision to welcome more than 890,000 refugees, mainly Muslims, into Germany last year. Most of the refugees came from Syria. Others were from North Africa, Eritrea and Afghanistan. In May, a poll showed that 73 percent of Germans feared the arrival of so many Muslims would lead to increased terrorism. In July, there were five unconnected terror attacks by Muslim perpetrators. A Syrian refugees plot to bomb a Berlin airport this month was thwarted, but it heightened fears further. Critics say Merkel failed to recognize the enormous challenge of integrating large numbers of people from different cultures. Merkel is seen as the incarnation of the refugee problem, said Malte Lehming, editor at Der Tagesspiegel, a respected liberal Berlin newspaper. She did not see the consequences of her refugee policy, he said. One example is the tremendous backlog in processing refugee applications. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported recently that there are 250,000 migrants who sought refugee status last year whose applications will not be processed until next year. Merkel acknowledged last month that her decision to accept so many refugees should have included better preparation for their arrival. Now she is trying to dial back her policies. The government has tightened the asylum law and plans to deport economic refugees from non-conflict areas. This simply means they are trying to seal the country off by every possible means laws, agreements with other countries, ongoing border controls, said Felix Stein, an analyst for Deutsche Welle, Germanys public international broadcaster. The refugee influx has led to increased violence against immigrants, which jumped by more than 40 percent last year, according to the Ministry of Interior. Supporters of the immigrants have also been attacked, including the mayor of Oersdorf, a small town in northern Germany, who was beaten unconscious after he spoke in favor of the asylum seekers. Merkels refugee policy has affected Germanys mainstream political parties. While support has waned for her conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU) and for the left-of-center Social Democrats (SPD), the populist, anti-Muslim Alternative for Germany (AFD) has made significant gains. Now represented in nine of Germanys 16 states, it recently got more votes than the CDU in Merkels home state of Mecklenburg, and it forced the CDU out of its governing position in Berlin, leading to a left-wing coalition government. The success of the AFD is a direct result of Merkel letting in so many refugees, Richard Herzinger, an opinion writer for the conservative daily Die Welt, said in a telephone interview. He predicted the AFDs stunning growth at the expense of the CDU will lead to more left-wing coalition governments, as in Berlin. Author Julia Schramm, a Left Party member who initially applauded Merkels decision to open Germanys borders, now criticizes the chancellor for failing to provide the necessary resources to settle the refugees. She also faults Merkel for supporting a European Union deal that encourages Turkey to stop the flow of Syrian refugees. The Christian Social Union (CSU), a Bavarian sister party to the CDU, has also criticized Merkels refugee policy. We have a humanitarian responsibility to take in some refugees, but we also have an obligation to maintain secure borders, said CSU member Christian Forstner, who blames the AFDs success on the governments failure to control the refugee influx. The AFD has turned Islamophobia into a potent political force in Germany. AFD leader Frauke Petry told the press in April that Islam does not belong in Germany and that Muslims threaten German values. In 2013, the AFD was a fringe party. Today, its the strongest right-wing party in Germany. If there was not a refugee crisis, the AFDs popularity would only amount to 6 percent of the population, said Lemming, who predicts the AFD will approach 17 percent of the vote in next years national election and will have seats in the Bundestag for the first time. Its unclear whether Merkel will seek reelection. Also unclear is the impact of the refugee crisis on the chancellors legacy. Will she be remembered as creating the pivotal moment in a terrible xenophobic backlash? Or will history record her response to the refugee as a bold and courageous humanitarian response from the leader of the nation that caused the horrendous upheaval of World War II? Much depends on whether the German people are willing to welcome these refugees into their society. Vietnam is bracing itself for the full brunt Typhoon Sarika, which has already brought torrential rains and deadly floods on Monday. The death toll in the country rose to 31 after central parts of Vietnam suffered heavy rains triggered by the typhoon. Authorities are reportedly still searching for a person who was reported missing. The typhoon reportedly sustained winds of 103 mph and gusts of up to 124 mph. Sarika is expected to bring heavy rains Tuesday night and Wednesday to the northeastern part of Vietnam. Significant impacts are expected across the region. Local authorities are being urged by the government to prepare to evacuate people in high risk areas. Vietnam is susceptible to floods and storms, as they kill hundreds of people each year, causing a great deal of damage. The typhoon killed two people and displaced nearly 150,000 people in the Philippines over the weekend. Sarika, leaving a destructive path thus far left over 240,000 people without power. The northern parts of the Philippines could be expecting another typhoon hit later in the week. The Associated Press contributed to this report. AAMCO Franchise Of Claymont Hosts Community Car Clinic Day Franchise Owner Ken Rickoski Offers Free Automotive Check Ups In Celebration Of National Car Care Month HORSHAM, Pa., Oct. 18, 2016 // PRNewswire // - AAMCO Transmissions, Inc. ("AAMCO"), franchisor of the world's largest branded chain of transmission specialists and an industry leader in total car care services, today announced the owner of its Claymont, Delaware center is offering free car check ups for local residents on Oct. 22 in celebration of National Car Care Month. The AAMCO of Claymont, owned by Ken Rickoski, is also honoring the location's 10th anniversary during the Community Car Clinic Day event. Attendees will have the chance to participate in giveaways and freebies, as well as view classic cars on display. "Community Car Clinic Day was created in efforts to bring awareness to National Car Care Month and give back to the local residents of Claymont," said Rickoski. "With the winter months quickly approaching, it's important vehicle owners receive car check ups to prepare for colder driving conditions. We are excited to offer local residents a complimentary vehicle check and look forward to serving the local community for many years to come." For more than 50 years, AAMCO's network of locally owned and independently operated automotive service centers have employed the latest technology. Expert technicians diagnose a repair, fix it right the first time and back it with a nationwide warranty. Known as the world's leading transmission expert, the company has evolved into a total car care brand that provides a variety of services, including brake repair, tune-ups, shocks and struts, routine maintenance and more. AAMCO was recently named to Entrepreneur's 2016 Franchise 500, ranking at the top of the transmission repair category. Based on network size, growth rate and financial strength, the brand also earned a spot on Entrepreneur's "Best of the Best" list. The AAMCO of Claymont will serve customers on Monday Friday from 8 a.m. 5 p.m, Saturday appointments available upon request. For more information, please visit www.AAMCOclaymontde.com or call 302-746-2405. About AAMCO AAMCO is the world's largest branded chain of transmission specialists and a leader in total car care services. AAMCO has nearly 650 franchised automotive centers throughout the United States and Canada. Established in 1963, AAMCO-branded centers are proud to have served more than 45 million drivers. For more information, visit: aamcouniversity.com, aamco.com oraamcoblog.com. SOURCE AAMCO Transmissions, Inc. Contact: Tiffany Trilli Fish Consulting 954-893-9150 ttrilli@fish-consulting.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Newks Eatery Expands In Jacksonville With Fourth Restaurant October 18, 2016 // Franchising.com // JACKSON, Miss. - On October 24, Newks Eatery - a rapidly expanding fast-casual restaurant brand known for its foodie flair - is opening its fourth restaurant in the Jacksonville community. Located on 6025 Butler Point Road, Newks newest Jacksonville location will be setting up shop in the Galleria Marketplace development near the Southpoint area. This restaurant is the next in the line of as many as 30 new Newks Eateries opening throughout the Sunshine State over the next five years, following recent openings in the Orlando, Sarasota and Palm Beach areas. Jacksonville is a market weve always got our eye on, and we have plans to open additional locations in the area within the next year, said Chris Newcomb, Newks Eatery CEO and Co-Founder. Diners here have always been receptive to our restaurants, and were particularly excited to be taking what were known for best into a new branch of the community: exceptionally fresh ingredients, flavorful meals and our Southern-inspired hospitality. At Mondays grand opening, the first 100 guests to walk through the doors at 11 a.m. will be receiving a limited edition Newks gift item, while the first 50 people in line will be guaranteed their fill of Newks flavors with a complimentary $100 gift card. Jacksonvilles latest Newks Eatery can be found near JTB and Phillips Highway at 6025 Butler Point Road. The new restaurant will offer indoor dining for 136 people, as well as patio dining for 20 more, in its 3,788 square-foot space. Additionally, Newks will provide roughly 50 job opportunities for local applicants and will be open Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sourcing the finest, freshest ingredients - including imported cheeses and prime meats, hand-chopped seasonal vegetables and homemade dressings - Newks guarantees a dining experience that is as fresh as it is convenient. The restaurant handcrafts each of its fresh-tossed salads, artisan pizzas, hot-toasted sandwiches, kettle batch soups and scratch-made desserts in its signature open-view kitchens, drawing from the family recipes of its founding family, the Newcombs. The Jackson, Mississippi-based Newks Eatery currently has 104 locations in 13 states and plans to expand to more than 200 units by 2019. For more information about Newks Eatery, visit Newks.com or follow Newks Jacksonville restaurants on Facebook. About Newk's Eatery Based in Jackson, Mississippi, Newk's Eatery is leading the next generation of fast casual with its culinary-driven menu prepared in Newk's open-view kitchens, featuring made-from-scratch soups, fresh tossed salads, artisan pizzas, hot toasted sandwiches and desserts. Founded in 2004, Newk's currently operates and franchises more than 100 units in 13 states and is gaining national attention for its accelerated growth and commitment to community. The newest Newks restaurants feature a "Generation 2" design, presenting a fresh, on-trend look for the brand while maintaining the companys signature warmth and open-view kitchen. FastCasual.com named Newk's among its Top 50 Movers and Shakers in 2015 and 2016, while Franchise Times magazine ranked Newk's among its top "Fast and Serious" franchise brands for the second year in a row, and Technomic listed Newk's in its Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. Also recently, the brand was named among NRNs Top 200 and Top 5 Fastest-Growing Chains, along with Restaurant Business' Top 40 Fast-Casual Chains. For more information, visit Newks.com, join the Roundtable Club or follow Newk's on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. SOURCE Newk's Eatery Contacts: Callie Smith (423) 648-7358 Csmith@waterhousepr.com Nathalie Strickland (423) 619-9900 Nstrickland@waterhousepr.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Teriyaki Madness Inks 20-Unit Breakthrough Deal in Phoenix Asian-inspired fast casual restaurant set to expand with largest deal in franchise history. October 18, 2016 // Franchising.com // DENVER Teriyaki Madness, an evolving national Asian fast casual restaurant concept, has announced the signing of its largest franchise agreement in the 13-year history of the company. With nearly 40 stores currently in operation, Teriyaki Madness has inked a deal to bring new restaurants to the city of Phoenix and surrounding areas. The deal, signed with a multi-unit operator who is adding Teriyaki Madness to complete his portfolio which consists of 35 other existing restaurant franchises, will add 20 Teriyaki Madness locations to the Phoenix market. This is a huge commitment for Teriyaki Madness, one that we feel will put us on track to get to a whole new level, said CEO Michael Haith. We were already beginning to be positioned as a leader in the fast casual Asian cuisine segment, and this puts us as a major frontrunner. We are looking forward to continuing and expanding our presence in the great city of Phoenix. Teriyaki Madness first opened in the Phoenix metro area in March 2015, when it set up shop in nearby Mesa. The announcement comes only one week after the company announced the hires of seven new corporate executives to support national expansion. With the Teriyaki Madness franchise model firmly in place one that reflects a consistent model that allows people to clearly recognize a Teriyaki Madness location and also gives franchisees the ability to customize the interior and exterior design and feel of his or her restaurant no two Teriyaki Madness locations in Phoenix will look the same. However, they will still resemble the street corner teriyaki shops in Seattle that helped make the brand famous. The fast casual industry has seen a rise in consumer spending over the last five years, bringing in nearly $20 billion since 2011. Approximately 45 percent of households in the United States consume food with teriyaki at least once per month and Asian food is the fastest growing segment in the fast casual industry. The mega deal in Phoenix marks a significant time in the growth and development for the Teriyaki Madness brand, said Todd Owen, Teriyaki Madness VP of Development. This sets us up perfectly for rapid penetration into the Phoenix market while also aligning us with our plans for national growth with experienced multi-unit operators. Teriyaki Madness is known for its Seattle-style teriyaki, serving big bowls of bold, delicious flavors made-to-order with fresh ingredients. All dishes use all-natural meats that are marinated and grilled with noodles or three kinds of rice and fresh vegetables and served with one of seven home-made sauces. Customers can choose a bowl or plate and then load it with teriyaki chicken, steak or tofu and add yakisoba noodles, white, brown or fried rice. With fresh-cut veggies, the bowls are customized as low-carb and gluten-friendly, with the average price per meal around $8. For more information on Teriyaki Madness and franchise opportunities, visit www.TeriyakiMadness.com. About Teriyaki Madness Teriyaki Madness, a fast-casual, Asian restaurant concept featuring a Seattle-style Teriyaki menu was founded in 2003 and began franchising the brand in 2005. Teriyaki Madness is committed to unconditionally satisfying guests by offering delicious, made-to-order Teriyaki dishes prepared with all natural, fresh ingredients that are served quickly, at a reasonable price in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant is now offering online ordering for pickup and delivery through third-party at many locations across the country and are continuing to add to the total. Many of the Teriyaki Madness locations now have several gluten free options and in 2017, guests will see gluten free items in all Teriyaki Madness locations. The "Fresh, Fulfilling, and Fits your Life concept was recently recognized by QSR Magazine as one of the Best Franchise Deals for 2014 and 2015, as well as the Franchise Business Review for their Top 50 Franchise Satisfaction award for 2015 and 2016. The brand is dedicated to Spreading the Madness so that everyone can experience the best teriyaki on earth. SOURCE Teriyaki Madness Media Contact: Mike Garabedian Fishman Public Relations 847-945-1300 MGarabedian@fishmanpr.com ### Add to Request List Added Request Information Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus The leadership change comes at a pivotal moment for the Hutch, Gilliland said, one that is largely centered around the need to boost the centers ability to conduct team science and collaborate more effectively across scientific disciplines. Clurman has been instrumental in orchestrating the Hutchs recently completed five-year strategic plan, Gilliland said. He has also led the coordination and planning for Fred Hutchs Integrated Research Centers, new research groups underway that will unite scientists and clinicians from diverse focus areas to attack major problems facing cancer and other diseases. Clurmans leadership of these new groups is exactly the type of guidance the Hutch needs as the cancer research center increases its collaborative efforts in pursuit of new treatments and cures, Gilliland said. We recognize that we need to have more team-oriented science to address some of the biggest problems in the biology and therapy of human disease, he said. I dont think theres anybody who we could bring in, either internally or externally, that can do what Bruce is able to do, because of the history that he has here and the scientific credibility that he has. Hes respected across all of our different, very broadly-based disciplines of science. The announcement follows those of other recent hires at the Hutch. Last Monday, Dr. Nancy Davidson, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, was announced as the incoming director of the Hutchs Clinical Research Division and president and executive director of SCCA. She will also be professor and head of the Division of Medical Oncology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Also last week, Fred Hutch immunotherapy researcher Dr. David Maloney was announced as the first medical director for cellular immunotherapy at the Hutch and the SCCAs new Immunotherapy Clinic. For Clurman, the transition seems a logical next step in a career built at the Hutch, working across disciplines as both a transplantation physician, seeing patients with blood cancers at SCCA, and as a basic scientist, delving deep into the molecular cascade of steps that allows cancerous cells to grow and divide unchecked. But its only in the past few years that Clurman decided to step outside these two different but equally gratifying sides of his job, he said, and take a broader look at how he could serve the advancement of cancer research overall. That realization led him to take on other leadership roles in the past year and to work with Gilliland and the rest of Fred Hutch leadership to help craft the recently completed five-year strategic plan and to dive into the creation of the Integrated Research Centers. As I started thinking about ways to extend myself beyond my own work, it was just natural for me to want to put that effort and energy here, because I couldnt imagine wanting to work like this anywhere else, Clurman said. Gary has an incredibly bold vision which Im completely aligned with and I think that people are really behind, but while we want to continue to support fundamental science, we also need to change the way we do some of our work to accomplish that The opportunities are unprecedented but theres also an urgency to accelerate our progress. An unbelievable mentor and role model Clurmans transition was natural in another sense, too hell be filling the shoes of Groudine, the researcher who helped him launch his career at the Hutch and who has been a valued mentor ever since, Clurman said. Clurman joined the Hutch in 1991 as a senior fellow in oncology working in Groudines lab, after completing an M.D./Ph.D. program at Cornell University Medical College and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and internal medicine training at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, where he overlapped in his training with Gilliland. Groudine was a selfless and nurturing mentor to Clurman from the start, the researcher said, helping Clurman start projects that launched the junior researchers own career at the Hutch without necessarily benefiting the mentor directly. He just wanted you to do the science that you thought was the most important and that you were most interested in, Clurman said. Hes been an unbelievable mentor and role model for me Hes shown me how to lead by respecting people and by being very straightforward and transparent. Groudines selfless nature and generosity of time and resources is by no means unique to his relationship with his trainee, Gilliland said. Its embedded in how the biologist has guided the Hutch in his decades of leadership, first as director of the Basic Sciences Division, from 1995 to 2005, and as deputy director since 1997 and as executive vice president of the Hutch since 2005. Groudine also served as acting president and director of the Hutch during two interim periods, in 2010 and, most recently, in 2014, before Gilliland was appointed. Groudine works tirelessly behind the scenes to advance Hutch research without a thought to receiving credit or accolades, Gilliland said. Theres nothing about him that has to do with power, its about whats the best for the Hutch, Gilliland said. In some ways, for me, hes the heart and soul of the Hutch. Gilliland pointed out that Groudine was one of the advocates for Clurmans transition into his old role planning for and supporting his successor in a way that Gilliland said is unusual in high-level leaders and which further speaks to Groudines generous nature. Groudine himself is happy for his former trainee and current friend and colleague, he said. I am very pleased that Bruce has taken on this responsibility, and I will do whatever I can to make sure that he is successful, Groudine said. I would not have considered stepping down as deputy director if I did not believe the center is in great hands those of Bruce, Gary and the rest of the leadership team. Defining experiences Like many other researchers at the Hutch, Clurman has bridged the lab bench and the clinic for his whole career. Both aspects of his job have been integral in how he approaches cancer research and treatment, he said. When he was first looking for training opportunities in the early 1990s, the Hutch stood out because of its stellar reputation in bone marrow transplantation, Clurmans clinical area of expertise. The Hutch was the only game in town at the time, he said. When he joined Groudines lab for his fellowship, though, he found that beyond the transplantation program itself, the entire center fostered respectful collaboration between research and clinical practice. Back then the Hutch was much smaller as a result of that, there was always this very close integration between very smart basic scientists and really excellent clinicians and clinical researchers, Clurman said. That integrated mutual respect grew out of working together. I found it to be an incredibly unique environment and it was a really wonderful environment to train in. Even after 20 years as an attending transplant physician, Clurman still speaks of transplantation a technique first developed at Fred Hutch in the 1970s with reverence. Transplants a remarkable area of oncology, he said. You have opportunities to cure people of a disease thats otherwise not curable. Clurman has viewed cancer and its treatments through different lenses at different stages of his life, he said. When he first started seeing patients in need of bone marrow transplants, the treatment course was still demanding and toxic enough that the majority of the patients he and his colleagues could treat were fairly young. As an early-career researcher and clinician, seeing those young patients uproot their lives and come to Seattle often with their children and spouses in tow in pursuit of a cure was very moving, Clurman said. And when he later had his own children, he came to have a new appreciation for his patients experiences. Particularly poignant for him were the transplant patients who were parents and had only a slim chance of living, he remembers. Back then, some of these young patients had a 10 percent chance of survival but if they were in that 10 percent, kids had their parents back, he said. [Transplantation] is very intellectually challenging and satisfying. Its devastating when you cant make a difference and its incredibly rewarding when you can. You cant help but feel the highs and lows that your patients do. Another, earlier experience also guided Clurman in his career. When he was enrolled in the M.D./Ph.D. graduate program at Memorial Sloan Kettering, his father was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. He was treated at the same hospital where Clurman was training, and he ultimately died of his disease. Watching a loved one going through cancer and the associated toxic treatments was horrible, Clurman said, but it just drove him more strongly in his goal to help patients and to discover better treatments and cures. It really had a major impact on my sense of what it was to have a life-threatening or incurable cancer, and what treatment really did to patients, Clurman said, his voice trailing off. Gilliland picked up the thread of his colleagues story, describing their experience working together in the transplantation wards at Brigham and Womens Hospital in the late 1980s. Working with transplant patients is not exactly like a war, Gilliland said, but there are parallels to being in the literal trenches. Theres something about that experience where people are dying thats a very tough place to be and to cope with. Having worked together in a space like that, it does bring you together in a unique way, Gilliland said about his past work with Clurman and why hes so glad to be working more closely with him once again, decades later. Its a luxury to have a highly experienced colleague that Ive known for a long time to work with, he said. Do you have a comment on this story? Tell us on Facebook. Blogger Unveils Step By Step Guide To Creating eBook Covers With the boom of the digital information age, eBooks are incredibly popular around the world. The best way to get readers attention though is by creating attractive 3D covers for them. Here's how. -- SEODagger.com - a Kelowna based Search Engine Optimization (SEO) company - recently unveiled a step by step guide to creating professional ebook covers. In a world where digital books - also known as ebooks - are gaining popularity while paperback book sales decline year by year, this information is more and more welcomed by authors and publishers alike. According to Konrad Braun - CEO and founder of SEODagger.com - ebooks started getting popular among avid readers when Amazon first launched the Kindle eReader. The Kindle app that followed shortly after - for Android and iOS - helped greatly in boosting ebooks sales even more. Braun goes on to say that - although a huge collector of physical books himself - he has always been an advocate of people having free public library access. "Knowing the impact reading had on my life, I always wanted everyone to have easy access to vast amounts of reading material as well. Which is why I am always so thrilled when cities offer free or super cheap library memberships." "What truly excites me though is when I hear of libraries leveraging the internet. Where you can now borrow ebooks to read on your electronic device of choice" Braun continues. "Now, if you have internet access, you have access to more reading material - on just about any topic - than you will ever be able to read in a lifetime. This is a good thing. Sites like Wikipedia are great for reading, but my personal favorite source for information is still books. Or the modern version of books, known as ebooks." Braun mentioned how there are hundreds of thousands of ebooks available for free online now and how just about every book published in paperback is now also available in ebook format. "The times are changing. You no longer need to drag a suitcase full of paperback books with you on vacation. All you need is a kindle device or even a smartphone to gain access to dozens of ebooks. It's pretty incredible!" When asked about his free guide to creating professional ebook covers, Braun said "That is the greatest miracle yet. Average people are no longer just consumers of information products. They are now contributors as well. The internet has made it so easy - especially with ebook marketplaces like Amazon - for everyday individuals to become published authors too. It's definitely a great time to document knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and stories to pass on to future generations." "To make sure our ebooks get picked up though, we have to make sure the cover piques the potential reader's attention. Everyone is always reminded not to judge a book by it's cover, but we all do it. So it is critical - if we take time to write ebooks - that we also create beautiful ecovers for them. This is of course where my online ecover creator suggestion comes in handy." "It is the same tool I used when helping my wife launch her coconut flour dessert recipe ebook and it is the same ebook cover tool I use for my own launches" Braun insisted. "It doesn't matter if I plan on using it once for myself or a dozen times for my customers, it is one of the best tools available on the market today." For more information, please visit http://seodagger.com/ Contact Info: Name: Konrad Braun Organization: SEODagger.com Phone: 9284448514 Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUuK_eGBVSM Source: http://marketersmedia.com/blogger-unveils-step-by-step-guide-to-creating-ebook-covers/138711 Release ID: 138711 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Xander Law Group P.A. Expands with a Euro-Caribbean Flair Adds French Attorney to its Business Oriented Team The Law Office of Xander Law Group P.A., in Downtown Miami, announced that the business law firm has made an exciting addition to the firm, Aline Martin-O'Brien, to greatly enhance Xander Law's ability to serve the firm's diverse client base in Miami, Caribbean, and in Europe. -- The Law Office of Xander Law Group P.A., in Downtown Miami, announced today that the business law firm has made an exciting addition. Founder and managing partner, Jason H. Weber, explained that "the firm is pleased to announce that Aline Martin-O'Brien has joined the team. Her French background and expertise in civil law systems will greatly enhance Xander Law's ability to serve the firm's diverse client base." Aline represents individuals and business entities in commercial litigation and transactions in the European Union and the French Caribbean. She also serves as an intermediary for clients that have legal issues in the United States by coordinating the resolution of their American legal issues with Xander Law Group and other US law firms. Ms. Martin-O'Brien joins the firm after having practiced law in Paris and the French Caribbean for 10 years, and in South Florida as a foreign legal consultant certified by the Florida Bar as an Of Counsel of Wites & Kapetan P.A. for two years. She is a graduate of the renowned Sorbonne University law school and holds two advanced degrees from that institution. Jason Weber went on to say that Ms. Martin-O'Brien will build Xander Law Group's presence in the Caribbean. "Aline pointed out that the combined population of the Caribbean zone is larger than that of California - with 42,000,000 inhabitants, it larger than California and about the size of Argentina. Xander Law is confident and looking forward to expanding the firm's client base to assist businesses and individuals there with a broad range of issues." Xander Law Group has always valued being able to offer a wide range of legal services to their diverse South Florida community, and now with Ms. Martin-O'Brien on the team, the firm can now offer the French community the same incredible services that has been offered for years to Miami businesses. "The firm is also quite pleased that Aline will be continuing to pursue her interest in teaching and writing about the law, and have completely supported her in this essential activity," Mr. Weber added, noting that Ms. Martin-O'Brien had previously taught law school in Paris and will continue to do so here. Last year, Ms. Martin-O'Brien lectured in at Nova Southeastern University Law School on the co-existence of the Civil Law and the Common Law in the Caribbean. About Xander Law Group, P.A. Xander Law Group, based in Miami, Florida, is a business law firm that represents companies and individuals in investment fraud disputes, business disputes, chapter 11 bankruptcy, appellate litigation, as well as commercial litigation and transactions. To schduele a free consultation, please visit the firm's website, www.xanderlawgroup.com. Contact Info: Name: Jason Weber Email: Jason@xanderlaw.com Phone: 305.767.2001 Organization: Xander Law Group, P.A. Source: http://www.prreach.com/pr/26380 Release ID: 138862 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Louis Koster SER Feliz: Como ser feliz realmente Book Released Dr Louis Koster has released his first his first Spanish book SER Feliz: Como ser feliz realmente It focuses on eliminating depression, stress and unhappiness and manifesting an inspired life. -- Author Louis Koster, medical doctor, humanitarian and teacher, has released his first Spanish book SER Feliz: Como ser feliz realmente The title translates BEING Happy: How to be really happy! The book focuses on how to eliminate depression, lethargy, stress, unhappiness and bad moods and manifest an inspired life. More information on Louis Koster and his book SER Feliz: Como ser feliz realmente is available at: http://louiskoster.com/book-launch-ser-feliz. Only 27 percent of Latinos reported that they would seek mental health services when in need of help as compared to 40 percent of whites saying they would seek treatment according to research reported in Health Services Research. The U.S Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health, "Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity Supplement," reported that among all Latinos with mental disorders, fewer than 1 in 11 contact mental health specialists, while fewer than 1 in 5 contact general health care providers. As Louis Koster's first Spanish language book published in the series "A New Language For Life" which delves into what it takes for a conscious person to take their life to the next level, SER Feliz: Como ser feliz realmente was written to raise the level of consciousness authentically through one's own language. The book's main focus is on how to eliminate depression, lethargy, stress, unhappiness and ordinary bad moods and give direction to those who are stuck, unsure, at a cross-roads or believe that there is more to life than what they are now experiencing. SER Feliz: Como ser feliz realmente contains detailed steps and instructions designed to be used by people who are serious about being happy to help them trust themselves and have the power to manifest their heartfelt desires quickly with as little stress as possible. The full how-to book spans three key points: peace - how to be more present even if a person has interfering self-criticizing thoughts; fulfillment - how to re-energize one's sense of fulfillment when one feels stuck in guilt and worry or feels immobilized by the past; and freedom - how to be free to dream. Told along with Koster's own compelling story, he said he wrote the book to help people on their journey of awakening to their true nature and to provide new perspective to some of the issues that they are currently dealing with in their lives. Koster has a background in public health, family medicine, organizational development and transformational training which helped shape the creation of the book. He served for more than ten years as a medical doctor for Doctors Without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations in trouble spots around the globe. SER Feliz: Como ser feliz realmente will be represented at the International Book Fair October 19-23, in Frankfurt, Germany. It is available for purchase on Amazon at: https://amazon.com/dp/B01L8U3UHU. More information about Louis Koster and his new book SER Feliz: Como ser feliz realmente is available by visiting the website listed above. Contact Info: Name: Dr Louis Koster Organization: Eudaimonia Press Address: PO Box 85 Release ID: 138622 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Imperial Painters Introduces New User-Friendly Website Design Imperial Painters Announces the Launch of New User-Friendly Website to Better Serve Customers in the Greater Denver Area. -- Alyssa Lopez, president and owner of Imperial Painters, is pleased to announce the launch of the NEW user-friendly website to better serve customers in the greater Denver area. When the time comes to upgrade, refresh, and renew customers' homes or businesses, inside and out, they are ready to deliver professional, on-time services with exceptional customer service. A fresh coat of paint is always a welcome option, not only to keep customers' properties aesthetically pleasing, but also to increase property values and make homes more inviting to friends and family, and offices more welcoming to customers and clients. They are ranked among the best Denver painters promising experienced, trained professional painters, excellent on-site, on-time workmanship, and attention customers' needs. From the first customer contact via the new website, by telephone, or in person, Imperial's number one concern is the customer and meeting or exceeding their painting requirements. Communication is a priority beginning with a customer's free estimate, home or business assessment, and delivery of their project painting plans. Imperial Painters Denver offer a precise, written estimate to every customer and promise to address any concerns before the project begins. Once a date is scheduled, customers can count on the professionals to be on on-time delivering quality and workmanship from preparation to painting to clean-up. Every project features a final walk through to ensure client satisfaction and fulfill the company's mission to be the best painting contractors in Denver and the surrounding area. "At our new improved website, customers can link to reviews, review Imperial's portfolio, and peruse available services quickly and easily. Our mission is to be Denver's best painting contractor which means we approach every project with the goal of excellent customer satisfaction and a superior painting experience every time. Whether the need is interior or exterior painting services for home or business, we are the experts to call!" - Alyssa Lopez, President and Owner, Imperial Painters About Imperial Painters: Alyssa Lopez, the owner of Imperial Painters, began the company to serve the residents of the greater Denver area with unmatched painting services delivered with outstanding workmanship by professional painters. The Imperial experience promises high quality painting with an affordable price, always on-time. For more information, please visit http://imperialpaintersco.com/ Contact Info: Name: PRWhirlWind Organization: Imperial Painters Address: 5250 East Cherry Creek South Drive Denver, CO 80246 Phone: (720) 507-9058 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/imperial-painters-introduces-new-user-friendly-website-design/138939 Release ID: 138939 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Detroit Hypnotist Marriage Counseling & Improve Relationship Report Launched Hypnotist and professional counselor David Wright has launched a new report focusing on marriage and relationship advice. It offers five key tips for ensuring a healthy relationship and moving forwards. -- A new report has been launched by hypnotist and licensed professional counselor, David Wright, focusing on marriage advice and counselling tips people can benefit from to help maintain a healthy relationship. It explains that despite the old adage that 50% of marriages end in divorce, divorce rates have actually fallen over the last 20 years, and goes on to present the reader with five key pieces of advice for them to save their relationship. More information about David can be found on the Motor City Hypnotist website at: http://motorcityhypnotist.com. David Wright is the owner and clinical director of Counseling and TherapyAssociates, located in Taylor, MI. He also works with hypnotist Richard Barker and uses hypnosis as a clinical method for helping patients to deal with weight loss, anxiety, and smoking related issues. In addition to this, he also performs comedy hypnosis stage shows as The Motor City Hypnotist. The report explains that one of the biggest news stories of recent days has been the breakup of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but while the public can get fascinated with celebrity breakups, it's important to remember that divorces damage real families every day and they can be painful to deal with. In his healthy relationship report, David Wright explains that one thing people can do to improve their marriage or relationship is to focus on themselves. He emphasises that the most effective way to change a relationship is for an individual to change themselves. Another recommendation is to increase communication, because most marriages disintegrate because of a communication breakdown. David explains that couples should make it a point to spend alone time together, away from distractions, so that they can focus on talking. This can help to re-establish the bonds that brought themselves together in the first place. Other tips include no negative talk, because it only serves to bring relationships into further disrepair, and to be more forgiving and laugh more. The report emphasises that forgiveness is an active choice, and letting go of anger and shame can help people to move forward. More information about David Wright is available at: http://motorcityhypnotist.com. For more information, please visit http://www.motorcityhypnotist.com/ Contact Info: Name: David Wright Email: David@motorcityhypnotist.com Organization: Motor City Hypnotist Address: Taylor, Michigan Phone: 313-452-0305 Release ID: 138754 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Custom Builder Coval Homes Expands Service Area to Include More of Kitsap County With growth rate in Kitsap County once again heading upward, company identified perfect moment to extend range for its value-focused custom home building services, Coval Homes reports -- Coval Homes, one of western Washington's top custom home builders, has expanded its standard build area. With the new build area covering a larger part of Kitsap County than before, more residents in the area gain access to Coval Homes' well known blend of top-quality custom-home workmanship and unbeatable affordability. Since the company's founding, Coval Homes has stood out from others in the industry by providing a range of value-oriented custom home plans that can be modified as desires and budgets permit, putting this personalized style of construction within the reach of many more families. As the population growth rate in Kitsap County once again ticks up, the now-expanded Coval Homes build area will open up attractive options for a great many residents and new arrivals. "We're happy to announce that we have once again expanded our build area, with it now covering even more of Kitsap County," Coval Homes representative David Brimhall said, "When we opened our doors in 2011, we were determined to provide top-quality customized home building at truly affordable prices. That mission has resonated with many families throughout our build area, allowing us to steadily extend our reach while maintaining the same personalized service that our clients appreciate so much. As we now expand to cover even more of Kitsap County, we look forward to showing many future customers the difference our affordable, lifestyle-focused approach to custom home building can make." Homes built on land owned by a future occupant were for a long time the norm in the United States, but that has changed over the years. By the dawn of the last major recession, new custom home starts had declined to a mere twenty percent share against those meant for sale upon completion, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Although they have since rebounded to account for around a quarter of the new home starts nationwide, custom homes still sometimes suffer from a perception of being overly expensive compared to houses bought from commercially minded developers who turn them out according to standardized plans. Since 2011, Coval Homes has built up a reputation for providing an especially appealing alternative that combines the strongest features of these two distinct approaches. With a library of thoughtfully designed floor plans that combine impressive value with lifestyle-focused layouts, Coval Homes delivers both highly satisfying standard results and the ability to make equity-enhancing engineering changes. By also offering valuable standard features like gas furnaces and on-demand hot water that other builders consider upgrades, Coval Homes further heightens the value proposition it makes to clients. Thanks to this notably attractive and distinctive approach to home building, Coval Homes has grown consistently since its founding. That steady growth now allows the company to expand its build area to include more of Kitsap County, a move that will prove especially significant given the increasing population in the area. About Coval Homes: Family owned and operated, Coval Homes offers unbeatable value and accelerated project times with custom home building services in Pierce, Thurston, Mason, Kitsap and King Counties. For more information, please visit http://www.covalhomes.com Contact Info: Name: David Brimhall Organization: Coval Homes Address: 2023 125th St E Tacoma, WA 98445 Phone: 253-693-4446 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/custom-builder-coval-homes-expands-service-area-to-include-more-of-kitsap-county/138950 Release ID: 138950 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) As Summer Draws Near, Infiniti Air Publishes New Guide to Energy-Efficient AC Company's new guide reflects over 21 years of experience in the field and covers everything buyers will need to know, Infiniti Air reports -- Summer in Australia is not far away, and the weather in Perth will be getting warm. A new Infiniti Air guide at www.ductedairperth.com.au details the difference that energy-efficient air conditioners can make, both in terms of bringing down costs and allowing for greater comfort. With a few months still to go until the hottest part of the year, now is the last, best chance to get a house or business set up for the summer. The new Infiniti Air guide to energy-efficient air conditioning lays out everything readers will need to know as they move forward. "Perth is a wonderful place to live, but there's no denying that the weather frequently gets too hot for comfort in the summertime," said Infiniti Air General Manager Mike King, "For over two decades, we've been working with people and businesses throughout the Perth area to make sure they can stay cool and comfortable all throughout the year. Our new guide to energy-efficient air conditioning equipment is a product of this longtime mission and experience. Many people underestimate the difference that an energy-efficient air conditioner can make, and our new guide also addresses some common misconceptions. We're happy to be able to offer this useful new resource for free at our website." Installation and usage rates of air conditioners have been rising steadily in Australia for decades, with three-quarters of all households in the country now so equipped, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. With excessive heat deemed a "silent killer" by the Australian Medical Association, there can be little doubt that these developments are in many ways positive. On the other hand, powering air conditioners can also strain the budgets of households and businesses, along with the shared electric grid, as highlighted in a 2012 report by the Energy Supply Association of Australia. As the new Infiniti Air guide points out, however, seeking out and installing energy-efficient air conditioning equipment can deliver all of the usual advantages with far fewer downsides. Available now at ductedairperth.com.au, the guide covers everything from what energy-efficient air conditioners have to offer to how buyers can pick out the most suitable equipment for their needs. For over twenty-one years, Infiniti Air has worked with families and companies throughout the Perth area to identify, install, maintain, and service the best possible air conditioning solutions. Visitors to the Infiniti Air website will find a range of other useful resources online there, along with contact information and full details regarding the company's products and services. About Infiniti Air: For over two decades, Infiniti Air has provided a full range of air conditioning systems and services to residents, businesses, and developers throughout the Perth area, always making sure every job is done right. For more information, please visit http://www.ductedairperth.com.au Contact Info: Name: Mike King Organization: Infiniti Air Address: Unit 1/181 Beringarra Drive Malaga, WA, 6090 Australia Phone: 1800111007 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/as-summer-draws-near-infiniti-air-publishes-new-guide-to-energy-efficient-ac/138915 Release ID: 138915 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) LocalChildSafety.org Launches Free Child Safety Kit Campaign The website wants to partner with schools and daycare centers to help save lives, reports http://localchildsafety.org. -- LocalChildSafety.org has announced the launch of their free child safety kit campaign. The team behind the website is on a mission to partner with as many schools and daycare centers as possible to help keep children safe and help save lives by providing families with kits at no cost to them. Seth Anderson, a representative of LocalChildSafety.org, stated "It's a fact that the FBI receives over 2,000 missing children reports every single day, and many of these go unreported by the media for obvious reasons. In every case, it's important for parents and families to know that being prepared can certainly make a difference. Having accurate records that allow them to provide the necessary information to law enforcement officials quickly is crucial, and that's exactly what our child safety kits will help them do." LocalChildSafety.org is able to provide child identification safety kits for free to schools and daycares by allowing local community-minded businesses to sponsor the cost of the kits. Schools can request to be sponsored by simply filling out the short contact form on the website, and parents can request that their child's school or daycare be sponsored through the site as well. Community-minded businesses that would like to sponsor a local school are encouraged to contact LocalChildSafety.org through their website form. In addition to helping families gather pertinent information about their children, the kits also focus on educating children in a non-fear based way, making education and prevention the top priority. They are presently used by thousands of law enforcement and government agencies throughout the country, including the NYPD, the US National Coast Guard, and the Utah Bureau of Criminal Investigation. As Anderson continued, "Every family wants to think that their child will never be abducted, but it happens to many children every day in the United States. Instead of panicking, worrying, or losing hope, we believe there's a better way. We want to help everyone to be as prepared as possible for this type of emergency because it has the potential to save a life. The first few hours are a critical time for law enforcement pursuing missing child cases and having the right information in one known location is essential. We take pride in being part of a program that has the potential to dramatically affect the communities to which we are able to provide kits and look forward to partnering with schools, daycare centers, and other child-focused organizations to make that happen." Those who are interested in learning more about child safety kits and how they can help families in times of crisis should visit http://localchildsafety.org for more information. About LocalChildSafety.org: LocalChildSafety.org coordinates the distribution of child safety kits by working with day care centers, preschools, and public and private schools. The organization is firmly committed to providing children and families with the information and tools that they need to stay educated, informed, and prepared. For more information, please visit http://localchildsafety.org Contact Info: Name: Seth Anderson Organization: LocalChildSafety.org Phone: (855) 723-3824 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/localchildsafety-org-launches-free-child-safety-kit-campaign/138956 Release ID: 138956 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Free Freightnet Membership List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours. NOTE: this is an archived page and the content is likely to be out of date. Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. and Fujitsu Research and Development Center Co., Ltd. today announced the joint development of a technology that utilizes image processing and machine-learning to analyze surveillance camera images of traffic, with high accuracy and in real time, to recognize traffic conditions such as congestion and accidents, as well as violations. The technology achieves high-precision traffic-video analysis by combining two technologies. The first is a technology that analyzes the images from surveillance cameras installed along highways and streets, automatically grouping characteristics that can lead to recognition errors, such as changes in lighting and environmental factors including night and fog, and images from cameras that have been similarly positioned. This leads to efficient machine learning, increasing recognition accuracy. The second is a technology that analyzes moving objects, such as vehicles and people, and efficiently identifies complex incidents such as accidents, while minimizing computational demands. In field trials of this technology conducted in cities around China in collaboration with the Tsingha University Suzhou Automobile Research Institute (TSARI), it was found that 11 types of incidents of interest, such as traffic accidents and violations, were recognized with accuracy levels of 90-95%. Even when used with existing cameras that do not have advanced image-correction features, this technology can be used to deliver a highly accurate, low-cost monitoring system that can automatically assess traffic conditions, apply traffic-flow controls and analysis to reduce congestion, and take quick action in response to accidents and traffic violations. Background With populations concentrating in cities, traffic has become congested, leading to chronic traffic jams, noise, air pollution, and other social issues. In China, especially, the rapid increase in the rate of car ownership has intensified security and safety problems, such as traffic violations and fatal accidents. As a result, in recent years there are high expectations that initiatives involving remote, centralized management of large-scale urban deployments of surveillance cameras can be used for objectives such as improved traffic safety, reduced pollution and reduced congestion. Issues When monitoring surveillance cameras installed over a large area, it is important to quickly and correctly extract the information needed from a huge volume of imagery, and convey that to the relevant people. The issue with traffic-monitoring technologies that use conventional image recognition is that they are highly susceptible to the influence of a variety of environmental factors such as light sources, including headlights, sunlight, and shadows. As a result, there were limits to how much recognition accuracy could be improved when using existing cameras for analysis using video recognition. This is because it is difficult to adjust the cameras, their position, and direction in accordance with constantly changing environmental variations. In addition, it was also difficult to efficiently and accurately recognize such varied and complex incidents as traffic accidents and violations. About the Technology Fujitsu Laboratories and Fujitsu Research and Development Center have developed highly accurate vehicle-recognition technology that tolerates changes in the surrounding environment, including changes in light, time of day, and fog, and another technology for efficiently identifying complex incidents, such as traffic accidents. Key features of the technology are as follows: 1. Highly accurate recognition technology that learns from images and classifies environment conditions This technology automatically classifies similar data based on each environmental-factor-related characteristic, such as shadows cast by sunlight, night, fog, and camera placement, groups the data, learns from, and identifies the images of each group to improve the recognition accuracy of target vehicles. Figure 1: Sample classifications using training data Figure 2: Previous method (left), Sample application of the new technology (right) 2. Efficient technology for identifying complex traffic events based on motion analyzing Analyzing complex events such as traffic accidents require that the combined motions of multiple related moving objects be analyzed, but performing this kind of analysis continuously requires enormous computations. This technology quantifies a scene's anomaly score based on changes in vehicle speeds and directions, which could indicate the occurrence of an anomalous incident, and only when this number exceeds a certain amount does it analyze multiple nearby moving bodies. This has the effect of keeping computational load to a minimum (Figure 3). Figure 3: Sample identifications of traffic accident (Blue: low anomaly score; yellow: high anomaly score) 1 Bike proceeding normally; 2 Multiple neighboring vehicles at 90 orientations; 3 Bike suddenly stops, vehicle moves forward; 4 Vehicle suddenly stops Together with the newly developed technology, and combining the propriety technology(1) developed by Fujitsu Research and Development Center that clarifies images from polluted environments, it becomes possible to offer a low-cost, high-precision visual monitoring system. Results In a field trial that applied this technology to software designed with the ability to recognize the 11 events described below, it achieved recognition accuracy of 90-95%, an improvement of 5-10% compared to before the new technology was applied. With this newly developed software, by reducing computationally intensive image processing with proprietary high-speed algorithms, a single commercially available PC is able to take input from four surveillance cameras, and is able to simultaneously perform recognition processing on seven events from each camera. 1 Traffic jam detection; 2 Anomaly detection (traffic accident, etc.); 3 Driving in reserved emergency lane detection; 4 Illegal parking detection; 5 Traffic-flow statistics summarization; 6 Wrong way driving detection; 7 Vehicle on road detection; 8 Street occupancy detection; 9 Smoke detection; 10 Fog/haze detection; 11 Congestion index summarization Figure 4: Sample incidents recognized through image analysis Combining these technologies enables automatic monitoring of traffic images using imagery from surveillance cameras already installed over a large area, which would be difficult to achieve with human visual monitoring. This holds the prospect for bringing about a safer and more secure automobile society at low cost. Future Plans Fujitsu Laboratories and Fujitsu Research and Development Center are working to increase the accuracy and incidents recognizable with this technology, and plans to continue field trials jointly with TSARI. Also, by combining this technology with FUJITSU Intelligent Society Solution SPATIOWL, Fujitsu Limited's cloud service that utilizes location information, after fiscal 2016 the companies aim to roll out a service in China that recognizes incidents occurring over a wide area in real time and instantly plot them on a map. Following that, they aim to extend to other regions, including Japan. Limited culling of badgers in parts of Wales with high levels of bovine TB could get underway as early as next April. Selective culling, similar to the approach already in place in Northern Ireland, is among a range of tough new measures the Welsh government is considering in a new consultation on methods to combat bovine TB. It marks a change of direction for the Labour-led administration, which has previously opposed pressure from the farming industry to control badger numbers in TB hotspots. See also: Bovine TB who is worst affected? Although an England-style cull, with licenced marksmen, has been ruled out, Wales chief veterinary officer, Prof Christianne Glossop, said the government was considering caging and destroying badgers on farms with severe and persistent breakdowns. Revised approach Central to the refreshed Bovine TB Eradication Programme, announced on Tuesday (October 18), is a regionalised approach, with the creation of low, intermediate and high TB areas. The two high TB areas are south-west Wales and the area bordering England. It is in these two areas that culling may be considered. Prof Glossop said one proposal is to formulate individual action plans for farms with chronic breakdowns. We would work with the farmers to assess the badger population, looking at any evidence that these badgers are infected and, if so, does the genetic type of TB in the badgers match that causing the breakdown in the cattle? It may even involve PCR testing of latrines. If badgers are found to be contributing to the breakdown, they may be trapped and humanely killed. Protection The measures set out in the consultation are also aimed at protecting herds in the low TB area north-west Wales and reducing disease in the intermediate and high TB areas. These include more frequent testing in areas with chronic breakdowns and greater use of the gamma interferon test. This is likely to lead to more reactors and an increase in the number of cattle slaughtered. Cattle with inconclusive test results may also be removed. One in four of inconclusive animals ends up as a reactor, Prof Glossop explained. But, under the plan, the TB compensation cap for an individual animal would be reduced from 15,000 to 5,000. Only 1% of reactors slaughtered in the last year qualified for this upper limit and the new cap would result in annual savings of 300,000. Farmers with breakdowns and who have split holdings may be eligible for just 50% of the value of any animal removed due to TB if that animal had been moved to a part of the holding where TB has been identified. This measure currently only applies to restricted herds who purchase cattle under licence. Informed purchasing The government is also considering a scheme which would preclude farmers in different risk zones from purchasing or selling animals. The so-called Informed Purchasing Scheme would supersede current voluntary measures. We have tried and failed to encourage farmers to consider their own TB history and that of the farm they are purchasing from or selling to, Prof Glossop admitted. Many farmers have not shown any interest in this so we are looking at how we might make it compulsory, but in a way that doesnt stifle trade. The consultation will run until 10 January 10 2017 and the new programme will be implemented in April. The latest Welsh government figures, for the year to May 2016, show that 8,973 cattle were slaughtered in Wales due to bovine TB. Former Defra minister Richard Benyon has called for the farm subsidy system to be scrapped in favour of a more sustainable way of supporting producers Mr Benyon, Conservative MP for Newbury, is a graduate of the Royal Agricultural College and served as a Defra minister from 2010 to 2013. The current system of farm support was unsustainable in the long term and Brexit provided the ideal opportunity for reform, he said. A Remainer though I was, there is an opportunity now to create a much better system, Mr Benyon told the Newbury Weekly News. See also: New support system will end payment delays However, these are not subsidies this, if anything, is compensation. Farmers manage their raw materials from which many people benefit, whether they are retailers, water companies or whatever else, and there should be a reasonable system to compensate farmers. Farmers manage their raw materials from which many people benefit, whether they are retailers, water companies or whatever else, and there should be a reasonable system to compensate farmers Richard Benyon, MP Englefield Home Farms, Mr Benyons family farming business, and the Englefield Estate, of which he is a director, received almost 200,000 in subsidies last year. Simpler approach Farm leaders should make their case to the government for a more straight-forward farm support system to replace the CAP when the UK leaves the EU, said Mr Benyon. One that rewarded all farmers the same way was not a long-term sustainable system, he said. The government has guaranteed the current system of CAP direct payments to farmers will continue until 2020, after which it will replaced. Defra minister George Eustice has repeatedly signalled a shift away from direct payments since the UK voted to leave the EU earlier this year. A simpler system would be more efficient resulting in more timely support for farmers at less cost to the taxpayer, he believes. Mr Eustice favours a new system based on a mix of agri-environment measures and encouraging farm businesses to become more resilient to volatility. A recent NFU consultation found 60% of farmers supported volatility mitigation in the form of a direct payment to producers. But conservation groups including the National Trust have called for direct payments to removed altogether in favour of environmental support. 'Pirates Of The Caribbean 5' Release Date, Latest News & Update: Jack Sparrow Finds New Love? Orlando Bloom Hints Will Turner's Death? Fans are concerned that "Pirates Of The Caribbean 5" might push through without Johnny Depp's iconic character, Capt. Jack Sparrow. The latest trailer for "Pirates Of The Caribbean 5" scored a no-show for Capt. Jack Sparrow, which intrigued fans greatly. It sparked speculations that Johnny Depp might not be part of the fifth installment. However, it appears that the producers intentionally took Capt. Jack Sparrow out of the trailer to catch the attention of the viewers. 'Pirates Of The Caribbean 5' - New Love Interest For Jack Sparrow Absence really makes the heart grow fonder as Capt. Jack Sparrow's no-show in the latest "Pirates Of The Caribbean 5" trailer did not go unnoticed by the fans. "Pirates Of The Caribbean" is pretty hard to imagine without the presence of the sneaky yet lovable pirate of all time. The fans of Johnny Depp also known as Jack Sparrow can stop holding their breath as reports say that the endearingly naughty pirate will be present in "Pirates Of The Caribbean 5." In fact, Capt. Jack Sparrow will reportedly have a new apple to his eye - his weakness, a woman. 'Pirates Of The Caribbean 5' Goodbye, Elizabeth Swann? Orlando Bloom's character, Will Turner, will not be seen with the love of his life in "Pirates Of The Caribbean 5." Elizabeth Swann, played by Keira Knightley, will not be returning in "Pirates Of The Caribbean 5," which sparked speculations that Will Turner will have a new lady love. The exit of Elizabeth Swann will be compensated by a new character, Carina Smyth. Kaya Scodelario will bring Carina Smyth to life, who is said to be Capt. Jack Sparrow's lady love. However, Carina Smyth is -- ironically -- the daughter of Capt. Barbossa. Chaos ensues as Capt. Barbossa learns that his enemy is in love with his daughter. 'Pirates Of The Caribbean 5' Release Date "Pirates Of The Caribbean 5" will set sail on May 26, 2017. Stay tuned to GameNGuide for more "Pirates Of The Caribbean 5" news and updates! Samsung Galaxy S7 Latest News & Update: Note 7 Software Transitions To Lone Flagship Standing? New Software Updates Coming for S7? With the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 bombing out of the mobile phone market, the best the Korean company can do at this point is salvage whatever is left from the once promising phablet. One thing that Samsung seems to be focusing on is the software originally pegged for the fallen device. Right now, the Korean tech giant only has the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung S7 Edge as the credible flagships on their end. They do not explode and have been quietly satisfying the ones who got hold of them. With the Galaxy Note 7s future unclear, moving the software features to the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge seems like the next best thing. New Software updates for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge Software updates are nothing new for mobile devices, updates meant to patch up security stuff and possibly new features. As far as Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge owners are concerned, most have noticed a couple of new things that seem to be tied up to the fallen Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Among the new features of the latest software update for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge include the always-on display setting, along with customization options like showing a photo, choosing an analog or digital clock to be shown, and notifications according to XDA Developers. The lot seems familiar only that support for the Galaxy Notes Stylus have been left out for obvious reasons. Regardless, the rolled out update for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung S7 Edge is far from perfect. There are some features not working properly such as notifications for Samsungs email app, Slash Gear reported. Samsung Galaxy Note 7s loss is Galaxy S7s gain With the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung S7 Edge the remaining flagships standing, it makes sense to salvage some of the neat features the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was expected to offer. There is no telling what Samsung plans for the Galaxy Note 7 with the fire-related issues still unresolved. 'Better Call Saul' Season 3 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: Bob Odenkirk Hints Coming Of 'Breaking Bad' Jesse Pinkman, Walter White? The much-awaited "Better Call Saul" Season 3 is now in the works! The stars of the "Breaking Bad" prequel are now in New Mexico to film the highly-anticipated new season. The New Mexico Film Office recently announced the coming of "Better Call Saul" Season 3 stars in the said country for its production. The television crime drama is expected to hire a lot of crew members from New Mexico that will surely help the state, the Seattle Times reported. "Better Call Saul" Season 3 tells the life story of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) and this time, fans are about to witness his transformation as Saul Goodman. The much-awaited change of the famous "Breaking Bad" lawyer of the drug lords, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). However, Bob Odenkirk revealed that he is not much of a spoiler guy. The 53-year-old star might earlier hint that Gus Fring is going to grace "Better Call Saul" Season 3, but he insisted that he is keeping himself in the dark about the show. The actor confessed that he's afraid to disclose important details and surprising plot twists of the upcoming TV series. Although it looks like Bob Odenkirk can't stop himself. Albuquerque Journal reported that the comedian teased that two "Breaking Bad" protagonists, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, might be seen in "Better Call Saul" Season 3. "I think you're going to see Jesse (Pinkman). He saw him on this TV commercial ... it felt like he had somewhat of an understanding of Saul ... I think there is a better chance we'd see Jesse," he said. Bob Odenkirk also revealed that the "Better Call Saul" Season 3 showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould often go with the flow of the story. So, if ever these executive producers feel like living a scene from "Breaking Bad," they might just do it and include Bryan Cranston. "I think they might do such a thing and we'd see Walter (White). And I think Bryan (Cranston, the actor who portrayed White) would be game for that," Bob Odenkirk added. "Better Call Saul" Season 3 is expected to be revealed in February 2017. Investigatory Powers tribunal (IPT), an independent investigating body responsible for overseeing any breach and illegal use of intelligence services, have found that the intelligence and security agencies from the UK has unlawfully violated Article 8 that protects the right to privacy set in place by the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) for seventeen years by secretly amassing both personal and communications data of its citizens that are not of any "intelligence interest." Privacy International, a digital rights organization, has filed a complaint back in June 2015 against the UK security service M15, intelligence agency M16, and listening post GCHQ. They challenged whether the collection, use, retention, disclosure, storage, and deletion of Bulk Personal Datasets (BPD) and Bulk Communications Data (BCD) is within the limits of the law and abides with the right to privacy. BPD is information taken from travel records, financial data, whereas BCD is basic details on telephone calls and emails without the content. The case revealed the weak safeguards against abuse and failure of internal oversight on the use of highly sensitive database for personal reasons. Despite this, the ruling does not make it clear whether the illegal acquisition of sensitive personal data will ever be deleted. In a press release by legal officer of Privacy International, Millie Graham Wood said: "Today's judgment is a long overdue indictment of UK surveillance agencies riding roughshod over our democracy and secretly spying on a massive scale. There are huge risks associated with the use of bulk communications data. It facilitates the almost instantaneous cataloguing of entire populations' personal data. It is unacceptable that it is only through litigation by a charity that we have learnt the extent of these powers and how they are used. The public and Parliament deserve an explanation as to why everyone's data was collected for over a decade without oversight in place and confirmation that unlawfully obtained personal data will be destroyed." The government says that the powers available for these agencies play an important role in protecting the UK and its citizens but nonetheless dedicated in upholding transparency and safeguarding the information these agencies possess. This is one of the most crucial indictments against government mass surveillance following Edward Snowden's expose in 2013 where he leaked secret documents revealing that GCHQ and NSA had been spying on targets in many countries from 2008 to 2011 through phone calls and internet traffic. Stranger Things Season 2 Release Date, Cast, News & Update: New Characters Confirmed Coming! Series Powers Netflix $2B Revenue! Spoilers, Plot Details! While a definite "Stranger Things" Season 2 release date is yet to be announced by Netflix, fans of the paranormal series can rest easy with the assurance that a second season is going to happen. Recently, the series announced that two new actors are joining the "Stranger Things" Season 2 cast. In addition, the show leads Netflix in attaining the network's record breaking $2 billion quarterly revenue, ensuring that its second season will be happening. New Actors Join 'Stranger Things' Season 2 Cast Fans of the hit Netflix series could expect at least two new faces when "Stranger Things" Season 2 episode 1 arrives next year. The network recently announced the inclusion of actress Sadie Sink and actor Dacre Montgomery for the coming season, reports Variety. Sadie Sink is set to play as Max, a tomboyish character described to be the suspicious type when "Stranger Things" Season 2 release date comes. The actress also starred in other Netflix series such as "The Americans" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." On the other hand, Australian actor Dacre Montgomery will play as Billy, Max's step brother with the arrival of the "Stranger Things" Season 2 air date. Bill is described as a "girl-stealing bad boy," who is already speculated to interfere with sweethearts Nancy and Steve. 'Stranger Things,' 'Narcos' Lead Netflix Lineup Powering It To A $2B Revenue In its quarterly earnings report, Netflix announced a 36 percent surge for its third quarter revenue compared to the same period last year. A record-breaking figure, the online streaming giant posted an astounding $2.15 billion revenue on the back of its higher than expected 3.6 million new subscribers, a significant surplus of the 2.3 million that the company had expected, reports The Verge. Can "Stranger Things" Season 2 beat this? Powering the company on its stellar performance is the network's stable of relatively new show's led by "Stranger Things" and "Narcos." "Stranger Things" is said to be particularly surprising as it became a cultural phenomenon last summer. Of course, that means that fans would definitely be seeing a "Stranger Things" Season 2 release date. At the moment, no date has been officially announced but the series's second season is expected to air next year. Stay tuned to GamenGuide for "Stranger Things" Season 2 spoilers, news and updates. Sex And The City Movie Release Date, Latest News & Update: SATC 3 Coming Soon? Sarah Jessica Parker Drops Hints Since Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte flew back home from Abu Dhabi in the end of "Sex and the City 2," there have been no news as to what is next for them. Ever since that time, fans have been wondering what adventures are up for the quartet and if a third "Sex and the City" movie is coming anytime soon. Vanity Fair reports that through the years, there have been dozens of rumors and innuendos that have surrounded the third installment that has been eagerly awaited for by millions of fans worldwide. Some have gone as far as observing every hint by every cast member in every interview or other media appearances, but all these amounted to more uncertainty. Fortunately, some clues have been recently given out that could mean the possibility of a third "Sex in the City" movie could come out in theatres sooner or later. Recently, while Sarah Jessica Parker was promoting her new show on HBO "Divorce" on "Sunday Morning," she was asked about when another "Sex in the City" movie would be coming out. To this, she replied that "the idea, it rests on the butler's pantry, not on the table, but somebody is holding it fairly nearby." The mention of "fairly nearby" by no other than "Sex and the City" lead star Sarah Jessica Parker could not mean nothing and this is a big relief for those anticipating it. According to The Independent reports although the original series was a bold and modern look at womanhood, its movie version managed to turn its charms into a glorification of excess privilege which apparently got worse in its sequel. A lot of fans, however, found this very appealing and would be please to know that Sarah Jessica Parker herself teased that the whole cast including her, would be returning to their career launching roles in the near future. Parker adds that she does not think that any of them would say no to "Sex and the City 3" and that she is not yet sure if what is to come is a series or a movie. Whatever the final output it remains an open question and such discussion should go on until it will be resolved with finality. Westworld Season 1 Episode 4 Spoilers, News & Updates: Dolores Goes On A Bounty Hunt With William & Logan The first few episodes of "Westworld" delved on how the androids were given an anchor and made to believe that they were human. The fourth episode, titled "Dissonance Theory," will feature Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) trying to get more answers. ComicBook Movie revealed that the "Westworld" Season 1 Episode 4 synopsis, stated that Dolores will join William (Jimmi Simpson) and Logan (Ben Barnes) on a bounty hunt in the badlands. The Man in Black (Ed Harris) will come across an important clue. Dr. Ford and Theresa (SidseBabett Knudsen) will talk about the future of the park. Maeve (Thandie Newton) will be bothered by a recurring vision. GameSpot noted that in the "Westworld" Season 1 Episode 4 teaser video, Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) asked Dolores to search for the center of a maze mentioned in previous episodes. If Dolores finds it, she may gain her freedom, one of the things that she is keen on having. Dr. Ford (Anthony Hopkins) said that they know everything about their "Westword Season 1" guests, in the same way that they know everything about their employees. He was telling someone not to get in his way. One "Westworld" Season 1 Episode 4 scene featured a massive machine that seems to be carving out a new portion of Westworld, adding to the mystery. The Man in Black was also riding with some men. Previously, Episode 3 of "Westworld" ended with one of the hosts beating himself to death with a rock to avoid getting captured by park employees. Some of the hosts' backstories were featured, and they were given with reasons to hold on to, believing that they were humans and not androids. There were also theories that Bernard is actually an android and not a human scientist. Dr. Ford previously mentioned that Bernard was the outcome of hundreds of mistakes, hinting that the latter is not human. "Westworld" focuses on the start of artificial consciousness and how sin transforms. The story is set in the middle of a future and a reimagined past, where humans and androids are nearing conflict. "Westworld" Season 1 Episode 4 will air on Oct. 23, 2016 on HBO. More updates and details are expected soon. Kate Middleton Latest News & Update: Duchess Of Cambridge Reveals That Her Grandmother Was A World War II Codebreaker On Oct. 15, 2016, Kate Middleton revealed that her grandmother was actually integral to the victory of the Allied Forces in World War II. It turns out that the ancestor of Kate Middleton worked as a codebreaker for Britain. New York Post stated that Kate Middleton wrote about her grandmother in the foreword of a recently launched puzzle book by GCHW, the Signals Intelligence and Cyber Security agency in the United Kingdom. Kate Middleton mentioned that she was always very proud of her grandmother, Valerie Glassborow, who used to work at Bletchley Park during World War II. She added that Valerie had a twin sister, Mary, and the two of them served with thousands of other young women as part of the great Allied effort in breaking enemy codes. Kate Middleton continued that her grandmother and her sister rarely talked about their service during the war, but they understand how vital the people of Bletchley Park were. Kate Middleton stated that male and female codebreakers tackled some of the most difficult problems facing the nation at the time. TIME reported that mathematician Alan Turing also developed the famous Enigma machine that cracked German ciphers at Bletchley Park. Valerie and Mary did not work with Turing, since top-level decryption was deemed a job for men during the Second World War. Generally, women who worked at Bletchley Park were paid much less compared to the male codebreakers. The women were given low-level clerical jobs, despite their prowess in mathematics. Nevertheless, Kate Middleton's ancestors were reportedly among the first to learn that World War II has ended after intercepting a code that confirmed Japan's nearing surrender. The puzzle book by GCHW is included in Kate Middleton and Prince William's campaign for mental health, called Heads Together. Kate Middleton stated that the royal family is grateful that the book is supporting their campaign. She hopes that the project will amuse and challenge readers, as well as promote open discussion on mental health problems. They aim to change the notion on mental health from fear and stigma to openness and understanding. Rotary got started in Long Beach in 1917 when seven local businessmen met with a New York Rotarian who talked about his club there. International schooling : IBIS continues efforts for middle school HEIDERHOF Although the Bonn school committee turned down an IBIS request for middle school expansion, a parent group has formed and will press on with the concept. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Independent Bonn International School (IBIS) will continue with its efforts to become a recognized foreign or international supplementary school for middle school years. School director Irene Bolik said, Parents at our school have formed a working committee to expand the school as they are interested in the future of IBIS as a school that offers continued education after the primary years. She supports these efforts. Although Bonn city administration officials had given a green light to the plans for expansion, the Bonn school committee had rejected the proposal. They based their decision on the belief that another secondary international school would lead to an oversupply in Bonn and result in international pupils being separated from the rest. Bolik says IBIS has previously offered middle school years 6 to 8 with the status of recognized supplementary school. With a growing United Nations (UN) in Bonn, parents will expect a choice of schools. We want to offer the Cambridge international curriculum which is otherwise not offered in Bonn, explains Bolik. The so-called IGCSE international qualification is for 14 - 16 year olds. Bolik said she would be happy to cooperate with other schools offering the German Abitur or the internationally recognized International Baccalaureate (IB). Article Protecting the worlds oceans an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs. 3 new circles to get deployed by 4G technology In addition to the six circles (Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab, and Kerala) Airtel already serves, the company is expanding its services to 3 new circles including Gujarat, Bihar, and UP East which only strengthens the company's presence in more circles. Better coverage Taking into consideration the overly escalating usage of data in the country, Airtel is expanding the deployment of 4G technology which allows for better coverage eventually leading to customer satisfaction. Click Here for New Android Smartphones Best Online Deals Faster mobile internet access Additionally, the new deployment will allow Bharti Airtel to provide faster mobile internet access which is a win-win for all of us. Expansion of 3G and 2G networks While most of the data users in India have moved on to 4G networks, a good number of users are still stuck to 3G and 2G networks. Keeping this in mind, Nokia stated that it will also expand the company's 3G network presence in eight of the territories along with "modernisation of legacy 2G base stations." Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals Improved spectrum portfolio Like we mentioned above, Bharti Airtel acquired 173.8MHz of airwaves to expand its spectrum footprint in the country. It has committed a total of Rs. 14,244 crore to acquire spectrum across 1800MHz, 2100MHz and 230MHz bands which will help it to make its presence felt to a greater extent. Click Here for New Android Smartphones Best Online Deals U.S. Department of Defense Press Operations News Transcript Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook October 17, 2016 Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in the Pentagon Briefing Room PETER COOK: Good afternoon, everybody. Gonna start with an update on counter-ISIL operations. I want to first highlight significant progress in northern Syria, where Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces, supported by the coalition, liberated six towns and villages from ISIL, including the town of Dabiq. Freeing Dabiq over the weekend holds military and symbolic significance. Dabiq was so important to ISIL's propaganda machine that the terror group's magazine was named after this town. ISIL carried out barbaric atrocities in Dabiq and even claimed that its final victory will take place there. Instead, its forces have been defeated in Dabiq just as they have been from territory across Syria and in Iraq. We applaud the Turkish and Syrian opposition forces which took part in the battle to liberate the people of Dabiq from ISIL oppression. As you saw in the secretary's statement yesterday, we particularly appreciate the close coordination we've had with Turkey in this effort. Now, this morning in Iraq, as announced by Prime Minister Abadi, Iraqi security forces with the support of the counter-ISIL coalition began operations to liberate Mosul. They started moving at 6 a.m. Baghdad time. This is a decisive moment in the counter-ISIL campaign. It is in Mosul that ISIL's leader chose to announce its so-called caliphate. Mosul is also historically a diverse, multi-ethnic, multi-sectarian city, precisely the opposite of ISIL's hate-filled ideology. So Mosul carries a great deal of symbolic importance in this fight as well. But more than a symbol, Mosul is also a city of more than a million people. Over two years, ISIL has brutalized this city's population, committing horrific atrocities. This is a fight to free hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis from ISIL's rule. This fight is taking place with Iraqi's firmly in the lead, including thousands of Iraqi army personnel, counterterrorism forces and federal police. Kurdish Peshmerga and Sunni tribal forces are also playing a critical role in this fight. They have the support of an international counter-ISIL coalition of 60 nations led by the United States, providing advice and assistance, logistical support, intelligence and precision air power. The coalition has conducted more than 54,000 training cycles for Iraqi security forces. It has conducted more than 10,000 precision strikes in Iraq, including more than 70 in the Mosul area just this month. And Iraqi forces will have the continued support of the coalition as they move forward. The role of U.S. and coalition forces will continue to be one of supporting the ISF. We are in the first day of what we assume will be a difficult campaign that could take some time. Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far and that they are ahead of schedule for this first day. This is going according to the Iraqi plan, but again, it's early and the enemy gets a vote here. We will see whether ISIL stands and fights. We are confident no matter what, however, that the Iraqi's have the capabilities to get this job done and we stand ready to support them along with the rest of the coalition. It is in our interest that they succeed, and we will do what we can to help them. With that, I'm happy to take your questions. Lita Q: Peter, just first off the top, I just was wondering just to make sort of an official, on behalf of some of the members of the media, we'd like an operational -- military operational update on the fight, considering there are thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq. And if possible, if we could get some sort of military operational update, you know, as soon as possible, you know, earlier. Obviously sooner rather than later. If we could do that, that would be great. MR. COOK: We've got your request. We obviously have Colonel Dorrian and people downrange who can provide updates for you, as they have through the course of today. You've heard already the statement from our commanding general, Lieutenant General Townsend and we'll provide you additional information. Lita, I will point out to you, as I did in my opening here, this is the Iraqis in the lead. And the Iraqis right now, for example, even today, are providing operational guidance as to how this fight will be waged. And to some extent, you're going to see us deferring to the Iraqis because this is their fight. It is understandable that they would be the ones to take the lead in terms of operational updates and we'll do what we can to provide information to you and to provide as much information as we can, particularly on the U.S. role. And -- but I just want to make clear that this is the Iraqi's fight. Q: Right. I understand. Since you do -- did -- you mentioned General Townsend's comments. He -- he did say in his statement today that they were JTACs, that that was part of the U.S. capability being provided to the Iraqis. I'm wondering if you could help us understand at what level the JTACs are -- are operating? And then more broadly, can you tell us some as up-to-date figures as you have on how many U.S. troops are in Iraq today? How many -- is it still about 500 or so in Qayyarah? How close are they to the fight at this point? Are at they battalion level? I mean, these are things we've sort of discussed all along, but at this point, do you know -- are they operating as advisers at the battalion level, the brigade level? And do you know if they are using Apaches in this so far? MR. COOK: Okay. So several questions, there. I'll -- Q: Yes, I can repeat them. MR. COOK: I'll try and get to as many of those as -- as we can. First of all, just to put it in context again, we have, as we've talked about, about 5,000 U.S. forces in Iraq, all part of this effort, part of the coalition to defeat ISIL. Many of those people are in enabler roles. They may be trainers. We've talked about the 12 Iraqi brigades that have been trained for this fight. Again, many of the U.S. forces have been part of that effort. We have a number of people providing logistical support to this effort. We've talked a lot about the effort to -- to put Q-West into a position to be sort of a forward staging area for this fight. That's a good example of some of the logistical support that's being provided. At each of these locations, of course, there might also be need for force protection. Those are some of the U.S. forces. And we have some people in train, advise and assist mission as well with Iraqi forces. They've been primarily up to this point, as we've indicated at the headquarters level, the commander there, General Townsend, has had the authority to use advisers at a lower level. He has up to this point used that very sparingly, and as the course of this fight plays out, he'll determine what the appropriate use of our forces are in that context. but I'm not going to get into specific numbers today, particularly on the first day of this -- of this effort. But he will use that judiciously. And again, we -- we've also separately of course been providing advise and assist roles with both the counterterrorism service separate from the conventional Iraqi army, as well as the Peshmerga. And we'll continue to do that with Americans in a support role providing advice and assistance to those forces as they conduct their operations. U.S. specifically, as well, about the Apaches -- my understanding on the Apaches is they have not been used so far in this effort, but the Apaches are a capability, a very potent capability that we are prepared to use, should it be -- should it be deemed by the commanders and the Iraqis that this is something that -- a capability that would make a difference in this fight. I want to emphasize that each and every one of these decisions are decisions that we are reaching with the Iraqis. We are not doing anything in this fight without the consent and approval of the -- the government of Iraq. Q: The JTACs. MR. COOK: JTACs. Q: (inaudible) -- specifically mentioned them in his statement, so if you could help us understand how close they are to the fight. And -- and let me just take another stab at -- you said that he has used this sparingly, troops at the battalion level. Do you know if there are, in terms of this fight already today, U.S. forces embedded or training and advising at the battalion or lower levels as well as the JTAC? MR. COOK: There's -- my understanding, there's no difference in what they're doing today than what they were doing previously. I will point out that the CTS and the Pesh do not operate in the same ways that conventional Iraqi forces. We've had U.S. forces at a lower level with both the Pesh and the CTS. They don't have a headquarters division construct, and so I think it's fair to say that we are doing the same thing with them in -- in this instance. Some Americans are, as they have previously. And so I think that's -- again, it's consistent with what we've been doing in the past. There's nothing we're doing differently today than we've been doing previously. What's different is the Iraqis and where they are geographically, what they are doing in this fight. And we're there to support them. But again, Americans, even with the CTS and with the Pesh, remain in that support role, that advisory role. They are not in the lead in that fight. And that remains the case. So -- Q: Can you address the JTACs? MR. COOK: Yeah. There -- there are instances -- I'll give you an example. I'm not sure the -- the numbers. I don't have particular numbers. But I think, as it's been explained to me, that there could be instances in this fight, for example, where Iraqi forces in the lead may identify a target that they think might be appropriate. They would convey that information to an American that would be behind the forward line of troops, behind the line of action. And that information would then be relayed to command and control center. Obviously, we have aircraft in the air. And so for a lack of a better term, a middle man who could relay that information about a possible target. Again, in this instance, I want to convey very importantly that any target who would -- that would be selected in this way would be screened by not only the American commanders, but also Iraqis as well as to whether or not that's an appropriate target. So, I think that's a good example of what General Townsend was describing. So have I gotten through most of the list there? Barbara. Q: But until now, U.S. military commanders had always said they didn't really see a need for this type of forward air control capability. So, my first question is can you tell us what changed that led them to now believe they need this capability? MR. COOK: I'd actually -- Barbara, would prefer that that question be put to -- to General Townsend. This is something that he identified in his statement today. This is not a -- a capability we, to my knowledge, have used very much. And I believe he's looking -- and I don't want to put words into his mouth -- looking -- forward looking as to what might be required in the course of this campaign. This is a big city. This is a large area. This is an area where there will be -- this will be a significant fight. And I think that what General Townsend has talked about, the unique capabilities that America can bring to bear, that the coalition can bring to bear in support of the Iraqis, he's got a -- a suite of -- of capabilities that he could employ. And this is one of them. But I don't want to get out ahead of him in terms of the actual use of this capability. Q: Sure. And can you tell us, does he have the authority to prevent U.S. troops to actually enter Mosul as Iraqi units and Pesh units move further forward, enter the city, and move into the city? Is it still an open question whether U.S. troops will go with them? Will U.S. troops enter Mosul or is that completely off the table? MR. COOK: Barbara, I think we're on day one of what we expect will be a -- a lengthy fight here. I'm not going to look ahead to the future. At, this point we are focused on the here and now and how this is playing out. And -- Q: Well , you're not ruling it out. MR. COOK: I'm -- I'm not ruling it in, I'm not ruling it out. We are on day one, Barbara. We are -- barely got this thing started. Let's see how this plays out. We'll be working closely with the Iraqis. Nothing happens -- nothing will happen with regard to U.S. forces that is not agreed to with the Iraqis. That's the most important thing here. Q: Well, yeah. But -- MR. COOK: Any -- any action by U.S. forces, by the coalition, would have to be approved by Prime Minister Abadi. Q: But the question I have, Peter, is it a given that U.S. -- pardon me. It is a given that Iraqi forces will enter Mosul. MR. COOK: Yes. Q: This is not happening without them entering the city. So the question I have is not about what they want, but it is about what the U.S., what the military -- what Ash Carter wants. Is -- MR. COOK: We want the defeat of ISIL. Q: -- (inaudible) -- to accept the notion of U.S. troops entering Mosul. He must know what he thinks at this point. MR. COOK: Barbara, what the secretary knows is that he wants ISIL defeated in Mosul and we're doing to do everything we can to support the Iraqis to achieve that goal. And you are getting way ahead of things here when you're talking about that situation. As you know, we haven't had a need for U.S. forces in Ramadi, we haven't had a need for them to enter other locations. And so we'll see how this plays out. We'll work carefully, coordinate with the Iraqis, work closely with our coalition partners as well. But we're on day one, here. Let's wait to see how this plays out. Q: Very briefly, I'd like to underscore what Lita said. I think it could not be more essential for us to have some type of operational press briefing, not just where we're provided information, but there is an opportunity to ask questions of U.S. military commanders involved in this, since you have somewhat 5,000 troops involved -- MR. COOK: Absolutely. And we have been providing, just for the record, providing you senior leaders from this campaign. Through -- on a regular basis, we've been briefing you. And that will include even this week. We will have -- we have plans already fro a senior leader to brief you as soon as Wednesday, if not sooner. So keep -- keep tuned to your schedule, but we -- we will make every effort to provide information to you, including in particular from people downrange who are in the thick of this, but we have to acknowledge these are people who are very busy right now and trying to do their day jobs and they're being as helpful as they can. We sincerely appreciate that and I know you'll I hope appreciate the information they'll be able to convey to you soon. I'll do my best in the meantime. Yes, Tara. Q: Thanks, Peter. In earlier briefings with I believe Colonel Dorrian, we had learned about how some of the 100 and 200 advisers would embed with these brigades and move forward with the brigades as they moved on Mosul. Have those advisers moved forward with the brigades? And will they -- to follow-on on Barbara's question, how close to Mosul will they actually get? Is there some sort of decision already made as to where those advisers would stay or would they go forward into the city? MR. COOK: again, I'll go back to where I was with Barbara. These are brigades -- I can't speak to the movement of every single Iraqi brigade or the movement of every single American at this point. But yes, there was a plan for Americans to be providing that -- that advisory role to -- to Iraqi leaders, to the Iraqi commanders as they have through the course of this. Again, many of these folks help with the training of these Iraqi brigades. So we're going to leave it to the Iraqis to determine the movement of their forces and we'll be there in a support role. It is too soon to say at this point where these movements will go, what the Americans will do in that advisory capacity. But what is important is that it will be Iraqis in the lead, it will not be Americans. We will be playing the support role, as we have throughout the course of this campaign. Lucas? Q: Peter, right now, are there any Americans in Mosul or on the outskirts of the city? MR. COOK: I think it's fair to say that there are Americans at a -- on the outskirts of the city, but I'm not going to get into the disposition of every single America. I -- what I will tell you again, Lucas, is that it's the Iraqis in the lead. The Iraqis are at the front and Americans are providing in their advisory role, but they are behind the forward line of troops. And they are providing that same sort of advice and assistance that they have in Iraq previously and will continue to do so as this fight progresses. Q: What's the plan for after ISIS is defeated and pushed out of Mosul? Is there a political plan in place? What does that look like here? MR. COOK: This is, as you know, Lucas, something of considerable discussion the day after ISIL is defeated. And we are confident that ISIL will be defeated. This is an effort that will be led by the government of Iraq, by Prime Minister Abadi. He's worked closely with the United Nations. We do have concerns about the humanitarian situation that would follow the military operations. We've been working closely -- the United States government has with the United Nations, with the government of Iraq to try and address the concerns about the civilian population, those people who might be displaced. There are steps that have been taken to try and address this. The United States alone has contributed more than $1 billion in humanitarian assistance. We've been able to get pledges -- helps to get pledges from others in the international community of more than $2 billion. So this is something we have given some serious thought to. It will be led by the Iraqis. We'll be trying to support it as best we can. Our focus here at the Department of Defense is the military operation, but I can assure you there are plenty of people in the United States government who are tracking this and working very closely with the international community to -- to address the very serious concerns here. Q: And lastly, I noticed you did not mention the Shia militias. Will the United States military be supporting -- even if it's part of the Iraqis' plan and they're in the lead -- any of the movements of the Shia militias near Mosul? MR. COOK: We'll be supporting the Iraqi security forces that are under the command of Prime Minister Abadi. That's what we've been doing from the state. Yes, Missy Q: Hi, Peter. I just want to follow up on the JTAC question as well. Just to clarify, so is this activity that you described or what the U.S. troops may be doing, is that happening in a way that has not occurred up until now in the campaign? And if so, is this an -- is this a new authority that's been granted to General Townsend to authorize? And I'd also like to ask you about the -- if you can provide us an update on what the situation is with the Turkish troops and what the United States is doing to try to mitigate and deal with that situation. And finally, I just want to add my voice as well to the request that Lita and Barbara made. MR. COOK: Okay. Again, I don't -- what I just explained about the forward controllers, I would prefer that General Townsend describe to you in more detail his plans with regard to this. But there's nothing different than what they've been doing previously. And I'm just talking about a capability that he has the ability to use, but whether or not it's required, that's something we'll have to wait and see. Q: But the capability is the same capability that has been employed previously or it's something new? That's my question. MR. COOK: I -- my understanding is that it's the same authority he's had from -- for some time. Q: And has been employed previously. MR. COOK: I -- I -- I'll leave it to General Townsend to -- to -- I don't have documented detail here about each and every instance in which it's been used. (CROSSTALK) Q: Sorry, and on the Turkish troops? MR. COOK: The Turkish troops. I -- I don't have a particular update for you. I'd leave it to the government of Turkey and the government of Iraq to describe what's -- what's happening in terms of operationally there. We have encouraged both governments to -- to address any issues that may be present there. But this is something we -- best left to the Iraqis and to the Turks to speak to. Idris Q: Sir, the 5,000-plus troops -- (inaudible) -- many of them are sort of working one way or another for this Mosul operation. Do you have a percentage or a number of generally how many American troops in one way or another are focusing on this Mosul operation? MR. COOK: Idris, I do not have a direct percentage, but we have to remember, this is, by an order of magnitude, the most significant military operation yet in this campaign in Iraq. This is the biggest military operation, certainly by the Iraqis yet, and so I -- I do not want to -- if we had someone who trained Iraqi forces at al-Assad or Taqaddum previously and those forces are now part of this fight, I would argue that they -- they are part of the Mosul -- they contributed to the Mosul effort. So, I -- I think there are a significant number of Americans who are -- have helped get us to this point. There may be a reduced number, actually, physically, geographically involved in it at this time, but plenty of Americans have contributed to getting the Iraqi forces into the position where they are able to carry out this fight. Particularly with the training, there has been a substantial commitment to train, not only Iraqi conventional forces, but federal police, the counter-terrorism forces. These are the people who, particularly, the CTS, who made such as a substantial contribution to this effort, the Iraq Security Forces overall have, many of those, if not substantial, a majority have had training by Americans and they are a more capable force as a result of that and we were happy to -- to play that role. Likewise, there are a significant number of our coalition partners who have been critical to that training effort as well and we're thankful for their contribution to this in addition. (CROSSTALK) Q: Sorry, if I may just -- I have another question. What happened to the USS Mason on Saturday of the coast of Yemen? Do you have any more clarity on that? MR. COOK: Yea, as we indicated over the weekend, the Mason was operating in international waters off the -- in the Red Sea, off the Yemen Coast, were once again, it detected a missile threat and the crew responded accordingly, deployed counter-measures as appropriate, and the good news is that the ship was not harmed and the crew is -- the crew is fine, also unharmed. Q: So, at this point you think there were missiles fired or? MR. COOK: We are still assessing the situation. There are still some aspects of this that we are trying to clarify for ourselves, given the threat to our -- potential threat to our people. And so this is still a situation we're assessing closely. Q: Peter. MR. COOK: Joe Q: Do you still believe that there are up to 5,000 ISIS fighters inside Mosul, or this number has changed in the last few days? MR. COOK: The estimate I have seen, Joe, that I checked was between 3,000 to 5,000. We've seen other numbers that are -- that are higher, but we know that there is a substantial ISIL presence. We know that they've had two years to dig in to build defensive systems, to plant IEDs, to do what they can to make life more difficult for the Iraqi Security Forces, certainly to make life much more difficult for the people of Mosul. And so we think that this is a substantial -- an enemy with the, you know, a substantial capability to make life very, very difficult and we do not underestimate this fight in any way. Q: Have you seen any evidence that the head of ISIS, al-Baghdadi, is inside Mosul? MR. COOK: I do not have any information at this time. Q: Last question. (inaudible) -- go back to the Turkish-Iraqi tensions. Does -- does the Pentagon believe that Turkey has the right to take part of the operation to liberate Mosul? MR. COOK: The United States believes, as we have said from -- from the start, that the government of Iraq has the authority to -- to determine who was within Iraq as part of this effort and we would encourage the Iraqis and the Turks to discuss this issue between themselves to -- to resolve whatever concerns there may be. And that's the appropriate place for this to be decided. Q: I understand that, but this is an Iraqi city. Do you see -- MR. COOK: This is the sovereign government of -- of Iraq. This is a decision in question for the Iraqis. Yes? Q: ISIL has known that this operation would take place in October for weeks. How difficult do you think it's making operations on the ground, the fact that they've known this would come and they've had time to prepare? MR. COOK: Well, certainly they -- they have had two years to prepare for this. We've had time to prepare as well for what's to come. The Iraqi's have had time to prepare. Again, we think they are equipped with the capabilities, the people, and the support they need to accomplish this mission. This is not going to be easy, this is going to be a challenging environment. There are Iraqis who are going to face a serious fight. And we will do what we can to support them in this effort. ISIL is -- is defeatable and we'll see that in Mosul. Bill Q: Have you seen any reports of casualties on ISF or Peshmerga? And also you said that they're ahead of schedule in terms of what's going on. So, what does that mean? MR. COOK: Again, I'll leave it to the -- the Iraqis. But my understanding, is that they had set a target for movement today for the end of the day and by midday they'd achieved roughly what they had intended to do, so. It's day one, it's early. But this kicked off as I understand that the way that Iraqis had hoped. And certainly we -- we welcome that -- that news from the Iraqis. Q: Right. But what -- what is that area? And who many -- what is the -- (CROSSTALK) MR. COOK: I'll leave that to Iraqis to describe, Bill. I'm not going to give you specifics on that. I'll leave it to the Iraqis if they care to characterize it. But I'm giving you a big picture that day one so far has gone according to plan. Q: What about casualties? MR. COOK: I'm not aware of any. I'll -- I'd refer you to the Iraqis and the Kurds to describe that. Yes, Paul. Q: I think one of the things Americans are kind of interested in now as they see all the news about this offensive kicking off is how -- how close, at this exact moment, is any American soldier to this fight? MR. COOK: I -- Q: The front lines, but -- MR. COOK: Again, the Iraqis will be on the front line. There're Americans that'll be in a advisory capacities, some will be closer to the front than others because of the unique role that they're carrying out, but it's Iraqis in the lead. To be short, Paul, there're Americans are in harm's way as part of this fight. There're Americans in harm's way in other parts of Iraq as well. We absolutely understand that, the secretary absolutely understands that. And there are specific steps that have been taken, and -- and protocols in place for us to try and reduce the risk to Americans because this is Iraqi's in the lead. They're playing a support role. But we will -- crystal clear that Americans are in harm's way in Iraq. But they are performing -- they are -- are not in the lead in the way Iraqis are. They are in a -- in a support role and they'll continue to play that support role. Q: Just one quick follow-up on Lucas' question. How involved do you expect the Shia militias to be in this fight for Mosul? MR. COOK: That's a question for the government of Iraq to -- to answer. Again, Prime Minister Abadi has laid out this plan. He has identified the responsibilities for the various Iraqi forces. We will continue to support Prime Minister Abadi and those forces that are under his command carrying out this important mission. Nancy. Q: I'd like to follow up on Paul and Martha's question, please. Is there any way we could more clarity, what level of risk are U.S. forces going to assume in what you call the serious fight, the dangerous battle. Is that a decision that hasn't been made? Or is there -- that a decision was made not to tell the American public for some sort of strategic reason? MR. COOK: We've been clear from the start that Americans are again playing an advisory role -- an enabler role for these Iraqi forces. It will be Iraqis in the lead with Americans in a support role. Most of the American forces in Iraq are not anywhere close to the front line. That is the way this has been structured. Many of them are in logistical support roles. Many of them are carrying out training missions, for example, that are well away from Mosul. They've been doing so previously and they will continue to be in that advisory role, consistent with the role that forces from other countries are providing as well. Q: Well, I just want to be clear -- (inaudible) -- for the American public to know what kind of risk its forces could face. You say that they're not near the front lines now. Is that the intention or the plan throughout the plan or could there be a point where they are in fact in Mosul proper or closer to the front line? MR. COOK: I'm -- the role of the U.S. forces today is no different than up till this point. As you know, we have had fights for Fallujah, for Ramani, for Hiit, for Rutbah. Americans have been an -- an enabler -- important enabler position where they have been supporting Iraqi security forces, with in particular, the CTS in the lead, the Iraqi Security Forces, the Peshmerga in the lead. U.S. forces remain in a position to be able to provide advice to them. A small number will be in a position to provide that advice on the ground and we'll continue to carry out that role, but there -- again Americans will be -- this is Iraqis in the lead and I -- but that doesn't mean that there is a risk to Americans. We have seen that demonstrated already in Iraq. We're very aware of that and there -- we're taking steps, we -- as many steps as we can to reduce the risk to American forces and we'll continue to do that. Yes? Q: What is your assessment of the humanitarian condition both inside the city and on the outskirt of this city since the -- the operations started last night? MR. COOK: Well, first of all I can tell you, our assessment of the situation in the city for the last two years has been pretty abysmal thanks to ISIL, and removing ISIL will undoubtedly improve the condition of the Iraqis who live there and want to return to Mosul. So, that being said, the goal first of all is to - is to remove ISIL. In terms of the humanitarian situation right now, I know that -- that the Iraqi government, as I've said before, is taking the lead, is carefully watching this. There's been careful coordination with the United Nations. There have been some facilities set up outside of Mosul to deal with the possibility of -- of civilians leaving the -- the fighting. And again, I will leave it to the United Nations, to the Iraqi government to speak to all those preparations, but this is obviously a dangerous situation for civilians on the ground and I know one thing that the Iraqis have been doing is trying to reach to the residents of Mosul, both by radio broadcast, there was a drop of leaflets, thousands of leaflets in Mosul and my understanding is that there may be as many as 7 million leaflets dropped in the next 48 hours or so to try and educate the population of Mosul as to the safest way to conduct themselves as this fighting plays out. Q: So, from the 5,000 U.S. troops that are already in Iraq, are they also ready to help with any kind of humanitarian situation that might come up within the next few days? MR. COOK: Of course. U.S. forces are -- will do what we can do to -- to assist this situation. Our -- our focus right now at the Department of Defense, of course, is the military operation that's being carried out, but as I pointed out before there's been -- United States has already provided more than a billion dollars for the humanitarian effort. There's been more money raised by the international community and we would encourage the international community to focus as much attention as possible on this very significant challenge. Certainly, our colleagues at the state department really are taking the lead on that so if you had more particular questions I might refer you to the State Department. Yes, (inaudible). Q: Peter, I go to double back. There are some reports claiming that the fight in Dabiq was not really so tough while the fight in outskirts were quite tough. Could you -- what's your assessment of the fight fought inside Dabiq itself, the city? MR. COOK: Our understanding is that the ISIL resistance in Dabiq was not as substantial as some had first feared given the fighting that's taken place around there. My understanding is there's still resistance around Dabiq even today. We think it's welcome news that ISIL chose to run. That suggests the state of play for ISIL in Syria and the kind of degraded position they're in in Syria. At the same time, they face a much more degraded position in Iraq as well. We think ISIL is on the run both in Syria and Iraq and that's a good thing. Q: The foreign minister, I believe yesterday, announced that now the next target is al-Bab. Will the U.S. Special Forces also accompany Turkish forces and Turkish back to position forces to move into al-Bab? MR. COOK: I'm -- Kasim, you know me better, than to tell you where U.S. Special Forces are going anywhere in the world so I'm not going to respond to that question. Carlo. Q: Just following up on questions about Turkish forces, President Erdogan said today not allowing Turkish forces into Mosul would be out of the question as the campaign progresses. So, we know what the Turkish government has said. We know the Iraqi government has said that if Turkish forces continue their presence in this country, it could trigger a larger regional conflict. So, we know what the Iraqis have said. What I wanted to know is what is the Pentagon's stance? Will it continue to defer to Baghdad on actions regarding this sort of rising tensions when it comes to a head and if the Iraqis decide to take action against a NATO ally as this campaign progresses or further on? MR. COOK: Carlo, this is a situation that the Iraqis and the Turks are in the best position to respond to and address. This is an appropriate question for Prime Minister Abadi and for the leadership there to work out. The United States will continue to encourage both countries to try and resolve this issue. Our central focus remains ISIL, we have a common enemy in ISIL. As you said, this is -- these are partners in that fight and we welcome them resolving whatever issues there may be on this issue. Yes, Paul. Q: Just to follow up once more on the questions about the PMUs, the Shia militia. As far as you understand, do you know of any restrictions on their use in this campaign to retake Mosul? MR. COOK: This is a question that, again, for the Iraqi government to speak to in terms of the forces being brought to bear. We will continue to support Prime Minister Abadi and the Iraqi security forces under his control. This is an issue that the Iraqis have been working with handling themselves in Baghdad and in discussions leading up to this and in careful planning that's playing out for Mosul so this is a question to best put to Prime Minister Abadi and his leadership. Q: So, a series of PMU commanders met with Prime Minister Abadi a couple days ago and shortly afterwards some of them met with Kassem al-Ramani reportedly. This building has talked about its criticism of the Iranian influence in Iraq throughout this campaign and you've highlighted some instances of PMUs conducting humanitarian atrocities in the wake of their liberating predominantly Sunni towns before. So are you saying that -- that there are no concerns that you have about these groups being involved in the campaign? MR. COOK: What -- what I'm saying is that Prime Minister Abadi, as he has in the past, has talked about a multi-sectarian Iraq. He's talked about zero tolerance for humanitarian atrocities. He's spoken very eloquently on this topic and we have confidence in Prime Minister Abadi and his leadership to address any concerns that may come up here and we'll continue to offer our support to Prime Minister Abadi. We -- we agree with him that there should be zero tolerance for that sort of thing. Q: And just lastly, can you qualify what the fighting has been like so far? You talked about how it's ahead of schedule. Is that because they've met a little resistance or they've been particularly affected? Can you talk about what forces they've seen so far? MR. COOK: My understanding is, and I think you all have probably see some of the images on TV, there has been -- certainly there has been resistance from -- from ISIL. I -- I would hate to characterize it. This is a big fight with multiple locations, so there may be more intense fighting in one place versus another. But I think it is again fair to say that the impression we've gotten from the Iraqis is that this first day has gone as planned. They have faced resistance. They have -- certainly expect more resistance to come, but day one has gone -- has gone well. Yes? Q: (inaudible) -- could you say if -- more about the seven million leaflets. What are they telling the civilians to do? Predominantly to get out or just stay safe in palace or both? MR. COOK: Yeah. I have not read them myself, but what has been conveyed to me is that these leaflets, for one, make clear to the people of Mosul that help is on the way and that Iraqi forces are on the move towards the city and to the ultimate liberation of Mosul. My understanding is there may be some specific guidance as to the safest place to be in your home, for example, if there are air strikes or artillery or -- or if the fight comes to your neighborhood. And my understanding, as well, is that there may be some encouragement for those in Mosul to actually remain in their homes, particularly in certain parts of the city, because they may be safer in that context than trying to -- to flee the city at a time when it is very hard to distinguish ISIL fighters from average -- innocent civilians. So that is the gist of the leaflet, but I have to -- (inaudible) -- I do not have one in front of me. (Inaudible) Q: Peter, you mentioned earlier, I think a couple of times now, that only a small number of American forces might be exposed to risk on the -- (CROSSTALK) MR. COOK: I believe what I said, Louie, is that Americans in Iraq are in harm's way right now. And we want to -- we do not lose sight of that. Q: I specifically -- (inaudible) -- this operation on -- (inaudible) -- can you quantify that? I mean, what actually are you talking to -- about and are you referring to special operations forces that are -- (inaudible) -- CTS forces? MR. COOK: I do not have a specific number for you, but it is --the small number of Americans who might be in the advisory role, again, providing advice in particular to CTS and Peshmerga forces as well as some -- as well as the Iraqi conventional forces. Those American advisers remain behind the forward line of -- of troops, but they are in a position where they are providing advice in a -- in obviously a combat environment and so they are taking normal -- the precautions you would expect for them to take. There are rules about their activities and -- so, again, it is Iraqis who will be in the lead) on this fight, those Americans who are out there providing an advisory capacity, particularly to the commanders in -- sort of a headquarters setting. But as you know, in this fight, the headquarters, particularly with the terrorism forces -- the counter terrorism forces and the Pesh are -- are in the battle space itself. So, they -- they're not back in -- in a building some miles away, if you will. So -- Q: (inaudible) -- follow-up on the Mason as well. You kind of indicated there that this assessment that's going on is to see what actually happened there. What -- do you have any confidence that the two earlier episodes last week that triggered the retaliatory strikes that there was no -- no doubt that those missile attacks actually did occur? MR. COOK: (inaudible) -- we have high confidence that those are very real threats. Q: So, they did occur, but you are having some less confidence that there were attacks this weekend? MR. COOK: We are, again, absolutely confident that the -- that the Mason itself detected an inbound missile threat on Saturday. There were multiple threats. And we're working through our assessment right now to see from a technical standpoint everything that those sensors detected, and the risk posed to the U.S. service members on that ship. And it's something we're working through right now. But this was a very real threat, and it has been over the last week or so for our forces. You saw what happened earlier to an Emirati ship. And we are taking this very, very seriously, as you can understand, because of that. And we will continue to take every step we need to, to protect our forces in that part of the world as they conduct their routine operations, and as they do their part to ensure commercial traffic through that very important waterway. Q: Can I ask -- MR. COOK: Liz Q: -- just to clarify a point on that? MR. COOK: Hold on. Let me move over to people who have -- (inaudible) -- question. I'll come back. Gary Q: Yes, Peter, obviously there are a million-plus civilians in Mosul. What's -- what's the U.S. assessment about how many of those are likely to die as a result of this operation? What advice are you giving to the Iraqis to minimize civilian casualties? MR. COOK: Gary, I just spoke a short time ago about these leaflets that have been provided and the advice that the Iraqis had been providing, and that in some instances the encouragement would be for people in Mosul to remain in their homes because it might be a safer place as opposed to trying to exit the -- the city. And -- and again, this is something that we're watching very, very closely. I think the Iraqis really have taken the lead in terms of trying to reach out to the citizens of Mosul. There have been, as I mentioned before, radio broadcasts. We had television broadcast from the Prime Minister earlier this morning. So, there is an effort to try and reach out to the people of Mosul to try and -- and make them as aware as possible of what's to come, and the dangers they face. And they're -- they're not insignificant, of course. Q: (inaudible) -- either, won't they? MR. COOK: We -- I'm not in a position to make a -- an estimate here. What I will tell you is that everything we're doing in support of the Iraqis, including our combat air campaign, will continue to be done with the utmost precision, and that every single thing that can be done to reduce the risk of civilian casualties, including with regard to the air campaign, will continue to be -- to be carried out with the rigor you would expect. Yes, sir in the back? Q: (Inaudible). To go back to Turkey, can you confirm whether the U.S. Chief of general staffs, when he met his Turkish counterpart yesterday, did they discuss how Turkey and America will cooperate, not just in Northern Iraq, but also in Syria? MR. COOK: I -- I wasn't there for the meeting, so I can't read it out. But I -- I am quite confident that Chairman Dunford would have had a -- a -- an engaging conversation with his Turkish counterpart about a range of issues, including of course the fight against ISIL. Kasim and then Nancy. Q: (inaudible) -- about the tension between Iraq and Turkey. That's fine) you leave it to the Turkish and Iraqi governments to resolve it, but what does the Pentagon recommend to the Iraqi government to do with respect to the Turkish request? MR. COOK: Our -- Kasim, I've said this multiple times, our advise to the Iraqis and to the Turks is to sit down and -- and discuss these issues and resolve these issues. Prime Minister Abadi has made clear that forces operating in Turkey, international forces, need to be there at the -- at the consent of the Iraqi government. We agree with that position. And we encourage the Iraqi government and the Turkish government, both have ample interest in seeing ISIL defeated, in resolving these issues and we certainly are hopeful that that can be done. Q: (inaudible) -- that the Pentagon does not have any kind of recommend) to the Iraqi government with respect to somehow fix Turkey into (inaudible) or -- MR. COOK: You think there are -- we think there are -- there's an opportunity here for both governments to sit down and work these issues out. That is what we are doing, encouraging both governments to try and resolve these issues. Nancy. Q: I just want to follow-up on -- (inaudible) -- question. So it seems -- on the Mason -- it seems that a determination you made that some kind of missile was launched. Is it -- is one of the things you're looking at is whether that missile was aimed at the USS Mason? Is that a -- fair assessment in terms of where you are in the investigation? MR. COOK: I -- just the -- the systems on board the Mason detected multiple inbound missiles, as I did earlier in the week, and we are working through right now exactly the nature of that threat. There are a variety of things that we're able to do with the ship and its systems to try and analyze some of that data. There are substantial distances here that factor into it and it is a highly technical review that's taking place. So our assessment is ongoing with regard to the Mason specifically on Saturday. Q: But is it possible that those -- that there were missiles that were launched and maybe not aimed at the Mason? Is there any indication they were aimed at potentially -- or are you looking at whether they were aimed at other ships from other nations or a commercial ship? Anything along those lines? MR. COOK: The way the systems work is that the Mason detects what it determines to be a threat to the ship itself. In some instances, it may be that the -- not able to determine the exact intent of that weapon or whoever fire -- pulled the trigger on it. But the bottom line for the ship and its crew is that if it senses that there is incoming danger, that it needs to respond accordingly and that is what they have done. Q: But it's possible that the systems would indicate a threat even if it's not aimed at it, that is -- maybe -- MR. COOK: That's -- I -- that's possible, but the system is designed to protect against the possibility that this incoming threat will harm the Mason itself and its crew. Okay, I got time for two more. Paul? Q: I just wanted to follow-up on this question about the PMUs. Is it possible -- are -- is some of the American advisory assistance going to these units that are involved in the Mosul fight? MR. COOK: No. Q: So while this was the position that -- while it is up to Prime Minister Abadi to choose who is involved in this fight, the U.S. is not cooperating with these groups. MR. COOK: The U.S. is not providing support to those groups, that is correct. Q: But those -- (inaudible) -- are interacting with and coordinating with people -- groups that the U.S. is providing support to? MR. COOK: I'll leave that to the Iraqis to spell out what role they're playing. We're not providing support to those groups and we haven't from the start of this campaign. Last one over here. Q: Is the U.S. comfortable, give that there is disagreement between the Turks and the Iraqis, there are disagreements apparently with some of the Shia militia, saying that they're going to act in certain ways despite the assurances from Abadi, moving forward with the Mosul operation when so many of the players are still at odds with each other? Does that not cause some sort of danger as they come closer and the fighting intensifies that things could fall apart? MR. COOK: I look at it from the opposite prism, if you will. What we see happening in Mosul and the movement of the Iraqi forces today, in some respects, signifies the cooperation those various groups within Iraq are actually engaged in right now. You have Iraqi Security Forces working with the Peshmerga. That is a testament to both the leadership of Prime Minister Abadi and the leadership of the Kurdistan regional government that they're able to work out this kind of arrangement. There are other instances in which these multiple groups with areas of difference have been able to set those differences aside for the greater good of Iraq, and the greater good for Iraq right now is removing ISIL from Mosul and from all Iraqi territory. And that is the common enemy. It's been a uniting thing for Iraq. We think that's a good thing. We share in that effort and we're doing what we can to support it. So, again, our hats off to the Iraqi Security Forces and to Prime Minister Abadi as this effort kicks off. We wish them well and we'll continue to support them as best we can. Thanks, everybody. http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/976635/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US troops on the ground in Mosul: Pentagon Iran Press TV Mon Oct 17, 2016 6:39PM The US military has confirmed that its troops are deployed on the frontlines in the offensive to retake the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from Daesh (ISIL) terrorists. On Monday morning, Iraqi government troops and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters launched a large-scale operation to drive Daesh from Mosul, Iraq's second largest city and the capital of the northern province of Nineveh. US Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the anti-Daesh coalition, said in a statement on Monday that elite international forces are playing a major role in the fight for the city, which was captured by terrorists in June 2014. He said US Special Operations forces, known as Joint Terminal Air Controllers, or JTACs, are on the ground providing intelligence in an attempt to ensure greater accuracy of aerial bombardment. The presence of US troops on the ground is the latest departure from US President Barack Obama's promise against having "boots on the ground" in Iraq. "JTACs are the difference between precision bombing and area bombing," said Christopher Harmer, a former US Navy pilot. He added that the presence of US troops indicated Washington was willing to "incur casualties" in Mosul. "With JTACS, you can select individual targets in real time and accurately strike them. Without JTACs, you can only bomb a general area and hope for success," Harmer said. The US has deployed at least 5,200 troops to Iraq, saying they are supporting government forces fighting against Daesh. The US troops are allegedly providing air support, training and advice to the Iraqi military. Meanwhile, the United Nations on Monday expressed concerns for civilians caught up in the Mosul offensive, which officials say could take weeks or even months. More than 1 million civilians are believed to be trapped in the city. US forces invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple long-time dictator Saddam Hussein but the occupation deteriorated security in the Arab country and gave birth to various militant groups like Daesh. Daesh terrorists have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq and Syria, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Update: air strikes against Daesh 17 October 2016 British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh Latest update - Monday 10 October Around Mosul, Typhoons struck a tunnel complex to the south-east and a mortar team to the north-west. Tornados also destroyed an anti-tank missile position and weapons cache to the north-east. - Tuesday 11 October Tornados bombed another tunnel, to the north-west of Mosul. - Wednesday 12 October Tornados, Typhoons and a Reaper attacked multiple targets in support of Iraqi operations to isolate Mosul, including a terrorist explosives workshop and associated vehicles, a rocket-armed truck, artillery and mortar pieces, and a truck-bomb facility. - Friday 14 October A Reaper and Typhoons destroyed a mortar, ammunition stockpile and five rocket-launchers north-west of Mosul. - Sunday 16 October A Reaper attacked an artillery piece and Typhoons struck six Daesh positions in northern Iraq. Detail Welcoming the start of operations to liberate Mosul, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: Daesh are on the back foot. The beginning of the encirclement of Mosul today is a big moment in our efforts to rid Iraq of Daesh. Mosul is a large and complex city and operations there will be tough but with Coalition support Iraqi forces will prevail. Alongside our Coalition partners, the UK will continue to play a leading role in the air and on the ground, including through our strike missions, specialised surveillance, humanitarian support and the mentoring and training of Iraqi forces. Coalition aircraft have been providing intensive air support to Iraqi ground forces as they work to isolate Daesh terrorists holding Mosul. The Royal Air Force has been heavily committed to this operation, with Tornado, Typhoon and Reaper aircraft providing close air support, and Airseeker and Sentinel strategic surveillance aircraft gathering intelligence. On the ground British military instructors are, with coalition colleagues, helping train, mentor and equip many of the forces engaged in the Mosul operation. A pair of Typhoons from RAF Akrotiri used two Paveway IV guided bombs on Monday 10 October to destroy the entrances to tunnels beneath an embankment near Qaraqosh. They then flew to the north-west of Mosul where they used another Paveway to silence a mortar team on the northern bank of the Tigris, which had been firing on the advancing Kurdish forces. To the north-east of the city, two Tornados used an Enhanced Paveway II to destroy a terrorist anti-tank missile position. They then followed up with a Paveway IV to ensure the destruction of an associated ammunition supply point. On Tuesday 11 October, Tornados conducted another successful attack north-west of Mosul on a tunnel, which had been identified as a weapons cache. Wednesday 12 October saw an intensive series of strikes in northern Iraq. North of Mosul, near Tall Kayf, a Reaper scored a direct hit with a Hellfire missile on an artillery piece hidden beneath a tarpaulin. A Tornado pair used a Brimstone missile to destroy a rocket-armed truck in the Qayyarah region, while Typhoons bombed a mortar team north-east of Mosul. The Tornado and Typhoon flights then combined for a joint attack near Qaraqosh on a set of workshops manufacturing explosives. Seven Enhanced Paveway II and Paveway IV bombs, plus a Brimstone, were used to destroy the facility and a number of Daesh vehicles at the site. A second combined Tornado and Typhoon flight meanwhile headed to the south-west of Kirkuk, where they destroyed a truck-bomb facility with Enhanced Paveway II and Paveway IV weapons. North-west of Mosul, on Friday 14 October, Paveway IV-armed Typhoons successfully bombed five rocket launchers. They then moved to support a Reaper which had located a terrorist mortar position and ammunition stockpile. The Reaper attacked the mortar with a GBU-12 guided bomb, and the Typhoons followed up with a strike on the munitions stockpile. On Sunday 16 October, a Reaper again patrolled to the north-west of Mosul, where it engaged an artillery piece with a Hellfire, then provided targeting support to three attacks by coalition fast jets on terrorist mortar positions. One flight of Typhoons operated to the west of Mosul, using Paveway IVs to destroy two Daesh-held buildings, while a second flight operated to the east, attacking four terrorist positions. Previous air strikes Saturday 1 October: A Reaper provided surveillance support to a coalition air strike north-west of Mosul. It then used one of its own Hellfires to attack a Daesh position. Sunday 2 October: A Reaper was again active north of Mosul, near Tall Kayf. A Hellfire destroyed a digger which was being used by the terrorists to construct a defensive position. To the east of Mosul, Tornados used an Enhanced Paveway II bomb and a Paveway IV to attack a headquarters building and a group of Daesh extremists. The same day, to the south-east of Mosul, near Qaraqosh, Typhoons used Paveway IVs in a simultaneous attack on three Daesh-held buildings where a large group of fighters had assembled, including local commanders. A second Typhoon pair meanwhile operated over a large swathe of Iraqi territory. North of Ramadi, they destroyed a mortar team. They then headed north to the Bayji area where further Paveway attacks dealt with a terrorist strongpoint and transport vehicle. Monday 3 October: Royal Air Force Typhoons provided close air support to Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), attacking Daesh positions in eastern Syria. A group of terrorists were identified holding a building in a rural area. The SDF held back while the Typhoons conducted a successful strike, demolishing the target with Paveway IV guided bombs. Across the border in northern Iraq, Tornados provided support to Iraqi forces clearing Daesh from the Tigris valley south of Mosul. The aircraft used another Paveway IV to destroy a terrorist communications installation north of Al Hawd. Tuesday 4 October: A Reaper remotely piloted aircraft conducted armed reconnaissance north of Mosul. The Reaper's crew located a large fuel tanker dug-in as part of the defensive positions constructed by Daesh near Batnay. The tanker was burning oil to create a smoke screen in order to shield Daesh fighters against attacking ground forces. The Reaper scored a direct hit with a GBU-12 guided bomb. The Reaper then provided surveillance support to a coalition air strike against nearby positions. Wednesday 5 October: Tornados were again in action south of Mosul, where they bombed an armed truck. In central Iraq, Typhoons attacked a small group of terrorists who had been spotted north of Taji. Working in close concert with a coalition surveillance aircraft, the Typhoons successfully killed the extremists with two Paveway IV attacks. Thursday 6 October: With Iraqi operations to isolate Mosul continuing, Royal Air Force aircraft continued to provide close air support on. To the north and west of the city, a Reaper successfully engaged with Hellfire missiles both a mortar team and a group of terrorists caught in the open. The same day, a Tornado mission used an Enhanced Paveway II guided bomb against the entrance to a Daesh tunnel network. In eastern Syria, Typhoons used a Paveway IV guided bomb in a successful attack on a Daesh command post. Friday 7 October: Typhoons patrolled over western Iraq, where they used Paveway IVs to destroy two trucks carrying Daesh extremists as they drove along a desert track. In the Tigris valley south of Mosul, two Tornado flights supported Iraqi troops near Al Hawd and Sharqat. A Brimstone missile attack from one Tornado pair eliminated a mortar position, while the second pair used two Paveway IVs and a Brimstone in three attacks which accounted for a large, dispersed group of terrorists on the river bank. Sunday 9 October: Tornados continued their work over the Tigris, when they destroyed a mortar team and a nearby ammunition stockpile near Qayyarah, with a pair of Paveway IVs. North of Mosul, a Reaper worked alongside two Typhoons. The Reaper provided surveillance support to a highly effective artillery bombardment that destroyed a Daesh training camp. It then tracked two terrorists as they moved to a rocket launching position, where they were seen working under the cover of some trees. A Hellfire missile killed the terrorists and the Typhoons then followed up with a Paveway IV attack to destroy the rockets. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemen: UN envoy announces restoration of nationwide cessation of hostilities 17 October 2016 The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced today a plan for the resumption of a comprehensive cessation of hostilities in the war-torn Gulf nation. According to Office, the Special Envoy has received assurances from all Yemeni parties of their recommitment to the Terms and Conditions of the Cessation of Hostilities of 10 April 2016, which will re-enter into force at 23:59 Yemen time on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal. Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed welcomed the restoration of the cessation of hostilities, "which will spare the Yemeni people further bloodshed and will allow for the expanded delivery of humanitarian assistance," and he called on all Yemeni parties, the region and the international community to encourage full respect for the cessation of hostilities and to ensure that it leads to a permanent and lasting end to the conflict. The Special Envoy went on to call for the immediate reactivation of the De-escalation and Coordination Committee (DCC) and the deployment of its members to Dhahran Al Janoub as agreed during the Kuwait talks. Finally, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed reminded all Yemeni parties that the terms of cessation of hostilities include an obligation to allow free and unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel to all parts of Yemen, in addition to a full and comprehensive halt to military activities of any kind. Yemen has been engulfed in violence for several years now a confrontation between the country's Houthis (Ansar Allah) and the Government of Yemen in early 2014 led to a Houthi advance on the capital, and an ensuing conflict which has involved support from outside parties. The UN has been heavily involved in efforts to resolve the crisis. While peace talks between a Yemeni Government delegation and a delegation of the General People's Congress and Ansar Allah continued, serious violations have occurred in Marib, al Jawf, Taiz and in the border areas with Saudi Arabia. Those UN-facilitated talks ended on 6 August. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Military Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, Oct. 18, 2016 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 18 strikes in Syria: -- Near Abu Kamal, three strikes destroyed six oil well heads, two oil tanker trucks and an oil pump jack. -- Near Shadaddi, eight strikes engaged eight ISIL tactical units and destroyed seven fighting positions and two vehicles. -- Near Ayn Isa, a strike engaged an ISIL staging area. -- Near Idlib, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle. -- Near Mara, four strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions and a vehicle. -- Near Palmyra, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit. Strikes in Iraq Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted seven strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Qaim, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle. -- Near Mosul, four strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and two staging areas; destroyed 10 mortar systems, five artillery systems, four ISIL-held buildings, four fighting positions, four vehicles, two supply caches, two repeater tower generators, a vehicle bomb facility, and a vehicle bomb. Four tactical units and three rocket positions were suppressed. -- Near Qayyarah, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and a mortar position; destroyed an ISIL-held building, a mortar system, an oil tanker truck and a rocket-propelled grenade. A vehicle was damaged. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Truce in Yemen as of Weds. night: UN special envoy IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Oct 18, IRNA -- The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced Monday a plan for the resumption of a comprehensive cessation of hostilities in the war-torn (Persian) Gulf nation. According to the United Nations website, the Special Envoy has received assurances from all Yemeni parties of their recommitment to the Terms and Conditions of the Cessation of Hostilities of April 10, 2016, which will re-enter into force at 23:59 Yemen time on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal. Cheikh Ahmed welcomed the restoration of the cessation of hostilities, 'which will spare the Yemeni people further bloodshed and will allow for the expanded delivery of humanitarian assistance,' and he called on all Yemeni parties, the region and the international community to encourage full respect for the cessation of hostilities and to ensure that it leads to a permanent and lasting end to the conflict. Also, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi officially said on Monday that the country's fugitive president, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has agreed to the 72-hour ceasefire and its extension. In addition, the Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, too, has said that Riyadh will be prepared to accept ceasefire in Yemen if Ansarullah agrees to. Saudi Arabia with the help of nine other Arab countries except Oman has been mounting massive attacks on Yemen since March 26, 2015, to give power back to the resigned Yemeni president and prevent the Yemeni revolutionary forces from taking power. 1483**1424 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Al-Shabab militants kill at least 10 people in key Somali town Iran Press TV Tue Oct 18, 2016 6:25PM Al-Shabab militants have killed at least 10 people, including soldiers and civilians, in a key Somali town close to the capital Mogadishu after ramming a bomb-laden vehicle into a police station. "We don't have the exact number of casualties so far but we have seen the dead bodies of more than 10 people, including civilians, who were killed in the attack," Abdukadir Ahmed, a local police official, told AFP by phone, adding that the attackers also suffered casualties. Ahmed said fierce battles between Somali troops and militants were taking place in the town, adding, "There is heavy fighting going on at several bases in Afgoye district and one of the bases was attacked with a car loaded with explosives." The al-Shabab militant group has claimed responsibility for the latest deadly attack, which sent shock waves across the region. Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabab's military operations spokesman, said the militant group has now imposed full control over the town, adding, "Now most of the town is under our control." Al-Shabab also said in a statement that militants have "secured control of Afgoye town after heavy fighting and they put up the flag over the enemy bases." The terrorist group had evacuated the key town in May 2012 after coming under attack from the Somali army and the African Union peacekeepers. Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab, which has been carrying out a series of deadly bombings throughout Somalia, is fighting to topple the government in Mogadishu. Somalia has been the scene of fighting between al-Shabab and government forces since 2006. In 2011, al-Shabab was driven out of Mogadishu and other major cities. However, the terrorist group continues to hit Mogadishu despite setbacks. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Afghan Official Confirms Secret Talks Restarted With Taliban In Qatar RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan October 18, 2016 A senior Afghan official has confirmed that two secret rounds of peace talks between Afghanistan's government and Taliban representatives have been held in Doha, Qatar, since early September. The official, who spoke on October 18 to RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan on condition of anonymity, did not provide further details. Meanwhile, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan has also learned that a meeting in Riyadh on October 18 between Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah focused on the status of Afghanistan's peace process and the latest developments in Kabul's relations with Pakistan. Earlier on October 18, Britain's The Guardian newspaper reported that Taliban representatives and Afghan diplomats had secretly restarted peace talks in September. The Guardian report, which cited anonymous sources within the Taliban and the Afghan government, said one Taliban representative at the Qatar talks was Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund. Akhund is the brother of the late Mullah Mohammad Omar, who led the Taliban from the time it was founded until his death in 2013 in Pakistan. The two rounds of talks are the first known to have taken place since a Pakistan-brokered process broke down following the death of Mullah Omar's successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, in May 2016. Mansoor was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan's southern province of Balochistan near the border with Afghanistan. One member of the Taliban's leadership council, the Quetta Shura, told The Guardian that the Qatar talks in early September brought together Akhund and Afghanistan's intelligence chief Mohammad Massom Stanekzai. 'Trouble-Free Atmosphere' The Taliban source said their face-to-face talks "went positively" and were held "in a trouble-free atmosphere." Afghanistan's Tolo TV on October 18 quoted a source from the Afghan president's office as saying that the country's National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar also attended the meeting with Stanekzai. A few weeks later, in late September, Afghanistan's government sealed a peace deal with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar -- an Islamist warlord who has fought against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul for more than a decade. The Guardian reported that the second round of peace talks in Qatar took place in early October despite ongoing fighting between Taliban militants and Afghan government forces in the northern city of Kunduz and around Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand. The Quetta Shura member told The Guardian that a U.S. official was present at both rounds of talks, but no Pakistani officials attended. The Taliban source said Islamabad has lost much of its traditional influence over Afghanistan's Taliban. The U.S. embassy in Afghanistan declined to comment on The Guardian report. Afghanistan's government has confirmed that Stanekzai made at least one recent trip to Doha, Qatar. But Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's spokesman and Ismail Qasemiyar, a leading member of Afghanistan's High Peace Council that oversees peace talks, said they had no knowledge of the reported meetings in Qatar. The last publicly acknowledged meeting of Afghan officials and Taliban representatives was in July 2015 -- a gathering in Pakistan with officials from both Pakistan and the United States present. With reporting by The Guardian Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban- talks-restarted-qatar/28061198.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's T-90 Tank Interests Vietnam Because It's 'More Modern' Than Rivals Sputnik News 18:42 18.10.2016(updated 22:03 18.10.2016) Vietnam wants to buy Russia's T-90 battle tank because it is more modern than its Western rivals, People's Army of Vietnam colonel Nyugen Khak Ngyuety told Sputnik. Earlier this month the managing director of Russian machine-building company Uralvagonzavod told the Russian newspaper Izvestiya that the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) is negotiating the purchase of up to 100 Russian T-90 tanks. PAVN colonel of armored troops Nyugen Khak Ngyuety told Sputnik that Hanoi turned to Russia because of its long history using Soviet-produced tanks. During its Resistance War against the US in the 1960s and 70s, Vietnam was armed with Soviet T-54 battle tanks and light amphibious PT-59 tanks, as well as Chinese copies of the T-54. These tanks were particularly valuable during the 1975 battle for Ho Chi Minh, and their speed, maneuverability and firepower enabled the Vietcong forces to move quickly and ensured the capitulation of the South Vietnamese army, Ngyuety said. "Medium tanks of Soviet production worked well in the conditions of Vietnam they were powerful and well-protected. The T-54 had a combat weight of 36 tons and was fitted with a 100-mm turret gun. The main tank of the enemy was the M48. It weighed about 50 tons and had a 90-mm caliber gun. It was easier to manage than the Soviet tanks, but because of its size (mainly its height, a whole meter taller than the T-54) the American tank was more visible on the ground." "It was also inferior to the Soviet tank in cross-country performance and fuel distance. Another advantage of Soviet tanks was that technically they were much simpler than the US tanks and therefore more reliable. In the case of a breakdown, the crew could repair the vehicle relatively quickly. Repairing an American tank was much more difficult," Ngyuety explained. Production of the T-54 and T-55 battle tanks began at the end of World War Two. Over 100,000 of the tanks were produced for the Soviet army, its allies and the export market, making it the most-produced tank in military history. The colonel says that today's Russian tanks, including the T-90 which Vietnam wants to buy, have the same enduring superiority over their US counterparts as the Soviet tanks did. "As a tank commander with a lot of combat experience, I can compare contemporary tanks from different countries. In my opinion, Russian fighting vehicles are more modern than Western ones," Ngyuety said. The colonel said the purchase of the tanks is a reflection of Vietnamese military doctrine, which values tanks as a key component of strike capability along with its infantry. "Regarding the purchase of new tanks, that depends on a country's economic resources. There are two ways: the first is to buy a certain number of modern tanks. Judging by the press reports, (Vietnam) intends to buy a relatively small batch of T-90 tanks with two modifications." "The second way is to modernize the existing tank fleet with a view to improving its tactical and technical characteristics as much as possible." "Tank equipment continues to play an important role on the battlefield. Obviously, Vietnam should do it both ways: procure modern combat vehicles, and upgrade the ones it already has," Ngyuety concluded. Russia's T-90 third-generation main battle tank entered into service in 1993. It weighs 46 tons and is fitted with 125 mm 2A46 smoothbore cannon, which was also used in the widely-produced second-generation Soviet T-72 battle tank and the third-generation T-80 Soviet tank. Last month Russia's Defense Ministry announced that the Russian army is to modernize several hundred T-90 battle tanks. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Afghan Government in Secret Talks With Taliban By Ayaz Gul October 18, 2016 Senior Afghan government and Taliban representatives reportedly have held at least two secret meetings in recent days in a bid to resume a long-awaited peace dialogue to end the war in Afghanistan. A source within the National Unity Government in Kabul has confirmed to VOA the interactions took place in Doha, capital of the gulf state of Qatar, where Taliban political negotiators are based. But he declined to discuss further details. The Guardian newspaper disclosed the meetings in an exclusive article published Tuesday, saying they were held in September and early October. It reported Afghan intelligence chief Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai sat face-to-face with Mullah Abdull Manan Akhund, brother of the deceased Taliban founder and long-time leader, Mullah Omar. The British paper quoted an unnamed Taliban official as claiming a senior American diplomat was present in the Qatar meetings, although the U.S. government has not commented on the claim. Afghan presidential spokesman, Dawa Khan Menapal, without directly commenting on the Doha meetings, told VOA the government is making "all possible efforts" to engage with groups that are ready for peace talks" in order to promote stability in the country. A Doha-based spokesman for the Taliban's so called political office has rejected as baseless his group's contacts with the Afghan spy chief. "I have no such information nor has there been any secret meetings at any level [with Afghan government]," a pro-Taliban Pashto language news outlet quoted Sohail Shaeen as saying. Earlier when contacted by VOA for his reaction, the main spokesman for the Islamist insurgency, Zabihullah Mujahid, said he was busy with war-related activities in Afghanistan, but was aware of the newspaper report. "I have sought information from our political officials [in Qatar] and will share it with you as soon as I get it. Until then, I cannot offer any comments," Mujahid said when asked about the reported secret meetings. A preliminary round of peace talks between the warring sides took place in Pakistan, in July of 2015. U.S., Chinese and Pakistani officials were also present, but that process broke down after it was revealed that Taliban chief Mullah Omar had been dead for more than two years. The killing of Omar's successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, in a U.S. drone strike this past May in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan, diminished hopes for resuming the Afghan peace process. The Taliban, under its new chief Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, has since intensified insurgent activities across Afghanistan, inflicting heavy casualties on Afghan security forces and making significant territorial gains. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has recently concluded a peace deal with the Hizb-e-Islami insurgent faction led by controversial warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Under the agreement, the second largest rebel group has agreed to stop violence in return for allowing its fugitive leaders, including Hekmatyar to return to Afghanistan and take part in the national political process. Ghani was able to secure financial pledges of around $15 billion at this month's donor conference in Brussels to sustain the Afghan reconstruction process for the next four years. But partner nations at the meeting underscored the need for a peaceful settlement to the conflict to ensure permanent stability in Afghanistan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address From NATO to Islamic State, the US Presidential Candidates' Foreign Policy Positions By Masood Farivar October 18, 2016 Concerned about the outcome of the U.S. presidential race, the world has been watching closely as Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump tout their plans for handling terrorism and other global issues. A former secretary of state who has advocated a more assertive U.S. policy in Syria, Clinton says she wants to use "all the tools of power" from diplomacy to development to support American foreign policy. "I believe in strong alliances, clarity in dealing with our rivals and a rock-solid commitment to the values that have always made America great," Clinton said in a foreign policy speech in June. "And if America doesn't lead, we leave a vacuum and that will either cause chaos, or other countries will rush in to fill the void." Jeremy Mayer, a professor of political science at George Mason University, calls Clinton an "internationalist" and "multilateralist" an advocate of American global leadership in the mold of President Barack Obama. "Where she's different from Obama is, I think, she's more willing to use force," Mayer says. Though his opposition to "nation building" and other positions put him in the realist camp of foreign policy, Trump is seen as a unilateralist and even an isolationist his pledge to put America first harkening back to another period of American isolationism. "To our friends and allies, I say, America is going to be strong again, America is going to be reliable again," Trump said in a major foreign policy speech April. "We're going to finally have a coherent foreign policy based upon America's interests and the shared interests of America's allies." Invoking a phrase popularized by Ronald Reagan, Trump vowed to project "peace through strength" by restoring American military might, a theme that resonates with his ardent backers. A Trump presidency "will strike fear in the hearts of those that have been taking advantage of us," says Sidney Shachnow, a retired Army general who joined 87 other former generals and admirals in endorsing Trump last month. NATO Of all the foreign policy differences between Clinton and Trump, few are as revealing as their discord over America's commitment to NATO and other alliances. Trump set off a firestorm this summer when he suggested he would not automatically come to the aid of NATO allies if they came under an attack by Russia. The comment drew a sharp rebuke from across the political spectrum, but Trump has not softened his insistence that NATO members pay "their fair share" on defense and focus on combating terror. The differences came into sharp relief during the second presidential debate earlier this month. "We've got to work more closely with our allies, and that's something that Donald has been very dismissive of," Clinton said. Trump responded by saying that America has been "working with them for many years, and that's why we have the greatest mess anyone has ever seen." To critics, that hints at a failure to recognize the importance of an alliance that has served as a bulwark of American security for nearly 70 years. "What [Trump] fails to understand is NATO is in our interests," says James Jeffrey, a former senior diplomat who has endorsed Clinton. "It undergirds our security. Without NATO, we would be back like we were in 1917 or 1940 without Britain." Trump supporters say their candidate has no intention of abandoning NATO or America's other alliances. Trump "will pressure the participants in the alliance to carry their fair share of the burden and ease the burden for the American budget," Shachnow says. "But overall, the alliances [that] have served us well will serve us well in the future." Russia With the Kremlin accused of meddling in the U.S. presidential elections, Russia will remain a major foreign policy challenge for the next president. Trump has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a strong leader and said he wants to build a relationship with him if only to fight the Islamic State terrorist group. Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, took a harder line during the vice presidential debate, calling Putin "a small and bullying" leader and saying Russian provocations "need to be met by American strength." But Trump has stuck to his guns even as he's advocated European diplomatic pressure on Moscow. "I don't know Putin," he said during the second presidential debate. "I think it will be great if we get along with Russia because we could fight ISIS together as an example." National security experts from both political parties have pilloried Trump for taking a soft line toward a resurgent adversary that is threatening American interests in Europe and beyond. "He dismisses any threat of Russia," Jeffrey says. "And this is totally factually wrong and extremely dangerous." Pledging to be "firm but wise with our rivals," Clinton has said she wants to strengthen sanctions on Russia imposed over its annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine, expand U.S. missile defense systems in Europe, and help European nations break their dependence on Russian energy "I stood up to Russia," she said during the second debate. "I've taken on Putin and others, and I'd do that as president." China If Clinton wants to stand up to an aggressive Russia, Trump vows to take on a rising China whom he has accused of "an economic assault on" the United States and of stealing well-paying jobs. Trump has called for punishing Beijing for unfair trade practices, designating China a currency manipulator, stepping up U.S. military presence in the South China Sea, getting China to rein in North Korea and countering Chinese cyberattacks. "China respects strength," Trump said in April. "By letting them take advantage of us economically, they've lost respect" for the United States. Trump went on to warn that the two world powers could either mutually "benefit or we can go both our separate ways." Clinton is far from soft on China last week, she made headlines by suggesting a missile defense "ring" around China but she's also warned against unilateral U.S. action in any trade dispute. Mayer, of George Mason University, says managing America's increasingly complex relationship with China will remain a challenge only surpassed by Russia for the next president. "The Trump vision on China is for aggressive challenging militarily as well as economically, whereas the Clinton approach to China is again to be a military 'stop what you're doing' policy. But she wants to work with China in a more multilateral and diplomatic way whenever possible," Mayer says. Iran The 2015 international deal with Iran to halt its nuclear program remains another point of contention between the two candidates. Clinton has taken credit for laying the groundwork for the deal, saying it has made the world safer. However, Clinton, who as secretary of state built international support for sanctions on Iran, also said she wants to re-impose and strengthen them if Tehran fails to comply "I'm proud that we put a lid on Iran's nuclear program without firing a single shot," Clinton told the Democratic National Convention in July. Like most Republicans, Trump is a vociferous critic of the deal and has vowed to revoke it as soon as he's elected. "When I look at the Iran deal and how bad a deal it is for us, it's a one-sided transaction, where we're giving back $150 billion to a terrorist state, really the No. 1 terrorist state," Trump said during the second debate. "We've made [it] a strong country from, really, a very weak country just three years ago." The Republican Party platform calls the agreement "a personal agreement between the president and his negotiating partners and not binding on the next president." Islamic State On the foreign policy issue most Americans care about the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria the policy differences between Clinton and Trump appear hardly distinguishable at first glance. Both want the U.S. to step up airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria; both advocate a no-fly zone over parts of Syria to prevent the Syrian government from targeting civilians and rebels; and both say they'll work with an international coalition of Western and Middle Eastern countries to fight ISIS. But the similarities end there. Clinton does not favor sending more ground troops to Syria and Iraq and has advocated taking a hard line on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Contradicting his running mate on countering Russian "provocations" in Syria, Trump suggested during the second debate that there was no need to confront the Syrian regime, Russia and Iran as they were all fighting ISIS. Trump sees the Islamic State as part of a larger threat facing America, which he calls "radical Islamic terrorism." He faults Clinton and Obama for refusing to "name the enemy." "And unless you name the enemy, you'll never, ever solve the problem," Trump said in April. He says he'll establish a commission on radical Islam if he's elected but he has offered few other details about his larger plan to defeat ISIS, leaving many critics wondering how he'd take on the group. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Antares Rocket Takes Off to ISS Sputnik News 03:50 18.10.2016(updated 04:03 18.10.2016) The US Antares carrier rocket equipped with two Russian RD-181 engines blasted off to the International Space Station with the Cygnus cargo ship from the Wallops Flight Facility for the first time, NASA TV live broadcast showed. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The two Russian-made engines worked successfully and the Cygnus spacecraft separated from the US rocket at the estimated time, according to the NASA broadcast Thus, the Russian part of the international program of the Antares launch was completed successfully. The unmanned rocket with the with the Cygnus spacecraft was to be launched from the Wallops Flight Facility located on the Atlantic coast of the US state of Virginia at 20:02 local time (00:03 GMT) on Saturday. In seven hours before the launch of the rocket, the company Orbital ATK Inc, owning the rocket announced 24 hour delay as a cable of ground equipment did not work properly, which occurred during pre-launch check. The Cygnus spacecraft was designed to transport supplies to the International Space Station. The first test of the Russian-made RD-181 rocket engines used in the first stages by the US Antares carrier rocket was successfully conducted on June 1. In 2015, the engine manufacturer Energomash delivered four such engines to the United States under a contract signed in 2014. Two launches of the Antares rocket were successful, while the third ended in disaster. In October 2014, the rocket exploded seconds into its launch at the Wallops Flight Facility located on the Atlantic coast of the US state of Virginia. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Huge Upgrades to Japan's Missile Defense May Bolster Security Against Pyongyang Sputnik News 03:26 18.10.2016(updated 03:28 18.10.2016) In the wake of ballistic missile tests carried out by North Korea, Japan is planning to accelerate improvements to its missile defenses. Tokyo is likely to earmark some $1 billion of planned spending on the upgrade, three government sources said, according to Reuters. The plan follows a North Korean missile launch failure in the northwest town of Kusong on Saturday. Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross said, ""We strongly condemn this and North Korea's other recent missile tests, which violate UN Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea's launches using ballistic missile technology." The upgrade will include a new missile defense system, either the Lockheed Martin Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) program or the Aegis Ashore, a land-based version of the ballistic missile defense system used by vessels in the Sea of Japan. The budget request includes enhancing the accuracy and range of Japan's PAC-3 Patriot missile network. Production and implementation could take years. Patriot missile batteries, for instance, will not be delivered until 2020 because manufacturers Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Raytheon are working with tight production schedules. "It nonetheless has symbolic value," one source said, according to Reuters. North Korea is largely considered by the international community to be a certain threat due to recent testing, and Pyongyang has boosted technological advancement faster than expected. In September, the country successfully detonated its fifth nuclear bomb since the first in 2006. Japan, due to its close proximity, is exposed to a heightened threat, a senior Japanese military commander said earlier this month. Japan and the US have been collaborating to improve missile defense capabilities. Currently, Japan has a sea-based SM-3 upper-tier ballistic missile defense system, and the PAC-3, as well as early-warning systems, deployed to defend its homeland. Those systems were activated and put on alert each time North Korea launched a missile that could reach Japan. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran, China discuss rebuilding Arak heavy-water reactor ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Tue / 18 October 2016 / 15:39 TEHRAN (ISNA) - Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi has announced that the head of the organization Ali Akbar Salehi would head to Poland to discuss mutual ties. Iranian official stated that Salehi's visit aims at discussing ways to boost mutual cooperation in various fields. Concerning his own trip to Czech Republic, Kamalvand said meeting with Czech high-ranking officials is the main goal for his travel. Iranian official referred to Chinese delegation trip to the country and said both sides discussed reconstruction of Arak heavy-water Reactor. He stated that talks on rebuilding Arak heavy-water Reactor still continues, adding an Iranian delegation would head to China to follow the issue. The Chines delegation paid a visit to Arak heavy water reactor during their visit to Iran End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi forces making gains in battle for Mosul Iran Press TV Mon Oct 17, 2016 7:34AM Iraqi forces have made major advances in their battle to liberate the city of Mosul from Daesh. The operations are advancing from three directions, namely the south, the east, and the northeast of the city. Here is a series of the latest updates on the military push: The International Rescue Committee says that 200,000 people were likely to flee Mosul in first weeks of Iraq's anti-Daesh operation. The aid group also warns that up to 1 million people in total could flee their homes in search of safety as a result of the battle to retake Iraq's second largest city. The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, estimates that up to 100,000 Iraqis may flee Mosul for Syria and Turkey. The International Committee of the Red Cross has stressed the protection of refugees, saying they must be provided with safe passage. The head of the Joint Military Operation Command, General Talib Shaghati, says good progress has been made in the operation to liberate Mosul, adding that everything is moving forward according to plan. According to reports, the son of Masoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government, has been injured in an explosion east of Mosul amid the ongoing operation. Local media say two senior Iraqi military commanders had been killed near Mosul during the ongoing operation against Daesh . Residents of two villages south of Mosul have engaged Daesh terrorists, with reports saying they have killed six members of the Takfiri group in al-Lazakah and al-Houd. A commander of Iraqi volunteer fighters hailed people's rebellion against Daesh, saying it would hugely boost the morale of the military and allied forces in their push to liberate Mosul. Iraq's al-Sumaria news website said the Daesh terrorists had begun transferring the group's assets and cash money out of Mosul. It quoted local sources as saying that Daesh operatives were loading cash and valuables on trucks destined for the city of Raqqah, the de facto capital of the Takfiris in neighboring Syria. Military sources have said some 60,000 forces will be taking part in the Mosul operation. The Iraqi forces in the Qayyarah military base have headed to the south of Mosul to take part in the liberation operation. According to Iraq's al-Sumaria news website, the Iraqi security forces have reached the outskirts of the town of Hamdaniya, southeast of Mosul. The terrorists reportedly suffered heavy losses and causalities in the Iraqi operations. The Daesh terrorists have reportedly set fire to the oil wells in Hamdaniya in an attempt to hinder the advances of the forces and to provide cover from airstrikes. The Iraqi Defense Ministry has said in a statement that the villages of Ibrahim Khalil and Kan Harami have also been liberated from the control of Daesh, al-Sumaria reported. The report added that the Iraqi forces have laid a siege on the village of Dzizah in the Kawir front-line. The Iraqi security forces have also recaptured the village of Bazkertan in Hamdaniya, east of Mosul, a field source told Al-Forat, adding the Daesh terrorists have fled the village en masse. Iraqi security forces have also liberated the villages of al-Hod and Sirt, south of Mosul, Iraqi sources said, adding that the troops are now advancing toward the center of al-Shura district, which lies south of Mosul. Iraqi security forces have also killed a senior Daesh commander, Ahmed Khatab Omar, in Mosul. According to Al Iraqiya TV, the Iraqi forces have regained control of the villages of Ibn Nayef and Nejma, south of Mosul, as well. The towns of Hamam Ali and Namrud in southern Mosul have also been purged from Daesh presence. Iraqi media say more than 43 terrorist positions have been destroyed in intensified airstrikes conducted by the Iraqi air force and the international coalition led by the US since the beginning of the liberating operation. Iraqi joint forces have also liberated the villages of al-Khadr and al-Abbas, east of Mosul after fierce fighting with the Daesh terrorists. Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi has warned of potential revenge attacks by Daesh elsewhere in the country amid the losses the group is facing in Mosul. Iraq's Federal Police have advanced six kilometers in their battle against Daesh to the south of Mosul, according to the commander of the forces, Shaker Jawdat. According to Al-Forat New Agency, Iraq's Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have captured nine villages to the northeast of Mosul in the Khazer front-line on Monday. Shafaq News website had earlier said the Peshmerga fighters had captured the villages of Shaqoli, al-Badana al-Kobra and al-Badana al-Soghra to the east of Mosul. The commander of the armed forces in Kurdistan region said on Monday that more than 4,000 Peshmerga fighters are taking part in the operation for Mosul. The Popular Mobilization Units, also known by its Arabic name al-Hashed al-Sha'abi, have been firing artillery shells at the terrorists' positions in southern Mosul. Stephen O'Brien, the United Nations (UN)'s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, has expressed concern over the safety of the civilians trapped in Mosul. "Families are at extreme risk of being caught in cross-fire or targeted by snipers. Tens of thousands of Iraqi girls, boys, women and men may be under siege or held as human shields." He added, "Depending on the intensity and scope of the fighting, as many as one million people may be forced to flee their homes in a worst-case scenario." According to UN figures, up to one and a half million civilians may be trapped in the city. Iraq wants complete withdrawal of Turkish troops Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday warned Turkey about the repercussions of Ankara's deployment of troops north of Iraq and said Baghdad wants a complete pull-out of Turkish troops. Abadi slammed Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for defending the controversial deployment, saying Erdogan should know that Iraq is no place for picnicking of Turkish soldiers. Turkey will play a role in Mosul operation Erdogan has again rejected calls by Baghdad for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Iraqi territory. He said on Monday that it would be "unthinkable" for Ankara not to participate in the Mosul operation, stressing Turkey will certainly be part of the offensive to retake the city. Historic coordination between Iraqi army, Peshmerga fighters Iraqi Kurdish leader Barzani has hailed the "historic" coordination between Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters participating in the Mosul operation, saying some 200 square kilometers of land were purged of Daesh militants on the first day of the offensive. Unity key factor in Mosul liberation Iraqi President Fuad Masum ensured Iraqis on Monday that Mosul will be liberated soon and reiterated the need for unity among various ethnic groups as a key element in the army's push to retake Mosul. Turkey must not intervene in Mosul operation Senior Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says Turkey must not intervene in the operation to retake Mosul, stressing the Mosul operation "is exclusively within the domain of the Iraqi army" and Turkey and others have no right to use the battle as a way of settling scores with others. This comes as Turkish media said on Monday that Ankara had sent a delegation to the Iraqi capital for talks on the controversial deployment of Turkish troops to the Iraqi soil. The reports say the delegation, headed by Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Umit Yalcn, will try to persuade Iraq to reconsider its objection to the presence of Turkish troops. Saving a city in distress The Iraqi premier announced the start of the operations to liberate Mosul from Daesh terrorists on Sunday. The city fell to the Takfiri Daesh terrorists in June 2014 shortly after they unleashed a campaign of terror and destruction in the northern and western parts of Iraq. Forces from al-Hashed al-Sha'abi as well as Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are backing the Iraqi army in the final push to liberate Mosul, the last major Daesh stronghold in Iraq. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Shiite Militias Insist on Joining Liberation of Mosul By Jamie Dettmer October 17, 2016 Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has promised only regular Iraqi forces will enter Sunni-dominated Mosul in the battle to oust jihadists who have controlled the city for two years. However, in the runup to the assault, leaders of Shiite militias say they will be part of the liberation of the Islamic State terror group's last major Iraqi stronghold. And some have threatened to attack U.S. special forces and military advisers assisting in the offensive to retake Iraq's second-largest city. The threats are prompting alarm that Shiite militias won't abide by the Iraqi government's orders to stay out of the urban center and to restrict their operations to villages on the outskirts of Mosul, home to more than 1 million people. Qais al-Khazali, the secretary-general of the Shiite Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq, one of the 40 Iran-influenced militias making up the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), issued heavily sectarian threats. He insisted his fighters will help to liberate Mosul "in vengeance against the slayers of Hussein," a reference to Sunni Muslims. The comments were made in an Iraq television interview recorded by a monitoring group, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). In the interview, the cleric said Shiite fighters "are fighting out of love for [Imam] Hussein. When they fight, they are killing the enemies of Hussein. The enemies of Hussein are the enemies of the Messenger of Allah." He added: "Dear brothers, the Popular Mobilization Units must participate in the liberation of Mosul. But this is old news. The Popular Mobilization Units will participate in it. We are not asking for anyone's permission." Shiite, Kurdish fighters In his televised address Monday announcing the start of the Mosul campaign, al-Abadi labored the point that only Iraqi armed forces would liberate the city. "These forces that are liberating you today, they have one goal in Mosul which is to get rid of Daesh and to secure your dignity. They are there for your sake," he told the city's residents, using an Arab acronym for the extremist group. But before the prime minister's speech, military officials acknowledged that more than 25,000 troops, including paramilitary forces made up of Sunni tribal fighters and Shiite militiamen, will take part in the offensive being launched from all around the city. Under the plan, say Iraqi military officials, Kurdish peshmerga forces from the east will act as a vanguard and then stop on the city's edge, allowing Iraqi regulars to advance on the city's urban center. Likewise, Shiite militiamen are meant to stop short in the south and west, where they are focused on Tal Afar, on the city's outskirts, leaving elite Iraqi units such as the 1st Battalion of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces, to lead the charge. Several PMU militia leaders have expressed anger in the runup to the offensive over the presence of U.S. military advisers and special forces, and have threatened to attack them. Some have been quoted in regional media as saying the U.S. military is an occupation force and that they will fight the Americans. Threats to U.S. troops Khazali also has made public threats against U.S. troops, along with PMU leader Rayan al-Kaldani, who said this month, "The PMU will be dealing with any illegitimate and foreign forces in Mosul the way it deals with the gangs of the Islamic State." PMU militias, which have had support from the Iranian revolutionary guards Quds Force, are meant to fall under the command of Iraq's security services but often shrug off orders from Baghdad. They have been credited as being crucial in the fight against IS and were seen as the key tactical factor in ousting IS fighters from the town of Tikrit 18 months ago. Sunni Muslims and rights groups such as Amnesty International also have accused some of the militias of sectarian-motivated war crimes, including summary executions, torture and abductions. In the wake of claims of egregious behavior by the Shiite militias in Tikrit, Iraqi authorities declared perpetrators of war crimes would be punished. Top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged militias to avoid war crimes. Militia leaders insist abuses are isolated incidents. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called the start of Iraqi operations to liberate Mosul "a decisive moment in the campaign" to deliver a lasting blow to the jihadists. Carter said the U.S. and other members of the international coalition "stand ready to support the Iraqi Security Forces, peshmerga fighters and the people of Iraq in the difficult fight ahead," but he made no mention of Shiite militias. U.S. officials have warned Shiite militia leaders that if they fail to coordinate their operations with the Iraqi security forces, they will risk being hit accidentally during the U.S.-led coalition raids. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Readies for Humanitarian Impact of Mosul Operation By Margaret Besheer October 17, 2016 The United Nations is bracing for what could be its biggest humanitarian challenge. As Iraqi and Kurdish forces move to liberate Iraq's second-largest city from Islamic State fighters, the U.N. said Monday as many as 1 million civilians could try to flee the fighting. "Of the million, upward of 700,000 people would need some kind of shelter," U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq Lise Grande told reporters on a video link from Baghdad. "In a worst-case scenario, we would also expect of the 700,000 people, if there was lots of destruction in the city, they could be displaced for months on end," she added. She warned that if the U.N. and its partners had to care for that many people for an extended period, "then it would test us to the breaking point." The U.N. already is grossly underfunded for its Iraq humanitarian operation overall and that was before Mosul. Grande warned that civilians inside Mosul are at risk from various dangers. "Our concern is that civilians are at extreme risk from crossfire, from possible artillery barrage. We understand that ISIL has booby trapped large parts of the city," she said, using an acronym for Islamic State. Grande said they also are worried about snipers, civilians being used as human shields or IS forcibly expelling people from the city. She added that the possibility of a chemical weapons attack cannot be ruled out. Safety of refugees When Fallujah was liberated from IS in June, Grande said the Iraqi government established safe corridors through which to evacuate residents. It publicly announced where those corridors were, and IS attacked some of the routes. She said this time there will be safe corridors, but their locations will quietly be made known to humanitarian supporters and others inside the city, to more safely evacuate residents. Fear of violent reprisals by IS militants for daring to leave did not stop Ali Hussein, who described his 14-hour ordeal in an interview with VOA. "We walked for hours in the minefields with no food or water," said Hussein, who is now at Garmawa refugee camp in northern Mosul. Some families are so desperate to flee ahead of the military offensive that the price they are paying smugglers has skyrocketed. Reportedly, the cost a month ago for a family to flee was $1,500; it costs as much as $10,000 per person now. "Anyone living under IS territory will try to escape at any price," Hussein added. The U.N. hopes families will be able to remain in Mosul but only as long as it is safe. "If civilians feel that they need to go, they need to go safely across the front line into emergency areas where they can get assistance," Grande emphasized. Assisting the displaced Grande said there are six emergency sites operating that can accommodate 60,000 people. In the coming weeks, they hope to expand that to 22 sites that can shelter more than 400,000 people. There are ready-to-eat food rations for 238,000 people, and 270,000 family food parcels that contain dry food rations. The Iraqi Red Crescent also is ready with more than 100,000 food parcels. "We have a lot of confidence in the food pipeline; that's in very good shape," Grande said. She urged people who do decide to leave Mosul not to move westward toward Tal Afar or Syria. "The U.N. will not have access to those areas," she said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UPDATES: Day 2 of the battle for Mosul Iran Press TV Tue Oct 18, 2016 5:50AM Tuesday marks the second day of military operations by the Iraqi army, volunteer Shia and Sunni fighters as well as Kurdish Peshmerga forces to liberate the city of Mosul, the last stronghold of Daesh Takfiri terrorists in Iraq, which they overran in June 2014. Operations to free the city have been the subject of long planning, and the large-scale offensives are targeting the city from three different directions. Below is a series of live updates on the second day of the battle for Mosul. US President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that the battle for Mosul will be a tough one, adding that he was sure the offensive would drive Daesh terrorists out of the city. "Mosul will be a difficult fight. There will be advances and there will be setbacks," he said, adding that he expected "significant displacement" of civilians from Mosul. Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari says in a press conference with the European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, in Brussels that liberation of Mosul needs special effort due to the city's area, inhabitants, and religious diversity. He added that Iraqi forces observe all human rights norms in their battle to retake Mosul. Iraqi forces raise the country's flag over governorate building of Hamdaniyah town east of Mosul. The Syrian army has accused the so-called U.S.-led coalition of planning to help Daesh terrorist to flee Mosul across the Syrian border, saying in a statement that "any attempt to cross the border is an attack on the sovereignty of Syria ... and would be dealt with all forces available." Daesh terrorists have transferred residents of 16 villages in Nineveh province to the center of Mosul in order to use them as human shield. Iraqi fighter jets have targeted a convoy of Daesh terrorists as they were fleeing Mosul. A military source told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network on Tuesday that the Iraqi military aircraft had struck 30 vehicles the previous night in an area close to the border with Syria. The source added that the slain terrorists, mostly non-Arabs, were escaping Mosul toward Raqqah, which is Daesh's so-called headquarters in Syria. Fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units have shot and killed a senior Daesh operative, identified as Khalaf Salem, in a hilly area on the outskirts of Mosul as he was fleeing the pro-government forces. Salem was reportedly in charge of executions and "public treasury" in Mosul. Popular Mobilization Units fighters have also killed a Daesh militant commander, identified as Abd Davood Fahd, in an area on the southern outskirts of Mosul. Hissam Abaar, a member of the Nineveh Provincial Council, has said that Kurdish Peshmerga forces are only 12 kilometers way from Mosul's downtown and are making advances through Khazir region east of the city. Army troops have advanced into the Christian-majority town of Qarqoush, east of Mosul, and raised the national Iraqi flag over a building. Iraq's Joint Operations Command has also announced that four vehicles belonging to Daesh militants were destroyed in the Nayef Village south of Mosul. Several terrorists were killed as a result. A security source has said Iraqi F-16 fighter jets have pounded a Daesh workshop used for making bombs and rigging cars with explosives in the al-Tamim neighborhood of Mosul. Iraqi fighter jets have also targeted a boat carrying several female Daesh operatives in the artificial man-made lake behind Badush Dam, located 16 kilometers northwest of Mosul. The women, among them a high-profile terrorist identified as Um Hafsa al-Omari, were using the boat to flee away from the area. Iraq's state-run al-Iraqiya television network also reported on Tuesday that government forces had wrested control over 56 oil wells in the Ain al-Jahash region, located more than 60 kilometers south of Mosul, following fierce clashes with Daesh militants. Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has announced that up to 200 square kilometers were cleared in the first phase of the battle to liberate Mosul, thanks to close coordination between the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces. Meanwhile, a Peshmerga commander has said the Kurdish forces have brought their Mosul operations to a standstill after the recapture of a number of villages to the east of the city. Colonel Khathar Sheikhan said on Tuesday that his troops have accomplished their objectives, and "are just holding positions" in the Khazir region. Camps in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region are preparing for an influx of more internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Mosul. Thousands of IDPs are fleeing to the Debaga camp on the outskirts of Erbil following the launch of the Mosul operations. "The more civilians will feel protected inside Mosul, the less they will be displaced. And for those who feel they have to go because it is dangerous, they have to be treated with dignity, with respect in full respect of their rights," Filippo Grandi, the United Nations (UN)'s High Commissioner for Refugees, said after visiting the camp and learning of the refugees' situation. Tensions around the Turkish Embassy Meanwhile, thousands of angry demonstrators have marched on the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad to condemn Ankara's military presence in northern Iraq. The military deployment by Turkey inside Iraq has come without permission by Iraqi officials and has become a source of real tension between Ankara and Baghdad. Iraqi security forces later moved to close all roads leading to the diplomatic mission. Prominent Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had called on his followers late on Monday to converge outside the Turkish Embassy in a show of support for the Iraqi army's operations to retake and voice their outrage over the deployment of the Turkish forces at the Bashiqa military camp, located roughly 12 kilometers northeast of the militant-held city. Battles elsewhere Iraqi government forces are also making headways in operations against Daesh extremists elsewhere in the country. Iraqi warplanes struck militant hideouts in al-Harariyat region near the oil-rich city of Baiji, leaving 40 terrorists dead. Iraq's Joint Operations Command said government forces had intercepted and targeted a Daesh surveillance drone as it was flying in the skies over al-Khanoukah district in the country's northern province of Salahuddin. Elsewhere, in the town of al-Shirqat, located 100 kilometers south of Mosul, at least 50 Daesh members were killed as Iraqi army soldiers engaged them in two separate offensives. Daesh has been ravaging the northern and western parts of Iraq since June 2014. France to host intl. talks on Mosul Thursday French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault says his country will host an international meeting on the future of Mosul on Thursday. "We must anticipate, plan for the 'day after', and the stabilization of Mosul after the military battle," Ayrault said Tuesday, adding, "If we want to fight effectively against terrorism it is essential to take this city." Meanwhile, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the battle to retake Mosul from Daesh could take "months." "It could be a long battle, it's not a blitzkrieg.... It's a lengthy affair (lasting) several weeks, maybe months," he told reporters in Paris. IOM warns against human shields in Mosul The International Organization for Migration's (IOM) warned on Tuesday that Daesh terrorists may use tens of thousands of Mosul residents as human shields to prevent further advances by the government forces. "Tens of thousands of people may be forcibly expelled, they will be getting trapped between fighting lines under siege, they may be even held as human shields," IOM's Iraq chief, Thomas Weiss, said, adding, "We also fear, and there has been some evidence that ISIL (an alternative name for Daesh) might be using chemical weapons. Children, the elderly, disabled, will be particularly vulnerable." 'EU should brace for return of home-grown extremists' Moreover, the European Union (EU)'s security commissioner, Julian King, has warned that many European extremists fighting for Daesh in Mosul may return to their home countries once the Iraqi city is retaken by Baghdad. "The retaking of Daesh's northern Iraq stronghold, Mosul, may lead to the return to Europe of violent Daesh fighters," King told German national daily newspaper Die Welt. He said the return of even a handful of terrorists from Mosul would pose a "serious threat that we must prepare ourselves for." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kurdish Commanders Claim Quick Gains As Mosul Offensive Opens RFE/RL October 18, 2016 Kurdish commanders claimed wide advances as Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition jets, opened their assault on Mosul, part of a long-awaited effort to retake the northern Iraqi city from Islamic State militants. After a day of artillery fire, bombs, and missiles that sent plumes of smoke into the air, Kurdish forces said on October 17 that they had retaken around 200 square kilometers and pushed back Islamic State fighters. The battle to recapture Mosul, which has been under Islamic State control since 2014, is the largest military operation in Iraq since U.S. troops left in 2011. Both Iraqi and U.S. officials are hoping a victory will deal a decisive blow to the extremist fighters, who stunned Iraq and Syria by seizing vast swaths of territory two years ago. Government forces moved on the city from the Qayyarah base, some 60 kilometers south of Mosul, while Kurdish Peshmerga fighters advanced from the east. The gains on the first day of battle appeared largely symbolic, as the allied forces moved into villages that were mainly empty of inhabitants. But U.S. Defense Department spokesman Peter Cook said it appeared the Iraqi forces were ahead of schedule so far. "Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far and that they are ahead of schedule for this first day. This is going according to the Iraqi plan, but again, it's early, and the enemy gets a vote here," Cook told reporters in Washington. "We will see whether [Islamic State] stands and fights. We are confident no matter what, however, that the Iraqis have the capabilities to get this job done and we stand ready to support them along with the rest of the coalition," he said. Earlier, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, dressed in a military uniform and surrounded by Iraqi officers, announced the beginning of the operation with great fanfare. "The hour of victory has come," Abadi said. He also vowed that only government forces would enter Mosul, a Sunni-majority city. That's important because Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias have been taking part in operations around Mosul. Those militias have been accused of abuses against Sunni civilians, raising concerns about the treatment of Sunni civilians in Mosul. "The force leading liberation operations is the brave Iraqi Army with the national police, and they are the ones that will enter Mosul, not others," Abadi said. The effort to retake Mosul stands as a key military goal for the Abadi government but also a crucial political one, to show that the central government is capable of uniting some of the country's disparate ethnic factions and rival clans behind a common goal. Iraqi Brigadier General Haidar Fadhil told the Associated Press that more than 25,000 troops were taking part in the offensive. The general command of the Peshmerga said the operation also included up to 4,000 Kurdish fighters who were seizing control of IS-held villages east of Mosul. It said the operation was coordinated with Iraqi federal forces moving from the south and had received extensive air support from the U.S.-led coalition. Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, commander of the U.S.-led coalition forces, said the campaign would likely continue for weeks, possibly longer. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said the operation was key to defeating the IS militants. The United Nations has expressed "extreme concern" for the safety of up to 1.5 million people in and around Mosul. "This is a decisive moment in the campaign to deliver" a lasting defeat to IS, Carter said. "We are confident our Iraqi partners will prevail against our common enemy and free Mosul and the rest of Iraq" from the "hatred and brutality" of the extremists, he said. UN Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Stephen O'Brien said as many as 1 million people could be forced to flee their homes because of the operation. "Tens of thousands of Iraqi girls, boys, women, and men may be under siege or held as human shields," O'Brien said in a statement. "Thousands may be forcibly expelled or trapped between the fighting lines." Thousands of leaflets were dropped in recent days warning residents that the operation would be under way soon. With reporting by AFP and AP Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/iraq-islamicstate -mosul-syria/28057848.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Obama Confident Of IS Defeat After Second Day Of Mosul Offensive RFE/RL October 18, 2016 U.S. President Barack Obama says a battle now underway to recapture Iraq's northern city of Mosul from Islamic State (IS) militants will be "a difficult fight," but he is confident that Iraqi forces leading the military operation will defeat the militant group. Obama's comments on October 18 come a day after Baghdad announced that Iraqi government forces had begun the long-awaited offensive with support from U.S.-led coalition air strikes. Speaking at the White House in Washington, Obama said "the start of Iraqi operations to liberate Mosul is another major step forward." Obama said the IS militants who seized Mosul in June 2014 "will be defeated in Mosul." Earlier on October 18, Iraqi military commanders said progress was being made in their offensive after government forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters advanced to the south and the east of Mosul. Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has said that only the "Iraqi army with the national police" will enter Mosul, a Sunni-majority city. That's important because Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias have been taking part in operations around Mosul along with the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters raising concerns about how those forces might treat Sunni civilians after the liberation of Mosul. Correspondents positioned with the Peshmerga forces reported on October 18 that the Peshmerga advance had largely paused -- despite the lack of significant resistance by IS fighters east of Mosul. Peshmerga commanders stationed along that front said on October 18 that their 4,000 fighters in the battle were consolidating gains they had made the previous day. The deputy commander of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the battle, General Ato Zebari, indicated in an interview with Radio Farda that his forces have been tasked primarily with holding strategic positions at villages to the east of Mosul for now, before shifting toward other objectives outside of Mosul. Zebari told Radio Farda by telephone on October 18 that his troops were continuing to carry out their objectives in accordance with the battle plan. He said his Peshmerga troops were "being redeployed" and were "not everywhere," adding that the "operations will start on other front lines" in the coming days. 'Ahead Of Schedule' Meanwhile, Iraqi army forces on October 18 continued to advance from the south toward the east side of Mosul -- reaching the outskirts of the historically Christian town of Bakhida about 12 kilometers east of Mosul. Iraqi army forces also advanced on October 18 to the town of Houd to the south of Mosul. The Pentagon said late on October 17 that Iraqi forces appeared to be "ahead of schedule" after their first day of operations. Correspondents confirmed they had seized positions in villages outside of Mosul that were being defended by small pockets of IS fighters who had faced an intensive aerial bombardment ahead of the ground advance. But Western military officials also warned that the battle would be long and difficult -- particularly after government forces reach the city of Mosul and the battle transforms into one of urban combat. Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, commander of the U.S.-led coalition forces, said the campaign was likely to continue for weeks, possibly longer. An AFP correspondent at Qayyarah Airfield West, the main staging base for Iraqi government troops about 60 kilometers south of Mosul, reported that Iraqi police were being rotated in and out of the front line on October 18. Meanwhile, speaking by telephone from inside Mosul, resident Abu Saif told AFP that heavy smoke was hanging over city because IS fighters were burning tires in an attempt to shield themselves from air strikes. EU Commissioner Warns Of Militant Influx In related news, the European Union's security commissioner has warned that the bloc should be prepared for an influx of militants if the Islamic State (IS) group is driven out of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Even a small number of militants would pose "a serious threat that we must prepare ourselves for," said Julian King in an interview with Germany's Die Welt newspaper published on October 18. The UN has warned that as many as 1 million people may be forced from their homes during the campaign, which is expected to continue for weeks, possibly longer. King, a Briton, also said that some 2,500 IS fighters from what he called the combat areas were from EU member states. In Berlin, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said efforts to combat the IS group in Iraq and Syria won't increase the risk of attacks at home, noting that "the threat is already high." De Maiziere said authorities expect IS fighters from Europe to try to return as the group faces military setbacks, but that authorities are working to minimize security threats. Some 30,000 Iraqi government troops are involved in the campaign the largest military operation in Iraq since the withdrawal in 2011 of most U.S. troops. With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and the BBC Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/mosul-eu- commissioner-militant-influx- islamic-state/28060967.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi, Kurdish Fighters Make Gains in Battle to Retake Mosul From Islamic State By Jamie Dettmer October 18, 2016 Iraqi and Kurdish forces say they have retaken a dozen villages outside Mosul, as they press to reclaim Iraq's second largest city from Islamic State militants. The long-awaited offensive, backed by airstrikes from a U.S.-led coalition, and involving Sunni tribal forces and Shi'ite militias, continued on its second day Tuesday. Fighting remains on the outskirts of Mosul, and the advances on the three fronts are moving at different paces. U.S. President Barack Obama, speaking in Washington Tuesday, said Mosul will be a "difficult fight" but expressed confidence that IS will be defeated in the city. "Perhaps a million civilians are still living there so in addition to rooting our ISIL, our focus jointly is on the safety and humanitarian aid for civilians who are escaping the fight," he said. East of Mosul, the Kurdish peshmerga forces advanced quickly, but in the south Iraqi armed forces have been making slower progress because they have more ground to cover, having begun their operations 40 kilometers from the edge of Mosul. On the first day of the offensive, Iraqi regulars along with Shi'ite militiamen overran three villages. Their target Tuesday is the village of Zawiya. Kurdish President Masoud Barzani said on Monday the coalition freed 200 square kilometers, including nine villages. He declared "Mosul will be liberated," and added that his fighters are doing their best to keep the city from becoming like war-battered Aleppo in Syria. Iraqi officials say there will be no sustained airstrikes on the city center to avoid high casualties among the more than one million civilians still in the city. This is the largest and most complex military operation in Iraq since U.S. combat forces left the country five years ago it involves 94,000 Iraqi-led troops and about 90 coalition and Iraqi war planes, as well as the Sunni and Shi'ite militias. However, it is raising concerns about the safety of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the area and aid agencies are warning of a likely humanitarian crisis. IS has held the city for more than two years. 'Ahead of schedule' A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said Tuesday the operation is "on or ahead of schedule" and that the militants are not able to stop the Iraqi and Kurdish forces with small arms and improvised explosives. While they can't stop the advances, they can slow them. Movement forward by all coalition forces is methodical, with commanders opting for caution as they come under mortar and sniper fire. On the southern front, Iraqi troops are moving painstakingly into the village of Abbas, which is larger than most of its neighbors. Pockets of IS militants have been mounting lightning attacks. Iraqi troops are also fearful of improvised bombs, which have been planted in the main thoroughfares. In the east, there were conflicting reports about why some Kurdish peshmerga Tuesday appeared to have paused their advance. Some Kurdish commanders said they had done so to allow Iraqi forces, who are earmarked to enter the city, to move forward; others said they were in the process of re-ordering their own units. Peshmerga commander Bakhtyar Sadeeq told VOA: "There is no halt in our operation. The peshmerga forces paused moving forward because we coordinate with the Iraqi military. We have achieved our goal in the first day. Now the Iraqi army will take it from there. In fact, Iraqi troops have made significant advances today." There have been several reports of IS suicide bombers driving cars packed with explosives at their foes. Soon after the peshmerga offensive began early Monday with Kurdish troops moving over dirt mounds marking the front-line between them and IS fighters on the eastern or Khazir front, IS offered stiff resistance, trying to strike back with mortar fire and car bombs. Two cars driving at speed at the peshmerga were destroyed by airstrikes but another managed to get close to the Kurds before being detonating, say commanders. Long fight expected U.S. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve tamped down expectations of a quick victory at Mosul. "This may prove to be a long and tough battle, but the Iraqis have prepared for it and we will stand by them," he said. The peshmerga Chief of General Staff, Jamal Iminiki, also cautioned reporters not to expect a rapid collapse of IS resistance. IS militants, who have been on the back foot in Iraq and some parts of Syria in recent months, have had plenty of time to prepare and have constructed elaborate defenses, including a network of tunnels, in the city. Up to 5,000 IS fighters are in Mosul, one U.S. military official estimates, however the terror group's supporters put the number at 7,000. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Monday U.S. troops are on the Mosul outskirts in a support role, but that "Iraqis are in the lead." "Americans are in harm's way as part of this fight," he said, but most are "far away" from the front lines. U.S. officials say there are more than 3,000 Western military advisers and special forces commandos in northern Iraq. Monday and Tuesday, Iraqi planes continued to drop leaflets warning civilians in Mosul and outlying villages of the offensive, urging them to stay indoors and to avoid any IS positions, which may prove difficult, with IS fighters throughout the city. The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs called on all participating forces to ensure the safety of civilians in Mosul and Iraqi commanders say they are taking steps to help civilians escape. Sirwan Kajjo and National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan Says 3rd Chinese-built Nuclear Reactor Goes Into Operation By Ayaz Gul October 17, 2016 Pakistan has connected its new, largely Chinese-built nuclear reactor to the national grid as part of broader plans to overcome long-running crippling power shortages. The facility is located at Chashma, a town in the central province of Punjab, where China has constructed two other nuclear reactors, known as Chashma-1 and Chashma-2. They went into operation in 2000 and 2011 respectively, supplying 600 megawatts of electricity to the grid. The so-called Chashma-3 project, with an installed capacity of 340 megawatts, was inaugurated "on trial basis" this past Saturday, according to a spokesman for the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). "After performing various safety and functional tests, the plant will attain full power in first fortnight of December 2016," Shahid Riaz, told VOA Monday. Canada helped Pakistan build its first nuclear power plant 44 years ago in the southern port city of Karachi, which Riaz said is currently generating around 80 megawatts of electricity. Other projects Pakistan is also constructing another two plants in Karachi with China's help at a cost of around $10 billion scheduled to be completed by 2021, with a combined capacity of around 2,200 megawatts. Under the agreement, Beijing will also provide enriched uranium for fuel. Islamabad's so-called Energy Security Plan envisages a nuclear power production of around 8,800 megawatts by 2030 and 40,000 megawatts by the year 2050. The deepening nuclear cooperation between the traditionally close allies comes amid reservations that Pakistan is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which binds member nations to ensure fissile materials are not used for making weapons. Islamabad dismisses any such concerns. Pakistan tested nuclear devices in 1998 in response to similar tests by arch-rival India. New Delhi also refuses to sign NPT. IAEA safeguards Pakistani authorities maintain that all of their civilian nuclear facilities are under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and the country "voluntarily" observes a moratorium on nuclear testing. Analysts see growing nuclear cooperation between the two countries as a response to the 2005 commercial deal between the United States and India. Islamabad has since been unhappy about what it and criticizes it as a discriminatory U.S. approach and has been seeking a similar deal with Washington. Beijing sees the growing U.S.-India nuclear axis as a geopolitical challenge. Beijing is also investing billions of dollars to build an energy corridor to link Western China and Pakistan's southern deep-water port of Gwadar in the Arabian Sea. The $46 billion so-called China-Pakistan Energy Corridor (CPEC) will see construction of road and rail networks as well as power projects producing thousands of megawatts of electricity to help Pakistan overcome its energy crisis. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India Not Concerned About China-Pak Submarine Deal Sputnik News 17:59 18.10.2016 China has officially admitted that it will supply eight attack submarines to Pakistan. Currently, Pakistan operates five French-made submarines while India operates 14. New Delhi (Sputnik) Vice Admiral GS Pabby, the Indian Navy's Chief Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, says, "We are not concerned about such a deal. We are only concerned about our submarine program, which is running behind schedule. As far as China's decision to sell eight submarines to Pakistan is concerned, the Indian Navy is far ahead of Pakistan and much more capable in terms of strength." Last week, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation confirmed a project to export 8 attack submarines to Pakistan. Many reports state that the size of the deal could be between USD 4 billion and 5 billion. Under the deal, four submarines will be made at Pakistan's shipyard and the remaining four will be built in China. China will supply four submarines by 2023. Currently, Pakistan operates five French-built Agosta submarines, while arch-rival India has 14 submarines including one Russian-made Akula-class sub and 9 kilo-class submarines. Pakistan has a total coast line of approximately 685 miles while India has to protect a coast that stretches 4,670 miles. Meanwhile, India has commissioned the first Indian-produced nuclear submarine, Arihant, to be built in August this year. "There will soon be an opportunity to talk about the Arihant," Pabby said. There is another submarine to be inducted in the Navy very soon. Sea trials of first of the six Scorpene submarines began in May and it's expected to join the Navy at any time this year. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sanctions against Russia over Syria possible: Germany Iran Press TV Tue Oct 18, 2016 4:0PM Measures against Russia over the deadly conflict in Syria remain on the table, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said ahead of talks between leaders from the two countries in Berlin. Speaking at a news conference after meeting Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela in Berlin on Tuesday, Merkel said she and France's President Francois Hollande will discuss Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a planned meeting on Ukraine on Wednesday. "Given this situation, I believe no option - including that of sanctions - can be taken off the table," she said. The German chancellor further cautioned against expecting "miracles," adding, however, that "talking is always necessary, even when opinions are a long way apart." Syria has been gripped by foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011. Moscow has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria at the Damascus government's request since last September. Germany to host talks on crisis in eastern Ukraine The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine are expected to meet in Berlin on Wednesday evening to discuss the implementation of the Minsk peace plan to end the crisis in eastern Ukraine. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the Berlin summit would aim to set a timetable for elections in the Donbass region - the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk - and to focus on further military disengagement. The negotiations will take place just over a year after the four leaders last met within the so-called Normandy Four format. The group has met periodically since June 2014 seeking to resolve the Ukraine crisis. The government in Kiev and pro-Russia forces signed a ceasefire agreement in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, in September 2014. The warring sides also inked another truce deal, dubbed Minsk II, in February 2015 under the supervision of Russia, Germany and France, after the first one failed to hold. Since then, however, both parties have, on numerous occasions, accused each other of breaking the truce. Poroshenko says not optimistic about Berlin meeting Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stressed that he does not have "very high expectations" for the discussions. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attends a press conference in Oslo, Norway, October 18, 2016. (Photo by AFP) "Am I very optimistic? Yes. I am very optimistic about the future of Ukraine but unfortunately not so much about tomorrow's meeting, but I would be very happy to be surprised," Poroshenko told a joint press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg in Oslo on Tuesday. He also accused Moscow of violating its commitment to the Minsk agreement, claiming that "peace in Europe depends solely on Putin." No agreement in sight: Kremlin In another development, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, stressed that it was not possible to talk about any concrete agreements over Ukraine. "Indeed, the security situation along the demarcation line leaves a lot to be desired, provocations are ongoing," Peskov said, noting, "Of course, all this does not promote the process of achieving the implementation of the Minsk agreements." An unidentified European diplomatic source also opined that expectations were not high, but it was crucial to keep dialogue open, especially over Syria. The self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Moscow forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in mid-April 2014 to crush pro-Moscow protests there. The crisis has left more than 9,600 people dead and over 22,400 others injured. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Share of Naval Equipment in Russia's Arms Exports Totals 10% Sputnik News 16:32 18.10.2016(updated 17:45 18.10.2016) The share of naval equipment in Russia's total foreign orders arms sales in 2015 constituted about 10 percent and it was worth some 1.5 billion, according to Anatoly Punchuk, deputy director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation. PARIS (Sputnik) The share of naval equipment in Russia's arms exports totals 10 percent or $1.5 billion, Anatoly Punchuk, deputy director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said Tuesday. "The share of naval equipment in Russia's total foreign orders arms sales in 2015 constituted about 10 percent. It was worth some 1.5 billion," Punchuk, who heads the Russian delegation at the Euronaval-2016 defense exhibition in France, told RIA Novosti. Russia is one of the biggest arms exporters in the world with some $15 billion worth of weapons and military equipment, according to the FSMTC estimates. In 2015, Russia supplied Vietnam with two diesel submarines within the framework of the agreement on the delivery of six Varshavyanka-class Project 636 submarines. The same year, India expressed interest in the purchase of Russia's Project 11356 frigates. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia, Syria halt airstrikes on Aleppo ahead of schedule Iran Press TV Mon Oct 17, 2016 9:10PM Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has announced that Russian and Syrian airstrikes against the militant-held city of Aleppo have been halted. Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russian and Syrian air forces had stopped the airstrikes on Aleppo from 0700 GMT on the same day. The halt in the airstrikes came ahead of a "humanitarian pause" scheduled by Russia for October 20. When initially announced on Monday, the pause was scheduled to take effect on Thursday, from 0800 (0500 GMT) until 1600, to allow civilians and militants not affiliated to terrorist groups to leave the city. The Tuesday announcement by Shoigu may now mean that there will be no airstrikes on Aleppo for over 48 hours instead of the original eight. Shoigu also said that military experts will meet in Geneva on Wednesday to begin work on separating terrorist elements from other militant groups in Syria. Russia had earlier announced its readiness to halt operations at any moment in Aleppo on the request of humanitarian organizations. "We are prepared to cease fire and ensure the unhampered access of medical personnel to the city and ensure the evacuation of the injured and sick as soon as we get a request from humanitarian organizations," said the chief of the main operations directorate of Russia's General Staff, Sergey Rudskoy, on Monday. While noting that Russia is prepared "to discuss any initiatives and proposals for a settlement in Aleppo," Rudskoy added that the upcoming "humanitarian pause" is aimed at granting civilians and militants the opportunity to evacuate and withdraw from the city and for the wounded to seek medical attention. "We understand that the coordination of all issues can a take long time. Therefore, we decided not to delay a decision and initiate a 'humanitarian pause,' primarily for the free passage of civilians, the evacuation of the sick and wounded, as well as the withdrawal of fighters," he explained. Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, has been divided between government forces and foreign-backed militants since 2012. The Syrian army launched operations to reunite the government-held western part and the militant-held eastern section of Aleppo on September 22, with the support of the Russian air force. Upon a request from the government of President Bashar al-Assad, Russia has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria since September 30. Since then, it has killed hundreds of Daesh terrorists and other foreign-backed militants. 'For sure a positive step' The EU hailed Russia's announcement but said it would be continuing with its sanctions on the Syrian government. EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said Moscow's announcement was "positive" but not long enough for sufficient humanitarian aid to reach the divided city. "It can be a start... for sure it is a positive step," she said after a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg. "The latest assessment from the aid agencies (however) is that 12 hours is needed so work is needed to find common ground." UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also lauded the ceasefire, but stressed the "need for a longer pause in order to get the aid in." 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian Anticorruption Activists Dare 'Sissy Pants' Officials To Declare Assets Christopher Miller October 18, 2016 KYIV -- Ukrainians are attempting to shame top public officials into disclosing their financial assets by calling those who don't "sissy pants." Anticorruption activists played off the word "trusi," which means both underwear and cowards in Ukrainian, to emphasize their point as they assembled in front of the parliament building in Kyiv on October 18. With the aim of reminding bureaucrats that they are now legally required to file electronic asset declarations, the activists from a half-dozen anticorruption and reform groups hung boxers and thongs from makeshift clotheslines, waved posters adorned with underwear, and demanded in English, "Hey, sissy pants, submit your e-declarations!" Ukraine recently implemented a new electronic system for public officials to disclose their income and assets, part of a package of reforms demanded by Ukrainian reformists as well as the country's Western backers. The idea is to prevent public officials from hiding or underestimating their earnings and possessions, and the implementation of the new law is viewed as a much needed step in fighting systemic corruption. The activists believe that officials should come clean to the public they serve by complying with the law, or risk exposing their own dirty laundry, so to speak. Failure to file an e-declaration risks criminal prosecution. "Anyone who fails to file electronic declarations is subject to criminal liability," Vitaliy Shabunin, director of the Anticorruption Action Center (AntAC) and an organizer of the event, warned parliament deputies at the demonstration. Stuttering Start The much anticipated e-declaration system was delayed several times before finally being launched on August 15. But almost immediately it was found to have flaws in its design and application that prevented it from fully functioning and forced it to temporarily shut down. Skeptics accused the government of dragging its feet to allow officials with financial assets several times the amount of their actual government salaries to find a way to cleverly conceal them. The botched launch was seen as at least part of the reason for the delay of the most recent $1 billion tranche of International Monetary Fund (IMF) money to help steer war-stricken Ukraine out of recession and replenish its foreign reserves. The IMF money was finally approved on September 15, following the relaunch of the e-system on September 1. But as of October 13, only around 6,500 public officials -- or about 13 percent of some 50,000 nationwide -- had entered their annual declarations in the state register, according to AntAC. The official deadline for all public officials to submit their electronic declarations is October 31. Among those who have yet to declare their earnings are President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman, and speaker of parliament Andriy Parubiy. None of the three, who were called out in a tweet by Shabunin that said they should serve as an example for all officials by filing well before the deadline, was immediately available for comment. The activists, armed with their signs and "sissy pants," later took their protest down the road to the Cabinet of Ministers and the presidential administration. "Only the corrupt are afraid of the e-declaration system," they said. Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine -anticorruption-protesters- sissy-pants/28061239.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Four Malaysian mobile operators say they have agreed to use the governments state-owned 5G network, paving the way for an increased rollout in the country. GREENSBORO Just when we thought it was the new Thanksgiving tradition, mall operators are rethinking opening their doors on the holiday for consumers. CBL & Associates Properties, owner of Friendly Center and Mall of America in Minnesota, the country's largest mall, said recently that their malls will be closed on Thanksgiving. It's an abrupt reversal to a trend in recent years that saw more retailers opening on the holiday. We want to bring back the excitement of Black Friday shopping as the true start of the holiday shopping season and allow our employees, retailers and shoppers to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their families, said Stephen Lebovitz, president and chief executive officer of CBL & Associates, in a statement. Lebovitz said on Twitter last week that CBL & Associates had received overwhelming support for the decision. Stores at Friendly Center, whose tenants all have exterior entrances, will have the option to open, a spokeswoman for CBL & Associates said last week. But at CBL's enclosed malls, such as Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem, access to common areas will be restricted until 6 a.m. on Black Friday the day after Thanksgiving. Department stores, movie theaters and other retailers that have exterior mall entrances will have the choice of opening on Thanksgiving, the mall owner said. CBL & Associates, based in Chattanooga, Tenn., also owns Randolph Mall in Asheboro and Alamance Crossing in Burlington. Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., will also close on Thanksgiving, saying it wants to "give the holiday back to the 15,000 employees who dedicate their time to millions of guests each year." Robia Gross, general manager of Four Seasons Town Centre, said retailers there will have the option of being open from 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving until midnight just as they did last year. The general manager of Tanger Outlets in Mebane, which has also previously opened on Thanksgiving, did not immediately respond to an email inquiring about the center's plans this year. Scaling back Thanksgiving Day shopping is something many consumers are likely to support. The idea of consumerism creeping into Thanksgiving has angered some of them enough to start Facebook campaigns in past years urging people to boycott shopping on the holiday. And Roger Beahm, executive director of the Center for Retail Innovation at Wake Forest University, said the benefits of opening on Thanksgiving are not as great given that consumers are shopping earlier for Christmas. "Many shoppers are starting earlier than ever to do their holiday shopping," Beahm said. "Theyre also doing more of their shopping online, so the need or the benefit of having a retail store open on Thanksgiving Day is actually lessened by those factors than it was even a few years ago. Beahm said stores that don't open on Thanksgiving will find other ways to make sales, such as by being more aggressive online. While some retailers are starting to reconsider opening on Thanksgiving, others never considered it. Costco and T.J. Maxx have refused to open on Thanksgiving. The office supply store Staples had previously opened on the holiday, but last year declined to do so. And REI, the Seattle-based outdoor sporting goods chain and consumer co-op that has a store in the Shops at Friendly Center, took things one step further last year and decided to close on Black Friday. /NOT FOR DISSEMINATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES AND NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO US NEWSWIRE SERVICES./ MELBOURNE, Oct. 18, 2016 /CNW/ - OceanaGold Corp. (TSX/ASX/NZX: OGC) (the "Company") confirms that it has received a letter from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ("DENR") along with the Didipio Audit Report ("Audit Report") that outlines the findings and recommendations from the recently completed audit of its Didipio Operations. According to the DENR letter, the Company has the opportunity to address the findings and recommendations contained within the Audit Report within seven days of receipt. The Company notes that, of the findings and recommendations outlined in the Audit Report, a number of them were discussed as a matter of routine with the DENR audit team during the DENR close out meeting following the completion of the audit in August. The findings in the Audit Report relate mostly to a need to further educate a broader group of stakeholders on specific aspects of the operations. The vast majority of recommendations relate to the need to further expand the Company's Information, Education and Communication ("IEC") program. Furthermore, the "findings" on the Didipio operations publicised during the DENR press conference on 26 September 2016, were not included as findings outlined in the Audit Report. The Audit Report states that the Company "has extended more than what is required by law" and "was found to be complying its permitting requirements set forth by different Philippine Environmental LawsMoreover its operations are being governed by an Environmental Management System that is ISO 14001:2004 compliant" The Audit Report goes on to say that the area of Didipio, "has to deal with illegal artisanal small scale mining activities that contribute to the degradation of the immediate environment and waterbodies..." and includes a recommendation to government agencies to stop these illegal operations. Mick Wilkes, President and CEO said, "The Didipio Mine is a world class operation that operates in accordance with the highest industry standards for health, safety, environment, community and sustainability. The results of the Audit Report and discussions we've had with the audit team and with government officials including those within the DENR clearly demonstrates this. In our discussions with the DENR and government officials, we have good alignment and we look forward to our collective efforts to advance a responsible mining sector." Mr. Wilkes added, "As such, I am very confident that our responses to the DENR will satisfy all of the findings and recommendations that have been raised." He went on to say, "I am also pleased that the Didipio operation was nominated by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, an agency of the DENR, for the 2016 Presidential 'Most Environmentally Responsible Mining Operation" for a third straight year. As the award recipient in 2015 and nominee again in 2016, we believe that the Didipio operation is the template for what President Duterte is seeking when stating his desire for a responsible mining sector within the Philippines." The Didipio Mine continues to operate without interruption and 2016 guidance is firmly maintained. About OceanaGold OceanaGold Corp. is a mid-tier, low-cost, multinational gold producer with assets located in the Philippines, New Zealand and the United States. The Company's assets encompass its flagship operation, the Didipio Gold-Copper Mine located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. On the North Island of New Zealand, the Company operates the high-grade Waihi Gold Mine while on the South Island of New Zealand, the Company operates the largest gold mine in the country at the Macraes Goldfield which is made up of a series of open pit mines and the Frasers underground mine. In the United States, the Company is currently constructing the Haile Gold Mine, a top-tier asset located in South Carolina along the Carolina Terrane. The Company expects the Haile Gold Mine to commence commercial production in early 2017. OceanaGold also has a significant pipeline of organic growth and exploration opportunities in the Asia-Pacific and Americas regions. OceanaGold has operated sustainably over the past 26 years with a proven track record for environmental management and community and social engagement. The Company has a strong social license to operate and works collaboratively with its valued stakeholders to identify and invest in social programs that are designed to build capacity and not dependency. In 2016, the Company expects to produce 385,000 to 425,000 ounces of gold from the combined New Zealand and Didipio operations and 19,000 to 21,000 tonnes of copper from the Didipio operation at All-In Sustaining Costs of US$700 to US$750 per ounce. Cautionary Statement for Public Release Certain information contained in this public release may be deemed "forward-looking" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information relate to future performance and reflect the Company's expectations regarding the outcome of the DENR audit and its impact on the Didipio operation, the generation of free cash flow, execution of business strategy, future growth, future production, estimated costs, results of operations, business prospects and opportunities of OceanaGold Corp. and its related subsidiaries. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements and information. They include, among others, the accuracy of mineral reserve and resource estimates and related assumptions, inherent operating risks and those risk factors identified in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form prepared and filed with securities regulators which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's name. There are no assurances the Company can fulfil forward-looking statements and information. Such forward-looking statements and information are only predictions based on current information available to management as of the date that such predictions are made; actual events or results may differ materially as a result of risks facing the Company, some of which are beyond the Company's control. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release is based on reasonable assumptions, readers cannot be assured that actual outcomes or results will be consistent with such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements and information, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. The information contained in this release is not investment or financial product advice. SOURCE OceanaGold Corp. CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Oct. 18, 2016) - Mkango Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:MKA)(AIM:MKA) (the "Corporation" or "Mkango"), is pleased to announce that the Government of Malawi has granted a further two-year renewal for Exclusive Exploration Licence ("EPL") 0284 ("the Phalombe Licence"), in south-east Malawi. Mkango's flagship project, the Songwe Hill rare earth project ("Songwe"), for which an updated Pre-feasibility study was completed in November 2015, is located in the Phalombe Licence, as are the Nkalonje, Mantrap, Knoll and Namangale prospects. Songwe and the Nkalonje, Mantrap and Knoll prospects were recently visited by a large delegation of international and Malawian geology and geophysics experts in connection with the EUR5.4 million HiTech AlkCarb research project led by the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter and funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme in which Mkango (through its wholly owned subsidiary, Lancaster Exploration) is an industry partner. The scope of the research project encompasses building exploration expertise in hi-tech raw materials, improving and developing interpretation of geophysical and downhole data. Of particular relevance to Mkango is the opportunity to better understand the potential for large but unexposed mineralised bodies of carbonatite (the host rock for rare earth mineralisation) on either a prospect or regional scale. Based on work to date, such targets within the Phalombe Licence may include the summit of Songwe hill (which lies outside and to the south of the Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate at Songwe) and the Nkalonje vent system, where, in both cases outcrop is largely fenite (altered country rock) with occasional carbonatite, but there may be potential for underlying and larger zones of mineralised carbonatite. Rare earth mineralisation and mineral assemblages for both the fenite and carbonatite will be evaluated in the context of the geophysics covering the areas, to further assess their potential as future drill targets. Subsequent visits by some members of the HiTech AlkCarb team together with Mkango management were also made to Namangale in the Phalombe Licence and also Little Ngona and Chikoleka uranium, tantalum and niobium prospects in the Thambani Licence. Alexander Lemon, President of Mkango, stated: "The renewal of the Phalombe Licence is a strong validation by the Government of Malawi of Mkango's strategy and progress to date at Songwe, where we have invested significant funds to advance the project from an early stage to a pre-feasibility study. We much appreciate the continued support of the Malawian Government, the Ministry of Natural Resources Energy and Mining, the Geological Survey, the Mines Department and local stakeholders as we continue to progress the project and foster capacity building and collaboration between Malawi and the international community." About Mkango Resources Ltd. Mkango's primary business is the exploration for rare earth elements and associated minerals in the Republic of Malawi, a country whose hospitable people have earned it a reputation as "the warm heart of Africa." Mkango holds, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lancaster Exploration Limited, a 100% interest in two exclusive prospecting licenses in southern Malawi, the Thambani licence and the Phalombe licence. The main exploration target in the Phalombe licence is the Songwe Hill rare earths deposit, which features carbonatite hosted rare earth mineralisation and was subject to previous exploration in the late 1980s. Mkango completed an updated Pre-feasibility study for the project in November 2015. Mkango's strategy for Songwe is to further optimise the project with a view to maximising efficiency and reducing costs, thereby providing a strong platform both for entering into partnerships, marketing and offtake arrangements. The main exploration targets in the Thambani licence are uranium, niobium and tantalum. In January 2015, Mkango announced the first set of assay results of 142 soil and rock chip samples from 9 trenches, which returned variably anomalous uranium, niobium and tantalum values in most trenches, ranging up to 4.70 % U 3 O 8 , 3.25 % Nb 2 O 5 in soil and up to 0.42 % U 3 O 8 , 0.78 % Nb 2 O 5 and 972 ppm Ta 2 O 5 in rock chips. In July 2016, the Corporation announced the results of an airborne geophysical survey covering approximately two thirds of the licence area, highlighting a number of significant radiometric and magnetic anomalies. The company's corporate strategy is to develop new sustainable sources of rare earth elements and other minerals geared to growth in the low carbon "green" economy, technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur, which may cause actual performance and results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, without limiting the foregoing, delays in obtaining financing or governmental or stock exchange approvals. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the Corporation disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities law. Additionally, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed above. The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any equity or other securities of the Corporation in the United States. The securities of the Corporation will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold within the United States to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Oct 18, 2016) - InZinc Mining Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:IZN) ("InZinc" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, subject to TSXV acceptance, it has signed an option agreement with Pac Shield Resources Inc. ("PSR"), a private British Columbia company, to acquire a 100% interest in the Indy zinc project ("Indy") located in central British Columbia. The Indy project hosts extensive, under explored, near surface zinc mineralization at the Tex Zone, and numerous large, untested soil geochemical anomalies. Indy is a well located, high potential zinc project that complements the Company's large and advanced flagship West Desert project in Utah where a Preliminary Economic Assessment (2014) concluded low cost, bulk underground mining and conventional processing can produce clean, high quality concentrates at mid-tier levels of zinc production. The West Desert resources are also open for expansion and are being prepared for drilling as part of prefeasibility. Indy Highlights Ground access, 55 km from major highway, 70 km from trans-continental rail Last comprehensive exploration by majors 26 years ago 450 m long mineralized Tex Zone outlined by shallow, wide-spaced historical drill holes Tex Zone drill intersections range from 1.5 m to 19.7 m widths, grading from 1.9% to 8.9% zinc, from 1.0 g/t to 55.6 g/t silver and from 0.04% to 2.4% lead All mineralized Tex Zone intersections estimated within 100 m of surface Tex Zone open for expansion on strike, at depth and is a priority drill target Surface zinc oxides grading 45.5% zinc and 7.9 g/t silver in recent grab samples Multiple, large soil geochemical anomalies over 6.5 km strike offer potential for additional discoveries Four styles of zinc mineralization are widespread and only partially explored Ground work and additional soil sampling are planned to prepare the project for drilling in 2017 Indy consists of five mineral claims (1380 hectares) located approximately 100 kilometres south of the city of Prince George, British Columbia. The area covers 9.8 kilometres of deformed sedimentary rocks spanning the Cambrian to Lower Mississippian; a geological period known to produce most of the major western Canadian zinc deposits. Zinc in Near Surface Drill Intersections Indy was last explored by major mining companies between 1980 and 1990. Six shallow, wide-spaced diamond drill holes in 1989-90 targeted a portion of a high contrast soil anomaly (Anomaly B). All six holes intersected mineralization at estimated vertical depths less than 100 metres, outlining the 450 metre long mineralized Tex Zone. Tex Zone - Highlights of Historical Diamond Drilling (1989-90) Hole ID Interval (m)* Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag (g/t) 89-1** 6.90 2.94 0.11 2.20 89-1** 3.00 3.18 1.03 4.40 89-2 1.53 8.87 2.38 55.56 89-3 5.00 4.79 1.01 5.67 89-4** 3.05 1.86 0.04 1.00 90-1 19.7 4.10 0.52 3.12 *True width unknown. **Core recovery less than 50%. Descriptions of the mineralized drill intersections (from previous operators) include the minerals sphalerite, galena and barite in fractures and breccias hosted in dolostone, all of which are common constituents of Mississippi Valley Type (MVT) style or low temperature Carbonate Replacement Deposit (CRD) zinc mineralization. Large, Untested Soil Geochemical Anomalies Historical exploration at Indy utilized soil geochemistry and led to the successful discovery of the Tex Zone mineralization. The Indy project includes compiled digital data from over 2,100 historical and recent soil geochemical samples from across 7.5 kilometres of the property. These samples outline several large multi-element (zinc-lead-barium-silver) soil geochemical anomalies occurring across a 6.5 kilometre length of the property (see map provided). The following four geochemical anomalies cover a large area across a linear trend over moderate terrain: Anomaly A (600 m by 350 m); Anomaly B (Tex Zone) (700 m by 150 m); Anomaly C (700 m by 200 m); and Anomaly D (800 m by 400 m). Several of these anomalies have not been explored or remain only partially explored. This includes the high contrast soil signal from Anomaly B, which was partially explored by drilling in 1989-90 and led to the discovery of the Tex Zone (see drill results above). Developing Exploration Targets Four types of zinc mineralization (including MVT or low temperature CRD style) are documented on Indy. The variety of zinc mineralization, respective host rocks and the widespread distribution of these occurrences across Indy may be suggestive of a larger mineralizing event and may provide new opportunities and target areas. Additional soil sampling, prospecting and geological mapping are required on all anomalies and mineral occurrences to improve the resolution of exploration data prior to drill target selection. A series of maps detailing the Indy project may be found at this link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1072937m.pdf Option Agreement Pursuant to the option agreement with PSR, the Company has the option to earn a 100% interest in the Indy project over a five year period by making staged cash payments totaling $305,000, (including $30,000 upon TSXV acceptance), issuing an aggregate of 2,100,000 shares (including 200,000 upon TSXV acceptance) and completing work commitments of $2,600,000 ($75,000 in the first year). In addition, a $500,000 cash payment and issuance of 500,000 shares of the Company will be made to PSR if the Company files a technical report establishing a 500,000,000 pound zinc resource on the Indy project. A further $500,000 cash payment will be made to PSR should the Company file a technical report establishing a 750,000,000 pound zinc resource on the Indy project. The Indy project is subject to a 1.0% NSR held by PSR (the "PSR NSR") and a 1.5% net smelter royalty ("NSR") held by Kerry Curtis, a director, Chairman of the Board and the interim Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and a director and the controlling shareholder of PSR. On exercise of the option and prior to completion of a feasibility study on the Indy project, the Company has the right to purchase the PSR NSR for $1,500,000. About InZinc Mining Ltd. InZinc owns a 100% interest in the West Desert zinc-copper-iron project located in western Utah. West Desert hosts a large and expandable resource and benefits from all-weather road access, on-site grid power and proximity to natural gas transmission. It is located 90 kilometres (55 miles) from multiple transcontinental rail networks accessing all major North American markets and servicing a variety of western US ports. For more information please visit our website at www.inzincmining.com. Kerry M. Curtis, P.Geo. a Qualified Person as defined in NI43-101, has approved the technical content of this news release. The technical content contained in this news release is based in part on historical reports. The historical reports pre-date NI 43-101 reporting requirements and the Company cannot verify the content of the historical reports and is not responsible for the accuracy of the content of the historical reports. InZinc Mining Ltd., Kerry Curtis Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's next shareholder meeting. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results, performance, or actions and that actual results and actions may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2015 filed with certain securities commissions in Canada and other information released by the Company and filed with the appropriate regulatory agencies. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - October 18, 2016) - Golden Dawn Minerals Inc., (TSX VENTURE: GOM) (FRANKFURT: 3G8A) (the "Company" or "Golden Dawn") announces that it has signed an LOI with New Nadina Explorations Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: NNA) (New Nadina) with respect to acquiring New Nadina's 100% owned subsidiary, Kettle River Resources Ltd. (Kettle River) which owns a significant package of mineral and land properties in the Greenwood area. With this acquisition, the Company is continuing to expand the scope of its current assets (The Greenwood Precious Metals Project) in south-central British Columbia, Canada in the Greenwood Mining District. View Claim Map: http://www.goldendawnminerals.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/GOM_CLAIMS.jpg The binding letter of intent "LOI" allows the Company through a share acquisition to own Kettle River 100% which, on closure, will include the Greenwood Area Properties (GAP) and all related assets. Consideration for the acquisition consists of a non-refundable deposit of $80,000 on signing LOI, $15,000 by November 26, 2016 and on closure cash payments totaling CAD$1,000,000 (inclusive of deposits) and $600,000 in shares of the Company (issuance price will be based on the 20 days closing average prior to signing of LOI), and subject to a 1% NSR where the Company can purchase a % for $1,000,000 up to five years and thereafter $1,200,000 up to 10 years leaving a % NSR payable to New Nadina. Following the ninety day due diligence period, the closing will be subject to regulatory approvals will be earlier or about January 31, 2017 and within five days of conditional Exchange approval. The Kettle River mineral properties consist of 54 Mineral Claims held by Kettle River (and/or associates) covering approximately 10,400 hectares, 55 crown grants with under surface rights covering the historic Phoenix mine, 25 crown grants with surface rights that include old town site lots from Phoenix and right of ways for old railroads, timbered surface land rights of several hundreds of acres that include the Tremblay Tailings (336.5 ac) and 20 crown grants with under surface rights over historic mine workings in the Bluebell/Oro Denoro Eholt area. Also included is an extensive database representing 120 years of geological and mining information, comprised of files, records, reports and maps, rock specimen samples, and a core storage library. The acquisition covers several significant historic mines, mineral deposits and exploration targets that have demonstrated by historic exploration and production, potential for resources to be defined and added to the resource inventory of Golden Dawn's Greenwood Precious Metal Project, and its recently acquired 200/400 t p/d processing facility. Of particular interest are the Tam O'Shanter, Sylvester K, Tremblay Tailings, the Phoenix mine and Bluebell/Oro Denoro Eholt properties. Tam O'Shanter was previously explored by Golden Dawn Minerals Inc., where an Inferred Mineral Resource of 24,483,000 tonnes at an average grade of 0.53 g/t Au was defined in 2012, inclusive of the contiguous Wild Rose property. The historic Phoenix mine was active between 1900 and 1978, with production totaling 21,552,284 tonnes of ore containing over 1,000,000 oz. of gold, 18,000,000, oz's of silver and 575,000,000 lbs. of copper (BC MinFile). After closure the property was purchased by Noranda Mines Ltd. and later by Kettle River. The geological origin of the copper-gold deposits at Phoenix is traditionally thought to be replacement or skarn-type deposits formed by interaction between mineralized fluids and Brooklyn limestone unit. However the source of the fluids has not been discovered and it is generally assumed that granitic rocks under the mine area produced the mineralizing solutions. In addition to excellent potential for discovery of new replacement type deposits, the inferred source intrusions are a high priority exploration target for porphyry copper gold deposits. The Sylvester K zone was discovered in a 1983 drilling program during the Kettle River option. The mineralized zone can be traced on surface for about 150 metres, and locally ranges up to 12 metres in thickness. Grades are typically in the order of 8.5 g/t Au for the massive sulfide mineralization and 10 g/t Au for footwall style stringer mineralization. The mineralization is shown by drilling to be truncated at about 30metres depth by a flat fault. It is reported that 5,090 tonnes of material at an average grade of 5.1 g/t Au was mined from the Sylvester K in 1989 by Skylark Resources Ltd. under an option agreement that allowed extraction of up to 250,000 tonnes (Technical reports on the Greenwood Area Properties by L. Caron, P.Eng, 2005 and 2012). The Phoenix Tailings are comprised of three separate tailings sites situated on two claim blocks covering a total area of 413 hectares. Historical production records indicate that a total of approximately 13.2 million tonnes of tailings were produced during the operation. The results of metallurgical studies on material from two holes drilled into tailings indicate that re-grinding and cleaner flotation would produce a concentrate grading of approximately 18 per cent copper and 207 grams per tonne gold (BC MinFile). Although very encouraging, considerably more information is required to assess the tailings resource and economic viability of tailings re-processing. The Bluebell/Oro Denoro Eholt property has a long history of exploration and mining dating from the mid 1890's, when mineralization was discovered at the Emma, R. Bell, B.C., and Oro Denoro mines. In 1995-96, Kettle River discovered high grade gold associated with silicification and veining within limestone, near the historic R. Bell mine (Summit showing). Results of chip samples across the zone included 9.8 g/t Au over 10 metres, and 30.2 g/t Au over 7.3metres. However, follow-up sampling and drilling by Kettle River and Echo Bay Minerals failed to obtain significant results. The Minnie Moore epithermal Ag-Au showing was discovered in 2006 and in 2007, excavator trenching returned results of 8.5 metres grading 414 g/t Ag, 6.2 metres grading 1044 g/t Ag, and 5.8 metres grading 432 g/t Ag. Subsequent limited drilling results were 5.3 metres grading 77.3 g/t Ag (NI 43-101 report on Bluebell and Phoenix properties by L. Caron, P.Eng, 2012). Additional exploration is warranted in the area of these showings. These acquisitions add significant mineral rights and upside potential to the company's 100% owned May Mac, Lexington and Golden Crown Mines, all within a 15 Km radius of the Greenwood Mill. The entire project is located near the City of Greenwood, 500 km east of Vancouver on Hwy #3 in south central British Columbia contiguous to the 100% owned Golden Crown Mine and its 200/400 p/t processing facility. Technical disclosure in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Mathew Ball, P.Geo., Chief Operating Officer of Golden Dawn Minerals Inc., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. View Greenwood projects update video: http://iresourcemedia.com/companies/golden-dawn-minerals-greenwood-gold-projects-update/ On behalf of the Board of Directors: Golden Dawn Minerals Inc. "Wolf Wiese" Wolf Wiese Chief Executive Officer THIS PRESS RELEASE WAS PREPARED BY MANAGEMENT WHO TAKES FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS CONTENTS. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CERTAIN FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS WHICH INVOLVE KNOWN AND UNKNOWN RISKS, DELAYS, AND UNCERTAINTIES NOT UNDER THE COMPANY'S CONTROL WHICH MAY CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS, PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COMPANY TO BE MATERIALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE RESULTS, PERFORMANCE, OR ACHIEVEMENTS IMPLIED BY THESE FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS. WE SEEK SAFE HARBOR. Measured Indicated Inferred Garrcon 521,000 oz. 526,000 oz. 616,000 oz. Jonpol - 150,000 oz. 192,000 oz. 521,000 oz. 676,000 oz. 808,000 oz. THOROLD, Oct 18, 2016 - At the request of IIROC (Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada), ValGold (TSX VENTURE: VAL) is clarifying certain disclosure from its October 5, 2016 news release which shared results released by Osisko Mining Inc. ("Osisko") from its current drill program on the 100% Osisko-owned Garrison Gold Project situated 100 kilometres east of Timmins, Ontario. Osisko announced on July 13, 2016, that it would be conducting a 20,000 metre program designed to confirm previous work on the property. The program would also test for potential underground zones at the bulk tonnage Garrcon deposit and further explore the underground resource potential which remains open at depth on the Jonpol deposit.ValGold holds a 2% net smelter royalty ("NSR") on the Garrison Gold Project, which is subject to a buyback of 50% of the NSR (1%) for $10 million.The Garrison Gold Project has resource estimates compiled in accordance with CIM standards and National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") by A.C.A. Howe International Limited ("A.C.A. Howe") on both the Jonpol and Garrcon deposits as follows:The resource estimates were disclosed in a technical report completed by a previous operator, Northern Gold Mining Inc. ("NGM"), now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Osisko, entitled "Technical Report on the Golden Bear Project - Garrison Property: Larder Lake Mining Division - Garrison Township, Ontario, Canada", with an effective date of December 30, 2013.The Garrcon deposit estimates showed 15.1 million tonnes with an average grade of 1.07 g/t Au (521,000 oz.) in measured resources; 14.1 million tonnes averaging 1.16 g/t Au (526,000 oz.) in indicated resources; and 1.7 million tonnes averaging 0.72 g/t Au (39,000 oz.) in inferred resources. Additional resources of 5.1 million tonnes averaging 3.49 g/t Au (577,000 oz.) in the inferred category were also outlined. Resources were reported at a cut-off grade of 0.4 g/t Au for open pit extraction and 1.5 g/t in a bulk underground mining scenario using a gold price of US$1,250/oz.The Jonpol deposit resources were estimated at 0.87 million tonnes averaging 5.34 g/t Au (150,000 oz.) in the indicated category; and 1.07 million tonnes averaging 5.56 g/t Au (192,000 oz.) in inferred resources. Resources were reported at a cut-off grade of 3.0 g/t Au using a gold price of US$1,250/oz.Readers are cautioned that inferred resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of the inferred resources will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Additional information on the resource estimates is available in Osisko's press release and in the Garrison Gold Project Technical Report available on Osisko's website and under NGM's issuer profile at www.sedar.com.ValGold has engaged Rainer Skeries, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Skeries has reviewed the Osisko Press Release and has approved the disclosure herein.ValGold is a mineral exploration and development company which holds a 2% NSR on the Garrison Gold Project, a 100% interest in the Tower Mountain Gold Project near Thunder Bay, Ontario, and exploration properties in Venezuela (see ValGold's annual and interim financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis on SEDAR for further information on and the risks associated with the Venezuelan properties).ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF VALGOLD RESOURCES LTD.Kevin SnookChairman and Chief Executive OfficerNeither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.This press release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.Kevin Snook, Chairman and CEOTel: 844-230-6000Rod Whyte, Director (London, England)Tel: (44) 207-736-2212 DENVER, Oct. 18, 2016 - Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. (TSX: TCM) (OTCQX: TCPTF) ("Thompson Creek" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has obtained overwhelming shareholder approval for the proposed arrangement (the "Arrangement") between Thompson Creek and Centerra Gold Inc. ("Centerra") (TSX:CG) previously announced on July 5, 2016.Thompson Creek held a special meeting (the "Meeting") of holders (the "Thompson Creek Shareholders") of common shares of Thompson Creek this morning. At the Meeting, Thompson Creek Shareholders were asked to consider and, if deemed advisable, pass a special resolution approving the Arrangement between Thompson Creek and Centerra. The Arrangement required approval by at least 66 2/3% of the votes cast by Thompson Creek Shareholders present in person or by proxy at the Meeting. The approval was obtained with approximately 97% of the votes cast by Thompson Creek Shareholders in favor of the special resolution approving the Arrangement. Approval for the advisory vote relating to the compensation of the Company's named executive officers in connection with the Arrangement was also obtained with approximately 78% of the votes cast by Thompson Creek Shareholders in favor of the resolution.Thompson Creek anticipates returning to the British Columbia court on October 19, 2016 to seek a final order of the court approving the Arrangement. The Arrangement remains subject to terms and conditions of closing, including approval of the court. The Arrangement is expected to be completed on October 20, 2016.On completion of the Arrangement, Thompson Creek will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centerra. Under the terms of the Arrangement, it is expected that on a fully-diluted in-the-money basis, Thompson Creek Shareholders will receive as consideration, common shares representing approximately 8% of Centerra's issued and outstanding shares following closing. Upon closing of the Arrangement, Thompson Creek shareholders will receive, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, 0.0988 of a Centerra common share for each Thompson Creek common share, representing a 32% premium to the closing price of Thompson Creek common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") on July 4, 2016, the last trading date prior to the announcement of the transaction.Additional information regarding the terms of the Arrangement is set out in Thompson Creek's proxy statement and management information circular dated September 12, 2016, available under Thompson Creek's profile at www.sedar.com and www.edgar.com. Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. is a North American mining company. The Company's principal operating property is its 100%-owned Mount Milligan Mine, an open-pit copper and gold mine and concentrator in British Columbia. The Company's molybdenum assets consist of its 100%-owned Thompson Creek Mine, an open-pit molybdenum mine and concentrator in Idaho, its 75% joint venture interest in the Endako Mine, an open-pit molybdenum mine, concentrator and roaster in British Columbia, and its Langeloth Metallurgical Facility in Pennsylvania. The Company's development projects are the Berg and IKE properties, both copper, molybdenum and silver exploration properties located in British Columbia. The Company's principal executive office is located in Denver, Colorado. More information is available at www.thompsoncreekmetals.com.Certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and applicable Canadian securities legislation, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbors provided by these regulations. All statements other than statements of historical fact set forth or incorporated herein by reference are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may, in some cases, be identified by the use of terms such as "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Our forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements with respect to: the satisfaction or waiver of conditions for the Arrangement, receipt of the final order, and completion of the Arrangement, including the expected closing date of the Arrangement. Where we express an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, our forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by those forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results and events to differ from those described in such forward-looking statements can be found in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed on EDGAR at www.sec.gov and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although we have attempted to identify those material factors that could cause actual results or events to differ from those described in such forward-looking statements, there may be other factors, currently unknown to us or deemed immaterial at the present time that could cause results or events to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.SOURCE Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. Pamela Solly, Director, Investor Relations and Corporate ResponsibilityTel: (303) 762-3526psolly@tcrk.com

FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 2, 2015 file photo, filmmaker Lana Wachowski attends the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' "Jupiter Ascending" at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. When the filmmaker siblings are asked what incites the biggest spats between the brother-sister duo best known for writing and directing "The Matrix" trilogy, Andy and Lana Wachowski provide a non-verbal response: They sweetly clasp each other's hands and tap their contrasting noggins - Lana's fuchsia-hued dreadlocks, Andy's wrapped-up bald head - together. "It's all just love," said Lana. "Is that too good to be

SHARE Actors Mila Kunis, from left, David Ajala, Director Lana Wachowski, actors Kick Gurry, Sean Bean and Channing Tatum attend the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' "Jupiter Ascending" at TCL Chinese Theatre on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP) This photo provided by Warner Bros. Pictures shows, from left, Sean Bean as Stinger Apini, Nikki Amuka-Bird as Diomika Tsing, Channing Tatum as Caine Wise and Mila Kunis as Jupiter Jones in Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' "Jupiter Ascending," an original science fiction epic adventure from Lana and Andy Wachowski. The movie is a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Murray Close) This photo provided by courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures shows, Channing Tatum as Caine Wise and Mila Kunis as Jupiter Jones in Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' "Jupiter Ascending," an original science fiction epic adventure from Lana and Andy Wachowski. The movie is a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures) By John Anderson Newsday (Tns) According to the 2000 census, there are approximately 760,000 Andersons in the United States. And its fairly safe to say that a considerable percentage of the male members of that not-so-exclusive club have, at one time or another, been greeted with Misssssteraaanderson ... It happens at the doctors office and the DMV, while having your tires rotated or your teeth cleaned. You get it from people you never imagined went to the movies at all, much less to messianic sci-fi extravaganzas. It makes you wonder: How many people have seen The Matrix? Lots. The 1999 effects-heavy adventure, the second feature directed by the Wachowski brothers (later the Wachowski siblings, after Lanas nee Larry sexual reassignment surgery), is among the most financially successful, honored and revered films in the sci-fi canon. It spawned two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions (both 2003). Its impossible to tell how many have seen it on DVD, on-demand or on pirated downloads. But the Matrix-ites are legion. The Wachowskis latest, Jupiter Ascending, opens Friday and will mark the first time since the birth of the Matrix franchise that the sibs have directed a film from their own original screenplay. Whether theyve concocted anything really original remains to be seen. However: The frequency by which one gets the elongated Mister Anderson from perfect strangers (the line was first uttered by Hugo Weavings Agent Smith in addressing Thomas Anderson/Neo, played by Keanu Reeves) indicates, albeit unscientifically, just how widespread their influence has been among viewers. On the screen, that influence is more quantifiable, and has been largely stylistic, technological and cyberpunkish. The so-called bullet-time technique, in which a characters heightened sense of perception is illustrated by having everything around that character move in slo-verging-on-frozen motion, was a signature of The Matrix, and has since become ubiquitous. The sources from which The Matrix derives exalted the whole genre, to an almost ridiculous level its sources, critics have noted, range from novelist William Gibsons Necromancer to Platos Allegory of the Cave to the New Testament (Neos status as the prophesied chosen One always seemed a pretty obvious tipoff). Conversely, perhaps, the Wachowskis appeal has involved a low-to-the-ground fanboy sensibility the filmmakers are usually pretty much in love with the process as much as the plotline, and dont seem averse to the cult factor that has grown around The Matrix, even though its led to some unsavory associations. (By 2003, three accused killers had mounted a so-called Matrix defense, including Lee Boyd Malvo, one of the D.C. snipers.) It also has led to such dubious Wachowski efforts as the Razzie-nominated, live-action Speed Racer, and the grandiose and largely unintelligible Cloud Atlas adaptation of 2012 (from David Mitchells novel), codirected with the German filmmaker Tom (Run Lola Run) Tykwer. At the time of Cloud Atlas, Andy Wachow ski tried to explain to Newsday the filmmakers approach to an unwieldy novel that they were trying to replicate the experience of having read the book, rather than reading it. You read a book, you go to bed, you think about it, you sleep on it, he said. It impresses itself on your subconscious. While this is happening, your brain is finding connections in the book of the sort David Mitchell has ingeniously laid out between narratives. Whether those connections were, in fact, made by viewers might have been reflected in the modest returns on what was a reported $102 million budget, and a cast that included Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. The Wachowskis are strict practitioners of the Baroque, wrote Violet Lucca in Film Comment. And one of their solutions to the problems of adapting the book the special makeup effects required a level of capital that they were either unable or unwilling to invest in. But when youve created something like the Matrix trilogy with its half-billion in grosses, you get more than one second chance, even though the online trolling began some time ago in anticipation of their new movie. Did the Wachowskis peak with The Matrix? one site asks, not untypically. Jupiter Ascending, which stars Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis and Eddie Redmayne, will be a science-fiction space opera, Lana Wachowski told the Associated Press. It has a lot of things from a lot of genres that we love. Its got a lot of original action. Its got a lot of romance. Whether the romance continues with the Wachowskis among their fans, and their studio will depend on how high Jupiter ascends. SHARE By Staff Report A 31-year-old man died early Monday morning after his truck crashed into a guard rail, causing the vehicle to go airborne in a residential parking lot. According to news release from the San Angeo Police Department, the driver, identified as Andrew Perez of Midland, was headed west on West Avenue D as his truck entered the Park 700 Condominiums parking lot at approximately 2:21 a.m. Monday. The truck, a white Ford F450 pickup, traveled approximately 45 feet before coming to rest on an opposing embankment in Sulphur Draw. Officers were unable to get to the pickup and went to a another location behind the 500 block of South Park Street to climb down the embankment, according to the release. Tom Green County Justice of the Peace J.P. McGuire pronounced the man dead at the scene, likely from blunt-force trauma to the head and chest on impact, SAPD said. The truck was pulled from the embankment, and authorities removed the driver from the car, according to the release. San Angelo Fire Department Medics, SAPD's Crime Scene Investigations Unit and Criminal Investigations Division also responded. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was called in at the request of police because of a diesel leak from the truck's ruptured fuel tank, stated the release. The cause of the crash is under investigation. SHARE By Lisa Lerer And Kathleen Hennessey, Associated Press WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. Hillary Clinton is advancing into states the Democrats haven't won in decades, confidently expanding her offensive against Donald Trump and aiming to help her party win back control of Congress. There's a new $2 million push in Arizona, aides said Monday, including a campaign stop in Phoenix by first lady Michelle Obama, one of Clinton's most effective surrogates. An additional $1 million is going into efforts in Missouri and Indiana, both states with competitive Senate races, a small amount of TV time is being bought in Texas and media appearances are scheduled in Utah. At the same time Clinton is showing new signs of confidence, she faced fresh revelations about her use of a private server as secretary of state and hacked emails from a top campaign official's personal account. FBI records released Monday show that a senior State Department official unsuccessfully sought to lower the classification level of an email found on the server, a move Trump's campaign labeled collusion. The new questions highlight a dual reality of the presidential race: Even as Clinton has a growing advantage, she's been unable to put the biggest controversy of her campaign behind her. With her lead increasing, Clinton is unlikely to need any of the normally solid-red states to win the White House. But her team believes that a wide presidential margin of victory would help end Trump's political movement and undermine his intensifying claims that the election is rigged. On the other side, Trump's campaign announced plans to launch a $2 million advertising blitz in Virginia, even as polls show him trailing Clinton there by a significant margin. "Donald Trump is becoming more unhinged by the day, and that is increasing prospects for Democrats further down the ballot," said Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook, who cited early voting and registration numbers to predict record voter turnout Democrats aren't the only targets of Trump's rhetoric about the legitimacy of the election system. In a Monday morning blitz of tweets, he lashed out at Republicans who have tried to tone him down, calling his own party's leaders "so naive" and claiming without evidence that major fraud is real. "Of course there is large-scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!" he tweeted. There is no evidence to back up Trump's claims. A study by a Loyola Law School professor found that out of 1 billion votes cast in all American elections between 2000 and 2014, there were only 31 known cases of impersonation fraud. Trump's tweets show he is continuing to play a scattershot defense rather than make his case to voters, with just three weeks left and much ground to make up in opinion polls. Rather than campaigning in the tightest battlegrounds, Trump was spending much of Monday out of sight before speaking in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a state where Clinton is viewed as having an edge. SHARE By Michael Biesecker And Eric Tucker, Associated Press WASHINGTON A senior State Department official asked the FBI last year to help reduce the classification of an email from Hillary Clinton's private server, according to FBI investigative files made public Monday. It was to be part of a bargain that would have allowed the FBI to deploy more agents in foreign countries, according to the files. It was not immediately clear whether the State Department official or someone at the FBI first raised the prospect of a bargain over the email's classification. The bureau records, citing an FBI official whose name was censored, said Undersecretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy sought assistance in exchange for a "quid pro quo." But the FBI said Monday it was the now-retired FBI official who first asked Kennedy about deploying more agents overseas. The State Department said the same. The FBI ultimately rejected the idea, which would have allowed the State Department to archive a message related to the 2012 attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, in the basement of its Washington headquarters "never to be seen again," according to the FBI files. The email described reports in November 2012 that Libyan police were arresting suspects in the attack. It had been forwarded to Clinton's private email address by Jake Sullivan, one of her top aides and the department's director of policy planning, who was using his government email account. Republicans seized on the report as collusion within the Obama administration to protect Clinton, now the Democratic presidential nominee. "CORRUPTION CONFIRMED: FBI confirms State Dept. offered 'quid pro quo' to cover up classified emails," read a tweet from Team Trump, retweeted by the candidate. Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said the campaign had never been part of any such discussion about email classifications. Kennedy was a close aide to Clinton during her tenure as the nation's top diplomat between 2009 and early 2013. He had served in his position since November 2007 under President George W. Bush. According to the FBI records, a bureau official said Kennedy "asked his assistance in altering the email's classification in exchange for a 'quid pro quo,'" and that in exchange, "State would reciprocate by allowing the FBI to place more agents in countries where they are presently forbidden." "Although there was never a quid pro quo, these allegations were nonetheless referred to the appropriate officials for review," the FBI said in a statement Monday. SHARE CHICAGO In a year in which immigrants have been dragged through the mud and certain politicians have called on them to be driven from this country, it's ironic (and heartening) that six of this year's Nobel laureates are American immigrants. Five of them were born in Great Britain, the other in Finland, and all are affiliated with top-tier U.S. universities such as Princeton, MIT and Northwestern University. Sir J. Fraser Stoddart, a Scottish-born researcher at Northwestern who won the prize in chemistry along with French and Dutch researchers, told the political website The Hill: "It's particularly pertinent to have these discussions in view of the political climate on both sides of the pond at the moment." The naturalized U.S. citizen concluded, "I think the United States is what it is today largely because of open borders." He needn't have equivocated that's absolutely historically correct. We can look back through our centuries of welcoming immigrants and it's generally seen as an unqualified good. The problem is that conflicting political agendas, media accounts and advocacy organizations' casting of immigrants as archetypically good or evil unlawfully present drug smugglers and violent criminals or angelically humble, poor, hardworking and striving for the American dream leave out the vast majority of immigrants who don't fit neatly into either stereotype. Some politicians have convinced large swaths of the American public that immigrants come to the U.S. to take jobs. But, according to New American Economy, a bipartisan immigration-reform advocacy organization, even when excluding large, publicly traded firms, businesses owned by immigrants employed about 6 million workers in 2007, the most recent year for which figures are available. In a new report, "Reason for Reform: Entrepreneurship," NAE found that 2.9 million foreign-born entrepreneurs generated $65.5 billion in business income in 2014 alone. In that same year, immigrants made up more than 20 percent of all entrepreneurs in the country, despite representing just 13 percent of the population overall. Also flipping the script on how we tend to talk about immigrants is NAE's assertion that foreign-born entrepreneurs were instrumental in the country's recovery from the Great Recession. "Between 2007 and 2011, a period when the country struggled to create new jobs, immigrant entrepreneurs played a large role founding new businesses in several key states," said the report. "Foreign-born entrepreneurs started 44.6 percent of new businesses in California during that period, as well as 42 percent of new businesses in New York State." "The fact is that Americans value immigrants," NAE executive director Jeremy Robbins told me. "We fundamentally know that our great competitive advantage in the world is that we're the place we're the place people want to come to. When you look at the strongest nations in the world, they are aging societies with no great potential for immigration like the U.S. it's a strength because, for instance, we don't just need Ph.D.s, highly skilled doctors and surgeons, but also home health aides." "Immigration is not a panacea to solve our country's economic woes," Robbins said, "but, when you look at Social Security, Medicaid and other structural programs in this country, immigrants pay way more into those systems than they take out." There's no question that this is true about legal immigrants. And though there are competing analyses about whether unlawfully present immigrants contribute more to the economy than they cost in education and health expenses, what cannot be denied is that, according to the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, illegal immigrants contribute more than $11.6 billion to state and local coffers each year and pay an average 8 percent of their incomes in state and local taxes. The institute estimates that if comprehensive immigration reform were to pass, the combined state and local tax contributions of our 11 million unauthorized immigrants would increase by more than $2 billion. In this context, the broken immigration system should be seen as a puzzle one that, once solved, will reward our country with brains and money. Esther Cepeda is a Washington Post columnist. Contact her at estherjcepeda@washpost.com. Graphic Illustration SHARE Just as America was tossed or did we eagerly jump? into the sexual political gutter with Bill and Hillary and Donald, there was other news breaking. At least I thought it was news. But I must warn you: Sex and sexual politics has nothing to do with it. It's Hillary Clinton's dream of an America without borders, as expressed to investors of a Brazilian bank, in comments leaked by WikiLeaks. An America without borders, Hillary? How positively George Soros of you, Madam Secretary. "My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, sometime in the future with energy that's as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere," Clinton reportedly said to investors in a paid speech she gave to Brazilian Banco Itau in 2013. Here's the thing about borders. If you don't have borders, you don't have a country. Americans are beginning to understand this. Europeans understand it now, quite clearly. Clinton's dream also includes a Western Hemispheric common market, like the European common market that is dissolving in chaos, fear and debt. If that is indeed her dream, then she dreams the internationalist dream that would end America. But Americans aren't talking about this, perhaps because there is no video involving sex and Hollywood and Trump. I would love to hear Clinton's explanation. Perhaps she could put it in some proper context. Or perhaps she was merely telling the Brazilians something they wanted to hear, because they were paying her a good chunk of cash. And if there is a way for America to maintain sovereignty without borders, Hillary might be just the one to tell us. But the Clinton campaign isn't commenting. And reporters aren't really pressing, preoccupied as they are by that vulgar video of a boorish Trump. Clinton campaign spokesman Robby Mook was on one of the talk shows saying Clinton's dreams of American open borders didn't really mean open borders. Mook said she meant open borders in the context of green energy for all. Cool. But then what about her dreams of the hemispheric common market and all the people traveling to and fro across the Western Hemisphere? So I'd like to hear Hillary Clinton tell it. The way to deal with this would be for Clinton to release the transcripts of all her well-paid speeches, the ones to Wall Street and the one about border dreams to Banco Itau. That's what Bernie Sanders wanted. But that's not happening, just like Donald Trump isn't releasing his tax returns. So the Clintonistas are blaming the Russians for the hacking. It might also be true that if a hacker could hack into Clinton campaign emails, then a hacker might also have hacked into top secret emails she kept on her home brew server in violation of federal law when she was secretary of state. But I won't say anything, lest I be denounced as a Russian spy. That WikiLeaks information was available just before the last Clinton-Trump debate. The moderators could have asked a question about it, but they chose not to. They did ask about another drop from WikiLeaks, that of Clinton's belief in holding one public position on policy for the public and another for private consideration by insiders. Kind of like when she was secretary of state and telling America that the four dead Americans in Benghazi were killed by protesters angry about some video. And then telling her daughter and others, in private emails, that the four were killed in a terrorist attack. And now, rather than worry about divisive issues such as borders, we're consumed by that vulgar Trump video. Trump is a boor and Bill Clinton is a boor and Hillary is Hillary either a loyal spouse or a cunning enabler. And politics is politics, so you'll hate the one or forgive the other based on your preferences, or shout a pox upon them all. But having an America with or without borders is also rather important, no? And someone running for president might want to explain it all, in the proper context of course. An America without borders? That's not a dream, that's a nightmare. Ask the Europeans. They know. Ohio Gov. John Kasich is barring Wells Fargo & Company from participating in future state debt offerings and financial services contracts initiated by state agencies under his authority.The ban will last one year. Kasich will seek to exclude Wells Fargo from participating in debt offerings initiated by the Ohio Public Facilities Commission, according to the governor's office.Wells Fargo engaged in business practices that drove employees to create more than two million new accounts without customers' knowledge or authorization in order to generate new fee revenue.The bank was fined $185 million by the federal government and more than 5,000 employees were fired for the practice."It's clear that Wells Fargo's culture was compromised by greed and by a desire to make money that was stronger than a commitment to following proper ethical standards," Kasich said. "While Wells Fargo only does limited retail banking in Ohio, it does regularly seek state bond business so I have instructed my administration to seek services from other banks instead, and I'll cast my votes against Wells Fargo on the Public Facilities Commission."Kasich said the company lost the right to do business with the state because its actions have cost it the public's confidence."We need to send a message to this company--and every other company--that the public must be respected, that ethical standards must be respected and when they're not it comes with a cost," Kasich said.Kasich said he may re-access the decision if the company makes progress in restoring a "culture of integrity." In a setback for Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Baton Rouge judge refused Monday to order Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to approve state contracts that protect gays and lesbians from workplace discrimination.An attorney for the governor said the state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal will be asked to review state District Judge Don Johnson's decision.Edwards issued an executive order earlier this year that bans firms contracting with the state from discriminating against any employee based on sexual orientation or gender identity.Landry views that language as outside of state law.Edwards sued Landry late last month over the attorney general's refusal to approve several dozen state contracts that protect gays and lesbians from workplace discrimination. Charles Wasko's days are numbered as West York mayor, and it's a pretty low number: four, after West York's borough council voted unanimously on Monday to accept his resignation.Council President Shawn Mauck will take over as mayor when Wasko's resignation becomes effective Friday, and he'll serve out the rest of the mayor's term, which is up for a vote next year.Wasko, who wasn't at the council meeting Monday night, has repeatedly ignored messages and knocks on the door from The York Dispatch since the paper brought his racist Facebook posts to light in September.Wasko, who was elected mayor in 2013, has made several posts on Facebook this year that council members and community members took issue with. Two compared President Barack Obama and his family to apes, and one suggested Obama should be hanged with a noose. Another post featured a fictional black person saying that socialism is "when the white folks work every day so we can get all our governmental entitlement stuff for free."The post with the noose appears to have been removed, but the others remain up on his public Facebook page.At a meeting Oct. 3, after listening to residents largely stating that they wanted Wasko out, the West York Borough Council unanimously censured the mayor and advised the borough's solicitor to look for "any means possible" to remove him from office. Those motions came after a parade of locals spoke for an hour and a half, almost all calling the mayor's posts on Facebook racist and unacceptable.Letter: On Oct. 11, Wasko sent borough officials a letter that listed four requests and stated that he would acquiesce to the council's demands if any of the requests were met. Mauck repeated Monday what he said several times last week: The council wasn't going to make public three of the four demands, as they relate to personnel matters, but one of the demands was that the department "entertain the idea" of hiring an experienced police officer of the rank of sergeant or higher who could become chief.They "gladly entertained that idea" "literally within 10 minutes of receiving the letter," Mauck said, so the council met the conditions.The council members told Wasko they were planning a vote to accept his resignation Monday, Mauck said, but he didn't show. Mauck allowed the other six council members to unanimously second his motion to accept Wasko's removal before the council passed it 7-0 with a roll-call vote."Absolutely," said Vice President Richie Stalhe Jr. when his name was called."Positively," said councilwoman Shelley Metzler when it was her turn.The crowd of several dozen people, including Democratic county commissioner Doug Hoke, Republican 95th state House district candidate Joel Sears and local NAACP President Sandra Thompson, burst into applause.New mayor: Immediately after that, Metzler made a motion to appoint Mauck as permanent mayor, filling out the rest of Wasko's term. With Mauck abstaining, the six council members voting passed that unanimously.Mauck spoke briefly about that, reassuring someone in the audience who worried out loud that the movement to the more symbolic position of mayor would limit Mauck's ability to effect change."I promise to be the most active mayor the borough of West York has ever seen," Mauck said.In Pennsylvania, borough mayors' power is limited; mayors don't vote on council matters unless there's a tie, but they are encouraged to provide another voice in council discussions. Borough mayors also are allowed some power over the day-to-day operations of a borough police department.That point relating to Wasko came to a head over the last couple of weeks when, on Sept. 30, the mayor showed up at the borough offices shouting suspension threats at Matt Millsaps, who has been acting police chief since the start of September, when then-Chief Justin Seibel was placed on administrative leave in what remains an ongoing personnel matter. Then, Wasko moved to suspend Millsaps last week in the letter he sent to officials. Mauck originally said Millsaps had been temporarily suspended, but then the borough decided the suspension was without cause, so Millsaps was then unsuspended a couple of hours later.Police: Mauck said one of his main goals now as soon-to-be mayor is to continue to make West York Borough Police into a community-policing force. Millsaps highlighted the work of officers Bri Wilson and Scott Musselman during the meeting for good community policing, and the council approved the promotion of Michael Mendez to detective.During Monday's meeting, councilman Brian Wilson said he has heard that many people of color worry about driving through West York.."I hear a lot of minorities get pulled over in the borough, so they don't come into the borough," he said.Mauck said that he plans to ask the council to adopt the recommendations from the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing as a model for the department, and he wants a training regimen "second to none" following those standards."I want it done in my first 100 days as mayor," Mauck said. The Florida Supreme Court ruled Friday that Florida's revamped death penalty law is unconstitutional, declaring that death sentences must be determined by a unanimous jury and triggering the potential re-sentencing of hundreds of inmates on Death Row.In a 5-2 ruling, the court ordered Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature to try again to rewrite the law that allowed for 10 members of a 12-member jury to impose a death sentence. The court went beyond, imposing a unanimous jury: It also raised the bar in capital cases by declaring that juries, not judges, must unanimously agree on all components of the evidence relating to the death sentence."We ... hold, based on Florida's requirement for unanimity in jury verdicts, and under the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution, that in order for the trial court to impose a sentence of death, the jury's recommended sentence of death must be unanimous," the court wrote.The immediate effect of the ruling is that more than 40 inmates who have not completed their death penalty reviews must be given new sentencing hearings and any pending capital cases in Florida must be decided by a unanimous jury for the first time since the death penalty was restored in Florida in 1972. Beyond that, many of the 385 inmates now on Death Row might have a new legal avenue to seek a less-severe sentence."Today's decisions will mean that all defendants on Florida's Death Row whose cases are pending on direct appeal will be entitled to new sentencing hearings unless the state can prove its heavy burden of showing beyond a reasonable doubt that the error in their cases would not have affected the jury verdicts in capital sentencing,'' said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, which joined in the case.Stephen Harper, of the Florida Center for Capital Representation at the Florida International University School of Law, said the ruling "will clearly limit the number of cases in which prosecutors seek death because the burden of proof is harder and stronger."This is the second time this year that Florida's death penalty law has been held unconstitutional. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the state's death penalty law that allowed a judge to overrule a jury verdict and impose a death sentence. The court said that in that case, known as Hurst v. Florida, that state's system was a violation of a defendant's right to a jury trial.Florida lawmakers responded by rewriting the state law, replacing the judge's override and requiring a vote of at least 10 of 12 jurors to sentence someone to death. The law required that juries in future capital cases must agree unanimously and in writing on the aggravating factors before imposing a death sentence.The state argued at the Florida Supreme Court that the Hurst case did not require a unanimous jury conclusion. Five of the seven state justices rejected that view, concluding that "the imposition of a death sentence in Florida has in the past required, and continues to require, additional fact finding that now must be conducted by the jury."The opinion was written by Justices Jorge Labarga, Barbara Pariente, Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince. Justice James E.C. Perry also wrote a separate opinion, concurring in part and dissenting in part. Justices Charles Canady and Ricky Polston were the two dissenting votes, arguing in an opinion written by Canady that the court did not have the authority to reject the law.The court ruled that a new sentencing trial must be conducted for Timothy Lee Hurst, convicted of the 1998 murder of Cynthia Lee Harrison, a co-worker at a restaurant in Escambia County. He was sentenced to death in 2000 and had not exhausted his appeals. The Florida Supreme Court ordered Hurst re-sentenced and, in 2012, a second jury recommended a death sentence by a 7-to-5 vote. The judge then independently considered the evidence and concluded that Hurst should be executed.In the opinion written for the earlier U.S. Supreme Court court ruling by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court concluded: "The Sixth Amendment requires a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death. A jury's mere recommendation is not enough."Capital punishment in Florida has been on hold since that federal ruling was issued Jan. 12 and the governor indefinitely delayed executions of inmates Michael Lambrix and Mark Asay as a result.Attorney General Pam Bondi, the governor, and Senate leaders had no immediate comment Friday on the ruling and said their lawyers were reviewing it. Bondi's office has said that as many as 43 Death Row inmates could get life sentences without parole or new sentencing hearings as a result of the Hurst decision.Incoming House Speaker Richard Corcoran said he was "profoundly disappointed" in the ruling, calling the decision evidence of the court's "ongoing effort to subvert the will of the people as expressed by their elected representatives."This decision is indicative of a court that comes to a conclusion, then seeks a judicial pathway, however tortured, to achieve its desired result," he said in a statement. "That is antithetical to the rule of law and dangerous for our state."Friday's ruling also was met with anger by the family of Yvette Farinas, a Miami waitress who was brutally murdered by a handyman named Rafael Andres in 2005. He beat and stabbed her during a robbery, and used a rice-cooker cord to strangle her before setting her efficiency on fire. At his 2014 trial, jurors also heard that he had previously served prison time for murdering another woman in the mid-1980s.At his trial in 2014, jurors voted 9-3 to sentence Andres to death. Farinas' mother said Friday she believes the nine votes were more than enough to condemn her daughter's killer to execution."This is like giving him a pardon," Luisa Moya said. "He didn't pardon my daughter. He doesn't belong on this earth. He's a cold-blooded killer."Legal experts were divided over the question of how far the Hurst ruling will affect inmates currently on Death Row. Some concluded that all will be eligible for another sentencing trial, and others said it might only apply on a case-by-case basis.The Florida Supreme Court is expected to decide whether the Hurst decision requires the state to conduct new sentencing trials, commute sentences to life, or allow the inmates to be executed if they were sentenced by non-unanimous juries when it rules on the appeals from both Lambrix and Asay."No one now on Death Row got a death sentence under the criteria the Florida Supreme Court says are required, therefore they all have good petitions," said Eric M. Freedman, a constitutional law professor at Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. "Florida will have to pass a new statute and get its act together and put the jury at the center of the process and, if they want to do the job right, make the jury the final arbiter as it is in every other state except Alabama."Karen Gottlieb, also of FIU's Florida Center for Capital Representation, said the impact on current Death Row inmates will be decided by the courts on a case-by-base basis, based on whether inmates previously sentenced to death without a unanimous verdict faced "harmless error beyond a reasonable doubt."How that will be applied might depend on what the Florida Supreme Court decides in the Asay and Lambrix appeals, she said. "There are so many questions left unanswered."In a separate ruling also issued Friday in the case of Perry vs. Florida, the Florida Supreme Court found that a new rewritten statute cannot apply to cases still pending in which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. The ruling will require lawmakers to reconvene to rewrite the law before any death sentences are complete.Until the Legislature acts, however, courts might be in legal limbo about whether to go forward with death sentencing cases, said Scott Sundby, a professor at the University of Miami School of Law."The statute as written was struck down as unconstitutional so it's unclear how a judge would have the authority to require a unanimous verdict if they don't have the statutory authority to ask for that," Sundby said.Sunby also said he "could not disagree more strongly" with Corcoran's comments."This is far from subverting the will of the people," he said. "In fact, it helped the people because otherwise we would have had a statute under which the death sentence would have been sought for years and challenges and appeals would continue until it was ruled unconstitutional. The Florida Supreme Court, by acting now, saved the Florida taxpayers a lot of money."Buddy Jacobs, general counsel for the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, said the group is still analyzing the court's ruling and will meet Monday to discuss it in detail."We enforce the laws, the Legislature writes the laws and the Supreme Court interprets the laws," Jacobs said. "So we will be talking and meeting on Monday to try to come up with some sort of road map of where we go from here based on this opinion."The FPAA, which represents state attorneys, opposed unanimous juries when state legislators were rewriting death penalty laws this spring, but Jacobs said he did not yet know what changes the group planned to support in the coming legislative session.Terry Lenamon, a Miami defense attorney who specializes in death penalty cases, said the ruling is "a historic decision that will change not only the face of the death penalty litigation in Florida but have a wide reaching impact on past, present and future of the death penalty." Description GIS 18 October 2016: A new batch of 150 recruits in the grade of Management Support Officer (MSO) joined the Civil Service yesterday. The Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms, and Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, and Disaster and Beach Management, Mr Alain Wong, welcomed them at the Sir Harilal Vaghjee Hall, Port Louis. A new batch of 150 recruits in the grade of Management Support Officer (MSO) joined the Civil Service yesterday. The Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms, and Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, and Disaster and Beach Management, Mr Alain Wong, welcomed them at the Sir Harilal Vaghjee Hall, Port Louis. In his address, the Minister invited the new recruits to dedicate themselves to serve the citizens of this country, regardless of their status and posting. Since 2015, 480 MSOs have already been recruited to cater for the organisational needs of Ministries/ Departments across the Civil Service. This present batch of MSO is yet another recruitment exercise being made to further strengthen our Civil Service as we firmly believe that the civil service plays a major role in sustaining governance and in facilitating implementation and execution of government programmes, he said, adding that despite all constraints, the civil service in Mauritius is sustaining recruitments in different grades. The post of MSO, underlined Mr Wong, is the entry point in a sector which provides with vistas of opportunities and as public officers, you are here to serve the nation. In the respective Departments or Ministries where you will be working, you will have to integrate work groups and teams, adapt to the culture of the organsation and provide the best services to your customers whether they are people from the same Ministry or the public at large who will call at your desk, he said. After confirmation and on completion of a few years of service, the new recruits will have the opportunity to compete for the post of Office Management Assistant and for specialised functional areas such as Purchasing and Supply, Finance, Human Resource, General Administration. They may even choose to compete for technical positions such as Labour Inspector, Family Welfare and Protection Officer, Social Security Officer, Statistical Officer, Court Officer, just to mention a few. (TNS) DURHAM The basement of American Underground was standing room only Friday as 12 startup companies competed in a pitch contest at the Google for Entrepreneurs Exchange Program for Black Founders, which has been hosted in Durham for the past week.The pitch contest was the culminating event for the Google for Entrepreneurs (GFE) program, as well as for Black Wall Street Homecoming, which have been held concurrently this week.GFE selected 12 startups out of an applicant pool of more than 160 companies. Two Durham companies participated in the GFE exchange: social media platform RantRoom and travel website RewardStock.Google has been a partner with American Underground since 2015, and the GFE program for black startups, which is the first of its kind for Google, was born out of the relationship.For the past week, the 12 startups have taken part in classes and lectures on how to effectively raise capital, and received mentoring from business leaders and exposure to venture capitalists.The pitch was a chance to take all the companies had learned during the week and bring it in front of dozens of venture capitalists from across the country.If you look around the room, its not just black people in this room, said Jesica Averhart, director of community partnerships and new business development at American Underground. This is the community that is supporting this work It shows that people want to invest in these companies, they just need to see them. Its about access.The winner of the pitch contest received $5,000 in cash and $8,000 in computer equipment from Lenovo but it was a also chance to get live feedback from large investors.I think the biggest thing I gained from this week was interacting with the folks from Google that came out and learning from the mentors, said Jon Hayes of RewardStock. They had incredible stories that offered insights into what we are doing and they had a lot of lessons learned we can learn from.Another entrepreneur, John York, one of the founders of RantRoom, said he thought the program had kick-started his companys development.We have never been in this type of environment before, so its really just been us looking at our app. We think its great but it was about learning to present it in a way that was attractive, he said. Leading up to this week, we had been making steps, but after this week we will began to take strides.The GFE exchange wasnt just a chance for entrepreneurs to learn but also a moment for Durham to build upon its reputation as a diverse technology hub.It just continues to affirm that North Carolina is a hotspot for innovation, but beyond that we value diversity here, said Thom Ruhe, the president and CEO of NC IDEA. Having a diverse group of individuals that coalesce around entrepreneurship strengthens the fabric of not just the community but the entire state.Code2040 Entrepreneur in Residence at American Underground Doug Speight echoed that sentiment.This is fantastic for Durhams image, he said. For one, American Underground made this really ambitious push toward being the most diverse tech hub in the country, and this is a great step toward that. Its part of the story we tell the rest of the country that we can attract the best and brightest minds in technology to this city.Many of the startups that came from other parts of the country left impressed with what they saw.Ive never been to Durham before, said Sterling Smith, whose company Austin, Texas-based SandBox Commerce participated in the program. But Durham has a couple things that Austin doesnt have and that includes a more diverse entrepreneurial community, and that is appealing to me.Helen Adeosun, the founder of Boston-based Care Academy, which won the pitch contest, said she left really impressed with the cityDurham for me represents the best of what places that are not Silicon Valley, places like Boston can become. I have a love affair with the South and the Midwest because I think there is opportunity that people dont see. I think Durham is a shining example on a hill of what many cities can become. When asked what emerging regulatory issues they expect to face in 2017, the plurality of respondents 30 percent pointed to the sharing economy. The next most prominent answer was marijuana legalization, at 21 percent. When asked what kind of tool they would use to better engage citizens, the single most common answer was a new mobile app, at 36 percent. The sharing economy and marijuana are top-of-the-list tech concerns for local government headed into 2017 among Accela customers, anyway.The California tech company, which offers services ranging from permit processing to asset management tools, is seeing that appetite among its customer base. At the companys annual conference, Engage, held in August, it surveyed about 300 government workers about the issues they see coming their way in 2017, as well as their technology needs.Among the surveys findings:The data is either entirely or almost entirely made up of Accela customers, according to company Government Relations Director Tim Woodbury. That means it is largely made up of people who either work in regulatory roles or with regulatory agencies.Thats why we ask about some regulatory hot button issues it probably is the largest assembly of local and state government regulatory people and IT support people in the country, Woodbury said.It also skewed heavily toward the West Coast, with about 45 percent of survey takers coming from California. That might help explain the concern about marijuana regulation on top of a ballot proposition to legalize recreational marijuana that is polling at around 60 percent approval ahead of the election, Californias local jurisdictions are facing a legislative mandate to develop new regulations for medical use of the drug.Of course, California isnt the only state facing legalized and therefore regulated marijuana in the near future. According to The Cannabist, a marijuana-focused project from the eight more states Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota all have either recreational- or medical-use initiatives on the ballot this November.A lot of IT staff and regulators in those states are already considering what theyll need in order to handle those new responsibilities, Woodbury said.The other prominent issue in Accelas survey, the sharing economy, is an evolving array of problems. Regulators around the country are dealing with a shifting landscape of regulatory approaches to ridesharing services like Uber, which lets non-professional drivers ferry around passengers in their spare time, as well as Airbnb, which gives property owners the ability to rent out spaces to visitors for short time periods.But Woodbury said theres an opportunity to serve government clients using the same platform for multiple gig economy companies.A lot of these emerging regulatory issues, the cool thing is its a lot of the same technology needed at the basic level, he said.Thats because many of the governments needs will be the same for different companies. A form might change here or there, but a platform that can handle permitting is a platform that can handle permitting.And at the local level, Woodbury said he sees concern about being able to handle the new regulations.They have to figure out how to do it with the same personnel that they have today, without adding people to their department, he said. smart state solutions e-government/government digitization entrepreneurship joint innovation joint incubators job creation sharing best practices Much is said about the future of cities and how they are getting smarter . But a more interesting question is how states fit into that equation.Hardik Bhatt, chief information officer of Illinois, has been a long proponent of pushing his state into smarter governance.The idea is over the next three years we want to be not only the smartest state in the U.S., but our competition is Singapore, Dubai and others, Bhatt said earlier this year . And I think we can do that.As a part of setting Illinois up on the national stage, Bhatt also wants to make international connections and began by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian state of Telangana.According to the MoU acquired by, both states acknowledge the potential benefits of developing Smart State solutions and facilitating development of Smart Cities within their jurisdictions.In a live-streamed signing of the MoU, Bhatt was joined by Telangana IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao, who explained how his state is working to set itself up as the smartest state in India.And it's not just about having the smartest technology, Rama Rao said, explaining how smart states are making life more livable for all of their citizens. From smarter uses of limited resources to more government functions available online, Telangana is excited to learn from Illinois and its digital transformation.Bhatt echoed the opinion of Rama Rao, explaining that being a smart state is about enabling cities to make the government work for everyone. It's about transit, department of corrections and public works, said Bhatt.Although cities like San Francisco and Chicago are able to implement these great new technologies, Bhatt said that states are responsible for making sure even rural towns have access to state-of-the-art tech.Through the partnership, the two states will not only share data, but will also share innovative ideas regarding e-governance, entrepreneurship, innovation, incubation and joint practices, Rama Rao said.The MoU lays out 7 areas of cooperation between the states:Included in the MoU was a line about sharing elements of Chicago's Array of Things program with Telangana. The project outfits existing pieces of infrastructure with a network of sensors that detect air pollution and measure traffic flow.Along with sharing elements of the Array of Things, Illinois has also pledged to share and provide lessons learned from the implementation of OpenGrid , according to the MoU. The OpenGrid program is a GIS-based application that provides residents with a way to visually understand complex municipal data.India launched its "100 Smart Cities" program in 2015 as an urban renewal program, focusing on developing 100 cities, making them more livable through retrofitting existing structures and greenfielding unused land (PDF).Both Bhatt and Rama Rao expressed immense excitement about the upcoming project. Ausaf Sayeed, consul general of India in Chicago, even admitted a future project where the entire state of India may work with a multi-state region in the Midwestern states. 1. Journey mapping 2. Segmentation 3. Budget optimization Every election cycle brings an intensified round of speechifying, editorializing and, nowadays, tweeting about what's wrong with government. Is it too big? Or is it not doing enough? Are the policies wrong? Or the politicians? Is government out of touch?The answer -- at least one answer -- is actually very simple. People are unhappy with government because it so often doesn't work well for them. They feel that too many of their interactions with government are hurting them more than helping them.Poor government services have real-life consequences -- consequences that are particularly acute for businesspeople. Licensing delays can derail financing for a start-up. Misunderstanding a regulation can lead to a restaurant owner closing down and laying off staff. Permitting problems can cost a contractor his customers and investors.Of course, disappointing government service isn't intentional. Most government employees want to help their fellow citizens and business owners. The problem is that government has largely missed the customer experience (CX) revolution that has transformed the private sector and irrevocably altered people's expectations of the organizations they deal with.The core insight of CX is that it is smarter, cheaper and more effective for organizations to accommodate their users than to expect users to adapt to organizational structures. By designing their business strategies around input from customers, businesses like Amazon and Apple have come to dominate the corporate landscape. And, fortunately for the public sector, they have developed a rich array of tools that can help government work better for ordinary Americans.A recent Deloitte University Press study, "Rx CX: Customer Experience as a Prescription for Improving Government Performance," provides a detailed description of the CX toolkit, as well as a step-by-step guide to implementing CX reforms. Here is a small sampling of these tools:Journey mapping uses data gathered from surveys, customer interviews and focus groups to understand exactly how users engage with an organization. An entrepreneur's journey, for example, might start when she first looks at a Small Business Administration website or picks up a brochure at her local library. It continues as she sets up her business, obtaining the necessary registrations, licenses and permits. Once her business is up and running, the journey goes on as the entrepreneur pays taxes, submits disclosures, attends government-sponsored classes and perhaps seeks SBA financing to expand.A journey map highlights where regulators and government service providers are doing well and also where people are encountering "pain points" such as unclear instructions, unfriendly websites or processing delays. In the course of a CX-driven analysis of construction permitting, for example, the city of Boston found that contractors had trouble finding addresses of record, so a link to those files was added to the application interface.Segmentation recognizes that people have different needs, not just in terms of the services they receive but also in how services are delivered.An especially creative approach to segmentation was developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs in the wake of the 2014 scandal over service failures in its Phoenix medical center. Detailed CX research revealed that veterans had very diverse needs and preferences. Many older veterans, for example, cherished their relationships with individual VA staffers. But younger veterans were less interested in the human touch: their priority was accessing services quickly and conveniently from their laptops or mobile devices.As a result, the VA divided its clients into segments based on these and other characteristics and then designed interfaces tailored to each group. Communication was improved, veterans gained more control over their services, and wait times declined.A well-designed CX reform can advance mission goalscut costs. The key is allocating the right resources to the right people. An example is the U.S. Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck program. Frequent travellers are able to obtain background checks before they fly and then move quickly through airport security. PreCheck has reduced wait times and freed up airport security staff to spend more time on higher-risk passengers.Some CX reforms detect false economies. In an extensive survey of incoming calls, the Arizona Department of Economic Services found that integrated response systems (the dreaded "press 1 for X, press 2 for Y" auto-responses) were generating multiple repeat calls as users struggled to get the information they needed. It turned out to be cheaper to have knowledgeable humans answer the calls in the first place.Other tools available to governments aspiring to CX reforms include human-centered design, web analytics, social-media scans and nudges -- guiding customers' decisions through "choice architecture." These tools have transformed many of America's most successful businesses in ways that were unimaginable just a decade ago. People will never stop complaining about government, of course, but widespread adoption of the CX tools that the private sector is using so effectively would give them a lot less to complain about. Many governments around the world are working diligently to build smart cities those that use sensors, data and analytics to tackle important urban issues such as how to better manage sanitation systems, improve transportation networks and deliver government services more efficiently. For example, cities can install sensors in water mains to detect leaks or conduct computer-based analysis on real-time video feeds to combat crime . Unfortunately the United States has woefully underinvested in smart city efforts compared to other leading countries. To address this shortcoming, federal, state and local governments should come together to create a new stream of funding for U.S. cities to increase investment in the digital infrastructure they need to ensure they are modern, sustainable and competitive.The U.S. government has committed approximately $160 million over the next five years to support smart city initiatives. This is a pittance compared to some of the investments other countries are making to develop smart cities. For example, in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a $7.4 billion initiative last year to launch 100 smart cities in the country by 2020. And in Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong launched the Smart Nation initiative, which has led to nearly $7.5 billion in technology investments over the past three years.One of the single largest investments in smart cities in the United States occurred this past June when U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx announced that Columbus, Ohio, had won the Smart City Challenge a $50 million federal prize awarded for a single city to address important issues such as safety, mobility and climate change through better use of data and technology. This is an important milestone because most smart city projects in the United States, like Chicagos efforts to build the Array of Things a network of sensors that collects real-time data on the citys environment, infrastructure and activity for research and public use have mostly been small-scale projects focused on a particular application or problem rather than the broad integration of sensors, data and analytics across virtually all public services.The most impressive aspect of the Smart City Challenge is that so many cities responded to the call. From Anchorage to Atlanta and Albuquerque to Albany, the USDOT received a total of 78 applications representing 85 cities in 36 states. Many of these proposals identified important challenges facing municipalities and proposed novel solutions that leveraged technology to improve the community. For example, Boston outlined its plan to integrate additional sensors, data and analytics with other government systems to combat injuries and fatalities among pedestrians and bicyclists, address disparities in its transportation system, and more.Unfortunately the Smart City Challenge only funded one citys proposal, even though many more were also deserving. This is an inadequate approach for funding critical digital infrastructure. Just as it would not make sense to only fund bridges and highways in one city in the United States, it makes no sense to limit investment in the sensors, systems and networks needed to build smart cities to a single location. Instead, policymakers at the city, state and federal levels should be working together to fund promising proposals and develop strong partnerships with the private sector. This could take the form of new grants or repurposing existing funding for physical infrastructure to include digital initiatives.While there is enormous potential to leverage data-driven innovation to improve the quality of life in urban environments, the United States will need to take action soon if it does not want to fall too far behind in the race to build smart cities. (TNS) A five-year-old program in Maryland that lets police compare images of unidentified criminal suspects with millions of motor vehicle records using increasingly advanced facial recognition software has come under fire from civil liberties advocates, who say such programs lack transparency and infringe on privacy rights.Police have used the Maryland Image Repository System with little fanfare since 2011. But the program has attracted increased scrutiny since the American Civil Liberties Union in California released documents last week showing the system was used to monitor protesters during the unrest and rioting in Baltimore last year.That followed other recent disclosures about law enforcement in Baltimore adopting clandestine technologies, including cellphone tracking and aerial surveillance.The Center on Privacy & Technology at the Georgetown University Law Center plans to release a national study Tuesday on the use of facial recognition software by law enforcement. The center highlights Maryland's position at the cutting edge of the technology and questions its merits.Maryland is one of at least five states that has provided access to driver's licenses, local police mug shots and other corrections records to the FBI, according to state and federal data. A dozen other states provide driver's license photographs only. Still others have laws prohibiting the use of facial recognition."It wouldn't take that much for Maryland or Baltimore to make that kind of investment," he said. "In the future, we might see a world where every face is scanned."State officials have said concerns about the program are overblown and did not shy away from the state's reputation for adopting the technology early.Stephen T. Moyer, secretary of the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, which operates and maintains the database, said his agency and Maryland law enforcement agencies will continue to "make use of all legally available technology to aggressively pursue all criminals.""We're using it aggressively because we pursue criminals aggressively," said Gerard Shields, a department spokesman. "That's a priority for us."The database includes more than 7 million images from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration and more than 3 million mug shots and other photographs of arrestees, officials said.Every night, the MVA sends off more."The MVA has a long-standing practice of sharing photos and data with law enforcement. We're talking decades and decades," MVA spokesman Chuck Brown said. "Even before digital photos were invented, we had a system in place to share photos with law enforcement."Officials estimate that between 6,000 and 7,000 law enforcement officers from agencies and departments across the state have access to the database.The system allows them to scan images of criminal suspects from a surveillance camera or a social media account and then compare them to the millions of stored photographs from the state and tens of millions more from the FBI's own federal mug shot repository.The dimensions of individuals' faces the width of a nose, the shape of an ear help the software spit out matches for consideration by investigators."The process is only a tool," Shields said. "It does not meet the standard for evidence. It is not replacing investigative work that law enforcement is doing."Shields said the state keeps logs of users who access the system, but not the results of searches."We have never received a report about the system being abused," he said.Kevin Combs, chief information officer for the corrections department, said the database adheres to all applicable laws regarding the expungement of criminal records.During one recent week, Maryland's system was accessed 177 times, Shields said.The Maryland State Police and police departments across the Baltimore region including Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Howard and Harford counties all confirmed using it, but few provided details.Howard County police have used it mostly for robbery investigations, and sometimes in theft and fraud cases, a spokeswoman said. The sheriff's office in Carroll County has used it a few times, but it has never resulted in a suspect being identified, a spokesman there said.T.J. Smith, a Baltimore police spokesman, said his agency used the software "when there was rioting going on in Baltimore last year for purposes of trying to identify those who were involved in criminal wrongdoing."Smith declined to answer other questions about the department's use of the technology, including the claim by the private company Geofeedia obtained by the ACLU that police had used it to identify individuals with outstanding warrants during the unrest.Civil liberties advocates say the software can make mistakes that send police officers to the doorsteps of innocent people. They also question whether the public, including protesters, are protected against abuses."The chilling effects on people exercising their First Amendment rights seem pretty clear to me," said David Rocah, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Maryland.In recent months, Rocah has criticized the Baltimore Police Department for having secretly used so-called stingray technology, which mimics a cellphone tower and helps pinpoint a device's location by triggering all phones in an area to connect to it, as well as a private surveillance plane.Now Rocah says the state and the Baltimore police are not disclosing enough information about the facial recognition program."There's a question of who is being subjected to this kind of facial recognition search in the first place," Rocah said. "Is it only Black Lives Matter demonstrators who get this treatment? Are they drawing those circles only in certain neighborhoods? The context in which it's described here seems quintessentially improper."Bedoya said research shows that facial recognition software is less accurate when identifying African-American faces, making it "least accurate for the population that the Baltimore police is most likely to use it on."State officials said they were not aware of such issues.Garvie said Maryland and other states are building out applications for facial recognition without sufficient policies in place to govern how they should function, and are doing little to inform the public about the programs."We're seeing the technology advance very, very rapidly right now, and as the technology advances, we're going to see more and more aggressive deployment," Garvie said. "We're not seeing any public dialogue around this."Brown, the MVA spokesman, said his agency has a privacy policy posted on its website that reserves its right to share private information with law enforcement. He said the agency would try to display it more prominently. A looming federal mandate continues to put states on edge and threatens to further complicate air travel in the United States.The so-called Real ID Act was passed in 2005 as part of the 9/11 Commissions recommendations for more consistent identification standards, but implementation of the stricter rules which includes incorporating anti-counterfeit technology into the card has been anything but straightforward.Distilled down to its simplest form, the law means that people living in states that have not met federal identification standards will not be able to use their existing drivers' licenses to pass through airport security checkpoints or enter certain federal facilities.Even in cases of domestic travel, citizens would need to present a compliant form of identification, also known as an enhanced drivers license, a passport or other Transportation Security Administration (TSA)-approved documents anything less would be turned away after the Jan. 22, 2018 deadline.States like Alaska, California, Oregon and Virginia, have pushed back on the interim deadlines and have filed and been granted a limited extension, but as Oregon DMV Administrator Thomas McClellan explained, meeting the requirements is not as simple as changing the states identification methods.States are at different points in achieving compliance, and there arent just one or two provisions that states are encountering as barriers," he toldvia email. "The [Department of Homeland Security (DHS)] has indicated there are 42 provisions in Real ID, although there are well over 100 requirements when all the subsections and regulations are considered."And a state doesnt really find out its status whether all requirements are met until it's submitted a compliance package with documentation of issuance processes, card and physical security features, and system capabilities, McClellan said."Weve told our legislature that the elements fall into three main categories: security of the physical card; reliability of the information on the card; and security of DMV and its contractors," which he said includes physical facilities and personnel. "The state agencies share some of their findings and revelations from DHS, but its mostly kept private between the state and the federal agency."On the balance, Oregon faces the possibility of roughly 2.8 million license holders being affected by the changes. For California, that number increases almost ninefold to affect roughly 25 million document holders, according to documents supplied by McClellan.On Oct. 17, the state was granted a partial-year extension until June 2017 but that extra time does not solve problems like funding for the changes or the direct affront to the states own constitutional documents.The provision that is most problematic for Oregon is the requirement that we collect and retain copies of applicants identity and legal presence documents. This can be in paper files, microfiche or digital images ... but the real question is why a state motor vehicle agency would need these records and retain them for seven to 10 years, McClellan said. Presumably, this is for law enforcement investigative purposes ... which in some states is a function for which [driver's license/identification] fee revenues cannot be used to finance.And despite the fact that the DHS the TSA's parent agency is leading the charge for the new ID standards, they arent about to pay for it.McClellan said the unfunded costs associated with re-enrolling and issuing of state identification poses a real concern for states facing down these rules. He said California officials have voiced this issue as a major concern.California officials declined to speak about their concerns, but toldvia email that the DMV "has been working diligently to comply with federal Real ID Act requirements. The Department of Homeland Security granted the DMV an extension for Real ID compliance through June 6, 2017.While Oregon and California are clearly struggling , the situation is more dire in states like Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Oklahoma and South Carolina, where the DHS issued warnings state that it would deny any further extension requests, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported This would mean residents of the state would be unable to pass through airport security as early as January 2018.Though officials from the Virginia DMV were unavailable to discuss their state's progress on Real ID, spokesperson Brandy Brubaker toldthat residents of the state will experience no immediate interruptions to their travel plans or access to federal facilities, and that DMV officials would be maintaining communication with DHS moving forward. We are pleased Virginians will experience no interruption in access to federal facilities or commercial flights until at least June 6, 2017. We are requesting a meeting soon with DHS to further discuss Virginias efforts toward meeting the requirements of the Act. Pascal Wehrlein thinks predictions of a five second per lap boost for F1 next year could be right. The German is among only a handful of drivers who have been taking part in Pirelli's testing of the bigger and wider slicks next year. Wehrlein's latest running took place in less than ideal weather in Barcelona, but he said afterwards: "I can't say much, but yes -- the tyres are faster." Although racing for Manor, Wehrlein remains closely involved with Mercedes, who along with Ferrari and Red Bull have modified 2015-spec cars to assist with Pirelli's 2017 testing. Along with the bigger tyres, F1 cars are also getting substantially more downforce for next year, leading Wehrlein to predict: "Five seconds per lap (faster) is quite realistic. "Whether it is six seconds or four, we will have to see, but it will be much faster. On top of that, the wide tyres look much better," he added. Some figures, including Pirelli's Paul Hembery and Sebastian Vettel, have said the 2017 improvement is hard to quantify, particularly because the 2015 test cars are not yet producing enough downforce. Wehrlein said: "We will have to see how it will be with the 2017 cars, but the new tyres offer more grip. That is a fact." Lewis Hamilton was called up to test the slicks last week, but Mercedes said he pulled out at the last moment with a sore foot. But former F1 driver Stefan Johansson thinks Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel have been smart at leaping at every single opportunity to test the 2017 tyres. "I guarantee you that this will give him an advantage next year," said the former McLaren and Ferrari driver. "Without a shadow of doubt, those tires will be based largely on his input," Johansson told his blog. "It's an incredibly smart move on his part and incredibly stupid on the other drivers' parts not to dedicate the time to testing if it's available to them. "That's exactly what Michael Schumacher did. Every chance he had to test, he took it -- and some," he added. (GMM) NEATs mission is to help engineers design, develop and test systems for electric aircraft. Once complete, NEAT will be a world-class, reconfigurable testbed that will be used to assemble and test the power systems for large passenger airplanes with over 20 Megawatts of power. Engineers at the NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) at NASA Glenn Research Center ran the new facilitys first test in September. Dr. Rodger Dyson, NASA Glenn Hybrid Gas Electric Propulsion technical lead, and his team used 600 volts of electricity and successfully tested an electrical power system that could realistically power a small, one or two person aircraft. Engineers conduct the first test of an electric aircraft engine in NASAs Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) at Plum Brook Station. Credits: NASA. Click to enlarge. As large airline companies compete to reduce emissions, fuel burn, noise and maintenance costs, it is expected that more of their aircraft systems will shift to using electrical power. What were hoping to learn now is how to make it more efficient and light-weight. Next year were going to upgrade the size of these motorswell use the same technology to test the higher-power stuff next. Dr. Dyson By increasing efficiency and reducing weight, the technology developed here can eventually be applied to larger, commercial aircraft, potentially resulting in reduced flying costs for airline companies and travelers. NEAT is one element in a larger NASA effort investigating green aeronautics in general and electric propulsion in particular. For example, researchers at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research in California are using a unique test stand to understand the intricacies of how electric motor systems work. Made of steel and aluminum, the 13.5-foot tall Airvolt test stand is one of the newest tools in NASAs multi-center approach to explore the use of electric propulsion on future aircraft. Airvolt was designed and fabricated at Armstrong and can help researchers anticipate system integration challenges and verify and validate electric propulsion components, said Yohan Lin, Airvolt integration lead. The AirVolt test stand at Armstrong. The propulsion system under test is attached to the top of the stand. Credits: NASA. Click to enlarge. The test stand will help us to understand electric propulsion and the nuances of different systems. A lot of claims are made about the efficiency of electric motors and we want to verify that and gain experience with commercial off-the-shelf, or custom-designed systems. Yohan Lin Airvolt also permits researchers to evaluate early-stage technology and build confidence in its use for future systems. For example, Airvolt research has already confirmed a challengeelectro-magnetic interference (EMI). EMI occurs when an electric circuit is interrupted by an internal or external force or condition, which results in noise interference. The X-57: NASAs first electric X-plane NASAs coming X-57 (nicknamed Maxwell) will be its first electric X-plane. The X-57 features 14 electric motors turning propellers, all of them integrated into a uniquely-designed wing. NASA researchers ultimately envision a nine-passenger aircraft with a 500 kW power system in 2019. (Earlier post.) The X-57 is being built using a Tecnam aircraft fuselage (P2006T) which will be integrated with the wing for electric propulsion. The planned final version will feature twelve small electric propellers along a high-aspect ratio wings leading edge, and two larger electric cruise motors out on the wing tips. The experimental, high-aspect ratio wing is being designed at NASA Langley in Virginia, and fabricated by Xperimental LLC in San Luis Obispo, California. The wings twelve small electric propellers will be used to generate lift during takeoff and landing only, while the two outboard motors will be used during cruise. The wing will be integrated onto the fuselage once the electric power validation flights are complete. The vehicle will be powered by a battery system, developed by Electric Power Systems of the City of Industry in California. The wing will be integrated onto the fuselage once the electric power validation flights are complete. The vehicle will be powered by a battery system, developed by Electric Power Systems of the City of Industry in California. EMI issues impacted data collection and real-time displays, resulting in false indicators in the control room, Lin said. It was caused by the propulsion systems noise. The solution was to install a combination of hardware filters on the test instrumentation and use digital filters on the acquired data. With the challenges eliminated, researchers in the control room were able to safely monitor key parameters. The first tests on Airvolt in late 2015 focused on the energy-efficient Pipistrel Electro Taurus electric propulsion system, which is typically used for motor gliders. The system consists of an EMRAX motor and Pipistrel-designed motor controller, propeller, lithium polymer batteries, and throttle controller. The motor produces 40 kilowatts of power, which are monitored by the Airvolt that is capable of accommodating systems that use up to 100 kilowatts of power. The test stand can also withstand 500 pounds of thrust. Researchers using Airvolt are interested in determining voltage, current, power, torque and thrust performance of the commercial off-the-shelf components and learning about the characteristics of such a system, Lin explained. In addition, researchers are looking to build competencies in electric propulsion system verification and validation. Airvolt is now testing the Joby Aviation JM-1 motor to provide information for modeling simulations of the electric propulsion elements. The NASA ARMD Advanced Air Transportation Technologies hybrid gas electric propulsion subproject funds the current Airvolt work. The AATT subproject aims to explore and develop technologies and concepts for improved energy efficiency and environmental compatibility for future fixed wing subsonic transports. As a result, the Group is outselling GM, which itself has been posting record results. General Motors and its joint ventures in China delivered a September record 343,773 vehicles, up 16% year over year. For the first nine months of 2016, retail sales by GM and its joint ventures in China increased 9% on an annual basis to a record 2,718,315 units. The Volkswagen Group is having a very strong sales year so far in China. For September, deliveries were up 20.1% to 382,300 units compared to September 2015. For the nine-month period from January to September, VW Group deliveries were up 10.7% to 2,853,900 from the year before. Worldwide, the Volkswagen Group delivered 947,600 vehicles to customers in September, an increase of 7.1% compared with the previous year; Chin accounted for 40.3% of those September 2016 deliveries. 7.6 million vehicles were handed over to customers worldwide from January to September, representing a rise of 2.4%, even as the Group worked its way through the fallout from the diesel emissions scandal that broke cover in September 2015. Chinas share of that 7.6 million was 37.5%. All passenger car brands recorded a positive delivery performance for the period to September. While the situation in Brazil in particular remained tense, there was significant growth on the Chinese market. There was also positive development in demand from customers in Europe. The increased deliveries make us optimistic we will be able to master the upcoming challenges. Reinforcing our customers trust in our products remains our top priority. Fred Kappler, Head of Group Sales The Volkswagen Group delivered 3.18 million vehicles (+3.5%) in Europe in the first nine months. 398,700 new vehicles were handed over to customers in September, an increase of 6.3% compared with the previous year, of which 343,000 (+6.1%) were delivered in Western Europe. Momentum was particularly strong in Spain, Italy and France. There was solid development in deliveries on the home market of Germany as well (+3.9%). The Group also recorded growth of 7.9% in Central and Eastern Europe in September. The positive delivery performance in Poland and the Czech Republic in particular offset the slight decline in Russia (-2.5%). Volkswagen Group deliveries in the North America region rose to 75,700 units in September, a slight increase of 1.3%. While customer demand for Group products was particularly strong in Mexico and Canada during this period, deliveries in the USA declined (-3.2%). The South American market remained difficult in September. The Group delivered 320,000 vehicles in that region during the first nine months, 27.2% down on the previous year. 3.11 million vehicles (+8.1%) were delivered in the Asia-Pacific region in the first nine months, including the 2.85 million in China. Deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region in September increased by 16.4% compared with the previous year to 411,700 units. Volkswagen brand. The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand is the largest of the Group; its Jan-Sep 2016 sales represent 57.5% of total group sales. The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 547,700 vehicles worldwide in September, 6.7% more than the previous year. A total of 4,374,900 vehicles were handed over to customers from January to September. As a result, cumulative deliveries by the Volkswagen brand exceeded the previous year's level for the first time this year (+0.6%). Thanks to the strong performance in China, deliveries by Volkswagen in September were noticeably higher than the previous year. Consequently, our deliveries for the period from January to September exceeded the 2015 level. Jurgen Stackmann, Volkswagen Brand Board Member for Sales Volkswagen recorded a 1.6% increase in deliveries in the overall European market in September compared with the previous year, handing over 160,400 vehicles. The majority of these vehicles, 141,000 units, were delivered in Western Europe (+0.4%). 48,300 vehicles were handed over to customers in the home market of Germany, a slight decrease of 1.5%. Volkswagen continued on its successful path in Central and Eastern Europe, where deliveries rose by 10.4% to 19,400 units. 7,000 vehicles were delivered in Russia, 2.9% up on the previous year. Deliveries in the North America region in September totaled 45,600 units, almost matching the level of the previous year (-0.7%). In the USA, the decline slowed further compared with the previous year to -7.8% (24,100 vehicles). This years upward trend in Mexico continued in September, with Volkswagen handing over 16,500 vehicles, representing an appreciable 12.4% increase compared with the previous year. The situation in the South America region remained challenged. 20,500 vehicles were handed over to customers there in September, amounting to a substantial decline of 47.2% compared with the previous year. This negative trend has its origin in Brazil, the regions largest market. In contrast, the Asia-Pacific region continued to develop well in September. 303,700 vehicles were delivered to customers there, a sizeable increase of 19.8% compared with the previous year. The market in China was the main driver of the growth in worldwide deliveries. Volkswagen continued its successful course in that country, delivering 288,800 vehicles in Septembera 22.8% increase compared with 2015. 2,133,100 Volkswagen brand vehicles were handed over to customers from January to September. That is a new record and represents an increase of 11.4%, or 219,100 units, compared with the previous year. John McCain revealed the next step for Senate Republicans on the subject of Supreme Court obstructionism. Already refusing to even consider President Obama's nominee to fill a vacancy of now-eight months' duration, Republicans "will be united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton, if she were president, would put up," McCain said on a Philadelphia radio program Monday. An aide sort of walked back the comment later, but we probably can believe the straight-talking senator from Arizona. Senate Republicans built a wall as soon as Justice Antonin Scalia died in February, declaring that Obama would not fill the seat during the final year of his presidency. Instead, the "American people" would decide by choosing the next president. That was outrageous enough. The idea that a president should only nominate Supreme Court justices in the first three years of his or her term is absurd. The American people elect a president to serve a term of four years and to exercise all the powers of the office throughout. But McCain has let us know how insincere he and his fellow Republicans were about even that restrictive notion. Now, if they don't like the decision the American people make in the election, they'll attempt to nullify it through obstruction. If Clinton is elected, as now seems likely, they simply will not allow her to put anyone on the Supreme Court. So I suppose a court of eight justices can dwindle to seven, then six and maybe even five. You can guess at the thinking here. The court is divided equally along ideological lines now, depending on Justice Anthony Kennedy's mood on a given day. If Clinton places the next justice, the liberals will gain a 5-4 advantage. So that won't be allowed to happen. So, suppose the next justice to depart is liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg. That would drop the court to seven members and leave the conservatives with a 4-3 majority. It sounds like a plan. Maybe the only plan. It doesn't matter if Republicans hold the Senate or lose it after the election. As long as they have enough senators to sustain a filibuster, they can block a floor vote on a nominee. Would they dare? Well, they place the utmost importance on the Supreme Court. This strategy would be appealing to their base, some of whom are convinced that gun rights are at stake (they're not). But, again, what about that promise to let the American people decide? Well, back in February, Republican senators may not have suspected they would be pinning their political hopes on Donald Trump. Now they see the election slipping away, so the last thing they want is to leave something as critical as the Supreme Court to the will of the voters. Updated at 7:15 p.m. HILLSBOROUGH North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory says the burning of a local GOP office is unlike anything he's seen in his political career. McCrory addressed reporters on Monday outside of the Orange County GOP headquarters that was burned by a flammable device early Sunday. He said: "To come back near our state capital and see a broken window from a molotov cocktail is unimaginable." He has been traveling to other areas of the state that have been stricken by floods in recent days. McCrory also questioned why it took several hours after an emergency call was made for Hillsborough authorities to make an official public statement. Hillsborough Police Chief Duane Hampton told The Associated Press in an interview that one of his department's first calls was to federal agents, who were on scene less than an hour after his officers arrived. He says his department took the act very seriously and understood its implications from the beginning. Updated at 6:14 p.m. HILLSBOROUGH The White House is responding to reports of a fire being set at a local Republican Party headquarters in North Carolina, saying there is no justification for the use of violence to advance a political agenda. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in Monday's press briefing that President Barack Obama has consistently praised political activists who sought to overcome significant differences through the use of non-violent tactics. Earnest says in a season heated with political rhetoric that neither side benefits from vandalism and violence. He is also noting that some Democrats are trying to raise money to rebuild the campaign office. The online campaign he says is consistent with the president's optimistic vision about the country and that progress can be made on key issues by focusing on shared values. Updated at 1:41 p.m. HILLSBOROUGH Investigators combed through shards of glass, looked for residue of flammable accelerant and tried to narrow down the overnight hours when someone torched a local Republican Party office by throwing a flammable device through the window. The mayor said he wasn't aware of any surveillance footage from the immediate vicinity, and the office sits where there wouldn't normally be foot traffic at night in a decades-old retail complex set back from a main road that backs up to a wooded area. A bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters sometime between 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday morning, damaging the interior before burning out, according to authorities. Someone also spray-painted "Nazi Republicans leave town or else" on a nearby wall. The office was empty and no one was injured in what the state GOP's executive director called an act of "political terrorism." Local party officials reopened a makeshift operation on folding tables outside the office Monday while uniformed police looked on. Plainclothes investigators looked for evidence at the scene as state, local and federal investigators divided up leads. The graffiti and remnants of the fire were discovered Sunday morning by 68-year-old Bobbie Sparrow, whose Balloons Above Orange shop is next to the GOP headquarters. She came to feed stray cats around 8:30 a.m. Sunday when she noticed the graffiti. "I saw the hate in it. And the only reason they used the side of my building, because it was a blank canvas for a message to the Republican Party people," she said. "I said 'this is a hate crime,' and I picked up my cell phone and called 911 and told them someone needed to get here immediately." She said she isn't aware of any surveillance cameras outside the buildings, and Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens said he wasn't aware of any in the immediate vicinity, either. County GOP chairman Daniel Ashley arrived Sunday morning to find the area roped off by yellow police tape. He said he believes whoever's responsible intended to burn down the building. "I definitely think the reason they spray-painted that building there was because they thought this one wouldn't be here," he said, standing in front of his office. Lost in the fire were 2,000 sample ballots for local Republicans, dozens of yard signs that were melted and banners for events that were ruined by soot, he said. The violent act in the key battleground state has been condemned by public figures across the political spectrum. A tweet from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Sunday said the attack "is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe." An hour later, Trump tweeted: "Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning." North Carolina's Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and his Democratic challenger, state Attorney General Roy Cooper both described the violence as a threat to democracy. Democrats joined a campaign to raise $10,000 to reopen the GOP office, meeting the goal in less than 40 minutes and "showing that Americans are thirsty for civility and decency," wrote the GoFundMe drive's creator, David Weinberger, a researcher at Harvard University. "It's a great gesture. We appreciate it a lot, but I don't know how much of that we're going to get to use because of the campaign laws," Ashley said Monday. Republican offices around the state are re-examining their security, state GOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse said, adding that people sometimes worked after-hours in the Hillsborough office. "They are working around the clock. It is a miracle that nobody was killed," he said in an interview. The walls of the multi-room office were covered in black char, and a couch against one wall had been burned down to its springs. Shattered glass covered the floor, and melted campaign yard signs showed warped lettering. Stevens, mayor of the town about 40 miles northwest of Raleigh, said the act doesn't represent the character of Orange County, which also includes Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-1 in the county. Blake Halsey, a 21-year-old college student who volunteers at the Orange County GOP office, answered calls Monday at a folding table underneath the window shattered by the flammable device. He grew up in the area and described the town as a "melting pot" for all political views. He said the attack made him think about his personal safety because he's worked after-hours recently at the office. "It's sad to see America go this way," he said. "The Constitution says we have free speech. But free speech does not mean you can throw a fire bomb in there." Updated 9:45 a.m. Monday HILLSBOROUGH Authorities are investigating after a local Republican Party office in North Carolina was vandalized and set on fire in what a state GOP official called an act of "political terrorism." A bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight, damaging the interior before burning out, according to a Sunday news release from the town of Hillsborough. The office was empty and no one was injured. Also, someone spray-painted "Nazi Republicans leave town or else" on a nearby wall. There were no new developments overnight in the investigation, Hillsborough Police Chief Duane Hampton said in an email Monday morning. The violent act in the key battleground state has been condemned by public figures across the political spectrum. A tweet from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Sunday said the attack "is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe." An hour later, Trump tweeted: "Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning." The North Carolina GOP tweeted thanks to both Clinton and Trump for their words of support. In tweets of their own, North Carolina's Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and his Democratic challenger, state Attorney General Roy Cooper both described the violence as a threat to democracy. "I will use every resource as governor to assist local authorities in this investigation," McCrory's added, and Cooper's said "the culprits must be caught and brought to justice." The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was working with local investigators to solve the crime, which was discovered Sunday morning by another business owner. Republican offices around the state are re-examining their security, state GOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse said. People sometimes work after-hours in the office, and the bottle appeared to have landed on or near the couch where volunteers sometimes take naps, he said. "They are working around the clock. It is a miracle that nobody was killed," he said in an interview, calling the fire an act of "political terrorism." On Sunday afternoon, the walls of the multi-room office were covered in black char, and a couch against one wall had been burned down to its springs. Shattered glass covered the floor, and melted campaign yard signs showed warped lettering. The graffiti had been covered in paint. At a news conference, Woodhouse urged Republicans to respond peacefully by turning out to vote in November. He said he'd received messages of support from Democrats. Democrats also joined a campaign to raise $10,000 to reopen the GOP office, meeting the goal in less than 40 minutes and "showing that Americans are thirsty for civility and decency, and that we love our democracy above all differences," said the GoFundMe drive's creator, David Weinberger, a researcher at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Orange County GOP chairman Daniel Ashley told reporters no one had previously made violent threats against the office, several miles from the town's historic square. Tom Stevens, mayor of the town about 40 miles northwest of Raleigh, said the act doesn't represent the character of Orange County, which also includes much of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-1 margin in the county that picked President Barack Obama by a lopsided margin in the 2012 election. "I'd like to believe we aspire to respect hearing differing views," Stevens, a Democrat, said in an interview. "This is very troubling." Posted 5:05 p.m. Sunday We will do what we call a check-by of the Guilford headquarters at Hunt Village shopping center on Gate City Boulevard, said Greensboro Police Department spokeswoman Susan Danielsen. We will randomly patrol the area to see whether theres anything suspicious going on. Its self-initiated. Its common for us to take that type of precaution when a crime has happened in a nearby jurisdiction. Its a precautionary measure. A news release from the town of Hillsborough said someone threw a bottle filled with flammable liquid through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight. The substance ignited and damaged furniture and the interior before burning out. The Hillsborough office was blackened by the fire and someone spray-painted a swastika and an anti-GOP slogan Nazi Republicans leave town or else, on a nearby building. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump blamed the incident on supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Early Sunday evening he tweeted: Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning @NCGOP He also tweeted: ALL SAFE IN ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. With you all the way, will never forget. Now we have to win. Proud of you all! @NCGOP Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the state GOP, said no one was injured, but a security alert is being sent to party offices around the state. A lone volunteer was staffing the Guilford County office on Sunday afternoon. Ernie Wittenborn, the chairman of the Guilford County Republican Party, did not return a call requesting comment. Woodhouse told the News & Record the GOP had asked all offices to close by sundown Sunday while we assess the threats. He called the bombing political terrorism in a Charlotte Observer report. Later, Woodhouse said, Whether you are Republican, Democrat or Independent, all Americans should be outraged by this hate-filled and violent attack against our democracy. Everyone in this country should be free to express their political viewpoints without fear for their own safety. On Sunday afternoon, the walls of the multi-room office in Hillsborough were covered in black char, and a couch against one wall had been burned down to its springs. Shattered glass covered the floor, and melted campaign yard signs showed warped lettering. The graffiti had been covered in paint by late afternoon. Another business owner discovered the damage Sunday morning. Local police are investigating alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Woodhouse said that people sometimes work after-hours, and he felt lucky that no one was there at the time. They are working around the clock. It is a miracle that nobody was killed, he said in a phone interview. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory issued a statement that said, The firebombing of a local political headquarters in Orange County is clearly an attack on our democracy. Violence has no place in our society but especially in our elections. Fortunately no one was injured; however, I will use every resource as governor to assist local authorities in this investigation. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, tweeted at 4:45 p.m., The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe. And North Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Patsy Keever issued a statement that said, The North Carolina Democratic Party strongly condemns this attack. Violence has no place in our political system. We hope the perpetrators of this attack are brought to swift justice, and we are thankful that no one was hurt. Our deepest sympathies are with everyone at the North Carolina Republican Party. Tom Stevens, the mayor of the town about 40 miles northwest of Raleigh, condemned the act in a statement. This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our communitys safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation, Stevens, a Democrat, said in a news release. Rev. William J. Barber, president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP, also condemned the act. Barber told the Associated Press on Sunday, While vigorous debate on issues is acceptable, we in the NAACP denounce any kind of violence that is perpetrated toward our citizens or any political party. Hillsborough is the county seat of Orange County, which also includes much of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-1 margin in the county that picked President Barack Obama by a lopsided margin in the 2012 election. The GOP office is located at a retail complex along the interstate thats several miles from the towns historic square. The firebombing comes in the final month of an election campaign that has seen rising anger and some violence from Democrats and Republicans. The Bangor Daily News in Maine reported Sunday that someone sprayed white paint on about 20 cars parked outside Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps rally on Saturday. Other incidents have occurred between protesters and Trump supporters and his rallies. You hope (the firebombing) is an isolated incident, Ferrel Guillory, a political analyst at UNC Chapel Hill, told the Observer. It always happens that toward the end of the campaign, emotions get both frayed and intensified. GREENWICH In opening their headquarters in town, candidates and leaders of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee were quick to preach turnout as the key to electoral success. State Senate candidate John Blankley and state House candidate Dita Bharagava were on hand for the Saturday opening of the headquarters at 428 East Putnam Ave. in Cos Cob. Both sought to get their supporters working hard and knocking on doors, setting up lawn signs and making phone calls for the final campaign push to get out the vote on Election Day, Nov. 8. We know what we stand for as Democrats and we know our values, said Blankley, who is challenging four-term incumbent Republican state Sen. L. Scott Frantz in the 36th District. This is what a party is all about. It is about getting Democrats elected. Its Democrats all the way down the ticket. We know what weve got to do. ... Its getting people out to vote. A political newcomer, Bhargava is challenging four-term incumbent Republican Fred Camillo in the 151st House District. While the task looked daunting when she got into the race, she said, she has a passion to make change in town and in the state. Along the way I have met so many wonderful people and have such a fantastic team, Bhargava said. I really think were making an impact. Were raising issues and we are getting out there saying our state needs help. We need Democratic values to roll down to Greenwich. Bhargava pledged to keep pushing for issues vital to working women and families, citing her own experiences working in the financial sector. She supports a family leave policy in the state and universal child care, and called for stricter gun safety regulations that would reverse open carry policies. I want to empower families to stay in the workforce and I want to empower families to be economically vibrant, Bhargava said. Greenwich Democrats face long odds in their campaigns. As of Monday there were 9,515 registered Democrats in town, far behind the 13,097 registered Republicans and 12,615 voters registered as unaffiliated. It has been many decades since Greenwich sent a Democrat to the state Senate and more than a centeury since it elected a Democrat to the state House. Selectman Drew Marzullo also spoke at the opening and urged the party faithful to get out the vote. Beyond the state races, Greenwich Democrats are working to help re-elect town residents Richard Blumenthal and Jim Himes to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, and help Hillary Clintons presidential campaign against Donald Trump. I am overly proud to be a Democrat and I am overly proud to be a Democrat this year, Marzullo said. The towns most visible Democrat, Marzullo said he is often asked for advice and he said his response is always to have fun with running. He contrasted the local elections against the contest for the White House. What is happening on the other side is not fun, Marzullo said. Its actually very sad. And as Michelle Obama has said, When they go low, we go high. We have two fantastic candidates in Dita and John and while we may disagree with Fred Camillo politically and disagree with Scott Frantz politically, what separates us from whats going on in the national election is we still have civil elections. Bhargava noted the presidential race in her remarks at the opening, disputing statements by Greenwich Republicans that Trump and his campaign are not a local issue. We need to look up to our president, Bhargava said. The country, the state, the town, the families and the people are all going to be led by who the president is. A state representative or any leader should be openly discussing what kind of leadership they want in the White House. In Connecticut, both Himes and Blumenthal are considered heavy favorites in their races against Republican state Reps. John Shaban and Dan Carter, respectively. But DTC head Jeff Ramer cautioned against people assuming victory. Our biggest danger to us now is overconfidence, Ramer said. We cant lose our energy and not find the time to vote. We have to be out there in a storm of loyal Democrats, every one of us. kborsuk@scni.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GREENWICH When President Barack Obama last month designated the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of New England, Caroline Bailey felt a swell of pride. Bailey, a new Greenwich-based intern with Audubon Connecticut, spent the summer leading boat tours around Eastern Egg Rock off of Maine as part of her work with Audubons Project Puffin. The program led Audubon to add its name to the long list of advocates for the national monument designation, which protects about 5,000 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean. It still feels surreal, Bailey said. I know I am just one of the people involved, but still to have been a part of that team and advocating for that and have that go through and really happen is just so amazing. Im really still feeling happy and in a glow. Project Puffin has been researching the birds activity and working to reintroduce them to areas they were pushed out of years ago. Puffins spend much of the year at sea. They can feed, sleep and even mate on the surface of the water, Bailey said. The only things they cant do are lay eggs and raise chicks. It is easy for scientists to track where they nest, especially because they return to the spot where they were raised to rear their own young. The more difficult task is figuring out where they congregate during the rest of the year. Scientists raised a group of young puffins on Eastern Egg Rock, an area where the birds used to live, and they attached bands to the birds so they could track where they went when they werent rearing offspring. That turned out to be an area that was encompassed in the proposed national monument site, and Bailey began educating patrons of her boat tours about the effort to get the federal government to protect the region. I always mentioned on all of my tours the marine monument and how we are trying to get that passed, Bailey said. Bailey began her post-secondary education at art school, but soon transferred when she realized she wanted to integrate her passion for science with her art. While attending Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., she spent four months living in the jungle in Australia and studying Bowerbirds. During her senior year, she conducted her own research about how local songbirds interacted with different colors and patterns in their food sources. After graduating, she found work teaching classes at the Saratoga Clay Arts Center. I discovered how much I loved teaching and also interacting with the public because I would host a lot of gallery events, Bailey said. In the courses I designed I would always include conservation themes and take my students outside with me to pull inspiration from the outdoors. She decided she wanted to take another step in the direction she was moving, away from art and into public outreach. She found the job guiding boats with Project Puffin, and it seemed like the perfect fit. The opportunity with Project Puffin was affirming, she said. Now shes developing that passion even further with Greenwich schoolchildren through her new post at Audubon. Nature and having these wonderful experiences should be accessible to everyone, Bailey said. She said there is a disconnect between people and the environment that she wants to work to mend. Its not something thats happened intentionally, Bailey said. Modern technology in life is a wonderful thing, but unfortunately by spending less time outside, people are not as aware. pfrissell@hearstmediact.com; @PeregrineFriss A 39-year-old British conspiracy theorist and UFO phenomenologist who was found dead in Warsaw in June sent his mother a text days before his death telling her, "If anything happens to me, investigate." Max Spiers, who was in excellent health according to his family, was discovered dead on a couch by a woman he was staying with ahead of a conference he was due to speak at in Poland. Polish authorities attributed the death to natural causes, but no post-mortem was performed at the time. "I think Max had been digging in some dark places and I fear that somebody wanted him dead," his mother, Vanessa Bates, told the Telegraph. Scott C. Waring of UFO Sightings Daily told the Metro, "This is really strange. It does seem that UFO researchers are now being targeted, probably to slow the rate of information being leaked to the public." Adds another UFO blogger, Craig Hewlett "If it wasn't true what he talks about then why would they kill him? Healthy people don't just get sick and die, they get poisoned." But British UFO expert Nick Pope denied there was any any clandestine campaign by the so-called Men in Black or other government agents to eliminate UFO hunters who get to close to "the truth." "The death of Max Spiers was a tragedy, but having run the UK government's UFO project I promise we don't go around killing UFO researchers," he said via Twitter. Bates said her son had made a name for himself among investigators of UFO sightings and alleged cover-ups. She vowed to get to the bottom of her son's death. After Spiers' body was returned to England, an autopsy was carried out by a pathologist in east Kent, according to the Metro, but Bates said the results will not be known for several months. The North East Kent coroner's office confirmed the death was at the "very early" stages of investigation. Spiers, the father of two boys, was buried in a Canterbury cemetery. Among his beliefs, compiled by the Mirror, include these: Zionists and Nazis: "I believe because they have the same agenda they both want to put into place the New World Order." Extraterrestrials: "We are receiving all kinds of help from masters, ETs and extra dimensional type angelic beings, and learning very quickly to go inward." Information downloads via sex: "A lot of women were being used to be set up with very important politicians or entertainers - people in high positions - and sleep with them. They would seduce these people in high positions. And when they sleep with them this information would be downloaded through the act of sex, and it would go back to whoever is controlling them." You try navigating city streets with three bags of food. Photo: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images New York Citys notoriously underpaid, accident-prone bike couriers are finally joining the growing movement of workers demanding better working conditions. Today, deliverers for UberEats, Instacart, and Postmates all of whom work as independent contractors are officially launching a quasi-union called the New York Messenger Alliance in hopes of convincing their employers to pay higher wages and emphasize worker safety, specifically by providing safety gear and workers comp when they get injured on the job. Because its hard to argue these demands are absurd, the group hopes delivery-app companies will have to cave to the pressure. A video created to drum up support tries to show what a days work is like for these folks; many of them cant afford to take time off, like Uber deliverer Sadio Bello, whos filmed pedaling one-footed down Broadway because his right leg is in a giant cast: Like UberEats car drivers, Ubers bike couriers complain that what was once a fantastic deal ($25 an hour) now sort of stinks (wages have been cut to as little as $7 per delivery), yet the hours remain brutal, and there are no benefits. Never in 20 years have I had a paid vacation, one worker tells BuzzFeed. Hes hustled through streets carrying vats of hot soup and 30-pound packages for decades with nothing to show for it no pension, no 401(k). He argues that while messengers arent really team players, Collectively, I think we can go further. The workers have affiliated with the National Taxi Workers Alliance, an AFL-CIO member group that prides itself on its militancy. It brags its the only union thats ever taken Uber to court, so securing the groups backing sounds like a pretty solid first move. The Acer Liquid Jade Primo Windows 10 smartphone has received a solid price cut in the UK. Microsoft UK, which started selling the device a month ago for 449, now has it listed for just 199. A quick look at Acer's online store reveals that the company is officially selling the phone for 449.99, while third-party retailers like Amazon also have it listed for comparatively higher prices. So it's currently only Microsoft which is offering the huge $250 discount. What's a bit unusual is that the phone's listing on Microsoft's online UK store doesn't mention anything about the price cut, including when the deal ends (unless, of course, it's a permanent price cut). Source Weve complained before that Japan gets the coolest phones, but allow us lodge another complaint - its called the LG V34 isai Beat and it is exclusive to Au Japan. It is a mini version of the LG V20, except a little better since it is IP67 waterproof (the V20 doesnt have even basic splash resistance). LG V34 isai Beat in Titanium The isai Beat keeps everything thats awesome about the V20 - the secondary always on screen, the dual-camera on the back, the dual-FoV selfie cam, the quad-DAC setup, B&O branding, Android 7.0 Nougat on Snapdragon 820 with 4GB of RAM and 32GB storage. Except, of course, the screen is 5.2" big rather than 5.7" big. Despite the smaller size, the phone kept the (presumably removable) 3,000mAh battery. This being an Au phone means a whole bunch of Japan-specific connectivity like WiMAX 2+, but regular LTE and VoLTE are on-board as well. Mobile TV is handled by 1seg and ISDB-T. LG V34 isai Beat in Gold The LG V34 isai Beat will be available in Titanium and Gold colors in mid-November. In Japan. Only. Source (in Japanese) | Via (in Romanian) Nokias CEO is speaking at a MWC 2017 keynote and now James Rutherfoord, CEO of Microsoft Asia-Pacific says that HMD is planning several phone launches for this year and the next. HMD Global is the company that acquired the rights to manufacture Nokia-branded phones from Microsoft and has partnered with the real Nokia. According to the Vietnamese publication that quoted the Rutherfoord two new Nokia phones will come out by the end of the year and at least two smartphones in early Q2 of next year. The distinction suggests that the new phones this year will be feature phones. The Vietnamese connection is via FIH Mobile, a Foxconn subsidiary. It took over the local feature phone factory (formerly run by Nokia then Microsoft). So it looks like FIH will put out two Nokia feature pohnes this year, while HMD is busy working on feature phones for April/May 2017. There is a tablet on the way too. Source Sony has started pushing out a new update to several of its Xperia branded devices. It is basically a maintenance update that carries a build number of 1.1.A.0.1 and weighs in at 1.3MB. Sadly, not much is known about the update at the moment, including what exactly it brings along and which Xperia devices are getting it. Several users who've received it are reporting higher battery drain post-update. Via These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. People just dont want to part with their Galaxy Note7 but if they will have to want to fly anywhere. The canceled flagship is now banned from flights in most countries and Samsung Australia has taken a pragmatic approach to handling the recall - representatives at the airport will swap your phone of give you a refund. Several airports down under have service points that are open from 6am to 8pm (note that Canberra closes a little early, 6pm). These points are located before security screening (obviously, youll be turned back if they find a Note7 on you). Samsung will try to swap your Galaxy Note7 at the terminal of your departure (and will refund you the difference to the new device). If for whatever reason there isnt a phone available at departure, the team will arrange that either a phone or a full refund awaits you at your arrival airport. You can follow the Source link for a list of terminals with Samsung service points. The company is working with Australian authorities to set up additional points in other terminals. This is for Australia, but theres a good chance Samsung will expand this arrangement to cover other countries as well. Source T-Mobile and AT&T have already been accepting pre-orders for the LG V20 while Sprint has yet to start orders for the new LG handset until October 21. All three of these carriers are going to release the V20 on October 28. It looks like Verizon is shooting higher than the other carriers by offering the LG V20 officially starting on this Thursday October 20 with in-store activations starting on October 27. As far as pricing goes, Verizon still has no information about how much it will retail at full-price, but we can expect it to be anywhere from $769 to $799 in total. The LG V20 is one of the phones many have considered an alternative to the Galaxy Note7. And for those who are still figuring out what phone they need to switch to, customers can get a hold of the LG V20 just a few days earlier than anyone else. The LG V20 (check out our review here) is the companys newest offering with a large 5.7 inch QHD IPD LCD screen, 16MP main camera with 8MP wide-angle camera, while the front facing camera also features a wide-angle mode. It runs on a Snapdragon 820 CPU paired with 4GB of RAM, and powered by a 3,200mAh removable battery. Anyone who had their heart set on the Note7 planning to switch to the LG V20? Let us know! Via 1 | Via 2 Xiaomi will unveil the Mi Note 2 next week, on October 25 to be precise. This will be the successor to the original Mi Note from January 2015, so it goes without saying that it's hotly anticipated. The phablet has so far been rumored to sport a bezel-less curved 5.7" touchscreen, and high-end specs all-round. The Mi Note 2 is said to be powered by the Snapdragon 821 chipset, with at least two hardware versions - one of which will boast 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, the other making that 6GB and 128GB, respectively. This top of the line model could even get 256GB of internal space instead of 128, as well as QHD screen resolution (while the entry-level variant will settle for 1080p). On the other hand, the high-end Mi Note 2 variation is shaping up to become the most expensive Xiaomi phone ever sold, if a new rumor out of China is to be believed. This claims that the image you see above is a leaked slide from Xiaomi's presentation of the Mi Note 2. And that big number in the middle represents the price - CNY 5,699, equating to $845 or 769 at the current exchange rates. Compared to previous Xiaomi offerings that's quite a lot, but then again the 128GB iPhone 7 Plus is $869 in the US. If this pricing turns out to be true, and that's a big if, then Xiaomi clearly wants to leave behind the affordable days for its Mi line. We assume Redmi devices will still be cheap, but the Mi Note 2 could step into premium pricing territory. We'll have to see how well it will do, sales-wise, provided this actually happens. The purported leaked slide also reveals that the Mi Note 2 is set to go on sale in China on November 1 at 10 AM. Via Haiti - Health : The Canadian Red Cross is deploying an Emergency Health Clinic The Canadian Red Cross has deployed its Emergency Health Clinic in a joint effort with the French Red Cross, to help support several communities in Haiti affected by Hurricane Matthew. The Emergency Health Clinic team will work in cooperation with the Haitian Ministry of Health and the Haitian Red Cross. Health services will be provided through a mobile clinic, bringing care to hard-to-reach communities where health posts have been damaged or destroyed. The mobile clinic will provide : treatment of minor trauma and wounds ; targeted tetanus immunization ; basic prenatal care ; treatment of common infections in adults and children including cholera and malaria and treatment of chronic diseases. The mobile clinic will also be used to carry out prevention activities to decrease the risk of cholera transmission and monitor for outbreaks. "Hurricane Matthew is estimated to have affected more than 2.1 million Haitians, and has displaced 175,000 people. The needs are tremendous," said Hossam Elsharkawi, Vice President of International Operations for the Canadian Red Cross. "The strength of the Red Cross is our combination of community-based and global support. Working closely with the Haitian Ministry of Health and the Haitian Red Cross, the deployment of the Canadian Red Cross Emergency Clinic will help to address the urgent health care needs of those affected by Hurricane Matthew." A team of nine trained and experienced aid workers from Canada will help set up and run the mobile clinic. The team will bring a variety of skills and experience, including medical and nursing expertise and psychosocial support. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Justice : The agreement naming Privert President was never enacted The Coordination of the Support Group to the Constitution (GSC) request in a letter to the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSPJ), its assistance as third co-trustee power of national sovereignty, "on behalf of the principle and moral law commanding to fight any act, any law, all unconstitutional manifestly unconstitutional and illegal." This correspondence is part of the continuity of the action for annulment of the agreement of February 5, 2016 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16533-haiti-politic-the-details-of-the-agreement-from-a-to-z.html , initiated by the GSC and pleaded front the Dean Bernard Sainvil June 10, 2016 and the inventories of parts filed at the deliberations of the Dean August 24, 2016. The GSC recalls the facts to the CSPJ advisers "At the end of the evocation and argument of the case, the Dean Bernard Sainvil, clearly indicated us that he will only render its decision on presentation of the agreement complained in its official format Since all searches among State institutions or personalities to find a copy of Le Moniteur were unsuccessful. We approached amicably the Directorate of the Official Journal Le Moniteur which referred us to the National Palace. In desperation, we summoned the Director of the Journal Le Moniteur by bailiff, and we received again the address of the National Palace. Finally, we seized the jurisdiction of Peace of Petionville for its transportation to the directorate of the Journal Le Moniteur which finally admitted that the agreement of February 5, 2016 was never promulgated by the Executive or published in the official journal Le Moniteur, what the judge of Peace has documented in his minutes of observation. But, the publication in the Official Journal is a public order advertising requirement to give effect to any regulatory act, law, decree or order. (Articles 125, 125-1 and 144 of the 1987 Constitution). In essence, this agreement, which has caused so much ink and saliva is deemed to be still in the drawers of the National Palace awaiting publication to be executed and since August 24, 2016, this folder is in the deliberations of the Dean Bernard Sainvil with an additional memory where we have highlighted to the judge that since February 6, 2016 Sieur Jocelerme Privert posed and continues to take actions that affect the lives of citizens and the interests of the Republic, including dismissal and appointment of civil servants, publication of orders, authorization of disbursement of funds from Public Treasury, signing agreements binding the State, all under a non-existent agreement [...] We already expect that you will spare all effort to support the GSC and allow the Cassation Court to play the constitutional role it is entrusted. All Haitian International and even wonders where is the Third Power ?" HL/ SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping politics... Laying of flowers at the monument of Dessalines On Monday, the de facto President, Jocelerme Privert, accompanied by members of the Government, went to Pont-Rouge where he laid a wreath at the monument erected in memory of the Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines at Pont Rouge assassinated October 17, 1806, a minute of silence was also observed. Solidarity of Non-Aligned countries In Quito, Ecuador, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, proposed, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), to hold an emergency solidarity meeting in New York with the people of Haiti affected by the ravages of Hurricane Matthew, which left over 750,000 families homeless. words of Jude Celestin "On this day we commemorate the 210 years of the departure of the Founding Father of the Nation, let's take the time to think about the legacy he bequeathed this land that once was our pride. Let's aopt the motto he has left on our national bicolor 'The unity is strength'. Let's give meaning to the bravery of this great man, let's be worthy heirs !" UNDP Haiti alongside Grand-Goave The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Haiti and the municipality of Grand-Goave have signed a partnership agreement for a quick recovery after the passage of Matthew. Donation of CFI The team of Investment Facilitation Center (CFI) sends its deepest condolences to the victims of Hurricane Matthew "We are all united as and devastation affects us too. The CFI will donate locally produced clothes, water and other necessities. We encourage others to help Haiti rebuild together. Jocelerme Privert visit the MUPANAH Monday, later in the day as part of the commemoration of the 210th anniversary of the assassination of the Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the de facto President, Jocelerme Privert, accompanied by members of the Government, visited the Museum National Pantheon of Haiti (MUPANAH), he laid a wreath and visited the museum. HL/ HaitiLibre 2016s States with the Most and Least Powerful Voters From WalletHub, Oct 17, 2016 Not all votes are created equal. Some votes carry more weight than others simply because of the somewhat complicated way our voting system is organized. Members of Congress are elected by direct popular vote. But the president is chosen by the Electoral College, a group selected by voters when they cast a ballot for commander-in-chief. In a presidential election, voter power varies widely by state. While all votes are theoretically counted equally one person, one vote the choices of swing-state citizens are more influential. Its safe to assume that Alabama will vote Republican and California will vote Democratic in the upcoming election. But the electoral results of swing states are up in the air, giving their voters more impact. The same principle applies to voter power in the Senate. Its a sure bet that the Republican senator from Utah and the Democratic senator from New York will both be re-elected. But voters choices for senators in swing states hold much more power because they determine which political party controls the Senate. So which states will decide the outcome of the upcoming election? As American voters head to the polls on Nov. 8 to elect the next leader of the free world as well as new senators in certain states, WalletHubs analysts compared the relative influence of voters in both the presidential and Senate races. In order to make such a comparison, they calculated a Voter Power Score for each state and for each type of election. Continue reading below for the findings, additional election commentary, and a full description of our methodology. Presidential Election ALASKA Rank: 3rd Vote Power: 188.03 HAWAII Rank: 46th Vote Power: 2.86 Senate Election (only 34 states have US Senate elections in 2016) ALASKA Rank: 6th Vote Power: 11.23 HAWAII Rank: 24th Vote Power: 1.07 read State by State Breakdown North Carolina and federal officials will join with the public Saturday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. to dedicate the opening of the Boone Fork Bridge on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in Watauga County. The 80-foot bridge allows hikers to avoid wading across the knee-deep Boone Fork Creek as the MST turns north from the popular Boone Fork Trail in Julian Price Memorial Park. The bridge will also improve access to Price Parks backcountry campsite, one of only three backpack camping areas permitted along the entire Blue Ridge Parkway. The $250,000 bridge was paid for with funds from the federal Recreational Trails Program, administered by the NC Division of State Parks, and a John Wesley and Anna Hodgin Hanes Foundation grant to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail managed the project. The ceremony will start at the Price Park Picnic Area at Milepost 297 on the Blue Ridge Parkway with remarks from representatives of the Friends of the MST; North Carolina Trails Program; Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and National Park Service. Following remarks there will be a 1.2 mile (2.4 round trip) moderate hike through beautiful forests to a ribbon cutting at the bridge. Light refreshments will be provided at the picnic area. See more pics and read more about this project here. Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket Newman defends comments an appeals court called prejudicial District Attorney Greg Newman says his comments that a North Carolina appeals court ruled were prejudicial toward a murder defendant were accurate and appropriate. Related Stories The North Carolina Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in Amber Dalton's appeal of her 2014 Transylvania County murder conviction for the 2009 stabbing death of Richard Holden in his Brevard apartment. Dalton also stabbed Holdens wife, Naomi Barker, who survived the brutal assault. Dalton was sentenced to life in prison without parole on the murder conviction and sentenced to an additional 26 to 41 months in prison for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. Daltons attorney, Tony Dalton (no relation) presented an insanity defense at her trial and called at least two expert witnesses on her behalf. During closing arguments, Newman commented on the possibility of Ms. Daltons release back into the community should the jury find her not guilty by reason of insanity. Typically, someone found not guilty by reason of insanity will be hospitalized and evaluated on a regular basis to determine whether a defendant is well enough to function back in the community without the need for further hospital treatment or oversight. My comments at the trial were accurate with respect to both the law and facts of the case, Newman said in a news release. "The Court of Appeals disagreed, however, and in an opinion issued in September 2015, ordered a new trial for Ms. Dalton, saying, among other things, that the District Attorneys comments were too prejudicial. I intended for my comments to be prejudicial because I am an advocate for the people in my judicial district, Newman said. The Court of Appeals did not like the verdict and simply substituted their own intended outcome in the case. They seemed very sympathetic to her (Ms. Dalton) insanity defense, but the jury was buying none of it. I am hopeful the Supreme Court will reinstate the original sentence, added the District Attorney. Superior Court Judge Marvin Pope of Buncombe County presided over the trial in Transylvania County. Newman and Assistant District Attorney Doug Mundy prosecuted the case for the state. It is significant that the Supreme Court agreed to hear this case," Newman said. "They could have chosen not to consider the matter at all. The questions last Tuesday from at least four of the seven justices appeared to be favorable to our position, but I am no mind reader. We will wait and hope for the best. If the Court of Appeals decision is affirmed, my office will prepare to try Ms. Dalton again. I am confident we will achieve the same result of a life sentence. hennemusic archive Oct 2022 (71) Sep 2022 (85) Aug 2022 (84) Jul 2022 (79) Jun 2022 (98) May 2022 (92) Apr 2022 (89) Mar 2022 (95) Feb 2022 (100) Jan 2022 (73) Dec 2021 (103) Nov 2021 (117) Oct 2021 (119) Sep 2021 (119) Aug 2021 (87) Jul 2021 (82) Jun 2021 (99) May 2021 (104) Apr 2021 (82) Mar 2021 (87) Feb 2021 (80) Jan 2021 (71) Dec 2020 (89) Nov 2020 (81) Oct 2020 (113) Sep 2020 (89) Aug 2020 (99) Jul 2020 (110) Jun 2020 (77) May 2020 (128) Apr 2020 (118) Mar 2020 (108) Feb 2020 (85) Jan 2020 (118) Dec 2019 (94) Nov 2019 (74) Oct 2019 (116) Sep 2019 (107) Aug 2019 (83) Jul 2019 (86) Jun 2019 (108) May 2019 (105) Apr 2019 (98) Mar 2019 (95) Feb 2019 (106) Jan 2019 (91) Dec 2018 (117) Nov 2018 (110) Oct 2018 (132) Sep 2018 (118) Aug 2018 (116) Jul 2018 (106) Jun 2018 (92) May 2018 (112) Apr 2018 (99) Mar 2018 (96) Feb 2018 (90) Jan 2018 (90) Dec 2017 (84) Nov 2017 (85) Oct 2017 (102) Sep 2017 (95) Aug 2017 (95) Jul 2017 (83) Jun 2017 (76) May 2017 (90) Apr 2017 (72) Mar 2017 (75) Feb 2017 (62) Jan 2017 (76) Dec 2016 (80) Nov 2016 (97) Oct 2016 (101) Sep 2016 (103) Aug 2016 (113) Jul 2016 (92) Jun 2016 (108) May 2016 (112) Apr 2016 (111) Mar 2016 (118) Feb 2016 (97) Jan 2016 (112) Dec 2015 (104) Nov 2015 (98) Oct 2015 (119) Sep 2015 (129) Aug 2015 (111) Jul 2015 (122) Jun 2015 (140) May 2015 (114) Apr 2015 (148) Mar 2015 (149) Feb 2015 (120) Jan 2015 (123) Dec 2014 (130) Nov 2014 (180) Oct 2014 (179) Sep 2014 (189) Aug 2014 (181) Jul 2014 (203) Jun 2014 (192) May 2014 (221) Apr 2014 (205) Mar 2014 (223) Feb 2014 (217) Jan 2014 (203) Dec 2013 (179) Nov 2013 (189) Oct 2013 (214) Sep 2013 (185) Aug 2013 (160) Jul 2013 (183) Jun 2013 (205) May 2013 (211) Apr 2013 (203) Mar 2013 (213) Feb 2013 (158) Jan 2013 (172) Dec 2012 (172) Nov 2012 (186) Oct 2012 (199) Sep 2012 (166) Aug 2012 (178) Jul 2012 (145) Jun 2012 (162) May 2012 (186) Apr 2012 (154) Mar 2012 (161) Feb 2012 (170) Jan 2012 (187) Dec 2011 (226) Nov 2011 (194) Oct 2011 (288) Sep 2011 (199) Aug 2011 (180) Jul 2011 (133) Jun 2011 (132) May 2011 (157) Apr 2011 (140) Mar 2011 (186) Feb 2011 (196) Jan 2011 (214) Dec 2010 (206) Nov 2010 (201) Oct 2010 (146) Sep 2010 (109) Aug 2010 (80) Jul 2010 (41) Jun 2010 (39) May 2010 (44) Apr 2010 (39) Mar 2010 (34) Feb 2010 (30) Forty-five people have to share just three toilets, one shower room and a kitchen Forty-five people have to share just three toilets, one shower room and a kitchen Forty-five people are paying up to 200 a month to live in this five-bedroom building in the heart of Dublin city. There are up to 10 people in a room, with just one wardrobe for up to four people. Most of the residents, who are mainly students and migrant workers, are living out of suitcases. The landlord of the four-storey property said he did not know there were so many people living in the building. "I rented it completely unfurnished and I rented it to one individual who was occupying it with his friends. "I plan to look into it. I will deal with it as quickly and efficiently as I possibly can. Until now I have not been aware of there being any issue and I will look into the matter and address the matter appropriately." Security When asked how much he earns from renting the property, he responded: "Not as much as you think, but that is a matter between me and the guy I'm renting it to." The landlord insisted that he is tax-compliant and that the building meets all the fire safety rules. A Brazilian, Carlos Pupin, who recently lived in the property, told the Herald he had to pay a 300 security deposit. When moving out, he was told his deposit would not be returned unless he found someone to take his place. "I was desperate for somewhere to live," he said. "At the time, I was paying 350 rent in cash and I didn't sign any contract," he claimed. Describing the cramped conditions, Mr Pupin said he sometimes had to wait until midnight to cook his food and avoided showering in the winter because of the long queues for the bathroom. "Everybody had to use the same facilities. The kitchen was often really, really dirty because people wouldn't clean up after themselves. I had to sleep in a room with five guys and two girls." He added: "To take a shower, I would usually wake up at 9am. There were some days during the winter when I didn't take a shower. "Most people used it just as short-term, before they could get proper accommodation. It was like a hostel," he said. Last week, an advertisement appeared on Daft.ie for the property. Only one picture was posted and the property overview section stated that there was only "one person currently living in this apartment". There are just three toilets, a shower room and one kitchen in the building. Fire extinguishers are positioned in the basement, but it is not known how many fire exits are in the building, if any. If 45 people pay 200 a month, it would amount to 9,000 a month or 108,000 a year. The property is registered with the Residential Tenancy Board (RTB) as a five-bedroom building with four floors. In a statement, they described five people living in the five-bedroom house as "extremely worrying". Safety "Given the serious health and safety issues raised, the property concerned could not possibly comply with the Housing Regulations 2009 for the provision of proper light and ventilation, cooking and hygienic food storage, and fire safety measures." The RTB said it would write "immediately" to the landlord "setting out our concerns for the welfare of the tenants" and would also request Dublin City Council to arrange an urgent inpsection of the dwelling. The chairperson of housing charity Threshold, Aideen Hayden, said overcrowding in accommodation is becoming a serious issue. A Bank of Ireland branch in Tallaght (left) and the Charlestown Shopping Centre in Finglas were the targets in a pair of robberies yesterday Picture: Damien Eagers A criminal gang under investigation for one of two 50,000 cash-in-transit robberies yesterday is suspected of a spate of similar crimes, including an almost identical one earlier this year. Gardai say they are investigating two gangs for the raids, at Charlestown Shopping Centre in Finglas at 11.30am and outside the Bank of Ireland in Tallaght minutes later. In the Finglas robbery, a G4S security employee was about to enter a room behind an ATM to fill the machine when he was approached and confronted by a male, who grabbed the cash box from him and fled the scene. Threatened The 50,000 robbery happened in the shopping centre, and gardai said a three-man gang was involved. A car used as a getaway vehicle for the robbery was later found on fire at nearby North City Business Park. The Herald can reveal that the suspects are a north Dublin mob who are also believed to be behind the theft of nearly 190,000 from Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in late January. During that incident, two men armed with a handgun and hammer threatened to kill two security employees in an underground car park as they delivered money to an ATM. The gang are also suspected of a robbery last December, when criminals used a fake cash-in-transit van to make off with more than 60,000 from a Dublin cash-and-carry before they crashed the vehicle and set it on fire. The two criminals duped staff by pretending to be employees of G4S. The incident happened on December 7 at the Merrywell Business Park in the Ballymount Industrial Estate. One of the country's most prolific cash-in-transit robbery gangs, it is also suspected of the robbery of 50,000 at the same Finglas shopping centre in March that was almost a replica of yesterday's crime. No one was injured in yesterday's incident and no firearm was produced. Minutes later, in a separate incident at around 11.45am, raiders sprayed pepper spray in a G4S employee's face when they stole a cash box that contained up to 50,000 outside the Bank of Ireland in Tallaght. Blinded The security employee was temporarily blinded. At least two raiders were involved and escaped in a small silver car, which sped towards Dublin city centre. A member of the public bravely tried to block the getaway vehicle by driving his van into its path. The raiders were forced to drive around it, damaging their own car in the process. Senior sources revealed last night that a Tallaght gang is suspected of the crime. The gang is also suspected of the robbery of a GSLS secur- ity van in Tallaght during the summer. Local workers said they saw a man run from the van that was trying to block the raiders following yesterday's incident in Tallaght. "He had his arms out in front of him, like he was trying to stop the car," said one witness. There were no reports of any injuries in the incident. A 16-year-old girl has gone missing from west Dublin, with gardai urging anyone who can help find her to come forward. Lauren Larrissey was last seen two weeks ago, at around 11am on Monday, October 3, in Clondalkin. Gardai have become increasingly concerned about her. She has been described as 5ft 4in, with long fair hair and blue eyes. When last seen, she was wearing a black and purple gym top, grey leggings and white runners. Images of the teenager have been shared on social media in the hopes that someone may have information on her whereabouts. It is understood she is known to frequent the Tallaght area of Dublin as well as Kilkenny city. Gardai have asked for anyone who has seen Lauren or can help to locate her, to contact Clondalkin Garda Station on 01 6667600. Anyone with information can also contact the Garda Confidential Telephone Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station. Comings and goings: Boot Barn in the works; Clorox plant opens New store could be the third to move into Valley Plaza this year. This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services, to personalize ads and to analyze traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies. 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No one under 18 can enter our giveaways. No purchase is necessary. All winners have one week to claim their prize. USA shipping only. Offer void where prohibited. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/ Veteran actor Om Puri, who under fire for making derogatory remarks against Indian soldiers, visited the house of martyred BSF soldier Nitin Yadav in Nagla Bari village in Etawah, on Tuesday. He met Yadavs family and paid floral tribute to the martyr. Puri looked at the soldiers photograph for several minutes and cried inconsolably uttering the word maafi (forgiveness). Puri, who turned 66 on Tuesday, chose the occassion to visit the martyrs family and perform a shuddhi yajna as a prayashchit (atonement) of the controversial remark he made against soldiers during a television chat show. My comments are beyond forgiveness. Had I uttered those words in any other country I would have been executed. I seek forgiveness and request you to accept me as a part of your family, the actor said to the soldiers family. Nitins father, Balbir Yadav, said that though they were hurt by the actors remark, they had forgiven him and accepted him as a part of their family. During a live debate on a television channel recently, Puri had said: Who had asked the soldiers to join the army? Who told them to pick up guns? Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite. Om Puri (@OmRajeshPuri) May 18, 2015 Later, he apologised for the statement. During his visit to Varanasi on October 14, Puri told HT he would atone for his remark soon. The comments pain me a lot. I am embarrassed at what I did, he had said. His spiritual mentor Yogi Vageesh had also suggested steps for atonement. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor Renuka Shahane has slammed cinema owners associations decision to not screen Karan Johars Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in four states because it stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. The 50-year-old actor said she is all for ban on cultural exchange between India and Pakistan till the situation is tense but finds it unfair that only the film industry is being targeted in the situation. Why this outrage is selected? Why is it only Bollywood? Why other businesses or trade are being spared? Tomorrow if the government says that not artiste or sportsperson or writer from Pakistan is allowed I will stand by them but why is it selective right now? Why cant the political people come out and say that theres a film which has maybe 300 Indians and one Pakistani who has gone back and is not going to come back early, so, why cant we support that film? Renuka told a news channel. Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India recently announced that no film with Pakistani actors will release in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. This has put Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, in trouble. The movie is slated to release this Diwali, on October 28. She is the latest celebrity to lend support to ADHM. People like Anurag Kashyap, Sajid Nadiadwala, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt have also slammed COEAIs decision. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha is known for being outspoken. And the 70-year-old, who is part of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), is perplexed and annoyed by filmmaker Anurag Kashyaps views on Prime Minister Narendra Modis Pakistan policy. On Sunday, Kashyap tweeted to Modi, Sir, you havent yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM. It was December 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM. Why? Reacting in his inimitable way, Sinha said, Firstly, let me make it very clear that I am very fond of Anurag and his brother Abhinav. Having said that, Id also like to say that I am extremely proud of our Prime Minister, the dashing dynamic action hero Narendra Modi Ji, for all the efforts that he has made in the past to bring peace between the two countries. Lets not undermine our PMs brave efforts just because at this moment those efforts seem to have come to a deadlock. Anurag and all those criticising the PM for his supposedly soft attitude to Pakistan should remember, political dynamics change rapidly. Todays friendly neighbour becomes tomorrows sworn enemy , and vice versa. @narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why? Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016 @narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent?? Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016 @narendramodi and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money,while the film shot then was on money on which someone here pays interest Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016 @narendramodi I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I don't get it. Sorry if you feel offended.. Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016 Btw Bharat Mata ki Jai Sir @narendramodi Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016 Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap at his office in Oshiwara in Mumbai (Satish Bate/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times) Sinha says he is also puzzled about why Anurags drew a parallel between the PMs surprise visit to Pakistan on December 25 with Karan Johars film. This doesnt make any sense to me. Lets not trivialise our PMs historic visit, which every country in the world praised. I fail to understand the connection between the PMs flash-visit to Pakistan and Karan Johars film. Nor do I understand the connection between Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap, adds Shatrughan. Follow @htshowbiz for more The first time I visited Mosul was in the early summer of 2003, just weeks after the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdads Firdos Square came crashing down. In one of the citys nicest neighbourhoods, I asked Ali Jajawi, a retired brigadier-general, whether he felt liberated. He took a great deal of time to compose his answer. Yes, he eventually allowed, being rid of the old regime was, on the whole, a good thing. But he was ambivalent about the liberators. Did the Americans and their coalition partners have Iraqs best intentions at heart? He professed to be an admirer of Saddams and it took some courage to say so at that time but he also loathed the dictatorship. On balance, hed have preferred it if the regime had been toppled from within, with foreigners staying out of it. Mosul prides itself for producing the cream of the officer corps of the Iraqi military, and the general felt it unbecoming that his country should need outside assistance to rid itself of a tyrant. Read | Retaking Mosul: Iraqs most complex anti-Islamic State operation I could not have known then that Saddams sons, Uday and Qusay, were hiding just a few houses away, where their vile lives were soon to end in a hail of gunfire. Returning to Mosul a few weeks after that, I sought out General Jajawi, and asked if hed had a change of heart since our previous conversation. Not yet, he replied. Let me tell you something about Muslawis, he said. If we believe that you come in friendship, we will gladly give you everything we own. But we are a very suspicious people. First, prove that you come in friendship. That conversation has been much on my mind this week, as a new coalition seeks to liberate Jajawis hometown from the so-called Islamic State (IS). This time, it is led by the Iraqi army, along with Kurdish militias known as the Peshmerga. Also present will be Shia groups, known collectively as the Hashd al-Shaabi, whose ranks include Iranian fighters and commanders. Some Sunni tribes are sending fighters, too. The United States will provide air cover for the operation, as well as a small detachment of American soldiers on the ground. Uninvited, Turkey has decided that it will join this party. Read | UN extremely concerned for 1.5 million civilians in Mosul as offensive begins The battle for Mosul will be bloody: IS is thought to have upwards of 8,000 fighters there, and theyve had plenty of time to dig in. It took Iraqi forces and the Shia militias over a month to drive IS out of Tikrit, Saddams hometown, last year, and a similar amount of time to liberate Fallujah earlier this year. Mosul is much bigger, and much more valuable to the terrorists, and they are expected to fight much harder to hold it. But however long it takes, the coalition is optimistic of victory. It is safe to assume that most Muslawis are looking forward to being rid of the terrorist group that has controlled their city since the summer of 2014: IS zealots have ruled Iraqs second-largest city with extreme brutality. But that doesnt mean the city will welcome its new liberators with garland and song. Read | Iraqi forces announce progress in first 24 hours of Mosul offensive Like any victim of a long, traumatic captivity, Mosul will need to be handled with extraordinary sensitivity, a virtue conspicuously absent in the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. That the coalition includes the Hashd al-Shaabi is itself a bad sign. Mosul is an overwhelmingly Sunni city, and will not take well to the presence of groups that revel in the killing of Sunnis. The Iranian participation will also give offence: Mosul contributed thousands of martyrs in the 1980-88 war with Iran. Most Muslawis are Arabs, and will be suspicious of the intentions of the Peshmerga, who have long desired control of the city with a view to incorporating it into a greater Kurdistan. And many in the city will regard the return of the Americans, however small their number, as an unwelcome reminder of a previous betrayal: The US withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 which set of the chain events that empowered the IS. Its harder to know what Muslawis will make of the Turks, if they do turn up for the fight, but I cant imagine the presence of yet another foreign force will go down well. Read | Turkish capital bans public gatherings due to fear of militant attacks In the lead-up to this weeks operations, much of the rhetoric from the Iraqi government has been triumphalist, designed to boost the morale of its forces and strike fear among the IS ranks. The words Muslawis will want to hear have not yet been uttered assurances that their city will not be given over to vengeful Shia death-squads or covetous Kurds, promises of political inclusion and economic opportunity. Prime Minister Abadi must not only speak these words, he must prepare to demonstrate his sincerity as soon as the last of the hated black banners has been torn down. I lost touch with General Jajawi after our second meeting: I dont know if he was in his beloved Mosul when it fell to the IS; if he was, I shudder to think how the terrorists might have treated him. Im hoping he is alive and healthy, and in my minds eye Im picturing him greeting with the commanders of the coalition with much the same challenge he threw the Americans in 2003: Prove that you come in friendship. Bobby Ghosh is editor-in-chief of Hindustan Times SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Uttarakhand BJP has asked its central leadership to immediately announce the partys chief ministerial candidate for the assembly election, cautioning that going to the polls without a face will give the ruling Congress a clear edge in the electoral battle. State BJP legislature party members made their stand clear on the issue before the partys national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya in a close-door meeting in Dehradun on Monday, according to party insiders. He was left in doubt that the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not work in the poll-bound state as happened in the Bihar election, a BJP legislature party member told Hindustan Times. Vijayvargiya is here on a three-day visit and would leave for Delhi on Wednesday. On Monday, soon after his arrival he had a series of meetings with the leaders of BJPs all frontal organisations, its office-bearers as well as the members of the legislature party. Vijayvargiya also had a meeting with the state unit of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). Sources said Vijayvargiya had been especially deputed by the high command to bring together all the factions of the BJP ahead of the polls. The Centre has been avoiding naming the partys face for the assembly election as it fears that such a move might end up fuelling the infighting within its state unit as half-a-dozen of its leaders are vying for the key position. Some of them are 10 former Congress legislators who joined the BJP in the wake of the political crisis earlier this year. Sources said the high command though is banking on the Modi magic, which, it feels, would help the party return to power riding on his increasing popularity post the armys surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads along the Line of Control. That is what Vijayvargiya tried to convince the party workers about, but they immediately rejected his idea of the BJP facing the assembly election without a chief ministerial candidate, an insider said. He was told that such a move wouldnt work as the rival Congress face for the polls is going to be chief minister Harish Rawat whose popularity is on the rise. State BJP president Ajay Bhatt neither denied nor confirmed the reports. Some party men may have raised the issue of the partys chief ministerial candidate.But I have no idea as I reached the meeting late, said Bhatt. He, however, said that taking a call on whether the party should announce its face for the assembly elections was the sole prerogative of the BJPs Parliamentary Board. BJP insiders said that most of party legislators suggested the names of former chief ministers BC Khanduri and Bhagat Singh Koshiyari for the partys possible face for the polls. Some of them also named former CM Ramesh Pokhariyal for the post. Former state BJP vice president DS Rawat admitted that the state party leaders made a suggestion in favour of projecting its face for the assembly election. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON GHAZIABAD: Two minors, aged 16 and 17, and a 24-year-old man were confined, beaten up and injected with petrol in their anus by syringes used on cattle by the brother of a local politician on suspicion that they stole a mobile phone. The two minors are admitted to a hospital in Delhi while the 24-year-old victim is admitted to a hospital in Loni. The brother of one of the two minor victims said several men, including the three victims, were picked up by Rizwan Qureshi and his accomplices on October 12. They were taken to Qureshis dairy at Garhi Sablu in Loni. Rizwan is younger brother of Haji Ehsan Qureshi, a local politician. Ehsan is a former city president of the Samajwadi Party. The three were brutally beaten up. When they told Rizwans men that they did not steal the phone, one of them suggested using petrol. They injected petrol into my brothers private parts with syringes used on buffaloes, said Akram, elder brother of the 16-year-old victim. The other two got the same treatment. Doctors say that my brother will require surgery, if he does not respond to medicines, he said. The news spread around the area on WhatsApp. The police, taking cognizance of the message, arrested Rizwan and one of this accomplices, Akil, on Monday. Among other charges, the police have registered cases under sections that deal with causing grievous hurt by dangerous means and unnatural offences. Doctors told us that both the minors might have suffered permanent damage to their organs due to petrol, said Anil Kumar Yadav, circle officer(Loni). The victims are under treatment. We have added stringent sections to the FIR and arrested two accused. The third will be arrested soon, said Yadav. The 24-year-old victim said several men were taken to the dairy just because they were in the area when the politicians brother thought his phone got stolen. Several men took us to Rizwans dairy around 9.30am on October 12. In all, 8-9 people were taken to the dairy and three of us were beaten and injected with petrol. Firoz, one of Rizwans friends, had warned us that they will inject petrol again, the victim said. Ehsan Qureshi rejected the allegations and described it as a political conspiracy by his rivals. He said his brother was being implicated. He claimed that he made his brother surrender before the police on Monday. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEW DELHI: New cases of chikungunya and dengue almost halved last week compared to the week before, data released by the capitals civic body showed on Monday. The new numbers will come as a relief to the AAP government battling the biggest outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease that causes debilitating joint pain, and an equally crippling dengue flare-up. Data from the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) showed that in the week ending October 15, Delhi-NCR reported 713 chikungunya cases, down from 1,419 over the week ending October 8. With confirmed 7,425 cases, the city-state recorded its biggest ever chikungunya outbreak in 2016. Though dengue registers its annual peak in October each year, new cases dropped to 298 from 578 in the week ending October 8. Dengue cases were still going up in the same period in 2015, with 1,848 cases being reported during the same period. Over the past fortnight, hospitals and diagnostic centres across the city have registered a 40-50% decline in fever cases, an official said. But we can say that the annual cycle of mosquito-borne illnesses have ended only after the temperature drops below 16 C for five to seven days , said Srikant Sharma, senior consulting physician in Moolchand hospital. The state government had faced allegations of insensitivity after refusing to attribute the death of several people to chikungunya despite confirmation by experts. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON EDISON (NEW JERSEY): It was a one-way conversation on Saturday night. Donald Trump spoke at an event hosted for him by the Republican Hindu Coalition, proclaimed his love for Hindus, India and Indians, and left. But if he had stayed to hear what some in the audience wanted to say to him, he might have left a chastened man, or perhaps wiser about the people he loved: they strongly disapproved of his anti-Muslim rhetoric. Most members of the audience interviewed by this reporter while waiting for Trump at the rally said they did not agree with his position on Muslims, and strongly disapproved of it. This was noteworthy for an audience that the organisers had hoped, and tried, to rally using regulation stereotypes, such as depicting terrorists as men in Middle Eastern-style dress, speaking with a strange accent in a skit that ended with their death, and the singing of the American anthem. Thats the most un-presidential thing he has done, Ari Rangnathan, a Hindu and Republican of 40 years, said about Trumps anti-Muslim remarks, making no attempt to conceal his distaste. Ramesh Desai, a Democrat who was considering voting Republican and had backed Ohio governor John Kasich before he conceded the race to Trump, is back with his old party and will vote for Hillary Clinton. Trumps position on Muslims was one of the reasons why Desai gave up on the Republican Party. Why paint the entire community black on account of a few? he said. There are many good Muslims. His wife, Kiran Desai, agreed, though she said she was willing to give Trump a pass on the 2005 tape that featured him bragging about kissing and groping women. Not sure what was the state of his mind then, 11 years ago, she said. Some Hindu Americans, such as New Jersey businessman Shailesh Dave, agreed with Trumps view on Islamic terror. Still, its not fair to go after the whole community, he said. A recent poll found 78% of Indian Americans an estimated 51% to 81% of whom are said to be Hindus disapproved of Trumps position on Muslims. Kiran Gandhi dismissed the 2005 tape and allegations of sexual assault against Trump as propaganda. However, even he wasnt with Trump on Muslims: I disagree with Trump not all Muslims are bad. NEW DELHI: Ayodhya is back in focus ahead of next years assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Union water resources minister Uma Bharti said on Monday there was no dispute over Ayodhya being Rams birthplace, but the actual disagreement was over the lands ownership. Even the panel of three judges (of the Allahabad high court) have concurred that the land belongs to Ram temple. The challenge is the dispute between the Waqf board and the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas over possession of the land and not whether Ram was born there or not, she said. Bharti promised the Ayodhya issue will soon be resolved without any hassles. Her comments follow Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharmas announcement that he will visit Ayodhya on Tuesday to inspect the proposed site for a Ramayana museum, a move interpreted as an attempt to consolidate the Hindu votes. For its par t, the ruling Samajwadi Party tried to counterbalance the BJP move with a decision to construct an international theme park in Ayodhya. BJP leader and parliamentarian Vinay Katiyar too raked up the issue and requested the Centre to introduce a bill in Parliament to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying the shrine is the BJPs priority. Before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had said it would explore all possibilities within the Constitution for construction of the temple in Ayodhya. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress reacted sharply to the political jostle over Ayodhya, considered a political cornerstone after the Babri mosque there was destroyed by a mo bin 1992 to build a temple in its place. BSP chief and Dalit leader Mayawati accused the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government of linking religion with politics to gain electoral benefits. Developing tourism in Ayodhya is good, but how come the Narendra Modi government thought of developing the Ramayana Sangrahalay and the state government of Ramleela themepark just before the assembly polls? she wondered. Mayawati alleged that both parties were encouraging cheap publicity. Linking religion with politics and electoral gains by these governments is condemnable ... had they really been so concerned about these issues, they would have thought about them long ago, she said. But Sharma played down the political agenda behind the visit, saying it is part of the tourism development plans of the Modi government and should not be linked with elections in the politically crucial state. My visit to Ayodhya has nothing to do with UP elections. I am visiting there as a tourism minister. It should not be linked to politics, but is part of the governments efforts to improve tourism in Ayodhya and all over the country, he said. Sharma said the museum will be a part of the Ramayana circuit for which the Centre has sanctioned Rs 225 crore, with Rs 151 crore exclusively for Ayodhya, which is the hub of the trail. The land for the proposed museum has been provided by the state government. Ram is in the heart of millions of people. As tourism minister, I have to see how Ayodhya can be developed, how Ramayana circuit can be developed from the tourism point of view, the minister said. His visit comes days after Prime Minister Modi, in a departure from tradition, participated in Dusshera festivities in Lucknow where he started and concluded his speech with chants of Jai Shri Ram, Jai Jai ShriRam. The Congress took on the BJP for its Ayodhya agenda before the elections. Whenever elections are near, BJP rakes up the Ram Mandir issue. BJP is a party that has the least devotion towards Ram. They remember Ram only when elections are scheduled anywhere in the country, party spokesperson Manish Tewari said. NEW DELHI: In an attempt to promote the language of the Walled city, the Shahjahan a bad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) will hold discussions, workshops, and cultural events with the help of art and culture conservation experts. The special focus will be on Urdu and calligraphers, who are residents of old Delhi. During each session of an hour-long talk, participants will be given basic knowledge of Urdu, correct pronunciation, and history of dying spoken language of Shahjahanabad. Autobiography of prominent residents of old Delhi like Ustad Chand Khan, Hakim AjmalKhan, and Mirza Ghalib, and history of the region will be told through dastangoi and exhibitions. This is to create awareness about heritage, revival of the language and calligraphy to outreach citizens for appreciation of Shahjahanabad, said a senior officer of SRDC. The corporation is also planning to organise orientation workshops for artisans especially for calligraphers. The aim is to enable them to explore and adopt new mediums of art through which they can make sustainable livelihood. Promotion of traditional livelihood being one of the objectives along with the conservation of cultural heritage, the SRDC took the initiative to support Centre for New Perspectives (CNPs), led by Dr Navina Jafa, a known cultural activist and academician, said Faiz Hashmi, managing director (MD) of SRDC. Initially, one centre will be set up as a pilot project based on a report prepared by the CNP. To prepare a draft for the plan, a workshop Sustainable development through traditional skills and conserving the linguistic heritage of Shahjahanaba was organised by the SRDC and CNP on Monday. The event was attended by Nitin Panigrahi, deputy general manager (project and administration) of SRDC, Jafa, former senior bureaucrats of Centre government, Sohail Hashmi, a history enthusiast, and a group of calligraphers from the Walled city. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The half-day protest called by various traders association in Central Delhi on Tuesday morning over removing street vendors could only be partially implemented. Many shops in major hubs like Connaught Place, Khan Market, Sarojini Nagar Market, Palika Bazaar and Janpat remained open despite the call by unions to keep shutters down till 2pm. HT visited these markets and found that many shops owners had opted out of the strike. While Janpath and Palika Bazaar remained mostly shut, several shops in Connaught Place and Khan Market were found open. Festive season is not the time for protests as business gets affected. Besides, many were not aware of the plan, said a shopkeeper at Khan Market who did not wish to be named. When asked about the lukewarm response to the strike, Atul Bhargava, president of Connaught Place Market Association said, We had requested all shop owners but we cant force anyone to join in. At the same time, there were hundreds of traders from different member associations who supported the protest and marched till the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) headquarters from Palika Bazaar. The shop owners demanded proper implementation of the high court order on removal of illegal hawkers in the area. A small delegation also met the NDMC chairperson and handed over a memorandum. We demand removal of unauthorized hawkers from footpaths, walkways, pedestrian paths, public passages, no-hawking, no-vending and no-squatting zones of Lutyens Delhi. Our business is severely getting affected by these street vendiors, Bhargava added. Municipal authorities had carried out eviction drives after the Delhi High Court on October 5 asked the three municipal corporations, NDMC, and Delhi Cantonment Board to remove illegal hawkers from all pavements, footpaths, and Metro station areas designated as no-vending zones prior to the Street Vending Act, 2014. The Delhi government, however, issued an order on October 10 asking the civic agencies not to evict the street vendors in the festive season. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Delhi court on Tuesday pulled up the police for acting in haste to arrest Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Gulab Singh and hiding important facts from court while seeking a non-bailable warrant to nab the Matiala legislator. The court rejected polices plea for a five-day remand of Singh and sent him to 14 days in judicial custody. Singhs lawyer, Jitender Solanki, said they will file a bail plea on Wednesday. A police team had arrested Singh, an accused in an extortion case, on Sunday in Surat, hours before Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals public rally there. He is the 14th AAP MLA to be arrested. The court said that while applying for a non-bailable warrant the police did not disclose the fact that the his counsel has informed the police in writing on October 10, that Singh is busy in Gujarat and will Delhi on October 18. The court said, It was well within the knowledge of the investigation officer (IO) that accused Gulab Singh has been looking after the campaign in Gujarat and a rally was to be convened on October 16. But the police, for reasons best known to them, rushed to Gujarat by a flight and arrested the accused from Gujarat. The court observed that it appears accused was diligent enough to join the investigation when he reaches Delhi. The court said the police could have waited till he returned. But for reasons, best known to them, they rushed to Delhi by flight to nab the accused..conduct of the police speaks a lot. Read: Extortion case: Delhi Police arrest AAP MLA Gulab Singh in Gujarat Earlier, the public prosecutor demanded police custody of the accused and said that it looks like an organised syndicate to extract money from builders. The prosecutor said the MLA should be sent to police custody as he can influence the investigation. Singhs laywer said the MLA has already shared his password and e-mail address and will join the investigation whenever needed. Two property dealers, Deepak Sharma and Rinku Diwan, had alleged last month that Satish and Devinder, who work in Gulab Singhs office, and an associate Jagdish, were extorting money from them by threatening to get the building from where the property dealers were operating, demolished. A case under Section 384 (punishment for extortion) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at Bindapur police station on September 13. Read: Non-bailable warrant against AAP MLA Gulab Singh in extortion case SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhis air quality worsened on Tuesday with the six stations that monitor particulate matter(PM) 2.5 and 10 falling in the very poor category. The overall levels of PM 2.5 (particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres) and PM 10 (particulate matter with diameter less than 10 micrometres), were settled at 120.8 and 248 micrograms per cubic metre, as per System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) around 5.30pm. By late evening, the PM 10 levels went down to 199 micrograms per cubic metre, making the air more breathable. The acceptable levels of PM 2.5 are 60 micrograms per cubic metre and PM 10 are 100 micrograms per cubic metre. Through most part of Tuesday, SAFARs Dhirpur, Pitampura, Delhi University, Pusa Road, Mathura Road and Airport (T3) stations recorded very poor air quality index. After a spell of plentiful monsoon, last weeks air quality hovered between moderate and poor categories. SAFARs mobile application said that very poor air quality may give rise to respiratory illnesses and poor quality may cause breathing discomfort on prolonged exposure. Sensitive people are advised to take precautions as their health is more likely to be affected. SAFAR officials said that the coming weeks, especially after Diwali, are likely to get worse. The pollution from crop burning in Haryana and Punjab are yet to gain pace and reach Delhi. The Diwali pollution levels will also add to the pollution levels, said a SAFAR official. Farm fires in neighbouring Punjab, Haryana and smokes from landfill sites like the one in Bhalaswa are also major contributory factors in this regard. Read: No clear skies in Delhi as pollution level remains high even after monsoon The official said that a forecast of the post-Diwali pollution levels will be given out by October 27. Wednesdays forecast says that the air quality is likely to remain poor. With the onset of winters, the Delhi government has also started measures to control the rise of pollution levels in the Capital. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia wrote a letter to school principals on Tuesday informing them of the manifold increase in pollution levels due to the mindless use of firecrackers. In the letter, Sisodia asked them to educate their students against the rampant use of crackers. The No Use of Firecrackers campaign may be spearheaded by your eco-clubs through nukkad nataks, padyatras, workshops, etc, involving the children of your school, Sisodia wrote. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A couple was electrocuted after they came in contact with their electric rickshaw when its battery was being charged at Mubarakpur in outer Delhis Aman Vihar on Saturday night. Police said the woman, Sarla, had come in contact with direct current after which she collapsed. Her husband, Yogendra, rushed to rescue her and touched her body while it was in contact with direct current. He too collapsed. They both died on the spot, said police. A police officer said the couple lived with their son Arjun and his wife at Mubarakpur . Yogendra owned and drove his own electric passenger three-wheeler richshaw. Arjun runs a tea stall near their home. Around 10 pm on Saturday, Yogendra returned home after days work and parked his e-rickshaw at the tea stall. He was charging the e-rickshaw and standing next to it when his wife arrived to give him food. Sarla had some ailment in her knees due to which she used to take support of something while standing. Sarla gave her husband food and decided to wait till he finished it. As Sarla held the e-rickshaw to take support, she was electrocuted. Her husband was electrocuted while trying to save her life, said the officer. The two were rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival. Deputy commissioner of police (outer), MN Tiwari, said, Our preliminary probe revealed that electricity was flowing in the battery rickshaw because of some defects in the electric wire used to charge the battery. The family originally belonged to Bhind in Madhya Pradesh. If history, democracy, and the electoral procedure float your boat, then the newly opened Election Museum might be what you have been waiting for. With over 200 exhibits and nearly a hundred historical pictures that document the history of elections in India, the Journey through Elections centre hopes to inform the younger generations about Indias democratic journey. The museum, which will be open to groups of public on prior online booking, was conceptualized and set up by Chandra Bhushan Kumar, the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi, and his team. The idea is to excite and inspire the masses, he said. We have such electoral legacy which can be celebrated and shared with younger generations. India has had universal adult franchise from our first election in 1952, unlike many other democracies in the world, Kumar said. The indelible ink (used during elections) was first designed by the CSIR, and then given to the Mysore Paints and Varnish in 1962. It is now exported to many countries across the world, the Delhi CEO said. The museum was inaugurated by Nasim Zaidi, the Chief Election Commissioner of India, in New Delhi on Tuesday, and is located in the historical old St Stephens College building, which now serves as the office of the Chief Electoral Officer. Zaidi had high praises for the efforts made by Kumar and his team. In coming times, I am sure it [the museum] will be filled with people, he said. Zaidi, and the other Election Commissioners, Achal Kumar Joti and Om Prakash Rawat, ended their visit to the new museum after the screening of a short film, The great experiment, that documented Indias first historical election. The museum has three sections, including a library, a section explaining the electoral procedure in India, and a corner dedicated to Gandhis history and his contribution to electoral democracy. They feature some rare historical artefacts and memorabilia like old ballot boxes, voters lists, and even the newer EVMs and VVPATs. The pictures are from the archives of information and broadcast ministry. The written materials are all from the Election Commission of Indias archives, said Kumar. Kumars team worked closely with the National Gandhi museum and the Delhi archive for their collections, and are now looking to the public to come forward with any material that they think might be worth exhibiting in an election museum. We are encouraging the common man to contribute as well, he said. We pay Rs 20 per hour for parking in even the most congested corners of the city. Experts think it is unfair and now even Delhiites are agreeing to it. In Hindustan Times public engagement initiative, Metro Speaks, a poll was organised among metro commuters where they were asked Is parking fee in Delhi unfair. A whopping 77% (14,076 people) felt the rates were not fair. Higher parking rates discourage people from using personal vehicles and use public transport. In the Capital, where 1,400 cars are added daily, however, that is not the case. Most of the parking lots in the city are run by the civic bodies. Even a couple of years back, the rates were as low as Rs 10 for 10 hours and Rs 20 for 24 hours in most lots of the city. Now, in the New Delhi Municipal Council area, the rates are Rs 20 per hour for the first five hours, and a flat rate of Rs 100 for the whole day. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has similar rates while North and East civic bodies charge Rs 20 for the first hour and consecutively Rs 10 each hour to a maximum of Rs 200 for the whole day. To put a premium on the Capitals parking spaces, the Union urban development ministry is also planning to hike parking charges in Delhi by up to 25 times. Recommendations by a high-powered committee set up by the ministry also plans to make street or footpath parking a cognisable offence with provision for hefty penalty and even confiscation of vehicles. PK Sarkar, head of department (transport planning) at the School of Planning and Architecture, says the rates are far less than what they should be. We are charging much less. Parking rates should be according to the land value of a particular area based on present development and economic activity. In Delhi, it should be at least Rs 50 per hour, Sarkar said. Parking fee should be market-driven and vary around the city based on time, location and local demand and congestion levels through the day. Higher the congestion, more should be the parking fee to reduce parking demand. However, that is not the case at the moment, a senior south corporation official said. Globally parking policies aim to control usage of personal vehicles, meet clean air targets, and generate parking revenue into area development and public transport improvement. In New York, very high parking fees, limited parking supply and improved public transport connectivity have lowered car ownership far below the US average. Bremen has banned free parking in the city centre. In Shenzhen, hiked parking fees during peak hours has reduced 30 per cent drop in parking demand. In London parking income and revenue goes to transportation projects. In Tokyo enforcement against parking violations has helped to cut congestion drastically. Students and teachers from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) are helping underprivileged people in Delhi and nearby villages to save and invest their money in best possible ways. To raise financial literacy among the poor, SRCC students and teachers have been visiting slums and villages where they perform nukkad natak (street play) and encourage people to use various government schemes. The college has also established the Vittshala, its financial literacy cell. Its a centre for community engagement (CCE) that aims to equip communities to manage financial resources effectively through community engagement, workshops, seminars, and discussions, said Anil kumar, convener of the cell. Kumar said the cell will focus on teaching the basics of financial planning, channelisation of savings, investments, banking and insurance services, opening and operating of bank accounts. We will also tell them about various government schemes so that they can benefit from it, he said. There are four projects under the cell which will work in areas such as Basodi village in Sonipat district of Haryana, Razapur slum near Rohini and Shakti Nagar Ext-T slum near North Campus. Two of our projects will focus on street vendors and rickshaw pullers, he said. Finance minister Arun Jaitley launched the cell on Monday from his office in the North Block and emphasised the importance of financial inclusion in India. Jaitley spoke about the Mudra Yojana, which would enable small entrepreneurs to get access to credit and the governments target to disburse loans worth R 1,80,000 crore this year under the scheme, said an official present at the event. DU vice chancellor Yogesh Tyagi was also present at the event and talked about the need for maintaining transparency and efficiency of management in the programme. We have constituted a group of 15 motivated teachers from the college and engaged 60 student interns to carry forward our mission since we felt that the efforts of the government to ensure access to financial services must be supplemented by the college community, Kumar said. The students have been trained by senior officials from State Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India and Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Almost 80% of government-run hospitals in Delhi, which together have a daily footfall of about 50,000, do not have basic fire safety measures in place. Overcrowding, lack of trained manpower and poor maintenance are other problems that put the citys hospitals at risk. At least 20 people were killed and scores injured in a fire that broke out at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on Monday night. In government hospitals, deficiencies in compartmentalisation to prevent spread of smoke and fire from one section to another, lack of smoke management system and unreliable fire management systems were noticed during a review after the AMRI fire in Kolkata in 2011, said AK Sharma, former director of Delhi Fire Services. Some of the hospitals have not addressed these problems. However, almost all private hospitals have the basic fire safety measures in place and maintain them, he said. A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report says that emergency exit gates were locked at Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospitals. Together the hospitals receive almost 14,000 patients in their out-patient department daily. Many gates and doors are locked in the government hospitals to better manage the crowd and ensure safety of the doctors and staff. But, it is at the cost of safety in case of fire, said Sharma. In RML, compartmentalisation using fire-safe doors was not according to the standards and the fire systems in the Post-graduate Institute block werent functional. There was no trained fire staff. In DDU, apart from the locked gates, there was no water for fire-fighting measures, no emergency power supply and a dysfunctional public address system, the CAG report pointed out. The overwhelming crowd at these hospitals, almost five times what the building are designed to handle, might lead to stampede in case of a fire. Apart from that, the huge patient inflow means that the hospitals keep many fire-safety doors which are used to compartmentalise the hospital open, rendering them useless, said Sharma. Evacuation is a challenge. Most serious patients are on some equipment, others too are sick, too old or too young to move around on their own and there is shortage of staff, making evacuation almost impossible. Preventing and controlling the fire is the only way, said Sharma. State of a fire hydrant at LNJP Hospital. In the last one month, there have been two fire incidents in Safdarjung hospital and one at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). All were contained within minutes. (Saumya Khandelwal/Hindustan Times) In the last one month, there have been two fire incidents in Safdarjung hospital and one at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). All were contained within minutes. We fulfill all the legal requirements and have fire-detectors in place for early detection and control of fires, said Dr DK Sharma, medical superintendent of AIIMS. We have also realised that almost all the fires are a result of electrical faults and that is why proper maintenance of all equipment is done. There are extinguishers and fire hose placed strategically, we have an evacuation plan in place and even conduct fire safety drills every three months, the AIIMS chief said. Safdarjung officials said the fact that no casualties were reported during the recent fire incidents prove that the hospital was capable to handle such disasters. Both the incidents were handled well by the hospital staff and the fire was doused within minutes. Safdarjung is prepared to deal with fire incidents, said AK Rai, medical superintendent. A defunct fire hydrant at Lady Hardinge Hospital. (Saumya Khandelwal/Hindustan Times) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Successive governments have been all too eager to use the draconian provisions of the sedition law to silence people even when they have done nothing more than express a dissenting point of view. The same goes for the defamation law. It is to end these anomalies that the Law Commission of India has decided to take another look at these laws. It has begun to examine all laws pertaining to freedom of expression and speech and these include those relating to sedition, defamation and the lack of safeguards in online trolling and the right to privacy. For this it plans to hold a conference of jurists, sitting Supreme Court judges, high court judges, academics, lawyers and mediapersons. The outcome of this conference, to be held in November, is likely to be given to the government. Read | Police directed to file case against actress Ramya for remarks on RSS The fact that the present definition of sedition is far too wide has been accepted by the government itself after the Kanhaiya Kumar episode. The core ingredient of sedition is an imminent threat to public order. Vague and broad definitions of offences can lead to misinterpretations, whether deliberate or otherwise, and can result in the harassment of innocent people. The apex court had ruled earlier that if a persons speech or action had a pernicious tendency to create public disorder that could be considered seditious. Some examples of the frivolous manner in which the sedition law has been used are those of Ramya, the actor-politician, who made a positive reference to Pakistan. Though many sedition charges have failed to stick, those held have been subject to harassment, held in pre-trial detention and subjected to trials. Very often, it is narrow focus interest groups that file these cases, as the one against Amnesty International, which was accused of raising anti-India slogans at a meet on Kashmir. Read | Let the sedition law be used sparingly from now on In other words, this law is often used to silence or limit peaceful dissent. NGOs, religious minorities, journalists and now students have been at the receiving end of this draconian law. Sedition charges have often been used as a political tool. State governments have used the sedition law to deal with people they deem uncomfortable even when their utterances in no way threatened the peace or created any disorder. A school principal who got a map of India wrong was slapped with a sedition charge. Many protestors against the Kudankulam nuclear plant were charged with sedition even though they had engaged in a peaceful protest. The law commissions efforts could, if followed through, end this practice of criminalising and censoring people for expressing dissent and disaffection. The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) has remanded two students, accused of mercilessly thrashing a classmate at the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Muzaffarpur, to observation home for 14 days. The school, on its part, rusticated them from the institution on Monday. The accused, who are siblings, were students of class 11 and 12. Their brash act became public after a video showing them thrashing a classmate recently went viral on the social media, leading to massive outrage. Earlier in the day, the police had picked up the accused and taken them to the Kazi Mohammadpur police station before producing them at the juvenile justice board. Read more: Two KV students booked for thrashing classmate in Bihar, probe ordered Confirming their rustication, assistant commissioner of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Patna region, A S Yadav, said: We have given them forced transfer certificate (TC). The two accused would now no longer be able to apply for admission in any of the KVs across the country. The maternal grandfather of the victim had on Sunday evening lodged a complaint with the SC-ST police station here. This was the second FIR lodged against the accused after the police lodged the first on the basis of the school principals complaint on October 13. Though the incident took place on September 25, the school principal is accused of not acting promptly on the victims complaint. The victim student, fearing threat to his life, has gone into hiding. It was only after the video of the incident went viral on social media, including Facebook and Twitter, that the principal was forced to file a written complaint, following which the police lodged an FIR. Read more: Principals to pay for poor class 12 result in KV schools Union minister of state for human resources development Upendra Kushwaha also took cognizance of the matter and directed KVS to probe it and submit the report within a week. A three-member inquiry committee set up by the KVS subsequently visited the school on October 14 and initiated the probe. Deemed private university Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) has announced it will establish its third campus near Bhopal, with the other two in Vellore and Chennai. The foundation stone will be laid by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the presence of minister for higher education Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya and founder and chancellor of VIT University G Viswanathan on October 20 at Kothri Kalan, on the Bhopal-Indore Highway in Sehore district. The decision of the establishment of the university was taken at the Global Investors Summit (GIS) by signing a memorandum of understanding. We will set up the new university with an investment of Rs 500 crore in phases, in an area of over 100 acres, Viswanathan said. In future, we will also think over setting up a medical college as there is a huge shortage of doctors in the state. He also said that VIT is the first university in the country to receive the USs prestigious Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET), certification. According to the VIT administration, about 991 students from MP are studying in VIT, and the institute had received 15,000 applications from the state during their 2016 engineering entrance examination. The establishment of the VIT Bhopal University will cater the growing demand for quality education and support in technological developments in the state, they said. (With PTI inputs) Most American universities require standardised test scores to be submitted with the application to a college. These are used to assess students for mathematical, analytical and language abilities. Undergraduate applicants have to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)/ACT and SAT subject tests. For graduate programmes, the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) and Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) are necessary. All applicants have to also clear The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Some universities also require specific GRE Subject test scores. Deepika Rawat, EducationUSA associate at USIEF, says SAT is a test that measures critical reading, writing, and mathematical abilities. The SAT subject tests measure knowledge in specific subject areas. An updated SAT made its debut in March 2016 and impacts students in the class of 2017 and younger. ACT is a curriculum-based multiple-choice test that measures knowledge on subjects, she says. GRE is a standardised test of verbal and quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing that measures readiness for graduate-level study. GMAT is for MBA applicants and measures basic verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills that have been developed over time through education and work. Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a multiple-choice test that assesses problem solving, critical thinking, writing skills, and knowledge of science concepts and principles necessary for the study of medicine. LSAT measures acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills that law schools use as one assessment factor for admission. Dental Admission Test (DAT) is a multiple-choice test to measure general academic ability, comprehension of scientific information, and perceptual ability, used for admission to dental schools. Admissions requirements vary, so students should check which test(s) are required at the US universities where they would like to pursue higher studies, says Rawat. According to Kimberly Dixit, co-founder and president, The Red Pen, an overseas education consultancy based in Mumbai, it is important to note that over the last few years a growing number of colleges in the US are test-optional or have test-flexible policies. A recent report found that more than 800 colleges and universities in the US now report having changed their admissions policies on requiring the ACT or the SAT. Read more: Ticket to higher studies abroad SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Unidentified gunmen shot dead Manish Gujjar, elder brother of jailed gangster and former Gurgaon councillor Binder Gujjar, in Gurgaons new colony area on Monday night. According to the police, Manish, 42, alias Pappu, a liquor trader, was going to collect the cash at one of his liquor vends in his Hyundai Creta when a group of four-five men fired at him near Prem Mandir in at 12 midnight. Manish, his driver Sukhbir and an friend Liyakat were injured in the firing and rushed to Medanta, the Medicity where Manish succumbed to bullet injuries, police said. Sukhbir and Liyakat are undergoing treatment at the hospital. Four-five gunmen already waiting near the liquor vend fired at him while he was in the SUV. Manish, his driver and another person were rushed to the hospital where Manish died, said Sumit Kumar, deputy commissioner of police, (crime). Manish runs 32 liquor shops with the name Shiv Shakti Wines across Gurgaon. Police said, at least 15 rounds were fired at the SUV in which Manish and the other two were travelling. Five bullets hit Manish including one in his head. Based on the complaint registered by the deceaseds father Karan Singh, police have lodged an FIR at City police station against six people and others under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 148 (armed rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections of Arms Act. Police suspect the murder was a result of inter-gang rivalry. The six booked include Gadolis two brothers Bhram Prakash, Kuldeep Gadoli, sister Sudesh and gangster Kaushal, his brother Manish and aide Amit Daggar. We have lodged an FIR and are investigating the case. The body has been handed over to the family after post mortem, Kumar added. The family has alleged that Manish was killed in inter-gang rivalry. We have booked several people including six associated with Gadoli and Kausal gangs. Investigations will unravel the truth. Manishs younger brother Binder Gujjar, a rival of slain gangster Sandeep Gadoli, is serving a term at Bhondsi jail in connection with murder of a property dealer Raju Sethi on November 10, 2015. Binders driver Ashok Kumar was shot dead on October 4, 2015 allegedly by Gadolis men. Their youngest brother Manoj Gujjar is one of the accused booked by Mumbai police as a conspirator in the alleged fake encounter of Sandeep Gadoli at a Mumbai hotel on February 7 this year. Businessman Manish had no criminal record, says Gurgaon police The eldest of the brothers, Manish Gujjar, 42, who was gunned down on Monday night, did not have even one criminal case registered against him. Mostly busy with his liquor trade, Manish would be seen mixing up with people unlike his brothers, conspicuous with their absence. At least 15 rounds were fired at the Hyundai Creta SUV in which Manish Gujjar and two others were travelling. Five bullets hit Manish including one in head. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo) Manish had 32 liquor vends across Gurgaon. There are no criminal cases lodged against him, said Sumit Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (crime). The locals said that Manish was deliberately kept out of the criminal activities of his brothers. He was the family member who would manage the business and stay away from criminal activities. Unlike his brothers one would find him shopping and moving around in the locality, said Rakesh Singh, a resident of the locality. Manishs youngest brother Manoj is on the run after being accused in the alleged encounter of gangster Sandeep Gadoli in February this year. Binder, elder to Manoj and younger to Manish is serving jail term after being arrested on November 11, 2015 in connection with the murder of a rival gang member. Handcuffed Binder, after seeking special one-day permission, attended Manishs last rites at Sector 29 crematorium on Tuesday which was attended by hundreds. At 80, Karan Singh, the father, has one big regret in life, he could not keep his three sons away from the organised crime world of Gurgaon. But he believes that Manish was innocent was fell victim of the gangster rivalry unnecessarily. He was killed either by Sandeep Gadolis men or by Kaushals men. I remember during Gadolis cremation, his sister Sudesh had warned to take revenge, Singh told police. Binder Gujjar is considered slain Gadolis rival and Kaushal, wanted in more than a dozen cases of murder, robbery and theft, is a parole-jumper from Faridabad. Read more: Fear of gangsters, even those behind bars, returns to unsettle Gurgaon SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON According to health experts, delay in knee surgeries during severe osteoarthritis adversely affects the spine. It is commonly observed that people delay their knee surgery till the last stage without knowing that it is actually deteriorating their spine further. Walking with deformed painful knee joints may damage the spine to irreparable stage, said L Tomar, orthopedic surgeon at Max Super Specialty Hospital. According to Tomar, osteoarthritis patients do not opt for high-end medical techniques like knee replacement surgery because of their apprehensions or fear. The delay degenerates the bones further during osteoarthritis and enables a person to move, causing several other types of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Medical surveys have stated that 40-50 per cent of the patients in the rural India do not opt for surgeries even if they suffer from sever osteoarthritis. In the extreme cases, they opt for some temporary medical procedures which curtails their mobility. Tomar said that with several minimally invasive technologies, the knee replacement has become far more effective as compared to conventional methods. Orthopaedic surgeon, Apollo Hospital, Dr Yash Gulati shows the setup for a computer assisted knee replacement surgery in New Delhi. (Saumya Khandelwal/ HT Photo ) In fact, with minimally invasive technologies even old people like those of eighty years or even more could safely undergo knee replacement, that too with assurance of almost absolute normal locomotive recovery, said Deepak Pradhan, an orthopedician associated with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Pradhan said: Minimally invasive knee replacement surgeries also reduce blood loss, hospital stay and recovery time. It also increases longevity of the implanted joints and enhances knee movements and brings added safety and accuracy to the entire surgical procedure. It is just the patient who has to understand that the surgery during severe osteoarthritis should not be delayed. The army and foreign ministry brass may face questions on Tuesday at a parliamentary panel meeting about strikes conducted last month against temporary militant bases across the Line of Control. This will be the second briefing on the army operations in neighbouring countrys soil to parliamentarians in a week. The defence panel was briefed last week after some Congress MPs demanded the same. But unlike the first meeting, where panel chairman, BJPs BC Khanduri, didnt encourage members to seek clarifications, some Opposition members in the foreign affairs panel want to seek more clarity over the strikes conducted on Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on October 18. There are no restrictions so far on asking questions. We may seek more information, if necessary said an Opposition member in the panel. Read| Credit to all Indians over surgical strikes, major share goes to PM: Parrikar The parliamentary standing committee on external affairs is also headed by a non-BJP memberCongressman Shashi Tharoorand it might help members to pose a few queries to the government. Briefing by the foreign secretary, home secretary, defence secretary and director general of military operations (DGMO) on the subject Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), said the notice for the meeting. The strikes have led to political debate within India as parties such as the Congress say the government must reveal more details and proof to counter Pakistans propaganda that the army operation never took place. Read| India trashes Pakistani media report that called surgical strikes a bluff SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The district police have slapped attempt to murder charges on four youths who attacked BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini with ink here on Sunday and allegedly tried to manhandle him. Saini is a strong opponent of Jat quota and is known for his repeated statements against the community. Kurukshetra superintendent of police (SP) Simardeep Singh on Monday also formed a special investigation team (SIT) under deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Noopur Bishnoi to investigate into the case. He also transferred Sector--7 police post in-charge Sewa Singh for negligence in duty. Talking to Hindustan Times, Simardeep Singh said, The accused have been booked under various sections, including 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and an SIT has been formed to look into the matter. SIT head DSP Bishnoi said the police have slapped the attempt to murder charges on accused as there was evidence of physical assault on the MP. She said all the four accused who have been arrested belong to the Hisar district and they run a farmer organisation, Azad Kisan Mission. The accused were identified as Harikesh, Praveen Dhanda, Saurav Dhanda and Sandeep, residents to Bhudhna village of Hisar district. The fifth accused, Jitender, managed to flee immediately after the attack. Sources said Hariskesh, Saurav, Praveen, and Jitender are doing graduation, whereas Sandeep has completed his LLB and doing practice at the Hisar district courts. They had reportedly reached Kurukshetra on Saturday, a day before the function where Saini was attacked. The accused had also made an attempt to attack the BJP MP at a function in Hisar last month, but could not succeed in view of the tight security arrangements at the venue, the sources said. The accused reportedly told the police that they do not support any political party or leader, but were agitated over Saini statements which are harming social harmony in the state. ATTACK CONDEMNABLE: SAYS KHATTAR Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the attack on the MP is highly condemnable. The MPs security will be strengthened as per the requirement, he added. MP SMELLS POLITICAL CONSPIRACY AGAINST HIM Meanwhile, Saini has demanded a CBI probe into the matter. The incident hints at a big political conspiracy against me and the matter should be investigated by the CBI. He also condemned the Kurukshtra police for not making proper security arrangements at Sundays function. The transfer of a police post incharge is not sufficient. Action should also be taken against senior police officers of the district as they failed to provide adequate security to me. BJP MUST ACT AGAINST SAINI, SAYS JAT BODY The All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) has slammed the police for slapping the attempt to murder charges on the accused. Talking to Hindustan Times, AIJASS national president Yashpal Malik said, The accused were thrashed by both the police and the people. Now they are being booked for attempt to murder. This is highly condemnable. He also asked the BJP to take strict action against Saini for his repeated anti-Jat statements, failing which the party will have to pay the price in the coming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Amid the ongoing protests after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wanis death, his purported successor requested migrant Kashmiri Pandits to return to the Valley and offered them protection. In his second video address after Wanis killing on July 8, Zakir Rashid Bhat, 22, tried to reason with the Pandits who left Kashmir after militancy erupted in the state in 1989. We request Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes. We take the responsibility of their protection, said Bhat, who was wearing a camouflage uniform with a grenade in his hand and two rifles on either side. They should look at those Pandits who have been living in the Valley. Did they face any problems here? Bhat, a former engineering student, has emerged as Wanis successor after he released his first video in August asking the people of Kashmir to continue the agitation till the region achieves its goal of azadi. Read | I dont know why India hates Kashmiris, says Burhan Wanis father The second video, which was carried by many local news websites on Tuesday, comes as the unrest in Kashmir crossed the 100-day mark. As many as 90 people have lost their lives and thousands injured in security forces action during the clampdown on protesters. The militant commander claimed that they have also been approached by Sikhs to join the outfit. He said they are planning to float Hizbs Sikh regiment. More than 12,000 Sikhs were killed in Punjab during operation Blue Star by General KS Gill in collaboration with RAW. Our Sikh brothers want to take revenge from India. We are receiving many requests from Sikh brothers that they want to join us, we are always with them. We will try to form a group of Sikh brothers, Bhat said. Read | Posters warn Kashmiri Pandits to leave Valley or face death The Hizbul Mujahideen had earlier named Mehmood Ghaznavi as Wanis successor but not much is known about him, it is believed to be Bhats alias. Bhat was a student of civil engineering in Chandigarh before he returned to his ancestral village Noorpura in Pulwama in 2013 and joined the Hizbul Mujahideen, the only surviving Kashmir-based militant group. He claimed that India tried to do the same in Kashmir as they did in Punjab. Like the operation in Punjab, India wanted to do the same in Kashmir. They forced Pandits to migrate so that they could kill Muslims easily here. But they were not successful, he said. The young militant leader also asked the Kashmiri youth to snatch weapons from government forces to join the militant outfit. Many brothers have taken to the way of jihad. They have snatched weapons (from government forces) and joined us. And any brother who wants to join us, they should snatch weapons. We welcome them, Bhat said. There have been a number of weapon-snatching incidents in Kashmir in the past three months, with around 30 weapons stolen from government forces. Read | Kashmir unrest: Situation in Valley peaceful, daily activities pick up A sarpanch in Chhattisgarhs Baloda Bazar district took upon himself to punish at least 99 students of a government school for failing in their Class 10 quarterly examination. Students of the Government Higher Secondary School at Gidhauri panchayat of Kasdol development block, some 125 km west of state capital Raipur, performed very badly in their assessment test. Out of the 105 students, who appeared in the test, barely six could achieve the passing grade on Monday. The school staff said that Shatrughan Sahu reached the school with his friend Suraj Banjare after learning about the worst performance by Class 10 students in Gidhauri. Sahu called the students one by one by reading out their names from the school register that marked the attendance and results and beat them with a wooden stick. Students who failed in one subject received two blows and those failing in 4-5 subjects were battered 8-10 times. Even the girl students were not spared, they said. The sarpanch, however, said he only wished to discipline the students of his area for not studying and accomplishing well in the exam. I did not assault anyone but gently reminded them to realise the importance of education, he said. Infuriated parents have lodged a police complaint against the sarpanch. They said what equally irked them was that the principal and the teachers instead of restraining Sahu, witnessed the punishing of the students as silent spectators. Only teachers have the quasi-parental authority to discipline the students. What right has the sarpanch as an outsider to inflict such punishment? they asked. Kasdol block education officer (BEO) KN Verma said he will inquire into the incident and action will be taken. This is a very serious issue. No one has the authority to beat or punish the children this way, Verma said. Educationists also said that under the Right to Education (RTE) act, no one has the authority to unleash corporal punishments. And whatever the instigation, no external interference whether of a politician or the society members, except parents association, is acceptable or endorsed. The sarpanch breached on both these grounds, Jawahar Surisetti, a noted academician, said. Gidhauri police station in charge SK Jangde told Hindustan Times that the parents were unhappy with both the sarpanch and the school management. We are investigating the incident to find out why and under what circumstances the incident, if at all, happened, Jangde said. Possibly for the first time in Kashmir, security forces have recovered Chinese flags along with incriminating material during raids at suspected hideouts of militants in Baramulla and arrested 44 people for their alleged involvement in terror-related activities. Over 700 houses were searched in a span of 12 hours on October 17 in an extensive search operation in old town in Baramulla, during which 44 persons involved with terror related activities have been apprehended, an army spokesman said in Srinagar on Tuesday night. The security forces sanitised the area and a number of hideouts were busted during the operation, the spokesman said. A large quantity of incriminating material such as petrol bombs, Chinese and Pakistani flags, Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) letter head pads, unauthorized mobile phones and seditious anti-national publicity material were seized, he added. He said the operation was jointly carried out by teams of army, police, BSF and CRPF in 10 sensitive localities including Qazi Hamam, Ganai Hamam, Taweed Gunj, Jamia and other mohallas reportedly being used as safe havens by the terrorists. Read | Kashmir unrest: Situation in Valley peaceful, daily activities pick up A 13-year-old boy from a Maoist violence-affected district of Chhattisgarh has won the prestigious APJ Abdul Kalam Ignite Award for suggesting an idea for a software to instantaneously register a vote given through an electronic voting machine with the authorities. Roshan Sori, a Class 6th student of Sukma district, came upon the idea after reading in the newspapers that Maoist rebels often loot EVMs on the way to counting centres, causing long delays and spiraling costs in the poll process. His parents are small farmers. I am very happy that my idea was selected for this award. I feel that people who come from far-flung areas to vote will not have to suffer because of EVM loot and re-polling, said Sori. Sori was called by district collector of Sukma last Wednesday and awarded. He studies in Boya Residential School and is resident of Burdi village. This is a really good and innovative idea and should be worked upon seriously. It is true that Maoists loot EVMs and then repolling is done. A Class six student giving such ideas for the strengthening of democracy is a great attempt, said SR Bandhe, deputy secretary of the Chhattisgarh Election Commission. Sori is one of three students from the state among this years 28 awardees. The other two students of Chhattisgarh are Himanshu Rateria of Janjgir Chanpa district and Indu Manikpur of Dantewada (Bastar region). Manikpuris idea was to develop a septic tank pressure record scale while Rateria wanted to create a medical alarm on TV for senior citizens. There are scientists and experts in the selection committee. They work on the selected ideas and try to replicate and develop. These ideas are based on their geographical areas, circumstances, said M Sudhish, state nodal officer of the national innovative foundation. He said the royalty of the equipment or developed model is given to the awardee and the patent registered in his name. I think that this idea will be implemented because there are a lot of incidents of EVM loot in every election and this idea could be very effective, said Sudhish. Maoists looting EVMs are a common practice across the state. In last assembly elections of 2013, four EVMs were looted in Kanker district. In the 2008 elections, 13 EVMs were taken away by Maoists. Roshan got this idea after he saw how booth officers in his village faced challenges during elections. And how many were killed, said Ashish Shrivastava who proposed the idea of Sukma children in IGNITE Awards 2016 and running a organization for tribal kids Shiksarth. Shrivastva believes that children despite of their geographical constraints are full of ideas and equally competent to their counterparts in urban areas. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The ghost of the Shah Bano case continues to haunt the Congress party that has been struggling to spell out its stand on the triple talaq issue. In 1985, the Supreme Court directed Mohammad Ahmed Khan to pay a monthly maintenance of Rs 500 to 69-year-old Shah Bano whom he had divorced after 43 years of marriage to marry another woman. The verdict outraged a section of the Muslims who termed it interference in the Muslim personal law. However, the Rajiv Gandhi government invalidated the Supreme Court verdict by passing the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986. It set aside the rights of divorced Muslim women to receive maintenance under Section 125 of the CrPC as per the Supreme Court judgement. The move was widely interpreted as an attempt to pacify the Muslims who had been the traditional voters of the Congress but it backfired as the party lost the 1989 Lok Sabha elections, plunging to 197 seats from 404 in 1984. The divorce practice, the Modi government has told the top court, violates the Constitution and is against gender justice and equality. The general refrain in the main opposition party is that the matter of triple talaq is sub-judice and the Supreme Court should be allowed to decide on the issue and Congress leaders usually avoid a direct reply to any controversial subject. On Friday, Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza maintained that her party was always in favour of empowering women but at the same time said that the apex court should be allowed to decide on the tricky matter of triple talaq. On another contentious issue of uniform civil code, the Congress is of the view that it should not be imposed without taking all the stakeholders into confidence. Under the uniform civil code, personal laws based on scriptures and customs of every religious community in India will be replaced with a common set of laws applicable equally to all citizens. Read | Supreme Court refuses to direct government on Uniform Civil Code Oza quoted BR Ambedkar to drive home the point that everyone should be on board for any change to be undertaken. It is not proper if this does not happen, Oza said, as several Muslims groups have opposed the law commissions move to seek public opinion on common civil laws. It (uniform civil code) can be adopted if it is accepted by all sections of society, she said. The discomfort was again palpable on Sunday when veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad virtually stopped former member of Parliament and a new recruit to the party Obaidullah Khan Azmi from explaining his stand on the issue of triple talaq. If the government tries to misuse it or make any wrong move on the issue then I will fight against it. I will oppose it in my individual capacity, Azmi, who is an office-bearer of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), said. Azmi had vehemently opposed the Supreme Court judgement in the Shah Bano case. Azad tried to play down Azmis remarks. Since the matter is in the Supreme Court, there will be no discussion on it. On Monday, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari parried a question on the triple talaq issue. There is a petitioner, there is a respondent and there is a judge and the matter is sub-judice, he merely said. Perhaps that explains the Congress dilemma on the contentious issue as it does not want to be seen taking sides. In India, there is a separate set of laws governing marriage, divorce and inheritance for each community and demand for their review has increased especially after some Muslim women challenged the practices of polygamy and triple talaq, which allows a man to divorce his wife by pronouncing the word talaq thrice, in the Supreme Court. On October 7, the Law Commission floated a 16-point questionnaire on its website asking common people, activists, organisations and other stakeholders to give suggestions on the implementation of the code. Several prominent Muslim organisations in the country have opposed the move and urged the Muslims to boycott the questionnaire by not responding to it. Also read | Rajiv was pressured by Narasimha Rao, Najma Heptulla during Shah Bano SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In a relief to Smriti Irani, a Delhi court dismissed a complaint against her on Tuesday for allegedly giving false information on her educational qualification to the Election Commission, saying it was filed to needlessly harass her as she was a union minister. Metropolitan magistrate Harvinder Singh said there was a great delay of around 11 years in filing the complaint as it rejected the plea to summon her as an accused. Therefore, prayer for summoning the proposed accused (Irani) is hearby declined, the court said while pronouncing the order. In his complaint, freelance writer Ahmer Khan had alleged that Irani, now textiles minister, had deliberately given discrepant information about her educational qualifications in affidavits filed before the Election Commission in 2004, 2011 and 2014 and not given any clarification, despite concerns raised on the issue. Khan had urged the court to take cognisance of the offences alleged in the plea under Section 125A of the RPA and summon the accused person, Smriti Z Irani, for trial. After conducting trial hold the accused guilty, convict and sentence the accused person in accordance with law, in the interest of justice to the complainant and also the public at large, he had prayed. The court, while declining the prayer, said the original evidence was already lost due to passage of several years and the court needed to be relieved of the burden of adjudicating such inconsequential claim or case. It said the fate of the case could be foreseen as inevitable failure as original evidence was lost due to the great delay and the complainant may not have even bothered to file the plea if Irani was not a central minister. So, where the original evidence has already been lost due to passage of number of years, the secondary evidence available will probably be not able to withstand the test of judicial scrutiny, there is great delay of around 11 years in filing of the complaint... The said delay could not be condoned as complainant is not an aggrieved person, the complaint does not appear to have been filed for vindication of majesty of justice and maintenance of law and order, the complaint appears to have been filed to needlessly harass the proposed accused, the magistrate said. Three employees were suspended at SUM Hospital in Bhuabneswars Khandagiri area after a major fire broke out that killed 20 people and injured 105. Poisonous carbon monoxide fumes spread through air-conditioner ducts following an electric short-circuit in the hospital, sources said on Tuesday. The flare at SUM Hospital in Khandagiri area late on Monday began near the dialysis ward and quickly spread to others floors, filling the corridors with smoke. Most of the deaths authorities earlier said the figure was 22 happened in the ICU and dialysis wards, according to officials with fire service and police. The blaze, which was detected around 7.30 pm, suffocated at least 105 in the hospital. They were admitted to private and government hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. SUM hospital staff tried to put off the fire using extinguishers before the fire brigade reached. Those in the closed ICU died quickly as smoke filled in, said a doctor with the decade-old hospital. As the fire and fumes spread through the corridors, friends and relatives attending patients carried them off their beds. The doctors ran away, while the paramedical staff kept us assuring that things would be under control. It was a false promise, said Manaswini Behera, whose husband was admitted in the hospital. The fire brigade men broke through the windows to evacuate the patients through slings and skylift. It took six fire engines and three hours to bring the blaze under control. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik visited the injured patients and said the state will take care of their treatment. He has ordered an inquiry by an RDC level official. State health secretary Arati Ahuja, too, visited the hospital. Fourteen of the patients were declared brought dead at Capital Hospital, while five succumbed to injuries at another private hospital to where they were shifted, he told HT. An old patient, who was shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar, died on Tuesday morning. The deceased included nine women. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences and said that petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan will go to Bhubaneswar. SUM, founded in 2005, has a certificate of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers, validating its fire safety system. Owned by Manoj Nayak, an education baron with TV channels and newspapers, SUM is one of Odishas few large private hospitals. The hospital officials suspended three electricians. More action will follow, dean Jyotiranjan Dash said, patients who left on Tuesday evening amid the fire were returning to their beds. The Indian Navy is reported to have secretly commissioned into service nuclear submarine INS Arihant. The defence ministry and the navy did not confirm or deny reports that the submarine was inducted in August this year to complete the nuclear weapons triad that gives India capability to launch nukes from land, air and sea. INS Arihant is Indias first indigenous nuclear submarine, and the lead ship of the Arihant-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, which was launched in 2009 and is based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarine. Read | Nuclear sub powers India into elite club Controller of warship production and acquisition in the Indian Navy vice-admiral GS Pabby refused to answer questions about the submarine at a function here. He, however, said an interaction will soon be held to answer all questions on the submarine. There will soon be an opportunity to talk about it, Pabby said. Other officials too declined to comment on the matter. However, a few indicated that the vessel was now part of the naval fleet, without divulging the exact date of induction. Former navy chief admiral Arun Prakash (retired) said the secrecy around the induction of the vessel was customary for a nuclear submarine. Arihant is an achievement technology wise, but otherwise it is a top secret, admiral Prakash told IANS. Its mission is to be a nuclear deterrent. Everything to do with the submarine will be a secret. Its movement, position and location will not even be known to the navy, he said. It is not a normal ship, though we would like to show it off, we cannot. Read | Nuke-powered sub INS Arihant begins sea trials The 60,000-tonne submarine was also not included in the International Fleet Review (IFR) hosted by the Indian Navy earlier this year. It was initially expected to start sea trials by 2012, but the production was delayed and sea trials began in December last year. In 2013, the miniaturised nuclear reactor of Arihant, built with Russian help, became critical, causing delays. The project was part of the advanced technology vessel programme and operated under the supervision of the Prime Ministers Office and involved agencies such as the DRDO, the Department of Atomic Energy, the Submarine Design Group of the Directorate of Naval Design, besides companies such as L&T. Its 100-member crew has been trained by Russian specialists, and Indian scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have received significant expertise in reducing the size of the reactor to help it fit into the 10-metre diameter hull of the nuclear submarine. India currently operates Russian-origin nuclear-powered submarine INS Chakra, which it leased for 10 years from Russia in 2012. Nuclear submarines have the capability to stay out in sea for longer, and dont need to surface for a long duration. The Indian Army said on Tuesday it was prepared to deal with any misadventure from across the LoC by Pakistani troops or terrorists in the wake of surgical strikes on terror camps in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Along the LoC, our preparedness is of the highest degree. The Indian Army is ready to deal with any misadventure from across the LoC, whether it is by regulars or otherwise, General Officer Commanding of Srinagar-based 15 corps Lt Gen Satish Dua told reporters in Boniyar. He said there has been a spurt in infiltration attempts from across the LoC, but the army foiled most of these bids as is evident from the encounters taking place near the LoC. I do admit that some infiltration has taken place, but the encounters along the LoC and the number of militants eliminated shows the preparedness of the army, he said. Read| Modi praises Indian Army for surgical strikes, compares it to Israel Gen Dua refused to comment on the surgical strikes by the army in PoK last month, saying the armed force and the political leadership has already said whatever was to be said about it. I do not have any different point of view, he added. Asked if there was a trust deficit between the army and the Kashmiri youth, Gen Dua said while there were some misguided youths who take part in protests, the majority were with the armed forces. Recently, one of our vehicles met with an accident and our jawans were trapped inside the vehicle. It was the local Kashmiri youths who pulled out the jawans. We have conducted some anti-militancy operations recently and the youths have not indulged in stone-pelting after the purpose of the operation was explained to them, he said. Read| India-Pak tensions bring back war memories, fears: Where will we go? Manipurs iconic activist Irom Sharmila floated a new party on Tuesday, opening a political front in her long-running battle against a controversial law blamed for human rights abuses by security personnel. Sharmila, 44, announced her decision at a crowded press conference in state capital Imphal, more than two months after she broke what is acknowledged as the worlds longest hunger strike a marathon 16-year fast demanding repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Our movement is to bring the real meaning of democracy where right to justice is delivered. So we really require (the) peoples support in bringing the change, she said while announcing her party, Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA). Assembly elections in the state are due early next year. Imphal (Manipur): Irom Sharmila announces her regional party Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance pic.twitter.com/hIwJjmbPbe ANI (@ANI_news) October 18, 2016 Erendro Leichonbam is convenor of Irom Sharmila's PRJA party of which she is co-convenor @htTweets Rahul Karmakar (@rahconteur) October 18, 2016 Sharmila also known as a Iron Lady of Manipur -- said the aim of her political struggle will be to bring non-violence, peace and understanding to the northeastern state, wreaked by decades of militancy that has left hundreds of civilians and security dead. She had launched her hunger strike in 2000 after security personnel gunned down 10 people, said to be civilians without links to militant groups. The AFSPA, first introduced by the British, is currently in force in some of the northeastern states and Jammu and Kashmir. The law shields army personnel from prosecution against even rape and murder charges. Sharmila, who had expressed her desire to become the chief minister, said she will contest the polls from two constituencies including Khangabok, represented in the assembly by chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh. She said her party will field candidates in about 20 seats. Sharmilas decision to end her fast and float a party had drawn criticism from a section in Manipur including some militant groups which had seen the move as surrendering to the Indian political system. Most of the militant groups based in the state oppose Indian rule saying the erstwhile Manipuri kingdom was forcefully included in the Indian Union. Sharmila defended her move saying that 16 years of her agitation did not bring her the desired result. She also took a swipe at the Congress chief minister saying the present-day rulers are not doing anything against the draconian law. We want to set an example in electoral politics in the countryso we will conduct a survey and take help and cooperation from the public for campaigning, said Erendro Leichonbam, the convenor of the party. Read: 10 things you need to know about Iron Lady Irom Sharmila Seven judges of the Supreme Court will start to re-examine on Tuesday the question What is Hinduism: a way of life or a religion practised by some people in India? In doing so, it will take a relook at its 20-year-old judgment that said Hinduism is a way of life and a state of mind, not a religion. Whatever the outcome of the latest hearing, it could have political implications because it will determine whether seeking votes in the name of Hinduism or Hindutva is illegal. The hearing comes at a politically crucial time, just months ahead of assembly elections in five states, including the crucial Uttar Pradesh where the Ram temple issue and Hindutva are set to play an influential role. The case dates back to 1995, when a three-judge SC bench led by justice JS Verma overturned a Bombay high court order that scrapped the elections of nine BJP candidates because they had sought votes to create a Hindu state. The SC said that Hindutva/Hinduism is a way of life of the people in the subcontinent and is a state of mind not a religion and therefore seeking votes was not illegal under the Representation of the People Act, which outlaws poll campaigning on religious grounds. The court declared BJP leader Manohar Joshis statement First Hindu state will be established in Maharashtra as not illegal under electoral law. It may well be that these words (Hindutva/Hinduism) are used in the speech to promote secularism and to emphasise the way of life of the Indian people and the Indian culture or ethos, Verma ruled. Read| RSS medal of honour: Hindutva in the garb of nationalism The controversial decision created political waves and helped the BJP, which was still a fledging party at the time, establish its ideology. The saffron party repeatedly cited the top court decision in election campaigning to show that Hindutva was a way of life in the country and a promise of upholding Hindutva one of the BJPs key ideological stands was not illegal. But the verdict was strongly criticized by activists and jurists, who said Verma had erred in not reading Hinduism as a religion and not upholding a key principle enshrined in the Constitution secularism. The decision was immediately challenged. A year after the judgment, a three-judge bench disagreed with Vermas decision and suggested that a five-member SC bench re-examine the case. While the five-judge bench was hearing the matter, a similar case involving BJP leader Sunderlal Patwa was came up in 2002 and it was decided that a seven-judge bench will be constituted to hear the matter. Chief Justice of India TS Thakur will head the bench. Read| From IS to RSS: Drawing parallels between Islamism and Hindutva SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Karnataka to continue supplying 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu everyday till further orders. While continuing with its October 4 order, the bench of justice Dipak Misra, justice Amitava Roy and justice AM Khanwilkar said it would be incumbent upon the governments of both states to maintain peace and harmony. For a quick take of the situation, click here. People should not become law unto themselves, the bench said. A newly appointed Supreme Court bench was set up to hear all issues arising from the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In its report, the committee has stated 42 of the 48 talukas of Karnataka in the Cauvery basin have been affected by drought. The team was constituted as per orders of the apex court to assess the realities in the Cauvery basin areas in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Karnatakas Mandya district is worst affected and has witnessed many suicides. No water in Tamil Nadu for cattle also. Standing crops in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are affected due to scarcity of water. Sugarcane farming in both states needs to be discouraged, the report added. Read | Cauvery water row explained: Why Tamil Nadu, Karnataka fight over river usage? The high-level central technical team had inspected the Krishnaraja Sagar and the Kabini dams in Karnataka, as also the Mettur and Bhavani Sagar dams in Tamil Nadu. The GS Jha-led Supreme Court appointed team also interacted with public works department officials and delta farmers in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts. The farmers in Tiruchirapalli and delta regions told the team that the samba crop will be damaged if water from the Cauvery is not released by Karnataka. On Monday, the delta farmers in Tamil Nadu resorted to rail roko agitation and urged the government to set up a Cauvery Management Board. The apex court had earlier ordered the release of 2,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu from October 7 to 18, after Karnataka refused, citing monsoon failure and depleted reservoirs. When the apex court ordered Karnataka to release water last month, it triggered riots in Bengaluru, with Kannadigas attacking Tamils and their property. The court had on September 30 asked Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs from October 1 to 6. The directive came with a warning that no one would know when the wrath of the law would fall on it. As the century old dispute over sharing the rivers water simmered, the Centre did a volte face and opposed an SC order to set up a Cauvery Water Management Board, which would be an all-encompassing authority to instruct or suggest measures and settle disputes. The world took note of the armys capability after last months surgical strikes on militant bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, comparing the Indian military offensive to covert operations by the Israeli forces. Speaking at a rally in Himachal Pradeshs Mandi, Modi paid his respects to serving and retired soldiers, referring to the state as Veer Bhumi (land of the brave). Our armys valour is being discussed across the country these days. We used to hear earlier that Israel has done this. The nation has seen that Indian army is no less than anybody, he said. Israels military and secret service are considered to be among the best in the world and covert operations against militants in foreign territory especially Palestine are among their specializations. Read| Armys surgical strikes across LoC prove PM Modis ability to spring surprises The prime minister also credited his government for resolving the issue of equalizing pension payouts for retired soldiers which he said had been pending for 40 years. The scheme known as One Rank One Pension was made operational last year to the cheer of ex-servicemen who had been protesting for an equitable payout for years. One Rank One Pension was hanging for 40 years, and it is our government which completed that work. Not only soldiers but their families bless me, Modi said. The strikes were seen as retaliation for a deadly militant attack on an army base in Kashmirs Uri that left 19 soldiers dead last month. India has blamed Pakistan-based extremists for the attack a charge Islamabad denies and bilateral relations have nosedived since. The strikes have also triggered a political debate back home with the opposition blaming the ruling BJP of trying to gain electoral mileage out of the operation after posters congratulating the PM on the strikes showed up in several poll-bound states such as Uttar Pradesh. Modi was speaking after inaugurating three hydropower projects and hit out at the Congress government in a state that goes to the polls next year. He said BJP chief ministers were known for implementing services such as water and roads but the Congress was mired in corruption. Do I need to say what the current CM is known for, Modi asked. (with agency inputs) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik ordered an investigation into the fire that broke out at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Monday night, which killed at least 22 people. Revenue divisional commissioner, AB Ota, confirmed that an inquiry order would be filed, and a report submitted on the accident. A fire, suspected to have started from a short circuit in the dialysis ward, spread quickly through the second floor of the SUM Medical College Hospital in Bhubaneswar, trapping people inside. Firefighters struggled to carry out rescue operations because of the smoke, and eventually broke the windows to get people out. Bodies of victims of a fire at the private Sum Hospital are laid out for post-mortem at another hospital in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on October 17, 2016. More than 20 people died in the fire. (AP) Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the bereaved and offered support to the States operations. Spoke to CM Naveen Patnaik about the distressing hospital fire tragedy. Assured all possible support from the Centre. (Also) spoke to (Union health) minister JP Nadda and asked him to facilitate transfer of all those injured to AIIMS. Hope the injured recover quickly, Modi posted on Twitter. More than 30 were seriously injured in the fire, that began raging around 7:30pm; at the time, there were seven patients with ventilators in the dialysis ward and another 11 patients in the ICU. Seven fire tending vehicles were immediately pressed into service while 15 ambulances shifted the injured to nearby hospitals. According to officials, 14 patients were brought dead at the Capital Hospital, and eight more to the AMRI Hospital. In many cases, suffocation from the smoke further worsened the condition of patients. Hospitals have been directed to take patients from SUM hospital. Violating ceasefire agreement yet again, Pakistan army opened heavy fire on Indian posts across the LoC along Rajouri district, leading to a five-hour gun battle between the two neighbours till the small hours of Tuesday. There were no deaths or injuries on the Indian side, which responded in equal measure to unprovoked shooting by the Pakistan army in Naushera sector, Defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta said. Pakistan opened fire in Lam Battalion area around 8.30 pm on Monday. The duel lasted till 1.30 am on Tuesday, he told HT. They initially used small, but subsequently switched over to 82-mm mortars. The latest attack comes a day after Pakistan shot dead an Indian soldier at a forward post in Balakote sector of Poonch district. Sepoy Sudesh Kumar of 6 Rajputana Rifles, who died in the sniper fire, hailed from Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh and is survived by his parents, wife and an infant daughter. On Sunday morning, too, the Pakistani army fired at Indian posts in the Nowshera sector, triggering a three-hour exchange of bullets. Tension between the two neighbours rose a month ago after heavily-armed Pakistani ultras attacked an army base in Uri on the LoC, killing 19 Indian soldiers on September 18. Eleven days later, Indian armys special forces conducted surgical strikes on terror launchpads across the PoK border. Within hours after the exercise, Pakistani army held captive an Indian soldier who crossed the LoC via Mendhar sector in Poonch. Indian DGMO has taken up the matter with its Pakistani counterpart to get released the sepoy, Chandu Babulal Chavan. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Tuesday the practice of triple talaq should end as it is causing harm to women. The urban development minister said the Law Commission and the Supreme Court had sought public opinion and discussion on the practise. The government of India, after discussion, has given its opinion that triple talaq is not in the interest of women. It should end, said Naidu. That is the opinion of government of India. And we have no inhibition on that. We are very clear that this practise is causing harm to the women, Naidu told reporters. His statement assumes significance in wake of several Muslim organisations and leaders, including members of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), stressing that the Sharia law cannot be changed. Suggesting the central government to hold a referendum on the issue of triple talaq, AIMPLB member Zafaryab Jilani had recently claimed that 90% Muslim women support the Sharia law. On October 7, the Centre had opposed in the Supreme Court the practise of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy among Muslims and favoured a relook on grounds like gender equality and secularism. The ministry of law and justice, in its affidavit, referred to constitutional principles like gender equality, secularism, international covenants, religious practises and marital law prevalent in various Islamic countries to drive home the point that the practise of triple talaq and polygamy needed to be adjudicated upon afresh by the apex court. Russia has quietly agreed to lease out a second nuclear attack submarine of the Akula class to India this month in a deal worth around $2 billion. The lease of the first Akula-class submarine that the Indian Navy calls INS Chakra expires in 2021. The lease deal for the second nuclear submarine was finalised at a summit-level meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The attack submarine will arrive in Indian waters in 2020-21. The decision to acquire a second Russian nuclear submarine on lease was taken after Indias first indigenously built nuclear submarine INS Arihant was quietly commissioned days before the September 18 Uri terrorist attack. The 6,000-tonne indigenous nuclear submarine that can fire nuclear ballistic missiles up to a range of 3,500- km was commissioned in secret even as Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif was invoking in public the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons against India. The Akula-class submarine is nuclear powered but is armed with conventional land attack missiles. The Arihant, however, is part of Indias nuclear triad with Agni V missiles and aircraft-delivered nukes making up the other two legs. Given the sharp variation of temperatures with depth in Indian waters, the difficulty of detecting the Arihant makes it a potent weapon. It is understood that Arihant has already been operationally deployed. The second indigenous nuclear submarine of the same class, INS Aridhaman, will slip into the water in 2018. Powered by an 83 MW miniaturized reactor which went critical on August 10, 2013, the Arihant had to undergo extensive diving and missile firing trials. Pakistan does not have a nuclear submarine, and thus lacks a nuclear triad. China has four nuclear-powered submarines in operation, a number that will go up to six in a couple of years. Chinas N-subs carry a version of the Dong Feng nuclear missile that has a range of up to 7,000 km. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the Cauvery river dispute on Tuesday, a day after an expert panel submitted its report assessing the ground realities in the river basin. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been fighting over the amount of water being shared, with Karnataka refusing to release the volume of water determined by the apex court. The court is expected to announce the quantum of water after considering the ground report. A look at the dispute that claimed one life in September when riots broke out over the Supreme Court ruling. Judicial directive * On September 30, the SC asked the Union water resources ministry to facilitate a meeting between the two states after Karnataka refused to release 6,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. The court asked the Centre to set up the Cauvery Water Management Board to handle the dispute. * A meeting between the states failed to break the deadlock. Read | Cauvery row: Karnataka asks SC to modify order on water sharing * On October 3, the Centre told water resources ministry it could not set up the water management board. * The apex court then directed the water resources ministry to set up an expert panel to assess the ground reality in the river basin areas in both states. The panel submitted its report on October 17. What the committee found * In the absence of required amounts of water, labour employment for the farming and fishing was being limited, leading to unemployment and financial hardship for farmers. * As a result, a number of suicides were reported in Mandya district of Karnataka. * The Karnataka government declared 42 of 48 talukas under Cauvery basin as drought-affected areas. * Both states need to appreciate each others interest -- Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in protection of their established irrigation and Karnatakas aspirations for development -- and educate their people accordingly. Read | Cauvery water row explained: Why Tamil Nadu, Karnataka fight over river usage? Panel recommendations * The deficit impact on account of water allocation can be neutralised to some extent by optimal, dynamic and resilient planning of the cropped area by considering the flow pattern and forecast. This can address the issue of unemployment and financial hardship in the basin states. *The water application techniques are outdated and unscientific, and the value of water is not realised. They need to be done away with. For more on the Cauvery river dispute, click here. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Indian Navy on Tuesday said it is not looking at including the indigenous Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system in the last two Scorpene submarines, and it could be added later during retrofit. Vice Admiral GS Pabby, controller of warship production and acquisition, Indian Navy, said the project is progressing well, but will not be included in the Scorpenes. AIP is progressing very well, it is progressing on schedule and I think it will be ready well before requirement, Pabby said. For the Scorpene class, we are not looking at five and six. We will do it as a retrofit if we have to do it, he said. The indigenous AIP, being developed by Maharashtra-based Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL), is a fuel cell replacing diesel in the conventional submarines. Initially, the Navy was looking at fitting at least two of the six Scorpene submarines with the system. Later, officials had said they expected to fit the system in at least the last of the boats as the programme got delayed. With this system, a conventional submarine that needs to surface every three to four days for oxygen, can stay under water for up to two weeks. Developing this technology is costing India around Rs 50,000 crore. The system, which is based on a fuel cell, converts methanol like substances to produce hydrogen, which is the fuel that runs the cell in producing electricity. While diesel engines need oxygen to function, these cells are air independent. It also makes lesser noise, increasing its stealth, the most critical feature of a submarine. Conventional submarines with the Indian Navy fleet lack this critical technology. On the other hand, submarines of the Pakistani Navy, mostly procured from France, are equipped with the AIP. In 2005, India purchased six Scorpene submarines for $3 billion. These submarines are being manufactured under a technology transfer agreement by the state-owned Mazagon Docks in Mumbai in collaboration with French group DCNS. The submarines were initially to be delivered between 2012 and 2016. However, the project is running almost four years behind schedule, and the first of the six Scorpene submarines, named INS Kalvari, is currently undergoing sea trials. Amid criticism that India failed to obtain consensus on reference to cross-border terrorism in BRICS declaration, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday threat of terror featured strongly in the narrative of the Summit and there was a growing recognition that it has become a truly global challenge. Two days after the BRICS Summit in Goa where Indias forcefully highlighted terror emanating from Pakistan, she said there was no bigger global challenge than state- sponsored and state-protected terrorism, asserting those supporting terror networks must be made to pay the cost. In a clear reference to Pakistan, Swaraj said there is a need to extract costs from those who sponsor and support terrorists and provide them sanctuary and continue to make the false distinction between good and bad terrorists. Swaraj was delivering an address at the BRICS media forum. In an obvious reference to Pakistan blocking several pacts on transport and connectivity, Swaraj referred to growing cooperation on these issues among BIMSTEC nations, noting There cannot be a greater contrast with those who reject even trade and connectivity for political reasons. On deliberations at the BRICS, Swaraj said while the economic engagement and political cooperation remained key factors, there was a sharp realisation that global development and prosperity was very much dependent on continued peace and security. Terrorism was universally recognised as a key threat to stability, progress and development. Consequently, it featured strongly in the conference narrative and its eventual outcome. Indeed, what we saw was not just an understanding of the dangers posed by terrorism to the economic aspirations of the world but a growing recognition that this has now become a truly global challenge that the international community can only ignore at its peril, she said. There was criticism of the government after consensus eluded on reference to cross-border terror in BRICS declaration. Without naming any country, Swaraj said there has always been an overarching political context for the BRICS meetings which essentially underlines that a serious global discourse cannot be the preserve of a few countries with a narrow agenda. There is a developing consensus that it cannot be business as usual. We must be prepared to extract costs for those who sponsor and support terrorists, who provide them sanctuary, and who, despite their own claimed victimhood, continue to make the false distinction between good and bad terrorists. BRICS has always been global in its approach and today, there is no bigger global challenge than state-sponsored and state-protected terrorism, she said. India will engage with Pakistan diplomatically in future but the date and time of any such engagement will be of the Centres choosing, foreign secretary S Jaishankar told a parliamentary panel on Tuesday. When asked by members if India wants to resume dialogue with its hostile western neighbour from the position of advantage after the surgical strike inside the Pak territory, Jaishankar answered positively. We had been engaging with Pakistan and will do so in future. But right now, we dont have any fixed calendar even for talks at the secretary-level, he told the panel. Jaishankar also told the parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs that army strikes on militant bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir last month had given Islamabad a taste of what India was capable of, sources said. He added that the army had conducted targeted operations across the Line of Control before, but those strikes were not publicized. If you are asking whether our troops crossed the LoC and conducted calibrated operations before, the answer is yes. If you are asking if they achieved their targets and returned to India, the answer is also yes, Jaishankar was quoted as saying by two members of the foreign affairs panel. The foreign secretary added, The only difference this time we announced it a day later, and cited unexplained diplomatic reasons for publicizing the operations. Read | Modi praises Indian Army for surgical strikes, compares it to Israel A week ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also spoken about shifting from yuddha (war) to Buddha. Sometimes war becomes inevitable because of the existing situations. But we are those who can move ahead from yuddha (war) to Buddha. We make a balance between the two, Modi said in a speech at Lucknow, indicating flexibility in Indias foreign policy. The army strikes ratcheted up tensions with Pakistan and were seen as retaliation for an attack on an army base in Kashmirs Uri last month that left 19 soldiers dead. Since then, India has also moved to isolate Islamabad globally. The strikes have triggered a domestic political clamour with opposition parties demanding proof and alleging the government was trying to gain electoral mileage out of the operation. But army vice-chief lieutenant general Bipin Rawat -- who briefed the panel members -- remained non-committal about submitting proof. Our boys went for a swift, time-bound operation. They were given specific targets but not told to collect evidence, he said. However, we are trying to collate some proof. The government had previously said that the army had submitted proof of the operation. Read | Indian Army says ready to deal with any misadventure from across LoC Panel chairman Shashi Tharoor and members such as Congress Satyavrat Chaturvedi and CPI(M)s Mohammad Salim questioned the foreign secretary on a slew of militant attacks on army and paramilitary establishments that have continued even after the surgical strikes. Sources said Jaishankar said some terror launch pads were still active. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was present throughout the meeting. BJP MP Sharad Tripathi was more interested to know from special secretary (internal security) Mahesh Singla if the government would review the security of parliamentarians. This was the second parliamentary briefing on the army operation in a week. The defence panel was briefed last week but no questions were allowed. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The renewable energy capacity in Madhya Pradesh, which was next to nil a decade ago, has seen a rapid growth in the last five years. Availability of vast swathes of land and conducive climate coupled with fast-tracking of projects by the state renewable energy department is encouraging private companies, both domestic and global, to bid aggressively for new projects. While wind energy production currently exceeds solar power generation by a huge margin, officials said that Madhya Pradesh is on track to almost triple its solar power capacity in the next two years with several big-ticket projects under implementation. We aim to enhance the current solar power capacity to 2 GW by the end of 2017, state principal secretary, new and renewable energy, Manu Shrivastava told HT. Falling costs of solar panels and equipment has led to a steep decline in tariff, coming on the back of low-cost Chinese photovoltaic cells. Canada-based SkyPower Global has offered power at Rs 5.05 per unit, the second lowest solar power rate in the country, from its yet to be completed solar project in the state. An international firm, with a solar plant in Andhra Pradesh, has proposed `4.63 per unit, the lowest. In June 2015, US-based SunEdison had launched its 50 MW advanced solar power plant in the Dammakhedi in Madhya Pradesh, having single axis tracker technology which enables the panel to rotate along with the sun, a first in the state. Welspun Energy Ltd (WEL) last year commissioned 130 MW solar park in Neemuch district. Besides availability of vast tracts of barren land, Madhya Pradesh enjoys around 300 days of clear sun. The state has invited bids for preparing detailed project reports for solar parks in Neemuch-Mandsaur, Agar-Shajapur, Chhattarpur and Rajgarh-Morena districts. Apart from the solar parks, an ultra mega solar power project of 750 MW is coming up in Rewa. Major companies such as Suzlon, Inox, Windworld and Renew Power are also setting up wind farms in the state. At present, work is underway at a rapid pace on wind energy projects of over 6,000 MW capacity. The states renewable energy capacity has doubled in the last fiscal, with 1,261 MW wind power addition outstripping the 211 MW addition from solar energy. However, small hydro projects have been clearly out of favour. Capacity generation has been stagnant at 86.25 MW over the past four years. Petlawad remained tense for the second consecutive day on Saturday after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) called for a bandh alleging police atrocity against party cadres on Wednesday. Unidentified people stopped a Muharram procession at Sirvi Mohalla on October 12. Thereafter, a shop was set afire on New Bus Stand, sparking tension. Later, police detained 12 people under Section 151 in connection with the case, out of which four were RSS workers, namely Mukut Chouhan, Viaks Joshi, Prakash Prajapati and Shankar. The party alleged that the RSS workers were beaten up in custody. They demanded dismissal of sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Rakesh Vyas, Petlawad police station incharge Karni Singh Saktawad and 10 other policemen and so, called a bandh in this regard. BJP district unit leaders and MLAs Kal Singh Bhabar from Thandla and Shantilal Bilwal from Jhabua assembly constituency came in support of RSS workers on Saturday. Meanwhile, Congress alleged that RSS is trying to settle scores with policemen, by creating an atmosphere similar to Balaghat, where policemen were suspended and booked. Sources say the case has been handed over to district superintendent of police RC Bhakar by police headquarters in Bhopal. DSP Bhakar has already reached Petlawad. RSS leader Rusmal Charpota said action against the RSS workers is unlawful and policemen should be dismissed and must be booked. Administration is under pressure and a communal frenzy is being created Congress MP Kantilal Bhuria said, Sangh workers are trying to settle scores with policemen. The administration is under pressure and a communal frenzy is being created. Despite Supreme Courts orders, RSS workers held a chakkam jam on national highway. I would take up this issue to the President of India. Superintendent of police Sanjay Tiwari said, Police are doing their duty and would not allow anyone to violate the law. FIRs have been registered at 10 different police stations against those who held chakka jam on national highway. Bengal BJP is trying to rope in 2G spectrum scam judge retired justice Ashok Ganguly to contest the Lok Sabha bypoll in the state. According to sources, talks are on between Ganguly and state BJP leaders. Justice Ganguly who was the former chairman of state Human Rights Commission is a trenchant critic of the Trinamool Congress government, and was a part of pro-democracy public platforms in the state. BJP wants to field Ganguly as a contestant in the bypolls scheduled on November 19 in the state. Two Lok Sabha constituencies Tamluk and Cooch Behar, apart from apart from Manteswar assembly constituency are supposed to go to the polls. Read: Justice Ganguly claims innocence in resignation Both sides have expressed their willingness. At present, preliminary talks are on with the retired justice. If everything goes right, he will feature on the top of our list of candidates for Lok Sabha bypolls. We want him to contest from Tamluk in East Midnaore, a senior BJP state leader told HT. If he agrees we will send his name to our central leadership in Delhi to take the final call. However, all depends on how the talks proceed, the senior leader said. Trinamool Congress has nominated Dibyendu Adhikari as its candidate from Tamluk. He is the incumbent MLA from Contai. Adhikari is the younger brother of state transport minister Subhendu Adhikari. Most BJP leaders think highly of A K Ganguly as a face who commands respect among a large section of the states residents as a campaigner against corruption. (HT Photo) Earlier BJP roped in prominent faces such as magician P C Sorcar and grand nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to contest polls in Bengal on its ticket. After 2014 Lok Sabha polls justice Ganguly expressed the desire to be part of BJP. However, talks were not fruitful then. We maintain a good relation with him. He is one of the most respected in Bengal, said a senior state BJP leader. Read: Bengal governor accepts AK Gangulys resignation Interestingly, former CPI(M) strongman and Lok Sabha MP (later expelled from party) Lakshman Seth has already expressed the desire to join BJP and contest the Tamluk seat. The state BJP leader, however, are not keen on giving him a ticket. Seth became a controversial figure after the Nandigram violence in 2007 and slipped into virtual anonymity after being expelled from the party in 2014. Post retirement, Supreme Court Ganguly worked as guest faculty at National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. He also went on to be chairperson of the West Bengal Human Rights commission, where his role was highly appreciated by human rights activists. After allegations of unwelcome conduct of sexual nature which was never proved, justice Ganguly resigned from the state human rights commission. Trinamool Congress leaders stridently criticised Ganguly during the controversy in 2013/14. Later ministry of home affairs stated that there was no case against him. In 2014 a new platform Save Democracy Forum was formed under the chairmanship of Ganguly. The apolitical forum included leaders of both Congress and CPI(M) and other well known personalities from different fields. Congress leaders Abdul Mannan, CPI(M)s Sujan Chakraborty, citys former mayor Bikash Bhattacharya were included in the platform. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Trinamool Congress MP and the chief minister Mamata Banerjees nephew Abhishek Banerjee suffered injuries that included a fracture to a bone below the left eye when his car overturned near Singur on Tuesday evening. But eyewitness accounts indicated the 28-year old MP was lucky to escape serious injuries as his car overturned and spun a couple of times before landing on its roof. He was rushed to Belle Vue Clinic where the doctors treated him for injuries below and above the eye but radiological tests could not detect any serious injury to the head or neck. The chief minister ordered a joint investigation by the Special Task Force of Kolkata Police and CID to find out whether there was a conspiracy behind the accident. Read: Man of the moment: Abhishek Banerjee is the TMC star to watch out for Abhishek is the Trinamool MP from Diamond Harbour, the chief of the partys youth wing and is widely regarded as the heir apparent of Bengals ruling party. Abhishek Banerjee was a tireless campaigner during the assembly polls in April-May2016. (HT Photo) He is stable but there are reasons to worry. The bone below the eye has suffered a fracture resulting in swelling. There is a head injury for which he will be kept under observation for 48 hours. But his condition is stable and there is no need of any surgery at this moment. He is fully conscious, said Jayanta Sengupta, one of the doctors in the 14-member medical team. The team includes eye specialists, neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons and orthopedic surgeons. A team of surgeons will check him everyday to decide on follow-up treatment. His left eye has been bandaged. He has sustained injuries just below the eye (maxillary bone) and above the eye (orbital bone), said a doctor who examined Banerjee. Read: The rise of Abhishek Banerjee, Mamatas foul-mouthed nephew Three security men who were travelling in the pilot car were also injured, but none of the injuries were serious. Prima facie the accident took place in rather unusual conditions. The pilot car first hit a milk van that was being towed by a vehicle. Abhisheks vehicle that was close behind the pilot car, also hit the milk van and spun out of control. According to sources, the director general of police told the chief minister that the driver of the pilot car dozed off and hit the milk van. Read: Mamatas nephew slapped, TMC sees BJP hand Party colleague Manas Bhuniya, who is a trained doctor and was trailing Abhishek in another car, told HT that he saw the car spin a couple of times. The vehicle in which Abhishek was travelling was a Scorpio and the airbags inflated possibly limiting the extent and degree of injury. Bhuniya did not suffer any injury. The spot of the accident was on Durgapur Expressway, about 50 kms from Kolkata. The Trinamool leaders were returning to Kolkata from Berhampore. The chief minister and a number of Trinamool leaders rushed to Belle Vue Clinic in the evening. President Pranab Mukherjee, too, enquired about his health. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two people were killed and seven injured when a fire broke out in an upscale residential society in South Mumbais Cuff Parade on Tuesday morning. After a couple of hours of firefighting, officials said the blaze was brought under control. The fire apparently began at around 6:30 am at Maker Chamber A wing, in Cuff Parade, on the 20th and 21st floor. The two floors, part of a duplex residential flat, is connected by an internal staircase, and belonged to Shekhar Bajaj, the managing director of Bajaj Electricals. Fire was confined to household articles, electric wirings, furniture, false ceiling, etc. on 20th & 21st floor in an area of about 3,000 square feet each room, an official said. The two killed in the fire worked as domestic help at Bajajs house, according to Birhanmumbai Municpal Corporation officials. The injured were taken to Saint George hospital for further treatment. Eleven people were rescued from the high-rise tower, including eight of the Bajajs family. Firefighters responded to a distress call in the morning, sending across eight fire engines, six jumbo tankers, one aerial ladder platform, one high pressure van and one breathing apparatus van along with one ambulance. (With inputs from agencies) About 128 passengers on board an Air India flight from Ahmedabad had a minor scare on Tuesday morning after one of its wheels suddenly flattened and sat on a taxiway. Airport officials said that luckily the tyre got deflated after the aircraft had vacated the main airstrip. Passengers and crew were safe, said officials. A similar tyre burst on the runway could have held up peak hour traffic and had a cascading effect on the entire days schedule, said an senior air traffic control official requesting anonymity. A tow-tractor attached to the plane took it to another parking bay and airlines were looking for a spare aircraft to operate its return flight to Ahmedabad, officials added. The incident took place at 8:55 pm a minute after flight no AI 614s scheduled arrival. The AI spokesperson did not offer comment till the time of publishing. The incident could have seriously hampered operations as the airport would shut its main airstrip for four hours for repair works from noon. While this partially closure would take place intermittently throughout the week, the main maintenance will start from October 30. Both airstrips will be shut for give hours on Mondays and Thursdays, for a total of nine days. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A testing of samples of firecrackers being sold for Diwali revealed decline in noise levels as compared to previous years. However, there was a rise in air pollution levels from crackers. The annual testing by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and anti-noise campaigner Awaaz Foundation, done on Tuesday , found the noise levels from serial crackers (1000 series) to be at a maximum of 116 118 dB (1,000 series at 116.2dB). The testing was done in an open ground in Rashtriya Chemical and Fertiliser (RCF) colony, Chembur, 12 days before Diwali. While permissible limits for single crackers is 125 decibels (dB), a series of crackers (ladi) have limits between 90 decibel (dB) and 110dB, depending on the number of crackers put together. This year, noise levels from single crackers (thread bombs, atom bombs, double-knotted bombs) was highest for the thriller bomb (atom bomb) at a maximum decibel of 99.9 dB, followed by the looney bomb (thread bomb) at 96 dB, both produced by Charminar Fireworks. However, none of the crackers surpassed permissible limits. A total of 26 firecrackers (including all types in the market) were brought to the ground and 24 firecrackers were tested. Only two series crackers were found to be above permissible noise limits as opposed to previous years. Since the series crackers are a bunch of firecrackers put together, the decibel value is not accurate. Hence, we will test each cracker from the bunch and then concluding their value, said SC Kollur, scientist, MPCB. Last year, the noisiest series crackers were measured at 117 dB and single crackers were as loud as 113 dB (thunderbolt atom bomb). Meanwhile, crackers such as the small-coloured series, Swastik and Valentine Day bomb all released high levels of pollutants upon testing . The crackers that record noise levels above permissible limits are noted along with the brand producing them and the details are forwarded to the Controller of Explosives, Nagpur, Home Department and police commissioners to take further action and ban them, said VM Motghare, joint director, MPCB. Motghare said a chemical analysis of all the firecrackers, especially the ones releasing smoke, will be done this week. There are high chances of some crackers containing chemicals such as nickel, cadmium, antimony and zinc, which are harmful when inhaled. We will test them and the results will be sent to the Controller of Explosives by Monday, he said. Last year, while the MPCB did not release findings of the firecracker chemical analysis test, a similar test conducted by Awaaz Foundation found high levels of mercury, lead and sulphur in commonly available firecrackers. ACTIVISTS SPEAK Owing to numerous noise pollution campaigns over the past decade, there has been a considerable drop in the manufacturing of noisy crackers. We have been conducting these tests over the years and seen levels going up to 140 dB. A matter of concern, however, is the amount of air pollution from new crackers manufactured this year and citizens should refrain from buying these, said Sumaira Abdulali, convener, Awaaz Foundation. Meanwhile, officials from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) said they will for the first time record noise readings at 158 locations in 26 municipal corporations across Maharashtra and calculate their air quality levels. We will record ambient noise at all these locations on October 24 to adjudge the noise levels during a non-Diwali day and have background readings. On October 30, the same test will be conducted along with air quality analysis throughout the state. The readings will be compared to national ambient air quality standards and put up on our website, said VM Motghare, joint director, MPCB. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The state government wants the code of conduct announced by the State Election Commission (SEC) for the upcoming elections in 212 municipal councils governing small cities to be reconsidered. The elections will be held between November 27 and December 8. The government has decided to write to the SEC. Their main concern: The code of conduct (which prevents the government from taking or announcing decisions that would influence voters) will remain in force in most parts of the state for the next five months back-to back elections will be held in this period in urban and rural local government bodies. Almost all the ministers raised strong objections during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. They claimed the code of conduct will largely affect the development works in their constituencies, especially in areas where no elections are scheduled. We are not against the restrictions on political activities during the code of conduct, but the restrictions on development works are uncalled for. The restrictions will be in place for the next five to six months. This will not allow us to spend on ongoing projects and there is a possibility of more than 50% of the budgetary allocation remaining unspent, parliamentary affairs minister Girish Bapat said. The elections to be held in for council and nagar panchayat in four phases until January 8, 2017, will have the code of conduct in place for 82 days. Officials from the SEC said the election was chalked out according to existing norms under four different laws. We have already clarified seven districts with less than four wards going for elections will have no code of conduct in force outside the wards. We had informed the chief secretary of Maharashtra in January about the dates of the completion of the terms of civic bodies and the probable dates for voting. The government should have chalked out its timetable for the development works accordingly, an official from the SEC said. Bapat said the government was seeking the opinion of experts before approaching the SEC, requesting it to reconsider the jurisdiction of the code of conduct. Why should the restrictions be imposed in areas that dont have elections? The code of conduct should be restricted to wards where elections will be held, said another minister. For instance, in Nagpur district, only 1.5 lakh voters will vote for the council and nagar panchayat elections to be held on January 8 in the last phase. But the entire district, with a population of 39 lakh, will be under the code of conduct for about three months. As a direct effect of the code of conduct, the state government had to discontinue its ongoing campaign to celebrate the second anniversary of the Fadnavis government. Except for the two districts, we have stopped all print, television, radio and outdoor advertisement campaigns that began on October 13. In Mumbai and Thane, the advertisements are restricted to local newspapers. We have also sought more clarification from the SEC on the areas under the influence of the code of conduct, said an official from the publicity department of the government. In a bitter race against ally BJP to spread its presence across Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena stepped up its attack, ahead of the elections to 212 local bodies in the state. One Shiv Sena leader accused the BJP of wielding criminals to rent muscle power, while the partys mouthpiece Saamana lashed out at a BJP leader for his stance on the Maratha protests. With elections coming up, in the BJP, criminals are being shielded, said Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe. Her statement comes just days after photographs of CM Devendra Fadnavis with tainted leaders from other parties in Pune caused the ruling party some embarrassment. While Punes guardian minister Girish Bapat has already refuted claims that criminals were being inducted in the party, Gorhe said on Tuesday, During the 2014 Assembly elections too, we noticed criminals were being let out on parole. They were put behind bars after the election is over and their purpose is served. The same thing happened during the Kolhapur municipal corporation polls. Gorhe criticised the state for its inaction in investigating a complaint from a BJP woman leader, who said a party colleague had outraged her modesty. Read: Maharashtra govt cries foul over code of conduct for local body elections The accused was known to be a close aide of BJP Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar. The woman spoke about the involvement of a Cabinet minister. The chief minister, in March during the assembly session, assured of quick action by the state womens commission, said Gorhe, adding, that no progress was made for six months forcing the woman to withdraw her complaint. Gorhe demanded the state womens commission and the Bombay HC take suo motu cognisance of the incident. On the Maratha protests across the state, the Shiv Sena has been on the backfoot after facing flak for an insensitive cartoon about the issue in its mouthpiece Saamana. But a remark by BJP minister Rajkumar Badole that the protests were successful because of the money poured into organising them gave the Sena some ammo. In an editorial on Tuesday, the Sena said, It is not right for a minister to say the protests are a play of money power. The BJP is in a spot because of Badoles statement. What Maharashtra really needs now is restraint on wagging tongues, the Saamana editorial said. The BJP was quick to hit back. Rajkumar Badole has already apologised to the Maratha community saying he didnt mean to belittle their protests. So, the matter ends there. Secondly, we refute all allegations by Gorhe. BJP has not inducted any criminals in the party. It is only a legislator making these statements. If the Sena chief makes such remarks, our party leaders will take it up with him, said party leader Madhu Chavan. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 1) It was the first colonial structure in Mumbai built to serve as a museum. Built in 1855, it is one of the rare British-era buildings in India to combine Palladian and High Victorian architecture. The Star of David a design element on the museums roof is an ode to its Jewish benefactor, David Sassoon. The museums roof. (Photo: facebook.com/BDLMuseum) 2) The museum was funded by the citizens of Bombay on the request of Dr Bhau Daji Lad, a physician and an educationist,. He successfully raised Rs 1,16,141 from patrons across the city. He was also responsible in acquiring unique collectables that are displayed in the museum. For instance, the museum houses Bidri artefacts. The King of Bidar invited craftsmen from Iran to design the these artefacts in the 13th-14th century. . Also read: Insiders guide to... Colaba A foot-warmer made using Birdri art. (Photo: Satish Bate/HT) 3) The museum was ill-maintained till 2003, due to lack of funds. But from 2003 to 2008, it underwent extensive restoration. Today, it stands proud, with spacious halls, Minton-tiled floors and old-world shutter windows. Interestingly, Minton tiles were used only on the stairs and the first floor. Thats because the ship from England carrying the tiles for the ground floor, sank. Minton tiles used on the first floor of the museum. (Photo: Ruta Waghmare) Also read: Insiders guide to Byculla 4) The carpet from Bijapur is a replica of the original artefact. The original carpet had a man-sized hole pre-restoration. Naturally dyed yarn was imported from Iran to restore the carpet to its former glory. Artisans from Kashmir were invited and additional help was provided by the inmates of the Yerwada Jail in Pune. The replica of the carpet from Bijapur. (Photo: Satish Bate/HT) 5) Before being named after Dr Lad, the museum was called the Victoria & Albert Museum. So, a palindrome of V and A (for Victoria and Albert) is welded into the railings. The cast iron used in the construction of the railings and the columns was shipped from England. The palindrome of V and A (for Victoria and Albert). (Photo: facebook.com/BDLmuseum) My wifes death made us realise what are we overlooking and how important it is to live in a clean surrounding, said 35-year-old Jeetendra Lodha from Borivli, who has launched a campaign against dengue after losing his wife to the disease a month ago. Lodha, along with the local residents associations and social workers in Yogi Nagar, has been spreading awareness through seminars, arranging rallies and meeting workers from the municipal health department to identify mosquito breeding sites in the area. The Aedes aegypti mosquito, the carrier of the dengue virus, breeds in pools of clear water and water containers, which are left uncovered for several days, indoors or outdoors, can become breeding sites for the mosquito. Lodhas wife, Rekha, who was admitted at Kolilaben Dhirubhai Hospital, Andheri, died after seven days on September 12. Lodha said only a week before she was diagnosed, they had informed the authorities about possible breeding grounds in the vicinity. While minor fumigation activities were carried out, no inspection was undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ward officers. After my wifes death, the BMC guys came and located two breeding grounds in our vicinity. We accept that there was a mistake on the part of the residents, but at the same time, had the area been inspected properly, it can save lives, said Lodha. He added that through his Terapanth Samaj, a community association, they are spreading the word across societies and residents to ensure that the surroundings are kept clean and no possible mosquito breeding grounds are formed. Major issue faced by people is that the buck keeps getting passed between the BMC and the builders. Many buildings have water drainage systems alongside their boundaries, which are poorly maintained and have become breeding sites for mosquitoes. Citing legal technicalities, the BMC said it is the builders responsibility to clean it . Many havent seen their builders for decades. Who will clean it then? said Lodha. His group, in conversation with local politicians and members of parliament, is contemplating on spreading awareness on a larger scale so that no such cases are reported next year and proper medical facilities are available for those who need it. The super speciality hospitals are available Andheri onwards. People are travelling long distances in times of distress. The local MP has accepted our proposal and promised that he will take the plan ahead, said Lodha. BMCs executive health officer, Dr Padmaja Keskar, said that peoples participation makes a lot of difference when it comes to wiping out the breeding site. An abandoned bag or vehicle garners immediate attention, but nobody reports water-filled drums or rain water canals. During such a period where the environment is vector friendly, peoples initiatives will make a lot of difference. If we get good response from people, we can wipe out the vector-borne diseases from the city, said Keskar. Officials from BMCs insecticide department confirmed that there is a shortage of manpower when it comes to fumigation and inspection drives. Its true that there arent enough employees to cover the entire city and inspect every possible breeding site. And that is precisely the reason why we are intensifying the efforts on areas from where more cases are being reported. At the same time, general inspections and fumigations are being carried out throughout the city, said an official who did not wish to be named. Social justice minister Rajkumar Badole drew flak from the Opposition parties as well as Maratha communities when he made a statement at the International Buddhist Festival in Aurangabad, saying people come up nowadays, stage protests and demand reservations, and their agitation attracts crowds as they have more money. After facing flak for its insensitivity to the ongoing Maratha protests over the publication of a contentious cartoon in its mouthpiece, the Shiv Sena turned the tables on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by slamming a BJP ministers controversial remarks. In an editorial in the partys mouthpiece Saamana, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday criticised social justice minister Rajkumar Badoles statement, saying protests are successful because of the money poured into organising them. It is not right for a minister to say that protests are a play of money power. The BJP is in a spot because of Badoles statement. What Maharashtra really needs now is a restrain on wagging tongues, the Saamana editorial said. Has Maharashtras social system been disturbed ever since a new political system has come to place? the Sena in its editorial said. The social justice minister drew flak from the Opposition parties as well as Maratha communities when he made a statement at the International Buddhist Festival in Aurangabad, saying people come up nowadays, stage protests and demand reservations, and their agitation attracts crowds as they have more money. Taunting Badole, the Shiv Sena said, Lakhs of Dalits make their way to Chaityabhoomi on Dr Ambedkars birth anniversary. They are not brought there by offering money. Although Badole chose to make amends by clarifying that he didnt the name of the Maratha community and was referring to the overall situation in the country, the row is likely to put the BJP in a spot, the Sena said. With the Uttar Pradesh elections round the corner, BJP chief Amit Shah has been addressing rallies that get a huge response. Does this mean that it is a crowd rented by showing money? Even Prime Minister Narendra Modis address attracts a large crowd. What kind of magic was done on this crowd? Badole should clarify, the Sena said, adding that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as usual chose to remain silent and this is not a good sign. Recently, it was the Shiv Sena that was under the ire of politicians across parties as well as the Maratha community after it published a cartoon in Saamana lampooning the Maratha protests. The cartoon, a three-paneled caricature, showed a woman kissing a man, playing on the words muk morcha (silent protests) as muka morcha (kissing protests). Several Sena leaders from the Maratha community were also upset over the cartoon. Party chief Uddhav Thackeray ultimately apologised to quell the issue. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BEIJING/GOA: China on Monday defended its all-weather ally Pakistan a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to it as the mother ship of terrorism even as leaders of the Bimstec fell short of nailing Islamabad for sponsoring cross-border terrorism. Pakistan has made great sacrifices in fighting terror and the world community should recognise this effort, the Chinese foreign ministry said as it mounted an all-out defence of its iron brother amid a campaign by New Delhi to isolate Islamabad. There was no mention of terrorism in the official statement issued by China after Saturdays meeting between Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Brics Summit in Goa, and Mondays statement put the official stamp on things Beijing will not allow Islamabad to be isolated diplomatically over terrorism. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, not only India, but Pakistan too has been a victim of terror. China and Pakistan are all-weather friends. India and Pakistan are both victims of terrorism. In combating terrorism, Pakistan has made great sacrifices. This needs to be recognised by the international community, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a news briefing. Chinas statement in support of Pakistan was the most unequivocal one since India stepped up its campaign to isolate Pakistan following a sharp increase in violence in Kashmir. Earlier this month, China extended its veto against Indias move to get Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar sanctioned by the UN Security Council. Hua repeated Chinas stand on terrorism, replete with the usual words and phrases used by Beijing whenever there is talk of the menace, when she was asked about the allegation that Pakistan is the mother ship of terrorism. Our position is clear and consistent. We oppose terrorism in all forms and we believe that the international community (needs) to make more concerted efforts to ensure stability and security of all countries, Hua said. We oppose linking terrorism to any country or religion (but) whatever country or organisation is involved in terrorism should be seriously tackled by the international community. Hua also said India and Pakistan should resolve their outstanding issues through dialogue. We truly hope they can resolve these differences in a peaceful way through dialogue and consultation so that India-Pakistan relationship can develop, she said. In Goa, the Bay of Bengal countries, five of them Saarc members, said terrorists should not be glorified as martyrs. But the strong statement from the leaders of Bimstec fell short of making a reference to cross-border terrorism or Pakistan-sponsored terror. The leaders of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand had an outreach meeting between BRICS leaders on Sunday. Bimstec is meeting at the highest level after two years. There should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs, said a statement issued after a retreat of the Bimstec leaders. This is significant for India as Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had hailed militant commander Burhan Wani, killed in Kashmir in July, as a martyr. Wanis killing triggered massive unrest in Kashmir, straining India-Pakistan ties. Four Bimstec countries India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka pulled out of the Saarc summit which was to be held in Islamabad in November. We strongly believe that our fight against terrorism should not only seek to disrupt and eliminate terrorists, terror organisations and networks, but should also identify, hold accountable and take strong measures against states who encourage, support and finance terrorism, provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups, and falsely extol their virtues, the Bimstec statement said. Pared down, this reflects Indias concern about Pakistan sponsoring terror and using its territory for terror attacks against India. The Bimstec leaders also agreed to expedite the signing of a convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters, and on the early ratification of the convention on cooperation in combating international terrorism, transnational organised crime and drug trafficking. Traders, entrepreneurs and residents of the city have unanimously joined hands to boycott Chinese products for decorating houses during Diwali. Traders have also written a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to ban import of Chinese products. The ban would help us considerably, as we cannot tell every businessman not to sell such products. However, we have appealed to our members and also to the residents, to purchase Indian diyas and candles for decorations, rather than buying Chinese lights, said Sushil Kumar Jain, president of Vyapar Mandal. He added that Chinese products are sold like hot cakes during Diwali, in Noida. Read more: The sale of Chinese products in Gaffar Market as steady as ever We have also written to PM to review the policy of trade agreements with China and make arrangements to ban the imports of Chinese products to boost the Indian economy and pressurise the Chinese government to not to support Pakistan, said Sudhir Vohra, another businessman based in Sector 18. Forums such as Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Mandal Gautam Budh Nagar, residents welfare associations, Noida entrepreneurs association (NEA) and others have sent messages to their members to stay away from Chinese products in the wake of the latters support to Pakistan. China stood with Pakistan in Indias fight against terrorism. Usually, we choose Chinese products as they are cheaper than Indian products. But this Diwali, we are not going to decorate our homes with Chinese lights at all. We will also not distribute gifts of Chinese make. Rather, we will distribute plants, said Vipin Malhan, president of NEA. The businessmen also have appealed to Indian government to create such an environment on war footing to produce the same products which are being imported from china so that the same product can compete in the global market. Resentment among city residents over Chinas support to Pakistan is also high. We will celebrate Diwali only with home made diyas and decorate our houses with handmade materials. By not purchasing Chinese products, we want to show solidarity with the countrys integrity and support to fight terrorism, said Pramod Verma, president of the Sector 30 Residents Welfare Association. Read more: Gurgaon joins campaign against Chinese goods SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Police in Uttar Pradeshs Bisada, where a Muslim man was lynched last year, are investigating a letter that surfaced in the village warning that all jailed accused and the father of one of the men will be killed. Villagers found the letter pasted on a wall near the house of Mohammad Ikhlaq around 20 days back. They approached the police who registered a case against unidentified persons. Ikhlaq was lynched while his son Danish was injured when a mob attacked him over allegations of slaughtering a cow and storing its meat for consumption. The incident triggered a massive outrage across the country with many prominent personalities returning their awards as a token of protest. Eighteen locals, including three juveniles, were arrested in the case. Read: A year after Dadri lynching, festivals mean sorrow for Ikhlaqs family Police sent the letter to experts but say the writing did not match any of the suspects handwriting. The matter is under investigation, Pradeep Kumar Singh, in charge of Jarcha police station, said. Sources, however, said that the incident looks suspicious as nobody can roam around in the village without being noticed. The village communities are tightly knitted. No outsider can go and paste a letter on the wall that is near the residence of many of the accused who are in jail. Also, the writer wrote his name Islamuddin at the end of the letter, which is very unusual, a police officer investigating the case said. Sources also said that since Ikhlaqs family and their lawyer Yusuf Saifi were given police protection, the family of some of the accused are also vying to get police protection citing threats to their lives. No police protection can be given to somebody without thorough investigation. The authenticity of the letter has not been proved yet, Singh said. Read| Dadri lynching: A year on, charges yet to be framed in Fast-Track court Rana, a former BJP worker whose son is behind the bars over allegations of lynching Ikhlaq, however, accused the police of not taking his complaints seriously. It has been quite some time but the police did nothing. If they threaten to kill me then what shall I do? Shouldnt I seek polices help? The problem is that the police has a prejudice against us. If something happens to me or my family, the police and state government will be responsible for that, said Rana. Read: Bisada residents put national flag on body of accused in Dadri lynching case The custodial death of one of the murder accused recently sparked tension at Bisada and a police team is still deployed near the mosque in the village. Ravin Sisodia, 22, died on October 4 at a Delhi hospital due to multiple organ failure under judicial custody. Read: A year later, villagers avoid talking about Dadri lynching Read: The payment of compensation to Bisada accuseds kin sets a dangerous precedent SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A court in Patiala on Tuesday acquitted Maoist ideologue Kobad Ghandy of all charges in a six-year-old case accusing him of delivering two anti-national speeches at Punjabi University here. Additional sessions and district judge Mohammad Gulzar passed the order after the case was heard on a day-to-day basis, starting September 27. Ghandy (66) told reporters after the acquittal that he had disassociated himself from the banned outfit of CPI(Maoist). WATCH | Wiping Pak out will not solve countrys problems, says Kanhaiya Kumar The prosecution had a list of 13 witnesses, out of which one could not be produced and was shown as untraceable. Ghandy was booked in January 2010 by Patiala Sadar police under sections 10, 13, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections 419 and 120-B of the IPC for holding meetings on the premises of Punjabi University in April and May 2009, in an alleged bid to promote Maoist ideology. He was brought here from Cherlapally Central Jail, Telangana, where he was lodged on September 27. The case was concluded in 20 days as the hearing was held on a day-to-day basis. Earlier in May, one of Ghandys associates, Bacha Yadav who was also facing charges under UAPA was discharged by the same court for want of prosecution sanction, which was to come from the Union government. Yadav was released from the Central Jail, Patiala, in June. Ghandy had pleaded that he was booked for delivering the lecture in April and May 2009 and at that time, CPI (Maoist) was not banned. The organisation was banned in June 22, 2009, he had argued. The countrys first customs heritage gallery representing a legacy of more than 2,000 years of trade and peopleto-people contact has come up at Attari. The inauguration of this photo gallery was done by chief commissioner of customs (preventive), Delhi, Manoranjan Kaur Virk on Monday. She emphasised on the key role played by the department and challenges being faced by it The gallery symbolises changes in the working of the customs department, which is one of the oldest revenue generating departments of the administration. The customs is the first line of defence and has protected our economy, environment, wildlife and heritage, including endangered species of flora and fauna, arts and antiquities, said Virk. The customs chief commissioner said by checking smuggling of narcotics and other psychotropic substances, the department preserves and promotes social well-being. Today, however, we are facing bigger and multiple challenges, but even with our limited human, technological and other resources, we are trying to do our best, she said. Smuggling of drugs is a big challenge, but we do not have enough resources to tackle it. The customs department need to be backed with better technology, as the smugglers are becoming more tech-savvy, she said. Virk said the department has made seizures of contrabands hidden in cavities under trains coming from Pakistan, and to tackle the problem, more manpower is required. We need full-body scanners, as the technology being used right now is not that mechanised. The Union ministry of finance knows about the challenges we are facing, and I am sure all our technological, infrastructural and manpower needs will be fulfilled soon, she said Virk said the gallery has been inaugurated at a place that lies on an ancient trade route (Grand Trunk Road). Besides its historical significance, the place is also one of the most sensitive western frontiers of our country, which is zealously guarded by the army and paramilitary forces, she said. Amritsar customs commissioner Sanjay Gahlot said the second phase of the gallery, based on technological developments, will be inaugurated in a few months. He said the gallery will be open for tourists visiting the evening retreat ceremony. Members of the Sikh group Satkar Committee and the Valmiki community clashed at Dalla village near here on Tuesday over the alleged use of derogatory words against saint Valmiki by a gurdwara preacher. At least seven men suffered minor injuries, and the police registered cases against both sides after cross-allegations. It started after preacher Manpreet Singh at the local Baoli Sahib gurdwara made some comments against Valmiki, whom his followers consider god. A group of the community members reached the gurdwara where heated arguments started, and then they allegedly vandalised a vehicle and hurled stones at the gurdwara men. The clash occurred after over 20 men of the Satkar Committee and the security task force of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) reached there with sticks. Stones were hurled by both sides for around half an hour. About seven persons sustained minor injuries, said deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Piara Singh. Some gunshots were also allegedly fired in the air by the SGPC men. Both community supporters exchanged bricks for over 25 minutes. (HT Photo) Kapurthala deputy commissioner (DC) Jaskiran Singh and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajinder Singh led a security team to the spot and tried to pacify both groups. The SSP said that, on basis of preliminary investigation, a case was registered against preacher Manpreet Singh under section 295A (for deliberate act intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The DC said, After the situation turns normal, a magisterial inquiry will be marked. Heavy police force remained deployed and the situation remained tense till filing this report around 9pm. Those booked in cases include the Satkar Committee head, Sukhjeet Singh Khosa, and seven others for offences under the IPC and also under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act as Valmikis are under the Scheduled Castes. A case against 15 unidentified Valmiki community supporters was also registered. Police personnel mediating between the two communities. (HT Photo) Police failed to pre-empt Even as tension brewed in the morning after the alleged inappropriate utterances by the preacher, only a small group of police personnel reached the gurdwara. DSP Piara Singh also reached the spot and held a brief meeting with the Valmiki community members, assuring them of action. But later, demanding immediate arrest of the preacher and the gurdwara management panel head, the Valmikis sat outside the gurdwara and held protest. As for the Satkar Committee, such panels are known to be active in protests against installation of Guru Granth Sahib at places other than gurdwaras that they deem fit as per Sikhism. In a separate case on Sunday, police in nearby Bholath had booked a gurdwara head for using certain words against Valmiki. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON On the call of Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh to plaster Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal face on all effigies and set them on fire, Congress workers burned chitta Ravan here on Monday before the bus stand traffic lights and raised slogans against the state government. The protest was led by Brahm Mohindra, Congress MLA from Patiala (rural) and Congress workers came out in large numbers and burned the effigy as part of the partys state-wide anti-drug campaign. The state has been caught in drugs but when congress workers were trying to burn the effigy of chitta in Ludhiana few days ago, they were beaten and loaded with false police cases. The Akali workers brutally assaulted our workers in which district congress president, Gurpreet Gogi, along with other workers were badly injured. The police authorities were supporting SAD workers. Today, we burned chitta Raavan effigy in the solidarity of our Ludhiana committee, said Brahm Mohindra. After the Ludhiana incident, Congress staged protests before the chief ministers residence in Chandigarh, following which CM directed Punjab DGP Suresh Arora to inquire the matter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called upon the entrepreneurs in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector to manufacture quality products and ensure that they are environment-friendly as well. Addressing a gathering on the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) campus here after giving away national awards to MSME entrepreneurs, Modi said that Indias manufacturing sector should target the global market. We should encourage zero-defect, zero-effect model of manufacturing to ensure that products are top quality and have no adverse impact on the environment. Even common people are not ready to compromise on quality today, Modi pointed out. In coming years, people in other countries will object to Indian products by linking those to environmental hazards. We must ensure that our manufacturing will have zero effect on environment, the PM emphasised. Also read | Narendra Modi launches SC/ST hub at PAU in Ludhiana From left, Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal at the Ludhiana function on Tuesday. (Gurminder Singh/HT Photo) He also said that India holds the promise to play a crucial role on the global stage in the future. India is the fastest growing economy among large economies. Only India is moving ahead and giving strength to the world economy despite the global slowdown since 2008. We want to encourage a network of small enterprises. Innovation is the key here. I lay a lot of emphasis on manufacturing sector. Our focus is also on start-ups, Modi pointed out. Modi visiting an exhibition before the National MSME Awards function at Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana on Tuesday. (PTI Photo) He said that the central government is focusing on MSMEs and categories like women, Dalits, backward classes and poor to bring them into the manufacturing sector and make them self-reliant. Rs 200,000 crore has been distributed among nearly 3.5-3.75 crore manufacturers and start-ups in the past one-and-a-half years. This amount of Rs 200,000 crore has been given by banks without any guarantee; 70% of the beneficiaries are women, Dalits and backward classes and poor, he said. Modi works on a charkha at a ceremony to distribute charkhas to women in Ludhiana on Tuesday.. (PTI Photo) Modi distributes 500 charkhas PM Modi also distributed 500 traditional wooden charkhas (spinning wheels to weave cloth) to women belonging to the five local Khadi institutions. The charkhas have been given by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).The women were selected from different areas of Punjab. The Prime Minister also went around an exhibition and tried his hand at a charkha. Five hundred charkhas will help create direct employment at the doorstep of these villagers, the KVIC said. Speaking on the occasion, CM Parkash Singh Badal said the distribution of charkhas will help in income generation for these families. (PTI) The Bihar-based gang involved in selectively leaking question papers of examinations for government jobs across the country had even tried to leak the question papers of the all-India premedical examination NEET (National Eligibility Entrance Test) conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The four members of the gang arrested by the Punjab vigilance bureau on Saturday, revealed during interrogation that they had sold the NEET question paper to some candidates but it (the one they had accessed) differed from what the CBSE actually distributed in the examination hall. Surjit Singh, AIG, vigilance bureau, who is heading the investigation team, said though the gang had failed in leaking the NEET paper, it had managed to successfully leak question papers for a host of other examinations (see box). Besides the information being gathered from the statements of the accused, we have secured electronic evidence from them about the other examinations that were compromised, he said. Meanwhile, the vigilance bureau is expected to recommend the cancellation of the examinations conducted by the Thapar University, Patiala, for the irrigation department on Sunday. If the VB writes to us that the exam has been compromised, we will cancel it, said secretary, irrigation, Kahan Singh Pannu. The Thapar University is scheduled to hold recruitment tests for various posts in the Punjab water resources development board in the coming days. Pannu said he had talked to the VB officers and in view of the given situation, he has asked the board to ask the Thapar University not to go ahead with conducting the next set of recruitment examinations. However, the exact decision will only be known on Tuesday when the Punjab government offices open after the extended weekend. With the fresh recruitment scam coming to the fore, the government that has in the past six months created a host of new posts in various departments, besides deciding to fill vacancies, is now in a fix where to get its recruitment examinations conducted from. The state government had approached IIT Roorkee and IIT Delhi to conduct recruitment examinations for it, but both the institutes refused saying that they did not have the time to do this job. The government then shortlisted Thapar University, Patiala and the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) Amritsar, to conduct its examinations. GNDU is all set to recruit over 2,000 patwaris on behalf of the departments of revenue and irrigation. The process of recruiting patwaris was started by the revenue department earlier this year when the Panjab University held the preliminary examination. However, following information that the question paper for the examination had been leaked by the same gang, the examination was cancelled. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the death sentence of two persons convicted of kidnapping and killing Abhi Verma, son of a Hoshiarpur-based goldsmith. Abhi, 16, was kidnapped and murdered by Jasbir Singh, his wife Sonia and her brother Vikram Walia in February 2005 for a ransom of `50 lakh. He died with an overdose of anaesthesia. Jasbir and Vikram, whose mercy petition was recently rejected by the President, were due to be hanged on October 25. The SC bench of justices Dipak Misra, AM Khanwilkar and Amitava Roy issued the stay orders and posted the matter for October 24. Advocate BS Billowaria, who appeared for the petitioners, pleaded that the mercy petition filed earlier be reopened. He pleaded that the defendants be granted an open hearing, in accordance with apex court ruling in a criminal writ petition of 2014 involving Mohammed Arif and others. On December 21, 2006, the Hoshiarpur district and sessions judge had awarded death penalty to the three accused. The Punjab and Haryana high court had upheld the sentence but the Supreme Court had commuted Sonias sentence to life imprisonment. Jasvir and Vikram had filed a mercy petition with the President after a three-member bench of the apex court had rejected their review petition in August 2015. The convicts are lodged in the Patiala central jail. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch two schemes National SC/ST Hub and Zero Defect Zero Effect scheme during his one-day visit to Ludhiana on Tuesday. Kalraj Mishra, Union minister for micro small and medium enterprises (MSME) and Giriraj Singh, minister of state for the same ministry while addressing a press conference on Monday said Modi will announce two schemes during the event being held at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). Mishra said that the SC/ST Hub will provide support to entrepreneurs from SC and ST community that will help them in public procurement. He added that Modi is keen to inculcate the spirit of self-employment among the SC / ST population. To enable the SC and ST population to have a decent living, this scheme would be announced, added Kalra. The minister further said that the MSME ministry has made an initial allotment of `490 crore for the national SC/ST hub for 2016-2020. The hub will primarily aid in strengthening market access/linkage, monitoring, capacity building, leveraging financial support schemes and sharing industry best practices. The hub would also operate from National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) headquarters in Delhi, supported by a special cell created for this purpose, he said. Giriraj said that another scheme Zero Defect Zero (ZED) Effect will enable the MSMEs to evolve and grow by providing them adequate training and funding to move up the value chain and produce quality products. The ZED model will sensitise MSMEs to emphasise on the delivery of high quality products with zero defects, said Giriraj. He said clean energy will be an important aspect of the model. Enterprises will be encouraged and hand-held to adopt clean technology into their processes to attain a sustainable growth trajectory, he explained. There will be sector-specific assessment parameters for each industry such as food processing, textiles, leather and auto parts for the ZED scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two rallies in Mandi and Nahan in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday. The PM is also expected to dedicate three hydel projects to the nation during his visit to the hill state. Later, Modi will visit Ludhiana and launch a National SC/ST Hub that will provide professional support to entrepreneurs from the community. The PM will also launch zero defect, zero effect scheme which aims to handhold all micro small and medium enterprises to deliver top quality products using clean technology, MSME minister Kalraj Mishra told reporters in Ludhiana on Monday. The event will be held at Punjab Agricultural University. The PM will also give away MSME awards to industrialists. Due to the non-payment of post matric scholarship funds for SC and OBC students by the state government, on Monday the joint action committee decided to intensify the ongoing stir for the release of funds from the government. All 13 associations of unaided self-financed colleges held a press conference to announce that all the colleges will observe a bandh on October 21 and 22 by hoisting black flags on their campuses. Committee spokesperson Anshu Kataria said the managements of all colleges will also hand over a memorandum to all the cabinet ministers of Punjab and spread awareness on the issue among the public. The JAC warned the government that if the balance scholarship funds were not released sooner, then all the institutes will start a mass agitation. JS Dhaliwal, president, Panjab Unaided Technical Institutes Association (PUTIA), while addressing the press conference said there was no bogus admission in Punjab as stated by the government. The numbers might be of drop outs. The government has already conducted inquiries related to this claim of 2014-15. He further said it seemed that terming drop outs as bogus admissions was just another tactic by the government to delay the release of scholarship funds. S Jagjit Singh, president, Federation of Self-Financed B.Ed Colleges of Punjab, said the government was now saying it will reimburse the scholarships at par the lowest fee structure of the government colleges which is a clear violation of the central scheme. The scheme states that the colleges will be reimbursed the paid seat fee, if such fee is decided by the state government. It should be mentioned that for 2014-15, around Rs 80 crore has not been fully disbursed while Rs 400 crore is due for 2015-16. Around Rs 500 crore will be due for 2016-17 for which admissions are already over. Disappointed over the alleged dilly-dally attitude of the central government and officials in dispensing the benefits announced, the wife of Operation Pawan (Indian Peace Keeping Mission) martyr Hawaldar Kashmir Singh returned the Sena Medal to deputy commissioner Ravi Bhagat to be handed over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit on Tuesday. Assistant commissioner (grievances) Swati Tiwana received the medal from an inconsolable wife of the martyr on Monday. Surinder Kaur of Nikku Saran village of Gurdaspur said after her husband attained martyrdom in 1987, the then, government had announced 10 acres of agriculture land, petrol pump or a gas agency besides monetary help of Rs 25 lakh and government job for one member of the family. She added that 29 years have passed, but she has got nothing from the government besides a piece from Panchayat land for establishing a memorial of her husband. Assistant commissioner Swati Tiwana said that as the matter is of Gurdaspur district, they will also talk to the concerned officers there. I have tried to convince the family not to return the medal as it is the supreme honour. But the family has taken up this step following emotions. We will take up the matter and try to help out the family, said Tiwana. Read | Burn chitta Ravan effigies with Badals face: Capt to Congmen KASHMIR SINGHS BODY WAS NOT RECOVERED Surinder Kaur said that her husband Kashmir Singh was part of Indian Peace Keeping Mission that had gone to Jaffna in Sri Lanka. During a gunfight with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militants her husband and 28 other armymen had attained martyrdom on October 13, 1987. Body of her husband was not recovered. She single-handedly raised her son and daughter. NO POLICY FOR OPERATION PAWAN MARTYRS Satnam Singh Dahaliwal, president, Universal Human Rights Organisation (UHRO), said that he pursued the matter on his own. He came to know that the government has made no policy for Operation Pawan, while policy for martyrs of 1965, 1971 and Kargil war is there. He raised the point that the family of alleged Indian spy Sarabjit, who was killed in Pakistan jail, got Rs 25 lakh from the central government, Rs 1 crore from the state government and other benifits. Read | Narendra Modi to launch two schemes in Ludhiana The four Left parties in Punjab are scheduled to meet on October 19 to push for a possible alliance for the forthcoming state assembly elections. The Wednesday meeting will be another opportunity for the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) state leadership to press upon the Communist Party of India (CPI) to consider the Congress as an equal enemy to the ruling Akali-BJP combine. Besides the CPM, the CPI (ML) Liberation and the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India floated by senior leader Mangat Ram Pasla have already affirmed to go against the Congress. On October 7, the coordination committee of both the CPI and CPM had a brainstorming session on alliance with secular parties, wherein the CPI was conveyed for an alliance minus the Congress. On whether the CPI will rule out a handshake with the Congress, partys national secretary and Punjab in-charge Shamim Faizi said: Nothing can be said at this juncture. Things will be clear after the October 19 meeting. A senior CPI leader from Punjab said time was running out as the other three left parties have made up their mind against the Congress. There are 60 to 65 seats that the Left can contest as we are open to an alliance with other secular fronts, said CPI Punjab secretary Hardev Arshi. On alliance with the Congress, he said: It is too early to say something. He said the Left had a misadventure with the Congress in the West Bengal elections. The Left should stand by the Goa resolution and consider the Congress as an enemy, he said. GROUND SITUATION Earlier this month, the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India announced its candidate from Mukerian, young activist Dharmender Singh, while the partys veteran Nathu Singh has started his campaign in Sujanpur assembly segment of Pathankot district. The CPI (ML)-Liberation is keen to contest 12 to 15 seats, including Talwandi Sabo, Maur, Bathinda (rural), Mansa, Budhlada, Sardulgarh, Dirhba, Lehragaga, Sunam, Mehal Kalan, Bhadaur and Baba Bakala. The CPM eyes its traditional segments of Raikot, Jagraon and Dakha in Ludhiana district; Garhshanker and Mukerian in Hoshiarpur; Balachaur in Nawanshahr and Anandpur Sahib in Rupnagar. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Police have arrested three residents of Raipur Khurd village in SAS Nagar (Mohali) for tying a stray female dog to a tree, thrashing her and then gauging out her eyeball. The accused have been identified as Harmeet Singh, Makhan and Dassa Singh. The incident took place on October 11. The accused have been booked under Sections 428 (killing or maiming animal) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC, said Sohana station house officer (SHO) Rajiv Kumar. The police registered the case on the complaint of Pradeep Singh, a resident of the village, who witnessed the incident. The dog, which is pregnant, is being treated at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Hospital, Sector 38 (West), Chandigarh. Pradeep Singh said, On October 11 morning, I heard screams of a dog and saw the accused assaulting the animal. He alleged that the trio had killed a dog a few months ago also. He told the police that the accused rear pigs and sell meat. White House hopeful Donald Trump has accused Hillary Clinton of running a criminal enterprise to turn the US government into a vehicle for her personal profit and creating conditions for a rigged election that also has media support to poison voters minds. In the wake of thousands of emails released by WikiLeaks on the 68-year-old Democratic presidential nominee Clinton and her team, the 70-year-old Republican nominee told his supporters in Wisconsin that the national media is an extension of her campaign. Remember, we are competing in a rigged election the media is trying to rig the election by giving credence to false stories that have no validity and making it front page news, only to poison the minds of the American voters. The media is an extension of the Clinton Campaign, as WikiLeaks proved Hillary even got the questions and answers in advance of a major debate, he said. Trump claimed that the magnitude of WikiLeaks are worse than that of Watergate. And were going to put an end to it on November 8th (the date of the polls), he said. Clinton cronies have sacrificed your security, your familys safety, and your countrys safety as though it meant nothing at all, he said. A series of emails shows top officials in the Clinton campaign scheming to take massive sums of money from foreign lobbyists, he added. One of the emails from a top Hillary official said, quote, take the money!! with two exclamation points. This is money bundled by people registered as lobbyists on behalf of foreign governments. Calling Clinton as the most corrupt person ever to run for President, Trump said the newly-released FBI documents show just how deep the corruption goes. We are witnessing a criminal enterprise that has turned our government into a vehicle for Clintons personal profit at your expense. But it gets even worse. The FBI documents show that Under-Secretary of State Patrick Kennedy made the request for altering classification as part of a quid pro quo. This is felony corruption. Under-Secretary Kennedy needs to resign, he demanded. He said a new report from the Center for Public Integrity shows that 96 per cent of the so-called journalists and reporters who donated this cycle gave their money to Clinton. They even want to try and rig the election at the polling booths, where so many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is all too common. Quoting a Pew Research report, Trump said approximately 24 million one of every eightvoter registrations in the US are no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate. More than 1.8 million deceased individuals are listed as voters and approximately 2.75 million people have registrations in more than one state, he said referring to the report. Indian actor-director Shekhar Kapur will chair the jury of the first International Film Festival and Awards at Macau -- which like Hong Kong is one of Chinas autonomous territories. The festival will run from December 8 to 13. Kapur, who shot to international fame with his 1994 directorial feature, Bandit Queen (staring Seema Biswas as Phoolan Devi, and which was part of the Cannes Directors Fortnight), will head a team of movie professionals to judge about a dozen, new films in competition. Kapur has served on several juries, including those at Cannes and Tokyo, and has been a sponsor of the International Film Festival of India at Panaji in Goa. Kapur said in a media statement: This is Asias time. Over the past few years, consumerism has catapulted the Asian market into international renown, but what we are now experiencing is the renaissance of culture as inspired by the Asian communities. As an Indian director, Im excited to be chairing the Macau Film Festival as Indian storytelling has so much in common with Chinese forms of storytelling. Hopefully these new forms of storytelling will bring the world to a better understanding of itself. Kapur has been a great narrator himself. He made his foray into helming with his Hindi language cult classic, Masoom (1983), which garnered the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie. A poignant tale of an illegitimate boy who struggles to be accepted by his stepmother (Shabana Azmi), Masoom, with also Naseeruddin Shah, remains one of Bollywoods most sought after works. Masoom was a poignant tale of an illegitimate boy who struggles to be accepted by his stepmother. Kapurs 1987 science-fiction film, Mr India, with Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Amrish Puri was declared one of the 100 greatest Indian movies of all time. Puri as villain Mogambo was unforgettable, and his line, Mogambo Kush Hua enjoys the pride of place with words from films like Sholay or Mughal-e-Azam or Gone with the Wind or Von Ryans Express or Casablanca. Kapur introduced actor Cate Blanchett to the world in his two historical biopics of Queen Elizabeth (1998, 2007). Between them, they clinched nine Academy nominations, including one for Best Movie, and won two. His 2002 The Four Feathers got into a controversy when the movie was accused by British tabloids of being anti British army and monarchy. But Kapur defended himself by saying that he was only against colonisation. Not the monarchy or the army. Mr India was a fantasy drama starring Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Amrish Puri. In 2010, he made a grand announcement at Cannes that he was all set to make an ambitious film, Paani, on water wars. The future wars, he said, will be over water. He could not have been bang on. Are we not seeing water wars in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka now? Sadly, Paani is yet to begin its flow, and he told this writer some years ago at Dubai that the project was finding it difficult to secure funds. It was said to have Susant Singh Rajput as its lead. The Macau Festival is headed by Marco Mueller, who has had an illustrious career as the chief of festival at Locarno, Rotterdam, Beijing, Rome and Venice. His stint at Venice from the 2004 to 2011 was the longest ever in the history of the festival. Mueller is acknowledged as one who literally helped Venice refloat after several turbulent years. Mueller, who knows many languages, including Mandarin, has had a parallel career as a movie producer having churned out 14 features, some of whom won Oscars and top honours at Cannes. ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop One flight taking off from Heathrow for New Delhi made history on Tuesday: it carried for the first time a person India wanted from Britain since the two countries signed an extradition treaty on September 22, 1992. For 24 years, Indian security agencies have been frustrated at not being able to secure extradition or deportation of individuals from Britain on various grounds. Tuesdays extradition of Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel in a 2002 Gujarat riots-related case does not reflect a change of approach in London. Unlike other individuals wanted by India, Patel, 40, did not oppose the extradition, but consented to it, thus cutting short the long process. He was arrested on August 9 and on September 22, home secretary Amber Rudd signed the extradition order. The reasons for his consent to be extradited to India were not known, but Indian circles are delighted at the first successful extradition from Britain since then home minister SB Chavan and his British counterpart Ken Clarke signed the treaty. A team of Gujarat Police arrived here last week to escort Patel to India to face trial in a case of rioting at Ode village in Anand district of Gujarat on March 1, 2002, in which 23 people were reportedly killed. Patel was arrested after the riots in India, but jumped bail and made his way to the London suburb of Hounslow, where Scotland Yard arrested him. Unlike Patel, who consented to the extradition, Tiger Hanif, wanted in India in connection with the 1993 blasts in Surat, has consistently opposed extradition. Hanif, an aide of mob boss Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested in Bolton, Greater Manchester, in March 2010 but lost all legal avenues to avoid it. One of his pleas to prevent extradition that he would be tortured in Indian jails was overruled by the judge in the Westminster Magistrates Court in May 2012. The court sent a team to Gujarat to examine jail conditions and to assess the validity of Hanifs plea, but the judge dismissed it and called him a classic fugitive. Hanif, whose full name is Mohammed Umarji Patel, made a final appeal to then home secretary Theresa May soon after the court judgement in May 2012. A Home Office spokesperson confirmed to Hindustan Times last week there has been no update on Hanifs final appeal with the home secretary. Since the appeal was made, the Home Office's standard response on Hanifs case has been: Further representations have been made to the Home Secretary in this case and they are currently being carefully considered. Over the years, India has sought individuals wanted for various crimes from Britain under the processes of extradition and deportation, the latter being a quicker process. However, in either process, India has not met with much success. India revoked the passports of individuals such as Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya allegedly involved in financial irregularities and sought their deportation, but Britain has not yet agreed to the requests. The list of individuals sought by India from Britain through extradition and deportation is said to be around 15. Some recent cases of individuals wanted for alleged offences in India are: Vijay Mallya (financial) Lalit Modi (financial) Ravi Shankaran (Indian Navy war room leak case) Tiger Hanif (1993 blasts in Gujarat) Nadeem Saifi (Gulshan Kumar murder case) Raymond Varley (UK citizen; child abuse cases in Goa) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Lawmakers from the upper house have expressed fear that if Pakistans interests are not actively protected, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) could turn into another East India Company, which became the precursor to the British colonial presence in the subcontinent, eventually gaining power and overthrowing the ruling Mughals. Another East India Company is in the offing; national interests are not being protected. We are proud of the friendship between Pakistan and China, but the interests of the state should come first, the Dawn quoted Senator Tahir Mashhadi, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development as saying, as he addressed concerns raised by some committee members that the government was not protecting the rights and interests of the people. Following a briefing by Planning Commission Secretary Yousuf Nadeem Khokhar, a number of committee members voiced their fears over what they perceived as the utilisation of local financing for the CPEC projects, instead of funding from the Chinese or any other foreign investment. They also expressed concern over the fixing of power tariff for CPEC-related power projects by the Chinese. Since only one of three Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members of the committee were present at the meeting, most of this criticism went unanswered. Read: Beijing says China-Pak economic corridor not against India PML- Ns Senator Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail alos endorsed the committee chairmans complaints. The meeting was informed that a major portion of the CPEC depended on local finances rather than Chinese investment. It will be very harmful for us if we have to bear the entire burden; will this [project] be a national development or a national calamity? Whatever loans taken from China will have to be paid by the poor people of Pakistan, Mashhadi observed. Highlighting the status of CPEC-related power projects, the Planning Commission secretary said that the Matiari-Lahore transmission line project had not been scrapped and was being pursued by its Chinese sponsors. Recently, the National Energy Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) had approved tariff for the project, while the governments Private Power Infrastructure Board had filed a review petition on the tariff in order to address the sponsors concerns. Read: PM Modi conveys concern over China-Pakistan corridor At this, Senator Usman Khan Kakar pointed out that NEPRA had fixed the power tariff for the project at 71 paisas/unit, while Chinese investors were demanding 95 paisas/unit. The government has filed an appeal before Nepra, seeking the increase despite the fact that the burden will be borne by poor consumers, he said. He also said that the infrastructure being established in Gwadar would only benefit the Chinese and Punjab governments, not the local community. The people of Balochistan will only get one benefit from this project, which is the water supply, he said, adding that no electricity or railway projects had been planned for Balochistan under the CPEC. Senator Mandokhail said that a sense of deprivation was being instilled in smaller provinces. We do not want the CPEC at the cost of the federation, he added. Read: Pakistan assures China of full security to economic corridor Ford Foundation and Greenpeace, whose financing and contributions were under scrutiny by the Indian government last year, had enlisted Clinton campaign chair John Podesta's help, according to a set of his hacked emails released by WikiLeaks on Monday. Podesta did try to help, the emails revealed. Though they gave no details, one of them said he was the primary reason for the positive turn in the fortunes of Ford Foundation, which survived the scrutiny and was back in business in March. Greenpeace was less fortunate, and was thrown out in November 2015, a development foreseen by Podesta, a consummate Washington insider who served presidents Bill Clinton and Barak Obama and founded an influential tank tank. Ford Foundation, a New York-based charity, has been a major donor to Podestas think tank, Center for American Progress (CAP), and one of its trustees reminded Podesta of this in an email about the India issue - I am always happy to see Ford grants to CAP. Ford has become a mainstay for CAP too, Podesta conceded in his reply, confirming his think tank had received funding from the charity he tried to save from the Indian government. The Modi government brought hundreds of global charities under scrutiny in 2015 for violating Indias foreign contribution laws that prohibit them from funding political causes. Ford Foundation and Greenpeace were among those that made the most headlines. Want to talk to the head of Greenpeace? Podesta wrote in an email to his brother Tony Podesta, who heads a lobbying firm that had India among its major clients then. Kumi Naidoo (the Greenpeace head) is a very well known South African with a big international following, but I think GOI (short for government of India) is likely to stick it to them. He added, Separately, I am trying to help Ford Foundation which also got on the wrong side of GOI, but whose case I think can be more easily resolved. The case was resolved. Podesta may have played a role in it, as mentioned in the email from the Ford Foundation trustee, but no other details were immediately available, specially of a quid pro quo. Ford Foundation was cleared to resume business as usual in March, just a month before Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US for the nuclear summit, a pet project of Obama. But Greenpeace was forced to fold up. A lobbyist who once worked with the organisation wrote an email to Podesta, saying, I have had a request from some colleagues at Greenpeace as they are facing a very serious situation in India. In a nutshell: an Indian Intelligence Bureau report was leaked' alleging Greenpeace India was responsible for a loss of 2-3% of the countrys GDP. Since then the Ministry of Home Affairs has kept up a relentless attack of allegations of irregularities in their registration and has now frozen all their bank accounts, both foreign and domestic, despite a Delhi High Court ruling there was no basis for doing so. The bottom line is that without some kind of intervention, they will have to close down by the end of June. This has never happened to a Greenpeace office in the entire history of the organization. Kumi Naidoo was hoping to speak with you or to get advice on who might be able to help behind the scenes explaining to people close to the Prime Minister that their campaigns are about the issues of clean air and clean water and not personal and their office should not be forced to close because they have a different vision of Indias future. Apparently the Podesta Group has the contract for the Republic of India in the US, but Kumi has no way to reach Tony or another prinicipal. Podesta then put Greenpeace in touch with his brother, as requested. My grandfather is Chinese, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte told the official Xinhua news agency during an interview last week, possibly in an attempt to warm up his past with China. But as he began a four-day state visit to China on Tuesday, Dutertes focus was surely be on the future of Manilas relations with Beijing. Strongman Dutertes high-profile visit comes amid his anti-drug war, criticised by many as brutal and ruthless as it has claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people. Western countries have questioned his methods of dealing with the menace and talked about the violation of human rights and political vendetta. China, however, has issued several statements supporting Dutertes anti-narcotics campaign and vowed to stand by him. As the old alliance between the US and the Philippines frays, the visit will be keenly watched for signs of Manila moving away from Washington and into the willing diplomatic arms of Beijing. For more than a century, the Philippines and the US have had a shared history of colonialism, wars, rebellion, aid and deep economic ties. That could change as Dutertes three-month-old administration re-examines the relationship, said a Reuters report from Manila. But barely three months ago, Manila and Beijing were engaged in a war of words over the South China Sea arbitration case brought by Dutertes predecessor Benigno Aquino III against China over the ownership of islands in the maritime region. The Hague Tribunals verdict went in favour of the Philippines but China dismissed the ruling as a farce. The visit surprises many around the world. It comes at a time when China-Philippines ties have nosedived to a historical low because of the farcical (South China Sea) arbitration case brought by Dutertes predecessor Benigno Aquino III against China, Xinhua said in a commentary on Tuesday. In a reflection of his keenness to repair the seriously damaged relations, the new Philippine president chose China to be the first country he visits outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since taking office in June. Duterte will have to remember during his negotiations with top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, that China will never accept the arbitration verdict. The Xinhua commentary too made that amply clear. Given the positive signs, Dutertes widely watched visit to China functions as a litmus test of his sincerity and political wisdom. Among others, he needs to resist the temptation to thrust the so-called final award in the arbitration case to bilateral talks on the South China Sea issue. The verdict issued by a law-abusing tribunal has no place in the negotiations at all, it said. Duterte, on his part, said in the interview: There is no sense in going to war. There is no sense fighting over a body of water. He added, Some other countries know we are short of money, (but) instead of helping us, all they had to do was just to criticise. China never criticises. They help us quietly. And I said thats why its part of the sincerity of the people. Duterte knew what he was talking about when he mentioned his grandfather in the interview. My grandfather is Chinese ... Its only China (that) can help us. The EUs security commissioner warned Tuesday that Europe must be prepared for a new influx of Islamic State jihadists if Iraqi forces retake the groups stronghold of Mosul. The retaking of the IS northern Iraq stronghold, Mosul, may lead to the return to Europe of violent IS-fighters, Julian King told Die Welt daily in remarks published in German. He said even a handful of jihadists returning would pose a serious threat that we must prepare ourselves for. Iraqi forces are advancing in an offensive aimed at retaking Mosul and dealing a death blow to the IS groups caliphate in the city where it was declared two years ago. Some 30,000 federal forces are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long and difficult assault on ISs last major Iraqi stronghold. The jihadists have suffered a string of territorial defeats this year in both countries, and the retaking of Mosul would all but end their presence in Iraq as a land-holding force. Indian-American hotelier Vikram Chatwal has been charged with criminal mischief for allegedly trying to light two dogs on fire. Chatwal, 44, turned himself in to the police at 7 am (local time) on Tuesday. He has been charged with criminal mischief, torturing and injuring an animal, reckless endangerment and arson, a New York police department official told PTI. According to a report in local news website patch.com, the charges stem from an October 7 incident in which Chatwal allegedly got into an argument with a woman walking her dogs outside Chatwals home. Chatwal allegedly pulled out a lighter and an aerosol can and used them to burn the two dogs, the report said. It cited the police to say that the dogs suffered minor burns in the incident. Chatwal was expected to make a court appearance in the case later on Tuesday. Iraqi and Kurdish forces closing in on Mosul said on Tuesday they had secured some 20 villages on the outskirts of the city in the first day of an operation to retake what is Islamic States (IS) last major stronghold in Iraq. With around 1.5 million people still living in Mosul, the International Organisation for Migration said it was preparing gas masks in case of chemical attack by the jihadists, who had used such weapons previously against Iraqi Kurdish forces. Tens of thousands of civilians could be forcibly expelled, trapped between fighting lines or used as human shields, said the IOM, one of many aid organisations to sound the alarm. The fall of Mosul would signal the defeat of the ultra-hardline Sunni jihadists in Iraq but could also lead to land grabs and sectarian bloodletting between groups which fought one another after the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. For US President Barack Obama, the campaign is a calculated risk, with US officials acknowledging that there is no clear plan for how the region around Mosul will be governed once Islamic State is expelled. The Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces from autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan began moving towards the city at dawn on Monday under air cover from a US-led coalition set up after Islamic State swept into Iraq from Syria in 2014. Hoshiyar Zebari, a senior Kurdish official, said initial operations succeeded due to close cooperation between the Iraqi government and Kurdish peshmerga fighters, allowing them to clear Islamic State from 9 or 10 villages east of Mosul. Daesh is disoriented they dont know whether to expect attacks from the east or west or north, he told Reuters, using an Arabic acronym for the hardline Sunni group. On Tuesday the attacking forces entered another phase, he said. It wont be a spectacular attack on Mosul itself. It will be very cautious. It is a high risk operation for everybody. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and explosives expert Fawzi Ali Nouimeh were both in the city, according to what he described as solid intelligence reports, indicating the group would put up significant resistance. A total of 20 villages were taken from the militants east, south and southeast of Mosul by early Tuesday, according to statements from the two forces, fighting alongside one another for the first time. Islamic State said on Monday its fighters had targeted the attacking forces with 10 suicide bombs and that their foes had surrounded five villages but not taken them. None of the reports could be independently verified. The advancing forces were still between 20 and 50km (12-30 miles) from Mosul and officials described it as a shaping operation designed to enhance positions ahead of a major offensive by taking hilltops, crossings and important crossroads. A peshmerga convoy drives towards a frontline in Khazer, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Mosul. (AP) Exodus feared Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the offensive on Monday around two years after Iraqs second-largest city fell to the militants, who exploited the civil war that broke out in Syria in 2011 to seize territory there. The operation had been planned since July with US and other coalition forces and Western and Iraqi officials, mindful of the civil war that followed Saddams fall, say plans for administering the mainly Sunni city and accommodating those who flee the fighting are in place. The United Nations has said up to a million people could flee the city and that it expected the first wave in five or six days. Fighting is expected to take weeks, if not months, as some 30,000 government forces, Sunni tribal fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga first encircle the city then attempt to oust between 4,000 and 8,000 Islamic State militants. More than 5,000 US soldiers are also deployed in support missions, as are troops from France, Britain, Canada and other Western nations. The Iraqi army is attacking Mosul on the southern and southeastern fronts, while the Peshmerga carried out their operation to the east. The Peshmerga, who are also deployed north and northwest of the city, said they secured a significant stretch of the 80km (50 mile) road between Erbil, their capital, and Mosul, about an hours drive to the west. Obama is seeking to put an end to the caliphate - a launch pad for attacks on civilians in the West - before he leaves office in January and the Mosul campaign comes three weeks before the U.S. presidential election on November 8. Coalition warplanes attacked 17 Islamic State positions in support of the Peshmerga operation in the heavily mined area, the Kurdish statement said, adding that at least four car bombs were destroyed. There was no indication about the number of military or civilian casualties in the Iraqi or Kurdish statements. Post-war plan The Mosul plan calls for the governor of the citys Nineveh province, Nawfal al-Agoub, to be restored and the city divided into sub-districts with local mayors for each. Agoub will govern along with a senior representative from Baghdad and from Erbil, capital of Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region. Screening procedures for civilians fleeing Mosul have been enhanced, in an effort to learn from the battle for Fallujah, in Anbar province. There, Sunni men and boys were held, tortured and in some cases killed by Shiite militia members, who had erected makeshift checkpoints. The UN refugee agency said it had built five camps to house 45,000 people and plans to have an additional six in the coming weeks with a capacity for 120,000, that would still not be enough to cope if the exodus is as big as feared. Amnesty International urged Iraqi authorities to keep Shiite paramilitary groups away from Mosul whose population is largely Sunni. The rights group said the Shia-led government in Baghdad would bear responsibility for the actions of the militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, which are officially considered to be part of the countrys armed forces. US and Iraqi officials are working to ensure displaced civilians take safe routes out of the city, and that checkpoints are overseen by provincial authorities and monitored by international non-government groups. Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who returned after attending the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit in India, described his spontaneous meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping as rare and pleasant. A photo of Dahal sitting with Modi and Xi surfaced on Facebook, posted by Dahals son Prakash, immediately sparking interest. Upon his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Dahal told reporters that the meeting was a coincidence and came as a surprise to him. Read | China-Nepal meet turns into a trilateral session after Modi drops in It was, however, a matter of pride for me, Dahal told the Kathmandu Post on Tuesday Dahals joint meeting with Xi and Modi had taken place after his one-on-one meeting with the Chinese President earlier. I was in the waiting lounge of the hotel where the Chinese president entered. After 20 minutes, Prime Minister Modi dropped in. He was also stuck in the same hotel due to some technical reasons. Dahal likened the sitting arrangement of the three leaders to Nepals geographical location, saying that he was in the middle, with Xi sitting on the north and Modi on the south. I put forward the idea of trilateral strategic cooperation and partnership among three countries. Both leaders described the proposal as positive, Dahal said, adding, This is a positive aspect, and we must take it in a good light. The meeting was not pre-planned. In totality, I understand our two-day stay in Goa was fruitful, the Prime Minister concluded. Also read | Nepal PM proposes trilateral partnership with China and India A top Bangladeshi counter-terrorism official said on Tuesday that authorities had identified three men for funding the July 1 attack on a Dhaka restaurant popular with foreigners, including a paediatrician who fled to Syria to join the Islamic State. Monirul Islam, head of polices counter-terrorism and transnational crimes unit, also told reporters that seven suspected members of a banned militant group had been arrested for alleged involvement in robberies to gather funds for their activities. He said Rokonuddin Khondoker, the paediatrician identified as one of the financiers of the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery, abandoned his property and left for Syria with his wife, two daughters and a son-in-law last year. Khondoker was a doctor at state-run Dhaka Shishu Hospital. Five attackers killed 20 hostages, including an Indian and 16 foreigners, in the deadly assault on Holey Artisan Bakery. The three financiers Khondoker, retired army major Jahidul Islam and Tanvir Kaderi contributed 8 million taka (more than $100,000) for the attack, police said. Jahidul Islam donated his pension and savings to the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). Kaderi gave the money from selling his apartment in Dhakas Uttara area. Jahidul Islam and Kaderi were later killed in police raids. Monirul Islam said the three men belonged to the JMB, which has been blamed for many other attacks. The IS claimed responsibility for the July 1 attack, but the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the JMB was behind the assault. Monirul Islam said police carried out the latest raid in Dahaks Tejgaon area on Monday night and arrested the seven suspects from a home. A statement issued by the counter-terrorism unit identified the arrested men as Jewel Sarker alias Sohrab alias Sarker (32), Abu Bakar Siddique alias Shuvro alias Akash (20), Kashem alias Kawsar alias Kashu (20), Abdul Based (22), Sentu Hawlader alias Zahid (26), Mohammed Rashed alias Kakolir Baba (27) and Nazmul Hasan alias Nayan alias Naresh (23). Monirul Islam said the suspects were allegedly involved in two robberies in Tejgaon and Banani area in June. The suspects committed robberies for funds that they used to buy arms and to post bail for other arrested suspects. During questioning, the seven suspects admitted they usually entered a home by saying they wanted to rent it and then robbed it. One of the worst terror attacks in Myanmars recent history was blamed on a group led by a man trained in Pakistan but tackling terrorism cannot be only about isolating organisations or nations, the countrys de-facto ruler Aung San Suu Kyi said on Tuesday. The world community needs to isolate terror itself and focus on the reasons why people resort to terrorism, Suu Kyi, who is Myanmars State Counsellor and foreign minister, told Hindustan Times. Her remarks came against the backdrop of Indias campaign to isolate Pakistan over using cross-border terrorism as a policy, an issue which figured prominently at the BRICS Summit and meeting of Bimstec leaders in Goa that was attended by Suu Kyi. Terrorism is rife all over the world, so I think its terrorism we need to isolate and to eliminate. I do not like to think in terms of individuals or organisations or countries, although these come into the equation as well, she said in response to a question about New Delhis drive to isolate Islamabad for sponsoring terror. Basically what were trying to get rid of is terrorism, the use of terror to achieve ones ends Im certainly not in favour of violence, let alone terrorism and I think we all need to work together to find the answer to why people resort to terrorism. What is it about, its not as easy as some people think it is, people resort to terror because they like terror no, its not like that, she said in her measured response. Suu Kyi acknowledged that two men handed over by Bangladesh in connection with the October 9 terror attack on three police facilities in the restive Rakhine state had said the strikes were organised by a man who had received six months training inPakistan. But she sounded a note of caution about apportioning blame. We dont know the full details, we dont know when those six months were. And we are also told he had been receiving funding from various Islamic countries. That is just information from just one source, we cant take it for granted that its absolutely correct, she said. A statement issued by the Myanmar Presidents Office on October 13 said the attacks were carried out by Aqa Mul Mujahidin, which is linked to the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation. The leader of the group was identified as Havistoohar, an extremist who attended a six-month Taliban training course in Pakistan. Nine Myanmarese policemen were killed and 64 weapons looted during the attacks. Suu Kyi defended her governments handling of the issue of Rohingyas, saying it was working on both national reconciliation and reconciliation between different communities in Rakhine state, which borders Bangladesh. Counselor Suu Kyi defended her governments handling of the Rohingyas issue. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT Photo) Deflecting criticism of reports that the Myanmar government had advised the US envoy against using the term Rohingyas, she said: These terms had increased the gap between the two communities (Muslims and Buddhists). The Rakhines insist on referring to the Muslims as Bengalis, and the Muslims, but not all the Muslims, some Muslims say they must all be referred to as Rohingyas. Its not since we came to government, even before when we were in opposition, our principle was that we always refer to the Muslims of Rakhine state because we are not going to take sides. We do not see the point in using terms that only inflame people, she said. We think that saying Muslims in the Rakhine state is a factual (position). Suu Kyi said countries such as Bangladesh could have a role in addressing the Rohingya issue, but solely from a security perspective. Bangladesh has been very cooperativethey have given us information when there was an attack looming and we were able to make necessary preparations, she said. She also rejected the perception she had tilted towards China because of Indias prolonged engagement with the military junta, saying: We must keep a very healthy balance because after all, both of you are our neighbours and we have been very successful in maintaining a neutral foreign policy. She added, We want to keep on good terms with all our neighbours. I keep repeating it like a mantra: You cant move away from your neighbours, you might just as well get on with all of them. You cant change (your neighbours) so youve got to make the best of it. Myanmar looks at India as the strongest democracy in the region and wants it to support and understand us in the challenges that we have to face in trying to make the democratic culture take root in our country, Suu Kyi said. I hopeIndia will be most sympathethic to our efforts to make democracy take root, its very difficult because we are dealing with a situation which has been in effect for more than half a century. We want to change it and we want to change it as quickly as possible but you dont want to overdo your speed. India, she said, could play a role in developing Myanmars rural economy, which supports 70% of the population. This is an area where we need to create jobs, where we need to give the people hope, where there needs to be visible progress in the shortest time possible and we hope that India will be able to help us, she said. Here too she sounded a note of caution over opening up Myanmar to Indias northeastern states, saying connectivity leads to more trade but also brings its own problems as well because there is also the import of elements which are not always positive. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Britain on Tuesday said it had regularly raised with Pakistan the need to take consistent action against terror groups, but qualified its response to a petition by saying Islamabad had made significant sacrifices in opposing terrorism. The petition on the British government website had sought Londons strong condemnation of Pakistan for providing safe haven to terrorists, and listed terror attacks in India and elsewhere in recent years. It attracted nearly 20,000 signatures. Obliged to respond to any petition that attracts 10,000 signatures, the Foreign Office posted a response that was received with some disappointment in the Indian community. Some were looking forward to it in the context of Prime Minister Theresa Mays three-day visit to India from November 6. The UK and Pakistan have a shared interest in the battle against terrorism. We are committed to working together to combat both the terrorist threat and the extremism that sustains it, in a human rights-compliant manner, the response said. The UK regularly highlights to Pakistan, at the highest level, the importance of taking effective action against all terrorist groups operating in Pakistan, as Pakistan has committed to do. We recognise the significant sacrifices that Pakistan and its people have made in combating terrorism, it added. Read | UK govt petitioned to condemn Pakistan The UK government's failure to condemn Pakistan for providing safe havens for terrorists is disappointing, said London-based Manoj Ladwa, chair of Indians for Labour. Linking terrorism to poverty and adopting a policy of offering UK taxpayer aid money as a solution is misconceived, he told Hindustan Times. As a longstanding strategic ally, the UK government should be standing shoulder to shoulder with India, said Ladwa, who was a strategist during Narendra Modis May 2014 election campaign. Instead it appears to be soft-pedalling. In doing so, the UK is letting down the victims of terror and also the growing number of people in Pakistan who are fed up of their governments policies of harbouring and sponsoring terror, instead of concentrating on economic and social development, he added. A senior community leader said after the response, Mays remarks on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism during her India visit will be keenly awaited, particularly since Britain has not made any significant comment since former premier David Cameron warned in Bengaluru in 2010 that Islamabad could not look both ways on the issue. The petition response went on to state how Britain is helping Pakistan develop its capacity to protect itself and prosecute those who plan and commit terrorist attacks, in relation to counter-terrorism, reforming the justice system and training to detect and disrupt explosives. Countering the terrorist and extremist threats in Pakistan also requires investment in the underlying issues that can contribute, such as improving the rule of law and education as well as tackling poverty. The UK is working to help address these issues including through our bilateral aid programme, it said. A map of the petitions signatories shows people from across Britain had signed it, with the largest numbers from constituencies with significant concentration of the Indian community, such as Harrow, Brent, Isleworth, Leicester, Reading and Milton Keynes. Read | US, UK snub Sharifs attempts to raise Kashmir issue at UNGA Foreign secretary Boris Johnson had condemned the September 18 attack in Uri in these words: The UK strongly condemns this mornings terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. I offer my deepest condolences to the victims and their families and friends. The UK condemns all forms of terrorism, and stands shoulder to shoulder with India in the fight against terrorism, and in bringing the perpetrators to justice. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Iraqi forces have launched their most complex anti-Islamic State operation to date: retaking the countrys second-largest city of Mosul. While the countrys military has won a string of territorial victories that have pushed the Islamic State group out of more than half the territory the group once held, some Iraqi officials worry that the Mosul fight has been rushed and if the city is retaken without a plan to broker a peace, it could lead to more violence. HOW WE GOT HERE Mosul fell to IS in June 2014, when the extremist group blitzed across northern and western Iraq, overrunning nearly a third of the country. Over the last year, Iraqi forces have steadily pushed IS out of most of the western Anbar province, including the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, and cut many of its supply routes to Syria. But Iraqi forces have never attempted to retake a city the size of Mosul. TROOP BUILDUP Iraqi forces began moving into Nineveh province to surround Mosul in July, when ground troops led by the countrys elite special forces retook Qayara air base south of the city. Thousands of Iraqi troops are now massing there ahead of the planned operation. Iraqi troops also deployed east of Mosul in the Khazer area, along with Kurdish peshmerga forces, and to the north of the city near the Mosul Dam and Bashiqa areas. Read: UN extremely concerned for 1.5 million civilians in Mosul as offensive begins Iraqi forces advance towards Mosul. Some 30,000 federal forces are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long and difficult assault on IS's last major Iraqi stronghold. (AFP) THE PLAYERS In addition to the Iraqi army, Kurdish peshmerga forces, Iraqi special forces and Sunni tribal fighters, Shiite militias are also expected to play a role in the Mosul operation. The role of the Shiite militias has been particularly sensitive, as Nineveh is a majority Sunni province and the militias have been accused of carrying out abuses against civilians in other operations in majority Sunni parts of Iraq. A very small number of Turkish troops deployed for over a year in Iraqi territory at a base north of Mosul have caused a recent spike in tensions between Iraq and Turkey. Iraq has repeatedly called for the Turkish forces to withdraw, claiming they entered the country without the permission of the central government. Shiite militia fighters have said they are violating Iraqi sovereignty and have vowed to expel them. A small number of U.S. troops are also serving as advisers to Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga forces on the outskirts of Mosul, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Monday. Read: Retaking Iraqs Mosul involves many players, many pitfalls THE OPERATION The fight to retake Mosul was largely launched from the north and east. The Kurdish peshmerga forces say they will push IS out of a cluster of mostly Christian and Yazidi villages northeast of Mosul along the Nineveh plain, while Iraqi military troops try to cut the main supply line northwest of Mosul that links IS territory in Iraq to its strongholds in Syria. A large number of Iraqi military forces are also expected to push up from Qayara air base. Once villages around Mosul have been cleared of IS fighters, Iraqs special forces also called the counterterrorism forces are expected to lead the push into the city of Mosul itself. The special forces were trained for more than a decade by the United States and are now some of Iraqs most competent ground forces. They have led the ground assault in a number of battles against IS in the past, including the operations to retake Tikrit, Ramadi, Fallujah and the Beiji oil refinery. A member of Peshmerga forces sits in the back of the military vehicle in the east of Mosul during operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul on Monday. (REUTERS) WHAT TO EXPECT Mosul is Iraqs second-largest city and still home to more than a million civilians. Both in terms of geography and population, its a much larger task than Iraqs military has ever undertaken previously in the fight against IS. Its unclear how many IS fighters remain in Mosul, but even a few hundred could wreak havoc. Iraqi forces advancing on Monday found roads and fields littered with roadside bombs, and IS unleashed a series of suicide car and truck attacks on the advancing troops, a tactic it has used effectively in past battles. Iraqi officials fear that IS could also use civilians as human shields, and that they may destroy vital infrastructure as they retreat, leaving behind a massive reconstruction challenge and preventing residents from returning. Read: Iraqi army drops leaflets over Mosul in preparation for offensive A LONG TERM CHALLENGE Iraqs military has been under enormous pressure to launch the operation to retake Mosul before the end of this year as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has repeatedly promised Mosul would be retaken in 2016. Some Iraqi officials are concerned that the military operation is being rushed before the countrys politicians have agreed on how the province will be governed after the Islamic State group is pushed out. Iraq remains deeply divided, and the grievances between the countrys Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish populations that allowed IS to rise to power in the first place have not been resolved. Some Iraqi officials have cautioned that even after Mosul is retaken from IS, violence will erupt again in the form of revenge killings or clashes between groups once allied against a common enemy. A Saudi prince was executed in Riyadh on Tuesday after a court found him guilty of shooting dead a fellow Saudi, official media reported, in a rare example of a ruling family member subjected to the death penalty. Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabir had pleaded guilty to shooting Adel al-Mohaimeed after a brawl, the ministry of interior said in a statement on state news agency SPA. It did not say how the prince was killed. Most people executed in the kingdom are beheaded with a sword. Members of Saudi Arabias ruling family are only rarely known to have been executed. One of the most prominent cases was Faisal bin Musaid al Saud, who assassinated his uncle, King Faisal, in 1975. The family is estimated to number several thousand. While members receive monthly stipends, and the most senior princes command great wealth and political power, only a few in the family hold nationally important government posts. The government.. is keen to keep order, stabilise security and bring about justice through implementing the rules prescribed by Allah..., said the ministry statement. Senior party allies of German Chancellor Angela Merkel are increasingly indicating that they expect her to run for a fourth term in office in 2017 even though her popularity has dipped under the impact of the migrant crisis. Merkel, 62, who has been chancellor since 2005, has repeatedly declined to comment on whether she will run in 2017, saying only that she will make her intentions clear in due course. In September she said she was still motivated. But a senior ally of Merkels said he did not see any other realistic alternative for the post of chairwoman of the Christian Democrats (CDU) - a role which is likely to be filled by the partys top candidate for chancellor. As far as I know, theres no one else who is preparing to run for this office, said Peter Tauber, secretary general of the CDU, when asked whether he expected candidates other than Merkel to run for party chair at its conference in December. In an interview with Tagesspiegel newspaper on Sunday, Tauber pointed to Merkels view that one person should fill the roles of both party chair and chancellor. Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, a CDU member who is often rumoured to be a possible successor to Merkel, told a gathering of senior military leaders on Monday that she hoped to continue serving in her current role beyond the election. CDU member Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who is premier of the state of Saarland, said of the vote for party chair: There will be one female candidate, adding the party would elect that candidate with a big majority. Though Merkel is seen as one of the most successful chancellors of post-unification Germany, her popularity has declined since her decision last year to allow hundreds of thousands of migrants into the country. But an Infratest dimap poll published on Oct. 6 showed that 54 percent of Germans were satisfied with her work, up 9 points compared with September. Thailands military government said on Tuesday it would ask other countries to extradite people suspected of insulting the nations monarchy following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej last week. Thailand has entered a year of mourning and sensitivities are running high following the death of the revered king last week after seven decades on the throne. Criticism of the monarch, the regent or the heir, known by the French term lese majeste, is a crime that carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years in Thailand. The junta said it has been tracking six high-profile lese majeste suspects living abroad who it says have tried to stir up unrest in Thailand and will ask for their extradition. Read| Succession, business, unrest: What lies ahead of Thailand after kings death? We will ask for cooperation, friendship and respect from these countries and we hope that they understand that all Thais cannot accept these insults, Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya told reporters. Paiboon conceded that there were significant legal and diplomatic challenges around seeking the extraditions but said he would proceed with the requests regardless. The junta last week urged citizens to report cases of lese majeste to authorities. It has also asked internet service providers to monitor content and block inappropriate material. Some Thais have taken the matter into their own hands. A series of videos has surfaced online in recent days showing angry mobs accusing people of insulting the monarchy. In the latest incident, a man in Chonburi province was shown being pushed around by a mob and struck several times on the head. He was later forced to prostrate himself before a portrait of the late king, apologise, and shout I love the king while onlookers hurled punches and death threats at him. On Monday, an elderly woman accused of insulting the monarchy was struck in the face after commuters forced her to leave the bus she was riding on. How could you insult the royal father? You shouldnt have been born, the person who assaulted her was heard shouting on the video. Police said the woman was mentally ill. Political drama, corruption allegations and even wedding party controversies -- the Gupta family, one of South Africas wealthiest, has been accused of wielding undue influence behind the scenes. Now the immigrant family is at the centre of a row battering President Jacob Zuma after allegedly offering key government jobs to those who might help the Gupta familys business interests. Who are the Guptas? The corruption scandal has renewed scrutiny about Zumas ties with Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, three brothers from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Led by Atul, they arrived in South Africa in 1993 as white-minority apartheid rule crumbled and a year before Nelson Mandela won the countrys first democratic elections. As the country opened up to foreign investment, the Guptas -- previously small-scale businessmen in India -- built a sprawling empire in computers, mining, media, technology and engineering. The New Age, a pro-government newspaper, was launched in 2010, and the 24-hour news channel ANN7 started broadcasting in 2013. They also developed close links with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, and particularly with Zuma, well before he became president in 2009. What are the alleged links? Zumas son Duduzane is a director of the Guptas Sahara Computers, named after their hometown of Saharanpur, and has been a director of several other Gupta companies. Zumas third wife Bongi Ngema and one of his daughters have also been Gupta employees. Deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas claimed in March that the Guptas had offered him the post of finance minister, providing the first public testimony of their alleged involvement in cabinet appointments. Last week the BBC reported that little-known ANC lawmaker David van Rooyen visited the Guptas home the night before his appointment as finance minister in December. Mines minister Mosebenzi Zwane is also seen as close to the Guptas. Both the Guptas and Zuma, who has described the brothers as friends, deny any wrongdoing. Where do they live? Now in their 40s, the Guptas hold court at their residential and business headquarters in a huge high-security compound in Saxonwold, an upmarket district of Johannesburg. It has a helicopter pad and they reportedly travel with their own chefs and bodyguards. But as pressure has increased on them this year, they were reported to be moving their base to Dubai and to have bought a large residence in the city. They said in August that they plan to sell their South African assets. Public anger towards the family soared in 2013, when a jet carrying 217 foreign guests to a Gupta wedding landed at Waterkloof Air Force base, outside Pretoria. The airport is a military facility normally used to receive heads of state. What happens now? The Guptas complained voraciously when South Africas largest banks closed their accounts earlier this year. The family lobbied unsuccessfully for finance minister Pravin Gordhan, who is at loggerheads with Zuma, to intervene. But on Friday Gordhan disclosed in a court affidavit that the Gupta family and associated companies were implicated in suspicious transactions worth $480 million over four years. On Monday the family denied reports that money had been removed from the rehabilitation fund of a mine they bought, saying the claim was another example of groundless innuendo. They also vowed to respond this week to Gordhans affidavit. Zuma last week blocked the release of a watchdogs report into his relationship with the Guptas. A court hearing into the case is due next month. The county of Northumberland in north England known for quality and integrated healthcare has signed a memorandum of understanding to share expertise as part of the Indo-UK Health Programme linked to the Narendra Modi governments Smart City project. The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Northumberland County Council signed the MoU with Indo UK Healthcare Pvt Ltd (IUHP), officials announced here on Tuesday. The area is reputed to provide some of the best and fully integrated services in Britains National Health Service. The model creates a seamless experience for patients by integrating acute hospitals (including emergency services), community services and care delivered at home. This is an important milestone in our vision to transform the health of millions of Indian citizens. Northumbria provides outstanding high-quality integrated health and social care for its residents, Ajay Rajan Gupta of IUHP said. This is exactly the experience we need to take forward our own plans. We want to take the very best that the NHS has to offer across to India and there is no doubt Northumbria is the best at what it does. The Indo-UK Institute of Health programme is considered one of the worlds largest healthcare initiatives. It aims to transform the provision of quality healthcare and medical education services across India. The programme will deliver a staged rollout linked to the Smart City project across 100 cities and involve the setting up of 11 Indo-UK Institutes of Health Medicities along with 89 Indo-UK Clinics. Daljit Lally of the Northumberland County Council said: India has one of the largest populations in the world so the pressures on its healthcare system are enormous. Whilst our primary goal is to share how we have developed such a pioneering approach to delivering integrated care in Northumberland, I have no doubt that we will also learn a great deal which will benefit the NHS. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The warring parties in Yemen have agreed to a 72-hour cease-fire that will take effect shortly before midnight Wednesday, the UN special envoy to Yemen said. Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he hopes the temporary truce can lead to permanent and lasting end to the conflict. Ahmed said in a statement late Monday that he received assurances from all parties to the conflict to cease hostilities at 11:59 p.m. local time on Wednesday for an initial period of 72 hours that is subject to renewal. The warring factions agreed to follow the conditions of a temporary April ceasefire agreement, he said. The agreement requires them to to allow free and unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel to all parts of Yemen, he said. Read | US, Britain call for immediate ceasefire in Yemen US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Yemens warring parties to take the necessary measures to implement the cease-fire, sustain it, and strongly encourage its unconditional renewal. We note again that (a) peaceful resolution of this conflict requires compromises and commitments by everyone, Kerry said in a statement. The United States, alongside the international community, is ready to provide assistance and will continue to work with all parties to conclude a negotiated settlement that will bring a permanent and lasting end to the conflict. The war in Yemen began in 2014 when Shiite rebels known as Houthis based in the north seized the capital, Sanaa and later swept across much of the poor Arabian Peninsula country with the help of army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies launched a campaign of airstrikes against the rebels. The Saudi-led coalition and the United States are backing the internationally recognized government of Yemens president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, whose loyalists now control most of Yemens south and are slowly driving out the Houthis and their allies from northern provinces. Read | The war in Yemen will intensify, bringing shame upon all the protagonists More than 4,000 civilians have been killed and 3 million of the countrys 26 million people have been driven from their homes by the fighting. Hunger has become widespread in the Arab worlds poorest country. The southern city of Taiz is one of the hardest-hit areas. Foreign Minister Abdel-Malak al-Mukhlafi demanded late Monday that a months-long siege of the city be lifted as part of the cease-fire agreement and that relief supplies be delivered to its residents without conditions. Peace is our permanent choice, he said. The cease-fire agreement was announced late Monday, a day after Ahmed, the UN envoy, met in London with Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. This is the time to implement a cease-fire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table, Kerry said after Sundays meeting. Anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said on Monday that its founder Julian Assanges internet was shut down by the government of Ecuador, deflecting blame from the U.S. or British governments which have sparred with Assange for releasing sensitive material. We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assanges internet access Saturday, 5 pm GMT, shortly after publication of (Hillary) Clintons Goldman Sachs speechs (sic), the statement from WikiLeaks said. Assange has lived and worked in Ecuadors London embassy since June 2012, having been granted asylum there after a British court ordered him extradited to Sweden to face questioning in a sexual molestation case involving two female WikiLeaks supporters. WikiLeaks said Assange lost internet connectivity on Sunday night. We have activated the appropriate contingency plans, added the Twitter message on Monday. People close to WikiLeaks say that Assange himself is the principal operator of the websites Twitter feed. The Ecuadoran government offered no immediate comment on the question of internet access, but the countrys foreign minister, Guillaume Long, said Assange remained under government protection. The circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain, Long said in a statement late on Monday. The government of leftist President Rafael Correa has long backed Assanges right to free speech, though the Wikileaks saga has caused some strain in relations with the United States, including the expulsion of diplomats in 2011. Correa, whose term will end next year, has said he is behind Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who he says he knows personally, in the U.S. presidential election. For the good of the United States and the world ... I would like Hillary to win, Correa told broadcaster Russia Today last month. Over the last two weeks, Democratic Party officials and U.S. government agencies have accused the Russian government, including the countrys senior-most officials, of pursuing a campaign of cyber attacks against Democratic Party organizations ahead of the Nov. 8 election. WikiLeaks has been one of the most prominent internet outlets to post and promote hacked Democratic Party materials. While denying any connection with a Russian hacking campaign, Assange has refused to disclose WikiLeaks sources for hacked Democratic Party messages. Sources close to both the Democratic Party and WikiLeaks say they believe WikiLeaks has acquired as many as 40,000-50,000 emails hacked from the personal accounts of John Podesta, the former White House advisor who now chairs Clintons presidential campaign. Despite Assanges complaint that his internet connection was cut, WikiLeaks posted on Monday afternoon what it said was a fresh batch of Podestas emails. According to a summary of the latest emails posted on Russia Today, a media outlet with close links to the Russian government, highlights include campaign staff discussions about galvanizing Latino support and about how to handle media queries about Clintons flip-flopping on gay marriage. CAIRO: Eighteen militants and 11 security officials, including eight policemen, were killed as the Egyptian Army launched a retaliatory attack in North and Central Sinai against the Islamic State for a deadly assault that left 12 military personnel dead on Friday. Egyptian military spokesperson Brig Gen Mohamed Samir said the army killed 18 militants in the operation on Sunday. Three soldiers were killed and two others injured during the operation as the air force destroyed 16 shelters used by the militants while artillery and ground forces attacked other targets which belong to the terrorists in North Sinai, he said. Local media also reported citing security sources that eight policemen, including three officials and five conscripts, were killed in the army campaign in different villages of Shiekh Zwayed city in North Sinai. Four vehicles and 14 motorcycles used by the terrorists in their attacks were destroyed and a large number of weapons were seized, Samir said. He said the campaign was bolstered by airstrikes against militant positions where security operations are taking place. This is the second comprehensive campaign launched by the army since the three-stage campaign of the Martyrs Right. This is the largest and most comprehensive military operation aimed at rooting out militants based in the restive North Sinai. The first stage of Martyrs Right was launched in response to an attack in October 2014 that killed 33 security personnel. DHAKA: A leader of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahedeen Bangladesh group has been executed for killing two judges in 2005. The execution of Asadul Islam Arif took place on Sunday night in Khulna district jail in southwestern Bangladesh, police said. Arifs body was handed over to his family after the execution, jail superintendent Kamrul Islam said. Earlier on Sunday, Arifs family members, including his wife, two daughters and six sisters met him inside the jail where he was held since 2008. Six top leaders of the JMB, including its founder Shaikh Abdur Rahman, were executed in 2007 for the murders of the judges, but Arif continued to be incarcerated. Arif, who was absconding and was later arrested in 2007, filed a petition with the Supreme Court earlier this year, seeking a review of his conviction. On August 28, the Supreme Court made a final decision on his execution. The police on Sunday also arrested a suspected member of the banned Ansarullah Bangla Team for killing an atheist blogger in April. Rashidun Nabi Bhuiyan was picked up from Sayedabad bus terminal area in Dhaka, police said on Monday. He was involved in the hacking to death of blogger Nazim Uddin Samad in April near Jagannath University, Dhaka polices counter-terrorism unit chief Monirul Islam said. He was the leader of the operation team. They carried sharp weapons and hacked Nazim dead, said Islam. Nabi joined the Ansarullah Bangla Team last year and is an active member of the group, police said. Samad, a law student of Jagannath University, was killed on April 6 for his views against radicalism. BEIJING: President Xi Jinping on Monday led the country in celebrating the launch of Chinas sixth manned space mission Shenzhou-11. This is Chinas longest manned space mission the first time two astronauts from the country will stay in space for 30 days. The mission of the orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 and the Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft marks the first time that Chinese astronauts will stay in orbit for medium term, Xi said in a message quoted by official Xinhua news agency. Xi sent the message before he left for China from Goa where he attended the BRICS Summit over the weekend. The spacecraft, with male astronauts, Jing Haipeng (50) and Chen Dong (38), on board, was launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest Chinas Gobi desert at 7.30 am Beijing Time Monday atop a Long March-2F Y11 carrier rocket, Xinhua reported. The report added that the Shenzhou-11 will dock with Tiangong-2, and then the astronauts will enter the space lab. Of the two astronauts, commander Jing Haipeng was a member of the earlier Shenzhou-7 and Shenzhou-9 missions. For Chen, it is his first space mission. Xi urged staff of the mission to carry on their work to guarantee that Chinas designated targets will be realised. He encouraged them to constantly break new ground for the manned space programme, so that Chinese people will take bigger steps and march further in space probe, to make new contribution to the building of China into a space power. WASHINGTON: Authorities are probing after a Republican Party office in North Carolina was vandalised and set afire. A bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters, damaging the interior before burning out, according to a Sunday news release from the town of Hillsborough. The office was empty and no one was injured. Also, someone spray-painted Nazi Republicans leave town or else on a nearby wall. A tweet from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Sunday said the attack is horrific and unacceptable. An hour later, Trump tweeted: Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning. Trump dug deeper in his efforts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the US election, saying on Twitter he believed the results were being rigged at many polling places. His tweet came hours after his vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, said Republicans would accept the outcome of the November 8 contest. The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD, Trump tweeted. Trump, who is trailing Clinton in opinion polls, did not provide any evidence to back his allegations. SON-IN-LAW HELD TALKS TO SET UP TRUMP TV Donald Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, informally approached LionTree Advisors Chief Executive Aryeh Bourkoff about setting up a Trump TV network after the presidential election, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing sources. Kushner contacted Bourkoff, one of the media industrys top dealmakers, within the last couple of months, the FT reported, citing three people with knowledge of the matter. BANGKOK:A Thai woman accused of insulting the countrys late king was forced to kneel before his portrait at a police station on the tourist island of Samui as several hundred people bayed for an apology. The womans arrest and public shaming on Sunday was the latest of several such incidents since King Bhumibol Adulyadej died last week after a reign of 70 years, plunging Thailand into intense mourning. Two police officers led 43-year-old Umaporn Sarasat to a picture of Bhumibol in front of Bophut police station, where she knelt and prayed, both on the way into the station and the way out. The crowd, some of whom held aloft portraits of the revered monarch, jeered when she first appeared. A line of police officers linked arms to keep them from surging forward. It is likely that Sarasat, a small business owner who is alleged to have posted disrespectful comments online, will face charges of insulting the monarchy. We are going to proceed with the case as best we can, district police chief Thewes Pleumsud told the crowd. I understand your feelings. You came here out of loyalty to his majesty. Dont worry, I give you my word. Authorities are also urging calm as social media throbs with criticism of people who arent wearing black and white clothing to mourn the revered monarch and some arch-royalists take to reprimanding people in public. A government spokesman said some Thais cant afford mourning clothes and stressed the need for tolerance. BAGHDAD: Iraqi forces launched an offensive on Monday to retake Mosul and deal a death blow to the Islamic State groups caliphate in the city where it was declared two years ago. The start of the long-awaited assault raised deep concerns for hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Iraqs second-largest city, with aid groups warning of a massive humanitarian crisis. Some 30,000 federal forces are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long and difficult assault on IS last major Iraqi stronghold. Iraqi forces could be seen readying weapons and ammunitions as columns of armoured vehicles headed towards Mosul from the town of Al-Shura, 45 km south of the city. The Pentagon described the operation as a decisive moment in the fight against IS but the US-led coalitions commander warned it could last weeks or more. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the beginning of the assault in a televised address in the early hours of Monday. Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh (IS), he said. IS seized control of large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in mid-2014, declaring a cross-border caliphate and committing widespread atrocities. The jihadists have suffered a string of territorial defeats this year in both countries, and the retaking of Mosul would all but end the groups presence in Iraq as a landholding force. Iraqi forces have been closing in on Mosul in recent weeks but the battle launched on Monday could be the toughest yet in the fight against IS. IS forces are vastly outnumbered, with the US military estimating that 3,000 to 4,500 jihadists are in Mosul and surrounding areas. But they have had months to prepare and will seek to use hit-and-run tactics, ambushes, snipers, bombs and trenches to slow down and bleed Iraqi forces. As the assault began, federal forces moved from their main staging base of Qayyarah, south of Mosul, while peshmerga forces from the autonomous Kurdish region advanced from the east. Around 4,000 Kurdish peshmerga took part in a push to reclaim villages once inhabited by members of the Christian and Kakai minorities, a statement said. At a staging area near the village of Khazir east of Mosul, Kurdish forces could be seen firing artillery and rockets as smoke rose from houses in the distance. Abadi stressed that only Iraqi police and army would enter Mosul. The force leading liberation operations is the brave Iraqi army with the national police and they are the ones that will enter Mosul, not others, he said. ISLAMABAD: Six terrorists, including one who was allegedly involved in kidnapping the son of assassinated governor Salmaan Taseer, were killed during an exchange of fire with security forces, police in Pakistans Punjab province said on Monday. Shahbaz Taseer, the son of the slain Punjab governor, however, rebutted the police claim and said none of his abductors had been killed. The terrorists were killed during a gun battle with personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) at Sheikhupura on Sunday. According to the media, personnel from intelligence agencies and CTD conducted a raid after getting a tip-off about the presence of terrorists in the area. Apollo 14 astronaut Dr Edgar Mitchell had asked Democratic presidential nominee's campaign manager John Podesta to meet him in order to explore issues related to UFOs and aliens, disclose Wikileaks emails. One of the emails from Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon, were related to revealing documents regarding zero-point energy from aliens, in order to help pull out the Earth from global warming. The aliens are friendly and want to help us, but are afraid of our violent tendencies, said one of the emails. He also fears that a space war threatens us: "Because the War in Space race is heating up, I felt you should be aware of several factors as you and I schedule our Skype talk." Mitchell claimed that alien life is "the highest form of intelligence that works directly with God." They are wary about contacting humans and will "not tolerate any form of military violence on the planet or in space." While it is not known whether the meeting took place or not, Podesta has been continuously calling for the government to disclose a lot more information related to UFOs. "We work with specific [Extraterrestrial Intelligence] ETI from a contiguous universe," an email from Mitchell's representative to Podesta mentioned. "They are nonviolent and in complete obedience to God. Our ETI's connection to zero point energy is obvious in that their purpose is to guide Edgar's international Quantrek science team to apply their zero point energy research for humanity, to move away from the use of fossil fuels which are so deleterious to our fragile planet." Apollo 14 landed on the moon on Feb 5, 1971, with Edgar Mitchell, Alan Shepard and Stuart Roosa. Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon, hoped that Podesta's Catholic beliefs would trigger a meeting. Mitchell started the firm Quantrek, which explores alien technology. The email seemed to be an attempt to get Podesta interested in Quantrek. "Quantrek's science intuitive, Dr. Suzanne Mendelssohn, also a practicing Catholic, advises the Quantrek team as to the specific Tau neutrino which is the foundation for zero point energy, something CERN scientists have begun to study, as well as scientists all over the planet," the email chain adds. "Because of the recent demonstrations addressing the overwhelming issue of climate change, and President Obama's own concern, we feel the timing is perfect to meet with John to map out a plan involving Disclosure and zero point energy." Podesta had disclosed at the National Press Club in 2002, that he had tried to egg the government to release whatever information it had regarding UFOs. He also tweeted in 2014 that not succeeding in releasing UFO files was his "biggest failure" of the year. As Washington Post makes clear: "Podesta is not joking about his interest in alien life. It's not necessarily clear that he knows that there is evidence of alien life buried in a giant wooden box in some government warehouse, but it's clear that he thinks that what does exist should be made public." Edgar Mitchell had said at the National Press Club in Washington, in 2009: "We are being visited. It is now time to put away this embargo of truth about the alien presence. I call upon our government to open up ... and become a part of this planetary community that is now trying to take our proper role as a spacefaring civilisation." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In reference to Emperor's Akihito's wish to vacate the throne, the Japanese government is set to discuss the considerations that go with the situation. Although this is something that Tokyo has not prepared for a long time, the predicament is a touchy matter that needs to be addressed considerably knowing that the circumstance will have future implications. How this will be resolved means reviewing the constitution. There is a need to fully comprehend the emperor's status as symbol of the state. It is troubling to note that there is nothing on the Japanese laws that will determine how the process of abdicating will proceed. In fact, the situation is entirely new considering that no such recourse has ever been done since the Meiji era in 1868. Hirobumi Ito, Japan's first Prime Minister, has been fearful that abdicating the throne will break the Imperial succession system. Present day leader Shinzo Abe, meanwhile, is willing to introduce a temporary law that will exclusively support Akihito's wish to step down without compromising the Imperial House Legislation. The situation did not come into fruition in a blink of an eye. The situation has supposedly surfaced back in 2010 when Emperor Akihito expressed his intention with Empress Michiko and the rest of the Imperial Household Agency officials. In August, the highly-revered symbol of Imperial Japan has voiced once again his wish. The 82-year old emperor intends to make a smooth transition before possibly succumbing to a period where he can no longer fulfill his responsibilities. In a meeting, it has been suggested that a regency to represent the emperor should be instituted. The approach has been established from 1912 to 1926 during the Taisho era. However, Akihito has second thoughts about pursuing this alternative since the Taisho emperor himself disagreed with the move. Although no resolution has been in sight, it is clear that Japan's current emperor has spoken his mind. Meanwhile, the parliament has conveyed that abdication should not be pursued since it will impair the emperor's status. The current law, which was enacted back in 1947, views abdication as risky to political stability. With Akihito's wish now in the open, the Japanese government will begin discussing the best route possible for the imperial transition to happen. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Android 7.0 Nougat is the first criteria for any Android smartphone enthusiasts to choose their new smartphone. The smartphone giants are pushing harder to bring-up the new Google's Android 7.0 Nougat into their makes. Tech giants have already released the list of smartphones which will get the Android 7.0 Nougat update. These companies are also coming up with the release dates into the devices of tech market. Samsung: The company announces the list of devices to get the Android 7.0 Nougat update in the smartphones are the Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge Plus and the Samsung galaxy Note 7. The report also provided the link for downloading and installing the Android 7.0 Nougat update for Galaxy S6, Galaxy S7 and Note 5 smartphones. OnePlus: Smartphones from OnePlus are being tested on Google's Android 7.0 Nougat update and the report claims that the OnePlus 3 smartphone will soon have the update in early 2017 followed by Oneplus 2 smartphone after few months from that. Sony: Sony already announced the list of smartphones long back along with the release dates with which the Android 7.0 Nougat will roll-in is as mentioned by the Tech Times post. The list shows Sony Xperia X performance, Sony Xperia XZ in October, Sony Xperia X, Sony Xperia X Compact to have Android 7.0 Nougat update in November, Sony Xperia Z5, Xperia Z3+, Xperia Z4 Tablet to have Android 7.0 Nougat update in December, and Sony Xperia XA & Xperia Ultra to have in early 2017. Motorola: Smartphones to receive the Android 7.0 Nougat update are Moto G (4th Gen), Moto G Plus (4th Gen), Moto G Play (4th Gen), Moto X Pure Edition (3rd Gen), Moto X Style, Moto X Play, Moto X Force, Moto Z, Moto Z Droid, Moto Z Force Droid, Moto Z Play, Moto Z Play Droid, Droid Maxx 2, Droid Turbo 2. The reports on internet shows that the Motorola Company will start rolling in Android 7.0 Nougat update starting this month. HTC: smartphones to receive the Android 7.0 Nougat update are the HTC 10, HTC One M10, HTC One M9 and HTC One A9. The HTC smartphones listed are reported to get Android 7.0 Nougat update in the last quarter of 2016. LG: The tech giant announces the list of devices that will get Android 7.0 Nougat update are the LG G5, LG G4 and LG V10 as reported. The Android 7.0 Nougat update is also expected in LG UX 5.0+ skinLG V20. Google's newly launched Pixel and Pixel XL has already been launched by Android 7.1 Nougat straight from the box. Google Pixel and Pixel XL devices have more features with Android 7.1 Nougat than the Non-Pixel devices in the tech market. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Economic sanctions against Russia are closely being considered by Washington and London as a response to the heavy attacks in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The bombardment caused a heavy toll on the civilian population inside the area where among the casualties are women and children. EU Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson stated that it is necessary to make President Vladimir Putin and the Russians feel the consequences of their actions. In Europe, several countries are also pondering on a possible embargo against Moscow as the divide between the West and Russia continues to grow. Germany and France are among the states seeking restrictions. Both the US and Russia have tried brokering a ceasefire deal in September but the talks failed to gain ground. With no agreement in place, Russian planes pound the rebel-controlled eastern section of Aleppo. Should sanctions materialize, it is unclear if the injunction will be directed against the Russian military or at Putin's inner circle. Even before setting the implementation of the embargo, the European Union (EU) needs all 28 nations to agree against tightening the rope against Russia. Although Washington has cancelled all bilateral talks with Putin, it remains committed to negotiating with Moscow on a wider scale. The State Department has pointed out that the conference in Lausanne will be multilateral. Meanwhile, a senior EU diplomat said that Berlin, Paris and London plan to implement sanctions against the top 20 officials of the Al-Assad regime. Following the air strikes that hit more civilians and hospitals, US Secretary of State John Kerry has called for an investigation that will pin down Moscow and Damascus for committing war crimes. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), more than 560 people have been killed since the ceasefire agreement went haywire. Aleppo has been a promising economic center prior to the 2012 assault that saw the city being divided by government forces in the west and the rebels in the east. With the assistance of the Shia militia from Iraq, Lebanon and Iran, the Syrian military have relentless attacked rebel-occupied locations. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. According to recent rumors, the new OnePlus 4, the most anticipated phablet of 2017, will be even better and more powerful than its very successful OnePlus 3. The latest buzz could only mean one thing, that the RAM will be increased to 8GB and CPU will improve exponentially. Moreover, the handset will also feature Quad HD display along with fine quality rear camera. If the rumor is to be believed, the new OnePlus 4 will give the new iPhone 7 a run for its money. Powered by Snapdragon 830 processor under the hood, the upcoming handset will be a very compelling handset. The phone will feature 5.5-inches screen to accommodate 4K display and bigger batteries in the phone. The rumor also speculates that OnePlus 4 will probably launch its new handset with curved screen display. The recent reports also indicate that Android based smartphone will also fine-tune the operating system to improve user experience. Speaking of specs, OnePlus 4 will feature a 23MP and 8MP camera in rear and front respectively. If the news about the camera in this upcoming handset are indeed true, it will be a a serious threat for iPhone 7 that boasts of improved camera quality and is also using it as a USP. As far as the design of the phablet is concerned, expect to see aluminum body, somewhat similar to OnePlus 3 and also reentry of Sandstone color with OnePlus 4. The battery will be anything between 3,500-4,000 mAh. While the price of the speculated OnePlus 4 is not known right now, it is fair to assume that it will much more affordable that the pricier Apple iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S8. Meanwhile, there is also speculation that the company may even release OnePlus 3 Plus variant before the much hyped OnePlus 4. OnePlus 3 will be powered by Snapdragon 321 processor and 6GB RAM. With the two handsets expected to be launched soon, tech enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to. In the meantime if you can't wait for OnePlus 4. You can get the OnePlus 3 Unlocked version here. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After more than 70 years, Adolf Hiltler's birthplace is going to be destroyed. This is not to wreak vengeance on a lifeless building, but to prevent neo-Nazis from converting the home into a shrine. The plan is quite a war of a different kind than the one that the Nazi dictator fought. A long battle with the building's owner has finally led to the Austrian government making a plan to demolish the birthplace. "The Hitler house will be torn down. The foundations can remain but a new building will be erected. It will be used either by a charity or the local authorities," Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said. Even though the plan has not passed a vote in Parliament and Legislation, a committee of experts has decided to destroy the house in Braunau am Inn town, near the German border. The reason for this is that it might fall into "wrong hands," said Sobotka. The government worries that it might be used a shrine by neo-Nazis. By destroying it, the ministry is trying to eliminate all links of association with Hitler. It is a bit puzzling to many that the building is visited by a number of Nazi sympathisers. Locals say that many continue to visit it. However, is that completely out of curiosity, or is there something else that drives them here? "I've even witnessed people from Italy or from France coming here... for adoration purposes," said Josef Kogler, a teacher. "One Frenchman, a history teacher I think it was, came and asked me for Hitler's birthplace... It's hard to understand." The monstrous dictator had been born in a rented room on top of the building on April 20, 1889. When he turned three, he shifted with his family to Germany. After he became a Nazi supremo the building became a "shrine". However, in 1944, when his Nazi party declined, the building was shut down. After 1972, the three-storey building has been rented by the government to eliminate misuse. It got converted into a care centre for the disabled, but got deserted in 2011. The government pays the house owner, Gerlinde Pommer, 4,800 (AU$6,900) every month. However, Pommer does not want to sell the building to the government, nor is she willing to permit renovations reducing its symbolic influence. Hence, the government started formal legal procedures early in 2016 to take over the building. It has also decided that it should not leave the "site empty" as that would indicate that Austrian history is being denied. A new building put in its place will be used for administrative or for charitable purposes. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The house where Adolf Hitler was born will destroyed and a new construction will replace it to avoid it from becoming a place of worship. This historic house has been the subject of legal fights between owner Gerlinde Pommer and the government. Ms Pommer has refused to sell the three-storey building to the Austrian government which began this year formal legal procedures to dispossess her of the house. First, the plan has to be formalized in the legislation and then, voted in parliament. Besides, the Jewish community from Vienna also favours its demolition. Theres also an anti-Nazi research center backed by the government that shares the same idea. For the last five years the house has been empty and previously it was used as a centre for people with disabilities. There are legal actions on the way to demolish the building but some people want it to become a refugee centre while others want it to be a museum dedicated to Austria's liberation from Nazism. Some cultural organisations opposed the demolition of the building because it is part of the historic city centre, thus,this is under heritage protection. The man who took control of Germany was born here on 20 April 1889. This house was transformed into a shrine to Hitler during the rule of Nazism but when the Nazis began to lose control in 1944, the house was closed. Despite the efforts of successive governments to stop it drawing neo-Nazis sympathisers to Braunau am Inn, it still has popularity among people, even from foreigners. Josef Kogler told the BBC that people from european countries like Italy or France come to the house although it can be difficult to believe. The fact is that although this housed is hated by many its also very popular among people from different nationalities. A man who came from France and seemed to be a history teacher came to the place and wanted to see where the house is located. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Twenty years is a long time to understand a hotel market, which is about the same time when the first HVS Asian office was set up in New Delhi. Yes, what is happening in the leisure space for hotel accommodation in India today is indeed a revelation that needs to be recognized. One of the key benefits of HVS data and knowledge base for the Indian hotel market is that we are able to slice and dice information and extract trends that deserve timely attention by the industry's stakeholders. This year we challenge an industry paradigm that has since long held us back in exploring new avenues for revenue growth leisure lacks the ability to make money! Fact is that a healthy market for leisure hotels exists in India, and here is why we took a look at the top 25 ADR leaders in the country, and remarkably, 23 of these operate in leisure markets. With an average inventory of 68 keys, this sub-set secured a RevPAR of about INR12,600 last year, which is 3.6 times the national average and 2.2 times that achieved by five-star deluxe hotels. Playing the devil's advocate, some of you may suggest that leisure hotels' ADRs are mostly inclusive of breakfast and a few other charges bundled with the room rate. Even so, we are confident that the gap between this sub-set's performance and the rest would remain wide enough to call attention. FIGURE 1: ROOMS PERFORMANCE COMPARISON (2015/16) Photo by HVS Research Now, although ADR is the primary driver of RevPAR in these 25 hotels, the occupancy of 53% in 2015/16 offers strong evidence of a steady demand for such hotels in India. Previously, domestic leisure locations were associated with only high-weekend demand, but this appears to be altering with meetings and conferences, weddings and social functions, corporate off-sites and group travel contributing to room bookings all through the week. The traditional adage that summer and monsoon months are poor is also being challenged with the reduction of gap between peak and non-peak season occupancies across several leisure markets. Another aspect working in favor of leisure demand is that these hotels do not rely on RFPs per se. Business hotels in India are too dependent on the RFP process to sell their room inventory. This, coupled with inexperienced sales professionals negotiating with the procurement managers of large corporations has systematically brought down ADRs across our hotel markets over the past few years, making it challenging to push the rate back up. Conversely, leisure hotels focus on FIT business that is more discerning in seeking an experience and not just a room at a discount. Increasing purchasing power of the Indian middle class, fuelling their propensity to take more vacations further bodes well for hotels operating in this segment. Besides, it is not news to many that India in comparison to other Asian countries is a less expensive destination for foreign travelers, particularly for those arriving from the US and Europe. Even as the Indian media paints a picture of exorbitant hotel pricing, our research reveals that a very small percentage of the occupied rooms in India command an ADR that is commensurate to similar hotel markets globally, making the country extremely competitive for inbound leisure travel. However, the abnormally high taxes on room tariffs somewhat changes this for the end user. Thus, we hope that the state and central governments will take steps to rationalize tax policies, encouraging more visitors to the country. Yet another takeaway is that over three-fourths of the top 25 ADR leaders discussed above are represented by the pre-eminent domestic Indian brands that have traditionally had a stronghold in this segment. We commend their foresight and commitment in defining Indian hospitality. The Taj Group was instrumental in establishing Goa as the leisure destination of choice almost three decades ago, by opening two seminal properties in Sinquerim. In recent years, their partnerships with hotel developers who have developed Taj properties in Coorg, Bekal and Damdama, displays their continued efforts for the creation and growth of leisure locations. The Oberoi group has repeatedly been recognised for establishing global and unparalleled hospitality standards with their Vilas properties. Also worthy of applause are hotels such as JW Marriott Walnut Grove and Alila Diwa Goa, both of which prove the inherent business sense in building hotels and operating in leisure markets. Their success also challenges the deep-rooted assumption held by many that budget and mid market hotels are the only safe investment bet in India. Instead, numbers prove that experience-led leisure hotels can also qualify as a prudent investment strategy. In conclusion, it is clear that high ADRs do not mean low occupancies. We are more than convinced that the leisure segment in India holds tremendous potential with diverse destinations waiting to be explored. A paradigm shift is necessary, and the time has come. Note: This article is part of HVS South Asia's latest annual publication titled '2016 Hotels in India Trends & Opportunities' report. View source WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Destination Marketing Organizations State and regional travel associations Attractions Cruise lines, airlines and hotels International tour operators Interactive marketing agencies Advertising, PR and marketing agencies with travel industry clients This event is organized by eTourism Summit For more information please contact Digital Media Travel Summit (DigMe'16) +1 415 339 0578 Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world's leading luxury hospitality company, and Alshaya, a leading international retail franchise operator, today announced plans for a Four Seasons hotel in Kuwait. Located in downtown Kuwait City, Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya will open in early 2017 as part of Alshaya's new Burj Alshaya mixed-use development. Featuring two soaring glass towers, the 140,000 square metre (1.5 million square foot) Burj Alshaya complex will combine modern architecture, avant-garde luxury and bold design cues to create a prestigious backdrop for business and a new focal point of the city's elite social scene. A modern haven in Kuwait City, the 284-room Four Seasons Hotel will be located in the Burj Alshaya's 22-storey Eastern Tower. "Kuwait City is one of the most important commercial centres in the Gulf States, attracting regional and international business travellers, and a natural choice for Four Seasons as we continue to extend our presence across the Middle East," says J. Allen Smith, President and CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. "We are excited to partner with Alshaya and mark our entry into Kuwait as part of the Burj Alshaya complex, a stunning addition to the Kuwait City skyline that will transform luxury hospitality in this city." Continues Smith, "Soon Kuwaiti travellers, already very familiar with Four Seasons properties internationally, will have an opportunity to experience at home what they have come to know and love about Four Seasons the highly personalised service and attention to detail that marks every Four Seasons experience." The 43-storey Western Tower, set to open in 2018, will provide a new high tech corporate headquarters for the Alshaya group of companies, including offices for employees of its retail franchise business - which operates 70 international retail brands in over 3,000 stores across the Middle East, North Africa, Russia, Turkey, and Europe, and which employs more than 46,000 people. "The creation of this combined hotel and office development is a reflection of Alshaya's continued investment in its home market of Kuwait," commented Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman of Alshaya. "We are delighted to be bringing the acclaimed Four Seasons brand to Kuwait, as well as creating a world-class office environment for our employees that will support our continued growth and expansion. We are proud to contribute to Kuwait's future in a number of ways, not only through our real estate investment in this iconic development, but also through our commitment to growing Alshaya's private sector and through the creation of employment opportunities for Kuwaitis." Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya will offer both indoor and outdoor pools, creating an urban resort oasis complete with a poolside waterfall, lush greenery and outdoor cabanas. The Hotel will also feature a world-class spa, yoga studio and state-of-the-art fitness centre as well as two ballrooms and a range of conference and banqueting rooms able to welcome up to 2000 people. Elevating Kuwait's dining scene, the Hotel will also include five dynamic food and beverage offerings, attracting local and international gourmands alike. A rooftop pan-Asian restaurant, open-kitchen Italian restaurant, sleek lobby lounge, and poolside restaurant are among the outlets that the Hotel will offer. About Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts opened its first hotel in 1961, and since that time has been dedicated to perfecting the travel experience through continual innovation and the highest standards of hospitality. Currently operating 119 hotels and resorts, and 44 residential properties in major city centres and resort destinations in 47 countries, and with more than 50 projects under planning or development, Four Seasons consistently ranks among the world's best hotels and most prestigious brands in reader polls, traveller reviews and industry awards. For more information and reservations, visit fourseasons.com. For the latest news, visit press.fourseasons.com and follow @FourSeasonsPR on Twitter. Laura Smith PR Co 0207 259 1100 Four Seasons SPOKANE, Wash RLHC (Red Lion Hotels Corporation) (NYSE:RLH) announced today the opening of Red Lion Inn & Suites inByram, Mississippi. The recently converted property features 51 guest rooms, an indoor heated pool, free Wi-Fi and guest laundry services. Red Lion Inn & Suites Byram is located just a short commute from the musical city of Jackson, the state capital and largest city in Mississippi, best known for its strong roots in blues and jazz. "Red Lion Inn & Suites Byram is a welcome addition to the RLHC family as we continue to grow," said Senior Vice President and Chief Franchise Officer Brian Quinn. "As our footprint expands across the U.S., guests can expect the comfort, quality and convenience that is synonymous with the RLHC name. We are happy to expand our presence in yet another Mississippi city." The Red Lion Inn & Suites Byram is located at 5760 I-55 South Frontage Road and just 20 minutes from the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport. The newly converted property is also in close proximity to City Center, the Jackson Zoo, Museum of Natural Science, Trust Mark Park, Jackson Convention Complex and the Jackson Dragway Park. Red Lion Inn & Suites Byram joins Cabot Lodge Jackson North, A Red Lion Hotel and Red Lion Inn & Suites Hattiesburg in Mississippi as the third Red Lion property in Mississippi. RLHC Goes Pink This October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month In support of Breast Cancer Awareness month and RLHC's strong ties to the community, the hotel company will encourage travelers, hotel associates and locals to rally against breast cancer by donning pink to drive awareness and raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. The campaign will be evident through the lobbies of all RLHC properties with pink signage, pink flowers and pink exterior lighting. Guests will also get to participate in a number of experiences such as $2 bike rentals with all proceeds donated to the charity, join local cancer walks at signup stations in RLHC lobbies, add to self-serve donation baskets and more. About RLH Corporation RLH Corporation is an innovative hotel company focused on the franchising of upscale, midscale and economy hotels. The company maximizes return on invested capital for hotel owners across North America through relevant brands, industry-leading technology and forward-thinking services. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.rlhco.com. Evelyn Infurna Investor Relations 203-682-8265 RLH It looks like you've reached a page that doesnt exist (anymore). Please use the navigation or search above to find content on Hospitality Net. Go back to home Lowering Hotel Distribution Cost Lowering distribution costs by increasing direct bookings and shifting share from the OTAs should become priority #1 for the hospitality industry in Q4 2016 and in 2017. Bleak Picture Ahead for Hospitality At the recent Lodging Conference in Phoenix, AZ both STR and CBRE projected a rather bleak picture of where the industry is heading in 2017: supply outpacing demand, Airbnb stealing demand share from hotels, occupancy rates flattening and even declining (STR.) STRs 2017 projections for the United States expect occupancy to decrease by -0.3%, while ADR increases by 2.8% and RevPAR by 2.8% respectively. Interestingly, the average supply and demand will level off at 1.6%, with some markets experiencing significant increases in supply: New York +14%, Denver +10%, Seattle +8%, Houston and Dallas +7%, Miami +6%, etc. In short, 24 out of 26 major markets will experience higher supply vs demand growth, which inevitably will lead to occupancy declines due to over-supply and the negative impact of Airbnb. What can hoteliers do to improve the bottom line? To begin with, in this not very optimistic scenario painted by STR and CBRE, hoteliers cannot easily increase ADRs, improve occupancy and RevPAR and will be running out of options to improve top line revenue and the bottom line in the remaining months of this year and in 2017. Why? Except for distribution costs, hoteliers have very little leverage over the 6 main cost drivers in hotel operations: Labor Costs: creeping up due to unionized labor contract and mandated minimum wage/living wage increases in many municipalities creeping up due to unionized labor contract and mandated minimum wage/living wage increases in many municipalities Debt Service : at best interest rates on commercial loans are staying flat : at best interest rates on commercial loans are staying flat Franchise Fees (Rewards, Marketing, Royalty, Reservation, etc.) are creeping up, as usual (Rewards, Marketing, Royalty, Reservation, etc.) are creeping up, as usual Utilities: normally 5% of gross - Water, Sewage, Gas & Electric are all creeping up; Water & Sewage are growing pretty fast lately normally 5% of gross - Water, Sewage, Gas & Electric are all creeping up; Water & Sewage are growing pretty fast lately Real Estate Taxes : always creeping up at the whim of local municipalities : always creeping up at the whim of local municipalities Distribution Costs: reflected in the property P&L under both COGS (OTA distribution costs go under Travel Agent Commissions) and Sales & Marketing Expenses (direct online booking expenses such as website maintenance, SEO, SEM, direct response online media, email marketing, etc. are typically bundled here together with payroll for the sales team) The importance of these cost drivers varies property by property and largely depends on the size of the hotel, condition of the physical plant, whether property branded or independent, amount of debt and geographic location. The 6th main cost driver, Distribution Costs, has been rising steadily over the last 5 years due to OTAs increasing market share by over 40% vs hotel direct bookings. The recently released study by Kalibri Labs Demystifying the Digital Marketplace provides concrete evidence of this dramatic shift: Back in 2011 there was one OTA booking for every 4.3 direct bookings; in 2015 there was one OTA booking for every 2.7 direct bookings, i.e. OTAs gained 40% market share. As a result of this shift from direct to OTA distribution, and in spite of the fact that the U.S. hospitality industry generated 7.4% more guest paid revenue in 2015 vs 2014 ($145.5 billion vs. $135.5 billion), the net revenue captured by hoteliers decreased, which resulted in nearly $600 million not being added to NOI (Net Operating Revenue). What can hoteliers do in the remaining months of 2016 and in 2017? Hoteliers can realistically influence ONLY one of the six cost drivers - distribution costs - by focusing on and investing smartly in their direct booking strategy, and shifting share from the OTAs to the direct channel. 1. Adopt a Direct is Always Better Top-Down Strategy Adopt a corporate-wide Direct is Always Better Strategy with the primary goal of generating more direct online bookings and shifting share from the OTAs to the direct channel. Without such a strategy, the property ends up with under-staffed and under-budgeted direct online marketing efforts, bandwidth and focus. Who at the property owns the website and its results and performance? Whose salaries and bonuses are determined by the websites revenue and ROI? Who is incentivized when the market share needle is moved from OTAs to direct online bookings? Most properties and hotel companies do not have clear responsibilities and incentives assigned to direct online channel production, resulting in a very muddled but convenient for some picture of channel contribution, ADRs and distribution costs. When the property embraces a Direct is Always Better top-down strategy and the on-property team sets a primary goal of generating as many bookings as possible via the direct online channel by far the most profitable channel today the team can work together to seize market share from the OTAs as a united front. A comprehensive Direct is Better strategy should include direct booking share benchmarks and objectives, employee responsibilities, performance compensation tie-ins and bonuses, guest book direct value adds, and more. Educating the property staff that direct guests = best guests and empowering them to be responsible corporate citizens with the property interests at heart is part of the overall Direct is Better strategy. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) of direct guests is far greater than CLV of guests acquired via OTA confirms Michael Harris, VP of Ledgestone Hospitality, LLC. Direct guests average length of stay is greater, net profit is better, therefore CLV is also bound to be greater. Determine who at the property owns the website and its results and performance; develop a bonus/reward system for DOSM and Revenue Managers to incentivize them to push more direct bookings and truly focus on more profitable bookings. 2. Start Treating Direct Online Distribution Costs as Distribution Costs: Currently direct online bookings and their distribution costs (ongoing website technology upgrades and content optimization, dynamic content personalization, reservation abandonment programs, hosting, SEO, paid search, online media and retargeting, first-party and real-time data marketing, email marketing, social media engagements, consulting, etc.) come from the Sales & Marketing Budget, which is a line item in the property budget. Just imagine the following Scenario A: An online travel consumer comes to the hotel website, likes the property location, product and services, but finds a better rate on Expedia and books there. The distribution cost is either not reflected in the P&L at all if this is a merchant booking, or goes under COGS/Travel Agency Commissions in the case of an agency booking. As we all know the COGS line item is rarely scrutinized at all, and practically has no budgetary limitation. On the contrary, any increase in the COGS line item puts a dent into the G&A Expenses, which limits direct distribution even further. This unlimited commission potential allows OTA bookings to grow exponentially without being restrained by the property budget, which isnt the case with direct online bookings. In Scenario B, this same online travel consumer comes to the hotel website, likes the property location, product and services, likes the rate which also includes some unique value-add, and books there. The distribution cost (the prorated website and digital marketing expense required to engage, bring in and convert this travel consumer) comes out of the Sales & Marketing line item, part of the G&A Expenses of the P&L, which is severely restricted and often subject to budget cuts. Same travel consumer, same booking dates, entirely different treatment of the distribution costs. It is extremely ironic that the most cost-effective bookings from the direct online channel, are severely restricted by the propertys sales and marketing budget, while the most expensive bookings from the OTAs with cost of distribution of 15%-25% -- are not restricted and can grow exponentially. The Sales & Marketing line item in the property budget for many properties also includes payroll for the sales and marketing staff. Why is that? In my view, pure online Advertising/Marketing expenses needed to generate direct online bookings via the hotel website should be separate from the payroll for sales and marketing personnel, same as the Revenue Management team payroll is NOT included in COGS/Travel Agent Commissions, but rather in the overall Payroll Expenses. Unless the property has a Digital Marketing Manager, fully dedicated to generating revenues via the hotel website and digital marketing, payroll for the sales and marketing staff should be treated as labor costs and made part of the general labor Cost line item of the property budget. If we separate the actual advertising/marketing expenses, the majority of which now go to digital, it is very easy to determine the cost per direct booking (digital advertising/marketing expenses/website bookings) and easily compare this to the OTA distribution cost. Recognizing direct distribution costs as COGS will unleash the propertys ability to adequately fund the direct online channel efforts, boost bookings via the property website and drastically decrease OTA dependency. Lowering overall distribution costs will allow the property to fund payroll and staff empowerment, renovations and product/services improvements, invest in human resources, and add a hefty chunk to the bottom line. In other words, the cost of direct distribution via the property website should be treated in the property P&L in exactly the same way as OTA commissions, i.e. as COGS and deducted from the gross room revenue, thus unleashing the propertys ability to adequately fund the direct online channel efforts, boost bookings via the property website and drastically decrease OTA dependency. 3. Invest in Direct Booking-Generating Technology and Marketing Endemic under-investing in direct online booking-generating technology and digital marketing is one of the main reasons why hospitality has allowed the OTAs to gain market share by 40% over the past 5 years. Have you visited your own property website lately and liked the experience? Have you tried to access your website via mobile and felt frustrated from poor usability and download speeds? When was the last time you ran a multichannel digital marketing campaign for your hotel? Are you engaging your past and future guests via smart data marketing, programmatic advertising and dynamic rate marketing? To achieve a level of real success and lessen dependence on the OTAs, hoteliers must invest adequately in the correct website and digital technology and marketing techniques to engage past, present and future guests and drive direct bookings throughout the entire path to purchase. We have a very comprehensive whitepaper on the subject: The Smart Hoteliers Guide to 2017 Digital Marketing Budget Planning, which provides hoteliers with a concrete roadmap to jumpstart the propertys direct bookings and guide its digital marketing and distribution strategy throughout the year. With so many moving pieces in a hotels digital budget: from enhancing the property website, to revenue-generating technology, to smart data marketing, its important to create a strong plan of action that is realistic and aligned with your business goals. 4. Adopt an Effective Merchandising Strategy to Sell on Value vs Sell on Rate The commoditization of the hotel product, in which hotels are forced to compete with the OTAs strictly based on rate, leaves the hotel little opportunity to communicate the value of the hotel product to potential guests. The OTAs have mastered the sell on rate game, and hoteliers have little chance in winning this battle. To combat this, hoteliers need to re-learn how to sell on value as opposed to sell on rate, and need to adopt an effective website merchandising strategy. The direct online channel offers limitless opportunities for the hotelier to present the hotel product and value proposition directly to the online travel consumer. A merchandising strategy is centered on communicating the unique features of the property (hotel services, meeting and event space, the latest promotions and special offers, local attractions, and more) and focuses less on the rate alone. A strong website merchandising strategy allows the hotel to showcase merchandising content on the prime real estate of the website front and center of the visitors attention and personalize relevant content based on the user. Implementing a strong website merchandising strategy will maximize room bookings and revenue on the property website, generate group leads and RFPs, sell and promote the hotel services (dining, spa, etc.), engage and convert potential customers, and more. Conclusion With bleak industry forecasts for flattening and even decreasing occupancy, and supply outweighing demand in many major markets, the only cost driver hoteliers have any control over is distribution costs. All the other major cost drivers: labor costs, debt service, franchisee fees (for branded properties), utilities and real estate taxes are beyond the hoteliers control and are creeping up one way or another. Lowering distribution costs by increasing direct bookings and shifting share from the OTAs should become priority #1 for the hospitality industry in Q4 2016 and in 2017. How can hoteliers achieve that? By adopting a corporate-wide Direct is Always Better Strategy with the primary goal of generating more direct online bookings and shifting share from the OTAs. By recognizing direct distribution costs as COGS in the property P&L - in exactly the same way as OTA commissions, thus unleashing the propertys ability to adequately fund the direct online channel efforts, boost bookings via the property website and drastically decrease OTA dependency. By adequately investing in website and digital technology and marketing techniques to engage past, present and future guests and drive direct bookings. By adopting an effective merchandising strategy to sell on value vs sell on rate, a strategy centered on communicating the unique features of the property (hotel services, meeting and event space, the latest promotions and special offers, local attractions, and more) About the Author and HeBS Digital Max Starkov is President & CEO of HeBS Digital. Founded in 2001, HeBS Digital helps hoteliers drastically increase direct bookings and lower overall distribution costs by deploying industry best-of-breed digital technology, consulting and marketing (www.hebsdigital.com). The firm has won more than 400 prestigious industry awards for its digital technology, website design and marketing services, including numerous Adrian Awards, Stevie Award in the American Business Awards, W3 Awards, WebAwards, Magellan Awards, Summit International Awards, Interactive Media Awards, and IAC Awards. A diverse client portfolio of top-tier major luxury and boutique hotel chains, independent hotels, resorts and casinos, franchised properties and hotel management companies, convention centers, spas, restaurants and bars, DMO and CVBs are all benefiting from HeBS Digitals direct online channel strategy and digital marketing expertise. Contact HeBS Digital at (800) 649-5076 or success@hebsdigital.com. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Launches New Brand Campaign Launches 'Stories of the InterContinental life' Content Platform InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), along with digital agency Mirum, has launched the first in a series of a multi-sensory journeys across InterContinental Hotels & Resorts properties around the world, to discover stories that will incite curiosity in audiences, broaden their minds, and take their imaginations to unexpected places. Each journey uses different mediums to tell stories that enable travelers to experience luxury travel as it should be, and uses podcasts, video content and animated illustrations to immerse audiences in those experiences. The platform launches with Fascination the first of the multi-sensory journeys in the series -- and uncovers hidden stories of underground cities, the beauty of using all of our senses, and what drives us to be fascinated. Throughout October, InterContinental will launch additional content covering the topics of Worldliness and Empathy. All journey episodes can be found at life.intercontinental.com. A series of experts were commissioned to explore the three topics from unique angles. Episodes contain a unique mix of 15 minute podcasts, video storylines, and animated illustrations to immerse the audience into exploring and learning new things. EPISODE 1 (Oct. 11): Fascination. InterContinental New York Barclay, New York, USA The more interested we are in the world, the more interesting we become. Discover storiesincluding one about a secret underground citythat will reveal sides of our world that youd never expect. EPISODE 2: (Oct. 17) Worldliness. InterContinental Beijing Sanlitun, Beijing, China Worldliness is the highest form of sophistication. It means feeling at home no matter where you are in the world. In these stories, we discover a global outlook everywhere we go. EPISODE 3: (Oct. 31) Empathy. InterContinental London Park Lane, London, UK The more we learn about other people, the more we enrich our own lives. These stories demonstrate how connecting with other people and cultures can deepen our connection to the world. Jason Moskal, Vice President, Lifestyle Brands, The Americas, IHG said: Our goal for this campaign is to reignite our guests passion for travel and fascination for discovering new places. These stories are meant to evoke curiosity, broaden the mind, and inspire international travel. The content lead approach taps into travelers aspirations to experience the world and create their own stories, and aims to provoke the worldliness we experience when we travel. It is part of a series of activations globally for InterContinental to focus the marketing strategy on driving consideration and engagement by connecting the brand to what is relevant in culture. The multiple format content will continue to be developed into 2017 to bring the stories to life in the best medium for that subject. Mirum worked closely with the production company m ss ng p eces to create the first episode. The Fascination video is directed by awarded director Tucker Walsh, and the podcasts star and are edited by Bianca Giaever, a regular contributor to NPR programming. The illustrations are by Greg Betza, with animations from Smith Design. Dan Khabie, CEO, Mirum Global and North America said: As experts in experience design, we connect brands and their customers through meaningful content, touchpoints and moments, said. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts rich history and stories provided the perfect content to make those connections and give our audience a sophisticated, immersive experience. The Watermark Hotel in Baton Rouge Joins Autograph Collection The Watermark Hotel, formerly the Louisiana National Bank, will open its doors again Thursday, Oct. 7. Previously the financial and governmental hub of downtown Baton Rouge, The Watermark Hotel is poised to lead the city's social, arts and culinary scenes - offering specially curated experiences found nowhere else in the capital city. A concept of local real estate developer, Mike Wampold, and a member of Marriott's Autograph Collection Hotels, The Watermark Hotel possesses bold originality, rich character and uncommon details. Each distinctive detail of the hotel's design highlights its unique character and brings out the lush chronicles of the building's history and inhabitants. Rare artwork by famed New Orleans sculptor, Angela Gregory, has been skillfully restored in the main spaces by Elise Grenier of Grenier Art Restoration in order to preserve the historical integrity of the 1920s building. Stepping from the main floor down the meticulously reconditioned marble staircase, guests will find intimate and luxurious meeting spaces that were once large bank vaults. In addition to these unique spaces, The Watermark Hotel also features a luscious private dining space, suitably named "The Louisiana Purchase." The hotel boasts 144 guest rooms offering modern amenities, sleek industrial features, and classic details, enhancing the luxury of the space. From doors designed as vaults as a nod to the bank's storied history, to the exposed walls highlighting the timeless structure of the building, rooms will leave guests feeling refreshed and inspired. Should guests want to share their experiences with family and friends, brass mail chutes can be found on each of the twelve floors of the hotel. Each guest room is stocked with postcards for guests to use. Ann Connelly of Ann Connelly Fine Art acts as the hotel's art consultant and is responsible for selecting each piece of art that will adorn the guest rooms and public spaces - including artwork on display in the hotel's restaurants, The Gregory and Milford's on Third. Garnished with vintage bas-relief murals by famed New Orleans sculptor, Angela Gregory, guests will enjoy an eclectic culinary experience at the late artist's namesake, The Gregory. Chefs Drue Vitter and Chad Galiano have designed menus that incorporate fresh, local produce and organic proteins - always keeping authentic "Southern Flavor" in mind. Surrounded by a full service bar, the open-concept kitchen area treats guests to unobstructed views of culinary artistry at work. Named after Wampold's late grandfather, Milford's on Third pays homage to the quintessential New York-style deli, serving up classic sandwich favorites with modern twists. Inspiration for the menu came straight from his grandfather's recipe box, including the family's famed German potato salad and house-brined pickles. At the corner of Convention and Third Street, stately meets hospitable at The Watermark Hotel. Offering distinctive experiences rooted in Louisiana culture from iconic art to rich cuisine to Southern hospitality The Watermark Hotel is sure to leave its mark on Baton Rouge. Regent Taipei Hotel - Swimming Pool FIH Regent Hotels Group officially announced Mr. Melvin Yang, former Silks Place Taiwan Area GM, as the General Manager for the hotel group's flagship property, The Regent Taipei. With nearly two decades of hotel management experience, Mr. Yang will be instrumental in imbuing the brand with even more vigor, detail-oriented service and innovation. Originally from Hsinchu, Mr. Yang spent time living in Australia, where he studied Hotel Management. At age 38, he is outgoing, optimistic and proactive. Although relatively young, he possesses diverse skills and extensive hotel management experience. Mr. Yang's career began with entry level service work, where he developed his passion for the service industry. After joining Regent Taipei as a function dining sales in 2002, he rose through the ranks from Assistant Manager to Manager and then to Director of Regent's Outside Dining. With years of F&B and sales experience, he built great results for Regent's Outside Dining. His demonstrable management and business development abilities earned him the position of Silks Place Taroko EAM in 2011 and in quick succession, Silks Place Taroko GM in 2012. Once again, he was able to significantly elevate Silks Place Taroko's brand image and sales results. In 2014, he was named Silks Place Taiwan Area GM, where he oversaw all of Silks Place hotels' management and operation; Mr. Yang was also Regent Beijing's Hotel Manager in 2015. Mr. Yang is a visionary who consistently identifies ways in which the hotel can improve. He is detail-oriented and will be bringing his energy and industry experience to FIH Regent Hotels Group's flagship hotel Regent Taipei. To Mr. Yang, what dictates a hotel's success includes offering service at a level that surpasses guest expectations and putting guests' experience first and foremost. He also believes that empathy coupled with excellent service allows guests to feel like they are home, leaving deep impressions. His effort to consistently improve customer satisfaction is the key to driving success, securing return visits and recommendations. Regent Taipei has been welcoming guests for 25 years. FIH Regent Hotels Group is pleased to have Mr. Yang helming it flagship property to maintain and improve its world-renowned service credentials and facilities. The Commons Club at Virgin Hotels Chicago Virgin Hotels, the lifestyle hotel brand by Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, marks a new milestone as Virgin Hotels breaks ground with Dunhill Partners and Gatehouse Capital on Virgin Hotels Dallas. The groundbreaking ceremony, held on location on Monday, October 17, marks Virgin Hotels' second property currently under construction, behind Virgin Hotels New York City. Virgin Hotels Dallas will open its doors at the end of 2018. Located in the up-and-coming Design District on Hi Line Dr. and Turtle Creek Blvd., Virgin Hotels Dallas will deliver a one-of-a-kind hotel experience in one of Virgin's favorite destinations (Virgin America has been flying to the city since 2010). The hotel will feature more than 200 Chambers, including Grand Chamber Suites, and will multiple dining and drinking outlets, including a pool deck and bar, a rooftop lounge, and the brand's flagship space, The Commons Club. "We couldn't have found a more perfect city than Dallas and a more perfect neighborhood than the Design District to continue our expansion of Virgin Hotels across America," said Raul Leal, CEO of Virgin Hotels. "We're so excited to welcome guests and locals alike to experience all that our brand has to offer from elevated cuisine and cocktails to comfortable and spacious Chambers for work, sleep and play." To commemorate the groundbreaking, Virgin Hotels, in conjunction with Dunhill Partners, threw a party for the ages, inviting key development partners, investors and the general public to celebrate in the arrival of the hotel. Signature cocktails were created by Deep Eddy Vodka and Patron Tequila, while popular Dallas-based food trucks For The Love of Pizza, Auntie Am's and Butcher's Son provided food options. Sir Richard Branson rode in on horseback with Miss Texas 2016 Caroline Carothers before being welcomed by the Dallas Maverick Dancers, who entertained the crowd along with the Carson McHone Band all night. After a few brief speeches, Sir Richard led the crowd in a complimentary Champagne toast provided by Moet & Chandon. Virgin Hotels Dallas will be a new build located within the 33 acres that developer Dunhill Partners and its founder, Bill Hutchinson, acquired in 2014. The hotel will be in smashing good company as the district boasts world-class furniture showrooms, avant-garde art galleries, museums, antique shops and an influx of buzz worthy new restaurants and shops. Dunhill Partners has chosen Gatehouse Capital to develop Virgin Hotels Dallas. The brand's first hotel, Virgin Hotels Chicago, is now open with Nashville, Palm Springs and New York slated to open next. Virgin Hotels continues to explore properties in cities such as Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington DC, and London; locations where it is pursuing hotel and office conversions and ground-up development. Loews Hotels announced today that Jonathan M. Tisch will resume the duties of CEO for the Company following the departure of Kirk Kinsell, effective immediately. Mr. Kinsell informed the Company of his decision to resign for personal reasons. Mr. Tisch will continue to serve as Chairman of Loews Hotels and Co-Chairman of the Board for Loews Corporation. "Loews Hotels has never been stronger. During Kirk's tenure as CEO, there have been many positive changes at Loews Hotels, and we fully intend to build on that success. We've added top talent to our already strong bench, expanded our network of hotels, and continued to improve our operations and profitability," said Mr. Tisch. "Loews Hotels will remain focused on opportunistically growing in key markets with our group hotels and resort destinations. The Company, along with its team members and partners, is committed to providing the best experience for all of our guests," Mr. Tisch added. Headquartered in New York City, Loews Hotels has three distinct brands, Loews Hotels & Resorts, Loews Regency and OE Collection. The company owns and/or operates 25 hotels and resorts across the U.S. and Canada, including the newly-acquired Hotel 1000 in downtown Seattle that will be re-branded into a Loews Regency in 2017. Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando, the fifth hotel in partnership with Comcast NBC Universal, opened in July 2016. On his 2014 song Meet the Flockers, YG presents a step-by-step guide on how to execute a home invasion. The first step: You find a house and scope it out/Find a Chinese neighborhood, cause they dont believe in bank accounts. The two-and-a-half year old lyric is now sparking outrage in the Asian-American community and has inspired hundreds who believe the song glamorizes robbery of Asians to stage protests at multiple stops of YGs current tour. After a group of 30-50 Chinese-Americans picketed YGs show in Maryland last Wednesday, another group showed up to voice its disapproval outside his show Monday night at New Yorks Irving Plaza. We live in Flushing, Queens, and we had our house broken into twice in the last five years, Chris Kwoak told CBS-NY. Shame on YG, the New York protestors chanted. Over 110,000 individuals have signed an online petition asking the White House to ban the song from public media and investigate legal responsibilities of the writer. The petition was posted last month after an incident in Gwinnett County, GA in which a Chinese-American woman shot at three intruders who entered her home, killing one. YG The Cleveland Indians are just one win away from their first trip to the World Series since 1997 and Cavaliers team dj, DJ Steph Floss, is reminding Drake every step of the way. If youll recall, Drake playfully trolled Steph Floss and LeBron after the Raptors won Games 3 & 4 against the Cavs during the Eastern Conference Finals, which resulted in the DJ trolling him back when Cleveland eventually won. It was all in good fun, but Steph Floss hasnt forgotten and hes letting Drake have it now that his Blue Jays are on the brink of elimination. In fact, Steph Floss has been trolling Drizzy throughout the ALCS. After each game, and even before last nights first pitch, Steph Floss took some jabs at Drake, specifically referencing the time Drake wore an Indians jersey and threw out the first pitch in Cleveland. Drake responded with an IG post of his own from when Steph Floss attended the Blue Jay for a Day fantasy camp, but the Cavs DJ got the last laugh after The Tribe went up 3-0 on his Blue Jays last night. Take a look at the ALCS troll war below and be prepared for more IG jabs as the Indians go for the sweep today at 4:00pm. Drake You can now create your own version of the Nike Kobe 11 via NikeiD using the always popular Multicolor option. The flyknit construction of the Nike Kobe 11 is a perfect fit for the traditional multicolor design, and were hoping theyll open it up to some more non-traditional mutli-colored options down the line, similar to the ones used on the beloved Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low. For now, at least, Kobe fans will just be happy with the standard multicolor option. If youre interested in crafting your own Nike Kobe 11, head on over to NikeiD while the new Multicolor option is still available. Multi Kobe 11 You can catch him in The Bowery before Christmas. New Rathmines venue, The Bowery, has scored a bit of a coup by bringing Badly Drawn Boy in on December 18 for his first Dublin show in almost a decade. The winner way back in 2000 of the Mercury Music Prize with The House Of The Bewilderbeast, Mr. Gough answers the question, What would Bruce Springsteen sound like if hed grown up in Dunstable rather than New Jersey? Tickets priced 22.90 go on sale on Friday October 21. Opening over the Halloween Bank Holiday Weekend, The Bowery has a piratical theme and its own craft rum aged on the premises in smoked barrels. We reckon were going to get along just fine! Video game movies are learning. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed video games are coming to the big screen with an original story set within the series' universe. The premise is that people in modern times can jump into their ancestors' memories, which are transferred completely intact via Lamarckian genetic transfer. There's also some ancient conspiracy junk that will probably be explained to the layman through dumps of expository dialogue early into the film. Michael Fassbender stars as Callum Lynch, a descendent of an assassin from the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Some (probably) bad people want access to his ancestor's memories for (probably) nefarious purposes. We then get treated to some cool shots of Spain sometime in the 15th century, we think. Advertisement This movie will receive a US release on 21 December, with an Irish release expected to follow. Werner Herzog talks about volcanoes. Venture into the world of volcanoes, nature's beautiful and destructive phenomena. This Netflix documentary comes courtesy of legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog. The documentary looks to explore the awe inspiring power of volcanoes, the mythology people have built around them, and their objectivity to the affairs of humanity. Joining Herzog is Clive Oppenheimer, a leader in the field of volcanology. The two will travel to North Korea, Ethiopia, and many others to document the legendary volcanoes. Advertisement Into the Inferno is a Netflix original documentary, and releases on 28 October. WASHINGTON - The growing use of facial-recognition systems has led to a high-tech form of racial profiling, with African-Americans more likely than others to have their images captured, analyzed and reviewed during computerized searches for crime suspects, according to a new report based on records from dozens of police departments. The report, to be released Tuesday by the Center for Privacy & Technology at Georgetown University's law school, found that half of all American adults have their images stored in at least one facial-recognition database that police can search, typically with few restrictions. The steady expansion of these systems has led to a disproportionate racial impact because African-Americans are more likely to be arrested and have mug shots taken, one of the main ways that images end up in police databases. The report also found that criminal databases are rarely "scrubbed" to remove the images of innocent people, nor are facial-recognition systems routinely tested for accuracy, even though some struggle to distinguish among darker-skinned faces. The combination of these factors means that African-Americans are more likely to be singled out as possible suspects in crimes - including ones they did not commit, the report says. "This is a serious problem, and no one is working to fix it," said Alvaro Bedoya, executive director of the Georgetown Law center that produced the report on facial-recognition technology. "Police departments are talking about it as if it's race-blind, and it's just not true." The 150-page report, called "The Perpetual Line-Up," found a rapidly growing patchwork of facial-recognition systems at the federal, state and local level with little regulation and few legal standards. Some databases include mug shots, others driver's-license photos. Some states, such as Maryland and Pennsylvania, use both as they analyze crime-scene images in search of potential suspects. At least 117 million Americans have images of their faces in one or more police databases, meaning their resemblance to images taken from crime scenes can become the basis for follow-up by investigators. The FBI ran a pilot program this year in which it could search the State Department's passport and visa databases for leads in criminal cases. Overall, the Government Accountability Office reported in May, the FBI has had access to 412 million facial images for searches; the faces of some Americans appear several times in these databases. Several law enforcement agencies also have expressed interest in real-time facial-recognition technology, potentially giving police the ability to instantly identify people walking by a camera posted on a city street - or attending a political protest that authorities are recording, the report says. A coalition of civil rights and civil liberties groups, provided with advance copies of the Georgetown report, plans to deliver a sharply worded letter to the Justice Department's civil rights division on Tuesday calling for investigation into the use - and possible abuse - of facial-recognition technology. The groups note the technology's deployment during protests after the police-involved death of a black man in Baltimore and warn that unregulated use could make African Americans reluctant to attend events where facial images might be captured, chilling their rights to free speech and assembly. The report said protesters arrested for minor crimes such as trespassing can end up in facial-recognition databases for their rest of their lives, exposing them to an enhanced level of police scrutiny even if charges were later dropped. "Face recognition technology is rapidly being interconnected with everyday police activities, impacting virtually every jurisdiction in America. Yet, the safeguards to ensure this technology is being used fairly and responsibly appear to be virtually nonexistent," wrote the American Civil Liberties Union and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, an umbrella group with more than 200 member organizations. More than 40 civil rights and other groups signed the letter. The FBI said facial-recognition technology is a valuable tool for fighting crime. The technology provides leads that investigators can pursue but does not by itself single out people for arrest. The bureau also said that concerns about racial disparities are misplaced. "Facial recognition algorithms are developed in the computer vision field, based solely on pattern matching techniques," the FBI said in a statement. " 'Facial recognition' algorithms do not actually compare 'faces' and they do not consider skin color, sex, age, or any other biographic." Yet the uneven impact of surveillance tools is a source of growing concern for civil liberties and civil rights groups. Experts say that a wide range of technologies - body cameras, cellphone tracking, facial recognition and others - is creating what amounts to feedback loops that reinforce and amplify traditional forms of police bias. Virginia State Police, for example, can search a mug-shot database with 1.2 million images that skews toward African Americans because they are twice as likely to be arrested than the overall population in that state, the report said. Maricopa County, Ariz., uploaded the entire driver's-license and mug-shot database from the government of Honduras, a major source of immigration to Arizona. In Pinellas County, Florida, a pioneer among police forces using facial-recognition systems, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri called allegations of disparate racial or ethnic impact "a bunch of nonsense." Florida's database of 11 million law enforcement photos, Gualtieri said, helps Pinellas County deputies identify robbers captured in bank videos, uncooperative people in routine police stops and even victims of fatal accidents or killings. All of the images are public record; the facial-recognition technology only helps investigators compare existing images more efficiently, he said. When asked about racial disparities in arrest rates, Gualtieri replied, "That's a whole different discussion." His county's system, he said, "is not capturing any [people] other than those who are charged with crimes." Yet he acknowledged that the database had not been audited for accuracy or racial disparities. People represented in some databases can seek court action to have their images removed, but the process typically is arduous. Research from experts increasingly has found disproportionate racial impact in advanced surveillance technologies. The problem is not the technologies themselves but the underlying bias in how and where they are deployed, said Sakira Cook, counsel at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. That is especially true when arrests - as opposed to successful prosecutions - are key factors in determining whose images appear in databases. A higher arrest rate, Cook said, "doesn't necessarily mean that African-Americans are committing crimes at higher rates. It just means that they are being policed, surveilled and arrested at higher rates. It compounds the issue of racial profiling." The stakes may be highest for freedom of political expression. One activist, Chris Wilson, was arrested for trespassing after blocking entrance to the Florida State Fair to protest the death of a black man shortly after he was released from police custody on a dangerous roadway. The charges against Wilson were dropped in exchange for community service and a fine, but the booking photos made their way into the Pinellas County face database - and potentially into the FBI's national database as well. That is worrying, said Wilson, who is African-American and in North Dakota protesting a pipeline construction project. "It worries me so much that I cover my face when I go out and protest," Wilson said. "It really is scary to think that they're tracking you." Craig Timberg is a national technology reporter for The Post. United Continental Holdings longtime laggard of U.S. airlines, is up nearly 40 percent since late June as investors buy into the troubled carrier's promise of an imminent turnaround. The next five weeks may tell if that faith is well-placed. United's new president, Scott Kirby, an airline industry star - plucked soon after he parted ways with American Airlines Group in late August - will be on a conference call Tuesday, after the carrier reported its earnings late Monday. It will be the first time he's spoken publicly since joining the company. Now the question everyone wants answered is whether CEO Oscar Munoz and Kirby, who has a proven knack for turning around airlines, can help revive United and start filling its coffers anew. The Chicago-based airline has a major hub in Houston. Munoz is "going to be focused on the bottom line, and if Scott can do clever things to enhance that, he will be given lots of latitude," said George Hamlin, president of Hamlin Transportation Consulting in Fairfax, Va. United Continental Holdings's third-quarter profit beat analyst expectations after persistently weak fares firmed up late in the period. Adjusted earnings of $3.11 a share exceeded the $3.06 average of analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. A year ago, the company earned $4.8 billion, but that figure was boosted by a one-time $3.2 billion noncash income-tax benefit. Revenue fell to $9.91 billion, the airline said in late Monday. That was in line with the average analyst estimate. United stock was down slightly Monday at $53.03. United has been pledging for months to improve profitability and catch its rivals, particularly Delta Air Lines. Munoz on June 21 laid out a broad proposal to find another $3.1 billion a year through extra revenue and savings. He's proposing accomplishing this by selling more premium-cabin seating and switching to larger airplanes. More details are expected in November at an investor day presentation. Munoz has made some progress since joining the carrier in September 2015. Its reliability has improved, and after years of battling unions, United has all of its major employee groups under contract or nearing a contract vote for the first time since the 2010 merger with Houston-based Continental. But much work still needs to be done and shareholders will be looking to Kirby on Tuesday. Delta's average fare per mile was 16.6 cents last year, or 6 percent higher than United's 15.7 cents. American was slightly ahead of United by earning 15.9 cents a mile. Delta can charge more because it offers better service and reliability, said Andrew Meister, an analyst at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, which holds about 3.5 million Delta shares and smaller stakes in United and American. "A Best Western can't charge as much as a Westin," he said. "Delta gets me there on time, it's a better experience, and United doesn't." Signs of United's improvements aren't that hard to see, notwithstanding a computer disruption that led to cancellations and delays last week. While its on-time arrival rate lingered behind most U.S. airlines for several years, United has improved since fall 2015 and now sits fourth among a dozen carriers for the 12 months ending in August, government figures show. Jacky Noons officially bought 3 Men Movers from her then-ailing father in 2004. Jack Fischer founded the Houston moving company in an apartment and expanded it into an enterprise that reported more than $20 million in gross revenue in 2015. He passed away on Aug. 28. Noons now reflects on his legacy and where she hopes she can lead the company as its CEO. Q: What was your father's vision for the company, and how did he work toward it? A: What he really wanted to do in his lifetime was to see us build out the triangle, which was Houston, Austin and San Antonio. When the company was transferred to me, we were able to finish it, and also open up in Dallas, too. He got to see that before he passed away. He was really excited. But I think, at the end of the day, it was about the drivers. He was the original driver. He started the company not because he had a business plan or an MBA or investment capital. He started it because we needed to pay the rent. We were in dire straits. I was 12. He knew what it was like to be in that situation, so he really wanted to make it a win-win-win situation with the employees getting value, our drivers getting value and our customers getting value, and obviously the ownership of the company getting value. He wanted everybody to get a fair shake in the moving experience. Q: What was the most important lesson your father taught you about running the business? A: When I first started running the company, it was stressful. I was making a lot of changes, working long hours. I came to him, and he said, "How's it going?" And I said, "Oh, I'm so stressed out. There's just so much stress." And he said, "Well, if you're stressed out, you're not working hard enough." He had very little sympathy for complaining or being stressed out. If there was an issue, he wasn't a sit-still kind of guy. He would stand up and get going. That was it. If you have an issue, don't get sad about it. Get busy. Start working towards a solution. That was probably the best thing he taught me. Q: How will you remember him most? A: Having a huge heart. If anybody needed anything ... they knew they could go to him. He would lecture them and give them advice. He was kind of like a preacher. He would preach to you telling you how to this and not to do that. But at the end of the day, he always helped people out. There are quite a few stories of him helping people out with the down payment of their first home, and different stories like that. He knew what it was like not to have money, and so he always wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of, and everybody had the opportunity to succeed. Q: How have you built up the company from where your father left it? A: He had just started in San Antonio and Austin, but he didn't have locations. He just had a couple of crews working out there to start the business. Since then, we have locations in San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. We've introduced a new product called MOVEITS. You call, and we send out 40 feet of storage. We pack it all up, haul it away, and you call us when you want your stuff back. Pods has a similar product, but they don't have the labor. And other moving companies have storage, too, but it's more of a four-step process because you have to move it on to the truck and to the storage place and back onto the truck. This cuts labor costs in half. That's why our portable storage option is so exciting. Q: What does the future of 3 Men Movers look like? A: Our goal is to revolutionize moving with technology. There are so many things right now with the advent of Uber and just different mobile solutions to make the moving process easier for customers and improve the quality of the moving experience. That's our goal, really. To turn the whole moving process and storage process around and make it easier. Inherently, moving is very boring. It's hard to take away from the fact that, no matter what, you're still going to have a guy that still has to raise a sofa up and down the stairs. But there are things that we can do to make the process smoother. Q: Are any of your children involved or plan to be involved someday? A: My son's working in accounting, and he's getting ready to start back at college. My daughter is off at college. She thinks maybe someday she'll come back, but I won't let her come back to work for me out of college. She's got to go out and find herself and figure out what she wants to do and work for another company. Kids don't know how good they have it. They need to go work for some bosses first before they come to me, but, yeah, hopefully, it will stay in the family. Sometimes people look at a company as a commodity or something they'll sell, but it is my dad's legacy, and I hope to honor that. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SHEFFIELD, Vt. - Once it was just another cabin on a Vermont hillside. Now it's an emblem in the debate over noise from the growing wind energy industry. Studies have repeatedly found no evidence connecting noise from wind power turbines to human health problems. But critics question the soundness of those studies. Among them are Steve and Luann Therrien, who say a wind farm near their home made their lives hell. The case has created a fissure among environmentalists in this liberal state with a reputation for green thinking, pitting those who see wind energy as key to reducing reliance on pollution-spewing fossil fuels against those convinced audible noises and inaudible "infrasound" present health threats to those living nearby. And each side questions the objectivity of the other's research. The Therriens' old cabin is up 5 miles of dirt road from town, but is just a quarter-mile from a rural stretch of Interstate 91. The highway noise largely didn't bother them. But after the 16 turbine towers of the Sheffield Wind Project went up on a nearby ridgeline in 2011 - the closest about three-quarters of a mile away and five within a mile - things changed, the Therriens say. Deep in the night, when things were quiet on the highway, a low hum came from the opposite direction, punctuated occasionally by louder noises, the Therriens say. Soon, they say, they and their two small children were plagued by sleeplessness, nausea and other problems. Steve Therrien gave up his job as a trash truck driver - too sleepy to drive, he said. They abandoned their home in 2014 and have been unable to sell it. A group opposed to large-scale wind projects, Energize Vermont, is planning to set up sound monitoring equipment at the Therriens' former home to try to document their concerns with data. Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin and fellow Democrats who control the Legislature have promoted renewable energy. Three big wind power projects - all of which have drawn complaints similar to the Therriens' - have been built on Vermont mountains during Shumlin's six years in office, with five more in planning or construction. The state is pursuing a goal of 90 percent renewable energy by 2050. Luann Therrien said the couple has not sued turbine owners because they can't afford to hire a lawyer and have not found one willing to take the case for free. The Therriens - he is 54, she is 47 - and their two young children now live in nearby Derby and receive government assistance. The toll from his years of work as a trash collector, coupled with the more recent health problems, means he can't work, Steve Therrien said. Luann Therrien said she has been depressed since the symptoms took hold. A psychiatric nurse practitioner who has treated the Therriens wrote in a letter this year that both "suffer from a form of trauma-induced and stressor-related disorder." The nurse compared their condition to post-traumatic stress disorder, saying the wind turbines caused lasting sleep and mental health issues. Vermont's health commissioner, Dr. Harry Chen, told lawmakers this year that "no scientific research has been able to demonstrate a direct cause-and-effect link between living near wind turbines, the noise they emit, and physiological health effects." But since July, more than 100 doctors, other scientists and activists worldwide have signed a letter urging the World Health Organization to recommend new sound guidelines for wind turbines. One of the tricky parts about assessing the importance of the so-called "gig economy" the universe of flexible micro-jobs such as those created by online service platforms like Uber and Airbnb has been the difficulty of measuring how many people take part in it. Nonetheless, labor economists have worked hard to do so, since it could potentially signify a large shift in how people earn a living. This week, scholars at the Brookings Institution released a study using tax records that looks at the growth of one-person businesses, which in certain sectors can be a rough proxy for the independent contractors who work gig to gig. Overall, the results show that single-person businesses in the ground passenger transportation industry grew by 69 percent between 2010 and 2014 accelerating dramatically in the last year of that range while regular payroll employment grew only 17 percent. Of course, taxi drivers are often independent contractors just like Uber and Lyft drivers, but it's probably fair to assume that the sudden jump is driven more by those online platforms than a surge on the traditionally regulated side. (Change in the hospitality sector, where Airbnb could be making an impact, was much less pronounced.) The interesting thing, for Texanomics' purposes, is how that breaks down differently for different cities across the state. Until its refusal last May to bow to Uber and Lyft's demands for special treatment on driver vetting, Austin had a well-deserved reputation for welcoming and adopting new technologies. App-based transportation options exploded there after launching in mid-2014, even before city regulations had adapted to make them fully legal. Between 2012 and 2014 so, capturing only six months of Uber and Lyft's operations "gig" employment in the ground passenger transportation sector jumped 135.5 percent, while payroll employment didn't budge. That's behind only San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles, where Uber had launched years earlier. Houston was a different story. Although Uber had launched here in February of 2014, gig employment grew by only 54.4 percent between 2012 and 2014, while payroll employment grew 28.2 percent. Although the growth in the absolute number of independent drivers was larger than Austin's, the market is also much larger, suggesting that the demand for rides would have supported a proportional increase. As for other Texas cities, Dallas where Uber launched way back in 2012 saw a 72.5 percent increase in the number of independent drivers, and San Antonio saw only a 30.4 percent increase. It's hard to say why exactly gig work in the transportation sector took off more quickly in Austin than the rest of Texas' big metropolitan areas. It might have been a difference in management, or the pre-existing availability of taxi and limousine services. It might be rates of car ownership except Austinites actually have more cars per capita than Houstonians, Dallasites, or San Antonians, according to the Census. The most logical explanation, then, is that Austin has a higher density of nightlife establishments that you might want a ride home from, as well as a higher concentration of young techie people already used to ordering services on their phones. It will be interesting to see whether that surge in independent businesses starts falling after Uber and Lyft's departure from the city in May, but we'll have to wait a few years to find out. "Your steaks will come on a 500-degree plate," warned our waiter at Steak 48, the scorchingly hot new River Oaks District restaurant where tables are scarce and the bar scene manic, even on a Tuesday. He wasn't exaggerating. When I tapped my index finger to the ceramic platter that held my 22-ounce rib-eye - I had to do it, naturally - it hurt. I had to wonder if it was hurting the rib-eye, too. The massive cut had had no time to rest and collect itself, or its juices, as it emerged from the broiler. The rare-plus beef fought back as I tried to cut it, sliding hither and yon as I sawed away. It never gave up the struggle. I love no steak better than a rib-eye, but this one - a $54 investment - was a mess. I took most of it home, where it made my dogs happier than it had made me. Later, a rib-eye-loving friend told me she had had a similar experience there. That's the kind of gaffe that gives pause at one of the most expensive restaurants in town, where a tab for two, with tax and tip, can hit $400 or more. With its rich people-watching, warm service and smattering of successful dishes, handsome Steak 48 can be lots of fun. But at these prices, the kitchen should be far more consistent. More Information Steak 48 NO STARS 4444 Westheimer, A-100, River Oaks District 713-322-7448 Hours: D Daily, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Credit cards: all major Prices: starters $9-$19; entrees $29-$63; sides $9-$18 Must-orders: New York strip steak; Caesar salad; au gratin potatoes; french fries; popcorn sundae; sea-salted caramel gelato; vanilla gelato; Perfect Manhattan; French 75 Reservations: essential, unless you come when the doors open and grab one of the high-top tables or a counter seat in the bar. Noise level: moderate to noisy Website: steak48.com STAR RATINGS Four stars: Superlative; can hold its own on a national stage. Three stars: Excellent; one of the best restaurants in the city. Two stars: Very good; one of the best restaurants of its kind. One star: A good restaurant that we recommend. No stars: Restaurant cannot be recommended at this time. See More Collapse The safest cut at Steak 48 seems to be the New York strip, which on two occasions emerged cooked as requested, suitably dense but not tough, and possessed of a tight spicy sear that comes from the restaurant's aggressive dry rub. As 28-day wet-aged USDA Prime steaks go, it was just fine - particularly the version ordered "rare with char," a tricky request that was done right. A 12-ounce bone-in filet cooked rare came to the table in a shallow pool of butter that bubbled away madly, so that the meat kept cooking well after its arrival. Again, it was good enough without being in any way remarkable. The same might be said of the Prime Steakhouse Meatloaf entree made with trimmings of rib-eye and filet mignon, with a bit of pork for fat and flavor, plus green peppercorns for a surprise vegetal bite. An amusing idea, and not bad at all. But at $29, with no sides, I wanted a little magic, and I thought longingly of my beloved (and far less expensive) smoked meatloaf plate lunch at Pappa Charlies BBQ. Perhaps I would have been in a better humor had my $19 black-truffled, twice-baked potato been filled with appealing fluff rather than the semi-liquid glue at which I poked disconsolately. Or if my costly seafood "tower" - served in a slightly elevated, broad ceramic ice boat rather than in the usual tiered arrangement, had not sported "super colossal" shrimp of startling blandness, along with king crab legs blessed with some briny-sweetness undercut by a mushy texture. No problem with the dozen assorted East Coast oysters on said tower, which displayed nicely varied flavor profiles; or the workmanlike tuna poke laced with sesame, togarashi and a bit of Thai chile heat. Still, the overall tower experience was far less festive than it looked, despite a captivating mustard sauce I was tempted to eat by the spoonful. Another day, I used that sauce to advantage to dress my own DIY "Lobster Cocktail," which turned out to be a small, decent-quality lobster tail split down the center. It was pretty good. Not so the worst creamed spinach it has ever been my misfortune to taste, mired in a pasty white cream sauce that overrode the greens. Nor the cute little fried deviled eggs that, in the end, didn't have enough devilment in them, and - despite the light crunch of their crumbed coating - didn't particularly want to be fried in the first place. And what to make of an ahi tuna entree that turned out to be twin stacks of square, pepper-rimmed slices? They were escorted by the dreariest possible accoutrements: mediocre soy sauce, regulation pickled ginger and cheap powdered wasabi. For $45, this wasn't so much a dish as it was a pro-forma assemblage. Like too many dishes here, this is generic American "luxury" fare that hasn't been well thought out. Several dishes showed a promise that went unrealized. Brussels sprouts with spunky bacon cubes had a listless texture, as if they had been left to sit and soften. Corn Creme Brulee with a crackling sugar crust might have worked had there been a shade more salt to balance all that sweetness, both natural and added. A wonderfully demented grilled banana split the size of my laptop featured bananas that had been halfheartedly (nay, quarterheartedly) grilled. An entertaining red velvet bread pudding was a bit too sludgy for its own good. Such missteps were all the more frustrating because when this kitchen points itself in the right direction, it can deliver. The Caesar salad with a trembly poached egg oozed character. Hand-cut french fries, served in a cone with sea salt, were deftly done. Potatoes au gratin in a neat, architectural stack showed some elegance. A burrata appetizer was beautifully sourced, the cheese creamy and ever so slightly elastic in spots. If only they'd stopped with the pickled red onion garnish, rather than adding blobs of an overweening and highly unsuitable tomato jam. The housemade gelato is lovely stuff - either by itself or in one of the over-the-top ice cream desserts, like the antic popcorn sundae. Both the vanilla and sea-salt caramel gelati are well worth a try at the end of a meal. At the beginning, I could eat a dozen of Steak 48's complimentary yeast rolls, stretchy and soft, salted or garlicked, served in a monkey-bread clutch. They're absurdly good. The cocktails that are such a draw in the perpetually thronged bar are all priced at a hefty $16. Yet they are generally well made, and notably huge, with the excess served alongside in cold shakers. Both the French 75 and the so-called Perfect Manhattan were skillfully balanced on different evenings. The wine list hopscotches wildly, with a mass-market clunker here and a trophy wine there, but careful shopping can yield sound choices in the $50-to-$75 range. A Chanson Givry 2013 red Burgundy from the reserve list was a fine-boned bargain. In the end, though, the bar at Steak 48 seems mostly about getting and spending and schmoozing and romancing. Right now it's the scene of the year, brought to us by a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based mini chain founded by the Mastro brothers, who sold their original restaurants almost 10 years ago and went on to launch more. Texas, with its more-is-more aesthetic, must have seemed like a good fit for their first move beyond Arizona. There's a lot of "more" at Steak 48, starting with the flagrantly luxury-oriented setting in the River Oaks District shopping and dining complex and extending to the restaurant's two-story mega-space - all 14,000 square feet of it. It's expensively done up in a paler, more contemporary style than traditonal, dark-and-clubby steakhouse looks, with lots of glassed-in cases, pale leather barstools riveted in silver, and white coffered ceiling overhead. Can't hack the furor and surge of the bar? Reserve upstairs or try for a table in one of the quieter glassed-in rooms where you can see the social pageant without hearing every single decibel of it. In the bar or on its fringes, any student of human nature will not be bored. This is a pulsating mating ground for the 30s and 40s set - even a bit beyond - with a thumping vintage soundtrack to match. The not-so-young-and-restless of all descriptions flock in to join the dance, united only by hope and disposable income. I saw both at work on my first visit, when two young men with the look of exotic princelings prowled the bar, table-hopping. On my way out, 30 minutes after they had arrived, I spotted them waiting on the pavement amid a swirl of stilettos and bandage dresses. Then the valet pulled up with a white Rolls Royce. The princelings got in, alone, and purred off into the dark. It was 8:30 p.m., and the night was young. California's broad landscape suggests endless possibility, a chance to realize your dreams. You can backpack in the Klamath National Forest within Siskiyou County. You can find a slice of Denmark in the Santa Ynez Valley. Or you can immerse yourself in the glittery landscape of the Hollywood hills, the place that has applied a practicality to its dreams by making an industry of them. You tend to forget about reveries, though, when the 101 freeway slows to a crawl, as it did when I began to navigate the road in Hollywood this spring. Time on my hands, I looked up and caught a glimpse of the 73-story U.S. Bank Tower, referred to as Library Tower by many locals for the 90-year-old actual library and architectural gem across the street that it dwarfs. Completed in the late 1980s, the iconic Bank Tower is one of those structures that sneak up in vistas to remind you that yes, you're in Los Angeles, in case you were wondering. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi for 27 years, until the Wilshire Grand Center's spire was added this year. Designed by architect Henry N. Cobb, the building is topped with a distinctive crown that hints at downtown's art deco past. Despite its size, it is not exactly the first building that comes to mind when people think of Los Angeles. Some cities have a single architectural identity but Los Angeles is known for many. It was an incubator of the American Craftsman style, and it embraced Beaux-Arts, as well as Spanish Colonial Revival and Mayan Revival, which found a powerful advocate in Frank Lloyd Wright. But then art deco arrived and proliferated during the decades when movie studios became the cornerstone of an economy that had previously relied primarily on oil. It left a stunning cache of public buildings in its wake. Several of them have been razed, and a few of the surviving ones are underused or vacant. Tourists gravitate toward the Bank Tower, which has an observation deck, or Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall. But before being literally overshadowed, these art deco treasures were once icons of downtown Los Angeles. And they still should be. Most of the art deco buildings are smaller than the modern skyscrapers rising in the area, but they still soar. To explore them is to witness a grandeur that inspires you, unlike many skyscrapers, which merely surprise you. Because they arrived at a moment of economic expansion, they suggest the sense of endless possibility that permeated the city. I set off to get a glimpse of what those architectural dreamers were able to accomplish. On an otherwise mild morning, I found myself holding an umbrella in Pershing Square, a public park. The rain quickly tapered off, sparing me the embarrassment of having chosen to visit California on a weekend when the weather was worse than it was in New York. Pershing Square, originally known as La Plaza Abaja and dedicated in 1866, is one of the oldest parks in the city. Taking up an entire city block and almost centrally located downtown, the park is a perfect starting point for exploring art deco in Los Angeles. In the early 1920s, Los Angeles was in an enviable position. There was a burgeoning retail market downtown, with stores including A. Hamburger & Sons, Bullock's and the J.W. Robinson Co. strengthening their economic footholds. Automobiles brought so many people here that multiple parking garages were constructed to alleviate the constant traffic backups. The robust Pacific Electric Railway system connected downtown to nearby cities like Pasadena and Whittier, as well as more far-flung places such as Colton and Redlands in San Bernardino County. These developments made the area all the more attractive for architectural innovation. The Paris Exhibition of 1925, officially L'Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, was held from April to October of that year and was instrumental in promoting art deco as a design style that stressed modernity and progress. The industrial arts exhibit influenced a wave of architects to deviate from the formal Beaux-Arts style popular at the time to a style that was punctuated by features like colorful terra cotta, stucco, decorative crowns, zigzags and flat roofs with parapets. For years, this style was loosely called art moderne. However, it would become known as art deco, a term fashioned by British art critic Bevis Hillier in 1968. From the late 1920s until the early 1940s, art deco was at the height of its popularity in the city. The design style included zigzag moderne - characterized by classic zigzag patterns and setbacks, where buildings featured a wide base, becoming narrower as they rose in height. It also included streamline moderne, a subdued style that emphasized horizontal design elements and often had flat roofs and curves. As I walked to the northeast edge of Pershing Square, one the finest examples of art deco architecture in the city came into view. The Title Guarantee and Trust Co. Building, at Hill and West Fifth Streets, a beautiful cream-colored glazed terra cotta structure with a granite base, has a way of drawing your attention. Built in 1930, the building still radiates an architectural regalness. At 12 stories, it has a Gothic-style tower that recedes from the larger structure and features stylized buttresses. The recessed tower design is a flourish that allowed the building to exceed the established 150-foot height limit, dramatically rising to 240 feet. It soared, just not excessively. Citywide height ordinances, in place from 1905 until 1957, were enacted to prevent Los Angeles from becoming a carbon copy of skyscraper-laden cities like New York and Chicago. "People in early 20th-century Los Angeles were interested in the design of the city," said Paul Gleye, author of "The Architecture of Los Angeles" and a professor of architecture at North Dakota State University. "San Francisco was still the pre-eminent city in California, but there was a great civic pride in Los Angeles." As I looked up from the base of the Title Guarantee Building, I took in the bas-relief sculptures depicting two kneeling men and a central figure that adorned the exterior. John B. Parkinson and Donald Parkinson, the influential father-son team of architects who designed this building and several others, commissioned artist Eugene Maier-Krieg to design the sculptures. Hugo Ballin, a noted American muralist, designed six panels in the lobby that chronicle the history of the city. I admired the zigzag motif that formed part of the design above the main entrance on West Fifth Street. Because the building is now private, only residents and their guests can enjoy its full glory. Still, the facade alone was engrossing, so it was hard to leave. The Bunker Hill neighborhood, which offers some of the most commanding views of the surrounding area, is just a few paces from the Title Guarantee Building. There, the extent of art deco craftsmanship in downtown Los Angeles was on full display. One Bunker Hill, built as the headquarters for Southern California Edison, the electric supply behemoth, rests on a steep slope. When completed in 1931, it was one of the first buildings with an all-electric heat and cooling system in the Western United States. An illuminated "Edison" sign at the top of the building solidified the region as an emerging economic power. One Bunker Hill is now almost surrounded by the U.S. Bank Tower and the 26-story 400 South Hope building, two 1980s-era skyscrapers. It now looks diminutive by comparison, many say. But I was drawn to it, rather than to its tall bookends. The granite and limestone building was designed in a setback style, with architectural offsets on two lower floors, along with two of the upper floors. The central tower at the top of the building is fronted with terra cotta. The corner entrance, featuring a stately octagonal rotunda, has three bas-relief figures on the exterior. The figures, created by sculptor Robert Merrell Gage, depict power, light and hydroelectricity. One Bunker Hill was envisioned as a monument to energy. The two-story lobby only reaffirmed the intent of architectural grandeur. Natural light poured into the multicolored room, highlighting its indelible features: more than a dozen types of marble; gold-leaf ornamentation on the ceiling; and murals by artists Barse Miller, Conrad Buff and, once again, Hugo Ballin. Ballin's mural, "The Apotheosis of Power," features English physicist William Gilbert, a pioneer in the research of magnetism and electrical attraction, and Benjamin Franklin. The building gives you a sense of what Los Angeles wanted to be, and what it has become, part of a huge megalopolis that still shows no signs of slowing down. When I saw the Los Angeles Central Library building from a distance, I first thought it was a temple. It had Byzantine, Egyptian, Spanish Colonial and Roman architectural influences and, at 90 years old, it truly exemplifies the grandeur of early art deco. Bertram Goodhue, designer of the Nebraska State Capitol, and Carleton Winslow Sr. were the architects of the Central Library. The building is topped with a mosaic pyramid-shaped tower. Limestone figures, including a bust of Leonardo da Vinci, are featured on the exterior. The interior of the main rotunda has prominently arched ceilings. The Central Library incorporated so many architectural styles, in addition to art deco, that it was almost an early precursor to what the city has become: one of the most culturally diverse places in the world. Beginning in the 1960s, the threat of demolition loomed over the Central Library. In 1978, the Los Angeles Conservancy, a nonprofit organization committed to the preservation of historic buildings in the city, was established largely because of opposition to the proposal. The bulldozers never came. This was an almost unheard-of civic victory in an era when downtowns were rapidly depopulating. As I walked into the rotunda, I noticed that people were enthralled with murals designed by illustrator Dean Cornwell. Each mural depicts an aspect of the history of California, including the 1781 founding of El Pueblo de los Angeles, the Spanish settlement that eventually grew to be modern Los Angeles. The murals prompted conversation, even among strangers. I overheard a man recall being taken to the library as a child, influencing him to do the same for his children. Not all of the buildings survived long enough to inspire memories of family legacies. The Richfield Oil Co. Building, which was demolished between late 1968 and 1969, according to Gleye, "was one of the most magnificent art deco structures anywhere." Richfield Tower was clad in glazed black architectural terra cotta and gold trimming, with the top of the building resembling an oil derrick. It was the epitome of zigzag moderne. But it wasn't so appealing at the time of its demolition. "In 1968, people looked back at art deco and thought it was ugly and too decorative," Gleye said. "A generation has to pass before things are appreciated. After modernism became the leading style, there were very few defenders of art deco." In place of Richfield Tower sprouted twin 52-story skyscrapers now known as City National Plaza. You can still get a hint of Richfield Tower from two tall zigzag elevator doors that were salvaged in the demolition and have been incorporated near a lobby entrance at the Plaza. The one art deco building allowed to exceed height restrictions was City Hall. The architectural team of John C. Austin, Albert C. Martin and John Parkinson created a tall central tower, built with concrete mixed with sand from each of California's 58 counties. It rises majestically. The building's upper floors feature symmetrical setbacks, with an eccentric ziggurat top. An open-air observatory on the 27th floor is free and accessible to the general public. From this perch, the city is devilishly inviting. If the visibility is good, you can see Santa Catalina Island. I was not as lucky. However, I did see Los Angeles Union Station, my next stop. Union Station, the largest passenger train station in the Western United States, was completed in 1939. Approached from North Alameda Street, the station's art deco, Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architectural influences are immediately apparent. Marlyn Musicant, author of "Los Angeles Union Station," said that the building's art deco elements "come across so clearly, yet are subtle." The white entrance signs have an aesthetically pleasing streamline moderne look. In the main waiting area, the vaulted steel-truss ceiling, which gives the appearance of simple wooden beams, radiates a collegiate feel. The red-tiled roof, interior courtyard spaces, arched windows and white stucco create a distinct mission revival look. "The architects wanted to go with a more Spanish influence," Musicant added, "so instead of utilizing wrought-iron chandeliers, the designers went with bronze chandeliers." Union Station was designed to serve as a combined rail terminus for the Santa Fe, Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railways. With automobiles becoming the dominant form of transportation in Southern California, along with the advent of commercial air travel, rail ridership began to decline sharply in the mid-1950s. The station was becoming a place that, while still remarkable, was seemingly lost in another place and time. "By the 1960s, Union Station was neglected and had fallen into a sad state," Musicant said. "At one point, there were only 18 trains going out of the station each day." Beginning in the 1970s, increased Amtrak service gave Union Station some long-overdue energy. The building was restored in 1992, the same year that Metrolink, a regional rail service, began to operate in the station. Metro Rail, the rail system that serves Los Angeles County, has three lines with stops at the station. At some train stations, a cold bench would be a prize, but not in Union Station, which reveals the romanticism of rail travel. Its waiting room has upholstered wooden chairs on the main floor. The travertine walls, doors with Moorish accents, and colorful glazed floor tiles have alluring patterns. The long exterior walkways and outside tower evoke Spanish missions, while the courtyard areas maintain an aura of tranquillity. As I headed back closer to Pershing Square, the Oviatt Building on South Olive Street came into view. The art deco building, named for entrepreneur James Oviatt, incorporates Italian Romanesque elements, with tiled roofs, cornices, marble and a three-faced French-imported clock. With his business partner Frank Alexander, Oviatt opened the upscale Alexander & Oviatt haberdashery in 1912. Inspired by a 1925 visit to the art deco exhibition in Paris, Oviatt commissioned his namesake 1928 building, which housed his store on the lower floors, along with an ornate penthouse apartment where he lived. The penthouse, which also played host to many luminaries during Hollywood's golden age, is now a popular venue for private events. When the building opened, it featured work from French designer Rene Lalique and glassmaker Gaetan Jeannin. Much of their original work is gone but the entrance arcade still radiates an art deco feel. The arcade, with unique etched-glass panels, immediately caught my eye. Intricate mailbox and elevator doors made from maillechort, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc, were designed by Lalique. The footprints of the retail past of downtown Los Angeles are one of the more interesting characteristics of the neighborhood. The area around South Hill Street and South Broadway near Pershing Square boasted some of the busiest and most fashionable stores in the entire region in the 1920s and 1930s. In the 1960s, urban decline and rapid population growth in the western edges of the city lured many customers away from downtown, but the buildings remained. The area's art deco legacy gave me a true sense of the walkable nature of downtown. In addition to residential and retail developments, there are various markets and restaurants that have sold ethnic food in the neighborhood for many years. Robert D. Herman, a retired professor of sociology at Pomona College, stressed the importance of the work of urban studies activist Jane Jacobs and her belief that "mixed-use" developments maintain the vitality and viability of cities. "Uniformity and isolation will kill a neighborhood," Herman said. "People in urban areas expect streets to be part of the urban environment." The buildings, though, are what draw your eye. On South Hill Street, the Sun Realty, William Fox, and Harris & Frank buildings are all part of the city's jewelry district. The buildings opened between 1925 and 1932, and while many of the upper floors featured office space for various businesses, the lower floors all had well-trafficked jewelry stores. And just as I expected, the art deco. Private lofts now occupy the blue-green Eastern Columbia Building, the 1930 classic designed by Claud Beelman. Formerly the headquarters of the Eastern Outfitting and Columbia Outfitting companies, which sold appliances and clothing, respectively, the building sets the tone for decorative architecture in the city. The entrance extended inward, with a terra cotta sunburst detail that evoked optimism. Topped by a clock tower that loomed over the immediate area, the gold-trimmed building staked its position as a center of commerce. There are many other hidden treasures downtown like the now-shuttered Roxie Theater, the only theater built in downtown Los Angeles solely in art deco style; the Title Insurance and Trust Building, now being converted into modern offices; and the beige terra cotta Ninth & Broadway Building, an anchor of the revitalized retail core. The Foreman & Clark Building, formerly the flagship location of the Foreman & Clark department store and recently acquired by a developer, and the Beelman-designed Garfield Building, now vacant, await new futures. Art deco defined the heights that downtown Los Angeles sought to reach in its infancy as a major city. Generations later, those heights are being unveiled once again. Recent college graduates in Texas had smaller debts at graduation than the Class of 2015 nationally, and proportionally fewer had student loans than the national average. Fifty-six percent of Texas students in the Class of 2015 had student loans when they graduated from their public and private nonprofit colleges, according to a new report from The Institute for College Access and Success that included private, state and federal loans. Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle Getting politicians to keep their comments short can be tough, but three of the candidates vying for the Houston school board District 7 seat mostly followed the rules during a lightning round of questions Monday evening. Moderator Sue Diegaard directed candidates Victoria Bryant, Anne Sung and John Luman to limit their answers to "yes" or "no" for part of the forum, held at T.H. Rogers School and sponsored by the Houston nonprofit Children at Risk. Candidate Danielle Paulus did not attend the event. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Earlier this month, fliers began to appear in neighborhoods around The Woodlands raising the specter of a massive tax hike. "STOP THE 70% PROPERTY TAX RATE INCREASE!" says a flier from The Woodlands Concerned Taxpayers, a group established by former township board chairman Bruce Tough. The group's mission, Tough says, is to educate and inform residents that incorporating as a city could send property tax bills through the roof. But tea party-endorsed candidates on the sooner-rather-than-later side of the incorporation question say Tough's efforts are scare tactics aimed at tilting the balance of the board. Tough was unseated a year ago by tea party-backed challenger Laura Fillault after two Montgomery County tea party groups targeted him for defeat following a bitter fight over a road proposal. Four of the board's seven seats are up for election this fall, and tea party-backed members now control three seats. The dispute, which has resulted in heated back-and-forth via social media, printed literature and robocalls, represents the most recent clash between establishment leaders like Tough and the tea party vying for political control of Montgomery County's largest and most affluent community. "It's propaganda about imminent high taxes and all kinds of misinformation about imminent incorporation that doesn't exist," said Gordy Bunch, a businessman and Woodlands board member seeking reelection. Tough - a lawyer who'd served on the Woodlands board since its inception - stands by his claims. "I'm very, very concerned that, if there's a rush to incorporate, we're going to pay more for the same services that we are getting now," Tough said. He isn't the first Montgomery County politician to try to outflank the Texas Patriots PAC, a tea party group that's been a force in the heavily conservative county for about seven years. Two years ago, an alternative tea party group emerged and successfully boosted several establishment candidates for county office who were vehemently opposed by the Texas Patriots. Rallied opposition Tough, who'd spent 15 years on the board, including five as chairman, acknowledged that he failed to motivate more of his supporters to go to the polls after the tea party's slate went after him for publicly supporting a May 2015 county road bond referendum that included funds to extend Woodlands Parkway to Texas 249. Bunch and Fillault successfully rallied enough Woodlands voters to defeat the bond and the parkway extension, which they said would channel more traffic through the community. Tough said that he didn't support the extension, but rather thought the other transportation projects on the bond were too important to oppose it. Critics accused him of losing touch with residents and being beholden to special interests. County voters ended up approving a scaled-back road bond that fall, minus the parkway extension. The Concerned Taxpayers group's fliers cite a study commissioned by The Woodlands Township in 2011 to look at the potential cost of incorporation. The study estimated that some of the likely costs - for creating a police department, taking over road maintenance and public works, building a municipal center and assuming other responsibilities - would require increasing the property tax rate from 33 cents per $100 valuation in 2012 to 55 cents. Montgomery County currently provides these services. Since 2011, The Woodlands has reduced its tax rate to 23 cents. Planning for the future The Concerned Taxpayers' flier shows that five candidates signed a pledge to oppose action "that would dramatically increase our property tax rate; irresponsibly add bureaucracy to our local governance; or jeopardize our unique Woodlands (quality) of life through irresponsible incorporation." The candidates - incumbent Mike Bass along with Amy Lampman, Bob Leilich, Stuart Schroeder and Chris Grice - say they were not shown the flier before it was circulated, but agree that it would be better not to rush to incorporate. For their part, the four candidates running under the banner of the Residents' Advocates - a tea party-endorsed designation that they say reflects their commitment to putting the concerns of average Woodlands residents above "special interests" - contend that the information Tough is circulating is misleading. Bunch said he believes The Woodlands needs to start planning for possible incorporation, but he said the Concerned Taxpayers group is wrongly suggesting that he and others back immediate action. For The Woodlands to incorporate, the board would have to call a referendum and then the voters would decide whether to proceed. "We've had 10 years since we've done the regional agreements and we've made almost no progress," Bunch said. "What I'm trying to accomplish is to start putting the foundation together." 'Erroneous information' The four tea party-backed candidates - Bunch, Bruce Rieser, Brian Boniface and John Anthony Brown - all have stressed planning. They also note that if The Woodlands were a municipality, it would have more power to counter the Montgomery County government on planned road projects. The Texas Patriots PAC has decried the Concerned Taxpayers' campaign. "The political elites are pushing erroneous information to scare the residents against voting for our candidates," said Bill O'Sullivan, the group's treasurer, in a statement. Bunch believes that the 2011 study was inaccurate, pointing to statements, printed in bold in the study document, that emphasize that it was not intended to be a tax rate study. "Essentially, they did a guesstimate," Bunch said. "For anybody to claim things as factual would be lying." Bunch said no one knows what the actual cost of incorporation would be, but he suspects that it might be less than anticipated. He said the study's projections don't reflect that The Woodlands now has a lower property tax rate and higher tax revenues. He also believes that, even as a city, The Woodlands might be able to contract out certain services and acquire existing facilities. 'We really don't know' Bass, the other incumbent seeking re-election this fall, believes the cost to incorporate may be even higher than what the study projected. Bass thinks that road maintenance could cost considerably more, and noted that the report did not factor in that The Woodlands may have less freedom with its hotel tax and economic development revenue than it does today. "We really don't know what the real number is," Bass said. "I don't think that a 70 percent (property tax rate increase) is unrealistic." A recent reassessment of the potential cost of incorporation by the township staff at Bunch's request found that, even accounting for the lower tax rate and higher revenues, incorporation could result in an 11.22-cent tax rate increase - a jump of nearly 50 percent. Don Norrell, president and general manager of The Woodlands, stressed that the staff report was not an official tax rate study either. Yet another study, commissioned as an update to the 2011 study by the recently formed Montgomery Harris County Business Alliance, found that immediate incorporation could raise the township's property tax rate by 85 percent, comparable to that of similarly sized cities. Tough, who was heavily involved in creating The Woodlands' current form of government, said the township should take its time. "I consider (The Woodlands Township) to be the perfect form of limited government," Tough said. "Why change? What's the rush? Why pay more for the same services?" Bunch, on the other hand, suggests holding public meetings in each of the villages, setting aside funds and pursuing legislation that can help make the transition easier. Said Bunch, "For people to say we have all this time, I think that lacks leadership." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WILLIS - Lots of folks in this northern Montgomery County town, particularly the elderly and disabled, need a reliable way to get to Conroe, 8 miles south. Residents regularly call 911 for ambulance service in non-emergency situations simply because they lack transportation, county officials say. Using a $40,000 United Way grant, the county developed a weekly bus shuttle service from Willis (pop. about 6,000) to Conroe (pop. about 63,000). The bus would drop passengers off at a Wal-Mart, where they could use Conroe's bus service to get to doctor's appointments, shopping or other destinations. To spread the word about the service, the county inserted leaflets into the utility bills of 2,500 residents. For four weeks in July, the bus made the circuit of four pickup points in Willis. Number of passengers: zero. The Willis bus service, which is being reviewed and restructured, is an effort to confront a small part of a broader problem: a lack of transit services in the Houston area. The Houston-Galveston Area Council is preparing to launch a comprehensive review of access to public transportation across the 13-county Houston region, according to Alan Clark, director of transportation planning. "We continue to hear that there are lots of unmet needs for transportation services, particularly with groups like the elderly, lower-income and younger persons as well, who don't have access to automobiles." says Clark. "Some communities are making investments in public transportation, but generally not the most rural areas." Of course, the region's biggest provider of public transportation is the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. But as its name indicates, it operates almost exclusively in Harris County, and even there, big gaps in service exist. Tomball and Pasadena are among the cities that opted out of participating in Metro and paying its 1-cent sales tax. Around the area, levels of service are wildly uneven. Ridership on the Conroe Connection, which operates a fixed-route weekday bus service and a paratransit system for disabled passengers, has grown steadily since its January 2015 launch. Just 67 passengers rode the buses in its first month of operation, said Shawn Johnson, who heads the program. Last month, 2,929 passengers boarded fixed-route buses while 244 used the paratransit service. Intensive public education and communication are essential when public transportation is introduced, Johnson says. For many suburban and rural residents, Johnson added, "It's very new to their community. It's sort of a leap of faith." Pasadena, a city with more than twice as many residents as Conroe, has no public bus service. Pasadena opts out Harris County Transit offers a handful of routes in Baytown, LaPorte, Highlands and Crosby - but Pasadena, the county's second-largest city, is conspicuously absent. The county agency provided service in Pasadena from 2010 to 2012, but the city's leaders "decided they didn't want to participate," said David Jones, Harris County Transit's assistant director. Despite public pleas from residents who said they relied on the service, Mayor Johnny Isbell said ridership was too low to justify the $150,000 annual contract. In Willis, the lack of participation in the weekly Conroe service was puzzling to De'Andre Guin Sr., the county's mobility manager, who is convinced there's a need. After the false start in July, he suspended the program to get more public input and make any needed changes in the schedule, pickup and dropoff points or other logistics. Guin scheduled a public meeting last Friday at a Willis apartment complex. Two members of the public (not counting me) showed up: James Van Winkle and his wife Mary, advocates for the disabled. (Of course, as Guin acknowledged, people who wanted to attend the meeting may have had no way to get there.) Seeking input Guin theorized that some potential riders may have been apprehensive because if they left at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. and didn't return until late afternoon, that would make for a long day for someone who is elderly or in poor health. He plans to distribute surveys and speak to residents at a popular Willis grocery store to get input to retool the service. If Guin makes this small program a success, it will become one more piece in a hodgepodge of options for people who don't have regular access to an automobile. Perhaps the Houston-Galveston Area Council's study will lay the groundwork for more widespread and equitable service, and persuade leaders in unserved municipal areas that their residents are not somehow immune to the advantages of public transit. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A 911 operator charged with hanging up on emergency callers because she didn't want to talk to them appears to have disconnected at least 825 calls over a five-month period, authorities said Monday. Some callers were trying to report serious emergencies, and at least one involved an armed robbery that ended with a fatal shooting. The revelations could bring additional charges against Crenshanda Williams, 43, who appeared in court Monday on two criminal misdemeanor charges of interfering with an emergency telephone call. Williams, who can be heard saying, "Ain't nobody got time for this," while hanging up on one caller, told Houston police she hung up because "she did not want to talk to anyone at that time," according to a criminal complaint filed in court. One call Williams apparently ended prematurely was from a caller trying to report a violent robbery. In another, a caller dialed 911 concerned about two drivers racing in an area on Interstate 45 where people had been killed speeding just weeks earlier. Prosecutor Claire Morneau, with the Harris County District Attorney's Office's public integrity unit, said investigators reviewed 1,000 cases and found 825 calls in which Williams hung up and the caller had to try again. Jeff McShan, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, said state law does not allow prosecutors to charge Williams with a felony, even with hundreds of potential criminal violations. "Our Public Integrity (Unit) spent weeks on this case reviewing hundreds of thousands of documents," McShan said in an email. "She could face more misdemeanor charges, should we identify and find more victims." Williams appeared in court Monday but declined to speak to reporters. Her attorney, Abel Izaguirre, also declined to comment. She was indefinitely suspended in August and no longer works for the Houston Emergency Center. A supervisor and manager who oversaw Williams have been placed on one year of internal probation, officials said. 'This is an anomaly' The breakdown stunned emergency responders and 911 experts. "Never have we seen this type of incident," said Joe Laud, HEC's administration manager. "This is an anomaly; it doesn't happen on a regular basis." The center - which opened in 2003 after the city consolidated 911 calls for the police, fire, and emergency management services - handles millions of calls annually, and about 9,000 a day, Laud said. About one-third are true emergencies, he said. Williams' alleged misdeeds came to light after HEC officials performing routine monthly audits of 911 calls noticed a high volume of Williams' calls lasted less than 20 seconds, he said. The investigation prompted HEC officials to review procedures at the facility, Laud said. "Now, we are specifically targeting call takers that have what we call short calls, that may show some sort of significance," he said. "Because we are definitely making all efforts to avoid this same situation (again)." "This is just a very significant event," he said. "And we feel that her actions do not represent all the call takers in this facility or call takers in general. They have a very specific interest in doing a great job in providing emergency response to people." Began working in 2014 State records show Williams began working as a call taker in July 2014. She had received about 378 hours of training. Dispatchers in other states have faced punishment for similar behavior in recent years. Officials in New Mexico last year revoked the license of a dispatcher who hung up on a caller trying to help a shooting victim. In Chicago, a dispatcher also faced scrutiny after hanging up on a teenager who called police, claiming his life was being threatened, and who police then shot and killed when they arrived at his house. The scandal nevertheless baffled 911 experts. "When I heard about it, I was stunned, because, the frequency of that happening, I don't know of any situation like that in the past," said Brian Fontes, chief executive at the National Emergency Number Association, a professional organization that sets standards for emergency call centers across the country. "There's been issues, I'm sure, with 911 telecommunicators either not responding correctly or may have misdirected the routing of the responders, but I've never heard of a situation where 911 telecommunicators hung up on a 911 call. I've just never heard of that." Three years ago, after Jonathen Santellana visited a friend's northwest Houston apartment, an off-duty Grimes County officer working as a "courtesy officer" followed the teen as he drove off and shot him in the back and head. His parents, Joey Santellana and Roxana Harrison, along with civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen, on Monday delivered what they described as new evidence to several Harris County grand juries in hopes one would consider indicting the police officer without the involvement of the Harris County district attorney's office. It is the first time citizens have taken a case to a grand jury in many years, said Kallinen, who represents the Santellana family. The district attorney's office could not be reached for comment late Monday. In August 2014, a Harris County grand jury cleared the officer, Rey Garza, of all charges. At least one lawsuit is pending regarding the incident, a federal civil rights suit. The family said the last three years have been hard and emotional without their son, but they still continue to seek justice for his death. Joey Santellana believes if his son had not been shot by a police officer, the case might have turned out differently. "Sometimes I wish that it just had been any regular person on the street," Joey Santellana said Monday during a press conference at the Harris County Courthouse. Kallinen hopes the case brings justice for the family but also continues a conversation about the lack of police officers indicted for shooting deaths. The district attorney's office has not charged a police officer in a shooting death in the 220 deaths from December 2003 to July 2016, according to Kallinen. Dispute over evidence A Houston Chronicle investigation found that Harris County grand juries cleared all police officers involved in shootings from 2008 to 2012. Kallinen said the family decided to go directly to a grand jury in order to bypass any influence from the district attorney's office. "The district attorney's office really doesn't in our opinion go after officers who engage in excessive force, especially not when they shoot and kill someone," Kallinen said. Santellana, 17, was shot in November 2013 by an off-duty officer from Grimes County, Rey Garza, who had been working as a "courtesy officer" at Villages of Copperfield apartments off Point Park Drive. The teen was visiting a friend at the apartments when Garza became suspicious and approached him. Santellana's friend, who was waiting in a car, testified that she told Santellana she thought they were being car-jacked. Santellana attempted to drive away from Garza, but the officer began firing shots and killed the teenager. "People in Harris County are getting tired of law enforcement always getting breaks that the average person can't get," Kallinen said. Garza contended that Santellana's car door scraped his, which caused him to fear for his life, according to Kallinen. However, Kallinen claims no photographic evidence was submitted of the door scrape. "We have an expert witness who looked at the damage to Jonathen's car and said there's no evidence that Jonathen's car had scraped Rey Garza's car, " the attorney said. Eyewitness' account The expert witness testimony is part of the new evidence submitted, along with testimony of another eyewitness of the scene who never testified before a grand jury. The eyewitness' account of events directly disputes Garza's account that he feared for his life. According to Kallinen, the witness stated that Garza was away from the car when the shooting occurred, so he couldn't have been in danger. "Why would you not bring the No. 1 witness to the stand (and) have the grand jury hear it, unless you didn't want the grand jury to hear it," Kallinen said. The grand juries have until Nov. 13 to decide whether to indict the officer before the statute of limitations runs out on the case. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Houston man who pledged his allegiance to ISIS and plotted to detonate homemade bombs in local shopping malls pleaded guilty Monday to a terrorism-related charge. Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, a 24-year-old father, stockpiled circuitry components, wireless remotes and other bomb-making implements in his west Houston apartment, according to court documents. "I want to blow myself up. I want to travel with the Mujahideen," he once said, according to prior courtroom testimony. "I want to travel to be with those who are against America. I am against America." A prayer list for committing jihad and becoming a martyr was found among his belongings, as was an ISIS flag, according to a news release issued by U.S. Attorney Ken Magidson. Al Hardan pleaded guilty on one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS. He had been facing two other charges for allegedly lying during the application process for U.S. citizenship. His lawyer, David Adler, could not be reached Monday for comment. The case against Al Hardan - and an unrelated terrorism charge also filed in federal court in Houston - is part of a wide-ranging effort by law enforcement across the country to root out homegrown terrorists before they carry out their violent plans. Menacing posts Al Hardan's plea brings the number of federal convictions nationwide involving ISIS to 54, according to Seamus Hughes, a counterterrorism expert who tracks ISIS cases at the Project on Extremism at George Washington University. The government is investigating terrorism cases in all 50 states, and has filed 107 related to ISIS since 2011. Al Hardan originally entered the country in 2009 as a refugee from Iraq. He gained legal permanent residence in 2011 and settled in the Houston area. Authorities began investigating him in April 2014, looking at his communications with other suspected terrorists and monitoring his menacing social media posts. "I will make a widow of you," he told his wife in a call intercepted by authorities. "You will get a phone call with news of my death." He exchanged communications with an unidentified man in Sacramento, Calif., who wanted to return to Syria with Al Hardan to fight for the Nusra Front, an al-Qaida affiliate, according to the plea agreement. In November 2014, according to the plea agreement, Al Hardan took an oath of loyalty to ISIS. Two days later, he took his AK-47 and went to an hour-long tactical training outside Houston. Faces up to 20 years When federal authorities finally collared him in January, investigators found training CDs for building remote detonators, multiple cell phones, the prayer list and the ISIS flag. Al Hardan will stay in custody until his January sentencing hearing, prosecutors said. He is facing up to 20 years in federal prison. Prosecutors agreed as part of the plea agreement not to seek a fine of up to $250,000. Also facing charges in Houston is Asher Abid Khan, 22, of Spring, who is accused of trying to join jihadis in Syria. He is set to stand trial in December. Chaos and confusion struck Memorial residents last May after a gunman embarked on a 55-minute shooting rampage, killing two and injuring a number of others. Similar mayhem unfolded in September when another gunman indiscriminately opened fire in southwest Houston during a morning commute, injuring nine. These incidents collectively shook Houston residents' sense of safety. The solution for this unease, in part, lies in prayer, said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner at a news conference Monday announcing the Houston Police Officer Union's "Let's Pray Texas" initiative. The effort seeks to bring police officers and the community closer through prayer. "We're living in a time where people in our community, they are clamoring, they are asking, for greater protection," Turner said. "Let's pray for law enforcement." The initiative, which includes law enforcement participants from across the state, follows last year's HPOU "Pray for Police" campaign, which similarly sought to support police through prayer. A 24-hour prayer event open to the public begins at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the HPOU headquarters on 1600 State St. At 1 p.m. Wednesday, the event will move to City Hall for a public prayer with the mayor and City Council members. "This isn't just for people who love or support law enforcement. This is even for those who don't like our practices, don't like our policies," said Douglas Griffith, vice president of HPOU. "If you want to affect real change you better get on a knee and pray for us. That's the only way change is going to happen." Griffith said Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pledged to pray for police remotely from their respective locations at 1 p.m. Wednesday as well. The change sought by the effort is greater unity between law enforcement personnel and the communities they serve, Griffith said. In addition to Turner, a number of other city officials attended the event, including Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson, Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman and City Councilman Jack Christie. "What we're looking for is that direct connection between the community and law enforcement so that we can all work together for a harmonious society," Hickman said following the event. Wristbands reading "Pray for Police" and "Let's Pray Texas" will also be handed out as part of the effort, and KSBJ, a Houston-area Christian radio station, will broadcast from HPOU on Wednesday. "I believe this city is special, and I believe it is because of the leadership of this city that stands on the belief that the good Lord is watching over us," Griffith said. Mystery surrounds a shooting late Monday night after a a wounded man staggered into a Starbucks asking for help in northwest Houston. The incident happened about 11:30 p.m. on Ella near 43rd Street, said Lt. Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department. AUSTIN Texas education officials have dismissed a complaint against the state's largest charter school network after determining two major charges leveled against it by the Turkish government were baseless. The decision by the Texas Education Agency to dismiss allegations that the school favored Turkish vendors and wasted taxpayer money is the latest development in an international spat that connects Houston-based Harmony Public Schools with a key figure allegedly tied to instigating a political uprising in Turkey. "The flagrant lies spread by these foreign agents are unconscionable," said Robert Schulman, a lawyer representing Harmony Public Schools. "That a foreign country would attack a U.S. public school system and waste taxpayers' dollars by requesting a state review of 42 pages of phony accusations is simply wrong." The Republic of Turkey, through Washington-based Amsterdam and Partners LLP, filed a complaint in May alleging the 32,000-student charter school network engaged in employment discrimination, self-dealing and misused public funds. The TEA took up two of the allegations it said it had jurisdiction over and announced Friday to the parties that the allegations were unfounded. Robert Amsterdam, a registered foreign agent representing the Republic of Turkey, said the TEA's decision is "politically convenient" for Fethullah Gulen, an expatriate Muslim cleric living in Pennsylvania. The Turkish government, run by former political ally President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, believes Gulen masterminded a coup this summer to take over the country and is asking the United States government to extradite him to Turkey. Amsterdam alleges operators of Harmony Public Schools are Gulen followers who funnel money to his cause. "Knowing the Gulenists, they will undoubtedly attempt to portray this whitewash as a victory. But the fact is that there are many areas that TEA did not address, and we intend to request other state agencies and public officials to scrutinize Harmony's activity," Amsterdam said. Two allegations The two allegations reviewed by the state include: one that accused Harmony of violating state law by favoring Turkish vendors in violation of open and competitive bidding laws. The other charged that the charter school illegally guaranteed a $7 million bond debt to a Turkish charter school network in Arkansas. The TEA's Special Investigations Unit found a minority of vendors working with the school were registered to people with Turkish surnames and the Harris County Department of Education provided oversight over the procurement process. It also found the bond debt guaranteed to Arkansas came from gifts, bequests and miscellaneous local revenue, not state funds, according to the TEA. Brenda Meyers, director of the Special Investigations Unit, concluded the complaint "does not warrant a TEA investigation." The complaint is now closed, according to TEA spokeswoman Lauren Callahan. Amsterdam said he plans to continue criticizing the charter school network, namely by approaching other state officials. He said the TEA failed to investigate his other allegations, such as favoring Turkish males in hiring decisions, abusing the H-1B visa program to bring Turkish nationals to the state to teach and discriminating against students with disabilities. Officials at Harmony Public Schools argue the Turkish government is on a political witch hunt. The claim rehashes old criticisms of the school that have either been debunked or addressed. "Unfortunately, we expect these unwarranted attacks to continue, but we are heartened by the enormous support we continue to receive from our alumni, parents, and community and state leaders as we defend the integrity of our public school system," said Peggy England, a spokeswoman for Harmony Public Schools. Paid by Turkey Amsterdam is paid at least $50,000 a month to investigate schools with alleged links to Gulen. He began sparing with Harmony last November when he filed a 90-part open records request that included documents on every employee and communication Harmony had with state and federal agencies. The school denied the request, arguing it would cost $690,000 to fetch and review the documents. "We've only just begun," Amsterdam said. A top State Department official tried to pressure the FBI to change its determination that at least one of the emails on Hillary Clinton's private server contained classified content, prompting discussion of a possible trade to resolve the issue, two FBI employees told colleagues investigating her use of a private server last year. One FBI official conceded that he told the State Department employee he would "look into" changing the classification of a Clinton email if the official would lend his authority to an FBI request to increase its personnel in Iraq, according to documents released by the bureau Monday. Another bureau official described the arrangement as a "quid pro quo" and said he believed that the State Department official, Undersecretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy, was interested in "minimizing the classified nature of the Clinton emails in order to protect State interests and those of Clinton," the documents say. No tangible swap ever came to pass. The email was classified in accordance with the FBI's original wishes, and the bureau was not given any additional personnel in Iraq. Both the FBI and the State Department denied that a quid pro quo ever existed. Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state has dogged the Democratic presidential nominee's campaign and has proved to be an issue that resonates with voters. The new documents could add to perceptions among voters that Clinton is not trustworthy, and they come with the final presidential debate just days away and the election just weeks away. The revelation of possible backroom dealing was immediately seized on by her critics. Trump: 'It's unbelievable' In a video statement posted to his Twitter page Monday, Republican nominee Donald Trump said: "This is very big, and frankly, it's unbelievable. What was just found out is that the Department of Justice, the State Department, and the FBI colluded, got together, to make Hillary Clinton look less guilty, and look a lot better than she looks. This is one of the big breaking stories of our time, in my opinion. This shows corruption at the highest level, and we can't let it happen as American citizens." Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said in a written statement: "It is well known that there was strong disagreement among various government agencies about the decisions to retroactively classify certain material in emails sent to Secretary Clinton. Agencies that took issue with this overclassification did so based on their own beliefs, and we were not part of these disagreements that played out inside the government." The FBI said in a statement that it had referred the matter to the "appropriate officials for review." The agency did not respond to a message seeking comment on who those officials are. The official at the center of the matter - who is not named in the documents - has since retired, the bureau said. The FBI and the Justice Department declined to bring charges against Clinton for mishandling classified information while she was secretary of state, and FBI Director James Comey has repeatedly and forcefully defended that decision. He also has pushed the bureau to be unusually transparent in showing the public how the probe was handled, testifying personally before Congress for hours and releasing hundreds of pages of documents publicly. Official in records division The documents released Monday include more than three dozen interview summaries with technology company employees, FBI agents and even Diplomatic Security officers who worked with Clinton. The allegation of a "quid pro quo" - first reported over the weekend by the Weekly Standard - came from an official in the FBI's records management division, who was relaying an interaction between a colleague in the international operations division and Kennedy. According to a summary of his interview, the international operations division official had been trying to reach Kennedy on an unrelated matter for some months, and Kennedy called back wanting to talk about Clinton's emails. Kennedy, the official told investigators, said he wanted to change the classification of a Clinton email that was causing problems. The State Department was reviewing the emails for release under the Freedom of Information Act. It had submitted some emails - all which were marked unclassified - for the FBI to review, and the FBI determined that at least one appeared as if it contained classified information. Not knowing the email's content, the international operations division official said that he would "look into the email matter if Kennedy would provide authority concerning the FBI's request to increase its personnel in Iraq," according to a summary of his interview. The official seems to have called his colleague in the records management division. That official told investigators that his colleague in international operations claimed he had been "pressured" by Kennedy to change the email to unclassified in exchange for a "quid pro quo." It is unclear who first broached the purported deal. The international operations division official eventually called Kennedy back and told him he could not change the classification of the email, which was related to the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. The third presidential debate, scheduled for Wednesday, might seem like a rerun. Chris Wallace, the moderator and an anchor for Fox News, has chosen topics familiar from previous debates, including debt, immigration, foreign affairs, the economy and the Supreme Court. Notably missing is any mention of climate change, which was also almost ignored in the earlier debates. The fate of the planet has come up only in a single question asked by a member of the audience at the second debate, Ken Bone, who received more attention for his red sweater than for the fact that he works for a coal-fired power plant. Michael D. McCurry, a chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates, said the moderator and the candidates, not the commission, set the questions. Irena Briganti, a spokeswoman for Fox News, referred questions back to the commission. Neither of the presidential campaigns responded to requests for comment. This lack of attention might lead some observers to conclude that Americans are unconcerned about climate change, but some surveys tell another story. Most Americans say they are interested in climate change, but they just do not hear much about it. In some ways, this presidential election cycle has brought climate change closer to the forefront than any previous election, and the two campaigns could not provide a more stark contrast. Hillary Clinton has a published on her website a detailed plan for dealing with climate and energy issues, and the topic was given prominence at the Democratic National Convention, which included a short film by the director James Cameron. Last week, former vice president and climate crusader Al Gore joined Clinton for a rally in Miami, where they spoke of a warming planet and its possible effect on storms like Hurricane Matthew, which had just scraped the Florida coast on its way to cause devastating flooding in North Carolina. "I can't wait to have Al Gore advising me when I am the president," she told the cheering crowd. But some of her positions, particularly her acceptance of natural gas as a "bridge" fuel from coal-burning power plants to renewable energy, are troubling to some in the environmental movement. Many ardent environmentalists argue that all fossil fuel extraction and use must stop immediately, a contingent that would love to ban fracking, and whose philosophy is expressed in the Twitter hashtag .KeepItInTheGround. Donald Trump, going further than any previous presidential nominee, has said tat climate change is a hoax. He has pledged to undo the Obama administration's climate initiatives, including the Paris climate agreement and the administration's Clean Power Plan, which would require power plants to clean up their emissions. Trump has also vowed to expand fossil-fuel exploration. Yet the topic still seems oddly distant, and not just because scandal and calumny have overshadowed so many other issues. Despite the passion of activists and the issue's undeniable importance - President Barack Obama has said that "no challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change" - no broad public fervor for the topic has emerged. According to a survey from the Yale Program on Climate Communication, 61 percent of Americans say climate change is at least somewhat important to them personally. Yet the Yale study also found that more than half of those who say they are interested in global warming or think it's important "rarely" or "never" talk about the issue with family and friends. In a different study, the Yale group found that just a third of Americans called protecting the environment and developing clean energy very or extremely important in their vote. Among registered voters, party affiliation seems to determine how much they care about climate change. According to a report from the Pew Research Center, 56 percent of registered voters who support Clinton say they care about climate change a great deal. Among those who support Trump, only 15 percent say the same. Anthony Leiserowitz, a research scientist at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences and the director of the climate change communication program there, referred to the lack of attention to the issue as an example of "the spiral of silence," a term borrowed from Elisabeth Noelle-Neuman, a German political scientist. "When nobody talks about the issue, the clear signal is that this isn't very important," Leiserowitz said. "Ultimately, it comes down to one of the most precious resources on the planet, human attention." So, Stan Stanart is a crook? Take Donald Trump seriously when he's raving about rigged elections, and that's the only conclusion you can draw. County clerks administer elections in Texas, so Stanart, Harris County's clerk, must surely be a devious and dishonest political hack out to stuff the ballot boxes and manipulate the system for his own nefarious ends. Of course, the idea that Stanart, a stalwart Republican, is dishonest is patently absurd - as absurd as Trump's claims that the only way he can lose is for the election to be stolen. Even Trump's own running mate is pushing back against the man's cynical assertions. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that he and Trump would "absolutely accept the result of the election." House Speaker Paul Ryan also repudiated Trump. In Texas, the entire voting process is managed and supervised by each of the 254 counties. That means it would be "nearly impossible" to execute fraud on a statewide level, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Carlos Cascos told the Chronicle. Such accusations are unprecedented in modern American politics and sound like they belong in some Latin American country still working out kinks in its own democratic system, said Mark Jones, a Rice University political scientist who studies both American politics and the politics of Argentina. "It plays to the worst fears of many voters," he told the Chronicle. "The system anticipates human beings run the election and make mistakes and there is some dishonesty. The system provides multiple levels of visibility and protection against those types of occurrences," said Chris Ashby, a Republican lawyer in Washington, D.C., who specializes in election law. "In order for an entire election to be rigged you would have to have the participation of so many people across so many polling places who represent both political parties and no parties at all," he told the Chronicle. Normally, we would shake our heads and laugh off Trump's comments about rigged elections as yet another outrageous remark underscoring his disconnect with reality. But millions of our fellow Americans believe his every word, and when he calls into question the integrity of the electoral system - and our trust in each other - he's chewing away, termite-like, at the essence of our democracy. Democracies depend on the losing party accepting, however grudgingly, the results at the polls and peacefully stepping aside for the winner. Americans have a special obligation this fall: They need to participate in the process by voting. They must reject the dangerous ravings of a man who is a threat to the Republic. The health and integrity of the body politic depends on the nation turning away from his wild-eyed assertions. DAVID KARP/STR No one has been held accountable for his horrible death. He was at work on Sept. 11, 2001, at a job he loved. He had a meeting and told me he was going up to the 100th floor of 1 World Trade Center at 10 a.m. to listen to his colleague Mark give his first wrap-up meeting. He hired Mark upon graduation, fresh out of the U.S. Naval Academy. Mark also perished on 9/11. His wife never received any remains. His two tiny children clinging to their mother and Mark's mother walking back from a memorial service with the American flag pressed to her heart, sobbing, is my last memory of this family. Broken, like the rest of us. Is there anyone reading this who has had a loved one brutally murdered? Were you able to find out who stole your loved one's future? Were you told it was more important to protect the murderer? How many times did you have to call the medical examiner and ask if any more body parts had been identified? Could you find the right words to tell your children that their father or mother or sister or brother or their best friend had been burned to death, that there would only be bone fragments left identifiable - if you were lucky? The Houston City Council approved paperwork Monday to fund its bus system during a meeting Monday night. The total cost of the outlay is $193,660. Federal funds administered by the Missouri Department of Transportation provides $118,016. The balance $75,644 comes from the citys general funds. City Administrator Larry Sutton said the city also hopes to gain approval to obtain a new bus under the program. The city rotates using two buses. If successful, the citys share would be 20 percent of the cost of the vehicle. About 1,500 riders use the system monthly. (The citys bus service is highlighted in a special news section on senior citizens today on Page S3). In other matters, members: Agreed to review a recently passed ordinance that uses a software package to track items bought at pawn shops. Police can check the database when crimes occur. Acknowledged a thank you from Houstons Imagination Library, which provides a free book monthly to pre-school children in the Houston School District. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Horst Schulze was the founding president and COO of Ritz-Carlton and currently serves as the CEO of Capella Hotel Group. He revolutionized the hotel industry, creating one of the most recognizable international brands, forever changing the definition of great customer service. In doing so, he created an environment where patrons willingly paid 2-3x more for a hotel room because the experience was so superior. His definition of great customer service is straight forward and simple at the core. According to Schulze, great customer service is: A product or service without defect Delivered on-time With a smile Not only did he define it, he built and empowered a team of leaders and associates to execute against it. Fundamentally, building a superior recruitment function requires the same philosophy. Create a vision and get your leaders on board Keeping in mind the Ritz-Carlton model, you should begin with the fact Schulze was a part of an executive team which was committed to a singular vision of creating a premium brand within their industry. If you want to build out a world-class talent acquisition function, at the end of a day you should be working with an organization which actually values talent, seeing it as a true differentiator. Many are quick to say they believe talent is critical to their success as a company, but simply do not commit the energy and resources to actually back it up. Ritz-Carlton backs up their commitm... By now, it's obvious that not one "nude" fits all skin tones. Now, one Muslim blogger is taking this concept and applying it to a wardrobe staple in her community: the hijab. Advertisement A photo posted by HABIBA DA SILVA (@habibadasilva) on Oct 15, 2016 at 4:46am PDT Launched by Habiba Da Silva, "Skin" features a range of nude-coloured hijabs for both women and men. The line currently consists of four shades, with each name playing on the theme of marriage. "The word, marriage, is all about bringing entities together," the 22-year-old Birmingham, U.K.-based blogger explained on her website. "This is what SKIN is about. For EVERYONE." A photo posted by HABIBA DA SILVA (@habibadasilva) on Oct 15, 2016 at 9:27am PDT Advertisement Da Silva, who is of Lebanese and Brazilian heritage, said the collection and campaign is inspired firstly by her "passion for cultures and traditions" and "secondly to break up the trend of having brands with clothing dressed on only lighter skinned models." "I wanted to do something where everybody was [included] and I wanted to showcase different people together," she told Buzzfeed News. As Refinery 29 notes, the headscarves received criticism for their fairly-steep prices (they cost roughly C$32), however, they are made from a fine cotton and are non-slippery, meaning they can be worn without pins. "I have put so much [investment] and effort intothis. I literally cant go anywhere else with the price," Da Silva told Buzzfeed News. Advertisement But considering the hijabs are already sold out, we think it's safe to say they're a success. Follow Huffington Post Canada Style on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter! Also on HuffPost The Liberal governments transgender rights bill is one step closer to law and has won the support of several Conservative leadership contenders. Bill C-16, which would make it illegal under the Canadian Human Rights Act to discriminate on the basis of gender identity or expression, easily passed second reading in the House of Commons Tuesday by a vote of 248 to 40. Advertisement New Democrats, Bloc MPs, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May all joined with their Liberal colleagues in voting for the bill. NDP MP Randall Garrison received some special applause in the House. His private members bill on transgender rights was gutted by the Tory-dominated Senate last year and had died after a federal election was called. But 38 Tory MPs also backed the bill, including interim leader Rona Ambrose. Three official candidates to replace former prime minister Stephen Harper as Tory leader Ontario MP Michael Chong, Quebec MP Maxime Bernier, and Alberta MP Deepak Obhrai stood in support of the bill. Ontario MP Lisa Raitt and Quebec MP Steven Blaney, who are both expected to jump into the race, also voted in favour. Advertisement Tory MP Michael Chong speaks during question period in the House of Commons on April 7, 2014. (Photo: Fred Chartrand/CP) Two official Conservative leadership hopefuls from Saskatchewan Andrew Scheer and Brad Trost voted against the proposed legislation. Chong, Obhrai, and Raitt also supported Garrisons bill in 2013, while Trost and Bernier did not. Blaney and Scheer who was then serving as House Speaker did not vote. Trost wanted to speak out on bill Trost told iPolitics Tuesday that he wanted to deliver a statement in the House in opposition to C-16, but was denied by his party. Advertisement But Trost did speak at a debate earlier in the day, calling the bill a big government solution for a problem that does not exist. He said he could not support the bill as a social conservative and argued while Tories do not condone discrimination, the bill would do exactly that against people who want to support more traditional values. On social media this week, however, Trost struck a more aggressive tone by charging C-16 would somehow endanger children in public washrooms. This week C-16 will be debated in the House of Commons, ask your MP why they will or will not be supporting it #cpcldr#canpolipic.twitter.com/s1jnpHZz2v Brad Trost (@BradTrostCPC) October 14, 2016 Critics of Garrisons trans rights bill similarly tried to deride the legislation as a bathroom bill that would let pedophiles lurk in public washrooms or change rooms. Those arguments were dismissed by New Democrats and Liberals as transphobic. Advertisement On Tuesday, Garrison told the House concerns about trans Canadians using public washrooms represent the very transphobia the bill seeks to address. We all know that in the real world, the only ones at risk in bathrooms are trans people who are almost always perceived to be in the wrong place, he said. Debate on C-16: @r_garrison, original sponsor of trans rights bill, responds to concerns: "The only ones at risk in bathrooms are trans ppl" pic.twitter.com/mEUuhGtLmG CPAC (@CPAC_TV) October 18, 2016 And it appears Canadians are on board with the changes. A poll from Angus Reid Institute, released last month, found Canadians overwhelmingly support the legislation. If passed, the bill would also update the Criminal Code to extend hate speech laws to include gender identity and expression. Advertisement C-16 is now headed to justice committee for further study. With files from The Canadian Press Also on HuffPost Malawi chief Theresa Kachindamoto has her priorities straight. In the past 13 years, shes used her position of authority over 900,000 people to fight for women and girls rights. One of her most kickass accomplishments was annulling more than 850 child marriages over the past three years in the Dedza District. After seeing girls as young as 12 walking around with babies, Kachindamoto decided to put an end to these unions. Advertisement I told them: Whether you like it or not, I want these marriages to be terminated, the Chief explained to news outlet Al Jazeera. Theresa Kachindamoto. Inkosi of the Dedza District in Malawi. She put an end to child marriages in her region & sent the girls to school. pic.twitter.com/m3CVxlOSfU Betty. (@bettyish) October 16, 2016 Malawi has one of the highest rates of child marriages in the world, ranking at number eight out of 20 on a 2012 United Nations survey. Last year, Malawi banned children from marrying before the age of 18. However, according to Al Jazeera, children could still be married with their parents consent under certain customary laws. Advertisement In order to make change in her district, Kachindamoto got 50 sub-chiefs to sign an agreement to annul any existing child marriages and ban future ones. When four chiefs refused to honour the agreement, she suspended them until they annulled all the marriages in the Dedza District. Following this, Kachindamoto used her own money to send the children back to school. I dont want youthful marriages, she told UN Women. They must go to school no child should be found loitering at home or doing household chores during school time. Kachindamoto stressed that Malawian children today have more opportunity than they had in the past, which is why education is so important. The Chief has now created a network of parents to ensure that these girls stay in school. I tell them: if you educate your girls you will have everything in the future, she told the UN. Also on HuffPost Photos Of Girls Going To School Around The World See Gallery Some parents think Montessori schools were created specifically for gifted children, but this simply isnt true. In fact, youd be surprised to learn how these schools really got their start. Montessori is the name of the learning method created by Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician-turned-educator. While working with children with disabilities, Dr. Montessori used scientific observations to study their learning processes and develop a learning plan. Her intent was to create an education that would help children of all abilities reach their full potential. Advertisement Maria Montessori (1870-1952), an Italian physician and educationist, born in Rome. The first Montessori school, Casa dei Bambini, was then opened in 1907 in the slums of Rome. Since the school was part of an urban renewal project, the first class was comprised of students, aged three to six, who were all from illiterate families. The school soon became a huge success. According to the Montessori Society of Canada, in less than a year, 50 students became self-disciplined, independent learners. As a result, they became known as Dr. Montessori's Miracle Children. Due to the schools success, additional Montessoris were opened in Rome and Milan, before eventually spreading throughout Europe and around the world. Advertisement This is a partial view of a class in one of Maria Montessori's "works," or kindergartens, seen Aug. 26, 1970. Montessori education differs from traditional education in a few ways. Not only does the class include a range of ages, but it also focuses on letting children learn independently and at their own pace. There is less instruction by the teacher as well, and students are also free to pursue topics that are of interest to them. We see it as an individualized approach to education from toddlers to high school, Katherine Poyntz, executive director of the Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators (CCMA), told the Globe and Mail in 2013. Its sort of a buzzword in education now, but this is an approach that encourages curiosity and leads children to ask questions and think for themselves, and thats central to Montessori. ALSO ON HUFFPOST: We've all been locked out. It sucks. But there are a number of options. You can call whoever else lives with you to get them to drop off their keys. You can call a locksmith to get them to cut you a new one. Heck, you can go to McDonald's for an hour or so until the locksmith gets there. One Tucson, Ariz. man saw only one solution. After locking his keys inside his house on Sunday, he climbed down his chimney. Advertisement Of course, he got stuck. For up to four hours. Firefighters were called to the scene after a neighbour heard the man yelling, the Tucson Fire Department wrote on Facebook. The 26-year-old's feet were touching his house's floor, but he was stuck because the chimney narrowed near the bottom, the fire department wrote. Firefighters lowered a rope down to him, and then carefully pulled him out with their hands. Advertisement He was evaluated by paramedics at the scene, but wasn't injured, according to fire officials. We know what you're thinking. Who would ever think this was a smart idea? Several other people in Arizona, apparently. The Arizona Republic reports that firefighters in Phoenix and Tucson have rescued at least three other people from chimneys since February 2015, including a boy who apparently slipped and fell into it while playing. A man in Carroll, Iowa, took it a step further back in May when he was rescued from a chimney, while naked, according to the Daily Times Herald. Jordan Kajewski claimed he had been playing hide and seek. Also on HuffPost More than three in five Canadians say companies should be allowed to administer random drug tests to employees when marijuana is legalized, a new poll finds. The poll from Insights West found 62 per cent of respondents would support drug-testing policies. That number rises to 70 per cent among those aged 55 and over, and 71 per cent among those who voted Conservative in the last election. Advertisement A larger majority 84 per cent back giving police the right to arrest someone suspected of driving on drugs, in order to administer a urine test. There are few laws governing drug testing in Canada, but unlike in the U.S. courts over the years have restricted when and how employers can drug-test employees. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2013 that random drug testing in the workplace violates a workers right to dignity and privacy, but allowed some exceptions. Advertisement It said companies can drug-test when: There is reason to believe an employee was impaired at work An employee was involved in an accident An employee returns to work after substance abuse treatment. Oil giant Suncor earlier this year won a round in its battle to drug-test employees, when a Court of Queens Bench judge overturned an earlier ruling that random drug-testing violated the rights of the company's employees. Suncor had argued it was struggling with widespread substance abuse problems, presenting evidence of 2,276 security incidents related to drugs and alcohol between 2004 and 2013. No big spike in demand if pot legalized The poll has good news for those worried that legalization will turn Canada into a nation of potheads. Fewer than one in 10 respondents (nine per cent) said they were very likely or somewhat likely to try marijuana if it were legalized. Advertisement As the National Post notes, it seems Liberal voters are the most likely to get high after legalization, with 16 per cent saying they were somewhat or very likely to try weed after legalization, compared to just three per cent of Conservative voters and two per cent of NDP voters. Weed in liquor stores? No, thanks The Insights West poll also found Canadians largely oppose the idea of using provincially regulated liquor stores to sell marijuana, an idea Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, among others, had floated. Only 16 per cent said they would support marijuana sales where they buy their booze. Among all respondents, 36 per cent said they would rather see standalone stores sell the bud (in essence, legalizing the pot dispensaries that have sprung up across the country). Meanwhile, 29 per cent said they would like to see marijuana sold in pharmacies. Thats a move that drug retailers themselves would like to see. Both the Canadian Pharmacists Association and Loblaw Co. president Galen Weston have argued for pharmacy sales of weed. (Loblaw owns Shoppers Drug Mart.) Advertisement The survey was carried out online between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4, 2016, and polled 1,033 Canadian adults. It has a margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points. Also on HuffPost CP Human rights or security? In Canada and around the world the debate rages on; but it is an utterly false debate. We must, finally and firmly, reject the assumption and assertion that more of one necessarily leads to less of the other. There is no security without human rights. A few years ago I was in West Africa with an Amnesty International research team looking into a range of human rights violations associated with counter-terrorism laws and operations in Mauritania. The sister of an army officer who had "disappeared" while in prison summed up perfectly the absurdity of the notion that there is any sort of rights and security trade-off. As she told me, "if they truly want us to feel more secure, they should start by stopping violating our rights." Advertisement Allowing torture, discrimination or unfair trials as part of a counter-terrorism strategy creates more victims, fosters resentment and deepens divisions. This week the federal government's review of Canada's national security framework has begun in earnest. The House of Commons' Public Safety Committee is holding hearings in five cities from coast to coast. Ministers Goodale and Wilson-Raybould are holding a roundtable in Ottawa with civil society groups. Members of Parliament are conducting town-halls in their ridings. And Canadians in all corners of the country are being encouraged to take part in online consultations. Amnesty International has been researching, reporting and campaigning on the grim human rights toll of unjust national security practices around the world, including in Canada, for decades. We have highlighted that without security, human rights remain precarious. That is particularly so for individuals and communities who traditionally face greater levels of marginalization and inequality. Situations of insecurity are so very often used by governments as an excuse to target political opponents, ethnic and religious minorities, human right defenders, journalists, refugees, migrants and others. Advertisement At the same time we have demonstrated time after time that human rights violations stand to deepen insecurity. Allowing torture, discrimination or unfair trials as part of a counter-terrorism strategy creates more victims, fosters resentment and deepens divisions. There is no long-term security down that road. Give up a bit on rights in hopes of finding a bit more safety? Look around and all we see is a mountain of both injustice and insecurity that has resulted from decades of failed wars, laws and policies that have sacrificed rights in the name of security. Canada can chart a different course, and that can start now by making a clear choice to develop and adopt a human rights-based approach to national security. There are three main components. First, say that we mean it. Canada should unapologetically and unequivocally recognize regard for human rights as a foundational pillar to our national security framework. It is not an afterthought. It is where security begins. Second, show that we mean it. It is time to embed effective human rights safeguards in our national security framework. Advertisement That means explicit reference to national and international human rights provisions in laws such as the CSIS Act. It means incorporating binding obligations to prohibit discrimination, ban torture, ensure fair trials and protect privacy across the full range of Canada's national security laws. It has to involve expert, independent oversight of national security agencies, in addition to the committee of parliamentarians that has been proposed. There should also be regular reviews of the human rights impact of national security laws. Terrorism-related offences in Canadian law must robustly protect protest and free expression rights. And there has to be a true commitment to providing redress to individuals who have experienced national security related human rights violations. Top of that list would be compensation and apologies for violations going back more than fifteen years experienced by Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati, Muayyed Nureddin and Omar Khadr. We do not build a stronger future without accounting for the past. Third, demonstrate that we mean it. This consultation must lead to a cleanup of the numerous Canadian national security laws and policies that currently stand in violation of our international human rights obligations. That certainly does include the numerous problematic provisions enacted last year with Bill C-51, but also a number of other concerns, some of which have been unaddressed for decades. Canadian immigration law should unconditionally prohibit deporting people to torture. Immigration security proceedings must be fair and offer a real opportunity to people to respond to allegations and mount a meaningful defence. Advertisement Intelligence sharing with foreign agencies can never be allowed to benefit from or contribute to torture in other lands. Terrorism-related offences in Canadian law must robustly protect protest and free expression rights. The new threat reduction powers given to CSIS cannot in any way involve human rights violations and no judge should ever be asked to condone or authorize the contrary. The new criminal offence of promoting the commission of terrorism "in general" is vague, undermines free expression, adds nothing to existing laws and should be repealed. Bill C-51's staggering expansion of virtually unbridled information-sharing must be scaled back so as to minimize the very real likelihood of human rights violations. The new appeal provisions that are theoretically meant to offer wrongly-targeted people a fighting chance to get off the no-fly list must be reformed to meet the requirements of fairness. Advertisement And expanded "recognizance with conditions" provisions allowing lengthier periods of detention without charge or trial should be reversed. These consultations and eventual reforms offer a tremendous opportunity for Canada to approach national security from a new perspective; one that puts human rights protection at the very core rather than treating it as an inconvenient limitation. Because as those wise words from Mauritania remind us, true and sustainable security will come through human rights, not in spite of human rights. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Twins via Getty Images Two men watching static on television Mute them, channel surf, hide them all you want, but there's no escaping them. The B.C. government is in the midst of saturating television shows and social media news feeds in the province with a multimillion-dollar back-patting advertising campaign in advance of the 2017 election. The B.C. Liberal party -- who clearly have money to burn -- is getting in on the act as well with mood-setting political ads. Advertisement Can't fault them. They did raise the funds, one $10,000 cheque at a time. It can be tough to distinguish between the two ad campaigns, though. You almost expect the Liberal party's executive director, Laura Miller, to burst through the front doors of the legislature to tag government ads with: "We're the B.C. Liberal party and we approve this message, too." How far does the symbiotic marketing go? Sometimes the synergy is subtle, sometimes not. The government is well on its way to meeting -- or beating -- the $16.6 million it spent on advertising leading up to the 2013 election. Take the 2013 Speech from the Throne. The word "economy" left the lips of Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon 23 times, followed by "jobs" at 21 -- including seven times in one 26-word passage alone -- and "tomorrow" six times. There was this classic line: "Today, the measure of confidence in British Columbia's (LNG) strategy is clear." Advertisement Four years later, it's safe to say truer words were never spoken. The speech itself was peppered with buzz phrases such as "an essential component of a strong economy," "what a strong economy delivers" and "to secure a brighter future tomorrow." Buzz phrases also crept into government news releases: "the right skills for the right job is integral to maintaining a strong economy." One of the Liberal party's key slogans in the election was "Strong economy, Secure tomorrow." Another was a "debt-free B.C.," but we don't need to go there. It wasn't always this way. The approach of former premier Gordon Campbell's administration and that of Premier Christy Clark is a study in contrasts. Advertisement Campbell banned non-essential government advertising in the four months prior to voting day. The December 2008 B.C. Public Affairs Bureau memorandum to ministries reads: "Effective, January 12th, 2009 non-essential advertising will cease until May 13th, 2009. Non-essential advertising (included) any promotional or informational activity conducted by a provincial ministry, authority or agency that is not required for statutory, emergency, health and safety or the proper functioning of government." In the two-week period prior to the writ dropping in April 2009, the government issued nine news releases. What a difference four years makes. In 2013, the government squeezed six fact sheets and 43 news releases into that two-week period. The government announced a $584 million program "to seismically upgrade 45 high-risk schools today, marking a significant milestone in (the) government's commitment to student safety." Clark noted: "Absolutely nothing is more important than keeping our kids safe." Except electioneering. The government only got around to announcing many of the schools -- and the plans -- this year. As long as seismic events are aligned with election cycles, everything should be just fine. New revenue-sharing agreements were announced to "enable two Williams Lake-area First Nations to benefit from the expansion of the Mt. Polley mine." Advertisement They may have been envisioning a different type of expansion. And going right down to the wire, on April 13, 2013, the government announced that the new l'ecole des Pionniers (K-12) was "on the drawing board," with "construction expected to begin in spring 2014 and an anticipated completion date of fall 2015." There must have been a lot of drawings to do. Just this week, the government announced that construction is finally underway. Students are expected to "move into the new school in winter 2018." Out of 17 project-specific announcements, 14 were in Liberal-held or swing ridings. Some of the government's television ads back then were so blatantly partisan that Gerry Nichols -- a conservative, independent communications consultant -- said they crossed "the line between informational ads and political propaganda." CBC deemed the government's budget ads "advocacy advertisements" and refused to run them during news programs. The government is well on its way to meeting -- or beating -- the $16.6 million it spent on advertising leading up to the 2013 election. Advertisement In the 2015/16 fiscal year, spending on advertising more than doubled from nearly $5.7 million the year before to $12.45 million. At least the public can have confidence that government ads aren't targeted to specific audiences based on Liberal party polling data. They can, can't they? Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Also on HuffPost: As a business owner and communications industry veteran, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President of Shikatani Lacroix, a Toronto-based branding and design agency, has seen a massive evolution in technology and customer/employee expectations over the last two decades. In part 2 of this multi-part executive Q&A series I will chat with Jean-Pierre about what is driving digital transformation in businesses and the potential ROI from it. Doug: What do you think is really driving the digital transformation within businesses? Is it primarily the customer focus - "let's provide this better experience for our customers?" Is it more internal-facing - "we want to improve productivity of employees?" Or is it reducing cost? There do seem to be several. Jean-Pierre: I would say all of the above. It depends on the industry or category you're competing in. It's about being relevant to your customers, and if your customers are digitally-enabled and digitally-focused, then having a digital platform, whether it is mobile, web, or a tablet, enables them to be smarter on their feet with customers who have done all the research ahead of time. Advertisement How do you leverage big data? Today most large organizations have spent billions and billions in establishing and building infrastructure for big data. The problem is that the last foot in the sales process between big data and the customer experience is lacking. It's about finding that link. This is where mobile and digital technology are playing a pivotal role. It is enabling the salesforce to provide things like just-in-time inventory analysis. If a customer is looking for a TV, they can tell immediately if that TV is in stock, they can tell if it isn't, which store is closest, and they can actually capture that sale by having the TV sold and delivered to the home on the same day. So you're seeing organizations asking, "How do we build relevancy for brands when the consumers' focus is digitally-oriented?" Doug:How have you seen digital transformation affect your business? Jean-Pierre: Well, the reality is designing has always been digital. When I started the business, we had markers, and we had this thing called Paste Up, and we had typesetters. Then, some guy with a computer that was called an Apple really disrupted the industry. I believe we were the first industry to go digital because we replaced typesetters with Mac computers and software like Adobe InDesign. So, we were always digitally-enabled as an industry. However, the connection between our digital enablement and our clients focus on digital only happened about 10 years ago. It's much more of a transformation of how we look at business opportunities and business challenges. Now, we have a whole component to solving our clients' problems by looking with a digital lens at what that customer's digital path to purchase is. How does that link to the conventional path to purchase and what are those key moments of truth that digital can play a pivotal role? Yes, it's transformed our business, but we've been on this journey for about 20 years. Advertisement Doug: It is often difficult to show a pure ROI because things change slowly or so dramatically that now we're doing things a completely different way - so how do you show an ROI on it? What are the benefits and advantages that you're showing to customers to say, "Here's what you can do differently, here's what the digital solutions will allow you to do"? Jean-Pierre: Let's turn it around, I would say one of the benefits to the organization is the ability to communicate effectively at the moment of purchase. Consumers buy emotionally; they don't buy functionally, they don't buy rationally. Consumers are irrational, and we all know that. The beauty of digital technology is that ability of connecting emotionally. Pictures connect to our hearts, visuals connect to our hearts. Not words, not sound. Pictures. So, there's a real opportunity for brands to connect with consumers emotionally when they're making their purchase decision. For consumers, it's simple. They're looking for knowledge or answers and they're looking for cues and clues that will help them make the right buying decision. Today, the big challenge for consumers is complexity of choice. We have too many choices. Our stores are too big. Look at the average supermarket: When I grew up it was 20,000 square feet. Now they are 100,000 square feet. The average supermarket back then had maybe 12,000 products. Now they have 100,000 products. Shopping has become a challenge because we have too much choice, and digital provides an opportunity to cut through clutter and help that consumer to make that buying decision either before they visit the store or during their shopping in the store. It also helps make the staff better educated and better enabled to answer the questions consumers have when they're trying to make that buying decision. We see that being a true ROI. Maybe it's not a return on investment, but then I would challenge--look at where the money is being spent today. It's being spent in advertising. Trillions of dollars every year spent on advertising, in social media. They haven't proven an ROI for both those models but they're spending billions and trillions of dollars hopefully connecting with a consumer, hopefully making it work, and the reality is the place to connect with consumers is at the moment of purchase. If we know the consumer's making irrational decisions and they're impulsive in those decisions, we know that it's emotionally-driven. That last split second in that buying decision is the most pivotal. It's not the TV commercial. It's not even the online platform. It's that moment of purchase, and that's where digital plays a very critical role. Advertisement By Katja Tielemann, Advocacy Officer with Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevolkerung (DSW) At the conclusion of the 5th Global Fund Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Montreal, Canada, on September 16 to 17, the Global Fund announced that pledges totalling US$12.9 billion were made. This is almost US$1 billion more than what was raised at the previous replenishment conference in 2013 and represents a significant commitment to fighting the three diseases over the coming three years. But will it be enough to end the three epidemics for good? At the beginning of this replenishment process, the Global Fund made the case for a US$13 billion investment to allow it to keep on the right trajectory to reach the target of ending AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria by 2030. But US$13 billion are only 80 per cent of what it actually needs to be fully funded and so this can only be the beginning of an ongoing fundraising effort for the Global Fund (and the broader global responses to the three diseases which require strong advocacy in the coming years). It seems that the Global Fund set the funding target at what it knew it would be able to raise from donors, rather than at what it requires to meet the challenges and do its work properly. Advertisement Global Fund replenishment - what is it? The Global Fund plays a unique and important role in the global effort to fight the three diseases. Its work over the next three years is expected to save up to eight million lives and prevent 300 million new infections. However, we must not forget that there are millions more who will fall through the cracks if we stop and if we consider the work done after the replenishment conference and don't do more to increase investment. Further mobilization, resources and leadership are needed to bring an end to these three epidemics by 2030, which is one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As civil society we must ensure that what governments announced translates into funding, the pledges to the Global Fund as well as countries' co-investment through their own health budgets. This is critical to address the needs of the most vulnerable and key populations no matter where they live. Germany, like other European countries has increased its contribution; namely by 30 per cent to 800 million. However, considering that the core contribution only increased by 10 million to 675 million and that the rest comes from exceptional contributions as debt to health swaps (100 million) and Germany's technical support (25 million), Germany's pledge was not as ambitious as hoped. But we are only at the beginning: we, together with our partners from German civil society, will continue advocating for a fair German contribution to the Global Fund. Advertisement As civil society we must ensure that what governments announced translates into funding. New partners for the Global Fund replenishment conference Many new partners pledged for the first time, and private sector contributions more than doubled. Several low-and middle-income countries, that are significantly increasing their investments in health, also pledged contributions to the Global Fund. Thus Kenya, for example, pledged US$5 million. Most African nations are recipients of Global Fund grants. However, several made contributions. While these contributions do not represent a large share of the Global Fund's budget, they are an important demonstration of leadership and commitment. Civil society advocates participated at the conference to ensure that the voices of key populations, such as women and girls and those living in countries transitioning out of the Global Fund eligibility, were heard. Private sector, rock stars, philanthropists and diplomatic leaders demonstrated their support for the Global Fund through several side-meetings. For example, a two-day pre-meeting "Celebrating the Gains, Meeting the Challenges was held on September 15 to 16. The event brought together Canadian and international advocates to discuss ideas and develop strategies to mitigate the impact on key populations of donor transitioning out of middle-income countries they also deliberated the challenges and actions needed to maintain the momentum and prepare for the next replenishment in 2019. Human rights and gender equality as well as the needs of key and vulnerable populations were mainstreamed as cross-cutting issues. Another event organised by civil society was the panel discussion "Sharpening our Focus: Human Rights and Key Populations in the Global Response to HIV, TB and Malaria." As custom in Canada, the event was opened by an indigenous Mohawk Elder, Sedalia Fazio, who reminded participants about the health of the planet and our role in preserving it: "Everything on Earth is doing exactly what it was instructed to do -- except human beings." What happens after the Global Fund replenishment 2016? Post-replenishment is before the next replenishment. As Rachel Ong, Communication Focal Point of the Communities Delegation, said in her statement on behalf of the communities and civil society delegations on the Board of the Global Fund: "The 5th Voluntary Replenishment of the Global Fund cannot end here in Montreal and we will all be accountable for what we can achieve to end it for good." The German and international civil society will continue to advocate for a fully funded Global Fund to continue to support people living with and most affected by the three diseases wherever they are. Advertisement Katja Tielemann-Ruderer is the Advocacy Officer with Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevolkerung (DSW), an international development and advocacy organisation working to empower young people and communities in low- and middle-income countries by addressing the issues of population dynamics and by improving health as a way to achieve sustainable development. This blog is part of the blog series: AIDS, TB and Malaria: It's High Time for Us to End It. For Good by the Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development (ICAD) in recognition of The Global Fund's Fifth Replenishment. The blog series runs from August 29 to October 3, 2016 and features a selection of blogs written by our member and partner organizations. Contributors share their broad range of perspectives and insight on the work of The Global Fund and the opportunity that this moment presents us one year following the inauguration of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog series are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ICAD. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Also on HuffPost: When I was about 10 years old, I won my first stuffed animal in a raffle with lucky number 77. "Ruffles" and I were playmates for many years and he assumed a prominent spot in my bedroom. When we moved from my childhood home to a nearby new housing development, Ruffles joined the family along with many other stuffed animals that I collected in my youth. The eventual day of our parting arrived when I moved out on my own and needed to cull the detritus in my life. Ruffles had lost support in his neck; the beans that provided his lumbar support had dislodged lower down. His once happy demeanour took on the sad appearance of a puppet that had lost its beloved puppeteer. Somewhere along the path from adolescence to young adulthood, I acquired "Bitzi." A little stuffed mouse who sat upright in a coat of grey with a long tail. He had a cloth name tag affixed to his bottom, perhaps in case he got lost and needed to find his way. Or maybe his creator anticipated dementia and this moniker was his calling card home. Advertisement When I learned in a moment of happy coincidence that my father's childhood nickname was Itzi, I permanently crossed out the "B" and proclaimed Bitzi a member of the family. Upon discovery of adventure travel in my mid 20s, Bitzi was tucked into my knapsack and became a guardian angel; a good luck charm to ward off bad spirits and a reminder of how far I had wandered from home. My eyes caught a coin-shaped dark clay medallion depicting a demigod with a long red and yellow thread of yarn pulled through a small opening at the top. In 2000, after the over hyped doom of the approaching millennium had passed, I travelled to South America to join a trekking group to Machu Picchu via La Paz, Bolivia, a capital city that peaked at 12,000 feet in altitude. Having two solo trips to Africa under my belt, I anticipated an anodyne arrival, but this adventure to see the Lost City of the Incas was not without incident. Shortly after landing, I became disoriented and dizzy. My breathing was quick and heavy while climbing the long, windy streets at elevations unfamiliar to me. Then all of a sudden, while standing in the lobby awaiting the arrival of the tour leader, I ran to the nearest washroom and threw up violently. This continued for the next two days. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was suffering severe altitude sickness with an escalating resting heart rate. I was at risk for pulmonary edema. Advertisement Lucky for me, the tour spent two days in La Paz so everyone could take time to acclimatize. After recovering from my initial reverse peristalsis episode, I slowly walked behind the group as we wove our way through narrow cobbled streets. My eyes caught a coin-shaped dark clay medallion depicting a demigod with a long red and yellow thread of yarn pulled through a small opening at the top. The tour guide assured me this would bring good luck, and I'd recover quickly to handle the upcoming week-long arduous trek. So I bought it and stumbled back to bed for rest. Photo credit: Lisa Abram When the tour guide came to check in on me, I lay motionless and afraid I would not survive the night. At his urging, I drank cocoa tea (made from the same plant that cocaine comes from) to lull myself to sleep. After his departure, fearful and alone, I held in my hand the newly purchased clay ornament with its mystical properties and clasped my fingers tightly around it, silently praying for this evil to pass. What I have come to know is that we feverishly cling to our childhood items for a host of personal, often inexplicable, reasons. In the morning, to my surprise and obvious delight, I was still breathing. But even more miraculous was the fact that I had not let go of my "Tamagotchi." How had I not released my grip on the medallion during this fitful and frightful sleep? Advertisement While that life affirming moment is still fresh in my mind, what stands out for me is that Tamagotchi has had its share of mishaps too... and survived them all. It crashed to the floor twice and has been haphazardly glued back together like Humpty Dumpty; it ended up accidentally in the washing machine (yes, clay does remain intact after a good cleaning); and it's gone missing in a pile of mounting laundry. But I believe I escaped a meeting with my maker due to this chance purchase and its stubborn refusal to take flight from my life. A colleague of my husband's recently flew into our city for meetings, and we chatted about the stuff we collect in our lives and the long term relationship we have with them. This gentleman confessed to possessing the same Snoopy pillow cases since the age of five. We laughed at the illogical nature of our adulthood and it caused me to reflect long after his departure. What I have come to know is that we feverishly cling to our childhood items for a host of personal, often inexplicable, reasons. Perhaps as the precarious nature of life and death teeters, totters and tiptoes around us, we instinctively pull them closer to us. Just ask Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music as she sings about raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Shortly after marrying my husband he introduced me to "Ookpik," a miniature owl of indescribable shape with a missing eye and war-torn scars. Ookpik has been with him for over half a century, and like Bitzi, he bares the weather-beaten signs of having lived a soldier's life with many tall tales to tell. Advertisement Photo credit: Lisa Abram I profess. I do not understand how we choose which inanimate objects will join us on our journey. But these icons of our childhood allow us to reflect back on halcyon days and the immense comfort and familiarity they gave us. We cherish our toys of joy; they have never forsaken us. And for that I hold dear the many favourite things that I have loved in my life. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Also on HuffPost: Jeremy Woodhouse/Holly Wilmeth via Getty Images Caucasian woman holding red maple leaf under yellow tree After Donald Trump criticized our health system in the second presidential debate, Canadians took to social media to defend our national treasure. After all, our health system is better than that of the USA. We see this to be self-evident, but it is also backed by data. In the most recent assessment of the quality of 11 international health systems, the USA came last. But we should pause and take a deep breath, because Canada came second last. Perhaps while we focus on comparisons with the USA we miss the fact that other health systems are improving and outperforming us. Looking up at these other systems rather than looking down at the USA may help us deliver better health across Canada. Advertisement Canada rated especially poorly on equity. The best overall health system -- the UK -- performed best worldwide on this front. In my experience, equity in Canada's health systems is discussed a lot, but that seldom translates into effective action to ensure equal access and equal outcomes for all people regardless of their race or culture. Provinces rarely have a person who is in charge of health equity; lacking health equity plans or targets. As my mother would say, "If you don't have a plan; you plan to fail." And that is what happens in most parts of the health services, whether it is access to cancer screening or treatment, cardiac surgery or diabetes care. It is especially pronounced in my specialty; mental health. Working with the Mental Health Commission of Canada in 2008 a consortium of researchers led by my group at CAMH found that there were increased rates of psychosis in Caribbean origin groups in Canada. Despite this there was poorer access to care. Advertisement There were increased rates of post-traumatic stress disorders documented among refugees, but in most provinces no plan to offer specialized services that we know can cure it; and, South Asian origin groups had increasing rates of suicide and substance abuse across the generations with no prevention strategies. No province or territory had a strategy in place to improve mental health services for ethnically diverse populations. And so the Mental Health Strategy for Canada, released in 2011, called for better services for immigrant, racialized, ethnocultural and refugee groups. Five years later there had been next to no progress, and so the Mental Health Commission of Canada devised the Case for Diversity with CAMH and Wellesley Institute to make it easy for health officials to build equitable mental health services. It assembles all the information they need--literature reviews, the most promising practices in Canada and across the world--as well as making the economic case for more equitable services. The economic case is compelling. Our economic competitiveness is linked to our brains, not our brawn. We cannot out manufacture low and middle-income countries. Our worth is in our brains. Our vital mental capital includes our IQ, our emotional intelligence and our mental health. An investment in mental health is an investment in our economy. Mental health problems and illnesses cost Canada over $51 billion a year. Much of this cost is linked to days off sick, days supporting family members, and the decreased effectiveness of people at work because of mental health problems. Advertisement The rates of mental illness are at least the same, if not greater in many immigrant groups in Canada but service use is lower. In Ontario, for instance, we spend three times less on a person's mental health if they are born in a South Asian country than if they are born in Canada. People of South Asian origin are therefore at higher risk of being off sick or working ineffectively because of untreated mental health problems. Offering accessible mental health services decreases the chance of medical leave, increases productivity and builds mental capital. And, because our workforce is increasingly comprised of newcomer, immigrant and racialized groups, ensuring they thrive is vital to Canada's economy. And what about fairness? Colour- and culture-blind approaches to service provision lead to poorer outcomes for minority groups. Adaptation of services to make them more accessible and easier to use improves outcomes, is more efficient and is fair. If each province read the Case for Diversity, produced a plan with targets and identified someone as responsible for its implementation that would go some way toward building a stronger Canada. Advertisement It is often said that there is no health without mental health, and we increasingly understand that our wealth relies on good mental health. To succeed as a nation we cannot afford, economically or morally, to leave parts of the population behind. Dr. Kwame McKenzie is CEO of Wellesley Institute and Director of Health Equity at CAMH. He also serves as a commissioner on the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Craig McCausland via Getty Images Engraved Illustrations of Prussian and French Infantry Ranks and Uniforms from Iconographic Encyclopedia of Science, Literature and Art, Published in 1851. Copyright has expired on this artwork. Digitally restored. It's an unfortunate fact of the present that Germans must shudder at the mention of their history. Any conversation will reliably either end or begin loyal to Godwin's law. There will be no discussion of the mature political and economic institutions which created a great civilization out of nothing for hundreds of years in central Europe. Of the empire which produced so much wealth, power and ingenuity that it will forever live on in its descendants. Advertisement This is the story of Prussia. When I was a young boy, I remember my grandfather telling me stories of the great emperors and statesmen of the Prussian Empire. He had moved to Canada after the war, but his glorification of Prussia never ceased. Its soldiers fought gallantly, its academics produced reams of important work invoked even today and its statesmen created what we now know as the modern state. He was born in a small garrison town outside of Konigsberg, the capital of East Prussia. After the war, it was ransacked by the Soviets. The land decimated, the population chased away or outright massacred. The largest-ever exodus of European souls, some 1.8 million people forced to evacuate in the winter of 1945. And that's when it ceased to have any connection to Prussia. It's now an exclave of the Russian Federation. "Our family is from Prussia, don't forget that, son," he would proudly tell me. It wasn't until my 20s that I could fully grasp what that meant. Prussia was itself a province of the state we now know as Germany, itself not even 150 years old. It began as a backwater principality known as Brandenburg around modern Berlin in the 1500s. Its story is eloquently told by historian Christopher Clark in Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia 1600-1947. Advertisement Reading this book was important for my development both as a student of history and as an inheritor of it. My own life was only two generations removed from living in working in what was known as Prussia, stretching from Cologne to the Baltic Sea. Often, when speaking to German colleagues about historical observations before the world wars, I'm met with blank stares. Even some confusion. Why would this young North American fellow concern himself with an ancient past since blotched and stained with the political and military machinery of the Nazis? Frederick the Great was surely a strong military and political leader, but he wasn't Hitler. Only Hitler was Hitler. Comparisons in history are often weak, unprincipled and, without a doubt, hyperbole. Each person in examination was operating in a different reality, with different incentives, and a completely different map of the world. In this context, Clark uses the book to sketch out a very authoritative narrative on the rise of the Prussian Empire and what eventually led to its downfall. Prussia did not come to be Germany, but it was surely absorbed by the German mentality. As a concept, Prussia is separate from Germany. Modern Germany only came to be in the late 1800s, after unification in 1871. There existed a desire to be an effective balance against France and Great Britain, and the German language and protestant ethic only helped bring so many people together who had since been disjointed. Principalities slowly ceded sovereignty, regional parliaments sent representatives to the greater German Reichstag, and the idea of Deutschland was born. Advertisement That's the story of Germany, the German-speaking modern European power we know today. But Prussia was different. In fact, Prussia was a multi-lingual and multi-confessional empire. Clark is able to beautifully portray this with documents from every archive imaginable. He is able to mix the elite stories of the House of Brandenburg with the relentless laborers of Silesia and religious schoolmasters in Kleve. We learn what united all these individuals in peace and how much they suffered in war. The father of modern Prussia, Frederick the Great, is far from the personage one would assume. His mother language was French and he preferred the flute to the sword. It was likely he had a gay lover as a young man, a certain Lt. Hans Hermann von Katte. They planned to run away to the Netherlands to escape Frederick's certain fate as emperor. Once they were captured, Frederick's father, Frederick William, had Katte executed in front of his son's eyes. He wasn't permitted to look away or close his eyes. He heard the head being severed. His soul hardened, and the die was cast. From then on, he became a great military leader, forced into the life dreamed for him by his father. He propelled Prussia to the largest gain of territory in such a short period of time and secured his legacy as a great ruler and tactical strategist. Prussia was a land of enchantment during the 1700s and 1800s. It was comprised of Dutch speakers in the west, Lithuanians in the east, Poles in the south, and more. It had great poets, historians, musicians, and civil administrators. Between the horrendous wars, trade was regionalized and spread throughout the land, especially with the founding of Zollverein, the German customs union likely used as a model for pan-European free trade of the 21st century. More than anything, Clark removes a veil on a subject once deemed too taboo. The fact that there was a great German-speaking empire with the noblest of intentions and liberties for its subjects. It was forged in the swamps but rose to greatness with iron and blood. His narratives are entertaining, writing sharp, and he opens many tunnels for future historians to reconsider. Advertisement Without such a work in the modern age, it is almost certain that the legacy of Prussia would die, smothered by the sins of the 1930s and '40s. Clark has offered a great masterpiece by which we can understand that the sins of the son do not discount the noble actions of the father. For anyone who seeks the story of a great modern European empire to disappear from view, I'd recommend Clark's fantastic book. Rob Atkins via Getty Images Vancouver skyline at sunset Written by Wayne Karl Next to Vancouver-area markets, do you think Toronto is leading home price growth in Canada? In Ontario? Nope. Try Oshawa. Based on the latest Royal LePage House Price Survey for the third quarter of 2016, B.C. markets dominate the top five. The usual suspects of Vancouver, West Vancouver and North Vancouver are right up there, but Richmond and Coquitlam are also showing strong double-digit increases of 34.3 and 26.4 per cent, respectively, year-over-year. Advertisement And in Ontario, Toronto is still posting strong gains, but Oshawa, at 26 per cent, and Richmond Hill, at 25.7 per cent, are far outpacing Toronto's 12.1-per-cent growth. B.C.'s new 15-per-cent property transfer surtax on foreign nationals and foreign-controlled corporations, introduced early in the quarter, is causing sales to slow, but is having little impact on Greater Vancouver home prices, which led the country with 30.6 per cent appreciation year-over-year. Ontario, which is said to be considering a similar tax, saw house price increases in the GTA of 13.6 per cent. Overall for Canada, the Royal LePage National House Price Composite shows that the price of a home increased 12 per cent year-over-year to $545,414 in the third quarter of 2016. The price of a two-storey home rose 13.7 per cent to $649,635, bungalows increased 11 per cent to $459,481 and condominiums 5.8 per cent to $360,679. Advertisement "In what may be a final hurrah for this expansionary cycle, Greater Vancouver posted another quarter of unsustainably high price appreciation," says Phil Soper, president and chief executive officer, Royal LePage. "The median value of homes in the tiny West Vancouver suburb increased by nearly 40 per cent -- or an astonishing million dollars -- year-over-year. That said, relief appears to be on the way. For months, the number of homes trading hands has been slowing on eroding affordability. And, slower sales volumes lead to moderating prices." Nationally, real estate markets remain healthy, with home values showing modest to strong price appreciation in almost every Canadian city. "Even in the hardest hit oil patch regions, prices have held up well, with small single-digit declines, year-over-year," says Soper. New measures introduced by the federal finance ministry on October 3, designed to cool the housing market primarily by curtailing foreign buying activity, have led to a decline in sales in Vancouver. "Consumer confidence suffered a direct hit when the federal government introduced new, more restrictive regulations in early October," says Soper. "While it is too early to say definitively, it appears Canadian homebuyers are adjusting quickly, and that fears of a hard correction were unwarranted. While the changes are significant, major lenders may already be using similar criteria when writing mortgages in sensitive regions like Alberta and BC, so the additional drag on the market resulting from the new legislation won't be as great as it appears on the surface." Advertisement Vancouver continues to attract foreign interest, he says, and capital is not expected to automatically migrate to Toronto as a result of the new tax in B.C. "It is important to remember that most people buy houses for the location, lifestyle and family needs, and not simply upon financial investment criteria," says Soper. Post originally published at YPNextHome.ca Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Also on HuffPost: Less than three weeks after our visit on Parliament Hill, where Sajjan talked both about Dallaire and the challenges facing Syria, 68 nations joined Canada's lead in requesting a special meeting of all 193 UN member states to circumvent the UN security council in an effort to facilitate peace. It is unknown, at this point, what changes that meeting could produce. Pressure is mounting to address the war crimes committed in the Syrian conflict, and a CBC article raised the possibility of establishing a United Nations mandate to collect war crimes evidence and prosecute accordingly. It has also been suggested that Syria could somehow be ousted as a member of the UN, but the greatest need -- the establishment of a no-fly-zone in Syria -- can't happen unless general assembly establishes a miraculous work-around that doesn't require approval from the security council. Russia has already vetoed a motion to end the aerial siege in Aleppo. Advertisement Whatever the solution, it won't be easy. Whatever the solution, it won't be easy. The deep chasms that separate the interests of every country involved in the Syrian war will make it impossible to achieve consensus. Iran, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the US, the Assad regime, the Kurds and the various rebel groups all have their own conflicting agendas that impact various regions of the country. We can only hope that there is enough agreement within the international community that it brings some measure of relief for the innocent civilians who are facing death. A day after Canada's letter to the United Nations was drafted by Canadian Ambassador Marc-Andre Blanchard, Sajjan personally visited the UN and posted a photo of his meeting with Ban Ki-moon. Sajjan follows the lead of many Canadian diplomats who have led complex international initiatives for peace. It was, after all, Canada's Lester B. Pearson who proposed the first officially designated UN peacekeeping mission in 1956. His diplomatic and peacekeeping work on behalf of the Suez crisis while navigating Canada's external affairs earned him the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize. More than 40 missions later, in which Canada sent over 120,000 troops to stabilize conflict zones across the world, Canada has renewed its promise to act as a leader in peacekeeping and has taken a definitive stand on the international stage for Syria. It is now up to us to raise our voices and affirm the global community's intervention. The world needs to break the diplomatic gridlock and achieve relief for those under fire. At this point it's not about political gain or economics. It's about humanity. Advertisement Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Also on HuffPost: Great Things Canadians Have Done So Far For Syrian Refugees See Gallery Popular in the Community You May Like shutterstock The pound is getting weaker by the day. While Brexiters are quick to defend its volatility, it's important to remember that Britain's exit from the EU hasn't actually happened. While a weaker pound does have its benefits, namely by boosting exports, such drastic short-term changes can place considerable strain on resources and labour - that's why economic stability is so important. Imports also become more expensive, which drives up the price of oil and harms exchange rates, both of which will have a significant impact on air fares. While we're starting to see minor increases in the price of consumer goods, the implications of Brexit haven't caught up with airlines yet; ticket prices have remained the same and EU aviation laws are still valid. Many of the Leave camp have shrugged off the currency damage as an expected repercussion, but again Brexit hasn't happened. Besides, due to the way aviation companies operate, it will take at least one year from the date of the referendum (when the pound started to rapidly slide) before we notice a major difference. Here are three reasons why the worst is still to come... Advertisement Fuel is Priced in US Dollars Fuel prices are directly related to the price of crude oil, which is traded in US dollars. A drop in the USD-GBP exchange rate, which is currently down almost 20 percent (not including the pre-referendum drop), will mean greater fuel expenditure for airlines. And with greater expenditure generally comes higher ticket prices. This hasn't made a major short-term impact. However, that doesn't mean it won't make an impact at all. Airlines hedge their fuel, which fixes or caps the cost they pay for at least one year in advance. This provides short-term protection against market volatility. Therefore, prices are unlikely to fluctuate until the summer of 2017. Any changes in the immediate one-year anniversary of the referendum will likely be because of the poorly performing pound. The following months and years will follow the same pattern if the downward trend continues. European Aviation Market Agreements Need to be Reassessed This unified internal market established common aviation guidelines throughout the European Union. If the UK negotiates access to the Single Market, the current legislation will likely remain the same and little (if anything) will change. However, if the UK opts out of the Single Market it could apply to join the ECAA and would, therefore, still have to adhere to EU aviation laws, but without any influence over future legislation, and with possible limitations. London is a major international hub; therefore, it's almost guaranteed that ECAA status would be granted. However, this could not only make the UK more susceptible to high-taxation, but could place limits on flight paths. For example, it's highly probably that British airlines would be permitted to fly to and from European destinations, but not between European destinations. Fundamentally, new air service agreements will have to be negotiated from scratch if no-frills airlines, such as easyJet, are to continue operating throughout EU member states. Advertisement European Airlines Report in Euros Even our flagship airline, British Airways, is owned by the International Airlines Group (IAG), which is registered in Spain. Customers on BA flights primarily pay in pounds; however, IAG reports in euros. In the same way we have to convert our currency at a bureau de change, IAG has to covert their pounds to euros. A weaker pound means that they get less for their money, which reduces profits, net assets and other reserves. To compensate for this loss, British Airways will have to raise their prices. With pressure from low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, Whizzair and EasyJet, this could significantly hinder their position in the European marketplace. According to complaints representatives at Contact Telephone Numbers, BA have already started combating losses by ditching meals on flights under five hours and adding a virtual check in system for a fee of 40; once again, it's the general consumers that suffer. Monashee Alonso via Getty Images "Milk! Milk!" my two-year-old daughter shouts happily, grabbing at my shirt. She's a girl who knows what she wants, and she smiles as she settles down to a breastfeed. But she doesn't often see other babies or toddlers being breastfed. According to recent studies, not even 35% of babies in the UK are breastfed at six months old, and only 0.5% are at 12 months. The UK has some of the world's lowest breastfeeding rates; the BBC calls the UK "the world's worst". This despite new research suggesting that an increase in breastfeeding numbers could save the NHS 40m a year, as breastfed babies are healthier than those given formula milk. Advertisement And as well as rarely seeing it in person, my daughter doesn't see breastfeeding in children's books either. Research into children's literature shows us how vital it is that the diversity of the world is reflected in the books that children read or that are read to them. This means seeing both lives like their own - so they know they're not alone - but also lives and experiences that are different, so they can learn. Breastfeeding is absent from children's books, however, to a disturbing degree. This corroborates the idea that breastfeeding is not normalised in our society. Even though breast milk is the biological norm for feeding babies and even though it is the cultural norm in the majority of the world's countries, authors, illustrators, and publishers don't want to depict it in books for children. It is much more common to see a baby being bottle-fed artificial milk. The few children's books I've found that feature breastfeeding tend to be ones that are specifically about breastfeeding or attachment parenting more generally; in other words, someone would have to already be passionate about breastfeeding to seek out these texts. A parent isn't likely to pick up a book such as You, Me and The Breast or A Ride on Mother's Back if their child wasn't being breastfed. Pervasive bottles This problem extends beyond children's literature, of course. Cards congratulating new parents usually depict bottles and dummies. Signs for rooms where babies can be changed and fed usually have a bottle symbol on them too. TV programmes, advertisements, articles in magazines, and films show children with bottles rather than breasts in their mouths. There seems to be a widespread assumption that bottle-feeding is the norm. Advertisement Adult novels that feature the feeding of young children tend to depict breastfeeding negatively, and/or they portray the making up of bottles. And yet, research clearly shows that breast milk is what's best for the developing child, and that breastfeeding also offers numerous benefits beyond nutrition to both mother and child. The reason for the lack of breastfeeding in children's books and elsewhere is, I believe, due to some societies' confusion about what breasts are for. These cultures have sexualised women's bodies to an extreme extent. Sure, breasts can be, pardon the pun, titillating, but their original purpose was to nourish children. We're called mammals for a reason, after all. Many women today feel uncomfortable about breastfeeding their children, whether at home or in public, because they seem to believe that breasts are mainly for men's pleasure; anything else is a taboo. And society promotes this view by using women's bodies to advertise products. Women are there to be looked at and admired - having babies clamped to their nipples isn't considered sexy. Other countries have different views of the breast. Many African nations, for example, see women's breasts as powerful, welcoming, and nurturing, and they regularly depict them in art. And, just to take a Nordic example, the rate of breastfeeding at 12 months is over 40% in Norway (as compared to the previously mentioned 0.5% in the UK). Children's literature there and elsewhere is more likely to feature breastfeeding than English-language texts. You, Me and The Breast, for example, is a translation from Spanish, and I've read about other picture books in Catalan and the Scandinavian languages that depict breastfeeding as a matter of course. Breastfeeding rights Breastfeeding is a woman's right, and it's a public health issue as well as a gender-equality one. Breastfeeding makes an important contribution to society, and it's one we ought to value. It improves women's health along with that of their children, but new research has shown that many women aren't aware of the benefits they would receive. Advertisement We need to encourage and support women and their children on their breastfeeding journeys. One way of doing this is to make society more flexible, so women get longer leave and can settle into breastfeeding with their child, and also so there is more help and advice available for breastfeeding women, and more places to breastfeed comfortably. Another way to challenge society's limited views of women would be to feature breastfeeding in literature; this would normalise it and make it more visible, and remind people that women's bodies are for more than just being looked at. I'd love to read a book to my daughter as she has a breastfeed, and for us to turn the page and see an illustration of a child breastfeeding. I can imagine my daughter pointing to the nursing woman and saying: "Milk!" I'd love for more babies and toddlers to point at breasts and to see them as their source of food and comfort. And clearly, on a practical level, it would be hugely beneficial to taxpayers as well. It's time for society to recognise just how vital breastfeeding is - and for us to begin encouraging and supporting it. PhotoAlto/Sigrid Olsson via Getty Images Underneath the Momentum flashmobs and the Brexit battlebus, politics has a problem with participation. Over the last fifty years, troubling trends have settled in: decline in electoral turn-out nationally and locally, a drop-off in mass political membership (notwithstanding some recent surges), and rock-bottom levels of trust in politicians themselves. Anti-politics has become the dominant mood, there is a pervasive mistrust in power and the powerful (one felt by many to be richly deserved) and a broad sense that our democratic institutions are too distant and remote from our lives and concerns. Almost all of us are democrats, but few of us think that democracy is working well. All of this is highly generational. Each generation that enters the electorate is less attached to any political party, and less likely to vote, than the one that came before. In 2013, the average age of a Conservative Party member was 59 years. In 2015, the average age of all party members was almost 50. The average age of local councillors across all parties is 60. According to a survey before the general election last year, 70 per cent of young people would consider voting 'none of the above'. This all comes together into a vicious cycle: the fact that politicians and Parliament feels so far away breeds mistrust in it, which pushes people away still further. Advertisement Yet, whilst fewer and fewer people are turning to conventional ways of making their voices heard, something else - incredibly important - has been happening too: the use of social media has exploded. Over half of British adults now regularly use it, and often to make their voice heard in new and different ways. Over the General Election, we studied what this meant for politics. The aim was to learn about how many people used social media to get stuck into the political debate and what they were using it for. Above all, we wanted to see whether social media was a new way for people to participate in political life. The results, based on a poll representative of UK adult social media users by Ipsos MORI, is out today, as The Rise of Digital Politics. First, we found that political participation is shifting to online platforms. Based on the poll, half of social media users had sent or read political content in the build-up to the general election. That's more than the number of social media users who had done any kind of political activity offline. Second - and for me this is the most important finding of the research - People weren't just doing digital politics; digital politics made them feel more involved and engaged in the whole process. 72 per cent of people who had used social media for politics, reported that they felt more politically engaged as a direct result, including 41% who felt more engaged in the political debate and 39% who felt more likely to vote. If this poll holds for all social media users, that's 7.1 million people, for instance, who felt more likely to vote. Advertisement Third, digital politics benefits those groups least likely to otherwise have anything to do with formal politics. Young people, the group least likely to vote, were the second most likely age category to do politics on social media, and the most likely to feel the benefits of it. A fifth of people who said they weren't interested in politics but had sent or received political content on social media felt that it made them feel better able to express their political views, and a quarter (26%) felt it directly made them more likely to vote. What does all this mean? The big challenge and opportunity is this: digital politics is not just an opportunity to win power, but to wield power better. The digital world has become a key battleground during every political campaign; central to each Party's strategy in how to raise volunteers, win votes, frame issues, and get money. That same culture of innovation, the daring and restless experimentation that have happened in the technologies that power digital campaigning, and in the campaigns that use them, also need to be applied to the basic democratic system itself. Now is the time to seriously contemplate using technology to transform democracy. Advertisement There's lots of ways this can happen; some quite humble, others ragingly ambitious and far-reaching. Closest to home is to simply use technology to better connect people to their representatives. Politicians, local and national, can use social media as a two-way street; to listen to the fears, hope and priorities of constituents as well as broadcasting at them. More ambitious would be to recognise online groups, communities and mobilisations as legitimate interest groups in policy-making, from planning applications to the reform of an NHS service. Peoples' voices are out there in the digital world, and they should be listening to. However, for the first time in centuries, technology is also making possible new ways of actually making democracy work. This is, in one form or another, from electronic voting and online deliberative platforms to wikified official documents. The opportunities are both almost endless and also incredibly difficult. There are plenty of risks here, from overt manipulation of online spaces to the exclusion of the most vulnerable voices in society who tend to use digital technologies the least. Digital democracy is easy to recommend in a blog post and terrifyingly difficult to actually enact. Democracy has to involve more than holding elections every five years. It has to be participatory, part of our everyday lives, a matter of habit and routine. This means that it has to change as our lives change. Now, it has to become a democracy fit for the digital age. We've seen the rise of digital politics, we now need to see the beginnings of digital democracy. Sally Anscombe via Getty Images 2016 has become the year of mental health awareness. With advances in technology making social media, blogging and vlogging more accessible than ever, the masses have taken to the platforms to share their experiences and opinions. Mental illness is no longer the secret illness, everyone is talking about it and now the pressure is on to find better support and treatment. Our own Prince Harry has recently come forward to talk about mental health problems, based on his own experiences following the well-publicised death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was 12 years old. He recently hosted an event for Heads Together, a mental health charity, where he advocated talking openly about the things which bother us. He readily admits he regrets not talking about how the death of his mother affected him. Advertisement With this new found awareness comes a stronger push for new treatments to help those who will have a mental health problem at some point in their life. According to the mental health charity Mind, one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. Virtual Reality (VR), a technology which lets users experience replications of real life events and scenarios through a headset which displays computer generated images, is looking to become a strong tool in the battle against mental illness. VR has already been used as part of exposure therapy by replicating real life scenarios which enable users to face their fears within the simulated environment, as many times as required. For example, someone with a crippling fear of heights would be able to enter an experience on an aeroplane, having to watch from the window as the ground moves away from them. If their fear becomes too much, all they have to do is remove the headset, take the time they need to recover and try again. As this system doesn't actually use an aeroplane, it becomes a far more manageable process. A patient is less likely to try exposure therapy when they know that once they are on the plane, they cannot get off. A key symptom of schizophrenia is the belief that the people around us intend to harm us. The majority of the time it is a crippling paranoia that can arise unprovoked. It can ruin people's lives and transform their personality; the delusions that often accompany the problem are difficult to treat. VR tackles the fundamental sense that other people are dangerous, one of the underlying problems to paranoia. Advertisement By replicating certain scenarios, users can be placed within environments that could otherwise make them uncomfortable, like having to use public transport. By being present for long enough to realise that their concern was unnecessary (because nothing came of the situation they dreaded), it reassures their safety and reminds them that their paranoia is something they have the power to manage. Another mental health issue that could potentially be treated by VR is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Adapting VR software to offer eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (DMDR), an existing treatment for PTSD, could help improve the current reprocessing system. The standard process asks a patient to describe something traumatic or disturbing that has happened to them while simultaneously following a moving object with their eyes. By requiring multitasking, the memory recalled and the concentration involved in directing sight softens the focus on the difficult recollection, potentially making it less vivid and therefore less traumatic. For a more relaxed approach, the VR game Deep teaches users how to manage their own breathing to reinforce the age-old relaxation technique. The headset connects with a strap worn across the user's stomach, to measure the length and depth of each breath. By controlling breathing it controls the virtual environment and therefore takes the mind off other things. It is the ideal distraction and uses ancient yoga practices without requiring a tight pair of gym leggings. I had the pleasure of talking to Rudolph E. Tanzi, PhD (Dr. Rudy Tanzi) with respect to rewiring and developing the human brain and the process of creating super genes. We also talked about the benefits of practising meditation and his work in discovering a cure for Alzheimer's and prevention of the disease. Rudolph E. Tanzi, PhD, is the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard University and the Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Dr. Tanzi is a New York Times best selling author. He is co-author of "Super Brain" and "Super Genes" with Dr. Deepak Chopra. Dr. Tanzi co-discovered the first Alzheimer's disease gene and is the co-author of "Decoding Darkness: The Search for the Genetic Causes of Alzheimer's Disease". My intention was to find out how we can develop a 'super brain' (a subject he wrote extensively about with Dr. Chopra). Dr. Tanzi said. "As Deepak Chopra and I wrote in 'Super Brain', you are rewiring your brain with every new experience and every reaction that you have to that experience". He continued. "If you use Dr. Dan Siegel's idea that the brain is an organ that's bringing you four different things at any one time: sensations, sight, sound and smell etc., images which are part of your imagination (a lot of that is envisaging memories of the past or what the future might hold), feelings and then thoughts. Siegel uses the acronym SIFT to describe this process. And so your brain is SIFTing all the time." Advertisement Dr. Tanzi emphasised that observation is essential. "Your brain is rewiring all the time based on those processes but the emphasis that we make is that you need to take the time to be the observer. Be the self-aware 'being' taking advantage of the gift your brain has given you in self-awareness to observe and be the witness of SIFT." He re-emphasised the importance of monitoring our brain and reflecting. "In other words, stepping back at any given moment and giving yourself a chance to say, What are these sensations I'm experiencing? What are these images? What's my imagination doing right now? What feelings am I experiencing right now? What thoughts are going through my head? So in this sense the mind becomes like an ocean of SIFT and you become the captain of the ship, navigating that mind and when you actively observe the different processes taking place in the brain, you drive connection, you drive linkage between brain regions, you drive linkage between the regions of the brain involved with imagination, with sensory cortex of different types, with the amygdala and thalamus and areas of feeling and areas of thought and cognition." The revelation that we can integrate all areas of our brain is fascinating. Even more inspiring, Dr. Tanzi reminds us that our brain creates our everyday reality. He went on to say. "Your brain brings you your world. Your entire world is brought to you by your brain, so how your brain is wired really defines the world you are living in. If you take time to observe what your brain is bringing you, driving connections between these regions, that brings integration - integration of mind and brain is what will then optimise the wiring of your brain to bring you the world that you will most enjoy and give you a good life. This is really the central basis of the book 'Super Brain'." Advertisement Sadly many people still believe that a 'super brain' is exclusively the domain of high achieving academics. However, Dr. Tanzi challenges this myth. "The super brain does not depend on knowledge. A super brain depends on being aware that your brain is bringing you thoughts, and along with those thoughts your brain is bringing you feelings and imagination, while also incorporating sensory information about the world around you." Dr. Tanzi went on to elaborate on 'how' to develop a super brain. "To develop a super brain, the key word is 'integration'. Meaning, you are allowing your brain stem and your limbic system (feelings and some of the basic instincts of survival such as fight or flight) to integrate with the more recently evolved frontal and pre-frontal cortex that bring with it a sense of self, purpose, meaning, and creativity, in which case you're now blending the part of your brain where you imagined your world and who you are in the world with the part of your brain that ensures you survive in the world." Dr. Tanzi continued. "When you balance the survival parts of the brain (which are the older parts of the brain for survival) with the newer parts of the brain (that bring a sense of self-awareness and meaning and purpose and creativity), you not only survive but you thrive. So the integration of brain regions brings you from mere survival to, I guess for lack of a better word, thrival." Feeling our emotions without internal resistance is very effective in the process of healing emotional wounds and enhancing the human brain. Dr. Tanzi expanded on this. "Don't try to control it, don't try to regulate it and don't try to edit it or filter it. Simply by 'observing' will bring balance that converts you from a base-line brain, (which simply permits you to survive and do the bare minimum) with your reality map to support that 'survival' into actually 'thriving', where the brain integrates information at all levels and this is what makes great things possible." Dr. Tanzi suggested that some of the greatest minds in history accomplished brain integration. "Da Vinci, Mozart and Galileo had all parts of their brain firing. I like to use this term 3D brain because I think about the survival part of the brain and the brain stem as the drive to survive. I think about the limbic system feeding our fears and desires as the desire to live and to achieve. Then I think about the frontal cortex as the vision, the creativity, the meaning, the purpose and that's the dream. So when you have the drive, the desire and the dream all together that's when great things are possible; that's the 3D brain, that's when you have a super brain. It simply begins with integration by observing what your brain is doing in those different regions and taking the time to do that." Advertisement I wanted to find out how Dr. Tanzi views consciousness. I asked him frankly, does consciousness direct the brain or does the brain govern consciousness? Dr. Tanzi replied. "It really depends on how you define consciousness. Without a brain obviously you're not conscious. The medical definition of consciousness is 'awareness with attention'. So for example, you could be in a coma and have an awareness that's entirely internalised even down to just a small part of activity in the brain, but you don't have attention to the outside world. So the scripted definition of consciousness is to be aware of your world and to be able to have attention where you combine attention to the world with awareness." He continued. "From a neuroscience standpoint, you say, 'well the brain is producing consciousness, i.e. the brain allows you to be aware and to focus your attention.' So from a medical stand-point that's the definition of consciousness - the brain produces consciousness, but from a more metaphysical, spiritual and theoretical standpoint you can say well where did the brain come from? Does the brain exist as a physical entity in a particular universe or is the brain itself a product of a more primal awareness? And what I mean by that is that we take for granted that there is existence." Dr Tanzi directed his answer to the importance of realising 'existence'. He emphasised. "We have to go back to the fact that the first thing there is, is existence. Without existence, you don't exist. Well, what is existence? To exist one must be aware of existence. So to me the primal basis of existence is awareness and everything including ourselves and our brains are products of awareness." While Dr. Tanzi agrees on many things with his co-author, Dr. Chopra, he has a slightly different perspective on the consciousness debate. "I know that my co-author Deepak Chopra talks about consciousness as being primary. I like to use the word 'awareness' because I think awareness doesn't require attention." This interview will continue in part two (soon to be published). Dr. Tanzi talks about producing super genes, practising meditation and several factors which can help in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease. Advertisement Newsletter sign-up HuffPost UK Daily Brief Sign up and we will email you daily with the best of our political and news coverage while also giving you a taste of our most-popular lifestyle, opinion and personal blogs. allanswart via Getty Images I am still processing Friday's verdict in the Ched Evans retrial. I repeatedly tell myself that justice and the law are two very different things. I repeatedly tell myself, that like the rapist Brock Turner, he was found guilty (the first time); he did do some time. This is rare for rape. This is more than happened to the man who raped me, whom the CPS chose not to prosecute. I know that a not guilty verdict does not in law mean someone is innocent. I know that the 'justice' system is stacked against the victim, that to hold 'innocence until proven guilty' means that the complainant is held a liar until proven otherwise. Our justice system is structurally unjust. Friday's verdict was personal. In 2008 I was raped. I had been drinking. I don't remember how I got home, but I woke to find him raping me; what followed remains largely a blur, I was drifting in and out of consciousness, I know I froze, and I disassociated, that I then submitted. Working with my psychiatrist, I now know I did try to fight, and I know that I stopped when I thought I would die. Unlike 14 out of 15 women who are raped, I did report it, a month later, and I do believe the police believed me. The CPS chose not to prosecute and the reasons I have since learned that they chose not to included that I had been drinking. That stinks. Advertisement The inability to even get to court in my case has always been something I have struggled with. The justice system that I believed in, that many of my family created their living and their legacy in, let me down. My grandad's motto on his knighthood plaque, achieved for his career in law, was Justice & Peace. That phrase now feels ironic and like a broken promise. Yet, I do think, if my case had gone to court, I would not be here to write this. I am fairly certain I would not have had the resilience to continue, and that it would have broken me. I know many women who feel empowered by the reporting process, by getting a conviction. I fear in my case, as broken as I was, that I would not have survived it. My heart goes out to X in the Ched Evans case, and to all others like her, like me. One night of rape meant for me six years of PTSD, which to overcome I needed to access one to one counselling (twice), group therapy (twice) and psychiatric help (for 18 months). That kind of support is not available to everyone; over 10,000 people have waited over 12 months for access to mental health services for rape and sexual abuse. I recognise how extremely privileged I am to have been able to overcome PTSD and move on with my life. I know, that like X I had had drunken sex with another man the week before. Well, not quite sex, because you see, unlike my rapist, when I told him I wasn't into it, he went to sleep on the sofa. Because that's what men who aren't rapists do. I also know, that like X, afterwards, I had lots of sex, quite violent sex, because I wanted to prove that I could be in control. I'm assuming that if my case had gone to court, perhaps all those men would've been called up as witnesses to say because I liked sex with them, there must be doubt as to whether I liked sex with him. The law is an ass. Advertisement Friday's verdict was personal. This case came to media attention in 2011/2012 when I was deep into my big PTSD-related breakdown. It touched a nerve then, and it touches a nerve now. The difference with now, is that now I am recovered, and I am building a business which helps survivors heal. There are some very real, and very dangerously possible things that might happen as a result of Friday's verdict, foremost of which is that fewer women will feel able to report their attack. Currently, only one in 15 rapes are reported - and only about 18% of those are even prosecuted. Currently, rapists can rape with impunity which is fuelling an epidemic where one in six women in this country will be raped in their lifetime, and a woman in this country is being raped every six minutes. But, because I cannot live in a world which has no hope, I need to look for the silver linings. And I do see them. I see my sisters, and some of my brothers too, standing up and speaking out, and saying 'enough', saying 'I believe her', saying 'this must change.' I see a collective, worldwide, outrage at what happened in the Brock Turner trial, in what Donald Trump has said, in what happened here on Friday. I see lawyers saying, yes, the law was used as it should be, but that law shouldn't exist. I see social media being used for hate, but I also see it being used for solidarity, with the hashtags #WhyWomenDontReport, #NotOkay and #ImASurvivor adding to #IBelieveYou and #IBelieveHer. I see my sisters supporting each other, and I see men standing up and saying this isn't ok too. The times, they are changing. I want so much to change. I want to live in a world where women will be believed, where her sexual history has no bearing on a case, where what she wore, or what she had to drink, or anything about her behaviour had any bearing, only whether she consented. I want to live in a world where women will be supported in their recovery, where the only shame is with the rapist, where she does not need to fear being exposed to more hurt if people know her truth. I want to live in a world where women can access the mental health services they need for their recovery, where they will be supported in that recovery path by friends, by family, by work, by society. I want to live in a world where boys don't grow up to think of women as objects to be conquered and understand consent beyond a yes or a no. I want to live in a world where rapists won't rape because they a) understand they are raping, and so don't do it, or b) they know if they do they'll get caught and get locked up, for a very long time. Advertisement These aren't mere dreams. I look around, and I see so many people also working for such things and I have to believe we will succeed. The support you get from your immediate community has been proven to be the most critical factor in recovery after trauma, including rape. Sometimes, that support is not yet available from even close family or friends. And so, I have created an online community which is supporting survivors, where survivors are supporting each other, women holding space for women, listening, hearing, understanding. It is a sanctuary of hope in a world of despair. Join us. I was honoured to be asked to speak at Feminism in London's protest 'Scream in Solidarity'. I am angry, and full of rage but also I do see the possibility for a better world. If you're a survivor and would like to find a community of people who understand you, will support you, and will hold a space for you to be whatever you need to be, then please consider joining others just like you in our free Facebook group. It's entirely confidential, secret and safe, and details on how to get access are here. Advertisement As founder of the UK's most active small business network, I hear from and meet with small businesses every day. In the decade in which Enterprise Nation has been in business, we've reported that these small businesses feel confident and optimistic about the future. But I'm beginning to doubt that premise. That's why we've called together 14 small business bodies to form the Small Business Taskforce. It's time to work a little harder to ensure the voice of small business is heard in policy making and to argue for the entrepreneurial conditions that have helped start-ups thrive in the past five years, to remain intact. The UK has become one of the best places in the world to start and grow a business. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor puts the UK at number one in Europe and number four globally. This has not happened by chance. It's not the by-product of an under-employed workforce trying to get by. It happened because of the comparatively low costs of start-up entry, accessible technology, a flexible economy and a positive attitude towards self-starters and entrepreneurship; from the media, large corporates, and government. Advertisement We want to make sure all this hard work does not go to waste and that the Government takes the time to listen to the smallest firms as it begins to set new parameters for migrant workers, new budgets and new trade deals. We need to be included. As organisations representing small businesses of all shapes and sizes, reflecting the new world of work, from every region, we are committed to ensuring the UK retains this leading global entrepreneurship position. This diverse group includes think tanks, research bodies, coders, social enterprises, those that represent the self-employed as well as small business groups. Advertisement Together, we represent over a million businesses and recognise that there are key factors that have enabled them to flourish. We want to know that those negotiating Britain's future can ensure these conditions remain in place, as Brexit deals are negotiated and a new government makes its mark. To achieve that, we feel work and commitment is required around: Flexible workforce We call on the Government to provide clear and unequivocal reaffirmation of the long-term residence rights of EU citizens currently working in the UK. We also call for the Government to commit to keeping our labour market flexible which gives the UK a real comparative advantage over our European competitors. Workable tax regime While the Government has already committed to a lowering of Corporation Tax, we call for a commitment to no increases to National Insurance, and agreement from departments that consultation will continue to be carried out with those representing small firms ahead of introducing any further tax changes. For example quarterly digital tax data and any potential exemptions and reforms to Corporation Tax. Accessible business support Many variations of support have been introduced over the years, from Business Link to Growth Vouchers and Growth Accelerator. A percentage of these programmes have been underpinned by EU funds. We would like to see a review of funding available for business support and plans for its expenditure. International trade for all One in five small firms currently exports. Exporting increases productivity and leads to employment and growth. But while Brexit has brought opportunity, it has brought complication and a squeeze on margins for some of the smallest firms. There has never been a more critical time to encourage British firms to take their business to the world and offer help to navigate new issues. We recommend government experiments with export support, for the smallest of firms, in the form of Export Vouchers and Export Tax Credits, and rapidly show progress on trade deals with countries eager to do business including the US, China, Australia and New Zealand. Advertisement Consultation with small business To ensure that small business views are taken into account in trade deals and domestic policy, we have formed a Small Business Taskforce to offer government a clear route to over a million small businesses and self-employed individuals in a single vehicle. The taskforce jointly makes these five recommendations and is prepared to help the Government work on fresh plans of what business support and procurement could look like in a post-Brexit world. We are in tandem working on policy recommendations to share with Government. We welcome the opportunity to work closely with Government to ensure the small business base of Britain can continue to prosper, delivering economic and social returns to our country. Todor Tsvetkov via Getty Images On the face of it, a construction site, nail bar, car wash or cannabis farm don't have much in common, do they? Well, the answer is more than you might think, as they're all industries that are implicated in modern day slavery. And it's not just these sectors that are affected. In the UK, an estimated 13,000 people are working as slaves in hospitality, domestic servitude, agriculture, retail, organ harvesting and the sex industry. And if there is any doubt as to the magnitude of the problem globally, the UN says modern slavery and trafficking is now the second-largest criminal industry in the world, with the International Labour Organisation putting annual profits from forced labour at $150bn. Advertisement Unsurprisingly, more and more of us are, either directly or indirectly, coming into contact with forced labour whether that's through the clothes we wear, the food we consume, or where we clean the car. And yet most people are oblivious to a problem that's often hidden in plain sight. Indeed, new research commissioned by the Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation at the University of Hull has found that less than one in ten people (8%) are aware of the real scale of the problem in the UK, with a third of people wrongly believing that slavery only affects women. It's perhaps not surprising then that more than half of us (55%) admit to not being aware of the most common signs of slavery.* So when Theresa May and her Government passed the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the first piece of UK legislation focusing on the prevention and prosecution of modern slavery and the protection of victims, there was reason to believe that we were about to make major inroads into tackling this ever-present problem. The Act stipulates that any business with an annual turnover of 36 million or above is required to provide a statement in a prominent place on its website within six months of the end of the financial year, setting out what steps it has taken to ensure there is no slavery in any part of its business, including its supply chains. For businesses with a financial year running from April to March, this meant 30 September 2016, the first important deadline. The Act has teeth, too. If a business fails to produce a statement, it could find itself at the sharp end of a high court injunction requiring the organisation to comply and, potentially, an unlimited fine. Advertisement However, so far there has been a deafening silence from business in response to this legislation. The indications are that businesses have either been unresponsive or waiting until the last possible moment to put something out. Just a small percentage have published statements thus far and, according to figures from the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, just 22** of these meet the minimum legal requirements. It's not just big business that is being slow to take the issue of modern slavery seriously, either. In August, it was reported that only 100 British companies had signed up to the Transparency in the Supply Chain database, which allows firms to confidentially admit when they find their suppliers using enslaved workers. So what's holding them back? In some cases, it's undoubtedly a case of not knowing where to start, or having to collect data that hitherto simply hasn't existed. Perhaps there's also a fear that any admission of inactivity or oversight will result in a public and media backlash that businesses would rather avoid - even though hiding such a problem is only likely to make things worse for them in the long run, certainly in terms of reputational damage! Whatever it is, it needs to stop. The Government can only begin to tackle the problem effectively with business support. The current lack of support is disappointing. Now is the time for businesses to take a stand and show their commitment to addressing an issue which will only worsen without their backing. Modern day slavery is a tough nut to crack. So it requires not just tough talk, but tough action. While I welcome the Government's moves to address the problem, here at the University of Hull's Wilberforce Institute, we have a few more suggestions to help encourage businesses to show they are serious about fighting modern slavery: Advertisement Consider immediate fines for those companies which don't reply under the terms of the Modern Slavery Act Companies could establish independent whistleblowing mechanisms where workers can report issues. Although it is not immediately clear how this can be done or by whom, there is already a reported upturn in slavery-related civil claims in the UK Make the reporting process as transparent as possible, supporting the call of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre for a free and open-access registry of slavery and trafficking statements Increase empowerment and give workers information in a language they understand, explaining their rights around pay, hours, holiday and benefits *YouGov survey, commissioned by the University of Hull. Total sample size was 1,672 adults, with fieldwork undertaken between 29-30 September 2016. Advertisement Jane Barlow/PA Wire It is now very likely there will be a second referendum on the question of independence for Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon's announcement at the SNP conference in Glasgow last week has give some hope to the people of Scotland, for whom the prospect of Brexit is very alarming. Advertisement The news of the second referendum has also brought to the fore a choice that England will one day have to make -- at a time when very few have even considered the possibility. That is, does England really want to break its union with Scotland to achieve the aim of breaking with the European Union? Indyref2? The reason for a second Scottish independence referendum is very clear. The Brexit referendum of June 2016 opened up a fault line in the UK. This fault line has been pulled even further apart in the ensuing months by the ascendancy in Westminster of the Conservative right wing under Theresa May. Although the majority of voters in England and Wales voted strongly for leaving the EU, Scotland voted for something very different. The democratic will of the Scottish people was very clearly to remain in the EU. Advertisement As expressed by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, in her SNP conference speech on 13 September: If you [the UK Prime Minister] value the UK - as you say you do - it's up to you to prove it can work for Scotland. The ball is in your court. But hear this - if you think for one single second that I'm not serious about doing what it takes to protect Scotland's interests, then think again. If you can't - or won't - allow us to protect our interests within the UK, then Scotland will have the right to decide, afresh, if it wants to take a different path. A hard Brexit will change the UK fundamentally. A UK out of the single market - isolated, inward looking, haemorrhaging jobs, investment and opportunities - will not be the same country that Scotland voted to stay part of in 2014. At present Scotland is faced with the frightening prospect of such a 'hard Brexit', most likely forced onto Scotland by the Westminster government with little consultation or involvement. The framework for Brexit - as defined at present by the UK executive government - s to be decided by a small handful of ministers, with very little regard to either the Westminster Parliament or the devolved governments and parliaments/assemblies of the other nations of what is currently the United Kingdom. In short, as a part of the United Kingdom, Scotland faces being subjected to the tyranny of the English majority, as articulated by the UK Prime Minister, on behalf of the whole of the 'one UK'. The collective 'we' (of the one UK) have voted to leave, so shut up and get on with it Scotland, even though you don't want it. Opposition to such a position is then labelled as 'divisive nationalism'. In response to this, if the SNP government do follow through with the plan for a second independence referendum, then there is a very strong chance that Scotland may vote 'Yes' this time. Advertisement Historically, we can see that this happened over devolution between the 1979 and 1997 referendums. Circumstances do change, as happened during the years of Thatcherism in the 1980s, and now during this upheaval of Brexit. That is, we are now locked into a path that could see the end of the United Kingdom, and the emergence of an independent Scotland. On a personal level, for me I would welcome that. I have argued since 2014 that there shall be an independent Scotland at some point. I just did not expect to see it happen so quickly. The United Kingdom: a 'precious union'? However, this may not be inevitable. There are things that England can do if it wishes to 'preserve' what Theresa May has called the 'precious union'. In fact, it is quite simple. Scotland has been given a choice: In 2014 it voted to remain in the union of the UK by a margin of 55%-45%. In 2016 Scotland voted to remain in the European Union by a margin of 62%-38%. Advertisement The predominantly English Conservative party in the UK government are now telling Scotland that, despite its wishes, it will be forced to leave the EU. By remaining in the union of the UK, it will be dragged out of the European Union. For Scotland, it is one or the other. The UK union or the European Union. Not both. But my point here is that it is not only Scotland that has to face such a choice. The majority of English politicians in Westminster - of all parties - wish to maintain the UK union. However, the English voted for leaving the EU by a margin of 53% to 47%. This was a relatively close decision for such a momentous decision, particularly when the election campaign was so short and so badly run in England. (The two defining elements of the Leave campaign appear to have been the 350million per week bus and the 'Breaking Point' poster). The general consensus, though, is that England have chosen to leave the European Union, in some way or other (either a 'hard' or a 'soft' Brexit). In fact, the EU Council President, Donald Tusk has now asserted that there are only two possible options for the UK: 'it's hard Brexit or no Brexit at all'. As was clear immediately after the EU referendum result - and is now in very sharp focus - such a Brexit has a strong likelihood of leading to an independent Scotland and the ending of the United Kingdom. Advertisement If Scotland prefers to be in a union with the EU rather than in a Brexited UK, permanently dominated by a right-wing English Conservative party, then the UK will become England, Wales, and possible Northern Ireland. England's choice So this leaves England also with a very important choice to make: Does England choose Brexit, and the break-up the United Kingdom? Or does it choose to keep together the 'precious union' of the United Kingdom? This choice would entail finding a means for those parts of the UK that wish to remain in the EU to do so. Of all the options touted (such as the 'reverse Greenland' option), the most obvious one is to put aside the gaping ambiguities of the referendum result and remain in the EU. That is, if England values its union with Scotland enough, it will choose to keep that union (the UK) at the expense of the uncertainties (and very likely dangers) of Brexit. Or to put this another way: if the English nation really wants to stay in a union with the nation of Scotland, then they can only really do so by finding a way to also live within the European Union. Advertisement That is a choice for England to make. Until now, it has hardly even given it much thought. Britain is fighting at least seven covert wars in the Middle East and North Africa, outside of any democratic oversight or control. Whitehall has in effect gone underground, with neither parliament nor the public being allowed to debate, scrutinise or even know about these wars. To cover themselves, Ministers are now often resorting to lying about what they are authorising. While Britain has identified Islamic State (among others) as the enemy abroad, it is clear that it sees the British public and parliament as the enemy at home. Syria Britain began training Syrian rebel forces from bases in Jordan in 2012. This was also when the SAS was reported to be 'slipping into Syria on missions' against Islamic State. Now, British special forces are 'mounting hit and run raids against IS deep inside eastern Syria dressed as insurgent fighters' and 'frequently cross into Syria to assist the New Syrian Army' from their base in Jordan. British special forces also provide training, weapons and other equipment to the New Syrian Army. Advertisement British aircraft began covert strikes against IS targets in Syria in 2015, months before Parliament voted in favour of them in December 2015. These air strikes were conducted by British pilots embedded with US and Canadian forces. Britain has also been operating a secret drone warfare programme in Syria. Last year Reaper drones killed British IS fighters in Syria, again before parliament approved military action. As I have previously argued, British covert action and support of the Syrian rebels is, along with horrific Syrian government/Russian violence, helping to prolong a terrible conflict. Iraq Hundreds of British troops are officially in Iraq to train Iraqi security forces. But they are also engaged in covert combat operations against IS. One recent report suggests that Britain has more than 200 special force soldiers in the country, operating out of a fortified base within a Kurdish Peshmerga camp south of Mosul. British Reaper drones were first deployed over Iraq in 2014 and are now flown remotely by satellite from an RAF base in Lincolnshire. Britain has conducted over 200 drones strikes in Iraq since November 2014. Advertisement Libya SAS forces have been secretly deployed to Libya since the beginning of this year, working with Jordanian special forces embedded in the British contingent. This follows a mission by MI6 and the RAF in January to gather intelligence on IS and draw up potential targets for air strikes. British commandos are now reportedly fighting and directing assaults on Libyan frontlines and running intelligence, surveillance and logistical support operations from a base in Misrata. But a team of 15 British forces are also reported to be based in a French-led multinational military operations centre in Benghazi supporting renegade Libyan general Khalifa Haftar. In July 2016, Middle East Eye reported that this British involvement was helping to coordinate air strikes in support of Haftar, whose forces are opposed to the Tripoli-based government that Britain is supposed to be supporting. Yemen The government says there are no UK military personnel based in Yemen. Yet a report by Vice news in April, based on numerous interviews with officials, revealed that British special forces in Yemen, who were seconded to MI6, were training Yemeni troops fighting Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and also had forces infiltrated in AQAP. The same report also found that British military personnel were helping with drone strikes against AQAP. Britain was playing 'a crucial and sustained role with the CIA in finding and fixing targets, assessing the effect of strikes, and training Yemeni intelligence agencies to locate and identify targets for the US drone program'. In addition, the UK spybase at Menwith Hill in Yorkshire facilitates US drone strikes in Yemen. Britain has been widely (outside the mainstream media) reported as supporting the brutal Saudi war in Yemen. The government says there are around 100 UK military personnel based in Saudi Arabia including a 'small number' at 'Saudi MOD and Operational Centres'. One such Centre, in Riyadh, coordinates the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen and includes British military personnel who are in the command room as airstrikes are carried out and who have access to the bombing targets. A secret 'memorandum of understanding' that Britain signed with Saudi Arabia in 2014 has not been made public since it 'would damage the UK's bilateral relationship' with the Kingdom, the government states. It is likely that this pact includes reference to the secret British training of Syrian rebels in Saudi Arabia, which has taken place since mid-2015. Operating from a desert base in the north of the country, British forces have been teaching rebel forces infantry skills as part of a US-led training programme. Advertisement Afghanistan In Afghanistan, British special forces stayed behind after the British 'withdrawal' at the end of 2014 to help create and train an Afghan special forces unit. Despite officially only having 'advisors' in Afghanistan, in August 2015 it was reported that British covert forces were fighting IS and the Taliban fighters. Members of the SAS and SBS along with US special forces were 'taking part in military operations almost every night' as the insurgents closed in on the capital Kabul. In 2014, the government stated that it had ended its drone air strikes programme in Afghanistan, which had begun in 2008 and covered much of the country. Yet last year it was reported that British special forces were calling in air strikes using US drones. Pakistan and Somalia Pakistan and Somalia are two other countries where Britain is conducting covert wars. Menwith Hill facilitates US drone strikes against jihadists in both countries, with GCHQ providing 'locational intelligence' to US forces for use in these attacks. As regards Somalia, the government has said that it has 27 military personnel there who are developing the Somali National Army and supporting the African Union Mission. Yet in 2012 it was reported that the SAS was covertly fighting against al-Shabab Islamist terrorists in Somalia, working with Kenyan forces in order to target leaders. This involved up to 60 SAS soldiers, close to a full squadron, including Forward Air Controllers who called in air strikes against al-Shabab targets by the Kenyan air force. In early 2016, it was further reported that Jordan's King Abdullah, whose troops operate with UK special forces, was saying that his troops were ready with Britain and Kenya to go 'over the border' to attack al-Shabaab. Drones The RAF's secret drone war, which involves a fleet of 10 Reaper drones, has been in permanent operation since October 2007, and covertly began operating outside of Afghanistan in 2014. The NGO Reprieve notes that Britain provides communications networks to the CIA 'without which the US would not be able to operate this programme'. It says that this is a particular matter of concern as it regards the US covert drone programme as illegal. Advertisement The Gulf Even this may not be the sum total of British covert operations in the region. The government stated in 2015 that it had 177 military personnel embedded in other forces, with 30 personnel working with the US. It is possible that these forces are also engaged in combat in the region. The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Philip Jones, has said that in the Gulf, British pilots fly US F18s from the decks of US aircraft carriers, meaning that 'US' air strikes might well be carried out by British pilots. Britain has many other military and intelligence assets in the region. Files leaked by Edward Snowden show that Britain has a network of three GCHQ spy bases in Oman - codenamed 'Timpani', 'Guitar' and 'Clarinet' - which tap in to various undersea cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian/Arabian Gulf. These bases intercept and process vast quantities of emails, telephone calls and web traffic on behalf of Western intelligence agencies, which information is then shared with the National Security Agency in the United States. The state of Qatar houses the anti-IS coalition's Combined Air Operations Centre at Al Udeid airbase. The government says there are seven UK military personnel 'permanently assigned to Qatar' and an additional number of 'temporary personnel' working at the airbase. These are likely to be covert forces; the government says that 'we do not discuss specific numbers for reasons of safeguarding operational security'. Similarly, the government says there are six military personnel 'permanently assigned' to the United Arab Emirates and an additional number of 'temporary personnel' at the UAE's Al Minhad airbase. Britain also has military assets at Manama harbour, Bahrain. Kenya and Turkey Kenya houses Britain's Kahawa Garrishon barracks and Laikipia Air Base, from where thousands of troops who carry out military exercises in Kenya's harsh terrain can be deployed on active operations in the Middle East. Turkey has also offered a base for British military training. In 2015, for example, Britain deployed several military trainers to Turkey as part of the US-led training programme in Syria, providing small arms, infantry tactics and medical training to rebel forces. The web of deceit When questioned about these covert activities, Ministers have two responses. One is to not to comment on special forces' operations. The other is to lie, which has become so routine as to be official government policy. The reasoning is simple - the government believes the public simply has no right to know of these operations, let alone to influence them. Advertisement Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told parliament in July that the government is 'committed to the convention that before troops are committed to combat the House of Commons should have an opportunity to debate the matter'. This is plainly not true, as the extent of British covert operations show. Similarly, it was first reported in May that British troops were secretly engaged in combat in Libya. This news came two days after Fallon told MPs that Britain was not planning 'any kind of combat role' to fight IS in Libya. There are many other examples of this straightforward web of deceit. In July 2016, the government issued six separate corrections to previous ministerial statements in which they claimed that Saudi Arabia is not targeting civilians or committing war crimes in Yemen. However, little noticed was these corrections also claimed that 'the UK is not a party' to the conflict in Yemen. This claim is defied by various news reports in the public domain. Photo-credit: (c) Fabian Ritter: The mighty blow of a blue whale in the Sea of Cortez Recently, a veritable parade of major global decision-making meetings addressing wild animal issues have been passing by in quick succession: firstly the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s World Conservation Congress met in Hawaii in early September; then the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) convened in Johannesburg, South Africa, in late September; and finally along comes perhaps the most contentious of them all, the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Its biennial meeting of its member nations - The Commission Meeting - starts in a week's time in Portoroz, Slovenia. These three bodies are independent of each other but some common themes link them - commercial whaling is one of them - and key messages and concerns are communicated from one to another. For example, the IUCN - which had more than 10,000 registered participants from all around the world and more than 100 'policy motions' to consider at its meeting - passed two aimed fairly and squarely at the IWC. One of these (Motion 058) addressed so called scientific or special permit whaling and more than 90 per cent of those voting for it called upon - Advertisement "Japan to revoke any existing special permit under Article VIII of the ICRW [the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling which established the IWC] for whale research in the Southern Ocean and in the western North Pacific and to remove lethal sampling components from its whale research programmes; [and] ...all States to refrain from issuing any further special permits under Article VIII of the ICRW." The IUCN motion also emphasised the need for the continuation and expansion of non-lethal research on whales and for international collaboration. The other IUCN resolution (Motion 101) addressed the long-disputed South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary. At the IWC, sanctuary proposals (like whaling quotas) need three quarters of those nations voting for or against to be in favour of them and this proposal has been blocked by a minority of pro-whaling countries at IWC meetings for many years. The IUCN stated that it - "SUPPORTS the establishment of a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary under the auspices of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) as proposed by Argentina, Brazil, Gabon, South Africa and Uruguay [and that it] CALLS UPON all members of the IWC to support the proposal to establish a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary at the 66th meeting of the IWC in Slovenia in October 2016." This very clear message was again supported by a huge majority. The IUCN is an influential forum whose members include states as well as agencies and non-governmental organisations. CITES is a very different beast! A full-blown international agreement between nations, it makes binding decisions and possesses even the power to punish member nations for non-compliance. The primary whaling-related matter considered in Johannesburg was a subtle attempt to move towards the reopening of legal international trade in whale products. All the great whales are currently protected by being listed on CITES Appendix 1, which bans international trade for primarily commercial purposes. This is something that CITES did to support the IWC's moratorium on commercial whaling agreed in 1982. This year, the CITES Secretariat proposed opening up the possibility for the re-entry of whales into what is known as the 'periodic review process'. Once in this review process, species or populations can be proposed for downgrading their protected status. The proposal failed. How will the messages from the IUCN and the reconfirmation of the protected status of whales at CITES play into the forthcoming IWC meeting? Certainly, we can expect some fierce debate at the IWC and some parties there will advance the views of the IUCN. Does the fact that CITES did not change its position on the great whales also matter at the IWC? Yes, it does, because, whilst CITES and the IWC have had a very different evolution, they are clearly more effective if they are in lockstep. This year's IWC meeting (IWC 66) will mark the 70th anniversary of that body - itself another full-blown international agreement - and, perhaps even more significantly the 30th anniversary of the moratorium on commercial whaling. Following the wanton destruction of one whale population after another in the 19th and 20th centuries, the moratorium has brought more than a respite for the whales; it has also brought a change of heart on our part. We have had time to understand the animals concerned far better. Issues such as the need to identify and conserve their cultural units and better appreciation of their suffering when being hunted have come to light. The IWC itself has undergone an evolution - if not a revolution - at the same time. These days, it has turned increasingly to try to address the full range of modern threats affecting whales, issues such as the rekindled threat of chemical pollution (as described in my previous blog), marine noise, ship-strikes and climate change. (Some of this progress is reviewed in a recent paper published in the Frontiers in Marine Science.) One of the IWC's ongoing projects addresses the entanglement of whales in fishing gear, a growing problem and a severe welfare issue. The IWC project helps to train rescuers around the world and to develop improved rescue techniques for what are typically brave and demanding rescue attempts. How wonderful that the body set up to manage the killing of whales now addresses their rescue! Of course the debates about whaling will continue. The three recalcitrant commercial whaling nations (Japan, Norway and Iceland) will continue to attack the moratorium - perhaps seeking to overwhelm it by stealth (for example by seeking to develop new forms of commercialized whaling) or head-on by recruiting more countries to their side. But it is difficult for them to oppose efforts on conservation or welfare because these are inherently shared values across all nations. As I started to need housing with wheelchair access, my parents stepped up to the plate. Lucky for me, as a three year old would've struggled to organise such a thing. We left our typical family house and moved to a bungalow. It had ramps and I was free to roam wherever I chose to. When I left home to go to university, I spent the whole fours years in Coventry in halls. To find an accessible, adapted and affordable property was deemed too difficult. So halls it was. Once I'd graduated and found a job, I spent a year back home. That is until I landed a job to take me to London. A lifelong dream. My house search started with smiles and a metaphorical skip in my step. Until... Advertisement My first accommodation tactic was around spare rooms in London. That's what other young professionals did. I used Gumtree and lined up a bunch of viewings. I travelled from Cambridgeshire to London 3 or 4 times to view many rooms. I was far from picky, eager to find somewhere, and you know what -- nothing was suitable for a disabled person. Worse still, after being told they were wheelchair accessible, many places had steps to the front door. Let alone more steps up to the room. I changed tactic and started using estate agents. I focused on renting my own flat. It would be better for my needs and my carers. Maybe it would be a blessing is disguise. The rent would be higher, but a price I'd have to pay in my situation. A couple of weeks passed. I viewed a few properties, but they were either inaccessible or unaffordable. Time was ticking. My job was starting. I had nowhere to live. Fortunately a colleague in London was looking for flats and shared his findings. A housing association were offering newly built flats (meaning better accessibility from the building regulations). I found a 2 bed flat in North London. It'd need the bathroom adapting, but it'd work! Advertisement The one snag was I had to part-own it. It was my only solution though. So aged 24 I purchased 30% on a flat. I'd no idea if I'd like London, let alone this particular neighbourhood. However it was my last chance to live that dream of mine. So I took it. Fortunately I did like London. Despite a couple of gang murders, I also loved the neighbourhood. It had diversity, culture and great bars. Phew. After six or so years I left my job, started travelling the world, and had less need for London's crazyness and my flat. So upon looking to rent in Cambridge I had the same issues. More recently still I wanted to buy in Cambridgeshire. The same problems again. So whilst there is a positive -- I always found a place to live. It was always so difficult, so tiring and so much more expensive. One of the key problems was information. To try and address this, we at Disability Horizons have partnered with thehouseshop.com to create a guide all about accessible house hunting. Advertisement Naturally we urge more properties, agencies and organisations to improve access and affordability. However today we know this guide will help join the dots for lots of disabled people. To download the guide just head to our article here. If you are in a hurry, head straight to the sign up widget, and pop your email in. It's free to do, and you'll get your guide to keep forever. Don't forget to share your housing stories on social media with @dhorizons. Like with the care post last week, awareness raising is so vital. Martyn Sibley CEO and Co-Founder Disability Horizons Being a writer isn't always the most dramatic kind of life. Unless you're out researching in the field, most of the drama takes place inside your head, and much of your day is spent staring at a computer. This is pretty much how it was for me until the last day of the Tory party conference in Birmingham. It would be something of an understatement to say that I had't really enjoyed the proceedings. Most of the time I tried to ignore them, but this became increasingly difficult, as politician after politician stepped forward with a series of jaw-droppingly spiteful policies that really made my skin crawl. . Foreign doctors? No thanks. Foreign students? Get rid. Name and shame employers who employ foreign workers - even though employer after employer insists that the British economy needs foreign workers? Bring it on. Depict people who call themselves 'citizens of the world' as unpatriotic and rootless outsiders? Icing on the cake. Listening to this litany of pronouncements, I couldn't help feeling that something truly alarming was taking place in UK politics. In a famous essay on the origins of World War I, Freud once argued that barbarism is kept in check by a certain set of moral standards that society establishes to control its worst instincts. Individuals might feel certain destructive impulses, he suggested, but most people won't give into them because they don't want to be censured or criticized by the community they belong to. Advertisement This risk of censure, he insisted, is precisely what holds a civilised society together. But these standards can also change - in wartime for example - and then primitive and destructive instincts that have previously been kept in check can explode into the open and create a new normality. Here in the UK, the EU referendum has shattered many of the standards that many of us previously thought were taken for granted, regarding the way the British society regards the foreigners in our midst. It wasn't that people didn't rip the hijabs off Muslim women in the street or screech at foreigners to speak English before the referendum - they did. But since the referendum large numbers of people - larger than we are prepared to admit - now feel entitled to do these things. They now think it's ok to tell foreign doctors that they only want a British doctor, to rant at strangers to go home, and recycle old racist taunts that many people had not heard since the 70s. Rather than combat these tendencies, the cascade of xenophobic proposals oozing out of Birmingham seemed explicitly designed to pander to them. This was not dog-whistle politics. It was out-in-the open nastiness, a post-referendum nativist walpurgisnacht in which it was painfully and shockingly clear that the government is now prepared to pander to the worst instincts in the British population in order to manage the UK's exit from the European Union. In normal circumstances I might have expressed these opinions in a blog or ranted at the tv, but this time I did something different. I wrote a brief Facebook post in which I asked what people thought of the idea of staging a mass day of action on the lines of the 2006 'One Day Without Immigrants' protest in the US and a similar protest in Italy in 2010. The essential idea of both protests was a 24-hour boycott, by immigrants and their supporters. Advertisement Some downed tools. Some closed their restaurants and businesses. Others took their kids out of school and didn't spend money or go shopping. The two protests took place in very different contexts, but their aims were broadly similar - to demonstrate the contribution that immigrants made in societies that were increasingly hostile to their presence, and which often marginalized or ignored their contributions. It seemed to me that this would be a good idea right now, at a time when similar sentiments were running rampant in the Uk both on the street and also at the political level. Within a few hours of my post, it became clear that many people felt the same way. The post went quickly viral, and within a few days a group was formed with over two thousand members, and a broader discussion about the protest was unfolding across the Internet. By the following Monday, One Day Without Us was firmly established. It had a date - February 20 next year - and the nucleus of an organization. It was receiving offers of help from individuals and organizations across the country, from a range of nationalities and political persuasions. It had become the subject of national and international media attention. By the end of the week at least fifteen groups were formed or in the process of forming in various towns and cities. The idea of a mass protest like this has clearly caught a wider mood of indignation, despair and concern, following the national tragedy that has unfolded as a result of the referendum campaign. Today some three million EU nationals, many of whom have lived here for decades and thought this country was their home, are now undergoing the painful experience of being described as 'migrants' - a word that has acquired almost entirely negative connotations in British vocabulary through decades of tabloid usage. Some have already begun the extraordinarily convoluted process of applying to become naturalised British citizens. Others are preparing to abandon the country they thought was their home. Many feel insecure and even despairing about their legal status and vulnerable in the face of the increasingly vicious mood of the British public, and a post-Brexit racism that makes no distinctions between EU national, between 'migrant' and 'immigrant', and which doesn't care if you come from Poland or Pakistan. Whether the xenophobes and racists see difference in skin colour, your language, your nationality or your religion - they have only one message for foreigners and people who look like foreigners - get out. This is what happened in a London street only two days, when a gang of racists chased a young Portuguese woman down the street and told her to get back to 'whatever hellhole you came from.' Advertisement Millions of British-born citizens - both Leavers and Remainers - are appalled and shamed by the alarming transformation of Brexit Britain into a xenophobic dystopia. And that is why this emerging movement has taken off. Its members all share the same common goals. We want to remind the British public and politicians that immigrants have a past, a present and a future in this country, and celebrate that presence. We don't want to do this with a march. Thesemare extraordinary times, and we all felt that something extraordinary was required. Everybody involved in this project is conscious that something more dramatic, wide-ranging and inclusive than a march or rally was required; a peaceful mass protest, unfolding simultaneously in towns,cities, workplaces and communities across the country, and a demonstration of solidarity and unity that might help burst the poisonous bubble that Brexit has created. There are times when the Conservatives will hand what could almost be described as a gift to those seeking to point out their flaws (although perhaps one from a distant relative who doesn't particularly like you). Recently this has come in the form of being so transparently unpleasant, as to make finding something to write about them feel almost too easy. To listen to the news seeping out from the Conservative Party conference just over a week ago was akin to being a park keeper on a zero-hours contract, who hears that a trio of Alsatians with gastrointestinal problems and non conscientious owners has moved into the area. You could be assured there would be plenty to keep your hands full, but this wouldn't necessarily be something to be relished. It's news to no one that they announced plans to name and shame organisations with high numbers of foreign employees, but were quickly forced to backtrack on the proposal. This was only after many pointed out such plans put them in somewhat less than illustrious company. The have backtracked in all cases that is, other than the NHS, having already announced their distaste that 25% of doctors are from overseas. Advertisement Theresa May has said that foreign doctors will be welcome in the NHS until 2025. That is like going to a dinner party and introducing your significant other as "my current partner" (apologies, my reference points are nothing if not bourgeois). Essentially saying that this person will do, for now, until of course someone better comes along. Both Theresa May have and Jeremy Hunt have expressed a desire to see more British born doctors in the NHS. Presumably this is because of the particularly British care such individuals are able to provide. The sort of care served up with a slice of lemon drizzle cake in a marquee on a village green by a respectable young thing from the home counties in gingham scrubs. To take the jobs back from these interlopers, Jeremy Hunt has announced plans to train an extra 1,500 doctors per year and has pledged 100 million to do so. It has been pointed out on social media however, that this would fall significantly short of the required figure. It apparently costs the taxpayer of 220,000 to train a doctor. At least that is the amount the health secretary quoted to justify plans to penalise doctors who wish to leave the NHS to work abroad. 1,500 times 220,000 is a lot more than 100 million in case you were wondering. Inspiration for punishing doctors who want to pursue a better life elsewhere comes from a tactic employed by the air force. I would argue, that when a profession supposedly as coveted as medicine has such a retention crisis as to resort to the tactics of the military to make people stay, you have something of a morale problem on your hands. Surely then, recruiting even more British candidates of a sufficient quality is likely to be a tall order? Advertisement It's often said that immigrants do jobs that British people don't want to. Medicine is no different. Although allowed to work in the UK, many foreign doctors aren't eligible to take up training positions. This leaves them in what you might call in (arguably in poor taste) dead end service provision roles in less salubrious locations. In their absence, presumably the government would inflict this relatively grim future on the new wave of British born graduates (given that they aren't about to magic up a load of new consultant positions to progress to). To be fair, based on recent evidence, this would be right up their street. We have all taken to social media at one point to moan about products or services that didn't quite hit the mark and on a good day you might even find a few compliments for great service. The unavailable child cot on a long haul flight (I'm still not over this British Airways), the hair in your food, and the infamous misspelled name on your fave Starbucks drink of choice. And just like that, your gripe is public. Over 42% of consumers use social media to express direct complaints and expect a resolution within 60 minutes maximum; 32% will not wait longer than 30 minutes for a response. I generally don't use this blog to air my personal experiences, but recent events have reminded me of a few things that I think would benefit some when it comes to dope customer service. Advertisement As an expat, I have traveled quite a bit, and this week I took a trip India - a place I once called home for several years. My regular hotel was completely sold out, so I took a chance on the Sofitel Mumbai and booked in a stay for 4 nights with my husband and our 6 month old. The hotel is fairly new and seemed to tick all the boxes during my late night google searches and, generally, all anyone really wants is a clean and quiet place to shower, shave and sleep. Everything else is gravy. First day in, I placed a room service request for lunch; a screaming stuffy nosed baby and a check in at 2am did not make for a pleasant afternoon and I decided to stay in for the day. Thirty minutes later - a chilled 7-up and a spicy Penne Arrabbiata would soon form the beginning pieces of a lasting relationship with the Sofitel. Hemangi from the private dining team served up lunch, a flawless red lip and endless smiles (and cuddles) for our little one, which was later followed up with the softest teddy for our little screamer. Now, this may not seem like much, but I have stayed at quite a few hotels where service with a smile was virtually non-existent. Advertisement It gets better. Wait for it.. After an impressive first night, we took to the streets for some shopping and later to the rooftop pool, followed by dinner out at an old favorite restaurant - only to return to find this! This was no ordinary picture frame, but a complete custom chocolate frame (with embellishments) of the very photo taken of our little girl with Hemangi! Advertisement Mind. Blown. Let's face it: customer service at hotels can be hard. The reality is that we're all human, and we can have off days. When we think about customer service, our thoughts go first to handling complaints, but much more is involved. In today's environment, service has become a cliche and it seems like "everyone's doing it," but one size does not fit all and it's the small yet personal things that really make a difference. It should be a multi-faceted effort, and every stay is fundamentally about the human experience and in my case it was the little, unexpected gestures that made a world of difference. There's a level of empathy that is required and it's one of those things that everyone talks about, but no one actually has any real clue how to do it. The moral of the story is: You get what you give. On the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street many Britons are looking forward to a revival of fighting spirit against bigotry, particularly anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, in their midst. The story of this 'battle' is indeed inspirational: On 4th October 1936, Sir Oswald Mosley's uniformed Blackshirts decided to march against the Jewish people who had fled from the pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe and settled in East London. The East Enders - Jews, trade unionists, Labour party activists, Irish Catholic dockers and many ordinary people - joined together and stood up to confront Mosley's fascist brigade with barricades and refused to let them march through their streets. Ordinary East Enders succeeded in their goal! October is also the Black History Month in the UK and throughout this month the African diaspora not only remembers the important individuals and events in their history, but also renews their pledge to fight against contemporary bigotry and racism. The East End of London had opened its door to many communities - that started with the French Huguenots in the 18th century, then the Jewish community from the 1880s through the early part of 20th century and the Bangladeshis in the 1970s; in recent years the Somalis have been arriving in big numbers. But one thing has been common in the area - the East Enders had all along been determined to fight against all forms of bigotry. Advertisement The next test came when Bangladeshis settling in East London, particularly in the Bricklane area in the1970s, were facing bigoted local thugs from the white skinhead gangs. Residents began to fight back by creating committees and youth groups, with many anti-fascists from the mainstream society joining them. On 4th May 1978, a 25-year-old Bangladeshi garment worker, Altab Ali, was brutally murdered in a racist attack as he walked home from work. This led to over 7,000 people, mostly Bangladeshis, marching in a demonstration against racist violence and walking behind his coffin to 10 Downing Street. His murder was the trigger for the first significant politically organised attempt against racism by local Bangladeshi activists. In recent years Islamophobic groups such as the English Defence League (EDL) and Britain First (a far-right nationalist political party formed in 2011 by former members of the British National Party) took advantage of the post-7/7 anti-Muslim sentiment and became emboldened to corner the Muslim community. The EDL orchestrated a number of violent demonstrations against mosques in major UK cities. But when they threatened a big demonstration in front of Britain's largest mosque, the ELM in Whitechapel, in summer 2010, Tower Hamlets' civil society groups amassed 5,000 local people in a counter-demonstration. Once again, this great victory against bigots was a huge moral boost for the East End communities. In the midst of the waves of refugees crossing the Mediterranean, mainly from Syria with thousands dying in capsized boats, many EU countries are going through political and economic uncertainty in recent years. Some countries have seen the big rise of narrow nationalism, with the rise of political far right. Europe is now more polarised and divided than it has been for the past decades. A chilling wave of xenophobic attacks on immigrants and refugees has created fear and uncertainty to the Muslim, Jewish and other vulnerable communities. Occasional Daesh-inspired "lone wolf" terror acts are further generating xenophobia. Right wing political rhetoric and lurid media headlines are giving succour to bigots across the continent. Far right political parties are gaining electoral successes; some countries like Hungary are defiantly erecting high walls to keep away people in desperate need. Advertisement The result of Britain's EU Referendum, Brexit, on 23 June has exacerbated the uncertainty further. In Britain itself post-Brexit anti-foreigner sentiment and increased violence is causing huge concern, while historic anti-Semitism and Islamophobia appear to be leaving the two communities more fearful of their future. However, in Britain the distinctive legacy of anti-fascist and anti-racist fighting spirit, particularly in the East End of London, has continued over the decades. On the occasion of the Battle of Cable Street and in this historic Black History Month, the proud East Enders and Britain's well-organised anti-racist groups have now regrouped once again to face the new challenges that are affecting community relations. They recently organised a number of events, including one in the historic Altab Ali Park in Whitechapel, to strengthen solidarity among people in the area and beyond. In post-Brexit Britain when there will be natural economic uncertainty, our political class and media establishment have an historic obligation to keep our country safe from bigotry by being positive, robust and wise in their discourse. Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari is an educationalist, parenting consultant and author. He is former Secretary General of Muslim Council of Britain (2006-10). You can follow him on Twitter @MAbdulBari Peter Richardson, from Leeds-based Chapeltown Cohousing, said: "Everyone should have a home; a safe, secure place to be themselves. That's why I set up Chapeltown Cohousing - to help build homes for families living in one of the poorest and most deprived areas of the country. Too often housing is a worry rather than a comfort. Most rented accommodation is short-term and provides no security. Buying a house is out of reach for many people and with house prices so high compared with earnings there seems little chance of this changing. It doesn't have to be like that. I am helping local people take control of their own housing by working together to provide security for themselves and their families. Each household has their own home with everything they need, and in addition they are also part of a co-operative community with shared facilities such as a laundry, play room, communal kitchen and dining room." Clowns Without Borders What a crazy week to be a clown, as the Director of Clowns Without Borders and a performer myself, I can say that with some authority. The spate of "evil clown" sightings has lead many people to ask me if it'll affect our work; not at all. We're clowns! We're resilient, if we get knocked down, we simply dust ourselves off and get back up. It's why after centuries we're still here making people laugh. That said, Clowns Without Borders operates in particularly unique circumstances. We send professional clowns into crisis zones to share laughter and joy with children living through disasters. I know it sounds bizarre and shouldn't work but it does. I have seen first hand the difference it makes to the lives of children who have lost everything and are struggling to make sense of the world around them. Advertisement Clown Marion Duggan at a pop-up camp in Greece, April 2016 This year we have shared nearly 50 clown performances and workshops with children living in the refugee camps that have sprung up all over Europe. The tension and emotions in these sites is often palpable, we can only guess what horrors the children and their families have been through. It is obvious to us that the war in Syria has robbed these children of an essential right, the right to be a child. We try to address this by very deliberately bringing play, laughter, and silliness back into their lives. Who better to do this than clowns? There's a glorious defiance and playfulness to our work, and to clowning in general, that does not accept crisis or conflict is more powerful than children having the chance to laugh and to experience what it is to be a child free from concern. It's becoming harder and harder for us to access the Military run refugee camps but we continued to find ways to do so because we simply believe all children deserve a childhood characterised by laughter. We've just got back from our third tour to refugee camps in Northern Greece just two weeks ago. Advertisement Clowns Without Borders at a Greece refugee camp, May 2016 One of the most powerful aspects of our work is the sense of community it creates. Children stand side-by-side parents and aid-workers, connected through laughter. It's an incredibly humbling and moving experience to arrive at a camp and notice the children are dispersed, not really doing anything and to leave with them playing and sharing recreated scenes from our show with us and anyone else who will watch. The 'slow-motion' race is a definite favourite, followed closely by the 'Dancing Banana'. Perhaps, this "crazy clown phase" has been created by a perception that all clowns are raucous, outrageous and chaotic. And whilst they can be, our professional clowns are interested in human connection and interaction. This requires sensitivity and awareness. We need to be able to 'read' and gain the trust of the children we work for, letting them know it's safe to laugh; to imagine. In a refugee camp, it's not unusual for us to start a performance with just twenty children and end up with two hundred. The skill to manage unpredictable environments like this so that everyone feels included and involved requires practice and commitment that goes beyond wearing colourful clothes and big shoes. Clown Leo Kaipiainen, Greece refugee camp, May 2016 Ensuring every child has a positive experience means there's has to be a lot of "method in our madness". Of course, the shows are highly visual and non-verbal but we also create lots of moments for audience interaction that put the children in control. They become the heroes of the scene. Given the levels of powerlessness, all refugee children have experienced creating opportunities for them to be in charge is incredibly important to us. The fun we bring is only a small part of what refugee children (and adults) need in order to thrive. But we know the laughter we share is important by the way parents come up to us after the show to thank us or through the eagerness of the children to copy us. The big NGOs call it "psycho-social first aid', we think of it as an essential part of what it means to be humans It's why we'll still be visiting refugee camps long after the 'evil clown craze' has been forgotten. Advertisement Samantha Holdsworth is director and founder of Clowns Without Borders UK Marvi Lacar via Getty Images It was in November 2015 when I was invited by my friend Jane to our borough's event for the United Nations 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. The event began with speeches by local politicians and the borough's Police Commander who all gave their commitment to fight gender-based violence in our part of London. It was a worthwhile event and I didn't think it could get any better until a tall, Somali woman in a colourful hijab stood up to take her position on the podium. She spoke slowly, eloquently, and with every word she grabbed the audience's complete attention. We listened, both horrified and appalled, as she shared her experience of 'being cut' on the orders of her mother at the tender age of six. She was Hibo Wardere, a survivor of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and a campaigner against the cultural act practised in 29 countries and affecting up to 200 million women. Advertisement The following is an extract from her very personal speech: "My mother ordered the cutter to do it to me. It felt like the worst pain in the world. An open wound rubbed with salt or hot chilli - it felt like that ... "And then you realise your wee isn't coming out the way it used to come. It's coming out as droplets, and every drop was worse than the one before. This takes four or five minutes - and in that four or five minutes you're experiencing horrific pain." I approached her in the tea break, a little at a loss, to express my awe at what she had just shared about herself so openly, so honestly, so candidly, and so bravely. She gave me a small smile accompanied with a slight shrug and I realised she was used to this reaction from people. "You need to write a book, a memoir," I blurted. "It's coming out soon," she replied. Nearly a year later, I arrange to meet her now that her book has been released. Today she is holding court at her favourite coffee shop in Walthamstow. She stands out with her colourful clothes and that unique beauty possessed by the women of East African heritage; the high cheekbones and full pout against smooth black skin. She is at home here, this part of north-east London which welcomed her in the 1990s when she arrived in the UK as a refugee. Advertisement Earlier this year, I spent some time volunteering at a refugee camp in the Greek Island of Lesvos. The wet and freezing men, women and children who had tumbled out of flimsy boats flash through my mind. It is the prevailing image of the refugees (although not forgetting the picture of the small boy in blue shorts and a red t-shirt, face down in the sand). I want to know about her journey. "Did you board an illegal boat? Did you trek through central Europe to get here?" "We left Mogadishu for Kenya with hundreds of thousands of Somalis because it was so dangerous," she tells me. "I was sixteen and for two years we drifted from one place to another to avoid being captured as illegals by the Kenyan police. It was hard. After two years we had to make the decision to leave. It was no life. My extended family wanted to claim asylum in Canada, but I didn't want to go there. I wanted to come to London." "So you came with your family?" I ask, assuming that a girl of eighteen would neither be brave enough or be allowed to travel alone by her parents. "No." I hear the streak of independence in her voice and she raises her chin. "I came with another woman. Not family." Advertisement I can't hide my surprise. "Your mother allowed you?" She smiles, her eyes softening at the mention of her mother. "Yes." "How?" "I came with a fake passport. A Ugandan one. The Heathrow authorities knew it was fake and I admitted it straight away. I said 'I claim asylum'." I expect to hear an account of poor treatment. It did not come. Instead, another smile. "I received warmth. So much warmth. As soon as I said 'I claim asylum', the policeman gave me his coat to wear because I was so cold. And then he gave me a cup of tea before I was interviewed. From that first moment when I arrived here seeking sanctuary, I have only ever known warmth from the British people. Today it's very different for refugees. It hurts me how the new refugees are treated. They are not here to claim free housing and benefits. They are not scroungers. They have fled danger and they want to live in peace. And they will all contribute to this country. "I came here as a refugee. So did my husband. We have raised our seven children together to make a contribution to this country. My eldest son has just qualified as a doctor. He is 25. My second son is doing computer science and my daughter is studying child psychology. They are giving back to this country which welcomed their parents." And her own contribution? She is the only FGM survivor in the country to be paid by a Local Authority to campaign against the practise. "How did it all come about?" "I was a teaching assistant in a primary school five years ago and the head-teacher asked me to look at the case of a 10-year-old Somali girl who was being taken out of school in term time. I guessed why her parents wanted to take her to Africa. It was to cut her. The head-teacher and the teachers knew nothing about this. I was the one who informed them by talking about my own experience of being cut when I was six years old. The head-teacher recognised the practise as a form of child abuse and asked me to speak to other schools in the borough as well. That's where it started. I have spoken to thousands of pupils since and now I speak in areas outside London too; Brighton, Newham, Cambridge and Oxford. Remember it's not just the Africans who practise it. It's the Middle Eastern communities as well, especially Yemen and Iraqi Kurdistan. They do it in parts of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Columbia too." Advertisement "There has been migration from these countries to Canada and America. The practise occurs there too?" "Of course. In Canada they are talking about it. There are some very courageous individuals who are campaigning against it. But not in America." "Why?" She shrugs. "They are scared to mention the word 'vagina' in America." I ask her to explain the difference between the three types of FGM. Type 1 - Clitoridectomy: removing part or all of the clitoris. Type 2 - Excision: removing part or all of the clitoris and the inner labia (lips that surround the vagina) with or without the removal of the labia majora (larger outer lips) Type 3 - Infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal opening by creating a seal, formed by cutting, scarping or burning the area. Advertisement I look at Hibo slightly perplexed. "Type 3 serves as a chastity belt, but what is the point of 1 and 2?" "It stops sexual urges. It prevents you from wanting to have sex, to have pleasure." 'Wow, whoever invented these procedures must have really hated women," I half joke. "In Somalia it is called 'Pharaohs' because it was introduced three thousand years ago by the Pharaohs. I have type 3. It was done to me so I could be presented with proof as a virgin to my husband on my wedding night. It is the husband's prize and it is his job to force himself inside." I can't help the shudder. "And were you presented as a prize?" "No", she laughs, that streak of independence apparent again. "When I came here I went to the doctor and asked for a deinfibulation procedure. The hospital operated on me; they opened up the stitches where the urethra was sealed. Soon after that I got married. I was twenty years old and my husband promised me we would never cut our daughters. They would never go through what I had." "How did you deal with the backlash from your community when you decided to go public with your campaign?" "It was bad. People were saying 'why are you attacking our beautiful culture?' I replied our culture is beautiful, but not this part. This is child abuse." Advertisement "And now? Have you made a difference to attitudes?" "I hope so. I hold a clinic at the local hospital. I have women who self refer. They come for deinfibulation. They come to be opened up before they marry. It is safer this way than to be bulldozed by your husband on your wedding night. "If you have FGM done to you then you will always have vaginal infections, urinary infection, kidney infections, cysts, reproductive issues and pain during sex. It's discomfort that doesn't go away, ever. Period pains are terrible. It is hard to urinate. Getting pregnant is traumatic because the baby has to be pushed out of unnaturally small space. At the clinic, we know how to deal with it all." "And the men in your community?" "They are muted. The 80% are muted. They don't want to know about it, hear about it or speak about it. But FGM is done for men. Girls are reared as possessions to be presented to these men. It has everything to do with them. There will not be real change till the men decide they don't want this awful thing to be done to their daughters. The men have to show parental responsibility." "And the other 20% of men?" "I hold meetings for men and I speak openly. And then it dawns on them why they have had problems. Why their wives have tried to resist sex. Some talk about how they got divorced because of the lack of intimate relations. They all know how difficult giving birth is for FGM sufferers and their wives have had to have C-sections. One 70 year old man said to me if he knew before how his daughters would live with the pain all their lives, then he would never have allowed them to be cut." "Any message to wider society?" "It is your business. This is child abuse. It is a universal fight. It is not racist to say FGM is wrong. You have to move away from culture and race. It is everybody's fight." Advertisement "Your mother? She did it to you when you were six years old. She has passed away, but if she was here would she support you now?" Her eyes soften again. "My mum did love me, and she did this out of love. She thought this was protection for me. She thought she was protecting the family honour. She herself was a victim as well as her mother, her grandmother. Generations have undergone FGM - they didn't see anything wrong with it. They thought if you weren't cut, you're going to be talked about, you're going to be stigmatised, no-one is going to marry you. You're going to be seen as someone who sleeps around with other men. For them, it was protection for the family and protection for you. "I think my Mum would support me. It's about education. I would educate her that it is cultural child abuse and nothing to do with religion. Girls should not be reared for men like this. I am saving girls from this horrible practise and I think she would have been proud of me." And there is it again. Honour. The word masked as a means to control women. Hibo Wardere's memoir Cut is published by Simon & Schuster. In its most recent human rights report, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office noted the "worsening" human rights situation in Iran. It summarised a bleak picture. Massive numbers of executions, arrests of journalists and bloggers, systematic discrimination against women. It might also have added: a pattern of jailing dual-nationals as a form of diplomatic blackmail. Because that's what seems to be happening with people like my constituent Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe - i.e. people who are Iranian by birth but also citizens of Western countries. Nazanin, a charity worker from West Hampstead, is currently languishing in a cell in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. Her story is like something from a bad thriller. After a routine family holiday in Iran, Nazanin was detained on 3 April along with her toddler daughter Gabriella at Tehran airport as she was about to fly back to Britain. Separated from Gabriella (whose passport was confiscated before she was handed over to her Iranian grandparents), Nazanin was taken away and placed in solitary confinement, where she was to remain for over a month. Advertisement Things got worse. She was denied a lawyer or access to her family. Back in Britain her husband Richard was forbidden from speaking to her on the phone even after he'd found out where she was being held. There then followed months of outlandish accusations. This 37-year-old mother with no political affiliations had plotted the "overthrow" of the Iranian state. She faced "national security-related" charges. And, shatteringly, early last month came the news that she'd been sentenced - after a three-hour trial in a revolutionary court - to five years in prison. As far as groups like Amnesty International can ascertain, her trial was rushed, unfair and likely to have been based on trumped-up charges. Amnesty has said she should be released immediately and unconditionally if she is being held solely for exercising her normal right to freedom and association. Her case is crying out for high-level diplomatic intervention. The government needs to be raising the case through every channel it has with Iran. Since Nazanin's husband Richard came to me about his wife's plight, I have raised it with the Foreign Office and two Prime Ministers. Sadly, very little seems to be happening. When I asked the then Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond about Government action on the case, the answer offered a glimmer of hope - "regular lobbying" was taking place on her case. But that was in July. Another three months have slipped by, precious time lost to Nazanin who is missing her young daughter's most formative years. Advertisement So what is currently being done over my constituent's terrible predicament? It's not at all clear. We're told Theresa May spoke of the case in a face-to-face meeting with the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani last month. Yet nothing has changed. Her husband Richard is still tirelessly trying to drum up support with petitions and media interviews. And I'm still seeking trying to get answers from ministers over what is being done. Meanwhile, the UK's first ambassador to Iran for five years has just taken up his post and British Airways have relaunched regular Heathrow-Tehran flights. In diplomacy-speak, relations are "normalising". But Nazanin's case makes a mockery of this new warmth in Anglo-Iranian relations. In his speech at the Conservative Party conference, Boris Johnson talked at length about the influence of "Global Britain". But where is this influence when it comes to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe? For once the foreign secretary should stop grandstanding and knuckle down to the real work of securing my constituent's freedom from an Iranian prison cell. Getting one young Hampstead mother out of jail might not be the kind of glorious, earth-shattering diplomatic triumph that Mr Johnson dreams of. But it would mean a huge amount to the people caught up in this nightmare. Advertisement Allie Wassum, Associate Director, Social Strategy, DigitasLBI While Pinterest has been whispering about their 150 Million Monthly Active user count since Advertising Week, yesterday marked the first official announcement of their milestone increase in users since 2015. Their latest product releasesincluding an innovative new mobile image search functionality upgrade and their launch of Promoted Video adsshowcases Pinterests renewed interest in drawing attention to the platform. But, whats even more interesting is the more search than social evolution theyve pivoted to. Its no secret that Pinterest has remained hyper-focused on separating themselves from other social networks. (Weve known of their shift toward a more search-oriented experience for some time.) But the platforms investment in their search experience has never been so prevalent. And considering that Google alum Gunnard Johnson was recently named Head of Measurement & Insights (adding to the list of other former Google employees) Pinterest is now concentrating on perfecting search. Advertisement And theyve clearly thought through how to brand their pivot, so as not to pigeonhole themselves. Their use of the word discovery instead of search is clever because it highlights the user at the centerseeking out and suddenly happening uponboth sought out and contextually relevant results. And their use of self descriptors, like catalog of ideas and database of taste sets them apart from both social platforms and search platforms. They seem content on resting somewhere in the middle for now. But Pinterests desire to stay in the gray can be confusing for brands simply trying to navigate, and succeed, on the platform. So, what exactly puts Pinterst in the gray areas between search and social? 1. Self-Discovery & Personalization Via personalized recommendations that feel qualitatively different from other services, Pinterest is able to help users uncover their own tastes, one pin at a time. For example, recommended pins are able to consider all facets of your style (not just one specific pin) to help determine what youll want/need next. This makes Pinterest a different user experience than other platforms, but also shows how data-rich it is from an advertising perspective. 2. Actionable Nature Pinterest has created the ability for passive searching to suddenly become active. In a nutshell, the platform is able to seamlessly move a user from casually perusing a fashion influencers boards, to finding a look they love, to drilling down to the specific blazer they want to buy, to buying it. In fact, 70% of users who find pins take some sort of action. This is the driving force behind Pinterests MPS (Motivating Potential Score) its higher than any other social network, because users who see something go and do. Thats powerful. Advertisement 3. Long Shelf Life Like traditional search, but unlike social networks, Pin content is relevant much longer than a tweet or post. The content itself is hosted in a repository that was made for this very reasonto be able to keep things around that you dont want to forget. This has given way to what Im calling the Two-Four Rule, because 25% of all pinning on Pinterest happens 2-4 months before an event or holiday. Usually people in social are searching for immediate or near-term gratification and the same is true with traditional search. But Pinterest seems to lack the expected expiration date because they have cracked the intent code, capitalizing on signals early in the consumer journey. 4. Category-Based Search In conjunction with its planning nature, the search terms we actually type in via Pinterest are very different from those we use on Google. We search more broadly on Pinterest, using categories as cues things like DIY, Wedding, Home Decor. This allows us to discover new things and be inspired. On Google, our search gets very specific red chair mid century mod which helps us to narrow down our choices, but Pinterest is about just the opposite: broadening our horizons. 5. Co-Screening When we think about co-screening (watching some form of TV while on our mobile devices), we think of the usual suspects: Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat. But new research shows that 45% of Pinterest users are likely to hang out on Pinterest while they're watching TV. But theres more: 47% of the time what users see on TV sparks activity on Pinterest. And 64% of Pinterest users say they pay more attention to what theyre doing on Pinterest than what theyre watching on TV and 44% of them will engage with Pinterest for the shows entirety, regardless of whether its on a commercial break or not. This not only says something about the types of pins we create, but also about how people are consuming Pinterest content differently than other platforms. 6. Open API & Image Search Last year Pinterest announced its open API, allowing brands to provide personalized, curated experiences for users, but few partners have taken advantage of this functionality. The most recent and robust use was Burberrys recent campaign, which allowed users to answer a few questions to inform the creation of a custom board based on their responses. Another underutilized functionality is its image search capability, rivaling Googles with the ability for users to upload photos and receive similar pins in response. Via buyable pins, the technology is then there to enable users to actually purchase the pair of shoes they snapped on the T (for instance). Imagine a world where you could upload a picture of whats inside your fridge and then receive an output of recipes which include only the items you already have? Stephen Freitas, Chief Marketing Officer, Outdoor Advertising Association of America Before the onset of technology, media planners had it easy. A few phone calls, a few million dollars, and the buy was done. We all saw Mad Men those were the good old days. Today is a different story. A media planners job is far more complicated today than it was on Madison Avenue in the 70s. Consumer behavior has changed, media buys are larger and more integrated, and technology continues to evolve. It is through this innovation, however, that OOH has reinvented itself and its buying process. Today as media planners select and secure OOH space, automated services streamline the process. Advertisement In the case of the recent #VoteToCount public service campaign, which uses in-your-face labels Americans often identify with to encourage voters to get to the polls this year, planning and buying agency Project X collaborated closely with integrated advertising agency Partners+Napier to optimize the campaign for success. OOH media vendors offered ad space for the campaign through planning software, which organized the resulting 2,500+ ad units into a unified interface where planners then applied demographic data to determine audience-appropriate messaging for each ad placement. For example, ads reading Parade-Marching, Rainbow Flag-Waving, Straight Voter are currently posted in the progressive urban neighborhoods of Downtown Manhattan and San Francisco, while ads that read Rural, Christian, Pro-Choice Voter are on display in areas where data suggest a more receptive populace. New technology like this collapses the once laborious task of building OOH advertising campaigns based on demographics and proximity into a streamlined workflow. This kind of software also features powerful audience targeting tools to help bring greater optimization to advertisers OOH campaigns, thereby providing expert OOH ad buying services to brands and agency clients. Advertisement NOTE: This article originally appeared in Mary's Cannabis Primer: Cannabis & Cancer From its earliest days the medical cannabis issue has been driven by the plant's usefulness in treating the side-effects of cancer chemotherapy including emesis (nausea and vomiting) and pain. More recently there have been reports of the plant's ability to destroy cancer cells. In short, the use of cannabis in the treatment of cancer and its side-effects is at the vanguard of medical cannabis reform and will likely remain so. Few people are aware that one patient in particular, young Danny Grinspoon, helped set the course of one of the movement's top reformers. Danny's father, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, is professor emeritus at Harvard University and author of multiple books on cannabis including the seminal, Marihuana Reconsidered, first released in 1971. Danny was undergoing chemotherapy in the early-1970s for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), a blood cancer that often strikes children under the age of 15. Danny was diagnosed at the age of ten and grinding his way through what would be unsuccessful chemotherapy treatments when he and his mother heard rumors that other young cancer patients were using marijuana to stop the debilitating nausea and vomiting caused by Danny's chemotherapy. They were able to "score" some marijuana and it was useful to Danny but he lost his fight in 1973. Advertisement In 1978 it was a young cancer patient, Lynn Pierson, who lobbied single-handedly to pass the nation's first medical cannabis law in New Mexico. Lynn's powerful story of using marijuana to combat the nausea and vomiting associated with his chemotherapy resonated with the citizens of New Mexico and eventually the entire country. Other cancer patients in 33 states followed Pierson's lead and gave compelling testimony that led to passage of legislation recognizing the medical utility of cannabis and establishing a programs of state-wide research for cancer and glaucoma patients. Few of those programs ever got started and the federal government released synthetic delta-9 THC, Marinol, to appease cancer patients and doctors. But Marinol, for most patients, is not as effective as the whole plant and today most cancer patients continue to use cannabis, normally with the complete knowledge and approval of their oncologist. Today the focus is more on the ability of cannabinoids to destroy cancer cells. There is definite promise in the area, as Justin Kander's article in Mary's Cannabis Primer: Cannabis & Cancer highlights. But we are a long way from being able to competently or confidently say that cannabis kills cancer. So what is a cancer patient to think or do? Dr. Grinspoon, a cancer victim himself, offers the best advice in an interview with Anthony Wile from 2014 at The Daily Bell: I'm afraid that people hear the statement "marijuana cures cancer" and some people are so afraid of cancer and having it treated properly by a well-qualified oncologist that they'll go right to the cannabis and say, "I'm going to treat it myself with cannabis." That's very troublesome because some of those people might have been saved or their lives prolonged if they had actually gone and gotten the best that modern Western medicine has to offer. Allopathic medicine has a long ways to go with cancer but at least some can be cured and in some, life can be prolonged quite well. I'm afraid when people think ... "Yes, marijuana cures cancer." My view is, use cannabis when you're getting the cancer treatments but [at the] first, as soon as it's diagnosed, start the treatment which medical science says is the best treatment for that but take marijuana right along. It will go much easier for you." Two critical battles are being fought against ISIS this week: the first, in Syria by a combined force of Turkish military and so-called Turkish-backed Free Syrian rebels to seize back from ISIS towns and villages in northern Syria; the second, in Iraq to liberate over one million inhabitants in Mosul from ISIS tyranny. The Symbolism of Dabiq's Fall Of the two battles, this weekend's recapture of the small Syrian village of Dabiq is extraordinarily significant. Dabiq's loss represents a mighty symbolic blow against ISIS among its fanatical following - and actually may have more consequence against ISIS than the inevitable fall of the much more strategic Mosul (not to diminish the importance of Mosul's fall from ISIS control by any means). Although a small village at the foot of a small hill on Syria's northern plains about 9 miles from the Turkish border, Dabiq figures prominently in ISIS's wretched apocalyptic Islamic propaganda: that the Prophet Mohammed foretold before he died in 632 A.D. that a monumental battle would take place on the plains of Dabiq between a Muslim army and infidel crusaders (according to ISIS propaganda this infidel army would be led by the crusader Americans). The Muslim army would prevail, then, fast forward, liberate Constantinople from the "Romans" (aka infidels). According to the prophecy, what is supposed to follow this victory in Dabiq and modern day Turkey is the appearance and final defeat of the Islamic version of the Antichrist, called the Dajjal, at the hands of (the Islamic) Jesus. I kid you not! Advertisement The self-proclaimed caliph (successor to Mohammed) ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi preached from the ramparts of Mosul after its seizure that the forces of Islam would prevail over the latter day crusaders and trigger Mohammed's end of days' Dabiq prophecy. Consequently, Dabiq's recapture drives a big, rusty nail into ISIS's coffin and inevitably will undermine al-Baghdadi's hold over ISIS. ISIS control over Dabiq was a big selling point of its vaunted caliphate, and al-Baghdadi based the Islamic State's entire propaganda machine on the prophecy of a titanic showdown between his forces and infidel crusaders on the plains of Dabiq. History teaches us that self-anointed messiahs who brutally attempt and fail to foment apocalyptic Armageddon's are often betrayed by their own. Such, I predict, will be the fate of al-Baghdadi, who is now presiding over the disintegration of the territory of the Islamic State, and, in the Islamic State's own parlance, less territory means less amr - authority in Arabic. He is a hunted man, and the fall of Dabiq and Mosul will render him a fugitive from justice and vengeance. Advertisement The irony that it was a Muslim force, rather than an infidel army of crusaders, that conquered Dabiq from ISIS constitutes a double-blow to ISIS popular legitimacy. Upon learning that his expeditionary force operation nicknamed "Operation Euphrates Shield" inside Syria swept remnants of a spent ISIS force from the fields of Dabiq Turkish President Erdogan proclaimed: "The Daesh (ISIS) myth of their great battle of Dabiq is finished!" The Battle for Mosul By all authoritative military predictions, the battle for Mosul - the Islamic State's self-proclaimed Iraqi capital -- will be a prolonged and bloody affair. Since its fall to IS forces in 2014, ISIS has prepared for this day of reckoning. If the battle for Fallujah is any indicator, the combined "coalition" forces face Kamikaze-like resistance from the estimated 10,000 ISIS terrorists holed up inside Mosul. The city is ringed with high-explosive booby traps, car and suicide bombs are at the ready, ISIS operatives have shaved their beards to escape capture and terrorize advancing forces by mingling with fleeing civilians. ISIS has also dug a sophisticated maze of tunnels filled with explosives and oil and has even ringed the city with moats of burning oil to thwart coalition forces. A careful read of ISIS social media channels indicates that as the battle for Mosul proceeds, ISIS is determined to launch suicide attacks in Iraq - particularly against the 3000 U.S. military personnel stationed near Mosul who are advising the Iraqi military campaign. ISIS also intends to launch bloody suicide and car bombings inside Baghdad, as well as trigger sleeper cells in Europe to commit terrorist acts in France, in particular. The intent from these diversionary acts of terror is to "keep the faith" among its most die-hard believers, and to show the world that the defeat of ISIS forces in Dabiq and Mosul do not portend the end of ISIS. In this assertion, ISIS is unfortunately correct. When Mosul falls, how will this impact the future of ISIS? Advertisement As the core of the ISIS geographic state shrinks in Iraq and Syria, ISIS will not be a completely spent terrorist force. ISIS has "mini-caliphates" strewn across the Middle East: in Syria, in the Sinai Peninsula (Wiliyat Sinai), Libya, Yemen, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Turkey, Algeria (Jund al-Khilafa), Tunisia, Libya, and in the remote regions of the western Sahara, including Nigeria, Mali, and Chad. Its Syrian capital of Raqqa is under episodic siege, but the U.S. and its allies are still far from developing a planned offensive to liberate it. Al Qaeda franchises have pledged allegiance to ISIS, as well. There are simply not enough Sunni Arab boots on the ground available in Syria's overlapping wars in and around Raqqa to launch a successful offensive -- yet. The Turks are not particularly interested in its recapture, and neither are Kurdish Syrian forces - who have no interest fighting for non-Kurdish territory in Syria. Make no mistake about it, as long as Raqqa remains in ISIS hands, it provides ISIS with a symbolic capital from which to launch terror and command its mini-caliphate franchise cells. Its liberation is an imperative to decaying ISIS, and, Raqqa is only 45 kilometers from Dabiq. Dabiq cannot be permitted to be recaptured by ISIS at any cost because that will reinvigorate attractiveness of ISIS to a next generation of converts. Intelligence estimates suggest that ISIS still has approximately 5,000 hard-core militants in these mini-caliphates. Coalition forces have so far succeeded to drive the largest mini-caliphate in Libya into a severely shrunken redoubt, but such is not the case elsewhere. ISIS continues to wreak havoc in Afghanistan, Somalia, and in the Sinai (just a day ago ISIS fighters killed scores of Egyptian military personnel. It only takes a determined band of several hundred ISIS fighters on the lamb to create havoc and instability. As ISIS' spent forces devolve from territorial conquerors to global terrorists, it has a lot of firepower left. Since 2011, ISIS has claimed credit for over 143 attacks in 29 countries, which killed almost 3,000 persons. Both European and American intelligence officials openly assert that ISIS poses the greatest terrorist threat to them - greater than the remaining cells of al Qaeda strewn about in Pakistan, Yemen, and North Africa. Advertisement Sources in British counter-terrorism operations stated in recent days that as the battle for Mosul uproots almost 1 million civilians, several thousand ISIS fighters will attempt to mingle with the refugees - one-fifth of ISIS total fighters - 3,700 - are residents or nationals of Europe, including 1,200 from France alone. How to conduct the requisite "extreme vetting" of fleeing Mosul inhabitants will be one of the most crucial counter-intelligence tests for the offensive. Unfortunately, it is more likely than not that many ISIS fighters will escape the dragnet and make their way back to Turkish safe-houses and then back to Europe, and they have well-prepared themselves for this flight. We know that a group of Islamic State accomplices based in Syria have trained Mosul-based fighters to mask their cell phone accounts with encrypted accounts to camouflage their identities and purported travel routes. The tools of choice: the encrypted WhatsApp and Telegram apps, and two years of hard-core terrorist training and means to evade capture. In other words, the cockroaches will be fleeing their hideout in Mosul and the danger to the west from Mosul's liberation cannot be taken lightly. Between the underground terrorist railroad to Europe, the incessant whac-a-mole against mini-caliphates, and ISIS's ability to stash cash in safe houses in the Middle East and in Europe, the next president confronts a menu of unpalatable choices to develop an effective, comprehensive strategy to actually lead a global coalition to take down ISIS physically. It requires us to acknowledge that the ideological cancer fueling ISIS is still not in remission for the foreseeable future. The rise of ISIS is a predictable consequence of the eternal fault-line plaguing the Sunni-Shiite divide, and the new era of Arab wars plaguing the Middle East. A multi-tiered international approach to decay ISIS further is certainly feasible, but is will take concerted American leadership to galvanize more Arab boots on the ground, ramp up anti-ISIS social media interdiction and on-line cyberwarfare, and deny "charitable" funding from stubborn Saudi, Qatari, and Kuwaiti donors (too often with the connivance of their governments) who evade financial sanctions. What good is it to liberate Mosul and Raqqa if ISIS is still able to use social media to radicalize and recruit? I ask that of companies like Google's YouTube every day, which refuses to voluntarily cooperate in a campaign to de-radicalize its content. Stamping out the remaining mini-caliphates is Job#1 for an Arab coalition, not American soldiers. We can lead, but it is their fight, after all. Advertisement By Hong Soon-do, Beijing correspondent, AsiaToday - As China on Monday successfully launched the manned spacecraft Shenzhou-11, the astronaut duo Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong emerged as national heroes. In particular, mission commander Jing Haipeng, who has been on three of the country's four manned space missions, is enjoying an enormous popularity which surpasses that of China's first space traveler Yang Liwei. He is expected to build successful career in the military unless he makes trouble. [Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng (right) and Chen Dong greet to officials prior to boarding on the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft, which was launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China, Oct. 17./ Source: Xinhua News Agency] There are special reasons behind this, considering the Oct. 17th report of China Youth Daily and other Chinese media outlets. Most of all, both Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong are clearly a story of "human victory." Jing had a bad luck of failing an aviation exam after graduating from high school due to physical reasons. However, he overcame his misfortune with his indomitable will. In fact, when failed the recruitment process in 1984, he built up his body perfectly. The following year, he got accepted to an aviation school in Hebei Province. Upon graduation, he joined the Air Force and became a dream pilot. In 1996, he was selected to be one of China's first astronauts, and passed all the training with honors after two years. However, chances hardly came to him. In 2003, he had to give away the honor of being China's first astronaut to his senior Yang Liwei who had worked with him. Advertisement However, this did not dissuade him. He waited for the right time. Five years later ,he was involved in the Shezhou-7 mission. He also carried out the Shenzhou-9, China's first manned space docking mission. Now, he became the commander of Shenzhou-11, becoming the first Chinese astronaut to fly in space three times. At the same time, he also became the oldest astronaut. Inevitably, he will be remembered as a hero. The story of Chen Dong is also exceptional. He was barely chosen as an astronaut through a re-examination in 2009. He threw himself into training and isolated himself from the outside world for a full six years. He abandoned all his hobbies to achieve his goal. It wasn't an easy thing to overcome at the age of late 30s, but he did. Today, November 9, 2016, we turn our backs on the most divisive and vicious elections in American history. We now live in an America that is on the frontier of transformative change, just like the America of the Civil War, divided between those who are holding onto the racially monolithic and patriarchal past and those who are marching into the diversity that America is becoming. In the past year, we have witnessed the very public attacks on America's visibly growing diversity--against the humanity of women, immigrants, LGBTs, the physically challenged, Muslims, and others--so frequently and palpably that many of us were numbed by disbelief. The incessant onslaught of hate was so desensitizing that many were silenced into confusion and inaction, not knowing whom to believe or what to do. Such is the power of demagoguery--it gets too, too dark, one begins to doubt a spark of reason. A dark time in the American soul, the past year is a hideous reminder of how this land was carved on dead bodies of millions of natives; and how hate towards "the other" is very much alive in the heart of many who are not willing to give up white patriarchal privilege for diversity, but instead resorts to normalization of age-old tribal bigotry and misogyny. We learned in the past year that nothing could sway them from their Demagogue, not his public display of vile sexism, not his racist statements, not his mockery of Americans whom he finds lesser than he is. The election was clearly never about policies that would heal our racial divide and offer hope to the #BlackLivesMatter movement and make America greater. Instead, what we saw was an undeniable chorus of #AllLivesMatter and "one people under one God," the rallying cry of bigoted folks who feel they are losing their piece of the great white way. The Demagogue espoused a mythology of a white American destitute to feed this illusion that our government has failed them, and orchestrated repeated scapegoating of "the other" for their alleged disenfranchisement, be they Mexicans or Muslims, directing his rhetoric at the heart of diversity that is sweeping the country. Advertisement The Unhooded As noisy and confusing as it was, we managed to hear the voice of reason in the echo chamber of insanity. The Demagogue's mostly white supporters were foiled by progressives that ushered in the browning of America with their votes. Although we won't see the full face of the new America until three decades from now, the transformation has already begun. The imminent change unhooded millions of Obama-haters who couldn't believe that the great white way could produce a black President much less keep him in the oval office for eight years. It unhooded and energized Klan members and other far-right bigots numbering in millions when their concerns became the centerpiece of the Demagogue's hate rhetoric. Indeed, the marriage between the Demagogue and legions of bigots was sealed as soon as he called for the deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants, as if he, a proponent of racial profiling, could tell the difference between a documented and an undocumented immigrant. I am one of those documented American immigrants who believe that the only cogent solution to the immigration issue is a path to citizenship, not deportation, and that our documented status in the country is not a card to brandish upon those who are not in the same boat. Undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes, perhaps more than the Demagogue, and work hours at low-wage jobs that many Americans would prefer unemployment benefits over. They have children born in America and raised in households of both documented and undocumented that grapple with the possibility of separation. The demagogue would have deported them all while he built an "impenetrable, physical wall" so the likes of them would never be seen again in America. Advertisement "Build that wall, build that wall," his followers chanted aloud, awakening ghosts of history. In 1882, similar xenophobic sentiments paved way to the enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Chinese workers were accused of taking jobs away from white folks, so they were barred from coming to the country. In 1954, Eisenhower enforced Operation Wetback, also against Mexicans, the inspiration for the Demagogue's deportation plan. "Let me just tell you that Dwight Eisenhower, good president, great president, people liked him" . . . "'I like Ike,'" right? The expression. 'I like Ike.' Moved a 1.5 million illegal immigrants out of this country, moved them just beyond the border. They came back. Moved them again beyond the border, they came back. Didn't like it. Moved them way south. They never came back." If there is anything we have learned in American history, no hoods of injustice has stopped the forward march of diversity. The March Goes On For those lacking the ability to analyze the complexity of global issues, the wall could very well be a metaphor for the Demagogue's Muslim ban. In the insular mind of many Americans, global terrorism could be mathematically simplified into an equation: over one billion Muslims equals ISIS. In other words, because tens of thousands of ISIS members subscribe to a certain version of the Muslim faith, then all Muslims must be terrorists. In a country with a diminishing white Christian population, adding Muslims to a blacklist of "the other" was a matter of survival. The Demagogue was quick to acknowledge their fears by simplifying complex issues of global terrorism and finding easy targets for blame. As a son of a World War 2 concentration camp survivor, I was worried for the return of internment camps in the U.S. Many Americans are disconnected from historical truths and may not know about Executive Order 9066 that forced all people of Japanese descent into internment camps from 1942-1946. Internment camps in this era may seem implausible, but many of us live in a bubble, so far removed from wars, the fear that creates wars, the propaganda that elevates it and the aftermath of horror, because the wars we see in movies eventually end and the wars we read about in social media are easily swiped away. It doesn't take much to unravel our world. Who would have seen the rise of a demagogue in 2016? Who would have imagined a presidential candidate running on a "law and order" ticket threatening to jail his opponent if he won? Who would have known that millions of Americans would be unhinged by the country's march into diversity? No one would have foreseen the diatribe of hate that played in the public arena with each of us on the defense for what we believe democracy should be. Who would have known sexism and bigotry would be so public a sentiment, it turned into millions of votes? And fear feeds hate like no other. In a patriarchal society, what is more frightening for its surrogates than a woman running for the country's highest office? Almost a hundred years after women earned the right to vote, a woman swam against a tsunami of sexism and misogyny. Because most people had never seen a woman aim as high as Hillary Clinton, it was difficult to comprehend the tenacity and determination it took to break through the glass ceiling of glass ceilings. Thus, in the spirit of the American witchhunt, millions joined the Demagogue in the accusation and public shaming of the first woman to challenge America's highest patriarchal order by parading past wrongs of her husband and by relentlessly demonizing her. Many of us who have faced similar challenges from powers that be saw ourselves in her fight. Her thirty years of experience in public service and being claimed as the most qualified presidential candidate was diminished because she was a woman. We put ourselves in her shoes during the debates as the Demagogue lurked behind her with one sound byte of accusation after another. We became the woman and the mother who was painted as an enabler of her husband's infidelities, with complete disregard for what it takes to not be another divorce statistic. Amid the chants of hate and condemnation, we heard her mention each of us in the great America she wanted to make stronger, not in disunity that the Demagogue had pandered, but together as only a country as diverse as ours could afford. Today, November 9, 2016, history is made. From the shadow of Barack Obama, the first black president rises Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first woman president of the great United States. As millennials already knew, systemic change is much needed in this country, but we can't effect change without the diversity of Americans that will bring it forth. We came together to banish the politics of hate from the free world in order to face one truth about the America of today and the future: diversity is here to stay. From the future, for our future, "We need to re-examine college entrance requirements (and their tests). They hold change hostage to antiquated and incomplete requirements. Massive adaptation must be demanded by parents and educators alike." -- Charles Fadel What will be the legacy of Race to the Top and Barack Obama's other education initiatives? Indeed, what's been accomplished in education reform around the country since 2012? Does our current traditional model of education meet the needs of most students? Is our curriculum preparing them for the jobs we need to fill in an age of globalization and artificial intelligence? What are the most critical needs for education leading up to 2030? As the United States prepares to elect a new President this November, putting every student on a path towards a successful future should be required discussion at every presidential debate. This season in The Global Search for Education, we bring back our popular 2012 Education Debate series and put these questions and others to thought leaders at the forefront of educational change. We asked Andy Hargreaves, Diane Ravitch, Howard Gardner, Randi Weingarten, Julia Freeland Fisher, and Charles Fadel to imagine they were Secretary of Education for the new administration. What are their answers to some of the big picture questions facing education and education reform? Advertisement Today we welcome Charles Fadel. Fadel is a visiting practitioner at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, founder and chairman of the Center for Curriculum Redesign, and co-author of a best-selling book titled Four-Dimensional Education: The Competencies Learners Need to Succeed. "Current curriculum is often not relevant to students and to societal and economic needs." -- Charles Fadel Charles: What will be the legacy of Race to the Top and Barack Obama's other education initiatives? The new landscape allows states to move ahead at their own rate. The advantage of Common Core was that it can help the weakest performers find a more unified and ambitious floor, but it came at the cost of holding back the better performers from innovating. Although this new landscape may contribute to achievement gaps between best and worst performers, it will also allow experimentation about how to best move forward, which results can then be propagated. Regarding testing, there has been a significant movement back from the punishing aspects of No Child Left Behind which made so many teachers and jurisdictions teach to the test and game the system. There needs to be a balance between accountability and true assessments. Advertisement But there is also a need to address social issues in a comprehensive way: we should educate parents about parenting itself, and about the need to change both the What and the How of education in order to improve their children's chances. We must offer free day care/Pre-K care of high quality to everyone. We need to offer free psychological support to all students, as early as day care/Pre-K. We should comprehensively compensate for the wealth disparities between schools/towns. We should also significantly increase (2x or more) teachers' salaries in order to recruit people who would otherwise go into other industries, as well as significantly increase teachers' social status via PR campaigns. There is a growing consensus that contemporary education does not adequately prepare graduates for today's and tomorrow's workforce and world. What are your thoughts? Contemporary education is failing our students because we are stuck in a curriculum designed for a different century, i.e. a curriculum that focuses heavily on quantity of testable knowledge. Yet if designed well, curriculum can help lead to more peaceful, sustainable societies, with more economic progress and fairness, composed of people who are fulfilled and happier. Economic inequality is growing, education is misaligned with employment opportunities, and random global violence is escalating. At the same time, we are seeing dramatic transformations globally such as international mobility; shifts in family structures; increasing diversity in populations; globalization and its impact on economic competitiveness and social cohesion; new and emerging occupations and careers; rapid and continued advances in technology and its increased use; rapidly dislocating jobs via automation and offshoring; and new understanding about how we learn. We need to re-examine college entrance requirements (and their tests). They hold change hostage to antiquated and incomplete requirements. Massive adaptation must be demanded by parents and educators alike. Without these changes, we will be unable to adapt curricula to reflect modern needs. The consequences will be more unemployment, social unrest, and continued inability to face our significant planetary challenges. Advertisement "We have been stuck on the bandwagon of only 'objective' measures, which has kept us focused on Knowledge. It is time to accept, as does the world of work, that subjective assessments are highly valuable if treated carefully." -- Charles Fadel How do we produce a relevant education framework for our students? It starts with creating a framework for WHAT we need to teach, which must be comprehensive yet concise and actionable. The Center for Curriculum Redesign has proposed a four dimensional education framework. Firstly, there is the Knowledge dimension. This is the dimension most emphasized in the traditional curriculum. Yet current curriculum is often not relevant to students and to societal and economic needs. I also believe that this is reflected in many students' disengagement and lack of motivation. Traditional disciplines such as Maths, Science, Languages - domestic and foreign, Social Studies, Arts, etc. are of course essential. However, tough choices must be made about what to pare back in order to allow for more appropriate areas of focus. As an example in Maths, we need more statistics and probabilities, and less trigonometry. In History, we need more focus on topics such as Democracy, and less focus on battles and dates. Modern knowledge disciplines such as Technology & Engineering, Media, Entrepreneurship & Business, Personal Finance, Wellness, and Social Systems need to be added to respond to present and future demands. These disciplines are critical to the modern world and need to be accommodated as a normal part of the curriculum, not as ancillary or optional activities for the fortunate few. Advertisement It's also essential that themes of contemporary importance should be interwoven throughout knowledge disciplines, both modern and traditional. These include Global Literacy, Environmental Literacy, Information Literacy, Digital Literacy, Systems Thinking, and Design Thinking. Secondly, there is the Skills dimension. Higher-order skills such as the "4 C's" of Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration, also known as "21st Century Skills," are essential for deeply learning Knowledge as well as for demonstrating understanding through performance. The overburdened curriculum makes it harder for students to acquire (and teachers to teach) skills. Additionally, these critical competencies are not being given enough focus because they are not measured by standardized tests. Increasingly, the need for development of qualities beyond knowledge and skills is being highlighted around the world, to respond to the challenges individuals and societies face. How we behave and engage in the world - the Character dimension - is the third component we propose. The essential, generative character qualities are: mindfulness, curiosity, courage, resilience, ethics, and leadership. Each discipline has a certain role as appropriate to develop Character; for instance, one may count on Maths for developing curiosity and resilience; on Biology for curiosity and ethics; etc. Character learning also happens in out-of-school settings such as sports, scouting, adventure trips, etc., which highlights the importance of a broad education. In a world that is constantly changing and challenging we need to pay attention to Meta-Learning -- how we reflect and adapt. This fourth dimension should be regarded as a necessity to be developed deliberately. Meta-Learning lies overarching to the other three dimensions; it concerns the processes related to reflecting on and adjusting one's learning. It includes metacognition (predicting, monitoring, and evaluating one's learning), as well as internalizing a Growth Mindset about one's capacities. Highlighting this critical dimension is in itself innovative. We must also keep in mind that interdisciplinarity is a strong binding mechanism within and between traditional and modern disciplines, and the practices it requires have the potential to impact the Skills, Character and Meta-Learning dimensions as well as accentuate transfer. Advertisement "The major shift ahead will require comprehensive re-training for both modernized content and engaging pedagogies, and this must be accompanied by major funding of professional development." -- Charles Fadel It sounds like our mindset about assessments also needs to change. We have been stuck on the bandwagon of only "objective" measures, which has kept us focused on Knowledge. It is time to accept, as does the world of work, that subjective assessments are highly valuable if treated carefully. Second, our research on the science of assessments has lacked dramatically behind the needs, and must be urgently developed. How do we support our teachers given the continued learning we're talking about? Like ALL other professions, continued learning is essential. Many teachers already do this naturally. But the major shift ahead will require comprehensive re-training for both modernized content and engaging pedagogies, and this must be accompanied by major funding of professional development. Top Row: C. M. Rubin, Andy Hargreaves, Randi Weingarten Bottom Row: Charles Fadel, Diane Ravitch, Howard Gardner, Julia Freeland Fisher (Photos are courtesy of CMRubinWorld) Join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (U.S.), Dr. Leon Botstein (U.S.), Professor Clay Christensen (U.S.), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (U.S.), Dr. MadhavChavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (U.S.), Professor Andy Hargreaves (U.S.), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (U.S.), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Honourable Jeff Johnson (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. EijaKauppinen (Finland), State Secretary TapioKosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Lord Ken Macdonald (UK), Professor Geoff Masters (Australia), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (U.S.), Richard Wilson Riley (U.S.), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Professor Manabu Sato (Japan), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (U.S.), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (U.S.), Yves Theze (LyceeFrancais U.S.), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (U.S.), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today. The Global Search for Education Community Page Advertisement Why would anyone spend six months carefully gathering painted plywood boards that have been stored in basements, garages or even in back alleys? Because those boards are now part of a significant, first-of-its-kind art exhibit in St. Louis launched in September and hosted by five different galleries at major cultural institutions throughout the city. Called "outside in/Paint for Peace" this exhibit has a remarkable back-story. In November 2014 Ferguson, Missouri, and surrounding neighborhoods were in the midst of several nights of rioting and looting. But something happened during all of this. Something that didn't make many headlines -- a movement called "Paint for Peace." More than three hundred colorful, moving paintings were created in less than a week, transforming block after block of plywood covered windows. The grassroots effort was organized by local residents Tom Halaska, Mike Lonero, Dana Sebastian Duncan and several others across the city. It exploded on social media so that within days an estimated 400 artists and volunteers armed with thousands of paintbrushes and using donated paint, descended on the boarded up areas creating art from the heart. Artists: Christine Warner and Brandon Wilkinson. Photo credit: Ryan Archer Advertisement There were no design parameters or selection committees. "I understood that what we were doing would keep on giving," said artist AJ Rosenberg whose art is featured in the exhibit. "Everybody was finding a way to be part of it -- creating the peace. It wasn't a consideration of, 'Am I going to be welcome? It was just, 'Go and do it.'" Across the U.S., other communities have witnessed unrest and the calls for change ... but few had this community outpouring through art in response, as a way to begin the healing. Artist unknown. Photo credit: Michael Kilfoy This art transformed the boards on which it was painted -- but also those who created the murals -- as well as those who witnessed the "Paint for Peace" effort. I was one of those. In many ways this remarkable event changed my life. I wanted to capture both this amazing story and the artwork and the result was the award-winning children's storybook "Painting for Peace in Ferguson." Advertisement The paintings, created on a monumental scale of 4' x 8' sheets of plywood and particle board, have moved from the streets where they were created to now shine in the light in a gallery setting. Now more of the community can continue to reflect on the emotions and questions that were present during the turmoil when they were created and that are still with us today. Photo Credit: Carrie Zukoski The response to the exhibit has been very enthusiastic both among adults and families and school groups. It truly continues the dialogue that we need to have in this nation and the hope is that there would be interest in bringing the exhibit to other cities across the country. Multiple Artists. Photo credit: Ryan Archer By coming together and helping one another, by setting aside fears or what divides us, remarkable things can happen. Another participating artist Christina Carroll said "It was incredible to watch as my community was transformed from a place of pain and sorrow, to the most beautiful gallery of art." Artist: Christina Carroll Photo credit: Ryan Archer I am reflecting on the story of my immigrant father and the act of citizenship that made our familys American dream happen. My father, Hyoju, was born on a rice farm in South Korea. At age 29, he won a college scholarship in the United States. So, with one suitcase and his life savings of $100, he landed at Sea-Tac in 1965 and was met by the Freeman family, who were friends of his English teacher in Seoul. I called the Freemans my "Seattle Grandma and Grandpa," because they informally adopted our family and helped us settle here. The Freemans showed my dad the Space Needle, cooked him his first American food and then put him on a bus to Washington State University. But, my dad thought he was going to grad school in Washington, D.C. He had no idea there were two Washingtons -- or that America was so big. Advertisement It was indeed big, but so were his aspirations. He would go on to get his Ph.D. in math and become a professor at WSU, guiding countless students along the way. I was born in Pullman and went to University of Washington. One of the most important landmarks in my father's classic American journey occurred on May 1, 1981, when he became naturalized. My dad was proud on that day, when our family - dressed in our Sunday finery - attended his citizenship ceremony. This momentous decision not only greatly benefited him, but also made life better for our family. It also underscores the value of helping millions of legal residents like him do the same thing: become citizens. There are nearly 9 million lawful permanent residents in America eligible for naturalization. They come here with the same dreams that my father had. But the naturalization process is daunting. It's also expensive: $680 per person, proposed to increase to $725 this year, a cost that adds up if a family seeks citizenship. And finally, many eligible immigrants simply don't know where to find help. We're trying to change that. A group of foundations, including the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, and Carnegie and Grove foundations, have teamed up to create the New Americans Campaign, a national network of legal service providers, faith-based organizations, businesses, foundations and community leaders who help "green card" holders around the country attain citizenship. The goals of the Campaign are simple: It's making citizenship as easy as 1-2-3. The New Americans Campaign does that by promoting the benefits of citizenship and eliminating the barriers for naturalization, through fee waivers and free legal advice as well as weekend workshops. Advertisement In the past five years, the New Americans Campaign has completed 230,000 naturalization applications across 18 cities, with a new site in Seattle. Securing citizenship for lawful permanent residents enjoys bipartisan support, because it represents the American dream. Those who take this important step tend to have higher incomes and own their own homes, not to mention the right to vote. My father has voted in every election since he became a citizen 35 years ago. New citizens are not the only ones who gain advantages from increased naturalizations. We all benefit when our neighbors, and their children, are grounded in American values; citizenship does that. It's a rite of passage that unites us, that makes us all part of the rich American fabric. That was the case for my father - who now goes by the name Joe. He is 79 now, but he remembers taking his oath like it was yesterday. That was his citizenship day, and I hope that for the millions like him, they get a chance to experience their own day, too. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci) There is an excellent chance that when Republicans look back at the 2016 presidential election, this will be the week they'll point to when Donald Trump completely collapsed. This collapse may not be over yet, but it surely began in the wake of not only the disastrous Billy Bush tape but also the continuing stream of women publicly accusing a major party's presidential candidate of sexual harassment or sexual assault. Now, it is a proven fact that presidential candidates can actually overcome such a phenomenon. Bill Clinton did so, in 1992, with what were called his "bimbo eruptions" (don't look at me -- I didn't coin that term). But it's looking like Trump isn't capable of pulling off a similar feat. For one thing, public attitudes have changed a lot over the past quarter-century. For another, Trump is no Bill Clinton. Advertisement We will have the final presidential debate this week, so anything could happen. But for the moment, things are looking awfully good for Hillary Clinton, and absent a masterclass debate performance by Trump, things will quite likely continue to improve for her as well. So far, all of the movement has been within each candidate's own states, meaning the true impact of the Trump collapse can't be seen in our first chart (it can't really be seen until the third chart, which we created this week just to show the magnitude of how bad things are getting for Trump). In fact, the first chart shows no movement whatsoever in each candidate's total of Electoral Votes (EV). As always, this chart shows what would happen if all the polls were right and the election were held today. Hillary Clinton starts from the bottom in blue, and Trump starts from the top in red. Whichever candidate crosses the center line of 270 Electoral College votes will win. [Click on any of theses images to see larger-scale versions.] This chart was the most boring of them all, this week. Absolutely nothing happened -- all Clinton's states stayed Clinton, and all Trump's states stayed Trump. So Trump hasn't completely collapsed (yet) because he's still got a fingerhold on all the states he had last week. However, we haven't actually seen recent polling (after the Billy Bush tape, in other words) from some of these, so states like Iowa and South Carolina may have actually moved already -- but without polling to prove it, they stay were they were for now. Clinton continues to hold a commanding lead in the overall EV count, with an almost 2-to-1 margin over Trump. Clinton has 65 percent of the Electoral College, to Trump's 35 percent. A historical comparison might help put this in some context. Clinton's current lead is greater now than Barack Obama saw for the entire 2012 campaign against Mitt Romney. Her final three weeks are looking a lot more like Obama's 2008 landslide, in fact. Obama, three weeks out in 2008, held 357 EV. Clinton now holds 352 EV. Advertisement But because nothing happened in the overall chart this week, there is little else to say about it, so let's move right along to examining each candidate's relative strength, beginning with Donald Trump. As always, the categories used in these next charts are from the same Electoral-Vote.com site I use to get all my raw data. [Definition of terms: "Strong" means 10 percent or better in the polls, "Weak" means five percent or better, and "Barely" is under five percent.] Donald Trump once again had a bad week. All the news for Trump was bad, in fact, and the only shred of good news for him was that no state actually flipped from supporting him to supporting Clinton. This was the week when the bombshell news from the Billy Bush tape (and the resulting aftermath of a parade of women publicly accusing Trump of sexually assaulting them) began to be reflected in the state-level polls. Only two states actually weakened for Trump, but one of them is the biggest prize in his column. A Texas poll was released showing Trump up by only four points, which moved the state down from Weak Trump to Barely Trump. Since Texas has a whopping 38 EV, this shows up as a huge spike downwards in the above chart. On the same day, Utah moved down from Strong Trump to Weak Trump, exacerbating the problem. One poll in Utah actually put Trump and Clinton tied at 26 percent of the vote, with Evan McMullin drawing 22 percent. This may be the only poll taken this election cycle which showed four candidates drawing double-digit support (Gary Johnson was at 14 percent), meaning absolutely anything could happen here on Election Day. Mormon voters in the state were already a bit leery of Trump, and Mitt Romney has been a voice against Trump for months. Stay informed with the latest news and video. Download HuffPosts news app on iOS or Android. The next day, Indiana's 11 EV fell from Weak Trump to Barely Trump. What all this movement means is that Trump has to worry about states that should have been in the bag for just about any Republican candidate. Trump did get a respite at the end, as another Utah poll appeared showing him handily winning the state, which moved it back into the Strong category. Trump's overall total in the chart did not change, but the weakening is pretty obvious. Strong Trump lost 6 EV this week as Utah weakened, leaving Trump with only 81 EV in the category. This is just about half of where he was a month ago (at 161 EV), and represents the lowest Strong Trump point for him yet (his previous low was 84 EV, back in August). But in the end, Utah came back into the fold and Trump ended the week exactly where he began, at 87 EV. Because Texas is such a big haul, though, Trump really took his worst hit in the Weak category. He began the week with 78 EV in the Weak Trump column, but ended it with only 29 EV. Both Indiana and Texas moved to Barely Trump, which increased the Barely Trump category from 21 EV to 70 EV for the week. As always, though, I tend to pay the most attention to the "Strong Plus Weak" line on the graph. Because I've been occasionally charting Hillary Clinton's progress in Strong Plus Weak against Barack Obama's two elections, I thought this week would be a good time to take a look at how Donald Trump is doing against Mitt Romney's 2012 run and John McCain's 2008 record. The resulting chart is rather dramatic. As you can see, before last week, Trump wasn't doing all that bad when measured against Romney and McCain. Trump started off a little weaker than both of them, but roughly matched both in September. Both Romney and McCain got their Strong Plus Weak numbers above 200 EV at their respective high points, but then fell back again to the 150-200 range. Trump briefly fell below this range, but for the rest of the election season has also managed to stay within it. Until last week, that is. Advertisement Trump started the week slightly better than where McCain was at a comparable time, holding 165 EV to McCain's 163 EV. Both were below Romney's 181 EV showing, but still within reach. But losing Texas and Indiana meant Trump tumbled to only 116 EV this week, far lower than his previous all-time low point of 139 EV. This is lower than McCain ended up on Election Day (132 EV), and far lower than either Romney or McCain ever saw at any point during the general election. Trump is in such bad shape that the loss of a few more states from either Strong or Weak down to Barely for him would put him below 100 EV for the Strong Plus Weak metric. To state the obvious, this is not the trendline a candidate wants to see, with only three weeks left to go. To see a trendline that looks like a winner, we have to turn to Hillary Clinton's new chart. Hillary Clinton may have just put the election away for good. Clinton saw good news this week from four states, and the only state with bad news for her swung back by the end of the week (meaning it was likely just one outlier poll). To start the week off, Clinton saw better numbers in Wisconsin, which moved it from Barely to Weak. A few days later, Michigan made it into the Strong category, and Maine firmed up to Weak. The outlier poll in Virginia then moved the state down to only Barely Clinton, which was the only negative movement Clinton saw all week long. However, at the end of the week Virginia moved back to Weak Clinton, and was joined by Nevada also moving into Weak from Barely. Over the course of the week, Clinton's Strong numbers continued their trend upwards, moving from 168 EV up to 184 EV with the addition of Michigan to the category. This puts Clinton in a stronger place in this category than she's seen since the beginning of September, after hitting a low point of 132 EV at the beginning of this month. To put that number into perspective, Hillary Clinton is now polling up 10 points or better in almost the exact number of EV that Donald Trump has altogether (Strong Clinton 184 EV, total Trump 186 EV). That's a pretty amazing comparison, when you think about it. Advertisement The Weak Clinton category bounced around a bit, moving from 87 EV up to 97 EV, then down to 72 EV, before finishing at 91 EV -- a net gain of 4 EV for the week. The Barely Clinton numbers also wavered, from 97 EV at the start to 77 EV at the end (as more states firmed up for Clinton). Clinton's overall total (as with Trump's) did not change at all this week, remaining at a commanding 352 EV -- which is 82 EV more than is necessary to win the race. The real news, however, comes from the Strong Plus Weak line. Add together all the states that Hillary Clinton is up by at least five percent and you come up with 275 EV. If the polling is right and the election were held today, Clinton could publicly state: "I feel bad for Donald, so I'm just going to concede all the Electoral College votes from any state where I don't win by at least five points" -- and she would still win the election. However, the election is not today and three weeks still remain. Hillary Clinton has been in this position before, but not since the last day in August. So there simply is no guarantee that she'll hold on to all of these states by Election Day. Still, Clinton is undeniably in a very good spot. Three weeks out from the 2012 election, Barack Obama only had 237 EV in the Strong Plus Weak category. Even in the blowout 2008 election, Obama was only doing slightly better than Clinton right now, with 280 EV in Strong Plus Weak. In an ordinary election year, I would be very cautious about predicting victory at this point, but this is not a normal election year. We have only had polling in 16 states since the Billy Bush tape hit the campaign like a bombshell, and many of those were conducted before women began personally accusing Donald Trump of sexual assault and harassment. So while the reaction to the news is showing up in the states with the most active pollsters (mostly the battleground states, where polling is almost continuous now), it hasn't shown up on the rest of the state-level polling at all. Seeing as how almost all the movement during this period is away from Trump and towards Clinton, one would expect this trend to continue. Advertisement If it does, Clinton may very well have wrapped things up this week. Even if she can't manage to flip more states from Trump to her (such as, perhaps, Iowa, Indiana, or South Carolina), all Clinton really needs to do at this point is to firm up her support in the states that are still in her Barely category. If Clinton starts polling better in any of these five states (Arizona, Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio), then she may have locked in her advantage so firmly that Trump doesn't have a prayer of winning the necessary 270 EV. For me, it's a little too early to call the entire election for Clinton. However, if the obvious trend continues next week, I'll be a lot more inclined to do so. My Picks I am, however, going to get downright optimistic in this week's predictions. As always, these are not just based on polling data but also on my gut feelings for how each state is trending. And my gut is feeling pretty good right now about Clinton's chances in a lot of places. Here's my new map, broken down into my own categories for the two candidates (Safe, Probable, and Leans) as well as Too Close To Call for the states where it's still a real tossup. As always, a tip of the hat to 270toWin for making a great site to create such maps (and where you can make a map of your own picks, if you want to play along). Likely States -- Clinton Safe Clinton (21 states, 258 EV) This is one of two categories where my unbridled optimism really shows up this week. I moved six states from Probable Clinton into Safe Clinton, where I felt the polling justified such a move. Clinton has been leading in all of these states for a while, and has been opening up that lead in most of them. So Colorado, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Virginia all jumped up to Safe Clinton this week. Sure, an argument can be made for any of them that they aren't quite worthy of the Safe category, but I just don't see Clinton's trendline worsening in any of them. Advertisement Probable Clinton (1 state, 10 EV) This category got really lonely this week, as all six of those states moved up to Safe Clinton. This leaves only Wisconsin in the Probable Clinton category, with its 10 EV. And I even considered moving Wisconsin up as well, but decided to wait at least one more week before doing so. Likely States -- Trump Safe Trump (15 states, 87 EV) Although there was a second poll which was very strong for Trump, I had to move Utah down from Safe Trump to Probable Trump this week, because the situation there is so unique. Evan McMullin will likely have his best showing of any state in Utah, and the question is how much this will hurt Trump's chances for victory. So, at least for now, Utah can't be considered Safe Trump any more. Probable Trump (5 states, 73 EV) While Utah moved into Probable Trump from Safe Trump, I also moved Indiana down from here to only Leans Trump. Trump seems to be losing support in the home state of his running mate, which isn't too surprising since many said Mike Pence jumped at the chance to run for veep so he wouldn't face losing a governor's race in Indiana. The other four states in the Probable Trump category are all in danger of also moving down to only Leans Trump, with Alaska and Missouri being less likely to be downgraded, and Georgia and Texas more likely to slip out of Probable. But for now, I'm going to leave all of them here, as I think it is indeed probable that Trump will win all of them, even with one or two very close polls. Tossup States Leans Clinton (4 states, 54 EV) This is the second category where I'm perhaps being too optimistic this week. To be fair, I did move Ohio down from Leans Clinton to Too Close To Call, since Trump actually saw his polling improve somewhat here this week. But three big states moved in the opposite direction, and I'm now rating Florida, Nevada, and North Carolina as all Leans Clinton. Clinton has been leading in the polls in all three states, and although her lead is slim it has been consistent. A case could even be made that Nevada belongs in Probable Clinton at this point, but I'm going to wait another week before making such a move. Any of these three may fall back to the Too Close To Call category, but for now they belong in Leans Clinton. New Hampshire remained in Leans Clinton this week as well. Leans Trump (3 states, 26 EV) Trump saw Indiana move down here from Probable Trump, but Iowa and South Carolina remained Leans Trump for the week. However, I am (based on nothing but gut feel) moving Maine's upstate district down from Leans Trump to the Too Close To Call category this week, since it was always kind of a longshot to begin with. Until I see actual polling from the north woods, I'm going to leave Maine's upstate district as a true tossup. Advertisement Too Close To Call (2 states plus one district, 30 EV) Amazingly, I'm only rating two states as being true tossups this week. I think this is the smallest number of states yet for this category, but in all the other battlegrounds the trendlines seem clearer. While Ohio (and that single Maine EV) moved down here this week, Arizona remained in Too Close To Call. The good news for Clinton was seeing Florida, Nevada, and North Carolina move out of here and up to Leans Clinton. Final Tally Hillary Clinton's roster of states she can likely count on didn't actually change this week, although there was significant strengthening within the category. She has the same 22 states as last week in both Safe and Probable, with the same 268 EV -- just two shy of outright victory. But a combined 66 EV moved from Probable to Safe, meaning Clinton's got a whopping 258 EV in the Safe category at this point. Once again, Clinton just has to win a single state -- out of all the rest -- to put her over the 270 EV finish line. Donald Trump is doing better among his base states than the national polling really shows. He only saw one state (Utah) slip from Safe to Probable, and only one other (Indiana) slide all the way down to Leans Trump. For the week he just had, that's pretty good news for him. However, his problem has always been trying to actually build on that base -- which he absolutely needs to do to have any hope of victory. With his "unshackled" behavior since the Billy Bush tape dropped, he is showing that he simply doesn't know how to appeal to voters who aren't already fervently on his side. Trump dropped one state from last week in his Likely column, leaving him with only 20 states he can count on, and only 160 EV. This increases the number of EV he'll need to win by Indiana's 11 EV, leaving him a whopping 110 EV away from victory. The gap between the two candidates in their Likely categories grew this week as well. Hillary Clinton now has 108 EV more than Trump that she can count on in November. In short, all the trendlines look good for Clinton, and all of them also look bad for Trump, with only three short weeks to go. Advertisement We have nine tossup states this week -- four that lean towards Clinton, three that lean towards Trump, and two in the Too Close To Call category. If Clinton wins all her Leans states as well as her Likely states, she will have 322 EV. If Trump wins all his Leans states as well as his Likely, he'll only have 186 EV. Even if Trump wins both the Too Close To Call states as well, it only puts him at 216 EV -- far short of the Oval Office. The only way he can now win is to sweep not only all his Leans states, not only all the Too Close To Call states, but also all of the Leans Clinton states, as well. Even with Trump's improvement in Ohio, it (and Arizona) are still Too Close To Call. That's the fewest number of true tossups I've had this year, I believe. The race appears to be tightening up, and Clinton appears on the brink of a landslide victory. Trump's bleeding from the whole Billy Bush tape (and all the accusations which followed) shows no signs of abating any time soon. We do have the last presidential debate this week, so all of the trends could change, but Trump would have to put in the best presidential debate performance in history to truly shift the momentum his way. And that's doubtful, at best. Trump is, tellingly, already offering up excuses for why he's about to lose. "The election is rigged!" he tells anyone who will listen, because it's a lot easier blaming everyone around him rather than shouldering the blame himself. This blame game will quite likely last a very long time, well into next year at the least. If Clinton has a decent debate night, then this election could very well be over by Thursday morning. [Electoral Vote Data:] (State electoral votes are in parenthesis following each state's name. Washington D.C. is counted as a state, for a total of 51.) Hillary Clinton Likely Easy Wins -- 22 States -- 268 Electoral Votes: Safe States -- 21 States -- 258 Electoral Votes California (55), Colorado (9), Connecticut (7), Delaware (3), Hawaii (4), Illinois (20), Maine (3), Maryland (10), Massachusetts (11), Michigan (16), Minnesota (10), New Jersey (14), New Mexico (5), New York (29), Oregon (7), Pennsylvania (20), Rhode Island (4), Vermont (3), Virginia (13), Washington (12), Washington D.C. (3) Advertisement Probable States -- 1 State -- 10 Electoral Votes Wisconsin (10) Donald Trump Likely Easy Wins -- 20 States -- 160 Electoral Votes: Safe States -- 15 States -- 87 Electoral Votes Alabama (9), Arkansas (6), Idaho (4), Kansas (6), Kentucky (8), Louisiana (8), Mississippi (6), Montana (3), Nebraska (5), North Dakota (3), Oklahoma (7), South Dakota (3), Tennessee (11), West Virginia (5), Wyoming (3) Probable States -- 5 States -- 73 Electoral Votes Alaska (3), Georgia (16), Missouri (10), Texas (38), Utah (6) Tossup States -- 9 States -- 110 Electoral Votes: Tossup States Leaning Clinton -- 4 States -- 54 Electoral Votes Florida (29), Nevada (6), New Hampshire (4), North Carolina (15) Tossup States Leaning Trump -- 3 States -- 26 Electoral Votes Indiana (11), Iowa (6), South Carolina (9) Too Close To Call -- 2 States (plus one district) -- 30 Electoral Votes Arizona (11), Maine (1), Ohio (18) Polling data weaknesses: Unlike in 2008 and 2012, polling data does now exist for all 51 states (adding in Washington D.C.). The following is a list of states where the polling data is rather suspect, since the only polls which have been conducted were all conducted only on the internet. This list shrank by one state (Montana) this week, leaving only seven states without accurate, recent polling. Internet-only polling, with dates last polled -- 7 States Alabama (9/1), Hawaii (9/1), Kentucky (9/1), Mississippi (9/1), South Dakota (9/1), Washington D.C. (5/31), West Virginia (9/1) Chris Weigant blogs at: More than two thousand years after Aristotle, a growing movement is bridging his division between oikonomia - an economy that supports the common good - and chrematistike - making money. The movement for an "Economy for the Common Good," launched in Austria in 2010, has gained the support of 2,200 companies in 50 countries. Most recently, a committee of the European Union overwhelmingly supported a recommendation to incorporate the Economy for the Common Good framework into the EU and member-state legal systems. The framework is an attempt to overcome the confusion over whether capital is a means, or the goal. In oikonomia, money served as nothing more than a means to an end: holistic well-being and the comfort and security it brings. Through chrematistike, however, money turned into a goal in and of itself, wrapped up in the ideology of generating profit and growth, much like in capitalism today. Between these two approaches there has always been a wide gap and painfully little room for common ground, since the objectives are so very different. Advertisement Full Costs Measuring economic and business success in terms of financial bottom line alone does not take into account the costs to society incurred in generating profits. For example, costs to the environment to democracy and human dignity -- to name just a few. The systematic pursuit of strictly financial profits fosters the narrow, short-term, bottom-line-focused vision that's crippling our market system, leaving it unable to serve companies, workers or consumers as it should - let alone the planet. The concept of promoting general welfare is embedded in the constitutions of sovereign nations around the world -- including the constitution of the United States, where it is stated in the preamble. The pursuit of profit and money purely for money's sake is mentioned nowhere. Yet the contradiction persists and the gap it has created keeps widening. Clearly it's time to reconcile these two systems, and breath a soul back into economics while re-embedding the economy into our cultural value system in a way that elevates social responsibility and the common good over profit. Advertisement With this in mind, a dozen companies in Austria launched, in 2010, an initiative called The Economy For The Common Good (ECG). This idea of a complete and coherent, alternative economic model has since grown into a veritable movement geared toward repurposing economic activity so its fundamental objective is to increase the wellbeing of the population at large as well as the integrity of our planet rather than simply maximizing profits. Since then, it has spread to almost 50 countries and gained the support of 2200 companies and 200 local chapters that work with businesses, governments, universities and civil society. The movement has recently achieved a first major political success at the European Union level: the EU's Economic and Social Committee has approved an opinion paper requesting that the EU move toward incorporating the ECG into the Union's as well as its member-states' legal frameworks. The paper has the backing of 86% of the members of the Committee. The centerpiece of the ECG model is the adjustment of success-measurement at every level of the economy bearing in mind the constitutional goal of supporting the common good. In the present system, economic success is measured in relation to means (money) and its accumulation. As monetary indicators, Gross Domestic Product, financial profit and return on investment provide a one-sided assessment of economic activity. They don't account for the economy's true purpose: the satisfaction of human needs, quality of life and the fulfillment of fundamental values. In other words, promoting common good. Early adopters Three innovations aim to rectify this: the Common Good Product, the Common Good Balance Sheet and the Common Good Exam of investment projects. On the company level, the Common Good Balance Sheet measures how firms fulfill key constitutional values that serve the common good. These include human dignity, solidarity, justice, ecological sustainability and democracy. This new balance sheet measures some 20 common good indicators, including: Advertisement Do products and services satisfy human needs? How humane are working conditions? How environmentally-friendly production processes? How ethical are sales and purchasing policies? How are profits distributed? Do women and minorities receive equal pay for equal work? Are employees involved in core, strategic decision making? To be downloaded here So far, 400 European businesses have started using the Common Good Balance Sheet and its grading system which awards credits and demerits depending on each company's activities impact the common good. A number of towns in Spain, Italy and Austria have also decided to become Common Good Municipalities with the support of regional parliaments. The companies and towns rate their activities according to a list of indicators, and the results are examined by external auditors. Each one can reach a maximum of 1000 points. Up until now the average is around 300, which shows that there is still much room for improvement among companies across the board. If all companies scored 1000 points, we'd have no poverty and unemployment any more, an excellent environment, gender justice, peace, and a well-working democracy. These companies are using the balance sheet out of sheer interest, without any incentive - although consumers, investors, skilled workers who look for meaningful employment as well as the media public are paying increasing attention to this new business approach. However, ideally an incentive system would be put in place rewarding good results with tax reliefs, lower tariffs, better loan conditions and priority in public procurement among other things. Advertisement Tax Treatment For example, on the trade front, rather than a blanket trade agreement on a country-by-country or regional basis, the U.S. we could require individual companies seeking to sell goods within its borders to present strong Common Good Balance Sheet results. Failing these, tariffs would be applied, increasing progressively as performance declines. Companies disrespecting international labor standards -- say, through child labor or poor health and safety conditions -- or ravaging the environment would be hard hit. So would those engaged in any form of dumping, from wages to taxes. Ultimately, ethical products and services would become cheaper for consumers than less ethical ones, and only socially responsible businesses could survive. Non-ethical business would find themselves either forced to change or facing insolvency. The Common Good Balance Sheet would become as important as today's financial balance sheet. Ruby red sunsets over cream colored beaches, ethereal limestone karsts and cerulean lagoons make Thailand a dream destination for couples planning a wedding and honeymoon abroad. Of the hundreds of enchanting Thai islands, Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand and Phuket, the pearl of the Andaman Sea, are catching the eyes of love birds hailing from Asia, Europe and the US as they ponder wedding destinations. Planning a wedding on the other side of the world may seem costly and out of reach, but there's a reason so many couples are making the decision to say "I do" on a Thai beach. This mystical land exudes romance and elegance, with the soft scent of orchids lingering in the sea breeze, friendly local faces offering warm smiles and ornate wedding garments woven from shimmering silks of the rainbow. Not only can you expect an exotically delicious fairytale ceremony, but it marks the start of a wonderful adventure for couples in a foreign land, embarking into marriage by leaving the familiar of home and traveling into the unfamiliar, hand in hand. Go ahead, read on and allow yourself to be seduced by the Land of Smiles. Think Thailand is out of reach? Think again. Here are 5 tips to keep in mind when considering Thailand for your wedding destination. Advertisement Plan with the seasons It all comes down to personal preference when planning your wedding around Thailand's seasons, but if you've got a picture in mind that includes robin blue skies, fiery sun and equally fiery sunsets, the rainy or "low" season in Thailand might not be for you. During the months of May to October, the gray clouds roll in, resulting in sporadic showers almost daily. Instead, many opt to visit during the cool or "high" season from November to February, when the temperatures are quite pleasant and the rains have subsided. Rainy season does have its perks, though. If you're keeping to a budget, search for special packages and offers during these months, as travel prices drop due to decreased tourism. Research Thai culture and history Before jumping into wedding planning, take time to read up on Thai culture and history, especially wedding etiquette. This will not only prepare you for the journey ahead, but fosters a more intimate perspective of this charming country and its people. It's also essential to know what to expect when it comes to cultural norms. You might even discover some ideas that'll give your wedding a traditional Thai twist! Marriage is sacred in Thailand and deeply respected, with Buddhist rituals and ancient traditions that are held in the highest regard. When my friends were married in Phang Nga Province, the groom had to time his walk to the wedding venue carefully to arrive precisely at 9:09 AM, which is considered lucky in Thai culture. Here are 25 other things to consider when it comes to Thai wedding etiquette. Plan a pre-wedding trip Thorough research on destinations and venues is one thing, but hopping on a plane for a Thailand vacation before making any wedding decisions puts you right in the thick of it, so you don't have to rely on research alone. If you're able, plan a trip to Thailand beforehand and visit different provinces to get a feel for the local vibes and to find the beach and venue that captures your heart entirely. Without the stress of the unknown, you have a more realistic picture of what your wedding will look like, get an idea for accommodation prices and locations and let's not forget...you'll have a blast as you explore Southeast Asia paradise! Advertisement Think about your guests Let's be honest, a destination wedding can be a stretch for your guests when it comes to requesting off from work and travel costs. Focus on making the trip as seamless as possible for them. For a wedding held at home, it's typical to mail wedding invitations at least eight weeks out. For a wedding abroad, much more notice is needed to plan accordingly. Make your wedding invitations a top priority and get them out the door as soon as possible, as early as 24 months in advance. Offer a variety of affordable accommodation options and help take the guesswork out of transportation and travel documents. There will be guests that won't attend because of the travel, but it doesn't mean they can't celebrate the big day with you. Organize a formal get together at home for those who aren't able to make it to Thailand. It's the perfect way to include all of your closest friends and family in one of the most important days of your life. Get the legal stuff done The UK's Chief Medical Officer Sally Davies recently described the world's current capacity to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a risk as 'big as terrorism'. Bacteria is becoming increasingly resistant to modern medicine, and she warned that if there is not significant and urgent action, we will be left with a health epidemic where even the smallest of infection could kill. In a modern world, with agendas driven by headlines and sensationalism, health threats are sometimes exaggerated. Yet in this case, it cannot be overstated. Sally Davies is exactly right. The threat is very real and it is serious. AMR has been high on the world health agenda for some time (though arguably not high enough) and yet global efforts have not moved forward fast enough. The speed of the threat is outpacing our ability to learn and protect by a considerable rate. Up to 2 million people are infected by antibiotic resistant bacteria every year, and unchallenged antibiotic resistance could cost 10 million lives and as much as $8 trillion each year by 2050. Advertisement But there are very promising signs that the world is taking notice. For the first time, the UN convened a high-level meeting on the subject at the General Assembly in New York last month. Global consensus and global action must flow from this session. The Netherlands has used its Presidency of the European Council to convene special efforts on a pan-European approach to AMR. The UK Government now ranks AMR alongside terror attacks and major floods in official contingency planning, and it is now formally on the national risk register. Others should take similarly vigilant approaches. The World Health Organization, however, has been criticized for its sluggish response to this danger. Work has begun and there has been some progress, but my deep concern is that it is not fast or focused enough. If we, as a global community, do not make significant inroads into this fight soon, we are leaving many citizens around the world exposed to dangers that we have already spent many years successfully combating. Advertisement Over the years, I have worked on programs in Africa and around the globe to combat malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. I have been witness to incredible progress in these fights. Many initiatives focused on these diseases can and should be replicated to tackle AMR. We need global leadership and cooperation and a substantial uptick in surveillance, as well as a revolution in research and development. It is of great concern to me that some of the tremendous gains made in reducing the number of HIV, malaria and TB infections globally may start to unwind. TB, for instance, is one of the diseases that is showing particular power and resistance to antibiotics. In 2014, the WHO published its first global report regarding AMR surveillance. It worryingly pointed out that the multi-drug resistant form of TB (MDR-TB) - the strain that is resistant to the two most powerful anti-TB drugs - was growing quickly. And it noted that the emergence of MDR-TB is "largely under-reported, compromising control efforts." WHO estimated there were almost half a million new cases that year, yet only about a quarter of these were detected and reported. This is a stark admission that the current monitoring efforts are falling well behind what is necessary and are hampering global efforts in combating the rise of this threat. The New England Journal of Medicine published its twenty-year review of MDR-TB surveillance this month. It warns that in many parts of the world there are significant challenges ranging from in-country awareness to routine testing. We have to do better. We cannot and must not underestimate the scale of this threat. We could soon face a new modern era where common infections and minor ailments - all of which we've been treating with relative ease for decades -become lethal. Advertisement The system is currently ill-equipped to respond and is mostly driven by the lack of purchasing power of the people disproportionately affected. So much more needs to be done and it requires government intervention. The AMR session at the UN General Assembly may well be the moment we've been waiting for. As the NEJM highlights, the situation is continuing to evolve, and as we make strides to better monitor the situation and collect data, we will be better equipped to drive forward a new era of research and development. As governments and agencies around the world begin to take greater notice, so do the world's best universities and research institutes. The recent dynamism that has been injected into this debate is a step in the right direction. The race is not lost and there is plenty we can do and much yet to discover. Despite overwhelming evidence of Khartoum's use of chemical weapons in the Jebel Marra region of Darfur (western Sudan), the international community seems to be quietly walking away from its responsibility to investigate. A report released on September 29 by Amnesty International contains numerous (and painfully similar) photographs of victims, interviews with victims and witnesses, and assessments by two experts in non-conventional weapons. The descriptions of the release of poisonous gases are relentlessly congruent detail; Amnesty relied on more than 250 interviews of people from the region in painting a larger picture of wholesale civilian destruction; 57 of these spoke directly to the issue of chemical weapons use in 32 different attacks. And the photographs.... They are simply soul-destroying in the human agony they reveal. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry described the use of chemical weapons in Syria as a "moral obscenity." Despite the authority of the Amnesty report, such language is conspicuously absent in the case of Darfur. Indeed, over the past week the chances for an investigation of these clear violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention--to which Sudan is a signatory--have clearly diminished. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), with a self-described mandate to "implement the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention," failed in Executive session last week to reach agreement to push for an investigation. Ultimately this is a decision not so much of the powerless OPCW but of the signatory nations to the CWC whose political support is essential to initiative an investigation. In the event, it appears such support was weak or non-existent. Advertisement Various nations--including the U.S., France, Great Britain, and Canada--have signaled their concern; but a plan mooted to have the four countries push together for an investigation evidently failed. While all profess support for any investigation that is mounted, this amounts to little. For the UN is paralyzed, not only by the conspicuous divisions in the Security Council, but by the fact that the UN presence in Darfur takes the form of the UN/African Union "Hybrid" Mission for Darfur (UNAMID). UNAMID formally took up its mandate in January 2008, with a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed by Khartoum that nominally gives UNAMID to investigate anywhere, and at any time, in Darfur. But the SOFA was a grim ruse by Khartoum: from the beginning UNAMID has been denied access on countless occasions, even to fulfill its primary mandate of civilian protection. It has been denied access to most of the Jebel Marra region for years, and in particular the areas where Amnesty International reported specific locations of chemical weapons attacks. During these attacks, as many as 250 people were killed, disproportionately children. The deaths, as well as the permanent injuries, are horrific beyond description. The number of deaths and injuries likely far exceeds what Amnesty was able to confirm by interviews from outside Sudan, to which it has long been denied access. UNAMID has declared, whether out of unforgiveable ignorance or mendacity, that it has seen no evidence of chemical weapons use--none whatsoever according to Martin Uhomoibhi, the Nigerian head of mission. But of course UNAMID--a mission that has failed badly, even now can't secure access to Jebel Marra, and has been marked by corruption, deception, and ghastly sell-promotion--has a considerable stake in denying the use of chemical weapons so close to its various bases on the perimeter of Jebel Marra. There is simply no reason, given past reporting (and non-reporting) history to take UNAMID's claims seriously. Advertisement Darfur and Historical Precedent Darfur has defined a number of grim precedents during the period of gross violence against civilians that began in 2003: it is the longest genocide in over a century; it has occurred despite compelling reports of the genocidal nature of Khartoum's counter-insurgency strategy from the first months of ethnically-targeted civilian destruction; it is a conflict that has generated more flouted UN Security Council resolutions that other in the history of the UN; the peacekeeping mission meant to respond to the catastrophe in Darfur is certainly the most dismal failure in the history of the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UN DPKO), despite being one of the most expensive; and Darfur is the first ongoing genocide of which the world simply tired. Once the focus of concerted civil society, human rights groups, news media, and celebrity attention, Darfur is now known chiefly by virtue of the reporting of two Sudanese news outlets--Radio Dabanga and Sudan Tribune. Chemical weapons use should have been a catalyst for renewed interest in the relentless and massive violence perpetrated against the marginalized populations of Sudan. For the Jebel Marra offensive was far from the first time that chemical weapons use has been authoritatively reported. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) recently published a substantial account of chemical weapons use by Khartoum in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan. And as long as ago as 2000, Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) reported Khartoum's bombing of civilian hospitals in what is now South Sudan; MSF identified what were clearly chemical weapons used during these attacks. Instead, what we see throughout Europe and in the U.S. is a growing rapprochement with the Khartoum regime, one that sees, for example, Germany building "concentration camps" in Sudan to help staunch the flow of African refugees; as part of this effort, the European Union as a whole has agreed to provide high-tech monitoring and registration equipment to Khartoum's notoriously brutal National Intelligence and Security Services. The U.S.--in its lust for whatever counter-terrorism intel Khartoum can provide--moves steadily closer to normalization of relations, a lifting of economic sanctions, and removal of Sudan from the State Department's annual listing of "state sponsors of terrorism," a listing that continues to be justified by much of Khartoum's behavior (e.g., in Libya). What should be a situation obviously demanding investigation per the terms of the CWC has instead become a moment for a subtle dance of avoidance. Chemically gassed Syrian children are no more a "moral obscenity" than gassed Darfuri children, but this seems an equation that escapes John Kerry, President Obama, and too many international leaders. Advertisement Will Khartoum resist an investigation? Of course--and strenuously. The sheer military and logistical challenges to an investigation may be insurmountable if Khartoum resists. But that is no excuse for acquiescing in well-documented war crimes that are part of a larger campaign of genocide. An investigation must be demanded, and Khartoum made to deny that investigation before the eyes of the world. Perhaps that will bring some moral and political clarity to those fashioning policy toward this barbaric regime. The United Way mission of drawing together resources for the common good does not stop at the border of a member agency. Though unique in how it defines the needs of its service area, every United Way shares a common bond of cooperation with adjoining United Way agencies and the United Way of Pennsylvania. I can pick up the phone and talk to other members, said Lucy Zander, executive director of the United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County. We network, ask questions and share information. Regional cooperation While adjoining agencies technically compete for pledges on the frontier of their borders, the choice of which United Way to support ultimately comes down to the preference of the donor. Knowing that, there tends to be collaboration among local United Way agencies, which have been known to form regional working groups to address mutual concerns, Zander said. Theres a lot of back and forth. This includes a joining together of resources, volunteers and staff to address issues the agencies have in common. For example, the United Way of the Capital Region is the lead agency for Money in Your Pocket, a program where trained volunteers provide free tax preparation services to low-to-middle income working families. The goal is to help families get the tax credits they qualify for while making sure the forms are prepared properly. As the lead agency, the Capital Regional UW runs the program and secures funding so that partners like the Carlisle UW can provide program sites and recruit and train volunteers, said Rae Lynn Cox, vice-president for communications and marketing. She said another example of this cooperation is when United Way agencies train together on fundraising best practices. We are sharing ideas, Cox said. We are a support system for one another. Worldwide connections Every United Way agency has to pay annual dues and maintain membership requirements for licensing and branding with United Way Worldwide, Zander said. They never dictate to us. The worldwide organization works on the assumption the local United Way is the expert on the type and scope of need within its service area. No two United Ways are alike, Zander said. While all are required to join the worldwide organization, local United Way agencies are not required to join the United Way representing their state. Fifty of the 59 United Way agencies in Pennsylvania belong to the state United Way including the one representing Carlisle and Cumberland County. The state role Advocacy is the most important role of the United Way of Pennsylvania, said Kristen Rotz, its president. A public policy committee meets periodically to develop a consensus agenda giving voice to issues of mutual concern and the position the United Way should take when lobbying lawmakers. A top priority recently is the effort underway to seek 50 percent matching funds from the Pennsylvania General Assembly to expand and maintain a statewide 211 network, Rotz said. We currently have that service in 85 percent of the state. Right now, most Pennsylvanians can call the 211 helpline to access information on the health and human service programs in their area. Only the north-central and northeast portions of the state are not covered by this network. The state United Way is also lobbying the General Assembly to modify eligibility requirements for childcare benefits that would provide adequate coverage while allowing families to take on a greater share of the costs as income levels go up, Rotz said. She added the United Way of Pennsylvania also provides training and education opportunities to member agencies through an annual conference and is encouraging the development of a system where donors can network and be recognized for their support of fundraising. National gender equity organizations, legal and education experts, informed elected officials, and education journalists have identified an epidemic of sexual harassment and violence that extends to K-12 schools. The presidential campaign provides an unprecedented learning opportunity for schools, parents, and youth-serving organizations to discuss sexual harassment, students' civil rights, and how families can create safe schools with full gender equity. To maximize this education opportunity, "The discussion shouldn't be politicized. There are thoughtful questions to be raised and insights to be gleaned; partisanship only gets in the way," says Dr. Joel Levin, Director of Programs for Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) "I suggest teachers ask students to think about how statements objectifying women become normalized--i.e. accepted as just 'what guys say when women aren't around,' or 'locker room banter?' How are students exposed to these messages? Ask male and female students if they've heard this type of talk and how they felt about it. What needs to change so that the attitudes exemplified in such remarks aren't dismissed as just normal guy talk?" Advertisement Next, discuss sexual objectification. Teachers can ask students a simple series of questions: "How does the way we talk about women lead to sexual objectification?" "How does sexual objectification lead to sexual harassment and assault?" Then bring it home. Ask: "How are students negatively impacted by sexual harassment and assault?" "What can we do about it?" "What should our school do about it?" Occidental College Professor and Activist Caroline Heldman provides a succinct explanation in a forthcoming free educational video Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! "When people see women only as sex objects that exist for others, then women are not regarded as full human beings; dehumanizing a group is the first step in justifying violence against that group." Until the video is released next month, students can watch her TEDx talk The Sexy Lie to understand these issues. It's also the perfect time to introduce students to the 2011 film Miss Representation, readily available online. In addition, "Teachers should ask students to think about how gender stereotypes narrow full human expression in males and females. Point out that gender equality is not just a female issue; men too are victims of gender roles that limit and confine their behavior to stereotypes of masculinity. Mention that many men felt offended by generalizations that, like all men, they subscribe to attitudes objectifying women," Dr. Levin recommends. In this connection, teachers should ask students to react to Professor Marc Grimmett's statement in Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School!: "Men and boys need to explore the freedom to be full human beings by moving beyond rigid gender roles and expectations of domination, control, and violence." Advertisement SSAIS recommends that we ask students if gender stereotypes are a driving force behind discrimination against LGBTQ individuals. Emphasize that everyone benefits when people are accepted for themselves and not how they measure up against gendered expectations. "This is also a great entree into a discussion of how historically women and minorities have been denied opportunities and how our society becomes enriched when everyone can contribute their ideas, talents, and abilities as equals. Ask at what age should students begin to reflect on and discuss gender stereotypes," Dr. Levin suggests. We can use media reports about sexual harassment to educate students about their rights. "Sexual harassment and sexual violence are civil rights issues, and as a student, you have the right to an education without sexual harassment or violence," Professor Heldman tells students in Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! Teachers can talk about Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination (including sexual harassment) in all education programs receiving federal funds. Teachers (and parents) can also discuss how language--and even sexual gestures--are forms of sexual harassment. Teachers should direct students to their recourses when they encounter sexual harassment at school. "You're blowing things out of proportion!" "Things are so much better than the 20's, 40's, 60's." "Why should I be held responsible for what my ancestors did?" "You don't know the whole story!" "What about black on black crime?" "They should have just complied!" "Ok, so they complied but we don't know what happened before the recording started." "Not standing for the anthem is so disrespectful." "#Bluelivesmatter respect our police no matter what." "It shouldn't be #blacklivesmatter it should only be #alllivesmatter." "I'm tired of black people claiming they have it so bad it's 2016." "Racism doesn't exist anymore why do ya'll always pull the race card." "-------------silence, nothing said at all-----------" So as a result.... We Riot - And you say we're animals We March - And you say we're causing problems in the streets We Sit - And you say we're attention seekers We Kneel - And you say we're disrespectful We Talk - And you say we're making something out of nothing We Cry - And you say we're overreacting; things aren't that bad We Stay Silent - And you ask why haven't we said something before now WE DIE - And you say it's our own fault Advertisement Tuesday and I was driving my car, I looked up and saw police lights in my rear view mirror, I am immediately overwhelmed with fear. My hearts begins to beat fast and I find it hard to catch my breathe. Continuously, check my rear view as he approaches closer. I start playing in my head what did I do? Was I speeding? The light was yellow right? Then I begin to see all the hashtags flooding my social media timelines.... #EricGarner #TamirRice #SandraBland #AltonSterling #RekiaBoyd #MichaelBrown #TanishaAnderson #TonyRobinson #DarneshaHarris #BrandonGlen #FreddieGray #WalterScott #SeanBell #PhilandoCastile #TrayvonMartin annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd now #TerenceCrutcher and #KeithLamontScott (who had not yet loss their lives when I was having my experience) Now with the REALITY of the fact that Black Men and Women are being gunned down in the street by police. I begin planning my next steps of what I will do as I begin to slow down and move over to the right.... - Get your ID and car insurance out now before you even stop - Put both hands outside of the windows clearly holding your documents - Don't talk too loud so they don't think you're an anger black woman - Don't talk too soft so that they don't have to ask you to repeat yourself and think you're being non-compliant. Advertisement Just as I am satisfied that I have my plan of action in place to handle this encounter with the police and prayerfully make it home alive and without injury, to my family...........then in that very moment the police car drives past me. As I let out a huge gasp of relief and begin to calm myself down and continue driving. What in my mind has lasted for an eternity has only actually been 2 minutes of my life. Then I find myself whispering a prayer of protection over the Officer that drove past me as well as for whoever he/she may encounter when reaching their finally destination. And no I didn't have a "reason" for being nervous that White America will understand. I wasn't carrying a weapon, I didn't have drugs in my car. I don't have any warrants out for my arrest. I'm just a Black Woman living in America in 2016. And that unfortunately is "reason" enough!! And what's so sad about this is that this is something that 95% of people of color can either directly relate to or know someone in their family/community that has experienced what I've described here. Being afraid every time your loved ones leave the house, not to go to Afghanistan for war, but just to go to the corner store. This is the reality that I LIVE everyday of my life! When we're told by White America to simply grin and bare it. To not make such a big deal of everything. When in the media you see how a man can go into a church and murder 9 African Americans and be apprehended by the police and taken ALIVE and fed at the local Burger King on his way to lock up. Or how a white man can outright attack police officers with a machete and be taken ALIVE. Or shoot up a Movie Theater and still be stopped and make it to jail ALIVE. But WE, African Americans should just be good American citizens or leave the country, right? Despite the fact that we're being killed by police daily with no convictions and/or fallout for the police involved. Just behave and suffer in silence or leave.....That's what most would like to see as I read the posts on social media and overhear conversations in the local cafe. Go to another country and you'll see how good you have it. You'll see that... Advertisement Being judged by the color of your skin, Being seen as dangerous just because you're a black man, Being considered angry because you're a black woman, Being murdered in the streets by those paid by your tax dollars to protect you, Being worried your children won't make it to their next birthday (no matter how young they are), Being discriminated against for housing, Being ridiculed in the media, Being seen as less than human, ....................................AIN'T REALLY THAT BAD! And you'll come running back to the America that was built on the backs of your ancestors who where never meant to be a part of it anyway. Now keep contributing to make this country GREAT and Shut up about how we treat you! Now if you're reading any parts of this and not seeing anything WRONG with what I've just described here than you're the problem and this article isn't for you! But if you read this and are OUTRAGED and now seeing things in a new way then it is for YOU! It is not until we can begin to see things from the prospective of others that true change can take place. Healing doesn't happen without the pain being acknowledged. Diseases aren't cured if you don't admit that you're sick. The same is true now, nothing will change with race relations if you don't say YES THERE IS A PROBLEM! And then once you recognized there's a problem you can begin to have healthy dialogue that will allow for the light and love to shine through. There is no change unless the light is shined in the darkness. So no matter your skin color, your ethnicity, your religious convictions you can still recognize injustice, even when it isn't happening to you....IF YOU CHOOSE TO! I can understand the horror of the Holocaust, but I'm not Jewish, I empathize with the struggles of the LGBT community, but I'm heterosexual. So if you choose to you can stand against the injustice of African Americans even if you aren't one! Will you make your voice heard and say enough is enough. No more of the senseless killings of unarmed Black men without cause by the police? Or will you remain silent? Or worse will you continue to say.... Advertisement "You're blowing things out of proportion!" "Things are so much better." "Why should I be held responsible for what my ancestors did?" "You don't know the whole story!" "What about black on black crime?" "They should have just complied!" "Ok, so them complied but we don't know what happened before the recording started." "Not standing for the anthem is so disrespectful." "#Bluelivesmatter respect our police no matter what." "It shouldn't be #blacklivesmatter it should only be #alllivesmatter." "I'm tired of black people claiming they have it so bad it's 2016." "Racism doesn't exist anymore why do ya'll always pull the race card." Review of Democracy's Detectives: The Economics of Investigative Journalism. By James T. Hamilton. Harvard University Press. 368 pp. $35. Investigative journalism is an endangered species. Facing declines in subscribers and reductions in advertising revenues, many newspapers have disappeared. Others have cut back staff and authorized less in depth reporting. Ditto the network news and radio (with the notable exception of non-profits). In Democracy's Detectives, James Hamilton, a professor of communication at Stanford University, provides an extraordinarily precise and painstaking examination of the state of investigative journalism in the United States. Using a wide array of statistical measures and a case study of Pat Stith, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The News and Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina, Hamilton demonstrates that investigative reporting (involving original work about important issues that someone wants to keep secret) costing thousands of dollars can produce millions of dollars in benefits to society. And Hamilton issues an urgent warning that this essential public service is underprovided in the market. His book should command the attention of every citizen who is concerned about the implications for our democracy when sunlight, which is the best disinfectant against corruption and incompetence, is obscured and blocked. Advertisement Hamilton provides a fascinating analysis of the economics of the industry. In an era of finite resources, he indicates, a myriad of stories go untold because the costs of greenlighting them outweigh the revenues they are likely to produce. Smaller budgets also mean that watchdog journalists focus on the misdeeds of individuals rather than topics with a wider scope, such as the activities of government regulatory agencies, courts and corporations. Freedom of Information Act requests by local newspapers, for example, dropped by about 50% between 2005 and 2010. And the short attention span of Americans (forty percent of visitors to Google News look at headlines and do not click through to the underlying story) has resulted in drastic reductions in the number of lengthy, in depth pieces. Between 2003 and 2012, Hamilton reveals, stories with more than 2,000 words declined by 35% in the Wall Street Journal, 50% in the Washington Post, and 86% in the Los Angeles Times. Only the New York Times has increased stories exceeding 3,000 words. Hamilton acknowledges that the "causal chain" between a reporter's story and "the real world impact" is difficult to establish, let alone quantify. That said, he makes a compelling case that investigative journalism has led to resignations, firings, suspensions, retirements, re-election defeats, revisions in practices, policies, budgets and laws. Policy changes resulting from investigations, he claims, produced fewer murders in North Carolina; fewer hospitalizations from food-related digestive disorders in Los Angeles County; fewer fatal shootings by police officers in Washington, D.C.; more disciplinary actions against cops exceeding the speed limit in Florida. Advertisement In response to Stith's work, Hamilton indicates, thirty-one laws were passed by the legislature and signed by the governor. They included provisions to allow the Department of Agriculture to sell produce from state owned farms on the open market and permit Human Resources to buy from vendors who offered the best price; a requirement that farm workers and employees of small businesses be covered by workman's compensation; a moratorium on the construction or expansion of swine farms (until the problem of the disposition of waste was addressed); and a requirement that licensed professionals see a patient before diagnosing an illness. New combinations of digital data and data-mining algorithms, Hamilton suggests, can now make it easier for investigative reporters to tell important stories with solid evidence about institutional malfeasance. Therefore, he urges philanthropists to fund "computational journalism." But, alas, even Professor Hamilton, who is certainly among the best informed experts on journalism in this country, does not offer solutions for the crisis of news organizations created by the transformation of mass media. Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during her presidential town hall debate against Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump (not shown) at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Jim Young Tomorrow, Americans will -- for the first time this election cycle -- get to hear the two major party presidential nominees debate the issue of immigration reform. The lack of debate over immigration does a disservice to our immigrant and Latino communities, and it overlooks the important role immigration reform plays in our nation's economic future. Our diversity is our greatest strength and we have all benefited from the contributions of people who chose to immigrate here. This election, however, has seen the rise of racist, scapegoating rhetoric, and xenophobic prescriptions completely at odds with our values. And yes, I'm talking about Donald Trump. Donald Trump's campaign was launched with vicious attacks on Mexicans, and his success in the Republican primaries was fueled by his "plans" to build a wall along the Mexican border and ban all Muslims from entering the country. Advertisement Since then, his rhetoric hasn't gotten better -- if anything, the more we've learned about Donald Trump's immigration ideas, the more we should be concerned about the consequences they'd have for communities across our country. His mass deportation plan would cost the U.S. an estimated $600 billion and reduce our GDP by over $1 trillion. His "deportation task force" would tear up families and communities and force undocumented immigrants further into the shadows of our society. And to make these deportations a reality, it would require a new system of mass incarceration and new waves of private detention centers in which immigrants would continue to be held in substandard living conditions. Given the extreme and dire nature of Donald Trump's platform, it's inconceivable how little attention immigration reform has received in the debates. It is my hope tomorrow that Trump will have to answer for how he'd get Mexico to pay for a wall, how his deportation force would operate, how he'd make up for the hundreds of billions of dollars his plan would cost, and just how many families he plans to break up. Thankfully, we have a choice in this election. Hillary Clinton has put forth the most progressive immigration platform of any major party nominee in history and is committed to reforming this inhumane system starting in her first 100 days as president. Among the important policies she's proposed: fighting for comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship; defending President Obama's executive actions that would protect 5 million immigrants from deportation; allowing undocumented immigrants to buy into the Affordable Care Act, so they're not forced to use the ER for primary care; and finally ending the practice of family detention and closing private detention centers, which have been exposed for their inhumane living conditions. Advertisement There has never been a more important election for the soul of America and for the well-being of America's immigrant families. The choice on immigration reform is clear. By Tom Jacobs The issue of why people act selflessly has long puzzled evolutionary psychologists. If our behavior is truly driven by Richard Dawkins's famous "selfish gene," why do we waste time and resources helping strangers? New research provides a plausible answer: Altruists do indeed get rewarded--with better sex lives. Previous research has found that "altruists are more attractive than non-altruists, all else being equal," writes a research team led by Canadian psychologist Steven Arnocky. "The present study is the first to show that this may translate into real mating success." In the British Journal of Psychology, Arnocky and his colleagues from Ontario's Nipissing University describe two studies. The first featured 192 unmarried women and 105 unmarried men between the ages of 16 and 33. Advertisement The participants, all Canadians, filled out a detailed questionnaire that included their sexual histories, current sexual activity, and altruistic activities. They indicated the accuracy of such statements as "I have helped push a stranger's car out of the snow" and "I have donated blood." "Even after controlling for age and personality," the researchers write, men who regularly acted in altruistic ways reported more lifetime sex partners and more casual hookups. In their view, this suggests that men, more than women, use altruistic behavior as a way "to attract partners for short-term copulations." Okay, but were the male participants' self-reports an accurate gauge of their actual altruism? The similarly structured second study addressed that issue by informing participants -- 335 female and 189 male college students--that they had been entered into a $100 drawing. In the event that they won, they were asked to indicate whether they planned to keep the money, or if they were going to donate some portion of it to a charity of their choosing. "Participants who were willing to donate potential monetary winnings reported having more lifetime sex partners, more casual sex partners, and more sex partners over the past year," the researchers report. "Men who were willing to donate also reported having more lifetime dating partners." Advertisement So why is selflessness sexy? Arnocky and his colleagues argue that altruistic behavior is what biologists call a "costly signal" -- an activity that requires some exertion, but also advertises one's attractive qualities to potential mates. Who doesn't want a partner who is kind and giving? There is no evidence that people are conscious of this equation, nor that it's the only dynamic that encourages altruistic behavior. But from an evolutionary standpoint, our "selfish genes" need a well-functioning society if they are to survive and thrive. It makes sense that a behavior that helps sustain this positive social environment would, over the course of natural selection, get rewarded. So singles who are tired of Tinder may want to opt for a different strategy. Volunteering at the local food pantry won't only make you feel good; it may be an excellent way to meet a mate. By Jill Suttie We read it in the news every day. From climate change to overfishing to deforestation, it seems that we are on the brink of a natural disaster on an epic scale. If we cannot do something to reverse these trends, we will surely make our planet uninhabitable. But how do we encourage people -- especially our kids -- to care more and take action? Social scientists are beginning to look for answers to this question with some promising results. Research indicates that motivating people to care takes more than just reciting facts and making doomsday predictions. Instead, it requires promoting compassionate concern for our natural world, which comes from early contact with nature, empathy for our fellow creatures, and a sense of wonder and fascination. Specifically, scientists are starting to uncover how to encourage that compassionate concern in children, so that it will translate into pro-environmental behavior down the road -- and this research comes not a moment too soon. Advertisement Why disaster talk doesn't move us (and what does) Painting a disastrous portrait of the earth's future often causes us to simply check out. The idea of destruction on such a massive scale can either be too difficult to contemplate or seem too out of our control to motivate action -- especially action inconvenient to us, like walking to work or bringing our own bags to the grocery store. Psychological biases also play a role. When a problem seems distant or abstract, it can easily be pushed aside by more pressing, immediate concerns, like schoolwork or relationship worries. But scientists have learned that there is a way to overcome these deterrents: developing a compassionate relationship with the natural world. Research suggests that the desire to conserve is intricately tied to our connection to nature--or the degree to which we enjoy spending time in nature, empathize with our fellow creatures, and feel a sense of oneness with nature. That emotional connection increases our sense of personal responsibility toward nature and makes us want to do more to preserve it. For example, one study by Cynthia Frantz and F. Stephan Mayer looked at the relationship between electricity use and emotional connection to nature in dorm residents at Oberlin College. Students filled out the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) and other measures of self-nature connectedness, and scores were aggregated and compared to dorm electricity use. Advertisement Results showed that dorms with higher average connection to nature scores used less electricity than those with lower scores, and this difference was even more pronounced when students were given direct feedback on their electricity use over time. But dorms whose residents on average scored higher on valuing nature and supporting environmental protection measures did not use less electricity, suggesting that having an emotional connection to nature is uniquely powerful in predicting behavior. In another study, it was students' implicit feelings about nature that mattered the most. Students from Nanjing University in China took an Implicit Associations Test (IAT), which measured their automatic, unconscious feelings about things associated with built environments (i.e., cars, streets, buildings) versus natural environments (animals, birds, trees). They also filled out the CNS and were asked about their deliberate environmental behaviors--such as how much water they use when washing, or how often they ride a bike or walk to school rather than drive. Afterward, the students were offered a gift of tasty wafers and then asked if they wanted a plastic bag to carry them. Whether or not students asked for the bag was used as a proxy measure of spontaneous environmental behavior. Results from the experiment showed that CNS scores did not predict results on the IAT, suggesting that our conscious feelings about nature may be different from our less conscious feelings. Scores on the IAT were linked to whether or not students took the bag (a spontaneous pro-environmental act), while CNS scores contributed most to explicit pro-environmental behaviors. The researchers concluded, "In the long term, it would be wise to cultivate people's connection with nature, promote the emotional and cognitive tie between humans and the natural world, and increase people's feeling of being one with nature." These studies and others suggest that a caring connection to nature may be an important indicator of how much we are willing to engage in behaviors to save our natural world. And that has implications for our kids. Why kids need to get outside Many kids today are suffering from what Richard Louv calls "nature deficit disorder" because they spend so little time there -- especially kids in cities, where green spaces may be few and far between. Besides having an impact on kids' health and well-being, this lack of contact with nature may also impact their compassionate caring for the environment. Advertisement Researchers at Cornell University found that, when children before the age of 11 spend time in nature -- hiking, camping, hunting, or fishing, for example -- they grow up into adults who care more about the environment than those who didn't have that early exposure. That caring also translates into more pro-environmental behavior in adulthood, which suggests that getting kids out in nature is important if we want them to become our future environmentalists. Environmental programs in schools are one way to do this. In one study, researchers measured 9-10 year olds and 11-13 year olds on their connection to nature (using the Inclusion of the Self in Nature Scale, or INS), then followed them through a four-day environmental education program focused on water. The program involved lessons about water and immersive, sensory-laden experiences with water, such as walking barefoot through a creek and catching and releasing wildlife in the creek. After the program, the kids were measured again on connection to nature and compared to a group of same-aged kids who hadn't gone through the program. Results showed that the younger children initially had higher INS scores than the older kids, but the education program increased INS in both age groups. In particular, the researchers cited the immersion activities as critical to these effects. However, only the younger kids maintained the increases in INS four weeks later, suggesting that these kinds of programs should perhaps target younger students. Indeed, another study looking at 14-19 year olds showed that participating in a one-day environmental education program on global climate change that did not include immersive experiences in nature had very little impact on connection to nature scores. One possible reason that spending time in nature increases children's connection to it is that the experience feels good in some way. Research on adults has found that spending time in nature helps with what's called attention restoration--helping the brain to recover from sensory and cognitive overload, which reduces stress and improves later performance on cognitive tasks. Advertisement At least one study with children suggests attention restoration plays a role in their enjoyment of nature, too, and leads to caring more about it. Researchers found that children in schools with schoolyards that had more natural elements reported higher levels of restoration, leading to more positive environmental attitudes. And those increased pro-nature attitudes, in turn, were tied to more pro-environmental behavior. How to boost connection to nature Still, researchers don't know exactly what it is about being in nature that impacts environmental concern and action, though many agree that emotional engagement is critical. So, how can we augment that engagement in our children? Mindfulness may be one potential avenue. At least one study with adults has found a link between mindfulness, connection to nature, and well-being, while another found that mindfulness is associated with "green behavior." Perhaps mindfulness allows people -- and would allow kids -- to pay attention to nature and appreciate it more fully. One recent study randomly assigned undergraduate college students participating in a three-day nature trip to perform meditation (with formal practices in the mornings) or not (a control group). Before and after the trip, students were measured on their connection to nature. Compared to the control group, those who'd been in the meditation group reported greater increases in self-nature connection as well as more spontaneous recollections of trip memories emphasizing nature (rather than other aspects of the trip, such as social interactions). This implies that mindfulness meditation may indeed help increase emotional connection to nature, perhaps by helping people be more present for outdoor experiences or by decreasing their sense of separation from nature. Though research on children is sparse, at least one study found that a program for middle school kids pairing mindfulness meditation and tai chi seemed to increase their connection to nature. Advertisement Another potential strategy for helping kids care more about nature may be to develop their empathy for animals. In at least one study with adults, instructing people to take the perspective of an animal being harmed by pollution increased environmental concern more than instructing them to be objective. Another study found that anthropomorphizing nature -- assigning human-like qualities to objects in nature -- increased college students' connection to nature, which in turn impacted their willingness to engage in conservation behaviors and promote them to others. Luckily, children naturally seem to identify with animals and nature from a young age. But parents can further encourage their love of animals by introducing them to wildlife in their area, bringing a pet into the home, or reading them stories where animals or natural objects are featured as sympathetic characters. Though engaging kids socially and emotionally with nature may be helpful, we clearly still have more to learn about what makes kids want to protect the environment. Much of the research on this is fairly preliminary, and we are only just starting to understand how to nudge our kids in that direction. Plus, we may need to consider cultural differences more carefully. At least one study found that people from less individualistic/more collectivist cultures are more likely to be influenced by social norms rather than individual concern when it comes to environmental action. This suggests that, in addition to augmenting our kids' connection to nature, we may need to emphasize society's role in influencing behavior, focusing on shared values and community efforts to protect the natural environment--especially for kids from more collectivist cultures. Still, it seems that we would do no harm by simply making sure our kids get outside. Many studies have found that children, like adults, receive psychological and physical benefits from being exposed to nature, including better attention, self-discipline, and cognitive development, and decreased levels of stress. And helping kids to develop more mindfulness or empathy skills wouldn't hurt either, given the research showing their positive impacts on kids. Advertisement Your body's first-line defense against foreign invaders is your own immune system. When it sees an invader, it unleashes T cells to destroy it. Some forms of cancer can trick the immune system into seeing cancer cells as healthy cells. Hiding in plain sight, they are free to grow and reproduce. That's where immunotherapy comes in. Immunotherapy is a way to stimulate the immune system to attack cancer cells. It's already being used to treat some forms of cancer, and more in the future. "Immunotherapy for cancer treatment is exploding," said Dr. David Chan, program director for oncology at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in California. "It's the current big thing in cancer research." Advertisement He also noted it's one of the reasons for rising healthcare costs, particularly in cancer treatment. While immunotherapy is nothing short of a miracle for some cancer patients, it doesn't work for everyone. And whether it works or not, it's also impacting healthcare costs. The potential of immunotherapy We're only beginning to scratch the surface of the potential of immunotherapy to treat cancer. In an interview with Healthline, Chan said most of the recent interest in immunotherapy has to do with a class of drugs known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. He explained that cancer sometimes fools T cells with a protein that works like a mask. The protein, called PD-L1, blocks T cells from recognizing cancer cells. Rather than attack, the T cells allow cancerous cells to grow. Chan said cancer researchers have been trying to harness the immune system for 30 years. "About a decade ago, they started developing antibodies to treat HER2-positive breast cancer," he said. "It's a very aggressive form of breast cancer. It had higher recurrence and fatality rates than other breast cancers. It was very difficult to treat prior to immunotherapy." Advertisement Until a drug called Herceptin came along. Herceptin binds to HER2 receptors and blocks them from growth signals. At the same time, it stimulates the immune system to destroy cancer cells. Chan said Herceptin has dramatically improved the cure rate for HER2-positive breast cancer. Some of his patients have been in remission for 10 years or more. "When that pathway is interrupted, it unmasks the cancer so T cells recognize it and activate. The result is a significant reduction in cancer and prolonged survival," he said. He noted there are currently four FDA-approved drugs that work through this kind of pathway. Malignant melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), kidney, bladder, and head and neck cancers can all be treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. According to Chan, one quarter to one third of patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors show signs of regression or remission. Advertisement He added that, for the most part, immunotherapy is fairly well-tolerated and can continue indefinitely. Unlike chemotherapy and radiation, immunotherapy leaves healthy cells unscathed. However, sometimes the immune system overreacts to the therapy. That means treatment must be stopped while side effects are addressed. Chan said during that time, the cancer often remains in check. A severe immune system overreaction is potentially fatal. Not all patients respond to immunotherapy. "It's not a cure-all. When it works, it works really well. But the majority of patients won't respond to checkpoint inhibitors," said Chan. "If we use immunotherapy for a typical approved cancer, one of three patients will benefit." Currently, there's no way to know in advance which category patients will fall into. "Not every antibody is the same, not every cancer is the same. The difficult part is trying to identify, molecularly, which patients will benefit. Through research, we'll have to figure it out cancer by cancer and drug by drug," said Chan. Combining immunotherapies with other cancer treatments may offer promise, but Chan explained that it's a complicated issue. Advertisement "It's not going to be a simple thing where there's a single way to treat cancer. But without question, it will improve cure rates and quality of life," he said. Dr. Mark Faries, director of the Donald L. Morton, M.D., Melanoma Research Program, and director of therapeutic immunology at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center in California, agrees. He told Healthline it's still too soon to say how safe and effective combination therapy will be. "We know that some combinations of immunotherapies are better than one immunotherapy by itself," he said. "There are clinical trials to evaluate combining these medications with other types of treatments including chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and radiation. We have also had good experiences with patients who have had immunotherapy and surgery. But the complete answer to this question will come through multiple clinical trials over the next several years." The problem of cost Immunotherapy is expensive. "We're talking about treatments that cost over $100,000 per year," said Chan. "Combine drugs and it's over $200,000 per year." Chan believes when we identify who will benefit and who won't, it will make a big difference in cost for patients and in overall healthcare costs. Advertisement Immunotherapy is often covered by health insurance, but patients still have to deal with rising out-of-pocket costs. Surgery and other cancer treatments add still more to the financial burden. According to Chan, cost is a big problem. "We've got to try to make these treatments available at a lower cost. The United States pays far higher costs for drugs than other countries. We're the only ones who don't take cost into account before approving a drug. We don't negotiate costs with drug companies. Americans are bearing the price of drug research for the entire world," he said. Faries also looks at the potential long-term benefits. "If the therapy is curative, the total cost of therapy might be less than would be the case for repeated courses of less expensive, but less effective treatments such as chemotherapy," he explained. "One of the main potential advantages of immune therapy relative to other cancer medical treatments is the durability of the responses. Some patients who have good responses seem to maintain them for many years, possibly forever. While there can be side effects to the treatments, even severe or life-threatening side effects, quality of life is frequently quite good and side effects are generally able to be controlled," said Faries. "A long-term, durable remission might allow patients to return to work and productivity. But given the price of these drugs, cost effectiveness analysis will be an important component of future research," said Faries. Advertisement By Ann Pietrangelo WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 23: Chris Wallace, host of Fox News Sunday, seen on the set of his show at the Fox offices near Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on July 23, 2015. Wallace will be hosting the first debate in the Republican presidential primary and is working on his preparations for the task. Wallace said that his goal is to engage candidates in conversation with each other and avoid a scene that feels like ten separate news conferences. (Photo by T.J. Kirkpatrick for The Washington Post via Getty Images) Moderator Chris Wallace recently announced the topics for the final U.S. presidential debate to be held Oct. 19. Among them are debt and entitlements, immigration, the economy, the Supreme Court, foreign hot spots, and fitness to be president. It's impossible to overlook the glaring omission, one so overarching and pressing, that it stands to impact nearly each of those topics in some way or another: climate change. Advertisement It is difficult to overstate the magnitude of a changing climate and the peril of doing nothing. Yet in debate after debate, the opportunity to put climate change on the presidential election's biggest stage has been squandered. It seems next Wednesday will be no different. Other than a two-sentence exchange over Donald Trump's claim that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese government, the issue has been absent from all three of this year's debates. We heard nothing about it four years ago when President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney met for three debates and their vice presidential nominees for one. Eight years ago, town hall participant Ingrid Jackson asked Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama how each would ensure that Congress move quickly on climate change. Since then, no candidate for president or vice president has fielded a question in a general election debate about climate change. No moderator has posed one, and no town hall participant has mentioned it. In seven presidential and vice presidential debates and nearly eleven hours of uninterrupted primetime coverage, the absence of a single direct question about climate change is political negligence. That the candidates have only mentioned it in two brief, marginal interjections is political irresponsibility. Advertisement The implication that climate change is not worth the attention (or worse, that there are no questions worth asking) is reckless and irresponsible. Although unlikely, when Chris Wallace takes the moderator's seat, he must break this cycle and push the candidates to outline their positions on critical questions about climate change. He has an obligation to ask, and deserve to hear how Secretary Clinton and Mr. Trump respond. Discussions revolving sheer existence or those focused on energy independence or green jobs ignores the most challenging questions of U.S. environmental policy and our international obligations. Chris, please ask these three important questions: First, super storms such as Hurricane Matthew or severe flooding and widespread wildfires in the western U.S. will almost certainly become stronger, more frequent, and more destructive as the climate change accelerates. What policies do you support to address current and future devastation to communities across the U.S. caused by climate change-enhanced weather emergencies? Next, the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change recently reached the threshold to enter into force, well ahead of schedule. The Agreement, which the U.S. formally joined in September, requires that signatories collectively develop domestic programs to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to a level that will stabilize global warming. How do you propose we achieve this international obligation? Advertisement Finally, according to estimates by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, rising sea levels in the coming decades will have disastrous effects on low-lying coastal countries and small island states such as Bangladesh, Kiribati, and Tuvalu. What duty does the U.S. owe to vulnerable communities around the world already suffering from the effects of climate change, and those who will suffer greater destruction in the future? The winner of November's U.S. presidential election will not be able to ignore the challenging policy issues surrounding climate change in the same way they've been ignored this year by Lester Holt, Anderson Cooper, Martha Raddatz, Elaine Quijano. It appears all too likely, that Chris Wallace is following in their negligent footsteps. Eight years of silence is too many. If candidates walk off the stage on Wednesday without discussing climate change, it will be at least another four before we reconvene for the biggest stage in American politics. portrait of mature woman of African descent with thoughtful expression This morning I felt really down about the latest rash of police murders to take place. But before I could finish my thoughts I had a stream of consciousness that led me to write it out and share with you all how my brain works. I remembered an Ethiopian songbird by the name of Wayna who wrote Billie Club about the plight of us Africans in this country. I immediately turned it on my stereo. I remembered that her soprano was as clear as the oldest and youngest Clark Sisters. I remembered that Twinkie Clark wrote You Brought the Sunshine after being moved by Stevie Wonder's Blast Master Jammin. Stevie wrote that song as tribute to Bob Marley upon his death. Stevie said he thought of Bob's Them Belly Full when he was writing it. The basslines in all three songs are deliberately similar and eerily (or not) African. We all know that Bob Marley was a Rastafari but Ethiopia's Haile Selassie's story isn't as well known. Suffice it to say that Wayna (who was also the opening act for Stevie's last tour AND who was arrested in Texas for performing her aforementioned song) wouldn't be able to write the lyrics below if it wasn't for Haile Selassie's efforts to fight the same imperial racism that we face right now. Wayna comes from a long line of African musicians who are/were influenced by the African music created in the USA. Advertisement Mulatu Astatke is known as the father of Ethio-Jazz which is basically American and Latin jazz with some extra Ethiopian rhythms fused together into one beautifully perfect art form. Mulatu was trained in the USA and got to play his newly created art form with The Duke before he passed. It reminded me of Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life which was a piece Ellington did with Billie Holliday. Holliday, of course was the seminal figure in protest songs in the 20th century. Which led me to think of not only Strange Fruit, but Fats Waller's What Did I Do to Be So Black and Blue and Ledbelly's The Bourgeois Blues. All of these songs from all corners of the Diaspora are reminders that we aren't crazy, we aren't alone, this persecution isn't new, and we don't need to validate our fear or anger. We don't have to because every place with children of Africa has the same story. It's not a coincidence. After I got out of my car I walked into an amazing conversation with a Congolese lady that started with the three police lynchings over the last week here in the USA, which drifted into the continued injustices at the hands of a dictator in Congo, then led to a discussion around how Mugabe has lost his way but was to be expected when you sign up to fight imperial racism for your whole life. We discussed ranking our top five African leaders of all time. She mentioned she was a member of Delta Sigma Theta. I mentioned I was named after my #1 ranked African leader; she submitted Michael Sata. I agreed he should be ranked high but contested that Zambia is pretty small. We talked about how Gadhafi had a "nigger wakeup call" as Paul Mooney calls it playing with the Arabs; that's why he went so hard for Africa afterwards until his demise. Advertisement She was shocked I was able to have this conversation with her about The Continent; I was equally shocked that she would be fully emerged into black culture here in America. We both agreed that if Congo, Brazil, or USA black folk ever got their life, the entire Diaspora would be much better off than where it is now. By the end of the conversation I felt a bit of pride and optimism that these conversations help to make sense out of the nonsense of our very un-American lives. The shock and flabbergast of these acts of terror on our people are largely due to the fact that we are confused about who we are. How could they do this to us? How can they not speak up for us? How can they act like they don't see our pain? We are African for so many reasons but the most obvious is because of the fight we have always been forced into is the same everywhere in the Diaspora. Yet when you only connect to a small portion of the people (therefore the power) you represent, you think that this fight you were born into and this pain you bare is unique. Unfortunately, it isn't. Fortunately, two African women helped provide a salve to a hard-to-heal wound for me today. While overshadowed by Donald Trump's appalling behavior, Wikileaks documents provide a damning portrait of Hillary Clinton, the likely next president of the United States, which should leave us all concerned. Mrs. Clinton in these documents is exposed to say one thing to the public and another to her private donors with regard to Wall Street regulation, and to have pined for an extreme Republican adversary like Trump who would coarsen the rhetoric and allow her to take a moral high ground. Equally disturbing are her views on foreign policy. Speaking before a Goldman Sachs event in 2013 for which she was paid the princely sum of $225,000, Mrs. Clinton said that as Secretary of State she had advocated for secretly arming the Syrian opposition and moving forcefully to counter the Russians before they had even intervened in the conflict. Advertisement "My view is that you intervene as covertly as possible for Americans to intervene," she said in response to a question from CEO Lloyd Blankfein. Clinton added that we "used to be much better at this than we are now," suggesting that CIA officials too often leaked the details of their operations to friendly journalists so they could get credit. These comments reveal Clinton's support for executive secrecy and deception that has resulted in an erosion of democratic standards and government accountability in the age of the War on Terror. They also expose a disturbing ignorance of history. Tim Weiner has written an important book on the history of American covert operations called Legacy of Ashes and William Blum an even better one entitled Killing Hope. Both show that most covert U.S. military interventions since World War II have sowed violence, dictatorship and chaos, were often poorly executed, and resulted in political backlash. Advertisement Highlights include the 1953 coup that destroyed Iranian democracy, the Bay of Pigs fiasco and contracting of the mafia to kill Fidel Castro, sponsorship of a military coup in Indonesia that paved the way for one of the 20th century's worst genocides, and the financing of a secret army in Laos partly through the narcotics trade. There was also the arming of Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan who turned that country into a failed state and later applied their terrorist training against the United States. Is this the golden age Mrs. Clinton was referring to when we "were much better" at practicing the clandestine arts, or was it rather her husband's presidency when private military contractors took over and set up illegal arms smuggling pipelines while training Islamists in Bosnia? Hillary's speech surely went over well at Goldman Sachs, which has profited immensely from the opening of financial markets and promotion of investment opportunities covert interventions have often helped engender. But can the rest of us tolerate four or eight more years of ceaseless wars that are making our world more unstable and draining our resources? Advertisement On Monday, the New York Times had a front page article that questioned the "blurring of the line between the public and private" for Clinton's inner circle. The piece quoted from Wikileaks documents which exposed how Clinton's Chief of Staff at the State Department, Cheryl Mills, who also served as a consultant to the Clinton Foundation, worked ceaselessly to help a Korean garment maker, Woong ki-Kim, who had a spotty labor track record, open a factory in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. Mr. Kim then donated money to the Clinton Foundation and helped finance Mills' startup company, Black Ivy Group, after she left the State Department. Black Ivy Group pursued infrastructure projects in African countries Mr. Kim was looking to expand his operations to and again take advantage of lax labor laws. Another Clinton aide, Sidney Blumenthal, mentioned by Donald Trump in the last debate, used his direct access to the then Secretary of State to promote his business interests in Libya. Prior to and during the war, Blumenthal would frequently email Clinton with intelligence information derived from the off-the-books intelligence spy networks that may have encouraged Clinton's strong backing for an expanded U.S. military role in Libya. None of this should be of great surprise to those who have followed the political career of a woman journalist Diana Johnstone aptly called "the queen of chaos." Advertisement That she is the "liberal" candidate in this two pony-race however is deeply disheartening and speaks to the serious crisis facing American democracy in an era of corporate rule. The Bosler Memorial Library and Friends of Bosler are hosting an expanded Celebrate the Book Week now through Sunday in Carlisle, offering a wide genre of free programs for readers of all ages. This is the first time that the library at 158 W. High St. has hosted a week-long Celebrate the Book event, said Vallie Edendo, Bosslers community relations coordinator. Other such events were held on a day-long basis. The Friends of the Bosler organization was established in 1957 and works to promote the library and its resources and to provide library funding. (The library) really wanted to give people a chance to celebrate the power of story. We have different programs for all ages. We spread it out over a week so we could offer more to the public, Edendo said. Childrens author/illustrator Matt Novak visits the library on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. His honors include the School Library Journals Best Book of the Year and the International Reading Associations Childrens Choice Award. On Saturday, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline visits at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Scottoline will sign free copies of her legal suspense thriller, Most Wanted.The library urges attendees to arrive early for the signings because each session is limited to 150 people. Also on Saturday, a young adult authors event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Sarah Beth Durst, Jeff Hirsh, Victoria Scott, Zoraida Cordova, Diana Peterfreund and Martine Boone. New York Times bestselling author Michael Capuzzo visits on Sunday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. for a signing of his book, Murder Room. Capuzzo is a former feature writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Miami Herald. His work also has appeared in Esquire, Sport Illustrated and Life magazines. Finally, Author and Vendor Day takes place on Friday and Saturday at the library. Three dozen authors and Sunbury Press representatives will sponsor individual booths and book signings at various times on those days. The Friends of the Bosler Library volunteers helped to organize all this. Theyve really taken the lead and sought out many local authors, Edendo said. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the KI Convention Center on October 17, 2016 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. / AFP / Tasos Katopodis (Photo credit should read TASOS KATOPODIS/AFP/Getty Images) Our nation's society and culture extol the power and virtue of democracy, but it is easy to forget that the Founding Fathers, well aware of the short tumultuous history of democracy in ancient Greece, were extremely suspicious of people power. At every step of constructing our system of government, they built in checks on the popular will. The purest expression of democracy was the House of Representatives where members must stand for reelection every two years, but the Senate was built upon rotating six-year terms so it cannot be upended all at once. The President was given power to veto Congress's legislative acts, and the Congress can impeach the President. The judiciary is always on hand to adjudicate disputes as when it declares acts of the President or Congress to be unconstitutional - a power not in the Constitution but which has evolved out of necessity. Advertisement We are now amid a political crisis that confirms the suspicions of the Founding Fathers about democracy. One of our major parties, in response to a virulent undercurrent of popular angst and anger, has nominated to the Presidency a man conspicuously unqualified for the position. Hardly a day goes by that Trump does not offer up fresh evidence of his unfitness, but it does not seem to diminish his popularity, at least among his ardent supporters. The latest polls show him well behind his opponent, but he retains a hardcore support of about 40 percent of the voting population that must not be ignored. The pundits - and I assume I am a pundit - are challenged to explain this unprecedented situation. Actually, the explanation lies all around us. We have allowed our society to devolve into competing camps of haves and have-nots. The wealthy continue to accumulate riches while the people at the bottom struggle to make ends meet. Millions who were once comfortably middle class are losing ground. Such disparity of wealth fosters political unrest. Even more problematical in my opinion is the erosion of education and the corruption of knowledge generated by the digital revolution in which nonsense runs amok far ahead of the ability of credible news sources to provide balance. At some level, democracy depends upon mature people obtaining credible information to enable them to make reasoned decisions. But the Trump supporters disdain traditional sources of viable information in favor of rumors and conspiracy theories. For his part, Trump responds to each fresh expose by simply denying and lying. He apparently fancies himself an American dictator along the lines of Russia's Putin. He makes it clear he would run riot over our Constitutional protections taking revenge on those who dare defy him. He has even threatened to throw his opponent into jail, which is something third world dictators do, not leaders of civilized nations. Advertisement I believe that on Election Day the American people will reaffirm our basic decency and commitment to our heritage, but we will still be left with dealing with Trump's hardcore base which does have legitimate grievances, the primary one being economic as so many people struggle to make ends meet. We have to address this through pro-growth policies that benefit working people, such as making serious investments in our infrastructure, a hard line on unfair trade practices, regulatory relief for small businesses and entrepreneurs and a visionary program to endow displaced worker with the skills they need to obtain viable employment. VIDEO FRAME GRAB: In this 2005 frame from video, Donald Trump prepares for an appearance on 'Days of Our Lives' with actress Arianne Zucker (center). He is accompanied to the set by Access Hollywood host Billy Bush. (Obtained by The Washington Post via Getty Images) Maybe Donald Trump has done us a favor. What he has said and done is not pretty, but it has been instructive and may cause positive change. There's now an emerging army of empowered women who are saying no to misogyny in record numbers. At a recent speech, pollster Michael Berland, CEO of Berland Strategy & Analytics, explained why the tipping point for turning against Trump didn't happen over a litany of other outrageous actions -- taunts to build a wall, discrediting a U.S-born judge because of his family origin, calling war heroes losers, or fighting with a Gold Star family. Advertisement No, it finally happened when he mocked beauty queen Alicia Machado for gaining weight. "Body shaming became the trigger point for women," said Berland, noting how a Dr. Oz health report showed how the vast majority of women think about body insecurities at least a few times a day. (Compare this to studies showing that men think of sex almost 20 times a day but not their bodies.) Berland believes Hillary Clinton strategically baited Trump for this outcome and then the slam dunk happened when the "Access Hollywood" tape was released. In defensive mode, Trump then dug deeper into political quicksand -- and tried to drag Bill Clinton into it with him. However, the difference between consensual marital infidelities and sexual assault is clear. Infidelities are often predicated on love; husbands or wives leave spouses because they fall for someone else. Other times, it is a Faustian bargain to keep the family intact. As Trump's infamous bus speech noted, he doesn't -- and his supporters don't -- understand the distinction. He's the unbridled id, all instinct. What he lacks is a super ego, the moral part of fully evolved people that stops us from doing certain things the id desires. Advertisement By Trump implying that Jessica Leeds -- with her short grey hair and prim glasses -- wasn't attractive enough to be groped by him in 1980, Master Media Manipulator once again tapped into the dark recesses of unenlightened psyches to deflect criticism. In that twisted scenario, powerful men should get beautiful women -- indeed, are entitled to them. In this arrangement, women are prizes, not people. Conversely -- and this is what annoys so many of my friends -- women who become strong in their own right -- a cardiologist, lawyer, or financier -- don't believe success means they can pursue the pool boy. Nor do they want to -- and here's the rub. Women seek equality in their relationships. It is why, I believe, Hillary Clinton has stayed with Bill for decades and feels so paralyzed to speak out against Trump's predatory behavior. He appreciates her ambition. They are partners and parents. She wants the brainy guy, even if he likes the occasional bimbo and goes "low." Michele Obama's guy takes the high road. Her husband values intelligence, grace, smarts and style. It is why she can eloquently and forcibly denounce Trump's comments as an "insult to all decent men" everywhere. Because she got the decent guy who adores her and who doesn't seek out the company of supermodels. For years to come, we'll be hearing Obama's "When they go low, we go high" slogan. But sometimes, there are those who zig-zag between high and low -- and those voters are now veering toward Clinton. Advertisement The horribleness of Trump's comments forced many to confront the sexual violations that were often explained away or dismissed as part of everyday life What was once permissible will no longer be accepted. Author Kelly Oxford's #notokay asked women to share stories of sexual harassment, generating a staggering 27 million entries in the three days after the "Access" story broke. A line was drawn. A movement was born. And yes, we can wonder if this tape had been released early in the campaign would the outcome have been as transformative -- shedding new, additional light on women's issues. What's important is the result. Hearing privileged executives spew such unguarded vulgarity galvanized a nation. And it may have turned the Trump tide. As Christina Cauterucci wrote in Slate, a powerful man who victimizes women can cause a lot of damage but he has accomplices. "Trump's rise also brings a secondary wave of recognition: that millions of Americans will vote for a man they know to be a cruel misogynist at best and a sex criminal at worst." Advertisement This realization is making more people speak out -- the strength of a democracy. Ad executive and MSNBC commentator Donny Deutsch noted that Donald Trump's "Access Hollywood" tapes unleashed "gender wars" in this campaign. That's true. But it's more than that. I'd call it gender engagement. Trump is now in defensive mode, sensing as historian Barbara Tuchman would say, his "march of folly." The irony of course is that to CNN's Anderson Cooper, Trump claimed: "I have great respect for women." For the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD), English language literacy is both an essential and a challenging aspect of students' learning. More than 91 percent of SAUSD's 53,000 students are Hispanic and 60 percent are learning English as a second language. More than 90 percent are eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch. It's clear that developing literacy skills is crucial for these students to succeed in school, career and life. Many students fall behind over the summer, especially in reading. The National Summer Learning Association reports that every summer, low-income youth lose two to three months in reading while their higher-income peers make slight gains... By fifth grade, summer learning loss can leave low-income students 2 1/2 to 3 years behind their peers. Parents seek to overcome the "summer slide" through summer learning programs. According to our America After 3PM household survey, 62 percent of California parents say they want to enroll their children in a summer learning program, 77 percent agree that summer learning activities help kids maintain academic skills and 90 percent support public funding for these programs. Advertisement Teaching literacy through the power of publishing Leaders at the SAUSD summer learning program, Engage 360, were looking for a creative way to help students make gains in writing and literacy, so they turned to the WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS program. It helps young people in grades K-12 to become writers, and therefore more comprehensive readers, by allowing them to author and publish original stories inspired by artwork on pre-illustrated (yet wordless) children's books. Engage 360 operates at SAUSD's elementary school locations, serving approximately 4,000 students over the summer. "We wanted to counteract learning loss over the summer and make it fun for kids to work on their literacy skills and English language proficiency," said Michael Baker, SAUSD's District Coordinator of Extended Learning Programs. Through collaborative and independent processes, kids in the WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS craft original stories--including characters, plotlines and setting descriptions. Their stories are saved online for students and educators to access and then printed professionally. "WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS disguises literacy education as fun," said Meredith Scott Lynn, WRiTE BRAiN's Founder & CEO. "It's a project-based approach to literacy. Kids in the program have to invent real worlds for the imaginary characters in the books. They have to solve the real world problems posed by working in a group comprised of individuals with differing opinions and perspectives, and then create the processes by which the imaginary characters in their books solve their own problems." Advertisement Baker praised the program's structured approach to promoting creativity. "One of the major hurdles kids face when writing is the question of 'what do I write about?' WRiTE BRAiN addresses this question in a systematic way, guiding students step-by-step as they work together and independently to build valuable 21st century skills." "When kids go home, they all want to talk about their books with their parents," Baker added. "They take ownership of their work and are proud of it." Addressing modern challenges "In a time when any question can be answered in a second, this program helps kids slow down their processing and develop critical thinking skills," Lynn said. The program is also designed to help close the achievement gap between poorer, minority students and students from wealthy families. "The WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS program is a beautiful equalizer," said Lynn. "I can show you a children's book written by a young person in the poorest community, and one written by a kid in the wealthiest community, and you wouldn't know the difference." Thanks to Engage 360 and WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS, Santa Ana students from all walks of life will feel more confident speaking, reading and writing this school year. Advertisement Summer programs as a flexible community tool Programs like Engage 360 offer participants much more than the opportunity to become published authors. It provides opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and a healthy snack every day. Last year, at a panel discussion at The National Afterschool Summit, hosted by the University of Southern California's Schwarzenegger Institute, Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido praised afterschool programs for giving disadvantaged youth a much-needed boost. "Not only do [youth] graduate from high school, they go to college," he said. "These are inner city kids who are at risk - who, if you compare them with their peers, you'd think there was no way we could achieve those numbers. But when we work together, we can." Mayor Pulido credited afterschool programs for the city's turnaround. Santa Ana used to have one of the highest crime rates among cities with populations between 250,000 and 500,000. "We are now number one in that same category," he said, "and I believe that would not be possible without investing in youth." The city of Santa Ana has successfully used afterschool and summer learning programs to address some of its most pressing problems--from crime to literacy education. Imagine the possibilities if every city in America went to equal lengths to ensure youth are safe, supported and learning when school is out! Much has been written about whether people of faith should or should not be supporting presidential candidate Donald Trump in the upcoming election. This much is clear: Trump's track record on topics that are typically valued by religious communities is dismal. This includes not only his comments but also his practices in matters of sexuality, his comments on racial and ethnic minorities, his lack of support for working people, his attitudes towards other nations and immigrants, and many other matters. So why would people of faith still consider supporting Trump? Some believe this has to do with his stance on issues that have been of concern to conservative Christians, like abortion and a belief in America as the chosen nation. Of course, elections are not always rational and balance sheets do not always matter. Underneath these more obvious considerations, however, deeper issues appear to be at work in this election. One of them has to do with how people conceive of the power of God. Is it possible that Trump's way of projecting power resonates with how many people of faith perceive God's power to be at work? At the heart of it all is a very particular understanding of omnipotence. Advertisement Right off the bat, there are some striking parallels. Trump projects himself as a doer who can single handedly fix things if he wants to. God is perceived by many in similar ways, if people's prayers are any indication. This is how omnipotence is commonly interpreted: as the ability to do anything an agent wants to do. Next, Trump acts without consulting others and without asking for permission. This became most clear in what he called his "locker room talk" about how he relates to women: "Just kiss, don't even wait. And when you are a star they let you do it. You can do anything," Trump can be heard bragging about approaching women on a hot mic (CNN video footage). This, too, is how omnipotence is commonly interpreted: as the ability to act without being influenced by anyone else. In classical Greek philosophy, in order to be omnipotent God had to be the first unmoved mover. The power projected here is strictly from the top down, from a subject to its objects, from the ruler to the ruled. Trump later apologized "if anyone was offended" by his remarks, but he did not apologize for the kind of power he projected. This top-down power is very real, transcending the sexual and suffusing the political and everything else: the powerful, the star, like certain images of God, can do anything. According to this logic, might also makes things right. What is the alternative? From the perspective of Trump and many of his supporters, it is to do nothing at all. This was one of his main charges against the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, in the second presidential debate: she had never done anything. Far from merely being campaign rhetoric, such an assumption shows a particular understanding of power. Power that moves through democratic processes, consensus, and parliamentarian procedures, is disregarded as ineffective and weak. Advertisement At first sight, religion seems to back up unilateral top-down power, as divine power is often perceived in precisely this way. Fortunately, there are other resources that provide alternative points of view. In the Middle Ages, some Christian views of omnipotence held that God, unlike a tyrant who could do anything he wanted, tempered unlimited power with the demands of justice (Anselm of Canterbury, see Joerg Rieger, Christ and Empire: From Paul to Postcolonial Times, 2007). In the Abrahamic traditions, divine power is at times more closely linked to people power than to the power of kings and rulers. The traditions of the Exodus from Egypt, which Jews, Christians, and Muslims share in common, talk about a conflict between God's power and the power of Pharaoh and the formation of alternative power which was organized by Moses, Aaron, and their sister Miriam. Prophets like Isaiah and Amos also challenge top-down power in the name of God, as does the example of Jesus who for Christians shapes the image of God. These challenges to top-down power are coming alive again today not only in times of presidential elections (where they are often missed by the candidates) but also in the various social movements of our age. Unilateral top-down power has proven to be problematic at many levels. Not only can it amount to unwanted sexual and political advances, it is even troublesome when it tries to do good and to help, especially if the recipients have no share in this power. Hispanic voter voting in polling place by Adrian D. Pantoja, Ph.D. Since the launch five weeks ago of the NALEO Educational Fund/Noticias Telemundo/Latino Decisions tracking poll, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has enjoyed a commanding lead among Latino voters. In the first week she led by 53 points (71 percent for Clinton vs 18 percent favoring Trump). By week three, her lead had grown to 57 points (73 percent for Clinton, 16 percent for Trump). Today, the gap stands at 61 points: 75 percent to 14 percent. Winning the Latino vote so decisively, combined with the vote of other critical segments of the electorate, puts Clinton on a path to victory. Our polls also show that Latinos are strongly backing congressional Democrats. But Latino support for Hillary Clinton and other Democrats is not solely driven by what they see as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's racist campaign. Rather, the data show that Latinos are supporting these candidates because they believe Clinton and Democratic members of Congress will better address the policy needs of their community. So what policy issues matter most to Latino voters? Advertisement Each week, we have asked respondents to state what are the most important issues facing the Hispanic/Latino community that they think Congress and the President should address. Responses were categorized into 15 different policy areas. Below are the top five issue areas listed over the past five weeks. First, immigration, namely the passage of comprehensive immigration reform, emerged as the top policy issue for Latino voters, although its relative importance has declined over the last five weeks. Latino Decisions has been tracking this issue for many years and has extensively documented its importance to the great majority of Latinos. One of the main reasons immigration factors in so prominently is that this issue personally touches a large proportion of Hispanic voters, who are by definition U.S. citizens. In the Latino Decisions 2014 Election Eve Poll of Latino midterm election voters, 58 percent nationally and 65 percent in the key swing states of Colorado and Nevada reported that they know a family member, friend, co-worker, or someone else who is an undocumented immigrant. In a June 2013 national survey of all Latino registered voters, 67 percent said they personally know someone who is undocumented. Among them, half said it was someone in their family. In short, the importance of this issue is unlikely to fade until comprehensive immigration reform is realized. But Latinos are not single-issue voters and immigration is not the only policy that matters to them. Economic issues, particularly having access to jobs and better wages, also factor in prominently. In week five, creating more jobs tied with passing comprehensive immigration reform as the top issue. Despite the decline in the unemployment rate since 2010, Latinos continue having higher levels of unemployment than non-Hispanic whites. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Latinos currently have an unemployment rate of 6 percent, 2 points higher than that of whites. Advertisement Being employed is important, but so is having access to well-paying jobs. According to one study, in 2015 the average hourly wage for Latinos was $14, which is $7 lower than the average for whites. Another study noted that Latina women earn a mere 55 cents for every dollar a white male earns. In short, despite overall improvements in the economy, Latino employment rates and earnings continue to lag behind those of white Americans and remain important issues to Hispanic voters. Combating domestic and international terrorism also emerges as an important issue. The well-publicized terrorist attacks in the U.S. and abroad has made this a salient issue for all Americans. A number of prominent social scientists argue that these attacks improve Donald Trump's support among voters. As one political scientist argued, "America may be one major terrorist attack from Donald Trump as president." Although this assessment may capture the attitudes of white Americans, it does not appear to reflect those of Latinos. In week 3 of the tracking poll, we asked, Which candidate you do trust more to keep Americans safe from domestic and international terrorism, Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump? Sixty-eight percent of Latinos picked Clinton, while only 11 percent said Trump. By week five, trust in Clinton on this issue declined to 61 percent, though it remains significantly higher than Trump's 18 percent. National security is important to Latinos and they believe Clinton has the experience to protect the country more effectively. The last of the top five issues for Latinos is having access to affordable health care, although its importance has declined across the five-week period. Other polls by Latino Decisions have shown that Latinos strongly support the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In a separate study with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at the University of New Mexico, we found that the ACA has dramatically reduced the number of Latinos who are uninsured. Nonetheless, the same study shows that a large segment of the Latino population experiences under-insurance or gaps in coverage. Rhetoric surrounding the increase in insurance premiums is a contributing factor driving Latino concerns. While the ACA is not without its flaws, Latino voters favor electing a president and Congress that undertake additional reforms to expand access to affordable health insurance. The recent and widely noted implosion of the Trump campaign and evident divisions within the Republican Party suggest that Hillary Clinton and the Democrats are headed to a major win in November. Nonetheless, this expected result is not merely due to one side's disastrous campaign performance. For Latino voters and others, support for Hillary Clinton and congressional Democrats is driven by the expectation that their policy needs will in turn be addressed. For Latinos, the passage of comprehensive immigration reform remains a top policy issue. However, they also care about other issues such as access to jobs, better wages, national security, and affordable healthcare. Should these needs be met in the next few years, we would anticipate that Latinos will remain Clinton's "firewall" and strong supporters of the Democratic Party in future elections. How has your previous employment experience aided your tenure at FCB Global? In 1985, with a racing heart, I walked into BBDO NY and became a temporary receptionist, the position that I more aptly titled, "the bathroom break girl." For three months, I was able to observe the entire agency. It was an incredible education. I remained at BBDO for 24 years. What I learned was invaluable. Being in such a large agency, I was able to observe so many leadership styles. During my long tenure at BBDO, I experienced culture shifting-- sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. I witnessed brilliant accounts dim and saw unexpected brands take off. I learned there was opportunity everywhere. When I took the Chief Creative Officer job at Leo Burnett Chicago, I wasn't sure running a group with five brands and 25 people would translate into running a creative department of 300 across a myriad of brands and companies. At Leo Burnett I learned the art of delegation and trust. Benjamin and Rosamund Stone Zander's book, The Art of Possibility, shaped my leadership style in Chicago. When you believe people will succeed, there is a much greater chance they will. What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at FCB Global? I began my job at FCB on January 4, 2016. The interesting thing I have observed is that every challenge has led to a highlight. For example, I was faced with some top talent exiting the company the first of this year. We were challenged to fill those positions quickly. The highlight is we now have some strong new teams ready to lead. Another highlight has been working with the global team to answer the question, 'Why FCB?' I am more committed than ever to the concept of a global network. What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry? I chose advertising because I thought that as a woman, I was joining an industry that embraced, lifted up and ultimately followed women. Mary Wells, Diane Rothschild, Charlotte Beers, Yvonne Smith, Nancy Rice, Penny Hawkey, Diane Cook-Tench, the list went on and on. My belief that this industry wanted me to succeed is perhaps more than half the reason I did. We should never ask, 'WHERE are the women in advertising?' We should always say, 'HERE are the women in advertising.' Don't come into this business with a chip on your shoulder; join because you love this business, you believe in this business. Authentic passion trumps everything. What is the most important lesson you've learned in your career to date? Be generous to the work, to the people and to the industry. How do you maintain a work/life balance? I'm writing for you, Huffington Post, on a Sunday afternoon. The sun is shining and I want to take a walk in Riverside Park. But as I sit typing and reflecting on these questions, I realize that my work is my life. When I separate them, I resent the work. When I adjust my thinking and realize that this work fulfills me, being asked to answer questions about work on a day off isn't a frustration but a privilege. What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace? The biggest issue for me in the workplace is the unconscious bias I have about myself. When I imagined how far I would go in advertising, I would never have thought Global CCO. In fact, that thought would have been laughable to me. And yet, here I am. Dream big for yourself. Take chances. The worst thing that will happen is that you will fail. Which reinterpreted means that path wasn't suited for you. That's a pretty good lesson to learn in life. How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life? I was never aware of mentors. Though I started to notice I had fans. People that opened doors for me, advised me, included me. There was never one person. Over 30 years, there have been so many people who have pushed me, shaped me, given me confidence. I have learned from people all around me -- sometimes more senior, often more junior, support staff, friends and especially family. Which other female leaders do you admire and why? Female leaders I admire? Where do I begin and where do I end? Carol Folt, UNC's 11th Chancellor. I do not know her well, but I love that she took on this job with such aplomb. She is fierce and charming. Sallie Krawcheck, CEO of Ellevest. Over her career, she has managed herself beautifully in a world that makes advertising look like kindergarten. Cindy Gallop, Entrepreneur. Cindy likes to blow shit up. She doesn't care what people think about her. She believes in her mission. She challenges us all. She makes us feel uncomfortable. And I, for one, have taken more responsibility in this world because of her. Shelley Zalis, Founder of The Girls' Lounge. She has taught me that just by doing, big things will become. She is driven by her intuition, which she has branded The Female Quotient. She is proof that a woman's intuition can create amazing things. Wendy Clark, CEO of North America for DDB. I have known Wendy for almost two decades. I admire her sense of adventure in life and work. Her career has moved from client to agency to client to agency. She creates cultures that make that work/life balance question subside. Whenever you are with Wendy, you feel one thing -- important. This list could go on and on. What do you want FCB to accomplish in the next year? Globally, I want us to embrace a clear and inspirational mission. When we are clear about the kind of work we want to create and why we want to create it, we attract talent and clients who share our belief. People who want to partner with us to make a difference. The best work I have done in advertising has been with partners over time. Great brands that are built on big ideas are telling stories that should never end. They just need partners to write the next chapter. I hope in the future, FCB writes a lot of them. Getty Images By LAUREN DALEY It may be fair to say that we Bob Dylan fans have been rooting for this moment far harder, and for far longer, than Dylan himself: The day Dylan would finally -- finally -- be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. We who are quietly blown away every time we hear "Mr. Tambourine Man" or "Desolation Row" or "Visions of Johanna." Advertisement We who have made mixed tapes and CDs with "Love Minus Zero, No Limit," and "Just Like a Woman," and "Shelter From the Storm." We who turn to Dylan in times of utmost happiness and utmost despair. At weddings and funerals. We are the ones celebrating now. As I'm writing this, Dylan -- in true Zimmy form -- hasn't issued a statement yet about winning the Written Word's Highest Honor. Actually, the Nobel Committee hasnt even been able to contact him. Days after the award has been announced, there is still nothing announcing it on his own Web site. The only acknowledgment are the straight-forward announcements from his social media accounts. "Do awards matter to him?" you might wonder, recalling his blank, calm demeanor while President Obama draped him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom; his almost pained smile at the Kennedy Center Honors, his unsettled face after winning the French Legion of Honor Medal. Advertisement A small piece of me wonders if he won't even go to Sweden. But again, maybe I'm confusing my Dylans. Maybe it's the Dylan of '65 or '73 or '89 who might've declined, or had some remark, or no remark at all. Maybe he'll have a gracious speech when he receives the Nobel Prize on Dec. 10 in Stockholm, Sweden. But Dylan is Dylan. So who knows what hell do about this Nobel. If anything. Dylan wears a mask, many of them, ever rotating. That's what we love about him. There's a layer there, a thin screen between him and the world. He is all sinew and fibers, a bundle of nerves, an alphabet of worry and poems live in his eyes. Einstein disguised as Robin Hood, with his memories in a trunk. Getty Images Like many people my age, I can't remember a time I didn't know Dylan, feel like I knew him intimately, and possibly, that he knew me. My parents say they played Dylan the day they took me home from the hospital. They named the first blue cloth doll in my crib Baby Blue. Advertisement I think of myself in third grade, dancing to "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" -- I was and still am a Traveling Wilburys girl -- and "Like a Rolling Stone" in the kitchen. My "Olympic routines. In my head I was doing triple axles to "Subterranean Homesick Blues." But mostly I think back to 7th grade, one afternoon, discovering my dad's guitar songbooks, disregarding the notes and tabs, and reading Dylan like a book. I still vividly remember the shaft of sunlight, specific to after-school-late-autumn, with the dust motes floating in the living room, when I read, for first time, "Idiot Wind." Blowing every time you move your teeth. Blowing like a circle around my skull. It was a song I'd never heard played, so at the time, to me, it was only a poem: The priest wore black on the seventh day And sat stone-faced while the building burned I waited for you on the running boards Near the cypress trees, while the springtime turned Slowly into autumn. It was the title that had jumped out at me first. The juxtaposition of the common playground insult and poetry in one phrase. Idiot Wind. Who was the man who could write like that? Who could turn a silly word like "idiot" -- something Frank Costanza would say -- into something sadly poetic? Advertisement You'll never know the hurt I suffered Nor the pain I rise above, And I'll never know the same about you Your holiness or your kind of love And it makes me feel so sorry God. Something in my adolescent brain began whirring. Synapses fired, nerves pulsed, skin tingled, heart raced. I started tearing up. I started crying. And I didn't really know why, except it vaguely said everything Real. It touched on hazy Truth. I flipped the pages of the book: Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet?/ We sit here stranded, though we're all doin' our best to deny it. Those first lines pulled me in to "Visions of Johanna." I wanted to be the Johanna in a world full of Louises. I repeated phrases from the poem out loud: Lights flicker from the opposite loft/ In this room the heat pipes just cough/ The country music station plays soft/ But there's nothing, really nothing to turn off. I had been there. I knew that lonely room, too. On the back of the fish truck that loads/ While my conscience explodes. There it was again. That juxtaposition of the absurd with poetry: A smelly fish truck and an exploding conscience. How did he do it? This made more sense to than Keats. This rang truer than Shelley. Advertisement But no lyrics got to me like "Queen Jane Approximately." In my head, Dylan was speaking to me. Every word, right to me, and all the clowns I had commissioned. When you're a quiet kid, a sensitive kid, and you feel like an outsider, are an outsider in many ways, discovering Dylan is like finding a secret world. That's what it was like for me, anyway. Not unlike some quiet kid in Germany discovering Rilke or Goethe. Some kid discovering Frost or Angelou, or, say, 1993 Nobel winner Toni Morrison. Getty Images Dylan is a literary genius, an artist who dont look back, a poet who chooses to sing his poems -- poems that are strange and hyper-visual sometimes non-sensical and sometimes funny and sometimes heartbreaking, and his best poems -- like Desolation Row, Mr. Tambourine Man, Fourth Time Around, Ballad of a Thin Man -- hit something near religion to me, to many, to millions. Advertisement Because what Woody Guthrie was to Dylan, Dylan is to me. Is to a lot of us. That's why we're celebrating. Because when someone is recognized for creating Beauty in this world, it's encouraging. It makes you think the world is maybe an OK place. Because where do you look for this hope that yer seekin'? Where do you look for this lamp that's a-burnin'? Where do you look for this oil well gushin'? Where do you look for this candle that's glowin'? Where do you look for this hope that you know is there, and out there somewhere, and your feet can only walk down two kinds of roads. Your eyes can only look through two kinds of windows. Your nose can only smell two kinds of hallways. You can touch and twist and turn two kinds of doorknobs. You can either go to the church of your choice, or you can play "The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966." You'll find God in the church of your choice. You'll find Truth in Bob Dylan's writing. And though it's only my opinion, I may be right or wrong, you'll find them both in the Grand Canyon at sundown. Author's note: Last allusion is to one of the best poems ever written, Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie. Please read it. It speaks volumes. Advertisement Everything is the opposite in Bizarro World. Living on a cube-shaped world, Bizarro is the imperfect mirror-image of my favorite superhero, Superman. Bizarro's the opposite of everything Superman stands for: truth, justice, and the American way. Everyone understands that things can seem backward at times. Even Jerry Seinfeld suffered through an episode of dealing with Bizarro-Jerry where "up is down, down is up, he says hello when he leaves, goodbye when he arrives." Advertisement This year feels like that. I live in a small town in Maine where our state slogan is "the way life should be." I teach karate to a group of amazing kids and we have a pretty quiet existence in the big scheme of things. The fact that our town is getting a brand new McDonald's and a new Dunkin Donuts in the same year is almost more than we can handle. Yet, we are now living in a world where a United States Presidential candidate openly bragged about sexual assault. And there is a "creepy clown" phenomenon in Maine that prompted Stephen King to tweet: "Hey, guys, time to cool the clown hysteria--most of em are good, cheer up the kiddies, make people laugh. -- Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 3, 2016 And a local TV station to ask: It's Bizarro World. Where reality TV stars brag about unwanted sexual advances and insane clowns are found on Main Street instead of fiction. Up is down, down is up. It's so crazy that the Cubs may actually win the World Series! Advertisement We started our annual Self-Defense Month with a focus on having kids learn their address and phone numbers. And it quickly became apparent we were going to have to work a little harder when 4th-grade students started asking me "How do we defend ourselves from clowns?" Now it's evolved to teaching girls how to defend themselves from entitled sexual predators. Our young girls have heard it straight from Trump's mouth. United States Presidential candidate Donald Trump said: "Grab them by the p----. You can do anything." and "I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything." That's sexual assault. It's not a defensible statement. It's a crime, regardless of whether or not you are a star. It's a dangerous mindset for any person to believe. No one has the right to do anything they want without consequences. We have always taught, along with every other credible martial arts instructor on the planet, that it's never okay for anyone to put their hands on you without your permission. That's the underlying principle of the entire martial arts philosophy. You have the right to defend yourself. We also teach when it's appropriate to use martial arts (in any form) on another person. Nothing we do includes the idea, thought or belief that we can do anything we want just because we can. We can't. It's a crime. It's against everything we believe. That's why we also teach self-control and discipline. It doesn't matter if it's Donald Trump or any other person that believes they have the right to do anything. . Advertisement Some will say this is locker room talk or this is a political endorsement of Hillary Clinton. It is neither. This is a clear example of someone misusing power to get away with sexual assault. It isn't political, it's illegal. And no one in their right mind should tolerate men trying to "grab them by the p----." It doesn't matter who they are. It's wrong. It's why we have to teach self-defense in the first place. In Superman: Escape from Bizarro World the ever-noble Superman fights to stop Bizarro's rampage. Someone has to come in and save the day. Why not Superman? Because I'm tired of living in Bizarro World where Presidential candidates brag about sexually assaulting women and crazy clowns follow people in the street. Where the inconceivable is now our reality. From across the nation an army of men, and a few women, is on the move. They are deployed with tools and gauges, maps and their own know-how in a critical battle. They are shock troops fighting the flooding in North and South Carolina. They are electricity linemen. When disaster strikes, the nation's electric utilities spring into action, sending equipment -- which can range from temporary lighting to the familiar bucket trucks -- hundreds and thousands of miles to the battle. When these first responders reach the site of disaster, they go to work down manholes and up poles, struggle with knotted wires and fallen trees. Advertisement The work is hard and the conditions are dangerous, but there is a camaraderie that binds linemen from different localities in a common purpose and danger. Those who more usually might rely on a bucket truck, in fine conditions, take out their climbing gear and up the pole they go. The constant danger is electricity itself: the threat of electrocution. Up the pole, there are many other dangers. The pole may be weakened and critters seeking safety may be up there, from raccoons to venomous snakes. When the lights go off, life as most of us know stops. It does not grind to a slow halt, it stops. Elevators, air conditioners, heating systems, ovens, refrigerators, televisions and computers are stranded. Even the pumps for removing water from a flooded basement need electricity. Everyone knows that in an emergency, it is vital to restore the juice. The linemen, often several sleeping in a single motel room or in their trucks, are the heroes who work as many as 19 hours straight to do that. Advertisement It is rewarding, exacting and well-paid work. A spokesman for the American Public Power Association explains that pay varies, depending on the part of the country, but $100,000 a year is common and earnings shoot up with overtime, as in emergencies. The association represents more than 2,000 publicly owned utilities, serving about 14 percent of the nation's electricity consumers. So it is astounding that for a number of years both the publicly owned and the large, investor-owned utilities, which the Edison Electric Institute represents and account for 80 percent of the power supply, have been having a devil of a time finding workers prepared for a very secure life that has its moments of high drama -- as is the case right now with the crews restoring power to areas devastated by Hurricane Matthew. The problem is that even the most enthusiastic young person cannot just go up a pole without a lot of training: four years of training. In the world of labor, electric utilities are not the only ones gasping for help. There is an artisan labor shortage and it is worsening. One truck operator reckons there are vacancies for at least 50,000 truck drivers. Similar shortages exist for electricians, pipe-fitters, sheet metal workers, stone masons, welders and many other skilled artisans. If all the manufacturing jobs that politicians say they would like to bring back to the United States were to arrive next year, there would be no workers to build the factories, nor a trained workforce to make the goods. The unemployment crisis -- so emphasized in this election year -- is with the unskilled. Advertisement Part of the artisan problem may be that too many young men and women are being herded into colleges without any knowledge of alternatives for which they might have more aptitude and interest. More college is always seen as a virtue. But who needs four years of college to become an Uber driver? When the APPA tried recruiting in high schools with a video, they found teachers trashed the video. Schools are rated on how many graduates go on to college, not on to training in trades offering job security and satisfaction. Holistic health practitioners, who make up the bulk of my PR clients, love to spread the word of healing, by educating people. This caring tendency often leads to websites that are packed with way too much information -- making it difficult to navigate the website or even figure out what exactly the practitioner does. Here are a few tips to ensure that your website is performing optimally. Get clear on your brand, message, and target audience. You need to be rock solid in this foundation before attempting to communicate about your work. Who are you, what do you do, why do you do it, whom do you serve, how do you serve them...These are some of the fundamental questions you must answer for yourself, before you have any business writing website copy. Have two calls to action, highly visible on the home page. What is most important to you - signing up for a consultation? buying a book? You want to make that call to action front and center, so that a visitor can't miss it. In addition, you want to create a freebie download, for a visitor to receive upon signing up for your newsletter. Not only will the download serve as an enticement for the visitor to share her email address with you, but the download can multitask as a way to build brand trust. In other words, it can give a risk-free taste of who you are, which in turn can interest the visitor in taking the next step of working with you. Advertisement Have an easy menu. If you walk into someone else's kitchen to prepare a meal, you'll have an easy time finding the bowls, pots, and silverware, if they are labeled "bowls," "pots," and "silverware." Similarly, you want your website visitors to know exactly where to go, to get what they need. So make it easy for them, with basic labels like "about," "services," "testimonials," "media," "store," "calendar," and "blog." I know, I know, you like clever titles, and I do too. But website menus are not the time to be clever. They are the time to be clear. Much of the conversation over the upcoming general election has focused on the race for the White House. However, with local seats up for bids in November some area civic groups brought together candidates for one local race to weigh in on the issues. On Wednesday, the candidates for the 199th Pennsylvania legislative district incumbent Republican Rep. Stephen Bloom and Democratic challenger Jill Bartoli answered questions in the gymnasium of the Carlisle YWCA. The district includes Carlisle Borough, Dickinson Township, North Middleton Township, Middlesex Township, part of Silver Spring Township and western Cumberland County in the Newville area down to the Shippensburg line. Wednesdays candidates forum was hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Carlisle Area and the Carlisle YWCA. Thank you for being an active citizen and finding out where the candidates stand on the issues, Carlisle YWCA Executive Director Robin Scaer said to the audience of about 30 residents. So where do the candidates stand on the issues? Abortion Both Bloom and Bartoli agreed with the use of public funds for some family planning and womens health services. The two, however, diverged rather widely on the use of public funds for abortions. Bloom emphasized his pro-life view and largely opposed the use of any public dollars for abortion services. I am unabashedly pro-life and have been endorsed by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, Bloom said. To me that unborn child is a human and I would absolutely abhor the idea of public funds to be used to terminate that life. When asked after the forum if he supports exemptions that allow funds to be used for abortions in the cases of rape, incest and protecting the life of the mother, Bloom said, life of the mother. Bartoli said she believes the decision should be left up to the doctor and the mother and funds should not be restricted. When asked after the forum if she supports Medicaid dollars being used for abortions, Bartoli said, I would support any choices a woman and her doctor made together. Redistricting Bartoli stated she disagrees with the current system that allows the state Legislature to draw district lines, saying it was too partisan. She said she would support a measure that would create a non-political commission to create legislative districts. When elections are decided even before candidates appear, its just not the democracy that we want, Bartoli said. It really shouldnt be in the hands of a skilled mapmaker. Thats really not the kind of democracy we want. Bloom disagreed with creating a commission, saying he was concerned that the commission could be just as political or partisan as any other group. He did make light of some political gamesmanship that may go on when the districts were last drawn. When I was elected back in 2010, it was actually posed to me would you like to have the 199th district not have Carlisle in it, because you would have so many fewer Democrats, Bloom said. Carlisle is currently home to one of the largest percentages of registered Democrats in Cumberland County. I said that would be absurd, he added. In some ways Carlisle is the heart and soul of the district. I said absolutely not. Just divide it and they did. Other issues Bartoli said she supports an assault weapons ban, while Bloom said he does not and stated he was a strong proponent of the Second Amendment. Both candidates said they would support measures to reduce the size of the Legislature and make state legislators part-time rather than full-time. Bloom said he opposes raising the minimum wage and Bartoli supports it. Both candidates said they will be voting for their partys nominee for president in the upcoming election. At this Wednesday's debate, moderator Chris Wallace has said that he'll ask the candidates questions about debt and entitlements, immigration, the economy, foreign hot spots, fitness to be president and one topic that has received far too little attention in this election cycle: the Supreme Court. As in every presidential cycle, the Supreme Court is on the ballot in November. This year that's more true than usual. Republicans in the Senate have spent more than seven months holding open a Supreme Court seat specifically for Donald Trump to fill, an exercise not only at odds with our constitutional framework but patently absurd given the number of senators participating in this blockade who claim not to support Trump's election. Given this unprecedented obstruction, the impact on the court will be more immediate than ever before. Nor have the stakes ever been higher. After a decade in which the court's far-right bloc held a slim but aggressive majority, this election could be an opportunity to restore some sanity to the bench and halt the Court's ideological adventurism. Or it could push the court and the country down a darker path. As on so many other issues, there's a sharp divide between the candidates. Throughout the course of the campaign, Hillary Clinton has made clear that she believes the Constitution protects all of us, not just the wealthy and powerful. And she's said she'll nominate jurists whose approach to the law is deeply grounded in the core constitutional values of liberty, equality, and justice. As she said in the last debate: I want to appoint Supreme Court justices who understand the way the world really works, who have real-life experience, who have not just been in a big law firm and maybe clerked for a judge then gotten on the bench, but you know, maybe they tried some more cases, they actually understand what people are up against. ... I would like the Supreme Court to understand that voting rights are still a big problem in many parts of our country. That we don't always do everything we can to make it possible for people of color and older people and young people to be able to exercise their franchise. I want a Supreme Court that will stick with Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose, and I want a Supreme Court that will stick with marriage equality. Donald Trump has also been clear about the kind of justice he'd appoint to our nation's highest court: jurists who would put the interests of wealthy special interests above the rights of ordinary Americans. In fact, he's gone a step further by announcing that he'd outsource his selection process to far-right legal groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society. With their help, he's already published a list of twenty potential Supreme Court nominees whose views range from extremely conservative to downright frightening. One of the potential nominee argued that a Missouri woman who had been fired in retaliation for reporting sexual harassment at work shouldn't have been able to take legal action. Another opposes the Supreme Court decision that requires police to advise people of their Miranda rights when they are arrested. Another believes that Social Security, Medicare, the minimum wage, food safety laws and the Violence Against Women Act are all unconstitutional. Another called Roe v. Wade the "worst abomination of constitutional law in our history. As a group, they make clear that allowing Donald Trump to nominate our next Supreme Court Justices would all but guarantee a steady erosion of the rights of women, LGBT people, workers, religious minorities and others. Unlike other consequences of a Trump administration, there would be no way to limit his impact on the Supreme Court to four years. That's because once they're confirmed by the Senate, Supreme Court justices serve for life. Over the course of the president's first term, Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump could nominate up to four Supreme Court justices. Since those vacancies could come from across the court's ideological spectrum, the results could be dramatic -- for good or ill. If Hillary Clinton is elected, the court will be able to enforce the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection for all people by protecting the right to choose, marriage equality and religious liberty as a shield to protect individual rights, not a license to discriminate against others. And we'd likely be able to depend on the court to uphold the Constitution's core principle of democratic participation when it comes to defending the right to vote and limiting the impact of billionaires and powerful corporations in our elections. Allowing Trump to appoint our justices would mean a harrowing future on all those issues and more. After all, it would be the Supreme Court's job to stand up against the blatantly unconstitutional agenda that Trump has laid out on issue after issue, from "opening up libel laws" to demanding criminal prosecution of his political opponents to banning Muslims from entering the country. With Trump's handpicked jurists in place, whether the court would stand up to those abuses is anybody's guess. I'm grateful that we will finally get the benefit of a debate on the Supreme Court this Wednesday. The conversation between the candidates will only be 90 minutes, but the choice of who becomes president will shape our court, and all our lives, for a generation. Except for those who keep tabs on Hollywood scuttlebutt, it will undoubtedly come as a stunning surprise to most that both the movie and the video game, Spear of Destiny, were derived from the same source. The film mesmerized a generation and was the forerunner of the action extravaganzas that still pack 'em in at the cineplex while the video game was the mother of all the 3D shoot 'em up fantasies that are almost more addictive to the male adolescent than drugs. What will certainly prove absolutely dumbfounding, however, is the fact that the story responsible for the technological breakthroughs in cinematic special effects and computer player wizardry is about a religious artifact which, for centuries, has been the attribute of a black saint. Hoffburg Museum, Vienna As St. George still is for England, St. Mauritius / Maurizio / Moritz / Maurice / Moro had, for more than a millennium, been the soldier / saint / patron / protector of the Holy Roman Empire. The very epitome of the Knight in Shining Armor since the time of Charlemagne, he could undoubtedly prove as important to the black masculine psyche today as he once was to the European military establishment up until the 19th century. Both the lore and the religious cult of the historical figure who was martyred along with an entire legion of his compatriots in Switzerland rather than participate in the persecutions promulgated there by the emperor, Maximian, would undoubtedly prove an incomparable source of inspiration and empowerment to young 'urban' males for whom such idealistic black imagery has been absolutely inconceivable. Advertisement Goudstikker Collection, from the Greenwich Times Even though he and his military attribute did not make the cut for an adventure flick, no doubt to avoid possible accusations of blasphemy resulting from such a crassly commercial association with so sacred a relic, early gamers and even skin heads knew that it was the Holy Lance, the one that pierced Christ's heart on Golgotha which had been the subject of Trevor Ravenscroft's 1973 bestseller, Spear of Destiny - the basis for the Lucas / Spielberg1981 blockbuster. Since it was the blood and water from Christ's side in which Christianity was born, the lance had, by the 9th century, been relegated to Mauritius precisely because of his color. Indicating as it did his origins from the ends of the then know world, his complexion represented the totality of mankind for whom Christ had died. It was symbolic, as well, of his geographical affinity to the sun which, from time out of memory, had always been identified with the godhead. The apparent contradiction of the black African as emblematic of the very source of light, was itself seen as an allegory on the biblical admonition that God's ways are not our ways. But there is a far earlier and all too obvious a reason why this saint is still virtually unknown today. With the involvement of most European nations in the slave trade, which of them would have tolerated, much less encouraged, the allegiance to a black African who had once been nothing less than the personification of the military might and the theological aspirations of once the greatest power in Western history. Magdeburg Cathedral With the elevation of his cult to national status in the 10th century, the spear of St. Moritz became the scepter of the Holy Roman Emperors. It was at his altar in St. Peters in Rome that they were crowned by the Pope in all possible pomp and panoply and the almost deafening acclamation of the populace. Advertisement Because of the large number of both Sudanese and Senegalese troops in the Islamic armies of the 11th 12th and 13th centuries, it is not difficult to understand why the figure of St. Moritz would become such a dominant one during the Crusades. The myth of Prester John, the Christian Priest and King who ruled a land of milk and honey in Ethiopia and who, therefore, posed a threat to the rear flank of Islamic military power can be traced to this black soldier saint, too. His cult became the basis from which the age of chivalry sprang. To it can also be attributed the source for the various black heroes and heroines of the great medieval romances the objective of which was to translate into a more secular idiom, the Imperial dream of a Christian world power. Schomburg Center, New York Public Library The character of Fierfitz in Parzival, the 13th century epic by the German poet, Wolfram von Eschenbach, is a case in point. The love child of a black Moorish Queen reminiscent of the Queen of Sheba, the female figure of Solomon's wisdom, he, like St. Moritz, is the knight par excellence, the very model of the chivalrous ideal for his younger all white half-brother, Parzival. Out of this need to both transform and redeem the image of the infidel would come another of the most important literary works of the period, "La Quest del Saint Graal." Although unknown to most, to scholars this mysterious talisman at its center which at times appears as the cup from the Last Supper and at others, the Mosaic tablets is a conflation of both Old and New Testament symbols; a metaphor of Christ as the fulfillment of the law. Long believed to have been hidden in Ethiopia, these tablets are what the African King, Evelach, bequeaths to his grandson who marries the sister of Joseph of Arimathea. From these two mythical figures, one black and the other white, descend the Grail Dynasty and such of its scions as Sir Lancelot and the knight without equal, Sir Galahad. Tournai, from France Pittoresque In his PBS series, "Man & Myth," Joseph Campbell claimed it was the divine injunction to bring justice to his subjects which Fierftz, the future Ethiopian ruler, Prester John, finds miraculously written around the rim of the Grail as he raises it to his lips, that is the first statement on the idea of legal justice for all ever made. True, the Magna Carta was written at about the same time as this once enormously popular saga but, according to Campbell's argument, it had been drafted by English barons for their own protection. And, as the National Archives and Records Administration here in the US have posted on their website, "The interests of the common man were hardly apparent in the minds of the men who brokered the agreement." In celebration this year of the 35th anniversary of its release, just about every symphony orchestra in the world has been mounting live performances of the John Williams score along with screenings of the film. Advertisement What a great opportunity, therefore, to flag the almost incomprehensibly important black back story of this still unforgettable block buster to those who need it so desperately. The popular, high octane testosterone twist possible to the long forgotten and, indeed, suppressed story of once such a spiritually influential and politically powerful ideal of black manhood, offers us an educational opportunity of almost unimaginable potential. If there's one thing that's emphasized at Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, it's the importance of building a brand. Savvy business owners recognize that storytelling is a great way to do this. It's a means of connecting with your customers on a personal level. The more you share of yourself and your values, the stronger the connection. Here are 5 stories your brand must tell: About Us Page If you have a website or Facebook page, you should use this opportunity to talk about yourself. Not in a cold, impersonal way... but warmly and authentically. People love recommending great products and services to their friends. How many times have you heard someone ask for a mechanic recommendation? Invariably, someone responds, "I've got a guy for you!" Even if you're not in a service industry, you want to be that guy! You want to be the brand that people go to when they need a certain product. The way to do that is by telling your story. Talk about how and why you started your business, and the obstacles you overcame along the way. Be sure to mention what your personal goals are, and why it's so important for you to succeed. There's no need to oversell yourself. Just be honest. Not only will your customers connect with you, they'll root for you! Advertisement Product Descriptions Whether you're describing them on your website or in promotional material, make your product the hero of its own story. Don't just list its features. Have a little fun with it. If your product has the potential to make someone's life better or easier, then it deserves to shine! One of the first ways we started branding ourselves was by replacing all of our dry, boring copy with fun descriptions of our girls' dresses and skirts. Some are short fairy tales, others are poems. This is very much in keeping with our brand, because there's a strong connection between the creativity of our styles, and the creative ways we describe them. Some of our customers tell us they check out other products on our website just to read the stories. It's a great way to keep people shopping. If you think levity or creativity is in keeping with your brand, don't be afraid to go for it. And if you don't think you have the chops, find a copywriter who does. This is how you'll differentiate yourself from your competitors. If your customer is a human being, she'll appreciate it. And if she's not a human being, she'll appreciate being mistaken for one. Customers Stories Who doesn't enjoy being treated like a star? Show your appreciation for your best customers by featuring them on your website or Facebook page. Ask if they're interested, then send them a few questions. Most customers will be flattered and jump at the opportunity. Ask how they discovered you, and what they like best about your business. It's one thing for you to talk about how great your brand is, but it's another when a happy customer does it for you. At TwirlyGirl, we ask our customers to interview their children, then send in photos of their girls wearing our twirly dresses. We then transform their interview into a short movie and feature it on our website. We get great promotional material and our customer feels like a star. Everyone wins! Advertisement Your Guarantee Some customers need extra assurance that you're not going to abandon them should a problem arise. It's a valid concern. Now's your chance to prove that you're not a faceless corporation, but a living, breathing person who can be trusted. If you use this opportunity to speak "legalese," you'll hardly win their trust. But if you talk to them like you're a friend, you'll put them at ease. Follow Up Emails and Promotional Material Okay, so your customer just purchased from you. You can move on to the next guy, right? Wrong. Throw in one last story in their confirmation email. Let them know they just made the best decision of their life. Show them a glimpse of their amazing future now that they're using your product. It's okay to exaggerate here, because they know you're just having fun. When a customer places an order with us, we use this opportunity to go a little crazy. So does any of this actually make a difference? Well, we get a lot of customer feedback on our Facebook page as well as the product reviews tab on our website. The first thing customers usually say is how much they love our clothing. And almost as many people comment about how much people love our brand. Reading their warm thoughts is almost like getting a hug from them. And it's all because we share our stories. By Peyton Fleming YEPALA, Ghana - Access to safe drinking water is a colossal challenge globally and no place more than in Sub-Saharan Africa. Among the many problem areas is northern Ghana, a remote savannah dotted with small villages, tin-roofed mud huts and 800,000 people who drink bacteria-laden water. Most of the villages get their water from murky-brown surface water sources known as dugouts. Here in the village of Yepala, nobody likes dugout water. "Terrible," said Awabu Mageed, standing outside her small hut, with goats and young children scampering around her. "Even when you boil it for tea, it isn't good." It's also contaminated with fecal matter, which is why 15 to 20 percent of the children under 5 in this region suffer from diarrheal disease that can kill. When Kate Cincotta visited northern Ghana as an MIT engineering student, she saw a big opportunity for improving the drinking water. And it wouldn't require more costly engineering solutions like deepwater wells. Advertisement Cincotta came up with a solution that is far simpler - provide local women with low-cost equipment and train them to use locally available products - chlorine and potassium alum powder - to treat the contaminated water and make it safe to drink. Eight years ago, Cincotta launched Saha Global, a Boston-based nonprofit empowering local women in extremely poor villages like Yepala to treat the contaminated water - and make a little money in doing so. Here's how it works: each of the participating women receives three free water drums, a bunch of smaller blue buckets and basic training on treating and selling the water. They also receive regular monitoring support from five local Saha Global staffers who travel from village to village every day on small motorcycles. Advertisement Eda Reed, Saha Global's expansion coordinator, explains how they are providing clean water in northern Ghana. Cincotta has been painstakingly careful in thinking through the concept, beginning with her choice of women - not men - to run the businesses. "Women are the water experts because they're the ones who collect the water every day. They've been doing since they were 4 years old," she said. She also recognized the importance of locating the water treatment centers near the dugouts, which women were visiting up to six times a day to get their water. This way, it wouldn't require a big behavior change then to switch from dirty water to clean water. Today, 93 water businesses are up and running, serving 46,500 people. "Every operation we started is still running," says Cincotta, who is providing about $800-$1500 of materials per village, which less than half the cost of drilling a well, which also requires maintenance. To be sure, nobody is getting rich. The women work about five hours a week, netting about $1 to $2 a week, nothing to sneeze at in an area where subsistence agriculture is about the only type of employment. Advertisement Emboldened by her success in this region that has no electricity at all, Saha Global has more recently ventured into the household solar business. More than two-dozen businesses are now running small solar charging centers, which use small solar panels to provide green power that the villagers can use for a small fee. At one of the charging stations I visited, a half-dozen villagers were re-charging their cell phones and a few more were re-charging batteries for their solar lanterns. But clean water continues to be Cincotta's primary focus. Just two weeks ago, in fact, her group received a $100,000 grant from the Mulago Foundation to expand the clean water project and ensure that the existing 93 businesses can be self-sustaining. Cincotta says a key priority right now is understanding her existing customers. "I'm really focused on behavior change, what it will take to make sure people drink our clean water all the time," she said. The challenge was made clear during my visit to Yepala. It had rained the past couple of days, so rather than walking 10 minutes to get their clean water, several families had opted to save 10 pesetas by using the rainwater they captured from their tin roofs. I also asked Cincotta if she's considered changing her business model, which is premised on donating materials to the villages up front. Even as more NGOs are shifting to micro-financing models, she says she has no plans to change her strategy. "People cannot afford to purchase water at a price where the women would be able to pay back the cost of the tanks," she said. "We want to provide clean water to the poorest of the poor and, unfortunately, there is a huge market failure when it comes to water for this population." Advertisement But California's Proposition 64 contains the strongest marijuana tax structure voters have ever seen. Only California avoids the trap of tying tax collections directly to sure-to-fall prices, and the trap of collecting next to nothing from reportedly-medical users. But is it flexible enough? The dangers of price taxes The early legal market will face a price war from the black market, but then pre-tax prices will drop, as the legal market is liberated from the "prohibition premium" -- the extra costs and risks of operating illegally. As the legal industry grows and becomes efficient, pre-tax prices will go down - way down. Advertisement A tax based on the price of marijuana will start strong. Then, as pre-tax prices collapse, so will price-based tax collections. And declining revenue is not the only worry. Wherever pre-tax prices may end up, a collapse in after-tax prices would bother parents and health workers, who worry about youth use and perceived abuse. There's yet another problem with price-based taxes: They prove slippery. Think employee discounts, and "Free Pot with Pipe" bundling. But price-based taxes are easy to start up, and they'll work in the short run. Sure enough, all five 2016 initiatives have them. Four tax at retail: California and Arizona at 15 percent; Massachusetts and Maine at 10 percent total. Nevada taxes 15 percent of wholesale price. Advertisement But another kind of tax, taxing by weight, will survive a price collapse. This year, only California has a weight tax -- $9.25 per ounce of typically smoked "flowers." That's 33 cents a gram, lower than Colorado's current 60-cent per gram rate, and much lower than Alaska's enacted $1.76 per gram rate. But it makes sense to start low and go slow: A weight tax needs time to implement. Prop 64's low rate is probably a better place to start; Alaska's high rate a better place to end. So are two taxes too many -- belt and suspenders? No. Taxing twice lets the state keep track of product - and to see which way works best. If federal legalization is the ultimate goal, it makes sense to try different taxes, especially the quantity-based kind the federal government uses for tobacco and alcohol. Seeing what taxes work well will give Congress comfort. Taxing everyone the same Someday, medical components of marijuana may be isolated and prescribed. For now, though, most marijuana appeals to both legitimate medical patients and fun-seekers. But if medical marijuana were tax-free and available to anyone who wanted it, any marijuana tax would be a dead letter. Deciding who is sick may not be easy, but that's ordinarily the work of insurance companies and relief agencies - not the Tax Man. So taxing everyone the same makes for a sound tax structure, avoiding the trap of tax evasion. Legitimate patients won't suffer in the long run, so long as their after-tax prices are lower than pre-Legalization prices. Medical users get a 100-percent tax exemption from new marijuana-specific taxes in four states. In Arizona, Maine, and Nevada, medical users pay only the standard retail sales tax that applies to nearly everything. In Massachusetts, they don't even pay sales tax. California, though, goes a long way toward avoiding the abyss of an untaxed parallel market. All users pay the 15-percent retail tax and the 33-cent a gram tax. The only tax that medical users avoid is California's 7.5 percent sales tax. Advertisement The test of time Taxing the embryonic legal marijuana industry is like buying clothes for an expected baby. Prepare for changes. The marijuana industry will evolve in ways we can't predict. So Legislatures will need to step in. In Maine and Massachusetts, the Legislature can amend initiatives at any time. But initiative-passed laws get special protection in other states. The Arizona Constitution allows no change to initiatives there without a vote in each Legislative House. The Nevada Constitution allows no change to initiatives there for three years. California's Proposition 64 allows amendments that further its "purposes and intent" to many provisions, including taxes, by vote of 2/3 of each Legislative House. That honors the anti-tax tilt of 1978's Proposition 13, requiring a 2/3 supermajority for tax increases, which is sacrosanct to many California voters. Trying to override Proposition 13 could have been a deal-killer. And ordinarily, initiatives in California aren't amendable at all, so Proposition 64 may provide as flexible a compromise as voters could hope for. Bottom line Some voters won't care a whit about taxes. Some want weak taxes, to starve the governmental beast, or to make marijuana cheap. Even the soundest tax structure won't guarantee fiscal success. Enforcement of tax law is as necessary as sound structure, and enforcement will depend on the now-unknowable future actions of officials, citizens, and jurors. Long-term soundness will require the Legislature to dodge special interests, and to make mid-course corrections. Advertisement It's not a secret: there is a serious disconnect in Poland between the new national government in Warsaw and some local governments, especially some big city governments thinking independently and with traditions of freedom and solidarity. Gdansk is such a city and a place where the independent Polish Constitutional Court celebrated its 30th anniversary. Therefore, when the central authorities push to diminish and gradually liquidate the constitutional tribunal - a great achievement of democratic movement in Poland in late 80-ties, we - the strong local governments, step in to save the court. Several months ago, when it became clear, that the new government in Poland is not willing to celebrate Constitutional Tribunal anniversary - which has been an established tradition - I invited the Tribunal to Gdansk - a city of freedom and solidarity. Gdansk defends democracy We made the news again yesterday. Gdansk again emerged as a big European actor, this time with the participation of prof. Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, and Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission. These distinguished guests and their Polish colleagues celebrated in Gdansk 30 years of the free and independent Polish Constitutional Court. It was a strong European support for defending values of democracy and rule of law. Advertisement The Arthur's Court was very crowded yesterday. People showed up to support the rule of law and democracy in Poland. Photo: J. Pinkas - The role of constitutional courts is particularly important at a time when parliaments sit clear majority - said Mr. Buquicchio. - Therefore, the composition of such courts must be balanced, and judges may not represent any political party. The Tribunal's president, professor Andrzej Rzeplinski, emphasized his gratitude to Gdansk for the invitation and our effort to organize an event that is an obligation and an opportunity to share with the public and judges some reflections of the Court. It is the body established to uphold respect for the Constitution, said prof. Rzeplinski. He stressed that Poland speaks about the tripartite division of power: the judiciary, legislative and executive, and frequently forgets about its strong and efficient local government. I'm proud we had such guests in Gdansk yesterday. From the left: Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission talking with Andrzej Rzeplinski, President of the Constitutional Court in Poland. Photo: J. Pinkas Advertisement Poland's local government is our tremendous legal and organizational success of the recent decades. Important decisions are made for the people where they live, not necessarily in Warsaw, said prof. Rzeplinski. The Constitutional Tribunal is a constitutional body. It is not a private institution. And the local government is part of the public administration. If the central government is paralyzed and does not work well, its second part, i.e. the local government, takes over. I also recalled that in Gdansk, Solidarity was born, and on October 7, 1981, the program of self-governing Republic of Poland was proclaimed. In it there was a strong demand for the appointment of Constitutional Tribunal as well as a demand for an independent judiciary and an independent prosecutor's office. It's a shame and a disgrace to hear that now the new government in Warsaw wants to forget about it and demolish the institution. Democracy is not a system struggle of all against all, but cooperation, stressed Malgorzata Gersdorf, President of the Supreme Court. - The source of law should be in a democracy, human dignity, and not in revenge. In the modern world the role of the judiciary is growing, because globalization brings with it new challenges. Meanwhile, the situation in which the legislature wants to influence the judiciary threatens the basic rights of citizenship. On October 13, 2016, 913 days after their April 14, 2014 abduction by Boko Haram, 21 of the 276 school girls kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Nigeria were released to the Nigerian government by Boko Haram. The Nigerian government contends that the release followed "painstaking" brokered negotiations by the Swiss government on behalf of Nigeria and members of Boko Haram, the world's deadliest terror group. Nigeria, which once maintained a "we do not negotiate with terrorists" stance, further contends that no money was paid to the terrorists and refutes credible reports of a prisoner swap from sources close to the negotiations. The government promises that negotiations are ongoing and that more girls will soon be released. For now, all 21 Chibok Girls remain in the custody of the Nigerian government, which has promised to ensure their rehabilitation as well as their educational aspirations and reintegration back to mainstream society. And so the journey begins. It will be a long, arduous journey to recovery for 21 young women who were utilized as political pawns in a sick game they never signed up to play. Not only do their physical bodies bear the resulting scars of unimaginable evil, their tortured souls have become cocoons which may forever house those memories. Advertisement Yet, the journey must begin. The implications of the negotiated release of the Chibok 21 extends far beyond the obvious joy that arises from their extraction from the grips of hell and reunion with their families. As a #BringBackOurGirls organizer who has campaigned for the rescue of the Chibok Girls for over two years, it also confirms what the movement has always believed about the capability of the Nigerian government and its military i.e., that Nigeria was always capable of ending the nightmare for these innocent souls and their families. Yet, for two and a half years, the long, narrow road to their rescue was laced with corruption, the absence of political will and a warped ideology that denigrates women to "just girls." And so for 913 days, Nigeria appeared to stand by as the Chibok Girls were repeatedly raped, sold, tortured, forcefully married, forcefully converted, trained as child soldiers and utilized as human bombs. Yes, human bombs. According to Nelson Mandela, "there can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way it treats its children." How Nigeria collectively treated the Chibok Girls over the last two and a half years arguably reveals the soul of a country which, at its core, fails to prioritize the girl child. But for the tireless advocacy of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, the Chibok Girls would likely have long been forgotten by Nigeria. However, October 13, 2016 may represent a turning point in history for Nigeria. Never before, in its brief fifty-six year history, has the country engaged a terrorist organization to release a sizable number of hostages without payment or a prisoner swap. The fact that the hostages were girls speaks volumes, particularly for a country where patriarchy remains the status quo and women and girls are still often treated as second class citizens. Advertisement Whether the brokered negotiations were prompted by the consistent outcry of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, pressure from the international community or legitimate concern by Nigeria's government is irrelevant to this writer. The fact remains that action was finally taken to end the nightmare for at least some of the Chibok Girls and their families. For those of us who work with sex trafficking survivors and for others within the movement, #HopeEndures that even more of our girls will be rescued and/or released in the days to come. There is a final and significant implication of the negotiated release that I hope the Nigerian government will take the time to appreciate. The truth is that two and a half years of inaction by the government on the issue of the Chibok Girls had taken a toll on the psyche of the average Nigerian girl who stands a 25% chance of being sexually violated. Our girls were afraid; afraid to go to school and afraid that if they too were violently stolen, the world would comfortably sit back while their bodies, souls and spirits were broken. However, on October 13, 2016, girls all over Nigeria began to believe again. Hope was restored and our girls began to believe that the girl child may actually matter. Granted, there is still a very long way to go on the issue of gender equality in a country where our current President believes his wife should be relegated "to [his] kitchen and [his] living room and the other [bed]room," but this small victory should be celebrated, as Nigeria forges forward in doing all that she can to #BringBackOurGirls. New York, NY USA - July 16, 2016: Donald Trump speaks during introduction Governor Mike Pence as running for vice president at Hilton hotel Midtown Manhattan Progressives, face it, Donald Trump is our fault. In a speech on Friday, President Obama rightly claimed that Republican elected officials stood by silently as conspiracy theorists riled up the party's base and gave birth to the Trump candidacy. But we share some of the blame. In the wake of the 2008 Democratic victory, we neglected millions of Americans and wrote them off as a declining fringe in U.S. politics. People in safely red states and districts tried to tell us they were hurting, but we weren't listening. So they found the loudest, most obnoxious voice on television to send as an emissary. Trump is not a fringe; neither are the prejudices of the Republican base supporting his candidacy. That is the reality progressives must face, even if Hillary Clinton wins her bid for the presidency. Advertisement Trump's candidacy for the nation's highest political office is a fever, an outward symptom of a much greater illness. Poverty, prejudice, and ignorance have continued to grow like a congenital cancer in the body politic of the United States for decades after President Lyndon Johnson declared them enemies of democracy. The violent bigotry seen over the past year-and-a-half as Trump has ascended to the head of the Republican Party is a manifestation of the cancerous tumors we have left untreated while the nation marched resolutely toward equality and opportunity for all. For the world's greatest experiment in representative democracy to survive, we must come together to treat the disease, not just break the fever. To be sure, Trump's candidacy must fail; but that is only the first step down a long road to recovery. Recovery can only begin if we all admit the nation is suffering. For the millions of men and women who support Trump's candidacy, this admission means confessing that the man they support and the ideas many of them propagate are inconsistent with core American values: freedom, equality, and democracy. Vilification of an entire religion undermines religious freedom for all people. Equating millions of immigrants and their descendants with murderers and rapists stokes discrimination. Threatening to go to war if a presidential candidate loses, as many Trump supporters have, violates the very essence of what made American democracy great to begin with--the idea that transitions of power can occur peacefully. And calling for politically motivated prosecution and incarceration of a political opponent, as Trump recently did, is the kind behavior one expects from a dictator in a banana republic, not the leader of the free world. Advertisement But blame for the rise of Donald Trump's candidacy and the toxic rhetoric embraced by his supporters lies squarely upon the shoulders of the progressive political class--myself included. I speak not to Trump supporters but to my fellow Democrats and progressives who will, I hope, be leading this country through the next four years of growth and recovery. Progressives, we must admit that we neglected to answer pleas from the millions of people who live between the coasts (primarily in rural areas) and have continued to suffer despite our best efforts to stimulate recovery from the 2008 economic collapse. It panged me to read a September 2016 Politico article assessing the anxiety that President Obama's aides and Clinton's campaign staff felt as the Trump campaign gained steam: "[M]aybe the country isn't what they thought, maybe the resistance to Obamacare and gay marriage and the progress they're so proud of is broader than the vocal fringe they've always dismissed." For anyone who has spent any amount of time listening to average men and women in the middle of the country, it has been clear for years that racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, and prejudice are mainstream. Too many progressives who live in the Beltway and on the coasts readily wrote off the Tea Party and Trump candidacy as sideshows, a "vocal fringe." Doing so disenfranchised the political voices of millions of American voters and allowed progressive minds to retreat to the safety of their own philosophical echo chambers. We largely abandoned any ground game in safely Republican states, and we were wrong for that. Shortly after I moved from New York City, where I worked for a progressive civil rights organization, to Louisiana, where I went to law school, a local paper reported years of unconstitutional anti-gay sting operations by local police in Baton Rouge, the state capital. A year later, the same newspaper reported that another police department in the same city had been enforcing the same unconstitutional anti-gay-sex law. This was in 2013 and 2015. In 2013, Duck Dynasty patriarch (and now Trump supporter) Phil Robertson made headlines for saying that gays are "full of murder, envy, strife, hatred. They are insolent, arrogant, God-haters. They are heartless, they are faithless, they are senseless, they are ruthless." The response I saw on television, news, and social media was to insult Robertson, get him (temporarily) taken off air, and treat his statement as nothing more than a throwback to the Jim Crow era. I wrote in Huffington Post that December, "America, you seem to be writing him off as just another racist, homophobic redneck. Maybe for those of us who are living or have lived on the coasts, it's easier to write off bigots as holdovers from days long past than to consider that they are very much products of the present . . . [Robertson] is the rule here in Louisiana, not the exception." Advertisement Phil Robertson's hauntingly violent diatribe was not the voice of a fringe leader. He was the voice of the police. He is the voice of Trump supporters and, according to reports, even has the candidate's ear. Robertson and others like him are not just anachronisms from days long past. They are part of the fabric of white America. I pray my plea for us to treat the bigotry and prejudice that plagues our country does not again fall on deaf ears. To treat the cancer, we must first identify its origins. Prejudice, poverty, and ignorance have always been part of American culture. We made great strides toward equality during and shortly after the Civil Rights Movement, but the cancer has remained just below the surface in this country. As the United States has progressed toward better civil rights protections for women and minorities, a more open and inclusive social sphere, and better opportunities for all people, whites in the South, Midwest, and Western states have been, to some degree, neglected by the governing class. I've watched this from the inside. Colleagues on the coasts, in government and public interest, wrote off the Tea Party as a fringe group of white racists reacting to the election of the first Black president. A year-and-a-half ago, colleagues and the governing class wrote off Donald Trump's candidacy as the lunacy of a megalomaniac celebrity. Today a Tea Party member is the Speaker of the U.S. House, and Trump sits atop the party of Lincoln. Our progressive hubris, self-righteousness, and the euphoria of victory allowed us to push aside the pain felt by millions of our fellow countrymen. Donald Trump's presidential campaign brought us back to reality and brought the real pain of millions to the surface. Advertisement What is at the core of Trump supporters' pain? Many people, particularly lower-class whites, believe the country is leaving them behind economically and socially. In many ways, it is. Corporate agriculture and economies of scale have decimated the small family farms that used to provide a decent living for people across the United States. The oil, gas, and coal industries that, a generation ago, allowed men like my uncle to comfortably send three daughters to college are sputtering as the world awakens to the threat of global climate change and cleaner energy becomes cheaper to produce. Air transportation and digital communication made the world much smaller and allowed blue-collar employers to move operations overseas where they can exploit cheap labor and pad the corporate coffers no matter the cost to Americans or the people who work in deplorable conditions overseas. Between the 1950s and 2010s, lower skilled jobs in manufacturing and agriculture collapsed. The economic depression Barack Obama inherited from George W. Bush only hastened the exodus of decent manufacturing jobs and worsened the economic plight of millions. When Obama's recovery began, many men and women--particularly those in rural areas--did not see the return of the livelihoods they had lost. While it is true that to the privileged, equality feels like oppression, these men and women do not perceive their privilege. Many poor whites, including people I have known since childhood, did what society told them to do to succeed socially and economically. They graduated high school. They went to college. They got a degree. But when they returned home, there were no jobs. There were no opportunities. They looked around and saw that opportunities for women and minorities had broadened, and, being human, many of them began to assign blame for their competitive disadvantages. For many, blame rested on those variables that were different from the variables when their parents entered the workforce--minorities, women, and the progressives in Washington seemed to be doing jobs that used to be done by white men. Expanded opportunity, many poor whites concluded, was the result of favoritism and hand-outs to minorities. It is our duty to help these people understand not only that their conclusions are wrong but also why their conclusions are wrong. By opposing Trump supporters without educating them or attempting to understand their perceptions of injustice, we will have done nothing to treat the underlying condition; and, like a few cells of cancer infecting a small area of the body, prejudice and ignorance will consume our nation. Trump supporters' social pain is, perhaps, less sympathetic and harder to diagnose. On the east and west coasts, we take diversity for granted. In New York City, people ride the subway, work, live, and socialize with people from all walks of life. There are lively communities representing virtually every religion, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, and belief-system imaginable. But throughout much of the United States, communities, schools, and workplaces are relatively homogenous. People are socialized in pockets of likeness. Growing up in rural Louisiana, my socialization occurred in a world divided between Black and white. The first time I recall meeting a non-white or non-Black person was when a Latina transferred to my junior high school. She left after only a couple of years. I never met a Muslim until becoming a state officer in a high-school-student organization. I was in college before I met a Jewish person. The socialization of my youth was predominantly in a pocket of whiteness, with the occasional venture into the Black community. It was because I went to a major university and studied human geography that I began to expand my awareness and socialize with others. For the men and women back home who never went to college or could only attend local colleges, encounters with other religions, nationalities, ethnicities, sexualities, or belief systems never occurred. That lack of awareness has allowed prejudiced pathogens like Donald Trump and vitriolic viruses like Milo Yiannopoulos--both men of diverse socialization--to capitalize on people's fear of the unknown. That's not to justify the hate, bigotry, and violence spewed by many Trump supporters. Rather, it's the reality progressives must understand in order to treat the disease that threatens our national identity as a diverse society. A small step toward the cure would be to initiate truth and reconciliation commissions across the country, in which people have a forum to present the history of injustices against them and can build a first-person record of this country's tradition of exclusion. For Blacks, African-Americans, Native Americans, women, and other minority groups, such commissions will help them build a historical case against the discrimination and violence levied against them predominantly by white men through history. For poor men and women of all races who live in rural areas, truth and reconciliation commissions will be a forum for listening to and socializing with others; and it will give them a safe space to air their grievances against the governing class and wealthy elites who have gained power on the backs of the poor. Once we build the record of injustice, we can work together to manage our national illness. Irish people are never far from the land. A nation of farmers, we have built much of our economy on our island's good soil, temperate climate, and plentiful rainfall. The absence in Ireland's history of a conventional 'industrial revolution' meant that for the most part, Ireland's growth and transformation through the centuries has been closely tied to the land, and what it produces. We are a country that has agriculture at our core. The fact too that, until relatively recently, a high proportion of our country's population lived off the land, and grew what they needed on relatively small plots, means that the Irish are well placed to appreciate and understand the challenges faced by agricultural producers in poorer parts of the world. That's why the launch this week of an historic new consortium that aims to harness Ireland's own farming experience to tackle the challenges of global food production is so exciting for me. Advertisement At Self Help Africa we work in some of the poorest parts of sub-Saharan Africa, to support communities to produce more and earn more from the small plots of land that they farm. In much of our work, including the creation and development of farmer's cooperatives and the promotion of good farming practices, we are replicating experiences that form a part of Ireland's own path to agricultural growth. The new consortium - The Irish Forum for International Agricultural Development (IFIAD) - has brought together various parties with a track record, with interest, and with a knowledge of agricultural that I know can play a part in strengthening agriculture systems in Africa. Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Irish Aid, the overseas arm of our Department of Foreign Affairs, the country's Agriculture and Food Research organisation (Teagasc) and Agri-Science departments at universities in Dublin, Cork and Galway have joined forces with development organisations including Self Help Africa, Vita, Concern Worldwide and Trocaire, and with private agri-business to create the new consortium, which also has the backing of the country's main farmers representative body, The Irish Farmers Association (IFA). I know that it will work, and have already witnessed at first hand the potential of the consortium to address some of the challenges faced by agricultural development in Africa. Advertisement Last year, Self Help Africa began a collaborated with Teagasc, The Irish Potato Industry and Vita on trials in Eritrea on the production of a new potato variety that had been shipped from Ireland. With technical support provided to the Ministry of Agriculture and assistance to small-scale farmers with production, potato yields of the new variety were almost tripled within the space of under two years. For rural poor consumers in Eritrea this resulted in a reduction in the market price for potatoes, while Eritrea went on to join the Irish Potato Forum, last year. The Irish Minister for the Diaspora and Overseas Aid, Mr. Joe McHugh, spoke at the forum launch of Ireland's own relationship with smallholder farming, and how the lessons that we had learned could be shared to the benefit of others. "I grew up on a small 40-acres farm in County Donegal, and much of what we ate we grew ourselves," he recounted. "We understand the role of small-holder farming, and we understand subsistence," he told an attendance that included senior figures from international agriculture including the African Director for the International Food Policy and Research Institute (IFPRI) Dr. Ousmane Badiane, and Mr. Paul Winter, Director of the Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The Irish Government has put the agriculture sector at the centre of its strategy for raising incomes and reducing poverty and hunger in developing countries. Advertisement Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Grand Junction, Colorado, U.S. October 18, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst This year's presidential campaign is awash in bogus claims. But, to me, the worst is that it makes no difference whether we elect Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. The reasons for this assertion vary: disgust with the system; dislike for both major candidates; a craving for transformational change; the need to rationalize staying home; the desire to cast a protest vote. Perhaps the recent exposure of Trump as a serial groper will vitiate this sentiment. But the national polls remain uncomfortably close, and the claim itself betrays a profound failure of imagination about who Trump is, and the power he would have to impose his toxic vision. Advertisement Only one of two candidates can win. Only one is an emotionally unstable narcissist. Only one is possessed by malice, ignorance and impulse. Only one could, by his very being, endanger American and the world. Anyone who argues otherwise should pause to imagine President Trump. Imagine him issuing executive orders unimpeded by Congress. He can renounce the Iran nuclear treaty, or the Paris agreement on controlling greenhouse gases. He can start a trade war with China. He can unleash the Justice Department on his political enemies. He can turn ICE loose on Mexicans or order surveillance of American Muslims. Take your pick. But it's his choice, not ours. Imagine his appointments to the Supreme Court: anti-choice; anti-LGBT rights; pro-NRA; pro-corporate; pro-Citizens United; pro-expansive executive power in the hands of Donald J Trump. Every new Justice -- every new federal judge -- would be his choice, not ours. We do not have to imagine his contempt for freedom of speech and the rule of law. He threatened Hillary Clinton with prosecution. He said that a critical commentator should be barred from television. He threatened the owner of the Washington Post with prosecution by the IRS. He threatened Judge Curiel with investigation. He repeatedly violates the laws regulating charitable foundations. He advocates changing the libel laws so that he can sue his enemies. For Trump, there is no law but his -- not ours. Advertisement Nor need we imagine his misogyny. His contempt for women and obvious predation are appalling and, in a presidential candidate, shocking. But it is well to imagine what electing such a man would say to the new generation of American women. His racism is equally blatant. He rose by attacking the legitimacy of our first black president. He portrays black neighborhoods as undifferentiated hellholes. He implies that minorities will perpetrate massive voting fraud. He deputizes his followers as racist poll monitors. He tars undocumented Mexicans as criminals. His road to power is paved with bigotry. President Trump would be bigotry in action -- a prescription not just for injustice, but violence. Hillary Clinton denounces systemic racism; for Trump, racism is a law enforcement tool. The discredited tactic of stop and frisk policing would be merely a down payment. Trump has elevated racial dog whistles to a fire alarm which would precede the fire -- racial divisions stoked to conflagration by an American president for the wider world to see. Equally incendiary is the prospect of mass deportations. That is what he has promised his followers -- and it is central to sustaining President Trump. So imagine America as an anti-immigration police state. A deportation force. Using IRS files to hunt down undocumented immigrants. Diverting state and local law enforcement to raid suspect workplaces. Internment centers for apprehended immigrants. All this is within his power -- his choice, not ours. Another promise to his base was profiling Muslims and spying on Muslim neighborhoods. This is not simply racist. It is stupid: counter-terrorism experts agree that alienating loyal Americans will promote terrorism, not stop it. And it is dishonest: Trump's claim that "political correctness" prevents law enforcement from investigating suspect Muslims is a poisonous lie. Only one candidate would, as president, drive a dangerous wedge between American Muslims and their country. Advertisement His environmental policy is just as clear -- and it is an existential threat to us, our children, and the globe. Clinton advocates clean energy policies at home and cooperation abroad. Trump says that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese. He would gut the EPA, and pull America out of world efforts to stem global warming. Only President Trump would be an agent of global oblivion. Not to mention economic ruin. No doubt Americans ravaged by automation and globalization need our help. But economists of all stripes agree that Trump's "solutions" -- protectionism and trade wars -- would trigger a recession so deep that it would wipe out millions of jobs. Trump's tax plan would deepen our financial collapse and threaten our fiscal future. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates that his tax cuts for the wealthy would explode the deficit by $4 trillion in a decade. By comparison, Clinton's proposals provide tax relief for everyone else, while increasing revenues by $1.4 trillion. Only President Trump would gut our budget and shred our social safety net for the sake of people like Trump. This captures something fundamental: the degree to which President Trump would eviscerate our sense of community. Clinton calls for a commitment to National Service to help revitalize our states and cities. Trump shows no interest in a sense of common citizenship or communal compassion, whether realized through government or Americans helping each other. Instead, he turns Americans against each other to advance his own ends. A president who cares nothing for others would -- by his actions and his example -- diminish what binds us together. So imagine President Trump as our face to the world. He calls for a wall between United States and Mexico. He advocates torturing suspected terrorists and murdering their families. He disdains our alliances and scorns the Geneva Convention. He shuns refugees from the horrors of Syria. He speaks blithely of nuclear proliferation and of using nuclear weapons. He scares our allies and emboldens aggressors like Vladimir Putin. Never has America elected a president so ignorant, so careless, so dangerous to us and to everyone else. Advertisement His attachment to Putin evinces his unfitness to serve. American intelligence agencies have briefed him on Russian hacking -- not just of the Democratic Party, but of our electoral system. Yet in the latest presidential debate Trump blatantly lied, suggesting that the idea of Russian hacking might be a ploy to discredit him. Only this is true -- Russian hacking discredits him. The pattern of leaks in October is clear. Putin does not simply imagine Trump in the White House -- he is trying to put him there. Never before has a foreign leader invaded our electoral process for his own ends. Only Vladimir Putin, and only to help Donald Trump. It is easy to imagine why -- it is easy to manipulate an ignorant narcissist. So beguiled is Trump by Putin that he excuses Russia's involvement in war crimes which have horrified the world. Only Trump could claim that the mass slaughter by Russia and the Assad regime of the Syrian opposition -- as well as of relief workers and innocent men, women and children -- is, contrary to fact, directed against ISIS. But then Trump comprehends nothing about ISIS, Iraq, Syria, the Middle East or any of the geopolitical dangers of president must navigate. Of these, the most dangerous of all is the threat of nuclear war. So imagine that only the judgment and stability of President Trump stands between us and a nuclear holocaust. Advertisement That sentence is not framed to frighten -- it states what is true for every American president. Under the Constitution, the president is the commander in chief of our military. His orders are final and, in our time, presidents have used this power to launch strikes and start wars. There is nothing in the nuclear chain of command which would stay a presidential order to use nuclear weapons. We depend on a president's wisdom and restraint, for that is all we have. In this arena, as in so many others, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are not the same. Far from making no difference, which one we choose to be president will make every difference. Donald Trump is unstable, unbalanced and devoid of prudence, empathy or concern for anything but his needs of the moment. He lacks the basic attributes of a normal human being -- let alone a president. Hillary Clinton has those attributes, and many others. To compare her with Donald Trump is not simply false equivalency -- it is willful blindness. But let us assume for the moment that Hillary Clinton is not the flawed but able leader reason shows her to be, but the venal caricature painted by her most hysterical political enemies. I am reminded of the race for governor of Louisiana in 1991. The Democrat was Edwin Edwards, as personally corrupt as they come. But the Republican was a vicious demagogue, racist and anti-semite. A man named David Duke. Advertisement As governor, Duke would not have been a threat to the country, or the planet. But he was a threat to the reserves of decency in the state of Louisiana, and the only electable alternative was Edwards. So Duke's opponents crafted a bumper sticker. It read: "Vote For The Crook -- It's Important." This was not a joke, nor was it flippant. It was a profoundly moral statement -- a rejection of false parallels, social irresponsibility, and self-pity that one's choices were disappointing. It was an adult acknowledgment that those choices were very different, with different consequences, and that only one made sense. It asked voters to imagine, and to choose, the best alternative at hand -- and to imagine the price of inaction. In 1991, voting for Edwin Edwards was the only way to keep David Duke from becoming governor. The voters of Louisiana did so. In 2016, Americans face a far more consequential choice: the only way to keep Donald Trump from the White House is to vote for -- and elect -- Hillary Clinton. There is no doubt that Trump's supporters will turn out for him on November 8, no matter what more we discover. So the rest of us must consider the consequences of how -- or whether -- we choose to vote. PHILADELPHIA Prosecutors will seek a jail or prison sentence for former state Attorney General Kathleen Kane in her perjury and obstruction case. Kane faces sentencing next week after a jury convicted her this summer of leaking grand jury material to a newspaper and then lying about it under oath. The 50-year-old Kane, who lives in the Scranton area, has two school-age sons and will push for probation or house arrest at the Oct. 24 hearing. The first-term Democrat stepped down after her August conviction on two felony and seven misdemeanor counts. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, also a Democrat, argued in a court filing Monday that Kane abused her power to settle personal scores. He said morale sank in her 800-person office and in the states law enforcement community at large. The defendant acted in a paranoid manner and repeatedly misused her official authority to advance her personal vendettas, he wrote in the sentencing memo. Steele will seek consecutive sentences on many of the counts. That could bring a maximum sentence of 12 to 24 years, although the guidelines suggest far less time for first-time offenders. Kanes lawyers have asked that she be assessed for a possible home confinement sentence, and Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy agreed to the request Monday. Steele opposed the move. According to Steeles motion, Kane, the first Democrat and first woman elected to the office, told officials preparing a presentencing report for the judge that she was just trying to do her job. People tend to play it safe. People elected me to do a job, and I will do it. The thought of losing my kids over a job kills me, she said, according to Steeles memo. Kane also said the charges were the result of a 30-second decision, but Steele argued that considerable planning and plotting went into the leak. Memo from the land of obvious: We live in a culture that hawks happiness like a drug. Don't get me wrong: I'm not a curmudgeon who would begrudge people their happiness. In fact, I consider myself to be a fairly happy guy. But somewhere along the line, we seem to have lost sight of the point. Happiness has become a cultural expectation for all people at all times. Happiness gurus teaching happiness courses and writing happiness books have sprouted everywhere to help all of us - not just Americans - realize the promise of our forefathers: life, liberty and happiness. What? Oh, right - it's the pursuit of happiness, not happiness itself that we're guaranteed. I'll get back to that detail in a moment. Advertisement I muse often about this topic as my work requires me to consider the qualities of a happy employee and a happy company. Is a happy employee the same thing as an engaged employee, and how does this distinction contribute to a dynamic corporate culture that underlies an irresistible workplace, with top talent lining up around the block to apply and nobody ever leaving? I recognize that by opening a discussion of the nature of happiness I'm wading into a heady pond of navel-gazers. As Stuart Jeffries wrote for The Guardian, "Every undergraduate who has written an essay on the distinctions between pleasure, well-being and happiness (as I remember doing), knows that you're getting into a conceptual morass by invoking happiness as an achievable societal goal. Kant wrote wisely, 'The notion of happiness is so nebulous that although every man wishes to attain it, yet he can never convey accurately and distinctly what it is that he really wishes and wills.'" Many have argued that suffering "enriches one's existence," as the German sociologist Professor Klaus Bergdolt expressed in Well Being: A Cultural History. He argued that permanent well-being is not realistic in everyday life and suffering is important to one's development as a human being. As Jeffries pointed out, "Graham Greene remarked: 'Point me out the happy man and I will point you out either egotism, selfishness, evil - or else an absolute ignorance.'" But how does a CEO apply these philosophical perspectives to the leadership of his employees? By inviting suffering upon his staff as a pathway to a deeper working life? Somehow, I don't think this is the answer. Advertisement Let's consider another perspective. In her excellent article in The Atlantic, Emily Esfahani Smith refreshed my awareness of the great mid-century psychologist and neurologist Victor Frankl. A Jew in wartime Vienna, Frankl endured unimaginable suffering in a Nazi concentration camp, with his pregnant wife and parents perishing. He wrote the bestselling book Man's Search for Meaning about his experiences at the camp and the lessons he drew about survival of the spirit. Frankl found that the difference between those who had lived and those who had died came down to one thing: Meaning. With his experience as a prominent psychiatrist, Frankl served as a counselor to his peers in the camp, many of them suicidal. Smith shares an excerpt from the book describing two suicidal inmates who were hopeless and thought that there was nothing more to live for. "In both cases," Frankl writes, "it was a question of getting them to realize that life was still expecting something from them; something in the future was expected of them." He who knows the "why" of his existence, Frankl concluded, can find the resilience to bear almost any "how." As reported by Smith, the Center for Disease Control has found that about 4 out of 10 Americans have not discovered a satisfying life purpose. "Forty percent either do not think their lives have a clear sense of purpose or are neutral about whether their lives have purpose," she notes. "Nearly a quarter of Americans feel neutral or do not have a strong sense of what makes their lives meaningful. Research has shown that having purpose and meaning in life increases overall well-being and life satisfaction, improves mental and physical health, enhances resiliency, enhances self-esteem, and decreases the chances of depression." On top of that, research has found that the single-minded pursuit of happiness is ironically leaving people less happy. Smith cites a study from the Journal of Positive Psychology in which researchers found that a meaningful life and happy life overlap but are ultimately quite different. She writes: "Leading a happy life, the psychologists found, is associated with being a "taker" while leading a meaningful life corresponds with being a 'giver.'" Advertisement Happiness is a state in which all of our needs are met. But meaning transcends the self and the present moment. Happiness alone is fleeting and fades away. Meaning, while not always directly correlated with happiness, is enduring. Frankl's masterpiece has gone on to be declared by the Library of Congress and Book-of-the-Month Club as one of the 10 most influential books in the United States, with millions of copies sold worldwide. Its message about going beyond the pursuit of individual happiness to search for a meaning that is greater than one's self might get lost in today's happiness culture. But it's not lost at companies whose leaders recognize that giving employees a sense of larger meaning with their work is the thing that will get them out of bed every morning. These leaders understand that you can't simply make employees happy, not with free bagels, casual Fridays or even modest pay raises. As Jeffries notes, "Happiness is a goal that retreats the closer one tries to get to it. Perhaps happiness is an unnecessary goal that confuses us when we try to tackle real social problems." But tackling real social problems - while difficult, and potentially in opposition to surface happiness - is precisely what lends life meaning. Truly making an impact in the world is the very thing that all of us crave, even if we can't always hear that need beneath our latest podcast on happiness. Advertisement "To the European," Frankl wrote, "it is a characteristic of the American culture that, again and again, one is commanded and ordered to 'be happy.' But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to 'be happy.'" If, as Frankl and so many other great thinkers have observed, the very pursuit of happiness thwarts happiness, then the concerns of company leaders should not be about simply making employees happy. Rather, leaders should create a working environment that fosters the pursuit of meaning and helps employees achieve something far greater and lasting than mere happiness. It is the shrine of great taste gilded dome and minarets, One of Shiite imams who is the brother of Imam Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Talib, Located in the city of Karbala, south of Baghdad. Ashura, the tenth day of the month of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. A time of rejoicing and deliverance, yet a time of grief and sorrow. From both the Sunni and Shi'a traditions, this day holds very significant to many. In the Sunni tradition it is widely known that we fast on this day to show gratitude to God and champion the day Moses and the Children of Israel were saved from the tyrannical rule of Pharoah as was narrated from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). While in Shiite tradition it is known to be a day of mourning and sorrow in which they commemorate and lament over the tragedy and massacre of Karbala when Hussain, grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), was brutally killed along with members of his family and his companions. This was due to Hussain's refusal to pledge allegiance to Yazid, the caliph of the time, as he was seen by many as an unjust ruler. Advertisement On the day of Ashura, as I participated in the annual fast, I also remembered the tragedy of Karbala and the killing of Hussain. Although seen as extremely significant, and almost even central in Shiite tradition, Hussain and the rest of the Ahlel Bayt (family of Prophet Muhammad) do in fact hold a very special place in my heart. As someone who ascribes himself to the Sunni tradition, loving Hussain and rest of the Ahlel Bayt is not contradictory, but rather an integral aspect of my faith. Due to the frequent affiliation of the Ahlel Bayt within Shiite tradition some, from both Sunnis and Shiites, perhaps might see this as an anomaly or an oxymoron, yet for me it is simply another manifestation of being a Sunni just as loving the companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is. Being a Sunni and loving the Ahlel Bayt are not mutually exclusive. Just as many people may automatically attribute Jesus with Christianity, so too will many attribute Hussain and the Ahlel Bayt with Shiite tradition only, however, that should not be the case. I may not participate in the self-flagellation and lamentation over the killing of Hussain as practiced by Shiites, yet my love for him is ever so strong. Hussain, to me, is a beacon of love. Hussain, to me, is an extension of Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) wisdom, justice and mercy. Hussain represents one of the Salaf, the righteous predecessors. Just like the Sahaba, or companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Hussain is a well that never runs dry and a light that never extinguishes. To me, Hussain and the Ahlel Bayt are to be championed much like the companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and there is no contradiction in doing so. Although many Sunnis are very well versed in the lives of the Sahaba, I have also noticed many Sunnis either lack knowledge or are apathetic with regards to Hussain and the Ahlel Bayt unfortunately. As Hussain plays an important role in Islamic history, it is saddening knowing that some Sunnis are oblivious of him and how much Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) displayed his love for him. In various narrations within the Sunni tradition Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was informed by the angel Gabriel about the slaughter of Hussain and mourned over the tragedy. My message for fellow Sunni Muslims is that it is vital and very crucial that we study the lives of the Ahlel Bayt so as not to allow others to monopolize their role within their respective traditions. Learn about Hussain and allow your love for him to manifest. Advertisement When we commemorate Ashura and remember the tragedy of Karbala, we are reflecting on our own history, as Sunni Muslims. We mourn and we grieve and we do so in our own way. This was the grandson of our beloved Prophet, an imam of the Muslims and the leader of the youth of Paradise. The blood of Hussain, the cries of Zainab and Ruqayah, and the thirst of Abbas ibn Ali are integral to Sunni tradition and Sunni history. Let us not overlook this event and let us come to an understanding and a love for Hussain and the Ahlel Bayt. On October 3, 2016, Colombian voters stunned Latin American political observers by rejecting a historic peace deal with the Marxist FARC rebel group. This decision was roundly condemned around the world as a devastating blow to peace and security in Colombia and Latin America. The FARC has been a destabilizing force in Colombian politics since the early 1960s, and clashes between Bogota and FARC forces have killed at least 250,000 Colombians. Even though the failure of President Juan Manuel Santos's FARC peace deal is a major setback for peace in Colombia, many Western commentators have painted an overly pessimistic picture of Colombia's political future. The referendum defeat should give Santos the opportunity to create an improved peace deal that ends political violence without yielding to too many of the FARC's political demands. To guarantee a durable resolution to Colombia's decades-long civil strife, a new deal with the FARC should differ from Santos's rejected offer in three crucial ways. First, Santos must balance the legalization of the FARC with the creation of a transitional justice tribunal to try FARC rebels for the organization's past crimes. The removal of impunity for FARC criminals differs markedly from Santos's initial policy. To encourage the FARC's swift disarmament, Santos offered the FARC rebels 10 guaranteed seats in the Colombian parliament and agreed to incorporate 7,500 FARC fighters into the civilian bureaucracy. Advertisement Santos's proposed legalization of the FARC was met with fierce resistance in Colombia. Many Colombians have expressed concern that FARC rebels who confess to involvement in kidnappings and child soldier recruitment will be granted immunity from prosecution by the government. Some of these FARC rebels would suffer a vaguely framed "eight year restriction of liberties", while others would be able to return to Colombian politics through the left-wing party that represents FARC interests. Santos's soft handling of FARC war crimes has increased Colombian public animosity towards the Marxist group. Large segments of the Colombian public viewed the FARC's apologies for the 1994 Antioquia massacre and 2002 Bojaya church bombing as cynical manipulations to win international support and secure legal exemptions. To lay the foundations for lasting peace, the Colombian government must devise a comprehensive transitional justice program. Establishing a tribunal to prosecute the most egregious criminals within the FARC is vital for a peace agreement to be perceived as just. This tribunal should function similarly to the trial arrangement established by the 1998 Belfast Agreement in Northern Ireland, which allowed for sentences to be reconsidered on a case-by-case basis and did not include amnesty for crimes that had not already been prosecuted. Through a tribunal, Colombians can peacefully channel the animosity engendered by the terror organization's abductions, bombings and rampant use of child military volunteers. A tribunal will also demonstrate to the Colombian public that terrorism has consequences, and prevent future FARC ceasefire violations. Advertisement Second, Santos must pressure FARC elites who have benefited economically from illegal activities to pay large-scale reparations for their crimes. The Colombian government should build closely on current policy to achieve this goal. The FARC recently pledged to surrender monetary and non-monetary resources accrued during its guerilla war campaign. Santos's supporters regarded this concession as a major step towards peace as the FARC has previously rejected peace agreements that ordered a surrender of assets accumulated during war. Even though the FARC overhauled its long-standing opposition to reparations in order to ensure the passage of Santos's referendum, many Colombians believe that the FARC's pledges will result in little actual compensation for its victims. Senior FARC leaders have frequently claimed that the Marxist organization is bankrupt, even though Western critics have alleged that the FARC has a $10.5 billion reserve of illicit cash earned from drug trafficking and extortion. To gain access to these hidden revenues, the Colombian authorities must tie sentence reductions for FARC criminals to their cooperation in finding the FARC's illegal assets. The FARC has deposited cash in pits scattered across rural Colombia, making it difficult for the Colombian police to find stolen cash without extensive FARC assistance. If the FARC becomes a political party, its public support will depend on its ability to provide welfare for the rural populations it represents. Linking Colombian government funding for FARC-dominated regions to FARC elite cooperation with Bogota on the recovery of stolen assets is an effective long-term strategy. Third, the Colombian government must impose extremely stiff penalties on FARC leaders who violate the treaty's terms. Many Colombians remain skeptical of the FARC peace talks because of the terror organization's history of breaching treaty terms at politically opportune times. In May 2016, Colombia's Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas accused the FARC of committing 3 ceasefire violations in less than a year and alleged that FARC violence had been responsible for the deaths of 2 Colombian soldiers. In light of these violations, making the FARC's role in Colombian politics conditional on its adherence to peace accords should be a vital condition for any treaty to go forward. Snap-back provisions that would give the Colombian government sweeping prosecutorial powers in the event of a coordinated FARC terrorist attack should also be implemented. These provisions will reduce the potential for violence that could accompany the disarmament process. Advertisement The unexpected defeat of Santos's FARC peace treaty referendum has left Colombia's political future and long-term stability prospects hanging in the balance. Even though the treaty's defeat is undoubtedly a major blow, Santos should seize the opportunity to forge a more comprehensive peace agreement that limits the ability of the FARC to resume its belligerent behavior whenever the terror organization's elites see fit. Santos's willingness to engage in hardline diplomacy with the FARC will determine whether Colombia transitions towards durable peace or suffers from more episodes of harrowing violence in the years to come. Sundays were always special because mom didn't work on that day. She was tired from six straight 10-hour nights of waiting on tables. No one could blame her if she didn't feel like cooking, cleaning or driving. She'd let me drive the old Buick my Grandpa had given us, and by old, I mean made of steel and without power steering. Driving to Louie's Drive-In to pick up tamales and comic books was my job. I was twelve and very responsible, but in my mother's mind, I think that meant I was thirty-two. It was fall in Santa Fe, a frosty nip in the air, but no snow on the ground. My brother was only five and stayed with Mom and was totally not my responsibility for that one day. Everyone stayed inside, but my hangout on Sunday was the Buick I'd managed to park safely in our narrow driveway (there was a telephone pole planted right in the middle of the entrance). I made the car cozy with pillows and a comforter. It took on a greenhouse effect with all that New Mexican sunshine filtered and magnified through the windows. I left them cracked, and the scent of pine and aspen wafting down from the Sangre de Cristos was a welcome counterbalance in my little hothouse. Stuffed with spicy tamales, I'd snuggle down and read Superman, The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four, Wonder Woman, Tales From Beyond, and something called Classics, which was a retelling of stories like Romeo & Juliet in graphic form. When I'd finish my series, I'd take them inside and exchange with Mom who'd been reading Batman, or Silver Surfer. We were getting along in those days. Advertisement That night Mom might cook a one-dish meal like macaroni made with Velveeta Cheese. The nights were cold, but we were warm and full. Mom sometimes sang and danced when she cooked. She teased and complimented me. We laughed and I remember distinct happiness. On Sunday nights, I went off to bed and read some more, only books this time, and the house was quiet. I was fed on multiple levels. Mom began to come home late. When you get off at 3 a.m. late is arriving home at dawn. I was worried, upset, angry . . . and curious. I began to wake up in the middle of the night and wait for her. She was full of excuses: she'd gone out with the girls for breakfast; there was an after work party; her car broke down; her girlfriend's car broke down. I was furious and jealous and possessive, and suspected sex was happening, but only in an amorphous, nonverbal way that made me afraid of losing my mother. I was afraid of a lot of stuff in those days. I was almost thirteen and hadn't yet started my period. Every one of my girlfriends had breasts and had been menstruating practically since birth. They were short and curvy and cute, and I was not. Mom and I began to fight everyday, and I missed a lot of school because I overslept. "Aren't you going to school?" I wanted her to make me go, but Mom couldn't even make herself come home after work. On some days, she didn't make it home at all. The Sunday I gouged out a hunk of my thigh in a bicycle accident I needed stitches, but didn't tell Mom about it when she finally came home. She didn't notice anything until years later when she asked about the huge scar on my thigh. Advertisement I passed thirteen and we fought and I challenged her and we fought some more. I was angry all the time and mean to my little brother. On Sundays Mom was exhausted and withdrawn. She cooked, but there was no laughter. I stopped reading comics in the Buick, but read Dostoyevsky by the light of a little portable electric heater bedside until Mom's car entered the driveway. I'd quickly shut my book and pretend to be asleep. We didn't talk until I decided to go live with my Dad in Texas, and then I slept with her and my brother every night until the day arrived for me to leave. It was my last belonging. For the year that I was gone, we remained close. Her letters were long and full of love and trivia. When she called long distance, she'd ask if I wanted to talk to my dog and cat. Long distance was expensive in those days and the gesture meant a lot to me. She was home, she was family, and my dad and his new wife were not. I returned to New Mexico carrying the secret Mom had shared with me in her last telephone call: I now had a baby sister. Dad squeezed his Caddy between the telephone pole and the wall and made it down our narrow drive. Before he'd turned off the motor, I'd jumped out and entered my mother's waiting arms. She looked tired and ill. She'd had to stop waitressing as her pregnancy advanced, and had taken a babysitting job for a family that lived in a trailer park on the outskirts of Santa Fe. There was a real outdoor swimming pool there, and my brother and I swam everyday under our mother's watchful eye. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama as they sit down to meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington March 3, 2014. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) Throwing in the Towel Washington has finally thrown in the towel on its long, tortured efforts to establish peace between Israel and the Palestinians. You wont find any acknowledgement of this in the official record. Formally, the U.S. still supports a two-state solution to the conflict. But the Obama administrations recent 10-year, $38-billion pledge to renew Israels arsenal of weaponry, while still ostensibly pursuing peace, makes clear just how bankrupt that policy is. For two decades, Israeli leaders and their neoconservative backers in this country, hell-bent on building and expanding settlements on Palestinian land, have worked to undermine Americas stated efforts -- and paid no price. Now, with that record weapons package, the U.S. has made it all too clear that they wont have to. Ever. Advertisement The military alliance between the United States and Israel has long been at odds with the stated intentions of successive administrations in Washington to foster peace in the Holy Land. One White House after another has preferred the solution of having it both ways: supporting a two-state solution while richly rewarding, with lethal weaponry, an incorrigible client state that was working as fast as it could to undermine just such a solution. This ongoing duality seemed at its most surreal in the last few weeks. First, President Obama announced the new military deal, with its promised delivery of fighter jets and other hardware, citing the unshakable American military alliance with Israel. The following week, at the United Nations, he declared, Israel must recognize that it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land. Next, he flew to Israel for the funeral of Shimon Peres, and in a tribute to the Nobel Prize-winning former Israeli president, spoke of a man who grasped that the Jewish people werent born to rule another people and brought up the unfinished business of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. (Peres is remembered quite differently by Palestinians as an early pioneer of settlement building and the author of the brutal Operation Grapes of Wrath assaults on Lebanon in 1996.) Not long after the funeral, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brazenly approved a new settlement deep in the West Bank, prompting the State Department to strongly condemn the action as deeply troubling. Such scolding words, however, shrivel into nothingness in the face of a single number: 38 billion. With its latest promise of military aid, the United States has essentially sanctioned Israels impunity, its endless colonization of Palestinian land, its military occupation of the West Bank, and its periodic attacks by F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters using Hellfire missiles on the civilians of Gaza. Advertisement Yes, Hamass crude and occasionally deadly rockets sometimes help provoke Israeli fire, and human rights investigations have found that both sides have committed war crimes. But Israels explosive power in the 2014 Gaza war, fueled in large part by American military aid and political support, exceeded that of Hamas by an estimated 1,500-to-1. By one estimate, all of Hamass rockets, measured in explosive power, were equal to 12 of the one-ton bombs Israel dropped on Gaza. And it loosed hundreds of those, and fired tens of thousands of shells, rockets and mortars. In the process, nearly 250 times more Palestinian civilians died than civilians in Israel. Now, with Gaza severed from the West Bank, and Palestinians facing new waves of settlers amid a half-century-long military occupation, the U.S. has chosen not to apply pressure to its out-of-control ally, but instead to resupply its armed forces in a massive way. This means that weve finally arrived at something of a historic (if hardly noticed) moment. After all these decades, the two-state solution, critically flawed as it was, should now officially be declared dead -- and consider the United States an accomplice in its murder. In other words, the Obama administration has handed Israels leaders and the neoconservatives who have long championed this path the victory theyve sought for more than two decades. The Chaos Kids Twenty years ago, the pro-Israel hard right in America designed the core strategy that helped lead to this American capitulation. In 1996, a task force led by neocons Richard Perle (future chairman of the Defense Policy Board), David Wurmser (future senior Middle East adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney), Douglas Feith (future undersecretary of defense), and others issued a policy paper aimed at incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm" advocated that Israel walk away from its embrace of the Oslo peace process and Oslos focus on territorial concessions. The papers essential ingredients included weakening Israels neighbors via regime change in Saddam Husseins Iraq and roll back in Syria and Iran. The authors recommendations turned out to be anything but a wish list, given that a number of them would soon hold influential positions in the administration of George W. Bush. As journalist Jim Lobe wrote in 2007: [T]he task force, which was chaired by Perle, argued that regime change in Iraq -- of which Feith was among the most ardent advocates within the Pentagon -- would enable Israel and the U.S. to decisively shift the balance of power in the region so that Israel could make a clean break from the Oslo process (or any framework that would require it to give up land for peace) and, in so doing, secure the realm against Palestinian territorial claims. Advertisement In other words, as early as 1996, these neocons were already imagining what would become the disastrous invasion of Iraq in 2003. You could argue, of course, that neither the neocons nor Netanyahu could have foreseen the chaos that would follow, with Iraq nearly cracking open and Syria essentially collapsing into horrific civil war and violence, civilians stranded under relentless bombing, and the biggest refugee crisis since World War II gripping Europe and the world. But you would, at least in some sense, be wrong, for certain of the neocon advocates of regime change imagined chaos as an essential part of the process from early on. "One can only hope that we turn the region into a caldron, and faster, please," wrote Michael Ledeen of the American Enterprise Institute in the National Review during the buildup to the invasion of Iraq. (In 1985, as a consultant to the National Security Council and to Oliver North, Ledeen had helped broker the illegal arms-for-hostages deal with Iran by setting up meetings between weapons dealers and Israel.) The war won't end in Baghdad, Ledeen later wrote, in the Wall Street Journal. "We must also topple terror states in Tehran and Damascus." The neocons got so much more than they bargained for in Iraq, and so much less than they wanted in Syria and Iran. Their recent attempts -- with Netanyahu as their chief spokesman -- to block the Obama administrations Iran nuclear deal, for example, went down in flames. Still, its stunning to think just how much their strategy of regime change and chaos helped transform our world and the Greater Middle East for the worse, and to be reminded that its ultimate goal, at least in those early days, was in large part to keep Israel from having to pursue a peace deal with the Palestinians. Of course, there were other benefits the neocons imagined back then as part of their historic attempt to redraw the map of the Middle East. Controlling some of the vast oil reserves of that region was one of them, but of course that didnt exactly turn out to be a mission accomplished moment either. Only the Israeli part of the plan seemed to succeed as once imagined. So here we are 20 years later. All around the Holy Land, states are collapsing or at least their foundations are crumbling, and Israels actions make clear that it isnt about to help improve the situation in any way. It visibly intends to pursue a policy of colonization, permanent human rights violations, and absolute rule over the Palestinians. These are facts on the ground that former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Netanyahu, the Israeli right wing, and those American neocon visionaries fought so hard to establish. A succession of leaders in Washington -- at least those who werent designing this policy themselves -- have been played for fools. Advertisement In the two-plus decades since the 1993 Oslo Agreement, which some believed would put Israel and the Palestinians on the path to peace, and that Clean Break document which was written to undermine it, the West Bank settler population has grown from 109,000 to nearly 400,000 (an estimated 15% of whom are American). The would-be capital of a Palestinian state, East Jerusalem, is now surrounded by 17 Jewish settlements. Palestinians nominally control a mere 18% of the West Bank (also known as Area A), or 4% of the entire land base of Israel/Palestine. The Palestinians would-be homeland is now checkered with military bases, settlements, settler-only roads, and hundreds of checkpoints and barriers -- all in a West Bank the size of Delaware, our second-smallest state. An estimated 40% of adult male Palestinians, and thousands of children, have seen the insides of Israeli jails and prisons; many of them languish there without charges. Israel has, in essence, created a Jim Crow-like separate and unequal reality there: a one-state solution that it alone controls. The United States has done almost nothing about this (other than carefully couched, periodic State Department words of complaint), while its ally marched forward unchecked. Not since James Baker was secretary of state under the first President Bush before -- notably enough -- the signing of the Oslo accords has any U.S. leader threatened to withhold funds unless Israel stops building settlements on Palestinian land. The phrase friends dont let friends drive drunk no longer applies in U.S.-Israeli relations. Rather, what we hear are regular pledges of absolute, total, unvarnished commitment to Israels security. Those were, in fact, the words of Vice President Joe Biden during a 2010 visit to Israel -- a pledge offered, as it turned out, only a few hours before the Netanyahu government announced the construction of 1,600 new apartments in East Jerusalem. Advertisement The Clinton (Trump) White House and Israel Current policy, if thats the right word, could perhaps be summed up as weapons, weapons, and more weapons, while Washington otherwise washed its hands of what was always known as the peace process (despite that fig leaf still in place). Today, functionally, theres no such process left. And thats unlikely to change under either a President Clinton or a President Trump. If anything, it may get worse. During the Democratic primary campaign, for instance, Hillary Clinton promised to invite Netanyahu to the White House during my first month in office in order to reaffirm Washingtons unbreakable bond with Israel. In a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which labels itself Americas pro-Israel lobby, she was virtually silent on the Israeli settlement issue, except to promise to protect Israel against its own violations of international law. She attacked Trump from the right, denouncing his once-expressed wish to remain neutral on the issue of Israel and Palestine. In the 1990s, as first lady, Clinton had stirred controversy by uttering the word Palestine and kissing Yasser Arafats widow, Suha, on the cheek. Now she fully embraces those who believe Israel can do no wrong, including Hollywood mogul Haim Saban, who has donated at least $6.4 million to her campaign, and millions more to the Clinton Foundation and the Democratic National Committee. Saban, an Israeli-American whose billions came largely from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers franchise, describes himself as a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel. Last year, he convened a secret Las Vegas meeting with fellow billionaire Sheldon Adelson, the bankroller of a panoply of Republican candidates and a huge supporter of Israels settlement project. Their aim: to shut down, if not criminalize, the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, or BDS. That boycott movement targets cultural institutions and businesses including those that profit from the occupation of the West Bank. Its approach is akin to the movement to impose sanctions on South Africa during the apartheid era. Advertisement With Sabans millions destined for her campaign war chest, Clinton wrote to her benefactor to express her alarm over BDS, seeking your thoughts and recommendations to work together to counter BDS. Yet its a nonviolent movement that aims to confront Israels human rights abuses through direct economic and political pressure, not guns or terror attacks. Would Clinton prefer suicide bombers and rockets? Never mind that the relatively modest movement has been endorsed by an assortment of international trade unions, scholarly associations, church groups, the Jewish Voice for Peace, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu. At the root of BDS, Clinton has hinted darkly, is anti-Semitism. At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise across the world, she wrote Saban, we need to repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel and the Jewish people. As for Trump, some Palestinians were encouraged by his statement to MSNBCs Joe Scarborough that he might be sort of a neutral guy on the issue. He told the AP: I have a real question as to whether or not both sides want to make it. A lot will have to do with Israel and whether or not Israel wants to make the deal -- whether or not Israels willing to sacrifice certain things. Yet Trump subsequently fell in line with Republican orthodoxy, pledging among other things to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, a litmus test for supporters of the hard right in Israel, and a virtual guarantee that East Jerusalem, at the center of the Palestinian dream of statehood, will remain in Israels hands. In the short term, then, the prospect for an American-brokered just peace may be as bleak as its ever been -- even though U.S. officials know full well that a just solution to the conflict would remove a primary recruiting tool for jihadists. For the next four to eight years, American leadership will, by all indications, shore up the status quo, which means combining all that weaponry and de facto acquiescence in Israels land grabs with, perhaps, the occasional hand-wringing State Department statement. With Patience, Change Will Come However, like Jim Crow, like South African apartheid, the status quo of this moment simply cant last forever. Eventually, the future of the region will not be left to the self-proclaimed honest brokers of Washington who lecture Palestinians on the proper forms of nonviolence, while offering no genuine alternatives to surrender. Given the long history of Palestinian resistance, it is foolhardy to expect such a surrender now and particularly unwise to slander a movement of nonviolent resistance -- especially given what we know about the kinds of resistance that are possible. Advertisement Whether by peaceful resistance or other means, the status quo will change, in part simply because it must: a structure this twisted cannot stand on its own forever. Already AIPACs monumental attempts to scuttle the Iran deal have led to humiliating defeat and thats just a taste of what, sooner or later, the future could hold. After all, young Americans, including young Jews, are increasingly opposed to Israels domination of Palestinian lands, and increasingly supportive of the boycott movement. In addition, the balance of power in the region is shifting. We cant know how Russia, China, Turkey, and Iran will operate there in the years to come, but amid the ongoing chaos, U.S. influence will undoubtedly diminish over time. As a member of a prominent Gaza family said to me many years ago: Does Israel think America will always protect them, always give them arms, and that they will always be the biggest power in the Middle East? Do they really expect they can maintain this hold on us forever? A popular Arab folk ballad, El Helwa Di, promises a penniless child who has placed her life in Gods hands: With patience, change will come. All will be better. Perhaps it will prove useful, in the end, to abandon the illusions of the now-terminal two-state solution, at least as envisioned in the Oslo process. In the language of those accords, after all, the words freedom and independence never appear, while security is mentioned 12 times. In a regime of growing confinement, the Israelis have steadily undermined Palestinian sovereignty, aided and abetted by an American acquiescence in Israels ongoing settlement project. Now, at least, there is an opportunity to lay the foundations for some newer kind of solution grounded in human rights, freedom of movement, complete cessation of settlement building, and equal access to land, water, and places of worship. It will have to be based on a new reality, which Israel and the United States have had such a hand in creating. Think of it as the one-state solution. Advertisement By Soya Moore & Jessica Hurtley For the next four years, the state of Tennessee will be responsible for improving our schools under the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The law lessens federal government control and gives states the autonomy to refine and implement their own systems of school improvement and accountability. ESSA put issues such as teacher evaluations, student assessments, and school reform directly into the hands of state education departments and school districts. We believe that all teachers should actively seek out opportunities to shape reform efforts currently taking place at the state and district level to ensure that their voices are heard. As teachers in the public school system in Memphis, TN, we know first-hand the importance of teacher voice in improving educational outcomes for our students and having a say in policies that directly affect our classrooms. As Teach Plus Policy Fellows, we've commented on ESSA accountability regulations at the federal level and participated in a focus group to create a legislative agenda for TN Ready assessments. And we advocated before the Shelby County Commissioners to supplement Shelby County schools budget deficit. Despite the importance of teacher input and feedback in any process that affects their students, teachers rarely take part in helping to design and frame new educational policy. With ESSA, the state of Tennessee can reset its accountability system and teachers need to be at the table to bridge the gap between policy makers and the classroom. Advertisement ESSA provides a window of opportunity for teachers to get in on the policy discussion and the law's implementation planning. We recommend the following ways that teachers can get involved in advocating for policy change around the new law: 1.Engage policymakers in crafting key legislature As teachers, we are passionate about the teaching and learning environment at our schools. We want our students to take assessments that are fair and aligned to the state standards. There are opportunities for all teachers under ESSA to review and audit their state assessments. When working with policymakers to craft legislation, be proactive in offering your ideas or insights; be prepared to answer questions; and present solutions and a rationale to support those solutions. Know the legislators' position in advance, and figure out what is most important to him or her in order to capitalize on his/her interests when speaking. Continue to reach out to the legislator after the initial meeting to build rapport. 2.Engage your colleagues and community in the policy process. Through Teach Plus, we worked with other Fellows to engage 500+ of our colleagues in advocating to Shelby County Commissioners to vote yes in support of Shelby County Schools' budget deficit. We, along with other community members, were successful at getting the budget funded for the 2016-17. This victory enhanced the opportunities for our students as well as increased the effectiveness of our schools' programs and services. Advertisement When advocating for a policy, collaborate with colleagues by creating briefs policies or writing op-eds. Write letters and getting colleagues' signatures to back your opinion. Plan out days to meet with your representatives, and get other teachers and community members to come and support their push for policy change. Teacher voice will be essential to improving education and getting the implementation of ESSA right the first time. Whether states can make good use of the new law without losing sight of improving achievement and serving high-risk students will depend upon teachers advocating for what works in the classroom. We can no longer sit in silence while policy makers decide what works for our students, we must make our voices heard. Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in the Business Russia Congress in Moscow on October 18, 2016.The event is organised by the All-Russian public organisation Delovaya Rossiya. / AFP / POOL / Alexander Zemlianichenko (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/AFP/Getty Images) The views expressed are strictly those of the author. A recent joint statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states that the Russians are interfering with the U.S. presidential election, "The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from U.S. persons and institutions, including from U.S. political organizations." The Russian-backed hacking of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's emails is but one example of their interference. This is wrong for any number of reasons, but two in particular: it is an invasion of the privacy of a private citizen, and even more troubling, it is a blatant effort by the Russian government to undermine a fundamental American political process, that of free and fair elections. Advertisement The Russian government has issued some non-denial denials about the hacking of emails. Russian President Putin has admonished Americans concerned over who did the hacking, saying the content of the emails is what matters. This is specious reasoning. It ignores the outrageous behavior of the Russian government, and it also avoids the question of whether the content of the emails has been tampered with. If the Russian hackers feel it is OK to steal private emails, it is an acceptable assumption they may have doctored the content of the emails. WikiLeaks is the enabler of this effort because of its willingness to post the emails. The more attention the hacked emails get, the more those doing the hacking will be inclined to continue with their malfeasance. Beyond the emails, there is concern that there could be interference with actual voting in some state polling places. The joint ODNI and DHS statement added that "Such activity is not new to Moscow -- the Russians have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia, for example, to influence public opinion there. We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities." This is not only a problem for the United States, as the ODNI and DHS statement indicates, it has been an issue for the Europeans for some time. A recent New York Times article discussed in great detail Russian efforts to undermine the Government of Sweden's deliberations as to whether or not Sweden should join NATO. The Russians used disinformation to cause concern among Swedish citizens on what joining NATO would mean to them, saying things like NATO would secretly store nuclear weapons in Sweden, that NATO could attack Russia from Sweden without Swedish approval and NATO soldiers could rape Swedish women with impunity. Advertisement The European Union (EU) has accused Russia of supporting right wing nationalist parties in Europe, and Russia gave France's far right party, the National Front, an $11.7 million loan in 2014. It has also been reported that Moscow tried to influence the United Kingdom (UK) Brexit vote, encouraging the UK to leave the EU. This should be a dire warning for those who think Russian efforts don't amount to much. There have been any number of thoughtful suggestions as to what the US Government should do in response to this interference. An article in Foreign Policy by former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Admiral James Stavridis has a number of good ideas on how to respond. Vice President Biden suggested that the response may be more clandestine than public, while offering assurances that the Russians would know the U.S. is responding. Outrage and concern over this issue should be on the fact that Russians are attacking our political institutions and our elections -- the backbone of our democracy. Political leaders of both parties need to come together, protesting Russian actions. As vice presidential candidate Mike Pence said, "There should be severe consequences to Russia or any sovereign nation that is compromising the privacy or the security of the United States of America..." This echoes comments made by others like Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA). The issues confronting America's energy sector today are arguably more complex and urgent than at any other time in the nation's history. We are the middle of a very disruptive energy revolution. We know what our destination must be. Science has defined it. We have to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions more than 80% compared to 2005. If we tried a little harder, we could probably do even better and achieve a net-zero-carbon energy economy by then. The question is not where we need to go; it's how we will get there from here. Revolutionary new technologies are coming to market at speeds and prices that have surprised everyone. Our energy infrastructure needs major modernization, but there's no consensus on what kinds of energy it should support. Utility rate structures and business models must change. We have electric vehicles that could serve as rolling energy storage systems if we invested in the systems to support them. We have a carbon budget that requires us to keep most of our ample fossil energy resources in the ground. We have powerful fossil energy industries that don't like the future they see coming. A roadmap could help us negotiate this confusion. But unlike 40 other countries engaged in similar road trips, we don't have one. We need goals and milestones, ways to measure progress, clear off-ramps for carbon pollution and on-ramps for low-carbon resources. A map would focus research, give guidance to government policies, send signals to investors on where their best bets are, and help make sure that the hundreds of billions of dollars we must spend on energy infrastructure are spent to support a clean energy economy. Advertisement When they were in the White House, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush each oversaw the development of a national energy plan. But none of their plans had enough bipartisan buy-in to survive in subsequent Administrations. There were other shortcomings, too, including these described by the Bipartisan Policy Center: Where previous national energy policies have fallen short is in setting goals that are often inconsistent, unrealistic, politically motivated, and overly focused on short-term crises. Moreover, subsequent implementation efforts often lack active coordination across agencies and branches of government. Neither the policies nor the implementation have established systematic methods for tracking progress and for making course adjustments over the multiple years that policies and programs need to be in place if they are to be effective and achieve their goals. We would need a radically different spirt of public service and collaboration between the White House and Congress to get a durable roadmap. Maybe the November election will make that possible. But whoever our next leaders are, they would not have to start with a blank sheet of paper. A previous Congress has already defined what the plan should contain. Each president is required to send Congress a comprehensive "national energy policy plan" every two years. The law is very specific. The plan should establish 5- and 10-year objectives for energy production, use and conservation. It should pay particular attention to the need for full employment, energy price stability, energy security, economic growth, environmental protection and nuclear non-proliferation. It should include recommendations on new legislation and regulations, taxes and tax incentives, federal funding, foreign policy and international trade. It should evaluate energy trends that will influence America's social, environmental and economic needs. Advertisement Congress even spelled out the process. The President, or more likely the Secretary of Energy, must "insure that consumers, small businesses, and a wide range of other interests, including those of individual citizens who have no financial interest in the energy industry, are consulted." There is no doubt that a roadmap to a clean energy economy would be opposed by the workers, families, communities and companies whose economic security relies on coal, oil and gas production. In the interest of their well-being and of economic justice, the plan should create job training programs and opportunities in the clean energy sector and the "restoration economy" - the professions engaged in reviving degraded natural systems that store carbon when they are healthy, while also providing free services that otherwise would be billed to taxpayers. Among them are flood and storm water control, air and water purification, protection from deadly heat waves, better agricultural productivity for farmers, and wildlife habitat that keeps fish and game populations plentiful. The President's best strategy for getting a bipartisan energy plan might be to convene a high-level independent commission to draft it, with the White House and Congress collaborating on its membership. If the commission needs a starting point, the World Resources Institutee has described it: The hard truth is that the United States---and the world---must now figure out how to achieve energy security and protect Earth's climate...Shifting the United States to a secure, low-carbon economy will take decades. The costs will be high, but they will be even higher if immediate action is not taken. The United States has ample natural, human, and technological resources, and if policymakers get started promptly and make smart decisions, the benefits of this transformation can be great: economic opportunity, a healthier planet, and a more secure future for the United States. To repeat, we know what the destination must be and when we must reach it. The challenge is to avoid getting sidetracked, lost, stalled in traffic jams, waylaid by highwaymen, or delayed by dead-ends. I'm not confident we can avoid those traps without a map that keeps us all heading in the right direction. Advertisement Back in the mid-2000s, Turkey's health ministry was seeking advice on how best to use Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to overhaul the country's public hospital network. Lots of players were weighing in. The government was keen, for instance, to learn from the United Kingdom's experience with its Private Finance Initiatives. That an overhaul was necessary was obvious. Among its OECD peers, Turkey underperforms on health metrics, with 2.5 hospital beds per 1,000 people, compared to the average of 4.8. Turkey only has just 1.7 doctors per capita; the OECD average is 8.7. As part of a wider health transformation program, the health ministry came up with an ambitious 20 billion plan to build 30+ health campuses in 28 cities, ranging from 400 to 3,600-bed capacities. Each campus would house three-to-six public hospitals with various specializations. The overall concession period for the projects would be 28 years, including three-to-four-year construction periods. Advertisement I was working at an investment bank at the time and we carefully examined the initiative on behalf of a potential investor. Like many of our peers, we concluded that the government would be better off starting with a few pilot projects; that a Treasury guarantee on the payments would be a must for banks; and that the financing tenors required for such a long concession period would be unattainable in Turkey. "Most marriages don't last that long," I remember one participant saying. Fast forward a decade, despite a long and challenging process, this thinking seems to have significantly shifted. Turkey's health ministry, a number of sponsors and potential financiers managed to negotiate a bankable structure that has led to successful financing of 7 projects, with 23 on their way. The ministry, sponsors and lenders found themselves married for 15-18 years, with no Treasury guarantee. The first campus is set to open before the end of the year. While many market players balked at getting involved in the early days, I am proud to say that one institution, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) - my current employer - took a bolder approach. IFC, which is the World Bank's private sector-oriented arm, responded to the very first tender that the Turkish government issued in 2011. IFC pitched in $35 million financing for a 415 million project to build a campus to serve Kayseri, a city of a million people in Anatolian Turkey (London-based EMEA Finance magazine recently awarded the Kayseri Project 'Best PPP Project of the Year'). We got involved in multiple other projects since then. IFC's early involvement helped catalyze the market behind the initiative. As a result, today we see myriad other players enthusiastically getting their feet wet. The list of financiers continues to grow: international finance institutions, multinational banks - some of which are first-time investors in Turkey - Export Credit Agencies, which has all further reinforced the program. Advertisement While early bird financiers can claim credit for bolstering investor interest, the PPPs' smartly-crafted risk-sharing structure and the strong government backing they enjoyed have been the bigger draw. The PPPs were able to offer the bankability characteristics sought by international project financiers, including a direct engagement of the lenders and the ministry. The government passed on the financing, construction and facilities management risks to the private sector, who would be expected to manage these more efficiently, and retained the fiscal, force majeur and patient volume risks. The ministry also agreed to fully compensate lenders in case of termination of the projects. Turkey has used PPPs in several other sectors, notably transportation and energy, but the health PPP projects were to first to implement 'Best Practice PPP' features. Today, the projects are attracting a diverse set of domestic and foreign financiers, as mentioned above, willing to deploy 18+ tenor capital to these projects, even during the current challenging times that Turkey is facing economically and geopolitically. This is a dramatic change to the Turkish Project Finance landscape, which had traditionally been dominated by Turkish banks and relied heavily on the sponsor's banking relationships rather than project "bankabilities". Multilateral financial institutions like IFC often take a cautious approach to PPPs, favoring small, pilot projects initially. While it felt quite chaotic at times with multiple mega projects being negotiated all at once, the experience with the Turkish health PPPs showed us that there was a positive side of the story. Being too big to ignore, it attracted the attention of major investors, sponsors and financiers - some setting up separate task teams to follow these projects. The involvement of large stakeholders with experience, capital and technology, had a strong catalyzing effect on its progress and fostered competition that eventually reduced the cost of the program. The ministry of health also has argued that with a third of public hospitals being upgraded, had Turkey taken a more gradualist approach, the overhaul would have taken decades to finish. Not every country may wish to replicate Turkey's experience. The projects enjoyed strong political support and the backing of the Turkish government, and the program appears to fit with the country's overall health system reform. This is not the case in every country, where the needs and specific features may require different structures. That being said, it would be wise to take note of Turkey's success in pulling together the necessary strategic and financial players and the reasons for that success. It would be premature to call the program a happily-ever-after story, as the new campuses are yet to open. Big challenges lie ahead: Can there be a smooth transition between old and new hospitals? Will the Ministry face difficulties in staffing new and more specialized hospitals with sufficient and appropriate medical staff? Might placing the new hospitals outside city centers make them harder to access? How clearly will the responsibilities for managing these mega operations be defined among government, contractors and subcontractors? Will there be enough capacity on each side to manage these projects, especially during the operational period? Hutchinson city council examines what to do about chickens The issue is before the planning commission because chickens are part of land use codes written to address larger animals. Modern journalists have little in common with those I was privileged to know when I was a copyboy at NBC News in Washington in the 60s. Todays journalists will disagree, but as numerous surveys have shown, the public trust in what is collectively called the media has sunk to an all-time low. Only the media think they dont have to change and can continue to sell a product more and more people refuse to buy. WikiLeaks dumps of Clinton campaign emails with reporters should contain enough proof for any reasonable person that big media is in the tank for her. In what may be unprecedented, The New York Times allowed Hillary to edit her own quotes. John Harwood, chief Washington correspondent for CNBC, showered praise on Hillary in emails to her campaign chief John Podesta. Clinton staffers discussed which emails to release and which to delete. She has claimed the deleted emails were personal, not work related. A Chapman University survey has found the top fear of American voters is corruption in government. If true, why do so many intend to vote for Hillary, perhaps the most corrupt politician ever to seek the presidency? The WikiLeaks documents also expose Hillarys private vs. public contradictory statements on several subjects. The Washington Examiner reports these include transcripts of paid speeches she has tried to keep secret. Three years ago, Hillary told an audience at a luncheon for the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago Vanguard that the flow of Syrian refugees into Jordan had put Jordans security at risk. About the thousands of Syrians pouring into Jordan, she said, ...they cant possibly vet all those refugees so they dont know if, you know, jihadists are coming in along with legitimate refugees. She wants to increase the number of Syrian refugees entering the U.S. by many times the current rate. If they pose a security threat to Jordan, why wouldnt they pose a threat to America? Even FBI director James Comey says he cant guarantee proper vetting for so many refugees and other immigrants, many of whom lack the most rudimentary forms of identification and verifiable work history. During the second presidential debate, Hillary expressed support for a no-fly zone over parts of Syria to help stem the humanitarian crisis. But, in a paid speech for Goldman Sachs in June 2013, she indicated she was skeptical about whether such a strategy would work. To have a no-fly zone, she said then, you have to take out all of the air defense, many of which are located in populated areas, so our missiles, even if they are standoff missiles so were not putting our pilots at risk youre going to kill a lot of Syrians. So all of a sudden this intervention that people talk about so glibly becomes an American and NATO involvement where you take a lot of civilians. There is much more, including private praise for Wall Street and big banks that paid her six figures for speeches with little content, but public criticism and promises to exert more government control over them if she is elected. In a West Palm Beach, Florida, speech last Thursday, Donald Trump honed his attack against the media, the establishment and the Clintons: The establishment and their media neighbors wield control over this nation. ... Anyone who challenges their control is deemed a sexist, rapist, xenophobe, and morally deformed. They will attack you. They will slander you. They will seek to destroy your career and your family ... (and) your reputation. They will lie (and) do whatever is necessary. The Clintons are criminals ... and the establishment that protects them has engaged in a massive cover-up of widespread criminal activity at the State Department and the Clinton Foundation in order to keep the Clintons in power. Never in history have we seen such a cover-up as this. Hes right and this should be his line of attack in the third and final debate Wednesday night. It's critical to help clients make the most of the plans they have For a number of years, the auto insurance marketplace has been defined by one chief showdown: direct sellers versus agents. Now, developments in the online comparison and insurtech spaces promise to upend the status quo and redefine how insurance policies are sold.Fortunately for insurance agents, this change does not leave them just another profession threatened by the internet. Rather, it may actually help the channel gain ground against its greatest competitors.As founder and CEO of Insurify, Snejina Zacharia leads what is now the industrys largest marketplace for auto insurance shopping. The virtual insurance agent is partnered with 102 carriers across 48 states and, most notably, more than 800 agencies.Its part of what Zacharia sees as an eventual full integration of distribution channels in auto and potentially all personal insurance lines.I think its superficial to think we can just replace agents, Zacharia told Insurance Business America. The agent network is powerful and a significant portion of US consumers continue to be served by it, so what we need to do is build an infrastructure that will create a big, integrated distribution network that gives agents the tools to remain relevant in a digital environment.Insurify has aimed to do that by creating a sophisticated algorithm that partners customers with one of the companys agency partners at the point of sale. About one of every four users go on to contact the agent, who splits the commission with Insurify.Supporters of the system say it allows agencies to connect with customers they may have otherwise lost to direct carriers, who have far more marketing and consumer outreach resources.The Insurify partnership has helped us grow five times [and] makes our agents 50% more efficient, said Joe Orr, executive vice president of insurance with Clearlink. We are able to compete with companies such as GEICO and State Farm and continue to grow our business.Insurify staff and partners are not the first comparison service to make this argument. When Google Compare launched in 2015, Compare.com CEO and Google Compare partner Andrew Rose told IBA the development was actually a positive one for agents.Our model is something that gives agents considerations where they wouldnt have it otherwise, Rose said. We have a shot in competing against GEICO and other big advertisers. You may have to sacrifice a bit of commission up frontbut it will allow you to take the personal relationships you offer and put it out on the multi-product market.If Rose, Orr and Zacharia are correct, such an integration of the channel may help agents regain some ground against direct writers, which claimed 51.2% of property/casualty insurance net premiums written in 2014.Zacharia even hopes to see insurtech, and Insurify specifically, expand to other lines, including home, rental and motorcycle in 2017 and life insurance in 2018.In 2020, 50% of shoppers will be Generation Z and theyre looking for tools to serve their needs in the easiest way possible, Zacharia said. Our goal is to provide those tools and be the dominant marketplace for auto, and eventually all, insurance shopping in the United States. Amandeep Singh Gill appointed as India's Ambassador to UN Conference on Disarmament Published: October 18, 2016 Senior IFS officer Amandeep Singh Gill was appointed as the Indias Ambassador to the UN Conference on Disarmament, Geneva. He is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1992 batch. He had represented India on the UN Secretary Generals Panel on Missiles from 2007 to 2008. Besides, he was also member of the Indian delegation to the Conference on Disarmament during the negotiations on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). What is UN Conference on Disarmament? The Conference on Disarmament (CD) is not formally a United Nations (UN) organization. It is linked to the UN through a personal representative of the UN Secretary-General It is a forum established in 1979 by the international community to negotiate multilateral arms control and disarmament agreements. The conference has 65 members represent all areas of the world, including all known nuclear-weapon states (including India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea) Resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly often request conference to consider specific disarmament matters. In turn, conference annually reports its activities to UNGA. In the 1990s, the Conference had held intensive efforts to draft CTBT text and its two annexes, but it did not succeed in reaching consensus on the adoption of the text. Currently it conducts discussion on Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), a pact to prevent an arms race in outer space, nuclear disarmament and negative security assurances (NSA). Month: Current Affairs - October, 2016 Topics: Amandeep Singh Gill National Nuclear disarmament Persons in News UN Conference on Disarmament Latest E-Books After four years of weathering Midwest winters and pining for the sun, Jonathan Githens headed south to begin his insurance career in Texas.An economics major from the University of Michigan, Githens was looking for an entry-level business position down south when he came across an advertisement in the schools career center from Aon . After being hired by the brokerage, he entered an 18-month introductory program in which he learned about different insurance fields and improved his business acumen.Githens quickly learned to love the business.Its something new every day, Githens told Insurance Business America. Every day presents new challenges and problem-solving opportunities to help clients.He spent three-and-a-half years as an account specialist with Aon before moving to Lockton, where he works now as vice president and account executive with clients across all industries. The companys emphasis on service appealed to Githens, who spends much of his time in the Dallas office growing Locktons real estate business and, as he puts it, feeling the ownership of the accounts.But Githens is also active in the industry at large. At just 28 years old, Githens is a relatively rare presence in an industry where the average member is in their mid-50s. In that environment, networking is key and Githens active in the Risk and Insurance Management Society, among other groups feels passionately about it.Insurance is a large industry, but a very tight knit one as well, he said. You never who youll need to lean on in the future, whether its business related or a connection that can help you in some other way. Ive also really enjoyed meeting new people and just talking about the business.Its a message Githens has passed on to other young professionals in his work with the Dallas-Forth Worth RIMS chapter.I try to emphasize that we live in a world where its not just one piece of paper that gets your foot in the door, he said. Even school can do a lot for you outside your GPA it can be crucial at a time when a young professional is looking to grow their career.Githens eventual goal is to progress further in the real estate practice and perhaps even lead Locktons efforts in that market. Massachusetts Voters Can Vote Early; Registration Deadline Wednesday NORTH ADAMS, Mass. You won't have to wait until Nov. 8 to cast a ballot for president. More than 1.2 million votes have already been cast in this election season across the country. Now, for the first time, Massachusetts voters will also be able to avoid the lines and vote early. "We don't know what to expect," said City Clerk Marilyn Gomeau. "We're prepared as much as we can be." Gov. Deval Patrick signed the 2014 law that expanded voting times to between 11 and two business days prior to Election Day, always the first Tuesday in November. This year, towns and cities across Massachusetts are preparing for early voting to begin on Monday, Oct. 24. The last day is Friday, Nov. 4. In North Adams, Gomeau has set up a couple voting booths in her office, the same ones that can be used for absentee voting that began last week. If it gets busy, she's got a back up plan to set up more. Early voting is similar to absentee voting, except now voters don't need an excuse for not being able to vote on Election Day. Not that they really needed one. "It is illegal to absentee vote if you weren't out of town but it is illegal for us to ask a reason," shrugged Gomeau. However, the city clerk cautioned that there's one big difference between early voting and absentee voting: an early vote ballot can't be dismissed. "Once you vote early, you can't change your mind," she said, unlike absentee in which you can show up at the polls and ask for your ballot to be voided and then vote in the usual way. The last election had about 500 absentee votes and more than 150 had already cast ballots by absentee in North Adams the first week they were able. Many of those are residents preparing to head to points south for the winter before Election Day. Both early and absentee ballots are available to be mailed but there must be a written request and time for the ballot to be mailed and returned. Early voting ends Nov. 4; absentee votes are accepted But Gomeau said she and her staff have been holding registration drives at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and that there's been a bump in new voter registration. Gomeau's preparing for a lot voter and is adding on staff. Pittsfield City Clerk Jodi Phillips is also unsure about turnout or how many might take advantage of early voting. But she, too, is preparing for a deluge of voters. "I wouldn't be surprised if we got 70 percent. We were 68 percent in 2012," Phillips said. "I hope people take advantage of the early voting. I'm hoping the Saturday session will encourage more people to come out, too." She added that, "We've already had over 500 absentee ballots so far." "Usually during the presidential election there's a large number of absentee any way." Just in case, she's going to have extra ballots on hand. But there is potential for a delay in voting results. The early ballots have to be run through the machines or counted by hand on the day of the election, just like absentee ballots. A heavy turnout could back up efforts to do that, forcing poll workers to wait until after voting closes. Phillips was confident that Pittsfield could handle it; Gomeau, with fewer poll workers, thought it could take longer. "The machines will not close until every ballot goes through," she said. Voters can go to their town or city clerk's office to vote during regular business hours. North Adams will also be open on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 9 to 1. Some $1.2 million for early voting was vetoed by the governor but restored through legislative overrides. Two hundred and eighty-four communities are getting about $400,000 of that in small grants to help only with the Saturday voting the two Berkshire cities got $500, the smaller towns $250 and clerks are concerned that early voting will be another unfunded mandate. The last day to register to vote is Wednesday, Oct. 19, and most town and city clerk offices will be open until 8 p.m. The 2014 election reform also allows for online registration and an online tool through Secretary of State William Galvin's office to check if you are registered to vote and where. Gomeau encourages voters to attend to their voting status as soon as possible. An inactive voter, for example, may still be able to vote but not until going through a process to affirm his or her status. "That's going to slow everything down," she said. "It's very time-consuming. ... It's easy to go directly to the site or call us and we can correct it very easily." Chopsticks was ordered closed on Friday because of building code violations. Consigli Construction and H.A. George Fuels requested to install temporary propane tanks at the job site of the $200 million expansion and renovation of Williams College's science center. Work progresses Tuesday morning on the installation of a solar photovoltaic array atop Williamstown's capped landfill. PreviousNext Williamstown Restaurant Closed for Building Code Violations Town Manager Jason Hoch said the restaurant is working to remedy building code issues identified a year ago. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The town Friday ordered the temporary closure of a Main Street restaurant after an inspection revealed the business' failure to address previously identified violations of the building code. Town Manager Jason Hoch told the Board of Selectmen at its Monday night meeting that Chopsticks Restaurant was found to be in violation of several parts of the building code some of which first were identified a year ago. "At their 2015 inspection last October, they were required to have a properly cleaned and tested kitchen hood duct system and hood fire suppression system within 10 months," Hoch said. "This condition was not met. "They were advised along the way of these kinds of issues. There was no surprise, no last-minute changes." The town's building commissioner and fire chief inspected the building again on Friday, Oct. 14, and found that not only was the previous order not followed, but there were several new issues. "During inspection, additional dangerous conditions were found, including significant grease deposits on the inside of the hood ducting system, unpermitted access panels cut through fire-rated walls, a non-functional alarm system missing the main control panel and evidence of the attic being used as living space," Hoch said. "That left both officials no choice." No fines were imposed for the violations, Hoch said on Tuesday morning, but the building cannot be occupied again until the code issues are addressed. Hoch also said that the Board of Health, which monitors food safety issues at restaurants, was not a part of Friday's action. Before the building can reopen, the owners of Chopsticks must meet the following conditions, according to Hoch's report to the Selectmen: Chopsticks must have a functional, tested, certified, and inspected fire alarm system Chopsticks must property clean and certify the kitchen's fire suppression, hood, and duct systems. The access panels must be permitted, and designed by a registered professional to meet the Massachusetts State Building Code. Hoch said the conditions were agreed to at a Friday afternoon Town Hall meeting attended by representatives of the restaurant and Westall Architects, which previously had designed an expansion for the restaurant. "This is not an action we take lightly," Hoch said in a meeting telecast on the town's community access television station, Willinet. "I want to be very clear about that. This is not an action we take without ample warning and support along the way." In other business on Monday, the board approved the temporary installation of six 1,000-gallon liquid propane tanks associated with the construction of Williams College's new science center and heard an update on the college's partnership with the town to install a 2-megawatt solar array on the town-owned landfill behind the transfer station. Representatives from H.A. George and Sons Fuel of North Adams and Consigli Construction, the construction manager of the $200 million science center project, were before the board to explain the need for the LP storage and answer any questions about the safety protocols. The tanks will feed heaters that allow construction at the site to continue in enclosed spaces throughout the winter months. Kyle George of H.A. George explained that the six tanks stored at two sites on the project will allow for about three days worth of heating between refills. The large capacity was requested, in part, to minimize disruption of propane delivery during the project, he said. Several landowners on nearby Hoxsey Street attended the meeting to press the contractors for details about their safety procedures. "From my cursory research into liquid propane gas and particularly this volume in a pretty dense area is it's a pretty hazardous substance," Wanda Bubriski said. "Perhaps you, sir, could clarify what some of the [safety] provisions are some sort of affirmation that Consigli working with George Fuels is abiding by OSHA rules. I assume there wouldn't be so many pages of regulations regarding the propane gas if it was so 'easy peazy.' " The representatives from H.A. George, which has been in business since 1948, and Consigli, which dates to 1905 and has offices from Portland, Maine, to Washington, D.C., sought to assure those at the meeting that both companies take the safety concerns very seriously. "What we're using is the [National Fire Protection Association code], which is the code which structures how tanks are installed," Kyle George said. "There needs to be independent isolation shutoffs. There needs to be excess flows in case of any kinds of problems that occur. All of that is set up and will be inspected by our local fire department." The fire chief already had approved the plan for the temporary tank installation before the question reached the board on Monday, Hoch told the Selectmen. Bubriski asked both George and Consigli's Andrew Jennings if either company had ever had an accident of any kind. "We've been in business for 70 years, and there are leaks on occasion, but there's been nothing where we've had any problems with injuries or anything like that," George said. "We check our work. We have an inspector come and check our work. Consigli is checking it, too, because it's their investment. It's not worth it to us to have any incidents." While construction work continues at the science center and nearby college bookstore, the college also is moving ahead quickly with installation of the solar array at the town-owned capped landfill. The college's associate vice president for finance told the Board of Selectmen that the school hopes to have the project wrapped up by Thanksgiving, weather permitting. The school, doing business as Simonds Road Solar LLC, earlier this year took overall the permits, contracts and designs from Solar City, Inc., which previously had an agreement in place with the town. Because of a changing regulatory environment emanating from Beacon Hill, the financing no longer made sense for Solar City, but the college, which previously installed its own solar array further north on Simonds Road, stepped into the void Sheehy explained that the town stands to benefit to the tune of a more than $4.5 million over the next 20 years once the project is online. The bulk of the financial benefit will accrue from net metering credits on municipal electric bills; the rest will come from $31,000 annually in property taxes generated by the land's use. Sheehy said the college is following a design negotiated with the town by Solar City that preserves the integrity of the landfill by not doing any digging to install anchors for the solar array. In fact, the landfill cap is actually improved under the project, Sheehy explained. A second membrane has been added over the top of the existing membrane; stone and gravel were laid on top of the new membrane, and the panels -- rather than being held in place by a foundation dug into the hill -- sit on top of the gravel, held in place by the weight of concrete bases. In other news on Monday, Hoch said the town is still waiting on the attorney general office's approval of the Waubeeka Overlay District approved at annual town meeting in May. The AGO recently notified the town it needs another extension for its review; the new anticipated date is Nov. 5, Hoch said. 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 Question 46: The U.S. Government declares a ban on the possession, sale, transportation and transfer of all non-sporting firearms. A thirty (30) day amnesty period is permitted for these firearms to be turned over to the local authorities. At the end of this period, a number of citizen groups refuse to turn over their firearms. Consider the following statement: I would fire upon U.S citizens who would refuse or resist confiscation of firearms banned by the U.S. Government. The respondents were asked to strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree or offer no opinion. Dear Editors: Please allow me to open with a quote from Missouris favorite son, Harry S Truman: Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear. By banning myself and others from his Facebook page, Eighth District Congressman Jason Smith has started down that very road. As Americans, we understand the value of a healthy debate to a free society. I have disagreed with Mr Smith on many issues, but always in polite language and backing up my positions with facts and links. For this I am now banned, unable to comment on his page, like many others. The deletion of almost every negative comment by all people is pretty transparent. Like a Third World dictator who gets 99.9% of the vote, does he really think people really believe that 100% of all people who sees his page are going to make positive comments? Making it look that way by deleting dissent is a blatantly obvious ploy in an election year. Besides the important philosophical issue regarding the threat to American freedom by quashing my and others First Amendment rights to free speech on a government financed forum, there is also a legal issue. The United States District Court held that a police department Facebook site could not delete non-obscene comments, nor ban users that frequently posted comments critical of the police department. As a public forum and one representing an official government agency, they were found to be bound by the First Amendment and required to tolerate the critical posts. Certainly if a city government is so bound on social media, the federal government, of which he is a part, and which guarantees our Constitutional rights, is also so obligated. I have asked several times for him to un-ban me but he hasnt, so now I must resort to a public statement. This is a simple matter that reflects messy democracy. If Mr Smith really believes in the First Amendment he has to accept that not everyone will agree with him. Thats what America is all about. Sincerely, Bill ODonnell Winona Country Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic 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of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe An Archaeology Lesson for UNESCO The Fellowship | October 18, 2016 An Archaeology Lesson for UNESCO The U.N. vote ignoring Judaisms ties to the Temple Mount has been panned by many. But writing at The Times of Israel, Zachi Dvira, an Israeli archaeologist and co-director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project, provides concrete evidence proving it as a Jewish holy site: The existence of the Jewish Temples is beyond any doubt. There is substantial evidence in the numerous historical sources that witnessed them, including Pagan historians who were not influenced by the Jewish or Christian tradition, such as Berossus (3rd Century BCE), Menander of Ephesus (2nd Century BCE), Hecataeus of Abdera (c. 300 BCE), Mmaseas of Patara (c. 200 BCE), Diodorus of Sicily (1st century BCE), Strabo (1st century BCE), Tacitus (1st Century CE) and many others. Although it is not possible in todays political climate to conduct a proper archaeological excavation on the Temple Mount, there are many archaeological finds that support the almost universally accepted fact: it is the site of the Jewish Temples. Many of the artifacts come from the Temple Mount Sifting Project, and many others can either still be observed at the Temple Mount, were found accidentally during renovations, or were found in archaeological excavations at surrounding sites The Beit Hatekia Inscription Archaeologist Prof. Benjamin Mazar in 1972 found this Hebrew inscription which had fallen from the south-western corner of the Temple Mount and was found in the rubble being excavated by archaeologists excavating nearby. The stone carries the inscription lebeit hatekia lehakhriz which means to the house of the blowing of the trumpet to announce. Jewish historians and rabbinical sources described the custom of blowing the trumpets from the Temple Mount in order to announce the time of the sabbath and sacred holy days (Sukka 5: 5; Babylonian Talmud Shabat 35: 2; Tosefta Sukka 4; Wars IV, X, 12) Eastern Walls section from the First Temple Period The lower courses north and south of the Golden Gate in the eastern wall are dated by Temple Mount scholars to the First Temple Period (see Leen Riymeyer, The Quest 2006). The drafting of these stones resembles masonry stones from walls in other sites dated to the First Temple period Edward Price Non-Resident Senior Fellow NYU Center for Global Affairs Contact email linkedin Edward Price, a former British economic official, teaches international political economy, financial systems and international relations at NYUas Center for Global Affairs. He is also an economic advisor for BritishAmerican Business (BAB). Educated at the London School of Economics (LSE), Edward holds an MSc in Finance and Economic Policy and an MA in German History. He has worked in both the British and European parliaments, was Americas editor at IFLR and has worked in the City of London. He speaks German, gets by in Italian and is a member of the Economic Club of New York (ECNY). This Isnt Our Last Love Letter Dear Don Don, Way back in 92 I walked into the room and knew Never felt this way before I shook your hand while gazing into your eyes And the feeling grew As I took a seat I knew A love that would have my heart Forever I knew Way back in 92 They say love at first sight doesnt always last or isnt true We were the exception to that rule Our love had no where to hide A spark set fire As if this is how the universe started I never doubted our love or what we could do Together we grew Forming a bond everlasting That became our glue My euphoria was YOU Im eternally grateful for the love and life we shared For how fortunate we were : to have and to hold through sickness and in health Til death do us part Until we are together again This isnt our last love letter I love you with all my heart and soul Yours forever, Deirdre (Mrs. Hank Snow) Im fortunate to have fallen in love with, marry and make a life with the sharpest, coolest, funniest, most rare, bad ass, tender loving, loyal man on the planet, my husband Don Imus. A True American Hero I dont know why it has been so hard for me to write about my dear friend Don Imus. I certainly know what he meant to me, my family, my charity, my hospital and the millions of fans that listened and loved him for so many years. I keep reading all the beautiful condolences that people are writing about how much a part of their lives were effected by listening to him over the years. But what most people dont talk enough about is what he did for all of us. In every sense of the word, he was an American Hero. His work with children with so many different illnesses and his dedication to their future was unmatched by anyone I have ever known or heard about. Besides raising over $100,000,000 for so many causes, he took care of young people for over 20 years in a state where he could not breathe. Along with his incredible wife Deirdre, he created a world where children were not defined by their disease. That was a miracle! He was a miracle. I will miss him ever day for the rest of my life. I was blessed to be a part of his and Deirdes life. No one will ever do what he did. I love you Don Imus - A TRUE AMERICAN HERO David Jurist IMUS IN THE MORNING FIRST DAY BACK! Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} For Werner Herzog fans, 2016 has already been somewhat a treat; the release of Lo and Behold marking another fantastic documentary by the director, while his fictional thriller, Salt and Fire, debuted at film festivals. Later this month, another documentary by Herzog touches down, Into the Inferno, about active volcanoes around the world and the people that live in awe of them. The critically acclaimed documentary - which debuted at Telluride Film Festival in September and will reach Netflix on the 28 October - has finally received its first trailer. Herzogs iconic voice echoes out over explosive imagery and footage of those who both worship and live nearby the volcanoes of Indonesia, Iceland, North Korea and Ethiopia. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Show all 14 1 /14 Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 House of Cards - Season Four - 4 March Last time we were in Frank Underwoods White House things werent looking to great for the President, his first Lady having just walked out on him. What will happen next in the critically acclaimed show is anyones guess. Netflix Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Daredevil - Season Two - 18 March Back in Hells Kitchen things were seemingly getting better. Kingpin is in prison and the crime syndicates should have dispersed - for the meantime at least. Unfortunately for Matt Murdoch, theres a new anti-hero in town: The Punisher. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Flaked - 11 March According to Netflix, Flaked is set in the insular world of Venice, California. It follows the serio-comic story of a self-appointed 'guru' who falls for the object of his best friends fascination. Soon the tangled web of half-truths and semi-b******* that underpins his all-important image and sobriety begins to unravel. Arnett plays Chip, a man doing his honest best to stay one step ahead of his own lies. Netflix Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Season Two - 15 April Following the story of 29-year-old Kimmy Schmidt on her journey through New York, season two is set to start right where the last left us. The Tina Fey created sitcom has already been renewed for a third season, so you know this one has to be good. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 The Ranch - 1 April A comedy starring Ashton Kutcher. Based on a failed semi-pro footballer who returns home to a Colorado ranch. It also has some of the producers from Two and a Half Men behind it, which just happens to be one of the most successful shows of all time. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Marseille - 5 May Netflixs first French language original is a tale of power, corruption and redemption. Sounding like it could very well be the next Narcos. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Grace and Frankie - Season Two - 6 May The tale of a retired cosmetics mogul and a hippie art teacher living together was a hit across the world, especially in the US. Starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, the show has already been renewed for a third season. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Orange is the New Black - Season Four - 17 June Another Netflix powerhouse, Orange is the New Black will see us returning to Litchfield Penitentiary. Prepare for more Piper, Alex and Red come June. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Stranger Things - 15 July Eight-episode series starring Winona Ryder that follows a small community as they look for a young boy who has seemingly vanished. It all sounds quite scary. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 The Get Down - August 12th "Told through the lives and music of a ragtag crew of South Bronx teens, The Get Down is a mythic saga of the transformation of 1970s New York City. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, this is sure to be as stylish as anything hes done before. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 The Crown - Spring Starring Doctor Who actor Matt Smith, the period drama reveals the political rivalries and romance behind Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the 2nd half of the 20th century." Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Luke Cage - Fall 2016 First appearing alongside Jessica Jones in her Netflix series, Luke Cage will pic up the pieces, seeing Cage come to terms with his super-strength and impenetrable skin. It is unknown whether Kathryn. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Narcos - Season 2 - Fall 2016 Its back. The Netflix series hyped to match Breaking Bad was an astounding success around the world, apparently watched more than Game of Thrones. Well find out what happens to Pablo Escabar now he doesnt have the protection of all his men. Netflix Inc. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 A Series of Unfortunate Events - Fall 2016 Netflix is set to revisit the much-loved childrens novel, putting Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf in a show that looks so much creepier than the 2004 film. Not much else is known - i.e. casting - but Lemony Snicket is on board as executive producer, so get excited. Into the Inferno marks yet another piece of critically acclaimed content from Netflix in recent months, being released a week after season three of Black Mirror, itself only two weeks on from Luke Cage and the Amanda Knox documentary. Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Since their formation in 2014, This Be The Verse have been refining their dynamic blend of chaotic industrial bluster and electronica, whilst honing their anarchic live show with a variety of slots supporting some of the most exciting bands in the world, including Black Peaks, Heck, Palm Reader, Wild Throne and Hawk Eyes. Now, theyre finally ready to unleash their debut self-titled album, which is available to stream 3 days before official release exclusively on The Independent. Harnessing the power of their frenetic live show and distilling those elements into a strikingly varied debut album, This Be The Verse have finessed their sound into an 11-track odyssey that showcases the scope of enigmatic visionary Cyrus King. Often taking a direct, guttural route, the self-titled record is merely the beginning of what he hopes to achieve with the band. For me this album is all about laying the foundations of what This Be The Verse is about, he says. Im determined to have the highest level of artistic integrity and quality, from the song content, to the album artwork to the press shots and videos. It's about saying things which need to be said and to keep people guessing on what's going to come next. Infused with a broad range of influences from some of the best contemporary rock bands of the modern era, This Be The Verse draw from a broad palette of styles. Musically, the first acts that come to my mind are Nine Inch Nails, Deftones and The Dillinger Escape Plan says Cyrus, but if I was to expand upon that I'd include Tool, Mastodon, Queens of The Stone Age, System Of A Down, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Aphex Twin and Converge; the list goes on. I listen to new music every day. I am a complete an utter music addict. But its not just music that Cyrus draws from for inspiration, involving himself heavily in practically every artistic decision the band makes. In terms of the visual influences, it could be an amazing film I have seen, a great book I have read or some inspiring photography. I love the surreal work of people such as David Lynch and Storm Thorgerson. The most important thing for me is it that it connects with me, whatever the medium. It could be a moment in the middle of a rave, watching a film by Jonathan Glazer or reading a poem by Phillip Larkin. I thought Mica Levis soundtrack for Under The Skin was incredible, it's dark and twisted but still very beautiful. If something resonates with me I'll make a note of it. Quite often I'll be watching a film and will make a note to record a bit of sound design I have heard and come back to that later to build on. This ability to take the best ideas from as broad a palette as possible and finesse them from your own unique perspective is what has distinguished musicians from artists; the David Bowies, Mike Pattons and Trent Reznors of this world and Cyrus has ambitions to follow in these hallowed footsteps. This desire not to be boxed in is immediately apparent when Cyrus talks about individual songs on the record. Alone is entirely electronic, Consequences is tear-out scream in-your-face anthem, whilst How Can You Sleep has quite a pop orientated chorus. Moving forward musically, I am pretty open and not tied down to just being a standard bass, drums and guitar band. With this record I feel I have a place for me to build from and also come back to if needed. I might make a completely electronic album next or it could be half an hour of total guitar thrash chaos. The record explores a wide variety of lyrical themes, including the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks and the religious indoctrination that causes people to harm others. One side of my family is Muslim but I was christened and went to a few Catholic schools. As a child, I was made to believe there is a god just as there is a Father Christmas. When you are young, you are easily impressionable but I think it's totally wrong to tell a child that there is a god. If you connect with religious values as an adult through your own discovery, that's fine. I Am Charlie is named after the terrorist attacks in France. I was watching all of that unfold on the TV and I just got so angry that people are able to use religion as an excuse to do the most horrific things to one another. If we were to get rid of religion, would these attacks stop? In my opinion, no because it's in our human nature (particularly men) to cause blood-shed and I think a lot of religions are used as an excuse to act over something which is actually political. Unveil is not exclusively aimed at religion but more at a country and the way they oppress some of their people. No one should be forced to wear a head scarf if they don't want to, but likewise no one should be forced to remove a headscarf on a beach in France if they want to wear it. Religion just creates too much division and does nothing to help us progress as a society; it's an interesting part of world history but that's as far as it goes. We have no need at all for it in the modern world. This debut has been in the works for a long time for Cyrus, who has always dreamed of having an album as a canvas to express his ideas. As an art form, he still sees value in the album as a form of expression, and plans to continue making them. I feel relieved to finally be letting go of this record, he says. I spent so long trying to make it as good as possible and I've learnt so much making it that I just want to get stuck into the next record now. I've got loads of ideas cooking up in my head and I feel like I am just scratching the surface with this record. The best is definitely yet to come. This Be The Verse, the self-titled debut album, is released on Friday 21st October and is availiable to pre order now. The band play a show supporting Reigning Days at Old Blue Last in London on 9th November. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Wealthy nations are doing nowhere near enough to help the worlds poorest people cope with the effects of climate change, Oxfam has warned after 38 developed countries claimed they were on track to meet their pledges to provide aid. As part of the Paris Agreement of Climate Change, rich states promised to raise $100bn (about 81bn) a year by 2020 to help the poorest ones, either by providing money directly or persuading private companies to contribute. While the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found earlier this year that they were on course to fall billions of dollars short of this target, the countries themselves have now produced a roadmap report saying they are confident it will be met based on a few modest assumptions. However Oxfam warned that instead of giving money, most countries were lending it, while others were rebranding ordinary aid as climate finance. Tracy Carty, climate policy lead for Oxfam, said far too little money was being given to help countries cope with changes that are already happening. She pointed to this years devastating drought affecting southern Africa, where more than half a million children are suffering from severe, acute malnutrition, 3.2 million have reduced access to safe drinking water and 40 million need humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations. Drought conditions have also been experienced further north in places like Somaliland. That is a grim foretaste of just the kind of suffering and hunger we are going to see in the years ahead unless countries have support to adapt their agriculture systems in particular, which in Africa and elsewhere are extremely sensitive to climate change, Ms Carty told The Independent. She said the roadmap was a positive move because its the first time developed countries have said how they will meet the $100bn, but things just need to step up significantly. There are questions about whether this will be anywhere near enough. The fund includes about $20bn a year to help countries adapt to climate change, rather than attempt to reduce its severity, for example by switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy. But Oxfam pointed out the United Nations had estimated that developing countries would need to spend $140bn to $300bn a year to adapt to climate change by 2030. And there are other problems with the rich nations promises. Ms Carty said most countries were guilty of over-counting, for example by using the full-face value of loans towards the total. So in terms of this being a real transfer of finance to developing countries when countries are counting the full-face value, thats inflating their numbers, she said. Some countries also count an overly high proportion or even the full value of an aid project towards the total. So if they are building a school with flood defences, they claim the total sum should be treated as climate finance, not just the defences. Every dollar that is mis-counted or over-counted, its the poorest people in the least developed countries who are suffering the most thats a dollar they are not going to get, Ms Carty said. Climate change protests around the world Show all 25 1 /25 Climate change protests around the world Climate change protests around the world People rally to promote climate protection in Rome, Italy Climate change protests around the world Hundreds of demonstrators gather in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world People hold hands to form a human chain during a gathering called by ecologist organisations in Marseille, southern France, to protest against global warming a day ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators clash with French riot police during protests on Place de la Republique, ahead of the COP21 World Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, France Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators clash with French riot police during a protest on Place de la Republique ahead of the COP21 World Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, France Climate change protests around the world A group of people perform during a rally to promote climate protection in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Climate change protests around the world A protester sits next to his sign that reads 'Monsanto the Devil Incorporated ' as he joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Environmentalists dance during a protest near the Place de la Republique after the cancellation of a planned climate march following shootings in the French capital, ahead of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21), in Paris, France Reuters Climate change protests around the world People protest next to characters dressed as wild animals during a march against climate change near the Monument to the Revolution, in Mexico City AP Climate change protests around the world Protesters carries a banner while they take part in a protest about climate change at New York City Hall steps in lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People take part in a protest about climate change around New York City Hall at lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People rally to promote climate protection in Piazza Castello, Turin, Italy Climate change protests around the world A woman holds a globe during a protest for the global climate day in Lugano, Switzerland Climate change protests around the world Yemenis hold banners as they participate in the Global March for Climate in the old city of Sanaia, Yemen Climate change protests around the world Protesters dressed as Santa Claus take part in a protest about climate change at New York City Hall steps in lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People gather at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo, during the Global Climate March to demand action on climate change telling world leaders on the eve of a crunch UN summit that there is "no planet B". From Sydney to London, humid Rio to chilly New York, at least 683,000 hit the streets in 2,300 events across 175 countries at the weekend, co-organiser and campaign group Avaaz said, calling it the largest number of people to protest over climate change all at once Getty Images Climate change protests around the world Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators participate in the Global March for Climate in Athens, Greece Climate change protests around the world A man wearing a Bernie Sanders mask leads hundreds of demonstrators who marched near City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Patricia Hauser joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California Climate change protests around the world A woman holds a poster of a sick Earth as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Hundreds of demonstrators march around City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world A demonstrator holds cut-out of US Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world George Patten holds a sign that reads 'No Fracking Ever!' as he joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Gabrielle Sosa wears 'Rising Sea Levels' sign as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA In a statement, Oxfam called on world leaders meeting at a climate conference in Morocco next month to quadruple adaptation support by 2020, pointing out that the worlds poorest people were the least responsible and most vulnerable to climate change. Nick Dearden, director of campaign group Global Justice Now, said giving aid in the form of loans could end up causing financial chaos in the countries it was designed to help. Given the damage climate change is doing to those who have little or no role in fuelling it, funds are desperately needed, he said. But the amounts actually dispersed so far are a pittance of whats needed, and far too much has come in the form of loans, which will simply stoke future debt crises in countries which should effectively be receiving compensation. If Western governments want to help repair the damage they continue to do, we need very large public grants paid into funds controlled by the societies doing the adapting and mitigating. Enough of the announcements that simply serve as a cover for lack of action. Leonardo DiCaprio and President Barack Obama go hard on climate change at SXSL Dominic White, WWF-UKs head of international development, said wealthy countries needed to shoulder their share of the costs. Poor nations suffer first and most from climate change, he said. The UK has made some welcome commitments on climate finance, but the costs for countries to adapt are increasing all the time. 'Dangerous' climate change could arrive as early as 2050 The Roadmap to $100bn report, produced by the European Union, UK, Australia, US, Japan and 34 other countries, said: We are confident we will meet the $100bn goal from a variety of sources and reaffirm our commitment to doing so. About $67bn a year is expected to come from wealthy countries by 2020 with the rest expected to come from private finance that has been mobilised by the public money. Perhaps oddly, the first in a set of actions in the roadmap designed to meet the target was for countries to fulfil our pledges. Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping experts Sign up for our free IndyBest email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyBest email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Theres nothing like a pure wool throw to snuggle up in once the nights draw in. A wholly versatile number, it provides an added textural layer to hang off the arm or back of your sofa, making it a toasty and affordable alternative to reaching for the thermostat. Larger wool blankets can act as cosy bedspreads, too, and this is where the material really comes into its own: pure wool is naturally breathable, static-resistant, odour-proof and of course, eco-friendly. As a renewable fabric you can sleep soundly knowiing your luxuriously soft lambswool blanket is sustainble. In testing our top throws weve discovered a distinct move away from traditionally autumnal shades. Conversely, this autumn and winter its all about bringing bright colours to our living rooms or bedrooms with a wooly accessory that really stands out. Similarly, weve discovered some contemporary weaves that come from surprisingly traditional mills, and we love this marriage of a time-honoured craft with forward-thinking design. To avoid shrinkage, and to keep your blankets shape, washing instructions must be followed to the letter. Some of our woollen throws withstood a gentle machine wash, while others were strictly dry clean only. We put our selection to the test, looking for a good balance between warmth and weightiness, eye-catching design, and the very best in traditional craftsmanship. You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Loom & Last thyme lambswool throw Size: 140cm x 180cm Beautifully soft but also reliably weighty, this 100 per cent lambswool throw marries traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary design and colourway. Unlike many pure wool blankets and throws, this one bucks the trend on autumnal hues, and instead offers a spring fresh pop of colour. Here, irregular block stripes range from a bright grassy green and citrusy orange to a soft duck egg blue and warming cream. Take a closer look and youll see a delicate herringbone weave, which gives the blanket its subtle, fine woven texture. We loved the long, cream fringing, too. Cosy, modern luxury. Buy now 115 Loom & Last {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} Issy Granger the poets throws, the Millay Size: 140cm x 185cm Not that we need an excuse to cosy up with a good book in a wingback armchair while draped in a pure wool blanket, but these literary inspired throws are positively inviting us to. Made from 100 per cent pure merino lambswool, they feature a simple, wide-striped design in blue, raspberry or green, and are named, rather charmingly, after poets Lord Byron, Christina Rossetti and Edna St. Vincent Millay respectively. Lightweight yet incredibly warm, and featuring generous fringed detailing, these throws offer a chic and timeless look alongside their obvious cosy appeal. Buy now 185 Issy Granger {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} Johnstons of Elgin geometric merino wool throw, camel Size: 140cm x 190cm Woven from 100 per cent extra fine merino wool, this luxury throw is almost impossibly soft and the moment we laid our hands on it we understood the pricing: its high-end quality is tangible. Yet its super softness is met with sharp geometrics the generously-sized blanket features overlapping lines and triangles, in a palette of nature-inspired colours from coral to sand to ocean blue. What we loved most about the throw was its ability to be both delicate and lightweight yet wonderfully soft and warm. This ones seriously snuggly. Buy now 275 Johnstons of Elgin {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} Urbanara gotland blanket Size: 140cm x 220cm While a wool throw can offer a cosy textural layer to our favourite armchair or living room settee, Urbanaras offering is large enough even in the smaller size to act as a wonderfully woolly bedspread. This tactile number, complete with its twisted fringe detailing, is woven from 100 per cent pure Scandinavian new wool and features a delicate chevron patterning, adding to the visual texture. Its rare to find a pure wool blanket large enough to cover a king sized bed but this one more than did the job. Its on the thinner side, but it is soft and warm ideal if you want to feel toasty without being weighed down. The larger size (220cm x 240cm) costs 129. Buy now 85 Urbanara {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} Inchyra Scottish wool throw in cranberry Size: 150cm x 190cm Simple, stylish and contemporary, Inchyras offering provides a smart textural layer to beds, sofas and armchairs with its fashionable window pane check. Woven in Scotland, this is a substantial pure wool throw, both in materials and dimensions. Snuggle up on the sofa with it and youll be toasty in no time. We loved its long twisted tassels and its fruity burst of colour a cheery pick-me-up on the dreariest of days. This one can be personalised with a hand-stamped name or date, making it an ideal wedding gift for winter nuptials. Buy now 175 Inchyra {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} Roger Oates Heather Shields throw, nougat Size: 135cm x 185cm Our most expensive pick comes from the masters of flat weave, Roger Oates. It may be pricey but it is a beautifully hand-crafted piece that will easily take centre stage in any living room or bedroom set up. The throw, with its intricate geometrics and stripes is timeless in design and boasts a warming colourway in tones of nougat and mariner. Its woven from pure new wool in a traditional double cloth technique, making it reversible, substantial in weight, and one that holds its shape. We loved the blanket stitched border, which added to its craft-driven appeal. Buy now 329 Roger Oates {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} Heating & Plumbing super fluffy pure new wool blanket Size: 130cm x 200cm This is a relatively new brand that playfully mixes traditional craftsmanship with the coolest, contemporary design, which is exactly why we love it. True to form, its wool blankets offer a colourful update on conventional designs with a palette of daring combinations that really stand out. This is woven from 100 per cent pure new wool and features a light grey block colour thats accented with overlapping stripes in the most vibrant canary yellow and ocean fresh turquoise. Cosy, fluffy, warm but lightweight. Buy now 89 Heating & Plumbing {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} Klippan velvet wool throw, saffron Size: 130cm x 200cm As the name suggests, Nordic Nest is a one stop online shop for curated Scandi homewares. In the fold is Swedish brand Klippan Yllefabrik, or Klippan for short. Founded in 1879, its a reliable brand of woven textiles, so its no surprise this lambswool throw is so soft it boasts the tag velvet. It features a lovely bumpy honeycomb patterning, which adds to the arresting texture. Soft and cosy, the throw is available in a range of contemporary shades, including the beautifully vibrant saffron. Buy now 58 Nordic Nest {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} National Trust herringbone block pastel throw Size: 140cm x 220cm Made exclusively for the National Trust by Yorkshire weavers, Bronte by Moon, this is another pure merino lambswool throw that manages to be both lightweight and warm. In a subtle and finely-crafted herringbone weave, it features a contemporary block pattern and boasts a delectable colourway: vibrant lime greens and violets merge with pastel pinks and sky blues, all of which are inspired by the shades of the great outdoors. This one looked lovely draped over our vintage leather Chesterfield, adding a colourful slice of the countryside to our city pad. Buy now 80 National Trust {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Whisky obsessives from China are so hooked on scotch that they are flying in to Britain to indulge in 50,000-a-time boozy shopping sprees. One London whisky store told The Independent that several times each week men from China will spend five figures on single malts. When it comes to their tipple of choice, older equals better and they are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to get it. One buyer was frustrated that we only had three bottles of the Macallan Blue Label [a 30-year-old sherry oak malt] in stock, the boss of a central London store said. So he asked whether he could just send his driver to the distillery to pick up some. This guy was all set to drive north of Aberdeen to grab a few bottles, until some were sourced from another store. Travelling to the UK to buy whisky can work out significantly cheaper than importing it. Hong Kong charges 100 per cent duty on spirits entering the country, whereas those bringing bottles back from the UK typically dont declare it. It can be really easy for these guys. They step off the plane at the other end, hop in a car, go through private security. No ones giving them much trouble. The Winchester Collection: Vintage 1966 Show all 5 1 /5 The Winchester Collection: Vintage 1966 The Winchester Collection: Vintage 1966 Master distiller Alan Winchester sits back with a glass of the 1966 vintage The Winchester Collection: Vintage 1966 The Winchester Collection: Vintage 1966 The Winchester Collection: Vintage 1966 The Winchester Collection: Vintage 1966 Many wealthy Chinese people have an affection for traditional British goods, so whisky with its lengthy Scottish heritage is in high demand. The Scotch Whisky Association this month urged the UK to prioritise negotiating free trade deals with China post-Brexit, along with India and Brazil. Given China has the highest number of billionaires outside America, there's big money to be made. A sales associate at another London whisky store told The Independent that when it came to making a sale to a wealthy overseas client, Youd think wed roll out the gold carpet but its a really common occurence. As to whether the bottles are typically quaffed back home, or placed in prominent positions for prestige value, it depends on the customer. The staffer added: Some customers have a good understanding of whisky and you can tell when theyre in the market for something theyll enjoy. Others have an expensive is better mentality, which suggests the bottle is more of a wealth signifier in the boardroom or wherever. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Its easy to say that its a boring time for mobile phones: every company has converged on one very similar design, a sheet of glass, metal and curved edges built around a black rectangle in the middle that shows you an increasingly stagnating operating system. And thats true, but also not, because Samsungs phones are blowing up on planes and literally threatening lives. Its into this strange market of stagnation and explosions that Google has released the first phone it had made itself. The stakes have never been higher as well as Samsungs worries, Apple is also seeing growth in sales of the iPhone slow but the opportunity has never been bigger. Google has had phones before, of course. They used to be called Nexus and were made in concert with other companies, intended mostly as a way of showing what Android could do. They tended to be relatively low on standout features and instead used Android as their central pitch. Not only were they free of the kind of bloat that Samsung and others layered onto the operating system, they also got updates as soon as they came out important, when other manufacturers and networks tend to stagger those updates, leaving people without exciting new features or important security changes for sometimes years. Sabrina Ellis, Director of Product Management at Google, speaks about the new Pixel phone during the presentation of new Google hardware in San Francisco, California (REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach) But its not really the fact that the Pixel doesnt bear another companys name that marks it out from those previous phones. Its the fact that it quietly marks an entirely new strategy for the company one that could finally kickstart innovation in the phone business and bring back the idea of being excited about new handsets. The Pixel is a very muted statement of intent from Google, and a signal of a huge change in the phone market. It also brings new features that cant be found in any other version of Android in particular the Google Assistant. Together, that seems to signal that Google isnt just a huge search and ad company that also makes a phone any more; its on its way to being a genuinely exciting phone company that sometimes talks about its search engine. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty Google Assistant The real centrepiece of this phone is the Google Assistant. Most of the software is stock Android its really the only place that you can experience that, without the kind of bloat that other manufacturers like Samsung load up on it and with updates that come to the phone as soon as theyre released but the Google Assistant is another layer on top that makes this phone super smart. Google Assistant is really just a smarter version of the OK Google voice search that has been built into all Android phones for years, or of Siri. But those extra smarts are so powerful that they could be the entire reason to buy this phone. Introducing Google's phone - Pixel The Assistant is clever enough that you can, probably for the first time, let voice be the primary way that you interact with your device. It works for almost everything you can imagine from a simple factual question (how tall is the Eiffel Tower) to complex discussions about where you should eat out that evening and then going through with the booking. In the Assistant, everything that Google is great at shines through. The voice recognition is almost instant, thanks to all the work it has done on transcription; the information that it can pull is practically infinite, given that Google is the greatest store of knowledge ever known to humanity; and the complex understanding that it shows is masterful because of Googles work in artificial intelligence. Its a feature that could only really ever been made by Google - and, importantly, its a feature that will only ever appear in Googles phones, because it has said that the Assistant wont be a part of Android. If youre interested in speaking to your phone, then this is the one you need to buy - its just near impossible that Apples Siri or Samsungs newly-acquired Viv will catch up to it any time soon. Design The design is unashamedly iPhone-inspired. Google threw plenty of shade at Apple during its keynote delighting in the fact that it didnt have the ruling camera bump that sticks out the back of the iPhone, for instance but the product itself was a tribute to Apples hardware design in almost every way. Its one of just many things where Google has borrowed from Apple, which also includes the phones pricing, packaging, marketing and colours. That feels OK Google didnt pretend otherwise like Samsung sometimes does, and appears to have recognised that its skill isnt in industrial design or hardware generally. The parts of the phone that do depart from Apples design are a little strange, and perhaps leave you wishing that Google had borrowed even more from its rival. The back of the handset has a strange white glass panel on it, for instance, which takes up about a third of the phones rear side and makes it look like a sticker has been applied to it. It has the same grey antenna lines that snake around the side and back of the phone that were found on the iPhone until the 7 came out they are a necessity because aluminium doesnt let phone signals through, but feel a little strange when theres that big plate of glass in the back. But in other important ways the Pixel leapfrogs the iPhone. The design of Android allows it not to have the home button on the bottom, for instance, and the fact that the fingerprint sensor is on the back means that it can avoid having any intrusions on the bottom of the handset at all. All of those changes add up to a phone that looks competent and unsurprising uninspiring, if you were being unkind, but also risk-free and drawing on design standards that have become widely-used mostly because theyre good. If youre looking for an eye-catching look or a phone that will draw looks from passersby this wont be the thing but thats not really the point in a phone anyway. Why is Google making this phone? Thats the question that hangs over this handset, though its more philosophical than one thats of interest to a review. Its worth asking, though, because it gets at the heart of something that youll ask when you get or try this handset: why is it so good? Its worth remembering that however good this phone is, Google makes almost the entirety of its money from ads. Almost everything that it makes feeds that business, either by encouraging people to share more data about themselves (as Android does) or by building new platforms to show ads on (as the search results page does). Brian Rakowski, VP of Product Management at Google, speaks about the camera on the Pixel phone during the presentation of new Google hardware in San Francisco, California (REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach) (Reuters/Beck Diefenbach) This phone satisfies the former, but Google Assistant is in direct contradiction with the latter. When youre using it, you simply dont see marketing its entire interface means that you never really see a web page, so theres just no place for ads to show up. Once, for instance, you might have searched for flights and so seen a whole host of ads pop up on your screen Google makes money by asking companies to pay to appear there, and it helps people out as much as an ad can because they are usually for the relevant services. Now if you search for a flight then the Google Assistant will do as much as it can to help you, drawing on Googles information but showing you answers rather than ads. And so the only explanation for why this phone is so good and why Google has been allowed to make it is that it could signal an entire change in strategy for the worlds biggest ad company. It might stop selling ads. Instead, it will start selling phones. And that appears to be why this phone is so amazingly, uncomplicatedly good: its perhaps the first ever consumer Google product meant only to make you want to buy it. Its something akin to the point that Apple has made repeatedly unlike most other big tech companies, it only wants you to buy things not to harvest your data, and so its only interest is in making products that you want to buy and that recognition has ended in a phone that should make Apple and the iPhone worried. Verdict The Pixel and Pixel XL are without doubt the best phones that have ever been made to run Android. If youre keen on Googles operating system and want a premium phone to run it on and it is premium, costing the same as an iPhone and positioning itself right at the top of the market then theres no question that this is the one. That would be true even if Samsungs phones werent blowing up. The simplicity, the purity of the operating system and the unbelievable smarts of Google Assistant mean that this is the best ; Samsung might still make better screens and more pristine designs, but its whats actually on the display that counts. The one real remaining challenger is the iPhone. And the question of which you want doesnt really come down to which is better any more, but rather which is easier. If youre already in the Google or Android ecosystem, if youre using an Android phone, and if you dont have anything like the Apple Watch that relies on working iOS, then Android will suit you. If you like iOS, if youre keen on the way that Macs and Apple TVs and Apple Music work with it, and if all your friends and family are on iMessage, then iOS will. They are both perfectly adequate, and there probably arent specific features of either operating system that youll miss. (If there is, it will probably end up being added in the next release.) So it comes down to a question of allegiance and ease, or general things about the operating system: Android is slightly smarter, while iOS is smarter-looking. If you do opt for Android, though, this is the phone you should buy. Its not simply the purest representation of the operating system, its the best handset ever made to run it. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Many of the Twitter users supporting Donald Trump after the presidential debates were bots, according to a new analysis. More than four times as many tweets came from automated accounts that supported Mr Trump than they did backing Hillary Clinton, according to Philip Howard from the University of Oxford. The robot tweets helped give the appearance that Mr Trump had more support than he did, according to Professor Howard. That apparent surge in support was referenced repeatedly by Mr Trump, who claimed that despite what the official polling showed he had actually won both of the debates. What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? Show all 8 1 /8 What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On the leaked tape from 2005 where he talks about sexually assaulting women I'm very embarrassed by it, I hate it, but it's locker room talk. It's one of those things. I will knock the hell out of Isis Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On Hillary Clinton I hate to say it but if I win I'm going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. There has never been so many lies, so much deception. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Rex What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On Bill Clinton What he's done to women, there's never been anybody in the history of politics in this nation that's been so abusive to women. AP What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On whether his alleged opposition to Iraq War had been disproven "Its not debunked. Its not debunked." Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On exploiting tax loopholes "I absolutely used it, and so did Warren Buffett, and so did George Soros and so did many people who Hillary is getting money from." Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On claims he's sexist I have great respect for women. Nobody has more respect for women than I do. Reuters What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On what he respects about Hillary Clinton I will say this about Hillary - she doesn't quit, she doesn't give up. I tell it like it is. She's a fighter. Reuters What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On his controversial immigration policies "Its called extreme vetting. Were going to areas like Syria, where they are coming in by the tens of thousands because of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton wanting to allow a 550 per cent increase [of refugees] over Obama. People are coming into this country. We have no idea who they are, where they are from and what their feelings are about this country." Getty The software used to create the bots also help manipulate public opinion and muddy political issues, according to the authors of the paper. The research looked at tweets posted on 26 September, the day of the debate, and the three days that followed it. It looked at which accounts were posting pro-Trump and pro-Clinton hashtags, and found accounts that were only posting one and not the other. About 1.8 million tweets were sent supporting Trump, and only 613,000 tweets were sent for Clinton. The researchers found that 32.7 per cent of the Trump ones appeared to be sent by accounts that were bots. Only 22.3 of the pro-Clinton ones were sent from such accounts. But the definition of bot used in the research has prompted some complaints. An account was classified as a bot if it had tweeted at least 50 times a day in the time being studied, meaning it sent at least 200 tweets over four days. But its possible that those accounts may simply be actively used there certainly are a number of accounts that tweet more than that and are legitimate and so the numbers could also reflect that people who tweet more often are more likely to support Donald Trump. Professor Howard said however that the findings showed that on the balance of probabilities, if you pulled out a heavily automated account the odds are four to one that you'll find it's a bot tweeting in favour of Trump. He said that most of the apparent bot tweets were sent overnight and shared similar information. They showed other behaviour that is not human, Professor Howard said, and tended only to tweet about the candidate that they had chosen. White House ridicules Donald Trump for 'snorting his way through debates' The team chose the number of tweets per day after analysing data generated during the Venezuelan election and the Brexit vote. They found that when they looked at accounts that broke through the criterion, most of them tended be inhuman, and that most legitimate accounts dont tend to tweet enough to reach the criterion. It isnt possible to know who those accounts were created by and what they were being used for, the researchers note. There is no suggestion that any of the tweets were sent or paid for by the official campaigns, or even necessarily that those accounts were being used primarily to support the candidates they were posting about. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Higher death rates observed among patients admitted to hospital during weekends could be linked to the severity of their illnesses, a new study suggests. Those who attend A&E over the weekend are more likely to have a severe ailment than those who attend during the week, experts say. Previous research into the so-called weekend effect might not have taken into account the higher severity of patients' conditions at weekends, they said. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt used his drive to create a seven-day NHS as one of the main reasons for reforming junior doctors' contracts - which led to the biggest walkout of doctors in NHS history. Mr Hunt has cited studies showing higher death rates at weekends when setting out his argument for a seven-day health service. Last month, a number of experts including Professor Robert Winston and Professor Stephen Hawking called for an inquiry into the claims made by Mr Hunt. In a letter published in the Guardian, they said Mr Hunt had cherry-picked research, causing a devastating breakdown of trust between government and the medical profession. The new study, published in the BMJ Quality & Safety journal, found that a higher proportion of patients admitted to hospital at the weekend arrived by ambulance - which researchers say is an important marker of increased illness severity. Experts from the University of Manchester examined data on three million patients admitted to hospitals across England via A&E during 2013/14. They found that mortality was found to be significantly higher for patients admitted to hospital throughout the weekend and on Wednesday and Thursday nights. But when they took into account each patient's mode of arrival, they found that only patients admitted via A&E on Sunday daytime had an increased risk of mortality. The proportion of patients brought in by ambulance was 61% on Saturdays and 60% on Sundays - higher than the average of 57% during week days. They found that patients arriving by ambulance had much more severe problems, with a mortality rate of 5.5% compared with just 0.8% for patients who did not arrive by ambulance. Patients arriving at A&E by ambulance had a higher risk of mortality and higher proportions of patients admitted overnight and at weekends arrived by ambulance, the researchers wrote. Lead author Matthew Sutton, professor of health economics at the University of Manchester, said: We have shown that much of the weekend effect identified in previous studies is likely to be explained by a smaller and on average sicker population of patients being admitted at weekends. Arrival by ambulance is a marker of illness severity that has been omitted from the previous studies on which the seven-day services policy is based. Other measures of severity would likely explain the weekend effect away altogether. He added: The seven-day services policy is based on very little evidence. This major omission from the previous studies shows that much more robust evidence is needed to justify the major changes in hospital services that are under way. Commenting on the study, Dr Anthea Mowat, chairwoman of the British Medical Association's representative body, said: These academics are the latest in a long line of health professionals and leading experts to challenge the use of figures on weekend mortality rates. It is really a far more complicated picture than what has previously been portrayed. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty The BMA believes patients should have access to the same high quality of care, seven days a week. If the Government want to make more services available across seven days, then it needs to explain how it will staff and pay for them at a time when existing services are struggling to keep up with demand. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} To outsiders, Petes life was a model of success. Having risen through the ranks of the police force to become a detective, he owned a business with his wife of 23 years, with whom he had two children. But for two decades he had kept a secret. He was a serial cheater, and had slept with at least 23 women in as many years. Fully aware of the shocking scale of his infidelity, Pete stresses that he was compelled to cheat because of his addiction to sex, and his longing for unconditional love when his wife's attentions were drawn to their young children. The 53-year-old is among the one in five adults in the UK who admits to having an affair. Pete has chosen to speak publicly about his story in a new Channel 5 documentary Me and My Affair, alongside five others who have also been unfaithful. Me and My Affair (Long) Pete, from Warwickshire, met his wife in 1984, in their last year of university. He was roguish, bold, brash and loud, while she was very smart, and very shy. I was bowled over by her looks, he says recalling the moment he saw first saw her in a lecture. She was engaging and different to any other girl Id dated. There was an air of sophistication about her that was really alluring. After dating for three years, they married in 1987. Egged on by his laddish friends to sew his wild oats, Pete had cheated on his previous girlfriends. But he experienced a new level of commitment with his wife, and he rejected his old lifestyle. Combined with is new, full-time career in the police force, Pete felt as if he had finally grown up. Pete was addicted to sex for two decades (Channel 5) But his faithfulness unravelled when he was assigned to a 14-week training programme with the police, meaning he was only at home on the weekends. The time in the evenings was our own. He says. Pete and his colleagues would often unwind in pubs and clubs, and indulge in a culture of womanising. It was at a club in Birmingham that Pete chatted with a woman, drew her in for a slow dance, and kissed her. That night, he cheated on his wife, who was pregnant with their first child, for the first time. There was a decided difference in the level of guilty, Pete remembers. Before there wasnt much at stake, but now there was. Asked if he enjoyed it, he goes on: Oh absolutely. It was fun. He never saw the woman again. Over the next two decades, Pete slept with at least 23 women although he suspects there were more seizing any chance he had. While some were one-night stands, he saw one woman in particular for two-and-a-half years. To feed his addiction, he would concoct excuses to leave town for the weekend for quick, risky sex but would feel uncomfortable, guilty and ashamed if a woman became attached. At home, his family life continued. I really dont think it was especially different to any other marriages, he says. Sometimes wed sleep together and go away and have social functions with the kids. Other times were at each others throats and sleeping in separate bedrooms. And then wed move on. It was when Petes wife found his workbook from a personal development business course that she discovered he had been cheating. Asked to write down a past regret, he had scrawled the words: being unfaithful. She was devastated," he said. Love and sex news: in pictures Show all 31 1 /31 Love and sex news: in pictures Love and sex news: in pictures What makes a perfect penis? Scientists have now answered one of these great unknowns. According to a new study, general cosmetic appearance is the most important penile aspect when it comes to what women value down there. This is swiftly followed by the appearance of pubic hair, penile skin, and girth. Length comes in at number six, with the look of the scrotum trailing closely behind. The least important facet of the phallus, say the scientists, is the position and shape of meatus, the vertical slit at the opening of the urethra. Getty Love and sex news: in pictures Half of divorcees had doubts on their wedding day Over half of divorcees considered abandoning their husband or wife-to-be at the altar on their wedding day, a new study has revealed. On top of likely worrying about wedding favours and making sure guests behave on their big day, 49 per cent of divorcees admitted they were unsure before the ceremony that their marriage would last. Some 15 per cent of divorcees polled said they were so wracked with doubt that they felt physically sick in the run up to their wedding. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Students who marry after studying the same subject Picking a university subject is already difficult enough for young people. But heres an extra piece of data to weigh on your decision: you may be picking a life partner as well. Dan Kopf of the blog, Priceonomics, analysed US Census data and found that the percentage of Americans who marry someone within their own major is actually fairly high. About half of Americans are married, according to the 2012 American Community Survey (part of the Census). And about 28 per cent of married couples over the age of 22 both graduated from college. (The survey didnt recognise same-sex marriages for the 2012 data, but it will for 2013 onwards, says Kopf). Sean Gallup/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures How much sex we have (and how much we'd like) As a nation, we dont have as much sex as we would like, a survey has (somewhat unsurprisingly) confirmed. In a poll of 1523 people by YouGov, 64 per cent of Britons said they would wish to have sex at least a few times a month. The same sample said that only 38 per cent had sex at least a few times a month. In addition, 10 per cent said they wished to have sex every day, a goal which only 1 per cent admitted reaching. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures The new female condom Picture an internal condom. The chances are youre thinking of something which resembles a carrier bag. However, this could all be about to change with the new VA w.o.w. Condom Feminine. Not only is it a wireless, Bluetooth enabled, vibrating interactive device, which comes available in the shape of a heart, but the manufacturers think youll love it more than not using a condom at all. Love and sex news: in pictures One in five Brits admit to having had an affair One in five British adults admits they have had an affair, according to a new poll. 20 per cent of male respondents and 19 per cent of female respondents admitted to having had an affair in a new poll of 1660 respondents by YouGov. Orlando /Three Lions/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures The UK's favourite sex position Casting aside the myth that Brits are a prudish bunch, a new survey has revealed that doggy style is the nations favourite sex position. As many as a quarter of UK adults surveyed said doggy style was their favourite way to indulge with a partner. Missionary, which is sometimes scoffed at the most boring position, was favoured by a fifth of the 1,000 people surveyed by high street sex shop Ann Summers, seeing it come in as third under "woman on top". Caiaimage/REX Love and sex news: in pictures Who's most likely to cheat? Men and women who are economically dependent on their spouses are more likely to cheat, a new study has revealed. Researchers have found that men who are solely financially dependent are more like to cheat than women, at 15 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. Men who are rely on their wives may cheat because they are undergoing a masculinity threat by not being the primary breadwinner as is culturally expected, said study author Christin L. Munsch, a UConn assistant professor of sociology. Eye Candy/REX Love and sex news: in pictures Jailed for loud sex noises A woman who breached a court order barring her from causing nuisance by making "loud sex noises" was sent to jail. Gemma Wale, of Small Heath, Birmingham, was given a two-week prison sentence after a civil court judge concluded that she had breached the order by "screaming and shouting whilst having sex" at a "level of noise" which annoyed a neighbour. Rex Features Love and sex news: in pictures Photo of wedding guest proposing to girlfriend in front of bride and groom goes viral When the staggering amount time, money, and effort that goes into to planning a wedding is considered, it seems pretty obvious that all guests have is to do is turn up with some gifts, and not upstage the couple. But this fact seems to have escaped one man, whose grinning face has gone viral after he decided to propose to his girlfriend in front of the bride and grooms top table. The photo, which has been viewed over 1.4 million times on Reddit, shows a boyfriend perched on one knee in front of his crying girlfriend. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Sexual fantasies The results of a sex survey are busting the myth that Britons are sexually repressed, by revealing how the majority of women have lived out their sexual fantasies. As many as 81 per cent of women and 77 per cent of men have shared and acted out fantasies with a partner with having sex in public topping the list of turn-ons. The study also laid bare the influence of TV and film on our desires, with three-quarters of couples saying they had inspired them. Meanwhile, a further three quarters of women and over half of men have played out a fantasy theyd found in a book. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures The world's sexiest nationalities Irish men are the worlds sexiest, according to a survey of thousands of jet-setting women. In a poll of 66,000 of single American women who use MissTravel.com, as many as 8,000 said that Irish men are the sexiest. Around half of the females who took said they were turned on by Irish men said their accent influenced their choice, according to the Irish Times. ANDREW COWIE/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures More sex = happiness? Couples were asked to double the amount of sex they had each week over a three month period by researchers at the Carnegie Mellon University, who compared them to couples who had their normal amount of sex. Their findings, published in the Journal of Economic Behavior, went against advice given by the average self-help book having more sex doesnt automatically make a person happier. Instead, couples who were instructed to have more sex reported a decrease in happiness levels. Mood Board/Rex Love and sex news: in pictures Most sexually satisfied countries It is often considered the most amorous nation on the planet, but France doesn't even feature in a new list of the most sexually satisfied countries. According to a Durex global survey of 26,000 people, aged 16 and older, across 26 countries, only 44 per cent of people are fully satisfied with their sex lives. In the wake of these results, AlterNet has compiled a list of the 12 most sexually satisfied countries, with Switzerland, Spain and Italy topping the list. INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Sex o'clock They say women are from Venus and men are from Mars but a new sex survey suggests that members of the opposite sex seem to operate in different time zones too. While women like to get steamy between 11:21pm on average, men are more likely to be turned on at the rather inconvenient time of 7:54am. These times fall into the broader timeslots of 11pm and 2am for women, and 6am and 9am for men. PIERRE ANDRIEU/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures More sex = more money People who have more sex are likely to earn more, new research claims. The research, partly conducted from the responses of 7,500 people, found employees who have sex two or three times a week earn 4.5 per cent more than colleagues who do not. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures The effects of watching porn Contrary to suggestion that porn desensitises viewers to sex, a study has found that it doesn't "negatively impact sexual functioning" and in fact boosts couples' sexual attraction to one another. In research published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, scientists at the University of California tested the effects of visual sexual stimuli on men in relationships, finding that it "is unlikely to negatively impact sexual functioning, given that responses actually were stronger in those who viewed more VSS." Rex Love and sex news: in pictures 'I have herpes' A woman diagnosed with herpes at the age of 20 has written an emotional essay about living with the common condition to fight the stigma surrounding it. Ella Dawson, now 22, said she had never had unprotected sex and thought she wasn't the sort of person STDs happened to when the symptoms first appeared during her time at university in the US. She wrote that the diagnosis initially felt like a punishment for her values and relationships and worried her that telling boyfriends would ruin her love life. Ella Dawson Love and sex news: in pictures More sleep, better sex A new study could have a simple answer to enhancing your sex life just get a good nights sleep (if you are a woman at least). A study conducted by a team at the University of Michigan Sleep and Circadian Research Laboratory found women who get an extra hour of sleep at night reported higher levels of sexual desire and were more likely to have sex with their partners. Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Swipe right A woman has detailed her experiences of a week of always swiping right on Tinder. By opening the floodgates, as Ms Caster describes it, she receives scores of messages from different men and not all are terrible. Love and sex news: in pictures The most adulterous town in the UK Ever wondered what the neighbours are up to? Well if you live in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, then the answer is probably... having an affair. The bustling East Midlands town has been granted the dubious honour of being the UK's top spot for infidelity with a total of 941 affairs reportedly taking place right now. According to The Official Infidelity Index 2015, which was released this week, 2.54 per cent of the towns population are currently seeing someone they shouldn't. REX FEATURES Love and sex news: in pictures Average penis size revealed Scientists have measured more than 15,000 mens penises in an effort to find out what size is normal. Researchers at Kings College London and a London NHS trust said they hoped the review would help address the concern that some men have about their penis size and aid people suffering from anxiety and distress. They revealed that the average flaccid penis is 3.6ins (9.16cm) long, or 5.2ins (13.24cm) when stretched, and 3.7ins (9.31cm) in circumference. Erect penises are 5.1ins (13.12cm) long on average and 4.5ins (11.66cm) in girth. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures One true love Men fall in love more times in their life than women, according to a new survey. 2,000 adults were asked about relationships, and discovered that more than half of men say they've loved more than one person their lifetime. For women, it's markedly fewer, with only 45 per cent saying they've had multiple loves. Love and sex news: in pictures Dating site for 'beautiful people only' A self-proclaimed elite dating website has removed around 3,000 members because they were "letting themselves go". BeautifulPeople.com describes itself as the largest internet dating community exclusively for the beautiful and puts peoples photographs to a members vote to decide if they are allowed in. But administrators have now shown that the rigorous 48-hour selection period is not a permanent pass by taking thousands of profiles down, mainly because of weight gain and graceless ageing. Love and sex news: in pictures Sex is a 'miracle cure' Regular exercise including sex, walking and dancing are miracle cures staring us in the face and could dramatically cut our risk of cancer, dementia, heart disease and diabetes, leading doctors have said. In a new review of existing evidence which reveals the full extent of benefits that can be accrued from exercise, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said the improvement in health and savings to the NHS could be incalculable. Susannah Ireland Love and sex news: in pictures Pornhub searches by age of user Pornhubs prolific Insights blog fires out many reports of sociological interest, none more so than its latest on age, which lays bare different age groups' sexual proclivities. Looking at the most popular searches among 18-24s, there are several familial terms including 'step mom', 'milf', 'mom' and 'step sister', a trend that seems to die out somewhat in users' 30s. By 65, 'massage' becomes the top term, while 'granny' perhaps unsurprisingly also hits the top ten. PlaceIt/Just Another IKEA Catalog Love and sex news: in pictures Mature sex Research into the sexual lives of more than 7,000 men and women between the ages of 50 and 90 in England reveals that half of men and almost a third of women aged 70 and over were still sexually active, with around a third of these sexually active older people having sexual intercourse twice a month or more. Around two-thirds of men and over half of women thought good sexual relations were essential to the maintenance of a long-term relationship or being sexually active was physically and psychologically beneficial to older people. Getty Creative Love and sex news: in pictures The secret to an eighty year marriage Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that 42 per cent of marriages in England and Wales end in divorce, and the average British marriage which ends in divorce lasts 11 years and six months. Helen and Maurice Kaye, now aged 101 and 102, have been married for 80 years, and say the secret is: I think its important to have patience and tolerance. You're two entirely different people who suddenly live together, which can't be easy. But if you love each other, you get over the difficulties. Love and sex news: in pictures Valentine's Day porn Pornhub saw a (slight) drop in traffic on Valentine's Day as people focused on pleasuring their partners rather than themselves. Everywhere, it is, except for London. Overall UK traffic dipped 3 per cent across the UK, with Plymouth and Oxford seeing the biggest drops of 11 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. In fact every major city spent less time watching porn bar London, the Pornhub audience for which grew by 2 per cent. Getty Love and sex news: in pictures 1 in 10 men paying for sex A tenth of British men have admitted to paying for sex, according to a new study. Professionals aged 25 to 34 who binge drink and take drugs were found to be the most likely to have used the services of prostitutes, based on findings from a study of 6,108 men. Around 11 per cent of subjects, in the study published in the Sexually Transmitted Infections journal, have ever paid for sex in their lifetime and four per cent admitted to doing so in the last five years. Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Questions that determine if you're in love The existence of love and its nature is something that has troubled philosophers for centuries, but a pair of scientists believe they have a set of questions that yield "clear empirical evidence" of it, or at least whether your relationship will end in divorce. They are: 'How happy are you in your marriage relative to how happy you would be if you weren't in the marriage?' and 'How do you think your spouse answered that question?' Columbia Unable to reveal the extent of his infidelities, Pete told her it was a one-night stand with a woman he used to work with ten years ago. That night, he moved out of the house. Months later, Peter presented his wife with a list of all of the women he remembered. She saw someone who needed help, he says. His wife suggested they attend counselling to mend their marriage. We could have carried on quite normally and appear to function, but there was a dearth of unconditional love between us, says Pete. He says now realises that he was in emotional pain, and his affairs were a short-term fix. That was six years ago. Pete and his wife now plan to spend their 30th anniversary together in New York. Those feelings that I had have completely gone, says Pete, adding that the feeling of being loved and loving in return doesnt compare with what he experienced before. I know within my heart of hearts that Ill never do it again. Me and My Affair, will premiere on Channel 5, Thursday 20 October, at 10pm For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The average earnings of Britains still growing army of self-employed workers are still lower than they were two decades ago, new research from the Resolution Foundation suggests. The think tank estimates that average earnings for people in the group in 2014/15 are only around 240 a week, 15 per cent down on 1994/95 levels in real terms. Over that time the earnings of employees are up 14 per cent at around 400 a week. No growth in two decades According to the latest labour market report from the Office for National Statistics there are 4.76 million self-employed people, accounting for around 15 per cent of all those in work. Since the 2008-09 recession their ranks have swelled by almost one million. And since 2000 the numbers are up by 1.5 million. Yet the average wages of the group are 60 a week lower than at the turn of the Millennium, according to Resolutions calculations. Official data on the earnings of the self-employed is patchy and only produced with a considerable time lag, so Resolution has to use statistical interpolation techniques to estimate the latest average earnings for the group. Rising numbers There is a vigorous debate among economists and analysts over whether the sharp rise in the numbers of self-employed in recent years reflects the preferences of workers for greater autonomy and fewer hours, or whether it is a symptom of a labour market that is still under capacity. Some suggest the rise in self-employment reflects the enforced casualization of the work force by companies that want to reduce their labour costs. The bulk of the decline in average real wages since 2000 is accounted for by self-employed workers doing fewer hours in a week. But since the financial crisis this has changed and such compositional effects have not explained the earnings shortfall. Theresa May has appointed Matthew Taylor, the former head of Tony Blairs policy unit, to head a review of workers rights and firms employment practices, which will cover the issue of self-employment. The proportion of self-employed business owners with staff of their own has fallen from 23 per cent in 2000 to 15 per cent today. This has been interpreted as suggesting that the surge of self-employment is not evidence of a major flowering of entrepreneurial activity. This year has seen strikes by technically self-employed workers in the so-called gig economy against the pay and conditions imposed by the smartphone apps UberEats and Deliveroo. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. With so many self-employed workers earning so little, it is right that the government investigate how public policy should catch up to meet the needs of these workers, said Adam Corlett of Resolution. For many people, self-employment brings a freedom that no employer can provide. But the growth of low pay and short hours, along with a summer of protest about conditions, means that its no surprise some workers in the gig economy feel that self-employment is just a positive spin on precarious work. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The first school in Europe to teach all its students in both English and Chinese is to open in London next year. Founders of Kensington Wade, a dual language independent prep school, say children as young as one will be taught in Chinese, and all those who attend the school will leave fluent. Provisions for the schools opening come amid renewed emphasis from the British government on the importance of teaching Chinese as a second language, in order to prepare future generations for the global market. Professor Hugo de Burgh, who founded the school together with independent school expert Adrian Richardson, said Chinese was an increasingly essential asset for those hoping to work internationally, and predicted the school would be the first of many of its kind. He said: Learning Chinese opened another world to me, enriching my life and giving me opportunities I would never otherwise have had. Now I want the next generation to have the same, only earlier. There are already some schools that teach the language, but its done much in the same way as French or German a few hours a week - which is not enough to really get to grips with such a difficult language as Chinese. Kensington Wade promises an immersive bilingual education, offering children from ages 3-13 a curriculum influenced by successful Chinese and English educational practices. The school will also incorporate a nursery, accepting children aged 1-3, and is said to be priced in-line with neighbouring independent schools, which start at around 5,000 per year. Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain Show all 6 1 /6 Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain Tourists walk on the 100-meter-long and 1.6-meter-wide glass skywalk clung the cliff of Tianmen Mountain (or Tianmenshan Mountain) in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Getty Images Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain An aerial view of tourists walking on a glass-bottomed skywalk on the Panlong (coiling dragon) Cliff on Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China Getty Images Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain Tourists walk on the 100-meter-long and 1.6-meter-wide glass skywalk clung the cliff of Tianmen Mountain Getty Images Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain The 100-metre-long walk gives a clear view of the deep valley behind and is the third glass walkway in the scenic zone EPA Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain Tourist takes selfies on a glass-bottomed skywalk on the Panlong (coiling dragon) Cliff on Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China EPA Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain The Coiling Dragon Cliff skywalk, featuring a total of 99 road turns, layers after another, is the third glass skywalk on the Tianmen Mountain EPA Lessons will be split fifty-fifty, devised in a similar method to successful bilingual schools found in the US and Taiwan. The school is not yet taking submissions, but according to Mr de Burgh there have already been several hundred enquiries ready for the autumn 2017 term. Mr de Burgh, a leading authority on cultural relations between China and the UK, suggests the main interest in school places will come from international families, who already speak multiple languages, professional Chinese families and British families who deal in Chinese business. Its likely, therefore, that some pupils will arrive at the school with some Chinese language skills, while others will begin with none. But the schools founders insist that Kensington Wade will not segregate pupils into levels of ability, instead adopting a traditional Chinese approach. Chinese teaching assumes that everybody will get up to the same standard, even if some are slower and some are faster, he said. To help them get to the same level, faster children and the teacher put in quite a lot of effort to ensure those of a lower ability get up to speed. A number of fee-paying schools already offer Chinese as a second language, but the Kensington-based prep school will be the first to teach it as a bilingual subject with the aim of fluency. Can China eradicate poverty by 2020? This term, the Department for Education launched a new 10m initiative to expand Mandarin teaching in state schools across the country. Hundreds of pupils are taking part in the programme, which aims to make at least 5,000 young people fluent in Mandarin Chinese by the year 2020. Vicky Gough, Schools Adviser at the British Council, which runs the scheme along with the UCL Institute of Education, said: The UKs future prosperity depends in no small part on our ability to communicate and build relationships with people from around the world and China is one of our most important partners. With over one billion speakers of Mandarin Chinese worldwide, it is vital that more of our young people learn the language and understand something of Chinese culture to successfully work abroad or for businesses here in the UK. Learning Mandarin Chinese or another widely spoken language - not only gives young people the advantage they need to live in a global society but will help ensure that the UK remains competitive on the world stage. The much praised Shanghai-method of teaching maths, which has also received government support following its success in countries such as China and Singapore, will be offered to Kensington Wade pupils along with Chinese-influenced classes such as calligraphy and martial arts. Having Chinese as a language leads to better job prospects but its not the only reason why we want to offer Chinese, said Mr de Burgh. Much like other countries learning English in schools it teaches a great deal about human life and history it broadens the mind and prepares children for the new century. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The French government has passed legislation to allow transgender people to legally change their gender without undergoing obligatory sterilisation. Until now, French people hoping to transition were forced to undergo surgical sterilisation before being officially recognised by their new gender. According to data released in 2013, nearly two dozen European countries enforced obligatory sterilisation, including Norway, Finland, Russia, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and Switzerland. Historically, the argument was this step was necessary to prove transgender people were serious about transitioning, according to Transgender Europe. LGBT rights activists were celebrating their victory on Thursday in what has been widely-recognised as a step towards a more progressive and modern attitude. Since 2014, Denmark, Malta and Ireland have allowed people to legally change their gender by informing authorities, without medical or state intervention. Countries including Britain, Spain and Germany still require a psychiatric diagnosis of gender dysphoria or transsexualism in order to legally change gender. Involuntary sterilisation has been strongly condemned by the UN as a human rights violation. Recommended Read more Why more and more women are identifying as bisexual ILGA-Europe say the change in law is a step in the right direction for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups. "There is no other population in the world that is asked to be sterilised apart from transgender," ILGA spokesperson Sophie Aujean said. "These are years of sparring that finally come to fruition." However, others criticised the amendment as "not a revolutionary law". Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe Show all 10 1 /10 Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe 1. United Kingdom Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe 2. Belgium Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe 3. Spain Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe 4. Netherlands Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe 5. Norway Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe 6. Portugal Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe 7. Sweden Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe 8. France Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe 9. Iceland Top 10 best places for LGBT rights in Europe 10. Denmark "This law will resolve nothing while we still refuse to medicate and legislate transitions," Stephanie Nicot, president of la Federation LGBT told Le Figaro. "We demand that this [issue] no longer goes through the courts; we are not criminals and judges have more important things to deal with." The French census does not currently include transgender people and therefore there is no official estimate of the number of trans people living in France, however activists estimate it to be in the tens of thousands. In Europe, transgender people are twice as likely as gay people to be attacked, threatened or insulted, according to an EU report published in December 2014. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Barack Obama is apparently just as confused as some of his critics by the Nobel Peace Prize committee's decision to award him the accolade in 2009. Mr Obama, now in the process of wrapping up his eight years in the White House, made an appearance in a skit for the Late Late Show, where he practiced his interview skills in light of his impending search for a new job. His appearance came days after Oliver Stone, the director of the eponymous Edward Snowden biopic, criticised the Obama administration for bombing Muslim countries. The Nobel Peace Prize committees decision to award Mr Obama the prize proved controversial. Mr Obama oversaw the first US air strikes launched in Syria in 2014 in a huge escalation of Americas military campaign against the Isis terror group. Six years after coming to office he had approved military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya, becoming the Peace President to bomb seven countries in six years. When asked by Colbert to list any other relevant awards or qualifications, Mr Obama replied: I have almost 30 honorary degrees and I did get the Nobel Peace Prize. Most controversial Nobel Peace Prize nominees Show all 5 1 /5 Most controversial Nobel Peace Prize nominees Most controversial Nobel Peace Prize nominees Edward Snowden 2014: The National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden has been nominated by two Norwegian MPs for the Nobel Peace Prize, meaning the US contractor currently claiming asylum in Russia could be awarded the same prize accepted by President Barak Obama in 2009 Most controversial Nobel Peace Prize nominees Vladimir Putin 2013: The Russian President Vladimir Putin was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize because the former KGB agent actively promotes settlement of all conflicts arising on the planet, according to the advocacy group that nominated him, at least Most controversial Nobel Peace Prize nominees Barack Obama 2009: US President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize for "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples, shortly before launching military airstrikes in Libya. The irony was not lost on Mr Obama it seemed, who during a press conference joked: "[Energy Secretary Steven] Chu's the right guy to do this, he's got a Nobel Prize in physics - he actually deserved his Nobel Prize" Most controversial Nobel Peace Prize nominees Henry Kissinger 1973: Henry Kissinger was awarded the prize for his work on the Paris Peace Accords jointly with Le Duc Tho, who turned the Prize down. The American humourist Tom Lehrer later quipped that Kissingers award represented the death of satire Most controversial Nobel Peace Prize nominees Josef Stalin 1945: Soviet dictator Josef Stalin was nominated for his efforts to end World War II. Fellow nominee Vladimir Putin recently said there was no difference between him and Oliver Cromwell, when asked whether he would erect a statue of Stalin in Moscow Really, what was that for?," enquired Colbert. To be honest, I still dont know," he jokingly responded. Colbert also asked more loaded questions, such as where he was born, and a fruit related query. I have two choices for you here, Colbert said. Would you care for an extra fiber nutrient bar, which has travelled to more than 100 countries, or this shriveled tangerine covered in golden retriever hair, filled with bile that I wouldn't leave alone with the woman I love? I think I will go with the fiber nutrient bar." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A judge who presided over the appeals of a number of Mexican drug lords, among them the notorious Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, has been assassinated outside his home. Video footage showed Judge Vicente Bermudez Zacarias, 37, being shot at close range as he left his home in Metepec, about 40 miles outside of Mexico City, on Monday. He was shot with a bullet to the back of the head as he was jogging. President Enrique Pena Nieto, speaking to an international gathering of judges in Mexico, lamented the news and said he had instructed the attorney generals office to lead the investigation, the Associated Press said. There was no immediate word on a possible motive. Joaquin El Chapo Guzman is made to face the press as he is escorted to a helicopter in handcuffs by Mexican soldiers and marines at a federal hangar in Mexico City (AP) The Supreme Court called for a timely and thorough investigation and also held a moment of silence in Mr Bermudezs memory. Mr Bermudez had handled several legal challenges from lawyers for El Chapo, the jailed leader of the Sinaloa cartel. He has also handled legal challenges from lawyers working for Miguel Trevino, who had ties to the Zetas cartel. Trevino is currently a prisoner in the maximum security Altiplano prison not far from where the judge lived. New El Chapo video released by Mexican government shows drug kingpin getting his mugshot taken Mr Bermudez began serving as a judge overseeing legal challenges and federal trials in Metepec in March. El Chapo is currently in a federal prison on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas. Authorities transferred him there in recent weeks from the Altiplano lockup near Mexico City where he was being held before, citing work being done to improve security at the facility. In 2001 he broke out of a Mexican prison and spent more than a decade on the run, becoming one of the worlds most wanted outlaws before he was recaptured in 2014. Last year he escaped again through a mile-long tunnel dug to the shower of his cell at Altiplano. Mexican federal agents caught him in January in the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, the state from which his drug gang took its name. The convicted Sinaloa cartel boss is wanted in seven US jurisdictions on charges that include murder, conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine and marijuana, money-laundering and arms possession, according to the New York Daily News. El Chapo lawyers have filed numerous legal challenges aimed at preventing his extradition, but government officials have said it is likely he will be sent to the US by early 2017. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Melania Trump has, perhaps wisely, taken more of a backseat during her husbands ever controversial presidential campaign. Aside from a speech at the Republican National Convention, which later turned into an embarrassing plagiarism row, and the occasional interview, she has kept away from the cameras and newspapers and instead left her husband in the limelight. As Donald Trump's campaign hits more turbulence thanks to a leaked 2005 tape of the billionaire business magnate making lewd and sexist comments about women emerging, followed by a string of allegations of sexual assault and harassment, which he has strenuously denied, speculation over how Ms Trump is thinking and feeling grows. Now, three weeks before US citizens will head to the polls, Ms Trump has appeared in a rare national television interview urging people not to feel sorry for her. Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Show all 15 1 /15 Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Who are famous people voting for in the US election? George Clooney HILLARY CLINTON Getty Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Leonardo DiCaprio HILLARY CLINTON Getty Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Mike Tyson DONALD TRUMP Getty Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Beyonce HILLARY CLINTON Rex Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Chloe Grace Moretz HILLARY CLINTON Vivien Killilea/Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Sarah Jessica Parker HILLARY CLINTON Getty Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Jon Voight DONALD TRUMP Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Katy Perry HILLARY CLINTON Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Jennifer Lopez HILLARY CLINTON Angela Weiss/Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Denis Rodman DONALD TRUMP TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Salma Hayek HILLARY CLINTON Getty Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Le Bron James HILLARY CLINTON Justin Carissimo Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Hulk Hogan DONALD TRUMP Reuters Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Kid Rock DONALD TRUMP Theo Wargo/Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Stacey Dash DONALD TRUMP Kevin Winter/Getty Images Im very strong, people they dont really know me, she told CNN. People think and talk about me like, Oh, Melania, poor Melania. Dont feel sorry for me, dont feel sorry for me. I can handle everything. When Anderson Cooper asked how Ms Trump was doing in the wake of weeks of sexual assault allegations which have been levied at her husband, she said she has been doing great. Im great, Im very strong, Im very confident and I live my life. I take care of myself and of our son and my husband and Im doing great. In a defiant message, Ms Trump referred to the legal action she is taking against publications who she claims have written lies about her. The press is very dishonest and its a lot of lies they have written, also about me, and my husband. You need to defend yourself all the time. As you may have heard, I filed a few lawsuits and Im in the court now because they accuse me of doing stuff that I never did in my life and they wrote lies and I will not allow that. I will fight until the end because I dont want them to damage my reputation and my name, she said. Ms Trump also said if she finds herself in the White House her focus will be on children and women, specifically on the dangers of social media towards children. In a vastly different approach to social media to that taken by her husband, the 46-year-old said she stopped posting on her pages a year and a half ago, limiting her direct involvement to just a few posts every now and again. I decided not to be on social media anymore because I see the negativity and its not healthy, she explained. Elsewhere in the interview, Ms Trump also dismissed the comments her husband made in a leaked tape from 2005 where he boasted he could use his fame to "grab [women] by the p***y" as "boys talk" and said he was "egged on" by Access Hollywood host Billy Bush. "Sometimes I say I have two boys at home, I have my young son and I have my husband. But I know how some men talk and that's how I saw it, yes," she said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Priyanka Chopra has said she feels horrible after appearing on the cover of Conde Nast Traveller wearing an "insensitive" vest about refugees some claim only highlighted her own privilege. The Bollywood actress, 35, is featured on the front of the magazine's October issue wearing a vest bearing the crossed-out words refugee immigrant and outsider above a fourth word: traveller. Conde Nast said the point of the top was to challenge and subvert existing stereotypes around labels such as refugee and immigrant that perpetuate a culture of xenophobia. But the message on the shirt was branded dehumanising, privilege-strutting and accused of trivialising the escalating refugee crisis. More than 4.7 million Syrian people have been displaced to neighbouring countries since the civil war began in 2011. Chopra told the Indian channel NDTV: They [Conde Nast] specifically got this made and implored me to wear it. They said they were addressing xenophobia which is a big issue that is happening. Traveller was left according to them because traveller was lets be ambiguous about it; people moving in and out, whether it is by choice or not by choice, you are still travelling. Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK Show all 9 1 /9 Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK A coach carrying the first group of unaccompanied minors from the Jungle migrant camp in Calais to be brought to Britain arrives at an immigration centre in Croydon, south London Reuters Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK A Catholic priest chats to Muslim Imans as they wait for the arrival of the coach carrying the first group of unaccompanied minors from the Jungle migrant camp in Calais to be brought to Britain arrives at an immigration centre in Croydon, south London Reuters Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK Fourteen migrant children from the 'Jungle Camp' in Calais are due to arrive in the UK today to be reunited with relatives Getty Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK Young men are escorted after stepping off a coach at the Home Offices Lunar House Getty Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK A boy is escorted after stepping off a coach at the Home Offices Lunar House after arriving from the Calais 'Jungle Camp' Getty Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK UK Border Force staff escort the first group of unaccompanied minors from the Jungle migrant camp in Calais to be brought to Britain as they arrive at an immigration centre in Croydon, south London Reuters Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK A young boy arrives on a coach at the Home Offices Lunar House after leaving the Calais 'Jungle Camp.' Fourteen migrant children from the 'Jungle Camp' in Calais are due to arrive in the UK today to be reunited with relatives Getty Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK British former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, center, flanked by Bethany Gardiner-Smith, left, from the Citizens UK charity and Bishop of Croydon Jonathan Clark speaks to the media about the 14 migrant children who will be resettled in the UK, outside Croydon Minster church in Croydon, south London AP Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK Asif Khan whose brother Aimal Khan was one of fourteen migrant children who arrived in the UK, speaks to the media outside Lunar House in Croydon, south London. The 25-year-old chef has been living in the UK for 11 years, having fled Afghanistan himself. His brother Aimal Khan, 14, also from Afghanistan, had been stranded in the Jungle for six months PA So their idea was that. And I bought into it, I guess. And I am really, really apologetic about the fact that so many sentiments were hurt. That was definitely not the reason. [] I am someone who always stands for no labels. [...] I was very affected, I felt really really horrible. That was never the intention. [...] It was misconstrued. The point that the magazine wanted to make was actually something good. Politically, the words have been used so much to berate people, to put them in a box, to profile them, and the magazine's idea was to break that." In a statement accompanying the cover, Conde Nast said: At Conde Nast Traveller, we believe that the opening up of borders and the breaking down of walls can help us discover the world, and open up our minds and hearts. So, when we had actor Priyanka Chopra wear a T-shirt we created on the cover of the 6th-anniversary issue, we had a point to make. Its about how our labelling of people as immigrants, refugees and outsiders is creating a culture of xenophobia. We are allowing thousands of innocent people who are forced to cross borders due to unimaginable terror and atrocities to be treated without humanity and empathy. The Independent has contacted Chopras publicist for comment. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} More than 20,000 years ago in the depths of the Ice Age, humans drew some of the finest known examples of prehistoric art in caves such as Lascaux and Chauvet-Pont d'Arc in France. Among the animals in the so-called 'forgotten cave' at Marsoulas in Haute-Garonne was a strange-looking bison that didnt look like any existing European ones or the extinct Ice Age steppe bison. Now scientists have discovered the image wasn't simply a bad drawing but a real creature, and also where it came from, its ultimate fate and that a supposed law of biology can be broken. The discovery was made after researchers examined ancient DNA taken from radiocarbon-dated bones and teeth of bison found in caves across Europe. The results showed this strange-looking bison had been created from the cross-breeding between aurochs, the ancestors of modern cattle, and the steppe bison, which once ranged across grasslands from Europe to Mexico. A reproduction of a putative wisent painted in the Marsoulas cave in Haute-Garonne, France (Carole Fritz) This animal then became a separate species and is an ancestor of today's European bison or wisent, which prior to this research had seemingly appeared from nowhere in the fossil record. Professor Alan Cooper, one of the researchers, said: Finding that a hybridisation event led to a completely new species was a real surprise as this isn't really meant to happen in mammals. When the scientists first detected the unusual DNA, they weren't quite sure a species really existed as the genetic signals from the bison bones were very odd, he added. The researchers jokingly referred to it as the Higgs bison because it was proving to be so elusive a reference to the 50-year hunt for the so-called God particle in physics. But gradually they were able to demonstrate that there was a distinctive genetic signal from many of the bones which was different to any known species. They found that this animal had dominated Europe for thousands of years at a time. Recommended Read more Tourism putting 4th century Silk Road cave paintings under threat Professor Cooper, of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, said: Once formed, the new hybrid species seems to have successfully carved out a niche on the landscape, and kept to itself genetically. It dominated during colder tundra-like periods, without warm summers, and was the largest European species to survive the mega-faunal extinctions. However, the modern European bison looks genetically quite different as it went through a genetic bottleneck of only 12 individuals in the 1920s, when it almost became extinct. That's why the ancient form looked so much like a new species. Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary The clincher came when they compared their findings with ancient art. Another of the research team, Dr Julien Soubrier, of Adelaide University, said: When we asked, French cave researchers told us that there were indeed two distinct forms of bison art in Ice Age caves, and it turns out their ages match those of the different species. We'd never have guessed the cave artists had helpfully painted pictures of both species for us. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A drug used to treat the common cold could be used to stop the spread of bladder cancer, a study has found. Researchers in Japan found that a nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug supressed the spread of the cancer in mice and also reduced its resistance to chemotherapy. The results raise hopes of a cure for a disease that killed more than 5,000 people in the UK alone in 2014. Bladder cancer can be split into two types; non-muscle invasive cancers, which have a 90 per cent, five-year survival rate, and muscle invasive cancers, which at stage 4 have a 10 per cent, five-year survival rate. The latter types are usually treated with common cancer drugs like cisplatin, but the disease tends to become resistant over time and spread to other organs. But in tests at Hokkaido University, human bladder cancer cells were labelled with an enzyme that gives off light, allowing scientists to track the response of the cells to treatment. These cells were then injected into mice. Once in the rodents, the cells began to multiply and after 45 days metastatic tumours were found in the liver, lungs and bone. 13 ways to help prevent cancer Show all 13 1 /13 13 ways to help prevent cancer 13 ways to help prevent cancer Stopping smoking. This notoriously difficult habit to break sees tar build-up in the lungs and DNA alteration and causes 15,558 cancer deaths a year 13 ways to help prevent cancer Avoiding the sun, and the melanoma that comes with overexposure to harmful UV rays, could help conscientious shade-lovers dodge being one of the 7,220 people who die from it 13 ways to help prevent cancer A diet that is low in red meat can help to prevent bowel cancer, according to the research - with 30 grams a day recommended for men, and 25 a day recommended for women 13 ways to help prevent cancer Foods high in fibre, meanwhile, can further make for healthier bowels. Processed foods in developed countries appear to be causing higher rates of colon cancer than diets in continents such as Africa, which have high bean and pulse intakes 13 ways to help prevent cancer Two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables a day were given as the magic number for good diet in the research. Overall, diet causes only slightly fewer cancer deaths than sun exposure in Australia, at 7,000 a year 13 ways to help prevent cancer Obesity and being overweight, linked to poor diet and lack of exercise, causes 3,917 deaths by cancer a year on its own Getty 13 ways to help prevent cancer Dying of a cancer caused by infection also comes in highly, linked to 3,421 cancer deaths a year. Infections such as human papilloma virus - which can cause cervical cancer in women - and hepatitis - can be prevented by vaccinations and having regular check-ups 13 ways to help prevent cancer Cutting back on drinks could reduce the risk of cancers caused by alcohol - such as liver cancer, bowel cancer, breast cancer and mouth cancer - that are leading to 3,208 deaths a year 2014 Getty Images 13 ways to help prevent cancer Sitting around and not getting the heart pumping - less than one hour's exercise a day - is directly leading to about 1,800 people having lower immune functions and higher hormone levels, among other factors, that cause cancers 2011 Getty Images 13 ways to help prevent cancer Hormone replacement therapy, which is used to relieve symptoms of the menopause in women, caused 539 deaths from (mainly breast) cancer in Australia last year. It did, however, prevent 52 cases of colorectal cancers 2003 Getty Images 13 ways to help prevent cancer Insufficient breastfeeding, bizarrely, makes the top 10. Breastfeeding for 12 months could prevent 235 cancer cases a year, said the research AFP/Getty Images 13 ways to help prevent cancer Oral contraceptives, like the Pill, caused about 105 breast cancers and 52 cervical cancers - but it also prevented about 1,440 ovarian and uterine (womb) cases of cancer last year 2006 Getty Images 13 ways to help prevent cancer Taking aspirin also prevented 232 cases in the Queensland research of colorectal and oesophagal cancers - but as it can also cause strokes, is not yet recommended as a formal treatment against the risk of cancer Researchers discovered that injecting flufenamic acid, a drug sometimes used to treat colds, supressed the cancer cells invasive tendencies and made the chemotherapy drugs effective again. "This latest research could pave the way for medical institutions to use flufenamic acid - a much cheaper cold drug - which has unexpectedly been proven to be effective at fighting cancers," said Dr Shinya Tanaka. Bladder cancer is the ninth most deadly cancer in Europe. There were around 165,100 deaths from the disease worldwide in 2012. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A 15-year-old girl has been found guilty of murdering a mother and daughter in Spalding, Lincolnshire. The teenager, who was 14 years old at the time, cannot be named. She was found guilty after her 15-year-old boyfriend admitted killing the two women at the beginning of the trial. The pair are the youngest couple ever convicted of murder in Britain. Elizabeth Edwards, who was 49 years old, and her 13-year-old daugher Katie were stabbed in the neck as they slept at home in April. The prosecution had alleged during the trial that although the girl did not physically take part in the killings, she was as guilty of murder as the boy was. A jury of seven men and five women at Nottingham Crown Court took just two hours and thirty minutes to reach the verdicts. Prosecution argued that although the girl did not physically take part in the killings, she was 'as guilty' as the boy was (PA) The girl had denied murdering the victims on the grounds of diminished responsibility. A psychiatrist for the defence had said she was suffering from a mental disorder. But the Crown argued she was not mentally ill at the time of the crime. Forensic psychiatrist Philip Joseph said that the girl was simply in a state of emotional turmoil. Mr Josph told the court a Bonnie and Clyde-type dynamic motivated the teenagers to carry out the killings. (PA (PA) Ms Edwards was stabbed eight times by the boy, including twice in the neck. One of the cuts almost completely severed her windpipe. He then checked for a pulse to see if she was dead. The 15-year-old girl said she could hear the Ms Edwards "struggling and gurgling" as she was attacked. Katie was stabbed twice in the throat before she was smothered. After the killings the couple took a bath, had sex and watched four Twilight films, although the court heard that the pair had planned to take their own lives. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty The girl told officers during a police interview she had "felt like murdering for quite a while" and said "it just sort of happened". She also said she and her boyfriend had planned the killings four days before and that following the murders she "felt fine". Both teenagers face indefinite detention at Her Majesty's pleasure the juvenile equivalent of an adult life term. They will be sentenced at a later date. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A House of Lords researcher who worked for a Conservative peer has been jailed after being caught accessing child pornography on parliamentary computers. Guleid Abdulkarim, 30, kept more than 1,000 images and films of children on his taxpayer-funded work laptop. 500 were of the most serious type, including images of toddlers. Many of the illegal images were viewed while he was at work in the Palace of Westminster, where he worked for Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, who later sacked him. Abdulkarim was caught when parliamentary authorities found indecent images had been downloaded on its servers. Recommended Read more Conservative aide arrested on suspicion of Houses of Parliament rape Police then seized his laptop from his locker at a gay sauna in Kennington, Southwark Crown Court was told. The court heard how the defendant shared explicit images of children online and joined a chat room on video sharing site Zoom where he and other men fantasised about child abuse while viewing illegal images of children. Abdulkarim, who had previously worked as a volunteer teacher at a school in Ethiopia, admitted five counts of possession or distribution of indecent images involving very young children. John Evison, prosecuting, said: "The defendant was employed by a member of the House of Lords - he was employed as a researcher/assistant." "Parliament itself carried out a review and found some evidence of indecent images on a parliamentary server and they passed the information to the paedophile unit." "Mr Abdulkarim for whatever reason used recording software to record hours and hours of footage of what he has been doing on Zoom." "It shows him and all the other males in that room masturbating and chatting about child abuse while illegal images of children are being shown." Abdulkarim was sentenced to several years in prison (Facebook) Sentencing, Judge Joanna Korner QC told the defendant: "If it was not for people like you and the others who indulge in this there would be no market for these type of films and images and children would thereby be protected." "These are exceedingly serious offences and therefore there is no alternative but custody." She sentenced Ethiopia-born Abdulkarim to two years and eight months in prison. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Walking away from slavery was terrifying for 23-year-old Cynthia. Enslaved at the age of 13 after being tricked into leaving her home and school in Nigeria for a better life, she had spent a decade incarcerated and exploited as a domestic servant at the hands of a wealthy family in Essex. I knew I had to leave, says Cynthia, now 26. But I was very afraid. I didnt know where I was going or where my future lay. My head was all over the place. During those 10 years at the mercy of a rich, well-connected and seemingly highly respected family from Nigeria, not a soul batted an eyelid at the young girl in their community who would take other pupils to school, then pick them up, but at no point attend classes herself. In most respects, she was invisible to the outside world. Yet Cynthia is among thousands of slavery victims whose suffering has been highlighted in a report published today about the lack of awareness of the scale or nature of modern slavery in the UK. The study, by the University of Hull and YouGov, finds that just eight per cent of the UK population understands the true extent of slavery in this country, while more than 55 per cent admit to not being aware of the most common signs. Despite the Theresa May's recent pledge to lead the way globally in the battle against modern slavery and people trafficking, the study finds that just 11 per cent of the public are aware of the measures in place to tackle the issue. Meanwhile the Home Office estimates there are around 13,000 victims of slavery in the UK. This lack of awareness about modern slavery among the British public is highlighted in Cynthias story. As a young teenager she would walk the familys children to school each day and then return home again, without neighbours voicing any concern. When she was 15 she started attending evening classes at the local school, but none of the teachers questioned why a teenager was studying in the evening and not during the school day. People didnt care, Cynthia recalls. Its one of the things that really bothers me. I was only 13 years old, but nobody took issue with the fact that I shouldnt be doing these things. I didnt speak about it because I was told not to talk, but its sad that it took 10 years for anyone to say something. A report published by Kevin Hyland OBE, the UKs Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, recently revealed chronic weaknesses in modern slavery crime reporting, pointing to a lack of intelligence reporting and evidence-based action, leading to victims such as Cynthia being failed by the system. In response to Cynthias story, Mr Hyland said: There are many girls and women being brought over and working in the shadows. "Cynthia was taking the children to school at the age of 13, and people didnt take notice. She was clearly a child being treated differently from the other children, but no one spoke out or took action. Its a problem with the law as well. It needs to be dealt with like any other crime of abuse. Before she moved to the UK, Cynthia was attending school in the village where she grew up in Lagos State, Nigeria. Although she was in school her family was poor, and when the offer came up through a distant family friend for her to move in with a rich Nigerian family in Britain, her parents didnt want to turn down the opportunity for her to escape poverty and gain access to a better education. Think slavery is a thing of the past? Think again Show all 3 1 /3 Think slavery is a thing of the past? Think again Think slavery is a thing of the past? Think again 475949.bin FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA Think slavery is a thing of the past? Think again 475950.bin JUSTIN SUTCLIFFE Think slavery is a thing of the past? Think again 475951.bin FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA But on arriving in the UK Cynthia quickly discovered the reality was very different. The day after I moved here the man of the house threatened me, she says. He said I had to wake up at 5am every morning to clean the house. I wasn't allowed to go to school. I had been told I would take the kids to school and then go to my school for the day. But they said after I did the school run I wasnt allowed to leave the house just do the chores. That blew my mind. Cynthia became one of the 13,000 victims of modern slavery suffering in silence in the UK. She realised she had left behind a much happier life in her home country, but she found herself trapped and was unable to break out. She says: In Nigeria I had friends and I would play. But when I came here I had to become an adult even though I was a child. I had to take on loads of responsibility. It was a lot to cope with and I had no privacy at all. My bedroom door was always kept open so they could call me at any time. Sometimes at 1am Id have to get up and work. As time went on her treatment became worse. Several weeks after her arrival Cynthia wrote a letter addressed to her parents, telling the reality of what was happening, but kept it in a closed notebook. The woman somehow found it, she says. Thats when I realised I was really afraid of them and I couldnt do anything. I had to beg her for forgiveness. She wouldnt talk to me. I became like an enemy in the house. "I couldnt talk to people. I didnt have anyone to talk to. I tried to tell my family in Nigeria but they didnt believe what I was saying. The woman told them things that weren't true that I wasn't behaving." While struggling with her deep loneliness, Cynthia pined to go to school again. After a year of living in the UK she got another chance at education. The family realised I was constantly crying about not going to school," she remembers. "I would have swollen eyes at the end of every day from crying about it. The woman spoke to a friend who worked in a college and I was enrolled onto evening classes. But succeeding in her studies while completing her daily domestic work was no easy feat. Before going to classes I had to finish all the housework, Cynthia says. The woman would inspect it before I went. Sometimes I would be late for school, other times I couldn't go at all. But I couldnt talk to anyone there about what was happening. I had to pretend everything was okay. Despite missing a year of classes and studying only in the evenings, Cynthia passed her GCSEs just a year late. After that she was hungry to continue her education. I wanted to do a Business qualification, but it was full-time," she says. "The woman said I had to look after the kids, so I couldnt do it. I had to do evening classes again. Accounting was the only evening class available, so I took that. I had to put so much effort in. I was determined. I had to do the housework too. I had to make sure everywhere was clean before I went to the library or anything." At around the same time as she began her college studies, Cynthia met someone who made escaping seem possible. I met a woman in town. She was Nigerian but not within the right-knit Nigerian community, she says. I was sitting in a bench and she came over with her kids and started talking to me. She could see that I was worried. We got talking and she gave me her number. "I called her a few weeks later. Gradually I was able to open up to her. She said the best way was to move out of the house. From there I was able to make that choice. I knew it was the right time for me to move. By talking with someone about her situation, Cynthia eventually grew the confidence to tell the family she was leaving. I was very afraid of the future. I didnt know where I was going," she says. "I made up my mind that I wanted to go, but it was really scary. I had been in there for 10 years." Cynthia found a room to rent with the help of the woman who encouraged her to leave. The family reluctantly agreed she could leave, but kept her passport. She did not initially report them to the police. She thought she could swiftly move on from what had happened, but soon found the experience was causing her distress, heightened by financial pressures. She recalls: "It was a stressful time, and I found it hard to pay the rent. I would clean for people, I would iron clothes. But I was drained. Physically and emotionally. Independent Appeal: Modern face of slavery Show all 2 1 /2 Independent Appeal: Modern face of slavery Independent Appeal: Modern face of slavery 106065.bin SIMON DE TREY-WHITE Independent Appeal: Modern face of slavery 106064.bin SIMON DE TREY-WHITE "I couldnt sleep for the fear of what was going to happen to me. Then I started hearing voices in my head at night, shouting orders at me. I got to the point where I was sleeping for one hour a night. I thought if everything got that difficult I would pack my bag and go back to my country, but I couldnt even do that. They still had my passport and I had no visa, nothing. Thats when I decided I had to tell the police what they had done to me." Cynthia reported the abuse to the police in December 2013, a year after she escaped, and her case is currently in its final stages. Just 28 per cent of modern slavery crimes in the UK that get recorded; despite there being 3,146 potential victims identified by the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in England and Wales last year, only 884 crimes were recorded by police forces. Three years after escaping from the labour exploitation she was subjected to, Cynthia won her asylum case last week and is now, with the support of national charity Migrant Help UK, working for a charity alongside her Accountancy studies, with plans to work as an account in the future. But her relief and hope for the future are infused with a sense of frustration and sadness in knowing that that there are thousands of other victims in the country who are still suffering in silence. A lot of people in the UK dont even know what child trafficking is," she says. It saddens me that even though Ive come out of it there are still thousands of people out there in the position I was in. The victims are kept inside the house. Theyre crying but people aren't listening out for their voice. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Church of England is considering scrapping a law that requires churches to hold services on Sunday, after a big drop in the number of people going to church. A paper posted on the organisations website reveals leaders are discussing plans to relax the centuries-old law that states services must take place every Sunday. The update was posted by the Bishop of Willesden, chair of the Churchs Simplification Task Group which is tasked with simplifying and modernising church canons (rules). He wrote: The Task Group is consideringchanges to Canons B11 and B14 to relax the requirements for regular worship in parish churches in sparsely-populated benefices. Canon B11 says: Morning and Evening Prayer shall be said or sung in every parish church at least on all Sundays and other principal Feast Days, and also on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Each service shall be said or sung distinctly, reverently, and in an audible voice. The wording was adopted in 1975. Canon B14, meanwhile, was agreed in 1994. It reads: The Holy Communion shall be celebrated in every parish church at least on all Sundays and principal Feast Days, and on Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday. It shall be celebrated distinctly, reverently, and in an audible voice. The rules are based on the first edition of the laws of the Church of England, which were agreed and recorded in 1604 during the reign of James I. They include rules stating that Christians must spend the Sabbath hearing the Word of God read and taught in private and public and every vicar must preach one Sermon every Sunday of the year. The planned changes come amid a continuing decline in the number of people going to church in the UK. Despite 59% of the population defining itself as Christian, less than two per cent attend services each week. Last year Sunday attendances fell to 760,000 dropping below one million for the first time and to just one third of the figure for the early 1960s. A Church of England spokesperson told The Independent: The Church of England has some parishes with a lot of churches in them. It is impossible for vicars to get round all the churches on a Sunday, so they are effectively breaking the law. The simplification group is considering tidying that up." The Group is not considering having parishes without Sunday services there just wouldnt be a service in every church." He denied the proposed change was related to declining church attendances, saying it was related to the fact we have some parishes that include a lot of churches. The discussion on relaxing Sunday service rules was approved by the Archbishops Council, which is responsible for the Churchs strategy and planning. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Eurostar and Eurotunnel services through the Channel Tunnel have been suspended because of a power fault. The blockage has left passengers in London and Paris stranded while they wait for it to be resolved. Romain Dufour of Eurotunnel, which operates the tunnel, said technicians are examining what caused the electrical outage and are working to fix the issue. Eurotunnel said: "Our passenger service is temporarily suspended due to a technical fault in the tunnel which is in the process of being resolved. "We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to your journey." The fault began around 2pm and the company said it estimated services will not resume before 5pm. Customers have been offered transfers to Dover and then onward travel to Calais by ferry. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty One passenger wrote: "On train in Gare du Nord with delay - can someone turn the blasting air con off? Uncomfortable enough without being frozen into seats!" Another Twitter user said: "Are you aware yet of the estimated time of departure? My husband has serious mobility issues and it's unbearable in here Lille!" Some passengers sent messages to Eurostar via social media to express their frustration. Additional reporting by PA Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} London Bridge station was evacuated and the nearby area cordoned off on Tuesday morning due to a suspicious vehicle. Borough High Street was closed in both directions between Southwark Street and Marshalsea Road. Nearby buildings were also cleared as police cordoned off the area. Borough High Street has been closed by police in both directions (Matthias Klatt/Twitter) A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said they were called to the scene around 7.50am to reports of an unattended vehicle. Officers investigated a black car which was parked in a bus lane outside Sainsbury's on Borough High Street. Officers are investigating a black car parked in a bus lane on Borough High Street outside Sainsbury's (Gareth Price/Twitter) Scotland Yard said the incident was stood down around 9.05am. Eyewitnesses warned others to stay clear of the area on social media. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A man thought to be a migrant has been found dead in the back of a HGV in Kent. Emergency services were called to the A20 Airport Cage in Sellindge, near Folkestone, at around 8.30am on Monday morning. The body of the man who has yet to be identified but is believed to have travelled to the UK from France was found after the lorry pulled up at the service station. Both the police and South East Coast Ambulance service were called but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death is currently being investigated. A police spokesman said: "At 8.29am, Kent Police were called to an incident concerning a lorry on the A20 at Sellindge, near Folkestone. "Officers and South East Coast Ambulance Service attended and a man in the rear of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK Show all 9 1 /9 Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK A coach carrying the first group of unaccompanied minors from the Jungle migrant camp in Calais to be brought to Britain arrives at an immigration centre in Croydon, south London Reuters Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK A Catholic priest chats to Muslim Imans as they wait for the arrival of the coach carrying the first group of unaccompanied minors from the Jungle migrant camp in Calais to be brought to Britain arrives at an immigration centre in Croydon, south London Reuters Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK Fourteen migrant children from the 'Jungle Camp' in Calais are due to arrive in the UK today to be reunited with relatives Getty Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK Young men are escorted after stepping off a coach at the Home Offices Lunar House Getty Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK A boy is escorted after stepping off a coach at the Home Offices Lunar House after arriving from the Calais 'Jungle Camp' Getty Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK UK Border Force staff escort the first group of unaccompanied minors from the Jungle migrant camp in Calais to be brought to Britain as they arrive at an immigration centre in Croydon, south London Reuters Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK A young boy arrives on a coach at the Home Offices Lunar House after leaving the Calais 'Jungle Camp.' Fourteen migrant children from the 'Jungle Camp' in Calais are due to arrive in the UK today to be reunited with relatives Getty Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK British former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, center, flanked by Bethany Gardiner-Smith, left, from the Citizens UK charity and Bishop of Croydon Jonathan Clark speaks to the media about the 14 migrant children who will be resettled in the UK, outside Croydon Minster church in Croydon, south London AP Calais Refugee Children arrive in UK Asif Khan whose brother Aimal Khan was one of fourteen migrant children who arrived in the UK, speaks to the media outside Lunar House in Croydon, south London. The 25-year-old chef has been living in the UK for 11 years, having fled Afghanistan himself. His brother Aimal Khan, 14, also from Afghanistan, had been stranded in the Jungle for six months PA "It is believed the lorry had travelled from France and inquiries are ongoing to identify the man and ascertain the cause of death." The lorry was being operated by Iberian transport firm KLOG. A company spokesman said: "I have only been told bits and bobs but cannot say anything else until I speak to the driver over the telephone. "We are aware of the incident in England and you can say we are investigating what happened." Recommended Read more Aid group request to delay Calais migrant camp closure rejected If the man is a refugee attempting to enter the country from France it will bring the death toll of migrants trying to escape camps in the Calais area up to 15 so far this year. It comes just a week after an Eritrean refugee died and another was injured in a road accident involving a British lorry driver in Calais. Around 50 people were trying to slow UK bound traffic on the A16 motorway by placing obstructions in the road and climbing onto HGVs. A French court has confirmed the destruction of the Calais camp can begin after a charity lost its bid to delay the closure. Fourteen migrant children from the 'Jungle Camp' in Calais are reunited with relatives (Getty) Authorities in Lille turned down a emergency request arguing the country was not ready to relocate the camps residents. Following an agreement between the Home Office and the French authorities to begin transporting child refugees with ties to the UK,14 teenagers arrived in the country on Monday morning. The boys, aged between 14 and 17, were reunited with their families in Croydon, south London. Additional reporting by PA Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Muslim woman has been assaulted in central London by an aggressive man who tried to pull off her hijab. The hate crime occurred in the early morning as the woman walked alone down Oxford Street. The man approached her and repeatedly demanded she remove her headscarf. When the woman, in her 40s, refused, the man became more aggressive. The assailant grabbed the woman's headscarf and attempted to remove it by force. He managed to unpin the covering, but did not succeed in removing it entirely, police said in a statement. The woman escaped without injury, and the man, who is estimated to be in his 30s, fled in the direction of Marble Arch. The suspect, who was wearing a grey sweatshirt and light blue jeans, is described as a white man with "short black greased back hair". He is thought to be approximately five feet five inches tall and of medium build. Police said although she was not physically hurt, the victim was shocked and distressed by the attack. They added that Scotland Yard are treating the incident, which occurred at 8.15am on 4 October, as an Islamophobic hate crime. Detective Sergeant Steve Stamp of Westminsters Community Safety Unit said: This was an unprovoked and hate filled attack in broad daylight in the middle of a busy street. The woman was targeted by this suspect purely based on what she was wearing". The attack happened the day before a strikingly similar incident occurred in the London borough of Haringey, where a young Muslim woman was also targetted in a racially-motivated assault. In the Haringey attack on 5 October, the woman in her 20s was walking on a busy street with a female friend near The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London. Muslim fashion designer features hijabs at New York Fashion Week Show all 8 1 /8 Muslim fashion designer features hijabs at New York Fashion Week Muslim fashion designer features hijabs at New York Fashion Week Anniesa Hasibuan show, runway, Spring Summer 2017, New York Fashion Week Rex Muslim fashion designer features hijabs at New York Fashion Week Anniesa Hasibuan show, runway, Spring Summer 2017, New York Fashion Week Rex Features Muslim fashion designer features hijabs at New York Fashion Week Anniesa Hasibuan show, runway, Spring Summer 2017, New York Fashion Week Rex Muslim fashion designer features hijabs at New York Fashion Week Anniesa Hasibuan show, runway, Spring Summer 2017, New York Fashion Week Rex Muslim fashion designer features hijabs at New York Fashion Week Anniesa Hasibuan show, runway, Spring Summer 2017, New York Fashion Week Rex Features Muslim fashion designer features hijabs at New York Fashion Week Anniesa Hasibuan show, runway, Spring Summer 2017, New York Fashion Week Rex Features Muslim fashion designer features hijabs at New York Fashion Week Anniesa Hasibuan show, runway, Spring Summer 2017, New York Fashion Week Rex Features Muslim fashion designer features hijabs at New York Fashion Week Anniesa Hasibuan show, runway, Spring Summer 2017, New York Fashion Week Rex Features She was approached from behind by two men who pulled down her hijab. The assailants, both thought to be in their late 20s or early 30s, then fled the scene. In reference to the Oxford Street assault, Mr Stamp said: "Racially and religiously motivated crimes will not be tolerated I would appeal to anyone who witnessed this attack to contact police. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} EU nationals living in Britain fear administrative harassment after Brexit even if they are eventually given permission to stay, a Parliamentary inquiry has been told. The Romanian Ambassador to the UK appealed to the Government not to pile bureaucratic hurdles in the way of people who have come to this country to live, work and make a contribution. Ministers have been accused of using the 3.6 million EU citizens currently in the country as bargaining chips in the EU exit talks after Trade Secretary Liam Fox described them as one of our main cards. But a House of Lords select committee heard fears that life will get more difficult, even if the Government bows to pressure not to try to expel many of them. Dan Mihalache, the Ambassador of Romania, said: What I think the Government and all authorities have to avoid is some type of administrative harassment. This means, for instance, that if you want to have a residence permit then somebody in authority takes your ID and says okay, we will keep it for six months That six months is a period when this person cannot make other travel arrangements and so on - or you cannot open a bank account, or you cannot be registered for some service without having a passport. There is not only the generous idea of reassuring that the status of those citizens has not changed until the official leave of the European Union. There is also the practice the daily practice which can bring, by itself, such types of administrative harassments, which I think we should avoid. The Lords EU Justice Sub-Committee took evidence from both Mr Mihalache and from Arkady Rzegocki, the Ambassador of Poland. It was told there are around 984,000 Poles in the UK a dramatic rise from just 70,000 in 2004, which had made Polish the second most spoken language in the UK. There are also around 272,000 Romanians in the country officially, far fewer than the one million who have moved to both Italy and Spain. Theresa May has refused to guarantee their rights, insisting the Government must not reveal its hand ahead of the Brexit negotiations, which will begin when she triggers Article 50 next year. However, all EU citizens are given permanent residency after being in the UK for more than five years a right likely to be enjoyed by around 80 per cent of the 3.6 million by 2019, when Britain leaves. It is expected the remaining 600,000 people will be offered an effective amnesty, because of the huge practical and political controversies of taking any other action. Some Whitehall officials believe the Government will announce a cut-off date for new arrivals perhaps the date when Article 50 is invoked after which the amnesty would not apply. Both Mr Rzegocki and Mr Mihalache called for their countries citizens already in Britain to be given full rights and for the position to be made clear soon. Mr Rzegocki said: The problem is uncertainty there is no clarity about this. And he added: My dream is to keep the freedom of movement, to keep all the rights all the freedoms even after Brexit. I know thats quite difficult. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} It is "very likely" that MPs will be able to vote to ratify the Brexit agreement before the UK leaves the EU, Downing Street has said. A government lawyer revealed the information in the High Court challenge to Brexit today. No 10 has since confirmed the measure. Lawyer James Eadie made the comments while defending the Government in the case currently being heard in the Royal Courts of Justice, which contends Theresa May cannot trigger Article 50 without the approval of MPs in parliament. Following the contesting lawyers claims that to do so would be an abuse of executive power as it would side step parliament which has sovereignty in such matters, Mr Eadie said parliament would be able to approve Brexit plans in some way. He told the court: It is ultimately dependent upon the agreement of the parties to the treaty, whether they want it to be subject to ratification processes in the usual way. But as I say, the view within government is that it is very likely that most of this treaty will be subject to ratification process in the usual way. Most of them are. It is a pretty rare event for the things to take effect immediately upon accession. He added: Any such changes are a matter for future negotiations, parliamentary negotiations, and implementation by legislation The government view at the moment is that it is very likely that any such agreement would be subject to ratification. The legal challenge against triggering Article 50 is being taken by a number of pro-Remain individuals as well as a crowd-funded initiative known as the Peoples Challenge. In three days of legal arguments, which began on Thursday and concluded today, the court was told parliament alone has the authority to trigger Article 50. Lawyers said constitutional law stipulates only parliament has the power to grant or remove rights of British citizens, and as Brexit will result in loss of EU rights it alone has authority to initiate Article 50. Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty Government lawyers defended Theresa Mays plan to trigger Article 50 at an executive level. They told the court the 2015 Referendum Act setting out plans for the 23 June referendum made no mention of parliamentary approval being required for EU withdrawal. Judgement in the case is expected to be announced later this month. A pro-Brexit supporter (R) from Invoke Article 50 Now!, dressed as a judge, stands in front of a Pro-European Union supporter outside the entrance to The Royal Courts of Justice, Britain's High Court, in London on October 13, 2016 (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images) Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A lawyer representing the UK Government has said it is "very likely" MPs will be able to vote on the final Brexit agreement between the UK and the European Union. James Eadie QC was speaking in the High Court as part of the final day of the hearing to decide whether Prime Minister Theresa May can trigger Article 50 without parliamentary approval. Downing Street has since confirmed that he was representing the Government's position. The judges have said they will rule on the historic legal challenge "as quickly as possible". Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, Master of the Rolls Sir Terence Etherton and Lord Justice Sales reserved their decision on Tuesday at the end of a three-day hearing. After hearing closing submissions from lawyers at the High Court in London, Lord Thomas announced: "We shall take time to consider the matter and give our judgment as quickly as possible." 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 A number of applicants have challenged Theresa May's strategy for Brexit in what has been described as one of the most important constitutional cases in generations. They argue that the prime minister has no legal power to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to leave the European Union without the prior authorisation of Parliament. Mrs May announced at the Conservative Party conference that she intends doing so by the end of March 2017. The judges have heard submissions that the Government lacks legal power to use the royal prerogative to notify Article 50 and begin the process of removing statutory rights granted to UK citizens under the European Communities Act 1972, which made EU law part of UK law. Government lawyers say that if the challenge succeeds, the Government "could not give effect to the will and decision of the people, as clearly expressed in the referendum, to withdraw from the EU without further primary legislation". Because of the urgency and constitutional importance of the case, any appeal is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, before the end of the year. Here is how the court case unfolded: What is the difference between hard and soft Bexit? After repeatedly stating that Brexit means Brexit, Theresa May has confirmed she will trigger Britains exit from the European Union by the end of March 2017, beginning two years of formal negotiations. But despite this timescale, speculation remains over what kind of relationship the UK will develop with our partners after we leave the bloc. There are a myriad of possible post-EU arrangements being discussed and, although there are no definitive definitions, they can be loosely categorised as hard or soft Brexit options. In her opening speech to the Conservative conference, the Prime Minister unveiled a tougher stance on EU withdrawal than she has previously taken, by seemingly backing a hard Brexit with controls on immigration at its core. "Let me be clear," said Ms May. "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," adding those wanting to do everything possible to preserve access to the single market were looking at Brexit the "wrong way". So, what is Hard Brexit? Favoured by ardent Brexiteers, a hard Brexit arrangement would likely see the UK give up full access to the single market and full access of the customs union along with the EU. The arrangement would prioritise giving Britain full control over its borders, making new trade deals and applying laws within its own territory. Initially, this would mean the UK would likely fall back on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules for trade with its former EU partners. What are the pros and cons? The International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox, has said a hard approach would benefit the UK by making it a global trading nation. He said that "the UK is a full and founding member of the WTO", during a speech in Geneva last Tuesday, German business leaders have expressed a similar view. Markus Kerber of the German BDI group told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's better to have a hard Brexit that works than to have a fudge in the middle that has to be renegotiated or doesn't politically work and you have uncertainty lingering on." A hard Brexit, however, could see British goods and services subject to tariffs, adding 10 per cent, for example, to the cost of exported cars. While sectors such as agriculture could lose protections against cheap imports from abroad. Leaving the customs union would mean a significant increase in bureaucratic checks on goods passing through ports and airports. And nations such as the US and Australia have said that reaching a new trade agreements with the EU would take priority. And what is soft Brexit? This approach would leave the UK's relationship with the EU as close as possible to the existing arrangements, and is preferred by many Remainers. The UK would no longer be a member of the EU and would not have a seat on the European Council. It would lose its MEPs and its European Commissioner. But, it would keep unfettered access to the European single market. Goods and services would be traded with the remaining EU states on a tariff-free basis and financial firms would keep their "passporting" rights to sell services and operate branches in the EU. Britain would remain within the EU's customs union, meaning that exports would not be subject to border checks. National models for this sort of deal include Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, which are not members of the EU but have access to the single market by being part of the European Economic Area. In return, these countries must make payments into EU budgets and accept the "four freedoms" of movement of goods, services, capital and people. They are subject to EU law through the Luxembourg-based EFTA Court. Switzerland has a similar arrangement through a series of regularly updated treaties. It is likely that a "soft Brexit" deal would insist on Britain observing the "four freedoms", meaning continued free access for European nationals to work and settle in the UK. What are the pros and cons? Pro-EU MPs argue that maintaining proper connections with the EUs trading arrangements is a matter of national interest. Senior Conservative MP Neil Carmichael has said a "harsh Brexit" must be avoided at all costs suggesting it could "damage our economy, damage our capacity as a nation to perform capably in the future and actually damage Europe. May says those trying to delay Brexit are insulting British intelligence Kathleen Brooks, director of research at City Index, said a hard Brexit, is likely to come at the cost of a period of economic disruption, which is likely to be negative for the pound". Experts warn that Londons position as a financial hub will be dealt a severe blow if the UK left the single market. However, that access is contingent on countries agreeing to let European Union citizens live and work anywhere in the bloc. Theresa May claimed people who talk about a trade-off between controlling immigration and trading with Europe are looking at things the wrong way, arguing that soft Brexit is "subverting" democracy and attempting to "kill" the process by "delaying it". Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ex-Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will write to half a million people urging them to send messages to Theresa May, calling for the rights of EU citizens in the UK to be guaranteed. Mr Cleggs letter claims ambiguity around whether EU citizens currently living in the UK will be allowed to stay is unacceptable and highlights that his own family is among those potentially affected. His letter is part of a broader campaign named Write to Remain that aims to bombard Ms May with demands already taken up by some 13,000 people to guarantee the rights of EU nationals to stay. The message of the former Lib Dem Leader, whose wife Miriam Gonzalez Durantez is Spanish, will be sent to 500,000 people this week. It reads: "There is a great deal of uncertainty following Britains vote to leave the EU. "But nowhere is that uncertainty more worrying and, frankly, unacceptable than the ambiguity surrounding the rights of European nationals living here and those of British citizens on the continent. "So many families across the UK are made up of people from different EU countries, including mine. What they are looking for are immediate reassurances that their rights will not be affected by Brexit." 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 Mr Clegg will say that the EU summit taking place at the end of this week is the perfect opportunity for Ms May to guarantee EU citizen rights. Write to Remain launched a website on Thursday to help people email Ms May to press her for an explicit commitment on the rights of European nationals and UK nationals living in other EU member states. So far she has only said she hopes to guarantee the rights of EU citizens as long as the rights of UK citizens are also protected by other countries. Meanwhile, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has come in for criticism for suggesting the future of EU citizens is one of the "main cards" held by Britain in its negotiations. James McGrory, co-Executive Director of the Open Britain campaign, said: This is an issue that unites Remainers and Leavers and people from across the spectrum. Next to no one thinks the rights of EU citizens here and Brits on the Continent should not be safeguarded. The Prime Ministers repeated commitments are welcome but the Summit is the perfect chance to go one step further and guarantee the rights of EU nationals in Britain and Brits in living in the EU. This campaign is to let the Prime Minister know she has the overwhelming support of the public to do so. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} MPs will only be allowed to debate a controversial free trade deal between the European Union and Canada after it has already been signed, the Government has said. Liam Fox, the Secretary of State for International Trade, said in a letter to Parliaments European Scrutiny Committee that the parliamentary timetable was such that a debate could not reasonable be scheduled before he signed the agreement. The denial of parliamentary scrutiny ahead of the signing comes as the Government sidelines parliament in Brexit negotiations. Theresa May has refused to grant MPs a vote on the opening terms of negotiations with the EU. Last week the regional parliament of the Belgian region Wallonia refused to allow the Belgian premier to sign the Ceta (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) deal. Britains parliament will however have no such veto over the plan which campaigners say is the little brother of the controversial TTIP agreement being negotiated with the US. They say it will allow corporations to sue governments who impose policies that harm their profits, give corporations a great role in shaping their own regulations and lock in the privatisation of public services. The Government says the deal will reduce barriers to trade and increase prosperity. Spains foreign minister said earlier this week that Britains post-Brexit trade deal with the EU would likely most closely resemble Ceta. Mr Fox, who resigned in disgrace from the post of Defence Secretary under the 2010 Coalition government but was reappointed as Trade Secretary by Theresa May this year, intends to sign the agreement at an EU-Canada summit on 27 October. He will confirm his intention to sign it at a meeting of European ministers on Tuesday. Liam Fox says a debate could not reasonable be scheduled before he signed the agreement (AFP/Getty) Britains backing for the plan comes despite it leaving the EU. The Government has always been willing to engage with Parliament on trade policy, and I appreciate the need for transparency and scrutiny, Mr Fox said in a letter to the committee dated earlier this month. In this case, the parliamentary timetable is such that it would be difficult to schedule a debate ahead of the 18 October extraordinary Council on Foreign Affairs (Trade) where member states will be required to confirm their agreement to sign Ceta. The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Show all 6 1 /6 The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP The NHS Public services, especially the NHS, are in the firing line. One of the main aims of TTIP is to open up Europes public health, education and water services to US companies. This could essentially mean the privatisation of the NHS. The European Commission has claimed that public services will be kept out of TTIP. However, according to the Huffington Post, the UK Trade Minister Lord Livingston has admitted that talks about the NHS were still on the table Getty The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Food and environmental safety TTIPs regulatory convergence agenda will seek to bring EU standards on food safety and the environment closer to those of the US. But US regulations are much less strict, with 70 per cent of all processed foods sold in US supermarkets now containing genetically modified ingredients. By contrast, the EU allows virtually no GM foods. The US also has far laxer restrictions on the use of pesticides. It also uses growth hormones in its beef which are restricted in Europe due to links to cancer. US farmers have tried to have these restrictions lifted repeatedly in the past through the World Trade Organisation and it is likely that they will use TTIP to do so again Getty The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Banking regulations TTIP cuts both ways. The UK, under the influence of the all-powerful City of London, is thought to be seeking a loosening of US banking regulations. Americas financial rules are tougher than ours. They were put into place after the financial crisis to directly curb the powers of bankers and avoid a similar crisis happening again. TTIP, it is feared, will remove those restrictions, effectively handing all those powers back to the bankers Getty/Bloomberg The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Privacy Remember ACTA (the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement)? It was thrown out by a massive majority in the European Parliament in 2012 after a huge public backlash against what was rightly seen as an attack on individual privacy where internet service providers would be required to monitor peoples online activity. Well, its feared that TTIP could be bringing back ACTAs central elements, proving that if the democratic approach doesnt work, theres always the back door. An easing of data privacy laws and a restriction of public access to pharmaceutical companies clinical trials are also thought to be on the cards AFP/Getty Images The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Jobs The EU has admitted that TTIP will probably cause unemployment as jobs switch to the US, where labour standards and trade union rights are lower. It has even advised EU members to draw on European support funds to compensate for the expected unemployment. Examples from other similar bi-lateral trade agreements around the world support the case for job losses. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the US, Canada and Mexico caused the loss of one million US jobs over 12 years, instead of the hundreds of thousands of extra that were promised Dave Thompson/Getty Images The 6 reasons why we should be scared of TTIP Democracy TTIPs biggest threat to society is its inherent assault on democracy. One of the main aims of TTIP is the introduction of Investor-State Dispute Settlements (ISDS), which allow companies to sue governments if those governments policies cause a loss of profits. In effect it means unelected transnational corporations can dictate the policies of democratically elected governments AFP/Getty I would, however, certainly welcome the opportunity for a debate ahead of the provisional application of Ceta, which is expected early next year. In a report, the European Scrutiny Committee said: The committee requested an early debate of this legally and politically important trade deal ahead of signature, provisional application and conclusion. Nonetheless, we acknowledge the time constraints of scheduling a debate before signature given that there were only just over two sitting weeks between our recommendation and the FAC. Under these circumstances, the Committee agrees to a conditional scrutiny waiver for signature only. The committees members said the minister should report back to the Commons to explain what happened at the foreign affairs meeting, and also schedule a debate urgently so that MPs could actually consider the deal before it was implemented next year. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The chair of the national child sexual abuse inquiry and members of its panel have attacked the probes former head, claiming she was difficult to work with. Professor Alexis Jay, the fourth chair of the inquiry set up to explore historic and institutional child abuse allegations, said her predecessor Dame Lowell Goddard never really wanted to work with other members of the panel. Another panel member, who gave evidence to a committee of MPs with Professor Jay, said it was easier to conduct the inquirys work when Dame Lowell was abroad. The New Zealand High Court Judge resigned from the inquiry after the Home Office was made aware of concerns about her "professionalism and competence". But she has since strongly denied allegations against her, including claims that she used racist language, describing them as "falsities", "malicious" and part of a "vicious campaign". Professor Jay told MPs: "It was clear from the beginning that Lowell Goddard really would have preferred to sit on her own without the assistance of a panel. " She added: "As a consequence of this view that was conveyed to us, we did feel that we were kept at a distance from a lot of the activities of the inquiry." She said that she and other staff had made "every effort" to make the arrangements work, but panel member Ivor Frank agreed it had been difficult, saying that there were "challenges". He said: "The chair was not always present in the United Kingdom through that entire 16 month period. So we were able to continue with our work for extensive periods without very much contact with the chair. Child sex abuse inquiry "There were times when things were perfectly amicable and perfectly professional. There were other times when it was less the case." Asked to elaborate, he said: "It may be that as a judge working, perhaps, mostly on her own, it wasnt easy for her to adapt to a situation where she was necessarily having to work in a more collegiate way. There were times when it was obvious that it was not a comfortable situation for her and that led to challenges. Asked if it as calmer when she was abroad he said it was probably the case. On Monday, Professor Jay set out her strategy for the probe. Dismissing calls for it to "forget the past", she said her is aim to complete a "significant amount" of its work by the end of 2020. An interim report is due in March. Described as the most ambitious public inquiry ever in England and Wales, it was earmarked to take five years, but there have been suggestions it could run for as long as a decade at a cost of up to 100 million. It has been dogged by controversy since it was set up by then-Home Secretary Theresa May in 2014. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Government is partly responsible for the Concentrix debacle that saw thousands of people plunged into poverty because of tax credit payment errors, MPs have suggested. MPs held a parliamentary debate on mistakes by private contractor Concentrix, which has been accused of mistakenly stopping tax credits on the basis of flimsy evidence. They told anecdotes of how their constituents were forced to pawn their late parents jewellry to make ends meet, how food in their freezer spoiled after their electricity was cut off, or how they were forced spend their last 5 on submitting evidence to the company using expensive recorded delivery. MPs are making around 200 calls every day to an HMRC hotline specifically set up to deal with consituents tax credit errors, a minister told the Westminster Hall debate. Labour MP Fiona MacTaggart, who led the debate, however said it was possible that some of our blame has been to the company when the blame ought to be to the Government. She blamed the structure of the contract drawn up by HMRC as well as policy failures by ministers and civil servants. Concentrix are paid by results which means that they have a financial incentive to stop payments, their decisions are frequently paid on the basis of wrong information and people who rely on tax credits to make ends meet are left without funds for weeks, she said. They regularly proceeded on totally flimsy evidence this evidence is selected by HMRC based on its own system. I think weve been blaming Concentrix for using flimsy evidence when actually the source of this evidence is HMRC. Fiona MacTaggart led the debate about the tax credit errors (House of Commons) Ms MacTaggart said that the legal burden of proof on stopping tax credits lay with HMRC and that illegal action has screwed money out of citizens and damaged their ability to do their main job, which is to look after their families. The MP said lessons had to be learned and that there are certain tasks that the Government should not delegate to a private company or anyone else and the collection of taxes or issuing tax credits is one of them. Other MPs agreed that the contract itself was simply a bad idea. Scottish National Party MP Chris Law said: Unsurprisingly, this is not the first time that Government outsourcing has failed to meet expectations. Weve seen it in the past the results-based contracts do not improve the quality of public services. MPs debated the errors and said ministers were partly to blame (House of Commons) He said such contracts should have no place in the delivery of important public services. Labour MP Stephen Kinnock accused the Government of pursuing a false economy and said Theresa Mays Government was undermining some of the basic binds that are meant to hold our country together. Sammy Wilson, the Democratic Unionist Party MP for East Antrim, said the history of problems with tax credits extends well beyond this current contract. The contract was made by HMRC, the referrals were given to Concentrix by HMRC, the guidance was given by HMRC, and they [Concentrix] acted upon it, he said. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty If theres any fault to be attributed it has to be shared by the people who issued the contract in the first place. SDLP MP Mark Durkan said the fact is that this is a contract that was conceived by HMRC in a spirit of suspicion and hostility towards their customers. Merseyside MP Peter Dowd said people who had had their tax credits stopped were victims and that the company was not soley at fault. Ministers gave Concentrix a licence to harass, he said. Concentrix has always said it was simply following contractual obligations imposed on it by the Government. In mid-September HMRC announced it was dropping Concentrix from running the tax credit contract at the end of its current term. Treasury Minister and Tory MP Simon Kirby said that HMRC had provided third party data to Concentrix who then chose who to pursue. He said any cases that remained open would be dealt with within the next couple of weeks. Concentrix are not paid for decisions that are wrong at the end theyre paid to do a job and if they dont do a job then theyre not paid for it, he said. An HMRC Spokesperson said: We, or Concentrix on our behalf, only contact people where there is an indication that their Tax Credits claim may be incorrect. We undertake these checks to ensure people receive the tax credits they are entitled to and prevent them from getting into debt through an overpayment, which they would later have to repay, whilst minimising error and fraud. "Given recent issues, we took decisive action not to renew the contract beyond its expiry in May 2017 and have redeployed additional HMRC resources to deal with the outstanding cases as quickly as possible. We have prioritised outstanding cases and dealt with the majority of these. We will continue to do this with the remainder of the cases as quickly as possible, while providing the best possible customer service. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Theresa May appeared set to announce a new Heathrow runway after revealing that cabinet ministers will be allowed a temporary period to express opposition to any decision on airport expansion. The Prime Ministers spokesperson said the "special arrangement" to allow ministers like Boris Johnson and Justine Greening to voice dissent, reflected their publicly-known "long held views" on expansion. Recommended Read more Greenpeace joins with councils to prepare Heathrow legal challenge The move represents Ms Mays bid to avoid a major cabinet split on the issue to be decided early next week, but it could fail if Heathrows opponents are forced to fall into line after the temporary period ends. Ms May told a meeting of the full cabinet today that the final decision would be taken at a sub-committee of ministers. Her spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister also set out, in terms of the process moving forward, she wanted to approach this in a mature way, recognising that a number of ministers have long held views on this issue and previously set out positions. "And that, in light of that, there would be a certain period of time after the committee has taken a decision, where they would be able to express those views and they would not be expected to publicly support the governments position." Boris on Heathrow expansion Neither Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson nor Education Secretary Ms Greening, the two main opponents to Heathrow expansion, will sit on the committee taking the final decision. Mr Johnson in particular has been a vocal critic during his tenure as London Mayor, in which he suggested building an airport in the Thames Estuary as an alternative option, dubbed Boris Island. A Heathrow third runway was recommended by the independent Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies. It has also gained backing from Labour this week with shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald saying there needs to be "overwhelming evidence" that the Commissions conclusions are flawed for it to be ignored. The Scottish National party has also said it backs the Heathrow expansion. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "Suspending collective responsibility to avoid a tricky vote is something that Corbyn does to try and paper over the massive schisms in his party, and now, it seems, the Prime Minister has taken a leaf out of his book." Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The mood is certainly changing towards the West intervening in the Syrian civil war, the Foreign Secretary has said. Boris Johnson told the House of Commons that that nothing was off the table in terms of the response to bombing and the humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo. He however reiterated that he believed there was not currently sufficient appetite among Western allies for such a move, which could risk a shooting war with Russia. The former Mayor of London previously said a no-fly zone or no-bombing zone over Aleppo would be extremely difficult. He told MPs last week that MPs could not back such a move without resolving to Russian warplanes are currently operating in the area and any breach of the zone could result in a shooting war between Russia and the Western allies. Speaking during Foreign Office question-time, Labour's Alison McGovern told Mr Johnson: Not just the Syrian opposition, but Syrian civil society and also NGOs in this country are calling for our Government to lead on a comprehensive strategy to protect civilians - including a no-bombing zone. Can I ask you to confirm that that is what our Government will take the lead in considering now?" Mr Johnson replied to the co-chair of the all-parliamentary party group on Syria: I'm grateful to you and again I pay tribute to the forcefulness with which you have advocated this cause. I wish, I must say, three years ago the Opposition had then been as resolute in wishing to see that kind of engagement to protect the people of Syria because a critical decision was taken then which has... made it much more difficult for us today. In pictures: Aleppo bombing Show all 14 1 /14 In pictures: Aleppo bombing In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Smoke rises after airstrikes on the rebel-held al-Sakhour neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family runs for cover amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Al-Qatarji in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man reacts as he stands on blood stains at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held area of Aleppo's al-Fardous district, Syria, April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damage of the airstrikes in the rebel-held area of Aleppo on April 28 Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damaged the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-backed al-Quds hospital after it was hit by airstrikes, in a rebel-held area of Syria's Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians evacuate an injured man amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following an air strike on a rebel-held of Aleppo on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo People inspect the damage at a site hit by airstrikes, in the rebel-held area of Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man leads a woman in tears and child out of the scene after airstrikes hit Aleppo AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Civil defence members search for survivors after an airstrike at a field hospital in the rebel held area of al-Sukari district of Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian boy is comforted as he cries next to the body of a relative who died in a reported air strike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Soukour in the northern city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family walks amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike in the Bustan al-Qasr rebel-held district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers and rescuers remove a baby from under the rubble of a destroyed building following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Kalasa in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians help a wounded youth following an air strike on the Fardous rebel held neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers evacuate people from a damaged building following a reported airstrike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Tareeq al-Bab in the northern city of Aleppo I want to see the will of this House of Commons clearly expressed in support of what you have said." Earlier, Labour MP John Woodcock told Mr Johnson: In response to this and other atrocities, last week in the Commons you said that more kinetic options should be considered but then only yesterday - or the day before - emerging from your talks you said there was little interest, to say the least. Please reassure the House that the UK will play its full role in urging other nations that this may be the only way to make Russia back down." Mr Johnson replied: I think the mood is certainly changing in this country. I do not yet detect a sufficient appetite in the capitals of the West and certainly not yet in the White House for the kind of action I think could be useful. But as [US Secretary of State John Kerry] said, nothing is off the table. The Battle of Aleppo, in Syrias largest city, has been raging since 2012. Tens of thousands of believe are believed to have been killed, millions displaced, and the city lies in ruins. Additional reporting by PA Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Theresa May has set out strict rules in a bid to control how Cabinet ministers like Boris Johnson raise objections to an expected decision to approve Heathrow expansion. The Prime Minister is allowing exceptional and limited dissent from some ministers to avoid a major Cabinet split, but has set out mind-boggling restrictions on what they can and cannot say. In a letter to ministers, she also reveals that after a Cabinet-committee decision to approve expansion next week, the final proposals may not be put to the House of Commons until the early part of 2018. Ms Mays message said that she recognised some colleagues have strongly held views and in some cases had constituency matters relating to airport expansion. As a result she would put in place a special arrangement to allow some designated ministers a chance to avoid backing the Government position and to set out a personal position on the matter. Any minister wishing to voice disapproval must seek my approval, she said. The letter goes on: This special derogation from normal rules of collective responsibility will also be subject to a number of important caveats. No minister will be permitted to campaign actively against the Governments position, nor publicly criticise, or call into question the decision making process itself. Ministers will not be permitted to speak against the government in the House [of Commons]. The rules are likely to hit Education Secretary Justine Greening and Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson, not known for verbal restraint, who both have already been vocal in their opposition to Heathrow. Heathrow third runway decision needed as soon as possible after Brexit says Simon Calder Setting out the process Ms May explains that once the Cabinet committee has made a decision on which proposal for expansion to back, it will then go to a full public consultation before "a final decision is put before the House" in the winter of 2017/18. A Heathrow third runway was recommended by the independent Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies. It has also gained backing from Labour this week with shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald saying there needs to be overwhelming evidence that the Commissions conclusions are flawed for it to be ignored. The Scottish National Pparty has also said it backs the Heathrow expansion. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "Suspending collective responsibility to avoid a tricky vote is something that Corbyn does to try and paper over the massive schisms in his party, and now, it seems, the Prime Minister has taken a leaf out of his book." Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A scheme to help troubled families championed by former Prime Minister David Cameron has had "no significant impact", according to a leading think-tank. Mr Cameron had hailed the 448 million initiative to tackle addiction, absence from school and anti-social behaviour among families as a "real government success", but the research found no consistent evidence it improved lives. It comes just 24 hours before the official who led the Troubled Families Team is expected to answer questions on the programme from MPs. Recommended Read more Damning report finds children are at risk due to poor social services The research published by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research used data on a quarter of the families that took part in the first stage of the initiative and compared them to those that had not. They calculated that there were "a very small number of positive or negative results", making the impact estimates "statistically insignificant". They stated: "Across a wide range of outcomes, covering the key objectives of the Troubled Families Programme - employment, benefit receipt, school attendance, safeguarding and child welfare - we were unable to find consistent evidence that the programme had any significant or systematic impact. " The programme, launched in the wake of riots in 2011, was designed to turn around the lives of 120,000 of the most troubled families in England by 2015. Indyplus gallery: London riots in 2011 Show all 9 1 /9 Indyplus gallery: London riots in 2011 Indyplus gallery: London riots in 2011 london-riots-2011-pa.jpg PA Indyplus gallery: London riots in 2011 633405.bin PA Indyplus gallery: London riots in 2011 633799.bin Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images Indyplus gallery: London riots in 2011 633797.bin Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images Indyplus gallery: London riots in 2011 633790.bin Getty Images Indyplus gallery: London riots in 2011 633681.bin GETTY IMAGES Indyplus gallery: London riots in 2011 633565.bin Indyplus gallery: London riots in 2011 633321.bin GETTY IMAGES Indyplus gallery: London riots in 2011 633403.bin PA It was then extended for a further five years starting in 2015/16 to help an additional 400,000 families with hundreds of millions of pounds earmarked for the task, bringing the total cost to more than 1 billion. Just two days ago Communities Minister Lord Bourne praised the programme for "transforming the lives of thousands of families", before going on to claim that more than 116,000 who participated in the first phase of the programme have seen significant improvements in their lives. He said: "We believe this programme has transformed the lives of thousands of families. The councils and frontline staff who have put it into practice should be pleased with the work they have done." Dame Louise Casey, who led the scheme at the Department for Communities and Local Government, will take questions from a committee of MPs on Wednesday. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Zac Goldsmith, the MP for Richmond, has said he is ready to resign as a Conservative MP if Theresa May gives the go-ahead for a third runway at Heathrow. And in a shock development his local Conservative group agreed to back him in a by-election over an official Tory candidate. They see it as a referendum via the ballot box on Heathrow, an insider told the Evening Standard following a meeting of local party officials. A fellow Conservative MP, Tania Mathias, who represents Twickenham, is also prepared to ignore the partys rule book and actively campaign for a non-Conservative candidate. Dr Mathias said: Zac is doing the honourable thing by committing to his pledge and I fully support him in that. Mr Goldsmith, a prominent environmentalist who has long opposed expansion at Heathrow, has consistently said he would resign if his party backed a third runway. He made opposition to Heathrow expansion a core plank of his campaign to be Mayor of London. Sadiq Khan, who defeated Mr Goldsmith in the contest, also favours expansion at Gatwick over Heathrow. The shock move by Richmond Conservatives could cause a headache for the Prime Minister, who faces the prospect of seeing her parliamentary majority of 12 cut by one. In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow Show all 22 1 /22 In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow Inside one of the terminal tents in 1946 The year the airport opened. Comfortable armchairs and flowers try to distract from the conditions Graham Bridges collection In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow An aerial view of the airport in 1949 Construction of the runway layout and Central Area are under way In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow A Pan Am crew checks out the Boeing Stratocruiser N1029V Clipper Golden Eagle in 1954 During the early 1950s, Pan Am and American Overseas Airlines operated Statocruisers into London Airport in direct competition on the North Atlantic route operated by BOAC In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow One of the first official London Airport guidebooks C.1953, priced 1s In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow In 1950 a permanent concrete terminal building was built This replaced the tents previously used at London Airport North and is seen still in use for charter and cargo flights in this 1959 view via Graham Bridges In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow BOAC check-in desk in 1954 Inside the new London Airport North terminal building, just before the move to the Central Area Graham Bridges collection In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow Air traffic control tower in the 1960s Inside the visual control room CAA Archives via Pete Bish In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow Rear cover of the 1956 guidebook Showing a plan of the airport at the time, with entrance prices to the spectators viewing terraces and for airport coach tours In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow Spectators in 1958 How close can you get? As soon as the Central Area was open, spectators were afforded unprecedented views of the airliners In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow Terminal 3 was opened as the Oceanic Terminal on 13 November 1961 It was built to handle flight departures for long-haul routes. Renamed Terminal 3 in 1968, it was expanded in 1970 with the addition of an arrivals building In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow Inside Terminal 3 in 1969 Check-in desks for BOAC and QANTAS airlines In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow Plane spotting on Heathrows viewing terraces in the 1960s Wrap up warm, take your spotting logbooks, pen and binoculars and get your mum to pack your sandwiches In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow No 1 Passenger Building Also called the Europa Building. In this photo, taken on 22 June 1963, flags of the many airlines it serves are flown Lee Holden In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow Luggage-trailer-towing Routemaster buses When BEA and BOAC merged to form BA on 1 April 1974, both fleets had to be repainted in the new livery, but so did all the ground support equipment In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow The entrance to the traffic tunnel in 1974 A Lufthansa Boeing 737 is seen on the runway In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow A 40 per cent scale model of Concorde In September 1990 it was erected on the roundabout at the entrance to the tunnel that passes under the northern runway at Heathrow Airport. It was built in four main parts, with an 80ft-long central fuselage section, to which the wings and tail fin were attached. The completed model was placed on the roundabout in September 1990 and was monitored by CCTV and surrounded by an infrared perimeter alarm that was connected to the local Heathrow police station to ensure it was not vandalised In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow Heathrow Airport's 50th anniversary On 2 June 1996, Heathrow marked its anniversary with a flypast of representative airliner types that have served the airport over the years. This culminated in a formation flypast by Concorde with Hawks of the RAF Red Arrows aerobatic team In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow The roof of Terminal 3s car park One of the last bastions for plane spotters and spectators was here. This is the unfriendly notice that greets anyone who attempts this today Richard Vandervord In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow On 24 October 2003 BA withdrew its Concordes from service The final scheduled commercial flight was BA002 from JFK operated by G-BOAG. Here we see three of the Concordes parked together outside the BA hangar on 8 November 2003 following withdrawal John Hughes In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow The new control tower Costing 50 million to construct, it gives controllers an excellent 360-degree panoramic view NATS photograph In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow The new Terminal 2 The Queens Terminal In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow Looking due west down Runway 27L She will also be wary of losing the seat should the Conservatives field a candidate against Mr Goldsmith, thus potentially splitting the Tory-learning vote and handing the seat to the Liberal Democrats. It comes as the Prime Minister told Cabinet colleagues they would be free to oppose the Governments official position on airport expansion, suggesting it is Heathrow rather than Gatwick that will be given the go-ahead. Both Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, and Education Secretary Justine Greening have constituencies near Heathrow flight paths and are fierce opponents of expansion at the airport. A small group of ministers, not including Mr Johnson or Ms Greening, are expected to make a final decision on airport expansion next week. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Scientists may have discovered hidden chambers in the Great Pyramid of Giza. Two previously undiscovered cavities or voids have shown up in scans of Egypts largest pyramid, researchers said on Saturday. But the Egyptian antiquities ministry have urged caution, releasing a statement announcing anomalies in data gathered on the monument and stating they were not necessarily rooms or even sizeable voids. The 480ft structure was built 4,500 years ago for King Khufu and is considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It has three known chambers, and like other pyramids in Egypt was intended as a pharaoh's tomb. We are now able to confirm the existence of a 'void' hidden behind the north face, that could have the form of at least one corridor going inside the Great Pyramid, scientists from Operation ScanPyramids said in a statement. Another cavity was discovered on the pyramid's north-east flank, the researchers said. In October last year Operation ScanPyramids began searching for hidden rooms inside the Khufu and Khafre pyramids in Giza, and the Bent and Red pyramids in Dashur. The team, made up of researchers from different universities, institutes, and companies, used non-invasive and non-destructive techniques, including infrared thermography, muon radiography imaging, and 3D reconstruction. Muons are similar to X-rays which can penetrate the body and allow bone imaging and can go through hundreds of meters of stone before being absorbed, ScanPyramids explained in a statement. Judiciously placed detectors for example inside a pyramid, below a potential, unknown chamber can then record particle tracks and discern cavities from denser regions. The Antiquities Ministry, who have employed a team of scientists to oversee Operation ScanPyramid's work, said more tests needed to be carried out to confirm the finding and then to determine the nature, size, and function of the rooms, if they do exist. The oversight team is led by former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass and includes several Egyptologists with decades of experience. Mark Lehner, who has been conducting work at Giza for about 30 years, is one of the team members. The Ministry team recommended extending the Scan Pyramids project by another year so more data can be gathered. Mr Hawass told Live Science the results obtained by the Scan Pyramid team may be the result of different-size stones used in the Great Pyramid and may not indicate the presence of sizeable voids. The core [of the pyramid] has big and small stones, and this can show hollows everywhere, he said. The oversight team asked for more work to know the size and the function of the anomalies, Mr Hawass said. The Ministry are understandably cautious about confirming the finding, given past precedent. In late 2015, Egypt started radar scans of Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings in southern Egypt, after a British archaeologist suggested Nefertiti might be buried in a secret chamber there. English voyager finds whales in Egyptian desert Show all 9 1 /9 English voyager finds whales in Egyptian desert English voyager finds whales in Egyptian desert 270921.bin Garry Shaw English voyager finds whales in Egyptian desert 270920.bin Garry Shaw English voyager finds whales in Egyptian desert 270919.bin Garry Shaw English voyager finds whales in Egyptian desert 270918.bin Garry Shaw English voyager finds whales in Egyptian desert 270917.bin Garry Shaw English voyager finds whales in Egyptian desert 270912.bin Garry Shaw English voyager finds whales in Egyptian desert 270914.bin Garry Shaw English voyager finds whales in Egyptian desert 270915.bin Garry Shaw English voyager finds whales in Egyptian desert 270916.bin Garry Shaw Nicholas Reeves suggested Tutankhamun's tomb was in fact Nefertiti's, and when the boy king died unexpectedly at a young age, he was rushed into her tomb's outer chamber. An initial scan suggested the tomb may exist, but more detailed scans carried out earlier this year proved it did not. By the time the theory was disproved, officials in the Egyptian antiquities ministry, as well as the tourism ministry, had already publicly stated they believed a hidden chamber, possibly containing Nefertiti's tomb, likely existed, forcing the department to backtrack in embarrassment. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ethiopians who post statuses on Facebook about the countrys growing political unrest could face up to five years in jail, as part of a series of measures under a state of emergency that grow more stringent by the day. The government has imposed the longest blanket ban on mobile internet services in the capital Addis Ababa since protests began a year ago, and access to messaging platforms like WhatsApp has been heavily restricted. The measures are designed to stifle peoples ability to organise protests, amid calls for greater political freedoms and recognition from the ethnic Oromo and Amharic groups. Access to foreign-based media has also been restricted, including Deutsche Welle and Voice of America, which both have popular Amharic stations. Two TV stations run from the US for the Ethiopian diaspora, ESAT and the Oromia Media Network, have been banned. And the new rules even seek to ban people from carrying out certain gestures without permission. They include crossing arms above the head to form an X, a political symbol that has become synonymous with the Oromo struggle and featured at the Rio Olympics and Paralympics. UK rights charities are particularly concerns that under the emergency rules, which are expected to be in place for the next six months, foreign diplomats will have their movements heavily restricted. Protesters chant slogans against the government during a march in Bishoftu, in the Oromia region of Ethiopia (AP) The government says diplomats are not allowed to travel more than 40km (25 miles) from the capital, Addis Ababa, without permission, and say it is for their own safety. But the rights group Reprieve told The Independent there are serious concerns this could limit the access Britons have to consular services. They raised the case of one UK citizen, father-of-three Andy Tsege, who is on Ethiopias death row and held at a jail some way outside the capital. "Andys family in London, who cannot contact him, are sick with worry," said Maya Foa, a director at Reprieve. "Amid this crisis, its shocking that the UK continues to rely on Ethiopias vague, broken promises of regular consular access and a lawyer for Andy. Boris Johnson must urgently call for Andy to be returned home to his partner and kids in Britain." Ethiopia is a key strategic ally for the US and European countries in the fight against Somalias Islamist insurgency, al-Shabaab, and Addis Ababa is the home of the African Union. The global importance of the countrys stability has meant Western governments turning a blind eye to its authoritarian leadership. In June, the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front cut off nationwide access to social media - on the grounds of preventing exam result leaks. The new ban on internet services has already made a noticeable impact on the flow of reports of unrest coming out of the country via on-the-ground activists. Ethiopian state media reported that 1,000 protesters had been arrested in the central Oromia town of Sebeta since the state of emergency was declared on 8 October, and ahead of an investment conference in the town which began on Monday. Festival goers flee during a deadly stampede in Bishoftu, on October 2, 2016 (AFP/Getty Images) FBC said those detained were suspected of damaging property, but there was little in the way of opposition reports to give the other side of the story. The emergency rules include a ban on using social media to contact outside forces, and Ethiopians risk jail if they communicate with any anti-peace groups designated as terrorist. Finally, the rules stipulate a curfew of 6pm to 6am in which members of the public may not visit factories, farms and government institutions, which have come under attack in recent weeks. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the Ethiopian government to ensure "the protection of fundamental human rights" during the state of emergency, and the president has announced some electoral reforms in order to try and reach out to protesters. A Western diplomat told the AFP news agency those changes had not yet materialised, however. This is a state of emergency and we expect repressive measures, the diplomat said. But we also expect an opening of the political space for the opposition as stated by the president in front of the parliament. This is not what seems to be happening. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Last month, Barack Obama hosted a number of African heads of state for a business summit in New York, where we said the world was just scratching the surface of the continents potential. The US President said that, while he would only be in office for a few more months, he would suggest a renewed focus on integrating African economies, diversifying African exports and bringing down barriers at the borders. During his speech, he put out an extraordinary statistic, stating that despite significant growth in much of the continent, Africas entire GDP is still only about the GDP of France. Can that really be true? Frances population, according to the latest World Bank figures, is 66 million. Its gross domestic product - the total value of goods and services produced in a country during one year - is $2.42 trillion. Getting an accurate figure for the GDP of the 1.2 billion people in Africas 55 recognised states is considerably more difficult. According to the South Africa-based non-profit Africa Check, which fact-checked Mr Obamas speech, only seven of the continents countries report their GDP in a way that is compliant with UN statistical standards. Recommended Read more Barack Obama jokes about being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize That means the numbers are open to broad discrepancies. In the 2015 World Bank figures, the most recent data we have for France, the combined GDP of Africa was $2.24 trillion - some way short of the European nation. But, Africa Check notes, there were no data available for that year for seven African states. As a result, the most recent GDP complete figure for Africa that we have is 2014, when 53 countries (excluding Eritrea and Western Sahara) had a combined output of $2.74 trillion. In 2014, Frances GDP was up at $2.83 trillion. On this basis, we can say Mr Obama was correct. Yet GDP is an unwieldy measure, given the fluid value of a dollar across the world. Simply put, you will get more bang for you buck in Harare than you will in Houston. As such, countries also measure their output in GDP PPP - standing for purchasing power parity. Its a standardised figure for what countries relative GDPs would be, if all other things were equal. On that basis, Frances GDP (PPP) for 2014 is little changed, at $2.66 trillion. But according to Africa Check, International Comparison Programme data gave 52 African countries a GDP (PPP) for the same year of $5.35 trillion. Neither measure is perfect. But if you are talking from a global trade perspective, Mr Obama is probably right to say that Africa and France have about the same GDP. If you making a rough comparison of peoples local purchasing power, hes some way out. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Many of the Chibok schoolgirls still held by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria do not want to leave their jihadist captors, a community leader has claimed. There were jubilant scenes in the capital Abuja this week after 21 of the girls were set free, the first successful breakthrough in negotiations between the Nigerian government and the militants, brokered by Switzerland. But Pogu Bitrus, the chairman of the Chibok Development Association, said more than 100 of the remaining girls appeared unwilling to return home, either because they have been radicalised or they are ashamed of their experience. Recommended Read more Scenes of joy as 21 Chibok girls are reunited with families Mr Bitrus told The Associated Press the 21 Chibok girls freed last week in the first negotiated release between Nigeria's government and Boko Haram should be educated abroad, because they will probably face stigma in Nigeria. They are expected to meet with Nigeria's president, Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday or Wednesday, he said. Some 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped early on and at least half a dozen have died in captivity, according to the newly freed girls, Mr Bitrus said. All those who escaped on their own have left Chibok because, even though they were held only a few hours, they were labelled "Boko Haram wives" and taunted, he said. At least 20 of the girls are being educated in the United States. "We would prefer that they are taken away from the community and this country because the stigmatization is going to affect them for the rest of their lives," he said. "Even someone believed to have been abused by Boko Haram would be seen in a bad light." Mr Bitrus said that according to the testimony of the freed girls, the schoolgirls were split into two groups early on in their captivity, when Boko Haram commanders gave them the choice of joining the extremists and embracing Islam, or becoming their slaves. The girls freed and those whose release is being negotiated, numbering 104, are believed to be in the group that rejected Islam and Boko Haram, he explained. The freed girls said they never saw the other girls again. Nigeria's government has denied reports that the girls were swapped for four Boko Haram commanders, or that a large ransom was paid. Additional reporting by agencies Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The man told a 911 operator that his wife was in distress. He wanted a mental health officer sent to their south Austin apartment to help calm things down. Austin police changed their tactics when the man warned that the situation had grown perilous: His wife, he said, had picked up a gun. Instead of the mental health officer responding to the Club at Summer Valley apartments, two other officers crept closer to building 744. They put cover between themselves and the distraught womans apartment, cautious as they tried to make contact. She found them first, emerging suddenly from a breezeway her arm extended, a gun pointed at officers. She extended the weapon towards the officers and said Shoot me. Shoot me. Kill me, Assistant Chief Troy Gay told reporters at a news conference early on Sunday. The officers were giving her verbal commands the whole time telling her to drop the weapon. Instead, Gay said, she edged closer to the officers. Both officers fired, Gay said. The woman fell to the sidewalk, wounded. But she still had the gun. The female was still moving, Gay said. The weapon was still underneath her. And she . . . was still a threat. Other officers had arrived by that point, and the group tried to disarm her without getting shot, Gay said. On the ground, she continued to ask officers to kill her. As they were approaching her to disarm her, the female had the weapon in her hand, Gay said. An officer fired several more shots. The woman was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later. The department has not released her name, or the names of the officers involved in the shooting. They also havent said what, if any, mental illness the woman had. Police say her husband requested an officer specially trained to deal with people having mental health issues. Several neighbours heard parts of the fatal confrontation, according to Austin ABC-affiliate KVUE. Sebastian Cardena told the station he had just gotten home from celebrating his 21st birthday. He heard a loud scream and five pops and then silence and three more pops. Zorado Plaza, who has lived in the apartment complex for six years, said the gunfire woke him. I just heard gunshots. I woke up from my heavy sleep and Im like, did I hear that correctly? And then I heard it again, he told KVUE. Still, police said there were no direct witnesses to the killing, the eighth officer-involved shooting this year in Austin, according to the station. Austin police have been scrutinized after a recent study showed that officers there are more likely to use force on black suspects than Hispanics or whites, according USA Today. The report, which analyzed data from 2014 and 2015, also showed that black motorists were more likely to be searched than whites or Hispanics. Police shootings in general have been under the microscope amid a national debate about whether officers are too quick to use force, especially against blacks. An ongoing analysis by the Washington Post has found that police officers across the country have fatally shot civilians at least 762 times this year and that about a quarter of those killed were mentally ill or experiencing an emotional crisis. Of the fatal shootings in 2016, 179 of them involved mental illness and 40 of those victims were explicitly suicidal. Ratios were similar last year, according to a 2015 Post analysis. The project found that officers often lack the training to approach mentally unstable people. According to the investigation, severe budget cuts for psychiatric services have created a hole that local police departments are being asked to fill. Departments have struggled to meet the challenge. Although recruits typically spend nearly 60 hours learning to handle a gun, according to a study by the Police Executive Research Forum, they receive only eight hours of training to de-escalate tense situations and eight hours learning strategies for handling the mentally ill. We as a society need to put more money and funding into treating the mentally ill. We need to work with these people . . . before they end in tragedy, Mike Carter, the police chief in Sand Springs, Okla., previously told The Washington Post. Copyright: Washington Post Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A black man was arrested and dragged down a residential street by his arm for allegedly walking in the line of traffic while the pavement was closed for reconstruction. Larnie Thomas was filmed being detained by an off-duty police officer, believed to be Tim Olson, in the city of Edina in Minnesota, who held him for walking down the middle of the street while avoiding the construction work. Mr Thomas was shown becoming angry after Mr Olson refused to let go of his jacket as he escorted him to a nearby police car, and was placed in handcuffs after swearing repeatedly and hitting his rucksack on the bonnet of the vehicle. Janet Rowles, who filmed the footage, was heard suggesting Mr Olson merely tell him politely where to walk, rather that detaining him and requesting back-up. Hes scared, people end up dying in these situations, its scary, she shouted at the officers as Mr Thomas continued to get more agitated. Police reportedly say Mr Thomas had alcohol in his system at the time of the incident, and was held by officers for 45 minutes before being released. Ms Rowles video quickly went viral on YouTube, and the City of Edina, MN responded to the incident on its Facebook page, saying public safety is the priority of the police force. Recognising the risk to the safety of the public, the officer pulled in behind the man with his lights and an audible signal in an attempt to advise him to get out of the roadway, the statement said. The man, who was wearing headphones, turned and looked at the officer and continued walking in the lane of traffic. The officer then drove in front of the man by approximately 15 feet, to block him from continuing in the southbound lane of traffic. The man deliberately went around the squad car and continued to walk in the lane of traffic. The man did not stop and was defiant. It makes it more difficult for officers to deal with the situation on hand when they are at the same time dealing with the distractions of bystanders, the spokesperson concluded, referring to Ms Rowles filming. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), condemned Mr Olsons actions and expressed sympathy for Mr Thomas. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The dehumanising and degrading way in which Mr Thomas was treated by Edina police merely reinforces the urgent need for police reform, the president of the Minneapolis NAACP said in a statement. It is sad to say, but that man in the video could easily have been the next Philando Castile or Jamar Clark, two unarmed black men who were killed by police within the last year. When will we say enough is enough? Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Chuck Berry turning 90 on Tuesday was a signal event in the calendar of world music. But birthdays, by nature, tend not to be a surprise. What was a surprise, however, was Mr Berry using it to announce the imminent release of a new album, to be called, simply, Chuck. Mr Berry, widely credited with being one of the most important pioneers of rock and roll, is not, in other words, done quite yet. The LP, his first in 38 years, will be released during 2017 by Dualtone Records, the label that is also home to the Denver folk rock band, The Lumineers. A longtime resident and a native of St Louis, Missouri, Mr Berry said he was dedicating the new record to his wife of 68 years, Themetta Berry. This record is dedicated to my beloved Toddy, he said. My darlin', I'm growing old! I've worked on this record for a long time. Now I can hang up my shoes! Mr Berry, who was among the first ten musicians to be inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland when it first opened in 1986, will sing and play guitar on the upcoming album assisted by the same back-up group that has been with him for years. It includes his children Charles and Ingrid Berry on guitar and harmonica respectively. Songs that will always have a home in the canon of American rock and roll music written and performed by Mr Berry include Johnny B. Goode, Roll Over Beethoven, Maybellene, Sweet Little 16 and Rock and Roll Music. When NASA sent the space probe Voyager into outer space in 1977, the only song it stowed on board was Johnny B. Goode. For years, Mr Berry and his back-up crew, which also includes bassist Jimmy Marsala, who has played with him for 40 years, pianist Robert Lohr and drummer Keith Robinson played regular sessions at the St Louis club Blueberry Hill. But Mr Berry collapsed on stage in Chicago in January 2011 and has not played at the Blueberry Club, also a popular restaurant, since 2014. What an honour to be part of this new music, Charles Berry Jr. said in a statement. The St. Louis band, or as dad called us 'the Blueberry Hill Band,' fell right into the groove and followed his lead. These songs cover the spectrum from hard driving rockers to soulful thought provoking time capsules of a life's work. Neither Dualtone nor Mr Berry offered much detail about the new album except to say that the material would be mostly original and that he has been recorded the tracks in assorted studios in the St Louis area for some time. Its not clear whether he would be fit enough to tour the material when it is released. It is a great honour to be a part of this record and the broader legacy of Chuck Berry, said Paul Roper, president of Dualtone Records, which also hasnt said when during 2017 the new album will become available. This body of work stands with the best of his career and will further cement Chuck as one of the greatest icons of rock and roll. Mr Berry, who received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 1984, released his last studio album, Rock It, all the back in 1979. Groups that have recorded Berry songs over the decades have include The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and he was always lionized by peers including the late John Lennon, who once said, if you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The former personal butler of Donald Trump has denied the allegations of sexual assault leveled against his employer by People magazine writer Natasha Stoynoff and at least 12 other women. Anthony Senecal, 85, was asked about the 2005 incident in which Ms Stoynoff claimed she went round to Mr Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to interview the now Republican nominee and was assaulted as soon as she was alone with him. "No, that never happened. Come on, thats just bull crap," he told Western Journalism. Recommended Read more Melania Trump threatens to sue People magazine "As I remember, it was Mrs Posts (Marjorie Merriweather Post) old massage room, which has got windows all the way around that would be the worst room to go grope somebody, unless you want the whole world to know about it," said Mr Senecal. Ms Stoynoff said that Mr Trump shoved her up against the wall and tried to kiss her. The interview ran in People despite the alleged assault - which Mr Trump denied - but she decided to talk publicly about the incident after seeing a leaked 2005 video in which Mr Trump was bragging about sexually assaulting women and grabbing their genitals. Trump in response to sexual assault claims - 'Look at her... you tell me' The journalist alleged that the butler "burst in" on Mr Trump when she was in his house, while his third wife, Melania Trump, who was pregnant at the time, was upstairs. Ms Trump denied the account and has threatened to sue People magazine. "I dont burst in. I knock, then I go in, usually after someone says come in'," Mr Senecal said. "And when I went in, there was nothing strange about where she was standing." Melania Trump dismisses husband's leaked audio as 'boy's talk' Ms Stoynoff said in People on Tuesday that she told her story "for women" and it was not about politics. "We cannot be silent anymore," she said. The former butler accused women of "jumping on the train" to accuse his former boss of sexual assault, but that none of it happened. Mr Senecal was recently investigated by the secret service after he called for president Obama's death on Facebook. More than 10 women have shared their experiences of being kissed, groped or assaulted by the Republican - including former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos - and Mr Trump has strongly denied all of the claims, saying he did not know most of the women in question and accused them of wanting publicity. "These people are sick," he told a rally last week. His butler's denials follow an account of a British man, Anthony Gilberthorpe, put forward by the Trump campaign to testify that he was sitting on the same plane as Mr Trump and a woman called Jessica Leeds who the nominee allegedly groped 30 years ago. He said Ms Leeds was the one being "flirtatious" and had not seen Mr Trump grope under her skirt as he sat next to her. Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Mayor Charles Wasko of West York, a small town in Pennsylvania, is resigning after being widely condemned for posting racist memes of President Barack Obama. Following the controversy, the West York Council unanimously accepted his resignation on Monday night. The York Daily Record reports that his resignation goes into effect on October 21. The good news is we get to move on, and were going to deal with the topic at hand and continue to heal our community and build a better West York, Council President Shawn Mauck told reporters. Pennsylvania mayor posts racists memes on Facebook Show all 8 1 /8 Pennsylvania mayor posts racists memes on Facebook Pennsylvania mayor posts racists memes on Facebook Charles Wasko/Facebook Pennsylvania mayor posts racists memes on Facebook Charles Wasko/Facebook Pennsylvania mayor posts racists memes on Facebook Charles Wasko/Facebook Pennsylvania mayor posts racists memes on Facebook Charles Wasko/Facebook Pennsylvania mayor posts racists memes on Facebook Charles Wasko/Facebook Pennsylvania mayor posts racists memes on Facebook Charles Wasko/Facebook Pennsylvania mayor posts racists memes on Facebook Charles Wasko/Facebook Pennsylvania mayor posts racists memes on Facebook Charles Wasko/Facebook Mr Mauck will fulfill the mayors duties for the rest of the term, which runs until December 21, 2017. The towns council approved a motion earlier this month to censure Mr Wasko and called for him to resign from his post. He was caught posting racist memes including Facebook posts that called Mr Obama and his family apes. "We're going to move forward together to do everything we can to help the community heal," Mr Mauck told reporters while admitting that he feared the mayors actions would damage the towns economy and reputation. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} It is news that will strike fear into the hearts of perhaps half of America and large chunks of the world outside of it. Despite a calamitous week of campaigning, betting markets on the US election are almost a mirror image of those on Britains EU referendum at this stage. And they could be pointing to a victory for Donald Trump. Bookmaker William Hill says 71 per cent of the money so far staked is for Democrat Hillary Clinton. But 65 per cent of the bets by number are for the controversial Republican. Trump effectively rejects US election result before votes have even been counted That means a lot more punters are putting smaller bets on Trump, almost exactly the same pattern as was seen in the run up to the Brexit vote when the money was for Remain but the majority of bets were for Leave. The bookie has cut the odds on a Trump victory from 11-2 to 4-1 over the past two days in response to a surge in bets for the reality TV star and businessman turned politician. It comes despite a campaign bedevilled and derailed by ugly accusations of sexual abuse on the part of Trump from a growing list of women, together with his claims that the election is somehow being rigged. What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Show all 9 1 /9 What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump denying claims from a number of women that he sexually assaulted them This is all fiction, all fictionalised, probably or possibly started by her and her very sleazy campaign. I didn't even apologise to my wife who is sitting right here because I didn't even do anything Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump claiming the Russian leader had no respect for Mrs Clinton She doesn't like Putin because Putin has outsmarted her every step of the way. He has no respect for her. He has no respect for our President." Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump interrupting Mrs Clinton with one of his most scathing personal attacks yet as she explained her policy on social security Such a nasty woman Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump claiming Mrs Clinton shouldn't have been allowed to run for presidency and that the election is rigged She should never have been allowed to run. Shes guilty of a very very serious crime. She should not be allowed to run. And just in that respect, I say its rigged. Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump voicing his pro-life stance during the abortion debate Based on what she's saying ... you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month, on the final day, and that's unacceptable Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton suggesting this is not the first time Mr Trump has claimed results against him have been rigged There was even a time when Trump didn't get an Emmy for his TV programme three years in a row and he started tweeting that the Emmys were rigged Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton responding to Mr Trump's lewd comments about women Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity and self-worth Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton implying Mr Trump is a puppet of Russian president Vladimir Putin He'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton comparing her political experience to Mr Trump's former television role On the day I was in the situation room monitoring the raid that brought Osama Bin Laden to justice he was hosting the Celebrity Apprentice Getty William Hills spokesman and resident betting expert Graham Sharpe, an industry veteran of 44 years standing, said: Its very, very similar to the Brexit vote. There is a metropolitan media bias that says Trump cant win, but they cant vote. In betting terms, this is not a done deal. I see parallels with the Brexit vote at this stage. Mr Sharpe, the author of more than 25 books, mostly on the betting and racing industries, continued: Some of the larger number of small bets on Trump can be explained by odds. When you have odds of 1-8 or 1-9 as you do on Clinton its not so interesting to the small punter. You tend to get bigger bets. We had one woman walk into a Northumbrian betting shop to stake 170,000 at 1-8 to win 21,250. She came in the next morning to stake another 13,200 to win 1467. Shed never placed a bet before but said she saw it as an investment. Trump at 4-1 or 11-2 will attract the smaller punters. But I dont think that is only reason for the number of bets on him, and we have had to cut the odds on Trump three times in the last couple of days. This isnt over. FiveThirtyEight in the US, which uses statistical analysis to produce a percentage chance of winning for each candidate, now rates Clinton at 88 per cent, based upon her widening lead in the polls, and at 85 per cent using its polls plus model. Clintons lead in national US polls, and in the battleground states that are the keys to victory, have firmed amid continuing revelations over Trumps past behaviour and his increasingly erratic public statements. However, Fortune magazine noted that the Brexit vote showed polls arent as accurate as you think, even as many US media outlets were declaring that Clintons lead of seven points and rising made her all but unbeatable with three weeks of campaigning to go. Is this the most bizarre campaign of all-time? William Hills odds suggest otherwise. They put Trump's chance of winning at 20 per cent and rising. One reason to take note of that: William Hill doesnt have that many American clients. The odds therefore reflect what people without any horse in the race think will happen. Punters may have latched on to the similarity of the forces behind Brexit and the rise of Trump. They include years of flat or falling incomes, popular discontent with the establishments of both countries and a desire to make them pay. John Mappin, the hotelier and part of the family that founded jeweller Mappin & Webb, stands to make 103,000 from the bookie should Trump win. Mr Mappin, who owns Camelot Castle in Cornwall, has already made a substantial profit from backing him to take the Republican nomination at 20-1. Ive only ever placed one bet this one, he told The Independent. Explaining that his conviction was based on conversations with Americans and his experience working in the country, he continued: I was on baby duty with my son when I watched Mr Trump announce his candidacy. I saw the media had got it wrong. They were saying the guy has no chance. They were saying hes doing this for a joke. Thats not the case. His supporters, theyve been watching media bullshit for years and they see through it. Polls are very rarely reliable. I am more confident than ever that Mr Trump will win. Those who view that prospect with horror can take some comfort from the fact that the odds say Trump is still a long shot to win the presidency. Hes just a lot less of a long shot than you might have thought. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump has grabbed onto a proposition that will play well both with his base and with whatever pool of undecided voters may remain out there: term limits for members of Congress. Speaking in Colorado Springs on Tuesday, the Republican nominee said that passing a constitutional amendment that would keep members of the House of Representatives and of the Senate from lingering too long was part of broader plan to drain the swamp in Washington. He also sketched out steps to tame the lobbying industry in Washington, a pledge that President Barack Obama made before he took office for the first time and which he largely failed to deliver. Mr Trump is expected aggressively to make the case at his third and final debate with Hillary Clinton on Wednesday night that only he has what it will take to end what he called the cycle of corruption in the nations capital. He will add that the Clinton family were part of the problem. If I'm elected president, I will push for a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress, Mr Trump said at an afternoon rally in Colorado, a battleground state he appears increasingly unlikely to win. They've been talking about that for years. Decades of failure in Washington and decades of special interest dealing must and will come to an end. The idea of ending the present system of open-ended careers on Capitol Hill has been floated from time to time and even became the subject of a Supreme Court case twenty years ago. Moreover, the notion of term limits - as they apply now to presidents who can only serve two terms - is immensely popular with many Americans, especially at a time when the US Congress and Washington in general are held in historically low esteem. But while it may make political sense for Mr Trump to try to lead the term-limit bandwagon, he will also know that the chances of it ever arriving at the station are extremely slim. Any amendment to the US constitution requires the support of two thirds of both chambers of Congress before it can even start to get anywhere. While ordinary voters might support it - a 2013 Gallup poll showed an astonishing 75 per cent of Americans, including both Democrats and Republicans, voicing support for term limits - getting those two-third majorities would be singularly problematic. It means asking members of Congress to sign papers consigning them to joblessness. That is an unlikely proposition. In that sense, it may be a fairly meaningless proposal from Mr Trump, but one that will nonetheless resonate well with voters. He has built his campaign partly on the notion that he does not belong to the political establishment and he will find ways to sweep it out. Under his plan, members of the House would be allowed to serve three two-year terms only, while members of the US Senate would be limited to two 6-year terms. That still means someone who transitions from one chamber to the next could be in Washington for eighteen years. His anti-lobbyist proposals are also likely to be well received. Mr Trump is saying he would find ways to ban members of Congress and officials who have served in the executive branch of the government from engaging in any kind of lobbying in Washington for five years upon leaving office or their positions. If we let the Clinton Cartel run this government, history will record that 2017 was the year America lost its independence, the Trump campaign said in a statement. We will not let that happen. It is time to drain the swamp in Washington, DC. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Over 150 spy pigeons have been seized by police in India, after officers became suspicious they were being used for espionage. A police spokesman from the city of Jammu in Kashmir state said a large number of pigeons had been discovered cruelly packed into a banana container and were rescued under the Cruelty to Animals Act during a routine inspection. Security officials noticed the pigeons had coloured rings attached to their legs and magnetic bracelets around their necks, raising suspicions about what the birds were being used for. The pigeons were reportedly suffering from severe dehydration following their journey, and were handed over to local welfare charity Save Animals Value Environment (SAVE). An activist from SAVE said the largest pigeons had had their wings clipped, Times of India reported. The local deputy commissioner in Jammu has ordered an investigation into the capture of the birds, and said the pigeons would only be released once the investigation was completed. Last week, police in India intercepted a suspected spy pigeon after it was found to be carrying an abusive note addressed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Where not to visit if you love animals Show all 9 1 /9 Where not to visit if you love animals Where not to visit if you love animals Monkey shows Chimpanzees are forced to perform demeaning tricks on leashes and are often subject to cruel training techniques. Animals who are confined to small, barren enclosures and forced to perform unsurprisingly show symptoms of stress and depression. Chimpanzees have been documented rocking back and forth, sucking their lips, salivating and swaying against enclosure perimeters in distress. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Marine parks Some parks confine orcas to concrete tanks and force them to perform meaningless tricks for food - many die in captivity. Orcas are highly intelligent and social mammals who may suffer immensely, both physically and mentally, when they're held in captivity. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Tiger shows Tigers are forced to live in an unnatural and barren environment and have to endure interactions with a constant stream of tourists. Since tigers never lose their wild instincts, across the world they are reportedly drugged, mutilated and restrained in order to make them safe for the public. However, every year, incidents of tiger maulings are reported at this type of tourist attraction. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Donkey rides Sunning on the beach is great for humans we can take a quick dip or catch a bite to eat when we get too hot or hungry. But it's pure hell for donkeys who are confined to the beach and forced to cart children around on the hot sand. Some donkey-ride operators at beach resorts in the UK even keep the animals chained together at all times. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Swimming with dolphins Some marine parks use bottlenose dolphins in performances and offer visitors the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Unfortunately, people are often unaware that these animals are captured in the wild and torn from their families or traded between different parks around the world. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Canned hunting Lions are confined to fenced areas so that they can easily be cornered, with no chance of escape. Most of them will have been bred in captivity and then taken from their mothers to be hand-reared by the cub-petting industry. When they get too big, they may be drugged before they are released into a "hunting" enclosure. Because these animals are usually kept in fenced enclosures (ranging in size from just a few square yards to thousands of acres), they never stand a chance of surviving. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Running of the Bulls Every year, tourists travel to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. The bulls who are forced to slip and slide down the town's narrow cobblestone streets are chased straight into the bullring. They are then taunted, stabbed repeatedly and finally killed by the matador in front of a jeering crowd. The majority of Spaniards reject bullfighting, but tourists are keeping the cruel industry on its last legs. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Horse-drawn carriages City streets are no place for horses. The animals toil in all weather extremes, suffering from respiratory distress from breathing in exhaust fumes as well as numerous hoof, leg and back problems from walking on pavement all day long. As easily spooked prey animals, horses subjected to the loud noises and unexpected sounds of city streets are likely to be involved in accidents, even deadly ones. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Zoos The zoo community regards the animals it keeps as commodities, and animals are regularly bought, sold, borrowed and traded without any regard for established relationships. Zoos breed animals because the presence of babies draws visitors and boosts revenue, yet often, there's nowhere to put the offspring as they grow, and they are killed, as we saw with Marius the giraffe in Denmark. Some zoos have introduced evening events with loud music and alcohol which disrupt the incarcerated animals even further. EPA Officials said they believed the bird was sent from Pakistan, and clipped its wings to prevent it flying back to the country. Animal rights campaigners have condemned the clipping of wings as being inhumane. Pathankot police officer Rakesh Kumar told AFP police were "investigating the matter very seriously" as the area is sensitive near Jammu. On 23 September, another pigeon with "some words written in Urdu" was found in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district and taken into custody. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A father from Pakistan who allegedly shot dead his daughter and her lover to save family honour was acquitted after he was allowed to pardon himself for the deaths, in a ruling condemned by legal experts. Faqeer Muhammad stood accused of killing Kiran Bibi and her alleged lover, Ghulam Abbas, in 2014, with the help of his son Muhammad Illya and nephew Muhammad Tahir. Mr Muhammad and his wife Bushra Bibi reportedly recorded themselves as legal heirs to their deceased daughter in court. This allowed Mr Muhammad to pardon himself for the crime against his family and set in motion an application for acquittal, despite the fact that he was the accused. The deceased, Kiran Bibi, was my real daughter, he told the court in Lahore according to Express Tribune. She was unmarried at the time of her murder. There are no other legal heirs of the deceased except her mother, Bushra Bibi, and me. I have forgiven the accused persons in the name of Almighty Allah, and have no objection to their acquittal. Despite having originally raised the complaint herself, Mr Abbas mother Azmat Bibi later also requested that the judge allow the accused men to be acquitted. Mrs Bibi and her son Waqas Ali then proceeded to pardon the accused and said they had no objection to their acquittal. The prosecution protested, arguing that further evidence should be summoned in spite of the withdrawal of the complaint, but the judge ruled the charges had become groundless as there was no chance of conviction at all following the pardonings from both families. Pakistan's Anti-Honour Killing Law, which was finally passed in October following a year of deliberations, stipulates an honour crime convict should receive a life sentence in prison, even if a family member pardons them. Human rights attacks around the world Show all 10 1 /10 Human rights attacks around the world Human rights attacks around the world China Escalating crackdown against human rights activists including mass arrests of lawyers and a series of sweeping laws in the name of national security. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Egypt The arrest of thousands, including peaceful critics, in a ruthless crackdown in the name of national security, the prolonged detention of hundreds without charge or trial and the sentencing of hundreds of others to death. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Gambia Torture, enforced disappearances and the criminalisation of LGBTI people; and utter refusal to co-operate with the UN and regional human rights mechanisms on issues including freedom of expression, enforced disappearance and the death penalty. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Hungary Sealing off its borders to thousands of refugees in dire need; and obstructing collective regional attempts to help them. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Israel Maintaining its military blockade of Gaza and therefore collective punishment of the 1.8 million inhabitants there, as well as failing, like Palestine, to comply with a UN call to conduct credible investigations into war crimes committed during the 2014 Gaza conflict. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Kenya Extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and discrimination against refugees in its counter-terrorism operations; and attempts to undermine the International Criminal Court and its ability to pursue justice. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Pakistan The severe human rights failings of its response to the horrific Peshawar school massacre including its relentless use of the death penalty; and its policy on international NGOs giving authorities the power to monitor them and close them down if they are considered to be against the interests of the country. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Russia Repressive use of vague national security and anti-extremism legislation and its concerted attempts to silence civil society in the country; its shameful refusal to acknowledge civilian killings in Syria and its callous moves to block Security Council action on Syria. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Saudi Arabia Brutally cracking down on those who dared to advocate reform or criticise the authorities; and committing war crimes in the bombing campaign it has led in Yemen (pictured) while obstructing the establishment of a UN-led inquiry into violations by all sides in the conflict. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Syria Killing thousands of civilians in direct and indiscriminate attacks with barrel bombs and other weaponry and through acts of torture in detention; and enforcing lengthy sieges of civilian areas, blocking international aid from reaching starving civilians. Getty Images The law was intended to close a loophole which allowed honour crimes to be viewed as compoundable offences - letting complainants who are legal guardians have charges dropped against the accused. However, because the alleged incident took place in 2014, the new law did not apply in this case as it cannot be applied retrospectively, the judge argued. Lawyers across India condemned the ruling. One lawyer Muhammad Qasim who works in Chiniot, Pakistan was quoted by the Express Tribune as saying that it astonishing that an accused faced with murder charges was allowed to forgive himself in court. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, says the motivation for his brutal clampdown on drugs comes in part from being sexually abused by a Catholic priest as a child. The 71-year-old has attracted attention for a tough crackdown on the Filipino drug trade that has seen almost 4,000 people killed by police and vigilante gangs since he took office on 30 June. Asked about how being abused had influenced him, Mr Duterte told Al Jazeera: Its what you get along the way that shapes your character. At that time [it influences] your politics and how you look at the world." It blends into something that forms your own values in life. The president first spoke about his childhood abuse in December 2015, claiming he was fondled by a priest when he was younger. He said the abuse took place during confession. Since taking office earlier this year Mr Duterte has faced criticism from the international community, human rights groups and the Catholic Church for his brutal war on drugs. Opponents say the presidents vocal encouragement for killing drug dealers has led to a breakdown of law and order in the country. But in his latest interview Mr Duterte defended the policy, saying the crackdown was needed because the sheer number of people contaminated will pull my country down. It will destroy the next generation of Filipinos. You destroy my country, Ill kill you its a legitimate thing. If you destroy our young children, I will kill you. That is a very correct statement, he added. The president said killings of children would be investigated but that clashes between police and gangsters would inevitably cause civilian causalities because with a policeman with an M16 its one burstbrrrand hits 1,000 people and they die." It could not be negligence because he has to save his life. It could not be recklessness because you have to defend yourself. He compared the deaths to those of innocent people killed in American-led wars in the Middle East, accusing the international community of hypocrisy on the issue of civilian casualties. He said: Just like [when] the United States and the rest of the countries bomb a village, you intend to kill the militants but you kill in the process the children thereWhy is it collateral damage to the West and for us, its murder? Mr Duterte dismissed criticism from the international community and human rights groups, saying he did not give a sh*t. He said: I do not care about what the human rights guys say. I have a duty to preserve the [next] generation. If it involves human rights, I dont give a shit. There can be no ramifications if I say 'I will kill you if you destroy my land'. It is a legitimate statement. The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Show all 9 1 /9 The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On killing drug addicts These sons of whores are destroying our children. I warn you, dont go into that, even if youre a policeman, because I will really kill you. If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Message to China I will go there on my own with a Jet Ski, bringing along with me a [Phillipino] flag and a pole, and once I disembark, I will plant the flag on the runway and tell the Chinese authorities, Kill me AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Christmas message to law-breakers If you do not want to stop, and just continue committing crimes, then this would be your last Merry Christmas AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On sex life I was separated from my wife. Im not impotent. What am I supposed to do? Let this hang forever? When I take Viagra, it stands up AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On the drugs trade None of my children are into illegal drugs. But my order is, even if it is a member of my family, kill him'" AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting the Pope We were affected by the traffic. It took us five hours. I asked why, they said it was closed. I asked who is coming. They answered, the pope. I wanted to call him: Pope, son of a wh**e, go home. Do not visit us again AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Joke about rape I saw her face and I thought, 'What a pity... they raped her, they all lined up. I was mad she was raped but she was so beautiful. I thought, the mayor should have been first AFP/Getty The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting Barack Obama "Mr Obama should be respectful and refrain from throwing questions at me about the killings, or son of a bitch, I will swear at you in that forum" REUTERS The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants "If I have to face them, you know I can eat humans. I will really open up your body. Just give me vinegar and salt, and I will eat you. If you annoy me to the fullest... I will eat you alive. Raw" EPA Earlier this year, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Duterte must put a stop to the wave of extrajudicial executions and killings and ensure legal process was upheld. Claims to fight illicit drug trade do not absolve the government from its international legal obligations and do not shield State actors or others from responsibility for illegal killings, said Agnes Callamard, the new UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions. Despite the alarm of the international community, Mr Duterte remains hugely popular in the Philippines, with an current approval rating of 86 per cent. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Clothes dyeing stations have popped up across the Thai capital Bangkok as the south-east Asian nation continues to mourn the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Some retailers have run out of black clothing entirely, and others are allegedly selling dark coloured items at inflated prices, despite authorities having threatened fines or jail time for retailers who take advantage of the revered monarch's death. The Thai government has declared a year of mourning for the royal, who died on Thursday at the age of 88. For the first month people have been asked to wear only black and white. Vats of black dye were boiling non-stop on Monday at a free dyeing station set up in central Bangkok by a tractor importing company. Volunteers rushed to write down names and contact information from a stream of visitors bringing in clothes to dye black, Associated Press reported. Some people don't have black clothes or don't have enough to wear, Kanokporn Tantranont, a Krung Thai Tractor employee helping out at the centre, told the news agency. If you go out to buy more clothes, the prices are so high, he said. The dyeing station will stay open until the end of the October and people can also donate old clothes to be dyed black and donated to others, the owners said. King Bhumibol's death after a 70-year reign has triggered a huge surge of public grief in Thailand, where most people grew up paying respect to the King and have known no other monarch. On Monday, finance secretary Somchai Sujjapongse said state-run banks will distribute free black T-shirts to about eight million people who have registered as low income, so they can wear black throughout the year if they want to. He said 400 million baht, the equivalent of over nine million pounds, had been allocated for the scheme. Although the government has said it is not necessary for all people to wear black, the Finance Ministry is of the opinion that it would be good if the low-income people can wear black to mourn for the late King, Mr Somchai told the Bangkok Post. Black is the colour of mourning in Thailand but white, a colour that symbolises purity, is also sometimes worn. Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said he had asked manufacturers and retailers of black clothing and fabrics to increase production. In the meantime, Thai authorities are attempting to stop price rises. The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "Regarding black shirts which have become more expensive, the commerce ministry has sent teams to inspect white and black clothing vendors. "This is to make sure the shirts are not being sold at prices that are too expensive." Traders in Bangkok told Reuters business was brisk, but they denied pushing up prices. "Most people are buying black shirts," said Songkhan Tansonan. She said she had sold 200 black shirts by midday on Saturday and 400 the previous day. "I buy them for 90 baht (2) from the wholesaler and sell them for 120 or 130 baht (2.70 to 3)," she said. Nongrak Bantaotuk, a nurse, said she was buying black shirts for herself and her family. She said prices had risen a bit, but that did not worry her. "If you compare, the price is higher than before, but this isn't about prices," she said. The masses mourn for Thai King Show all 40 1 /40 The masses mourn for Thai King The masses mourn for Thai King Robot arms perform during a synchronisation show to pay tribute to Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at an exhibition hall in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Robot arms perform during a synchronisation show to pay tribute to Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at an exhibition hall in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Thai government officials gather to pay respects and pledge an oath of allegiance to the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej during a ceremony at the Government House in Bangkok Getty The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mahouts riding on elephants participate during a parade to honor the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mahouts riding on elephants and law enforcement officials pay respects during a parade to honor the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mahouts on elephants outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Mourners line up to get into the throne hall at the Grand Palace for the first time to pay their respects in front of the golden urn of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mourners hold portraits of late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej as they queue up EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mourners hold pictures of late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej over their heads as a sign of respect EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mourners wearing black clothing line up to pay respects to the Royal Urn of late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai mourners pay their respects Bureau of the Royal Household via AP The masses mourn for Thai King In this photo released by the Bureau of the Royal Household, Thai mourners pay their respects in front of royal urn containing the body of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, at Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand Bureau of the Royal Household via AP The masses mourn for Thai King Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn arrives at the Grand Palace before he takes part in a ceremony honouring Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King A large black and white portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej is displayed on the facade of a building in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Mourners offer food to monks at Siriraj Hospital for one week anniversary the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand AP The masses mourn for Thai King Thai Princess Soamsawali Mahidol arriving to a royal religious merit making ceremony for the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn (front, R) accompanied by royal family members, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (front, L), Princess Chulabhorn (back, L), Princess Soamsawali Mahidol (back, 2-L), Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya (back, C) and Princess Adityadhornkitikhun (back, R) during a royal religious merit making ceremony for the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall, Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King People hold pictures of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej during a gathering at Narathiwat City Hall in the southern province of Narathiwat Getty The masses mourn for Thai King People gather in the shape of a heart in honour of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Narathiwat City Hall in the southern province of Narathiwat Getty The masses mourn for Thai King A Thai man holds an image of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej as people pray for the late monarch in a park beneath Bhumibol Bridge in Bangkok Getty The masses mourn for Thai King Supreeda Sorapakdee shows his tattoo which is the Thai number 9 and a silhouette of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is also known as King Rama IX, in Bangkok, Thailand AP The masses mourn for Thai King A tattoo artist works on a woman's back with the words "I pledge to be your loyal subject in every lifetime," under the Thai number 9, which is short for King Rama IX, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand AP The masses mourn for Thai King Thai police officers march next to a replica of a London Bus which is used as a shuttle bus service for mourners to pay their respects to late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King A worker works on scaffolding to install a portrait of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej near the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King A Thai Buddhist monk takes a picture of drawing portraits of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand AP The masses mourn for Thai King The Thai national flag flutters at half mast at the Ministry of Defence following the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King People stand in line to offer condolences for Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King A woman holds an image of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej as she waits in a queue to pay her respects at the Grand Palace in Bangkok Getty The masses mourn for Thai King Thai well-wishers stand in queue to pay their respects to late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej ahead of a procession to transport the king's body at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai buddhist monks and well-wishers stand in a line as they mourn during the royal funeral bathing ceremony for Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej outside the Sahathai Samakom Pavilion, inside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand EPA The masses mourn for Thai King Thai Prime Minister, General Prayuth Chan-o-cha attends royal bathing ceremony at The Grand Palace The masses mourn for Thai King A woman signs a condolences book for Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Thai Embasssy in Tokyo, Japan Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows after he signs a condolences book for Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in front of a portrait of the king at Thailand's Embassy in Tokyo, Japan Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Thai women read the newspaper before attending royal bathing ceremony at The Grand Palace Getty The masses mourn for Thai King Mourners sit in a coffee shop in front of the Grand Palace decorated with paintings of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Thai people attend royal bathing ceremony at The Grand Palace. Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, died at the age of 88 in Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital on Thursday after his 70-year reign. Getty The masses mourn for Thai King Thai Royal guards march as mourners line up to enter the Grand Palace to pay respect to Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King People mourn as they offer condolences for Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters The masses mourn for Thai King Buddhist Monks pray in front to a portrait of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Wat Thai Temple in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles AP The masses mourn for Thai King A Thai national offer prayers at a Phra Phrom shrine in the 'Little Thailand' area of Singapore Getty Deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said people should not be criticised for not wearing black or white because feelings of grief come from the heart, not from what clothes are worn. But government workers are required to wear black mourning attire for one year. State events are also under a 30-day moratorium, and all public offices and schools will fly flags at half-mast for 30 days. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} An Indonesian woman has been caned in front of a jeering crowd on Monday after being accused of "standing too close to her boyfriend". The woman, who has not been identified, was among 13 people flogged in Aceh province on the western island of Sumatra for allegedly breaking strict Islamic laws, which ban intimate behaviour such as touching, hugging, and kissing between unmarried people. Photographs of the young woman crying out in pain have been shared by local and international media, amid growing concerns over the rising number of people particularly women subjected to corporal punishment in the region. Indonesia is the worlds most populous Muslim-majority country, but Aceh is the only province which imposes sharia law. People in the region can be flogged for a number of "offences", including gambling, drinking alcohol, and gay sex, in addition to any consensual sex outside of marriage. Seven men and six women aged between 21 and 30 were punished on 17 October at a mosque in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, after six couples were found guilty of getting "too close" out of wedlock. Another man was caned for allegedly "spending time with a member of the opposite sex in a hidden location in a fashion that could lead to adultery". Only one of the group due to be flogged, a 22-year-old woman, was granted a temporary reprieve, because she was pregnant. Aceh Deputy Mayor Zainal Arifin said she would still be caned, but her sentence would be suspended until after she had given birth. The official added that he hoped the canings would serve as a deterrent. "We hope there are no more people in Banda Aceh who break the law in future," he told AFP. Aceh began implementing sharia law after being granted special autonomy in 2001, in an attempt by the central government in Jakarta to quell a long-running separatist insurgency. In October 2015, regional authorities added a new passage to the Aceh Islamic Criminal Code, criminalising consensual sexual relations outside of marriage. The UN Human Rights Committee and other human rights bodies raised concerns about laws criminalising "adultery" and other consensual sexual relations outside marriage, saying they violate the right to privacy. Amnesty International said the law would be particularly detrimental to women. "Laws concerning adultery are discriminatory and have a disproportionate impact on women," the organisation said in a statement. "Social expectations regarding appropriate behaviour for women and discriminatory attitudes that seek to control womens sexuality mean that women and girls are more likely to face arrest and prosecution for these so-called crimes". The group added that 108 people had been caned in Aceh for gambling, drinking alcohol or adultery by the end of 2015. In pictures: Haze in Indonesia Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: Haze in Indonesia In pictures: Haze in Indonesia An Indonesian woman rides a motorbike amid thick yellow haze in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan province EPA In pictures: Haze in Indonesia An Indonesian man rides a wooden boat amid thick yellow haze on Kahayan river in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan province EPA In pictures: Haze in Indonesia An Indonesian woman and a child walk on a bamboo bridge as thick yellow haze shrouds the city in Palangkaraya Getty Images In pictures: Haze in Indonesia A couple crosses a river by boat as the city shrouded in thick yellow haze in Palangkaraya Getty Images In pictures: Haze in Indonesia Haze fills the air in Tumbang Nusa, Central Kalimantan AFP In pictures: Haze in Indonesia The Seri Wawasan bridge is seen covered by haze in Putrajaya AFP In pictures: Haze in Indonesia People walk by the Kahayan riverbanks, the worst-hit by haze Palangkaraya city AFP In pictures: Haze in Indonesia Commuters drive through thick haze in Tumbang Nusa, Central Kalimantan AFP It is estimated that even more people have been publically flogged so far in 2016 year, with a particularly large number of women being punished. In April a 60-year-old woman was caned for selling alcohol in an unprecented case: the first time a non-Muslim had been handed such a punishment in Indonesia. More than 90 percent of Indonesians describe themselves as Muslim, but the vast majority practice a moderate form of the faith. Additional reporting by Agence France Presse For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Australias government has become increasingly secretive through a range of new laws, including a gag on officials speaking out about conditions at an Australia-run immigration camp in Nauru, a UN human rights investigator said. Michel Forst, the UNs Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, recommended that Australia review its secrecy laws, including the stifling Border Force Act, to remove provisions that contravene human rights principles. The Attorney-Generals Department said Mr Forst did not present a balanced view, but that the government would consider his recommendations. Australian doctors have initiated a court challenge to the Border Force Act, which they argue gags them from speaking publicly about child abuse and other threats to asylum seekers and refugees held in the Pacific atoll nation of Nauru. The law was introduced last year as part of a widely criticised policy of sending all asylum seekers who attempt to reach Australia by boat to Nauru or to the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea. The Australian military-run Operation Sovereign Borders, which rankles Indonesia and human rights advocates because it involves turning back boats and rejecting refugee applications at sea, is shrouded in secrecy. The Border Force Act makes it a criminal offence punishable by two years in prison for a broadly defined entrusted person, such as a Nauru doctor, to disclose protected information. Journalists are also at risk of prosecution for abetting such an unlawful disclosure. Journalists are all but barred by Naurus government from visiting the 1,159 asylum seekers and refugees who live among 10,000 local residents on the tiny island. Amnesty International on Monday released a report on Nauru, which it described as an open-air prison where conditions endured by asylum seekers and refugees amounted to torture. On Tuesday, Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull rejected the London-based human rights groups description of deliberate and systematic torture on Nauru as absolutely false. Mr Forst said he had been assured by government officials during his two-week visit to Australia that no one had yet been charged under the Border Protection Act. This may well be the case, but the Acts existence and government actions aimed at censoring and intimidating advocates has had a chilling effect on the disclosure of information about violations in off-shore processing, the Frenchman wrote in his End of Mission Statement. The Australian Law Reform Commission, a government agency that reviews Australias laws to ensure they are just and efficient, recommended in 2010 that secrecy laws be scaled back. Mr Forst found an intensification of secrecy laws since then, particularly in the areas of immigration and security. AP For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Archaeologists have identified the skeleton of a warrior who lived more than seven centuries ago, believed to be one of the first people killed by a boomerang. William Bates, a cultural advisor for a local aboriginal group in south Australia, discovered the remains during a walk in Toorale National Park in 2014, and quickly noticed a large gash stretching from the skulls right eye to its jaw. As soon as I had seen him, I knew he was my ancestor, said Mr. Bates upon finding the remains. I just started to cry, and I said Ill help you, I promise to help you. The skull was inspected by experts from the Griffith University in Queensland, who helped excavate the bones and analysed them using radiocarbon dating technology. The victim was named Kaakutja by Mr Bates, meaning big brother in the local aboriginal language, and was estimated to have lived between 1260 and 1280AD. He was believed to have died in his 20s and received a ritual burial up to a century after his death. It became clear Kaakutja was killed using a traditional weapon during a conflict, likely to have been a Wonna or fighting boomerang - a weapon which more closely resembled a small wooden axe than the current iteration of the boomerang. Experts believe the victim was slashed across the face using the boomerang before his ribs were broken and his arm was hacked off, during a surprise attack. Discoveries that change the way you see the world Show all 30 1 /30 Discoveries that change the way you see the world Discoveries that change the way you see the world Million-year-old human footprints discovered Million-year-old human footprints have been discovered on the beach as Happisburgh, Norfolk Discoveries that change the way you see the world The world's oldest face Scientists discovered the worlds oldest face, which belongs to this 419 million-year-old fish - an ancient sea predator that might also re-write the history of our evolution from the seas Discoveries that change the way you see the world Discovery of the ancient forest Ancient forest revealed by storms. The recent huge storms and gale force winds that have battered the coast of West Wales have stripped away much of the sand from stretches of the beach between Borth and Ynyslas. The disappearing sands have revealed ancients forests, with the remains of oak trees dating back to the Bronze Age, 6,000 years ago. The ancient remains are said by some to be the origins of the legend of Cantrer Gwealod , a mythical kingdom now submerged under the waters pif Cardigan Bay Discoveries that change the way you see the world Bowhead whale genome, linked to cancer resistance, DNA damage repair and increased longevity, mapped by scientists In a UK-based study, scientists working together with scientists in Alaska, Denmark, Ireland, Spain and South Korea successfully mapped the genome of the bowhead whale - the longest-living mammal - identifying a number of genes that are linked to cancer resistance, DNA damage repair and increased longevity PA Discoveries that change the way you see the world Researchers develop 'imaginary meal' pill An 'imaginary meal' pill called fexaramine has been developed by researchers at the Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory Discoveries that change the way you see the world Scientists prolong lifespan of flies Scientists at the Institute of Cell Biology, in Switzerland, have successfully managed to prolong the lifespan of flies, activating a gene that destroys unhealthy cell Discoveries that change the way you see the world Green tea can help cure oral cancer Green tea can help kill off cancerous cells, say researchers Discoveries that change the way you see the world Mars once had a large ocean covering a large portion of its northern hemisphere Almost half of the northern hemisphere of Mars was once covered by a large ocean that held 20 million cubic kilometres of water: more than the Artic Ocean Discoveries that change the way you see the world Offices playing natural sounds can boost worker moods and improve cognitive abilities Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute learned that offices which play natural sounds such as ocean waves, trees and bird calls can boost the moods of workers and improve their cognitive abilities, as well as providing privacy (by masking speech) Discoveries that change the way you see the world Impact glass may exist on Mars Brown University researchers found that spectral signals indicate the existence of impact glass on the surface of Mars, with specific deposits conserved in craters Discoveries that change the way you see the world Fathers experience weight gain Fathers have been found to experience weight gain and a rise in their body mass index (BMI), according to a research conducted by Northwestern Universitys Feinberg School of Medicine. The study, which followed over 10,000 men throughout a 20 year period, also revealed that the men who didnt become fathers actually lost weight Discoveries that change the way you see the world The world's oldest skull Divers Alberto Nava and Susan Bird discover the world's oldest skull found in an underwater cave in Mexico, believed to be the earliest trace of first Americans Discoveries that change the way you see the world Scientists create intelligent mice that do not experience fear or anxiety Scientists participating in a joint University of Leeds and Mount Sinai Hospital study managed to alter a gene within mice; improving their intelligence and reducing their ability to feel anxious or fear. The discovery could prove instrumental in research into age-related cognitive decline, such as Alzheimers or schizophrenia Discoveries that change the way you see the world Paralysed man walks again The brain-computer interface system will be improved by developing an implantable version, say experts. A 26-year-old male who had suffered a spinal cord injury which had paralysed him from the waist down was given the ability to walk again by scientists, who rerouted brain waves to electrodes on his knees.The doctors responsible said that he was the first person with paraplegia caused by a spinal injury given the ability to walk without relying on manually controlled robotic limbs Discoveries that change the way you see the world Discovery of the medieval royal palaces Archaeologists in southern England have discovered what may be one of the largest medieval royal palaces ever found buried under the ground inside a vast prehistoric fortress at Old Sarum. The probable 12th century palace was discovered by archaeologists, using geophysical ground-penetrating x-ray technology to map a long-vanished medieval city which has lain under grass on the site for more than 700 years Discoveries that change the way you see the world The world's rarest diamond This rare diamond that survived a trip from deep within the Earth's interior confirmed that there is an oceans worth of water beneath the planets crust Discoveries that change the way you see the world Virtual reality can revolutionise healthcare Cardiologists at the Institute of Cardiology in Poland have successfully used virtual reality to restore blood flow to a blocked artery, leading the way for it to revolutionise certain aspects of healthcare, in surgical procedures and during training. Using wearable virtual reality equipment, similar to that of Google Glass, developed specifically for the surgical procedure, doctor completed the difficult procedure Discoveries that change the way you see the world Puppies born by IVF in the US After years of failed attempts, scientists at Cornell University successfully bred the world's first puppies born through IVF, allowing for research into the conservation of endangered breeds and protection of those that are at risk of disease Discoveries that change the way you see the world Cancer is caused by environmental factors Research into the causes of cancer concluded that, on the whole, it is due to environmental factors, not, as was previously thought, bad luck Discoveries that change the way you see the world Fossil fight 'Astounding' fossil find from Montana revealing two dinosaurs locked in mortal combat Discoveries that change the way you see the world Fusion reactors could become economically viable Researchers at Durham University and the Oxfordshire Culham Centre for Fusion Energy have found fusion reactors could become economically viable ways of generating electricity in just a few decades, telling politicians and policy makers to begin the process of planning for their introduction and the replacement of nuclear power stations. Analysis by these researchers has found that the costs associated with fusion power shows its feasibility, when compared with traditional fission reactors, generating electricity at a similar price Discoveries that change the way you see the world Discovery of the whale skeletons Chilean and Smithsonian paleontologists study several fossil whale skeletons at Cerro Ballena, next to the Pan-American Highway in the Atacama Region of Chile Discoveries that change the way you see the world Discovery of The Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls are almost 1,000 biblical manuscripts discovered in the decade after the Second World War in what is now the West Bank. The texts, mostly written on parchment but also on papyrus and bronze, are the earliest surviving copies of biblical and extra-biblical documents known to be in existence, dating over a 700-year period around the birth of Jesus. The ancient Jewish sect the Essenes is supposed to have authored the scrolls, written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, although no conclusive proof has been found to this effect Discoveries that change the way you see the world Complete mammoth skeleton discovered The first complete mammoth skeleton to be found in France for more than a century was uncovered in a gravel pit on the banks of the Marne, 30 miles north-east of Paris. Picture shows experts at work making a silicon cast of the mammoth's tusk Discoveries that change the way you see the world Byzantine mosaic discovered Plans for a walkway at the centre of the furious dispute over Jerusalem's holiest site were delayed by the discovery of a Byzantine mosaic Discoveries that change the way you see the world Neolithic 'lost avenue' - prehistoric stone circle discovered The discovery of a Neolithic 'lost avenue' was described as one of the most important finds of the last century. Since the 1700s, archeologists and historians have argued over the existence of the huge sarsen stones, which were unearthed at the site of the world's biggest prehistoric stone circle at Avebury in Wiltshire Discoveries that change the way you see the world Ancient gold found near Stonehenge Gold fitting for a dagger sheath (around 1900 BC.) found near Stonehenge Discoveries that change the way you see the world The Rosetta Stone discovery The Rosetta Stone is a basalt slab inscribed with a decree of pharaoh Ptolemy Epiphanes (205-180 BC) in three languages, Greek, Hieroglyphic and Demotic script. Discovered near Rosetta in Egypt Discoveries that change the way you see the world We are made from stardust In 1957, a paper was published which said we are all made of stardust. Well, not quite that, but almost. Four scientists of the University of Cambridge, Fred Hoyle, William Fowler and Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge, had conducted extensive research into stellar nucleosynthesis, the theory that all elements are created in the oldest chemical factories in the universe - stars. This paper, called Synthesis of the Elements in Stars, but better known as B2FH because of the initials of its authors, was at odds with the theory common at the time that all the elements were synthesised during the Big Bang. B2FH argued that when a star ages and dies it will enrich the interstellar medium with heavier elements, from which new stars - and, presumably, we - are formed Discoveries that change the way you see the world Optical fibres discovery The internet is a truly incredibly thing, but we all hate it when it works too slowly. Thats where optical fibres come in. Made of a high quality extruded glass called silica, they guide light through a process of refraction, and in doing so are able to transmit bandwidths at a remarkably high speed and over remarkably long distances. As such, they are used in telecommunications and computer networking to speed up internet connections, able to do so due to the fact that the total internal refraction of light means very little data is lost. And the best thing about optical fibres is when at Imperial College London they were first demonstrated to be able to bend light by Harold Hopkins and Narinder Kapany, dubbed the founding father of fibre optics This is the first time weve found evidence of someone possibly killed by a fighting boomerang, Dr Michael Westaway of Griffith University told the New York Times. These hardwood weapons leave similar trauma patterns to steel weapons. That was unexpected. Claire Smith, an archaeological expert from Flinders University, added: This research is important because it increases our ability to identify the types of wounds caused by the fighting tools of Aboriginal people in the past. Following the analysis, the bones of Kaakutja were returned to the care of Mr Bates, who performed a traditional burial ceremony to return the remains to rest. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} At the height of the crisis in 2015, many European nations felt overwhelmed. The sheer number of migrant arrivals nearly 5,000 a day in southern Europe alone shocked the continent. Some Europeans welcomed the refugees, arguing that they had a moral duty to aid people displaced by war. But fears also surfaced and a backlash grew, especially in such countries as Austria and Hungary. The European Union had no system in place to properly vet the newcomers at a time when jihadists who fought in Syria with the Islamic State were seeking to re-enter Europe. The fact that the influx also included economic migrants passing themselves off as asylum seekers did not help. Facing an influx of more than 3,000 people a day, Hungary built a 109-mile barrier along its border with Croatia. Ultimately, Hungary, a major transit nation, would construct more new miles of fence than any other EU nation. The fences resulted in a huge drop in arrivals to Hungary, but they did not stop migration. Many migrants simply shifted routes and entered neighbouring nations. Soon, other countries began to build fences of their own. Among the countries facing new pressure was Austria, which had prided itself on welcoming migrants. When fresh crowds of refugees headed from closed-off Hungary toward Austria and Slovenia, Austrias attitude began to change. As migrants passed through on their way north, Austria built its own fence and a control station in Spielfeld, on the border with Slovenia. Thousands of migrants waited to be allowed to cross the border from Slovenia, in Spielfeld, Austria (AP) Reinhold Hoflechner, Conservative mayor of the municipality that includes Spielfeld, said, There is not enough space here in Europe. The welcome culture that was customary here at the beginning was an absolute mistake and now we have to handle the effects. All these people that came over the border were not checked and not registered. No one was asked who they are, what they want, where they want to go, what intentions they have, which is no condition for a constitutional state like Austria. When the military drives around the region with loudspeakers making announcements in Arabic and goes into villages, you have to understand that people get very concerned. The population more or less demanded the fence. Leo Josefus, an official with the local police on the Austria-Slovenia border, recalls scenes of bedlam at the height of the human flows. Maybe you still remember the scene of Spielfeld when thousands of people 6,000 stayed in a field at the same time ... We were under a lot of pressure at that time. The situation was this; we built a border fence. On 6 March, the last refugee crossed the border here. Then it stopped, Josefus said. Austrias fence isnt much to look at; it runs just 3.8 miles in length. One purpose is to funnel migrants toward border controls. But it delivers a clear message: the doors to Austria are closed and migrants are no longer welcome. To some locals, though, especially farmers, the fences arent an intimidating deterrent - frequent gaps allow people or animals to pass through. With migrant entries at a low, scenes at the fences these days are more pastoral than chaotic. More than fences It took more than fences, though, before Europe finally slowed the migrant flow. Most of the fences were built in the final months of 2015, but it wasnt until February 2016 that the tide of asylum seekers began to ease. The new ingredient was diplomacy, as European countries began to band together instead of simply acting on their own. Austria again emerged as a key player, as public opinion turned against the still-arriving refugees, swayed by nationalist politicians who portrayed the migrants, most of whom were Muslim, as a cultural invasion. In early February, with a presidential election looming, Austria sent its foreign minister, Sebastian Kurz, to visit six Balkan countries in six days to build a coalition to limit migration. Austria used its influence as a major investor in the Balkans, along with pledges to redouble its support for closer ties between those nations and the EU, to forge a deal aimed at stemming the flow of refugees. During a stop in Macedonia, the Austrian minister offered police, vehicles and other equipment to help secure its borders. Many made the difficult journey trying to reach Macedonia on a route that would bypass the border fence, north of Idomeni, Greece earlier this year (AP) In two days, the daily arrivals to these countries dropped to a few dozen. In the following weeks, the diplomacy would expand to include a deal between the EU and Turkey that required Turkish authorities to step up policing along the Aegean coast, where most migrants were setting out for Europe. This coordinated effort largely worked reducing the flood of migrants to a trickle and sending a deterrent message to desperate migrants across the Middle East and beyond. But the picture is different for those who have been locked out. In Greece, the newly closed border with Macedonia left thousands stranded in miserable camps, stopped by barbed wire and armed guards. Frustration mounted, erupting in clashes such as one on 10 April between stranded migrants and the Macedonian military. As migrants rushed the border fence, the Macedonians responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, resulting in dozens of injuries, including to children. Zin Mamo, a Syrian refugee in Idomeni camp, Greece, said We thought about opposing by peaceful protest to open the borders. We did it three or four times, but it didn't work out. We also tried twice by force. We gained nothing nothing but despair. I am 19 years old. I used to study. I finished high school and went to the college of sciences. I studied biology for the first year but couldnt continue. I sometimes had to go to Aleppo or Latakia because the situation was terrible with the war. She added, Our family is divided. There are so many expenses. Weve never lived like this before. Syria among the rubble is better than this situation. Fears and frustrations Some in Europe are now asking whether the new walls are enough. To prevent migrants from crossing the English Channel, Britain is funding construction of a wall in Calais, France. Austria is preparing to erect more barriers if migrant numbers again begin to surge. From the Middle East to the Arctic Circle, barriers are up. Arrivals are down. Some refugee groups have condemned the 1.9m plan for the Great Wall of Calais as cruel and dangerous (Getty) There is reason for uneasiness. The EU deal with Turkey to halt the flow across the Aegean Sea is in danger of falling apart. European nations are charging Ankara with human rights abuses following a failed July coup attempt. Turkey has threatened to scrap the deal unless the EU honours its pledge to grant Turkish citizens visa-free access to the bloc. The heavy weight of terrorism also hangs over the discussions, after revelations that attackers in Paris and Brussels entered Europe disguised as migrants. A wave of sexual assaults in Germany last New Years Eve has further inflamed anti-immigrant sentiment. And yet, a continent that prided itself as the global standard-bearer for human rights is also confronting a moral dilemma. A plan to resettle migrants stranded in Greece has broken down as European countries reneged on pledges to accept them, and Greek officials have been slow to process asylum claims. Although the EU offered to relocate 66,000 migrants, it has so far absorbed only 4,134. And those left behind appear willing to take fresh risks despite the new obstacles rising in their paths. Many will employ dangerous smugglers precisely a pattern the Europeans say they were trying to break. The Paris attacks in November last year sparked new concerns around the possibility of terrorists exploiting the migrant crisis by posing as refugees (Getty) Charlotte Vestli, founder, Northern Lights Humanitarian Aid said, Every day we have people who said goodbye, Im leaving now and we are going to cross the border today, and they come back one or two days later telling that they had a not-so-very-pleasant meeting with the police in Macedonia. And we also know families that have crossed or tried to cross by smugglers that they have been picked up here by night. They get picked up here either by taxis or private cars and driven through the woods and then they have to wait for a while there and someone else comes to pick them up. She adds: I think now they are thinking that this is their only chance. That they have to spend their last money to get smuggled over. Like many others, Mamo decided to take the risk and leave. Mamo said, Everyone says Hey, we found a smuggler and stuff like that. ... To be honest, we thought about walking for 15 days through the mountains to reach Austria. We thought we would walk together on our own. We would bring together 30 people we know, and follow the GPS for 15 days without being caught. Even this thought crossed our minds. We actually gathered and wanted to do it, but they said that the mountains are dangerous, so we didnt go. She embodies the fears, frustrations and challenges that asylum seekers fleeing war and poverty are still facing. Her journey is a metaphor for what was accomplished, what remains undone, and the limbo that so many have been left in. It took many tries and nearly two years before Mamo and four of her siblings finally made it all the way from Aleppo, Syria, to Vienna, in the heart of Europe. On their first five attempts, they were sent back and beaten by Turkish soldiers when they tried to cross the border from Syria. On their next try, they entered Turkey, but their travail was only beginning. They were exploited and conned in Turkey, which oppresses Kurds like them. They lost their money to smugglers, and they had to work for 18 months before they saved enough to continue. From Turkey they tried to cross the Bulgarian border twice, but they were sent back.They split up to cross by sea to Greece. Two of the sisters made it to Austria before the borders closed, but Mamo, another sister and a brother found themselves among those stranded on the Greek-Macedonian border. War-torn Aleppo is close to Turkeys southern border, where the country has been building a concrete wall to keep migrants out (Getty) (AFP/Getty) It took two more months before they were smuggled across the militarised fence and walked for 15 days through Macedonia and Serbia. They waited 40 more days to be registered at the Hungarian border, and then they were smuggled again to Austria. Today, Mamo and her siblings are together in Austria but their parents are still in Syria, with no way to flee. Turkey, too, has been building a concrete wall this one on its southern border with Syria. This new barrier, along with so many others, has made it impossible for Mamos parents and hundreds of thousands like them to escape relentless war. Europe, too, is raising more fences with Norway building one to stop migrants coming via Russia, and Britain and France putting up a barrier in Calais. Their message is clear: Keep out. This article is the second in a three-part series. You can read the first instalment, Dawn of Walls, a look at barriers going up across Europe and the US, here. Washington Post For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A French court has rejected an attempt by aid groups to delay the closure of the migrant camp in Calais. Authorities in Lille turned down an emergency request submitted last week arguing the country was not ready to relocate its 6,000 to 10,000 residents. Charities claimed that many of the migrants, including refugees fleeing war-torn Syria and Iraq, do not want to stay in France and may set up camp elsewhere along the English Channel. The British Red Cross also claimed last week that UK government bureaucracy was forcing children to remain in the illegal spot. Recommended Read more The first unaccompanied children from Calais Jungle arrive in Croydon But in its ruling, the administrative court in the Flandres city stated that the camp dismantling "does not disregard the principle of prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment". It added that the dismantling "aims, on the contrary, to put an end to such treatment, to which migrants are currently subject". Secours Catholique, one of the charities making the legal challenge, said last week it was not opposed to the break down of the makeshift camp. Orphaned refugee children walking amongst the shelters at the Jungle camp at Calais in France PA (PA) But the group said the speed of the closure would have a negative impact on the relocations. "Contrary to what we were told, the plan is to dismantle the Jungle very quickly and do it in a matter of days," it said in a statement. "It will be impossible to ensure serious preparations that cater properly to people's interests." A total 160 reception centres have popped up in towns and cities across the country to help rehouse migrants. Calais and Dunkirk camps Show all 16 1 /16 Calais and Dunkirk camps Calais and Dunkirk camps (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A portrait of an Afghan man wearing a traditional Perhan Turban in the Calais Jungle (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps Two Gendarmes guard the main entrance to the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps One Kurdish Iraqi mans reminder to himself (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps Two young boys in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps An Iranian hunger striker stands outside the only remaining shelter in the South Side of the Calais camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps A church in the South Calais camp, on of the the only structures not demolished in the South Side of the camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps A man gets a hair cut in the Calais camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps Night falls on the Calais Jungle. Fires burn in the distance (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps The containers provided as alternative accommodation for the people in the camps (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A young boy in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A man listens to music inside one of the shipping containers (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps The awful living conditions in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps An Afghan man in the Calais camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps One of the Iranian hunger strikers (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A family in their wooden shelter in the new Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Francois Hollande's latest scheme however has been met with a degree of hostility. Police on Thursday said they were investigating complaints that far-right Beziers mayor Robert Menard was behind a campaign that had plastered posters up reading: "The state has forced them upon us. Now here they come." Fourteen unaccompanied teenagers arrived in Croydon from the Calais camp on Monday under a fast-track system to pair the youngsters up with their family members. French officials are expected to start breaking up the sprawling so-called "Jungle Camp" by the start of winter. The migrants will either be relocated or deported. The latest news was first revealed by Pierre Henry of aid group Terre d'Asile to the Associated Press agency. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A leading Danish tabloid has pulled a controversial article that claimed immigrants were kidnapping Danish girls to use as sex slaves. The Ekstra Bladet newspaper published an article with the headline Trend comes to Denmark: Immigrants kidnap Danish girls for sex. Although it was uploaded by a citizen journalist under the Peoples Post section of the website, it became the sites second most viewed page of the day. The text, citing no evidence, claimed Muslims were more than 200 times more likely to kidnap women for sex slavery than non-Muslims. Syrian refugees pictured at the Denmark border town of Flensburg Getty (Getty) The Chairman of the Danish Journalism Union, Lars Werge, warned the newspaper was damaging its credibility in a tweet to editor Poul Madsen. Andreas Hemmeth, press spokesman for left-wing party Radikale Venstre, said many people on social media believed it was written by a professional journalist. The editor initially appeared keen not to bow to pressure, claiming the section was the readers own universe. But Mr Madsen eventually tweeted, at 9.42am local time on Monday: Agree! It is over the limit. I am on vacation, but we will pull it now. Roskilde University associate professor Mads Kmsgaard Eberholst told Politiken that readers found it difficult to distinguish the peoples voices sections on news websites and the professional journalism. The Danish parliament in January approved a controversial law allowing authorities to seize refugees cash and valuables upon arrival. In an even more divisive development, deputy leader of the Danish Peoples Party, Soeren Espersen, called for a ban on all Muslim refugees entering for up to six years. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A female interpreter has been raped by three men near the 'Jungle' camp in Calais, according to reports. The woman, an Afghan national from Paris, was reportedly raped while her male companion was held at knifepoint. Pascal Marconville, the prosecutor who is dealing with the case, said the interpreter had been working with a male journalist on a documentary about unaccompanied children when three apparently Afghan men "set upon them". Mr Macronville said the pair had been on a 100-metre stretch of land between the shantytown and the bypass to the port at 2.30am on Tuesday, when they found themselves face-to-face with the three Pashtun-speaking individuals, who were armed with knives. "The group descended on them and stole their equipment and camera, before two of the individuals held the journalist under the threat of a knife, while the third raped the female interpreter," the prosecutor told La Voix du Nord. The 38-year-old victim was then taken to hospital, where a forensic doctor confirmed she had been raped. DNA samples were taken to help police find her attacker, who remains at large. When contacted for comment, the Prefecture in Calais told The Independent they could not provide further information as the case was ongoing. Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Show all 8 1 /8 Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' People gather outside the Eritrean church at the camp The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' A fire at the camp destroyed shelters for 180 people The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' A fire at the camp destroyed shelters for 180 people The Hummingbird Project The Jungle is set to be dismantled within a fortnight. An attempt by charities in the camp to block the imminent closure was rejected on Tuesday by a French court, which ruled that the dismantling of the camp did not disregard the principle of prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment. The legal challenge was filed last week by a group of charities amid concerns about the speed with which the proposed closure would be undertaken and the assumed lack of planning by the French authorities for housing all of its residents. Charities estimate there are more than 10,000 people currently living in the Jungle. Sexual exploitation and violence within the camp is said to be prevalent, but goes largely under-reported due to the lack of any overarching, government-backed authority operating in the area. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Norways health ministry has ruled foreign women pregnant with twins can have selective reduction abortions in the countrys hospitals even if the foetus is healthy. The ruling means women from neighbouring Sweden and Denmark where selective reduction abortions meaning aborting one or more foetuses and leaving at least one behind are illegal can come to Norway for the procedure. As hospitals are not required to ask for a fixed address there are fears the move could lead to a rise in abortion tourism though foreign women will have to pay for the procedure, Dagsavisen reported. Several women from other Scandinavian countries are already said to have contacted Norwegian hospitals about the procedure, national broadcaster NRK reported. It comes after lawyers at the Norwegian Department of Justice ruled in February that selective reduction procedures should be treated no differently to other types of abortion under Norwegian law. Now the Department of Health has ruled this applies to foreign women as well. Currently women are allowed to terminate a pregnancy until the end of the 12th week in Norway. Dr Torunn Janbu, an official at the ministry, told The Local: We dont as the Directorate have anything to say about the ethics. 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 We just inform the local health services about how to apply the law. But doctors are warning against the procedure which they say carries risks for both the health of the mother and the remaining foetus. Dr Birgitte Heiberg Kahrs, a specialist in fetal medicine at St Olav's Hospital in Oslo said: "We have not found any medical benefit from this. "On the contrary, it exposes the second child in the womb to danger as the abortion risk increases. "Our recommendation was that this should only be allowed for twins if one fetus showed developmental abnormalities, and that it should be done between weeks 12 and 14 to reduce the abortion risk." Two Norwegian political parties, the Christian Democrats and the Centre Party, have called for selective reduction abortion to be banned outright. They have called for the Norwegian parliament to debate the proposal arguing that selective abortion was not medically possible when the current abortion law was passed in 1978. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Paris's financial district has launched an advertising campaign with the aim of attracting business from London to the French capital following the Brexit vote. Billboards showing a green frog wearing a tie sporting the colours of the French flag above the slogan: "Tired of the fog? Try the frogs. Choose Paris La Defense" have been put up in London Heathrow Airport and St Pancras train station in a bid to lure UK business to La Defense, a major business district in the west of the city. Officials from La Defense said the campaign, launched on Monday, aimed to underscore the attractiveness of Paris for business in the wake of the Leave vote, adding that although Brexit was "regrettable", the French capital had to use it as a way to promote itself. Patrick Devedjian, head of the elected council representing the Hauts-de-Seine district where La Defense is located, said in a statement: As regrettable as Britains exit from the European Union may be, we have to be pragmatic and promote our own assets." Meanwhile Marie-Celie Guillaume, CEO of Defacto, a public institution managing the business area of La Defense area, told Le Monde: The Brexit is a real opportunity for Paris-La Defense. "A number of international companies now settled in London will likely seek to relocate, including banking, finance and insurance." In reaction to the advert, mounted on a billboard in Heathrow Airport, one traveller said: "Paris getting sassy in its we're-better-than-London advertising". Another tweeted that the campaign was "adopt[ing] cliches to lure City workers". 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 London contains 85 per cent of European-based hedge funds. Switzerland and Paris are its closest European competitors. In July Frances Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the government was working on new initiatives to lure major international firms from London to Paris following the vote for a Brexit, adding that while he didn't want Britain to vote to leave the EU it could be an opportunity for Paris. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} More than 17,000 refugees in Germany have sued the government for not giving them full refugee status - and most have won. Since an attempted crackdown on the number of migrants coming to the country earlier this year more and more refugees are being given a qualified form of asylum called as subsidiary protection from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). Although people with this status are safe from deportation they face several key disadvantages in comparison to those with full refugee status. These include a two-year ban on their families coming to join them and a speed up deportation process for those who are not given a permanent right to remain agreed at the end of January. It followed a major backlash towards Chancellor Angela Merkels open door policy which saw 1.1m refugees arriving in the country in 2015. A mass sex attack against women in Cologne during the citys New Years Eve celebrations which blamed on refugees even though only three of the 58 men arrested where recent asylum seekers from Syria or Iraq prompted a sustained growth in support for far-right anti-immigration parties. One such party, Alternative Fur Deutschland, triumphed in the Berlin local elections last month by winning enough votes to enter the state parliament for the first time their 10th regional parliament since the party formed in 2013. Refugees settle in Germany Show all 12 1 /12 Refugees settle in Germany Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, plays with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, in the one room they and Mohamed's wife Laloosh call home at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany A refugee child Amnat Musayeva points to a star with her photo and name that decorates the door to her classroom as teacher Martina Fischer looks on at the local kindergarten Amnat and her siblings attend on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The children live with their family at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian asylum-applicant Mohamed Ali Hussein (R), 19, and fellow applicant Autur, from Latvia, load benches onto a truckbed while performing community service, for which they receive a small allowance, in Wilhelmsaue village on October 9, 2015 near Letschin, Germany. Mohamed and Autur live at an asylum-applicants' shelter in nearby Vossberg village. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Ali Hussein ((L), 19, and his cousin Sinjar Hussein, 34, sweep leaves at a cemetery in Gieshof village, for which they receive a small allowance, near Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, looks among donated clothing in the basement of the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to Mohamed, his wife Laloosh and their daughter Ranim as residents' laundry dries behind in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asya Sugaipova (L), Mohza Mukayeva and Khadra Zhukova prepare food in the communal kitchen at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Efrah Abdullahi Ahmed looks down from the communal kitchen window at her daughter Sumaya, 10, who had just returned from school, at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asylum-applicants, including Syrians Mohamed Ali Hussein (C-R, in black jacket) and Fadi Almasalmeh (C), return from grocery shopping with other refugees to the asylum-applicants' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat (2nd from L), a refugee from Syria, smokes a cigarette after shopping for groceries with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, and fellow-Syrian refugees Mohamed Ali Hussein (C) and Fadi Almasalmeh (L) at a local supermarket on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. All of them live at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian refugees Leila, 9, carries her sister Avin, 1, in the backyard at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to them and their family in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Somali refugees and husband and wife Said Ahmed Gure (R) and Ayaan Gure pose with their infant son Muzammili, who was born in Germany, in the room they share at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity, and are waiting for authorities to process their application for asylum 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel pauses for a selfie with a refugee after she visited the AWO Refugium Askanierring shelter for refugees in Berlin Getty Images The partys leader has previously called for refugees to be shot if they try to cross the border. But in the first eight months of this year 90 per cent of refugees who challenged their new limited status in Germanys administrative courts have won full protection, German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung reported. The majority of these refugees around 15,000 have been Syrian. Recommended Read more Angela Merkel admits she lost control of refugee crisis in Germany Before March this year German authorities processed Syrian asylum claims speedily by offering them full protection en masse. But since March, Syrians have had to apply for asylum individually a process which is far more time consuming and bureaucratic and around 60 per cent only received subsidiary protection. Die Linke MP Ulla Jelpke said the BAMFs attitude was an intentional strategy of disenfranchisement and deterrence which sacrifices humanity but the Interior Ministry rejected the accusation that it had put pressure on the body to reject refugees. A spokesman said many do not full the criteria of facing possible persecution in their home country to qualify as a refugee under the UNs convention. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The planned closure of Russia Todays UK bank accounts is part of a coordinated and Europe-wide policy of harassment against organisations associated with Russia, according to a think tank. The announcement that NatWest on Monday would no longer hold the Kremlin-backed broadcaster as a client was politically inspired, claimed John Laughland, the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation's Director of Studies, based in Paris. My suspicion is that it was politically inspired. I know of other organisations associated with Russia that have also had difficulties with their bank, whose bank accounts are going to be closed, Mr Laughland told The Independent. RT is the thorn in the side of Western governments, they are very cross about RT, they are often attacked, its often mentioned as part of a disinformation campaign by the West, he added. Speaking to RT on Monday, Mr Laughland claimed one of the real political motives behind the move was the UKs desire, led by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, to increase sanctions on Russia while in the process of leaving the EU. Recommended Read more Russia and US provide a lesson in propaganda over Syrian ceasefire Mr Laughland said the Syrian conflict had made the information war between the West and Russia more acute than ever. There is an information war going on and with the Syria crisis and the Aleppo offensive it has become even more acute than before, he told The Independent. Theres been no discussion of the military side of the campaign, everyone's got whipped up into an awful lather about it saying Russia is committing war crimes and so on. RT has a very muscular editorial policy, it often chooses its stories to rebut what the Western media is saying, he added. The broadcasting regulator Ofcom has launched several investigations into the Moscow-backed RT in recent years. In 2015, RT was sanctioned by the regulator after it was found to have misled viewers four times in its reporting on the Ukraine and Syria conflicts. Earlier this year, Ofcom announced an investigation into an RT report accusing the Turkish government of genocide against the Kurds. Were investigating whether the programmes discussions regarding the actions and the policies of the Turkish government breached our impartiality rules, an Ofcom spokesman said at the time. NatWest informed RT UK that it would be withdrawing its banking facilities (RT.com) In a statement over the apparent closure of the accounts Natwest said: We are reviewing the situation and are contacting the customer to discuss this further. The bank accounts remain open and are still operative. A spokesperson for Russia Today said: RT has received a letter from Natwest, part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, which has a significant shareholding by the UK Government, informing it that its UK banking facilities with the bank will be withdrawn without explanation or redress. This decision is incomprehensible, and without warning. It is, however, not at odds with the countless measures that have been undertaken in the UK and Europe over the last few years to ostracize, shout down, or downright impede the work of RT. RT UK will continue its operations uninterrupted. Thank you for registering Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Airbnb has announced a competition to win a nights stay in Bran Castle, the home of Count Dracula in Bram Stokers famous 1887 gothic vampire novel. The contest winner and their guest will be invited to spend Halloween night sleeping in adjacent luxurious, velvet-trimmed coffins" in the Count's crypt. The night will be hosted by Bram Stoker's great grandnephew Dacre Stoker. Nestled in Romania's Carpathian mountains, on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, Bran Castle is an enormous, medieval fortress. It is believed to have inspired the castle in Stokers classic book. Bran Castle is also associated with Vlad Tepes, better known as Vlad the Impaler, who is believed to be the real-life inspiration for the character of Dracula. Although he did not own the castle, Vlad is believed to have used it briefly during his incursions in Transylvania. He is also believed to have been trapped in the castle for two months in 1462 when he was captured by a rival Hungarian king. Originally, the vast building was a military fortress, strategically set on a highway that links Transylvania to southern Romania. Following World War I, the building was given to Queen Marie in gratitude for her role in unifying Transylvania with the rest of Romania. She bequeathed it to her youngest daughter Princess Ileana. In 1948, the Communists seized it from Ileana. In 2006, years after communism ended, the castle was returned to Ileanas son Dominic Hapsburg, a retired New York architect. A Romanian company now manages the castle, which is open to the public for tours, but nobody has stayed overnight there since Mr Hapsburg and his family were exiled from the country. Airbnb are offering to fly the winner in from anywhere in the world and arrange for a horse-drawn carriage to carry them swiftly through Transylvania as the sun sets towards the horizon, heralding the hours of swooping bats and howling wolves. The holiday rental company said: When you come around the final bend on the tree-lined road, youll catch a glimpse of Bran Castle. This misty mountain-top manor is home for the night. The chill that suddenly fills the carriage is not the evening mist, its a fear older than the forests now grown up around the castle rock. This is the lair of vampires, and you cannot leave until dawn. Once inside, guests will be permitted to explore all of the castle's 57 rooms and labyrinth of lamp-lit corridors, creepy nooks, and squeaky staircases as they please. Mr Stoker will then serve guests a hearty, blood-enriching meal of Chicken Paprikash the same thing protagonist Jonathan Harker is given to eat in the classic story, before leaving them to sleep in their coffins "to the creaks and whispers of the Transylvanian night, and the sound of wolves roaming outside the castle walls". Guests are simply asked not to bring anything scented with garlic or any silver jewellery, and to refrain from placing anything in a cross formation or taking "mirror selfies". The ten best vampire holidays Show all 10 1 /10 The ten best vampire holidays The ten best vampire holidays 265123.bin Reuters The ten best vampire holidays 265103.bin www.forkswa.com The ten best vampire holidays 265100.bin Reuters The ten best vampire holidays 265095.bin Reuters The ten best vampire holidays 265089.bin Reuters The ten best vampire holidays 265781.bin Reuters The ten best vampire holidays 265783.bin Reuters The ten best vampire holidays 265784.bin Getty Images The ten best vampire holidays 265786.bin Reuters The ten best vampire holidays 265088.bin Reuters To enter the competition, prospective guests are asked to use their dark imagination and deep knowledge of vampires to decide what they would say to the Count if they were to come face-to-fang with him in his own castle. After all, it makes sense to be prepared... Mr Stoker said: Did he really die at end of the novel when he was stabbed with knife? Bram leaves the question ambiguous. But if hes still floating around, he would make an appearance. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} What is a human life worth? Perhaps that thats what it will come down to in the Istanbul High Criminal Court this week when British barrister Rodney Dixon QC appears on behalf of more than 700 of the men and women aboard the Gaza flotilla that was intercepted in 2010 by Israeli military forces who killed 10 of the passengers. A new state gas deal between Israel and Turkey who will be partners in a plan to exploit Mediterranean gas fields to their countries mutual economic benefit includes an ex gratia payment of $20m (16m) by Israel for the families of the dead. This comes without any acknowledgement of responsibility for the killings and, presumably, no further criminal court case by those who wish to bring to justice four named Israeli generals who were allegedly behind the bloody operation. If governments are permitted by agreement to prevent criminal investigations and prosecutions of allegations of serious international crimes, Mr Dixon says, it will undermine the entire international justice system. He should know. Mr Dixon QC is an international law and human rights lawyer who was a legal adviser to the prosecutors office of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Now he is waiting to see if the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has applied to the Istanbul court to annul the case in the interest of the new Israeli-Turkish gas deal. Three Turkish judges are due to preside. The four generals accused by the 740 plaintiffs were originally named in Turkeys own indictment over the Israeli detention of the ships and the killings of 10 men aboard the vessel Mavi Marmara, nine of them Turks and a 10th an American-Turkish citizen: then Israeli chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former naval commander Eliezer Marom, ex-head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate Amos Yadlin and the former commander of naval intelligence Avishai Levy. Mr Dixon told The Independent that if the generals were convicted in a criminal case, they should be extradited or international arrest warrants should be issued to prevent them travelling abroad. No one is looking for money in this case. The vessels were carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Israeli-besieged Gaza strip when they were boarded by the Israeli military in international waters. The killing of the 10 men created an immediate and predictable international outcry, with Turkey and the UN demanding international enquiries. Israel eventually instituted its own investigation, which concluded equally predictably that its troops had been assaulted by passengers aboard the Mavi Marmara and that they had used legitimate force in response. It also claimed that the boarding of the vessels outside Israeli territorial waters was legitimate under international law. Gaza marks 10 years of Israeli blockade This is not a conclusion that commended itself to the passengers on the Mavi Marmara and the other vessels. Among the 13 UK citizens involved in the legal case, Paveen Yaqub a friend of the youngest man shot dead by the Israelis, 18-year-old Furkan Dogan feels deeply disappointed by the Turkish deal that could end her legal action. I feel a sense of betrayal because the Turkish government had [originally] stepped up when this massacre occurred more than our own government did, she says. Six years waiting for justice is a long time and its been an arduous journey and Ive come here and I looked after the 10th person, who died two years ago after living in a coma. I was hoping Turkey would take a stand against this constant Israeli impunity. Now I feel embarrassed for the Turkish government because this puts the power of politics above people and life. Laura Stuart, another of the British plaintiffs, is equally angry. I dont see how the Turkish government can unilaterally decide that we have no case any more, she says. Politics is trampling on justice. Israel seems to have complete international immunity. I was trained in first aid before we left for Gaza so I could teach the Palestinians first aid. But I never thought Id have to use it on the Mavi Marmara. I was on the lower deck and was called to help after people were shot by the Israelis at close range, multiple times. We didnt expect that. 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 In a legal opinion published in The Law Society Gazette, Rodney Dixon writes that the Turkish-Israeli agreement leaves all victims of the Gaza flotilla attack brazenly sidelined in the interests of politics and a gas deal... Diplomacy always involves compromise. But justice does not: it is about what is legally right and wrong. Israels attack on the Gaza flotilla was unlawful, without justification, and a crime against hundreds. The victims, Mr Dixon adds, must receive recognition of Israels accountability. One UN mission would later describe six of the nine passengers deaths as summary execution. The passengers en route to Gaza which, of course, they never reached after their ships were taken to Ashdod port in Israel came from 36 countries and included MPs, from Israel itself as well as from Germany, Kuwait, Ireland, Sweden, Greece, Cyprus, Morocco, Yemen, Egypt and Algeria. Twelve US citizens were also among the passengers. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Isis has started using civilians as human shields as Iraqi forces progress on the second day of efforts to retake the Isis-controlled city of Mosul, residents inside have said, as France called for crisis meetings on how to protect the citys population and on Iraqs long-term future. This battle is crucial because it is the stronghold of Isis, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters on Tuesday. The battle for Mosul is widely viewed as a litmus test for peace in the country. Freeing it would end Isiss land-holding ambitions in Iraq, but the complex and competing interests of coalition Sunni fighters, Shiite militias and Kurdish forces could lead to further unrest in the Sunni-majority city. Foreign ministers from several Western and Middle Eastern countries including the US, UK and Saudi Arabia will meet at talks co-hosted by Iraq in Paris on Thursday to discuss how to bring peace to Mosul, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said. We cannot wait. What happens after Mosul is liberated from Isis? We need an administration that establishes long-term stability, he said. There has been heavy fighting in the first 36 hours of the offensive, including several Isis suicide and car bombs as well as landmines put in the advancing troops path, but in some places allied Iraqi forces are now only seven miles away from the outskirts of the city. The massive air and ground offensive to retake Mosul was announced on Monday by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The complex operation is the biggest military undertaking in Iraq since American forces left the country in 2011. It is likely to trigger a humanitarian crisis as citizens either get caught in the crossfire or try to flee fighting, several aid agencies have warned. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) appealed to all sides on Tuesday including Isis to spare civilian lives. Isis releases video claiming everything is fine in Mosul Our ambition ... is to establish dialogue with [Isis] because it is holding the city of Mosul and we absolutely need to have this dialogue kickstarted. So all I can say now is we will continue to try and try harder, said Robert Mardini, ICRCs regional director. Isis has used civilians as human shields when retreating from other key battles in Syria and Iraq in recent months. Residents in Mosul say the tactic has been repeated there, with the population channelled into strategic areas by the use of concrete blast walls which effectively seal off entire neighbourhoods. Buildings, roads and bridges are reported to be heavily boobytrapped. It is also feared that the Iraqi army which has asked civilians to remain in their homes may not open the promised humanitarian corridors out of the city in an attempt to stop Isis fighters as well as civilians from leaving. A Save the Children spokesperson in Irbil on Monday warned of ensuing bloodshed unless citizens were allowed to leave. In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Women and children celebrating after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A man cuts the beard of a civilian who was freed from Isis by the SDF in Manbij on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Women carry newborn babies while running after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman freed from Isis hugs an SDF fighter in Manbij on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman adding her veil to a pile of niqabs burning in Manbij, Syria, after being freed from Isis on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Children celebrating on top of a lorry after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A man and child freed from Isis by the SDF in Manbij on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman carrying her children walks towards SDF fighters after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman and child freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij An SDF fighter kisses a crying man who was freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Hundreds of civilians freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters Thursdays meeting will discuss how to address the massive shortfall in aid available for the up to 200,000 people who are expected to be displaced as fighting reaches more densely populated areas, and how to take the fight against Isis to what will be its last stronghold if and when Mosul falls: the de facto capital Raqqa, in northern Syria. For Raqqa, a similar method will be needed to Mosul. It will take time and political will, Mr Ayrault said. We cant let Isis reconstitute itself or strengthen to create an even more dangerous hub. Ignoring Raqqa would be a serious mistake. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Iraqi army troops are pushing ahead with the next stage of the US-backed operation to retake the Isis-controlled city of Mosul after gains by Kurdish peshmerga soldiers in the first 24 hours of the offensive. More than 77 square miles (200 square km) was regained from Isis on Monday as peshmerga forces cleared seven villages to the east of the city of militants, and Iraqi troops reclaimed 20 villages to the south, Kurdish and Iraqi army officials reported. The countryside and mostly deserted farming villages are still littered with bombs and landmines, and suicide car bomb attacks also slowed progress. Nonetheless, a Pentagon spokesperson said the offensive is unfolding ahead of schedule. In some places, US-backed forces are only seven miles (20 kilometres) away from the outskirts of the city. The first day of heavy fighting was backed by coalition jets and helicopters which sent plumes of smoke into the sky from dropped bombs and flares. Attacks by Isis on Iraqi tanks continued overnight. The Kurdish peshmerga troops have now paused on Tuesday, holding their positions in the Khazer region while bomb-clearing squads attempt to clear some of the surrounding countryside. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the long awaited offensive to free Mosuls estimated 1.5million residents from Isis rule had begun in a televised address in the early hours of Monday. Defeat for the group will ultimately mean they lose their last existing stronghold in the country. More than 30,000 allied army and peshmerga troops mobilised before dawn en route to Mosul, where up to 8,000 Isis fighters have had more than two years to prepare to defend their position, building tunnels, trenches and rigging roads and bridges with bombs. Assault on Mosul gathers pace The UN has said it is deeply concerned for the safety of residents of Iraqs second largest city, who could be trapped by weeks or months of intense fighting. Even if civilians manage to flee, aid agencies are ill-equipped to deal with the expected influx of 200,000 people when Iraqi troops manage to reach the city, thanks to a severe funding shortfall. Within Mosul itself, Isis remained defiant in the face of the offensive, which military analysts expect to succeed. Its media channels said Iraqi forces had been repelled, and the group also released a video showing that life in Mosul was continuing as normal. The coalition of Shia militia, Sunni tribal fighters, peshmerga, and Iraqi army and other state forces expect to reach the city limits within the next two weeks. On Tuesday Amnesty International warned that Shia militias have been carrying out extrajudicial detentions and executions on Sunni populations in the months leading up to the Mosul operation, warning that further sectarian-based violence could mar the success of the offensive to oust Isis from the Sunni-majority city. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Violent extremists who left Europe to join Isis now fleeing the US-backed offensive on Mosul who try to come home pose a serious threat to European security, the EUs security commissioner has warned. The retaking of Isiss northern Iraq stronghold, Mosul, may lead to the return to Europe of violent ISIS-fighters, Commissioner Julian King told German newspaper Die Welt on Tuesday. Even a handful would pose a serious threat we must prepare for, he added. Around one fifth of Isiss total fighters 3,700 people are residents or nationals of Western Europe, a Kings College London study estimated last year, including 1,200 fighters from France alone. Experts believe 4,000 to 8,000 militants are currently embedded inside Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, and Isiss last major stronghold in the country. Ankara is also worried that Isis fighters may try to cross the Syrian border into Turkey if and when the group loses control of the northern city. When [Isis] militants are ousted from Mosul, where will they go? Not to France or Germany, but to Turkey, which is closer, and that is a threat to us, Turkeys Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said at a media conference on Monday. Some 30,000 Iraqi army troops and Kurdish peshmerga forces mobilised early on Monday for the long-anticipated operation to liberate Mosuls approximately 1.5 million residents from Isis. Isis has controlled the town since 2014, when it was captured during the rapid expansion across Iraqi territory which marked the group out as a serious global threat in the spillover of the Syrian civil war. The battle is expected to be long and bloody. Approximately one million people are in danger of being caught in the crossfire, the UN and other aid agencies have warned. Assault on Mosul gathers pace Iraqi intelligence suggests that at least some Isis fighters in the countryside surrounding Mosul have fled to the caliphates de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria, which has also been the case in several of the groups recent military setbacks, which have seen them lose one third of their territory. Defeat in Mosul will effectively spell the end of Isis as a land-occupying force in Iraq. Earlier this year, Nate Rosenblatt of think tank the New America Foundation said that as more and more Isis members try to defect as the group loses power, the fight may change to a battle against fighters who return home and continue the ideological battle from there, even if the group is no longer able to occupy territory. Learning who Isiss fighters are and where they come from is essential to developing effective policy responses to local conflicts that Isis effectively links to its ideology and agenda, he said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Shia paramilitary groups and Iraqi government forces have carried out revenge attacks on Sunni Arabs suspected of supporting Isis, Amnesty International has warned, as Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes began their assault on Mosul. The rights group has accused paramilitary groups and government forces of rounding up thousands of older boys and men who were then tortured, forcibly disappeared or extrajudicially executed. In a 70-page report, titled Punished for Daeshs crimes: Displaced Iraqis abused by militias and government forces, Amnesty claimed Iraqi government of the backing meant it was complicit in "brutal revenge attacks". Recommended Read more Up to 900 refugees from Fallujah feared dead after being kidnapped Since mid-2014, some 4.2 million Iraqi civilians have been displaced from their homes as a result of armed conflict and Isis atrocities. "Many have fled with little more than the clothes on their backs, setting off at night to avoid detection and walking for hours along treacherous paths," the report says. "Not all those escaping have made it to safety. Fleeing civilians have been shot at by ISIS fighters, while others have stepped on mines or other unexploded remnants of war." In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Smoke rises after airstrikes by US-led coalition planes as Iraqi security forces advance against Islamic State extremists in Fallujah, June 15, 2016 AP In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Iraqi security forces advance during heavy fighting against Isis militants in Fallujah, Iraq, on 14 June AP In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Shia militia say that moving resources from Fallujah towards the area near Mosul was a 'betrayal' of the battle for the city GETTY In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Hospital sources said 18 bodies were recovered from the river over the weekend AP In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Up to 60,000 civilians were feared trapped in Fallujah at the start of the Iraqi operation AP In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Shia fighters hold an Isis flag in an operation east of Fallujah the terror group has lost ground in both Syria and Iraq AFP/Getty In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Shia fighters hold their weapons as they gather near Falluja, Iraq, June 4, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Pro-government forces bid to take back ground from Isis in Fallujah MOADH AL-DULAIMI/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Smoke billows on the horizon as Iraqi military forces prepare for an offensive to retake the city AP In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah A member of the Iraqi security forces fires artillery during clashes with Isis militants near Fallujah, Iraq, 29 May, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Iraqi government forces fire a rocket near al-Sejar village, north-east of Fallujah, on May 26, 2016, as they take part in a major assault to retake the city from the Islamic State group AFP/Getty In pictures: Iraq battles to drive Isis out of Fallujah Shia fighters and Iraqi security forces advance towards Fallujah Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters Amnesty alleges that tens of thousands have been forcibly displaced by Iraqi government forces, Kurdish Peshmerga, and other militias as a result of military operations. The report claims many have been barred from returning to their homes purportedly on security grounds. Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi previously established a committee to investigate those accused of committing "infractions" after allegations of abuse in the city of Fallujah, with Iraqi officials arresting an unspecified number of individuals. However, Mr Abadi said such abuses were "individual cases" and not part of a systematic pattern of abuse, and a number of other officials have said that such reports do not reflect widespread practice. Kurdish authorities denied Amnesty's claims. In one incident in the report, at least 12 men and four boys from the Jumaila tribe, who fled al-Sijir, a town north of Fallujah, were extrajudicially executed after they handed themselves in to men wearing military and police uniforms on 30 May. Men and older boys were reportedly separated from the women and younger children, before they were lined up and shot dead. At least 73 other men and older boys from the same tribe were seized a few days later and are still missing, the report says. Assault on Mosul gathers pace The report also alleges that militias have abducted, tortured and killed men and boys from the Mehedma tribe. Some 1,300 men and older boys were seized on 3 June after they fled Saqlawiya, another town north of Fallujah. Survivors told Amnesty they were held at an abandoned farmhouse and beaten with various objects, including shovels, and denied access to food and water. One survivor told Amnesty: "There was blood on the walls They hit me and the others with anything they could lay their hands on, metal rods, shovels, pipes, cables They walked on top of us with their boots. "They insulted us, and said that this was payback for the Speicher massacre [in which some 1,700 captured Shia cadets were summarily executed by Isis] I saw two people die in front of my eyes. Thousands of Sunni men and boys fleeing Isis-controlled territory have been forcibly disappeared by Iraqi security forces and militias, the report alleges. Shia militias fought Isis alongside Iraqi forces in Fallujah, Iraq, 4 June, 2016 (Reuters) Detainees who spoke to Amnesty claimed they were "suspended in stress positions for long periods, given electric shocks, brutally beaten and taunted with threats that their female relatives would be raped". One man alleged he had been tortured at a facility controlled by Iraqi armed forces near the village of Hajj Ali in June. He claimed more than 50 people were held in one room and subject to repeated beatings. "They beat me with a thick cable on the soles of my feet. I saw another detainee having a cigarette extinguished on his body," he said. "A boy of about 15 had hot wax poured on him. They wanted us to confess to being Daesh," he added, using the Arabic word of Isis. In the report, Amnesty stresses that the Iraqi government's responsibility for the alleged violations cannot be ignored. The rights group also urged countries supporting or participating in ongoing military efforts against Isis in Iraq to ensure any support or equipment they provide does not contribute to such abuses. Philip Luther, Amnesty Internationals Middle East and north Africa research and advocacy director, said: After escaping the horrors of war and tyranny of Isis, Sunni Arabs in Iraq are facing brutal revenge attacks at the hands of militias and government forces, and are being punished for crimes committed by the group. Iraq is currently facing very real and deadly security threats from Isis, but there can be no justification for extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture or arbitrary detention. As the battle for Mosul begins, it is crucial that the Iraqi authorities take steps to ensure these appalling abuses do not happen again. States supporting military efforts to combat Isis in Iraq must demonstrate they will not continue to turn a blind eye to violations. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Moscow has announced that Russian-backed Syrian air strikes on rebel-held east Aleppo will cease for eight hours on the same day opposition activists said bombing has already killed more than 30 people. The news will do little to assuage the grief of the Qabas family, who buried 14 family members, including eight children, at the local graveyard in al-Marjeh on Monday. Harrowing video of eight small bodies wrapped in white sheets being carried by men and placed on the ground was released by rebel activists on Tuesday. At one point, a man pulls back the sheets to kiss the face of an infant about six weeks old. The extended family, who lived in the same apartment block, were killed in the early hours of Monday, the Aleppo Media Centre said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) collaborated the account of their deaths. No women were present in the video because it is traditional in Aleppo for women to visit graves after the burial, activists added. Many rebel activists and civilians inside the siege barricades dismissed Russia's proposition for a new temporary ceasefire considering the fact that Russia vetoed international ceasefire action at the United Nations last week. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised address that the break in air operations on Tuesday from 10am until 4pm local time would allow rebels to make preparations to leave the besieged zone ahead of a temporary truce proposed by Russia for later in the week. The move would also allow a safe exit and humanitarian pause to evacuate those in need of medical treatment to neighbouring rebel-held Idlib, he added, although rebels reported that at least two planes had targeted opposition-held countryside after the break in bombing was supposed to have started. Video shows amazing rescue of child as shelling resumes in Aleppo Sunday and Monday bought heavy civilian losses: SOHR said that at least 50 people, including 18 children, were killed in the 24 hours preceding the Russian announcement. Around 23 more died in a village outside Aleppo in a Russian strike, monitoring group the Local Coordination Committees said. In West Aleppo, controlled by the government, Syrian state media reported rebel shelling had killed one woman and injured three more people in the last day. Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said that the brief cessation of hostilities was not long enough to adequately address the needs of hundred of people who have been injured in the unprecedented bombing of recent weeks, asking Moscow and Damascus to consider implementing regular 48-hour-long ceasefires to allow aid into besieged districts. The UN echoed MSF's concerns, saying it could not carry out assistance without appropriate safety guarantees. A renewed onslaught on rebel neighbourhoods, encircled by regime forces, has killed around 500 people and decimated homes and medical infrastructure since a seven-day ceasefire collapsed in September. The strikes have been condemned by the international community as war crimes. Russia and Syria say they only target terrorists. Jameel Mustafa Habboush, receives oxygen from civil defence volunteers, known as the white helmets, as they rescue him from under the rubble of a building following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo (Getty) Many observers fear that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seizing an opportunity to alternately bomb and starve east Aleppo into submission while the international communitys focus is diverted to northern Iraq, where a major operation to remove Isis militants from Mosul has begun which is expected to affect up to one million people. Similar siege tactics have worked for Mr Assad previously in Syrias six-year-long conflict. A government spokesperson said last week that the Syrian military is stepping up its military campaign in Aleppo partly because it is wary of the coming changes in American politics, seeing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as hawkish and Republican nominee Donald Trump as a wildcard. The US has provided logistic and military assistance to rebel groups the Syrian government views as terrorists since almost the beginning of the war in 2011. Eleven Syrian opposition-allied governments meeting in London this weekend to discuss the Syrian crisis said that military intervention against President Assad to curb the bloodshed is highly unlikely. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} No country is more committed to fighting terrorism than Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom's foreign minister has said. Asked if Isis is losing the war against Saudi-backed rebels in Syria, Adel al-Jubeir told Channel 4 News: "Isis will lose this war. There's no doubt about it. "The international coalition has the resources, it has the men, it has the money, it has the technology, it has the will. "At the end of the day, this is a contest that Isis will not, cannot, win. Period. It is a matter of time." 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty Presenter Matt Frei then presses Mr Jubeir on whether Isis' brand of Sunni extremism could morph into another form after the group is defeated, prompting the foreign minister to reply: "We are doing everything we can to fight extremism. "I don't believe there is any country in the world that is more committed or more determined or has expended more resources and more effort to do this than the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." He added: "We cannot allow people to hijack our faith. We cannot allow people to take a peaceful religion all religions are peaceful and turn it into a way to justify violence. "At the end of the day, Saudi Arabia is at the cross hairs of these extremist organisations because Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and the Two Holy Mosques." Scores dead in blasts at funeral in Yemeni capital Mr Jubeir also said Britain should not be expected to apologise if it supplied the arms that killed more than 140 mourners at a funeral in Yemen. "Because we're the client and we're the customer," he said. "We purchased the equipment from Britain and the equipment was used in a legitimate war in accord with international law. "A terrible mistake happened and the mistake is being investigated and we will make amends." The foreign minister declined to say whether British weapons had been used. He added: "Whatever the weapons are that are being used in Yemen, they are used in accordance with international humanitarian law in a legitimate war of self defence, in a legitimate war to defend the legitimate government of Yemen." He said preliminary results of the ongoing investigation suggest faulty intelligence and "a disregard of protocols and procedures for taking strikes" may have been to blame. British and American governments have vowed to apply increased diplomatic pressure on their ally following the bombing of the packed funeral hall. The US said in the wake of the bombing that its support for Saudi Arabia on security issues was not a blank cheque, while the UK warned its decision to allow controversial arms exports to Riyadh was under careful and continual review. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A senior member of Saudi Arabias royal family bought a 452 million yacht before helping push through drastic austerity measures within the country. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman picked out a Russian tycoons 440ft ship while holidaying in the south of France, according to the New York Times. Prince Mohammed has frozen government contracts and it emerged this month that the country's capital spending was dropping by 71 per cent in 2016. Prince Mohammed bin Salman revealed details of plans for the world's largest sovereign wealth fund on Thursday Getty (Getty) The article claims Prince Mohammed dispatched an aid to buy Yuri Sheflers vessel after spotting it floating off the coast. The deal - reported at 500 million, 452 million by todays exchange rate - was done within hours, according to an associate of Mr Shefler and a Saudi close to the royal family. The Russian apparently moved off the yacht the same day. The Serene yacht docked in Auckland in New Zealand in January 2015, when it was then owned by Russian tycoon Yuri Schefler Phil Walter/Getty (Phil Walter/Getty) Part of the reform measures that Prince Mohammed is responsible for includes cutting ministers pay by 20 per cent. Joseph Kechichian, a senior fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, said: I am persuaded as someone who focuses on this topic that the ruling family of Saudi Arabia above all else puts the interest of the family first and foremost. The Independent has contacted the House of Saud for comment. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A chief rabbi in Israel has said a "small holocaust" is taking place in war-torn Syria. Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel and Head of the Supreme Rabbinical Court Yitzhak Yosef implored the Jewish people to take action as Syria's almost six-year civil war continues. Speaking at an inter-religious meeting with Palestinian Muslim clerics hosted by President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday, Rabbi Yosef said: "Every day not far from here, as we sit here, men, women and children are murdered in Syria, and particularly in Aleppo. Millions of refugees are homeless, hundreds of thousands of others are starved, under siege [...] they are human beings who are suffering a small holocaust." He said Jews who had endured the Holocaust and the murder of six million people as the world looked on and remained silent, must not do so now, the Times of Israel reports. As Jews we must not stay silent. The call must be heard from here: A genocide will not be allowed to go by quietly - not in Syria and not anywhere else, and not against any people. Aleppo, Syrias most populous city before the start of the civil war, has been devastated by four years of bombing by both sides. Both the Assad regime and its Russian backers are accused of killing civilians with air strikes, while rebels have carried out bomb and rocket attacks on residents living in government districts. Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them Show all 13 1 /13 Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Fierce fighting continues between regime troops and a coalition of Islamist militias led by the former al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, who are battling to maintain a corridor between opposition areas and the rest of the Aleppo province after rebels broke the siege of the city earlier this month. Last week, the Mayor of Aleppo also described the bombardments on Aleppo as a "Holocaust". Brita Haj Hassan told Sky News: "We consider the international community as partners in these war crimes. "There is a holocaust going on in Aleppo right now. Aleppo is burning and the international community is just watching and doing nothing." On Monday, Russia announced an eight-hour "humanitarian" ceasefire in Aleppo later this week, as the EU warned that the Syrian regime's Moscow-backed assault on the city could amount to war crimes. The United Nations and European Union welcomed the announcement, but said Thursday's planned pause in fighting needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 50 civilians, including 18 children, were killed in air strikes on the eastern part of the city in the 24 hours before the Russian announcement. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Iranian woman who was given 40 lashes for wearing a miniskirt has said she is now facing criticism over her swimwear business. Tala Raassi says she was subjected to the torture and five days in jail in her native Iran after government-backed militants raided a mixed house party she was attending. Despite starting afresh in the USA, nearly 20 years on, she claims the abuse surrounding her faith lives on. The 35-year-old Muslim said she had faced questions over how she could run her Dar Be Dar swimwear line as a follower of a religion that condemns provocative clothing. There's a lot of controversy because Im a Muslim woman who designs bathing suits and everyone is very quick to judge," Ms Raassi told Mail Online. Ms Raassi's swimwear line sponsored the 2010 Miss Universe pageant Tala Raassi/Instagram (Tala Raassi/Instagram) They say, how dare you design bathing suits? How is it empowering? But its not about that. I design bathing suits because I love them, and thats what I chose to pick in the fashion industry. Freedom is not about what you put on or take off, its about having the choice to do so. If someone wants to wear a bikini to the beach and another woman wants to wear a burkini to the beach Im all for that. If thats your own choice and thats what you want to do, then more power to you. Her brand sponsored the 2010 Miss Universe pageant and sells across the USA. Basij soldiers, one of which is pictured here at a parade, are a government-backed volunteer militia Getty (Getty) In 2012, Ms Raassii was named as one of Newsweeks most fearless women alongside Hillary Clinton and she recently published a book: Fashion is Freedom. The former bridal boutique worker was at a friends house party in Tehran, the Persian nations capital, in 1998, when members of the Basij burst in. The militia is a volunteer force of Islamic government loyalists that has previously been scrambled onto the streets during times of crisis. Ms Raassi, who was locked up with friends in the Vozara detention centre, says the militia found no drugs or alcohol, just VHS tapes, satellite TV, Mariah Carey and Ace of Base cassette tapes, and 90210 posters. New York protests against Iran nuclear deal Show all 10 1 /10 New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman holds a poster as she takes part in a rally on Times Square in New York opposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York An inflatable mushroom cloud stands among demonstrators during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protesters rally against the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A member of the Neturei Karta Orthodox Jews sect is escorted away by New York City Police during a rally near Times Square to demand that Congress vote down the proposed US deal with Iran in New York New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman shouts slogans during a rally against the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square in New York New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A protestor holds a placard during a demonstration and rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Some of several thousand protestors crowd into 7th Avenue at 42nd street as they demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman holds a placard as she joins several thousand other protestors to demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protesters rallied against the Iran nuclear deal in New York's Times Square KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protestors shout slogans as they demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran They viewed me as a sinner, a criminal, and an infidel, she said. This wasnt the first time Id worn makeup and nail polish, but it was the first time I was questioned for it. She describes in her book how the lashes were torture and how the whip penetrated her back, giving a burning sensation. Reports also emerged this month of Iranian girls given eight lashes because their parents could not pay school fees. The Basij continues to operate in Iran and examples of human rights abuses continue. According to the Iran Human Rights Documentation Centre, there were 259 executions in 2016, compared with at least 966 executions in 2015. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Turkey's government will soon submit proposals to parliament for constitutional changes to expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The necessary constitutional changes offered by the AKP [Justice and Development Party] will be offered to parliament very soon, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a meeting of his party in parliament. He said the changes were needed to eliminate confusion from the system. The government indicated it would revive efforts to change the constitution last week when the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) indicated it would not oppose a national vote on the issue. 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 Any constitutional change requires the support of at least 367 deputies in the 550-seat assembly to pass directly, and of 330 deputies to go to a referendum Although the MHP is the fourth party in parliament by seats won, its support would be enough to allow the referendum to go ahead even if it was opposed by the secular Republican Peoples Party (CHP) and pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP). The AKP currently has 317, or 316 excluding speaker Ismail Kahraman. HMP leader Devlet Bahceli, whose party controls 40 seats in parliament, firmly indicated he could back the referendum on Tuesday. He said a healthy outcome could be achieved if the AKP submits a proposal to parliament that is sensitive to the concerns of the MHP. President Erdogan and opposition unite in Turkey rally Mr Erdogan, prime minister since 2003, was elected president in August 2014 the first time the Turkish head of state was chosen by universal suffrage. He has since transformed what had become a more ceremonial role and began concentrating powers in what opponents said is a violation of the existing constitutions. Mr Erdogan ridiculed complaints changes to the constitution will make him a dictator, saying presidential systems exist in France and the United States. Some opinion polls have shown the majority of Turks do not want an executive presidency and the secularist CHP and pro-Kurdish HDP both oppose the change. However, following a wave of patriotism since the defeated 15 July coup attempt that has consolidated Mr Erdogan's power and popularity, the government appears happy to go to a referendum. Following the successful suppression of the uprising, which killed 265 people, Mr Erdogan has purged the armed forces, police and civil servants of those he claimed have links to Fethullah Gulen, who Mr Erdogan accuses of being behind the plot. Turkish police have so far arrested an estimated 32,000 people in connection with the coup attempt and a further 58,000 have been sacked. Additional reporting by agencies Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Berlin Berlin is synonymous with street art, and for some historic examples, head to the East Side Gallery, a 1.3-km section of the Berlin Wall thats covered with 105 paintings by artists from all over the world. Originally painted in 1990, a year after the Wall came down, some have since been restored. Athens In the Greek capital, graffiti has taken a political tone since the start of the financial downturn and, more recently, the refugree crisis. Alternative Athens offers street art tours (30pp) that take in everything from stencils and tags to vast murals, in the Gazi, Monastiraki, Psirri and Thiseio neighbourhoods. Street art cities Show all 19 1 /19 Street art cities Street art cities Upfest 2016 Bristol Getty Images Street art cities Upfest 2016 Bristol Getty Images Street art cities Upfest 2016 Bristol Getty Images Street art cities East Side Gallery Berlin Tanja Koch/visitBerlin Street art cities Berlin Gunter Steffen/visitBerlin Street art cities Mauerpark Berlin Gunter Steffen/visitBerlin Street art cities Berlin Grothaus/visitBerlin Street art cities Valparaiso Street art cities Valparaiso Street art cities Valparaiso Street art cities Valparaiso Street art cities Melbourne Street art cities City Lights art project Melbourne Tourism Victoria Street art cities Melbourne Street art cities Laneways Melbourne Street art cities Athens Alternative Athens Street art cities Athens Alternative Athens Street art cities Athens Alternative Athens Street art cities Athens Alternative Athens Valparaiso Street art took off in Valparaiso, Chile, in the late Sixties and early Seventies, when students painted murals as a statement that art should be available to all. Many works were removed under the Auguste Pinochets dictatorship, but today the city is colourful once agin. Valpo Street Art Tour will take you (for free) to the Museo de Cielo Abierto (The Museum of Open Sky), a concentration of streets where every wall tells a story. Bristol Youll find street art festivals all around the world, and the biggest in Europe is Upfest, which takes place each summer in Bristol, home of Banksy. This year saw more than 300 artists from around the world painting walls around the Bedminster and Southville areas. Some of the works are on temporary surfaces, while others remain on venues and buildings for the whole year until the next event. Recommended Read more The ultimate guide to a weekend in Melbourne Melbourne Australias most artsy city is home to an impressive array of murals and graffiti; the citys tourist board has even put together a map to help you track down some colourful examples. Building owners can give permission for artists to decorate their buildings, with some of the best works concentrated around the laneways, such as Hosier Lane. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Independent and other media recently have been full of stories about how the slump in sterling is damaging the wallets and purses of holidaymakers: a family of four taking the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb will now pay as much as for a cheap flight from London to Australias biggest city. But arguably the people who deserve the most sympathy (oh, go on, just for once) are company bean-counters. The men and women who are responsible for cost control are finding that business travel costs are increasing faster than the price of Marmite. Of course they may be working for firms that are set to do very well from the slump in sterling, by selling more goods and services thanks to the depreciation in the pound. But they are still faced with the fact that, in sterling terms, pretty much every expense a business traveller incurs when abroad is one-fifth more expensive than it was four months ago. So an export sales trip might bear more fruit, but it will also be a lot pricier. Let me try to help, by suggesting some strategies for keeping travelling executives in tip-top shape while keeping the lid on spending. The single biggest expense for many businesses with a global outlook is long-haul air travel. When Virgin Atlantic started flying in 1984, Upper Class from London to New York cost three times as much as the cheapest economy ticket. Granted, the present lie-flat beds are far superior to the original offering, but the difference has increased to a factor of 10. Furthermore, in anything but basic economy, travellers pay double the Air Passenger Duty an extra 73 going straight to the Chancellor. You will have noticed that there is no such thing as an overnight flight from the UK to the US or Canada. So paying for a flat bed in Virgins Upper Class or British Airways Club World is a benefit that doesnt, in my view, justify the expense. Going out economy rather than business could save a couple of thousand pounds from which the long-suffering business traveller can also benefit, in the shape of some rest and relaxation aimed at saving the company money. The cheapest economy seats on transatlantic flights are sold only for trips involving a Saturday night stay. So even in New York, where the tip on a $10 glass of wine will take the bill to 10, and a half-decent hotel room is now at least 200, it is worth a company paying the business travellers way. Cost-conscious businesses could even stipulate that the traveller returns on a Sunday morning daytime flight; I like Virgin Atlantics 8.15am from a quiet, efficient Kennedy airport, arriving at an equally tranquil Heathrow Terminal 3. That makes it economy both ways, saving thousands of pounds compared with the Upper Class experience. Elsewhere, play the timings to the advantage of the traveller and the company. On a long trip to Asia or Africa, consider a trick that the editors of Hidden Europe magazine, Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries, deploy on missions from their base in Berlin. They have a strict rule never to fly outside the hours of 9am to 9pm. So on a trip to Johannesburg, they will get a daytime service from the German capital to Abu Dhabi, where an excellent Premier Inn has been appended to the airport. After a good nights sleep, they continue on Etihad to South Africa again in broad daylight, feeling a million times better than the folk who have flown in overnight from the UK to connect with the Joburg flight. Nicky and Susanne dont need business class comfort which, lets be honest, is more akin to a youth hostel or capsule hotel than a proper bedroom. They arrive in great shape. They can gaze out at the planet below, with its metropoles, mountains and oceans. And they can afford to do much more travelling. Click here to view the latest travel offers, with Independent Holidays. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Were all concerned for Omran Daqneeshs welfare but what about the children coming to the UK from the Calais Jungle today? For a brief moment, it seemed as if the conflict in Syria had claimed the life of five-year-old Omran Daqneesh, the dazed and dust-covered boy who was miraculously pulled from the rubble of an airstrike in Aleppo and became a symbol of the countrys suffering. Mercifully, the tweet from a Syrian journalist which implied Omrans death proved to be based on incorrect information, and there was a collective, but short-lived, sigh of relief. But rescue workers say at least five children lost their lives in overnight airstrikes in Aleppo. According to the most recent estimates from I Am Syria, over 50,000 children in total have died as a result of fighting. We should feel a similar semblance of short-lived relief about Amber Rudds decision to take in unaccompanied minors from the Calais Jungle. As preparations to demolish the sprawling camp begin, the Home Secretary, who two weeks prior set out her aims to get immigration under control, vowed to accept 300 lone child refugees into the UK. Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them Show all 13 1 /13 Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Syrian children hold Pokemon Go pictures in the hope people will find them and save them RFS Media Office Four Syrians and one Afghan arrived in the UK over the weekend and 10 will arrive on Monday, soon to be followed by another 10 on Tuesday, all of whom including a potential 187 more children qualify for relocation under the Dublin Regulation because they have family living in the UK. A further 209 unaccompanied minors will be eligible to live in the UK under the Dubs Amendment to the Immigration Bill passed in the House of Lords this year. No, the myopic determination to reduce numbers and the post-Brexit bitterness towards migrants has not been replaced by compassionate conservatism. Yes, taking in these children is an act of compassion, but it is a kindness with an expiration date. And that date for unaccompanied minors coincides with their 18th birthday. Serving time in the Calais Jungle does not mean that these children and teenagers will be given indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Instead it has become common practice to grant children discretionary leave a sort of administrative purgatory until their 18th birthday when their case for asylum is assessed proper. This quick fix means that as times moves on facts become blurred, inconsistencies begin being reframed as lies and proof becomes harder to source. This is compounded by the fact that these young people do not have any recourse to legal aid (apart from those claiming asylum under humanitarian grounds) to help them navigate the complex immigration system. State dept spokesperson squirms when asked to explain difference between bombing in Syria and Yemen Overwhelmingly, appeals to remain in the UK are denied and the young person faces deportation. Over the past nine years 2,748 young people who have spent their formative years in the UK have been returned to countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Syria countries the Foreign Office advises Brits to avoid all travel to. To avoid this fate, many young people begin to drop off the radar around the age of 17. In 2015 over 340 asylum-seeking children disappeared. Without access to the leaving care plans and public funds that had been helping them to build lives in the UK, children who disappear from the system like this inevitably find themselves destitute, sleeping rough and working in exploitative industries. Children dont stop being vulnerable and deserving of attention when they turn 18, or when they no longer live in the UK but according to Amber Rudd, thats when our compassion should end. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} It is easy to see Donald Trumps charge that the election has been rigged in advance as no big deal to be dismissed with the old schoolyard taunt, Just because youre losing. In fact, of the many threats he represents to Americas national and international wellbeing, this is surely the most dangerous. Trump is challenging the foundation of his countrys democracy. No recent major party presidential candidate has ever talked this way: not Barry Goldwater, George McGovern or Walter Mondale, who all must have known well before election day they were heading for trouncings even more severe than the one Trump seems likely to suffer on November 8. Nor the likes of Richard Nixon and Al Gore, who were beaten by margins and in circumstances that might easily have drawn complaints from the candidates that the outcome had been fixed: Nixon in his narrow 1960 loss to JFK, where rumours of ballot box rigging in Chicago, that determined the result in the crucial state of Illinois, persist to this day; and Gore of course in 2000. Donald Trump is now trailing Hillary Clinton by 11 points, according to a new poll (Getty Images) Gore won the popular vote over George W. Bush by 500,000. But he lost Florida, officially by 537 votes,and that tiny margin denied him the White House. No-one will ever know who truly won the state. But with a statewide recount halted by the Supreme Court, and the earlier fuss over hanging chads and butterfly ballots, many would have forgiven Gore if hed refused to accept the result. However, like Nixon 40 years before, he did accept it. Why? Because both knew that to have done so would have plunged the country into political instability, and dented Americans faith in their democracy. Both understood that a successful democracy rests on unspoken principles. Its not just the mere holding of an election, as the US mistakenly thought when it brought democracy to Iraq. The requirements run much deeper. There must be general acceptance that the process is fair, and not fixed in favour of one side. And all parties and/or candidates must share the belief that should they lose, the winner will play by the rules and give up power upon losing an election, as in a democratic system will sooner or later happen. Thats always been the case in America which is why it prides itself as an international beacon of democracy. But in many, perhaps a majority of countries its not the case. Which is why such nations (China or Russia, Iraq or Zimbabwe, Venezuela or Egypt, you name them) suffer variously from stifling one-party rule, coups and military juntas, or have populations either divided against themselves, or resigned to the belief that nothing can ever change. And this is where Trump is playing with fire, though he may not realise it and certainly seems not to care. Daily, he fulminates against a system thats rigged against him, part of a global conspiracy to deny him victory. His camp, led by Trumps running mate Mike Pence, insists hes talking only about the media, and if that were so, then fair enough. The traditional mainstream media is indeed overwhelmingly against him (though the biggest cable news channel, Fox News, is pretty sympathetic, not to mention rightwing radio hosts and an an army of blogs and internet sites like Drudge.) Trump however goes further. Take a typical tweet this week: The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places SAD. At many polling places? The implication is that Democrats, or the establishment that detests him, are already stuffing ballot boxes, and arranging for millions of fraudulent votes to be cast. As usual, Trump provides no evidence to support his claims. What evidence there is, moreover, refutes him. US elections are localised, run separately in each of the 50 states, 31 of whom have Republican governors. As for voter impersonation, according to one academic study there were just 31 case of it in all state and national elections between 2000 and 2014. In other words, 31 instances of vote fraud (and many of those probably accidental) out of a billion votes cast. 31 votes wouldnt even havd tipped Florida in 2000. And all of the above overlooks the fact that the most effective eldection rigging is currently being perpetrated by Republican-run states, with measures designed to make it harder for poor people and minorities more likely to be Democrats to cast ballots. These range from tough new voter ID laws, to a reduction of voting stations in poorer neighbourhoods and inner cities. But Trumps hard core supporters may take him at his word. They may follow his exhortations to go to polling stations and monitor proceedings (as many states allow), a recipe for election-day intimidation and violence. And 35 per cent or more of the electorate may be convinced that the vote wont have been fair that if their man loses, the election will have been stolen. The result: diminished public faith in democracy and, in an already polarised country, a further delegitimising of the winner who from next January 20 must govern the place. At this point, those universal but unwritten principles of democracy are starting to shake, and Americas example would be called into question. Four decades ago it was different. On the night of August 8 1974 Nixon announced he was resigning because of the Watergate scandal. It was a triumph of the constitutional process and the will of the people. That evening, wrote his biographer John Farrell, the future Democratic speaker Tip ONeill drove past the White House, struck by what wasnt happening. Just one motor-cycle policeman directing traffic, no tanks, no mobs, no regiments of riot police. The next day ONeill spoke with patriotic pride to the press. This is no banana republic. The rest of the world will look on in wonder at our orderly transition of power. Will the same hold true for the upcoming change of president? Mike Nesbitt (right), whose party opposed Brexit, said an immigration border around Britain would particularly disadvantage those from Northern Ireland travelling to other parts of the UK. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto/GETTY The UK will put an immigration border around Britain following Brexit, cutting off Northern Ireland, the leader of the Ulster Unionist party has predicted. Mike Nesbitt, whose party opposed Brexit, said this would particularly disadvantage those from Northern Ireland travelling to other parts of the UK. He also said he believed an electronic customs border between the North and the Republic "won't cut it", as smugglers would be looking at ways to beat it. It came as politicians in the Northern Ireland Assembly voted against a motion calling for the North to be granted special status within the EU during the Brexit talks. The motion by the SDLP was beaten by just one vote. Mr Nesbitt was addressing a hearing in Belfast of a UK House of Lords inquiry into the impact of Brexit on Irish/UK relations. "In terms of the free movement of people, I think the border will inevitably be at the ports and the airports of Great Britain, from Cairnryan down to Heathrow, which will disadvantage everybody travelling either way, but particularly the citizens of Northern Ireland making their way to the rest of the United Kingdom," the UUP leader said. "In terms of the movement of goods, electronic won't cut it." He insisted that people on both sides of the Border were already trying to work out how to game the system in whatever regime that emerges. At the same hearing, Northern Ireland's former justice minister David Ford signalled Brexit could make it tougher for the UK to extradite criminals from the Republic, and vice-versa, as no alternative is in place here to the European Arrest Warrant. Meanwhile, the UK cabinet is reportedly weighing up the possibility of continuing to pay billions into the EU budget to ensure continued "passporting" rights for city of London firms looking to access the EU market. If granted, it could dash attempts to attract financial services from London to Dublin as a result of Brexit. Niamh Meenan, global head of asset management at Grant Thornton, told the Irish Independent that while it might dampen the need for city firms to move to alternative locations, Ireland could still win investment. She said: "There will always be people who say even without Brexit, or a hard Brexit, perhaps the opportunity of sitting something in Ireland is worthwhile, if we can get a realistic regulatory approach." Broadcaster Gay Byrne has claimed Ireland should leave the EU on the same day as the UK if Brexit goes ahead. The Lyric FM DJ put the idea forward on his radio show on Sunday and, speaking to Independent.ie this morning, he said his first preference would be for the British government to simply ignore the Brexit vote. Mr Byrne (82) explained: "I simply put it forward on the radio show as a possibility on Sunday to be considered. "It would be a lot handier if the Prime Minister of the UK decided not to do anything about withdrawing from Europe at the moment. It would cause an awful lot less dissension and effort and trouble than what is going on at the moment. "And failing that, since our main trading partner in Ireland is the UK and our second main trading partner is America it might be worth considering if they continue with Brexit that we could come out of Europe on the same day that Britain is coming out." The popular broadcaster, who hosted the Late Late show for 37 years, claimed that a large number of Irish people were not pro-EU. "I have no idea whether anybody agrees with me or not. We now know that large numbers of people, at least half the population in the UK, are unhappy with Europe are unhappy with Brussels, are unhappy with what is going on at the moment. There is no reason to believe that the same proportion doesn't apply in Ireland. "A large number of people are unhappy with Brussels and are unhappy with the way Europe is going and maybe they might consider some other possibility." However Mr Byrne, who is affectionately known as Uncle Gaybo, said his first preference would be for British PM Theresa May to simply put Brexit on hold for five years because of the "appalling vista" that is now facing them. "We do know, absolutely, that at least half of those people who voted for Brexit were sorry that they had voted that way and if they had the way of doing it again they would vote the other way. "What's to stop a government changing its mind?" he asked. Bad weather in New Zealand could push dairy prices higher at todays Global Dairy Trade auction. Billed the Big Wet, the past couple of months has seen unseasonably bad weather, the North Island has been hit with a wet winter, the like of which has not been seen in over 10 years. Some parts of New Zealand experienced rainfall at 150pc of average September rain fall, with up to 154mm of rain falling in some parts. New Zealand Bank rural economist Nathan Penny says it's "two steps forward and one step back" for the dairy industry at the moment. He said that in the Waikato and surrounding areas production is not doing what it should this time of year and there has been so much rain in recent weeks that some areas have already exceeded Octobers rainfall average. The impact of the wet weather is expected to push dairy prices higher in todays Global Dairy Trade, with some commentators predicting WMP prices to lift by as much as 6-8pc. Last month New Zealand Bank ASB reported that dairy prices were back on track, after Fonterra upgraded its 2016/17 milk price forecast by NZ$0.50c. It described the price correction as sustainable. However, last month GDT prices dropped by 3pc and WMP prices fell by 3.8pc. According to DairyNZ, cow production has typically dropped by 0.2 to 0.3 kg MS/cow/day, and silage making has been near impossible. Farmers applying to Phase 2 of the Scheme will receive less than those who applied under Phase 1 Dairy farmers who successfully apply to Phase 2 of the EUs Voluntary Supply Management Scheme will receive less than farmers in Phase 1. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine today announced the results of Phase 2 of the scheme for the dairy sector. This phase of the scheme covers reductions in the three-month period commencing November 1 to January 31 2017. There were 556 applications from Irish dairy farmers for this phase, with a total proposed reduction of approximately 6.4m litres. Across the EU there were applications for 98m litres of reductions. Ireland had the highest rate of take up of the scheme with some 4,500 dairy farmers applying to take part before the deadline last month. The significant subscription rate for Phase 1 of the scheme has meant that less than only 1% of the overall budget is available for this Phase 2. The Department said that this was not enough to cover the volume of applications received and so the European Commission has applied a coefficient of just under 0.125 to all applications. This means that applicants for the scheme will only be compensated for 12.5% of the amount for which they applied. An example of how this will be applied is if someone applied for 10,000 litres reduction in output, they will be compensated for reducing by 1,250 litres or 12.5% of this reduction. The Department says they may reduce by the full amount if they so wish but will not be compensated for anything above 12.5% of this amount. It also said that it would be in touch with the applicants for the scheme in the coming days to inform them of this result and authorising them to proceed with their reduction if they so wish. Following competition approval of his high-profile takeover of Slaney Foods in recent weeks, ABP owner Larry Goodman has signalled that further consolidation is necessary in the Irish beef sector. Speaking to the Farming Independent, at the giant trade fair SIAL in France this week, Goodman said that further consolidation was still required in the Irish meat processing sector. He believes that close to 60pc of the capacity of Irish slaughter plants remains unutilised. "We're still very small, relatively speaking, and it's not going to leave more money in farmers' pockets having a plant at every crossroads," he said. ABP this week announced another significant acquisition further expanding its meat processing facilities in Poland, which will help the company build throughput by another 100,000 head to 250,000 over the next three years. "There are lots of places to invest all over the world with better returns than Ireland, all in the agri-sector," noted Mr Goodman. Brexit Larry Goodman also raised concerns in regard to the impact of Brexit on the UK beef sector. He said that axing UK farm supports would have a disastrous effect on beef farmer numbers in the country where he has concentrated his largest investments. "If state supports go, UK beef farmers would be wiped out in 10 years," Mr Goodman said. However, he believes that the British government will want to ensure some security of supply by continuing to support its farmers. "We would like to see a support system similar to the deficiency payments what existed in Britain before it joined the EU where the producer price did not fall below a certain agreed level. "That ensures that Britain doesn't become totally reliant on food imports and that tax-payers' support for the farmer benefits the housewife in the form of cheaper prices at the other end," he said. He contrasted this with the intervention system, which he said only benefitted oil-producing countries that were able to buy food cheaply out of EU storage. "We wouldn't sell into intervention for the first nine months because it penalises the good customer and gives nothing back to the taxpayer. The British had it right long before they ever entered the EU," he said. Brexit informs every waking moment - Minister Meanwhile, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed admitted that the fall-out from the June referendum had become the biggest challenge of his brief to-date. "Brexit informs every waking moment. We are more knowledgable than most, but we are still in the dark," he told the Farming Independent at the Paris trade show. He is travelling to London this week to "love-bomb" major retailer Sainsburys, and hopes to meet the Agriculture Secretary, Andrea Leadsom in late November. "We can't turn our back on the UK because it's still our most lucrative market, so the status quo is our objective," said Mr Creed. The IFA criticised the Government this week for not providing exceptional support for the worst affected businesses in the sector, despite the Department of Agriculture's special marketing fund of up to 0.75m for small food businesses that have been seriously affected by Brexit. Just 10pc of pesticide sprayers have been cleared for use on Irish farms - although all older units must be inspected and certified by approved testers before November 26. The Department of Agriculture confirmed to the Farming Independent that just 3,000 of the 30,000 to 40,000 sprayers in the country had been passed by inspectors to date. All machines that are over five years old, and with a boom length of 3m or over, must be tested under strict new measures introduced as part of the EU's Sustainable Use Directive (SUD) for pesticides. While it is not known exactly how many sprayers are liable to be tested this year, it is estimated that the figure is well in excess of 20,000. With only 100 inspectors approved and registered nationally, they would need to test over 200 sprayers each between now and the end of November to ensure full farmer compliance with the SUD measures. However, test centres report very little farmer concern regarding the impending deadline. "Fellows know they have to do the test but they are busy sowing at the moment - there is never a good time for jobs like this," one tester said. Another pointed out that many farmers wouldn't bother with the test until they were getting ready for spaying next spring. Department warning However, the Department has warned farmers not to use older sprayers that have not been tested and passed by a Department-registered inspector. A spokesman said all machines required a Department-issued certification sticker indicating the date of test and test number. In instances where there was non-compliance with the relevant legislation, farmers could receive a fixed penalty notice of 250 or, on summary conviction, a Class A fine. Sprayer inspections cost Sprayer inspections involve checks on the machine's pressure gauge, boom and filters, the flow rate through nozzles and that hoses and pipes are in good condition. Prices for the inspections range from 170 to 300 (plus VAT). The price of 8x4x4 straw bales has slipped to 30-35/bale, back around 5/bale on last year. Photo O'Gorman Photography. Meanwhile, traders report a steady market for straw despite the ongoing difficulties in the mushroom sector. While the price of 8x4x4 bales has slipped to 30-35/bale, back around 5/bale on last year, traders maintained that strong demand from farmer buyers in the west and North had stabilised prices. THE owner of the Dublin city centre property which housed the La Stampa restaurant, bar and hotel claims AIB advertised them for sale at up to 7.5m less than their value. Louis Murray (71), a director of Bailieboro Springwater Ltd, now in receivership, and former operator of the La Stampa, Samsara Bar and the Dawson Hotel, in Dawson Street, says they are worth at least 20m and up to 22.5m, but AIB put them up with a guide price of 15m. Mr Murray, of Killiney Hill Road, Dublin, and his company, provided security on the property in 2005 over borrowings from AIB. He says the business performed well but did suffer in the economic downturn and due to ill health he had to withdraw from involvement from 2011 onwards. His sons-in-law represented him from then on. Mr Murray and the company have brought Commercial Court proceedings seeking declarations including that he and his firm had an enforceable agreement in April 2015 to refinance or discharge his indebtedness of around 19.5m to the bank. He also seeks a declaration the bank, and receiver Declan McDonald, failed to act reasonably or were in breach of duty by in selling the property at an undervalue significantly less than the best price. The case was admitted to the High Court's fast track commercial list on consent between the parties by Mr Justice Brian McGovern. In an affidavit, Mr Murray says he agreed a consensual sale of the premises in 2014 after AIB began to press for repayment of the loans. He hoped to find a buyer himself who would pay off his debt and relaunch the business with him. Despite this, AIB appointed a receiver in October 2014 which significantly interfered with the running of the business, he says. He set about seeking investors and entered into a talks with Olympia Investments who agreed to provide 21.5m, including 19.8m to settle his debt with AIB. Despite these proposals, AIB advertised the property for sale last May with a guide price of 15m, he says. Mr Murray says he does not wish to await what the bank and AIB "might do". He is anxious the court deals with the case expeditiously or through the non-court dispute resolution procedure. Two Dublin entrepreneurs have landed $1.2m (1.09m) in capital to help them roll out their fintech business First Circle into the south-east Asian market. Patrick Lynch, formerly of Morgan Stanley, and Tony Ennis, formerly of the Web Summit, have concluded the major funding round that will help them expand their SME financing platform into the Far Eastern market. The investment has been led by Dublin and London-based Key Capital and was supported by firms in San Francisco and Singapore. The Irish fintech company will provide access to collateral-free business financing in a marketplace estimated to be worth more than $50bn. The 26-year-olds founded First Circle last year alongside Dutchman Jorrit Koop in a bid to deal with the undersupply of short-term working capital in the Philippines and across south-east Asia. First Circle believes there is a lack of focus on business financing in the Asian markets with consumer lending, mortgages and asset-based lending taking priority. "Much like in Ireland, small businesses are the lifeblood of the Filipino and south-east Asian economies. Yet despite their potential in a rapidly expanding economy we were surprised by the lack of support offered to local businesses, particularly when it comes to access to capital. We're looking to change that and early indications suggest we're onto something", said First Circle ceo Patrick Lynch. "We're building a community of the most dynamic SMEs in south-east Asia and providing them with the funding and support they need to reach their full potential," he added. SMEs can apply for a cash-flow loan on First Circle in five minutes and receive a decision within 24 hours. Successful applicants receive their loan the following day. Following this funding round the Irish firm now has San Francisco-based 500 Startups among its backers. The managing director of the venture fund, Khailee Ng, said SMEs have become "incredibly bankable". "This is an obvious and immediate multi-billion dollar opportunity that banks have been slow to grasp. "We funded First Circle because it has assembled a team of financial insiders who clearly do," he said. First Circle only launched its service in the Philippines on October 8, operating in beta mode there since April. Attending the BHSL AGM 2016 were former ESB chief executive Padraig McManus; Former Kerry Group chief executive and BHSL chairman Denis Brosnan; former Supreme Court Judge Fidelma Macken. Irish agri-tech business BHSL today announced the appointment of Denis Brosnan as Chairman of the company. Irish agri-tech business BHSL has appointed former Kerry Group chief executive Denis Brosnan as its new chairman. Mr Brosnan joins the company alongside four new additions. Former ESB chief executive Padraig McManus, retired Supreme Court Judge Fidelma Macken, veteran corporate financier David Hickey, and Limerick businessman Tom Lynch have also joined BHSLs board as non-executive directors. The firm, which has developed a system that turns poultry manure into fuel for energy generation, is also looking to raise at least 7m in new equity through a capital raise. Corporate finance firm Focus Consulting is to lead the round. The Limerick-based business uses a patented-protected system to drive profitability through reduced energy bills. The newly raised funds will be used to increase BHSL's sales presence globally as well as extending its research and development operation. BHSL managing director Declan O'Connor said welcomed the company's new additions to the board. "He brings decades of experience in the agri-business sector and will provide huge support as we enter a new growth phase for the business, and target new export markets. "Padraigs deep expertise in the energy sector will be a valuable asset, as will Davids corporate finance knowledge, and Fidelmas appreciation of the evolving legal and regulatory environment." The firm's new chairman said he has been "hugely impressed" by the company's technology. "We are very confident of attracting interest from investors who will see the global scale of this market opportunity. It is exciting to be involved in an innovative Irish agri-tech business, and I believe 2017 will be a transformational year for the business, given the sales pipeline we are seeing. Preliminary figures for August show that seasonally adjusted goods exports rose by 1.4bn, or 16pc, to 10.3bn compared with July, while imports fell by 2pc. Photo: Bloomberg The goods trade surplus surged by 43pc last month to a record high, according to official figures. Preliminary figures for August show that seasonally adjusted goods exports rose by 1.4bn, or 16pc, to 10.3bn compared with July, while imports fell by 2pc. That means the trade surplus increased by 1.5bn to about 5bn in August. On an annual basis, the value of goods exports rose by 17pc, or 1.4bn. Davy Stockbrokers economist David McNamara, said goods exports had "bounced back" in August after a relatively weak start to the year. "A surge in exports on the month and a drop in imports mean that the trade surplus reached a record high of 5bn," he said. Philip Heasley, president and ceo, ACI Worldwide; Minister for Finance Michael Noonan; Minister for Employment and Small Business Pat Breen; and Leo Clancy, IDA head of technology Electronic payment company ACI Worldwide is to create 50 more jobs after opening its new European data centre in Limerick. The US firm supports payments for more than 5,100 businesses across the world, including two of Ireland's biggest banks. Its new centre will provide further security for customers as well as increasing its capacity in the European market. ACI has been in Limerick since 2006 and the new jobs will bring its overall headcount in the county to 150. The Nebraska-headquartered company also has a long-standing internship programme run in collaboration with the University of Limerick. "As more organisations embrace private cloud solutions to gain a competitive edge, they're turning to ACI," said ACI president Phil Heasley. "Our dedicated cloud payments offerings provide the security, privacy and reliability that customers need and expect from mission-critical payment solutions." The new centre was built and launched in "record time" according to ACI, which said it sped up the process to accommodate growing demand from the European, Middle East, and African markets. The firm's Universal Payments service is the heart of its business and the centre will boost its ability to market it to European customers. ACI executes around $14bn in payments and securities every day. Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he "championed" electronic payments in Ireland. "A further 50 jobs and increased physical infrastructure is testament to ACI's confidence in Limerick." New figures from the Insolvency Service of Ireland showed that almost 900 people applied to put a formal arrangement in place with their lenders. Picture posed. Stock Image The number of financially stretched people applying for a State-sanctioned debt deal has doubled. But the actual number of deals put in place is down. New figures from the Insolvency Service of Ireland showed that almost 900 people applied to put a formal arrangement in place with their lenders. The figures were for the three months to the end of September. This was up 102pc on the same three months last year. But the number of heavily indebted people who secured a formal deal from their banks and other lenders fell in the three months to September, when compared with the same quarter last year. Just 180 people had a deal known as a personal insolvency arrangement (PIA) approved in the July to September period. This was down by five PIAs in the same quarter last year. A PIA allows a person to reduce what they are paying, and return to solvency while staying in their home. There was also a fall in the number of bankruptcies, from 26pc to just 61 in the third quarter. In the year so far, a total of 345 people were declared bankrupt, compared with 479 for full-year 2015. This is despite the term for bankruptcy being reduced recently to one year. Insolvency Service director Lorcan O'Connor blamed the summer recess in the bankruptcy courts for the fall. Large numbers of people are still struggling to pay their mortgages. The number of people two years or more in arrears on their mortgages was close to 35,000 in June, down slightly from the previous quarter, Central Bank figures showed. Those in arrears for more than two years risk losing their home. "This quarter saw continued growth in new applications with protective certificates and approved arrangements at similar levels to last quarter," Mr O'Connor said. "When compared to the same period last year, there is significant growth in all categories." So far, some 4,000 people have gone through processes overseen by the Insolvency Service to return to solvency. David Hall of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation said the progress being made by the Insolvency Service was too slow. "In the context of the overall problem, the progress is still lamentably slow. "At the rate of 180 a quarter, it will take 48-and-a-half years to clear just those who are in arrears of two years or more." An Indian automaker is ploughing a new furrow in the crowded field of car-hailing apps. Uber and Lyft have already become household names in cities around the world, allowing people to hail a ride with just a couple of clicks on a smartphone. Now Mahindra & Mahindra is hoping to make it easier for farmers to hire a tractor when it comes to harvest time with a smartphone app called Trringo. Priced from about 250,000 rupees (3,000), many small-scale farmers are unable to buy a tractor and are forced to rent one from owners who can often be unreliable. Moreover, prices also surge at peak time, such as harvest time. "One of the things that struck us was the toll it took on the self-esteem of the farmer," said Rajesh Jejurikar, chief executive of the companys farm-equipment division, told the New York Times. "It was, literally, like having to beg for it. He didnt feel like it was his right." Mahindra & Mahindra launched Trringo last month in the state of Karnataka and soon it will be rolled out in other farming states, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The company, which offers rentals at 400 to 700 rupees an hour, has a number of tractors which they own as well as a pool of private owners who have signed up to the service. It has also set up call centres so that farmers can place orders by telephone - an essential addition given that more than 90% of rural India does not have access to the internet. "The Trringo farm equipment rental business model will enable farmers to deploy mechanisation technology on a pay per use basis without investing in the asset," said Pawan Goenka, M&M Executive Director, when the plan was first announced in March. "This will increase their output and prosperity and lead to the inclusive growth of the nation." It is not the first time Mahindra & Mahindra has invested in a digital start-up. In June, it invested in Scoot Networks, a ride-hailing service based in San Francisco. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] China's Shenzhou 11 spaceship onboard a Long March-2F carrier rocket takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu province. Photo: AP China launched its longest manned space mission yesterday, sending two astronauts into orbit to spend a month aboard a space laboratory that is part of a broader plan to have a permanent manned space station in service by 2022. The Shenzhou 11 blasted off on a Long March rocket from the remote launch site in Jiuquan, in the Gobi desert. The astronauts will dock with the Tiangong 2 space laboratory, or "Heavenly Palace 2", which was sent into space last month. It will be the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts, the country's state media reported. Early yesterday, Fan Changlong, a vice chairman of China's powerful Central Military Commission, met astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong and wished them well, state news agency Xinhua reported. "You are going to travel in space to pursue the space dream of the Chinese nation," Fan said. "With all the scientific and rigorous training, discreet preparation, and rich experience accumulated from previous missions, you will accomplish the glorious and tough task... We wish you success and look forward to your triumphant return." Shenzhou 11 is the third space voyage for Jing, who will command the mission and celebrate his 50th birthday in orbit. In a manned space mission in 2013, three Chinese astronauts spent 15 days in orbit and docked with a space laboratory, the Tiangong 1. Advancing China's space programme is a priority for Beijing, with President Xi Jinping calling for the country to establish itself as a space power. China insists its space programme is for peaceful purposes. Shenzhou 11, whose name translates as "Divine Vessel", will also carry three experiments designed by Hong Kong middle school students and selected in a science competition, including one that will take silk worms into space. China has been working to develop its space program for military, commercial and scientific purposes, but is still playing catch-up to the United States and Russia. China's Jade Rabbit moon rover landed on the moon in late 2013 to great national fanfare, but soon suffered severe technical difficulties. The rover and the Chang'e 3 probe that carried it there were the first "soft landing" on the moon since 1976. China will launch a "core module" for its first space station some time around 2018, a senior official said in April, part of a plan for a permanent manned space station in service around 2022. (Reuters) A statue is pictured next to the logo of Germany's Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt. Photo: Reuters Deutsche Bank must move quickly to boost capital and deliver healthy profits if it is to restore investor confidence, but its room for manoeuvre appears limited, bankers, analysts and investors say. When John Cryan took over as chief executive last year, he announced steps to cut staff and overheads and to sell off non-core businesses. But a $14bn fine sought by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for the bank's mis-selling of mortgage securities has exposed a potential capital shortfall of between 5bn and 10bn, while progress implementing the strategy has been slow. The bank has no solvency or liquidity problems and says it currently has no plans for a capital increase. It is meeting all its regulatory requirements. But while the DOJ settlement might finally be significantly lower than $14bn, the lender faces further fines for suspected money laundering that could hike litigation charges to between $8bn to $9.5bn. Some analysts say litigation reserves total just 5.5bn. The bank may have no choice but to raise money, despite limited options in the short term. The easiest course is a capital increase and accelerated cost cutting. Shareholders have already authorised Deutsche Bank's management to issue new shares of up to 50pc of its existing capital. At the bank's current share price it would be able to raise up to 5bn. But analysts and investors say other options, such as asset sales, bonus forfeitures or even merging with a rival should be considered. "Each of the major initiatives is unattractive, in our view. It is simply a question of Deutsche choosing the least bad," Stuart Graham, an analyst at Autonomous Research, said in a note. In September Mr Cryan told employees that the bank had no plans to sell the business.(Reuters) They may be chat show rivals but Graham Norton was full of praise for broadcaster Ryan Tubridy's show last night. Norton, at an Eason book event, was asked if he thought the guests on The Late Late Show were of the same calibre as those he secured. "You cannot compare," he said. "They are not like for like. We're in London so these people are in town. I think The Late Late Show punches well above its weight." Norton has fronted the BBC's flagship Friday show since 2007 and now he is set to host the Beeb's new shiny floor Saturday night show. Expand Close Michael D. Higgins with Ryan Tubridy on RTE's The Late Late Show / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael D. Higgins with Ryan Tubridy on RTE's The Late Late Show Norton and Great British Bake Off's Mel Giedroyc will present Gary Barlow's search-for-a-star show Let It Shine in the New Year. The show hopes to unearth an all-singing, all-dancing actor to star in Barlow's upcoming musical The Band - which will feature the music of Take That. BBC producers hope the show will fill the void left by The Voice and comparisons have already been made with Andrew Lloyd Webber's show I'll Do Anything, which Norton previously worked on. Judges include Dannii Minogue, Martin Kemp and Glee actress Amber Riley. The broadcaster and writer was in Dublin last night to chat about his debut novel, Holding, at an event in the Round Room of Dublin's Mansion House. During the course of the evening he discussed his favourite guests to have appeared on his chat show, and who he would love to interview. "Madonna was amazing. I wanted Brad and Angelina but I feel the chances are a bit slim now," he said. Norton moved from Ireland to London when he was in his 20s but said he has fallen back in love with the old country. Video of the Day "It was when my dad died I fell in love with Ireland because Ireland deals with death so well," he said. Graham discussed his debut novel - a murder mystery set in the sleepy town of Duneen. It tells the story of Sergeant PJ Collins, an underworked and overweight local garda who investigates when a skeleton is unearthed on a construction site. The rights for his book have been snapped up by former EastEnders producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins. During his time working on EastEnders, Mr Treadwell-Collins oversaw the death of Peggy Mitchell. His production company, Blueprint Pictures, previously worked on The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and In Bruges. Pussy Riot members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, on The Saturday Night Show in February 2014. Photo: RTE Brendan O'Connor has spoken out about his Saturday Night Show interview with Pussy Riot and it appears there's no love lost between the TV host and the feminist punk band. The Cutting Edge host spoke to Today FM's Anton Savage about the February 2014 interview, which many viewers at the time dubbed "car crash TV". "Pussy Riot don't matter to me," he said. "Pussy Riot are two of the most ignorant girls I've come across. I wasn't very nice to them but they weren't nice to me." Expand Close Pussy Riot on The Saturday Night Show with Brendan O'Connor / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pussy Riot on The Saturday Night Show with Brendan O'Connor O'Connor interviewed two members of the band, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, following their release from prison. It was a major scoop for the chatshow host as it was the first interview the feminist punk trio (minus member Yekaterina Samutsevich) had given to a European TV audience. They had spent two years inside a Russian prison for hooliganism aggravated by religious hatred, following a controversial anti-Putin performance in a Moscow cathedral. It did not go well. In fact, The Saturday Night Show interview made worldwide headlines at the time. Dazed magazine said the Irish TV host gave a "masterclass in how not to interview two feminist activists." The Russian women did not speak English and were accompanied on stage by a male interpreter (Maria's husband Pyotr). There was a continuous delay as everyone waited for everyone else to catch up in between questions. The women also didn't seem too happy with being addressed as "girls" by O'Connor and appeared stone-faced throughout the entire ordeal. Expand Close Brendan O'Connor on the set of 'The Saturday Night Show. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brendan O'Connor on the set of 'The Saturday Night Show. "They can speak perfect English but refused to do so [on the show]," said O'Connor. He claimed that the women were originally supposed to be joined on stage by Russian economist and interpreter Constantin Gurdgiev, but he had "a big row" with the women before going on stage and was replaced, at the last minute, by Maria's husband. "I think ultimately we didn't need any translation," said O'Connor. Video of the Day During the show when Nadezhda admitted to having mixed feelings about sitting on a couch in a TV studio talking about reformist activities, OConnor cut across to apologise for the capitalist running-dog bourgeois couch and promised to make available a bed of nails the next time. The two women appeared to lose all interest in the interview when O'Connor he asked them what they thought of Madonna, and if they believed she's a freedom fighter "like them". But the TV host admits he doesn't regret it and believes those awkward moments are what makes Irish chatshows so enjoyable. "Let's face it, chatshows for Irish people are a kind of bloodsport. They're sitting there vaguely bored and sticking with it for the hour, they're delighted when [something awkward] comes up." Brendan O'Connor returns to TV screens on Wednesday night at 9.35pm with his RTE One show Cutting Edge and he promises it will be filled with plenty of those "awkward moments". Expand Close Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina "We cut out the build up and get straight down to the awkward moments," he said. "Sure life is awkward." Gloria Hunniford says she's living in fear as the conwoman who stole her identity is still on the run. The TV presenter said she's still feels "violated" from the shocking ordeal. It kind of gets worse for me, the more I find out about it the more ridiculous it is," the Northern Ireland-born TV presenter said. Ive spoken to the police and everyone in the banks and in the end, she had a driving licence. Her face was on it with all my details written. It was made in an upstairs bedroom or something. The 76-year-old Loose Women panelist's bank account was emptied just days after the conwoman arrived at a Santander branch with her "daughter" and "grandson" in August. Personal banker Aysha Davis, (28), said the woman told her she had "a few bob" in there and had come to add the teenager as a signatory because she had been ill. She then helped them complete the paperwork, including photocopying their driving licences, at the Croydon North End branch in London. Read More Davis was accused of being part of the plot but was acquitted after less than 30 minutes of jury deliberation after saying the TV star was "not of my time". Police are still hunting for the lookalike and her daughter, while stand-in grandson Alan Dowie, (18), faces jail. Gloria, who was speaking yesterday at the charity Pinktober Gala in the UK said: She is still on the run. I worry that she still has a fake driving licence with my name on it. It was a badly researched scam but it worked. It was disturbing and I feel violated. Expand Close The late Caron Keating (right) with her mother Gloria Hunniford after marrying her manager Russ Lindsay at St. Peter's Church, Hever, Kent in 1991. PA Photo: Malcolm Croft / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The late Caron Keating (right) with her mother Gloria Hunniford after marrying her manager Russ Lindsay at St. Peter's Church, Hever, Kent in 1991. PA Photo: Malcolm Croft Video of the Day Read More She could at least have bought a wig the same colour as my hair and tried to make it look the part." Gloria, previously spoke of her anger that the bank staff fell for the con, despite the fact that her daughter Carol Keating died of cancer in 2004. And, sadly, I dont have a daughter my daughter died 12 years ago. I do not understand how this was allowed to happen at the bank. These were my savings. You expect your money to be safe in a bank but it is not. Tributes have been paid to a young Irish woman who has died in Canada after a tragic fall at her home. Regina Hunt suffered a serious brain injury in the incident in Peterborough, Ontario, last week and died in hospital at the weekend. Ms Hunt, a former IT Sligo student, emigrated to Canada from her home in Tubbercurry three years ago. Friends had begun an online funding campaign for medical treatment after the incident, but Miss Hunt passed away on Sunday. "Heaven has gained a big angel tonight," said friend Bernie O'Shea. "A true lady. Full of life and totally fun. I'm glad i had the pleasure to meet her and call her a friend. Thinking of her family. Give them the strength to get through this horrible time[sic]." Expand Close Regina Hunt / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Regina Hunt Family members including dad Sean and mum Christina have flown to Ontario to accompany Regina's remains home to Ireland. Local people in Peterborough expressed shock at her death. Anita Trembly said Regina was full of love and compassion and had become "a friend to many in our community". Sligo musician Seamie O'Dowd said the dead woman was supportive and friendly. "I always remember her as someone who always had time to chat, encourage and have a joke. She was a lovely person who will be deeply missed," he said. Regina worked for a Ford dealership in Peterborough where colleagues have been left devastated by her death. THE president of the High Court has expressed concern at how a doctor with "such sub-standard medical knowledge" - including mistaking an ankle for an elbow in an x-ray - could have been employed in three different hospitals. Mr Justice Peter Kelly made the remark when he rejected an appeal by Dr Omar Hassan Khalafalla Mohamed (30) against his striking off the medical register for professional misconduct and poor professional performance. The judge said he could not understand how he found himself on the medical register in the first place, apart from the fact that he obtained appointments in three different hospitals. The judge acknowledged the Irish Medical Council (IMC), which had recommended the erasure of Dr Hassan's name from the register, had also expressed similar concern in its report. The IMC made the recommendation after a Fitness to Practice Committee found him guilty on multiple grounds related to his conduct and performance earlier this year. After the judge confirmed his striking off, Dr Hassan, who qualified in Sudan, said "for me it is meaningless". When the judge ordered he pay the costs of the legal action, Dr Hassan said he did "not believe in the integrity of the procedure." He also said he did not believe it was a fair decision. In his appeal to the court, Dr Hassan argued, among other things, he should not be struck off because the evidence against him did not meet the required standard. He also said the complaints against him should never have been referred to the Fitness to Practice Committee because they were not of a serious and grave nature. Mr Justice Kelly said the Committee had made its findings after hearing 30 witnesses over 11 days. It had met the criminal standard of proof - beyond a reasonable doubt - in making its findings, he said. It would be difficult to consider the complaints against him were anything other than of a grave nature, he said. Among those incidents, which happened in the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise, Mayo General, and Galway University Hospital between 2012 to 2014, was while performing a gall bladder related procedure he stood on the pedal of an electrosurgical machine, which was not in use, and caused a burn injury to a patient. On another, he attempted to insert a needle into a patient's arm on a number of occasions, causing her pain, even though the procedure was not necessary. While senior house officer in Mayo General, on one occasion, he failed to provide assistance to an intern who was dealing with a patient experiencing an upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage In an incident in the Galway hospital, he failed to attend in a timely manner, or at all, to review a patient, who had presented in significant pain with an ankle fracture. Around February 17, 2014, during a trauma meeting/teaching session in Galway, he misidentified an x-ray image of an ankle as being one of an elbow. He was also found by colleagues to act in a bizarre way and to be aggressive and confrontational both to colleagues and patients. The court previously heard Dr Hassan had complained about his treatment at the public inquiry and threatened in correspondence it "will be fully paid for at an extremely bloody price for the people involved worldwide". He also wrote there would be "a grave response from me an my family side to these events outside court and not necessarily in Ireland". Mr Justice Kelly, on that occasion, said he was glad to know the IMC had informed gardai of the threats. A man repeatedly threatened his ex-partner weeks after beating her up because he refused to accept their relationship had ended. Neven Vukovic (40) punched and kicked Fionnuala Ni Mhartin during the attack at her Dublin home in September 2015. The victim suffered a fracture to the bone around her eye amongst other injuries. Vukovic of Malahide Road, Clontarf, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm of Ms Ni Mhartin at Aughrim Street on September 2, 2015. Two days previously the victim had split up with Vukovic and he was annoyed by this. He sent her a text earlier in the day calling her a cold Irish b***h and telling her you'll always be alone. That evening Vukovic showed up at the victim's home and walked in when she opened the door. He was trying to hug her but she wouldn't hug him and he became annoyed. She told him the relationship was definitely over and he began shouting no and slapped her on the head. He then started windmilling her with punches and kicks, the woman later told gardai. The punches included a full force punch to the eye and a painful smack to the side of her face, Gda Neil O'Brien testified. The woman got away from him and got out of the house by climbing out a front downstairs window. She then went to the house of a neighbour who brought her to hospital. Gda O'Brien told Fionnuala O'Sullivan BL, prosecuting, that immediately after the attack Vukovic began constantly calling the victim's phone and sending messages to her Facebook page. He said his messages would begin apologetically but when there was no response they would work up in anger. This behaviour continued for weeks and included nasty messages left on her Facebook page. In one message Vukovic said he would come to her house that night and this worried the victim. A later message stated he wanted to be with her again. When this was ignored he sent a message saying: Just be aware on your birthday you could be very sad. You're so stupid, die stupid. F*** you, you are dead. Don't forget about your birthday, you're not going to live. The victim took these messages as serious threats. Gardai arrested Vukovic and later charged him with assault and with harassment. Vukovic, a Croatian national living here since early 2015, has since taken part in an anger management course and in counseling. Rebecca Smith BL, defending, said her client had only now begun to deal with the trauma caused by living in Croatia during the war in the nineties. Counsel said that Vukovic, who was a new relationship, was measured to be at a low risk of re-offending and had demonstrated victim empathy and remorse. Judge Patricia Ryan adjourned sentencing to April next. She released Vukovic on continuing bail under strict conditions including that he have no contact with the victim. It is of paramount importance to Sean Dunne "to get free of the shackles of bankruptcy", lawyers for the developer have told the High Court. William Fawsitt, for Mr Dunne, said his client believed he was the "most co-operative bankrupt under scrutiny" and was very anxious for the hearing of an application to extend his Irish bankruptcy, which Mr Dunne opposes. Counsel opposed an application by Official Assignee (OA) Chris Lehane, the official administering Mr Dunne's Irish bankruptcy, for an adjournment of the extension application to allow the OA to consider materials filed by Mr Dunne last week in opposing it. Having heard both sides, Ms Justice Miriam O'Regan adjourned the matter to November 14. Ulster Bank petitioned the High Court in February 2013 to have Mr Dunne adjudicated bankrupt here over default on some 164m loans. The following month, Mr Dunne filed for bankruptcy in Connecticut in the US. In July 2013, he was adjudicated bankrupt here. Mr Dunne's Irish bankruptcy, due to expire last July, was temporarily extended pending the outcome of the full hearing concerning whether any extension should be granted. Two jurors have been excused from the trial of former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick, who faces charges of deceiving auditors about loans. Judge John Aylmer discharged the two jurors after they encountered "insurmountable difficulties" and were unable to continue. They were part of a specially enlarged 15-member jury sworn last month for the trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The jury had been scheduled to begin hearing evidence today. However, Judge Aylmer said a legal matter was still being dealt with. The remaining 13 jurors are now expected to begin hearing evidence on October 26. Judge Aylmer agreed to excuse a male juror who wished to step down due to bereavement. The judge also agreed to excuse a female juror who said she was unable to support herself on social welfare for the course of the trial and now had a job. The woman said she had been told she was entitled only to a social welfare payment of 67 a week. "I can't live on that. I started a new full-time job last week," she said. Judge Aylmer told the remaining jurors the court was "very grateful" they had agreed to be empanelled for the trial. "If any of you have a difficulty in the back of your mind about continuing, now is the time to raise it," he said. Judge Aylmer said the trial was scheduled to conclude by Christmas and he had not been told anything to suggest that would change. Mr FitzPatrick (68), of Whitshed Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow, is facing 27 separate charges of misleading Anglo's auditors Ernst & Young. He has denied the charges, which relate to dates between 2002 and 2007. The charges against Mr FitzPatrick include 21 counts of making misleading, false or deceptive statements to the auditors of Anglo Irish Bank. They include five counts alleging Mr FitzPatrick did not disclose to auditors Ernst & Young arrangements temporarily reducing the balance of loans to him or persons connected to him at the end of the financial year. The reductions cited ranged in size from 4.3m to 88.9m. TAOISEACH Enda Kenny remains the third best-paid leader in the EU, while a controversy over political pay is raging in Germany. Even though Mr Kenny cut his salary by 14,000 to 200,000 upon taking office, he is still paid more than the vast majority of EU leaders. The only leaders on higher salaries are German chancellor Angela Merkel, who earns 250,000, and Luxembourg's prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who gets 210,111. The issue of salaries paid to EU leaders has hit the headlines because the main challenger to Ms Merkel in the German election later this year has complained that the salary for the job of chancellor is too low. Ms Merkel is often described as the most powerful woman on the planet, given her position in charge of Europe's biggest economy. But while the salary debate continues in Germany, Mr Kenny is still on higher wages than the leaders of other large European countries. French president Francois Hollande is paid 179,000, British prime minister David Cameron is paid 172,000 and Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy is paid just 75,000. Italian prime minister Mario Monti has given up his entire salary. Although Ireland is currently in a bailout programme, Mr Kenny is still being paid more than leaders from solvent countries, such as the Netherlands (180,000), Finland (129,000) and Poland (33,367). The Cypriot president, Demetris Christofias, who has requested a bailout for his country, is on a salary of 158,551. However, Mr Kenny is earning less than US President Barack Obama, who is on a salary of $400,000 (303,000). The issue of the salaries paid to EU leaders has hit the headlines again due to a controversy involving the main challenger to Ms Merkel in the German election in September. Social Democrat leader Peir Steinbruck complained that the job of the German chancellor was underpaid. "Almost every (savings) bank director in North Rhine-Westphalia earns more than the chancellor," he said. "A chancellor of Germany earns too little, measured by the performance they provide, in relation to other jobs with far less responsibility." But he was criticised by Germany's last Social Democrat chancellor, Gerhard Schroder, who insisted that politicians in Germany receive an appropriate level of pay. "I have always been able to live from my earnings as a politician," said Mr Schroder, "and if the rewards are too low, a politician can always try some other career." The salary of the Taoiseach was even higher during the last Fianna Fail administration. Before the State's banking guarantee in September 2008, the then Taoiseach Brian Cowen was on a salary of 285,000. This was later reduced to 228,000 and then 214,000. Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore promised while in opposition that he would take a salary of 190,000 if elected Taoiseach. Shots from some of the rooms in the five-bed building in Temple Bar A BUILDING located in the heart of Dublin's Temple Bar is being rented to up to 45 people - and it is understood they are each paying 200 per month cash to live there. The property has been rented out since the beginning of the year - and has had a steady turnover of renters, mainly students and low-income workers. The registered owner of the building - when contacted by Independent.ie - insisted he did not know 45 people were living there. "I rented the building completely unfurnished and I rented it to one individual who was occupying it with his friends," he said. "I plan to look into it. I will deal with it as quickly and efficiently as I possibly can. Until now I have not been aware of there being any issue and I will look into the matter and address the matter appropriately." When asked how much he earns from renting the property, he responded: "Not as much as you think, but that is a matter between me and the guy Im renting it to". Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Inside the five-bedroom property in Dublin's Temple Bar Inside the five-bedroom property in Dublin's Temple Bar Inside the five-bedroom property in Dublin's Temple Bar / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Inside the five-bedroom property in Dublin's Temple Bar The owner insisted that he is tax compliant and that the building is compliant with fire safety rules, adding: "That is all I have to say on the matter". The property is registered with the Residential Tenancy Board (RTB) as a five-bedroom building with four floors. Two of the tenants who are currently living there told Independent.ie they signed no contract when they moved in. They also said they pay their money to one man, who appears to act as the rent collector. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Inside the five-bedroom property in Dublin's Temple Bar Inside the five-bedroom property in Dublin's Temple Bar / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Inside the five-bedroom property in Dublin's Temple Bar This individual has not responded to any calls or messages. Read More There are eight-ten people in some of the rooms, with one wardrobe between three or four people. Others live out of their suitcases. One of the bedrooms is located in the basement area beside a number of filing cabinets. The building was previously used by a law firm and was advertised on the property market as an office investment opportunity with a purchase price of 475,000 last year. A Brazilian man who recently lived there told Independent.ie that he had to pay a 300 security deposit. When moving out, he was informed that his deposit would not be returned unless he found someone to take his place. I was desperate for somewhere to live. I only had five days to find somewhere after finding out I had to move out of my other house, and I had heard about this place from other Brazilians, former tenant Carlos Eduardo Pupin told Independent.ie. At the time, I was paying 350 rent in cash and I didnt sign any contract, he claimed. Last week, an advertisement appeared on Daft.ie for the property. Only one picture was posted and the property overview section stated One person currently living in this apartment. There are three toilets, a shower room and one kitchen. Fire extinguishers are positioned in the basement, but it is not known how many fire exits are in the building, if any. If there are 45 people paying 200 a month, that would amount to 9,000 a month or 108,000 per year. Although this is an extreme case, rentals with a large number of individuals to a room are not uncommon here according to expert groups. Chairperson of national housing charity Threshold, Aideen Hayden, says overcrowding is becoming a serious issue. Overcrowding is something that is becoming much more common and people are accepting dreadfully substandard properties as they are desperate, she told Independent.ie. It is one of the weaknesses in the law as it stands that we dont have adequate standards in terms of minimum space legislation needs to be sharpened up in relation to overcrowding. I have been involved in dispute resolution proceedings with the RTB and I have seen many similar situations to this one, she said. A source told Independent.ie that generally a 'middle man' in these operations approaches the owner and rents the entire property from them. This 'middle man' allegedly then fills the property with bunk beds to maximise his return on investment, selling the space on Facebook groups to migrant workers or students who are looking for cheap accommodation. Dublin City Council has been contacted for a response in relation to any potential health and safety breaches. A spokesperson for the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) said: "It is extremely worrying if the report that up to forty two people are living in a five bedroomed house is correct. While the 2004 Act does not set out precisely the number of persons than can reside at any one time in a property, it is generally expected that the most that could share a room, depending on its size, is two. Consequently, if the number is correct this poses serious health and safety concerns for those tenants in the event of a fire. "Having checked the Register we can confirm that this tenancy is registered, as a terraced five-bedroom property. Given the serious health and safety issues raised, the property concerned could not possibly comply with the Housing Regulations 2009 for the provision of proper light and ventilation, cooking and hygienic food storage, and fire safety measures. "In light of the information received, the RTB will write immediately to the landlord setting out our concerns for the welfare of the tenants, and for the number of tenants in the property which does not conform with the registration of the dwelling. In addition, we will write to Dublin City Council, asking them to arrange, as a matter of urgency, an inspection of the dwelling." Gardai outside the bank in Tallaght where a cash van was robbed. Photo: Damien Eagers Gardai are investigating separate gangs after almost 100,000 was stolen in two cash-in-transit robberies in different areas of the capital. The two raids happened at Charlestown Shopping Centre in Finglas at 11.30am and then outside the Bank of Ireland in Tallaght village minutes later. In the Finglas robbery, a G4S security employee was approached and confronted by a man who grabbed the cash box from him and fled the scene. A car used as a getaway vehicle for the robbery was later found in flames at the North City Business Park nearby. Then, at 11.45am, raiders in Tallaght attacked a G4S employee with pepper spray before stealing a cash box which contained up to 50,00. The security employee was temporarily blinded after being sprayed. A member of the public bravely tried to block the getaway vehicle with his van by driving the vehicle into their path. The raiders damaged their getaway car as they made their escape. "I heard a lot of horns blowing, and alarms, and there were people looking up towards the bank and then I saw a silver car coming around a van that was parked out on the other side of the road," an eye-witness said. "I could hear banging and bashing, and then the car drove by with all of its side bashed-in, so I think it must have got caught up with the front of the van as it got away. "There was a guy in the back with a light coloured hood up over his head. Nobody really knew what was going on until they saw the cash-in-transit van outside the bank," the witness added. Senior sources revealed that two separate gangs are being investigated for the robberies. A prolific cash-in-transit robbery gang is suspected of the Finglas crime. Five refugees, including a three-year-old girl, were discovered inside a container delivered to a Wexford transport company on Sunday evening. The discovery was made at around 6pm when Gardai were asked to attend the company's base in New Ross. A spokesperson for the Gardai confirmed that four adults and one child were discovered inside the container which had been collected from Rosslare Europort. They are believed to be from the Middle East. The Gardai were notified there might be people inside the container, said the spokesperson. Upon arrival the members discovered three adult males, one adult female and a three-year-old girl, he added. All five were removed from the container and brought to Wexford for medical assessment. They are currently being dealt with under emigration legislation and thankfully they are all in good health, said the Garda spokesperson. The four adults are all in their mid-to-late 20s and the trailer involved was collected in Rosslare and brought to New Ross. The transport company declined to comment on the matter when contacted due to the sensitive nature of the matter. A similar incident occurred in February this year when Gardai discovered nine men inside a container that was also delivered to New Ross. This December will mark 15 years since the discovery of eight people who died in a freight container which arrived in to Wexford, Eight refugees, including two children, died from oxygen deprivation in the container. Scientists in Japan proved it is possible to take tissue cells from the tail of a mouse, reprogramme them as stem cells and then turn them into eggs in the lab. Stock Image Scientists have grown artificial eggs for the first time and used to create living animals in a breakthrough hailed as "remarkable" by experts. Scientists in Japan proved it is possible to take tissue cells from the tail of a mouse, reprogramme them as stem cells and then turn them into eggs in the lab. The eggs grown in a petri dish were then fertilised and the resulting embryos were implanted in female mice which went on to give birth to 11 healthy pups. If the procedure is found to work in humans, it could help more women become mothers. Women are born with all their eggs, so can struggle to conceive as they grow older because their eggs also age. But if eggs could be made from stem cells they would be brand new, and may even produce healthier babies. The technique could also help women who are born with fewer eggs than normal, or whose ovaries have stopped releasing eggs. Scientists say it could even help to bring back extinct animals. Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi, of the department of developmental stem cell biology at Kyushu University, said: "This is the first time a functional egg has been produced from stem cells in culture which gives us some clue to human egg production from stem cells. "We need to now carefully look at the quality of mouse artificial eggs. This kind of quality check will contribute to an application to humans in future." British experts hailed the research as "very important", a "remarkable achievement" and the "first convincing evidence" that eggs could be made entirely artificially. Richard Anderson, professor of clinical reproductive science at the University of Edinburgh, said: "This is the first report of anyone being able to develop fully mature and fertilisable eggs in a laboratory setting right through from the earliest stages of egg development. "Although we are a long way from making artificial eggs for women at the moment, this study also provides us with a basis for experimental models to explore how eggs develop from other species, including in women. "One day this approach might be useful for women who have lost their fertility at an early age, as well as for improvements in more conventional infertility treatments." ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Maximum charges for releasing a clamp or relocating a vehicle will finally be signed off by the Cabinet. Stock Image Maximum charges for releasing a clamp or relocating a vehicle will finally be signed off by the Cabinet. The new law was passed 17 months ago but Transport Minister Shane Ross did not sign a commencement order. However, it's understood the delay was to allow the National Transport Authority (NTA) to train up its staff to enforce the new rules. Expand Close Transport Minister Shane Ross. Photo: Laura Hutton/Collins Photo Agency / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Transport Minister Shane Ross. Photo: Laura Hutton/Collins Photo Agency The legislation, known as the Vehicle Clamping Act, sets the maximum release fee for clamping at 100 and relocation at 50. There have been cases where some private clampers have charged up to 300. Fine Gael backbencher Noel Rock has raised the issue on a number of occasions. The decision will be subject to a Dail vote. The Board of international aid charity, GOAL, has this morning announced Celine Fitzgerald as its General Manager on a one-year fixed-term contract. Ms Fitzgerald, who comes into the interim position having served at CEO and Board level across several multinational, state and charity bodies, will formally commence her new role on November 1. Expand Close Ex-Goal CEO Barry Andrews. Photo: Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ex-Goal CEO Barry Andrews. Photo: Steve Humphreys Ms Fitzgerald takes over after former CEO Barry Andrews stood down last week. Mr Andrews' resignation followed a US-led investigation into the charity's multimillion-euro Syria operation. Read More The new general manager has been described as an expert in "change management". In a statement the charity said she will oversee a period of transition within the organisation over the next 12 months. Ms Fitzgerald has previously worked in management roles in the private sector including working for Eircell, Vodafone and outsourcing business, Rigney Dolphin, where she acted as Chief Executive Officer from 2007 to 2012. She is currently on the boards of both the VHI and Irish Water's parent company Ervia. She was also a former director of Organisational Development at Trocaire, and a former Board member of Nurture Africa a charity providing health services in Uganda. As a result of the aid investigation carried out by the US Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the Department of Foreign Affairs withheld 10.1m funding from Goal pending the results of the inquiry. Goal is also implementing an action plan, which is based on a consultant's report, which was commissioned in response to the ongoing investigation by the Office of the Inspector General of USAID (OIG) into alleged supply chain irregularities relating to US-sponsored humanitarian aid programmes in Syria. Read More This BDO report shows that, despite the organisation's best intentions, its processes and controls were not adequately equipped to handle the growth and scale of challenges it had set itself. Ms Fitzgeralds duties will include the implementation of an action plan. Commenting on Ms Fitzgeralds appointment, Chairperson of GOAL, Anne OLeary, said: I am delighted that someone of Celines experience is joining the organisation at this important juncture. Given the changes and additions we are making at management level within the organisation in the coming weeks, it is important that we appoint someone with experience and competence in the field of change management to oversee this period. The next 12 months will be a critical period for GOAL as we seek to regain and consolidate the trust of our donors and the general public, while continuing with the implementation of our aid programmes across the world. Ms Fitzgerald said: Along with many Irish people, I have admired the work of GOAL from afar for many years and I am acutely aware of the great work that the organisation does with millions of vulnerable people across the world. As an Irish person, I am also deeply conscious how the organisation, and the people who work for it, have significantly aided the reputation of Ireland abroad. Much of my work, in several of my previous roles, has focussed on getting things right at governance level, managing large systems and ensuring that organisational structures are robust all with the aim of allowing staff at all levels to do their jobs without any unnecessary distractions. It is critical that we sort out the issues facing GOAL during my one year tenure, and ensure that the people on the front line, whether in head office or in the field, can get back to doing what they do best. New vision: Martina Purdy turned her back on television to become a nun Former broadcaster Martina Purdy has revealed how her BBC colleagues thought she was crazy when she announced that she was becoming a nun. Addressing an audience in St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on Monday night, she opened up about her unlikely journey from the newsroom to the Sisters of Adoration Convent on the Falls Road. Weeks after making her life changing decision in 2014, the former BBC political correspondent said journalist friends tried to stage an intervention. "More than one reporter in Belfast thought the story was a hoax," said Sister Martina. "And when they checked it out and realised it was true, they thought I must have had some kind of mental breakdown. "But when they saw how happy I was they decided not to bother. They couldn't argue with the joy. I'm not sure they understood it but they couldn't argue with it. Of course some people still think I'm crazy." Expand Close Martina Purdy with some of her former BBC colleagues / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Martina Purdy with some of her former BBC colleagues She also revealed how a cyclist shouted at her from his bike last year: "You were mad leaving that job to go in there!" But Sr Martina said: "I just put my hands in the air and said, 'I am living the dream. It's amazing'." Born in Belfast and raised in Canada, she returned to Northern Ireland where she worked for the Irish News and the Belfast Telegraph before landing her "dream job" in the BBC. While fondly remembering "a very privileged job," she said "the greatest privilege of my life is being at the Lord's table every day in Adoration, sitting at his feet and adoring him. So yes I am living the dream." An Garda Siochana is facing into a very uncertain four weeks with four 'strike days' planned for November. On Monday the leadership of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) decided "overwhelmingly" in favour of joining their rank-and-file colleagues for four days of industrial action next month. Here are eight things you need to know about this: What will AGSI members do? Expand Close AGSI President Antoinette Cunningham pictured alongside Solicitor Michael Hegarty (Smyth, O'Brien, Hegarty Solicitors) and John Jacob General Secretary at a press briefing following the AGSI vote at the Special Delegate Conference for a withdrawl of labour at the Sheraton Athlone. Pic Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp AGSI President Antoinette Cunningham pictured alongside Solicitor Michael Hegarty (Smyth, O'Brien, Hegarty Solicitors) and John Jacob General Secretary at a press briefing following the AGSI vote at the Special Delegate Conference for a withdrawl of labour at the Sheraton Athlone. Pic Steve Humphreys Individual members will withdraw labour on November 4, 11, 18 and 25 to coincide with the Garda Representative Association's (GRA) industrial relations action for "maximum impact". And AGSI's industrial action will begin as early as this Friday when members will refuse to log on to the Garda Pulse computer system. The following Friday, October 28, AGSI members will refuse to undertake any administrative duties such as detailing members for duty. Read More Members insisted they were not going on strike but were "withdrawing labour" on the four Fridays of November. So who will police the state on these days? Approximately 10,500 rank- and-file gardai and 2,000 Garda sergeants and inspectors will withdraw from work - leaving between 300 and 400 Superintendents and higher to protect the country. On Monday the Central Executive Committee of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) said members of specialist units should not take part in next month's withdrawal of services. Expand Close Garda Representative Association members during a protest over Garda salaries at Leinster House in June. Photo: Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Garda Representative Association members during a protest over Garda salaries at Leinster House in June. Photo: Collins It is "respectfully suggesting" members in the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) and Regional Support Units (RSUs) do not to join their colleagues in any industrial action. Read More It is possible that senior management will call in Garda Reservists to support them on the day. There are currently 789 reservists in the state. Garda recruits in Templemore and probationer officers who are still finishing their training may also be recruited for the day. There are 529 probationers currently in Garda Stations while there are 450 students in Templemore. It waits to be seen if a request will be made to the Defence Forces to support this skeleton crew. What will happen when I call 999? In response to this question a garda spokesman said: "There are mechanisms in place for resolving these matters the Garda Commissioner would encourage all bodies to remain engaged. The best outcome for all involved, including the public is that these issues are resolved within these." Has this happened before? On May 1, 1998 gardai rang in sick in a protest over pay in a protest which became known as the 'Blue Flu'. On this occasion around 5,500 gardai took part. Read More Some stations were closed and the army was put on standby for the day. On that occasion the skeleton staff was supported by garda trainees. This is the first time that the two associations will take industrial action on the same day. Why are AGSI taking industrial action? The association voted seven weeks ago to sign up to the Lansdowne Road Agreement by a majority of over 70pc. However things changed three weeks ago when they learned during a meeting with officials from the Department of Public Expenditure that they were not going to be part of the a public sector pay commission. "All we were left with were broken promises," AGSI president Antoinette Cunningham said. What do they want? AGSI say they have three key demands Pay restoration of 16.5pc - a claim has already been lodged Access to direct pay negotiations, the Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court for future pay deals Recognition and implementation of the EU social committee's decision in 2013 that gardai should have that access plus the right to strike. But aren't they breaking the law by striking? The law states that it is a crime for Garda members to induce others to strike. However, the GRA and AGSI have managed to get around this by repeatedly stating that the days of industrial action have been presented as a decision taken by each individual member. The leadership of both organisations have also pointed out that nobody has been induced by anyone to take a collective action. During a press conference in Athlone on Monday Ms Cunningham said: To induce people to break the law youd have to have ballots, advocating striking, advocate positions, she said. Read More We actually didnt have to do any of that because our membership came here today so disillusioned with the negotiations and the failed processes that we have been engaging in that we dont even have to advocate. The delegate meetings where decisions were made to pursue industrial action were held in private which means no ringleaders could be identified for prosecution. Dublin Fire Brigade tend to a fire at an apartment at Domville Woods in Santry. Picture: Arthur Carron A woman had a lucky escape after jumping from a second floor window following a fire in an apartment complex in north Dublin last night. The fire broke out on the top floor of the building located off Santry Avenue around 9pm. A neighbour said the woman, who was aged in her 50s, was forced to jump from the balcony as smoke issued from the building. It is understood that the woman was injured during the fall when she missed the mattress which had been put in place in an attempt to break her fall. She was taken by ambulance to Beaumont Hospital were her injuries where not thought to be life threatening. She was standing up so it looked like she was ok, a witness told the Herald. The fire was confined to the womans apartment in the Domville Woods complex. Emergency services arrived on the scene and gardai evacuated the entire complex which includes around 75 apartments. Three pumper trucks from Finglas, Blanchardstown and the North Strand attended the scene and were able to extinguish the fire within an hour. People were standing out side while the fire department dealt with the fire. The cause of the fire is now under investigation. No other injuries were reported and all residents returned to their home shortly afterwards. The guards told us to stay outside because of all the smoke and their was a danger of gas, said a witness. The Government has been plunged into a policing crisis by the decision of Garda supervisors to refuse to work on the four days of strike action planned by their rank and file colleagues next month. The move effectively dismantles contingency plans drawn up by Garda authorities and means no officers will be available to supervise recruits or reservists. The leadership of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) decided "overwhelmingly" in favour of supporting the protest at a special conference in Athlone yesterday. Members insisted they were not going on strike but were "withdrawing labour" on the four Fridays of November selected by the Garda Representative Association for their action. Read more: It's up to individual TDs if they want to take pay increase - Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald Read more: 'The public deserve a service - the public deserve the matter to be settled' - AGSI Legal advice was given to conference delegates that they were not breaking the law by withdrawing labour and it was unclear whether they could face disciplinary action. This is the first time that the two associations have opted to refuse to work, as only GRA members were involved in the infamous 'Blue Flu' action. Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said last night she was disappointed by the decision, particularly as the AGSI had not balloted its members beforehand and only seven weeks ago had voted to accept the Lansdowne Road Agreement by over 70pc. "My focus and that of the Government is on negotiation. I remain focused on finding a pathway to negotiate with AGSI in a way which is fair to their members, the taxpayer and other public sector workers," Ms Fitzgerald said. AGSI president Antoinette Cunningham said the time for talking was over and it was now time for action. She insisted that members were not walking away from the Lansdowne Road Agreement, but accused the official side of reneging on their part of the deal. But she held out some hope that the action could be averted if Department of Justice officials engaged in meaningful and constructive talks. Ms Cunningham said her association was always open for further talks and had already accepted an invitation from officials to meet them for discussions this Thursday. The initial phase of their campaign will begin this Friday when AGSI members will not log onto the force's Pulse computer system or engage in any Pulse-related activities from 7am to 7pm. On Friday, October 28, they will also refuse to use Pulse or undertake any administrative duties such as detailing members for duty, processing files or responding to correspondence. Their campaign will be stepped up dramatically next month when they join the rank and file in refusing to work on November 4, 11, 18 and 25. The AGSI said they had three objectives: Pay restoration of 16.5pc - a claim has already been lodged Access to direct pay negotiations, the Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court for future pay deals Recognition and implementation of the EU social committee's decision in 2013 that gardai should have that access plus the right to strike. As the 151 delegates from 31 branches met in Athlone yesterday morning, views were divided on what action should be taken, but by the afternoon contributions from the floor by seasoned veteran delegates had swayed the vote overwhelmingly in favour of withdrawing labour. It is understood that only 5pc voted against the move. Ms Cunningham said they had not taken the decision lightly. "However, we feel we have no choice but to show Government how serious we are about restoring pay for our members. We also hope that senior Garda management will respect our decision to take this action," she said. Ministers will today be warned of a 200m revenue shortfall at Irish Water as a result of the controversial decision to suspend charges. Housing and Planning Minister Simon Coveney will also argue that if charges remain suspended in 2017, other means of funding the utility will have to be found. In a memo being brought to Cabinet, Mr Coveney will outline a number of ways in which the revenue shortfall can be addressed. One of these is providing funding to Irish Water from the local government fund. The State would also save 110m through the suspension of the conservation grant. The Government suspended charges for nine months from July 1 last until March 31 next year to allow an expert commission to examine the long-term funding requirements needed to operate, maintain and upgrade the network. Once the commission completes its work, a series of recommendations will be sent to an Oireachtas Committee. TDs will then decide whether charges are re-introduced. As revealed by the Irish Independent in August, Irish Water has warned that it will suffer from shortfalls both next year and in 2018 - even if charges are re-introduced. The company expects to have to mount a massive public relations campaign if charging comes back into force to 'convince' people of the benefits of paying. Irish Water plans to spend 5.5bn upgrading the network over the coming years. The projects being progressed include upgrading water and wastewater treatment plants and sourcing a new drinking water supply for Dublin and the Midlands. In a statement, Irish Water said the State remained committed to the company's business plan, but refused to comment on the financial projections. Politically, water charges remain a thorny issue. Fine Gael ministers believe charges should come back in order to fund water infrastructure and ensure Ireland meets its EU requirements. But much will hinge on the position of Fianna Fail. The party's position before the election was that charges should be scrapped until the infrastructure is brought up to date. Many Fianna Fail TDs were therefore surprised after their leader Micheal Martin hardened the party's position. Fianna Fail now wants charges to dropped in their entirety and has not said clearly whether they would eventually be re-introduced. The party has also signalled its intention to introduce a tax credit for the hundreds of thousands of households that have paid their bills. But neither Fianna Fail nor Fine Gael referred to the issue in the context of the Budget. Taoiseach Enda Kenny led tributes to Gertrude Mallon, wife of former Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon, after she died following a battle with illness. Mrs Mallon, who was born Gertrude Cush, worked as a nurse and was a lifelong member of the SDLP - the party her husband served for more than two decades. Late in her life, Mrs Mallon developed dementia and her husband quit politics to care for her in 2005. "It is with regret that I learned of the passing of Gertrude Mallon," Mr Kenny said in a statement yesterday. "I visited Gertrude and Seamus in their home last year in Markethill and saw first-hand the love and devotion they had for each other. "Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam uasal." Former SDLP leader John Hume described Gertrude as "the beating heart" of the party in South Armagh. "She was a tower of support to Seamus, her contribution to peace, politics and people across this island is immeasurable," he said. Two young girls have been hospitalised after they were struck by a vehicle after they left school. Both children were taken to hospital and police have appealed for witnesses. The Scarva Road in Banbridge has reopened following the collision. DUP MLA for Upper Bann, Carla Lockhart said: "Children leaving school - you can imagine them bouncing out the door, heading for home and for this accident to have taken place, it doesn't bear thinking about. "My thoughts and prayers are very much with the driver of the vehicle as well, I can only imagine the turmoil that this has caused them. "We're thankful that the two children are receiving medical treatment at Craigavon Area Hospital and the Royal Victoria and our thoughts and prayers are very much with them and their families." Upper Bann MP David Simpson said: "Today we are faced with another incident involving a traffic collision with reports of two young children injured. Thankfully we are not talking about loss of young lives this evening. "I would like to wish the two young children involved in this accident a speedy recovery and assure their families that we are thinking of them at this time." Police have vowed there'll be no Great Escape for two granny gangsters who stole a massive 17,000 poster of the late actor Steve McQueen from under the noses of the PSNI in the centre of Belfast at the weekend. The ageing thieves - one of whom hobbled on a walking stick - made The Getaway from the trendy Bullitt hotel on Sunday night, with the specially-commissioned black-and-white picture of the late American actor, who starred in the movie which gave the Ann Street hot-spot its name. And now the pensioner pilferers could be featuring in a wanted poster of their own. CCTV cameras captured every move of their hare-brained heist, which started with them checking out the foyer of the Bullitt hotel, which had only opened two days beforehand. The footage showed one of the women giving her walking stick and handbag to her accomplice, who opened up her cloak behind her to stop hotel staff seeing her partner-in-crime giving Steve the heave-ho from a wall near the reception. The past-their-prime pair didn't exactly shoot off like a bullet from the Bullitt and cameras outside the hotel picked them up slowly dragging their ill-gotten gains up Victoria Street, after leaving the hotel through a fire exit. The bus-pass burglars cheekily walked straight past Musgrave Police Station on Ann Street towards Donegall Quay, where police suspect an ill-prepared fence may have been waiting to take the 6ft by 4ft poster off their hands. In the Great Escape of course a different sort of fence - a barbed wire one - was the problem for McQueen and his motorbike. But in the Great Escape that wasn't, the fence's car was apparently too small to fit the poster in. So the senior-citizen crooks abandoned their pin-up of their poster boy - with his dark glasses and cigarette - outside Tedford's restaurant, where staff who had attended the glittering ceremony for the Bullitt's opening, recognised the picture and returned it to the hotel. The poster will need repairs to minor damage before it is restored to its pride of place in the 4.5m hotel - which is owned by Bill Wolsey - who also operates the luxury five-star Merchant Hotel nearby, as well as over 40 other establishments across Northern Ireland. Mr Wolsey, who was in the hotel yesterday, told me that he had commissioned the Steve McQueen artwork from an eastern European artist who splits his time between Los Angeles and France. He said he was a big fan of McQueen and had always admired his work, though he admitted Bullitt wasn't his favourite movie featuring the award-winning actor. He said he'd had the print in his office for over a year but decided to put it on show in his new hotel because the late actor was always 'current and cool' and that was the image he wanted for the Bullitt. Police have appealed for help in identifying the women who made off with McQueen. They said they were both in their late-60s and had shoulder-length blonde hair and wore glasses. The PSNI said one of the women was wearing a distinctive zebra-print jacket. Detectives are confident that members of the public will be able to come up with names for the light-fingered larcenists, assuming that is, that they weren't weekend visitors from outside Northern Ireland. The general manager of the Bullitt, Michael Sullivan, said he was shocked to hear that the McQueen print had gone. "We only put it up on Friday and couldn't believe that someone had stolen it," he said. "We were even more surprised to see on the CCTV pictures that the thieves were two well-dressed women who weren't exactly your stereotypical criminals. "I had seen them earlier in the hotel having tea and a drink and they didn't look suspicious or drunk. "Yet what they did was quite brazen and it wouldn't have been that easy for them to remove it from the wall. "The print was hanging near the reception desk but our staff there were checking in some guests. And anyway, the last thing you would expect would be for someone to steal something so big." After he gets a face-lift, the mean and moody McQueen will be back in his starring role in the Bullitt, though he'll get a security makeover. The PSNI press office yesterday took the unusual step of insisting that they were treating the theft as 'genuine', after a number of English journalists rang them to express surprise that there was a hotel in Belfast called Bullitt, given the city's troubled past. "There was also a sense among the cynics that the story may have been something that sounded like Bullitt but this was no publicity stunt," said one police source. Advice from clinical psychologist David Coleman on why it is important to listen to your child when choosing a school and how to tell children that their dad has left. Q. My 12-year-old daughter is due to start secondary school next year. She wants to go to the local mixed-sex community school. However, I would like her to go to a single-sex school that is some distance away. She probably won't know anyone going there. I am stuck between her happiness and her education. I'm also trying to consider the needs of her younger sister, who will follow her, and I'm afraid that she will get "lost" in the community school as she is easily distracted and it is a very large school. What do you think we should do? David replies: Listen to your daughter. Closely. If you have a strong desire for her to go to the single-sex school you may, unwittingly, have been minimising or ignoring the rationale that your daughter has been putting forward in favour of the local community school. While I am a firm believer in the need for children to have opportunities to develop their talents and live up to their potential, I have also seen, many times, the devastation and distress that develops when children are not happy in school. Although I may be missing some of the information that you have to hand, it does seem that you believe that sending your daughter to the community school will compromise her education. As you present it in your query, she either enjoys herself (in the community school) or she gets a good academic education (in the single-sex school some distance away). Are you sure that it is not possible to achieve both in the one school? Have you attended each school's open day? If not, then this might be the first step. You may get a broader understanding of what each offers. Are the academic results of the community school so awful? Does it have a very poor reputation, locally, for the quality of its teaching? Naturally that is a consideration (and a concern if it is the case), but there are also real benefits of your daughter going to school locally. Being local keeps her connected, socially, to your community. The friendships that she will continue with, or develop, will all be local, rather than more scattered if she travels a distance to school. On a practical level, any after-school, or extra-curricular activities will also be close by. So, if she misses her bus home, because she is doing sport it will be easier to collect her, or arrange for her to get a lift from friends' parents. If she feels that she has been listened to, in her school choice, she is more likely to be motivated to invest in the school and in the work required in school. If she begins, resenting the choice of school, it might be a block for her engagement in all that the single-sex school could offer. I do hear your concern, too, for her younger sister. It sounds like she may need a smaller school, that can be a little more attentive to her needs. But, it seems like an unfair imposition on her older sister to have to have a school chosen for her on the basis of her sister's needs. You may, inadvertently, cause bitterness and resentment, between your daughters, if your older daughter feels that her needs were placed behind her sister's needs in terms of a choice of school. I don't know when her little sister is due to go to secondary school, but perhaps it is wiser to delay the decision about what she will need, at that time, until closer to when it is relevant. A lot could change in either school in a few years. Having the two girls in different schools, although practically awkward perhaps in terms of pick-ups, drop-offs, buses, timetables, etc., is not necessarily a bad thing if the school they each attend meets their particular needs. So, be open to hearing what your daughter is actually saying about why she wants to go to the community school. There may be more merit in her having an enjoyable school experience and graduating with great self-esteem and decent results, than in being distressed and graduating with great results. In any event, moving school, in either direction, might also be a possibility after she completes first year. While you do have to make a choice, with her, it doesn't have to be permanent if it seems that the wrong choice gets made. My children think their dad is just working away, but they need to know the truth that he has left us Q. My husband has recently left me. He just walked out on our marriage. I didn't want, or expect, this to happen. He has also, physically, left our family home, but for the time being our young children believe he is working away (which is not unusual for him). I realise we need to tell them the truth but I have no idea how to go about it, particularly as the decision to separate was entirely my husband's and I am devastated. Any advice you can offer me on how best to handle this would be so very gratefully received. David replies: What a difficult situation you find yourself in. Whatever the difficulties in your relationship with your husband, it sounds like you didn't think they were so bad that you needed to separate. Your own shock at what has happened is probably the first thing to try to address. I am a big believer that we need to mind ourselves, as parents, as the first priority, if we are to successfully be in a position to mind our children. I think most parents will accept that when they are in good form, feeling able and confident, they do a much more effective job in rearing their children. Most of the mistakes we make come when we are under pressure, upset, stressed or exhausted ourselves. So, in preparation for talking with your children (which, you are correct, you will have to do) make sure you mind yourself, to help cope with the shock of your husband's departure. Reach out to family or friends, if only to be able to talk about how shocking and upsetting the situation is. Nobody will be able to "fix" it, but you may find great relief and comfort from just talking about things. There is truth to the old saying, "a problem shared is a problem halved". Being heard, and understood, by someone else, when we are distressed is incredibly supportive, even if there is nothing that can be done to change your circumstances. Aside from minding yourself, you also need to talk to your husband about what information you will share with the children and when. In an ideal world, you will be able to tell them together and sooner rather than later. Your first step is simply to tell them the truth of the "what?", which is that their dad has moved out of the family home, as opposed to being just away with work. Do you know yet how permanent a move that is? You need to be very clear, for the children's sake, of whatever you tell them. It needs to be true and accurate as best you know for the time being. So, if he has left, with no plan to ever come back, then that is what you tell them. If he is gone, but only temporarily, while you work stuff out and try to reconcile and resolve the issues in your relationship, then it is fine to tell the children that too. They may want a timeframe, but it is okay to say you don't know how long it will take, if you don't know how long it will take. The second thing that you and your husband need to agree is an explanation of "why?". This may be even harder to achieve, since it sounds like you, yourself, are still looking for an explanation of why your husband left. I do think that, if he made a unilateral decision to leave, he needs to take responsibility for that. He may feel that there were extenuating circumstances, but it still sounds like he chose to go. The third thing you need to consider, when you tell the children the first time, is what arrangements you both have made for them to see and spend time with their dad. This is likely to be an immediate concern for them and it will help if you have thought the issue through in advance. The language you use, will, of course, have to fit with the ages of your children. Don't be surprised if they don't take everything in the first time you talk to them. You may have to repeat elements of it again and again. In my experience, telling children about parental separation tends to be more of a process than an event. So, whatever you say the first time is the bedrock and you can always flesh it out or explain it further as time goes by. Forest Avenue restaurant in Dublin 4 is amongst the very best in Ireland at the moment. Photograph: Tony Gavin Food in Ireland has improved so dramatically over the past few years that it's sometimes hard to remember what things were like in the bad old days. We take it for granted now that we are more likely to get a good restaurant meal than a bad one, particularly in Dublin. Over the space of a few short years, we also have grown accustomed to the modern tasting menu. John Wyer was, I think, the first chef in Ireland to start offering this new style of menu when he and his wife, Sandy Sabek, also a chef, put on the first Supper Club Project pop-ups about five years ago. I remember going to one of these events in a guest-house in Ballsbridge and leaving on a high, having eaten 10 courses of some of the most exciting food that I had ever encountered, each course so carefully balanced that it was somehow not too much food. It felt like the start of something important. John was formerly the head chef at L'Ecrivain, and Sandy the pastry chef in the same restaurant. After a couple of years of pop-ups, during which time John was one of Lynda Booth's head tutors at The Dublin Cookery School, the couple managed to scrape together the resources to open their open place, in a former pizza parlour opposite the Mespil flats on Sussex Road. That was three years ago, and Forest Avenue - named after the street on which Sandy grew up in Queens, New York - has since quietly established itself as one of Dublin's essential restaurants. The Wyers don't use a PR company, and they don't do flash. They just get on with the business of serving up consistently excellent food, in a restaurant that, thanks to Sandy at front of house, never feels stressed or over-crowded. Earlier this year, the Wyers opened a second establishment, Forest & Marcy, around the corner, in partnership with chef, Ciaran Sweeney. It's one of the best new restaurants to open in Dublin this year, with the ambience of a wine bar. Back in the spring, I had Forest Avenue's tasting menu one evening, seated at a table with a view of Wyer and his chefs working methodically in the open kitchen. On this occasion, we went for lunch on a Friday and opted for the three-course lunch menu rather than the full tasting. Wyer's food has evolved over the years and, while it remains resolutely seasonal, he does not restrict himself to Irish ingredients as by doing so he would rule out opportunities for flavour that would otherwise be open to him. That means that, unlike some hyper-local restaurants, you'll find ingredients such as lemons and Parmesan and Comte in the larder at Forest Avenue: if something is going to make a dish better, then Wyer will use it. It's a liberating way to work. First to the table is a chewy-crusted caramelised onion bread with house butter, and spiced flat breads with a homemade ricotta. All utterly delicious. Next up, a miniature Waldorf salad wrapped in celeriac and topped with a sliver of dexter beef salami, with a dollop of caper and raisin puree for contrast, and a tapioca cracker with cep custard, hazelnut and grated foie gras that's luscious. Agnolotti has become something of a signature dish at Forest Avenue. Today's version is filled with aged Parmesan, there are sweetcorn and pickled runner beans in the sauce puddled around the pasta at the bottom of the deep bowl. The flavours are intense; it's a lick the bowl moment. A salad of carrot and fig with duck prosciutto, pumpkin seeds and goat's yoghurt is like a colourful winter scene dusted with snow; fresh and light. Perfectly cooked plaice burnished to a light golden colour is served with parsley root and crisp, melting cavolo nero in a seaweed butter with chanterelles, while greengages and salted lemons contrast with the leg and loin of strongly flavoured Comeragh mountain lamb, served with olive and crushed potato. Wyer pairs rump and rib of beef with black, fermented garlic, charred hispi cabbage and a little remoulade of broccoli stem. For dessert there are nice contrasts in a bowl of autumnal plums with a sheep's milk ice-cream, and treacle pudding dusted with whey caramel, and the simple elegance of Galway Goat cheese with a puree of apples and candied walnuts. We pushed the boat out with two excellent bottles of wine. The St Aubin 2014, a creamy, rounded white burgundy with notes of almond (98), and the Greywacke 2013 Marlborough pinot noir, a powerful red with delicious fruit and spice (62). With water and coffee, the bill for our lunch for four came to 299.50 before service. Lunch for two, with a more modestly priced wine (such as the lovely organic Saladini Pilastri 'Falerio' from Le Marche, 32), would come in at around 100, and I can't think of a more pleasant way to while away a couple of hours. I can't finish without noting that there was an expectation that Forest Avenue would have been awarded a Michelin star this year. The star for Heron & Grey is warmly welcomed by all, and seen as an indication that Michelin can shake off its frumpy shackles and give the nod to a modest establishment serving exceptional food. The decision not to give a star to Forest Avenue is inexplicable. ON A BUDGET The two-course lunch menu is priced at 26. ON A BLOW OUT The six-course tasting menu, available at both lunch and dinner, is priced at 50/60; matching wines are 55. Add water and coffee and you'd be looking at a bill of 240 for two before service. THE HIGH POINT John Wyer's food is amongst the very best in Ireland at the moment. Forest Avenue is a very special restaurant. THE LOW POINT A slight regret that we went for the three-course lunch menu rather than the six-course tasting menu. Oh well, we'll just have to go back. THE RATING 9/10 food 9/10 ambience 9/10 value for money 27/30 Babies born to older mothers are more likely to be healthy if they have been conceived through IVF, a major new study has found. A survey of more than 300,000 live births showed that women aged 40 or over who conceived naturally were more than twice as likely to have a child with birth defects than those of the same age who had undergone IVF. The team from the University of Adelaide, who collated data from every live birth in South Australia between 1986 and 2002, have described the findings as "remarkable". Prof Michael Davies, who led the research, said: "There is something occurring with women over the age of 40 who use assisted reproduction. "There is some aspect of IVF treatment in particular that could be helping older women to redress the maternal age issues we see among natural conception, where we observe a transition at around the age of 35 towards a steadily increasing risk of birth defects. "We don't know what that is quite yet. It could be an aspect of hormonal stimulation that helps reverse the age- related decline in control of ovulation." Prof Davies said his findings could have significant implications for infertility treatment if researchers can understand why older women do better on assisted reproduction. However, Yacoub Khalaf, a consultant gynaecologist at Guys and St Thomas' Hospitals in London, pointed out that, despite the size of the overall study, the number of births in the over-40 group was "relatively small". He said Prof Davies' inferences could be the result of a statistical anomaly. Jody Day, founder of Gateway Women, an online support network for women without children, said: "Many couples think that IVF is more successful than it actually is, and it comes as a real shock when it doesn't work. Knowing when to stop is very individual. "It is an option that is rarely presented at infertility clinics, and is almost too taboo to even think about." Some of the world's leading eye doctors and researchers will be speaking at a public meeting in Dublin next month. Experts include Dr David Gamm (pictured), University of Wisconsin, who created retina cells in a laboratory dish from stem cells generated from a person's skin. As part of a conference organised by Fighting Blindness, there will be advice on a range of eye conditions, including age-related vision loss and diabetes-related vision loss. The public engagement day takes place at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Golden Lane, on Saturday, November 12 from 10am to 4.30pm.To secure a place, visit www.retina.ie. Attendance is free to Fighting Blindness members and 10 for non-members. I often wonder how much more I'd get done in a day if I did away with the extraneous, inconsequential stuff. If I stopped opening every mail-merged email promising '70% off at ASOS', every WhatsApp group message and every Quora notification... If I didn't have to filter every passing thought through Google, research every new artist I discover on Spotify and take a tea break every 15 minutes... The endless distractions at our fingertips have made the state of undivided focus increasingly difficult to achieve. We hear a lot about FOMO - fear of missing out - these days. It's the anxiety that arises when we believe that other people are having a better time than we are. Yet FOMO doesn't just concern how others are spending their time; it concerns how we spend our own time too. Think back to the last time you tried to work without distraction. You likely had the fear that you were missing out on an important unopened email in your inbox; a hot topic conversation on Twitter or a news story that everyone was talking about - except you. It's easy to pin this collective lack of focus on the emergence of the digital world. However, it could be argued that the age of distraction predates social media and smartphones (although having 16 browser tabs open at once certainly doesn't help). 'Multi-tasking' became an industry buzzword and CV cliche in the late nineties. Suddenly you had to be able to type up a last-minute report while calling a client in Tokyo to be considered capable in the workplace. Scientists have since discovered that multi-tasking - which is in fact just 'task-switching' - costs up to 40pc of our overall productivity in the long-run. More recently Sophie Leroy, a business school professor at the University of Minnesota, coined the term 'attention residue' to describe this constant state of semi-distraction. Study after study tells us that a scattered mind kills creativity and reduces productivity, yet most of us are still operating within the multi-task, multi-screen mindset, thinking about the other thing we should be doing rather than focusing on what it is we are doing right now. The cost to our mental health is patently evident. Indeed, leading positive psychologists say 'flow state' - which occurs when we get completely lost in a task - is crucial to our emotional wellbeing. But how can we enter flow state when we're constantly distracted by the ping of incoming messages, or "every dog that barks", as Winston Churchill put it? Leo Babauta, author and creator of Zen Habits, adds that while "we may feel productive when we're constantly switching between things, constantly doing something, in all honesty, we're not. We're just distracted." The latest, and very welcome, buzzword in business circles is 'deep work'. Deep work occurs when we stop skimming the surface and dive into the task in hand. As Cal Newport writes in Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. "To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from distraction." Single-tasking requires a mindful approach. It might feel like you're slowing down but you have to trust that you are finally gaining ground. Placing a time limit on tasks will help in this regard. Parkinson's Law states that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion", so be clear about how much time you have available before you begin any task - even if it's tidying the kitchen. Distractions should also be avoided. Try designating two/three periods during the day for checking emails, instead of reacting to every single alert, and turn off your Smartphone if needs be. To-do lists are terribly obvious but terribly important. Try penning one before you go to bed at night. On Fridays, write out your to-do list when you've finished your work for the day - it assuages Monday morning anxiety. Regular breaks are also crucial. The other great fallacy of the modern working world is that we get more done when we work through our lunch break. Contrarily, taking regular breaks increases our productivity. Remember too that a lack of focus can prevent us from realising our talents and achieving our greatest goals. In a world of multi-hyphenates and 30-day challenges, we've forgotten that enduring success requires laser-focus. Tony Robbins put it best when he said: "One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular." Eventually we have to concede that the scattergun approach simply doesn't work. It's the illusion of industriousness - ostensibly you're doing everything but in reality you're not getting anywhere. "The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy " adds Newport. "As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive". Premium Colette Browne Opinion Every effort must be made to retrieve oral histories of mother and baby home survivors With three days to go until the Mother and Baby Homes Commission ceases to exist as a legal entity, we are being told that audio recordings of hundreds of witnesses which were deleted may not actually be gone forever. It is another usual twist in a most emotional saga. For decades, survivors of mother and baby homes have been denied a voice and denied autonomy. When they fell pregnant, many through rape and abuse, they were marched to the doors of religious institutions. 'A sitting Taoiseach is hard shifted' goes the old line - and it's never seemed truer than with Enda Kenny. After the general election, there was much talk of Mr Kenny going within weeks, possibly during the summer recess. Then it was after the Budget. And, before we knew it, it had stretched out to next April (by which point he would pass out John A Costello to become Fine Gael's longest serving Taoiseach, a fitting point to bow out). In the past few days, a new stalling tactic has emerged, with the line being made "privately by Fine Gael TDs" apparently that Kenny could stay on as Taoiseach for a period, possibly even up to the general election, but stand down as leader of Fine Gael. It's a bonkers idea which cannot be allowed to happen. But it surely strengthens the suspicion that the Taoiseach has no intention of voluntarily going anywhere soon. It's true that the notion of a Taoiseach not being the leader of the main governing party is not entirely without precedent. In 1948, Clann na Poblachta didn't want Fine Gael leader Richard Mulcahy to head up the proposed inter-party government, for reasons dating back to his role in the Civil War. Mulcahy, realising he was an obstacle to a historic government formation, gallantly stepped aside, allowing a reluctant Costello to become Taoiseach. It also briefly happened in early 2011 when an embattled Brian Cowen stood down as Fianna Fail leader - succeeded by Micheal Martin - but remained on as Taoiseach for six weeks until Enda Kenny assumed office. But those examples were exceptional cases. Kenny isn't an obstacle to a government being formed like in '48. Nor is there a general election coming in a matter of weeks, as was the case five and a half years ago. Besides, the chaos of 2011 is hardly a good benchmark for this government. The argument perhaps could be (and, no doubt, has been) made that Kenny's departure as Taoiseach could have a destabilising impact on the Government. However, Fianna Fail has been clear that its deal for three budgets is not dependent on Kenny being Taoiseach. The optics of the whole thing would be hugely questionable. We would be left with a Taoiseach who not only presided over the loss of over two dozen seats in the general election, but was now unwanted by his own parliamentary party. Why else would he not be leader of Fine Gael? To put it bluntly, if he's not good enough for Fine Gael TDs, how can he be deemed good enough for the country? Whatever the reasoning or logic behind it, the perception would be of a Taoiseach clinging to power, with a theoretical mandate, simply for the sake of power. Leo Varadkar was completely right to dismiss the idea as being "not credible". He and the other senior Fine Gael figures have been very careful not to say anything that might be deemed to be pressurising Kenny. The party wants to allow its Taoiseach to go in a dignified manner at a time of his choosing - fair enough. He's earned that right. But there are limits. Varadkar makes a valid point that, if the posts of Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael were held separately, it would only be a matter of time before there was disagreement or conflict. Kenny and a new FG leader might, for example, have very different ideas on holding the line on public sector pay or cutting USC. The Government and the main government party would be singing off different hymn sheets. It could get incredibly messy. Kenny's position in that scenario would be closer to that of the US president and our system is just not built that way. Why anyone would suggest it beggars belief. To be fair, there is no suggestion that Kenny has been pushing such a scenario. But his body language is certainly not that of a man preparing to make way for a successor. One has to ask 'why?' He has had a good innings. He can walk away with his party and the country in much better places than they were when he took over. He would be cheered to the rafters and lauded a hero by the Fine Gael parliamentary party if he stood down in the coming weeks. In politics, that's about as good as it gets. But, if he doesn't, and tries to push matters beyond the spring, he risks undermining that legacy and potentially badly splitting his party, because things inevitably will come to a head. The public has largely had enough. A poll at the weekend showed his satisfaction rating down at 29pc (compared to 48pc for Micheal Martin). More tellingly, FG deputies have made it crystal clear they don't want him to lead them into another general election - they're better judges of the public mood than any opinion poll. There's also the question of what he can still bring to the table. He says he's got his mojo back but where's the evidence of that? It's an exhausting job, even for someone of Kenny's undoubted work ethic. Six years is surely long enough for anyone, particularly somebody who looks fit and healthy enough to enjoy a long, active life after politics. There was much talk about the importance of the Taoiseach's experience and contacts post-Brexit. But the response from the Government to date has been underwhelming - there was also a serious misjudgement in raising the idea of a cross-border forum on Brexit before running it by the DUP. And it could be years before the Brexit process is complete. The arguments for a transfer of power from Kenny and Michael Noonan to the next generation of Coveney, Varadkar, Donohoe, Harris and Doherty are surely far more compelling. But the Taoiseach may not see it like that. And in politics, ownership is nine-tenths of the law. Enda the road? Believe it when you actually see it because, unless he decides otherwise, he'll be hard shifted. Shane Coleman presents Newstalk Breakfast, weekdays from 7am. AAH, the oul television prize giveaway. We look at the chat show, we all moan about how easy the question is and then we shout the answer. Some pick up the phone and text that answer. Others dont bother. Or some, like my sister, decide that if Ryan calls her from The Late Late Show, shell accept the 10,000 cash and he can shove the holiday. The reason? Its Abu Dhabi. Or as we said on Friday night, Abu bleedin Dhabi. We were a little confused. Surely they wouldnt be offering a trip to a country where flogging and stoning are legal; or sending a happy little family to a place where the legal system is based on Sharia Law; and where if you were found having pre-marital sex you could get 10 lashes. As for women in Abu Dhabi, they need permission from a male to marry. As for gays and lesbians? Forget it they simply cant exist, because homosexuality is illegal. Prizes are given to talk shows so the provider will get great publicity. An airline, a hotel chain, a tourist department, all donate locations, flights and cruises. Thats the way the competition works. No one is being fooled. It would serve chat shows to maybe wonder how safe, forward-thinking, equal and enjoyable a destination is going to be. I can imagine western holidaymakers are made to feel very welcome, but peel back a little, look at how different groups are treated in the Emirates and it wouldnt be my destination of choice. My sister was all set to make a political statement live on TV. Everyone will talk about it, I told her. Do it. But the phone didnt ring. So the best of luck to the winner, and remember no public kissing, dont get drunk and, if youre a woman, just ignore how the female population is treated. Young gardai are expected to put their lives on the line for 23,000 a year. We have now arrived at a situation where a force of just over 13,000 will strike on four days next month (Stock picture) A society knows it is in trouble when threats becomes respectable. The Government is facing an unprecedented crisis with the decision of the AGSI to back their colleagues in the GRA and walk off the job. Considering the pressures and threats that the force has endured in an exemplary history, without recourse to such drastic action, such a breakdown in trust is an indictment of all sides. But the Government had been warned many times that patience was exhausted. Young gardai are expected to put their lives on the line for 23,000 a year. We have now arrived at a situation where a force of just over 13,000 will strike on four days next month. Meanwhile, schools face being closed for seven days. All of this speaks to a failure to manage, and a deep sense of alienation. With soaring house costs and record rents, too many are finding it impossible to get by. They may be euphemistically classed as the "squeezed middle" but in truth they are the backbone of this country and feel they are being left behind. If such hard-working people cannot keep a roof over their families' heads after all those years of austerity and sacrifice, then we have a very serious problem as a society. Yet gardai should not be walking off the street. They are the forces of law and order, and law and order cannot go AWOL because times are hard. But they must be able to air their grievances and they must be heard, and not stonewalled for years as this Government has done to them. As a nation, we pride ourselves on a reputation for fairness and inclusiveness. If this is the case, how come swathes feel marginalised? We must step back from the point of no return. We simply cannot run the country on the basis of who blinks first. It is essential that we maintain basic standards of decency and reliability in both private and public sectors. Values built up over several generations should not be cheaply sold. Yesterday, President Higgins warned that people are being treated like "numerical units". He also said as a nation we are failing to "display the necessary spirit of democracy". That is a searing charge in this, the centenary of 1916, and one we should take to heart. Vital step in beating Isil but cost will be high Two years after overrunning Iraqi forces, Isil is now seeing the tables being turned in Mosul. The second largest city in Iraq is the last major stronghold of Isil in that country. Mosuls capture became a symbol of the terrorist groups rise as a major force. It was the location of Isil leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadis proclamation of a caliphate in parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria. A lengthy operation to recapture the city is now under way, involving Kurdish peshmerga, Iraqi government and western allied forces. The retaking of Mosul is likely to take months, starting with the setting up of a logistical base, followed by an advance on the city, which is expected to stretch into November and December, if not beyond. The liberation of this city is a vital step in defeating Isil and freeing the local people from the tyrannical regime. However, the United Nations has expressed extreme concern for the safety of up to 1.5 million people living in this area. The UNs humanitarian and relief chief Stephen OBrien has asked for civilians to be protected and be given access to assistance they are entitled to and deserve. Before the Isil invasion, the city was one of Iraqs most diverse, comprising ethnic Sunni Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians and Turkmens, as well as a variety of religious minorities. Many of these minorities fled Isil. Now the local population faces further suffering in the coming months. As I listen to and read about various ministers preaching how responsible they are in granting some of us the most basic financial supports, it occurs to me that it would be better if Enda Kenny's Government were totally prudent and gave nothing away. Instead, they should be preparing us for Brexit. The Government reassures us that various financial services will move from the UK to Ireland, that there will be soft borders and that everything will be OK. It reminds me of the last Fianna Fail government saying that there would be a soft landing after the crash of the Celtic Tiger. It was a form of escapism not unlike that enjoyed by EuroMillions hopefuls. It is clear that we are living in a broken economy. We have entire families living in single bedrooms in hotels. Thousands of families are in mortgage arrears, their debts bundled neatly up and sold to venture capitalists. A similar situation existed here following the Encumbered Estates Act 1847, when an advertisement in London for the sale of one estate here in Connemara (200,000 acres) stated that all of the pre-famine tenants were either dead or gone to the new world, and that the estate was no longer 'infested with these tenants' and was a blank canvas on which to paint a profitable landscape! And what is the solution to endless waiting lists for medical appointments - unless one can afford private health insurance? Hugh Duffy Cleggan, Co Galway Leo needs to learn FG's history Niall O'Connor reports that Leo Varadkar has stated that it would not be "credible" for Enda Kenny to remain as Taoiseach and step down as leader of Fine Gael (Irish Independent, October 17), suggesting that any such scenario would lead to "disagreement or a conflict". The minister displays a wretched ignorance of the history of the party he apparently aspires to lead. The longest serving of the 10 leaders of Fine Gael, General Richard Mulcahy, held this position for 15 years from 1944 to 1959. Mulcahy served as leader of the opposition until 1948, after which his parliamentary colleague John A Costello served as Taoiseach twice and leader of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party until 1959, while Mulcahy served as minister in those governments under Costello. Under this regime, the Fine Gael share of Dail seats in four general elections was 21pc in 1948, 27pc in 1951, 34pc in 1954 and 27pc in 1957. It is also noteworthy that the candidate Fine Gael fielded in the 1959 presidential election, Sean MacEoin, achieved 43.7pc of the vote in that election - when he was 66 years old. There was no question in the Mulcahy era of Fine Gael selecting a candidate for a presidential election who would be rejected by 94pc of the electorate, as was the case in 2011. To imply that such a pathetic debacle could be followed with an insinuation that Fine Gael might avoid the subsequent presidential electoral contest altogether - because Mr Varadkar claims the incumbent could secure cross-party support - is myopic and ludicrous. Mr Varadkar needs to radically re-evaluate the credibility of his own claims on political leadership and ground these in the aspirations and ambitions of those whose votes he will ultimately be dependent on for a licence to lead. Disagreement and conflict are perpetually at the heart of politics. But vision, competence, courage and worthwhile accomplishments are the characteristics desired at the heart of stable political leadership. Myles Duffy Glenageary, Co Dublin Bruton's dilemma on teachers As he faces down the teachers, Education Minister Richard Bruton, as I see it, is faced with two options. He will stoutly defend his corner, or perhaps end up being made to stand in the corner. Tom Gilsenan Beaumont, Dublin 9 Martin Naughton's legacy Disability activist Martin Naughton was laid to rest in his native Spiddal, Co Galway, on Saturday. He was 62 years old. He was a leader in the disability sector and his legacy will have positive impacts long into the future. Martin was instrumental in Ireland's shift away from the institutional approach. We now have a disability act, however imperfect is it, and Ireland is beginning to adopt the universal approach of personal assistance rather than carers. Ireland is on the cusp of approving Article 19 of the UN Convention for people with a disability. The legislative groundwork is being developed for direct payment to people with a disability which should cover the cost of services such as personal assistance and other essential supports so that people with disabilities can live inclusively in Irish society. I call on politicians of all parties to go the extra step and ensure these measures urgently go into legislation so that Martin Naughton and many more warriors like him, who sat outside Dail Eireann on bitterly cold nights, can say their work was fruitful in the end. Charity has no place in the disability sector. Dermot Hayes Ennis, Co Clare Time to reform the UN The United Nations is expecting record numbers of displaced people in the wake of fighting in Mosul, Iraq. Now, when the world is witnessing the largest exodus of refugees in history, is the time to pause and reflect on the trials and tribulations of the UN and its 20 affiliated agencies. These organisations have been slow to save future generations from the scourge of war; to promote racial, social and religious harmony, to tackle hunger, and to safeguard human rights and freedoms. It is true that they have been successful in distributing food, vaccinating children, sheltering refugees, seeking the peaceful resolution of raging conflicts around the globe, but hasn't time come to nip conflicts in the bud and avoid them before they actually occur? Isn't it time to overhaul the UN? Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob London NW2, United Kingdom Noonan is watering the soup There's a story about a monastery where the monk in charge of the kitchen went to the Prior in a panic, saying that there was quite an extraordinary number of pilgrims to host for lunch that day, and asking what could he do to feed so many mouths. "Don't worry," said the Prior. "Add a gallon of water to the soup." This is exactly what Mr Noonan has done by distributing 5 crumbs to appease pensioners. It will take more than 5 to compensate what has been taken from them through the last few years. Concetto La Malfa Dublin 4 Death of a true Munster legend Anthony Foley: he came, he saw, and he conquered. Ed Toal Galway city Ascensia Diabetes Care recently launched the CONTOURNEXT ONE blood glucose monitoring system (BGMS) in Ireland, one of the next steps in the evolution of self-monitoring of blood glucose. As part of the system, the CONTOURNEXT ONE meter and CONTOURDIABETES app seamlessly connect, which makes capturing blood glucose results effortless for people with diabetes. The system enables patterns and trends to be revealed that can help people understand their diabetes, and may help to improve diabetes management. The meter is now available to residents of Ireland, and you can request it free here. The system features an easy-to-use wireless-enabled smart meter that links to a smart mobile device via Bluetooth connectivity. The CONTOURNEXT ONE meter gives immediate feedback and also seamlessly connects to the CONTOURDIABETES app, which collects, stores and analyses patient blood glucose results received from the meter. The app combines these results with other data recorded by the user, to provide detailed information about their condition that can help them understand how their everyday lives may impact their blood glucose readings, including alerts for critical high or critical low readings. Through the app, meter users can also share with their healthcare professional the reports of their blood glucose results and patterns, either in advance or on the day of their appointment, helping to create more informed discussions. The launch of the CONTOURNEXT ONE blood glucose monitoring system in Ireland is the latest of our high quality solutions designed to meet the needs of the diabetes community. By seamlessly capturing data from the meter in the app, this system has the potential to benefit people with diabetes by improving the understanding of their condition and helping them to make more informed decisions about managing their diabetes. We are delighted it is now available to help people with diabetes in Ireland, explained Grainne OConnor, Ascensia Diabetes Care. Request a free CONTOURNEXT ONE meter here. The meter also includes additional features specifically designed to meet patient needs, including the smartLIGHTTM feature that gives instant feedback on blood glucose readings, for better understanding of results. It also has Second-Chance sampling, which prompts blood to be reapplied if there is not enough the first time, helping to avoid lancing for a second time and the wasting of strips. In the management of diabetes, the accuracy and quality of blood glucose data from an individual is crucial. The CONTOURNEXT ONE blood glucose meter has demonstrated consistently remarkable levels of accuracy and precision for patients. There is significant value for doctors and nurses by having easy access to this highly accurate data, which can help to improve how patients are managed, added Grainne. Published study data has shown the CONTOURNEXT ONE meter to be remarkably accurate1, exceeding EN ISO 15197:2015 accuracy criteria2 in both the laboratory and clinical setting. EN ISO 15197:2015 states that 95% of results must be within 0.83 mmol/L of the reference result for samples with blood glucose concentrations 5.56 mmol/L or 15% for samples with blood glucose concentrations 5.56 mmol/L. Data in the clinical setting showed that 99.4% of readings from subject-obtained fingertip results exceeds EN ISO 15197:2015 accuracy criteria and 95% of readings were shown to be within 0.47 mmol/L or 8.4% of the YSI reference results.1 An estimated 225,840 people in Ireland have diabetes.3 The primary goal of diabetes management is to control blood sugar levels and ensure they are kept within a normal range. When blood glucose levels get too high (hypgerlycaemia) or too low (hypoglycaemia), it can lead to serious complications and, in severe cases, even death. Request a free CONTOURNEXT ONE meter here. The launch of the CONTOURNEXT ONE BGMS in Ireland follows CE Mark approval that was recently received, on 17 May 2016. As it is app based, the system is designed to evolve in the future, bringing new capabilities and features to help people with diabetes manage their condition. Those interested in obtaining the CONTOURNEXT ONE meter should visit https://www.contournextone.ie/. The CONTOURDIABETES app is available to download in the Apple App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android). Request a free CONTOURNEXT ONE meter here. 1 Christiansen et al. Poster presented at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Diabetes Technology Society, October 22-24, 2015, Bethesda, Maryland. 2 International Organization for Standardization (2015). In vitro diagnostic test systemsrequirements for blood-glucose monitoring systems for self-testing in managing diabetes mellitus (EN ISO 15197:2015) 3 Diabetes Ireland www.diabetes.ie accessed October 7th 2016 Sponsored by: Peter Barlow, played by Chris Gascoyne, at the bedside of his father Ken, played by William Roache (Mark Bruce/ITV/PA Wire) Coronation Street actor William Roache has revealed the stroke storyline involving Ken Barlow made him "paranoid" about his job. In shocking scenes aired on Monday night's episode, Ken had a huge fight with his son Peter Barlow (returning actor Chris Gascoyne). Just as he was about to leave for his holiday, Ken collapsed and suffered a stroke in the hallway. The 84-year-old actor told Press Association and other media at a Coronation Street event in central Manchester that when he initially heard about the plot from executive producer Kate Oates, he was fearful for his job. "Well when I first heard about it I was a bit paranoid - first thing I said was do I get better?" said Roache. "And then I said the only thing I want is medical advice to make sure we're medically correct." Asked if the storyline made him think about his own health, the actor reiterated: "No - it made me feel paranoid about my job. You're quite right in a sense that I don't act, I try to be. So to be having a stroke is not good, you set things going in your body. "But I do protect myself from that, I tell myself I'm just an actor enjoying playing this. But on the other hand, as an actor to have something positive to do is brilliant, and I just love it." Meanwhile, when asked how long he could see himself continuing in the ITV soap for, Roache revealed that he would like to work until he's at least 100. "It would be good to be the first centurian actor still in a soap," said the actor, who has starred in Corrie for 56 years. With the stroke storyline, Roache said that he wanted to ensure that what went on screen was "medically correct". Video of the Day He added: "As an actor, you don't act the deformity, you act trying to speak through it. So I thought 'Well if I bite my tongue like that and trying to talk like that...' she [Manchester stroke specialist Pippa Tyrell] said perfect, that's it. So I was very happy. "Later on, I stopped biting my tongue and would just speak out of the corner of my mouth. So yes it's been.. as an actor it's good to have something to do like that, but you want to get it right, which I think we did. "Someone said I sounded like Marlon Brando, but maybe Marlon Brando sounded like me? I don't know. "All you do is you let your voice hang out, speaking slowly and gesticulate a bit more. So I don't mind having something in common with Marlon Brando." Roache also heaped praise on producer Kate Oates, who joined Coronation Street from Emmerdale earlier this year and has brought back two returning male Barlow characters that will be on screen soon: Adam Barlow (returning actor Sam Robertson) and Daniel Barlow (Rob Mallard). "She is absolutely wonderful, and when she told me about this I was absolutely thrilled to bits," he enthused. "The Barlows have always been female with Blanche and Deirdre and the two children," said Roache. "And suddenly it's four males. They have a scene round the bed in the hospital, and I actually felt this sense of family. "It was really quite exciting, and I hope we'll become like a Mafia family - we in-fight like crazy, but if anybody else attacks us - we'll go out and get them." Spot Print Formal Shirt, by Pope, 79, Gryene tan leather shoe by Ted Baker, 190; Victor Blazer Grey by Selected Homme, 139.95 and straight leg jeans, 145 by Gant (L to R) Ealing trenchcoat by Remus Uomo, 279; Straight fit trousers, 135 by Gant; leather gloves, 115 by Barbour; china collar shirt, 49.95 by Selected Homme, all at Arnotts. Formal trousers in wine, 59.95 by Selected Femme; Baxter tan boot, 150 by Ted Baker; Donegal stripe crew neck jumper, 110 by Gant and wool scarf, 45 by Barbour, all at Arnotts. (L to R) Barbour Classic Tartan Flatcap Green, 50, Barbour Quilted Gloves Brown, 70, Barbour Axle Quilted Jacket Navy, 155 and regular straight fit cords by Gant, 145, all at Arnotts. The air is crisper, the days are shorter and our jackets are much thicker. Like Kate Middleton's unwavering influence on women's fashion, we have the likes of Prince William, David Gandy and Benedict Cumberbatch to thank for readjusting the spotlight back on the effectiveness of country-inspired styles. On the autumn/winter catwalks, forest green, grey and navy blue all appeared prominently, with layering knits and mixing texture featured as one of the biggest stories for men's wardrobes this season. As we official enter the colder autumn/winter months, we teamed up with Arnotts to showcase our essential country casual edit. Look One Expand Close (L to R) Ealing trenchcoat by Remus Uomo, 279; Straight fit trousers, 135 by Gant; leather gloves, 115 by Barbour; china collar shirt, 49.95 by Selected Homme, all at Arnotts. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (L to R) Ealing trenchcoat by Remus Uomo, 279; Straight fit trousers, 135 by Gant; leather gloves, 115 by Barbour; china collar shirt, 49.95 by Selected Homme, all at Arnotts. (L to R) Ealing trenchcoat by Remus Uomo, 279; Straight fit trousers, 135 by Gant; leather gloves, 115 by Barbour; china collar shirt, 49.95 by Selected Homme, all at Arnotts. Look Two Expand Close (L to R) Barbour Classic Tartan Flatcap Green, 50, Barbour Quilted Gloves Brown, 70, Barbour Axle Quilted Jacket Navy, 155 and regular straight fit cords by Gant, 145, all at Arnotts. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (L to R) Barbour Classic Tartan Flatcap Green, 50, Barbour Quilted Gloves Brown, 70, Barbour Axle Quilted Jacket Navy, 155 and regular straight fit cords by Gant, 145, all at Arnotts. (L to R) Barbour Classic Tartan Flatcap Green, 50, Barbour Quilted Gloves Brown, 70, Barbour Axle Quilted Jacket Navy, 155 and regular straight fit cords by Gant, 145, all at Arnotts. Look Three Expand Close Formal trousers in wine, 59.95 by Selected Femme; Baxter tan boot, 150 by Ted Baker; Donegal stripe crew neck jumper, 110 by Gant and wool scarf, 45 by Barbour, all at Arnotts. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Formal trousers in wine, 59.95 by Selected Femme; Baxter tan boot, 150 by Ted Baker; Donegal stripe crew neck jumper, 110 by Gant and wool scarf, 45 by Barbour, all at Arnotts. Video of the Day Formal trousers in wine, 59.95 by Selected Femme; Baxter tan boot, 150 by Ted Baker; Donegal stripe crew neck jumper, 110 by Gant and wool scarf, 45 by Barbour, all at Arnotts. Look Four Meet the Irish photographer taking over the international fashion world. Christopher "Boo" George (35) landed another major coup in his career, shooting Victoria Beckham for the cover of Vogue Australia - the latest in a long line of high profile gigs with the fashion designer. He shared a series of pictures on Instagram, captioning one: "Thanks vb @victoriabeckham @estherlangham @romyglow @natalielewis13w @vogueaustralia what a gal, shot in Nyc in the baking heat." George, from Bray, Co Wicklow, first began working with Beckham in 2013 when he shot her for the style bible and worked with her again in November 2015 for German Vogue. Expand Close Victoria Beckham for Vogue Australia shot by Boo George / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Victoria Beckham for Vogue Australia shot by Boo George He's no stranger to high profile gigs having worked with everyone from Alessandra Ambrosio, Emma Watson and Jessica Alba and shot for every major publication including iD, W and shot campaigns for Zara, Louis Vuitton and Calvin Klein. Basically, he's a big deal. Thanks vb @victoriabeckham @estherlangham @romyglow @natalielewis13w @vogueaustralia what a gal, shot in Nyc in the baking heat A photo posted by Boo George (@boo_george_studio) on Oct 11, 2016 at 7:35am PDT Despite his rising star, he hasn't forgotten his roots as he famously shot Emporio Armani's Autumn/Winter campaign on Dollymount Strand in 2014. He moved from Wicklow to England in 1999 to study photography and landed coveted apprenticeships with top photographers like Julian Broad before moving on from assisting in 2008. "I moved to northern England in 1999," he told Artsy of his rise to fame. "I got a scholarship to go to a college in northern England. I did three years studying photography before I moved to London. "I started doing documentary photography...and then for my end-of-year project, I went on a fishing boat North Sea off for nine months to shoot fisherman. My @vogueaustralia November cover issue is out today where I discuss my charity journey as a @unaidsglobal ambassador! X VB #aidsfreegeneration A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Oct 17, 2016 at 11:50am PDT Video of the Day "And I made a book out of that. Still to this day, one of my favorite pictures is of a fisherman. I moved to London straight after that, and started assisting." Actress Dianna Agron and musician Winston Marshall are seen at Marc Jacobs fashion show during Spring 2016 New York Fashion Week on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic) It's official - we found the most hipster wedding of the year. Glee star Dianna Agron (30) wed Mumford & Sons Winston Marshall on Saturday in a lavish ceremony in Morocco. The couple exchanged vows in a secret ceremony at Beldi Country Club in Marrakech, arriving by camel to greet their 80 exclusive guests. And they opted for traditional Morrocan-inspired garb with Agron wearing a custom embellished blush pink Valentino gown, costing $20,000 and topped off her look with a metal hairband instead of a veil. Expand Close Dianna Agron weds Winston Mitchell in Morocco. Picture: Instagram / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dianna Agron weds Winston Mitchell in Morocco. Picture: Instagram The SAG-Award winner hasn't shared any official pictures from her big day, but her pals have been documented the three-day affair across social media channels. The pair only began dating last year and they went public with their relationship in July, 2015, when they were photographed walking hand-in-hand in Paris, France. Winston popped the question over the Christmas holidays. The blonde beauty clearly has a thing for British boys - she previously dated Magic Mike actor Alex Pettyfer, hunk Christian Cooke and director Henry Joost, while she has also been linked to movie star Sebastian Stan and actor Thomas Cocquerel. Marshall, 27, enjoyed a brief relationship with Katy Perry. Expand Close Guests at Dianna Agron's wedding. Picture: Instagram / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Guests at Dianna Agron's wedding. Picture: Instagram He isn't the first member of Mumford & Sons to find love with an actress - frontman Marcus Mumford is married to The Great Gatsby star Carey Mulligan. Girls play at a camp for internally displaced people, near the town of Abs, on Yemen's western coastal plain (AP) The warring parties in Yemen have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire that will take effect shortly before midnight on Wednesday, the UN special envoy to Yemen said. Special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he hopes the temporary truce can lead to a "permanent and lasting end to the conflict". Mr Ahmed said in a statement that he received assurances from all parties to the conflict to cease hostilities at 11.59pm local time on Wednesday for an initial period of 72 hours that is subject to renewal. The warring factions agreed to follow the conditions of a temporary April ceasefire agreement, he said. The agreement requires them to "to allow free and unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel" to all parts of Yemen, he said. The war in Yemen began in 2014 when Shiite rebels known as Houthis based in the north seized the capital, Sanaa. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies launched a campaign of air strikes against the rebels. The Saudi-led coalition and the United States are backing the internationally recognised government of Yemen's president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. More than 4,000 civilians have been killed and three million of the country's 26 million people have been driven from their homes by the fighting. Hunger has become widespread in the Arab world's poorest country, with t he southern city of Taiz one of the hardest-hit areas. Foreign minister Abdel-Malak al-Mukhlafi demanded late on Monday that a months-long siege of the city be lifted and relief supplies delivered to its residents without conditions. "Peace is our permanent choice," he said. The ceasefire agreement was announced late on Monday, a day after Mr Ahmed met in London with US secretary of state John Kerry and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. "This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," Mr Kerry said after the meeting. AP The couple always intended to return to retrieve their buried necklace A Connecticut woman has retrieved half of her heart after leaving it in Ireland 26 years ago. In 1990, 29-year-old Laurie McGrath buried half of a golden heart necklace with two interlocking halves that was given to her by her then-boyfriend Bill McGrath, with the intent that they would both go to Ireland to dig it up some day. The now-married East Lyme couple recently flew to Dublin for their 25th wedding anniversary and travelled to the cemetery in Castletownroche, where the pendant was buried. They dug near a gravestone and found the plastic bag with part of the pendant, inscribed with the words "best friends". Mrs McGrath told The Day that she and her husband cried and could not believe they had found the pendant after so many years. AP Ben Needham went missing in 1991 on the Greek island of Kos Missing toddler Ben Needham is believed to have died as a result of an accident, police have said. Detectives from the South Yorkshire force formally ended a three-week search of Kos on Sunday afternoon and at a press conference on the Greek island, they revealed they had discovered an item thought to have been with the youngster at the time of his disappearance on July 24 1991. The search operation was prompted by information that a digger driver may have been responsible for the Sheffield boy's death as he was clearing land with an excavator near where Ben was playing on the day he vanished. Extensive searches of a fly-tipping site uncovered a yellow toy car police believe the toddler had at the time he disappeared, according to the Daily Mirror. Ben's grandmother Christine told the paper she remembered buying him two toy cars in Kos town centre. The 64-year-old said: "I was shaken by it and both me and Kerry (Ben's mother) cried. I just felt sick really. It was a shock. Expand Close Ben Needham's mother and sister appearing on Greek televsion to appeal for information about his whereabouts (Alpha TV) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ben Needham's mother and sister appearing on Greek televsion to appeal for information about his whereabouts (Alpha TV) "I expected it to have no paint on but I was 90pc sure it was Ben's. When I saw it I felt disbelief." Referring to digger driver Konstantinos Barkas, also known as Dino, she said: "It must have been dumped at that site by Dino. It didn't walk there." Barkas is believed to have died from stomach cancer last year. Speaking at the scene earlier on Monday, Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said the recovery of the item added to his belief that material had been removed from the farmhouse on or shortly after the 21-month-old disappeared. Expand Close A view of the scene in Kos, Greece, as officers from South Yorkshire police start excavations in relation to the missing toddler Ben Needham / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A view of the scene in Kos, Greece, as officers from South Yorkshire police start excavations in relation to the missing toddler Ben Needham He said: "My team and I know that machinery, including a large digger, was used to clear an area of land on 24 July 1991, behind the farmhouse that was being renovated by the Needhams. It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result of an accident near to the farmhouse in Iraklis where he was last seen playing. "The events leading up to and following that incident have been explored by my team of experts to great lengths. The fact that we have not had a direct result during this visit to Kos does not preclude the facts that we know to be true. "An item found on Saturday, which I have shown personally to some of Ben's family, was found in one of the targeted areas at the second site, very close to a dated item from 1991. "It is our initial understanding that this item was in Ben's possession around the time he went missing." Despite this stage of the investigation coming to an end, the officer pledged to continue searching for answers, and paid tribute to Ben's family. Mr Cousins concluded: "We remain committed to the investigation and it will not simply close; myself and Detective Superintendent Matt Fenwick will retain ownership of it and if new information comes to light, we will investigate it thoroughly. "We will not stop in our quest to find further answers for Ben's family." Speaking before the briefing, Kerry Needham told the Daily Mirror she wanted to "tear up" the whole Greek island. She said: "They know he's dead but just can't find him. Police said it's time we ended our 25-year search. They are right but I can't say goodbye knowing he's still on that island somewhere. I feel physically sick. I can't feel any worse than I do. "Someone knows where he is. For God's sake, help me find him. We know he's dead but we need to find him. When someone dies you find a special place." The 15-year-old girl convicted of the Spalding double murder was the "driving force" behind the killings and bluntly confessed her role in a matter-of-fact interview. After asking detectives "Should I explain it all?" at the start of two separate interviews held on the same day, the teenager even detailed how she unzipped a holdall containing four knives, including the weapon used to kill Elizabeth and Katie Edwards. Moments after dinnerlady Ms Edwards was stabbed in the neck in her bed, the female defendant entered the room to see if her boyfriend was all right. "I went into the room to see what was going on," she later told detectives. "I just wanted to check if he was OK. "I thought I heard her say 'Get off me' but I am not entirely sure. Then after about 10 minutes of him putting his weight on her, she died. "I remember the two large knives being just average kitchen knives. He slowly walked through the bedroom onto the landing and slowly opened the door." Expand Close Tributes outside a house in Spalding, Lincolnshire, where a woman and her daughter were found dead as two 14-year-olds have been charged with murder. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday April 17, 2016 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tributes outside a house in Spalding, Lincolnshire, where a woman and her daughter were found dead as two 14-year-olds have been charged with murder. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday April 17, 2016 The girl even informed police how she had backed out of stabbing the younger victim at the last minute, and urged her boyfriend to minimise noise by taking off his shoes. She told officers: "I whispered 'What about your shoes?' - we had planned for him to take them off and he said 'It doesn't matter'. "When I opened the T-shirt that had the knives in, he said 'Are you sure you want to do this?' I said yes. "I said I didn't exactly want to kill (the younger victim) and he said 'I'll do it instead'." After hearing the older victim kicking out, the girl said she entered the room and saw four drops of blood on a wall as Ms Edwards was still making gurgling noises. She then told police "I think I said 'Is she dead?' Then he went like that with his fingers - checked her pulse - and then he got off of her. "Then he took his shoes off, left them near the bed and then left the room. I didn't see any wounds, I didn't necessarily want to look at it." The girl said she then went into the bathroom because she "didn't want to watch again" as Katie was smothered. "At this point in time I went back into the bathroom and I was sat on the floor," she told police. "All I could hear was 'get off me' in a scary voice, all croaky. I couldn't see anything." In his closing submissions on the girl's behalf, defence QC Andrew Stubbs questioned whether a killer had ever made a more clear and open acceptance of responsibility. The barrister told the court that the girl's "hideously and tragically" true account of the killings was not disputed by the Crown. Mr Stubbs said: "From the outset she could not have made the Crown's task in proving what happened any easier than she has done. "She hasn't hid her involvement. She has been brutally honest and could hardly have told the police any more." Police are investigating an allegation that a Tory MP's aide raped a woman in Parliament. Sam Armstrong, chief of staff to South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay, was arrested last week. It is thought the alleged rape took place inside the MP's office after drinks on the House of Lords' terrace on Thursday night. The 23-year-old has been released on bail while inquiries into the incident continue. A spokesperson for Mr Mackinlay told The Independent: On Friday morning Mr Mackinlay was made aware of an allegation against a member of his staff "Following a request made by the police and Parliamentary services, he granted full access to his Westminster office." He added: Mr Mackinlay is currently awaiting further information from the police." Mr Macinlay's office was searched by police on Friday and sealed off as a potential crime scene. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Detectives from the sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command are investigating an allegation of rape at the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of Friday, 14 October. "A 23-year-old man was arrested that same day on suspicion of rape. He has been bailed pending further inquires to a date in mid-January 2017." A House of Commons spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident on the parliamentary estate which is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service. "Parliament is working closely with the police on their investigation and we cannot comment further while this is ongoing." According to The Sun, the allegation was made after a group of Tory aides had been drinking on the House of Lords terrace, overlooking the River Thames. Mr Armstrong reportedly took the woman to the MP's Parliamentary office in the early hours of Friday and she reported the alleged attack soon afterwards. Mr Armstrong is yet to respond to the allegations. A suspected illegal migrant is reported to have been found dead in the back of a lorry after suffocating under the weight of a load of catalogues. The body was discovered by the HGV driver who had travelled across the Channel and pulled into a lorry park off the A20 in Sellindge, Kent at around 8am today. Emergency services descended on the lorry after cafe owners called police when the driver pulled the body from the truck. The lorry involved has the markings of Austrian company Klog Logistics on its rear doors and sides and appears to have been carrying a cargo of hundreds of magazines. Julie Breen, 57, who runs the Airport Cafe with her husband Pat, said: "The driver was quite distressed. "He came across to me and said he had found a migrant in the back of his lorry. "From what I can make out, the load got disturbed and I think it fell on him and he suffocated. "I only saw a boot and a leg. I called the police. The driver was foreign and he had asked me to call the police." Mrs Breen said Kent Police and ambulance crews were called to the scene. She added: "Obviously it is very upsetting. We don't know where he came from but he's probably got a family. It's not a nice thing to happen." Husband Pat added: "There was a lorry that came in and there was an illegal immigrant in the back that had passed away." A spokesman for Kent Police said: "At 8.29am on Tuesday, October 18 2016, Kent Police was called to an incident concerning a lorry on the A20 at Sellinge near Folkestone. "Officers and South East Coast Ambulance Service attended and a man in the rear of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. "It is believed the lorry had travelled from France and inquiries are on-going to identify the man and ascertain the cause of death." A spokesman for South East Coast Ambulance Service added: "We were called to the Airport Cafe off the main road in Sellindge by police just after 8.30am this morning. "We attended with two paramedic cars and an ambulance. "Sadly one man was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident." Firefighters were also called to the scene at 8.39am. They assisted Kent Police by removing the load from the lorry using a fork lift truck. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] A man who kept a golden eagle in a squalid kitchen has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years. Adam Smith, 54, had the bird of prey in the filthy, rubbish-strewn kitchen of the flat Pembroke, West Wales. Expand Close Adam Smith, 43, has been banned for keeping animals for 10 years. PA Photo. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Adam Smith, 43, has been banned for keeping animals for 10 years. PA Photo. Haverfordwest Magistrates' Court heard that the RSPCA was called in January this year after receiving reports the female bird was living at the block of flats in Main Street. The court heard Smith failed to ensure the golden eagle was provided with a suitable environment which was hygienic and or free from hazards. Smith, of Brook Lane, Billesley, Birmingham, had previously pleading guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act. He received a 12-month community order, was disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years, ordered to pay a 73 fine, a 60 victim surcharge and 200 costs. Expand Close Adam Smith, 43, has been banned for keeping animals for 10 years. PA Photo. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Adam Smith, 43, has been banned for keeping animals for 10 years. PA Photo. RSPCA inspector Keith Hogben said: "This was an extremely unique case as you certainly don't expect to see a golden eagle in someone's kitchen. "It was the craziest thing I have ever seen. It is totally just unthinkable. "The conditions that the golden eagle were kept in were not suitable by any means, there were bags full of rubbish scattered over the floor and the bird was unable to spread her wings in all directions in what was a dark, alien environment. "She had been kept in disgusting conditions that were totally unsuitable for any animal, let alone a golden eagle. "Golden eagles require very specialist and expert care and members of the public should not be looking after them in their homes." The RSPCA said the golden eagle, which was aged around three to four years, is currently in specialist care and is doing well. Part of a roof collapsed at a train station just one year after it was rebuilt as part of a 44 (49.2) million upgrade. Two people suffered head injuries following the incident at Manchester Victoria, caused by heavy rain, shortly after 4pm on Tuesday. The new roof was installed last year after the previous one was prone to leaks. Manchester Victoria was named by the Department for Transport as the station most in need of urgent improvement in 2009. A spokeswoman for Northern Rail, which manages the station, said: "Following heavy rain, an ETFE roof panel has come away over platforms one and two at Manchester Victoria station. "Emergency services have attended to treat two customers with minor injuries. Contractors are now attending to repair and secure the roof. "The station remains open, as do all platforms, with no disruption to services." A North West Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "There are two patients with head injuries, they have both gone in the same ambulance to Manchester Royal Infirmary. "There is one ambulance and a hazard area response team." She added that they were called to the scene at 4.14pm. Some six million passengers use Manchester Victoria each year. The station connects the city to destinations such as Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds. One commuter, Deborah Lord, 30, was drenched as she tried to get a train home to Littleborough, Greater Manchester - and spent her 25-minute journey in sodden clothes. She told the Press Association: "They had just opened the doors on the Stalybridge train and there were a couple of ladies waiting to get on, and then there was this massive bang, I saw it in the corner of my eye, and it fell probably 10 feet away from me. "A big wave came over and soaked me and another lady I was stood with, waist down, and physically moved us, and we just stood there going 'I don't know what's happened'. "I honestly thought the whole roof had come down because I just saw this flash in the corner of my eye." She described seeing two people lying on the floor - including a man with a cut on his head. "There was a poor lad stood there who just looked like he got out of the shower fully clothed," she added. Liz Edwards (left) and her daughter Katie died in an attack at their home in Spalding A 15-year-old girl has been found guilty of murdering a mother and daughter who were stabbed through the throat and smothered as they slept. The teenager, who cannot be named because of her age, had claimed that mental illness diminished her responsibility for the killings of dinner lady Elizabeth Edwards and 13-year-old Katie Edwards. A five-day trial at Nottingham Crown Court was told that the schoolgirl and her boyfriend planned the killings and carried them out "to the letter" when they were both aged 14. The teenagers - thought to be Britain's youngest ever couple to be convicted of murder - went on to share a bath, have sex, and watch four vampire-themed Twilight films after the murders in Spalding, Lincolnshire, last April. The female defendant admitted manslaughter but denied murder, claiming to be suffering an abnormality of mental function which impaired her ability to form rational judgments. But jurors - who heard that the defendants' toxic Bonnie and Clyde-style relationship "led on to" the killings - took two-and-half hours to reject the girl's defence and convict her of murder. Her former boyfriend, who also cannot be named because of a court order, pleaded guilty to murder before the trial began. At the start of the trial, Peter Joyce QC said the victims were stabbed a total of 10 times in a "cold, calculated and callous" pre-planned attack at their home. In police interviews a day after her arrest, the 15-year-old girl said her boyfriend had knifed Ms Edwards through the voice box to ensure her daughter was not woken by screams or cries for help. Although she did not watch the subsequent killing of Katie, the girl described hearing "moaning" from the younger victim's bedroom as the male defendant smothered her with a pillow. Police found the bodies of Ms Edwards and her daughter on Friday April 15 this year when three officers forced their way into their house in Dawson Avenue, Spalding. Read More Post-mortem examinations found signs of defensive injuries on the older victim's hands, suggesting she tried to fight off the boy, while her daughter was stabbed twice in the neck. Defence psychiatrist Indranil Chakrabarti told jurors the teenager was suffering from an adjustment disorder and had not been acting rationally while plotting and helping to carry out the killings. But forensic psychiatrist Philip Joseph said it was "blindingly obvious" that the girl was in a state of emotional turmoil rather than mentally ill. In police interviews and assessments with psychiatrists, the female defendant described the killings as "a breeze" and gave a horrifying account of blood being spattered on a wall and her boyfriend's face and hands. She told police the boy took "spare" clothes to the scene of the murders in a backpack, along with four knives. In lengthy and matter-of-fact admissions to police, the schoolgirl said she and her boyfriend had planned the killings after a conversation which began with with a joke suggestion of committing a murder. Explaining that failed attempts to put the plan into action had taken place on the previous two days, the girl told officers: "We went over the plan over and over again. It just kind of happened." After informing police that she witnessed Ms Edwards being killed, the girl told officers that she was shaking by the time her boyfriend entered the younger victim's bedroom. "I heard her say 'I can't breathe' and 'Get off me'. He came out of the room with blood on the side of his face, the side of his neck, his jumper and his hands as well," the girl told two detectives. After the killings, the girl said, her boyfriend "seemed fine" and they watched several films and took a bath for around 20 minutes, opting not to follow their plan and take their own lives. Both killers face indefinite detention at Her Majesty's pleasure - the juvenile equivalent of a life term for an adult. The girl, wearing a dark cardigan, remained composed in the dock before being led away after the guilty verdicts. Several minutes after the verdicts were returned, the girl began to dab at the side of her mouth with a white tissue and appeared to be stifling tears. Mr Justice Haddon-Cave adjourned sentence on both defendants until next month and will also rule on whether or not they should be identified at a later hearing. After ordering a pre-sentence report to be prepared on the girl, the judge told counsel: "I express the court's gratitude for the exemplary way in which this case has been conducted. "It is a wholly exceptional case by any standards and it has been investigated and prepared with exceptional skill and clarity." The girl was admitted to hospital but died shortly afterwards (Stock) A 15-year-old girl has died in labour as a result of complications caused by giving birth at such a young age. Known only as Derya B, the girl was forced into an arranged marriage at the age of 14 in a religious ceremony in Turkey, according to Huriyet daily news. Shortly after giving birth to her first child in a village in the Mukti district of Turkey, Derya complained on nausea and headaches. She was then brought to a private hospital in the Turkish town of Batman where doctors diagnosed a brain haemorrhage. The girl was admitted to hospital but died shortly afterwards. It is understood that the complications Derya suffered were brought on by having a child at such young age. 'It is dangerous for a child bride to get pregnant. The mortality rate is higher in adolescent pregnancies," Gynecology expert Professor M.D. Aydan Biri told the Turkish paper. Police are now investigating the circumstances of her death. Bob Dylan is on tour in the US Five days after Bob Dylan was named the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, no-one knows how he feels about the prestigious award - not even the Nobel judges. The Swedish Academy, which bestows the annual honour, said it has not been able to reach Dylan since the award was announced last Thursday. Permanent secretary Sara Danius told Swedish Radio she has been in contact with a close associate of Dylan, but not the laureate himself. "I am not worried at all. I have a feeling that he will get in touch," she said. Ms Danius said the academy is not making further efforts to reach Dylan, but hopes he will accept the invitation to collect his award at the annual Nobel ceremony in Stockholm on December 10. "If he doesn't want to come then he doesn't want to come," she said. "It will be a big and nice party anyway." Only two people have declined a Nobel Prize in Literature. Boris Pasternak did so under pressure from Soviet authorities in 1958, and Jean-Paul Sartre, who declined all official honours, turned it down in 1964. Dylan, who is currently on tour in the US, has not mentioned the Nobel Prize during his concerts since the announcement. As of Tuesday, his official web page made no mention of the prize except in the books section, where a post dated October 17 about his lyrics collection, The Lyrics: 1961-2012, noted that he was a Nobel Prize winner. AP Iraqi forces are deployed during an offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants (AP) The pace of operations has slowed in the fight to retake Mosul from Islamic State, as Iraqi forces advancing to the east and south of the city began pushing towards larger villages and encountering civilian populations. Iraq's Kurdish fighters, also known as the peshmerga, largely paused their advance, according to commanders stationed along the front to Mosul's east, consolidating gains from the previous day. Iraqi army forces advanced to the south and east of Mosul, reaching the outskirts of the town of al-Hamdaniyah, a historically Christian town once home to tens of thousands, east of Mosul. On the southern front, Iraq's federal police pushed up to the town of al-Houd, still home to hundreds of people, according to estimates from the United Nations. Iraqi army Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Shaker said al-Hamdaniyah has been surrounded and his forces have retaken six other villages over the past two days. More than 25,000 troops have mobilised for the Mosul fight, a massive operation that is expected to take weeks, if not months. Iraq's second largest city is still home to more than a million people and humanitarian groups have warned that up to a million could be forced to flee, unleashing a large-scale humanitarian crisis. "The operation is going according to schedule and we have been very successful," said Iraqi army Major General Qassim Al-Maliki. "The enemy is pulling back but they are leaving small mobile units behind, each composed of three to four persons, and we are mopping them up." On Monday, Kurdish forces had retaken some 200 square kilometres (80 square miles), according to Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdish region. Peshmerga commanders on the ground estimated they retook nine villages and pushed the front line with IS back eight kilometres (five miles). The front line east of Mosul is now some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the city. On Tuesday morning, those front lines were largely quiet, a day after Iraqi Kurdish forces advanced amid a barrage of US-led air strikes and heavy artillery. "We are just holding our positions," said Colonel Khathar Sheikhan, of the peshmerga. "The Iraqi army will now advance past our arenas of control." "We have achieved our objectives," he said. In Washington, president Barack Obama said the military operation to reclaim Mosul from IS militants will be a "difficult fight". He said there will be advances and setbacks but added that driving IS from Iraq's second-largest city "will be another step towards their ultimate destruction". A spokesman for the US-led coalition said the operation was proceeding as planned and that Iraqi forces were making "excellent progress". "There's no pause in efforts to liberate Mosul. Troops are on the move on various axes of advance towards the city," said Colonel John Dorrian. "Some commanders have reached their objectives ahead of schedule after encountering light-to-moderate resistance." A Pentagon spokesman said more than 100 US troops are embedded with Iraqi forces, including the peshmerga. Navy Captain Jeff Davis said the Americans are "well back" from the front lines as they advise the Iraqis and perform other tasks such as relaying information about potential air strike targets. Hundreds of other US troops are in support roles, such as processing intelligence and providing logistical help from Iraqi staging bases. In Baghdad, thousands of followers of an Iraqi Shiite cleric marched in front of the Turkish embassy on Tuesday demanding the withdrawal of Turkish troops from a base near Mosul. "Get out, get out, occupier!" and "Yes, yes, for Iraq," chanted the followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Turkey says the troops are training Iraqi fighters to help retake Mosul, and that they are there with the permission of the Iraqi government. Baghdad denies it granted permission and has ordered the Turks to withdraw - a call Ankara has ignored. The spat has raised concerns that the defeat of IS could lead to renewed conflict among the various fighting units currently allied against it. Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim said that the fighters who were trained at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul were at the forefront of the Mosul operation, fighting alongside Kurdish forces. "Those who say Turkey has no business in Mosul have got their answer," he said. AP Kim Kardashian West is "taking some much needed time off" from sharing on her phone app after she was held up at gunpoint in Paris, according to a handwritten noted posted by an assistant. "But not to worry," "Steph Shep", the nickname for Kardashian West's assistant Stephanie Sheppard, wrote on the app . "We've called upon Kims closest friends, fam & yours truly to serve up some exclusives." Ms Sheppard promised: "Stay tuned for new posts and app takeovers!!" Kardashian West has maintained silence on all her social media streams since the October 3 jewellery raid, when she was bound and left in a hotel bath by suspects who remain at large. Police estimate jewels worth more than 10 million dollars (8m) were stolen. The paid app is a rare social media spot where Kardashian West charges money for access. It had been left untouched since the robbery. The robbery, her sister Khloe Kardashian said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show about a week after the hold up, was a "wake up call to make a lot of life adjustments" for all in the reality TV family. Usually heavy social media sharers, the famous sisters, mother, brother and a universe of friends have scaled way back and Kardashian West has kept a low profile. AP A Mexican federal judge who presided over appeals from high-profile drug kingpins in recent years was fatally shot in the head outside his home on Monday, authorities said. Judge Vicente Bermudez handled several legal challenges lodged by lawyers for Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the jailed leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, as well Miguel Trevino, ex-leader of the Zetas cartel. President Enrique Pena Nieto said in a televised speech on Monday that he ordered his attorney general to investigate the murder, but he did not provide additional information about the case. Since March, Bermudez served as a judge overseeing legal challenges and federal trials in the state of Mexico just outside the capital, where Mexico's maximum security Altiplano prison is located. Trevino is a prisoner at the Altiplano facility, and Guzman is in a Ciudad Juarez prison, across the border from El Paso, Texas, awaiting extradition to the United States. Guzman's lawyers have filed numerous legal challenges aimed at preventing his extradition, but government officials have said it is likely he will be sent to the United States by early 2017. Melania Trump has dismissed her husband's sexually aggressive language as "boy talk", insisting his remarks do not reflect "the man I know" and saying she does not believe he has assaulted any women. In a series of interviews, t he wife of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said she had accepted her husband's apology and the couple was "moving on". The comments come more than a week after the release of a 2005 video in which Mr Trump brags about kissing women and grabbing their genitals without their permission. "I said to my husband that, you know, the language is inappropriate. It's not acceptable. And I was surprised, because that is not the man that I know," his wife told CNN. She suggested that Mr Trump may not have known his microphone was on, calling it "kind of a boy talk" that Access Hollywood host Billy Bush was encouraging. And she suggested that the women who have claimed in recent days that Mr Trump made unwanted advances were attention seekers who were making "damaging and unfair" accusations. "I believe my husband," she said in the interview shown on Monday night. "My husband didn't do anything." Mrs Trump also said it was fair game for her husband to appear with women who had accused former president Bill Clinton of sexual assault, claiming the Democrats fired the first volley into the increasingly ugly war about the couples' private lives. "They're asking for it. They started. They started from the beginning of the campaign putting my picture from modeling days," she said in excerpts released by Fox News. "That was my modelling days and I'm proud what I did. I worked very hard." Mrs Trump's image was used in a negative ad campaign during the Republican primary, but there is no evidence that the Clintons were involved. At the time, Donald Trump accused former rival Ted Cruz of being involved and responded by tweeting an unflattering image of the Texas senator's wife. Mr Cruz also denied involvement. The interviews are Mrs Trump's first moments in the public eye since the accusations over the last 10 days that have sent her husband's White House bid reeling. First there was a 2005 video leaked of Mr Trump using vulgar language to describe women and apparently boasting of sexual assault. And in recent days, several women have come forward to say that Mr Trump had groped or sexually assaulted them. The billionaire property tycoon has denied the claims, calling the women liars and belittling their appearances. In the interviews, Mrs Trump deemed the celebrity businessman's comments on the leaked tape "offensive to me and they were inappropriate". "And he apologised to me," she said in an interview with CNN, showing at the same time the crowd at her husband's rally in Wisconsin was chanting "CNN sucks". "And I expect - I accept his apology. And we are moving on." She said something similar in a statement released by the campaign after the video's release. She has also demanded retractions from a People Magazine writer who profiled the couple in 2005 and last week accused Mr Trump of an assault at the couple's Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, while his wife was out of the room. And she repeated her husband's assertion, which he makes without supporting evidence, that the media and the Clinton campaign were working in tandem to sink the Republican nominee's campaign. Mrs Trump, whose husband frequently uses social media to attack opponents, also suggested that, as first lady, she could be interested in leading an effort to combat bullying and negativity on social media. She told CNN she was worried about its impact on children and wa s concerned that her 10-year-old son Barron would be exposed to tough talk on Twitter and other platforms. Mrs Trump has never filled the role of the traditional political spouse, making only rare appearances on the campaign trail. Her speech at July's national convention was initially praised until it was discovered that passages of it were lifted from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention address. Mr Trump, who attended each of the first two presidential debates, was also lampooned on this week's Saturday Night Live. The long-running sketch show ran a video in which actresses playing Melania Trump, her two step-daughters and two of the candidate's most visible female allies did a version of Beyonce's feminist manifesto Lemonade in an act of rebellion against the candidate. The video ends with the Cecily Strong, the comedian playing Mrs Trump, suggesting she wrote the song herself. AP Meanwhile Mr Trump continued to deny the claims against him, saying "it would be very easy to apologise" to a woman who accused him of sexual assault but he would not do anything that seemed like an admission of guilt. "You can't apologise for an event that never took place," he told Fox News. "These events never took place." Peshmerga forces gather in the east of Mosul at dawn yesterday ahead of the major offensive on the Isil-held city Photo: Reuters / Azad Lashkari The Iraqi army has begun the "mother of all battles" to liberate the city of Mosul from Isil, in the hope of dislodging them from their last major stronghold in the country. Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister, announced the offensive on state television. Expand Close Kurdish Peshmerga fighters close in on Mosul Photo: AP Photo/Bram Janssen / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kurdish Peshmerga fighters close in on Mosul Photo: AP Photo/Bram Janssen "The time of victory has come and operations to liberate Mosul have started," he said in an address broadcast by the Iraqiya channel. "Today, I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh (Isil)," he said, addressing residents of the Mosul region. Some 8,000 jihadists have dug in in Mosul, which has been under Isil's control since the militants swept through northern Iraq in the summer of 2014. In Washington, Defence Secretary Ash Carter called the launch of the Mosul operation "a decisive moment in the campaign" to deliver a lasting defeat to Isil. Iraqi forces have been massing around the city in recent days, including elite special forces that are expected to lead the charge into the city, as well as Kurdish forces, Sunni tribal fighters, federal police and Shiite militia forces. South of Mosul, Iraqi military units are based at the sprawling Qayara air base, but to the city's east, men are camped out in abandoned homes as the tens of thousands of troops massed around the city have overwhelmed the few military bases in the area. Kurdish forces are stationed to the north and east of Mosul, a mostly Sunni city that has long been a centre of insurgent activity and anti-central government sentiment after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Iraqi officials have warned that the Mosul operation has been rushed before a political agreement has been set for how the city will be governed after Isil. Lt Col Amozhgar Taher with Iraq's Kurdish forces, also known as the peshmerga, said his men would only move to retake a cluster of mostly Christian and Shabak villages east of Mosul and would not enter the city itself due to their concern for "sectarian sensitivities". Taher spoke at a makeshift base in an abandoned house along the front line, some 30km east of Mosul. Some 3,000 Iraqi forces trained by Turkey are taking part in the offensive, Turkish deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said yesterday. Earlier, military sources said about half of the 3,000 Turkish-trained forces were participating, while the other half were being kept in reserve. Turkey has been locked in a row with Iraq's central government over the presence of Turkish troops at a camp in northern Iraq and over who should take part in the assault on Mosul. Aid agencies are now in a race against time to get supplies and medical assistance to Mosul. Among them is the British charity Shelterbox, which builds basic housing facilities for those displaced by conflict or natural disasters. Shelterbox's Rachel Harvey, who is based in Erbil, said: "The aim is to get aid to displaced families as quickly as possible. So we are pre-positioning stock close to places where we think they might arrive. "They are likely to be exhausted and traumatised by their recent experiences. Giving people shelter and essential items such as a solar lamp, blankets and a water carrier will allow them a degree of dignity and security to rest and recover." More than one million people, including hundreds of thousands of children, are facing an "impossible decision" as the huge military assault is launched. Safe escape routes out of the city for civilians caught up in the bloody conflict "do not exist", Save the Children has warned. Families and children have been advised by local forces to stay inside and erect a white flag on their homes in a bid to stay safe, the charity's spokesman, Ruairidh Villar, said. Speaking from Erbil, he said: "Whether families and children stay or they flee, right now it's an impossible decision. "We are calling on the UK Government to put pressure on the Iraqi and coalition forces around Mosul now to establish safe corridors, safe escape routes for children to get out." Children in Mosul face further trauma amid the bombardment of the city, Mr Villar said. "These children have been through two years of [Isil] rule, subject to an education which is focused on extremist violence," he said, adding that much planning has gone into military operations but not necessarily the humanitarian fallout. "Some children have not gone to school. There's been a lack of food and medicine and after all that they're going to have to escape from what looks to be a very bloody conflict indeed." Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] In this photo released early Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 and provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, rescue workers trying to remove a boy stuck in the debris of a building in the neighborhood of Qaterji in rebel-held east Aleppo following an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu salutes to his soldiers as he is driven along Red Square during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade which will take place at Moscow's Red Square on May 9 to celebrate 71 years after the victory in WWII in Moscow, Russia (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, file) Russian and Syrian war planes have halted their air strikes on Syria's besieged city of Aleppo in preparation for a temporary pause in the military push, the Russian defence minister said. Sergei Shoigu said the halt in the strikes should help pave the way for militants to leave the eastern rebel-held parts of the contested city. Both Russian and Syrian air raids on Aleppo were suspended at 10am local time, Mr Shoigu said. He described the suspension as a precursor for the opening of humanitarian corridors. Expand Close Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff speaks to the media, with a map of the area around Aleppo seen in the background, at the Russian Defense Ministry's headquarters in Moscow, Russia (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff speaks to the media, with a map of the area around Aleppo seen in the background, at the Russian Defense Ministry's headquarters in Moscow, Russia (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) Moscow on Monday announced a "humanitarian pause" between 8am and 4pm on Thursday to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city. At that time, Russian and Syrian militaries will desist from any offensive actions. Syrian rebels, including al Qaida militants, as well as the wounded and the sick will be allowed to leave for the neighbouring rebel-held province of Idlib. "The early halting of air strikes is necessary to declare a 'humanitarian pause'," Mr Shoigu said in a televised statement. "It will ... guarantee a safe exit of civilians through six corridors and prepare for the evacuation of the ill and the wounded from the eastern part of Aleppo." Russian president Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the halt in the air strikes was a goodwill gesture to pave the way for Thursday's pause. Expand Close Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff speaks to the media, with a map of the area around Aleppo seen in the background, at the Russian Defense Ministry's headquarters in Moscow, Russia (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff speaks to the media, with a map of the area around Aleppo seen in the background, at the Russian Defense Ministry's headquarters in Moscow, Russia (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) "The Russian military is offering yet another chance, and we hope that our partners will allow us all to take advantage of that," Mr Peskov said. The United Nations said Russia has communicated plans for two eight-hour ceasefires in rebel-held parts of Aleppo over "consecutive days" this week. Spokesman Jens Laerke, of UN humanitarian co-ordinator OCHA, said in Geneva the agency needs assurances from all sides that fighting will stop before it can provide humanitarian assistance to the city. Moscow made no mention of such a pause on Friday. Mr Laerke said it would be up to Russia to elaborate on its plans and added that the UN was not told in advance of the Russian announcement. Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once its commercial hub, has been subjected to the most intense aerial bombardment since the start of the Middle East country's conflict in 2011. In recent months, the Syrian army has pressed its offensive into the rebel-held eastern part of the city. Air raids have killed hundreds and caused international outrage. A Russia-US-brokered ceasefire collapsed last month as the Syrian army launched an offensive on eastern Aleppo under the cover of Russian war planes. Mohammed Abu Rajab, an Aleppo resident, said air strikes on the eastern neighbourhoods stopped early on Tuesday, just after the city had been subjected to another intense round of air raids. "There were air strikes throughout the night," said Abu Rajab, who works at a local hospital. But as the air strikes stopped on the city, they continued as usual against nearby rebel-held villages including Anadan and Daret Azzeh. Syrian activists had no immediate word on casualties. In Moscow, Mr Shoigu added that Russia is "asking the countries wielding influence with the (Syrian) rebels ... to persuade their leaders to end fighting and leave the city". He said the Syrian troops will pull back to distances allowing unimpeded exit for those carrying weapons via two corridors, including the main artery of Castello Road. The Russian initiative should also boost talks between military experts from several nations that are set to open in Geneva on Wednesday, he added. "Their work will be aimed first of all at separating the 'moderate opposition' from the terrorists and its withdrawal from the eastern part of Aleppo," he said. Moscow has urged Washington to encourage Syria's Western-backed rebels to sever ties with al Qaida militants. During a meeting over the weekend co-chaired by Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and US secretary of state John Kerry, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar said they would work to separate moderate opposition groups in Aleppo from Syria's former al Qaida affiliate once known as the Nusra Front. Russian and Syrian officials have since embraced a proposal made earlier this month by the UN Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to allow al Qaida-linked militants to leave Aleppo in exchange for a truce and a local administration for the eastern districts. Rebels there, along with many residents, have rejected the offer. Russia's announcement did not include any promises of an extended ceasefire or local administration in and around Aleppo. US state department spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington on Monday, said the Russian-Syrian pause planned on Thursday was "a bit too little, too late". Mr Peskov would not say if the strikes would resume after the pause, saying that depends on whether the rebels can be persuaded to cut ties with militants. Billy Bush was sacked by NBC News after he was caught on tape in a vulgar conversation about women with Donald Trump (Invision/AP) NBC News has sacked Today show host Billy Bush, who was caught on tape in a vulgar conversation about women with Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump before an Access Hollywood appearance. Bush was suspended at the morning show two days after contents of the 2005 tape were reported on October 7. NBC and Bush's representatives had been negotiating terms of his exit before Monday night's announcement. On the tape, Bush is heard laughing as Mr Trump talks about fame enabling him to grope and try to have sex with women. Bush, 45, the nephew of former Republican p resident George Bush senior, later said he was "embarrassed and ashamed". Mr Trump has since denied groping women. Bush had been at Today for two months. AP NBC made the announcement of Bush's dismissal in a note from top Today show executive Noah Oppenheim to his staff. Mr Oppenheim called Bush, who spent 15 years at Access Hollywood, ''a valued colleague and long-time member of the broader NBC family". "We wish him success as he goes forward," he said. Father-of-three Bush said that he was "deeply grateful for the conversations I've had with my daughters, and for all of the support from family, friends and colleagues. I look forward to what lies ahead". The settlement with NBC did not include a non-compete clause, meaning Bush "is a free agent", said his lawyer, Marshall Grossman. Financial terms of the deal were kept confidential. In the 2005 tape, which was first revealed by The Washington Post, Mr Trump discusses unsuccessfully seeking an affair with another Access Hollywood employee, Nancy O'Dell. Mr Trump said that when he was attracted to beautiful women "I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet". He said that when you are a star, women let you. "Grab them by the p***y. You can do anything," Mr Trump added. The two men discussed an actress who was waiting from at the end of the bus ride. When they got off, Bush urged the woman to hug Mr Trump and added: "How about a little hug for the Bushy?" Mr Trump said in the second presidential debate that he never did any of the actions heard on the tape, which he described as locker room talk. But a number of women have since come forward and said that he had surprised them in the past by groping or unexpectedly kissing them on the lips. In an interview with CNN on Monday, Mr Trump's wife Melania said her husband was "egged on" by Bush in the conversation. "I wonder if they even knew the mic was on," Mrs Trump said, referring to her husband and Bush. She said they were involved in "boy talk, and he was led on - like egged on - from the host to say dirty and bad stuff". Asked to comment, Mr Grossman said: "I thought that Donald Trump would claim that he was not on the bus." And the accusations are getting even stranger - US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has now been accused of swiping State Department furniture to decorate her Washington Home. A former member of her security team has made the allegations to the FBI. According to the New York Post, an agent told the FBI; "Early in Clintons tenure as secretary of state, she and her staff were observed removing lamps and furniture from the State Department which were transported to her residence in Washington, DC." According to FBI notes, The agent does not know whether these items were ever returned to the government, according to FBI notes. The accusations were discovered in a 100-page document of an FBI investigation into Clinton's handling of classified material. The State Department denied the latest charges. The old adage may have it that we shouldnt judge a book by its cover, but ever since Aristotle first wrote about the art of physiognomy, people have thought it possible to deduce character traits from someones facial features. Though now dismissed as pseudoscience, there may still be a kernel of truth in the idea that someones face can shape their destiny - a Princeton University study showed it takes us a tenth of a second to size up the cut of a strangers jib and, rightly or wrongly, we react to them accordingly. Hence, recent studies suggest that those with what we perceive to be dominant faces (fuller jaws and thicker brows) are more likely to make CEO, that juries are more inclined to believe baby-faced men are not guilty of certain crimes, and that politicians with competent-looking faces (higher cheekbones and angular jaws) have a greater chance of being elected. Now, a new Channel 4 series is using cutting edge science to play with our prejudices and explore how the physical make-up of our faces can give away our inner secrets, affect our career prospects - and could even sway the US electorate. Its all about perception, not actual behaviour, and of course much of this may be a self-fulfilling prophecy: that people who look competent are often given better jobs and then become more competent at them, explains Dr Lisa DeBruine, who runs the Face Research Lab in the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow, and studies how - and why - people respond differently to different face shapes. Research shows there are 13 main attributes people are most likely to spontaneously judge about a face: aggressiveness, attractiveness, compassion, confidence, dominance, emotional stability, intelligence, meanness, responsibility, sociability, trustworthiness, happiness, and weirdness. But the way we perceive someone basically all boils down to how dominant or trustworthy we think they look. We automatically read facial cues to try to assess a persons desire to do us harm or good versus their ability to do so. Dr DeBruine maintains that (whatever those scientifically shaky how to tell your personality from your face-shape quizzes might have you believe) the width between a persons eyes or the shape of their chin wont actually tell you anything about their personality. But that doesnt stop our subconscious making snap judgements. Expand Close Hillary Clinton / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hillary Clinton Social conditioning plays a huge part in what we gauge from looking at someone, when all we have to go on is what we can immediately see, explains Dr DeBruine. So for most people, a competent-looking face looks trustworthy and dominant, but not too dominant. And we tend to associate competent faces with the kinds of people who are in charge in our society. But because men still tend to be at the top in the majority of industries, we also associate these attributes with masculinity. So as men naturally tend to have wider faces, fuller jaws, thicker brows which are closer to their eyes, and slightly lower hairlines than women, all these attributes are also associated with dominance. Meanwhile, womens eyes tend to be a bit rounder, and wider eyes tend to come across as more trustworthy. So in order to appear dominant and competent, a politician seeking office whether male or female should ideally possess wide eyes, a strong jawline, a thick brow bone and a broad face? Delightful. On Your Face Says It All which starts tonight on Channel 4 Dr DeBruine explores how the physical makeup of a politicians face can have a huge effect on how well they play with voters, even though it may bear no reflection of their abilities. Though she wont be drawn on specific facial features of our leading political figures, she explains that competent-looking faces are less round, have less distance between eyes and eyebrows, have higher cheekbones and more angular jaws, and in general are more mature looking and attractive. No prizes for guessing, then, that when comparing the faces of Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Ed Miliband, David Cameron and Theresa May, the former Ukip leader scored lowest on the competence test and Boris only slightly better. Meanwhile May - whose angular face and beak-like nose are often exaggerated to comic effect by newspaper cartoonists - was rated the most competent-looking of the bunch. According to Dr DeBruine, the kind of face which undecided voters are drawn to partly depends on how under threat they feel at the time of voting. In the case of general elections, people have tended to go for different kinds of leaders depending on whether the election was held during peacetime or wartime, she explains. During wartime, people are looking for a dominant leader. Facial width is the simplest measure of how people perceive dominance, so a politician with a wider, more masculine face might be more successful than one with a narrow, more feminine face. These stereotypes are currently being played out on the world stage, as Donald Trump seeks to convince the American people that the country is under attack and needs to be made great again. At the moment, it behoves Donald Trump to convince everyone that we are living through a time of war to exacerbate the idea that this is a wartime decision, explains DeBruine. And he does that not just through his rhetoric but by narrowing his eyes and thereby accentuating his brow bone, and pursing his lips which makes him look more aggressive. So what does this mean for Hillary Clinton: caught, like so many women in politics, in a catch 22 whereby she has to be seen to look dominant and competent, without eschewing her femininity. After the first televised debate at the end of September, Clinton was accused of having what was dubbed Resting Hillary Face, for her tendency to let her disdain for her opponent shine through on her face rather than in her speeches. A play on the term Resting B*tch Face, which is applied to any woman who fails to look sunny and amenable 24/7, it is also, Dr DeBruine explains, a label which tends only to be applied to women, whom society expect to appear warm and open. Clinton cant win. Too stern, and shes seen as bossy and grumpy; too smiley and shes false or weak. In the last debate she was even deemed part-automaton for failing to flinch when a fly landed on her face. PROOF! Shes a robot! screamed the Internet. The trouble is, for women, looking more masculine also makes you look older, and age is not on Hillarys side in this election, says Dr DeBruine. She has to look competent but not unfeminine because we judge people very harshly for being gender non-conforming. One thing she does do is to open her eyes wider at certain points when she is talking because it makes her seem more trustworthy. In the third and final presidential debate before next months election on October 19th, Clinton will no doubt once again come under scrutiny for what the chairman of the Republican National Committee described as her angry and defensive face. Truly, Dr DeBruine says, the self control this woman must have is phenomenal. Though reluctant to make any kind of prediction as to which way the election might swing, one thing DeBruine can tell me with absolute certainty, however, is that Tom Hiddleston will not be playing 007 anytime soon. If you merge the faces of all seven former James Bonds, you can see that they all have startlingly similar facial makeup. Bond has always been super masculine, with a typically dominant face shape. Tom Hiddleston has a much more feminine face, so science just wouldnt allow it to be him, she jokes. My moneys on Idris Elba. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Iraqi forces are deployed during an offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants (AP) The gunfire had stopped and the Kurdish Peshmerga commander confidently declared the village of Shakouli liberated from Isil. Pleased to have made such good progress in just a few hours, Lieutenant Mehsen Gardi went about congratulating his officers. But he was interrupted by a large explosion that caused the ground to tremble. It was a suicide bomb and it was followed in quick succession by a second and then third. Lieutenant Mehsen Gardi had underestimated his opponent. As the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) battles to defend its last major stronghold in Iraq, its footsoldiers are putting up a fierce fight to stop the troops reaching Mosul. More than 4,000 Peshmerga, supported by dozens of US and British special forces on the ground and coalition planes in the skies, on Monday began moving in on villages and towns surrounding the city from the east. The Iraqi army, coming up from Baghdad, pincered them from the south. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Kurdish security forces take up a position as they fight overlooking the Islamic State-controlled in villages surrounding Mosul, in Khazer (AP Photo) Kurdish security forces take up a position as they fight overlooking the Islamic State-controlled in villages surrounding Mosul, in Khazer (AP Photo) Smoke rises from Islamic state positions after an airstrike by coalition forces in villages surrounding Mosul, in Khazer, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Mosul, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. Iraqi government and Ku (AP Photo) Peshmerga forces gather in the east of Mosul to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer Peshmerga forces gather in the east of Mosul to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer Peshmerga forces gather in the east of Mosul to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer Peshmerga forces are seen in the east of Mosul to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer Peshmerga fighters fire a rocket at an Isil position Photo: SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kurdish security forces take up a position as they fight overlooking the Islamic State-controlled in villages surrounding Mosul, in Khazer (AP Photo) There were less than 10 Daesh in the village, Lt Gardi told the Telegraph, using the Arabic acronym for the group. But they were running around like rats in and out of tunnels and surprising us with suicide attacks and snipers. Isil lit tyres on fire in an attempt to obscure the Peshmergas view. From their strategic position on top of a hill some 20 miles from Mosul on the Khazir frontline, the Kurdish troops could see the plumes of black smoke rise and the sound of crackling gunfire echoing down below. The soldiers responded with katyusha rockets, which whistled overhead as they shot out of the launcher. The Telegraph saw around 15 US special forces on the ground, watching the battle through binoculars and calling out coordinates for the rocket attacks. Most of the 60-nation coalition's support has come in the shape of air strikes and training but US, French and British special forces are also on the ground to advise local forces in battle. The offensive is the biggest operation in the country since the 2003 invasion. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Peshmerga forces advance in the east of Mosul to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari A member of Peshmerga forces sits in the back of the military vehicle in the east of Mosul during operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari Peshmerga forces advance in the east of Mosul to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari Smoke rises from clashes in the east of Mosul during clashes with Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari Peshmerga forces advance in the east of Mosul to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari Peshmerga forces walk in the east of Mosul during operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari Smoke rises from clashes in the east of Mosul during clashes with Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari Tanks move past soldiers in military fatigues as the sun begins to set east of Mosul, where the Iraqi government launched a U.S.-backed offensive to drive Islamic State from the northern city, in this still image taken from video released October 17, 2016. RUDAW via REUTERS VIDEO The Commander of the Joint Military Operation Commander, Army Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati, walks in the town of Khazer, Iraq, Monday (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Peshmerga forces advance in the east of Mosul to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari It also marks the third time in 13 years that the US and its allies have tried to "liberate" Mosul: in 2003 from Saddam Hussein, a year later from Sunni insurgents and now from Isil. Mosul fell to the Islamist group in June of 2014, when they blitzed across northern and western Iraq, overrunning nearly a third of the country unopposed. By nightfall the Peshmerga had retaken three villages, but it cost them eight men. Despite the setbacks Lt Gardi was still confident that they could reach the outskirts of the city before the end of the week. At which point they will hand over to the Iraqi army. Inside the city there was panic when Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi declared the start of the offensive. American F16s flew low over Mosul after the early morning announcement, while the Iraqi army fired mortars pummelled the southern outskirts. Worried there will be an effective siege once troops move in, trapped residents have been stockpiling supplies to last several weeks. "We set up a fortified room in the house by putting sandbags to block the only window and we removed everything dangerous or flammable," one resident, who gave his name as Abu Maher, said. "I spent almost all my money on buying food, baby milk and anything we might need." Isil is using the more than a million residents as human shields, threatening to execute anyone who tries to leave. The estimated 8,000 jihadists live among civilians and have reportedly shaved their beards to evade capture. The Iraqi government dropped leaflets over the city last weekend, warning residents to stay in their homes and not to mingle with the militants. Residents told the Telegraph the jihadists are carrying out more house raids in attempt to stifle any rebellion. They said when the troops entered the city, many planned to fight Isil alongside them. There was already some sign of dissent yesterday after a small group rose up against the jihadists, burning their hisba or religious police cars and daubing anti-Isil graffiti on the walls. Abu Abdullah said whatever happened he wanted to witness the beginning of the offensive. "We heard repeated explosions at a distance, so I went to the rooftop to see fireballs, even if it was dangerous. I was happy that the operation to liberate Mosul started," he said. The group has become increasingly desperate to boost their numbers ahead of the battle, resorting to recruiting children to fight. And instead of the usual morning call to prayers overnight on Sunday, the mosques made a call for civilians to join them in the fight against the army. The jihadists' defeat in Mosul appears to be only a matter of time, however. The US predicted Isil would suffer "a lasting defeat", but analysts say even the recapture of Mosul will not mark the end of the war against the group, which is likely to increasingly turn to insurgent tactics as it loses more ground. Just hours after the offensive was launched, Isil claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing targeting an Iraqi army checkpoint south of Baghdad that killed at least 10 people. Isil will remain dangerous and pose a threat to the security of all of Iraqs cities in the months ahead, as the surviving forces return to the asymmetric techniques that have been sharply honed in Iraq and Syria for many years, said Prof Gareth Stansfield, Professor of Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter. Iraqi security officials fear a wave of bomb attacks , suicide attacks, and car bomb attacks in the period following Mosuls retaking. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] A day that was all green Indian equity markets ended the day strongly in green today. Nifty 50 ended the day, up by 225.4 points. Sensex ended the day, up by 786.74 points. Top Gainers today were Ultratech Cement, Eich... October 31, 2022 | 31-10-2022 4:12 pm Daesung Eltec and Minda corporation tie up for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems technology On Monday, the manufacturer of automotive components Minda Corporation announced a partnership with the South Korean company Daesung Eltec to provide India's next-generation solutions for advan... October 31, 2022 | 31-10-2022 3:20 pm Ramkrishna Forgings stock jumps 3% on winning Rs113 crore worth export order Ramkrishna Forgings Limited, one of the leading suppliers of rolled, forged and machined products announced that a major Tier 1 manufacturer of Rear & Front axles has awarded a 4-year contr... October 31, 2022 | 31-10-2022 3:01 pm Markets in a super rally with Nifty above 17,950; Sensex climbs 600 pts Domestic benchmark indices in a super rally today led by IT and Auto stocks outperforming. Both the Sensex and Nifty benchmarks were higher 1% each amid positive global cues gleaming all over t... October 31, 2022 | 31-10-2022 2:00 pm Vedanta shares tanks ~4% on subdued numbers in Q2FY23 Vedanta Limited shares fell as much as 4% to Rs274 in intraday trade on Monday after the company reported a 60.8% yoy drop in consolidated net profit at Rs1,808 crore for the quarter ended... October 31, 2022 | 31-10-2022 1:54 pm Hamas militants grab a Palestinian suspected of collaborating with Israel before being executed in Gaza City in August 2014. Hamas-run court says 54-year-old man will be hanged for allegedly providing Jewish state with information since 1987 Courts in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip handed down 3 death sentences on Monday, including 1 for allegedly spying for Israel and 2 others for murder, authorities said. In the 1st case, "the military court in Gaza decided upon death by hanging for the convict, 54, on charges of spying for the Israeli occupation," a court source said. The court said the man had allegedly been linked to Israel since 1987 and had provided a large amount of information to the Jewish state since then. The case was held behind closed doors and the defendant was referred to only by the initials E.A. Another alleged spy was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Also on Monday 2 men from rival families were sentenced to death after tit-for-tat killings in 2013 and 2015 respectively, the public prosecutor said. A series of death sentences have been handed down in recent weeks despite calls on Hamas from the European Union and rights groups to halt the practice. The authorities in Gaza executed 3 men behind closed doors in May, the first time the death penalty had been carried out since 2014, drawing condemnation from the United Nations. In Gaza, accusations of spying for the Jewish state are often brutally punished. During the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, 18 alleged collaborators were shot dead in public by Hamas forces. | 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 Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! Source: The Times of Israel, October 17, 2016 Austin Myers Should he be put to death? The actual killer got a life sentence Austin Myers became the youngest inmate on Ohio's death row 2 years ago after a judge sentenced him to the ultimate punishment for the 2014 murder of Warren County U.S. Navy recruit Justin Back. Now the 21-year-old convicted killer is asking the Ohio Supreme Court to overthrow his murder conviction and death penalty sentence, arguing, among other issues, that he didn't actually kill the victim, yet he received a harsher sentence than his co-defendant, Tim Mosley, who he says carried out the actual murder. "The imposition of the death penalty was so grossly unfair that it shocks the conscience in that the actual killer Mosley received life without (parole), while the accomplice Myers received the death penalty," says an appeal filed last month by Myers' attorneys, Timothy McKenna and Roger Kirk. Indeed, legal experts say that executions of people who did not directly kill their victims are incredibly rare. The Death Penalty Information Center lists just 10 such cases out of the more than 1,400 executions since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. The case of a Texas man facing execution for a murder he did not directly take part in attracted national attention this summer. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted the scheduled execution of Jeff Wood 6 days before he was set to die by lethal injection. "(Myers' case) is a rare scenario where the actual physical killer cuts a deal and gets out of the death penalty," said Mark Krumbein, a former prosecutor turned defense attorney who's defended more than a dozen clients in capital murder cases. "I don't know how the (appeals) court would react to that." But prosecutors in the case argue that Myers doesn't fit within that narrow category of convicted killers who face execution under Ohio's felony-murder laws despite not actually killing anyone. | 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 Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! Source: WCPO news, October 17, 2016 Isnt it a happy news that women who are infertile can also enjoy motherhood? A new study conducted on mice, and their eggs, shows that it may be possible to use the same techniques for humans and their sperm. This potentially means that it will be possible to make new humans entirely in the lab. www.gosocial.co Once it is done for one animal, then "developing similar culture systems in other species should be only a matter of technicality", said Dr Dusko Ilic, reader in stem cell science at King's College London. If that happens then we might be able to rewind the process of mammalian extinction" not only helping infertile humans but bringing back other extinct animals too. However, it is likely to be many years before the technique is reliable and safe enough for humans. And scientists and policymakers will have to overcome the various ethical challenges that are presented by the possibility of making children without human adults fertilising or carrying them. In the experiments, the Japanese team - led by Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi, from Kyushu University - used stem cells both obtained from embryos and generated from mature cells taken from the tips of mouse tails. Professor Richard Anderson, from the University of Edinburgh, said: "This is the first report of anyone being able to develop fully mature and fertilisable eggs in a laboratory setting right through from the earliest stages of oocyte (egg) development. metrovaartha.com "Although we are a long way from making artificial eggs for women at the moment, this study also provides us with a basis for experimental models to explore how eggs develop from other species, including in women. "This is extremely challenging at the moment due to the difficulties of getting eggs to study." He added: "One day, this approach might be useful for women who have lost their fertility at an early age, as well as for improvements in more conventional infertility treatments. But the very careful analyses in this paper show the complexity of the process and how it is a long way from being optimised." Martin Johnson, Professor of reproductive sciences at Cambridge University - who described the research as "remarkable", said: "The data are primarily of interest to scientists, although potentially of clinical interest to those patients who lack eggs of their own." After the nationwide shock at the intermediate toppers scam of Bihar in June this year, the Bihar Secondary School Examination Board has decided to cancel the recognition of 68 intermediate colleges as well as that of 19 schools in the state. BCCL Several arrests were made since as the nation responded strongly to the toppers scam, more so when it was discovered that the principal of the school, Bachcha Rai, had been running this scam for quite a few years and charging money in lieu of results. Ex-BSEB Chairman Lalkeshwar Singh and his wife Usha Singh were arrested along with Bachchai Rai and the topper of the year, Ruby Rai. Investigations also uncovered that Bachcha Rai had made his daughter, Shalini Rai, also top the exam in 2014 BCCL A re-test had been slated for Ruby Rai, the controversial topper of this year by the BSEB but when she was unable to score a good result, the Board cancelled her result and she was taken into custody by the police. So far, 21 arrests have been made in regard to the Bihar topper's scam. BMW has decided to make India a hub for the company's smallest bike the G310R, the 313cc motorcycle, which will be manufactured in partnership with the TVS Group, and will be exported to the company's home market Germany as well as countries across Europe and in the US. BMW The G310R is one of the most ambitious bets taken by the German auto major that sells motorcycles under the 'Motorrad' brand. This is perhaps the first time that the company will have a bike under 500cc, and the decision to sell the brand across major global markets displays plans of positioning it as a large-selling volume product. "We have big expectations from the G310R, and there have been a lot of things that are happening behind the scenes," Frank Schloeder, president, BMW India, told TOI here. The company is working on retail and distribution plans for the bike that may hit the market early next year, at a price that may range between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh. BMW The motorcycle will be manufactured at TVS Motor's Hosur plant in Tamil Nadu and the Indian partner also plans to roll out a local version, which had been showcased as the 'Akula 310' at the Greater Noida Auto Expo. "While India is a big market in itself, we have plans to positon the G310R as a global product," Schloeder said. "The India-made bike will be sold in Germany, the US and many countries in Europe." The company is planning Motorrad dealerships across key metros and some of the bigger cities. Engineered and designed by BMW Motorrad at Munich, the one-cylinder low-weight G310R embodies the pure essence of a BMW roadster that has been designed not only for tricky, narrow city lanes but also for long-distance rides. TVS offers the knowledge of frugal engineering and value-efficient component sourcing, strengths to keep the product manufacturing cost competitive. BMW The G310R is mated to a six-speed gearbox and the engine delivers a maximum power of 34 horsepower at 9,500 rpm and a peak torque of 28 Nm at 7,500 rpm. The top-speed is estimated at 144 kmph and the bike will have a high-performance brake system while sporting ABS as a standard fitment. India is finally close to operationalising its long-awaited nuclear weapons triad the capability to launch nukes from land, air and sea. Although the land-based Agni ballistic missiles as well as fighter bombers configured to deliver nuclear weapons have been available for a while, the triad's missing and most potent sea leg has been a big operational gap till now. wikimedia commons Sources said on Monday that the country's first indigenously-constructed nuclear submarine INS Arihant (which means annihilator of enemies), propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, was commissioned into service in August after extensive sea trials since December 2014. INS Arihant's 750km and 3,500km missiles may be somewhat dwarfed by SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) with ranges of well over 5,000km with the US, Russia and China, but the completion of the nuclear-triad is critical for a country like India, which has a clearly declared policy of "no first-use" of nuclear weapons. It makes its second-strike capability much more credible. A pre-emptive enemy strike can conceivably take out a rival's nuclear missiles and fighter bombers. That is why an SSBN, capable of lurking underwater for months without being detected, is considered the most effective and deadly platform for a retaliatory nuclear strike. hisutton The 6,000-tonne Arihant is, however, "not yet fully ready" to be deployed for "deterrent patrols" with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles in its four silos, said the sources. Both the defence ministry as well as the Navy refused to say anything on the matter, holding that it was "a strategic project" directly controlled by the PMO. INS Arihant has undergone a whole host of surface and "dived" sorties during its trials to prove its sea-worthiness. But the full weapons integration with the "K" (named after former president APJ Abdul Kalam) series of SLBMs will take some more time. While the K-15 SLBM has a 750-km range, the K-4 can go up to 3,500-km. thehindu INS Arihant is the first of three such SSBNs (nuclear-powered submarines with long-range nuclear ballistic missiles) being constructed under the secretive ATV (advanced technology vessel) programme launched decades ago. The construction of the second one, INS Aridhaman, is also almost complete now, with its delivery slated for 2018. Apart from both Pakistan and China having largely ambiguous nuclear weapons policies, the growing presence of Chinese nuclear submarines in the Indian Ocean region has become a major source of concern for the Indian security establishment over the last couple of years. True to her word, Irom Chanu Sharmila has launched her political party - People's Resurgence Justice Alliance - to continue her fight to remove Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from her home state of Manipur. The party was launched by her at an press conference organised in Imphal today. BCCL Within two months of breaking her 16-year long fast against the oppressive Armed Forces rule in August this year, she has fulfilled her desire to create her own political outfit as the first step to becoming the chief minister of her state. "I'll never forget this moment... I want to be the Chief Minister of Manipur to take positive steps," Sharmila had said after breaking her fast earlier this year "I know nothing about politics. My education is very, very low...But I will use everything I have for the society," she had added. Her choice to abandon her fast and move into politics had not been received well by the people of Manipur who had supported her efforts in the past. "People have reacted negatively to my decision to enter politics. But this is my decision," she said. PTI Irom Sharmila had earlier met with Arvind Kejriwal in September to understand how to take on major political parties from him. According to report in the PTI, Kejriwal had extended his whole-hearted support and assured of all possible help from his end. The mysterious disappearance of Najeeb Ahmad, a first year M.Sc. biotechnology student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), has taken a communal colour with both Left and Right-leaning student groups accusing each other of communally polarising the vibrant campus which is known for its pluralism. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes The 27-year-old went missing from his room (number 106) at Mahi-Mandavi Hostel at around 11 am on Saturday after being allegedly assaulted by fellow residents associated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). More than 80 hours have passed, but there is no information on his whereabouts. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes The JNU Students Union (JNUSU) on Monday alleged that Najeeb was communally targeted by the ABVP affiliates. When Najeeb accompanied by residents of the hostel, G4S security men and Senior Warden Dr Sushil Kumar started moving to the wardens office on the ground floor, he was criminally intimated, communally targeted and physically assaulted by the same group of students (who had attacked him twice or thrice at first floor of the hostel), the JNUSU said in a statement released on Monday evening. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes There are alleged the union dominated by left-backed student groups serious efforts to communalise the issue and concentrated efforts to communally polarise the campus. Offensive statements like Muslims are terrorists were allegedly written on a table of the common room and other places. It is pertaining to mention here Mahi-Mandavi Hostel has the highest number of Muslim residents (103 of the total 380) as compared to other halls of residence of the university. Interestingly, ABVP too has strong base in the hostel. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes A majority of the occupants of the hostel Indiatimes spoke to also corroborate the JNUSU allegation. They attacks of communal nature have taken place in the hostel earlier as well. ABVP activists tore the time-table posters pasted ahead of this years Ramadan, said a hosteller on the condition of anonymity. The other said, Communal abuses were hurled at me few months back when I had objected to loud music being played by some students in the hostel. Even in case of Najeeb, objectionable statements which were allegedly communal in nature were hurled at him in presence of three wardens and JNU security officials. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes Denying the allegations and terming them as fiction, the ABVP, on the other hand, said the alleged scuffle was actually a one-sided assault, in which mess secretary candidates Vikrant and Ankit were physically thrashed and abused by Najeeb Ahmad during room to room campaign for hostel elections. One more hosteller Sunil, who was accompanying Vikrant and Ankit, was also subjected to caste-sensitive abuses, it said. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes Najeeb has accepted that he slapped Vikrant because he was wearing kalawa (a sacred red thread tied on the wrist). This incident was basically a hate crime against the three students, the ABVP said in a counter statement that too released on Monday. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes It further alleged several students from Jamia Millia Islamia were called by the JNUSU to show muscle power during a protest the union had organised in front of the main gate on Sunday night. It is being heard that the outsiders were brandishing sharp weapons, said the statement signed by Alok Singh, JNU-ABVP president, and Lalit Pandey, JNU-ABVP secretary. In addition, cashing on the stereotypes associated with Jamia Millia Islamia and Jamia Nagar locality, where the university is situated, it is also being said that Najeeb first took admission in Jamia and stayed in Zakir Nagar for one month. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes Umar Khalid, who is out on bail in a sedition case that was filed against him and other JNU students including Kanhaiya Kumar for allegedly raising anti-national slogans in February this year to mark the hanging anniversary of Afzal Guru, says the ABVP is now trying to spread communal frenzy in the campus. Writing choicest of abuses for Muslims, calling them Pakistanis and terrorists is now happening in JNU. The ABVP in its classic manner is also spreading all kinds of rumours about the incident, he told Indiatimes. Being a Malayalee, I have always gloated on the fact that I can call the 'God's Own Country' as my place of origin. Though I have spent nearly three decades in Delhi, I can still go on and on about how beautiful, divinely green and pristine is Kerala's natural beauty. And now am up to some more gloating as one more speck from my majestic homeland is taking over the world's imagination Kakkathuruthu (tiny Crow Island in Malayalam) is a tiny land mass in Kerala's Alappuzha district that has been listed in National Geographic's 'Around the World in 24 Hours', a photographic tour of travel-worthy spots across the world. Flicker "It is a matter of pride for us to be listed by NatGeo, which is among the leading magazines in the world," said Kerala Tourism Minister A.C. Moideen. The tiny island that can be reached only by boats, was captured by the magazine photographers during the time of dusk (around 6PM) when "the shadows lengthen and the sky shifts from pale blue to sapphire". TOI The magazine describes vividly, "the sunset in Kerala is greeted by a series of rituals -- Saree clad women head home in skiffs, fishermen light lamps and cast nets into the lagoon and bats swoop across the horizon snapping up moths." "If dawn is awakening and daytime illumination, then twilight is transcendence, a final burst of vitality before darkness falls," adds NatGeo Expeditions. TOI The other destinations included in the magazine's list are the Northern Lights zone in Norway at 12 am, Hawaii at 5 am, Paris at 6 am, San Francisco at 7 am, Abu Dhabi at 8 am, Melbourne at 9 am, New York at 8 pm, Budapest (Hungary) at 10 pm. What started out as a healthy debate on Facebook soon took an ugly turn for a 21-year-old Mechanical Engineering student in Kolkata. Last week, the young woman criticised Mamata Banerjee's parade of Durga idols as they were led for immersion. The debate saw a lot of participation from her friends on Facebook but she was not prepared for what followed. The resident of Dum Dum was shocked when a giant banner proclaiming that her statement on the CM were uncalled for was displayed on the street in Dundum. "We condemn the criticism of the Chief Minister," was written in capital letters. ALSO READ: Changes Mamata Banerjee Brought About In The Last Five Years Facebook The post graduate student from Kolkata is terrified as not only has become an unwilling player in politics, she is also receiving threats from people in her locality. Some women who support the Trinamool Congress, the party Mamata Banerjee represents, have been threatening her. The streetside banner was the idea of a group named the "Dum Dum Ward 8 Citizens Committee". The group claims that if the student has the right to criticise the chief minister then others also have the right to shame her in public. PTI The Facebook post was the student's personal opinion on the parade of Durga idols being taken to immersion which was conducted as India's answer to the Rio Carnival. The student said that it was a bad idea for such a display of pomp when so many people in the state are suffering from the lack of jobs and from poverty. In the many responses to her post, several of her friends agreed and many disagreed. PTI This is not the first time that a person has been singled out for crticising the West Bengal CM. In 2012, a professor was arrested for creating cartoons on Mamata Banerjee. He contested in the elections this year as an independent candidate but could not win a seat. Builder Mahendra Singh, who was arrested by Khandeshwar police in April, for duping over a thousand flat buyers, reportedly blew up a major chunk of their money on producing one Bhojpuri and two Marathi movies. mid day An FIR for cheating was filed against Tirupati Balaji Builders at Khandeshwar police station in Navi Mumbai by one Shivaji Desai, who had bought a flat in a proposed building project named Balaji Residency. When there was no progress in the construction, Desai sought refund of the amount he had paid. He subsequently filed a criminal complaint earlier this year against the developers when they failed to allot him a flat or refund his money. A police investigation revealed that Singh was the proprietor of around 12 companies and the developer had sold flats to around 1,290 persons. BCCL/representional image Singh had launched a production house named Tirupati Balaji Motion Pictures. He and his four business partners, who had floated several construction companies for multiple housing projects in Panvel taluka, also allegedly splurged flat buyer's money on luxury SUVs. DCP (crime) Dilip Sawant said that from January till August 2016, a total of six FIRs for cheating and under Maharashtra Owners of Flats Act (MOFA) were registered against Singh and his partners. Reuters/representional image Khandeshwar police have arrested Singh's partners Bablu Gupta, Gyaneshwar Sharma, Dhanendra Kumar Jha and Yogeshkumar Singh. The money trail was probed by the crime branch's economic offences wing, which even seized the high-end SUVs, collectively worth Rs 67 lakh. Under provisions of Section 105 (C) of the Criminal Procedure Code, the crime branch has sought sealing of the builders' land in Raigadh worth Rs 42.7 crore. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko A box of clothes arrives on a doorstep in a European country just over 1,620km (1,000 miles) from the UK. It contains the belongings of a man executed by the state. They will not know when it happened or where his body is buried - they simply know it has been done. This is the reality of the death penalty in Belarus, sometimes called Europe's last remaining dictatorship, where executions have resumed, following a two-year pause. The majority of people are killed by a gun shot to the head and the bodies are never seen again. The decision to resume executions comes just 8 months after EU foreign ministers removed asset freezes and travel bans for more than 150 Belarusian politicians and leaders, including President Alexander Lukashenko. That EU move came after Belarus had released 6 political prisoners. But at least 4 people have been sentenced to death since February. Valiantsin Stefanovic from the Viasna Human Rights Centre told BBC Outside Source: "There is a lot of secrecy around this problem. "Sometimes it [death] happens very quickly, in 2 or 3 months after the decision of the court. "Nobody knows what happens to the bodies, they do not give them to the relatives. The burial place is not shown." The death penalty was introduced in Belarus during Soviet times and covered several crimes, such as forging money, as well as murder. Public opinion still favours executions, and polls in some parts of Western Europe draw similar results. "Public opinion has changed though," says Valiantsin. "The majority of people still support this punishment, but that is nothing special." Belarus has been widely criticised over its human rights issues during the 22-year-rule of President Lukashenko, who won a 5th term by a landslide last year. About 400 people have been executed in Belarus since the country gained independence from the USSR in 1991, more than 1 a month. We spoke with Lyubov Kovaleva, whose 25-year-old son was executed in 2012 for terrorism offences. She claims he was forced into a confession and the verdict was to shoot the accused. "I was allowed only 3 meetings: before the trial, after the verdict was announced and before the shooting," she told Outside Source. "His lawyer met him only once." Strict surveillance Ms Kovaleva was instructed to discuss only private matters and talk about just family and friends. "There was a police officer behind me who controlled our conversation. My son was behind the window and another police officer was behind him." Before the 1st meeting she was given a piece of paper with questions she was allowed to ask. "I could not do anything to help him - apparently it was Lukashenko's decision to execute my son." A human rights report last week suggested rights to a defence in capital punishment cases were being "systematically violated" and "lawyers and judges lack independence". Internationally the Belarusian government is now under pressure. Europe's top human rights watchdog - the Council of Europe - deplored the situation. Its secretary-general Thorbjoern Jagland said: "I am deeply disappointed that Belarus has started using the death penalty again. "I call on the authorities in Minsk to rapidly introduce a moratorium, as a first step towards abolition." And the European Parliament lamented the fact that Belarus was showing no sign of progress on human rights. | 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 Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! Source: BBC news, October 18, 2016 Even over 48 hours after his disappearance, there is no information about the whereabouts of Najeeb Ahmad a first year M.Sc. student at School of Biotechnology of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The 27-year-old boy, who belongs to Vedo Tola in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh, went missing under mysterious circumstances at 11 am on Saturday from his Mahi-Mandavi Hostel. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes While the police are still investigating his disappearance and trying to locate him, a majority of the residents of his hostel, including his roommate, believe that Najeeb has been abducted following a scuffle with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) a night before. A case (number 523/16) under section 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered on Saturday evening at the Vasant Kunj North police station on the basis of a complaint by his mother Fatima Nafees. What actually happened on Friday night It all started with an altercation between Najeeb (a resident of room number 106) and Vikrant Kumar (who lives in room number 213 of the same hostel) when the latter had gone to the formers room for hostel mess committee election campaigning. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes After hearing noise at first floor of the hostel at 11:30 pm, I came down stairs. I saw Vikrant screaming. On enquiry what happened, he (Vikrant) told me that he was beaten up by Najeeb when he had gone to his room for campaigning. When I entered Najeebs room to know why he assaulted Vikrant, I saw the former bleeding from nose. His face was red and he looked extremely traumatised. I was told that Najeeb was beaten up at face with chappals. While I was trying to know the entire issue, Vikrant barged into the room with a group of students most of them are associated with ABVP and brutally attacked Najeeb. They started punching, kicking and slapping him, an eyewitness told Indiatimes requesting anonymity. Meanwhile, few other hostellers arrived there and we somehow managed to provide Najeeb a shield. We pushed the assaulters out of the room and locked it from outside. We blocked the gate to ensure that no one can enter. Then three-four guards of the JNU private security reached there. Since Najeeb was bleeding, the security guards took him to the nearest washroom so that he can wash his face. We were accompanying them. As Najeeb stepped out, he was once again attacked by a group of more than 15 people. I recognise at least 10 of them. We pushed Najeeb inside a toilet and locked the door from outside requesting the assaulters to spare him and resolve the issue, if any, non-violently. But they were not ready to listen. By the time, Dr Sushil Kumar, senior warden of the hostel, reached there. He was followed by JNU Students Union President Mohit Kumar Pandey, he said. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes The warden, the security guards and the residents formed a human chain and took Najeeb to the warden office at ground floor of the hostel. When we headed toward the downstairs crossing the gallery, the group again attacked Najeeb despite our efforts to take him unhurt. The power supply of the hostel was disconnected. It was intentionally or unintentionally, I dont know. They kept punching, kicking and slapping him till he reached the wardens room. It is no secret. It happened before the senior warden, said another eyewitness who was trying to pacify the lynch mob. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes The violent students were not even scared to allegedly hurl abuses and criminally intimidate Najeeb despite the presence of the senior warden and two other wardens Dr Somyajit Ray and Dr Arun Srivastava and G4S security persons of the varsity. Sir isko hamare hawale kar dijiye, subah tak yeh zinda nahin rahega. Sir koi complain mat likhiye, hum dekh lenge. Chatt se neeche phenk denge, aur dekh lenge ki kaun kya kar lega. (Sir, hand him over to us, he wont remain alive till morning. Sir, dont lodge any complaint, we will see him. We will through him to the ground from the rooftop and see who does what), reads a written complaint which is signed by 18 residents of the hostel given to the chief proctor and CCd to senior warden, rector office and chief security officer of the university. The complaint has mentioned the names of nine alleged assaulters. Ironically, the G4S security men despite being present at the spot allegedly did not do video recording of the incident and the senior warden failed to stop the assaulting students. As Najeeb was injured and bleeding, he was taken to the university health centre for first aid. Instead of taking Najeeb to a government hospital for medical and MLC (medicolegal cases), he was rushed to the varsitys health centre so that the entire investigation can be botched up, alleged Rama Naga former JNUSU general secretary who resides in the same hostel and accompanied Najeeb to the health centre. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes For the university, the victim is an accused not a victim The university claimed in a statement released on Monday that the victim (Najeeb) is an accused and it acted promptly when a complaint of the physical violence was reported. When a complaint of physical violence involving a student in Mahi-Mandovi Hostel on 14 October, 2016 at 10:30 pm was reported to IHA (Inter-Hall Administration), the administration promptly acted on it. Wardens of the hostel met and discussed all the issues related to the incidence with the students present, including the hostel president, JNUSU president and room-mate of the accused, reads the statement. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes The matter was resolved that night and decision was taken on disciplinary measures. JNUSU along with some student representatives met with Rector-I and DOS (Dean of Students) at Rector-I office on 16 October, 2016 and discussed the incidence. The students were assured of a speedy inquiry. In the meantime, the accused students parents lodged a police complaint saying their son was missing from the hostel. The administration has taken the following steps: (a) the JNU security was instructed to immediately look for the missing student; (b) the DOS gave a written instruction to all the wardens to search hostel rooms; (c) the police visited the campus and investigated the matter, which is still going on; (d) the administration is in constant touch with the police to facilitate the investigation, said the statement. Something has happened to me in hostel, please come When the scuffle was over, the shocked and traumatised Najeeb called his mother at 2 am on Saturday asking to come and see him. I rang me up at 2 am on Saturday and told me to come over here as something has happened to him. I asked what happened, but he did not reply and hung up the call. He was sounding scared. When we called him back, the call was responded by his room-mate who described the entire incident, Fatima Nafees told Indiatimes with tears rolling down on her face. Najeeb who joined JNU in July this year and shifted to the hostel few days back is the eldest among three brothers and one sister. Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes His mother had last words with him at 11 am on Saturday when she along with her second son (Mujeeb Ahmad) and the only daughter reached Delhi. We reached Anand Vihar ISBT at around 11 am on Saturday and called him. He told us that he is in the room and asked us to come over there. When we reached, he was not there in his room. We are still waiting, but he has not returned so far. I want my son back in good health. I will take her back home. We dont need any degree, said the inconsolable mother. We are doing our best, go and file habeas corpus if are not satisfied JNU Vice Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar along with other officials met Najeebs family on Monday evening and left them disappointed. The VC told us that his administration is doing its best. He asked us to approach the court and file a habeas corpus petition to know his whereabouts if we are not satisfied, Najeebs younger brother Mujeeb Ahmad told Indiatimes. Asked whether he assured any action against the culprits, he said, No, he did not even talk about it. This is despite the fact that a complaint has already been registered with the university administration mentioning the name of the students who were involved in the incident. Chaos prevailed in JNU campus Chaos prevailed in the campus on Monday with various student groups staging protests over the issue. Najeebs mother and local guardians also joined the protest today alleging that they were not informed by the administration about him going missing. The left-affiliated groups on campus on the other hand accused the RSS student wing ABVP of making attempts to terrorise the student community. There are repeated efforts to terrorise the student community in the Mahi-Mandavi hostel continuously. Yesterday, a wardens meeting to prepare a report of the incident was also repeatedly disrupted by ABVP members, said a statement by the JNU Students Union. While the condition of Muslim women in India has arguably deteriorated over the years with four divorced Muslim women as compared to one divorced Muslim man, the condition of women in other faiths, in terms of divorce, not good either. According to 2011 census, the ratio of divorced Muslim men against Muslim women is 21:79 which means that 80% of divorced Muslims in India are women. It also means that it's far easier for a Muslim men to remarry in comparison to a Muslim women who is divorced by her husband. AFP/representational image Among Hindus too, the divorced women (6.18 lakh) form far bigger a number than men (3.44) who live a divorced life. Sikhs in India are the only exception where the number of divorced men is higher to divorced women which means that more Sikh women is remarrying than the divorced Sikh men. Among divorced Indian women, 68 per cent are Hindu, and 23.3 per cent are Muslims, Census 2011 data on the marital status of Indians whereas as far as divorced men are concerned, Hindus account for 76 per cent, and Muslims, 12.7 per cent. Surprisingly, both Christian women and men cover 4.1 per cent of their gender-respective divorced groups. Hindus or Muslims, more women remain divorced than men AFP According to 2011 census, the number of Hindu women who are divorced is 6,18,529 whereas men form nearly half of this number with a 3,44,281 men living a divorced life. In Muslim too, this situation further deteriorated as a total of 2,12,074 Muslim women are living a divorced life in comparison to a total 57, 335 Muslim men means that there is four divorced Muslim women per divorced Muslim man. Sikh are the only exception Things are no different among both Buddhists and Jains, where the ratio between divorced men and women has huge disparity. Sikhs are the only exception as the data suggest that more Sikh women remarry after getting separated from their spouse. According to 2011 date, there are only a total of 13,732 divorced Sikh women in comparison to a total of 19,155 divorced Sikh men. More women are separated than men The census data of 2011 show that 2 in every 3 separated Hindus are women. In India, more women are separated out of a marriage without a formal divorce which legal bound them to not to remarry, whereas they remain living a lonely life. While within religious communities, the highest imbalance of separated women-to-men ratio has been recorded among Muslims, with women accounting for 75 per cent of the separated population. Christian women, who comprised 69 per cent of the separated population within their community, follow. Another significant disparity has been recorded among Buddhists, where separated women comprised 68 per cent of the demographic group within their community. BCCL/Representational image Among Muslims, a total of 2,87,618 women live separately from their husband without being formally divorced against a total of 97,120 Muslim men which account for thrice the number of Muslim men living separately. Similarly in Hindus too, a number of women (1,904,390) living separately is almost twice (9,66,295) to Hindu men. Here Sikhs are dong far better than other as a total of 24,965 Sikh women live separately against a total number of 24, 448 Sikh men which again hails for the almost equal status, women enjoy in Sikhism. Over the decade ending 2011, there was a 39 per cent rise in the number of single Indian women including widows, divorcees and unmarried women, and those deserted by husbands. Maharashtra has most divorced women According to the Census 2011, Maharashtra, with 2.09 lakh persons, recorded the highest number of divorced citizens. The second-most populous state also holds the largest disproportion of men-to-women divorcees. About 73.5 per cent or 1.5 lakh divorced persons in the state are women. Nearly 60 per cent of India's population still reside in rural and semi rural areas and here a total population of 8.5 lakh divorced persons live which also show the more marriages are failing in rural area against the urban where a total of 5.03 lakh divorced persons live. Haji Ali Dargah management is all set to inform the Supreme Court that it would allow women entry into the sanctum sanctorum, which houses the tomb of Sufi Saint Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. Appearing for the Dargah, senior advocate Gopal Subramanium informed a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur that he had been able to persuade the Dargah management to devise a mechanism to allow women's entry into the inner sanctum. However, he could not elaborate as the bench did not take up the case due to paucity of time. BCCL Subramanium said he impressed upon the Dargah management about the Supreme Court's earnest desire for a progressive stand and succeeded in helping them reach a decision to allow women into the inner sanctum. "The Dargah management will devise the mode and method for allowing women into the inner sanctum," he said. Asked whether it would be a separate entry for the women to reach the inner sanctum, Subramanium said it would be worked out by the competent persons in the management. Reuters Taking into consideration Subramanium's assurance, the bench continued the stay on the Bombay high court's August 26 order permitting women to enter the inner sanctum of Haji Ali Dargah, to which only men had access for the last four years. Though the court had on October 7 stayed the HC order on an appeal filed on behalf of the Dargah management, it said the writing was on the wall that the Dargah management took a secular and progressive stand on the issue. lawupdater.com On behalf of the bench, the CJI had said: "If you are not allowing anyone into the sanctum sanctorum, it is all right. But you cannot be allowing men and banning women. That is the problem." Women were banned from entering the inner sanctum in 2012 by a decision of the Dargah Trust. The HC had ruled that such a ban on women's entry into inner sanctum was in contravention of Articles 14 (right to equality), 15 (nondiscrimination) and 25 (right to practice religion) of the Constitution of India. It directed that the status quo ante be restored and women allowed entry on par with men. AFP The state and the trust running the Dargah should take steps for safety of women, it had ordered. The trust defended the ban saying entry of women close to the tomb of a male saint was a grievous sin in Islam. The Maharashtra government had batted for women's entry. While the call for the boycott of Chinese goods this Diwali getting louder, Haryana Khaps, have now decided to boycott Chinese products in their respective jurisdictions. Sangwan Khap, mainly dominating in Charkhi Dadri, and Bhiwani regions of Haryana on Monday announced that it will boycott the Chinese products in its jurisdiction of 40 odd villages and would request people living in these villages not to buy Chinese products this Diwali. Indian Express "The way China has been supporting Pakistan at international level including the UN, India shouldn't reconsider its strategy towards it. China recently had opposed our bid in NSG and boycotting Chinese products is least an Indian can do to teach China a lesson. Today's world is driven by business and if we boycott their product, it's surely going impact in a great way," said Col (retd) Risal Singh, Khap Pradhan of Core Committee of Sangwan Khap. The decision was taken on Monday when the core committee held a meeting in Charkhi Dadri and unanimously decided to boycott Chinese products this Diwali. The call for boycott has been gaining ground ever since China had opposed India's bid in NSG and it further got fueled when China against vetoed India's move to declare Jaish-e-Muhammad Terrorist Masood Azhar, a terrorist in UN. Indian Express Although Khaps have lost considerable ground in last one and half decade owing to their age old narratives and opinions which the developing Haryana society don't find relative anymore. But their political significance still matters and when this decision is taken amid the swelling sense of nationalism, it ought to impact to sale of Chinese products in that particular region. "I request other Khaps to boycott Chinese products in their respective jurisdictions as it wouldn't only teaching the overtly expressive China a lesson, but would also help local Indian manufactures of these products. I know it's a small decision and is unlikely to impact in a big way, but if all Khaps decide to follow this in Haryana, then it's destined to become quite lethal for sale of Chinese goods. I hope Haryana would inspire people in other states to do the same," said Umed Singh Sangwan, another Khap leader. Indian Express Haryana roughly has over 60 big and small Khaps and if Sangwan Khap's decision inspires other Khaps, it can become a serious threat for the sale of Chinese products in various towns and villages of Haryana, if not the big cities like Gurgaon, where Khaps have limited presence. This is a story about Tala Raassi who left her life in Iran to start afresh in the USA as a designer. While this may not sound something out of the ordinary, wait till you read the rest of her story. Tala Raassi via Daily Mail Definitely a rebel, Tala never conformed to the strict rules that her country imposed on her. In an Islamic nation like Iran, women are expected to stay covered at all times. Tala was 16 when it happened. The forces caught her and her friends at a mixed party and sent Tala to prison along with sentencing her to 40 lashes for wearing a miniskirt. Tala Raassi via Daily Mail But you know how sometimes you try to suppress a woman but she emerges out even stronger? Tala, with her family, fled to the USA and carved out a fashion career for herself where she now designs swimwear for women. Instagram She is a proud owner of a fashion line and a book that she authored. All this at the age of 35. Instagram The designer was also named as one of Newsweek's 'Most Fearless Women in the World' in 2012 and shared that space with Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey, reports Daily Mail. Fearless as she is, Tala is supporting women's choice to wear anything without the constant fear of persecution. A legal loophole has allowed a man in Pakistan to kill his daughter to 'save family honour', and get away with murder. His defense? None. He literally pardoned himself Azlan DuPree flickr This, despite Pakistan passing the Anti-Honour Killing Laws 2016 just days ago. The law defines strict punishment for honour killing, even when family members pardon the killer. This was the basis of over a thousand honour killings in Pakistan every year, for which no convictions had been made. However, the crime is still a "compoundable offence", which allows charges dropped against the accused after a compromise with the complainant. The accused, Faqeer Muhammad,therefore pardoned himself, and also son and nephew who were accomplices. His statement: "The deceased, Kiran Bibi, was my real daughter. She was unmarried at the time of her murder. There are no other legal heirs of the deceased except her mother, Bushra Bibi, and me. "I have forgiven the accused persons in the name of Almighty Allah, and have no objection to their acquittal. I also waive my right of Qisas (retribution) and Diyat (blood money)." reuters Muhammad shot his daughter and her alleged lover, Ghulam Abbas, 'to save family honour' in 2014, and his son and nephew allegedly abetted the crime. Before 'Honour Killing', Her Ex-Husband Allegedly Raped Samia Shahid In Pakistan In an FIR, Abbas' mother named the 3 in an FIR. However, since she requested that the murder of her son be made a compoundable offence, they forgave the men. As the girl's only living heirs, now it was the girl's very killers who were allowed to forgive themselves. Pak Teenage Girl Burnt By Her Own Mother And Brother For Marrying A Man She Loved India's second biggest private oil company is now under Russian control. In what will be the largest FDI deal in the history of the country, Russias state-controlled oil giant Rosneft and its partners took over Indias second biggest private oil firm Essar Oil in an all-cash deal valued at about $13 billion. ou Reuters Rosneft bought a 49 per cent stake in Essar Oils refinery, port and petrol pumps, while Netherlands-based Trafigura Group Pte, one of the worlds biggest commodity trading companies, and Russian investment fund United Capital Partners split another 49 per cent equity equally. The remaining 2 per cent will be held by minority shareholders after delisting of Essar Oil. The deal has an enterprise value of close to USD 12.9 billion USD 10.9 billion being for a 20 million tons a year refinery in Gujarat and over 2,700 petrol pumps and another USD 2 billion for Vadinar port in Gujarat. The deal factors in Essar Oils debt of about USD 4.5 billion and about USD 2 billion debt with the port company. Also, the near USD 3 billion dues to Iran for past oil purchases will continue to be on Essar Oil books. Trafigura, which has been funded by Russian bank, may sell its stake to Rosneft at a later date. Reuters We would be utilising significant portion of the deal proceeds in debt reduction. Group debt will reduce by about 50 per cent, said Prashant Ruia, Director, Essar Group. Essar Group, one of Indias largest and most indebted conglomerates, would trim its about Rs 88,000 crore (over USD 13 billion) debt by half and ward off creditor pressure. The 49 per cent stake Trafigura and UCP are picking will be split between the two in 49:49 ratio while Essar Group will hold the remaining 2 per cent. Ruia said the equity value of the deal is on or about Essar Oils delisting price of USD 5.8 billion. Of the USD 12.9 billion value, USD 6.5 billion is for the debt with Essar Oil and port company. Another USD 0.5 billion is for working capital, leaving USD 5.9 of equity value which is equal to the delisting price of Essar Oil. Reuters Ruia said as per SEBI order the shareholders of Essar Oil will be paid if the final equity value of the deal with Rosneft is higher than the delisting price. We will get to know of that when the deal closes in first quarter of 2017, he said. The acquisition is the biggest in India and largest outbound deal for Russia. The all cash deal is expected to close in first quarter of 2017. The deal was announced as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting here of the leaders of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). Ruia said Rosneft will continue to use Essar brand for the retail operations. We have signed a branding agreement under which retail outlets will continue to use Essar brand because it is a very strong brand. We are not exiting oil and gas business. We continue to own and operate the Stanlow refinery in UK which is a 12 million tons refinery and has 12-13 per cent market share. Also, the upstream exploration and production business is not part of the deal, he said. He said two agreements were signed on Saturday for the sale. The first sale and purchase agreement envisages the sale of 49 per cent to Petrol Complex Pte Ltd (a subsidiary of PJSC Rosneft Oil Company); the second envisages the sale of the remaining 49 per cent to Kesani Enterprises Company Limited (owned by a consortium led by Trafigura and United Capital Partners) at an enterprise valuation of Rs 72,800 crore (USD 10.9 billion). Reuters An additional Rs 13,300 crore (USD 2 billion) will be paid for the acquisition of Vadinar Port, which has world-class storage and import/export facilities, Ruia said. As per the deal, Essar Energy Holdings Ltd and Oil Bidco (Mauritius) Ltd which control Essar Oil signed separate agreements for the 98 per cent stake sale. Russias VTB Bank PJSC will lend Essar USD 3.9 billion to restructure debt, said Andrey Kostin, VTB CEO. Rosneft itself will pay about USD 3.5 billion for the Essar deal, Ruia said. We plan to utilise proceeds from the stake sale to deleverage the Group and pave the way for strategic consolidation and growth in other businesses, Ruia said. Essar Oil, part of a steel-to-ports conglomerate controlled by the billionaire Ruia brothers, operates a 405,000-barrels-a-day refinery at Vadinar in Gujarat. The refining complex also has a captive power plant as well as a port and terminal facilities. Reuters The deal is the single largest foreign investment in the Indian refining sector and will strengthen the ties between the worlds largest oil producer and the worlds fastest growing fuel consumer. The all-cash deal encompasses Essar Oils 20 million tonne refinery in Gujarat and its pan-India retail outlets, Ruia said. The deal includes the refinery as well as the Vadinar port and more than 2,700 retail gas stations. The initial transaction will not include a power plant serving the refinery, which could be transferred later after getting necessary approvals. The closing of the transaction is conditional upon receiving requisite regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. We expect to obtain the relevant approvals before the end of this year, Ruia said. Reuters While the refining sector is delicensed with 100 per FDI allowed, the deal will not as such need any major regulatory approval in India. It will only need an approval by the Competition Commission of India. The 20 million tonne oil refinery in Vadinar accounts for 9 per cent of Indias total refining output and is supported by a 1,010 MW captive power plant, Ruia said. The additional Rs 13,300 crore that the new stakeholders have agreed to pay is for the 58 million tonne deep draft port in Vadinar that helps in importing crude and exporting finished products, he said. Initially, Ruias wanted to shed only 49 per cent in favour of Rosneft but the USD 3.2 billion they would have got from the Russian company wasnt enough to pay off the USD 4.5 billion debt on the companys books. A larger 74 per cent stake was offered to Rosneft but that idea was dropped as the Russian company faces US sanctions and by a virtue of its majority stake Essar Oil too would have come on that list. At this stage, Trafigura was roped in and offered 24 per cent stake. Trafigura, which has close ties to Rosneft, was to finance its acquisition by taking loan from Russias VTB Capital, part of state-controlled bank VTB. The deal includes the Vadinar refinery as well as the Vadinar port and more than 2,700 petrol pumps. A power plant serving the refinery as well as companys coal-bed methane? (CBM) blocks are not included in the deal. As part of the deal, Rosneft-Trafigura will also take over the debt of Essar Oil and the port and terminal company. Ruia said VTB Capital has played a major role in the transaction, which has been structured in such a way that it does not invite US sanctions on Essar Oil. Last year, US Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had issued a Crimea Sanctions Advisory, adding Rosneft and its subsidiaries to its Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List in retaliation for the Russians invasion of eastern Ukraine. Reuters Entities on this list are subject to economic and trade sanctions on grounds that they pose a risk to US national security and are in violation of US foreign policy objectives. Rosneft had in July last year signed a non-binding agreement to buy a 49 per cent stake in Essar Oil. This was followed by December 2015 deal wherein Rosneft was to supply Vadinar refinery with 200,000 barrels of crude per day (10 million tons a year) for 10 years. Sources said Trafigura may at a later stage transfer its stake to Rosneft. Trafigura handles most of the crude exported by Rosneft. This has propelled Trafigura to being the worlds second-biggest independent oil trader, handling more than 4 million barrels a day. Russia is seeking to expand its energy ties in Asia amid tensions with the West sparked by Moscows annexation of Crimea in 2014. Rosneft, the worlds largest listed oil producer by output, is looking at south Asia for downstream investments as it sees the region as becoming a fast-growing market for its oil. India which depends on imports for about 80 per cent of its needs is set to taking over from China as the main driver of global oil demand growth this year. India is the worlds third-largest oil consumer, behind China and the US. Rosneft is reportedly discussing investing USD 13 billion in a new refinery project in Indonesia with Pertamina, the countrys state-controlled oil and gas company. Russian oil producers have been relatively sheltered from the collapse in crude prices by the decline of the rouble, which has helped them to reduce costs. A progressive taxation system under which the Russian government has absorbed most of the decline in oil prices has also boosted the producers. Russia has signed huge deals to deliver oil and gas to China and allowed Chinese companies to buy stakes in large energy projects. Indian companies have also snapped up stakes in production assets in Siberian fields. ONGC, Oil India and Indian Oil are investing USD 5.5 billion to buy stakes in Rosnefts Vankor and Taas-Yuryakh fields. Reuters Chinese and Indian state firms have expressed an interest in taking a stake in Rosneft, as the Russian state plans to sell 19.5 per cent of the company this year. The state would retain control of the company, in which BP of UK already has a near 20 per cent stake. Russia ranked 20th among countries with a total investment of just about USD 1.2 billion in India in the last 16 years. Mauritius gave nearly USD 96 billion, while Singapore and the UK have invested USD 46 billion and USD 23 billion each in India. Oil sector attracted about USD 6.68 billion in foreign investment. Commenting on the the Essar-Rosneft deal, ICICI Bank MD & CEO Chanda Kochhar said: This deal is the largest ever foreign acquisition in India. It proves the attractiveness of the Indian energy market to foreign investors as India is one of the fastest growing fuel consuming economies in the world. She further said: This deal is also a significant step in the process of deleveraging the balance sheets of Indian corporates. ICICI Bank has been closely working with various companies including the Essar Group to help them deleverage their stressed balance sheets. We will continue working towards this objective with others. The joint forces of Iraqi Army, the Peshmerga forces, the Shia militias all with the backing and coordination of the US troops present in the country, has launched one of the biggest offensives in against the Islamic State in Iraq's second largest. Mosul, city on Monday. AFP Mosul is strategically important for ISIS which is rapidly losing ground to local forces in both Iraq and Syria. Retaking the city, which in 2014, ISIS made the announcement of its infamous 'Caliphate' from the terror group would be a sweet revenge for the battered Iraqi government. Announcing the operation on national TV, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said, "We will meet soon on the ground of Mosul to celebrate liberation and your salvation." But it is easier said than done, as the world is bracing for a human catastrophe to the scales unseen in recent times. Uncertainty over how long the war could take In the initial phase, the coalition army is making rapid progress, taking over ISIS controlled villages on the outskirts on the very first day. But ISIS, which is still putting up a brave face with its propaganda videos is giving up territory only after tough fights. As the war reaches the urban centre, the so-called capital of ISIS in Iraq they jihadists are expected to increase their resistance. AFP With the war becoming a close-range house to house fight, there is one problem - nobody knows how long it will continue. While some including the UN estimates to could take weeks, others feel it could go on for months. However, given the firepower at their possession, most of the observers expect that ISIS should be driven out sooner rather than later. What next? This is the biggest challenge the groups currently fighting united seems unaware of. Just like in case of the US invasion of Iraq of 2003, the combined troops will be able to liberate Mosul, but they just like the Americans a decade ago have no plans for the future of the city. Reuters The US and Iraqi governments said that it will the Iraqi army which will go to Mosul as it is 'their war'. However, others like the Peshmerga and other Shia militias who are currently fighting alongside with them may have second thoughts once the city is fallen. Fear of sectarian divide Mosul is Sunni majority city in a Shia dominated country. With the Shia militias and the predominantly Shia Iraqi Army, allegedly supported by Iran, in control of the city, there is a looming threat of sectarian cleansing. In fact one of the main reasons for Mosul to fall to ISIS in 2014 was the residents discontent over the then government led by Nouri al-Maliki, who is a Shia. Reuters An analyst while talking to Paris based France 24 said that the Shias could even take revenge for the battle of Karbala, which happened in the 7th century on the Sunnis if the Shia militias gain control. Other Sunni states getting involved With Turkey becoming a key player in the fight against ISIS at least in Syria, once if the Shia militias gain control over the Sunni dominated area, there is a fear Ankara and other Sunni countries in the neighbourhood like Saudi Arabia and will get involved in case of sectarian flare-up. Unprecedented humanitarian crisis The battle of Mosul is taking place in a city of 1.5 million residents. Before the announcement of the operation, Iraqi Army had for days dropped leaflets warning the residents to stay inside their homes. But once the war intensifies millions are expected to flee for safety. The UN and its refugee agency, the High Commission for Refugees is expecting the displacement of millions of people who had been living under the ISIS siege for the past two years. AFP They have already set up camps in anticipation for the inflow of the displaced. But it is not easy for the residents to flee either. ISIS is believed to have planted booby-traps and IEDs across routes that lead out of the city. This is to stop them fleeing and use them as possible human shields as the war escalates. What after Mosul? The operation in Mosul coincides with another offensive launched on the other front in Syria against ISIS. Supported by Turkish army, the Syrian opposition fighters have driven ISIS out of Dabiq, a city which had huge symbolic significance for the terror group. According to an Islamic prophecy, an apocalyptic war between Muslim and infidels will be fought in Dabiq at the end of time. It was so significant to the ISIS propaganda that they even named their English magazine after the city. Once Mosul falls the world powers could turn their attention to Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the Islamic States Caliphate. AFP Unlike in Iraq, in Syria things are even more complicated. Any rebel move that could unsettle Bashar al-Assad, will be heavily dealt with by his ally Russia. Also NATO member Turkey will have to go-head-on-head against another NATO member US who is backing Kurdish rebels PKK. This is because Turkey considers PKK, the armed wing of Kurdistan Workers' Party, a terrorist group. Reuters The US, however, considers PKK an ally in the fight against ISIS. If the war spreads to Syria the world powers could come face to face with Russia, Syria and Iran on the one side and US and its western allies on the other side. If the ordinary lineup of Facebook puppy kitten videos bore the hell out of you, here's something - war. As you read this, tens of thousands of Iraqis, Kurds, French artillery forces and US First Infantry Division have united to erase ISIS from their last Iraqi stronghold, Mosul. This theatre of war makes for great live theatre, and it is now being live streamed on Facebook. News outlets including Al Jazeera and England's Channel 4 are broadcasting the invasion of Mosul. Just like any other high impact Facebook Live video, users are a part of the experience, and smilies, hearts and frowny faces are flying across the screen. Thousands of jihadi militants are being swarmed from all sides by 30,000 coalition forces, and on display is going to be tactical firepower and smoke, the kind you'd pay good money to watch in HD. ISIS is putting on a fierce front, firing mortars on fighter jets, while engaging forces with small arms and artillery. Battle of Mosul streaming live on Facebook. Technology: 1, Humanity: 0 pic.twitter.com/vh9mAbgLCd Ben Collins (@BenCollins1776) October 18, 2016 Oh, and the US army is flying in relief aid, food - everything Iraq may need. #Iraq 9th division advances toward #Mosul from south eat, several villages has been recaptured . pic.twitter.com/HYRy1xwTfD Ammar karim (@ammar_afp) October 17, 2016 "Mosul battle is starting." "They always say that how do you know?" "Kurds are livestreaming it on Facebook." "Oh. Fucking 2016, man." MENA_Conflict (@MENA_Conflict) October 17, 2016 Mosul - a war with selfies at 20,000 ft. Also available on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. https://t.co/y89kA1yImB Patrick Wintour (@patrickwintour) October 18, 2016 Source: New Zealand War Graves Project An Otago soldier executed for mutiny is to be remembered this year at the Shot at Dawn Memorial in England. An Otago soldier executed for mutiny is to be remembered this year at the Shot at Dawn Memorial in England. Jack Braithwaite, of Dunedin, volunteered for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in May 1915. He served in Egypt and was later sent to France in April 1916. While serving in France, he fell foul of the military authorities on a number of occasions, losing his rank as lance corporal in May 1916. He went absent without leave, served at the front for a short time, and was later imprisoned after again leaving his unit, receiving further terms in military prison after seeking to escape. His attempt to defuse an incident involving a group of Australian and New Zealand prisoners and a military policeman at a military prison resulted in his being charged with mutiny. British military leader General Sir Douglas Haig confirmed the court-martial sentence, and he was executed on October 29, 1916 at Rouen. He was one of at least 16 children of bookseller Joseph Braithwaite, who was mayor of Dunedin in 1905, and he was one of six sons from the family to die in World War 1. The Shot at Dawn Memorial, created in 2000, is a monument at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas, in Staffordshire, England. Posts for Mr Braithwaite and two other "mutineers" Scottish Gunner William Lewis and Welsh Corporal Jesse Short will be added to the Shot at Dawn monument at a ceremony on October 29. The trio were among the 309 soldiers granted formal pardons by the British Ministry of Defence in 2006, after a campaign for those executed by their own side, often after hurried and unsatisfactory courts martial. The campaign battled for them to be declared victims of World War 1, because many of those shot were suffering from shell shock. Because of the efforts of many concerned people, including historians and politicians, particularly former Invercargill MP Mark Peck, Mr Braithwaite and four other New Zealand servicemen who were executed during World War 1 were pardoned by the New Zealand Parliament in September 2000. Brigadier Evan Williams, of New Zealand, will attend the ceremony on October 29, along with relatives of Mr Braithwaite, including his nephew David Braithwaite. World War 1 soldier executed for mutiny to be honoured at National Memorial Arboretum The Shot at Dawn Memorial, created in 2000, is a monument at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas, in Staffordshire, England. In the mist of an anaemic French dawn, the weak sunlight burning through leaden skies, they placed the blindfold over Jack Braithwaites eyes. He stiffened against the whitewashed wall, the wisps of breath from his open mouth quickening. These were Jack Braithwaites horrifying last moments. At 6.05am on October 29, 1916, Jack was executed by firing squad, joining the ranks of those slaughtered by his own side. His death on that barren patch of land in Rouen came minutes after one Gunner Lewis was shot. Jack, aged 31, heard the rifles crackle and the sound turned his legs to jelly. His crime: mutiny. But that incendiary word paints a picture that does not fit the act that cost Jack his life. Jack, who openly admitted at his court martial, I am not a born soldier, just a Bohemian journalist, was guilty of a misdemeanour, not mutiny. On August 28, 1916, the New Zealander, who had proved truly troublesome to Army top brass, found himself at Number 1 Prison, Blargies, a military lock-up noted for its toughness. The simmering ill-feeling among inmates turned into open rebellion on that day. A tough Aussie named Private Little complained bitterly and loudly about the lack of hot water in the showers. The matter escalated, with Little banging on tables and demanding his meal. Others joined the insurrection, seizing the moment to air their own grievances. It was then Jack, known as Bohemian Jack because of his artistic bent, made his fatal mistake. In a bid to defuse a potential riot, Jack, who was on mess duty, led furious Little to his tent and fed him. He had, however, taken Little from the custody of a staff sergeant. And that, in the armys book, constituted mutiny. Now, following a lobby by New Zealand historian Geoff McMillan, together with Richard Pursehouse and Lee Dent of Cannock-based Great War group The Chase Project, the trooper is to be honoured at a Staffordshire war memorial. Jacks name will be included in the Shot at Dawn tribute at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas. Created in 2000 by Birmingham artist Andy DeComyn, the area is a circle of 306 stakes, bearing the name of men posthumously pardoned after being executed by their own side, surrounding a statue of a blindfolded soldier. Created in 2000 by Birmingham artist Andy DeComyn, the area is a circle of 306 stakes, bearing the name of men posthumously pardoned after being executed by their own side, surrounding a statue of a blindfolded soldier. Created in 2000 by Birmingham artist Andy DeComyn, the area is a circle of 306 stakes, bearing the name of men posthumously pardoned after being executed by their own side, surrounding a statue of a blindfolded soldier. It is hoped Jacks stake will be installed before the centenary of his death. At the court martial, Jack, who spent every day of active service wondering what he was doing amid the mud, blood and brutality of the trenches, pleaded for his life. He was attempting to stem trouble, he insisted, and pointed out that in Egypt, where he had served, such actions had been punished with 14 days imprisonment. I cannot understand that a simple act of peace-making could be brought to look like deliberate mutiny, he protested. Jack, a member of 2nd battalion Otago Regiment, also pointed out the sacrifices his family had made for the war effort. Two brothers had been killed in action, two wounded and invalided back home. Two more were training to join the fray. The Braithwaites had paid a heavy price. In an attempt to win sympathy, Jack added to the mix the fact he was due to marry the best girl in the entire world. He partially won over the trials convening officer, Lieutenant-General Clayton, who recommended that the sentence be commuted to 10 years penal servitude, concluding the evidence bore out the defendants version of events. But his recommendations were not accepted by the court. Jack and three Australians involved in the prison clash were sentenced to death by firing squad. There is credence in claims made by Jacks family that he was a sacrificial lamb. Despite being sentenced to death, the Army knew there was little chance that the Australians would face a firing squad. The execution of any trooper from Down Under needed the approval of the Australian Governor General. And he did not share Allied chief Sir Douglas Haigs appetite for killing our own men. The three Aussies, who all played a greater role in the near jail riot than Jack, had their sentence commuted to two years hard labour. But Haig and his cronies had to make a point, had to show that flagrant disobedience would result in death. That factor, plus the powder keg atmosphere at the prison and Jacks poor disciplinary record meant clemency was not an option. He had, after all, proved more than problematic during his stint on The Front. In May, 1916, Jack lost his stripes for going AWOL and didnt seem to give a fig about it. He allegedly retorted: Let duty and soldiering go to hell. His only time in the trenches, from May 14 to 22, ended ignominiously. He again went missing from his unit, armed with a forged leave pass. That earned him 60 days field punishment, but by this time Jack had decided war was not for him. He again escaped on July 7, was caught and sentenced to two years hard labour. Even then, he tried to do a runner while being transferred to the British Armys Blargies prison. | 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 Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! Source: Otago Daily Times , John Lewis, October 16, 2016Source: Birmingham Mail, October 17, 2016 The French shipbuilder DCNS presented today the [email protected] frigate design a new heavily-armed frigate made for the international market. The new design was unveiled today at the Euronaval Exhibition in Paris-Le Bourget. The new [email protected] class renews the heavily-armed 4,000-tonne frigate segment. It follows the companys La Fayette-class frigates, of which over twenty units were built and are operational with four navies around the world. The [email protected] design is positioned between the 6,000-tonne FREMM multi-mission frigate segment and that of the 2,500- to 3,000-tonne GOWIND corvettes. This size class is suitable for navies looking for a compact frigate, capable of ensuring long-range ocean-going missions, operating alone or embedded in a naval force on the high seas, or as part of coastal surveillance missions in a dense and hostile environment. Similar vessels currently available from other shipbuilders are the German Meko 200 class (3,600 ton) and Russian Project 22350 Gorshkov class (4,500 ton) and Chinese Type 054 light frigates (3,000-4,000 ton). DCNS already offers a French-Navy version of the new class of frigate, known as the Frigate Intermediate-Size frigate (Fregates de Taille Intermediaire FTI), a development program conducted by the French Procurement Agency (DGA) on behalf of the French Navy. For the French-Navy version, the [email protected] frigate is designed to meet specific requirements to be a front-line frigate for anti-submarine warfare of a displacement of 4,000 tons. To support this mission Thales will provide the compact version of its CAPTAS-4 towed-array sonar currently in service on the FREMM multi-mission frigates. According to Thales, the new, compact version provides frigate class vessels the ASW detection capabilities of much larger destroyers, as it delivers the same very long-range detection performance with 20% lower weight and a footprint almost 50% smaller. The frigate also will be equipped with Sea Fire radar also made by Thales, and the Aster 30 air defense missile system from MBDA, to offer area self-defense. The Sea Fire is designed to perform in the complex conditions of the littoral or in heavily jammed environments to counter conventional, asymmetric or emerging air and surface threats. The new radar is suitable for all types of corvettes and frigates. The vessel will also support commando operations. Other systems from Thales include the Aquilon integrated naval communication system and the Sentinel an ESM system for electronic warfare. According to DCNS, [email protected] offers a modular design, robustness, and simplified use, along with a high degree of operational intelligence. The company has based its design on significant operational experience gathered in various naval theaters, with the FREMM multi-mission frigate, DCNSs latest frigate. It also relies on the architecture and versatility of DCNSs SETIS combat management system, proven on the FREMM frigates and GOWIND corvettes. The ships design and command systems address mission compatibility with platform modularity, to increase the vessel payload or autonomy. Among the tasks to be performed by [email protected] are a submarine, and anti-air warfare, along with surface attack capabilities. Additionally, new capabilities are responding to new threats such as asymmetric warfare or cyber-defense. Resolutely oriented towards future operators in command of vessels beyond 2020, the [email protected] frigate benefits from digital technologies. Among the digital advantages offered by the new frigate is a greater performance for data processing and threat detection while at the same time allowing the crew to concentrate on tasks with the most added value. The digital architecture also enables the vessel to be upgraded throughout its life-cycle, supporting the incremental modernization of equipment, infrastructure, and system, to adapt to evolving operational conditions, future threats and the arrival of new capabilities. Were excited to announce that indmin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets. Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials. If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details. The announcement last week by the United States of the largest military aid package in its history to Israel was a win for both sides. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu could boast that his lobbying had boosted aid from $3.1 billion a year to $3.8bn a 22 per cent increase for a decade starting in 2019. Mr Netanyahu has presented this as a rebuff to those who accuse him of jeopardising Israeli security interests with his governments repeated affronts to the White House. In the past weeks alone, defence minister Avigdor Lieberman has compared last years nuclear deal between Washington and Iran with the 1938 Munich pact, which bolstered Hitler; and Mr Netanyahu has implied that US opposition to settlement expansion is the same as support for the ethnic cleansing of Jews. American president Barack Obama, meanwhile, hopes to stifle his own critics who insinuate that he is anti-Israel. The deal should serve as a fillip too for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic partys candidate to succeed Mr Obama in Novembers election. In reality, however, the Obama administration has quietly punished Mr Netanyahu for his misbehaviour. Israeli expectations of a $4.5bn-a-year deal were whittled down after Mr Netanyahu stalled negotiations last year as he sought to recruit Congress to his battle against the Iran deal. In fact, Israel already receives roughly $3.8bn if Congresss assistance on developing missile defence programmes is factored in. Notably, Israel has been forced to promise not to approach Congress for extra funds. The deal takes into account neither inflation nor the dollars depreciation against the shekel. A bigger blow still is the White Houses demand to phase out a special exemption that allowed Israel to spend nearly 40 per cent of aid locally on weapon and fuel purchases. Israel will soon have to buy all its armaments from the US, ending what amounted to a subsidy to its own arms industry. Nonetheless, Washingtons renewed military largesse in the face of almost continual insults inevitably fuels claims that the Israeli tail is wagging the US dog. Even The New York Times has described the aid package as too big. Since the 1973 war, Israel has received at least $100bn in military aid, with more assistance hidden from view. Back in the 1970s, Washington paid half of Israels military budget. Today it still foots a fifth of the bill, despite Israels economic success. But the US expects a return on its massive investment. As the late Israeli politician-general Ariel Sharon once observed, Israel has been a US aircraft carrier in the Middle East, acting as the regional bully and carrying out operations that benefit Washington. Almost no one blames the US for Israeli attacks that wiped out Iraqs and Syrias nuclear programmes. A nuclear-armed Iraq or Syria would have deterred later US-backed moves at regime overthrow, as well as countering the strategic advantage Israel derives from its own nuclear arsenal. In addition, Israels US-sponsored military prowess is a triple boon to the US weapons industry, the countrys most powerful lobby. Public funds are siphoned off to let Israel buy goodies from American arms makers. That, in turn, serves as a shop window for other customers and spurs an endless and lucrative game of catch-up in the rest of the Middle East. The first F-35 fighter jets to arrive in Israel in December their various components produced in 46 US states will increase the clamour for the cutting-edge warplane. Israel is also a front-line laboratory, as former Israeli army negotiator Eival Gilady admitted at the weekend, that develops and field-tests new technology Washington can later use itself. The US is planning to buy back the missile interception system Iron Dome which neutralises battlefield threats of retaliation it largely paid for. Israel works closely too with the US in developing cyberwarfare, such as the Stuxnet worm that damaged Irans civilian nuclear programme. But the clearest message from Israels new aid package is one delivered to the Palestinians: Washington sees no pressing strategic interest in ending the occupation. It stood up to Mr Netanyahu over the Iran deal but will not risk a damaging clash over Palestinian statehood. Some believe that Mr Obama signed the aid package to win the credibility necessary to overcome his domestic Israel lobby and pull a rabbit from the hat: an initiative, unveiled shortly before he leaves office, that corners Mr Netanyahu into making peace. Hopes have been raised by an expected meeting at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday. But their first talks in 10 months are planned only to demonstrate unity to confound critics of the aid deal. If Mr Obama really wanted to pressure Mr Netanyahu, he would have used the aid agreement as leverage. Now Mr Netanyahu need not fear US financial retaliation, even as he intensifies effective annexation of the West Bank. Mr Netanyahu has drawn the right lesson from the aid deal he can act against the Palestinians with continuing US impunity. - See more at: http://www.jonathan-cook.net/2016-09-19/palestinians-lose-in-us-military-aid-deal-with-israel/#sthash.fL4Eq28N.dpuf Blowback for American Sins in the Philippines By Stephen Kinzer October 18, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Boston Globe "- Sometimes Americans think we have won a war, only to realize years or decades later that our victory was incomplete. Now we are facing an eruption of anger over a war we waged more than a century ago. Rarely has blowback from an overseas intervention come back to haunt us so long after the shooting stopped. This unexpected challenge has emerged from the Philippines. The new president, Rodrigo Duterte, recently announced plans to pull his country out of Americas orbit and adopt an independent foreign policy. I am anti-West, he explained. I do not like the Americans. Its simply a matter of principle for me. Dutertes grievance is rooted in history. Americans, he asserted, unjustly seized the Philippines in 1899, waged a horrific military campaign to suppress native resistance, and have not even apologized to the Filipino nation. He waved photographs showing bodies of Filipinos killed in that war. Soon after Duterte made that startling speech, his foreign minister, Perfecto Yasay, went even further. In 1899, Yasay asserted, the United States arrogated our victory in the struggle for freedom and then used invisible chains to bind Filipinos into shackling dependency. Americans, he said, treat Filipinos as little brown brothers not capable of true independence or freedom. To escape from that humiliation, he concluded, the Philippines must end its subservience to United States interests. Most Americans would have no idea what these new Filipino leaders are talking about. We forgot the Philippine War long ago. Filipinos remember it vividly. It stands with the horrors of Japanese occupation during World War II as one of their great national traumas. A very old debt is finally coming due. Relations between our countries began with shattering violence. Americans helped crush Spanish power over the Philippines in 1898, but rather than allow independence, the United States took the islands as a colony. President William McKinley directed Filipinos to accept benevolent assimilation and submit to the strong arm of authority. Senator George Frisbie Hoar of Massachusetts called this a message of tyranny, of hate, of oppression, and of slaughter. Many Filipinos agreed. They rebelled against American power. The resulting war left hundreds of thousands of dead. Americans ruled the Philippines until finally, after retaking the island from Japanese occupiers, allowing independence in 1946. For most of the 70 years since then, we have guided Filipino security policy. That may now be changing. Today, American military commanders are pressing two strategic projects in the Philippines. First, they want the Philippines to be a bulwark in our campaign to confront China and resist its claims in the South China Sea. Just as we push our European allies to take a hard line against Russia rather than seeking compromise, we want Asian countries to defy China, not accommodate its interests. In April, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced in Manila that the American and Filipino navies had begun joint patrols in the South China Sea. There will be a regular, periodic presence here of American forces, he added. That now seems uncertain. Advertisement The new Filipino government has declared that it will do precisely what the United States does not want: recognize geopolitical realities and begin talks with China aimed at peacefully settling our disputes. There is no danger that these talks could lead to Chinese dominance over the Philippines, Foreign Minister Yasay insisted. Painful experience under the thumb of a white big brother, he said, has produced a national resolve never to allow any other nation to bully us. The Pentagon also considers the Philippines an active front in its war on terror. A Muslim-led insurgency is raging on the island of Mindanao. Hundreds of US Special Forces troops are reportedly deployed there. Their precise mission is unclear, but it is based on the premise, widely shared in Washington, that the best way to weaken insurgents is with firepower. President Duterte believes the opposite. Rather than reinforce American counterinsurgency forces, he wants them out. American troops, he said, intensify wars rather than calming them. For as long as we stay with America, we will never have peace, he reasoned. Special Forces, they have to go. Then he ungenerously referred to the results of American intervention in Vietnam, Iraq, and Syria. Since taking office in June, Duterte has been unfailingly provocative. He has publicly cursed the pope, the president of the United States, and the secretary general of the United Nations. His encouragement of vigilante violence, which has led to several thousand murders, suggests that he is being fully honest when he says, I dont care about human rights. His foreign policy turnaround is another sharp break with Filipino tradition. All of this has made him immensely popular. According to one recent opinion poll, 76 percent of Filipinos support him. This is the massacre at Jolo look at the bodies there, Duterte said as he displayed gruesome photos taken after an American attack in 1906. Americans might find it puzzling that a Filipino president would use the story of this long-ago massacre to justify ending his countrys security partnership with the United States. Invasions and occupations, it turns out, leave deep scars. They provoke anger that becomes part of collective memory. It is passed down through generations. That is why a 110-year-old atrocity has suddenly leaped from the pages of history to reshape todays world. Stephen Kinzer is a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. Follow him on Twitter @stephenkinzer. The announcement last week by the United States of the largest military aid package in its history to Israel was a win for both sides. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu could boast that his lobbying had boosted aid from $3.1 billion a year to $3.8bn a 22 per cent increase for a decade starting in 2019. Mr Netanyahu has presented this as a rebuff to those who accuse him of jeopardising Israeli security interests with his governments repeated affronts to the White House. In the past weeks alone, defence minister Avigdor Lieberman has compared last years nuclear deal between Washington and Iran with the 1938 Munich pact, which bolstered Hitler; and Mr Netanyahu has implied that US opposition to settlement expansion is the same as support for the ethnic cleansing of Jews. American president Barack Obama, meanwhile, hopes to stifle his own critics who insinuate that he is anti-Israel. The deal should serve as a fillip too for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic partys candidate to succeed Mr Obama in Novembers election. In reality, however, the Obama administration has quietly punished Mr Netanyahu for his misbehaviour. Israeli expectations of a $4.5bn-a-year deal were whittled down after Mr Netanyahu stalled negotiations last year as he sought to recruit Congress to his battle against the Iran deal. In fact, Israel already receives roughly $3.8bn if Congresss assistance on developing missile defence programmes is factored in. Notably, Israel has been forced to promise not to approach Congress for extra funds. The deal takes into account neither inflation nor the dollars depreciation against the shekel. A bigger blow still is the White Houses demand to phase out a special exemption that allowed Israel to spend nearly 40 per cent of aid locally on weapon and fuel purchases. Israel will soon have to buy all its armaments from the US, ending what amounted to a subsidy to its own arms industry. Nonetheless, Washingtons renewed military largesse in the face of almost continual insults inevitably fuels claims that the Israeli tail is wagging the US dog. Even The New York Times has described the aid package as too big. Since the 1973 war, Israel has received at least $100bn in military aid, with more assistance hidden from view. Back in the 1970s, Washington paid half of Israels military budget. Today it still foots a fifth of the bill, despite Israels economic success. But the US expects a return on its massive investment. As the late Israeli politician-general Ariel Sharon once observed, Israel has been a US aircraft carrier in the Middle East, acting as the regional bully and carrying out operations that benefit Washington. Almost no one blames the US for Israeli attacks that wiped out Iraqs and Syrias nuclear programmes. A nuclear-armed Iraq or Syria would have deterred later US-backed moves at regime overthrow, as well as countering the strategic advantage Israel derives from its own nuclear arsenal. In addition, Israels US-sponsored military prowess is a triple boon to the US weapons industry, the countrys most powerful lobby. Public funds are siphoned off to let Israel buy goodies from American arms makers. That, in turn, serves as a shop window for other customers and spurs an endless and lucrative game of catch-up in the rest of the Middle East. The first F-35 fighter jets to arrive in Israel in December their various components produced in 46 US states will increase the clamour for the cutting-edge warplane. Israel is also a front-line laboratory, as former Israeli army negotiator Eival Gilady admitted at the weekend, that develops and field-tests new technology Washington can later use itself. The US is planning to buy back the missile interception system Iron Dome which neutralises battlefield threats of retaliation it largely paid for. Israel works closely too with the US in developing cyberwarfare, such as the Stuxnet worm that damaged Irans civilian nuclear programme. But the clearest message from Israels new aid package is one delivered to the Palestinians: Washington sees no pressing strategic interest in ending the occupation. It stood up to Mr Netanyahu over the Iran deal but will not risk a damaging clash over Palestinian statehood. Some believe that Mr Obama signed the aid package to win the credibility necessary to overcome his domestic Israel lobby and pull a rabbit from the hat: an initiative, unveiled shortly before he leaves office, that corners Mr Netanyahu into making peace. Hopes have been raised by an expected meeting at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday. But their first talks in 10 months are planned only to demonstrate unity to confound critics of the aid deal. If Mr Obama really wanted to pressure Mr Netanyahu, he would have used the aid agreement as leverage. Now Mr Netanyahu need not fear US financial retaliation, even as he intensifies effective annexation of the West Bank. Mr Netanyahu has drawn the right lesson from the aid deal he can act against the Palestinians with continuing US impunity. - See more at: http://www.jonathan-cook.net/2016-09-19/palestinians-lose-in-us-military-aid-deal-with-israel/#sthash.fL4Eq28N.dpuf LEBANON Incumbent Paul Aziz and challenger Forest Bosley are vying this fall for the position of mayor of Lebanon. Councilor Bob Elliott initially had thrown his name into the race but has chosen to withdraw it. Aziz, who was diagnosed with throat cancer earlier this fall, said he intends to keep campaigning in spite of the need to adjust his schedule to include treatment. In an earlier statement, Aziz told voters doctors say the cancer "is treatable and highly curable," and that treatment should last just seven weeks. For Aziz, re-election would mean the chance to "keep Lebanon moving in the right direction." He ran for mayor four years ago, he said, because he wasn't happy with the way the city government was operating. "Some things were doing very well such as economic development, but other things such as transparency and communications were not good," he recalled. "The City Council was contentious and did not get along well." Aziz set a goal of recording all council meetings and posting them online via YouTube, which he began in his first month of office. He also updated the city's website and led the effort to create Facebook pages for the police department, public library, Lebanon Senior Center and city government. "These new communications avenues along with some personnel changes in management have vastly improved how the city communicates with the citizens of Lebanon," he said. He also campaigned for a long-term plan and vision for the community. That led to completion of the Lebanon 2040 Vision and Action Plan, which included participation from some 1,300 residents. "We now have a road map for the next few years and beyond and we can make wiser decisions on the council, always working towards our goals and vision," he said. The city was in a tough place financially when Aziz first took office. Property tax revenue had been overestimated and an audit had pointed out that portions of some salaries were coming from budgets that were to have been reserved for other uses. The $500,000 budget reduction led to the layoff of about 10 employees and cuts to materials and services for all departments. However, Aziz said, "With our current council and City Manager we have taken many steps and we are now in a much better financial position." Bosley, the challenger, doesn't dispute that Lebanon has taken steps in the right direction. When he moved to town a decade ago, he said, he saw a town where the local economy had been badly damaged and the local Wal-Mart appeared to be the only real draw. "I fell in love with this town and I can see the potential in it," he said. Today, he said, he gets fewer bewildered looks when he tells people he's glad to live in Lebanon. However, "It needs to continue to grow and change and move in that direction," and he said he wants to be the one at the helm to take it there. Bosley's main point of disagreement with Aziz is the mayor's 2015 vote to ban recreational marijuana operations in the city. Aziz's vote broke the 3-3 tie and sent the ban question to voters next month for a final decision. Aziz might have had his own opinion, Bosley said, but his job is to represent the will of the people as a whole. Lebanon voters narrowly passed Oregon's Measure 91, which legalized the drug. Bosley said he sees recreational marijuana as a revenue source, and new sources are important to Lebanon to bolster its police force and possibly help pay for a planned new water treatment plant, the need for which is driving up both water costs and complaints from residents. Rising water prices are one of the main issues he sees facing the city. Oregonians voted to legalize recreational marijuana and the drug is of great interest, he said. People have already demonstrated they'll leave town in order to secure it, he said, and he doesn't believe they should have to. "I see it as a definite positive in town," he said. In an earlier interview, Aziz told the Lebanon Express he voted for the ban because he wasn't comfortable with retail marijuana sales within the city. Drugs already are a challenge for Lebanon, Aziz told the Democrat-Herald. "We need to continue to fully fund the police department and make sure we have sufficient resources to handle the drug issues in town. This also includes proactive awareness and crime prevention programs." Aziz also sees the economy as being an issue, although unemployment in Lebanon has dropped to 6.4 percent from 11.3 percent in February 2013. "We are seeing a big upturn with building permits up 70 percent from last year," he said. "We are working on addressing wetlands issues, which continue to hurt attracting new businesses to some of the large parcels in town." Bosley and Aziz agree that homelessness is one of the main issues facing the city. Aziz supports the council's choice to pass aggressive panhandling ordinances earlier this year, and to hire a community service officer to work in the parks and with the homeless. Bosley, who said he experienced homelessness himself at one point in his life, said he favors exploring public-private partnerships between the city, drug and alcohol counselors, nonprofits, volunteers and medical workers. He would like Lebanon to create a center where people without homes can stop in for help and resources. "Treat people like people," he said. "We are a community: That's one of the biggest strengths we have." A central defender of NPFL club, Shooting Stars, Joseph Izu passed away on Sunday after being hit by a stray bullet in a Rivers community. 24-year old Izu was in Rivers on holiday following the end of the 2016 NPFL season was allegedly shot by soldiers of the Joint Task Force at the community jetty. According to his father and several other residents, Izu was at the jetty to take a swim when suddenly JTF soldiers started shooting sporadically in the area. He was reportedly shot twice despite identifying himself to the soldiers. The JTF has not responded to the allegations. Nigerias first lady, Aisha Buhari will arrive Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday to address the African first Ladies forum. She is billed to give the opening remarks on Womens Role In Global Security. Aisha Buhari has been in the news in recent times for her repeated criticism of her husbands administration. She suggested that without any change, she would not support a reelection bid in 2019. The Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has advised Nigerians to stop eating imported rice and return to the pre-1980 era when indigenous rice was eaten only during festive periods. The governor also advised Nigerians to embrace family planning, saying stopping the eating of imported rice and limiting the number of children each couple gave birth to would be effective tools towards eradicating poverty in the country. Aregbesola said this in Osogbo on Monday at an event organised by the Osun State Agency for Community and Social Development to mark the 2016 International Day for Eradication of Poverty. The governor also said since laziness was a factor that engendered poverty, every adult should strive to be productively engaged, especially in the agriculture sector, to ensure an abundant availability of food. He said, If we work and pray, we will banish poverty from our environment. Rice was not a staple food in Nigeria before 1980. Ofada rice was the only rice eaten during festivities. We should return to the time when we were eating indigenous rice. We have cassava, plantain, beans and yam. We should return to the time when we were eating our indigenous foods. Secondly, we should embrace family planning. I am not asking you to kill the ones you have given birth to but we should stop the erroneous belief that we would be sick if we dont give birth to all the children in our body. The Orangun of Oke Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolurin, said in his goodwill message that Nigeria was going through suffering caused by economic crisis because of the neglect of the poor. Oba Abolarin, who is a lawyer, said lack and hunger being experienced were divine punishment that God promised to unleash on those who afflicted the poor. The monarch quoted Proverbs chapter 22 verses 22 -23 to buttress what he said. He called on the government and wealthy Nigerians to stand up against poverty by assisting the needy. The General Manager of the Community and Social Development Programme, Mrs. Funmi Abokede, lauded Aregbesola for the prompt payment of the states counterpart funds which, according to her, ensured the completion of the community development projects. Abokede explained that each state captured in the World Bank initiative would pay its counterpart funds before the bank would release the balance to be used for community development projects. The Chairman, Forum of Chairmen of Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities in the South-West, Mr. Kehinde Onitiju, said the Central Bank of Nigeria was making arrangements towards giving loans to people with disabilities to assist them to be economically productively. While commending the apex bank for this, he also appealed to Nigerians to lend a helping hand to the needy especially those with disabilities, saying they could do many things which would discourage them from begging. Source: Punch The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained the wife of former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode in Ado Ekiti. Mrs. Precious Fani-Kayode was reported to have been hosted by the governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, in Ado-Ekiti prior to her detention. Mrs. Fani-Kayode, who was with her 8-month-old son, was detained at an Access Bank branch in Ado-Ekiti around 3 p.m. by officials of the bank acting on orders of the EFCC. Her release was however secured by Fayose, who stormed the bank and intervened on the situation around 7 p.m. Mrs. Fani-Kayode said to newsmen after the whole saga that she was badly treated by the officials, and her baby was denied food. Im not a politician and that account had been dormant for about five years. I only activated it last month in Port Harcourt, she said. I decided to go to Access Bank to make some withdrawals when I was detained on the instruction of the EFCC. They told me account had been frozen and they were asked by the EFCC to arrest me on the spot. Mr. Fani-Kayode himself released a statement concerning the incident. He called EFCC and the present administration sick and cowardly. The statement read: The police on Tuesday arraigned a 36-year-old auditor, Omobolaji Ipadeola, in an Ikeja Magistrates Court sitting in Lagos for allegedly assaulting and tearing the uniform of a policeman. Ipadeola, a resident of Command Road, Ipaja, Lagos, is standing trial for alleged breach of peace and assault. The Prosecutor, Insp. George Nwosu, told the court that the accused committed the offences on Oct. 3 at Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos. Nwosu said the accused unlawfully assaulted a police sergeant on duty by hitting him and tearing his uniform. He said that a team of police officers were on patrol and stopped the accused who was driving his Honda Accord car, but he refused to stop. The accused refused to stop initially but was intercepted in traffic, he was then asked to produce his vehicle document but he refused. The police team leader instructed the complainant to take the accused to the station for questioning following his refusal to comply with their directive. But the accused refused to go to the station and started fighting with the complainant and in the process tore part of his uniform, he said. The offences contravened sections 166 and 172 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. Ipadeola pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in like sum. The Magistrate, Mr A.A Adesanya, adjourned the case till Oct. 26 for mention. Nigerian newspaper headlines today, October 18, 2016. Punch The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has accused the All Progressives Congress of pushing for another postponement of the Rivers legislative rerun fixed for October 2016. Thisday The Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, Senator Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, monday said he was so far satisfied with the current monetary policy measures adopted by the Central Banking of Nigeria (CBN) to get the economy on the right track. Guardian The President of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Anthony Nzom, has urged new fellows of the association to maintain the core values of good corporate governance, sustainability reporting and ethics. Vanguard The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, yesterday, accused Plateau State Government of detaining scores of Shiite minors, including a four-year-old girl, Salamatu Yunusa. Premium Times A Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, strategist, Deji Adeyanju, on Sunday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the latest aggression against members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria in different parts of the country. Leadership The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, arraigned one Joseph Ovbokhan Odubu and his company, Even Handed Services Limited before Justice P. I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court, sitting in Benin, Edo State on a three-count charge bordering on forgery, uttering and obtaining money by false presence to the tune of Nine Million Three Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira (N9, 360,000.00). A Nigerian pilot, Ademilola Odujinrin, has embarked on a mission to be the first African pilot to fly solo around the world. Odujinrin of Air Djibouti is carrying out his goal using a Cirrus aircraft and has already on Friday (October 14) begun the second leg taking off from North Weald airfield in the United Kingdom. The Chief Executive Officer of Air Djibouti, Mr Mario Fulgoni, gave details of the historic flight in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday. Fulgoni said, having already completed a transatlantic crossing from Washington D.C. in the light single-propeller aircraft, the Nigerian aviator is now heading to Malta. He will then head on to Djibouti, where he will fly as a commercial pilot for the national flag carrier. From there, Odujinrin will continue around the rest of the world, through India and Australia, and intends to set a further aviation milestone with the fastest U.S. coast-to-coast flight in a single-prop aircraft. According to him, the flight is part of Project Transcend, a foundation aimed at inspiring young people to achieve their goals, regardless of their personal circumstances. The airline boss then quoted Odujinrin as saying fewer than 115 people have completed a solo circumnavigation of the globe by air, and it has been my dream since my youth to join them. I hope to set a world first and inspire a generation of people in Africa and beyond. The Nigerian Senate has confirmed the nomination of Justice Eko Ejembi (Benue/North-Central) and Justice Amina Augie (Kebbi/North-West) as Justices of the Supreme Court. The two nominees, who were previously Justices of the Court of Appeal, were approved on Tuesday after President Muhammadu Buhari asked the Senate to confirm their nomination, and are expected to be inaugurated into the members of the Bench at the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Their confirmation was conducted through an electronic voting system in which a total of 38 Senators voted in support of Justice Eko while only 1 Senator voted against; while for the case of Justice Amina, a total of 39 votes were recorded, while one vote was invalid. The Senate, before the confirmation process, received the report of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters through its Chairman, Senator David Umaru. The committee had screened the two nominees and found them qualified. After the confirmation, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, congratulated the new Supreme Court Judges and charged them to be above board in the discharge of their duties. SEE ALSO: Count Me Out Of Bribery Of Judges Akpabio Super Eagles and Watford F.C striker, Odion Jude Ighalo, had reason to celebrate on Monday as one of his two boys turned 5 years. The European based player shared several pictures of his mini-me on social media in honour of the special day. He captioned one of them; Samuel Ighalo is 5 years today, age with grace son Minutes later, he shared another photo and wrote; ALBANY POLICE Theft arrest 1:49 p.m. Saturday, Linn County Jail. Tulsa Blue Harden, 25, of Albany, was arrested on charges of first-degree theft, possession of methamphetamine, endangering the welfare of a minor, violating a restraining order, unlawful possession of firearms and two failure to appear warrants. LINN COUNTY SHERIFF Vehicle theft arrest 9:50 a.m. Friday, Linn County Jail. Holly Ann Smith, 35, of Sweet Home, was arrested on a charge of unauthorized use of a vehicle. She was released without bail and scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 2. Burglary 6:04 a.m. Sunday, Lacomb Grocery, 34076 East Lacomb Road. A caller reported that the store had been burglarized the previous night. Cigarettes, lottery tickets and $400 in cash were stolen. Elude arrest 7:14 p.m. Sunday, Linn County Jail. Michael Adam Luckini, 20, of Scio, was arrested on charges of felony attempt to elude (vehicle), possession of methamphetamine, driving while suspended and second-degree criminal mischief. At about 5:52 p.m. in the 37000 block of Kelly Road, a deputy saw Luckini driving and knew his license was suspended, which resulted in a short pursuit. Luckini drove into a driveway and jumped out of the moving vehicle, which coasted into a pole barn, doing minor damage to the structure. Burglary 9:39 a.m. Monday, Sharing Hands, 107 W. Bishop Way, Brownsville. A suspect entered into the local charity thrift store and stole a laptop computer and hundreds of dollars in cash. Entry was made through a rear window. LEBANON POLICE Luring a minor arrest 9:13 p.m. Friday, Linn County Jail. Sonny Fredrick Lowells, 20, of Lebanon, was arrested on charges of luring a minor, second-degree online sexual corruption and third-degree sex abuse. He was scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 2. SWEET HOME POLICE Domestic assault arrest 9:50 p.m. Saturday, 1200 block Clark Mill Road. A woman reported that a man beat her up. Jacob Paul Hayes, 31, of Sweet Home, was arrested on charges of felony fourth-degree assault (domestic violence), interference with making a report and attempted strangulation. His initial bail was set at $56,000. Microsoft is cutting Unified Modeling Language (UML), the legacy modeling platform for visualizing software models, from Visual Studio 15. In explaining the decision, Microsoft's Jean-Marc Prieur, senior program manager for Visual Studio, said the UML designer tools were being used by very few customers -- a fact that was confirmed by consultation with sales and technical support teams. The company also was faced with investing significant engineering resources to react to changes happening in Visual Studio core for this release. [ From Docker containers and Nano Server to software-defined storage and networking improvements, Windows Server 2016 is packed with great additions: Get the scoop on Windows Server 2016 from InfoWorld. | Stay up on key Microsoft technologies with the Windows Report newsletter. ] "Removing a feature is always a hard decision, but we want to ensure that our resources are invested in features that deliver the most customer value," Prieur said. Anyone who is still a significant user of UML can continue to use Visual Studio 2015 or earlier versions while deciding on alternative tools. UML dates back to the 1990s and enables modeling of applications running on any type of hardware on any operating system and written in any language, but its usage has been in decline. The latest release, UML 2.5, was published in 2015. Object Management Group, which manages UML, declined to comment on Microsoft's actions. In comments on Microsoft's bulletin about UML, one commenter suggested open-sourcing the UML designers, saying that "this model potentially would enable community to provide VS 15 support if that would be needed. I would prefer it to any 'partner' solution." In the same bulletin, Prieur also said Microsoft continues to support visualizing .Net architecture and C++ code through code maps; Visual Studio 15 features improvements to Layer (dependency) validation for this purpose. The Layer designer, for specifying and validating dependencies in .Net code, is adding support for live architectural analysis with Preview 5. The dependency validation experience in the 15 release is intended to help developers respect the architectural constraints of an application as they edit code. Microsoft has published details about a new architecture for datacenters that uses reconfigurable hardware -- field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) -- to work as a datacenter-wide distributed computing system that can speed up many kinds of operations. The Configurable Cloud architecture isn't simply theory; Microsoft claims it's running such a setup right now in its own production datacenters to deliver search results faster -- and to pave the way toward speeding up other kinds of operations at scale. Faster together The paper, entitled "A Cloud-Scale Acceleration Architecture," was written for the 49th Annual IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Microarchitecture held this week in Taipei. It details how Microsoft had been using FPGAs in its datacenters as a "compute or network accelerator" system. The newest iteration of the idea, detailed in the paper, places FPGAs in line with the networking hardware -- what Microsoft calls a "bump in the wire" arrangement. Each FPGA can talk directly to every other FPGA in the datacenter, so the FPGAs become a flexible resource pool that can be partitioned as needed for different jobs. This change also means FPGAs aren't tied to working with any one specific node or CPU, as was the case in Microsoft's earlier implementation of the idea. Microsoft detailed two major ways the Configurable Cloud architecture can be used for greater speed. One is compute acceleration, where the FPGAs help offload certain kinds of computations from CPUs. Microsoft's main example was speeding up Bing searches by moving some of the most expensive work off the CPU and into the FPGA. Another speedup came in the form of accelerating network functions by offloading the encryption and decryption of network data onto the FPGAs. FPGAs of the datacenter, unite! The most ambitious idea Microsoft has in mind for Configurable Cloud involves using this mesh of FPGAs as an elastic compute resource. Most of the discussion in the paper entails how Microsoft stitched together such a mesh -- for instance, by creating its own networking protocol with extremely low round-trip latency and by using specialized crossbar-routing hardware devised to connect multiple FPGAs. Microsoft also dropped hints at what else might be possible with an FPGA mesh network -- what the company calls a hardware-as-a-service (HaaS) platform, which "manages FPGAs in a manner similar to Yarn and other job schedulers." Most distributed computations could be performed with such a setup, but one that comes readily to mind is machine learning applications -- not only because many of these applications can be easily partitioned across multiple nodes, but because certain portions of those problems can be accelerated directly on FPGAs. Microsoft further notes in the paper that its FPGA setup has some advantages over GPUs (among other kinds of hardware) for offloading work. The biggest is that GPUs can't really be linked in a mesh that's independent of the CPUs they're paired with. GPUs can talk to each other by way of technologies like NVLink, but those only enable GPU-to-GPU communication on the same box, not a mesh that spans multiple nodes. Machine learning? Maybe later As promising as Configurable Cloud sounds as a way to perform high-speed distributed work, don't expect FPGA-powered machine learning to catch on quickly. For one thing, the vast majority of machine learning still gets its biggest boost from GPU acceleration, thanks to the huge amount of industry support for GPUs in that line of work. FPGAs are still far more difficult to program for such applications, and new generations of GPUs specifically tailored to accelerate machine learning tasks are already showing up in the marketplace. That said, the rising interest in turning FPGAs into first-class citizens in datacenters could change that. Intel, for instance, has started experimenting with fusing FPGAs and conventional processors. The biggest takeaway from Microsoft's vision of an FPGA datacenter mesh is that it's intended to be a complementary technology -- not only for conventional datacenter technologies, but for other acceleration methods. GPUs and FPGAs could work side-by-side, each contributing their own kind of speedups. One possible goal is to provide a consistent option to program all the elements that could be woven into such a fabric -- and make it something that could work outside of Microsoft's datacenters. For many years I worked for Foundstone teaching hacking classes and doing penetration testing. It was the most enjoyable job I ever had. As part of that job, I traveled the world, including China, and got to determine firsthand which country had the best hackers. Although I didn't travel to Russia during that time, lots of Russian-born hackers showed up in my classes. Rumblings of cyberwar Foreign hacking is top of mind right now, thanks to Russia's attempts to shake up the U.S. presidential election. With a high degree of confidence, U.S. intelligence agencies say the highest levels of Russia's government are behind the Democratic National Committee email leaks intended to embarrass Hillary Clinton. According to the reports I've read, most of these Russian hacks seems to be based on simple password phishing. China has been involved in hacking American (and other) companies for decades. Most computer security experts believe that China already has every intellectual property secret it wants. I didn't believe the Chinese hacking rumors for years because accusers failed to provide public evidence. I've since changed my tune because many companies have released that evidence, and it appears quite convincing. Also, the Chinese government's tight control over its domestic internet makes it unlikely that Chinese hackers could have hacked U.S. targets without either direct orders -- or at least tacit acceptance. Regardless, recent evidence suggests that Chinese hacking against American companies has decreased since President Obama and Chinese leaders signed an antihacking agreement last year. I've been involved in dealing with advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks for more than a decade, and I'm personally hearing less complaints about Chinese intrusions. Which hackers cause the most damage? If by "damage" you mean frequency and severity of attacks, Chinese hackers take the No. 1 spot. Very likely tens of thousands of them, funded by the government, have broken into any company they like. I'm convinced they've stolen more secrets and intellectual property than any other country, with a single breach potentially incurring many millions of dollars in damage. I've seen American companies work on a secret new product, only to have a Chinese company release a very similar, if not identical product first. Sometimes even the wording in the documentation is identical. I've seen entire American company divisions shut down as a result. Russia's hackers are more focused on direct financial crime and probably incur hundreds of millions of dollars in damage each year. Who knows -- it could be billions of dollars. But if I compare the direct financial costs of Russia versus China, China probably wins that battle due to its theft of high-value intellectual property. What about Russia's impact on the American elections, especially if that hacking results in a presidency friendly to the Russian government? Luckily, despite Russia's best efforts, the American voting system is probably too much of a hodgepodge systems to be affected in a material way. Best hacking skills In my personal experience, the best hackers have always come from the United States or one of its friendly allies. I know that sounds biased, but when I taught hacking classes, the U.S. hackers always completed the hacking tests the fastest. In the Foundstone classes we ran little tests during the day that allowed our students to practice some skill we had taught them. Most students, regardless of country, tended to perform roughly the same. At the end of the class, we had a major capture-the-flag test, which required that students put together everything we had taught them, but in slightly different ways. It required thinking outside the box. U.S. students were always able to complete the major test and were always fastest. Unfortunately, my Foundstone experiences ended 10 years ago. Since then, several other countries have risen to become part of the elite club of hackers. Israel, for such a small country, has an enormous number of incredible hackers, and they enjoy a well-earned reputation as the best-thinking defenders. Who's the best? Sorry to disappoint you, but the real answer is that we don't know who's best. To be a "good" hacker you have to be invisible. The best hackers are the ones we don't see and don't know about. But the real irony is that breaking into most organizations requires little in the way of advanced techniques anyway. Even the elite hacking units don't use their best stuff unless they have to. Why hack smart and give away your best stuff when you can hack like any script kiddie and get into the same results without being discovered? Four U.S. lawmakers are questioning a Department of Justice decision to appeal a July court decision quashing a search warrant that would have required Microsoft to disclose contents of emails stored on a server in Ireland. Last Thursday, Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, filed an appeal of the ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. But the four lawmakers, two Republicans and two Democrats, said the DOJ should be working instead with them on legislation that gives law enforcement agencies access to data on foreign servers in limited cases. The DOJ should instead help fine tune the International Communications Privacy Act (ICPA), introduced earlier this year, the four sponsors said in a Friday letter. U.S. technology companies face a tough decision when receiving law-enforcement requests for data on servers in other countries, the letter said. They can either "comply with the demand and satisfy U.S. law and risk violating the privacy laws of the host country, or challenge U.S. law enforcement's request in order to comply with the laws of the host jurisdiction," the letter said. "No one should be placed in this untenable situation." The appeals court suggested that legislative action is needed to revamp the "badly outdated," 30-year-old Electronic Communications Privacy Act that governs law enforcement access to electronic communications, the lawmakers noted. "Federal judges have rightly concluded that current law does not provide U.S. law enforcement with authority to access data stored overseas," Senator Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican and ICPA sponsor, said in a statement Sunday. "We can strengthen privacy and promote trust in U.S. technologies worldwide while enabling law enforcement to fulfill its important public safety mission." Representatives of the DOJ and Bharara didn't immediately respond for comment on the letter. The Microsoft case has raised questions about the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes by accessing data across international borders. The DOJ is seeking access to email records of a drug trafficking suspect tied to the notorious Silk Road website. The suspect's email is stored on a Microsoft server in Ireland, and critics of the DOJ search warrant say the agency doesn't have the authority to compel companies to disclose information stored outside U.S. borders. If search warrants were enforceable across international borders, U.S. residents' data could be subject to search warrants from other countries, critics say. But the DOJ argues that technology companies now have the ability to store customer data in many different locations, potentially allowing criminals to skirt domestic search warrants. Microsoft stores customer data in about 40 countries, with the data stored closest to the location reported by the customer, Bharara noted in his appeal. "Microsoft makes no effort to verify the location reported by the customer," Bharara wrote in his appeal. The International Communications Privacy Act would, in many cases, prohibit U.S. law enforcement agencies from searching data stored in other countries. Law enforcement agencies could gain access if they show the suspect is a U.S. resident, or if the U.S. has a law enforcement cooperative agreement with the host country. U.S. investigators are exercising a broad legal authority to force suspects to unlock their smartphones. In a recent case, they demanded that anyone found inside a California residence comply by surrendering their fingerprints. In May, the federal prosecutors made the request as part of a search warrant, according to a court filing uncovered by Forbes. Those fingerprints were crucial to unlocking the smartphones, the Department of Justice argued. However, the federal investigators went beyond asking for the fingerprints of one suspect. Instead, they the sought authority to "depress the fingerprints" of everyone located at the California property. Legal experts say that the request is probably unprecedented, according to Forbes. It comes as law enforcement agencies have been trying to find ways to bypass the security on smartphones as part of their criminal investigations. The FBI, for instance, entered into a legal battle with Apple to gain access to an iPhone belonging to a San Bernardino mass shooter, by demanding that the company create a backdoor to the device. Although Apple refused to comply, the FBI still managed to unlock the phone through hiring an unknown third-party contractor. The U.S. courts, however, have given police the legal authority to access smartphones that can be unlocked with a fingerprint by compelling the owner to assist. Earlier this year, investigators obtained a search warrant from a Los Angeles court requiring a girlfriend of an Armenian gang member to use her fingerprint to unlock her iPhone. Despite the Fifth Amendment, which gives people the right to avoid self-incrimination, a court in Virginia ruled in 2014 that compelling suspects to hand over biometric data, including fingerprints, is still legal. However, divulging secret passwords such as PINs, is not. The court filing from the federal prosecutors in May also argued that its request didn't violate the Fifth Amendment. Federal investigators didn't know the identity of every phone at the California residence, but Apple, Motorola, HTC and Samsung all produce devices with a fingerprint lock, they argued. AI and its many subsets, including machine learning and bots, have been incredibly hyped of late, claiming to revolutionize the way humans interact with machines. InfoWorld, for example, has reviewed the machine learning APIs offered by the major clouds. Everyone wonders who will be the big winner in this new world. Bad new for those who like drama: The war may already be over. If AI is only as good as the algorithms -- and more important, the data fed to them -- who can hope to compete with Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft, all of which continually feast on the data we happily give them every day? All your bots are belong to us Former Evernote CEO and current venture capitalist Phil Libin has suggested that bots are on par with browsers 20 years ago: basic command lines control them with minimalistic interfaces. (Alexa, what is the weather today?) Bots, however, promise to be far richer than browsers, with fewer limits on how we inject data into the systems and better ways to pull data-rich experiences therefrom -- that is, if we can train them with enough quality data. This isnt a problem for the fortunate few: Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and a handful of others are swimming in data. In exchange for free services like email or Siri, we gladly give mountains of data to these companies. In so doing, we may be unwittingly building out competitive differentiation for them that could last for a long, long time. Who, for example, can hope to compete with Googles sense of location, given its mapping service, which relies on heavily structured data that we feed it every time we ask for directions? Or how about Facebook, which understands unstructured interactions between people better than anyone else? All trends point to this getting worse (or better, depending on your trust of concentrations of power). Take your smartphone. Originally we exulted in the sea of apps available in the various app stores, unlocking a cornucopia of services. A few years into the app revolution, however, and the vast majority of the apps that consume up to 90 percent of our mobile hours are owned by a handful of companies: Facebook and Google, predominantly. All that data we generate on our devices? Owned by very few companies. On the back end, these same companies dominate, making up the megacloud elite. Tim OReilly first pointed out this trend, arguing that megaclouds like Facebook and Microsoft would be difficult to beat because of the economies of scale that make them stronger even as they grow bigger. While he was talking about infrastructure, the same principle applies to data. The rich get richer. In the case of AI bot interfaces, the data-rich may end up as the only ones capable of delivering experiences that consumers find credible and useful. CompuServe 3.0 If this seems bleak, its because it is. Its hard to see how any upstart challenger can hope to rend control of consumer data from these megaclouds with the processing power, data science smarts, and treasure trove of user info. The one ray of light, perhaps, is if someone can introduce a superior curation layer. For example, today I might conversationally ask Apples Siri or Amazons Alexa to point out nearby sushi restaurants. Both are able to tap into a places-of-interest database and spit out an acceptable response. However, what if I really want not merely nearby sushi restaurants, but nearby sushi restaurants recommended by someone whose food preferences I trust? Facebook appears to be in pole position to use its knowledge of my human interactions to give the best answer, but it actually doesnt. Just because Im friends with someone on Facebook doesnt mean I care about their preferred restaurants. I almost certainly will never have expressed my belief in digital text that their taste in food is terrible. (I dont want to be rude, after all.) Thus, the field is open to figure out which sources I do trust, then curate accordingly. This is partly a matter of data, but ultimately its a matter of superior algorithms coupled with better interpretation of signals that inform those algorithms. Yes, Google or Facebook might be first to develop such algorithms and interpret the signals, but in the area of data curation theres still room for hope that new entrants can win. Otherwise, all our data belongs to these megaclouds for the next 10 years, as it has for the last 10 years. And they're using it to get smarter all the time. Cotton Settles Red on Monday Barchart - 32 minutes ago A wide ranged session from +133 points to -168 points ultimately settled with Dec cotton 11 points in the red at 72 c/lb flat. The other front months traded similarly, but closed weaker with losses of... CTZ22 : 72.00s (-0.15%) CTH23 : 71.64s (-0.60%) CTK23 : 71.85s (-0.62%) Cattle Close Weaker on Monday Barchart - 32 minutes ago October fat cattle futures dropped $3.60 on Monday to expire at $146.77. The other front months closed firmer with losses limited to 52 cents. Feeder cattle closed Monday down by 25 cents to $1 in the... LEV22 : 146.775s (-2.39%) LEZ22 : 152.475s (-0.34%) LEG23 : 155.825s (-0.32%) GFX22 : 177.625s (-0.14%) GFF23 : 179.450s (-0.51%) Mixed Monday for Hog Market Barchart - 32 minutes ago Lean hog futures ended the Monday round of trading with a 40 cent loss in Feb and a $1.17 loss for December. The other front months closed with $0.85 to $1.02 gains. That widened Aprils premium to Dec... HEZ22 : 84.925s (-1.36%) HEJ23 : 93.600s (+0.97%) KMZ22 : 95.475s (-0.68%) Double Digit Gains for Corn Barchart - 32 minutes ago Corn futures worked lower off their initial strength out of the weekend to close the gaps. July futures met their objective but the nearby contracts left just a little room on their daily charts. The afternoon... ZCZ22 : 691-4s (+1.58%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.8247 (+1.57%) ZCH23 : 696-6s (+1.46%) ZCK23 : 695-6s (+1.38%) Soy Futures Gain on Monday Barchart - 32 minutes ago Beans closed the first trade day of the week with double digit gains of at least 1% in the front months. November got above its $14/bu mark for the closing bell on a 1.39% gain. Meal futures faded back... ZSX22 : 1407-0s (+1.39%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.7181 (+1.75%) ZSF23 : 1419-4s (+1.37%) ZSH23 : 1427-4s (+1.31%) Livestock Report Walsh Trading - 1 hour ago Hogs retreat Post-conflict countries can, and often do, remain in disarray long after the bullets stop flying. NGOs working in these regions attempting to get resources to where theyre needed are often met with a severe lack of data. Meaning, they dont know who, what, and how much money is going where. Bloomberg Philanthropies came upon this exact scenario a couple of years back when it met with key stakeholders including NGOs, foundations, and government in an attempt to create a comprehensive plan to secure womens economic development and political citizenship in the African countries of Rwanda, Burundi, and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The meeting was a bust. It wasnt for lack of trying on the participants part, the meeting lasted two days. It was a bust due to the lack of available data about how much funding coming in, where it was going, and what programs and approaches were working. The solution was clear: In order to map out a comprehensive blueprint for womens economic development and political citizenship, they needed more data. But data was difficult to come by at the time. So last year, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the King Baudouin Foundation hooked up with Foundation Center to create Equal Footing, which is described as a freely accessible web portal for information-sharing and collaboration among those who invest in work in Rwanda, DRC, and Burundi. Last month, the website went live. If theres one thing that we know about Michael Bloombergs philanthropy it's that he and his team loves data. Just last year Bloomberg Philanthropies partnered with the Australian government for the Data Health Initiative in an effort to determine the cause of death for the estimated 35 million people whose deaths go unrecorded. Bloomberg is expected to sink $100 million into the project. So, backing a website like Equal Footing fits a larger pattern. Related: Leverage: How Mike Bloomberg Thinks About Philanthropy Equal Footing offers detailed funding information, research, and case studies enabling users to see what projects are currently underway, whats being funded, what needs more funding, and what approaches and projects are having a measurable impact. The website is concentrating its data in to funders supporting projects related to agricultural technology, business and entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, information and communications technology, interpersonal training and networking, land and property rights, and vocational training. Without good data, Bloomberg said in a press release, non-profits dont know how to best target their resources and they cant measure what working. Equal Footing, he said, will not only ensure that funds will be directed to where it is needed most, but it will also point the way to new opportunities for collaboration. Equal Footing has more than 1,000 foundation and NGO profiles, an interactive map in which you can get detailed information regarding grant amounts and projects, and loads of research, case studies, and visual tools to help funders gain a better understanding of some pretty complex subjects. Equal Footing arms funders both large and small with the knowledge and tools necessary to make informed grantmaking decisions, making it more possible for their support to have a greater impact. Not only that, but it also helps them steer clear of approaches that may already have adequate funding or backers. The launch of Equal Footing adds to Bloombergs growing work for women in post-conflict countries in Africa, focusing on the sub-Saharan region. Since 2008, the foundation has worked with a number of key partners such as Women for Women International to provide training and education programs to increase womens economic opportunities and empowerment. Bloomberg also recently announced a $10 million investment to expand Womens Economic Development program in Rwanda and DRC. The grant was awarded to the Relationship Coffee Institute and will go toward the training and market access programs to improve the livelihoods of Rwandan women and coffee farmers. Related: One Other Little Item on Bloombergs Agenda: Empowering African Women According to Equal Footing, having invested over $33 million, Bloomberg is a top funder across all of the funding priorities the website tracks. Gates, unsurprisingly, takes the top spot with nearly $500 million in grants awarded, followed by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation at over $77 million in grants. In an industry that overwhelmingly favors large-scale production, small livestock farmers have a lot to gain from banding together, especially when theyre of the sustainable, organic variety. Two years ago, in Arkansas, family farmers dedicated to ethical animal husbandry created the Grass Roots Farmers Cooperative. The co-op supports its 13 member farms with loans, training, transport of goods, and marketing, helping ethical farmers get premium prices for premium products. The Grass Roots Farmers Co-Op is already working with Heifer USA, the international organizations domestic branch. And now, the co-op will benefit from another infusion of cash: $600,000 in customized financing from RSF Social Finance to help purchase and feed animals from member farmers. This is a loan, not a grant, but its worth a look. Not only are efforts like Grass Roots a promising development in Arkansas fragile economy; RSF is a large and growing social enterprise funder with an interesting story. The initials refer to its original name, the Rudolf Steiner Foundation. The man isnt universally known. Unlike the tycoons behind many of todays foundations, he wasnt a successful businessman. Steiner was a 19th-century Austrian philosopher and social theorist who developed quasi-scientific approach to living the good life. In the 1920s, Steiner memorably clashed with the upstart Nazi Party, but he died from natural causes before Hitlers rise to full power. Steiners system is known as anthroposophy, and some might recognize him as the originator of the Waldorf schooling system. Eleven years after Steiner passed away, the Rudolf Steiner Foundation got its start as a treasury of the Anthroposophical Society of America, a status that it maintained for fifty years. Only in the mid-1980s did a group of members imagine something bigger: an organization dedicated to working with money in ways consistent with Steiners economic philosophy. That is, solvent but less acquisitive, with an emphasis on collaboration between the sectors to meet societys material needs. During the subsequent decades, RSF Social Finance grew into a small but strong nonprofit financier with assets topping $150 million. Since 1984, RSF reports making over $450 million in loans, grants, and investments. Its activities are diverse. In addition to simple grants, RSF provides a long list of social enterprises with integrated capital, which it describes as the coordinated use of different forms of financial capital and non-financial resources These include loans, guarantees, investments, grants, and non-financial advisory support. From its current headquarters in San Franciscos Presidio, RSF Social Finance maintains a number of avenues for philanthropy, including a donor-advised fund, a seed fund, shared gifting, and several new funding collaboratives. Under current CEO Don Shaffer, RSF keeps its investment portfolio aligned to its social and environmental values, staying away from many of the usual Wall Street destinations. A full $200,000 of RSFs loan support for Grass Roots represents the first disbursement from the Soil Health Capital Collaborative, one of five such funds RSF offers. The collaboratives cover specific issue areas, providing seed capital and research funding to women-led social enterprises, biodynamics, local food, fair trade, and soil health. As you can tell, sustainable agriculture and social equity are priorities at RSF. The goal is not only to keep organizations like Grass Roots alive, but to make them competitive in an economy of less-responsible giants, hence the loan. Clients dont think asset management belongs at a large bank, says small-cap value leader Samir Sikka as he forms an independent management firm. Samir Sikka, who led the $2.5 billion Pelican Value Equity team at Wells Capital Management part of Wells Fargo Asset Management has good timing. He and ten staffers, including five research analysts, have left to form an independent institutional investment management firm just as pensions, endowments, and other big clients are reviewing their relationships with the subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Co. The bank is engulfed in a sales scandal involving more than 5,000 employees and was fined $100 million by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on September 8. The CFPB said bank employees were spurred on by compensation incentives to open 2 million bogus deposit and credit card accounts. The bank was also fined a combined $85 million by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the City and County of Los Angeles. The scandal led to CEO John Stumpf resigning on October 12. Clients have become concerned. The City of Chicagos finance committee voted earlier this month to suspend the city from doing business with Wells Fargo and its subsidiaries, including Wells Fargo Asset Management, for one year. The states of California and Illinois have also banned some business with the bank. Although Sikka says he and his small-cap value team decided on a split with the bank before the CFPB announced its fine, he stresses that it is advantageous to be at arms length from Wells Fargo. Clients dont think asset management belongs at a large bank, he says. Sapience Investments, the name of the new outfit, worked with private equity firm Estancia, which specializes in asset management, to help build infrastructure, including risk management and other systems. Estancia also helped the firm raise capital. The private equity player holds a minority stake in Sapience, with employees owning the rest of the equity. Sapience will continue to focus on small-cap value stocks between $100 million and $1 billion in market capitalization as well as SMid-cap stocks with market capitalizations between $1 billion and $15 billion. Sapience has outsourced back- and middle-office operations to SEI Investments. Institutional investors like independent firms, but our systems are as good if not better than any large organization, Sikka says. Sapience may be independent of Wells Fargos problems, but it still faces a battle to attract former and new clients. Many institutional investors require a three-year track record before hiring a new firm, even if the principal managers remain the same. Sikka has seen firsthand the perils involved in working for an asset manager owned by a bank. He had been a portfolio manager at Evergreen Investments, Wachovia Banks asset management arm. Wells Fargo agreed to buy Wachovia, including Evergreen, in October 2008 as Wachovia struggled to survive the credit crisis. The Wells Fargo deal was an alternative to Wachovias previous plan of merging with Citigroup. The tie-up with Citi would have been aided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Sikka started his investment career at Los Angelesbased TCW Group, joining the value equity team in 1999. In 2006 he joined Metropolitan West Capital Management, which was acquired by Evergreen that year. So long, Ithaca. In late September officials at Cornell University announced that the upstate New York schools Office of University Investments will move to New York City by late 2017. The move, approved by the board of trustees investment committee earlier in the month, will follow an increasingly popular path taken by schools located far from major financial centers among them, Williams, Dartmouth and Bowdoin Colleges. Cornell CIO Kenneth Miranda, who took the reins on July 1, gives the impending relocation his full support, noting in the universitys announcement that the full merits will take time to achieve, but the decision is extremely supportive of the goals of the office. Cornell has already established a New York presence with the Weill Cornell Medical School and the anticipated 2017 opening of the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech engineering school. It is difficult to find an endowment official who does not support establishing an investment office closer to the global financial action. I dont even think about it, says Collette Chilton, CIO of Williams College, who spends most of her time in a Boston office rather than on the bucolic Berkshires campus in Williamstown, Massachusetts. A veteran of remote work even before her 2006 hiring by the school, Chilton had a Boston office as CIO of Lucent Technologies, a telecommunications company located in western New Jersey. As Chilton and others can attest, the move to a financial center affords an investment office access to a broader and deeper pool of professional talent. A New York or Boston location also brings allocators closer to asset managers, who can be quite reluctant to travel many hours to a campus location in the boondocks. A third advantage is proximity to industry conferences and asset managerclient events. Quick access to an airport is also important. Simply put, the purpose of an investment office is to make money, says Charles Skorina, an investment office search consultant in San Francisco. Where can you best make money? Cornell may be late to the endowment office migration trend, judging at least in part by the schools revolving door, which has seen four CIOs pass through in a decade. The $6.1 billion funds dismal 3.3 percent return for the year ended June 30, compared with the 1.1 percent median return for all endowments with more than $500 million in assets in the Wilshire Trust Universe Comparison Service, does not hurt in making the case for a move. Chilton, who reports to Williams president Adam Falk and maintains an office on campus, returns there for weekly senior staff meetings when she isnt on one of her frequent road trips to visit asset managers. The decision to locate the colleges new investment office in either Boston or New York had already been made by trustees in 2006, when Chilton was hired after a search, she explains. Today she oversees $2.3 billion with the help of two senior investment staff and three analysts; her team expands in the summer with student interns. Brunswick, Maine, is ever farther from civilization than Williamstown. So it was no surprise when four years ago Paula Volent, CIO at Bowdoin College, now with $1.34 billion in assets, oversaw the move of the schools investment office to New York City. Volent had been hired away from an investment role at the Yale Investments Office in July 2000 to start a similar investment office at Bowdoin. Previously, the CIOs responsibilities had been part of the treasurers function. The portfolio wasnt as sophisticated as it is now or as complicated, Volent explains. Along with many of its peers in the difficult 201516 fiscal year, Bowdoin found itself reporting in negative territory, with a 1.4 percent return. Over time, we looked at different models, Volent says. We had turnover because people wanted to enlarge their careers. Like Chilton, Volent established a student internship program on campus. My mission is to work for the college, so I need to have a real presence. You need to be near it, she asserts, adding that this philosophy was expounded by her mentor, David Swensen. Tensions can arise in the operation of a remote investment office. It is very hard for endowment and foundation offices not to be in reasonable proximity to their mission, says George Wilbanks, a search consultant and principal at Wilbanks Partners in Stamford, Connecticut. And some investment professionals prefer to raise their families in softer settings. Every single location presents its challenges, Wilbanks contends. So its no surprise that the Bowdoin investment office has split its functions between Maine and New York. In the New York office, on Park Avenue and 54th Street, at the epicenter of asset management, three investment professionals work alongside the CIO. Although the urban office allows the schools president to make use of the conference room, as well as hire a summer intern, most of the operations team (plus a director of research) is in Maine. Come summer the CIO and her investment staff head north to enjoy the country life back on campus. For now it remains to be seen how much time Cornells Miranda and his team will spend in New York. We do hear that summers in Ithaca are gorge-ous. The Australian Insurance Law Association ( AILA ) has presented two members with life memberships and a former partner with an insurance law prize during the AILA National Conference held in Adelaide last week.John Homburg, Gilchrist Connell Adelaide principal, and Rhett Kennedy, Barry.Nilsson Brisbane partner, have been appointed as AILAs two new life members.Homburg has over three decades of health and medical insurance experience, specialising in insurance and administrative law. He also had a long successful record of defending complex medical malpractice claims. Homburg served on the national board from 2008 to 2016 and was national professional treasurer from 2010 to 2016.Kennedy specialises in general liability and professional indemnity, acting on behalf of Australian and international insurers. In 2015, Kennedy was recognised by Doyles Guide as among Queenslands preeminent professional indemnity lawyers. He was a Queensland branch committee member for over 15 years until 2008 and was Queensland president and national board member from 2000 to 2001.Meanwhile, Peter Rashleigh, former partner and now consultant with DLA Piper in Melbourne, has been presented with AILAs annual Insurance Law Prize.Rashleigh was a founding member of AILAs Victorian branch and was a member of the state committee for a number of years. He participated in the founding of AILAs flagship event Geoff Masel Memorial Lecture Series in 2005 which was established in honour of his late mentor.Susan Vidler, AILA national president, congratulated the three award recipients, commending them for their vital contributions not only to AILA but to the wider insurance law across many decades. The New Payments Platform could have an impact on insurance brokers as consultancy firm KPMG has outlined the ten biggest emerging risks for the insurance industry.In their General Insurance Industry review 2016, KPMG outlined the top ten emerging risks for the industry and Scott Guse, KPMG insurance partner, highlighted new payments and cyber insurance as the biggest risks to watch for brokers.The New Payments Platform could have an impact on the broker network, Guse said.Set to be rolled out in October 2017, the NPP will allow for instantaneous transactions to be completed for transactions such as premium or claims payment. Guse noted that this rollout will impact the industry on a number of fronts as customers come to expect instant payments in other areas of their lives.Guse stressed that a key challenge for the insurance industry will be to ensure that their systems are up-to-date as the roll out nears as businesses will also be able to benefit from efficiency savings on reconciliation.Experience in overseas markets that already have real time payments has shown that insurance was one of the first sectors to see significant change in customer expectations and behaviour, the KPMG report states.We expect to see similar outcomes in Australia.Insurtech is another emerging risk to watch as Guse said Australian businesses need to invest more to keep their place in the value chain.Insurtech is front of mind for everyone and is the one that will be the most prominent emerging risk in the months ahead both in global and in terms of Australia, Guse continued.Australia does need to essentially pull up its socks a little bit and be more on the front foot like its big brothers in the financial services and banking sector.As customer expectations continue to shift with the advent of new technologies, Guse stressed that the role of the broker will continue to evolve and will be key to ensuring the perception of the industry.With the life insurance industry making headlines for all the wrong reasons over the last week, Guse noted that brokers will be key for the strength of the industry in the future.Most insurers only have one touch point a year if a customer doesnt make a claim, and then more than one if they make a claim which is not normally the most enjoyable touch point, Guse said.Brokers can play a critical role in clients serviceability and maintaining relationships and making sure expectations are met.The role of the broker is evolving in terms of being more of a full-service provider. As well as selling insurance they are advising on the best things to do with practices and policies to reduce risks and get insurance savings. Recent storms have inundated and demolished the crops in low-lying farms in Condobolin and Forbes in central-west NSW, but have largely left houses and buildings undamaged, it has been reported.Neil Fettell of the NSW Farmers Association told AAP that wheat, barley, and canola farms were worst hit by the storms, with some farms completely wiped out, while local stock farmers were able to save most of their sheep and cattle."The overall production will still be pretty good but for individual farmers it means heavy financial loss," he said."It's very tough, not just financially but emotionally."The inundated farms are expected to remain flooded for some five more weeks until water level in the Lachlan River gradually subsides, AAP said.Meanwhile, most houses and buildings around Condobolin and Forbes escaped damage from the floods. Insurance claims reached less than $10 million, with insurers receiving about 750 claims from the Forbes region, mostly from low-level storm damage, AAP reported.Road transport in the region is expected to improve after a section of the Newell Highway between Jerilderie and Narrandera was reopened on Thursday.Fettell said the residents were able to prepare better for the floods thanks to the internet and social media. JLT Specialty USA, a U.S. subsidiary of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc. (JLT), a specialty-focused provider of insurance, reinsurance and employee benefits related advice, brokerage and services, has appointed three new team members who will be based in Latham, New York. Their focus will include financial institutions, private equity, construction, technology, real estate and cyber. The appointments are part of JLTs investment to build teams that provide clients with capability and expertise within their specialized areas. Justin Riccio has been appointed as senior vice president, in which he will be responsible for assisting with the growth of the Upstate New York region through production and servicing staff. In his role, he will help to lead a regional initiative of organic growth, regional expansion and market relationships. Riccio most recently worked as the leader of Adirondack Trust Company Financial Services Inc.s sales department, where he recruited and managed production staff and developed a niche production strategy. Kevin Rucinski has also been appointed as vice president, in which he will oversee client servicing and commercial lines procedures. Rucinski previously held an account executive position with Adirondack Trust Financial Services Inc., where he was responsible for the management and servicing of a book of contractors, real estate and manufacturers. While there, he assisted in the implementation of agency wide commercial lines procedures. Additionally, Matt Franzese was hired as a vice president, in which he will be responsible for working with local and regional businesses to put together risk management insurance programs. His focus is on manufacturing, technology and cyber related risks. Franzese began his career at Arthur J. Gallagher & Company, a global brokerage firm. While there, he was responsible for producing property and casualty accounts, with a specific focus on construction, real estate and manufacturing. Source: JLT Specialty USA Topics New York Medical-device maker St. Jude Medical Inc. said it plans to set up a medical advisory board focused on cyber security issues affecting patient care and safety. St. Jude said in a statement that the group, known as the Cyber Security Medical Advisory Board, would provide advice on cyber security standards for medical devices. The St. Paul, Minnesota-based company is establishing the group as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigates claims that St. Jude heart devices are riddled with defects that make them vulnerable to fatal cyber hacks. The FDA launched that probe in August after short-seller Muddy Waters and cyber research firm MedSec Holdings said they had placed bets that St. Jude shares would fall after they discovered the alleged vulnerabilities. We take the cyber security of our devices very seriously and creating the Cyber Security Medical Advisory Board is one more demonstration of our ongoing commitment to advancing standards of patient care around the world without comprising safety and security, St. Jude Chief Medical Officer Mark Carlson said in a statement. The board, whose membership has yet to be finalized, will work with technology experts at St. Jude Medical as well as external researchers to help maintain and enhance cyber security and patient safety, Carlson said. Suzanne Schwartz, a senior official in the FDAs Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said the agency supports efforts by medical device manufacturers to prioritize cyber security. Doing so in collaboration with other stakeholders such as cyber security researchers, health care providers, patients and government agencies, means cyber security vulnerabilities are more likely to be identified, assessed and fixed in a timely manner before they can cause patient harm, she said in a statement. St. Jude agreed in April to sell itself for $25 billion to Abbott Laboratories. The company last week said it would recall some of its 400,000 implanted heart devices due to risk of premature battery depletion, a condition linked to two deaths in Europe. Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston; editing by Bernard Orr and Nick Zieminski Related: Topics Cyber Claims Maniac (1981) back to Portland's historic Maniac is one of the finest works of genre art ever committed to celluloid. It is a relentless and malignant assault that delivers in spades on every terrible promise of the slasher mythos by unflinchingly "going there"...and far, far beyond. Is it misogynistic? It certainly caused enough of an uproar when it was released that feminists protested theaters throughout its entire run. Is it disturbing? Just listen to the nervous involuntary snickers that ripple around you as an exceptionally greasy Joe Spinell starts moaning and caressing himself. And that's before the knives even get wet. Is it scary? Terrifying. Frank Zito does for late night subways what "Bruce" the great white shark did for Massachusetts On Tuesday October 25th, 2016 Dan Halsted of the popular Grindhouse Film Series brings William Lustig's sacred abomination(1981) back to Portland's historic Hollywood Theatre in glorious 35mm. If you've ever had the dubious pleasure of discussing cinema with me when I've been drinking whiskey, you already know precisely how and whyis one of the finest works of genre art ever committed to celluloid. It is a relentless and malignant assault that delivers in spades on every terrible promise of the slasher mythos by unflinchingly "going there"...and far, far beyond. Is it misogynistic? It certainly caused enough of an uproar when it was released that feminists protested theaters throughout its entire run. Is it disturbing? Just listen to the nervous involuntary snickers that ripple around you as an exceptionally greasy Joe Spinell starts moaning and caressing himself. And that's before the knives even get wet. Is it scary? Terrifying. Frank Zito does for late night subways what "Bruce" the great white shark did for Massachusetts beaches. Of course, the shrouded alchemy of this film - the secret ingredient that amplifies the grisly proceedings to feverish climax - is the insectoid synth-driven score by Jay Chattaway. It seems like every pizza tosser with a mustache and Uriah Heep t-shirt can hum a Goblin melody and bid $75 on the latest Fabio Frizzi re-issue these days. I guess thats not a crime in itself, but sadly few are doin the robot to the fancy-schmancy tunes of classically trained jazz cat composer Jay Chattaway. And Im here to set that fuckin straight. The unsettling sounds Chattaway created for director William Lustigs early exploit-oeuvre are seminal masterpieces of taut anxiety that propelled the former porn hustlers edgy narratives off the rails with a sensitivity and depth rarely evidenced in films boasting low budget hooker scalpings, delinquent wheelchair tippings and wet cement asphyxiations (You have the right to remain silentForever!). Growing up in the Empire State during the Reagan administration, this was horror that struck gleefully close to home. You see, the Maniac Cop was sentenced to hard time in my home town. From the bucolic comfort of dead end streets nestled a safe enough distance from Sing Sing prison, Lustigs films represented the contagious alienation, the sordid stimulation and the seething nocturnal menace lurkingout there. Down stream; beyond autumnal gazebos and the colonial Dutch tombstones of the Headless Horseman; past burned-out carcasses of abandoned roadside vehicles, into the grey vandalized ruins of the Italian post-Apocalypse Now where dismal clotheslines dangled like soiled gauze between the fissures of shell shocked window panes. And still further into stygian subterranean commuter catacombs; spewed stillborn into the noxious neon slime of Times Square Maniac (1981), and soon went on to score such white-knuckled wonders as Vigilante (1983), Missing In Action (1984), Invasion U.S.A. (1985), Silver Bullet (1985), Delta Force (1986), Red Scorpion (1988), Maniac Cop (1988) and Relentless (1989) among many others. He has since enjoyed a very successful ride aboard the Starship Enterprise and will undoubtedly be canonized someday by paunchy LARPers for the sentimental flute solo he composed for Star Trek: The Next Generation. As my lady once yawned while reaching across the television to hand me another cold one, He made good music for bad movies. Today we celebrate Chattaway's genius with this embarrassingly unedited interview he was kind enough to grant me back in 2012. I suggest you with its roving predatory glands pulsating endlessly. Urban ground zero was Lustigs Globe Theater and Chattaway commandeered every electronic device at his disposal - and a few woodwinds for good measure - to draw dramatic pathos from the hopelessly psychopathic and terminally disturbed. Chattaway launched his film industry career with none other than Lustigs frequently misunderstood magnum opus(1981), and soon went on to score such white-knuckled wonders as(1983),(1984),(1985),(1985),(1986),(1988),(1988) and(1989) among many others. He has since enjoyed a very successful ride aboard the Starship Enterprise and will undoubtedly be canonized someday by paunchy LARPers for the sentimental flute solo he composed for. As my lady once yawned while reaching across the television to hand me another cold one, He made good music for bad movies. Today we celebrate Chattaway's genius with this embarrassingly unedited interview he was kind enough to grant me back in 2012. I suggest you buy your tickets now ... Dennis Dread: Jay, given the scope of your achievements as a musician and composer over the past 30 years or more, is it weird to be interviewed by some creep who worships your Maniac score? Jay Chattaway: No, it is not weird at all. Its great to know that there are folks who actually pay attention to my music. Good! Because I absolutely adore your score for Maniac! In many ways it was the blueprint for some of your best work in the horror and action genres. I hear variations of motifs from Maniac in later scores like Vigilante, Maniac Cop and Missing in Action. Would you agree? Maniac was my first real film score for the masses. I did a lot of documentary work previously. Did you do any personal rituals before preparing the Maniac soundtrack? I mean, were there any particular actions or experiences that prepared you to tap into those dark currencies? No special rituals or experiences. I have always been able to visualize the music for the film projects I work on. It comes all at once as though the music is attached to the film. I don't understand, but it works for me. Did your immediate environment or the generally strained mood of urban America during that era have any influence on the sounds you created back then or was your music purely a response to the imagery and tone of the films you were scoring at the time? Although I was working in the city and have been mugged, it was more the film images that drove the musical inspiration. Were you living in New York City when you composed Maniac and Vigilante? I was working in New York City and living in Connecticut. The Maniac score was recorded in a small farmhouse studio in Connecticut. I played a lot of the keyboard tracks along with Pete Levin. We did some very strange techniques, like changing the speed of the tape recorder while playing acoustic instruments, causing them to sound a bit bent. The electronic instruments were primitive: Mini-Moog and Prophet. Most of the very strange effects were [achieved] by trying these new techniques to acoustic instruments. We used real woodwinds and percussion and this was probably the only film score to employ a fretless bass guitar as a primary melodic instrument. Your early work really tapped into a dark and genuinely unsettling feeling of total urban malaise. You did this thing in many of your scores that's like a pitch shift where the note goes from high to low and has a very unsettling effect. What the hell is that called? I'm not certain what you mean by this pitch shift motif. Apparently it must work. Fabio Frizzi used a similar technique in his score for The Beyond. Do you draw inspiration from any other soundtrack composers? Im not familiar with that score[but] I was inspired by many composers, most notably Henry Mancini- many don't know of his "scary" scores-, Jerry Goldsmith, Ennio Morricone and Maurice Jarre, to name a few. It seems to me that your scores became increasingly "cinematic" as you progressed but the Maniac score was something else altogether. Almost every moment is pregnant with morbid tension and jarring momentum. Um...that's not a question is it? Morbid tension? That's a good one! That film, although about a very disturbing subject also revealed the inner workings of a very disturbed mind. I think my music tried to portray that which was not on the screen, but implied, thus the sensitive theme. Do you have a favorite film score? The Mission by Ennio Morricone, as it portrays both the secular and sacred subject matter at the same time. Truly brilliant. What was your childhood like? Do you recall your initial musical inspiration? I grew up in a rural town called Monongahela in Pennsylvania. I began writing music at a very early age. I went to see Henry Mancini conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony while a young boy and that one incident turned on my light bulb. I was able to share that with him before he died. Its great that you had that opportunity. Your first connection with the film industry was when you produced Maynard Ferguson's 1977 record Conquistador which featured his theme from Rocky and shortly after that you worked with Gato Barbieri on the Firepower soundtrack. You are credited with production and arrangement but did you actually compose some of that music? I was a jazz composer and arranger prior to becoming a film composer. I wrote for many jazz artists and Maynard's album propelled me into a successful recording career. I met Gato while arranging one of his albums. His music to Last Tango was done prior to the film being completed. Bertolucci cut the film to his beautiful theme. On Firepower, the film was already finished. Gato wrote the themes. I was able to help score the film by utilizing his material and arranging and conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It was a big dealI was hooked! How did you meet Bill Lustig? I met Bill Lustig through his friend and producer, Andrew Garroni. I was at Columbia Records and Andy was booking musicians for clubs. He asked me if I had any artists that would be interested in scoring the film he was working on. The director was Bill Lustig. These guys were on fire with enthusiasm about this film they were starting. I said I might be interested. The rest is history. How would you characterize your relationship with Bill? Bill and I would spend countless hours watching films he respected. He was truly a student of film scoring and, as a result, exposed me to many scores that I didn't know, particularly the early Morricone scores. We had a great creative relationship and continue to be friends. Bill is a gifted director who knows how to use music and doesn't interfere with its creation. Vigilante is one of your best scores. It's absolutely perfect. That's not a question again is it? Umfrom my perspective it seems odd that a Salsa label like Fania was involved in the production of the Vigilante soundtrack. Was that due to the influence of jazz and Afro-Cuban music on popular soundtracks at the time? Vigilante was partially produced by the people who owned Fania records. I produced several Fania All-Star albums that were pretty successful. Jerry Masucci wanted some of his recording artists to cross over into film. Ruben Blades, for example. He also made a film called The Last Fight which I scored. Fania paid for the music for the film and, as a result, they kept the masters. How have technological developments affected your creativity or methods of working since then? I'm not sure that technological advances have helped me immensely. When I scored these early films, I didn't even have a copy of the film to watch. I would go to the editing room, watch the daily films projected and take notes, then go home and compose. Now, of course we have the working films available on our computers and can experiment, demo, have large group discussions by many folks as to how the music should be written, then compared to a temp track that someone has compiled incorporating and amalgamating all the recent "hit" scores, and the result is??? Ok, which is better. Plus, I actually had time to think about and compose these scores, Now it is considered the norm to crank them out in much shorter time. Perhaps that is one of the ways technology has affected creativity. Perhaps we relate to the creative process entirely differently now that people tend to expect fast results and immediate gratification. What would be your dream film to score? A psychological thriller that could incorporate some sweeping vistaswith possibly a bit of Western influence as well as many different ethnic world music colors. Try to find my score to Jakartasomething like that. Know anyone who is making one of those films? Uh, no. No conversation about Jay Chattaways early horror scores would be complete without commentary from auteur, producer, Blue Underground CEO and exploitation champion William Lustig. Fortunately, I stumbled across Bill in a back alley and he granted me a few uncomfortable moments of his time Dennis Dread: You originally wanted Goblin to score Maniac. Why did that not happen? William Lustig: For a brief period early in the project Dario Argento was going to be a financial participant, which included his then wife and Goblins involvement. In retrospect, this was something of a very happy accident. How did you initially meet Jay Chattaway? Andy Garronis brother Marco produced a Maynard Ferguson concert in New York. I met Jay at the show, [he] had produced his latest album. One thing lead to another and Jay was hired. His score for Maniac was unique in that it transcends Joe Spinell's character and almost becomes something of a character in itself. Would you agree? I agree that Jays music was unique in that it complimented Joes performance by creating empathy for this deranged killer. Since it was your first collaboration, what kind of direction did you give? I had Jay watch John Carpenter and Dario Argento films, which he hadnt seen. I also used moments from various films to illustrate what I had in mind. Maniac was sort of a guerrilla film in that you "stole" several sequences such as the un-permitted subway footage and infamous Tom Savini shotgun scene. Jay's music also breaks away from the "rules" of earlier film soundtracks. Was the score intentionally transgressive or did Jay surprise you when he played what he was coming up with for your film? While Jays score was often a delightful surprise, I attended the recording sessions and tweaked the score. What role does creative "rule-breaking" have for you these days now that you are a well-established industry figure with...um...something to lose? I t never occurred to me that we were breaking rules. I think the difference from those days and today is that we were doing things intuitively with a committee. Have you tamed creatively with age? I hope not! It's almost redundant to state this but Jay's early scores perfectly captured the gritty urban menace of the 1980's. How do you think an otherwise mild-mannered classically trained jazz dude like Jay tapped into such a heavy vibe? I think I had an influence on Jays music for my films by bombarding him with Ennio Morricone scores. Was he provided with dailies to work from or was he composing music based on scripts? Jay spotted the films with me in the editing room. He also attended screenings of the rough cuts. Do you have a favorite movie score? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and The Wild Bunch. The U.S. Supreme Court last Tuesday signaled a willingness to reduce the potentially huge penalties imposed for ripping off a patented design as it heard arguments in the legal fight over the amount Samsung should pay Apple for copying the iPhones distinctive appearance. The eight justices heard arguments by lawyers for the worlds two top smartphone manufacturers, as well as the U.S. government, in Samsungs challenge to the $399 million it was forced to pay Apple for violating three patents regarding the iPhones rounded-corner front face, bezel and colorful grid of icons. Some of the justices expressed deep skepticism over how, in practice, juries could figure out which part of a product a design applies to, in order to calculate damages for patent infringement. If I were a juror, I wouldnt know what to do, Justice Anthony Kennedy said. A ruling is due by the end of June. Smartphones like Cupertino, California-based Apples iPhone and South Korea-based Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.s Galaxy have become an indispensable part of everyday life for many people worldwide, as well as huge business for their makers. As such, the two companies have become increasingly bitter rivals as Samsung seizes an enviable share of the market. The case came before the Supreme Court on same day Samsung scrapped its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone following reports of the phones catching fire in one of the costliest product safety failures in tech history. The device, launched in August, was supposed to have competed with Apples latest iPhone for supremacy in the smartphone market. Beetle Comparison Several justices struggled with how they would devise a test for lower courts and juries to use to figure out design patent damages. Using the example of a Volkswagen Beetle automobile, with its unique shape, Justice Elena Kagan suggested it might be difficult for a jury to decide how much damages to award based on the shape, when that trait might be the primary factor driving consumers to buy it. Samsung paid Apple $548.2 million last December, fulfilling part of its liability stemming from a 2012 verdict for infringing Apples iPhone patents and copying its appearance in making the Galaxy and other devices. Samsung has contended it should not have had to turn over all its profits on phones that infringed the iPhone design patents, which the company said contributed only marginally to a complex product with thousands of patented features. Samsung argues that it should not have had to pay as much as $399 million of that $548.2 million payout for infringement of the three patented designs at issue. Apple has said Samsung was properly penalized for pilfering its work. Apple sued Samsung in 2011, asserting that its rival stole its technology and the iPhones trademarked appearance. The ruling by the justices could have a lasting impact on designers and product manufacturers if they decide to curtail damages for swiping a patented design. Design patent fights only very rarely reach the Supreme Court, which had not heard such a case in more than 120 years, when the products involved were considerably less high-tech: carpets and a spoon handle. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington last year upheld the 2012 patent infringement verdict for Apple. The court, however, said the iPhones appearance could not be protected through trademarks. Samsung has said in court papers that if it wins the case, it expects to be reimbursed the money it has already paid. The case is Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. v. Apple Inc., in the Supreme Court of the United States, No. 15-777 (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham) Related: Topics USA California and New Jersey had the nations most expensive workers compensation rates, while North Dakota had the lowest rates in the nation, a new report shows. A report released this week by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services also shows workers comp rates in Oregon are among the lowest in the nation and have continued falling steadily over the past three years. The authors of the report compared each states rates to the national median rate of $1.84 per $100 of payroll, which is a drop of less than 1 percent from the $1.85 median in the last report. Rates ranged from a low of 89 cents in North Dakota to a high of $3.24 in California. Californias rates were 188 percent above the national median, according to the report. The report is based on methods that put each states workers comp rates on a comparable basis by using a constant set of risk classifications. The study used classification codes from the National Council on Compensation Insurance. To control for differences in industry distributions, each states rates were weighted by 2010 to 2012 Oregon payroll to obtain an average manual rate for that state. So whats going on with Californias rates? Basically they have higher advisory loss costs rates in the different classes than other states do, said Chris Day, the studys lead author. Claim frequency, claim administration and high medical costs are typically among the drivers of high workers comp rates. However, the state in 2012 passed a massive workers comp reform law, which according to its supporters seems to be working. Californias Workers Compensation Rating Bureau earlier this month submitted a pure premium rate filing to the California Department of Insurance proposing Jan. 1, 2017 advisory pure premium rates lower than the corresponding industry average. The WCIRB submitted a rate filing that averaged $2.22 per $100 of payroll, citing in part legislative changes made this year that the bureau believes could help reduce costs. Senate Bill 1160 and Assembly Bill 1244 are both designed to remove medical providers convicted of fraud from the system and prevent them from filing liens. The Oregon study shows that two years ago Californias rates were at $3.48, so they are trending downward. Christine Baker, director of the states Department of Industrial Relations, said the report doesnt reflect actual costs in Californias workers comp system because the Oregon study is based on the industrial mix in that state. She responded a reporters request for comment on the report in an emailed statement. In California we are focused on providing the best, evidence-based medical treatment to injured workers while controlling employers costs, Baker said. Since the 2012 workers compensation reforms were enacted, we have seen an increase in injured workers benefits, instituted independent medical review to ensure evidence-based medical treatment guidelines are followed and to curb inappropriate medical treatment. New Jersey was the runner up for having the next highest rates in the nation, where the $2.92 per $100 in payroll was 158 percent above the U.S. median. The report shows the state moved up in ranking from No. 3 in 2014, when rates averaged $2.82. Workers comp officials in New Jersey werent immediately available for comment. Following New Jersey in the rankings for highest workers comp rates were New York ($2.83), Connecticut ($2.74), Alaska ($2.74) and Oklahoma ($2.23). On the opposite end of the spectrum, North Dakotas 89 cents rate puts it at 48 percent of the national median. It was at 47 percent of the national median in the last study, which then also ranked it as the least expensive state for workers comp in the nation. North Dakota is an interesting outlier, Day said. Its one of only four states with a monopolistic workers comp structure. But that doesnt guarantee a low or a high premium rate, he added. Indiana ($1.05), Arkansas ($1.06), West Virginia ($1.22) and Virginia ($1.24) followed North Dakota for having the lowest rates. Oregon issues these reports in even-numbered years, and has been doing so since 1986, when its rates were among the highest in the nation. Oregons rate of $1.28 is 31 percent below the median. Oregon had the seventh least expensive rates in 2016, an improvement from its ranking as the ninth least expensive state the last time the study was done in 2014. Oregon was 13th least expensive in 2012. It was recently announced that Oregon workers comp rates would drop an average 6.6 percent in 2017. Oregons relatively low rates reflect the success of reforms made to the states workers comp system and its improvements in workplace safety and health, the studys authors say. For the past three years weve had very large overall pure premium level decreases, said Mike Manley, co-author of the study. The state saw rate drops of 7.6 percent in 2014, 5.3 percent in 2015 and 5.3 percent in 2016. Manley gave some credit the revamps to Oregons workers comp system in 1987, 1990 and 1995. There were some major omnibus bills that made a lot of changes to our workers comp system, Manley said. However, he pointed out that the latest legislative change occurred 21 years ago, and that recent drops can be seen in NCCI studies of Oregon rates. Those studies credit declining claim frequency and declining medical loss ratios as drivers of the falling rates. Oregons medical costs are not rising as fast as payrolls are, Manley said. Related: Topics California Workers' Compensation New Jersey Oregon Thousands of DWI convictions in North Texas could be jeopardized after the testimony of a state forensic scientist recently came under scrutiny, according to a newspaper report. Christopher Youngkin was involved in a 2013 lab error in which two blood samples from separate cases were mixed up. Youngkin erroneously reported to police that a woman had a blood-alcohol level that was nearly twice the legal limit when in fact she had not been drinking, The Dallas Morning News reported. Attorneys now are questioning whether Youngkin in recent cases has given conflicting testimony about the error, which would call into question his credibility as a witness and expert. Youngkin works for the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab in the Dallas suburb of Garland. He took the stand in a misdemeanor case of driving while intoxicated and ended up invoking his Fifth Amendment right not to testify. A DPS spokesman declined to answer the newspapers questions about Youngkin or the issues raised by defense attorneys, saying it would be inappropriate to comment at this time. Defense attorney Hunter Biederman said a Dallas County jury found a client not guilty of drunken driving last month, in part, he believes, because of cross-examination of Youngkin over his lab error. Most people havent had the opportunity to know about this and either use it in trial, use it in pre-negotiations or use it in punishment, he said. Theres no guarantee of getting an acquittal, Beiderman said, but the questions raised about it could lead to conviction of a lesser offense, which means a less severe punishment. The scrutiny of Youngkin comes after a Harris County toxicologist last month resigned when her academic qualifications were questioned. The toxicologist, Dr. Fessessework Guale, had worked in the county medical examiners office since 2006 and had regularly testified in Houston-area DWI cases. She earlier had been reassigned after officials learned that she testified to having a masters degree in toxicology but actually earned one in physiological science from Oklahoma States veterinary school. The district attorneys office has sent letters inviting defense attorneys representing thousands of DWI defendants in Harris County to request reviews of cases involving Guales testimony. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Texas A trucking company that was recently involved in an explosion while hauling automobile air bag inflators was ordered to take its vehicles off the road Oct. 7 by federal regulators who said they found a long list of serious safety violations. Industrial Transit Inc. of LaGrange, Georgia, must immediately halt all operations because the company poses an imminent hazard to public safety, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said. One of the companys trucks was hauling inflators made by Takata Corp. in August when it crashed, caught fire, exploded and destroyed a house near the small Texas border town of Quemado. A woman in the house was killed, four others were injured and several other houses damaged. The truck was speeding while approaching a curve when the crash occurred, the agency said. The small trucking company recently used drivers without commercial licenses, did not perform required drug and alcohol tests, and didnt follow the requirements of its license to haul hazardous materials, among other violations, the safety administration said in its out-of-service order. During each of last 10 times the companys trucks were pulled over for a random, roadside inspection, the trucks were ordered to stay off the road or cited for safety violations, the agency said. The safety administrations investigation also found major safety defects with the companys trucks, including out-of-adjustment and contaminated brakes, oil leaks, loose steering system components, inadequately working air-brake components, and an unsecured fire extinguisher. Takata uses ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that fills air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to prolonged heat and humidity and burn too fast. That can blow apart a metal canister and hurl shrapnel into drivers and passengers. As many as 15 people, including 10 in the U.S., have been killed by exploding Takata inflators, and more than 100 have been hurt. About 69 million vehicles in the U.S. and about 100 million worldwide with the problem inflators have been recalled. Industrial Transit officials didnt return a phone call from The Associated Press. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Georgia Trucking Mestoudjian has more than 10 years' experience in advising clients on the tax matters of transactions and restructurings. He works mainly with French and international companies as well as private equity and infrastructure funds across a wide range of sectors including infrastructure, agribusiness, retail industry, new technologies and greenfield. Before joining Eversheds, Mestoudjian was a manager at Arsene Taxand. Before that he was an associate at EY. If risk is like a smouldering coal that can spark a fire at any moment, then insurance is our fire extinguisher. The institution is as old as human existence with the first insurance policy being written in ancient times on a Babylonian obelisk monument with the code of King Hammurabi carved into it. It was practiced by early Mediterranean sailing merchants and Chinese traders who sought methods to minimise risks. The concept of insurance has expanded and become more refined over the ages, its successes and travails have become more symmetrical to a countrys economic growth (or lapse). Because of the peculiarity of insurance and its relevance to an economy, the Nigerian government has put a lot of effort into making the insurance industry what it is today. These efforts are showcased by the implementation of numerous Acts over the years such as the National Insurance Commission Act 1997 and the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers Act 2003 (which is to ensure the proper administration and functioning of the insurance sector), as well as the passing of several reforms. However, amendments made in the Companies Income Tax (Amendment) Act 2007 (CITA) have created changes within the sector that have led to an unwelcome higher tax burden for insurance companies, which has in turn led to a fall in the number of businesses operating in the industry. Disappearing companies Nigerias insurance sector has undergone two rounds of recapitalisation over the past 14 years to restructure a company's debt and equity mixture, most often with the aim of making a company's capital structure more stable. The first round of recapitalisation happened in 2003 when the Insurance Act was passed, which required insurance companies to increase their capital bases from: NGN20 million ($65,000) to NGN150 million for life businesses, which are companies that protect against the loss of income that would result if an insured individual died. In this circumstance, the named beneficiary would receive the proceeds and would thereby be safeguarded from the financial impact of the death of the insured; NGN70 million to NGN300 million for non-life businesses, which are companies that are typically involved in any insurance that is not determined to be a life insurance policy but that provides payments depending on the loss from a particular financial event; and NGN150 million to NGN350 million for reinsurance businesses, which is a company that accepts a portion of the potential obligation in an insurance contract in exchange for a share of the insurance premium, in order to reduce the likelihood of an insurance company paying a large obligation resulting from an insurance claim. The 2003 changes led to the liquidation of 14 Nigerian insurance companies out of 117 registered in the jurisdiction. In September 2005, another capitalisation requirement was announced to increase the capital base to NGN2 billion for life businesses, NGN3 billion for non-life businesses and NGN10 billion for reinsurance. This again resulted in numerous consolidations that led to the number of liquidating insurance companies falling from 103 to 49. In the first quarter of 2014, the total assets and liabilities of insurance companies was NGN517.2 billion. A diminishing asset base The asset base has continued to dwindle every year for the industry because of sections in CITA that penalise it. These sections have compelled insurance companies to pay out their capital in the form of a minimum tax because they are almost always in a never-ending refund cycle with the tax authorities. Originally, the CITA was meant to amend and simplify controversial aspects in its policy, instead it has made it more obscure particularly for the insurance sector. As with any other business, the tax liability of an insurance company is based on figures contained in its annual published accounts and it is subject to similar assessment and collection procedures by the tax authorities. However, certain special features arising from the nature of the industry mean that profits are taxed slightly different than other sectors. Simply put, in section 16(2)(a) of the CITA, the profits of a life business insurance company are calculated by taking management expenses, including commission, subject to subsection (8)(b) of the Act from gross income (investment income and revaluation surplus). For non-life businesses, section 16(1)(b) states that profits will be calculated for tax purposes by deducting the reinsurance cost and a reserve for unexpired risk (the premium corresponding to the time period remaining on an insurance policy), subject to subsection (8)(a) of the Act from a gross premium, interest and other income receivable in Nigeria. The relevant subsections of CITA are listed below: (8) An insurance company, other than a life insurance company, shall be allowed as deductions from its premium the following reserves for tax purposes: (a) for unexpired risks, 45 percent of the total premium in case of general insurance business other than marine insurance business and 25 percent of the total premium in case of marine cargo insurance; (b) for other reserves, claims and outgoings of the company an amount equal to 25 percent of the total premium, so that, after allowance under the Second Schedule to this Act as may be restricted, has been allowed for in any year of assessment, not less than amount equal to 15 percent of the total profit of the company for tax purposes. (9) An insurance company, in respect of its life insurance business shall be allowed the following deductions from its investment incomes and other incomes: (a) an amount which makes a general reserve and fund equal to the net liabilities on policies in force at the time of an actuarial valuation; (b) an amount which is equal to 1 percent of the gross premium or 10 percent of profits (whichever is greater) to a special reserve fund and accommodation until it becomes the amount of the statutory minimum paid-up capital; (c) all normal allowable business outgoing, except that after allowing for all the outgoing and allowance under the Second Schedule to this Act as may be restricted under the provisions of this Act for any year of assessment, not less than an amount equal to 20 percent of the gross incomes shall be available as total profit of the company for tax purposes. For both life and non-life insurance businesses, the basis for computing minimum tax seems punitive at 20% of gross income and 15% of total profit, correspondingly. To compound the tax burden little solace was given to the industry when they suffer losses. A thorough review of subsection (8) in the CITA Act exposes the inadequacy of parts (a) and (b). The former imposes a limit on unexpired risk while the latter restricts the deductibility of expenses. Section 16 (9) (c), in the case of life insurance business, introduces a new basis for minimum tax. In practice, the newly introduced minimum tax usually exceeds the minimum tax provisions of section 33 in the CITA. This puts the insurance industry in an unfair situation of paying a higher minimum tax than their peers in other industries in cases when the loss or a total loss of profits result in no tax being payable, or a tax charge that amounts to less than the minimum tax. The insurance industry has long campaigned to correct this anomaly but it is yet to yield the desired result. Reforming the CITA Between 2009 and 2010, the Nigerian Insurance Association (NIA) and KPMG worked with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Federal Ministry of Finance and National Assembly to discuss the dire effects of the CITA 2007. It established regulatory amendments that intended resolve the problems. Unfortunately, the necessary amendments are yet to be passed into law while a tax reform bill, which would enact the amendments, continues to be debated in the National Assembly. Taxation of losses Section 16(7) of the CITA restricts insurance companies to carrying forward tax losses for a maximum of four years. Losses that are not fully relieved after four years by an insurance company cannot be carried forward. Companies are made to pay taxes irrespective of the losses accumulated from preceding years. Similarly, the restriction of deductibility for operating expenses that are 25% of the total premium of a company, regardless of the expense passing the wholly, reasonably, exclusively and necessarily (WREN) test, is counter intuitive. It also violates the principle of fairness and equity in taxation because the WREN test would have sufficed to deduct all operating expenses for companies in other industries. Furthermore, the tax authorities expose part of the insurance companies unearned premiums to tax. This stems from limitations placed on provision for unexpired risks to 45% of total premium for general insurance and 25% for marine insurance businesses. Consequently, if the total amount of claims from the unexpired risks during the fiscal year exceeds provisions made for tax purposes, the insurance company bears the burden as it receives neither a refund nor a credit. Another issue which is hindering relief is that the profits referred to in subsection 9(b) are not defined. Because of this, profits could be interpreted as the total taxable profit, assessable profit or profit before tax. Clearly, the resulting figures from using any of these bases will differ. International comparisons At the risk of stating the obvious, to justify the reasons why the government needs to address the sections of the tax laws which burden the insurance industry, a comparison of global markets is apt. The US In the US, the Internal Revenue (IR) Code successfully created a more friendly terrain for its insurance industry that permits growth and expansion. Firstly, there is no minimum tax that applies to insurance companies. However, there is an alternative minimum tax (AMT) that applies across all industries. The AMT can result in an AMT credit, which can be used to reduce regular tax where it exceeds the AMT in a future accounting year. Moreover, the tax credit does not expire because the credit relates to taxes already paid and the entire credit represents a component of the deferred tax asset. The AMT regime in the US means that insurance companies are not unduly disadvantaged, upholding the principle of equality in taxation. Secondly, the IR Code treats the period of recovery from loss differently. A company that loses money in a particular year experiences what is known as a net operating loss (NOL). No corporate tax is due when a company has a NOL because they do not have profits. In addition, a NOL can be carried back and deducted from up to two years taxable income. The company is then eligible for a refund equal to the difference between previously paid taxes and taxes owed after deducting the present years loss. If the loss is too large to be carried back, it may be carried forward for up to 20 years and used to reduce future tax liabilities. Under this rule, insurance companies can only carry back losses for three years and carry forward losses for 15 years. Nonetheless, several proposals such as the camp proposal, call for life insurance companies to benefit from the same loss tax treatment as other companies. As a result, allowing for the carry back of losses reduces the distorting effects of taxation on investment and, in turn, increases economic efficiency. The government, by allowing NOL carry backs, effectively enters into a partnership with taxpayers to share both the return to investment (tax revenue) and the risk of investment (revenue loss). When companies have losses, past and future tax liabilities are reduced through loss carry backs, reducing risk. The further back in time that losses can be carried, the less distorting taxation becomes on investment. It is simply fair. Additionally, the ability to carry back losses encourages equity by helping to prevent two firms that earn the same amount over a given time period, but differ in the timing of when the income is earned, from paying different amounts in taxes. Thirdly, the US provides a special deduction for qualifying small life and non-life insurance companies equal to 60% of their income computed without regard to the deduction. This and many more measures capture how a developed economy sets a healthy environment, based on tax laws, for the domestic insurance industry to thrive. South Africa and Brazil A cursory look at the tax laws of selected emerging economies reveals that for both South Africa and Brazil, there are no restrictions placed on provisions for unexpired risks, provisions for other reserves, claims and outgoings, and periods for the recovery of losses. Both economies also do not have a minimum taxable profit for their insurance companies. India Meanwhile, India has no restrictions on provisions for unexpired risks, but does apply a minimum tax on the profits of insurance companies on provisions for other reserves, claims and outgoings. The country also places a restriction on the period of recovery of loss but it still provides eight years, compared to the four years offered in Nigeria. Nigeria needs to act now to save the sector Taking a cue from these countries, the Nigerian government needs to act fast to save the insurance industry. Nigeria does not follow best practices and the insurance industry gets severely short-changed as a result of the tax treatment. It is further at risk with countries such as the US, Brazil, South Africa and India that are actively competing with Nigeria for the worlds foreign direct investments. When a potential foreign investor compares the Nigerian insurance industry index with that of a fast developing economy, the hostile tax laws governing the industry could work against Nigeria. Imposing taxes is not the problem, especially considering it is pivotal to the functioning of the machinery of government. However, what should not be celebrated but quickly redressed is an unfair tax system. Its negative ripples are immeasurable. If the US could resist the huge tax subsidy received by the East India Tea Company from British government (against small American companies) then taxpayers and stakeholders in the insurance industry should persist until the government sees the positives in this line of thought for the industry and economy at large. Reform should be pushed to fairly place insurance companies with other Nigerian companies and to align with what applies in developed economies setting the pace among peers and other developing economies positioning our economy to be more competitive. If restrictions are successfully removed and losses are carried forward in perpetuity, it will relieve the insurance companies of all undue tax burdens, improve their profit takings and grow their capital. A healthy insurance industry will strengthen the Nigerian economy as it pushes for a place among the worlds top 20 economies. Le nostre pubblicazioni sono significative per le elezioni americane e contengono materiale interessante sulle fazioni del potere americano. E quanto ha dichiarato il co-fondatore di Wikileaks, Julian Assange durane una videoconferenza con Berlino, rispondendo ad una domanda sul contenuto delle preannunciate rivelazioni. Giorni fa, infatti, Assange aveva dichiarato che presto il suo sito avrebbe pubblicato del materiale nuovo, ogni settimana per dieci settimane. Nonostante la domanda, il fondatore di Wikileaks non ha specificato in realta cosa ci sara nei documenti, ma ha annunciato che le pubblicazioni riguarderanno il motore di ricerca Google e il petrolio. Abbiamo un programma, ed e un programma veramente duro, di far uscire tutti documenti collegati alle elezioni Usa prima dell8 novembre. Le prossime serie includono materiale significativo su guerra, armi, petrolio, Google, elezioni Usa ha dichiarato Assange -. Inizieremo la prima pubblicazione questa settimana. La conferenza e stata tenuta in occasione del decimo anniversario della registrazione del sito dellorganizzazione. Durante lincontro a distanza nel teatro Volksbuehne e stato proiettato un video del 2012 dal titolo Assassinate Assange in cui si sosteneva che alti responsabili statunitensi, tra cui Hillary Clinton e Joe Biden, avrebbero chiesto la morte di Assange e linserimento di Wikileaks nella lista delle organizzazione terroristiche come sintetizza una didascalia su Youtube. What Is Redacted? Redacted, a fairly common practice in legal documents, refers to the process of editing a document to conceal or remove confidential information before disclosure or publication. Key Takeaways Redacted, a fairly common practice in legal documents, refers to the process of editing a document to conceal or remove confidential information before disclosure or publication. Redacting personal data in documents is important to avoid identity theft. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5-2 requires court filings to redact Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, names of minors, dates of birth, and home addresses. There are tools available in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat to redact documents. Understanding Redacted As the electronic filing of court documents is now standard practice, redaction is necessary to restrict public access to personal data, given the possibility of identity theft and other types of fraud. In addition to personal data identifiers, other information that should be redacted include medical records, trade secrets, informant names, and security information. Attorneys have an obligation to protect the privacy of parties involved in litigation or other proceedings, and failure to do so may result in the court sanctioning penalties or fines against them. There is a significant amount of legislationsuch as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Actthat includes processes on how to handle private information. Redacted Process Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5-2 requires that parties filing documents with the court (whether manual filing or e-filing) must redact the following personal data identifiers: Social Security numbers: Only the last four digits must be included. Financial account numbers: Only the last four digits should be used. Names of minors: If the involvement of a minor must be mentioned, only the minor's initials may be used. Date of birth: If the date of birth must be included, use only the year of birth (not month or day). Home address: In criminal cases, if a home address must be included, use the city and state only. Redacting a paper document can be done by cutting out the text to be redacted or using opaque tape to cover the redacted sections. The redaction of electronic filings, however, is more complicated. The following methods may appear to redact a document, but in reality, are not effective or foolproof: Changing the text's color to white. This may make it look as though the selected words to be redacted are hidden, but the remaining metadata can reveal the hidden text. Blacking out with comment tools: Edits made by such tools can be removed to reveal the underlying text. Deleting words or sections: Metadata contains document revision history and can be used to view deleted information. Using dark tape or opaque marker: Rather than physically clipping out sensitive information, it is common practice to cover such information with dark tape or a marker and scan it into a PDF format. However, many scanners are sensitive enough to view such covered words even if they do not appear to be visible. Best practices would be to use the tools specifically designed for document redaction, available in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat. Real-World Examples There have been some notable redaction failures. In June 2016, House Democrats publicly released a set of digital documents related to the investigations into the 2012 attacks on two U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya. The Los Angeles Times found that portions of a redacted transcript featuring Hillary Clinton's adviser, Sidney Blumenthal, could actually be viewed if that section was copied from the PDF version and pasted into another document. In 2011, the same copy-paste tactic was used to access redacted information about Apple's business dealings that were mistakenly included in a U.S. District Court opinion. In 2013, Citigroup acknowledged that it failed to safeguard sensitive data including Social Security numbers and birth dates for 146,000 customers who filed for bankruptcy between 2007 and 2011, because of a problem with the way its software redacted customer data on bankruptcy filings for secured loans. In 2019, redaction failures made by lawyers representing former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort accidentally disclosed ties with Russian businessmen, a claim he had previously denied. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Top News - Investor Idea REE Stock News - Defense Metals (TSX-V: DEFN.V) (OTCQB: DFMTF) Drills 113 metres of 2.50% Total Rare Earth Oxide at Wicheeda Vancouver, British Columbia - October 26, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mining / Metals / Green Energy Stock News - Defense Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DEFN / OTCQB: DFMTF/ FSE:35D) is pleased to announce high-grade Rare Earth Element ("REE") assay results from one additional core hole, totalling 383 metres (m), collared within the northern area of Defense Metals' 100% owned Wicheeda REE Deposit. Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea Breaking EV Stock News: Overwhelmingly Positive Reactions Pour in From First Leg of Mullen Automotive's (NASDAQ: MULN) 'Strikingly Different' FIVE EV Crossover Tour BREA, Calif. - October 31, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces today that the Mullen FIVE has received overwhelmingly positive reactions from members of the public, reservation holders and Mullen investors who were able to ride in the vehicle for the very first time on the "Strikingly Different" tour which kicked off last week in Pasadena, California. Top Health and Wellness News - Investor Idea Health and Wellness Stock News - Endexx (OTCBB: EDXC) Secures Third Order for Non-Nicotine Vape Product HYLA Worth Approximately $1.5M in Revenue for First two Fiscal Quarters of 2023 CAVE CREEK, Ariz. - October 27, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Endexx Corporation (OTCBB:EDXC), a provider of innovative, plant-derived, and sustainable health and skincare products, today announces it has secured three key significant orders for its newly acquired, non-nicotine plant-based vape product, HYLA. Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea Breaking AI Stock News: FatBrain (OTCQB: LZGI) Acquires Confidential Computing Platform ZeroTrust to Protect Data Privacy and Accelerate Innovation for Millions of Growth Businesses NEW YORK, NY - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, has acquired the confidential computing and privacy intellectual property (IP) plus software assets of Zero2A PTE LTD ("ZeroTrust Platform"), a software company based in Singapore. Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas: Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by Investorideas.com Newswire: Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire Some live in retirement settings and even if their memories allow they probably dont sing the old, belligerent, republican ballads teachers shared with them as an authentic version of their history, with the same zest they once did. Kevin Barry and Sean South may not be as celebrated as they once were. Certainties once unquestionable are seen as more nuanced, more open to scrutiny. A wider perspective is applied. This change, thankfully, informed some of the centenary celebrations marking the 1916 Rising the hearty re-enactments were splendid in their own way but the questioning of the validity of the Rising was just as important. That this reconsideration might have been impossible in 1966, when the 50th anniversary was marked, just confirms how necessary it is to look at all of history, not just the victors version. Nearly every society that has experienced a revolution struggles to reach a consensus about its history. The French celebrate Bastille Day but monarchists lurk on the right of French politics. Putin exploits Russians insecurity even if that means a return to the kind of Romanov autocracy and kleptocracy that led to the Russian revolution. After Francos death in 1975 Spain kicked the traces and some Spaniards adopted a lifestyle that would have meant jail under El Caudillo. The Isis fantasy of a worldwide caliphate is another example of how blinkered ambition can be if just one version of history is understood. A new scheme, launched in Cork yesterday, is designed to share the events of our revolution in a new, hands-on way. This will, hopefully, as we approach the centenary of our own Civil War, support the widest understanding of those formative events. How very different our recent history might have been had this approach been taken decades ago. The need to teach history to everyone is not as widely recognised as it should be in societies that hope to learn from the past. Generation after generation repeat the mistakes their fathers and grandfathers made. In some instances, the same generation repeats the same mistakes as we seem to be doing around property prices and wage demands. The real tragedy of this is that it seems so easily avoidable. Some years ago, when industry was unhappy with the kind of graduates our education system was producing, various schemes, including double points, were introduced to encourage students to take higher level maths. Our education system, in the most irrational and bizarre way, also tries to sustain Irish by making its study compulsory. Maybe its time to incentivise the study of history by, if not compulsion, then extra points. The arguments are utterly compelling because without the ignorance facilitated by not studying history we would not have Donald Trump, Brexit, the dangerous rise of the right all across Europe or a renewed Cold War. Remembering, after all, is just another version of knowing what didnt work the last time. Five days after Bob Dylan was named the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, no-one knows how he feels about the prestigious award - not even the Nobel judges. The Swedish Academy, which bestows the annual honour, said it has not been able to reach Dylan since the award was announced last Thursday. Permanent secretary Sara Danius told Swedish Radio she has been in contact with a close associate of Dylan, but not the laureate himself. "I am not worried at all. I have a feeling that he will get in touch," she said. Ms Danius said the academy is not making further efforts to reach Dylan, but hopes he will accept the invitation to collect his award at the annual Nobel ceremony in Stockholm on December 10. "If he doesn't want to come then he doesn't want to come," she said. "It will be a big and nice party anyway." Only two people have declined a Nobel Prize in Literature. Boris Pasternak did so under pressure from Soviet authorities in 1958, and Jean-Paul Sartre, who declined all official honours, turned it down in 1964. Dylan, who is currently on tour in the US, has not mentioned the Nobel Prize during his concerts since the announcement. As of Tuesday, his official web page made no mention of the prize except in the books section, where a post dated October 17 about his lyrics collection, The Lyrics: 1961-2012, noted that he was a Nobel Prize winner. People who take part in Special Olympics activities find it improves their social skills and emotional well-being. A DCU study involving people with intellectual disabilities compared those who took part in Special Olympics, with those who did not. It found increased levels of depression among those who did not take part. However, the research found many were not able to participate because of a lack of volunteers to give them a lift to training. Dr Mary Rose Sweeney, Senior Lecturer at DCUs School of Nursing and Human Sciences and Principal Investigator of the study, said: "The research provides us with novel quantitative and qualitative information, giving us a better understanding of the benefits, impacts and experiences of taking part in SO programmes for athletes and their carers. "It will also provide useful insights into non-involvement by families of individuals with intellectual disabilities." Special Olympics Athlete Aisling Beacom said: "I hope the report will help people understand why it is good to be in the Special Olympics programmes." Up to 292 participants took part in the research of which there were 146 primary participants - 101 athletes and 45 non-athletes - and 146 principal family carers. The study also found that reliance on care-givers, very often elderly parents and a lack of transport options meant some people with intellectual disabilities could not access Special Olympics programmes. It also highlighted that of the sample group, 75% of respondents were overweight or obese. It advised that health-care professionals working with people with intellectual disabilities should monitor the issue of overweight and obesity in people with intellectual disabilities. Convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius was let out of prison for four hours last week to attend his grandmother's funeral, South African authorities have said. An elite security unit took the former track star to the funeral on Friday morning under a compassionate leave policy for prisoners, the correctional services department said. Three men have been charged in connection with a shootout which police say left the 15-year-old daughter of US Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay dead. Trinity Gay died in hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, on Sunday after she was shot in the neck at around 4am local time during an exchange of gunfire between people in two parked vehicles in the car park of a nearby Cook Out restaurant. Louis Murray, aged 71, a director of Bailieboro Springwater Ltd, now in receivership, and former operator of the La Stampa, Samsara Bar and the Dawson Hotel, on Dawson St, says they are worth at least 20m and up to 22.5m, but AIB put them up with a guide price of just 15m. Mr Murray, of Killiney Hill Rd, Dublin, and his company, provided security on the property in 2005 over borrowings from AIB. He says the business performed well but suffered in the economic downturn and, due to ill health, he had to withdraw from involvement from 2011 onwards. His sons-in-law represented Mr Muray from then on. Mr Murray and the company have brought Commercial Court proceedings seeking declarations including that he and his firm had an enforceable agreement in April 2015 to refinance or discharge his indebtedness of around 19.5m to the bank. He also seeks a declaration that the bank and receiver Declan McDonald failed to act reasonably or were in breach of duty in selling the property at an undervalue significantly less than the best price. The case was admitted to the High Courts fast-track commercial list on consent between the parties by Mr Justice Brian McGovern. In an affidavit, Mr Murray says he agreed a consensual sale of the premises in 2014 after AIB began to press for repayment of the loans. He hoped to find a buyer himself who would pay off his debt and relaunch the business with him. Despite this, AIB appointed a receiver in October 2014 which significantly interfered with the running of the business, Mr Murray says. He set about seeking investors and entered into talks with Olympia Investments who agreed to provide 21.5m, including 19.8m to settle his debt with AIB. Despite these proposals, AIB advertised the property for sale last May with a guide price of 15m, he says. Mr Murray says that he does not wish to await what the bank and AIB might do. He is anxious for the court to deal with the case expeditiously or through the non-court dispute resolution procedure. Provisional data shows a 1.4bn or 16% improvement on the month in seasonally adjusted export value, to just under 10.3bn. Coupled with a 2% dip in import value, this resulted in a 43% monthly jump in Irelands trade surplus to over 4.95bn. In volume terms, Augusts 11.7% export rise undid a 10.3% fall in July. Business and consumer confidence have been dented to some degree in recent months by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, said Alan McQuaid, the chief economist with Merrion Stockbrokers. However, the trade data for August and for the year to date have been quite positive. "Still, the uncertainty over the implications of Britains decision to leave the EU, in its June 23 referendum, suggests risks on the external trade front remain elevated over the rest of 2016 and into 2017, especially for food exporters. One can only speculate as to how Brexit will impact Ireland ... but there is likely to be a negative impact on trade. While the UK might only account for 16%-17% of Irelands total exports, 30% of all employment is in sectors which are heavily related to UK exports. SMEs will likely be more affected than larger companies by the introduction of tariffs and barriers to trade. That said, however, whatever about 2017 and beyond, we still think the overall goods surplus this year will be a lot higher than in 2015, at around 46bn. The CSO yesterday revised Irelands 2015 annual trade surplus from 42.2bn to just under 42.3bn. The movement in the currency [sterling] and the risk of a significant slowdown in growth in the UK suggest that exports will make a smaller contribution to Irish growth in the near-term, but domestic demand should continue to drive strong GDP growth of about 3% next year, said David McNamara of Davy Stockbrokers. He said that while the August CSO data suggests Irelands highest monthly trade surplus on record, it could unwind in the near future, given current volatility. The sector breakdown showed strong growth in both pharma and non-pharma exports in August, he said. Pharma exports are now up 31% year-on-year, but non-pharma exports are now up 4.3% year-on-year. More broadly, 2016 has been a challenging year for Irish exporters. Sterling is now down 18% against the euro, year-to-date, squeezing Irish exporters margins particularly in traditional manufacturing sectors reliant on trade with the UK. Junior finance minister Eoghan Murphy yesterday said that his top priority is to create as many financial positions outside of Dublin when luring UK and foreign-based institutions who are looking to relocate as a result of Brexit. However, he has warned that Government would not be stupid in allowing businesses relocate here that could pose a risk to the financial sector. He added that the target of creating 10,000 financial jobs here by 2020 is likely to be exceeded as a result of Brexit. If Brexit hadnt have happened we would be aiming to hit those numbers, said Mr Murphy. Brexit has happened and all we have seen is an increase in interest in Ireland as a location and so we would hope to exceed that number. Some 2,600 positions have already been created since the action plan was rolled out last year. When we look at our jobs target of 10,000, I would like to see as much of that going out to the regions as possible because I think there is real potential out there, Mr Murphy told a Brexit-focused briefing yesterday. He dismissed any notion that the Central Bank and the regulator would not be able to cope with an influx of banking institutions relocating here. I have heard these concerns, he said. I see it as well where you see a foreign paper or an international paper talking about the locations of choice for a German bank and it doesnt mention Dublin and people wonder why. Often there are other reasons as to why we are not being mentioned that mightnt have the purest motives behind them because we are in competition. I think the same is going on, to an extent, when they talk about capacity issues around the regulator. People are trying to give the impression in some areas that they are not up to the task, but from everything I have heard and seen I think they are. I think its in others interests to talk others down and talk themselves up thats competition, we have to be smart about it. However, he said Ireland is competitive enough to attract considerable financial business but the Government will not be opening the country up to any necessary risk. Of course we are in a position to take on new businesses that will be relocating out of the UK as a result of the Brexit decision, but we are not going to be stupid, we are not going to go down any new potentially risky avenues that may expose the Irish State in any way, said Mr Murphy. There are a couple of particular areas where those risks exist. The Central Bank is well aware of the risks and we dont want to take on any additional risks that may come back to bite us in the future. However, Mr Murphy outlined a number of initiates that the Government would be undertaking in order to ensure that Ireland is as competitive as possible in attracting jobs. Among the infrastructural projects is a new bridge over the River Liffey in Dublin to link the old Irish Glass Bottle site with the original IFSC area. He also suggested a new international school would be built in the north inner city to attract international bankers who wish to relocate with their families. The sweet treats have been trickling over the border from Colorado and are infused with marijuana. Recreational marijuana use is legal in Colorado and police are having a tough time controlling the influx of products. Mr Creed is due to meet UK retailers at the Salon International de lAgroalimentaire (Sial) food fair in London this morning. He will stress Irelands vital links to Britain, which imported 5.1bn in Irish food and drink products in 2015, more than two-fifths of the sectors total global exports. I will give UK retailers a clear signal that we are not walking away from Britain, Mr Creed told a news conference in Paris, yesterday. We are not letting go of any UK supermarket space that Irish companies have worked so hard to earn in recent years. The quest for new markets is very important to us, and it has taken on added urgency since the UK decision to leave the EU. Their vote also puts into perspective the efforts of Bord Bia and others, he said. Bord Bia chief executive Aidan Cotter said Irish hopes to quadruple exports to Asia were boosted by Mr Creeds successful trade mission to China last week. Mr Creed said he is hopeful China will soon give regulatory approval to Irish beef imports. Last Friday, he also confirmed Irans decision to reopen its market of 80mn consumers to Irish beef and sheepmeat. Meanwhile, ABP Food Group has acquired a third production facility in Tykocin, eastern Poland, from Polish processor Sklodowsky. The new plant will increase ABPs production capacity in Poland to up to 250,000 cattle per year. Last week, Mr Creed announced an extra 2m allocation to help Bord Bia develop overseas markets for Irish new agri-food exports. He said the sum would be reviewed if needed, adding that the Brexit vote might yet impact on Irish ambitions to expand agri-food exports from 10.8bn to 19bn by 2025. We have to export 90% of the food we produce, said Mr Creed. As a small island nation, we have finite resources, but with the efforts of our agencies like Bord Bia I believe we can continue to keep punching above our weight in global food markets. Noreen Lanigan of Bord Bia Paris said the record 28 Irish companies attending Sial this week have forged valuable links with numerous global buyers. Despite recent protective French measures on product labelling and a highly visible Made In France campaign, French consumption of Irish food products has remained stable this year. She said Frances fine dining sector is very receptive to the high quality of Irelands Angus and Hereford beef. There is also high recognition in France of Irelands grass-based production methods, and of sustainability initiatives such as Bord Bias Origin Green programme. The trade marketing manager of Dawn Meats, Sabrina King, said French, German, Polish, and Chinese buyers visiting the Dawn Meats stand reacted favourably to their lamb burgers, pulled pork burgers and other new street food products. They are very interested in Irish produce, in our sustainability message, she said. They also like the convenience of our new street food. These are products I think would work very well in stores like Marks & Spencer. Meanwhile, Cork-born Christine OSullivan and her partner Chris Wilson are having great success with a bakery, cafe, and bakery wholesale business in Paris. Launched three years ago in the chic Latin quarter, Broken Biscuits does a busy trade in scones, sausage rolls, and sandwiches along with traditional French patisserie fare. French people go nuts for les scones, said Ms OSullivan from Ballinhassig. They dont eat them with butter and jam, they just eat them as they are. They also really love our sausage rolls. In Ireland, we think of these things as everyday items but here theyre seen as very different. The pair run their cafe diner from Wednesday to Sunday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, they produce and deliver their daily fresh produce for Parisian cafes and restaurants. Sial continues in Villepinte, northern Paris, until Thursday. The five-day food expo will host 7,000 exhibitors, displaying 400,000 products from more than 100 countries worldwide. In all, up to 160,000 retail and hospitality buyers will visit over the five days. In what senior officers describe as a nightmare scenario, the 151 delegates of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI), representing 2,000 members, voted overwhelmingly to withdraw their labour on November 4, 11, 18, and 25. It follows last months decision by the Garda Representative Association (GRA), representing 10,500 frontline members, to strike on those dates. Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has just 17 days to avert a national security crisis. The AGSI has left the door open to preventing industrial action, and negotiators are meeting Department of Justice officials this week. However, association president Antoinette Cunningham said they wanted clear timelines and progress around garda restoration of pay issues and right to negotiate our own pay. The AGSI has sought a 16.5% pay rise. Ms Fitzgerald said she was committed to giving gardai power to negotiate pay, but rises must be within the parameters of the very real constraints on public-sector pay. Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald Senior Garda sources said the AGSI vote created a nightmare scenarioand left an embattled Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan powerless to intervene. The AGSI decision, on top of the GRA vote, leaves just 210 superintendents and chief superintendents and 529 probationary gardai on duty for the entire country. They could be supported by 450 students from Templemore and, if available, up to 789 Garda Reserve members for a possible total of 1,978. However, probationers, students, and reservists require a sworn garda in this case, limited numbers of senior officers to accompany them at all times. Ms OSullivan and her senior team now have a worst-case contingency plan to develop and will seek meetings with both the GRA and the AGSI in providing emergency cover. Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan The GRA took some heat out of this yesterday when they asked members of the Emergency Response Unit and five Regional Support Units to call in for duty on the four strike dates and for members of the Technical Bureau to stay on call to respond to major crimes. It is not known if measures will be put in place to staff Traffic Corps and regular units in urban areas. Ms Cunningham said it was up to the Garda Commissioner to approach them on supplying emergency cover. Garda bosses may have little option but to request the Army to perform their aid to civil authority duty, where they can act under the direction of gardai. Senior officers are gravely concerned at the dangers posed by the likes of the Kinahan-Hutch feud, given a lid is being kept on further murders by constant armed patrolling and checkpoints. Even with significant emergency cover, sources said likely consequences include mass station closures and inability to respond to many crimes. The AGSI will start their dispute this Friday by stopping their use of the Garda Pulse computer system and administrative duties, which will slow down internal work practices. Association president Antoinette Cunningham Ms Cunningham said industrial action was the individual decision of individual members. She said the association was well within [its] legal rights. Ms Fitzgerald yesterday described the AGSIs decision as disappointing and pointed out that the members had not been balloted on such a move. She said she was absolutely committed to giving Garda associations direct access to dispute resolution bodies, such as the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. She said there was a commitment to give them access to the Public Service Pay Commission and that the Garda Pay Review would report by years end. Latest figures show 417 people believed to have been trafficked were discovered by or reported to gardai here between 2009 and 2015, the majority of them women sold into the sex industry. However, a sizeable number were children and other adults used in begging, criminality, and as slave labour in private homes and businesses. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has restated a pledge to tackle the crime she described as despicable, in part by using the public as the eyes and ears of the authorities in helping to identify victims. Her promise came as she launched the Second National Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking. It replaces the initial plan which covered the years 2009-2012. Ms Fitzgerald said: Trafficking of human beings is a crime against humanity which has no place in a modern and civilised society. It undermines the human rights and dignity of the person and requires a response from all of society. This second National Action Plan sets out a series of actions which, when pursued together with partners both State and non-State, will bring more perpetrators to justice and free victims from this form of modern slavery, she said. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald Many of the aims of the first plan remain in place, with added emphasis on identifying victims of trafficking at an earlier stage through greater engagement with trade unions, employer bodies, schools, health services, and the general public. Our experience to date in Ireland has shown that trafficking is not confined to the sex trade and is taking place in a range of legitimate industries under the guise of genuine employment, said Ms Fitzgerald. I want to raise awareness of the issue among the general public and to encourage anyone who suspects that trafficking may be taking place, to report their suspicions to the gardai. Extra efforts are also to be made to prevent rescued people becoming revictimised in the future. The plan says consideration needs to be given to issuing unique identifers to victims to help track their progress and safety. The plan acknowledges the difficulties faced by gardai in prosecuting traffickers because of the clandestine and often international nature of the crime and the fear victims have of giving evidence. However, it states: These difficulties do not justify inaction. A particular difficulty arises where people are trafficked for participation in criminal activity such as begging and bag-snatching so that they are both victim and perpetrator. The plan says guidelines need to be drawn up for the effective handling of such cases. Of the known victims, the single biggest group came from west Africa, followed by the EU and Ireland, with others coming from South America, central Asia, and the south Pacific. The plan was welcomed by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland and Ruhama, both of which assist victims. However, Ruhama CEO Sarah Benson warned that those people detected were only the tip of the iceberg. Phil Heasley, president and CEO of ACI Worldwide, said its Irish operation in Limerick was such a success they had decided to expand their workforce from 82 to 150. ACI processes over 35m payment transactions worth $14tn (12.7tn) each day for nearly 5,000 banks, retail companies, restaurants, and hotel groups worldwide. ACI, which is based in Florida, has a workforce of 4,500 worldwide. Mr Heasley said 10 years ago they decided to set up in the EU and were looking for a country to locate to. We do business in over 100 countries and we have a basic belief to respect the culture of the places we do business in. At that time Ireland was a very interesting place to go when we were looking for a major presence in the EU. Mr Heasley said its requirements included a well educated workforce and the opportunity to pair up with a university. We could have built any place in Europe and we were told Ireland would not work because of problems including its telecommunications network. But we were also told not to underestimate the University of Limerick and we came here. I am every bit as impressed as I was then and it made me so happy walking in here today at the work done here in Limerick, said Mr Heasley. ACI is a high-end graduate employer. We are very excited about our new centre and the tremendous overall opportunities for ACI in this region. As more organisations embrace private cloud solutions to gain a competitive edge, theyre turning to ACI. Our dedicated cloud payments offerings provide the security, privacy and reliability that customers need and expect for mission- critical payment solutions, he added. Finbarr ORourke, aged 41, from Laurel Drive, Portlaoise, Co Laois, had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Ciaran Treacy, aged 4, at Ballymorris, Portarlington, on April 17, 2014. Ciarans mother, Gillian, was also severely injured as a result of the incident. Judge Keenan Johnson sentenced ORourke to seven and a half years imprisonment at Portlaoise Circuit Criminal Court on November 3, 2015. Opening an appeal against sentence yesterday, ORourkes barrister, Conor Devally, submitted that the tariff was too high and ORourke was not given due mitigation perhaps... because the [sentencing] judge was so moved by this case. Mr Devally said ORourke should be sentenced for what he did but the view was that he had to be seen as an example rather than an individual. Mr Devally said it was difficult for me to even do this because it made ORourke seem as though he wanted to minimise what he had done. He does not. However, ORourke was unfortunate, Mr Devally said, that his sentence had been seized upon as a lesson for the nation to learn. ORourke had turned his personal life around, had utterly changed his relationship with alcohol, and had recently expressed an interest in making himself available to the likes of the Road Safety Authority in the advocacy against what he himself had done. Mr Devally said ORourke and a companion had gone out in the town on the date in question to have some drinks with a view to staying in his companions home. However, they had a tiff, a stupid falling out and ORourke fatally took to the car without any premeditation. Mr Devalley said that Ms Treacys vehicle was met in a head-on collision. The engineering evidence appeared to establish that on a gradual bend ORourke lost concentration, leaving no opportunity to avoid a collision. ORourke was found down the road walking away from the scene. He was on the phone to the man he was drinking with earlier. He was arrested and conveyed to the Garda station and he vomited a number of times on the way. The sentencing judge interpreted ORourkes phonecall to his companion as a request to be collected. However, the evidence was never to that effect, Mr Devalley said. He never asked to be removed from the scene at all. Counsel for the DPP, John William Fennelly, said a court was obliged to have regard to ORourkes absence from the scene. The judge was entitled to view that with some alarm, Mr Fennelly said, as a matter that aggravated the sentence. Reserving judgment, Mr Justice George Birmingham said the court hoped to deliver its decision on this sensitive case next week. County councillors have criticised the need for another feasibility study for the bypass, which has been ordered by the Department of Environment and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). Only a year ago, a feasibility study was funded by the county council, which showed that, if it was not built, Mallow could grind to a halt. The study was carried out in conjunction with the local chamber of commerce and demonstrated that the bypass was essential to ensure economic growth into the future, especially as Dairygold is ploughing millions of euro into expanding its plants in Mallow and Mitchelstown. Councillors have been told that it is hoped to appoint consultants shortly to carry out a new feasibility study, but it is unlikely the study will be completed before Christmas. Tom Stritch, council director of roads, said the Government would normally announce capital grants for TII in the last week of December for the following year and it was therefore unlikely that the bypass project would be included in this list. However, he said it was not impossible that the road could be added by TII later in 2017. Fianna Fail councillor Frank OFlynn said he could not understand why yet another feasibility study was needed and that it was a waste of taxpayers money because everybody knew the bypass was critical. Speaking at a meeting of the councils northern division in Mallow yesterday, he said the town had been let down by the Government, and it was particularly bad news for Dairygold. The companys major expansions will lead to a far larger number of HGVs using the main road between Mallow and Mitchelstown (N73) and Mr OFlynn said without the bypass the trucks would choke Mallow with traffic. Independent councillor John Paul OShea also criticised the move, but pointed out delays werent the county councils fault. Meanwhile, on a more positive note, Mr Stritch said he was confident that a proposed realignment of the N73 from Annakidha and Clogher Cross to Waterdyke would get the green light shortly. The council has been asked to submit revised costs for the project to TII. Mr Stritch said these would include compulsory land purchases and once resubmitted to TII he expects them to be rubber-stamped quite quickly. Another realignment project was also needed on the main Mallow- Fermoy road (N72) at Ballygriffin, near Killavullen. There is still no agreed course of action as to how to respond to Ruth Coppingers bill, which is seeking to have the 1983 Eighth Amendment to the Constitution on abortion repealed. As revealed in this newspaper, Independent Alliance members in Government Shane Ross, Finian McGrath and John Halligan are demanding a free vote while Taoiseach Enda Kenny is known to want all ministers to oppose Coppingers bill. He and some Fine Gael ministers are adamant that allowing a free vote would undermine the Governments commitment to the newly-established Citizens Assembly, which met for the first time last weekend. As the Cabinet meets this morning, the two sides remain diametrically opposed as to how to deal with the bill, which will be debated and voted on in the Dail next week. Last night, a Government spokesman called for time and space to allow all the issues involved to be examined. There is now a considered process in place with regard to the 8th amendment involving the citizens assembly which held its first meeting on Saturday last. This process must be given time and space to examine the issues involved. Following this a report containing proposals on the 8th amendment will come before the Oireachtas for discussion, the Government spokesman told the Irish Examiner. Fine Gael are in denial if they think they can force their Coalition partners the Independent Alliance to oppose a new bill to liberalise abortion, Alliance members have said. They say a free vote is not in the gift to Enda Kenny to grant and they are insisting that such a situation occurs when the bill is debated next week. We are not in the business of asking for a free vote. It is not their decision to make, one Alliance member said. Minister and Waterford TD John Halligan said he was adamant that a free vote must happen, but added he did not want to see the stability of the Government placed in jeopardy again. Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone is likely to oppose the bill. Politically she has invested her capital in the idea of the assembly. The mothers solicitor told a family law court in Cork that the claims that his current girlfriend is funding his entire life, as he has been declared insolvent and is unemployed. The mothers solicitor said the primary-school aged child does not want extended access with the father at this time. A previous judge heard from the child extensively, and had granted just two hours access on a Sunday, she said. The mothers solicitor said the court had to hear the voice of the child before any decision to extend access was considered. This child needs to be heard, wants to be heard, she said. The child has grown out of the relationship with the father because of his behaviour. I cannot understand how this man is functioning. We have a lot of questions about his means. He is telling the court he has no money, yet social media shows him out drinking and socialising. There is concern that the child is being brought to pubs. The solicitor highlighted a variety of social hostelries as shown on a bank statement that the man had visited in Cork City, including a lap-dancing club. In response, the fathers solicitor said a very dim picture was being painted of her client. She said the man has been declared insolvent, although he was once part of a family business that was very successful in the Celtic Tiger years. She said the father had played an active role in the childs life. He has been there since the child was born, but since the mother got married in 2014, there has been a systematic withdrawal of access, the mans solicitor told the court. She said the child cannot be brought into every judge who hears this case. The judge suggested a psychological assessment take place, but said it would cost 1,500 to 3,000. Asked who would pay for it, the mans solicitor said his parents were willing to pay. The mothers solicitor expressed her outrage at this. This man cant pay for maintenance but finds money for this, she said. He says his girlfriend pays for everything, essentially funding his whole life, he is going on holidays, continues to be out socialising and drinking while my client is living hand to mouth. The case was adjourned to try and facilitate a hearing in front of the judge who had previously heard from the child. Last month, a specially enlarged jury panel of 15 was sworn in at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for the trial, which is expected to run for three months. Judge John Aylmer told the jury yesterday that the parties in the case were still involved in a legal matter that the jurors had previously been made aware of. He said that the time estimate for dealing with this matter had been somewhat of an underestimate. Two jurors who the judge said now had difficulties which were insurmountable were excused from continuing to serve on the jury. One juror told the court that she was waiting to see how much she would receive in social welfare during her jury service. They would only give me 67 a week. I cant live on that, she said, adding that she started a full-time job last week. The second juror was excused because of a bereavement and difficulties arising as a consequence of this. Judge Aylmer said that it was likely that the trial could start before the jury by October 26 and told the remaining jurors to return to court that day. He reminded them of the difficulty the court had in assembling a jury for the lengthy trial and asked them if there were any other issues in their minds around completion of their jury duty. We need to know and be sure that the rest of you are free and able to see this case out, Judge Aylmer said. He told them the case is due to finish before Christmas and that the delays in starting the trial before the jury did not alter this schedule. None of the remaining 13 jurors raised any issues with serving on the jury for the remainder of the trial. Mr FitzPatrick, aged 68, of Whitshed Rd, Greystones, Co Wicklow, is accused of failing to disclose to the banks auditor, Ernst and Young, the details of directors loans he received from Anglo between November 2002 and February 2008. He pleaded not guilty to 27 offences under the 1990 Companies Act, including 22 charges of making a false statement to auditors. The Tanaiste made the controversial claim after the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors confirmed it is joining forces with the Garda Representative Association and as Fianna Fail urged Taoiseach Enda Kenny to step in to resolve the crisis. In a controversial but well-flagged step yesterday, the AGSI said it is joining the rank-and-file GRA in unprecedented and illegal strike action next month. Under moves confirmed by AGSI president Antoinette Cunningham, the high-profile groups members will refuse to work on November 4, 11, 18 and 25 the same dates as the GRA. In addition, as part of escalation measures AGSIs members will also decline to log onto the Pulse garda system or engage in any Pulse-related activities including processing files and logging cases this Friday and Friday, October 28. AGSI said last night it is joining the move by the GRA which has said they will ask the garda rapid defence unit and trainee gardai to avoid strike action in order to ensure a skeleton force is retained to win back 16.5% in cut pay and ensure access to the Labour Court which officers are currently prevented from accessing. However, responding to the situation in a strongly worded statement, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said the move is ignoring the wishes of AGSI members and is not in the best interests of the public. Speaking after the AGSI decision was confirmed, the Tanaiste said she found the move disappointing as they have not balloted their members and it is just seven weeks since their membership voted to accept the Lansdowne Road agreement by over 70%. Ms Fitzgerald said the decision to strike also ignores the very significant benefits in this agreement, which included the restoration of the rent allowance worth over 4,000 or 17% annually to new recruits. The justice minister said her invitation to the AGSI and GRA to continue to meet with her officials in a bid to resolve the stand-off before the strike action dates are reached remains open and that she would urge them to engage with my department to find a solution for their members. Mr Fitzgerald said she was committed to allowing gardai access to the Labour Court and the Workplace Relations Commission. However, despite saying the Governments focus remains on negotiation, Ms Fitzgerald made it clear the Coalition has no intention of changing its view that the called-for pay increases cannot be provided. This [negotiation] must be within the parameters of the very real constraints on public pay. Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar on Sunday warned gardai any strikes would change their relationship with the public forever. Last night, Fianna Fail justice spokesperson Jim OCallaghan urged Enda Kenny to intervene, saying while he understands garda anger striking officers risk being accused of an a la carte attitude to the law. Cllr Des Cahill was speaking yesterday after the Irish Examiner revealed details of the unpublished review, which said the Smiddy-chaired Cork Local Government Review (CLGR) groups shelved majority report lacked evidence to substantiate its merger recommendation. Public service reform expert, Prof Tony Bovaird, said the recommendation of the groups so-called minority report to retain Corks two local authorities, and extend the city boundary was simply better argued. The Irish Examiner revealed yesterday how UCC commissioned Prof Bovaird to review the two Smiddy reports published in September 2015. Prof Bovaird found flaws in the majority merger report and concluded: I believe the option of separate city and county councils, with a significant extension to the city council boundary, is much better substantiated by the arguments presented in the reports and by the international evidence base. However, Mr Smiddy dismissed the review as nothing more than an academic essay and some light desktop research on what it appears as highly dubious, innocuous, and bogus terms of reference. Im afraid when the terms of reference and intent appear questionable or bogus, then the findings can only be bogus too, he said. It seems to me this is more of a continuation of an ongoing orchestrated saga from certain narrow quarters to frustrate the Government, and delay beyond the 2019 local elections the implementation of the Smiddy Report. That type of obstruction has been the history of local government in Cork for over 50 years; its what had held Cork back so much; and we can all see through whats happening. And in a swipe at more than a dozen former lords mayor, Mr Smiddy said: We had it at the final stages of the independent review when the retired chain brigade desperately tried to unsettle and derail the committee from publishing the Smiddy Report, and so many times since. Im afraid I have to call it out this is just more of the same the nonsensical frenzy of politicking, procrastination, and posturing. Businessman Alf Smiddy Mr Cahill hit back last night, describing Mr Smiddys reaction as infantile. Its a very infantile response to a report done by a person who is considered to be an internationally renowned expert, said Mr Cahill. I was quite surprised at the reaction, but when people say anything negative about Alf Smiddys comments, or opinions, he seems to get very upset and take it personally. Mr Cahill said the Bovaird findings copper-fasten what supporters of the city boundary argument have believed for several years. The international standard is to drive regional economic development from the city out. And that is the ambition of the city council, he said. It would be reckless if Prof Bovairds report isnt considered by the new four-person group as part of their analysis. The move comes amid increasing demand by workers for pay rises, including among gardai and teachers. Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe is expected to bring the memo to colleagues today, which will set out the terms for the new commission. The commission promised in the programme for government will look at the successor to the Lansdowne Road Agreement, the current pay and work deal which runs until 2018. The commission is to be asked to examine how public servants pay can be restored since cuts were made during the economic crash. Mr Donohoe has already signalled the commission will report by the middle of next year and provide details on how the unwinding of emergency measures to reduce the pay bill can be done. Despite the threat of industrial action from gardai and teachers, no provision for pay increases has been made outside of the Lansdowne Road Agreement. Government sources said last night that the Cabinet is due to agree that Kevin Duffy, former chairman of the Labour Court, will be named as the new head of the commission. Mr Duffy is currently chairman of the expert commission on water charges, scheduled to produce a report for Government by the end of next month. Government sources say it will take a number of weeks for the new pay commission to be set up. However, the commission will be an advisory body and have no statutory role which means that the Government will not be obliged to implement its recommendations. The commission will also look at different pay rates for different sectors in other countries as well as the comparable costs of living there. Elsewhere, the Cabinet is set to agree to waive a set of ministerial pay rises, which were due to give ministers increases of 3,911 each from next April. Ministers would also get the same amount on each of the following two years, bringing their salaries back from 157,540 to 169,275. The pay rise came about as ministers are among public servants earning over 65,000 who were set to benefit from a clawback of temporary pay cuts imposed during the crash. However, ordinary TDs look set to receive increases due. TDs will receive 2,700 on April 1 and the same again in 2018, increasing their salaries from 87,258 to 92,658. Last week, the childs father was jailed for 14 years for raping him and locking him in a wooden box in the family home in Waterford. The mother was convicted of a single count of child cruelty relating to the events in the house. Yesterday, Mr Justice Robert Eagar said he was sentencing her on the basis that she was aware of the abuse but failed to protect her son or alert the authorities. The court previously heard the boy believes his mother is a kind woman and doesnt think she did anything wrong. The woman said she believes the now 13-year-old boy has made up all the allegations against his father and that she wants no further contact with him as a result. She has stated her son made up the allegations after being manipulated by the HSE after being taken into emergency care when he was seven. Reports handed into the court stated the woman has a mild to significant intellectual disability, is highly suggestive, and vulnerable to exploitation. Although she has been in custody since conviction last May she remains in regular phone and written contact with the childs father and prison staff are concerned she is being manipulated by the man. The reports also detailed the womans appalling family background where sexual abuse had been the norm. She grew up in the UK where she was sexually abused by her mothers partner from the age of seven before becoming pregnant to him at age 14. She moved to Ireland with the man before having three more children, all of whom were taken into care. She met her co-accused in 2001 and had a fifth child, the boy at the centre of this case, in 2003. Mr Justice Eagar said the woman had failed to protect her son. He said she was aware who the local gardai were but failed to take any steps to alert them. It appears from the evidence she was aware to some extent of the extreme sexual violence against her son, he said. She was aware he was locked in the box. He noted an assessment which stated the woman is at a moderate risk of reoffending. She is unlikely to engage in wanton cruelty to others but has a limited capacity to maintain a caring and safe environment for a child. The judge imposed a three year sentence with the final 18 months suspended on several conditions including that she have no contact with her partner for that period. There was no reaction from the woman. Last May a jury at the Central Criminal Court convicted the 66-year-old father, who is also from the UK, of nine counts of raping his son from the age of six and one count of child cruelty. He was acquitted of raping the child with a poker. The woman was convicted of child cruelty but found not guilty of sex assault relating to allegations she had sex or simulated sex with her child, Both parents had pleaded not guilty to the offences which occurred between 2009 and 2011. In a victim impact report the boy, who is now in specialised residential care in the UK, told the Central Criminal Court he wished he could have taken [his mother] away from from his father. He said he felt sorry for her but wished she had taken him away or placed him in care when the abuse started. He said he was angry with her for staying with his father but that she was manipulated by the man. He said he remains loyal to his mother and would like to meet in the future and just chat with her. The court heard that child continues to behave aggressively as a result of the abuse but is no longer displaying the sexualised behaviour he presented with when first taken into care. He is two years behind in school. The Cork-based guide dog charity created 59 working- dog partnerships in 2015 and it costs the charity 38,000 for each partnership. In the annual report for the charity confirming the 479,000 loss for last year, chairman Eddie Murphy allayed the fears of those on the charitys waiting list that there may be any cuts to services due to the 2015 loss. Mr Murphy said: To cut back on the numbers of people we can train would be unthinkable at this time. Rather than cutting back, the charity aim to create 70 working dog partnerships this year. The loss last year came as a result of the charity ramping up its guide dog training programme and other training programmes where it spent an additional 278,000, bringing it to 3.35m. The charity is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and Mr Murphy said that the organisation was able to fund the 2015 loss from its reserves and they stood at 11m at the end of last year. In the report, Mr Murphy said: We are confident that we can turn around our finances as quickly as possible. The report states that the executive and board are aware that there are current problems in the business and the 2016 plan puts in place step changes so that purposes, people and processes are aligned. The report anticipates that there will be a trading deficit this year. There are 178 working guide dog partnerships and more that 250 working assistance dog partnerships in place. The service is provided free of charge to users and the average waiting list for a dog is currently 15 to 17 months. The association costs 4.5m to fund each year and last year the charity trained 222 people, as well as placing 26 companion dogs with children and adults with disabilities. The amount the charity raised from fundraising last year totalled 3.29m, a slight fall from 2014s total of 3.37m. However, the cost of raising funds last year increased from 1.4m to 1.476m. The charity last year received 768,000 in funding from the HSE. The annual report discloses that the annual gross pay for chief executive , Padraig Mallon last year was 103,574. Staff costs at the charity were 2.79m. In 2005, the charity launched the first programme of its kind in Europe when it began an assistance dog programme for children with autism and since then has helped 250 families of children with autism. Commenting on how 2016 has gone to date for the charity, Mr Mallon said: In the year to the end of September, fundraising income from donations and events is in line with the same period last year. We have seen an increase in the year to date in the income received from bequests and legacies. Our volunteers and our staff are focussed on the important pre-Christmas period. Hopefully our plans will be successful and if so we should break even this year. Mr Noonan, speaking to reporters in Limerick said: The Cork motorway was in the roads programme when the country collapsed into quasi-bankruptcy. None of the big projects were put in since then. "The estimated cost for Limerick/Cork was 800m when I last looked at it. It probably is around 1bn now. The full capital programme for roads is around 700m, but it is a priority, but it cant start just yet due to lack of money. He defended the budget decision to promote newly built starter homes for first-time buyers and pointed out how a similar strategy was successful in the car scrappage scheme. The economists are saying we should have concentrated on the supply side. When theres a demand for something, it leads to increased supply. If we can give deposits to people there will be an increased supply. The [building] industry will move to supply the extra demand. To give you an exam- ple: When it was done previously, the first [car] scrappage scheme was introduced by Ruairi Quinn back in the 1990s. The theory then was the motor-car business was on the flat of its back no cars being sold. So, with the scrappage scheme, people were given money and that money expressed itself in demand for new cars and a lot of new cars were sold. So, when there is demand backed by cash, supply responds and thats the theory of it. Weve put a three-year cap on it and well see how it works out, but I think it will work out quite well. There are builders in cities, particularly Dublin, gearing up already to supply the starter-home market. Asked about the abortion debate, he said any initiatives that would take place would happen at the citizens assembly. I think the debate in the Dail isnt as relevant as the previous one, now that the citizens forum is in place and they have decided that its first priority will be a discussion on the Eighth Amendment. So, well see what comes from that. BeLonG To, the National LGBT Youth Organisation, said free online resource All Together Now aims to tackle LGBT bullying in primary schools by teaching children about types of identity-based bullying and bullying behaviours with lessons that can be incorporated into the social personal and health education module. Half of LGBT young people have experienced bullying, according to BeLonG To figures. The study also found they are more likely to suffer from mental health problems as a result of bullying. Addressing homophobia and transphobia in primary schools is urgent, the organisation says, especially considering the most common age for a person to discover they are LGBT is when they are 12, according to the LGBTIreland Report 2016. The programme was piloted in 14 schools during 2016 before it was officially launched yesterday. Of those schools nine are Catholic, two are Educate Together, and two are community national schools. Two of the schools are also DEIS. The classes being taught to a mixture of fourth, fifth and sixth class students. The lessons cover topics like human rights, bullying and how to respond to bullying, using slides, scenarios and discussion questions. Pupils are taught about types of identity-based bullying, based on the nine grounds of the Equality Acts while also being taught about verbal, physical and cyberbullying and social isolation. One sixth-class teacher who ran a class during the pilot scheme said: The children came out of the lesson with a hugely positive attitude towards making a stand against bullying and, to me, that was a success. BeLongG executive director Moninne Griffith said: We know from our work with young people throughout Ireland that going to school can be a difficult experience and that anti-LGBT bullying is commonplace. There is a direct link between bullying and the significantly higher rates of mental health problems including self-harm and suicide for LGBT young people, Ms Griffith said. Recent research found that 67% of Irish LGBT students witnessed bullying of other LGBT students in their schools and 50% had personal experience of same. Young people have been telling us for some time now that there is a need to begin tackling this problem in primary schools, she added. The Irish National Teachers Organisation general secretary Sheila Nunan said: The All Together Now lessons are a very welcome development. Speaking at the launch of the resource, Education Minister Richard Bruton said: Through awareness, training and prevention, we can work to tackle bullying in schools. An exhibition touring Cork and Kerry second-level schools offers a taste of the Atlas of the Irish Revolution, a book being finalised at University College Cork to offer a new approach to how the tumultuous events of a century ago are understood. The tour was launched at St Angelas College in Cork yesterday, an appropriate location as it is the former workplace of Mary MacSwiney. Caitriona Crowley, a transition year student, explained that the co-founder of Cumann na mBans Cork branch was arrested for her links to the revolutionary movement while teaching a maths class at the school in May 1916 after the Easter Rising. Project co-ordinator Helene OKeeffe will speak to students at the end of each schools week-long exhibition about the research running through the atlas, much of it highlighting the subject areas available to students at UCC. As well as the history and geography connections, the statistics underpinning many of the illustrations may be used to teach maths and numeracy. Central to the exhibition are highly original maps which provide new and exciting ways for a younger generation to engage with Irelands revolutionary past, said John Crowley of UCCs geography department, a co-editor of the Atlas of the Irish Revolution. Students Julie Monahan and Myrial Casey at St Angelas College, St Patricks Hill, Cork, for the official launch of the Atlas of the Irish Revolution travelling exhibition for schools. The large-format book features the work of more than 70 historians, from UCC, around Ireland, and international scholars. It is due to be published by Cork University Press next March and features maps devised by the UCC geography department. Those in the exhibition include the locations of suffragette branches in 1913 and 1914, locations associated with Michael Collins during the War of Independence and key events during the Civil War in Kerry. St Angelas College fourth-year student Alison Hegarty said the illustrations will help visual learners such as herself to engage with large amounts of information easier than they might from long pages of text in books. One of the ones I found most interesting shows where children who died in 1916 inner city Dublin, and their ages, said Alison. It shocks you to read, and its good to be reminded that the Rising didnt just affect political figures, but also innocent children. Some of the maps, archival documents, and old photos many from the Irish Examiners photographic archive will feature in a digital resource for second-level teachers being developed by Ms OKeeffe. Samples of maps from the book related to the 1916 Rising will be available from January at theirishrevolution.ie, an online collaboration between UCC and the Irish Examiner. Positions occupied during the Easter Rising by Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army and Crown Forces, in a map from the Atlas of the Irish Revolution. Picture: Cork University Press/University College Cork An Irish-language version of the touring exhibition is also open for all-Irish second-level schools to host. www.theirishrevolution.ie Helene OKeeffe will give a free public lecture on the subject of second-generation memory of the 1916 Rising at UCCs geography building at 6pm tomorrow, the latest in a series of Reconsidering the Rising lectures organised by UCC school of history. And Mr Dunne considers he is the most co-operative bankrupt under scrutiny his counsel William Fawsitt told the court as he said the businessman is anxious an application to extend his Irish bankruptcy, which Mr Dunne opposes, is heard. Counsel opposed an application by the official assignee Chris Lehane, who is administering Mr Dunnes Irish bankruptcy, for an adjournment of the extension application to allow the Mr Lehane consider materials filed by Mr Dunne last week in opposing it. Ms Justice Miriam ORegan adjourned the matter to November 14. Ulster Bank petitioned the High Court in February 2013 to have Mr Dunne adjudicated bankrupt here over default on 164m loans. The following month, he filed for bankruptcy in Connecticut, US, when he claimed to have debts of $1bn and assets of $55m. In July 2013, he was adjudicated bankrupt here. Mr Lehane this year initiated the bankruptcy extension application over alleged non-co-operation by Mr Dunne with him. Mr Dunnes Irish bankruptcy, due to expire last July, was temporarily extended pending the outcome of the full hearing concerning whether any extension, which can be for a maximum of five years, should be granted. Mr Dunne was at the Fourt Courts yesterday when his case came before the court. Mark Sanfey, for Mr Lehane, said Mr Dunne attended for examination at the official assignees office on June 29, and last Wednesday delivered a 28-page affidavit and considerable documents. Mr Lehane sought consent to an adjournment of the extension hearing to consider those materials but no consent was forthcoming. Mr Dunne has had four months to consider files from Mr Lehanes side but it seemed the official assignee was expected to respond to these materials over two working days, counsel said. Mr Dunnes examination represented his first substantial assistance to the official assignee as he previously failed to provide detailed responses to requests for statements of affairs and other information, counsel said. While Mr Dunne responded to requests for further information, there were still gaps, Mr Sanfey said. Mr Fawsitt said Mr Dunne wanted his financial liberty, had provided a 28-page affidavit dealing with Mr Lehanes claims, and it was of paramount importance to him to get free of the shackles of bankruptcy. Mr Sanfey said Mr Lehane needs to make enquiries concerning what is happening with the US bankruptcy. It is the defence case that, although the incident did occur, the man was suffering at the time from a condition known as sexsomnia and this caused him to carry out sexual acts in his sleep. The 29-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to one count of raping the woman at an apartment in Dublin in the early hours of September 28, 2008. The agency made the request on numerous occasions throughout 2015 and 2016. It was excluded from the current Mother and Baby Homes Commission despite the Government being told by the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) that the agency was aware of several hundred illegal birth registrations. It ceased operating at the end of 2014 but, due to lengthy negotiations to ensure Tusla were indemnified against any legal action taken by people seeking their records, the files were not transferred until May 2016. However, it has emerged that the agency had contacted Tusla a number of times throughout 2015 and 2016 seeking a payment of 50,000 before it would agree to transfer any records. Documents released under Freedom of Information show that Sr Francis Fahy, director of services with St Patricks Guild (SPG), wrote to Tusla national manager for adoption Siobhan Mugan in October 2015 requesting an immediate payment in regard to almost 48,000 in expenses. She had previously made a request in April of that year and stated that SPG had not been funded by Tusla since it closed in December 2014, but had continued offering a service to adopted people and natural parents albeit in a more limited way. It is now a matter of some urgency, said Sr Fahy. At this time I am enclosing an account of the actual expenses to date for 2015 and would be glad to receive an immediate payment in regard of these expenses. If further details are required please let me know. A further sum will be required later as often payments fall due from October until such time as the service and the records are transferred to Tusla. The attached expenses from January to September 2015 included almost 10,000 on gas and electricity and phone bills of more than 2,000. Ms Mugan responded to Sr Fahy stating that when the agency ceased operating there was no agreement with Tusla to continue funding into 2015. She pointed out that, in fact, it was agreed that the records would be in the possession of Tusla by late January, early February 2015 at the latest. However, Sr Fahy wrote to Tusla again in February of this year stating that it would need a payment of at least 50,000 before it could transfer anything of the 13,000 adoption files. She pointed out that the agency was preserving and maintaining the records and offering a service on the understanding that its costs would be covered by the State. We were given to understand that upon submission of the necessary documentation and accounts funding would be made available to cover the costs incurred during this period, said Sr Fahy. It was with this understanding that the work was carried out in good faith. While every effort has been made to bring the negotiations to a conclusion this has not yet been possible. Therefore, at this time, and as a matter of urgency, it is necessary to request that a payment of at least 50,000 be made prior to the transfer of the records. In April, principal officer in the Adoption Policy Unit at Tusla wrote to chief executive of the AAI Patricia Carey expressing concern about the request and fact that the agency had planned to retain copies of index cards containing birth information of adoptees and their natural families. The AAI agreed to allow the agency hold the cards for three months post transfer of the files to allow it "to complete reports for the Authority". In April of this year Tusla agreed to a one of payment of 30,000 to support the storage of the files while the transfer was being negotiated and to assist the agency with its closure. Department of Education officials are due to meet today with representatives of school boards to consider what options they have to cover substitution and supervision work which 18,000 members of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) will stop doing from Monday, November 7. The union yesterday agreed to accept the invitation to talks with Education Minister Richard Brutons officials. Those discussions will take place tomorrow, when the ASTI and Department of Education were already scheduled to seek resolution to the industrial action by the unions members over junior cycle reforms. While the minister last night welcomed the decision by ASTI leadership to meet, tensions may be heightened by department plans to dock pay if schools are forced to close over the supervision and substitution directive. In circumstances where schools are forced to close as a result of the withdrawal of teachers from their duties relating to supervision and substitution, teachers who have not made themselves available for these duties will come off payroll, a spokesperson for Mr Bruton said. But an ASTI spokesperson said members would remain available for work when these duties are withdrawn. We would regard the docking of pay on these days as a very serious development which would be considered by ASTI standing committee, she said. In a signal of how serious the tense industrial relations situation is being taken, Mr Bruton is to shorten his participation in a trade mission leaving for China tonight. He is now due back early on Friday morning, instead of next Tuesday as originally scheduled, from the trip at which 19 Irish third-level colleges are being represented. The ASTI gave just over three weeks notice when it announced the withdrawal of supervision and substitution last Friday, saying the department had sufficient warning of the potential disruption to make contingency arrangements. John Curtis, general secretary of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB) which represents 375 schools entirely staffed by ASTI members, urged the sides to find a resolution urgently as closures are inevitable because of the time needed to have replacement supervision personnel Garda-vetted. It could take eight weeks to have those staff in place, which could see JMB and more than 100 other schools which are partly staffed by ASTI members forced to close until early December, due to health and safety issues arising from an absence of supervision. The first of seven strike days planned by the union in its campaign for full pay parity for younger teachers is scheduled for next Thursday week, October 27, and six more are pencilled in up to and including December 7. Troy Studio, set up by directors of Ardmore Studio, has leased the old Dell building from Limerick City and County Council and is converting it into an international film-making hub. More than 500 jobs will be created when film-makers move in to use the huge facility. APLEA has been made to open up a forgotten underground prison built in a Co Cork town during the Famine which housed tens of thousands of prisoners, including many children under 12. The formerly named Queenstown Bridewell Prison in Cobh, was opened in 1845, but forgotten by generations until its existence re-emerged in 1992 when it was discovered after a sink hole opened up on the public road outside St Colemans Cathedral. The council quickly covered it up, but a local historian, who is also a tour guide on Spike Island, believes it should be opened to the public as its another gem in the areas historic association with incarceration and deportation which can prove to be a major attraction to tourists. John Flynn said that after the sink hole opened some who went down into the jail found an intact table and lamp among 10 well-preserved cells, two recreation rooms and exercise area. St Colmans Cathedral, Cobh, yesterday. There have been calls for the Church and council to open up an almost forgotten prison on the grounds. Picture: Eddie OHare It opened in 1845 and closed in 1895. It was primarily for men and women and tens of thousands were incarcerated there during this period. Between 1880 and 1895 records I have acquired from Southampton University show more than 2,000 children were also held there. Many of them were under 12, said Mr Flynn. Because the prison is under the Cathedral car park and the main road, he is seeking cooperation between the Catholic Church authorities and the county council to open it to the public. The cathedral was built in 1868 and when the car park was extended later the ground floor area of the jail was demolished, but the cells remained intact underneath. Mr Flynn said that in 2014 he got co-operation from the Church to acknowledge its presence and they erected a memorial stone to commemorate its existence, which was co-funded by church authorities and the county council. One of the images taken by John Flynn of the former prison in Cobh. Mystery remains about what happened to the convicts between 1845 and 1847 when the massive prison was opened on Spike Island, which was in part used as a transit point for transportation, mainly to Australia. Mr Flynn said hes still trying to research the two intervening years, but believes many incarcerated there in that time were also transported to British colonies. I believe it was a kind of major holding cell. Some [convicts] were probably sent off to permanent prisons. But its quite possible lots ended up deported to Australia as well, he said. In recent weeks he has sent down fibre-optic cameras into the prison. Mr Flynn said the footage shows the underground prison to be in very good condition and in his opinion it would take little to do up and open it to the public. It would really fit in nicely with the Spike Island concept of the convict years and transportation, said Mr Flynn, who mentions it in a tour when he takes visitors around Cobh. News Arakan Locals Call for Peoples Militia Government press conference on Arakan State attacks at the Ministry of Information in Naypyidaw on Monday. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy Local ethnic Arakanese worried about their safety following militant attacks on security posts in Maungdaw Township have asked government officials to arm them with weapons to form a militia. This local request was revealed at a government press conference on the situation in northern Arakan State that took place in Naypyidaw on Monday. Deputy Defense Minister Maj-Gen Myint Nwe, however, said that the idea was not possible because the government is working towards peace in the area. The peoples militia strategy would be a long-term plan that needs serious consideration, he added. If rural villagers want to protect their villages as a peoples militia, they should join the regional police under the Myanmar Police Force, said the deputy minister. Ministers and deputy ministers from the ministries of Information, of Defense, of Home Affairs, and of Labor, Immigration and Population were at the press conference. Ministries are working together to restore regional safety as soon as possible while providing security for government departments and securing important transportation channels, said deputy minister for Home Affairs Maj-Gen Aung Soe. The government needs short-term and long-term plans to prevent future attacks that threaten national security and the rule of law, said Information Minister U Pe Myint. Among the governments plans are ensuring the livelihoods of local people, monitoring displaced peoples camps, mending border fences, recapturing looted weapons, as well as wiping out insurgents and identifying their affiliations in line with existing laws, he said. Since the attacks on Maungdaw Township border posts on Oct. 9, a total of 30 attackers have been killed and 29 others, including two transferred from Bangladesh, are being held in police custody at prisons in the state capital Sittwe and in Maungdaw town. Five Burma Army soldiers and nine police officers have been killed, and four police officers injured, according to government figures. The Irrawaddy questioned the military over the fatal shooting by Burma Army soldiers of three alleged militants armed with knives in a Maungdaw village on Oct. 15. Col. Zaw Min Tun of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief defended the military operations as a response to acts that gravely threaten the peace and stability and the rule of law of the country. Most of the fatal attacks on security forces are with knives, said Col. Zaw Min Tun: security forces had to shootit is the only choice for the military. Border guard forces were also attacked with knives. We can conclude that the attackers can skillfully use knives, said the colonel. With the approval of the Presidents Office, the military have designated Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung townships as areas of military operations, with access restricted to aid groups and journalists. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs U Kyaw Zeya was quoted as saying, we have requested cooperation through diplomatic means from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. They have received the request and said that they would assist with the [Burmese] governments measures and cooperate. Information Minister U Pe Myint said that the government has met with ambassadors of three Muslim-majority Asean countriesIndonesia, Malaysia, and Bruneiand explained the situation. The Indonesian ambassador said that his government accepts that the actions of the Burma government is within the power of a sovereign country and that Burma government is taking actions in line with the law. The two other ambassadors shared this view. On Monday Burmas Minister of Home Affairs replaced the Border Guard police chief of Maungdaw Township Brig-Gen Maung Maung Khin with Brig-Gen Thura San Lwin. The government has provided 8 million kyats (US$6,320) to the family of each police officer killed and 3 million kyats ($2,370) for each police officer and Burma Army soldier injured, according to the press conference. News Production Slowing at Wa Tin Mine Tin mine seen in Man Maw at ethnic Wa territory in Shan State on Oct. 5, 2016. / Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters MAN MAW, Wa Self-Administered Division Output from a mysterious Burma tin mine that has disrupted the global market in the metal is falling sharply and deposits could be depleted in two to three years, senior mine officials told Reuters. A surprise discovery of large quantities of tin has propelled the formerly isolated Southeast Asian country into the position of third largest producer of the industrial metal, and contributed to a sharp fall in prices in the last three years. Much of it comes from the Man Maw mine deep inside the self-proclaimed Wa State, a secretive, China-dominated statelet the size of Belgium controlled by Burmas most powerful ethnic armed group, the 30,000-strong United Wa State Army (UWSA). Reuters was the first media organization to visit the mine, tucked away in cloud-shrouded hills straddling Burmas rugged eastern border with China, as the UWSA takes its first tentative steps towards opening to the world after decades of isolation. The production is falling sharply. It may be depleted in two to three years, said Jia Xu Bing, deputy leader of the Wa State Industrial Mining Bureaus survey team, citing estimates based on output. He declined to elaborate. We do not have the capacity to do a comprehensive evaluation. We will stop the operations once workers safety becomes a concern, Jia added. Burmas tin production has surged 10-fold of the past four years. At an estimated 33,000 tons of tin concentrates last year, the country was responsible for nearly all of Chinas imports of tin ore, a key ingredient for making the solder widely used in electronics such as smartphones and tablets. Some metals analysts have previously argued that the output from the Man Maw mine was likely peaking, but the lack of geo-exploration in the Wa State and highly restricted access to the area has left much uncertainty. The Wa region is virtually unknown to outsidersin recent decades Westerners have had less access than to North Korea. The UWSA is blacklisted by the United States for alleged drug trafficking, accusations its leaders deny. Production Slowdown Interviews with company managers and officialsand the appearance of the mine itself when Reuters visitedalso suggested a slowdown. Production from two of the seven major mining companies at Man Maw, which covers 1.5 square miles (4 sq km), had been close to zero since last year and they are struggling to find new resources, officials said. While dozens of tight-packed shacks carrying signs in Chinese promising services from clinics to karaoke were seen in the Man Maw hills, the number of workers, mostly from China, has halved to about 1,000 from the peak in 2014, officials said. Company and government officials said several large open pits had been depleted and most of the remaining mining was underground, pushing up costs for miners. The quality of the ore now mined had also declined sharply, they said, with most deposits containing around 2-3 percent tin by weight, compared with an unusually high-grade of more than 10 percent two years ago. The production is certainly in decline, said International Tin Research Institute analyst Cui Lin, who visited the mine earlier this year. Its hard to say how long it might last as Chinese companies are unwilling to invest more in geo-exploration due to political risks in Wa. As the largest ethnic armed group, the UWSA is key to the peace process launched by Burmas leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The group has not clashed with the military in recent years, but did not sign a landmark ceasefire deal last year. The rise of Man Maw underscores the challenges faced by Burmas first democratically-elected government in decades, as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi tries to shore up budget revenue and control the exploitation of the countrys mineral riches in areas controlled by ethnic armed groups. Its hard to say how much is left underneath the hills, the Industrial Mining Bureaus deputy head Li Seck said. We are counting on China for talents, technology and money. Ore Stockpiles Deep in the hills three hours drive northwest of regional capital Pangshang, the mine is controlled by the Wa State Treasury Department, whose head, Pao Yu Liang, is a senior UWSA commander indicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges. The treasury takes an ore tax of a quarter of concentrates mined by the seven Wa-China joint ventures operating at Man Maw. The authority then stockpiles the ore in a depot near its border with China and trades with Chinese buyers based on daily trading price from the Shanghai Metal Exchange. Tin price goes up and down, so the treasury only sells them when price is good, said Jia of the Wa treasurys Industrial Mining Bureau, adding that mining was now the top revenue source in one of the poorest regions in Asia. The treasury declined an interview request. It was not clear how much stockpile the authority holds and how its trading decisions were made, which could affect global tin prices. The seven companies in Man Maw are partly funded by Chinese investment and controlled by top Wa leaders, according to senior officials and people with close leadership ties. Yun Hsin is one of the five mining firms that still sees output in Man Maw. While part of its processing facilities was shut, about a dozen of workers were seen operating grinding machines adjacent to its pits when Reuters visited. Chen Ta Yung, manager of the firm of about 80 employees, said as the grade of ore extracted had declined, strict rules had been imposed to lower costs and limit the environmental impact of mining. Companies are now only allowed to ship processed deposits containing 18.5-20 percent tin by weight. Sitting in a truck carrying 72 tons of tin concentrates, Tzu Pin was among 10 drivers waiting in Pangshang for Chinas border control to reopen after lunch. After crossing the small river Yunnan that marks the frontier, the ore will be graded and shipped to Chinas tin capital Gejiu in Yunnan Province, where many of the countrys smelters are based. Tzu, a 26-year-old from China, hopes the Was tin boom will last. Its good for the local economy, he said. I hope it wont be depleted soon. Business The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (October 15) Oil tanks at Chinas pipeline project on Maday Island, Kyaukphyu Township, Arakan State, Oct. 7, 2015. / Reuters Burma seeking extra tax payment from PetroChina A Chinese oil refinery in Yunnan Province near the border with Burma is facing delays to starting operations after state-owned PetroChina has hesitated to pay an extra tax demanded by Burma for piping the crude oil through the country, according to Reuters. Early last year, PetroChinas parent China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) began trial operations of the 1,490-mile pipeline through Burmas Arakan State to Yunnan Province. PetroChina has built a 260,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery at Anning in Yunnan to process the oil. It was expecting to start test operations on refining this month but is now facing delays, according to the report. The Myanmar government is asking for an additional 5-percent tax for the crude oil, which is on top of an agreed transit fee and pipeline tariff, a Beijing-based industry official told Reuters. It (the tax) is quite off the international norm. The refinery will certainly run into losses if this tax applies, the source added. A Naypyidaw-based senior official with Burmas Energy Ministry told Reuters that the two countries had agreed that the pipeline contract was subject to change if the Finance Ministry and other government agencies suggested it needed changing. The respective Chinese company still needs to talk with the Ministry of Finance [] They have met twice but they havent been able to sort it out, said the Naypyidaw official, who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media. The pipeline starts at Maday Island in Arakan State and enters China at the Muse-Ruili border in northern Shan State. It is a joint venture by CNPC and Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise. Government to release details on economic policy The government will reveal more details on its economic policy at a business forum in Naypyidaw on Oct. 22, following the approval last month of the Myanmar Investment Law in the Upper and Lower houses of Parliament, an official said. The new policies are ready to be unveiled at the Myanmar Business Forum event to be hosted by the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration (DICA) under the Ministry of National Planning and Finance, according to DICAs deputy director general U Than Aung Kyaw. The policies will be [provided] following the approval of the current investment law, and will provide more details, he said. The event is slated to be held at the capital citys Myanmar International Convention Center 2. Pledged foreign direct investment to Burma from April to September this year was less than half the amount committed in the same period in 2015, as investors waited for clear policy signals from the government. The new law approved last month contains incentives for investments in various sectors and reduces the number of investments that will require approval by the Myanmar Investment Commission. Burma worst for illicit trade Burma has scored lowest in a survey commissioned by the European Chamber of Commerce on how 17 countries in Asia tackle illicit trade. The report conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) evaluated countries on a 100-point index against 14 indicators that included customs, transparency and intellectual property. Burma received the lowest rank (10.8), below the other two worst offenders: Laos (12.9) and Cambodia (23.9). China had a score of 61.6 and Singapore scored 69.8, tying with Taiwan. The best performers were Australia (85.2), New Zealand (81.8) and Hong Kong (81.4). Illicit trade is more than just counterfeit goods. Illicit trade includes guns, it includes endangered species and endangered wildlife. It includes human trafficking, report author Chris Clague of the EIU told The Associated Press. A lot of these other forms of illicit trade [] follow the same channels that counterfeit goods do, he said. Burma has long had a reputation for illicit trade in drugs, timber, jade and wildlife, among other goods. The UK-based Environmental Investigation Agency said in 2015 that hundreds of millions of US dollars worth of illegal timber was flowing into China. A report the same year from the UKs Global Witness estimated that the illicit jade trade amounted to some US$30 billion a year. Singapores Group Lease to partner with Burmas AMK to provide financial services Group Lease Plc (GL) of Singapore is partnering with Burmas AMK Consortium headed by businessman U Aung Moe Kyaw to expand financial services in Burma, GL has announced in a press release. The joint venture will support the AMK-owned Century Finance Company to provide a range of financial services, focusing especially on rural markets, said Mitsuji Konoshita of GL Holdings in the report. Century Finance currently provides car leasing services and its offerings under the joint venture will expand to cover the leasing of motorcycles, agricultural machinery and solar panels and other forms of consumer finance credit. According to a filing by GL to the Stock Exchange of Thailand, AMK Consortium controls about 65 per cent of whisky distribution in Burma. It also manages more than 22,000 grocery shops, including 1,400 wholesale stores, some of which operate pawnshop services. Business failing to provide transparency on environmental impacts Businesses in Burma are failing to provide the public with information related to the environmental impacts of their activities, according to the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business. The center published an updated survey this week that found that very few companies in sectors such as mining, hydropower, power facilities, manufacturing and tourism were disclosing environmental impact assessments (EIA) or initial environmental examinations (IEE). Several hundred of such surveys are believed to have been undertaken and submitted to the government, the MCRB said. The MCRB report found that the overall level of disclosure was highest in the oil and gas sectors. Of 20 oil and gas offshore blocks awarded since 2013, 14 (70 percent) had disclosed their IEE/EIA. This was up from 58 percent in March. For onshore blocks, the figure was 47 percent disclosure (7 out of 15), up from 26 percent in March. Without transparency on the part of business, communities and other stakeholders could not hold companies to account for their environmental and social performance, said Vicky Bowman, director of the responsible business center. Almost none of the hundreds of EIAs and Environmental Management Plans completed over the last two or three years in other sectors have been disclosed on corporate websites, she added. Disclosure is now a legal requirement if a company wants to obtain an Environmental Compliance Certificate to allow its business to proceed, the report said. Dateline Dateline Irrawaddy: Abuse of Human Dignity Should Not Be Accepted Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni talks to Ko Swe Win, chief report at Myanmar Now, about an investigative report he produced about the torture of two underage domestic workers in Rangoon. Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy. This week, well discuss slavery and the torture of two underage domestic workers by Ava tailoring business in Rangoon. Ko Swe Win, chief reporter at Myanmar Now, who did an investigative report on this case, joins me for the discussion. Im Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni. Parliament has denounced the members of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) and the Presidents Office also said that it would take action against the commission. The police have arrested and charged the offenders with human trafficking. Why do you think your fight for justice was successful? Swe Win: It achieved success because people should be humane toward one another. Any form of injustice against any person should not be accepted. Abuse of human dignity, especially committed by the strong toward the weak, should not be accepted. In the case we are talking about, it is fair to say the victims are vulnerable in terms of intellectual ability, age, financial position, and genderthey are underage girls. It could be said that they are the most disadvantaged people in society. It is a grave injustice that such people are abused. As a citizen, a reporter and simply a human, I have the responsibility to oppose, condemn and prevent injustice and help victims no matter how small a matter. I got the chance to thoroughly study the MNHRC meeting, which contributed to my reporting. The commission held the meeting while ignoring the law and turning a blind eye to the fact that the case was a serious crime. As a journalist, I followed the journalistic code of ethics in reporting this case. I did not report based on emotion or on the accounts of the police or the victims parents. I gathered information from different points of view. In journalism, there is a sayinggo to the ground and see for yourselfwhich means journalists need to examine the situation with their own eyes and ears. There is also a Buddhist teaching that says, you may accept when you analyze and understand by yourself. I tried to understand all aspects of the situation. Making a factual report is one of the reasons that I achieved success. I aimed for maximum coverage of my reporting. I did not ask lawmakers, authorities or the president to take my word for it, but let them examine my report through media coverage. This is beneficial not only to the readers but also for me because maximum coverage prevents the manipulation of information. I was deeply involved in this case and was reporting the truth, but I am a human and it is natural that human beings are biasedin a big or small wayas a result of their desires, ignorance or anger. That partiality needs to be controlled by others or by the law. In this case, I let other reporters check my reporting. YN: The human rights commission has come under fire, but the evidence shows that police should also be blamed because you reported it to the police before the case was brought to the human rights commission. Why did it take so long for the police to open the case when they could conclude from the girls injuries and your report that this was a criminal case? Is it because they dont understand that this was slavery or was there bribery involved, as alleged by many people? You were directly engaged with the police. What is your view? SW: You are correct. It is clearly a serious crime. Not even the president has the right to settle it. It seemed that police handed the case to the human rights commission as a way of showing respect to a national-level body. Police in the lower echelons have to consider the influence of the commission not only as a national-level body but also a body that consists of retired high-ranking officials. For example, the person who was mainly involved in the negotiation served as the deputy chief of the Burma Police Force and the director-general of the Correctional Department. I guess that police have faced the fear of being punished for opposing the upper echelons, which is deep-seated in our society. Also, since the commission is a national level body, police might have thought that they needed to inform it first. As it was a grave violation of human rights, police might have expected that the commission would take action immediately. But the commission did not respond and just treated it as a normal case that happens every day. The commission turned a blind eye to all existing laws. It failed to carry out its responsibility, which is to investigate. It could have gone to the tailoring factory within hours. Kawhmu is less than a two-hour drive from Rangoon. The commissiondespite the fact that it is funded by state fundsdid not bother to look into those children who suffered grave human rights abuse. It failed to investigate, attempted to negotiate a casewhich was in no way negotiablefailed to take action in accordance with existing laws, and breached its duties. YN: The commissions handling of the case could be considered a national-level abuse of power. We heard that you received a threat after you exposed the case. How were you threatened? SW: My safety was at risk once the commission summoned the offenders. I was addressed in the noticewhich detailed my name, phone number and the news agency where I work. The shop owners later told me that they searched for me but could not find me. I dont know what their purpose of searching for me wasif they wanted to pay to settle the case or physically threaten me. They told me that what happened on their end was my fault and that if I had not gotten involved, they would not be in this mess. But more so than the shop owners, the commission is most responsible for the threat to my safety for distributing my personal information. I will seek legal advice to decide whether to sue. After the meeting ended, the shop owners knew that I was not satisfied with the result of the negotiation. They warned me not to report on the case or write about it on Facebook. Before the members of the human rights commission, they threateningly asked me if I knew why [Princess] Diana had died. But the commission members did not say a single word to oppose or denounce this. It is a crime to threaten someones life and it can be punished. Setting aside the torture of children, which the commission did not witness, it also ignored a death threat happening before it. The shop owners knew that I was about to go and meet the children because I had called other reporters to go together and they had heard. Then, they attempted to bribe the concerned village administrator of Kawhmu Township to hide the children in another village. Fortunately, that administrator was against this. Because he had been the village administrator under the previous government as well, he dared not speak against the national-level personalities. I requested that he arrange a meeting with the children and he agreed to it. The shop owners left a warning message for me with the administrator. They said, they will have their turn sometime. I reported it to the police station at once. The Home Affairs Ministry now provides full security for me under the instruction of the President. YN: Thank you for sharing your experiences with us for this program! Dateline Dateline Irrawaddy: Only By Appointing Special Envoys Will Engagement With China Work On this weeks Dateline Irrawaddy U Maung Maung Soe and U Aung Thu Nyein discuss Burmas peace process with The Irrawaddys Burmese editor Ye Ni. Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy. This week, well discuss the resurgence of gunfire and the future of 21st Century Panglong Conference. Ethnic affairs analyst U Maung Maung Soe, and U Aung Thu Nyein from Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar will join me for the discussion. Im Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni. As you know, gunfire has resurfaced in Kachin, northern Shan and Karen states. And most recently, border posts were attacked in Arakan States Maungdaw. These renewed clashes and violence has raised question about national reconciliation and the internal peace efforts of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government. U Maung Maung Soe, you have compiled an analysis of the 21st Century Panglong Conference. Considering the continuing clashes, do you think the national reconciliation strategy and internal peace policy of the NLD-led government is working? Maung Maung Soe: The 21st Century Panglong made a good start. It included many [ethnic armed] groups except the Kokang, Palaung [Taang] and Arakan groups. And every participating group could speak freely and present its views to the people, which is positive. But the problem is that the government, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, said that [the peace process] would be based on the NCA [nationwide ceasefire agreement]. There are 13 groups, including the Naga group, which opted out of signing the NCA. And only eight groups have signed it. So, it seemed that the government would have to focus on convincing non-signatories to sign NCA after the conference. But it failed to do so, and it will be problematic, I think. Around [September] 16 or 17, [the government] discussed the political framework but only with the eight NCA signatories. Again, on September 25 Saya Khu Oo Reh of UNFC [United Nationalities Federal Councilan ethnic alliance of NCA non-signatories] and U Aung Kyi from the Myanmar National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) held talks in Chiang Mai. But they did not get an answer, and the problem escalated as a result. If the NLD government has decided to implement the peace process based on NCA, I think it needs to focus its efforts on dealing with NCA non-signatories including those in the UNFC. Again, both the KIA [Kachin Independence Army] and SSPP [Shan State Progress Party], which are clashing [with the Burmese military], in fact had already signed Union-level ceasefires in 2012 and 2013. If all of them would try to abide by the Union-level ceasefire agreement, there would be fewer clashes, even if NCA is not signed. Again, there have been renewed clashes with RCSS [Restoration Council of Shan State] which is one of the NCA signatories. So, I think they need to enforce the rules. The NLD-led government has kept silent about the clashes over the past month since the 21st Century Panglong Conference, which has frustrated many people. So, rather than concentrating on the framework for political dialogue, the NLD-government and NRPC should focus on this problem. YN: You mean the government should focus on ceasefire process rather than political dialogue? MMS: Yes. YN: Peace and national reconciliation is the top priority of Daw Aung San Suu Kyis NLD government. As far as we are concerned, the difference between the NLD government and U Thein Seins government is that the NLD has hired foreign consultants such as those from South Africa and England, and the prominent one: Kofi Annan for the Arakan State Advisory Commission. It will also undertake peacebuilding training in foreign countries. So there have been concerns and criticism as some argue that Burmas peace process is an internal issue to be solved by Burmese people only, and that Burmese people understand the problem better than foreigners, who should not be involved. U Aung Thu Nyein, whats your view on this? Aung Thu Nyein: In Burma, we have seen various conflicts between different groups. And it seems that it is a multi-layered conflict. I dont think we can copy from other countries to solve those problems. We are different in that there are fewer rebel groups in other countries, but we have many ethnic armed groups in Burma, so it is more difficult to handle. We need advice from foreign experts and international assistance in our peace process, but we should exercise caution. Under U Thein Seins administration, the government peace negotiation team led by U Aung Min took a homegrown approach to peace-building to solve internal problems internally. There is another approach that we call a joint venture. For example, if a meeting day was to be appointed, stakeholders such as the government, the military and ethnic armed groups met and made the decision together. And to me, it seems that the new government is not up for a homegrown approach. It should adopt a joint venture approach, making collective decisions. Regarding the 21st Century Panglong, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi appointed the date by herself and just asked the other stakeholders to come. I think it would be better to make a collective decision about the date and agenda. Again, the government has formed the Arakan State Commission led by Kofi Annan without holding negotiations with stakeholders in advance. I mean, the government should have consulted with Arakan parties and other stakeholders in advance in order to solve the Arakan issue. If it had done so, there would have been fewer problems. YN: As the international community is somehow involved in national reconciliation and Burmas peace process, I think China played a role, too. China invited and rolled out the red carpet for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi while she was still an opposition leader. And they invited her again after she took the office, rolling out red carpet along with the Guard of Honor. China officially stated that it supports Burmas peace process initiated by the government, and it also urged ethnic armed groups to support it. But then, renewed clashes have broken out with ethnic armed groups on the Burma-China border. So, U Maung Maung Soe, to what extent do you think Chinas influence will impact on Burmas peace process? MMS: China exerts its influence for its border stability and border security. It is not that China does not urge [the ethnic armed groups to participate]it does urge the ethnic armed groups along the border to join the peace process. But the problem is that the other side [the government and military] still cant accept three groups, including the Kokang, in joining the peace process. This is the problem. Again, since China is a vast country, the central government and subnational administrations have some different views. Burma shares a border with Yunnan Province in terms of administrative regions. And in terms of military regions, it borders Chengdu Military Region. They have their own regional interests and they will act on those interests. So, it is not enough for Burma government to deal only with the Beijing government: it also has to deal with the Yunnan Province government. Yunnan is equal in size to our country while Chengdu Military Region is bigger than our military. So, we need to engage with Chengdu Military Region. It is not that we did not engage with them in previous timeswe did. Shan State and Kachin State chief ministers have engaged with the Yunnan government and our military region engaged with theirs. But we could not deal with them effectively because they are much more powerful than us. So, while Burmas government should maintain its direct engagement with the Beijing government, it should also appoint a special envoy to deal with Yunnans government. And Burmas military should also appoint a special envoy to engage with Chengdu Military Region. It is not just enough to let commanders and chief ministerswho have very limited authority and powerdeal with them. Only by appointing special envoys, the engagement will work. On the other hand, Burma needs to understand well that China wants all of the ethnic armed groups along the border to be included in the peace process. YN: The peace building process today as far as we are concerned is not just the solving of problems between the pro-democracy forces and military regime or problems between the Burma Army and ethnic armed groups. But there have been tensions between ethnic armed groups themselves, for example tensions between the Shan and Palaung, the Kachin and Shanni and the Wa and Shan, and so on. So, my question is: can we still hope for peaceful and harmonious co-existence? ATN: Our country is faced with multiple and multi-layered conflicts. There are various conflicts in various forms at various levels. And I attended the 21st Century Panglong Conference and found that every participant spoke frankly there. The Burmese people have never heard of such frank speaking before. So, it is like opening dormant wounds, and many problems have come to their attention for the first time. These problems need to be handled promptly, I think. Some ethnic armed groups still cant lay down their arms because the designation of territories is not yet finished after the ceasefire is signed, and particular forces want to expand their territories and take advantage of this. Some forces still cant lay down their arms because of other forces. As you said, there are problems between the Shan and Palaung as well as between other groups. And I think the governments peace and national reconciliation efforts should not just focus on the negotiation table, but it should also work on many other things immediately, such as ceasefire monitoring on the ground. And the government should also adopt and implement an ethnic equality policythere are international examples of this. It can implement that policy separately outside of the peace dialogue. It should do such things promptly. YN: Thank you for your contributions! In Person Ma Thida: Fear Makes People Fierce Ma Thida, pictured on the campus of Northern Illinois University in October 2016, where she spoke on a panel at the 12th International Burma Studies Conference. / Sally Kantar / The Irrawaddy Dr. Ma Thida has served as a dissident author, editor, publisher, physician, political aide and activistoften at the same time. It is well known that she spent nearly six years in prison in the 1990s for distributing unlawful literatureamong other chargesas an active member of Burmas student-led democracy movement in 1988. In prison, she suffered a myriad of health issues, including tuberculosis. Her release on humanitarian grounds was not in small part due to international pressure from organizations like PEN International, of which she is now a board member. During an October trip to the US, Ma Thida shared with The Irrawaddy her observations of society in present day Burma, particularly what she sees as an increase in aggression, rooted in fear. Overcoming this, she says, means confronting the countrys real wrongdoersthose who have perpetuated a system of physical, structural and cultural violence for generations. Could you give us an overview of the different roles you hold today? I am the elected president of PEN Myanmar, and an elected member of PEN Internationala board member at large, as they say. But I think I wont be able to hold both of these titles at the same time in the long run. Coming in December there will be elections for PEN Myanmarwe have three-year termsand I wont join the elections again. I will help them. Im [also] the editor in charge of the Info Digest journal. Its database journalisma bi-weekly journal, just by subscription. We are not interested in sentimental or sensational pieces; we are just interested in defending the peoples right to know. And Im still a general practitioner, practicing family medicine. Every time I have a chance to meet my patients, this is such a privilege. I started volunteering at the Free Funeral Service clinic [in Rangoon] ten years ago. Even though I travel a lot, I try to be there once a week. I still have some regular patients. For me, health is pure politics. Its related to everything. In the past, you have said that your primary political aspiration was to be a good citizen. What does that mean for you at this point in your life? I still want to be a better citizen. But right now, my decision is to get more involved with PEN International. Its not my own personal achievement, but throughout history, I think none of the Myanmar writers have had this kind of decision-making role in an international institution. I try to be a good citizen on behalf of my country. Its something that shows we are not isolated anymore. Thats the message I really want to pass on: even as just an ordinary citizen, you can do something. You once served as an aide to Aung San Suu Kyi. In your book Sunflower [written in 1992 and published seven years later], you described her as a prisoner of applause, due to the high expectations placed on her by the public. Now, more than six months into her government term, how would you assess her and the NLD administrations performance? I have only one question for her: are you still free from fear? In the position of a leader, she might not have that much to fear. But as a responsible State Counselor, she might have so many fearsnot to insult the citizens, not to disappoint any groups. I can empathize. I really wonder how she handles this kind of fearits not the same fears she mentioned in her [1991] book Freedom from Fear, but there might be different ones. Thats why I really want to know about her fight against fear right now. Do you think she is giving in to her fears? Its hard to say. Thats why I wonderI wonder whether our current situation is related to fear or not. Fear was also a theme of your talk on a panel at Northern Illinois Universitys Burma Studies Conference, in which you said, fear makes people fierce. How have you seen this phenomenon manifested in present day Burma? There is a short story by a well-known writer that [I heard him] share at a literary talk. At that time, [the country] was still [under] Thein Seins government, and he said that this was a story that could give a bold punch to the government. Its about a clerk, Mr. B, who is the lowest member of staff at a company. And the manager is very arrogant, a pretty bad guyMr. A. A lot of the other employees gossip about Mr. A, but Mr. B, the clerk, never joins. He would simply accept Mr. As bad manners. And then, after the work hours, he went to [Rangoons] Pansodan Bridge to the manicurists and pedicurists on the street, as a customer. In our culture, taking care of someone elses feet is the lowest thing. So now, someone is taking care of him, and Mr. B is becoming like a boss. After he gives the pedicurist the money, he says to him, bye bye, Mr. A. [Making someone called Mr. A touch his feet] is like his own revenge. Thats why I say its so fierce. The people always have in mind a kind of revenge, even though they know its harmful. He was so polite to the manager, Mr. A, because of his fear. He still has a spirit of revenge, but he cannot do anything about it, because he knows he would be in danger. So he carries out his revenge on another Mr. A, who cannot retaliate against him. People love this story as a punch to the cronies, to the government, but for me its not; I was so shocked by it. Thats why I feel that fear makes people fierce. They really dont use their wisdom or their sense of reasoning. How do they let out their revenge? It reflects our societys handling and management of fear. Through this story, I learned more about peoples psychology. Who are people in Burma taking out their revenge on? I think it applies to the sectarian violence, or racial and religious violence. The whole population was deeply rooted in fear. They have a high spirit of revenge, and are looking for someone who cannot retaliate. And they found the minority. Thats why I say fear makes people fierce. How do you think people should address their fears? People say, now we have more problems. I say no, the problems are more or less the same as in the past. What we now have is more awareness and more admittance. In the past, we didnt admit we had problemswe just pretended we had no problems. Now we dare to admit the problems. Why should we keep the politeness, pretending like the clerk, Mr. B? Instead of this unwilling politeness, why dont we directly face the real wrongdoers, and speak with courage? Who would you like to face directly in this way? There are so many people. I have called for an official public apology [to former political prisoners]. Without an apology, even if we are ready to practice our right to forgive, it cannot be fulfilled. On the other hand, only the guilty people do repeated wrongdoings. I want them to liberate themselves from their guilt by apologizing. It is not only for our sake, but for their sake. Some people might say they are naive, that they dont know whether they are guilty or not, but I dont believe that. I think it would be good for them, to be let out from their guilt. Who in Burma do you think deserves to receive an official apology? The general populationgeneration by generation. We deserve it. Some people got arrested or lost their family members, but not only themordinary people, too. They have been under structural violence, even if it is not physical violence. Cultural and structural violence has been done to the whole population. But is an apology enough? Indeed not. But an apology can shake the hearts of the people, and reduce the tension and the spirit of revenge. Then its better to apply it legitimately, or legally. An apology is the first step. Now there is much talk in Burma of national reconciliation. What do you make of this conceptwhat does it mean to you? Without acknowledging or admitting wrongdoing, national reconciliation discussions for the future are not a healthy way to sustain peace. You became a writer originally to share your observations about poverty. What observations do you feel compelled to share now? Not the physical poverty, but the lack of knowledge, lack of wisdom. Its a serious problem. Thats why [advocating for] the freedom of expression is at the top of my activities. I believe that even if you are rich or have a position of power, if you dont have enough knowledge, you are powerless. I really want to encourage the whole population to become powerful with knowledge. Without powerful, voluntary, responsible participation of the people, how can we make a change? What kind of knowledge is needed? Knowledge about the systems, about where we are headingknowledge about their ability or capacity. Until and unless they feel they are the ones who feel they can make a contribution to change the society, they will still be powerless. I used to ask at my talks, who is the most important person in the country? And [people] would say, Aung San Suu Kyi, U Htin Kyaw. I said, look in the mirror: you are the most important one. Every one of us should acknowledge that. If you feel you are important, you are going to make an effort. Otherwise, youll just wait for others to do things for you. I want them to feel like they are the most important person in our countryevery single one. Youve said that the issue of freedom of expression hasnt been discussed enough in Burma. What would you like to see being done in this regard? When we look at freedom of expression, it is not just about individual rights. Its about collective rights. Until and unless we can defend other peoples rights to practice their freedom of expression, we will have no freedom of expression. We need to look at four levels: constitutional, legal, institutional and personal levels. Why have you taken a more collective approach to this issue? Even though you believe you can practice your freedom of expression, constitutionally, you are at risk. And legally, you are also committing a crime. Institutionally, you cannot be part of the society, because you are just practicing it on your own. When we look at freedom of expression at an individual level, we include minority language rights. So if we say, we have so many different periodicals now, and oh, there is no censorshipfor a non-Burmese-speaking person, what does it mean? There is no press freedom for them. Alongside the protection of free expression, youve also highlighted a need for greater media literacy among the public. Can you explain more about this? Many people cannot differentiate between information processed by media and by primary data sources. Thats why people cannot decide what information is reliable, and what information either processed or biased. Media ownership also has a big influence on our censorshipself-censorship, peer censorship is also related to media ownership. People dont really know which media is representing what. What would you still like to accomplish, that you have not done yet? I would like to finish a novel. I already have a title and the design, but I havent had enough time to do research and writing. Its about a town: the protagonist itself is a town. Prisoner of Conscience: My Steps Through Insein is Ma Thidas most recent book, a memoir of her years as an activist and political prisoner. It was originally published in Burmese in 2012, under the title Sanchaung, Insein, Harvard and was translated into English in 2016. It was reviewed in The Irrawaddy in September. Burma Army officers tried to convince displaced ethnic Karen on Thursday to return to their villages, despite continuous daily fighting in Karen States Mae Tha Waw area, The Irrawaddy has learned. One officer, commander of Infantry Division 22, and another, the tactical commander of Infantry Division 44, met hundreds of internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking refuge within the compound of a Buddhist monastery in Myaing Gyi Ngu, Hlaing Baw Township. They told the IDPs that the areas they had fled were, in fact, stable, and encouraged them to return to their homes. In total, more than 3,800 people have been uprooted since Sept. 9 by fighting between the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Burma Army, who are aided by the allied Border Guard Force (BGF). Among the crowd were 30 additional families who had just arrived that day after escaping fighting in the area of Ba Thraw village. The Irrawaddy overheard a conversation between a displaced Karen village head and the Tatmadaw officer from the 44th Division. They are enjoying their food here, so they dont want to go home, right? the tactical commander said. The village head replied that this was not the casethat the people in his community were too afraid to return to their land. Nay Lin Htet, who is managing the makeshift camp inside the monastery, told The Irrawaddy that any decision to go back to their homes should be made by the displaced people themselves, rather than due to pressure from above. They are saying the areas are stable, but we do not know whether its true or not, he said of the army representatives, pointing out that villagers would rather stay in their own houses, and would do so if it were possible. Until then, Nay Lin Htet added, he would do his best to make sure they are taken care of. If they keep staying here [] we will continue to help them, Nay Lin Htet said, pointing out that the Karen State government had donated food to support the displaced; since it is a monastery, all meals are vegetarian. A nurse, who is treating injured and sick IDPs in the Myaing Gyi Ngu monastery, found the officers pressure disingenuous. They were the people who created the problem, she said of the Burma Army. It is not true what they said. Maj. Naing Maung Zaw from the Karen BGF argued that it was riskier to stay in the monastery. Their property will destroyed if they abandon their homes and villages for a long time, he said, insisting that the area had been secured. The Irrawaddy observed some people leaving the monastery by car and motorbike, as well as in army trucks, but learned that they were relocating in order to stay with relatives in other, safer areas, rather than returning home. When the military transport discovered that the IDPs were not going back to their own homes, they asked them to disembark. Infantry Division 22 has set up an outpost on the nearby Salween River. A further two hours away, fighting continues in Mae Tha Waw. The road out of Myaing Gyi Ngu used to reach Myawaddy, on the Thai border, but the road is now blocked as skirmishes continue to break out along it, making it difficult to leave the country. News 49 Kachin Detained by Burma Army, Accused of KIA Links Ethnic Kachin detained by the Burma Army in Bhamo / Myawaddy News / Facebook Forty-nine Kachin locals have been detained by the Burma Army since Tuesday, when they were accused of attending a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) militia training. The individuals, members of the Rawang and Lisu sub-ethnic groups, come from Putao, in northern Kachin State. They were arrested at the Sein Lone military checkpoint, and are being held in Kachin States Bhamo prison and are facing two charges under the Unlawful Association Act for communicating with an unlawful association and possessing weapons with the group. Since their arrest, they have been put in the Bhamo central prison, said U Aung Thein, Bhamos Lower House lawmaker from the ruling National League for Democracy, who is trying to get in contact with the group. I was told by the district administrator that all of the accused had admitted that they received weapons training at the KIAs Mai Ja Yang camp, although they were told that they would be given training related to agriculture, the lawmaker told The Irrawaddy on Friday. But I have not seen them in person yet, he added, As of now, charges are filed against them. They will have to appear before the court. We hope to meet them when they come for the hearing and learn what happened. As the case is related to the military, the lawmaker said that they have less power to directly intervene, due to the volatile situation in the area, which is a conflict zone. Quoting the Bhamo district administrator, U Aung Thein added that the accused are aged 20 to 40 years, and amongst them, four are women. On Friday morning, the military-owned Myawaddy newspaper posted on their Facebook page that on Oct. 11 they had arrested 49 people returning from getting militia training with the KIA, as well as an additional eight people who were driving the trucks. All of the detainees will be transferred to the Moe Mauk police station, and security will be tightened in the area, they added. After armed conflict between the government forces and the KIA renewed after the disintegration of a ceasefire in 2011, schools in the conflict zone were forced to shut down, leading youth to seek out new opportunities for vocational development. Local sources say there are hundreds of students pursuing their education in learning centers in Mai Ja Yanga KIA stronghold on the China borderwho are now in danger in the area, due to the reoccurrence of a recent military offensive against the KIA. According to Dau Kha, a spokesperson from the advisory team of the Kachin Independence Organizationthe political wing of the KIAthey provide trainings in education, health care, agriculture and livelihood development. He added that the KIA does not provide military training at its headquarters. News Activists Say Urban Insecurity Hampers Womens Capacity Attendees at the Safe Cities Campaign event. / Zue Zue / The Irrawaddy RANGOON Womens rights activists have called on the government to consider the needs of women in its delivery of public services while also increasing its budget for women, and enacting and enforcing laws and policies to protect and promote their rights. Action Aid Myanmar, in cooperation with local partner organizations, launched a safe cities campaign at its office in Rangoon on Tuesday, saying that women are experiencing urban insecurity, particularly in Rangoon. Their definition of urban insecurity for women goes beyond physical violence or sexual harassment, but also considers their accessibility to health care, education, job opportunities and public utilities like electricity and transportation in urban areas. Urban womens insecurity not only affects their lives, but also impacts their families, said Daw May Sabai Phyu, director of the Gender Equality Network, at the launching ceremony. In some cases, women have to reject job opportunities that come to them just because they dont want to go back home late at night. Expanding safe and secure services within their reach will solve this problem, she said. Rangoon Division Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein, who was also present on the occasion, said: We need to make sure there is greater security for women in Rangoon. We have to try to make Rangoon a safe town for women, and we would try to accumulate as much budget as possible for this. We will also consider womens issues in budget management. Adriano Campolina, CEO of Action Aid International, said, We need policy changes. Stronger policies and laws are needed, and security needs to be strengthened in places in which there is frequent [sexual] violence. We need police departments that will hold perpetrators accountable. The safe cities campaign is first of its kind in Burma. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko News Aid Delegation Meets Displaced Arakan State Communities Members of an aid delegation tour IDP camps surrounding Sittwe on Friday. / Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy SITTWE, Arakan State A delegation United Nation (UN), led by the under-secretary general of the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), visited displaced communities outside of the Arakan State capital of Sittwe on Friday. Reporters from The Irrawaddy accompanied Stephen OBrien, who also serves as UN OCHAs emergency relief coordinator, on the trip to one of the regions internally displaced peoples (IDP) camps which have housed disproportionate numbers of the Rohingya Muslim minority since riots forced an estimated 140,000 people from their homes in 2012. The delegation first visited Thet Kae Pyin IDP campisolated behind police checkpointsand met Rohingya community leaders who asked OBrien when they might be able to return to their homes and attain greater freedom of movement. I worry a lot about what will happen to my childrens generation, as they do not have education, one leader said. Khin Sein, a Rohingya midwife, spoke at the meeting of the difficulty faced by those in the camp regarding access to health care. If someone is sick and needs to go to a hospital in Sittwe, she said, they must rent a car and be accompanied by security forces. The cost of this trip alone can be 20,000-30,000 kyats (US$15-$23). Upon arriving at the hospital, we have to ask the police to buy food for us, Khin Sein added. If they do not, then we will have no food to eat. Income is difficult to come by in the camps, as jobs are scarce, limited to trishaw operation, the cultivation of small vegetable plots, and occasional fishing. Many Rohingya once owned tea shops, restaurants, and markets in Sittwe prior to the 2012 riots. Kyaw Hla, an elderly Rohingya community leader, was once a politician. He expressed frustration with the lack of recognition provided to the Muslim minority, who are labeled as Bengali by the government and have largely seen their citizenship revoked. Even ex-dictator Ne Win recognized us as Rohingya, he said, unlike Burmas last president, Thein Sein, who treated us as outsiders, a policy which he pointed out has continued. We have our house registration and our businesses there [in Sittwe]. But they took it, he said, referring to the Arakanese Buddhist residents in the capital. Some Arakanese were also displaced in the riots, and were resettled; the WFP delegation also visited one such resettlement site. At a meeting with the Arakanese community, UN OCHAs OBrien asked if there had been any recent communication with local Muslims. A group of women present in the meeting collectively said no. Why do we have to keep in touch with them? she said. We wish and pray to never stay with them again. OBrien reminded the people present that the delegation was a humanitarian group and could not take sides, but rather, listen to peoples needs in order to improve their situation. On the way back to Sittwe, a representative from the delegation said that after hearing from both sides, no solution was yet in sight to the crisis. News Arakan State Unrest Heightens Political Concerns Entrance to Maungdaw Township, Arakan State. / Narinjara NAYPYIDAWRecent attacks on border police posts in Arakan State have heightened public concern over the democratization process and civil-military relations, members of the political community told The Irrawaddy. Lower House lawmaker U Lwin Ko Latt, of Thanlyin Township, told The Irrawaddy that he is worried about the situation following the deaths of nine policemen, five soldiers, and fifteen other men. The military intelligence should have known about [the attacks] before they happened. The Defense Ministry is responsible for that. And under the circumstances, we want [the Burmese military] to only work within the legal framework. I dont want them to seek political gain out of this, he said. The event is a cause for concern for security. I am also worried if concerned governments will be able to handle this effectively, said U Lwin Ko Latt. As the conflict could hamper democratization in Burma, it was important that the government proceed with caution in line with the rule of law, said U Nay Myo Htun, a Lower House lawmaker representing Htantabin Township. U Ye Htun, a political analyst, said State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi seemed to be exercising caution in handling the issues in Arakan State. The military has violated laws in our [Shan] state. I think [the State Counselor] has sent the information minister to Arakan State to gather information on the ground so that she can make a judgment, said U Ye Htun. He also suggested sending the Arakan State Advisory Commission led by former UN general secretary Kofi Annan to Arakan State. Though the ministries of defense, home affairs and border affairswhich are addressing the unrestfall under military rather than civilian leadership according to the 2008 Constitution, responses are being made under the guidance of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, National League for Democracy spokesperson U Win Htein told The Irrawaddy. All the information about the Arakan issue reaches her. Though Defense and Home Affairs ministries are under the [army] commander-in-chief according to the Constitution, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi gets on well with them. She has taken the overall responsibility to handle it, said U Win Htein. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has told the media that the government is doing their best to solve the conflict following the attacks on border posts, and will handle them impartially under the rule of law. The Defense Ministry has to take responsibility to handle this transparently. The whole incident must be presented to the public in a transparent manner, otherwise public concern will remain high, because there have been many rumors including those on Facebook, said U Lwin Ko Latt. The Irrawaddy contacted the Presidents Office, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Border Affairs several times to ask about video files circulated on social media and for the governments responses to the Arakan issue, but was not able to obtain a comment. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko News Arrest Warrant Issued for Helmsman of Capsized Chindwin Ferry A rescue team tries to salvage a ferry that capsized, and killed at least 40, on the Chindwin River in Sagaing Divisions Kani Township. / Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy RANGOON Police have brought criminal charges against the helmsman of an overcrowded ferry that capsized on the Chindwin River in Sagaing Division over the weekend. Negligence and rash navigation were cited as causing several deaths, according to police authorities in Kani Township, where the incident occurred near Michaung Dwin village early on Saturday morning. The ferry was reportedly carrying 300 passengers. As of Tuesday afternoon, rescuers had discovered 40 bodies12 men and 28 womenbut the death toll is expected to climb as several people remain missing. A total of 159 survivors, including four ferrymen, have been identified, according to S Willy Frient, Director of the Sagaing Divisions Relief and Resettlement Department. No hospitalizations have been reported so far. Police major U Tin Maung Myint of the Kani Township police station, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the 40-year-old helmsman, Ko Zaw Myo Win, is being charged under Articles 280 and 304(A) of Burmas Penal Code. There is a warrant for his arrest, but it is not clear whether he is on the run, or among the passengers still missing, the police major added. According to Article 280 of the penal code, anyone who navigates any vessel in a manner so rash or negligent as to endanger human life or to cause hurt or injury to others could be imprisoned for a maximum of six months. Article 304(A) imposes seven to ten years in prison for causing death by negligence. When asked about the ferry owner, officials said no case had yet been filed. He will be investigated and charged if he is found guilty of the accident, the police major told The Irrawaddy. According to U Tin Tun Aung, head of the Sagaing Divisions Department of Marine Administration, the privately owned Aung Soe Moe Kyaw-2 ferry was registered as having a seating capacity of only 36 passengers.. The ferry left Homalin for Monywa on Friday evening. Navigating during the nighttime is, however, not allowed. The Department of Marine Administration restricts ferries from navigating in the Chindwin River during the nighttime as its dangerous, U Tin Tun Aung told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday. At the time of reporting, the emergency rescue team was trying to salvage the sunken ferry. Correction: This article has been modified from an earlier version that incorrectly designated the Department of Marine Administration as the Inland Water Transport Department News Burma Studies Conference Highlights Limits to Democratic Change From left, Seinenu Thein-Lemelson, Lisa Brooten, Ma Thida, Kyaw Zwa Moe and Nay Phone Latt speak on a panel about the role of media in Burmas pro-democracy movement at Northern Illinois University on Oct. 8, 2016. / Sally Kantar / The Irrawaddy Burmas challenges lie beyond the attainment of a civilian-led government, said researchers at the 12th International Burma Studies Conference at Northern Illinois University (NIU) over the weekend. The event, held in coordination with NIUs Center for Burma Studies in DeKalb, Illinois from Oct. 7-9, brought together academics, activists and students of Burmese art, history, politics and religion. Thirty-five panels over three days explored topics ranging from political participation to heritage preservation to religious identity. Presenting information based on recent field work in the northern Shan State townships of Hsipaw, Kyaukme, Kutkai, Muse and Lashio, David Mathieson, a senior researcher on Burma with Human Rights Watchs Asia Division, spoke in a session dedicated to an assessment of Burmas armed conflicts. Organizers said they formed the panel to further engage the scholarship of Burma Studies with the realities of the countrys civil war. Ongoing displacement in Burma is not getting the attention that it should [from the international community], said Mathieson, highlighting evidence of abuses recently collected by community-based organizations working in conflict zones in Burmas north, where military offensives continue against a number of ethnic armed groups. Mathieson also described what he perceives as a dearth of real empirical research on the ongoing conflict. Dr. Jane Ferguson, a lecturer at Australian National University and one of the conference organizers, said that Burma Studies scholars from across the social sciences produce work incorporating different approaches that are useful to understanding armed conflict. This is the kind of conference that can bring these perspectives into conversation with each other, she told The Irrawaddy on Monday. John Buchanana PhD candidate in political science at the University of Washington who spoke on the panel on armed conflictrecommended further analysis of the countrys long-running civil war, grounded in political theory. Many ethnic resistance movements began in a period that could be considered democratic, he pointed out, a reference to the 1950s, when Burma was newly independent and led by Prime Minister U Nu. Buchanan added that during this same period, Shan State was subjected to increased militarization, martial law, the suspension of civil liberties and forced conscription of soldiers. The implications of this are great, he argued, and they require an acknowledgment of different political struggles and aspirations throughout the country. The challenges for Burma may be more than just having a democratic government, he said. Juan Luo, an anthropologist and University of Washington PhD candidate, suggested in her presentation on healthcare on the Kachin-China border that recognition of local non-state infrastructures has become more difficult in northern Kachin State since the political transition took place. [Aid groups] used to get in touch with Kachin authorities, but now they have to go through the central government, she said. In order for the evolving political system to be considered democratic, she pointed out, it has to enhance the status of the ethnic groups throughout the whole country. While acknowledging gains madelike the ability of organizations like Human Rights watch to carry out careful research within conflict zonesspeakers also emphasized the limits to the political transition. You can criticize the government in a constructive way, but you cant criticize the behavior of the Burmese army on the front line, said Mathieson, citing recent restrictions placed on ethnic womens organizations for documenting torture and extrajudicial killings by the Tatmadaw in Shan State. An acknowledgement of continued challenges was also made by a panel speaking on the role of media in Burmas democracy movement, which included three former political prisonerswriter and doctor Ma Thida, editor of The Irrawaddys English edition Kyaw Zwa Moe, and Rangoon regional parliamentarian Nay Phone Latt. The country, they said, still has problems, in a discussion that highlighted restrictions on press freedom alongside the continued presence of state-run news outlets as indicators of the limits to the countrys political shift. We dont just want a civilian government out of a military government. We need real change, said Ma Thida, emphasizing the need for stronger protection of collective rights and greater political participation from the grassroots. Regarding post-conference outreach and future work within the Burma Studies discipline, attendees also made recommendations regarding inclusivity. Nang Mao Hseng, a sophomore at Dickinson College originally from Lashio and Rangoon, told The Irrawaddy that after hearing researchers describe challenges ranging from outdated resources to a need for translators, she hoped that the Burma Studies international network would increase partnerships with local students in Burma when carrying out research, so as to maximize the value of the work to people in the country. Jane Ferguson added that intellectual exchange within the region and with international scholars is an integral part of the discipline. Aged 19, Nang Mao Hseng was delighted to see the handful of presentations by other youth from Burma, and to see a wide range of nationalities represented; there were over 260 people in attendance, representing 17 countries. We do our best with resources available and with outside support. [] It is our earnest desire to make the conference as inclusive as we can, added Ferguson, pointing to a policy of discounted registration fees for students, in particular. The International Burma Studies Conference takes place biannually, with NIU serving as the host every four years. The previous event was held in Singapore in 2014; the location for the 2018 conference is, as of yet, unconfirmed. Burma Govts Foreign Investment Policy to be Released this Month Workers work at the Vietnam Hoang Anh Gia Lai construction site in Rangoon on Sept. 20, 2013. / Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS RANGOON Foreign investment policy will be announced this month after President Htin Kyaw passes a revamped Myanmar Investment Law, according to secretary of the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) U Aung Naing Oo. Burmas business community has been growing impatient waiting for details of foreign investment policy after criticizing the governments 12-part overall economic policy released in July as lacking in detail. Pledged foreign direct investment from April to September this year is less than half of what was spent in the same period of 2015 as investors await clear policy from the government before committing money. Foreign investment policy will be ready to be released in the coming days, U Aung Naing Oo said at a press conference on Monday, adding that the Sept. 28 release date was postponed due to State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyis ill health after her trip to the UK and the US. The Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration (DICA) under the Ministry of National Planning and Finance has taken responsibility for creating the policy, deputy director general of DICA U Than Aung Kyaw told the Irrawaddy. Foreign investment policy will be announced following the passing of the Investment Law, he said, adding that he expected the release this month. The Myanmar Investment Law has already been passed by both houses of Parliament but needs to be signed by President U Htin Kyaw. According to the existing law, all foreign investment calls for the approval of the MIC. The new law, however, will only require the MIC to examine investment proposals at the request of the government. The bill also details separate incentives for different sectors to encourage development. The MIC will examine proposals that require a substantial amount of capital, that have potential social and environmental impact, that concern land or property belonging to the government, or that are of national importance, according to the Ministry of National Planning and Finance. Dr. Maung Maung Lay, vice chairman of Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, told The Irrawaddy that the rules and regulations of the Myanmar Investment Law will reveal the types of investment encouraged by the new government. I expect government will not be prioritizing businesses which are based on natural resources or can harm the environment, he added. U Ye Min Oo, member of the National League for Democracys economic committee, told The Irrawaddy that it is time for the government to say which sector will be prioritized for investment so that business people can make plans. Normally, the government announces detailed economic policy two months after they take office. It is now a little bit late, he said. During the new governments first six months (April to September) foreign direct investment significantly declined compared to last year as foreign investors waited for policy announcements, according to U Aung Naing Oo. According to DICA figures, pledged foreign direct investment from April to September this year was US$1.4 billion while the same period of 2015 was $3 billion. U Aung Naing Oo said he expects foreign direct investment numbers to reach last years total ($6 billion) after the new Investment Law has been passed. Burma Heritage Group Reveals Rangoon Conservation Plan Rangoons landmark Shwedagon Pagoda at night. / Tin Htet Paing / The Irrawaddy RANGOON Burmas prominent heritage conservation body, the Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT), revealed its conservation strategy for the countrys former capital as it said Rangoon is at a tipping point and that without action there will be a terrible loss of cultural and natural heritage. The Yangon Heritage Strategy is a 150-page report that outlines YHTs vision and strategy to combine heritage conservation and sustainable development. Meant for all relevant stakeholdersfrom national leaders to street vendors, city residents and businessesit includes 24 Action Plans on issues ranging from the expansion of green space to improved streetscapes to transforming downtown Yangon into a future international hub for arts and culture. For the citys civic and business leaders, it [the strategy] can provide new ideas that might not have been considered before as well as a sense of the huge longer-term economic potential Yangon has to become a regional hub that combines heritage conservation with sustainable development, the report says. For the general public, this document can provide a sense of how special their home city is and how, together, we can make Yangon Asias most livable city, it added. Thant Myint-U, YHT chairman and founder, said the strategy was not a master plan. It is a collection of YHT ideas, based on four years of work on these issues and meant as a contribution to government and public debate at this critical moment in Rangoons development. The plan comes at a time when the city of 5.16 million people is now under stress from traffic congestion, little to no urban planning, and poor infrastructurewhile the citys century-old architecture faces a threat from unregulated development. The YHT strategy includes interim, awareness and long-term regulation measures to protect the citys unique heritage. YHT proposes the creation of a coordinating body to oversee urban planning, promote public awareness of the importance of heritage conservation, and tailor a mix of immediate actions with a comprehensive urban plan within a solid regulatory framework based on a revised heritage lawwhich would include mandatory height control regulations across the city to protect heritage areas and free up space for high-rises. In the Action Plans, YHS suggestions encircling Shwedagon Pagoda with a series of public parks; reusing government buildings as public libraries, hotels and retail outlets; and upgrading the circle-line train and bus system and utilizing the citys waterway to address transportation challenges. It also recommends using the waterfront for public recreation and opening a view of heritage buildings along Strand Road for tourism purposes. It states that the point where Shwedagon Pagoda Road meets the waterfront could be designated as a public park, forming a river gateway to the pagoda as it did for Burmese royalty hundreds of years ago. Thant Myint-U told The Irrawaddy that YHT provided an advanced copy and discussed many aspects of its plan with the Rangoon chief minister and members of the regional government over recent months.We have been extremely pleased with the chief minister and governments support for Yangon conservation and urban planning and believe we have a very close working relationship across a range of issuesfrom the revitalization of the downtown area to the reuse of the waterfront to the protection of the citys green and other public spaces, he said. When asked to what extent the recommendations could materialize, the historian said, The YHS plan is extremely realistic and what we have suggested over the next 4-5 years is doable. Its not a cookie-cutter plan that can only be implemented in Sydney or Seattle. Its a plan for Yangon, based on all weve learned these past few years about Yangons political, legal, economic, and social environment, he said. Its based on hundreds of conversations not just with experts, government and business people, but also with people who live and work in the historic city. It will make all the difference in setting Yangon on the right path for the rest of the 21st century. Burma NLD to Discipline Lawmaker After Extramarital Affair Entrance signboard to Myaungmya. / Salai Thant Zin / The Irrawaddy RANGOON The National League for Democracy (NLD) will discipline its lawmaker representing Irrawaddy Divisions Myaungmya Township in the Lower House after news of his extramarital affair went viral on social media. NLD spokesperson U Win Htein said lawmaker Dr Soe Moe Thu will be punished in line with the partys rules and regulations. Dr Soe Moe Thus wife filed a lawsuit at No. 9 Police Station in Mandalay on Sunday accusing her husband of adultery. Weve already warned him once, but he denied [having an extramarital affair] at that time, U Win Htein told The Irrawaddy. Now, he cant deny it. So, our party discipline enforcement committee will take action against him. We have already cancelled his foreign trip, he said. [Dr Soe Moe] will be subject to an internal investigation. Witnesses from both sides will be questioned, said NLD Rangoon Division deputy information officer U Soe Win Oo. The maximum penalty is expulsion from the party. Or he may be suspended for a certain period. It is the second scandal to rock Burmas most popular political party in a week. Last Thursday, A Rangoon motel filed a lawsuit against NLD lawmaker U Nyan Linn, accusing him and two friends of swearing, threatening and drunkenly fighting with motel staff. Political commentator Dr Yan Myo Thein told The Irrawaddy that these recent scandals suggest that Burma is in need of impeachment legislation that grants citizens the right to recall. People should have the right to recall if they do not like the representatives they have elected. Dr Yan Myo Thein said. Only when the fundamental rights of voters are put first, will the parliament be able to serve the interests of the people. U Tin Aye, former chairman of the Union Election Commission, in August last year urged U Shwe Mann, the then speaker of the Union Parliament, to enact legislation on recalling lawmakers as soon as possible. However, lawmakers voted to suspend the bill. Burma Thai PM Mulls Ban on Mekong River Massacre Movie Operation Mekong will open in Hong Kong movie theaters on Sept. 30 / BONA Film Group / Facebook RANGOON Thailands Prime Minister said he will ban a Chinese-Hong Kong action film based on the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River in 2011 by a Burmese drug lord from being screened in Thailand if it is found to damage the country. I have ordered authorities to check the content of Operation Mekong. If it is damaging, it will be banned, Prime Minister Prayut Chanocha said on Tuesday, according to Bangkok Post. Operation Mekong, directed by Dante Lam and due to open in movie theaters on Friday in Hong Kong, concerns the massacre in the Golden Triangle area of the river on Oct 5, 2011 when 13 Chinese crew members of two cargo ships were brutally killed by a Burmese drug-trafficking ring led by Naw Kham. Naw Kham was brought to justice by Chinese police with the help of Thai and Lao authorities but blamed Thai soldiers for the murders. He was executed in March 2013 in China along with three accomplices, including a Thai national, for murder. The executions were carried out by lethal injection following a ruling from a court in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province. News By-Elections to be Held on April 1, 18 Seats Up for Grabs Ballot paper displayed during the by-elections of 2012. / The Irrawaddy Burmas Union Election Commission announced on Tuesday that by-elections for 18 vacant seats in the Union and regional parliaments would be held on April 1 next year. Included will be the six constituencies in Kyethi and Mong Hsu townships of central Shan Stateone each for the Lower House of the Union Parliament and two each for the state parliamentthat were cancelled during the Nov. 2015 general election due to fighting between the Burma Army and the Shan State Army-North. The other seats in the by-elections are being contested because the elected lawmakers have been appointed as ministers in the government, requiring them to vacate their seats, and because of two untimely deaths. Seats for other townships that were cancelled outright for the 2015 general election will not be contested in the by-elections. These include Panghsang, Mongma, Narphan and Panwai townships, which are under the control of the United Wa State Army in northern Shan State, and Mongla Township, which is under the control of the National Democratic Alliance Army in eastern Shan State. In total, nine seats will be up for grabs in the Lower House, three in the Upper House, and six in state and divisional parliaments. In the Lower House, the seats are for the following townships: Monywa in Sagaing Division, Chaungzon in Mon State, Ann in Arakan state, and Hlaing Tharyar, Dagon Myothit, East Dagon and Kawhmu in Rangoon Division, as well as Kyethi and Mong Hsu in Shan State. In the Upper House, the seats are Chin State-3, located in Thantlang Township, Pegu Division-4, which includes Kyauktaga and Nyaunglebin townships, and Rangoon Division-6, which includes Kamayut, Kyimyindaing, Seikkan, Latha, Hlaing, Lanmadaw and Ahlone townships. Across regional parliaments, the seats are Hpruso Township-1 in Karenni State, and Kengtung Township-2 in Shan State, as well the four in Kyethi and Mong Hsu townships. This represents a significant reduction in the number of seats being contested relative to Burmas last set of by-elections, in April 2012, where 45 seats were ultimately contestedwith the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi winning 43, marking their landmark entry into Parliament. This reduction is due in large part to the National League for Democracy-led governmentwhich assumed power in April this yearslashing the number of ministries, resulting in a smaller cabinet, as well as the decision to appoint more ministers from outside of Parliament. The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), which performed well across Shan State in the 2015 electionbeating the NLD in the state but coming behind the former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)said it would contest all seven seats up for grabs in Kyethi, Mong Hsu and Kengtung townships. Sai Leik, a spokesperson for the SNLD, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that candidates would be decided on after our central committee meeting in the coming weeks. In the 2015 election, the NLD won 886 out of 1150 elected seats across the Union and regional parliaments. The USDP came second with 117 seats, followed by the Arakan National Party with 45 and the SNLD with 40. News Company Accused of Bribing, Misleading Locals to Build Coal-Fired Power Plant National League for Democracy lawmakers attend a session of the Rangoon Division parliament in September. / Phyo Min Thein / The Irrawaddy RANGOON Questions were raised in the Rangoon Division parliament about an unnamed company using underhanded methods to induce locals of Zweba Kone village, in semi-rural Kyauktan Township on the outer fringes of the city, to consent to the building of a coal-fired power plant. Daw Thet Thet Mu, the lawmaker representing Kyauktan Constituency-2 for the National League for Democracy, told the divisional legislature on Tuesday that the companys efforts to bribe and mislead localsapparently carried out under the radar of local authoritieshad been going on since early March. She said that there were serious concerns over the likely impact of the power plant on the environment and rural livelihoods in the village, and asked whether the Rangoon Division government would allow it to proceed. Speaking with the Irrawaddy, Daw Thet Thet Mu refused to name the company, purportedly because the project is at a very early stage, but said that she had not recognized the name; the companies delegates spotted in the locality were Indian and Chinese, she claimed, adding to suspicion that it is foreign-owned. Daw Thet Thet Mu told the legislature that the company had recently donated 4.5 million kyats (US$3,560) for fresh water excavation in the village. During the donation ceremony, 150 villagers were asked to lend their signatures to paper forms written in English signaling their support for the power plant. Although most of the villagers could not understand English, some unwittingly signed the consent forms, she said. She added that that the companys representatives convinced the villagers that they would share 2 percent of the power plants profits with them, and that they would construct a new bridge linking Kyauktan with Thanlyin Township, allowing easier access to the city. She said that more educated villagers had expressed deep worry that the power plant may pollute the soil, air and water in the village, ruining the farmland on which the villagers depend. The Divisional Minister of Electricity, Industry and Transport Daw Nilar Kyaw responded on behalf of the Rangoon Division government, saying they would not allow the coal-fired power plant to go ahead. News Food Price Hikes, Livelihood Restrictions in Maungdaw as Manhunt Continues Security forces conduct a manhunt through rural areas of Maungdaw Township, northern Arakan State, in pursuit of those behind recent attacks on border guard posts. / Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy MAUNGDAW, Arakan State As police and the Burma Army continue their manhunt across rural areas of Maungdaw Township in northern Arakan State for perpetrators of Oct. 9 attacks on border guard posts, Maungdaw locals face rising food prices and livelihood restrictions. While most of the estimated 250 attackers remain on the runtheir precise identity unknownpolice and locals have claimed that the Oct. 9 attacks were conducted with the crucial involvement of local Muslims, who mostly identify as Rohingya (but whom the government calls Bengali), with police casting suspicion on Rohingya caretakers at the border guard posts. In the hub town of Maungdaw, close to the Bangladesh border, roadblocks have been imposed at every entrance, and police and army personnel question each Muslim who passes. Last week, an existing curfew from 11p.m. 4 a.m. was extended to 7 p.m. 6 a.m. throughout Maungdaw District, and is rigorously enforced, making the town eerily quiet during curfew hours. Deliveries of food and commodities to Maungdaw town have been restricted, causing a sudden rise in prices. Since the attacks and the ensuing security clampdown, a bag of rice has gone from 24,000 to 28,000 kyats, one viss (a local measurement equaling 1.63 kilograms) has gone from 1,500 to 2,000 kyats, and one viss of cooking oil has leapt from 2,500 to 3,500 kyats. Even mobile phone users have been hit, with 5,000 kyat MPT top-up cards selling for 5,900 kyats. Authorities have banned local residents from going out to sea for fishing, which many Rohingya rely on for their livelihoods. Seafood has been scarce in local markets as a result. The Burma Army and the police have reportedly yet to secure the countryside, where operations have resulted in several dozen deaths among the army, the police and alleged Islamic militants. This has caused Buddhist Arakanese residentswho are estimated to make up less than 10 percent of Maungdaw and neighboring Buthidaung townshipsto continue fleeing from villages to Maungdaw town, where they are staying at relatives houses or at Buddhist monasteries. During the manhunt by police and the army, many Rohingya have also fled their villagesit is unclear to where. There have been conflicting, unverified reports of village houses being burned by either Burmese security forces or the militants behind the border guard post attacks. However, the Burma Army has been blocking media access to rural areas of the township where security operations are taking place, on the grounds that it is unsafe, and many local Rohingya have been fearful of talking to media. Irrawaddy reporters were stopped on Sunday by soldiers at Kyikanpin village in Maungdaw Township, the site of the border guard police headquarters attacked on Oct. 9, and prevented from traveling to Aung Mingalar village, four miles further north, in accordance with a high-level army order received that day. Police Col. Myo Lin Aung told reporters that the militants had been stashing weaponry in the vicinity of Aung Mingalar, as well as food provisions to last three months. Among police circles in Maungdaw Township, suspicion has fallen on Rohingya caretakers employed at the border guard headquarters and outposts that came under attack on Oct. 9, with some maintaining that their involvement was essential in the raidsfor instance in seizing the 51 firearms, many of which were stored in hidden locations known to caretakers on the grounds and few others. Rohingya in are regularly employed as menial labor in government offices, police stations, and businesses owned by Buddhist Arakanese in northern Arakan State. The whereabouts of the caretakers at the border guard posts attacked on Oct. 9 does not appear to be known. Zaw Htoo, the Buddhist Arakanese administrator for Muslim-majority Ah Lel Than Kyaw village tract, in the southern coastal reaches of Maungdaw Township, said that, Without local [Rohingya] people, they [the militants] could not have raided those police bases. He said that he personally recognized a man featured in a purported militant propaganda video that has circulated widely on social mediain which armed men call for Muslims to join a jihad in Arakan State to defend the Rohingyaand said he understood the dialect used in the video, which is the same as that spoken by local Muslims in the township. No one from Bangladesh is involved in this [militant] group. They all are from the north of Maungdaw Township, he said. Ba Cho, a Rohingya from Ah Lie Than Kyaw who has worked as a medical officer for the government, shared Zaw Htoos belief that the militants were local to northern Maungdaw Township. We were surprised to hear of it. How could they do it? We have never heard of such a thing in all our lives, he said. We do not support violence. Village tract administrator Zaw Htoo said they were very worried for their security, since they could see the unregulated movement of people and goods on a daily basis across the river that separates the village cluster from Bangladesh. They could transport guns by river, he said, and go in and out of Bangladesh at any time. He said that Burmese authorities had seized a cache of illegal firearms near his village in 2012. All schools in the area have been closed since the beginning of last weekas they have been across Maungdaw Districtand local government staff have fled along with more than 100 Buddhist Arakanese residents, although Ah Lel Than Kyaw village tract has remained peaceful. Zaw Htoo said that the manhunt conducted by police and the army across the township would continue to prove challenging, due to the militants purported ability to blend in with the local Muslim community, and the reluctance of local Muslims to work with Burmese authorities. It is hard to know what is going on in their community, he said. On Friday, the Presidents Office announced that four suspects connected to the Oct. 9 attacks had confessed to belonging to an Islamic militant group called Aqa Mul Mujahidin, linked to the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (a group considered defunct since the 1990s), and to having received funds from outside terrorist organizations and wealthy individuals in the Middle East with the goal of radicalizing local Muslims and occupying parts of northern Arakan State. News Four Burma Army Soldiers Dead in Maungdaw Clash A funeral is held at the Maungdaw cemetery on Tuesday afternoon for the nine policemen killed in an ambush on their headquarters and two outposts. / Maungdaw Thar / Facebook RANGOON A high-ranking government official confirmed to The Irrawaddy that four Burma Army soldiers were killed in clashes that erupted with local forces in Arakan States Maungdaw Township on Tuesday. The government source saidon the condition of anonymity that fighting occurred near Kyet Yoe Pyin and Ngakhuya villages and that it was believed to involve suspects in Sundays ambush of police headquarters in Kyikanpin and outposts in Kotankauk and Ngakhuya, killing nine policemen and looting firearms. Maungdaw resident and Rohingya Muslim U Than Naing Soe said that conflict broke out from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., with the army launching artillery into the forest. We had never heard that kind of loud explosion before. Villagers were horrified and fled to avoid inspection by government troops. Some villagers are being arrested and taken in for questioning, he said. Reporters on the ground have speculated that the armed locals had ties to the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), a small militant group active along the Bangladeshi border in the 1980s and 1990s, but which has been seemingly defunct ever since. U Than Naing Soe said he was unsure which group could have been engaging in the clash with government troops, but rejected the allegation that the RSO was involved. How is it possible that we have ties with RSO? We are staying under police surveillance and it is very difficult to even travel to nearby villages, he said. On Monday morning, a disputed number of local Muslims were also killed in Maungdaw Township after shots were fired by members of the Burma Army in Myothugyi village. A report in state-run media declared that four men were killed and that in the incident, Burma Army troops had confiscated makeshift guns, as well as bullets and a knife. The Irrawaddy phoned Maungdaw District Administrator U Ye Htut to verify the total number of casualties on both sides; he repeated the claim of four deaths made in the government report. Not stated in the update was whether those killed belonged were believed to belong to the same group of men who reportedly attacked three police stations one day earlier. A joint statement released on Monday by 14 Rohingya organizations in exile accused government soldiers of killing not four, but seven Myothugyi villagers who were unarmed. Maungdaw resident Than Naing Soe corroborated this account. The groups called on international organizations and governments to pressure the ruling National League for Democracy government to halt such actions, and end persecution against Muslims in the region. U Hla Soe, a Rohingya from Maungdaw Township, also told The Irrawaddy over the phone on Tuesday that the official figures were wrong. All of us know what the authorities said was not true. They just shot and killed people while they attempted to run, he said. He said locals fled when the Burma Army came to search their villages in full force. According to the Arakan Gazette, a state government-run online publication, the commander of the armys Western Command is heading up a team of 350 soldiers who will hunt on foot, by chopper and with several navy ships to arrest the remaining 240 suspectsout of an estimated 250in the attack on the police stations. Officials confirmed that if security forces are met with violence, they are prepared to shoot in order to obtain suspects: eight have reportedly been killed by police and two have been apprehended and brought into custody. According to Arakan State government secretary U Tin Maung Swe, the two have reportedly confessed to having planned the attack on the border guard posts over three months, with the help of local Muslims in Maungdaw, where the majority self-identify as Rohingya, but are labeled Bengali by the government. Rohingya activists concerned for their safety spoke anonymously to The Irrawaddy, saying that they remain worried that as the conflict grows, innocent people will be caught in the crossfire. Maungdaw administrator U Ye Htut told The Irrawaddy that an existing curfew in the districtwhich includes Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathaedaung townshipshad been extended from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. and that residents were banned from gathering in groups of five or more. Burmas information minister Pe Myint reached Sittwe, Arakan State on Tuesday to receive updates on the situation and to meet with the states chief minister Nyi Pu and relevant departments. The Arakan State education department has instructed 400 government schools to shut down in Maungdaw District as of Monday. News Giant Jade Stone Uncovered in Kachin State A 210-ton jade stone has been unearthed in Hpakant, Kachin State / Shan Kyi / Facebook RANGOON A giant jade stone estimated to weigh 210 tons was uncovered in the jade mining hub of Hpakant in Kachin State last week and is now being guarded by police. We can say it is the largest piece of jade ever unearthed in Burma, confirmed U Win Htein, director general from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation. The jade stone, measuring 19-feet long by 14-feet high by 15-feet wide, has not yet been valued and how to transport the stone is still under negotiation, according to U Win Htein. He told The Irrawaddy that the valuable stone was discovered at Yadanar Taung Tann Gems Co.s mine, which is operating in a 60:40 joint venture with the ministry, in Sate Mu village, Hpakant Township last Monday. A 3,000-ton piece was found in the state in [the year] 2000 but was not uncovered, U Win Htein said, making this the largest piece of jade unearthed in Burma. The previous slab of jade was more than 70-feet long by 20-feet high by 16-feet wide and donated to the ruling junta. A report released by the London-based NGO Global Witness in October last year revealed that vast revenues generated by Burmas jade trade continue to flow into the pockets of senior military officials and well-connected crony firms. The report titled Jade: Myanmars Big State Secret estimated that Burmas jade production was valued as high as US$31 billion for the year 2014. The government has announced that all remaining jade mining licenses will expire in 2018, and licenses will only be considered for renewal after the completion of an environmental management plan for jade mining areas of Kachin State. News KIA: Govt Needs to Control Its Military Ethnic Kachin call for the end to Tatmadaw offensives, in front of the Burmese Consulate in Chiang Mai, Thailand on October 10, 2016. / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy CHIANG MAI, Thailand While Burma Armys air strikes continue on Kachin Independence Army (KIA) security outposts in northern Burma, the KIA, its political wing and the Kachin public are calling for a halt to the offensives, as well as a government intervention. Lt-Col Naw Bu, a KIA spokesperson, told The Irrawaddy that as of Monday, Tatmadaw troops, including both the ground and air forces, were still attacking the KIA post known as Gidon in the Nhkram mountain range. The Tatmadaws two jet fighters have been bombing the Gidon post since 8:30 a.m. and then continued shooting from the ground with artillery, he said. In order to overcome obstacles to building peace in the country, the government needs to control its military, the lieutenant colonel added. The [National League for Democracy] government is keeping their mouths shut while the Tatmadaw is fiercely attacking the KIO. We, as well as our people, do not want that, Naw Bu said, referring to the Kachin Independence Organization and the Kachin public. Tensions have increased in Kachin and northern Shan stateswhere the KIA is activesince the first session of the 21st Century Panglong peace conference concluded in early September. The Tatmadaw has used its artillery and air force to target the KIAs security posts around its headquarters in Laiza, on the Kachin-China border. On Oct. 1, a two-year-old Kachin child was killed by the splinters of an artillery shell that hit near her family home in Puwang village in Shan States Muse Township. Another two children were seriously injured and admitted to the Mangsi Hospital in China. Since last week, thousands of Kachin State residents have been holding protests and calling for an end to the Tatmadaws offensives against the KIA. On Monday, ethnic Kachin community members staying in Chiang Mai, Thailand urged the NLD government to intervene to end the war in Kachin State and to order the Burma Army to stop offensives against the KIA. Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Burmese Consulate in Chiang Mai, demanding the government and the Burma Army take responsibility and respond with immediate action. Their requests included a stop to offensives and the launching of artillery into civilian villages, the allowance of better access to humanitarian aid, and a safe return for the internally displaced people and refugees to their homes. The protesters delivered a letter to the mailbox of the Burmese Consulate, as consulate officials were not there to receive it. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is a Nobel Laureate and as the head of state, she must order the military to halt the offensives, said Ah Jung, a pastor of a Kachin community church and a protester. Hka Tawn, a Kachin woman living in Chiang Mai who participated in Mondays protest told The Irrawaddy that the protest was one of solidarity. We Kachin staying in Thailand do not want to see the troubles facing our fellow Kachin in Burma, thats why we came to protest to show our support, she said. On Saturday, Oct 8, the Kachin Independence Organization and the ethnic armed alliance known as the United Nationalities Federal Council both issued separate statements calling for end to the Tatmadaws military action in the region. The Tatmadaw will have to take responsibility for the consequences following its attacks against the KIO, the KIOs statement said. KIO representatives joined the 21st Century Panglong conference, in which stakeholders presented their stances on building a future federal democratic state. Meanwhile the Burma Army stayed firm on their adherence to the controversial 2008 Constitution. Conference organizers stressed that those groups that did not sign the countrys nationwide ceasefire pactsuch as the KIA/KIOwould not have equal negotiating status in the peace process as those who signed the pact in October 2015. Nang Lwin Hnin Pwint contributed to this report. News Maungdaw Police Chief Replaced Minister of Home Affairs Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe in Maungdaw Township on Monday. / Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy MAUNGDAW, Arakan StateBurmas Minister of Home Affairs has replaced the Border Guard Force police chief of Maungdaw Township over the recent fatal attacks on three border guard outposts in the area. The Minister, Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe, told the media that he had appointed Thura San Lwin as a successor to Maung Maung Khin during a tour to the township in northern Arakan State on Monday. I am really not pleased with what happened, so I replaced the leadership at once, he said. I have appointed a person who I can trust, said the minister. He [Thura San Lwin] has experience from fighting Communist armed groups and he will be in charge of operations. The minister vowed that we will do our best to provide security for local people. Fatal attacks on border guard police posts on Oct. 9, followed by a manhunt focused on Maungdaw Township, has led to several dozen deaths among police, Burma Army soldiers and militants suspected of looting 51 guns and thousands of ammunitions from the three outposts. On Friday, Burma Presidents Office announced that the attacks were reportedly masterminded by a Taliban-trained militant with an affiliation to the long-defunct Rohingya Solidarity Organization. Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe said on Monday that 16 suspects have been detained and are being interrogated. Based on intelligence from interrogations, the army and police will launch more military operations in northern parts of Maungdaw, where other suspects are believed to be hiding. The government has an obligation to bring all the looted weapons back, he said. Therefore there will be more operations in northern Maungdaw, News Military Offensives Threaten to Interrupt Peace Process, Says KIO A bomb dropped by a Burma Army jet fighter on Oct. 7 is seen at the KIAs Gidon post in Kachin State. / Free Burma Rangers RANGOON The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) has warned that ongoing clashes threaten to derail the countrys peace process unless the government halts its military offensives in the KIOs territory. If the current offensive continues, it will interrupt the peace process that we are dealing with. Civil war could also grow and spread into different parts of Kachin State and will have an unnecessary negative impact. The Tatmadaw is responsible for it, Lt-Col Naw Bu, an official with the Kachin Independence Armys (KIA) information department, told The Irrawaddy. He also said that the offensive has made the KIO seriously reconsider the peace process; if it continues, it will be difficult for the organization to proceed with future political dialogue. Fighting has continued this week, as local sources in Kachin State report the Burma Armys use of jet fighters and heavy artillery on both Monday and Tuesday against KIA outposts. Thousands of Kachin people took to the streets on Monday in the Kachin State jade mining town of Hpakant, calling on the Burma Army to stop the offensives, criticizing the Tatmadaw for the attacks during a time when the government is engaging in peace talks with ethnic armed organizations. Speaking with The Irrawaddy from Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, Khin Maung Myint, an ethnic Kachin MP from the National League for Democracy, said that it is inappropriate for the Burma Army to launch offensives against the KIO. War is good for no one. It doesnt matter whether it is soldiers of the Tatmadaw or the KIO who dieit is very sad to see, said Khin Maung Myint. We are totally against the current offensives by the Tatmadaw, which were launched while ethnic leaders and the State Counselor are attempting to rebuild the country, he added. The current offensive against the KIA is seen by both the organization and the Kachin public as a way to pressure the armed group to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). The KIO along with the majority of the countrys armed groups opted out of becoming signatories in October 2015, citing a lack of inclusivity. On Oct. 1, a two-year-old Kachin child was killed after an artillery shellbelieved to have been fired by the Burma Armyexploded near her family home in Shan States Muse Township. Another two children were seriously injured in the blast. The Irrawaddys reporter Nang Lwin Hnin Pwint also contributed into this story. News Police File Charges Against Kachin Protest Leader Protest on Oct. 6 in Myitkyina to halt Burma Army offensives in Kachin State. / Nang Lwin Hnin Pwint / The Irrawaddy RANGOON Police in the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina have filed charges against a local man who organized a protest calling for an end to Burma Army offensives in the region, according to local sources. Lungjung Tu Raw was charged with violating Burmas peaceful assembly law after thousands of ethnic Kachin marched against the war in their state on Oct. 6. Lungjung Tu Raw had received permission from the authorities to protest, but police say that by not having all of their slogans pre-approved, protesters allegedly violated the law. The slogans which were singled out as violating the regulations were: We condemn the Tatmadaw for raping and murdering our Kachin and We ask for a federal system and self-determination. Lungjung Tu Raw is a consultant for the community-based Kachin Baptist Convention, which organized the protest. Hkawng Nang from the Kachin Womens Union, who was also involved in protest, said, If they come to take him, we have decided already that we all will go along with him. The original Peaceful Assembly Law, passed in 2012, amended in 2014 and re-introduced as the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Processions Law in 2016, has been used to send dissidents to prison for violations. Hkawng Nang added that she did not know how the authorities would manage to justify the arrest Lungjung Tu Raw under the current statute. The Burma Army continued its offensive against the Kachin Indpendence Army (KIA) just one day after the protest took place, using four air force fighter jets to attack a KIA outpost. Fighting has been ongoing for two months. The KIA issued a statement placing blame on the Burmese army if the civil war spreads throughout Kachin State. The KIA also made a public announcement that they would fight defensively if government forces continue attacking them. The Burma Army sent two jet fighters to attack KIA bases near their Laiza headquarters on both Monday and Tuesday. They have also been launching heavy artillery in airstrikes against a KIA base called the Gidon outpost since last week. The Burmese Army has threatened to seize Laiza, a four-hour drive from Mai Ja Yang, another KIA stronghold on the Kachin-China border, and an educational hub for ethnic Kachin. There are more than 2,000 students in total from three high schools, four post-ten schools and several primary schools in the town. The current attacks and rumors of Burma Army troop reinforcement have frightened Mai Ja Yang students and residents: many have started to dig protective bunkers. As they [Burma Army] have been attacking Laiza with jet fighters, we have gotten worried and have started to dig bunkers just in case, to protect our students. Our school is in the heart of the town, said Zau Hseng, deputy headmaster of Institution of Art and Science, a Mai Ja Yang post-ten school hosting eighty students. We cant trust that they wont attack Mai Ja Yang. We worry for our students safety. So, we just prepare, he added. I told you @TIME Magazine would never pick me as person of the year despite being the big favorite They picked person who is ruining Germany News Presidents Office Vows to Counter Arakan Attacks; Locals Call for an End to Violence People seek refuge at Thabyae Gone monastery in Maungdaw Township after fighting between the Burma Army and militant broke out nearby villages. / Rakhine Gazette / Facebook SITTWE, Arakan State Four suspects have reportedly confessed to taking part in and planning attacks on border guard posts in northern Arakan States Maungdaw Township with the financial backing of outside terrorist organizations, according to a Presidents Office statement released on Friday. Two of the men were transferred from Bangladeshi authorities to Burma and two were captured in Maungdaw Township. The statement said that the four men confessed to authoritieswhich were unspecifiedto taking part in an attack on border posts on Sunday with the aim of occupying Maungdaw Township, led by a group they identified as Aqa Mul Mujahidin, which the Presidents Office described as being affiliated with the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), last known to be active in the 1980s and 1990s. The statement also said an investigation had revealed that the group allegedly receives financial backing from Islamic terror networks and is led by a 45-year-old living in Kyauk Pyin Seik village of Maungdaw Township who attended six months of training in Pakistan. We will effectively counterattack any terror attack or attempted terror attack, the Presidents Office statement said. We will also investigate, identify and take harsh actions against those behind the terrorists, those who support them secretly, and organizations and individuals that aid and abet terrorism. The group was allegedly planning to attack six border posts with 400 armed men last Sunday, but, armed with machetes, instead attacked a border patrol police headquarters and two outposts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships, killing nine policemen and looting firearms. According to state-run media, the Tatmadaw arrested another man in Maungdaw Townships Warpaik Village on Wednesday and reportedly confiscated a MA-11 gun, 11 cartridges, 1,510 rounds of ammunition and flags and badges connected to the RSO. The man is the fifth suspect to have been detained in the area since Sunday. Military-controlled Myawaddy media said on Thursday that while Burma Army troops carried out a manhunt for the suspects Wednesday in Kyet Yoe Pin Village of Maungdaw Township, ten suspected militants were killed and one gun was seized in clashes. Five Burma Army soldiers have been killed in the manhunt, and 15 mensuspected militantshave been killed by government forces. Military Operation Areas Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung townships in northern Arakan State are designated as military operation areas until firearms looted from border police force are recovered, ministers told reporters at a press conference in the state capital of Sittwe on Friday. On Thursday, Arakan State Chief Minister Nyi Pu summoned NGOs and INGOs to the state government office to update them on the situation in Maungdaw Township. He told relief organizations that to work in areas of military operations they must apply for permission from the government and follow rules and regulations, according to his official Facebook page. Nyi Pu said that Although the neighboring town of Buthidaung has returned to normal and shops have opened, the market is closed in Maungdaw. Unless the government can recover the firearms, armed clashes could happen at any time. He mentioned that some attackers are from outside, referring to Bangladesh, and alleged that they had links to Maungdaw Muslim residents. Brig-Gen Thura Sun Lwin of the border police told international relief organizations, including United Nations (UN) organizations and partners, that foreigners are currently prohibited from entering Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung townships. Displaced Persons and Reports of Abuse A joint statement released on Monday by 14 Rohingya organizations in exile accused government soldiers of killing seven unarmed men in the village of Myothugyi; the Burma Army described the casualties of being those of suspected militants. The groups called on international organizations and governments to pressure the ruling National League for Democracy government to halt such actions, and end persecution against Muslims in the region. Since then, further accusations of abusesdetainments, and the burning of houseshave surfaced. Arakan State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu sought to quell rumors of abuse with a statement on Facebook saying that news from the government should be regarded as true. The Union government is trying to decrease the worries of the two communities and we [the state government] are also carrying out on-the-ground information for law enforcement and stability in this region, his post said. In Maungdaw Township, local sources say that ethnic Mro and Thet villagersfearing the unresthave been seeking safety in monasteries in Buthidaung. Arakan National Party (ANP) secretary U Tha Htun Hla visited Maungdaw yesterday to support the displaced villagers. According to him, about 300 people were sheltering at Buddhist monasteries. The Arakan State government office secretary U Tin Maung Swe said that local Arakanese from the area concerned for their safety would need to be relocated. The Burma Army has also airlifted 90 school teachers from areas of Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships, according to the state government. Meanwhile on Friday, residents of two villages in rural areas of Maungdaw Township were taking refuge in Sittwe, saying they were too frightened to remain at their homes following Sundays attacks. A total of 36 people from the villages were staying at a Buddhist monastery in the state capital. Four women from the group met a delegation from the World Food Programme (WFP) headed by Stephen OBrien, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. My child and I are safe here, but my husband is at home and we dont yet know how safe he is, villager Daw Thein Shwe told the UN delegation, through tears. Rumors and the deaths of policemen in Sundays attacks had triggered the decision to leave Myaing Tha Ya and Aung Mingalar villages, she said. A total of 60 more people from the area were expected to arrive in Sittwe later on Friday, the delegation heard. A WFP representative told the villagers that it would work with the state government to provide assistance. Meanwhile, U Hla Shwe, a community leader from the Rohingya Muslim community in Sittwe worried that the violence would spread. We condemn those acting with violence, he said, adding that his community loved peace, and wished to live in peace. Ko Wai Hun Aung, an Arakanese social activist, said that using force may not be the best way to find suspects and that authorities should instead work with local religious leaders. News Sagaing Ferry Accident Kills at Least 29 Location of the rescue operation near Michaung Dwin village in Kani Township. / The Irrawaddy RANGOONRescuers have recovered at least 29 bodies after a ferry carrying some 300 passengers capsized on the Chindwin River in Sagaing Divisions Kani Township on Saturday, the township General Administration Department (GAD) said on Monday. The privately owned Aung Soe Moe Kyaw-2 ferry, transporting passengers from Homalin to Monywa, reportedly sank in the river near Michaung Dwin village early on Saturday morning, according to the local emergency rescue team. A total of 159 survivors have been found and were provided temporary shelter at hospitals and monasteries near the village, a GAD official at the location of the rescue operation told The Irrawaddy on Monday. Of those killed, 23 were women and six were men; the death toll of the accident is expected to climb, the official said. Lower House lawmaker U Tun Tun Naing of Kani Township said that the accident was allegedly the result of negligence of the helmsman. He added that the helmsman and the owner of the overcrowded ferry both went missing after the incident. S Willy Frient, Director of the Sagaing Divisions Relief and Resettlement Department said that the ferry was found on Monday and that the rescue team was trying to salvage it. The ferry was carrying close to 300 passengers and 18 motorcycles while the maximum capacity of the ferry is between 120 and 150 passengers, according to the director. It was filled way beyond its capacity, he told The Irrawaddy. It is believed that the ferry had life jackets but these were only sufficient to cover one-tenth of the total passengers it was carrying, he added. He also noted that ferry owners usually travel with their boats and that they fill ferries beyond capacity to earn more money. The Irrawaddy tried reaching officials from Sagaing Divisions Department of Marine Administration who were at the location of the rescue operation on Monday, but they were not available to comment. Correction: This article has been modified from an earlier version that incorrectly designated the Department of Marine Administration as the Inland Water Transport Department News Short Film Smell Takes First Prize in Youth Contest Myanmar Motion Picture Organization president U Lu Min awarding first prize winner Ko Hnaung Eain Thit US$ 6000 at the Myanmar Youth Micro Film Contest / Myanmar Micro Film Contest / Facebook RANGOON Short film Smell, which features deprived children sniffing glue Rangoon, won first prize in the 2nd Myanmar Youth Micro Film Contest held at Rangoons Sky Star Hotel on Sunday. The five-minute film, directed by Ko Hnaung Eain Thit, was chosen by a judging panel of renowned film directors and producers out of 134 other entries to pick up the top award in a competition organized by Myanmar Motion Pictures Organization (MMPO) and Shwe Than Lwin Media. Ko Hnaung Eain Thit, who received US$6,000 and an international film workshop opportunity, said he got the idea for the film after seeing children sniffing glue in deprived areas of Rangoon. I asked them why they were sniffing glue, he said at the event. They said they dont need to eat or spend money on food after sniffing glue and can sleep for one and a half days. The short film explores the lives of two slum children who dream of the thanakha, a fragrant paste traditionally used by Burmese for cosmetic and medicinal purposes, on their mothers cheek after sniffing glue to get high. U Lu Min, president of MMPO, said it was hard to choose a winner as he was satisfied that all candidates were qualified to be future filmmakers. All of the candidates films were good. They have a lot of talent and we will organize this short film contest again next year, he said. Zarganar, a comedian, former political prisoner and guest at the event, welcomed the competition entrants but said he wanted them to pursue new methods. Most of the young directors think evoking tears is the only art in the film industry, I want to see more creative pieces in the future, he said. The second prize went to a film titled Htin Ht Say Thaw by Thein Ko Win and third prize to Freak-Quincy by Zan Moe Oo. The recipients received US$5,000 and $3,000 respectively. News Thai King Bhumibol, Worlds Longest-Reigning Monarch, Dies: Palace Members of the Thai public weep after an announcement that King Bhumibol Adulyadej has died, at the Siriraj hospital in Bangkok, on Thursday. / Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters BANGKOK, Thailand Thailands King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was the worlds longest-reigning monarch, died in hospital on Thursday, the palace said in an announcement. He was 88. King Bhumibol reigned for seven decades after ascending the throne in 1946. His loss will be deeply mourned in Thailand, where he was regarded as a pillar of stability during decades of political upheaval and rapid development. The palace did not give a reason for his death but he has been sick in hospital with various ailments for much of the past year. His Majesty has passed away at Siriraj Hospital peacefully, the palace said, adding he died at 15:52 local times (0852 GMT). His son and heir apparent, the 63-year old Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is expected to become Thailands new king. Parliament was due to meet in a special session later on Thursday after a meeting of the cabinet, a legislature official said. Anxiety about the kings health and the succession has formed the backdrop to over a decade of political upheaval in Thailand that has included two coups. More than 1,000 people gathered at the hospital where the king had been staying. Many of them started to cry as the news of his death broke. I feel so saddened by this news. He has given so many things to the country, said Apinut Jaroonpipatkul, a 25-year-old medical student. King Bhumibol was seen as a force for unity, and there have long been concerns that without him the countrys divisions could worsen. That seems unlikely under the military government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who has kept a tight grip on power since toppling an elected government in 2014. Prince Vajiralongkorn has yet to command the respect and adoration that his father drew after a lifetime on the throne. He has kept a lower profile than King Bhumibol for most of his life but in the past two years took on more of the public duties the king was no longer able to perform. The prince divorced his third wife in 2014. Thailands strict lese-majeste laws have left little room for public discussion about the succession. It has been so long since Thailand has had a succession, there is no modern precedent. Thailand is expected to be in mourning for months and possibly longer, and the princes coronation will not take place until that mourning period is over. When the kings sister died in 2008, a 100-day mourning period was declared. She was cremated 10 months after her death. The king was seen as head of an institution central to Thai identity and as a father-figure to the nation. News UK Parliament Speaker Calls for Blocks on Humanitarian Aid to be Lifted Rt Hon John Bercow addresses an audience of 500 in Rangoon on Friday. / Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy RANGOON At a speech in Rangoon, Speaker of the British House of Commons Rt Hon John Bercow stressed that restrictions on humanitarian aid to conflict-affected communities in Kachin, northern Shan and Arakan state should be urgently lifted. At the Park Royal Hotel on Friday evening, in an event co-hosted by the Yangon School of Political Science, the UK parliamentary speaker congratulated the people of Burma for the successful staging of the 2015 election and the democratic gains so far, and acknowledged the positive efforts of the previous government, but stressed that much still needed to be done. Before an audience of 500, he outlined priorities for Burma, including strengthening Parliament and other democratic institutions, delivering equitable growth, ending all discrimination based on race and religion, and resolving Burmas half-century of civil war through political dialogue and a settlement that includes a substantial devolution of power to the local level. He mentioned the UKs tragic decades of conflict in Northern Ireland, resolved through political dialogue in a long-running peace process, and the devolution of power to Scotland and Wales, as positive examples for Burma in justly settling its own conflicts. John Bercow also dwelt on his friendly relationship with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, whom he has met both in London and in Naypyidaw over the past month, and described his experience visiting Karen refugee camps 12 years ago, where he heard stories of intense suffering from people caught up in Burmas decades-long civil war. He highlighted the desperate situation in active conflict areas, such as Kachin and northern Shan state, where aid is not always reaching those who need it. John Bercow claimed that, alongside broader discussions of political reform, he had discussed rights abuses in these conflict zones with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw, including displacement, rape and arbitrary killing. As many as 100,000 people have been displaced by fighting between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Kachin and northern Shan states since 2011, when a ceasefire broke down. Last week in the Kachin State capital Myitkyina, several thousand people staged a protest demanding that the Burma Army halt its offensives in the state, which have included air and artillery strikes over the last month, alongside ground offences. In recent months, humanitarian aid to displaced peoples camps in areas controlled by the KIAincluding in remote areas along the China borderhas faced blocks imposed by the Burma Army, according to sources close to United Nations agencies and a local civil society network based in Myitkyina. UN agencies, including the World Food Program, raised these restrictions in meetings with the Kachin State government, where Burma Army representatives were present. While permission to deliver aid to KIA-controlled areas was reportedly obtained from the Union government, the humanitarian agencies also had to seek the approval of the Kachin State government. Although this came through, the Burma Armys Northern Command, based in Myitkyina, ultimately refused access. News UNFC to Meet Govt in Naypyidaw on Saturday UNFC members meet in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Thursday. / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy CHIANG MAI, Thailand The ethnic armed alliance the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) will meet with government peace negotiators in Naypyidaw on Saturday, where demands for a cessation of Burma Army hostilities will be discussed. Saturday will mark the one-year anniversary of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), which member groups of the UNFC did not sign. The UNFC held a meeting at its headquarters of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand on Thursday, in preparation for the Naypyidaw meeting. Nai Hong Sar, vice chair of UNFC, said their delegates would reiterate our eight demands, which include for a comprehensive ceasefire to be announced by the Burmese government, and for international monitoring of a ceasefire. UNFC delegates raised these demands in an earlier meeting with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon in July. Nai Hong Sar told The Irrawaddy that the Naypyidaw meeting was intended to build understanding. Describing the need for international observers to monitor any ceasefire agreement, he mentioned how clashes had even erupted between the Burma Army and an NCA signatory, the Restoration Council of Shan State, earlier this month. He also cited recent Burma Army offensives in Karen State, an area supposedly covered by the NCA. Despite the staging of the 21st Century Panglong peace conference in late August and early September, Burma Army offensiveswith air strikes and artillery shellinghave stepped up in recent weeks against the Kachin Independence Army, a member organization of the UNFC. Although UNFC members attended the peace conference, they did not take part in the political dialogue framework review session that followed in September. The governments National Reconciliation and Peace Center in Rangoon will host the next session for reviewing the frameworkwhich will set the shape and terms for political dialogue over a federal restructuring of the stateon Tuesday of next week. A UNFC delegation is expected to join this time. News Will the First Group of Refugee Returns Take Place This Month? A refugee family hold numbered placards as they pose for a photo during a census conducted by Thai authorities at Mae La refugee camp in July 2014. / Reuters RANGOON The first round of Burmese refugee returns is reportedly taking place later this month from Nu Po refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border, with no exact date yet set. The return has been arranged by the UN refugee agency, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), according to sources from the Karen Refugee Committee (KRC), a community-based organization that facilitates services on refugee matters in Thailand. When asked, KRC spokesperson Naw Blooming Night Zar told The Irrawaddy that she is not aware of the details of the return plan, as it was directly arranged by the UHNCR. We are not aware of the process. As far as we know, it is organized by the UNHCR. They [UNHCR] didnt let us know. Based on their policy, refugees can independently decide by their own [whether or not to return], so they deal directly with individual refugees, said Naw Blooming Night Zar. When The Irrawaddy contacted the UNHCR, Iain Hall, a senior field coordinator for the UNHCR said there is no date yet communicated on the return of the group from Nu Po refugee camp. He added, however, that all refugee returns must be voluntary. He said that the UNHCR had not yet received information from the Burmese and Thai governments on a return date. When UNHCR receives information from the Myanmar and Thai governments to confirm the return of the Nu Po group, including the date, then we would be very happy to provide more information, said Hall. According to a report by Voice of America quoting Chief Minister of Karen State, Nang Khin Htwe Myint, the first group of returning refugees would include some 56 people take place after October 25. She said the return was voluntary, and that the Karen State government would provide food, health care and guarantee safety for the returnees. The UNHCR also will provide other required assistance, she added. The Irrawaddy could not reach Nang Khin Htwe Myint at the time of reporting. There are more than 120,000 Burmese refugees in nine camps on the Thai border, most of whom are ethnic Karen who fled their homes due to civil war. Many have been in Thailand for more than two decades. Commentary Lifting Burmas Sanctions: Who is the Real Winner? Myawaddy Bank Ltd on Rangoons Strand Road. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy Burmas long oppressed ethnic groups and critics of the countrys military generals are beginning to understand that Daw Aung San Suu Kyis US visit will bring business opportunities, wealth and blanket amnesty to many rich and powerful people who remain out of favor. Growing criticism went as far as to suggest that the decision to lift all sanctions meant that the United States and the White House do not really care about the civil war, ongoing human rights abuses in ethnic regions, a patchy transition, students, activists, or crimes committed by greedy cronies and their dodgy associates. The question now is: Who is to blame? During the visit, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi acknowledged that US assistance and moral support aided Burmas transformation. But before thanking the US and the Obama administration, it is noteworthy to remember that cronies, criminals and some mass murderers feel that they have gotten what they wanted, thanks to President Obamas lifting of sanctions on the country. In this economic landscape, who will hold the moral high ground in Burma? Surely not neighboring China. Some fear that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will have less and less leverage to negotiate with the militarywhich controls 25 percent of the seats in Parliament, can declare a nationwide state of emergency, refuses to amend the 2008 military-drafted constitution and continues its ground offensive and air strikes in ethnic areas. Some wait and hope that military leaders will reward Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with constitutional changes. We will see what happens, but we wont hold our breath. Back home, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi faces questions from ethnic and community leaders on her position on sanctions, which may serve as a hurdle to achieving nationwide peace. Some ethnic leaders say it was too early to lift sanctions, as an ongoing war continues in the north and negotiations are only at at early stage. Her supporters posit that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi wanted to maintain some measure of sanctions until the political transition was irreversible but that she was not well informed regarding the termination of the US National Emergency Act and that its removal would jointly remove all remaining sanctions. Last week, the London-based BBC quoted a source who hinted that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was not in full agreement with the decision to lift all sanctions but was left with little choice. US officials told her it was all or nothing, and the historic decision was made to lift all sanctions, wrote the BBC. Some think that pro-business groups and lobbyists for military enterprises in Burmaincluding the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (UMEHL) and the Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC)along with some US and White House officials, were largely responsible for the removal of all sanctions. The UMEHL and the MEC are the two biggest industrial conglomerates controlled by the military, and they have managed to dominate many of the countrys key economic sectors. Under the previous regime, the two were under the direct management of the old War Office or, as it is now officially called, the Ministry of Defense. The UMEHL was formed in 1990 as a special public company, with shareholders limited to the Directorate of Defense Procurement, Ministry of Defense, Defense Regimental Institutes, and other bodies of the Defense Services and War Veterans. Senior figures in the armed forces manage the enterprise. The corporation is involved in jade mining, gems, tourism, imports, real estate, exportation of foodstuffs, automobiles, banking, the Myanmar Brewery, transportation, large-scale construction and Myawaddy Bankwhich is listed as a private bank. The MEC is also involved in the harvest of teak and the extraction of natural gas and oil, as well as in communications. The list is endless and the corruption no doubt is deep. But the military and its enterprises are moving fast faster than the elected government could have fathomed. In February, the Burma Armys Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing said he intends to privatize all military-owned companies at an appropriate time. On March 31, the UMEHL applied to the Ministry of Planning and Finance to become a public companyto register according to countrys Companies Act and as a show of offering greater transparency and accountability. However, the military is thriving and remains a key player in Burmas military enterprise. It will continue to do so as they are, in fact, a government within the government. The country has seen a long history of military business interests and activities in Burma. To ensure greater accountability and transparency regarding these enterprises will be challenging. In Burma, no one is well equipped to hold them responsible. The fact is, the military enterprise is bigger than the governments. With the latest rewards from the US and the White House, they will feel like they are the real winners, as opposed to the ordinary Burmese citizens who sanctions were purportedly intended to support. Commentary News Analysis: The NCA, One Year On Attendees at the one-year commemoration of the signing of the nationwide ceasefire agreement in Naypyidaw. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy Saturday marked the first anniversary of the signing of the controversial nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) by the previous government and eight non-state armed groups, including those belonging to the Karen, Shan, Chin and Pa-O, among others. The occasion was commemorated in Naypyidaw by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the current National League for Democracy government. Leaders highlighted the need to work toward building peace and national reconciliation. Yet, one year on, fighting is ongoing in the northern parts of the country, and clashes have renewed between NCA signatories like the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the Burma Army. Armed Organizations as Fire Extinguishers In the past, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has highlighted her own role in the peace process as that of a mediator or negotiator. On the NCA anniversary, she called on the cooperation of others in moving forward. Organizations should not compete in their fire power, but rather, vie to extinguish the fire, said the State Counselor in her address, which not did name specific armed groups, but pointed out that stakeholders which should be included are being left out. There is also a continued Burma Army offensive against the Kachin Independence Armywhich opted out of signing the NCAin Kachin and northern Shan states. Saw Mutu Say Poe, chair of the Karen National Union, spoke at the anniversary event on behalf of the NCA signatories. I would like to call for the government and Tatmadaw in all seriousness to ease their policies and suspend the use of force in order to pave way for non-signatories to sign the NCA, he said. Forty days before the anniversary, the NLD government concluded the Union Peace Conference, known as the 21st Century Panglong, in Naypyidaw, with both signatories and non-signatories of the NCA participating. The framework on future political dialogue is being reviewed in order for it to include all armed group stakeholders. From there, political talks are to be held at the state and regional level. But those who have not signed the NCA would not have the opportunity to hold such talks; the Tatmadaw pointed out that it would be beyond the reach of the NCA. In his speech, army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing reiterated that without signing the NCA pact, any initiatives toward a national level meeting should not be attempted. Indeed, Burmas biggest armed force, the Tatmadaw, has lacked any demonstration of magnanimity toward the countrys ethnic armed groups. Could the UNFC Members Become NCA Signatories? Despite setbacks over the past year, the seven-member non-signatory coalition of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) expressed optimism toward the peace process after meeting government peace negotiators on Saturday afternoon in Naypyidaw. Signing NCA could become possible as now the government has agreed to some of [the points in] our proposal, head of the UNFCs delegation for political negotiations (DPN) Khu Oo Reh told the press after the meeting, and added that further discussion on military affairs is still needed. The UNFC stakeholders will meet with the government again in early November, according to Hla Maung Shwe, the adviser to the governments peace commission. The team is optimistic that the UNFCs DPN will join a review meeting on the framework for political dialogue this week in Rangoon. New Roadmap The State Counselor, who is also the head of the National Reconciliation and Peace Center, laid out an updated seven-step road map toward achieving national reconciliation and peace at the Union level. It includes the review and amendment of the political dialogue framework, the convening of a peace conference [every six months] through the approved framework, and the signing of an agreement based on the results of the conferences. The roadmap further describes a plan to amend the 2008 Constitution based on the future peace agreement, with the ultimate goal outlined as building a democratic federal union through the holding of multi-party general elections. Currently the stakeholders are engaged in the first step, a review of the dialogue framework, which has been ongoing since before the commencement of the Union peace conference in late August. Citizens of Burma are familiar with such roadmaps, which were introduced under the junta in 2003, as well as under the previous quasi-civilian government in 2015, based on the original text of the NCA. Article 20 described the seven steps as: signing the NCA, drafting a framework for political dialogue, holding national talks based on the framework and working on the process of security reintegration, holding the Union Peace Conference, signing a Union-level accord, getting the accord ratified by the Parliament, and implementing the agreement and security reintegration process. One year later, around half of the steps have been implemented. The current government should continue implementing the rest of the steps, said a former staff member of the Myanmar Peace Centerwhich operated under ex-President Thein Seinspeaking under the condition of anonymity. The new roadmap, he said, is the same as the NCAs, with the exception of the State Counselors suggestion that the Constitution be amended after the signing of a Union-level peace accord. Editorial Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Goes to India Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi at the Bimstec summit in Goa, India. / Ministry of Information / Facebook Historically, Burma has enjoyed strong relations with India, not with China. During the countrys independence movement many Burmese politicians had great associations with India. Gen Aung San, Burmas independence hero, was closely connected to Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his family. Gen Ne Win, Burmas strong-man dictator, had close relations with the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her family. Buddhism travelled from India to Burma and today, an increasing number of Burmese pilgrims travel to Bodh Gaya in northern India, one of Buddhisms holiest sites. The wily Britishas many senior Burmese like to call themadministered Burma as a province of India when they colonized the country in the 19th Century. Burmas last monarch King Thibaw spent his final days as a prisoner of the British colonialists in Indias Ratnagiri, a port city on the Arabian Sea. The king, his family, and many patriotic Burmese will never forgive the British. But when young students began to think of liberating their country from British rule, they looked to India and forged connections with politicians and activists there. Burma and India shared a common dream to be liberated from colonialism. During the colonial period, many wealthy Burmese parents sent their children to India to study. This week, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi lands in Goa to attend the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (or Bimstec) summit. We will see if and how Indias Burma policy will bring more meaningful engagement between the two countries. Likewise, Burma will re-engage India under a new government that is obviously struggling to rebalance its strategic relations with powerful China. There is no doubt that we share a common ground. New Delhi is hoping to strengthen warm relations with Burma and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is no stranger to India. Her mother Daw Khin Kyi served as ambassador to India in 1960, she became the first woman to serve as a head of the Burma mission abroad. A young Daw Aung San Suu Kyi went along. Indias then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who knew Aung San, made a special arrangement for the Aung San family to live on New Delhis 24 Akbar Road in a colonial-era complex designed by Edwin Lutyens. In late August this year, Indias External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Burma and met with the State Counselor. New Delhi wanted Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to pay an official visit to India, but the new leader made a pragmatic decision to visit China instead. Instead, Burmas President U Htin Kyaw made a four-day visit to India in August. It was obvious, however, that New Delhi was looking to have a substantive dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, not with U Htin Kyaw. Burma shares a 1,600 km land boundary with Indias northeastern states and India is anxious about a separatist movement on the India-Burma border. Ethnic rebels such as the Assamese, the Manipuri and the Naga have been known to take refuge in Burma and launch raids back across the border. During her visit, Swaraj received assurance that the Burmese government would not allow any insurgent groups to use its territory in attacks against India. Likewise, India offered to assist the new government in its uphill battle to transform an old system of government. New Delhi has been monitoring closely the recent attacks on the Burma-Bangladesh border by militants with alleged links to terrorist organizations. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will listen to the advice of her Indian counterparts. Aside from limiting Chinas influence over Burma, New Delhi wants to engage on the economic frontparticularly the energy sector. India is said to be very interested in importing gas and oil from Burma. Indias Look East policyin which the country sought deeper relations with Southeast Asiawas well publicized, but many Burmese feel New Delhis engagement lags behind that of Beijings. In the geopolitical game, China is ahead of India in Burma. However, to put it frankly, China is not popular among the Burmese people. Since taking office, Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi developed Look East into Act East. How India and Burma engage during Daw Aung San Suu Kyis visit will be vital to his Southeast Asian policy. Guest Column Burma: The Next Great Land Tenure Reform Story? Farmers walk in a bean field in Phyu Township, Pegu Region in 2013. / Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters Since World War II, there have been five great Asian development success stories founded upon land tenure reforms that allocated land ownership, or equivalent long-term land rights, into the hands of small farmers. Will Burma be the sixth? A rare opportunity is knocking, to directly benefit as many as four million of the poorest families on earth, and beyond that to support broader economic growth and the crucial processes of peaceful democratization in a country of some 50 million. Last week, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counselor of Burmas new democratic government, embarked on her first state visit to the United States. Daw Aung San Suu Kyis meeting with President Obama reciprocated a visit he made in November 2012 when Burma was beginning its democratic transition and she was still in the political opposition. In his address at the University of Yangon, President Obama recalled Franklin Delano Roosevelts Four Fundamental Freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. President Obama proposed a partnership in which Burmas progress towards democracy would be coupled with economic development, and then offered this ringing affirmation of the centrality of property rights: Its not enough to trade a prison of powerlessness for the pain of an empty stomach. When ordinary people have a say in their own future, then your land cant just be taken away from you. And thats why reforms must ensure that the people of this nation can have that most fundamental of possessionsthe right to own the title to the land on which you live and on which you work. At a town hall meeting on his second trip to Burma, two years later, President Obama spoke again of the land issue: Now, because Myanmar is still very agricultural, I think issues of land reform and trying to increase productivity in the agricultural sector is also a very immediate and urgent problem. Five great Asian land reforms since 1945 have offered land property rights, and thereby laid the groundwork for success in broader economic development (and, while uneven in their linkages with democratization, those reforms have almost certainly supported a much greater degree of empowerment than would have existed without them). These were the land rights reforms in Japan and South Korea and on Taiwan, each now democratic, and in (now long-time decollectivized) Vietnam and mainland China. Twenty-first century land rights reform in Burma, however, need not be a duplicate of the five great reforms that have gone before, each of which focused primarily on transforming tenant farmers into owners of land previously owned by private landlords. While land rights reform in Burma will have some parallels to these prior successful reforms, it is likely that Burmas reforms will embody major additional elements reflecting both the specifics of rural poverty and landlessness in the country, and the recognition that the great twentieth century reforms nonetheless omitted some vital features. Prominent elements in Burmas reforms will need to include: Strengthened land tenure security of current smallholders; Return and allocation of available public land to create millions of new smallholders; Greater and explicit land rights for women; Micro-plots where needed to reach the absolute landless; Strengthened customary tenure rights; and Voluntary donation of some of the lands of the well-off, taking a cue from Indias Bhoodan movement. Our work in Burma [disclosure: some of the support for that work comes from USAID, and the Omidyar Network] over the past three and a half years persuades us that the top leadership (not only the NLD, but including the previous government, which adopted a highly progressive National Land Use Policy before leaving office) understands the need for comprehensive land rights reform. Hopefully, the heads of state and others who meet and interact with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on her historic visit will seize the opportunity to encourage and support Asias sixth great land tenure reform. Roy Prosterman is Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Landesa, a nonprofit group that has worked for 50 years to secure land rights for the worlds poor; and Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington School of Law. Guest Column Burmas Biggest Challenges: Civil War and Religious Intolerance Ethnic Karen civilians take shelter in Myaing Gyi Ngu monastery after being displaced by fighting between a splinter group of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and the Burma Army, supported by the Border Guard Force / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy If all you see of Burma is Aung San Suu Kyi with British Prime Minister Theresa May on the steps of 10 Downing Street, or sitting with President Obama in the White House, or at the United Nations, you might be inclined to think that Burmas struggle is over and all is well. But talk to any of the countrys civil society activists or ethnic or religious minorities and you will quickly realize there is still a very, very long way to go. It is true that the peaceful transition to a government led by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy, after they overwhelming won the countrys first credible elections in 25 years, is remarkable. But although this civilian, democrat-led government ends decades of direct rule by the military, it in no way ends the militarys power. Under the 2008 Constitution, designed by the military, they control a quarter of the seats in Parliament and three key ministries in government: home affairs, border affairs and defense. This makes solving Burmas two biggest challengesending decades of civil war and addressing deep-rooted religious intoleranceextremely difficult. Last month the State Counselor convened a major peace conference with representatives of most of the ethnic nationalities, known as a 21st Century Panglong. Named after the conference held by her father, independence leader Aung San, in Panglong, Shan State, in 1947, it is another attempt to address the political grievances of the countrys diverse ethnic nationalities and begin a process of political dialogue. The original Panglong conference established a federal system for the country, but the promises made were abandoned after Aung San was assassinated the following year. That principle, of a federal system giving the ethnic nationalities autonomy and equal rights, remains at the heart of the solution to the countrys conflicts. Yet while the politicians talked peace, in Kachin and Shan states the Burma Army continued to attack civilians, and in recent weeks new reports of violence in Karen State have emerged, despite there being a ceasefire in place since 2012. On the issue of religious intolerance, which is at its most extreme in Arakan State, where the Muslim Rohingya suffer a campaign of severe persecution from militant Buddhist nationalists and the military, Aung San Suu Kyi has been criticized for her silence. Yet last month she surprised many by establishing a nine-member advisory commission led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to investigate the causes of the conflict and seek solutionssomething several international activists had been calling for. The response from the Arakanese nationalists and those close to the military was one of fury. One of the consequences of both the ethnic conflict and religious intolerance has been a humanitarian crisis in parts of the country. Over 120,000 Kachin civilians have been displaced by fighting, and over 130,000 Rohingya are living in dire conditions in more than 40 camps in Arakan State. Over recent years, thousands more have fled the country. The internally displaced people in Burma are in desperate need of humanitarian aid, but are suffering from two problems: firstly, the government restricts humanitarian agencies access to parts of the country, and secondly, even in the areas they are able to reach, international agencies are now cutting provisions. Last week, reports emerged that Burma Army soldiers prevented trucks containing a months supply of rice from the World Food Programme (WFP) from reaching a camp in Kachin state, and in the previous month, the military blocked a vehicle carrying medical supplies for four camps, provided by the United Nations. At the same time, reports have emerged that the WFP is cutting food aid to displaced Rohingya in Arakan State. This is apparently part of a plan to phase-out relief assistance in parts of the state. Cuts in aid in some areas and blocks on aid access in others combine into a recipe for an already serious humanitarian situation to spiral into a crisis. In July, Yanghee Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma said, after meeting internally displaced peoples, that she had heard of their daily struggles to survive. She expressed concern about the extensive difficulties in accessing and delivering aid, even though such assistance provides a lifeline to communities. In Arakan State, she noted, access can only be approved through a cumbersome procedure, and in Kachin State humanitarian access is shrinking. The conditions of the internally displaced peoples camps she witnessed remain poor. There is a desperate need to begin to address the root causes, which involves ending the conflict, confronting hate speech and working for reconciliationand, in the case of the Rohingya, restoring their citizenship rights which were stripped from them in 1982. But no one can pretend that it will be easy, particularly given the militarys continuing power. Yet there is an even more urgent task, which requires the immediate attention of both Aung San Suu Kyi and the international community: stop the block on aid, end the cuts, and ensure that no one starves to death simply on account of their race or religion. It is doubtless that Aung San Suu Kyi has a complex political tightrope to walk, but she is the only person in Burma with the moral and political authority to make this happen; in her government, she is the only decision-maker. She must now lift the aid restrictions and ensure that those displaced receive the aid they need to survive. Benedict Rogers is a human rights activist specializing in Asia, working for Christian Solidarity Worldwide. He is also the author of Burma: A Nation At The Crossroads, Than Shwe: Unmasking Burmas Tyrant, and A Land Without Evil: Ending the Genocide of the Karen People. Guest Column Military to Military Relations: An Option but Not the Solution (Left to right) Col. Bill Dickey, defense attache to Burma, Dr. Amy E. Searight, deputy assistant secretary of defense, Lt-Gen Anthony G. Crutchfield, deputy commander of US Pacific Command, Ambassador Derek J. Mitchell, US Ambassador to Burma, and Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Malinowski pose with Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, Burmas Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services, center, and his staff in 2014. / US Army RANGOON During State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyis first visit to the United States after the National League of Democracy won a historic victory in the 2015 elections, international experts and scholars called on US policymakers to reestablish cooperation between the US military and the Burma Army. They based their recommendation for military to military ties on two reasons: Firstly, guidance from the US military could professionalize the Burma Army and lead it to withdraw from politics. Secondly, engagement with the US and other democratic allies could weaken Chinas influence on the military. Reform is still under way in Burma. Although the civilian government may now be in charge, the military retains significant power. The civilian government cannot change the inherently undemocratic 2008 constitution without the militarys consent. At both Union and regional levels, at least 25 percent of the seats in Parliament are reserved for Burma Army representatives. The military still controls three ministries: defense, home affairs and border affairs. The General Administration Department, which replaced Burmas civil service during military rule, is still under the authority of the military and controls decision-making down to the smallest administrative unit in all corners of the country. Violent clashes between military and ethnic armed groups continue in periphery areas of Burma and uncertainty looms large over Burmas peace process, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyis 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference, which took place at the end of last month. Civil-military relations and ethnic-military relations are key issues in Burmas transitional politics. For Burma to achieve full democracy, military relations will need to be restructured and reformed according to democratic principles. There are three interrelated factors standing in the way of military reform: indoctrination, institutional challenges and political challenges. Indoctrination An authoritarian military regime as the guardians of the Burmese people has been indoctrinated through internal threats from ethnic armed groups and historic external aggression, for example from the Kuomintang. The military became politicized during the creation of the Burma Socialist Programme Party in the socialist era and later with the State Law and Order Restoration Council and State Peace and Development Council. Military institutions and academies are key tools of indoctrination. Institutional Challenges Despite some apparent internal reform guided by commander-in-chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaings standard army concept, the military is widely regarded as unprofessional and has been criticized for disrespecting civilian control, loose codes of conduct, and human rights abuses. Arbitrary arrests and human rights abuses in ethnic areas in particular are a major concern. The recently publicized sentencing of seven Burma Army soldiers found guilty of murdering civilians was a hugely positive, but highly unusual, move. Political Problems Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing has reiterated in his speeches that the Burma Army should retain its role in politics. The 2008 constitution guarantees the militarys powerful role in government. The military remains politically active through the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), formed by the previous military junta. In the run-up to the 2015 election, senior military officers retired from active service to join the party. It was recently reported that the USDP reserves spaces for retired military officers. To resolve these problems and reform the military there needs to be a comprehensive strategy and cooperation from political society, civil society and the international community. The international communityparticularly democratic countriesis crucial to professionalizing a military much burdened by the legacy of dictatorship. Military to military engagement is one of the tools available to make the once-isolated Burma Army understand the role, rights and responsibilities of the military in a democratic society. It should be borne in mind, however, that this tool is just an option, not the solution, as real change requires a comprehensive strategy as mentioned above. In the past, the military had good relations with its US counterpart and received a good deal of assistance under General Ne Wins rule. That regime ended in a brutal crackdown on innocent people in the 1988 uprising, leading to a cruel military regime. The coups and coup attempts in Thailand, Egypt and Turkey have also highlighted repeated failures of the United States military to military engagement. The recurring theme here is a lack of robust civilian oversight. The main objective for restructuring the civil-military relations in transitional politics is to set up civilian oversight of the military. Thus, whenever experts promote the idea of reestablishment of military to military relations, they need to take account of not only the military dimension but also the civilian one. This means supporting civilian supremacy and strengthening the capacity of political and civil society. This is indispensable, especially in transitional countries like Burma where the newly emerging political society and long-time suppressed civil society lack the capacity to balance the strong institution of the military, let alone set up an oversight mechanism. Therefore, proposals to renew military to military relations between the US and Burmas military must go through the elected civilian government. Deliberative consultation with the government, civilian politicians, ethnic communities, and civil society on the best way to resume relations is needed. The first phase of cooperation should focus on programs that promote democracy, respect for human rights, military justice administration, civilian control over the military, and training for humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping missions. This training should not be intended only for the military. It is necessary to put members of political and civil society together with military personnel in these programs in order to develop the civilian capacity on a par with the military, and strengthen civilian expertise in defense affairs and security matters. There is definitely a long to-do list when you consider military to military reengagement between the US and Burma. Yet the priority has to be civilian supremacy, civilian oversight, and civilian control over the military in whatever way the program is designed. Ko Ye is an executive director of Rangoon-based Tagaung Institute of Political Studies, which is monitoring the civil-military relationship in Burma. Guest Column When Silence Hurts More Than a Bullet Aung San Suu Kyi waves at supporters while wearing traditional Kachin dress at the Kachin National Manau Park in Kachin State on February 24, 2012. The statement on the arc reads, Warmly Welcome Public Leader Aung San Suu Kyi. / Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters In Burmas general election in November 2015, many ethnic Kachin voted in support of the National League for Democracy (NLD) based on party leader Aung San Suu Kyis promises of change. They believed that she would stand with them and speak on their behalf against the social and political discrimination endured during decades of military dictatorship. Following the 21st Century Panglong peace conference at the beginning of September, fighting intensified between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), with the Tatmadaw carrying out air strikes against the KIA. Despite failing to implement political dialogue after the last ceasefire was signed with the group in 1994, it now appears that the Burma Army is using these offensives to pressure the KIA into signing the countrys highly controversial nationwide ceasefire agreement. The already dire humanitarian situation took a turn for the worse when a two-year-old Kachin girl, Zung Myaw, was killed and two other children seriously injured in the shelling of Puwang village in northern Shan State on Oct. 1. Yet despite widespread reporting of the tragedy by independent mediaand the Kachin publics subsequent call for Aung San Suu Kyi to condemn the Burmese militarys offensivethe publics anger and frustration has been met with silence from the countrys leadership. When Aung San Suu Kyi was asked in panel discussion in London in 2012 to explain why she was reluctant to condemn the Burma Army, she responded that she condemns all violence, and that resolution to the conflict was not about condemnation, but about finding the root causes. The current State Counselor spoke of the need to pursue findings from independent commissions in order to better understand the countrys war. But she has yet to take any action or issue a public statement on the human rights violations that the conflict has causedabuses that have been widely documented by both community-based groups and international organizations including Human Rights Watch and the United Nations. These injustices include the disappearance of Sumlut Roi Ja, a young mother who went missing on October 28, 2011, after she was arbitrarily detained by the Burma Army near Mu Bum in Kachin State. There are the two Kachin farmers, Brang Yung and Lahpai Gam, who in June 2012 were severally tortured after their arrest by the military, including reportedly being forced to engage in sexual acts with one another. Although Brang Yung has since been released from prison, Lahpai Gam remains behind bars without any evidence or witness testimony indicating his guilt in being unlawfully associated with the KIA, of which he is accused. Then, in January 2015, two ethnic Kachin volunteer teachers, Hkawn Nan Tsin and Maran Lu Ra, were brutally raped and murdered in Kaung Kha, northern Shan State; the crime is believed to have been carried out by Burma Army soldiers stationed in the area. These are only some of the many documented examples of impunity granted to government forces in cases of grave abuses against members of ethnic communities. Yet it is this same military that Aung San Suu Kyi said in 2013 that she is fond of, affectionately calling the institution her fathers army, a reference to the late Aung San. As an ethnic woman who has listened to survivors re-live their stories of horrific Burma Army abuse, these comments feel to me the equivalent of rubbing salt in our wounds. Despite an election message of change, six months into the new governments term, representatives appear to many constituents to be distant and unapproachable. Representatives from local NGOs in the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina say that NLD parliamentarians are often absent from meetings on community issues. While members of other smaller political parties are regularly in attendance, NLD lawmakers often reportedly say that they need to await permission from their headquarters to participate in such events. It is worrying, then, to think that the publics concerns and issues are not being represented in the parliament by those with the responsibility to represent them. It was reported that during a monthly meeting held on Oct. 4 between NLD leadership and parliamentarians, executive members asked that during parliamentary sessions, party members not ask difficult questions that could be perceived as harming the image of the NLD leadership. If parliament members are discouraged from raising the concerns of the people they promised to represent, they have failed those who voted for them. The issues being discussed in the legislature should not be based on government convenience, but on the pursuit of solutions for the issues faced in the constituencies. If the NLD is to live up to its promise of change and fair representation, channels of communication must become more open and accessible to the public, and their representatives must be allowed to speak freely. After more than two decades as an opposition leader, it is hoped that the State Counselor would understand the importance of such inquiry. Aung San Suu Kyis status as a democracy icon should not stop us from having this conversationchecks and balances on power are, after all, one of the most important signposts of a functioning democracy. The feeling of disconnection is found not only in the publics disillusionment with their parliamentary representatives in these cases, but also with those involved in the peace process. Khu Oo Reh, general secretary of the ethnic armed alliance the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) and leader of the Delegation for Political Negotiations (DPN), stated the importance of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi consulting with all sides in the peace process before she has her final say. What he fears is that her mind has been made up in advance, before negotiations for each step have completed. If the conflict is to be resolved and reach a permanent end, Aung San Suu Kyi must, for the sake of fairness, put forth significant effort to communicate with ethnic armed organizations, including those within the UNFC, as she has done with the Burma Army. Since last week, thousands of residents across Kachin State have taken to the streets and to the Manau cultural grounds in the state capital to condemn the Burma Armys offensives and indiscriminate shelling in the region. This outpouring of frustration indicates the level of local discontentment with the governments silence over both the death of a toddler and the larger military campaign in Kachin State. People have long had high expectations that Aung San Suu Kyi would address the struggle against this state of perpetual insecurity and ethnic discrimination. Across Burma, they are calling on Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD government to condemn the ongoing military offensives in ethnic areas. The Kachinas well as other ethnic communities also under threatare still hoping that she will stand with them. After all, as American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. Stella Naw is an advocate for democratic federalism in Burma, with a special interest in reconciliation and the rights of ethnic and indigenous peoples. With ruined and neglected buildings across the town, Mai Ja Yang on the Sino-Burma border has a lifeless appearance. Previously, the border towns main livelihood was poppy cultivation. But after the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO)the political wing of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)granted 25-year casino licenses to Chinese businessmen in 2002, the village developed and was later dubbed little Hong Kong by visitors and gamblers. As the casino industry thrived, crime increased and attracted the attention of Burmas central government. Under pressure from the Burmese authorities, China got out of the industry in 2008. The KIO is currently opening colleges in Mai Ja Yang, which houses a population of around 8,000. The KIO plans to establish universities, in the hope that the area will become an important seat of education on the border. The once crime-ridden Mai Ja Yang recently earned its place in history as host to a milestone in Burmas peace process when ethnic armed groups gathered there in July to work toward lasting peace. Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 (10:38 am) - Score 350 Small and medium sized businesses in West Sussex (England) are being invited to apply for a new voucher scheme, which offers a subsidy of between 1,000 and 3,000 to help local firms get a superfast broadband (30Mbps+) connection installed. The approach mirrors the central UK Governments earlier Connection Voucher scheme, which succeeded in helping around 55,000 SMEs to access a superfast broadband service (here) and then came to an end in October 2015 after the funding dried up (here). Under the new scheme, which aims to run until 1st February 2017 (sooner if the funding dries up), eligible businesses in West Sussex will be able to apply for a voucher to provide capital funding of between 1,000 and 3,000 or up to 40% of the overall project cost, whichever is lower. However one caveat is that any works undertaken must be completed and paid for before 31st March 2017 to qualify for the grant, which could be a problem if more complicated work is required (longer delays for survey and civil engineering work are sometimes a possibility). Louise Goldsmith, West Sussex County Council Leader, said: This funding is a fantastic opportunity for local businesses to access the latest digital technologies through superfast broadband. I would encourage businesses to find out more and make the most of this scheme. Its unclear precisely how much funding has been allocated to the final scheme (a provisional figure of 225,000 was mooted last year for the pilot), although its probably not a huge amount given the fairly short time-scale involved. The funding for the scheme itself is coming from the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership / Local Growth Deal (details here). The LEP has recently been meeting with local businesses to discuss the final proposal, which is now live. Todays news follows last weeks announcement by the West Sussex County Council (here), which proposed a new Gigabit West Sussex framework that could help to bring ultrafast [FTTP/H broadband] to as many parts of the County as possible, starting with a contract to deploy a new Dark Fibre network in Adur & Worthing. 7 Steps to Combat the Cybersecurity Skills Shortage Lets say you just graduated from college with a good foundation in software development, and youre looking to get a great job as a software engineer, but you dont have any work experience. Suppose some outfit came along and offered to bring you to Reston, Va., the booming high-tech hub outside Washington, set you up in corporate housing, put you through 12 weeks of intensive training after which it hired you as a software engineer, and then placed you as a contractor with a Fortune 500 company that would likely offer you a full-time job. Oh, and suppose all of that was done absolutely free of charge. Pretty sweet deal, wouldnt you say? So whats the catch? According to Joe Vacca, chief marketing officer at Revature, a provider of technology talent acquisition services in Reston, there is no catch. Revature aims to do just that with about 300 individuals this year, and it expects to at least double that number next year. So far, CUNY and Arizona State University have signed up to partner with Revature in this endeavor, and other universities are poised to follow. I had the opportunity to discuss all of this with Vacca last week, and I opened the conversation by asking him to elaborate on Revatures model. Heres how he explained it: We recruit the top talent among university graduates from across the country. We put that talent in one of our on-campus boot camps, where they go through a 12-week, very intensive coding course. We teach them not only in-demand technologies, but enterprise-level skills things like how to work within a team; the agile development process; how to work on projects. We hone their soft skills. At the end of this, we have produced an enterprise-ready software engineer. We then place that software engineer with one of our corporate partners, which include Fortune 500 companies they might be financial services companies, government contractors, or large retailers. They work at these large corporations as software engineers, and they integrate into the teams of these companies. And then typically, within a year or two after they start, they transition over and become a full-time employee with those companies. If you think about the value proposition that were offering, were creating a career path for university graduates to get into technology. It addresses the issue of how they can get a job that requires experience, when they have no experience. It gets these individuals on a pathway to a high-paying job in technology many of these individuals will be making six figures after about five or six years in the industry. The employers get a sweet deal as well, Vacca said: For the companies, the advantage is they get resources that can hit the ground running. Weve heard feedback from our partners that they really cant tell the difference between the software engineers that we place, and those on their staff that have one to two years of experience. So these companies get to try before they buy, because these individuals come in as contractors who work for Revature. Its a win-win across the board, and in the middle are universities like CUNY. They want their graduates to get the best high-paying jobs. And by partnering with an on-campus boot camp, we can take individuals within their university system, and whether or not they have a technology-specific major or minor, we can give them a foundation in coding, and give them the skills they need to get a job in technology. When you compare us to other coding boot camps, were actually hiring you when you graduate. So you know you have a job when you complete our boot camp. As you might imagine, the program is very selective according to Vacca, less than 1 percent of the pool of candidates makes it through. A university degree is a prerequisite, and anyone who doesnt have a good foundation in programming is first enrolled in RevaturePro, an online training program thats also free of charge: RevaturePro is set up to give you projects that start at beginner, and work all the way up to advanced. Thats for someone whos new to software development to come in, learn the basics of software development, and create real-world projects. It allows university students, or others who are interested in learning software development, to go at their own pace in creating these projects. For example, one of the projects is to create a CRM system for a rental car company. At the end of that project, they have on the Web a CRM system that theyve created and coded for. They can incorporate these projects into their resume when they graduate. But more than that, it allows us to work with and mentor those individuals online everyone who enrolls in the program is assigned a mentor who walks them through the process. Our hope is that many of these individuals will go on to participate in our coding boot camp. Youre probably wondering, as I was, how on Earth Revature makes money doing this. According to Vacca, its pretty simple: The way we make money is to assign them out as a contractor. The margin we make is on the hourly rate that we assign them out at. Some employers choose to hire these employees prior to the end of that contract, and theyll pay a fee to us in order to bring them into their organization. So the revenue model for us is one that allows that individual to get that job. Finally, I mentioned that I had recently interviewed an executive with the Software Guild, which offers a 12-week boot camp that specifically targets groups that are underrepresented in IT, including women, minorities, and veterans. I asked Vacca if thats a focus for Revature, as well, and he said its actually just a natural outcome of the model: The interesting thing about that is we do not target those groups. But we have found that our software engineers are extremely diverse. The reason for that is its a natural byproduct of our process. If you think about someone who is going to take advantage of our program, were naturally getting students in here from diverse backgrounds, not only based on gender and race, but also socio-economic background. Remember, were funding the training, and were also creating the pathway to the career. So someone whos coming out of school, who may not have network connections to tap into to be able to find a job, are naturally coming to our program because were creating that pathway. A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant. Save Study Shows that Hybrid Storage Plays a Crucial Role in Mitigating Virtualization Issues Hybrid cloud computing is a lot harder than it should be, mainly because cloud service providers (CSPs) and enterprise IT organizations are rarely standardized on the same virtual machine. The end result is that any time an organization wants to move data running in their local data center in a public cloud they need to convert it into a format that is compatible with the type of virtual machines used by the CSP. More often than not, that means converting VMware into some variation of the open source Xen hypervisor generally favored by CSPs such as Amazon Web Services (AWS). Moving to significantly simply that process, FalconStor Software today unveiled a new version of its software-defined FreeStor storage software that both automatically handles that conversion process and optimizes wide area network (WAN) performance between local storage systems and public clouds. Furthermore, FalconStor is also changing its pricing model to eliminate the extra costs IT organizations often incur when they copy data. IT organizations will only be charged based on the amount of primary data stored, rather than the total amount of data they may wind up storing using FreeStor. Timothy Sheets, vice president of corporate marketing and enablement for FalconStor, says that analytics tools delivered via the cloud are making it simpler for vendors to understand how storage software is being applied. Armed with that information, it then becomes possible for FalconStor to shift away from traditional data storage pricing models. That shift, adds Sheets, also better reflects how storage management is evolving in the age of the cloud. Storage management really needs to evolve into data management, says Sheets. Other new capabilities in this edition of FreeStor include improved support for the NVM Express (NVMe) interface to improve overall I/O performance, integration with Microsoft Active Directory, LDAP and support for Linux 7. Public clouds supported by FalconStor include AWS, Microsoft Azure, Alibaba and any cloud that supports OpenStack application programming interfaces (APIs). Managing data in the age of the cloud is a lot more difficult than most IT organizations prefer. By simplifying that process, FalconStor is making it feasible for more data than ever to move with a minimal amount of friction into the public cloud. Naturally, it will be up to each individual IT organization to determine when and how much local data needs to move into the cloud. But given the increased reliance on public clouds for secondary and tertiary data storage, chances are high that most organizations will soon have a lot more data residing in a cloud somewhere than they typically will need to regularly access on premise. Save Anonymous hacker group Shadow Brokers is now threatening to publish the NSAs hacking tools' password to everyone who pays $6.3 million or 10,000 bitcoins. This action comes weeks after the group complained how nobody was interested in the bidding, wanting the tool for free. Stolen NSA Cyberweapons Are Real The group whos claimed responsibility for stealing and leaking powerful cyberweapons believed to be used by cyberteam Equation Group, have been in a contradictory situation, since many experts ended up confirming the legitimacy of the NSAs hacking tools, most of them capable of skirting enterprise firewalls. However, they also explained that this action is incredibly nonsense, considering the fact that bitcoins are extremely traceable, as reported by Softpedia. "TheShadowBrokers is being bored with auction so no more auction. Auction off. Auction finish. Auction done. No winners. So who is wanting password? TheShadowBrokers is publicly posting the password when receive 10,000 btc (ten thousand bitcoins). Same bitcoin address, same file, password is crowdfunding. Sharing risk. Sharing reward. Everyone winning." The hacking group told recently in a blog post, in which it also announced to leak a conversation between Bill Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch in an airplane. Shadow Brokers Offer Is Predestinated To Fail According to the International Business Times, Shadow Brokers initially released around 60 percent of the entire cache for free, including zero-day vulnerabilities against Cisco, but failed to garner any response. Apparently, this new offer can also be predestinated to fail, considering the lack of interest that people have showed about NSAs cyberweapons. Although the groups background and it still unknown, four different sources recently told that the NSA think that Russian hackers might be involved. Apparently, these cyber criminals got hold of the exploits after a contractor or even an employee was careless enough to leave them available on a computer. Is very likely that this situation happened about three years ago, after an operation in which the NSA had to use the tools. With a huge variety of everyday and all around gadgets, namely, the Google Pixel, Sony Xperia XZ and the iPhone 7 Plus, smartphone photography has taken off. These three handsets represent the best imaging sensors in a smart device this year, but which one of them is the best? The Display The iPhone ranks the top of the list in screen size, with a 5.5-inch full HD display, next is the Xperia that has a 5.2-inch screen, and lastly the Google Pixel with a 5-inch screen display. Despite being the smaller one in the group, the Pixel has a resolution of 1440p while the other two only have 1080p. This could make a difference in both gaming and video streaming, according to News Every Day. Megapixel Comparison With almost similar features, most consumers look at the camera to help them decide on which everyday gadget is best for them. In terms of pixel size, the Xperia leads the pack with a whopping 23MP at the back and 13MP in the front. The Pixel and the iPhone have both 12MP rear cameras. The Pixel has an 8MP front camera and 7MP for the iPhone. New Technologies The iPhone 7 Plus, however, introduces new technology in smartphone cameras by putting two cameras at the back, which is designed to get better dynamic range pictures and optical zoom. The iPhones' back cameras features one 28mm f/1.8 wide-angle lens, and a narrower 56mm f/2.8 zoom camera, according to GSM Arena. Both the Pixel and the XZ have an aperture of f/2.0, which is essential when shooting in low-light conditions. Both the iPhone and the Pixel have dual tone LED flash while the XZ only have a LED Flash, which should still be fine with its 23MP camera. Price and Conclusion All three phones are powerhouses when in comes to their camera and processing capabilities and does not have much difference in price. The Sony Xperia XZ is tagged at $699.99, the iPhone 7 Plus 32 GB starts at $769, and the Google Pixel 32 GB costs $649. In conclusion, the iPhone 7 Plus works best for casual smartphone photographers due to its ease of use and the variety of shots that the camera is capable of taking. Those who would like to have powerful sensors are best off with the Pixel, which earned the highest score so far in DxOMark Mobile's camera rating. As for those who would like to have more control in their shots, the Xperia XZ, with its manual controls, are a great bet. Google's artificial intelligence (AI) platform DeepMind revolutionizes the field, being now capable of learning based on information already possessed. Google's DeepMind AI DeepMind is able of learning, or better said of teaching itself, based on data it already possesses. According to The Next Web, this is a significant step forward for artificial intelligence, a real breakthrough that revolutionizes the field. DeepMind technology is based on Alphabet's hybrid system called Differential Neural Computer (DNC). The system uses smart AI and a neural net capable of quickly parsing it, paired with the existing data storage capacity of conventional computers. Researchers Alexander Graves and Greg Wayne wrote on the DeepMind blog that DeepMind models can store complex data like computers, but also learn from examples like neural networks. These neural networks use an interconnected series of nodes in order to stimulate specific centers required to complete a complex task, much like the brain. In order to deliver the desired outcome, the AI is optimizing the nodes to find the quickest solution. Over time, The DeepMind AI system can get more efficient at finding the correct answer over time by using the data already acquired. The DeepMind team gave two examples to further explain the process. The DeepMind system was able to figure out on its own additional connections after being told about relationships in a family tree. The system optimized its memory to speed up finding the information in future searchers. In another example given, the DeepMind system found on its own additional routes and the relationship between them after being given the basics of the London Underground public transportation system. In both these examples, the DeepMind AI was able to derive an answer from prior experience, instead of having to learn every possible outcome to find a solution, in the way traditional computing systems do. By using this revolutionary process, the DeepMind system was able to beat a human champion at "Go," a game with an infinite number of combinations and millions o potential moves. There are different points of view on DeepMind's artificial intelligence performance. Some of the AI researchers consider that this could be a serious breakthrough for ever-smarter AI that might one day be capable of learning and thinking as humans do. But other tech experts are concerned that might lead to a "Skynet" kind of threat, inspired from the "Terminator" movie franchise. Hybrid Differentiable Neural Computing According to Hot Hardware, Google's DeepMind artificial intelligence system has accomplished a lot and the progress in the field is expected to continue. This year alone DeepMind not only was able to win over a Go champion but it also improved speech recognition, attempted to cure blindness, got started on an AI kill switch and even helped to reduce a data center's power bill. All these applications would not be possible without the new hybrid system called Differentiable Neural Computer (DNC), a large external dataset paired with a neural network. The DeepMind computer's AI is smart enough to analyze the given data in order to create its own connections based on what's stored in memory. What makes this DNC system different is that DeepMind is using its own memory for storing and processing information in a way much similar to the way our brains do. DeepMind can begin to discover patterns and give us accurate answers based on the information stored in memory. The applications for this kind of artificial intelligence based on self-learning could be various. With a computerized brain evaluating all of the possibilities, we could see in the future a system like DeepMind being able to find the best solutions to various problems, from forecasting global weather patterns to medicine, economy or finances. This latest development from Google is pushing the boundaries. With deep learning artificial intelligence the sky is the limit. SoundHound just entered the smart speaker market with the announcement today on Kickstarter of the Hurricane. The SoundHound Hurricane utilizes the Hound platform which allows the new voice-powered smart speaker to stream music and process requests through Slacker Radio. The smart speaker can be connected via WiFi. If there is no internet connection available, the user can still play music via Bluetooth by connecting it to a smartphone. The portable speakers have a 10-watt four-inch subwoofer to go with a couple of full-range drivers. It also has four microphones to better hear voice commands. The Hurricane will answer to the wake phrase "OK Hound". The stand-alone device can also answer queries about location, news, weather, flight schedules, and lots of other things. The Hurricane also uses the speech-to-meaning technology of Houndify which lets the user ask follow-up questions without much difficulty. For example, a user can ask about the location of a restaurant and follow that up with whether the restaurant had outdoor seating. This was the exactly the same questions SoundHound founder and CEO Keywan Mohajer asked when he unveiled his virtual assistant mobile app called Hound back in March. The app answered both questions correctly. The Hurricane will rival the likes of Google Home and Amazon Echo both released in 2016. According to Tech Radar, one of the major differences from the competition is that the Hurricane utilizes the personal algorithm software or PAL. This software allows the device to get familiar with the user's everyday routine. That way, the smart speaker can create playlists tailored to the user's current activity. SoundHound partnered with Boombotix to develop the Hurricane. Boombotix, an audio company which produces portable speakers and mobile audio accessories, is also behind the Boombots. The Hurricane is priced at $199 but is available for only $169 if you pre-order on Kickstarter. It will be available during the holiday season. Samsung is enhancing the S7 and S7 Edge models using features from the controversial Galaxy Note 7. A BBC report indicated that the Korean manufacturer will be updating the software of the S7 and S7 Edge using features from the Note 7. The updated S7 and S7 Edge will now have the Always-On Display (AOD) of the Note 7 which will allow them to display images, notifications, and a clock while idle. The company also improved the power consumption of the AOD. The two phone's AOD now requires one percent less battery life per hour. A rumor that the new S7 and S7 Edge will be available in the Blue Coral color surfaced after images of an S7 Edge in the same color option popularized by the Note 7 were leaked. Some sources say that a couple of popular features of the Note 7 particularly the GIF maker and S Pen feature, did not make it to the updated phones. Updating and redesigning the two smartphones, according to IHS Markit analyst Ian Fogg, is a way for Samsung to keep their customers after the recent debacle. He suggests that customers returning their Note 7 will prefer the S7 or S7 Edge over other brands if they see that the three are quite similar. Samsung recently killed the Galaxy Note 7 after more than a hundred instances that the unit caught fire and even exploded. Production of the flagship smartphone was ceased while those in the market were recalled. Samsung has also asked owners to return their units to prevent further incidents. A $100 incentive was even offered to those who would give up their Note 7. Just a few days ago, US authorities banned the smartphone from all flights. Those caught with the Note 7 faces a hefty fine and even imprisonment. Because of the unfortunate turn of events, the S7 and S7 Edge is now considered as Samsung's flagship phones for the rest of 2016. Apple hired Russ Salakhutdinov, a well-known AI researcher of Carnegie Mellon University, to direct some of the company's own efforts in the artificial intelligence field. AI Researcher Joins Apple According to Apple Insider, on Monday, Oct. 17, Salakhutdinov announced his new job via Twitter, sharing simultaneously a link to an Apple job listing for machine learning research scientists. Salakhutdinov will not leave his researcher position at Carnegie Mellon and his role at Apple will just come in addition to this work. According to Bloomberg, Salakhutdinov worked previously at the University of Toronto and MIT. Some of the past research performed by the AI researcher was funded by the top companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Samsung. He can be essential for Apple's voice and image recognition projects. In the past few years, Apple has dramatically accelerated its machine learning efforts, buying companies in the sector like Perception and Turi and establishing its own special machine learning division. A new Apple R&D facility created in Japan will work on machine learning AI applications. Improving Siri CEO Tim Cook has previously suggested that most of the Apple products will eventually implement AI applications. In this ambition approach, Salakhutdinov might be particularly useful for the company. He might work on improving Siri in order to become as smart as a rival virtual assistant from companies like Google. According to Fortune, among Salakhutdinov's areas of artificial intelligence research is the field of deep learning. The use of graphics processing units (GPUs) and specialized computer chips to process the information and the rise of cloud computing allows companies to store more easily vast amounts of data led to big breakthroughs in the emerging AI field of deep learning. The implementing of software systems called neural networks makes it possible to use vast quantities of data to find patterns within. The new technology can help design better digital assistants. Apple's Siri-powered by artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms will become capable of better understanding people's voices in order to act on their requests and answer questions. British experts are hailing a new breakthrough by a team of Japanese scientists where they successfully created eggs from scratch. This marks the first time that this has been done without the need to employ animals. The researchers managed to accomplish the feat by taking tissue cells from a mouse's tail, altered it as stem cells and turned the extracted samples into eggs in the lab. The resulting specimens were then implanted in female mice, which went on to deliver 11 healthy pups. Stem Cell Research Could Bring Back Animals That Are Already Extinct If applied to humans, this could solve women infertility and can even result in healthier babies. As women are born with all their eggs, they struggle to conceive at a later part in life as the eggs also age. With this stem cell reprogramming, however, brand new eggs could be made. It's also possible to help women who have fewer eggs than normal or those whose ovaries have stopped producing eggs. Aside from this, scientists are saying that the research could also revive animals who have fallen to extinction, said the Telegraph. Creating humans in laboratories is also a possibility. However, the research is still in its infancy and it would take years for all of this to reach human practice. While the experiment has a low success rate - only 11 out of more than 300 two-cell embryo ended up giving birth - the breakthrough is still quite the feat. Research Faces Ethical Hurdles If Applied On Humans Scientists noted that the process of mingling stem cells with "gonadal somatic cells" played a significant role in the research's development. The reprogrammed stem cells were altered to become pluripotent ones, a stem cell that can produce any type of cell. Researchers then developed a chemical soup in the lab designed to mimic the conditions in the ovary encouraging the stem cells to turn into follicles. Through these follicles, the scientists were able to harvest healthy eggs. One of the major obstacles that experts foresee lies in practical and ethical challenges if used on humans, said the Independent. The possibility of making children without human adults fertilizing or carrying them will undoubtedly raise a lot of objections from various groups across the globe. The batteries of the ill-fated Samsung Galaxy Note 7 were tested in-house. Samsung Electronics Inc. has been testing their own batteries in a lab that is owned by the company. In a report by CNET, Samsung admitted that Korean company has been testing their batteries in a laboratory that they own. The lab in question is located within the company's facility. They did insist that the lab is certified by The Wireless Association otherwise known as the Cellular Telephone Industries Association or CTIA. Samsung has been doing this practice since 2009. According to a report, there are 28 labs with CTIA certification where batteries can be tested before they are placed on the market. These batteries need to comply with the standards of the institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or IEEE before they are deemed fit for distribution. Tom Sawanobori, Chief Technology Officer of the CTIA, said that this was the first time they had a problem with CTIA-certified batteries. He also insists that all their certified labs' personnel are qualified and comply with the standards. Sawanobori is also confident that the personnel is not under the influence of the manufacturers. Other major manufacturers require their tests to be done at third-party locations. Apple, Lenovo, and Nokia conduct their battery tests in external sites. LG does theirs in another country while Huawei conducts two tests, one at their facility and another in a different site. John Copeland, Vice President of Energy Assurance and the member of the subcommittee which developed IEEE 1725 or the Standard for Rechargeable Batteries for Cellular Telephones, mentioned that it is understandable for companies to have their technology tested in their own facility to avoid spilling trade secrets. Since the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, there have been around a hundred cases of the device catching fire. Because of this, Samsung pulled the plug on the Note 7 and has asked owners to return their smartphone to prevent any incidents. Prelude Fertility, a new startup by Martin Varsavsky, wants to give couples, and women, in particular, a chance to have a baby when they want to. The fertility company aims to provide progressive fertility care wherein the ability of a woman to conceive children is preserved s that she can have a baby when ready. According to Forbes, the company has a $200 million fund from Lee Equity, a group of investors which include Barry Baker, Collins Ward, and Yoo Jin Kim. The fund will be used to "turn the technology of infertility -in vitro fertilization and egg freezing - and aggressively expand it into fertility." In layman's terms, the Prelude Method is done by freezing the sperm and egg cells while the clients are fertile. They are then used to make embryos once the parents say so. The procedure also reduces the risk of congenital probes and multiple pregnancies. Varsavsky, founder, and CEO of Prelude Fertility believes that many women who become mothers due to their biological clock are forced to give up their careers or other endeavors. At the same time, young couples often become parents at a time when they are not ready mentally, emotionally and financially. Prelude aims to address that problem by harvesting eggs from women and keeping them until the woman or couple is ready to get pregnant or start a family. That way, even if they decide to have a baby at a rather old age, they are still assured that the baby will be healthy. The Argentine entrepreneur based in Spain has created seven companies, including Prelude Fertility, in the past 25 years. His other companies are Urban Capital, Medicorp Sciences, Viatel, Jazztel, Eolia, and FON. These companies are located in Europe and the United States. The 56-year old father of six is married to Nina Wiegand who is expecting their seventh child. The baby growing in Nina, which the couple affectionately calls Seven, is actually a "product" of Prelude Fertility as well as their five-year-old daughter Mia. Note 7 users understand how hard it is to find a phablet as good as the Note 7. While the explosion controversy is a serious matter, users of the Samsung phablet who haven't seen their devices explode are quite reluctant to give their phones up. Even though Samsung seems to be persistently suggesting that the S7 Edge is the best replacement for the controversial phone, most Note 7 fans beg to disagree. For most users, the Note 7 is irreplaceable. Samsung's Persistence In Suggesting The S7 Edge As A Note 7 Alternative Samsung may not have said it straight to people's faces, but it's clear that the company wants you to get the Galaxy S7 Edge as a Note 7 alternative. Just recently, a blue-colored S7 Edge has been leaked and it pretty much resembles the Galaxy Note 7. If you must know, the blue coral color was first made available by Samsung with the Note 7. Now that they're bringing in the same color to the S7 Edge, it's clear that they want the older flagship to look a lot like the controversial phablet. On top of that, rumor has it that the S7 Edge will also get Note 7's Grace UX. According to GSM Arena, the Grace UX will be sent out to the Galaxy S7 Edge together with the Android Nougat update. This basically suggests that once the blue variant and Nougat update are out in the open, the S7 Edge will be so much like the Note 7 device. S7 Edge Isn't A Complete Replacement For The Note 7 Sure, the S7 Edge is arguably the most viable alternative for the Note 7. However, if you just used the Note 7 and got forced to shift to the Galaxy S7 Edge, you'd feel the difference almost immediately. First of all, the two phones' sizes and shapes are considerably different from each other. According to a Forbes review, the S7 Edge's screen is a little too steep for a comfortable grip. This brings in the problem of erroneous screen-touches. Phone users who are not used to using Edged screens might encounter this as a problem whether or not they used to be a Note 7 user. Furthermore, the Galaxy S7 Edge is also not as good as a phablet as the Note 7. It's worth noting that the S7 Edge doesn't have a stylus. Most of the people who are reluctant in giving back their Note 7 are talking about the phone's S-Pen and S7 Edge's lack of it. Unfortunately, this is something that Samsung may not be able to control. They can offer the blue color to the S7 Edge and even rollout Note 7's software tweak to the curved phone, but it's pretty difficult to incorporate the stylus to the seven-month-old flagship. Galaxy Note 7's Successor Will Be The Real And Rightful Replacement For It People can argue about S7 Edge's capacity to replace the beloved phablet. However, everyone can probably agree that the best replacement for the Note 7 will be its successor. With that said, we can just hope that Samsung will release the Note 7 successor ahead of time. Whether or not the company will re-brand their phablet line, it doesn't matter. What matters to fans is for them to get a hold of Samsung's new, improved and non-exploding phablet. When Apple was on the rise, the world watched as new and exciting products were released into the tech market. The items were innovative and pushed the boundaries as the public knew them. But since then, the technology of Apple has somehow plateaued as its competition has caught up, if not exceed the bar that it initially set. As Forbes notes, the MacBook Pro has become stagnant over the years, with its design having remained the same and its updates very minimal. Each new generation seems to only differ in size, weight, and display. In comparison, it's various competitors have kept up with the times, which allows them to release the most powerful devices that technology can offer. Taking a look at one of the biggest players in the laptop industry, Hewlett-Packard, it becomes almost blindingly obvious that Apple has been missing out. Over the years, HW has decreased bezel size, as well as improved display brightness and overall design. Furthermore, the company has not stopped working on battery life and heat issues. Comparatively, Apple's updates just do not compare. It can be argued that Apple's original products do not need updates as drastic as the products that HP churns out. In terms of design, this is definitely arguable. But there is also no denying that the MacBook Pro can definitely afford an update in terms of the specs found under the hood. For example, the 15 inch MacBook Pro carries an Intel Haswell processor, while the 13-inch variant has a Broadwell processor. Technically speaking, Intel released these chips in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Since then, the Skylake chip and the Kaby Lake chip have been released into the market. This is why the public has been pushing for a new unit. It is not because there is something inherently wrong with the MacBook Pro. Rather, it is because here are available updates that Apple seems just adamant to not include. Instead, incremental - arguably unnecessary - updates are made. And yet, the MacBook Pro units of yesteryear are still being sold at full price. Logically thinking, they are not good investments. And following this train of thought, Apple needs to release the 2016 MacBook Pro soon before it becomes the 2017 MacBook Pro. Even the 2016 MacBook Pro's rumored updates are a little questionable. Making the rounds are a new OLED function keyboard above the standard keys and a Magic Keyboard, both of which will reportedly transform depending on the need of the user. That is, the keys will alter to specifically cater to the need of the application or system currently in use. Depending on how the Cupertino-based company carries this technology out, the 2016 MacBook Pro could be another disappointment. On the other hand, it could be a great piece of technology. As nothing has been denied or confirmed, there really is no way to pinpoint the impact it will have to Apple and the tech industry. At this point, however, all the best is expected for the upcoming product. Express UK reports that the 2016 MacBook Pro is expected to arrive with the necessary updates that will set it at par with the competition. More importantly, it is expected to be unveiled soon - before the month comes to a close. Nuclear fusion has long been deemed as the ultimate solution to humanity acquiring free, clean; nearly carbon-free and unlimited energy. Now, a new world record has been achieved by an MIT team when they generated the highest plasma record to have ever been produced. The scientists used an Alcator C-Mod tokamak reactor to increase plasma pressure inside the machine to more than two atmospheres, 16 percent higher than the previous record that was set in 2005. The temperature reportedly reached a scorching 35 million Celsius, about twice as hot as the sun's core, and lasting for two seconds. MIT Success Points Toward Magnetic Field As Key In Achieving Unlimited Energy "This is a remarkable achievement," said Dale Meade, former deputy director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. "The record plasma pressure validates the high-magnetic-field approach as an attractive path to practical fusion energy." The Alcator C-Mod is located at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center. It uses a high-magnetic field to contain the superheated plasma needed for nuclear fusion, reported the Guardian. The breakthrough strengthens the assumption that magnetic field is the most promising path to achieving near unlimited energy, although other avenues are still being explored. Successful fusion dictates that the energy produced should exceed the energy spent when superheating a plasma. To achieve this, a combination of pressure, temperature and time are needed so it can leap through the critical value, which will then make the reactor self-sustaining. While this goal still remains elusive to scientists, the current breakthrough provides further insight in unlocking this worthy endeavor. Massive Nuclear Reactor Being Built In France Poised To Smash Current Record Set Despite its recent success, however, the Alcator C-Mod has performed its last operation as funding from the US Department of Energy has now ended. The U.S., along with EU, China, India, South Korea, Russia, and Japan are banking their fusion funding into an enormous reactor that's currently being built in France. Called the ITER, or the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, it is reportedly being built to have magnets weighing as much as a Boeing 747 and will be 800 times bigger compare to what the MIT employs. Experts believe that upon completion, the ITER will likely break the record made by the Alcator C-Mod, according to Techradar. The massive reactor will be finished around 15-20 years from now, which aims to generate 500MW of power similar to what large fission reactor produces. But this isn't to say that the tokamak will become obsolete. Private companies are looking into possibilities of carrying out small-scale nuclear fusion reactors and the recent success of the MIT team proves that this is plausible indeed. After deciding to halt the release of their new flagship Galaxy Note 7, is Samsung ready to launched a new mobile? There are many rumors that the Korean Company is planning to have their Galaxy S8 before the end of this year or early of 2017. Galaxy S8 Release A number of analysts have suggested that Samsung will speed up its next flagship smartphone out in a bid to overcome the fallout from the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, as reported by the Korea Herald. Samsung typically releases its flagship Galaxy S devices at the end of the first quarter of a year - around March or April. If indeed Samsung is to release the Galaxy S8 earlier than expected, then it will be in no more than five months. In one report, Kim Sang-Pyo, an analyst at KB Investment & Securities, said: Smartphone demands have polarised; advanced and emerging markets, and premium and budget phones. If Samsung's flagship smartphone launch is delayed to the end of the first quarter of next year, the probability of the mobile business division could be worsened next year. Galaxy S8 Specifications According to Galaxy S8 Info page, the specification of the rumored phone will be the following: Specifications Galaxy S8 Specs Battery 4200 mAh Camera Features Optical image stabilization, geo-tagging, facial recognition, HDR, auto laser focus Camera - Front 9.0 Megapixels Camera - Rear 30 Megapixels Colors Black, blue, gold, and white Features Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, fingerprint scanner,retina eye scanner, wireless charging, rapid charging, mini projector Memory 64 and 128 GB internal memory and expandable with dual micro SD cards Operating System Current Android operating system 2017 Price $850 USD, 775 Euro - see below Processor Snapdragon Qualcomm octa-core 3.2 GHz processor RAM 6 GB RAM Release Date April 2017 - See Below Screen Display 5.2" 4K display with a 4096 x 2160 screen resolution Galaxy S8 Price Customers will be pleased to know that the price of Samsung Galaxy S8 will be competitive for smartphone lovers. Samsung confirms that the price of Samsung Galaxy S8, as well as S8 edge, will slightly higher than Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. So, it is a good news for people which are waiting for it. Based on the prices of the previous phones released by Samsung, we can assume that Galaxy S8 will cost about 599 ($735), then the Galaxy S8 Edge would probably retail at about 639 ($783). However, we'll have to wait for some leaks nearer to the Galaxy S8 release date before we can put our finger on the price with any degree of certainty "Supernatural" season 12, episode 2 spoilers have Crowley in search for Lucifer, and as soon as he finds the fallen angel, he will discover his greater power. In the upcoming episode, Lucifer is bound to begin his journey to destroy. Lucifer: "The Devil You Don't Know" Following "Supernatural" season 12's successful premiere last Oct. 13, fans must be excited to welcome Lucifer, played by guest star Rick Springfield, as he comes back. In the video teaser for episode 2 titled "Mamma Mia," Lucifer is described as "the devil you don't know." The plot synopsis of the episode stated that Lucifer possessed the body of rock star Vince Vicente. Meanwhile, there have been rumors that Springfield might turn out to be a regular soon considering his character's major involvement in the show's plot. Even so, this rumor has not been officially confirmed until now. Castiel Partners Up With Crowley According to reports, Lucifer becomes stronger now. In the following episode, it is teased already that Lucifer will be able to escape from the hands of the hunters. As Castiel (Misha Collins) sets out to hunt for the fallen angel, he will partner up with Crowley (Mark A. Sheppard) along the way. Mary Winchester As "A Badass Hunter" Fans must have been compelled to watch how Mary Winchester's resurrection will put a different show, and how she will fare with her big boys after they lost her when they were kids. Mary had been to heaven for 30 years. In a video teaser released by The CW, her co-star Collins revealed that Mary will be "a badass hunter." Pilot Episode Recap: Dean And Mary Rescue Sam In the pilot episode, Lady Toni Bevell (Elizabeth Blackmore) had Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) beaten as he declined to give her the information that she wanted. Dean (Jensen Ackles), Mary and Castiel set out to rescue Sam. "Supernatural" season 12 airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on The CW. In a recent Hong Kong event, Qualcomm Incorporated unveiled three new Snapdragon processors namely 653, 626 and 427. This update on Snapdragon's system-on-a-chip (SoC) is aimed to bring high-end capabilities to low and midrange-priced smartphones in the market. An Update To The Low And Midrange Processors According to NDTV, the new Snapdragon 653 and 626 SoCs are updated versions of the previous Snapdragon 653 and 625 processors currently used in most midrange smartphones in the market. The Snapdragon 427, on the other hand, is an upgrade of the current 425 processor aimed at entry level handsets. These upgrades are set to give the new processors an increase of 10 percent in performance. The New Features Of The Updated Snapdragon Processors The new Snapdragon processors will have the same features and increased capability such as Quick Charge, support for dual cameras and the new Snapdragon X9 LTE modem that promises 300Mbps in download speed and up to 150Mbps on upload. The Snapdragon 626 also now has the capacity to capture 4K videos, as reported by Trusted Reviews. The New Processor Is Set To Power Upcoming Smartphones The new Snapdragon 653, 626 and 427 processors are expected to power smartphones to be released in the first quarter of 2017. Qualcomm has not released the list of upcoming smartphones that will make use of the new SoC. However, the tech company said that contracts from popular OEMs to carry the new Snapdragon processors have already been made. Moving Fast Ahead Of The Competition Qualcomm's release of new Snapdragon processors shows the company's leadership in the market. Just recently, the company was reported to buy a Dutch Manufacturing company called NXP Semiconductors. Between news, Qualcomm is showing progress from the troubles it suffered from the Snapdragon 810 overheating issue and then losing some sales over Samsung's decision to use its in-house developed Exynos processor over the Snapdragon on its current flagships. The radical transparency organization WikiLeaks, expressed through a Twitter post on Monday, that Ecuador was the state party behind Julian Assanges internet outage, cutting the firm's founder's connection on Saturday 15. Apparently, the sabotage came hours after the organization released a new batch of emails from Hillary Clintons campaign chairman John Podesta. We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access Saturday, 5pm GMT, shortly after publication of Clinton's Goldman Sachs speechs. WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) 17 de octubre de 2016 Ecuador Promises To Keep Protecting Julian Assange This might create a difficult situation for WikiLeaks leader, considering that he has been living inside the Ecuadorean embassy since 2012, which gave him asylum after a British court ordered his extradition to Sweden to face a police interrogation over an alleged sexual abuse case. Although the embassy hasn't made any statement about the sabotage, the countrys foreign minister Guillaume Long has explained that Ecuador will still protect Julian Assange. According to the International Business Times, this was also confirmed by a source in the Ecuadorean government, who told the Associated Press that the WikiLeaks's founder's asylum will remain. WikiLeaks War Against U.S. Elections Enters A New Phase Assanges intention of revealing every single document related to the U.S. presidential elections might be in serious danger with this event, considering that the obstacles before his efforts are growing. After the firm's Twitter announcement, many felt that the U.S. must be behind the incident, since WikiLeaks has published delicate documents about Democratic Nominee Hillary Clinton. The last releases showed her relations not only with Goldman Sachs and Wall Street, but also with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who gave $1 million to former president Bill Clinton for his birthday. This has been criticized by Republican nominee Donald Trump, since these two nations have been accused of funding the Islamic terrorist group ISIS. Until such time that more information is released, it will remain unknown if Ecuadors motivation to commit the sabotage was influenced by external factors such as the United States. The problem about the politics involvement in this issue is that theres only one fact that seems certain so far: the internet sabotage benefits Clintons interest. Former U.S. general James Cartwright has pleaded guilty at federal court in Washington on Monday for making false statements to the Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI) into a leak of classified information about the computer software known as "Stuxnet" case, which was designed to cyberattack the Iranian nuclear facility. Everything Began With An Interview About Stuxnet According to Reuters, Cartwright was questioned by the FBI in 2012 because of a book written by New York Times journalist David Sanger, where Stuxnet was exposed as a cyberweapon. Also, Cartwright confirmed top-secret information about an unnamed country to Newsweek reporter Daniel Klaidman. Regarding this situation, the Department of Justice explained that Cartwright signed a non-disclosure agreement after retiring, which included warnings about how an unauthorized disclosure could affect the U.S., or the way that a foreign nation could take advantage of it. The U.S. General Lied To The FBI Apparently, some FBI agents interviewed Cartwright on 2 November 2012, and he reportedly gave false information to them, denying the exposition of any classified information and assuring that he was not the source of Sangers book, which revealed many details about Stuxnet. However, the FBI eventually discovered the truth. "We conducted a thorough and independent investigation including collecting tens of thousands of documents through subpoenas, search warrants and document requests, and interviewing scores of current and former government employees. The evidence showed that General Cartwright disclosed classified information without authorization to two reporters and lied to federal investigators," US attorney Rod Rosenstein told the International Business Times. Cartwrights attorney told the judge that they agreed with the government on a recommended sentence of no more than six months, which could be a good news for the former U.S. general, considering that lying to investigators and talking to the press when the person isn't allowed to carries a maximum of five years in prison. The sentence will be determined by U.S. district Richard Leon on 17 January 2017. Spanish high-end smartphone Zetta has been accused of passing Chinese smartphone Xiaomi devices as their own creation and selling them to consumers. This mobile device was known in Spain as the dveice that could compete with the iPhone, thanks to its specs and affordable price. Zetta Hides Xiaomis Sticker The fraud was discovered over the weekend when in the tech forum Forocoches, some users found out a sticker beneath the Zettas battery, which was hiding another sticker of Xiaomis phones, with its original serial code and logo. Later, many other users not only checked this was real, but also noticed that multiple models look exactly the same with the exception of Zetta's acorn symbol. According to Techaeris, the Zettas business consisted of buying the cheapest Xiaomi models and selling them for a higher price, altering the phones appearance by adding some aesthetic modifications. This plan ended up being so effective that became a welcome product in Spain, because of its affordable price of $160 in store and $170 online, to the point where the smartphone shipped 1,200 units in the first month. The firm opened 7 stores around the nation as well. Zetta Rebranded Many Xiaomi Models The International Business Times explained that Forocoches users alleged that the Xiaomi Redmi 2 was rebranded as the Zetta Conquistador 4.7 SE, changing the price from $99 online to $204. Also, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2, whose original price was $176, was rebranded as the Zetta Conquistador 5.5 Plus, for a price of $259. Regarding this situation, consumer watchdog group FACUA ha claimed for an investigation into the company by local authorities, and called for refunds. For its part, Zetta has denied the accusations and expressed that the users' opinions in Forocoches were totally inaccurate. "Regarding the demonstrations expressed in various forums and media, Zetta Smartphone states that the opinions expressed on the web about this brand are inaccurate," the Spanish phone company told through a statement in its official website, which went mysteriously offline over the weekend, as well as its Twitter account. Although the Spanish authorities haven't made a statement about Zettas situation, the smartphone company could be prosecuted on allegations of fraud. This could be a bizarre ending for the mobile device which wanted to become the iPhones competitor in the Latin American nation. Zenefits had a rough year. The company -- previously a darling of Silicon Valley -- was rocked by a massive insurance scandal in February and has been fighting to regain the trust of customers and regulators since. David Sacks, the Yammer cofounder and former Zenefits COO, has been leading the charge after taking over the CEO role in February. The company made its biggest announcement under his tenure Tuesday, unveiling Z2, a redesign and upgrade of its capabilities. The marquee change of Z2 is a design that brings the app store model popularized by smartphones to the world of human resources. Zenefits's offerings, like vacation tracking, offer letter generation, and employee insurance, are still available as apps in the new Z2 platform. But now, users will also be able to add third-party integrations from a set of 17 services. Third-party apps will show up alongside Zenefits features in the company's product. Those features include an updated benefits purchasing experience, a freshly-released payroll product, and a new HR Advisor to help companies without in-house expertise work through their HR problems. It's a move that mirrors the rest of the business software world, which is moving increasingly toward products that integrate deeply with a broad range of other apps and services. The change could help the company hold on to customers as more companies try to also capitalize on the trend of releasing all-in-one HR software. Sacks argued that Zenefits was the first company to do the HR suite well, and its competition is racing to catch up. Payroll firms like ADP and startups like Gusto are trying to get a piece of the pie. Zenefits Zenefits's Platform lets third parties integrate with the small business HR software suite. With this new model, Zenefits aims to be the hub for managing all the parts of an employee's lifecycle at a company. When employees get hired, Zenefits integrations will help with tasks like assigning stock options via eShares and getting them set up with email through Google's G Suite. As part of the Z2 launch, Zenefits is also unveiling a new HR Advisor service that lets small businesses get advice about the difficult questions they face. The Advisor will have a knowledge base of articles about key topics, and users can also request help from a live HR expert. HR Advisor costs an additional US $5 per employee per month, and companies must pay for a minimum of five employees. It's the first in what may be a series of premium "apps" that Zenefits builds on top of its own platform. The company has also enhanced its core products, with new benefits features that make it easier to see how a change in health care contributions or plans could impact each employee at a company. Zenefits is also opening its payroll service for a beta after the company provided it earlier this year to a handpicked group of customers. The beta is only open to companies in California, but it will likely be welcomed by the 4,000 businesses that signed up on the Zenefits payroll waitlist. It's not clear how many of them will be able to take advantage of the launch, but they represent an important opportunity for Zenefits: Half of the companies on that list will be new customers if they choose to sign up. Looking toward the future, customers should expect additional expansions of Zenefits Payroll, along with additional expansions to the company's platform capabilities, Sacks said. Sacks hopes to expand the functionality of platform and will allow products from competing companies. ORLANDO, Fla. -- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella faced sharp questions from Gartner analysts Tuesday about the privacy-invading implications of its $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn, and its all-knowing virtual assistant, Cortana. Helen Huntley, one of the Gartner analysts questioning Nadella at a conference here, was particularly pointed about the fears. Cortana, said Huntley, "knows everything about me when I'm working. She knows what files I'm looking at, she knows what I'm downloading, she knows when I'm working, when I'm not working," she said. Cortana is "big brother intersected ... with productivity," said Huntley. Nadella countered this with his own question. "How does one build trust in technology?" He called it one of the "most pressing issues of our time." Cortana will operate on "four pillars," which include keeping data secure, as well transparency, meaning that users will "know exact what Cortana knows," said Nadella. There is also an ability to turn off data access. The fourth pillar is to be compliant with regulations, he said. Nadella was appearing via video link from Microsoft's Redmond headquarters at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo before a crowd that includes 8,000 attendees. He was scheduled to appear in person, but a back injury kept him from flying. "When you turn 49 don't act 19 in the gym," said Nadella, to the chuckles of an audience of people mostly in their middle years as well. With LinkedIn, Huntley, who was asking questions in tandem with fellow analyst Chris Howard, was pointed once again: "What are you going to do to our data?" "We are just custodians of that data," said Nadella. The only data the company has access to is when users allow it for the purpose of adding value to it, he said. For instance, Nadella said, that someone can be much more informed about who they are meeting with if their calendar includes LinkedIn profile links of meeting attendees. A user's news feed can also be shaped to include information about meeting participants. "Those are natural points of integration," he said. This ability to integrate with LinkedIn, said Nadella, "will not be exclusive of Microsoft but available to everyone." Allowing integration will help make LinkedIn grow, he said. Nadella defended Microsoft as an open company. "Windows is the most open platform there is," he said. But asked how Microsoft will work with competitors on platforms including Azure, Nadella turned philosophical. That knowledge "comes maybe with middle age" -- a point at which one becomes "comfortable with what I would say are complex relationships." A gentle laugh rolled through the audience. Nadella, in response to questions about how A.I. will interact with users, talked about Microsoft's pursuit of A.I. but not the specifics. "There is still a dark side," said Howard, of A.I.; "there is a risk of an over-mediated life." But, as he did with privacy, Nadella worked to calm concerns and said A.I. will augment human capability, not replace it. "It looks like that they have a vision for the future," said one attendee, Steve Edmonson, a CIO with Chicago governmental organization he didn't want identified. But with respect to A.I., Nadella didn't talk about "where that is really headed." This story, "Microsofts Nadella takes on privacy fears about LinkedIn, Cortana " was originally published by Computerworld . Research by the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) shows that almost two thirds of employees in Greater London would choose a job paying five per cent less if it involved formal training opportunities. And more than 80 per cent of those surveyed in the region describe evidence of job training as either "very important" or "important" when looking for a new position. Samsung is proving its title to be the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology. It boasts of its record of being the first ever to build processors using a 10-nanometer process. Samsung announced this week that it has just started its mass production of the system-on-chip using the 10-nanometer technology. This step puts Samsung ahead of Intel and other electronics companies. Reports say that Samsung's 10-nanometer technology is for its contract with Qualcomm to build its next-gen Snapdragon 830 processors requiring a 10-nanometer tech. The said technology is necessary to boost up the company's product durability. Qualcomm presently uses a 10-nanometer FinFET. It's us is necessary for building an improved design of a multi-layer 3D transistor. Its durability provides a huge decrease in power consumption at 40 percent. It also allows 27 percent increase in performance and an amazing 30 percent area efficiency increase. The 10-nanometer technology features cutting edge techniques such as routing flexibility and triple patterning to overcome scaling limitations. Chips are etched thrice with electron beams increasing its feature density. Jong Shik Yoon, Head of Foundry Business and Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics said that their first ever mass production of 10nm FinFET technology shows their leadership stature in advanced process technology. He also assured that Samsun is committed to continuing their efforts in innovating scaling technologies and they are willing to provide differentiated total solutions for their customers, Samsung Newsroom reported. Samsung confirmed that the official appearance of this first-gen system-on-chips will be in 2017. Followers remain optimistic on the potentials this technology has in store. They believe that rumors about Samsung 10-nanometer technology powering up the Snapdragon 830, then doors are waiting for this innovation to be opened. It is more likely that this technology will also power up Samsung's own phones as well as other phone brands, The Engadget reported. HideMyAss Pro VPN from AVG promises one-click access to Internet privacy, with VPN exit servers in more than 190 countries. Pros Flexible subscriptions: HMA, short for HideMyAss, has a single-month rate of $11.52, a six-month subscription for $49.99, and a 12-month plan for $78.66. AVG accepts credit cards and a range of gift cards. A subscription allows you to install the VPN across all of your Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS devices, with two concurrent connections. Choice of connection: HMA offers three connection modes: Instant mode connects you to the fastest, closest VPN server; Location mode allows you to select which region to connect to; and Freedom mode helps you connect to a region that doesn't restrict access to content. In addition to English, the app is available in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish. Global exit servers: HMA hosts exit nodes in more than 190 countries and 350 locations, letting you skirt region-specific content restrictions. Secure and private: HMA uses the industry-standard 128-bit Blowfish encryption and OpenVPN to provide a private and secure link through a public network. Personal information: HMA says it does not monitor or store customer data sent over its network and does not sell data to advertisers. Cons No trial version: HMA does not have an official trial period. You can, however, cancel a subscription within 30 days if you meet the requirements. Bottom line HideMyAss, with its broad selection of exit servers and one-click VPN access, is a dependable choice for creating a secure and private connection to the Internet. -by Samuel Hagar How to cross party lines for votes without abandoning your ethnicity-- The first thing a pollster tells you when you ask how do you win a Democrat on Democrat general election (a phenomenon we're finding more and more frequently on the West Coast due to the somewhat dysfunctional jungle primary system) is: You need to create a coalition. Democrats, Decline to States, and Republicans must be patched together to create a coalition across demographics... This may seem simple and not worthy of the thousands of dollars in consulting and pollster fees, however it is true. To win a Democrat on Democrat race, a candidate must build out from his or her natural constituency (race, gender, region, ideology etc) to attract the necessary support in order to earn 50+1 percent of the vote. The glaring example of this type of race is the United States Senate race to replace Barbara Boxer this year in California. This race pits California Attorney General Kamala Harris (an African American statewide elected official and Establishment fave from the Bay Area) against Orange County Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (a Latina Blue Dog congresswoman, somewhat reknowned for being the dumber of two congressional sisters). The nature of the race (and the candidates in it) is that Loretta (having only received 18% of the vote in the primary) faces a general election in which she must get a ton of votes (compared to Kamala) that are outside of her geographic territory (where she picked up most of her votes in the primary)-- lets face it, a Congressmember in a state as large as California has a minuscule base of support (speaking in geographic terms) as compared to a candidate whos name has appeared on a statewide ballot before. Loretta is a Blue Dog Democrat, a conservaDem who frequently votes with the GOP against the best interests of working families, so there was no way that the progressive/liberal community in California (a lot of votes!) would rally around her, leaving the remaining winnable votes for Loretta in the following constituencies: Latinos and Republicans. Now, given her voting record, Loretta can make (and has made) a play for Republican votes . Her courting of an endorsement from Congressman Darrell Issa, not just a Republican but one of the best-known and most hated Republicans in the state, is the prime example of this strategy. But lets remember, California is a deep blue state with far more Democratic votes than Republican votes, so the Republican vote alone cannot get Loretta Sanchez across the finish line (even after adding that to her Orange County name identification base). So, as a Latina, Loretta must win a significant number of latino votes and add those to her base and iffy Republican support. While that may seem simple (such as 1+1 = 2), it is not. Latinos have faced a year and a half of absolute brutal, vitriolic language from the Republican nominee. Polling indicates that the latino vote identifies Republicans as espousing the Donald Trump view points. And, it is no secret that Issa, who has a stridently anti-immigrant record, is one of Trump's most devoted followers in the state. Unless Loretta thinks she can win every latino who agrees that we must build a beautiful beautiful wall along the Mexican border (and assumes that that plus her Republican vote is enough) then her strategy points to the exact problem facing so-called Democrats in these intra party races: to cross party lines for votes often involves stabbing your natural constituency directly in the back. Sacramento Bee that as part of her campaign to entice Republican voters, Sanchez has one of her SuperPACs running a radio spot blasting Kamala Harris as "another Barbara Boxer," something most California voters hope is true but that Republicans, of course, fear. Two Republican Party operatives, Stu Mollrich (Californias New Frontier PAC) and Dave Gilliard (Jobs, Opportunity & Freedom PAC) are running SuperPACs smearing against Harris for Sanchez. Today Christopher Cadelago reported for thethat as part of her campaign to entice Republican voters, Sanchez has one of her SuperPACs running a radio spot blasting Kamala Harris as "another Barbara Boxer," something most California voters hope is true but that Republicans, of course, fear. Two Republican Party operatives, Stu Mollrich (Californias New Frontier PAC) and Dave Gilliard (Jobs, Opportunity & Freedom PAC) are running SuperPACs smearing against Harris for Sanchez. Sanchez's latest ad from the PAC she is illegally coordinating with features a mock discussion between two Republican voters about the fact that the Senate race-- for the first time-- is between two Democrats. When one of the Republicans says she may not vote, she is instructed to cast her ballot for Sanchez-- described in the ad as an "anti-establishment Orange County moderate" with a "reputation for working across the aisle to solve problems." There is another race in California (in which shockingly almost as much money has been spent as in the statewide U.S. Senate race) that points to this exact problem: the race for Assembly District 47, pitting so-called "moderate" Democratic incumbent, Cheryl Brown, a blatantly corrupt conservaDem, against her challenger, progressive reformer and attorney Eloise Gomez Reyes. First, lets look at the District. Assembly District 47 is set in San Bernardino County (one of the poorest counties in America) and home to a majority latino population. Analysts agree that nearly 54% of the General Election Vote (could be higher due to Donald Trump) will be latino, 10% will be black, and the rest will be white, Asian, etc This is a minority majority district. Now lets look at the candidates. The incumbent legislator is Cheryl Brown, an African American former newspaper owner who proudly calls herself a moderate Democrat and has voted 100% of the time with the oil interests in California. Her largest contributor is Chevron and public polling has consistently shown her hovering between 40% and 44% of the general election vote. The challenger is Eloise Gomez Reyes, a labor attorney and community activist who proudly tells voters how she picked onions and grapes in this district as a little girl to pay for her school clothes. Her largest contributors come from the labor community. Thus far OVER $4.6 MILLION DOLLARS has been spent in this contest. That is broken down as follows: Brown Campaign - $800,000 Reyes Campaign - $500,000 Brown Independent Expenditures - $2,100,000 Reyes Independent Expenditures - $1,200,000 In a district this compact (no wider than 20 miles in any direction such an incredible amount of spending (already the costliest state legislative race IN THE COUNTRY) has a significant diminishing return to scale. This phenomenon makes this race a perfect example of a Democrat on Democrat race because it takes the financial advantage largely out of the equation. Maybe Loretta can win Republicans and Latinos to bring her across the 50% mark, however it will take a hell of a lot more money than Loretta currently has, in order to do so. So, in District 47 (where the last report, as of the Tuesday after Labor Day showed the race at 42-38, Brown) how does the African American incumbent get across the finish line? 2 scenarios: 1- Convince enough latinos to vote for her (she would need to win 50% of the latino vote for this to be the case) or 2- Convince a super majority of Republicans and Republican leaning Decline to State voters to vote for her, while retaining a super majority (not just majority) of the Black vote. This is exactly why Chevron (the largest contributor to the Brown I.E., independent expenditures using Dark Money) has run ads that one would find a Republican running against a Democrat (Brown believes in lower taxes while that liberal Reyes wants to raise yours, they claim ominously-- and untruthfully). Its of no surprise that Chevron would run these types of ads, given the fact that Chevron is run by Republicans and has benefitted for years from Republican relationships both in California and nation-wide. There is a problem for Brown here (much like in the Sanchez scenario) in that Browns natural constituency-- African Americans-- have benefitted from years of Democratic policies that influential donors from say, Chevron, have worked diligently to abolish. Can Brown go win her Republican votes while convincing enough blacks that the only thing they have in common with her is their skin tone? That remains to be seen. HILLSBOROUGH Superior Court Judge Henry Hight sentenced Chandler Kania to between 12 and 16 years in prison Monday for three counts of involuntary manslaughter, misdemeanor reckless driving and other charges. The jury deliberated since Thursday to reach a verdict, rejecting a possible conviction for second-degree murder in the July 19, 2015, drunk-driving crash. Kania, 21, of Asheboro, pleaded guilty to multiple charges before the trial started, including three counts of felony death by motor vehicle, felony causing serious injury and driving while impaired. The sentence handed down Monday covers those charges as well. Three passengers Darlene McGee, Felecia Harris King and Kings granddaughter Jahnice Beard, 6 were killed when Kania hit their car after driving the wrong way on Interstate 85/40 west of Hillsborough last year. Kings daughter, Jahnia King, now 11, was seriously injured. Kania, a former UNC Chapel Hill student, cried as he read a statement before sentencing, taking full responsibility for the terrible decision he made that night. I realize my words bring no consolation to those whose lives have been irreparably harmed by me and nothing can be done to erase my mistakes, he said. I cannot bring back the lives that were lost or erase the hurt Ive caused, but what I can do is strive to live my life in ways that honor the victims. Defense attorney Roger Smith Jr. offered several witnesses to Kanias character. Kania is kind and selfless, a top student, and a leader who gives back to his community and church, they said. Smith unsuccessfully urged the judge to consider letting Kania join a program that would allow him to speak to high school students about his mistakes and the cost to him and his victims. Kania has been working with local children through an Asheboro-based program for the last year, said Jenny Martin, associate pastor for missions at First Baptist Church in Asheboro. Ive heard Chandler encourage students to stay in school, to make good decisions. This is a situation where were not just doing homework, but were talking about lives and encouraging one another in situations, she said. Ive overheard conversations hes had with some boys and tried to point them in the right direction and be a positive influence. They are not planning to appeal the jurys decision, Roger Smith said. Kania didnt get what he deserved, said Jahmonie Smith, whose 6-year-old daughter and mother were killed. Jahnice didnt get a chance to live and enjoy herself, Jahmonie Smith said after the trial. That was taken from her (by) him. Justice wasnt served obviously, and Im disappointed by it. Before Kania was sentenced, Jahnia King and others spoke about what they lost in the crash. She doesnt remember the wreck, said Jahnia, who was 9 at the time, because she had fallen asleep in the back seat as the family returned to Charlotte from a memorial service in Virginia. She woke up in the hospital as the doctors were putting a cast on her leg, she said. When she heard later that the others had died, it made me feel sad, she said. Now, she feels angry, she said, because of how this happened and why this happened. They miss their mothers every day, said Jahnias sister Jahlecia Smith and McGees daughter Deseante Jones. McGee didnt have a mean bone in her body, Jones said, struggling with her tears to talk about how she wont be able to call her mother for advice anymore. Jahlecia Smith said she talked with her mother every day; the last time was the day before the crash. King was our rock, she said. Its just really hard, she said. Every moment in my life from this point on ... I dont have that person that I can go to whenever I make a decision or if I just need help or to talk about my day. I dont have that person anymore. HILLSBOROUGH Investigators combed through shards of glass, looked for residue of flammable accelerant and tried to narrow down the overnight hours when someone torched a local Republican Party office by throwing a flammable device through the window. The mayor said he wasnt aware of any surveillance footage from the immediate vicinity, and the office sits where there wouldnt normally be foot traffic late at night in a decades-old retail complex that backs up to a wooded area and is set back from a main road. A bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters early Sunday, damaging the interior before burning out, according to authorities. Someone also spray-painted Nazi Republicans leave town or else on a nearby wall. The office was empty and no one was injured. Officials with the Forsyth County Republican Party have asked Winston-Salem police to increase their patrols around its office in the West Salem Shopping Center on Peters Creek Parkway, said Mark Baker, the local party chairman. GOP officials in Orange County reopened a makeshift operation on folding tables outside the office Monday while uniformed police looked on. Plainclothes investigators looked for evidence at the scene as state, local and federal investigators divided up leads. We have had people working on it from three different federal agencies, state agencies, our local folks, all day today, running down leads, working different parts of the investigation, Hillsborough Police Chief Duane Hampton told The Associated Press in a phone interview. He declined to say how confident he was that the evidence would lead to an arrest. North Carolinas Republican Gov. Pat McCrory spoke to reporters at the office, saying hed never seen anything like it in his political career. McCrory, whos been touring parts of the state ravaged by floods, said: To come back near our state Capitol and see a broken window from a Molotov cocktail is unimaginable. He also questioned why it took Hillsborough authorities several hours after the 911 call to release information publicly Sunday, suggesting they had initially treated the crime as merely vandalism instead of something more serious. But Hampton said federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called immediately and arrived on the scene within an hour of his own officers. I certainly dont want anyone to think that we didnt take this seriously because we realized the implications right away, he said. The graffiti and remnants of the fire were discovered Sunday morning by 68-year-old Bobbie Sparrow, whose Balloons Above Orange shop is next to the GOP headquarters. She came to feed stray cats before church when she noticed the graffiti shortly before 9 a.m. I saw the hate in it. And the only reason they used the side of my building, because it was a blank canvas for a message to the Republican Party people, she said in an interview. I picked up my cellphone and called 911 and told them someone needed to get here immediately. She said she isnt aware of any surveillance cameras outside the buildings, and Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens said he wasnt aware of any in the immediate vicinity, either. County GOP chairman Daniel Ashley arrived Sunday morning to find the area roped off by yellow police tape. He said he believes whoevers responsible intended to burn down the building. I definitely think the reason they spray-painted that building there was because they thought this one wouldnt be here, he said, standing in front of his office. The violent act in the key battleground state has been condemned by public figures across the political spectrum, including Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump. McCrorys challenger, the states Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper also said the violence has no place in our democracy. Democrats started a campaign to raise $10,000 to reopen the GOP office, meeting the goal in less than 40 minutes and showing that Americans are thirsty for civility and decency, wrote the GoFundMe drives creator, David Weinberger, a researcher at Harvard University. Its a great gesture. We appreciate it a lot, but I dont know how much of that were going to get to use because of the campaign laws, Ashley said Monday. The walls of the multi-room office were covered in black char, and a couch against one wall had been burned down to its springs. Shattered glass covered the floor, and melted campaign yard signs showed warped lettering at the office in the town about 40 miles northwest of Raleigh. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-1 in Orange County, which also includes Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. Blake Halsey, a 21-year-old college student who volunteers at the Orange County GOP office, answered calls Monday at a folding table outside the shattered front window. He grew up in the area and described the town as a melting pot for all political views. He said the attack made him think about his personal safety because hes worked after hours recently at the office. Its sad to see America go this way, he said. The Constitution says we have free speech. But free speech does not mean you can throw a fire bomb in there. Reddit Email 0 Shares TeleSur | A state prosecutor had sought to charge Goodman with participating in a riot for filming an attack on protesters. A North Dakota judge has dismissed the riot charges against Amy Goodman for covering the Dakota Access pipeline protests, Democracy Now! confirmed Monday. This is a complete vindication of my right as a journalist to cover the attack on the protesters, and of the publics right to know what is happening with the Dakota Access pipeline, Goodman said in a statement on the website of Democracy Now!. We will continue to report on this epic struggle of Native Americans and their non-Native allies taking on the fossil fuel industry and an increasingly militarized police in this time when climate change threatens the planet. A North Dakota state prosecutor Ladd R. Erickson had sought to charge Goodman with participating in a riot for filming an attack on protesters after the prosecutor dropped criminal trespassing charges. On Monday, District Judge John Grinsteiner found there was no probable cause in the charge against the Democracy Now! journalist. Actress Shailene Woodley and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein are other well-known figures who have been arrested for their protests over the US$3.7 billion project. The pipeline is expected to transport over half a million barrels of oil a day through federal and private lands in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. Indigenous and environmental activists say the project will ruin sacred burial grounds and pollute local water supplies. While construction has been stopped along small sections, protesters have vowed to continue fighting the project until it is fully shut down. Goodman said that the charges were changed because authorities realized they couldnt make the trespassing stick. I wasnt trespassing, I wasnt engaging in a riot, I was doing my job as a journalist by covering a violent attack on Native American protesters, said Goodman. Goodman said she and her production team filmed live video of the Dakota Access Pipeline Companys security guards physically assaulting non-violent, mostly Native American land protectors, pepper spraying them and unleashing attack dogs, one of which was shown with blood dripping from its nose and mouth. Via TeleSur Related video added by Juan Cole: Democracy Now! from last month: Dakota Access Pipeline Company Attacks Native American Protesters with Dogs & Pepper Spray Reddit Email 0 Shares By Daniel Parmer | (The Conversation) | Jews may account for roughly only 2 percent of the American adult population, but their concentration in a number of swing states and counties makes them a potentially pivotal demographic in this falls presidential election. Between 80 and 85 percent of Jews turn out to vote in national elections more than 20 percent higher than the national average during the 2012 presidential election. More than one million eligible Jewish voters also live in 11 battleground states: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. How critical will the Jewish vote be come Nov. 8? We are part of a team of researchers at Brandeis Universitys Steinhardt Social Research Institute who have examined new data from the American Jewish Population Project to answer that question. A detailed profile The study, directed by professor Leonard Saxe and Dr. Elizabeth Tighe, provides a comprehensive look at the distribution of the Jewish population across the country, as well as its political orientation by county. The project synthesizes data from hundreds of nationally representative surveys (conducted by major polling and academic institutions) to provide one of the most detailed profiles of the Jewish population in the U.S. While more Americans, overall, identify as Democratic (32 percent) than as Republican (23 percent), the difference is even greater among Jews. In fact, 54 percent of American Jews identify as Democratic while only 14 percent are Republican. However, nearly a third of Jewish adults identify with neither party, a statistic that is consistent in nine swing states. The outliers are Pennsylvania, where just 25 percent of Jews dont identify with a party, and New Hampshire, where the number swells to 47 percent. Pollsters and political strategists have recently focused on swing counties within key states. For example, Ohios Hamilton County, which contains Cincinnati, is thought to be one of the states tipping points. It is also home to more than 25,000 Jewish adults. Democrats hold a two-to-one advantage among party-affiliated Jews in Hamilton County (11,000 identify as Democrat and 5,000 identify as Republican), but with the remaining 9,000 identifying with neither party, the Jewish vote in that key county is up for grabs. In Bucks and Montgomery counties, which are just north of Philadelphia, more than 6 percent of adults are Jewish. Although they are more likely to identify as Democrats than all adults in the area, 27 percent, or 19,000, affiliate with neither of the two parties. Furthermore, 41 percent say they have moderate political views. Return to Palm Beach County Jewish voters also stand to be a key voting bloc in Florida, which President Obama won by just 1 percent in 2012. Jews comprise 15 percent of the adult population in Palm Beach, which has been identified as a swing county in preliminary polls. Of course, Palm Beach County played a key role in the 2000 presidential election. During that election just 1,784 votes separated Al Gore from George W. Bush in Palm Beach County. And while 54 percent of Jewish voters in Palm Beach identify as Democrats, 31 percent say they dont belong to a party. In recent months, both campaigns have taken steps to court Jewish voters. Trump has touted his high-profile support from billionaire Sheldon Adelson, while the Clinton campaign includes a dedicated Jewish-outreach director, Sarah Bard. However, both the Clinton and Trump campaigns have appeared embroiled by blunders or missteps on issues important to American Jews during this election cycle. Trump has repeatedly posted or retweeted anti-Semitic content on his social media accounts. Some observers felt he was slow to denounce support from white supremacist David Duke. Analysis by Eitan Hersh and Brian Schaffner at fivethirtyeight.com suggests many Jewish Republicans are refusing to offer Trumps campaign the same financial support they gave Mitt Romneys in 2012. Others see Clintons positions on both the Iran deal and Israels West Bank settlements as potentially alienating Jewish constituents. With just one debate remaining and Election Day fast approaching, both presidential nominees will focus on attracting undecided voters to their campaigns in an effort to tip the vote in their favor. As controversy swirls around the Trump campaign and repudiation by many prominent Republicans, the Republican vote may be up for grabs as well. With significant numbers of Jews concentrated in many of the battleground states and counties, the Jewish vote is poised to be more critical than ever. Daniel Parmer, Research Associate, Brandeis University and David Manchester, Graduate Research Associate, Brandeis University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Related video added by Juan Cole: Wochit News: Jewish Republicans Are Abandoning Trump Reddit Email 188 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | The Iraqi government has announced that the campaign to take the large northern city of Mosul back from Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) has begun in earnest. The Iraqi Army, the Peshmerga (Kurdistan Regional Government national guard), Sunni Arab tribal levies, and Shiite militiamen from the south are all likely involved in this push, which may take weeks. It is being spearheaded by the Iraqi Army 9th Division. So what is the significance of Mosul as a city? 1. It is a large city in Middle Eastern terms. Before Daesh took it over, its metropolitan population was probably about 2 million, compared to Baghdads 6 million and Basras 2 million or so. Since Daesh took over, hundreds of thousands of residents have fled, so I figure likely the population has fallen to between 1 million and 1.5 million. Thats still a fair city. Only 4 American cities have 2 million or more population, and the fifth is Philadelphia with 1.5 million. So Mosul under Daesh has gone from being Houston to being something between Austin and Philly in population size. 2. Mosul is the later successor to the ancient city of Ninevah, which was in the same area. It was was first settled around 8000 years ago, and by 5000 years ago (3000 BCE) was an important urban center. Ancient Iraq was a font of civilization, with writing, art, sciences like astronomy, and bureaucracy. In the 700s BCE Ninevah became the capital of the rising Assyrian Empire under Sennacherib (d. 681 BCE), which invaded Babylon and Palestine. It became a magnificent metropolis in that century. It was to Ninevah that the biblical prophet Jonah was sent, to denounce its big city sins (he at first thought that this was a very bad idea and tried to sail to Tarshish, in the opposite direction, to get away from this divinely commanded task, hence his encounter with the whale). Ninevah was conquered by the Neo-Babylonians and Iranians in in 612 BCE, and was reduced in importance thereafter in the ancient world. Sargon of Akkad, 3rd millennium BCE 3. Mosul was incorporated into the early Muslim empire from the 600s CE, and was ruled by the Umayyads and Abbasids. It was a center for Arabic music, with the compositions of one of its famous performers, Zaryab, being a favorite all over the Arab world as far as Muslim Spain. The muwashahat form of bilingual lyrics were influenced by Syriac Christian church music. (Christians formed a significant population in Muslim-ruled Mosul). Mosul was a power base for the eleventh and twelfth centuries, CE, medieval state of the Atabegs, founded by Nur al-Din Zangi. It fought with the Crusaders but couldnt take back Palestine (that was left to the Ayyubid Salahuddin). I pointed out after the fall of Mosul to Daesh in summer of 2014 that the Daesh caliphate had an interesting geographical resemblance to the Zangid state, which also held both Mosul and Aleppo but not Damascus. 4. Mosul was on a major world trade artery from the Indian Ocean up the Persian Gulf and the Tigris river valley to Syrias Aleppo and thence the Mediterranean at Lebanons Tripoli or at Alexandretta. Historian Peter Sluglett says that in the second half of the 1500s when the Portuguese came to control the Indian Ocean, overland trade routes from India via Afghanistan and Iran revived. Caravans would come down to Safavid Baghdad via Kermanshah and then wend their way north to Ottoman Mosul and then Aleppo. The caravans carried pepper, Yazdi and Indian cotton cloth, and Iranian silk. Gallnuts were used for dyeing cloth, and Mosul sent 12,000 camel loads of gallnuts to Aleppo and thence to Europe every year in the early 1600s. 5. After World War I, it wasnt clear which of the countries emerging out of the collapsed Ottoman Empire would get Mosul. At that time it had some petroleum, which spurred the competition. But it also had a mixed populations, with some Turkmen and Kurds along with the majority Sunni Arabs. Independent, republican Turkey would have liked to have Mosul. The French, who conquered Syria, wanted it. And the British wanted to append it to Iraq. The League of Nations even did a survey about Moslawi identity and found the city diverse and multilingual and cosmopolitan. Britain managed to convince the French to give it to Londons new colony, Iraq, and succeeded in making an argument to the League of Nations that Baghdad needed Mosul economically to be viable. 6. In 1939, Iraqs King Ghazi died in an auto accident. Whether it was actually an accident or whether it was an assassination remains controversial. At that time, Iraqi crowds believed that British secret agents had arranged the accident. When the British consul in Mosul, Consul, George Monck-Mason, came out to try to explain that his country was not responsible, the crowd turned ugly and an assassin killed the consul. Mosul was a hotbed of Arab nationalism, and this incident was not an isolated one. Not only had Britain ruled Iraq, and Mosul, in a brutal colonial manner, depending in part on massive and routine bombing raids, it was involved in giving away the Mandate of Palestine with its over 1 million Palestinians to Jewish settlers. Many Palestinian teachers who could not or would not work in British Palestine went to Mosul to get jobs in the schools, and influenced their students. The consuls death thus was a symptom of popular anger about British hegemony in Iraq and the region. 19 years later, in 1958, a popular revolution in conjunction with a young officers coup ended British influence in Iraq, with the British-installed prime minister killed and dragged through the streets. 7. In recent decades, Mosul residents went from Baath Party rule (1968-2003) under an Arab nationalist, secular, socialist one-party state dominated by Sunni Arabs to American occupation (2003-2011) to rule by the Shiite-dominated government of Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad. Then in 2014 the far right fundamentalists of Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) took over. These changes would make anyones head spin. Recent rulers of Ninewah Province, of which Mosul is the capital include: 1979-2003: Appointees of Saddam Hussein of the Baath Party. 2003-2004 Gen. David Petraeus (w/ Ghanim Sultan al-Basso). 2004 Osama Kashmoula 2004-2009 Duraid Kashmoula 2009 Atheel al-Nujaifi (Sunni Arab nationalist) 2014 Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of ISIL (Dr. Ibrahim al-Samarrai) hard line Muslim fundamentalist - related video: PBS Newshour: Why capturing Mosul is a critical step toward defeating ISIS JURIST Guest Columnist Fahira Brodlija of University of Pittsburgh School of Law, LLM Class of 2017, discusses the recent referendum and court decisions regarding Republic Srpska The specific constitutional framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) and the governmental structure which arises out of it has provided for a constant need for a balancing act in day-to-day politics. Considering the fact that each legislative and executive decision at the state and entity level must be in accordance with the interest of all three constituent peoples (Bosniacs, Serbs and Croats), the decision making process can be slow and inefficient. When the element of intentional obstruction is brought into the equation, then the results on the overall socio-political balance in the country can be devastating. Power struggles and gridlock are not a foreign factor in the politics of BH, and their effects have significantly slowed down the process of the accession and integration of BH into the European Union. The question then becomes whether the mechanisms in place for the protection of each constituent people within the country are permanently preventing the initiation of attempts for the more progressive approach in the mutual interest of the entire country and all its citizens? It seems that fragmented regulation and scrutiny of the same issues at the state and entity levels have lead to the decrease of adherence to the constitutional powers delegated to the state government bodies. A clear example of this effect is the Referendum held in Republika Srpska (RS) at the entity level. This event has caused uproar both at the domestic and international level. Namely, after the legislature of RS had declared January 9th as the Day of Republika Srpska, this declaration was brought before the constitutional court of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Bosniac member of the tripartite Presidency (the state executive branch) for judicial review. The constitutional court has declared the decision unconstitutional. The reasoning was the lack of consent by representatives of the other two constituent peoples in RS to such a decision. The President of Republika Srpska immediately made it clear that this decision of the Constitutional court is unacceptable and that it will not deter his commitment to proceeding with the initial decision. Following the statements, the referendum of September 25, 2016 was announced. The constitutional court responded by issuing an order to discontinue the implementation of the referendum on this issue. However, the referendum took place regardless of the decision and order of the constitutional court. This was the first referendum held on the territory of BH in its post-Dayton history. According to the results from 71 percent of the counted votes, 99.79 percent of the votes were in favor of the holiday. The turnout was estimated at between 59 and 60 percent of 1,219,399 registered voters. Officials in the RS stated they were satisfied that the voting went peacefully, while RS President Milorad Dodik stated that the referendum would become historic. The State Prosecutorial Office has since summoned Dodik for questioning in relation to his disregard of the decision of the constitutional court of BH. The reaction of the international community was vocal in its opposition to the referendum itself, declaring it illegal. Most prominently, the US State Department issued a statement calling upon all parties in BH to cease divisive activities and to focus on pressing socio-economic matters. The US also guaranteed support to the local government in holding the RS accountable for undermining the rule of law. The long-term impact and influence of the referendum are yet to be seen since the question of the interest of one constituent people was sought to be resolved in a way which undermines the authority of the highest court of the country. Such acts can be extremely harmful for the integrity and balance of powers within the country itself. From the perspective of the EU and its authorities, this can be another indicator of the internal instability of the country which could further delay its path to becoming a EU member state. Fahira Brodlija is a current LLM student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and graduated from the Sarajevo Faculty of Law in June 2016. Her main fields of interest are international arbitration and commercial law which she developed through the International Vis Moot competition in Vienna where she was involved both as a participant and coach. She is also involved in the NGO sector as a member of the Association Arbitri Suggested citation: Fahira Brodlija, Referendum in Republika Srpska Held Despite the Decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, JURIST Dateline, October 10, 2016, This article was prepared for publication by Alix Ware, an assistant Editor for JURIST Commentary. Please direct any questions or comments to her at commentary@jurist.org JURIST contributing editor Allen Rostron of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law discusses new gun laws enacted in Missouri and proposed in Pennsylvania and how they reflect an insatiable appetite for enacting pro-gun legislation even when gun rights are well secured under existing laws While gun control remains a bitterly divisive issue, there can be little doubt as to which side of the debate has had the upper hand in recent years. The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of gun rights advocates arguments about the Second Amendment in the Heller [PDF] and McDonald [PDF] cases. Attempts to enact even modest new restrictions on guns have repeatedly failed in Congress, even after a seemingly endless series of horrific shooting incidents at places like Virginia Tech, Tucson, Aurora, Newtown, San Bernardino, and Orlando. From a political standpoint, the conventional wisdom has been that supporting gun control is more likely to hurt than help a candidate. With Congress deadlocked on gun issues, attention has turned to the state level [PDF]. While legislatures in a few states such as California, Connecticut, Maryland, and New York have enacted new gun control laws, legislatures in many other states have gone the other way and passed laws making it easier to acquire and carry guns. In some of these states, lawmakers have begun to go to extreme lengths in their efforts to prove their devotion to gun rights and to curry favor with gun enthusiasts and organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA). A striking example is Missouri, where lawmakers recently overrode the governors veto and passed a measure [PDF] further weakening the states lenient gun laws. Missouri already had laws that permitted people to carry concealed guns. To obtain a permit, a person had to successfully complete an eight-hour training course, a measure ensuring that those licensed to carry concealed guns had some minimal degree of knowledge about and experience with safe handling and use of firearms, as well as the laws relating to firearms and justifiable use of force. As of January 1, 2017, permits will no longer be required for carrying concealed guns in Missouri. In passing this measure, Missouri legislators wiped away the limited amount of discretion that county sheriffs in the state previously had to deny a concealed carry permit when they had particular reasons to think an individual applying for a permit could not be trusted to safely carry a firearm. As one sheriff explained, I could refuse a permit for somebody who has had frequent contact with the law, or who is a suicide threat. Now that person will be able to carry a concealed weapon, and that concerns me. The Missouri enactment was a solution in search of a problem. The right to carry a handgun was already well protected in Missouri, and a survey [PDF] found that less than twenty percent of the states residents favored elimination of the permit requirement. Even in households where people own guns and carry them concealed, the vast majority of survey respondents were satisfied with the states existing laws and opposed to allowing concealed carry without a permit. The Missouri legislature nevertheless defied that strong consensus in order to deliver a victory to the NRA, which declared it a great day for freedom in Missouri. Meanwhile, legislators in Pennsylvania are also looking to deliver a generous gift to the NRA. They want to give organizations like the NRA special standing to sue and recover damages and attorneys fees from local governments in Pennsylvania. Like many other states, Pennsylvania has a law that prohibits local regulation of firearms. The NRA began pushing for the enactment of these preemption laws in the 1980s, realizing gun advocates could use their leverage at the state legislative level to block action by local mayors and city council members who might be inclined to support tighter restrictions on guns. These preemption laws stop decisions and policies about guns from being made at the local level, forfeiting any opportunity for officials closest to the interests of a particular city or county to craft approaches best suited for local needs and concerns. With the preemption law already in place in Pennsylvania, one would think that even the most enthusiastic supporters of gun rights in the Pennsylvania legislature would be satisfied and not feel the need to go further. Pennsylvania lawmakers nevertheless are pushing a bill to ensure that the NRA can bring lawsuits against Pennsylvania cities and counties based on the preemption statute. The bill provides that a person adversely affected by a local law concerning guns can sue to have the local law invalidated, with the relief to include damages and an award of legal costs as well as injunctive or declaratory relief. The bill goes on to say that a person adversely affected by a local gun regulation would include not just an individual gun owner in Pennsylvania, but also any membership organization to which a Pennsylvania gun owner might belong. The NRA has been frustrated in past attempts to bring suits under the Pennsylvania preemption law, and the bill to bestow standing on membership organizations is clearly drafted with the NRA in mind. But opponents of the bill have noted that all sorts of other organizations could take advantage of the special standing created by the bill. As the bills critics pointed out in committee debate, the bill would give standing for lawsuits against Pennsylvania cities by domestic hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan or even foreign entities like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), provided those organizations could show they had at least one member who lived in Pennsylvania and legally possessed a firearm. A similar measure, giving standing to membership organizations in firearm cases, was enacted in Pennsylvania in 2014. It passed after being inserted into an unrelated and uncontroversial bill creating criminal penalties for theft of metals like copper pipes or wiring. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania unanimously held that enacting the provision about standing for firearm preemption lawsuits in that manner violated the states constitutional requirement that bills must have a single subject. That setback has not deterred the Pennsylvania legislators who want to give the NRA standing to sue the states local governments. Although Pennsylvanias governor opposes the legislation, the bills proponents are optimistic about passing the bill with a veto-proof majority. Many plausible arguments can be made on both sides of the gun debate. If the policy issues surrounding firearms had easy, obvious answers in one direction or the other, they would not be so controversial. I worry, however, that legislators may be tempted to keep pushing continuously for enactment of additional pro-gun legislation merely to establish and re-affirm their commitment to the issue. Even when current laws put no undue burden of any sort on any gun owners rights, legislators will still have political incentives to impress the NRA and its most ardent members with their devotion to the cause by coming up with some new measure to pursue in the name of advancing firearm rights. Legislators will essentially entrench themselves in the business of enacting more laws to weaken gun controls and strengthen gun rights, regardless of whether anyone really thinks the changes are needed. As the recent actions of lawmakers in Missouri and Pennsylvania have shown, the results will be unfortunate, with legislatures overreaching to advance an agenda rather than being content with current laws under which gun rights are already quite well protected. Allen Rostron is Associate Dean for Students and the William R. Jacques Constitutional Law Scholar and Professor of Law at the University of MissouriKansas City School of Law and a former senior staff attorney for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Suggested citation: Allen Rostron Legislative Overreach on Gun Rights, JURIST Academic Commentary, October 15, 2016, http://jurist.org/forum/2016/11/allen-rostron-legislative-overreach-on-gun-rights.php. This article was prepared for publication by Elizabeth Dennis, an Assistant Editor for JURIST Commentary. Please direct any questions or comments to her at commentary@jurist.org. [JURIST] Several conservation groups on Monday filed a lawsuit [complaint, PDF] against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accusing the agency of violating environmental law by neglecting the effects of unregulated immigration. The plaintiffs include public interest groups across the nation such as the Scientists and Environmentalists for Population Stabilization (SEPS) and the Floridians for a Sustainable Population (FSP) [advocacy websites]. The complaint, filed through the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) [advocacy website], states that all government agencies are required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) [text, PDF] to consider, analyze and publicize the possible environmental impact of their actions. The complaint then alleges that the DHS has ignored this federal obligation by not assessing the environmental effects of population destabilization created by uncontrolled legal and illegal immigration. It is further alleged that the DHSs adopted NEPA procedures are arbitrary and capricious and therefore violate the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) [materials]. The plaintiffs specifically reference [Daily Caller report] 32 of the DHSs agency actions and request that the US District Court for the Southern District of California [official website] acknowledge the DHSs violations and grant injunction. US immigration law [JURIST backgrounder] continues to be a controversial and heavily politicized area of law at both the state and federal levels. Earlier this month the US Supreme Court [official website] denied a petition to rehear United States v. Texas [SCOTUSblog materials], further stalling implementation of the Obama administrations immigration policy. In November 2014 a judge for the US District Court for the District of Arizona [official website] struck down [JURIST report] an Arizona law that made smuggling immigrants a state crime because it conflicts with federal laws governing immigration. In August 2013 the Obama administration released [JURIST report] a policy directive known as the Family Interest Directive, emphasizing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents should apply prosecutorial discretion towards undocumented immigrant parents of minors to limit detaining parents and to safeguard their parental rights. In June 2013 the US Senate approved [JURIST report] a bill which would create new pathways to US citizenship for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants now living in the US. That bill was subsequently not approved by the House. The Egyptian Parliament [official website, in Arabic] on Monday voted to enact new legislation [press release, in Arabic] aimed at combating the growing number of human traffickers along its coast. Smugglers and their middlemen will now face prison terms or fines [Reuters report], and the law also penalizes anyone who aides trafficked migrants during their journey. However, the law also provides health, legal and economic assistance to migrants. The bill passed with a two-thirds majority in the legislature. Syrian refugees and other migrants en route to Europe are especially vulnerable [DOJ report] to becoming trafficking victims. Earlier this year, the US government recommended that Egypt increase investigations and prosecutions of human smugglers. Human trafficking [JURIST op-ed] is one of the most controversial issues affecting the international community. In February UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed [JURIST report] that increased funding and international cooperation are needed to successfully combat human trafficking. With a vote of 14 in favor, the UN Security Council last October introduced [press release] a resolution to allow the EU to inspect and seize vehicles suspected of smuggling migrants. Authorized under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the resolution permits certain nations to board ships in order to prevent human trafficking [JURIST report]. US Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced in 2015 that the Department of Justice will fund [JURIST report] a $44 million grant to fight human trafficking. Last year, Human Rights Watch called on the government of Thailand to authorize a UN-assisted inquiry [JURIST report] into human trafficking in the country. International experts also urged [JURIST report] the Malaysian government to make improvements to its efforts to combat human trafficking that same year. [JURIST] Mohamedou Ould Slahi, author of the 2015 Guantanamo Diary memoir, was released [press release] from Guantanamo Bay on Monday after 14 years of imprisonment. He was transferred back to his native Mauritania, bringing Guantanamo Bays population down to 60 inmates. Slahi was never charged [Guardian report] with an offense during his time in confinement. His handwritten memoir [website], accounting his experiences in Guantanamo Bay, sparked outrage over the prisons use of torture. Last month the US House of Representatives approved [JURIST report] a bill [text, PDF] that would temporarily block the transfer of detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. In August Vice President Joe Biden stated at a press conference in Sweden that he hopes and expects [JURIST report] that the Guantanamo prison will be closed before Obama leaves office. Also in August the US Department of Defense announced the transfer [JURIST report] of 15 Guantanamo detainees to the United Arab Emirates. Earlier in August a US Senator released a Pentagon Report [JURIST report] detailing the profiles of those currently detained in and recently released from the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) concluded that closing the facility would not be in the US best interests and would pose a safety risk. White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told Fox News in January that Obama intends to fulfill [JURIST report] his promise to close the Guantanamo detention facility before leaving office. Last November the US Senate passed [JURIST report] the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (NDAA), which prohibits Guantanamo detainees from being transferred into the US. Obama signed the bill into law, despite the fact that it could delay his plan to close the prison. [JURIST] A delegation from the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] traveled [press release] Sunday to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to initiate a five-day plan to discourage violent protests ignited by the nations postponed election. The DRCs electoral commission [official website] announced [JURIST report] earlier this month that the election would be moved from November to late 2018 to properly address voter registration issues. Violent protests soon erupted in the capital as citizens began accusing President Joseph Kabila [BBC profile] of conspiring to extend his term in office. The prosecutors hope to raise awareness [Reuters report] that the ICC may hold citizens accountable for their recent violent crimes. They intend to communicate their message by meeting with national officials and politicians as well as citizens and the press. 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. NEWSLETTER Sign up Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive. Just Auto Daily News The top stories of the day delivered to you every weekday. Just Auto Weekly News A weekly roundup of the latest news and analysis, sent every Monday. Just Auto Magazine The industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered every quarter. NEWSLETTER Sign up Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive. Just Drinks Daily News The top stories of the day delivered to you every weekday. Just Drinks Weekly News A weekly roundup of the latest news and analysis, sent every Monday. Just Drinks Magazine The industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered every quarter Vietnam earned $6.6 billion from exporting seafood last year, according to VASEP. Photo by VGP. Shipments are being sent back due to high levels of antibiotics and heavy metals. South Korea is the latest foreign market to strengthen inspections for banned antibiotics in shipments of shrimp from Vietnam. This is not the first time South Korea has issued warnings about frozen shrimp shipped from Vietnam for violating food hygiene and safety standards. In 2013, South Korean food safety authorities ordered heightened inspections of shrimp imported from Vietnam for a year to ensure that they were not contaminated with ethoxyquin residue, a synthetic antioxidant that is not approved for use as a direct food additive fit for human consumption. Similar warnings from other key export markets such as Japan have become more frequent. The past 30 percent of shipments of shrimp exported from Vietnam to Japan have been subject to checks for traces of a variety of antibiotics, including chloramphenical, an antibiotic sometimes used by Vietnamese shrimp farmers to kill bacteria and promote growth in their profitable crops. According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), most of Vietnams largest export markets are looking closely at Vietnamese shrimp for antibiotic residue above the permitted levels. VASEP has also asked local seafood exporters to tighten quality checks on their exports after the European Union returned 11 shipments to Vietnam in the past nine months due to high levels of heavy metals. The European Commission Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed said the shipments were contaminated with mercury and cadmium. The number of shipments rejected by the E.U. from January to September was 2.2 times higher than the whole of 2015, said the Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department, adding that exporters must monitor seafood from the four central provinces affected by the toxic discharge caused by Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Group in April. Vietnamese trade commissions in the E.U., Japan, and the United States have received more warnings about seafood shipments containing antibiotic and chemical residues exceeding the permitted level this year. Australia, which has been Vietnams largest shrimp importer in the past five years, has imposed a rule that requires every seafood shipment from Vietnam to be checked for biological toxins and bacteria. Last year, Vietnam earned $6.6 billion from seafood exports. This year, Vietnam has a target to export $8 billion worth of seafood products, but that will be tough to reach as export revenue in the first eight months reached only $4 billion, according to VASEP. Related News: > Drought killing Vietnamese shrimp hits seafood exports > Shrimp farmers going broke due to severe drought > Historic drought ravages Vietnam's shrimp farms Thai food giant Charoen Pokphand Foods has bought a majority stake in UK foodservice supplier Foodfellas. Free Whitepaper What is the impact of historically high inflation on the UK consumer landscape? Inflation in the UK: The Impact of Historically High Inflation on the UK Consumer Landscape, to better understand shifts in consumer behavior and their impact on spending patterns, as well as the implications for UK businesses. This whitepaper covers: Why has global inflation returned with a vengeance? What is the current inflation situation in the UK? What impact is inflation having on UK retail sales? What tactics are businesses relying on to tackle the effects of high inflation? How are consumers changing their behaviors to cope with the higher cost of living? Which industry sectors are most vulnerable to reduced consumer demand? How is the government responding to high inflation? How long will high inflation last in the UK? How can your company survive and thrive in a high inflation environment? Enter your details here to receive your free whitepaper and ready your business for these increasingly uncertain times. The average UK consumer is experiencing a severe cost-of living crisis as inflation surges to a forty-year high and the price of goods continues to rise. This shock is the result of the sharply increasing costs of commodities, energy, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and is threatening FMCG manufacturers, retailers, and foodservice operators ability to survive and grow. Inflation will have a profound effect on many consumer-facing industries in 2022 and beyond. Consult GlobalDatas new whitepaper,, to better understand shifts in consumer behavior and their impact on spending patterns, as well as the implications for UK businesses. This whitepaper covers:Enter your details here to receive your free whitepaper and ready your business for these increasingly uncertain times. by GD50 Custom Enter your details here to receive your free Whitepaper. Please enter a work/business email address Country United Kingdom United States Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of The Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D"ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and Mcdonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People"s Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People"s Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Download free Whitepaper By clicking the Download Free Whitepaper button, you accept the terms and conditions and acknowledge that your data will be used as described in the GD50 Custom privacy policy By downloading this Whitepaper, you acknowledge that we may share your information with our white paper partners/sponsors who may contact you directly with information on their products and services. Visit our privacy policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address. Thank you.Please check your email to download the Whitepaper. The deal, worth GBP12.3m (US$15.1m), has been struck through the companys CP Foods UK arm. Charoen Pokphand Foods has acquired a 60% stake in Foodfellas, a business that imports and distributes food including meat, bread, potatoes and avocados to more than 160 customers in the UK. Charoen Pokphand Foods said yesterday (17 October) the acquisition of a majority stake in Foodfellas will see the Thai business enter the foodservice market in the UK. Foodfellas has extensive experience in the UK foodservice market, with its major customers branded operators in the country with a combined total of restaurants of more than 15,000, the Thai group said. Foodfellas generated revenues of GBP47m in 2015, up from GBP39m a year earlier, according to data provided by Charoen Pokphand Foods. The UK firm posted net profit of GBP2.5m last year, up from GBP1.9m in 2014. Related Companies Groups representing dairy and arable farmers in the US have written a public letter to the head of Dannon, Danones US business, criticising how the company is marketing products made without genetically modified ingredients. The letter stresses modern agricultural practices are required if companies are to realise their goal to reduce the use of natural resources, despite any misleading assertions to the contrary. The group is critical of Dannon for announcing it was taking steps to eliminate genetically-modified ingredients from its supply chain and claiming the move would improve the sustainability of its products. The letter, sent to Dannon CEO Mariano Lozano, said Danones strategy to eliminate GMOs is the exact opposite of the sustainable agriculture that you claim to be seeking. The letter read: Your pledge would force farmers to abandon safe, sustainable farming practices that have enhanced farm productivity over the last 20 years while greatly reducing the carbon footprint of American agriculture. Signatories to the letter include the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Soybean Association, the American Sugarbeet Growers Association, the National Corn Growers Association, the National Milk Producers Federation and the US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. In July, Dannon launched its first ranges of non-GMO yogurts in the US under the Dannon, Oikos and Danimals brands, with plans to develop its non-GMO products over time. However, the the companys labelling policy was dismissed as marketing puffery by Randy Mooney, a dairy farmer from Rogersville, Missouri and chairman of the National Milk Producers Federation. This is just marketing puffery, not any true innovation that improves the actual product offered to consumers, Mooney said. Whats worse is that removing GMOs from the equation is harmful to the environment the opposite of what these companies claim to be attempting to achieve. In response to the letter, Dannon said it had earned its leadership of the US yogurt market through the variety of products it makes and the integrity with which we make them. The company said it was surprised to receive a divisive and misinformed letter about our efforts to continue to grow Americas enjoyment of dairy products, including yogurt. Dannon said it believes the currently-approved GMOs are safe and says sustainable agricultural practices can be achieved with or without the use of GMOs. However, Dannon said there is a growing consumer preference for non-GMO ingredients and food in the US and insisted: We want to use the strong relationships we have with our farmer partners to provide products that address this consumer demand. Dannon said it had committed to be transparent with American shoppers about which products include GMO ingredients and which dont. The company added it was ahead of schedule on its labelling programme and would be in a position to label on-pack the presence of GMO ingredients by the end of 2016. We believe strongly that the unparalleled range of choice that Danones US affiliates provide, from organic, to non-GMO ingredients, and to conventional dairy is a reason to celebrate rather than criticise, Lozano said. Kraft Heinz has called on UK grocers to remember the importance of innovation in growing sales as they re-set their ranges, moves they believe will make the shopping trip simpler and help alleviate the competitive threat of discounters Aldi and Lidl. Free Report Spot leading innovative companies with GlobalDatas Innovation Scorecard Innovation Scorecard. This scorecard will allow clients to rank 3,500+ companies on their innovation activity, impact, and disruptive potential across geography, sector, and theme. The scorecard provides a data-driven framework to rank leading companies on the potential of their intellectual property (IP) portfolio. GlobalDatas Innovation Scorecard focuses not only on the activity of innovation in the organization but also on its impact and disruptive potential using the 3I framework: Intensity, Impact, and Ingenuity. The tool helps clients to identify the most innovative companies that are disruptive leaders and challengers and can create alpha for their portfolio using the insights driven by 19+ high-value KPIs. Download our report to find out more about this innovative tool. Key findings derived from this tool include: Alphabet, Tencent, and Qualcomm are the top three innovative companies in the last 10 years The scorecard finds Technology & Communications and Pharma & Healthcare as the two main sectors driving innovation Loreal placed as Disruptive Leader in the Consumer sector, while Revlon has been identified as a traditional laggard Companies such as Etsy and H&M are challenging retail Disruptive Leaders Amazon and Walmart Innovation remains a necessity in a disruptive ecosystem, as continuous innovation allows companies to adapt, evolve, and grow through disruption. Using our in-house alternative datasets, we are excited to launch GlobalDatasThis scorecard will allow clients to rank 3,500+ companies on their innovation activity, impact, and disruptive potential across geography, sector, and theme. The scorecard provides a data-driven framework to rank leading companies on the potential of their intellectual property (IP) portfolio. GlobalDatas Innovation Scorecard focuses not only on the activity of innovation in the organization but also on its impact and disruptive potential using the: Intensity, Impact, and Ingenuity. The tool helps clients to identify the most innovative companies that are disruptive leaders and challengers and can create alpha for their portfolio using the insights driven by 19+ high-value KPIs. Download our report to find out more about this innovative tool. Key findings derived from this tool include: by GlobalData Enter your details here to receive your free Report. Please enter a work/business email address Country United Kingdom United States Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of The Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D"ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and Mcdonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People"s Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People"s Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Download free Report By clicking the Download Free Report button, you accept the terms and conditions and acknowledge that your data will be used as described in the GlobalData privacy policy By downloading this Report, you acknowledge that we may share your information with our white paper partners/sponsors who may contact you directly with information on their products and services. Visit our privacy policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address. Thank you.Please check your email to download the Report. Matt Hill, the president of Kraft Heinzs European business, said today (18 October) innovation was the lifeblood of categories and was vital to meet the emerging needs of consumers including increasing demand for healthier products or more convenience. However, Hill argued the recent and ongoing cuts UK grocers were making to their ranges meant they were focusing more on improving the efficiency of a shopping trip and missing the benefits of innovation. My request to retailers is not lose focus on innovation in the huge drive for efficiency thats going on at the moment, Hill told an industry summit held by UK research organisation the IGD in London. Efficiency and innovation can and must co-exist if we are to grow our categories for the long term. In the last 18 months, UK retailers including Tesco and Asda have conducted significant reviews of the ranges they sell in-store as part of their attempts to win back consumers from Aldi and Lidl and grow sales. Hill said such moves, as well as other initiatives by retailers to change the way products are merchandised in-store, meant it is a tough time for innovators. Retailers have radically reviewed displays in-store in an effort to reduce what CEO termed as clutter, Hill said. There is a balance between efficiency, clarity in-store and corporate identity and creativity thats going to engage, excite and inspire and generate impulse. Our challenge is to create real theatre, helping to interrupt the autopilot. There is a danger that in the drive for in-store efficiency and strict corporate merchandising policies creativity suffocates. I understand completely from the retail side as we are doing ourselves as a manufacturer. However, creativity sells. There has to be a place in-store for engaging creativity, breaking the autopilot, surprise, delight and create impulse. Thats what brands and innovation are all about. We have to bring more of that back to the in-store environment. Hill added: The moment were in, with quite a fundamental re-set going on in a lot of the major retailers around efficiency and simplification, means innovation I dont think has the level of focus it perhaps deserves. Hill insisted Kraft Heinz had a very good success rate of introducing new products. He said the beans-to-soup business was looking to work with retailers earlier in its innovation process in a bid to make it more likely its new products would be listed and stick in ranges. Hill pointed to a recent visit Sainsburys made to Kraft Heinzs innovation centre in the Dutch town of Nijmegen. Were trying to work further out and earlier and more collaboratively. Bringing customers to our innovation centre to Nijmegen, Sainsburys were there with us earlier this week, to work much earlier in the funnel, to engage them in the execution of our innovation to make sure that firstly theres good buy-in and that were also starting to build in more the views of retailers in how we execute. In a message to the members of the audience who worked for manufacturers, Hill alluded to Kraft Heinzs global product development strategy of investing behind what the US company calls big bets, or, in other words, launch fewer but bigger new products across its markets. As brand owners, we need to adapt to this new reality, Hill said. My advice is simple: be more selective. Place fewer, bigger bets. Proactively prune our own ranges before our customers do that for us. And bring novelties that truly add value for our customers. Related Companies A search and rescue mission is under way for the two pilot trainees and their teacher. A Vietnamese helicopter is believed to have crashed on Tuesday morning, shortly after it took off in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau for a training session. Nguyen Nhat, deputy transport minister, told VnExpress that the crash of the EC130 happened at around 8:30 a.m. The crash site is believed to be Dinh Mountain in Tan Thanh District, around 80 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. A search and rescue mission is under way for the two pilot trainees and their teacher. The Eurocopter EC130 is a single engine light helicopter originally launched and produced by the Eurocopter Group, now Airbus Helicopters. The model has various safety features, including flight data recorders and crash-worthy seats. The safety record of Vietnams civilian aviation sector is generally good, but over the past years there have been several incidents involving military aircraft. In late August, a Czechoslovakia-era jet training aircraft crashed into a paddy field on the fringes of the central province of Phu Yen, killing one pilot and critically injuring one passer-by on the ground. Last June, Vietnam's Air Defense suffered a double loss in one week. On June 14, a Su-30MK2 Vietnamese fighter crashed off the central province of Nghe An. Only one of the two pilots made it out alive. Two days later, a CASA-212-40 with nine people on board went missing while searching for the Su-30MK2. In January 2015, four people were killed when a Vietnamese military helicopter, a UH-1 and known as a Huey, crashed minutes after it set off from Ho Chi Minh City, an army official told AFP. In July 2014, 19 people died and two others were injured when a Russian-made Mi-171 chopper crashed in Hanoi during a training exercise. In 2008, five Vietnamese air force officers were killed when their twin-engine light transport aircraft crashed on the outskirts of Hanoi, according to AFP. Related news: > CASA 212 crew member found dead at crash site > Su-30 fighter and CASA-212 rescuer: the tragedy explained A baby girl with microcephaly in Dak Lak Province in central Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress Doctors are awaiting test results to confirm the cause of the birth defect. A woman who tested positive for the Zika virus has given birth to a baby with an abnormally small head. Doctors are monitoring the four-month-old girl and her mother in the Central Highlands' province of Dak Lak. The hospital has already sent lab samples to Japans Nagasaki University for testing. Tran Dac Phu, director of the preventive health department at the Ministry of Health, said the final test results will determine if the virus caused the birth defect. The 23-year-old mother, a member of the E De ethnic minority, began suffering rashes and high fever during the second and third trimesters of her pregnancy; she was not screened for the virus. Five consecutive tests conducted on the mother came back positive for the Zika virus, Vietnamese doctors said during a meeting with experts from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Hanoi on Monday. The CDC has reccommended that women wait at least eight weeks after a possible exposure to the Zika virus before becoming pregnant; men should wait six months. Microcephaly in newborns can be caused by myriad complications, including the rubella virus, the bacterium that causes Syphilis, poisoning and poor nutrition. The birth defect appears in 1-10 percent of babies whose mothers contract the Zika virus during the first trimester. Thailand reported two cases of microcephaly related to the virus in late September, representing the first cases in Southeast Asia. Phu, of the ministry of health, said populations of the Aedes aegypti mosquito (a vector species for the Zika virus that also carries dengue and yellow fever) has increased significantly in the Central Highlands in recent months. The virus can attack pregnant women and microcephaly cases will be inevitable, Thanh Nien newspaper quoted Phu as saying. A study conducted by Vietnams National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology between March 2015 and May 2016 discovered Zika virus in 56 of 23,682 Aedes aegypti sample mosquitoes (0.24 percent) collected in Nha Trang, the tourist hub of Khanh Hoa Province. Vietnam has reported seven Zika infections, including four in Ho Chi Minh City. The other cases were reported in Binh Duong, Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen Provinces. According to the World Health Organization and the CDC, the Zika virus is circulating in at least 60 countries. There have been more than 2,000 babies born with Zika-related microcephaly or other birth defects around the world, according to the latest WHO report. Brazil has more than 1,800 confirmed cases of Zika-related microcephaly; the U.S. has reported 23. Related news: > Zika virus mosquitoes detected in central Vietnam > Vietnam on high alert as HCMC reports 2 new Zika cases > Zika virus threatens to spread to northern Vietnam Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com The concept of grapes and winemaking was little known in Chile before Spanish conquistadors invaded during the 1500s, planting Pais vines which are now considered the countrys national grape. At the time, Pais, also known as mission grapes, fed a growing need for sacramental wine used during Catholic masses. It was only a matter of time before winemaking expanded into general consumption, but world class production didn't happen until the mid-19th century, roughly 20 years before phylloxera ravaged most of Europe. Wealthy Chileans boosted by the country's economic boom at the time frequently traveled on business to Europe where they discovered excellent wines and the well-established vineyards behind their production. Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com Confident they could replicate what they saw upon returning to Chile, these pioneers planted their newly-acquired vine cuttings and got busy in the vineyards utilizing more advanced growing techniques. Chile offers a broad spectrum of wines produced in eight different regions across 600 miles of vastly-diverse terroir ranging from coastal highlands to craggy Andean plateaus 13,000 feet above sea level. Over time, many imported vines like Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc were cultivated next to indigenous varieties like Carmenere eventually intertwining to produce hybrid varieties with their own unique set of genetic sequences. The beginning of the 1980s witnessed another key milestone in Chilean wine history. Spanish producer Miguel Torres modernized viniculture production to include stainless steel tanks and French oak which in turn boosted production and exports. The downside was that Pais was sidelined for cheaper, bulk wine production. Many of the old vineyards were abandoned for more in-demand international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com But today, many Chilean wines thankfully benefit from a diversity of revived and preserved locally-grown indigenous grapes as well as European varieties. Much of this is made possible by winemakers and agronomists working together to adopt the latest soil cultivation methods for successfully growing in areas previously off limits such as the Andes' harsher, but more rewarding highlands, and along nearly inaccessible coastal ridges. A very distinct deep berry undertones refines the tannins with Erasmo Unfiltered Red Wine, 2010 Maule Valley that exposes a delicate peppery tinge. It then mellows out to eucalyptus and plum with caramelized vanilla spice on the nose. Rich on the palate with a long lasting melange of spicy blackberries and plum, this wine offers bright clean flavor bursts across the mouth making for an astringent finish. If youre in the market for a great Chilean wine, here are a few recommended selections. Odfjell Armador Sauvignon Blanc, 2015 Casablanca Valley is a lively wine that can't be put down. It offers a distinctive jaminess on the bouquet while on the palate, stone fruit underlies a spicy pineapple puree that's clean and light with a slightly smoky patina. It has a strong lingering finish with spicy hints of pear and honeyed citrus the crown the entire flavor experience. Photo Credit: Steve Mirsky A dry oaky impact, Vina Errazuriz MAX Chardonnay Reserva, 2015 Aconcagua Costa initially tickles the palate, but a rich deep grape ultimately pulls through with a clean, bright, and refreshing full, thirst-quenching bite. It is light and fruity with a brief yeasty flourish and then exudes a deeper personality of sharply-punctuated fresh spring greens that then rapidly recede to a palate-cleansing definitive minerality made all the more distinctive with a refined fruitiness. Autoritas Pinot Noir, 2015 Valle Centrals name is rooted in the Latin word Auctoritas, which translates into prestige and respect. And you certainly get that with a fine bite of cedar on the nose receding to a well-balanced minerality and sweet grape tempered with bramble berry and honeyed spice. This fiery red gives a burst of heat with lingering warmth on the palate. Chocolate is once again a divine pairing with a full-bodied mouth feel of silky spice and plum with soft ripe tannins. Photo Credit: Steve Mirsky Boya Pinot Noir, 2014 Leyda Valley gives off wiffs of sweet honeysuckle on the nose with a distinctly mellow yet dry mouth feel, with hints of cloves, making it an excellent choice for cheese and chocolate pairings. Mayu Carmenere-Syrah, 2014 Elqui Valley offers a fiery burst that gives way to regal rich berry, high notes of spicy sweetness that carry over to a dry more reserved mouth feel. From a 5th generation estate winery in the Colchagua Valley, Casa Silva Los Lingues Cabernet Sauvignon, 2014 Colchagua Valley initially exudes brambleberry that comes on strong but then mellows out into spiced plum with hints of cherry. Tannins are aggressive but not overpowering, giving it the vigor of a younger wine that seems to have plenty of potential for aging. It has enough commanding astringency to power through steaks, BBQ, and chocolate pairings. Overall, its a well-balanced and refined high octane palate pleaser. A strong start by Juventus saw Gonzalo Higuain belt a left-footed effort from distance just over the crossbar before Leonardo Bonucci had a close-range effort blocked unwittingly by Sami Khedira, with Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes most likely beaten. The Bianconeri overcame the challenge of playing the final 40 minutes against Lyon with 10 men to seal a dramatic win in France thanks to Juan Cuadrados wonderful strike in the 76th minute, which keep Juventus top of Group H after three Champions League games this season. In the 35th minute, Juve had their iconic captain Gianluigi Buffon to thank in keeping the scores level with a heart-stopping save from Alexandre Lacazettes penalty. There was little wrong with the French strikers spot-kick, but Buffon dived low to his left to thwart the frontman in front of the disbelieving home supporters. The visitors would have their chances too to take a lead into the interval, Lopes saving Higuains bullet header before an unmarked Bonucci nodded wide of the target moments before first-half injury-time. The hosts came out more strongly after the break and Buffon would again be called into heroic action on 49 minutes, when he tipped Nabil Fekirs deflected effort over the bar with just a split-second to read the balls notable change of direction as it glanced off Bonucci. And Juves number one would cap off a simply extraordinary display between the sticks on 70 minutes, blocking Corentin Tolissos header from point-blank range on the line. The Bianconeri had suffered a significant setback when reduced to ten men in only the 53rd minute, Mario Lemina receiving his second yellow card of the night, but, buoyed by the brilliance of Buffon, they built up confidence and belief that they could snatch victory late on which is precisely what they did. Brought on for Paulo Dybala in the 69th minute, Cuadrado was celebrating a wonderful winning goal just seven minutes later, the Colombian skillfully slaloming past Lyons left-back before rifling in from the acutest of angles to send Juves away fans into frenzy. A Vietnamese woman, wearing the traditional ao dai long dress, poses for photos along peach blossom flowers ahead of the Vietnamese Tet (Lunar New Year), in a field in Hanoi, Vietnam, February 2, 2016. Photo by Reuters/Kham State employees could for the first time have 10 days off for the Tet holiday. The labor ministry has proposed two options that could for the first time grant state employees 10 days off for the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. Under the first option, government offices and state-owned companies will close for seven days from January 26 to February 1. The longer 10-day option would start on January 27, the last day of the current Lunar New Year, and end on February 5. However, under this option offices will have to stay open on Saturday, February 11 to make up for the day off on Friday, February 3. Schools and other businesses in the country usually follow the same break as government offices. The upcoming Year of the Rooster will peak on January 28, and is the biggest holiday in Vietnam. The government approved a 9-day break last year. If a 10-day break goes through this year, it would be the longest in years, but some are not thrilled by the idea. Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper, under the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, said many people are worried they won't have enough time to prepare for the festival if they are only allowed to leave work the day before the new year. In previous years, the holiday break started three to four days prior to New Year's Day. The festival is a time for family reunions in Vietnam and is usually a time for migrant workers to travel home before the Lunar New Year Eve. Ho Hai Quan, who works with his wife in Hanoi, said he was shocked at the possibility of the record-long break. Quan said he is worried that there will not be enough time for him to travel home to Nghe An Province, which is 290 kilometers to the south of Hanoi. Le Nho Luong, a labor union chairman at an industrial zone in Binh Duong Province near Ho Chi Minh City, said the 10-day holiday would not help workers. Luong said factory workers, most of them migrants, usually receive their salaries and holiday bonuses on the last working day of the year, which they use to buy tickets and gifts to travel home. If the workers have to work too close to the holiday, they wont be able to focus and wont be productive, he told Lao Dong. Critics of longer Tet breaks argue that a protracted holiday is no longer suitable for the modern economy of a country where the average annual income was $2,100 last year, according to the World Bank. The frenzy of consumerism that has emerged around Tet is not a good thing, they say. The labor ministry has also submitted public holiday plans for the rest of 2017, including two options for the Hung Kings' Festival, the day to commemorate the death of the kings considered to be the founders of Vietnam. The break could be just for a day on Thursday, April 6 (the 10th day of the third lunar calendar month). The other option preferred by the ministry is a four-day break including a weekend, but workers would need to make up for the Friday off on the Saturday the week after. Other public holidays in 2017 include the New Year (December 31, 2016 to January 2, 2017), Reunification Day and Labor Day (April 29 to May 2), and Independence Day (September 2 - 4) If both shorter options for Tet and the Hung Kings' Festival apply, there will be in total 18 days of public holidays in 2017. Under the longer options, that number will go up to 24. Related news: > Vietnam police crack down on drunk drivers ahead of national holiday > Sandy beach turns into landfill site during public holiday An hour into the downpour, the rain showed no signs of letting up. By 6 p.m. the residents of Thanh Da had thrown up dikes and dams throughout their homes to keep the floodwaters at bay. Nhung, a mother of three, said her family's preparation didn't quite pay off. We keep wooden planks and silicon grout on hand to seal the front door," Nhung said. "But water still leaks into the house. Captain Wang Hong Li (left), Commanding Officer of the 23rd Chinese Naval Escort Task Force, smiles as Cambodia's Defense Minister Tea Banh (R) speaks during a meeting at the Ministry of National Defense of Cambodia, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia October 17, 2016. Photo by Reuters/Samrang Pring President Xi also decided to cancel the $89 million in debt to Cambodia. China has agreed to help modernize Cambodia's military, Cambodia's defense minister said on Monday, after the two countries signed new agreements to boost military aid. Cambodia is China's loyal ally in Asia, routinely backing Beijing's position at international forums in a region where China and United States vie for influence. Cambodia has shielded China from criticism by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) over the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea. ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei are in disputes with China over rival claims to the waters. "We signed some protocols with each other in providing supplies in order to modernize our work and as a contribution to strengthen stronger capacity of our national defense," Defense Minister Tea Banh, who returned from an official visit to Beijing over the weekend, told reporters on Monday. His comments follow a visit to Cambodia by Chinese President Xi Jinping last week in which Xi praised the close ties between the two countries. China and Cambodia signed 31 agreements during the visit, including soft loan deals worth around $237 million. The Chinese leader also cancelled around $89 million in debt and pledged another $14 million in military aid to Cambodia. Banh said that Cambodia plans to acquire fighter jets from China in the long term but that the military needs to focus now on strengthening its airspace. Cambodia has had border disputes with neighboring Vietnam and Thailand. A border dispute with Thailand has in recent years resulted in sporadic exchanges of fire. Related news: > ASEAN breaks deadlock on South China Sea, Beijing thanks Cambodia for support > Vietnam, China to build separate energy projects in Cambodia Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said it: There are so many pussies in your presidential campaign, on both sides, that I prefer no to comment about this. Mr. Lavrovs jewel of literary inspiration should go to the anales of historic quotes for not only it is hilarious but it also fits perfectly in the Russian establishments current endeavour: to ridicule, both in their domestic market and abroad, US democracy as a non-serious, roten system, lost in frivolity, lies and immorality, incapable of bringing order and of catering for honest and working people. It is a masterpiece soundbite of apparently unintended mockery -though he may be somewhat right in the substance. Lavrov tried to sound naif and humble, as if his lack of command of the English language did not allow him to fully comprehend what the candidates had actually been talking about, or as he did not posses the ability to express the subtleties of his own thoughts with enough precision or propriety. And, therefore, decided not to comment. Yet, Mr. Lavrov possesses a mastery of English vocabulary likely superior to a vast majority of American native English speakers -years of attending meetings at the UN certainly helped. And he indeed commented, for a statement such as there are so many pussies in your presidential campaign on both sides is as much a politically charged description as an implicit assessment of the situation. He did not forget to clearly extend his observation to the Clinton camp -surely not an accident. The ever present CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour did as if she was trying to hide her laughter at Lavrovs words, but you bet she was enjoying the situation, fully aware that this would become one more in her long list of moments of global glory. In fact, it was her who introduced the word pussy in the conversation (had Lavrov been warned beforehand?), thus appearing in front of her audience as a daring interviewer, yet without trespassing on politically unacceptable territory or vocabulary, as she was paraphrasing others -this is the CNN after all. But she doubtlessly knew the episode would make big waves, and big audience. Maybe Amanpour was expecting an answer exculpatory of Mr. Trump, reflecting both Russian predilection for this candidate and its lack of sensitivity to gender questions, of the type you know, this is just mans talk, not so important. What she got instead was a kind of to us the problem is present not only on Mr. Trumps side but everywhere in the American political spectrum. Yet, the point is that there is a lot of truth in Mr. Lavrovs implicit message: so much talk on personal conduct, lies, emails and so on leaves little room for serious confrontation of views on policies, and on concrete economic, social and political issues, beyond slogans and generic, ideological posturing. The result is a poorly informed electorate left with no alternative than voting with the heart and not the brain. But there is another way of looking at it. Sex is like philosophy: you cannot dedicate too much attention to it with an empty stomach or if you are too afraid about your physical survival. There is a lot of sex in politics in the US. In Russia, there is none. This may be an indicator of what the situation is in each country. As for Mr. Trump, he missed a great opportunity to make further populist pronouncements (that would no doubt bring millions of, mainly masculine, votes) such as no immigrant will grab our American pussies or something of the like. We, in Europe, would have looked with envy to our American friends as our boring political leaders would never walk that path. You are here: Home News KEARNEY Jerry Ingram had high hopes for adventure aboard a battleship, cruiser or maybe an aircraft carrier when he joined the U.S. Navy in December 1951 during the Korean War. Describing himself as a less-than-enthusiastic student who didnt know what he wanted to do after his May 1950 graduation from Franklin High School and a year at Kearney State Teachers College, he said, I wanted to see the world, I guess. After military service, Ingram finished college and taught at Overton, Ogallala and Chadron State College before retiring to Kearney. At age 19, he took a train from Omaha to boot camp in San Diego. I was so awed by everything, Ingram said. When you come out of Franklin County, Neb., everything was different. When his ship assignment was posted, it wasnt a battleship waiting for him in the harbor. Ingram joined the crew of an LST landing ship-tank for which Mississippi River barges were the prototype. LSTs were designed to transport military vehicles, equipment, supplies and troops for beach landings and initially were used during World War II in the Pacific, North Africa and Europe, including the D-Day landing at Normandy. I knew what they were because, growing up during World War II, I saw the newsreels at the Rose Bowl Theater, he said. Ready to go They were already ready to go, Ingram said about meeting the LST-902 crew. The first stop was at Long Beach, Calif., shipyard for LST general repairs and maintenance. It was a ship just out of mothballs from World War II, Ingram explained. How did a Nebraska boy who grew up 1,500 miles from the Pacific Ocean handle his first day as a sailor? Ingram smiled and said he spent the first night on the way to Long Beach sitting outside on an ammunition box being sick He adjusted after a couple of weeks, but riding inside the boat always was more difficult. These are very rough-riding ships. Its a flat bottom. Its like riding on a cork, Ingram said. He joked that LST also stood for long slow trip or long slow target. The ships average ocean-crossing speed of 12 knots was 2 up, 2 down, 2 port, 2 starboard and 2 forward. It took 10 days to sail from San Diego to Hawaii and another three weeks to arrive in Japan. Ingram said everyone on the deck force they also were called deck apes could do all the basic jobs. They spent a lot of time painting to help prevent rust from seawater and took turns standing watch and monitoring the radar system at night. Welders constantly fixed cracks that developed across the main deck during the slow, rough trips across the Pacific Ocean and between Japans ports and Koreas beaches, Ingram said. His ability to type also brought him assignments to work in the engineers and ships offices. War-related missions Home base for LST-902 in Japan was Yokosuka in Tokyo Bay. However, missions to move the 3rd Marines and the Armys 1st Calvary to Korean beaches left from ports at Mororan and Otaru on Japans north island of Hokkaido. The biggest military operation during Ingrams deployment was a three-day air, land and sea exercise in October 1952 at Kojo, which was north of the 38th Parallel that then was the unofficial line between North and South Korea. This was 100 miles behind enemy lines to draw the North Koreans and Chinese back off (United Nations) troops, Ingram said, adding that the Navy used battleships, aircraft carriers, personnel transports, LSTs the whole schmeel. The planned deception designed to unnerve the enemy proved disappointing, according to historical accounts, with little evidence that it drew any troops or attention away from UN troops to the south. Kojos beach was shelled for several days before small landing craft carrying Army personnel and equipment were put into the water. When they started this operation it (the water) was smooth. Then it was rougher than hell, Ingram recalled, especially for the small WWII-era wooden boats used. We also found out that the North Koreans had released floating mines headed our way, he said, which was another reason the exercise ended. The LST-902 crew then focused on transporting troops, equipment and supplies to the South Korean side of the 38th Parallel. More scary now Ingram wished he was aboard one of the Navys big ships whenever he saw one, but he knows LSTs played an important role in the war. Wed go places where no one else could go, he said, including up rivers and to villages to drop off troops and equipment. If you can survive riding an LST, you can survive anything, Ingram said, noting that bad weather and rough seas during his four Pacific crossings and many missions between Japan and Korea were greater safety threats than combat. LST-902 survived hurricanes and near-hurricane conditions while passing through the Tsugaru Straight between the Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu. You cant stand up. You cant lay down. You cant sleep, Ingram said. Both ends of the LST were heavy, while the middle was big and often empty in rough seas, which is why there were so many cracks across the deck. God bless good welders, Ingram said. Even they couldnt help if the LST encountered a mine. If a mine hit that thing, it would sink in about 2 minutes. It was not made for prime time, and yeah, it worried me, he said. I think its more scary now than it was then, Ingram said. At age 19, youre not smart enough to be scared. email to: OMAHA Jon Bruning, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Nebraska, has won the backing of some of Omahas biggest business leaders. A slew of key players are taking part in a Bruning fundraiser March 21, including Mike Yanney, chairman of Burlington Capital Group; Gail Werner-Robertson, president of GWR Wealth Management; and Jim Young, chief executive officer of Union Pacific Railroad. Im thrilled to have an unprecedented group of Nebraska business leaders supporting my candidacy, said Bruning. Bruning is one of three key Republicans seeking his partys nomination in the May 15 primary. So far, he has outraised his two key competitors, in part, with the help of major Omaha donors. Bruning had $1.7 million in his war chest at the end of last year. In comparison, State Treasurer Don Stenberg had about $176,000 in the bank, while State Sen. Deb Fischer had about $200,000. Other key Bruning supporters include Deryl Hamann, former chairman of Great Western Bank; Mike Harper, former chief executive officer of ConAgra Foods; Steve Martin, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska; John P. Nelson, chairman of SilverStone Group and George Venteicher, president of KVI Associates Inc. Robynn Tysver, Omaha World-Herald A recent Omaha World-Herald story on Nebraska school superintendent salaries should shock and anger taxpayers. The report has angered Gov. Dave Heineman over excessive pay to most of Nebraskas superintendents. Their pay is out of line with reason and reality. In the tough economy where workers are losing jobs, taking big pay cuts and losing benefits, our superintendents are raking in outrageous salaries. The ranking of the Ten Most Overpaid Jobs has school administrators ranked fifth. Thats ahead of hedge fund managers, voice actors, lawyers, high-end real estate agents and TV weathermen. The amount of money siphoned out of school districts budgets to support these administrators and their monstrous temples of waste is absolutely incredible. Is an administrator really worth four to five times the value of a hard-working teacher? No way. Teachers are on the front line teaching kids. Teachers deserve a good salary. We must look at every administrative expense and ask if it supports kids in the classroom. Heineman has recommended that administrative salaries be tied to test results and adjusted accordingly. Great idea. How can the Kearney school board justify a $225,000 compensation package for our superintendent? One superintendent quoted in the World-Herald story said about his $250,000 package, If the board wants to give it to me, Ill take it. Such an attitude should and does speak volumes. Consider these annual earnings comparisons: - $20,000 combat soldier defending our freedom - $34,000 average Nebraska wage earner - $40,000 average teacher - $48,000 fighter pilot - $50,000 registered nurse - $90,000 Offutt AFB commander - $105,000 Nebraska governor - $110,000 Supreme Court justice The judges of the Supreme Court Justices are nine of the most important people in the United States, but KPS Superintendent Brian Maher makes more than $225,000 per year, including pay and benefits. Whats wrong with our school board asleep, scared, no guts? Why havent at least a few board members voted no on these increases? Its a sad day for education in Kearney. An FBI-led Child Exploitation Task Force arrested 15 women and 26 men connected to human trafficking in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, according to a press release Tuesday from the FBI. One man was also arrested and accused of child enticement via an electronic communication device. The individuals were arrested as part of a three-day nationwide human trafficking operation Operation Cross Country that recovered 82 sexually exploited children and arrested 239 people. Its the 10th time authorities have coordinated the nationwide effort, which ended Sunday. Operation Cross Country aims to shine a spotlight into the darkest corners of our society that seeks to prey on the most vulnerable of our population, FBI Director James Comey said in a release. This years operation involved 55 FBI field offices and 74 FBI-led Child Exploitation Task Forces throughout the country composed of more than 400 law enforcement agencies. The names of those arrested werent immediately available. Local agencies involved in the operation included the police departments in Omaha, Lincoln, La Vista, Council Bluffs and Glenwood, Iowa, as well as the sheriffs offices in Douglas, Lancaster, Pottawattamie and Mills Counties. TEKAMAH -- A farmer was killed Monday night after he went to investigate the source of an anhydrous ammonia leak north of Tekamah. The man lives about a quarter-mile from where the leak occurred in a pipeline, said his brother, who said he also lives nearby -- about a half-mile from the leak site. "He went to investigate the smell and was overcome by the vapors," the brother said. The World-Herald is not releasing the man's name because officials said they aren't yet sure all his relatives have been notified. The leak in the 8-inch underground line, which occurred before 9:20 p.m., has temporarily closed a stretch of U.S. Highway 75 north of Tekamah in both directions. A county road in the area also is temporarily closed, said Bruce Heine of Magellan Midstream Partners, the pipeline company. About 50 residents in the area were evacuated overnight, said Burt County Sheriff Robert Pickell. Most, he said, went to stay with relatives or friends in Tekamah or Decatur. The leak occurred about 8 miles north and three-fourths of a mile west of Tekamah. Patti Johnson, who lives three or four miles from the leak site, said the pipeline also runs through her land. It's buried, she said, except for where the leak occurred. Johnson, 62, said she knew the man who died and called him "a wonderful man. A very kind, gentle soul." Johnson said some of her relatives were among those who had to evacuate. "My brother called us and told us we needed to leave," Johnson said. But she called the sheriff and was told to just stay put and close all the windows. Johnson said she expected some cattle were killed by the leak because a cattle yard is near the leak site. Heine said Magellan crews were investigating the cause of the pipeline failure. "At this moment, we don't know what that may have been," he said this morning. Pipeline valves have been shut off in the area of the leak, and the remaining anhydrous ammonia that's under pressure in the pipeline is being allowed to slowly bleed out, Pickell said. About 9:20 p.m. Monday, Pickell said, the Burt County Sheriff's Office received a call about an odor of anhydrous ammonia in the area of 3310 County Road P. At 9:40 p.m., Tekamah Fire and Rescue was dispatched to respond to an ammonia leak. The surrounding area was evacuated. Pickell said someone called Burt County 911 at 10:05 p.m. to say a man was down in the area of the ammonia leak. At 2:25 a.m. today, Tekamah Fire and Rescue and Nebraska State Patrol hazardous materials crews reached the man and removed him from the area. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His name is being withheld pending notification of relatives. Regulatory agencies were notified last night, Heine said, and representatives from those agencies are on site, as are Magellan workers and environmental experts. Anhydrous ammonia, which is used as a farm fertilizer, is a pungent gas with suffocating fumes. It can cause breathing difficulty and irritation to eyes, nose or throat. Exposure to high concentrations can be fatal. "It's a very sad day for Magellan," Heine said, referring to the death of the man. "Our prayers are with his family." The pipeline, Heine said, is 1,100 miles long, stretching from Texas to Mankato, Minnesota. Motorists traveling between Decatur and Tekamah were detoured onto Nebraska Highways 51 and 32 and U.S. Highway 77. Electronic message boards and Burt County workers alerted motorists to the shutdown. Pickell said officials hoped to have the pipeline issue resolved by noon today or soon thereafter. The brother of the farmer who died said his brother hadn't gotten a good start on the harvest. "It looks like it will be me and the neighbors getting the crop out this year," he said. Tekamah is a little more than 40 miles north of Omaha. World-Herald staff writer Dan Golden contributed to this report. I drove more than 750 miles one-way to attend the Brad Paisley Country Nation Tour performed outdoors on Oct. 13 in a parking lot adjacent to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. For me, it was a chance to see two second cousins, plus an 85-year-old first cousin of my late dad. Plus, I later discovered three of my young distant Marples cousins from Broken Bow. All three of the Broken Bow cousins are students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and they were at the concert with me, too. Although unbeknownst to me at first, it was a quasi-family reunion. Brad Paisley is a member of the Masonic Lodge and Shriners, as I am. He does a lot to help children in hospitals as well as kids in speech and language clinics, as well as aged Masons in old-age homes. For that, I salute Paisley. He is 43 and I am age 52, so we are among the fewer young Masons around. His dad is a Mason and so was my late dad. I like Paisleys musical talent. He could literally make his guitar sing. Plaisley saluted the late Nebraska punter Sam Foltz. I was wearing a Huskers ball cap. I especially enjoyed Paisleys sound and light-show, which was spectacular. One funny part of the concert was a cartoon-like skit similar to TVs South Park, which spoofed dysfunctional society. Paisley is a musician with talent and a truly class act. James A. Marples, Longview, Texas with Jenn Welch Joanna Shaw Flamm co-hosts: Divorce and loss of your dog blog; dogs vs. cats; for the love of Kanye; tap dancing; father/daughter alcoholism; women and our sexually aggressive world; Billy Bushs $10 million severance; Ken Bone is a bad person; Chemdas Jewish interview This episode and pictures related to it are only available to KATG VIP members. Not a VIP member? Click here to find out more. Login to VIP We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Its been a year since Russia intensified its involvement in Syria by sending war planes, missiles, and personnel to support its long-time ally Bashar al- Assad in a civil war that started five and half years ago, after Assad responded to peaceful anti-government protests with brutal force. The effect of this ongoing war has been devastation - more than 400,000 people dead and millions displaced; large swaths of land seized by terrorists; antiquities pilfered and destroyed. In recent weeks the attacks on the besieged city of Aleppo, which has been relentlessly bombed by Russian and Syrian aircraft, has highlighted the plight and agony of the Syrian people, ruthlessly attacked by their leader and by an isolated foreign nation struggling to maintain its influence in the region, no matter the cost in blood and misery. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said, What Assad and Russia are doing in Aleppo is soul-shatteringWhat they are doing is sowingthe doom of this country and these people and this proud civilization of Syria. But Russia is not the only nation that has been working to protect Assads grip on power, allowing him to continue his campaign of barrel-bombing, starving, and gassing the Syrian people; so, to an even greater extent, has Assads chief regional ally Iran, as Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently noted: Iran is clearly, along with its proxy Hezbollah, the most serious impediment to ending the civil war, in that its support for the [Assad] regime is the most significant of all. Deputy Secretary Blinken said that one consequence of Russias, Hezbollahs and Irans participation in the Syrian conflict is that they will be seen throughout the world and in the region as complicit with Assadin the slaughter of Sunni Muslims. Because of Russias attempts to pursue a military victory over the broken bodies of the Syrian people, as Secretary of State Kerry has said, the United States has suspended bilateral engagement with Russia over Syria. But the United States, will not give up on the Syrian people. We are not abandoning the pursuit of peace, Mr. Kerry declared. We are not going to leave the multilateral field. We are going to continue to try to find a way forward in order to end this war. The rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region is a critical national commitment that focuses on regional prosperity and sharpening the U.S. military edge, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said, on September 29th, in San Diego, California. The Asia-Pacific remains the "single most consequential region for America's future," he said. The rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region, which President Barack Obama announced five years ago, includes diplomatic, economic and military components, he explained. All of the components, Secretary Carter said, are to ensure the Asia-Pacific region "remains a place where every nation can rise and prosper," even at a time of dramatic political, economic and security change in the region. Secretary Carter highlighted security challenges in the region, including North Korea's "nuclear saber-rattling" that threatens allies and heightens tensions. Other challenges, he said, include maritime concerns that could hurt the region's prosperous future, as well as terrorism and transnational threats. The U.S. military, he noted, faced five major challenges: Russian aggression and coercion; China behaving aggressively; North Korean missile and nuclear provocations; Iranian aggression and malign influence in the Gulf; and defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region has three parts, Secretary Carter explained. The first phase began five years ago, when the U.S. Department of Defense enhanced its military force posture in the region; the second phase launched last year, when the U.S. made qualitative improvements to its force posture; and the third phase will cement the progress made in the first and second phases, the secretary said. The United States will continue to invest and make high-tech improvements in its military assets to "sharpen our military edge so we remain the most powerful military in the region and the security partner of choice," he added. Secretary Carter highlighted the strong ties the U.S. military has with its many allies in the region. America's regional partnerships are growing in number and strength, he said. Noting that the effort entails helping to unlock the tremendous potential in the region, Secretary Carter concluded, the rebalance is about the future." ELKO Eduardo Estrada-Puentes, 34, is scheduled to face trial beginning Tuesday on an open murder charge in the 2011 death of his estranged wife Stephanie Gonzalez. The defendant pleaded not guilty in district court in late April. Estrada-Puentes was bound over to district court in March by Elko Justice of the Peace Mason Simons, almost five years after he allegedly strangled Stephanie Gonzalez. After a day and a half of testimony by family, friends and investigators in Elko Justice Court, Simons found slight or marginal evidence that Estrada-Puentes committed open murder, including first-degree murder and all lesser offenses. Estrada-Puentes is accused of strangling Gonzalez on June 25, 2011. Soon after, Estrada-Puentes fled to Mexico. With the help of the FBI and Mexican federal authorities, he was located and arrested in the State of Jalisco. He was extradited to Nevada and transported to the Elko County Jail in October 2015. According to Nevada Revised Statutes, sentencing for first-degree murder can include life without parole; life with a 20-year minimum for parole; or 50 years with a minimum of 20 years for parole. A large jury pool is expected for the trial. 449 Shares Share You may have read about the recent tragic deaths of two healthy children Marvelena Rady, age 3, and Caleb Sears, age 6 in California dental offices. Unfortunately, they arent the first children to die during dental procedures, and unless things change, they probably wont be the last. State Senator Jerry Hill has asked the Dental Board of California (DBC) to review Californias present laws and regulations concerning pediatric dental anesthesia, and determine if theyre adequate to assure patient safety. Assemblymember Tony Thurmond has sponsored Calebs Law, seeking improved informed consent for parents. I had the opportunity to attend a stakeholders meeting at the Department of Consumer Affairs in Sacramento, to hear a presentation of the DBCs report, and to be part of the delegation offering comments on behalf of the California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA). We hope this is the beginning of some long overdue upgrades to the current regulations. By long-standing California state law, dentists and oral surgeons are able to provide anesthesia services in their offices even for very young children or children with serious health issues. They may apply for one of four different types of permits for anesthesia: general anesthesia adult oral conscious sedation pediatric oral conscious sedation parenteral conscious sedation But the route of administration oral or intravenous isnt the point, especially for small children, and oral sedation isnt necessarily safer. Sedation is a continuum, and there is no way of reliably predicting when a patient will fall asleep. Relaxation may turn into deep sedation, and deep sedation into a state of unresponsiveness which is equivalent to general anesthesia. Oral medications have led to deaths in children, sometimes even before the dental procedure has begun or well after it has finished. Theres no logic in Californias lower standards of emergency equipment and monitoring for procedures done under sedation as opposed to under general anesthesia. Isnt a little sedation enough? In an older child or adult, mild sedation and local anesthesia are enough for nearly all dental care. But any parent knows that this wont work for a young child who cant hold still. There really isnt any such thing as conscious sedation for a toddler of 2 or 3. Deep sedation or general anesthesia are the only choices for a child who needs extensive dental treatment. Small children have small airways. Every parent knows not to give a small child big chunks of hot dog, or toys with small parts, because of the risk of choking. During dental work, a childs breathing can be blocked by swelling or bleeding. Just a few drops of blood may irritate a childs vocal cords, causing them to snap shut and preventing air from getting to the lungs. In the time it might take to gather emergency equipment, a child can suffer permanent brain damage or death from lack of oxygen. General anesthesia often is safer, since the airway is protected from the start with a breathing tube. One of the problems with current California regulations is the use of outdated terminology. The ASA, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) all agree on standard definitions and rules concerning minimal, moderate, and deep sedation. California dental laws and regulations, however, use the words conscious sedation and moderate sedation interchangeably, causing confusion about which rules apply. By California definition, moderate sedation should use drugs and techniques that have a margin of safety wide enough to render unintended loss of consciousness unlikely. But California doesnt restrict sedation permit holders from using potent anesthesia medications including propofol (the medication associated with the deaths of Michael Jackson and Joan Rivers), ketamine, methohexital, fentanyl, nitrous oxide, and midazolam. Especially when these medications are used in combination, the risk goes up for unintended deep sedation and lethal consequences. Whos monitoring the childs breathing? By national standards of care, a surgeon cant take out your childs tonsils or perform any procedure requiring anesthesia without a separate qualified professional to give medications and monitor the patient. Even an anesthesiologist performing an interventional pain procedure cant legally direct sedation at the same time. Yet in the offices of dentists and oral surgeons, its perfectly acceptable for the same person to perform the dental procedure and direct sedation to be given by a second person who also assists with the procedure. That person is likely to be a dental sedation assistant, who in California has completed only one year of experience as a dental assistant, 40 hours of didactic education, and 28 hours of laboratory instruction. In some states, the training requirements are even less. No state at this time requires the presence of a physician anesthesiologist, a registered nurse, or any other medical professional during sedation or anesthesia for dental treatment, even for small children. At present, 29 states require the presence of a third person to serve as a dedicated anesthesia monitor in addition to the dentist and dental assistant; California does not. Parents should question the concept that sedation and anesthesia should be given to a young child or for that matter to any patient without a qualified person whose only job is to watch the patient and to administer sedation or anesthesia. This is the opinion of the ASA and CSA, clearly defined in our guidelines on sedation. Im very pleased to see our opinion shared and expressed in the strongest terms by Paula Whitehead, MD, who attended the stakeholders meeting on behalf of the AAP, and by Michael Mashni, DDS, a past president of the American Society of Dental Anesthesiologists. The meeting was solely for the purpose of gathering opinions from interested parties. The DBC will be preparing a second report with recommendations for changes to California laws and regulations concerning pediatric dental anesthesia. The state legislature and the Department of Consumer Affairs are watching with keen interest. Its high time California and other states modified their laws to bring the practice of anesthesia and sedation in dental offices into line with the rules followed in every hospital and outpatient surgery center. Too many children have died already. There shouldnt need to be more. Karen S. Sibert is an anesthesiologist who blogs at A Penned Point. Image credit: Shutterstock.com ELKO U.S. Rep. Joe Heck will be joined by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz when he campaigns in Elko on Saturday evening, the day early voting begins in Nevada. The Republican congressman is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Harry Reid. Heck and Cruz will be at a rally from 6-7 p.m. at Adobe Middle School, 3375 Jennings Way. Northern Nevada will play a big role in deciding Nevadas next U.S. Senator and the next Senate majority, said Heck spokesperson Brian Baluta. We encourage Northern Nevadans to vote early on Saturday and then join Dr. Joe Heck and Senator Ted Cruz for our kickoff rallies. Those planning to attend the event should RSVP by Friday with ken@heck4nevada.com or call 775-870-9219. Heck faces Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto and four other candidates in the race. Students in one local school district will soon study at a new campus. On Tuesday, United ISD held a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the ninth grade campus for John B. Alexander High School. UISD says this will allow students one more year to mature before entering high school. They plan to have separate ninth grade campuses for all four of their high schools. "It's been proven at United that academically, they've done well," says Superintendent Roberto Santos. "Much better than any of the other ninth graders. Attendance has been high, dropout is less, all these other things have been good for our students."> The campus is located at 4601 Victory Drive, and construction is set to be complete by 2018. Laredo ISD students will no longer have to share their musical instruments, thanks to some funds received by the district. For the Cigarroa Middle School Orchestra, it used to be that each instrument was used by up to three kids, not allowing them to get extra practice time. But one eighth grader shares how shes benefiting from the districts instrument replacement plan. Although it may not sound like it, the students are on their way to become successful musicians in the future. From violins, to violas, cellos, and bass, these orchestra beginners tap their feet, as they count the beat. Cigarroa eighth grader Judith M. says that when she plays its a lot of emotions inspired, its just amazing. She also describes the first time she played, It was pretty exciting because it was new. When you approach things that are you knew, you do so with love. Judith started playing the violin two years ago and says I love it, its just a passion I have for it. The three plan gave middle and high schools in the district $2.3 million this will help Judith, on her road to her musical journey. The beginners come in with no knowledge and learn how to read music, stand, and express themselves musically by reading notes. Alma Garcia, orchestra director for Cigarroa Middle School says, Just the transformation you go through is amazing. Teaching the young musicians, gives Alma a lot of pride, and now with the new instruments she knows her students are just a keynote away from reaching their success. She says, to listen to videos, its just amazing what theyve absorbed. The director tries to inspire to give them their best, not only in music, but also in everything they do. Alma adds, I teach them how to follow through, and motivate them as much as I can to have self confidence. The eighth grader says, Ive seen over the years, Ive gotten better, and I want to get even better. Editor: Theres a fresh face on the horizon, and a principled one at that. His name is Chip Evans, and he says its time we had a reboot in Nevadas 2nd Congressional District. Chip is a family man, businessman, former Washoe County Democratic Party Chair and progressive radio talk-show host in Reno. He is fighting to put #PeopleFirst and #GetStuffDone, so we can rebuild the middle class. I have known Chip and his wonderful family for about eight years now, and I can tell you theyre a high-quality bunch. Those troops are as loyal as they get, and getting Chip elected is their highest priority, and I bet theyll be successful. Vote Chip Evans youll never regret it! Alice Good Reno Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce, in association with the title sponsor Glanbia, has announced the finalists for the 2016 Kilkenny Business Awards. Having received over 250 nominations across the 20 award categories, Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce received a positive response from local businesses with over 40 per cent of candidates being nominated in the Best Small Business category and an unprecedented number of companies entering the Emerging New Business category for businesses trading for up to three years, indicating positive growth within the local economy. Some 46 local enterprises have now been shortlisted to go forward for the panel interview round on Thursday, October 27th, hosted by the Pembroke Kilkenny and Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel. During the interview round, finalists will make a brief presentation before a panel of three Kilkenny business peers. Following this, the overall winners will be determined in each category and announced at the Kilkenny Chambers Black-tie gala, The Kilkenny Business Awards ceremony on November 19th in Lyrath Estate Hotel. Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce CEO John Hurley explains, We are delighted with the positive response to the Kilkenny Business Awards this year, as businesses in Kilkenny continue to strengthen and the local economy continues to grow. We were very impressed with the level of entries and the variety of innovative companies trading in the county. It was a difficult decision making process but the judging panel have now shortlisted an outstanding selection of local businesses to go forward for interviews and we wish them continued success in the awards. Along with the overall 20 category winners, the prestigious Business of the Year, Lifetime Achievement & President Awards will also be announced at the awards ceremony. Hosted by RTE broadcaster, Mary Kennedy the gala banquet and awards ceremony will see leading Kilkenny business people gather for the black-tie event at Lyrath Estate Hotel to celebrate excellence in enterprise across the county. Guests can look forward to a Champagne reception and a sumptuous dinner followed by dancing at Lyraths five-star venue. Tickets for this years black-tie Kilkenny Business Award ceremony are now available from 75 online at www.kilkennychamber.ie or by calling 056 7752767. Category Finalists AGRI BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Iverk Show Ltd. John Brennan Machinery Supplies Hermitage Genetics BEST VENUE AWARD Lyrath Estate Hotel & Kilkenny Convention Centre Left Bank The Hub CRAFT PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Clay Creations Rudolf Heltzel Ltd. CULTURE/HERITAGE TOURISM AWARD Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny Kilkenny Ghost Tours Kytelers Inn CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE Ristorante Rinuccini The Newpark Hotel Kilkenny Rivercourt Hotel EMERGING NEW BUSINESS Cleere Life & Pensions Kilkenny Cookery School Core Claims Services EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR Margaret Clancy - TransferMate Jonny Dowling - Intosport Sarah Millea - Pembroke Hotel EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR Rustiq Salon Kieran O'Gorman Hair & Day Spa Colour World Print Ltd. ENVIRNOMENTAL AWARD Modus Energy O'Shea Farms Eco Life Energy EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNICATIONS McSweeney Media Bizlocator The Clubman EXCELLENCE IN HOSPITALITY The Newpark Hotel Left Bank Springhill Court Hotel EXPORTER OF THE YEAR Hermitage Genetics Callan Bacon Co. Ltd CiphersTechs EU Ltd TrademarkNow FAMILY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR M. Mullins Family Butcher DNG Ella Dunphy James Travers Garage FOOD & DRINK PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Sullivans Brewing Company A Slice of Heaven O'Shea Farms INNOVATION IN BUSINESS MindaClient Bizlocator Colour World Print Ltd. INFORMATION & COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY TrademarkNow MindaClient CipherTechs EU Ltd. INVESTMENT IN SKILLS, TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT OF STAFF Rustiq Salon Pembroke Hotel CipherTechs EU Ltd. RETAILER OF THE YEAR G.L. Ryan Jewellers Grogan & Brown Artisan Butchers Rudolf Heltzel SERVICE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR Fennelly Fitness Kieran O'Gorman Hair & Day Spa St. Canice's Kilkenny Credit Union Ltd. SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Callanan Couriers Apple Tree Farm Montessori RD Plumbing & Heating CAIRO, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Egyptian Finance Minister Amr El Garhy said on Monday his country would gather an additional $6 billion in bilateral funding required to secure a $12 billion International Monetary Fund loan within one or two weeks. In comments on a talk show aired by local television channel CBC, he also said the government would submit an investment law to parliament within "one and a half months or more" and that Egypt would issue international bonds in the second half of November or the first week of December. The IMF in August agreed in principle to grant Egypt a $12 billion three-year loan facility to support a government reform programme aimed at plugging a budget gap and rebalancing currency markets. Egypt needs to secure $6 billion in bilateral support before the deal goes to the IMF board for approval. (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Richard Balmforth) MANILA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Marcventures Holdings Inc , one of the Philippines' nickel miners facing a possible suspension following a government audit, said on Tuesday it was in talks with potential Chinese partners for local processing of the metal. "I talked to about two or three major Chinese companies and they are going to be potentially our partners in nickel processing plants in the Philippines," Marcventures President Isidro Alcantara said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel. "We are serious, we are moving forward and we are talking to them," he added, without identifying the potential Chinese investors. Marcventures' board in April granted Alcantara the authority to seek potential investments in what could be the country's third nickel processing plant. "(The Chinese have) visited our mines. They've looked at the potential, we are even thinking of acquiring additional properties because we will need to feed the processing plant with nickel over a 15, 20-year period," Alcantara said. Marcventures could build a plant at a cost "much lower" than the $1.7 billion invested to construct the Taganito processor in the province of Surigao because a different technology is available from China, he said. The Taganito plant uses high pressure acid leach technology for processing nickel ore. Taganito is one of the only two nickel processing plants in the Philippines, both owned by top Philippine nickel miner Nickel Asia Corp and Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd . Marcventures is hoping to begin shipping processed nickel to China and Japan by 2018, Alcantara said. The Philippines, the world's top supplier of nickel ore, named 20 more mines last month that could be suspended for alleged mining and environmental violations. The announcement sent nickel to a seven-week high on the London Metal Exchange, but the price has since retreated. Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Lopez later said that not all 20 mines may be halted. Alcantara insists Marcventures has not violated any environment laws. (Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) HANOI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official market and indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi at 0052 GMT. Oct 18 Oct 17 USD/VND mid-point 22,020 22,016 USD/VND interbank 22,308/22,310 22,308/22,308.5 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 35.37/35.64 35.40/35.67 NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank quotes are indicative bid/ask prices. One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co, the gold manufacturer. Interbank offered rates are indicative, quoted from market sources. For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom) (Adds details on settlement, comments by lawyer for investors, Deutsche Bank spokeswoman declining to comment, background on case) By Nate Raymond NEW YORK, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank AG has agreed to pay $38 million to settle U.S. litigation over allegations it illegally conspired with other banks to fix silver prices at the expense of investors, according to court papers filed on Monday. The settlement, disclosed in papers filed in Manhattan federal court, came in one of many recent lawsuits in which investors have accused banks of conspiring to rig rates and prices in financial and commodities markets. The settlement had been expected since April, though terms had yet to be disclosed. In court papers, lawyers for the investors say the deal will likely be an "ice breaker" that will serve as a catalyst for other banks to settle. Vincent Briganti, a lawyer for the investors, said the deal provides "substantial monetary compensation plus cooperation from Deutsche Bank in the continued prosecution of this important case against the non-settling defendants." The settlement is subject to court approval. A spokeswoman for the German bank declined to comment. In the litigation, investors claimed Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings Plc and Bank of Nova Scotia (ScotiaBank) rigged silver prices through a secret daily meeting called the Silver Fix, and accused UBS AG of exploiting that fix. The alleged conspiracy started by 1999, suppressed prices on roughly $30 billion of silver and silver financial instruments traded each year, and enabled the banks to pocket returns that could top 100 percent annualized, the investors said. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni ruled the investors had sufficiently, "albeit barely," alleged that Deutsche Bank, HSBC and ScotiaBank violated U.S. antitrust law by conspiring to depress the Silver Fix from 2007 to 2013. But the judge dismissed UBS from the case, saying there was nothing showing it manipulated prices, even if it benefited from distortions. Caproni at that time said the investors could amend their complaint, including against UBS, and a lawyer for the investors has said they planned to do so. The case is In re: London Silver Fixing Ltd Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 14-md-02573. (Editing by Bernard Orr and Matthew Lewis) (Adds background) By Nate Raymond NEW YORK, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank AG has agreed to pay $38 million to settle U.S. litigation over allegations it illegally conspired with other banks to fix silver prices at the expense of investors, according to court papers filed on Monday. The settlement, disclosed in papers filed in Manhattan federal court, came in one of many recent lawsuits in which investors have accused banks of conspiring to rig rates and prices in financial and commodities markets. The settlement had been expected since April, though terms had yet to be disclosed. In court papers, lawyers for the investors say the deal will likely be an "ice breaker" that will serve as a catalyst for other banks to settle. Vincent Briganti, a lawyer for the investors, said the deal provides "substantial monetary compensation plus cooperation from Deutsche Bank in the continued prosecution of this important case against the non-settling defendants." The settlement is subject to court approval. A spokeswoman for the German bank declined to comment. In the litigation, investors claimed Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings Plc and Bank of Nova Scotia (ScotiaBank) rigged silver prices through a secret daily meeting called the Silver Fix, and accused UBS AG of exploiting that fix. The alleged conspiracy started by 1999, suppressed prices on roughly $30 billion of silver and silver financial instruments traded each year, and enabled the banks to pocket returns that could top 100 percent annualised, the investors said. Deutsche Bank put its seat on the silver price setting process up for sale in January 2014, and the 117-year-old practice was disbanded altogether in August that year after the German bank failed to attract a buyer. The auction-style process, which occurred once daily for silver and twice for gold through a conference call in London, was used by industry and central banks to trade the metal and evaluate holdings. CME Group and Thomson Reuters now operate an electronic benchmark for silver prices. The end of the silver fix was followed by the collapse of similar benchmarks for gold, platinum and palladium, in a wave of reform for precious metals pricing procedures sparked by greater regulatory scrutiny. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni ruled the investors had sufficiently, "albeit barely," alleged that Deutsche Bank, HSBC and ScotiaBank violated U.S. antitrust law by conspiring to depress the Silver Fix from 2007 to 2013. But the judge dismissed UBS from the case, saying there was nothing showing it manipulated prices, even if it benefited from distortions. Caproni at that time said the investors could amend their complaint, including against UBS, and a lawyer for the investors has said they planned to do so. The case is In re: London Silver Fixing Ltd Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 14-md-02573. (Additional reporting by Jan Harvey; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Louise Heavens) Keywords: DEUTSCHE BANK SETTLEMENT/SILVER (Adds sale detail, Petrobras Okinawa) RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA said on Monday it had agreed to sell its mothballed Okinawa refinery and related assets to Japan's Taiyo Oil Co. for $129.3 million, according to a securities filing. Known as Nansei Seikyu, the Okinawa refinery company supplies about half the fuel needs for the Japanese island, has a capacity to produce 100,000 barrels a day, is home to 36 storage tanks that can hold 9.5 million barrels of petroleum and derivatives, and port facilities, Petrobras said. The sale was approved by the board of directors on Monday as the financially troubled company moves ahead with a plan to sell $15.1 billion of assets by the end of this year in an effort to cut the company's nearly $125 billion of debt, the largest in the world oil industry. Petrobras agreed to buy 87.5 percent of Nansei Sekiyu in 2007 for about $50 million from a unit of ExxonMobil Corp as it was looking for places to refine its growing crude oil exports from the Campos Basin near Rio de Janeiro and expand its crude and products trading business around the world. It bought the rest of the refinery in 2010. A year later it said it was considering selling the operation, but no buyers materialized. It was eventually forced to close refining operations at the facility last year. At the same time it promised the Japanese government that it would continue to use and expand the storage and terminal facilities at Nansei Sekiyu to supply fuel to Okinawa and then sell the operation to another company. (Reporting by Jeb Blount; Editing by Sandra Maler, Bernard Orr) (Kitco News) - OceanaGold Corp. (TSX, ASX ,NZX: OGC) is upbeat about the future of its operations in the Philippines, reporting Tuesday that the government says the company was complying with permitting requirements but needs to do more do educate stakeholders about its operations. The company operates the Didipio gold-copper mine in the country. Recently elected President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to get tough with mining companies over environmental issues, and a number of mines have been shut down by audits, mostly in the nickel sector. OceanaGold said it has received a report from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources regarding Didipio. The company has seven days to address the findings and recommendations. The findings in the audit report relate mostly to a need to further educate a broader group of stakeholders on specific aspects of the operations, said OceanaGold in an announcement. The vast majority of recommendations relate to the need to further expand the companys information, education and communication program. According to OceanaGold, the audit report states that the company has extended more than what is required by law and was found to be complying (with) its permitting requirements set forth by different Philippine environmental laws. The audit report goes on to say that the Didipio area has to deal with illegal artisanal small scale-mining activities that contribute to the degradation of the immediate environment and water bodies and includes a recommendation to government agencies to stop these illegal operations. Mick Wilkes, president and chief executive officer, expressed confidence that the companys responses to the DENR will satisfy all of the findings and recommendations that have been raised. He stated that Didipio meets high standards for health, safety, environment, community and sustainability. The results of the audit report and discussions weve had with the audit team and with government officials, including those within the DENR, clearly demonstrate this, he said. The Didipio mine continued to operate during talks between OceanaGold and the government, and the company maintained its 2016 production guidance. According to OceanaGolds website, the high-grade mine is one of the lowest-cost gold mines in the world. It has nominal production of 100,000-plus ounces of gold and 14,000-plus tonnes of copper. The mine life is estimated to last beyond the year 2030. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Follow @KitcoNewsNOW HANOI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 0406 GMT. Oct 18 Oct 17 USD/VND mid-point 22,020 22,016 USD/VND interbank 22,309/22,310 22,308/22,308.5 USD/VND unofficial 22,360/22,375 22,380/22,395 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 35.44/35.68 35.40/35.67 Interbank offered rates Overnight 0.3-0.9 0.3-0.9 1 week 0.35-0.9 0.4-0.9 1 month 1.4-2.2 1.4-2.2 3 months 3.3-4.2 3.2-4.2 NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources. One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co. For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on . For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) (Adds data, background) OTTAWA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Canadian manufacturing sales in August jumped much more than expected on widespread strength, reinforcing expectations that broad economic growth rebounded in the third quarter. Statistics Canada said on Tuesday that sales rose by 0.9 percent from July to hit C$51.12 billion ($39.02 billion) as eight of the country's 10 provinces recorded increases. Market analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.2 percent gain. Sales advanced in 15 of 21 industries, representing 69 percent of the manufacturing sector, while in volume terms sales climbed by 1.2 percent. The Bank of Canada, which releases its latest forecasts on Wednesday, is projecting a healthy third quarter recovery after a major wildfire in Alberta in May caused the economy to shrink in the second quarter. Sales in the food industry rose by 1.7 percent in August to hit a record C$8.57 billion, while the primary metals industry posted a 3.6 percent gain to reach C$3.89 billion. Sales of transportation equipment, the largest of the 21 industries, dropped by 1.1 percent to C$10.55 billion as unusual one-week shutdowns at some automobile assembly plants cut sales of motor vehicles. Plants usually schedule closures in July. ($1 = $1.31 Canadian) <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Graphic - Canadian manufacturing sales Graphic - Canada economic dashboard ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by David Ljunggren Editing by W Simon) By Paul Kilby NEW YORK, Oct 18 (IFR) - Venezuela and PDVSA bonds were under pressure on Tuesday morning following yet another deadline extension for the state-owned oil company's US$5.325bn debt swap. PDVSA announced late Monday that it would now give investors until October 21 to exchange its 2017 bonds for a new 8.5% 2020 - the third such extension in a matter of weeks. The move spilled over to the sovereign's curve, where the 2022s were down as much as three points at 56.70, while the PDVSA 5.25% 2017s and 8.50% 2017s were down over half a point at 79.00-80.00 and 85.00-86.00. The repeated delays in the liability management transaction have left markets concerned about the company's ability to meet its obligations. In a press release, PDVSA said that substantially less than 50% of the outstanding bonds had been tendered, and warned an unsuccessful exchange would make it difficult to pay its debt. "It is striking that they are not altering the terms to promote greater participation," said Alejo Czerwonko, an emerging markets at UBS Wealth Management. "They have chosen to use a stick over a carrot." But Siobhan Morden, head of LatAm fixed-income strategy at Nomura, said it was too late to sweeten the terms as the exchange has to close before the amortization payment on the 8.50% 2017s falls due on November 2. In any event, the stark language in the press release was seen as part of an aggressive strategy by PDVSA President Eulogio Del Pino to get reluctant investors on board. "In the end it is a game of chicken and egg, but clearly they want to put pressure on the market," said Jorge Piedrahita, CEO of broker Torino Capital. "The political fate of Del Pino hangs on this transaction" But the approach may backfire, as investors may be less likely to participate in an exchange amid heightened fears about a default. "It doesn't matter if are bluffing," said Czerwonko. "If you think they will not be able to pay, why would people extend duration risk into that entity?" (Reporting by Paul Kilby; Editing by Marc Carnegie) (Kitco News) - Yamana Gold Inc. (TSX: YRI; NYSE: AUY) is looking to spin off its Brio Gold subsidiary as a stand-alone producer, officials announced late Monday. Brio operates several mining properties in Brazil. Officials reported that Brio has filed a preliminary prospectus with regulatory authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada. Yamana said it intends to distribute purchase rights to its shareholders, with the price to be determined by market conditions prior to filing of a final prospectus. The final prospectus will be mailed to each Yamana shareholder at a date still to be set. Yamana said proceeds will be used for its net debt-reduction initiatives and thereby increase the companys financial flexibility to pursue its business plan and strategic objectives. Brio Gold will not receive any of the funds generated from the offering. Completion of the spin-off will also enable Yamana to better focus on its portfolio of six, soon to be seven, producing mines in top mining jurisdictions and on its organic growth pipeline, Yamana said in its announcement. In particular, Yamana will be better positioned to focus on recent exploration success, optimization initiatives, and on advancing Canadian exploration and near-term development opportunities. Yamana said it will maintain some exposure to Brio Gold through a retained equity interest following the spinoff, although the amount of Yamanas interest was not specified. In our view, the divestiture of Brio represents a potentially positive catalyst for AUY (Yamana), allowing the company to raise capital, furthering its debt-reduction targets and contributing to growth at Cerro Moro, said a research note from BMO Capital Markets. The challenge will be to entice existing shareholders to contribute cash to an investment they already own. BMO said the Brio operations have potential to produce 280,000 ounces of gold annually at an all-in sustaining cost of $840 an ounce, with recent disclosures from Yamana suggesting potential for even more output. According to a Credit Suisse research report, Yamana anticipates Brio producing 225,000 to 245,000 ounces next year from three Brazilian mines, with this growing to more than 400,000 from four assets by 2018. Excluding Brio, Yamana would still have a relatively stable production platform of 1 million ounces, Credit Suisse added. Credit Suisse added that Yamanas chief executive last month suggested that the consensus Brio value was around $550 million, although with a wide range of estimates up to $1 billion. Yamana is a Canadian-based gold producer with gold production, development-stage properties, exploration properties, and land positions throughout the Americas, including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Canada. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Follow @KitcoNewsNOW By Kitsap Sun Staff BREMERTON The 7:55 p.m. ferry to Seattle returned to the Bremerton ferry terminal shortly after departure Monday when a fight broke out that the crew could not contain. The fight ranged from the passenger cabin to the car deck. Deck hands were assaulted when they tried to break it up. None were hurt. A woman involved also began taking off her clothes, said Washington State Ferries spokesman Ian Sterling. The captain turned the Hyak around at 8:12 p.m. After the ferry returned to the dock, Washington State Patrol troopers took the woman into custody. "All of the deck crew is trained in crowd control, but this one was out of control," Sterling said. Olivia Eubanks (left), the Kids' Closet coordinator, folds a pair of pants while daughter Elizabeth, 1, plays at her feet as she and fellow volunteer Sarah Alvarez unpack and hang donated items Monday in the Kids' Closet at Olalla Elementary School. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN SHARE Sarah Alvarez unpacks and hangs donated items Monday in the Kids' Closet at Olalla Elementary School. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN Olalla Elementary School student Emily McNellis, 7, and her family were helped out by the generosity of the Kids' Closet. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN Last winter teacher Lisa Wickens and her students created and sent care packages to the Army unit in Afghanistan where the father of a former student was stationed. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Last winter Olalla Elementary teacher Lisa Wickens and her students created and sent care packages to the Army unit in Afghanistan. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO By Christina Henry of the Kitsap Sun OLALLA The idea came to Lisa Wickens while she was laid up after foot surgery, probably spun from watching one too many episodes of "The Gilmore Girls." "One night in the middle of the night I woke up and said, 'We should have a town meeting,'" said Wickens, a second-grade teacher at Olalla Elementary School. Last winter Wickens had her students send care packages to the Army unit in Afghanistan where the father of a former student was stationed. She had a vision to draw the wider community of Olalla, population roughly 4,000, into showering one another with random acts of kindness. "The idea of doing community service has been something I've wanted to do for a long time," said Wickens, a teacher at Olalla for 21 years. Forty-five people came to the meeting at the school last spring and greeted Wickens' idea with enthusiasm. Twenty-five folks who couldn't make it asked to be brought into the loop. Thus Positive Olalla Projects was born. Over the summer, they organized a craft group to make cozy items for the elderly and others in need, they gleaned nearly 300 pounds of fruit from neighbors' yards for the food bank of a local church, and they collected new and gently used clothing items for a Kids' Closet at the school. Sarah McNellis, a parent of two children at the school, volunteered to sort clothing for a back-to-school event and found her family on the receiving end. "We struggle a little bit financially," McNellis said. "I was able to find sweaters and jackets and jeans and those things that I didn't have for the kids. So it really helped us out big time." Pastor Sarah Roemer of Spirit of Life Lutheran Church said the gleaning filled an immediate need for the food bank, and Positive Olalla Projects fills a longer lasting need among neighbors. "I think it's terrific," Roemer said. "I think it's connected people in the community. I think it has identified needs but also identified gifts of those who are able to meet those needs." The gleaning is a good example, Roemer said. The food bank clients enjoyed the apples and pears. The property owners and gleaners had the satisfaction of helping others and seeing that food didn't go to waste. Wickens realized the power of giving in winter 2015. She was inspired to have her class make care packages for soldiers when she learned the father of Travis Martinson, who was in her class the year before, was stationed in the Middle East. The students made Santa key chains, sent photos of themselves and wrote heartfelt notes. "The kids said it felt good," Wickens said. "They really got it. They got the idea of selflessly giving to someone else." "It's just great to know that the community you live in is thinking about you and supporting you," Master Sgt. Brett Martinson said. "It's nice to know that teachers are trying to instill that value of thinking about other people. Lisa, I think, has done a great job of that. She's a fantastic teacher." Positive Olalla picked up steam over the summer. They did landscaping behind the school and had a booth at the Olalla Bluegrass Festival. The craft and knitters group is working to stockpile warm items for winter, to be distributed through the school's giving tree and elsewhere. They're making "comfort shawls" and lap robes for older women and men. Each item will be delivered with a personal note of caring and cheer. People communicate on the Facebook page of Positive Olalla Projects, putting out offers and identifying needs, including for the elderly. As the storm-that-wasn't-after-all approached at the end of last week, helpers stood ready to aid neighbors hit hard. Thankfully that wasn't necessary. Wickens has other ideas, such as opening the school in the evenings pending district approval to give people without Internet access a place to log on. Principal Ted Macomber is happy the school has played a role in launching Positive Olalla. While many people have jumped on board, Wickens is the catalyst, he said. "As both a resident and a teacher, she has a heart of gold for the Olalla community, and it's evident through her timeless contributions." Macomber said. " I learned early that all Lisa needs from me is a green light and to stay out of her way." Sarah McNellis and her husband plan to continue volunteering with Positive Olalla to help out any way they can. And when their children's gently used clothing is ready to pass along, McNellis knows where to take it. "I think it's a wonderful program, and I hope it continues helping other people as well," she said. "It's really a blessing. We're very, very grateful for that." Positive Olalla Projects Members will meet 6 p.m. Nov. 3 at Olalla Elementary School, 6100 SE Denny Bond Boulevard, to plan upcoming events. They are seeking volunteers to help make gifts for soldiers' care packages. The group will make gifts for soldiers 3:45-5 p.m. Nov. 17 at the school. SHARE Linda Gabriel By Christopher Dunagan When looking strictly at the campaign issues, the two candidates running for commissioner of Kitsap Public Utility District agree that its hard to tell one candidate from the other. Both incumbent John Armstrong and challenger Linda Gabriel say it is important to understand and protect the countys water resources. Both want to continue high-quality operations of the PUDs water systems. And both would be willing to get the PUD involved in the electricity business but only if county residents see the need. I do not want to say anything negative about John at all, Gabriel noted. Still, with a background in preparing budgets and financial reports for Naval Undersea Warfare Center at Keyport, Gabriel, 69, believes she can provide a fresh look at the PUDs financial structure. I dont think it would hurt to have someone take a close look at the PUDs budget, she said. Armstrong, 79, said his 18-year experience as a PUD commissioner is valuable, and he still has plenty of energy for the job including representing Kitsap County at state and national utility organizations. I keep busy at it, and I have enjoyed it to no end, Armstrong said. I am extremely active in the Washington PUD Association. Armstrong served as president of the statewide association in 2001, when Kitsap PUD was first entering the Internet business and needed support from the Legislature. In his career, Armstrong served as business manager for Naval Submarine Base at Bangor before retirement. He previously headed up the civil service engineering division. Gabriel said she worked for Keyport 32 years, retiring in 2006 after preparing financial reports for functions including maintenance, utilities and transportation. Both Gabriel and Armstrong say they want to see high-speed Internet service available throughout Kitsap County, but state law prohibits PUDs from providing direct service to retail customers. Gabriel said she would work with legislators to change the law and seek out grants to get high-speed Internet to areas of the county not already served. Armstrong said he favors such expansion as well. He said the PUD has been expanding its Internet backbone, which comes into the county from the south and runs up to Kingston and Bainbridge Island. Expansion is primarily limited by available money, he said. The PUD receives a property tax levy of 6.84 cents per $1,000 valuation. Armstrong said the PUDs employees agreed to forgo a regular pay raise next year. In addition, the PUD commissioners voted to forgo any increase in property tax revenue in recognition of the financial hardship facing county residents. Both Armstrong and Gabriel support an upcoming $1.4 million study by the U.S. Geological Survey to find out what areas of the Kitsap Peninsula may be short of water supplies, based on anticipated growth. Managing water resources is like managing a budget, Armstrong said. If you withdraw more than what goes back in, youre not going to have any left. Gabriel said her top concern for the PUD is the availability of water. Without water, we are dead, she noted. Unlike many public utility districts, Kitsap PUD does not deal with electricity, but both Armstrong and Gabriel say they are closely watching activities in Jefferson County, where the PUD is taking over electrical service from Puget Sound Energy. Typically, PUDs around the state offer electricity rates much lower than private utilities, Gabriel and Armstrong agreed. If the Kitsap PUD were to take over electricity, it would have to buy out PSEs equipment and power lines at substantial cost. A survey conducted by the Kitsap PUD showed that people were generally satisfied with the service they have been getting. Unless that attitude changes, neither Armstrong nor Gabriel would pursue a takeover of the electrical system, though Gabriel seemed more interested in putting it to a vote. Besides his work with utility associations, Armstrong has served on the Kitsap Economic Development Council, Puget Sound Naval Bases Association, Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts and Olympic College Advisory Committee. Gabriel has been involved in the Kitsap County Council for Human Rights and served on the Equal Employment Committee for Keyport. She is active in church and political affairs and currently is vice chairwoman of the 23rd Legislative District Democrats. This story was changed from its original version to correct the cost of a water-resources study. Forensic experts inspect the house where the four bodies were found. efe More information Suspect in horror murder case hands himself in to police Spanish police believe new evidence provides conclusive proof as to the identity of the killer behind the brutal murder of a family of four in Spains Guadalajara province. The dismembered bodies of two adults and their two small children were found in plastic sacks on September 18 in their rented home in Pioz, Guadalajara after neighbors alerted police to a terrible stench coming from within the property. I wont rest until the monster who did this is in prison Uncle of murder suspect Investigators initially believed the family may have been killed by professional hitmen after a drug deal went wrong, but all evidence now points to Patrick Nogueira Gouveira, the nephew of the murdered pair. DNA traces of the 20-year-old have been found in the form of a drop of sweat on the floor of the house where the murdered family lived. His fingerprints were found under the electrical tape used to seal the plastic sacks containing the bodies and on the handle of a saucepan in the house. In other key evidence, mobile phone records place Nogueira Gouveira at the scene of the crime on August 17, the day the murders are thought to have taken place as this was the last time his uncle Marcos Campos Nogueira was seen alive at his place of work. CCTV footage also shows the young man entering the private housing estate where his relatives lived at 3am on that date, while data on his bus pass reveal he traveled to Guadalajara on August 17 and returned the following day. For Spanish investigators, the case is as good as closed, although doubts remain about the motive for the brutal killings. The theory that the 20-year-old suspect was obsessed with his aunt, Janaina, and that the murders were a crime of passion is now losing credence. Instead police in Spain have spoken of mounting domestic problems after the nephew lived for a time with his relatives. They have also cited the unstable and psychotic character of the youngster. Nogueira Gouveira fled to Brazil two days after the bodies of his relatives were found by Civil Guard officers. He initially told Brazilian police he had returned to the South American country over fears he would be next. Declaring that he was innocent, he said he had never been to house in Pioz which he had helped his relatives find on the internet. However, as evidence against him mounted, the nephew changed his story. Via his lawyer, he stated the physical evidence found was a result of his having lived with his aunt and uncle, although he did not specify where he had done so. Cellphone records place the suspect in the house on the day the murders took place The young man is currently holed up at his family home after police in Brazil released him following initial interviews. But after some initial bureaucratic wrangling, Brazilian authorities are now working closely with Spanish police and have said they will look at filing criminal charges against Nogueira Gouveira once they have received paperwork relating to the case. But for Waufran Campos, brother of the murdered Marcos and uncle of the suspect, the idea that his relative may have committed the crime is out of the question. He was a normal boy, caring, and he went to live with my brother because I told him to, says Campos, who has spent the last few weeks in Madrid following the case and attempting to raise the 25,000 needed to repatriate the bodies of his family members. I am not surprised he came back to Brazil because my sister and his sister, who are both lawyers, told him to out of fear out of what could happen next, Campos added. I wont rest until the monster who did this is in prison, he said. Campos has WhatsApp messages from his brother before his death in which Marcos said his nephew had not yet come to the house in Pioz, which he had helped find and which they were going to share. In another message Campos can be heard asking his nephew if he had killed his aunt and uncle and their two small children. I have just woken up. Marcos left work at 10pm and didnt get home until 2am. They should investigate his workmates, replied a tired-sounding nephew. English version by George Mills. By Andrew Binion of the Kitsap Sun PORT ORCHARD Avoiding the risk of a de facto life sentence, a 27-year-old man charged with murder in the death of 89-year-old Robert Hood pleaded guilty Tuesday and could be sentenced up to 37 years in prison. Joshua Rodgers-Jones, alleged to have robbed Hood with Robert Pry in December 2015, pleaded guilty to a count of first-degree murder and two lesser crimes associated with the robbery. During the summer, Pry stood trial with two other men accused of being accomplices to Hood's murder and helping Pry hide Hood's body following the robbery. The trial of the last defendant in the case Pry's sister, Shawna Dudley Pry, 31, charged with accomplice to first-degree murder is expected to begin in December, with jury selection beginning in January. Investigators allege that the group of meth users believed Hood had about $1 million saved in bank accounts and that Rodgers-Jones and Pry went to his Tracyton house and attacked him. Following the robbery, they checked into a Fife motel and tried to steal from the accounts. Hood's body was placed in the trunk of a Honda sedan belonging to a woman who had been, coincidently, working as a confidential information for Kitsap County Sheriff's Office detectives. That woman was the first to tip off detectives that an elderly man had been robbed and possibly killed. Hood's body was later found in a barrel behind a Belfair-area house. Pry maintained his innocence in Hood's death but was convicted at trial in July of first-degree murder and several aggravators. The aggravators allowed Kitsap Superior Court Judge Jennifer Forbes to exceed the "standard range" sentence, resulting in an almost 80-year sentence. Rodgers-Jones' attorney, Craig Kibbe, said Pry's sentence, essentially a life sentence, was a "large motivating factor" in working out the plea deal with prosecutors. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop the aggravators, essentially limiting Forbes to the maximum of 450 months. "That is what made the deal happen," Kibbe said. If Rodgers-Jones receives the maximum sentence and is given the standard reduction in sentence for "good behavior" while in prison, he could be released when he is about 60 years old, Kibbe said. Rodgers-Jones underwent two mental health evaluations to determine he was competent to stand trial. The scheduling of those evaluations prevented him from being tried with Pry and the two other men. Rodgers-Jones is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 14. "I think this is a fair resolution to the case, given his willingness to come forward and take responsibility and not go through a nine-week trial," said senior deputy prosecutor Coreen Schnepf, one of the prosecutors in the Pry trial. SHARE By Andrew Binion of the Kitsap Sun PORT ORCHARD A 28-year-old Port Orchard woman was charged Monday in Kitsap District Court with second-degree assault for throwing a knife at her live-in boyfriend during an argument. The knife penetrated the man's back, according to court documents. He was treated Sunday morning at the Harrison Medical Center emergency department. The woman had a previous warrant for failing to appear in court, according to Kitsap County Jail records. Bail for the assault charge was set at $30,000. SHARE Gary D. Mills of Allyn Sept. 24, 1941 to Sept. 28, 2016 Veteran Gary Mills, 75, of Allyn passed away on Sept. 28, 2016 at Harrison Medical Center. He was born on Sept. 24, 1941 to Ernie and Millie Mills in Port Gamble, Washington. Gary attended West Bremerton High School and graduated in 1959. After serving in the Army for four years, he attended Western Washington University and graduated with a BA degree in 1975. He married the love of his life, Patricia Gilbert, in 1973. Gary worked for The Washington State Department of Revenue until his retirement in 2008. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife Pat (2013) of 40 years. He is survived by his sons, Scott Eklund (Lindsey) of Redmond, Mike Spangler (Marisa) of Kirkland; a daughter, Michelle (Tom) of Anacortes; a brother, Terry Mills (Patty Stone) of Belfair; and multiple grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, October 23rd from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lakeland Community Club (470 E. Country Club Drive, Allyn, WA 98524). Gary's most endearing quality was his carefree spirit and his readiness to laugh and make others laugh with him. In lieu of flowers or cards, please bring any laughable story or anecdote that includes Gary. SHARE Two scenarios emerge from the strange events of Oct. 7 through 9, the weekend that began with the release of the videotape in which Donald Trump asserts his right to grope women without their permission and ended with the presidential debate, during which he denied that he had ever done so. In Scenario One, Trump actually assaulted women; in Scenario Two, he only talked about it. Which is worse? I'm not entirely sure. Scenario One: Trump and his supporters are mounting various defenses of the behavior described on the videotape, starting with denial. They dismiss his unseemly hot-mic dialogue as harmless boys-will-be-boys banter, never meant to be taken seriously or acted upon. Yet, within a week after the tape was released at least nine women alleged that Trump had, in fact, aggressively kissed and groped them without their permission. Some Trump defenders are resorting to the "he said, she said" defense. But in this case, the "he said" is more or less as follows: My power and celebrity entitle me to do anything I want with women, even without their permission. And the "she said" is: Yes, that is precisely what Trump did. Times nine. At least. Trump and his faithful have noted the timing, suggesting that these women could have made their allegations decades ago, or even last year, rather than less than a month before the election. True, but this position doesn't reflect much understanding of the dynamics of sexual harassment and assault. Many women are reluctant to make allegations because of embarrassment or fear of being themselves attacked or accused of lying. Which, of course, is precisely what Trump and his supporters are doing. Besides, even if politics were involved and there's no evidence of this they have nothing to do with the truth or falsity of the allegations. It's just bad timing for Donald Trump. Of course, in our country you are innocent until proven guilty, as Trump supporters hasten to remind us. But that principle applies to a court of law, and it imposes no obligation on voters to award Trump the presumption of innocence. In less than a month, they will have to weigh the evidence and decide whether they want to support for president a man who has made a career of situating himself in positions that give him coercive power over beautiful young women; who has for decades objectified and insulted women; and who has said clearly and emphatically that he is entitled to and acted upon the prerogatives of rich and powerful men to perform illegal assaults on women. Scenario Two: Maybe his accusers are lying, and Donald Trump is telling the truth. In his own defense, he pointed out the loathsome behavior of Bill Clinton, arguing that Clinton actually did things, while Trump only talked. "It's just words," he said. But shouldn't this worry us, as well? A 16-year-old boy might try to impress his friends by bragging about sexual conquests that never occurred, but good men grow out of this. A 60-year-old man who relentlessly asserts his rights to the luscious, anonymous female buffet that he imagines lies before him, but does nothing more than talk, is still a kid. And if he reaches the age of 70 and still feels that he has to publicly insist on his virility or imagines that he himself overweight, bloated, crude, insensitive is in a position to rate his various fantasized conquests based on their attractiveness, well, he hasn't spent much time thinking about what it means to live a responsible, mature human life. He harbors a soul that is shriveled and insecure; his impulses, emotions, frustrations and passions are close to the surface, uncontrolled and unpredictable; and his grasp on reality is adolescent. In short, the idea of much power placed in his hands should alarm us. So, in Scenario One, Trump is a criminal; in Scenario Two, he's pathetic and scary. Do we want either one of these Donald Trumps to become president? John M. Crisp, an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service, teaches in the English Department at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. Readers may send him email at jcrisp@delmar.edu. SHARE Erin Richards, Bremerton Byrnes has the viewpoint we need Loretta Byrnes is precisely the fresh perspective that Olympia needs to address the many pressing issues facing our state. More than 20 years of one party control in the Legislature has led our state into the predicament we face today in our inability to fund basic education, maintain our roads and marine highways and provide a skilled and qualified workforce for businesses in Washington. It is time to elect someone with experience in policy analysis and performance management, as well as practical, on the ground service in her community, to make government work more efficiently and effectively to serve the citizens of the 23rd Legislative District and of the state of Washington. It is time to think differently about how we spend taxpayer dollars to ensure citizens get the services we need and want. The answer is not simply more taxes; the answer is also examining how money is used by the state. Loretta has highlighted policies in education, transportation and workforce development where the status quo is not meeting the needs of citizens change is needed and the incumbent is not going to make those changes. New challenges and changing times call for new leadership. Loretta Byrnes has the experience and qualifications to hit the ground running on the first day to look at not just the what, but the how of state government to improve policy and service. I hope you will join me in supporting Loretta Byrnes for Washington State House of Representatives. SHARE Beth Wilson, Olalla Congress should act to help children Thank you for the voters' guide you printed in Sunday's Kitsap Sun. The information provided is enlightening and helpful. Voting and engaging with our elected leaders is our precious right of citizenship to direct our government to act on issues that are important to us. If we fail to engage, then our government belongs to those who do. An example is how Kitsap citizens work with our congressman, Derek Kilmer, to address issues of education, health and poverty. Because of that work, he sponsored a letter to the President that all Washington State members of Congress signed, requesting full funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which will save millions of lives. Now Congress should pass the Reach Every Mother and Child Act, which will also save millions of children's lives, at no additional cost to U.S. taxpayers. Over 200 U.S. Representatives have sponsored the bill. But as of yet, it has not received a vote in the House of Representatives. Each of us should use our constitutional rights to engage with our members of Congress, requesting that the Reach Every Mother and Child Act be voted on and passed. Children's lives are in the balance. The President of The Arizona Republic writes: As someone who has spent a career in thebusiness of words, its unusual to find myself speechless. Yet, there I was, a little more than two weeks ago. What is the correct response, really, to this? YOURE DEAD. WATCH YOUR BACK. WE WILL BURN YOU DOWN. YOU SHOULD BE PUT IN FRONT OF A FIRING SQUAD AS A TRAITOR. How did I come to be hearing these threats? More than a year ago, The Arizona Republics editorial board began taking a stand against the actions and positioning of Donald Trump. In piece after piece, we made it clear that his principles werent conservative. They were bad for the party, bad for Arizona, dangerous for America. But in its more than 125 years, The Republic had never endorsed a Democrat for president. So, over the many months of the campaign, we found ourselves with this question: Endorse no one, or endorse a Democrat for the first time in our history? They decided to endorse Clinton. To the anonymous caller who invoked the name of Don Bolles hes the Republic reporter who was assassinated by a car bomb 40 years ago and threatened that more of our reporters would be blown up because of the endorsement, I give you Kimberly. She is the young woman who answered the phone when you called. She sat in my office and calmly told three Phoenix police detectives what you had said. She told them that later, she walked to church and prayed for you. Prayed for patience, for forgiveness. Kimberly knows free speech requires compassion. To those who said we should be shut down, burned down, who said they hoped we would cease to exist under a new presidential administration, I give you Nicole. She is our editor who directs the news staff, independent of our endorsements. After your threats, Nicole put on her press badge and walked with her reporters and photographers into the latest Donald Trump rally in Prescott Valley, Ariz. She stood as Trump encouraged his followers to heckle and boo and bully journalists. Then she came back to the newsroom to ensure our coverage was fair. Nicole knows free speech requires an open debate. To those of you who have said that someone who disagrees with you deserves to be punished, I give you Phil. Our editorial page editor is a lifelong Republican, a conservative and a patriot. He was an early voice of reason, arguing calmly that Donald Trump didnt represent the values of the party he loves. Phil understands that free speech sometimes requires bravery. And threats to her personally: To those of you who have said Jesus will judge me, that you hope I burn in hell, that non-Christians should be kept out of our country, I give you my pastor grandfather. He was imprisoned and tortured for being a Christian, and suffered the murder of his best friend for also refusing to deny Christ. He taught all that freedom of religion is a fragile and precious thing. Much as my grandfather taught, I also know there are a lot of things worth standing up for. If you dont like an editorial, you are free to complain or unsubscribe. But threatening violence is always wrong. Of course in NZ, it is the Herald hires you if you threaten violence against people for their views! Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr You can now donate to Kiwiblog Liam Hehir writes: Last week, Judith Collins reaffirmed her status as the great bogeywoman of the chattering classes by offering her opinion that crime is not caused by poverty. The backlash against the Police Minister was swift and inevitable. Anti-poverty campaigners condemned her, the opposition denounced her and almost every news story on the subject carried the assumption that she had said something deeply controversial and offensive. And yet what Judith Collins said would be met with agreement to one degree or another by the vast majority of New Zealanders. After all, we are constantly told that there are an awful lot of people growing up in poverty and only a small percentage of them wind up hardened criminals. I dont think poverty causes crime. I think crime infested households tend to bring up criminals. But even then it is not an absolute John Banks being a good example of someone who broke free. The overt tone of disgust that characterised the reaction to Collins comments will only reinforce the perception that the Left is wedded to the idea that certain groups are controlled by their environment and so cannot be held responsible for their actions. Even free choice is not seen as a factor, as some on the left argue that whether people made good or bad choices is programmed into them by their environment. I worked at a supermarket through most of my studies. One of my tasks was to process emergency food grants from WINZ, which before being accepted for payment had to be manually approved by a supervisor. As part of this you had to check that no alcohol of tobacco was being purchased with the grant. Beyond that, however, there were few restrictions on what foodstuffs could be brought. From memory, the typical grant was in the order of $140, which if youre hard up can be stretched a long way when it comes to buying food. Eight dollars, for example, can easily buy you a kilogram of nutritious brown rice and a kilogram of frozen vegetables. Together, these can form the basis of 10 filling meals. Or, it can buy you a large bottle of Coke and packet of chips. If you want to know which combinations went through more often, try asking anybody who has ever worked a supermarket till. I think we can guess! Checkout operators would be polite and courteous with these customers, of course. Nevertheless, nobody ever got rich as a supermarket employee and I know it was grating for many workers who carefully budgeted their pay to process such imprudent transactions. It wasnt uncommon to hear grumbling at tea breaks about how such grants should be limited to the purchase of actual staples. But the problem is that this would be a backwards step. If someone reaches adulthood and you still cant figure out that the limited emergency relief available to them should not be wasted on expensive junk food, then they have problems that go beyond money. Treating them like a child by taking away their right to choose their food wont help fight their way out of dependence it will only reinforce their sense of helplessness. Also it can set up a black market where people will but the allowable food, and trade it for the food they really want. One person with more experience with the underclass than your typical metropolitan liberal is Theodore Dalrymple, a retired British prison psychiatrist. His book Life at the Bottom is a sobering collection of essays about those he treated over the years. One of the books persistent themes was the manner in which so many of his inmate patients were trapped in a reflexive rationalisation of the terrible things they had done to other people. According to Dalrymple, the dogmatic insistence that poverty causes crime reinforces the idea that those in the underclass are passive beings with no capacity to exert control over their lives. It is to deny them the moral agency that goes to the core of our humanity. Quite simply, it is to treat them like animals. If you actually look at what Collins said, it looks like this is what she was getting at. By refusing to agree that poverty drives people into crime, she was affirming the capacity that all people have to live an honourable life and to raise decent children no matter their social class. And even if you hate Judith Collins, you cannot deny she is right about that. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr Philip Matthews has a long article on vaping in NZ: Change is coming to this murky area. Health academic Marewa Glover praises Government minister Sam Lotu-Iiga for opening up a discussion on vaping in New Zealand. As Associate Minister of Health, Lotu-Iiga called for submissions on e-cigarettes. A Ministry of Health spokeswoman says that 250 submissions came in from interested parties, including retailers and users, and Lotu-Iiga will take recommendations to Cabinet by the end of 2016. Glover says it is likely that the Government will amend the Smoke-free Environments Act rather than create a new law for vaping. That strikes her as sensible. But from her position as associate professor of public health at Massey University, she is concerned that there is a level of ignorance or naivete even in the health sector. There are several big questions to tackle. Yes, nicotine products should be legal, Glover says, but where should they be sold? Retailers such as Cosmic hope to limit them to specialist vaping stores, which obviously suits their interests, but what about rural areas? Is Cosmic or the Auckland chain Shosha going to open outlets in small-town New Zealand? The pharmacy-only model has been floated but what happens when big tobacco companies get into vaping, as they are starting to overseas? Will our pharmacies feel comfortable selling their products? Glover argues that when nicotine is legal, it should be sold everywhere that cigarettes are now. Dairies, gas stations. There could even be a legal requirement to stock vaping products alongside old-fashioned smokes. With El Chapo Guzman behind bars and facing extradition to the United States, the war for control of the so-called golden triangle in the north west of Mexico traditionally run by Guzmans Sinaloa drugs cartel is becoming increasingly dirty. Aureliano Guzman Loera. More information El hermano de El Chapo toma el mando en la guerra de los carteles Now Aureliano Guzman, El Chapos older brother, has stepped into the breach: he is reported to have organized a deadly attack on a military convoy in Culiacan, Sinaloa, on September 30, that left five soldiers dead. El Chapo is the fourth of 11 children and responsible for setting up the Sinaloa cartel. Aureliano, three years older, played a relatively minor role in the organization, overseeing marijuana production, but with his brothers imprisonment and the threat from other cartels, he has come to prominence. Mexican police say the Sinaloa cartel is made up of independent cells that work together as and when they need to. Flexible but ill-disciplined, they required constant oversight by El Chapo. With him out of the way, the cartel is in danger of falling apart and losing control over its territory and multi-million dollar drug-smuggling business, say the authorities. El Chapos empire, set up over the last two decades, is under threat from rival organizations. Rafael Caro Quintero, considered Mexicos top narco, is now in his sixties and has been living in hiding for several years. But the Mexican authorities say that he has gotten together with former allies and intends to take over the Sinaloa cartels territory, which he himself once ran. Aureliano Guaman commands little respect among the ranks of the Sinaloa cartel Then there is the cartel run by the Beltran Leyva family, whose eldest son Edgar was killed by El Chapo in 2008. They are believed to have carried out the attack in June on Badiraguato, the town where the Guzman clan is based. Some 150 armed men ransacked the home of El Chapos mother. Since then, retaliations and counter-retaliations have left more than 120 people dead. Finally, there is the Jalisco Nueva Generacion cartel, which emerged around five years ago, killing 35 members of the once-deadly Zetas drugs cartel in a small town in Veracruz state, leaving their bodies along the main avenue. The Jalisco Nueva Generacion was also responsible for bringing down an army helicopter last year, as well as killing 15 soldiers in an ambush on a military convoy. Its members also blocked off access to the city of Guadalajara, demanding the release of 10 of their number. The cartel is also believed to have kidnapped and then released two of El Chapos sons in August this year. Until the attack on the military convoy in Culiacan, the Sinaloa cartel has largely failed to respond to the multiple threats it faces. Ismael Zambada Garcia, considered the number two in the organization, has remained hidden. He is the de facto leader of the cartel and the most important narco in Mexico, but nobody knows where he is, says journalist Alejandro Hope, an expert on the drugs war in Mexico. Whether Aureliano Guzman will be able to hold the Sinaloa cartel together is open to question. In April last year he ordered the killing of his half-brother, Ernesto Guzman Hidalgo, who was also the father-in-law of Alfredo Beltran Leyva, the Sinaloa cartels number one enemy. The Sinaloa cartel is in danger of falling apart and losing control over its territory But according to Cynthia Valdez, a Sinaloa-based journalist, Aureliano commands little respect among the ranks of the Sinaloa cartel: he has tried to take over cells within the organization, and he is reputedly widely hated by the land workers who grow the marijuana the cartel trades in. With a weak power base and now locked into a war on several fronts, he faces an uncertain future. The situation is highly volatile and its going to get worse, says Hope. Meanwhile, in response to the attack in Culiacan, Mexicos military has sent thousands of soldiers out into the mountains of Sinaloa to find Aureliano Guzman. English version by Nick Lyne. Radical nationalists are calling the attack a police set-up to make them look bad. Ivan Aguinaga (EFE) In Alsasua, a village in Navarre, few residents are willing to talk about the four people who were beaten up outside a bar on Friday night. Around 50 individuals, all sympathizers of radical Basque nationalism, participated in the group attack against two off-duty Civil Guard officers and their girlfriends. All four had to be hospitalized, with one of the officers sustaining a fractured ankle. They do everything possible to make us miserable Civil Guard officer in Alsasua The victims were having a drink inside a bar named Koxka when somebody reportedly recognized them as members of the Spanish law enforcement agency and began insulting them. Later, outside the establishment, the verbal abuse escalated into a full-fledged attack. The government of Navarre, which is currently headed by the left-leaning Uxue Barkos, condemned the act of violence, saying that it has no place in a democratic society. But the incident illustrates the complexities of peaceful coexistence in municipalities with a strong presence of radical nationalists, and of Navarres place within the wider Basque homeland that these individuals claim independence for. A radical bastion Alsasua, population 7,600, is located just 50 kilometers away from Pamplona, a global magnet for fans of the famous Running of the Bulls. Burnt buses such as these in the Basque province of Bizkaia were a regular feature of kale borroka in its heyday. EFE Nestled in between imposing mountains of deep green, it has a church and caserios traditional farmhouses that have been restored to their former glory. But upon closer scrutiny, this idyllic picture is punctuated by dozens of posters and murals demanding the transfer to Basque prisons of ETA convicts serving time elsewhere in Spain a classic demand of relatives and sympathizers of the terrorist organization. Other posters call for the independence of Euskal Herria, a Greater Basque Country that would incorporate not just the three Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Araba but also the nearby region of Navarre (which has its own separate regional structure, on the same level as any other Spanish autonomous region) and even the Basque-speaking parts of southern France. Alsasua has long been viewed as a bastion of the radical Basque nationalists known as the abertzale, a tough place with a long history of attacks against people and property. The Friday night assault is the latest chapter in an ongoing story of violent incidents that appeared to have subsided following ETAs announcement of a definitive end to armed activities in October 2011. Why did they go there? Everybody in Alsasua now wonders why the victims were inside that particular bar in the first place. Koxka is known as a meeting point for young radical nationalists, a place where representatives of Spanish law enforcement would surely not be welcome. Its true that for the last year or two, things have quieted down a lot, says one Civil Guard officer who is stationed in Alsasua. We can now go out for a drink or a bite, although we usually stick to the bars near the barracks, and never stay out very late. I would personally not have gone to that bar at that time, but they had every right to do so, adds this source. A long history of violence Alsasua is an abertzale stronghold within Navarre. In the last 25 years, it has always been headed by Basque nationalists. In 1980, a former Civil Guard officer was assassinated here. Alsasua was also home to an ETA cell known as Txarito, created in 1985. In 1997, two local Socialist councilors received death threats and had their cars vandalized. In 2003, a fellow PSOE member who announced his intention of running for office found his car windows smashed in. Radical nationalist circles reacted to coverage of the assault by claiming that it is a made-up story to make the abertzale look bad. The Basque phrase Alde hemendik (get out of here) was hurled at law enforcement officers in the area. While some people milled outside the Civil Guard headquarters to show support for the victims, radical nationalists held a separate rally calling the attack a political and media set-up. A young man claiming to represent the inhabitants of Alsasua said that the village is the victim of oppressive repression and asked for the acquittal of two suspects who were arrested in connection with the attack and released on Monday pending trial. A normal life? Local residents say that ever since ETA announced the end of armed violence, almost exactly five years ago, the street violence known as kale borroka has pretty much disappeared, and that law enforcement officers can lead a more or less normal life. You dont normally see them out at night, but it is more of a regular occurrence now than it used to be, says another neighbor who declined to supply his name. The Civil Guard source agreed that life is easier for them now, but adds some nuance. Its not true that there is no more kale borroka. Street containers keep getting burned down, its just that they now call it vandalism. And they do everything possible to make us miserable. Lets be clear on this: we cannot lead normal lives. English version by Susana Urra. In a case that has made headlines around the world, womens groups in Argentina have called for a one-hour general strike on Wednesday to protest the brutal rape and murder of 16-year-old Lucia Perez. The killing has caused outrage in the South American country after grisly details emerged following the arrest of two men. A third has since been apprehended for his involvement in the crime. The parents of Lucia Perez at a march to demand justice for their daughter. prisa More information Un salvaje asesinato con violacion de una adolescente reactiva la lucha contra el femicidio en Argentina Lucia Perez was reportedly picked up outside her school in the coastal city of Mar del Plata, some 300 kilometers south of the capital of Buenos Aires, on October 8. She was then drugged, gang raped, and allegedly penetrated with a wooden pole. Her killers then washed her, changed her clothes and took her to a medical center, alleging she had suffered an overdose. She died in hospital. Three men have been named in the case: Matias Farias, aged 23, Juan Pablo Offidani, 41, and Alejandro Alberto Masiel. Lucia Perez, from a working-class home, was in her fifth year of secondary school I have never seen a series of more abhorrent deeds, public prosecutor Maria Isabel Sanchez told reporters last week. She added that the police believed the victim contacted her killers through a friend who wanted to buy marijuana. She accompanied them to Fariass home, where she allegedly was given large amounts of different drugs and was then held against her will and repeatedly raped. Police say they found several used condoms at the property, along with sex toys. The murder has caused outrage in Argentina. Lucia Perez was in her fifth year of secondary school and came from a working-class home. Her family has mobilized a campaign via social networks and the media to demand that their daughters killers be given a life sentence. Lucia Perez. In the week since Lucia Perez was murdered, three other women have been killed in Argentina, and police are investigating a possible fourth case. Argentinas Supreme Court recorded 235 murders of women in 2015, an average of one every 36 hours. The previous year, 225 murders of women were recorded. In response, for the last two years, womens groups have staged marches in cities throughout the country. In response to mounting anger about the numbers of women being murdered in Argentina, the countrys Supreme Court last year set up a national register to record such killings. It notes that 18% of victims were aged under 20 years, while 43% were aged between 21 and 40, with 25% aged between 41 and 60. Her family is demanding their daughters killers are given a life sentence According to the courts register, some 95% of the murdered women knew their killer, although the 5% of cases committed by unknown assailants, as with Lucia Perez, normally receive greater media coverage. Half the 235 women murdered last year were or had been in a relationship with their killer. Furthermore, two out of every 10 women murdered in Argentina last year had reported their killer to the police, highlighting the need to protect women trapped in violent relationships. As a result of last years murders, the authorities say at least 203 children were orphaned. English version by Nick Lyne. By Choi Sung-jin "When was the last time you made a report about overall economic situations to the President?" Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the ruling Saenuri Party asked Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Il-ho during a parliamentary audit last Friday. The latter Yoo, who doubles as finance minister, said he has made frequent reports but through presidential aides at Cheong Wa Dae. "This is the time for the government's top policymaker to talk with President Park Geun-hye directly," said Rep. Yoo, former floor leader of the governing party. "You should advise the chief executive to preside over an emergency economic committee to handle the current crisis." This conversation showed how deeply permeated is a sense of economic crisis even among the ruling party leaders and how frustrated they feel about the lack of leadership to tide the country over in tough economic times. Not only experts but ordinary people have begun to talk about the crisis: Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, the two core players in Corporate Korea, are being shaken from the bottom, exports are plunging and traditional industries such as steel and shipbuilding require swift restructuring, but there are few officials or ideas seen to be dealing with multiple troubles. The Bank of Korea has readjusted its growth projection for next year to 2.8 percent -- down 0.1 of a percentage point from the previous forecast -- the fourth consecutive such trimming from 3.2 percent it targeted early this year. Economic affairs, however, remain low in the administrative priority list of President Park, who has been bent on pressuring North Korea on its nuclear development programs, not finding time even to meet her economic czar for talks, critics say. The economic administration has come to a virtual standstill. The government had promised to announce measures to resolve shipping and shipbuilding problems in September but is yet to keep its word. Watching Park's economic team deal with the troubles of Hanjin Shipping and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, many analysts say they can't help but recall the former Kim Young-sam administration's poor handling of the bankruptcy of Hanbo Steel in January 1997, which led to a worse financial crisis 10 months later. Some say Korea is in a more dangerous situation now than two decades ago, citing the simultaneous attacks of national security and economic crises and lamenting the lack of systematic responses by the government. Nor does the incumbent administration have a future strategy to prepare for, say, the fourth industrial revolution. Debt-stricken working-class families are tightening their belts further, with household debts swelling to 1,257 trillion won ($1.1 trillion) in the second quarter to surpass 90 percent of gross domestic product for the first time while disposable income remains stationary. According to Korea Investment and Securities, Koreans' average propensity to consume -- the proportion of consumption expenditure out of total income -- fell from 77.9 in 2005 to 70.9 in the second quarter, indicating private consumption has contracted even compared with a decade ago. Statistics Korea also said the number of "ultra-short-term workers" -- those who work only one to 17 hours a week -- totaled 1.34 million in the third quarter, up 140,000 from a year earlier, to hit the highest in five years. That the number jumped 244,000 and 143,000 in 1998 and 2009, respectively, suggests the present economic slump is as serious as those during regional and global financial crises. Even more serious for the incumbent administration is its loss of popular trust. According to national competitiveness rankings made by the International Institute for Management Development, almost all government-related indexes fell over the past year. Transparency of policy dropped from 40th to 43rd and policy appropriateness from 45th to 46th. In similar World Economic Forum rankings, Korea fell from 80th to 82nd in government employees' decision-making favoritism, from 66th to 69th in appropriation of public funds and from 46th to 52nd in irregular payment or bribery. According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data, only 17 percent of people aged 19-25 trusted their government in 2015, putting the nation in 42nd place out of 43 countries in this category. Some of the most unpopular policies were the tobacco price increase, an indirect tax, while refusing to raise corporate tax rates, making it easier for businesses to dismiss their employees and introducing a performance-based pay system, another pro-business policy. "As things stand now, the Park Geun-hye administration is highly likely to leave the worst economic report card of all governments," a conservative daily said in an editorial Tuesday. "Most Koreans no longer hope their President will change her governance style but do her best in economic administration even during the rest of her tenure." By Park Jae-hyuk Large Korean cosmetics firms have yet to obtain halal certification while targeting markets in the Middle East as a new blue ocean. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Monday that nine Korean cosmetics firms are participating in a cosmetics exhibition held at Esteghlal International Hotel in Tehran, Iran, between Tuesday and Thursday. Participants are seeking to expand their sales in the Middle East through their first grand promotion event in Iran and inspire K-beauty fever there, as they did in China. Minister Sohn Mun-gi expects the exhibition "will promote Korean cosmetics' fine qualities, as well as being the first step toward the Middle East market." The third Cosmetics and Beauty Expo in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, Oct. 5, also shed light on halal cosmetics as the future of K-beauty. Halal experts from the Middle East and Southeast Asia were invited to the expo and held a seminar there. However, many Korean cosmetics firms still lack halal certification which is necessary for their expansion in Middle East markets where most consumers are Muslim. Islamic law, Sharia, bans cosmetics made with alcohol and collagen extracted from pigs. "Small and medium-sized cosmetics firms often complain about difficulties in certification procedures, such as preparing evidential documents," an official at the International Halal Certification said. Large firms, such as AmorePacific and LG Household & Healthcare, have no halal certified products as well, although they are joining the exhibition in Iran. "Our company does not have a clear blueprint for expansion toward Middle East markets yet," an AmorePacific official said. "We will prepare our plan later this year or early next for halal certification." Suh Kyung-bae, chairman of the country's top cosmetics firm, said, "Dubai, UAE, will be the first market we enter," during a press conference at the company's 70th anniversary last year. An LG Household & Healthcare official said, "We do not have any plan for halal certification of cosmetics." The company is operating over 55 stores in five Middle East countries _ Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and Armenia. Those stores have adapted to the countries through selling only color cosmetics and fundamental cosmetics without animal components. According to Thomson Reuters State of the Global Islamic Economy 2014-2015, the market volume of halal cosmetics worldwide was $40 billion in 2013 and is expected to grow up to $73 billion in 2019. The government had said it will develop halal cosmetics at the 10th Trade Investment Promotion Meeting hosted by President Park Geun-hye in July. By Park Jae-hyuk Tobacco firms continue to sell cigarettes containing flavored capsules in their filters, although a lawmaker pointed out their risks at this year's government audit. British American Tobacco (BAT) Korea released Dunhill Fine Cut Switch and Dunhill Fine Cut Boost, Oct. 4, cigarettes that contain menthol-flavored capsules to remove bad odors. Two days later, Rep. Sung Il-jong from the ruling Saenuri Party said at the audit of the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) that some capsule cigarettes contain 107 toxic substances, referring to a report written by the KCDC last year. Components of air freshener, insecticide and adhesive were detected in the cigarettes, according to the report. However, Korean and foreign tobacco firms, including BAT Korea, KT&G, Philip Morris and JTI Korea, still sell cigarettes with capsules, saying the risks of such components are not certain yet. Rep. Sung said the KCDC concealed the risks of the components, deleting the data analysis included in the initial report. Korea's current laws do not regulate cigarette capsules, while the U.S. and Europe ban several flavored capsules embedded in cigarettes. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, cigarettes with such capsules held an 8.3 percent share of the Korean tobacco market last year, while the figure was only 0.1 percent in 2012. Tobacco firms anticipate sales this year will rise 2 to 3 percentage points from last year. As more young people in their 20s and 30s demand flavored cigarettes, the health ministry said it is considering regulating the products by 2018. Kim Joo-won, right, and Yoon Jeon-il rehearse at a studio on Oct. 10, ahead of the performance of "Sinsi" which will take place on Oct. 27. / Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts By Yun Suh-young Traditional dance performance "Sinsi" set for next week stars world famous ballerina Kim Joo-won as the lead female dancer. The performance will be on Oct. 27 and 28 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and Kim's performance will take place on Oct. 27. "Sinsi" is directed by veteran choreographer Kook Soo-ho who also took the helm of last year's performance when the dance was first introduced. The story is centered on the birth myth of Korea which begins with Hwanwoong, the son of "Hwanin" or God, who descended from Mount Taebaek to establish the city of Sinsi, the birthplace of the first country state. Hwanwoong marries a woman who had been turned into a human from a bear, and fathers a child called Dangun Wanggeom who establishes Gojoseon, the first nation state of Korea. This ancient kingdom (BC 2333), also called Dangun Joseon, is known to have been established on Oct. 3 which is celebrated as a national holiday ever since. The day is called "Gaechonjeol" which means "The Opening of Heaven." The dance, based on this myth, tells the story of the peaceful establishment of a nation and co-existence after a series of wars between various different tribes. "The story of Sinsi may seem old and boring because it's a traditional story, but we exist now because of this history. Also, there's definitely a message to take away in today's time from this story which is of the humanitarian spirit and co-existence," said choreographer Kook, during a press conference last week. "The dance was created last year in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Korea. I took the helm last year, but this year I'm planning to ride on the upturn and improve. I added 20 more chorus members this year," he said. The cast will be divided into two teams, the celebrity dancers team and the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater team to create synergy and competition between the two groups and showcase different styles of dance. The first day will feature a star-studded cast, including ballerina Kim Joo-won, former lead dancer of the National Theater of Korea Lee Jeong-yun, and ballerino Yoon Jeon-il who gained popularity through his appearance on a TV dance survival competition program, M-net's "Dancing 9." Members of the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater will perform on Oct. 28, including lead dancer Kim Kyung-ae with Shin Dong-yeop and Choi Tae-hyun. The performance involves 80 performers -- 60 dancers and 20 musical actors and actresses -- and will be performed on the largest stage in Korea. The entire 40-meter stage from the rear part to the front orchestra pit will be used, maximizing the spectacle. Ballerina Kim Joo-won will be merging the worlds of ballet and traditional dance in this performance. This is her third traditional performance and third collaboration with choreographer Kook. "Ballet, a Western dance, and traditional Korean dance share a similar spirit. It was a great learning experience for me to merge the two genres," said Kim. Her body movements and emotions trained from her previous appearances in "Swan Lake" and "Giselle" will be used to their best for this traditional performance, Kook said. The highlight scene of the work is where Hwanwoong appears with his 3,000 troops from the sky, according to Kook. "The scene where Hwanwoong descends from the sky is interpreted in his appearance from the back of the stage to the front which is 40 meters. This magnificent scene will be breathtaking and audiences will feel an emotion they have never felt before. That scene basically sums up the essence of this performance," Kook said. The PSOE group in Congress on Tuesday. ULY MARTIN The 290 members of the embattled Spanish Socialist Partys (PSOE) federal committee will meet on Sunday to agree their official position at an upcoming investiture vote in Congress at which acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of the Popular Party (PP) will make a final bid to form a government and avoid a third general election in a year, which would take place in late December. PSOE sources say that the committee will overwhelmingly support abstention at the vote in Congress Although unanimity is not expected, PSOE sources say that the federal committee, made up of delegates from Spains regions, will overwhelmingly support an abstention at the vote in Congress, which would allow Rajoy to form a minority government. On Monday, King Felipe VI will begin new talks with the parties to determine whether a government can be formed before the deadline of October 31. The issue of whether to effectively support Rajoy through an abstention has torn the PSOE apart, with party leader Pedro Sanchez, who voted against Rajoy in Septembers investiture vote, insisting that the grassroots of the PSOE is against giving the PP a second term in office. After half of the partys executive committee resigned in protest at his handling of the issue in late September, Sanchez stepped down on October 3, since when the PSOE has been run by a management team of moderates who support abstaining at the investiture vote and avoiding a third election that polls say would see the Socialists support further eroded. Pedro Sanchez announces his resignation as secretary general of the PSOE. Fernando Villar (EFE) Broadly speaking, the Andalusian branch of the party, the largest, supports abstention. The Catalan and Basque Socialists, numerically smaller, insist on a no vote in Congress. The choice is simple: either abstain or go to the polls. This is about the lesser of two evils. Neither choice is good. Abstaining does not mean supporting [the PP]. Abstention is only possible when there is no alternative, said on Monday Juan Cornejo, the secretary of the Andalusia branch of the partys organization. English version by Nick Lyne. Daegu police have arrested two Russians for allegedly vandalizing public property and stealing clothes. In this photo taken at a Daegu subway depot, "ONAS" is painted on a subway car. / Courtesy of Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency By Lee Jin-a Police have arrested two Russians for allegedly vandalizing subway cars in Daegu and stealing clothes from department stores in Seoul and Busan. Daegu Dongbu Police Station said on Monday that the two men, 22 and 20, allegedly painted the word "ONAS" -- meaning "we" in Russian -- on two subway cars at a depot in the city's Dong-gu district around 1:40 a.m. on Oct. 16. A Daegu department store employee reported the men to police. After analyzing CCTV footage, police discovered that the graffiti suspects were wanted by Busan Jungbu Police Station on a charge of stealing clothes worth 7.5 million won ($6,620) from department stores in Seoul and Busan on Oct. 11 and 12, respectively. According to Daegu police, the Russians stole the clothes and vandalized the subway cars "for fun." In Korea, graffiti is considered property damage and those who damage public property can be sentenced to up to three years' jail or fined up to 7 million won. By Jun Ji-hye Can South Korea develop a nuclear-powered attack submarine to deter threats from North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)? The government and the ruling Saenuri Party said Tuesday that they have agreed to consider developing such a vessel during a meeting at the National Assembly. Rep. Kim Gwang-lim, chief policymaker of the ruling party, told reporters after the meeting that he strongly requested the government to build a nuclear-powered attack submarine as early as possible to counter the North's SLBM threat. "The party stressed that securing a nuclear sub is an urgent task to overcome the North's asymmetric capabilities and strengthen self-defense," he said. "The government vowed to seriously consider the suggestion." However, critics have questioned the feasibility of the development, saying that the nation would face major hurdles, including disapproval from the United States, which virtually controls the uranium enrichment and nuclear fuel reprocessing of South Korea. Calls for developing a nuclear attack sub surfaced after the North successfully launched an SLBM, Aug. 24, which flew about 500 kilometers and landed within Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone in the East Sea. If an SLBM flies at least 300 kilometers during its test, the launch is considered successful, according to experts. Days after the launch, Rep. Chung Jin-suk, floor leader of the ruling party, publicly urged the military to consider getting nuclear attack submarines that can deal with the North's SLBMs, which he said are a more serious threat than land-based missiles, as their launch point is difficult to detect. A nuclear submarine can stay submerged and hidden under water for as long as it has supplies for its crew, making it harder to track than conventional diesel-electric ones that have to surface frequently and operate a diesel engine to recharge their batteries. Supporters of having nuclear attack subs say such vessels can be assigned to patrol around North Korean submarine bases without being detected and trail SLBM-armed subs heading out to sea. Moon Keun-sik, a submarine expert at the Korea Defense Security Forum, said, "If the technological aspect is considered only, the military would be able to develop and build a nuclear sub within two to three years." But critics point out that the development could provoke controversy over whether or not this would contravene the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that the government ratified in 1975 and has remained formally committed to since then. Regarding this, the Ministry of National Defense said that while the NPT refers to nuclear weapons, it does not appear to specifically restrict development of nuclear-powered submarines. The ministry added that the development of a nuclear sub would not be against International Atomic Energy Agency regulations, either. But another question is whether the United States would approve of Seoul's uranium enrichment in order to operate such a submarine. Some say that a revision of the Seoul-Washington nuclear cooperation deal signed last year would allow Seoul to enrich its uranium to a level of 20 percent when using U.S. ingredients, but critics point out that the agreement disallows uranium enrichment for military purposes. "The two countries have yet to review whether or not the revision would allow South Korea to secure uranium necessary for a nuclear submarine," a ministry official said on condition of anonymity. Critics added that Seoul's development of a nuclear attack sub could also prompt Japan to develop its own and pursue nuclear armament, and consequently, cause an arms race in Northeast Asia. "We should consider the balance of military might in the Northeast Asian region," the official said. By Choi Ha-young A high court overturned a guilty verdict against conscientious objectors for violating the Military Conscription Law, Tuesday. This is the first time for an appeals court to rule in favor of conscientious objectors, while lower courts have given mixed rulings in multiple cases. The ruling is likely to ignite debate about alternative services in Korea, where all able-bodied men are required to serve for 21 to 24 months, depending on which branch of the military they are assigned to. The Gwangju District High Court returned the non-guilty judgment on the three who were indicted for rejecting military duty due to religious reasons, dismissing a prosecution appeal. Earlier, two of them had been sentenced to 18 months in jail by lower courts, while the other was acquitted. "Considering their family background, it seems they refused military duty according to their religious beliefs and consciences," the court said. "Religious belief and personal conscience are rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and cannot be subject to criminal punishment." The court separated conscientious objections from evasion of military service, saying about 600 conscientious objectors will not encourage more evasions. Citing international trends, it said Korea is also forming a social consensus on the need to adopt alternative service to provide other ways to serve the community. "They do not want to dodge the service but want to fulfill their duty in other ways. The state should pay attention to such minority rights," the court said. The Constitutional Court is reviewing the Military Conscription Law which does not recognize conscientious objection. This is the third time for the court to review the related petition, and it plans to make a judgment before January. While the Ministry of National Defense says recognition of conscientious objectors is premature, local courts ruled in favor of such people nine times for last one year. By Kim Hyo-jin Opposition lawmakers raised allegations Tuesday that the controversial memoir written by former foreign minister Song Min-soon is linked to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's potential presidential bid. Moon Jae-in, a potential presidential candidate of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), has been in the hot seat after Song claimed in the memoir that the Roh Moo-hyun government consulted with Pyongyang before it abstained from a vote on a U.N. resolution against North Korea's human rights violations in 2007. Moon, then presidential chief of staff, supported then spy agency chief Kim Man-bok's idea of sounding out the North's position while opinions among Cabinet members were divided on whether to participate in the U.N. vote, Song wrote. The lawmakers claimed the memoir took a large part in describing Ban and his diplomacy under the Roh administration favorably while presenting Moon and his work in a negative light. "I believe Song had this intention when he wrote things in detail, risking a breach of confidence (as a former diplomatic top official)," Rep. Park Beom-kye of the MPK, said. "I can hardly brush off the suspicions, seeing as the memoir is full of compliments for Ban." "Song's narrative could be misleading even if Song didn't mean it to be," Kim Kyoung-soo, an MPK lawmaker serving as a spokesman of the party's ex-Chairman Moon, said in an MBC radio interview. He also questioned the credibility of Song's remarks, claiming he skipped the process of fact-checking before publishing the book. "When you publish a memoir regarding a president, it is customary that you check on facts with those close to that president (in the case of the Roh administration) it should have been ex-presidential spokesman Yoon Tae-young or me," he said. "But there was no such thing." Kim served as a presidential speech secretary, whose role was documenting the President's official and unofficial activities during the Roh administration. Speculation was fueled in the opposition bloc that Song published the memoir in support of Ban's possible presidential bid, while opposition potential candidate Moon was criticized by the ruling party. Ban has yet to officially announce his presidential bid but often hinted at it while being courted by the ruling Saenuri Party. MPK members pointed out the timing of the publication, just about three months before Ban said he plans to come back to the country, the point at which his preparation for a presidential bid could commence. They also paid attention to the personal relations between Song and Ban when the latter was foreign minister. Song was named to the post after Ban was elected U.N. Secretary-General. Both alumni of Seoul National University, they were known to have had tight relations in the foreign ministry. Song participated in a gathering arranged by Ban in May when he visited the country, categorizing himself as "one of Ban's people." The ruling Saenuri Party continued raising an all-out offensive against Moon, urging him to apologize to the public for defaming the country's diplomacy and to clear out suspicions. Former top officials mentioned in the memoir all denied Song's claim, saying Seoul's abstention from the U.N. vote had been decided following security meetings among Cabinet members and reporting its stance to Pyongyang came afterwards. Song reiterated his position, stressing the content in his memoir is all based on truth. Meanwhile, Moon remained ambiguous, saying he cannot remember details of the circumstances in 2007. By Kang Seung-woo A controversy triggered by former Foreign Minister Song Min-soon's memoir is turning into a massive ideological war with the ruling camp going all-out to attack possible opposition party presidential candidate Moon Jae-in. Song, who served as the top diplomat for the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration, wrote in his recently published book that the Roh government abstained from a 2007 United Nations resolution on North Korea's human rights after consulting with Pyongyang, with Moon involved in the process. Moon was the presidential chief of staff at the time. The book has dealt a blow to the former chairman of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) and potential presidential contender. The ruling Saenuri Party, which has formed a task force to look into the case, held an emergency meeting and denounced Moon's act as "treacherous" in an apparent attempt to hurt his reputation as a possible candidate. "If what is written in the memoir is true, it would be an act of giving up South Korea's sovereignty and apparently an act of treason," Saenuri Party floor leader Chung Jin-suk said in the meeting. "We urge Moon to give a clear answer on whether he sought approval from Kim Jong-il before casting a veto on the U.N. resolution, and to stop prevaricating." Since the issue came to light last week, Moon has not clearly expressed his position on the issue. The ruling party seems set to continue raising the issue for some time in the lead-up to the presidential election next year. "It is a matter of the country's credibility and a disgrace in the history of the nation's diplomacy, so we will seek a fundamental solution to the matter," said a ranking party official. "If we continue to raise the issue, we expect testimony from the media or former diplomatic officials to come out." Members of the Korean Railway Workers' Union call for the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) to stop deploying inexperienced temporary workers to fill in for strikers due to safety concerns, during a rally in front of Seoul Station, Tuesday. They have been holding a walkout against the government-initiated merit pay system since Sept. 27. / Yonhap By Jung Min-ho Concerns have been raised about the safety of subways and railroads as the workers of the state-run Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) continue their strike against the performance-based salary system the company has recently adopted. While non-union workers operate the trains, their fatigue is growing due to a lack of time off. Also many temporary workers, who the company hastily hired, are having difficulties performing their work due to inexperience. According to KORAIL's safety committee, Tuesday, it found 18 problems with the subways and railroads under the company's management, since union workers began the strike on Sept. 27. KORAIL, which manages train networks across the country, also co-manages some of the subway lines connecting Seoul and the suburbs, including subway line Nos. 1, 3 and 4 as well as the Gyeongchun, Gyeongui-Jungang and Bundang lines. The latest safety incident occurred Monday, when a subway train bound for Incheon stopped at Jongno 3-ga Station in central Seoul for 90 minutes due to technical problems. A similar incident occurred on Sept. 29, when a subway train stopped near Seolleung Station on the Bundang line for 26 minutes because of a power supply failure. During a special meeting with the committee on Tuesday, KORAIL CEO Hong Soon-man said the problems stem from inexperienced workers who have taken the jobs of the workers on strike. "I apologize for any inconveniences that the incident on Monday might have caused to passengers. I will ensure that new workers will receive more safety training," he said. "During rush hour, better skilled and more experienced workers will be deployed for safe train operations." Since the strike, KORAIL has hired nearly 800 people on short-term contracts to minimize problems from vacancies. By the end of the week, it plans to hire an additional 500 people. Although KORAIL insists that all new workers go through sufficient safety education before starting work, their lack of experience is a big concern for many. During the union's previous strike in 2013, a woman was killed after being caught in the door of a subway train. The worker, who failed to see her when the train left the platform, was doing the job as a substitute. "New people have to receive 100 hours of training before starting work on train crews. And many applicants already have some related experienced as KORAIL interns or students with railroad operation-related majors," a KORAIL official said. More than 7,000 union workers are participating in the strike, which is expected to break the record as the longest-ever on Thursday having reached 24 days, obstructing transportation services both for passengers and freight. While the operating rate of subway trains and KTX has changed little, those of the Saemaeul and Mugunghwa trains dropped to 60 percent. Freight trains are also running at some 30 percent of the usual level. On Tuesday, KORAIL sent an ultimatum to the striking workers, saying those who do not get back to work by Thursday will face heavy punishment. Yet the workers refused to back down. Instead, they plan to take the company to court over the issue of adopting the performance-based salary system without their consent. More than 1,400 progressive scholars and activists also expressed their support for the strike, saying the government instigated the turmoil and should work with the union. By Lee Kyung-min The government has backed off from its initial plan to impose heavier sanctions on doctors who perform abortions, following a severe backlash from doctors' groups. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday that it will conduct further discussions with doctors before finalizing related regulations. It earlier planned to suspend the medical licenses of doctors who perform the illegal-yet-common surgical procedure. "We have yet to finalize the revision including the scale of punishment and whether we will allow a grace period," a ministry official said. "We will announce our decision after hearing opinions from doctors and the public." The ministry will organize a meeting with doctors' groups, today. Following the government's initial plan, the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said last week that its members would halt performing the medical procedure next month, unless the government withdraws the plan, a move seen as holding women hostage who have no alternative to the procedure due to numerous reasons. In Korea, abortion is illegal but it is said that 200,000 abortions are secretly carried out a year. Abortion is legally allowed only in limited cases including rape, incest or if the mother has a genetic illness. But almost 70 percent of the abortions performed in Korea are for reasons unrelated to these, according to ministry data in 2015. Women who have abortions are subject to a prison term of up to one year or a fine of up to 2 million won ($1,800). Doctors may face up to two years in prison, but they usually get a 1 million won to 2 million won fine or a suspended prison sentence. The ministry's move for further discussions, however, does not include having meetings with women's groups, which have claimed that the government has only focused on doctors and neglected women, who are directly affected by the measure, in the policymaking process. More than 200 women dressed in black held a protest in Jongno, downtown Seoul, last Saturday, protesting the government measure which they claim imposes burdens only on women. While women's groups call for the government to legalize abortion to help guarantee a woman the right to choose about her pregnancy, the ministry said further discussion is needed to build social consensus because abortion is one of society's most sensitive issues, especially between religious organizations and women's rights groups. "We acknowledge that both sides have a valid point, but a sensitive issue like this requires in-depth discussion rather than implementing policy that favors only one party," a ministry official said. "To minimize problems that occur for people not ready to be parents, such as abandoning newborns and teen pregnancies, we believe birth control-oriented sex education and childcare policies would help," he added. By Kim Se-jeong The Seoul chapter of Green Drinks will have its inaugural meeting next Tuesday. Green Drinks is a networking meeting for those who care about environmental issues, where they learn about and discuss environmental topics and establish networks. Started in London in 1989, it now has more than 700 regional meetings around the world. Green Drinks Seoul has been established by a group of people, both Korean and non-Korean, who work with environmental issues in the private and public sectors. The European Chamber of Commerce in Korea is supporting the initiative. "Green Drinks is a great opportunity to meet people with a shared interest or professional knowledge about environmental issues," said Louis Haag, a Green Drinks Seoul committee member. "The event will be organized on a regular basis, and I hope that the interest for these topics will grow over time in Korea so that we manage to create a local community." The meeting will be held at Le Moulin in Itaewon, Seoul, at 7:30 p.m. Visit greendrinks.org/--/Seoul for more information. Kenji Onizuka performs during HBC May Fest. / Courtesy of Deeleebob Music By John Redmond The popular Hae Bang Chon (HBC) Fall Music Festival celebrates its 11th year with a series of concerts themed "Half Past 11" at selected venues around HBC, Seoul, starting Thursday. Slated as the longest-running independent music festival in Korea, the definitive expat and international music fest is made up entirely of independent musicians and performers from Korea and around the world. "This is the second installment of HBC Fest in its 11th year taking us into a new decade for independent music and self-promoted artists," organizer Lance Reegan-Diehl said. This fall event is expected to feature around 100 bands and artists throughout the weekend with the bulk of the performances beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday. "The main street where the action happens is very famous as a local expat hangout, and HBC Fall Fest has made the entire area blossom into a bubbly, busy place for all kinds of businesses to open as more people find it an attractive neighborhood and the place to be," said Reegan-Deehl. The festival is operated by local business owners who provide performance venues. Not every business in the area is a venue for live music, and while there are many that openly encourage the festival, attendees are still reminded to keep the streets clear. "This is still not a street party. Keep the music and the party inside the bars," Reegan-Deehl added. Traffic police will be dispatched to keep traffic flowing. As well, volunteers will make a tented and taped-off section along one side of the street in front of Bonny's Pizza up to Bedrock in order to separate pedestrian and car traffic. The festival venues include V-Lounge, Phillies, Bedrock, Alley Bunker, The Cave, Bonny's Pizza Pub, Hair of the Dog, Al Matto Terrace, Camarata Music, Genie Pub, Thunderhorse Tavern, Boogie Woogie, The Workshop and Hidden Cellar. The Hidden Cellar also hosts its regularly scheduled open stage on Sunday as part of HBC fest. Basement venues Phillies Pub, Camarata Music, Bedrock, Thunderhorse Tavern and V-Lounge will host the band performances where the music is loud. Acoustic performers will entertain guests in bars and restaurants at street level. Joining a host of local bands including Kimchi Cowboys, Wooden Lucy and One Way Out, special guest guitarist Kenji Onizuka from Japan will perform a series of shows with L.R.D. Band. Entry to HBC Fall Music Festival is free. T-shirts are available for 15,000 won to support the festival. Visit hbcfest.com or facebook.com/HBCFest for more details, including an updated schedule and list of performers. By Yi Whan-woo The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has approved a statement denouncing North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch. The 15 UNSC members, including China, unanimously adopted the statement at an emergency meeting convened in New York, Monday, in response to Pyongyang's test-firing of a presumed Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), Saturday. It exploded soon after liftoff from a base near Kusong, North Pyongan Province. The UNSC warned that it will "take further significant measures," saying that North Korea has carried out a series of ballistic missile launches and its fifth nuclear test this year in defiance of Security Council resolutions. Such military provocations contribute to the Kim Jong-un regime's "development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension," according to the statement. The UNSC also expressed regret that the tyrannical regime is diverting its resources for development of weapons of mass destruction when its citizens "have great unmet needs." The statement comes amid the council's delay in passing a fresh resolution against North Korea in response to its fifth nuclear test, Sept. 9. The test took place after the UNSC imposed Resolution 2270, aimed at punishing Pyongyang for its fourth nuclear test in January. Sources said the U.S. and China, North Korea's largest benefactor, have been debating the level of a possible new resolution. Several U.S. officials, including Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel, cited the need to close loopholes in the UNSC resolutions that North Korea exploited to continue its development of nuclear weapons. Largely in line with demands from China, and to a lesser extent Russia, Resolution 2270 excluded a ban on the export of North Korean-produced coal, iron and iron ore if such transactions are "determined to be exclusively for livelihood purposes." It is believed that North Korea continued to earn cash for its nuclear program through sales of these natural resources. But Beijing is seen to be reluctant to tighten sanctions due to concerns that they may lead to a possible collapse of the Kim regime and an influx of refugees on the China-North Korea border. North Korea has been making advances in ballistic missile technology this year. In June, it successfully launched a Musudan missile, which has a range of 3,500 kilometers and is capable of striking U.S. military bases in Guam. The crime scene in Metepec. Sergio Castro (Agencia Reforma) More information Asesinado de un balazo el juez que freno la extradicion de El Chapo Guzman Mexican Judge Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacarias was killed by a gunshot wound to the head on Monday. Bermudez was approached from behind as he left his home to go out for a run. The assailant shot him in the back of the head from less than 30 centimeters away. Then he and another individual ran from the scene. Bermudez died hours later in hospital. The 37-year-old judge tried some of the most famous cases in Mexican history. In March, he ordered a 40-day remand for Abigael El Cuini Gonzalez Valencia, one of the bosses of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). He also blocked a request for the extradition of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to the United States. One of his last cases involved the suspected ringleader thought to be responsible for the disappearance of 43 student teachers in Ayotzinapa One of his last cases involved Gildardo El Gil Lopez Astudillo, the suspected ringleader of the hitmen thought to be responsible for the disappearance of 43 student teachers in Ayotzinapa. Judge Bermudez dismissed the defendants petition for a transfer. Bermudez served on the bench in Mexico state for three years. The Leon (Guanajuato state) native specialized in criminal law and, as a judge, he focused on constitutionality issues, remand and search orders. As authorities removed the body from the crime scene, colleagues from the International Union of Magistrates held their annual meeting some 60 kilometers away. The judges denounced threats made against their counterparts in Venezuela and Turkey. Mexicos representatives, including Attorney General Arely Gomez, joined in the general outcry. In the wake of Bermudezs death, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto had to modify a speech he was giving. While addressing a gathering, he gave the Attorney Generals Office orders to investigate the murder. Mexican Supreme Court Justice Luis Maria Aguilar Morales said the state must guarantee security and peace in order to ensure the independence of judges. In less than a month, three Mexican judges have been killed in cold blood Pablo Escudero Morales, Mexicos Senate president, insisted and demanded that inquiries began now. Escudero also asked the government to evaluate whether to provide security protection to judges. In less than a month, three Mexican judges have been killed in cold blood in two of the nations most dangerous states: Guerrero and Mexico. It had been six years since a federal judge was killed in the country. English version by Dyane Jean Francois. U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kang Kyung-wha, who has been appointed to head the transition team of the incoming U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said she will do her best to live up to his expectations. Guterres unveiled the five-member transition team and named Kang as its chief Friday, one day after the former Portuguese prime minister was officially elected by the U.N. General Assembly to succeed Ban Ki-moon as U.N. chief. Kang said her appointment came as a total surprise. "I was preparing to return home in Seoul as my term ends at the end of October," she told Yonhap News Agency. "I learned of my selection when I got a call from Secretary-General-elect Guterres the night before his official election." "My work under Secretary-General Ban helped me take charge of Secretary-General-elect Guterres' transition team," she said. "I'm grateful to both of them. I will do my best efforts to live up to expectations." Kang said the transition team has a lot of work to do, including taking over from businesses from the outgoing secretary-general and mapping out projects that the new secretary-general will focus on during his five-year term. The 60-year-old is the highest office holder among South Korean women ever to serve at the U.N. She was appointed to the current job in 2013 after serving as deputy U.N. high commissioner for human rights. It was at the time that she got to know Guterres, who served as U.N. high commissioner for refugees, she said. Before that, she worked at South Korea's Foreign Ministry, including as director-general of the International Organization, which handles U.N. affairs. She also served as minister at South Korea's mission to the U.N., during which she chaired the Commission on the Status of Women. (Yonhap) By Ranjit Kumar Dhawan In ancient times Asia was the cradle of human civilization. All major religions of the world originated in Asia and it was the hub of trade and commerce. Therefore, the famous Indian poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore wrote a quatrain in 1929 in which he regarded Asia's past as its "golden age" and Korea as the "lamp of Asia." During the medieval period when Europe was passing through the "Dark Ages" and the regions of Americas, Australia, Antarctica and sub-Saharan Africa were still unknown to the rest of humanity, Asia was the engine of economic growth in the world. China and India were the major centers of economic activities at that time. Asian countries had vibrant trade relations with Europe and North Africa through the Silk Road and sea route. However, Asian countries gradually declined. Ignorance, treachery, stagnation and despotism overshadowed Asia. When Europe was rising, Asian countries plunged into their "Dark Ages." The Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution in Europe was accompanied with the rise of colonial powers on the continent. The need for markets and raw materials was pivotal in the search for new routes and territories. The Western powers made use of the differences among the Asian countries to colonize and exploit them. During the post-World War II period Asia became a theater of intense Cold War rivalry between the two superpowers. In 1947 Indian leaders organized the Asian Relations Conference in New Delhi to promote solidarity among Asian nations. But mutual suspicion and ideological rivalries kept the countries away from each other. As a result, the efforts for the formation of an Asian identity and a regional grouping remained a failure. With the end of the Cold War, Asia has re-emerged as the major economic center of the world. The emergence of the "Asian Tiger" economies took the world by surprise. Asian countries have become manufacturing giants and Asia has become the "factory of the world." The shift of the global power center from the West to the East and "rising Asia" has become the issue of discussion all over the world. However, Asia still remains a divided house. With several territorial and historical disputes, Asia appears to be sitting on a time bomb. According to Aaron L. Friedberg, Asia seems to be "ripe for rivalry." Asia also has the largest number of countries with nuclear weapons. West Asia, South Asia, Northeast Asia and the South China Sea are some of the major conflict zones in the world. The conflicts in Asia have the potential to trigger another World War. The Korean Peninsula is still divided and it remains a Cold War zone. The ongoing nuclear and missile programs of North Korea are posing a grave threat to South Korea. For some scholars the denuclearization of North Korea can be achieved through peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula. The Asian century should begin with the unification of the Korean Peninsula and breaking down the "Berlin Wall" of the East. The unification of the two Koreas would usher a new era of peace and prosperity in Asia. This would become a model to solve disputes in other parts of Asia. As Tagore predicted, a unified Korea would lead to the "illumination of the East." The time has come for the Asians to show pragmatism and fulfill the dreams for a truly Asian century. The territorial disputes should be resolved amicably and efforts should made be for greater co-operation and interdependence in the region. The author teaches at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi, India. His e-mail address is rkdhawan13@hotmail.com. It's time to join forces to head off challenges There are mounting warnings that the Korean economy is facing another crisis. This time around, fear about its chances is rising as the nation's two flagship companies are in trouble. The structural decline of Korea Inc. is no longer news. As low growth has become chronic, exports, consumption and investment have weakened simultaneously, resulting in high unemployment. Asia's fourth-largest economy shows no sign of picking up next year. The Bank of Korea cut its growth forecast for 2017 to 2.8 percent last week for the third time this year. But private think tanks even call the latest prediction "too rosy," saying the central bank's expectations for the recovery of exports and investments next year seem overly optimistic. They warn against the spread of trade protectionism following the inauguration of the new U.S. administration, whoever wins the presidential race in November. It's also likely that consumption will freeze further, affected by swelling household debt, the sagging property boom and the full-blown influence of the anti-graft law that took effect in September. Tackling our structural problems remains elusive, too. There has been much talk about the need to present a quick fix of the rapidly aging population and stubborn low birthrate, but few viable and realistic measures have come out. A growing number of experts seem to believe that Korea is already following in the footsteps of Japan that is still grappling with the aftermath of its "lost two decades." More recently, fears are mounting that the recent fiascos at Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor might gobble up Korea Inc. in the end. In fact, the halt in production of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7, and strikes by Hyundai Motor workers, have taken a toll on exports with Korea's September shipments plunging 5.9 percent. The biggest question is that no one dares to act responsibly at a time when the shadow of crisis already looms large. Bureaucrats have been all talk and no action when it comes to structural reform, engrossing themselves in keeping the economy afloat only through the real estate boom. They tend to shelve important decisions for fear of being held accountable for policy failures, as evidenced by the drifting restructuring of the shipping and shipbuilding industries. The National Assembly has been negligent in dealing with the badly needed bills for structural reform while blindly engaging in political wrangling. Opposition parties, in particular, look as if they want the economy to crumble in the run-up to next year's presidential election. Businesses also have lost their entrepreneurship and appear on their way to collapse, satisfied with what they have been doing. Despite high wages, aristocratic labor unions at large companies have gone on strike, causing disruptions in exports. All these problems are nothing new, and so it's difficult to expect quick solutions. What is certain, however, is that we shouldn't sit on our hands. What is needed most is for President Park Geun-hye to exercise her leadership to convince opposition leaders that they should cooperate to ride out the looming crisis. It's long overdue for her to act resolutely as the head of state. Recall shows Samsung's commitment to standing by consumers By Kim Yoo-chul Ariel Goldfarb, managing partner of CurtisAlan CHICAGO, Ill. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will surely go down as one of the greatest blunders the global technology world has ever seen; however, that doesn't necessarily mean the blemish to Samsung's corporate image and brand will last for long, a U.S.-based brand strategist said. "I believe an effective recall campaign can help protect Samsung from destroying the significant positive equity it has painstakingly built with consumers over time," Ariel Goldfarb, managing partner at U.S. brand strategy consultancy CurtisAlan, said in an interview last week. "In general people don't judge you when things go wrong. If you're doing innovative work, things inevitably will. Where they do judge you is in how you react when things go wrong. We've seen positive examples of this, such as Tylenol, as well as negative examples, such as Wells Fargo," Goldfarb said. He said the recall decision shows confidence in handling the issue and is a plus factor for the corporation to reinforce a sense of commitment to the costly problem. "The speed with which Samsung responded demonstrates determination and reinforces Samsung's commitment to standing by consumers and taking responsibility and control of the situation," he said. "The strong response by U.S. government authorities may have had an influence here, but regardless, the speed of response, as well its substance full refunds, etc., I believe go a long way in preserving trust in the Samsung brand." Goldfarb stressed a complete abandonment of the Galaxy Note line will be costly; however, it could be positive for the brand. "A brand is essentially a collection of thoughts and feelings attached to a name or symbol. Every company's goal is to have these associations be strong, positive and unique. But in this case, there are some very negative associations that are attached to the Galaxy name," he said. "By phasing out Galaxy, Samsung has a better chance of moving forward and distancing itself from these events." New brand strategy under new leadership Goldfarb said Samsung has done a "remarkable job" of elevating its brand to become one of the most admired in premium consumer electronics in a short time, mostly because of its leadership's deliberate decisions to invest in building this. According to the expert, who has created brand development programs for Honeywell, Hewlett-Packard, Starbucks, Cargill and Frito-Lay, Samsung must have realized that brands that create "stronger emotional connections with customers" tend to achieve greater momentum, which is something General Electric and Apple understand. Based on previous growth and success, Samsung needs to continue to adopt ways that maintain resonance with different audiences, while still preserving its identity in these new contexts categories and customers. "A challenge may be to translate its promise that has worked well in a particular consumer category to business-to-business," Goldfarb said. "However, given the change in leadership, typically the biggest challenge to maintaining brand strength is whether a new leader will preserve the company's approach toward brand development and investment." He said that brands create an emotional connection and establish relationships with various audiences that are constantly being reinforced or undermined by everything a company says or does. "Samsung needs to constantly remind itself that its purpose is not to create Samsung consumer phones, but to create Samsung phone consumers," he said. "To become an admired company, Samsung needs to maintain a focus on establishing and strengthening relationships delivered through not just functional, but emotional and symbolic benefits as well." In line with that perception, Samsung doesn't have to introduce more products and services to grow its brand power, he said. "Customers and consumers understand a brand's promise from what it says, and from that set of expectations for what it will do. When those expectations are met, or exceeded, that brand gains power, relationships are strengthened, and affinity is increased. When they are not met, all of these are weakened," he said. "If Samsung's brand experiences are not well planned or consistent, it's because leadership has not prioritized doing so. And the stakes are getting higher with technology brands launching retail environments, greater transparency of what organizations do, and consumers' power to share via social media." Samsung Electronics President Park Sang-jin, right, exchanges copies of a partnership agreement with Russian Railways President Oleg Belozerov, left, at the residence of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow, Russia, Monday (local time). / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Lee Min-hyung Samsung Electronics has signed a partnership with Russian Railways, diversifying its distribution channels by using the world's longest rail network, the Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR). This will allow the Korean tech titan to cut transportation costs massively when delivering products to Eastern European countries. The railway system is also expected to reduce transport time to the region to only 18 days, a significant drop from some 35 days when the company used marine transportation, Samsung Electronics said Tuesday. "We are going to diversify our transportation routes by teaming up with Russian Railways and establish more distribution networks to prepare for unexpected global risks," the company said. The recent partnership came nine months after the firm started to use the TSR and Trans-Manchurian Railway (TMR) this past January, delivering components for televisions and washing machines to a Kaluga factory in western Russia. But Samsung can now access the extended TSR network that connects Vladivostok, Russia to Eastern European countries including Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. When Samsung's manufacturing facilities in Korea and China deliver products to Vladivostok by ship, the TSR will be used to transport them to those European countries, according to the company. "This enables us to efficiently manage inventory and remain agile in our business," the company added. The collaboration is also expected to serve as a key trigger to enhance cross-border ties in transportation among Korea, China and Russia, Samsung said. In particular, Korea has in recent years pushed for the so-called "Eurasia Initiative" under which President Park Geun-hye aims to strengthen economic ties among Eurasian countries. Twice has released another individual video teaser for their upcoming comeback "TT". Twice has released individual teasers of their leader Jihyo, her co '97 liner Mina and "ShaShaSha" Sana. Just like what in the teasers on Momo, Nayeon and Jeongyeon, Allkpop stated that these three are also busy doing their own thing. However, they were also upset that it did not go their way. First up was Mina. She is sewing a red sweater, maybe for her lover or crush, and it has a big hole in the middle. She got sad that she did not sew that part and did the "TT" at the end. Next is Jihyo. She was typing a letter, maybe for Twice members or something, and she was not satisfied with the outcome. In the end, she also did the "TT" sign. Last but definitely not the least, is Sana. She was spraying water on a plastic plant. The "plant" looks dead and she is sad about that. She also did the "TT" sign in the end. The video teasers were really cute and have vibrant colours. Fans are still speculating as to what is the main concept of this comeback. Also, the background music of the teasers is making the fans super excited and very very curious. It might be the melody of their upcoming title track. We do not know and we can only know on the 24th.You can watch Jihyo, Mina and Sana's individual teaser on Twice official Facebook page. It also looked like they have released the teasers by age. Since Twice has released teasers for the six unnies, tomorrow will be the maknaes' turn. Teasers of Dahyun, Chaeyeoung and Tzuyu will be released. Are you excited for their teasers? What do you think will the three be doing in their individual teasers? Watch Jihyo, Sana and Mina's teasers below! STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces Google Ad There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Google Ad Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens Garnik Isagulyan comments on Samvel Babayan's statements (video) After the four-day war in Karabakh many feared that the Armenian side might make territorial concessions on Artsakh, but the extensive work underway in Artsakh speaks to the opposite fact, says the chairman of the National Security Party. Recently, Garnik Isagulyan visited Nagorno Karabakh Republic. He was accompanied by a group of public and political figures from Yerevan. Never believe [the rumours] that we are going to cede anything. I did not perceive such moods in Karabakh. All those conversations in Armenia are aimed at speculating the idea that we are ready to make concessions and some people simply try to gain dividends, Mr. Isagulyan said. He advises people spreading such rumours to think of inhabiting Artsakh. Isagulyan says the repair of the roadway leading to Artsakh has been finished. You will not find such a road on the territory of Armenia, he stressed. He says there are many good things in Artsakh, and the Republic of Armenia has a lot to learn from them. You will be surprised to know about the good relationship between the president and people. Isagulyan says no changes are possible in the process of the Karabakh conflict settlement. Elections will be held in both countries in the near future. Talking to Azatutyun radio station, Samvel Babayan, a former defense minister of Artsakh, expressed his disagreement with the dismissal of [Armenian Defense Minister] Seyran Ohanyan, saying Armenia still needs a military minister. Overloading a person with so much work can have a negative impact. Yes, defense ministers post is a civil post and all military tasks are carried out by the General Staff, therefore I agree with Vigen Sargsyan's appointment, Isaghulyan said. Samvel Babayan also spoke about the possibility of full-scale war. Azerbaijan has always talked about war but will not wage war unless it is sure of its victory. I think the Arskah army will give a preventive blow to Azerbaijan if the latter decides to declare war on Artsakh, Isagulyan said in conclusion. STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Google Ad Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens A Thai woman accused of insulting the monarchy was forced to kneel before a portrait of the late king in front of a baying crowd of royalists. Two police officers led 43-year-old Umaporn Sarasat to a picture of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and told her to get down on her knees and bow towards the picture. A 500-strong crowd, some holding images of the revered monarch, jeered when she left the police station, and had to be held back by police officers linking arms. The public humiliation happened on Sunday in Koh Samui, a palm-fringed island resort popular with British tourists. It was the latest of several such incidents since King Bhumibol died last week after a reign of 70 years, plunging Thailand into intense mourning. Small business owner Ms Sarasat was said to have posted disrespectful comments on Facebook. Some reports said she criticised King Bhumibol, while others said the comments were directed at his son, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn. It is likely she will face charges of insulting the monarchy. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Zaruhi Postanjyan: Shocks are becoming inevitable (video) What caused the seizure of a Yerevan police station by the Sasna Dzrer (Daredevils of Sasoun) group and what conclusions can we draw from it? Zaruhi Postanjyan, a member of the Heritage faction in parliament, has traveled to marzes to talk to citizens about future steps. She has also been in the Armenian Diaspora. The meetings were held without obstacles, except for Nor Hachn, where the local authorities refused to allocate us a hall for a meeting. People are waiting for clear actions. On September 21, I published a declaration to restore independence and we need to agree our future steps with the document, Zaruhi Postanjyan said during the special sitting of the A National Assembly convened at the initiative of the government. She is skeptical of the parliamentary elections to be held in April 2017. All criminal and oligarchic elements, who do not want to change the political model, will be re-elected in April. Zaruhi Postanjyan says people frequently ask her for her opinion about the new prime minister. The system has not changed and the change of the names can hardly matter here, she said. The lawmaker cited the words of Daron Acemoglu (a Turkish-born economist of Armenian origin), who said economic success precedes political changes. The change of the political model starts with a free choice. There are administrative and economic levers which are used [by authorities] to ensure their reproduction. Shocks are becoming inevitable, she said. What practical steps can be taken in this direction? We should try to use the potential of all Armenians. We should involve all Armenians in the process while the authorities have restricted their participation saying only the people who live in Armenia can participate in elections. She says under the new system polling stations should be opened across the world in all countries that are inhabited with Armenians. Speaking about the electoral system, Postanjyan said the presidential institute has been abolished in the country and we can expect political changes every five years but we need not pin great hopes on that single day. I do not exclude concrete actions until by then. We are also preparing for the 2017 parliamentary elections as we expect an attack on us on the election day, she said. The lawmaker says Armenia is vulnerable today because of the friendly relations between Russia and Turkey. After the four-day war in April we were to start from a new page, but today we are talking about possible territorial concessions. Director General of the World Health Organsiation Dr. Margaret Chan commended the efforts made by the President Maithripala Sirisena in his capacity as the former Minister of Health in advancing the health sector in Sri Lanka. The Director General made these remarks at a side event on Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) which was attended by President Sirisena on the side lines of his visit to the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 22nd September 2016. The event which was co hosted by the Government of Russia and the World Health Organisation(WHO) launched the Friends of the United Nations Inter Agency Task Force on prevention and control of NCDs initiative and provided an overview of the current work of the Task Force, showcasing action at country level, discuss on supporting Member States to achieve the NCD-related Sustainable Development Goals, and outlining a number of global joint programmes that now require funding in order to become operational. The United Nations Inter Agency Task Force on prevention and control of NCDs comprising of 11 UN agencies conducted a mission to Sri Lanka in October 2015, and met with President Sirisena, during which he expressed Sri Lankas strong political commitments towards NCD prevention and control measures. As a follow up to the Task Force Mission, a Multi Sectoral Action Plan on prevention of NCDs in Sri Lanka is being currently finalised, and a National Steering Committee and a National Advisory Body for NCDs has been set up. Ambassador Rohan Perera, Permanent Representatives of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York and Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, the Permanent Representatives of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva were associated with President Sirisena at the event. Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka Geneva 23 September 2016 President Maithripala Sirisena who is in India to participate in the BRICS Outreach Summit held bilateral discussion with the Indian Premier Narendra Modi at the Taj Exotica Hotel in Goa on Oct. 16. Prime Minister Modi who warmly welcomed President Sirisena stated that the Presidents participation at the BRICS Outreach Summit is a great strength for him, for India and also for the entire BIMSTEC region. He further stated that Sri Lanka has a significant role in the South Asian Region at the moment. I invite Sri Lanka for a deep relationship beyond the agreements and regulations, he said. President Sirisena thanked the Indian Premier for his invitation to the BRICS Outreach Summit. This strengthens the long friendship between Sri Lanka and India, he stated. He also recalled Indias assistance, provided to Sri Lanka whenever the country has been in difficult situations. Courtesy: www.news.lk The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more Clover POS systems are a great solution if you want to streamline your internal services and want to replace an old kit like cash registers, payment terminals and other equipment. Clovers point of sale solution allows you to get rid of all that and replace it with a more integrated system with state of the PRESS RELEASE China Launches Manned Mission to its Space Module Oct. 17, 2016 (EIRNS)The Shenzou-11 took off from Chinas Gansu province Monday morning. The launch was flawless. The Taikonauts mission is to rendezvous with the Tiangong II space module, which is the precursor to the Tiangong III, a full-fledged space station to be launched in 2020. At that time, China will have the only functioning space station in the world. The Shenzou-11 crews mission will entail the longest stay in space of any Chinese Taikonauts. It will last 30 days and will study plant growth and the effects of space on the human body. The Taikonauts will give each other ultrasound scans to study the effects of space radiation on their bodies functioning. This is a precursor to manned missions to the Moon. In a congratulatory statement to the Taikonauts, carried on state TV, President Xi Jinping said he hopes they will "vigorously advance the spirit of space travel." He further said that this mission will "enable China to take larger and further steps in space exploration and make new contributions to build up China as a space power." The pictures of the launch were spectacular, and millions watched in China. PRESS RELEASE Donetsk Militia Commander Murdered: Prelude to Resumption of War? Oct. 17, 2016 (EIRNS)The dominant news item coming out of the breakaway regions of southeastern Ukraine, is the murder of Arseni Pavlov, better known as "Motorola," a prominent militia leader in the self-declared Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR). He was reportedly killed by a bomb that went off in or near the elevator in the building where he lived. Denis Pushilin, DPR negotiator and Speaker of the Parliament, denounced the murder as a "terrorist act" attributed to the Kiev regime. "With this murder [the] Ukrainian side hopes to undermine the situation in the Republic," he said. Pushilin added that Kiev still aims to resolve the conflict in Ukraine "by force," but due to its inability to achieve military victory, resorts to "terrorist methods." DPR leader Aleksander Zakharchenko considers the murder an act of war by Ukrainian President Poroshenko himself. "As I understand, Petro Poroshenko violated the ceasefire and declared war on us," Zakharchenko said. The regime in Kiev is evidently quite happy about Motorolas death. An article in Ukraine Today portrays him as a Russian terrorist who once allegedly admitted killing 15 prisoners of war. An "expert" by the name of Oleh Zhdanov is quoted in Unian claiming that in the aftermath of Motorolas death, "it is even possible to expect terrorist attacks by Russia." There had been ongoing talk about creating the conditions for another Normandy Four summit, perhaps on Oct. 19 in Berlin; but also, allegations were made by the self-declared republics that the Kiev regime is resuming offensive operations in the Donbass. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, last week, as far as the Oct. 19 date was concerned, "We are keeping this open, but we havent reached a decision yet." When asked about it on Friday, Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, would only say that such a meeting was in preparation, but "there are no final agreements on that matter," including the Oct. 19 date. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov had said a day earlier that "implementation depends on the extent to which the parties will manage to agree by the summit on concrete progress in the settlement [in Ukraine]." Putin confirmed this view this morning. He noted that the German and French leaders share the position that a Berlin meeting would be expedient only if their aides, who had met on Saturday and Sunday in Minsk, would promote dialogue to be able to clinch the agreements. If not, the meeting between the Normandy Four leaders would be too early, Putin said. On the ground, DPR officials have repeatedly charged the Kiev regime with continuing the shelling of inhabited areas in and around Donetsk city, and at one point, last week, claimed to have beaten back an assault by the Ukrainian army in the town of Leninskoye, in the southern part of the breakaway republic, killing 5 to 15 Ukrainian soldiers in the process. PRESS RELEASE Majority of EU Foreign Ministers Against Sanctions on Russia over Syria Oct. 17, 2016 (EIRNS)Despite bluster from British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, there was virtually no support for new sanctions against Russia at the European Unions Foreign Ministers meeting today in Luxembourg. Prior to the meeting, Johnson had pushed the imposition of sanctions in press statements which were supported by the French Foreign Minister. But EU Foreign Minister Frederica Mogherini said before the meeting that no member state had proposed sanctions. RT reports that German Foreign Minister Steinmeier said, "At present, I dont see how sanctions, which may have a long-term impact, should help here to improve the provision of the civilian population." Austrian Foreign Minister Kurz also opposed sanctions: "The idea to have additional sanctions against Russia would be wrong. We do not need a further escalation." The Foreign Ministers of Luxembourg, Cyprus, and Greece also opposed any sanctions. If you buy Mark Haddons new short story collection on Amazon, youll be missing out. The bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has a new book, The Pier Falls, that comes in two editions a standard one, available for purchase at Amazon, and one featuring his illustrations, which can only be bought at brick-and-mortar bookstores. Haddon appeared at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in England where he explained the reasons behind the move, the Guardian reports. Advertisement Much as we love Amazon, we like bookshops much more, dont we? Haddon said to the audience. So we did an edition that is only available in physical, bricks-and-mortar bookshops. It was a way of saying: Go and buy from a bookshop. Go into a real bookshop and buy it off some real people. Haddon had harsh words for Amazon, calling the online retailer a merciless commercial engine. Also because of the way it treats its staff. The way it treats its competitors. He suggested that other authors should also consider printing special editions of their books that would only be available in physical bookstores. I think it would be a great thing to do if more people did that, he said. It happened because Im an illustrator. It was genuinely good fun to do the illustrations. Drawing pictures is so much easier than writing stories. The version of the The Pier Falls available at bookstores features 10 illustrations by Haddon, including drawings of bumper cars and the planet Mars, reports the Times of London. Haddon started his career as a childrens book author, and illustrated many of his own books. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, his 2003 novel for adults, became a breakout hit, and was the basis for a Tony Award-winning play. Haddon mocked Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos for his support of the Clock of the Long Now, which is being constructed on Bezos land in Texas. The mans building a 10,000-year clock inside his own mountain, which somehow spectacularly must happen, Haddon said. It says almost everything you need to know about Amazon. Haddon also suggested that fans who choose to read his short story collection as an e-book are missing out. E-books they prevent you from doing something very important things with books, he said. One of them is sharing books with people. I love that books have afterlives. Often when people come up to you at book events, they dont always give you new books to sign. You sometimes get coffee-stained things that have passed through several hands. As fast-casual restaurants conquer the nation, its no longer hard to find better burgers, artisanal burritos or upscale pizza. But not the humble hot dog, which has yet to escape the ballpark. Dog Haus hopes to change that. The Pasadena company signed a deal that will help bring its gourmet bratwursts to nearly 500 restaurants across the country in the coming years. For the record: A previous version of this story said the jazz venue and restaurant Redwhite+Bluezz was closed. It is still open, but moved from its original location to the Pasadena Playhouse. Dog Haus currently has 21 locations in five states. Under the new agreement with American Development Partners, it will expand by more than 300 new franchises in 12 states over seven years. Separate from that deal, the company has sold an additional 160 franchises that have not yet opened. Advertisement Patrons place their orders at the front counter at Dog Haus in Pasadena. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times ) The first Dog Haus was opened in 2010 by restaurateurs Quasim Riaz, Hagop Giragossian and Andre Vener. The three friends already had roots in the Pasadena dining scene Vener used to own jazz club and restaurant Redwhite+Bluezz, while Riaz and Giragossian still co-own Kings Row Gastropub. Dog Haus has built its brand around its specialty hot dogs (although it serves other food such as burgers, fries and shakes). Its offerings include the Sooo Cali dog, with wild arugula and basil aioli, and the Free Bird, a turkey sausage with avocado and ranch. The chain is also known for its cheeky sense of humor, including its tagline, the absolute wurst, and a promotional item called the Naughty Dog for the recently released animated film Sausage Party. Dog Haus partners Andre Vener, from left, Hagop Giragossian and Quasim Riaz are photographed at Dog Haus in Pasadena. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times ) Giragossian said the partners never imagined when they started that Dog Haus could expand this far, this fast. He declined to disclose exactly how much they are making on the deal, though they could clear over $10 million on the franchising fees alone, since a single location costs $35,000. We are pretty giddy, he said. We always thought Dog Haus had a chance to grow. But this isnt what we dreamed of. Caleb McMillen, chief operating officer of American Development Partners, said his company, along with a private equity firm, will sink over $500 million in this deal. ADP develops real estate on behalf of investors, buying land and building properties. In this deal, it will also cover franchising fees reducing the overhead for franchisees. The dining area of Dog Haus in Pasadena. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times ) Eight franchisees have already signed up to operate the new eateries, paying rent to the investors. Additional locations and franchisees could be brought on later. McMillen said the private equity firm, which he wont disclose, was attracted to the sales and underlying model of Dog Haus. Fast-casual restaurants, he said, are also less costly to build compared to full-service eateries. You only want real estate that somebody is paying rent on if the business occupying that space is successful, McMillen said. On average, one location pulls in sales of $1.3 million a year; the Dog Haus Biergarten concept, which offers the same food as a normal Dog Haus, but with additional beers on tap and in bottles, pulls in even higher sales, Giragossian said. All of the franchises developed under the ADP deal will be Dog Haus Biergartens. Various hot dogs at Dog Haus in Pasadena. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times ) Dog Haus has no debt and no loans. Vener said its prior financial independence will help keep the company from veering off course as it expands. We have been managing without borrowing from anybody, he said. A lot of times when you borrow money to start something, it keeps spiraling in the wrong direction. The hot dog chain is one of a pack of chains that have exploded in recent years as diners opt for eateries touting higher-quality ingredients in a more refined setting than fast-food joints. Another Pasadena fast-casual chain, Blaze Pizza, is slated to hit 500 locations by 2020. Dog Haus will be fighting for the same diners that other fast-casual eateries are trying to woo, said Lauren Hallow, concepts analyst at Technomic. But unlike numerous burger and pizza joints, she said, Dog Haus has a more unique menu. The Freiburger with white American cheese, fried egg, slaw, fries and mayo, at Dog Haus in Pasadena. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times ) They really dont have that much competition in terms of national hot dog players, Hallow said. Still, an aggressive expansion plan with hundreds of new locations in new states over multiple years is always challenging. Anything can happen in seven years, she said. Something can happen with the economy. Something can happen with real estate. Maybe people will decide they dont like hot dogs. But the franchisees who have signed up say they are optimistic about the future of the wiener. Shawn Eby, a long-time fast-food executive, said hes been looking for years to open restaurants that will appeal to millennials. He first encountered Dog Haus in February while visiting his daughter in Long Beach, and recognized its potential. Eby said hes planning to open 100 spots in five years in Wyoming, Colorado, Kentucky and Louisiana. It was everything I had been looking for all in one package, Eby said. Follow Shan on Twitter @ByShanLi ALSO Why health insurance companies will solicit you even after you die Westfield proposes $1.5-billion mixed-used complex at site of aging Warner Center mall Figure out how risky your investments are by asking these six questions Almost a year after a massive natural gas leak forced thousands of Porter Ranch residents from their homes, a federal task force released a series of recommendations Tuesday to help prevent another such incident. We wanted to take advantage of the lessons learned from Aliso Canyon and analyze how we could apply those lessons to the more than 400 underground natural gas storage facilities in the country, Franklin Orr, an undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Energy and one of the co-chairs of the task force, said in a conference call with reporters. The task force made 44 specific recommendations in its 83-page report, and the U.S. Department of Transportations Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration plans on issuing a rule by the end of this year to set national standards for underground natural storage sites. Advertisement Were looking at how to make sure that nothing like Aliso Canyon happens any place else in the country, said Marie-Therese Dominguez, co-chair of the task force. Some of the task forces recommendations centered on the aging state of storage sites. About 80% of the wells in the nations storage fields were completed before 1980, with the pipes at some sites originally designed for oil production instead of natural gas. The task force also called for storage operators to phase out what is called single-point-of-failure well designs that is, requiring a secondary barrier in the casing of a well for added safety. We really need to make sure the aging infrastructure associated with this is strong enough to maintain not only our energy reliability but also public health and preserve our environment, Dominguez said. The task force report identified 12 of the more than 400 underground storage facilities that, if suffering a major disruption of service, would potentially affect electric reliability by 2 gigawatts or more of generation capacity. California is home to two of those facilities Aliso Canyon, operated by Southern California Gas, and McDonald Island in San Joaquin County, operated by Pacific Gas & Electric. Eight of the 12 are in the Gulf Coast region five in Mississippi and three in Louisiana. Thats one of the things were also calling for, data that will allow us to do a more detailed analysis of the vulnerabilities that exist there, Orr said. The October 2015 leak at the storage well operated by Southern California Gas Co. released about 95,000 tons of methane before being capped in February. Thousands of residents in the Porter Ranch neighborhood were displaced, with many complaining of headaches, nausea, nosebleeds and other symptoms. California state agencies are monitoring the site and still testing the 114 wells at Aliso Canyon. Southern California Gas officials said Tuesday that the company is reviewing the task forces recommendations. The utility, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra Energy, said it has replaced the inner tubing with new pipe at every storage well that has been approved by the states Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources and said more than 40 miles of new piping have been installed. SoCalGas has cooperated fully with the task force and is committed to supporting forward-looking and reasonable regulations that promote safety at natural gas storage facilities, company spokesman Chris Gilbride said. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Porter Ranch) issued a statement Tuesday saying the task force recommendations were an important first step in protecting communities. But Sherman also criticized the report for not requiring sub-surface safety shutoff valves on every well. Orr said shutoff valve requirements were discussed. Its a bit of a balancing act because they provide some useful functions but they require more well interventions and more opportunities for maintenance issues and equipment problems, he said. Gas company officials said this summer that they were hoping some wells could be cleared for natural gas injections by September but that didnt happen. In an investors conference call in August, Sempra executives raised the latest cost figures for the leak to $717 million. The company says it has about $1 billion in insurance coverage and in August said it has begun to collect about $34 million off insurance policies. Aliso Canyon has the largest daily deliverability the amount of gas that can be withdrawn from a storage facility each day of all the storage facilities west of the Rockies, estimated at 1.9 billion cubic feet per day. Energy officials across the state have warned of potential power outages because of Aliso Canyons curtailment. Some critics have said the need for underground natural gas storage sites is overblown but Orr disagreed. I think there is no question that both nationwide and in the L.A. Basin, there is a need for storage at times of highest demand, Orr told reporters. rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com Nikolewski writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. UPDATES: 5:20 p.m.: This article has been updated throughout. This article was originally published at 11:55 a.m. Airbnb announced a partnership with SolarCity on Tuesday that will offer up to $1,000 in solar rebates to those who host or rent properties through the home-sharing firm. The rebates for residential solar-panel installations are available in the 19 U.S. markets served by SolarCity. In addition, new and existing customers of the San Mateo firm who become Airbnb hosts will receive a $100 travel credit. Partnerships such as the one between Airbnb and SolarCity come as solar companies are seeking ways to reduce their costs of finding new customers. One method solar companies have increasingly been using is tapping the customer and membership base of other firms and organizations. Advertisement Customer acquisition is quite expensive as a business proposition, said Bernadette del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Assn. Its all about how to get that customer and getting them to say yes. In linking up with SolarCity, the San Francisco home-sharing service is also trying to position itself as a clean-energy firm, noting that the typical residence consumes far fewer resources than a hotel. It released a study that claimed home sharing can save billions of liters of water, tons of waste and the energy consumed by the equivalent of what 280,000 homes use in a year. Chris Lehane, Airbnbs head of global public policy and communications, said during a Tuesday news conference announcing the partnership that millennial travelers who use Airbnb are not just looking for ways to save money. Global climate change is the challenge of our time, he said. Sustainability is really how [millennials] live their lives. SolarCity has been diversifying its offerings in recent months, including new financing options that allow customers to benefit directly from a 30% federal tax credit and other incentives. The $1,000 rebate will reduce the cost of the typical residential solar system in California by almost 13%, to about $7,000, including government incentives. The rebate is a limited time offer that drops to $750 after March 31 and is available through Dec. 31, 2017. The deal comes as Solar City shareholders are expected to vote next month on a $2.6-billion merger with Tesla Motors. ivan.penn@latimes.com For more energy news, follow Ivan Penn on Twitter: @ivanlpenn ALSO Social Security benefits will rise next year, but only a little Tesla warns of 2-year wait for new customers of Model 3 Aliso Canyon leak prompts feds to recommend dozens of safety changes The battle to dominate Chinas theme park industry is heating up with Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group hiring a former Disney executive to oversee its theme parks. Wanda, which operates two domestic parks, has hired Andrew Kam, the former head of Hong Kong Disneyland, to be vice president of Wandas Cultural Tourism Group. The position puts Kam in charge of the Bejing companys Wanda Cultural Tourism City in Nanchang and Wuhan Wanda Movie Park in Wuhan. The companys chairman, Wang Jianlin, also has promised to build nearly a dozen more parks. Advertisement The move to hire Kam looks like a shot at Disney because Jianlin ridiculed Disneys $5.5-billion Shanghai theme park before it opened in June. Jianlin promised that the Wanda Groups theme parks would outperform Disneys park. The frenzy of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and the era of blindly following them have passed, he told Chinese state-run television in May. But reports out of China have suggested that turnout for Wandas parks and Disneys Shanghai park has been meager. Disney officials rejected such reports about the Shanghai Disney Resort, calling them meritless. Our financial results during the first 100 plus days of operation have exceeded our expectations, and guest feedback has been extremely strong, establishing a solid foundation upon which to grow, Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said in a statement. This summer, Wanda announced that it had to close its indoor movie theme park in the central Chinese city of Wuhan only 19 months after it opened, for upgrades and renovations. Kam became managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland in 2008, after leaving Cofco Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd., a joint venture bottler in China. But he resigned from Hong Kong Disneyland in March, shortly after the park posted a net loss of $19 million in fiscal 2015, according to a report by the Hong Kong government, a part owner of the resort. The park said he resigned over personal reasons. Wandas hiring of Kam was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Sources familiar with Wanda confirmed his employment. The company declined to comment. Disney officials declined to comment about Kams new position. hugo.martin@latimes.com To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter. Being dead hasnt stopped Martin Siegel from being a solid insurance prospect. Siegel, who died in 2002, would have turned 65 this year. As such, hes received solicitations from UnitedHealthcare, Kaiser Permanente and other insurers trying to sign him up for Medicare Advantage plans. Its just about every insurance company you can think of, said Geri Siegel, his widow. Advertisement I receive his Social Security in my name, so the U.S. government obviously knows that he has been deceased for 14 years, the Encino resident said. How could something like this happen? The answer to that question leads us into the murky world of big data, in which peoples personal information is bought, sold and shared by public and private entities. One wrong data point can have a cascade effect throughout the cyberverse, creating erroneous files in potentially thousands of databases. I have some tips below. Bad data is how a fraud victims credit score can remain battered even after attempts have been made to address the fallout from identity theft. Its how junk mail can keep arriving long after a consumer has made his or her preference known to a business. Its how marketers can pursue a dead person. Databases are far from perfect, said Peter Swire, a professor of law and ethics at Georgia Techs Scheller College of Business and former chief counselor for privacy in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. At my house, I still get lots of mail for previous residents. Thats the marketing system in our country. Last week, I wrote about how big data is raising privacy questions in the healthcare field and looked at the likelihood of a national database of peoples DNA. Those are serious matters. But even relatively minor annoyances such as unwanted catalogs filling your mailbox can reflect the pervasiveness of big data and the frustrating sense of powerlessness that can come when dealing with automated systems. Theres a lot of inaccurate information floating around, and it can be very hard to say where a company got it, said Joel Reidenberg, a law professor and director of Fordham Universitys Center on Law and Information Policy. In Siegels case, I spoke with both the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Representatives of both agencies said they dont make beneficiaries or soon-to-be beneficiaries contact information available to marketers. I asked the various insurers involved how a man who passed away 14 years ago had gotten onto their mailing lists. None wanted to offer specifics. Taylor Joseph, a UnitedHealthcare spokesman, said only that our address information is compiled from several publicly available sources. Sandra Hernandez-Millett, a spokeswoman for Kaiser Permanente, said that we use a variety of publicly available sources to purchase consumer data, which we acquire both through list brokers and directly from the list owners. Heres where things get frustrating for consumers. Who are these list brokers and list owners? As for the latter, list owners are all sorts of businesses, particularly those that rely on memberships or subscriptions, such as publications and telecom firms. Yes, that would include the Los Angeles Times and just about every other newspaper and magazine. Selling customer and subscriber lists is a way companies generate extra cash. Its been going on for decades. List brokers are companies that buy and sell lists of consumer info. They operate mainly in the shadows, and this is why its so difficult for consumers to correct bad info. Tracing an error to its source is practically impossible. In 2003, California passed a Shine the Light law requiring businesses to disclose sales of customer information. However, it doesnt require businesses to say where they buy info. I did a Google search for lists of people turning 65, which is presumably how the insurers ended up pitching the late Martin Siegel. My search returned more than 7 million results, and the first few pages at least were primarily list brokers. Here was InfoUSA, which boasted that its lists are an ideal choice for any business looking to target individuals nearing retirement or those needing Medicare supplement leads. Here too was Dataman Group, which said the people on its lists are great prospects for Medicare supplement policies as well as other insurance products and are best reached via direct mail. Each insurer I spoke with expressed regret that Geri Siegel had the painful experience of receiving mail in her deceased husbands name. And each pledged to immediately scrub him from their lists. But that doesnt solve the problem. Without knowing how the lists were generated or where they came from, Martin Siegel lives on in marketing purgatory. His name and address are still for sale. Consumers should be able to find this out, said Beth Givens, executive director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego. But theres no way to follow the bread crumbs. She said consumers are left to play Whac-a-Mole, contacting businesses individually to be removed from their mailing lists. Beyond that, there are some broader steps people can take. To stop unwanted credit card and insurance offers, go to OptOutPrescreen.com. The site is run by the top credit-reporting companies and allows you to opt out on an industrywide basis for five years. To opt out permanently, youll need to mail in a signed form. A site called DMAchoice.org, operated by the Direct Marketing Assn., lets you to put a halt to credit card offers, catalogs, magazine-subscription mailers and other pitches from about 3,600 companies and organizations belonging to the industry group. And dont forget the federal governments do-not-call list, which is intended to keep telemarketers at bay. Reputable companies typically will respect your preference. The bottom feeders probably wont. David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com. MORE FROM LAZARUS DNA database could help predict your disease then get you fired Big data could mean big problems for peoples healthcare privacy Frontier still struggling to put Verizon takeover issues to rest If this were any other financial quarter for Yahoo, its earnings results would be unremarkable. Net revenue continued to decline. Profit was slightly up. It exceeded analysts low expectations. But this wasnt an ordinary quarter. It was Yahoos first reporting period since Verizon agreed to buy the beleaguered Sunnyvale, Calif., company. It was the first since it dropped the bombshell that it got hacked in 2014 in a breach that compromised 500 million user accounts an attack that may have a material impact on Verizons $4.8-billion offer. On both the breach and the sale, Yahoo remained tight-lipped, forgoing its usual live webcast with analysts presumably to dodge thorny questions. After the close of markets, Yahoo instead issued its report and a statement from Chief Executive Marissa Mayer, who said the company is busy preparing for integration with Verizon, and it remains very confident, not only in the value of our business, but also in the value Yahoo products bring to our users lives. Advertisement The companys silence doesnt come as a surprise, according to Forrester Research analyst Fatemeh Khatibloo, because Yahoo is likely under constraints as to what it can say. It would have been an hour of Sorry, no comment, which probably would have been more frustrating, Khatibloo said. The company recorded $1.3 billion in revenue in the three months ending Sept. 30, up from $1.2 billion a year earlier. But its traffic acquisition costs soared, doubling from $223 million during the same period last year to $448 million this year, which meant, overall, its net revenue actually declined. Profit doubled from $76 million last year to $163 million. Yahoo recorded earnings of 17 cents per diluted share. The companys stock closed on Tuesday at $41.68, down 11 cents. It was up 1.42% in after-hours trading. Despite the improvement in top-line revenue, business experts said that number was in no way a victory for Yahoo. Yahoo is having trouble growing, said Erik Gordon, a professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. The only way it can grow revenue is to spend a lot of money to get those revenues. If you ran a restaurant, of course youd get an extra $100,000 in sales if you spent an extra $150,000 in marketing, but that doesnt mean your restaurant is doing great. If there was an upside, Gordon said, it was that the results are not enough to kill the Verizon deal, if the data breach doesnt kill it. There was fear that the results could be surprisingly bad and make Verizon wonder whether they want the company at all, Gordon said. But I think the results are close enough to what has always gone on. Verizon agreed to buy Yahoos core business in July, giving the struggling Internet brand a lifeline. The deal, which at the time appeared to be cut and dried, was thrown into uncertainty when Yahoo revealed last month it had suffered a massive customer data breach in 2014. The breach, which Yahoo said it didnt discover until after Verizon had agreed to buy it, affected some 500 million accounts and compromised users email addresses, dates of birth, encrypted passwords and security answers. While Verizon initially said it lacked information to determine whether the breach would affect the deal, its general counsel Craig Silliman told reporters in October that the company had reason to believe that Yahoos data breach has had a material impact. The New York Post, citing unnamed sources, had reported weeks earlier that Verizon sought a $1-billion discount on Yahoo as a result of the breach. Verizon declined to comment further. Data breaches like the one Yahoo experienced have been known to affect mergers and acquisitions, sometimes leading to discounts or even deals falling through entirely because the acquirer doesnt want to inherit a companys problems. Technology analysts remained confident that the Verizon deal would go through as expected, with BMO Capital Markets analyst Dan Salmon saying in a note to investors that it is a low likelihood that Verizon was completely unaware of the email hack, but perhaps the extent of it has become more apparent. Others, like SunTrusts Robert Peck, were not so sure, suggesting in his note to investors that a question mark now looms over the deal. Can Verizonleverage [the hacking and surveillance issues] to either negotiate the price down or walk away? he said. If Verizon tries to do that, can Yahoo sue to enforce the agreement in its entirety? In a scuttled deal, can Yahoo again open up the process to other bidders? If the deal falls through, though, it would be disastrous for Yahoo and its shareholders, Gordon said, because then all you have is a deteriorating Yahoo with this data breach hanging over its head, he said. Even with a space suit, a new buyer isnt going to touch Yahoo. tracey.lien@latimes.com Twitter: @traceylien Azealia Banks has kicked off her new working relationship with Wu-Tang Clan rapper/producer and film director RZA with a bang: Shes accusing Russell Crowe of attacking her and dropping the N-bomb while hauling her out of a Saturday night gathering at his Beverly Hills Hotel suite, where she was invited as a guest of RZA. (Real name Robert Diggs.) Meanwhile, others at the dinner party are saying in an account retweeted by the Oscar-winning actor that an erratic Banks insulted Crowe and threatened him and another guest with violence before the actor calmly took her out of the suite in a bear hug and called Beverly Hills Hotel security to usher her off the property. Banks filed an incident report Sunday with the Beverly Hills Police Department, and detectives were investigating, Sgt. David Tomlin confirmed. Advertisement She wants to go back to New York, her manager told Us Weekly. Shes very distraught. Shes not comfortable being in L.A. after what happened. Crowe, 52, had invited about 10 people over to have dinner and listen to music at his hotel room, TMZ reported Sunday. RZA brought 25-year-old Banks as his plus-one; earlier this month, he signed her to a record deal, and she appears in his yet-to-be-released movie Coco. RZA has worked with Crowe on such films as The Next Three Days and The Man With the Iron Fists. What happened next is a classic they said/she said. Citing eyewitnesses, TMZ reports that Banks laughed at Crowes tunes, calling him and at least one other guest boring white men. After a female guest spoke up and defended Crowe, Banks allegedly said, You would love it if I broke my glass, stabbed you guys in the throat, and blood would squirt everywhere, then reached for her glass and cocked it back, a source told TMZ. At that point, witnesses told the outlet, Crowe got the rapper in what was described as a bear hug, walked her out of his suite and called hotel security. Banks allegedly dropped N-bombs along the way, according to TMZ. Now, heres Banks account of what happened, which she posted to Facebook and then deleted (via the Jasmine Brand): To recap my night, I went to a party at Russell crowes suite, at which he called me a [racial slur], choked me, threw me out and spat at me. Last night was one of the hardest nights of sleep Ive had in a long time. The men in the room allowed it to happen. I feel terrible today, she wrote in one post, then continued in another. Just feel so low and mishandled and alone and depressed right now. I wish I had someone to beat him up for me. Banks is disgusted by whats been reported about the incident and is uncomfortable in Los Angeles, her manager told Us Weekly. She was attacked, he said. What has been reported as to what had led up to the attack is all fictitious. He did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Times. A rep for Crowe didnt respond to requests for comment. According to TMZ, at least four guests at the gathering gave statements on an unspecified investigation, with RZA reportedly saying in his statement that it was Banks who was hurling racial slurs, not Crowe. Azealia is tremendously distraught and disheartened, the rappers manager said Monday in a statement. She is shell shocked and will speak out on the incident once she has had time to process the brutality and abuse she was unjustly subjected to. A bit later, Banks said on Facebook that she was taking the day off from selling things online because she was really not doing well right now. She said shed be back Tuesday. Follow Christie DZurilla on Twitter @theCDZ. ALSO A celebrated culture of sexual harassment in Hollywood exposed Russell Crowe sounds off on Virgin Australia over ban on hoverboards Azealia Banks throws a tantrum on a plane, hurls an anti-gay slur, then defends herself UPDATES: 8:05 p.m.: This article was updated with police confirmation that Banks had filed an incident report. This article was originally published at 5:10 p.m. Shia LaBeouf has confirmed his Las Vegas wedding to Mia Goth even though officials in Clark County, Nev., say theyre not legally joined in matrimony. It was love, were proud of it. It was love, the Transformers actor told Ellen DeGeneres in an interview to air Tuesday. She had quizzed him on whether he and his fellow Nymphomaniac: Vol. II cast member had really tied the knot the weekend before last, or simply engaged in the type of performance art thats essentially eclipsed his acting career. The couple has been together for four years, he said. Goth was spotted wearing an engagement ring in March. Advertisement The plan was for it to be a private deal in Vegas at the Viva Vegas Wedding Chapel, LaBeouf said, and theyd taken a pass on the live feed that was included in what he called the King Tut package. Then, alas, you know, somebody pressed the wrong button, that sends the video to TMZ. The 30-year-old is no stranger to live streaming his life, be it while riding in an elevator or watching all of his movies. Uh, yeah, OK. TMZ says the couple went with Elvis and Hawaiian themes, and has video of Goth arriving with Elvis in a pink Cadillac something that appears to be part of the chapels Elvis Pink Caddy Las Vegas Wedding Package, where the car drives into the room and an Elvis impersonator performs the ceremony, as well as three rockin songs. There is, in fact, an Egyptian-themed wedding package available, where King Tut does the honors. That one includes, among other things, the couples names in lights on the marquee where Shia and Mias names did appear, according to images online. But then theres this: Our records show no marriage license for Shia LaBeouf & Mia Goth, Clark County tweeted on Wednesday in response to media inquiries. A commitment ceremony was performed #Vegas. And this: LaBeoufs movie American Honey opened last Friday. Coincidence? You decide. Our records show no marriage license for Shia LaBeouf & Mia Goth. A commitment ceremony was performed #Vegas pic.twitter.com/9wt5P0EoR3 Clark County Nevada (@ClarkCountyNV) October 12, 2016 Follow Christie DZurilla on Twitter @theCDZ. ALSO Shia LaBeouf, girlfriend Mia Goth engaged? Sparkly ring seems to say so Actor Shia LaBeouf says a woman raped him during an art performance in L.A. American Honey weaves an ode to the road with Shia LaBeouf, Riley Keough and newcomer Sasha Lane PM: Armenia is ready to expand the scope of cooperation with the EU Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received Head of EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Peter Switalski. The Prime Minister said that he attaches great importance to the further development of relations with the EU, which are primarily based on shared values. Karen Karapetyan stressed that the government of Armenia is prepared to promote cooperation with the EU in the areas of economic cooperation, democracy, human rights, mobility, good governance and other areas of mutual interest. Noting that the 5th round of negotiations on a new framework agreement with the EU will be launched in the near future, Karen Karapetyan expressed confidence that the sides will manage to maintain the positive trend. Coming to specific cooperation programs, the Head of Government singled out COSME and Horizon 2020, expressing the belief that they would help build up small and medium businesses and scientific-innovative capacity in Armenia, which are among government priorities. The Premier noted the importance of European Unions technical assistance with the ongoing reforms in Armenia and the involvement of European financial institutions in our countrys infrastructure projects. According to Karen Karapetyan, the government of Armenia is ready to expand the scope of cooperation with the EU in the fields of improving the business environment, attracting investment, introducing the European management culture and in other areas. Peter Switalski congratulated Karen Karapetyan on his appointment as Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and wished him productive work. Mr Switalski expressed the hope that the appointment of Karen Karapetyan to the post of Head of Government will give a new impetus to the further expansion and deepening of EU-Armenia interaction. On behalf of the European Union, the Ambassador expressed support to the Government of Armenia in ensuring continuity in reforms and noted that todays hectic agenda of cooperation can provide a more positive development and outline those far-reaching programs that may be laid at the heart of the new framework agreement. Welcoming the Governments drive to implement targeted programs aimed at developing small and medium enterprises and improving the business environment, Mr Switalski assured of European Unions interest to cooperate with the Government in this area. The parties next talked about the instrument of assistance to be provided by the EU in 2017-2020, the process of developing partnership priorities, visa liberalization, cooperation in the aviation sector and other issues of topical interest. Before Khloe Kardashian found out Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had allegedly branded her the ugly Kardashian, she wasnt the politicians biggest fan. Im very good on energy, and I just never really vibed with him from the start, Kardashian said, reflecting on her 2009 stint on The Celebrity Apprentice, which Trump was host of at the time. Seven years after Kardashian appeared on the NBC reality competition, the Huffington Post reported last week that several sources with ties to the show said Trump made off-camera remarks about Kardashian and was upset that she was cast on the show instead of one of her siblings. Advertisement What is this? We cant even get the hot one? he reportedly said, referring to Kardashians sister, Kim. Why dont we fire Khloe? She is a fat piglet. Why did we get the ugly Kardashian? Its not cool or appropriate for any person, male or female, to judge someone else by their looks. I find it really cruel. Khloe Kardashian While promoting her new denim line Good American in West Hollywood on Monday, Kardashian told The Times that she was shocked to learn Trump had made such cruel remarks. I didnt think he was saying those things about me, said the 32-year-old reality TV star. But he says those comments about a lot of women really derogatory things. Someone who is that simplistic to judge things off of surface is not someone I want running my country. Its not cool or appropriate for any person, male or female, to judge someone else by their looks, she continued. I find it really cruel. Its wild. Kardashian has made no secret of the fact that she didnt enjoy her stint on The Celebrity Apprentice. Earlier this year, she told Chelsea Handler that participating on the program wasnt her decision. My mom made me do it, she confessed on Handlers Netflix show. I hated every minute of it. Still, Kardashian isnt letting Trumps alleged remarks get her down, especially as shes in the midst of launching a new jean line created specifically for curvy women sizes 0 to 24. Im a tough cookie, so something that he said thats not gonna bother me, she said. Ninety percent of the time, [criticism] doesnt bother me. Im not sure why. I think Im just in my own world. But I believe thats why [those incidents] happen to me, because I can take it. If thats what it takes to get even just this little group of people to realize how shady and bad and negative that one person is, I can take it. amy.kaufman@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @AmyKinLA ALSO Hollywoods culture of sexual harassment is finally making headlines Outbid, outhustled, outmuscled: Trump has never been able to conquer Southern California Howard Stern: I knew what I was doing when I had Donald Trump on my show to talk about sex EDITORS NOTE: On Oct. 18, 1961, West Side Story hit movie theaters. To commemorate the anniversary of that event, here is the original Los Angeles Times review of the film. West Side Story will be the American picture to watch at Oscar time, for it restores something of the glory that was Hollywood and Academy voters are a chauvinistic bunch. And glory is the word, even though all of the story takes place amid the bricks and pavements of a New York slum shot partly on-location, but mostly in a slum city virtually re-created at Goldwyn studio by Boris Leven. In a Sunday Calendar preview Oct. 29 of West Side Story I observed that its effect was like being hit by a ton of those same bricks. Its impact as a stage play was as disturbing as it was shattering, and now everything has been magnified countless times in Panavision 70 and Technicolor on the spreading screen at the Chinese Theater, where the production had its benefit premiere Wednesday night. Advertisement Is the impact correspondingly greater? The first impression one gets is that it is all too self-conscious to be real as, in an astonishing series of views of its skyline from a helicopter, Daniel Fapps camera makes all of Manhattan serve as its opening set before zooming down on the school playground where the Jets and Sharks, the heroes of our tale, are just beginning to strut their sinister stuff. As one who had seen the play, I experienced, again, all my original amazement at the intricacy and artfulness of Jerome Robbins gravity-defying choreography but this was still theater. Just where I became personally involved is hard to say, but it was probably during the Dance at the Gym, at which Tony and Maria, the Romeo and Juliet of the tragedy, first meet. Robbins and co-director Robert Wise make this an enchanted and enchanting moment indeed as the pair have eyes only for one another; the other dancers misted out. I daresay most spectators will also find the pull of this film irresistible. The hardest problem faced by its adapters must have been one of intangibles how to make an essentially ballet-opera form believable as realistic cinema and they have all but licked it. West Side Story never quite shakes off an aura of pretentiousness but its portentousness is stronger and that is all to the good. For this is ominous drama, and its climaxing rumble (led up to in the brilliant counterpoint of Tonight), the later council of the panicked Jets in garage (Cool) and the final gun-play in the darkened playground are harsh and frightening commentaries on the whole tragedy of juvenile delinquency. The Leonard Bernstein score is harsh too, though it has its lyrical passages in Maria, I Feel Pretty and other songs (arias?) as sung, at least ostensibly, by Natalie Wood as Maria, Richard Beymer as Tony, Rita Moreno as Anita and the rest. Both Miss Wood and Miss Moreno are permitted to work up fine fervors in their acting, and they come through. Beymer is too pretty-boy to persuade us that he could have been co-founder of the Jets; his mooning over Maria is more believable. The faces that linger longest in the memory, however, are the members of the two gangs mocking, thoughtlessly cruel, almost too alien to be pitiable. Standouts are George Chakiris, saturnine leader of the Puerto Rican Sharks; Russ Tamblyn, Jets chief; Tucker Smith as Ice, Tony Mordente (Action) and Jose De Vega (Chino). Their Gee, Officer Krupke! while murderously funny, will make your blood run cold; their Cool, even colder. The few adults around include Simon Oakland and William Bramley, coppers, and Ned Glass as Doc. Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre may soon be heading to the great venue graveyard, but a new outdoor concert complex could rise nearby. Live Nation and developer FivePoint have announced that they are seeking permits to build a 12,000-seat venue adjacent to Orange Countys Great Park. The firms plan on a summer 2017 opening date. Orange County has become a major concert stop for touring musical acts and Live Nation is committed to keeping the long tradition of live summer concerts alive and growing in this region, said Bret Gallagher, president of Southern California Live Nation, in a statement. Live outdoor music is so important culturally and economically for Irvine and the region, added Irvine City Council member Christina Shea. The new venue, located within walking distance of Irvine Meadows, would open on an interim basis, and any new complex would still need approval from the city of Irvine. Advertisement The master plan for Great Park includes a general plan for an outdoor amphitheater on-site, but no design for a permanent venue has yet been finalized. Irvine Meadows, which opened in 1981, will host Gwen Stefani for its final shows on Oct. 29-30. For breaking music news, follow @augustbrown on Twitter. ALSO: Gwen Stefani to play Irvine Meadows swan song shows Oct. 29-30 What Nobel prize? Dylan has been silent on his historic honor Chuck Berry, 90, will release his first album in 40 years Stephen Colbert knows a little something about leaving a high-profile job, so its no surprise that he was more than willing to offer some of his (unsolicited) wisdom to President Obama. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired a segment Monday night featuring its host ambushing Obama at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where the president was attending the White House Frontiers Conference. The late-night host ended his Comedy Central series The Colbert Report after nine years in December 2014, before moving on to take over The Late Show on CBS after David Letterman retired in May 2015. Advertisement Though Colbert was just 50 when he entered the job market again, he decided to take pity on Obama, who, after eight years in the White House, will be seeking employment again at the age of 55. Obama played the stone-faced straight man to Colberts mustachioed job interview prep persona and was questioned about what qualifications he had to offer the working world. Well, I have almost 30 honorary degrees, the president said when asked if he had any awards or commendations. And I did get the Nobel Peace Prize. Oh, really, what was that for? Colbert probed. To be honest, I still dont know. Colbert also found a way to inquire as to the presidents preferences as far as who succeeds him, despite restrictions about endorsements on network television. I would like to ask you about your choice of snacks, Colbert told the president before continuing. Would you care for an extra-fiber nutrient bar, which has traveled to more than 100 countries, or this shriveled tangerine, covered in golden retriever hair, filled with bile, that I wouldnt leave alone with a woman I loved? The president opted for the fiber bar. Colbert will take his antics to Showtime for a live election-night episode on Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. PST. Obama will conclude his eight years in office with the inauguration of a new president on Jan. 20, 2017. See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour libby.hill@latimes.com Twitter: @midwestspitfire ALSO Stephen Colbert headed to Showtime for live election night special Michael Moore to release surprise Trump film in L.A. on Wednesday Matt Lauer addresses Billy Bush departure on Tuesdays Today Hollywoods culture of sexual harassment is finally making headlines Jessica Alba and DL1961 turned to the people who know how to party best to help celebrate the their latest denim collaboration Friday night. Pieces from the JAxDL collection, boasting four-way stretch, hung throughout the Revolve Social Club as a steady stream of stars filtered through its doors fronting Melrose Avenue. Revolve is one of our favorite partners and they have this sick Revolve house, said DL1961 creative director Sarah Ahmed. [They feel] like family and its where the collection launched the fullest. Advertisement Lobster rolls, mini grilled cheese sandwiches and other small bites made their way around the guests with a bar and rooftop hangout on the upper floor of the space, which by day doubles as an invite-only place to shop for Revolve VIPs. The guest list counted Reese Witherspoon, Jamie Chung, Rachel Zoe, Kelly Sawyer, Sara Foster, Jaime King, Jhene Aiko, Jasmine Sanders, Olivia Culpo and Chanel Iman. The party marked DL1961s first event on the West Coast as the denim house seeks to plant a larger stake in the region. Its where things are at, Ahmed said. I think the fashion scene here is really exciting and developing rapidly. So having a bi-coastal presence, especially for denim, is necessary. Enlisting Alba has certainly helped raise the brands profile and additional collaborations arent being ruled out, according to Ahmed. This is the year of Jessica. Shes everywhere. Shes on a plane one minute and [with] her beautiful family the next or at her company, and I think we really hit it off, she said. Lets see what happens. You never know. For Albas part, the collaboration, served as an education in denim production. I had no idea how important it is to make sure that you create fits that work well on so many different body types since people have so many different needs, she said. At the end of the day everybody wants to look good in their jeans and to feel comfortable. How do you get the comfort and the fit, and it holds in you in the right places, but not cut off your circulation and also not expand throughout the day? So with all of these interesting challenges, I guess you could say, I was excited to take it on. The 18-piece collaboration collection for fall followed the spring launch and includes a variety of skinny, moto, flare and drop-crotch style jeans, along with a denim jumpsuit. Although Alba had fun designing the collections with DL, having her own denim line is not in the cards. Im pretty busy, Alba said. She pointed to the Honest Beauty business, which she said has been doing well, with holiday kits now launching. Shes also set to do beauty takeovers at select Ulta beauty stores, where shell be performing makeovers on surprise guests. The first is in Dallas, with another on the books for Long Island in addition to a few more events. I love to have that genuine interaction and really get feedback from customers on how it makes them feel and how they like it, Alba said. Were going to post everything on Facebook Live, which is a great place I think to reach people and talk authentically about the brand. The actress and businesswoman did a Facebook Live earlier in the day with blogger Marianna Hewitt, marking Hewitts first time using the social media companys real-time broadcast. It was really stressful, Alba said of the experience, because you do these Facebook Lives and youre usually doing something else. Youre not actually applying makeup on someone, so if I screwed up, everyone was going to see. But luckily it turned out pretty good. Following a funicular ride to the Chemosphere, the octagonal flying-saucer-like home made famous in the 1984 movie Body Double, Visionary Women held a cocktail reception and dialogue Oct. 15 with noted artist Julie Mehretu and Christine Y. Kim, associate curator of contemporary art for the Los Angeles County Museum of Contemporary Art. An ideal spot for a talk about art, the ultra-modern house in the Hollywood Hills had been designed by noted architect John Lautner in 1960 and is now the home of publisher Benedikt Taschen and his wife, Lauren. From outside on the patios, guests mingled, enjoyed hors doeuvres and took in the sweeping views of the San Fernando Valley. After adjourning into the house, Lauren Taschen welcomed everyone and talked of the groups mission of highlighting, amplifying and celebrating the voices of women. She described the focus of the afternoon, sponsored by David Yurman, as the support of solo exhibitions by women at major museums. She then announced that Mehretu would have a major solo exhibition at LACMA that would be curated by Kim. Advertisement From left: Visionary Women president Shelley Reid and board members Angella Nazaria, Nicole Avant, Veronica Grazer and Lili Bosse attend Visionary Women Presents: Women in the Arts, sponsored by David Yurman, on Oct. 15. (Rachel Murray / Getty Images for Visionary Women ) Mehretu is an internationally recognized artist, known for her large-scale abstract paintings and drawings. Born in Ethiopia, she has had works in museums throughout the world, with pieces selling for millions of dollars. According to Kim, [Mehretu] represents a younger generation of artists of color who came into prominence in the 21st century for pushing boundaries of abstract painting, by using a diverse variety of imagery and discourses around geopolitics, socioeconomics, the history of past civilizations, mark-making and art history. During the event, Shelley Reid, the organizations president and an executive vice president at MGM, said, Its really important for Visionary Women to support women in the arts. We are honored to have such a meaningful and celebrated artist as Julie Mehretu as our guest. Those at the talk included TV producer Marcy Carsey, former U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas Nicole Avant, Brighton co-founder Terri Kohl, author Angella Nazarian, marketing consultant Veronica Grazer, former Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse, art collector Chara Schreyer, photographer Joyce Ostin, Hammer Museum director Ann Philbin and Go Campaign co-founder Vicki Kennedy. Ellen Olivier is the founder of Society News L.A. image@latimes.com Former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa endorses marijuana legalization initiative By Patrick McGreevy Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday endorsed a marijuana legalization initiative. ((Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) ) Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday became the latest high-profile politician to endorse an initiative on next weeks ballot that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California. Villaraigosa is considering whether to run for governor in 2018 amid a field that already includes Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a leading proponent of Proposition 64. I took my time on this measure because I wanted to make sure it included protections for children and public safety, Villaraigosa said in a statement. In evaluating the measure in its entirety, I am convinced there are enough safeguards to make it a workable proposition. The Proposition 64 campaign welcomed Villaraigosas endorsement at a time when one recent poll indicated slightly fewer than half of Latino voters support the measure. Were glad to have it, said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the campaign. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Conservative group spends $3.5 million on Central Valley race once considered safe By Sarah D. Wire The Congressional Leadership Fund is pouring another $1.5 million into the race between Rep. Jeff Denham and Democrat farmer Michael Eggman. The group, which is endorsed by House Republican leaders, and works with the American Action Network, has now spent $3.5 million in the race. The race was initially viewed as an easy win for Denham (R-Turlock), but has become increasingly uncertain in recent weeks. The district is being closely watched as an indicator of how Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump might affect down-ballot candidates. Democrats have spent more than $6 million in the district. The Congressional Leadership Fund and American Action Network have spent $45 million in 32 districts nationwide so far and have aired ads in other California House races, including in the nearby 21st District race between Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) and attorney Emilio Huerta and the 7th District race between Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones. The groups newest ad in the 10th District race begins running on television Tuesday. It calls Eggman, an almond and bee farmer, an extreme liberal and a rubber stamp for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) because he supports the Affordable Care Act. It previously ran an ad against Eggman that used news footage from the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack. ------------ FOR THE RECORD 2:14 p.m.: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to the Congressional Leadership Fund as the Conservative Leadership Fund. ------------ Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement The Rev. Al Sharpton and civil rights leaders hold rally in support of Proposition 61 By Christine Mai-Duc The Rev. Al Sharpton kicks off a rally and march in support of Proposition 61, the California ballot measure that seeks to lower the price state agencies pay for prescription drugs. The Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders gathered at a rally Monday morning to support Proposition 61, the ballot measure that seeks to lower the price state agencies pay for prescription drugs. Sharpton appeared alongside black community leaders, including Marc Morial, former New Orleans mayor and head of the National Urban League, and Kevin Sauls, pastor of a South L.A. church. This issue is very simple, Sharpton said to a crowd of about 40 supporters. Its about the right of people to afford what they need, and they need to have accessibility that is affordable with prescription drugs. He likened the issue of prescription drug affordability to a civil right, and recycled the well-known Yes We Can slogan from President Obamas 2008 election to urge voters to pass Proposition 61. Sharptons appearance came a day after he and Morial stumped for the measure at seven different churches in South Los Angeles and the Bay Area. The significance of bringing in people of color is that we are the ones who disproportionately are impacted by the prices and impacted by the need for healthcare, Sharpton said in an interview afterward. I think its a civil right for people to be able to afford healthcare in the wealthiest nation in the world. Appearance of Sharpton, New Orleans mayor Marc Morial and LA pastor follows Sharpton's visits to two South LA churches Sunday for Yes on 61 pic.twitter.com/redBvU8WWZ Christine Mai-Duc (@cmaiduc) October 31, 2016 In a statement, No on Proposition 61 spokeswoman Kathy Fairbanks pointed to support for the opposition campaign from groups like the California NAACP, and the California League of Latin American Citizens. Higher drug prices resulting from Prop. 61 will decrease access to care, Fairbanks said. Thats a policy step in the wrong direction. The Rev. Al Sharpton at a Yes on Proposition 61 rally in downtown Los Angeles. (Christine Mai-Duc / Los Angeles Times) Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Voters are being asked whether they want to cast more votes in future elections on big public works projects By John Myers (Russel A. Daniels / Associated Press) Voters casting a ballot for Proposition 53 on election day are, in effect, choosing more voting on more propositions in future elections. The ballot measure, bankrolled by a wealthy Stockton agribusiness owner, seeks to force voter approval of a particular type of borrowing for large public works projects. Its most likely impact, in the near future, would be ballot measures on a landmark water project and on Californias high-speed rail effort. The propositions backer, Dean Cortopassi, argues its all about more transparency when it comes to government debt. His critics suggest theres more to it than that. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement This congressional race could be one of the Republicans worst nightmares By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Jeff Denham represents the Modesto area in Congress and is up against Democratic beekeeper Michael Eggman, the same man he beat just two years ago by 12 points. Denham first won his seat in 2012 even as a majority of his constituents voted for President Obama. When Denham (R-Turlock) started this latest campaign, most observers thought he would probably win. But some now wonder if Denhams 10th District race will be an example of what Republicans fear across the country. Will conservatives expected to win actually lose because voters arent excited about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump? Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Rep. Loretta Sanchezs day on the campaign trail: Two ribbons cut, one candle lit, and jabs made at her Senate rival By Phil Willon U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez shows Clifford Young, president of the West Valley Water District, where to cut the ribbon for the grand opening on a new water treatment plant Saturday. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) With less than two weeks to go before election day, U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez bounced from the Inland Empire to Monterey Park on Saturday as she tries to drum up support for her uphill Senate bid. Sanchez, the U.S. representative from Orange, started her day with a gaggle of other Inland Empire politicians at the grand opening of a $23-million water treatment system in Rialto, using the occasion to lay out her record on water issues during her 20 years in Congress. Sanchez told the crowd of about 60 that shortly after she was elected to Congress, two members of a local water board approached her about a way to deal with Californias serious drought. They said, we need to convince people that were going to take toilet water and were going to clean it up enough for people to drink it, Sanchez said. They said, we cant get anyone to champion this for us. Well, no wonder. Sanchez said they won her over, and she helped deliver federal funding for Orange Countys Groundwater Replenishment System to do just that. The system uses treated waste water to recharge the local groundwater basin and provides enough water for nearly 850,000 residents. After the event, Sanchez accused her rival in the Senate race, state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, of having little grasp of the complexities of Californias drought and water crisis. One of the biggest differences between my opponent and myself is that I actually talk about issues, I actually meet with people, I actually try to figure out whats going on, Sanchez said. Ive not seen anything about her. Ive not seen any policy. All I see is commercials on TV. U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) officially opens the childrens Diwali celebration at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple in Chino Hills on Saturday. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) A few hours later, Sanchez raced over to Chino Hills to open the Kids Diwali Celebration at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple, a family-friendly event filled with carnival rides, booths and food. She thanked festivalgoers, saying they were setting a good example for the rest of the country at a time when the presidential election is filled with such meanness. This is a time where through tradition and through culture you can show Americans the better part of people, Sanchez said. You give the rest of us hope. After listening to Sanchez speak, Kay Mistry, a volunteer at the festival, said he still wasnt sure who he will vote for in the Senate race. He said he was aware that Harris, whose mother emigrated from India, went to a Hindu temple as a child. Im not sure that matters to me, said Mistry, 48, of Chino Hills. Im pretty conservative. Sanchez attends her second ribbon cutting of the day, this time for Halloween in the Park in Monterey Park. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) The Orange County congresswomans final stop of the day was in Monterey Park, where she helped cut the ribbon to open citys Halloween in the Park festival. After the ceremony, Sanchez mingled with the crowd, handing out campaign fliers. Arnold Jeung, 62, stuck the flier in his back pocket. He said he didnt know much about Sanchez or Harris. Im not sure what Im going to do, said Jeung, a Republican. I might not even vote. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement California Politics Podcast: The lowdown on the states big down-ticket races By John Myers Perhaps more than any other recent election season, races for seats in the California Legislature and U.S. Congress are being reshaped by the broad, national discussion. In short, its the Trump effect. On this weeks episode of the California Politics Podcast, we take an overview of some of states most closely watched down-ticket races. Theres new polling data in the U.S. Senate race that suggests a sizable number of voters will skip casting a ballot. Meanwhile, President Obama had endorsed candidates all the way down to the state Assembly level. Im joined by Marisa Lagos of KQED News and Anthony York, author of the Grizzly Bear Project website. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California, your official presidential write-in options include Bernie Sanders and Evan McMullin By Christine Mai-Duc Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is one of five officially certified write-in candidates for president in California. (Christopher Dolan / Associated Press) California Secretary of State Alex Padilla released the names of the five officially qualified write-in candidates for the presidential race in California, along with their vice presidential running mates. Contrary to popular belief, votes for write-in candidates only count when the candidate is officially certified. (That means votes for Mickey Mouse, Giant Meteor, or Chuck Norris will not be counted.) The officially qualified write-in candidates are: Laurence Kotlikoff for president and Edward Leamer for vice president Mike Maturen for president and Juan Munoz for vice president Evan McMullin for president and Nathan Johnson for vice president Bernard Bernie Sanders for president and Tulsi Gabbard for vice president Jerry White for president and Niles Niemuth for vice president Now, that doesnt mean that Sanders and the other candidates wanted to be recognized as official write-ins. California law only requires that 55 electors sign on to declare a person a write-in candidate, not that the person consent, according to a statement from the Secretary of States Office. A full list of each candidates electors can be seen here. Write-in votes for these candidates will not be reported until the counties send their final vote certifications after the post-election canvass period, meaning a write-in vote will take longer to count. You might be wondering: Does spelling count? The Secretary of State says election officials will accept a reasonable facsimile of the spelling of a candidates name. For example, Joe Smith and Joseph Smith would both be accepted. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Dueling ads aim to persuade Latinos on proposition to legalize marijuana in California By Patrick McGreevy With a poll indicating Latino voters lag in their support for a ballot proposition that would legalize recreation marijuana in California, the campaigns for and against the measure are launching dueling ads aimed at that large demographic. A poll Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California found that Proposition 64 is favored by a majority of likely voters in California, including a majority of all ethnic groups, except Latinos. Latinos support is just under half at 47%. The campaign against the ballot measure will launch its second ad on Spanish language television, titled Asusta or Scary on Halloween. The ad warns if approved, Proposition 64 could eventually lead to radio and television ads for marijuana candy. Federal law prohibits such ads on broadcast stations, and the initiative prohibits television advertising aimed at minors if federal law ever changes. The campaign in favor of the ballot measure said Friday it has launched new counter TV ads targeted to the Los Angeles area, where there is a large Latino audience. One ad, for Spanish language television, labels as falso, or false, the claims that there will be television commercials for marijuana candy. A second ad, in English, features a mother of teenagers saying she appreciates that Proposition 64 has important safeguards for families, like strict product labeling and child-proof packaging of all marijuana products and banning edibles that would appeal to a child. The two sides each claimed Friday that the polls are favorable to their cause. The polls highlight the lack of support by the Latino community because they know their neighborhoods will have to face the problems that recreational marijuana creates, said Andrew Acosta, a spokesman for the opposition campaign. Not true, said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the Proposition 64 campaign. Polls show that Latino support for Proposition 64 and marijuana decriminalization has been increasing as they learn how communities of color are being disproportionately targeted for marijuana arrest and prosecution, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi endorses ballot measure to repeal the death penalty in California By Jazmine Ulloa (Win McNamee / Getty Images) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) on Friday announced her support for a proposition that would repeal the death penalty in California, calling the practice cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th Amendment to the Constitution. Even the most heinous of crimes can be punished without killing, she said. As Pope Francis said in his address to Congress, where he reaffirmed his advocacy for the global abolition of the death penalty: every human person is endowed with an unalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes. Pelosi is among a string of top political leaders, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and celebrities to come out in support of Proposition 62, which would replace the punishment with life in prison without parole and apply life sentences retroactively to death row inmates. The initiative is one of two competing death penalty measures on the Nov. 8 ballot. She also is among fewer political leaders to denounce the death penalty itself on moral grounds. I oppose the death penalty because too many defendants have not had access to appropriate legal counsel; because poor people especially in communities of color have been disproportionately charged with capital crimes and sentenced to death, compared with more affluent defendants; and, so many people have been exonerated with DNA evidence. It is time for us to take a moral stand. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Obama endorses Emilio Huerta in his Central Valley race against Rep. David Valadao By Sarah D. Wire (Sarah D. Wire / Los Angeles Times) President Obama on Friday endorsed 21st District congressional candidate Emilio Huerta, the Democrats campaign announced. I am proud to endorse Emilio Huerta for the United States House of Representatives, Obama said in a statement released by the campaign. In Congress, Emilio will be a fighter for Central Valley working families. Emilio isnt afraid to take on tough challenges, and hell fight for more and better access to clean water, good jobs with fair wages, and an education system that works for every child. Emilio is the kind of smart leader who will build on what weve accomplished and move our country forward, and thats why I know Californians can count on Emilio Huerta. Huerta, an attorney and son of labor rights icon Dolores Huerta, is challenging Rep. David Valadao in the Central Valley district. Obama had already endorsed six California Democrats. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was in the district Thursday to campaign for Valadao. Hes in the middle of a swing through California to support vulnerable House Republicans. David Valadao is exactly the type of representative Central Valley families and those involved in the agriculture industry need. He understands the issues impacting the area, because thats been his life. David was born in the Central Valley, he grew up there, he went to school there -- and he even met his wife there. In Congress, he has led the fight on water, veterans issues, and education, Ryan said in a statement. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Advertisement Comedian Kathy Griffin pokes fun at tobacco company ads By Liam Dillon The tobacco industry-funded television advertisements against the Proposition 56 tobacco tax increase are ubiquitous. They all generally have the same message: The money from the tax hike would go to Medi-Cal, the states low-income healthcare program, and therefore benefit the doctors and insurance groups that are helping finance the measure. Comedian Kathy Griffin decided to spoof the advertisements follow-the-money message in a video she released on Twitter Tuesday. Hey @YesOn56...I had to get involved! #YesOn56 https://t.co/ZXURPBZYZP Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) October 27, 2016 Griffin highlighted that tobacco companies had funded the advertisement, which is clear when you read the fine print at the end. So in general just be careful of these opposite ads, Griffin said, dressed in a similar gardening outfit as the actress in the No on 56 ad. Or in general white ladies gardening. You can watch Griffins full spoof here: Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Los Angeles County Bar says expediting the death penalty system will compromise justice By Jazmine Ulloa The Los Angeles County Bar Assn. has joined opponents of a Nov. 8 ballot measure that intends to expedite executions in California, saying it would likely compromise access to justice at all levels of the court system. In a letter released late Wednesday, the organization, which comprises more than 20,000 members, said Proposition 66 would require appellate courts to hear initial death penalty appeals, without providing the roughly $100 million needed to fund additional judges, staff and resources. LACBA opposes Proposition 66 based entirely on its damaging effect on the operation of an already over-taxed judicial system, and most importantly, the resulting lack of access to justice for California citizens, states the letter signed by Margaret Stevens, the associations president. The association said it took no position on the death penalty itself, its effectiveness, morality or social merits. But its opposition to the ballot measure comes as top Los Angeles County officials, including Sheriff Jim McDonnell and Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, have announced their support. Proposition 66 has drawn wide support and funding from law enforcement officials and organizations that argue Californias death penalty must be preserved and reformed. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Jerry Brown launches TV ad against Prop. 53s change to state revenue bonds By John Myers Its a nuanced pitch from Gov. Jerry Brown, asking California voters to oppose an effort that would give them a vote on future big infrastructure projects. But Brown has more than $15 million in campaign cash to make his case against Proposition 53, in a TV ad that began on Thursday. Proposition 53 asks voters to add revenue bonds of $2 billion or more to the list of government borrowing that requires statewide voter approval. Unlike general obligation bonds, which are paid back by taxpayer dollars through the states general fund, revenue bonds are paid back with fees charged to users of projects like bridges, dams and buildings. Brown takes aim in the ad at the fact that 53 is paid for by one millionaire, Central Valley agribusiness owner Dean Cortopassi. In an interview this week, Cortopassi called revenue bonds a blank check to sell debt forward into the future. Proposition 53 could force statewide votes on two high-profile infrastructure projects: Californias plan for a high-speed train system and the construction of twin underground tunnels to divert water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Southern California. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print New citizens can still register to vote Nov. 8 even though the California deadline has passed By Sophia Bollag Thomas Macariola, center, fills out a voter registration form after a naturalization ceremony on Oct. 26 in Sacramento, where a cardboard cut-out of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was among the witnesses. (Sophia Bollag / Los Angeles Times) Alex De Leon, a 30-year-old immigrant from Guatemala, was among more than 400 people who became U.S. citizens at a ceremony in Sacramento on Wednesday. After the program concluded, he walked outside and filled out his voter registration papers. The registration deadline to vote in the Nov. 8 election for most Californians was Monday. But a 2012 state law allows people like De Leon, who became citizens after the deadline, to register late. To vote, they must bring proof of citizenship and California residency to show to an official at a county election office. As a precaution against voter fraud, theyre not allowed to vote at a neighborhood polling place or with an absentee ballot. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement A new poll shows Californians remain ready to legalize the recreational use of pot By Patrick McGreevy (David Zalubowski / Associated Press) A majority of Californias likely voters continue to favor legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, but the level of support has dipped from a reported 60% a month ago to 55% this month, according to a statewide poll released Wednesday night. The latest poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found 38% of those surveyed oppose Proposition 64 and 6% are undecided. But the basic finding is that the initiative would still pass with a majority vote if the election were held today, according to Mark Baldassare, the institutes pollster and president. The numbers have been favorable, consistent, and exactly where we expected and wanted to be at this point, said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the Proposition 64 campaign. The poll was conducted Oct. 14-23 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4% at a 95% confidence level. Proposition 64 is supported by 66% of Democratic likely voters and 56% of independents, but 60% of Republicans are opposed. Just under half of Latino likely voters (47%) would vote yes, while majorities of other racial/ethnic groups (65%) and whites (55%) would do so, the poll report said. Support is highest, at 78%, among those age 18 to 34. The opposition campaign said the campaign for Proposition 64 has turned voters away from the measure. It is clear that voters are realizing that Prop 64 is a 62-page mess that helps the marijuana industry tap into the California market, said Andrew Acosta, a spokesman for the campaign against the initiative. Those polled were also asked whether they have ever tried marijuana and, if so, if they used it in the last year: 18% said they have tried marijuana and used it in the last year, while 25% said they have tried it, but not in the last year. Updated at 9:30 am to include comments by the campaigns. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print New poll shows Kamala Harris leading Californias U.S. Senate race by a 2-to-1 margin By Phil Willon U.S. Senate candidates Kamala Harris, left, points a finger toward rival Loretta Sanchez during their debate at Cal State L.A. on Wednesday, Oct. 5. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) With ballots already being cast, State Atty. General Kamala Harris leads by a more than a two-to-one margin over her rival in Californias U.S. Senate race, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. The survey showed that 42% of likely voters supported Harris, compared to 20% who favored her opponent, Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez. Among the remainder, 20% of voters were undecided and 18% said they will not vote for either candidate by election day on Nov. 8. The results are dramatically different that those in a PPIC released on Sept. 21, when Harris had just a 7-point lead over Sanchez. But the new poll numbers are closely aligned with results in the June 7 primary, when Harris received 40% of the vote and Sanchez came in second with 19% in a race with 34 candidates on the ballot. In a PPIC poll in July, Harris also had 38% support among likely voters and Sanchez 20%. From the start this has been a race in which Harris, who did very well in the primary, has had a large advantage, said PPIC President Mark Baldassare. Loretta Sanchez hasnt been able to, in any of our polls, get above 25% Unlike the PPICs surveys in July and September, the new poll included the ballot designations for the two Senate candidates, listing Harris as Attorney General of California and Sanchez as a United States Congresswoman. Both Harris and Sanchez are Democrats. There also have been a few major developments in the Senate campaign since Sept. 21, including the Oct. 5 Senate debate at Cal State Los Angeles where Sanchez caused a stir by dabbing as her finale. The following day, U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein endorsed Harris. Both Harris and Sanchez are trying to succeed Boxer, who is retiring after serving four terms in the Senate. According to the new PPIC poll, Harris is favored over Sanchez across all general income and education levels of voters, as well as among both men and women. Harris also leads in these major regions of the state: Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area, Orange and San Diego counties, and the Inland Empire. Latinos are the only major cross-section of likely voters who favor Sanchez over Harris, by a margin of 41% to 33%, the poll shows. Harris also gained support from Republicans and independents over the past month, mostly likely from voters who previously said they would not vote. Still, more than a third of likely Republican voters said they would not vote for Sanchez or Harris, and 16% of independent voters also plan to take a pass. The two Democrats are facing off in the highest-profile contest between two members of the same party since California adopted a top-two primary election system. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Will the Defense Department fix the National Guard bonus repayment problem? California congressional reps are skeptical By Sarah D. Wire (Paul Sakuma / Associated Press) Some members of Californias congressional delegation arent satisfied with a Defense Department plan to verify whether thousands of California National Guard members fairly received bonuses for enlisting during the height of the Iraq war or must repay the money. They said Wednesday that they want a detailed plan by the time Congress returns in mid-November. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) organized a call so that Californias 53 House members could question the Defense Department about how it plans to fix the problem, which was first reported Sunday by The Times. Members werent sure exactly how many of their colleagues were on the call. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday ordered the Pentagon to pause efforts to claw back the enlistment bonuses. He said the suspension would continue until he was satisfied that our process is working effectively. Congressional members told The Times that Defense officials said they plan to increase the number of employees reviewing the cases and expect all of them will be examined by July. After the call, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) said she was still outraged and wants a more detailed plan from the Defense Department. There was definitely a level of skepticism that they would move forward on this in a very fair and evenhanded way, Brownley said. Department officials told the delegation there are 13,800 questionable bonus cases in California. Of those, 4,000 have been cleared as properly eligible and 1,200 cases identified as possible fraud, meaning the guard member was not eligible or did not complete the contract. The department still must review the remaining 8,600 cases. (The case numbers relayed to members of Congress on Wednesday differ slightly from those provided to The Times by the department.) Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) said the Defense Department told members its plan is to clear up to 100 cases a day. They will give everybody a chance to go through the panels and make their case, she said, even the 1,200 identified as possible fraud. Brownleys staff said some Guard members were told to pay back more than $60,000. Many of the bonuses were at least $15,000. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said that in many cases, Guard members werent spending money they knew they werent supposed to receive, and that the Pentagon should have the burden of proving the soldier knowingly took a bonus they werent supposed to get. In the vast majority of cases, soldiers accepted these bonuses in good faith, Schiff said. You dont call them up years later and say, We shouldnt have offered that and try to collect. The department will give the California members another briefing when Congress returns Nov. 14. Brownley said several members told the department they would go ahead with legislation to forgive the bonus debt for at least some Guard members if a detailed plan was not ready by then. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Latinos in California are motivated to vote against Donald Trump, and that could affect a lot of other races By Sophia Bollag Voters make their way in and out of a polling place at the House of Mercy in Los Angeles in November 2012. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Latinos make up the largest ethnic group in California, but are often underrepresented at the polls. This year, however, experts say they expect good Latino turnout in November, thanks largely to the heated presidential election that is motivating many Latinos to vote against presidential candidate Donald Trump and his anti-immigration rhetoric. They stand to have considerable impact on many down-ballot races in California, as well as on the outcome of many statewide propositions. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Tom Steyer is now the biggest donor in the effort to raise the tobacco tax By Liam Dillon Billionaire Tom Steyer is now the largest donor in the effort to raise the states cigarette tax by $2 a pack. With a $3.5-million donation to the Yes on Proposition 56 campaign Tuesday, Steyers total spending on the race has reached $11.3 million. Thats more than a third of the $31 million the primary Yes on 56 committee has raised and more than all the money raised during a similar, but failed, effort to increase the tobacco tax four years ago. Steyer, who is a major donor to state and national liberal causes, is the focus in two Yes on 56 television advertisements. Hes said hes motivated to spend to limit youth smoking and the memory of his mother, a smoker who died of lung cancer. Steyer also is frequently mentioned as a potential Democratic candidate for governor in 2018. The No on 56 campaign, which is almost entirely funded by tobacco companies, has raised $71 million. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement California congressional reps say they didnt know so many Guard members were being forced to repay enlistment bonuses By Sarah D. Wire Some of Californias members of Congress say Californias National Guard did not explain in 2014 how many guard members were being forced to repay enlistment bonuses. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter ordered the Pentagon to suspend all efforts to collect reimbursement from the nearly 10,000 California National Guard members who were improperly given bonuses as an incentive to reenlist at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Earlier in the week, a senior California National Guard official said it told the states members of Congress two years ago the Pentagon was trying to claw back reenlistment bonuses from thousands of soldiers, and even offered a proposal to mitigate the problem, but Congress took no action. After The Times first reported the problem Sunday, most of Californias 55 members of Congress signed onto letters to Carter, or House and Senate leaders, asking for an immediate fix. On Wednesday, they praised the Defense Department for halting the clawbacks and said Congress needs to stop the process entirely and refund the Guard members who already have repaid money. Still, some members took issue with the California Guards characterization of what it told the California delegation two years ago. Staff in members offices said the Guard broadly mentioned the clawbacks in a 2014 letter detailing its policy goals for the year, but officials didnt meet with members of Congress in person or by phone, and didnt otherwise tell them about the scale of the issue. Such letters are fairly common from groups working with Congress. If they would have come and said, Youre going to have thousands of combat veterans having their wages garnished and tax liens being put on them, we would have been all over this, said Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine). That was never communicated to us. Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Los Angeles) said neither the Pentagon nor California Guard officials told him about the large number of soldiers ordered to repay bonuses, though his office had received complaints from individual soldiers. I have no record of receiving any formal notice of this widespread issue from any department federal or state. The only record I have is of individual cases of service members who approached my office to get help, and we are working with these individuals who have served our country to make sure they are treated fairly, he said. Several high-ranking members of the delegation said this week they first heard of the scope of the problem from The Times reporting. The California Guard also sent members of Congress a suggested provision that would have allowed debt waivers for the affected soldiers in the 2015 defense authorization bill. Reps. Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) and Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) initially pushed for the provision but later abandoned the effort, and it didnt appear in the final bill. Cook and Denham said they dropped the effort after being told the Pentagon already had the power to waive the debts. Guard officials said they were told the provision was discarded because waiving the debt would have cost the Pentagon money, requiring the estimated costs to be offset with cuts elsewhere in the defense budget. For the record: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Denham declined to discuss why he dropped the provision to waive the debt. He dropped the effort after being told the Pentagon already had the power to waive the debt. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Ted Cruzs old gang called into action to help California GOP By Phil Willon Ron Nehring, a former aide in Sen. Ted Cruzs presidential bid, chats with visitors at the California State Fair in Sacramento during his 2014 campaign for lieutenant governor. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs presidential bid may be history, but his supporters in California are banding together to help GOP candidates locked in tight down-ballot races. Ron Nehring, the former state GOP chairman who was a top Cruz booster, said the focus will be turning out Republican voters and recruiting volunteers to work on a list of hotly contested congressional and legislative races selected by the California Republican Party. Among those pinpointed are Vista Rep. Darrell Issa, who faces his toughest challenge since being elected to Congress in 2000, and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, who is trying to unseat Democratic Rep. Ami Bera of Elk Grove. It is 100% exclusively boots on the ground, Nehring said. Michael Schroeder, who was co-chairman of Cruzs campaign in California and also served as the state GOP chairman, said Republican turnout in the Golden State is expected to be down because of the controversies surrounding GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. Having Trump at the top of the November ballot also will motivate more Democrats to vote, and that could endanger GOP candidates in close races throughout the state, he said. Trumps campaign is a lost cause in California at this point, Schroeder said. Trump said he was going to drive Hispanic turnout, and I think hes right -- but not in the way hes hoping for. Californias Cruz alumni have a website and on Monday night held a conference call with 75 former Cruz organizers asking them to activate their local political networks to help with the effort, Nehring said. Other Republicans theyll work to protect or elect: Reps. Jeff Denham of Turlock, David Valadao of Hanford and Steve Knight of Palmdale. Assembly members Catharine Baker of San Ramon, David Hadley of Manhattan Beach, Tom Lackey of Palmdale and Young Kim of Fullerton. State Senate candidates Mike Antonovich of Glendale, Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita and Ling Ling Chang of Diamond Bar. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Central Valley congressional race shifts to a toss-up By Sarah D. Wire (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) The 10th Congressional District race between Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) and Democrat Michael Eggman is now a toss-up, the nonpartisan analysts at the Cook Political Report announced Tuesday. The contest in the heavily Latino Central Valley district had been rated lean Republican, meaning the analysts thought Eggman had a chance, but they expected the third-term Republican to be reelected.The Cook Political Report now lists several California House districts held by Republicans as toss-ups, including Rep. Darrell Issas seat in the 49th District and Rep. Steve Knight in the 25th District. This is the second matchup for Denham and Eggman. Denham won their 2014 encounter with 56% of the vote, but this year, there is the added unknown of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps effect on other races and whether his unpopularity will drag down other candidates. For the record: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Rep. David Valadaos race in the 21st District is listed as a toss-up. It is listed as leaning Republican. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print U.S. Rep. Ami Bera: Soldiers who served our country should not be penalized for the mistakes of others By Sophia Bollag Urging @DeptofDefense today to immediately stop ordering @theCAGuard members to pay back their enlistment benefits. pic.twitter.com/Ti6bzWJias Ami Bera, M.D. (@RepBera) October 24, 2016 U.S. Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) wrote to top Department of Defense officials Monday urging them to stop asking veterans to repay enlistment bonuses. The Pentagon has ordered nearly 10,000 California Guard soldiers to repay bonuses that were improperly awarded to them, The Times reported Saturday. With his letter, Bera joined the chorus of lawmakers who have condemned the action, calling on the Pentagon to waive the soldiers debts. Soldiers who served our country should not be penalized for the mistakes of others, wrote Bera, who faces a tough reelection battle in his Northern California district. I urge the Department to halt the collection of these bonuses at this time to prevent placing more service members in financial hardship. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Crime victims oppose the death penalty in Yes on Prop. 62 ads By Jazmine Ulloa In new online ads released Tuesday by proponents of Proposition 62, which seeks to repeal the death penalty in California, crime victims urge voters to end the system and bring peace to grieving families. Proposition 62 would replace the ultimate punishment for murder with a sentence of life in prison without parole, ending a lengthy appeals process that some victims say has interfered with their healing. It is one of two competing death penalty measures on the Nov. 8 ballot. In one of two videos, which campaign officials say are geared toward swing voters, Beth Webb tells viewers she has had to face the death row inmate who killed her sister and seven others in a hair salon almost 50 times in court. Him sitting there, soaking up all of the attention, loving it, its disgusting, she says. The commercials come as proponents of the opposing measure on the ballot, Proposition 66, have released their own ads over the last few days, urging voters to reform the system, not end it. In one of those videos, a murder victims mother says no punishment other than the death penalty is appropriate for the twice-convicted sex offender who abducted her child. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Common, Russell Simmons, Shailene Woodley among celebrities pushing to legalize weed in California By Patrick McGreevy Common at the 2015 Academy Awards (Kevin Winter / Getty Images) Top celebrities including Common, Tim Robbins and the author of the Orange is the New Black memoir are joining forces in what they are calling Artists for 64" the effort to legalize recreational use of marijuana in California. A show of force announced Tuesday includes rapper and actor Common; music producer Russell Simmons; Ty Dolla $ign; actors Danny Glover, Olivia Wilde, Tim Robbins, Sarah Silverman, Shailene Woodley of The Divergent series, Jesse Williams of Greys Anatomy and Michael K. Williams of the HBO series The Wire; and Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Womens Prison. Jay Z, who last week put out a video calling the war on drugs an epic fail, also signed on to the effort. In California, the question on whether to legalize marijuana for adult use is a policy change that will have a lasting impact on historically marginalized communities, Glover, the star of films including the Lethal Weapon series, said in a statement posted on Artists for 64. Marijuana laws have been used as a tool by law enforcement to racially profile, harass, intimidate and criminalize mostly young African American and Latino men for decades. I am shocked and saddened by the harm that marijuana criminalization brings, especially for communities of color, Wilde said in a statement. The campaign against Proposition 64 said Hollywood celebrities are not the most credible endorsers, charging they are out of touch with the reality of drug abuse in many communities in the state. Today the No on Prop 64 campaign did a press event in Fresno with faith and community leaders who know that the problems that recreational marijuana creates will impact these communities and neighborhoods across California not Hollywood, said Andrew Acosta, a spokesman for the opposition campaign. In a video produced by Dream Hampton and included on the website, former Golden State Warrior Al Harrington talks about how marijuana helped him overcome pain and inflammation during a staph infection and helped his grandmother with her glaucoma. Im a California voter and Im voting `yes for Prop. 64, he says. Williams spoke from personal experience. Im in recovery and dont use marijuana, and my Christian faith is my rock when it comes to staying sober, he said in a statement. But I dont believe people should be arrested for marijuana anymore. California can lead the country by voting yes on Prop 64. Drug Policy Action, an advocacy group backing Proposition 64 to legalize the drug for recreational use, paid for the site. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Californias Congress members knew the Pentagon was trying to get back bonuses from soldiers, official says By David S. Cloud The California National Guard told the states members of Congress two years ago that the Pentagon was trying to claw back reenlistment bonuses from thousands of soldiers, and even offered a proposal to mitigate the problem, but Congress took no action, according to a senior National Guard official. What form that communication took and whether the members of Congress understood the scope of the problem at the time is unclear. On Monday, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying that Congress should pass legislation to halt the Pentagon debt recovery as soon as we gavel back into session after the Nov. 8 election. Other California congressional members, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, also sent letters to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter about the matter. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Proposition 56 and the great vape tax debate By Liam Dillon (Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP/Getty Images) Turn on any TV in California and you know that all the talk surrounding the Proposition 56 tobacco tax has been about cigarettes. But if the initiative passes next month, e-cigarettes will also be taxed like traditional cigarettes for the first time a huge tax increase that could boost the price of a typical 30-milliliter bottle of e-liquid by $10. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print State ethics watchdog asks court to force assemblymans campaign to turn over documents for investigation By Christine Mai-Duc Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach) greets people after participating in a candidates forum in Torrance. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) The campaign of Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach) has delayed turning over documents related to an official investigation into his campaign practices, according to court documents filed by the state Fair Political Practices Commission. The investigation grew out of a complaint from Hadleys opponent, Democrat Al Muratsuchi, that claims Hadleys campaign was illegally coordinating with an independent expenditure committee that also supported Hadley. In a letter to the FPPC, Muratsuchi claimed Hadleys campaign and Spirit of Democracy, a group funded mostly by Republican donor Charles Munger, Jr., shared consultant Steven Presson during at least part of the primary campaign for Assembly District 66. In court documents filed Oct. 13, FPPC special investigator Garrett Micheels said he initially emailed Hadley Aug. 4, asking him to voluntarily provide certain records to the commissions enforcement division. The records requested included emails, letters and text messages between Jan. 1 and June 7 between Presson and the Hadley campaign, or any other individuals or groups concerning the Hadley race. The next day, Presson responded that the campaign would require a subpoena to avoid possible public exposure to sensitive emails within the Hadley campaign regarding our strategy. After a subpoena was issued on Aug. 12, Micheels said in court documents, Hadley retained attorney Steve Churchwell, who asked for extensions to produce the documents at least three times, but never provided the records. On Sept. 27, Hadley produced some of the documents, court filings say, but wrote to explain that he was withholding his communications with Presson because there are hundreds or thousands of such correspondences that contained sensitive/confidential campaign communications that he said he had not had the time to review. As of Friday, the FPPC says, they have not received the rest of the documents requested. There is only one reason Hadley would conceal documents, and that is because he is guilty and is trying to hide the evidence, said Mike Shimpock, a consultant for the Muratsuchi campaign. A Hadley campaign spokesman declined to comment and Churchwell did not return a request for comment. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday in the Sacramento County Superior Court. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement New ads urge California voters not to repeal the last defense against killers By Jazmine Ulloa In two new television ads, police officers and prosecutors urge California voters not to repeal the death penalty on Nov. 8, calling it the last defense against killers. The commercials, released late Monday by the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., are part of the No on Prop. 62, Yes on Prop. 66 campaign. The effort aims to defeat Proposition 62, which would replace the ultimate punishment for murder with life in prison without parole, and to support Proposition 66, which would change and limit how and how often death row inmates can appeal. The pro-death penalty campaign has drawn broad support and funding from law enforcement organizations across the state. The Correctional Peace Officers Assn. alone has donated nearly $600,000 since last September. Ive seen what the worst among us can do, killings so brutal families never recover, Sgt. Dan Cabral of the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs Assn. tells viewers in one ad. Its why we have a death penalty. The second ad features the case of serial killer Charles Ng, who has spent 17 years on death row for the rape, torture and slayings of at least 11 victims. This is cruel punishment for the families, Sharon Sellitto, one victims sister, says in the video. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print GOP Rep. Darrell Issa returns fire after President Obama rips his campaign mailer By Phil Willon Vista Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said Monday he was disappointed but not surprised by President Obamas criticism of him for using the presidents photo in a campaign mailer. At a fundraiser in La Jolla on Sunday night, Obama said Issas primary contribution to Congress has been to obstruct and to waste taxpayer dollars on trumped-up investigations that have led nowhere. The president called Issa shameless for using his image in his reelection campaign. Im disappointed but not surprised that the president, in a political speech, continues to deny accountability for the serious scandals that happened under his watch where Americans died overseas and veterans have died here at home, Issa said in a statement released by his congressional campaign Monday. Youd be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks Ive done too much to hold Washington accountable. Ive worked with the administration on good legislation where it was possible, called out wrongdoing wherever I saw it and will continue to do so. Issa is running his toughest congressional campaign to date, an increasingly nasty race that has been declared a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Issas Democratic challenger in the 49th Congressional District, retired Marine Col. Doug Applegate, has criticized the congressman as a Washington insider and supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. In the political mailer sent out by the Issa campaign, the congressman said he was pleased with the president for signing legislation he co-sponsored that provides victims of sexual assault legal protections in the federal criminal justice system. At the Sunday night fundraiser, Obama ripped Issa as a guy who, because poll numbers are bad, has sent out brochures with my picture on them touting his cooperation on issues with me. Now that is the definition of chutzpah, Obama said. Issa once called Obama one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times. While chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, he led investigations into the Benghazi attack, the Internal Revenue Service scandal, the botched Fast and Furious gun sting and other actions by the Obama administration. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California Democrats remember Tom Hayden for pursuits close to home By Michael Finnegan (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times) Top California Democrats remembered Tom Hayden on Monday as an influential activist whose pursuit of liberal causes extended far beyond his best-known work leading protests against the Vietnam War. Tom took up causes that others avoided, Gov. Jerry Brown said. He had a real sense of the underdog and was willing to do battle no matter what the odds. Hayden died Sunday in Santa Monica after a long illness. He was 76. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recalled Haydens work negotiating a gang truce in Venice, along with his contributions to an anti-sweatshop ordinance to prevent worker exploitation. Tom Hayden was a giant who never stopped pushing for peace and justice, and inspired a generation of change agents to bring new voices and overlooked perspectives to the decision-making process, Garcetti said. Hayden, classified by the FBI as a rabble rouser in the 1960s, was prosecuted by President Nixons Justice Department in the raucous Chicago 7 trial after violent clashes with police at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. His conviction was dismissed on appeal. He went on to serve in the state Assembly and Senate for a total of 18 years. John Burton, chairman of the California Democratic Party, recalled two measures that Hayden got passed. One allocated $250,000 to buy tattoo removal machines for imprisoned youth so they could cut their gang ties. The other set up a program for parents to use tax-free accounts for savings dedicated to their childrens college education. These bills didnt get a lot of attention at the time, but they have had a far-reaching impact on young peoples futures, said Burton, who led the state Senate when Hayden was a member. The Senates current leader, Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles, said Hayden was well ahead of the curve on issues involving the environment, social justice, gang intervention and urban peace, access to higher education, domestic violence and much more. Hayden, he said, distinguished himself as a paragon of political integrity and a great intellect. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Secretary of States office holds voter registration drive at the Capitol on the last day to register in California By Sophia Bollag .@CASOSvote staff are outside the Capitol today to register new voters. Today is the deadline to register in CA. pic.twitter.com/vNovU1jNla Sophia Bollag (@SophiaBollag) October 24, 2016 The Secretary of States office is holding a voter registration drive outside the Capitol today, the last day to register in California before the November election. The offices staff registered about 20 people in the first couple of hours, said Milena Paez, who works in the offices elections division. Many people had also stopped by the booth to ask where their polling place is or check their voter registration status, she said. LaRhonda Sayles-Willis, who recently moved to the Sacramento area, said she saw the booth as she walked down the street and stopped by to see where she was registered. She ended up re-registering to vote to be on the safe side and said shes particularly motivated to vote for Hillary Clinton. I really oppose her opponent. I just dont like the guy, the 56-year-old said. I just dont think hes a good representation of the United States. Ada Avelar, 21, said she decided to register because she recently moved to the United States from Mexico City to attend Sacramento State University. Avelar is an American citizen. She said she saw the booth on her way back from having lunch with a friend and decided to register right there. I was like, its a sign, she said. I have to do it. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Assemblywoman Patty Lopez vows not to give up on reelection despite lack of party support By Christine Mai-Duc Patty Lopez watches as ballots are counted in her 2014 race against then-incumbent Raul Bocanegra, who she bested by fewer than 500 votes. ( (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)) On a recent weekend, with just three weeks to go until the November election, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon made a whirlwind tour of five of the most hotly contested races in the state, stumping for Democratic candidates. Assemblywoman Patty Lopez (D-San Fernando), who faces a stiff challenge from former Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, was not one of them. Instead, she spent part of her Saturday walking through a community street festival, handing out fliers with a handful of volunteers. Ive been blocked from my party, but my district knows who is Patty Lopez, she said. Sometimes I feel disappointed, but thats not stopping me from doing what I need to do. In 2014, Lopez shocked many when she eked out a win against Bocanegra by a margin of less than 500 votes. With six Democrats on the ballot in this years primary, Lopez received just 27.2% of the vote, a distant second to Bocanegras 44.4%. Despite this, and the fact that the California Democratic Party has endorsed her challenger, Lopez says she is a woman of faith who believes 100 percent that shell be reelected. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Obama says Darrell Issa is shameless for praising him in campaign mailer that is the definition of chutzpah By Sarah D. Wire At a California fundraiser Sunday night, President Obama called Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) shameless for using the presidents photo on a recent mailer and praising him after years of criticizing the Obama administration. Issa is facing an unexpectedly tough race this year as the eight-term Republican squares off against political novice former Marine Col. Doug Applegate. Issas primary contribution to the United States Congress has been to obstruct and to waste taxpayer dollars on trumped-up investigations that have led nowhere. And this is now a guy who, because poll numbers are bad, has sent out brochures with my picture on them touting his cooperation on issues with me, Obama told the crowd, according to a transcript, at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser in the La Jolla home of donor Christine Forester. Now that is the definition of chutzpah. The Vista Republican has been a frequent critic of Obama and has called him one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times. The campaign mailer said Issa was pleased with the president for signing legislation he co-sponsored into law. Issa was one of 40 House members who co-sponsored the legislation, which provides some sexual assault victims legal protections in the federal criminal justice system. The president is in Los Angeles today and Tuesday for a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live and two fundraisers, including a $100,000-per-ticket fundraiser at DreamWorks Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenbergs home tonight that is completely closed to the press. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print The district where water is more important than all other campaign issues By Sarah D. Wire (Sarah D. Wire/ Los Angeles Times) In Californias Central Valley, the nations most productive agricultural region, the drought drives everything. And the ongoing fight over how much water flows could be the reason Democrats havent been able to win in the 21st Congressional District with a national race even though 47% of registered voters there are Democrats. Heres a look at the role of water in the race between Rep. David Valadao, and attorney Emilio Huerta. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement What happens if both death penalty measures are approved by voters on Nov. 8? By Jazmine Ulloa (Pat Sullivan / Associated Press) California voters are weighing dueling death penalty propositions on the Nov. 8 ballot, one that seeks to repeal the system and another that aims to speed it up. If both pass with a majority, the initiative with the most yes votes would supersede the other. If both fail to garner the votes, then the status quo remains, a frustrating prospect for many as advocates on both sides of the issue say the system is broken. California has more than 740 inmates awaiting execution, the largest death row population in the country. Their appeals go directly to the state Supreme Court and take 25 years to process. Both capital punishment measures would require current prisoners to work and pay restitution to victims. But Proposition 62 would repeal the death penalty in California for first-degree murder and replace the sentence with life in prison without the possibility of parole. It also would apply retroactively to offenders already sentenced to death. Proposition 66 would designate lower trial courts to take on initial challenges to convictions and limit successive appeals to within five years of a death sentence. It also would require court-appointed lawyers who dont take capital appeals to represent death row inmates. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California Politics Podcast: Propositions, polling and parole By John Myers The fact that there are 17 propositions on the statewide ballot has not only made things hard on voters, its been almost impossible for pollsters to sample opinion on so many issues. But one new poll looks at some of the least talked about measures, and its our first topic on this weeks California Politics Podcast. The poll suggests a lot of voters remain undecided about several of these low-profile proposals. We also take a detailed look at one of the most contentious ballot fights, the effort by Gov. Jerry Brown to revamp state prison parole rules through Proposition 57. Im joined on this weeks episode by Marisa Lagos of KQED News. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement In No on 62, Yes on 66 campaign ad, murder victims mother urges California voters to keep the death penalty By Jazmine Ulloa In three online ads released Friday, Sandra Friend tells California voters they should fix the states death penalty system, not end it. The 43-year-old mother has been a crime victims advocate since Robert Boyd Rhoades sexually abused and killed her 8-year-old son, Michael Lyons, two decades ago. She is now serving as one of the main voices behind a campaign that is working to defeat Proposition 62, which would repeal the death penalty, and in favor of Proposition 66, which seeks to speed up executions. Voters will weigh the dueling capital punishment initiatives on the Nov. 8 ballot. Both would require current death row inmates to work and pay restitution to victims, but would take opposing approaches to what the measures both call a broken system. Rhoades, who abducted Lyons on his way home from school in Yuba City, is one of 740 death row inmates in California. Executions have been on hold since 2006, when the states lethal injection protocol was challenged in court. Friend tells viewers it has been difficult coming to terms with the fact that her son was murdered by a twice-convicted sex offender. I am living a parents worst nightmare, she says. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former state Sen. Ronald Calderon sentenced to 42 months in prison on corruption charge By Joel Rubin Former state Sen. Ronald S. Calderon was sentenced in Los Angeles on Friday to 42 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in a federal corruption case. The Montebello Democrat, who served in the state Senate for eight years ending in 2014, admitted in a plea deal in June that he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from undercover FBI agents and a hospital executive in return for official favors. Federal prosecutors had asked for a five-year sentence for a charge where the maximum possible penalty was 20 years. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder, who handed down the sentence to Calderon, said five years was too severe but that a significant prison sentence was needed to punish Calderon and send a message to other elected officials that corruption will not be tolerated. The crime is significant, she said during the court hearing. This is a true public corruption case. Striking a defiant tone throughout, Calderon refused to admit any wrong-doing or to apologize during the court hearing. My goal was always to do the right thing for California, he said. At no point did I intend to break the law. He said he ultimately decided to plead guilty in order to spare his family the ordeal of a trial, but persisted in his innocence, saying he never agreed to any quid pro quo to benefit himself or his family. Unemployed and tens of thousands of dollars in debt, Calderon said professional relationships had been ruined as had his relationship with his brother. My reputation is destroyed, Calderon said. Snyder was unmoved. I did not really hear Senator Calderon accept responsibility or apologize, she said. It was really about himself. Calderon, 59, had pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud as part of a plea in which he admitted to accepting trips to Las Vegas, jobs for a son and daughter, and cash for him and his brother, former Assemblyman Tom Calderon. Tom Calderon was sentenced last month to one year in federal custody for laundering bribes taken by his brother. The Calderon family was politically powerful for decades in California. A third brother, former Assemblyman Charles Calderon, was not implicated in the corruption scandal. Ronald Calderons nephew, Ian Calderon, is a state assemblyman, the last family member in state elected office. He was not alleged to have any part in the corruption scheme. Assistant U.S. Atty. Mack E. Jenkins wrote a blistering brief opposing Calderons request to serve time with home detention or be released for the brief time he already spent in jail. Here, defendants trafficking in his legislative votes (for, by contrast, over $150,000 in benefits) caused a reverberation of negative effects throughout California and put a stain not just on his career, but on the reputation of the state legislature, Jenkins wrote. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Accusations fly in the congressional race for this Northern California swing district By Sophia Bollag Democratic U.S. Rep. Ami Bera, left, shakes hands with his Republican challenger, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, after their debate Tuesday in the race for the 7th Congressional District seat. (Jose Luis Villegas / Associated Press) Questions about character have been dominating the congressional race between Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones. Both candidates have been plagued by allegations of wrongdoing. Beras father was recently sentenced to jail for illegally funneling money to two of his sons past campaigns. Jones faces allegations he sexually harassed a subordinate at the Sheriffs Department more than a decade ago, which he denies. Theyre competing in a divided district that leans Democratic, but not by much. In 2014, Bera beat his Republican challenger by less than a percentage point. This race is always one of the closest races in the country, he said. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Loretta Sanchez says she got death threats after she voted against the Iraq war By Phil Willon Rep. Loretta Sanchez, after her speech Thursday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez on Thursday urged ROTC cadets at UCLA to have the courage to challenge politicians who call for ill conceived uses of military force such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq. We need military leaders that understand the limits of our military power, said Sanchez, who has served in Congress for two decades and sits on the House Armed Services Committee. Why is it that every generation and every president has to learn that all over again? The Orange County congresswoman made the comments during an address to ROTC cadets at UCLAs Pauley Pavilion. Sanchez said her experience on the House Armed Services Committee made her question the long-term implications of the Iraq invasion, and whether the U.S. might find itself bogged down in a war in the Middle East. In 2002, Sanchez was among the 133 House members who voted against the authorization of military force against Iraq. It was a lonely time, Sanchez told the cadets. [When] I came back to Orange County, I was spit on. I received death threats. The congresswoman told the cadets the military is just one part of a national security strategy that includes intelligence gathering, diplomacy and the use of the countrys economic strength. Because so much is at stake, the use of our military should always be a last resort, Sanchez said. Sanchez is running against fellow Democrat and state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris for Californias U.S. Senate seat. She says her expertise on national defense and terrorism are among the reasons shes the most qualified candidate. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Tobacco companies claim proponents of cigarette tax will use the new revenue to enrich their top executives By Liam Dillon Tobacco companies have unveiled a new claim in their campaign against the $2-per-pack increase in cigarette taxes on the November ballot. In a television advertisement that debuted over the weekend, the No on Proposition 56 campaign contends that the doctors and health insurance groups financing the initiative wrote it to avoid external oversight over the money going to low-income patient care. They even exempted themselves from the new audit requirements, the ad states. They can use the new revenue to enrich their top executives, and theres no requirement to treat even one more patient. The claim rests on a part of the Proposition 56 initiative that creates new auditing rules to govern where the new tax money would go. But it ignores the litany of state and federal auditing requirements to which Medi-Cal, the states low-income health program, already is subject. First, heres a little background about how the money from Proposition 56 would get spent. Assuming fewer people use tobacco because of the tax increase, the tax would raise about $1.27 billion next year, according to an estimate from the Legislative Analysts Office. Of that amount, $710 million about 56% would go to Medi-Cal, primarily to increase the payment doctors and other healthcare providers receive when they treat patients. The remaining dollars go to back-filling current state and local sales taxes and other programs because fewer people will buy cigarettes, doctor and dentist training and anti-tobacco efforts. The initiative kicks in $400,000 a year to audit the agencies receiving the money. Beth Miller, spokeswoman for the No on 56 campaign, said that opponents like that state and local agencies will be audited if the measure passes. The criticism is that the provisions dont go far enough. It would have been nice to have those audit requirements also apply to those end users, so to speak: the hospitals, the insurance companies and the doctors, Miller said. Medi-Cal providers, however, get audited all the time. The states Department of Health Care Services does internal audits and investigations through an entire department of about 700 employees and a $50-million budget dedicated to reviewing the programs under its jurisdiction, including looking at the financial records of Medi-Cal providers. Beyond that, the California State Auditor has issued at least two wide-ranging audits involving Medi-Cal providers in the last five years on the states oversight of managed-care plans. And the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General also audits programs and providers that receive federal dollars for low-income patients. One recent federal audit of California that examined pediatric dental providers happened last May. Miller contended that the audits required under Proposition 56 are more transparent than the existing state and federal programs. Mike Roth, spokesman for the Yes on 56 campaign, said the initiative has plenty of safeguards to ensure the tax money is spent wisely, including the auditing provisions. This is another desperate and deceitful red herring from tobacco companies, and it takes the cake as far as their flagrant lies about Proposition 56, Roth said. Heres the full ad: UPDATES: 3:03 p.m.: This post was updated to include the full video of the advertisement. This article was originally published at 2:00 p.m. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Central Valley congressional race that once leaned Republican is now a toss-up, report says By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) The nonpartisan analysts at the Cook Political Report now say its a toss-up whether Republican Rep. Jeff Denham or Democrat beekeeper Michael Eggman will win the 10th Congressional District race. The race had been rated leans Republican since last fall, indicating that the analysts expected Denham to keep the seat, but felt Democrats had a chance. This is the second matchup for Denham and Eggman. Denham won in 2014 with 56.4% of the vote. Democrats have worked for months to tie vulnerable House Republicans to the rhetoric of their presidential nominee, Donald Trump, and this race is one where Trumps effect down the ballot could be most visible. Denham has said he disagrees with Trumps rhetoric, but hasnt backed off supporting him, a move that could prove unpopular in the Central Valley district where at least 40% of the population is Latino. Three Republican-held seats in California are now considered toss-ups. The other two are representing the 25th Congressional District, held by Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale), and the 49th Congressional District, held by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista). Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California Senate leader endorses gun control initiative despite differences with its author, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom By Patrick McGreevy California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, left, and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, applaud at Gov. Jerry Browns State of the State speech in January. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Despite political differences with its author, state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) on Thursday endorsed Proposition 63, which would expand Californias already tough gun control laws. Proposition 63 was proposed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and would outlaw large-capacity ammunition magazines, require background checks for those buying bullets, require lost or stolen guns to be reported quickly, make stealing a firearm a felony and provide a process for newly convicted felons to relinquish their guns. De Leon and Newsom have both been working on gun control issues for years and both have aspirations for higher office. Newsom is running for governor in 2018. Some in the De Leon camp thought when the initiative was proposed last year that it was being used to try to take over an issue on which the senator has been a leader. The two disagreed earlier this year on the best way to achieve gun control aims, with De Leon publicly calling on Newsom to drop his initiative and allow the Legislature to act, and Newsom refusing, charging that the Legislatures proposals were not extensive enough. In the end, the Legislature approved several bills, including one by De Leon that requires background checks for ammunition purchasers, even though a similar proposal is included in the Newsom initiative. The Legislature also mandated that its background-check plan would supersede the one in Proposition 63. On Thursday, De Leon made no mention of the differences. Earlier this year, our Legislature passed the most sweeping and important package of gun safety laws in the nation, increasing nationwide momentum and grass-roots outcries for common-sense safeguards against gun violence, De Leon said in a statement. I endorse Proposition 63 because we must send a powerful and united message to the national Gun Lobby that California will not capitulate to political bullying or compromise the public safety, he added. The differences between the two politicians were highlighted noted by Richard Grenell, co-chairman of the Coalition for Civil Liberties, which is campaigning against the initiative. This is a prime example of why people should trust law enforcement on this question before self-interested politicians, Grenell said. Just a few months ago, de Leon asked Newsom to repeal Prop 63. De Leons statement was released a day after Newsom ruffled some feathers in the De Leon camp when he told the Sacramento Press Club that his initiative accomplishes things that state officials could not. Newsom noted that 11 other states have enacted the requirement that stolen guns be reported. There have been legislative attempts and they have failed multiple times here in the Capitol, Newsom said. The Legislature did approve such a bill this year, but it was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown in July. The political dispute between the two leading Democrats surfaced last year when De Leon acted to slash a third of Newsoms staff, notifying him that two Senate employees who had been on loan to the lieutenant governors office were being reassigned. UPDATED at 1:10 pm to include comment from opponent of initiative. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print No fight from the business community over the proposed tobacco and income tax hikes By Liam Dillon (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) Business groups often make up a triumvirate with Republicans and taxpayer advocates against tax increases. But on the two tax hikes on the 2016 California ballot, major business leaders are mostly staying away from the fight. They tend to dislike the income tax extensions promised by Proposition 55, but arent campaigning against them. And some are even backing Proposition 56s cigarette tax increases. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Almost half a million Californians have already voted by mail, with a surge in some hotly contested races By John Myers (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Early data compiled from local elections officials shows a surge of ballots being returned in the mail, especially in some of the most closely watched races this election season. A report compiled by Political Data Inc. shows almost 408,000 ballots cast in just the first eight days of voting, with more than half of those ballots arriving in local election offices Wednesday. As weve reported before, election day in California is now more like an election month. A majority of the states voters cast their ballots away from traditional polling places, and political professionals can closely monitor which voters in any given race have turned those ballots back in. The report also shows strong early voting in some of Californias most talked about congressional races. In the hotly contested reelection race of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), more than four times as many ballots have been returned so far compared to the 2014 general election. And even though Republicans have an eight-point registration advantage in Issas district, the ballots cast so far have skewed more Democratic. In early voting, the two major parties are almost even in the number of votes cast. Issa, facing a tough race against Democrat Douglas Applegate, recently sent out a campaign mailer trying to appeal to local voters who support President Obama. Compared to the first few days of the 2014 general election, substantially more ballots have also been cast in the Central Valley races featuring Reps. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) and David Valadao (R-Hanford). In both districts, Democratic voters are outpacing GOP voters in early ballot returns. While none of the data offers information on how those ballots were cast -- these are only totals received by county officials -- the early numbers may offer a glimpse at how energized some parts of the electorate are in this contentious campaign season. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement What will Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom focus on in his run for governor? Aging infrastructure among issues By Patrick McGreevy California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at an event in Los Angeles in April. (Nick Ut / Associated Press) Signaling that his gubernatorial campaign will shift into higher gear after next months election, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he is working on a plan to double spending on roads and other infrastructure since the Legislature failed to act this year. This is going to be something you will be hearing a lot more from me on over the course of the next number of months, a very aggressive infrastructure proposal, Newsom said in a speech to the Sacramento Press Club. The former San Francisco mayor is running for governor in 2018. He noted that the governor and Legislature did not reach an agreement on a transportation funding program in the face of a $130-billion backlog in state and local road repairs. Legislative Democrats proposed a $7.4-billion plan earlier this year that would raise the gas tax by 17 cents a gallon. Thats about twice the size of an earlier plan by Gov. Jerry Brown. Weve got to more than double our investment in infrastructure in this state, Newsom said, adding the problem has reached code red in California. Plans by the governor to use proceeds from sale of cap-and-trade credits have merits, he said. Separately, Newsom said he continues to support the vision of a high speed rail system for California but said I remain concerned about the finances. He said the private sector must step up to provide more of the money as the project cost has close to doubled from its original $33 billion price tag. Newsom acknowledged that he has work to do to introduce himself to voters outside his home base. I think a lot of the state really doesnt know me yet, he said, adding he sees it as a great opportunity to tell his story. He declined to comment on the gubernatorial candidacy of state Treasurer John Chiang and possible runs by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer. Im not focused on those others, he said. Im focused on what we have before us. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print L.A. activist is building his AIDS organization into a political powerhouse with two November ballot measures By Christine Mai-Duc (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times) When Michael Weinstein launched his AIDS Healthcare Foundation in the late 1980s, he had a coffee can for donations and a $50,000 budget to provide end-of-life care to those dying of the disease. Today, hes grown the nonprofit into a $1.2-billion operation that manages hundreds of clinics and pharmacies globally, and has quickly become a major political player in California, and, he hopes, nationally. AHF, as it is known, is sponsoring two initiatives on Californias November ballot: Proposition 60, which would require adult film actors to use condoms during sex scenes, and Proposition 61, which would bar state agencies from entering contracts to purchase drugs where the price is higher than that paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Thats quite a feat in a state as expensive as California, and in a political year as crowded as 2016. Were doing things on a scale that we havent before, Weinstein said in a recent interview from his office in a Hollywood high-rise. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement These janitors are giving up sleep to knock on doors for Hillary Clinton By Sarah D. Wire Yamilex Rustrian, left, of North Hollywood, and Leticia Soto of Los Angeles check Las Vegas addresses to visit to encourage voters to support Hillary Clinton. (Sarah D. Wire / Los Angeles Times) Early Saturday morning, Yamilex Rustrian sat with her mother and other janitors assembled at long tables in the old mortuary that is home to the SEIU United Service Workers West. They ate ham, cheese and bean sandwiches as they waited for the final workers to get off the late shift. At least one came still dressed in her blue smock. The group of janitors and their children made a quick trip to Las Vegas over the weekend to knock on doors for Hillary Clinton, and got home Sunday just in time for the late shift. Each had their reasons to join the more than 150 union members who made the trip. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Federal prosector seeks 5 years for former California Sen. Ron Calderon in corruption case By Patrick McGreevy A federal prosecutor has recommended that former state Sen. Ron Calderon be sentenced to five years in prison as part of a federal corruption case that rocked the California state Capitol. Assistant U.S. Atty. Mack E. Jenkins wrote a blistering brief urging the federal judge to not show leniency to Calderon, who in June entered a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. Here, defendants trafficking in his legislative votes (for, by contrast, over $150,000 in benefits) caused a reverberation of negative effects throughout California and put a stain not just on his career, but on the reputation of the state legislature, Jenkins wrote ahead of Fridays sentencing date. The prosecutor noted that only one fellow politician wrote a letter of support for Calderon, a Montebello Democrat. In defendants plea agreement, he admitted to participating in two substantial and complex bribery schemes that entailed multiple forms of bribes, concealment and sophisticated money laundering, the prosecutor wrote. Here, defendant sold his vote not just to help pay for the expenses of living beyond his means, but for the more banal and predictable aims of corruption fancy luxuries, fancy parties and fancy people. An attorney for Calderon has asked the judge to sentence the former lawmaker to time already served in jail during his booking or home detention. Jenkins proposed that Calderon be sentenced to five years in custody, one year of supervised release, a $7,500 fine and 250 hours of community service. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement A new Jay Z video says pot should be legal in California and calls the war on drugs an epic fail By Patrick McGreevy Rapper Jay Z has weighed in to support Proposition 64, which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California, calling the war on drugs an epic fail, in a YouTube video, which also describes how the effort filled prisons with young African American and Latino men. Young men like me who hustle became the sole villain, Jay Z says as the video depicts the deterioration of a neighborhood drawn by artist Molly Crabapple. The one-minute video was produced by the group Drug Policy Action from a longer animated video that addressed the general issue of drug prohibition, said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the campaign. The shortened video, titled The War on Drugs from Prohibition to Gold Rush, ends with a new, written message urging people to vote for Proposition 64, adding, We can stop the harm on Nov. 8. Jay Z agreed to have the video tailored to the Proposition 64 campaign, Kinney said. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who helped qualify the initiative, praised the rapper on Twitter, writing Thank you, Jay Z, for your strong voice for social justice & co-creating this new @Yeson64 video! Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Bay Area congressman Eric Swalwell got married over the weekend By Sarah D. Wire View Instagram post Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) and Brittany Watts, a sales director at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, got married on Friday. They were married at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland. Before being elected to Congress, Swalwell worked in the courthouse as a prosecutor with the Alameda County district attorneys office. Here is the couples wedding announcement. The congressman also posted an image of the couple cutting their wedding cake on Instagram. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Los Angeles top elections officer talks about voter fraud and polling place intimidation in Reddit chat By John Myers The questions posed by Reddit users on Monday to the top elections officer in Los Angeles ranged from small problems over where to cast an early ballot to broader concerns about election security. Dean Logan, Los Angeles Countys registrar of voters, attempted to answer almost all of them during the hourlong online conversation. Asked about intimidation of voters at the polls, possibly inspired by criticisms over comments by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, Logan said the question has been popping up a lot in his office. We, of course, encourage people to observe all elements of the process, but any disruption of voters or intimidation of voters is unacceptable, he wrote. Another Reddit user asked whether all ballots mailed or dropped off at a polling place are counted. Any valid and timely received vote by mail ballot will be counted and included in the certified election results, Logan wrote. I am always surprised by this question. Logan said that officials mailed some 1.8 million ballots last week to Los Angeles Countys permanent absentee voters, with one-time requests for ballots by mail being sent out this week. Asked by one Reddit user about a potential way to commit voter fraud with absentee ballots, Logan said it is important to note that the voter doing so would be signing an oath under penalty of perjury. He also agreed with one questioners concern that voter turnout was too low, and suggested that a new state laws significant expansion of voting by mail may help. I think the model of voting we use is somewhat outdated and unfamiliar to new voters, Logan said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Kamala Harris and her husband made $1.17 million in 2015, according to report on their tax returns By Phil Willon Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris files to run for the U.S. Senate in February at the Los Angeles County Registrar with her husband, Douglas Emhoff. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times) The 2015 tax returns filed by U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris and her husband, Los Angeles attorney Douglas Emhoff, show that the couple earned $1.17 million that year, according to reports. Harris tax returns, which were viewed and first reported by the Sacramento Bee, also showed that the California attorney general and her husband paid $450,000 in state and federal income taxes. Harris campaign spokesman Nathan Click said journalists are being allowed to view the tax returns by appointment only. Harris rival in the Senate race, Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez, provided her 2015 tax return to the Orange County Register and will not make those tax records available to other journalists until after that news organization publishes its story, said Sanchez campaign spokesman Luis Vizcaino. Harris and Sanchez have net worths that likely run in the millions, according to federal and state financial disclosures. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum reopens and his daughter and grandson get a tour By Christine Mai-Duc Christopher Cox, grandson of Richard Nixon, talks to reporters during a tour of the newly renovated Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum reopened Saturday, after a 10-month renovation that sought to reframe the narrative of the 37th presidents life and legacy. The $15-million remake brings to a close a more than decade-long effort to bring greater legitimacy to a library that historian and Nixon scholar Stanley Kutler once called just another Southern California theme park whose reality level was slightly better than Disneyland. We wrote about the librarys new exhibits a couple of months ago, and the challenge of building an unflinching portrait of a complicated man. In attendance were Henry Kissinger, Nixons former secretary of State, former California Gov. Pete Wilson and Nixons daughter and grandson, Tricia Nixon Cox and Christopher Nixon Cox. Times photographer Mark Boster attende The small, densely populated city of Huntington Park is peppered with schools, about two dozen in 3 square miles. At least 10 are charters, and city leaders contend theyre bringing in unwanted traffic. Their solution is to try to ban new charter schools. Huntington Park City Council members voted 4 to 1 late Tuesday to extend a moratorium on new charter schools until September 2017. Both charter advocates and opponents were at the council meeting, each side armed with public speakers, wearing color-coordinated T-shirts and carrying signs. Advertisement At the back of the chambers, one woman sat holding a white poster above her head that proclaimed, Give us a chance and Save our charter schools. On the side of the full room, another woman stood holding a yellow poster in front of her that read, Stand up to unregulated charter schools! Outside the meeting room, people on both sides lined the hallway. Some argued with each other about their goals, while others cheered loudly when they heard something they liked. During public comment, parents and teachers addressed the council in English and Spanish, with charter parents extolling the quality education their kids receive because of school choice, while teachers from United Teachers Los Angeles talked about the schools theyve taught in for years and supported city officials efforts to ban new charter schools for a year. Last month, Huntington Park City Council members voted 4 to 1 to place a temporary, 45-day moratorium on new charters in the city. On Tuesday, they voted to extend that restriction for 10 months and 15 days, effectively making the ban yearlong. Charter schools are publicly funded but often are privately run. Unlike most traditional public schools, they can accept students from anywhere, not just from the neighborhoods around them. Huntington Park Mayor Graciela Ortiz isnt sure drawing students from elsewhere is in the best interest of the city. She also said she wants to see a greater focus on revitalizing businesses. The city once was a cultural and shopping destination for Mexican and Central American immigrants in southeast Los Angeles County, but local businesses have struggled recently. Ortiz says the city needs time to review its zoning policies and determine whether it has room for more schools. Our community has enough [school] options, Ortiz said. Right now our priority is going to be development and finding park space, green space for our kids. In a September report to the council, City Manager Edgar Cisneros used increased traffic to justify the moratorium. Communities within the vicinity of charter schools have experienced impacts to vehicle circulation, parking, and noise, he wrote. Its unclear whether the city has the legal authority to ban new charter schools. School districts, counties and the state are the only bodies that can authorize or reject charter schools. Cities do control zoning, however so if a charter wants to operate in a city, it often must request a municipal conditional use permit. Huntington Park would be on more solid legal ground if the ordinance banned all new schools, including private and parochial ones, UCLA law professor Jonathan Zasloff said It is not clear whether...you can use local land use authority to make education policy, Zasloff said. The California Charter Schools Assn. will consider suing the city if the moratorium passes, its attorney Ricardo Soto said before the meeting. Ortiz said the city would consider placing moratoriums on other schools if they were trying to take up more city space. Thats not the case, she said. Theyre not knocking on our door, Ortiz said. Its charter schools specifically that have been coming. In addition to being mayor, Ortiz is a counselor at Linda Esperanza Marquez High School, a Los Angeles Unified school, and a member of United Teachers Los Angeles. Huntington Parks schools are in L.A. Unified, and the teachers union has opposed charter growth in the district. Both Ortiz and UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl said the union did not influence, or advocate for, the moratorium. At recent City Council meetings, Huntington Park residents have spoken for and against the ordinance. Some parents with children in charter schools say that more charter options are necessary because the neighborhood schools dont provide the same quality of education. On recent state standardized tests, charter students in L.A. Unified performed better than students at traditional schools. The charter school that Maria Pinedos son attends Alliance Collins Family College Ready High School in Huntington Park has smaller class sizes than the neighborhood public schools. She said she thinks the charter pays more attention to her child than those schools would have done. Our kids are succeeding and thats what should matter to them, she said of Huntington Park officials. Reach Sonali Kohli at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli. Times staff writer Ruben Vives contributed to this report. MORE EDUCATION NEWS LAUSD may take back control of a charter school even though its doing well academically Parents who want their kids in L.A.s most competitive magnet schools face daunting odds Bilingual education has been absent from California public schools for almost 20 years. But that may soon change UPDATES: 11:05 p.m.: This article was updated with information about the Huntington Park City Council vote. This article was originally published at 3 a.m. When the Los Angeles Board of Education meets Tuesday, it is expected to vote on whether to shut down six charter schools. The main reasons have nothing to do with academics and may not be made public, which outrages charter advocates. Magnolia Public Schools, which runs three of the campuses, has attracted international attention for its past practice of importing foreign teachers, other school workers and their immediate family members. Magnolia brought in nearly 100 workers, almost all from Turkey. Celerity Educational Group, which operates two of the schools, is under investigation for possible conflicts of interest among corporations to which it has ties. Advertisement And El Camino Real Charter High School has been dogged by allegations that officials misused credit cards and violated open-meeting rules. The Magnolia and Celerity schools were scheduled for what were to be routine five-year reauthorizations, but now the charter division of the L.A. Unified School District is recommending denials. El Camino, in Woodland Hills, was renewed last year, but that could be moot if the district eventually revokes its authority to operate. All the schools do pretty well or better academically, which leads those who support charters to assert that the recommendations are unfair. Critics of charters and those who have issues with the six under review are applauding L.A. Unified for holding these schools accountable for their entire operations, inside and outside the classroom. The California Charter School Assn. says that L.A. Unified has approved 155 of 159 charter renewals over the last five years, and that the current recommendations are out of line. Over the weekend it put together a letter to the school board from charter leaders whose schools enroll more than 90,000 students. L.A. Unified is the U.S. school system with the highest number of independently operated charters, and it oversees them even as it competes with them for students and resources. It is distressing and quite simply unacceptable that district staff have taken unexpected and unprecedented steps to close some of our higher-performing academic schools and prevent others from continuing to serve the students who already rely on them, the letter said. The head of the districts administrators union, however, said LAUSDs long track record of approving renewals suggests such outrage is misplaced. I think theyre doing their due diligence, although I also think they are taking closer looks than in the past, said Juan Flecha, president of Associated Administrators of Los Angeles. The Magnolia schools have attracted increased attention since the Turkish government accused it and other U.S. charters with mostly Turkish boards of helping to finance a failed coup attempt in Turkey in July. The charters have denied any such ties. But charter critics across the nation have seized on the controversy. Prominent East Coast education historian Diane Ravitch, who is generally anti-charter, has used her blog to weigh in. I hope the Magnolia schools will not be renewed, Ravitch told The Times on Monday. It would demonstrate that LAUSD has the backbone to insist upon accountability and transparency. When it comes to turning down a renewal petition, the school district must chose a reason sanctioned by state law. Because the threatened schools have met or surpassed academic requirements, the rationale for denying Magnolia and Celerity is that they are unlikely to successfully implement their programs and that their petitions do not contain a reasonably comprehensive description of areas they are required to cover. Neither rationale appears to cover concerns about Magnolias foreign teachers. There probably should be a higher standard for public institutions using the immigration law to hire people for jobs resident workers could fill, but I do not think there is anything in the federal law to that effect, said David North, a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington. The investigation of Magnolia by the districts inspector general is both confidential and unfinished. The same is true for Celerity, though a review of correspondence indicates the district is interested in three corporate entities closely linked with the school group. Officials appear to be concerned about conflicts of interest and whether senior officials inappropriately enriched themselves. The confidentiality makes it hard for the public to assess the process, and the possible hidden reasons for the recommendations prevent the schools from being able to defend themselves fairly, they say. The school board is supposed to base its decision only on those findings presented in public, said L.A. Unified General Counsel David Holmquist. Celerity Dyad in South Los Angeles and Celerity Troika in Eagle Rock, were last renewed in 2011, as were Magnolia Science Academy 1 in Reseda, Magnolia Science Academy 2 in Van Nuys and Magnolia Science Academy 3 in Carson. The underlying issues at Magnolia and Celerity that concern L.A. Unified are only hinted at officially. The district faults both organizations for not providing requested documents to investigators. Their listed deficiencies will include incomplete descriptions of job duties and of suspension and expulsion procedures. These are things that are commonly addressed in the back and forth between the petitioner and the district, said Nadia Shaiq, Celeritys director of school services. This denial recommendation is unexpected. Learning this at the last minute is a shock to our board, our students and our community. Caprice Young, Magnolias chief executive, said, It would be wrong to punish kids by closing strong schools. El Caminos defenders make a similar argument, insisting that the school has corrected its problems. howard.blume@latimes.com Twitter: @howardblume Armenia and NATOs Missile Defense Systems The CSTO Summit held in Yerevan on September 14 of 2016 adopted a statement on behalf of the six member states (Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) condemning the development of missile defense systems. And though the statement contains neither the USAs, nor NATOs names, it is obvious that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is the addressee. It is Ridiculous First of all, it is worth noting that the missile defense system is exclusively a defense system. It is intended for neutralization of the enemys ballistic missiles in the air, and one can not to kill a single soldier and especially a civilian with such a system. Hence, it is, by definition, ridiculous to complain of development of missile defense systems unless you have the intention to hit these states with ballistic missiles. Complaining of those defense systems is basically the same as complaining of production of body armor or gas masks. So, if one complains of others defense systems, it is perfectly possible to claim that the complainants intentions are far from being peaceful. And a question arises here What actions of the CSTO or Russia force the West and the NATO to take serious defensive measures against Russia? Is It Armenias Business? Of course, a counter-argument to this logic may be Russias supposed concern that it may be attacked by the NATO and will not be able to retaliate with ballistic missiles. But two questions emerge here Why should NATO initiate a missile attack on Russia? And what does Armenia have to do with all of that? Armenia has been NATOs partner country since 2005 and carries out a peacekeeping mission together with the NATO. All the power structures in Armenia (including the RA Ministry of Defense, the RA Police, and etc.) receive financial assistance from the United States. Moreover, the RA Armed Forces carry out peacekeeping missions in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Lebanon as part of the NATO or its member states. Against this backdrop, it is absolutely unclear why Armenia condemns the spread of NATOs missile defense systems. Moreover, even if there was no cooperation between Armenia and the NATO, Armenia would hardly have an intention to attack NATO with ballistic missiles and, hence, would not have problems with its missile defense systems. Anyway, it results that on October 14, Armenia officially opposed the development of systems aimed at the protection of the territory and the population of a number of countries (including partner states). We can only hope that Armenias partner states (including NATO members) will not take Armenias position seriously, understanding that it was adopted due to pressures from the north. Daniel Ioannisyan Union of Informed Citizens The father of an unarmed 19-year-old who was shot and killed by Fresno police has sued the city, saying officers should have used less-than-lethal force on his son. The civil lawsuit filed Friday in Fresno County Superior Court comes more than three months after two Fresno police officers shot and killed 19-year-old Dylan Noble at a gas station. In the lawsuit, father Darren Noble contends that officers Raymond Camacho and Robert Chavez plotted to inflict injury on his son. Advertisement The officers never had an objectively reasonable basis to shoot Dylan Noble, the lawsuit claims. They failed to first use, or attempt to use, the canine at the scene. At no time did they use, or attempt to use, a Taser, OC [pepper] spray, or other non-lethal remedies. At no time did they use, or attempt to use, anything but deadly force. Dylan Nobles death was needless and avoidable, according to the lawsuit. Attorney Warren Paboojian said Darren Noble is seeking unspecified damages as well as policy changes within the city and police department. The Fresno city attorney declined to comment about the lawsuit. Our policy is not to discuss any pending or ongoing legal matters, the attorneys office said. Local and federal authorities are investigating Dylan Nobles death, which gained national attention and sparked protests. Officers encountered Dylan Nobles pickup truck while searching for an armed suspect. They signaled for Noble to stop, but the 19-year-old did not pull over. Police chased him to a Chevron gas station, where he stopped his truck. In July, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer released footage from the officers body cameras showing the confrontation between Dylan Noble and officers at the gas station. An officer is heard yelling: Turn off the truck. Get your hands out the window. Both hands out the window. Later, an officer screams: Let me see both your hands. Get both your hands out. Dylan Noble exited the truck and approached, then moved away from officers, who called for backup. Officers gave 30 commands, urging Noble to show his hands, lift his hands or lie down on the ground, the chief said. The young man ignored the officers orders and carried an object in his right hand. Noble yelled that he hated his life. According to the lawsuit, Camacho shot Noble twice, causing him to fall to the ground. The video footage showed Noble on the ground, moving his hands under his shirt. Camacho then fired a third round, and Chavez fired a fourth round after about 12 seconds. Noble was taken to a hospital, where he died three hours later. In August, the Fresno County coroners office released a toxicology report showing that Noble had a blood-alcohol content of 0.12 1.5 times the legal limit of 0.8 and traces of cocaine. The lawsuit claims that the city and Police Department have failed to properly train its officers in de-escalation tactics and response to situations involving mentally impaired and/or intoxicated individuals. There is a pattern and practice of police officers not being properly disciplined for their actions involving use of excessive force and prior unjustified shooting of the citys citizens, the lawsuit claims. As a result of this failure to address and discipline, the city of Fresno and its Police Department have fostered an environment and created a culture and belief that it is permissible to use excessive force, up to and including deadly force, against civilians without fear of repercussion, accountability or disciplinary action by the city of Fresno Police Department. veronica.rocha@latimes.com For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter. ALSO: Protesters sue El Cajon police over arrests at vigil for Alfred Olango Brawl erupts in gunfire, with 4 people injured and 2 arrested in Palmdale Motorcyclist who disappeared during late-night ride found dead off Highway 39 in San Gabriel Mountains For decades, urban planners and city leaders have envisioned transforming the gritty, concrete-walled Los Angeles River into the backbone of a new kind of city, one with the riverbed restored to nature, surrounded by parks, trails and new residential developments. But Los Angeles this week received a stark reminder that the river that cuts through the region much of the year just a trickle can become a dangerous torrent during periods of intense rain. A new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report found that more than 3,000 parcels north of downtown Los Angeles in neighborhoods such as Atwater Village and Elysian Valley could be submerged by an average of 5 to 10 feet of water in the event of a 100-year storm. It also found that other areas such as Griffith Park, Glendale and Burbank could see significant flooding. Advertisement Property owners with federally backed mortgages will be required to purchase flood insurance because of the findings, federal officials said. Additionally, developers could face new restrictions such as having to build the first floor at a higher elevation for properties within the flood zone, according to city engineers. The Army Corps released its study as the city pushes ahead with a plan for ripping out the concrete channels of the river and restore natural plant life. The concrete walls were installed to better protect the city from periodic flooding when the L.A. river overflowed its banks. Officials said they remain convinced the nearly $1.6 billion restoration can move forward without heightening the flood risk, though some said the Army Corps findings offer a reality check. As we look to the future of the river, we have to look through the lens of past devastating floods, which were the reason the river was channelized anyway, said Councilman Mitch OFarrell, whose district covers most of the affected areas. We cant forget the river is one piece of dynamic Mother Nature. We cant forget that in the past it has caused havoc. The Army Corps study was launched last year after the restoration project uncovered discrepancies in the size of the floodplain in a section of the river that flows through Northeast L.A. and the Griffith Park area. Officials said some older maps showed a flood zone ending at the rivers channel while others showed the zone extending into neighborhoods. The federal agencys analysis found that more than 3,300 parcels are in the flood zone, far more than the 870 parcels officials previously identified. The federal maps apply to land that has been determined to be subject to a so-called 100-year flood, which means there is a 1% chance that a flood of its size will happen during any given year. The last major flood in the area was in 1938, when L.A. County was inundated by torrential rain storms that killed more than 100 people and destroyed 5,600 homes. The highly anticipated restoration project expected to take 30 to 50 years would introduce the most dramatic changes to the river since it was lined with concrete as part of a larger flood control initiative in the middle of the 20th century. Besides removing concrete channels, the project also seeks to add water cleanup features and reintroduce native habitat along an 11-mile stretch of the river from the northern end of Griffith Park to downtown Los Angeles. Those changes would add long stretches of open space, city officials said. As part of the effort, the city hopes to convert a multimillion-dollar piece of industrial property along the river. That area known as the G2 parcel is not in the flood zone released this week, city and federal maps show. Still, Marissa Christiansen, senior policy director for Friends of the Los Angeles River, said it is unknown what the new flood zone rules will mean for revitalization efforts. I would hate for it to set us back, she said. My concern would be that this modeling is used as a basis to revert back to the thinking that the only appropriate flood risk mitigation is drastic, comprehensive concrete channeling of the river. The restoration plan triggered a land rush along the river, with once-affordable property values in neighborhoods such as Elysian Valley rising significantly. The addition of recreational space along the river have made those neighborhoods more desirable. David de la Torre of Elysian Valley doesnt think the new flood zone change will slow down the red-hot growth in the area. With the gentrification that is unfolding in the Elysian Valley right now, its such an attractive spot, De la Torre said. It is going to impact the middle- to low-income homeowners more. Plans for the river revitalization effort take into account the flood risk, and officials believe they will be able to restore the rivers ecosystem while maintaining or even improving existing levels of flood risk management, said Connie Llanos, spokeswoman for Mayor Eric Garcetti. During a public hearing Monday in Griffith Park, residents expressed frustration over having to purchase insurance when no one could remember a significant flood event, especially during the recent years of historic drought in the region. Ive never seen the L.A. River get anywhere close to the top, said Ken Zavayna, a longtime resident of Atwater Village. Its stupid. Alfred Mata, a deputy city engineer, said he sympathizes with the concerns of residents. Who wants to spend more money, especially those who have lived here a long time? Mata said. But in the long run its in everyones interest to have these programs to protect property owners and the community at large. Property owners with federally backed mortgages can purchase insurance at a reduced rate until the Federal Emergency Management Agency makes the maps official in roughly two years, Army Corps officials said. Premiums cost an average of nearly $700 last year, according to the National Flood Insurance Program. The insurance covers up to $250,000 in damages to a structure and up to $100,000 for its contents, FEMA officials said. The federal government has been examining flood risks across the Los Angeles area in recent years. Homeowners who live near Ballona Creek in southwestern L.A. were also mandated to buy flood insurance, Mata said. In 2010, residents in more than 150 communities across the Southland were notified that they lived in high-risk flood zones and would be required to buy insurance. ben.poston@latimes.com Follow @bposton on Twitter. Times staff writer Dave Zahniser contributed to this report. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a cleanup this week of the Maywood metal yard that burned down in June, part of a two-month waste removal project at the closed business. The EPA warned that clearing out hazardous debris may send noxious odors into nearby neighborhoods, an irritating reminder of a fire that displaced hundreds of residents and revived fears about the proximity of industrial sites to homes in southeast Los Angeles County. In the early morning of June 14, flames tore through scrap metal recycler Panda International Trading Co. and a precious metals recycler operating on a portion of the companys Fruitland Avenue property, Sokor Metals. Advertisement Investigators said at the time that about 10,000 pounds of magnesium fed the fire, which stubbornly burned for more than a day. Firefighters struggled to contain the flames because water would trigger explosions with magnesium. County fire officials had to use a dry chemical extinguishing agent. Tests showed the fires ash had high concentrations of magnesium and aluminum, among other metals. The fire forced about 300 people to be evacuated from nearby homes and businesses. Many sought shelter at a YMCA in Maywood. Larry Israel, from SCAQMD Hazmat, surveys the explosive June 14 fire at a Maywood warehouse. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times ) At least 43 homes had to be cleaned up before residents returned, according to county health officials. Investigators have not said what started the fire. No charges have been filed in connection with the blaze. Just hours after the fire erupted, L.A. County Fire Department officials considered it a possible arson, according to a preliminary report obtained by The Times. L.A. County Sheriffs Sgt. Derek Yoshino wrote that the circumstances surrounding the fire were suspicious because of a recent environmental inquiry into one of the businesses at the site. Sokor Metals, which used hydrochloric and nitric acid to reclaim precious metals from computer circuit boards, was cited a week before the fire for alleged hazardous waste violations, according to an affidavit for a search warrant filed in L.A. County Superior Court. Sokor Metals was also cited for an alleged failure to prevent a fire or the release of hazardous materials, according to court papers. The owner of Sokor Metals, Ashoor Koriel, contended that electrical equipment near the property sparked the fire. I was not operating when the fire occurred, and none of the chemicals I was using were flammable, he said in a statement. The attorney representing Da Xiong Pan, who operated Panda International Trading Co. and owns the property, also denied that his clients business caused the fire. The fire started somewhere else, said the lawyer, Sal Coco, reiterating Koriels claim that electrical equipment sparked the fire. Pan has not been allowed to visit his property, Coco said. A fabric-lined fence was installed to prevent dust from reaching neighbors, and the EPA said Monday that crews were installing a barrier to prevent debris from reaching nearby homes during the cleanup. The federal cleanup, which could cost as much as $3 million, comes nearly a month after Panda International Trading Co. and Pan pleaded guilty to felony charges that they unlawfully disposed of hazardous waste at the site. The charges were unrelated to the fire and stemmed from inspections conducted in 2013. Homes along 52nd Street are directly behind the destroyed metal recycling facility. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times ) The L.A. County district attorneys office filed charges April 28 after investigators with the state Department of Toxic Substances Control found that toxic levels of metal particulates had been released onto a public sidewalk in front of the companys facility. The black dust contained copper, lead, zinc, cadmium, nickel and chromium, according to the agency. On Sept. 14, Pan pleaded guilty to five felony counts. The company pleaded guilty to one felony count. A judge sentenced Pan to 16 months in prison, which was reduced to one day in jail and 1,000 hours of community service. The company and its owner were also ordered to pay more than $53,000 in restitution. Under the terms of a three-year probation period, neither Panda nor Pan can run businesses that store or dispose of hazardous waste, said Hansen Pang, a chief investigator at the Department of Toxic Substances Control. Coco, Pans defense attorney, acknowledged that his client committed the waste violations but did so out of ignorance of the proper procedures. I dont think he understood the rules and regulations, Coco said. He should have had some professional help. matt.hamilton@latimes.com Twitter: @MattHjourno. UPDATES: 8:10 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from an attorney, one of the business owners and other details. This article was originally published at 4 a.m. Police and family members are asking the public to help find a 55-year-old woman with Alzheimers disease who went missing during a visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Nancy Paulikas was last seen exiting the restroom at LACMA about 3 p.m. Saturday. She appeared to walk toward a museum exhibit, but then she vanished, her husband said. Kirk Moody said he and his wife had separated from other family members at the museum to use the restroom. He used a mens restroom nearby and returned to the womens restroom area, expecting to meet his wife. But she was gone. Advertisement I have had no experience of her roaming. In prior experiences, shes waited, Moody said. It never occurred to me that shed be gone before I finished. Family members who had accompanied the couple to LACMA began searching the sprawling campus. The museums security joined in the search effort. The Los Angeles Police Department was notified of Paulikas disappearance Saturday evening and deployed a helicopter to scan the neighborhood. Officers also canvassed a two-square-mile section of the Miracle Mile area around the museum. Moody and Paulikas live in Manhattan Beach, and police there also issued an alert about her disappearance. Friends have posted fliers and launched a website with regular updates about the search. The family is now offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to her recovery. Moody, who married Paulikas in 2002, said the round-the-clock search has so far yielded little information. Museum security cameras recorded only her leaving the bathroom and approaching an exhibit. No clues, no hints, Moody said. No nothing. Paulikas grew up in Palos Verdes and worked as a software engineer and later, a technology executive at a financial firm. She retired in 2011 and developed Alzheimers disease about three years ago, Moody said. Her decline has hastened in the last few months. Paulikas has difficulty communicating and has a poor sense of navigation,her husband said. At the time of her disappearance, she did not have a phone, identification cards or cash. Moody said she was carrying a case for her glasses and had a MediAlert bracelet that indicates she has dementia and includes her first name and phone number. But she is prone to removing the bracelet, he said. Paulikas has blue eyes and gray hair and is 5 feet 7. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, navy sandals and a shirt with a red, black and white pattern, the LAPD said. Anyone with information about Paulikas whereabouts is asked to contact the LAPDs Missing Persons Unit at (213) 996-1800 or (877) 527-3247. Her husband also asked members of the public to contact him at (310) 650-7965. matt.hamilton@latimes.com Twitter: @MattHjourno. The body of motorcycle rider was recovered Tuesday morning off Highway 39 in the San Gabriel Mountains after he disappeared on a late-night ride with two friends, authorities said. The 31-year-old rider, identified as a Los Angeles resident, was reported missing about 10:36 p.m. Monday. Two fellow riders told L.A. County deputies that they lost sight of him just above East Fork Road along the 27-mile highway, according to the Sheriffs Department. After riding to the north end of the highway above Crystal Lake and not finding him, the concerned cyclists notified authorities. Advertisement Deputies from the San Dimas station and members of the San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team searched the highway without success. Thick fog prevented the use of a search helicopter Monday evening, but one was launched the following morning. At about 7 a.m. Tuesday, a sheriffs helicopter spotted the crash site off the highway near Coldbrook Campground in the Angeles National Forest, where deputies on the ground found the riders body and his 2014 BMW S1000RR motorcycle. The California Highway Patrol said the rider left the roadway, hit a berm and was thrown from his motorcycle. Investigators said they found no evidence of drug or alcohol use. veronica.rocha@latimes.com For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter. ALSO The rains over in L.A., and fire weather is back Protesters sue El Cajon police over arrests at vigil for Alfred Olango Brawl erupts in gunfire, with 4 people injured and 2 arrested in Palmdale UPDATES: 3:55 p.m.: This article was updated with the California Highway Patrol saying the rider hit a berm and was ejected from his motorcycle. This article was originally published at 10:25 a.m. More than a dozen protesters who were arrested at a vigil for Alfred Olango in El Cajon on Oct. 1 filed a lawsuit Monday, claiming police wrongfully ordered them to disperse and violated their civil rights. The lawsuit against the city of El Cajon, its police force, the San Diego Sheriffs Department and the county claims the Saturday night gathering was peaceful and that protesters were forced to leave simply because the late-night vigil was an inconvenience for police. In total, 14 people were arrested shortly after midnight in a parking lot behind Los Panchos Taco Shop on Broadway where Olango, 38, was shot and killed Sept. 27 by police. Protesters have repeatedly convened there since. Advertisement A dozen people were jailed for refusing to leave after the gathering was declared an unlawful assembly, police said. Two others were arrested one on an outstanding warrant and another on suspicion of public intoxication. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 14 people, including two minors who allegedly witnessed police arrest their mother. The San Diego branch of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People also is named as a plaintiff. When defendants issued the order to disperse, there was no valid legal basis for declaring the assembly to be unlawful, the lawsuit states. The dispersal order was solely due to the inconvenience to police officers of monitoring a peaceful vigil at midnight. The order to disperse, according to the lawsuit, violated protesters 1st Amendment rights to assemble and freely express themselves. Five of the protesters claim they were participating in a prayer circle. The lawsuit also alleges police intended to make a statement to prevent future demonstrations. The lawsuit is asking a judge for an injunction against police to stop wrongful orders to disperse and the arrest of peaceful protesters. Following the arrests, police said a fight had broken out between a few of the protesters and that someone reportedly left to get a gun. Sensing this shift in the demeanor of the crowd, and out of concern for community safety, officers declared an unlawful assembly and ordered the group to disperse, police Lt. Rob Ransweiler said in a statement on Oct. 2. A law enforcement helicopter broadcast the orders to disperse about midnight, according to the lawsuit. The majority of the protesters left, but some stayed. Officers spoke to those who remained and they promised to leave, Ransweiler said. Eventually, it became apparent the remaining protesters were not planning to leave. Jeff Provenzano, 31, was one of the dozen arrested. He has participated in protests since the El Cajon police shooting and said the turnout on the night of Oct. 1 was one of the smallest and most quiet. For them to come in with such a show of force when people were just talking and praying was absolutely ridiculous, he said a day after his arrest. There were crazier things happening other days and the cops didnt do anything. For them to come in with such a show of force when people were just talking and praying was absolutely ridiculous. Jeff Provenzano, one of the dozen arrested Protesters didnt feel it was an unlawful protest because they didnt feel they were doing anything that was unlawful, Provenzano added. He took video that shows a group of about 20 people huddled around and under a white canopy set up near the makeshift memorial for Olango. Slowly, a group of 50 to 75 officers in riot gear can be seen closing in on the space. Several officers stepped toward the group, removing several posters hung on the canopy between protesters and officers. The two groups talked briefly before the arrests began. That night marked the largest number of arrests in the days of protests and vigils that followed Olangos death as the public demanded accountability and transparency from the El Cajon Police Department. Olango was fatally shot behind the Broadway taco shop near Mollison Avenue. His sister had called police and said Olango was not acting like himself. Others called 911 to report a man walking into traffic. Two officers found Olango behind the taco shop, and when Olango took a shooting stance and pointed a silver vaping device at them, he was shot and killed. Videos released by authorities show him pointing the object at Officer Richard Gonsalves, who fatally shot him. Officer Josh McDaniel fired with a Taser. El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells declined Monday to specifically address the lawsuit. However, he said he agrees with his police forces actions in response to the protests, including the declarations of unlawful assembly. I think the police have acted exemplary through all of this, he said. I think theyve shown great compassion, great restraint. Theyve been very careful to prevent violence and have done a good job of protecting citizens at the same time. I think that its difficult for some people to understand why police might do some things because they dont have all the information. They see what they see from their point without having a birds-eye view. Im not worried. Once all information is explained, I think all of this will be understood. On Monday night, dozens of protesters took to the streets and were met by law enforcement officers who lined up and blocked the entrances to Los Panchos and the surrounding strip mall. El Cajon polices Twitter account advised residents to avoid the area. Police said at least two people were arrested but did not disclose more information. Hernandez writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Reporter Lyndsay Winkley contributed to this story. ALSO 17 arrested following protests after fatal El Cajon police shooting Immigration officials tried twice to deport Ugandan refugee fatally shot by El Cajon police Mother laments sons death in El Cajon police shooting: I wanted his future to be longer than that Two suspects were arrested Monday after three people were shot and another person was injured in a brawl outside a shopping center in East Palmdale, authorities said. The fight occurred around 2 p.m. in the area of 25th Street East and Avenue S and rapidly escalated when someone pulled out a handgun and began shooting, according to Lt. Ken Wright of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. When firefighters arrived at the shopping center, they found three gunshot victims and a fourth person who had suffered trauma to the face, he said. Advertisement The injured were taken to area hospitals and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, he said. Witnesses and and residents provided deputies with details on the shooters description and whereabouts. About 20 minutes after the shooting, deputies took a man and teenage boy into custody, Wright said. A firearm was also recovered. The 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of a no-bail warrant for burglary, he said. Devon Hunt, 26, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Wright said. He is being held on $50,000 bail. veronica.rocha@latimes.com For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter. ALSO The rains over in L.A., and fire weather is back Protesters sue El Cajon police over arrests at vigil for Alfred Olango Fears mount over a homeless plan that residents say will end Venice as we know it The case against the brothers seemed like a sure thing. Last October, FBI agents arrested Sukhbir Singh and his brother Jimmy Sandhu, the owners of a tow truck company. The men were charged with bribing a member of the Huntington Park City Council in an effort to buy his support for higher towing fees. The lead agent in the case laid out in court papers seemingly irrefutable evidence against the men: For more than a year, the councilman had been working as an informant and secretly recorded his conversations with the brothers. The recordings appeared to show the men offering money in exchange for the councilmans vote. The case, however, was anything but open and shut. Since the arrests, the governments case against Singh and Sandhu has all but unraveled. In March, prosecutors from the U.S. attorneys office dismissed the charges against Sandhu without explanation. And this summer, when a judge found FBI agents had probably violated Singhs constitutional rights when they interrogated him without an attorney, prosecutors promptly dropped the bribery charge against him. Advertisement As part of a hastily struck plea deal, Singh agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge he faced of making a false statement to FBI agents during contested interrogation. Monday brought a final disappointment for the government when U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez sentenced Singh to probation rejecting prosecutors argument that he should go to prison. As part of his probation, Singh must spend two months detained in his house and perform community service. In addition, under the terms of a separate agreement, he can no longer have a role in the towing company. Dan Shallman, Singhs attorney, called the result a huge vindication. Far from proving Singh had tried to buy the councilmans vote, Shallman said, the recordings captured the brothers offering small, legal campaign contributions. The conversations, he said, had been selectively edited to make it appear as though Singh was trying to bribe the councilman. Shallman also accused the FBI and prosecutors of trying to use the allegations against Singh and his brother to pressure them into becoming informants themselves in investigations into possible corruption by public officials. Through an aide, Eileen Decker, the U.S. attorney for the central district of California, disputed Shallmans claims. Wesley Hsu said in a written statement that prosecutors remained convinced that Singh had lied to FBI agents to cover up attempted bribery. He also downplayed the decision to make the plea deal, saying it came about because of Singhs willingness to accept responsibility for lying. In addition, Hsu said, the government would never proceed with a prosecution that was not based on the facts of a case simply to obtain a defendants cooperation. Anemic civic engagement and a no-holds-barred political landscape in the largely industrial, heavily immigrant cities south of Los Angeles including Huntington Park have given rise to corruption. Elections often are decided by a small fraction of voters, and special interests have tried to exploit the situation to sway votes in their favor. The investigation into Singh and Sandhus H.P. Automotive & Tow Service Inc. focused on a vote by the Huntington Park City Council in the summer of 2013 against increasing the fees the company could charge to tow and store vehicles impounded by police. It is unknown why FBI agents approached Valentin Amezquita, a member of the council who voted against the fee increase. But over the next months, Amezquita wore recording devices during meetings or phone calls with Singh, who was sometimes accompanied by Sandhu. In court papers, the FBI did not name Amezquita. The Times identified him as the informant through City Council voting records. At one of the recorded meetings, Singh and a lobbyist met with Amezquita over lunch. According to an affidavit filed by Jason Dalton, the lead FBI agent in the case, Singh complained about the councils vote and asked Amezquita for his support when the fee increase came back for another vote. The lobbyist also assured the councilman that Singh would help pay off any outstanding campaign debts he might have. In arguing that Singh be sentenced to prison, Assistant U.S. Atty Brandon Fox raised that meeting and others to the judge Monday as evidence of Singhs intent to bribe the councilman. Defense attorney Aaron Lewis shot back that the exchange was an example of how the FBI and U.S. attorneys office had tried to skew Singhs intentions by omitting mention of the many minutes of conversation that took place between talk of the council vote and campaign contributions. In all, the government alleged the councilman had received checks totaling $2,650 although banks refused to cash a few checks totaling $800 for various reasons, including one that bounced. In January 2014, the council voted again and approved the higher fees; Amezquita was absent from the meeting. The bribery investigation continued until October 2015, when Dalton used a ruse to get the brothers to appear for an interview, telling them immigration officials needed to speak to Singh about the status of his wifes visa. Shallman and Lewis contended that Dalton and another agent did not clearly advise the men of their rights during the hours-long interrogation, and improperly pressed ahead after Singh indicated he wanted an attorney present. The FBI and U.S. attorneys office defended the agents, saying in statements that they acted appropriately. During a pretrial hearing, Gutierrez said he was inclined to not allow anything Singh had said in the interrogation to be used at trial. That would include his statement to agents that he hadnt discussed with the councilman a plan to have contributions come from friends instead of the tow company the lie he admitted to in his plea. Before the judge could issue a formal ruling, prosecutors approached Singh with the deal. joel.rubin@latimes.com Follow @joelrubin on Twitter ALSO If Californias 21-and-up smoking law is a success, other states may follow suit When Monterey Park became more Asian, this music man changed with the times and thrived All we do is clean and clean: There are big plans for MacArthur Park, but residents are skeptical Pro-Clinton group will air ads linking vulnerable GOP senators to Trump (Jim Cole / Associated Press) A super PAC backing Hillary Clinton plans to air ads tying vulnerable Republican senators to GOP nominee Donald Trump in two battleground states. Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania are facing tough reelection battles, and their opponents have tried to link them with the controversial statements of their partys standard-bearer. The ads are an indication of the confidence the group feels about Clintons chances of winning the White House. This is just the beginning of expanding the map & supporting Dems. More to come soon, tweeted Guy Cecil, co-chair and chief strategist for Priorities USA, on Tuesday. The senators have struggled to deal with their partys nominee. Ayotte once said she would vote for Trump, apologized after calling him a role model for children, and then announced she would not vote for him after recordings emerged of Trump making lewd comments about women. Toomey is refusing to say who he supports for president. Priorities USA is focused on electing Clinton to the White House, and has raised more than $133 million through the end of August. The group has not disclosed the ads it plans to air or how much it is spending. Cecil indicated on Twitter that the group planned to advertise on television and African American radio in Georgia, another sign of their confidence in Clintons campaign. The state last voted to send a Democrat to the White House nearly a quarter-century ago. Media figures and officials are suckered by a trolls Ohio voter fraud joke Theres not much of a mystery what happened here: Some folks who shouldve known better got hoaxed by a rando from the Internet. Lets start from the beginning, with the culprit. On his profile, the anonymous Twitter user @randygdub (who says he is a man) calls himself the cool and chill guy of online. What he is, more accurately, is an adherent of Weird Twitter a surrealist style of Twitter humor known for fake anecdotes, lefty politics and copious trolling. Basically, Weird Twitter enjoys taking advantage of strangers who arent in on the joke. Hillary: like the rest of you, I can't wait to get back to work! me: [daydreaming about roundhouse kicking my boss] yeah totally raandy (@randygdub) September 13, 2016 laid off factory worker: how are you going to help me provide for my family? Hillary: well first, we're going to stop Pepe worker: what? raandy (@randygdub) September 13, 2016 someone stop kaepernick now he's making police dogs look dumb by pretending to throw a ball and hiding it behind his back raandy (@randygdub) September 1, 2016 i am a Black man for trump. that's right libs, we do exist pic.twitter.com/TXx9lX7kM4 raandy (@randygdub) October 12, 2016 Typically if you were, say, a normal person you wouldnt need to pay much attention to Weird Twitter. But then Election 2016 happened and Donald Trump started alleging mass voter fraud (with no evidence), and @randygdub took advantage of the situation. i love working at the post office in Columbus, Ohio and ripping up absentee ballots that vote for trump raandy (@randygdub) October 16, 2016 Other users took the bait. The trap was set. no, it's legal raandy (@randygdub) October 16, 2016 you just made that up. nice try, though raandy (@randygdub) October 16, 2016 The situation only escalated. that got repealed actually raandy (@randygdub) October 17, 2016 Though not everybody missed the joke. Just looked up some rules on this, pic.twitter.com/bYHTWnkKIc drewtoothpaste (@drewtoothpaste) October 16, 2016 And so on and so forth, trolly troll troll troll troll. But then @randygdubs tweets got picked up by the conservative blogger Jim Hoft, also known as Gateway Pundit, who missed the signs of blatant and egregious trolling. Hoft posted a story titled: POSTAL WORKER Brags Online About Destroying Trump Ballots Then Gateway Pundits post got picked up by Matt Drudges Drudge Report, an influential conservative aggregator: Postal Worker Brags About Destroying Trump Ballots... https://t.co/WlWz0aG9aY DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) October 17, 2016 Then the story got picked up by conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh. Let me ask you this, Limbaugh said, according to the Daily Beast. If a postal worker went on social media I dont care what it was, Facebook Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, you name it and was bragging about destroying Hillary absentee ballots, do you think theyd be trying to hunt this guy down and put him in jail with the guy who made the video about the started Benghazi? The cops got involved. Thanks everyone about the Twitter post of the person bragging about destroying mail in Columbus. We're on it. Appreciate the heads up! #CPD Columbus Ohio Police (@ColumbusPolice) October 17, 2016 Ohios secretary of state got involved. Ive contacted @USPS about posts alleging destruction of absentee ballots. Well get the #facts & if true, hold anyone guilty accountable Jon Husted (@JonHusted) October 17, 2016 The U.S. Postal Service inundated by tweets from concerned users, who themselves had been inundated by paranoid yet strangely unskeptical media outlets got involved. And after some investigating, it looks like the Postal Service got a handle on the situation. The Postal Service has completed an initial investigation of the mentioned tweets and does not believe these tweets were made by a postal employee, the Postal Service said in a statement to anybody who tweeted at them for help. However, the Postal Service will continue to monitor this situation and if it is determined that the individual making the tweets is a postal employee and there is substantiated evidence of mail being tampered with or destroyed, then the Postal Service will take appropriate corrective action to address the situation. Meanwhile, back on planet @randygdub, the heist was complete. He even made it on TV. The important difference between the decision by Los Angeles County prosecutors not to criminally charge Long Beach Police Officer Jeffrey Meyer for his deadly shooting of a man in 2015 and their many previous decisions not to charge police in shootings is that they pointedly took Meyer to task for substantial tactical deficiencies that needlessly turned an investigation deadly. As reported by The Times on Saturday, Meyer was responding to a trespassing call when he illuminated a dark apartment with a light mounted on his handgun, saw a crouching man, feared he was armed, and fired. His bullet killed 19-year-old Hector Morejon, who was unarmed. The critique of Meyers actions came in a memo dated Sept. 22. Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey has been sharply criticized for failing to bring charges against officers at a time when high-profile police shootings have stoked public anger in Los Angeles and around the nation. Lacey has responded that her role is limited to demonstrating in court beyond a reasonable doubt that an officer broke the law. She has argued, correctly, that it is the job of police agencies themselves and not the criminal justice system to determine whether an officer used improper tactics, acted out of policy, needs to be retrained or deserves to fired. Advertisement So Laceys decision to go beyond her official duties and criticize Meyers conduct even though she opted not to file charges is noteworthy. Some of the frustration felt by members of the public ... is beginning to be felt in police stations and district attorneys offices. It also brings to mind the call early this year by Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck that criminal charges were warranted in another 2015 shooting the killing by LAPD Officer Clifford Proctor of Brendon Glenn, an unarmed homeless man. In both the Los Angeles shooting and the Long Beach case a public official found police wrongdoing and strongly suggested that action was called for by another agency. The statements hint that some of the frustration felt by members of the public at the many-layered and somewhat convoluted response to excessive police uses of force the feeling that they are being given the runaround, that no official is ultimately accountable for bad police shootings and that the system is constructed to shield officers and leave the public wondering what happened and why is beginning to be felt in police stations and district attorneys offices. Its as if law enforcement and justice leaders agree that something is amiss and someone must do something about it. But who? And, almost as important, when? Laceys office has had Glenns case under review for the better part of a year but has yet to decide whether to bring charges against the officer. Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Police Commission asked the LAPD to report back on a series of steps to make the responses to police shootings quicker and more transparent, similar to the public disclosure and presentation that generally occurs a week after police uses of force involving the Las Vegas Police Department. LAPD officials have cautioned that they keep much of their investigation into police shootings out of the public eye to avoid undermining any concurrent criminal probe by Laceys office. But there is a question about how much protection to give a district attorney process that has never, so far, resulted in any charges arising from any on-duty police shooting. In the Long Beach case, the city has already paid $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Morejons family, but its not clear whether the official stance of the police department is that Meyer acted properly or improperly, that training and tactics are fine or flawed, or whether officers who find themselves in a similar position should act as Meyer did or behave differently. Thats unclear because the department does not reveal the outcomes of its shooting review board. At present, neither Long Beach nor Los Angeles, nor any California police agency, can fully embrace the Las Vegas model of transparency and responsiveness because of state laws adopted in the 1970s to protect officer privacy. Until a 2014 state Supreme Court ruling arising from a Long Beach police shooting law enforcement agencies in California seldom even released the names of the officers who pulled the trigger. This year a bill to further restore some balance to the tug-of-war between officers right to privacy and a public demanding accountability quietly died in Sacramento. Thats a shame. A version of the bill that was floated a decade earlier received the loud support of L.A.s then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William Bratton. As a new Legislature is elected and sets its agenda for 2017, it would be wise for lawmakers to dust off that bill and for Lacey, Beck, Sheriff Jim McDonnell, Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and their counterparts in other cities and counties around California to support it. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook I was not the absolute worst daughter-in-law who ever lived, but Im probably the last person my mother-in-law would have chosen to paw through her private papers and possessions. Like almost everything else about her death and its after-mess, however, my mother-in-law had very little control in the end. She tried though. Even at 93, she kept meticulous financial records. She had a legal will, and she secured it in a safe deposit box at her Michigan bank. She even remembered to send the key to her one and only child, my husband, in L.A. What she failed to anticipate, however, was that even with her death certificate and the safe-deposit-box key in hand, her son would not be allowed near her will until hed performed a variety of tasks involving bank rules, probate court, blah blah blah and power of attorney. Advertisement That took time, which had something to do with how she came to be cremated weeks before we were able to discover that shed actually wanted to be buried. Also, with how some of her things were disposed of before we learned shed earmarked them, heir by heir. Oops. I bet a curse comes with that. Because my husband had a job he had to return to quickly and I didnt, and because there was no one else to do it, the task of clearing out her house fell to me. The moral of this cautionary tale is dont alienate or outlive your friends and relations, or maybe, get rid of your stuff while you still can. I started as soon as we arrived: Faced with the contents of the two-story house (plus basement) where my mother-in-law had lived for more than half of her life, I thought about that wildly popular book that suggests we give the heave-ho to any thing we own that doesnt bring us joy. But my mother-in-laws things did bring her joy they just didnt do the same for me. I didnt share her taste for things frilly and was utterly flummoxed by her fondness for those beer steins with faces Toby mugs. As an unsentimental person, I found myself particularly unsentimental about slides from a lifetime of family vacations and birthday parties. I wont even get into my feelings about her fake flower arrangements, or glass whatnots, or clusters of candles. I think its fair to say that I didnt share my mother-in-laws taste for well, anything, except perhaps her son. Were any of us to imagine the scene, wed all certainly prefer to picture our belongings cradled in loving hands, eliciting sweet reminiscences from bereaved family and friends who give careful thought to their future. Anything but the hasty mercies of an irritated, sleep-deprived, dry-eyed daughter-in-law seething with resentment for being stuck with sorting, donating and pawning. The moral of this cautionary tale is dont alienate or outlive your friends and relations, or maybe, get rid of your stuff while you still can. When I was a young bride, newly annoyed by my mother-in-law, my father told me that the friction between mothers and daughters-in-law was timeless and innate. He said that I wouldnt understand it until I was a mother. That irritated the crap out of me and I said so. But he insisted that no one loves anyone as much as a mother does, which probably made me roll my eyes. Then he said: Let me ask you this. If you found out that Mitch (thats my husband) was a violent pedophile who raped little children, would you visit him in prison? Pfft, no way! Ah! My dad held up his drink in victory. But if it was your son, youd visit, and bring him a cake! I remembered this conversation as I made my 700th trip upstairs to bring down yet another dusty carousel of old slides. My mother-in-law gave birth to my husband. She loved and raised him. These slides were I assumed, I still havent looked mostly pictures of him. She did not store these slides on the top shelf of the furthest closet just to torment me. She did so because they were precious to her and gave her joy. I knew she was still waiting her turn at the crematorium. The idea of simply adding everything she owned to the funeral pyre was wildly tempting. Why not call and ask if I might include a few mementos? Then sneak in the entire contents of her home? I did not make that call. And I didnt torch her house or dump her slides and doilies and Toby mugs into the local landfill. I just packed them into her car, along with her cremains, and drove back home to L.A. to tuck everything away in a closet for my own daughter-in-law to deal with when the time comes. Amy Goldman Koss is the author of Side Effects and many other books for teens. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook MORE FROM OPINION What Hillary Clinton must accomplish in the last debate A ballot measure that could make it easier to rent in Los Angeles Under the threat of police violence, some African Americans are writing their own obituaries in protest To the editor: Water desalinization is the solution to both saving the Salton Sea and providing water for crop irrigation in the Imperial and San Joaquin valleys. (Wheres the money and the plan that will save the Salton Sea? Opinion, Oct. 16) A pumping station built in San Felipe in Baja California would pump water from the Sea of Cortez into the Salton Sea. A desalination plant built in the Salton Sea would provide treated water to Imperial Valley farms for irrigation and consumption. Another desalination plant built in Stockton would provide irrigation for San Joaquin Valley farms. Existing pumping stations would provide the California Aqueduct with treated water for distribution. Revenue bonds could be sold for construction of the desalination plants, with repayment of the bonds by farmers and consumers of the treated water. Amortized over time, costs can be mitigated. Advertisement Such a plan would eliminate Gov. Jerry Browns proposal to build diversionary tunnels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Craig Simmons, Northridge .. To the editor: Battles over saving the Salton Sea remind me of those fought over Owens Lake and Mono Lake before that. Clearly San Diegans, like Los Angelenos, are understandably willing to accept these losses as a tradeoff. Likewise, the residents of the Imperial Valley have expressed a similar opinion. The solution, other than creating an artificial canal, is to let Mother Nature address the problem by default and wait for northward geologic rifting to eventually connect the Gulf of California with the Salton Sea. It shouldnt take more than a million years. Arthur D. Wahl, Port Hueneme Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Allegations of a quid pro quo between the FBI and State Department emerged Monday in documents released by the law enforcement agency as part of its investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server. According to the documents, which were based on interviews with FBI agents, a high-ranking State Department official allegedly sought to pressure the bureau into changing the classification of an email related to the Benghazi attack in exchange for agreeing to help place more FBI agents in places like Iraq, where they are restricted. But there were starkly different descriptions of who hatched the alleged deal. Advertisement One FBI official suggested Undersecretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy offered to assist the bureau place more agents in return for the change in classification. But another top agent suggested he was the one who first broached the idea. The State Department and FBI denied there was ever any deal and noted that the emails classification was not changed because the bureau reaffirmed its original decision. The FBI also did not receive more slots in Baghdad as a result of the discussion, officials said. Though the discussions of quid pro quo were recounted by FBI agents in their interviews, it was determined that no such deal occurred, officials emphasized. There was never a quid pro quo, the FBI said in a statement. The allegation of any kind of quid pro quo is inaccurate and does not align with the facts, State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said. He dismissed the matter as an interagency exchange over how to classify information, a process that he said was more art than science. The redacted FBI accounts were among about 100 pages of documents released by the bureau in response to public records requests concerning its investigation of whether the former secretary of State improperly handled classified information on a private email server she used while serving as the nations top diplomat. The discovery that Clinton had sent and received dozens of emails containing classified information over the private system has become a major issue in her campaign for the presidency. In their interviews, FBI officials and agents, whose names were not disclosed, said the agency received a request from the State Department in May or June 2015 to reconsider the classification of the email. According to one FBI agent, Kennedy said the agencys classification of the email related to Benghazi caused problems for Kennedy. Kennedy asked whether the classification could be removed. The goal, however, does not appear to have been to allow the information to be released, but instead to apply a separate Freedom of Information Act exemption that would allow him to archive the document in the basement of [the Department of State] never to be seen again. In that exchange, it is the FBI agent who is described as offering a deal, telling Kennedy he would look into the email matter if Kennedy would provide authority concerning the FBIs request to increase its personnel in Iraq. After discussing the matter with FBI counter-terrorism officials, the agent told Kennedy there was nothing he could do. In another account of the matter, an official in the bureaus records division described being pressured by a colleague in the agencys international operations division. The colleague said Kennedy had asked for help in altering the emails classification in exchange for a quid pro quo that would have allowed the FBI to place more agents in countries where they are presently forbidden, the FBI report says. That FBI official also said he believed that the State Department has an agenda which involves minimizing the classified nature of the Clinton emails in order to protect State interests and those of Clinton. When FBI officials refused to change the designation of the email, Kennedy was referred to Michael Steinbach, then the top counter-terrorism agent in the bureau. Steinbach, who now oversees the national security division, refused to change the emails classification. In a statement from Donald Trumps campaign, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said the FBI documents show Clinton colluded with the FBI. There were no allegations in the documents that Clinton played any role in the matter. She departed the State Department in 2013. Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook cast the matter as further evidence of typical disputes between the State Department and other government agencies. Its not uncommon for officials within a department to fight over classification, he said. This is something that took place entirely within the government and with the State Department, so Ill leave it to [them] to talk about that. Follow @delwilber on Twitter del.wilber@latimes.com ALSO Billy Bush is officially out at NBC over taped sex talk with Donald Trump These battleground states will decide our next president Michelle Obama delivers what may be a defining moment in the presidential campaign Add another item to Donald Trumps list of problems: More and more, his own supporters no longer think he can win, the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Daybreak poll has found. As the two presidential nominees prepare for their final debate Wednesday in Las Vegas, the share of Americans who expect a Hillary Clinton victory is at the highest level since the poll began in July. Among Trump supporters, the share who think he will lose has grown significantly over the last month. Thats contributing to an election that increasingly seems headed to a lopsided finish. Advertisement The Daybreak poll asks people whom they plan to vote for and which candidate they expect will win. The question of voter expectations has often, although not always, proved to be a more reliable forecaster of election outcomes than asking voters their candidate preference. Trump still has many fervent supporters who predict he will win, but, particularly among his voters who are college-educated or in higher-income brackets, expectations for a victory have dimmed. Their optimism has faded as Trumps standing in the race against Clinton has declined from a high point in mid-September. The Daybreak poll continues to show a small Trump lead, within the surveys margin of error, while the other major surveys show Clinton ahead. But the surveys all agree on the trend of declining Trump support. Ohio is crucial to win the White House. There are few signs Trump is trying to get out the vote The descent started after the first presidential debate. Despite what some analysts predicted, the public airing of a videotape in which Trump could be heard boasting that he could get away with assaulting women because of his celebrity did not trigger a meltdown of his poll standing. In the last few days, his support has shown signs of stabilizing at a lower level. That could mean Trumps backing has reached a floor, although the evidence is not yet definitive. In the polling averages, Trump receives support from about 41% of voters in a two-way matchup with Clinton and is a couple of percentage points lower in polls that include third-party candidates. That puts him in the range of lopsided losers including former Vice President Walter F. Mondale, who got 41% and lost 49 states to President Reagan in 1984, and Sen. Barry Goldwater, who took 38% against President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964s Democratic landslide. The countrys partisan division has hardened since those contests, and many more states align solidly with one party or the other. As a result, as the electoral map shows, even a Republican candidate with historically low levels of support can count on winning about 20 states with just short of 160 electoral votes and probably a few more than that. Clinton holds leads in states with 279 electoral votes more than the 270 needed to win the White House while five states remain too close to predict. The decline in Trumps standing, albeit small, has been enough to bolster Clintons edge in the largest of those toss-up states, Florida, where she has led in 10 consecutive polls over the last two weeks. Polling averages show her ahead by about 4 points there. Trumps decline has also been enough to put at least one traditionally Republican state, Arizona, into the toss-up category. The declining share of Trump voters who expect a victory could pose further problems for him. Expectations matter to campaign operatives, who try strenuously to project confidence about winning out of concern that voter beliefs about a loss can become self-fulfilling. If people believe a candidate will lose, they might be discouraged and not turn out to vote, campaign strategists worry. If that happens this year, it could trouble not only Trump but also fellow Republicans, including Senate candidates in close races in such presidential battleground states as New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Nevada. Since the Daybreak poll began in July, Clinton has led the voter expectations question. About a month ago, however, after her health suddenly became a campaign issue, her lead on that question shrank to nearly within the polls margin of error. Expectations began to shift back again in Clintons direction at the end of the month as Trump suffered one political wound after another many of them self-inflicted. Currently, 57% of those polled predict a Clinton victory and 38% say Trump will win. That expectation is consistent among all age groups and among both men and women. Those with college educations and those whose family incomes are above $75,000 a year are especially likely to predict a Clinton victory. That reflects, in part, the shift of college-educated Trump supporters toward believing that their candidate will lose. The rise in expectations of a Clinton victory comes as polls of the race have moved in her direction. Trumps support dropped about 4 percentage points from the end of September to a low point a few days ago, although it has since rebounded slightly. Currently, the Daybreak poll shows Trump narrowly ahead in voter support, 45% to 43%. In polling averages, Clinton is ahead by 7 or 8 points. The pattern of a drop of a few points since late September is consistent, however. The Daybreak poll uses a different methodology than most other surveys, which accounts for much of the difference between its result and that of the average poll. Detailed results from the USC Dornsife/LAT daily tracking poll Pinpointing what triggered Trumps decline is difficult because so many events have overlapped, starting with the first presidential debate, on Sept. 26, which a large majority of voters felt Clinton won. For much of the week after the debate, Trump quarreled with Alicia Machado, a former Miss Universe who accused him of having publicly shamed her after she gained weight. An article published by the New York Times on Oct. 2 showing that Trump might have avoided paying federal income taxes for almost two decades appears to have contributed to his slide. The story showed evidence that Trump had claimed a $916 million tax loss in the mid-1990s from the collapse of his casino business. Trump subsequently confirmed that he had used the loss to wipe out his tax liability for years. Three days after the article was published about the minimum time for the Daybreak poll to respond to an event Trumps support dropped sharply. That could have been a reaction to the tax story although it may also have been in part a delayed reaction to the debate and the subsequent focus on Machado. Trumps support continued to drop for the next week. But the Daybreak poll, as well as surveys by the Washington Post and ABC News and SurveyMonkey for NBC News have not shown a big new decline since the Access Hollywood video became public and women began publicly accusing Trump of having assaulted them. One reason for that could be that a large share of voters who support Trump a majority in many surveys say their vote is more a ballot against Clinton than one for Trump. Voters motivated by dislike of the opposition may be less likely to shift their positions when confronted with negative information about their own candidate. Another reason could be Trumps already low level of support among the groups most likely to be alienated by the charges against him. In the SurveyMonkey poll, for example, which has an extremely large sample of more than 24,000 likely voters that allows analysis of groups in the electorate, women of all ages supported Clinton. The margins ranged from 35 points among those younger than 30 to six points among those 65 and older. Among men, the SurveyMonkey poll showed Clinton winning those younger than 45 and college graduates. Trumps strongest support, as has been true from the start of the campaign, comes from older white men who did not graduate from college a group whose majority has stuck with him through every controversy. David.Lauter@latimes.com For more on Politics and Policy, follow me @DavidLauter ALSO Michael Moore to release surprise Trump film in L.A. on Wednesday Weve updated our electoral map, as Trumps fortunes dwindle Lots of people have questions about the USC/L.A. Times tracking poll; here are some answers One big reason the WikiLeaks emails arent as damaging for Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump When Donald Trump charges that the media are plotting against him, he often points to the hacked private emails of Hillary Clintons campaign chairman, now available for the world to see on WikiLeaks. A bewildered Trump asks repeatedly how these disclosures are not dominating the news cycle. In another presidential election, they just might be. Tucked into the thousands of mundane exchanges that Russian hackers allegedly extracted from John Podestas inbox are some revelations embarrassing to the Clinton campaign. Advertisement But Trump has seen to it that they are never dwelt on for long. As with so many other issues that have emerged in this race including those where Trump would probably benefit from voters focusing on them the WikiLeaks disclosures are getting eclipsed by Trump himself. Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Sign up for the newsletter | The race to 270 Who knows what valid issues might in fact be being actually discussed right now if we didnt have a volatile, churning Category 5 media hurricane stalled over the entire country? Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher said of Trump in an email. Even when Trump manages to pause and shine the spotlight on WikiLeaks, he often weakens his argument. The emails often dont prove what Trump says they do: that the Clinton campaign hates Catholics, that Clinton allies were preparing an Islamophobic smear campaign against President Obama, that Clinton openly colluded with the Justice Department during its investigation of her private email server. But they undermine Clinton in other ways, such as showing the inner workings of a campaign so cautious that several top advisors weigh in before it settles on the joke the candidate will tell at a dinner. The emails also revealed something Clinton had tried to keep under wraps: transcripts of remarks during highly paid engagements at major investment banks, where her chummy tone didnt always mesh with the tougher line on Wall Street shes taken during the election. Some of the exchanges released by WikiLeaks support, to an extent, Trumps interpretations, such as one email he tweeted about Monday: Crooked Hillary Clinton even got the questions to a debate, and nobody says a word, Trump wrote. Can you imagine if I got the questions? Trump was referring to an exchange between the Clinton campaign and Donna Brazile, now the chairwoman of the Democratic Party, in which Brazile appears to be giving Clinton a heads up of the wording of a question in a coming debate with Democratic primary rival Bernie Sanders. Although Brazile denies she ever had any such question in her possession, the hacked email left a different impression. The Clinton campaign is refusing to confirm the authenticity of anything WikiLeaks has posted. Even the voluminous insider gossip that emerged out of WikiLeaks might have been used by a more disciplined campaign to cast fresh doubt in the minds of the legions of swing voters who find Clinton unseemly. There is the longtime confidant of Bill Clinton complaining of Chelsea Clinton acting like a spoiled brat kid. Hillary Clintons former policy director calls one of the campaigns wealthy donors, Lynn Forester de Rothschild, the crazy Lade de Rothschild person. And Podesta refers to one of Clintons most trusted advisors, Sidney Blumenthal, as lost in his own web of conspiracies. Bill Richardson and Federico Pena, both of whom served in Bill Clintons Cabinet, are the focus of a Podesta email to Hillary Clinton with the subject line Needy Latinos. Much more may come. Fewer than a quarter of the 50,000 Podesta emails WikiLeaks says it has have been released. Some inside the Clinton orbit who have been copied on messages that went through Podestas inbox are bracing for more cringe-worthy, and possibly damning, disclosures before election day. Although leaked memos and whispered secrets have long been a staple of American politics, no candidate has ever faced anything on the scale or scope of what Clinton confronts with WikiLeaks, said Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University historian. This is a new era of campaigning, he said. Its a scorched-earth type of leak. Although Zelizer says he doubts the leaks will affect the outcome of this campaign, he predicts they will change how future campaigns are run. It will probably cause more people to not put things in writing and be doubly cautious because theyre always going to be thinking of this, he said. Its unclear how another Republican candidate would handle the situation. Some party strategists were reluctant to discuss the leaks because they dont want to encourage foreign meddling in an American election. Soon after the Obama administration accused Russia of hacking into Democratic National Committee emails, Podestas emails were published. And they saw irony in Trumps inability to leverage the WikiLeaks disclosures for more political gain. The outlet, they say, may not have bothered to acquire and release the messages were Trump not the nominee. Russian operatives and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange might have been less motivated to help candidates like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who are arguably even more hostile adversaries to them than Clinton. But Trump is different. He is an admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Former top Trump advisor Roger Stone, who now runs a pro-Trump super PAC, boasted of back-channel conversations with Assange. Its not a media conspiracy but Trumps lack of discipline that has made his WikiLeaks attacks unsuccessful, said Tim Miller, who advised Jeb Bush in his presidential run. WikiLeaks would be one thing in a list of issues that Trump is failing to prosecute because he creates a news cycle by calling beauty queens fat, Miller said. Trump is also busy disparaging the women who accuse him of groping them, feuding with the Republican speaker of the House and alleging the election is about to be stolen from him. Clintons advisors have, meanwhile, capably made the case that the disclosures reflect more poorly on Trump than Clinton. Highly credentialed national security experts have emerged to warn the disclosures show Trump is being manipulated by the Russians. Among them is Michael Morrell, a CIA veteran who served in high-ranking positions under Presidents George W. Bush and Obama. I cant remember a single time in American history where the American government has accused another government of trying to interfere in our elections, Morrell said Friday on a conference call organized by the Clinton campaign. This is really unprecedented. As a national security person, it shakes me to my core. Twitter: @evanhalper, @chrismegerian Trump claims without evidence that the election is rigged, but officials say thats not how voting works Ohio is crucial to win the White House. But there are few signs Trump is trying to get out the vote Hillary Clinton keeps fishing for big money while lagging behind with smaller donors They are the kinds of allegations that, even though weve never heard them before in a modern presidential campaign, have become almost par for the course with election day now just three weeks away. Allegations by a major party candidate that a broad, systemic rigging of the election is now underway. Good morning from the state capital. Im Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers, and we begin with the continuing assertions by Donald Trump that theres not going to be an honest and fair election on Nov. 8. Advertisement Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day, Trump tweeted Monday. Though his previous audacious remarks have been challenged by politicians, this time the Republican presidential nominee was under fire from election officials many of them, members of GOP administrations in battleground states. Even California election officials with whom Ive spoken in previous races admit there can be problems, but say that these are due to mistakes and not malice. Perhaps the best line refuting Trumps tweets on election rigging came from Lynn Bartels, a spokesperson for Colorados secretary of state. I can say on Twitter Im a supermodel, but that doesnt make it so, she said. ASK AN ELECTIONS OFFICIAL ABOUT VOTING PROBLEMS As the Trump allegations continued to make news Monday, the top election official in Los Angeles County logged on to Reddit and answered most every question about voter problems. That included fears of voter intimidation, perhaps sparked by talk from Trump and his supporters of closely watching polling places and voters on election day. We, of course, encourage people to observe all elements of the process, wrote Dean Logan, registrar of voters in Los Angeles County. But any disruption of voters or intimidation of voters is unacceptable. MELANIA TRUMP SITS DOWN FOR TV INTERVIEWS One person who has pretty much been politically invisible since the summer is Melania Trump, the GOP nominees wife. She broke that silence on Monday, defending her husband and calling out Democrats for planting the stories about alleged sexual wrongdoing. Her interviews on Fox News Channel and CNN had a common theme: Clintons campaign and the media are working together to defeat her husband. And she said shes told him to lay off the tweets. But thats his decision, Trump said. Hes an adult. He knows the consequences. NO OXYGEN LEFT FOR THE CLINTON E-MAIL QUESTIONS? In most any other campaign, the drip-drip-drip of news about emails related to the official duties of Hillary Clinton as secretary of State and her campaign would be a huge problem for a presidential candidate this close to an election. But as the messages trickle out, its been more of a headache than any serious wound for Clintons White House hopes. Evan Halper and Chris Megerian take a look at how not only the evidence doesnt always add up to accusations, but how Trumps own problems undermine his attempt to focus attention on the emails. Still, the questions keep coming. On Monday, there were some that seemed beyond the normal rough and tumble of politics. Documents released by the FBI as part of the investigation into Clintons email server included allegations of a quid pro quo situation that a high-ranking State Department official allegedly sought to pressure the bureau into changing the classification of an email related to the Benghazi attack, in exchange for agreeing to help place more FBI agents in places like Iraq, where they are restricted. L.A. ISNT MANHATTAN: TRUMPS TOUGH LUCK IN CALIFORNIA No part of the Trump mystique is bigger than the idea that he has a Midas touch in making big development deals. But in Southern California, his record is peppered with bold ideas that never came to pass. Matt Pearce takes a detailed look at the Republican nominees long interest in California, from ambitious dreams for the site of the former Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles to his professed admiration for the life of Hollywood movie moguls. PUTTING POLITICS ASIDE AFTER CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS ATTACK At least one thing that everyone seemed to agree on Monday was the need to condemn the firebombing of a North Carolina GOP campaign office over the weekend. Democrats raised $13,000 to help rebuild the facility. We do not resort to violence by individuals or by mobs, said the statement on the Democrats GoFundMe page. So, lets all pitch in, no matter what your party affiliation, and get that office open again quickly. A STEADY STREAM OF DEMOCRATS TO ARIZONA Only Bill Clintons 1996 presidential campaign succeeded in breaking the GOP lock on Arizona in modern times. But might that change next month? Michelle Obama heads to the Grand Canyon State on Thursday to campaign for Hillary Clinton, with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Chelsea Clinton showing up on Wednesday. As Michael A. Memoli reports, its only one of the big steps Democrats are taking to expand the presidential playing field in these final weeks of the campaign. Get the latest from the campaign trail on Trail Guide and follow @latimespolitics. Check our daily USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times tracking poll at the top of the politics page. PROPOSITION 64: POT BEHIND THE WHEEL Polling has shown wide support for the effort to legalize marijuana use for adults, Proposition 64. Still, there are questions for which voters need answers. And one of them may be the potential effects on Californias roads and highways. Patrick McGreevy takes a look at criticisms from some in law enforcement that the ballot measure may exacerbate a problem in the state: A lack of a legal standard for what level of the chemical THC is unacceptable in the bloodstream of a driver. We should get all the experts in a room before we ever enact the law and say, This is what the standards should be, said Doug Villars, president of the California Assn. of Highway Patrolmen. A reminder that you can read The Times ballot box guide to Californias 17 propositions. Learn our editorial boards positions on each measure, and get in-depth coverage on everything from school bonds to condoms. CALLING KAMALA HARRIS A BAY AREA LIBERAL An Orange County super PAC backing Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez for U.S. Senate launched a radio ad on Monday attacking her rival, Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, as another Barbara Boxer, a Bay Area liberal backed by the Democratic Party establishment. Phil Willon reports that the ad tries to convince Republicans to vote for Sanchez, calling her an anti-establishment moderate. The PACs financial backers include former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, a Republican who has endorsed Sanchez. Meantime, Willon also reports that the latest batch of campaign finance reports from three super PACs dabbling in the race arent exactly setting the world on fire. One right-leaning PAC that backs Sanchez, for instance, has raised just $26,000 in this two-year-election cycle. WHATS IN YOUR MAILBOX? Have you received a barrage of campaign mailers this election season? Are you bombarded with information about local races and propositions? We want to hear from you. Send images of campaign mailers and door-hangers, audio recordings of robo-calls or links to web ads to politics@latimes.com. Include your name, city, state and age, and tell us about the material youre sharing. Your submissions may be featured on our site. TODAYS ESSENTIALS Harris is doing pretty well financially, according to a report about her 2015 tax return. The Senate candidate and her attorney husband earned $1.17 million in 2015. Sanchez has yet to release her tax return. Billy Bush is officially out at NBC in the wake of the Trump tape scandal. The $15-million facelift of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library is complete, as the Yorba Linda museum reopened with a special tour for some of Nixons family and other political VIPs. It was my wifes idea more than a decade ago: Throw a cocktail proposition party where her political journalist husband could explain the ballot propositions to friends and neighbors. See how our weekend soiree for the Nov. 8 election went this past weekend. Its back, and its going to be spectacular! Join me, Christina Bellantoni and Seema Mehta at another Los Angeles Times Debate Watch Party, Wednesday night at the Ace Hotel. RSVP here. Who will win the November election? Give our Electoral College map a spin. LOGISTICS Miss yesterdays newsletter? Here you go. Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox daily. And keep an eye on our politics page throughout the day for the latest and greatest. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics and @LATpoliticsCA? Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com. How can elementary schools save nearly $50 per student? By bringing in dental professionals to put sealants on their molars, federal health officials said Tuesday. If that doesnt sound like an education-related problem, consider this: Cavities that go untreated cause kids to do worse in school. For the record: A previous version of this story said the first molars are next to the canine teeth. That is the location of primary first molars. Permanent first molars are next to the primary second molars. A study in the American Journal of Public Health found that students whose oral health was rated good, fair or poor were about three times more likely to miss school because of dental pain compared with kids with very good or excellent oral health. Whats more, kids who stayed home with toothaches were nearly twice as likely as their peers to earn mostly Cs, Ds and Fs in school. Advertisement Cavities are a risk for all kids, regardless of income level. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called cavities one of the most common chronic conditions among kids in this country. Molars are particularly vulnerable; these teeth do most of the chewing and are the most difficult to reach and clean. Indeed, nearly 90% of cavities are found on molars, experts say. Sealants can reduce the risk of cavities by 81% over two years and keep fighting cavities for up to nine years, according to the Community Preventive Services Task Force, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These plastic coatings cover the pits on top of molars, creating a barrier between the tooth and the bacteria that cause tooth decay. You can think of sealants as a vaccine for teeth, Frieden explained. Its a way of preventing cavities, he said. But the majority of school-age kids in the U.S. dont get them, according to the CDC Vital Signs report released Tuesday. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey show that only 39% of low-income children have them, along with 48% of higher-income kids. More sealants mean fewer fillings. The NHANES data show that among higher-income children who have at least one sealant, the average number of permanent first molars (the ones next to the primary second molars) with a cavity or a filling is 0.19. For higher-income children without sealants, that figure is 0.52. Among low-income kids, the average number of first molars with a cavity or filling is 0.29 for those with at least one sealant, and 0.82 for those without any sealants. If all low-income children ages 7 to 11 got sealants on all their first molars, each of those kids would have 0.52 fewer cavities on average. Despite this, low-income kids arent likely to get sealants at a dentists office. Thats why states should expand programs to make sure students in need can get them at school, the Vital Signs report said. Each sealant given to a low-income student saves $11.70 in dental costs over four years. That means school-based sealant programs pay for themselves within two years, according to the report. Nationwide, if all 6.5 million low-income kids who dont have sealants were to get them, schools would prevent about 3.4 million cavities, the report authors estimate. It would also save nearly $300 million in dental treatment costs, Frieden said. Before coming to the CDC, Frieden served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In that role, he expanded school-based sealant programs in the nations largest city. They work, he said. But the Vital Signs report acknowledged that few schools offer these programs. Cost is a major reason, even though state Medicaid programs can help cover the costs of treating students who qualify for free or reduced meals. States could save money by allowing dental hygienists or therapists to handle the work instead of requiring a dentist to do it, the authors wrote. The bottom line is that a simple coating painted on the back teeth can keep children from getting most cavities, Frieden said. karen.kaplan@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook. MORE IN SCIENCE By adding an antibody to HIV treatment, researchers send virus into sustained remission in monkeys How to counter people with extreme views: Try agreeing with them As UC Irvine celebrates its 50th anniversary, its logging a record number of applications from freshman and transfer students. Applications for fall 2016 admittance grew 10% to 97,759 from 88,792 in 2015. UCIs double-digit percent increase is part of a record year for the University of California system, which received 206,000 applicants for at least one of the nine undergraduate UC campuses. The UC experienced a 5.8% increase from fall 2015s 194,000 applications. Though UCI is decades younger than some of its counterparts, it landed in the fourth spot behind UCLA (119,326 applications), UC Berkeley (101,655) and UC San Diego (102,692). UCI will register 650 more students than in previous years as part of the systems agreement with the state to enroll an additional 5,000 California-resident students for the upcoming fall semester, according to a news release. This victory has been a long time coming for Surf Citys new queen. Before being crowned the new Miss Huntington Beach on Saturday and winning a $3,000 scholarship, Jena Farris competed in the annual competition three times. In 2013 and 14, she earned first runner-up but she did not place last year. I didnt become discouraged, the 20-year-old said Monday. It really made Saturday nights victory that much greater. Farris, who competed against seven other young women Saturday at the Huntington Beach Central Library, said she was first encouraged to enter the contest in 2013 by her Marina High School math teacher, Jill Hardy, who also is a city councilwoman. I knew she cared about our community and wanted to participate in it more, Hardy said. When a student expresses an interest, I encourage them to pursue it. Im just super proud of her and so excited that she stayed with the program and didnt get discouraged. The contestants were scored on interviews about their educational plans and community service and on their poise, confidence and projection to judges and the audience, officials said. As the new queen, Farris will represent the city at more than 60 community events over the next year, a challenge she said she is up to. Being a Huntington Beach Princess those first two years helped prepare her for her new role, she said. I really turned from a teenager to an adult in that time, and I really attribute that to being out in the community, said Farris, who studies sociology at Golden West College in Huntington Beach and wants to become a social worker. The city has personally shaped me into the woman that I am today, and I wanted the opportunity to serve my community more. Farris said she is particularly proud of her efforts with the American Cancer Societys Relay for Life event in Huntington Beach the past seven years. After participating on various teams during the annual fundraising walk, Farris formed her own team, Crowns for the Cure, last year. The group had about 30 members and raised about $1,800. Her biggest goal as Miss Huntington Beach, she said, is to help the Relay for Life grow. I really want to bring more community involvement toward that, she said. Former City Clerk Joan Flynn, a judge at the pageant, said Farris deserves her new distinction. Jena stood out as a mature, gracious, poised and well-spoken young woman whose love for her city came across very clearly, Flynn said. She is tenacious and a testament to believing in oneself and not giving up on your dreams. brittany.woolsey@latimes.com Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey On Nov. 3, the Costa Mesa City Council will begin hearing solutions for a problem that has been plaguing our city for decades: slum motels. Before the council is the long-overdue proposal to tear down the outdated, 236-room Costa Mesa Motor Inn and replace it with 224 desirable apartment units. Over the years, the inn has too often been the safe haven for those who prey on others. We can change this dynamic. ------------ Clarification: This piece has been updated to clarify the authorship. ------------ Sadly, some are opposing these efforts by attempting to bully the property owners into abandoning their $50-million investment by requiring low-income housing that would remove the incentive to make this needed change. Some background facts are important. In the old days, motels like the Motor Inn served a purpose. They were a place for those looking for a quick stay on a trip to the beach in the days before smartphones and Hotels.com made booking a hotel room a two-minute process. As hotels evolved, the Motor Inn stagnated. It quickly became a haven for too many who were associated with criminal activities like drug dealing, prostitution and vagrancy. With that change in character came dramatic increases in local crime. In 2012, the Motor Inn had a whopping 562 police calls. Thats more than one call every day of the year. In 2013 the Motor Inn was fined $40,000 for 490 health and safety code violations. You are reading that correctly: 562 police calls and 490 code violations. The Motor Inn has become a blight that places its long-term tenants at great risk, drains police, fire and medical resources and drags down Harbor Boulevard. What is more shocking is that few of its long-term tenants are Costa Mesa residents. According to the owner, only 17% of the current long-term tenants are Costa Mesans. The vast majority are from other cities. We are importing so many problems into our city with these motels. The problems with slum motels are well documented and impact vibrant shopping centers like Harbor Center and K-Mart Plaza, both of which have experienced dramatic increases in vagrancy and shoplifting. Crime is largely connected to whom you attract to your city, and slum motels like the Motor Inn are significant contributors to our crime rate. Fortunately, there is a solution. The owner of the Motor Inn is voluntarily seeking to get out of the slum-motel business. The owner agrees with a majority of nearby residents and businesses, that the motel is obsolete. There is a plan to convert the motel to rental housing and significantly upgrade the quality of life and safety for the current long-term tenants of the Motor Inn, businesses and patrons on Harbor Boulevard and all Costa Mesans. As part of that conversion, current long-term tenants who continue renting until the motel closes will receive up to $5,000 in rent reimbursement, which they can use for relocation purposes to end their cycle of motel living. A solution that costs the taxpayer nothing and benefits every resident while at the same time being compassionate to those who call the motel home is a win for everyone. The plan is universally supported by local residents and businesses who are yearning for change. Sadly, the Motor Inns voluntary plan is under attack from the fair housing advocates who decry the loss of affordable housing. They claim, without offering any proof, that by shutting down the Motor Inn, families will be left on the streets. The fair-housing folks honestly believe that children should be housed in such deplorable conditions. This is a completely unacceptable and shameful position. Slum motels are not affordable housing. Motels are businesses. They are not identified in the citys current Housing Element as housing and do not count toward meeting our affordable housing requirements. Most important, the Motor Inn is not affordable. According to the owner, the cracker-box, 300-square-foot room rents for up to $1,350 a month. Thats $4.45 a square foot per room, much higher than any other rental. Theres nothing affordable about the Motor Inn. Its disingenuous to claim thats affordable housing. The numbers say otherwise. It deeply saddens us to think that any child should live in such conditions. As a city, we should not condone this and the fair-housing advocates should be the most vocal in decrying this property and demanding change. We encourage residents to obtain the facts about the Motor Inn conversion plan and support our efforts to improve the quality of life for Costa Mesa residents and businesses. The Motor Inn is an outdated relic of older times that has become a nuisance. It is time for a change for the better. We encourage you to contact the City Council and voice your support and show up to City Council on Nov. 3. This piece was written and submitted by Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner COLIN MCCARTHY on behalf of commissioners ROBERT DICKSON, JEFFREY MATHEWS, TIMOTHY SESLER, STEPHAN ANDRANIAN and COLIN MCCARTHY. A group of 14 children who have been living in a squalid refugee camp in France was brought to Britain on Monday, the first in a likely wave of minors expected to arrive here before French authorities demolish an encampment that became known as the Jungle. Campaigners have lobbied the government to accommodate young refugees who have a legal right to resettle in Britain. Until now, though, the majority of their cases have been marred by lengthy bureaucratic delays. Against that backdrop, the arrival Monday was hailed as a victory by aid groups that had warned that the young migrants were at risk of being trafficked, or simply going missing if swift action wasnt taken. Advertisement I think weve got the beginnings of some sort of response to what is still a hugely troubling and very, very urgent situation, said Rowan Williams, the former archbishop of Canterbury who has been helping with efforts to bring the children to Britain. We can offer secure environments for these children. We can offer a place of safety, a place of security for deeply traumatized and deeply needy people and I think thats just a basic moral imperative for us to step up to. A youth arrives on a bus after leaving the refugee camp in France. (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images ) The Home Office, which oversees immigration in England, said those who arrived Monday were 14- to 17-years-old. They are believed to all be boys from war-torn countries including Afghanistan and Syria who wound up in the Calais camp without a parent or caregiver. The teenagers left France in a minibus Monday morning and were first brought to an immigration center in Croydon, south of London, where they had to register with the UK government. One 14-year-old boy from Afghanistan was greeted by an older brother who had fled to Britain 11 years ago and now works as a chef. Asif Khan, 25, said his younger siblings journey had been hell and had involved walking and traveling by bus to Calais where he had been unable to go any farther. It was a blessing to receive him from there, Khan told the Press Assn. Im really happy. There are an estimated 10,000 people living in the Calais camp, which is close to the ferry terminal and Channel Tunnel that links France and Britain. The inhabitants come from a variety of countries including Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq and Syria, according to aid groups. A young migrant glances at his cellphone while overlooking the the Jungle. (Denise Charlet / Getty Images ) Many of those living in the camp say they their goal is to reach Britain. The exodus, though, has caused problems for border authorities with migrants often risking their lives trying to sneak onto buses. French officials have made repeated attempts to close the camp and move those living there into more organized reception centers elsewhere in the country. But an attempt to raze the camp in March was only partially successful. It also resulted in the disappearance of 129 children. We dont know if they were trafficked, some might have run away or made it to the UK. Its hard to know. But those were kids who were being, in some sort of way, looked after by the voluntary sector and now we have no idea where they are, said Olivia Field, advocacy officer at the British Red Cross. During a visit to the Jungle in September, French President Francois Hollande said the camp would be demolished definitively, entirely and rapidly by the end of the year, raising fears that children would again go missing. It is estimated that there are about 1,000 unaccompanied minors living in the Calais camp, and a recent count found that 178 of them have family in Britain, the British Red Cross said. Under a law called the Dublin Regulation, children with close relatives in Britain can seek asylum there, even if they have sought asylum elsewhere. But in the majority of instances, the cases dragged on for so long that some of the young people attempted the risky journey to Britain alone. In September, a 14-year-old Afghan boy was killed as he tried to climb onto the roof of a truck heading to the port terminal. Authorities said he had a brother in Britain, and therefore a legal right to join him, but became too frustrated to wait. In May, Lord Alf Dubs led an effort to get the British government to agree to take in some unaccompanied child refugees, even if they did not have relatives in the country. However, no children have yet been admitted into Britain under this so-called Dubs Amendment to the Immigration Act, something he hoped the government would soon remedy. No child must be left behind in the chaos of demolition, said Dubs, who came to Britain from Czechoslovakia in 1939 on one of the Kindertransport trains that saved Jewish children from Nazi Germany. Looking ahead we must never allow a repeat of Calais. Two Iranian Americans, a father and son, have been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran, according to a report published Tuesday by Mizan, the Iranian judiciarys news service. Businessman Siamak Namazi and his father, Baquer Namazi, who both hold dual citizenship, have been in custody in Iran and were sentenced on charges of spying for the United States, the report said. Siamak Namazi was arrested 12 months ago while visiting Iran from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where he lives. His detention signaled the enduring danger for dual nationals in Iran despite recent improved ties between the Islamic Republic and the West. Baquer Namazi, an 80-year-old retired official with the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), was arrested in February in Tehran, according to family members. U.S. journalist Jason Rezaian waves to the media after arriving in Landstuhl, Germany, following his release from an Iranian prison on Jan. 20, 2016. (Michael Probst / Associated Press) (Test) They are believed to be among the only U.S. citizens still jailed in Iran following a prisoner exchange in January that saw three Americans released, including Washington Post journalist and dual Iranian national Jason Rezaian. The swap was seen as a sign of warming relations between Iran and Western countries following the 2014 agreement in which Tehran agreed to shelve its nuclear program in exchange for an easing of economic sanctions. President Hassan Rouhanis government had called on dual nationals to return to Iran to help spur foreign investment. But hard-liners view dual nationals particularly those from Western countries as a threat to security. Siamak was more active than Jason Rezaian in recruiting spies for America and inserting cultural, military and political spies inside the country, Javad Karimi Qudossi, a member of the security and foreign policy committee in Irans parliament, was quoted as saying by Mizan. Babak Namazi, Siamaks brother, issued a statement expressing utter shock and dismay at the sentences, particularly that of Baquer Namazi, who suffers from a heart ailment. My father has been handed practically a death sentence and it will be a criminal act by me, his only able son, not to fight for my fathers life and freedom as well as that of my brother, he said. https://twitter.com/ksadjadpour/status/788386310431977473 The court proceedings were shrouded in secrecy, and details of the allegations against them have not been released. Family members said they were sentenced after brief hearings of only a few hours each. They were not allowed to hire their own defense lawyer due to a law that allows only government-approved lawyers to represent defendants in security-related cases. Attorney Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabei, who frequently represents controversial defendants, said the Namazis attempted to hire him to represent them but were told they could not choose their own lawyer. A State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said the United States was deeply concerned by the reports and called on Iran to release the Namazis. Siamak Namazi, believed to be in his 40s, is head of strategic planning for U.A.E.-based Crescent Petroleum Co. He is also friends with members of the National Iranian American Council, a Washington-based group that has advocated for better ties between the U.S. and Iran. Read more: Why Iranians are disappointed by the nuclear deal On Monday, Mizan released brief video footage showing him and his U.S. passport, along with a montage of anti-American images. Baquer Namazi, a retired UNICEF representative in Somalia, Kenya, Egypt and other countries, and a former Iranian provincial governor, was described by a former U.N. colleague as having a deep personal commitment to making life better for children and women. Analysts believe the pair are prisoners of Irans powerful Revolutionary Guards, which could be seeking concessions from the U.S. to secure their release. This is a reminder that Irans deep state remains in control and hasnt changed its old ways, said Karim Sadjadpour, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. Its still in the business of hostage trading. Even 80-year-old men with heart conditions are fair game. Special correspondent Mostaghim reported from Tehran and staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India. shashank.bengali@latimes.com Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia ALSO: Iran, one of the world's top executioners, moves closer to relaxing the death penalty for drug crimes Many in China see the U.S. as a greater threat than Islamic State, new report says A 'decisive battle': Determination energizes Iraqi forces in fight to retake Mosul from Islamic State UPDATES: 5:35 p.m.: This article was updated to clarify the nature of Namazis links to the National Iranian American Council. This article was originally published at 1:15 p.m. First in a series of occasional articles. CAIRO -- It was a boyhood of miniskirts and stern-faced imams. As Ahmed abu Haiba grew into a man, he felt a kinship with the clerics who recited the Koran in badly lighted television studios, but he feared they didnt stand a chance against the new Western temptations of pop divas pouting about carnal pleasures and broken hearts. The screen beyond Abu Haibas clicker was changing; the iconic images that defined Islam were being challenged in the 1990s from the Internet and Hollywood fantasy absorbed by tens of millions of satellite dishes humming on rooftops across the Middle East. It was an alluring cacophony that Abu Haiba, a playwright and TV producer, warned would tug the Arab world further from its culture. Advertisement The Islamic media was so poor, so traditional, he said. It wasnt television. It was televised radio, a man in front of a camera speaking for hours and hours about obscure religious texts with no appeal. . . . Words with nothing connected to life. Abu Haiba rejected the Wests secular message, but he sought the power of its style and marketing. His creation, the latest in the struggle of faith, globalization and identity between East and West, is a music video channel that features Muslim piety through a slickly produced prism of Arabic rhythms to counter the thug pathos on MTV. I want a new Islamic media, said Abu Haiba, a 39-year-old father of three. My point is not to condemn the West, but to build my culture with its own seeds, its own matrix. . . . I am more worried about Western culture than politics. It affects our thinking and ideals. Its a major danger were facing on our beliefs, role models, habits. If I lose my culture, I become a stranger in my own country. It is difficult to escape the Wests imprint on Muslim society: Plastic surgeons are re-creating pop stars in Lebanon; independent women are appearing in Tunisian and Moroccan films; blogs are chiding political regimes from Cairo to Amman; Facebook and text messaging are circumventing religion-based dating rules; and in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, unveiled blond women peddle shampoo in commercials. The Sept. 11 attacks and the Iraq war hardened the lines between Washington and the Arab world, accentuating what many scholars and diplomats say is a clash of civilizations. Muslims rallied against the U.S. invasion of Iraq; terrorism flared across the Middle East and into Europe. But something else was happening. Despite President Bushs rhetoric against Islamic militants and Osama bin Ladens screeds on infidels, Western culture was flourishing from Mecca to Tripoli. A cultural schizophrenia A crude, yet telling, sign of this was glimpsed in an Internet cafe in northern Iraq days before U.S. cruise missiles would strike Baghdad in 2003. An bearded militant visited two websites during his 30 minutes of surfing -- one sponsored by the terrorist group Ansar al Islam, the other featuring English-language porn. The anecdote is an extreme illustration of the cultural schizophrenia Muslims in the Middle East say they face, caught on an uneasy plane between fundamentalist preachers and Western-inspired seductions. Its the search for an Arab identity, but we dont have an identity, said Emile Slailaty, who directs music videos and commercials in Beirut. They want to be free and Westernized, but at the same time they want to be conservative. Look at what theyre doing with the hijab. Theyre tying it different ways and doing more things with it to make it more sexy, fashionable. This is so trendy; young ladies can have lots of color but still be wearing a veil. It is this in-between cultural landscape that Abu Haiba and other moderate Islamists want to seize from the provocative imagery and iconography of the West. The Arab world has been absorbing and rejecting the West for centuries, since the Crusades and later when Napoleons armies marched across the desert with books on the Enlightenment. Whats troubling Islamists today, however, is the ubiquitous and consuming nature of Western culture; its capitalism and liberalism are at once dizzying and alarming, especially in the Middle East, where much of the population is poor and angry about its leaders inability to improve their lives. Muslim clerics worry that exposure to such unattainable materialism will weaken religious devotion, from the village prayer room to the city mosque. Their concern marks the crucial, antagonistic divide between a secular West that separates religion and state and a Muslim East where conservatives and many moderates adhere to Sharia law -- the strict belief that religion, government and society are indivisible. America targets only your religion, it takes your religion away, it will take everything away from you, radical Sheik Fawzi Said told worshipers in Cairo. The devil knows that and it is the devil that drives the Americans. Reclaiming religion Meanwhile, Arab media moguls are reminiscent of cultural magpies, borrowing from the West to create sophisticated, hybrid television programs, such as reality shows and spinoffs of Friends, to appeal to Muslim sensibilities. The result is Saudi rappers and an outspoken Egyptian sex therapist who wears a veil and speaks as knowledgeably about orgasms as she does about the prophet Muhammad. Abu Haiba is distilling his own voice amid the clatter. He epitomizes the progressive Islamist. Urbane, lightly bearded and English-speaking, he talks of the complexities of infusing art with religion. He is careful to show plurality -- he happily mentions that he has a Jewish friend -- but is insistent that Islam should permeate all aspects of life. During a recent interview, he excused himself briefly to answer the sunset call to prayer. Like other Egyptians raised in the 1970s, Abu Haiba grew up amid the trappings of the West. Miniskirts were common in Cairo and hijabs were many fewer than today; the children of the rich were often schooled in Europe and the U.S. But by the 1980s, a pan-Islamic revival replaced decades of failed Arab nationalism. The fervor spread to the young professionals, who, missing a religious core themselves, guided their children toward the Koran. The scene at the nursery school is the embodiment of todays Egypt, said Abu Haiba, who has three daughters. The blond, unveiled mother arrives in high heels. The little girls look to their mothers who look so Western, yet the mothers want their daughters to wear the veil and pray. Mother and father want a religious life for their kids even though they were raised without it. The intent of his production company, Light of the East, which has raised $4 million from investors, is to popularize Islam for a younger generation. The music video channel is expected to launch in June. Egyptian authorities closely monitor such ventures by Islamists and Abu Haiba has kept an air of secrecy around the project. He wouldnt give the names of his investors. Sitting at his desk the other day, Abu Haiba played a promo for the channel on a large flat-screen TV. It cited ratings and demographics: In Egypt, 15- to 24-year-olds make up 50% to 64% of viewers tuning in to nearly 70 music channels. That group makes up 0% of the religious programming market. Thats a disturbing statistic for Abu Haiba, a mechanical engineer whose religious evolution mirrors that of many professionals of his generation. During his undergraduate years at Cairo University, Abu Haiba, who has been writing poems and plays since he was 13, founded a theater troupe. At the same time, he explored different strands of Islam, including extremism, before settling on the political and spiritual fusion espoused by the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood party, which has wide support among the middle and educated classes. Abu Haibas connection to the Muslim Brotherhood, which won 20% of seats in parliament in 2005 and since has seen hundreds of its members jailed, earned him a file with the state security services. He says the dossier is full of fairy tales but that in his artistic work, except for an occasional battle with censors, he has not been harassed. His new play, The Code, a meditation on Western influence in his nation, brought closer scrutiny. The play tells the story of the invasion of Egypt by a fictional nation strongly resembling the U.S. The conquered are controlled by robots and reclaim their freedom and cultural heritage only when they turn to God. The religious subtext is subtle, but persuasive. The villainous superpower craves Egypts sand -- not gulf oil -- to manufacture silicon for its technological empire. The defeated people are powerless, becoming scared, yet seduced by the invader. The point of the play, said Abu Haiba, is to ask the question: What happened to us? We were such a great nation. We lost our souls. The America he portrays in The Code was borrowed from years earlier when he put a Muslim spin on one of Hollywoods most watched and globally successful sitcoms. In 1998, Abu Haiba was a marketing manager for Suzuki in Cairo when a colleague introduced him to a group of Saudi investors looking for a manager for a new media production company, Light of the East. Abu Haiba produced a series called Boys and Girls, a chaste, Arabic version of Friends. A new approach The show wasnt a hit, and Abu Haiba teamed up with friend Amr Khaled, a former accountant turned moderate Islamist preacher who was captivating young professionals, especially women who were seeking a less patriarchal interpretation of the Koran. In 1999, Abu Haiba and Khaled collaborated on Words From the Heart, a mainstream evangelical series that featured uplifting music and spiritual pep-talks from the likes of Soheir Babli, a renowned Egyptian actress who has donned a veil and dedicated her life to Islam. Abu Haibas Saudi investors werent happy. There were no bearded clerics, no fundamentalist fervor. Thats exactly what Abu Haiba wanted -- spontaneity instead of august recitations of holy texts. But other networks werent interested, either. The show seemed unclassifiable, a moderate Islamic message presented in an Oprah-style format. With no distributor, Abu Haiba passed tapes of the shows to street vendors. He sold 13,000 copies, and that quickly grew into tens of thousands more. The satellite channel Dream TV offered Abu Haiba and Khaled air time for the four original shows and 11 new episodes. People suddenly started talking about this new trend, of how to plant the root of Islam in life, he said. Abu Haiba is hoping for similar success with his music video channel, and sees an opportunity to loosen the grip of the West. In the promo for the channel, the narrator proclaims, We must exert all effort to defend whats precious to us. . . . We cant turn a blind eye to this ghost who sneaks into our houses. jeffrey.fleishman@latimes.com Mosul is full of trapped, terrified civilians but as Iraqi forces and their allies move to wrest the northern city from the militants of Islamic State, one group finds itself in particularly desperate peril. Scores, perhaps even hundreds, of Yazidi women and girls enslaved by Islamic State more than two years ago are thought to remain captive in Iraqs second-largest city as the U.S.-backed offensive gets underway in earnest. Activists fear for the lives of these women and their children, even amid hopes that the extremist groups grip on the city may be broken at last. After the horrors they have already endured, its hard to believe they may suffer even more, said Khaleel Aldakhi, an Iraqi lawyer and activist who works to help spirit captured Yazidis to safety. Advertisement Thousands of Yazidi women and children were seized and men and boys killed when their traditional heartland near Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq was overrun by Islamic State in August 2014. By a U.N. estimate earlier this year, 3,200 women and children are still caught in the maw of a vast slave-holding network extending across the groups self-declared but now-shrinking caliphate, encompassing parts of Syria and Iraq. 1 / 62 A firefighter works to extinguish an oil well set ablaze by fleeing Islamic State fighters in Qayyarah, Iraq, on Nov. 9. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images) 2 / 62 A peshmerga fighter peers through curtains as he and other Kurdish soldiers move into a new house in Bashiqa, Iraq, on Nov. 9. (Odd Andersen / AFP/Getty Images) 3 / 62 A peshmerga fighter looks for militants as he and his team move between buildings in Bashiqa. (Odd Andersen / AFP/Getty Images) 4 / 62 Iraqi forces react as they watch Donald Trump give a speech after winning the U.S. presidential election. They were taking a rest in the village of Arbid on the southern outskirts of Mosul on Nov. 9 during the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 5 / 62 Iraqi police try to pull a body from a mass grave they discovered in the Hamam Alil area on Nov. 7 after they recaptured the area from Islamic State. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 6 / 62 Kurdish peshmerga soldiers fire artillery at Islamic State positions in Bashiqa, Iraq, on Nov. 7. (Felipe Dana / Associated Press) 7 / 62 Iraqi forces patrol the Gogjali district of Mosul a day after it was liberated from Islamic State. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 62 Families flee Gogjali after the area was liberated. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 62 A girl waves a white flag as she and her family leave Gogjali. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 62 Iraqi special forces continue to clear homes in Gogjali on Nov. 2, 2016, after the area was liberated. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 62 Iraqi special forces Lt. Col Ali Hussein Fadil and his men continue to clear the Gogjali district. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 62 Iraqi troops patrol Gogjali. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 62 Iraqi army soldiers warm themselves near the Qayyarah air base, south of Mosul, on Tuesday. (Felipe Dana / Associated Press) 14 / 62 Displaced people who fled from Islamic State-held territory sit outside a mosque guarded by Iraqi soldiers in Shuwayrah, south of Mosul, on Tuesday. (Felipe Dana / Associated Press) 15 / 62 An Iraqi Counter Terrorism Section member drives a vehicles with a broken windscreen as they advance early in the morning near the village of Bazwaya, on the eastern edges of Mosul, on Monday. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 16 / 62 Members of the Iraqi counter-terrorism service drive near the village of Bazwaya, on the eastern edges of Mosul, tightening the noose as the offensive to retake the Islamic State group stronghold entered its third week on Sunday. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 17 / 62 Members of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service take shelter after a mortar shell hit nearby near the village of Bazwaya, on the eastern edges of Mosul, as they advance towards Iraqs last remaining Islamic State stronghold on Monday. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 18 / 62 A member of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Section grimaces in pain as he receives medical treatment after clashes on Monday with Islamic State militants near the village of Bazwaya, on the eastern edge of Mosul. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 19 / 62 Iraqi counterterrorism members carry an injured comrade during clashes with the Islamic State near Bazwaya on Monday. Iraqi forces took control of the village near Mosul. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 20 / 62 Children playfully pose for a photo as smoke rises from burning oil fields in Qayara, some 50 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 31, 2016. (Felipe Dana / AP) 21 / 62 A militia fighter prepares to go into battle with his phone and bullets. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 62 Popular mobilization units are helping to clear villages southwest of Mosul, Iraq. On Sunday, they launched mortar rounds a little more than a mile from Islamic State fighters who continued to resist their advance on the city. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 62 Militiamen chant before going into battle alongside Iraqi army forces as they fight against Islamic State near Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 62 Militiamen near the village of Zarqa stand by as mortars are launched at Islamic State fighters near Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 62 The popular mobilization units received the Iraqi governments blessing to join the battle that could break Islamic States grip in the country. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 62 Militias known as popular mobilization units fighting near Mosul are made up mostly of Shiite Muslims. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 62 In the village of Faziliya, recently liberated from Islamic State, Abdul Gafur, 38, embraces his brother Mohammad Abdul Gafur, 40. The two had not seen each other since Islamic State forces took control of the village more than two years ealier. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 62 Business is brisk at the barbershops in Faziliya after Kurdish forces retook control from Islamic State militants. A bodyguard stands by. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 62 Peshmerga, or Kurdish fighters, rest after a recent battle. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 62 The remains of a bomb factory can be seen in the village of Faziliya, recently liberated from Islamic State control. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 62 A member of the Iraqi armed forces kisses a local boy after Iraqi forces entered the town of Shura, 30 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq. Iraqi troops approaching Mosul from the south advanced into Shura on Saturday after a wave of U.S.-led airstrikes and artillery shelling against Islamic State positions inside the town. (Marko Drobnjakovic / AP) 32 / 62 Iraqi families, who already had been displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against jihadists of the Islamic State group, flee Mosul. Iraqi paramilitary forces launched an operation to cut the Islamic State groups supply lines between its Mosul bastion and neighboring Syria. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 33 / 62 Walid Abdel Nabih, 28, from Nasiriya and a father of four, moves through passageways created by Islamic State to prevent detection by drones. On the eastern front in the fight for Mosul, an Iraqi special forces unit waits for next phase of the fight to clear Islamic State operatives from Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 62 An Iraqi special forces member rides in the turret of a humvee with a Shiite religious banner flying behind him as he patrols Bartella, Iraq. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 62 As many Iraqis are returning home, others are fleeing the fighting in villages surrounding Mosul. At Camp JJadh, 3,000 people arrived in the past week, but many more are expected as the battle for Mosul continues. New arrivals line up for food, provide by the World Food Program. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 62 Children play in a dismantled car in the village of Hurriya, where fighting between Islamic State and Iraqi forces has caused many families to leave over the past months. The risk of unexploded weapons is still a concern for many in the area. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 62 Soldiers drive through the town of Qayyarah, heavily damaged in the fighting in August and again this past week as Islamic State was driven out of town. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 62 Sienna Moqtar and her daughter decorate her brothers grave with rocks. He died last week in the final days of Islamic State in Qayyarah. The bodies of two infant nephews are buried at the right. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 62 Ibrahim Atea Ahmed, left and Daham Ahmed survived the Islamic State attack, but their town was left in bad shape. Oil fires continue to burn, set by militants as a cover from air attacks. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 62 Residents wait for food and water to be handed out, but very little was distributed. The water is not fit to drink in the town. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 62 Iraqi soldiers head for the front line. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 62 An Iraqi fighter takes a position on top of a vehicle as smoke rises on the outskirts of the Qayyarah area, 35 miles south of Mosul, during an operation against Islamic State. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images) 43 / 62 Smoke billows from an area near the Iraqi town of Nawaran, northeast of Mosul, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters march down a dirt road during the ongoing operation to retake the city from Islamic State. (SAFIN HAMED / AFP/Getty Images) 44 / 62 Iraqs elite counterterrorism forces raise an Iraqi flag after retaking Bartella, outside Mosul, Iraq. (Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press) 45 / 62 Iraqs elite counterterrorism forces raise an Iraqi flag after retaking Bartella, outside Mosul, Iraq. (Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press) 46 / 62 The commander of Iraq Special Forces Lt. Gen Abdul Ghani al-Asadi during an interview on the Bartila front line, after the city was liberated from Islamic State militants. (AHMED JALIL / EPA) 47 / 62 Iraqi Special Forces take up position in Bartila front line, after the city was liberated from Islamic State militants. (AHMED JALIL / EPA) 48 / 62 Iraqi soldiers ride in a truck advancing through the desert on the banks of the Tigris River toward the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 49 / 62 Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire rockets from a mobile launcher near the town of Bashiqa, about 25 kilometers northeast of Mosul, on Oct. 20, 2016. (Safid Hamed / AFP/Getty Images) 50 / 62 A member of Iraqs elite counterterrorism forces advances with his unit toward the city of Mosul, on Oct. 20, 2016. (Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press) 51 / 62 A villager walks on a bare street as smoke from oil fires nearby turn the sky black in the Qayyarah area, about 60 kilometers south of Mosul, on Oct. 19, 2016. (Yasin Akgul / AFP/Getty Images) 52 / 62 Iraqi soldiers look on as smoke rises from the Qayyarah area south of Mosul on Oct. 19, 2016, as Iraqi forces take part in an operation against Islamic State to retake Mosul. (YASIN AKGUL / AFP/Getty Images) 53 / 62 A man takes a selfie in front of a fire from oil that has been set ablaze in the Qayyarah area south of Mosul on Oct. 19, 2016, during an operation by Iraqi forces against Islamic State to retake Mosul. (YASIN AKGUL / AFP/Getty Images) 54 / 62 An Iraqi sniper wearing his camouflage in the village of Bajwaniyah village, about 30 kilometers south of Mosul, on Oct. 18, 2016. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 55 / 62 Smoke rises from an explosion as Iraqi forces retake the village of Bajwaniyah from Islamic State on their way to Mosul. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 56 / 62 Iraqi soldiers inspect a tunnel in a building in the recaptured village of Shaquoli, about 35 kilometers east of Mosul, on Oct. 18, 2016. (Safin Hamed / AFP/Getty Images) 57 / 62 An Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighter stands amid the rubble of a destroyed building on Oct. 18, 2016, in the village of Shaqouli, east of Mosul, after it was recaptured from the Islamic State group. (Safin Hamed / AFP/Getty Images) 58 / 62 A man carries a baby at a refugee camp in Syrias Hasakeh province for Iraqi families who fled fighting in the Mosul area on Oct. 17, 2016. (Delil Souleiman / AFP/Getty Images) 59 / 62 Lt. Col. Ali Hussein, right, addresses Iraqi security forces leading a government offensive that began Monday to oust Islamic State from the city of Mosul, the extremist groups last major stronghold in Iraq. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 62 An Iraqi police officer inspects his weapon at the Qayyarah military base, about 60 kilometers south of Mosul, on Oct. 16, 2016, amid preparations for the offensive to retake the city from Islamic State. (Ahmad Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 61 / 62 Iraqi forces head north toward Mosul on Monday, part of the operation to retake the city from Islamic State. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 62 / 62 Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire a mortar shell from Mount Zardak. (Safin Hamed / AFP/Getty Images) No one can say with certainty how many of these captives are in Mosul, Islamic States principal stronghold in Iraq. The city initially was a distribution hub for the enslaved women and girls, who are members of an ancient and arcane religious sect whose ethnic Kurdish adherents are despised by Islamic State as heretics and devil-worshippers. Most of the Yazidi captives were sold as slaves or given as gifts to fighters in Islamic State-held areas of Syria, human rights groups and activists say. But some either have spent the duration of their captivity in Mosul or found themselves back in the city after forced journeys between other Islamic State bastions, passed hand to hand like chattel as their husbands were killed in battle or traded them away or offered them as presents to relatives and fellow fighters. Those who have escaped or been ransomed have described conditions in Mosul as grimly similar to other areas where Islamic State holds sway: cruel medieval torments as a feature of daily life, coupled with harrowing sexual and domestic servitude in the households of fighters. Enslaved women are routinely punished by having their children abused or taken from them, with their young boys conscripted as fighters or suicide bombers. As an urban battle looms, Yazidi women and children living under the same roof as fighters face threats of a magnitude even greater than those confronted by other city residents, activists say. They could be maimed or killed in bombardment, caught up in house-to-house battles, abandoned to their fate as fighters flee or even become the target of reprisal killings. Theyre in even more danger than regular civilians, these women and children, because the fighters are all around them, watching them, living with them, said Haider Elias, president of the U.S.-based advocacy group Yazda. Some survivors have told of being forced to accompany their Islamic State captors when the fighters fled other Iraqi and Syrian cities under assault, surmising that they were intended to serve as human shields against airstrikes, said a Yazidi aid worker named Hazem, who assists freed captives in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk. He did not want his full name published for security reasons. Yazda said that more than 1,000 Yazidi women and children were held at some point in Mosul and its environs, including the town of Tal Afar to the west, and that 100 women and girls and roughly the same number of children likely remained in the city. Lawyer Aldakhi puts the suspected total considerably higher, but some major rights groups, such as Amnesty International, believe the number of captive Yazidis in the city may have dwindled to the dozens. Really, no one knows, said Amnesty senior investigator Donatella Rovera. There isnt very much contact with those in Mosul. For those who survive and return to what remains of their scattered community, captivitys effects linger on, in the form of stigma and lack of treatment for the trauma they have suffered. The families of many freed sex slaves are dead or missing, leaving them with scant emotional and financial resources with which to rebuild their lives. Some captives face suspicion of collusion with their captors, said researcher Rothna Begum of New York-based Human Rights Watch. She described the recent arrest of one Yazidi woman by authorities in northern Iraq; out of fear, she had told police who came to the house that her fighter husband was away and then was accused of aiding him. A German organization has brought some of the freed Yazidis to Germany for psychological treatment, but that program already is closed to new arrivals. Many of those freed face years in Spartan displacement camps in northern Iraq, with no access to jobs or education. In and around Mosul, the few escape routes that existed before the offensive began were largely sealed off amid preparations for what is likely to be a long fight to retake the city, Aldakhi said. He described a nerve-racking rescue earlier this year in Mosul of a Yazidi woman, her sister and their two children. The group was sneaked into a waiting car during a brief window when their Islamic State captors attended noon prayers and then made part of the journey on foot to skirt a checkpoint where fighters who knew their captors might recognize the children, if not the women in their face-concealing veils. Such outcomes have grown rarer, he and others said. Not as many can escape as one would hope, said Begum, the Human Rights Watch researcher. And even when they are safe, the level of trauma is so very high it is very, very difficult to make a new life. laura.king@latimes.com Twitter: @laurakingLAT MORE WORLD NEWS Why thousands of Iraqi fighters have poured into Syria to aid Assad A decisive battle: Determination energizes Iraqi forces in fight to retake Mosul from Islamic State Bombs, beatings, rape: Freed Nigerian women tell harrowing tales of life as a forced Boko Haram bride Ecuadors government has acknowledged that it has temporarily restricted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assanges Internet access at its embassy in London after the whistle-blowing site published documents from Hillary Clintons presidential campaign. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that although it stands by its decision in 2012 to grant Assange asylum, it doesnt interfere in foreign elections. Leftist President Rafael Correas government said it was acting on its own and not ceding to foreign pressures. The ministry didnt specify the extent of the restrictions on Assanges access to the internet, saying only that the restrictions on his communications wouldnt affect WikiLeaks ability to carry out its journalistic activities. Advertisement ALSO Op-Ed: WikiLeaks emails will haunt a Hillary Clinton presidency Op-Ed: What the WikiLeaks emails tell us about Hillary Clinton One big reason the WikiLeaks emails arent as damaging for Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump Armenian PM receives UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia Armenia's Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today UN Resident Coordinator, UNDP Permanent Representative in Armenia Bradley Busetto. Describing as quite effective the productive ties of UN-Armenia partnership and the UNDP-supported programs in Armenia, the Prime Minister stressed the need to step up cooperation. In Karen Karapetyans words, the UN has contributed to the strengthening of democracy, human rights, the rule of law in our country. The Government of Armenia highly values the years-long financial and technical assistance provided to our country by the UNDP. The UN Resident Coordinator thanked the Prime Minister for appreciation, assuring that the United Nations is ready to support Armenias further development. The interlocutors exchanged views on the 2016-2020 UN-Armenia development assistance framework and Bavra, Bagratashen and Gogavan border checkpoints modernization programs, as well as on the initiatives aimed at ensuring economic growth, rural development. The parties took the opportunity to discuss possibilities of joint efforts in other fields of mutual interest. Bradley Busetto said the priorities of the United Nations go in tune with the Governments priorities, and may be supplemented as necessary. Stressing the importance of having clear-cut directions for further partnership, Prime Minister Karapetyan assured of his readiness, as head of government, to back the activities of the UN Office in Armenia as much as possible. The United Nations cultural agency on Tuesday endorsed a controversial resolution on Jerusalem that Israeli officials have assailed as omitting the historical link of the Jewish people to the city. The declaration, ratified by the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, refers to the Old Citys contested holy esplanade by naming the Muslim holy sites while ignoring mention of the ancient Jewish temple that once stood there. Though the UNESCO resolution does recognize Jerusalems Old City as important to the three monotheistic religions, it accuses Israel of pursuing aggressive and restrictive policies in the Old City toward the Al Aqsa mosque and the Noble Sanctuary, the golden domed holy site known as the Dome of the Rock. The Western Wall plaza, the site of the retaining wall of the temple, was mentioned but with quotation marks around the text. Advertisement Though the decision has little if any impact on Jerusalem, it has heated up rhetoric surrounding the citys holy sites at a time when Israeli authorities are already on heightened alert for potential clashes during the Jewish pilgrimage holiday of Sukkot. Tension over the Al Aqsa mosque bubbled over during the previous two years into a daily wave of Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets. Saying that Israel doesnt have a connection to the Temple Mount ... is like saying that the Chinese dont have a connection to the Great Wall of China. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition Yesh Atid party in the Israeli parliament, slammed the U.N. body for trying to erase the Jewish identity of Jerusalem and called the backers of the resolution Israel haters. When the cultural organization approved a draft resolution on Thursday by a 24-6 vote with 26 abstentions, it sparked annoyed responses from Israeli officials who cited the decision as evidence of an organizational bias against Israel. Saying that Israel doesnt have a connection to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall is like saying that the Chinese dont have a connection to the Great Wall of China, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday. Through this absurd decision, UNESCO has lost the little bit of legitimacy that it has. Jews revere the Temple Mount as the holiest site in their tradition; Muslims consider Al Aqsa the third holiest site in Islam. In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry praised the resolution for criticizing Israels illegal and colonial actions in East Jerusalem, the area of Jerusalem annexed by Israel after the 1967 war and claimed by the Palestinians as the capital of their future state. The resolution was sponsored by a group of seven Arab states. Palestinian deputy ambassador to UNESCO Mounir Anastas, speaks to the media as he walks out of the meeting room at UNESCOs headquarters in Paris on Monday. (Francois Mori / Associated Press ) But top UNESCO officials were critical of the resolution. Michael Worbs, who chairs the executive board, said it lacked balance. On Friday, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova of Bulgaria released a statement that said each religion has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city. To deny, conceal, or erase any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site. Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli American lawyer and peace activist in Jerusalem, said that although the UNESCO resolution addresses genuine problems of Israels administration over Muslim holy sites in the old city, the wording is inflammatory and unproductive. The timing is unfortunate. This is one of the weeks that tension around the Temple Mount is highest, he said. This is about bashing Israel and not dealing with the genuine problems of Jerusalem. Mitnick is a special correspondent. ALSO: The Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation Shimon Peres envisioned is as elusive as ever U.S. condemns Israels plan to create more housing in the West Bank Yazidi women and girls are held as slaves by Islamic State in Mosul. Will they survive the battle to free the city? Russia suspended airstrikes on the rebel-controlled parts of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Tuesday, in what some analysts saw as an effort by the Kremlin to break out of international isolation and end a deepening diplomatic spat with Washington. After weeks of air raids on eastern Aleppo, Russias ties to the West have suffered an irreparable loss, Alexander Golts, a Moscow-based defense analyst, said in an interview. They call Putin the butcher of Aleppo, he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian and Syrian militaries say they will observe a humanitarian pause between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Oct. 20 to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city. Advertisement A U.S. State Department spokesman said the eight-hour pause would be a good thing, but cautioned that its a bit too little, too late. Spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington, said the people of Aleppo have been subjected to near constant bombardment and airstrikes that have killed many civilians and leveled much of the citys civilian infrastructure. He said the goal is to starve out and to drive out the opposition and civilians whove held on there for so long. Earlier this month, the United States suspended talks with Russia over the Syrian war and said that Moscow was committing war crimes by engaging in indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Aleppo. That suspension came on the heels of what the West and Russia had seen as a breakthrough over Syria that could have led to a full-time military cooperation and a renewed diplomatic effort to end the five-year conflict. This is an attempt to somehow lower the pressure on Russia, political analyst Sergei Strokan said in an interview. This is an attempt to lower the degree of political tensions around Aleppo and soften the political blow on Russias image since the massive bombing campaign started in mid-September. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu salutes his soldiers in May as he is driven along Red Square during a rehearsal for a Victory Day parade. (Alexander Zemlianichenko / Associated Press ) The suspension of airstrikes is to be followed by a humanitarian pause on Thursday that will allow militants and civilians to leave Aleppo, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. Everyone really interested in the soonest stabilization of the situation in the city of Aleppo should take some real practical steps instead of political procrastination, Shoigu said in televised remarks. His announcement followed an earlier plan by Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations envoy for the Syrian conflict, that envisaged a suspension of bomb strikes if jihadists and other forces opposed to President Bashar Assad agree to leave eastern Aleppo. Russia and Iran have backed Assads government throughout the civil war that broke out in 2011. The war has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half of Syrias population. Moscows airstrikes, which began in September 2015, are widely viewed to have saved Assads government from collapse and helped his troops regain some strategic areas. Russia continuously claimed that its airstrikes targeted Islamic State militants, while the West accused Russian and Syrian air forces of bombing civilian areas and infrastructure, hospitals and humanitarian convoys. Russian officials reject the accusations and retort by saying that the U.S. failed to distinguish between moderate opposition groups and radical Islamists and even sided with the radicals for the sake of toppling Assad. Former lawmaker and pro-Kremlin analyst Sergei Markov accused the West of hypocrisy for focusing on the humanitarian situation in Aleppo. This is just a propaganda information campaign to support jihadists in Aleppo, where pro-American jihadists forged an alliance with Al Qaeda, he said in an interview. Russia has used some of its most advanced and lethal weapons in Syria, such as bunker-busting and cluster bombs, as well as incendiary munitions, international and opposition groups said. Some 275,000 civilians are trapped in the city, many of them children. Reached by phone in eastern Aleppo, two Syrian civil defense workers with the volunteer group White Helmets expressed more skepticism than relief over the pause. One of them, Amar Salmo, said he could still hear warplanes overhead Tuesday. Civil defense is still working, trying to get more than 20 bodies from under the rubble in many neighborhoods because of the raids yesterday and before yesterday, massive raids, he said. Neighborhoods have been erased completely. Now as I talk to you, the aircrafts are in the sky. Another worker with the group said he does not trust the Syrian and Russian forces to stop bombarding the area. In a few days, they will bomb us, bomb everything and kill everything like yesterday, said Ismail Abdullah. In early October, Putin exacerbated the rift over Syria by suspending a key post Cold-War agreement with Washington over disposal of nuclear weapons accusing the US of failing to eliminate tons of weapons-grade plutonium and unfriendly acts toward Russia. Mirovalev is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Irbil, Iraq and the Associated Press contributed to this report. ALSO: U.S. officials blame Russian government for hacking DNC to sway presidential election A decisive battle: Determination energizes Iraqi forces in fight to retake Mosul from Islamic State Syrian rebels deal symbolic blow to Islamic State UPDATES: 7:50 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from a U.S. State Department spokesman. This article was originally published at 1:35 p.m. All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced. 19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc. Adam Messenlehner was on a second-grade field trip to learn etiquette the first time Laureen Taylor waited on him at Hampton Winds. The Bethlehem Township resident made such an impression on young Adam, the Messenlehner family has spent every birthday, anniversary and special occasion celebrating at the Northampton Community College restaurant. It's not just the incredible food that's kept the Messenlehners coming back for more than 15 years, said Darla Messenlehner, Adam's mom. It's the atmosphere, the unique dining experience and Taylor's professionalism. "She is the face of Hampton Winds," said Darla Messenlehner, of Forks Township. When the restaurant opened 23 years ago, Taylor served the first meal. She's been building up a devoted customer base ever since, winning customers over with her attention to detail, friendly demeanor and ability to recall details about their lives. "It's her personality," co-worker Judy Werner said. "She cares about what she does." Taylor won't be greeting guests with a smile for much longer. She's retiring Oct. 28 to move to California to be closer to her two sons and 9-month-old grandson. On Monday night, her loyal customers, colleagues and family packed NCC's Alumni Hall to bid her farewell in a surprise retirement party organized by culinary arts program Chef Scott Kalamar. "She makes the place. She truly does. It's not like we're losing our favorite server," Darla Messenlehner said. "We're losing a friend." Kalamar recalled that Taylor has been by his side since late NCC President Robert Kopecek dreamed up an affordable but stellar community college culinary program. Taylor spent a decade serving both lunch and dinner. Today, she is the dining room manager and only works evenings. Kalamar lured her to work early Monday with the promise of a special dinner before dinner service began. Taylor was shocked to walk into the room and see folks from all parts of her life. "Do I still have to work?" she asked laughing. When she learned someone was covering her shift, but Kalamar planned to rib her a bit, she quipped: "I think I'd rather work." Kalamar teased Taylor over her preference to serve with one tray and then subjected her to a math lesson. Taylor has served 230,000 Hampton Winds meals walking, on average, 1,600 steps a night. That means over her career she's walked more than 3,500 miles. "Basically for 23 years she's been walking to California," Kalamar said. Taylor sets a very high bar for food quality and service, which teaches culinary program students volumes, the chef said. "She runs circles around everybody," he said. "She's a very persistent person." Staying on her feet all night has kept her fit, she said. "I can't sit still," Taylor said. "You could never put me behind a desk." Taylor has worked with 50 classes of students and they've kept her showing up enthusiastic for work. And she's affected those students. "She was very inspirational," said Josh Keck, who recently graduated from the program. "It's her personality, her influence, her positive vibes." Over the years, Taylor's son Stephen was a student at NCC, graduating from the vet-tech program. Her other son Jonathan started out working in the kitchen as a dishwasher and later joined her as a server in the dining room. Both sons are now in California. The arrival of her grandson has made the distance unbearable. "It's so fantastic being a grandma but it's so sad he's so far away," said Taylor, who just returned from a visit. "I'm really looking forward to that next phase." NCC Dean of Business and Technology Denise Francois-Seeney said her NCC family is excited for Taylor because she has a new adventure ahead. But she'll be dearly missed. "She's been a stalwart and she just made this restaurant a personable experience," Francois-Seeney said. "She will leave a piece of her heart here." Whitehall Station, N.J., residents Judy and Bill Leonard learned of Hampton Winds from friends in Easton. Taylor and the food has kept them coming back. They attended Monday's party and plan one last visit before Taylor's last day. "She was just something special, even when you called her on the phone for a reservation," Judy Leonard said. Gifts for Taylor piled up on a table as folks all waited for a chance to say goodbye. Some brought old photos, like a gem of Jonathan and Taylor working in the dining room, while others simply shared stories. "I'm so going to miss this," she said, gesturing around. "It's a huge part of my life." Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A Bethlehem dad accused of giving his sons prescription ADHD medication to help them sleep is facing trial on the charges. Edwin Rivera, 25, of the 600 block of Sixth Avenue in Bethlehem, waived his preliminary hearing Monday before District Judge Wayne Maura on two counts of child endangerment. The charges are sent to Lehigh County Court, where Rivera now faces possible trial. Rivera, who is free on $10,000 unsecured bail, declined to comment about the allegations following the hearing. Bethlehem police said the overdose of Rivera's infant daughter on ADHD medication led to the discovery that he was improperly giving the prescription medication to his two sons. Rivera's 16-month-old daughter was brought to the pediatric ICU at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest after overdosing on Clonidine, police said. A referral was made Sept. 7 by Lehigh County Children and Youth Services to Bethlehem police regarding the overdose. Rivera told officers he was bathing all three children one night, and gave the 2-year-old boy his ADHD medication while he was in the bath, police said. Rivera reported that when he turned around, the 3-year-old boy said his younger brother gave a pill to the little girl, police said. Rivera reportedly said he tried to get the pill out of the infant's mouth, but she had already swallowed it. The child's mother took the infant to the hospital for treatment. Investigators said they learned the 2-year-old boy was receiving more than double the prescribed amount of the medication, and that the 3-year-old boy was also being given the medication even though it was not prescribed to him. The older boy reported he was given his younger brother's medication by "Daddy Eddie" at bedtime, investigators said. The older boy identified the Clonidine from a set of pills, and reported that all three children were given pills by Rivera at bedtime, police said. In an interview with investigators, Rivera reportedly admitted to giving the 2-year-old boy more than the prescribed amount, and to giving the older boy a portion of a pill about 10 times over the past year to help him sleep. Dr. Debra Esernio-Jenssen, a pediatrician and child abuse expert, said taking 1 pill of Clonidine can be fatal for a child, and that the medication can cause respiratory and central nervous system depression, according to court records. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A former Moravian College student admitted he let a friend into a college dorm suite, where the friend made off with $725. "Hanging with the wrong crowd, Your Honor," attorney Evan Hughes told Northampton County Judge Paula Roscioli during a plea hearing in August. Roscioli sentenced Anthony J. Walker Jr. on Monday to a year of probation for the crime he committed around 11 p.m. April 13 at a dorm suite on the Moravian campus in Bethlehem. Walker, 19, of Abington Township, Montgomery County, said he was drinking that night with his friend, Isaiah Boubert, who is not a Moravian student. He admitted he let Boubert into a dorm area, where Boubert took the money. Walker was initially charged with burglary but pleaded guilty to defiant trespass. Boubert has a pending application into the accelerated rehabilitative disposition program. If Boubert is accepted into the program and completes it, charges will be wiped from his record. Walker was ineligible for ARD because he was kicked out of the program in another county, Hughes said. He was charged with theft in that case. Walker initially denied being in the suite, but authorities determined his cellphone accessed the Wi-Fi signal in the suite at the time of the crime. Roscioli ordered Walker to stay off the Moravian campus and maintain a 9 p.m. curfew. Walker now attends Community College of Philadelphia, Hughes said. Walker is on the hook for the $725 in restitution unless Boubert pays it off. The judge ordered Walker not to drink alcohol, to stay in school or keep a full-time job and to comply with mental health treatment. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. ncc.jpeg A 19-year-old woman from Philadelphia is facing assault charges after a stabbing Friday at a Northampton Community College dormitory. Unique Shanae Ayers (Courtesy photo) Charged is Unique Shanae Ayers, who is not a student at the school. Bethlehem Township police said shortly before 3 p.m. Friday, she argued with the 19-year-old female victim inside the victim's dorm at the college, 3835 Green Pond Road. The dispute was over music and the pair were in a dating relationship, according to court records. Ayers allegedly picked up a 4 1/2-inch kitchen knife and threw it at the victim, stabbing her in the elbow, police said. The gash left a half-inch wound on the victim's elbow and she was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Police recovered the knife on the dorm room floor and said there was a small amount of blood on a wall, as well as the wall of a nearby bathroom. At the hospital, the victim provided police with the name of the defendant and said Ayers was not a student. Police reviewed the college's video surveillance footage and obtained a description of Ayers. Ayers allegedly admitted to the crime, but said she pushed the victim into the knife, which caused the injury. Ayers is charged with simple assault and reckless endangerment. She was arraigned before District Judge Robert Hawke, who set bail at $15,000. In lieu of bail, Ayers was sent to Northampton County Prison. The judge ordered Ayers enroll in Pretrial Services, undergo anger management treatment and stay away from the victim. The judge allowed 10 percent of $15,000 bail if Pretrial Services approved it. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. sands.jpeg ( ) An Ohio woman who told police her purse was stolen at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem is charged after allegedly stealing a purse from another patron. Charged is Brenda Joyce Underwood, 53, of Cleveland. City police were dispatched at 12:04 p.m. Sunday to the casino at 77 Sands Blvd. Underwood told police her own purse had been stolen prior that day at the casino, but police said she never reported the purse missing. Underwood then allegedly spotted another purse at the north entrance of the casino and snatched it. She dumped out its contents in a female restroom and when she realized there was nothing of value inside the purse, Underwood threw the purse in the garbage, police said. "Since someone stole my purse, I'm taking this one," Underwood allegedly told police about the theft. The purse's owner later reported her purse stolen to Sands security. In reviewing casino surveillance footage, police observed the victim dropping the purse at the north entrance and a short while later, Underwood picked it up. Underwood also was seen on the video taking it into the restroom, police said. Underwood is charged with theft and receiving stolen property. She was arraigned Sunday before District Judge Robert Hawke, who set bail at $20,000. In lieu of bail, Underwood was taken to Northampton County Prison. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Even if you don't believe Donald Frey's excuse for owning two pipe bombs, it's clear he's not a sophisticated criminal. That's why U.S. District Court Judge Edward Smith sentenced Frey to just 45 days in prison, well below the 27 months recommended under federal guidelines. The 32-year-old Easton man had the bombs in his then-girlfriend's car on Jan. 10, 2014, when they were involved in minor crash in Lower Saucon Township. Frey said he never intended to hurt anyone. He said he bought the bombs three weeks prior to the crash to blow a hole in a frozen-over river to go ice fishing. He told the judge he planned to use them the morning of the crash. The only reason he didn't set them off is that he fell through two feet of ice up to his waist. That put an abrupt end to his outing. "It was a very cold walk back to the car," Frey told the judge. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Lewis Fallenstein said police never found any fishing tackle, fishing rods or wet clothes in the car, just the bombs. Frey never mentioned anything about ice fishing to authorities when they found the bombs. That excuse materialized months later, she said. The judge felt Frey probably didn't realize how serious his crime was or how dangerous and potentially lethal the bombs are. The judge said he encounters three different types of criminals: evil, stupid and unfortunate. "I do believe with all grace and respect that you fall more into the stupid or unfortunate categories," Smith said. "Your abilities to succeed or excel were limited." Frey dropped out of high school in the ninth grade and needed help from police writing out a confession to the crime. Without that confession, he most likely would not have been charged. There were four people in the car but he immediately took responsibility and tried to lead police to a man named "Mike" who Frey said sold him the bombs for $5 each. Frey's the sole breadwinner for two of his four children and is raising a 2-year-old with the girlfriend who was driving the car with the bombs inside. Frey married her Friday, according to his lawyer, Mark Wilson. Although the bombs were only about three inches long, they had the potential to kill the officers tasked with disarming them, according to agent Tim Shelton with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. They could have exploded during the car crash, he said. Shelton said he wasn't sure why Frey had the bombs. "He said that he just wanted to 'blow things up' or 'blow a hole in things.' It wasn't clear to me at the time," Shelton said. Police found 3.5 pounds of gunpowder after searching Frey's home, but Frey said he didn't know it was there. Smith said he considered probation for Frey, but felt he deserved some prison time due to the danger the bombs presented, even in spite of their size and the lack of malice on Frey's part. "I do believe the message has to be sent that pipe bombs in our community are simply unacceptable," he said. He will allow Frey to report to prison on Dec. 28. That way he can take advantage of the warm weather and continue working as a landscaper and also spend Christmas with his family. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. A hard hitting play on the scourge of human trafficking will be staged at Straffan Community Hall this Friday, October 21 at 7.30pm. Titled Diablo, the play is presented by the Belfast based, Spanner in the Works Theatre Company and is strictly over 18s only because of its disturbing content and sexual language. Written and produced by Patricia Downey, the play is set in Ireland, and highlights one of the most harrowing and horrific crimes against human rights in the world today. With a small cast of just five actors, the play is partly funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The theatre company was established in Belfast in September 1998 and undertakes performances and workshops throughout Ireland, touring rural and urban communities. The main aim of the company is to provide challenging productions that will deal with difficult, hard hitting and controversial subject matter. Patricia Downey commented: Human trafficking is a fast growing criminal enterprise due the fact that it is relatively low risk but with a high profit potential. Sadly, criminal organisations are increasingly attracted to human trafficking because, unlike drugs, human beings can be sold repeatedly. deals with the contentious matter of human trafficking. We might not be aware of it or like to acknowledge it, but this form of human exploitation is happening right on our doorstep and I hope this play serves to increase awareness and, in turn, save lives. Adult admission is 10, students 5. Book early as places are limited. Further information from 087 6186440. The lack of facilities and adequate upgrade works at Athy train station beggars belief, according to one local councillor. Cllr Thomas Redmond tabled a motion at this months Municipal District meeting calling on the immediate upgrade of the station and its services by Irish Rail. Members heard that the 100 year station bridge is unsafe, and that the 8am train does not run on time for commuters. One of the main issues that surfaced was the lack of disabled access for commuters. Wheelchair users who need to use the service have to ring ahead and let the station know that they are coming for assistance. Cllr Redmond said that this was totally unacceptable in this day and age. Cllr Mark Wall added that the train station car park is always full and questioned how much reveue Irish Rail are making from it as a result. They are charging commuters to park there. Id love to know where that money from Athy is going, he said. Cllr Redmond said Irish Rail need to come up with some answers. When are they going to make it safe and upgrade the services? he said. Theresa May might have said this I will deliver Brexit. I will be faithful to the mandate given to us by the British people. I will heed their anxieties about immigration and I will act so that we have more control about who comes in and out of our country. But, friends, I must tell you candidly that I will not act in a way which will jeopardise the open, dynamic economy upon which our great trading economy relies. And that means I will also fight to retain our membership of Europes single market, the worlds largest borderless marketplace created by our partys greatest heroine, Margaret Thatcher. Yes, that will require compromise with the other EU member states it may even mean we will need to pay some money to Europe in return but in my considered judgment that is the best way to balance our goal of taking back control and our duty to bequeath future generations with a strong and prosperous economy. writes Nick Clegg in the Standard Why doesnt she? It is as if there is a bomb under her party that will go off at the first merest hint of backsliding on Brexit. And maybe there is. So we have gone from a leave campaign that promised of course we can still co-operate when it is in our interests and what does that mean if not remaning in the EU or at least the softest of soft Brexits to a headlong dash for hard Brexit and sod the national interest. And we have gone from a narrow narrow referendum result to the most extreme position of the leave camp. I know youll hate to be reminded of him, but in this instance I think George Osborne is right: the country voted for Brexit; it did not vote for hard Brexit. If you werent aware of the impact of your words in Birmingham at the time or the absurd, if short-lived, proposal to force all companies to confess how many foreigners they employ I suspect the shadow they have cast will be more apparent to you now. Your government is looking dangerously rudderless when it comes to implementing Brexit, and sly and shifty in its attempts to evade any meaningful parliamentary scrutiny. Do read the whole letter here, but it strikes me that there is an even bigger problem than the governments invisible, probably non-existent plans for Brexit. What are the plans for the control that is going to be taken back? Remember that one strand of the leave campaign promised that we could have a more buccaneering open capitalist UK, one a more socialist UK, and yet another a more isolated and insular UK. Each was effectively targeted at the correct voters all the Facebook advertising I saw here in Sheffield took the Labour Leave line. Now the claims are true, we could take any one of those three paths post-Brexit. (Frankly we could take them while staying in the EU, possibly not so far, but further than the voters would generally tolerate.) But I hope we are all ready for the righteous fury that will erupt when one is taken and the other two, necessarily, are not. Unite the nation? Your best chance, Theresa, is to do what is right for the economy. * Joe Otten was the candidate for Sheffield Heeley in June 2017 and Doncaster North in December 2019 and is a councillor in Sheffield. LIMERICKs newest superpub is set to open its doors this Thursday night subject to final approval from the fire officer. House Limerick will be located in the premises on Howleys Quay that was formerly occupied by Clohessys bar and the Sin Bin nightclub, which ceased trading three years ago. The plans first emerged 12 months ago and contractors have been on site for several months as the premises has undergone a 750,000 renovation ahead of the opening. The man behind the new superpub Alan Clancy of House Dublin on Leeson Street also operates the hugely popular 37 Dawson Street in the capital. Last week at Limerick District Court, Yellow Way Limited, the company which will operate House Limerick was granted a number of licences allowing it to operate from this Thursday. Judge Marian OLeary was told the fire officer carried out a recent inspection and that gardai did not have any objection to the applications. Mr Clancy told the court that he has worked in the pub industry all my life and that staff who will be employed at House Limerick have been fully trained. THE apparent failure of the plan to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant on the Shannon Estuary near Ballylongford has been a huge blow to West Limerick, according to local Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins. However, Mr Collins believes the impending British exit from the European Union presents an opportunity to advance the project as it could help secure Irelands energy supply. The fact that the Commission for Energy Regulator sought to place an extra tariff on LNG effectively killed the project, he said. The potential economic activity and employment that this project would create is enormous at a time when rural communities are struggling to feel the impact of the recovery. He added: However a real opportunity now presents itself through Brexit for this LNG project to advance given that we rely on two energy inter-connectors from the UK and one being gas. The LNG project would provide us with independence from our UK reliance in advance of Brexit should it proceed. Mr Collins was responding to a recent statement by Minister for Communication, Climate Action and the Environment Denis Naughton in which the minister pointed out that Shannon LNGs 10-year lease option on the site at Ballylongford had expired. I understand Shannon Commercial Properties will now publicly seek expressions of interest for the development of suitable projects on its Ballylongford landbank, and preparatory work for this procurement exercise has commenced, Mr Naughton said. While expressed his support for the LNG project, the minister pointed out that it was a commercial project. Its future lies in the hands of Shannon LNG and subject to an investment decision by the company, he added. LIMERICK City and County Council says it is open to using mobile CCTV cameras in the fight against littering. A spokesperson for the local authority has confirmed CCTV cameras have been used in the past and may be used again in future. He was responding to comments made, last week, by Gerry Boland at the grand final of Limerick Going for Gold 2016. Mr Boland, a trustee of the JP McManus Charitable Foundation, said he was concerned about statistics that show passing pedestrians are responsible for 41% of litter pollution while passing motorists account for 19%. These are disturbing statistics and need to be addressed in some way perhaps the temporary installation of mobile litter cameras could be put in place in key areas from time to time and the culprits identified or certainly discouraged from littering, he said. In response, a spokesperson for Limerick City and County Council says mobile CCTV cameras are one option open the council. We use a number of measures to deal with this problem including cameras at litter black spots to identify perpetrators of littering he confirmed. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page. Health Myths (Image credit: Krzysztof Chmielewski | Stock Xchng) Despite what you may have heard, drinking eight glasses of water a day isn't the key to good health. Also, neglecting to wear a coat on a cold day won't make you sick. And you might want to sit down for this pregnancy doesn't last nine months. Health-related myths are often repeated as fact, even though any diligent Google search will reveal the truth behind these fallacies. Here are 26 of the most common medical myths, debunked. Myth: Vaccines can cause the flu (and autism). (Image credit: Vangelis Thomaidis | Stock Xchng) Although the body can develop a low-grade fever in response to any vaccine, rumors that a flu shot can cause the flu are "an outright lie," said Dr. Rachel Vreeman, co-author of "Don't Swallow Your Gum! Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies about Your Body and Health (opens in new tab)" (St. Martin's Griffin, 2009). The flu shot does contain dead flu viruses, but they are, well, dead. "A dead virus cannot be resurrected to cause the flu," Vreeman told Live Science in 2010. As for vaccines causing autism, this myth was started in 1998with an article in the journal The Lancet. In the study, the parents of eight (yes, only eight) children with autism said they believed their children acquired the condition after they received a vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella (the MMR vaccine). Since then, rumors have run rampant despite the results of many studies. For example, a 2002 study in The New England Journal of Medicine of 530,000 (yes, a whopping 530,000) children found no link between vaccinations and the risk of a child developing autism. Unfortunately, the endurance of this myth continues to eat up time and funding dollars that could be used to make advances in autism, rather than proving, over and over again, that vaccinations do not cause the condition, said Vreeman, who also researches pediatric conditions. Myth: Supplements always make you healthier. (Image credit: Dreamstime) Vitamin supplements may be not only ineffectual but even dangerous, studies have shown. For example, a study published in 2016 showed that some older women who take calcium supplements may face an increased risk of dementia. And in a huge review of 20 years of supplement research published in 2015, researchers found that taking high doses of vitamins may be linked with an increased risk of cancer. Aside from these possible long-term risks, reports have suggested that supplements can cause damage in the short term too. A report published in 2016 found that a man in Pennsylvania who took Ayurvedic herbal supplement developed lead poisoning. Another report, also published in 2016, showed that a 4-year-old boy in England went to the ER after taking a slew of "natural" supplements, and developing a condition called vitamin D toxicity. "The FDA does not require supplements to be regulated in the same way that drugs are, which can be a real problem," Vreeman said in 2010. As a result, the safety of many supplements has not been rigorously studied. Furthermore, supplement bottles can sport unsubstantiated claims and even make errors in dosage recommendations, she said. It's a better idea to get your vitamins and other nutrients from eating real food, rather than taking a pill, she said. "A vitamin pill is not the answer," Vreeman said. "Eating more healthily in general is the answer." Myth: Cold weather makes you sick. "This myth is common around the world, but it is just not true," Vreeman told Live Science. Studies have shown we may feel more cold symptoms real or imaginary when we are chilled (after all, a cold is called a "cold" for a reason), but the temperature itself does not make us more susceptible to viruses. This has been known since at least 1968, when a study in The New England Journal of Medicine showed what happened when researchers exposed chilly people to the rhinovirus (one cause of the common cold). It turned out that whether they were shivering in a frigid room or in an icy bath, people were no more likely to get sick after sniffing cold germs than they were at more comfortable temperatures. Vreeman said that cold air also does not make a difference in people's recovery time from a cold. In fact, although the research is in its early stages, "it is possible that being exposed to cold may even help your body in some way," she said. However, its unclear how chilly conditions might affect the germs themselves. Research has shown that two common causes of colds rhinoviruses and coronaviruses may thrive at colder temperatures, and that the flu may spread most effectively under cold, dry conditions. Some scientists speculate that colds are more common in cooler months because people stay indoors more, interacting more closely with one another and giving germs more opportunities to spread. Myth: We use only 10 percent of our brains. (Image credit: Dreamstime) Motivational speakers and other self-help gurus have been promoting this one since as early as 1907, as a way to encourage people to tap into some latent capacity, explained Vreeman and the co-author of her book, Dr. Aaron Carroll, both of the Indiana University School of Medicine, write in the book. But these people were not basing the proclamation on sound science. Today, scientists can look at any brain scan, measuring activity at any given time, and have a big laugh at this myth. "You just don't see big dormant areas," Vreeman said. The idea lingers in popular culture because "we want to think we haven't reached our full potential," Vreeman said. Myth: Sugar turns kids into little monsters. (Image credit: S) It can be hard to find a parent who does not believe this, Vreeman said. "But it is in their heads." In one particularly clever study among a slew of studies finding sugar's nil effect on unruliness, kids were given Kool-Aid sweetened with aspartame, a compound that contains no sugar. Researchers told half of the parents the Kool-Aid contained sugar, and told the other half the truth. The parents in the study who thought their kids were riding a sugar high reported their children were uncontrollable and overactive. But a sensor on the kids' wrists that measured activity level said the opposite: The kids were actually acting subdued. The study was published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology in 1994. Sugar is often given at times when the rules are loosened and there are lots of other kids around, like birthday parties and holidays, Carroll told Live Science. These factors may be behind the myth's persistence in popular culture, he said. Myth: You need to stay awake if you've had a concussion. This young football player wasn't hurt badly, but researchers say concussions among kids who play organized team sports are on the rise. (Image credit: Susan Leggett | Dreamstime) Anyone who may have a concussion should seek medical attention, but the condition is rarely severe or life-threatening. Warnings that people need to stay awake after incurring a concussion most likely grew out of a misunderstanding about a particular type of head injury one that involves brain bleeding and that causes people to have a "lucid period," followed by a coma or even death. But this is very uncommon and doesn't pertain to people with normal concussions, Vreeman said. "If you've been evaluated by a doctor, and he has said that you have a mild regular concussion, you don't need to worry that someone has to wake you up every hour," she said. Myth: Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years. (Image credit: Jeff Prieb | Stock Xchng) Although it is true that many of the ingredients in gum such as elastomers, resins and waxes are indigestible, that does not mean they hang out in your guts for seven years. Plenty of what you eat even things you are recommended to eat, such as fiber is indigestible. But the digestive system is a robust piece of organic machinery, and anything it can't absorb, it moves along. Despite the stickiness and strange consistency of gum, "it passes right through your digestive tract and into the toilet," Vreeman explained. Myth: Reading in the dark or sitting too close to the TV ruins your eyesight. (Image credit: Ariel da Silva Parreira | Stock Xchng) Dim light or alternatively, staring into the multicolored tube at close range can undoubtedly make your eyes work so hard they hurt. But there is no evidence that these practices cause long-term damage, Vreeman said. The TV myth may have started in the 1960s, and at that time, it may have been true. Some early color TV sets emitted high amounts of radiation that could have caused eye damage, but this problem has long been remedied, and today's TV and computer monitors are relatively safe, she said. If you or your child tend to sit so close to the computer or TV that it hurts the eyes, it may be a good idea to get checked for nearsightedness. However, sitting too close does not create a need for glasses even if getting glasses can remedy the habit. Myth: You should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. (Image credit: ArtMast | Stock Xchng) "In general, we are not all walking around in a dehydrated state," Vreeman said, adding that our bodies are very good at regulating our fluid levels. The eight-glasses-a-day myth likely started in 1945, when the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council said adults should take in about 2.5 liters of water a day (equivalent to about eight glasses, or two-thirds of a gallon). Although most media outlets reported that as fact and stopped there, the council actually went on to explain that most of the 2.5 liters comes from food. According to Vreeman, the recommendation should be amended to the following: Drink or eat about eight glasses of fluid a day. Myth: You should wait an hour after eating before you go swimming. (Image credit: Scott Snyder | Stock Xchng) This myth has ruined many summer afternoons, forcing young and old to swelter in the heat while cool waters beckoned, all because they were careless enough to down a PB&J. Let the ban be lifted: There is no special reason not to swim after eating, Vreeman said. It's true that any type of vigorous exercise can be uncomfortable (although not dangerous) after an overwhelming feast. But for most of us whose waterfront dining experience includes sand-dusted chips and soggy sandwiches, that is hardly a concern. And cramps can happen anytime, whether you've eaten or not. If you are swimming in waters so rough that a charley horse will mean the death of you, you should probably swim elsewhere. Just don't forget the picnic! Here, the Dome of the Rock is visited by cats in Jerusalem, Israel, on Dec. 1, 2014. The dome is one of the most popular attractions of the holy site called Temple Mount by the Jews and Al-Haram al-Sharif by Muslims. If you believe what has been touted by several news outlets over the past week, UNESCO seems to have given short shrift to the Temple Mount, the most holy site in Jerusalem. During that time, media outlets all over the world have published stories saying that UNESCO (U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), an agency of the UN that deals with cultural heritage issues, has denied that the Temple Mount was ever the home of Jewish temples. But that is not exactly the case, though sometimes perception is everything. The situation stems from an Oct. 12 resolution that was passed by UNESCO's executive board, comprising representatives from 58 states. During the meeting in Paris, this board reviewed reports and proposed and voted on a wide range of resolutions that dealt with cultural heritage, violent extremism and climate change among other issues. [The Holy Land: 7 Amazing Archaeological Finds] Temple Mount and Al-Haram al-Sharif Undeniably, two temples the most sacred sites for the Jewish people in both ancient times and today once resided at the Temple Mount. The first temple, which housed the Ark of the Covenant, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 B.C., while the second temple, built by King Herod (who reigned around 39 B.C to 1 B.C.), was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70 during a Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire. Though surviving archaeological remains of the temples are sparse (in part, because it is difficult to carry out excavations there due to ongoing conflicts), professional historians and archaeologists do not question the past existence of the two Jewish temples. The side entrance to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, as it stood around 1950. (Image credit: Three Lions/Getty Images) The site is also important to Christians. The Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended to heaven, is located just to the east and the fourth century Church of the Holy Sepulchre is also located near the Temple Mount. [Proof of Jesus Christ? 6 Pieces of Evidence Debated] What happened? The resolution, which contains 41 sections, does not deny the existence of Jewish temples on the Temple Mount; in fact, it affirmed "the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions." However, when writing the resolution, the board referred to the mount only by its Islamic name, "Al-Haram al-Sharif," and never used the words "Temple Mount." It was also highly critical of Israel, addressing Palestinian grievances about the site while largely ignoring Israeli concerns. Irina Bokova, the director-general of UNESCO, who was not part of the board, was not happy with the resolution's wording and the perception that Jewish ties to the site were being denied or downplayed. "The heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city. To deny, conceal or erase any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site, and runs counter to the reasons that justified its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list," she said in a statement. Long-standing conflict The Temple Mount/Al-Haram al-Sharif has long been a flashpoint in the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians. Both Muslims and Jews wish to worship at the site, and the resulting conflicts have led to the deaths of many people over the past century. Israel gained full control over the Temple Mount after the 1967 war with Jordan, when it gained Jerusalem and the West Bank. Since that time, Israeli settlements have sprung up in the West Bank, and Jewish neighborhoods have appeared in East Jerusalem (an area that used to have mostly Muslim inhabitants). Israel and the Palestinians have a long list of grievances against one another. For instance, the Palestinians have accused the Israelis of destroying their history at the site, the UNESCO resolution claiming that Israel "demolished" and removed Islamic-period remains. The resolution also contains a long list of alleged actions by the Israelis, which the authors say are harming Muslim worshippers. Meanwhile, many Israelis accuse the Waqf (also spelled Awqaf), a trust that administers the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, of engaging in illegal renovation and excavation work that is destroying the remains of Jewish buildings and artifacts. As part of the "Temple Mount Sifting Project," archaeologists have been going through the debris dug up by the Waqf and have found numerous archaeological remains, including decorated stone tiles that they say are from the Second Temple. Both sides have accused the other of preventing their people from praying at the Temple site, along with facilitating and encouraging violent attacks that have resulted in the deaths of people on both sides. Please get along In her statement, Bokova urged Jews, Muslims and Christians to respect each other's heritage, to use the site peacefully and to coexist in Jerusalem peacefully. "In this microcosm of humanity's spiritual diversity, different peoples worship the same places, sometimes under different names. The recognition, use of and respect for these names is paramount. The Al Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram al-Sharif, the sacred shrine of Muslims, is also the Har HaBayit or Temple Mount whose Western Wall is the holiest place in Judaism, a few steps away from the Saint Sepulchre and the Mount of Olives revered by Christians," Bokova said. "We have a collective responsibility to strengthen this cultural and religious coexistence, by the power of acts and also by the power of words. This requirement is stronger than ever, to bridge the divisions that harm the multi-faith character of the Old City," she said. The resolution, which was proposed by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan, ultimately passed. Media reports indicate that it passed with 24 "yes" votes, six "no" votes and 26 abstentions. Original article on Live Science. Imagine having the level of detail in Google Maps but for the inner workings of the human body. A new international initiative is creating an atlas that will chart every single cell in the human body, encompassing all of the tissues within Homo sapiens, scientists announced last week at a meeting in London. The revolutionary project, called the Human Cell Atlas, will help biologists and doctors understand, diagnose and treat diseases with the help of high-resolution images of healthy and atypical cells from every structure in the body. [Magnificent Microphotography: 50 Tiny Wonders] "In sickness and in health, cells are the fundamental units of life, and only by knowing our cells will we be able to fully comprehend the mechanisms of human disease," Sten Linnarsson, a professor of molecular systems biology at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, who is participating in the initiative, said in a statement. The initiative was formally announced at an international meeting convened by the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and Wellcome Trust on Oct. 13 and 14. Cells are the building blocks that create the tissues and organs within people's bodies. (Image credit: Genome Research Limited) Cell mapping At the meeting, researchers decided what to include in the initiative's first phase. The scientists said the project is expected to be as ambitious in scope as the Human Genome Project, which was the first successful undertaking to sequence the human genome all of the 3 billion "letters" in human DNA. There are trillions of cells within the human body, but each person came from just two cells: an egg and sperm cell. Once the egg and sperm combine to make an embryo, these cells divide, grow and give rise to new types of cells that form tissues and organs, the project's scientists said. However, there isn't much detailed knowledge about the body's countless cells. Earlier studies have described what certain cells look like under a microscope, and more recent analyses have found the average properties of cells by examining clumps of hundreds or thousands of them. But there isn't yet an entity that shows a magnified image of every cell and what molecules are produced in each cell, the researchers said. For instance, the atlas will include messenger RNA that gives each cell its unique identity. Collecting this information would have been impossible a few years ago, but new advances in single-cell genomics now allow researchers to separate individual cells from different tissues and organs, and to measure the transcriptome (the body's messenger RNA molecules) and other important molecules, the researchers said. [Tiny & Nasty: Images of Things That Make Us Sick] The atlas will examine the genetics behind each cell. (Image credit: Genome Research Limited) "We are currently limited in our understanding of how cells differ across each organ, or even how many cell types there are in the body, said Sarah Teichmann, head of cellular genetics at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the United Kingdom. "The Human Cell Atlas initiative is the beginning of a new era of cellular understanding, as we will discover new cell types; find how cells change across time, during development and disease; and gain a better understanding of biology." The new atlas will identify each cell's type, such as whether it is an immune cell or brain cell. The map will also show where these cells are located within the body's tissues. In addition, it will distinguish among cell states, for instance, what a naive immune cell looks like before it has encountered any pathogens and how a seasoned immune cell appears after it has been activated by a bacterium, the researchers said. Moreover, the atlas will capture key characteristics of cells as they transition, for instance, the changes that occur as a stem cell becomes a specific type of cell, the scientists said. This will help researchers trace the lineage of each cell, such as how a predecessor stem cell in bone marrow turns into a functional red blood cell, the researchers said. The Human Cell Atlas would provide high-resolution images of all of the healthy cells in the body, and what happens when they become unhealthy. (Image credit: Genome Research Limited) These details could help scientists understand how diseases, such as Alzheimer's, asthma and different cancers, develop and how to therapeutically target them, the researchers said. Once completed, the atlas will be made freely available to scientists around the world, the researchers added. "This is exactly the kind of transformative technology that will advance the mission of curing, preventing or managing all diseases by the end of the century," said Cori Bargmann of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the incoming president of science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, who is involved in the initiative. Original article on Live Science. WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. We have liftoff! For the first time in two years, an Orbital ATK Antares rocket has successfully launched into space, departing NASA's Wallops Flight Facility here this evening (Oct. 17) on a mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The upgraded Antares rocket soared into the night sky at 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT) today, topped with Orbital ATK's uncrewed Cygnus cargo capsule. Millions of observers along the U.S. East Coast had the opportunity to view the rocket's ascent, which was visible from as far north as Boston and as far south as central South Carolina. After liftoff, Antares veered southeast on its way into low-Earth orbit. About 9 minutes into the mission, Cygnus entered orbit carrying its load of 5,100 lbs. (2,300 kilograms) of science experiments, hardware and other supplies for the astronauts aboard the ISS. [Photos: Antares Rocket Launches for 1st Time Since 2014] An upgraded Orbital ATK Antares rocket soars into the night sky over NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on Oct. 17, 2016, beginning a Cygnus cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station for NASA. It was Orbital ATK's first Antares rocket launch since a 2014 accident. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls) This is a high-stakes mission for the Virginia-based commercial spaceflight company Orbital ATK. Its last attempt at launching an Antares rocket, nearly two years ago, ended in a catastrophic explosion just a few seconds after liftoff from Pad-0A here at Wallops. The current mission, titled OA-5, is Orbital ATK's sixth official cargo resupply mission for NASA, and the fourth using an Antares rocket. (The two missions immediately following the October 2014 accident employed United Launch Alliance Atlas V rockets.) During a news conference here Saturday (Oct. 15), NASA officials and Orbital ATK representatives expressed confidence that OA-5 would go well. Dale Nash, executive director of Virginia's Commercial Space Flight Authority, said the Wallops launchpad which cost $15 million to rebuild after the 2014 explosion is in better shape than ever before. Nash said the OA-5 prelaunch tests went "extremely well," and that they were "two of the cleanest tests we've ever seen." Despite the clean bill of health for Antares and the onboard Cygnus, an issue with one of the ground support cables at the launchpad just hours before launch time on Sunday (Oct. 16) forced NASA and Orbital ATK to postpone the launch by a day. A few days prior, Hurricane Nicole prompted a scrub of Thursday's (Oct. 13) planned launch as the Category 1 storm shut down Orbital ATK's tracking station in Bermuda. Because the Antares launch date slipped several days, the Cygnus spacecraft's planned arrival now conflicts with the arrival of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that will be delivering three astronauts to the ISS Friday (Oct. 21). Therefore, Cygnus will wait its turn, loitering in orbit until Sunday (Oct. 23), NASA officials said. [ Gallery: Orbital Sciences' Cygnus Spaceship & Antares Rocket ] Under Orbital ATK's $1.9 billion contract with NASA, the private spaceflight company will carry about 66,000 lbs. (30,000 kg) of cargo to the space station over the course of 10 missions. Among Cygnus' cargo on OA-5 are a number of science experiments, supplies and hardware for spacewalks, as well as food and clothing for the astronauts. Today's launch was the first to use Orbital ATK's new and improved Antares 230 rocket. The updated launch system uses Russian-made RD-181 rocket engines in place of AJ26 engines, which were implicated in the October 2014 accident. When Antares' engines ignited this evening, it took the rocket 3.6 seconds to lift off and about 8 seconds to completely exit its support structure. Shortly after liftoff, the rocket wiggled slightly. Gut-wrenching as it may have looked, this wobbling motion was nothing to worry about; the rocket was intentionally designed to wiggle to avoid placing its fiery plume directly over the transporter-erector vehicle at the launchpad, Orbital ATK general manager Mike Pinkston said at a news conference. Once deployed in orbit, Cygnus separated from Antares and began to unfold its solar panels a process that takes about 15 minutes. The spacecraft then revved up its propulsion system to start maneuvering toward the space station. Orbital ATK named the Cygnus flying on this flight the S.S. Alan Poindexter, in honor of the late NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter. Cygnus should arrive at its space station destination on Sunday (Oct. 23), NASA officials said. During its trip, Cygnus will orbit Earth every 90 minutes at about 17,500 mph (28,200 km/h) while gradually increasing its altitude. When it's ready to rendezvous, a robotic grapple arm will extend from the ISS, grab Cygnus and attach or "berth" it to the space station. After unloading the cargo, astronauts on the ISS will fill Cygnus with up to about 5,100 lbs. (2,300 kg) of "disposal cargo" garbage, in other words. Sometime between 10 and 90 days into the mission, Cygnus will leave the space station and head back to Earth. The spacecraft and all that trash should burn up entirely upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. There is little to no risk that it will hit the ground, NASA officials said. But just in case, the spacecraft's trajectory during re-entry will take it to an unpopulated area to minimize any risk. Orbital ATK is now tracking Cygnus from its mission control center in Dulles, Virginia, while NASA follows the spacecraft from the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Editor's note: If you captured an amazing photo of the Antares launch and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send comments and images in to spacephotos@space.com. Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. UK's Geologic Wonders (Image credit: Copyright Mark Ainsley) Photos of Scotland's green and rocky landscape and Wales' weathered limestone are just two of the winning entries for this year's "Our Restless Earth" photography competition, held by The Geological Society of London. The contest celebrates the 50th anniversary of plate tectonic theory, which is why the winning photos portray "the dynamic processes which have shaped the UK and Ireland over its tectonic history, from ancient volcanic activity to ice age glaciers," according to the society. Live Science is including winning photos submitted to the society from the past three years. All of the winning entries will be made into a calendar for the coming year. Subterranean (Image credit: Copyright Gina Williams) Photographer Gina Williams snapped this photo of the White Scar Caves in Yorkshire in Northern England. The amphitheatre (Image credit: Copyright Nigel Bell) This beautiful scene, dubbed "The Amphitheatre" by photographer Nigel Bell, is near the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. Assynt (Image credit: Copyright Timothy Gregory) The Assynt region of Scotland has greenery as far as the eye can see. Loch Maree (Image credit: Copyright Emma Smith) Photographer Emma Smith snapped this photo from a cliff top overlooking Loch Maree in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. Connemara National Park (Image credit: Copyright Ankit Verma) Get an eyeful of the vastly different ecosystems of Connemara National Park in Ireland's Galway County. Laminated sandstones (Image credit: Copyright Milena Farajewicz) Photographer Milena Farajewicz took this photo of the laminated sandstones on Gullane beach in Scotland. The term laminated refers to the small layers, or laminae, that can occur in sandstone. Limestone weathering (Image credit: Copyright Kevin Privett) These dramatically sculpted rocks are weathered limestone. Photographer Kevin Privett took the photo of the Gower Peninsula in South Wales, in the United Kingdom. Lulworth crumple (Image credit: Copyright Mark Godden) This delightful rock arch and piles upon piles of rock layers can be seen at Lulworth Cove in Dorset, in southern England. Photographer Mark Godden named the photo "Lulworth Crumple," in reference to the rock's crushed and creased appearance. Mam Tor (Image credit: Copyright Wayne Brittle) The sun illuminates distant peaks in this photo by Wayne Brittle, who walked around the of Mam Tor, or "mother hill," in Derbyshire, England. Midges and rain (Image credit: Copyright Mark Ainsley) This long exposure captured cascades of water in front of a peak in Glencoe, Scotland. Can a parasite control your mind? A Toxoplasma gondii tissue cyst. (Image credit: CDC) A single-cell parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, is perhaps best-known for its connection to cats. The parasite can move from its feline host to humans, most commonly through contact with cat feces. And while the parasite typically only causes mild infection (people may have flulike symptoms), in people with weakened immune systems, infections can cause serious problems, from seizures to severe lung problems. But a T. gondii infection can also have some downright bizarre effects. Over the years, the parasite has not only surprised and stumped researchers, but has also led to new insights into how human behaviors work. Here are seven strange facts about T. gondii. T. gondii has been shown to increase fearlessness in rats. Rats are found all over the world. (opens in new tab) | shutterstock (opens in new tab) ) (Image credit: Alkestida Rats infected with the parasite seem to lose their typical fear of cats, and more specifically, their fear of cat urine. A 2011 study in PLOS ONE suggested that infected rats start to feel a type of "sexual attraction" to the smell of cat urine, rather than their usual defensive response to the scent. This might be because a T. gondii infection changes neural activity in certain areas of the brain, the researchers said. The parasite overwhelms the innate fear response so that rats no longer avoid the scent of cat urine, they wrote. Instead, the amorous rats are drawn to it and to their deaths. T. gondii can leap between almost all warm-blooded animals. (Image credit: Arrleyd80/Shutterstock.com) Cats and rats aren't the only animals that can host the parasite. T. gondii is an exceptional parasite in that it can leap from almost any warm-blooded creature to another. Although an estimated 6 in of 10 infectious human diseases are zoonotic (meaning they can hop from animals to humans), hardly any share T. gondiis wide versatility of host organisms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists havent pinpointed exactly why this is, but some research, such as a 2011 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that at least part of the answer may be found in the parasites proteins: When a certain type of protein is removed, the parasite is no longer virulent. Researchers speculate that this is because those proteins disrupt key proteins in the hosts cell that are key to the hosts immune response. [10 Deadly Diseases That Hopped Across Species] Others suggest that T. gondii could contribute to other types of mental illness, even suicide. Toxoplasma gondii parasites growing in a sample of brain tissue. (Image credit: CDC/ Jonathan W.M. Gold. M.D.) Schizophrenia isn't the only psychological disorder that is possibly linked to T. gondii. A 2011 study that was done in mice and published in the journal PLOS ONE showed that the parasitemay cause infected brain cells to release high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Increases in dopamine could play a hand in certain mood disorders, such as bipolar disease, which has been linked to dopamine irregularities, according to the study. Other research done in humans suggests that Toxoplasma could be connected to impulsivity, and even suicide. The parasite wouldnt be the first pathogen to alter people's brain and behavior: The rabies virus, which is deadly in people, has long been shown to have devastating neurological effects. Some studies suggest that T. gondii is linked to schizophrenia. A person's recovery after a major stressful event may depend in part on their self-esteem, a new study finds. (opens in new tab) via Shutterstock) (Image credit: Brain image via Shutterstock) One of Toxoplasmas most frightening and most controversial possible effects is its impact on the mind. If a woman is infected with the parasite while she is pregnant, her fetus may be at risk for developing schizophrenia and other mental disorders, according to a 2006 study of people living in Denmark, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry. And thats not all. A 2014 study that was published in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease found Toxoplasma antibodies in patients with schizophrenia, providing further evidence for a potential link between the parasite and the mental illness. T. gondii has no cure. (Image credit: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com) There are no medications available to treat T. gondii. Other than remaining vigilant to try to prevent infection, theres not too much else to do. In a 2005 study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, health care providers advised pregnant women and women looking to become pregnant to get screened for T. gondii. The authors also suggested that women understand the risk factors for infection, such as exposure to cats (and particularly litter boxes and feces), consuming improperly cooked meat and drinking untreated water. Up to half of the world may be infected. (Image credit: Savchenko Liudmyla/Shutterstock.com) Researchers can't seem to agree on just how widespread T. gondii is, in part because many cases may go unreported. A 2002 study in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection estimated that between 16 to 40 percent of people worldwide are infected, but in certain regions, such as parts of Central America, South America and continental Europe, the rates are between 50 to 80 percent. A 2011 study in the Journal of Global Infectious Diseasesgave a much higher estimate of the numbers of people infected: about 6 billion people worldwide, or more than 80 percent of the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 60 million people in the United States or nearly 20 percent are infected. A simple blood test can determine whether you have T. gondii antibodies, which indicate infection with the parasite. [7 Absolutely Horrible Head Infections] Most of the time, T. gondii has no symptoms. Toxoplasma gondii present in mouse body fluids. (Image credit: CDC/ Dr. L.L. Moore, Jr.) Though T. gondii can cause flulike symptoms in mild cases, a 2014 study in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygienesuggested that in the vast majority of cases, people experience only mild symptoms, or no symptoms at all. Indeed, this may be why the parasite has been largely neglected by researchers, the authors wrote. The parasite is most dangerous to those with preexisting conditions, such as diseases that contribute to a suppressed immune system. But most people infected with T. gondii will never even know they have it. Originally published on Live Science. A word to the wise: Stay away from ghost peppers. A puree made from these peppers which are infamous for their off-the-charts level of spiciness led to a rare, life-threatening condition in an otherwise healthy, 47-year-old man in California, according to a recent report of the man's case. Ghost peppers are among the hottest chili peppers in the world, the report said. They have a measured "heat" of more than 1 million Scoville heat units, according to the report. (For comparison, a poblano pepper measures at 2,000 Scoville units, and jalapenos come in at 5,000. Eating a single seed from a ghost pepper can cause severe burning in the mouth that lasts up to 30 minutes, the report said. [Here's a Giant List of the Strangest Medical Cases We've Covered] In the man's case, a ghost pepper had been pureed and served atop a hamburger as a part of an eating contest at local restaurant. After finishing the pepper-topped burger, the man drank six large glasses of water, then began "violently retching and vomiting," according to the report, which was published online in September in the Journal of Emergency Medicine. The man ended up going to the emergency room in San Francisco because he couldn't stop vomiting, and developed severe chest and stomach pain, the authors wrote. A CT scan of the man's chest appeared to show that his esophagus was torn and that his left lung had collapsed, so the man was sent for emergency surgery. During the operation, the surgeons found a 2.5-centimeter (1 inch) tear in the man's esophagus. The tear was leaking food a mix of "hamburger, onions and other green vomitus material" into the space around the man's left lung, which had collapsed, according to the report. The surgeons repaired the man's esophagus and re-inflated his lung, then placed him on a feeding tube so that his esophagus could heal. The man's condition, a "spontaneous esophageal rupture," which is also called Boerhaave syndrome, is "a relatively rare phenomenon," said lead study author Dr. Ann Arens, who was a physician in the department of emergency medicine at the University of California, San Francisco at the time of the man's case in the summer of 2015. (Arens is currently an emergency medicine doctor and medical toxicologist at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.) Spontaneous esophageal rupture is caused by violent vomiting and retching, Arens said. In other words, the man's reaction to the ghost pepper, rather than the pepper itself, caused the rupture, Arens said. The condition is very dangerous, and is fatal in 20 to 40 percent of all cases, even when patients receive treatment, the report said. "If [the condition is] left untreated, mortality approaches 100 percent," the authors wrote. When patients die from a ruptured esophagus, the cause of death is likely a "rapid and fatal infection," Arens told Live Science. The man was sent home from the hospital 23 days after the operation, the report said. His feeding tube was still in place when he was sent home, but Arens said the tube was only temporary, until the esophagus healed. She said she believes the man is currently doing well. When Arens spoke to the man after the surgery, he "did not seem keen to try [eating a ghost pepper] again," she said. Arens noted that she was not the primary doctor in the ER who was caring for the patient; rather, she was contacted by the doctors treating the man, because they wanted to know if there were any "antidotes" for hot peppers, she said. "Unfortunately, there are no specific antidotes for hot peppers outside of the usual antacids," Arens added. Originally published on Live Science. Check out our latest E-Edition Accessible anytime and anywhere on your desktop, tablet and smart phone devices. The Lodi News e-Edition is enhanced with the latest digital tools, including RSS feeds, social networking and much more. Check out our latest E-edition! Weve always had a good choice of Longford boozers to call on in the big city but now we have another venue to add to the list. Robert and John Mahon Jnr and Brian Donohoe (Dromard) officially opened Kennedys Pub at Westland Row Dublin 2 last week and several of the Dublin glitterati turned out for the big event. Robert and John are sons of Geraldine and John Mahon, Newtownforbes and New York, where their father is probably the foremost Irish pub owner. He was also actively in the Dublin pub scene for a number of years and was at ODonohoes on Merrion Row (now Ollie Bardens) for a number of years. Now the next generation of Mahons are involved in the Dublin pub scene and have teamed up with business partner and well known Moyne native, Brian Donohoe, to take over the running of this iconic Dublin watering hole. Brian was previously the manager of the FAS office (we called it Manpower back then) in Longford and after going to the big city ran a very successful Londis supermarket in Inchicore. The trio bought the landmark Dublin bar earlier this year for several million and it has been one of the biggest pub transactions in recent years. Theyve made a number of changes since taking over and these include a stylish new function room which was formally unveiled last week. Several people from Longford travelled up for the opening and there is no doubt that team Mahon and Donohoe will always lay on a special welcome for anybody visiting from the home country! Local News, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: October 18 2016 Former federal prosecutor and State Senator Todd Kaminskys reelection campaign has been endorsed by six law enforcement associations across Nassau County and New York state. Long Island, NY - October 17, 2016 - Former federal prosecutor and State Senator Todd Kaminskys reelection campaign has been endorsed by: The Nassau County Police Benevolent Association The Police Benevolent Association of New York State The Rockville Centre PBA The Nassau County Police Superior Officers Association The Nassau County Detectives Association The Nassau Police Conference Kaminsky is running for re-election following his historic, April 19th Special Election victory to replace convicted former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. After receiving the PBAs endorsement, Senator Todd Kaminsky said, I am deeply humbled and grateful to receive the endorsement of these courageous men and women. As a former state and federal prosecutor, I worked hand-in-hand with law enforcement and I know how hard their job is. Officers work tirelessly, day in and day out, to protect our communities and keep our families safe. Long Island continues to face rising challenges from drug trafficking, gang activity, and illegal guns, and our police and law enforcement officers are on the front lines - selflessly battling to reduce crime across the South Shore. I look forward to continuing to work with the law enforcement community to make sure they have the tools and resources they need to do this thankless work. Endorsing Senator Kaminsky, Nassau County PBA President Jimmy Carver said: Every day and every night, law enforcement officers in Nassau County put their lives on the line to protect our community and its comforting to know that Todd Kaminsky has our back -and thats why we have his. Todd has worked tirelessly to get illegal guns off the streets, fight the scourge of heroin that has plagued our communities, and dismantle gang activity that is on the rise on Long Island. A former prosecutor, Todd knows the challenges that law enforcement officers face and we trust that Todd will continue standing up for Long Island in the State Senate. About Todd Kaminsky Senator Kaminsky has spent his career fighting for Long Island families and working to end government corruption. As a federal prosecutor representing Long Island, Brooklyn and Queens, and as acting deputy chief of the Public Integrity Section, Todd took down corrupt elected officials, drug kingpins and other major felons. In April, 2016, Todd won a Special Election to replace Dean Skelos and immediately began serving the South Shore in the State Senate. During his time in the Senate and State Assembly, Todd fought for and won ethics reforms, one of the largest middle class tax breaks in state history, aid for Sandy victims, and a historic $20million increase in funding for South Shore school districts. School & Education, Local News, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events By Long Island News & PR Published: October 18 2016 Recently accepted and prospective students and their families will be welcomed by faculty, administrators and current students at Suffolk County Community Colleges open house. Selden / Brentwood / Riverhead, NY - October 17, 2016 - Recently accepted and prospective students and their families will be welcomed by faculty, administrators and current students at Suffolk County Community Colleges open house scheduled across all three of colleges campuses and the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Center in Riverhead on Sunday November 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. College faculty and administrators will welcome visitors and offer detailed information about Suffolks varied degree and certificate programs. Admissions staff will help students and parents navigate the admissions process and answer questions and financial aid representatives will provide information about the grants and loan process, as well as the many academic scholarships available at Suffolk. Veterans should note that campus representatives will be available to provide educational and transitional services information. We look forward to having students and their families join us to learn about our academic programs and student support services, said Joanne E. Braxton, Suffolks Dean of Enrollment Management, adding they will also have the opportunity to tour the campus with student guides who can answer questions." Attendees should RSVP here Local News, Press Releases By divorceattorney Published: October 18 2016 Matt Varvaro, candidate for New York State Assembly in the 16th District, released his plan to grow the economy, create jobs, and lower the cost of living and doing business on LI. Port Washington, NY - October 17, 2016 - Matt Varvaro, candidate for New York State Assembly in the 16th District, today released his plan to grow the economy, create jobs, and lower the cost of living and doing business on Long Island. The last decade has seen prolonged economic stagnation here on Long Island, Varvaro said. Empty storefronts have become an all-too-common sight. Varvaro continued, Unfortunately, we live in one of the highest-taxed areas of Americas highest-taxed state. New Yorks burdensome tax and regulatory codes put an enormous strain on those who want to start a family or small business on Long Island. As a result, many are leaving New York for states with better and more affordable economic climates. When Matt gets to Albany, he will promote an economic agenda that includes: Comprehensive tax reform with lower rates. The New York State tax code is ridden with loopholes, while imposing oppressively high rates on families and small businesses. That has it exactly backwards. First, we should lower tax rates to ease the tax burden on the average Long Island family and make New York more competitive. Second, we should get rid of the loopholes and handouts in the tax code that mainly benefit special interests. When we do that, our economy will take off, jobs will come back to New York, and Long Island families will see major tax relief. Making the property tax cap permanent. The tax cap has been an effective tool for stopping major tax increases and keeping government spending in check. While local governments should operate with some flexibility, they should continue to serve taxpayers in a fiscally responsible manner by living within their means under reasonable tax cap budgets. Reducing burdensome and unnecessary regulations. In addition to being the highest-taxed state in the country, New York is also one of the most regulated. Excessive regulations put similar burdens on families and small businesses by raising the cost of living and working in New York State. While we clearly need some common-sense regulations to protect public safety, we should get rid of burdensome regulations that have no purpose other than to be a nuisance, and to cost people time and money. Barbers, for example, should not have to spend more than 800 days in technical training to get a license. By reforming these types of regulations, we would lower the cost of doing business on Long Island and make it easier for people to get high-quality, good-paying jobs. Local News, National & World News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events By Long Island News & PR Published: October 18 2016 Donations will be collected at this meeting on Tuesday, October 18. Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre: "We must come together during this time of need for the great country of Haiti. West Babylon, NY - October 18, 2016 - Today, Tuesday, October 18th Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D-Babylon) will be joined by Senator of South Haiti Herve Fourcand, Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, Presiding Officer Legislature DuWayne Gregory, Nassau County Legislator Carrie Solages, Brookhaven Councilwoman Valerie Cartwright, Haitian Americans United for Change, Inc. (H.A.U.C.), and Pastor St. Fort of New Birth Christian Church. During this town hall meeting important discussions will take place regarding the current state of Haiti due to the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, and elected officials as well as community members will collaborate together on the ways in which we can come together as a community in order to help Haiti. Donations will be collected at this meeting. As a Haitian-American, I am deeply saddened by the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, said Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre. This meeting is an opportunity for members of the community to come and hear directly from the senator, the state of Haitian People and what are the current needs. We must come together during this time of need for the great country of Haiti. Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2016 Time: Doors open at 5:15 p.m. The town hall meeting will begin at 6p.m.(sharp). Location: New Birth Christian Church, 400 Wyandanch Avenue, West Babylon, New York, 11704 Donations may include: Toiletries, personal care items, new and gently used clothing and footwear (adults, children, infants), bed linens, first aid kits, flash lights and batteries, new and gently used sleeping bags and tents, water and non-perishable food items. Monetary Donations are being collected by Haitian Americans United for Change, Inc. Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com Columnists Press Releases Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here. Lifestyle / Travel Travel and tourism professionals gathered in Vietnam to celebrate the best of Asia and Australia, zooming in on Malaysia and Queenstown, New Zealand. Oct 18, 2016 | By Madelaine Angelina Last weekend, travel and tourism professionals gathered at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort in Vietnam to celebrate and honor the best of tourism options in Asia and Australasia. The winners of the World Travel Awards Asia and Australasia were selected through a voting system that included both industry players, such as tour operators and corporate types, and the general public. This time around, New Zealands Queenstown and Malaysia came out as the top destinations of Australasia and Asia, respectively. Queenstown was a clear favorite this year as a waterfront city that also boasts a majestic mountainous backdrop. Malaysia on the other hand, beat out Macau, Singapore, and Thailand as the top Asian destination. Given the mourning period in Thailand, this was a lucky choice! For the airlines category, the Asia winner was Hainan while Air New Zealand flew the flag for Australasia. Here are the other major winners of the night: Asia Asias leading beach destination: Philippines Leading boutique hotel: The Sarojin, Thailand Leading city break destination: Hong Kong Leading hotel brand: InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Leading luxury hotel: The Peninsula Hong Kong Leading hotel: The Oberoi Udaivilas, India Leading new resort: Studio City Macau Leading resort: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, Indonesia Australasia Malaria Consortium announces Professor Marcel Tanner as Chair 18 October 2016 Malaria Consortium is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Marcel Tanner as Chair of the Board of Trustees. His appointment comes following a transition from the previous Chair, Dr. Julian Lob-Levyt, who steps down after six years, following the completion of his tenure in the role. Malaria Consortium would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Lob-Levyt for his commitment as Chair and to recognise his excellent efforts in leading the Board and furthering the work and achievements of Malaria Consortium. On handing over to Professor Tanner, Dr. Lob-Levyt commented: It has been a privilege to serve as Chair of the Malaria Consortium these past six years. I would like to thank not only my fellow trustees (past and present) but also all the superb staff that have made the Malaria Consortium what it is today, a strong and highly thought of international organisation committed to supporting the health of people in some of the poorest parts of the world. I also thank our many and diverse donors and supporters. I am thrilled that Professor Tanner accepted to become Chair and wish him as much pleasure and pride as I have had the good fortune to enjoy in this remarkable organisation. Professor Marcel Tanner is the former director of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and professor of epidemiology and medical parasitology at the University of Basel. He has devoted his entire life to the development of new drugs and vaccines for the eradication of malaria and other poverty-related diseases and to find new solutions to strengthen health systems in Africa and the Pacific region. In addition to his role with Malaria Consortium, Professor Tanner was a member of the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC) of WHO until this year and is chair of the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) of GMP/WHO, and chair of the INCLEN Trust, the INDEPTH network and of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). He chairs the Scientific Advisory Board of FIND and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases in Singapore. Professor Tanner was key in building up research and implementation institutions in Africa, namely the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) in Tanzania and the Centre Suisse de Recherche Scientifiques (CSRS) in Cote dIvoire. It is a pleasure and great privilege to follow Dr. Julian Lob-Levyt as chair and to assist the further development of the Malaria Consortium and further strengthen its impact for those most in need, said Professor Tanner, commenting on his appointment. Malaria Consortium looks forward to working with Professor Tanner in our next chapter, and to continuing to pursue across the organisation the technical excellence and reputable evidence-based solutions for which we are renowned. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has regained its status as the most favoured forum for US patent validity challenges, as noted by law firm Fish & Richardson in an alert. As of October 7 some 1,299 petitions had been filed at the PTAB in 2016, putting it slightly ahead of the 1,249 cases filed in the Eastern District of Texas. These two were far ahead of the 317 cases in the District of Delaware and 246 cases in the Central District of California. Most active courts by numbers of cases* 2016 (est) 2016 (YTD) 2015 2014 2013 2012 PTAB 1,698 1,299 1,800 1,677 792 112 TXED 1,633 1,249 2,548 1,428 1,498 1,252 DED 414 317 544 942 1,335 1,001 CACD 322 246 277 320 411 506 *As of October 7 2016 Source: Fish & Richardson, based on Docket Navigator Analytics Fish & Richardson noted that this means the PTAB is on course to be the most active court for the year, as it was in 2014 when it surpassed the Eastern District of Texas by 16%. While the PTAB and district courts continue to see a decrease in filings overall, Q3 statistics show that the PTAB is once again the most favoured forum for US patent validity challenges, and is currently on track to hold this title through the end of 2016, said Fish & Richardson. At the pace set so far this year, 2016 is on course to end with 1,698 PTAB petitions 4.0% ahead of the projected 1,633 cases in the Eastern District of Texas. However, the PTABs dominance is not a result of increased popularity. Petition filing in the first three quarters of the year is down 8% on the same period in 2015. (Subscribers and triallists can read our analysis of PTAB filing in the first nine months and rankings of the top petitioners and patent owners here.) As Fish & Richardsons analysis revealed, the PTAB is on course to end the year 5.7% down on the 1,800 petitions filed last year the first time filing will have fallen since PTAB proceedings became available. Rather, a drop off in filing in the Eastern District of Texas is responsible for the turnaround. Overall district court filing in the first nine months is down 19.4% (3,394 cases were filed in the first nine months of 2016 compared with 4,212 in the first nine months of 2015). The drop is even more pronounced for the Eastern District of Texas, however. In the first nine months of this year 35.5% of all cases were filed in the district compared with 44.2% of cases in the whole of 2015 (subscribers and triallists can read our analysis of district court filing and the top plaintiffs and defendants here). So not only is district court filing down, the Eastern District of Texass share of cases is down also. According to Fish & Richardson, the district is on course to have 1,633 cases filed this year, down 35.9% on the 2,548 cases in 2015. Also on the blog in the past week were: PTAB most active forum for US patent disputes Weve also posted the following articles in the past week (log in via subscription or free trial): Samsung v Apple analysis: design patents put to the test at Supreme Court U-Haul to pay PODS $41m trade mark settlement Little impact from PTAB testimonial evidence so far Appeal dismissed in pregabalin patent case Q3 US patent litigation data and analysis CJEU clarifies copyright exhaustion in Microsoft case Samsung v Apple SCOTUS arguments: Tests proposed for "article of manufacture" A good month for patent eligibility McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoffs Patent Docs blog ran an article suggesting it is now easier for district courts to find that claims are not ineligible at both the pleadings and post-discovery stages. Three Section 101 holdings from the Federal Circuit this year finding software claims patent-eligible appear to have loosened up the application of 101 by district courts. Source: Patent Docs Source: Patent Docs The article examined 141 distinct cases, of which claims were found eligible 73 times and ineligible 68 times, giving an eligibility rate of 51.7%. Thus, it appears as if, in 2016, patents are being found eligible in a higher percentage of cases than previously, it said. September was the best month for patentees this year. The court ruled in favour of the patentee in 78.2% of cases 18 of 23. Twenty of these cases were decided on the pleadings (with a 75% success rate) and three were decided after discovery (100% success rate). The majority of the 101 decisions in September, and throughout the year, were made on the pleadings, said the article. Prior to September, the patentee success rate on the pleadings was hovering around 44%. As noted above, this increased to 75% last month. Thus, the main driver of the high rates of eligibility in September was decisions made on the pleadings. The law firm gave some explanations for this: Enfish and McRo making it harder to invalidate a patent before discovery, patents post-Alice undergoing a higher level of vetting by patent owners and post-grant review proceedings weeding out some of the weaker patents before district courts have a change to complete. USPTO asks for input on eligibility again Speaking of patent eligibility, the USPTO has announced that it will be holding two roundtables in November and in December as part of an effort to solicit input from the public regarding the legal contours of patent subject matter eligibility. USPTO director Michelle Lee commented: Our goal is to minimise any uncertainty in the patent system by ensuring we not only continue to apply the statute and case law in this area as faithfully as possible, but also understand the impact of the jurisprudence on innovation by assessing what, if any, changes might be helpful to further support innovation. In a notice published in the Federal Register, the USPTO announced the first roundtable will be held November 14 at the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. This roundtable will focus on the USPTO's continuing efforts to seek input from across the country and across industries on how the USPTO can improve the agencys subject matter eligibility guidance and training examples. The USPTO will host a second roundtable on December 5 at Stanford University in Stanford, California. Together, these roundtables will help facilitate discussion on patent subject matter eligibility in view of several decisions in recent years by the courts, said the USPTO. The trade mark lawsuit awakens Lucasfilm has sued the New York Jedi Club and associated Lightsaber Academy in the Northern District of California, reports TorrentFreak. Defendants are in the business of promoting, producing, offering for sale and selling unauthorized Lightsaber classes, which purport to teach students how to use Lightsabers and/or perform as Jedi, says the complaint. Lucafilm is the trade mark owner for Jedi and Lightsaber. It also accuses the defendants of using a logo that is nearly identical to the Jedi Order logo (see right). Another Supreme Court patent case? The US Supreme Court could be set to add another patent case to its docket. The government last week recommended that the court review Impression Products v Lexmark International, reports SCOTUSblog. The case centres on the issue of the scope of the patent exhaustion doctrine and involves toner cartridges used in laser printers. Impression Products asks two questions in its petition: 1. Whether a conditional sale that transfers title to the patented item while specifying post-sale restrictions on the articles use or resale avoids application of the patent exhaustion doctrine and therefore permits the enforcement of such post-sale restrictions through the patent laws infringement remedy. 2. Whether, in light of this Courts holding in Kirtsaeng v John Wiley & Sons (2013), that the common law doctrine barring restraints on alienation that is the basis of exhaustion doctrine makes no geographical distinctions, a sale of a patented article authorised by the US patentee that takes place outside of the US exhausts the US patent rights in that article. As SCOTUSblogs Amy Howe reports: In his brief on behalf of the federal government, Acting Solicitor General Ian Gershengorn urges the court to take on both of the questions presented by Impressions petition. First, the governments brief contends, the Supreme Court has long held that when a patent holder sells (or authorizes the sale of) a patented product in the United States, the patent laws do not restrict the subsequent sale of the product. This is true, the government argues, even if as here a patent holder like Lexmark has put limitations on the post-sale use or resale of the product as part of the terms of the sale. The Federal Circuits decision to the contrary, the government tells the justices, would substantially erode the exhaustion doctrine. Regarding the second question, the government says the Federal Circuit was wrong to hold an overseas sale never exhausts US patent rights in the patented product. But it added that Impressions argument that an authorised overseas sale always exhausts US patent rights is equally wrong. Patent forum shopping petitions Amicus briefs are being filed in support of another Supreme Court petition, this one urging the an end forum shopping in patent cases. TC Heartland has asked the Supreme Court to review the law that allows such a high concentration of patent cases in one district. Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge last week filed an amicus brief in the case. In our brief in support of TC Heartlands petition for certiorari, we argue that the Federal Circuits rule is fundamentally unfair and undermines the very purpose of the venue statutes, explains EFFs Vera Ranieri in a blog post. The brief also details how the rule has significant, substantive effects on cases that, without correction, will continue to create ongoing harms. Were not the only ones that feel the Federal Circuit law is due for review. TC Heartland has also received support from 32 Internet companies, retailers, and associations as well as the Washington Legal Foundation. In addition, this week 56 law professors including Mark Lemley, Brian Love, Colleen Chen and Arti Rai filed an amicus brief in support of the petition. The FTC's report on patent assertion entities released earlier this month revealed that 53% of the studied cases were filed in the Eastern District of Texas. In brief - Qualcomm has taken it patent dispute with Meizu to the International Trade Commission, even though the Chinese smartphone maker does not sell into the US yet, reports San Diego Union-Tribune. It also filed a complaint in Germany and an infringement seizure action in France. In June, Qualcomm filed lawsuits in China against Meizu alleging patent infringement and refusal to negotiate a patent licence with Qualcomm. - The number of craft beer trade marks registered in the UK hit a record high in 2015, reports The Grocer. The 1,666 beer trade marks registered was up 12% on 1,485 in 2014. - Many people are surprised to learn that Hillary Clinton was an intellectual property attorney when she practiced law from 1977-1992 for the Rose Law Firm, reports Foley & Lardner. There are at least three reported court decisions on which she is named as counsel. Bhubaneswar: At least 22 patients were killed and 20 others were injured in a fire that broke out at the SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar on Monday evening. While 14 patients were received brought dead at the Capital Hospital, eight were brought dead to AMRI Hospital from the fire-struck private medical facility, officials said. The Capital Hospital Superintendent Dr Binod Kumar Mishra said, "We have received 14 dead bodies, while five other patients have been shifted from SUM Hospital. Meanwhile, AMRI Hospital (Bhubaneswar) unit head Dr Salil Kumar Mohanty said, "A total of 37 patients were received at our casualty ward. Our doctors have declared eight persons as brought dead." The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of the private hospital which spread to the nearby Intensive Care Unit (ICU). More than 100 patients and their attenders were injured due to fire. Some people were found to have sustained injuries. PTI Americas independent sectorits civil societyis the best-funded and most robust in the world. It consistently develops new and effective approaches to some of the nations most serious social problems. Since 2001, the Manhattan Institute has sought to identify and recognize some of the most promising social entrepreneurs and the new non-profits theyve founded, based on their own original ideas. The more than 50 winners of the Richard Cornuelle award, named for the writer who coined the term independent sector, have addressed challenges as diverse as teaching English to new immigrants, building facilities for charter schools, helping older Americans age in place, developing science and engineering curricula for high schools, and helping African-American college students continue through to graduation. Most are supported entirely by private philanthropy. In this column, Ill profile this years winners of the Cornuelle award. This week, I profile Santa Fes Coming Home Connection, built on the idea that volunteers can play the key role in addressing one of our most stubborn social problemshelping the long-term ill and the dying avoid the bleak life of nursing homes. As much as we praise and encourage voluntarism in America, there are some needs which, on the surface, which volunteers would not seem likely to address. But at a time when the number of chronically ill and elderly confined to their homes keeps rising, and the number of those willing to work as home health aides has failed to keep up, a small program in New Mexico is showing that community volunteers can help close the gap. That theres a need cannot be doubted. As in so many parts of the U.S., the over-65 population in Santa Fe is expected to grow by 64 percent by 2030. Yet the city has had, what a local hospital official calls, a total lack of infrastructure to care for these needs. One would never expect to see a feasible model for completely free, volunteer-provided in-home health care help to fill the vacuum. But thats exactly what Santa Fes Glenys Carl has built in what she calls the Coming Home Connection. Her organization recruits and trains volunteers to provide completely free in-home carecare that often is 24/7 and extends for months and years as well as for the short-term, filling a critical need for the elderly, the chronically ill, the uninsured, and low-income adults. CHC volunteers provide gradually increasing amounts of care for dying patients, working closely to help families and those without families to stay in their homes through their last days. Surveys show that most people prefer to die at homean option generally not funded by insurance plans. Long-term care coverage is a help but is not widely available and often is not sufficient. Founded in 2007, CHC operates in a straightforward fashion. Gladys Carl recruits volunteers, many from a local nursing program run by a community college, as well as others with no medical training. Some 400 volunteers have been trained since 2007 and all are required to submit to a background check and attend a three-day training program. A registered nurse in the CHC office is in charge of patient intake (though Carl is involved with everything) to assess the patients needs and to make a care plan. Many of those assisted just need temporary help after minor knee surgery. Other times, there are teams of CHC volunteers who provide full in-home care for weeks, months and even years. Approximately 80 active volunteers care for 30100 patients every week, last year serving 147 families. Using online volunteer-scheduling software, CHC is able to tally annual total volunteer hours: for 2015, 20,000 hours of free care and 40,000 hours of care that was at least partially compensated. One volunteer, Christina Simic, described how CHC cared for her friend, who was a middle-aged man dying of tongue and throat cancer. He had no insurance and no close family relations. Carl told the man, we will be there for you, which was a precious and priceless gesture for Simic. As the man declined, a team of 25 volunteers took turns with his carecare that was compassionate and caring and often overnight. The man had never before felt loved until this time and felt safe for the first time in his life. Most of what CHC does is defined as long-term palliative care, end-of-life care and disability support. Volunteers help with meal preparation, getting in and out of bed, fall prevention, driving and shopping, changing dressings and just being a friend. One local volunteer specializes in modifying homes with grab bars at no charge. Donated medical equipment, such as wheelchairs and walkers, are also loaned free of charge. CHC uses three categories to group patients by level of need; certain volunteers have specialized training to care for high-need patients but generally even those patients require something short of professional nursing care. As a practical matter, that means CHC can help someone with incontinence but not with a feeding tube. The mandatory three-day volunteer training focuses on practical instruction around care skills (lifting, transfers, wound care, first aid, following doctors orders, etc.), hospice care, ethical decision-making, grief counseling and volunteer self-care. The experience of Coming Home Connection makes clear that such relatively basic assistance could help many stay in their homes --and stay out nursing homes. Its assistance is key, for both legal, as well as medical, reasons. Those suffering from chronic, life-threatening illness may not, it's important to note, choose hospice care at home unless there is live-in family or a caregiver. Hospice care entails one or two visits a day (to check the patients health and pain levels and adjust medication) but does not assist with daily living. Carl herself, originally from Wales, remembers hospice homes (which originated in Wales and England) and has aspirations to build a small, home-like hospice house in Santa Fe, where patients could go for round-the-clock hospice care or respite care for families of the chronically and terminally ill. She has even caught the interest of a foundation in supporting her idea; but Santa Fe property values are very high, so she has not yet found the right property. The organization operates on only $250,000 a year, none from government sources. Besides the Con Alma foundation and the St. Vincents Hospital Foundation, support is provided from the Kresge Foundation, the Santa Fe Community Foundation, the Rotary Club and several New Mexico family foundations. In 2009, as the program was getting started, CHC received a grant of $350,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The CHC volunteers whom I met referred with disdain to our popular culture that ignores or fears death. In todays modern, disconnected society, CHC offers the great gift of sharing in our illness and death by offering this loving, humane, often thankless work of charity. This piece originally appeared on Forbes ______________________ Howard Husock is the Vice President of Research and Publications at the Manhattan Institute. Trump Election Victory is in Your Power The world has been fed a false narrative as the average brain washed victim of mass distortion is led to the slaughter house. The looking glass of cultural perversion has never been more prominently on display then during this presidential election mind melt. If there was even a question about the gullibility of the electorate, just examine the sentiments of political party stalwarts that rush to influence the voting choices of their neighbors and communities. Listening to these factions of the failed established order is like believing that accepting a poor future is actually better for you. What next? Trust them that forgoing the blindfold because they are environmentally harmful, when you are put against the wall for a firing squad. If all the criticism of Donald Trump for his so called scorched earth rhetoric was really empty talk, timid political observers have not made much effort to read the policy position papers or listen to his fundamental American based objective for restoring the country to a recovered nation for all citizens. The talking head pundits and discredited phony journalists, who spin and perpetuate a fairy tale of disinformation to avoid any serious discussion about essential issues and national survival risks, is the entire strategy behind the lap dogs that sniff the entrails of their corporatist masters. Killary Clinton is a malefic sorcerer, who worships satanic power and has total disdain for Little People. What more needs to be said? Case closed and the jury can only reject her globalist New World Order nightmare. Voting for Clinton is like choosing Barabbas. Get real folks. Mike Adams lays out the facts in VOTERS WARNED: You've already lost America... this election is about taking it back in the last non-violent way possible: At the voting booth. Any knowledgeable witness to the systematic destruction of America understands that the grains of sand are running out to put a stop to the treason that has sold out the American public. Not all will want to believe Adams prognostications or want to accept that it all comes down to a definitive rebellion. I truly believe that if Hillary Clinton wins this election, things will inevitably unravel to the point of open armed revolt where tens of thousands of armed Americans march on Washington to occupy the government buildings and arrest the corrupt, treasonous bureaucrats running the corrupt government. In fact, I believe many elements of the military would join in such an effort, making it a combined citizen-military coup against corruption in Washington. Yet for those indoctrinated in government schools, you may have missed these words of wisdom from Thomas Jefferson: The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. In a Shillary administration, old Tom would be sent to Guantanamo for a re-education session to rewrite his Declaration of Independence. So you say you wont vote for Trump because he can be crude? The mass media never lets up telling you that women will never support Trump because he disrespects their gender. However, you seldom get a straight answer why they see no problem when the Hildebreast follows her estranged hubby into the pedophile culture of the Jeffrey Epsteins Lolita Express. Maybe her lesbian tendencies can be tamed if she returns to her bisexual familiarities, just ask Webster Hubbell. How come the press never inquired into a DNA test of Chelsea Clinton? An elementary answer, Sherlock; indicates that the Fourth Estate is actually a fifth column. Why do women buy into this silliness for protecting their queen of mean? A Study: Women Prefer Their Smartphone To Their Partner documents that A fifth of those surveyed said it would be harder to be without a phone for a week than their partner. On first thought, what does this have to do with the presidential election? Just consider, couples (once men and women) are now partners, but for a significant number of females, their gossip and trivia found on the censored and filtered mobile apps of their iPhone are more important than having serious political discourse. Sexual intercourse takes a back seat to the fellatio available from the mass media culture. The inducement for applications to validate the popular collectivist culture is so seductive that female voters are blind to the crimes of Hillary Clinton. When the overwhelming megaphone of mentally disruptive psyops is applied to the 24/7 electronic perception matrix, the end result is the herding of conditioned canines into pens of Manchurian Candidate supporters. Before you despair, there is a solid route for Trump to win this election. Gun Ownership Statistics & Demographics indicate that 76,000,000 or 31% of the population are gun owners. Pew Research Center reported in 2014 that 38% of men and 31% of women out of a total 34% of Americans owned guns. Gun owners need to cast their ballot as a single issue voter. Only Trump will protect the 2nd Amendment. Catholics and Christians of all denominations needs to go to the polls and vote AGAINST a Marxist/Fascist demon and preach the gospel of traditional Americanism. Trump is a sinner like all of us, but Clinton is a devil.The only chance for constitutional originalists to be placed on the Supreme Court is with a Trump election. Those concerned about illegal immigration will find the only champion in Trump to secure the open borders that has allowed a dangerous invasion. If you work for a living and earn a paycheck, do you really think a Clinton establishment presidency will raise your standard of living or enhance the future for your offspring or grandchildren? You need to turn out as a unified America First movement and vote out the globalist gang that has taken control of our government and society decades ago. Rank and file union members need to vote the interest of your family and ignore berates of crooked union bosses, who wants the rigged economy to keep labor on an endless treadmill. Small business proprietors lead your work force in supporting Trumps economic plan to revitalize our economy and establish fair trade in an international system of commerce. The current global deals have destroyed our indigenous manufacturing industries. For Obamacare broke and beleaguered insured policy owners, only Trump offers relief from the utter collapse of the national health system. Clinton will only force a single payer substitute, which will compel incurable administration and terminable care. All deplorables and especially those who are on the path to become irredeemable have only one chance to avoid the re-education coming out of a Clinton cult in their Jonestown temple of government worship. If you fail to rally to the sound of the guns, you will become the target of their bullets. All anti-war advocates must vote against Hillary, who lusts to become commander of the evil Galactic Empire death star. She is the one who actually wants to go to war against Russia, which will inevitably end in the annihilation of our country and much of the world. Green Party supporters heed Jill Stein when the Green Party Nominee Claims Hillary Clinton Is 'Scarier' Than Donald Trump, Citing Potential Nuclear War With Russia. "But on the issue of war and nuclear weapons, and the potential for nuclear war, it's actually Hillary's policies which are much scarier than Donald Trump, who does not want to go to war with Russia. He wants to seek modes of working together, which is the route that we need to follow." Wear you red shirt or sweater and engage with people BEFORE and on November 8th. Turn out as poll watchers and document any instance or pattern of election fraud. The professional and careerist political cartel is designed to steal elections. Your alternative is to register a landslide vote that would defy all factious and dead people ballots. Men, grab your significant other and treat her to a dose of Trump gentleness respect that includes a crash course why Hillary Clinton is a wicked witch and a vote for her, will ignite a bonfire of the vanities for the vampires that owe their allegiance to a corrupt globalist government. This is no ordinary election between two establishment clones out of the same fake two party contests. The establishment cabal has been waging a civil war against citizens and the general public for decades. Now this conflict is exposed. The basic nature of the open warfare that wants to eradicate any meaningful vestige of a populist voice for the ordinary taxpayer and silent majority is unwrapped for all to see. A TRUMP triumph is a victory for America. This is the last chance to overthrow the established order of globalist oppression in a non violent action by a popular movement of honest and oppressed nationalists. The time to unite is upon us. Put aside any and all difference and focus on the only issue that matters this November. The survival of America as an independent country ruled by We the People requires the election of Donald Trump. The elites all oppose HIM and YOU. Make history and prove that a nation of good people can overturn a corrupt hierarchy of monopolists, plutocrats and international finance. Ignore all party labels and cast your vote for liberation from the criminal syndicate of coercive despotism. It is now or never. SARTRE Source: http://batr.org/reactionary/101816.html Discuss or comment about this essay on the BATR Forum http://www.batr.org "Many seek to become a Syndicated Columnist, while the few strive to be a Vindicated Publisher" 2016 Copyright BATR - 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 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Euro Will Collapse Is House of Cards Warns Founder of Euro The Euro will collapse as it is ahouse of cards warned Otmar Issing, the founder and creator of the euro in an extraordinary interview on Monday. In the explosive interview with the journal Central Banking, Professor Issing, said one day, the house of cards will collapse as the European Central Bank (ECB) is becoming dangerously over-extended and the whole euro project is unworkable in its current form. The founding architect of the monetary union has warned that Brussels dream of a European superstate will finally be buried amongst the rubble of the crumbling single currency he designed. Realistically, it will be a case of muddling through, struggling from one crisis to the next. It is difficult to forecast how long this will continue for, but it cannot go on endlessly, he told the journal Central Banking in a remarkable deconstruction of the EU project. The respected economist launched a withering attack on so called eurocrats and German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, accusing them of betraying the principles of the euro and demonstrating scandalous incompetence over its management. And he savaged the whole idea of a federal United States of Europe, saying the attempt to push through federalisation in a stealth manner by the back door has turned the very foundations that the currency was built on into a complete mess of patchwork legislation, into which it is sinking fast. As is frequently the case when there is substantive damaging criticism about the EU and ECB from respected and authoritative sources, the interview was treated in quite an Orwellian manner. It completely ignored and not reported by most state run media in Ireland, the UK and EU. Most state run media is overwhelmingly pro-EU and continues to ignore the serious problems and growing risks posed by the single currency and the undemocratic EU to the citizens of Europe. Nor was it reported in most corporate media in the EU which also tends to ignore all reasonable criticisms of the EU, ECB and especially the euro. The explosive interview has been covered extensively in the more right wing euro skeptic media in the UK in papers such as The Telegraph and The Mail which means that most people in the EU will not even be aware of Otmar Issings very real and reasonable concerns and the growing risks posed to the currency they use in their lives every day and their very way of life. Gold in Euros 5 Years The coming collapse of the euro is seems inevitable. The question is when rather than if. It gives us no pleasure to say so as the collapse of the euro will be financially painful for family, friends and people and companies in all EU nations. The euro has even greater challenges than sterling which has collapsed more than 43% against gold this year. It is only a matter of time before market participants and foreign exchange traders focus, moves from sterling to the not so single euro. Then the euro will see a similar depreciation and devaluation in the coming months. Gold will again fulfill its primary role which is as a hedge against currency devaluation. As it has done in the UK and many other nations in recent months and indeed has done throughout history. Gold Prices (LBMA AM) 18 Oct: USD 1,261.65, GBP 1,031.15 & EUR 1,145.33 per ounce 17 Oct: USD 1,252.70, GBP 1,029.59 & EUR 1,139.58 per ounce 14 Oct: USD 1,256.15, GBP 1,028.79 & EUR 1,140.08 per ounce 13 Oct: USD 1,258.00, GBP 1,029.93 & EUR 1,141.76 per ounce 12 Oct: USD 1,255.70, GBP 1,024.53 & EUR 1,139.05 per ounce 11 Oct: USD 1,256.40, GBP 1,021.58 & EUR 1,130.76 per ounce 10 Oct: USD 1,262.10, GBP 1,016.62 & EUR 1,129.71 per ounce Silver Prices (LBMA) 18 Oct: USD 17.65, GBP 14.37 & EUR 16.03 per ounce 17 Oct: USD 17.40, GBP 14.30 & EUR 15.83 per ounce 14 Oct: USD 17.47, GBP 14.28 & EUR 15.86 per ounce 13 Oct: USD 17.59, GBP 14.40 & EUR 15.95 per ounce 12 Oct: USD 17.44, GBP 14.23 & EUR 15.83 per ounce 11 Oct: USD 17.48, GBP 14.26 & EUR 15.78 per ounce 10 Oct: USD 17.78, GBP 14.31 & EUR 15.92 per ounce This update can be found on the GoldCore blog here. IRL 63 FITZWILLIAM SQUARE DUBLIN 2 E info@goldcore.com UK NO. 1 CORNHILL LONDON 2 EC3V 3ND IRL +353 (0)1 632 5010 UK +44 (0)203 086 9200 US +1 (302)635 1160 W http://www.goldcore.com/uk/ WINNERS MoneyMate and Investor Magazine Financial Analysts 2006 Disclaimer: The information in this document has been obtained from sources, which we believe to be reliable. We cannot guarantee its accuracy or completeness. It does not constitute a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any investment. Any person acting on the information contained in this document does so at their own risk. Recommendations in this document may not be suitable for all investors. Individual circumstances should be considered before a decision to invest is taken. Investors should note the following: Past experience is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The value of investments may fall or rise against investors' interests. Income levels from investments may fluctuate. Changes in exchange rates may have an adverse effect on the value of, or income from, investments denominated in foreign currencies. GoldCore Limited, trading as GoldCore is a Multi-Agency Intermediary regulated by the Irish Financial Regulator. GoldCore is committed to complying with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. This means that in the provision of our services, appropriate personal information is processed and kept securely. It also means that we will never sell your details to a third party. The information you provide will remain confidential and may be used for the provision of related services. Such information may be disclosed in confidence to agents or service providers, regulatory bodies and group companies. You have the right to ask for a copy of certain information held by us in our records in return for payment of a small fee. You also have the right to require us to correct any inaccuracies in your information. The details you are being asked to supply may be used to provide you with information about other products and services either from GoldCore or other group companies or to provide services which any member of the group has arranged for you with a third party. If you do not wish to receive such contact, please write to the Marketing Manager GoldCore, 63 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2 marking the envelope 'data protection' 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. UK Property Market: Slow Growth Does Not Equate To Decline The property market is one of UKs main economic drivers given the clear link to the financial industry. Right now, several people have expressed doubts on how the UK economy could fair following the separation from the EU single market. And as analysts have pointed out, the most problematic aspect comes from the uncertainties surrounding the separation process. Many now believe that the slow growth rate experienced in the UK housing market following the referendum vote could be sign of things to come. As demonstrated in the chart above, the UK House Price index growth rate has slowed significantly after hitting multi-year highs of 701.4 points in June. In the last three months, the index has been pegged at about 693 point on average, which mirrors similar levels achieved in March and May this year. The UK house price index is calculated using the market value of the properties sold. However, as you may have noticed, not all properties are actually sold at their market value in a given month. For instance, ready steady sell offers property owners an opportunity to sell their houses quicker, but at a discount. Sellers can get up to 95% of the market value. However, most quick sell agencies buy properties at up to 20% discount of the listed market value. This means that the figures we are getting from the property market may not necessarily be reflective of what exactly changed hands during a particular month. Quick sell property agencies buy houses and related assets at a discount and then sell them later at the market value. The final sale could take place a month or two later, or even longer. Its the risk of holding property for sale that UK house owners should be scared of according to earlier price predictions following the Brexit vote. Former Chancellor George Osborne expressed his optimism on the UK property market indicating a potential 18% decline in housing prices by next year. However, there are those who believe that even though those predictions appear to be way off the mark, an 18% squeeze will only take the market back to last years levels. In addition, when you look at the current trend of the UK house price index versus the UK GDP growth, its pretty clear that investors are paying less attention to the status of the economy. As demonstrated in the comparison chart above, the UK House Price index has taken an upward trend, which appears to be barely disrupted especially when assessing the movement on a long-term basis. As such, given the circumstances, it is hard to argue that there could be a slowdown ensuing due to unpredictable economic condition in a post-Brexit Britain. On the bright side, the UK House Price index could actually continue to rally in the coming months due to the recent developments in the property market. In April, a supplementary 3% stamp duty charge on second homes came into effect. This change is likely to have minimum effect on peoples decisions to buy homes. However, the impact on the average price of a house in the UK could be enormous. This is because, investors (buy-to-let owners) will likely transfer that cost to the tenant. Another thing that makes the UK property market more attractive is the fact that the prime lending rate was cut by 0.25 percentage points to bring it down to 1.25% from 1.50%. This makes accessing lines of credit much cheaper to investors thereby increasing investment activity in the housing market. The relationship between the UK Prime Lending Rate and the House Price Index has also been intriguing, especially when you look at things from the late 2013 to present. Prior to 2013, the UK Prime Lending rate and the House Price Index appeared to have a direct relationship but since then, things have changed. As shown on the comparison chart above, the UK House Price Index has maintained an upward trend since late 2013 whereas the Prime Lending Rate has remained vastly unchanged, bar the last two months. The sound explanation to this scenario can be pinned on the fact that with stable lending rates, people have managed to access credit easily. In addition, while the UK GDP growth has been rather volatile during the same period, the general outlook has been promising. Another attribute could be due to the fact that in 2014, the then Chancellor George Osborne introduced a new stamp duty system which allowed progressive levying on house sales. This reduced the gaps between stamp duty fees paid by house sellers in various pricing brackets. Conclusion In summary, there are fears that the separation of Britain from EU could end up denying it an opportunity to access the single market. This could have devastating effects on UKs financial industry and by extension the property market. There are reports that Prime Minister, Theresa May is prepared to make payments to Brussels in order to retain access to the single market. Whether or not the UK retains access to the single market, chances are that the housing market will continue to thrive because it has already demonstrated high levels of autonomy on other economic drivers over the last few years. The growth might not be as much as it used to be, but this does not equate to a decline. By Nicholas Kitonyi Copyright 2016 Nicholas Kitonyi - 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. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. MARTINSVILLE Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) will receive about $60,000 toward training area residents to teach and take care of preschoolers, officials announced Monday. The money is the colleges share of $1 million provided by Chatham residents Ben and Betty Davenport to the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). The donation will be used to launch the Davenport Early Childhood Development Institute, a project among PHCC and Danville, Virginia Western and New River community colleges, according to a news release from Gov. Terry McAuliffes office. This is an opportunity for us to train more people to be early childhood education providers, said Greg Hodges, PHCCs vice president of institutional advancement, effectiveness and campus life. The institute will provide training and professional development programs for students and existing child care providers. It also will create a Fellows Program, which will provide selected students with financial aid and service opportunities, the release stated. Weve got a significant need for licensed child care facilities in our community. We hear that often, Hodges said, adding that access to child care is the No. 1 impediment to people being able to enroll in PHCC academic programs and/or complete them. PHCC will use some of the money toward efforts to establish a child care center on campus and professional development programs to help existing child-care centers become fully licensed, he said. Students who are chosen as fellows will receive money to cover tuition and textbook costs for two classes per semester at the college, Hodges said. Students must apply to the PHCC Foundation for assistance, he said. As of Monday afternoon, several students already had been recruited as fellows, Hodges mentioned. Thirty students currently are enrolled in early childhood education credential programs at PHCC. By using the money, Hodges said, the college hopes to train 15 additional students during each of the next three years. We hope this is the beginning of expanded child care options for the area, he said. Early childhood development is increasingly important to tomorrows Virginia, VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois said in the release. Its one of those unmet needs our colleges were created to address. It is imperative that our education system prepare children for the opportunities of tomorrow by giving them the tools for educational success as early in life as possible, McAuliffe said in the release. This timely gift (from the Davenports) will ensure that a more qualified early childhood development workforce is available for years to come, DuBois added. The Davenports are philanthropists with special interests in early childhood education. Ben Davenport is chairman of Davenport Energy and waste management firm First Piedmont Corp., which he started in 1969. He is director emeritus of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. Betty Davenport has served on the board of Smart Beginnings Danville/Pittsylvania, a program serving preschoolers in that community. Mickey Powell reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at mickey.powell@martinsvillebulletin.com. The Canadian Marxists of Fightback have had a tremendously succesful campaign in the new university term. Here we publish a report of their interventions and results. Throughout the month of September, Socialist Fightback clubs at UVic, UofT, Ryerson, York U and Seneca, Trent Durham, McMaster, Waterloo, UdeM, Concordia, and McGill, engaged with hundreds of students interested in Marxist ideas during the frosh campus club days and street festivals. In total, over 1000 students expressed interest in learning more about socialism and how to achieve it by signing up for our clubs on campuses across the country. Hundreds of students also purchased copies of Fightback magazine and our booklets of Marxist fundamentals such as the Communist Manifesto, demonstrating a serious desire for the theoretical tools required to fight the capitalist system. The thirst for revolutionary ideas among the youth is even more evident when considering the record attendance our student clubs have had at their first public events of the academic year. The Socialist Fightback clubs at Ryerson, York U and UofT in Toronto hosted public events on Why We Need a Revolution, What Will Socialism Look Like? and Capitalism in Crisis: Reform or Revolution, with an average turnout of 40-50 students. In Montreal, the Socialist Fightback clubs at McGill, Concordia, UdeM and UQAM had similar events with impressive turnouts. A pub night hosted by the clubs at McGill and Concordia brought out 60 people followed by a public event hosted by the Concordia club that had 80 people in attendance, with the latter receiving positive coverage from three student newspapers!(Here, here and here) On top of these successes and in response to our general call out for the creation of Socialist Fightback clubs on campuses across the country, we now have have people taking the first steps towards forming new clubs. We have people at the University of Alberta, CEGEP Terrebonne (Montreal), CEGEP Ste-Foy (Quebec City) and The University of Mount Allison in Sackville, New Brunswick. Socialism in spreading! Create a club on your campus! The sentiment among this layer of radicalized youth is disgust at the poverty, discrimination and violence that capitalism perpetuates and a desire for radical change. As movements come and go and different parties and politicians are put to the test, only to offer the same as the last, it becomes clearer that these ills cannot be simply reformed out of the system; that what is needed is the revolutionary transformation of society. It is clear to the activists of Fightback that the tide is turning as increasing numbers of workers and youth are reaching the same conclusions. As the leadership of the trade and student unions have not put forward a program that offers a real alternative to the status quo, Fightback is filling a vacuum and attracting the most radical and conscious layers of the workers and youth. The Socialist Fightback student clubs seek to educate students in the ideas of Marxism, because in order to change society we have to understand it. We must also study and learn all the valuable lessons of past revolutionary movements. However, we are not just a discussion group. These lessons are useless unless we apply them in real struggles! The Socialist Fightback student clubs build student-worker unity by organizing solidarity efforts for striking workers. When there is a social movement around any demand that would improve the living conditions of the workers and youth, our activists are passionately involved. In the past we have participated in the fight for free education, in the BLM movement and the fight against racism and police brutality, for indigenous rights, and in pride events and the struggle for sexual and gender equality. We explain that the only way to win a reform from the ruling class is through mass mobilization and militancy. Even then, all reforms are temporary under capitalism, which when in crisis will claw back all gains that were fought for and won in the past. In order to achieve the end goals of these movements on a permanent basis, we have to unite all layers of the working class, including the most marginalized and oppressed, in the struggle against capitalism itself. There is a growing radicalization among the youth who see no future for themselves under capitalism and are looking for a revolutionary alternative. The resounding success we have had building Socialist Fightback student clubs on college and university campuses across Canada is a testament to that, and we are only one month into the academic year! All over the world workers and youth are rising up. What has been lacking to date is a revolutionary leadership that can provide a clear path forward to transforming society. Fightback aims precisely to build that leadership. If you are a student looking to get active in the international struggle for socialism, connect with one of our campus clubs mentioned above. If there isnt a Socialist Fightback club on your campus, we will guide you on how to build one! Not a student or youth? Thats okay too, because we are a national organization made up of workers and students and there is a role for everyone to play. We are already the biggest and most organized Marxist force in the country, but in order to play the role that history demands of us, we need to continue to build. If you want to help us do that, or even if you just want to learn more about socialism and what were about, connect with us at fightback@marxist.ca or 416- 461-0304. dr.berry.jpg Dr. Alexander Berry, urologist. (SUBMITTED PHOTO) HOLYOKE -- Holyoke Medical Centerwill provide a free lecture Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on prostate health in the hospital's Auxiliary Conference Center, 575 Beech St. Dr. Alexander Berry of the hospital's urology center will discuss prostate health and explain prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood testing. The PSA test checks for high levels of a protein produced by the prostate gland, a press release said. "Some experts recommend that most men be offered the tests starting at age 50, while others don't feel it offers enough benefit to recommend to anyone except those at highest risk. Dr. Berry will cover this and more, as well as answer any questions attendees may have," the press release said., The lecture is part of the hospital's community education programming of dozens of free workshops held on health issues, prevention and treatment, the press release said. To register to attend the prostate health lecture, for this event, visit HolyokeHealth.com/Events or call 413-534-2789. HOLYOKE -- Orchestrations can make a pulse rate jump. Fake blood means a wound-drain needs checking. And the simulations down the hall partied their way into a mess of breathing trouble. "This is amazing," said Rhonda Dow, 32, of Holyoke, a second-year nursing student at Holyoke Community College's (HCC) Center for Health Education. "The simulations are amazing. You get the hands-on experience," Dow said. The $7.6 million, simulation-intensive, high-tech-machinery-laden Center for Health Education has been open for about a year at 400 Jarvis Ave. teaching nursing and radiologic technology, said Holly Martin-Peele, HCC interim dean of health and natural sciences. She gave The Republican a tour of the facility Monday. The modern-looking building (it's the former Grynn & Barrett photography studio) with the yellow sign out front houses 24 full-time employees plus adjunct faculty working with 200 students a week, she said. The facility is a short walk or shuttle ride from the main HCC campus on Homestead Avenue. "We train health professionals -- nurses, rad techs (radiology technicians), medical assistants, CNA's, home health aides," Martin-Peele said, referring to certified nursing assistants. Nursing and radiologic technology courses are conveyed in multi-media classrooms -- wall-sized computer screens where the chalkboard used to be. The future care-providers learn with X-ray machines and simulation training that uses mannequins ("patients") of adults and children lying in metal beds connected to vital-sign monitors in hospital settings. Video hookups allow students to watch simulations throughout the building. The sophisticated patient simulators allow for instruction ranging from maternity and newborn to pediatric and geriatric. "So we offer a lot of options for continuing their education for nurses," Martin-Peele said. Outcomes in the simulations don't always end well for the patients, part of the real-life preparation for the students. And the "as realistic as possible" nature of the facility has its necessary limits, she said. The machinery and gadgets are the ones used now in hospitals, but the X-ray machines don't produce actual radiation for X-rays. That would require accommodations such as lead-walled rooms, she said. And while students learn how to use a real "Med Dispense" computer, all the medication in the facility is fake, she said. Blasting this message is the poster: "Real medications are NOT used during simulation" featuring "DRUGS" in a red slash-through circle. Besides mannequin-patients in single-bed rooms and others lined up as in hospital wards, the simulations also are low-tech. The bandages on a mannequin's injured foot require changing, for example. In another simulation room, copies of The Republican cluttered the floor near a table littered with a beer can, a small plastic whiskey bottle, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, a medicine container and a phone. A mattress on the floor was flanked by a table bearing a pack of cigarettes and an oxygen machine. "We want everything as realistic as possible," Martin-Peele said. "This one's made up to look like someone's home. These are looking like someone has had a party. It's a mess, but it's supposed to be. It's what a home health aide would encounter." The Center for Health Education is reaching out. It has affiliations with Elms College in Chicopee. A dual-admission program helps Chicopee Comprehensive High School students get going on nursing and radiologic technology careers and planning is underway to mount a similar program with Holyoke's Dean Technical High School, Martin-Peele said. SPRINGFIELD -- Ralph Santaniello, a Longmeadow man with reputed mob ties facing charges of extortion and other crimes in federal court, is vying for pretrial freedom after a judge ordered him held behind bars in August. Santaniello was among five alleged organized crime associates arrested on Aug. 4 in connection with extortion, loansharking and illegal gaming schemes, according to investigators. He also was the only defendant who did not win pretrial release, primarily because a witness against him told police Santaniello slapped him in the face while demanding kickbacks. In her Aug. 16 detention order, U.S. Magistrate Judge Katherine A. Robertson also noted that based on video recordings made by "Victim One" -- a tow company operator Santaniello was allegedly shaking down -- Santaniello appeared to be the leader of the crew. Arrested along with Santaniello, 49, were Giovanni "John" Calabrese, 53; and Gerald Daniele, 51, both of Longmeadow; Francesco "Frank" Depergola, 60, of Springfield; and Richard Valentini, 51, of East Longmeadow. All pleaded not guilty to gambling, loansharking and extortion charges in a six-count federal indictment. They were among 40 alleged mobsters from various Mafia crime families taken into custody in connection with a Massachusetts to Florida conspiracy, according to an indictment out of federal court in New York City. Santaniello is being held in a federal pretrial detention center in Brooklyn. His attorney, Daniel D. Kelly, on Oct. 17 filed an appeal of Robertson's ruling to another federal judge. He argues Santaniello does not pose the "risk of safety to the community" as the judge concluded in her ruling, and that he is not even a "made member" of the Mafia, per an FBI agent's testimony at the August detention hearing. FBI Agent Robert Zanolli testified that Santaniello and Depergola had "sponsors" higher up in the Genovese crime family but that the organization was "closed" and not accepting new members at the time. Victim One told investigators Santantiello and Calabrese showed up at his property in 2013 and demanded he resume kickbacks he had paid to late mob boss Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno before Bruno's murder in 2003. Santaniello insisted Victim One pay $20,000 followed by $2,000 each month, and punctuated his demand with a slap in the face, the witness told state police. Santaniello was later shown on video tearing open the witness' shirt to see whether he was "wearing a wire," but didn't discover the recording device. However, Kelly argued his client was indicted nearly three years after "the purported slap" and that no harm had come to Victim One in the interim. Prosecutors argue, however, that none of the defendants were aware the tow company operator had gone to police before their arrests. Kelly also compares Santaniello's case to others in Massachusetts involving organized crime leaders who had committed or ordered crimes of violence and were released pending trial with tight restrictions. A second victim (Victim Two) in the six-count indictment told investigators he fell into debt to Daniele and he made aggressive attempts to collect along with Calabrese and Santaniello. There were no allegations of violence with respect to Victim 2. Kelly is asking U.S. District Judge Timothy Hillman to release Santaniello on a GPS monitor and essentially place him under house arrest. Kelly also has requested a hearing. That hearing has not yet been scheduled. power struggle.jpg Anti-nuclear activists fought Vermont Yankee for years before it was closed at the end of 2013. This still from Robbie Leppzer's new film "Power Struggle' depicts a colorful protest in Vermont. (Robert Leppzer / Turning Tide Productions) NORTHAMPTON -- A "sneak preview" of a full-length documentary film chronicling the lengthy and arcane effort to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant will be shown at the Academy of Music on Oct. 23. "Power Struggle" prominently features Northampton activist Frances Crowe, 97, who will be honored at the Sunday afternoon event, said filmmaker Robert Leppzer. The elderly Quaker in 2011 was one of six women arrested at the plant after chaining themselves to the gate in Vernon days after Hurricane Irene ravaged the state of Vermont. Crowe has participated in dozens of other direct actions targeting nuclear power. "Power Struggle," shot and directed by Leppzer, a Hampshire College alumni, will also be previewed Nov. 3 at the Latchis Theater in Brattleboro, where Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin will speak. The film "follows the unfolding drama as citizen activists and elected officials - alarmed at increasing safety violations - took on the federal government and one of the biggest nuclear power companies in America to call for closure of the reactor when its original 40-year license expires," according to the film's website. The 620-megawatt plant on the Connecticut River closed in December of 2014. Owner Entergy cited structural market issues that disadvantage nuclear power, and said the plant closed for financial reasons. The shutdown came after a protracted relicensing battle with foes including Shumlin, state legislators, and activists. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave Entergy its 20-year relicensing on March 10, 2011. One day later, an earthquake and tsunami at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan caused a three-core meltdown. The state of Vermont then stepped up its legal battle with the federal government over the plant's continued operation. Part of the film looks at January of 2010, when activists walked 126 miles from Vermont Yankee to Montpelier to lobby the Vermont Legislature. During the walk, Entergy publicly announced a leak of radioactive Tritium had been detected at the plant's monitoring wells. It was revealed that the leaks came from underground pipes that Entergy had sworn didn't exist. POWER STRUGGLE Trailer from Robbie Leppzer on Vimeo. While clearly anti-nuclear, the documentary captures perspectives on all sides of the controversy, "including from local residents both for and against nuclear power, elected officials, a Vermont Yankee spokesperson, federal regulators, and a nuclear engineer turned whistle-blower," according to Leppzer. A prominent whistle-blower, Arnie Gundersen, will speak at both screenings. Gundersen, a former nuclear executive, told the New York times in 1995 that he paid a steep price after reporting unsafe practices at a Connecticut-based nuclear power consulting firm he worked for. He now works as an expert witness and consultant, and was deeply involved in the Vermont Yankee fight. The movie comes as nuclear power gets another look in some quarters. New York, for example, plans to subsidize several upstate nuclear plants in order to meet the state's climate change and clean power goals. The plan by Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing pushback from various environmental and consumer groups. Current controversy at Vermont Yankee has to do with the onsite storage of spent radioactive fuel, cleanup and reuse of the site, and the proper use of the plant's decommissioning trust fund. Leppzer has directed documentaries for more than 35 years, starting with a 1977 film about the occupation of Seabrook nuclear power plant in New Hampshire. His Turning Tide Productions studio is in Wendell. The screenings are fundraisers. Leppzer is trying to raise $100,000 for post-production work on the film, which he said will be aired on HBO next year. He has also received support from NHK, the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation. Original music is by Pioneer Valley musician John Sheldon. If you go: What: Sneak Preview of 'Power Struggle,' featuring tribute to Frances Crowe and remarks by Arnie Gundersen and filmmaker Robert Leppzer Where: Academy of Music, Northampton When: Sunday, Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at door; preferred seating with donation; $10 for college students; free for high school students. westfield schools logo WESTFIELD - The School Committee Monday approved a $30 increase in the daily stipend paid to substitute school nurses. It was the first increase in several years and is designed to make it easier to attract substitute nurses when needed in city schools. Superintendent of Schools Stephan Czaporowski and school Human Resourced Director Paula Ceglowski said currently the School Department has only two substitute nurses that are "regularly" available. Also, if Westfield is unable to locate a substitute nurses on any given school day officials must contract with an (employment) agency for coverage. The stipend paid in those cases is considerably higher than the new $150 approved salary. Ceglowski said the current $120 per day salary for substitute nurses is lower than many other school districts in the area. The new $150 per day salary will at least make Westfield "competitive," she said. Officials said substitute nurses have been needed about 10 days so far in the current school year. Ceglowski and Czaporowski said the School Department is mandated to provide at least one school nurse in each city school daily. The city has one pre-school; seven elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. Screenshot from marijuana Question 4 ad.png Dr. Susan Davis, an internist, is featured in the latest ad from the "Yes on 4" campaign, which is pushing to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Massachusetts. (Screenshot) BOSTON - "Yes on 4," the group behind a ballot question seeking to legalize marijuana for recreational use, plans to start airing its second television ad on Tuesday. The first ad released weeks ago focused on a retired cop, Tom Nolan, pitching the benefits of legalizing, taxing and regulating the controversial substance. Dr. Susan Lucas, an internist, pitches voting for Question 4 in the new ad. Lucas criticizes the state's medical marijuana program, which was first approved by voters through a 2012 ballot initiative. The state moved slowly to implement the program under Gov. Deval Patrick, and his successor, Gov. Charlie Baker, moved to overhaul it. In the 30-second ad, Lucas argued the program remains broken. "Right now, doctors and patients are afraid to bring up all treatment options for fear of breaking the law," Lucas said. "Yes on 4 means we can regulate, tax and legalize marijuana to help people with pain avoid opiates, and for other true medical needs. The current system isn't working. It's why doctors and patients agree it's time to vote 'yes' on 4." But many physician groups oppose Question 4. The Massachusetts Medical Society, joined by ten similar groups, outlined their opposition to the ballot question earlier this month. The Mass. Medical Society weighed in on the ad Monday, accusing it of "attempting to confuse" recreational marijuana with medical marijuana. "Question 4 lacks any public health oversight of recreational marijuana and has no provision for health education, prevention, or treatment programs," James Gessner, president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, said in a statement, adding that the ballot question would lead to "the risk of addiction, impaired cognition, and damage to the developing brains of adolescents." Opponents have formed a group, Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts, which includes a bipartisan coalition of elected officials like Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who say the ballot initiative would create a massive marijuana industry inside the Bay State. "Again the commercial interests behind the for profit big-marijuana industry continue to mislead voters, this time with an outrageous claim that somehow thousands of pot shops and marijuana operators across our communities could lead to a reduction in opioid use - when the truth is that states with commercial marijuana industries have seen upticks in opioid addiction, as well as increases in teen marijuana use and drugged driving," Nick Bayer, campaign manager for the "No on 4" campaign, said in an emailed statement. "This is why addiction advocates and health care professionals across Massachusetts strongly oppose question 4," he said. Supporters of Question 4 have pushed back on claims by opponents, saying the Cannabis Control Commission proposed under the ballot initiative would create strict regulations heavily influenced by how other states have handled legalization. Marijuana, which remains illegal at the federal level, has been legalized for recreational use in Colorado, Alaska, Oregon and Washington state, as well as Washington, D.C. Massachusetts voters passed a ballot initiative decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana in 2008 before legalizing marijuana for medical use in 2012. Polls have shown likely voters slightly leaning towards legalization of recreational marijuana. The "Yes on 4" group, which at the outset raised significantly more money than its opponents, includes lawmakers like state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, and David Rogers, D-Cambridge. The "Yes on 4" lawmakers on Monday blasted the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts for taking a $1 million donation from Sheldon Adelson, a native of Boston's Dorchester neighborhood and a casino mogul who has expressed support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. This post was updated at 6:47 p.m. with a statement from the "No on 4" campaign. This post was updated again at 7:25 p.m. with a new statement from the Mass. Medical Society. Framingham guns, drugs.jpg The pictured guns and drugs were uncovered by State Police as a trooper investigated a man trying to steal candy bars from a Dedham gas station. (State Police) DEDHAM -- When a State Police trooper from the Framingham barracks stopped at a gas station in Dedham, a report of a man trying to steal candy bars led to the discovery of guns and drugs. When Trooper Michael Murphy got to the gas station on Monday, the clerk told him a customer was trying to seal candy bars, according to a statement from State Police. The man removed five candy bars from his pockets and the clerk asked that he be escorted out of the gas station, police said. Trooper Murphy then identified the man, and found that his driver's license was expired. He searched the man's car, and found multiple guns and drugs. State Police have only identified the suspect as Matthew R. Borek, 40, of Canton. He is facing various firearm and gun charges, as well as a shoplifting charge. The suspect was held on $15,000 bail at the Framingham barracks while awaiting arraignment at Dedham District Court on Tuesday. melissa click.jpg Melissa Click, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri, demands a journalist leave a student protest event. The Missouri Board of Curators voted 4-2 in favor of Click's termination recently. ((Third-Party-Submitted)) Speech codes, by definition, limit free expression. Restricting talk is their very reason for existence. No one who wholeheartedly supports free speech could at the same time back the imposition of a speech code. In fact, one could imagine a spectrum, with free-speech advocates at one end and those favoring speech codes at the other. The gulf between them would be a wide one, indeed. To consider that spectrum, and its attendant gulf, is to imagine the day-to-day on so many college campuses in our time, with the same old battles played out again and again. Now, thankfully, comes an effort to get the two sides talking. Or at least to think about talking. The writers association PEN America, which works to defend free expression, has jumped into the fray with a report on free speech and those who'd limit it on college campuses. What it found, not surprisingly, is that the two sides are living in different worlds. Simply put, those looking to create safe spaces frequently see people who advocate free speech as wielding their rhetoric like a weapon. And they feel threatened. The world the report describes is perhaps not quite as dire as it is sometime portrayed it's not all battling all the time though there's no doubt that there are myriad problems on campuses across the land. With Halloween approaching, get ready for trouble ahead. There's little doubt that someone who has labored over his or her costume will be accused of cultural appropriation. A Halloween reveler dressed up as, say, a matador will face the wrath not only of those favoring animal rights, but also from folks who will argue that dressing in an ensemble from another culture is inherently racist, classist, something-ist. Let the eye-rolling and the name-calling begin. This space, of course, sides with free expression. But we understand that it's not an argument clearly won at least not these days. The fundamental importance of free thought and free speech in our nation's history isn't taught as it once was. Rather, kids may instead hear about so-called microaggressions. Which is why the PEN America report, which seeks to get those on the extremes thinking, talking, even, is on the right track. Happy Halloween. APTOPIX Officers Shot Boston Police search for a suspect after a shooting in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Oct. 14 Republican carried a story about a Boston man who shot two police officers ("Police: Man who shot 2 officers did not have gun licence," page A5.) Coming as no surprise to most lawful gun owners, the man did not have a gun license. The shooter had a history replete with multiple aliases, criminal charges and accusations of violence, according to a raft of court records and other public documents. We also now know that in July 2016, he was sworn in for a three-year term as a constable in Boston, after undergoing a background check by Boston police. As we are often reminded, Massachusetts has some of the "toughest" gun laws in the country. Yet, this obviously disturbed individual, breaking numerous state and federal laws, nearly killed two of our law enforcement officers. Incidents like this simply prove that "universal background checks", along with most of the other "common sense gun control laws" do nothing at all to prevent the criminal, evil, and insane from obtaining weapons. The only people that follow the laws are the ones we don't need to worry about. Interestingly, the article did sneak in a new misleading term; "tactical shotgun". As with the misnomer "assault rifle" that's been foisted upon us for years, "tactical shotgun" seems to be another impossible to define term intended to mislead folks unfamiliar with firearms. They "typically have shorter barrels and are capable of quickly firing several rounds," according to the article. Shorter than what? There's a federal standard for short barreled weapons, so anything over the minimum is legal. How quickly? (being semi-automatic or pump action still means 1 round fired with every trigger pull and plenty of pump action guns can be fired very quickly with a little practice). Several rounds? Is that three, five, seven? Why worry about the exact language? Because simply by using the term "tactical shotgun", the gun control crowd is attempting to conjure up a negative image among the uninformed so they can create a new boogeyman. Make no mistake, their goal is not about safety or crime at all - it's all about control. Joe Longo, Feeding Hills Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, arrives in Washington. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, arrives in Washington, Sept. 15, 2016. Some believe there is a double standard in American politics, indeed in American society, subjecting women to greater scrutiny. (Doug Mills/The New York Times) By Nicholas Kristof New York Times News Service Is there a double standard for women in politics? Nicholas Kristof Imagine if it were Hillary Clinton who had had five children by three husbands, who had said it was fine to refer to her daughter as a "piece of ass," who participated in a radio conversation about oral sex in a hot tub, who rated men based on their body parts, who showed up in Playboy soft porn videos. Imagine if 15 men had accused Clinton of assaulting or violating them, with more stepping forward each day. Imagine if Clinton had held a Mr. Teen USA pageant and then marched unannounced into the changing area to ogle the young bodies as some were naked and, after doing the same thing at a Mr. USA pageant, marveled on a radio show at what she was allowed to get away with. Imagine if in a primary election debate Clinton had boasted that there's "no problem" with the size of her vagina. Imagine if Clinton had less experience in government or the military than any person who has ever become president? Imagine if she had said about a man running against her in the primaries, "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that?" Imagine if it were Clinton who had boasted, "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters." Imagine if it were Clinton who had been caught on a hot mike referring in a degrading way to men's genitals and boasting that her prominence gave her license to grab men's crotches. Imagine if she had bragged about her attempts to commit adultery and later reportedly sought to have fired from his job the married man who resisted her seduction efforts. Imagine that it were Hillary Clinton who had been accused of assault by her first spouse (later recanted) and later of assault in a lawsuit by a business partner. Imagine if Clinton had defended herself from an accusation of molesting a young man by explaining, "He would not be my first choice, that I can tell you." Imagine if Clinton had body shamed Donald Trump, saying that she had observed his rear end and concluded, "I'm not impressed, believe me." Imagine if Hillary Clinton had first drawn national attention not with an idealistic speech at the Wellesley commencement, but by being sued for racial discrimination by President Richard Nixon's administration. Imagine if she had later been quoted by a member of her staff as saying "laziness is a trait in blacks" and had retweeted white supremacists, including one honoring the American Nazi Party. Imagine if it were Clinton who had gone through six bankruptcies and compiled a long record of stiffing contractors, from plumbers . manufacturing shirts in Bangladesh, neck ties in China, suits in Mexico and stemware in Slovenia. Imagine that the Clintons had given an interview to People magazine and, while Bill stepped away to change clothes, Hillary told the male interviewer that she had a room to show him and then stuck her tongue down his throat. Imagine if Clinton had boasted on Howard Stern's radio show that "in the history of the world, nobody has got more hot men than I have" and referred to those men she had seduced as her "victims." What if she were called a sex predator on the show, and she nodded proudly? Imagine if PolitiFact had judged 71 percent of Clinton's statements that it checked "mostly false" or worse. Imagine that, instead of releasing 39 years of tax returns, showing most recently that she had paid 31 percent of her income in federal income taxes, she had refused to release any returns and leaked pages from 1995 returns indicated that she had paid no federal income taxes at all for years. Imagine if Clinton had rampaged for a week against a former beauty queen, and even tweeted encouragement to "check out sex tape" of the woman even though such a video did not exist. Imagine if Clinton had said, "You know, it doesn't really matter what [the media] write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass." Imagine if Clinton had been so lecherous that her daughter, at age 17, made her promise not to date any boy younger than 17. And if Clinton then joked publicly that as a result "the field is getting very limited." Imagine if Clinton had seemed completely ignorant of nuclear strategy and NATO yet said she knew "more about ISIS than the generals." Imagine if the Clinton Foundation had failed to register properly, had made an illegal campaign donation and had expended resources not on saving lives from AIDS but (possibly illegally) on two giant portraits of Hillary Clinton herself. So is there a double standard in American politics, indeed in American society, subjecting women to greater scrutiny? You decide. By Colleen White Holmes (Editor's note: This article is part of an ongoing project, Voices, that features the opinions of members of the Massachusetts community on trending, challenging issues that impact our daily lives.) We fall to our knees in gratitude, from weariness, and to ask for mercy. As more African-American men were shot down by police officers over the past several months and more police officers were attacked, whole communities have been brought to their knees for all three reasons. Charlotte, North Carolina is one of the latest, with some fighting to rise, tight-fisted with anger and hurt. Kneeling has now become protest. Colin Kaepernick is standing up by kneeling down. Right here in Springfield I witnessed a peaceful protest in front of City Hall on a summer's day too pretty for protest. I bet many of those gathered spent some moment kneeling before making their way downtown. These signs of protest and struggle sent me reeling back. When was the last time I protested about something besides an under cooked steak? "Princeton divest, oh yeah, just like the rest, oh yeah, 'cause if you don't, oh yeah, we will not rest!" I'll never forget that less than lyrically brilliant chant. I shouted it loud and proud as a Princeton undergraduate marching peacefully against South African Apartheid every weekday for a year. (Hey, we were college kids, weekends were reserved for partying.) That small action gave me a way to care about a wrong. The wrong happening now has a different twist for me. I have an insurance executive husband who was once slammed face-down on the ground by police officers as he ran from a convenience store to dodge the rain. I have a be-there-for-everybody brother-in-law who recently retired from the Springfield Police Department and a BFF who just earned her historic promotion to lieutenant on that same police force. I worry for my two honors graduate sons. Yet here I am, a former Miss Anti-Apartheid, who hasn't picked up a sign or marched a step. As I contemplated stamping "complacent sell-out" on my forehead, I recognized that it takes all kinds of action to fix this hot, heavy mess. I am taking action, but differently, as a mother, volunteering on community boards, donating, and engaging over 8,300 girls in learning leadership, community service, kindness and inclusion in my work with Girl Scouts. Girls. That the videos show men being targeted doesn't mean girls are safe. Girls' understanding of their world, their sense of human value and safety is being formed with each headline, tweet, and Snapchat post. They haven't figured out how to handle mean girls, how are they to wrap their heads around the scary things they're witnessing? Helplessness will swallow our girls whole. We starve helplessness with empowerment. Our girls need to know what teen-aged, insignificant me thankfully learned as a student: You can do something. There is power in a girl knowing that no matter where she sits in the world, she can make a ripple that makes the world a better place. Whether she cleans up a playground, sits next to the new kid at lunch, or creates a video promoting kindness, she'll grow too strong to be helpless. Don't just hug her and tell her not to worry. Let her speak up. Let her do. (Colleen White Holmes is Chief Membership & Strategy Officer for the Girl Scouts of Central & Western Massachusetts.) Attorney General Maura Healey Attorney General Maura Healey (Republican Photo by Mark M. Murray) (Mark Murray//The Republican) BOSTON - Hours after former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said he's going to run against Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2018, Mass. Attorney General Maura Healey jumped, calling the ex-ace another version of Republican nominee Donald Trump. Warren "fights for Massachusetts," Healey said in a post on Twitter, the social networking site. "[Schilling] is TrumpLite." Healey, a Charlestown Democrat who won the attorney general post in the 2014 election, added: "3 words: Bring it on." Warren, a Cambridge Democrat, won a six-year term in 2012, ousting incumbent Republican Scott Brown. Brown won the seat in a 2010 special election, beating out Democratic nominee Martha Coakley, Healey's former boss. Schilling said on a radio show Tuesday that he has decided, "I'm going to run." He added that he still needs to talk to his wife, Shonda. Curt Schilling: 'I'm going to run' against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2018 But Schilling, a self-described conservative, has made noise about potentially running since August. Reporters asked Warren about a potential ballot battle with Schilling earlier this year, and the senator shrugged. A WBZ poll in September showed Warren winning the hypothetical race 47 percent to Schilling's 28 percent. Schilling has also commented that he might take a look at the governor's office if Charlie Baker, a Swampscott Republican, ran for the White House. Baker has repeatedly told reporters he has no interest in running for president. Healey has weighed in on Schilling's comments before. In April, after ESPN fired Schilling for sharing an anti-transgender post on Facebook, she said the company made "the right call." The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has onboarded two former African heads of state H.E. Issoufou Mahamadou, former President of Niger and H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, former Ethiopian Prime Minister to the organizations global board of trustees to share their diverse and unique African leadership perspectives as AWF implements its ambitious 10-year strategy. The two eminent leaders join the wide array of international experts and thought leaders on the AWF board, including other former African heads of state: H. E. Festus Mogae of Botswana, the late H. E. Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, and the late H.E. Ketumile Masire of Botswana. H.E Issoufou Mahamadou and H.E Hailemariam Desalegn aim to work alongside their peers to ensure that wildlife and wild lands thrive in a modern Africa to support AWFs firm recognition of the central role that conservation plays in Africas aspirations, especially in building back better from the economic impacts of COVID-19. The new board trustees believe that the recovery path chosen by African leaders must be underpinned by a commitment to securing the continents natural infrastructure to provide a strong base for resilient and prosperous nations. Speaking in a video announcement to newsrooms on December 16, 2021, AWF CEO, Kaddu Sebunya expressed, As an African organization in these uncertain times, we recognize the important role that the African voice plays in ensuring that the continents development is hinged on its people and its natural asset base. At AWF, we believe that Africa right now stands at a crossroad; that the decisions that leaders in Africa take now will have enduring impacts on people. We trust that the elevated status of biodiversity will influence the opportunities available to Africans today and into the future. It is in this respect that we sought the support of African leaders in championing a new narrative for conservation in Africa. The two former heads of state bring outstanding experience from their previous leadership roles and current capacities as chairpersons of their foundations. In Niger, H.E. Issoufou has already recorded substantial progress in combating the impact of climate change and biodiversity loss in the Sahel region, both during his presidency from 2011-2021 and through The Issoufou Mohamadou Foundation. His support for the Great Green Wall initiative and the successful launch of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) are some of the key distinctions that led to him receiving the 2020 Mo Ibrahim African Leadership Award . The Great Green Wall is positioned to rebuild a green belt of forest across the Saharan desert range states, with the idea being to hold back the growing Saharan desert and create a lush ecosystem. AWF believes that Africa needs more bold initiatives like this to give us a fair chance to reverse biodiversity loss. In a statement H.E. Issoufou announced, I am very excited to be joining the AWF board to further ensure that Africa shapes its own conservation and climate agenda that will secure prosperity for African nations and communities. Planning and managing resource use in an integrated way to deliver on peoples needs, development aspirations, and conservation imperatives requires a landscape approach. We see the power of this landscape approach in our work to revive the Great Green Wall, which is transforming lives across the Sahel as well as restoring ecosystems. Working alongside the African Wildlife Foundation, we will be able to achieve enormous milestones that will shape the future of Africa. Similarly, in Ethiopia, H.E. Hailemariam, who served as Prime Minister from 2012-2018, is supporting select national parks in the countrys most remote landscapes. Through the Hailemariam and Roman Foundation, he is transforming the tourism and conservation sector by creating alternative livelihoods for the surrounding communities. In adherence to his guiding principles of putting community at the center, creating sustainable and scalable models, catalyzing development interventions, and enhancing partnerships, H.E. Hailemariams never-ending passion for conservation success, pan-Africanism, and sustainable development has set him above the curve amongst his peers. In his statement, H.E. Hailemariam remarked, I am thrilled to become a member of the African conservation movement through the African Wildlife Foundation. Having led an African country for 6 years, I understand the key issues that we face as a continent and have consistently stated in multiple global forums that what needs to change is our behavior and our mindset. We live at a time where there are numerous discussions around green growth investments and how they are shaping global negotiations to mobilize private finance through nature-based solutions linked to biodiversity and climate action. Understanding the intricacies of these global policies and the key role Africa plays is vital in ensuring that we do not set ourselves up for failure. Through AWF, I believe, we will be able to achieve this and so much more. In the context of COVID-19 and the growing impact of climate change, African countries will therefore need to build back better with a focus on diversified and resilient economies. It is because of this shift, and the influence held by H.E. Issoufou, H.E. Hailemariam, and other African leaders, that AWF is convinced that we are set on the right course to shape Africas economic development as a model for the rest of the world where conservation is at the center of development. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Lucidity is a new online service, unveiled during the weekend, that bridges clinical practices with physicians that are interested in locums. As some of you might know, getting locum help is cumbersome and quite expensive. According to Rob Scott, MD, MBA, a former ER physician whos been developing Lucidity with a group of investors for the last two years, locum agencies charge up to 30% markup for finding locums. Dr. Scott tells Medgadget that the figure comes from SEC fillings by publicly traded companies such as AMN Healthcare Services. Its physicians who are losers in the current scheme of things: this premium money is paid by physicians groups that seek the help of other physicians. Medgadget was given an early opportunity to check out the Lucidity service, and we were quite impressed. Dr. Scott and his team designed what we think is a seamless intelligent service that eliminates many hassles of traditional locum tenens agencies. The Lucidity system allows physicians to bargain for rates and specify desired working days or weeks, while location can be selected on the radar (i.e. within 100 miles or in a specific state). Thus, the physician can choose the place, time, and demand their own rates. On the other hand, the practice can post the needed times and negotiate with physicians directly on rates, with offer/counter offer period being limited to three days. Furthermore, Lucidity is designed to allow clinicians to negotiate variable rates for different shifts. According to the company, its service could attract a whole new set of clinicians: not only those who make their living from locums, but also those who are interested in an occasional gig, for example over the weekend or during vacation, without dealing with traditional locum agencies. So, no more agents who pester you with this or that unique opportunity. The signup for physicians and groups is easy: the service independently verifies medical credentials of every physician and the paperwork is done online within a system (think Docusign for credentials packet, etc) or, upon request, the paperwork could be received offline for filing. (Dr. Scott tells Medgadget that Lucidity has 247 support for all issues related to its service and its physicians). Clinicians can use their own malpractice insurance, and if not, Lucidity will provide one. How much does the service cost? For locum physicians, the service is free. They get the rate theyve negotiated. For clinical groups and hospitals and centers, according to Dr. Scott, the fee is a negotiable credit card model: there is a fee for every transaction and a percentage is charged on top. He tells Medgadget the percentage is a single digit to low double digit, depending on the need and location. To our ears, sounds better than the current 30% premium. All in all, the Lucidity team put a lot of smart thinking into its service. Its certainly not the first website to offer direct locum opportunities Nomad Health, a service co-founded by Kevin Ryan, founder of Business Insider and Gilt Groupe, comes to mind as a potential competitor. But with the competition growing, we hope the beneficiaries will be doctors and doctors groups. Link: Lucidity Sony just announced that it will soon be releasing a lineup of 4K medical monitors with 3D visualization capabilities, the first medical monitors to have such features simultaneously. Previously, 3D was only available at most on 1080p (HD) screens, but now the image quality can be up to four times sharper. Ultra high-def 3D endoscopes and surgical microscopes are about to start becoming widely available, so having proper medical monitors to display what theyre observing is a critical part of the package. The monitors have features such as picture-in-picture and will be able to flip and rotate 3D images 180. They have edge-to-edge protection and are water resistant and cleanable. They will also come with 3D eye protectors for use in the operating room. Source: Sony by Tanya Gazdik , October 18, 2016 Women do a better job than men disconnecting from work email when on vacation However, men return less stressed, according to Marriott Reward's Global Travel Tracker. Rather than unplugging and recharging, travelers prefer to stay connected with work via email, with less than half those surveyed (47%) being able to completely disconnect while on vacation. While women do a better job than men (34% vs. 23%), men tend to return to work less stressed than women (44% vs. 36%). Travelers from Tokyo reported to be the most stressed after a vacation (35%) and those from Mexico City the least stressed (4%). More than 6,600 travelers in 14 international cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Washington, D.C., Toronto, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Paris, Dubai, Tokyo, Shanghai and Munich participated in the online survey. advertisement advertisement Its fascinating to see that the habits formed and stories gathered might be personal in nature, but universal in experience, said Karin Timpone, global marketing officer, Marriott International, in a release. When it comes to favorite travel companions, 60% of all travelers would choose their spouse/significant other or their family. Washington, D.C., residents are the most likely to travel with their spouse (39%) while 17% of those from Mumbai travel with extended families most. One-fourth (25%) of responders have had to share a guest room with a colleague. Travelers from Mumbai (38%) share rooms the most, while business travelers from Tokyo share the least (10%). The findings also reveal that travelers in certain cities return to work less stressed that others, while some travelers prefer staying connected while away. Residents of Tokyo are most stressed returning to work after vacation, with 35% of respondents reporting some levels of stress. Residents of Mexico City reported the lowest levels of stress on return from vacation at just 4%. New York City logged in at 20%, the third most stressed post-vacation, while Chicago, Los Angeles tied for fifth with 17%. Marriott deemed Oct. 14 Global Travel Day, celebrating the merger of Marriott and Starwood and the linking of loyalty programs. The brand held a block party at Rockefeller Center. Marriott showcased its 5,700 properties across 30 brands, located in more than 110 countries, through an interactive 4,140 square-foot map. The walkable map features 30 large push pins fitted with RFID chips that members of Marriott Rewards, SPG or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards loyalty programs can swipe with a provided key-card, for a chance to win exciting travel prizes. In addition to the map experience, Marriott will place 250 larger-than-life push pins in front of all Marriott properties in New York City, signifying the vast array of brands and properties available to travelers now that Starwood has merged with Marriott International. Loyalty members in the U.S. will also have a chance to win one of 30 travel packages through a unique social media emojistakes. For the week beginning on Oct. 14, loyalty members will be able to enter by sharing their dream destination with @MarriottRewards and @SPG on Twitter or Instagram, along with the push pin emoji and #YouAreHere #Sweepstakes. by Aaron Baar , October 18, 2016 Apparently, the battery powering all those devices in a galaxy far, far away has a copper top. For the second year of its tie-in with Disneys Star Wars franchise, Duracell shows how it can empower imaginations at home with the iconic imagery of the films. Star Wars has ignited imaginations around the world for decades so we felt there was no better partner to bring to life Duracells benefit of long-lasting imaginative play, Ramon Velutini, marketing director for Duracell, tells Marketing Daily. Star Wars toys are going to be the most iconic and culturally relevant toys of the year, so we are thrilled to be partnering with them. A television commercial, which will air through the holidays, depicts children suiting up for battle in the Star Wars universe in their imaginations while creeping through the hallways of a hospital where theyre all patients in the real world. As they play out their fantasy, the commercial mimics the plot of the upcoming film, Rogue One, in which they deliver the Death Star plans to a new sick child on their ward in the form of an R2D2 toy. The commercial also includes an entreaty to donate to Childrens Miracle Network hospitals throughout the holidays. advertisement advertisement After visiting a couple of CMN hospitals, we saw first-hand the importance of imaginative play and the positive impact that it can have on children, Velutini says. Play allows kids to be kids even in very tough circumstances, such as when a child must be in the hospital. We felt compelled to tell their story. Duracell will also put its money where its mouth is, donating one million batteries to the Childrens Miracle Network this holiday season, Velutini says. With this donation, we are ensuring that the 147 CMN hospitals have enough batteries to power all of the toys that bring joy to the kids in these tough moments, he says. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, October 18, 2016 Engineers at LiveWorld have developed a chatbot management tool for Facebook Messenger that allows brands to automatically hand off the conversation to a live human when needed. The company plans to make the announcement on Tuesday Let's say the consumer wants more information about a product or service and the chatbot isn't equipped to answer the question. "Chatbots will eat into search rather dramatically, because people will have alternatives through an automated system to find information," LiveWorld founder Peter Friedman told Media Daily News. "When you make it easy to have a regular conversation with a bot to find information, it becomes much more natural." Gartner estimates that 85% of all customer interactions will not require human customer service reps by the end of this decade. The firm believes that automated analysis of social-media channels, CRM software and personalized chatbots that recognize faces and voices will greatly reduce the need for traditional call centers. advertisement advertisement That bodes well for Facebook's recent integration of chatbots into Messenger for automated customer service. Companies are investing in chatbot technology -- about $140 million since 2010, estimates Tracxn, a startup research platform. Although this may not seem like much, the most notable investments in 2016 include New York-based X.ai, which secured a $23 million in a Series B funding round in April, and AI-assistant Ozlo, which secured a Series A funding round in May. Even Chinese search engine Baidu launched a medical chatbot for doctors and patients. LiveWorld's software facilitates the conversations in Messenger, complete with tools to track and manage the interactions. The open API integrates the brands chat bots with LiveWorld's platform to improve on the customer's experience. The conversation management platform isn't entirely new. It works with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and others, but the company has made some very specific modification for Facebook Messenger that allow the handoff between chatbots and humans. Friedman, a former VP and GM of Apples Internet Services Division, said the software organizes the data and rolls the information into the brand's customer resource management (CRM) platform for safekeeping. "Chatbots are great up until the instance they are not," he says -- which means that "as soon as the customer determines they are caught in a phone tree the whole thing can backfire," he said. "A bad experience can make the customer hate the brand." Software tracks the conversation, with a report showing the entire dialog that occurred between the human, the chatbot and the consumer. by Gord Hotchkiss , Featured Contributor, October 18, 2016 Since Siri first stepped into our lives in 2011, were being introduced to more and more digital assistants. Weve met Amazons Alexa, Microsofts Cortana and Googles Google Now. We know them, but do we love them? Apparently, its important that we bond with said digital assistant, and snappy comebacks appear to be the surest path to our hearts. So, if you ask Siri if she has a boyfriend, she might respond with, Why? So we can get ice cream together, and listen to music, and travel across galaxies, only to have it end in slammed doors, heartbreak and loneliness? Sure, where do I sign up? She seems to know a smart-assed digital assistant is to love her -- but just be prepared for that love to be unrequited. Not to be outdone, Google is also brushing up on its witty repartee for its new digital assistant, thanks to some recruits from The Onion and Pixar. According to a recent Mediapost article, Google has assembled a team of writers from those two sources, tapping the Onion for caustic sarcasm and Pixar for a gentler, more human touch. advertisement advertisement But can we really be friends with a machine, even if it is funny? Microsoft thinks so. It has unveiled a new chatbot in China called Xiaoice (pronounced Shao-ice). Xiaoice takes on the persona of a 17-year-old girl who responds to questions like How would you like others to comment on you when you die one day? with the plaintive The world would not be much different without me. Perhaps this isnt as clever as Siris comebacks, but theres an important difference: Siris responses were specifically scripted to respond to anticipated question, while Xiaoice actually talks with you by using true artificial intelligence and linguistic processing. In a public test on WeChat, Xiaoice received 1.5 million chat group invitations in just 72 hours. As of earlier this year, she had had more than 10 billion conversations. In a blog post, Xiaoices father, Yongdong Wang, head of the Microsoft Application and Services Group East Asia, said, Many see Xiaoice as a partner and friend, and are willing to confide in her just as they do with their human friends. Xiaoice is teaching us what makes a relationship feel human, and hinting at a new goal for artificial intelligence: not just analyzing databases and driving cars, but making people happier. When we think of digital assistants, we naturally think of the advantages that machines have over humans: unlimited memory, access to the entire Web, vastly superior number-crunching skills and much faster processing speeds. This has led to cognitive offloading: humans transferring certain mental processing tasks to machines. We now trust Google more than our own memory for retrieving information, just as we trust calculators more than our own limited mathematical abilities. But there should be some things that humans are just better at: being human, for instance. We should be more empathetic -- better able to connect with other people. A machine shouldnt get us better than our spouse or best friend. For now, thats probably still true. But what if you dont have a spouse, or even a best friend? Is having a virtual friend better than nothing at all? Recent studies have shown that robotic pets seem to ease loneliness with isolated seniors. More research is needed, but its not really surprising to learn that a warm, affectionate robot is better than nothing at all. What was surprising was that in one study, seniors preferred a robotic dog to the real thing. The question remains, however: Can we truly have a relationship with a machine? Can we feel friendship -- or even love -- when we know that the machine cant do the same? This goes beyond the high-tech flirtation of discovering Siris or Googles Easter egg responses to something more fundamental. Its touching on what appears to be happening in China, where millions are making a chatbot their personal confidant. I suspect there are more than a few lonely Chinese who would consider Xiaoice their best friend. On many levels, that scares the hell out of me. by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, October 18, 2016 It feels like ages since the Billy Bush Access Hollywood tape of Donald Trump came out. It was actually Friday, October 7, barely 11 days ago. Since then, weve had another debate, nine women accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment, and the countrys beloved red cardigan-wearing debate attendee Ken Bone went from Americas savior to a creepy, depraved Reddit-user. There are just under three weeks until November 8. My guess is a lot is going to happen. The week of October 10 saw Donald Trumps polling numbers plummet. Polling prior to the release of the now infamous video had Clinton up a strong, but not insurmountable five or six point lead nationally, depending on the poll. The two most recent polls from CBS News and Monmouth University now have Clinton up 11 and 12 points, respectively. An analysis of digital media also shows a bleak picture of the week for the Republican nominee. advertisement advertisement From October 7 through October 16, 18% of all digital content around Trump, as measured by Amobee Brand Intelligence, mentioned sexual assault. For reference, Trumps signature policy issue, immigration, was mentioned in barely 6% of digital content around the candidate. Trumps chances have been severely hindered since the debates started, with his odds of winning the presidency in FiveThirtyEights NowCast projecting odds if the election were held today at just over 10%. Even "SNL" last weekend had a prescient take on Trumps tough week, with the fictional Hillary Clinton headquarters in a gleeful frenzy as Kate McKinnon, portraying Clinton, tried to keep herself from chuckling during the cold open. Trump might be losing the election, but hes not going out quietly. The Republican nominee has already questioned the outcome of the election. He is also preparing an army of vigilante poll watchers, who are likely to intimidate and pester voters across the country. There are less than 22 days until November 8, but it feels like an eternity. People with pacemakers or defibrillators who experience only short episodes of an abnormal heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation have a very low risk of stroke, suggesting that anticoagulants in this group of patients were not likely to reduce the risk for stroke, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation . Atrial fibrillation is the most common abnormal heart rhythm, affecting approximately 2.7 million Americans. Previous research demonstrates that people with prolonged episodes of atrial fibrillation are at an increased risk for cardiovascular complications, including stroke. As a result, guidelines recommend that patients with atrial fibrillation take anticoagulants, blood thinners that decrease the ability of the blood to clot, to reduce their stroke risk. However, it has been unclear whether "short" episodes (estimated as less than 20 seconds) also increase medical risks and warrant anticoagulants. Researchers analyzed 37,000 individual ECGs from 5,379 patients over 2 years enrolled in the RATE Registry, an ongoing study following patients with pacemakers or defibrillators that constantly monitor their heart rhythm. The study confirmed that long episodes of atrial fibrillation are associated with increased risk of stroke, heart failure, ER visit or hospitalization for an abnormal heart rhythm, or death. In contrast, during the course of two years, patients experiencing only "short" episodes of atrial fibrillation were at no more risk of stroke or other cardiovascular complications than people without documented atrial fibrillation. Over the two years of the study, researchers found: more than 15,000 episodes of atrial fibrillation; 94 patients were hospitalized for atrial fibrillation; 265 patients were hospitalized for heart failure; 47 patients were hospitalized for stroke; and 359 patients died. The results suggest that, in patients who only experience short episodes of atrial fibrillation, the risks of bleeding associated with taking anticoagulants outweighs the risk of stroke. "We knew that people with atrial fibrillation are at higher risk of stroke, but the next question was, how much atrial fibrillation?" said Steven Swiryn, M.D., lead author and clinical professor of cardiology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. "Other studies have shown that prolonged episodes of atrial fibrillation pose a risk, but what about short ones? The answer until this study was 'no one knows.' Now we have good solid data that if all you have is short episodes of atrial fibrillation, the risk is so low that it doesn't warrant anticoagulants." However, physicians should continue to monitor patients for progression to prolonged episodes of atrial fibrillation that may develop, Swiryn said. The RATE registry was funded by St. Jude Medical. Co-authors are Michael V. Orlov, M.D., Ph.D.; David G. Benditt, M.D.; John P. DiMarco, M.D., Ph.D.; Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Sc.M.; Edward Karst, M.S.; Fujian Qu, Sc.D.; Mara T. Slawsky, M.D., Ph.D.; Melanie Turkel, M.S. and Albert L. Waldo, M.D., Ph.D. CDC encourages hospitals to take action, advises patients to seek care if ill. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning healthcare providers and patients about the potential risk of infection from certain devices used during open heart (open-chest) surgery. Patients who have had open heart surgery should seek medical care if they are experiencing symptoms associated with infections, such as night sweats, muscle aches, weight loss, fatigue, or unexplained fever. This advice follows new information indicating that some LivaNova PLC (formerly Sorin Group Deutschland GmbH) Stockert 3T heater-cooler devices, used during many of these surgeries, might have been contaminated during manufacturing which could put patients at risk for life-threatening infections. More than 250,000 heart bypass procedures using heater-cooler devices are performed in the United States every year. Heater-cooler units are an essential part of these life-saving surgeries because they help keep a patient's circulating blood and organs at a specific temperature during the procedure. Approximately 60 percent of heart bypass procedures performed in the U.S. utilize the devices that have been associated with these infections. CDC estimates that in hospitals where at least one infection has been identified, the risk of a patient getting an infection from the bacteria was between about 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,000. While these infections can be severe, and some patients in this investigation have died, it is unclear whether the infection was a direct cause of death. Available information suggests that patients who had valves or prosthetic products implanted are at higher risk of these infections. CDC also released today a Health Alert Network advisory to help hospitals and healthcare providers identify and inform patients who might have been put at risk. "It's important for clinicians and their patients to be aware of this risk so that patients can be evaluated and treated quickly," said Michael Bell, M.D., deputy director of CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. "Hospitals should check to see which type of heater-coolers are in use, ensure that they're maintained according to the latest manufacturer instructions, and alert affected patients and the clinicians who care for them." CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration initially published information and alerts about these potentially contaminated heater-cooler devices in 2015. CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published today, details recently completed laboratory tests by CDC and National Jewish Health that show bacteria from the 3T heater-cooler devices match bacteria found in patients in several states. These results build on previous evidence from Europe that suggests the bacteria contaminated these devices during manufacturing in Germany. The bacteria, Mycobacterium chimaera, is a species of nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) often found in soil and water. In the environment, M. chimaera rarely makes healthy people sick. Patients who have been exposed to the bacteria through open-heart surgery can develop general and nonspecific symptoms that can often take months to develop. As a result, diagnosis of these infections can be missed or delayed, sometimes for years, making these infections more difficult to treat. There is no test to determine whether a person has been exposed to the bacteria. Infections can be diagnosed by detecting the bacteria by laboratory culture; the slow growing nature of the bacteria can require up to two months to rule out infection. CDC will continue to work with the FDA and the clinical community to further evaluate and reduce the risk associated with these devices, as well as increase provider and patient awareness. Patients who have had open-heart surgery and are concerned about symptoms they may be experiencing should contact their healthcare providers. Clinicians or patients with questions should contact CDC Info at 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) or https://wwwn.cdc.gov/dcs/ContactUs/Form. New research is shedding light on how leukaemia cells can survive cancer treatment, suggesting new possibilities for stopping them in their tracks. Leukaemia is cancer of the blood and it has one of the highest cancer mortality rates. This is partly because there is a high relapse rate, as some cancer cells can survive the initial treatment. These surviving cells are often resistant to treatment, allowing the cancer to spread and become fatal. How these treatment-resistant cells survive initial chemotherapy is not well understood. One popular theory has been that they sit hiding in specific niches within the bone marrow that usually harbour blood stem cells - basic cells that can become all other blood cells. However, new research in mice, and validated with human samples, has revealed that certain leukaemia cells do not sit and hide. The research was led by a team at Imperial College London with colleagues from the Francis Crick Institute in London and the University of Melbourne in Australia, and is published in Nature. Instead, to the researchers' surprise, the cells were scattered throughout the mouse bone marrow both before and after treatment, and they were moving around rapidly. After treatment, the leukaemia cells that survived were seen moving faster than those before treatment. The researchers suggest that the act of moving itself may help the cells to survive, possibly through short-lived interactions with an array of our own cells. Study leader Dr Cristina Lo Celso from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial said: "We expected the cells that survived treatment to be sat in particular niches, but instead they are very active throughout the bone marrow. We now know that it would be ineffective to target particular niches in the bone marrow to tackle treatment-resistant leukaemia. "Now that we know that the cells don't hide, we can explore why that is and how their movement helps them to survive. Ultimately we want to find out whether we can stop the movement, and whether this could kill the treatment-resistant cells. This research is still in its early stages, but we believe we have already gained valuable insights to open up new avenues in the development of novel, more effective leukaemia treatments." The team's investigation into leukaemia cells' behaviour also revealed that they actively attack bone cells, which are known to support healthy blood production. The researchers believe this insight could help scientists to develop treatments to safeguard production of healthy blood cells in leukaemia patients. Study co-author Dr Delfim Duarte, also from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial, said: "Our study supports the idea that, at least in this leukaemia, new therapies should target the cancer cells themselves instead of the surrounding normal stromal cells to better eradicate the disease." Dr Edwin Hawkins, who worked on the project at Imperial and is now at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia, added: "Our work also suggests that protecting normal stromal bone cells from the attack of leukaemia cells can have wide implications in the support of healthy blood cell production. Keeping blood cells levels up would prevent anemia, infection and bleeding." To investigate the working of leukaemia at the cellular level, the team used a technique called intravital microscopy that allows high-resolution fast imaging of live animals. The team used mice with a particularly deadly type of leukaemia called T cell acute leukaemia and tracked the movement of disease cells before and after treatment. Moreover, through collaboration with the Francis Crick Institute and the University of Melbourne, they were able to demonstrate that the findings hold true in human samples too. The research was funded by the charities Bloodwise and Cancer Research UK, alongside contributions to buy equipment and recruit team members from the European Research Council, the Human Frontier Science Program, and the European Hematology Association. Dr Alasdair Rankin, Research Director at Bloodwise, said: "Most children and adults with acute leukaemia respond well to chemotherapy initially, but one of the biggest challenges we face is the cancer returning. Although this is early work, these significant findings reveal that stopping cancer cells moving around the bone marrow may be a more targeted way to treat acute leukaemia, and could tackle resistant disease." Dr Emma Smith, science communications manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "Shedding light on what's happening in the bone marrow could open up new approaches to prevent leukaemia cells becoming resistant to treatment, which makes the disease much harder to treat. This interesting study could also be a starting point for developing new treatments that help leukaemia patients by restoring the normal functions of their bone marrow, such as protecting from infections." A mild sedative could greatly reduce the risk of people experiencing delirium after an operation, according to new research. The study, by scientists at Imperial College London and Peking University First Hospital, suggests sedating patients after they undergo an operation may reduce the risk of post-operative delirium by up to 65 per cent. The condition may affect up to one in three people who have a major operation, causing confusion and hallucinations - with the over-65s particularly at risk. The team, who publish their study in The Lancet, believe the sedative may help the brain 'recover and reset' after surgery. Post-operative delirium usually strikes within the first two days of a person waking from general anaesthetic. The symptoms range from relatively mild, such as a person not knowing their name or where they are, to more severe, such as aggressive behaviour, believing people are trying to harm them, or even hallucinations. Professor Daqing Ma, co-lead author of the new study from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, said: "Post-operative delirium is a huge challenge for the medical community - and incredibly distressing for patients and their families. In many cases patients become almost child-like, and do not understand where they are, what is happening, and become very upset. Hospital staff have also been injured by delirious patients becoming aggressive. However we currently have no treatments options available for this condition." The causes are unknown, but one theory is that major surgery can trigger inflammation throughout the body, which in some cases can spread to the brain. The risk of the condition increases with age, and it seems to strike more often when patients undergo major, lengthy operations. The delirium can last from a few hours to a couple of days, and some research suggests it may be linked to an increased risk of elderly patients later developing dementia. In the new study, co-led by Professor Dongxin Wang at Peking University First Hospital, researchers assessed 700 patients age 65 or older who were about to undergo major surgery at the Beijing hospital. Half received a low dose of a type of sedative called dexmedetomidine after the operation, as an infusion directly into a vein in their arm, while half received a placebo salt-water infusion. The patients received the infusion of sedative or placebo around an hour after surgery, and for the next 16 hours. This sedative, which is commonly used for medical procedures and in veterinary medicine, leaves a patient relaxed and drowsy, yet conscious. The drug is considered safe as it doesn't affect breathing. Both groups received the same general anaesthetic before undergoing their operation. They were then assessed for symptoms of delirium every day for a week after their procedure. The results revealed that nearly one in four patients in the placebo group - 23 per cent - developed delirium. However only just under one in ten patients - 9 per cent - who received the sedative developed the condition. Scientists are still unsure how the sedative works, but one theory is it allows the brain to rest and recover immediately after surgery, explained Professor Ma. "Previous studies have shown that patients who struggle to sleep after their operation - perhaps because they are in pain or on a busy, noisy ward - are at increased risk of delirium." He added that the sedative dexmedetomidine seems to not only trigger sleep, but actually mimics the natural state the brain enters during sleep. "Although other sedatives induce sleep, they do not trigger the natural 'sleep state' the brain requires to rest, reset, and recover." Professor Ma added that previous research have suggested the sedative may help prevent delirium, but this is the largest study to show such beneficial effects. The study also confirmed there were no side effects of the sedative. Further results showed the patients given the sedative had fewer post-operative complications than the placebo group, and were discharged from hospital earlier. The team will now assess if the sedative has long-term benefits, beyond the seven-day study period. Professor Ma added: "There is still much more work to do around post-operative delirium, as we still don't fully understand what is happening in the brain, and why some patients are more at risk. However these findings suggest this sedative may be a potential method of preventing post-operative delirium in some patients." The research was funded by the Braun Anaesthesia Scientific Research Fund and Wu Jieping Medical Foundation. Common bacteria evade traps in placenta to rapidly infect fetus; finding should inform vaccine pursuit, investigators say. Researchers have shown for the first time, in pregnant nonhuman primates, that Group B streptococcus bacteria employ a toxin to escape first-line immune defenses in the placenta and rapidly infect the amniotic cavity and developing fetus. The findings from UW Medicine and Seattle Children's Research Institute are reported in Science Immunology. Group B streptococcus is a microbe commonly present in the lower genital tract of nearly 20 percent of healthy adult women. During pregnancy, these bacteria can travel to the uterus, leading to preterm birth or stillbirth. Newborns that develop sepsis within a few days of birth due to Group B strep typically acquired the bacteria in utero. The researchers established a timeline for Group B strep's transit into the amniotic cavity and shed light on its mechanism for breaching host defenses that should protect the fetus from infection. Their observations of the speed of this invasion in a pigtail macaque could provide a model for therapeutic interventions such as a vaccine. The investigation built on the researchers' 2013 discovery of how Group B strep kills red blood cells - a mystery that microbiologists had struggled to solve. The answer was unusual and unexpected: A lipid-based pigment in the bacteria cell wall was, in fact, a potent hemolytic toxin. "This new study demonstrates in a primate model that the pigment enables Group B strep to rapidly overcome the placenta's immune defenses to trigger preterm labor and a catastrophic fetal infection," said senior author Lakshmi Rajagopal, a UW Medicine investigator at Seattle Children's Research Institute. In the study, the Group B strep bacteria were able to cross the placenta in under one hour. "Once the bacteria come in contact with the placenta, it is game over," said Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf, a UW Medicine obstetrician-gynecologist and a senior co-author of the study. The earliest and most critical host response to such bacteria comes from neutrophils, whose role is to kill invading organisms. Even as they die, neutrophils extrude neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to prevent further dissemination or spread of the bacteria. The authors found that among Group B strep strains that express the pigment toxin, the toxin induces neutrophil cell death and then helps the bacteria escape the action of NETs within the placenta. This finding is an important advance, Rajagopal said, because it suggests that any vaccine must target this toxin rather than simply amplifying the body's production of neutrophils. The study employed a primate model because it so closely resembles human pregnancy, the researchers said, with regard to length of gestation, placental structure and uterine anatomy, number of fetuses, fetal organ development, and response to bacteria. Pregnancy studies of mice, rabbits and guinea pigs lack some of these similarities, making scientific findings less readily translated to human pregnancy. The discovery of Group B strep's evasion mechanism "is very likely also applicable to other virulent bacteria such as E. coli and antibiotic-resistant strains that we see circulating in Southeast Asia," said Adams Waldorf. "We want to be a part of the solution to improve the pregnancy outcomes for women around the world." This study was a collaboration of scientists and physicians in obstetrics, microbiology, molecular microbiology, immunology, pediatrics, bioinformatics, primatology and other fields. It involved the Washington National Primate Research Center at the University of Washington and the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research at Seattle Childrens Research Institute. The work was supported primarily by the National Institutes of Health grant (R01AI100989) to investigate pregnancy-associated infections. In this free webinar, learn about the rapidly growing cell and gene therapy and vaccine markets. Attendees will get an overview of the manufacturing process for adeno-associated virus (AAV) and how Akron Bio's new facility is designed to address ... On Sunday, September 18, 2016, Pakistan-backed terrorists launched a dawn attack on an Indian military logistic base in the Uri township of Kashmir. In this attack, 18 Indian soldiers were killed, as were the four suicide bombers. Investigations revealed that this group was affiliated to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group based in Bhawalpur, Pakistan. JeM has been involved in a number of attacks in India in the past, one of the most recent being the Pathankot Air Field attack in January 2016. Yet, this and other anti-India terror groups, like Hizbul Mujahideen (HuM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) - all U.S.- and E.U.-designated terrorist organizations - continue to find safe haven in Pakistan, where they enjoy covert patronage and moral support from Pakistan's "Deep State." Smoke rises from the Uri Army Logistic Base, under attack. Credit: yahoo.com An "Intifada" Movement Singes The Valley The Kashmir Valley has been on the boil now for months, with "stone throwers" ruling the streets, reminiscent of the first Palestinian intifada. The trigger for this latest outbreak of violence was provided by the killing of a wanted Hizbul Mujahidin terrorist - Burhan Wani, a local Kashmiri, shot dead in an encounter with Indian Security Forces (SF). During Burhan Wani's funeral, in July 2016, thousands of Kashmiris poured onto the streets in a show of solidarity. Wani had been extremely successfully in mobilizing local youth to join militant movements.[1] Many of the youth who formed the funeral procession indulged in rioting and arson, and targeted the SF. The SF found it difficult to tackle the volatile mobs who engaged in throwing stones and destruction of government infrastructure, including police stations. In the ensuing mob control measures, the SF were left with little option but to fire pellet guns in self-defense. Many of the rioters were seriously wounded, adding fuel to fire, and this aided the Hurriyat - separatists - to further incite the mobs. Kashmiri youth pelt SF with stones. Courtesy: rediff.com Burhan Wani's funeral procession. Credit: jandknow.com A curfew has been in force for many weeks now, adversely impacting the life of ordinary Kashmiri citizens. Schools and colleges have been closed, and education has been a casualty. With tough restrictions in place on free movement, businesses have suffered, and tourism, a major means of livelihood, has taken a hit. From across the LoC (Line of Control), Pakistan is not letting up in its attempts to keep the Kashmir Valley in flames. People are despondent and are losing hope for an early settlement. Kashmiri protestors clash with police. Photo credit: The Hindu Stone throwers attack security forces. Photo credit: hillpost.in Infiltration attempts by terrorists, including LeT, Hizbul Mujahideen, and Jaish-e-Mohammed, have seen a marked increase in the last few months, culminating in the attack at Uri. Pakistan is instigating all this in the fervent hope that the masses of Kashmir will rise up against the Indian state to join up with Pakistan. Funds are being pumped into Kashmir, and the Hurriyat continues to be provided both overt and covert support to keep the situation boiling by instigating youth. These radicalized young Kashmiris are being provided weapons and explosives training, and are attacking the symbols of the Indian state. They seem to be just pawns, an expendable commodity for the Pakistani "Deep State" in its plan to wrest the Kashmir Valley from India. Pakistan stokes the fires. Credit: apherald.com. Accession - The Genesis Of The Problem At the time of partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir (J & K), a Muslim-majority state, was ruled by the Hindu Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, who was given a choice by the British to choose between acceding to one of the two countries. The Maharaja could not decide, and hoped to remain independent. Arsonists clash with police. Credit: Kashmir Pioneer In October 1947, Kashmir was invaded by Pashtun tribesmen from North West Frontier Province and Waziristan, supported by Pakistan Army Regulars. They began looting and plundering the state. Maharaja Hari Singh panicked and asked for help from India to defend Kashmir and push back the raiders. The Indian Army entered Kashmir at the behest of the Maharaja, who signed the Instrument of Accession when the Pashtun invaders and Pakistani regulars threatened the capital Srinagar itself. He thus merged his state with India. The Indian Army, after hard-fought battles, forced the tribesmen and Pakistan Army to withdraw from large parts of the Valley. Of course, Pakistan did not accept this accession, and immediately contested it. It claimed that the Maharaja had signed it under duress, and that he had no right to sign this accession as the "standstill agreement of J & K" with Pakistan was still in place. In early 1948, India sought a resolution of the Kashmir conflict in the UN. A United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) was set up, and the Security Council passed Resolution 47 on April 21, 1948, and brokered a ceasefire between the two neighbors. The ceasefire resulted in a temporary border between India and Pakistan, referred to as Ceasefire Line, now the Line of Control (LoC), and this divided the state into two parts. Pakistan was unable to reconcile with this adversity, and therefore fought three more futile wars to wrest Kashmir by force, and suffered defeat at the hands of the Indian Army. In 1988, Pakistan launched a proxy war in Kashmir, codenamed Operation Topac. As part of this effort, it initiated and supported militancy in the Valley by training and arming Kashmiri youth. Simultaneously, through a well-planned conspiracy, Pakistan also commenced replacing the more tolerant Islamic Sufi culture prevalent in Kashmir with the more radical Salafi Islam. The growth of Salafi mosques and madrasas on the Kashmiri landscape changed the mindset of certain sectors of Kashmiri youth. This militancy was converted into a Pakistan sponsored proxy war backed by jihadi terror, with the active involvement of the Pakistani Army and ISI - the "Deep State" - and many Afghan Mujahidin were infiltrated into Kashmir. The Indian Army deployment, therefore, had to be strengthened to fight the designs of an inimical neighbor. The Current Crisis In Kashmir Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addresses UNGA. Courtesy: The DAWN In an article recently published in the periodical India Legal, Inderjit Badhwar, a leading journalist and analyst, took on a misguided left-wing lawyer activist to clarify that Pakistan has "no feet to stand on" as regards its claims in Kashmir.[2] He noted: "The problem is between Delhi and the people of Kashmir and not between India and Pakistan. Pakistan has no role to play in this except that of a bloodstained mischief-maker into whose hands Indian governments and politicians have stupidly played into since 1948." Badhwar quoted an old article he wrote in 1990 which stated that the uprising today is similar to past turmoil with a major difference: "But today, the movement is dominated by the money provided by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and the muscle power of the pro-Pakistan, fundamentalist Jamaat-i-Islami and its Hizbul Mujahideen and Allah Tiger terror groups. The Jamaat is supposed to be strong in Baramula and Sopore and the 'secular' JKLF in Srinagar and Anantnag. But this is now merely semantics. For what once used to be a mass movement for the preservation of ethnic identity, of Kashmiriyat, of which Article 370 was supposed to be the symbolic guardian, has been consumed by a fundamentalist fury that gives the movement sustenance and spiritual guidance. The liberal spirit of Sufism that had so infused the valley has now been exorcised." The reality of Kashmir today is of a struggle for legitimate rights within India distorted and made deadly by foreign interference and ideological manipulation. In this sense, the latest violence is only a continuation of efforts at subversion seen since at least the 1990s, but with a danger that it may finally become, as Burhan Wani wished and strove for, much more of a local affair. *Deepinder Singh is a retired Indian Army Major General and a member of MEMRI's Board of Advisors. Endnotes: Introduction In recent weeks there has been severe tension between Egypt and Saudi Arabia due to disagreements on the Syrian crisis. These disagreements, which are long-standing, recently deepened and became public, especially after on October 8, 2016, Egypt voted at the UN Security Council in favor of a Russian draft resolution on the situation in Aleppo, a draft resolution that Saudi Arabia opposed.[1] Egypt's support for the Russian draft resolution was a blatant expression of its dispute with Saudi Arabia over the Syrian crisis and constitutes an independent Egyptian step that placed this country squarely outside the Saudi camp. In fact, Egypt's position on resolving the Syrian crisis is clearly closer to that of Russia, the ally of Bashar Al-Assad, than to the Saudi position. In the weeks prior to the vote at the UN, Egyptian senior officials, headed by President 'Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri, began voicing in public their position on the Syrian crisis and clarifying the points of contention with Saudi Arabia in this matter. Their statements, as well as articles published in the Egyptian press, described Saudi Arabia as advocating a military solution in Syria and supporting the armed factions there, in contrast to Egypt, which advocates a political solution, seeks to end the bloodshed in the country and preserve its unity and stability, and also seeks to halt the spread of terrorism from Syria to other countries. It was claimed further that, while Saudi Arabia insists on the ouster of Bashar Al-Assad as a condition for a solution in Syria, Egypt does not endorse this view. Some of the articles stressed Syria's importance to Egypt and the security and strategic ties between the two countries, stating that Egypt's position on Syria stemmed from Egyptian interests that take precedence over Arab ones. Saudi Arabia, for its part, was enraged by Egypt's support of the Russian draft resolution. Saudi Representative to the UN 'Abdallah Yahya Al-Mouallimi wondered how it could be that some non-Arab countries were closer to the Arab positions than Egypt was. Furthermore, Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Al-Kattan was recalled to Riyadh for consultations. In addition, Saudi Arabia has begun taking economic steps, apparently in response to Egypt's significant divergence from the Saudi position. For example, two days after the vote at the UN Security Council, it was reported that the largest Saudi oil company, Saudi Aramco, had suspended the supply of oil to Egypt, and that Saudia Airlines, the Saudi national carrier, had not approved EgyptAir flights to Saudi Arabia. These moves were seen in Egypt as Saudi economic sanctions against Egypt. The Saudi anger at Egypt was also expressed in numerous Saudi press articles that described the Al-Sisi's regime as ungrateful, given the significant material and political support Saudi Arabia has extended to Al-Sisi. At the same time, other articles called to understand Egypt's considerations, especially in light of its complicated political situation. It should be noted that Egyptian-Saudi relations since Al-Sisi's rise to power have seen ups and downs. Both countries have been trying to keep up a front of unity and close relations. Saudi Arabia supported Al-Sisi and his ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) regime headed by Muhammad Mursi; the Saudi support for the current Egyptian regime was also manifested in significant economic aid extended to Egypt. Egyptian president Al-Sisi, for his part, declared on several occasions that the Egyptian army is on full alert, ready to defend Egypt's sister-countries in the Gulf, should they be directly threatened. In April 2016 Saudi King Salman made a historic visit to Egypt, during which the latter acknowledged Saudi Arabia's sovereignty over the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir, which had been under Egyptian sovereignty for years, and agreed to transfer them back to the kingdom. A series of economic agreements were also made during the visit.[2] However, despite their efforts to appear united, significant disagreements have surfaced between the two countries on various issues - chiefly Saudi Arabia's openness towards Turkey and the MB, which Egypt regards as its enemies, and, conversely, indications of possible rapprochement between Egypt and Iran, as well as Egypt's position on Syria. Saudi Arabia is also severely disappointed with the limited extent of Egypt's cooperation with it in the war against the Houthis in Yemen, and with Egypt's failure so far to implement the agreement on the transfer of the two islands. The Saudi ire was also sparked by the participation of a senior Egyptian delegation, headed by Egyptian Mufti Shawki 'Allam, the Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayeb, and Al-Sisi's advisor Osama Al-Azhari, in a conference of Muslim clerics in Grozny in late August 2016, under the title "Who Are The Sunnis?" Saudi clerics were not invited to this conference, and its closing statement, which defined the term "Sunni," made no mention of Wahhabiyya and Salafiyya. Saudi Arabia saw this conference as a plot against its status as the leader of the Sunni world and leveled harsh criticism at Egypt for participating in it.[3] This report reviews the current tension between the two countries over the solution of the Syrian crisis. Egyptian Foreign Minister: Saudi Arabia Advocates A Military Solution; We Advocate A Political Solution As noted above, in recent weeks Egyptian officials, chiefly President Al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Shukri, publicly discussed the Egypt-Saudi rift over a resolution to the Syria crisis. On August 22, 2016, President Al-Sisi gave an interview to the editors of Egypt's three main newspapers, Al-Ahram, Al-Gumhouriyya, and Al-Akhbar, in which he stressed that "Egypt's position regarding the Syria crisis is based on a number of principles: honoring the contiguousness of Syrian lands and the will of the Syrian people; reaching a political solution; disarming the militias and extremist groups; and restoring and reopening Syrian state institutions."[4] In his September 2016 speech to the UN General Assembly, Al-Sisi stressed that the solution for Syria was political, not military. He called for disarming the militias and extremist groups, but did not address what was to happen to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. He also refrained from blaming the Assad regime and Russia for the ongoing crisis. He said: "The ongoing bloodshed in Syria and the lack of a political horizon are no longer acceptable. It is clear what needs to be done - an immediate and total halt of all aggression across Syria, which will pave the way for a political solution that ends the bloodshed and prevents the ongoing chaos, the only result of which is the spread of terrorism. We welcome the cessation of hostilities agreement achieved through [much] effort by Russia and the U.S., and anticipate an acceleration of serious international moves to renew negotiations as soon as possible, in order to arrive at a comprehensive solution for the crisis."[5] In contrast, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Naif bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz Al-Sa'ud called, in his speech to the UN General Assembly, to facilitate a transitional process in Syria by supporting the moderate opposition, and accused President Assad of being responsible for the massacre of and crimes against the Syrian people.[6] Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri expressed himself more forthrightly and decisively regarding the points of contention with Saudi Arabia. Two days after Al-Sisi's speech to the UN General Assembly, Shukri told the editors of Egypt's three main newspapers, in an interview, that Saudi Arabia is promoting an unviable solution to the Syria crisis, and described Egypt's role as "the voice of reason." While Shukri did emphasize the extensive Egypt-Syria relationship and coordination, he added: "The disagreement surrounds the question of whether or not armed struggle can decide the situation in Syria. Our position since the start has been that armed struggle will decide nothing, and that there is no place for terrorist organizations in the new Syria. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia believes that armed struggle will [indeed] decide the situation in Syria, and will lead to change. But this will not happen." Additionally, Shukri argued that "there is no need for a ceasefire to launch a political process, because the tragic situation in Syria, and its ramifications, are compelling us to formulate guidelines for political negotiations, so that we can work in accordance with them as opposed to waiting for a ceasefire..."[7] This position vis-a-vis a ceasefire contrasts with that of the Syrian armed resistance, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, according to which negotiations are conditional upon a ceasefire. It also contrasts with Al-Sisi's statements at the UN General Assembly. In its reporting, the Egyptian independent Islamic daily Al-Misriyyoun, which was not represented at the interview, highlighted additional points of Egyptian-Saudi contention that it claimed were raised during the interview. The newspaper reported that Shukri said, when asked whether a departure by President Assad could bring Syria to the same situation as Iraq's and Libya's following the ouster of their leaders: "That is the affair of the Syrian people, and we should not discuss specific individuals or waste time on questions regarding the post-war phase." He stressed that, unlike Saudi Arabia, whose "position highlights the need for regime or leadership change in Syria, Egypt does not support this..."[8] It should be noted that while none of the three newspapers whose editors interviewed Shukri reported on these statements, they were widely cited in the Arab media and were not denied by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. Articles In Official Egyptian Press: The Choice Is Between Bashar Al-Assad And Jabhat Al-Nusra Following Shukri's and Al-Sisi's statements, the official Egyptian press further examined, in a number of articles, the Egypt-Saudi schism, specifically regarding the fate of Bashar Al-Assad and the two countries' divergent priorities for dealing with the crisis. The Egyptian positions reflected in these articles are in line with those of Russia and the Syrian regime. 'Abd Al-Hadi 'Allam, the editor of the Egyptian government daily Al-Ahram, characterized Egypt's position as follows: "Assad has no place in Egypt's future, but now is not the time [to remove him]. In other words, Assad is not part of the future but he is part of the [immediate] solution." He added: "Egypt presented the elements [who support the Syrian opposition] with a question: 'Who will fill the vacuum after Bashar [Al-Assad] is gone?' The answer was: 'Terrorism and the extremists, of course. That's a certainty'... If Bashar [Al-Assad] is removed from the scene right now, what will happen next? Syria will surely suffer the same fate as Iraq and Libya! Are the region and the world prepared [to face] another Somalia? Everyone will pay the price. This terror will spread to Europe, the U.S. and the [entire] region..."[9] Makram Muhammad Ahmad, the former head of Egypt's journalists' union, likewise warned in an Al-Ahram article that the alternative to Assad could be the extremist terrorists. He wrote that Egypt's stance is "based on a correct Arab position that is attempting to restore a minimal [degree of] Arab solidarity, and which demands to put an immediate stop to the civil war in Syria and save the Syrian people and state from certain catastrophe that will weigh on the Arab consciousness for decades. The loss of Syria will mean the loss of the entire Middle East, because the victory of extremist organizations in Syria will accelerate the collapse of the entire Arab nation, and [in this context] there is no difference between Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria and Jordan - all of them are targets for attack!" Ahmad urged Saudi Arabia to endorse the Egyptian position and allow the Syrian people to decide Assad's fate, and even proposed an Arab-Iranian reconciliation to avoid sectarian war: "The only way to avoid [this scenario of an accelerated collapse] is for Egypt and Saudi Arabia to formulate a joint position vis-a-vis the Syria crisis, so as to unite the Arab efforts to save the Syrian people and state. This position must oppose supporting extremist organization and arming them, especially Jabhat Al-Nusra. [It must also] demand that the [international] powers keep their hands off the Syrian people, support its independent [decisions], and leave the question of Bashar Al-Assad's fate for [the Syrian] people to decide via parliamentary and presidential elections that will end the reign of the Assad family after 42 years of division, rift and hopeless wars. No matter how intense the conflict with Bashar Al-Assad and his family, Jabhat Al-Nusra is [surely] not fit to replace them, because allowing it to head the regime or be a part of it will mean perpetuating the Syrian civil war. We can [even] open a new path towards Arab-Iranian reconciliation, in order to save the Muslims, both Shi'ite and Sunni, from an all-out sectarian war and reduce the danger of foreign intervention seeking to widen this rift and turn it into a big civil war that will destroy the Arab and Muslim world."[10] In his column in Al-Masri Al-Yawm, 'Abd Al-Nasser Salama, the former editor of the daily of Al-Ahram, stressed the points of contention between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and stated that Al-Sisi's statements at the UN "reflected a clear Egyptian position that has never been expressed so firmly... The value of this position," he added, "cannot be understated... for it is different from the position of many others in the region... chiefly from the position of Saudi Arabia, which has always advocated a military solution and constantly threatened Assad via official statements... [to the effect] that he must step down voluntarily or else be removed by force. This position has not changed one whit so far. It seems that Egypt is moving towards adopting an independent position on the regional level... Some might think that we are headed towards an open crisis with Riyadh, and that the signs of its impending outbreak are clear, for Egypt and Saudi Arabia are divided on many issues, certainly about what is happening in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and even in Gaza. They also differ in the nature of their relations with Qatar, Turkey and Russia."[11] Saudis Enraged By Egypt's Vote In Favor Of Russian Resolution In UN Security Council These statements were a prelude to Egypt's adopting an independent policy on the Syria crisis, opposed to the Saudi position. This policy was manifested in Egypt's voting in favor of an October 8, 2016 Russian draft proposal in the UN Security Council concerning the situation in Aleppo, a move that enraged the Saudis. In effect, Egypt supported two UN draft proposals on a ceasefire in Aleppo that contradicted one another. One, submitted by France, also on October 8, called for a no-fly zone over the city, and the other, submitted by Russia after it vetoed the French proposal, stated that one of the main conditions for a ceasefire was for the Syrian opposition factions to distance themselves from Jabhat Fath Al-Sham, formerly called Jabhat Al-Nusra. Egypt's representative to the UN, 'Amr Abu Al-Atta, explained why his country had supported the two conflicting draft proposals, noting that Egypt "is supporting all efforts to end the suffering of the Syrian people. It voted based on the content of the proposals, not as part of political sloganeering that thwarts the activity of the Security Council." According to him, Egypt supported points that were included in both drafts, among them halting the targeting of Syrian civilians, delivering humanitarian aid, halting aggressive actions in accordance with Security Council resolutions, and decisively addressing "some armed groups' flagrant disregard of calls by the international community not to collaborate with terrorist organizations." He said that both drafts prioritized the cessation of aggression in Aleppo and called for renewing the political process and negotiations on the transitional phase in Syria.[12] As stated, Egypt's vote in favor of the Russian draft proposal infuriated the Saudis. Permanent Saudi Representative to the UN 'Abdallah Yahya Al-Mouallimi called the Egyptian vote "unfortunate" and said: "Egypt's vote in the Security Council and its support for the Russian draft resolution express [only] the Egyptian position. Arab coordination is carried out via the Arab League's Council of [Foreign] Ministers... It was absurd [of Russia] to submit this counter-proposal [to the French draft] that received only four votes. I feel sorry for the elements that voted for the [Russian draft] resolution, since it was strongly and harshly opposed."[13] He added: "It was unfortunate to see that Senegal and Malaysia's position was closer to the agreed-upon Arab stance than the position of the [Egyptian] Arab representative."[14] Khaled Al-Tuwaijri, former chief of the Saudi Royal Court, addressed Al-Sisi on Twitter under the hashtag "Egypt voted in favor of the Russian proposal." He wrote: "Mr. President, I am very sorry for this position of yours regarding Saudi Arabia. You have forgotten our positions that support you like brothers!!"[15] Khaled Al-Tuwaijri's tweet The Saudis' rage also took the form of practical steps: Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Al-Kattan was recalled to Riyadh for deliberations on bilateral ties between the countries.[16] Additionally, several Saudi companies took steps that could negatively impact Egypt's economy. For example, several days after the Security Council vote, Egyptian sources reported that the largest Saudi oil company, Saudi Aramco, had informed Egypt that during October it would not supply the monthly quantity of oil that had been agreed upon during King Salman's April 2016 visit to Egypt. However, it should be mentioned that Saudi Aramco had actually delivered this message in early October, prior to the Security Council vote, and the spokesman of Egypt's Oil Ministry said that the move was economic, not political.[17] Also, the director of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Agency said that Saudia Airlines, the Saudi national carrier, had not approved EgyptAir flights to Saudi Arabia. This, he said, was also unrelated to developments in Egypt-Saudi relations, and happened prior to the Security Council vote.[18] Despite the claims that these two moves had nothing to do with Egypt-Saudi relations, they were viewed in Egypt as the Saudis' signal of their intention to economically penalize Egypt. Saudi Journalists: Egypt Is No Longer Fit To Lead The Arab World - And Could Forfeit Its Alliance With The Gulf States Saudi journalists also harshly condemned the Egyptian vote. Sa'ud Al-Rayes, a columnist for the Al-Hayat daily, wrote that Egypt's position under Al-Sisi is vague, and that Egypt deludes itself that it is the leader of the Arab world when in fact it is unable to fulfill this role. He wondered: "What does Egypt want with respect to Syria? Does it want to support the regime? If so, why does it not declare this [explicitly] or at least hold a dialogue with the regime about stopping the massacre of the Syrian people? If Egypt's president does not want to support the [Syrian] regime and is concerned for the safety of the Syrian people - as we hope he is - why doesn't the Egyptian regime support the Syrian people instead of adopting vague positions in its decisions regarding it? Perhaps the Egyptian president does not support either the Syrian regime or the Syrian people, but rather the contiguousness of Syrian [land], and that is also fine. But if the world, with its two poles - American and Russian - wants to see Syria divided, what can the Egyptian president do [about it]? The problem is that Egypt does not tell us what it wants, nor do its positions indicate the answer [to this question]. This begs [another] question: does Egypt even know what it wants regarding Syria?" Al-Rayes went on to accuse Egypt of being ungrateful: "The Gulf countries worked to protect Egypt and its people, and supported its president both before and after he rose to power, on the material and political levels. They pressured the world, especially the U.S. and Europe, to hold ties with him. Despite this, the Gulf countries do not feel that this investment had a positive effect on the Arab and Muslim world... [for] the other side [Egypt] did not do what was needed in order to support the Arab and Muslim world... Egypt's problem today is that it still labors under the illusion that it is the leader of the Arab world and that nobody else is fit to lead it. [But] the big problem is that Egypt is no longer fit to lead, either politically or economically... It has no presence [in addressing] Arab issues. Even in the neighboring countries [its influence] is completely absent, so what [can be said] about distant countries?..."[19] Saudi Journalist Muhammad Al-'Osaimi warned in an article in 'Okaz that the Gulf states may drop Egypt as an ally. These states, he said, rely on Egypt's help in confronting the Iranian threat. "But if Egypt chooses to take a different path and to [strike] alliances that are at odds with the Gulf position on Syria and with the Iranian threats, then it [effectively] chooses to give up its allies, [namely] Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. Nobody can force Egypt to maintain [the alliance] with them, but at the same time, nobody can blame Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states if they drop Egypt and work to form other alliances to protect their security and that of their peoples. "However, no matter how saddening [the recent developments] are, there is hope that Egypt still understands how its national security, and the national security of all Arabs, might be adversely affected if it dismantles its alliance with the Gulf states in favor of other alliances..."[20] Fury In Egypt Over Saudi Criticism, Economic Measures - President Al-Sisi: Egypt Will Bow Down Only Before Allah, Will Not Abandon Syria, Which Is Crucial For Its National Security Egypt, for its part, was enraged by the Saudi criticism over its vote in the UN Security Council, and also over the economic measures taken by Saudi companies which were perceived as a threat of economic sanctions. President Al-Sisi stressed that his country would not submit to anyone and would adhere to its independent policy. At the same time, he wished to downplay the significance of reports on Egyptian-Saudi tensions and about Aramco's decision to suspend the supply of oil to Egypt, stating that nothing could harm the relations between his country and the "sister" Gulf states. In a conference held by the Egyptian army on the anniversary of the October War (the 1973 war with Israel), Al-Sisi said: "In the recent weeks, there have been unwelcome debates [expressing] hostility towards Egypt in the Gulf media. I wish to remind you... that I said nobody can come between us and our brothers in the Arab Gulf states. However, we pursue an independent policy in protecting Arab national security... The Egyptian vote in favor of the [French and Russian] draft resolutions was one [vote], and there was no contradiction, because it was [a vote] in favor of ceasefire and delivering humanitarian aid. Some observers claimed that [Aramco's] suspension of the oil supply to Egypt had been a response to the vote, but this is an economic agreement [with no political dimensions]... Immediately [following the reports about the vote] we took the required measures. We have no problem with oil... If Egypt wants to make independent decisions, the Egyptian people has to bear the consequences... Our relations with the peoples of the Gulf are solid and well-established. What is happening now is an attempt to destroy these relations, similar to [attempts being] made inside Egypt by spreading rumors meant to isolate it. Egypt will bow down only before Allah. We have no problem meeting the challenges, as long as we are united... We are intensely committed to our relations with the Gulf states and to the [Arab] national security, which is indivisible, [but only] within the confines of the independence of Egypt's courts. Egypt will not harm anyone, even one who harmed it."[21] A few days later, in another interview with Egypt's three main newspapers, Al-Ahram, Al-Gumhouriyya, and Al-Akhbar, President Al-Sisi called to increase the cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Egypt in order to clarify the policy, but denied the reports about significant tension between the two countries, saying that it was a fiction spread by the media and social networks. He said: "There is need for closer coordination with our brothers in Saudi Arabia, in order to clarify things. As for the [issue of] the oil supply, after the decision was made [to suspend it], we approved the agreements necessary to meet our needs. We do not want things to get out of proportion, because nothing affects the strategic ties of brotherhood between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and nothing must be allowed to harm this historic connection or to create a rift [between us]. We express to our Saudi brothers our full thanks and appreciation for the help they extended to Egypt during the [difficult] times it experienced... It is the handling of [this affair] in the media and the talk on social media that created the impression [of a rift between the countries], but there is no cloud over Egyptian-Saudi relations."[22] Responding to the criticism voiced by Saudi Arabia's representative to the UN 'Abdallah Yahya Al-Mouallimi, Egyptian MP 'Imad Gad, the deputy director of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said that "Riyadh created a problem and started openly criticizing Egypt." He added that this could deepen the disagreements between the two countries "on handling crises in the Middle East, especially since Saudi Arabia is cooperating with the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen, Iraq and other countries in order to realize its interests and impose its perception of the solution [to the crises]."[23] Al-Masri Al-Yawm editor Muhammad Amin took a more moderate tone, stressing the depth and importance of Egypt's relations with Saudi Arabia, but also the depth of its commitment to Syria, and urged the Saudis to understand that "[Egypt's] vote at the Security Council was not [a vote] against Saudi Arabia but [rather a vote] for Syria." He wrote: "We are at a historical moment, and it is inconceivable that we should be on one side and Saudi Arabia on another, nor is it conceivable that we should leave Saudi Arabia alone in the fray. But this does not prevent us from having our own positions on Syria. I am sure that Egypt's position on Syria comes as no surprise to Saudi Arabia. Our position is constant, declared and known, even if Saudi Arabia does not like it. Syria is [like a] norther province of Egypt, and [it is crucial for Egypt's] national security. We cannot sacrifice it - either for Saudi Arabia's sake or anyone else's... Let's be logical. Did Egypt [ever] promise to adopt Saudi Arabia's position on Syria and Lebanon? [Our relations] do not depend on sharing [all our] positions and interests." Seeking to reassure Saudi Arabia, Amin added: "Egypt will by no means manipulate its sister [country]. If that happened, it is wrong - [especially] at a time when Saudi Arabia is facing a threat of partition on the one hand and JASTA on the other. Egypt does not do [things like that]. [Both] its morals, its status and its interests forbid it. That is why no [Saudi] is entitled to condemn [Egypt] or threaten us with painful measures... Egypt has no interest in losing [the friendship of] Saudi Arabia, even for a moment. But neither is it an Egyptian interest to see Syria partitioned..." Amin stated that "no disagreement, hidden or overt, exists between us and Saudi Arabia," but stressed that "Saudi Arabia's concern is Bashar [Al-Assad], whereas Egypt's concern is the Syrian state. When Egypt cast its vote, it was thinking of the [Syrian] state, and when Saudi Arabia cast its vote it was thinking of Bashar [Al-Assad]. I hope Saudi Arabia forgets Bashar [Al-Assad] and concentrates on its own affairs. That would be better for us and for them."[24] Reports that the Saudi oil company Aramco had decided to suspend the supply of oil to Egypt for a month likewise sparked harsh criticism in the Egyptian press, which declared that Egypt would not capitulate to economic pressures and that it had alternative sources of aid. Al-Ahram editor Muhammad 'Abd Al-Hadi 'Allam wrote: "Those who do not read Egypt's history do not realize how much patience and fortitude its people are blessed with. Thanks to [this patience and fortitude] Egypt will never alter its firm principles on issues concerning the countries of the Middle East. Egypt cannot be pressured, and the delusions of those who think they can trigger, or help trigger, internal problems [in Egypt] are incompatible with Egypt's status. "I think that all the foreign aid that Egypt receives, in all its forms, must be reexamined, in order to determine what can be replaced in the short term and what can be negotiated in light of common interests with certain countries. The language of subjugation and [exploiting] interests will not avail [anyone] when it comes to Egypt, whose honor and whose people's honor must not be demeaned. We must face the situation squarely and declare that we are rethinking everything that burdens [our] decision-makers... "[Protecting] Egypt's interests does not mean harming the interests of others, [but] Egypt's interests take precedence over Arab ones..."[25] The owner of the Al-Yawm Al-Masri daily, Salah Diab, who writes under the pen-name Newton, wrote in a similar vein. While assuring Saudi Arabia that Egypt harbors it no ill will, he stressed the depth of Egypt's relations with Syria, calling the two countries "twins," and stated that no economic pressures or economic siege would cause Egypt to change its position: "This is not the first time we have been under siege or had friends boycott us or enemies rejoice at our misfortune. We have experienced much hardship and distress in the course of our history... but we [always] knew how to withstand the hardship with fortitude... We do not fear trials and hardship. We are not alarmed by siege. We have unusual powers of adaptation." Mentioning the disagreements between Egypt and Saudi Arabia over Yemen in the 1960s, Newton added: "I hope that our Saudi brothers in the past and the future... [understood then] and understand [now] that Egypt has no evil intentions towards any Arab state. Just as our position on the Yemen revolution [in the 1960s] was not directed against our Saudi brothers, Egypt's current position on Syria is not directed at Saudi Arabia. Egypt is [merely] fulfilling its obligation. It has always been close to Syria - geographically, historically and culturally. Egypt and Syria are twins. They have always had an existential, security and strategic connection... This eternal Egyptian position does not in any way entail hostility towards Saudi Arabia and is not directed against Saudi Arabia... Egypt and Saudi Arabia are the central pillars of the Arab tent. Without them the Arabs will continue to deteriorate..." He concluded: "No matter how dire Egypt's economic situation, it can withstand any boycott. But the Arab world cannot withstand a misunderstanding between the two great sisters, Egypt and Saudi Arabia."[26] Egyptian television presenter Lamis El-Hadidy said in her program on the CBC channel: "Egypt's hand cannot be forced by means of the oil aid. We will not accept that. Egyptians must put their [powers of endurance] to the test. If [the Saudis] pressure us, we will be forced by buy Israeli gas, which is closer and cheaper." Senior Egyptian journalist and television presenter Wael Al-Abrashi called on Saudi Arabia to apologize, warning that if it doesn't, Egypt may withhold military aid from Saudi Arabia, should the latter require it. [27] Mutual Attempts To Alleviate Tension On the other hand, figures in both countries tried to downplay the recent developments and alleviate the tensions between them, although this was more the case in Saudi Arabia than in Egypt. Saudi Arabia's Al-Arabiya TV reported that a delegation of Egyptian officials was expected in Saudi Arabia in the next few days to discuss the recent events.[28] Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said: "There is no Egypt-Saudi schism. Reports that the Saudi representative [to the UN] attacked Egypt are neither correct nor accurate, and are in contrast to the truth... Egypt has not deviated from the Arab position vis-a-vis the Syrian crisis, and supports an end to the bloodshed and a ceasefire."[29] Egyptian MP Mustafa Bakri stressed that Egypt's relationship with Saudi Arabia is "strong" and that no one could separate the two. It is the Muslim Brotherhood, he said, that is attempting to drive a wedge between the countries and spread misinformation that the Saudis aim to stop the transfer of oil to Egypt. Bakri called on Egyptian journalists to "stop attacking Saudi Arabia, because it has always stood alongside us, and it stands with us now as well."[30] In Saudi Arabia too there were those who tried to put out the fire. 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed, former editor-in-chief of the London based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat and former general manager of Al-Arabiya TV, tweeted in response to Saudi anti-Egypt commentary: "Egypt's position is not strange. We must treat Egypt like Turkey. [We must understand it just as] we understand why Turkey conducts massive deals with Iran while at the same time maintaining a political position that is opposed to it." Al-Rashed also accused the Muslim Brotherhood of attempting to incite Saudi Arabia to fight the Egyptian government in its stead, and assured his readers: "This will not happen. Egypt is [Saudi Arabia's] most important ally, regardless of who heads [Egypt]."[31] Al-Rashed's tweet Ali Sa'd Al-Moussa, a columnist for the official Saudi daily Al-Watan, criticized the Saudi "intelligentsia and public opinion leaders" for being "dragged along" with the reaction of the Saudi street, and for directing condemnation at Egypt just because it voted in favor of the Russian draft resolution "that would have certainly been vetoed anyway." He wrote: "First of all, expecting the other, whoever it is, to adopt your position and examine events solely from your perspective is a cultural flaw in the political perception. Egypt has complex political interests. It is currently rebuilding itself after being abandoned by weak and hesitant American positions... We [Saudis] are currently dealing with the same U.S., and undergoing the same test of abandonment [i.e. the passage of JASTA]. Second, in politics you must give the friendly brother whom you trust a chance to follow a parallel or even an opposite path, because the day may come when... you need him to convey your political messages, or as a mediator. Third, and this could be the main point: Let us clearly and objectively examine the political positions on the issues that are shared by both sister countries, in an intellectual and not an emotional way: Why, for instance, did the Egyptian intelligentsia and official Egypt not rebuke us... when we had official relations with Iran, at a time when Egypt was the only Arab state that opposed [Iran]?... Why did Egypt never ask why we have an ambassador in Tehran when [Iran] named one of its main thoroughfares after the assassin of historic [Egyptian] leader Anwar Sadat...? Why did official Egypt never say a word or express suspicions or fears regarding our open alliance with Turkey, despite [Turkey's] flagrant interference in Egypt's internal affairs...? The only answer is that the politically astute in both countries' leaderships know that historic relations are far more important than a vote on a [single] resolution or the opening of an embassy..." Al-Moussa added that in light of the danger of the spread of Iranian influence, and in light of the situation in the Arab world, there was a need to examine "what is left of the Arab and Islamic world, and what will remain if we drive a hot spike into the heart of Saudi-Egypt relations just because of a valueless vote in the Security Council?"[32] Likewise, Muhammad Al-Sa'd, a columnist for the Saudi daily 'Okaz, wondered whether disagreement over a political issue was reason enough to sever relations between two sister countries: "Undoubtedly, Egypt has its own strategic interests and so does Saudi Arabia... In the difficult days that the Arab world is facing in the wake of 'the autumn of protests' [i.e., the Arab Spring] the two major capitals, Riyadh and Cairo, which are the final remaining cornerstone [of the Arab world], must not succumb to political disagreements, because Saudi Arabia's security and political depth is in Cairo, and Egypt's Arab and security depth is in Riyadh."[33] * N. Mozes is a research fellow at MEMRI. Endnotes: Born in a conservative Muslim environment in Iran, Tala Raasi was born to break all the rules and shackles that bound her freedom as a human being and design her own life, her own way. She belonged to a country where women are not allowed a space of their own and freedom is not a priority. Tala was sentenced to a punishment of 40 lashes, for what you ask? For wearing a miniskirt! Seriously, guys! DailyMail But that did not stop her from fighting back like the warrior that she is, instead, she gave flight to her dreams and fled to the US, just to pursue her passion for fashion. She ended up tasting success by launching her own swimwear line. This woman is a beauty with a lot of brains. Tala didnt speak English very well when she arrived in US, but that didnt deter her confidence to pursue her dreams. When ur confused between being a designer and an author you end up with a fitness shoot ?? @talaraassiswim #MUA @butterflytfdr ? @zoltanvh #fitlife #fashionisfreedom #talaraassi A photo posted by Tala Raassi (@talaraassi) on Nov 7, 2015 at 2:29pm PST Tala has even launched her own book, giving us a peek into her struggles and her road to success. She was also named as one of the Most Fearless Women In The World by Newsweek ,along with Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey. Don't call it a dream call it a plan ?@cosmopolitan #mua @butterflytfdr #photography @zoltanvh #fashionisfreedom #talaraassi ?? A photo posted by Tala Raassi (@talaraassi) on Jun 12, 2016 at 6:37am PDT The gorgeous designer is usually found working behind the camera as her models take on the spotlight, but we think that she can give any model a run for their money. Although this photo didn't make the book cover I can't wait for 2016 and the launch of #fashionisfreedom #author #life #talaraassi A photo posted by Tala Raassi (@talaraassi) on Dec 22, 2015 at 4:04pm PST For a woman who is gifted with immense beauty, Tala needs no makeup at all! She is naturally gorgeous. No more rain ?? A photo posted by Tala Raassi (@talaraassi) on May 6, 2016 at 2:09pm PDT Tala is proof that when the world pulls you down, you need to find your own way and pave your own road to success. Heres wishing her more power. 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. The following companies are subsidiares of Cummins: Anvl, Apollo FC Holdings Ltd., Atlantis Acquisitionco Canada Corporation, Atlantis Holdco UK Limited, Brammo, CIFC Worldwide Partner C.V., CMI Africa Holdings BV, CMI CGT Holdings LLC, CMI Canada Financing Ltd., CMI Canada LP, CMI Foreign Holdings B.V., CMI Global Equity Holdings B.V., CMI Global Equity Holdings C.V., CMI Global Holdings B.V., CMI Global Partner 2 C.V., CMI Global Partners B.V., CMI Group Holdings B.V., CMI Group Holdings Cooperatief U.A., CMI International Finance Partner 1 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 2 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 3 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 4 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 5 LLC, CMI Mexico LLC, CMI Netherlands Holdings B.V., CMI PGI Holdings LLC, CMI PGI International Holdings LLC, CMI Turkish Holdings B.V., CMI UK Finance LP, CMI UK Financing LP, Cherry Island Renewable Energy LLC, Consolidated Diesel Company, Consolidated Diesel Inc., Consolidated Diesel of North Carolina Inc., Cummins (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Cummins (Xiangyang) Machining Co. Ltd., Cummins Africa Middle East (Pty) Ltd., Cummins Afrique de l'Ouest, Cummins Americas Inc., Cummins Angola Lda., Cummins Argentina-Servicios Mineros S.A., Cummins Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Cummins Aust Technologies Pty. Ltd., Cummins BLR LLC, Cummins Battery Systems North America LLC, Cummins Belgium N.V., Cummins Botswana (Pty.) Ltd., Cummins Brasil Ltda., Cummins Burkina Faso SARL, Cummins CDC Holding Inc., Cummins CV Member LLC, Cummins Canada ULC, Cummins Caribbean LLC, Cummins Center of Excellence Singapore Pte. Ltd., Cummins Centroamerica Holding S.de R.L., Cummins Child Development Center Inc., Cummins Colombia S.A.S., Cummins Comercializadora S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Corporation, Cummins Cote d'Ivoire SARL, Cummins Czech Republic s.r.o., Cummins Deutschland GmbH, Cummins Diesel International Ltd., Cummins Distribution Holdco Inc., Cummins EMEA Holdings Limited, Cummins East Asia Research & Development Co. Ltd., Cummins Eastern Marine Inc., Cummins Electrified Power Europe Ltd., Cummins Electrified Power NA Inc., Cummins Emission Solutions (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Emission Solutions Inc., Cummins Empresas Filantropicas, Cummins Energetica Ltda., Cummins Engine (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine (Shanghai) Trading & Services Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine Holding Company Inc., Cummins Engine IP Inc., Cummins Engine Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Cummins Engine Venture Corporation, Cummins Enterprise LLC, Cummins Filtration (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Filtration GmbH, Cummins Filtration IP Inc., Cummins Filtration Inc., Cummins Filtration International Corp., Cummins Filtration Ltd., Cummins Filtration SARL, Cummins Filtration Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Filtros Ltda., Cummins Franchise Holdco LLC, Cummins Fuel Systems (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies Americas Inc., Cummins Generator Technologies Germany GmbH, Cummins Generator Technologies India Private Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies Italy SRL, Cummins Generator Technologies Limited, Cummins Generator Technologies Romania S.A., Cummins Generator Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd., Cummins Ghana Limited, Cummins Ghana Mining Limited, Cummins Global Financing LP, Cummins Global Technologies LLP, Cummins Grupo Comercial Y. de Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Grupo Industrial S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Holland B.V., Cummins Hong Kong Ltd., Cummins India Ltd., Cummins Intellectual Property Inc., Cummins International Finance LLC, Cummins International Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Cummins International Holdings LLC, Cummins Italia S.P.A., Cummins Japan Ltd., Cummins Korea Co. Ltd., Cummins LLC Member Inc., Cummins Ltd., Cummins Maroc SARL, Cummins Middle East FZE, Cummins Mining Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Mobility Services Inc., Cummins Mongolia Investment LLC, Cummins Mozambique Ltda., Cummins NV, Cummins Namibia Engine Sales and Service PTY LTD, Cummins Natural Gas Engines Inc., Cummins New Zealand Limited, Cummins Nigeria Ltd., Cummins Norte de Colombia S.A.S., Cummins North Africa Regional Office SARL, Cummins Norway AS, Cummins PGI Holdings Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (S) Pte. Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (U.K.) Limited, Cummins Power Generation Deutschland GmbH, Cummins Power Generation Inc., Cummins Power Generation Limited, Cummins PowerGen IP Inc., Cummins Research and Technology India Private Ltd., Cummins Romania Srl, Cummins S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Sales and Service Korea Co. Ltd., Cummins Sales and Service Philippines Inc., Cummins Sales and Service Private Limited, Cummins Sales and Service Sdn. Bhd., Cummins Sales and Service Singapore Pte. Ltd., Cummins Sinai ve Otomotiv Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Cummins South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Cummins South Pacific Pty. Limited, Cummins Southern Plains LLC, Cummins Spain S.L., Cummins Sweden AB, Cummins Technologies India, Cummins Trade Receivables LLC, Cummins Turbo Technologies Limited, Cummins Turkey Motor Guc Sistemleri Sats Servis Limited Sirketi, Cummins U.K. Holdings Ltd., Cummins U.K. Pension Plan Trustee Ltd., Cummins UK Global Holdings Ltd., Cummins UK Holdings LLC, Cummins Vendas e Servicos de Motores e Geradores Ltda., Cummins Venture Corporation, Cummins West Africa Limited, Cummins West Balkans d.o.o. Nova Pasova, Cummins XBorder Operations (Pty) Ltd, Cummins Zambia Ltd., Cummins Zimbabwe Pvt. Ltd., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Costa Rica S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica El Salvador S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Guatemala Ltda., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Honduras S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins S.A., Distribuidora Cummins Sucursal Paraguay SRL, Distribuidora Cummins de Panama S. de R.L., Dynamo Insurance Company Inc., Efficient Drivetrains, Efficient Drivetrains (Beijing) New Power Technology Co. Ltd., Efficient Drivetrains (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Hilite International, Hydrogenics, Hydrogenics Corporation, Hydrogenics Europe N.V., Hydrogenics GmbH, Hydrogenics Holding GmbH, Hydrogenics USA Inc., Markon Engineering Company Ltd., Nelson Burgess Ltd., Nelson Industries, Newage Engineers GmbH, Newage Ltd. (U.K.), Newage Machine Tools Ltd., OOO Cummins, Petbow Limited, Power Group International (Overseas Holdings) B.V., Power Group International (Overseas Holdings) Ltd., Power Group International Ltd., Quickstart Energy Projects SpA, Shanghai Cummins Trade Co. Ltd., TOO Cummins, Taiwan Cummins Sales & Services Co. Ltd., Worldwide Partner CV Member LLC, Wuxi Cummins Turbo Technologies Co. Ltd., Wuxi New Energy Automotive Technologies Co. Ltd., and ZED Connect Inc.. Read More Everest Re Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, and internationally. The company operates through Reinsurance Operations and Insurance Operations segments. The Reinsurance Operations segment writes property and casualty reinsurance; and specialty lines of business through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies in the United States, Bermuda, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The Insurance Operations segment writes property and casualty insurance directly, as well as through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents in Bermuda, Canada, Europe, South America, Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The company also provides treaty and facultative reinsurance products; admitted and non-admitted insurance products; and property and casualty reinsurance and insurance coverages, including marine, aviation, surety, errors and omissions liability, directors' and officers' liability, medical malpractice, mortgage reinsurance, other specialty lines, accident and health, and workers' compensation products. In addition, it offers commercial property and casualty insurance products through wholesale and retail brokers, surplus lines brokers, and program administrators. Everest Re Group, Ltd. was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Teradyne, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and supports automatic test equipment worldwide. The company operates through Semiconductor Test, System Test, Industrial Automation, and Wireless Test segments. The Semiconductor Test segment offers products and services for wafer level and device package testing in automotive, industrial, communications, consumer, smartphones, cloud computer and electronic game, and other applications. This segment also provides FLEX test platform systems; J750 test system to address the volume semiconductor devices; Magnum platform that tests memory devices, such as flash memory and DRAM; and ETS platform for semiconductor manufacturers, and assembly and test subcontractors in the analog/mixed signal markets. It serves integrated device manufacturers that integrate the fabrication of silicon wafers into their business; fabless companies that outsource the manufacturing of silicon wafers; foundries; and semiconductor assembly and test providers. The System Test segment offers defense/aerospace test instrumentation and systems; storage test systems; and circuit-board test and inspection systems. The Industrial Automation segment provides collaborative robotic arms, autonomous mobile robots, and advanced robotic control software for manufacturing, logistics, and light industrial customers. The Wireless Test segment provides test solutions for use in the development and manufacture of wireless devices and modules, smartphones, tablets, notebooks, laptops, peripherals, and Internet-of-Things devices under the LitePoint brand name. This segment also offers IQxel products for Wi-Fi and other standards; IQxstream solution for testing GSM, EDGE, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, HSPA+, LTE, and 5G technologies; IQcell, a multi-device cellular signaling test solution; IQgig test solution; and turnkey test software for wireless chipsets. Teradyne, Inc. was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in North Reading, Massachusetts. Provident Financial Services, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Provident Bank that provides various banking products and services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. The company's deposit products include savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, money market deposit, and certificate of deposit accounts, as well as IRA products. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate loans that are secured by properties, such as multi-family apartment buildings, office buildings, and retail and industrial properties; commercial business loans; fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage loans collateralized by one- to four-family residential real estate properties; commercial construction loans; and consumer loans consisting of home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, marine loans, personal loans and unsecured lines of credit, and auto and recreational vehicle loans. The company also offers cash management, remote deposit capture, payroll origination, escrow account management, and online and mobile banking services; and business credit cards. In addition, it provides wealth management services comprising investment management, trust and estate administration, financial planning, tax compliance and planning, and private banking. Further, the company sells insurance and investment products, including annuities; operates as a real estate investment trust for acquiring mortgage loans and other real estate related assets; and manages and sells real estate properties acquired through foreclosure. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 96 full-service branch offices in northern and central New Jersey, as well as in Pennsylvania and New York counties. The company was founded in 1839 and is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. The following companies are subsidiares of Textron: AAI Corporation, AAI Services Corporation, ALSTOM Gears, Able Aerospace, Able Aerospace Services Inc., Able Engineering & Component Services, Aeronautical Accessories LLC, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company LLC, Arctic Cat, Arctic Cat ACE Holding GmbH, Arctic Cat France SARL, Arctic Cat GmbH, Arctic Cat Inc., Arctic Cat Production LLC, Arctic Cat Production Support LLC, Arctic Cat Sales Inc., Arctic Cat Shared Services LLC, Arctic Cat UK Ltd., Arkansas Aerospace Inc., Avco Corporation, Aviation Service servis letal doo Ljubljana, Aylesbury Automation, B/K Navigational Equipment sro, BELL TEXTRON ASIA (PTE.) LTD., Beech Aircraft Corporation, Beech Holdings, Beechcraft Defense Support Holding LLC, Beechcraft Domestic Service Company, Beechcraft Germany GmbH, Beechcraft International Holding LLC, Beechcraft International Service Company, Beechcraft New Zealand, Bell Textron Canada International Inc., Bell Textron Canada Limited/Limitee, Bell Textron Co. Ltd, Bell Textron Inc., Bell Textron Korea Inc., Bell Textron LLC, Bell Textron Miami Inc., Bell Textron Prague a.s., Bell Textron Rhode Island Inc., Bell Textron Services Inc., Bell Textron Supply Center BV, Bell Textron Technical Services Inc., Benzlers, Brazaco Mapri Industrias, Burkland, Cessna Aircraft Company, Cessna Citation European Service Center SAS (99.9%; 1 share Textron France SAS), Cessna Dusseldorf Citation Service Center GmbH, Cessna Finance Corporation, Cessna Finance Export Corporation, Cessna Mexico S de RL de CV, Cessna Spanish Citation Service Center SLU, Cessna Zurich Citation Service Center GmbH, Citation Parts Distribution International Inc., Cushman Inc., Datacom Technologies, David Brown Group, Doncaster Citation Service Centre Limited, E-Z-GO Canada Limited, Energy Manufacturing, Flexalloy, HBC LLC, Hawker Beech de Mexico S de RL de CV, Hawker Beechcraft Argentina SA , Howe & Howe Inc., Howe and Howe Technologies, Industrial Technology Inc., InteSys Technologies, International Product Support Inc., KSB Annecy SAS, Kautex (Changchun) Plastics Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Chongqing) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Guangzhou) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Pinghu) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Shanghai) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Wuhan) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex Corporation, Kautex Craiova srl, Kautex Germany Holding GmbH, Kautex Inc., Kautex Japan KK, Kautex Shanghai GmbH, Kautex Textron (UK) Limited, Kautex Textron Benelux BVBA, Kautex Textron Bohemia spol sro, Kautex Textron CVS Limited, Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG, Kautex Textron Iberica SL, Kautex Textron Management Services Company de Puebla S. de RL de CV, Kautex Textron Portugal Produtos Plasticos Sociedade Unipessoal Lda., Kautex Textron de Mexico S de RL de CV, Kautex Textron do Brasil Ltda., Kautex of Georgia Inc., Kaywood Products Corp., Klauke, LCI Corporation International, LLC Textron RUS, Maag, McCord Corporation, Mechtronix, Medical Numerics Inc., Midland Industrial Plastics, MillenWorks, MillenWorks Themed Technologies, MotorFist LLC, OPINICUS Simulation and Training Services LLC, OmniQuip International, Opinicus, Optical Boring Co., Opto-Electronics, Opto-Electronics Inc., Overwatch Systems, PEINER Umformtechnik, Pipistrel, Pirelli Tyres - General Rubber Goods (GRG) division, Premiair Aviation Maintenance Pty Ltd, Progressive Electronics, Ransomes, Ransomes Inc., Ransomes Investment LLC, Ransomes Jacobsen France SAS, Ransomes Jacobsen Limited, Ransomes Limited, Ransomes Pensions Trustee Company Limited, Replacement Part Solutions LLC, Response Technologies LLC, Rotor Blades Limited, Sukosim Verbindungselemente, TRU Simulation & Training Spain SL, TRU Simulation + Training Inc., TRU Simulation + Training LLC, TekGPS Engineering Srl, Textron Airland LLC, Textron Atlantic LLC, Textron Aviation Australia Pty. Ltd., Textron Aviation Canada Ltd., Textron Aviation Defense LLC, Textron Aviation Finance Corporation, Textron Aviation Inc., Textron Aviation Prague Service Center sro, Textron Aviation Rhode Island Inc., Textron Aviation Services de Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Capital BV, Textron Communications Inc., Textron Far East Pte. Ltd., Textron Finance Holding Company, Textron Financial Corporation, Textron Financial Corporation Receivables Trust 2002-CP-2, Textron Fluid and Power Inc., Textron France Holding SAS, Textron France SAS, Textron Global Services Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment UK Limited, Textron IPMP Inc., Textron India Private Limited , Textron Innovations Inc., Textron International Inc., Textron International Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Limited, Textron Management Services Inc., Textron Motors GmbH, Textron Motors North America Inc., Textron Outdoor Power Equipment Inc., Textron Realty Corporation, Textron Shared Service Centre (Canada) Inc., Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., Textron Sweden AB, Textron Systems Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Canada Inc., Textron Systems Corporation, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK (Holdings) Limited, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK Limited, Textron Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Textron UK Pension Trustee Limited, Textron Verwaltungs-GmbH, Turbine Engine Components Textron (Newington Operations) Inc., United Industrial Corporation, Westminster Insurance Company, Williams Machine & Tool, and Zhenjiang Bell Textron Aviation Services Limited. Read More Univar Solutions Inc. distributes commodity and specialty chemical products, and provides related services worldwide. It offers epoxy resins, polyurethanes, titanium dioxide, fumed silica, esters, plasticizers, silicones, and specialty amines; ingredients for cleaners, detergents, and disinfectant products; and base stocks, performance-enhancing additives for lubricants and metalworking fluids. The company also distributes specialty and basic chemicals, and ingredients used in skin and hair care products; and commodity and specialty products for meat processing, baked goods, dairy, grain mill products, processed foods, carbonated soft drinks, fruit drinks, and alcoholic beverage markets, as well as provides excipients, solvents, reactants, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and intermediates to pharmaceutical ingredient producers. In addition, it offers chemical products for use at various stages of production, from sap stain prevention to pulp and paper manufacturing; and chemistries and products used to sanitize, balance, and supplement municipal and industrial water. Further, the company provides chemicals to midstream pipeline and downstream refinery operators, as well as chemicals and services to upstream oil and gas sector for offshore production, oil extraction, and waste management activities. Additionally, it offers transportation and warehousing services, chemicals and hazardous materials handling, waste management services, inventory management, and blending, mixing, and repackaging services. Univar Solutions Inc. distributes its products through warehouse and direct-to-consumer delivery channels. The company was formerly known as Univar Inc. and changed its name to Univar Solutions Inc. in September 2019. Univar Solutions Inc. was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois. Veeva Systems Inc. provides cloud-based software for the life sciences industry in North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. The company offers Veeva Commercial Cloud, a suite of software, data, and analytics solutions, which include Veeva customer relationship management (CRM) and Veeva Medical CRM, Veeva CLM, Veeva CRM MyInsights, Veeva CLM, Veeva CRM Approved Email, Veeva CRM Engage, Veeva Align, Veeva CRM Events Management, Veeva Nitro, Veeva OpenData, Veeva Link, Veeva Network, Veeva Crossix, Veeva Data Cloud, and MyVeeva for Patients; and Veeva Vault, a cloud-based enterprise content and data management applications for managing commercial functions, including sales and marketing, and medical content and communications, as well as research and development functions, such as clinical, regulatory, quality, and safety. It also provides professional and support services in the areas of implementation and deployment planning and project management; requirements analysis, solution design, and configuration; systems environment management and deployment services; services focused on advancing or transforming business and operating processes related to Veeva solutions; technical consulting services related to data migration and systems integrations; training on its solutions; and ongoing managed services that include outsourced systems administration. The company was formerly known as Verticals onDemand, Inc. and changed its name to Veeva Systems Inc. in April 2009. Veeva Systems Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California. Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces backed by U.S. air, artillery and forward air controller support began the battle for Mosul on Monday and gained ground in the drive for the city where the Islamic State declared the creation of a "Caliphate" more than two years ago. "The thousands of ground combat forces who will liberate Mosul are all Iraqis," but they were supported by "a wide range of coalition capabilities, including air support, artillery, intelligence, advisers and forward air controllers," said Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. The operation to retake Iraq's second-largest city, where as many as one million civilians remain under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, "will likely continue for weeks, possibly longer," Townsend said in a video statement. "There are Americans in harm's way as part of this fight. They're in a support role," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said, but some were moving forward with Iraqi and Kurdish forces amid reports that ISIS was using suicide car bombers to blunt the assault. "It's fair to say there are Americans on the outskirts of the city," Cook said, but he was vague on how many U.S. troops are embedded with the advancing forces as advisers and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers to call in airstrikes. "There was a plan for Americans to be providing that advisory role," he said. Townsend has been given authority to embed U.S. advisers with friendly forces at the battalion level, but he has thus far "used that very sparingly," Cook said. "It's consistent with what we've done in the past," but "they are not in the lead in this fight. They are behind the forward line of troops." U.S. AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships are also available for use in the Mosul fight, but Cook said that to his knowledge they had not yet been sent into action and it was unclear whether they would be. In the retaking of Fallujah earlier this year, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi barred support from Apaches. 'A Hard Fight' "Mosul will be a hard fight, but the Iraqi Security Forces are ready. They've been waiting to liberate Mosul for two years, and today is the day," said Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, commander of Combined Joint Forces Land Component-Operation Inherent Resolve and commander of the 101st Airborne Division, in a statement. The announcement that the campaign to retake the city had begun came from al-Abadi in a statement at 2 a.m. local time on state television. "The Iraqi flag will be raised in the middle of Mosul, and in each village and corner very soon," said Abadi, who was dressed in a military uniform and surrounded by officers. Speaking to Mosul residents, he said, "We will liberate you from the terror and oppression of [the Islamic State]." In Washington, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the start of the Mosul campaign was a "decisive moment" in the effort to defeat ISIS. "We are confident our Iraqi partners will prevail against our common enemy and free Mosul and the rest of Iraq from [the Islamic State's] hatred and brutality." Without giving details on how much ground was gained in the first stages of the offensive, Cook said that "early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far and that they are ahead of schedule for the first day." Several villages east of Mosul reportedly were captured by Kurdish Peshmerga forces, while Iraqi Security Forces advanced from the south, according to the Iraqi Kurdish military command and a statement from Iraqi government forces. ISIS fighters were "fleeing along southern axis of advance," ISF Maj. Gen. Hussein al-Awadi told the state-run Al Iraqiyah television channel, which was airing special "victory" music videos along with its news bulletins. A statement by the General Command of Peshmerga Forces said that U.S. and coalition warplanes destroyed 17 ISIS positions ahead of advancing Kurdish troops, who also destroyed at least four ISIS Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices. At the White House, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the effort to take Mosul, if successful, would be a vindication of President Barack Obama's strategy in Iraq and Syria to keep U.S. troops out of ground combat and rely on local forces backed by U.S. airpower. "This would be the next step of this strategy." 'Victory Time' Over the weekend, U.S. and coalition warplanes hit Mosul and surrounding areas in final "shaping operations" as officials said that preparations were complete for the offensive. Iraqi aircraft dropped leaflets over the city declaring that it was "Victory Time" and warning residents to stay away from ISIS positions and seal their homes against what was expected to be a prolonged and difficult fight against an enemy that has had nearly two years to build defenses. The leaflets included a phone number for residents to report the activity of ISIS militants to the uneasy alliance of forces that have converged to carry out the ground attack, restore central government rule and deal with an expected humanitarian crisis in the aftermath. In northern Irbil, Kurdish Regional Government President Masoud Barzani said in a statement Saturday that "all preparations have been done to start the Mosul offensive and in this framework there is agreement between Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army," the Kurdish Rudaw news agency reported. On Sunday, U.S. Central Command reported that "attack, bomber, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted six strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government" over the weekend. A strike in Mosul hit an ISIS weapons cache, CentCom said. And near the Qayyarah Airfield, the logistics hub for the Mosul offensive about 40 miles southeast of the city, airstrikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit, suppressed a rocket system and destroyed an ISIS building, a command and control node and an artillery system. CentCom said that an ISIS remotely piloted aircraft also was destroyed but did not give details. Time-Bomb Drone Last week, Air Force Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, said that ISIS was deploying off-the-shelf drones, such as quad copters, and model airplanes as the attacking force moved closer to Mosul. Dorrian said the drones were used mostly for surveillance, but a U.S. official, speaking on background, confirmed that one rigged as a time bomb had killed two Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. In a briefing to the Pentagon last week from Baghdad, Dorrian said that the coalition had carried out 66 airstrikes against targets in Mosul over the previous two weeks. "The enemy is not going to be allowed to dig in at their leisure." U.S. and Iraqi officials have said the fall of Mosul is inevitable, but Dorrian warned, "The size of Mosul makes this by far the largest task the ISF has undertaken to date, an order of magnitude larger than the liberation battles in cities like Ramadi, Fallujah and Sharqat." Mosul was a city of two million -- Iraq's second largest -- before ISIS swept out of Syria in 2014 to take the city and large chunks of Iraqi territory against little resistance. About one million civilians are believed to remain in Mosul. U.S. military and civilian officials have estimated that ISIS has about 3,000 to 5,000 fighters to defend the city. Residents of Mosul have reported to local media that ISIS has blocked likely avenues of attack with concrete barriers, dug an elaborate tunnel system and trenches, and planted numerous improvised explosive devices to blunt an attack. The U.S. also fears that ISIS may resort to chemical weapons, possibly mustard gas, and has supplied the attacking force with protective suits and mask A Fight to the Death Recent reports from the region have suggested that the ISIS defenders are in disarray, with leaders fleeing the city and militants carrying out mass executions of defectors. However, Kurdish forces approaching the city from the north and east have found signs indicating that ISIS is prepared to fight to the death. Kurdish explosives ordnance personnel recently found a letter left behind for them in a village abandoned by ISIS, warning that more improvised explosive devices lie in wait in Mosul, according to Niqash, a non-profit media organization based in Berlin that has a network of Iraqi reporters. "Your mission and my mission are never-ending," the letter said. "I lay the bombs and you dismantle them. Let's see which of us dies first." "The speed at which they lay these IEDs is unbelievable," said Mohamed Ahmed, the head of the Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency. "There are some areas that were only under the IS group's control for a week. When they leave the area a week later, we find the place is absolutely full of IEDs." To defeat the ISIS defenders, the Iraqi Security Forces have assembled 12 U.S.-trained brigades which, combined with Kurdish forces and Shiite Popular Mobilization Units linked to Iran, are expected to make up an attacking force of 20,000 to 30,000. As happened in Fallujah and Ramadi, the main attack is expected to be led by the U.S.-trained Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service units, the elite of the ISF. A major concern for the U.S. is how the Iraqis will handle what is expected to be a massive flow of Mosul residents -- or Internally Displaced Persons -- fleeing the city now that the attack has begun. In the retaking of Fallujah in Anbar province earlier this year, human rights groups and the United Nations charged that Shia Popular Mobilization Units allied with the Iraqi Security Forces committed atrocities in the "vetting" of refugees to weed out ISIS fighters. With the addition of 600 U.S. troops last month, the U.S. now has more than 5,000 troops in Iraq, mostly acting as trainers and enablers for the Iraqis and the Kurdish forces. In a State Department briefing earlier this month, Brett McGurk, the U.S. special envoy for Iraq and Syria, said there was a "humanitarian imperative" to take back Mosul quickly. He said the assault will be "a very unpredictable, very dynamic, very uncertain operation." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related Video: More than 100 U.S. advisers and forward air controllers are moving forward with Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by U.S. airstrikes and rocket artillery fire, in the early stages of the campaign to drive the Islamic State from Mosul, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. The Iraqi Security Forces attacking from the south and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters pushing from the east are essentially moving along four lines of attack toward Iraq's second largest city, where more than a million residents have been under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria for more than two years. The U.S. has employed the HIMARS rocket artillery system from the Qayyarah Airfield area, the offensive's logistics hub about 40 miles southeast of Mosul, to aid the advance of the Iraqi columns pushing north, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. "We have the HIMARS" south of Mosul, and "the HIMARS is active," Davis said at a Pentagon briefing. AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships are also available for the Mosul offensive, but they have yet to be employed, Davis said. The U.S. is also using .155mm artillery from the general Qayyarah area to back the advance, he said. The 101st Airborne Division had previously sling-lifted the .155s by helicopter to put them in a better firing position, but Davis declined to say whether that tactic was being employed to support the Mosul advance. Embedded Troops Slightly more than 100 U.S. advisers, mostly Special Forces troops, and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers to call in airstrikes are with the Iraqi and Kurdish forces, he said. Additional U.S. advisers are expected to go forward as the battle progresses. Davis said that the U.S. troops are embedded with the Iraqis at the division level but are working with smaller Kurdish units. However, "they're always behind the forward line of troops" in their advisory roles. He dismissed reports that the offensive had bogged down in the second day. "It's crazy to suggest on Day Two that there's a stall," he said. To support the Iraqi and Kurdish forces, U.S. and coalition aircraft attacking near Mosul "engaged three ISIL tactical units and two staging areas; destroyed 10 mortar systems, five artillery systems, four ISIL-held buildings, four fighting positions, four vehicles, two supply caches, two repeater tower generators, a VBIED (Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device) facility, and a VBIED; and suppressed four tactical units and three rocket positions," U.S. Central Command reported, using another term for ISIS. Near Qayyarah, two strikes engaged two Islamic State tactical units and a mortar position; destroyed an ISIS-held building, a mortar system, an oil tanker truck, and a rocket-propelled grenade; and damaged a vehicle, CentCom said. Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, said in a statement Monday that the Mosul campaign could take weeks or months. Davis said that the initial plan, approved by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, was to limit the assault on Mosul itself to the Iraqi forces. The Kurdish Peshmerga forces are expected to give way eventually to the Iraqis as the assault moves closer to the city. "There will be a little bit of a leap frog" as the Iraqi troops pass through the Kurdish lines, Davis said. The Kurdish forces consist of about 10,000 fighters, Davis said, while the Iraqi Security Forces have about 18,000 troops. Following the Iraqi advance are several thousand federal police who are expected to join tribal fighters in restoring order once the city is taken, Davis said. ISIS is believed to have 3,000-5,000 fighters to defend Mosul. "Iraqis have the momentum," Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, commander of the Combined Land Component Command-Operation Inherent Resolve, told NBC News. "They know it and they want to get there as quickly as they can" to end the myth of the so-called ISIS "caliphate." It was in Mosul in June 2014 that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the creation of an ISIS caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The Aftermath The battle had hardly begun when the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition began planning for the aftermath. On Monday, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford convened a meeting of more than 50 leaders from the anti-ISIS coalition at Joint Base Andrews on how to deal with "the second- and third-order effects" of ISIS' defeat in Iraq and Syria, The Hill newspaper reported. Commanders of the U.S. military combatant commands attended the meeting. At a Pentagon news conference Tuesday, Adm. Kurt Tidd, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said the meeting was an opportunity to remind the coalition that ISIS' ideology will persist after its battlefield defeat, and its terrorism threat will "continue to morph and metastasize." The Pentagon also announced that Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will go on a week-long trip beginning Thursday to shore up allies against the ISIS threat. Carter's first stop will be Turkey on Friday to discuss "a range of security challenges in the region, including the latest developments in Iraq and Syria," the Pentagon said. Iraq has repeatedly called on Turkey to withdraw its troops and close its training facility for tribal fighters at Bashiqa, north of Mosul. Turkey has offered to join the drive against the city, but Iraq has rejected the offer. Carter will also visit the United Arab Emirates and next week will be in Paris and Brussels for NATO ministerial meetings. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. 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 amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima will return to Norfolk in coming days and leave the Hurricane Matthew relief effort to non-governmental organizations and Haitian civil authorities, Adm. Kurt Tidd, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said Tuesday. The United Nations estimates that about 1.4 million Haitians are still in need of urgent assistance and face the possibility of another widespread cholera outbreak similar to that which devastated Haiti in 2010 after a major earthquake. Local officials put the death toll from the hurricane at more than 1,000. However, Tidd said that he was told to prepare for a two-week relief mission when Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti on Oct. 4 and the Iwo Jima's withdrawal will "allow organizations in there for the long haul to take over." Related: Airmen Detail Hurricane Relief Efforts in Haiti Rear Adm. Cedric Pringle, who had led Joint Task Force-Matthew, will return to Key West, Florida, to his job as deputy director of Joint Interagency Task Force South, which interdicts the drug flow from South America, Tidd said at a Pentagon news conference. Rear Adm. Roy Kitchener, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 2, takes over the task force from Pringle. Tidd said he expects the Iwo Jima to depart Haitian waters in the "next couple of days." Troops who had been assigned to handle the arrival of relief flights at the Port-au-Prince airport are also withdrawing. About 400 U.S. service members were at the airport at the height of the relief effort. About 200 remain, Tidd said. The task force has so far delivered about 559,000 pounds of food, water, medical supplies and shelter materials to Haiti. Iwo Jima's MV-22 Ospreys and other aircraft have delivered aid to areas inaccessible by road. Tidd said the Iwo Jima's primary role was to "buy time until the roads were opened up" to allow for aid convoys. The number of requests for the U.S. to airlift relief decreased in recent days, and road access has improved, he said. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Military Experience Can Help Meet Credentialing Requirements in Many States Veterans now have a leg up as they return to civilian life in Florida and consider their next career move. A new law in the Sunshine State allows a veteran's service years to count for experience requirements when applying for a contractor's license. The legislation will make it easier for veterans to start new businesses in Florida, where construction is on the upswing. It's also one of dozens of laws across the country that allow veterans to apply their military experience and skills toward requirements for credentials for civilian employment. Between 2013 and 2015, 39 states issued executive orders or passed legislation to help veterans transfer skills learned in the military to civilian employment, according to a U.S. Department of Labor report. Federal agencies also have launched initiatives to make it easier for veterans to acquire the necessary credentials and licensing. Some states even smooth the process for military spouses. As a result, as veterans move to the next phase in their careers, they can save valuable time and money and quickly get back on the job. To take advantage of these opportunities, it's critical that veterans consider these two steps: Understand how military experience correlates with civilian jobs. The DOL makes this easy, with three websites that help veterans translate their military experience into a civilian gig: O*NET OnLine, CareerOneStop, and My Next Move. On My Next Move, for instance, a Navy veteran who worked as an aerial cameraman would learn that he is likely qualified to work as a program director or public relations specialist. A radio operator in the Army likely has the qualifications to work as an operations research analyst or an electro-mechanical technician. Individual states also offer assistance to veterans. In North Carolina, a law requires that occupational licensing boards publish a document that details the requirements for licensure, registration and certification, and how they are met by military training or experience. Many states now have laws requiring professional licensing boards to waive requirements if veterans gained similar experience in the military. Some laws also highlight specific career interests such as firefighting, nursing and electrical work. In Texas, for instance, a law requires that the plumbing examiners board must credit relevant training and experience for education in plumbing. Opportunities do vary state by state. As veterans explore jobs based on their military experience, it's important they research the laws in the states where they live or where they could relocate. Set their business up for success right from the start. According to the Small Business Administration, veterans are 45 percent more likely to be self-employed than nonveterans. In fact, in the United States, there's one veteran-owned firm for every 10 veterans, according to the administration. Considering the hard work and discipline required for a successful career in the military, it's no surprise that veterans want to be their own bosses. For veterans looking to start businesses, incorporating (or forming a limited liability company) is an important early step because it allows owners to protect their personal assets, take advantage of tax breaks and bolster credibility as they seek new customers, government contracts and other opportunities to grow. Working with a professional registered agent can also help ensure that businesses stay on top of compliance rules and regulations as companies grow and change. Military service members are returning home with the training and experience required to become valuable members of the civilian workforce. These new laws can help ease that transition from active duty and create the next generation of veteran workers and business owners. About Rex Caswell As Vice President of Sales for Wolters Kluwer's CT Corporation, Rex Caswell helps corporate legal departments and small businesses find ways to embrace regulatory compliance solutions and best practices while reducing operational and brand risk. A veteran of the United States Navy, Rex has served in various sales positions and leadership roles at LexisNexis, OneSource and Thomson Reuters Westlaw. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati and his MBA from Florida State University. The mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to arrive to Ukraine on October 26, the press service of the Finance Ministry has told Interfax-Ukraine. "We confirm that the IMF mission arrival is expected on October 26," the ministry said, confirming the earlier announced agreements on the new visit of the mission under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program late October. The four-year EFF program for Ukraine totaling SDR 12.348 billion (about $17 billion at a current exchange rates), opened by the IMF in March 2015, originally foresaw quarterly revisions of the program, as well as the issue of four tranches to Kyiv in 2015, and reduction of quarterly tranches in 2016-2018. However, Ukraine was able to get only the first two tranches and then there was a time gap due to the political crisis and the government change. Negotiations on renewal of funding were resumed after the appearance of a new Cabinet headed by Volodymyr Groysman in April. Initially it was assumed that the third tranche would amount to about $1.7 billion, and the IMF Board of Directors will be able to take their decision in June. But due to non-fulfillment by Ukraine of a number of conditions, the terms have been constantly postponed. This is also the reason why the amount of the loan tranche was reduced to $1 billion. The IMF decided to provide the tranche only in the middle of September. According to the revised schedule, provision of funds is planned every quarter after revision of the implementation of effectiveness criteria by Ukraine, in particular, the fourth tranche of $1.3 billion in the middle of November 2016. The largest tranche of over $1.986 billion could be sent in the first quarter of 2017. Then the next two tranches will be reduced to $1.33 billion and the rest five tranches to $735 million. Ukraine, meanwhile, is not keeping up with the terms of implementing the effectiveness criteria outlined in the memorandum of economic and financial policy revised when the third tranche was provided. Metro Cash & Carry Ukraine LLC (Metro C&C, Kyiv) is mulling investment in local production of meat and dairy food aiming to boost its market share, Metro Cash & Carry Ukraine Offer Management Director Adrian Ariciu has said. "We are first interested in those items where we can boost the market share. Among the most interesting segments for Metro C&C are dairy and meat products. We are seriously studying this market. We plan to invest in it," he said at the Retailers CEO Summit: "It's Time for Local Brand Breakthrough" in Kyiv. Ariciu said that this is vertical integration, purchase of local companies that would produce goods only for Metro C&C. "For some items today it is 50% cheaper produce goods in Ukraine than in China. We are mulling the opportunities for investing into local production both acquisition of business and long-term leasing. We are interested in fresh food and non-foods," he said. Ariciu said that 42% of all food on Metro C&C's shelves is made in Ukraine. He said that this share is not enough and could be increased. He also said that the company changed the imports structure in the past several years. The share of Russian goods fell from 12% to almost a zero in the past two years. The company had to replace some items imposed from Italy by cheaper goods from Poland. Metro Cash & Carry Ukraine LLC was founded in 2003. It unites 23 Metro shopping centers and three Beri-Vezi wholesale centers in Ukraine. DETROIT - It's still waiting for regulatory approval, has to iron out some parts sourcing and has yet to name a price, but the revived DeLorean Motor Company has opened up an application process for anyone interested in owning one of the new, low-volume cars it's working to build. The Texas-based company said the applications are non-binding, and meant to gauge interest in the cars, which will be more powerful and modern versions of the DeLorean DMC-12s of the early 1980s. A company executive told MLive in June the cars will likely cost upwards of $100,000. Respondents will be given priority before the actual ordering process is opened to the public, the company said. DMC is hoping for some finality on rules stemming from legislation, passed last year, that makes the gull-winged, stainless steel-plated cars' revival possible. That legislation, called the Low Volume Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2015, allows small companies to build up to 325 replicas per year of cars built at least 25 years ago. The law requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to put in place final regulations, which the two regulators are supposed to do by December. DMC has submitted a "Request for Interpretation" letter to the NHTSA to see if it can sell its vehicles while NHTSA drafts regulations. It has tentatively been aiming for spring 2017 to begin selling production models. The company said in a blog post Monday that it plans to build prototype chassis in November. The chassis will be interchangeable with existing, original DeLorean DMC-12s and the new models the company plans to produce. "This is an excellent example of how this low-volume production will be improving parts availability for the owners of existing DeLorean cars," the company said. nuTonomy Software firm nuTonomy has launched a fleet of self-driving taxis in Singapore. (Courtesy image/nuTonomy) DETROIT - A self-driving car crashed into a truck at a low speed in Singapore when it was changing lanes on Tuesday. Two engineers were operating the vehicle - part of a project by nuTonomy in Singapore - when the accident occurred, the Associated Press reported. No one was hurt in the wreck, which was described as minor. Singapore's Land Transport Authority said in a Facebook post that it is investigating the cause of the accident. In August, nuTonomy, a tech start-up spun off of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, launched the first autonomous taxi service in the world, as it put six cars and a select number of residents in Singapore's tech-heavy "one-north" district. NuTonomy's fleet includes Renault Zoe and Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars. In rolling out such a service, nuTonomy was just ahead of Uber, which last month deployed a small fleet of self-driving Ford Fusions on the streets of Pittsburgh. Uber's autonomous taxi service has "safety drivers" in the front seats of the cars because they could require human intervention in many conditions, such as bad weather. Many large automakers have been testing similar developments in closed or confined locations. NuTonomy has been testing self-driving vehicles in Michigan, though a spokesman last month declined to tell MLive where specifically that testing is taking place. Fountain Street Church will host a jazz concert to benefit Answer Nepal at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, at the church, 24 Fountain St. NE, in downtown Grand Rapids. The concert will feature artists Cameron Blake and Brad Fritcher's Moods. Proceeds from the event will go to Answer Nepal, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people of Nepal address problems of poverty through education. Families and individuals sponsor students in Nepal for private schools, covering costs of such things as tuition, books, utensils and shoes. During the concert's intermission, there will be a live and silent auction, refreshments and donation opportunities. Admission is $15 per person, $5 for students, and free for children under the age of 12. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted. Free parking is available. UPDATE: This crash was cleared Tuesday afternoon. ANN ARBOR, MI - Eastbound I-94 is closed at Jackson Road in Ann Arbor after an accident involving a semi-truck. The Michigan Department of Transportation reported the incident at 2:07 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18 near Scio Church Road. The semi was carrying a load of metal beams. The beams broke free and some went through the cab and front windshield, just missing the driver, said Michigan State Police Sgt. Jeffery Munoz. No one was injured, he said. The semi-truck truck and debris are blocking both lanes of I-94, and crews are working to clear the expressway. Traffic is getting around on the shoulder. The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office advises drivers to avoid I-94 between Jackson and Ann Arbor-Saline roads. Negotiations on Ukraine's $3 bln debt possible only if recognized as sovereign - Russian Finance Minister A date has still not been set for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian finance ministers in Germany to discuss problems of Ukraine's debt to Russia on a $3 billion Eurobond, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told journalists on Tuesday. "Right now a discussion is underway, but there is no decision yet," he said. The minister again confirmed Russia's principle position, that negotiations about restructuring are possible only on the condition that Ukraine's debt is recognized as sovereign and not commercial. "We will negotiate only after we see there are grounds for negotiations, namely that the debt is recognized as sovereign and that the terms for restructuring are better than commercial ones," Siluanov said. "There is no point in it," he said when asked whether a meeting was possible without the debt being recognized as sovereign. Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has set the task before the government to reform the wage system of the Ukrainians until 2017. "The issue of salary system reform is a priority for us ... We need to enter 2017 with high-quality labor payment system for Ukrainians, " Groysman said during a meeting with trade union representatives on Tuesday. The premier said that the reform of the wage system is called on to improve the standard of living of citizens. Calls of the Batkivschyna Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko and MP Serhiy Taruta to dismiss governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Valeriya Gontareva are connected to their own financial interests in the banking sector, MP Tetiana Rychkova of the Poroshenko Bloc faction has said. "The fact that Tymoshenko and Taruta simultaneously called for Gontareva's resignation is no surprise. Both share a long history of cooperation, where Taruta, as a businessman, was Yulia Vododymyrivna's [Tymoshenko] sponsor. The reason for their joint attack may be only that Gontareva, while restoring the banking system, hurt the interests of financial institutions that are behind Tymoshenko and Taruta," Rychkova wrote on her Facebook page. The problem of borrowers in foreign currency arose at the time when Tymoshenko headed the Cabinet, the Petro Poroshenko Bloc party's press service said. That's when the exchange rate fell from UAH 5 per $1 to UAH 8 per $1. Prime Minister Tymoshenko then "had no desire to compensate for losses to people," the MP said. According to Rychkova, Tymoshenko's concern about foreign currency borrowing is "play-acting." The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has presented the reforms delivery office (RDO) affiliated with the Ukrainian prime minister headed by the Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers Oleksandr Sayenko and Reform Support Teams (RSTs) in the ministries. "Today we are talking about the RDO of the Ukrainian prime minister. In fact, there will be 18 people at the first stage who will be assigned for certain areas and focused on the implementation of certain specific areas identified by public donor priorities which will be determined by the government's program, the program of work for the next year, " Sayenko said during the presentation of the teams supporting national reforms in Kyiv on Monday. The minister said RDO's structure will not duplicate the ministries themselves. "The Premiers RDO will be aimed at implementing and monitoring the priorities and tasks that are introduced in the government program, which were discussed with our international partners," Sayenko said. According to him, the RDO will primarily deal with matters which are in need of inter-agency cooperation, in particular, public service reform. Sayenko said that he is expected to be appointed the head the RDO. Two coordinators will supervise specific areas as a part of this body. In addition, the Reform Support Teams were presented at the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Infrastructure Ministry and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food. Managing Director for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus for the EBRD Francis Malige said that such teams will be publicly selected and will work together with the ministers on the development and implementation of reforms in the relevant areas. Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, Ambassador Huges Mingarelli said that the EU is ready to contribute to reforms in Ukraine, in particular, by supporting the expert groups. He said that the experts support will not guarantee success of the changes without the desire to reform on the part of the Ukrainian authorities. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze has discussed with the delegation of the PACE Monitoring Committee the impossibility of holding elections on the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. "This part of the Minsk agreements [elections in separate areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions] can not be performed due to the security situation. Even the OSCE mission can not get to certain areas of the east of Ukraine, how can the Ukrainian government held elections there?!" the press service quoted deputy prime minister on Monday. The interlocutors also discussed granting visa-free regime with the EU to Ukraine. Deputy prime minister informed about the full implementation of action plan for visa liberalization by the Ukrainian side. According to Klympush-Tsintsadze, despite the Russian aggression, Ukraine has demonstrated that it doesnt involve the migration threat to the EU. "Visa liberalization with the EU is a question of freedom of movement, self-respect and dignity for the Ukrainians," she said. Amid declining trade between Myanmar and South Korea, officials from both countries say the completion of a free trade agreement should be a focus between the two nations. Speaking at a seminar to discuss trade between the two nations in Nay Pyi Taw on October 12, Union Commerce Minister U Than Myint said that a recent drop-off in trade meant more needed to be done on both sides to strengthen the commerce relationship. It means we still need to put more effort in promoting bilateral trade and we also need to prepare for the establishment of an FTA, he said. U Than Myint said that South Korea was Myanmars eighth-largest trading partner. He said that bilateral trade with South Korea was valued at US$452 million in the 2010-11 financial year. This rose to $1.57 billion, he added, in the following financial year, but then fell again by the 2015-16 financial year to $656 million after South Korea cut Myanmars exports. U Than Myint did not say why the cut had occurred. But traditionally, Myanmar exports agricultural, fish, forestry and mineral products to South Korea, he added. Jointly hosted by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency, officials at the event said the KOICA-backed master plan, which was initiated in May 2015 and has cost $3 milion to develop, is now finalised and aims to boost bilateral trade through reducing tariffs and red tape. The plan also aims to develop more value-added production in the country with South Korea providing technical assistance to Myanmar. The master plan also creates opportunities through which we can attract more South Korean investments, said U Htein Lin, a director at the Ministry of Commerce. Of the key sectors the government is seeking to promote, Korea has suggested that Myanmars gems and jewellery and agricultural sectors show export potential for a South Korean market, he said, adding there was an opportunity to turn many local raw materials into finished products for export. Translation by Zar Zar Soe In terminating economic sanctions against Myanmar on October 7, the executive order signed by US President Barack Obama has opened the way to the resumption of the jade and gems trade between the two countries. The abolition of the International Emergency Economic Act renders all related US legislation null and void, including the ban on importing Myanmar jewellery, jade and rubies, as well as on banking and revenue transfer transactions. Free to export to the United States and Europe, Myanmar will no longer be tied solely to the Chinese market. Analysts predict a boost for an industry that has lately been in the doldrums because of a lack of interest among Chinese traders. We think the market will be better now that we have the opportunity to trade with the West, and if traders can export finished products openly and not through the black market, said jade entrepreneur U Zaw Shan Lone. We can produce more finished products, which would be better for the country. At present, the gems market is cold, but we hope everything will improve now that sanctions have been lifted, he said. The disappearance of sanctions will also have immediate and practical consequences. According to the secretary of the Myanmar Gems and Jewellery Association, U Tun Hla Aung, gem prices can now be quoted in US dollars as well as euros at the Myanmar Gem Emporiums. He added that Myanmar would now be able to export rubies and sapphires to the United States, and export more finished jade products rather than the raw jade. Myanmar will invite the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) to buy gems at the mid-2016 emporium to be held next month, and will request from them technical assistance, said U Win Htein, director general of the Department of Mines under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation. U Win Htein said the United States and other countries could buy Myanmar gems officially from gem emporiums, licensed gems and jewellery shops, gems expositions at Mogok organised by local residents, and international emporiums. He said the likely results of the removal of sanctions would include acquiring the right to sell in the United States and elsewhere and transferring the funds thus generated in a banking system increasingly integrated with international trade, thus improving the governments tax base. U Aung Kyaw Win, deputy chair of the Yangon Region Gems and Jewellery Entrepreneurs Association, said the government should build on the US decision by amending export-import and tax policies to strengthen its export sector. It was time to close down the illicit routes by which Myanmar gems were smuggled to Thailand, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and India, he said. Analysis: Jade curse tests post-sanctions Myanmar Talks have already begun on ways of expanding jade and gems sales. U Aung Kyaw Win said new government policies should take into account the needs of ethnic entrepreneurs wishing to trade internationally. He called for the establishment of vocational training schools to provide entrepreneurs with human resources and the development of value-added, higher-priced gems and jewellery products. The Yangon Gems and Jewellery Entrepreneurs Association has drawn up a master plan and submitted it to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, as well as to the Central Bank and the ministries of commerce and finance. The plan envisages a 10-year project to improve the quality of finished products. During the first three years, 30 percent of raw materials must be converted to finished products for export, rising to 50pc within five years, then 75pc and rising to 100pc by the end of the plan period. The plan also proposes recommendations to ease free trade, raise tax revenues and adopt anti-smuggling measures. The start date would be 2017. Unless we have a program, we will not be able to turn raw materials into finished products, he said. The adoption of a government program covering jade, gems and precious metals backed by entrepreneurs would help eliminate illicit trade in gems and jade, he said. Trade improvement director U Aung Soe said the National Export Strategy entailed long- and short-term programs covering the jade and gems sectors that would ease export procedures in the wake of the removal of sanctions. The gems market will expand, and trade will improve, he said. The American Gem Association last week told us they wanted to buy and distribute Myanmar gems. Foreign buyers can attend the gems exhibition and we are discussing direct exports with the Ministry of Resources. Making the most of the bigger international market would mean improving design and quality. Instead of selling cheap bad-quality jade to Thailand, entrepreneurs should study techniques for improving quality and generating sales. We must be ready to compete in a more open market, he said. Translation by Win Thaw Tar and Khine Thazin Han Low-cost housing residents who have borrowed to buy their homes could be given nearly twice as long as they expected to pay back their loans, a leading bank has announced. U Win Zaw, managing director of the Construction and Housing Development Bank, told The Myanmar Times on October 14 the goal was to avoid overloading buyers with overly onerous repayment plans. Were preparing to increase the repayment period from eight years to 15 for customers who have taken out a loan for low-cost housing, he said. Were waiting for the final conditions to be put in place before we confirm the plan, and then we will immediately implement it, he said. A joint venture between the government and a private firm, under the Ministry of Constructions supervision, the Construction and Housing Development Bank was established in January 2014 to provide long-term loans for home buyers and to spur the development of local construction companies. The only housing development bank in the country, it was launched with K100 billion in capital and 46 shareholders. The first home loans were granted to buyers in the Shwe Linn Ban low-cost housing development built by the construction ministry and the Department of Urban and Housing Development in October 2015. U Win Zaw said the granting of loans would depend on an assessment of an applicants ability to afford a home, how much money they could pay per month and whether they could afford the 30 percent down payment. An initial requirement to repay the loan within four years had already been doubled to eight years because so many applicants faced difficulties in meeting the payments, as well as the 30pc down payment, he said. Under the previous government, low-cost housing was sold to people under the lottery system. But many of the lucky winners could not actually afford the apartments, he said. In the case of the Shwe Lin Ban low-cost housing development, we found that very few people could afford the K4 million required for the 30pc down payment for a K12 million apartment. Nor could they make the repayments over four years. We lent them the money over an eight-year period, and now we will increase that to 15 years, he said. The current government plans to build 8000 apartments priced at under K10 million in Dagon Seikkan, Mingaladon and Thanlyin townships, Yangon Region, as an initial project. Weve already invited people to buy low-cost apartments by opening a Housing Savings Account at CHDB, said the banks deputy director, U Min Aung Aye. Applicants can pay the first 30pc through the CHDB. We will give priority to people who have Housing Savings Accounts. A total of 2208 apartments in Yuzana and Kanaung low-cost housing projects in Dagon Seikkan township and the Shwe Lin Ban project in Hlaing Tharyar township will soon go on sale to the public for prices ranging from K12 million for a ground-floor apartment to K9,800,000 for a fourth-floor apartment. The Construction and Housing Development Bank has so far loaned K7 billion to more than 500 home buyers and K90 billion to more than 200 companies. More than 5000 people have opened Housing Savings Accounts with the bank since August. The Ministry of Constructions DUHD says it will build up to 200,000 low-cost units throughout the country over the next five years. Translation by Emoon and Win Thaw Tar A women's group is calling for public contributions to support a young victim of an acid attack earlier this year in Mon State. Akhaya Women Myanmar says that the victim, who was severely injured in the attack, is in urgent need of surgery, most immediately on one of her eyes and her neck. The 23-year old woman, who has not been named, was attacked by her ex-boyfriend on May 22 in Thanbyuzayat township. Her eyes, ears, face and right side of her body were deformed [in the attack]. Her throat, shoulder, chest and hands were severely burnt. One of her eyes needs urgent surgery to help her regain her eyesight. Another is needed to restore mobility to her neck, said a statement by Akhaya Women Myanmar. The victim also requires advanced treatment to her face and to her ear, which is currently being kept open by a piece of plastic piping that allows her to hear. Akhaya Women Myanmar are asking for public contributions to cover the womans surgery costs, which are estimated to be between K15 and K20 million. Weve already collected K2.2 million from the No Acid Attack in Myanmar community dialogue All these donations have already been handed over to the victim, said Akhaya Women Myanmar. Those who donate will be recognised on the groups Facebook page, where their name and the amount of their contribution will be posted. The perpetrator of the attack has been detained by the authorities and is undergoing trial in Mon State, according to Daw Win Win Khine from the Akhaya Women Myanmar. [The perpetrators] case is still in trial. Currently the complainants witnesses are being examined, she said. The acid attack survivor is scheduled to undergo surgery on October 27 in Bangkok. Donations can be made through Akhaya Women Myanmar at [email protected] or on 09-506-3299 or 09-795-706-265. Lu Htake Moe overseas employment agency is under investigation for allegedly failing to send 300 workers to Thailand and instead leaving them stranded without work in Myawady. In June, the would-be overseas workers signed a contract, paying K500,000 a piece K350,000 above the legal fee limit under the impression that in exchange they would be sent to Thailand to work in a baked goods factory. They were to be paid 300 baht (K10,100) a day under a two-year contract. A factory error delayed departure by a month, factory officials allegedly told the workers. Three months later, the workers were sent to Kayin States Myawady with a promise of jobs in a vermicelli factory. When they arrived, the factory was not hiring. The workers were stranded in Myawady for 22 days before the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, and Population ordered the employment agency to get them back to Yangon and resolve the issue. The agency agreed to compensate anyone no longer interested in going abroad, a worker said yesterday. The agency has solved the problem by compensating the workers, Ministry of Labour permanent secretary U Myo Aung told The Myanmar Times. But, we are also investigating why the agency delayed the workers trip abroad. Migrants faced grievances relating to both time and money. The agency was lucky the workers did not get stranded in Thailand without work, he said. Our migrants would have been arrested if they were sent in Thailand without the proper arrangement with a factory, he said. The agency has promised to send the remaining workers to Thailand within the next 10 days, a migrant from Bago Region, who asked not to be named, said yesterday. Workers said that they will file a case against brokers and the employment agency if they break this promise and do not take responsibility. Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar migration affairs department assistant Director Ko Hein Latt said yesterday that the agency violated labour laws by only sending the workers to a job three months after signing the contract. Agencies must send workers within two months of signing the contract, he said. The agency never respected the ministry. They did what they wanted without heeding the rules. Migrants workers suffer the most in these cases. When contacted by The Myanmar Times yesterday, an official from the Lu Htake Moe overseas employment agency declined to comment. In another instance of escalating clashes around the country, yesterday morning marked the fourth day of renewed hostilities between the Tatmadaw and the Taang National Liberation Army in northern Shan State. The skirmish has so far been contained to a remote area near Par Hlaing village in Kyaukme township, but has not been close enough to civilian homes to displace anyone, according to an MP and a TNLA spokesperson. The fighting started on October 14. I got information today that the fighting is still going on. A helicopter came and bombed the area, said Tar Pan Hla, a spokesperson for the TNLA. Sai Tun Aung, a Pyithu Hluttaw MP for Kyaukme township, said that the recent outbreak of fighting has not lead to any IDPs. Par Hlaing is a mountainous area, a little far away from the centre of Kyaukme. When I asked the villagers from that area on market day about the fighting, they said two troops exchanged fire, but not in the civilian area. They were also not sure what the cause of the fighting was, he said. Clashes between the TNLA and the Tatmadaw have also been reported at outposts in Mongngawt in Kyaukme township and in Khun Kha, Momeik/Mong Mit township over the past four days. After the 21st-century Panglong Conference, the Tatmadaw began increasing their offensives into the ethnic areas, including in Kachin, Kayin and Shan states, said Tar Pan Hla. The TNLA was one of three groups not in attendance at the conference, as they refused to abide by a precondition to disarm. In August, in the lead-up to the conference, the Tatmadaw had demanded that the three groups making up the northern alliance hand over their weapons to a trusted third party before attending. The TNLA is not a signatory to the nationwide ceasefire agreement, and was sidelined from the previous governments peace negotiations. According to Taang human rights groups, in the wake of the conference northern Shan State has seen a spate of human rights abuses along with the uptick in fighting. Kachin, Karen, Chin, Kayah and Shan youth groups, along with ethnic politicians and local CSOs, have demanded an immediate end to the hostilities. At the same time as it fights the Tatmadaw around Kyaukme, the TNLA is also involved in a clash with the Restoration Council of Shan State near a gas pipeline connecting Manton and Namtu townships. Earlier this year, the TNLA accused the RCSS of teaming up with the Tatmadaw to wage large-scale offensives with thousands of troops deployed in the Kyaukme and Nawngcho areas of northwest Shan State. The Taang National Party has tried, so far without success, to broker a peace deal between the RCSS and the TNLA in Shan State. Although the guns have fallen silent in Hlaingbwe township, Kayin State, civilians displaced by recent conflict may be unable to return home for several months due to concerns over landmines and fears that hostilities between the Tatmadaw and a Karen armed group could reignite. The fighting between a joint contingent of Tatmadaw and Border Guard Force (BGF) troops and a splinter faction of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army first flared in the townships Mae Tha Waw area at the end of August. A statement from the Tatmadaw last month said some senior military officers and troops were killed and wounded during the fighting, while four members of the DKBA splinter group were killed, during 19 clashes between the two sides. The hostilities sent civilians fleeing in large numbers to the Myaing Gyi Ngu monastery, as well as to the Thai border. According to UNOCHA, more than 5900 people uprooted by the conflict have found shelter at two sites in Myaing Gyi Ngu village. Expecting that the displacement will last two or three months until troops and landmines are cleared for the area, the government and donor groups are building temporary shelters for the thousands of civilians who fled. U Min Tin Win, the Kayin State minister for social affairs, told The Myanmar Times yesterday that internally displaced persons (IDPs) can return home only after landmines laid in the latest fighting are cleared, with BGF troops currently working to demine the Mae Tha Waw area. Now, we are arranging temporary shelters for the refugees. There is a problem of insufficient toilets. So, we have planned to build the temporary shelters with toilets, he said. He added that the state government, the Tatmadaw and the Myaing Gyi Nguu abbot are providing IDPs with food supplies and would assist with the rebuilding of schools that were destroyed in the fighting. We are supporting as much as we can. Our state governments budget is a small amount, said U Min Tin Win. Ko Myint Aung, a volunteer humanitarian aid worker, said yesterday that IDPs want to go back to their homes but were not being allowed to do so by the Myaing Gyi Ngu abbot and other authorities out of concern for their safety. There is no security in the Mae Tha Waw area and the refugees should not go back home yet. Especially, there are a lot of landmines in this area. Now, the refugees are in need of food supplies and clothing, he said. According to volunteer aid workers, mosquito nets are also an urgent need for IDPs at the Myaing Gyi Ngu monastery, while those who fled to the Thai border face a more pressing concern in basic food supplies, with few humanitarian aid groups having arrived to assist them. The precise origins of the recent conflict remain unclear, with some pointing to the death of the DKBA splinter groups leader, Major Na Ma Kyar, who was killed under mysterious circumstances in late August. The Karen armed group had also complained of its troops being harassed by Tatmadaw and BGF soldiers. The DKBA is itself a splinter faction of the Karen National Union, and both are signatories to the nationwide ceasefire agreement. The group previously led by the late Maj Na Ma Kyar has not been among the ethnic armed organisations recognised by the government as having a seat at the negotiating table in the national peace process. Rights groups are concerned that blatant falsehoods in state media could exacerbate tensions in Rakhine State, after The Global New Light of Myanmar published a denial that Muslim residents face restrictions on their movements and are refused access to vital services. The opinion piece in the state-run newspaper follows deadly attacks on three border guard posts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships on October 9. The government has blamed the attacks on Islamist terrorists, prompting widespread fear in Rakhine State and beyond. Videos of unclear origin have since appeared online with armed men calling for jihad and for Rohingya rights. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has vowed the investigations into the attacks will be fair and according to rule of law. But yet-to-be confirmed reports of extra-judicial killings and widespread destruction of Muslim villages in northern Rakhine State by the military as they hunt for the culprits has led to fears that the attacks will be used to justify further rights abuses on the more than 1 million Rohingya who live in the state. The Global New Light of Myanmar article calls on international communities to review their policies, towards the atrocities of the extremist attackers and contrasts what it calls the neighborliness of Bangladesh against a backdrop of heightened fabrications that a number of Muslims living in Rakhine state face discrimination, restrictions of movements and denial of access to services. The restrictions under which the Rohingya minority are forced to live have been widely attested to and condemned by numerous organisations, including the UN. Responding to the article Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch Asia division, said the reality is the Rohingya face severe restrictions on movements which curtail their ability to earn a livelihood and access basic services. The government should realise that its efforts to elicit sympathy and cooperation to find those who attacked the border police camps in Maungdaw are undermined when its mouthpiece prints blatant falsehoods about the continued restrictions Rohingya face in Rakhine State, he said. Amnesty International said that their observers had witnessed firsthand the damaging impact of the restrictions placed on Muslim communities in Rakhine State. Denying the existence of long-standing restrictions on the Rohingya population, and the serious difficulties they create for peoples daily lives, not only ignores the reality on the ground, it will hinder any efforts towards finding durable solutions to the situation in Rakhine State, said Laura Haigh, Amnesty Internationals Myanmar researcher. Ms Haigh cautioned against additional restrictions. The government has the duty and the right to maintain law and order, however, it must ensure that its response to these recent attack does not further compound the longstanding discrimination and rights abuses that Rohingya in northern Rakhine State suffer, she said. Her warning came as the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported yesterday that humanitarian response interventions in northern Rakhine State were being coordinated but were hampered by movement restrictions. Over 40, and according to some reports as many as 90, people mainly Muslims have been killed as Tatmadaw troops conduct clearance operations in their search for culprits. Hundreds of homes are reported to have been razed with thousands of people feared displaced. Further attacks on police have also been reported. The Global New Light of Myanmar did not respond to requests yesterday from The Myanmar Times as to what had prompted the article. Analysis: Oppressions spawn plagues Rakhine State Western media are frequently accused by authorities and nationalist activists in Myanmar as being biased in favour of the Rohingya population. Asia-based publications have generally been less critical; however, on October 16, the Thai newspaper The Nation published a strongly worded editorial headlined: The [Myanmar] government and military will have to bear the blame if estranged Muslim community decides to take up arms. The Nations opinion piece said, The situation would not have descended to this level if Myanmar had been more even-handed in its treatment of the Rohingya. It went on to depict recent events in northern Rakhine State in terms of ethnic minority resistance elsewhere in the country. The Global New Light of Myanmar opinion piece emphasised Bangladeshs neighbourly response to the current situation, including the fact it handed over suspects alleged to have taken part in the October 9 attacks. Around 230,000 Rohingya are estimated to be live in Bangladesh and some of the attackers are alleged to have spent time there. The state media article also sought to promote Myanmars relationship with the EU. At a time when we are taking effective action to defend against, respond to and defeat all armed violent attacks and attempted attacks in according to the law the provision of assistance by Bangladesh and the EU in the form of encouragement is an [sic] valuable asset capable of holding the perpetrators ultimately accountable. Asked for a response to the article, an EU spokesperson pointed to the latest Council Conclusions on Myanmar adopted jointly by the Foreign Ministers of all 28 EU member states in June 2016, which says, Restrictions on the freedom of movement should be lifted and unimpeded access to basic services should be ensured for all. The spokesperson referred to a previous statement from October 11 in which the EU said it stands with Myanmar in these difficult moments, but rejected the implication in state media that the EU statement could be taken as an encouragement of the current military response in northern Rakhine. The only thing we encourage is a police investigation in accordance with the rule of law as well as responsible action and restraint by all parties, she said. Police have announced a crackdown on ferry operators in the wake of the loss of the Aung Soe Moe Kyaw 2, which went down in the Chindwin River on October 15 with the confirmed loss, so far, of dozens of passengers. Survivors of the disaster said the stricken ferry was overloaded with both passengers and cargo on its trip from Homalin to Monywa in Sagaing Region. Preliminary reports indicate the vessel capsized after hitting a rock as it approached Mee Chaung Dwing village in Kani township, Sagaing Region. As of yesterday morning, 25 bodies had been recovered, U San Min Aye, head of Sagaing Region Fire Services, told The Myanmar Times. Yesterday evening, AFP reported that 32 bodies had been recovered from the river and officials were preparing to raise the sunken vessel from the riverbed. Were continuing the search ... [which] is concentrated in the area the ferry capsized, and were trying to recover the wreck, U San Min Aye said. The fire department has counted 199 survivors so far. One survivor, U Aung Kyaw Oo, said there may have been as many as 300 passengers on board the ferry, far above the authorised limit and indicating that 70 or 80 remain to be accounted for. According to AFP, some 30 teachers were thought to be among the passengers, along with dozens of students from Monywa universities and workers heading home for Thadingyut. Since the sinking, divers and about 100 local residents have joined the search for survivors and remains. Police Colonel Lu Lu Than of Sagaing Region Police said, We are going to inspect carefully all ferries operating in the Chindwin River to ensure they do not carry passengers or cargo above the authorised limit. The chief minister has instructed that this must never happen again, and we will definitely take action from now on. We will also take action if inspections are performed carelessly. Police have made four arrests. The survivors have been lodged at nearby monasteries and provided with money by the regional government, said U Than Soe Nyunt, Sagaings transport minister. Most of the passengers were teachers, doctors and students, survivors said. Translation by Win Thaw Tar Directly contradicting the experience of many reporters, including those at The Myanmar Times, Minister for Information U Pe Myint announced yesterday that the media has not been restricted within the conflict areas in Rakhine State. Military officials, however, did acknowledge that they have made reporters delete photos that they have deemed a security risk. Recent attacks at border posts in Rakhine State left nine officers at three stations dead and prompted a military backlash in Rohingya communities. Information has been hard to come by with rumours flying and delayed responses from the government. Regarding those covering the news, we absolutely do not discriminate against people from the media, U Pe Myint said at a press conference in the capital yesterday. He did say that reporters may have been warned against going certain places that are not safe. U Pe Myint said he did not know how some reporters were managing to get news and photos from the northern Rakhine State townships where the attacks took place and the Tatmadaw has been deployed. Currently, only reporters from The Myanmar Review journal are as close to the fighting as the work being published by state-owned media. Colonel Zaw Min Tun from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief said that the reporter from The Myanmar Review is a member of the Tatmadaw, so it would not be unusual for him to work in that environment. Presidents Office deputy director general U Zaw Htay said in the press conference that the Review journal reporters focus is on conflict areas. He is a reporter who covers war news, he said. So, he followed the military columns to collect the news by negotiating with the military. U Zaw Htay said that while the government does not limit media, the military does. Colonel Zaw Min Tun said that some military columns and border guards limited media coverage for the purpose of maintaining security. You think that you can take photos when about five soldiers and two border guards are guarding a location. You think there is no problem if you post that photo on Facebook, he said. But it is dangerous for us if terrorists see that. For example, if they know what weapons the border guards are holding it makes their ability to plan an attack easier. Similarly, if they know what weapons are being used in a military column they can more easily attack the column. So reporters are forced to delete such photos on security grounds. He defended the practice, noting that it is not an attack on media. We deleted photos but we do not aim to oppress or limit the media, he said. We soldiers have to give priority to our security so that we can keep on protecting the region and the people. We have no other intention. We just consider our security. Translation by Win Thaw Tar and Thiri Min Htun Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has urged lawmakers to find a compromise and pass a bill on special confiscation helping to return crime assets of former officials to the national budget. "You ask when my address [to the Verkhovna Rada regarding the adoption of the bill on special confiscation] will be? I am doing it now. Dear lawmakers, I stress as the president and as the commander-in-chief to find and submit those amendments you believe necessary, hold all required consultations between political forces and make the decision about special confiscation, as this is a financing tool, including financing of our national defense," Poroshenko told reporters at a briefing in Kharkiv last week. "Any deviations from the process would men that we simply work for criminals who stole and illegally removed huge sums of money from Ukraine and want to hide behind various schemes. I am sure that we must not allow them to do this," the president said. He said that he is waiting for the quick adoption of some other bills (on the formation of the High Council of Justice, bills concerning the improvement of investment climate in Ukraine and decentralization). On September 14, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved the bill on special confiscation and sent it to parliament. The Ukrainian government managed to have $1.5 billion related to the corrupt regime of former President Viktor Yanukovych, seized in 2014, according to Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko. The bill was drafted with the participation of Ukrainian lawmakers and was endorsed by experts from the European Commission. Yet, despite the government's appeals, parliament has so far failed to pass the special confiscation bill, which would let seized assets be funneled to the national budget, the minister said. A senior military official yesterday defended security forces use of lethal force in Rakhine State, saying recent killings were an appropriate response in cases where they have encountered weapons-wielding hostiles. Colonel Zaw Min Tun of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief was speaking at a press conference in Nay Pyi Taw to address the coordinated October 9 assault on Myanmar Border Police posts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships and the ongoing manhunt for the perpetrators that has followed. In this case, they attacked police who are working for regional peace and stability and the rule of law. We protect the lives of police, said Col Zaw Min Tun, referring to several killings over the past week as security forces have cracked down in the majority-Muslim region. Their attacks would seriously impact regional peace and stability, and the rule of law ... Thus, we have no choice but to shoot them. All told, 30 attackers, including two women, have been killed by security forces, said Major General Aung Soe, deputy minister for home affairs. Casualties have also included five military members and the nine police officers killed in the original attack. Authorities have so far detained 12 suspected militants, including two men arrested across the border and transferred into custody by Bangladesh, according to Maj Gen Aung Soe. Speaking to The Myanmar Times yesterday, Home Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Kyaw Swe offered a differing tally of detainees, putting the figure at 16. Most if not all of the suspected attackers are self-identifying Rohingya Muslims, with the Presidents Office last week describing the attacks as intended to promote extremist violent ideology among the majority-Muslim population in the area. According to an October 14 statement from the Presidents Office that identified the perpetrators as belonging to a group called Aqa Mul Mujahidin, The attacks in Maungdaw township were systematically planned in advance over a long period of time, assisted by foreign funding and the support of members of foreign terrorist organisations. Nearly 400 militants could owe allegiance to Aqa Mul Mujahidin, said the statement, identifying the groups leader as Havistoohar, a militant from Kyaukpyinseik village, Maungdaw township, with previous training from the Taliban in Pakistan. Yesterday senior cabinet official U Kyaw Tint Swe said he had spoken to the Indonesian ambassador about the unfolding crackdown in northern Rakhine State and had received his support and a pledge that Jakarta would respect Myanmars sovereignty and would not seek to interfere in a domestic matter. ASEANs other majority-Muslim member states also supported the security operation now under way, he added. The Bangladeshi embassy in Yangon released a statement on October 16 offering condolences to the slain and its support and continued cooperation with Myanmar authorities. Lt Gen Kyaw Swe sounded a tough line this week, saying there would be zero tolerance for anti-government militancy in Rakhine State. This is a combat area, he told The Myanmar Times. Therefore we must be operating intensively. We must not accept any aggression unequivocally. We must operate to get back the arms and seek justice for those who killed our guards, he added, referring to dozens of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition seized by the militants during the October 9 raids. Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships where the attacks on three Border Guard Police took place as well as Buthidaung township have been designated operational areas for the military. Section 144 has also been invoked for the region, banning all forms of public assembly. State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi last week pledged to handle the situation in Rakhine State fairly and in accordance with the rule of law, but a group of 16 Rohingya advocacy groups released a statement on October 16 that alleged authorities security crackdown has been rife with human rights abuses that amounted to crimes against humanity. Since 9 October, under the pretext of looking for attackers, the Myanmar military and police forces have been indiscriminately killing the Rohingya, torching and plundering their homes and villages, read a joint statement from the groups. Two mass graves were found and about 100 Rohingya civilians were extra-judicially killed that included old men, women and children. The statement did not attribute its allegations to a specific source. State media has also reported the burning of some villages in Maungdaw township, but the official explanation was that the arson was perpetrated by militants. The government has sought to tightly control the flow of information coming out of Rakhine State, fearing that the spread of unchecked rumours could lead to the kind of inter-religious violence that wracked the state in 2012. Yesterdays edition of state-run The Global New Light of Myanmar offered no new reporting on the latest developments in the troubled region. At least one individual has been penalised for the apparent security lapse on October 9, with a police brigadier general in charge of the Border Guard Police transferred from his post this week. Schools across Maungdaw and Buthidaung remain closed and a curfew is in effect from 7pm to 6am. Fear of more violence has prompted some in areas affected by the conflict to send their wives and children to the state capital Sittwe. Displaced people started arriving in Sittwe four days ago. At the beginning the number was not too many but now there are more than 800. It seems the number will continue to rise, said U Thein Tun from a Rakhine social coordination committee. Monasteries in the state capital are temporarily sheltering those who have fled. About two-thirds of the displaced are children, and Daw San Thein Nu from Aung Tharyar village said the journey to Sittwe had been marked by hardship. There are many children among the displaced people. Some are even infants. We waited for three days in Buthidaung to buy a ferry ticket to travel to Sittwe. There are people who are getting stuck there because the ferry is already packed, she said. Some expressed hope that they could return, if not to their homes then to displacement camps closer to their villages. If refugee camps are opened in Buthidaung and Maungdaw, we just want to go back because we dont want our family living apart, said Daw San Thein Aung from Aung Mingalar. Most of the displaced acknowledge, however, that the situation at present is still too unstable for an immediate return. The Rakhine State government and private donors have provided rice, cooking oil and salt, as well as waterproof canvases and some money to the displaced, said U Thein Tun, while adding that concerns remain about sanitation and shortages of drinking water and medicine. Additional reporting by Pyae Thet Phyo and Yee Ywal Mint, translation by Thiri Min Htun and Zar Zar Soe A man lost a toe after a firecracker exploded at his feet during a festival celebrating Thadingyut, police say. Ko Kyaw San Oo, also known as Ko Thaung Htay, from Aung Myay Tharzan township was attending a festival at Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda with his family on October 15 when two young revelers threw a firecracker into the crowd. The cracker exploded under Ko Kyaw San Oos right foot. He was taken to Mandalay General Hospital where one of his toes was amputated. Local police identified Ko Kaung Tay Za Toe, 21, and Ko Aung Ko Myint, 17, as the firecracker throwers. The injured mans brother-in-law filed a complaint later that day at the township police station against the two men, who are facing charges under Myanmars penal code for negligent conduct with respect to explosive substances and for the more serious charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons. If found guilty, the men may face up to 10 years in jail. Translation by Zar Zar Soe The Yangon Region government has announced that it will conduct inspections and take action against unlicensed traditional Chinese medicine clinics in the city. U Naing Ngan Lin, regional minister for social affairs, told the state hluttaw last week that the government had recently found two clinics in Yangon operating without permission from the Ministry of Health and Sports. We are investigating other Chinese clinics and will take action to close other [unlicensed] operators down, he said. Traditional Chinese medicine is a popular way of curing bone and joint-related pain, and clinics can be widely found throughout downtown Yangon. According to the law relating to private healthcare, any person offering such services without a licence faces a jail term ranging from six months to five years and may also be fined. Unlicensed clinics also face closure. The Yangon Region director of the Department of Medical Services, Dr Thar Tun Kyaw, said authorities had permanently shuttered three unlicensed clinics operating in Yangon since April. Dr Thar Tun Kyaw warned prospective patients of the potential dangers of using unlicensed clinics. [The operators] did not officially apply to the department to open these clinics. The cost of treatment was very high at these clinics and they used Chinese medicine techniques. We cant confirm whether [people providing the treatments] are the real doctors or not because they did not submit a licence, he said. According to the department, it is not only traditional Chinese medicine clinics that have been found to be unlicensed. Pabedan township lawmaker U Than Naing Oo said private clinics advertise by handing out flyers, and many of them focus on reproductive health. U Than Naing Oo said he had visited a number of clinics after receiving advertising material and found the conditions to be sub-standard. Im worry that the unlicensed clinics provide abortion treatments. This treatment is illegal and very dangerous for the patients, he said. The government should also inspect these kinds of clinics to see whether they are really licensed or not. If they dont, people may be endangered. A member of the Myanmar Medical Council told The Myanmar Times that patients should not believe all they read in clinics advertising and that the government needs to take strong action against illegal clinics to ensure public safety. In addition to health risks, many private clinics advertise that they employ foreign doctors, which can significantly increase the price of treatment. Daw Khin Hnin Aye recently contacted a private clinic in Dawbon township, where she is a resident, which assured her of the quality of its medical services, and told her that they employed Taiwanese doctors along with local staff. The clinic told me that their doctors didnt make mistakes but I didnt trust them because I felt they couldnt provide me with a guarantee of good treatment, she said. Dr Thar Tun Kya called for the publics assistance in the governments attempts to close down unlicensed clinics. Public knowledge and cooperation are needed, he said. If the people inform the authorities about the unlicensed clinics, they will take action. Where they are and what they do is the type of useful information needed. Almost seven decades after it was created as the first Islamic republic of the postcolonial era, Pakistan is teetering on the edge of an abyss. The economy is stagnant, unemployment is high and resources are scarce. The government is unstable, ineffective and plagued by debt. The military along with its rogue Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, comprising the countrys spies and secret police is exempt from civilian oversight, enabling it to maintain and deepen its terrorist ties. Nuclear-armed Pakistan is now at risk of becoming a failed state. But even if it does not fail, the nexus between terrorist groups and Pakistans powerful military raises the spectre of nuclear terrorism a menace so large that the United States has prepared a contingency plan to take out the countrys fast-growing nuclear arsenal should the need arise. Make no mistake: Pakistan is ground zero for the terrorist threat the world faces. The footprints of many terrorist attacks in the West have been traced to Pakistan, including the 2005 London bombings and the 2015 San Bernardino killings. Two key actors behind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States Osama bin Laden and Khalid Sheik Mohammed were found ensconced in Pakistan. In the recent Manhattan and New Jersey bombings, the arrested suspect, Ahmad Khan Rahami, was trained in a Pakistan seminary located near the Pakistani militarys hideout for the Afghan Taliban leadership. But it is Pakistans neighbours that are bearing the brunt of its state-sponsored terrorism. Major terrorist attacks in South Asia, like the 2008 Mumbai strikes and the 2008 and 2011 assaults on the Indian and US embassies in Afghanistan, respectively, were apparently orchestrated by the ISI, which has reared terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Haqqani network to do its bidding. This is no hearsay; former Pakistani military dictator Pervez Musharraf has largely acknowledged it. In India, in particular, the Pakistani military which, despite being the worlds sixth largest, would have little chance of winning a conventional war against its giant neighbour uses its terrorist proxies to wage a clandestine war. This year alone, Pakistani military-backed terrorists have crossed the border twice to carry out attacks on Indian military bases. In January, Jaish-e-Mohammad struck Indias Pathankot air base, initiating days of fighting that left seven Indian soldiers dead. Last month, members of the same group crossed the border again to strike the Indian army base at Uri, killing 19 soldiers and prompting India to carry out a retaliatory surgical strike against militant staging areas across the line of control in disputed and divided Kashmir. Afghanistan and Bangladesh also accuse ISI of undermining their security through terrorist surrogates. They blame Pakistan for the recent grisly attacks in their respective capitals, Kabul and Dhaka, in which a university and a cafe were among the targets. Such activities have left Pakistan isolated. Just recently, its regional neighbours Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka pulled the plug on a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit that was scheduled for early next month in Pakistans capital, Islamabad. Sri Lankas prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has warned that cross-border terrorism imperils the very future of SAARC. But diminished international standing and growing regional isolation have been insufficient to induce Pakistans dominant military to rethink its stance on terrorism. One reason is that Pakistan retains some powerful patrons. Beyond receiving financial support from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan has, in some ways, become a client of China, which provides political protection even for Pakistan-based terrorists at the United Nations Security Council. This month, China torpedoed, for the fifth time in two years, proposed UN sanctions on Masood Azhar, the Pakistan-based head of Jaish-e-Mohammed, which the UN designated as a terrorist outfit years ago. The sanctions were backed by all other members of the Security Councils anti-terror committee, not least because India had presented evidence linking Azhar to the terrorist killings at its two military bases. In terms of financial aid, however, it is the US that serves as Pakistans biggest benefactor. Yes, even after finding Bin Laden on Pakistani soil, the US the country that has spearheaded the so-called War on Terror not only continues to deliver billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan, but also supplies it with large amounts of lethal weapons. US President Barack Obamas administration also opposes a move in Congress that would officially brand Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism. This approach reflects Obamas commitment to using inducements to coax the Pakistani military to persuade the Taliban to agree to a peace deal in Afghanistan. But that policy has failed. The US remains stuck in the longest war in its history, as a resurgent Taliban carries out increasingly daring attacks in Afghanistan with the aid of their command-and-control structure in you guessed it Pakistan. No counterterrorism campaign has ever succeeded when militants have enjoyed such cross-border havens. Achieving peace in Afghanistan, like stemming the spread of international terrorism, will be impossible without making the Pakistani military accountable to the countrys civilian government. The US has a lot of leverage: Pakistan has one of the worlds lowest tax-to-GDP ratios, and is highly dependent on American and other foreign aid. It should use that leverage to ensure that the Pakistani military is brought to heel and held to account. Project Syndicate Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research and Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, is the author of nine books. In the immediate aftermath of the October 9 attacks on security forces in northern Rakhine States Maungdaw township, rumours, accusations and outright propaganda quickly crowded out what little was actually known about the situation. Officials and politicians wasted no time in ascribing the attacks to the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), a group widely believed to be defunct, despite a complete lack of evidence. And many journalists blindly repeated their claims, propagating the agendas of interested parties in a highly polarised conflict. Others, including the dangerously influential monk U Wirathu, added further fuel to the fire, using Facebook to warn of a third Jihad, in a post that was shared more than 6000 times. While in some cases the agenda was clear, in others especially in the case of journalists who readily accepted claims without checking their accuracy you have to wonder if the reason was that the unverified accusations sat comfortably with their own prejudices, in a country where the Rohingya community has been vilified for decades. Generally characterised as interlopers from Bangladesh and often as terrorists, the Rohingya are routinely demonised in Burma. Whether they are accused of using actual weapons or the demographic bomb of their supposedly rampant reproduction, they are seen by many as a threat to the very existence of the Rakhine, or ethnic Arakanese community, or even the entire Burmese nation. But Rakhine and Burmese nationalists arent the only ones who have hastened to fill the information vacuum with dubious claims. On the Rohingya side, some have blamed the attacks on the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, without providing any evidence to support this assertion. And in the international press, reports of ultraviolent incursions into villages in Maungdaw by the Tatmadaw have been greeted with some scepticism. The point here is not to correct any of these claims, but to warn against giving them undue credence. Given the lack of information and the general lack of transparency that still prevails in Myanmar we need to be very careful about jumping to conclusions, especially ones that fit with our prejudices, which can never be measures of truth. For many in Myanmar, the Rohingya can never be seen as victims: They are always the unwelcome outsiders who impose their presence on others, part of a Muslim invasion of Rakhine and Myanmar that must be resisted. For many others, however, the Rohingya can never be anything but victims, subject to systematic oppression by both Rakhine nationalists and Myanmar since the Ne Win era. Most peoples interpretation of the current events will be coloured by one of these two narratives. But what both views fail to recognise is that, in the situation of absolute hopelessness in which the Rohingya have been gradually pushed to live, it would be only natural that some people would resort at some point to violence, regardless of what cooler heads in the community tell them and how counterproductive that violence is condemned to be. However divergent the accounts of what is happening in Maungdaw may be, the underlying assumption that they share is that ethnic groups and communities are solid entities that act and behave as one single actor. This is what the scholar Rogers Brubaker termed groupism the tendency to take discrete, sharply differentiated, internally homogeneous and externally bounded groups as basic constituents of social life, chief protagonists of social conflicts, and fundamental units of social analysis. It goes without saying that no ethnic group is a unitary collective actor: While virtually all Rakhine are subjected to varying degrees of pressure to shun the Rohingya, their reactions may vary enormously. Some may feel genuine loathing, but others may be merely indifferent or even, in rare cases, sympathetic. Likewise, even though all Rohingya living in Rakhine State suffer under systematic discrimination, their reactions to this situation are bound to be as varied as their personal stories. Not all members of an ethnic group will react in the same way to the situation in which such group finds itself. Analysis: Oppressions spawn plagues Rakhine State This reification of ethnic groups is one of the most pervasive features of social life in Myanmar, as in so many other countries afflicted by extreme ethnic tensions and conflicts, like Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, India or Sri Lanka. Both internal actors and external observers often see it as the result of ancient grievances, even though many of these conflicts are surprisingly modern. A long history of grievances is often invoked by political actors to keep such conflicts alive, but as Suzanne and Lloyd Rudolph have pointed out, Friendships are as ancient as hatreds. This is also the case in Rakhine State, where, according to historian Michael Charney, Buddhist and Muslim communities have a long history of mostly peaceful and harmonious coexistence before colonial times. Moreover, ethnic groups themselves as we know them now are often quite new. In the case of Rakhine State, the emergence of Rakhine and Rohingya ethnic identities as closed, discrete and antagonistic groups is far more recent than is commonly implied. This is arguably the result of historical processes and political decisions, closely related with the impact of the colonial period in Burma and the imposition of boundaries between modern nation-states. But the current reification of ethnic groups always entails a projection into the past: The ethnic group as it is now has always been like this. In sum, ethnic reification is a social process, in the words of Brubaker, and groupness is something that happens. But why, in the middle of an acute crisis in Rakhine State of unforeseeable consequences, is it important to reflect on these seemingly academic points? By not seeing ethnic groups like the Rohingya or the Rakhine as unitary collective actors, we are better able to avoid the trap of attributing collective responsibility which, as so often happens in Rakhine State, tends to result in collective punishment. If I believe that the group I belong to is threatened by another group, any action to prevent that will be justified, including cruel crimes against its weakest members. We saw this in 2012, when 10 Muslims were killed in Taunggok in retaliation for the rape and murder of a Buddhist girl killed in another town. This led to a series of terrible waves of sectarian violence pitting community against community, in which Muslim communities living in Rakhine State, both Rohingya and Kaman, were ultimately punished collectively. In Rakhine State, collective characterisation of the other community often goes both ways. For instance, many in the IDP camps for Muslims around Sittwe believe that Rohingyas are routinely killed by doctors and nurses at Sittwe General Hospital. The story has even reached the international media, but the evidence for it is thin, at best. Last November, a woman from one camp told me that all of the dozen or so patients she had accompanied to the hospital returned safely. Nevertheless, the rumour persists, in large part because many Rohingya, after suffering for years from the effects of ethnic hatred and a policy of apartheid, believe that Rakhine doctors and nurses, like all other Rakhines, hate them and want to see them dead. At work in all these cases is a very similar conception of members of the other group as part of a single entity with a common purpose: the extermination of the group to which one belongs. With most fingers now pointing to members of the Rohingya community as the most likely culprits in the October 9 attacks, the ugly spectre of collective punishment against the whole community is more present than ever. For the Rakhine and Rohingya people who are in the thick of the conflict, it may be very difficult to think in terms other than those which determine a great part of lives. But journalists and other external observers can have no excuse for uncritically repeating narratives that have contributed to bringing untold devastation to both communities for decades. A version of this article first appeared in DVB Carlos Sardina Galache is a Spanish freelance journalist in Southeast Asia. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a trilateral meeting to coordinate their positions ahead of a Normandy format summit expected to take place in Berlin on Wednesday, October 19. "It will be a Normandy format summit in Berlin. But prior to it, we will have a trilateral meeting with the chancellor of Germany and the president of France at which we will coordinate our positions ahead of the meeting," Ukrainian President Poroshenko told reporters during an official visit to Oslo on Tuesday. REDfyah said his father; King Kurabaso, passed away when he was barely a year old. The situation left him and his older brother to be raised by a very determined single mother who inspired them to be the best of themselves. Expressing myself through art was my personal way of escaping all the crazies that one found growing up in my days. I always had a love and a curiosity for Rastafari, Rastafarians, and Reggae music. So it was just a matter of choice that I ended up paying more attention to developing my love for Reggae music. As REDfyah became accustomed to the lyrical content of some great Rasta artists, he began to perform on a small scale till Samuel Ababio, aka Xtee; a sound technician heard his soulful-delivered lyrics. Samuel at that point knew there was something about this person that the world needed to hear and see. The Samuel Ababio connection I realized his level of professionalism and vocals were good enough for him to be given a shot at a master's project rather than not just leaving him to settle for a demo level. I decided to not let him be dissuaded by his lack of finances which was a stumbling block and excuse for not having considered a professionally produced sound said Samuel about REDfyah. Soon after these two met, the recording of an album was realized despite the difficulties associated with an artists attempt to break into the mainstream. The album City of Gold was the result of their hard work. This occurrence which led to REDfyah becoming an inspirational reggae DJ on Winners FM 98.5; a renowned radio station in the Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana. REDfyah through his hard work and genuineness made the acquaintances of some very notable Reggae musicians in the persons of Shasha Marley, Grammy-nominee Rocky Dawuni, Blakk Rasta, Sheriff Ghali and many others in Ghana. He also performed alongside some of these artists. Meeting local and international Reggae giants Besides Ghanaian greats, REDfyah has been blessed to perform in concerts with well-known international acts such as Luciano (of Jamaica), Ras Kimono and The Mandators (of Nigeria), and IWAN and Blakk Rasta (of Ghana) to mention a few. He has in his young career been featured on several reggae artists albums. This grassroots artist makes it a point to be personally involved in every aspect of his career. As a result, his professionalism and influence can be seen in all sections of his camp and management. His businesslike approach combined with his extreme passion and amazing gift for music are just a few of the things that fuel his authenticity. Annual Peace concert and the future The Peace, Love and Unity concert put together annually in his native Ghana is REDfyahs way of assuming social responsibility while having a very personal encounter with his fanbase. Proceeds of this large outdoor concert are channeled into respective charities. Two of the songs off his City of Gold album have twice been nominated for awards in the years 2014 and 2015 by the prestigious Bass Awards. The One World Tribe music video that featured Australian David Pick was also nominated in 2015 for the Best Reggae Video by the BASS Music Awards held in Ghana. These accomplishments give REDfyah lots of reasons to continue to work harder and stay humble. He sees his fans and love for Reggae music paving the way for greater heights and has asked us to tell all to watch out for his next surprise. Find more information on his official website www.redfyah.com Till then, enjoy the One World Tribe video by REDfyah below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRxeS5mzVXQ&noredirect=1 Actress Juliet Ibrahim is not enthused about politics because of the negative effects it has had on her. She noted that due to politics, she and her family had to fight for their lives in the midst of three wars. Juliet, speaking in an interview with Joy News, revealed that she does not involve herself in politics because as a child, her family were caught up in three civil wars - Liberia, Lebanon and Cote divoire. Liberia alone endured two civil wars. The First Liberian Civil War alone, which was from 1989 until 1997, killed over 600,000 people. Wars in Lebanon and Cote divoire have also claimed a lot of lives. With several celebrities, notably John Dumelo, Mzbel, Cwesi Oteng, Agya Koo, Mr Beautiful, Lucky Mensah, publicly declaring support for political parties ahead of the December 7 election, Juliet says she wont declare support for any party. For me Im not [a] political person. I have experienced three civil wars in my life. I was unfortunate. Liberia, Lebanon and Ivory Coast. I lost family members, I lost friends from war. I witnessed them shooting at my parents in front of me, the actress, who is of Lebanese, Liberian and Ghanaian descent, revealed. With the horrors of war still fresh on her mind, she recounted further that even one of her mothers friends was nearly raped in one of the civil wars. As young girl who went through all of that, I dont involve myself in anything political. I have been approached by so many people to be a part of something political but Im sorry I wont do it, Juliet Ibrahim added. For her, her prime focus during every political season is to pray so that Ghanaian safeguard and maintain the peace and tranquillity that the country is enjoying. All I do during that period is to pray that God will bring peace for the country and in every citizens heart that we make sure that we do what is best for us and our generation to come so they dont have to go through what I went through as a child. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / email: [email protected]) The multimedia groups famed broadcaster, Andy Dosty, couldnt help but to get emotional and teary-eyed during the fourth edition of the Hope 4 Life Tour which was held last Saturday at the St. Johns Grammar Senior High School in Achimota. Andy who was billed to perform one of his motivational tracks with the school choir, was handed a surprise by the students when they sang the chorus along with him so loudly and flawlessly. Overwhelmed by the show of love from the students, he shed tears and expressed his emotions on the challenges he had before this song could be released. The event also featured the award-winning Ghanaian actor, Adjetey Anang (Pusher) and the UK-based talk show host and motivational speaker Nana Churcher, as the main speakers. They were supported by music artistes Andy Dosty, Nero X and spoken word artiste Rhyme Sonny. Mr. Cyrus de Graft-Johnson, the Corporate Affairs Manager of Accra Brewery Ltd a partner of Hope 4 Life Tour educated the students on the dangers of under-age drinking. The project, powered by BEKOFI, is a World-Bank sponsored youth mentorship initiative aimed at motivating, grooming, and providing networking avenues for young people by connecting them with their role models and successful personalities in society. Watch Andy Dostys emotional moment here: https://youtu.be/84DxP_wgJUA Shatta Wale won Best DanceHall Act Award at the 2016 African Muzik Magazine Awards (AFRIMMA) held over the weekend in Dallas, Texas, United States of America. The 'African Dancehall King' beat competition from Stonebwoy, Samini, Burna Boy, Buffola Soldier, Timaya and Patoranking to win the award. The award scheme, organisers say is the sole award ceremony in the Diaspora that caters to all musical genres, including but not limited to Afrobeats, Assiko, Bongo, Decale, Funana, Genge, Highlife, Hiplife, Kwaito, Lingala and Soukous. It was hosted by Nigerian comedian Basket Mouth and reality TV star Cynthia Bailey. Mzbel and President John Mahama 18.10.2016 LISTEN Ghanaian hiplife artiste Belinda Nana Ekua Amoah, popularly known as Mzbel in showbiz, has waded into the recent Kalyppo selfie challenge by members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). The musician has declared her support for President John Dramani Mahama ahead of the December 7 polls, and she is always at his defence. Mzbel posted on her official Facebook wall that President John Dramani Mahama is conscious of his health and, therefore, drinks only water and not sugar solution mixed with Christmas colours. He cares about his health cos he cares about us, so he only drinks H2O and not sugar solution mixed with some bronya colors lol #WaterisLife. According to her, water is life and, therefore, those calling him to a Kalyppo drinking challenge maybe wasting their time. The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, a couple of weeks ago, was spotted in a picture drinking the natural fruit juice brand mostly enjoyed by kids. According to the photo that went viral on various media platform, the NPP nominee for the December polls was seen in a vehicle in white attire enjoying his Kalyppo. His supporters, subsequently NPP supporters, started a challenge, posing with the drink and taking selfies. -ultimatefmonline.com Award-winning radio presenter, Kwamena Idan, arguably the best and the finest gospel show host on Ghanaian radio, says he owes his success and all to listeners of his programme, as well as his dynamic and hardworking producers. The radio presenter who is the host of Adom FM's Adom Live Worship programme can boast of 20 years of solid experience in the radio industry. The popular Adom Live Worship host who is still making impact on radio industry in Ghana says he hasnt regretted becoming a radio presenter because he sees radio business as a gateway to establishing himself as one of Ghanas finest voices on radio. His Adom Live Worship on Adom FM helps to uplift souls that are downhearted with inspirational messages and also helping listeners relax with a variety of good gospel music after a long stressful day. Kwamena is experienced in the field of broadcasting and he has been very consistent with his style of presentation. He has also proved to radio listeners that his style is unique and he has a good personality that matches that creative style. The mere mention of his name on radio reminds one of Howard Allan Stem and Adam Lakers Carolla, both of the United States. Kwamena disclosed to BEATWAVES that he uses his programme to bring over thousands of radio listeners together on daily basis to worship and praise God. He and the producers of Adom Live Worship, he mentioned, carefully select a team of worship leaders who pass through the show every day to minister the word of God to the millions of listeners and worshippers in the market, shops, cars and corporate organisations across Ghana and other parts of the world. Indeed, some Ghanaians abroad have testified that they also use Kwamena's radio show for their morning devotion every week day. His amusing, inspiring and educative late afternoon show has earned him a lot of laurels, honours and awards, including the 2014 Best Radio Gospel Show Host and DJ by the African Gospel Music Awards in UK. The Winneba-born Kwamena Idan disclosed that his successful radio career started in the late 90s at Radio Windy Bay on University of Education, Winneba campus. He then moved to Kumasi in 2003 where he hosted the drive (Fayeko Fie) at Mett FM, now Angel FM before moving to Jett FM, now Light FM, also in Kumasi, where he hosted the drive time show and rose through the ranks to become the programmes manager. Little did he know that his superlative skills as a radio personality will later earn him a place at the Multimedia Group, owners of Adom FM, Joy FM, Hitz FM, Asempa FM and Multi TV. His break came in 2007 and he has since remained with the Multimedia team till date. Idan's versatility got him gigs on almost all the programmes on Adom FM. He has had the opportunity to host every show on Adom FM, from Dwaso Nsem, Work and Happiness, Ofie Kwanso, Adom Top 40 (now Airtel Count Down), among others. The award-winning radio has impacted and changed the lives of most Ghanaians locally and in the Diaspora, and he continues to impact even more with his programme. Kwamena's passion to see all Ghanaians transformed through the power of worship is already breaking the frontiers of radio programming to bring Adom Live Worship to the doorstep of listeners both in Ghana and abroad. Several live worship experiences have been held in various churches across the country, and at least one has been held in London, where a huge crowd of Ghanaians gathered for a live transmission of Adom Live Worship on Adom FM. A philanthropist in his own right, God has crowned Kwamena with honour and glory. His favourite saying is the best is yet to come. By George Clifford Owusu Outspoken Ghanaian Member of Parliament Ursula Ekuful has made a shocking revelation about the saddest day in her life on the most popular satirical talk show in Ghana, Tonight with Nii Kpakpo Thompson on Viasat1 Ghana. Mrs. Ekuful who made her first appearance on the Tonight Show disclosed that the death of Fennec Okyere was the lowest point in her life. Fennec Okyere, who was the manager of music star Kwaw Kesse at the time of his death in 2014 was gruesomely murdered at his residence by unknown assailants and so far, nobody has been charged for his murder. Speaking to host Nii Kpakpo Thompson last Friday, Mrs. Ekuful stated: It [Saddest day] is probably when they informed me that Fennec was dead. Yeah and I still quite havent gotten over it. I told you I had many children and he [Fennec] was one of them. He came into our lives when he was about in his early teens and lived with me on and off. The Ablekuma West constituency MP also shared some of her fondest memories of Fennec Okyere; describing him as Mr. Fix It. Id seen him a week, and ten days before he died so when they informed me I was completely shattered. I still miss him... There are quite a number of things that reminds me about him particularly, he was Mr. fix it for me. When I couldnt figure anything out, i just give him a phone call and he would find out a way to sort it out for you, she recalled. Mrs. Ekuful also revealed that her favorite song in Ghana is Mansa by Bisa Kdei after which she took to the dance floor to display a bit of her dancing skills which was greeted with booming cheers. Host Nii Kpakpo Thompson also used the occasion to shower the MP with a dozen of Kalyppo drinks which has become the symbol of change for the opposition New Patriotic Party in Ghana in the past few weeks. Ursula Ekuful won the primaries in her constituency few months ago and will face NDCS Diana Twum and other candidates in the December Parliamentary polls. Tonight with Nii Kpakpo Thomson airs every Friday at 9pm with a repeat broadcast on Tuesdays at 11 am, only on Viasat1 Ghana. Verkhovna Rada deputy from the Batkivschyna Party Nadia Savchenko has said she visited neutral territory near Stanytsia Luhanska (Luhansk region) to search for contacts with representatives of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic in order to free hostages. "I was in Stanytsia Luhanska on the bridge in the so-called 'grey zone.' I was not worried about my safety. I spoke with Ukrainians, who must live in the occupied territories," Savchenko said on her Facebook page. The MP also said that she was in the Anti-Terrorist Operations (ATO) zone during the three months following her release from a Russian prison. She added that does not go there now, so it's too late for her to travel there now 'because our politicians have let the dogs loose." "I am not beholden to anyone and am not obliged to answer for my actions, which I take as individual as a politician. I am not looking for enemies, am acting not to betray Ukraine, but to free our comrades," Savchenko said, emphasizing that sometimes "it is necessary to twice travel to hell and to the rear of the enemy." "People are afraid to travel to Russia. My sister was also afraid, but I received such a jolt of energy seeing her and Ukrainians in the courtroom. I was seized by a desire to continue living and fighting," the MP said. Savchenko also produced a video clip addressed to the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Zakharchenko, who on Monday promised to revenge the murder of militant leader Motorola (Arsen Pavlov). "I rarely want to speak in front of a camera, but today I watched Zakharchenko's interview To murder someone who committed murders is not a sin. But to say that you will knife innocent families, well, Alexander, think what you are saying. What kind of military officer would say something like that," Savchenko said in the clip. As earlier reported, on October 17 MP Savchenko said she was deposed by agents of Ukraine's Security Service about her trip to occupied areas of Donbas. The date for the burial of late highlife artiste, Daasebre Dwamena will be decided Wednesday. The maternal family of the late musician has disclosed that they will agree on a date at a family meeting in Anomabo in the Central Region. The paternal family of the artiste, after an initial impasse over who has the right to bury him, agreed to relinquish his remains for burial after a meeting last Friday. Daasebre Dwamenas maternal family had gone to court to seek an injunction to stop the paternal family in Koforidua from burying the musician on a proposed October 14 date. Read: Fight over Daasebre Dwamenas burial, matrilineal family goes to court The maternal family had argued that they had the right to bury the highlife musician. But both families met and agreed that the late Daasebre Dwamena will be buried at Anomabo Ndasimam in the Central region. Read: Families reach compromise over burial of Daasebre Dwamena Enoch Gyedu, who speaks for the late musicians maternal family, speaking on Hitz @ 1 said they family will announce a new burial date after the meeting Wednesday. Meanwhile Yaw Boateng, who speaks for the paternal family, also told Hitz @ 1 that they are not aware of the meeting. He said the maternal family has not invited them and they will, therefore, not be attending the meeting. Daasebre Dwamena died at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra on Friday, July 29, 2016. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / email: [email protected]) Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. Mogadishu (AFP) - Fighting between Somali troops and Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab fighters was ongoing Tuesday in the key town of Afgoye, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) northwest of the capital Mogadishu, a security source and a witness said. "There is heavy fighting going on at several bases in Afgoye district and one of the bases was attacked with a car loaded with explosives," Abdulakir Ahmed, a local security official, told AFP. A Shabaab statement said the group had recaptured the town, which it evacuated in May 2012 after coming under attack from the Somali army and African Union peacekeepers. "The Mujahedeen fighters have secured control of Afgoye town after heavy fighting and they put up the Islamic flag over the enemy bases," said the statement. "The infidel soldiers who stayed in town have fled" and "tens of the enemy forces have been killed," it said. There was no independent confirmation of the reported capture of the town. Residents said the target of the bomb attack was the local police station. 'There was a suicide car bomb attack targeting the police station and heavy fighting is going on," said resident Amin Moalim. He said the town had been taken by surprise and "people are hiding in their houses and those who stayed outside have fled." "I saw wounded civilians and Somali soldiers as well,' he added. "We don't know who is controlling the city so far because heavy exchange of gunfire is going on." The Shabaab has fought to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu since 2007, losing control of the capital in 2011 before losing other bastions such as Afgoye. Mogadishu (AFP) - Fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group killed at least 10 people, including soldiers and civilians, during an attack on the strategic Somali town of Afgoye on Tuesday, local police said. "We don't have the exact number of casualties so far but we have seen the dead bodies of more than 10 people, including civilians, who were killed in the attack," Abdukadir Ahmed, local police official said by phone, adding that the attackers also suffered casualties 16 Ghanaians are set to benefit from full Masters scholarships granted under the Australia Awards Africa program starting January 2017. They are part of 144 awardees competitively selected from 11 African countries. In preparation to live and study in Australia, the Australian Government will host a two-day workshop in Accra for the Ghanaian recipients. The workshop will provide an opportunity for the Award recipients to gain valuable advice on adapting to the new culture they are going to experience, excelling in the various courses, and developing professional networks and linkages. The forum will also explore the awardees plans to use their newly acquired skills and knowledge to contribute to their countries development outcomes at the completion of their studies. With a reinforced skill set, coupled with a passion and will to serve the African people, the Awardees will join a network of over 290 alumni that continue to make significant contributions in sectors critical to Ghanas economic development such as agricultural productivity, extractives and public policy. The pre-departure briefing will culminate in an evening reception hosted by the Head of Mission, HE Andrew Barnes on Wednesday 19 October, 2016 at the Ambassadors official residence. Members of Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) as well as Alumni and government officials in Ghana will be in attendance. The award recipients have demonstrated the leadership potential necessary to advance development in Africa. Indeed, we are delighted that through our Australia Awards program, their talent and expertise will be nurtured and that they will be in a position, on their return home, to make an important contribution to national and regional development, says HE Andrew Barnes. Australia Awards Africa is a program of the Australian government that provides postgraduate training opportunities for African professionals. The application process is open and competitive, providing equal opportunity regardless of gender, ethnicity or disability. The Australian Government strongly encourages applications from women and persons with disability. Mechanisms are in place to support the participation of applicants and Awardees requiring assistance. The latest round of Australia Awards Scholarships and Short Courses closes on 15 December 2016 and 15 January 2017, respectively. The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review announced a 1.3billion cross-government Prosperity Fund to run over the next five years (2016/17 to 2020/21). Its purpose was to promote the economic reform and development needed for growth in partner countries. Our priorities include improving the business climate, competitiveness and operation of markets, energy and financial sector reform, develop trade policy and increase the ability of partner countries to tackle corruption. As well as contributing to a reduction in poverty in recipient countries, we expect these reforms to create opportunities for international business, including UK companies. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the UKs foreign ministry, responsible for protecting UK citizens, projecting the UKs global influence, and promoting the UKs prosperity. Call for bids: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) seeks to appoint a Supplier to deliver a Scoping Study which makes clear, robust and evidenced recommendations for researching the business landscape across Nigeria at the State level and make recommendations as to how best the UK can broaden our prosperity and commercial engagement This invitation invites companies to provide their credentials and outline their approach to this scope project which should include: identifying up to 4 Nigerian states as focus for the project, with clear evidence as to reason for selection research and work with key stakeholders to identify challenges and opportunities for doing business and examples of good practice in agreed States Presentation of this information in a concise and accessible manner to FCO and Nigerian stakeholders Identification of key opportunities for UK to develop deeper relationships with business-friendly stakeholders Full details are available in the Invitation to Tender letter available on GOV.UK s Contracts Finder site . Budget: 75,000 Timetable: Deadline to apply: 26 October 2016. All activity to be completed by March 2017. How to apply: To participate in this Procurement, Suppliers will need to register free of charge on the FCO Bravo contract website here . Tenders must be submitted electronically via this site . Additional information or queries on this tender can be sent to Prosperity Procurement . Wrapping up a four-day visit to Nigeria, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, met today with Nigerian President Muhammedu Buhari. The two discussed the humanitarian situation in Nigeria, particularly in the conflict-affected North East. The discussion with President Buhari focused on the scale of humanitarian needs across Nigeria. Lives and livelihoods of millions of people have been affected by the conflict in the North East, communal clashes or urban violence, particularly in the Middle Belt and Niger Delta, said Mr. Maurer. Earlier today, Mr. Maurer opened a workshop in Abuja on the integration of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL) into the operations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Standby Force (ESF). The five-day workshop will address, among other things, the inclusion of relevant legal concepts into the planning of military operations. Some 50 participants -- including the ESF Chief of Staff, the headquarters staff, two members each from the 15 troop-contributing countries and officials from the police and civilian components -- are attending the ICRC-facilitated workshop. During his visit Mr. Maurer met with persons affected by urban violence in a Port Harcourt shanty town where the ICRC drilled a borehole and installed water pipes, increasing access to water, as well as gave grants to 240 women breadwinners to start small businesses. Mr. Maurer also met with the Nigerian private/corporate community in Lagos to discuss innovative partnerships in a bid to encourage them to engage more forcefully in supporting humanitarians efforts to respond to the needs of people affected by armed conflict and violence. Italy has allocated 3.9 million euros for emergency interventions to support the provision of essential services to South Sudanese refugees and to the most vulnerable segments of the hosting populations in South Sudan and in the neighbouring Countries (Uganda and Ethiopia). Lack of food and assistance, compounded to precarious hygiene and sanitary conditions, determine a real threat of famine, epidemics and tension between the refugees and the local populations. Moreover, the state of emergency is such that even humanitarian organisations have difficulty in assuring protection and relief services to the hundreds of thousands of persons in need, most of whom are women and children. The intervention activities will be carried out by the numerous Italian civil society organisations present in the areas concerned. The American people support entrepreneurship and innovation as ways Egyptians can drive their economy forward, U.S. Agency for International Development Mission Director Sherry Carlin said today. Ms. Carlin opened a forum discussing how to increase entrepreneurship in the Delta region. Held October 16, 2016, in Mansoura, this one-day networking event brought together aspiring business owners, financial services experts, distributors, producers, and others to explore the unique challenges and opportunities for small business to thrive in this region of Egypt. Discussions focused on how to generate and enhance start-up support, link buyers and sellers in the area, and streamline procedures to promote entrepreneurship development. The U.S. Embassy is committed to peace and prosperity for all Egyptians, Carlin said. Small businesses are a vital part of the Egyptian economy, and through this forum USAID is helping provide the tools for small businesses to grow and thrive. This program is part of a comprehensive package of technical assistance from the American people that promotes job creation, economic development, private sector business growth, and a stronger trade and investment environment. Since 1978, the United States Government through USAID has invested nearly $30 billion in Egypt. Poroshenko says he not very optimistic about Oct 19 'Normandy Four' meeting The Ukrainian side wants the 'Normandy format' leaders' (Ukraine, France, Germany and Russia) meeting in Berlin to agree upon a roadmap that would guide the actual implementation of the Minsk Agreements, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said. "If Russia is ready to sign this [roadmap], and not only sign it, because we already signed the Minsk [deal], but it is also important to implement it, it will be a very positive event," Poroshenko said at a joint press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg in Oslo on Tuesday, after being asked by Interfax about the chances of signing such a roadmap at the upcoming talks in Berlin. "Am I feeling optimistic? I feel very optimistic about Ukraine's future, but, regrettably, I am not very optimistic about tomorrow's meeting," he said. Ukraine, France and Germany support the adoption of such a roadmap for implementing the Minsk Agreements, Poroshenko said. This document should determine a sequence of steps to implement the Minsk accords, he said. "The first thing is a sequence of steps in the sphere of security, a ceasefire, an end to the killing of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, the withdrawal of forces and then the political package," he said. President John Mahama has described the claim that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has not sited any development project in the Volta Region as vicious and wicked lies. He said the attack propagated by his critics are not based on facts and has urged residents to reject the purveyors. We have invested heavily in the road sector, water sector, education sector, extending electricity, health sector, tertiary university and the evidence is there for everybody to see, he said. President Mahama made these remarks during the commissioning of the Kpando Water system on Monday as part of his six-day tour of the region ahead of the December 7 election. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has mounted pressure on government accusing it of doing little for the people of Volta Region. NPP Volta Regional Chairman, John Peter Amewu said development projects initiated by the Paramount chief of Asogli Traditional Area, Torgbe Afede have been stalled by President Mahamas government. He cited the plan by the paramount chief to establish a coal plant to generate about 1000 megawatts of power to augment the nation's energy needs which he said has been hijacked by government. Why is government distracting individual Voltarians? he asked, adding road projects undertaken by President Mahama's government are inferior. He however did not mention any of the roads in particular. Reacting to the comments by the NPP Volta Region chair on the Joy FMs Newsnite programme Monday, NDC 2016 Campaign Coordinator, Kofi Adams said he was not surprised to learn that the NPP has packaged "lies" to residents of the region in order to win votes. It is always been the case that the NPP has also peddled falsehood, they have lied, they have deceived the people and we have always responded since 1992," he said, adding lying has always been the NPP's "stock in trade." He, however, expressed confidence that the voters have seen exactly what this government is doing [and] promised the government will do more if given a second term. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Email: [email protected] Police in Effiduase in the Ashanti Region say they found no incriminating evidence against the girlfriend of deceased journalist of Kumasi-based Kessben Radio and TV. Thirty-seven-year-old Florence Osei, also known as Afua Birago, was a prime suspect in the death of Confidence Kwadwo Baah because they had spent the night together before he was found unconscious the following morning. Confidence died shortly after he was rushed to the hospital on Sunday morning. Twenty hours after holding her, police say they found nothing against the woman who they say has been cooperating with the investigation. Police are, however, waiting for the outcome of a scheduled post-mortem. Blood samples, as well as stomach contents and liver, are expected to be sent to the Ghana Standard Board Forensic Laboratory in Accra for toxicological analysis. Nhyira News sources suggest the process will take, at least, two weeks to complete. Investigators, however, say they are yet to establish any foul play on the part of the lady. Confidence Baah Effiduase District Commander, DSP Douglas Kumah, told Nhyira News police have not been able to establish any crime against her. Florence Osei was granted bail Monday evening She's assisting us with the investigation, he explained. Police have also penned down some members of the family of the late journalist for questioning. After the post-mortem, we will know what action to take," DSP Kumah indicated. Photo: The entire Effiduase Township is in mourning mood following the sudden death of the radio and television presenter Sunday. Residents are yet to come to terms with the departure of their icon at the Effiduase Government Hospital. Sympathizers clad in a red and black stream into the streets, trooping to the family house to console relatives as the streets are Effiduase are filled with a red and black outfit of mourners. Meanwhile, sympathizers, including politicians of all divide, have been filing in and out of Kessben Radio and TV to commiserate with management and staff. A book of condolence has been opened at the station in honour of late Confidence Baah. The running mate of the New Patriotic Party says the governing National Democratic Congress cannot claim to love northerners when it misappropriates funds meant to alleviate poverty in the north. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia said a government that runs down the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority a policy initiative meant to arrest the poverty situation in the northern parts of Ghana; "steals" the money meant to execute the policy cannot profess to love people from northern descent. He was reacting to accusations by some officials of the governing National Democratic Congress that the NPP does not respect people from the North. With some 50 days to go for election 2016, the Northern region undoubtedly remains a key battle ground for the front runners in the election. The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia while addressing party followers in Tempane in the Northern Region said it is only the NDC that does not discriminate against any Ghanaian. He accused the NPP of discriminating against northerners and using Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a northerner as a 'trojan horse' to cover up their discrimination. But NPP and Dr Bawumia have responded, chronicling a tale of policies that have gone bad or riddled with corruption and misappropriation of funds. The NPP running mate told supporters of the New Patriotic Party in Buipe in the Northern Region that the NDC cannot be trusted because its record in the north is nothing to write home about. "John Mahama is a northerner, but what happened to the SADA money? Who 'chopped' the SADA money? Is it the NPP" he asked a crowd of energetic partisan supporters. "If they loved northerners they wouldn't have chopped the SADA money. They say they love the northerners but they have not paid school feeding grants for two terms for schools in the northern region. Do they love us?" he asked again to which the crowd said No. "They say they love the northerners but who chopped the GYEEDA monies? They say they love the northerners but who has refused to pay teacher trainee allowances. "They say they love northerners but they only love their stomachs," he stated to a rapturous applause by the crowd. Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com|Nathan Gadugah Sirte (Libya) (AFP) - The Islamic State group's beleaguered Libyan stronghold of Sirte has been devastated by months of fighting, the second time in five years it has been wrecked. Tanks roar through rubble-strewn streets while explosions and gunfire rock gutted buildings. Most of the 120,000 residents have fled, either in fear of jihadists or forced out by pro-government forces who have been battling since May to oust IS from what was once its north African headquarters. The 2011 uprising that toppled its most famous son, the late dictator Moamer Kadhafi, laid waste to Sirte. Residents rebuilt after the war, but this year's fighting has once again left the coastal town in ruins. Apart from fighters, Sirte is now a ghost town with no electricity or phone coverage within a hundred kilometres (60 miles). Pro-government Libyan forces backed by American air strikes are gradually tightening the noose on the few remaining IS fighters holed up in District Three in the east. IS took over Sirte in June 2015, flying their black flags above public buildings and imprisoning, crucifying or beheading dozens of people. Libya's key oil ports Jihadists roamed the streets in pickup trucks to check that residents were praying at the correct times and that women did not leave home without a male minder. Forces allied with Libya's UN-backed and internationally recognised Government of National Unity (GNA) launched an offensive in May to oust IS from the city and surrounding areas. 'Bye bye Daesh' They entered Sirte itself on June 9, and the jihadists hit back with suicide bombings and snipers. More than 550 GNA fighters have been killed and 3,000 wounded in the assault. Shop fronts throughout town still bear the black stamp of the "Office of General Services", the jihadists' tax authority. On those walls that are still standing, slogans glorifying IS have been erased and replaced with "Bye bye Daesh" -- an Arabic acronym for IS. Forces loyal to Libya's unity government suspect that the jihadists had local help when they seized the town. The loyalist forces expelled residents and were preventing them from returning to "liberated" areas, said Hadi, the commander of a group of fighters from Tripoli. A fighter loyal to Libya's Government of National Accord aims his weapon towards Islamic State group positions on the frontline in Sirte on October 2, 2016 "We do not want to take risks by leaving a potential enemy behind our backs," he said, adding that he had come to fight the jihadists and hoped "to die a martyr". While most members of the pro-government forces are from Misrata half way between Tripoli and Sirte, fighters have come from across Libya, he said. For some of the GNA-allied fighters battling IS, the destruction of Sirte is justice. "When we see the number of martyrs and wounded when we liberated Kadhafi's home town in 2011 and again today, we can say the residents of Sirte deserved what they got," said Mohammed, a fighter from Misrata. 'Sheep among wolves' Another fighter agreed. "It's war," he said. "We can't do anything about it, and they deserve what's happening to them." It was in Sirte that Kadhafi fought his last battle before being killed on October 20, 2011 as he tried to flee. Since then, the town has been like a "sheep among the wolves", said a local official, who did not want to give his name because he feared for his safety. He and his family fled Sirte a few months ago while it was still under full IS control. Fighters loyal to Libya's Government of National Accord help a wounded comrade after he was shot by an Islamic State (IS) group sniper on the western frontline in Sirte on October 2, 2016 "They want to punish us again, accusing us of welcoming Daesh with open arms, while in fact we were abandoned to our fate," he said. "After 2011, a new militia arrived in our town every month or two," he said. "We were unarmed and every time we had to submit to their authority. Finally it was Daesh that arrived." After 2011, residents began to rebuild, said Mohammed, a Sirte resident who has sought refuge in the capital Tripoli. "There are people who had just finished rebuilding their houses. Now, suddenly, they're destroyed again," the father of three told AFP. "The worst thing is that after calling us Kadhafists, now they label us Daesh supporters," he added. "We can forget the destruction, the poverty and the hunger, but not the humiliation. That will stay with us for life." The National Democratic Congress in the Ekumfi constituency has welcomed the decision by their chairman, Ekow Esirifie-Buckman to defect to the opposition New Patriotic Party. According to the party, it anticipated the move following the defection of Mr. Esirifie-Buckman's spokespersons to the opposition party last month. Esirifie-Buckman joined the NPP on Monday citing unfavourable working relations adding that defectiion will give him his peace of mind. It is clear that the party hierarchy, both in the Constituency and the Region are not comfortable with me and my chairmanship, so I, from today, with a heavy heart wish to apologize to my family, both far and near, friends, and the teaming party members, who reposed their trust in me for my decision to defect to the New Patriotic Party if that will give me the needed peace of mind, he added. But speaking on Eyewitness News, Kwesi Dawood, the Central Regional Communication Director of the NDC said the defection confirms Mr. Esirifie-Buckman's disloyalty to the NDC. We the NDC in the Central Region wholeheartedly welcome the defection of Mr. Ekow Esirifie-Buckman from the NDC to the NPP. We want to also state categorically to our members that it is good news for the Ekumfi NDC and the party in the area will continue to move from strength to strength. What the man did is an indication of his failure of the loyalty test we put to him when the party granted him amnesty to return to us after he contested as an independent parliamentary candidate in 2008 and campaigned against late President Atta Mills and contested for the NPP's Nana Akufo-Addo in the then Mfantsiman East constituency, now Ekumfi constituency. His decision to defect to the NPP never came to us as a surprise because of his mini moves against the fortunes of Abeiku Crenstil, the NDC MP and the defection of his spokesperson Mr. Adam Seidu to the NPP last month. They are birds of the same feathers so when Seidu Adams defected last month we know Mr. Buckman was also going to defect, he added. The communication director noted that the chairman was suspended from the party in April 2015 by his own executives after they described his actions as anti-party behaviour and clandestine moves against their sitting MP. It took the regional executives for him to be reinstated but since last year, he has consistently and openly shown hatred against the NDC's incumbent MP [Abeiku Crentsil] and had vowed to continuously work against him. The communication director further rejected claims by Esirifie-Buckman over diversion of outboard motors in the constituency arguing that the allegations are nothing to write home about. By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonlline.com/Ghana Follow @AlloteyGodwin The National Democratic Congress' (NDC) prospects in the Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfrom constituency remain bright for its flagbearer, John Mahama but the NDC MP for the area, Bright Demodzi faces the dreaded skirt and blouse voting treatment. The skirt and blouse voting pattern is a situation residents vote for a presidential candidate of one party and MP from a different party sometimes to punish one of the candidates. The constituency in question is the rural part of Weija and normally a safe seat for the NDC, but complaints of neglect have seen a number of NDC supporters announce the intent to vote out the Mr. Demodzi. Citi News Constituency Watch team visited the area and the NDC's Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfrom Constituency Organiser, Mawueyram Emmanuel Kojo Asae, explained that the constituency was indeed a sure bet for President John Mahama but hinted that many NDC supporters would be voting skirt and blouse. For the Presidential, we are not having many challenges convincing people. You don't even need to tell them what the president has done. On the other side with the parliamentary candidate, that is where we are having some few challenges and difficulties. When you are contesting elections and you don't have a good relationship with the people, it is very difficult for you to say that you are winning the elections, Mr. Asae added. NDC supporters bemoan MPs low visibility Citi News team also spoke to one Hawa, a known NDC member in the area, and she spoke of the increasing disconnect between the MP and the people in the ground. The MP no longer relates with us. Since he won the elections, only a few people around him are enjoying. I voted for him but I have never seen him after voting. The only time I get to see him is on his posters in town. Before I voted for him in 2012, I used to see him around. He used to come here to organise us for his campaign. As for the president, I will vote for him but not the MP. That is the truth. Brights loss, Rev. Larbies gain Even the coastal areas like Kokrobite, populated with Gas known for their unflinching support for the NDC, have planned to give a cold shoulder to their MP at the polls. The candidate with the most to gain from the indicated skirt and blouse voting pattern will be the Progressive Peoples Partys (PPP) Rev. Fred Nii Adjetey Larbie who contested and lost on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2012. Joshua Armah, a 40 year resident of the area, spoke of how he used to sit down cordially with the MP in times past but has now been met neglect and failed promises in the past four years. He has attempted to fix only one of the many things he promised. We don't have water. He started a borehole here but it is still not completed, he lamented. We have issues with schools. Our government school is collapsing and our children can't attend classes in that building anymore. I am a constituency youth organiser at the primary school area, now I cant go an campaign and tell the people to vote for him. Mr. Armah spoke however warmly of the PPP candidate saying, you have seen our own brother, Rev Adjetey. I have decided Bright has disappointed me so I will vote for Mahama and vote for Adjetey. By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana Former President Jerry John Rawlings has blamed faceless individuals within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for a petition to investigate him over some $2 million he received from Sani Abacha many years ago. Describing the petition to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) as vile stuff, the former President said the push to probe him is part of an elaborate scheme to misrepresent and sully his reputation. The leader of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), Henry Hubert Lartey, petitioned the EOCO and CHRAJ to investigate the former President who has confessed to receiving $2 million from the former Nigerian head of state. For over a decade, ex-President Rawlings had maintained a tight-lip on the donation said to be part of Mr Abacha's loot. However, during an interview with the Guardian Newspaper in Nigeria recently, ex-President Rawlings admitted that he received the money from Sani Abacha in 1998, but denied that the amount was $5 million as some have alleged. About three days before his [Mr Lartey] drama I got information that he was going to be financially rewarded for what he did and incidentally he was instigated not by people in the opposition, former President Rawlings said. Why are people worried about the level of integrity weve tried to maintain? We say we are Christians; we swear on the bible, Muslims on the Koran; Id like to invite people like him (Lartey) that we go traditional as well. That we invite the white mans technology (lie detector) to also come and verify the truthfulness, the integrity of my word. And for him to be simply asked who paid him to do what he did? former President Rawlings adds. Photo: Mamaga Maamele of Klikor (third from left), who was part of the delegation of the queen mothers, speaking to the former President The former President made the remark when a group of queen mothers called on him at his office in Accra last week. The queen mothers, led by Mamaga Noviode of Sogakope, were at the former President's office to register their concerns over poor quality of political discourse and abusive language thrown at eminent persons in the run up to the December elections. The former President also asked the queen mothers to support calls for a free and fair election to guarantee the peace in the country. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor | [email protected] The Government of Ghana and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development have signed a concessional loan agreement of Kuwaiti Dinar 7.0 million (US$24.0 million) for the Expansion and Development of 26 existing Senior High Schools Project. The agreement was signed on the side lines of the annual IMF World Bank Group meetings currently on-going in Washington DC. The Loan Agreement was signed on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Ghana by the Minister for Finance, Hon. Seth E. Terkper while the Deputy Director-General of the Fund, Mr. Hesham Al-Waqayan, signed on behalf of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. The Project aims to support the social and economic development of Ghana, by supporting Government's plans to increase access, improving the quality of Senior High School Education and meet the growing demand for student enrolment in underserved areas in Ghana under the Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2010-2020. The Project involves the rehabilitation and construction of new class rooms, new educational facilities and additional students dormitories in 26 existing Senior High Schools as well as supply and installation of educational furniture, equipment and tools for all the new buildings and facilities in order to raise them to the corresponding standard of Model SHSs. This will contribute to the improvement of quality of teaching and learning in the education sector and will increase employment, reduce crime rate, and improve national security, which will have a positive impact on the country's socio-economic indicators. The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), commonly known as the Kuwait Fund, is the State of Kuwaits agency for the provision and administration of financial and technical assistance to developing countries. Over 300 validated creditors of DKM Diamond Microfinance in the Upper East Region, have threatened to disrupt the payment process at the Bolgatanga branch of the GCB Bank on Tuesday, if they are not paid their investments today. The agitations follow the inability of the representative of the Official Liquidator at the bank, to complete payments to all the 500 creditors scheduled for payment on Monday (October 17, 2016). The Spokesperson for the customers, Clement Asakiya told Citi News' Frederick Awuni that the inability of the representative of the Official Liquidator to offer them concrete alternatives; sparked their disposition. Just a little over hundred people were paid todaywhat even worsened the situation was when we were asked to return without giving us a concrete answer as to when to come back for our monies, he stated. A total of 4000 creditors were expected to be paid across the eight selected branches of GCB Bank on Monday. But the process ended with hundreds of customers across the country, displeased over their inability to receive their money. Some of the aggrieved customers who spoke to Citi Business News said they will not back down on today's action. Because they do not want to pay us our monies that is why they intentionally did thatso we are all coming back here today (Tuesday), to get our monies one customer remarked. Another retorted, If they refuse to pay the investments, we will not allow anyone to be paid as a result. Our colleagues that have been scheduled for 18th and 19th October all have to rally behind us because we fear they are going to face the same challenges, a third added on. Meanwhile the Principal Company Inspector for the Official Liquidator, Jones Nathaniel Ansah has assured that the outfit will provide computers and increase the staff strength to facilitate subsequent payments. Earlier some customers were pleased with the amounts received from the Official Liquidator. The operations of DKM Microfinance were suspended over a year ago after the regulator cited the company for flouting some rules governing the financial sector. By: Pius Amihere Eduku/Fred Awuni/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana KYIV. Oct 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) MP Serhiy Taruta has initiated the resignation of Head of the National Bank of Ukraine Valeriya Gontareva and the creation of a parliamentary commission to probe her activities. "Unless staff reshuffles are held among the NBU leadership, the economic situation in the country will worsen. The NBU policy provokes poverty and destroys the economy of Ukraine," former head of Donetsk Regional State Administration, MP Serhiy Taruta said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Monday. He said that several MPs are now preparing two resolutions for the Verkhovna Rada: an appeal to President Petro Poroshenko with a proposal to dismiss Gontareva and a proposal to set up an ad hoc investigative commission. The documents should be considered at the current plenary week, Taruta said. According to him, Gontareva's appointment as NBU governor provoked aggravation of the liquidity crisis, the crisis in banking system and banks insolvency crisis. The NBU leadership stubbornly ignores all requests and complaints regarding her activities from businesses, banks depositors and lawmakers, he added. Taruta said these documents will be presented in parliament on Tuesday. In his words, these documents tell about the negative impact of the activities of the NBU leadership on Ukraine's economy, and also contain allegations about possible involvement of Gontareva to various corruption schemes. Earlier the NBU appealed to the Security Service of Ukraine, Prosecutor General's Office and National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine asking to open criminal cases over the spread of provocative materials with accusations against Gontareva. Batkivschyna leader Yulia Tymoshenko at a conciliatory council of parliament on October 17 demanded the speedy resignation of Gontareva. In addition, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Financial Policy and Banking Serhiy Rybalka asked the speaker to put to the vote the initiative of representatives of the Oleh Liashko Radical Party faction to investigate activities of NBU officials in connection with their failure to ensure stability of Ukraine's national currency. The incumbent parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfrom, Bright Kojo Demodzi has hit back at the constituency executives who publicly criticised him over his poor relationship with other executives. The executive in question, Mawueyram Emmanuel Kojo Asae, was described as an immature politician by Mr. Demodzi on Eyewitness News. Mr. Asae, the NDC's Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfrom Constituency Organiser had revealed to Citi News Constituency Watch team that there sour relationship between the MP and some of the constituency executives and further highlighted the discontent of the NDC supporters on the ground. But in response, Mr. Demodzi said, these are immature politicians, this is a young man [Asae] who I picked from the branch as a branch organizer and I brought him up to the constituency so I call him an immature politician. He further explained that if indeed Mr. Asae had any concern, he should have used the appropriate party structures to forward his criticism. That is not the way to criticize as constituency leader. That is not the way to criticize because there several platforms available to you as a constituency organizer For you as a constituency organiser to say this at this particular time whilst you have a lot of avenues for you from the party structure to be able to address your problems. You refuse to take that channel and you go into the media. Bortianor NDC supporters threaten skirt and blouse This constituency is the rural part of Weija and normally a safe seat for the NDC, but complaints of neglect have seen a number of NDC supporters announce the intent to vote out the Mr. Demodzi. Mr Asae also referenced this when indicated that Mr. Demodzi did not have a good relationship with the people on the ground. Citi News team also spoke to NDC supporters member in the area, and they bemoaned of the increasing disconnect between the MP and the people in the ground. The candidate with the most to gain from the NDC discontent will be the Progressive Peoples Partys (PPP) Rev. Fred Nii Adjetey Larbie who contested and lost narrowly on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2012. By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana The running mate of the New Patriotic Party says the governing National Democratic Congress cannot claim to love northerners when it misappropriates funds meant to alleviate poverty in the north. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia said a government that runs down the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority a policy initiative meant to arrest the poverty situation in the northern parts of Ghana; steals the money meant to execute the policy cannot profess to love people from northern descent. He was reacting to accusations by some officials of the governing National Democratic Congress that the NPP does not respect people from the North. With some 50 days to go for election 2016, the Northern region undoubtedly remains a key battle ground for the front runners in the election. The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia while addressing party followers in Tempane in the Northern Region said it is only the NDC that does not discriminate against any Ghanaian. He accused the NPP of discriminating against northerners and using Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a northerner as a trojan horse to cover up their discrimination. But NPP and Dr Bawumia have responded, chronicling a tale of policies that have gone bad or riddled with corruption and misappropriation of funds. The NPP running mate told supporters of the New Patriotic Party in Buipe in the Northern Region that the NDC cannot be trusted because its record in the north is nothing to write home about. John Mahama is a northerner, but what happened to the SADA money? Who chopped the SADA money? Is it the NPP he asked a crowd of energetic partisan supporters. If they loved northerners they wouldnt have chopped the SADA money. They say they love the northerners but they have not paid school feeding grants for two terms for schools in the northern region. Do they love us? he asked again to which the crowd said No. They say they love the northerners but who chopped the GYEEDA monies? They say they love the northerners but who has refused to pay teacher trainee allowances. They say they love northerners but they only love their stomachs, he stated to a rapturous applause by the crowd. -myjoyonline Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur has urged Ghanaians to ignore the incessant attacks by the New Patriotic Party(NPP) on the Mahama administration . The NPP, he explained, has a deliberate policy of fault finding just to paint the NDC government as incompetent in the eyes of Ghanaians with the view to winning political power. Addressing a gathering at the Cape Coast Polytechnic, Mr. Amissah-Arthur admonished Ghanaians not to make the mistake of voting back the NPP into power as the party has nothing good to offer Ghanaians. According to him, the manifesto of the NPP is full of unrealistic and needless targets which will plunge the country into serious crises if they are voted for. I went through the NPP manifesto and I did not come across any policy on job creation. I dont know how they are going to create jobs. Maybe you can find one when you read it but for me I could not find one, he indicated. He also admonished Ghanaians to be wary of the falsehood being propagated about by the NPP amidst overwhelming evidence that the NDC administration has chalked huge successes in putting the economy on a higher pedestal. The NPP, especially their running mate Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia he stated, is the worst culprit in the twisting of facts. He equated Dr. Bawumia and other functionaries of the NPP to the candidate of the Republican Party of the United States of America stressing that they have made their mind never to appreciate government for successes chalked in running the country. They live in their own world and make every ill of society the responsibility of their opponents. There is not one positive thing that NPP says NDC has done. Not the peace we enjoy, not the economic growth we have chalked, not the infrastructure that everybody admits, he stated. -starrfmonline One feature which sets the so-called peace envoys apart from the Ghana Peace Council (GPC) is that whereas the former consists of busybodies seeking publicity for holding discussions with various groups ostensibly towards achieving peace as if there is war the latter is dormant, hardly heard even when hoodlums destroy state assets in Electoral Commission (EC) offices and inflict injuries on their compatriots. Two features are common to both however: they are unproductive under the circumstances and hypocritical. When we see them, faces to the camera, shaking hands with people they engage with, persons who cannot in anyway change the tempestuous DNA of political crooks who would always hire disgruntled thugs to cause trouble, we appreciate how much these smart guys called peace envoys can find novel means of making quick bucks from donor agencies. This is the money-making season and they are in no mood of losing it. Such engagements demand press cuttings and airtime to convince the sources of their funding about how busy they have been. The cuttings unfortunately do not gauge their importance and effectiveness in stemming the NDC-fueled instances of hooliganism. We are not at war with one another but rather faced with the challenges of injustice, a politicized law enforcement institution and a government encouraging hoodlums to breach the law because this works in its favour. The so-called forums on peace can hardly alter the psyche of politicians whose party is in power and who scared about the aftermath of losing power through the ballot box would try whatever crazy modules there are to compromise the process. Unfortunately, when the time is up like death no amount of manouvres can alter what has divinely been decreed. We frown upon the cacophony and hypocrisy of the so-called peace envoys, some of who are working with the ruling party. They were active it would be recalled, in calling on parties in the election petition hearing to accept the outcome. The grounds had been prepared for the outcome; those responsible for ensuring that end having acquiesced: the rest was to ensure that nobody hits the streets. The rest is history. Those engaging in so-called peace marches, peace talks and other public forums should understand that their efforts could have yielded better fruits had they hit the appropriate chord instead of, as it were, beating about the bush. If such characters do not know that the intermittent trouble in Kukuom in the Brong-Ahafo Region and Suhum in the Eastern Region and perhaps later in Kumasi and elsewhere are being triggered by government appointees, then they had better shut up and stop the cacophony. Coming out with statements condemning such acts of vandalism and violence even on women if at all will do nothing to stop the brains behind the actions from continuing in that direction. We wish to state that impunity and abuse of office is the main source of the trouble recorded in some parts of the country so far and inflammable as it is, it could be parlous. It would be more effective and productive if the so-called envoys redirected their attention to the Inspector General of Police who alone can task his commanders across the regions to take action against mischief makers, irrespective of their party affiliations. It is only when the people lose confidence in the law enforcement agencies that they take the law into their own hands. If they do not have the capacity to engage with the police, the EC and relevant stakeholders, we would prefer that such envoys give us a break as we need such silence to think about managing a necessary change. Come on! National Democratic Party (NDP) has filed a suit against the Electoral Commission (EC) following the disqualification of its flag bearer, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawling, a former first lady, from contesting in this year's general election. The Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), headed by Henry Herbert Lartey, son of the party's founder, Dan Lartey, is said to have also gone to court over the same issue of disqualification. It brings to three so far, the number of parties that are suing the EC for rejecting their respective nomination forms of the flag bearers as the December 7 crucial contest beckons. Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People's Party (PPP) has already dragged the EC to court over his disqualification. Mrs Rawlings, whose husband former President Jerry John Rawlings founded the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), wants the court to order the EC to reinstate her as she claims she had been unlawfully prevented from contesting in the election. The suit, filed yesterday at an Accra High Court, cites the NDP, Nana Konadu as the flagbearer and her running mate, Kojo Mensah Sosu, as the plaintiffs while the EC and the Attorney General are the defendants. The NDP, suing through its lawyers, Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah, wants a declaration that the reasons for disqualifying the plaintiffs from the December 7 election by the EC is null and void. The commission had said that it was relying on Regulation 7(2) (b) of C1 94 to prevent the flag bearer from the presidential race. Konadu's Nomination According to the NDP, the man (Salifu Abdulai) who had endorsed Mrs. Rawlings' nomination forms the basis for which the EC disqualified her on grounds of double registration had not been convicted by a court of law per the rules. The EC claims that Salifu Abdulai's name is on their 'Exclusion List.' EC should explain to Ghanaians if they registered him in 2012 and then registered him again in 2014, how his name could have been on the Exclusion List instead of being deleted outright from the voters' register, the plaintiffs insisted. Warning Letter On October 11, 2016, the NDP caused its lawyers to write to the EC demanding a reinstatement of its flag bearer, adding that Our client disagrees with you and states that you have no power to proceed in this manner. Lawyer Ace Ankomah, instructed by the NDP to write to the EC, had stated that Regulation 9 of the Public Elections Regulation, 2016 (CI94) demands that the commission 'shall' give an affected candidate an opportunity to make amendments and any alterations necessary 'within the stipulated nomination period.' He insisted. You cannot wait several days after statutory period for making the necessary changes has expired, before announcing that you are unable to accept nominations forms presented to and received by you. Clearly a disqualification cannot precede or even run concurrently with a trial, conviction and imprisonment for the offence. Indeed, under Section 44(3) of the Interpretation Act, 2009 (Act 792), not even the date of release from prison should count towards counting the period of the disqualification. Before a person's name is either entered unto the record under Section 43(1) or deleted from the register under Section 43(1), the EC must have evidence of the conviction and sentence required under Section 27. Alhaji Mohammed Frimpong, General Secretary for the NDP who confirmed the filing of the suit against EC, later told DAILY GUIDE that the reason used by the commission to disqualify their flag bearer could not be tangible. He said, It was as if they (EC) have been instructed to find faults at all cost and use them against Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. PNC Threat It had not been confirmed as at press time, if the People's National Convention (PNC) had also filed its suit as threatened by the Chairman, Bernard Mornah, last week. The EC had also disqualified the party's standard bearer, Dr. Edward Mahama, from contesting in the election on the grounds that two subscribers to the PNC nominations also subscribed to another presidential candidate, which is against CI 94. Mr. Mornah told Citi FM last Thursday, We have just finished completing our affidavit and today (Thursday) morning, we will go and complete the processes. Hopefully at the end of today, we would have submitted the case to the court. We will ask the court to reinstate Dr. Mahama possibly as the next president. EC Adamant In the ensuing confusion, the EC has been adamant, calling the bluff of the disqualified flag bearers. In a response, lawyer for the EC, Thaddeus Sory, has given varied reasons why the commission could not permit the parties' leaders and said it (commission) found no legal basis why it must rescind its decision because The statutory provision upon which your letter is grounded does not allow our client such discretion. By William Yaw Owusu Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa's government has descended into open warfare as a clash between President Jacob Zuma and his finance minister unveils rivalries that could tip the country into instability. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party looks set for worsening strife as its divided leadership struggles with falling popular support, a weakening economy and violent student protests. Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, a respected ANC veteran who was heading for a peaceful retirement until his appointment last year, has emerged as the unlikely figurehead of opposition to Zuma. Gordhan, 67, will next month appear in court on criminal charges that he says are a politically-motivated attempt to oust him after he stood up to Zuma and alleged corrupt associates linked to the presidency. Gordhan's cause has attracted some significant backers -- not least Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as well as several other ministers. "People in the ANC are beginning to understand the gravity of the crisis that the country is in," Prince Mashele, a political analyst based at the University of Pretoria, told AFP. "These are not just ordinary members, but senior members who have now broken ranks, including Ramaphosa -- something which I would describe as groundbreaking." 'A very dark place' Zuma in December reluctantly re-appointed Gordhan, who had served as finance minister from 2009 to 2014, to calm panicked markets after sacking two finance ministers within four days. South Africa's Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, a respected ANC veteran who was heading for a peaceful retirement until his appointment last year, has emerged as the unlikely figurehead of opposition to Zuma Gordhan vowed to use the unexpected opportunity to revive South Africa's economy by controlling spending, reforming loss-making state companies and tackling rampant corruption. His work put him in direct conflict with Zuma loyalists such as the Gupta business family, who are accused of wielding huge influence over the government. In a carefully-worded statement on Sunday, Ramaphosa said: "I lend my support to Minister Gordhan as he faces charges brought against him." Adding to the toxic political mix, Zuma last week went to court to block the release of an official anti-corruption probe into his relationship with the Guptas. Zuma has survived several major scandals during his presidency, but at a cost to the party that led the long fight against apartheid rule and took power under Nelson Mandela in 1994. Local elections in August produced the ANC's worst-ever poll performance, and a difficult general election looms in 2019. "South Africa is in a very dark place," said Mashele. "We have lost that moral high ground that we used to occupy." Zuma -- who retains deep loyalty in many parts of the ANC -- is due to leave office in 2019 after serving the maximum two terms, with Ramaphosa and Zuma's former wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma among his possible successors. Worsening impasse The president was reprimanded by South Africa's highest court in March for using public funds to upgrade his private home, and he is also fighting a court order that could reinstate almost 800 corruption charges against him. GDP growth is expected to be virtually zero this year, unemployment remains stubbornly high at 27 percent, and public anger at lack of progress since apartheid has most recently erupted through violent protests by university students. "So much damage has been done in the process of keeping Zuma in power. Neither the ANC or South Africa are winners," Susan Booysen, a political analyst at the University of the Witwatersrand, told AFP. "We haven't previously seen this level of division in the ANC and cabinet during Zuma's time in office. It's very unusual for cabinet members to speak out." Zuma appears unable to sack Gordhan as it would trigger huge withdrawal of investment from South Africa, which already faces the possible loss of its investment-grade credit rating in December. "Any move he will make against Gordhan now is likely to provoke a massive backlash," Ranjeni Munusamy, a commentator and former aide to the president, wrote on Monday. "(He) faces the real danger of being isolated as his comrades and subordinates close ranks around Gordhan." Given President Mahamas enthusiastic devotion for dishonouring promises, some of us were somehow on point to doubt President Mahama on his promise to bring to a halt the activities of foreign illegal miners (See: We'll deal with foreigners in 'galamsey' - President Mahama; Ghanaian Times/Ghanaweb.com 13/02/2013). If you may recall, sometime in February 2013, President Mahama held a meeting with the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs led by their President, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin at Flagstaff House. It was, however, reported that during his interactions with the Chiefs, President Mahama asserted confidently: The government will take firm steps to stop foreigners from engaging in small-scale mining activities in the country. President Mahama went ahead and opined enthusiastically: "Small scale mining is the exclusive preserve of the people, and as such the government will not allow the industry to be flooded by foreigners. I must admit, though, back then, I was sceptical about President Mahamas promise to curb the menace of the illegal mining. However, upon a carefully considered deliberation, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Apparently, my concern back then was premised on the fact that it took President Mahama and his government too long to acknowledge that small-scale mining is reserved for only Ghanaians. Somehow, back then, President Mahamas apologists were arguing that he only assumed office a few months leading to his meeting with the Chiefs of Eastern Region, hence cannot be blamed solely for the mess in the small-scale mining sector. However, my disagreement at the time stemmed from the fact that, he, (President Mahama), was the head of the Economic Committee in the late Mills administration. So, my argument was why did President Mahama allow the foreigners to forcibly dig our mineral resources, terrorise our rural dwellers and destroy the environment? It is also worth noting that the regulating bodies have not been doing what is expected of them in the fight against the illegal mining which is having a deleterious effect on our environment. It is, however, pretty obvious that the regulators have failed to regulate the small-scale mining sector. So, it was a welcome news when President Mahama promised to halt the activities of the foreign illegal miners. Regrettably, however, President Mahama has failed to ensure that the laid-back regulators of the chaotic small scale mining sector are doing what is expected of them. Unfortunately, however, President Mahama has rather been endorsing the usual Ghanaian mantra: hire to retire (stay in the post regardless of abysmal performances). In fact, the right antidote for any serious and committed leadership was to resort to hire to fire (dismissal upon poor performances). Of course, small-scale mining is economically viable. However, at present, the way its being regulated, its ill-favoured,--it does not look promising. Even though by law, only Ghanaians are allowed to obtain mining licenses for small-scale mining operations, thousands of Chinese immigrants and other foreigners are working illegally in the small scale mining sector in Ghana, while the sector regulatorGhana Minerals Commission looks on. Obviously, the involvement of the Chinese and other foreigners has changed the dynamics of small-scale mining. For it has been well documented that the foreign illegal miners use bulldozers, pay loaders and really heavy machinery. The illegal foreign miners have in fact mechanized artisanal mining and as a result the level of environmental devastation has far reaching consequences. Having said so, some greedy and obnoxious Ghanaians are however conniving with the Chinese and other foreign illegal miners to steal our natural resources. Reliable sources have revealed that some Ghanaians often transfer the mining concessions, or would secure plots of land and then enter into partnership with the Chinese and other foreigners who have funds to bring in the bulldozers and all the other big equipment. However, small scale mining operations are not reserved for foreigners according to the 1989 small scale mining law-PNDC Law (218). It is also on record that some Chiefs are in the habit of conniving with the foreign illegal miners to dig our natural resources illegally. Apparently, the recalcitrant and unpatriotic Chiefs would allocate mining lands to the illegal miners,--knowing it is unlawful for any individual to sanction small-scale mining, --the Ghana Minerals Commission has the exclusive right to do so. If some Chiefs are indeed giving out lands for illegal mining without the Ghana Minerals Commissions approval, the question one may pose then is: Why no offending Chiefs have since been brought to book? Are they above the law? In my humble opinion, some of the Chiefs are colluding with the criminals to steal our natural resources. Thus, it would only be fair and proper if such incompliant Chiefs are prosecuted accordingly. Obviously, there are laws which regulate the small- scale mining sector in Ghana. So why are the authorities not enforcing such laws? I will dare say that a number of organisations are complicit with the mess in the small-scale mining sector. For example, we have Ghana Minerals Commission whose responsibilities include the enforcement of the rules and regulationsthe 1989 small-scale mining law (PNDC L218) and the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703). Both Acts clearly require any person wanting to engage in any form of mining to obtain the requisite licence from the Minister responsible for Mines. Moreover, the holders of mineral rights and licences are by law required to obtain the necessary approvals and permits from the appropriate quarters, such as Environmental Protection Agency; Forestry Commission, where forests are involved; and Water Resources Commission, where water is involved, before the Miners can commence operation. More importantly, the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006(Act 703), places a duty on the aforementioned organisations to work collaboratively to ensure that the existing miners and the prospective Miners adhere to various regulations. With such expedient policies in place, why the mess in the small scale mining sector then? I am afraid; at the moment, it appears that nobody is policing the small scale mining sector. It is apparent that the people who are in receipt of the small scale mining concessions are not privy to the laws which govern the sector. This explains why Ghanaians who are in receipt of small-scale mining concessions transfer the licences to their foreign minions. Truly, it is a worrying situation. Some people are not doing what is expected of them. Regrettably, however, President Mahama is also failing to provide true leadership. Even though the small scale mining laws prohibit the use of large explosives, Chinese miners have been allowed to use unstructured methods, and at the same time supplying large explosive, rock crushers and other machines to local miners. Obviously, President Mahama has not shown true leadership in the fight to halt the activities of the illegal miners. Let us therefore remind President Mahama that the enforcement of the laws on small-scale mining with a vivid distinction of what forms acceptable and unacceptable mining practices is the way forward. And at the same time, we should seek to strengthen and resource regulatory bodies such as the Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency and other regulatory institutions to improve the discharge of their responsibilities. We are not serious as a nation, are we? K. Badu, UK. One of UK based Diaspora Event Companies, The Ghana Society is set to launch the first Batakari Festival in UK. This is a way for the people of particularly Ghana and other African countries to celebrate the beautiful rich culture of Africa during this Black History Month. The theme has carried on from the Luton International Carnival where we showcased the Batakari costume scooping us 4 top Carnival Awards. Batakari also known as Smock is the national dress of Ghana which was worn by kings in the three northern regions but now popular across Ghana, Burkina Faso and other African countries. Batakari originated in Northern region of Ghana. According to the CEO of Ghana Society Maria Lovell, this year's celebration of Batakari in UK is a way to introduce the beautiful culture of Ghana to the World and also a means to create a platform for individuals and small companies from all over the world to come and showcase their unique products or services. We look forward to hosting this event every year as it is an important educational awareness of black history. The Batakari Fair will take place from Monday 24th October to Saturday 29th October, 11am to 5pm daily with Cultural dance display and Music. The fair will be climaxed with The Prestigious Batakari Fundraising Dinner Dance in Luton Lewsey Farm Learning Centre. The Dinner Dance is also supported by the Ghana High Commission UK, Ghana Union (London), the Ghana Carnival Ambassador for Northern Region Sherifa Gunu and D' Cryme amongst many distinguished guests and patrons. About a year ago, I wrote an article titled Biafra is a Challenge, not a Solution. In that article which was published in my regular columns in the 28 November 2015 edition of Modern Ghana and The Nigerian Voice newspapers, I partly touched on the reason why the Igbo seem controversially trapped in a social circle that many of their young ones strongly feel should not be the portion of their generation. Today, I would like to revisit some of the salient points I raised then, in view of recent developments. If you ask me though, I wrote in that article, I think the position of the Igbo in the entire Nigerian experiment is very straight forward. Either they are truly One Nigeria or they are not. And if they are not, they should be allowed to go. That is it. For the Igbo, being truly One Nigeria implies that ethnic chauvinism has to be expunged from the Nigerian national dictionary. It means that any Nigerian child born in any part of Nigeria has legitimacy of citizenship of his or her place of birth. It means that any citizen of Nigeria can live, work and help develop any village, town or city in Nigeria where he or she feels comfortable to live in, without being constantly reminded by those who claim to own the land that he or she is a foreigner in his or her own country. But whether the Igbo are coming or going, there are fundamental issues to be addressed. First and perhaps most importantly is the fact that although the Igbo are the ones now being hounded for agitating for the actualization of the Biafra nation, they are also the ones for whom the unity of Nigeria means so much. They are the ones who have made the most enormous sacrifices to keep Nigeria together. They are the ones who have invested their money and skills in the development of Nigerian villages, towns and cities other than their own. These facts are incontrovertible. Secondly, it is obvious that the creation of Biafra can never be a solution to the problems of Ndigbo in Nigeria. At best, it will become their challenge. There is simply no reason for anyone to convince himself that once Biafra is carved out from Nigeria, all the problems of the Igbo will vanish. Not by any stretch of the imagination! We Igbo still have a long way to go. The Igbo of today are so far in quality from the Igbo before the Nigeria-Biafra war. Before the civil war, an Igbo was his brothers keeper. Since the end of the war, an Igbo has become his brothers betrayer. Before the civil war, the Igbo were united and spoke with one voice. Today, they can no longer speak with one voice. Even in the face of the current agitations for Biafra, the Igbo are not speaking with one voice. The leadership of Igbo in those days which consisted of Igbo elders was known and unanimously recognised and no one argued about the hierarchy. Today, leaderships of sorts have sprung up from every nook and cranny of Igbo land. Everybody wants to be seen as an Igbo leader. The Igbo are still dancing the discordant tune of each man for himself, God for us all! The Igbo of today will be ready to betray each other because of money. Only a generation ago, it was unheard of. It was taboo. It is also important to note that the Igbo were highly regarded by most of the other Nigerians before the Nigeria-Biafra war. Despite the negative impression of being domineering, which some Northern leaders had about them, most Nigerians trusted them. If an Igbo told another Nigerian this is black or white, and that Nigerian turned it over and over, it couldnt be different. The fact that they were trusted by the other Nigerians made the Igbo proud of themselves. It was that pride that bestowed on them their unflinching sense of unity. However, somehow, the Igbo fell short of expectation during the war. The story was that an Igbo who pretended to be dead would jump to his feet at the sudden clatter of coins. To other Nigerians, that meant that the Igbo loved money even more than their lives. Once it had become generally touted and people believed that Ndigbo are greedy and uncompromising with their love for money, political manipulators took advantage of their weakness to deal them a devastating and sustained blow from which they are yet to recover. Nigerian leaders tried to settle the Igbo by giving them the opportunity of becoming the Senate President. It was hoped that from that legislative angle, they would be able to effect the necessary changes that would keep Nigeria firmly united and bring the Igbo back on their feet. But they bungled those opportunities. Soon after a democratically elected fourth Republic was inaugurated, Evan Enwerem, an Igbo who hailed from Imo State became the first Senate President. He did not hold the post for long. A Senate committee investigated him for fraud, part of the allegation being that he falsified his name. He was removed from office on 18 November, 1999. The next President was Dr Chuba Okadigbo, another Igbo from Anambra State. Okadigbo was relieved of that office in less than one year, on 8 August, 2000. He was accused of fraud and misappropriation of funds. He was succeeded by Pius Anyim, yet another Igbo from Ebonyi State. Anyim presided over the Senate for close to three years, from 2000 to 2003. In 2003, another Igbo from Abia State, Adolphus Wabara, took over. Wabara was there for two years from 2003 to 2005 and gave way to Ken Nnamani, yet another Igbo from Enugu State. Nnamani presided for two years from 2005 to 2007 when the Presidency went outside Igbo Land, to the Middle Belt. David Mark was elected Senate President on 6 June 2007. He completed his tenure of four years and was re-elected in April 2011 for another four-year term. The Igbo had to make do with second positions as Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives because they could not hold their ground. All this shows that Ndigbo need to look themselves up inwardly. They need to address their own peculiar problems. They need to ask themselves pertinent questions. They must recognize that they are so important in the economic stability of the country that many Nigerians would not want to lose them, unquote. Recently, elder statesman and former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr Alex Ekwueme, very eloquently echoed this same problem with these same people who I would prefer to call the New Igbo. Dr Ekwueme who was addressing a Traders Summit in Orumba North Local Government Area of the state noted that one of the most important attributes of Igbo people which anchor on their trust for each other had gone with the winds since the end of the Nigerian civil war and warned that once the Igbo lack trust among themselves, it would be difficult to make progress. Dr Ekwueme recalled that Igbo people prided themselves on their level of unity before independence and immediately after independence. He extolled the Igbo man as the most important of Gods creations, after the white man! God had a very soft spot in His heart for the Igbo and endowed them with great intellect. Before the civil war, the Igbo were all over the country as teachers, traders, businessmen and women, bank officials, pub owners, shop owners, farmers, doctors, lawyers, transporters and so on. They were to Nigeria then, what Asians are to Britain today. They were all over the place, manning all the sensitive positions. And nothing went wrong because they trusted themselves and had confidence in their capabilities. But today, the Igbo find it difficult to trust themselves. Dr Ekwueme wondered at what point Igbo people went wrong. When Igbo was Igbo, there was so much unity, such that once Igbo leaders met and took a decision, every Igbo person would abide by it. The trust among Igbo was the reason apprenticeship became popular with the Igbo. The result was that parents would allow their children to stay with an established Igbo man to learn a trade for periods ranging from two to five years after which the apprentice would then be settled to start his own business. Even after the settlement, the newly settled young trader would continue to get goods on credit from his former master and return the money after sale because of the trust that existed. But lack of trust has diminished that age long cooperation between the master and his former apprentice, which is very worrisome. The main problem of the Igbo today is lack of trust. If we can rebuild the trust among ourselves, our people will be better for it. Perhaps, this is why Igbo elders have found it difficult to take sides with the younger generation in agitating for a Biafra nation. Otherwise, the Igbo have people, eminent sons and daughters like Dr Alex Ekwueme, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, Jim Nwobodo, Ken Nnamani, Edwin Clark, Pius Anyim, Andy Uba, Professor Nwabueze, Emeka Offor, Emeka Ihedioha, Ike Ekweremadu, Anyim Ude, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Bishop Anikwenwa, Archbishop Anthony Obinna, Chief Nduka Eya among so many others who could simply walk into the United Nations Assembly and make a very strong case for Biafra. But they have not done so, and now the reason is obvious. Having learnt all this from elders of Igbo land, it is now left for the younger generation who were born during or after the Nigerian civil war and who are now agitating for the resuscitation of Biafra. They might still find a clue to their demand if they deeply reflect the question: what, or who in fact is killing Biafra? Johannesburg (AFP) - Political drama, corruption allegations and even wedding party controversies -- the Gupta family, one of South Africa's wealthiest, has been accused of wielding undue influence behind the scenes. Now the immigrant family is at the centre of a row battering President Jacob Zuma after allegedly offering key government jobs to those who might help the Gupta family's business interests. -- WHO ARE THE GUPTAS? The corruption scandal has renewed scrutiny about Zuma's ties with Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, three brothers from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Led by Atul, they arrived in South Africa in 1993 as white-minority apartheid rule crumbled and a year before Nelson Mandela won the country's first democratic elections. As the country opened up to foreign investment, the Guptas -- previously small-scale businessmen in India -- built a sprawling empire in computers, mining, media, technology and engineering. The New Age, a pro-government newspaper, was launched in 2010, and the 24-hour news channel ANN7 started broadcasting in 2013. They also developed close links with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, and particularly with Zuma, well before he became president in 2009. -- WHAT ARE THE ALLEGED LINKS? Zuma's son Duduzane is a director of the Gupta's Sahara Computers, named after their hometown of Saharanpur, and has been a director of several other Gupta companies. Duduzane, the son of South African President Jacob Zuma (pictured), is a director of the Gupta's Sahara Computers, named after their hometown of Saharanpur, and has been a director of several other Gupta companies Zuma's third wife Bongi Ngema and one of his daughters have also been Gupta employees. Deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas claimed in March that the Guptas had offered him the post of finance minister, providing the first public testimony of their alleged involvement in cabinet appointments. Last week the BBC reported that little-known ANC lawmaker David van Rooyen visited the Guptas' home the night before his appointment as finance minister in December. Mines Minister Mosebenzi Zwane is also seen as close to the Guptas. Both the Guptas and Zuma, who has described the brothers as friends, deny any wrongdoing. -- WHERE DO THEY LIVE? Now in their 40s, the Guptas hold court at their residential and business headquarters in a huge high-security compound in Saxonwold, an upmarket district of Johannesburg. It has a helicopter pad and they reportedly travel with their own chefs and bodyguards. But as pressure has increased on them this year, they were reported to be moving their base to Dubai and to have bought a large residence in the city. They said in August that they plan to sell their South African assets. Public anger towards the family soared in 2013, when a jet carrying 217 foreign guests to a Gupta wedding landed at Waterkloof Air Force base, outside Pretoria. Vela Gupta and her husband Indian-born Aaskash Jahajgarhia (C) pose with relatives and guests during ceremonies for their wedding in Sun City, South Africa, on May 1, 2013 The airport is a military facility normally used to receive heads of state. -- WHAT HAPPENS NOW? The Guptas complained voraciously when South Africa's largest banks closed their accounts earlier this year. The family lobbied unsuccessfully for Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who is at loggerheads with Zuma, to intervene. But on Friday Gordhan disclosed in a court affidavit that the Gupta family and associated companies were implicated in "suspicious transactions" worth $480 million over four years. On Monday the family denied reports that money had been removed from the rehabilitation fund of a mine they bought, saying the claim was "another example of groundless innuendo". They also vowed to respond this week to Gordhan's affidavit. Zuma last week blocked the release of a watchdog's report into his relationship with the Guptas. A court hearing into the case is due next month. 18.10.2016 LISTEN Do it and do it again. Dont stop it because youll never know when the bells will chime. Youll never know which side youd find yourself. It could either be the safe zone or the unsafe side. But just when you thought its all over, there comes someone with the plumb line to save the situation. A God-sent rescuer is on the way running to tidy up things. When grace is coming she comes unfettered. So does favour too. They might seem miniscule to some people; however you cant downplay their significance in Mans day to day activities. If you believe in Karma youd understand what Im talking about. But I hope youd get it by and by if you arent a believer in this act of reciprocity. Its a vibe, its a feeling and its an aura that radiates like the powerful sun. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Id have been marked absent if there were a roll-call say in a class. Thank Goodness the time keeper had good judgement and saved the situation. She stopped the approaching mishap that was probably minutes away. Linda figured out something must be wrong. She realised something wasnt right. Whats keeping him late today? She possibly asked that question before she called me. But Linda knew tardiness wasnt my portion of doing things. Im always on time, always there to be counted. And if I were a little behind time or shade late I would give her a call. But not today, Id been ditched. Id show up but not at six! A few months ago a twenty-something year-old Ghanaian lady was found dead in her apartment in Worcester Massachusetts USA. Her decomposed body according to reports was discovered weeks after she passed on. Where were her workmates? Did she have friends? And where were the neighbours? Strange it took that long! Elsewhere in the UK in 2009, I witnessed similar incident in Cardiff City, when a young mans fetid body was hauled out of his window across my residence. Residents said they hadnt seen him for days. That begs the question. Strangely no one checked on him until his odor invited the police. Indeed true friends check on each other or one another from time to time in spite of their busy schedules. Life abroad is hectic and it seems one is always on the move. Busy bees, busy all day busy all night, trying to make ends meet. What else would you expect after a 16-hour shift, 40-straight push-ups at 12:30 in the mornin and writing 1 of 5 pages article (that translates into 1,479 words) in between those frenetic hours? Youd of course be exhausted. Yet the body refused to surrender. I couldnt sleep till about 2am still listening to BBC news in the hope that it would lull me into sleep. At that moment I knew nature will steal my pride. Shell rob me of my long protected pride, the pride Ive jealously guarded. Hours before (during my lunch break) Id called a few friends of mine. Id called Brother Richard, Joseph, Billy, Jonathan, Michele and Uncle Bob. Id also texted my Octogenarian friend ---Frank Manlore to wish him good night and good luck. Frank and I have been doing this for months now. I mentioned Uncle Bo: Hes one of my good good friends. Good Old Bob lives in Gig Harbor I dont get the time to see him often since he retired from his work place here in Tacoma. I visited him last month. He thanked me for the call and I thanked him for his time. Its karma. Ghanaian highlife musician Akwasi Ampofo Agyei (alias Mr. A.A.A) of blessed memory put it this way: Woye papa a woye fa, woye bone nso a woye fa. Dear reader I implore you to observe sleep if you arent familiar with death. They look alike. They must be bed-fellows I guess. I found myself in a huge class lecturing, answering questions etc... And boy, the students kept me busy! Nonetheless I enjoyed their company and they told me: Come back Sir Gordon. It was nice to have you here. Some of the students still tailed me as I was preparing to step out from the auditorium. Lindas call would suddenly end my odyssey into the dreamland. . I was supposed to do shift change at six, which is why she called. Id been saved by the bell! But I felt relieved better than the days before. Id clocked four out of an eight-hour normal sleep. That wasnt bad at all especially for me. I dont get it much from my crazy days. Days wrought by intensity. Be careful the road is slippery drive safe here, Linda told me. Thank you my friend you made it count when it mattered most. That was the bell at six! Why didnt you set an alarm? Ive never used an alarm. I am used to waking myself up. I get up consciously. But believe me, when youre into deep sleep alarm bells cant change the equation. Im talking from experience. In September last year I nearly killed myself. I wasnt drank and I wasnt on any drugs. I dont do them anyway. It was simply sleep deprivation. After five near misses of deadly accidents I finally rammed into someones car less than a mile to my destination. I talked to myself. I called my name time and again to stay awake--- telling myself of an impending danger... I dodged a train (the Link) I avoided sliding into the Puyallup River (River Rd.) All this happened in an about 25 minutes drive (not even an hour). And it was a week before the grand opening of the Washington State Fair in September 2015. Perhaps the only thing I didnt do was to stop at a lay by and catch some sleep. But I was rushing home to save my other job. Hard to believe I still couldnt save it! At seven -something my phone rang. It identified the caller as Tozia. Apparently hed noticed something that snuck my hawkish eyes. Whats up Bro? Hey I saw you wished Juliet a happy birthday and didnt acknowledge Mary, he said. Wow I better do that quickly. How could IHappy birthday Mary!!! Ladies I hope you both have a great one today and the years ahead, I later wrote. Mary and Juliet are my friends on Ghana TC Radio Chatroom. Thank you Tozia you made it count when it mattered most. And that was the bell at seven!! You see how karma works? Well need somebody. I need you, you need me and everybody needs somebody. An independent parliamentary candidate for Akatsi South in the Volta Region is accusing the Electoral Commission (EC) of clandestinely appointing a Returning Officer for the constituency without recourse to the law. According to Evans Gadeto Dzikunu, the appointment of Joseph Fleagbo is illegal. He has therefore petitioned the EC Chairperson Charlotte Osei to investigate circumstances surrounding the appointment without delay since the officer's conduct in previous elections remains questionable. Lawyer Dzikunu alleged that Mr. Fleagbo, the Returning Officer of Akatsi South, who has been 'shortchanging' other candidates to enable the NDC to sail through in the constituency where current Speaker of Parliament Edward Doe Adjaho was once the MP for many years. In the petition, he called on the EC to investigate the circumstances leading to the re-appointment of Mr. Fleagbo as the Returning Officer when he was not part of the three people selected by the Volta Regional EC after competitive interviews to supervise the December 7 general elections. Lawyer Dzikunu attached a list of the names of all the people selected by the EC as Returning Officers plus their two deputies each for constituency to the petition, and Mr. Fleagbo's name was not part of it. He mentioned those lawfully selected by the EC regional office in Ho for Akatsi South as Lumortsey Michael Klu, the Returning Officer, as well as Mawuli Dzobo Gatogo and Abraham Yaw Kuwornu, the Deputy Returning Officers. According to the lawyer, applicants with first degrees were considered, adding that the man the EC regional office clandestinely brought to head the place does not even qualify per C.I 94 which will regulate this year's election. When was Mr. Fleagbo appointed the District Returning Officer for Akatsi South after the appointment of Lumortsey Michael Klu as the Returning Officer, as well as Mawuli Dzobo Gatogo and Abraham Yaw Kuwornu as the Deputy Returning Officers? he quizzed. The petitioner said the properly selected officers duly swore their oath before a judge, adding that when he raised the alarm that Mr. Fleagbo had not been sworn in, the EC officials quickly took him to a Magistrate in Akatsi to swear an oath as required by the law and demoted the duly selected and more qualified returning officer. Mr. Dzikunu, in the petition, has questioned the legal basis for the appointment of four persons as Returning Officers in Akatsi South alone when all other constituencies in the region have three each. There are bigger municipal assemblies in Ho and Keta where there are only three Returning Officers so why is Akatsi having four? What is the motive for bringing Mr. Fleagbo back to the Akatsi South District Electoral Office through the back door when his credibility has been seriously damaged in the eyes of the public? He said is it not because of the ulterior motive or some vested interests by the powers that be which informed the purported appointment of Mr. Fleagbo as the Returning Officer despite the swearing in of three competent officers? He said because of his protests, Mr. Fleagbo tried to 'play delay' tactics when he sent his campaign team to present his bankers' draft at the close of nominations in order to disqualify him, adding that his team was insistent and finally submitted the documents. Lawyer Dzikunu said Mr. Fleagbo's appointment should be immediately revoked to promote transparency and fairness. I wish to state here that the people of Akatsi South are fully prepared to resist any attempt to manipulate the electoral process in favour of one candidate or party. By William Yaw Owusu Shaibu Adams Wilberforce, the Headmaster of Tamale Senior High School, who doubles as the chairman for the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), has indicated that Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the three Northern Regions have operated without feeding grants for the past two terms. He appealed to the Presidency, through the Northern Regional Minister, Abdallah Abubakari and the Ministry of Education, to come to their aid. I want to make a passionate appeal since we are living from hand to mouth, and we are pleading, we are begging that by next week the money will be following to Tamasco, he said. He made this known during the 65th anniversary of Tamasco held in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital. Some dignitaries, who graced the occasion, included Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, vice presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Ibrahim Mahama, brother of President John Mahama. The Tamale Senior High School has about 1,428 students, which makes it one of the largest high schools in the region. The Tamasco headmaster bemoaned encroachment on the school's land by some people who have built drinking spots and lorry stations, among others, at the place. I am making an appeal to the chief of the area because we are under siege; they are gradually taking the land from us. Some residents who live near the school have made sure that the school wall we are building will never be completed because of their selfish interest and that has led to a lot of attacks from armed robbers who have invaded the school. Mr. Wilberforce stated that the population of the students keeps increasing and called on the Regional Minister to ensure the replacement of weak and old buildings in the school. He applauded Dr. Bawumia, Mr Mahama and other personalities for making donations to the school. From Eric Kombat, Tamale President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to residents of the Volta Region to disregard assertions by some people that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has abandoned the region. According to him, the comments were being made by detractors of the NDC government, who are bent on creating disaffection for the government in the Volta Region. He said, Sometimes, some people say no work has been done in the Volta Region, and continue to propagate that propaganda. It is not based on facts. I know it is done for political reasons and it is a very wicked lie. Opposition parties and a considerable number of people in the region have maintained that the government has deprived the Volta region referred to as the 'World Bank of the NDC, of the needed development. Some residents and chiefs have also expressed their displeasure about the lack of development in the region in recent times. Speaking at Kpando yesterday on the first day of his six-day campaign tour of the region, President Mahama thanked the people for their support over the years and promised that the government would never disappoint them. Your constituency has never disappointed the NDC and I must tell you that the NDC will never disappoint you. Recently, our opponents have been going round creating the impression among the people of the Volta Region that NDC has neglected them: that is absolutely false, he said. He stressed that we have invested heavily in the road, water, health and education sectors. Water Project The President also inaugurated a 6,720 cubic meter per day capacity treatment plant at Kpando, which would increase water supply in the municipality and its environs from 130,000 gallons a day to about 1.5 million gallons a day. The project, which involved the rehabilitation and expansion of a water treatment plant in Kpando Todzi, was funded by the World Bank and the Netherlands Government at the cost of $12.7 million. The project, which started in February 2011, is expected to serve about 42,000 people by 2025 at Kpando, Sovie, Anfoega, Nkonya, Aveme, Gbefi, Dzigbe and its environs. Previously, the residents relied on mechanised borehole water system, which supplied 130,000 gallons daily. Abandoned Projects Torgbui Akom VIII Fiaga of Gbefi Traditional thanked the president for the execution of the project and rehabilitation of the Kpando-Torkor road. He expressed disappointment with the delay and abandonment of some other projects. The construction of a bridge over River Aplado was advertised three years ago, but nothing has been done about it, he added. The chief urged all residents in the Kpando Municipality to maintain peace in the area. Volta residents threaten Mahama Residents of the South-Dayi District, particularly those along the Asikuma-Kpeve-Have stretch of the eastern corridor road, recently threatened to embark on a massive demonstration during the president's tour of the region. Other areas The President, who has also toured Kwamekrom, Dambai, Borae and Krachi Nchumuru, also inaugurated a Community-Day Senior High School (SHS) at Bowiri in Kwamekrom. From Fred Duodu, Kpando ( [email protected] ) The Coalition of Unpaid Teachers (CUT) has announced its intention to picket at the head office of the Ministry of Education in Accra in the coming days on account of the government's failure to pay their salaries for the past four years. The angry unpaid teachers close to 1,000 across the country in a press statement issued and jointly signed by its executives in the persons of Jude Appiah Boateng, President; Edmond Stuberg; Vice President, Aikins Effah Boateng; General Secretary, Gloria Afua Nyarko; Deputy Secretary, Abigail Owusua; Public Relations Officer, Riis Nyarko; the Organiser and Hannah Esi Appiatu, Deputy Organizer, claimed that they had been working for years without salaries. Also they were not cleared when the Ministry of Finance cleared some of their colleagues for payment. Our grievance is that the Ministry of Finance has given part of the unpaid teachers clearance for them to be given staff IDs, leaving a few of us behind. Our names were not captured when the audit team came round for the exercise; meanwhile, we were all present. According to the teachers, they were requested to send the necessary documents to the auditors, which indicated their presence on the said day, adding that after all the necessary documents had been sent to the Ghana Education Service for verification, they had not heard anything from the GES till date. They have called on the government to order the Ministry of Finance to pay them with immediate effect else they would storm the premises of the Ministry of Education to picket before the end of this week. FROM Daniel Bampoe, Koforidua There was drama at an Accra Central Magistrate Court yesterday when a 22-year-old man who is being tried for allegedly strangulating a seven-year-old girl to death, asked journalists to pray for him. The accused, Lucas Agboyie aka Gabriel or Kojo, a mason apprentice, had asked journalists who had rushed to take shots of him after proceedings, to ask God to forgive him. Meanwhile, the court, presided over by Ebenezer K. Ansah, has adjourned hearing of the case until November 9, 2016 for the state to begin the committal hearing. This was after Mrs. Francisca Tete-Mensah, a Principal State Attorney, had told the court that the state had still not received the original docket from the police based on which the state would prepare its bill of indictment for the committal hearing. She explained that since the last court date, the investigator was sent on an official duty in the Northern Region and was also unable to do what he had to do in respect of the forwarding of the docket to the Attorney General's (AG's) Department. Mrs. Tete-Mensah stated that the AG was asking for time to be able to receive the docket by hand from the police, especially when an earlier attempt to send same to the AG's office through a motor rider had failed. She added, Things are not as gloomy as it appears; we are watching with the eye of an eagle Mr. Ansah said in any case the fact that the investigator was on an official assignment in the Northern Region does not mean he was not in the same country, indicating, I don't want to talk today The investigator who was in court gave the assurance that the docket would be sent to the AG's office by the close of the week. Last month Gabriel shocked the court when he gave a vivid account of how he killed the girl and had sex with the corpse for three hours. He said he murdered the girl after smoking weed and informed the victim, Ruth Amankwah, that he wanted to have sex with her. Lucas, also nicknamed Sympathy or Sky Lover, told the court that the deceased tried to escape from him but pulled her back to indicate his seriousness. He said not even the pleas from Ruth to spare her were enough to save her, adding that he pressed the throat of the victim until she was dead and had sex with her in his metal container at Kubekro No. 1 near Atadeka at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region, on April 19, 2015. While stressing that he had regretted the act, he claimed that he did not know what led him to kill the girl, although he admitted smoking weed prior to the act. Charged with murder contrary to Sections 46 of Act 29/60, the plea of Sympathy has not been taken. Ruth was a class one pupil of the Meshach Academy School at Zenu also in Ashaiman, who lived with her mother at Kubekro where the accused also lived about 200 metres away from them. At 8 am on Sunday April 19, 2015, the mother of the deceased prepared porridge and sent her with GH20 to buy bread from a nearby shop for their breakfast. Having waited for a long time without Ruth returning home, the parents became alarmed and searched for her in the area but to no avail, until an informant told the complainant that she saw Sympathy pulling the girl into his metal container. The search team found Ruth's naked body lying lifeless in a supine position on an old student's mattress with blood oozing from her mouth and nostrils. Sympathy was subsequently nabbed. Pushed further for names of possible accomplices by the search party, the accused initially insisted he killed Ruth on his own volition and later mentioned one Baba Ali as the one who contracted him to murder the victim for money, house and a car. By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson [email protected] Former President Jerry John Rawlings is not happy with elements in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) who are allegedly baying for his blood. He is surprised that recent attacks on him have been orchestrated by people within the NDC, the party he founded. The ex-President cited the recent petition presented by the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) leader, Henry Lartey to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) asking them to investigate circumstances under which he (Mr Rawlings) reportedly received an amount of $5 million from the late Nigerian Head of State, General Sani Abacha, as gift in 1998. Mr Rawlings says his own people in the NDC are behind the ploy to sully his hard-won reputation. Concern According to him, About three days before his drama [Henry Lartey went to file the petition], I got information that he was going to be financially rewarded for what he did and incidentally he was instigated not by people in the opposition. Mr Rawlings disclosed this when members of the Queen Mothers' Foundation of Ghana paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Accra yesterday. An obviously unhappy Jerry Rawlings wondered, Why are people worried about the level of integrity we've tried to maintain? We say we are Christians; we swear on the Bible, Muslims on the Koran. He, therefore, threw an open challenge to Henry Lartey and anyone who thinks he has done anything untoward to avail themselves so that they go the spiritual way to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of their claims against him. Challenge I'd like to invite people like him [Henry Lartey] that we go traditional as well. That we invite the white man's technology (lie detector) to also come and verify the truthfulness, the integrity of my word. And for him to be simply asked who paid him to do what he did, the former president fumed. That, he said, was because the culture of disrespect which has engulfed the Ghanaian society has compromised its peace and made it vulnerable. When we used to exercise a culture of respect in the past there was a thick layer of peace, which could not be compromised that easily. Today that layer of peace is so thin a little provocation is all it takes to get matters out of hand, he underscored. Mr Rawlings had admitted that, indeed, he received money from the late Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha, but maintained that it was $2 million and not $5 million as earlier speculated by the media. Mr Rawlings had similarly expressed concern about a publication in the Africawatch magazine alleging that he has Parkinson disease, saying that the publication was engineered by elements in the NDC who want to embarrass him. Mission The queen mothers, who were led by Mamaga Noviode of Sogakope in the Volta Region, had gone there to express concern about the poor quality of political discourse and abusive language used against eminent persons in the run-up to the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 7. The rest included Nana Akyembaku Mansa from the Central Region, Nana Ama Serwaa from Ashanti, Nana Akua Gyasiwaa from Eastern, Mamaga Maamele from Klikor in the Volta Region and Abesewaa Hemaa, Nana Afia Gyamaa Pinsan. Worry They were particularly concerned about the negative attacks on former President Rawlings, mostly from members of his own party and wondered whether those lending their voices to such contemptuous speech had forgotten the role he played in Ghana's political development. Mamaga Noviode said, We have come here to plead with you to exercise extreme patience and restraint and not allow such attacks to compel you to respond in anger. Charge They have since charged the NDC to publicly reprimand members who show disrespect to the founder of the party to prove that they value the role he played in the establishment of the party. Touching on the issue about peace before, during and after the elections, the former president said the 2016 elections would be a real test of Ghana's resolve and issued a note of caution to all stakeholders to ensure that the process is free and fair in order to guarantee post-election peace. We've been able to exercise the necessary restraint through quite a number of elections. This one is going to be a real test and I can only appeal once again that we make it as free and fair as we possibly can in order to maintain the peace, he emphasized. Mr Rawlings indicated that to guarantee a result that would be acceptable to all nobody should attempt to misbehave or do anything fraudulent. He expressed his gratitude to the traditional rulers for the visit and showing concern and asked them to call for free and fair elections to guarantee the peace. Also present at the meeting were Reverend Professor Richard Lawson, a member of the NDC Council of Elders, as well as Adams Guma, former District Chief Executive (DCE) of Walewale. By Charles Takyi-Boadu Telecommunication companies are impressing on the Bank of Ghana to review the maximum amount for mobile financial service transactions in the country. The telcos argue that they are sometimes constrained over the current 5000 cedis maximum and therefore would appreciate an upward push. The suggestion also follows a new regulation on mobile financial services that the central bank has developed to strengthen Ghana's mobile financial space. Speaking to Citi Business News on the calls by the telcos, the CEO of MTN Ghana, Ebenezer Twum Asante maintained that he is hopeful of a positive outcome of negotiations with the regulator for a possible adjustment. The transaction limit is currently at about 5000 cedis and the last time it was reviewed was some three or four years agowe are currently engaging with the central bank to see whether the limit can be raised again, he stated. The current regulations categorizes the customers of mobile money services into three; minimum, medium and enhanced. Under the regulations, every minimum Know Your Customer (KYC) account issued is entitled to a maximum balance limit of GH1,000, an aggregate daily transaction limit of GH300 and an aggregate monthly transaction limit of GHS3,000. Also, every medium KYC account issued is allowed a maximum balance limit of GH 10,000, an aggregate daily transaction limit of GH 2,000 and an aggregate monthly transaction limit of GH20,000. In addition, every enhanced KYC account issued shall be subject to a maximum balance limit of GH 20,000, an aggregate daily transaction limit of GH5,000 and an aggregate monthly transaction limit of GH50,000. Mobile money statistics BoG Figures released by the Bank of Ghana show that total volume of mobile money transactions increased by over a hundred percent from 2015 to the end of July this year. The figure increased from 132,579,112 to 265,214,110 between the period. Similarly, the value of transactions also increased by almost 119 percent from 16.943 billion cedis in 2015 to 37.068 billion cedis in July 2016. Correspondingly, the total value of float at end of July 2016 is reported to be GH703.64 million compared with GH363.65 million in July 2015. By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana In support of its operations in Sudan, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), today welcomed the arrival of over 50,000 metric tons of assorted food commodities including sorghum, lentils and vegetable oil from the American people. The food commodities will be used to assist more than 2 million vulnerable people across the country. These include 200,000 South Sudanese refugees for three months, over 725,000 internally displaced people in all of Darfurs five states for four months, 900,000 school children for six months, and more than half a million people who have been affected by the lean season which lasts from April to October each year. U.S. Embassys Charge dAffaires, a.i., Ervin Massinga and USAID Sudan Mission Director Dr. Jeffrey Ashley joined WFP Sudan Country Director and Representative Matthew Hollingworth in Port Sudan to welcome the arrival of the U.S. ship. In May this year, WFP welcomed the arrival of a shipment of 47,000 metric tons of sorghum also donated by USAID that was used to cover the needs of South Sudanese refugees and internally displaced people in Darfur. The United States through our strong implementing partner, WFP, continues to provide critical food assistance in a timely manner to areas that face severe food insecurity and malnutrition due to conflict and drought. The United States remains committed to fighting hunger and malnutrition and urges all parties to allow unfettered humanitarian access so as to end unnecessary suffering, said Charge dAffaires a.i. Massinga. Since 2011, the United States has been a long-standing partner and the largest single donor to WFP in Sudan contributing over USD 900 million to WFPs operations in the country. Its generous contributions have enabled WFP to provide assistance to all those in need across a range of activities implemented through general food distribution, school feeding, nutrition and food-for-assets programmes. I am very pleased to be here in Port Sudan and to welcome this ship carrying food for the people we serve across Sudan, said Hollingworth. WFP is grateful for the continued support from the U.S. Government and people which helps us provide much-needed assistance to vulnerable families in the country. In 2016, WFP plans to assist 4.6 million vulnerable people in Sudan through a number of different activities, including emergency food and cash-based transfers, nutritional support and resilience-building activities to help communities become self-reliant. 18.10.2016 LISTEN This opinion piece defends Kaduna Mafia and Alhaji Mamman Daura from ongoing controversy over alleged control of President Muhammadu Buhari Kaleni Abdulahi-Abuja-18 October, 2016- So called pundits dominate the market place of ideas, pouring out invectives in the guise of distilled opinion, pontificating as though we lack sense of history. If there is Kaduna mafia, why not? Every administration has a so called cabal or mafia behind it. What is even a cabal or mafia? Is it not a tactical team pushing for and working on making an idea a reality? Is there no mafia or cabal in American politics? What of the Bush/Clinton cabal? Is there no cabal or mafia in Europe? Getting power itself demands a small clique of strategists. They schemed and battle to get to the Promised Land. How can you attain presidency if you dont have your mafia or inner caucus? If you hate mafia or cabal, then quit politics. From 1999 to date, every president has had his own inner caucus. Why should President Muhammadu Buhari not have his own men? President Obasanjo had his men. Late YarAdua had his men. Former President Goodluck Jonathan had his Ijaw clique .Why is Buhari different? We all knew you cannot get anything done under Jonathan unless the ijaw clique approved it. The boss was Chief Clark. The memories should still be fresh. The Ijaw mafia, cabal ruled and explored and exploited the Presidency until Nigerians voted them out. If southerners could have cabal or mafia while in power, why not a northerner? It is even annoying the way some idiots vilified Mallam Mamman Daura,a low profile Nigerian and a relative of the President .What crime has he committed by standing by his brother ? Is it a crime now to have your brother in the Presidency? Daura has never appeared in any official functions of the president? He has never openly accompanied him on official events. He has never speak officially for the president .And he has remained off radar in most official activities of the president .Are we saying he has no right at all simply because his brother is the president? Rumour mongers are busy falling over themselves to lie on how Daura determines everything Mr President does? They attributed every ill to the gentleman and painted the prolific journalist in all negative lights. Even those who had never met him have one negative words or the other to allege. Who is afraid of Mamman Daura? And ignorantly too, people accuse Daura of being the godfather of the phantom Kaduna mafia. If there is Kaduna mafia, what law opposes its existence? Is there no Abeokuta mafia? Or Ogbia brotherhood? Who is afraid of Kaduna mafia? Or Enugu mafia? Many analysts simply put up phantom assumptions and give it a life of its own. What mafia in an era dignity, honesty and anti-corruption are been enforced on the nation? If Kaduna mafia will bring infrastructure, developments and good governance, who cares about Kaduna or Abeokuta mafia? We should leave Mamman Daura alone? Media propagandists should leave Mamman Daura alone. Looters of treasury, agents of corruption and parasites on state resources should leave Mamman Daura alone. A man who has not responded to all allegations, a man who keep low profile despite attacks, a man who ignore abuse to support his brother underground should no longer be vilified. We did not elect him and he has never attempted to speak officially to us. Are we saying he has no right as a citizen to live his quiet life under the constitution? Back to Kaduna mafia, those who are afraid should note that every section in a democracy has every right to scheme for advantage .As it is in Africa, so it is all over the world. If Kaduna mafia exists, remember there are a powerful Yola mafia, Ilorin mafia and Lagos mafia. Why are we after only Kaduna mafia? Are we interested only in stripping Buhari naked? We want him barred from his own people? We want him to be hijacked by other mafia for their own selfish ends? I dont know what you think, but as for me, anything, any group that can bring good governance to the north and Nigeria, I support. I am not afraid of Kaduna mafia when other mafias and cabals are flourishing in other parts of the country. Lubumbashi (DR Congo) (AFP) - At least 20 people have been killed in three days of clashes in southeast DR Congo between Pygmy and Bantu people over a disputed caterpillar collection tax, a local parliamentarian told AFP on Tuesday. Local MP Kalunga Mawazo told AFP on Tuesday that the fighting in Kabalo between Sunday and Tuesday was triggered by a dispute over the caterpillar harvest, a common food staple for the hunter-gatherer people of the Tanganyika region in northern Katanga. "The attacks since Sunday left four (Bantu) Lubas and 16 Pygmies dead in a row over the tax traditionally paid to the Bantus by the Pygmies," Kalunga said. A local priest who asked not to be named said that "the Pygmies now believe they have the same rights as citizens as the others. They refused to pay this illegal tax and shot two Luba people dead with arrows when they demanded payment." A further two Lubas, who are Bantu people, were killed in revenge attacks, and the bodies of 16 Pygmies found, he added. Tanganyika governor Ngoy Kitangala said security forces were being dispatched to the area where tension was extremely high. Northern Katanga, a region as big as Spain, has seen repeated clashes between Bantu Lubas and Pygmy Twa people since 2013. On 14th October, the 25th session of the Joint Campaign Planning Course (JCP) organized and financed by the French Government ended at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC). H.E. Francois Pujolas, Ambassador of France to Ghana attended the closing ceremony and handed the certificates to the students in the presence of Air Vice Marshall G.S. Evans, commandant of the KAIPTC. During the ceremony, H.E Francois Pujolas recalled that this course shows the commitment of France to help build a better and common response at the regional level to all security challenges. He welcomed the participation of officers from the sub-region and beyond, and took the opportunity to underline the efforts made at the KAIPTC as well as moreover the Ghana Armed Forces to support and develop the use and teaching of the French language in a Defence and Security context. The course was designed in two phases; a theoretical and implementation phase was delivered during the first week, followed by a practical exercise the second week. This training mainly focused on the practical methods of operative planning, a procedure which encompasses preparation for a joint operation at country level. The 22 participants were officers of Armed Forces and Gendarmerie from the rank of Major to Colonel and drawn not only from West Africa but also from Central Africa and from Madagascar. Some of them had already studied at the Command and Staff College in Paris or China and three (3) had worked at the ECOWAS Headquarters. The facilitators came from Senegal, France and Ghana and are all graduates of the French Command and Staff College. At the ceremony, the course Director and liaison officer, Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Costes of the French Army Forces indicated that the objective of the course is to give a common language in order to conduct an interoperable planning between different armies engaged in a regional crisis with adapted keys for multinational operations and more specifically for the French standard. Even more condensed, this course teaches the same planning techniques that are taught at the Command and Staff College in Paris. Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur (2nd right) and other dignitaries on the tour of the project Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has lauded the progress of work on the first phase of the 650-bed University of Ghana Teaching Hospital (UGTH) being put up at the cost of $217 million. He described the hospital as unique, saying government will in the near future put up a similar facility to serve the northern sector of the country. The vice president made the remarks when he paid a working visit to the project site and was taken round by the project coordinator, Prof Aaron Lawson, accompanied by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof Ebenezer Owusu-Oduro. According to the vice president, Government has also secured 48 million dollars to begin the second phase of the project which has a 400-bed capacity and as part of the project, a number of Ghanaian health professionals have undergone a short-term hands-on training at the Sheba Medical Centre in Israel. He stressed that these professionals are expected to constitute a critical mass of staff to be engaged when the hospital moves into full operation. Prof Lawson, on his part, said more than two thousand people would be engaged to work in the facility when the second phase is completed. He observed that the UGTH project was a dream come true because it has been on the drawing board for decades before the late President Prof John Evans Atta Mills finally cut the sod on March 12, 2011. The main contractor for the project is Messrs Engineering & Development Consultants Limited of Israel, with Sheba Medical Centre, also in Israel, as the medical consultants. Cabinet and parliamentary approvals were granted in June and July 2011 respectively. Following a value for money audit process, the commercial contract was signed in November 2012 and the contractor mobilised to site in April 2013. It is a three-year fixed price contract. The project is expected to be completed and handed over to government by next month. The Minority says fraud and corruption is the real reason for the low producer price of cocoa, contrary to malicious attempts to blame the NPP Presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for this. Minority Spokesperson on Agriculture, Dr Afriyie Akoto said it was absurd for the National Democratic Congress to blame Nana Akufo-Addo when it is superintending over a corrupt system. Addressing a press conference, the spokesperson who is also MP for Kwadaso said the low producer price they are paying to cocoa farmers is as a direct result of the fact that the gross proceeds from cocoa exports are riddled with fraud and corruption perpetrate by the NDC government. That is the real reason why they are not providing sufficient incentives to farmers by giving them a remunerative price, he said. Government earlier this month increased the producer price of cocoa by 11.76 percent. The increase meant that a 64kg bag of cocoa, which was previously sold at E425.00, will now be sold at E475.00. However, not all cocoa farmers were pleased with the new price. They argued that having to deal with pests and the fertility of their lands, a 500 or 600 percent increase in the producer price would suffice. Some members of the NDC on other hand, are blaming the NPPs presidential candidate for the negligible increase. According to them, Akufo-Addos refusal to sign an agreement with international banks, which would have caused an astronomical increase in the price, is the reason for the low increase. But Dr Akoto said denied this. He questioned how the opposition leader was being blamed when neither he, nor the Minority has any influence in how producer prices of cocoa are set. The Executive wing of government is in charge of cocoa policy exclusively and no opposition member has any influence whatsoever on that, not even the Minority Caucus has any influence on how much government decides to give to producers for their produce, he noted. In his view, the NDC is by this allegation, throwing dust into the eyes of cocoa farmers and attempting to shift blame from the slave wage cocoa prices from themselves onto the innocent NPP flagbearer Akuffo-Addo. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa | [email protected] Introduction In our last article, we considered some information you must know when filing your DV entry. We said that it is preferable that you file your own entry, though you may engage someone to do that on your behalf. We further said that you must retain your confirmation page for your records even if someone filed the entry on your behalf. In todays article, we will consider the type of information or details you must include in your DV entry. Personal Information Log on to www.dvlottery.state.gov and click on Begin Entry. Enter your personal details including your full name, gender, birth date, city and country of birth, country of eligibility for the DV program and country where you live today. Your country of eligibility will normally be the same as your country of birth. Your country of eligibility is not related to where you live or your nationality, if different from your country of birth. For example, a Ghanaian by birth may qualify to enter the lottery even if that person no longer lives in Ghana or has acquired another nationality. Contact Details You must enter your mailing address, phone number and email, though your phone number is merely optional. Provide an email address to which you have direct access, and will continue to have direct access after you have been notified about your selection. If your entry is selected and you respond to the notification of your selection through the Entrant Status Check, you will receive follow-up email communication notifying you about details of your immigrant visa interview. Under no circumstance would you be notified of your selection via email. Photograph You will also be required to submit a photograph taken within the last 6 months of yourself, your spouse and all your children. The photographs must meet technical and compositional specifications. Group photographs are not allowed. Highest Educational Qualification Select your highest level of education at the time of filing your entry. The options are from primary school to a doctorate degree. Remember that eligibility requirement for the DV program is a high school education or its equivalent. Do not file your entry if you do not possess the educational requirement since you will be disqualified at the time of your interview. Spouse If you are married, you must list your spouse regardless of whether he/she lives with you or intends to immigrate to the U.S. If you are divorced or your spouse is deceased, you do not have to list your former spouse. You do not need to list your spouse if he/she is already a U.S. citizen or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident, though you will not be penalized if you did. If your spouse is eligible he/she may still submit a separate entry even though he or she is listed on your entry, as long as both entries include details about all dependents in your family Children You must list all unmarried children under 21 years at the time of your entry. This includes your natural children, your step-children (even if you are now divorced from that childs parent), your spouses children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with applicable laws. You must list the children even if they no longer reside with you or you do not intend for them to immigrate under the DV program. You are not required to list children who are already U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents, though you will not be penalized if you did. You must not list your parents and siblings since they are ineligible to receive DV visas as dependents. If you fail to include an eligible dependent on your entry, your case will be disqualified at the time of your visa interview and no visas will be issued to you or any of your dependents. This only applies to those who were family members at the time the original application was submitted, not those acquired at a later date. Emmanuel Opoku Acheampong Disclaimer: This article only provides general information and guidance on U.S. immigration law. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. The writer will not accept any liability for any claims or inconvenience as a result of the use of this information. The writer is an immigration law consultant and a practicing law attorney in Ghana. He advises on U.S., UK, and Schengen immigration law. He works for Acheampong & Associates Ltd, a law firm in Accra. He may be contacted on [email protected] or www.acheampongassociates.com. Ghanas Vice President, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has described the manifesto of the leading opposition party, New Patriotic Party (NPP) as insincere and opportunistic. He argued that the manifesto was also indecisive, incoherent and lacked credibility. To look forward into the future you must have a manifesto that is a very coherent and realistic document that signals the seriousness of the party to win power and to administer the country for the future and future generations. So a manifesto must not be hesitant or indecisive, it must not be insincere and it should not be an opportunistic document, he said. The NPP unveiled its 2016 manifesto on Sunday, October 9, which contained the party's vision for the country. The party among other things promised to build factories in every district in Ghana as well as make available to each constituency an amount of $1 million as part of its social intervention programmes when given the opportunity to govern the country. But speaking at the Cape Coast Polytechnic in the Central Region, Mr. Amissah-Arthur urged the students to vote massively for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to enable them build on what he says is the solid foundation they have laid so far. The NDC manifesto that we unveiled in Sunyani a couple of weeks ago is a logical development of the vision that has guided this party [NDC] since we were in opposition in the year 2008. We developed four themes and these themes have been implemented over the last eight years and it has shown important results. And our plan is that we will focus on these four themes and make adjustments as we deem fit as the national situation and the global situation evolves. So this time round we have the same four themes but this time with an emphasis and job creation. We feel that the NDC has a much more credible programme for the future of our country than our opponents and the reason is simple; that our opponents try every opportunity they have to denigrate our achievements, through the lectures that their running mate gives, through even the manifesto that they launched few weeks ago, the Vice President added. By: Godwin A. Allotey & Caleb Kudah/citifmonline.com/Ghana Follow @AlloteyGodwin Following the success of last years annual Africa Tech Summit (ATS), MEST is proud to announce its entry into the mega city to host the second annual ATS on December 6-7 in Lagos, Nigeria. Introduced through a series of themed panels and keynote presentations, this years ATS discussions will identify and explore the key players and innovations sweeping the continent. Says MEST founder Jorn Lyseggen, Africa is fast becoming a destination for top technology companies and players. Global brands and personalities like Mark Zuckerberg and Y Combinator have visited and invested in the continent in recent months, and Lagos in particular is on its way to becoming an influential stage in the global tech space. Were especially excited to host ATS in a city and a country that we believe is really going to take off. Speakers include some of the biggest names in the tech and mobile space, including representatives from Google, Uber, Vodacom and Samsung, as well as a range of African entrepreneurs from leading companies Interswitch, Iroko, Main One and many more. MEST places a strong emphasis on curating the right crowd. ATS attracts an impressive list of attendees across from telcos, banks, multinational tech giants, entrepreneurs, investors and media. This years summit promises attendees the opportunity to drive forward new ideas and forge relationships with the some of the brightest minds in the field, says Katie Sarro, Managing Director of MEST. New to this years program is a MEST Demo Day on December 7 where MESTs top portfolio companies will pitch in front of a range of investors. ATS also coincides with MESTs recent launch of the Lagos Incubator, which currently has a portfolio of five startups sitting in Nigeria. Says MEST Lagos Incubator General Manager Neku Atawodi, Im thrilled about the opportunity to highlight Nigerias vibrant tech scene as well as comparing and learning from others across the region. ATS is a great venue for bringing the different pockets of Sub-Saharan Africa together in one place, under one roof, for two days of exchanging ideas. This years panel topics include: comparing tech landscapes across regions, building the infrastructure to support Africa's ambitions, leaders in fintech, developments in agritech, corporate venture capitalism, investing in African tech, and finally a MEST Startup Demo Day. Some of the speakers confirmed thus far include: Mitchell Elegbe, Founder & CEO, Interswitch Funke Opeke, Founder, MainOne Omobola Johnson, Chairperson, Global Alliance for Affordable Internet Jason Njoku, Founder, Spark & Founder & CEO, Iroko Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, Country Manager, Nigeria, Google Ebi Atawodi, General Manager, West Africa, Uber Wale Ayeni, Senior Investment Officer, IFC World Bank Group Sam Ajadi, Insights Manager - Ecosystem Accelerator, GSMA Tayo Oviosu, Founder & CEO, Pagatech Chika Nwobi, Partner, Rise Capital & Founder/CEO, Level 5 Lab To get your early bird ticket, visit the ATS website. For more information and sponsorship enquiries, please email[email protected] The World is endowed with adequate human and material resources to ensure that everybody enjoys some dignity and basic human rights. Unfortunately the majority of the people, particularly in developing countries, are mired in abject poverty, that is; lack of food, clothes and shelter. Poverty exists everywhere though very noticeable in Africa, a continent endowed with abundant human and natural resources. It is sad to note that while the situation of those who are already affected is worsening, poor people are emerging in every society due to economic crises and conflicts amongst others. The increasing poverty situation in the world compelled over a hundred thousands of people to gather at Trocadero in Paris on 17th October 1987 to express their discontent at the extreme poverty level, violence and hunger that some humans are enduring around the World. Trocadero is where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948. They proclaimed that poverty is a violation of human rights and affirmed the need to come together to ensure that these rights are respected. Hence, on the 22nd of December 1992, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 47/196 declaring October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Subsequently, people around the world have been gathering on October 17 to renew their commitment and show their solidarity with the poor. Hereby, the 2016 theme is Moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: Ending poverty in all its forms. Fighting poverty is not only to achieve the respect of human rights and dignity for the poor but also for security and peace to prevail in the world. Today the enrollment of many young people in terrorist groups, particularly in Africa, is partly attributed to their poor social background. They lack basic needs, adequate education and jobs, and they are mostly the breadwinners for their families. Sustainable development, so cherished by everybody, will never be achieved if the current international unjust economic relations continue to exist. We live in a world where minority of the population, that are in the industrialized nations consume more of the worlds resources (about 70%) and enjoy a high standard of living and most of the worlds wealth (about 80%). Citizens of non-industrialized countries, constituting the majority of the world population, control and consume far fewer of the resources they need for survival and well-being. As a result, their lives are characterized by poverty and a low standard of living. Some of the consequences of this situation are the insurgence of extremism through the formation of terrorist groups. Effectively fighting poverty is not going to be successful through adopting nice slogans, cosmetic policies and actions but rather adhering to conscious efforts to guarantee fairer international economic relations through sharing the worlds resources equitably. Equally, eradication of poverty will continue to be a mirage as long as corruption has become a norm in many parts of the world particularly in Africa where politics has become a shortcut for people to become the nouveaux riches. In order to achieve the eradication of poverty and ensure a peaceful world, greed and selfishness must be consciously eradicated to the barest minimum and pave the way for selflessness, commitment and putting the interests of the people at the center of all decisions and actions. Guaranteeing the general interests of the people is the best way of protecting individual interests. Long live the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty! Awaah Fred (Secretary General) www.aasuonline.org ; [email protected]/[email protected] ; +233(0)243101626 The disqualified presidential candidate of the Great Consolidated Popular Front Party (GCPP) has rebuffed claims by ex-president John Rawlings he is being used as a pawn to denigrate him. Dr Henry Lartey in a conversation with Myjoyonline.com said the claims are not only unfounded but are insulting to say the least. The GCPP leader has hauled the ex-president before the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice over allegations he (Rawlings) received a $5 million gift from late Nigerian Military leader Sani Abacha. In 1998, the late Nigerian president was reported to have given his counterpart in Ghana a gift of $5 million, an allegation the NDC government denied at the time. Some 18 years on, ex-president Rawlings in an interview with Nigeria's Guardian newspaper admitted receiving the gift through the aide of the Nigerian leader but said the amount received was $2 million and not $5 million as reported. That admission has triggered another controversy in Ghana with Dr Henry Lartey proceeding to CHRAJ and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to file a complaint against the ex-president. But the ex-president is unhappy with the turn of events and has accused leading members of the NDC of trying to use Dr Henry Lartey to embarrass him. He told some Queen mothers who paid a courtesy call on him that the use of Dr Lartey to hound him at CHRAJ smacks of disrespect. "I was hurt because this thing has been attempted earlier and I took the trouble to explain and there is no need for us to pick it today. "Why are people worried about the level of integrity we have tried to maintain. In effect what it means is that we appear to have thrown overboard the mutual respect that we used to enjoy amongst ourselves. "The culture of respect, so that each time we are walking a very thin line. There is more disrespect than respect and that is why it just takes a little spark for the thing to get out of hand," he said. The NDC leadership has refused to comment on the matter but not Henry Lartey. In a conversation with Myjoyonline.com, the GCPP leader who is also in court to overturn his disqualification from contesting the 2016 elections, said his motivation to fight corruption at the highest level both in Ghana and Nigeria prompted him to send the Abacha-Rawlings scandal to CHRAJ. He said for an ex-president who for years has trumpeted his integrity, executed other heads of state over corruption allegations, Mr Rawlings should be bold enough to go and clear himself at CHRAJ. He said when CHRAJ is done, the country will know whether Mr Rawlings is the junior Jesus or the junior devil. He dismissed assertions he has been paid by the NDC to hound the ex-president describing it as an insult to his intelligence. He said no one in NDC has what it takes to bribe him and that nobody can buy his conscience. Dr Lartey confirmed receiving a reply from CHRAJ about the possibility of an investigation but was worried EOCO was yet to write to him. Meanwhile, the Deputy CHRAJ Commissioner Joseph Whittal told Joy News they have begun assessing the merits of the complaint by the GCPP leader. He said when they are done with the internal investigations, the Commission will determine whether there is the need for any better and further particulars and whether any aspects of the Commission's mandate have been triggered. He said people's reputations are at stake and before the Commission will write to persons against whom corruption allegations have been made, they must be satisfied that there is a prima facie case against those persons. Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com|Nathan Gadugah The Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged party supporters to stamp out anyone from the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) who tries to steal ballot boxes in the upcoming polls. Bugri Naabu told the NPP supporters to be vigilant in the pre and post election day, encouraging them to mass up at the various polling stations after they had cast their votes to monitor activities of the NDC. Speaking in the Mampruli language at a rally in Savelugu, the outspoken NPP functionary claimed the NDC rigged the 2008 and 2012 elections, urging the supporters not to allow the 2016 election to suffer same. Tension in the country is on the rise with the two dominating political parties attacking each other in their bid to win the December polls. NDC flagbearer, President John Mahama has rained invectives at the NPP flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo accusing him of fomenting disunity in his party. The President claimed any individual who tries to oppose Mr Akufo-Addo in the NPP is either suspended or sacked from the party. The NPP leader has also been on government describing President Mahama as an incompetent leader. NPP Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr Muhamudu Bawumia has consistently accused the government of mismanaging the Ghanaian economy. The comment by the NPP Northern Regional Chairman represents a playback of the NPP belief that 2008 and 2012 elections were rigged by the NDC. Mr Naabu made reference to the election petition brought against the NDC by the NPP after the 2012 election to call on party supporters to be wide awake in the December 7 election. Reacting to matter on Joy News, NPP Northern Regional Secretary, Sule Salifu said Mr Naabus comment has nothing to do with violence, adding the message has been misconstrued. They say that when you whisper into someones ear and he is going to transfer the message to another person there are distortions and I tell you that your interpreter distorted the information, he said. But Security expert with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC), Dr Kwesi Aning has warned of a possible backlash on election day if comments such as the one made by the NPP functionary are not controlled. I think there is a lot of concern about the type of rhetoric that we are hearing emanating from the political class. The hate speeches and the threatening speeches, and threatening behavior confirming the rather disturbing development in this country, he said. He encouraged the political class to desist from such statements and also discourage people from using violence as a tool to attain their political aims. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | AKABP A 14-pound lobster caught off the coast of Bermuda left fishermen breathless one day after Hurricane Nicole swept through the area last week. The lobster got caught on a mooring line, which was holding a nearby boat in place. Matthew Jones, who helped reel in the creature, said his co-worker, Tristan Loescher, didnt realize what he had until he was swimming beside it with a flashlight. He swam out, expecting to find a gray snapper, and found a lobster instead, Jones told The Huffington Post on Monday. This was caught totally by accident. Hurricane Nicole blew in some sea monsters... 14lb lobster, caught and released! reads a caption on a picture that fishing charter company Sanctuary Marine Bermuda posted to Facebook on Saturday. a Most of the time a 10-pound is the biggest anyone will typically see in their lifetime, Jones said. Each leg measured 2 feet, but I do believe they get much bigger. The fishermen considered giving the creature, which they identified as a male, to an aquarium. Ultimately, however, they decided to return it to the water. It was one of the biggest lobsters weve ever seen, he said. Its not typically caught that way so we decided to let it go. Its a rare specimen, he said. We got lucky this time. The Bermuda lobster is indeed a beast, but its far from the largest lobster ever caught. Fishermen set a world record in 1977 by catching a 44-pound lobster off Nova Scotia. Other lobsters have tried to rival that gargantuans size, including Rocky , a 27-pounder that was caught off the coast of Maine in 2012. All the decisions I have made in my life were regularly plaqued with doubt. It can be challenging to sustain that feeling of hope or the belief that things will turn out for the best. Again and again, I have felt like that boy Dramani, on the bicycle going downhill fast without any brakes and not knowing which way to turn ( My First Coup Detat page 314) President Mahama is inaccessible and INDECISIVE in fighting against corruption because he has surrounded himself with some corrupt officials and that the corruption in the John Mahama administration stings high Alban Bagbin. Just recently, the President told Ghanaians that, Ghana will not go to the IMF but within the shortest possible time, the President told the nation that Ghana has no option than to go to the IMF for policy credibility. Again, President Mahama told the workers of Ghana that, ECG will not be privatized but in less than seventy-two hours, the same President told Ghanaians that ECG can work and provide sufficient power only if its privatized. The aforementioned statements made by the President and Alban Bagbin, the Majority Leader in Parliament respectively, have described President Mahama as INDECISIVE and a CONFUSED PERSON.. The Committee recommended that since we are yet to amend the law to put our nursing and midwifery students on the students loan scheme, we should also put them on the allowance President Mahama.(The Finder Wednesday October 05 2016) Hitherto, lets look at what President Mahama said I had rather lose the election than to restore training allowance. So what has changed? These are questions Ghanaians are asking, To Aseidu Nketia, it is nonsense for the President to restore the training allowance of nurses. So is it still nonsense for the President to restore the allowance of trainee nurses now that he wants to? To Okujeto Ablakwa, the withdrawal of training allowance has increased enrollment. So will the restoration of the Nursing Training allowance decrease enrollment? If you cant stay in school and be trained as a TEACHER and a NURSE, without student allowance, leave the school. We dont need your votes. You can vote against us, we dont care By Aseidu Nketia,NDCs General Secretary. Are nurses now given allowance because the NDC needs their votes? Why was the allowance restoration not stated in the 2016 NDC manifesto if it was their priority? According to Okujeto Ablakwa, payment of training allowance by government is not sustainable. Is the restoration of the nurses training allowance now sustainable? What is the essence of restoring the nursing training allowance without being employed by government for over five years after completing nursing training? But Mister President, you told the world that you will not restore the training allowance even if you lose the 2016 elections. So have you (President Mahama) restored the allowance because you now want to win? When will the NDC Government under the auspices of President Mahama employ all nurses who are home for over five years and are unemployed? How would a nurse with children survive if he or she is not employed? President Mahama after becoming a President in 2012 increased his pay from 7,000 to 12,000 and back-dated it from 2009 - 2012. So why did the President increase his salary and allowances but rather reduced that of nurses who are now given an allowance of 150 for only three month? Why was that of the nurses not back -dated? If the previous allowance of nurses was over 450 which the President came to cancel, why then does he pay them 150 if he wants to restore it? Is it not obvious that the allowance is just a token for election purposes? If the Nursing training students are saying the 150 is small so they need an increase, they can decide to take it or leave it. They are even lucky we have given them some. It is not compulsory to give nurses and teachers training allowances; it is not even in the constitution (Solomon Nkansah NDC National communication director). Is it also in the constitution to have given NDC supporters $300 daily to watch football matches in Brazil? Is this how a government official talks to students who are in distress? Ghana needs a decisive leader who can take bold decisions that will positively impact and improve the living standards of Ghanaians and not a leader who will take decisions just because he desperately want to win elections. When Nana Addo and Dr. Bawumia were championing the restoration of the training allowance, President Mahama and his NDC vehemently stated that it cannot be possible and should be taken with a pinch of salt. What has changed Mister President? You have changed the lives of Trainee Nurses and transformed their lives to UNEMPLOYED NURSES. Every candidate can mount a platform and make promise after promise. What is important is not the promise but the CREDIBITY AND TRACK record of the party and the candidate making that promise (By Fifi kwetey September 26, 2012, myjoyonline.com) Can Ghanaians trust the credibility and track record of President Mahama and the NDC? Arise for change..CHANGING MAHAMA, TRANSFORMING GHANA. PAPARAZY ANDREWS ASAMOAH. 0249195426. The Asutifi North National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Brong Ahafo Region has inaugurated an Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) in Kenyasi in a move to deepen trust among political parties and stakeholders as well as to encourage issue-based campaigns in this years election. The new committee, seeking to quell any election related violence and facilitate peaceful polls in December, has Apostle Rev. Dr. Peter Peprah as its chairman, representatives of political parties, civil society groups, the clergy, security agencies, youth groups, teachers and heads of departments with the District Director of NCCE as Secretary. The two major political parties, National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) were fully represented and pledged their desire for the country to have a transparent electoral process. A Deputy Regional Director of NCCE in the region, Mr. Issahaka Zitor said Ghanaians ought to appreciate the uninterrupted democracy governance which began when the country returned to constitutional rule in 1992 which mandates Ghanaians to cast their votes to elect people to govern. He stated elections were conducted to benefit electorates, political parties, the EC and the state through development projects that will be executed and therefore urged the stakeholders to strive to keep Ghanas democracy on its right path. He noted political parties have the right to explain their ideologies as well as canvass for votes from electorates but however cautioned such activity be conducted in civil manner devoid of insults and use of intemperate, provocative and abusive language. The NCCE Deputy Director appealed to the committee to rise to the occasion and adhere strictly to issues and processes that promotes free, fair and non-violent conduct to and elections. He encouraged parties in a dispute to resort legally laid down process to address their differences and advised voters from selling their conscience to politicians who come with money and gifts. The Deputy Coordinating Director of Asutifi North, Augustine Asi for his cautioned the political parties and electoral commission (EC) foster more collaboration in information sharing as lack of adequate information leads to mistrust thereby festering unnecessary resentment that usually spark acts of violence. He noted the EC as a referee in the political discourse should be fair and firm in the discharge of their mandate to repose the confidence that the citizenry have reposed in them. Mr. Asi appealed to the committee to be proactive in their monitoring, information gathering and resolution of conflicts and ensure all stakeholders abide by the rules and regulations that govern the conduct of elections in the country. The District NCCE Director of Asutifi North in his welcome address, Mr. Elijah Osei Kwame said formation of the committee formed part of the NCCE's project initiated to focus on mediation and resolution of petty conflicts during the election period. He said political intolerance was the major cause of violence in the country and appealed to members of the committee to intensify education on tolerance and issues likely to trigger electoral conflicts in the area. By Prince Acquah, GNA Koforidua (E/R), Oct 18, GNA - African governments have been urged to focus more effort, energy and resources on research and technology to drive its development. Dr. Samuel Boateng, Head of Oil and Gas Department of the All Nations University College (ANUC), said that was the way forward to lift the people out of poverty. He was speaking at this year's 'world space week' celebration held in Koforidua. The programme was jointly organized by the Electronics and Communications Department of the ANUC, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Institute of Electricals and Engineering, National Society of Black Engineers and Society of Petroleum Engineers. 'African space festival' was the theme chosen for the event and the goal was to highlight the vital role of technology to socio-economic development. It brought together students from various senior high schools across the Eastern Region. Dr. Boateng said it was important to encourage - motivate Ghanaian students to study science, technology and mathematics. He indicated that there should not be any time to waste and that Africa needed to get down to serious business to catch up with the rest of the world. Mr. Dickson Amakye, the Head of the Electronics and Communications Department, expressed optimism that the celebration would ignite the passion of the youth for science and technology education. He called for the nation to develop electrical and electronics industrialization plan to speed up its technological advancement. GNA 18.10.2016 LISTEN By Alex Agyekum, GNA Medie (G/A), Oct 18, GNA - The Member of Parliament (MP) for Amasaman, Mr. Emmanuel Nii Laryea-Okai, has given an upbeat assessment of his chances in the coming polls. He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that he had kept faith with the people and had no doubt in his mind that they would vote massively to return him to parliament for the good job done. Through his share of the MPs' Common Fund, a market and washrooms are being built at Media. Added to these, are education infrastructure at Mayera, Artikorpe, Kutunse, Achiaman and Odumase alongside the donation of an ambulance to the Amasaman Hospital. Mr. Laryea-Okai also spoke of support package for brilliant students from poor homes to pursue academic careers at the tertiary institutions. He again cited the repair of a 10-kilometre road, serving a number of communities including Dobro, Gonno, Kwadjo Ashong, Odumtia and Samapaman. The MP said he was determined to do everything to bring development to the constituency, to transform the living conditions of the people. GNA 18.10.2016 LISTEN Tema, Oct 18, GNA - The Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) has marked this year's global handwashing day with a call on all residents to make handwashing a habit to safe lives. Madam Theresa Anafi, Unit Head, Community Development, TMA, who made the call, said, "A habit can only be formed when an activity is done over and over again until it becomes part of the individual." The occasion which was marked on the compound of Klangon TMA schools, on theme, "Make handwash a habit", was sponsored by the Rural Water Development Project of the Church of Christ, Cocoa Processing Company among others. According to Madam Anafi, instilling the habit of handwashing in children was crucial since they would not only keep the habit but influence generations after them to make Ghana healthier. "We have identified and mentored 31 student volunteers from the TMA school to become ambassadors of handwash. It is hoped that these ambassadors will also mentor their colleagues and keep reminding their friends to maintain handwash practises always." Mr Frederick Owusu, Headmaster, Klagon TMA Basic School, appealed for a water treatment facility to make the school's borehole water consumable as it was salty and hard. He also appealed for a bio gas generating toilet facility to power security lights on the school compound to curb vices commited during the night. Nii Bortey Klan, Chief of Klangon, who chaired the function, said good handwashing is the first line of defence against the spread of many diseases from common cold to more serious infections like meningitis and most types of diarrhoea. GNA 18.10.2016 LISTEN Rabat, 18/10/2016 - On October 17, two key meetings took place in Marrakech on the margins of the Pre-COP Ministerial meetings, scheduled for October 18 & 19. They included the Pre-COP Civil Society Dialogue, chaired by Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Morocco and incoming President of COP22/CMP12/CMA1, and Patricia Espinosa, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, and the 23rd BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change, organized by Edna Molewa, Minister of Environment of South Africa. These two activities are part of a series of meetings being held this week in Marrakech to put the final touches on preparations for the 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22), planned for November 7-18 in the Ochre City. COP22 President Salahdeddine Mezouar and COP22 Head of Civil Society Activities, Driss El Yazami announced that the Moroccan Presidency will meet with civil society during COP22 to take stock and that they will come together around a common climate agenda with civil society under the COP22 Moroccan Presidency. The 23rd BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change included the participation of Edna Molewa, Minister of Environment of South Africa, Xie Zhenhua, and Special Representative for Climate Change of China, Anil Madhav Dave, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India, and Antonio Marcondes, Under Secretary-General for the Environment, Energy, Science and Technology, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil. Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Morocco and incoming President of COP22/CMP12/CMA1 and Ambassador Wael Abou El Magd, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Environment and Sustainable Development of Egypt on behalf of the chair of the African Ministerial Conference of the Environment (AMCEN) were also in attendance as observers. A joint statement was made at the conclusion of the 23rd BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change that emphasised the importance of the Marrakesh Climate Change Conference as an important step in the process of implementation of the Paris Agreement and as another milestone to accelerate pre-2020 implementation. The Ministers welcomed the entry into force of the Paris Agreement on November 4 and the holding of the 1st meeting of the Parties to the Agreement (CMA1) in Marrakech during COP22. They reiterated in their joint statement, that developed countries should provide financial resources, technology development and transfer and capacity-building support to developing countries for their effective implementation and ambitious actions under the Paris Agreement. They also expressed their hope that the terms of reference for the Paris Committee on Capacity-Building, agreed by all Parties at the May 2016 session of the UNFCCC in Bonn, will be adopted at COP22. The Pre-COP Civil Society Dialogue, organized by Driss El Yazami, Head of the COP22 Civil Society Pole, was an opportunity to invite international representatives from UNFCCC observer groups (BINGO, ENGO, IPO, LGMA, RINGO, YOUNGO, Women & Gender) as well as UNFCCC accredited Moroccan associations including Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, CGEM and the Tensift Regional Development Center, to share their views and recommendations on COP22 with Salaheddine Mezouar, COP22 President, Patricia Espinosa, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Aziz Mekouar, COP22 Ambassdor for Multilateral Negotiations, Hakima El Haite, Moroccos High-Level Climate Champion and Laurence Tubiana COP21 Ambassador and Frances High-Level Champion,. Salaheddine Mezouar welcomed this important meeting with civil society in preparation for COP22 and emphasized the key role these groups play in advancing and contributing to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. According to the COP22 President, together, state actors and civil society must continue to work together to transform the commitments we have made into concrete climate actions. 18.10.2016 LISTEN Many have argued that the level of every man determined the actions and inactions of such individual. The NPP petition on the validity of the outcome of the 2012 elections still linger .Yes it lingers because We still feel the register needs to be worked on. Am only trying to test myself if We can rightfully draw common sense out of the disqualification of the Presidential aspirants. Several calls has been made to the EC on the credibility of the register that #Ghanaians will unanimously approve to use to vote in electing Presidential candidate and Parliamentary candidates.In the quest to challenge one person pathetically lost the eye through the inexperienced manage of crowd by the security service. We hurriedly want to know from the EC if the disqualification of aspirants was based on double or multiple registered names. If it is ,then dose that not suggest to Ghanaians that the EC could not hundred percent follow the court order. If indeed there are still multiple registered names in the register then ,can WE as #Ghanaians also disqualify the EC until it resolves and assures US of clean register. We don't want to assumed to be asking unwarranted questions on the grounds of common sense . If between two to four names can lead to the #disqualification of to be Presidential candidates then must Ghanaians also again ask if C.I 54 also subscribes to the amount taken from such affected aspirants. Is it that the EC feels it cannot handle the election when more of the aspirants pass through without dubious disqualification. If it is our right to be voted for and be voted out then what does the law also seek to address about the common sense. Could other sectors of Ghanaians minds be boggled with the infamous disqualification and also think there's an element of #CONSPIRACYTHEORY. Would the New Patriotic Party be right to say that the EC is in bed with NDC to right off the great #kalypolistic launch of the NPP #MANIFESTO. We think it was the right moment for Ghanaians to interrogate and decide which Presidential aspirant they will vote for. Would the PPP also be right to state that because their aspirant has massive endorsement from the Central Region the Conspiracy theory still lingers. Could it also be that the selection of PPP Vice Presidential aspirant from Volta region also puts hard pins close to the heart of some other parties. Could the PNC also make such claims. #Hmmmmm !!! Is Common sense still common . We unequivocally still stand to be corrected. CHANGE IS EXPENSIVE BUT WE ARE WORTH IT. Long live Ghana Long live COMMON sense Long live me and you. *Daniel Yaw Geraldo*. Subin Constituency 0243 072381 *Parpsy Konadu* Subin Constituency 0545 657588 *Yaw Berimah* a.k.a Okonko Fanteakwa South constituency, Akyem 0276911715 Rabat, 18/10/2016 - The Moroccan Presidency of the 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC) hosted today the start of the Pre-COP Ministerial Meeting, October 18 and 19, in preparation for the COP22 Marrakech Climate Change Conference, November 7 to 18. The opening plenary of the Pre-COP was chaired by Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Morocco and COP22 President and Segolene Royal, Minister of the Environment of France and COP21 President, along with participation of Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC. Ministers, Special Envoys, Ambassadors and Representatives from over 70 countries are participating in this two-day meeting in Marrakech. Salaheddine Mezouar welcomed all those in attendance and congratulated the international community for the recent major successes achieved in fighting climate change which include triggering the early entry into force of the Paris Agreement, the ICAO agreement to curb CO2 emissions from the international aviation sector and the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol for the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). He also underscored the urgency to act as the world witnesses increasing cases of extreme weather. I would like to take the time to convey my thoughts to all of those terribly affected in Haiti as a result of Hurricane Matthew, he added. The Pre-COP Ministerial Meeting is designed to finalize preparations for the COP22 agenda including organizing the early entry into force of the Paris Agreement (November 4) and the holding of the first meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA1) during COP22 in Marrakech. The agenda will also include discussions on means of implementation of the Paris Agreement before and after 2020 such as capacity building and finance packages as well as developing a Paris Agreement rulebook to implement the various components. An emphasis will also be put on sharing perspectives on the Global Climate Action Agenda as presented by the Moroccan and French High-level Climate Champions, Hakima El Haite and Laurence Tubiana and promoting ways to foster climate ambition at all levels of society. During his opening remarks the COP22 President presented Moroccos vision for COP22 that includes the early entry into force of the Paris Agreement and its first meeting in Marrakech (CMA1), an objective, which thanks to international mobilization has already been met. He encourages all Parties that have not yet ratified to do so. CMA1 in Marrakech will be an inclusive moment, he added. The second pillar of the plan is to encourage Parties to implement and strengthen their National Determined Contributions (NDCs). According to Minister Mezouar, Morocco wanted to set the example and therefore we have revised our greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal from 32% to 42% by 2030. And the final pillar is to mobilize non-state actors with the goal of institutionalizing their actions under the Global Climate Action Agenda. COP22 will be a COP of action with a special focus on the important contributions of civil-society. The Moroccan Presidency will take stock with civil society during the Marrakech climate change conference and chart a common agenda under the Presidency. During her remarks COP21 President Segolene Royal emphatically assured that All the elements are in place for a successful COP22 in Marrakech. In her statement, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa welcomed the early entry into force of the Paris Agreement and its first meeting in Marrakech as an historic moment for people everywhere and for multilateralism. Executive Secretary Espinosa announced that the UNFCC Secretariat will make arrangements to open CMA1 on the morning of Tuesday, November 15, with a brief opening plenary meeting. The joint high-level segment of the COP, CMP and CMA would be convened immediately after the CMA1 opening, where all Parties will make their national statements. She added that, The presence of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, the UN Secretary-General and Heads of State and Government on that occasion will amplify the historic significance of the moment. The Pre-COP in Marrakech continues tomorrow with closed-door working sessions. Marrakech will be host to COP22, November 7-18. The Electoral Commission (EC) has begun series of capacity building workshops for journalists in the Northern Region. This forms part of a well structured system meant to rebuild public confidence on the ECs preparedness to conduct free, fair and transparent elections on December 7. The Northern Regional EC Director, Bruce Ayisi explained that the workshop sought to equip Journalists with the right electoral terminologies used during elections. He implored the participants to avoid unpardonable errors in their reportage on elections coverage to safeguard the nations enviable democratic credentials. Bruce Ayisi commended the media in the region for being in constant touch with the EC on election matters. He said the EC would continue to work with the media as partners in development regarding the conduct of elections at all levels. Chairman of the Northern Regional chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Caesar Abagali admonished the EC staff to open their doors to the media. He decried the unfriendly behaviour of some top EC officials who often ignored Journalists call for information on the electoral processes. Caesar Abagali tasked the media to be guided by the cardinal principle of checking, cross and double checking their facts to avoid sensationalism particularly on elections coverage. He also admonished the media to give fair and accurate coverage to all the competing political parties. By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana (Photo: Xiamen Daily) BEIJING, Oct. 18 -- China will host the ninth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) next year in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen in September. Xiamen, a tourist resort on the southeast coast of China, is known for its mild climate and beautiful scenery. The following is a collection of hand-picked pictures showing some must-see tourist sites in Xiamen. The Central Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwamena Duncan, has urged the electorate not to fall for 'juicy' gifts being distributed by the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC). He said the government, under the guise of helping Ghanaians, has been distributing items such as saucepans, outboard motors, gas cylinders and stoves, money and other items, but urged the electorate to vote against the NDC because it had worsened the economic conditions. Mr. Kwamena Duncan said this at the campaign launch of the NPP parliamentary candidate for Takoradi, Mr Kobina Okyere Darko Mensah, who is also the incumbent Member of Parliament at the weekend. Mr. Adomako Berfi, Deputy National Communication Director for the NPP, said the ruling NDC government had destroyed the economy which was growing at the rate of 3.4 percent, compared to the NPP government under President John Kufuor, which saw the economy growing over 8 percent in 2008. He added that the NPP administration introduced social interventions such as the free maternal healthcare, National Health Insurance Scheme, Mass Transport Transit System, the School Feeding Programme, Capitation Grant and the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty which mitigated the suffering of the people. He said the NDC government had collapsed all the interventions due to bad its economic management. Papa Owusu Ankomah, Member of Parliament for Sekondi, entreated NPP supporters and sympathizers to be extra vigilant on the polling day and urged them to put up good character that would attract more members to its fold. Mr. Kobina Okyere Darko Mensah, NPP Member of Parliament for the area, said despite the NDC government touting its achievement of asphalting roads in Takoradi, it had constructed only nine kilometres, as compared to 17 kilometres done by the erstwhile NPP government. He said there was high youth unemployment in the Secondi-Takoradi following the collapse of state enterprises such as the West Africa Mill and Cocoa Processing Company (WAMPCO), timber firms, and others which had worsened the unemployment situation. He therefore urged the electorate to vote for him and the NPP presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the December 7 elections to transform the country's economy. President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated the importance of education to the development of the country with a call on parents and guardians to make education of their wards a priority. He noted government was committed in developing the human resource base of the country through provision of educational infrastructure and the construction of Community Day Schools across the country to provide access to quality education for pupils in our communities. The President made known in an address read on his behalf by the Deputy Administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND), Stephen Baffoe at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Gyamfi Kumanini Senior High Technical School over the weekend. It was on the theme 25 Years of Quality Education; A Shared Responsibility. He observed "education is key and an indispensable tool for accelerated socio-economic development of any nation and therefore appealed to parents to give children who are the future leaders of the nation, the type of education that will equip them with knowledge and skills to meaningful lives in this complex world. Mr. Baffoe disclosed that government through the GETFUND has constructed a One-Storey Boys Dormitory Block and One-Story Science Laboratory Block for the schools as a sign of governments commitment to the educational needs of the area and called on parents and residents to collaborate and cooperate with authorities of the school to ensure the governments investment is put into good use. He assured authorities of the school their request for a One-Storey 18-Unit Classroom Block, Administration Block and a Pick-up vehicle will be seriously considered by government. The Deputy GETFUND Boss, advised students to take their studies serious to effectively build what he termed The Consciousnesses of Quality and Consciousness of Enthusiasm that will enable them have an overall development of oneself. He advised them to cooperate with their teachers and also not to sacrifice their learning and homework to the watching of telenovelas. The District Chief Executive (DCE) for his part said the assembly will continue to support brilliant but needy students at various levels of the academic ladder, provision of physical infrastructure, motivation packages for teachers as well as provision of teaching and learning materials. He continued the assembly will pay the full school fees of 150 students this academic year and presented a cheque of GHc 5,000 from the Vice President, two sets of jersey and one volley to the school. The Headmistress of the school, Mrs. Georgina Ama Tayi Yanson, in her welcome address said the school since its inception has chalked success in academics, technical and sports. She said "the school continues to produce very good results, attaining percentage of 98.2 in 2015/2016 academic year when she presented a total of 1,052 students at the West African Senior Secondary School Examinations. She lamented the greatest problem facing the school was inadequate classrooms, inadequate means of transport, adequate staff accommodation, no modern computer laboratory, lacks a generator set and weak financial base of the school and therefore appealed to all stakeholders and corporate bodies to come to their aid. Awards were given to deserving individuals have contributed immensely to the growth and development of the school. The programme was chaired by the Wamahinsohene, Nana Agyei Twum II. Accra, 3rd October, 2016- The Ghana Construction Awards has announced the list of Nominees for the 2nd edition of the Awards. This follows months of a rigorous selection process after entries were made by construction companies all over the country. The event comes off at the prestigious and exquisite Kempinski Gold Coast City Accra on the 5th of November 2016. The Ghana Construction Awards is powered by InstinctWave, organisers of the highly successful Ghana Information Technology and Telecom Awards, West African Telecom Summit & Expo and Africa Brand Conference-UK. The Awards night will bring together some of the top guns in the industry to celebrate the achievements of the construction sector and its contribution to Ghanas infrastructural development. This years edition was under the theme Celebrating Excellence for National Development. Announcing the nominees for the awards, Akin Naphtal, CEO of InstinctWave said, The Ghana Construction Awards presents an opportunity for stakeholders to advocate for the industrialization of the country by way of investments in the area of civil engineering, building construction, industrial construction and residential construction. Its the platform where the industrys best and most innovative are celebrated for their outstanding achievements, he added. The nominees were officially announced to the media after the Board of Trustees of the awards had reviewed all entries and made their own research into entries submitted by companies. Mr Naphtal further indicated that more nominees will be announced in the coming days as the Board continues in its work of ensuring the best construction companies are rewarded. According to him, special recognition awards will also be announced for deserving individuals and organizations for their sterling contribution to the industry. FULL LIST OF PROVISIONAL NOMINEES CONSULTANCY/LAND SURVEYOR OF THE YEAR Rudan Company Ltd Beacon Survey Limited Ben Dwimoh and Company Geomappers Engineering Ltd CONSULTANCY/QUANTITY SURVEYOR OF THE YEAR FAS CONSULT ADK Consortium PPMC G Ampofo & Partners Limited CEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR Ghacem Diamond Cement Dangote Cement OUTSTANDING PROJECT (PUBLIC SECTOR) Tamale Airport Runway Extension and Rehabilitation (QUEIROZ GALVAO) Ghana Civil Aviation Authority Training Academy Complex (BEROCK VENTURES) Sekondi Takoradi Via Kojokrom Suburban Railway Line (TEAM ENGINEERING SpA Ghana) Aboadze Costal Projection WorksPhase 1 (2 Kilometer Stretch) (XARA Developers) Cape Coast Stadium (CHINA JIANGXI CORPORATION FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL CORPORATION) OUTSTANDING PROJECT (PRIVATE SECTOR) AKYEM GOLD MINE TAILINGS STORAGE FACILITY STAGE 2 & 3 (PW GHANA LTD) Accra Shippers Authority House (BEROCK VENTURES) Kempinski Hotel (ZAKHEIM CONSTRUCTION) Construction of Tullow Oil Head Office (DAVID WALTER LTD) ARCHITECTURAL CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR Team Engineering SpA Ghana ADK Consortium MULTICAD PPMC Bricklane CIVIL PROJECT OF THE YEAR Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange (QUEIROZ GALVAO) Tetteh Quarshie Roundabout Overhead Bridge (ASONA ENTERPRISE LTD) Aboadze Costal Projection Works Phase 1 (2 Kilometer Stretch) (XARA Developers) Construction of Shops And Offices for the Tema Development Corporation (BEROCK VENTURES) Sekondi Takoradi Via Kojokrom Suburban Railway Line (TEAM ENGINEERING SpA Ghana) HEALTH, SANITATION & SAFETY EXCELLENCE AWARD Berock Ventures Amandi Construction David Walter Queiroz Galvao MATERIALS DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR K. Gyasi Ltd ATALA Ltd Asuogyaman Company Ltd Builders Accessories Ghana Ltd. RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD XARA Developers PW Ghana Devtraco Regimanuel Gray Ltd CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR Mantrac C. Woermann (Ghana) Ltd CFAO Equipment JA Plant Pool Atlas Copco Ghana CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR Team Engineering SpA Ghana ADK Consortium PPMC PW GHANA LTD ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY COMPANY OF THE YEAR KELM Engineering FAS Consult Artikas Lystra & Derby Int. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY COMPANY OF THE YEAR FAS Consult Arq Engineering Artikas KELM Engineering BEST INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT BANK AWARD GT Bank HFC Unibank Capital Bank CONSTRUCTION COMPANY OF THE YEAR Berock Ventures Queiroz Galvao David Walter Zakheim Construction BEST INDIGENOUS CONSTRUCTION OF THE YEAR Berock Ventures David Walter Ltd Asona Enterprise XARA Developers FOREIGN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY OF THE YEAR Queiroz Galvao Andrade Guiterez Desimone Group Ltd Micheletti & Co CONCRETE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Empire Concrete African Concrete Products Limited Bessblock Concrete Products Ltd. Urban Concrete Limited BLOCK MANUFACTURING COMPANY OF THE YEAR Phastor Limited Bessblock Ltd STEEL COMPANY OF THE YEAR Sethi Steel Tema Steel Steelco INTERIOR HARDWARE DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR West African Decor & Tiles Ltd H & M Timber Ltd Orca Decor Haiflow INNOVATION OF THE YEAR MATERIALS Empire Concrete Jelcem Concrete Phastor Limited EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE HMD-Forewin Mantrac Alburadi Engineering & Trading Co. Atlas Copco CSR INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR Amandi Construction Queiroz Galvao PW Ghana Xara Developers The Minority New Patriotic Party in Parliament has entreated cocoa farmers to dismiss vile propaganda being perpetuated by the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) against the NPP's presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo over the recently announced producer price of cocoa. According to the Minority, activists of the governing NDC are spreading wicked lies in cocoa growing areas that government paid low producer price of GHc475 because Nana Akufo-Addo failed to sign an agreement with international banks for government to get money to higher producer price. Addressing a news conference at Parliament House today, minority spokesperson on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, Dr. Owusu Akoto-Afriyie said government is using the propaganda to cover up its failures to cocoa farmers. government could not go beyond the GHc475; it has nothing to do with Nana Akufo-Addo. The executive wing of government is in charge of cocoa policy exclusively and no opposition member has any influence or whatsoever on that, not even us here as minority in Parliament, we have no influence on how much the government decides to give to producers for their produce. The [Kwaku] Ananse story is meant to throw dust into the eyes of our poor cocoa farmers. Government on October 1, 2016 announced an 11.76% increase in the producer price of cocoa. But some cocoa farmers complained that the amount was too small . Meanwhile some government communicators have blamed the NPP and its flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo for the agitations by the farmers. But Dr. Akoto-Afriyie insisted that Akufo-Addo is innocent. The NDC are tempted to shift the blame for slim wage cocoa prices from themselves unto the innocent NPP flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo. The low producer prices they are paying to cocoa farmers is as a direct result of the fact that the gross proceeds from cocoa exports are riddled with fraud and corruption perpetuated by the NDC government and that is the real reason why they are not providing sufficient incentive to farmers by giving them a remunerative price and that should be made very clear. COCOBOD on chemicals on roads Dr. Akoto-Afriyie also challenged COCOBOD to release full details of the amount it used in constructing cocoa roads in the country as well as fertilizer and other chemicals it claimed it distributed to farmers. The Ghana COCOBOD claims it spent the equivalent of over GHc838 million in 2015/2016 importing and distributing fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals to cocoa farmers and another $150 million on cocoa roads among others. The figure of GHc838 million is nearly twice the total annual budget allocation to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture development in the financial year 2016. So the amount that they claimed they are using to import these chemicals is huge. It will be important for the COCOBOD to provide the names and locations of the farmers and the quantities supplied to them. We don't have any evidence of that and yet they are trumpeting that they spent this amount on chemicals. By: Godwin A. Allotey & Awudu Mahama/citifmonline.com/Ghana Follow @AlloteyGodwin Alhaji Osuman Zakaria Headmaster of Uthman Bin Affan Senior High school 18.10.2016 LISTEN The Headmaster of the Uthman Bin Affan Senior High School(UBASH),Alhaji Osuman Zakaria has appealed to government and Islamic foreign missions in Ghana to come to the aid of the school. According to him, the academic record of the school is one of excellence and was poised to rub shoulders with first class second cycle institutions in the country. The headmaster disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency(GNA) at Kamgbunli in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region when the GNA paid a visit to the school. He told the GNA that as a boarding school,the dormitory as well as classrooms need expansion to be able to accommodate more students from far and near . Touching on the achievements of the school,the headmaster was highly elated that the school continues to distinguish itself creditably in the academic and other fields of endeavour. He said the school chalked 100% in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination(WASSCE) results last year and 98% in this year's results (2016) and is poised to be the champion in the Western Region. Alhaji zakaria recalled that the school had been rated as one of the best ten schools in the Western Region by the Ghana Education Service(GES) since it has achieved remarkable feat in academics,discipline,duty consciousness,sporting activities, as well as placing second in the Osagyefo cup tournament last year. He said the school was yet to undertake an exchange programme with the Durra Institute at Adabraka in Accra and also afford their students the opportunities to visit the Prampram village in Accra during the vacation to learn the Arabic language. The headmaster said as the only Islamic secondary school in the Western Region,it is the mission statement of the school to educate and equip students with the requisite knowledge,skills,social and religious values under conducive environment and committed staff to render selfless service to remain a model Islamic school of excellence in all spheres of education and one of the best senior high schools in Ghana. The school was established in 2008 through a community help spirit spearheaded by Sheik Mozu with 28 students,and has a current population of 286 for forms two and three. There is a long way to go to revitalise the country Democratic governance like the way Nigerian secret police, the Department of State Services DSS, formerly known as Nigerian Security organisation, NSO or State security service SSS dastardly act of impunity of midnight raid;on the homes and arrest of Senior legal luminary; judges in various state and in Nigerian's capital Abuja. The fact of the matter is that Nigeria remains a deeply authoritarian state characterised by the existence of institutions and agency to wield power without accountability. Democracy came peacefully in 1999 after the death of the Maximum military ruler General Sani Abacha and voted in People's Democratic Party PDP under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Since,the authorities are not doing much about the plight of the masses, the electorates voted out the ruinous former ruling party PDP in 2015. How time changes, the ruling All Progressive Congress APC for one , has been known for criticism and change agenda. The sad and sarcasm reality is that in any democracy, inconclusive elections still remains one of the most destructive events capable of derailing any democratic process. I, support the fight against corruptions, and there is no law for the poor and the influential difference, corrupt officials should not be left unpunished but, I repeat the invasion of the judge's homes, the growing brutality by the security forces has shown that General Muhammad Buhari is not a true democrat and it is a clear sign of fragile democracy in the country. A lawless society breeds anarchy and stifles economic development e.g Republic of Somalia and Burundi in East Africa, Central African Republic CAR, South Sudan the newest country in Africa and Syria in the Middle East.etc. Nigeria needs a president that has the willpower and moral rectitude to insist on the rule of law, fight against corruption, security of life and property etc. The All progressive congress APC , cant run away from the things, they promised to the masses before the Presidential election that ushered in the current President, Muhammadu Buhari, which they had failed to address the myriad of social economic probelm bedevilled the nation. Infact, under the present leadership, corruption is re-branded, Nigerian has also undoubtedly struggled to face the challenges created by rising food prices and security challenges caused by the Boko Haram insurgency, militants in the oil rich Niger Delta region, Kidnapping in South-East, Smuggling and thuggery (Area boys) in the west and the fulani herdsmen bandits expansionist in the Northern part of the country. President Buhari, GCON a former military Head of state that ruled brief in the early 80's since coming to power for the second time in 2015 has ruled autocratically but still lavished by aid from the West mainly because he is not Dr . Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. It is noteworthy and commendable that Dr Jonathan GCON, lived up to his campaigns promises, when he told the electorates, if he failed the Presidential election in 2015 he will concede defeats, which he did when Independent National Electoral Commission INEC announced the results of the winner, been a highly regarded learned man.is an important achievement for Nigerian democracy. Overtime, President Buhari political pedigree has wane. Nigerian's are asking themselves again after the wind of changes in 2015; if the polls will be free and fair in 2019. For me, the greatest crime now being perpetuate by the ruling All Progressive Congress ACP is the failure to carry everybody along in their fight against corruption. This principles of one-sided fight didn't encourage democracy and better governance for once prosperous giant of African continent. In brief, Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and remains abject poverty because of catastrophic failure of leadership at the saddle of power, amidst rich mineral resources. Only a few Senators at the national assembly were prepared to stand - up and tell the executive, respectfully but steady that he needs to improve the ailing economy. Nigerian's founding fathers principles of democracy with intellectual leadership has been eroded because of complicated characters in Nigeria political scene in 1999. Nigeria needs a President who is a true democract with a listenig ear and relates well with the citizenry. Change is possible if all of us think, in oneness without bias and favouritism of one party loyalist. Democracies around the world do not go to war against each other, if their leadership , have the enabling people with strong incentives to maintain the peace, rule of law for the development of the society. Jinbobaraye Karibo-Nelson, JP, SCIPM, FECRMI, A social commentator and security analyst, a senior member Chartered Institute of Public Management Nigeria, Full member Emergency, Crisis and Risk Management Institute of Nigeria. Writes from Ogu Town, Rivers State, Port Harcourt Nigeria. via [email protected], www . Karibonelson.com The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo will tomorrow [Wednesday] resume his campaign ahead of the elections with a four-day tour in the Ashanti region. Speaking to Citi News, the party's Regional General Secretary, indicated that the necessary security arrangements have already been put in place for the tour of the NPP strong hold and the relevant constituencies have been informed. Nana Addo with the Asantehene during his last tour of the Ashanti Region Nana Addo who has already toured some constituencies in the region is expected to visit constituencies like Manhyia, Bosome-Freho, Adansi-Asokwa, New Edubiase among others this time around. Mr. Pyne noted that, basically he is going to be meeting with party faithful, sympathisers and supporters who will be listening to the message of hope that he brings. He will also move in and talk to traditional authorities including the leadership of Zongo communities and some traditional leaders within the region, the regional General Secretary added. Nana Akufo-Addo would be making his way to the region that gave him almost 72 percent of its votes in 2012 after returning from a a four-day private trip to Germany and the United Kingdom. Mr. Pyne outlined some of the concerns of the people of Kumasi have and said the NPP and its manifesto plans to address them. The people of Kumasi are telling us that they need jobs to do. They need improvement in the national health insurance that is failing them and killing lots of them. They are telling us about the hike in tariffs that is killing them and collapsing businesses. Follow the hashtag #GhElections on Social Media for election related stories By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana Despite conflicts and instability in some parts, Africas fast growth and development, at least during the past decade, has attracted several external countries mainly from Asian region, European Union (EU) and the United States. In this special interview, David Shinn, an Adjunct Professor in the Elliott School of International Affairs, a former U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, and who previously served as a Director of the Office of East African Affairs in Washington, explains some ways to engage Africa. He further discusses the important institutional differences in each BRICS member countries that impact on the implementation of policies in Africa, whether to compete or cooperate jointly on development infrastructure projects, and finally identifies the tools and tactics some countries use to achieve their respective goals on the continent. Professor Shinn spoke recently with Kester Kenn Klomegah, an independent research writer on Russia-African affairs. Interview excerpts follow: Q: How unique is East Africa and the Horn for foreign investors and who are the proactive countries there? David Shinn: This region, especially the Horn of Africa, has more than its share of conflict, which poses a special challenge for foreign investors. The three East African countriesKenya, Tanzania, and Uganda--have been more successful in attracting foreign investment because they have experienced less conflict in recent years and made a special effort to reach out to foreign investors. The investment has come from a variety of countries including the United Kingdom, Netherlands, India, Canada, South Africa, China, United States, Germany, and France. The Horn of Africa is witnessing a growing amount of investment from the Gulf States, but political instability is limiting investor interest. Before the independence of South Sudan, there was considerable investment in Sudans oil sector by China, India, and Malaysia. While that investment remains, it is now shared between Sudan and South Sudan. Conflict in South Sudan has stopped new investment. Somalia and Somaliland attract investment from the Somali diaspora but foreign countries have been reluctant to go into both entities for different reasons. Somalia is not sufficiently stable and Somaliland is not recognized internationally and, therefore, poses legal challenges for potential investors. While Djibouti and Eritrea are politically stable, their markets are too small to attract significant foreign investment. Of all the countries in the Horn, Ethiopia has in recent years been the recipient of most foreign investment from countries such as China, Turkey, Bangladesh and the Netherlands. Political protests that began last summer are beginning, however, to impact foreign investment. A number of foreign investments were destroyed during the most recent protests concerning a range of grievances. This will discourage others from coming. Q: China is still leading with investment in infrastructure, but are the United States and European Union competing or cooperating with China? Shinn: China is the largest builder of infrastructure in Africa today, but this is not foreign direct investment. These are contracts with Chinese state-owned companies financed by loans from Chinese government institutions, the African Development Bank, World Bank, etc. In some cases, the African governments finance the projects. Once the infrastructure project is completed, China almost never has any ownership involvement. Hence, it is not foreign direct investment, but a commercial deal financed by loans that have to be paid back by the African government. Private US and European companies are in a much weaker position to win these contracts because they have less access to financing from their own governments and tend to submit higher bids than Chinese companies. There are exceptions such as the Italian company that is building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile. In any event, this is an area where the US and European Union compete with China. There are areas where China, the US, and EU cooperate. All three seek political stability in Africa and cooperate on UN peacekeeping operations, African Union efforts to achieve peace such as in South Sudan, and the anti-piracy campaign in the Gulf of Aden. There is occasional collaboration on aid projects, but there is room for much more, especially in the areas of health and agriculture. All three parties have partnered with Africa to achieve development and they all want to see Africa succeed economically. There is one area of major difference. The US and EU, to varying degrees, encourage open political systems, the rule of law, and free and fair elections in Africa. China is satisfied with whatever form of government exists in a particular African country and has no desire to be critical of any governmental system. African governments prefer the Chinese approach; many African civil society organizations prefer the US and EU approach. Q: In your view, can Russia (a member of BRICS) make any practical and effective headway into the region? Shinn: The short answer is yes and, to some extent, it has. Following the end of the Cold War, Russia pulled back sharply from Africa, although it maintained most of its diplomatic missions there. Serious economic problems in Russia prevented it from reengaging in Africa until relatively recently. There has been an increase in Russian investment in Africa, especially North Africa and several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. There are prospects for greater Russian investment in Africa. Russian trade with Africa has been especially disappointing. In 2014, it exported $9.3 billion to Africa, most to North Africa, and imported $2.8 billion from Africa. This is less trade than Turkey has with Africa. Russia is energy self-sufficient; Africa just does not have much that Russia wants to buy. This situation is not likely to change any time soon. At the political level, Russia has demonstrated minimal high-level interest in Africa. Until it makes a decision to pay more high-level attention to Africa, it is difficult to see greater engagement at the political level. For the time being, Russia is preoccupied with Syria, Ukraine, and relations with China and the US. I doubt that it will be in a position in the foreseeable future to devote much attention to Africa. Q: Whats the best way for foreign countries to engage Africa? Shinn: I assume your question about the best way to engage Africa refers to engagement by governments outside Africa. If so, I think the process should be as follows. First, foreign governments should determine what kind of engagement individual African governments prefer. The foreign government must then decide if it is prepared to engage in that manner. If not, it should explain frankly to the African government why not. If the engagement sought by the African government is the kind of interaction that the foreign government is prepared to do, then both sides should discuss the details. At this point, it is essential that the foreign government not mislead the African government that it can do more than is, in fact, the case. Western governments, compared to statist driven governments, have a handicap because so much Western engagement comes from the private sector, which Western governments do not control. This handicap also applies to a number of non-Western governments. Q: Now, looking at BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), are there institutional differences in implementing business policies in Africa? Shinn: There are institutional differences among the BRICS. The private sector is proportionally much more important in India, Brazil, and South Africa than is the case in China and Russia. The state-owned sector of the economy is especially important in the case of China. BRICS business practices and the degree to which their governments control business practices vary widely from one member to another. Unlike many Western countries, however, none of the BRICS attaches political strings to their business engagements although they all, to varying degrees, impose economic conditions. These conditions include, for example, infrastructure loans tied to construction companies from the offering country and contractual arrangements for a percentage of labor from the offering country. Q: Can BRICS members, say for example Brazil, China or India, compete or cooperate with Russia on development projects in Africa? Shinn: I believe there are cases where BRICS members have already competed for winning contracts in Africa. This has especially been the case between India and China in the petroleum sector. While I dont know of specific examples involving Russia, I would be surprised if Russia has not competed against another BRICS country for winning a contract in Africa. By its very nature, business interaction usually involves competition. At the same time, companies from two different BRICS member countries can team up in their effort to win a contract or start a business in Africa. The area where there is more likely to be cooperation is foreign aid. China and Brazil have been cooperating on agricultural research in Africa. Theoretically, all BRICS members, including Russia, could cooperate on a development project financed by two or more BRICS members. The BRICS New Development Bank has approved its first package of four loans to Brazil, China, South Africa, and India worth some US$811 million. They are all in the field of renewable energy; South Africa received a loan for US$180 million. This is an example of cooperation but, so far, only to the benefit of BRICS members. Q: Do they have strategic differences that make it difficult for a unified approach in Africa? Shinn: I believe the BRICS have strategic differences that will complicate a unified approach in Africa. Each BRICS member country has its own interests in Africa. Each one has a different development model and political system. The size of their respective economies varies enormously from Chinas nominal GDP of US$11.4 trillion to Russias US$1.1 trillion and South Africas US$266 billion. These countries have more differences than they have commonalities. I dont believe this will result often in unity of action. Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah, an independent research writer on Russia-African affairs. Some residents in Kpasa in the Nkwanta North Constituency in the Volta region are threatening to vote against President John Mahama if the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) fails to construct some roads in the region. The residents in the region say several attempts to get government to fix their roads have proved futile. Speaking at a gathering of some chiefs and residents in the area ahead of President Mahamas speech delivery, the paramount chief, Ubor Tasan Gonja VI therefore appealed to government to construct the roads. Ubor talked about the 25km Nkwanta -Kpasa road which is in a deplorable state adding that his subjects would vote massively for the President in the general elections if these promises are fulfilled. We have a number of concerns we wish to lay before you. First and foremost, among them is the need for urgent action to be taken on the 25 kilometers Kpasa stretch on the Eastern corridor roads. This concern has become more alarming especially when Dedo Pepeso to Nkwanta stretch has been completed and the Daamongo to Bimbilla strech is also being worked on. Poor roads in Volta Region Earlier this year [2016] President Mahama in his State of the Nation Address claimed that some roads , including Hohoe roads in the Volta Region had been constructed. Citi News' checks however revealed that the only roads in the Hohoe Township that had been given minor face-lift, were roads that were done four years ago. By: Marian Ansah/Norbert Akpabli/citifmonline.com/Ghana President John Mahama says his government's good performance is not reaching Ghanaians because some persons in the media are sieving them out. He explained, Certain group has taken control of the media and they are skillful to the point that they repel information about governments achievements. We have taken access to water from 58 percent in 2008 to 78 percent today. Small town water systems, boreholes all across this country have been constructed. We have eradicated guinea worm, he said, adding criticisms leveled against him are mere populism. The President made these remarks when he granted an exclusive interview with Ovation International Magazine at the Flagstaff House. Refresh the page for more... Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com As the US has lost more international status and influence since the global financial crisis in 2008, the international community is raising doubts about its leadership and ability to contribute to the world, an expert said, analyzing that such a decline of influence can be attributed to some deep-seated reasons, including its self-willed overseas military operations. Since the financial crisis, the US can neither provide effective solutions to a host of global challenges, nor sustain its control over other countries, Zhang Ruizhuang, Director of the Center of American Studies at Nankai University, wrote in an article published in the Peoples Daily on Sunday. In the commentary titled The City upon a Hill is not there any more, he gave an in-depth analysis on the reasons of such changes. Zhang says that A City upon a Hill, often cited by American politicians as their political creed, verified the self-labelling of the arrogant Americans as God's Chosen Ones to lead the world. After the Cold War, the preaching about the superiority of its values brought US much popularity and pulled the country to a commanding stage. But it over-consumed its accumulated political capital during the last quarter of the 20th century, which resulted in a decline in its global influence, Zhang said, adding that the most destructive threat to its dropping status can be attributed to overseas military operations. After the Soviet Union collapsed with the end of the Cold War, the US dominated the world and launched a series of capricious measures. With the excuse of protecting democracy, human rights and the world order, Uncle Sam trampled on the post-war international law based on the UN Charter and norms governing global relations by bringing the flames of war to many parts of the world. Panama, Somalia, Haiti and Kosovo are all victims of such wars waged by the superpower. With a made-up excuse, it pulled Iraq into a war and this political farce finally brought the latter millions of civilian casualties, endless terrorist attacks and ceaseless disturbance. What the US gained, after it paid a price of trillions of dollars for the war, was a hotbed for terrorist organizations which in turn threatened the security of itself and other Western countries. The war against Iraq ultimately turned out to be a foolish one that not only crumbled its diplomatic morality, but undermined its own strategic interests, Zhang concluded. Despite the lessons, the US never gave up every opportunity to start color revolutions. Its attacks on Libya and Syria, once again, dragged these nations into raging wars. Whats worse, as a result of the wars, a number of regulation vacuums provided ISIS and other religious extremist organizations a bed in which to grow stronger. The US, its Western allies, as well as the whole world, are now swallowing the sour fruits resulted from its self-willed deed, he added. According to the scholar, apart from its frequent diplomatic mistakes, its economy, politics and society, in which the Americans once took pride, are all in a predicament, arising more doubts over the superiority of the US system. The global financial crisis breaking out in 2008 exposed the defects of capitalism once again. It brought to light not only the failure of Keynesian policy to narrow the wealth gap and boost effective demand, but the greed and corruption of financial executives, the ineffectiveness of financial supervision, plus the governments shielding of tycoons. The US public felt shock, despair and anger towards such defects, and the ensuing Occupy Wall Street movement is one of their ways to express dissatisfaction. The protest wave later spilled to other part of the world, triggering worldwide query over the US system and its values. Zhang also criticized US domestic politics, citing its notorious presidential election system as an example. Manipulated by capital, the winner takes all election system in many states gives no chance to other newborn parties besides the two major parties. The American elections of the past two to three decades have been more like technical games. The candidates now focus more on technical details for the sake of more votes rather than their political ideas and governance philosophies, and the whole process has fallen into personal attacks between the two candidates, he added. Coupled with some other faults, the US and even the whole world began to question on the effectiveness of US democracy, as well as its leader selected in such a flawed way. The article analyzed that one key reason for its flopping election lies in a lack of innovative governing ideas. Barely stimulated by major crisis, US society tends to be mediocre and conservative about its ideas, the commentary further explained, adding that the prevailing philosophy of so-called political correctness also created an unfavorable environment for the candidates to come up with new ideas acceptable to the public. Lack of foresighted candidates with outstanding capability is another reason for its unsuccessful election, Zhang wrote. He explained that some capable politicians are not willing to embarrass themselves on the election stage at the cost of their privacy and that of their family as the butt of jokes. As a result, the world was presented with an election farce performed by the two unqualified and big-mouth candidates selected by the two parties, the author concluded. It is obvious that the US is seeing a decline in terms of both prestige and influence, but such a drop is not so eye-catching as it has no strong competitors yet. It would be a complicated historic path, the scholar said, calling for more attention to the course of the world pattern. Disqualified presidential nominee for the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), Henry Herbert Lartey described as 'petty', claims by former President Jerry Rawlings that the GCPP's petition for investigations for fraud is being sponsored by detractors of the Rawlingses. Mr. Lartey petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) to investigate the former president over some $2 million he received from the late Nigerian leader, General Sani Abacha. Rawlings, who have said that the money was not a bribe but was used in organization of an upcoming election. Rawlings recently called the bluff of Mr Henry Lartey saying he was ready to subject himself to various tests to prove his innocence. Why are people worried about the level of integrity we've tried to maintain? We say we are Christians; we swear on the bible, Muslims on the Koran; I'd like to invite people like him (Lartey) that we go traditional as well [Let us] invite the white man's technology (lie detector) to also come and verify the truthfulness, the integrity of my word. And for him [Henry Herbert Lartey] to be simply asked who paid him to do what he did?, he said when some queen mothers paid a courtesy call on him earlier this week. He further alleged that Henry Lartey was being sponsored by some political elements to tarnish his image but at a counter media briefing today [Tuesday], Mr Lartey said his actions were based on his desire for the truth. He said he had submitted more evidence against Rawlings to CHRAJ and was ready to reveal more damning information about the former President Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings on the matter. There is a lot to say about him and his wife, the corruption that has gone on in this country If he's got those facts he should come out and tell us who has paid me, my father left me a lot of assets and nobody can pay me to do what he's claiming, he said. By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana The National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the Bortianor Ngleshi Amanfrom Constituency, Bright Demodzi, is fighting a losing battle ahead of the 2016 polls, a constituency executive has said. Citi News Constituency Watch team revealed the rift between the MP, his executives and the NDC supporters on the ground and now the NDC's constituency Organizer, Mawuyeram Emmanuel Kojo Asae, has said it will take a miracle for him to win back the seat. In an interview with Citi News Umaru Sanda Amadu, he said, he [Demodzi] himself does not realize that this point, he has already lost the seat he has already lost the seat on the ground. It will take a miracle for my MP to win the seat. Mr. Asae comments come after being called politically immature by Mr. Demodzi publicly criticising the MP without resorting to party structures. Asae will still campaign for Demodzi Despite the criticism and the bleak outlook of the NDC MP's chances, Mr. Asae said he was still campaigning for Mr. Demodzi as that is still his duty to the NDC. He explained that,there is no way I can campaign for anybody It is my job as a constituency executive to defend the party and I am doing that because I have to campaign for my President and campaign for my MP whether he has lost already. Mr. Asae however continued with the pessimism by likening the Bortianor Ngleshi Amanfrom constituency, a stronghold of the NDC, to strongholds of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti Region. There are constituencies in the Ashanti Region that we know we can never win those seats but normally we try to do campaign there. It is also done to get more votes for the President. That is exactly what we are doing, he said. Demodzi immature for not sensing defeat Only four of the 27 constituency executives are solidly behind Mr. Demodzi, according to Mr. Asae and he believes the MP is exhibiting his own degree of naivete and political immaturity if he cannot see the impending defeat. So if you have a team of 27 and only for are following you. Others are also campaigning on different platforms and up till now it is not clear to you that you are losing the election or you have lost in advance then I am surprised. I don't even know if he is the premature politician or a premature born politician because he should understand and know the fact that election is about numbers, the constituency Organsier stated. By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmnline.com/Ghana Mogadishu (AFP) - Fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group launched a major attack on a strategic town near Mogadishu on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people, including civilians, before retreating. Witnesses and officials reported heavy clashes between Shabaab militants and Somali troops in Afgoye, which lies just 30 kilometres (18 miles) northwest of the capital Mogadishu. The main target of the assault was a police post attacked with a car packed with explosives, and Somali army posts. Heavy exchanges of fire were also heard around the town. The Shabaab fighters pulled out before troops from the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Somalia, AMISOM, arrived. "The terrorists have retreated back from the town and the situation is back to normal, Somali government forces are now in full control," local police official Abdukadir Ahmed said by phone. "We don't have the exact number of casualties so far but we have seen the dead bodies of more than 10 people, including civilians, who were killed in the attack." He said the attackers also suffered casualties. AMISOM confirmed on Twitter that a car bomb had been used to target a police post but said Somali forces had held their position, waiting for reinforcements. Witnesses said the Shabaab fighters left town and dead bodies were strewn in some roads. "Shabaab fighters left the police station and other locations they have taken this afternoon, there are dead bodies and I saw 11 of them at our neighbourhood. Somali and AMISOM soldiers are now in some parts of the town," Abdirisak Isgowe, a resident, said. Another resident, Fadumo Wariri, said most of those killed perished in the blast, and most were soldiers. Shabaab claim A statement from Shabaab said they had killed 35 government soldiers and seized a sizeable quantity of military equipment from the posts it attacked. It was not immediately clear whether the main aim of the Shabaab operation was to seize equipment or to show they were capable of launching attacks at will, even in daylight. The attack on Afgoye, which lies at a strategic crossroads of routes heading north, west and south into Somalia, shows the country's continuing fragility. On Saturday the UN humanitarian agency said a week of violent clashes in northern Somalia had left 11 people dead and driven more than 50,000 people to flee. In just a few weeks Somalia is due to hold elections that it is hoped will bring a measure of stability to the conflict-plagued nation. The Shabaab has fought to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu since 2007, losing control of the capital in 2011 before losing other bastions such as Afgoye. By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA Accra, Oct. 18, GNA - Africa's most profitable and Largest Airline Ethiopian Airline, has been adjudged the Airline of the year (International) at the 27th edition of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana National Performance Awards in Accra. Ethiopian Airlines was chosen for being the best in Strategic Marketing amongst all Airlines in Ghana. The theme for the event was: 'Democracy and National Cohesion; Marketing a New Political Paradigm.' The citation accompanying the awards reads: 'With an impressive and proactive approach to marketing and sales activities, where are synonymous with your day to day operations, you have won some admirers in our team of evaluator.' It also said in the face of stiff competition from other airlines, you were deemed the deserving winner with your effective and revealing strategies, which ultimately won you a place above your competitors. The citation said 'in a bid to keep your customers sold, you left no stone unturned by acquiring new state-of - the-art aircrafts and by so doing opening up new destinations within the African continent and beyond with your newly acquired B7B7 and 777 model aircraft'. Ethiopian Airlines, which prides itself as the new Spirit of Africa and has been providing Africa with access to over 94 destinations all over the world including Direct flights to far flung places like Japan, Los Angeles in US and Brazil. Being the first Airline to fly the B787 Dreamliner and the new Airbus A350 in Africa Ethiopian Airlines has served Ghana with World class products. Genet Michael, General Manager of Ethiopian Airlines in Ghana said the award went a long way to support the patronage from the Ghanaian passengers. She said the Airline had received a lot of support from the passengers in the last one year. 'ET started 2015 with a B737 and later improved to a B787 last year and now using a B777 showing a growing patronage and appreciation of the Ethiopian Airline world class services,' she added. She said as a Star Alliance member Ethiopian Airlines connected its customers to more than 1200 destinations globally, where it flew to more than 50 destinations in Africa. Mrs Michael said: "We are happy that people are recognising the effort Ethiopian Airlines puts in to serve Ghana and its wonderful people.' The awards covered seven major areas: personalities, hall of fame, media/MARCOMS organisations, products, not-for-profit organisations, business organisations and special category. GNA By GNA Reporter Accra, Oct. 18, GNA - Ethiopian Airlines, the fastest growing and the largest Cargo operator in Africa, has won the Rising Star Carrier of the Year Award, for the second year in a row, at the 5th Payload Asia Awards 2016 held in Hong Kong. Payload Asia 2016 honours the very best in the Air Cargo Industry; confronting and overcoming the manifold challenges in the air cargo sector by creating innovative products and services and delivering real value to customers. A statement issued Accra by Mrs Hanna Atnafu, Manager Corporate Communications, Ethiopian Airlines said Ethiopian had pulled off a repeated performance by winning the Industry Choice Awards, where 90 nominees competed with more than 31, 500 online votes cast in 20 award categories. Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, Ethiopian Group CEO remarked: 'We are proud that Payload Asia has once again recognised our Cargo Services.' He said Ethiopian Cargo was one of the seven strategic business units of the Group, established to progress as an independent profit centre as per their 15 years' growth map, Vision 2025. He said to peruse their position of being the largest Cargo service provider in Africa, management have been investing millions of dollars on their Cargo Services; deploying the best freighter fleet in the world, the B777-200 LR freighters; expanding their cargo destinations across the globe. Mr GebreMariam said the Airline was also building one of the largest cargo terminals in the world with 1.2 million annual capacities; and automating their entire cargo business process with one of the best Cargo information technology systems with the aim of providing one of the most efficient air cargo services within, to and from Africa. Ethiopian Cargo currently operates to 35 destinations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe using six B777 and two B757 freighters. The Airline also carries freight in the belly of wide body passenger aircraft, B777/B787, to 94 destinations across the Globe. GNA 18.10.2016 LISTEN By George-Ramsey Benamba, GNA Kpando (V/R), Oct. 18, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama on Monday began a campaign tour of the Volta Region, with a call on his political opponents to stop throwing dusts into the eyes of the electorate on the performance of the government. He said although his administration had provided numerous development projects in the areas of good drinking water, health, education, roads and electricity and yet his political opponents are still going on with viral propaganda that the National Democratic Congress had not done anything, particularly in the Volta Region. "Since 2012, we have fixed a number of projects such as roads, water projects, education and health and yet some people keep throwing dust into the eyes of the electorate that we are not doing anything." President Mahama who was inaugurating an expanded water supply project in Kpando said his government would never forsake the people of the Region. The water project, which used to produce a paltry 130,000 gallons of water a day would now produce a minimum of 1.5 million gallons of water daily to serve the Kpando township, Torkor, Nkonya and Anfoega townships. A total of 50 stand pipes have also been constructed to make the commodity available to consumers that were not having water projects in their homes. The President said apart from providing water to numerous communities in the Kpando Municipality, the $13 million project would also provide a floating intake project that would work according to the water levels at the project. President Mahama said government had also constructed 110 kilometres of pipelines for the water supply to the communities with a booster station that would ensure constant supply of water uptill 2025. He said although the project had been handed over to the Ghana Water Company for management, government would enjoy a year's defect period, where the contractor would repair any damage that would occur within the period. On the availability of water in the entire Region, President Mahama said government had moved availability of the commodity from 39.74 in 2012 to 70 per cent, a figure he added would soar up to 78 when all projects under construction were completed. He said the Region would in the next few days exceed the national average figure of 76 per cent and called on the recipients to make judicious use of the facility by maintaining it to serve a number of generations. On the Kpando township development, the President announced that the township roads had been awarded on contract to be asphalted, while the Kpando traffic-Torkor road would also receive attention for construction. Togbe Ackom VIII, Paramount Chief of Kpando commended President Mahama for development projects such as the provision of water, and the expansion projects at the Bishop Herman College, Kpando Senior High School and Kpando Technical Institute. He said the provision of buses to the schools and medical equipment to the government hospital and other health facilities in the Municipality were phenomenal. On the first day of his campaign tour, President Mahama was expected to inaugurate a Community Day Senior High School at Kwamekrom, address rallies at Dambai, Borae and interact with chiefs at Krachi-Nchumuru. GNA 18.10.2016 LISTEN By Joyce Danso, GNA Accra, Oct. 18, GNA - The case of a 22-year-old mason who allegedly strangled a seven- year old girl to death after having sex with her, has been adjourned to November 7, for committal proceedings to begin by the State. The process would enable Lucas Agboyie to start trial at the High Court. Agboyie who is being held for murder however has asked journalists to pray for him to be forgiven. Agboyie, whose plea had been preserved, said this while journalists took pictures of him as he entered the Police vehicle and whisked away to custody. At the court, Mrs Francisca Tete-Mensah, Principal State Attorney prayed for a date to enable the Police deliver by hand a copy of the docket to the Attorney General's (AG's) office. This she said would enable them put together the Bill of Indictment, summary of evidence and list of exhibits. Mrs Tete-Mensah recounted that since the last sitting, the case docket has not been sent to the AG's office as the case investigator was sent on another national assignment in the Northern Region, which lasted more than a week. The Principal State Attorney however said on his arrival, the case investigator had promised to deliver the docket by hand instead of a dispatch rider. The dispatch rider, she noted could not facilitate sending of the docket to the AG faster. The court presided over by Mr Ebenezer Kweku Ansah quizzed prosecution as to which method of delivery would be faster. According to the court from the submission of prosecution if the use of a dispatch rider was not fast enough, it wondered how the hand delivery would be. At last sitting prosecution had indicated that Agboyie would be tried summarily for defilement. The murder of the victim took place at Kubekro No one, near Atadeka in the Ashaiman Municipality. The case of prosecution is that the deceased, Ruth Ankomah, was a class one pupil of Meshach Academy School at Zenu, in Ashaiman. The accused person lives 200 meters away from the deceased's house. On April 19, last year, at about 0800 hours, the deceased's mother prepared porridge and gave her GHa 20.00 to go and purchase bread at a nearby shop for breakfast. The Prosecution said having waited for a long time without Ruth's return; she became alarmed and searched for her in the area, but to no avail. Later, an informant told her that he saw the accused person pulling the victim into his metal container. The search team marched to the container but the accused was nowhere to be found. However, they found the naked body of the victim lying in a supine position on an old student mattress with blood oozing from her nostrils and mouth. The search team nabbed Agboyie during the search and he confessed to killing the girl after having sex with her. The Prosecution said the accused, during the interrogation, said he wanted to have sex with the victim but she screamed, hence he strangled her after, which he had sex with her. The Police, during their visit to the scene, saw bruises on the neck of the deceased, with her vagina swollen, while her pant, sandals and dress were lying beside her. Agboyie has been remanded into lawful custody. GNA By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA Cape Coast, Oct.18, GNA - Mr Mahama Ayariga, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, has said Ghana needs $22.6 billion in investments from domestic and international public and private sources to finance its 31 Programme of Action on climate mitigation and adaptation. He said $6.3 billion of the amount was expected to be mobilised from domestic sources, while the remaining $16.3 billion would come from international support. He said the implementation of the actions was expected to help attain low carbon and climate resilience through effective adaptation and greenhouse gas emission reduction in the seven priority sectors. Mr Ayariga said this in a speech, read on his behalf, at a forum dubbed: 'Regional Road Show on Paris Agreement', as part of efforts by the Ministry to create awareness and sensitise the public on the Paris Agreement. At the 21st Session of the Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the parties, including Ghana, adopted a new Climate Change Agreement dubbed: 'Paris Agreement', with the aim of enhancing ambitions to reduce Green House Gas Emissions to two degrees target. Mr Ayariga said the impact of climate change on food security and water supply could not be underestimated, hence the need for immediate actions to be taken to address the situation. The forum, therefore, was to solicit views from traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations and the public on how to collectively implement the Paris Agreement. It is associated with the post 2015 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the Ghana's Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC). An INDC is the Government's proposed 'contribution' to the UNFCCC as to what it will do about climate change. It contains 20 Mitigation and 11 Adaptation Programme of Actions in seven priority economic sectors for the implementation in a 10-year period, from 2020 to 2030. It is to showcase the achievements in the various districts and communities for others to emulate and to build on such initiatives as well as getting feedback for early implementation of the Paris Agreement. Mr Ayariga, therefore, urged the traditional leaders, industries and all stakeholders to support the fight against climate change. He gave the assurance the Ministry and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would be available to provide the necessary technical support to ensure that the country became climate resilient. Mr Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, the Central Regional Minister, stated that Climate Change had a linkage between land degradation, which was one of the major environmental challenges in the Region. For that matter, he said, the Region could not remain unconcerned about climate change programmes considering its devastating and glaring impacts and urged the stakeholders to play their respective roles in the fight against it. The President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, Obirempon Nyanful Krampa XI, said a lot of people were engaged in activities that destroyed the environment. He, therefore, called for more specific laws and their enforcement to protect the environment. GNA 18.10.2016 LISTEN Accra, Oct. 18, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Monday convicted the five ex-Multimedia Group sales persons who were involved in financial malfeasance. The Sale Executives pleaded guilty to the charges of stealing, forgery of documents, abetment of crime, and alteration of forged documents. Solomon Nii Lartey, charged for forgery of documents, alteration of forged documents, abetment of crime and stealing, was fined GHa960.00 or in default serve three years in prison. Fiifi Aggrey, Desdy Yaw Owusu, Samuel Boamah, and Ernest Kwakye Asare Justice Yaw Atta Sarpong all charged for stealing were all convicted to a fine of GHa1,200.00 each or in default would serve two years in prison. The accused persons have also refunded the more than GHa94,000.00 they owed the company. The court presided over by Mr Yaw Atta Sarpong, also issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Albert Tetteh Botchway, while the case was adjourned to November 9, for the trial of Jacklord Laryea who pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing. The facts of the case as presented by Police Inspector Christiana are that the complainant is a Chief Financial Officer with the Multimedia Group Limited, while, Solomon, Fiifi, Desdy, Samuel and Ernest are all Sales Executives, and Albert and Jacklord are both Private Security Officers. She said in August, the complainant noticed during its routine checks on the company's account with the Ecobank Ghana Limited, Abeka Branch that one of their clients had made some payment to the venture through Cal Bank Ghana Limited. This aroused the suspicion of the company and when enquiries were made it came out that another Multimedia group limited account had been opened and operated by Solomon at Ecobank, Lapaz branch. The prosecution said a report was made to the police and Solomon was arrested. During interrogation he told the police that he forged the Multimedia Group limited letter head and other documents requested for the account opening at busy internet, but could not lead the police to arrest the one who aided him. She said Solomon stated that he sold the idea about the account to Solomon, Fiifi, Desdy, Samuel and Ernest who also started transacting business through that account with cheques issued in the name of Multimedia by their clients and succeeded in stealing various sums of monies. GNA China recently addressed its firm opposition of the choice of Slovakian President Andrej Kiska to meet with the visiting Dalai Lama. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Oct. 17 that China is opposed to officials from any country engaging with the Dalai Lama in any form, as he has long been engaged in anti-China separatist activities, conspiring to sever Tibet from China. China said the actions of Kiska were in violation of the "One China" policy that Slovakia pledged to uphold, according to Hua Chunying, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a press conference. A post on Kiska's Facebook page on Oct. 16 included pictures of the meeting, as well as a note from the president describing it as a "privilege," Reuters reported. "The Slovakian president undermined Chinas core interests and sabotaged the political foundation for China-Slovakia relations," said Hua. China urges the Slovakian side to see through the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai clan, to respect Chinas core interests, to hold fast to the One China policy, and to take effective measures to prevent fallout from this damaging act so that China-Slovakia relations can resume sound, steady development. By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA Cape Coast Oct. 18, GNA - Stakeholder institutions in the Arts and Culture industry have been urged to utilise the prolific and unique cultural troupes across the country to promote the Ghanaian cultural heritage. Mr John Kuubeterzie, the Founder and Director of AFRIMUDA, a Cape Coast based-cultural troupe, said this when he gave a lecture on the topic' Reshaping the Image of Private Cultural Troupes, a case study of AFRIMUDA Foundation', as part of activities to mark its first anniversary. AFRIMUDA, an acronym of African Music and Dance, was established in 2013, and officially launched in 2015, with the aim of helping vulnerable youth in the Cape Coast Metropolis to acquire some entrepreneurial skills to cope with the complementary challenges through arts and culture. It has four main entrepreneurial training areas; batik tie and dye production, sewing and fashion design, video and graphic design technology and sound and music production technology. Mr Kuubeterzie, said the cultural troupes were supposed to be important sources of information for the rising number of music and dance students, who needed to research into Ghanaian music and dance. However, he noted, institutions such as the Centre for National Culture (CNC), the Ghana Education Service, as well as the research institutions, particularly the Departments of Music and Dance, had not made much for their maximum utilisation. He said it was imperative for such institutions to effectively collaborate with the cultural troupes to give music students and interested individuals practical experience and also make them realise the prospects of music and dance. Lack of such collaborations, he said, had compelled many first class students of music and dance to venture into other disciplines because they could not create anything substantial for themselves in the cultural setting outside the University. Mr Kuubeterzie also observed that though activities of the cultural troupes complemented the efforts of chiefs in promoting culture, chieftaincy institutions did not show much interest towards developing the industry but often stigmatised them. He said the Arts and Culture industry had been marginalised for too long, saying: 'In this contemporary time it is incumbent on all Ghanaians to appreciate the work of the performing arts industry. 'We need to look ahead of time and be proactive, gone are the days when people attributed alcoholism and promiscuity to the performing arts industry, but today, it is a big profession. 'People go to the university to study to become musicians and professional dancers, artistes in theatre art, lecturers at the University and to head big institutions'. Mr Kuubeterzie said AFRIMUDA Foundation had embarked on musical tours both at the national and international levels to showcase and promote the cultural heritage of Ghana through performances and workshops with just a year in existence. He said the Foundation, through its strategic programmes, had given hope and confidence to the otherwise 'hopeless' in the society as a result of the opportunities gained from the international exposure. A principal research assistant at the Department of Music and Dance of the University of Cape Coast, Mr Amos Asare, said the Department had introduced new music programmes, which he believed would be a stepping stone for its students to fit into the cultural setting outside the university. He also expressed worry about how performing arts had been relegated to the background and the erroneous perception that had been formed about those in the industry. He, however, expressed optimism, saying the future of the industry was still bright, and urged those in the industry to develop a business mindset to be able to succeed in it. GNA 18.10.2016 LISTEN By Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA Takoradi, Oct. 17, GNA - The Central Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Kwamena Duncan, has urged the electorate not to fall for 'juicy' gifts being distributed by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government. He said the government, under the disguise of helping Ghanaians, had been distributing items such as saucepans, outboard motors, gas cylinders and stoves, money and other items, and urged the electorate to vote against the NDC because it had worsened the economic conditions of the majority of Ghanaians. Mr. Kwamena Duncan said this at the campaign launch of the NPP parliamentary candidate for Takoradi, Mr Kobina Okyere Darko Mensah, who is also the incumbent Member of Parliament at the weekend. Mr. Adomako Berfi, Deputy National Communication Director for the NPP, said the ruling NDC government had messed up the economy which was growing at the rate of 3.4 percent, compared to the NPP government under President John Kufuor, which saw the economy growing over eight percent in 2008. He added that the NPP administration introduced social interventions such as the free maternal healthcare, National Health Insurance Scheme, Mass Transport Transit System, the School Feeding Programme, Capitation Grant and the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty which mitigated the suffering of the people. He said the ruling government had managed to collapse these interventions due to bad economic management. Papa Owusu Ankomah, Member of Parliament for Sekondi, entreated NPP supporters and sympathizers to be extra vigilant during the polling day and urged them to put up good character that would attract more members to its fold. Mr. Kobina Okyere Darko Mensah, NPP Member of Parliament for the area, said despite the NDC government touting its achievement of asphalting roads in Takoradi, had constructed only nine kilometres, as compared to 17 kilometres done by the erstwhile NPP government. He said there was high youth unemployment in the twin-city following the collapse of state enterprises such as the West Africa Mill and Cocoa Processing Company (WAMPCO), timber firms, and others which had worsened the unemployment situation. He therefore urged the electorate to vote for him and the NPP presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the December 7 elections to transform the country's economy. GNA 18.10.2016 LISTEN By Gifty Amofa/Rachel Fosuah Osei, GNA Brofoyedu (Ash), Oct 18, GNA - Commissioner of Police (COP) Kofi Boakye, the Ashanti Regional Commander, has pledged the resolve of the police to go the extra mile to assure everybody of adequate security protection. Performing the ceremony to inaugurate a newly built police station at Brofoyedru in the Atwima-Kwanwoma District, he said they would do everything to protect lives and property. He gave the assurance that the officers would continue to perform their duties professionally - firm and even-handed. The project was funded by the district assembly as part of the drive to improve security in the area. It comes with a charge office, offices for the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the station officer, male and female cells, washrooms and a store room. COP Boakye used the occasion to counsel the political parties and their supporters to get right with the law, indicating that, the police would not hesitate to arrest and bring to justice anybody who breached the law. He warned of decisive action against any thugs hired by politicians to intimidate and bully perceived opponents as the nation edged closer to the presidential and parliamentary polls. Nobody should underestimate their determination to protect the peace, to keep the country united and stable, he added. He called for the people to show good understanding and cooperate with them to rein in miscreants in the society, to allow the law-abiding to go about their normal activities without fear. He asked that they flagged up suspicious characters and provided them with credible leads. Mr. Kwabena Nkrumah, the District Chief Executive (DCE), said the assembly stood ready to support the police to effectively perform. He rallied the chiefs and people in the area to join the fight to bring down crime in the area. Nana Yaa Agyemang, the Queen of Brofoyedu, appealed to the police to make sure that they protected the identity of their informants. GNA 18.10.2016 LISTEN Accra, Oct 18, GNA - The Amerley Adjaidoo Heart of Kindness Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, has presented school uniforms, stationery, and school bags valued at GH7000.00 to 60 needy children in Accra. The children were selected from the Methodist and the Sempe Basic Schools in the Akoto Lante Community. The Foundation additionally offered scholarships to 20 children to cover their education up to the Junior High School level. Mr Ajaidoo Amarteifio Frimpong Barimah, the Country Director of the Foundation, told the Ghana News Agency, that he set up the Foundation with his siblings in honour of their late grandmother, Amerley Amarteifio, who lived in the community. He said Madam Amerley was a businesswoman and a philanthropist who was passionate very about the education and welfare of children. He recounted how Madam Amerley used to ask parents why their children were loitering during school hours with a view to assist them. Mr Frimpong Barimah, who is also the Logistics Executive at the British American Tobacco, said their gesture would, therefore, encourage parents to be interested in their wards' education and invest in their future. 'I grew up in this community,' he stated. 'It is my dream that we can have, at least, one graduate per household in this community, and this is possible,' he said. Some of the children, who could not hide their joy, expressed their happiness and gratitude after receiving the items. GNA President John Mahama says he has taken some tough decisions during his first term aimed at ensuring Ghanaians have better lives in the future. He said all the projects government has undertaken namely the road projects, expansion of health facilities, bolstering of education enrolment at both the basic and secondary levels as well as the expansion of access to water from 58 to 78 constitute the things that can grow the Ghanaian economy. Honestly, if you do not build the infrastructure, unemployment will get worse because you need to build a certain foundation upon which the economy can grow and create the jobs that you want, he said. President Mahama revealed this in an interview with Ovation International Magazine at the Flagstaff in Accra. Sections of Ghanaians have accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of making the economy challenging resulting in the collapse of private businesses and mass unemployment of the youth. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Email: [email protected] President John Mahama has issued a two day ultimatum to a contractor working on the Kpassa Road in the Volta Region to begin work or risk having his contract abrogated. The president was disappointed with what he said is the poor attitude to work by the contractor. Speaking at a durbar on the second day of his six-day tour of the Volta Region, the president said the government will have no choice but to give the job to another contractor if the existing contractor fails to live up to expectation. The people of Kpassa in the Volta Region have been complaining about the poor quality of roads in the area and did not fail to point that out to the president when he paid a courtesy call on the chiefs and people, Tuesday. The president blamed the Chinese contractor working on the Damongo-Nkwanta road for delaying a project he wished would be completed before the election. According to him, he has instructed the Ministry of Roads and Highways to give the contract to a more serious contractor who would be able to do the job. The sector Minister Inusah Fuseini deplored what he said is the poor quality of roads in the Kpassa area as well as the Nkwanta but attributed the failure to construct the roads to lack of funds and other mediating factors. He said even though the contract was awarded in 2010 there was an issue about lack of funds which stalled the project. According to him the project was supposed to have been funded with part of the $3billion Chinese loan but when the loan was slashed to $1.5 billion, the project then had to be funded by the government of Ghana. He also cited what he said was the rate review of the road project demanded by the contractor all of which has contributed to the delays in construction. When he was asked why the president was now giving a two week ultimatum for a road to be constructed with barely two months to go for an election, the Minister said the president has the executive authority which he can deploy even at durbar grounds. Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com business Future Consumer launches oats brand 'Kosh' Kishore Biyani-led Future Group's food arm Future Consumer Enterprise today launched its oats brand 'Kosh' and eyeing a revenue of Rs 200-300 crore in the next 2-3 years. business HC dismisses Cairn India plea on oil export from Rajasthan field The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed oil company Cairn India's plea to export crude from its Barmer oil field in Rajasthan. The court has allowed Cairn India to invoke dispute resolution mechanism under the production sharing contract. Map of Living Standards across China (Photo provided by UNDP) Dynamic statistics that come courtesy of big data to measure poverty in China have been playing an increasingly significant role in targeted poverty reduction in the country, according to a report released on Oct. 17. Put out in cooperation with Baidu, Chinas largest search engine, the report highlights a measure called the Living Standard Dimension of the Human Development Index, which addresses the complex nature of poverty by selecting eight indicators to evaluate the provision of services in Chinas 2,284 counties. The report, entitled The Living Standards Dimension of the Human Development Index: Measuring Poverty with Big Data in China, was jointly assembled by Baidu and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the goal of assisting governments in their decision-making, according to UNDP. Big data provides an alternative tool for tackling development challenges, which, however, does not go without constraints. The real-time and dynamic nature of data inevitably leads to potential margin of error. This report touches on some of the weaknesses of using big data, but hopes to illustrate that, despite its limitations, it serves to complement the traditional household surveys that feed the national database, said Patrick Haverman, deputy country director of UNDP in China. The eight indicators used to analyze poverty in China include: access to water, access to sanitary toilets, access to indoor kitchens, access to living services, access to financial services, access to roads, mobile Internet coverage and nighttime light density. The Living Standards lndex serves to support income-based measures of poverty, and will hopefully become a supplementary tool to assist policymakers, UNDP said at the press conference. The index ranks eastern Chinas Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces in first and second place respectively, followed by Beijing and Shanghai. In general, the report demonstrates that 19 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions rank above average, including 11 provinces and municipalities from Chinas eastern coast and eight from the countrys center. Provinces and autonomous regions in the western part of China all rank below the national average. National poor counties ranked by Living Standards Index (Photo provided by UNDP) China has adopted the UNs 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the agendas 17 sustainable development goals, which aim to end poverty in all forms by 2030. China is striving to intensify its poverty reduction efforts and eliminate poverty within its borders by 2020, just before the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. According to a government paper titled "China's Progress in Poverty Reduction and Human Rights," issued on Oct. 17, China still had 55.75 million people living in poverty at the end of 2015, equivalent to the entire population of a medium-sized country. The data collected from the report will be available in the form of an interactive map by the end of October. The map will allow users to zoom in on particular provinces to see how they are doing across all eight indicators, as well to pick one indicator and see its strengths and weaknesses across the country. you are here: [Photo / CRI online] Around 2,000 Chinese-Americans took part in a march in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Oct. 15, with 40 participants allegedly carrying guns in an effort to protest crimes targeting the Chinese-American community. The march was partially in response to American rapper YGs performance at a local theater in Philadelphia. The rapper's 2-year-old song, whose lyrics encourage people to rob Chinese neighborhoods, has outraged many. YG's controversial music video features someone breaking into a home with a picture of an Asian family. On Sept. 21, a petition submitted to We the People, the official website of the White House, called on the U.S. government to ban the controversial song. The petition has garnered 109,561 signatures as of press time. Any petition that collects over 100,000 signatures within one month is guaranteed to receive a response from the White House, though no official response has been delivered so far. Despite our endless effort to ban this appalling song, YG is still at large. We want all of society to hear our voices and take seriously the crimes that target our communities, a participant surnamed Wang told Peoples Daily Online. Social media platforms including WeChat have been used by Chinese-Americans to offer updated information about protest activities. Greater Philadelphia Chinese Gun Club (GPCGC), a Wechat account that encourages the legal use of guns among Chinese-Americans, issued an announcement on Oct. 13, calling for Chinese communities across the U.S. to openly and legally carry guns during the march. The group's leadership viewed such a move as demonstrating a refusal to play the victim. The reasons for carrying guns during the march are as follows: We want criminals to understand that we are armed, and we strongly oppose crimes against Chinese-Americans. We also hope to spread awareness among our community, letting people know that we can use lawful methods to protect ourselves, said Li Ran, a committee member of GPCGC, in an interview with CRI.cn. Many citizens and officials outside of the Chinese-American community have also shown support for the march. City Councilman David Oh, who is Korean-American, said he has called for an Oct. 31 Council hearing on violent crimes that target Chinese business owners, NBC News reported on Oct. 16. Chinese-Americans have been increasingly active in protesting for their civil rights in recent years. In February, over 10,000 people participated in rallies around the country to protest the indictment of Chinese-American police officer Peter Liang, who was accused of fatally shooting an unarmed black man. I woke up yesterday to the fortune.com headline: The CIA is Preparing for a Major Cyberattack Against Russia. Ill get to this in a tick. But first, the article reminds me of the legendary Gerald Celente. Gerald Celente writes the Trends Journal, and has been forecasting trends worldwide since 1980. He also comments frequently in Money Mornings sister publication, the Markets and Money. If youve never watched him on YouTube, I highly recommend it. Celente is a great political commentator and calls it for what it is. Hes not just insightful, hes surprisingly witty. Youll have a great laugh. For instance, Celente wrote the following on 26 September in Markets and Money: Whatever you think of Donald Trump, his candidacy is one big middle finger to the Establishment. Its part of the worldwide rise of People Power. Unfortunately, today is no laughing matter. The people now have close to zero power Celente coined the phrase currency wars, trade wars, real wars. In a USA Watchdog.com interview last year, he said: Unfortunately, when all else fails, they take us to war. Look, go back to 1929 and the market crash. You had market crashes, Great Depression, currency wars, trade wars, world war. Voila, here we are again. Panic of 08, Great Recession, currency wars world war When the market collapses, the war talk will heat up. The stock market hasnt crashed. However, the real economy is floundering, and thats a risk. In my view, Celente should change his tune to: currency wars, cyber wars, real wars. The coming cyber war will lead to a real war Jim Rickards, our own in-house global strategist, frequently talks about currency wars. Currency wars have played out for years, and are only getting worse. You can find Jims latest views, here. Currency wars have not helped anyone. Currency wars, Rickards writes, are fought globally in all major financial centres at once, 24 hours per day, by bankers, traders, politicians and automated systems and the fate of economies and their affected citizens hang in the balance. In fact, combined with rising taxes and rising regulation, they have hamstrung the world economy. This economic stagnation is causing third-party politics to rise globally; such as Pedemos in Spain, the Pirate Party in Iceland, Le Pen in France, and AfD the anti-immigrant party in Germany. The political elite are worried, and dont want to lose power. They like things as they are with most of us down the bottom, and them on top. However, with Donald Trump an anti-establishment candidate gaining momentum in recent months (although, perhaps not in the last few days), the political elite is worried, and planning drastic measures. The political elite wont allow an anti-establishment candidate, at any cost. For this reason, theyre trying to blame Russia for influencing the election and distract the people. Fortune.com reported yesterday (my emphasis added): NBC News reports that the CIA is developing scenarios for an electronic attack on Russian leadership. According to sources including current government officials, the intent is to embarrass top Russian officials through clandestine and widespread hacking. Vice President Joe Biden seemed to be pointing to just such a possibility during an appearance on Meet the Press airing today, when asked by Chuck Todd why America hasnt responded to Russian attempts to interfere with the Presidential election. Were sending a message, Biden said, with a barely-suppressed smirk. We have the capacity to do it. Hell know it. Itll be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that have the greatest impact. Well, that seems like a smart move If you dont know the backdrop, as I said above, the US has blamed Russia for influencing the election. It holds Russia responsible for feeding WikiLeaks with confidential information which is impeding the Hillary Clinton election campaign. While thats not good news for the political establishment, there is zero evidence of Russia hacking anything. Of course, we can never know the truth beforehand. The US keeps a lot of confidential information secret for a reason. Nevertheless, the world and this madness continues Prepare for the worst Its clear that a cyber war is coming soon. Sadly, this may well lead to a real war. If that happens, the stock market could see a major correction. After all, I dont expect the majority of people are prepared for a global war. That would cause a fair bit of shock to the system, and could hit the stock market. Vern Gowdie, Editor of The Gowdie Letter, is prepared. Even without a global war, he believes that a stock market crash of up to 80% is imminent. He recommends strategies to protect and prepare his readers for just such an event. Thats one more highly experienced voice recommending caution in this environment. The stock market has been choppy all-year. The US stock market remains almost unchanged from the start of the year. And the Aussie stock market continues to struggle. With cyber war and even real war looming, this picture is likely to get a lot gloomier before it gets any better. If you want to protect your wealth, I recommend checking Verns work out here. Regards, Jason Stevenson, Resources Analyst, Money Morning [File photo] Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who arrives in Beijing on Oct. 18 for his first state visit to China, will hold talks with Chinese officials on multiple issues including weaponry purchases and economic cooperation, according to reports by Chinese media. The president said in an interview with Phoenix TV that the recent joint military exercises between the Philippines and the U.S., which ended last week, will be the last set between the two countries while he is in office. Duterte also stated that the possibility remains for Philippines-China or Philippines-Russia military exercises. Duterte refuted the claim that U.S.-Philippines military exercises could deepen military cooperation, instead calling them "a perfect opportunity to court death." "The U.S. gave us two aircraft without weapons," said Duterte in an interview. "What we face in war are 3,000 aircraft from China's People's Liberation Army." Duterte expressed his hope that China could offer weapons to the Philippines via loans and assistance. He also expects that China will support his country in combating terrorism. Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow with the Malaysia Program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, told People's Daily Online that if China offers the right price, Duterte might even buy weapons from China, following the lead of many other Southeast Asian countries, which have diversified their weapons arsenals by purchasing weapons from Russia, China, France and other nations. Dutertes state visit, which will run from Oct. 18 to 21, comes at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. China is the first non-ASEAN country that Duterte has visited since he became president in July. According to Oh, Duterte is not happy about the U.S. criticizing his anti-drug campaign, yet failing to provide substantial economic assistance. "He has to look for alternatives, and China, with its humongous foreign investment capability, comes instantly to mind," Oh added. Before leaving Manila, Duterte highlighted economic and trade cooperation. In an interview with China News Service, Duterte said he hoped to consolidate business relations with China. He also stated that the Philippines needs capital and technology support from China to develop its industry. During his visit, a delegation of entrepreneurs from the Philippines will sign agreements with China, according to Duterte. This choice of China instead of the U.S. as Dutertes first non-ASEAN state visit is a demonstration to the U.S. of his independent mind. Nevertheless, the South China Sea issue still challenges Sino-Philippines relations. In an interview with China Daily, Xu Liping, an expert on Southeast Asian affairs from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that Duterte has repeatedly demonstrated his goodwill toward China by avoiding inflammatory remarks on the South China Sea arbitration. Oh echoed Xu's opinion, saying that Duterte would put the South China Sea issue on the back burner and focus on economic cooperation, though he also has to deal with Manilas political elite, who keep harping on the issue. "I'll be there to talk about it softly," Duterte told China News Service. "We take away [the possibility of] war or violence, because that is not a good option." Oh told People's Daily Online that the goal is not so much to improve but to restore the previously warm relations between China and the Philippines. He said Duterte is looking forward to resuming various cooperative economic programs that were put on hold for the last few years. However, Oh said he has yet to see Duterte act on his stated intentions to ramp up ties with China at least not beyond his anti-American and seemingly pro-China rhetoric. "I think at the end of the day, just like many other Southeast Asian nations, Duterte has to balance his national interests between two superpowers," Oh said. Given the long history between the Philippines and the U.S., it is difficult to see U.S.-Philippines relations rupturing significantly beyond Duterte's term, Oh added. October 18, 2016 ISIS Moves To Syria Where Erdogan Still Aims For Aleppo The Iraqi army started a large operation to liberate Mosul from Islamic State jihadists. But the forces, in total some 40,000, are still several dozen kilometers away from the city limits. They will have to capture several towns and villages and pass many IED obstacles before coming near to the center and house to house fighting. It might take many month to eliminated the last stay-behind ISIS cells in Mosul. About one million civilians live in Mosul. Many, many more than in east-Aleppo. Many of them were sympathetic with the new overlords when ISIS stormed in two years ago. French, American, Kurdish, Iraqi and Turkish artillery are pounding them now. Airstrikes attack even the smallest fighting position. When the city will be conquered it will likely be destroyed. The imminent fight over Mosul might be the reason why John Kerry dialed down his hypocritical howling over east-Aleppo in Syria which is under attack from Syrian and Russian forces. The attack on Mosul proceeds on three axes. From the north Kurdish Peshmerga under U.S. special force advisors lead the fighting. Iraqi forces attack from the east and south. The way to the west, towards Syria, is open. The intend of the U.S. is to let ISIS fighters, several thousand of them, flee to Deir Ezzor and Raqqa in Syria. They are needed there to further destroy the Syrian state. We pointed out here that this move will create the "Salafist principality" the U.S. and its allies have striven to install in east-Syria since 2012. The "mistake" of the U.S. bombing of Syrian army positions in Deir Ezzor was in support of that plan. Other commentators finally catch up with that conclusion. The Turks are openly talking about such an escape plan for ISIS in Mosul. The Turkish news agency Anadolu published this "sensitive" operations plan. Point 4 says: An escape corridor into Syria will be left for Daesh so they can vacate Mosul bigger Two points in the Turkish plan will not come true. The Iraqi government has ordered that no Turkish troops take part in the Mosul operation and will designate them as enemies should they try. The Sunni "Nineveh Guard", trained by Turkey, paid by the Saudis and led by the former Anbar governor Atheel al-Nujaifi, will also be excluded. It was the Saudi proxy al-Nujaifi who practically handed Anbar over to ISIS by ordering his troops to flee when ISIS attacked. He and his Saudi and Turkish sponsors want to create an independent Sunni statelet in west Iraq just like the Kurds created their own entity within north Iraq. The U.S. hopes that the influx of ISIS fighters into Syria will keep the Russians and Iranians trapped in the "quagmire" Obama prescribed and finally destroy the Syrian state. It seems to have mostly given up on other plans. The U.S. military now acknowledges that fighting the Russian air defense in Syria would be a real challenge: "Its not like weve had any shoot at an F-35, the official said of the next-generation U.S. fighter jet. Were not sure if any of our aircraft can defeat the S-300. There is a "no-fly zone" over west-Syria and it is the Russians who control it. All U.S. and Turkish talk about such a zone is moot. The Obama administration has for now also given up on other plans. The recent National Security Council meeting deferred on further decisions: Consideration of other alternatives, including the shipment of arms to U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in Syria, and an increase in the quantity and quality of weapons supplied to opposition fighters in Aleppo and elsewhere, were deferred until later, officials said. U.S. military action to stop Syrian and Russian bombing of civilians was even further down the list of possibilities. The only U.S. "hope" for its Syria plans is now the facilitation of another ISIS influx. That and the CIA coordinated actions of its allies. The Saudis Foreign Minister announced that his country will increase weapons flow to its al-Qaeda proxies in Syria. The "rebels" are still receiving TOW anti-tank missiles and other heavy weapons. Turkish proxy forces, some Syrians, some "Turkmen" from Chechnya and elsewhere, have taken Dabiq from ISIS. The village is said to become a focal point of a future apocalyptic Christian-Muslim battle. A lot of "western" commentators pointed to that as a reason why ISIS would fight for it. But that battle is only predicted for the period after the return of the Mahdi which has not been announced. The current ideological value of Dabiq is therefore low and, like in Jarablus, ISIS cooperated well and moved out before the Turkish proxies moved in. The Russians had allowed Turkey to enter Syria only within a limit of some 15 kilometers south of the Turkish border. Heavy artillery would have to stay on the Turkish side. The sole original purpose of the Turkish invasion was to prevent a Kurdish corridor from the eastern Kurdish areas in Syria to Afrin in the west. Such a corridor would have limited ISIS access to Turkey. The Kurdish corridor has been prevented and ISIS access to Turkish controlled areas and Turkey itself is as open as ever. The Turkish military sees this as sufficient for its aims: Taking control of Dabiq had eliminated the threat to Turkey from rockets fired by the jihadists, the Turkish Armed Forces said in a written statement. bigger The Turkish military wants to halt the operation. But Erdogan and his proxies forces want to go further south and west to attack the Syrian army encirclement of east-Aleppo: President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Sunday Dabiq's liberation was a "strategic and symbolic victory" against Islamic State. He told Reuters it was important strategically that the Turkey-backed forces continue their advance toward the Islamic State stronghold of al-Bab. To move to al-Bab Turkish artillery, with its units relying on conscripts, would have to move south of the Turkish-Syrian border. Any attack on them by the Syrian or Russian forces would thus become legal. Kurdish guerilla would be a constant threat. This explains the new split between the Turkish military and political forces. It will be interesting to watch how that dispute develops. For Thursday the Russian command announced a unilateral temporary ceasefire in east-Aleppo to let the Jihadis move out. British and other special forces, said to be embedded with al-Qaeda, will be happy for the chance to leave. In Iraq some Shia militia are moving towards Tal Afar to cut of the ISIS path to the west. Russia promised to take political and military measures should it detect an ISIS move. In east-Syria the Russian and Syrian air-forces, Hizbullah and more Shia militia from Iraq are now preparing surprises for the expected ISIS influx from Mosul. How much can they risk when the U.S. provides further air-support for the ISIS move? Posted by b on October 18, 2016 at 9:21 UTC | Permalink Comments next page One local organization has partnered with a brewery in town in the hopes that their hops will bring in some bucks for education. The Morganton Humanist Alliance is holding Pints for Peoples, an event set for Oct. 19 at Brown Mountain Bottleworks in downtown Morganton, from 2-9 p.m. One dollar from every pint of draft beer sold will go toward a scholarship fund that MHA will award to selected seniors in Burke County who are planning to continue their education after high school. MHA President Isaac Crouch said that encouraging students in their pursuit of higher education aligns with the basic tenets of Humanist philosophy. In order to become a part of the national association, MHA adopted certain aspirations as their guide from the American Humanist Association, and education tops the list. Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation and rational analysis, Crouch quoted from AHAs guidelines. Humanists find that science is the best method for determining this knowledge as well as for solving problems and developing beneficial technologies. We also recognize the value of departures in thought, the arts and inner experience each subject to analysis by critical intelligence. Crouch said all of that is gained through an education. He also said the idea of creating a scholarship works well with the very definition of Humanism. Its (humanism) a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity, he said. We just feel that education is such a crucial part of that of leading ethical lives. You cant do that unless youre educated. Crouch said that working toward a greater good for the community has been the driving force behind all of MHAs events, which have included planting trees and cleaning up a section of highway the organization adopted. He said the group fills a niche in the community for people who want to help, but arent a part of any faith-based organization. If you are a part of a faith-based group, you have options, he said. But were the only group thats specifically for people who arent a member of a church but they still want to help out in their community. Crouch said MHA does not exclude anyone who wants to attend meetings, become a member or just volunteer to help with service projects, but the organization is specifically secular, a fact which he said has created some buzz about the group. However, he said the main purpose of MHA is the overall betterment of the community, and the scholarship is just another way of accomplishing that goal. MHA currently is ironing out the details of how students will be selected for the funds that are raised. He said an essay most likely will be required, and MHA members will look at both academics as well as financial need. Crouch said there isnt a particular dollar amount that MHA is hoping to raise the more money the better for the scholarship. But he did say the group is looking for a sponsor to match funds raised by MHA and hopes to create an annual scholarship to be awarded every school year. To become a sponsor, make a donation or find out more about MHA, call 828-446-8951 or visit the Morganton Humanist Alliances Facebook page. (Xinhua) 14:49, October 18, 2016 TOKYO, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Members of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet along with other senior lawmakers from a number of different parties visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday. The visits to the war-linked shrine in Tokyo came a day after Abe himself made a ritual offering at the shrine that honors Japan's war dead, including 14 convicted Class A war criminals, by proxy. Following Abe, on Tuesday, Japan's Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki also visited the notorious shrine, while House of Representatives Speaker Tadamori Oshima and House of Councillors President Chuichi Date made ritual offerings at the Shinto shrine, which is widely seen as a living testament to Japan's past militarism. Visits by senior politicians to the war-linked shrine draw the ire of Japan's neighbors, including South Korea and China who suffered immeasurably at the barbaric hands of the Imperial Army of Japan before, during and after World War II. Lower house members Keiji Furuya, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s Election Strategy Committee, and Hiroshi Hase, a former minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology from the LDP, and upper house member Yuichiro Hata, a former minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism from the main opposition Democratic Party, also made a pilgrimage to the shrine on Tuesday, which openly honors convicted war criminals. The Yasukuni Shrine served as the "command headquarters" of State Shinto, a religion that saw Japan's emperor as a "living god" and enlisted Japanese civilians to fight a "holy war" on behalf of their "god" during World War II. The shrine is run by a private foundation and the 14 Class-A war criminals' "souls" were enshrined there secretly in 1978, by the clandestine foundation. The foundation, which also runs Yasukuni's museum, nowadays openly depicts the war criminals as martyrs and blatantly misrepresents Japan's war in China as an act of "suppression" rather than one of aggression. The museum has numerous displays depicting Japan's war-time endeavors, but has flagrantly misrepresented the actual facts, in not referring to the well-documented Nanjing massacre (also known as the Rape of Nanjing), experiments conducted on prisoners of war and the suffering of thousands of comfort women at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army. Former Emperor Hirohito,thus, stopped visiting the shrine in 1978 because of the enshrinement of the war criminals there and Japan's current Emperor Akihito has continued the Imperial family's moratorium on visits to the shrine for the same reason. The shrine stands as a constant source of diplomatic tension between Japan and its neighbors as it is a loosely veiled site of overt nationalistic propaganda, that glorifies Japan's militaristic past. It also stands as a touchstone as to the direction the current leadership, under Abe's right wing administration, is heading in politically. (Xinhua) 14:50, October 18, 2016 NEW YORK, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Famed Chinese pianist Lang Lang raised over 2 million U.S. dollars for music education during a gala concert dinner in New York on Monday. Founded by Lang, Lang Lang International Music Foundation (LLIMF) hosted the Lang Lang &Friends Gala Concert Diner at Manhattan, New York. "The Friends Gala Concert Dinner is an opportunity for us to come together and support a new generation of musicians and to honor those who have generously supported our efforts," said Lang. The Gala aimed to raise funds to support the foundation's various programs such as Keys of Inspiration, with the goal of educating future pianists. Lang reiterated in the gala that it is important to share music worldwide. The foundation teaches classic music through the Keys of Inspiration program since 2013 in five cities around the global, helping over 2,500 children. The mission of the LLIMF is to educate, inspire and motivate the next generation of music lovers and performers. Lang was named New York City's first ever Cultural Tourism Ambassador by Mayor Bill de Blasio in September, as part of the U.S.-China Tourism Year events that promote travel and tourism between the United Statesand China. On Oct. 12, a 10-year-old boy in Fuyang, Anhui province saved a 3-year-old girl after she fell from a third-floor balcony. Fortunately, neither child sustained serious injuries, with the exception of a bone fracture in the girl's left arm. The boy, named Chen Bojun, is an elementary school student. He found the girl dangling from a third-floor balcony as he returned home from school with his grandmother. Just as the girl began to fall to the ground, Chen ran toward her and attempted to catch her in his bare arms. The two fell to the ground together. Luckily, since the ground was cushioned by a patch of mud, neither was severely injured. The girl's mother said she was picking her son up from school when the incident occurred. She extended her heartfelt thanks to Chen and his grandmother for saving her daughter. Chen's grandmother also praised him, saying that he is a good, kind boy. Chen said he wasn't scared because he knew that the girl needed his help. Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive. To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research. Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process. Canadians should brace themselves for slackened economic activity as the federal government will experience massive deficits over the next five years, TD Economics warned.In its report released on October 13, TD projected that the federal fiscal deficit over the next half decade will be $16.5 billion higher than Finance Minister Bill Morneaus estimate earlier this year.The economic situation in Canada has deteriorated since budget 2016, impacted not just by wildfires but also by serially disappointing underlying momentum, TD Economics chief economist Beata Caranci wrote in the study, as quoted by BNN.The governments budget predicted a shortfall of $29.4 billion this year, a $29 billion deficit in 2017, and $22.8 billion deficit in 2018-19. However, TD noted that based on current trends, federal deficit will be about $5 billion greater next year alone.There are pressures on the government to spend more, and I do worry about a persistently high deficit and one that could become extremely high if the economy hit a severe speed bump, TD vice president and deputy chief economist Derek Burleton said.Morneau noted the mounting economic stresses brought about by global factors such as Brexit and rebalancing in mainland China, as well as domestic incidents like the devastation wrought upon Albertas economy by the Fort McMurray wildfires earlier this year.More details are expected to come along with the Finance Ministers fall economic and fiscal update, due for release in the next few coming weeks.Related Stories: (Xinhua) 18:38, October 18, 2016 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte left Brunei for China Tuesday after wrapping up his first state visit to the sultanate. During his three-day state visit to Brunei, both countries reaffirmed commitment in bolstering economic cooperation with each other. In a speech during a state banquet for the visiting Philippine President at Istana Nurul Iman, Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah said both countries' historical links and common heritage have paved the way for strong bilateral relations that are demonstrated through cooperation in various areas, including trade and investment, labour, defence, health, education and air services. "Today, there remains much potential to be tapped in our economic cooperation," said the monarch, adding that this includes reinforcing collaboration in the energy sector and discovering new areas in the halal industry. The monarch also expressed appreciation on the contribution of about 23,000 Filipino expatriates to Brunei's economy and development. In his speech, Duterte expressed his "heartfelt gratitude" towards the Sultan for the 32 years of friendship and assistance accorded to the Philippinesand its people. Duterte also spoke on how both countries have faced various common challenges and overcome these obstacles. "We have explored and forged several undertakings that further cemented our special relations. This cooperation will continue to be reinforced for the mutual benefit of our nations," Duterte said, adding that both countries have many opportunities to look forward to in working closely together to enhance peace, prosperity and progress. "With the deep well of goodwill between our nations and peoples, I reiterate the resolve and commitment to value, protect and nurture our very special ties," Duterte said. From Brunei, Duterte starts a four-day state visit to China on Tuesday. California home sales return to growth despite tight supply Single-family home sales in California have recorded a year-over-year increase despite being constrained by tight inventory. The September increase recorded by the California Association of Realtors was only nominal (0.8 per cent) but was the first in seven months. There was a 1.3 per cent increase in the month from August to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 425,680 homes. While higher sales both on a monthly and an annual basis is a glimmer of good news, with most of the home-buying season behind us for 2016, its not enough to tip the scales for an increase above 2015s sales pace, said C.A.R. President Pat Ziggy Zicarelli. With listings continuing to decline and demand still strong, especially at the lower end of the market, affordability will remain a challenge for would-be buyers. The median price statewide was up 6.1 per cent year-over-year to $514,320 but that was down 2.3 per cent from August. Condo and townhome sales were up 1.4 per cent year-over-year but dropped 8.5 per cent from August. NY City administration could require 1 million square feet The city administration in New York is planning to hire more workers and one real estate broker says it could eat up 1 million square feet of office space. City Hall is planning to relocate many staff to new locations and the broker, who did not want to be named, told the New York Post that with some of the Citys buildings being vacated there would be a net increase of around 250,000 square feet. Ellie Mae announces Encompass upgrade Mortgage software firm Ellie Mae has announced an upgrade to its Encompass mortgage management product including a new reporting feature. The latest major release of our Encompass all-in-one mortgage management solution offers enhancements to our integrations with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and more customer choice when ordering TQL services with leading providers like First American Mortgage Solutions and DataVerify, said Jonathan Corr, president and CEO of Ellie Mae. The firm also plans to enhance the ability of lenders to customize pricing programs with a further update in the fall. The unexpected shale revolution in the Permian Basin keeps surprising observers and even many insiders. Who would have predicted a few years ago that Texas Shale Oil Has Fought Saudi Arabia to a Standstill, as Britains Telegraph headlined a story last summer? And who would have predicted that a revival of the long moribund Permian would dominate the national upsurge in shale accounting for roughly 75 percent of the growth of the global supply of oil? And who would have predicted the rapid resilience of Permian production in response to the steep plunge in oil price that began in the summer of 2014? Painfully bruised but not collapsed, many producers have rapidly decreased the cost of production while increasing output. And perhaps the most profound development in the long term: Permian oil is leaving Texas ports in route to our allies in Europe now dependent on oil and natural gas from Russia and the Middle East. Check it out "Fueling Freedom: Exposing the Mad War on Energy" Book Talk/Signing & Reception with authors Kathleen Hartnett White and Stephen Moore 5-7 p.m. Wednesday Green Tree Country Club See More Collapse For the first time in more than 50 years, the world oil market tilts toward the United States rather than OPEC -- a 65-year-old cartel of nationally owned oil companies (NOCs), many of which are in economic meltdown, ravaged by war or inimical to the most fundamental values of our country. And radical Islamist terrorism -- the greatest threat to our Judeo-Christian civilization -- depends on petrodollars to fund its barbaric campaign. In this literally fractured global arena, Permian oil production is poised to play a geopolitical role no less beneficial than what the basin contributed to the Allied victory in WWII -- a story worth recalling. After the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy in 1944, Gen. George Patton began racing his troops across France toward the German border. Speed was essential but the drive eventually stalled when fuel ran out. The Permian producers rose to the occasion and against all odds produced the fuels for emergency air lifts to Pattons forces in France. Permian crude literally fueled Pattons penetration of the German border, defeat of Hitler and liberation of Europe from the clutches of the Third Reich. Overall, the Allied armies of WWII consumed over 7 billion barrels of oil and the majority of that fuel came from Texas. For the first time since WWII, we have access to energy resources that would allow the United States to operate as the worlds energy superpower -- but as an ethical superpower under the rule of law. After the last eight years of an Administration that snubbed our allies and abetted our adversaries, our shale bounty could peacefully support a geopolitical re-alignment strengthening the alliance of freedom loving nations and weakening the global clout of rogue nations that deny basic human liberty. On multiple levels, the shale revolution is not only a game-changing geological and technological victory. The breakthrough is also a victory of free enterprise -- of thousands of free people working in small and mid-sized energy companies. In stark contrast to OPECs ministers of oil, the U.S. shale industry operates in a competitive free market on private and state land in the only country in the world that recognizes private property rights in subsurface minerals. Instead of the NOCs centralized plans, the upsurge in Texas shale is the result of continual innovation that enhances drilling technologies and applies high-tech data analytics reducing costs faster than imaginable two years ago. The opportunities in the Permian Basin are prodigious but the head winds are daunting. Ironically, the shale bonanza has coincided with a presidency bent on eliminating fossil fuels. Programs to cut carbon are now spread across the federal agencies. Just a week ago, the feds announced civil aviation across the world agreed to go carbon neutral. And the United Nations much touted Paris global climate agreement entered into force on Oct. 7. Danish economist Bjorn Lomborg estimates that if fully implemented, this climate deal would cost more than $100 trillion in lost GDP but would only reduce predicted warming by 0.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Such is the mad war on energy exposed in my and Steve Moores Fueling Freedom. The current administration has set our country on a climate crusade when there are no alternative energy sources capable of providing the countless goods and services that fossil fuels handily provide. Yet, in part because of shale gas, the U.S. has reduced CO2 more than any nation without any prodding from Presidents Climate Action Plan. Amidst these mad energy policies, the tragic loss of jobs and bankruptcies caused by OPECs desperate attempt to quash the rise of U.S. shale, the energy prize remains intact. We now have access to the source rock and, if not quashed by regulation, to continual innovations that cut cost while increase output. Slowly but steadily, rigs are returning to the Permians shale fields. Determined, free, creative, courageous men and women -- exemplified throughout the Midland community -- have achieved what seven presidents promised but failed to achieve: energy independence as an option. The shale revolution is a result of the Permian rock and the people making thousands of individual decisions in pursuit of profit within a competitive market. It looks like Adam Smiths invisible hand -- the free market -- has also replaced the autocratic bullies of OPEC without so much as a single skirmish. --- Kathleen Hartnett White is distinguished senior fellow-in-residence and director of the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and former chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. She is co-author of the new book Fueling Freedom: Exposing the Mad War on Energy (Regnery, 2016). Details of a criminal chain preying on private citizens personal information were recently released by police in Sichuan province. The chain involves 15 major suspects, including a president of a bank branch. Legal Daily published a commentary on the information disclosure, urging the public to strengthen their privacy measures and relevant authorities to upgrade security mechanisms. An investigation revealed that the criminal chain sold personal information through several smaller groups, including one that controlled the checking account and one that acted as a middle man. In the end, police discovered 2,570,000 pieces of disclosed personal information, as well as 2,300,000 RMB. According to Legal Daily, in order to minimize such cases in the future, relevant authorities and organizations, especially banks, should work harder to supervise and train employees, raising their awareness of the law. Protecting personal information has become more and more important in this era of big data. According to a joint report by Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications and the China Association of Communications Enterprises, a major reason for personal information leakage is the unethical conduct of employees. Other reasons include an imperfect legal system and victims lack of awareness about the need for personal information security. The article also pointed out that China's criminal law includes severe penalties for illegally accessing citizens personal information, and the penalties for those who disclose such information face even more drastic consequences. According to the article, laws about personal information protection should be strengthened, and a definition of what "personal information" really means should be formulated. China, New Zealand vow to further promote cooperation (Xinhua) 20:04, October 18, 2016 BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- China and New Zealand on Tuesday vowed to further promote cooperation in areas including trade, agriculture, people-to-people exchanges and law enforcement. "China-New Zealand relations have made great progress in recent years," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a join news conference after talks with New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully. Wang said two sides should further enhance strategic communication, deepen cooperation and consolidate mutual trust, to improve the comprehensive strategic partnership. "We should further push forward defense and judicial cooperation and fight corruption and transnational crimes together," Wang added. Echoing Wang, McCully said New Zealand is proud of creating many "firsts" between China and developed countries. McCully also said New Zealand would remain impartial regarding the South China Seaissue and expressed his hope that those directly involved would restart dialogue. State Councilor Yang Jiechi also met with McCully earlier Tuesday, calling on both sides to coordinate China's Belt and Road Initiative and New Zealand's 30-year infrastructure development plan. McCully said New Zealand acknowledges the one-China policy and is willing to advance the comprehensive strategic partnership. Akufo-Addo should have apologised over hardship ... Photo taken on Oct. 17, 2016 shows the heavy smoke rising from oil wells which were destroyed by the Islamic State militants in Qayyarah, southern Mosul, Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced early Monday the beginning of a major offensive to retake the second largest Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) group. (Xinhua/Liu Wanli) BAGHDAD, Oct. 17 -- Iraqi forces are fighting all out to retake control of the city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) militants after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday announced the start of long-awaited offensive. "Today I declare the launch of the operation of liberating Nineveh province. The time of victory has come, and the moment of the great victory is approaching," Abadi said in his brief address aired by the state-run al-Iraqiya channel. Abadi pledged to rebuild Mosul and other towns and villages in Nineveh province after they were destroyed by the extremist IS militants, and vowed to bring stability to Mosul. "Very soon, we will be with you to raise the flag of Iraq in the middle of Mosul, and in towns and villages as well," Abadi said, calling on the people of Mosul to cooperate with security forces to defeat the IS group. Like the previous battles that freed the cities of Tikrit, Ramadi, Fallujah and others from IS militants, the troops are moving to gradually encircle the city of Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, after clearing IS militants from towns and villages around it, before entering the city districts. On Monday morning, the Iraqi forces reportedly managed to free nine villages from IS militants who fled the scene, as they continued their advance to free many areas around Mosul, including the towns of Bashiqa and Himdaniyah in northeast of the city. In Mosul, reports said that some 1.3 million civilians are still living in Mosul's neighborhood and surrounding villages of Nineveh plain, while more than 5,000 IS militants holed up in the city with significant preparations to defend the city. "More than 65,000 Iraq security personnel are expected to participate in the battle of Mosul, their positions located between 15 to 50 km away from the edges of the city's neighborhoods," Major Abdullah al-Jubouri, an Iraqi army officer, told Xinhua. Army brigades backed by elite anti-terrorism forces with an armored brigade, including Abrams tanks, are advancing from the southern axis on the eastern side of the Tigris River. Other army brigades and anti-terrorism forces are also advancing from southeastern axis on the west side of the river, Jubouri pointed out. There are also some 10,000 fighters of the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters who are advancing from the east and northern axis. The Kurdish forces are backed by some 24,000 of police of Nineveh province and paramilitary Sunni tribal units, Jubouri said. The Iraqi forces in Mosul battle are also supported by the Iraqi and international aircraft as well as different kinds of Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition artillery units, Jubouri added. Observers believe that the battles in Mosul could be long, bloody, costly and protracted, let alone the suffering of civilians, but that will mainly depends on whether the IS militants would be ready to show stiff resistance or not. However, the tough part of the struggle is only in the post-IS stage, as many possible conflicts could erupt in Nineveh province among the Iraqi factions in northern Iraq and with regional countries as well. The tacit alliance -- of Iraqi government forces alongside the paramilitary Shiite Hashd Shaabi units, paramilitary Sunni tribal fighters, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and hundreds of U.S. troops -- highlights the significance of the battle of Iraq's last IS stronghold of Mosul. Recapturing Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, would break the back of the terrorist group, demolishing its self-declared state of Islamic "caliphate" in Iraq. "Mosul was chosen by the IS top leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to make his first public appearance after declaring the caliphate after the IS group blitzkrieg large territories in northern and western Iraq in June 2014, and that was dramatically symbolic," Jubouri said. "If Mosul is recaptured by the Iraqi forces, it would be a complete reversal of the IS' sweep, pushing the extremist militants to regroup in a few and isolated pockets of territories in Iraq," Jubouri said. The only option left for the IS group is to respond to their battlefield losses by returning to guerrilla-style tactics, or retreat to neighboring Syria, where the group also sustains increasing defeats, Jubouri concluded. Hassan al-Dulaimi, a military expert, told Xinhua that if the IS group is defeated in Mosul, a question will rise; who will govern the areas vacated by IS extremist group and how? The U.S. strategy to defeat IS from Iraq's northern province of Nineveh and its capital Mosul depends on a variety of allied local armed groups who are often bitterly at odds. All of them consider the IS group as an enemy, but also most of them consider one another as enemies. "The disputed armed groups will stake out claims to capture lands in ways that risking bringing them into conflict with others who also seize territories," Dulaimi said. The situation in post-IS Mosul will be so complicated. According to Dulaimi, one of the anticipated conflicts will be between the Iraqi government and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, as the Iraqi Kurds moved into areas called disputed areas outside the regional boundaries before 2003, that once under control of the Iraqi government. The Iraqi government wants the Kurds to leave these areas after driving out IS militants and that the fate of those disputed areas must be decided after referendum according to article 140 of the Iraqi constitution. However, the Kurds said they won't let go of any territory Kurds have shed blood to free it from IS and that the referendum must be conducted in these areas under their rule to the disputed areas. Another conflict possibly to take place between Kurdish Peshmerga and Shiite militias, many of them backed by Iran, as the Shiite militias have teamed up with the security forces pushing north from Baghdad and cleared many towns and villages on their route to Mosul, Dulaimi said. The reason behind the possible conflict between the Kurds and Shiite militias is also attributed to the disputed areas outside the Kurdistan region. Such conflict has already started in at least one location, the town of Tuz Khurmato in Salahudin province, as clashes have repeatedly taken place late last year and again in April. Tuz Khurmato, some 90 km east of Salahudin's provincial capital of Tikrit, made up mostly of Turkman Shiite and sizable Kurdish and Sunni Arab population. A conflict of Sunni Arabs against Shiite Hashd Shaabi units, or against Peshmerga, as both Shiites and Kurds have fought the IS group which captured the Sunni areas. Many Sunnis are taking part with the Kurds and Shiites in defeating IS militants from the Sunni towns and villages, Dulaimi said. However, there are reports of abuses by Shiites and Kurds against the Sunni communities they liberated from IS. Such abuses included forced displacement of Sunnis from their homes and mass detentions of Sunni men and sometimes killing over sectarian motives. "With the absence of real reconciliation efforts by the Iraqi government, such abuses could ignite Sunni insurgency," Dulaimi concluded. Another complicated conflict could erupt with the presence of the Turkish forces in Baqshiqa military camp, some 30 km north of Mosul, training Sunni fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga, preparing them for the main battle to free Mosul, Dulaimi said. The presence of Turkish troops sparked a political row as Baghdad government has called them "occupying forces" that could trigger a "regional war." Both Baghdad and Ankara have summoned the ambassadors of each other to express condemnation of other side. Ankara overtly rejects the participation of Shiite Hashd Shaabi units, fearing of possible "forceful change in the demographic composition of the region, according to Dulaimi. "Driving IS out of Mosul and other areas in northern Iraq with the persistence of tension between Arabs and Kurds around a liberated Mosul will create ethnic problems that may be as serious as the sectarian ones between Sunnis and Shiites, as well as spill over into Kurdish areas in Turkey and Syria," Dulaimi added. Eventually, bringing back peace to Mosul needs hard work, it is even more important than the necessary military action. The city once was home to a complex mosaic of tribes and ethnic groups, but since IS took over the city; the group planted the seeds of hatred and division. "IS militants have created profound wounds across the society and within families. The situation in post-IS Mosul won't be rosy as people in the liberated city will quickly go into recrimination, revenge and sectarian strife," Dulaimi warned. The Iraqi government, the international coalition and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) will have the duty to pursue long-term engagement strategy with a greater focus on national reconciliation could consolidate the peace and co-existence among Iraqi factions and Mosul and other parts of Iraq, according to Dulaimi. "This is not an imagination or wishes, because the Iraqi factions, regional countries and the international community have the interest to bring peace and dry up the resources of terrorism," Dulaimi concluded. On the other hand, the United Nations and aid agencies expected a human catastrophe with up to 1.5 million people could be displaced or in need for aid in Nineveh province when an offensive is launched to retake Mosul from IS militants. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said in recent report that it is expecting 200,000 people to flee in the first few days of an attack to retake the city, but says the worst case scenario could be up to 700,000 people. Up to 1.5 million people in the city could be in need of aid. Currently, agencies on the ground have supplies for about 100,000 of the estimated 200,000 people who will initially need help. "It's a race against the clock now," said Lise Grande, the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq. Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. For the US, the Latin American continent has been an important neighbor with strategic significance. In order to have a firm control over the region, the White House adopted a puppet strategy of using economic aid to buy loyalty. However, history has proved that its calculation came to naught as the US dollar failed to buy the loyalty of its neighbors. Nowadays, with the decline of its economy, the US is losing control over Latin America. During the Cold War, the success of the Cuban Revolution threatened US hegemony in the Western hemisphere in terms of both geopolitics and ideology. In a bid to prevent the emergence the second socialist country in the West, Washington, in the1960s,adopted a plan called Alliance for Progress to establish economic cooperation between the US and Latin America. The US then selected Chile as a prototype,hoping to build the latter into a democracy window of the US in Latin America.During the 1964 Chilean presidential election campaign, it supportedreformistEduardo FreiMontalvawho was sympathetic toward American capital.A donation of $3 million brought Freithe crown. From 1962 to 1969, Chile received $1 billion in US aid, the most among Latin American countries in terms of percapita amount. However, things didn't go the way the US had wished. Frei adopted an independent foreign policy after he took office, and even published an article criticizing the Alliance for Progress. Things got worse after Salvador Allende, who was more disobedient to the US, assumed the presidency in 1970. It marked the ultimate failure of the superpower, who had spent $1 billionand eight years on the program. History shows the loyalty of neighboring countries could not be bought. The plan to turn Chile into a democracy windowproved to be an example of its flawed diplomacy. But the White House reapplied the strategy of trading "friendship" with money in March. US President Barack Obama visited Cuba and Argentina with hundreds of businessmen to expand USinvestments in Latin America. However, Latin America disappointed the US again.The US and Cuba barely reached consensus on Cuban migrants in the US, the Guantanamo military base and domestic political agendas because of the huge differences in political systems and ideologies. In addition, ties between Argentina and the US also showed no signs of recovery, though the US added $2.5 billion in investments. According to a poll by two universities in Argentina, 45 percent doubted the ability of the US to contribute to world peace. Since the Latin American countries, with a unique political and social culture, value independence very much, the US plan to trade friendship with money is destined to fail. Both history and reality have proven that the US is doomed to fail to control other countries with money. The White House launched these policies towards Latin America hopingto protect its own interests and hegemony, but turned a blind eye to the regional reality as well as its peoples aspiration for independent development. Its strategies, featuringdollar diplomacy and a big-stick policy, exposed its hegemony and power politics in the Western hemisphere. These are also the reasons why US plans have repeatedly been frustrated. (The author is an associate researcher with the Institute of Advanced International Studies under Sun Yat-SenUniversity) Microphone and US Flag View Photos Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) delivered this weeks Republican address and discussed cutting down on government regulations. Cramer was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: Hi, Im Kevin Cramer. You know, everyone loves to celebrate success. And thats what I am doing today as I speak to you from Grand Forks, North Dakota, where the University of North Dakota College of Engineering and Mines has just dedicated a cutting-edge collaborative energy research complex. This center will bring students, faculty, and industry professionals together to develop better strategies for the next level of energy production in oil, natural gas, coal, wind, and biofuels. Our states all of the above energy policy has elevated North Dakotas economy to the top in the nation. At the same time, we enjoy the cleanest ambient air quality in the country. And weve proven that a strong economy and responsible environmental stewardship can go hand-in-hand. And with this same approach, other states can achieve North Dakotas economic success. Yet as I travel around our state, I hear from people frustrated with how needless regulations out of Washington are making things tougherfor their farms, their ranches, and their small businesses. People feel the system is working against them, no matter how hard they work, no matter how much they plan. This is always my cue to hold up this Better Way booklet and share the bold agenda that Republicans have for a more confident America. It contains more than 100 ideas to get our economy back on track, many that have worked for us right here in North Dakota. Our plan is based on the notion that the best way to restore our prosperity is to tap into the talents and aspirations of our people and then get out of their way and let them be successful. We will cut down on needless regulations. To do this, we want to require a vote in Congress before any major regulation can take effect. Unelected bureaucrats should not have the final saythe people and their representatives should. And we believe that there should be a cap on the amount of regulatory costs Washington can impose each year. Our plan promotes reliable and affordable American energy, enhancing our global competitiveness. North Dakota has been a leader in our countrys energy boomlets continue to connect this success to the consumers and workers who benefit from it most. And no more Keystonesno more of these endless delays that hold up jobs and projects indefinitely. This is truly a better wayfar better than the path our country is on now. You know, over the last eight years, President Obama has led a regulatory onslaught the likes of which we have never seen. In fact, this administration is on pace to make this the busiest regulatory year in history, and it wont even be close. In the works are everything from regulating overtime pay to retirement planning. And what do we have to show for this? This has been the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression. People are working longer hours for less. We are not bouncing back because big government is in our way. Our plan offers a better pathan inspiring pathso we can have more success stories and more comebacks. I encourage you to learn more about these Better Way ideas by visiting better.gop. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. Calaveras County Seal View Photos San Andreas, CA A technicality hindering timely Butte Fire-caused hazard tree removals before the wintry weather begins will likely trigger a local state of emergency declaration. Tuesday morning at 9, the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors will hold a special session where they anticipate adopting a resolution declaring the emergency, specifically due to the imminent threat posed by potentially severe winter weather, with the hope that it will enable already hired contractors to finally take down nearly 9,000 trees before they come crashing down on their own. Otherwise, governmental red tape triggered by some inaccuracies in submitted county paperwork might delay the start-work date until February. The supervisors have been renewing the countys overall state of emergency due to the Butte Fire every two weeks since the day after the deadly wildfire first sparked last Sept. 9. Before it was finally fully contained on Oct. 1, the blaze engulfed over 70,000 acres in Amador and Calaveras counties and damaged or killed over 8,800 trees along or adjacent to Calaveras County-owned and maintained roads. Due to the narrow roadways and steep terrain within the burn scar however, hazard tree mitigation took a backseat to structure debris removal and other recovery operations that took through June. The county continues working to meet program requirements with the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal-OES), which administers the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance program that funds dead and dying hazardous tree removals along public roads. However, efforts to get the tree cutting going are being stymied by the lack of a forthcoming National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) determination. The delay is reportedly due, county officials say, to some inaccurate data on tree numbers they submitted to FEMA, which the agency subsequently forwarded to other resource agencies. The glitch caused FEMA to require that the countys tree removal project move from an informal to a formal consultation process that requires 90 days to complete. In other business, the supervisors, seeking to initialize the hiring of a new County Administrative Officer (CAO) for the departing Shirley Ryan, set to retire at the end of the year, will review HR staff recommendations to update the CAO job description. The meeting will take place in the supervisors chambers in the county government center (891 Mountain Ranch Road, San Andreas). Chinese president Xi Jinping concluded a two-day state visit to Cambodia last week. It was Xi's first state visit to Cambodia as president. Sino-Cambodian relations have a long history, and Cambodia is China's friendly neighbor and important partner. However, Western criticisms emerged over the pragmatic cooperation between China and Cambodia. How should we view the accusations, and what roles Sino-Cambodian relations can play in creating a China-ASEAN "Diamond Decade?" We should hold dialectical perspectives over the accusations from the West. The criticisms have strong ideological orientation and aim at distortion of China's national image. The advance of trade and investment has made China play a crucial role in Cambodian economic and social development. Since the Cambodian general election in 1993, free market economic reform has become the country's basic national policy and bilateral trade with China has gained remarkable achievements. From 2000 to 2008, bilateral trade cooperation maintained double-digit growth for nine consecutive years. Although the scale declined due to the global financial crisis in 2009, bilateral trade got through the crisis in 2010, achieving a growth rate of 52.65 percent, and by 2011, the growth rate reached 73.42 percent. By 2012, the total bilateral trade volume reached a new record level, amounting to $2.92 billion, a 17.97 percent increase year-on-year. Now, Sino-Cambodian trade relations obtain a new opportunity for development by jointly building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. Apart from the growth of trade, Chinese investment in Cambodia also increased. In 2012 alone, Chinese investment in Cambodia reached $263 million, accounting for 19.06 percent of the total foreign investment in Cambodia. By 2014, total Chinese investment in Cambodia accumulated up to $9.6 billion. The main fields of Chinese investment in Cambodia included clothing, textile industry, hotels and tourist attractions, and industrial parks. The economic and trade relations between the two countries, especially Chinese investment, have exerted very beneficial effects on Cambodia's economic and social progress. Take the Kamchay Dam in Elephant Mountain, Cambodia, as an example. The China-backed dam project has safely operated for 1,500 days to early 2016, and generated 1.68 billion kilowatt-hours. The power has been transmitted to Kampot, Takeo Province, and even the capital Phnom Penh. Some problems do exist in the development of economic and trade relations. Sino-Cambodian trade imbalance is notable, and Cambodia has posted a trade deficit with China for a long time. In general, Chinese total export to Cambodia is 10 times larger than Cambodian total export to China. There is no doubt that the long-term trade deficit is not conducive to the stable and healthy development of economic and trade relations. In recent years, the focus of China's assistance to Cambodia has shifted, stressing improving infrastructure and constructing production-oriented projects, which include hydropower, infrastructure, oil and gas resources, agriculture and education. China-ASEAN relations based on dialogue and cooperation are now along the path of jointly building 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, toward the direction of a "Diamond Decade". As an ASEAN member, Cambodia is an important object for China's "go global" strategy. China-ASEAN regional cooperation platforms, such as the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership project which is under discussion, are important regional platforms for Sino-Cambodian ties. Cambodia is the last country to join ASEAN, but it has set a good example in ASEAN's relations with China. The author is a research fellow with the Charhar Institute and the College of ASEAN Studies at Guangxi University for Nationalities. Nov. 11 is the day each year that this nation sets aside to honor veterans and thank them for their service and the sacrifices they have made. The Annual Honoring Our Veterans Appreciation Banquet is being hosted by the Plainview Elks Lodge. The Elks welcome Atmos Energy as a co-sponsor to the banquet this year. Also assisting with the banquet are the Plainview High School Naval Junior ROTC, Plainview 4-H, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 260, Plainview Police Department Color Guard, Plainview Country Club Pro Shop, Sodexo and Hale County Commissioners Court. The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 260 has been a tremendous help in the planning of this event, said Angie Nelms of the Plainview Elks Lodge. The banquet will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6 in the Pete and Nelda Laney Activity Center on the campus of Wayland Baptist University. Atmos Energy will be helping to provide the food that will be cooked by Jerry and David Ballesteros and Scott Young with the help of other Elk members and Elk families. Records indicate that there are more than 3,400 veterans in Swisher, Hale, Castro and Floyd counties. Only a small number are members of the American Legion or VFW posts in the area. Invitations are going out to veterans whose addresses are known by the event organizers, the Plainview Elks want to make sure all veterans are given the opportunity to attend the banquet. They feel it is important to honor and recognize all veterans and are asking veterans living in Plainview, Tulia, Kress, Lockney, Floydada, Petersburg, Hart, Dimmitt, Olton, Cotton Center and Hale Center who would like to attend the banquet to contact them. The contact information is listed below. It is very important that the veterans contact us if they would like to attend the banquet. We need to be able to give the caterer and others a number so they can make sure enough food is prepared, said Jana Cannon of the Plainview Elks Lodge. If possible, we need to know by Oct. 30 how many will attend. That will give us a week to finalize the amount of food we will need to serve. Veterans who do not drive at night or might need assistance in attending particularly need to call. There are options available to them and assistance will be provided, Cannon added. Please remember when you call that the volunteers work and might not be able to answer the phone at that moment. Make sure to leave a message, including your name and number stated clearly. If you leave your name and number, they will get back with you as soon as they can. Veterans may call or text the following people to RSVP to the banquet: Jana Cannon, 806-729-5300 or Angie Nelms, 806-729-0977, or they can leave a message at Plainview Elks Lodge at 806-293-1212. Email plainviewelks@aol.com. Buildings are shrouded in smog in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 14, 2016. [Photo: gov.cn] Environmental protection authorities said on Sunday some measures of a contingency plan to deal with smog have not been fully implemented, stressing vehicle exhaust, especially from out-of-town vehicles, contributed heavily to the weekend's intense smog, which is expected to last for days. According to a statement sent by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) on Sunday to the Global Times, activities in some Beijing suburbs violated the contingency plan, including the failure to suspend construction work and the illegal burning of garbage. The MEP also said Beijing has more than 5.7 million vehicles, and the nitric oxide and hydrocarbons emitted from them account for 50 and 40 percent of the smog. Pollution created by out-of-town vehicles was more severe, with about 300,000 vehicles entering Beijing daily, with half of them exceeding emissions standards, said the statement. Meantime, five illegal trash-burning areas were found around Beijing, which has contributed to the smog, the statement said. Beijing Emergency Management raised the pollution alert level from blue to yellow Friday, the third-highest warning level, because the density of PM 2.5 particles reached 350 micrograms per cubic meter and worsened on Saturday, China News Service reported Sunday. The heavy pollution that blanketed Beijing the past days was mainly caused by local pollutants since PM 10 particles were higher than before, according to monitored data, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. The report said clear skies are expected Monday morning thanks to the cold front, but will deteriorate again on Tuesday because of rising humidity, among other reasons. Wang Gengchen, a research fellow from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said pollution from neighboring regions have also contributed to the smog since it spread to the city in the past weeks, and lingered due to humid conditions. Wang said the smog could worsen this winter since the Siberian cold front may not be as strong as before, given current extreme global weather. "Aside from waiting for the cold front to help diffuse the smog, environmental authorities have implemented measures to alleviate the smog, including limiting vehicles with heavy emissions in Beijing and implementing an odd-even license plate scheme," said Wang. The Beijing Municipal Transport Commission recently issued draft regulations on car-booking services, stating that only those with a Beijing household registration with a car of certain engine displacements are qualified to provide the service. Authorities said the measure is aimed at easing traffic as well as reducing vehicle emissions, The Beijing News reported. The commission also called for joint efforts and stricter law enforcement with neighboring regions to deal with the haze, said Wang, noting that Hebei should still strengthen supervision on factories which create heavy pollution. Many cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region have suffered mild to moderate air pollution since Saturday, and some places may suffer from heavy pollution from Tuesday to Thursday, Xinhua reported. Voluntary donation the only legal source of organs in China: medical expert (Xinhua) 11:24, October 18, 2016 BEIJING, Oct. 18 -- Organs are now collected from voluntary donors, a top medical expert said at an ongoing workshop on organ donation and transplants. "China is proud of the organ donation and transplant system that has developed since 2015, when the practice of harvesting of organs from condemned prisoners was outlawed," said Huang Jiefu, director of China's National Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee, on Monday. The workshop will last three days from Monday to Wednesday. In 2007, China issued regulations on voluntary organ donation and banned organ trading, said Huang. According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, China processed 2,950 organ donations in the first nine months of this year, up 50 percent year on year. This exceeds the number undertaken in 2015, which stood at 2,766, said a statement. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. (Photo/Xinhua) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who arrives in Beijing on Tuesday for his first state visit to China, said he agrees with Beijing's call for peaceful settlement of the South China Sea issue. Duterte expects a "soft landing" in the dispute over the issue. He will visit China for four days. "I'll be there to talk about it softly," Duterte told China News Service in an interview released on Monday. "We take away war or violence, because that is not a good option." Duterte, who took office in July, has been faced with repairing chilly ties with Beijing after the Cabinet of former president Aquino Benigno III unilaterally filed a case to an international tribunal on the South China Sea. China did not recognize the case and it declared it invalid. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that "the door for dialogue is always open", adding that Beijing had noticed that Duterte repeatedly expressed his willingness to talk. President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang will meet individually with Duterte. Hua said the talks "may cover a wide spectrum" and a fruitful visit is expected. Before leaving Manila, Duterte highlighted economic and trade cooperation. He noted his country's abundance in tourism, mineral and agricultural resources, and China's huge, lucrative market. Xu Liping, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that Duterte has repeatedly demonstrated his goodwill by avoiding inflammatory comments on arbitration. Beijing has pledged support for Manila's priorities, including its anti-drug campaign, Xu added. "The visits will bring tangible outcomes in two-way ties, which will benefit both countries, better stabilize the South China Sea region, and improve people's economic circumstances and trade," Xu said. Zhao Jianhua, Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, told Philippines media on Friday that it is hoped that after Duterte's visit, investment from China would rise significantly in areas such as infrastructure, railways, highways, seaports and airports. Zhao also envisioned an increase in Chinese tourists to the Philippines, bringing as much as $1 billion annually to the country. Duterte touched down in Brunei the first leg of his trip on Sunday evening, and he will leave China on Friday to visit Japan. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate San Antonio grocer H-E-B has apologized to a Devine couple after a store employee told the mother she couldnt breast-feed her 8-month-old daughter while shopping because H-E-B is a family-friendly store. Vanessa Danna said she, her two daughters and her husband were nearing the end of a shopping trip Sunday at the H-E-B Plus at 1150 N. Loop 1604 when she noticed her 8-month-old daughter was hungry. So she and her family moved to an empty aisle so she could breast-feed. Im very discreet when I feed her, Danna said. Im not really lewd about it. I discreetly took out my breast to feed her on an empty aisle. The family continued shopping. Soon, a store manager approached the family in a crowded aisle and told Danna she could not breast-feed while shopping because H-E-B is a family-friendly store, Danna said. The employee told Danna to cover her baby or move to a private area, the 30-year-old mother said. Danna said she had not encountered this type of request from a store employee or any negative comments from other shoppers. Danna breast-fed her first daughter, now 2 years old, and she pointed out that state law allows mothers to breast-feed wherever they are authorized to be. Never have we been asked to cover up or go to another room to feed the baby, Danna said. That came as such a shock to me. Danna said she believed the employee would not allow the family to continue shopping until she complied with her request. Instead, Danna said, she chose to leave the cart full of groceries and shop elsewhere. We werent going to spend our money where we werent welcome to feed our baby, Danna said. Frustrated, Dannas husband, Frank, complained about the incident in a Facebook post that was shared more than 500 times as of Tuesday morning. Facebook/Frank Danna We spend a fair bit of our paycheck at H-E-B, and being that H-E-B is so proud of their Texas roots it is the ONLY place we shop, Frank Danna wrote. After today, H-E-B will receive a full boycott by my family until we are issued an apology by this company. H-E-B spokeswoman Dya Campos said the episode was a miscommunication between the family and the employee, who was trying to offer the mother a private space to breast-feed. The San Antonio-based grocer allows mothers to breast-feed while shopping, but it also sets aside private rooms for them, Campos said. Campos said the San Antonio-based grocer apologized to the Danna family Monday, which the couple confirmed. H-E-B has a long-standing policy of supporting mothers who are breast-feeding, Campos said. It was a miscommunication, misunderstanding, and we apologize for that. We contact every single customer who writes to us or contacts us or feels like they had a bad experience. H-E-B is known for making it right. Some retailers and big-box stores have pushed to accommodate breast-feeding mothers, though sometimes employees dont seem to get the memo. Last year, Target adopted a policy allowing mothers to breast-feed their children in any area of the store, ABC News reported. But last week, a Target employee in Kyle, outside of Austin, reportedly told a 23-year-old mother to leave after she attempted to feed her child in a changing room and later a bathroom at the employees request, news station KVUE reported. Danna said H-E-Bs director of customer relations and the stores general manager each called her Monday to apologize, stress that the encounter Sunday was an isolated incident, and promise that they would speak to the employee about the situation. They wanted to gain our trust back, Danna said. Weve never had any issues with them. Were going to continue shopping there as long as we feel welcome. jfechter@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The state of Texas wants the estate of murdered trucking tycoon Bill Hall Jr. to pay up on a $160,000 court judgment. But a lawyer for the estate said Halls companies and his widow, who last month was convicted of murder in his 2013 death over his infidelity, have fallen on financial hard times and are unable to satisfy the states claim. I do not believe that the family has the liquid assets to meet your demand at this time, lawyer Edward Lavin, who represents the estate, wrote in a Sept. 29 email to an assistant attorney general. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality had provided more than $475,000 in grants to Bill Hall Jr. in 2008 and 2009 to buy environmentally friendly trucks for his trucking business, which picks up and delivers road-building materials. He later returned the trucks to a dealership before the contract with the state expired. The state sued to recover the unearned grant money. The state filed papers on Friday seeking a court order directing the estate to either make the $160,000 payment or sell assets to satisfy the claim. The request came about a month after Bill Hall Jr.s widow, Frances Hall, was sentenced to two years in prison for his murder. A Bexar County jury found Hall acted with sudden passion when she knocked her husbands motorcycle off a highway. She denied she killed her husband. The love triangle, Frances A. Halls ensuing rage over her husbands infidelity, his dramatic death and her murder trial have attracted national attention. They were the subject of an hour-long special on the CBS News show 48 Hours Saturday night. Driven By Extremes drew about 4.8 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings. During the program, Bill Hall Jr.s best friend and cousin, Hank Hall, said Frances Hall was angered by a barrage of text messages she received from her husbands mistress, which included photos of the two of them having sex. Dateline on NBC News is working on a separate in-depth report on the case. Click here to read the full story or turn to Wednesdays Business section in the newspaper. pdanner@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate For 30 years, French Quarter flavors have been plated for Texans at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. Harris Pappas, who also owns Pappasito's Cantina, founded the 36-location seafood chain in Houston, back in 1986, according to a news release. Three decades later, the restaurant is open across the map in eight states and countless cities, including San Antonio, at 76 North East Loop 410. RELATED: West Side landmark Mariachi Connection celebrating 20 years Pappadeaux has celebrated the milestone month with "daily specials, contests and giveaways" which last until Oct. 31. RELATED: S.A. company where Texas historical markers are made celebrates 150 years One of the highlighted celebration menu items is the CAT-30 Hurricane, an adult beverage with Flor de Cana seven-year-aged rum, house-made Fassionola syrup, fresh lime juice, and topped with soda and Hennessy V.S, a news release said. RELATED: HDRC rules for demolition of Malt House The Facebook page for San Antonio's Pappadeux location is keeping customers current with celebratory deals, like a half-price seafood platter available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout October. Click through the gallery above to read up on Pappadeaux trivia to hold your hunger until dinnertime. mmendoza@mysa.com Twitter: @MaddySkye This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Hurricane Nicole unearthed an Atlantic Ocean "sea monster," according to a group of Bermudan fishermen who said they accidentally came face-to-face with a 14-pound lobster last weekend. On Oct. 13, Category 3 Hurricane Nicole swept through Bermuda with an "exceedingly rare" intensity for the area, according to The Weather Channel. Two days later, Sanctuary Marine Bermuda, a small fishing guide service on the island, found a huge catch. RELATED: Texas gar fisherman has amassed worldwide attention, records for his monster catches "Hurricane Nicole blew in some sea monsters," the business captioned three photos of a man holding up the crustacean. The post garnered a sea of more than 20,000 reactions, to which Sanctuary Marine Bermuda replied to and promised the lobster had been released back into the ocean. Video of the catch was also shared on the page, which showed the company's crews as they worked to remove a fish hook from behemoth. RELATED: Photos: Texas family keeps world's largest rodent as indoor pet Sanctuary Marine Bermuda's Capt. Matthew Jones and Tristan Loescher told The Washington Post they were fishing for snapper when they landed the "accidental" catch. Loescher is the man seen in the video, who jumped into the water to untangle and unhook the lobster. Jones also told the Washington Post he has been fishing in Bermuda since he was a teenager and had never seen a lobster as big as his latest catch. RELATED: 254-pound 'river monster' caught in waters dividing Texas and Oklahoma Though the 14-pound lobster may be a first for Bermuda and Jones, a 1977, 44-pound catch in Nova Scotia is the heaviest "marine crustacean" in the Guinness World Records. However, the record-holder was an American of North Atlantic Lobster. Though the Bermudan catch was caught in the North Atlantic waters, it is classified as a Caribbean spiny lobster due to its lack of claws, according to The Weather Channel. mmendoza@mysa.com Twitter: @MaddySkye Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo More than 50 local vendors will showcase their goods and services on Wednesday at the 11th annual Best of Brookfield. The event, sponsored by the towns Chamber of Commerce, will run from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the Candlewood Inn. Participating vendors include insurance agencies, health care providers, banks, hotels and schools. The Bethel Visiting Nurse Association will be provide flu shots. China says it keeps close watch on U.S.-South Korea naval drill The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Ronald Reagan, conducted take-off and landing drills in the Yellow Sea on October 14, 2016. [Photo: cankaoxiaoxi.com] China's defense department says it has kept a close watch on the joint naval exercises between the United States and South Korea in Korean waters. The remarks come following reports that the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Ronald Reagan, conducted take-off and landing drills in the Yellow Sea while en route to the exercise area. Both South Korea and the US claimed that the large-scale exercises in the seas off the Korean Peninsula were a show of force against possible provocations from North Korea. In a response via its official Weibo account, the Chinese Defense Ministry urged related parties to keep calm and excercise restraint to avoid an escalation of tensions in the region. The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea. It is located between China and the Korean Peninsula. On this date in ... 1916: President Woodrow Wilson, accompanied by his wife, his private secretary and his personal physician, arrived via train in Albany en route to Chicago to give three speeches during the closing days of his hard-fought re-election campaign. The stop was supposed to be for only 10 minutes, but the crowds were so large and the ovation so grand that Wilson shook hands with as many people as he could, keeping him here much longer. 1966: The Rev. Emmett A. O'Connor, 76, whose work in a South End parish for nearly a half-century brought inspiration and enrichment to Albany's Italian community, died at Villa Mary Immaculate Nursing Home after a long illness. Known to his parishioners as "Padre Nostra" (Our Father), he was also a teacher and helped immigrants become naturalized citizens. He completed his seminary studies at North American College, Rome, and served as organist at the Sistine Chapel during his last two years there. 1991: School districts throughout the state got official permission to decide whether to distribute free condoms to high school students as an AIDS-prevention method. New regulations approved by the state Board of Regents gave local school boards the authority to give out condoms, but also set guidelines for distribution. Students who received condoms must have received instruction about AIDS and counseling by trained school staff about the risks of condom use. Want to read more about the Capital Region's past? Have any memories or thoughts about how our history relates to today's events? See http://blog.timesunion.com/history/ [By Chi Ying / CCTV.com] That blossoms in spring, brings forth fruit in autumn. October is Chinas harvest season. 2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries cooperation mechanism. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the 8th BRICS summit in GOA, India and delivered a speech, entitled Cement confidence, promote common development. Xi spoke about a far-sighted vision with deep meanings. He explained Beijings solutions for enhancing cooperation among BRICS member states. His speech has attracted wide attention among BRICS countries. It needs a decade to mold a good sword. Hence during the past decade, BRICS countries have sought common development and progressed forward, expanding cooperation with mutual benefits and win-win strategies. Looking ahead, the Chinese leader made a five-point proposal to inject Beijing's confidence into BRICS cooperation and offer Beijings wisdom to explore "responsive, inclusive, and collective solutions for the global economic growth. China will hold the rotating chair of the BRICS summit, and host its ninth summit in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen in September, which brings about Beijings new opportunities for developing the BRICS mechanism. From Goa to Xiamen, Beijings wisdom can offer a new blueprint and add greater impetus for BRICS cooperation. We can anticipate Xiamen to host an even more sparkling BRICS Summit next year. The author Zhang Maorong is a researcher with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Albany With no one signing up to testify in person, what was scheduled as an additional hearing Tuesday on a potential pay raise for lawmakers has been canceled. "I just got the email,'' Roman Hedges, one of seven members of a special Commission on Legislative, Judicial & Executive Compensation said Monday. "I'm going to have to cancel my train reservations,'' he said. While several lawmakers have submitted written testimony explaining why they should or shouldn't get raises beyond their $79,500 base salaries, none have apparently listened to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's earlier call for them to come before the commission in person and lay out the case for a raise which they haven't had since 1999. During their last meeting, panel members appeared deadlocked on whether they should recommend a raise, with at least two of three Cuomo appointees leaning against voting for it. If none of those three appointees votes for a raise, the commission wouldn't recommend a pay increase. The commission is supposed to offer its recommendations by Nov. 15. Under legislation that set up the commission, lawmakers would either accept the recommendations, which would take effect in January, or vote them down. Members of the Democratic-led Assembly have noted that the question of a legislative pay raise which is controversial by its nature was put to the special commission to try to take the politics out of it. Hedges, an appointee of the Assembly Democrats, has noted that. And Assembly Democratic Majority Speaker Carl Heastie, in an Oct. 5 letter to the panel, said the whole idea of appointing a commission was to "remove this discussion from politics.'' Lawmakers likely would be hesitant to ask for more money, especially during an election year. But Cuomo recently said he believes lawmakers should nonetheless appear before the commission and make their best case for raises. At least one of the governor's three appointees, Fran Reiter, has made similar statements. Having a special independent panel, she said, "doesn't relieve them of the obligation to make their case.'' Commission staff members have been posting on their website letters from the public regarding the concept of a pay raise; the sentiment is more than 5-to-1 against. Hedges pointed out that should the commission fail to recommend a raise, there is nothing to keep lawmakers from returning to the Capitol in a special session and vote themselves a raise if the governor were to approve it. That happened during the last raise in 1998 when Gov. George Pataki agreed to approve it. In return, members of the Democratic Assembly agreed to allow charter schools in the state. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Students and alumni are using social media to publicize racist comments and other instances of feeling marginalized on Texas A&M Universitys campus. The universitys NAACP chapter urged Twitter users to share their experiences as people of color on campus on Sunday, and students immediately responded. Hispanics should just do everyone a favor and go back to Mexico, one student said she heard. I dont believe whites and non-whites should be together, but youre OK, an alumnus recalled hearing from a fellow Corps of Cadets member when he was a sophomore. There have been hundreds of posts using two hashtags #beingaPOCatTAMU and #racismatTAMUfeelslike on Twitter since Sunday evening. Several people wrote about hearing racial slurs and seeing Confederate battle flags on and around campus. Texas A&M University's NAACP chapter decided to use the hashtags to kick off a week of programming, said chapter president Bryce Randall, 21, of Houston. Immediate popularity indicated that "these issues are real," he said. "These are real things that people are dealing with on a daily basis." "This isn't us trying to bash the students or administration or say we hate our school," Randall said. "We love our school and we want to hold people accountable. We want things to become better. The way we get there is by talking." Texas A&M University is predominantly white, with 19.8 percent of students enrolled this fall identifying as Hispanic or Latino, 6.5 percent of students identifying as Asian and 3.8 percent identifying as black or multiracial with a black parent. A&M has said that it needs to narrow disparities between races and ethnicities in retention and graduation rates. In a recent diversity report, it said that students have reported harassment and subtle insults based on race to the university, and it has condemned reports of racial slurs on campus as "unacceptable." The university "welcomes the conversation" and has worked to "continually improve" diversity on campus, said spokeswoman Amy Smith, who added that she was "surprised and saddened" by several of the accounts. "We're paying attention to the tweets and not disputing anybody's experience," she said. The sheer number of posts was striking to Clarence Jerome, a 19-year-old sophomore from Houston. I realized how much racism was going around without being known," he said in an interview. Jerome, who is African American, wrote that a fellow student called him one of the good ones. You should teach young boys so they grow up like you. Certain comments, he said, he ignores. But after that, he recalls responding, A person's race doesn't reflect a person's actions, mostly their character judges what makes a person good or bad." Will Fisher, 27, of Jacksonville, Fla., wrote the tweet about hearing a fellow Corps of Cadets member reject integration. He recalled sitting in a fellow corps members room more than five years ago, shining shoes to prepare for the day, when he heard the comment. Im a biracial kid his one sentence invalidated my existence, said Fisher, who earned his bachelors and masters degrees from Texas A&M University. Fisher, whose parents are both multiracial, said he saw the hashtag on Facebook and spent the morning reading about others experiences. It makes me worried for Aggies, he said. A&M is a Tier 1 research university. Were at the forefront of many different industries. But we cant figure out multiculturalism. 1 137-shot barrage: Six former Cleveland police officers are trying to get their jobs back after being fired following a high-speed chase and deadly shooting that led to changes at the department. The November 2012 chase began when officers mistook the sound of a backfiring vehicle for a gunshot. It ended in a 137-shot barrage that killed two unarmed black people in East Cleveland. The arbitration process includes patrolman Michael Brelo, the only officer charged with a felony in the case. He was acquitted of manslaughter charges for firing the last 15 shots. Thirteen officers fired shots. The police union president has described the firings as politically motivated. 2 Ruby slippers: It will take more than three clicks of the heels to restore the ruby slippers that whisked Dorothy back to Kansas at the end of The Wizard of Oz. The slippers, which for more than 30 years have been one of the most beloved items at the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History, were crafted almost 80 years ago by MGM Studios. Like most movie props, they werent built to last. Now, the frayed shoes arent even ruby-colored anymore theyre more like a dull auburn. On Monday, the Smithsonian launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $300,000. In addition to restoring the shoes color, the money will go toward a technologically advanced display case that will preserve them for future generations. Whoever stole more than $20,000 worth of puppies from a northwest Harris County pet store was needlessly destructive, the shop owner said. "They took sledge hammers and broke the windows of the dog kennels," even though they had already opened individual kennel doors, owner Carrol Stack said. The thieves backed a truck up to Pet City, 200 Bammel Westfield Road in the Spring area, at about 7 a.m. Saturday, Stack said. They used sledge hammers and crow bars to breach the entrance, causing about $10,000 in damage to the doors and surrounding stucco, she said. READ MORE: Two people in custody in theft of expensive puppy Apparently three or four men, one of whom stayed in the truck, broke into the store and left with six bulldog puppies and possibly a one-pound Yorkshire terrier, she said. The 10-week-old puppies, valued at between $3,000 and $4,500 a piece, had been at the shop for two weeks. Stack said she was concerned about their welfare. "If you don't feed these little dogs right, they die in 24 hours," she said. The shop is offering a reward of $800 for each dog that is safely returned. READ MORE: Rare birds discovered in Pearland Park Some of the other puppies the thieves left behind in open kennels fell about 5 feet to the floor. They were apparently unhurt, although a fall of that distance for a puppy so small could be fatal, Stack said. The case is under investigation by the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can be left anonymously. Everyone fails in life, and failure can be a crushing experience. The only thing that separates successful people from the rest is how they respond after they fail. When facing obstacles, you have to decide if youre going to let them be the excuse for your failure or if youre going to make them the story behind your success. There is no failure. Only feedback. -- Robert Allen When you adopt the right attitude, failure is a great teacher. Failure interrupts your routine and gives you an opportunity to explore new solutions, but only if you have the right attitude. Related: 11 Tweaks to Your Daily Routine Will Make Your Day More Productive Psychologist Albert Bandura conducted a study that showed just how great a role our attitudes play in the face of failure. In the study, two groups of people were asked to complete an identical management task. The first group was told that the purpose of the task was to measure their management abilities. The other group was told that the skills required to complete the task were improvable and that the task was merely an opportunity to practice and improve. The trick was that the researchers made the task so difficult that all participants were bound to fail, and fail they did. The first group -- feeling like failures because their skills werent up to snuff -- made little or no improvement when they were given opportunities to repeat the task. The second group, however, saw each failure as a learning opportunity, and they performed at progressively higher levels each time they attempted the task. The second group even rated themselves as more confident than the first group. Just like the participants in Banduras study, we can either view our failures as reflections of our abilities or as opportunities for growth. The next time you catch yourself wallowing in the self-pity that often accompanies failure, focus on what you can control: your attitude. Some of the best lessons in life are also the toughest to accept and to adopt the right attitude toward. These are the lessons that challenge your flexibility and willingness to learn. When we dont embrace them soon enough, the lessons we learn turn out to be harsh ones. Related: 9 Phrases Smart People Never Use In Conversation 1. The first step is always the hardest. When you want to achieve something important, that first step is inevitably going to be daunting, even frightening. When you dare to make that first move, anxiety and fear dissipate in the name of action. People that dive headfirst into taking that brutal first step arent any stronger than the rest of us; theyve simply learned that it yields great results. They know that the pain of getting started is inevitable and that procrastination only prolongs their suffering. 2. Good things take time. Success, above all, requires time and effort. Author Malcolm Gladwell suggested that mastery of anything requires 10,000 hours of tireless focus. Many successful people would agree. Consider Henry Ford, whose first two automobile businesses failed before he started Ford at the age of 45, or author Harry Bernstein, who dedicated his entire life to writing before he finally landed a best-seller at the age of 96. When you finally do succeed, you realize that the journey was the best part of it. 3. Being busy does not equal being productive. Look at everyone around you. They all seem so busy, running from meeting to meeting and firing off e-mails. Yet how many of them are really producing, really succeeding at a high level? Success doesnt come from movement and activity; it comes from focus -- from ensuring that your time is used efficiently and productively. You get the same number of hours in the day as everyone else, so use yours wisely. After all, youre the product of your output not your effort. Make certain your efforts are dedicated to tasks that get results. 4. You will always have less control than you want. There are too many extenuating circumstances in life to control every outcome. You can, however, control how you react to things that are out of your control. Your reaction is what transforms a mistake into a learning experience and ensures that a victory doesnt send your ego through the roof. You cant win every battle, but with the right attitude, you can win the war. 5. You're only as good as those you associate with. You should strive to surround yourself with people who inspire you, people who make you want to be better. And you probably do. But what about the people who drag you down? Why do you allow them to be part of your life? Anyone who makes you feel worthless, anxious or uninspired is wasting your time and, quite possibly, making you more like them. Life is too short to associate with people like this. Cut them loose. 6. Your biggest problems are mental. Almost all our problems occur because we time travel: we go to the past and regret things weve done, or we go to the future and feel anxious about events that havent even happened. Its all too easy to slip into the past or jet into the future. When you do, you lose sight of the one thing that you can actually control -- the present. 7. Your self-worth must come from within. When your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from comparing yourself with others, you are no longer the master of your own destiny. When you feel good about something that youve done, dont allow anyones opinions or accomplishments to take that away from you. While its impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think of you, you dont have to compare yourself with others and you can always take peoples opinions with a grain of salt. That way, no matter what other people are thinking or doing, your self-worth comes from within. Regardless of what people think of you at any particular moment, one thing is certain -- youre never as good or bad as they say you are. 8. Not everyone will support you. In fact, most people wont. Some people will inundate you with negativity, passive aggression, anger or jealousy, but none of this matters, because, as Dr. Seuss said, Those that matter dont mind, and those that mind dont matter. We cant possibly get support from everyone, and we definitely cant spend our time and energy trying to win over the people who dont support us. Letting go of the opinions of people who dont matter frees up time and energy for the people and things that do. Related: 8 Ways Intelligent People Use Failure to Their Advantage 9. Perfection doesnt exist. Dont seek perfection as your target. It doesnt exist. Human beings, by our very nature, are fallible. When perfection is your goal, youre always left with a nagging sense of failure that makes you want to give up or reduce your effort. You end up spending your time lamenting what you failed to accomplish and what you should have done differently, instead of moving forward, excited about what you've achieved and what youll accomplish in the future. 10. Fear is the number one source of regret. When all is said and done, you will lament the chances you didnt take far more than you will your failures. Dont be afraid to take risks. I often hear people say, Whats the worst thing that can happen to you? Will it kill you? Yet, death isnt the worst thing that can happen to you -- the worst thing that can happen to you is allowing yourself to die inside while youre still alive. Bringing It All Together Successful people never stop learning. They learn from their mistakes and they learn from their triumphs, and theyre always changing themselves for the better. Related: 10 Harsh Lessons That Will Make You More Successful 10 Do's and Don'ts for Success From Ramit Sethi 5 Reasons to Host Your Own Event Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Although Halloween is still 12 days and Thanksgiving is more than a month away, the Plainview Chamber of Commerce is looking ahead to Christmas. To be specific, the Chamber is looking at kicking off the holiday season on the first Thursday of December, which is Dec. 1. Thats the date for the annual Christmas Parade of Lights, sponsored by the Chamber. At Tuesdays Chamber Board meeting, Chamber Executive Director Linda Morris reported that plans are moving forward for this years event, with a theme of A Texas Christmas. Were changing up the route a little, particularly where it starts in Broadway Park, Morris told directors. We always have a bottleneck there, with parents wanting to drive as close as they can to drop off children to ride on the floats, while at the same time we are trying to line up parade entries. Last year we had more than 60 entries, and we expect to have at least that many or more this year. In an attempt to ease traffic congestion, there will be designated areas for parents to drop off children to load onto floats before floats are brought into the parade staging area. Parking will be prohibited in staging area. We plan to block off entrances into the park since weve had problems in the past with people dropping children at the floats, then having trouble finding their way out, Morris said. Well need extra help to get that accomplished, but it should make getting the parade lined up much easier. Looking farther ahead, Vice President Tim Hardage, who presided Tuesday in the absence of President Bobby Hall, announced that the annual Chamber of Commerce Recognition Banquet is Feb. 23. During the banquet, Plainviews Man and Woman of the Year will be recognized. Nominations open Jan. 1. The program has not yet been announced. Shane Harrell, who serves as both program and curriculum director of Leadership Plainview, introduced members of the 33rd Leadership Plainview Class. There are 14 members. Morris reported that the Chamber ended its fiscal year on Sept. 30 with a net profit of $1,541 against a projected loss of $10,500. Actual expenses during 2015-16 for the non-profit was $131,384 against budgeted expenses of $135,643. Actual income was $132,925 against budgeted income of $125,144. Looking ahead, Morris reported that Express Employment agreed to be corporate sponsor of Lemonade Day, including the $2,500 franchise fee. Morris added that the cost of the 2017 fireworks show is unchanged from $14,000 in 2016. In 2017, it will be held Tuesday, July 4. Jordan Dunlap, a Leadership Plainview participant, is the newest member of the Chamber Ambassadors. That group is planning two upcoming ribbon cuttings, at the new Plainview Dodge in early January and at the new NAPA collision center, Texas Collision Worx, at 10th and I-27 in the former Willson & Son Lumber location. The next Business After Hours is Tuesday, Dec. 6, at Centennial Bank. Melinda Brown, Main Street manager, reported that her group will host the Texas Plains Trails quarterly meeting on Thursday at the Fair Theatre and is being considered to host the groups annual conference in August. The Texas Plains Trail promotes tourism in the upper 52 counties in the Texas Panhandle-South Plains. Brown added that the annual Downtown Trick or Treat event will be held Friday, Oct. 28, with Halloween-themed movies shown at the Fair Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 29. Main Street will help stage the Turkey Trot event on Nov. 11, and 12 Days of Christmas events are planned during December, beginning with the Christmas Parade on Dec. 1 and culminating with movie night on Dec. 23. Mike Fox, executive director of the Plainview/Hale County Economic Development Corporation, reported meeting recently with representatives of BNSF concerning a new wind energy prospect needing rail capacity. Fox also has met with a prospect seeking a site for a logistics center along the Ports to Plains corridor. He also is following up on an ag-related prospect forwarded by the High Ground of Texas. It also wants to be situated on the Ports to Plains Corridor and has a requirement for 100 acres of land with irrigation. The prospect would initially employ 80 to 100, eventually going to about 250. Fox said the Plainview Business Park Steering Committee has met with the consulting firm of Parkhill Smith and Cooper, and will soon tour other business parks before finalizing local development plans. PHCEDC has awarded a $10,000 grant for the development of a culinary program through the Plainview High School CTE Department. Fox added that the Hilton Hotel Project is on track to begin the process of converting the vacant structure into the Conrad Loft Apartments. MRE Capital, project developer, is now awaiting historic approvals before the work can begin. Earlier in the meeting, Wayland Baptist University junior Maddie Murphree of Friona was introduced as the Chamber Student of the Month for October and Area Community Hospice, Inc., was introduced as Business of the Month. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 Trend: Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has congratulated Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Azerbaijans Independence. On behalf of the people and government of Turkmenistan and on my own behalf, I am honored to extend my sincere congratulations and best wishes to you and through you to the whole friendly people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the restoration of state independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, President Berdimuhamedov said in his congratulatory letter. I am proud to underline the great strides your country has made in the political, economic and social fields across the independence years, as well as the high level of overall development of relations between our countries, Berdimuhamedov said. I am confident that the commitment of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to enhancing and deepening the intergovernmental dialogue is in the best interests of our nations. Dear Ilham Heydarovich, on this remarkable occasion, I wish you robust health, inexhaustible life energy, and happiness, the Turkmen president added. Please extend to the friendly people of Azerbaijan my wishes for peace, prosperity and well-being. To the editor: "To Protect and Serve the Citizens of Conroe" is the mission statement of the city's administration. The federal government with its unelected bureaucracies and overregulation has effectively stripped that ability from the city. Which environment is the EPA trying to protect? Certainly not the environment that the citizens along Alligator Creek live in! Ellis Moses Conroe Who would vote for Trump? To the editor: Why would anybody vote for Trump? He is a man of low character. He and his two main surrogates have each been divorced and married three times. Is that the family values the Republican Party stands for? Only the most gullible would believe that he talked about doing despicable acts against women without acting on his statements. It is a conundrum for his supporters, in that if he's not going to act on his talk, does that mean he will not build a wall or take on China. Is he just all talk? The majority of independent voters are reasonably educated and mostly vote based on their personal economy. And since in general the economy is doing fine, many will not support Trump's premise that America is a disaster. Especially since he is constantly changing his positions. He flip-flops more than my sandals. My concern is that the man does not fear debt. And that he might choose Howard Stern as his communications director, thus White House tours would be limited to only those over the age of 18. So the big question is: Does Trump represent the true moral compass of the Republican Party? The only person that knows less about the Middle East and other foreign countries than Trump is Gary Johnson. I wish he would name his foreign affairs and national security team, but I am afraid few experts want to risk their reputation by being affiliated with Trump in case he loses. Already I am seeing some conservative columnists in The Courier setting up excuses to blame somebody other than the party for why Trump lost. But in reality, he is just a bad candidate. It is easy to see a train wreck when it happens in slow motion. I am confident that the American people would rather have a nefarious knowledgeable politician as their leader than an unstable narcissist. That probably doesn't sit well with loyal Republicans. Unfortunately for Trump supporters, there is not enough of them to win a national election. Tim Doherty Conroe Good service at Good Year To the editor: I felt the need to write this letter about Good Year Tire and Rubber Company here in The Woodlands. They are located on Panther Creek Pine. I had an incident with my car yesterday where it needed immediate service and took it to Good Year where I have been going to now for several years and have always been a satisfied customer. I want people to know of this really good place for service. They are reliable, friendly and very professional. They have an exceptional staff and their service men are tops. In a critical time when I needed them, they stepped up to the plate and took care of me. I would recommend them to anyone. Deborah Little The Woodlands Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Governor General of Ardabil Province of the Islamic Republic of Iran Majid Khodabakhsh. President Aliyev hailed bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran as excellent. Underlining the importance of numerous meetings on the presidential level in recent years, the president noted that both countries spare no efforts to develop bilateral ties. Pointing to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's successful visit to Azerbaijan this August, President Aliyev noted that bilateral and trilateral issues were discussed during the visit, which aimed to further develop Azerbaijan-Iran relations, and bring the two nations closer to each other. Hailing the importance of sustainable mutual cooperation, President Aliyev noted that Khodabakhsh's visit to Azerbaijan with a large delegation was of pivotal importance in terms of strengthening regional and interstate relations between the two countries. Khodabakhsh conveyed the greetings of President Rouhani to President Aliyev. He congratulated President Aliyev on the 25th anniversary of the restoration of state independence. Saying he first visited Azerbaijan in 1990-1991, Khodabakhsh noted that as part of his visit he traveled to Baku, Sumgayit and Nakhchivan. He said he has witnessed rapid development processes. Khodabakhsh emphasized that great work done in Azerbaijan under the leadership of national leader Heydar Aliyev has been successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev. Saying they visited Sumgayit during this trip too and witnessed rapid development there, Khodabakhsh hailed the decision of Sumgayit and Ardabil to become twin cities. The sides exchanged views on the expansion of cooperation between the two countries regions in a variety of fields, including mutual investment and tourism. President Aliyev thanked for the greetings of President Rouhani and asked Khodabakhsh to extend his greetings to the Iranian president. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A civilian student was on a ride along with police in Santa Cruz over the weekend when the officers shot and killed a 32-year-old man who came at them with a metal rake, officials said Tuesday. Authorities used the students account of the incident along with interviews from the Santa Cruz police officers involved in the shooting and audio recordings made as the confrontation unfolded to piece together more details about Sundays killing. Police also identified the man they shot to death as 32-year-old Santa Cruz resident Sean Arlt, and released photos of the rake. The violent encounter unfolded around 3:30 a.m. Sunday when police got a 911 call from a frightened homeowner saying someone was pounding on his front door and trying to break into the home. As police responded to the house on the 200 block of Chance Street, the homeowner armed himself with a large frying pan and called 911 again, saying the assailant was screaming about killing the occupants inside, police said. Four officers rolled up to the house and spotted Arlt in a small yard between the back door of the home and a fence, officials said. The officers tried to order Arlt out of the back yard but police said he ignored them, and instead picked up a wood-handled metal bow rake. Arlt then walked rapidly toward the officers holding the rake in a threatening manner over his head, police said. The officers ordered Arlt to drop the rake at least eight times while two officers deployed their Tasers, officials said. The Tasers, police said, had no effect on the advancing man, and the officers continued to retreat until they were backed against parked cars. When the man came within 10 feet of the officers, one of them opened fire, letting off two rounds. Arlt, suffering gunshot wounds, continued to fight with them as they attempted to give him aid until paramedics arrived. Arlt later died at the scene. Santa Cruz police said two of the officers in the incident were part of the departments crisis negotiation team, but did not say if the officer who shot Arlt was trained in crisis negotiation tactics. Police said it took 20 seconds from the time Arlt emerged from the backyard to when the officer shot him. No officers were injured in the incident. Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Elmira Tariverdiyeva Trend: Over the two and a half decades since restoring its independence from the Soviet Union, the Republic of Azerbaijan has emerged as a significant regional player aptly described by some as the keystone of the Caucasus-Caspian region, said Azerbaijans Ambassador to the US Elin Suleymanov in his article published by the Huffington Post. However, on Oct. 18, 1991, when Azerbaijan declared its independence, the nations future looked far from certain and getting to where it stands today was not an easy path for the Azerbaijani people, says the article. Key pillars of the development strategy have remained broadly constant for the last quarter of a century, said Suleymanov in his article. They include a profound understanding that the development of the region benefits Azerbaijan, hence Azerbaijan can succeed if the region as a whole is succeeding. In this context, the Caspian energy resources, which produced the first oil boom of the 20th century, provide a strong basis for Azerbaijans economic growth as well as for regional cooperation and integration into the international community, he noted. Further, the leadership strongly reinforced Azerbaijans commitment to building an inclusive, tolerant and a secular modern nation and also has engaged in its trademark pragmatic foreign policy. Already in 1990s, this resulted in building a strategic relationship with the US, integrated partnership ties with Georgia and Turkey, as well as successful implementation of major energy projects with international partners and construction of key oil and natural gas pipelines, said the author. Importantly, Azerbaijans regional initiatives received a strong and valuable support from both Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, he added. Today, Azerbaijan is leading Europes most ambitious energy project the Southern Gas Corridor, says the article, and this is not because Azerbaijan owns energy resources but rather because of the choices how to use them. As an independent state, Azerbaijan has worked hard to turn its geography into an advantage, according to Suleymanov. Indeed, nothing makes people of Azerbaijan more proud than their societys long tradition of diversity and rejecting both extremism and stereotypes, said the author. Azerbaijan is where the simplistic and defeatist notion of the clash of civilizations is rejected, and where cultures, religions and confessions come together for a dialogue and building a common home. A quarter of a century may seem as an instant in human history, yet, for a million Azerbaijanis displaced from their homes as a result of Armenias occupation of the internationally-recognized Azerbaijani territories, the two decades of exile feel like a century, noted the ambassador adding that the protracted and unresolved Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict remains the main challenge to the future of both Armenia and Azerbaijan and a long-hanging Damocles sword over the entire region. A lasting, international law-based settlement would allow the region prosper even more, enable Azerbaijan to address its major humanitarian issue of generations of displaced citizens and help Armenia to finally become a truly independent nation, according to the author. The people of Azerbaijan look to their future with confidence and eagerness to realize a unique historic opportunity to build an independent nation, added Suleymanov. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Anakhanum Hidayatova Trend: Ambassador of the UK to Azerbaijan Carole Crofts has congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the 25th anniversary of restoration of the countrys independence. A video of the diplomats congratulations in Azerbaijani was shared on the embassys official page on Facebook. In her address, the ambassador said 25 years of development of independent Azerbaijan truly deserve attention. She said the UK is proud to have played a role in supporting the independence of Azerbaijan, and hopes that Azerbaijan will achieve greater success and will become even a stronger state in the next 25 years. Carole Crofts also voiced hope for the future strengthening of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the UK. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Anakhanum Hidayatova Trend: The European Unions policy towards the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project remains unchanged, the European Commission press service told Trend commenting on the SGC projects importance as compared to the Turkish Stream project. The SGC project is still a priority for the EUs diversification and energy security strategy, the European Commission said. The European Commission didnt give any comment on the importance of the Turkish Stream for the future of Europes energy security. Russia and Turkey signed an intergovernmental agreement on the implementation of the Turkish Stream project on Oct. 10. The agreement is for construction of two branches of the pipeline through the Black Sea, the capacity of each branch being 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas. The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey. At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor project. Other sources can also join this project at a later stage. As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of TANAP and TAP. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A record number of Hardin County residents have registered to vote in the November general election, according to records. County Registrar Debbie Yancey attributes the spike to the "great interest in the presidential election." She said nearly 38,000 of the county's 55,000 residents registered to vote by the state's Oct. 11 deadline. Just over 35,000 registered to vote in the previous two presidential elections, Yancey said. Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos announced on Friday that more than 15 million Texans - about 78 percent of the state's estimated voting age population - have registered to vote, an all time high for Texas. That doesn't mean all of those registered voters will actually cast ballots in the Nov. 8 election. During the 2012 general election, in which Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican Mitt Romney, 58.6 percent of registered Texas voters went to the polls, according to data from the Secretary of State's office. During the 2008 election, which ended with Obama beating Republican John McCain, 59.5 percent of Texans voted. Allison Nathan Getz, tax assessor-collector and voter registrar for Jefferson County, said she's not sure why so many registered voters don't vote. "I feel like there is so much emphasis on getting registered to vote, but the key is voting," said Getz. "You can register all the people you want, but if you can't get people out to vote then it's all for nothing." Joshua Blank, manager of polling and research for the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, said registration rates are higher because people are often presented with the option to register to vote multiple times a year at places like community events or when renewing their driver's licenses. When it comes to actually voting, many people don't show up to the polls for presidential elections because they find it too inconvenient or don't believe their one vote matters, he said. "Voting for most people is a pretty marginal decision," said Blank. "Most people aren't too interested in politics or reading about them. They're more likely to pay more attention to their own lives and their family." Unlike in Hardin County, Getz said Jefferson County hasn't seen an uptick in voter registration this election cycle. As of Friday, she said Jefferson County had 149,297 registered voters. "It's not as high as it was in 2008," said Getz. "We were over 150,000 at that time. I was thinking it might surpass that." Tina Barrow, elections administrator for Orange County, said just over 53,000 people have registered to vote in the upcoming election, up more than 2,500 from the 2012 election. "Possibly those people took the time the register because they're so interested in what's going on," said Blank. "People might feel it's their civic duty." Getz said when people come to register to vote, she encourages them to get informed about the candidates so that they're not just "picking a name." She said her office tells voters about all of their options, including early voting dates and details on mail-in ballots. "I just really want to get the word out," she said. "Let your voice be heard." Early voting in the general election begins on Monday and continues through Nov. 4. NKrebs@BeaumontEnterprise.com twitter.com/natalie_krebs SAN ANTONIO -- The Seguin Police Department arrested 20 people Monday during a warrant roundup that targeted accused members of the Mexican Mafia and Orejones gangs. "We're talking about organizations that are involved with almost every type of criminal activity you can think of," Sgt. James Springer said. "It means everything to us to be able to get them off the street." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A soldier now stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston shot his wife to death last year in Maryland, then placed their 5-month old daughter in her arms before fleeing, an FBI agent testified here Tuesday. After killing Army Pfc. Karlyn Ramirez, he drove the 500 miles back to South Carolina to make it to work the next morning, securing an alibi he plotted ahead of time with a now former girlfriend, according to FBI agent Jonathan D. Shaffer. Those were some of the details that came out during a hearing Tuesday in San Antonio in which a federal judge denied bail for Army Sgt. Maliek Kearney, 35, and ordered him transferred to Maryland to await trial. The child was placed on the arm of Miss Ramirez, where it was left until the next morning (when) she was found, Shaffer testified. The child spent nearly eight hours alone, on her dead mothers body, he said. Kearney, who has been stationed here since January, was arrested on Oct. 6 along with Dolores Delgado, 31, after both were indicted in Maryland on a charge of crossing state lines to commit the Aug. 24, 2015, murder of Ramirez, 24. Shaffer said Kearney and Ramirez, who grew up in Del Rio, met while in the Army and married after the birth of their daughter, Katteleya Vale Kearney. Ramirez was stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland, while he was stationed at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. Delgado stayed behind in South Carolina during the killing but provided Kearney with her car and the gun he used, Shaffer said. Delgado waived her bail hearing Tuesday and will also be transferred to Maryland to face trial. She also provided Kearney with a number of gasoline cans, Shaffer testified. Read the full story at ExpressNews.com or in Wednesdays Express-News. gcontreras@express-news.net Twitter: @gmaninfedland Renovations at the Children's Hospital of San Antonio are still months from being completed, but new photos provide an inside look at what is shaping up for the city's first freestanding facility of its kind. Changing the previous Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital and Christus Santa Rosa Hospital-City Centre into a 10-acre pediatric site began in 2012. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A new report shows San Antonio can hardly compete with major cities across the U.S. when it comes to education, annual pay, and number of jobs. The Citizens Budget Commission of New York, a nonprofit civic organization, assessed how New York City stacks up against the 13 largest cities in the country, according to a news release. That assessment ranked the 14 cities in 30 different categories. RELATED: Video: 4 Texas cities rank on 'Best Places to Live & Work' report San Antonio was ranked last, or least competitive to New York, in 14 of the 30 categories, the report shows. When it came to the demographics of the Alamo City, San Antonio was last in the number of young people who are highly educated, and the number of highly educated people, among others. RELATED: Local energy firms rank among world's largest 2,000 companies The scorecard also revealed San Antonio, which according to the U.S. Census Bureau is the 7th largest city in the nation, ranked last in annual pay, number of self-employed, number of jobs in key industries and broadband access. The area San Antonio was most competitive in was commute times, coming in 2nd place after San Diego. RELATED: Two Spurs rank among top four players in Olympic scoring average Dallas and Houston are the only other two Texas cities on the list, with Dallas showing to be more competitive in attractiveness than Houston. Houston ranked last in two categories, while Dallas did not show to be least competitive in any category. New York City, the largest city in the country, wanked ranked most competitive in nine of the 30 categories. Other cities in the report were Los Angeles, Chicago, Silicon Valley, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Phoenix and San Diego. kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners ruled Tuesday that Kristen Lindsey, the veterinarian who posted a photo of a dead tabby cat named Tiger with an arrow through its head on her Facebook last year, will have her license suspended for one year where she will not be able to practice. After, she will be able to practice under conditions of probation for four years. Tuesday's hearing was the last in a string of debates on what action to take, if any, against Lindsey, after her photo incited international uproar from animal activists. Lindsey, a veterinarian since 2012, was fired from her position at the Washington Animal Clinic in Brenham and put under investigation by the Austin County Sheriff's Office last April after she posted a photo holding a dead tabby cat named "Tiger" with a arrow through its head with a caption reading: "My first bow kill, lol. The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through it's (sic) head! Vet of the year award... gladly accepted." The clinic that fired Lindsey, 33, released a statement shortly after that saying: "We are absolutely appalled, shocked, upset, and disgusted by the conduct." RELATED: Texas veterinarian fired, under investigation after bragging about killing cat with bow and arrow On June 24, 2015, an Austin County grand jury decided not to charge Lindsey with a crime. In October 2015, the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners moved to strip her license. RELATED: Mediation fails to resolve case against vet who shot cat with arrow From the day Lindsey posted the image to her now-deleted Facebook page on April 15 to Oct. 1, 2015, the board received 700 formal complaints, written comments from all 50 states in the U.S. and 77 countries and more than 27,000 emails about her actions, the board said in a filing. A March 10 mediation meeting between the agency and Lindsey went unresolved and was continued during an April 25-26 contested hearing in Austin. RELATED: Decision likely months away on license of vet who shot cat with bow and arrow At the hearing, the board was unable to determine if Lindsey could keep her veterinarian license. KVUE reported that in August 2016, the State Office of Administrative Hearings recommended Lindseys veterinarian license be suspended for one year, then be put on four years of probation, and have the Brenham resident do 100 hours of community service. On March 21 in Harris County, Lindsey was arrested around 1 a.m. and was charged with driving while intoxication, according to documents obtained from the Harris County District Clerks office by mySA.com. Documents revealed Lindsey had an alcohol concentration of at least 0.15. She paid a $1,000 bond the day after her arrest. Staff writers Peggy O'Hare and Joshua Fechter contributed to this report. kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Anakhanum Hidayatova Trend: The UK Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Alan Duncan has congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the countrys 25th Independence Day. The ministers greetings were posted on the UK embassys official page on Facebook. Duncan said the United Kingdom is the largest foreign investor in Azerbaijan. The UK enjoys a close and strategic relationship with Azerbaijan, he noted. We remain committed to supporting Azerbaijans democratic development, security and prosperity. We look forward to building on this as we continue to work closely with the Azerbaijani government and people to strengthen our economic and cultural ties. The minister also said the UK fully supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and building a peaceful and prosperous future for Azerbaijan and its neighbors. 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. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Texas man, and member of the U.S. Navy, was driving a truck that flew off a San Diego bridge Oct. 15, crashing a festival being held below, killing four people and injuring nine, police said. Richard Anthony Sepolio, 25, is facing DUI and felony vehicular manslaughter charges. He was stationed at the naval base on Coronado Island across the bay from San Diego, was alone in the truck Saturday afternoon when he lost control and fell 60 feet onto a vendor's booth at Chicano Park, California Highway Patrol Officer Jake Sanchez said. Sepolio remained hospitalized Sunday with serious injuries. His rank or job description was not immediately available. RELATED: 18-wheeler driver dies in fiery crash, explosion on Interstate 10 near Boerne According to documents obtained by mySA.com, Sepolio was driving a truck owned by Chelsea Maria Sepolio, who lives in Hamilton, Texas, which is about 70 miles west of Waco. Sepolio was arrested by the San Angelo Police Department in Texas on Feb. 9, 2011 on one charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, arrest records show. Guillermo Gonzalez, a bystander, streamed a Facebook live video of the crash, where it appears Sepolio is dragged from the beige GMC 2005 pickup truck, writhing in pain on the ground as police surround him. "It's horrible. It's horrific. We had innocent people down here having a good time, and now they're gone," Sanchez said after the crash. The people who were killed were Cruz Elias Contreras, 52, and Annamarie Contreras, 50, of Chandler, Arizona; and Andre Christopher Banks, 49, and Francine Denise Jimenez, 46, both from Hacienda Heights, a suburb east of Los Angeles, the San Diego County Medical Examiner said. RELATED: SAPD: Felon flashed loaded gun at library while Mayor Ivy Taylor was there Witnesses had said four people in the booth were crushed by the truck. Eight people on the ground were injured. One suffered major trauma, and seven others had minor to moderate injuries, said Lee Swanson, a spokesman for the city's Fire-Rescue Department. Witnesses said the GMC pickup truck with Texas license plates landed on a vendor's booth set up for La Raza Run, a motorcycle ride that begins in downtown Los Angeles and ends with a celebration at the park. The crash took place steps away from a stage where a rockabilly band was playing. On Sunday, mourners gathered at the park to lay flowers and candles and say prayers for the victims. Tina Camarillo told the San Diego Union-Tribune she and her daughter were in a booth next to the one that was hit. RELATED: Boerne woman, 59, named as victim in fatal crash on Interstate 35 "To see such tragedy in an instant . . . ," she said. "(The truck) fell and all I saw was darkness, the glass blew, the canopy fell on my head. My daughter was running to get my mom. It was horrible." Iris Jimenez, 29, told the newspaper she got out of the way just in time. "I saw the truck coming at me, and if I hadn't run, I'd be dead," Jimenez told the newspaper. Her companion, Pedro Sanchez, was one of several men who rushed to lift the pickup off the victims. Photos from the scene show the truck's front end crumpled and its hood popped open. The park is beneath the bridge in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in central San Diego. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Data researcher Misty Harris contributed to this report. kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump said Tuesday that San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor should be ashamed of herself over the reprimand of San Antonio Police officers who donned Trump hats after escorting him in the Alamo City earlier this month. Trump made the remark to San Antonio-based talk radio host Joe Pags Pagliarulo during an 12-minute taped interview. After discussing polls, the media, Wikileaks, Wednesdays debate with Hillary Clinton and the rigged political system, Trump responded to a question about the police reprimands. Trump said he was so sad to hear about the controversy. You can imagine, if they put on a Crooked Hillary hat, they would have been just fine, he said, using his derrogatory nickname for Clinton. I assume hes a Democratic mayor, Trump continued. Pagliarulo then described Taylor is a female Democrat, although she was elected and serves in a nonpartisan capacity. Yeah, well, she should be ashamed of herself, Trump said. The candidate said the officers donned the hats for a second for a quick photo shot. They (officers) are incredible people, incredible brave people. For her (Taylor) to be criticizing them, she should be ashamed of herself, Trump said again. He repeated the expression a third time before saying we have tremendous police support all over the country. Many, many forces have done that or similar things, he added. In response, city spokesman Jeff Coyle defended officials handling of the situation. The officers involved violated city policy and were appropriately disciplined. The particular candidate or campaign is irrelevant; San Antonio Police officers must be impartial while on duty, Coyle said. Nearly two dozen SAPD officers who escorted Trump during his San Antonio visit Oct. 11 were disciplined Friday for wearing Trumps Make America Great Again hats as Trump was preparing to leave San Antonio International Airport. Six supervisors were issued written reprimands and 17 officers were provided written counseling. A video posted by Trumps campaign showed the officers wearing the caps. Wearing political garb on duty is not allowed for officers, officials said. Police Chief William McManus said the officers actions violated the departments guiding principals. Last week, Taylor had no comment on the reprimands, although previously she stated on Facebook she was deeply disappointed by the officers conduct. Trump was a phone-in guest on The Joe Pags Show on 1200 News Radio WOAI. He was campaigning in Grand Junction, Colo. jgonzalez@express-news.net Twitter: @johnwgonzalez SAN ANTONIO A 25-year-old man faces several felony charges after he allegedly drunkenly crashed into a small sedan and fled the scene Monday morning in downtown San Antonio, according to jail records. Mateo Marcos Espinoza was charged Monday with a second-degree felony of violation of parole and third-degree felonies of intoxication assault and failure to stop and render aid causing serious bodily injury or death. The Central Magistrates Office website states Espinoza also faces misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SAN ANTONIO A firefighter with the San Antonio Fire Department was issued a 45-day suspension without pay in September after being arrested in La Vernia in May for public intoxication, according to documents obtained by mySA.com. Fire engineer Ryan Pollok initially was issued an indefinite suspension for his charge on Sept. 1, but the punishment was reduced the next day to 45 days without pay after an appeal. RELATED: Records: 4 SAPD officers, 1 detective served suspensions during July At about 11:45 p.m. on May 14, an off-duty Pollok was allegedly intoxicated in the 200 block of San Antonio Street in La Vernia, which is about 30 miles east of San Antonio. The document states Pollok admitted to operating a motor vehicle and a La Vernia police officer asked him to turn the vehicle off and step out. Pollok was then arrested and charged with public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor. La Vernia Police Department Officer Chris Iapichino was not able to say why Pollok wasn't charged with a DWI, a Class B misdeanor, and said the request for comment would be "passed on" to the department's chief. Multiple requests for the incident report from La Vernia police were not immediately fulfilled. Yvonne Griffin at the agency said the request could take more than a week to fill. Fire Engineer Polloks actions tended to bring reproach upon himself and the SAFD, the document said. Pollok was previously charged with driving while intoxicated and intoxication assault in 2009, but both charges were later dismissed, according to Bexar County court records. Polloks alleged behavior broke rules regarding conduct and behavior, negative public image and use of intoxicants, the suspension document said. RELATED: Records: SAPD ousts officer for forcing ex-girlfriend to have sex, threatening citizens The San Antonio Fire Department released the following statement, but would not comment further on the matter: The SAFD takes this charge very seriously, and due to the high standards we continually set for our members, as well as the justifiably high expectations our community has for us, Engineer Pollok was given an indefinite suspension, SAFD Chief Charles N. Hood said in a statement. Because of the compassion we practice with each and every one of our members, a Release and Settlement Agreement was settled upon and his indefinite suspension was reduced to a 45-day suspension without pay. He is currently serving that suspension. Hood described Pollok as a highly trained and valued member of our SAFD family. RELATED: SAPD: Hit-and-run crash involving alcohol pins victim inside car in Southtown Pollok has been working for SAFD since February 2001 and is currently assigned to the EMS Division, Hood said in a statement. We look forward to the lessons that can be learned and moving forward from this incident so that we may continue to provide the highest level of service to the City of San Antonio, Hood said in the statement. RELATED: Police: Austin mother turns in son for aggravated robberies at H-E-B, Walmart Text "NEWS" to 72727 to sign up for breaking news from mySA twhite@mysa.com Twitter: @tylerlwhite Police are investigating the unauthorized use of a vehicle that initially was reported as a prowler. According to reports, an unidentified individual used a 2014 silver Buick utility vehicle for joy riding purposes between 12:30 a.m. Saturday and 12:30 a.m. Sunday. The theft occurred in the 1200 block of South I-27 and the vehicle has been recovered. --A Ford F350 pickup was burglarized between 11 p.m. Monday and 5 a.m. Tuesday while it was parked overnight in the 4000 block of Olton Road. Stolen was a suitcase containing miscellaneous clothing valued at $200. The vehicle suffered $300 damage. --A gas cap valued at $20 was stolen from a red Chevrolet while it was parked in the 2500 block of West 26th Street between 6 p.m. Sunday and 12:30 p.m. Monday. --A 43-year-old Plainview woman was arrested in the 300 block of Ivy about 9:30 a.m. Monday for outstanding local warrants for failure to maintain financial responsibility, expired drivers license and failure to appear. She was held in Hale County jail Tuesday morning on three $200 bonds. At the same time, a 38-year-old Milan, Texas, man was arrested on a warrant issued from Cameron County for assault causing bodily injury/family violence. He remained in Hale County jail on Tuesday morning with no bond set. Reports indicate that both subjects also are being investigated for alleged theft of service and criminal mischief. --A 44-year-old Plainview female was arrested about 11 p.m. Monday in the 1500 block of West Eighth Street on three outstanding warrants, for possession of drug paraphernalia (two charges) and Class C misdemeanor theft. She was held in Hale County jail Tuesday morning with no bond set. --A 53-year-old Fort Worth man was arrested about 2:45 a.m. Monday in the 900 block of West 16th Street on three outstanding warrants, for failure to appear, no valid drivers license and motion to revoke probation for driving while license invalid. He was held in Hale County jail Tuesday morning on $5,000 bond on the final charge. Bonds on the first two charges were not set. --A 29-year-old Plainview man was arrested about 9:30 p.m. Monday in the 300 block of Aileen on two outstanding municipal warrants for possession of drug paraphernalia. He was held in Hale County jail Tuesday morning with no bond set. --A 55-year-old Plainview man was arrested about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1300 block of West 24th Street on a parole detainer. He was held in Hale County jail Tuesday morning with no bond set. --A 41-year-old Plainview man was arrested about 8:50 p.m. Monday in the 2400 block of Houston for failure to maintain financial responsibility and an outstanding warrant for theft of property valued at $100 to $750. He was held in Hale County jail Tuesday morning on bonds totaling $1,700. (Anyone with information on crime in Plainview and Hale County may contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 293-8477 or 293-TIPS.) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate In February, a creative team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory released a set of 14 retro-futuristic posters. Since then, they've spread throughout the internet receiving praise, but little thought has been given as to why the posters were made. According to a news release by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a group of nine artists, designers and illustrators were involved in the creation of the posters. READ MORE: NASA explains what that bright fireball was in the sky One of them is David Delgado, a creative strategist. He said the posters initially started as something else. "The posters began as a series about exoplanets -- planets orbiting other stars -- to celebrate NASA's study of them," Delgado said in a statement. "Later, the director of JPL was on vacation at the Grand Canyon with his wife, and they saw a similarly styled poster that reminded them of the exoplanet posters. They suggested it might be wonderful to give a similar treatment to the amazing destinations in our solar system that JPL is currently exploring as part of NASA." Delgado said the point of the posters is to share "a sense of things on the edge of possibility" based off the work NASA is doing. READ MORE: Hubble space telescope reveals 10 times more galaxies than thought in universe "As for the style, we gravitated to the style of the old posters the WPA created for the national parks," Delagdo said. "There's a nostalgia for that era that just feels good." Delgado is referring to the posters created by the Works Progress Administration in the mid 1930s. Dubbed the "Federal Arts Project," it put struggling artists to work by asking them to create enticing posters of America's national parks. See the resemblance? READ MORE: NASA: Record quantum teleportation achieved in real-world setting "The WPA poster style is beloved, and other artists have embraced it before us," Delgado said. "Our unique take was to take one specific thing about the place and focus on the science of it. We chose exoplanets that had really interesting, strange qualities, and everything about the poster was designed to amplify the concept. The same model guided us for the posters that focus on destinations in the solar system." According to the Library of Congress, the original national park posters and their artists created a "truly original, American poster style." Now, nearly eight decades later, that unique style of poster lives on in the work of another group of government-employed artists. Click through above to see NASA's "Visions of the Future Posters." Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 Trend: Azerbaijan calls for further consolidation of efforts within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to prevent Islamophobia, Elmar Mammadyarov, Azerbaijani foreign minister, said. Mammadyarov made the remarks at a meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Tashkent October 18. To the deepest regret, by ignoring innovations and positive influences brought by Islam, international community remains incapable in properly and effectively addressing Islamophobia, he said. We should spare no effort to prevent the increase in frequency and notoriety of this unacceptable trend, the minister added. In this regard, we praise the work done by OIC to combat the phenomenon of Islamophobia. Armed conflicts, terror acts, refugee and migrant crisis, devastating humanitarian situation in certain countries, pervasive misconceptions about religion and many more other impediments for peace and security continue to exist in our vulnerable and fragile world, the minister said. To the deepest regret, at the moment a number of OIC member states stand face-to-face with the above-mentioned challenges, he added. We all acknowledge that one of the primary reasons and factors contributing to the emergence of Islamophobia is undoubtedly violent extremism and terrorism, he said. It is imperative to take all necessary measures to effectively confront the threats and challenges posed by terrorism, as well as to address its root causes, which include but are not limited to prolonged armed conflicts, illiteracy and social exclusion, he said. Mammadyarov added that Azerbaijan strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes, as one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. The minister added that Armenia continues to hold its destructive position in the negotiation process of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by totally disregarding the position of the international community and flagrantly violating the international law. Azerbaijan reiterates its sincere gratitude to OIC Secretary General and OIC Member States for their constant principled position in condemnation of the Armenian aggression and occupation of Azerbaijani territories with notorious ethnic cleansing on the seized lands, he said. 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. A neon green poster signed by "the elite group against thieves" was left beside six people with their hands completely cut off in the western state of Jalisco in Mexico Monday, along with another person who was killed. State Prosecutor Eduardo Almaguer says the victims were discovered Monday evening outside an event hall in Tlaquepaque, which is on the southern outskirts of Guadalajara. He says they range in age from 24 to 44 and include six men and one woman. The youngest of eight children, Toni McKnight Adams was a go-getter. Smart and inquisitive, Adams was always a pest, her sister Janice Patterson said. She was the little sister; always getting into something, always asking a lot of questions. Working with her siblings in the various businesses her father operated, Adams kept busy, doing make-ready preparation for housing on Randolph AFB, helping out at her parents cafe or working on the familys pig farm. In school, Adams became involved in various activities before graduating from high school early at 17. We were always encouraged to participate in the school and the community, her sister Janice Patterson said. Adams died of complications of surgery Oct. 12. She was 52. Following in her mothers career footsteps, Adams attended school in New Braunfels to become a LVN, or licensed vocational nurse, before enrolling at San Antonio College to obtain her RN degree. Adams, married by this time, was working at what was then McKenna Memorial Hospital in New Braunfels when she gave birth to her first son, Richard, who arrived prematurely. When her son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 4 months old, Adams had a new mission to make sure he lived as normal, and as full, a life as possible. More Information Toni McKnight Adams Born: Nov. 6, 1963, Seguin Died: Oct. 12, 2016, San Antonio Preceded by: Parents Ethel Francis and Tony McKnight. Survived by: Husband Darrell Johnson; sons Richard Adams, and Demetrius Adams and daughter-in-law Genita; three grandchildren; and seven siblings. Services: Wake from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at Eunice and Lee Mortuary, 406 N. Guadalupe St., Seguin; funeral at 1 p.m. Thursday at Emanuel's Lutheran Church, 206 N. Travis St., Seguin. See More Collapse Involving him in many activities, Adams took her son everywhere, also making sure he was mainstreamed in school, and became a vocal advocate for the disabled. Continuing her nursing career as she raised her sons she had another son a few years after her first was born Adams worked as an emergency room nurse, in intensive care, and as a floor nurse in various hospitals. After she and her husband divorced, Adams was later introduced to her second husband by a mutual friend. Carrying on the tradition her parents had established of taking two vacations a year, Adams and her family visited Mexico and the Texas Gulf Coast regularly. She didnt let grass grow under her feet, husband Darrell Johnson said. We did a lot of camping and fishing; and if we went somewhere, Richard was right there with us. In more recent years, Adams started Quick Tax tax preparation, which gave her more time to care for her son. She also kept the books for her husbands business, Mr. Js barbecue. mheidbrink@express-news.net COLLECTIVE MADNESS Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people." Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Anakhanum Hidayatova Trend: The EU congratulates Azerbaijan and its people on the 25th anniversary of the restoration of the state independence, said a message posted on the website of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's diplomatic service. Azerbaijan has developed profoundly over the course of these years, the message said. The EU will continue to cooperate closely with Azerbaijan in support of developing strong democratic institutions, the rule of law, and economic prosperity for the benefit of all Azerbaijanis. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the EU's relations with Azerbaijan and 20 years since the signature of the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), the message noted. The EU looks forward to the launching of negotiations on a new agreement with Azerbaijan, to replace the 1996 PCA and develop further our bilateral relations in areas of mutual interest, in line with the principles of the recently reviewed European Neighborhood Policy, as well as international law, reads the message. Alongside our engagement in the framework of the Eastern Partnership, this will serve to enhance bilateral dialogue, supporting efforts to build a more resilient economy and inclusive society, as well as increasing contacts with the people of Azerbaijan, the message said. Currently, bilateral relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are regulated on the basis of the 1996 PCA, which came into force in 1999. The new agreement envisages bringing Azerbaijan's legislation and procedures closer to the most important international and trade standards of the EU. This process is meant to improve the access of Azerbaijani products to the EU markets. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum If I were to distill a recent public discussion about the state of our nation to one word, it would be worried. Not fearful, not angry, but worried about the future; about an election season that has made evil-clown sightings seem weirdly apt; but mostly about what will happen after the election. How do we mend the deep divisions that have evolved during this thoroughly nasty and, at times, X-rated campaign season? How does the country salve its wounds and reunite in common purpose? Audience members here at the Poynter Institutes Community Conversation, at which I was invited to speak last Thursday, posed these and other questions. The 150 or so attendees were a cross-spectrum mix of students, professionals, retirees and a few notables a diverse group, in other words, with no protesters, rabble-rousers or armed combatants in search of a revolution. The latter may have been occupied in nearby Lakeland, where Donald Trump had pronounced a global conspiracy against him the day before. Clinton supporters at the Poynter event told me privately that they were afraid to put Hillary signs in their yards for fear of retribution, not from roaming vandals but from once-friendly neighbors. My suggestion that this campaign was reminiscent of the run-up to the Iraq War, when politically opposite friends avoided each other, was received with nods of agreement. Whether for Trump or Clinton, neither side can conceive of what compels the other. In this duplex of horrors, Clinton is a corrupt, lying, hypocritical career politician and Trump is a sleazy, lying, narcissistic, autocratic, (alleged) sexual predator. Neer the twain shall meet. Once the votes are counted, who knows whats next? President Obamas final two months may require his coolest touch yet. Meanwhile, the questions posed here did not readily present answers. Whats needed, I posited half-seriously, is a superhero. Someone to rise from the marshes and cut through the fog of our discontent, someone who can summon our better angels and help restore the countrys self-respect. At least for now, one is optimistic without reason. We can know with near certainty that a defeated Donald Trump will unleash the armies of Mordor, comprised of a fan base that will embrace his dark conspiracy theory that the election was rigged. To their minds, his loss couldnt possibly be linked to a very long list of objectionable, as well as dishonest, statements hes made, only one of which is the sex-talk video we neednt view again. Talking dirty has become the new normal, as anyone walking down a city street can confirm. And the objectification of women isnt remotely limited to Trumps warped view. As disgusting as Trumps verbal (and possibly physical) assaults have been and, yes, hurtful, too, as Michelle Obama so passionately said last week a certain contingent of his supporters are reluctantly willing to overlook the nastiness for the sole reason that they dislike Clinton more. Others aspire to loftier goals, such as preventing a liberal Supreme Court or reducing the tax burden with an eye toward economic growth. These are certainly legitimate reasons. But Trumps willingness to pave the way for a revolution were Clinton to win should be sufficient evidence that this man isnt fit for the office. To what extent are Trump sympathizers willing to express their disappointment? Well, who knows? But many will have seen the interview with a woman at a Trump rally last week who said she and her comrades are prepared to take their country back, cheerfully reminding the interviewer that youre in the South. Were all Second Amendment pros. Is she talking about a well-regulated militia, perchance? This is the mindset Trump has nurtured these past many months. These are the people he will summon at the end. These are the reasons the less-emotionally taut are so worried. More worrisome still is the opposite result: What if Trump wins? We can presume that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be delighted, his possible WikiLeaks alliance having paid off. North Koreas Kim Jong Un, who has called Trump a wise politician, will order extra platters of chicken wings to celebrate. As the Japanese proverb goes: When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends. Remember, too, that Trump has vowed as president to make it easier for people to sue the media, which, constitutionally, he cant. But as all authoritarian figures tend to do, Trump has to blame someone else for his failures. The media are handy bait for the credulous and misinformed. Dont be afraid, but be worried. kathleenparker@washpost.com There have been many dangerous utterings by Donald Trump in this election. But as the campaign winds down, Trumps claims have become more wildly outrageous and ominous. We refer to his claims that, should he lose, the election will have been stolen. In Trumps fevered imaginings, there is a vast conspiracy by urban blacks, the Clinton campaign, election officials, the media and all detractors to rig the election. While he has said as much earlier in the campaign, his words on the topic have become more strident and insistent as polls roll in revealing that he has topped out in support and that the Electoral College map is looking dire for him. States that never would have been thought swing in any normal matchup now are. These comments on a stolen election are more dangerous even than his defense of torture, advocacy for killing innocent family members of terrorists, banning Muslims, his denigration of women and his broad-brush depictions of Mexicans. There is an us and them quality to Trumps campaign reminiscent of more sordid periods of U.S. history. But in attacking the election as rigged, he essentially incites voter intimidation at the polls on Election Day and a dangerous questioning of election results, and, then, the legitimacy of any occupant of the White House whose name isnt Trump. This country has, since Barack Obamas election in 2008, weathered such enmity to the office of the presidency. The birther movement that Trump led and only belatedly abandoned was both a symptom and a cause for this questioning of legitimacy. Trump is doubling down. And what this portends is, at the minimum, a continuation of the kind of divisiveness that has made compromise and effective governance exceedingly difficult to achieve. At the most, however, it offers a wink-wink approval of violence. This country has had bitter campaigns before. At the end, however, losing candidates have conceded magnanimously and graciously. They have realized that elections are about more than candidates or the movements that drove them. They are about our shared interest in peaceful transfers of power. But if Trump has proven anything in this campaign, it is that he doesnt believe anything as trivial as that this bedrock American value is bigger than Trump. Trumps words are not supported by fact. More than that, they are simply dangerous. He needs to acknowledge the validity of the election, clearly and unequivocally. Re: Dont damage Texas over this nonissue, Editorial, Oct. 12: I agree wholeheartedly with your editorial. It is a nonissue. I wish, however, that you had refrained from identifying it as bathroom legislation. I know you realize that the issue is really nondiscrimination. I dont believe the NCAA is primarily interested in bathrooms. The North Carolina legislation invalidated a nondiscrimination ordinance in Charlotte and prevents other municipalities in the state from enacting ordinances that prevent discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. Sure, transgender rights are part of that, but certainly not the main part. If this were really just about bathrooms, it would be laughable. In reality, its about making it OK to discriminate, and thats tragic. I hope in future discussions we will identify it as what it is. Joe Brake Development costs Re: Bond will benefit all of San Antonio, Editorial, Oct. 10: Yes, the identified pork-barrel amounts in the $850 million bond packet and those left out e.g., Phil Hardbergers bridge to nowhere do seem trivial. However, the approved developments at Loop 1604 and Interstate 35 well detailed in a previous article (I-10/1604 intersection is heart of Boomtown, Front Page, Oct. 9) require huge infrastructure costs that are traditionally paid for by the city of San Antonio. Add to that the infrastructure costs of the pending Lone Star Brewery, South Town, Essex and the North River projects, and wheres the beef for all of the city? Who pays and who really benefits from the 2017 bond? Its time to change our give-away tradition. Gilbert J. Murillo Suspend officers It made me so angry to see those San Antonio police officers wearing Donald Trump caps. It makes the statement that they may be as racist and misogynistic as Trump. I strongly believe that they should have been suspended without pay for at least a month. Of course, the union wouldnt stand for that, and the chief would back down. Richard Sharer Showdown looms Re: The disturbing question about Donald Trump, Froma Harrop, Other Views, Oct. 12: This column could have been written by Hillary Clinton. Judging by the same old, worn-out talking points, it simply displays the panic of the establishment. As they see more and more of The Donalds appeal to the average citizen, they will show even more panic and desperation. Attention, Washington D.C. get the moving vans ready! Our choices are simple: Donalds coarse and true (no lie) talk has not cost anyone his life, while the same cannot be said for Clinton. See you on Nov. 8. B.L. Craighead Dont blame IRS Re: Blame the IRS Your Turn, Oct. 12: The letter writer fails to recognize that the IRS does not make the tax laws. Tax laws are the domain of our elected congressional representatives. The IRS, like any other enforcement agency, only ensures compliance with these laws. We too often blame the messenger and not the culprit. Tom Jones The local housing market is still on track for another record-breaking year after home sales and home prices continued to rise at a rapid clip in September. Last month, 2,608 homes were sold in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area, a 9.4 percent increase from the same month in 2015, according to data from the San Antonio Board of Realtors. Sales have risen nearly every month for the last four years. Join the San Antonio Junior Forum for a scarrry gooood time at our Shake and Rattle Your Bones Halloween Bash at the Sunset Station on October 22! Costumes are encouraged. Tickets now available online here. There will be hors d'oeuvres, cash bar, photo booth, dancing, karaoke, costume contest, silent auction and free parking! Purchase tickets now and get ready for a howling great time helping San Antonio Junior Forum continue providing support to our community. The mission of SAJF is to strengthen civic, educational, and philanthropic awareness among women as they strive to serve those in need through service to non-profit charitable organizations, provision of financial assistance to students seeking higher education, and provision of philanthropic grants to non-profit organizations in the San Antonio area. San Antonio Junior Forum provides hundreds of service hours to non-profit organizations throughout San Antonio. Our projects are scheduled on various days of the week and various time schedules. In doing so, members have the opportunity to choose from a variety of projects that will work in their personal schedules. The projects listed below briefly describe the service provided to the nonprofit organization. These organizations listed are those SAJF is currently serving. Adult Matters Spring Formal - Hosted by the Downs Syndrome Association, SAJF members will assist in decorations set-up/tear-down, registration, and chaperoning. Members should wear business/dress attire. The Arc of San Antonio - SAJF hosts 30 50 clients with developmental disabilities. The service captain decides the type of event to have. Past activities include, Movie Nights, Bingo Bash, Halloween Dance and Costume Contest. There is one project in the fall. Bunco Night at Morningside Manor SAJF hosts Bunco night for residents on the second Monday evening of each month. 3 hours service credit. Fiesta Arts Fair SAJF will provide assistance for the Fiesta Arts Fair held the first weekend (both Saturday and Sunday) of Fiesta. Positions include helping children in the art area, selling tickets, money runner, assisting artists, etc. Food Bank Community Kitchen Haven For Hope - SAJF will assist with the preparation of breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. Duties include kitchen clean up. This project will occur a minimum of one time during the club year, but may be scheduled up to three times if the schedule allows. SAJF also volunteers at The Kitchen Table in New Braunfels. The Kitchen Table provides groceries to needy families with a focus on nutrition. Volunteers help families determine balanced diet. Fisher Houses of San Antonio SAJF provides sack lunches for all three Fisher Houses in the San Antonio Area. Sack lunches help our wounded warriors by providing breakfast, lunch and snacks so they can make all their appointments without having to stop for lunch. In addition SAJF volunteers provides and decorates some houses for the holidays. Click here for membership information. Editors Note: This content is made possible by San Antonio Junior Forum. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com. Recently, young Azerbaijani scientist Teymur Sadikhov participated in the Connecting to Alternative Future project organized with organization support of Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS). Today he is answering our questions. - Teymur, what is the purpose of your visit to Azerbaijan? - I came at the invitation of the Ministry of Defence Industry of the Azerbaijan Republic to conduct a workshop, which was organized within Azerbaijan International Defence Exhibition ADEX 2016 held in Baku. During my stay in Baku, I also conducted a series of other workshops including a workshop for the students of the Baku Higher Oil School and another one for students of the ADA University. I was surprised to see full audience at all those workshops. I could not anticipate that there was such a strong interest towards robotics technology in Azerbaijan. This interest to science and technology is an important sign. New generation has a great potential which shall be effectively developed. - At the workshop conducted by you at Baku Higher Oil School, the BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov noted that he had known you for 10 years. What does this mean for you? - Yes, indeed, we first met in 2003, when I entered a Turkish university. At that time, Elmar Gasimov was a Deputy Minister of the Azerbaijan Republic. He strongly supported me in my intention to continue my education abroad. No wonder I was very pleased to meet him again - What are prospects and trends of the artificial intellect development in the future? What are its advantages and challenges? - Artificial intellect has a great potential. Now robots can perform all monotonous, unskilled and boring work instead of people. However, it does not mean that people will be jobless. The aim of the artificial intellect technologies is to ensure safety and reduce fatality cases. For example, a car driver who is either drunk or very tired puts people around him in a jeopardy. In this case, autonomous transportation vehicle can ensure road accident reduction by excluding human factor, which is a common case of road traffic incidents. - Currently, you are working at the Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc, in the state of California. Google-X company, which is developing various innovative technologies including driverless cars, is also located in this state. Have you received a job offer from them, too? - It happened that both companies made me a job offer simultaneously. Opportunity to work for Mercedes-Benz looked more attractive for me, so I preferred this company to Google-X, which also develops robotics technologies and receives significant investments. However, I am not so much interested in the company itself, as in the project I would like to work on. - Do you think of returning home yet? - I do not have plans to come back now. At the same time, if large investments are made in this field, my team, my friends, colleagues and I are ready to get down to business. I shall note, though, that only small-scale projects can be implemented today. Large-scale projects can be developed after a solid base is created. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 18 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is increasing its support for private small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Turkmenistan with a loan to a local event management and catering company, the EBRD said in a message Oct. 18. Strengthening the private sector is the banks priority in Turkmenistan and the $850,000 loan provided to Gul Zaman private enterprise will support the expansion of the company into a new business segment. Gul Zaman is currently Turkmenistans leading event organizer and caterer and employs about 170 people. It has an ambitious plan to expand its small pastry baking operation to an industrial-scale bakery which will produce bread, cakes and biscuits to high quality standards. The EBRD funds will help Gul Zaman purchase the necessary equipment for expansion such as modern energy-efficient ovens and delivery vehicles, and also to open a new cafe and showroom in a central area of the countrys capital Ashgabat. We are extremely pleased to continue to support the Turkmen private sector by providing not only long term financing, but also valuable technical expertise to further enhance local standards and increase competitiveness, said Engin Goksu, head of the EBRD office in Turkmenistan. To date, the EBRD has invested more than 236 million euros in various projects in Turkmenistan, with a focus on private sector development and SMEs. The EBRDs strategic plan for the countries where it invests for the period of 2016-2018, including Turkmenistan, has three priorities strengthening economic resilience, addressing global challenges and supporting regional integration. National hero Professor Phineas Makhurane will be buried at his homestead in Gungwe, Gwanda South in line with his request. Family spokesperson Mr Joshua Mpofu said government has accepted the request following consultations with the family and they are happy with the development. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Mr Melusi Matshiya confirmed the move saying as a result they are now working on logistics for burial in Gungwe tomorrow. The founding Vice Chancellor of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) died last Saturday (1 December) and was yesterday declared a national hero by the Zanu PF Politburo. Delivering the message to the Makhurane family, Vice President Kembo Mohadi said the Zanu PF politburo which met yesterday recognised Professor Makhuranes contribution during the liberation struggle when he was in charge of the international university education fund that supported the war veterans to further their education. Professor Makhurane was born on the 13th of January 1939 in the Gungwe area of Gwanda, and did his primary education at Maduma and Manama schools before moving to Mnene, Chegato, Zimuto and Fletcher High School for his secondary education. He later studied at the then Rhodesia and Nyasaland University now University of Zimbabwe, before proceeding to Sheffield University in United Kingdom to further his education. Professor Makhurane worked at the University of Zambia before moving to Botswana University, and in 1981 he became the Pro-Vice Chancellor for the University of Zimbabwe till 1991 when he was appointed the first Vice Chancellor for NUST, a position he held until 2004. ZBC Breaking News via Email This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 792 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in financial realm. Please join us and participate via our Tip Jar, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser and what weve accomplished in the last year. Thanks to your speedy and generous responses, weve met our first three targets: funding for more site improvements in the user experience and in our defense; travel and site coverage expenses for meetups and conferences; and bonuses to site writers like Lambert, Jerri-Lynn Scofield, and Dave Dayen. And we are more than two-third of the way towards our original goal of 1100 contributors for this fundraiser. Were raising the donor target to 1250. We are grateful to have gotten not only some big contributions but also a large number of smaller donations. Those are often particularly meaningful, since those donors often tell us they are on limited budgets but want to do what they can to support this community. Please give now at our Tip Jar if you havent had a chance to do so yet, by check, credit or debit card. And remember, if you arent in a position to chip in financially, you can help by sharing what youve learned here with the people you know. We are on our way to meeting our fourth target, support for extra manpower so we can keep the make our 365 day a year, just about 24/7 coverage more sustainable. If Yves the publisher and Yves the employee were two different people, Yves the employee would have gone on strike a long time ago. A typical working year for a full time person is assumed to be 225-250 work days. That is still very stingy by world standards, since 250 days amounts to every weekend off plus two weeks of vacation, with no allowance for national holidays (Christmas, New Year, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving). Even with last year being Yves first two week vacation where she had full site coverage, she still wound up doing the equivalent of a few days of work with Lambert and site monitoring. And even with the very helpful support youve provided in the past to help make the site less dependent on Yves alone, she gets only the equivalent of three days off a month, rather than anything approximating normal downtime. So even allowing for budgeted downtime, Yves has been working at a burnout-inducing level for far too many years. And sick days? Fuggedaboudit. Even when she got food poisoning last year, with having the good fortune of getting emergency help from Lambert, Yves still had to find a way to do a half day of work so as not to fall short on the sites normal posting schedule. This is obviously not a sustainable situation and also goes a long way toward explaining why Yves is too often less polite in the comments section than she was in the less time-pressured early days of this site. We joke that we run the site with 1.3 people, which is a less pointed way of flagging that we provide a remarkable level of output and the consistency of coverage with very thin resources. The amount we are seeking for this target, $21,000, is only 10% over our current meager level for weekend, holiday, and shit happens support. We hope youll recognize how essential this is and donate generously to keep Yves in fighting fettle and have other talented writers like Lambert and Jerri-Lynn Scofield contribute more regularly. There are multiple ways to give. The first is here on the blog, the Tip Jar, which takes you to PayPal. There you can use a debit card, a credit card or a PayPal account (the charge will be in the name of Aurora Advisors). You can also send a check (or multiple post dated checks, if you want to spread out payments) in the name of Aurora Advisors Incorporated to Aurora Advisors Incorporated 903 Park Avenue, 8th Floor New York, NY 10075 Please also send an e-mail to yves@nakedcapitalism.com with the headline Check is in the mail (and just the $ en route in the message) so we can count your contribution in the total number of donations. Our sick days, weekend and vacation coverage target is $21,000, and we are already over $940 towards that goal. Thanks SO much for your generous support! This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 798 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year, and our fourth target, burnout prevention. Knowingly taking placebo pills eases pain, study finds Science Daily. Readers? Central Bank Tools Are Losing Their Edge WSJ UBS spending $1 billion on IT overhaul Reuters (RS). Let us know how that works out. How Apple Scaled Back Its Titanic Plan to Take on Detroit Bloomberg. Maybe putting the Apple Watch team in charge of the Apple Car wasnt such a good idea Kidding! The Dying Business of Picking Stocks WSJ Why Isnt the U.S. Better at Predicting Extreme Weather? NYT (DK). No mention of why we might need to, more than in the past Navigating the energy transition landscape: summary findings from a dynamic systems view Beyond this Brief Anomaly (PU). North Dakota Judge Throws Out Charges Against Journalist Amy Goodman Bill Moyers. [B]ut a documentary-maker who was also arrested for committing journalism faces a potential 45 years in prison. Brexit Syraqistan Saudi Bank Stress Builds as Kingdoms Cash Injection Falls Short Bloomberg Saudi Arabia poised to launch first international bond sale FT China? Europe and Russia prepare for historic landing on Mars Nature Big Brother Is Watching You Watch Health Care Pharmacy for seniors settles case over kickbacks scam McClatchy. Oh, great. Corrupt formularies. MACRA Final Rule: CMS Strikes A Balance; Will Docs Hang On? Health Affairs. [K]ey Members of Congress have already weighed in applauding the Rule. Heres a tip: when Members applaud a regulation like this so quickly, two things are going on: 1) they are taking a solid helping of credit for changes the agency has made; and 2) they are putting affected stakeholders on notice that they have an uphill battle in securing new changes soon. Read: this is as good as its going to get. But see at NC here and here. War Drums 2016 Class Warfare Send more blondes LRB. The US was determined first to ensure that the [Belgian Congos] Shinkolobwe mine in particular wouldnt be able to supply Germany with uranium, and then to take control of its whole production. Indians Pitcher First Athlete to Be Benched for Drone Injury Vice (Re Silc). You Cant Always Make Yourself Happy New York Magazine F*ck You Startup World Medium (Re Silc). Excellent use of anaphora! Antidote du jour: See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Anvar Mammadov Trend: The Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF) has paid compensations worth over 406.84 million Azerbaijani manats (AZN) to depositors of Dekabank, Kredobank, Zaminbank, Parabank, Caucasus Development Bank, Atrabank, Bank of Azerbaijan, Gandjabank, Texnikabank and Bank Standard, ADIF said in a message Oct. 18. Acceptance of applications from insured depositors of DekaBank, KredoBank, Zaminbank and Parabank began Aug. 1 and the payment of compensations has been carried out since that day. Compensations to the insured depositors of Caucasus Development Bank and AtraBank are being paid starting from Aug. 23. Payments are being carried out at the branches of those closed banks. AtraBanks clients can obtain compensations at those branches, where they concluded agreements to accept deposits. Those people, who concluded agreements at the Khazar branch, should apply to the banks main office. Depositors of Caucasus Development Bank receive compensations at the banks main office. Payment of compensations to insured depositors of Bank of Azerbaijan has been carried out since Jan. 29, 2016 at branches of Muganbank and Rabitabank, and since Sept. 8, 2016 in the office of the ADIF. Clients of Ganjabank receive compensations since Feb. 4 at the branches of Rabitabank, Unibank and Kapital Bank. ADIF started payment of compensations to insured depositors of Texnikabank since Feb. 12: clients receive compensations at the funds office. Compensation payment to customers of Bank Standard started October 11. Compensations can be obtained at the head office and branches of Bank Standard in Baku and districts of the country during one year. Depositors of Bank Standard received 141.43 million manats out of the total compensations of 460 million manats. Depositors of Parabank received 32.82 million manats out of the total compensations of 43.79 million manats, and depositors of Zaminbank received 50.97 million manats. The compensations paid to Dekabanks depositors amounted to 2.85 million manats out of the payments total volume of 5.59 million manats. Kredobanks depositors received compensations worth 17.98 million manats out of the compensations total volume of 30.21 million manats. The compensations paid to depositors of Caucasus Development Bank amounted to 1.85 million manats out of the total compensations of 2 million manats. Depositors of Atrabank received 13.9 million manats out of the total compensations of 13.9 million manats. Depositors of Bank of Azerbaijan received compensations worth 24.09 million manats out of the compensations total volume of 24.2 million manats. The compensations paid to depositors of Gandjabank and Texnikabank amounted to 0.97 million manats and 119.98 million manats out of the total compensations of 1 million manats and 122.6 million manats, respectively. The licenses of all the ten banks were cancelled during 2016 as their assets were not classified in line with the law, they didnt create adequate reserves and the aggregate capital of these banks doesnt meet the minimum requirements [50 million manats]. In general, they havent fulfilled the regulators instructions. By reader aab I read Naked Capitalism every morning. Often, it is the first thing I read, and one of the last places I check before I turn in for the night. I do this because in an increasingly vast, roiling ocean of propaganda, Yves, Lambert and the commenting community here stand as a reassuring promontory of truth. Not that there arent disagreements (woo boy, are there disagreements) over interpretation, perspective, even the relevance or reliability of particular fact sets or sources. But if you are participating in the Naked Capitalism community whether you are writing articles and comments or simply reading you are seeking clarity. Your goal is understanding and illuminating things as they actually are. To keep this content coming, and the community thriving, please visit the Tip Jar, to learn how to contribute via check, credit or debit card, or PayPal. Any amount helps, whether its $27 or $2700. Our major media organizations have revealed themselves to be completely uninterested in either understanding or communicating reality to the citizenry. They admit it, openly. It is not my job to fact-check a political leader, they say, over and over again, in various permutations, offering up varying excuses. We cant give comfort to our enemy by discussing how the war is failing/the policy is flawed/the person is corrupt. Why exactly it is better to hide unpleasant truths and offer up deceitful messaging instead is left unsaid, because to those who believe it, it is self-evident: We on the side of the status quo are on the side of good, because the status quo is good. It must be good, because we are doing well, and we are good. As Clive pointed out in his fundraising appeal last year, if a person wants to have an economically secure job now, there is an increasing likelihood that they will be forced to be complicit in systemic deception and exploitation. Its an elegant arrangement, in its way. As the in group of wealth and comfort shrinks, the incentives for those on the outer rim to obey and do whatever is necessary to avoid being cast into the barren lands of basement dwellers and irredeemables become stronger. The psychic pain of continuing to acknowledge the ugliness you are facilitating in order to avoid becoming a victim yourself is intense. How much easier it must be to read The New York Times or watch the major television outlets and believe them to be truthful. You just need to align with whoever they say is good and whatever they say is the correct position. Believe, and be cleansed. That is where we are. Whether or not we ever do descend into a formal state of neo-feudalism, faith once again reins supreme faith in the Market God and his priests in the ruling elite. There is no alternative, because there is only the one God. Our Market God cannot be failed, because he is almighty and all-knowing. It is right and good that a small minority of global citizens hold almost all wealth and power. It is inevitable and unchangeable that market forces will immiserate most human beings on the planet as labor conditions devolve towards slavery. If the Market God demands such tribute, who are we to refuse? If the priests of the Market God say bird entrails (aka data) show that the future will be thriving and prosperous, and then there is a massive, global financial crash, we do not change gods, or even priests. There is only the one God, and his servants the 1% are good because they are wealthy. So (we are told) the correct response is not to change the system, question the theories that have been invalidated, or throw the priests out of the temple. No, we must work harder to serve the Market God and his chosen priests. We must serve up more, and higher quality sacrifices to appease him. Unskilled laborers were not enough. Skilled laborers were not enough. Information workers are not enough. College instructors are not enough. Eventually, we are told, the Market God will be sated, and he will rain down prosperity on those who are left, however few they may be. Meanwhile, here at Naked Capitalism, we recognize that the earth revolves around the sun. Whether you are inside the church of the Market God and benefiting from its largess, or outside the system seeking to understand how and why playing by the supposed rules has gotten you nothing, if you are reading this, you prioritize reality over belief. You may be an investor looking to protect your portfolio in a stock market whose shifts are unmoored from fundamentals, or a Midwestern plumber wondering how much longer your customers can pay you as all the factories in the factory towns shift operations elsewhere. You may be a retiree whose home was illegally foreclosed and your pension drained in a buyout, or a college graduate working three minimum wage jobs, none requiring your degree or offering benefits. You may simply be someone who recognizes that all of our traditional information sources and institutions have been corrupted into dysfunction. A wide range of classes, professions, locations and ideologies are reflected in the commentariat here. We come for the shipping container data, the pension fund fee malfeasance, and frank coverage and analysis of the economic and political forces breaking nations and blowing bubbles. We come to refresh ourselves in a community shaped by a respect for critical thinking and human dignity, as we gird ourselves with the necessary but sometimes painful knowledge we will need if we are to participate in making positive change going forward. For that to continue, we need your help. Please give what you can, whether its $5 or $5,000. Every dollar helps keep the site up and running, the curated links to pieces worth reading elsewhere coming, and Naked Capitalisms own groundbreaking research and reporting flowing, today, tomorrow, and in the months and years to come. You may think to yourself, Human dignity? Thats laying it on a bit thick for an economics blog, isnt it? But consider that Yves is an active member of the financial services sector who lives in Manhattan and has worked at among other major firms Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company. Yet she doesnt just expose the predations of these and other power players in her writing. She has created an environment in the comments section where people with dramatically different backgrounds and life outcomes are treated and respected as peers. This is my kind of meritocracy, one where people are respected or shunned on the strength of their evidence, argument, honesty, and nothing else. None of us know what the future holds. As I type this, the election is once again being rocked by salacious leaks to distract from other leaks illustrating profound deceit and corruption. Dark clouds continue to roll in, with no sign yet of whether we will get rain that washes away the mire or twisters (possibly literal AND figurative) that will tear civilization as we know it to pieces. But this was never going to be easy. It never is. It takes a lot more than a comma to get from then they fight you to then you win. The Overton Window has been dragged from its entrenched capital-friendly position. The rumbling of change can be felt beneath our feet. We need the power of knowledge and the power of collective action if we are to make that change positive. We need a thriving Naked Capitalism for the challenges ahead. So join me in contributing to the site, to keep the servers safe, to keep Lambert in winter vegetables, to keep the truth via Yves, Lambert, and the many guest posters coming. Head over to the Tip Jar, and donate via check, credit card, debit card or Paypal. If you can give a lot, please give a lot. If you can only give a little, give whatever you can. As the past year has shown, small contributions can make a big impact. Lets keep it going. This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 794 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year, and our fourth target, burnout prevention. New Yorks feared former Superintendent of Financial Services, Benjamin Lawsky, appears to have left a mark on the agency. Yesterday, the agency issued a blistering report on the failings of the New York State Comptroller in managing the state pension fund systems alternative investments, specifically hedge funds and private equity funds. Weve embedded the document at the end of this post. We may have played a role in the section that discusses private equity, since we called the problem of private equity fee abuses and lack of transparency to the Department of Financial Services attention in January 2015. The entire report is worth reading if nothing else for its exceptional direct style and harsh criticism. The DFS, which supervises state pension funds, found no excuse for the fact that the two state pension funds, which together make New York State the fourth biggest public pension fund in the US, were overpaying for hedge fund duds: over $1 billion in excess fees to hedge fund managers who underperformed to the tune of $2.8 billion. Even worse, the state only now has gotten around to addressing the fact that many of its managers charge hefty fees for the privilege of lagging the stock market, while most other public pension funds have woken up to the problems with hedge funds and have been cutting allocations to or firing doggy fund managers. The report cuts the hedge fund data every way conceivable and has nothing nice to say about it. For instance (emphasis original): In comparing the 10-year 5.38% return for the Global Equity6 category with the hedge fund 3.23% return, the bulk of the hedge fund underperformance is due to the higher fees. The State pension system simply gave away tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars in fees every year for 10 years to hedge fund managers, and received no value in return. Over the most recent 5 years, the story is even worse as the gap in performance is well in excess of the fees paid. Global Equity returned 8.03% while the Absolute Return Strategy returned only 3.69%. The State pension system paid a premium price for significantly subpar performance. Having seen three straight years of massive underperformance in 2009, 2010 and 2011, when the Systems Absolute Return Strategy underperformed the Global Equity investments by at least 10 percentage points each year, the State Comptroller failed to reassess an obviously failing hedge fund strategy It is easy to see how a more thoughtful approach, simply paying attention to the conventional wisdom that it is practically impossible to beat the market over any sustained time period, would have benefited both New York State taxpayers and employees. Even simply putting the System on autopilot by investing in index funds would have saved billions of dollars The report points out that not only have public pension funds in California, Illinois, and New Jersey shrunk or ended their hedge fund investment programs, but even the New York City comptroller woke up to the problem of excessive hedge fund fees and lousy performance in 2015 and early this year, the trustees of the New York City pension system voted to wind down the program. The section on private equity is just as harsh. It called out the fact that the Comptroller fessed up that it knew there was gambling in Casablanca, um, a lack of private equity fee transparency and resulting abuses, yet tried to fob its problem onto the SEC. And get a load of the action it deems to be necessary (emphasis ours): Simply waiting for the SEC to fully investigate an industry, and then craft and adopt appropriate rules, is not action by the sole trustee of the State pension system charged with protecting its assets and promoting the interests of beneficiaries. At the very least, if there were a lack of transparency as to whether the general partners, or their affiliates, are overpaying themselves at the Common Retirement Funds expense, pursuing a freeze on fees and expenses until full information is provided would be in order. Continuing to pay the bill in full and perhaps overpaying is not the path to eliminating excessive expenses. Instead, the Comptroller should confirm that full disclosure occurs before any payments go out the door. Heads would explode in private equity if a pension fund were to withhold fees pending a better accounting. However, the general partner would likely deem that to be a failure to meet a capital call, and the remedies for that are draconian (typically seizure of the defaulting limited partners interest with it distributed to the fund). However, contracts rest on a premise of good faith and fair dealing, and if the limited partner could allege an underlying breach (and the abuse of monitoring fees, which Ludovic Phalippou called money for nothing, might be a place to start), they might not be in as weak a position as most general partners would think. Moreover, if the limited partner had a strong enough case to get past summary judgment (likely), hed be able to do a lot of digging in discovery, which is something general partners would be very keen to avoid. Now of course, this line of thinking goes utterly against the widespread assumption that no one dares stand up to the general partners because they would be blackballed by the industry and would be outgunned legally. But the DFS is the New York State pension funds regulator, and if the DFS presses the issue, the Comptroller is going to have to take some action. At a minimum, the DFS has flatly rejected the idea that New York should passively accept the meager information provided them by the general partners and rely on the bogus excuse that pressing for more might make them unpopular. The report cites state regulations that hold the Comptroller to standards it is arguably not meeting, particularly in light of the fact that many smaller public pension systems are succeeding in obtaining much more information about fees and costs. The DFS report concludes with a list of tough demands: As to transparency of private equity fees and expenses, the Comptroller should at a minimum: 1) Develop a comprehensive accounting for all fees and expenses related to CRFs private equity activity; 2) Develop an internally consistent method to record and report all expenses incurred across all private equity investments so that fees and expenses can be compared and opportunities for reducing costs can be identified; 3) Impose and/or reinforce processes to review existing private equity arrangements to assure that existing fee and expense allocation comply with their agreements; 4) Make public all information regarding fees, expenses, and carried interest; and 5) Require general partners to restate prior reports to provide transparency consistent with any new requirements, and to affirmatively self-report any prior questionable practices for further review The DFS is a young agency and it has yet to flex its muscles in this area. However, it proved to be a very tough infighter despite being at what appeared to be a very disadvantaged position in taking on major international banks and end-running Federal regulators, who were initially outraged by a second-tier regulator embarrassing them. So while the balance of power would appear to be stacked against the DFS, it would be a big mistake to underestimate what the agency might be able to achieve. Few regulatory bodies are willing to use all the tools at their disposal, and the DFS has proven to be a rare and welcome exception. rpt_pension_system_10172016-1 rpt_pension_system_10172016-1 This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 805 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in financial realm. Please join us and participate via our Tip Jar, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year, and our fourth goal, burnout prevention Yves here. While Naked Capitalism readers will be familiar with much of the terrain covered by this article, its a good high-level overview that lends itself well to sharing with friends, family, and colleagues who are catching up on this topic. By Jomo Kwame Sundaram, former UN Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development. Originally published at Inter Press Service The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement between the US and eleven other Pacific Rim countries was under negotiation for the first seven years of the Obama presidency. For the first four years, Hilary Clinton was the Secretary of State, directly supervising the negotiations. Even after she quit her cabinet position to launch for her second presidential bid, she continued to tout it in superlative terms. Yet, by early 2016, most presidential aspirants, including Mrs. Clinton, had disowned the TPP. No new information about the TPP had come to light to prompt this volte face. Nor had the then new Secretary of State John Kerry added anything radically new to the proposals she was associated with during her tenure. While largely in the interests of corporate America, the TPP is not in the interests of the US economy or the public at large. While it is in the interest of US transnational corporations (TNCs) to source manufactures and services from low-wage Asian economies for the US market, by doing so, they are likely to displace those previously producing those goods, increasing US unemployment. This, in turn, reduces aggregate demand and increases the current account deficit in the US balance of payments. US Corporate Interests The TPP will promote US corporate interests by institutionalizing new arrangements which undermine the sovereignty of TPP countries, including the US itself. For instance, the TPPAs patent and copyright provisions are stronger and for longer durations. This would strengthen corporate monopolies, especially of US TNCs, raising the prices of goods, especially pharmaceutical drugs, in all TPP countries. Thus, while US TNCs stand to profit greatly, consumers in all TPP countries, including the US, would be worse off. The TPPs investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions will mean that foreign investors can sue TPP governments more easily in special tribunals. Such disputes will not be settled by national judiciaries or in accordance with host country laws. Thus, private corporations will be less subject to the national laws and governments of the countries where they invest; even US laws would be less binding on all TNCs. Despite being a nation-state itself, the US is setting up supranational institutions that would serve TNCs, when needed, while not being subject to them, when convenient. Thus, the White House appears to be standing with big business against its own national economic interests, especially of its own working class, referred to as its middle class in better times. Populism But elections offer a rare opportunity for the public to have their voice heard. The November US elections are particularly interesting as its economy is not popularly perceived to have recovered although it has done better than most other advanced countries. Wooing working class support is crucial for both presidential candidates. As in Europe, Donald Trump, whose narcissism is undermining his own chances, has successfully directed workers anger over their lot against others, i.e. Muslims, Mexicans, immigrants, minorities and Asian workers accused of having stolen American jobs. Despite having negotiated the TPP, Hilary Clinton also professes opposition to it while allowing it to stay as part of the Democratic Party platform for the election. This is reminiscent of Bill Clintons earlier opposition to the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), negotiated by President George H. W. Bush, before becoming its great proponent after winning the White House. To legitimize her own volte-face, she may try to add new TPPA provisions banning currency manipulation while making it clear that the real intended target is China. Meanwhile, the outgoing Obama administration has successfully put together a bipartisan lobby, including establishment Republicans upset at Trumps nomination, to get the TPP accepted by the US Congress during the lame duck period right after the early November elections before the Christmas recess. Already, these efforts have met with early success. US National Security Recognizing the lack of credibility of earlier claims that the TPP would benefit the US economy and American workers, the Obama strategy has portrayed the TPP as necessary for security to check the rise of China. Several TPP country leaders have expressed this concern while the White House has put growing pressure on the US Congress to this effect. The Obama administration now contends that if the US pulls out of the TPP now, it will lose credibility as a security partner. Other TPP countries might then conclude that if the US could withdraw from the TPP despite having framed it, its other pledges would no longer be credible. The next US President will thus find it difficult to withdraw from the TPP at the risk of being accused of jeopardizing US national security. Americans, and Europeans for that matter, are increasingly convinced that while elite interests are well served by globalization, the public interests of consumers and working people are not. The strong American popular opposition to the TPP, the Brexit vote and other recent developments in the West suggest growing rejection of the myth that national public and corporate elite interests are identical. Wave energy researchers dive deep to advance clean energy source (Nanowerk News) One of the biggest untapped clean energy sources on the planet wave energy could one day power millions of homes across the U.S. But more than a century after the first tests of the power of ocean waves, it is still one of the hardest energy sources to capture. Now, engineers at Sandia National Laboratories are conducting the largest model-scale wave energy testing of its kind to improve the performance of wave-energy converters (WECs). The project is taking place at the U.S. Navys Maneuvering and Sea Keeping facility at the Carderock Division in Bethesda, Maryland, one of the largest wave tanks in the world at 360 feet long and 240 feet wide and able to hold 12 million gallons of water. The largest model-scale wave energy testing of its kind is being performed by Sandia National Laboratories at the Navys Maneuvering and Sea Keeping facility at the Carderock Division in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories) Sandia project leads Ryan Coe and Giorgio Bacelli spend long days in the dark wave tank, where minimal lighting reduces the growth of algae in the water. They are collecting data from their numerical modeling and experimental research to benefit wave energy technology with improved methodologies, strategic control systems design and testing practices for wave energy converters. Our goal is to improve the economic viability of these devices, said Coe. In order to do so, we are working out ways to control the WECs generator to increase the amount of power it absorbs. At the same time, we are looking at how to reduce the loads and stresses on these devices in harsh conditions to ultimately lengthen a WECs lifespan in the water. Coe said numerous initial studies estimate that improving control of the WECs generators can dramatically increase energy absorption by as much as 300 percent. Transitioning these simplified studies to more realistic large-scale devices is the challenge at hand. To control the dynamics for better, faster results in the wave tank, Coe and Bacelli are using modeling and control methods that have been successful in other industries, such as in the aerospace industry. The systems we used have been around for a while, but strangely enough they had never been applied to wave energy converters, Bacelli said. So far, we know the techniques we are using are more efficient and cost-effective than existing methods. We are getting more information in a fraction of the time. Now that Sandia has completed the first round of analyses in the water, Coe said the goal is to process all the collected data to develop a new, enhanced model that will make sure the next test yields even more valuable results. Make no mistake, these are extremely complex machines, Bacelli said. They have to be fine-tuned continuously because ocean waves are constantly changing. With this setup at the Navys facility, we have a unique opportunity to study the problems and quantify the effects. We want to help the industry by offering solutions to the challenges the wave energy world is facing. Carol Clayton Photo Buried deep in Dodd-Frank is a provision that calls for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to assess the effects of the myriad rules it implements every five years. While it hasn't even been three years since the Qualified Mortgage rule was enacted, the agency is already hard at work evaluating the policy and its effects. But lenders shouldn't necessarily expect the assessment to include changes to the rules, said Kathleen Ryan, counsel at the Washington, D.C., law firm BuckleySandler who served as the deputy assistant director for the Office of Regulations at the CFPB from July 2013 until January 2016. "There's the assessment and then there's rulemaking," she said, noting that "doing an assessment will take a lot of resources," making it unlikely the agency will propose a new rule through this process. But that doesn't mean that lenders should rest easy, according to Laurence Platt, a partner at the law firm Mayer Brown. "Any regulation issued by the CFPB requires tremendous hands-on involvement of the industry to implement," he said. "So any effort to revisit what's finally been implemented that's not the result of specific complaints of the industry is something about which to be concerned." Many sections of the rule are likely to remain safely intact after their look-backs, particularly the QM "safe harbor" provision. There aren't many industry reports of loans going unmade because the safe harbor isn't broad enough, nor are consumer advocates clamoring that the provision is too broad. So it's likely the CFPB won't "wade in there and change the rules," Ryan said. Another part of the rule that probably won't go away and may even get extended is the temporary provision that grants automatic QM status to all loans eligible for sale or guarantee by the government-sponsored enterprises. While the provision "is caught up in a large debate about the role the GSEs playit's going to be hard for the bureau to just let that patch expire," said Benjamin Olson, a partner at BuckleySandler and former deputy assistant director at the CFPB. One area that could come under reconsideration through the reassessment is how the QM rule ultimately excludes certain borrowers, particularly the self-employed. But Platt said that the industry should be wary of what it wishes for if the CFPB were to amend the rule with these people in mind. "We'd love to have guidance, but I'd rather have no guidance than bad guidance," he said. The housing industry is looking for November's election to resolve the inertia that has plagued real estate finance reform efforts during the Obama administration. That frustration has led the National Association of Home Builders to endorse Congressional candidates for the first time. "The fact the issues have been around so long is disturbing to us. The fact that Congress has failed to take action on some of these issues and some of them haven't been around for eight to 10 years is what finally [had us] getting off the dime and saying 'We need people who are going to take action,'" said NAHB CEO Jerry Howard. In future elections, NAHB plans to endorse candidates in all of the congressional races. Right now, it is starting off by endorsing candidates, incumbent or challenger, that it knows have a pro-housing track record. "Housing issues transcend parties. Oftentimes our issues call for bipartisan cooperation and that is something we would really like to see going forward," said Howard. Americans love their homes no matter whether they rent or own. They spend money on them and it helps drive the economy, said Howard. So it's "time for Congress to wake up, acknowledge that and take appropriate action." So far, housing issues have not been a priority for either party or their presidential candidates. Fannie Mae CEO Tim Mayopoulos bemoaned the lack of discussion about housing issues throughout the presidential race when responding to an audience question at a September event in New York. "What's been striking to me is that despite the fact that we came through a financial crisis that had housing issues at its core, there's really been no discussion about housing policy," he said. "Neither of the candidates has really advanced any strong views or positions around housing policy going forward." And what would his ideal housing policy address? One of the first issues that he raised, when asked, was the lack of affordable housing to own or to rent nationwide. "There is no well-coordinated federal, state and local strategy on how to create new affordable housing stock," Mayopoulos said. "We're guardedly hopeful" the election's results will move Congress to do something, said Rocke Andrews, the immediate past president of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers. Housing reform has to be bipartisan and that is how "historically we've accomplished a lot of things. Hopefully the mood will around this election will get that point across to the legislators," Andrews said. Details added (first version posted on 12:07) Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Azad Hasanli Trend: Azerbaijans PASHA Bank OJSC expects profit in the amount of 40 million manats on the results of 2016, said Chairman of the banks Executive Board Taleh Kazimov Oct. 18 at a press conference in Baku. Kazimov noted that the banks profit amounted to 24.4 million manats in 1H2016, which is the largest amount in the banks history. PASHA Banks assets totaled 2.2 billion manats during the period. Assets of the banks Turkish subsidiary, PASHA Yatirim Bankasi, amounted to 400 million Turkish liras, while the profit totaled 6.7 million liras and assets of the Georgian subsidiary, PASHA Bank Georgia, reached 300 million Georgian laris, while its profit amounted to 2.2 million laris, added the chairman. Member of the banks Executive Board and Chief Financial Officer Hayala Naghiyeva, for her part, noted that the profit in the amount of 24.4 million manats is consolidated and earned by the banks subsidiaries in three countries Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia. The banks assets decreased by 3 percent since early 2016 and totaled 2.2 billion manats on the results of the 1H2016. The volume of loans, issued for clients, increased by 4 percent and amounted to 983.7 million manats, she said. Fixed deposits increased by 14 percent to 537.33 million manats, while the demand deposits decreased by 10 percent to 814.58 million manats. Commenting on these indicators, Naghiyeva said also that over the past period, the bank mainly focused not on an aggressive growth, but on the protection of the quality of existing assets. With regard to the banks loan portfolio, she noted that the lions share of loans accounted for the trade and services sector 35.16 percent (299.88 million manats), which is followed by production sphere (11.3 percent or 111.33 million manats) and loans for individuals (11.7 percent or 115.37 million manats). Speaking about the loans, issued for individuals, Id like to note that we are talking about private banking and consumer loans, which are issued to employees of our bank and PASHA group of companies, explained Naghiyeva. We dont work directly on the retail market. The bank also provided funds for crediting to the construction sphere (11.6 percent, 88.7 million manats), agriculture (6.2 percent, 46.05 million manats) and others. Pasha Bank is a leading corporate bank in Azerbaijan. The bank, founded in 2007, renders a range of corporate banking services, including issuing of loans, operations in the securities market, asset management, and treasury services. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Iraqi Foreign Minister Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafari to NATO Headquarters on Tuesday (18 October 2016) for talks on the Alliances support to Iraq. The two leaders also discussed political and security developments, including the ongoing fight to liberate Mosul. The Secretary General commended the success of Iraqi security forces in reclaiming key territories from ISIL. He reiterated NATOs commitment to provide in-country training and capacity building for Iraq, as requested by Iraqi Prime Minister al-Abadi and as agreed by Allies at the Warsaw Summit. Allies are now planning for a NATO presence in Iraq, which could conduct in-country training, beginning in January 2017 and which would build on the Alliances existing training in Jordan. During his visit, Minister Al-Jaafari also participated in a meeting of the North Atlantic Council. He addressed domestic and regional security challenges, including progress in the fight against ISIL. The Secretary General noted that NATO AWACS aircraft will soon be flying in direct support of the Counter-ISIL Coalition. Allies stressed that the battle for Mosul is a turning point in the fight against ISIL, and expressed their continued support to sustain the momentum and work of the Global Coalition. Allies also highlighted the need for a sustainable stabilisation effort following the liberation of Mosul and encouraged Iraq to continue implementing policies to bridge ethnic divisions and to build inclusive security forces and state institutions. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, H.E. Dr. Anwar Gargash will visit NATO Headquarters on Wednesday, 19 October 2016. He will meet with the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, and will address the North Atlantic Council. The Foreign Minister and the Secretary General will also sign the NATO-UAE Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme (IPCP). There will be no media opportunity but still and video images of the event will be available on the NATO website afterwards. Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg) 'The Lord told me to feed the homeless' 13 percent of American households are food insecure Nearly one in four Americans suffer from mental illness U.K. police facing similar issues (NaturalNews) Increasingly, police are finding themselves in the position of performing emergency mental health care along with their usual peacekeeping duties.In both the U.S. and the U.K.,and the rising number of mentally ill individuals have saddled many law enforcement officers with a job that should be in the hands of mental health professionals.A lack of sufficient training for police officers to handle mental health crises, combined with a lack of space in mental health facilities has led to a dangerous situation for both police and the people who should be receiving psychiatric care, but who have little access to treatment.Too often there have been casualties on both sides - police officers have been injured and sometimes killed by mentally ill individuals, and the reverse is also sadly true.From TROFire.com:This means that the police are becoming the interface between the mentally ill and the system - a situation which not only endangers lives, but puts a strain on law enforcement resources and manpower.As Rep. Tim Murphy (R) of Pennsylvania admitted: "We have replaced the hospital bed with the jail cell, the homeless shelter, and the coffin."In the U.K., the picture is similar - a recent article indetailed the issues faced by British police forces regarding their own country's mental health crisis.In Britain, the use of a Mental Health Act provision that allows police to detain mentally ill people and remove them to a safe place has risen by 50 percent over the past decade.Police in Britain believe the increase is due to cuts inbudgets, particularly in community psychiatric care.A recent University of Manchester study found that suicide rates were higher for those receiving care at the community level, compared to those living in mental health facilities.The crisis has prompted initiatives to help British police deal with the increased responsibility. The College of Policing has created new guidelines involving a minimum two days of mental health training for all officers, with some receiving more.The added burden to British cops has led to one police chief threatening to sue local National Health Service (NHL) trusts over a lack of beds for mentally ill patients. Shaun Sawyer, chief constable of Devon and Cornwall, said he would no longer tolerate what he views as an unlawful practice.Many mentally ill individuals end up in jail cells due to a lack of hospital beds. In one case, a victim of sexual assault was held for the weekend in a Devon jail cell because there were no beds available in local mental health facilities. In another case, a woman who was talked out ofby police also ended up in a local jail.It's been said that "a society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members." In that case we are failing - not only to protect our weakest members from being treated like criminals and preventing them from receiving the care they need, but also by putting our police in danger and expecting them to perform services they are not trained or hired to do. Allergies can be minimized if properly addressed during food production (NaturalNews) You've probably seen it on the labels of your favorite foods and supplements: "may contain trace amounts of soy, wheat or dairy" or something along those lines. It's a standard warning placed on products that may contain trace amounts of allergens due to their processing on shared equipment, and something that's meant to protect those with strong sensitivities to allergenic substances from being harmed by their consumption.Unless a food or supplement is produced on its own dedicated equipment, it more than likely contains trace amounts of ingredients not indicated on its label, hence the need for such a disclaimer. But researchers from Germany may have discovered a scientific breakthrough capable of removing these hidden allergens during processing, or at least neutralizing them so consumers aren't placed in harm's way.Dubbed the "LowAllergen Project," the effort by scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) involves developing stronger sensory technologies for identifying allergens , as well as tools capable of detecting and reducing them in foods and supplements. In cooperation with Leipzig University Hospital, the goal is to address proteins in particular, which are what trigger allergic reactions in the first place."To date there are no food products, except for baby food, that are hypoallergenic and contain few allergens," says Dr. Michael Szardenings, a group manager at IZI leading the project. "The production of such products is very complex. One reason for this is that although the allergenic components of food ingredients can generally be detected, to date, it is not possible to determine their specific allergenicity."The way an allergic reaction goes is something like this: Proteins that don't get enzymatically broken down or that the body decides to attack as a foreign invader enter the blood, spurring the production of antibodies. These antibodies go on the attack against the rogue proteins, creating inflammation and what many people who suffer from it quickly recognize as an allergic reaction.Generally speaking, identifying these allergens and more specifically, their precise modalities of allergenicity is a crude practice. At the current time, there simply aren't effective ways to pinpoint all the molecular sections of allergens in order to disengage them, something that researchers at IZI hope to overcome as they develop novel methods of eliminating the hidden ingredients in food that are harming people with allergies."The human body can develop antibodies against all kinds of foreign substances," Dr. Szardenings adds. "According to our findings, in the case of soy, this occurs in more places in the allergenic proteins than expected. Antibodies activated in a person with an allergy are directed against specific molecular sections of the allergens. Patients react to these molecular sections, known as epitopes. We were able to identify 374 allergy-relevant epitopes."In the case of soy, the team was able to modify its protein isolates in such a way as to make them less allergenic . Using a variety of methods, including heat, plasma, pulsed ultraviolet (UV) light, gamma radiation and high pressure, as well as chemical, enzymatic and fermentative processes, they found that alterations are possible that make allergens in food less allergenic."We have already filed a patent application for the production of hypoallergenic protein preparations," says Dr. Peter Eisner, a scientist at Fraunhofer IVV and project coordinator.Besides allergens, there are all sorts of other contaminants hiding in food that many people are unaware of. Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, dives deep into this subject in his new book Food Forensics , which sheds new and important light on the presence of not only allergens in food, but also heavy metals, crop chemicals and other toxins. The DEA needs to keep its hands off kratom! (NaturalNews) The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is now free to ban all access to a plant known as kratom (that for centuries has served as a natural remedy for pain, and that's helped countless opiate addicts overcome withdrawal symptoms. The federal government claims that kratom serves no legitimate medical purpose, but a closer look reveals that not only is the opposite true, but drug companies actually hold patents on kratom's medicinal compounds. Public uproar after the DEA announced its plans has led to the agency saying in statements that it has no "timetable for officially listing kratomit could be next week or longerleaving users on the edge of their seats," according to The DEA plans to classify kratom as a "Schedule I" drug the highest classification reserved for hard drugs like heroin and claims that kratom has a high potential for abuse and serves no legitimate purpose in health. However, several patents, including one dating back to 1964, show that kratom's alkaloid compounds indeed exhibit pharmacodynamic activity.Three compounds in particular MGM-9, MGM-15, and MGM-16 serve as proof that kratom holds therapeutic potential. Each of these synthetic opioid compounds was synthesized from various alkaloids present in the kratom plant; MGM-9 came from a compound known as mitragynine, while MGM-15 and MGM-16 came from 7-hydroxymitragynine. These two compounds are considered to be among the primary active constituents in kratom MGM-15 and MGM-16 have been shown in studies to aid in treating both acute and chronic pain, while others demonstrate analgesic activity in a highly potent, yet low- or non-addictive way. That's what makes kratom unique from the opiate drugs derived from it: It works, its safe and users don't become addicted to it.The pharmacological potential of kratom is so immense that some of the first patents on its medicinal use were filed as far back as the 1960s, one of these concluding that a kratom alkaloid known as Speciofoline has "useful pharmacodynamic activity, particularly analgetic and antitussive activity." U.S. patent 20100209542 A1 is another one filed by researchers from the University of Mississippi and the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 2010. It plainly states that kratom is an effective remedy for opioid withdrawal because it works like opioid drugs, except without the addictive and toxic properties.The patent admits that "abrupt cessation of opiate abuse may be self-managed by using kratom." The reason for this, it adds, is because it contains components like mitragyinine that display "high binding affinity at mu, delta and kappa opiate receptors." In other words, kratom is therapeutically active in the body, which means that it's medically significant the exactof what the DEA is now claiming by categorizing it as Schedule I.If kratom and its active constituents are so medically useless that they had to suddenly, without cause, be added to the Schedule I restricted list of controlled substances, then why did this study out of Japan conclude that mitragynine exhibits "opium-like properties?"Or how about this study , which found that 7-hydroxymitragynine is an effective treatment for "acute and chronic pain?"Could it really be that the DEA is just completely unaware of these studies? Hardly. The DEA knows full well that kratom is an effective pain reliever and an exceptionally safe one, at that. It also knows that legal access to kratom in natural plant form eliminates all opportunities for pharmaceutical companies to bank on synthetic impostors made from the plant's constituents.Be sure to check out the Health Ranger's new book Food Forensics to learn more about how to safely nourish your body with clean, whole foods and herbs rather than pharmaceutical drugs. (NaturalNews) As America's opioid epidemic continues to grow and spread, sadly the number of infants being born addicted to drugs has also continued to skyrocket. A study that was published in the September edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics sought to delve deeper into the lesser-known consequences of opioid addiction those felt by the infants who are born to addicts.When an infant is born addicted to a drug, the child experiences what doctors have dubbed, "neonatal abstinence syndrome," or NAS for short. The babies who are affected by NAS experience withdrawal symptoms due to being exposed to addictive substances while they were still in the womb. Some of the symptoms babies born with this horrible syndrome are forced to endure include tremors, seizures, excessive crying, poor feeding, fever, sleep problems, blotchy skin coloring and rapid breathing. Babies born to opioid addicted mothers can also present with other adverse health effects , such as low birth weight, premature birth, birth defects and small head circumference.During the five-year study period, researchers found that the number of infants being born with NAS more than doubled. Can you believe that? Live Science reports that when the research began in 2008, the syndrome occurred in 2.8 births per 1000. By the study's end in 2013, that number escalated to a shocking 7.3 births per 1000.The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that in 2012, over 20,000 babies were born with NAS five times what it was in the year 2000. The agency estimates that approximately every 25 minutes, a baby is born suffering with the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Babies born with NAS have to stay in the hospital longer and cost significantly more to care for than their healthily born counterparts. It is truly a sad thing that so many babies are born into this world suffering from an addiction that they did not consent to.This new study, which was led by researchers from the Institute for Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Sciences, located at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, did not just solely focus on the total population of the United States. Because Kentucky is a state that is heavily burdened by the opioid epidemic , the researchers also did an in-depth analysis of their state and compared it to the rest of the population. What the scientists found was quite alarming. In 2008, when the NAS rate was only 2.8 per 1000 for the rest of the country, Kentucky was already seeing an alarming 5 cases per 1000 births. In 2014, that number quadrupled. At the end of the five year period, the state of Kentucky was seeing 21.2 NAS cases per 1000 births. That means 2 percent of all babies born in the state of Kentucky are born suffering from opioid withdrawal.The researchers stated that these findings illustrated the disparate effect drug abuse has in different states. Kentucky, of course, is not alone in this disparity. The problem of opioid addiction is national one, but it affects every state differently.In an attempt to help combat the growing number of infants born with NAS, the United States government passed a "law" entitled the Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015. Of course, this law merely dictates that the Department of Health and Human Services must study neonatal abstinence syndrome and develop recommendations for preventing and treating the condition. As the researchers noted, this does very little in the short term to actually assist with what is a rapidly growing epidemic. Medical marijuana is an up-and-coming treatment for opioid addiction. It has a great track record so far, if only the federal government would give us our right to use it. This natural medicine could help end opioid addiction entirely, which would in turn reduce the instances of NAS. Bureau of Land Management circumvents protests by moving the public land fracking auctions online Obama Administration quickly selling public land to fracking industry (NaturalNews) The term "climate change" is something the Obama Administration likes to repeat, but only to manipulate you into believing that the government cares about the environment. When it comes down to doing business, big oil companies run the show and use the government as a way to rapidly take advantage of public lands, while discarding a toxic slurry of fracking chemicals into the water that we all drink.In fact, under the Obama Administration, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been setting up auctions that allow fossil fuel companies to bid on public land for as little as $2 an acre, so that they can rapidly frack entire regions of the country. This is how the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania became a hot spot for fracking in recent years; the federal government was cheaply auctioning off the rights to frack there.For years, the BLM conducted the auctions in person. As the people of the United States began to learn more about the dangers of fracking and how this controversial method of drilling with chemicals poisons the land, air and water, however, activists started getting involved to peacefully protest these auctions. In the past year, nine out of 15 BLM-led auctions have been cancelled or postponed due to mounting public pressure. The very government that advertises climate change and promises environmental protection, is the entity selling off public land , only to have it polluted nonstop by the big oil companies.Back in May, in Lakewood, Colorado, activists blocked the entrance to a Holiday Inn where an auction was taking place. Later in the summer, activists gathered outside the New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Superdome and rallied to protest a lease sale. Not being heard, activists made their way into the Department of the Interior building in Washington, DC. While striking to demand no new fossil fuel fracking leases, 13 activists were arrested.And now that the keep-it-in-the-ground protests have become too much of a nuisance, the BLM have decided to move the auctions online. The right to assemble and speak out against these abuses can be completely ignored, as the government moves the bidding to the worldwide web. Currently, the BLM are putting 4,000 acres of public land up for auction across Missouri and Kansas.The Obama Administration is like a pimp allowing the United States to be sold and exploited like a cheap whore. The federal BLM maintains a facade of public land stewardship, only to use it to gut the United States' natural resources.The fossil fuel executives are laughing all the way to the bank, as they seize the public lands cheaply and drill into them with nasty chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency turns a blind eye to the dirty water and polluted air crisis that this fracking industry is expediting through the government departments.Currently, the BLM is using a company called EnergyNet to sell the public land online. For years, EnergyNet has auctioned off private land to oil and gas companies, but this is the first time they have engaged in selling public lands for oil and gas exploitation on behalf of the government. EnergyNet presents fossil fuel reps with a simple 8-step bidding process to acquire land for fracking from as little as $2 an acre. As U.S. public land is sold away cheaply to the predatory fracking industry, the people will be left dealing with the effects of the displaced heavy metals and toxic slurry of chemicals that are discarded in the water and soil. (NaturalNews) While the federal government and naturopathic healers everywhere try to battle against the widening opioid epidemic that is affecting millions of people, a significant number of physicians, it has been discovered, aren't really assisting the effort as much as they're supposed to be. reports some 12,000 physicians in the state of Ohio alone who are supposed to be checking their patients' prescription histories aren't.Doctors are expected to consult a state-maintained web site before they recommend any opioid-based painkillers for their patients. But a new audit has found that thousands appear to be violating the policy that is designed to help stem the opioid epidemic The audit, completed in August by the state's Pharmacy Board, pinpointed the doctors who either were not yet registered on the site or failed to properly use it. In recent days the investigating panel handed the list over to the Ohio Medical Board, the licensing agency for physicians. The board has since sent each offending physician a letter warning them of the potential violations.The 12,000 figure represents some one-third of all doctors in the state.The audit and resultant warnings to doctors come as Ohio deals with its own opioid crisis , in which eight people a day die from overdoses. Part of that, officials said, is because of ready access to prescription opioid painkillers.Tessie Pollack, a Medical Board spokesperson, said that her organization's priority will be some 45 physicians who have reportedly been providing painkillers to more than 200 patients during August without performing the required checks.noted that the Pharmacy Board audit discovered that the top 25 doctors on the list did not run the required report on some 7,500 patients. This list included one doctor who handed out prescription painkillers to 705 patients in a single month without doing a single required check.Pollack noted that the most serious violators may face a suspension or revoked license, along with probation and fines. The board noted that many of the violations may turn out to be mild, so the board wants to enjoin its enforcement crackdown with a program to education physicians, in order to help them understand how to use the site.Officials with the Ohio State Medical Association, which represents doctors, say they don't believe that 12,000 doctors are in violation of the law."We're certainly supportive of the Medical and Pharmacy boards taking these periodic looks and making sure people are in compliance, but it's really a checks-and-balances kind of thing," Reggie Fields, an association spokesman, toldHe added that the medical community understands the size and scope of the opiate addiction epidemic in Ohio, and he says he supports the rule requiring tracking of prescription painkillers.The Food and Drug Administration, on its web site , acknowledged the opioid epidemic and said it has developed "a comprehensive action plan" to reduce opioid over-prescribing and abuse. Part of that plan includes gathering data on painkiller prescriptions."As part of this plan, the agency is committing to work more closely with its advisory committees before making critical product and labeling decisions; enhancing safety labeling; requiring new data; and seeking to improve treatment of both addiction and pain," the agency said.Dr. Mark Hurst, the medical director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addition Services, said the problem of opioid abuse won't be solved "unilaterally" by a single entity or agency."It requires communities, it requires families, it requires individuals, it requires schools," he said,reported in a separate story . "If we're really going to make good progress and sustain progress on this, we need all hands on deck." Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Elena Kosolapova Trend: Hungary and Kazakhstan will jointly develop multi-modal services for cargo transportation from China to Europe and from Europe to China by Trans-Caspian international transport route, Kazakh railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy reported on Oct 18. A corresponding agreement was signed between Kazakhs KTZ Express company and Hungarian Rail Cargo Hungaria Zrt company, within the framework of the Kazakh-Hungarian business forum in Astana. The parties also agreed to create favorable conditions for freight traffic by this route. For cargo transportation by Trans-Caspian international transport route it is planned to use technical potential of Kazakhstans border stations in Dostyk and Altynkol, infrastructure of transport and logistics centers in Astana and Shymkent, and multimodal complexes of Aktau and Kuryk ports. In Hungary for cargo transportation by this route will be used border stations Zahony, Epereshke and Rail Cargo Terminals intermodal terminal BILK. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and then through Turkey and Ukraine to Europe. The first test container train from China arrived at the Baku International Sea Trade Port on Aug. 3, 2015. The agreement to create the Trans-Caspian International Transportation Consortium was signed in April in Baku by the railway authorities of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan. New competitive tariffs were introduced for the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route since June 1, 2016. Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova Ranked the No. 13 fastest-growing company in Americaand the No. 1 food and beverage companyon the Inc. 5000 2016 Fastest Growing Companies list, Suja has plenty to celebrate. Boasting US$65.8 million in revenue and a 3-year growth rate of 10,511 percent, the San Diego-based purveyor of organic, non-GMO (genetically modified organism), cold-pressed juice beverages has come a long way since its 2012 inception. The premium beverage behemoth further solidified its success with a novel social listening campaign" centered around the launch of limited edition Midnight Tonic. As part of a Surprise + Delight initiative, the company mailed pre-release samples of the new product in a box branded #itsthejuice to a variety of die-hard Suja fans, from notable nutrition bloggers to organic brand-fans identified via their social media posts. The latter included celebrities with an impressive online following, such as Jesse McCartney and Eva Longoria, who contributed to the ensuing social media frenzy across platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. Stevia-sweetened and featuring activated charcoal, ginger, schizandra berry and lemon, the pitch-black drink added to the mystery by shrouding the label information on the bottle (visible once the product was consumed). The official drink release was Sept. 9, with a run of 1,000 16-ounce bottles only available via the Suja website. Each customer was required (and restricted) to purchase six bottles at $5.99 a pop, sans shipping. The product quickly sold out. According to Adweek, less than two weeks after launch, the campaign generated 13 million social impressions, with several million more anticipated. To help continue the momentum, Suja advised fans to sign up for its newsletter and keep an eye on its social media for product availability updates. Lo and behold, a Sept. 23 Suja tweet revealed another 1,000 bottles would be available online, which also sold out. The future plans for Midnight Tonic are as mysterious as the beverage itself. In the meantime, a few clear marketing lessons any company can take away include: Play into peoples fear of missing out" (FOMO) By creating a limited-edition productwhile also controlling the availability and distributionSuja fostered FOMO that ensured quick sell-outs. Dont let budget stop you The Suja campaign didnt rely on a big-dollar agency or take out expensive ad space. Any company can create a buzz with the right product and idea. Maximize social media Many social media campaigns can feel forced, which only alienates potential brand fans. People will engage naturally in social media if a campaign truly impacts them. Draw upon your existing fan base Knowing who your loyal customers areand surprising/rewarding themcan offer a much easier road to customer conversion for a new product than trying to win consumers unfamiliar with or uninterested in your offerings. Keep up the momentum The ball is in Sujas court, but not for long. Without a reason to stay engaged, consumers may quickly move on to the next big thing. The challenge for Suja (and all brands) is to figure out the right mix of staying unpredictableyet giving fans enough incentive to keep the lines of communication open. A federal judge in Salt Lake City gave final approval to a settlement in a putative class-action lawsuit filed two years ago against Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. and its senior executives. The US$47 million settlement resolves allegations that the company and its executives failed to disclose an unlawful pyramid scheme in China. Judge Jill N. Parrish also awarded attorneys fees in the amount of $13.6 million plus interestreflecting 29 percent of the settlement fundand the payment of litigation expenses of approximately $449,000 plus interest. The judge found the settlement was fair, reasonable and adequate" and in the settlement classs best interests. She dismissed the amended complaint with prejudice. Neither Provo, Utah-based Nu Skin nor class counsel in the case, Labaton Sucharow LLP, immediately responded Monday to a request for comment. The Salt Lake Tribune first reported on final approval of the settlement last week. Separately, Parrish on Oct. 12 gave final approval to a settlement in a derivative lawsuit that was filed on behalf of Nu Skin. As INSIDER previously reported, Nu Skin agreed to adopt certain corporate governance measures and pay approximately $1.28 million in plaintiffs attorney fees and expenses to resolve allegations that Nu Skins officers and directors allowed the company to operate as an unlawful pyramid scheme in China. "We believe the settlement agreement is in the best interests of the companys stakeholders as it avoids potentially lengthy, costly, distracting and time-consuming litigation," a Nu Skin spokesperson said this summer in an emailed statement. "The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by Nu Skin or its directors or officers. Nu Skin remains committed to protecting consumers and driving long-term value for shareholders and will continue to take the necessary steps to achieve this important objective." The class-action lawsuit, filed on Jan. 21, 2014 in Utah federal court against Nu Skin and its senior executives, alleged the company failed to disclose to investors that its Chinese subsidiary was violating multi-level marketing (MLM) regulations and laws. That was the same month two Chinese government agencies revealed they were investigating Nu Skin following a Chinese newspaper report that questioned the direct sellers business practices. Nu Skin did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement in the class-action lawsuit. In February, Nu Skin said it didnt expect the $47 million settlement to result in a net charge to its income statement because the company anticipated its insurers would cover the payment. Parrish, the judge who oversaw the class-action lawsuit, held a final settlement hearing on Oct. 5. Only one person objected to the settlement, according to her Oct. 12 order granting final approval of the agreement. Michael Nauman of Naperville, Illinois reported spending about $1,804 on May 10, 2012 purchasing Nu Skin call options"; In a letter to the clerk of court, the investor indicated he suffered a total loss after the options expired the following month and were worthless." If the defendants are found to have made false and misleading statements and omissions concerning how Nu Skin was operating its business in Mainland China, I feel the plaintiffs/investors should be made whole," Nauman wrote. In her order approving the settlement, Parrish said she considered" and overruled" the sole objection. Parrish also awarded the lead plaintiff, State-Boston Retirement System, $9,800 as a reimbursement for its prosecution of the case on behalf of the settlement class. Last month in a separate development, Nu Skin revealed reaching an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding a previously disclosed investigation. The probe concerned a charitable contribution in China in 2013. The SEC found Nu Skins books and records and internal controls" related to the contribution were inadequate, and the company agreed to pay $765,688 to the SEC, according to a Sept. 20 regulatory filing. However, Nu Skin did not admit or deny the SECs findings as part of the settlement. In the same filing, Nu Skin offered its investors some good news. Citing in part "the success of recent product introductions and favorable currency trends," the company said it anticipated delivering third-quarter revenue at the high end of, or slightly above, its previous guidance of $560 to $580 million." Nu Skin (NYSE: NUS) is an MLM of personal care and nutritional products in 54 markets around the world. The company is scheduled to release its third-quarter results on Thursday, Nov. 3. After the resounding clamors on cutting down CO2 emisions to save our planet from getting warmer, a global deal between more than 150 countries has agreed to limit hydrofluoro carbons (HFCs) to combat climate change. Consesus Reached, China to Delay Implementation Announced last saturday morning in Kigali, Rwanda, the negotiations on cutting down the countries' HFC use finally reached a consensus. Starting 2019, there will be a gradual decrease in the use of the said compound to be led by developed countries including the U.S. Meanwhile, developing countries as well as China have pledged to start their actions by 2024, which earned a negative reaction due to the delay. Smaller countries including Pakistan, India and several other Gulf states requested for a 2028 kick-off since they need more time to stabilize their economies. Dangers of HFCs The HFCs were used in exchange for chlorofluoro carbons (CFCs) due to the latter's effect to Earth's ozone layer. However, it was later found out that HFCs are compounds more potent than CO2 in warming the Earth. Its widespread use has been of interest by nations around the world, especially after the Paris agreement on climate change. If the use of HFCs will not be controlled, the previous accord done in Paris may just become a thing of the past. Read: Nations to Implement International Ban on HFCs to Minimize Greenhouse Gases 'Monumental Step' to Fight Climate Change US Secretary John Kerry called the Kigali agreement as a monumental step forward." On BBCs article, experts have calculated an equivalent of 70 billion tons of CO2 removed from the atmosphere by 2050 if the agreement will really materialize. "HFCs posed an immediate threat to a safe climate due to their increasing use and high global warming potential, thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide. By agreeing to an early HFC phase down schedule, we've bought ourselves a bit more time to shift to a global low carbon economy and protect the world's most vulnerable people," Benson Eri, Senior Policy Advisor of Christian Aid mentioned. "Agreeing a deal to phase down the use of HFCs is the single most important step we can take to limit the warming of the planet. We all know that the window of time that we have to prevent the worst climate impacts from happening is in fact narrowing, and it is closing fast, Kerry stated as quoted in TheGuardian. A new survey of the American Psychological Association revealed that more than half of the American finds the current presidential election to be very or somewhat significant source of stress. The survey, conducted by Harris Poll for the Association, revealed that 52 percent of Americans are under stress due to the presidential elections. The researchers also found that social media might be contributing the increasing stress levels of Americans when it comes to the elections and other related topics. "Election stress becomes exacerbated by arguments, stories, images and video on social media that can heighten concern and frustration, particularly with thousands of comments that can range from factual to hostile or even inflammatory," explained Lynn Bufka, PhD, APA's associate executive director for practice research and policy, in a press release. Out of the 3,511 participants of the survey, about 38 percent reported being stressed due to the political and cultural discussions in social media. Additionally, adults who reported using social media are more likely to find the presidential election stressful compared to adults who do not use social media, 54 percent and 45 percent respectively. Furthermore, the stress levels felt by the respondents in response with the election seem to differ across different generation. About 56 percent of Millennials say that the election is very or somewhat stressing. On the other hand, smaller number of baby boomers and Generation Xers find the election stressing, 50 percent and 45 percent respectively. Due to the alarming numbers of American being stress by the upcoming elections, the Association released some guidelines to help people manage their stress levels. People who are being stressed by the battle of "keyboard warriors" are advised to limit their social media use. Additionally, the Association recommends the avoidance of discussions about the election that could eventually lead to conflicts, which could potentially heighten stress levels. APA noted that the most important thing to remember is to vote in the incoming elections and accept the results because life will go on. A group of international researchers led by world-renowned herpetologist Rafe Brown discovered more than 120 new species of animals living in the island of Mindanao in the Southern Philippines. Their discovery, detailed in a paper published in the journal ZooKeys, include new species of frogs, lizards, snakes, freshwater turtle and crocodile. These new species of animals make up about 36 percent of the known reptiles and amphibians living in the Philippines. "The terrestrial biodiversity of the Philippines is amazing, and this part of Mindanao is the center of the center of that diversity," commented Brown, curator-in-charge of herpetology at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute, in a press release. "The biodiversity is so high in this one pocket of northeast Mindanao, largely because the ranges of so many species in the archipelago overlap in this one area. We knew it was really diverse, but we didn't have a sense of this one area being the bull's-eye, the epicenter of this diversity." Read: Philippines' Luzon Island Has the World's Greatest Concentration of Unique Mammal Species For their study, Brown, joined by his colleagues from the University of Kansas, Father Saturnino Urios University, University of Oklahoma, National Museum of the Philippines and Silliman University, took part in an expedition into the mountains of Mindanao. Brown's team established camps and surveyed areas in Mount Hilong-hilong and Mount Lumon. The team searched near rivers, dug around tree trunks and split open decaying logs in search for different animals. In total, Brown and his team discovered 126 new species of reptiles and amphibians. Their discovery includes 40 frogs, one caecilian, 49 lizards, 35 snakes, a freshwater turtle and a crocodile. Their findings suggest that that the greater Mindanao faunal region possesses distinct subcenters of amphibian and reptile species diversity. However, local conflicts between the national government and regional group of rebels in the area are making it difficult for the researchers to conduct extensive studies on the animals living in the forest and mountains of Mindanao. Furthermore, deforestation in the area is becoming a big problem for the animals living there, pushing them to the brink of extinction. The mysterious death of a British UFO enthusiast has lead to a number of disturbing theories. Early this year, Max Spiers, who made a career out of probing UFO sightings and alleged government cover-ups, was found dead on a sofa in Poland, where he had gone to give a talk about UFOs. New York Times noted that Spiers' friends claimed that he "vomited a black liquid" prior to his death. According to The Sun, authorities claimed that Spiers died from natural causes. However, no post-mortem examination was carried out on his body. Now, reports are claiming that there's more to Spier's death and some people might have covered up the truth about it. A local news site in Kansas City reported that the 39-year-old UFO enthusiast sent a chilling text message to her mother, Vanessa Bates, 63, a day before he was found lifeless. "Your boy's in trouble. If anything happens to me, investigate," the text message read. Bates believes he could have been sacrificed and poisoned by Polish Satanists who he met during his paranormal research. Bates shared to Mail details about her claim. "I think Max had been digging in some dark places and I fear that somebody wanted him dead," she said. According to Bates, he overheard "satanic rituals" being conducted over her son's body as she spoke on the telephone with his Polish woman housemate who Spiels had been staying with. "I could hear all this kerfuffle in the background -- ritualistic stuff. There were strange suggestions of things that should be done like put milk by this side and get garlic and put flowers and put vinegar and very weird goings on," she said. "The more you dig, the more questions you have got and the more difficult it is for a mother, because I don't like the idea of people messing around with his body." "It's absolutely ghastly. I feeling appallingly let down by the Polish police, I feel appallingly let down by the doctor and by the people who did the last interview when he sounds like he's dying." The report added that Bates received strange emails and a book on devil worship and black magic titled "Sacrifice: Magic Behind the Mic" from the woman. Orbital ATK's Antares rocket has returned to flight after a successful launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on the evening of Oct. 17. The nighttime launch, which had been visible from the U.S. East Coast (from Boston to central South Carolina), marks the first flight of Antares since October 2014, when an older version of the rocket exploded shortly after liftoff. Antares carried Orbital's OA-5 Cygnus cargo ship filled with more than 5,000 pounds of food, supplies, and science experiments bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The experiment payloads included the Saffire II experiment, which will study the combustion behavior in microgravity, and a nanoracks CubeSat deployer, which will be used for weather forecasting. Since the explosion, the rocket's main engines had been overhauled with two new Russian-made RD-181 first stage engines. Shortly after liftoff, Cygnus separated from the rocket and deployed its solar array panels. "It's great to see the way people came together and made this happen," Frank Culberston, president of the space systems group at Orbital ATK, told CNN. "It was done right and that's the important thing." NASA officials and Orbital ATK representatives earlier said that the rocket is in better shape and expressed their confidence that the launch will go well. However, despite Antares' good health, a faulty ground support cable detected at the launch pad before the supposed Sunday liftoff had forced NASA and Orbital ATK to postpone the launch by a day. The launch had already been delayed from last week when Hurricane Nicole swept past Bermuda where a NASA ground station is positioned to track the rocket. Cygnus is expected to arrive at the ISS on Sunday, Oct. 23. As it approaches the ISS, the space station's robotic arm will grab the spacecraft and dock it. It will remain at the ISS for five weeks and will depart in November carrying trash from the space station. Orbital ATK is already looking ahead to the vehicle's next resupply mission, which is scheduled later this year. Remember scenes from the movies "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact"? It seems like the threat posed by asteroids are real. And with the vastness of outer space, some scientists believe that the Earth is not safe from the devastating effect of space rocks that could potentially hit the planet without warning. Scientists say that the Earth's defense system and asteroid-predicting capabilities are not enough to protect the planet from space rocks. To prove their point, they said that the Earth is constantly being bombarded by smaller and less devastating debris from space. "Every day, Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles," a NASA official said in a press release. NASA explained how asteroids could affect the planet. Based on the agency's report, there's one chance in every few million years that a potentially harmful space rock will hit the Earth. But on a regular basis, the smaller once have a bigger chance of hitting the planet. The smaller space rocks of about 25 meters in size are rarely felt because they burn up upon contact with the Earth's atmosphere. While the bigger rocks that are larger than 25 meters and are smaller than one kilometer can already create damages to the impact site. But the alarming ones are the space rocks that are bigger than one kilometer. It can already cause damages that can be felt worldwide, according to NASA. The space agency also identified one potentially devastating asteroid called Toutatis, which is believed to be 5.4 kilometers in diameter. Read: How an Ancient Comet Collision Could Have Caused Global Warming 56 Million Years Ago Scientists issued a warning by saying that the Earth has an insufficient defense system to detect approaching space rocks, according to a report. The announcement was done during a Paris conference where Asgardia or the new space nation was announced. The chance of asteroids hitting the planet without anyone knowing it is a scary possibility according to the same report. "The fact is there is no protection," Asgardia founder Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli said in a statement. "Protection is non-existent and is only at a theoretical level." The scientists went on to explain how some asteroid managed to hit the planet without anyone detecting it. NASA ,however, is unfazed by the threat and is continuously making efforts to ensure the planets safety by trying to understand space rocks better. Currently, an asteroid-mapping spacecraft OSIRIS-REx was launched to space in order to study the surface of an asteroid and to collect samples. The data that will be gathered by this mission will help mankind understand asteroids better and it will also enhance NASA's capability to predict and detect approaching asteroids. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Elena Kosolapova Trend: Caspian Pipeline Consortiums (CPC) system is expected to pump up to 1 tons of Kazakh Kashagan oil till the end of 2016 and up to 12 million tons of Kashagan oil in 2017, the consortium reported. Oil production at huge Kashagan field has been launched in Oct. 2016. At the first stage of the field development Kashagan oil will be pumped to export by CPC pipeline system. Currently CPC pipelines receive up to 10,000 tons per day and these volumes are expected to grow, according to the consortium. The pipeline system has necessary surplus capacities and is ready to meet the demand of its shareholders, CPC General Director Nikolay Gorban said. Kashagan is a large oil and gas field in Kazakhstan, located in the north of the Caspian Sea. Its total oil reserves amount to 38 billion barrels. Some 10 billion out of them are recoverable reserves. Kashagans natural gas reserve exceeds one trillion cubic meters. CPC 1,511 km long pipeline system connects the oil fields in Western Kazakhstan with the Marine Terminal near Russian Novorossiysk. In 2017 the Caspian Pipeline Consortium will complete the Expansion Project and which will increase its capacity to 67 million tons of oil per annum. Kazakh producer will account for 56 million tons of that volume and Russian producers - for 11 million tons. CPC Shareholders: Russia (represented by Transneft 24 percent and CPC Company 7 percent) 31 percent; Kazakhstan (represented by KazMunaiGaz 19 percent and Kazakhstan Pipeline Ventures LLC 1.75 percent) 20.75 percent; Chevron Caspian Pipeline Consortium Company 15 percent, LUKARCO B.V. 12.5 percent, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company 7.5 percent, Rosneft-Shell Caspian Ventures Limited 7.5 percent, BG Overseas Holding Limited 2 percent, Eni International N.A. N.V. 2 percent Oryx Caspian Pipeline LLC 1.75 percent. Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova Palm Springs residents and members of law enforcement from throughout California packed a convention center in the Riverside County community of Palm Springs to honor slain police officers Jose Gilbert Vega and Lesley Zerebny Tuesday at a public memorial service. The service for Vega and Zerebny, gunned down after responding to a family disturbance call at a Palm Springs home, began with a salute from colleagues as bagpipers entered the Palm Springs Convention Center. Nearly 10,000 mourners and police converged on the Palm Springs Convention Center to honor them. "He will always stay in our hearts," said 8-year-old Vanessa Vega, the youngest of her father's eight children. "Even though we can't see him doesn't mean he can't see us." The officers were transported to the convention center via separate procession routes -- Vega from the Forest Lawn Mortuary in Cathedral City and Zerebny from the Ramona Bowl Amphitheater located in her hometown of Hemet. A large U.S. flag was draped outside the convention center. The city's police chief talked about a growing threat to police. "The threat to law enforcement throughout our country is very real," said Chief Bryan Reyes. "No community is exempt from such a tragedy. "Enough is enough. Our law enforcement brothers and sisters throughout the country are growing tired of this unacceptable behavior." Vega, 63, was with the department for 35 years -- five years past his retirement eligibility -- and had planned to finish his career in December. Nephew Andrew Vega told mourners that his uncle was born into poverty and dedicated his life to bettering the world around him, giving a positive role model for him and other young Latinos. "He died doing what he loved to do," said Vega. Zerebny, 27, was with the department for a year and a half and was married to a sheriff's deputy. She gave birth to a daughter four months ago and had just returned to duty from maternity leave. Her graveside service will be held at a private location and will only be open to family members. A community vigil was held for Zerebny Sunday night at West Valley High School, her alma mater. "She loved it. She was meant to be a police officer and you can't go back and wish something different because she was truly happy," Zerebny's sister Britta Boyer said at Sunday's vigil. The deaths of Vega and Zerebny rocked the tight-knit community 100 miles east of Los Angeles. Residents have left bouquets, balloons and notes outside the police station and have been selling T-shirts to raise money for the officers' families. Robin Costello, whose husband is a Palm Springs police officer, said she has sold thousands of T-shirts honoring the fallen officers since they were donated last week to help Vega's and Zerebny's families. She said the community has always been close but she was struck by the support at last week's fundraiser. "Kids were bringing piggy banks," she said. "I felt so much love. There was a line of cars around City Hall all day." The alleged shooter, John Hernandez Felix, 26, was arrested by Riverside County sheriff's deputies following a 12-hour standoff at his home. He faces felony charges, including murder and attempted murder, and special circumstances allegations that could make him eligible for the death penalty, although the District Attorney's Office has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty. It has been tense year for police as officers have been shot to death in other cities including Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Palm Springs shooting occurred just three days after a respected long-time Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant was shot and killed in the high desert city of Lancaster while answering a burglary call. Two San Jose men drowned at a rural Arizona creek near a waterfall where their bodies were recovered Sunday morning, a Gila County sheriff's spokesman said. Jainish Kumar Patel and Bhavesh Patel, 30, were reportedly lost in the water at Fossil Creek Falls in the Fossil Creek Wilderness Area around 5:15 p.m. Saturday, sheriff's Lt. Tim Scott said. The men were with family members and friends who told dispatchers that the pair was wading in the water, Scott said. The group of nearly a dozen people then turned around and quickly looked back at the water, where the pair was out of sight, Scott said. Search and rescue teams were called to look for the men but reached the scene as darkness fell, creating unsafe working conditions, according to Scott. Two search and rescue members stayed at the wilderness area through the night and the recovery operation resumed around 6 a.m. Sunday when helicopters transported additional personnel to the remote area, the lieutenant said. A dive team was sent into the water and found the men's bodies around 11:15 a.m. behind a waterfall near rocks, Scott said. The men were taken to shore and transported by helicopter to the unincorporated community of Strawberry where a funeral home took custody of the bodies, according to Scott. The San Jose men were childhood friends and not related to eachother despite sharing the same last name, Scott said. An autopsy on the men is scheduled for Wednesday morning, according to Scott. The Richmond library's Westside branch is experimenting with a new pet-friendly program that brings therapy dogs to kids' reading hours. The program gives children a chance to read aloud to friendly dogs in a one-on-one setting. It was inspired by a University of California, Davis study that found that young readers who practice oratory skills with animals have increased confidence. On Monday, kids lined up at 3:30 p.m. to read to two equally adorable retrievers from Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation, based out of Walnut Creek. While kids read them stories, the pups cuddled on the floor and licked the hands of their owners. Cecelia Butt, 10, said she was anxiously waiting to learn chapter books. A Richmond native, she's been coming to the library for most of her live and was "excited" to see the dogs, she said. Because of the program's success, librarian Deborah Bonet is looking to expand into housing communities or other branches in underserved neighborhoods. "A dog is non-judgemental, he's not going to criticize or correct you," Bonet said. "It really feeds their confidence and makes [learning to read] a totally pleasurable experience." Ricky Bobby, a black retriever, came to the library with his owner Ilene Clancy on Monday. Judging from the way he kept nodding off, it appeared as if Ricky was in the mood for a bedtime story. Kids seemed to love him, though, often returning to read a second book or giving him an extra pat on the head. "Ricky and I go to libraries and elementary schools and senior centers, and Ricky gets read to. Children of all ages love reading to him," Clancy said. She adopted Ricky from ARF and found that he was a great fit for the program, after he was rejected from becoming a guide dog for the blind due to health issues. "He didn't quite make it as a guide dog, but he's perfect for us and perfect for a pet hug," Clancy said. Three Bay Area hikers who were reported missing in a remote region along the Sierra Nevada were located on Tuesday morning following an extensive search, sheriff's officials said. San Jose resident Steven Morales, 62, Menlo Park resident Christine Ricks, 46, and Sunnyvale resident Venu Aruva, 32, were initially reported missing Monday evening after they failed to return from a backpacking trip Sunday, according to the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office. They were found safe near Sheep Camp. Sheriff's officials tweeted that the trio declined medical help and a ride out of the area. They plan to hike back on their own and get home by Tuesday evening. No other information about how they were located was immediately available from the sheriff's office. The trio had gone to the Emigrant Wilderness, located in the unincorporated community of Pinecrest. After contacting the U.S. Forest Service, sheriff's officials learned the group obtained a wilderness permit before entering the area. The permit was filed under Ricks' name, with three people reported to be in her party. The permit was obtained Wednesday with a planned entry date of the following day and an exit date of Sunday, sheriff's officials said. Sheriff's officials located Morales' car, which was parked at Kennedy Meadows Resort. The owner said he had spoken with the trio before they began their hike, saying they had planned to hike to Emigrant Lake. They also mentioned stopping at Relief Reservoir. Heavy rains, snow, lightning and winds occurred throughout the region over the weekend. Sheriff's officials had said they believed the group may have been impacted by the inclement weather, which created extremely muddy conditions and caused the Stanislaus River to rise significantly, according to the sheriff's office. The county's Search and Rescue Team and a Cal Fire helicopter assisted with the search. President Barack Obama appeared in a new campaign ad for Democrat Brad Schneider, whos locked in a tight race for Illinois 10th Congressional District House seat with Republican incumbent Bob Dold. This is not your typical election, Obama says in the ad. Its not just a choice between parties or policies. Its about who we are as a people. During the 30-second spot, titled Promise, Obama urges voters to reject cynicism and fear and reach for what we know is possible. The ad begins airing this week on broadcast television and online. Vote for Brad Schneider and the Democrats so we can keep Americas promise to our seniors, protect our kids and our cops from gun violence and preserve a womans right to choose. In a press release, Schneider thanked the president and lauded his work. It is a true honor to have the support of Barack Obama and I am incredibly grateful for his help communicating our message, Schneider said. From equality to expanding healthcare, I am committed to protecting the progress we have made over the last eight years, and I look forward to working with Hillary Clinton to build on Obamas legacy by finally passing comprehensive immigration reform and commonsense gun safety legislation. Read Schneiders exclusive interview with Ward Room. Rep. Bob Dold is locked in a tight race with Democrat Brad Schneider, who the congressman unseated in 2014. In an exclusive interview with Ward Room Thursday, Dold touched on the November election, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and the key issues affecting his 10th Congressional District. Dold was originally elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, replacing incumbent Republican Mark Kirk, who was elected to the Senate that same year. Dold was defeated by Schneider in 2012, but regained the seat in a 2014 rematch. "They think it's a flip-flop district, it's really not a flip-flop district," Dold said. "With the exception of the two years Brad Schneider served in Congress, this is a district that's been held by a moderate Republican for the last 36 years." This year, Dold has a substantial fundraising edge over Schneider and has already garnered endorsements from the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Daily Herald. In an interview with Ward Room last week, Schneider faulted some of Dold's stances, claiming the congressman hasn't supported an assault weapon ban and has supported a Republican budget that would defund Obamacare. Nevertheless, Dold said he was excited to compare records with Schneider Monday. What makes this different is that this is actually really a unique opportunity where the voters of the district, 100 percent of them, have a chance to compare my record, one of the most independent, bipartisan and effective members of the United States Congress, and my opponent, whos been ranked one of actually the least effective members of the United States Congress," Dold said. During Monday's interview, Dold was also critical of Trump, who the congressman first came out against in December of last year. Dold said he "could not and will not defend" Trump's divisive comments about women, Latinos, Muslims and the disabled. Additionally, he said he was personally offended by the billionaire's comments about Arizona Sen. John McCain. "When he says John McCain's not a hero because he was shot down and prefers those that weren't shot down," Dold said, "My uncle was the second one shot down in Vietnam. If anybody wants to say that his service to our nation is anything less than heroic for me is just unacceptable." As far as his ballot, Dold said he would probably write someone in, but wouldn't specify who. Nevertheless, he said voting for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton would be "a mess" and "a disaster." "My mother gave me a plaque," Dold said. "It says, 'Your integrity determines your identity.' And I think, if you ask the American people, there's a huge integrity problem there with Mrs. Clinton." The Republican, who has broken with his party in the past, said despite the country's political divide, what voters really want is unity and results. "What they're really looking for is they want someone that's going to be able to bring the country together, unite the country and provide a vision about where we're going to go," he said. The congressman said the country needs to move past "the new normal," which he says is typified by roughly one and a half percent growth for the economy. "That's been that way for about 8-10 years," Dold said. "We really need to get to at least the old normal, which was about three and a half percent growth. That difference is about $4.6 trillion dollars to our economy." Dold listed jobs and the economy as his district's most pressing issues. More specifically, he said he wanted to ensure that businesses are growing while education and training are providing the skills to get those jobs. Moreover, Dold said he was committed to tackling the poverty and drug problems facing his district. This year, the congressman introduced Lali's Law, a bill that increases access to overdose antidote naloxone throughot the United States. The measure was signed into law in July as part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. The congressman also pointed to national security as an issue that affects his constituency. Dold railed against the Iran nuclear deal, referring to the country as "the greatest state sponsor of terror in the world." "As we look at the Iran deal, I still think it's one of the greatest threats we have to our own national security," Dold said. "A nuclear armed Iran is a huge problem and this agreement I think will be an agreement that will haunt us for generations." During Wednesday's interview, Dold said the U.S. needs to "ratchet up sanctions" because "we've emboldened the Iranians." The congressman claimed the deal gives Iran $150 billion in sanctions relief and allows the country to keep their nuclear architecture in place. "This is probably one of the worst deals that I think we could've gotten," Dold said. "It's not are they going to violate, it's when and how significantly." Dold faulted his opponent, Schneider, for changing his stance on the deal. Schneider originally came out against the deal in a 2015 blog for the Times of Israel, but has since moved to supporting the agreement. The congressman also touched on the Syrian refugee crisis, expressing concerns over the country's vetting process. Dold said he wants to get infrastructure in place to properly vet refugees in the U.S. and use intelligence on the ground in Syria to verify that refugees "are not going to be posing a threat." Dold also said he was open to establishing a "safe zone" in a country like Jordan. As far as establishing cease fires and no fly zones in the region with Russia, Dold said he would "love to see that happen." Additionally, he called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "a very bad man" and expressed concern about the country's global standing. "The world's watching," Dold said. "Our allies are watching and our enemies as well. And we've created a situation where our allies don't trust us, our enemies don't fear us. And this is a dangerous spot to be in because when the U.S. in essence recedes from a leadership role, someone fills that void." Rep. Bobby Rush, who co-founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, is scheduled to take part in a special program at the National Archives in Washington D.C. Wednesday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Power movement. Rush has a long political history, starting with his involvement with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, an important organization during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The congressman ultimately went on to co-found the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in 1967, according to a 2000 People Magazine profile. He left the group after fellow Black Panther Fred Hampton was shot and killed during a 1969 police raid. Wednesday's event is being moderated by journalist and author ALelia Bundles and will also feature the daughter of former Black Panther Party chair Elaine Brown, as well as Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, among others. The panel will discuss revolutionary movements of the past and present, including the Black Panther and Black Lives Matter movements. The program is being streamed live on YouTube. A woman was stabbed in the face by her sister during a domestic fight in the Gresham neighborhood on Chicago's South Side Monday night. Police were called to the 7600 block of South May around 11:40 p.m. on reports of a disturbance. Authorities say two sisters had been fighting when one pulled out a knife and stabbed her 21-year-old sister in the left cheek. Both were taken into custody. The woman who was stabbed was transported to Holy Cross Hospital where she was reported to be in good condition, police said. Additional information was not made immediately available as Area South detectives investigate. Revolution Brewing in Chicago, Illinois largest craft brewery, is recalling several batches of beers, including ones involving its popular Anti Hero IPA and Fist City Pale Ale. According to the company, the beers pose no health risks to drinkers, but are being withdrawn because they do not meet the brand specifications for taste and flavor. This is strictly a quality issue, Chairman Joshua Deth and Brewmaster Jim Cibak said in a statement on the companys website. The recall includes Anti Hero IPA, Fist City Pale Ale, Cross of Gold Ale, Mosaic Hero IPA, Eugene Porter and the Unessionable Imperial IPA. According to Revolution, the affected beer exhibit ester or phenolic flavors, which are more characteristic of Belgian-style ales, and which should not be present in our standard American ales. We believe these off-flavors were produced by a wild yeast that has gotten worse over time and was not identified in time by our quality control methods, Deth and Cibak wrote. Deth told the Chicago Tribune he estimates more than 10,000 barrels of beer were affected by the recall, and though much of it was already consumed, up to 2,000 barrels of beer is still out there. Revolution is currently removing and destroying all questionable beer from its system, removing the brews from its distributors warehouses and asking its retail locations to return them. Fresh beer is being packaged this week, the company said. Affected batches of beer have the following package dates: Anti Hero IPA 8-5-16 to 10-11-16 Fist City Pale Ale 8-11-16 to 9-26-16 Cross of Gold Ale 8-23-16 Mosaic Hero IPA 8-16-16 to 9-8-16 Eugene Porter 8-3-16 to 10-6-16 Unsessionable Imperial IPA 9-27-16 to 10-7-16 Revolution maintains high standards for quality and integrity in our beers and these affected batches unfortunately do not meet those standards, the company said. Our goal is to always to have the freshest, best quality beer for you to enjoy. Consumers who purchased beer from the affected batches can exchange it for fresh beer at the Revolution Tap Room, located at 3340 N. Kedzie in Chicago. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.13 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Europe might not need as much gas as Russia is trying to ship through Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream, Bruce Pannier, US expert on Central Asia and energy issues, told Trend Oct.13. Russia wants both pipelines: Gazprom and ultimately, the Kremlin need to boost revenues from gas sales, the expert said. "The price of gas on world markets is less than half of what it was at the start of 2014," he said. "Since prices are lower, Gazprom needs to sell more gas to bring in the amounts of money it was receiving just a few years ago." But European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said European gas needs in 2030 will be the same as the EU's needs right now, added Pannier. He pointed out that the EU would prefer to diversify its sources of energy supplies and is already behind TANAP and TAP projects. "So Russia has the gas, it will have the pipelines, but will Moscow have the customers in Europe?" Turkish Stream project, which involves the construction of a gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey through the Black Sea, was frozen after the relations between Moscow and Ankara deteriorated in November 2015. In August 2016, the presidents of two countries Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to resume the implementation of the Turkish Stream project. The Chicago Cubs are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, and on Tuesday theyll send Jake Arrieta to the hill as the team looks to take back the series lead and move one step closer to a berth in the World Series. Arrieta, who struggled over a good chunk of the second half of the regular season, had a solid outing in his first postseason start this year, going six innings and giving up just two earned runs to the San Francisco Giants. Arrieta also did some serious offensive damage of his own, blasting a three-run home run off of Madison Bumgarner in that game. This time around, Arrieta is facing a more talented Dodgers lineup, but his recent past against the Dodgers suggests that he could be in for a good time on Tuesday night. In his last two starts against the Dodgers, Arrieta has thrown a combined 16 innings, giving up zero runs and just two hits while striking out 20 batters during that time. One of those two starts was particularly historic, as Arrieta threw a no-hitter against the Dodgers in his last start against them at Dodger Stadium. That game came in the summer of 2015 when Arrieta struck out 12 hitters and walked only one in his first career no-hitter. Arrieta doesnt only have success against the Dodgers, and in fact has success pretty much every time he takes the mound in the state of California. According to Christopher Kamka of CSN Chicago, in Arrietas last seven starts in the Golden State, he has a 0.53 ERA, surrendering just 21 hits and striking out 49 batters in 51 innings of work. A man suspected of leaving a backpack bomb outside a police station in a small Colorado mountain town tried several times to remotely detonate the homemade device using a cellphone but failed, according to court documents released Monday. David Michael Ansberry, 64, of San Rafael, California, was arrested this weekend in Chicago after surveillance video captured him at the stores where he bought the cellphones that he expected to trigger the explosive in the town of Nederland, investigators said. He was easily recognizable because he is 3 feet 6 inches tall and 100 pounds and wore a ponytail, a ball cap and using crutches. The Nederland police chief told investigators he spotted a man matching Ansberry's description leaving a hotel as it was being evacuated during the Oct. 11 bomb scare. Ansberry was charged with a federal explosives count. U.S. Justice Department counterterrorism prosecutors are handling the case. Court documents don't indicate a motive. No attorney for Ansberry was listed in court records, and his relatives did not return calls or emails seeking comment. The bomb scare rattled the mountain-ringed town of 1,500 people southwest of Boulder. Residents said they felt safer after the arrest but were still baffled by Ansberry's presence in their community, an artists' refuge which has long thrived on its embrace of outsiders. Ansberry said he was in town to visit an old friend who was a professor but did not elaborate, said J.P. Farrell, a front desk agent at The Boulder Creek Lodge. Ansberry stayed at the hotel, which is within sight of the police station, for about two weeks, then left and returned, Farrell told The Associated Press, describing him as a pleasant guest. Ansberry was staying there the day of the bombing, authorities said. A detective found the backpack and brought it into the police station, believing it was lost property. After opening the bag, the detective discovered a cellular device with protruding wires that connected to a battery and a suspicious powder, the newly released documents say. Robots searched the explosive, and it was eventually detonated in the parking lot of the town's main retail complex, a strip mall that houses the five-officer police department. Authorities have not said what kind of destruction the bomb might have caused. "The community knows there has been an arrest, and that goes to calming people's fears,'' said Alisha Reis, administrator for the town best known for its love of legal marijuana and its annual celebration of a frozen corpse that draws tens of thousands of revelers. ``But folks are still confused as to why it occurred. Who is this person? And why would he have done it here?'' Residents have recently complained about homeless campers and wanderers who live off the land. Two people camping near an area popular with transients attracted to the laid-back community were charged this summer with accidentally sparking a fire that destroyed eight homes. But if there is anti-police sentiment, longtime residents said it's hard to immediately spot. Nicole McDonald has reluctantly documented her family's experience as her twin sons who were attached at the head faced their most difficult surgery yet last week. But if supporters of her family read anything she hopes, it's her message to them and the doctors who saved her children. In a lengthy and emotional Facebook update on Saturday, the Illinois mother shared that as she and her husband "emerged from the depths of the hospital" in New York City last week, they were forced to face the fact that their family's private battle has quickly become a national story. "For those of you who don't know us, it might be interesting to note that we do not have TV or Internet access at home," she wrote. "We don't get to watch the news on a regular basis and we have literally spent the last 36 hours at the boys' bedside or waiting for updates from the doctors in the Caregiver Support Center at Montefiore." McDonald's 13-month old sons, Jadon and Anias, were separated following 16 hours of surgery at Montefiore Medical Center. McDonald noted that at first, she didn't want to take her family's unique situation public, but agreed because they wanted to help show the medical miracle that would soon separate her sons. "Our biggest desire was to show how brilliant the team at Montefiore has been and to give the hospital the credit it deserves," she wrote. "The real heroes of this story are the people who have put countless hours, days and months into the success of today." McDonald had been sharing updates on the surgery as the boys returned to their room one by one. Hours later, McDonald wrote that the brothers had been "finally reunited." "How surreal. I now realize that I always saw you as separate because seeing you like this is really nothing different to me," McDonald wrote. "When I stand at your bedside, Jadon, it's almost as if Anias is still there. Anias, when I leaned over you I protected my hair from Jadon. But the view is still the same. This is how I always saw you. I love you so much. Now it's time to step forward into the new chapter of our life. I'm ready to fight and I know you are too." McDonald earlier described the atmosphere as "one of celebration mixed with uncertainty." She says Jadon did better than Anias during the procedure, adding that doctors predict he may not be able to move part of his body at first. "When they told me they were wheeling Jadon up first, it took me a second to comprehend," she wrote. "I actually asked why they rearranged the room because I hadn't really internalized the idea that there would be 2 beds in here." McDonald and her husband first found out they were having twins during a routine ultrasound when she was 17 weeks pregnant. But hours after learning the big news, the couple was called back for a repeat ultrasound, a call she said is "every pregnant mother's nightmare." "It was on that day, in that dark room, that our whole life changed," McDonald wrote in a GoFundMe page for the family. "I was informed that I was pregnant with craniopagus twins, which in normal language means twins who are joined at the head. I was given the option on many occasions to abort my precious babies. I kindly declined. I had heard their heart beats...they spent their life listening to mine. It was my job as their mother to give them life and I decided that I would give everything up, if need be, to do so. Miracles happen...and there is one (really, two :)) unfolding before our very eyes." McDonald went into labor on Sept. 9, 2015 and an emergency c-section was performed at Rush University Medical Center. The boys were named Jadon and Anias. While the babies started having some health problems shortly after birth, things quickly "went downhill" for the McDonald family. "Anias started having trouble breathing," McDonald wrote. "Because of the way he was positioned in my belly, his chin was against his chest and his jaw couldn't grow. His airway was also constricted. As he required more oxygen for day to day life, his breathing got worse and worse, until eventually he was back on oxygen." Months later, the couple met with a specialist in hopes of successfully separating the twins. Fast forward to October, the babies have undergone their final surgery, but their most difficult. The family's GoFundMe page had raised $161,161 as of Friday, exceeding their goal of $100,000 to aid with the babies' medical care. McDonald thanked those who helped her family during the trying time, saying "each and every one of you is a hero in your own way." "The people who literally lift us up and carry us when we feel like we just can't take another step. We are so blessed to have so much support in our corner," she wrote. Most recently, McDonald said the boys are stable, but "there are some things happening that I can't really find the words to explain or allow myself to dwell on." "Every thing changes from hour to hour and we just have to remember that the brain responds in crazy ways when it's been cut through," she wrote. "We still cannot hold the boys because they are intubated so we sit at their bedside and hold their hands, give them massages and kiss their faces. When I have a better understanding of their actual status, I will do my best to update. Thank you so much for your heartfelt support." Officials were responding to the scene of a shooting on Chicagos South Side Monday night where multiple people were shot, the Chicago Fire Department said. Just before 9 p.m., the fire department said they sent as many as five ambulances to 67th and Winchester in the citys west Englewood neighborhood. A total of five people were shot, one of them fatally, according to authorities. Four people were taken to various area hospitals, all in critical condition, and a fifth person was pronounced dead at the scene, the department said. Officials were responding to the scene of a shooting on Chicagos South Side Monday night where multiple people were shot, the Chicago Fire Department said. Christian Farr reports. Check back for details on this developing story. When airline representatives green-lighted a puppy's boarding onto a plane from Honduras, the pups Chicago-area adopted parents thought the rest of the trip home would be smooth sailing. That came to a screeching halt, they said, when the trio re-entered the United States in September. At the customs gate, an agent caught what a United Airlines representative had missed: the Maltese puppy, named Caesar, received his rabies shot only 12 days earlier. Federal regulations require a full 30 days before entry. Father Hector Abouid, a priest at St. George's in Cicero, said the airline later admitted its mistake but still put the cost on him and his wife. They had to pay for a second flight to fly the puppy back to Honduras. After Caesar waited out the rest of the required timeframe with Father Abouid's relatives there, he then would have to pay to fly the dog back on a third flight. When I went to the airlines, I asked them, Is there anything I need to know? Father Abouid told NBC5 Responds. We went to the United office, who did not give us the right information. We checked in and the clerk did not give us the right information. As a consumer, I come to you because I am going to be traveling with the dog in your plane, not in my planeso you should know what regulations you should have in your plane. Father Abouid and his wife said neither their vet in Honduras nor the UAL reps seemed aware of the federal Centers for Disease Control requirements regarding rabies vaccinations, which changed in August of 2014. They said they trusted the airline to know the requirements, and if United had not allowed Caesar on board the flight to Houston, their inconvenience and cost would have been much less. The couples request for a refund for their additional costs was at first denied by UAL, until NBC 5 Responds inquired about the case. Soon after our contact, UAL reversed its decision and fully refunded Fr. Hector his costs, and also flew Caesar back to Chicago at no additional cost. I feel us trying to contact NBC 5 Responds to get our voice out therethats what you did, Father Abouid said. All I wanted was they acknowledge and recognize the mistake and try to find a way to compensate for the mistake. Our Customer Care team has been working with Fr. Abouid since early Sept. to rearrange Caesars travel to Chicago and were pleased that they were reunited on Sept. 17. As a courtesy because of the confusion about the vaccination requirements, weve refunded the fees Fr. Abouid paid, a UAL spokesperson said in a statement to NBC5 Responds. The happy reunion happened on Sept. 17. Caesar, now of Cicero, is happily adjusting to his new home. Hes already got miles in the mileage club! Father Abouid joked. Police departments across numerous Chicago suburbs are warning residents about an ongoing string of car burglaries happening within hours of each other. The Hinsdale Police Department issued a crime alert Monday warning community members after officers responded to 15 calls last week related to car burglaries that had occured overnight. Victims reported that between 10 p.m. on Oct. 11 and 6 a.m. on Oct. 12 several items were stolen from vehicles that were left unlocked, parked both in driveways and on the street. Since the start of this year, Hinsdale, along with other Chicago suburbs, has experienced a spike in stolen automobiles. Over the summer, an investigation suggested many of the vehicles were being used to carry out other serious crimes throughout Chicago. On occasion following the incidents, reports were received that unlocked cars were entered and valuables were taken. Hinsdale police chief Kevin Simpson stressed that it would be premature to assume the recent incidents are directly related to what happened over the summer, however. "It's important to recognize that these are very different crimes and it's too early in the investigation to say that these incidents are somehow related," said Simpson. In Western Springs, similar incidents were reported this week. Police said officers responded to 12 motor vehicle burglaries, one motor vehicle theft and recovered one stolen vehicle in less than 24 hours. The thefts happened between 10 p.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. Monday in the northwest section of the village, particularly in the 3800 and 3900 blocks of Woodland Avenue, Grand Avenue and Lawn Avenue and the 4000 block of Central Avenue. In each instance, the thieves entered through an unlocked door and removed loose change, cash, sunglasses and a wallet. Western Spring Deputy Chief of Police Brian Budds said "there is a strong likelihood that [the Western Spring burglaries] are related to the ones occurring last week in Hinsdale." Police departments in both suburbs are urging the community to remove all valueables from inside vehicles and to lock vehicle doors, especially during night time hours. "Our residents need to be informed with what's occuring in their neighborhoods so they can take the proper precautions," said Simpson. Residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity by dialing 911. When a dispute over a bean-bag toss game ended in a woman shouting racial slurs at high school teacher Ernest Crim III this summer, it was an ugly encounter that he turned into a teachable moment. But now, the woman who hurled the n-word at Crim and spit at his wife, has been charged with a hate crime. On Monday, she said the charge stunned her, insisting she is not a racist. It was wrong of me to use the word. To me it means ignorant person. If they were Caucasian, I would have said the same thing. Latino, black. [Race] has nothing to do with it, Sanders said in a phone interview with the Chicago Sun-Times. The August encounter blazed across the Internet, because Crim captured it on his camera phone, filming the woman ranting at him and shouting racial slurs in the dispute at a South Side Cultural Center event. The video, which Crim posted to YouTube and Facebook, has been watched more than 750,000 times, including the several times the south suburban high school teacher showed it in his history classes during a discussion of racism in America. There is usually a lot of surprised looks from the students, Crim said Monday. A lot of them didnt think this sort of thing still happens, but it does. Weve had a lot of interesting discussions. Crim said hes pleased to know Jessica Sanders, the 26-year-old Alsip woman who spat on his wife, should learn a lesson as well: Cook County prosecutors last week charged Sanders with battery and two felony hate crime counts. But Sanders, reached by phone on Monday, said she was stunned by the charges. The video that made her the subject of Internet scorn does not show what preceded her rant, said Sanders, who intends to fight the charges. Sanders swats the phone out of Crims hand as the video starts, then shouts the n-word repeatedly including six times in quick succession, staring into the lens and spits on Crims wife. My best friend since I was 14 is black, and I lost her over this. I have nieces and nephews that are mixed, Sanders said. People are saying Im a white supremacist. Thats not who I am. Crim and his wife, Cassie, encountered Sanders at Margarita Fest at the Cultural Center on July 30. Sanders and some friends were playing bean bags, and Crim picked up what he thought was a stray bag so he and his wife could play. Sanders said the Crims rudely refused to return a pair of bags, preventing Sanders and her friends from finishing their game. A confrontation ensued, and escalated quickly. Crim said Sanders had already called him n repeatedly before he raised his camera phone, and asked her to repeat what he called her. Sanders said that the Crims goaded her, and that Cassie Crim threw bean bags at her. Security removed Sanders from the event soon after the confrontation, and the Crims didnt stay much longer at what had been a pretty fun evening, with a notably diverse crowd, Ernest Crim said. When Crim got home, he decided to post the video on his Facebook page and YouTube, where it quickly went viral. Most, but not all, of the response has been supportive, Crim said, and people who saw the video on the Internet quickly identified Sanders. Crim did share a copy of an anonymous letter sent to his home, saying There is one irrefutable fact. You ARE n. Sanders said in the ensuing months, she was bombarded with messages on Facebook and via email, and that her phone number and home address were posted on the Internet. I havent slept at home since July 31st, I was afraid something was going to happen, Sanders said. I was depressed. I was upset. But I know myself. I know thats not me, what was out there. I thought that it blew over a bit. I started to be out more, getting back to a regular life. Now its on the news and television, and its starting all over. Sanders said Chicago police arrested her at work, and only told her they wanted to ask her about something that happened a few weeks ago when they took her into custody. Crim said the next time he sees Sanders, it will be in court, and he wants to see the hate crime charges stick. I feel that if you do the crime, then you should do the time, Crim said. You used that word, probably 30 times before I even hit record, and then you spit on my wife? I think thats hate. He also said he isnt willing to accept an apology from Sanders. Im certain [an apology] wouldnt be authentic. She was not remorseful at all on social media, Crim said. If shes apologizing now, its only because she did get charged. Crowds of Donald Trump supporters and protesters swarmed Trump Tower in Chicago Tuesday morning. Many of the demonstrators were from the Chicago chapter of the National Organization for Women, which describe themselves as a group dedicated to furthering feminist issues for the women in the city. The rally comes after dozens of women from the same organization protested outside Trump Tower in New York City last a week, calling on the GOP to pull its endorsement of "sexual predator" Trump in the wake of a video leak that showed the Republican presidential nominee making denigrating comments about women more than a decade ago. Sonia Ossorio, the group's president, called Trump a misogynist in an interview with NBC 5s New York affiliate station and said the leaked tape makes women remember their experiences "of discomforting lewd comments, of knowing men are in the corner talking about you, of being groped." Trump has played down his 2005 remarks, calling them the product of "locker-room banter." While he has apologized and said he was embarrassed, many felt his explanation trivialized a very real infraction. The remarks have resonated on college campuses across the country, where groups of students say the comments undermine their efforts to encourage women who have been victimized by sexual assault to stand up and speak out. The demonstrations come as Trump's caught-on-tape remarks about kissing women and grabbing their genitals threaten an irreparable rift in the Republican party that insiders fear could jeopardize not just the presidential election, but control of Congress as well. Forty Republican senators and congressmen have revoked their support for Trump with nearly 30 of them calling on him to quit the race altogether in recent days. House Speaker Paul Ryan told fellow lawmakers on Monday he would not campaign for or defend the businessman in the election's closing weeks. But the head of the Republican National Committee declared he was in full coordination with the embattled presidential nominee. This story is developing. Refresh for updates. The Daily Herald endorsed Sen. Mark Kirks re-election bid this weekend, lauding the Republican incumbent for his recovery from a devastating 2012 stroke. The papers endorsement also recognized Kirks opponent, Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs piloting a Black Hawk helicopter over Iraq in 2004. While Duckworth has been widely praised for her heroism, the endorsement claimed there are two stories of heroism in this years Senate race, not just one, crediting Kirk. The Daily Herald editorial board added that they like both Kirk and Duckworth as candidates. The only sad part of the Senate race is that one of them has to lose, they wrote. The board also noted the tone and tenor the race has taken, calling the negativity, unworthy of two such fine people. Nevertheless, their endorsement ultimately went to Kirk. The Daily Herald editorial board credited the Republican for taking political risks, like whole-heartedly disavowing party presidential nominee Donald Trump in June. They wrote that Kirks intellect is as strong as ever and lauded his willingness to cross the aisle or to break when necessary with his party may be even stronger than it had been in the past. Kirk is an independent and moderate Republican in a Senate that does not have enough of them, the editorial board wrote, His vote would be a thoughtful check on a likely Hillary Clinton presidency. Last week, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times endorsed Kirks opponent, Duckworth. The severe drought in Connecticut isnt going away anytime soon. Connecticut Water, which supplies 92,000 customers statewide, is now asking residents in several shoreline communities to cut back their water usage even more. In Guilford, Hilary Catala and her children are coming up with ways to conserve water. Things that the kids arent able to do outside, you know, we usually fill up a kiddie pool, she said. Like other Connecticut Water customers in Guilford, Madison, Clinton, Westbrook and Old Saybrook, the Catala Family on Monday received a recording asking to reduce daily water usage by 15 percent. Thats about six to eight gallons per person. The company is asking customers statewide to continue lowering their daily water usage by 10 percent. Even walking around here, around town, we have a lot of different water, ponds and everything and theyre definitely not as high as they usually are, Catala said. The same can be said about the Killingworth Reservoir, one source of Connecticut Waters supply. Were about 8 or 9 feet down here, Director of Service Delivery David Connors said. With the long term drought forecast that were looking at right now, it looks like were in for a sustained period of dry conditions, Connors added. The severe drought extends across more than 85 percent of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Water is a precious commodity, Bill Shank from Guilford said, so you have to always be concerned about it. Shank had some of his own ideas how to save water. Reduce showers, like you can lather up, turn the water off, and then rinse off and then when you do dishes, he said, dont leave the water running, simple things like that add up. The message from Connecticut Water is any bit of conservation can help. We just like residents to be mindful of how much water they use, Connors said. While this week feels like summer, Catalas children wont get to play in the kiddie pool. Next week hopefully it will start to be more fall and seasonable, she said, and start to rain. Another way to prevent water from being wasted during this drought is fixing a leaky toilet or faucet. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 18 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: The Turkmen parliament and the Federal Republic of Germany ratified the agreement on the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and property, the Turkmen government said in a message. According to the message, the document was approved at the meeting of the parliament of the fifth convocation. The signing ceremony was held as part of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedovs two-day visit to Germany August 29-30, 2016. Some 167 investment projects and contracts with German capital totaling $540 million and around 555 million euros were registered in Turkmenistan. German companies, namely, Siemens, Daimler, Claas, Rohde & Schwarz, Dresser-Rand, greatly contribute to the implementation of the long-term projects in Turkmenistan. The trade turnover volume between Turkmenistan and Germany amounted to $306 million in 2015. Ken Maynard's Enfield home, built in 1984, is crumbling beneath him. At night he can hear the pops. The cracks are spreading and widening. He calls it a cancer to his foundation. "This might be the last year for the chimney. Next year we might have to take the chimney down. The base is crumbling," said Maynard. A couple years ago, Maynard says he noticed the cracks and hired a company who told him they could fix it for $35,000. Maynard says he paid the company but that it didn't stop the cracks. The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters broke the story about crumbling foundations last year and that led to a multi-agency state investigation. Since then, hundreds of homeowners across Hartford, Tolland, and Windham counties have discovered they have crumbling foundations. Virtually all claims have been denied by insurance companies. Maynard says his claim was denied too and that to replace the foundation, it will cost $183,000. The Enfield Town Council allowed those like Maynard to reassess their home and lower their tax liability. Maynard says his home, once worth $200,000, is now worth about $10,000. On Monday night, councilors took another step to try and ease the financial burden by voting unanimously to waive building permit fees for those repairing or replacing foundations. South Windsor and Vernon have taken similar action. "It's not the homeowner's fault. It's not the town's fault. But to be that partner with a homeowner and help in a very small way financially, to help them recover from this situation," said Mayor Scott Kaupin. The mayor says the permit saves affected homeowners a few thousand dollars, but they're hoping to do more. Kaupin says they're looking to get the Planning & Zoning Commission involved. Current regulations allow temporary housing and storage on a homeowner's property if there's a house fire. He says he'd like to see that regulation extended to those repairing or replacing foundations. In addition to that, the mayor says they need to press officials on the crumbling foundations. "We have to lobby as well our state leaders, our federal leaders and be a voice of the residents that are affected," said Kaupin. Maynard says he'd like to see more homeowners with crumbling foundations step forward and register with the state. Homeowners looking for more information about crumbling foundations can check out previous stories by the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters and visit the Department of Consumer Protection website. A Connecticut Mental Health client placed at the Best Western Hotel in West Haven was arrested and charged with sexual assault after he was accused of groping a maid, choking her and putting his hand over her mouth to quiet her screams, according to police. Police responded to The Best Western Hotel at 490 Sawmill Road just after noon on Monday and the hotel staff member told police a guest assaulted her. Police said 22-year-old Paul Stephen Lake, of New Haven, asked the maid to clean his room, then came up from behind as she was cleaning, held her and grabbed her breasts. As the woman struggled with him, Lake continued to grope and grab her, then put his hands around her neck, choking her to the point where she was light-headed and dizzy, according to the incident report. When she tried to struggle again, Lake threw her into the closet, held her down, continued to choke her and covered her mouth to try and quiet her screams, according to police. The victim was able to get free, screamed and ran from the room, police said, and Lake locked himself in his hotel room. Officers found Lake in his room and the victim identified him. When police spoke with Lake, he said he was in the shower and heard someone screaming, according to the incident report. The public defender representing Lake said he has been a ward of the state for many years, has cognitive difficulties, is on many medications and has lived in a group home. According to the police report, Lake is a client of Connecticut Mental Health and Marrakech, which provides services for clients of the department of mental health, placed him at the hotel on Oct. 14. When police reached out to Marrakech, they said Lake is under the care of the state department of mental health and she would contact them . Lake was charged with unlawful restraint, third-degree sexual assault, strangulation, third-degree assault and disorderly conduct. He has no criminal convictions, but was charged with assault in Maine, officials said. He was held on bond and the victim was transported to an area hospital to be treated for minor injuries. It's not clear if he has an attorney. The New Britain Consolidated School District has issued a rule for students in elementary and middle school. As of this school year, they are no longer allowed to wear hooded sweatshirts. School district officials say students cannot wear hoodies inside school, including in the classrooms. However, students are allowed to wear hoodies outside of school walls during outdoor after-school activities and recess. They may also wear them on dress down days. "Certainly, they can wear them to school. We look at them as outerwear. But when they get into school, were asking that they remove them. They have their name tags on so their name tags will show and the hoodies will go in their lockers," Said Superintendent Nancy Sarra. Sarra said the policy aims to help already uniformed students look the part of being college and career ready. "We want our students to compete with every other student for those jobs 15 years from now. And so its working with our families to define well, what does that look like? said Sarra. Students in elementary and middle school are required to wear a uniform. Sarra said if students are cold and require another layer of clothing, they allow students to wear long sleeve shirts under their uniforms. They may also wear sweaters without hoods. Middle school student Joaquim Bahebura has not decided how he feels about the rule. Im not sure how itif its bad or good. I dont even really know, He said. His father told NBC Connecticut he agrees with the policy. I think its a good thing to get the young generation ready for the next step, said Fenias Bahebura of New Britain. This policy is also in the parent handbook. The superintendent plans to address questions from parents regarding the rule in a Monday night school board meeting at Lincoln Elementary School. A 19-year-old New Jersey woman has been arrested in connection with a crash on Interstate 84 in Middlebury last year that killed a 59-year-old Brookfield man and she has been charged with second-degree manslaughter and operating under the influence. Police said Erica Weinman, 19, of Abderdeen, New Jersey, was on I-84 East, went off the road, crossed the median and her Ford Escape crashed into a Porsche Cayman driven by Kevin Klein just after 10 p.m. on Oct. 25, 2015. Klein died from injuries, police said. He was a husband, the father of twin sons and served as vice president of enterprise innovation at Pitney Bowes in Stamford, according to his obituary. After learning of her arrest, police in New Jersey took Weinman into custody as a fugitive from justice and she was transported to Southbury, Connecticut and charged with second-degree manslaughter, failure to drive in proper lane and operating under the influence of drugs or drugs. Bond was set at $100,000 and she was released. She is due in court on Oct. 26. It's a love story for the ages. Laurie McGrath left part of her heart in Ireland 26 years ago. On a trip with friends in 1990, she buried half of the necklace her then-boyfriend Bill McGrath gave to her. "'You break it in half,'" I said. "'You wear one half and bury the other half in Ireland and we'll go dig it up someday,'" said Bill McGrath, Laurie's now husband. Four kids and four grandkids later, that day finally came. For their 25th wedding anniversary, the couple returned together to a cemetery in Castletownroche. Using pictures as their guide, they looked for the necklace. The love letter Laurie wrote more than two decades ago might have been destroyed, but inside a plastic bag was the half of a necklace. The symbol of the young love between Bill and Laurie still shining bright 26 years later. "It's got to be here because we took two days in that spot just to make sure we were going to find it. We would've dug everything will cemetery," Bill McGrath said about search. "We found it in 45 minutes," Laurie McGrath laughed. All these years later the couple shares a love stronger than ever. "Too much in love still after all these years," Bill McGrath said. As for the other half of Laurie's necklace, it is hidden somewhere in her house for safe keeping. She said her next quest with Bill is to find it and make the necklace whole again. Before Central Park in downtown New Britain was remodeled, Mayor Erin Stewart said the area used to be a gathering spot for the homeless. While the park was in construction for 18 months, that location changed to city property behind 85 Arch Street. The area is located behind the Friendship Center, which helps provide services to the homeless. The city cleared the brush away from it and we put a couple benches back there for people who live in the building to hang out back there, Stewart said. But for some, like Madeline Flores, the area has become a concern. She is the property manager of Pinnacle Development Group. Flores said the group owns nearly 40 apartments near the Arch street gathering area. and shes received complaints from her tenants. They do want to move out because they feel the place is unsafe especially you cant walk at night, Said Flores. The New Britain Police Department said theyve received calls about incidents in that area, including a stray bullet that struck a woman there. Police tell NBC Connecticut they are constantly patrolling that area. Floress tenant, Jose Antonia Irizarry, said he has seen them. A lot of nights the police come everyday over here, Said Irizarry. When NBC Connecticut asked if either the tenant or property manager had ever complained to the city, they told us they did not. Stewart also told NBC Connecticut she had not received any complaints about the area, but encourages the public to call if they have concerns. If they do see something going on back there that would warrant a visit by the police department to contact the police department, that is the necessary channel, or the Friendship Center, or my office, Stewart said. New Haven police are investigating a fatal shooting Tuesday afternoon at the E&M Smoke Shop on Ferry Street in the Fair Haven section of New Haven. The shooting happened around 1:36 p.m. at 545 Ferry St. New Haven Police Officer David Hartman said the victim has been identified as Muhanad Jawad, 21, of New Haven. Jawad was pronounced dead just before 2 p.m. at the hospital. Police said Jawad owned the smoke shop. Police said the gunman is described as male, wearing a black shirt or hooded sweatshirt and dark pants. It does not appear that robbery was the motive, police said. According to police, they received information that a vehicle may have been involved in the incident. Police looked into the possibility that four people taken into custody after a police pursuit of a stolen vehicle were connected with the incident, but police said Tuesday evening that the cases were not connected. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. A Watertown High School teacher who is accused of inappropriately touching two high school students is due in court today. Sixty-one-year-old Stanley Mikrut, of Southbury, is accused of touching the students between November 2015 and June 2016 during school and was charged with two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and two counts of disorderly conduct. Investigators said the teens, who are under the age of 18, reported it to the school earlier this month and the district immediately reported it to police and the state Department of Children and Families. Watertown Public Schools said in a statement that Mikrut was put on administrative leave immediately. Mikrut has been a teacher in Watertown for 15 years. His case has been continued to Dec. 1. The former People magazine writer who accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct responded to the Republican presidential nominee, saying in an article published Tuesday that women "cannot be silent anymore." The magazine also said six people close to Natasha Stoynoff have come forward to corroborate her story, including a friend who was with Stoynoff when she ran into Melania Trump later in New York City. Stoynoff, 51, said Trump forced himself on her at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2005 while his wife went to change for a photo shoot. Stoynoff said she was there to interview Trump and his then pregnant wife Melania, 11 months after the couples wedding for a People cover story. Stoynoff recalled taking a tour of the mansion prior to the incident. "We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat," Stoynoff wrote. She said Trump also told her, "Were going to have an affair, Im telling you." Eight other women have accused Trump of having touched them inappropriately and of being treated as objects over several decades, allegations Trump has denied. "Women are talking about this, and they need to," Stoynoff said in the story published Tuesday on People.com. "We cannot be silent anymore. I didnt tell my story for politics, I told it for women." Trump said during a rally in Florida last week that all the allegations of sexual miscondunct are "all 100 percent, totally and completely fabricated." He added about Stoynoff, "She lies! Look at her, I dont think so." "I was obviously good-looking enough for him at the time to force-kiss me and insist that we were going to have an affair," Stoynoff told People. NBC News has confirmed none of the allegations of sexual misconduct. Trump and his campaign have denied that he has ever behaved toward women in a way reflected in 2005 "Access Hollywood" video in which he was recorded bragging about having made sexually inappropriate advances to married women. "Access Hollywood" is owned and distributed by NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News, MSNBC and this station. "Its possible he just doesnt remember it," Stoynoff told People of the incident. "It was over 10 years ago and I assume I am one of many, many women." In a pair of interviews with CNN and Fox News this week, Melania Trump suggested that the women who have come forward were attention-seekers who were making "damaging and unfair" accusations. "I believe my husband," she told CNN in an interview that aired Monday night. "My husband didn't do anything." Melania Trump, 46, has also demanded retractions from Stoynofff, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper that information in the article was fabricated. "The story that came out in People magazine, the writer she said my husband took her to the room and started kissing her, she wrote in the same story about me that she saw me on Fifth Avenue, and I said to her 'Natasha, how come we dont see you anymore?' I was never friends with her, I would not recognize her," she said. But Stoynoffs friend Liza Herz told People she remembers being there during the meeting on Fifth Avenue. "They chatted in a friendly way, said Herz, who met Stoynoff in college. "And what struck me most was that Melania was carrying a child and wearing heels." Five other people back up Stoynoff's version of what happened to her at the Florida estate, according to People. People Editor in Chief Jess Cagle said in a statement previewing the story that it would include "named sources who can corroborate Natasha Stoynoffs account. Marina Grasic, who has known Stoynoff for over 25 years, told People Stoynoff detailed Trump's attack to her and was "struggling about not hurting pregnant Melania if the story came out." "Beyond just the attack, she was horrified by the vulgar circumstances under which she was attacked and propositioned to have an affair. She was there in a professional capacity, writing an article about their happy marriage, and after the incident Trump acted like nothing happened," Grasic said. Stoynoffs former journalism professor, Paul McLaughlin, told People she called him crying and looking for advice the night of the incident. He advised her not to discuss it publicly, fearing Trump may retaliate. Stoynoff went on to share details of the encouter with People East Coast Editor Liz McNeil and Deputy East Coast News Editor Mary Green. Another coworker, Liza Hamm, who was friends with McNeil, also knew what allegedly happened to Stoynoff. Melania Trump also repeated her husband's assertion, which he has made without supporting evidence, that the media and Clinton campaign are working in tandem to sink the Republican nominee's campaign. NBC has reached out to the Trump campaign for responses to Stoynoff's latest comments and those by Cagle, the People editor. Two years after the Ebola crisis hit Dallas, one of the nurses infected is still pursuing a lawsuit against Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where she worked. Nina Pham filed the lawsuit in March 2015. She says the hospital's lack of training, poor equipment and violations of her privacy after she was infected are a symbol of corporate neglect. NBC 5's media partners at The Dallas Morning News reported Monday that Pham's attorneys are close to reaching a settlement. But when NBC 5 reached out to those attorneys, they said that no settlement has been signed. Pham says the hospital posted a video of her sick in the hospital without her consent, and she says she has suffered hair loss, physical pain and insomnia since recovering from Ebola. The man she was treating, Thomas Duncan, died from the Ebola virus while in the hospital. According to The Dallas Morning News, Pham is still on the hospital's payroll. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 18 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: The Water Code was approved by a meeting of Turkmenistans Parliament in Ashgabat, the Turkmen government said in a message Oct. 18. According to the message, the document is a legal act regulating relations in water management in Turkmenistan. Water management is one of the most pressing topics in Central Asia, the message said. Delivering a speech at the seventh World Water Forum in South Koreas Daegu City in 2015, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov put forward the initiative of developing the UN water strategy. Turkmenistan borders with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Afghanistan and uses the water resources from four transboundary rivers, namely, Amu Darya, Tejen, Atrek and Murghab, in accordance with the agreed quotas. Turkmenistan is facing a problem over the ecology of the Aral Sea. Ashgabat has called for convening a special conference under the UN auspices in 2017 on the improvement of the environmental situation in Central Asia. The weather in North Texas has been unusually hot for fall, and so has Valerie Sutton's apartment in northeast Dallas. "It feels better outside than in my house," Sutton said. "It's 85, 90 degrees, inside." Sutton lives at The Alista apartments, and she said her air conditioning stopped working last Thursday. She called NBC 5 on Monday after enduring a weekend with temperatures near 90 degrees outside. "We shouldn't have to deal with this type of thing for this many days," Sutton said. "It felt like it was set on the heater," Sutton said. She believes the heat caused her 12-year old son to have an asthma attack. "He could barely breathe inside the house," she said. And Sutton's family isn't alone. Several other residents told NBC 5 they, too, did not have A/C. "Yeah, it's hot, isn't it?" asked Amy Elliott, standing inside her apartment. "He (maintenance) told me he was going to bring a portable A/C. I have nothing. Just a fan, like in the old days." The apartment complex has several hundred units, but not all of them are on the chiller system that seems to be the root of the problem. "This has been going on since Thursday," Sutton said, frustrated about what she said was a lack of communication from apartment management. "Today is Monday and they haven't passed out any notices." Sutton said she was considering going to a hotel Monday night. NBC 5 tried to reach The Alista management for comment, but as of Monday night, did not get a return call. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines turned one of its flights pink this month, in honor of breast cancer awareness. On Oct. 6, a Southwest flight crew got to meet Diane, who is a two-time breast cancer survivor, on one of their flights. She's now been cancer free for 16 years. In honor of Diane's fight against the disease, the entire plane was turned pink and the flight crew wore pink as well. Southwest Airlines wrote, "Thank you so much, Diane, for your courage, strength, and, most of all, your heart!" October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and pink is the color many organizations use to honor people who have been directly or indirectly affected by the disease. The people arriving at the United States' southern border are no longer Mexican migrants, mostly men, in search of jobs, but a steady stream of asylum-seekers, NBC News reports. The Obama administration said Monday that the prevailing view of the border is outdated, and that more Central Americans were seized along the border than Mexicans in fiscal year 2016, only the second year that's happened. And that demographic puts a unique strain on the immigration system, since many are asylum seekers whom border agents can't simply turn them or deport. "Walls alone cannot prevent illegal migration," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement Monday. "Ultimately, the solution is long-term investment in Central America to address the underlying push factors in the region." With the election less than a month away, Donald Trump is ramping up his claims that the voting process is rigged. This, as the Texas Attorney General's office is looking into concerns over voting fraud in Tarrant County. NBC 5 went to find out what's being done to protect your vote. It is busy season for the Tarrant County Elections Administration. It takes a lot of people and a lot of equipment to put on an election. Among the stacks and stacks of gear in the administration offices, youll find equipment to make sure there's no fraud on Election Day. An election year can feel like a maze to the finish line. In Tarrant County, Frank Phillips is in charge of getting you there safely. "I think you should have the utmost confidence in our voting system," said Phillips. He's appointed, not elected, so he doesnt have a party affiliation. Right now, his office is working to process voting registrations and get equipment ready for early voting. "As you can see, we've taken charge of all of our paper ballots for election day," said Phillips, pointing to huge boxes of paper. He's also charged with securing the voting process. The voting booths aren't connected to the internet or even any internal system. "The possibility to hack that system, in the sense of someone from the outside using a computer to get into that system, is totally impossible," said Phillips. The elections office also has steps in place to be sure every vote counts just once. If you early vote, youre going to be in our electronic system, so well document and that keeps you from voting again, said Phillips, adding that on Election Day. Youre only going to be in the poll book at your location, where youre supposed to vote. You cant go vote at your assigned location and then go across town to another location because youre not going to be in their poll book there. Mail-in ballots can be trickier. A ballot board compares signatures on the application with the envelope the completed ballot comes in. "We ensure that the person that filled out that application is the person returning that ballot," Phillips said. But not everyone has confidence in that system. Lon Burnam is a former State Representative who's questioned the outcome of elections in the past. "Over the last several years, we've noticed increasing numbers of applications to vote by mail that are being processed by the same people and we have reason to believe, based on signatures, that the ballots themselves are being processed by people. That's an abuse," said Burnam, a Democrat who represented Fort Worth. Now the Attorney General's Office is looking into complaints of voter fraud by mail-in ballot. But even Burnam questions the timing of that investigation, less than a month before the election. "They've known about this problem for years, said Burnam. Now all of a sudden they're making big noise about it in October during a presidential election year?" The Attorney General's Office, and Phillips, won't comment on the investigation for now, keeping the focus on the countdown to your vote. The Tarrant County District Attorney's office is preparing to prosecute one separate case of alleged voter fraud. NBC 5 checked with people who run elections across our other major counties as well. In Dallas County, they've had one case of voter fraud. Collin and Denton counties report zero cases. A 16-year-old girl was struck and killed by a vehicle today while crossing a street in South Los Angeles on her way to school. Whitney Rivas, a junior at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex in the Westlake district, was hit about 6:30 a.m. on Broadway at 104th Street and died at the scene. The teen was walking eastbound in a crosswalk, carrying a backpack with books inside, when she was struck by a southbound vehicle, which carried her body a short distance before coming to a stop. "I was waiting for her at school at the same bench (where) we always meet, and she never showed up today," said Eduardo Castaneda, a fellow student who identified himself as the victim's boyfriend. "I was waiting after lunch where we always meet and she wasn't there ... until her mom called me and that's how I found out she passed away,'' the grief-stricken teen told reporters. The motorist who called authorities and remained at the scene, was not cited or arrested, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, which continues to investigate the death. Residents in Elysian Valley are calling for a ban on cyclists after an elderly woman was seriously injured while walking down a bike path near the LA River. "When the bike path first opened up, there were constantly ambulances here, because bicyclists were running over pedestrians," cyclist Sasha Binder said. "It's a huge problem here." The woman has been in intensive care for more than a week, and now residents are demanding action for what has become a pattern of collisions. The stretch of the LA River sits next to a residential neighborhood and is shared between cyclists and pedestrians. Markings alerting cyclists of a pedestrian were put on the path two years ago, but the paths narrow width and the speed of some cyclists have continued to cause collisions. One resident said the cyclists are using the path to do "race training," and called for "better signage, better messaging" to alert the cyclists that the area is part of a neighborhood. Others, though, feel the ban would be detrimental. "I hope they dont [ban bicycles] because a lot of the bicyclists and students like myself use this to get to school and get to go to places," Binder said, adding that there is "nothing" within walking distance in the neighborhood. Council member Mitch OFarrells office is asking the LA Department of Transportation to add more crossing markings on the path and is working with the Los Angeles Police Department to do targeted enforcement on the weekends. Police Monday were asking the public to help them locate a Manhattan Beach woman who disappeared from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Nancy Paulikas, 55, was last seen at about 3 p.m. Saturday at the art museum at 5905 Wilshire Blvd., police said. Paulikas suffers from dementia, authorities said. Paulikas and her husband were at the LACMA when family members went to the restroom. When her husband returned from the restroom, Paulikas was gone, he said. Museum staff swept the grounds and did not find Paulikas. "It's heartbreaking," said Matthew Lewis, a family friend. "The fact that we don't know where she is spending the nights -- we don't know where she is during the day, how she's feeding herself. It's the nightmare scenario." Her husband has been passing out fliers since Sunday. She is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, about 140 pounds, with brown-gray hair and blue eyes. She last was seen wearing a red long-sleeve blouse with a white paisley-flower pattern, blue jeans and black and white sneakers. She was also wearing a metal medical alert bracelet that says "My name is Nancy, and I have dementia." Anyone with information on Paulikas' whereabouts was asked to call the Los Angeles Police Department Wilshire Station at (213) 473-0476. Tell a person not from Southern California that each of our freeways possess its own distinctive personality and that not-from-here other-placer just might scoff, with disdain. Let them scoff, we say, for we all know the truth: Freeways have feelings. Or at least they can give us feelings, and we're not just talking about when we're stuck in traffic. The 405 feels like the future (planes overhead), the 101 has Old Hollywood cred, and the 110 is downright historic, thanks in large part to Heritage Square. But the clutch of Victorian buildings sitting off to one side of the Arroyo Seco Parkway, as atmospheric as they are, aren't always accessible, and almost never after sundown. Visit them in the daytime, sure, but by night? That time is for the ghosts, real or otherwise, who call the historic spread home (and those driving-by daydreamers who find Heritage Square a bit spooky). After-sundowners shall be welcome, however, on Saturday, Dec. 11 when the Los Angeles Obscura Society calls upon the structure-filled museum. It's the Heritage Square Twilight Tour, a rare peek that is sure to book up far ahead of the twelfth month. Thus if you're a frequent driver along the 110, and you've longed for a peek inside the turreted abodes by nighttime, this is your chance. A ticket is $30, and you're correct when you say that not all of the saved-from-the-wrecking-ball buildings were homes a century or more ago. There's a train depot at Heritage Square, and a church, too. Oh, and that eight-sided structure which is so quirky, and such a favorite of visitors and filmmakers, that one might rightly call it a local star. Do freeways have feelings? Quibble about that with out-of-towners, but it can't be denied that Heritage Square has given many a car's passenger some daydream-like reveries, especially when the passenger is staring out the window at the darkened windows of the Victorian homes after sunset. Russian and Syrian forces will halt hostilities for eight hours in the eastern districts of Aleppo, Russia's military announced on Monday, a day on which opposition activists said their airstrikes killed at least 36 people, including several children, in and around the divided city. The two militaries will observe a "humanitarian pause" between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Oct. 20 to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of Russia's general staff said in Moscow. Militants, the wounded and sick would be allowed to evacuate to the neighboring rebel-held province of Idlib. U.N. humanitarian officials have pleaded with combatants to observe weekly 48-hour cease-fires to allow humanitarian relief into the city's besieged eastern districts, but Russian and Syrian forces have only escalated their aerial and ground assault on the rebel-held areas in recent weeks. The airstrikes have claimed hundreds of lives, wounded many, flattened apartment buildings and laid waste to the already crippled medical sector. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York that the eight-hour pause was a unilateral halt to fighting. A 48-hour or 72-hour cease-fire "will require some sort of mutual arrangement," he said. Russian and Syrian leaders are now capitalizing on a proposal made by the U.N.'s envoy earlier this month to allow al-Qaida-linked militants to leave in exchange for peace and local administration for the eastern districts. Rebels in the east, along with many residents, spurned the proposition, citing their distrust of the government side. And Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution mandating an immediate cease-fire. Russia's Churkin said that at a meeting Saturday co-chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar said they would work to separate moderate opposition groups from the former al-Qaida affiliate once known as the Nusra Front in rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Military experts from all these countries were scheduled to meet Monday, he said. If the separation succeeds which is a key Russian and Syrian demand there are two options, Churkin said. Nusra fighters must leave Aleppo or they will be defeated, he said. Churkin said "the understanding" reached at Saturday's meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, is that once Nusra is gone the moderate opposition and the Syrian government will agree on a cease-fire to end the bloodshed. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington, noted that the people of Aleppo "have been subjected to near constant bombardment and air strikes" that have killed many civilians and leveled much of the city's infrastructure in an effort "to starve out and to drive out the opposition and civilians." "If there is actually an eight-hour pause in the unremitting suffering of the people of Aleppo, that would be a good thing. But frankly, it's a bit too little, too late," Toner said. Monday's Russian announcement did not include any promises of an extended cease-fire or local administration. It followed a bloody day of airstrikes on rebel-held districts in and around Aleppo. At least 23 people were killed in airstrike that also wounded dozens in the village of Oweijel, just west of Aleppo, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Another monitoring group, the Local Coordination Committees, said the air raid was carried out by Russian warplanes and put the death toll at 30. More than a dozen people were also killed in the Marjeh neighborhood in eastern Aleppo. The Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, said those killed included 11 people with the same family name of Qabs ranging from a six-week-old baby girl to a 25-year-old man. The Observatory said at least 50 civilians, including 18 children, were killed in airstrikes on the eastern part of the city in the 24 hours before the Russian announcement. Monday's airstrikes coincided with the launch in neighboring Iraq of a major operation by Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by the U.S.-led coalition, to retake the northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State group. There have been concerns the government in Damascus could use the timing of the Mosul offensive to press its onslaught in Aleppo while world attention is diverted to developments in Iraq. Also Monday, Syrian state media claimed 49 rebels were killed and wounded in fighting in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Saeed and Shurfa on the southern edges of Aleppo. In the nearby province of Idlib, a U.S.-led coalition drone struck a car in the provincial capital that carries the same name, killing all inside, according to the Observatory and a jihadi official. It was not immediately clear who was in the vehicle, but such attacks have previously targeted officials with al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria, known as Fatah al-Sham Front. The Observatory said the attack targeted a faction commander. An official with Fatah al-Sham Front, formerly known as Nusra Front, said all those in the car were "martyred." The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said it was not clear if members of his group were targeted. Earlier this month, a drone attack killed top al-Qaida official Ahmed Salama Mabrouk. The United States and Britain on Sunday acknowledged the Western world's weak support for any military action against Syria's government as they seek ways to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad and his chief backer, Russia, to halt the deadly Aleppo offensive. After a meeting of 11 governments opposing Assad's rule, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson each insisted that all options were on the table. But their stark explanations about the danger of resorting to military force appeared to rule out such a move. The government in Damascus, meanwhile, appears to be trying to improve relations with Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, following the first public meeting between Egyptian and Syrian security chiefs. Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, head of the National Security Bureau and one of Assad's top aides, visited Cairo Sunday at the head of a delegation to coordinate with Egypt in the fight against "terrorism" in the region, Syria's state-run news agency SANA said. SANA said the Syrians met with top intelligence officials, including deputy chief of Egypt's intelligence agency. It said both sides agreed on "coordinating political standpoints" and strengthening the "cooperation in fighting terrorism." Egypt's pro-government Sada al-Balad and other news websites reported on Sunday that six Syrians arrived on a private jet from Damascus. Earlier this month, Egypt voted for rival French and Russian draft resolutions on Syria at the U.N. Security Council, arguing that both called for a truce and for aid for besieged Syrians in the rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo. The move angered Egypt's major financier Saudi Arabia, which supports rebels fighting against Assad's Moscow-backed government. Egypt and Syria are both fighting extremists, including members of the Islamic State group. Both countries also have poor relations with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As Miami-Dade County prepares to continue ground spraying for the Zika virus through the end of November, Broward County will be joining in the efforts by conducting spraying of their own starting Tuesday. Trucks will deploy from the countys Mosquito Control facility in Pembroke Pines, using a turbine sprayer that will be used to help prevent the mosquito larvae from spreading. Its the same system that has been used in Miami-Dades Zika zones over the last few months. Broward County has confirmed 120 travel cases of the Zika virus, still nearly half of the 238 cases both travel and non-travel confirmed in Miami-Dade County. Just Monday, four new non-travel cases along with one travel related case were confirmed in Miami-Dade County. Two of those cases involve pregnant women. On Tuesday, Miami-Dade Mosquito Control officials said a pool of mosquitoes taken from Miami Beach tested positive for Zika. The pool was retrieved on October 5 from a trap at 1236 Drexel Avenue, officials said. A new Zika transmission zone located between NW 10th Avenue and Miami Avenue and NW 79th Street and 63rd Street - was confirmed last week. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Oct. 18 By Demir Azizov Trend: The 43rd session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers is being held in Tashkent under Uzbekistans chairmanship in 2016. The OIC Secretary General Iyad Amin Madani, foreign ministers of the OIC 26 member states, OICs special envoys for the US, UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, as well as representatives of the UN, OSCE, Arab League, Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Economic Co-operation Organization, the Islamic Development Bank President Bandar Hajjar take part at the session. As reported, priority of the Uzbek chairmanship in the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers supports the slogan: "Education is the path to peace and creation. The Acting President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev greeted the participants of the session. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was established in September of 1969 to ensure Islamic solidarity in social, economic and political spheres. The organization has 57 member states. Uzbekistan became an OIC member in 1996. Cuban entrepreneurs looking to open private restaurants on the island will have to put their plans on hold. That's because the Castro administration has temporarily stopped issuing licenses for new eateries, according to Reuters. Cuba also reportedly warned current restaurant owners to comply with tough regulations already put in place. Reuters reports that over the last six weeks, owners of popular restaurants have been meeting with Havana city officials who listed the violations some commit and warning them to cease and desist. Some of the restrictions include the maximum number of seats allowed and where owners can buy their supplies. The tighter grip on the private market could prove challenging for the upcoming tourism season on the communist island. Cuba is expected to get a record number of tourists from the United States as the White House loosens travel restrictions. A Florida police officer faces a second DUI charge after he was found asleep inside his car. St. Petersburg police said in a news release that 36-year-old Officer Anthony Matthew Green was booking into jail early Tuesday and was being held on a $500 bond. In December 2009, authorities say Green drove over a concrete median and struck a sedan. The Tampa Bay Times reports Green kept driving and hit another vehicle. No one was injured in either crash. Records show his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit to drive in Florida. He was convicted on charges of DUI and leaving a crash scene. Chief Anthony Holloway plans to talk about Green's arrest at a news conference later Tuesday. Records don't say whether Green has a lawyer. The Florida Supreme Court has denied an appeal to dismiss the charges against a South Florida woman accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her then-husband. Tuesday's decision from the court means the retrial of Dalia Dippolito will move forward. The 34-year-old Dippolito is facing a retrial on 2009 charges that she tried to hire a hit man to kill her husband, Michael Dippolito. She has pleaded not guilty. The murder-for-hire plot was featured on the television show "Cops" but Dippolito claims it was planned to get her publicity and possibly make her a reality TV star. Her case gained national notoriety because "Cops" happened to be filming with the Boynton Beach police. She was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but an appellate court overturned the verdict because her lawyers weren't allowed to ask jurors individually about their knowledge of the case. Authorities say a 15-year-old boy who was attacked and beaten in an upscale suburb near Orlando, Florida, has died in a hospital. Winter Park Police said Roger Trindade was taken off life support Monday following the weekend attack on Park Avenue. Police have said the teen got into a confrontation with a group of juvenile males Saturday night and was brain dead by the time he arrived at a hospital. No arrests have been made. Police say the attackers could be students at a high school in the area. Trindade attended Winter Park High School and was in the International Baccalaureate Program, police said. A task force of detectives from agencies across central Florida is investigating the attack. John Guare's acclaimed play "Six Degrees of Separation" will return to Broadway this spring in its first revival -- with seven-time Emmy winner Allison Janney (NBC's "The West Wing") and Tony winner John Benjamin Hickey ("The Normal Heart") leading the ensemble cast. Trip Cullman will direct the 15-week limited production -- which is set to open at the Barrymore Theater in April 2017. Cullman is making his Broadway directing debut this season with Joshua Harmon's off-Broadway transfer "Significant Other," which opens March 2 at the Booth Theatre. "Six Degrees of Separation" was first on Broadway in 1992, in a production led by Hickey's "Good Wife" costar Stockard Channing. The play follows the story of a young black con man who poses as the son of actor Sidney Poitier to a wealthy New York couple (Janney and Hickey). Helping the boy -- who claims he was just mugged --Janney and Hickey invite him into their home and lives. But soon, they begin to piece together the truth about his identity. Typically boasting a cast of 17, the original production also starred John Cunningham ("Company"), Courtney B. Vance ("The People vs. O.J. Simpson"), Kelly Bishop ("Gilmore Girls"), Anthony Rapp ("Rent") and "Hedwig" creator and star John Cameron Mitchell, among others. It was a finalist for the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play. Channing reprised her role in the 1993 film adaptation, which also starred Donald Sutherland and a then-newcomer Will Smith. Full casting and production dates for the Broadway revival will be announced at a later date. Service on the A and C lines resumed with extensive delays after an unauthorized person on the tracks prompted the MTA to suspend trains in both directions between Brooklyn and Manhattan at the peak of Tuesday's morning rush. Service on the A was shut down between Broadway Junction in Brooklyn and Chambers Street in Manhattan, and the C line was shut down in both directions between Euclid Avenue in Brooklyn and 168th Street in Manhattan. Both lines resumed service shortly before 9 a.m., but delays were expected to linger through the morning rush. Straphangers on at least one train had to travel through a stalled car after the delays began mounting. Commuter Andrew Schneider told NBC 4 New York in an email that his train stopped between the High Street-Brooklyn Bridge and Fulton Street stations. After about 40 minutes, he said that MTA workers announced that the train would inch toward Fulton Street so passengers could get off. Schneider said the train traveled over a portion of the tracks without power, and the lights and air conditioning went out. After another 20 minutes of waiting passengers began walking through the train's cars toward the Fulton Street platform. "After 25 years of riding, this was a first!," Schneider wrote. He said one train worker repeated "positive thoughts, positive thoughts, you're almost there" as he helped people over gaps, and other straphangers also pitched in as they traveled to the platform. What to Know The suspect has 30 prior arrests, including two for sexual assault in 2013 and 2014 Court documents say he threatened to kill the woman if she screamed It was the first reported rape in Central Park this year, according to police records The 26-year-old Bronx man accused of raping a woman walking in Central Park last week allegedly threw the victim to the ground and threatened to cut her the throat if she cried out for help, according to a criminal complaint. Forrest Richardson, who has a long rap sheet, was arraigned Monday on charges of first-degree rape and sexually motivated robbery in the Oct. 10 attack on the woman in the park near Park Avenue and 110th Street. According to the criminal complaint, the woman was walking on East Drive when the man came up behind her, grabbed her and pulled her into the bushes. He threw her to the ground and told her not to scream or he would "cut her throat," the complaint alleges. Richardson then allegedly rifled through the woman's pockets, stole her phone and then raped her. The complaint alleges he kicked the woman in the head before running off. Court documents say Richardson admitted to detectives that he was in the park and that he grabbed the woman, pushed her down, unzipped her sweatshirt and took her phone. The documents do not indicate he confessed to the rape. Police said they used the stolen iPhone to track him down. The woman was treated and released at a hospital after the attack. Richardson is being represented by Legal Aid, which has a policy of declining comment on ongoing court cases. He was remanded following his arraignment Monday and is due back in court next month. A woman who answered the door at Richardson's listed address last week did not want to speak to NBC 4 New York. Police said Richardson has a violent past with 30 arrests, including two for sexual assault in 2013 and 2014. In the June 2013 arrest, Richardson was accused of raping a 14-year-old girl. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of child endangerment in the case and was sentenced to six months in jail, officials said. In the December 2014 arrest, he allegedly raped, assaulted and held his pregnant 22-year-old girlfriend against her will for days in Rockaway Beach. He was sentenced to four months in jail in that case. The NYPD said that rapes and robberies are down in the park this year, while assaults are up. There has been one reported rape so far this year, compared with two through the same point last year. Fifteen people have reported being robbed, down from 23 in 2015. There have been six assaults, compared with three through the same point last year. An upstate New York man apparently high on hallucinogens broke into his neighbor's home to save their dog from what he thought was a burning home, police say. There was no fire, state police told WNYT-TV. The man had consumed LSD and cough medicine and thought his neighbor's home in Saratoga County was being consumed by flames last Thursday, officials say. He went around his Halfmoon neighborhood banging on doors and yelling about a fire, WNYT reported. When no one would help, he drove his black BMW sedan through his neighbor's fence, went to the back door and smashed through it to retrieve the dog. He emerged triumphantly with the large white dog, and responding officers found him standing outside the home with the dog in his arms, police said. "He believed that the residence was on fire and he was rescuing the dog," State Police Troop G spokesman Mark Cepiel said. The man, 43-year-old Michael Orchard, was arrested on charges of burglary and criminal mischief. He was jailed on $15,000 bail. What to Know The suspect had been fleeing cops near Penn Station after they caught him trying to remove a boot from his car. The off-duty detective say police chasing the weapon-wielding man and tackled the suspect, who slashed him Police fired 18 shots, hitting the suspect several times The 32-year-old man who hacked at an off-duty detective with a meat cleaver near Penn Station last month has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges. Akram Joudeh entered the plea during an arraignment Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court. Joudeh, who was arrested following the attack on Sept. 15 was also charged with first-degree assault, menacing a police officer and other charges in the indictment unsealed Tuesday, according to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. Joudeh is accused of attacking off-duty Detective Brian O'Donnell after a pair of other officers spotted the man attempting to pull a boot off of his car, which was parked at Broadway and West 30th Street on Sept. 15. Authorities said that after officers confronted Joudeh, he pulled out a meat cleaver and ran off. The two cops gave chase, and O'Donnell tried to stop the suspect at West 32nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues. That's when the man allegedly hacked at the officer. Three officers fired a total of 18 gunshots at Joudeh during the chaos, and he was struck several times. O'Donnell was injured in the attack and had to undergo surgery. He was released a day later. Joudeh has 15 prior arrests, including one on July 27 after he was found carrying knives near a synagogue in the Manhattan Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn. His last known address was in Queens, though police say he may have been living in his car. The other arrests stretching back to 2009 include charges for driving while impaired by drugs, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing with a weapon and criminal trespassing, sources said. The 32-year-old suspect's Legal Aid attorney told the judge his client was not a legal U.S. citizen. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Oct. 18 By Demir Azizov Trend: Uzbekistan proposes to create an international Islamic research center in Samarkand under the OIC auspices for studying the heritage of the Muslim worlds scholars and thinkers, said the Acting President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the 43rd session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on Oct. 18. He added that creation of such a center is one of the priorities of the Uzbek chairmanship in the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers. Mirziyoyev reminded that such prominent Islamic figures as Muhammad al-Bukhari, At-Tirmidhi, Al-Biruni, al-Khwarizmi, al-Maturidi and others lived in the territory of Uzbekistan. Priorities of the Uzbek chairmanship in the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers also include development of intercultural and educational dialogue, scientific and technical, as well as trade and investment cooperation between the OIC member countries. Another priority is to join forces in the fight against the ideology of terrorism and extremism. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was established in September 1969 to ensure Islamic solidarity in social, economic and political spheres. The organization has 57 member states. Uzbekistan became an OIC member in 1996. A Newark store owner was shot and killed while opening the family bodega Tuesday morning, police say. Felix Rosario, 55, was opening the Dalbert Grocery store on Runyon Street with his adult son just after 9 a.m. when two men walked in, looked around and then left, relatives told NBC 4 New York. They returned a few minutes later, shot Rosario and ran. A woman who identified herself as Rosario's daughter-in-law told NBC 4 in Spanish that it wasn't a robbery and that he was targeted. Police say they don't know what the motive is. Family member Juaquin Francisco said Rosario was a hard worker and decent man who had been running a separate business, and only came to the current store a few months ago to help out. Neighbors said Rosario would allow customers to have food if they were hungry and couldn't pay. "He look out for the neighbrhood, he's all right," said James Williams. "'If you don't have it, you can get it.' He was just all-around good guy." Donald Trump lashed out on Monday at Republicans who have tried to tone down his rhetoric about election fraud, calling his party's leaders "so naive" and claiming without evidence that large-scale voter fraud is real. Trump's claims were part of a Monday morning blast of tweets that took on his party, the women who've accused him of sexual misconduct, the media and Vice President Joe Biden. The defensive barrage came while Republicans are under pressure to rebuke Trump's claims that the presidential election is "rigged" in Hillary Clinton's favor. The push reflects growing worries that their nominee's unsubstantiated rhetoric could erode public trust in elections and lead to damaging disputes if he loses. Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, declared Sunday the ticket will "absolutely accept the results of the election." But Trump seemed to brush back against his vice presidential pick. "Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!" he tweeted Monday. There is no evidence to back up Trump's claim of widespread voter fraud. A study by a Loyola Law School professor found that out of 1 billion votes cast in all American elections between 2000 and 2014, there were only 31 known cases of impersonation fraud. Later on Monday, Trump laid out an ethics reform plan for a crowd of his supporters at a Green Bay, Wisconsin rally. Three of the state's most prominent Republicans House Speaker Paul Ryan, Sen. Ron Johnson and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker avoided the event, as they've been trying to distance themselves from their party's nominee without retracting their official endorsements. The GOP candidate reiterated his doubt about the legitimacy of the American electoral system and hit Hillary Clinton for allegations of "quid pro quo" negotiations between the FBI and the State Department before getting to the heart of his ethics reform package. One piece of the plan, Trump said, would be to ban all executive branch officials from lobbying the government for five years after leaving their posts. He said he'd also extend that ban to members of Congress. He said he would "close all loopholes that former government officials use by labeling themselves consultants and advisors, when we all know they're lobbyists." In addition to his five-year ban, he said he would prevent senior executive branch officials for life from lobbying on behalf of foreign governments. By focusing on closing loopholes for political insiders, Trump tried to highlight his potential to act as a reformer. He called Clinton's scandals "worse than Watergate." The nominee also reasserted his stance that the women who've accused him of sexually inappropriate behavior are all lying. Pence and other Republicans have tried to argue that Trump's claims of election-rigging refer to media bias in favor of Democrats. He points particularly to the reports on the allegations by several women, some of whom allege Trump's misconduct went as far as assault. Trump pushed back against those women earlier Monday, tweeting: "Can't believe these totally phoney stories, 100% made up by women (many already proven false) and pushed big time by press, have impact!" In another tweet, Trump linked to a video montage of Biden greeting and hugging women at various events. The Democrat has not been accused of sexual improprieties, but has raised eyebrows for his lingering or awkward embraces of women. For Clinton, it was a quiet day of debate preparation with advisers near her home in New York. The final presidential debate is Wednesday night. As the candidate prepares, Clinton's campaign continues to have to answer for the contents of hacked emails being released by the thousands by WikiLeaks. The most recent batch showed Clinton generally avoided direct criticism of Wall Street as she examined the causes and responses to the financial meltdown during a series of paid speeches to Goldman Sachs. WikiLeaks said Monday that founder Julian Assange's internet access has been cut by an unidentified state actor. Few other details were immediately available. The fraud concerns raised by Trump aren't new to Republicans. They often cite the risk of fraud as they make a case for tightening access to the polls through voter identification laws and other restrictions. But Trump's often repeated claim that the election is "rigged" as put the party in the unusual position of expressing faith in the legitimacy of the election system. Leaders in both parties fear Trump's claims will encourage his most ardent supporters not to accept the results, leading to prolonged litigation, possible violence or hardened divisions or some combination of the three. That could make it even difficult to govern and take a long-term toll on the democracy. Even staunch conservatives have found themselves in the position of trying to gently walk back the nominee's remarks. "I just don't think it's that constructive to make this a campaign issue," Rep. Steve King said Monday on CNN. The staunch conservative from Iowa said he shares Trump's worries about election fraud, but acknowledged Trump's claims are "partially unsubstantiated." "I don't want to say anything on this program that delegitimizes our election," King said. The fall of the ISIS-held city of Mosul in Iraq would mean the fall of ISISs caliphate as well. That's according to the commander leading the U.S.-backed Iraqi ground forces pushing toward the city to oust the extremist terror group. ISIS has said this is the crown jewel of Iraq and its idea of a caliphate, Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky told NBC News Tuesday. Theres not going to be a caliphate, if there ever really was one. So for ISIL, this is going to be a key loss for them, and it will be a loss. Volesky expressed confidence in the military offensive, praising Iraqi troops for driving quickly toward Mosul. Iraqis have the momentum, he said. ISIS took control of Mosul two and a half years ago. "Either we win this election, or we lose our country," Donald Trump told his supporters at a rally in Colorado Springs Tuesday. The GOP candidate called attention again to Hillary Clinton's email scandal, repeating his declaration that it's worse than Watergate. He lashed out at the news media, claiming they're responsible for what he calls a "rigged" election system. He claimed that by publishing what he calls "totally false" stories about him and not covering the email scandal surrounding the Clinton campaign enough, the media have rigged the election in his opponent's favor. His Tuesday afternoon speech emphasized rejecting the elitism of the political class. He repeated the ethics reform plan he rolled out Monday in Wisconsin, this time adding a sixth point: He'd impose term limits on Congress members via a constitutional amendment. Under the Trump plan, House members could serve up to six years, with 12 years for senators. From Colorado Springs, he traveled to Grand Junction, where he hit on similar themes at a rally there. Trump said he doesn't believe polls showing he's lagging Clinton in Colorado. Trump said that he keeps drawing crowds of thousands and thousands of people. And he predicted he will win one of the greatest victories in political history. Elections veterans caution, however, that drawing large crowds doesn't equate to winning a general election. Earlier Tuesday, in the midst of a series of tweets, Trump claimed that if he doesn't win the presidential election, "history will remember 2017 as the year America lost its independence." He will "#DrainTheSwamp" of corrupt Washington, the candidate tweeted. It comes the day after he discussed his government ethics reform plan, which includes tighter restrictions on former members of Congress and ex-White House officials taking jobs as lobbyists. Trump has repeatedly called for Americans to reclaim their independence and has linked his candidacy to the "Brexit" vote in which the United Kingdom chose to leave the European Union. His remarks also come as he has doubled down on his unsubstantiated claims that the election will be "rigged." President Barack Obama condemned those remarks during a press conference with Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday. "I have never seen in my lifetime or in modern political history any presidential candidate trying to discredit the elections and the election process before votes have even taken place," Obama said. "It's unprecedented. It happens to be based on no facts." He called for Trump to "stop whining" and instead make his case to voters to be elected. Meanwhile, in an interview that aired Tuesday on ABC Trump suggested House Speaker Paul Ryan has been undermining his campaign because he may be plotting his own White House run in 2020. Trump speculated that Ryan either didn't "know how to win" or "he wants to run in four years." The Republican nominee has been sharply critical of Ryan since the speaker suggested earlier this month that he would do little to help Trump's campaign. Trump appeared in Ryan's home state of Wisconsin on Monday, and many in the crowd chanted "Paul Ryan sucks." Trump also claimed Ryan has not been supportive in investigating voter fraud, which the celebrity businessman had deemed a widespread problem without producing any evidence. While there have been isolated cases of voter fraud in the U.S., there is no evidence of it being a widespread problem as Trump suggests. Ryan and other Republicans expressed confidence in the voting systems, while state election officials said they are committed to conducting fair and impartial elections. In another interview Trump said if he wins the White House, he might meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before his inauguration. Trump said in a Monday interview with talk radio host Michael Savage that if he defeats Hillary Clinton, he could see himself "meeting with Putin and meeting with Russia prior to the start of the administration." Trump has been criticized repeatedly for his seemingly cozy relationship with Russia. But he said the tension between Putin and President Barack Obama is "a potentially catastrophic situation." Trump said Obama and Clinton "insult him constantly," adding, "No wonder he can't stand Obama and Hillary Clinton." Trump also said in the interview that Clinton has a "highly over-rated intellect." Obama shot back at the White House that Trump's flattery of Putin was "unprecedented in American politics" and "out of step." An analysis of twelve Southeastern Pennsylvania school districts found eleven consistently told taxpayers they needed more money than they did. The NBC 10 Investigators reviewed a dozen suburban Philadelphia school districts' audited budget statements, comparing the projected budgets presented to taxpayers with actual spending. The investigation comes as the Lower Merion School District fights a lawsuit accusing it of misleading taxpayers. The NBC 10 Investigators analysis found Lower Merion, Central Bucks and Downingtown area schools had the largest difference between what they projected to taxpayers and what they spent. Every budget has to go through an extensive process that is subject to approval by the state of PA, Lower Merion School District spokesman Doug Young said. According to the districts audited financial statements, it has over estimated its budgets by an average of 6.9% since 2009. The districts average surplus is $13.6 million according to those financial statements. Taxes increased in Lower Merion Township more than 50% during that same period. The Central Bucks School District had the largest average budget error of those reviewed according to the districts audited financial statements. I think were doing things very well, but I think it would be highly irresponsible of us to sit here and say we cant get better at it and be better communicators about what our long term goals are here at Central Bucks, Superintendent John Kopicki said of the districts 7.6% average budgeting error. Kopicki said the extra money collected is used to renovate schools and pay down debt. In Downingtown, the superintendent said the district intentionally over budgets for the same reason. The general fund is the only revenue generating fund that we have, Downingtown Area School District Superintendent Lawrence Mussoline said. Theres a history to this. This is 20 years of us doing this. This isnt six years. According to the DASDs audited financial statements its average budget error was 7.1%. Its sidestepping the public, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said of the NBC 10 Investigators findings. Were certainly going to make sure theyre on our list for future audits. We were doing it in secret. We were not telling the public what we were doing, Former Unionville Chads Ford School Board member Keith Knauss said. Knauss said when he discovered his district over budgeting, the school board changed its practices. According to the districts audited financial statements, its budget error was 1.5% over the last five years. The districts average surplus was $1 million. Sound fiscal management is a key strength of our District, enabling our highly rated program while simultaneously prudently managing taxpayer dollars, said a statement released by the district. Our stated goal is to produce spending plans that are within 2% of actual expenditures and the five years of audited results show that we were well within our goal. The one district NBC10 Investigators found under budgeting was the Upper St. Clair School District in western Pennsylvania. Its average budget error was -1.4%. It carried a deficit of $900,000 during the years reviewed by the NBC 10 Investigators. You do not necessarily plan a refinancing activity prior to the adoption of the budget, the districts budget director Frosina Cordisco said in a statement. Refinancings are reviewed and Board approved contingent upon favorable market conditions. The Radnor Township School District called the analysis of its finances misleading, however district communications director Michael Petitt did not respond to a request to clarify that statement. According to the Radnor Township School Districts audited financial statements, the district had an average budget error of 4%. Petitt said $13.4 million was omitted from the districts end of year actual expenditure. He did not respond to questions as to why. Excluding these expenditures inaccurately inflates the amount of surplus as well as the percentage amounts, he wrote in a statement. In anticipation of future large increases in contributions toward the Pennsylvania School Employee Retirement System (PSERS), district administration and School Board members had the foresight to plan ahead and create a PSERS Rate Stabilization Fund to fund these increases. District administration and School Board members recognized that the PSERS increases over multiple fiscal years would well exceed the funds the district would be able to be collect under each years Act 1 Index, which limits the ability to raise property taxes. Thus, the district prudently maintained a savings account over these years to fund the PSERS increases. The West Chester Area School District also said pension responsibilities play into it raising more money than it spends. The districts average budget error was 3.9% according to its audited financial statements. We work very hard to be fiscally responsible with our budgets, superintendent James Scanlon wrote in a statement. We have a board policy that targets an undesignated fund balance between 5% and 8%. Despite all of the mandated expenses, the average tax increase over the six year period of 2010 to 2015 was 2.2%, with two years being 0%. Our average percent of fund balance to actual expenses was 3.3% and each year of savings went to pay for capital projects or was used to help offset the following years budget. The Wallingford Swarthmore School District also said it uses the extra money to pay down debt ultimately saving taxpayers money. The district had an average budget error of 3.2% according to its audited financial statements. Budgeting is always challenging and not an exact science, superintendent Lisa Palmer wrote in a statement. Our goal is to prepare a budget that not only provides for our students needs, but is realistic in terms of our annual revenue and expenditure assumptions. However, sometimes opportunities present themselves during the course of the school year - after the annual budget is adopted. Boarding a plane is going to get a lot more complicated for Pennsylvania residents come January 22, 2018 (as you've probably heard), and PennDOT officials say you should look to none other than state legislators to fix the problem before the deadline. www.dhs.gov Pennsylvania has a law on the books that PennDOT says is preventing it from making the necessary enhancements to driver's licenses and state ID cards to bring them into compliance with federal standards. PennDOT spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick said the federal requirements are generally technical and have to do with the state's license-issuing processes. Although Pennsylvania IDs do boast a number of security features, the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning letter to PennDOT last week: Comply with the federal "REAL ID" law standards, or else. Regulations for Pennsylvania ID holders begin to go into effect Jan. 30, 2017, when the feds warned that Pennsylvania licenses would no longer be accepted as identification to get into federal facilities like military bases and nuclear plants (they will, however, still be accepted to obtain federal benefits and get into buildings to do so). The more sweeping and worrisome regulation goes into effect a year after that, on Jan. 22, 2018, when Pennsylvania IDs -- as things stand now -- won't be accepted by the Transportation Security Administration to board flights. So why doesn't PennDOT just fix everyone's ID before that? The short answer, Kirkpatrick said, is that their hands are tied. Pennsylvania enacted the REAL ID Nonparticipation Act in 2012 saying the state would not comply with the federal government's "REAL ID" requirements. So, Kirkpatrick explained to NBC10 on Tuesday, PennDOT is barred from making the necessary changes to comply. The state's noncompliance act is brief -- it's only 20 lines on the Pennsylvania General Assembly's website -- but it challenges the "constitutionality and legality" of the federal government's REAL ID Act of 2005. [NATL] 2016: A Tumultuous Year in Photos Kirkpatrick said if the state quells the feds' request to be granted an extension, Pennsylvanians could be spared from the hurdle of having to get a passport or some other TSA-approved ID to fly come 2018. "What constitutes that is really up to the federal government," he said. "But at this point, because of the state law that's on the books, PennDOT can take no additional steps. So that's kind of the dilemma we're facing." A spokesman for Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday said that the federal REAL ID requirements "amount to an unfunded and unnecessary federal mandate," but echoed Kirkpatrick on the state law preventing compliance. He said Pennsylvania citizens would be "unfairly burdened" if the state doesn't comply with federal standards. "We are hopeful to work with the legislature regarding this matter." State officials in New Jersey confirmed Monday that Pedals, the famous upright-walking bear, appears to have been killed in last week's bear hunt. News of the beloved black bear's death began spreading online last week when a Facebook group supporting Pedals announced that a hunter fatally shot the bear with an arrow. The animal was taken to the Greenpond check station last Monday, where Department of Environmental Protection biologists observed injuries or defects to the 333-pound bear's front paws. "The injured paws and chest blaze of this particular adult bear brought to Green Pond appear to be consistent with the bear seen walking upright on several videos taken from North Jersey residents over the past two years," DEP spokesman Bob Considine said. "While many have developed an emotional attachment to the upright bear, it is important to recognize that all black bears are wildlife," said Considine. "They are not pets. They are capable of doing damage, even in a compromised state." He added that there's no practical way for the state to protect a single bear out of the estimated 3,000 bears roaming wild in the bear country. The "Pedals the Injured Bipedal Bear" Facebook page said the hunter that shot Pedals had bragged about wanting the animal dead for nearly three years. "For the hundreds and thousands of animals lovers who were following his story, I am sorry that we have this sad news to bring to you," supporters said in the post. "PEDALS is at peace now because his beautiful soul left his body when he was killed." Supporters had long advocated for Pedals to be placed in a sanctuary in New York state, but New Jersey officials maintained that "a black bear which is surviving or thriving in the while through multiple denning seasons should remain in the wild and not be trapped in an enclosure." Considine added Monday that the state's annual black bear hunt helps the state manage the bear population amid increasing bear-human encounters and property and livestock damage. A total of 562 bears were killed in the most recent hunt using archery and muzzleloader, which ended Saturday. The northwest quadrant of New Jersey has more black bears per square mile than any other location in North America, as well as one of the nation's highest bear reproduction rates, "due largely to abundant food sources and excellent habitat," the DEP says. [NATL] Unbelievable Animal Stories: Dog Befriends Abandoned Baby Giraffe Elected leaders in Philadelphia took issue Monday with Trump campaign allegations that the presidential election could be compromised by fraud, saying that the claims are meant to disrupt voting and discourage minorities from going to the polls. "We will not tolerate any sort of foolishness on Election Day, and it's even insulting to suggest that Philadelphians would," Democratic City Councilwoman Cindy Bass said. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said the only way he could lose Pennsylvania is if there is "cheating," and singled out Philadelphia as a city to watch during a campaign stop in the state Oct. 10. "I hear these horror shows and we have to make sure that this election is not stolen form us and is not taken away from us. And everybody knows what I'm talking about," he said. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump campaign adviser, attacked the integrity of voting in heavily Democratic Philadelphia in a CNN interview Sunday. "You want me to (say) that I think the election in Philadelphia and Chicago is going to be fair? I would have to be a moron to say that," Giuliani said. Democratic members of Philadelphia's city council, the state Senate, and U.S. House, and members of two election watchdog groups joined Monday in defending the integrity of elections in Philadelphia. A Republican election commissioner, Al Schmidt, also attended and criticized election fraud claims against Philadelphia, the nation's fifth-largest city, with a population of 1.5 million. "The real threat to the integrity of elections is irresponsible accusations that undermine confidence in the electoral process," he said. The speakers did not refer to Trump by name or to Giuliani. Democratic City Council President Darrell Clarke mentioned only "the guy with the funny hat." He said the fraud claims are code for rolling back black people's civil rights. "This is a clear attempt to stoke the biases of individuals across the country. If you look at the locations where (Trump) has gone in Pennsylvania they are extremely, predominantly white-majority municipalities, to talk about what could happen in places like Philadelphia," he said. Trump has called on people to act as "election observers" in "certain areas" of the country to help prevent fraud. But Pennsylvania law has strict rules on who can be poll watchers. Each party can appoint three watchers in each precinct, and each candidate can appoint two. Watchers must be registered voters in the county to which they are assigned, must receive a credential from the county elections board and must present the credential upon demand. As to the value of having outsiders come into the city to monitor elections, Schmidt said: "I don't think there is any added amount of integrity to the process that can be brought by some knucklehead from Altoona coming to Philadelphia on Election Day," referring to another Pennsylvania city. David Thornburgh, president of the nonpartisan Committee of Seventy, said his political watchdog group is confident a sound election can occur in Philadelphia, "but, we're also vigilant, and I think that's the proper spirit for this." In Pittsburgh, Democratic Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. said few cases of fraud have been reported in Pennsylvania's major cities, including in Pittsburgh. When his office has gotten referrals the last were in 2003, he said most have involved voters using incorrect addresses or forgery of absentee ballots. "I urge the residents of Allegheny County not to let reckless rhetoric deter anyone from voting," he said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 17 By Farhad Daneshvar Trend: Iran and Azerbaijan are expected to launch a joint website to sell the products of both countries online, Iranian ICT minister has said. Irans Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi met with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ramin Guluzade Oct. 17 in Tehran to discuss expansion of cooperation between the two neighboring countries, Fars news agency reported Oct. 17. Issues regarding postal systems, electronic commerce and satellites were discussed during todays talks, Vaezi said. The volume of trade turnover between the two countries soared by 70 percent over the first seven months of the current year. According to Azerbaijani officials, Iranian companies have already invested $2.6 billion in Azerbaijans economy. About $145 million of the total amount has gone to the non-oil sector. This is while some 450 companies with Iranian share operate in Azerbaijan. Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Iran amounted to $137.65 million in January-September 2016, $34.91 million of which accounted for the export of Azerbaijani goods to Iran, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan. Rowan University in New Jersey is warning students who drink alcohol and other beverages at parties to "keep control" of their drinks after officials say a student reported she was sexually assaulted at a residence hall. The Courier-Post in Cherry Hill reports the Glassboro university says the student told police she left an off-campus party early Friday and that a college-aged male offered to walk her to her residence hall. The university says the woman had been drinking at the party and last remembers waking up to the man sexually assaulting her in a room in Holly Pointe Commons. Further details weren't immediately known. An investigation is ongoing. The university is urging students to have a companion or a safe way of getting home. Hillary Clinton's husband made a campaign stop to stump for his wife in Montgomery County on Tuesday. President Bill Clinton appeared at Montgomery County Community College, in Blue Bell, to campaign for his wife and urge Pennsylvanians to get out and vote on Nov. 8. His agenda includes encouraging people to elect Democrats across the ticket -- including in Pennsylvania's races -- and discussing Hillary Clinton's economic plan. The event began shortly after 3 p.m. in the college's Parkhouse Atrium at 350 Dekalb Pike in Blue Bell. Local Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. A 12-year old girl saves a dog and a cat during a house fire in Carlsbad on Monday, the Carlsbad Fire Department told NBC 7. The fire sparked around 7:53 p.m. on the 4200 block of Clearview Drive. Carlsbad Fire Department Battalion Chief Chris Lawrence told NBC 7 the 12-year old girl was alone when the fire began. She called 911 and then sought help from neighborsshe was able to get a dog and a cat out of the home. The fire caused approximately $900,000 worth of damage and displaced the family, including three kids. There were no injuries reported. Lawrence said the family was being placed in a hotel. Starting Tuesday, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) restaurants in San Diego and Irvine will host a fundraiser to benefit the families of two Palm Springs police officers killed in the line of duty. For three days Tuesday through Thursday CPK locations in San Diego will donate 20 percent of net sales to the families of slain Palm Springs Police Department officers Jose Gilbert Vega, 63, and Lesley Zerebny, 27. Vega and Zerebny were gunned down on Oct. 8 while responding to a family disturbance call at a Palm Springs home. Vega, a 35-year veteran of the police department, had planned to retire this December. Zerebny, with the department for a year-and-a-half, was the mother of a 4-month-old baby girl and had just returned to duty from maternity leave. CPK says the San Diego-based locations participating in the fundraiser for the fallen officers include: California Pizza Kitchen at Carmel Mountain California Pizza Kitchen at Fashion Valley California Pizza Kitchen at Otay Mesa California Pizza Kitchen at Solana Beach California Pizza Kitchen at La Jolla Additional CPK eateries in Southern California also partaking in the fundraiser include restaurants in Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, Tustin, Alton Square and Irvine Spectrum. The company says guests can bring this flyer to a location or mention the fundraiser to their server. The company will donate 20 percent of net sales to the fundraiser from dine-in, take-out and catering orders over the span of the three days. The fundraiser runs from the open to close of business at each location. Most restaurants open daily at 11 a.m. On Tuesday, a public memorial service will be held for both officers at the Palm Springs Convention Center. At least 10,000 people were expected to attend the service. Caltrans officials will investigate the crash involving a motorist suspected of driving drunk and flying off the Coronado Bridge, killing four people at Chicano Park. Caltrans officials issued a statement on Monday afternoon, saying the bridge was inspected prior to reopening late Saturday evening and deemed structurally sound. Still, the incident will be further investigated by the California Highway Patrols multidisciplinary accident investigation team. Caltrans promises further action if any safety issues on the bridge are found. Hours after the Saturday afternoon crash, California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez tweeted a call for full investigation by Caltrans and any measures to prevent in future. I have always feared this would happen in Chicano Park. We must demand a full investigation by Caltrans & any measures to prevent in future. Lorena (@LorenaSGonzalez) October 16, 2016 Several local residents also told NBC 7 that they wished there was more of a barrier between the bridge and the park in Barrio Logan below. Up there now there is no protection. Its a 34 inch cement barrier designed to make cars hit it with their wheel and come back into the lane but obviously it doesnt always work, said Wayne Strickland Coronado resident, retired firefighter and president of Coronado Bridge Collaborative for Suicide Prevention. Strickland said there's a stronger barrier that could be implemented that could prevent trucks from flying over in addition to serving as a barrier against people who would jump from the bridge. Another Barrio Logan resident agrees. Yeah, we need that fence, said Art Flores. It wouldnt cost that much money and if its a toll for another year they can make the money like that. One year of toll they can build these fences and everybody would be a lot safer. A couple killed in the Coronado Bridge crash Saturday dedicated their lives to helping children in need, their nephew told NBC 7 San Diego. AnnaMarie Contreras, 50, and Cruz Elias Contreras, 52, were killed at the La Raza Ride motorcycle festival when a suspected DUI driver hit a guard rail and flew 60 feet off the Coronado Bridge and into the packed crowd at the park. The couple, married for 35 years, were foster parents who opened their homes to many children, sometimes keeping siblings as long as it took to make sure they would not be split up. "There were a few brothers that were almost separated after their parents passed and they didn't have anywhere to go and system was about to split them up," said Jacob Contreras, the couple's nephew from Chandler, Arizona. "My aunt and uncle took care of them for long time until they were able to find a place to keep them together forever." Jacob said traveling the country on their bike was one of their joys, since they had recently semi-retired. AnnaMarie was a teacher's assistant and Cruz was a guidance counselor for at-risk youths. Their nephew said the couple would often take their foster children to museums and ball games, introducing them to new experiences they may not have had otherwise. "I think Cruz sees a lot of himself in a lot of kids he worked with," Jacob said. "He himself faces adversity in his youth and his teenage years, and I think he wanted to play an active father figure role, that shoulder to lean on, that backbone to a lot of kids who needed it." The family came from humble beginnings in Flagstaff, their nephew said. The entire family has spent time volunteering and giving back to the community - a lot of that facilitated and inspired by AnnaMarie and Cruz, Jacob said. "The role they played in my family - they were the glue that kept us together, the inspiration that helped a lot of us volunteer," he said. "A shoulder to lean on in tough times. They were a rock for all of us in family." Jacob said it's been hard to put into words the deep and profound impact that AnnaMarie and Cruz's deaths have had on the family. His aunt and uncle did not deserve to die at the hands of a suspected drunk driver, he added. "There are hundreds of people who are crying and aching today because of the poor judgments of one person, so if one thing could be learned today, people in the San Diego area, please stop, think, call a taxi, call a cheap Uber," Jacob pleaded, voice shaking. "Don't allow another incident like this to happen." A GoFundMe page was created for the Contreras family. The driver, identified as 24-year-old Richard Anthony Sepolio, has been charged with DUI and manslaughter. He is an active duty member of the Navy stationed in Coronado. Sepolio remains in the hospital with serious injuries. A man taken into custody following Monday's destructive apartment fire in Chula Vista has been booked into jail on several charges, officials confirm. Meanwhile, investigators are looking into the possibility that the explosion inside the complex at 4th Avenue and Naples Street was caused by someone making illegal or dangerous weapons. Video appears to show a fireball shoot from one unit at the Seawind Apartments just after 2 p.m. Witnesses and firefighters said they heard at least three explosions. Devices discovered at the scene of an apartment fire in Chula Vista on Monday possibly point to explosives being involved in the incident, a source from the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) told NBC 7. David Wasson, 32, has been booked into central jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, driving under the influence of drugs and providing false identification to a police officer. CVPD Fritz Reiber said Wasson was arrested at the scene on an outstanding warrant with San Diego Police from July. Wasson was living in the apartment but he wasn't the primary resident, police said. Arson investigators were working on whether the fire was started on accident in the process of using dangerous substances or was an intentional act. They're also trying to identify what the dangerous substance is, to see whether Wasson was trying to make a weapon, Reiber said. Two people were treated for burns, including Wasson. Residents in 24 units were not permitted to return to their apartments. The local Red Cross secured hotel rooms for 16 people while the rest are staying with family and friends. The Seawind Apartment complex is about a block from the Northgate Market. Hundreds of community members visited Chicano Park Monday night to remember the four people who were killed over the weekend in a horrific crash off the Coronado Bridge. Family members of the victims were also among those at the memorial. Tracy Spungin, is the niece of Cruz Elias and AnnaMarie Contreras. She told NBC 7, her aunt and uncle were two of the most selfless people you could ever meet. They were enjoying semi-retirement together, helping at-risk children in their community and spending time with their two grandchildren. "They worked really hard to keep the whole family together and get everyone together for family events. That will be sorely missed, especially now coming into the holidays," Spungin said. NBC 7s Omari Fleming heard from the couples nephew who described them as the glue that kept us together. The couple were married for 35 years. Both were killed on Saturday when a pick-up truck slammed into the guardrail on the Coronado Bridge and fell about 60 feet into the crowd below. AnnaMarie Contreras had worked as an assistant teacher at a local elementary school in Arizona. "All the children knew her as Mrs. C, and they just really tried to help as many people as they could," added Spungin. "They fostered several young children and they brought them to their homes and tried to provide for them emotionally and with the family life." She said their family is now searching for answers. "It's a time of really deep sadness for us," she told NBC 7. Francine Jimenez and her boyfriend Andre Banks were also killed in the crash. Norma Perez, Jimenez's sister said their mother came to the memorial because she needed to see the place where her daughter took her last breath. It was really important to her to be here, to have a little bit of closure in a very difficult situation, Perez said. The 46-year old had just celebrated her grandson's first birthday. "There's a big, deep hole that my family has because of this event," Spungin said. A GoFundMe account has been set up by the family to help with funeral costs for AnnaMarie and Cruz Elias Contreras. Out of dozens of children rescued in an international sex trafficking operation, three are from San Diego, the director for the local branch of the FBI announced on Monday. It's called Operation Cross Country X. Eighty-two children were rescued internationally in the four-day operation, along with the arrest of 239 traffickers and their associates. Three of the children are from San Diegotwo of whome were 17-year old girls, according to local FBI Special Agent, Eric Birnbaum. Law enforcement from Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia and Canada also participated in the operation. A 2-year old girl was rescued by authorites among 16 children recovered in Cambodia, Thailand, and the Phillippines. On Monday, the FBI was joined by representatives from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and law enforcement partners from around the world to discuss the results of the operation. "Operation Cross Country aims to shine a spotlight into the darkest corners of our society that seeks to prey on the most vulnerable of our population," said local FBI Director James Comey. Comey told NBC 7 that since a lot of sex trafficking activity is done on websites that host the illegal advertisements, it is difficult to find evidence of the illegal activity. The challenge for us is proving that the person who hosted the ad knew that they were involved in a criminal venturethat they knew the activity involved children or illegal content. And often, thats difficult for us to prove," he said. "But where we can prove it, well be aggressive in pursuing it. But according to Birnbaum, the operation doesn't just end with the rescue of minors from sex trafficking circles. "The key is after," Birnbaum said. "Now, we're going to provide them with services to get back in society and out of this dark world they've been in." Operation Cross Country X is part of the Innocence Lost Initiative, launched by the FBI in 2003. Tehran, Iran, Oct. 18 By Mehdi Sepahvand, Dalga Khatinoglu Trend: Irans deputy oil minister and head of National Petrochemical Company (NPC), Marzieh Shah-Daei is preparing to visit Germany on Oct. 20. Some officials and heads of companies will accompany her during Germany visit, Adel Salimnejad, managing director of Irans biggest petrochemical company, Persian Gulf Holding Company, told Trend. Salimnejad added that he will also be in the Iranian delegation and will discuss the investment opportunities with German companies. Iran has already signed several deals with German Siemens in power and railroad sectors. Yashar Nasrollahi-Azad, a spokesman with the German company, told Trend in August, We are in fruitful discussions with our Iranian partners in the field of petrochemical projects. Marzieh Shah-Daei also announced on Feb. 12 that the world's largest chemical company, Germanys BASF, has announced readiness to invest $4 billion in a petrochemical project in Iran. BASF intends to take a 60-percent stake in the first phase of investment in Parsian Special Energy Zone, southern Iran, SHANA news agency quoted her as saying. Germanys Linde is also interested in investment worth billions of dollars in the Iranian petrochemical industry jointly with the Japanese Mitsui Group, Press TV reported in August. Persian Gulf Holding Company was the first Iranian petrochemical company to sign a usance payment facility, amounting to 320 million euros with a foreign company after elimination of sanctions on Iran in January 2016. The company and Japans Marubeni signed the deal in September. The company eyes $1 billion usance payment facility deals with foreigners by March 21, 2017, said Salimnejad. Germany became the fifth top goods exporter to Iran during the first half of the current fiscal year (March 20-Sept. 21, 2016) with $1.122 billion worth of exports. Germanys exports to Iran increased by 26 percent in the six-month period, according to the latest statistics released by Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI). The country shared 5.5 percent of Irans overall imports, which amounted to $20.308 billion in the first six months of the current fiscal year. Californians will vote on a proposal on the legalization of marijuana and hemp when they decide on Proposition 64. Prop 64 would legalize recreational marijuana and hemp under state law and establish certain sales and cultivation taxes. The proposition would allow those aged 21 and over to have and use up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational purposes. They would also be able to grow up to six plants. In 2010, Prop 19 was defeated by 53 percent of California voters who didn't want to see marijuana legalized. Steve Walter, a San Diego County Deputy District Attorney, opposes the measure and thinks its passage would be dangerous for the community. He said based on the Colorado experience, he expects California would see the black market for marijuana grow and would see an increase in the general amount of crime. Walter said one of the other concerns is children getting their hands on marijuana. Research in Colorado showed that when marijuana was in the house, children more easily got their hands on it, even though the bill addressed some of those issues. "Its just going to be a quality of life issue as well," Walter said. He argued that the tax gained from the sale of legalized marijuana in Colorado was a much smaller fraction in the grand scheme of things. Kimberly Simms, an attorney who supports the initiative, believes many strong supporters have similar concerns about some of the issues that may arise, such as driving under the influence. However, Simms said the proposition addresses some of those concerns. Driving under the influence of marijuana would remain illegal under Prop 64, she said, and many young adults already have access to marijuana. "What Prop 64 does is it takes 60 percent of the $1 billion in potential tax revenue and it earmarks it for youth drug treatment prevention," Simms said. "This is a social justice issue, not a criminal justice issue." Read the measure here. For San Diego voters, there are two marijuana issues on your November ballot. The state proposition, Prop 64, and locally, Measure N. If California approves Prop 64 to legalize pot, a yes vote on the citywide measure would impose a sales tax on businesses that sell marijuana for recreational use. In addition to Prop 64, San Diego voters will also vote on Measure N. A yes vote on the citywide measure would impose a sales tax on businesses that sell marijuana for recreational use, if Prop 64 passes at the state level. The tax would start at 5 percent, and could never go above 15 percent. Eight people were arrested Monday in El Cajon after an unlawful assembly was declared at the site of last month's fatal police shooting. El Cajon Police (ECPD) said their officers were assaulted by a crowd of people near the memorial for the man shot and killed Sept. 27 in a confrontation with police officers. Alfred Olango, 38, was shot and killed in a confrontation with police in the parking lot of a shopping center at Broadway and North Mollison. The shooting led to several nights of protest by members in the community who argued the shooting was unjustified. An investigation has been launched. A memorial built for Olango in the parking lot had been removed recently. According to ECPD, "participants in the memorial, who had been asked to leave the property, returned and asked to collect their items" prior to Monday's incident. However, two people who noticed the memorial was gone Monday evening argued with security personnel who have been hired to patrol the area by the property owner. Security employees called ECPD to take the two people into custody. At that time, three officers and several protesters witnessed a man "brandish a hand gun" according to a police statement. Traffic Advisory - Protest Activity in the area of Broadway and Mollison. Please avoid the area if possible. El Cajon Police (@elcajonpolice) October 18, 2016 At approximately 7:30 p.m., police had issued a traffic advisory to motorists to avoid the area. They also walked through nearby streets looking for the protester who drew the gun as well as those who left the area carrying the firearm, police said. The gun was not recovered. Booked on trespassing charges were a 28-year-old San Diego man, a 29-year-old San Diego man and a 37-year-old San Diego man A 22-year-old San Diego female and a 26-year-old La Mesa man face charges of obstructing an officer and trespassing. A 28-year-old El Cajon man faces charges of refusing to leave an unlawful assembly, destruction of evidence and obstructing an officer. A 25-year-old El Cajon man was booked on a charge of refusing to leave an unlawful assembly. One man, 21, of El Cajon, was arrested on a felony no bail warrant for assault with a deadly weapon as well as refusing to leave an unlawful assembly, police said. Olango's sister said she had called for help three times in the span of 50 minutes because her brother needed help. But within minutes of arriving on scene, police shot Olango. When El Cajon Police officers Richard Gonsalves and Josh McDaniel arrived to the scene, Olango refused to remove his hands out of the pockets of his pants. At one point, he drew a device out of his pocket, which was later identified to be a vaping device. Officer McDaniel deployed a taser at Olango while Officer Gonsalves fired multiple rounds from his gun. The stealthy USS Zumwalt joined the Navy during a weekend commissioning ceremony, another destroyer departed for builder trials on Monday and five other warships are under various stages of construction at shipbuilder Bath Iron Works. But many workers don't see much cause for celebration. Rich Nolan, president of the yard's biggest union, said workers are worried about future job cuts and that morale "is as low as I've ever seen it." Shipbuilders approved concessions last December in hopes of winning a Coast Guard contract to preserve up to 1,200 jobs, but the shipyard was underbid. There's currently enough of a backlog to limit job cuts in the short term, and the shipyard will refocus on winning the bulk of a 10-ship Navy contract next year. Buy without additional work, the shipyard's 6,000-strong workforce will become smaller through attrition and layoffs in coming years, and shipyard workers are frustrated. "The Coast Guard loss made everyone feel discouraged. Losing that contract was a blow to the whole company," welder Dana Richardson said Monday. But, he added, "We're going to make it. There's too much at stake." The shipyard is bustling for the time being. The future USS Rafael Peralta went to sea for the first time Monday, two days after the Bath-built Zumwalt, the angular, futuristic-looking "stealthy destroyer," was commissioned into service in Baltimore. Also under construction are two more ships in the Zumwalt class, along with the Peralta and three other conventional destroyers. The backlog includes another three destroyers. The failure to win the Coast Guard contract, worth more than $10 billion, was a bitter pill after shipbuilders agreed to concessions aimed at making the yard more efficient. There will be no opportunity to bid on additional work until next year, when the Navy is expected to submit a request for proposals for 10 more destroyers. Fred Harris, the shipyard president, told workers to focus for now on what they can control: Working efficiently and safely, and hitting deadlines. "It will take all of us working together, fully engaged, to move this company forward," he wrote in an October newsletter to workers. While there's some uncertainty about jobs, there's little concern that things will get as bad as they were a decade ago when some Navy leaders thought the shipyard was expendable because there were too few warships being built to support both Bath Iron Works and its chief competitor, the larger Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Bath Iron Works' parent corporation, General Dynamics, has invested heavily over the years in improvements. Also, Hurricane Katrina heavily damaged the Ingalls shipyard, underscoring to Navy leaders the advantage of having two shipyards. "Bath Iron Works is a survivor. I don't think there's any chance at all that Bath is going to go away," said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute, who pointed out that the shipyard remains profitable and that the Navy needs it. But the shipyard faces challenges in a shrinking shipbuilding budget that's been stretched even thinner by the Navy's decision to builder smaller surface combatants at small shipyards in Alabama and Wisconsin instead of at Bath or Ingalls, he said. Because of the tight budget, cost is a more important than Bath's reputation for quality, he added. Nolan, president of Machinists Union Local S6, said it's frustrating that the Navy is focused so heavily on costs rather than the best product for sailors. "The Navy used to be willing to pay a little bit more for the quality we gave them. Now it's all about the bottom line, and the low bidder wins," Nolan said. The house where Adolf Hitler was born will be torn down and replaced with a new building that has no association with the Nazi dictator, Austria's government announced Monday as it moved to eliminate the property's pull as a place of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis. The plan still has to be formalized in legislation and voted on in Parliament. But the Interior Ministry said demolition was recommended by a government-appointed commission. With the Social Democratic and centrist People's Party in the majority, and most opposition parties expected to support the plan, passage was likely no more than a formality. Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said that "a thorough architectural remodeling is necessary to permanently prevent the recognition and the symbolism of the building." Ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck said that means that except for its foundations, nothing will be left of the house in the western town of Braunau and that a new structure will be erected in its place. A ministry statement emailed to The Associated Press quoted Sobotka saying he wants to ensure that any association with Hitler is eliminated at the site, adding that he could conceive of it being repurposed to house either government or social agency offices. The statement said the commission had recommended against leaving the site empty, which could be interpreted as an attempted "denial of Austrian history." The government this year launched formal legal procedures to dispossess the home's owner after she had repeatedly refused to sell the building or to allow renovations that would reduce its symbolic impact as Hitler's birthplace and its draw for admirers of the Fuhrer. The statement said the Interior Ministry planned to finalize a draft law making the house state property before putting it to a vote in Parliament by the end of the year. Vienna's Jewish community and a government-supported anti-Nazi research center support tearing down the imposing three-story yellow house, where Hitler was born on April 20, 1889. But some historians argue that the house and the apartment inside where the Hitler family lived briefly should be preserved specifically because they are among the few surviving structures linked to the Nazi leader. A house in nearby Leonding, where Hitler lived as a teenager, is now used to store coffins for the town cemetery. There, the tombstone marking the grave of Hitler's parents, another pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis, was removed last year at the request of a descendant. A school that Hitler attended in Fischlham, also near Braunau, displays a plaque condemning his crimes against humanity. The underground bunker in Berlin where Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, was demolished and the site left vacant until the East German government built an apartment complex around it in the late 1980s. The apartments overlook the German capital's monument to victims of the Holocaust. Looking for a job this holiday season? Retail and shipping giants like FedEx and Amazon are gearing up for the holiday rush by hiring additional employees across the country. If you're looking for a temporary position, check out this list of holiday hires in the D.C. metro area: UPS UPS says will hire 95,000 seasonal employees around the country this year. Those jobs include delivery helpers who ride with drivers, package sorters, loaders and drivers. To apply, visit UPSjobs.com. FedEx FedEx has announced plans to add 50,000 additional positions leading up to the peak holiday season in order to maintain quality service. In Washington, D.C., seasonal jobs will include package handlers, drivers and other support positions. Those interested in applying can go here for more information. Macy's Macy's Inc. will create approximately 83,000 seasonal positions at its Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores, call centers, distribution centers and online fulfillment centers nationwide this year. Employees may serve customers in stores, provide customer service via call centers or assist in coordinating shipments to stores and customers. Most positions are part-time and scheduling is often flexible, but many positions require employees to work evenings and weekends. Some require overnight shifts. Interested in applying? As of Tuesday, Oct. 18, more than 200 positions are available in Macy's stores in the D.C. area. Amazon Amazon will hire more than 120,000 employees to help sort, wrap and ship holiday packages this season. Positions are available in Maryland, Virginia and 25 other states, but are going fast. Working in Amazon's fulfillment and sortation centers may require heavy lifting, spending extended periods on your feet, and operating carts and dollies. Interested applicants can go here for more information. USPS The United States Postal Service plans to hire between 35,000 and 40,000 additional workers nationwide this holiday season. Seasonal workers will serve as mail handlers, retail associates, drivers and carrier assistants to help deliver holiday cards and packages to customers. USPS is particularly interested in hiring retired mail carriers for these temporary positions, as they can hit the ground running with no learning curve. If you're interested in applying, you can search for job openings in your area here. UPS UPS will hire 95,000 seasonal employees -- primarily package handlers, drivers and driver helpers -- in anticipation of increased holiday package volume. As of Tuesday, Oct. 18, more than 200 positions are available throughout Maryland and Virginia, according to UPS's employment website. Interested applicants can go here for more information. Target Target is looking to hire more than 77,000 seasonal team members to deal with "mega-high volume" of online orders and those holiday shopping crowds. The company is seeking 70,000 employees to work in stores across the country and 7,750 employees to help staff its distribution and fulfillment facilities. Interested applicants can go here and click "apply now" to search for available positions near them. Toys "R" Us Seasonal positions are also available at Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores in Maryland and Virginia, including locations in Silver Spring, Fairfax, Chantilly and Alexandria. Interested applicants can visit this site and filter results by state. Marriott is planning on sticking around in Montgomery County, Maryland, after announcing a new $600 million office and hotel complex to be located in downtown Bethesda. The company has been based in Maryland for 60 years, but an expiring lease gave the hotel chain an opening to explore moving. Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson said they looked at several locations in the D.C. metro area but have finalized their site selection to locations in Bethesda. "Our future headquarters will be a major investment in the local community, and we look forward to remaining a strong economic engine for Montgomery County and the entire region," Sorenson said. The new complex will house more than 3,500 employees in approximately 700,000 square feet of leased office space. The company is expected to select a final site in the first half of 2017 and occupy the new office before the expiration of their current lease in late 2022. In addition to the office space, a new 200 plus room hotel will be built on the site. In 2015, there were more than 10,400 jobs in Maryland at Marriott properties, including its corporate offices, Marriott-managed hotels and franchised properties. Prince George's County police are searching for a 24-year-old woman and her infant son after a family member reported the two were last seen nearly a month ago. Geneice Petty and 3-month-old Antoine Flemons were reported missing Monday night, but the last time the mother and son were seen was Sept. 22 in the 8500 block of Greenbelt Road in Lanham, Prince George's County police said. Police say Petty may be driving a black Lincoln with Maryland tags Z95024. No details about what the two may have been wearing at the time they were last seen were made available. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call police. If Washington ever succeeds in becoming a state, it won't be getting a new name after all. The D.C. Council on Tuesday approved a statehood constitution ballot item for Nov. 8 -- but it rejected the long-proposed name of New Columbia. Instead, the new state would still be known as Washington, D.C. -- but as a state, the initials would stand for "Douglass Commonwealth" instead of "District of Columbia." The moniker would honor abolitionist Frederick Douglass. He lived in Washington from 1877 until his death in 1895, purchasing the family's final home on a hill above the Anacostia River. District leaders plan to send the proposed constitution to Congress next year. However, many supporters of statehood said there is little chance Congress would approve the measure. A squabble over a public's school's toilet paper supply has broken out in a Spanish town, prompting local officials to step in. The government-run Rafael Garcia Valino primary school in Yepes, a town 30 miles south of Madrid, recently sent out a list of supplies students need for class this year. Among the pens, notebooks and erasers was an unexpected item: six rolls of toilet paper. One parent, Carmen Contreras, complained on her Facebook page that the requirement was "totally surreal." She said the school told her it didn't have enough money for toilet paper. The ABC newspaper says Yepes town hall has offered to resolve the shortage by supplying rolls for the whole school. No one was available at the school or town hall Monday for comment. Tehran, Iran, Oct. 18 By Mehdi Sepahvand, Fatih Karimov Trend: Iran plans to increase its petrochemical export to 65 million tons by 2020, Marzieh Shah-Daei, the countrys deputy oil minister, said. Shah-Daei, who heads Iran's National Petrochemical Company (NPC), made the remarks in second Iranian Petroleum and Energy Club Congress & Exhibition (IEPC 2016) in Tehran on Oct. 18, Trend's correspondent reported from the event. She said that Tehran has exported 19.1 million tons of petrochemicals during the current fiscal year (started March 20, 2016). Shah-Daei further said that the countrys actual petrochemical output capacity is around 63 million tons per year, adding that the capacity is planed to reach 130 million tons by 2020 and 180 million tons by 2025. She said that 50 petrochemical development projects have been defined, needing more than $30 billion of investment. Once the projects are implemented, more than 40 million tons will be added to the country's petrochemical production capacity, Shah-Daei added. Iran produced 46.4 million tons of petrochemicals during the last fiscal year (ended March 20), but for the current year, the figure is planned to reach 54.7 million tons. Iran petrochemical exports increased by 22 percent to $8.698 billion during the first half of the current fiscal year. The volume of the petrochemical exports also registered a rise by 53 percent to 18.719 million tons in the first half of the current fiscal year. "Stranger Things" actor Noah Schnapp may only be 12, but the child star tackled an adult subject head-on over the weekend when discussing speculation over his character's sexuality on the hit Netflix show. Schnapp plays Will Byers, the soft-spoken boy who's disappearance serves as a catalyst for the show. As the hunt begins for Will in the pilot episode, his mother, played by Winona Ryder, tells the local sheriff that Will's father believed he was gay. "Look. He's a sensitive kid," Ryder said. "Lonnie, Lonnie used to say he was queer. Called him a 'fag.'" That debate has apparently carried over into the show's fandom, as viewers of the show also questioned the character's sexual identity. The speculation led Schnapp to offer his own thoughts on social media. https://www.instagram.com/p/BLoV3nyDm1x/ "So I thought it would be time to jump into the conversation. I've been reading stuff for a while. I think everyone here is missing the point," Schnapp wrote. "For me, Will being gay or not is besides the point. "'Stranger Things,' is a show about a bunch of kids who are outsiders and find each other because they have been bullied in some way or are different," Schnapp wrote. "Does being sensitive, or a loner, or a teenager who likes photography, or a girl with red hair and big glasses, make you gay?" Schnapp said while he was only 12, he thinks everyone can relate to being different and he believes that's why the creators of the show have left the character's sexual identity undefined. "So you can ask all these questions," Schnapp wrote. "I hope the real answer never comes out!" "Modern Family" star Ariel Winter says she has co-star Sofia Vergara to thank for finding confidence in her body. "I had Sofia Vergara, for one thing," she said in an opinion piece on Today.com. "Growing up working with her was amazing because I got to learn from how confident she was in her body, and with her curves." The young star has become something of a body image advocate in recent years, garnering an impressive social media following while often posting revealing pics of herself. Winter says she grew up in the public eye starting on the show when she was just 11 and was "completely flat-chested. Pretty much overnight, I transformed into what I felt like was a completely different person. I suddenly had a D-cup and my body was filling out, and it was really hard for me accept a lot of the criticism I faced online." Winter, who has openly discussed her decision to get a breast reduction, also talked about the backlash she faced following that decision. "I got it because I needed it. I needed it, I wanted it, I feel better about myself with it," Winter said. "I feel like Im the way Im supposed to be." A man is accused of opening credit cards in the names of women he dated and using them to charge more than $375,000 worth of purchases. Twenty-five-year-old Michael J. Shields Jr., a New Hampshire resident who previously lived in Boston, was ordered to be held on $7,500 during his arraignment in front of a Massachusetts judge in Suffolk Superior Court Wednesday. Between May 2015 and January 2016, Shields allegedly opened more than a dozen credit cards in the names of five women with whom he had brief relationships. Authorities say he asked each woman for her personal information, at times claiming he wanted to make the victim an authorized user on his own existing cards. Instead, according to prosecutors, he used the information to open up new cards and added himself as an authorized user. On those cards, authorities say he charged vacations, jewelry, meals and clothes, all adding up to more than $375,000. Additionally, Shields is accused of opening four credit cards in the name of a childhood friend who, at the time, was serving in the Army. Shields allegedly offered to help him build credit as he transitioned to civilian life, but instead charged more than $3,000 on his own purchases. A different member of the U.S. Army alleges that Shields swindled him out of $12,500, which he expected the suspect to invest on his behalf. Shields allegedly used some of his victims' bank accounts to make payments on the credit card charges he racked fraudulently racked up. Charges against Shields include 21 counts of credit card fraud, 17 counts of use of a fraudulently obtained card, several larceny charges and two counts of witness intimidation. Shields was indicted on Sept. 28. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. His next court date is Nov. 1. More than 750 people came out to Dartmouth College Monday to see former President Bill Clinton campaign for his wife, Hillary Clinton. Many voters discouraged by this election told necn after the event they were reinvigorated by Clinton's positivity. "I really wanted to get a chance to see one of the presidents that I idolize," said New London resident Michael T. Brown II. Clinton's focus at Dartmouth College Monday was inclusion. "If we're stronger together, we have to mean it, it's not us and them, us and them, us and them," Clinton told the packed auditorium at Alumni Hall. Though Clinton didn't once mention the Republican nominee by name, he still took aim at Donald Trump. "We've got a guy running for president who knows more about ISIS than our military, he says everything is a disaster but his campaign," Clinton said. Many people are calling this the nastiest election in our country's history. "I have never seen anything like it and I am sickened by it," said Fran Newton of Ashland. "We should be better than that as a people and as a country." In a statement Monday, the Republican National Committee pointed to newly leaked Clinton campaign emails. RNC Spokesperson Johanna Persing, writing, "New emails indicate more corruption within the Clinton inner circle after it was revealed that an influential Clinton Foundation official convinced the campaign to accept big money raised by lobbyists representing foreign governments. While Bill Clinton is in New Hampshire today, the former president should explain to Granite Staters why corruption, conflicts of interest, and deceit seem to follow the Clintons." Clinton didn't address any of the scandals that've followed this campaign, but we took the question to voters. When asked whether anything causes hesitation in casting a vote for Hillary Clinton, Brown answered, "Well, her emails a little bit, but here's the thing, we all make mistakes." "I dont know the truth about these things and all I can do is go with is my gut, and I trust these people, call me crazy, but I do," said Virginia Ramus of White Water Junction. "Hillary Clinton, sure shes had a few issue, but I believe she will do right for our country," agreed Connor Cryans. So too does her husband and he's warning America about the alternative. "If you don't want someone to drive the truck off a cliff, don't give them the keys," Clinton told the crowd. The latest polls put Clinton ahead of Trump in the Granite State by a four to six point lead. A manatee that was rescued off the coast of Cape Cod and later found to be pregnant has left Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium and got on a flight to move to SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Charles Underwood told the Cape Cod Times the manatee will will undergo further rehabilitation before being released into the wild. The 800-pound pregnant female, dubbed "Washburn," was picked up in September in Nantucket Sound off Falmouth, Massachusetts, by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The group said the animal was well out of its range and was rescued just before water temperatures dropped below 67 degrees -- too cold for it to survive. Underwood said the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership will decide where the animal will be released in Florida. One person is dead following a crash involving a car and a freight train Tuesday morning in Madbury, New Hampshire, according to state police. Police said investigation showed Jacquelyn Rollins, 64, of Dover, was parked across the tracks. Her vehicle was struck by the train on the driver's side around 2:30 a.m. She was taken to Wentworth Douglas Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. No other injuries were reported. The incident is under investigation. A 12-year-old girl was hit by a minivan near her school in Manchester this morning and she has been transported to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center to be treated for a leg injury. Police said the girl is a student at Illing Middle School and witnesses told officers she unexpectedly darted into the road and was crossing East Middle Turnpike, east of the Brookfield Street intersection, when she was hit by a Chrysler minivan. Police said the girl was not in a crosswalk, the pedestrian controls were not activated when she was hit and the traffic light was green as the driver who hit the girl was traveling through the intersection. Police responded to the intersection just before 8 a.m. and said the 12-year-old sustained a non-life-threatening leg injury. She is in stable condition. The driver was not injured and is cooperating with the investigation, police said. The minivan sustained minor damage. The Manchester Police Department Traffic Unit is investigating and police are asking witnesses to call Officer Augusto at 860-645-5560. Two people are facing drug trafficking charges after authorities in Maine say they made a heroin and cocaine bust last week. Officials with the Maine DEA and Washington County Sheriff's Department say they searched a home at 50 Dixie Road in Lubec last Wednesday after an investigation for the past several months. When police arrived, they found eight people inside the home and a woman, later identified as Jennifer Wallace, who had fled out the home's back door and was caught with a bag of drugs. Wallace, 35, was charged with aggravated drug trafficking and was taken to Washington County Jail were her bail was set at $1,000. Sharley Fitzsimmons, 51, was also charged with aggravated drug trafficking; however, police say that due to his declining health, he was charged by way of summons and has not been arrested at this time. In all, police say they seized about 50 grams of heroin, 40 grams of powered cocaine, 8 grams of crack cocaine and nearly $5,000 in suspected drug profits. The street value of the seized drugs is estimated to be around $15,000. It's unclear if Wallace and Fitzsimmons have attorneys. A Granby, Massachusetts, accountant is headed to federal prison for filing false corporate and personal income tax returns over three years. U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz's office says 53-year-old James Lowe was sentenced Monday in Worcester to four months in prison. He pleaded guilty in June to charges he filed false corporate tax returns for his Chicopee accounting business and filed false personal income tax returns from 2011 to 2013. Ortiz's office says Lowe would deposit some of the tax return checks for his business into his personal bank account instead of his business bank account. Authorities say Lowe under-reported his income on both his corporate and personal income tax returns by not disclosing certain checks generated from his accounting business. More than 118,000 taxes were lost as a result. Tehran, Iran, October 18 By Mehdi Sepahvand, Dalga Khatinoglu - Trend: Iran has 5-10 gigawatts (GW) worth of renewable power firm projects for foreign companies in the next ten years, the deputy of Energy Minister Houshang Falahatian told Trend Oct.18. He said that Iran proposed a guarantee for foreign companies to purchase their power firms electricity in a 20-year period with good tariffs. We call on foreign companies to invest in Irans renewables projects, he said. Falahatian said that Iran has planned to purchase 1 GW of renewable power, generated in foreign companies projects in Iran annually, in short-term and within a 10-year plan. Currently, Irans nominal power generation capacity stands at about 76 GW, of which only 240 MW (or 0.32 percent) accounts for renewables. He said that Irans priority is construction of wind and solar power plants. Below is Irans proposed tariffs for foreign companies: (Currently $1 equals 36,000 rials in open markets) The two Boston Police officers injured in a shooting last week remain in stable condition and are in "good spirits," according to Boston Police Commissioner William Evans. In a Twitter post on Tuesday, Boston Police said officers Matthew Morris and Richard Cintolo continue to rest and recover from their injuries. They remain in stable condition at Massachusetts General Hospital. Just left the hospital," Evans added. "Matt & Richie both in good spirits. Thanks again to everybody for all the support and prayers." Both officers were injured in a shooting on the evening of Oct. 12 after a man pulled a gun on officers responding to a domestic disturbance in East Boston. Authorities say the man - 33-year-old Kirk Figueroa - opened fire on them with a shotgun. Other officers then shot and killed Figueroa. Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling announced plans on Tuesday to run against Elizabeth Warren in the U.S. Senate if his wife agrees, and said that he's ultimately responsible for the collapse of his video game company in Rhode Island, though he didn't apologize to taxpayers left on the hook for tens of millions of dollars. Schilling did his first interview about the failed 38 Studios deal on Tuesday with WPRO-AM. Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo has said Rhode Island residents were hurt by the bad deal and deserve an apology. Schilling said it's not that he won't apologize, but he wants Raimondo to tell him what he should apologize for. He asked listeners: "What do you want me to apologize for?" The company moved from Massachusetts to Rhode Island in 2010 in exchange for a $75 million loan guarantee, then went bankrupt less than two years later. Schilling said his company failed because it didn't raise enough money, not because he did anything malicious or illegal, and that he has apologized to his former employees. "I couldn't raise the final tranche of money and get the product to launch and that will never be anyone's fault but mine," he said. In a wide-ranging, three-hour interview, Schilling took questions from callers and said he'll run against Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, in 2018, but must clear the decision with his wife. "I've made my decision, I'm going to run," he said. "But I have to talk to Shonda, my wife, and ultimately it's going to come down to how her and I feel this would affect our marriage and our kids." Schilling took issue with Warren opposing a November ballot question aimed at dramatically expanding the number of charter schools in Massachusetts. He said he's not scared to debate her, noting that the Red Sox defeated the Cleveland Indians when he was a player. "I've beaten the real ones before so I'm not worried about that," the self-described conservative and Donald Trump supporter said, an apparent reference to Warren's claims of Native American heritage. Earlier this year Schilling was fired from his job as an ESPN baseball analyst after comments on Facebook critical of transgender rights. He now has an online radio show. A judge recently approved a settlement with Schilling and three other 38 Studios officials over the 38 Studios deal. The state of Rhode Island sued Schilling and other key players involved. Just one company remains as a defendant, First Southwest, which acted as the state's financial adviser. Schilling said he expects to testify at the trial. "If I was the governor, I would have never even offered this deal," Schilling said. "The government doesn't belong in private business. But I'm on the other side of this. My job and responsibility is to my company and to my employees and I was doing everything I could do, within my legal means, to make that be a success." Raimondo's spokesman said on Tuesday that Rhode Islanders were hurt by the 38 Studios deal and it's unfortunate that Schilling doesn't recognize his part in that. In addition to his radio appearance, Schilling is attending phone bank events for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in New Hampshire on Tuesday. He was scheduled to appear at GOP offices in Nashua, Salem and Stratham. A Massachusetts man is being held on $1 million cash bail after he was arraigned on charges he allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl in Whitman, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney's office. The district attorney said Charles Lovejoy, 31, of Lowell, was arraigned on Monday in Brockton District Court. Whitman Police said they were performing routine patrols around town on Monday and noticed a car with its headlights on leaving St. James Cemetery at about 1:30 a.m. After running Lovejoys license plate, police identified Lovejoy as a Level 3 registered sex offender on active probation. Authorities said through interviews, they determined that Lovejoy met his female victim online through an App and drove down to Whitman, where he picked her up in his vehicle, drove her to the cemetery and allegedly sexually assaulted her. Police seized two cell phones from Lovejoy, who was wearing a GPS monitoring device on his ankle. He was then taken into custody. Lovejoy has been charged with one count each of aggravated rape of a child, indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over and enticement of a child for sex under the age of 16. He is being held on $1 million cash bail and is scheduled to appear in court on November 16 for a probable cause hearing. A Florida man is facing a slew of drug charges as well as child endangerment after Massachusetts State Police say he was driving erratically in Sturbridge on Saturday. A trooper saw the man driving a Nissan at about 8 p.m. on Interstate 84. When the trooper stopped the man, he noticed a young child in the back seat. Police said after an investigation, the trooper discovered heroin, oxycodone and tramadoland pure THC in the vehicle. The driver, Austin Thomas, 30, of Cloud, Florida, was taken into custody for operating under the influence of drugs. He was later released on $5,000 bail. The attorney for a Maine business owner accused of food stamp fraud says he should be afforded the "time-honored American tradition of the presumption of innocence." Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Monday called attention to a federal investigation into allegations that the man, identified by affiliate WCSH as Ali Ratib Daham, owner of Ahram Halal Market in Portland, pocketed thousands under a cash-back scheme involving food stamps. An affidavit indicates the grocer allegedly charged excessive amounts onto customers' electronic benefit transfer cards, provided cash in return and kept a commission. No charges have been filed against the Daham or his grocery store. Walter McKee, his attorney, said his client is adamant that he did nothing wrong. LePage chastised the media for not reporting on the case, which was publicized by a conservative website. He says the fraud amounts to "hundreds of thousands of dollars." The two Boston Police officers injured in a shooting last week in East Boston have been upgraded to "stable condition." According to tweets posted by the department, officers Matt Morris and Richard Cintolo are "out of the critical phrase." Commissioner William Evans said Monday, Just left the hospital. Both guys doing better. It appears somebody upstairs is listening to all of our prayers." #BPDUpdate: Good news. Officers Cintolo & Morris are out of the critical phase. Conditions have been upgraded to stable. #KeepPraying Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) October 17, 2016 Both officers were injured in a shooting Wednesday night after Kirk Figueroa pulled a gun on the officers who were responding to a domestic disturbance. Police are commending the quick and brave work of their fellow officers. Authorities said after Kirk Figueroa opened up on them with a shotgun, hitting both Cintolo and Morris, other officers put themselves in harms way, tending the wounds of their hurt comrades while still under fire. One SWAT officer put himself between Figeuroa and the wounded officers, shielding them, firing on him, eventually taking him down. "I don't want to give names but one particular officer stood between the individual who already shot our officers and protected the officers, continued to give them cover while other officers were able to safely remove the other two and provide the very necessary urgent care otherwise those officers could have very well bled out," Evans said. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and several Boston officers attended a mass at St Joseph and St Lazarus Church on Monday night in honor of the Boston Police Department and the wounded but healing officers. Boston Police need help identifying the man wanted for questioning in the shooting of a 2-year-old girl over the weekend in Roxbury. Newly released pictures taken from a security camera show a man on a black and white scooter with a black helmet. Police said the man was last seen driving toward the Dudley Triangle, moments after Saturday's shooting which took place on Degautier Way. The man also appeared to be wearing a sweatshirt and grey sweatpants. Police said a toddler was in the back seat of a vehicle at about 4 p.m. when a bullet meant for her father, struck her in her hand and leg. The girl was taken to a hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Police have said the childs father, a known gang member, is not cooperating with the investigation. The exact link the man in the pictures has to the crime is unknown but police say theyd like to question him. Anyone with information is asked to contact Boston Police at 1-800-494-tips. The president of an American organization of police chiefs addressed "mistrust" and "dark periods" of law enforcement as he apologized for the role of the organization has played in "society's historical mistreatment of communities of color." Terrence M. Cunningham, chief of police in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, made the remarks Monday at the IACP's conference of police executives at the San Diego Convention Center. "There have been times when law enforcement officers, because of the laws enacted by federal, state, and local governments, have been the face of oppression for far too many of our fellow citizens. In the past, the laws adopted by our society have required police officers to perform many unpalatable tasks, such as ensuring legalized discrimination or even denying the basic rights of citizenship to many of our fellow Americans," Cunningham said. "While this is no longer the case, this dark side of our shared history has created a multigenerational almost inherited mistrust between many communities of color and their law enforcement agencies." Cunningham is the latest law enforcement official to address the tensions between officers and the communities they police, especially along racial lines. The Black Lives Matter movement has for years now called attention to what it says is systematic racial profiling and police brutality toward black people, but police have also been targeted in recent attacks as well. President Barack Obama has joined the conversation, calling for both sides of the issue to hear each other out in the wake of a deadly ambush on police officers in downtown Dallas this July. Afterward, Obama held a meeting at the White House for activists, politicians and law enforcement officials to discuss ways to resolve the tensions, though Obama concluded afterward that the country is "not even close" to resolving those issues. Cunningham said Monday that the first step to building a shared understanding is for the law enforcement profession to acknowledge and apologize for what's already happened and the role it has played in "societys historical mistreatment of communities of color." At the same time those who denounce the police must also acknowledge that todays officers are not to blame for the injustices of the past, he continued. Cunningham argued that the profession of law enforcement officer is a noble one at its core but there have been darker periods when officers have been put in the position of being the face of oppression. It is my hope that by working together, we can break this historic cycle of mistrust and build a better and safer future for us all, he said. Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement are giving mixed reviews to the apology, according to the Associated Press. Campaign Zero co-founder DeRay Mckesson said Monday that he looks forward to seeing Cunningham's comments backed up by deep, structural changes to policing and the criminal justice system. Charlene Carruthers, national director for the Chicago-based BYP100, says an apology doesn't go far enough. She says a major step toward solving the problem is taking financial resources away from law enforcement and redirecting them into community-based programs. Watch the entire IACP statement here. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch also spoke at the conference to promote her department's efforts to collect data on deaths in custody and police shootings. The process of gathering the data will convey an accurate picture of whats happening out in the field, Lynch said. Better information helps everyone, she said, adding that the project could not be undertaken without the help from the IACP. A New Hampshire high school teacher was arrested Monday for allegedly trading sexually inappropriate images with one of his students. Police say Robert Todd Wiley, 63, a Milford resident and a teacher at Merrimack High School, had been meeting with the student, who is under 18. Wiley is accused of soliciting naked photos of the student. He also allegedly shared photos and videos of himself masturbating. "He was masturbating in the videos and sending them to the juvenile, through the internet," said Merrimack Police Lt. Denise Roy. Police said they were tipped off by the girl's family who found the photos and videos on her phone. Parents necn spoke to Monday night were shocked of the allegations. "I think it's pretty disgusting," said one parent. Wiley has been teaching English and philosophy at the school for 37 years. "He always walks around saying hi to people," said student Justin Cardenas. "He was always really cool, down to earth, I didn't really see him doing this stuff." School officials said they're addressing the matter with students and counselors will be on hand, while police are also asking parents to talk to their kids about it. "There are supportive adults for counseling, guidance counselors, in home room students have teachers that they're affiliated with," said Marge Chiafrey, Superintendent of Schools. Police say they only know of the one victim, but are urging any others to come forward and urging parents to talk to their kids. Wiley was released on $20,000 cash bail. He is due to be arraigned on Dec. 1. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. School officials said they removed him from duty around Columbus Day and he has submitted a retirement letter. Massachusetts police are searching for the man they say exposed himself twice near an elementary school in Andover on Monday. Police said the man was parked in the Main Street parking lot next to St. Augustine Elementary School while children were outside at recess. "It is disgusting, there is no doubt. Bad things are happening everywhere," said Sue May, who lives across from the school. "You hear about it, I hear about it on the news. I'm very surprised that it happened here." May added that she expects the town's police to ensure the safety of children. Authorities said some children reported seeing the man outside of his vehicle exposing himself. Witnesses told police the man then pretended to get on his cell phone and turned away from the students before putting his phone away and exposing himself again. The man is said to be in his 20s and is described as having a slender build. He was driving a silver or black sedan, possibly a Honda or Volkswagen. Anyone with information on the man's identity is asked to contact Andover Police at 978-475-0411. School officials declined to comment late Tuesday afternoon, referring all questions to the head of communications at the Archdiocese of Boston. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Khalid Kazimov Trend: A 230 kilometer-long pipeline delivering gas from IranShahr County to Zahedan City in Irans southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan will come on stream by March, an official said. Hamid-Reza Araqi, the head of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), has said that the construction of the pipeline over the past four months has been accelerated, SHANA news agency reported. In total 1,300 kilometers of gas pipeline is being constructed in the province, the official added. According to him, laying the pipeline will cost $1.896 billion (60 trillion rials, based on official rate on Oct. 18). Iran and Pakistan signed a gas agreement under former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamadinejad. According to the agreement, Pakistan was set to import 22 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) of natural gas from Iran through the Peace Pipeline as of 2015. However, Pakistan has not yet managed to establish its section of the pipeline. Aimed at supplying gas to Pakistan and also Irans eastern regions, the Islamic Republic launched a project to construct the 7th cross country gas pipeline with a capacity of 110 mcm/d of which 21 mcm/d is projected to be delivered to Pakistan. Ten dogs and 8 puppies were seized from a Pelham, New Hampshire home found filled with feces and urine on Tuesday. Pelham Police said they executed a search warrant around 9:30 a.m. following a two-week investigation to check on the health and welfare of dogs at a home on Jonathon Road. Inside, animal control officers from Pelham, Hudson, Windham and Salem, along with other members of the Pelham Police Department, found a strong odor of ammonia and urine. As they searched the home, they found dog feces on top of a DVD player on the floor of the living room. Dog feces were also found on the carpet in a few of the bedrooms and offices upstairs. One pit bull was underweight and locked in a bathroom. The interior of the bathroom door had been scratched and torn apart from dogs being left there for an extended period of time. There were two other pit bulls located in crates in the middle of the kitchen. Upstairs, police located a Rottweiler mix that had recently given birth to eight puppies. Five more dogs were located in the basement. The floor of the basement garage was covered in puddles of urine. One aggressive pit bull was also located in a kennel outside. All of the dogs that were seized were brought to the Rockingham Emergency Veterinary Hospital in Windham to be examined. The owner of the property is expected to be charged with animal cruelty, according to police. Police said they believe there are at least 15 more pit bull or pit bull mixes the resident was caring for that remain unaccounted for. Anyone with information about these dogs is asked to call Pelham Animal Control Officer Allison Caprigno at 603-635-2411. A Maine woman was injured Monday morning when state police said her vehicle overturned five times in Sidney. Police said the crash took place around 11 a.m. on West River Road. Authorities said Jordan Agger, 20, was driving northbound when she somehow lost control of the vehicle and skidded off the roadway. The vehicle overturned, coming to rest on its wheels, about 40 yards down a steep embankment. Police said Agger was wearing her seat belt and the vehicles airbags deployed. Agger had to be extricated from the vehicle and was taken by medical helicopter to an area hospital with unknown injuries. Police said speed was a factor in the crash. A New Hampshire school board has accepted a retirement letter from a high school teacher arrested Monday for allegedly trading sexually inappropriate images with one of his students. The board accepted the retirement of 63-year-old Robert Todd Wiley, who police say is out on $20,000 bail after he was arrested for allegedly soliciting naked photos of a 16-year-old female student. Wiley had been an English and philosophy teacher at Merrimack High School for decades. Police say Wiley had been meeting and talking with his student and asked for photos of her, while sending lewd photos and videos of himself. Police said they were tipped off by the girl's family who found the photos and videos on her phone. According to the superintendent, Wiley was from duty around Columbus Day and he submitted a retirement letter dated October 13. He is due to be arraigned on Dec. 1. Its not clear if he has an attorney. Melania Trump on Monday dismissed her husband's sexually aggressive language as "boy talk," insisting his remarks do not reflect "the man I know," and said she does not believe that he has assaulted any women. Trump's wife, in a series of media interviews, said she has accepted her husband's apology and the couple is "moving on." The comments come more than a week after the release of a 2005 video in which Trump brags about kissing women and grabbing their genitals without their permission. "I said to my husband that, you know, the language is inappropriate. It's not acceptable. And I was surprised, because that is not the man that I know," she told CNN. She suggested that Trump may not have known his microphone was on, calling it "kind of a boy talk" that "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush was encouraging. And she suggested that the women who have claimed in recent days that Trump made unwanted advances were attention-seekers who were making "damaging and unfair" accusations. "I believe my husband," she said in the interview that aired Monday night. "My husband didn't do anything." Mrs. Trump also said it is fair game for her husband to appear with women who have accused former President Bill Clinton of sexual assault, claiming the Democrats fired the first volley into the increasingly ugly war about the couples' private lives. "They're asking for it. They started. They started from the beginning of the campaign putting my picture from modeling days," she said in excerpts released by Fox News ahead of the interview's broadcast. "That was my modeling days and I'm proud what I did. I worked very hard." Melania Trump's image was used in a negative ad campaign during the Republican primary, but there is no evidence that the Clintons were involved. At the time, Donald Trump accused former rival Ted Cruz of being involved and responded by tweeting an unflattering image of the Texas senator's wife. Cruz also denied involvement. The interviews are Melania Trump's first moments in the public eye since the accusations over the last 10 days that have sent her husband's White House bid reeling. [NATL] Highlights From the 2016 Campaign Trail First, a 2005 video leaked of Trump using vulgar language to describe women and apparently boasting of sexual assault. And in recent days, several women have come forward to say that Trump had groped or sexually assaulted them. The Republican nominee has denied the claims, calling the women liars and belittling their appearances. In the interviews, Melania Trump deemed the celebrity businessman's comments on the leaked tape "offensive to me and they were inappropriate." "And he apologized to me," she said in an interview with CNN airing at the same time the crowd at her husband's rally in Wisconsin was chanting "CNN sucks." "And I expect I accept his apology. And we are moving on." She said something similar in a statement released by the campaign after the video's release. She has also demanded retractions from a People Magazine writer who profiled the couple in 2005 and last week accused Donald Trump of an assault at the couple's Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, while Melania was out of the room. And she repeated her husband's assertion, which he makes without supporting evidence, that the media and Clinton campaign are working in tandem to sink the Republican nominee's campaign. Melania Trump has never filled the role of the traditional political spouse, only making rare appearances on the campaign trail. Her speech at July's national convention was initially praised until it was discovered that passages of it were lifted from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention address. Trump, who attended each of the first two presidential debates, was also lampooned on this week's Saturday Night Live. The long-running sketch show ran a video in which actresses playing Melania Trump, her two step-daughters and two of the candidate's most visible female allies did a take on Beyonce's "Lemonade" in an act of rebellion against the candidate. The video ends with the Cecily Strong, the comedian playing Melania Trump, suggesting she wrote the song herself. "Access Hollywood" is owned and distributed by NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News, MSNBC, and this station. The future of thousands of students will be in the hands of Massachusetts voters next month. Question 2 asks whether the state should lift its cap on charter schools, allowing more to open or expand every year. There are currently 78 charter schools operating in the Bay State. The cap is set at 120 statewide, although some districts, like Boston, say they've reached their limits or are coming close. Education is a tale of two cities in Boston. Tuesday, Shellina Semexant, the mother of two charter school students, was knocking on doors in the hope of her third child finding a seat with them. "I have a daughter who has been on a wait list for four years," she said. "She's been in an underperforming school for four years." If the ballot initiative passes, it could bring more seats to charter schools by lifting a cap, allowing 12 new charter schools or expansions annually. In Semexant's city, there are other schools. Boston Public Schools educate about 56,000 students, with charter schools in the city accounting for about 8,000. The district argues that charters are costly. When a student leaves public schools to go to a charter in Boston, it costs about $15,000. For a new charter, the district is supposed to get reimbursed from the state over a six-year period. But in Boston and around the state, that hasn't exactly been happening. According to the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, this fiscal year, there were 71 charters in the state. Districts paying for them were reimbursed $73 million. But that is about 62 percent of what it should be. "I think it's really hurting the public school system," argued Monique Burks, the mother of a Boston Public Schools student. Burks' son joined others opposed to Question 2 Tuesday to cold call voters, hoping they'll keep the cap in place. "It's taking so much funding from our existing public schools," she said. Boston is one of seven districts in the state that spends more than 9 percent of total education spending on charters. So when you look at the numbers, and the students, you have two schools of thought in one city. NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. - Spanning Southern Nevada lies the crown jewel for tactics, training and operational testing for the Department of Defense: the Nevada Test and Training Range. The NTTR affords joint and coalition military forces, not solely Airmen, the ability to train for any obstacle of warfare by providing the ability to train in air, space and cyberspace domains. The NTTR provides the warfighter a flexible, realistic and multidimensional battle-space to conduct testing, tactics development, and advanced training in support of U.S. national interests, said Col. David Avila, Nevada Test and Training Range commander. Supporting approximately 40,000 sorties each year, the range occupies 2.9 million acres of land, 5,000 square miles of airspace which is restricted from civilian over-flight and another 7,000 square miles of military operations area, or MOA, which is shared with civilian aircraft. Centered around all of the NTTRs unique assets, the DoD uses this vast landscape to host a variety of its largest joint exercises. The Air Force conducts a wide array of activities that include munitions tests, large scale force-on-force maneuvers, joint training and irregular warfare training missions, said Avila. The NTTR also supports Department of Defense training, as well as Department of Energy testing, research and development. The range hosts numerous Red Flag and U.S. Air Force Weapons School exercises each year, as well as various test and tactics development missions. With over 260 target complexes and over 2,900 possible targets, 35 threat systems and the support of an opposing enemy force that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world, the NTTR is home to Americas most advanced aerial test and training environment, providing Airmen with a stressing battlefield to hone their combat skills, said Avila. With all the capabilities on the massive land range of Nevada, the 8 million square mile Space Test and Training Range, located at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., has proven to be just as crucial in the development of tactics and training to the modern warfighter. Its a one-of-a-kind testing, training and tactics development asset, and truly a national treasure, said Maj. Gen. Glen VanHerck, United States Air Force Warfare Center commander. There is nowhere else on the planet where you can simultaneously use the airspace, bring in the space capabilities through our Space Test and Training Range and also bring in our cyberspace capabilities. Todays fights are not one dimensional, meaning air only, they are truly all domainsphysical and virtual, air, land, sea and cyber. The NTTR allows us to provide realistic and relevant threat replication and capability to train and ensure that our forces are able to thrive and operate on a daily basis. Because of the multiple platforms of training the NTTR provides, the land and space components of the range serve as an asset for joint operations in the DoD. The NTTR is an asset of the United States of America, all Department of Defense agencies, national security agencies including other governmental agencies and our allied partners, said VanHerck. We routinely bring partners to the NTTR to train just as if we were going to go into combat with them, and that is a crucial capability for us. All this success comes at a price as our ability to meet warfighter requirements has exceeded our capacity. We continue to look for innovative ways to address these issues, but the reality is it will likely get worse before it gets better as 5th generation aircraft stretch the capabilities of our range. While the NTTR is a vital factor in making sure combat forces are at peak performance, it is the Airmen and other military members who accomplish this mission and are a special commodity to the DoD. Im very proud to be a part of the NTTR and STTR, said Avila. There is a lot more to the range than just the range. Behind every square mile are the many people who accomplish the mission; from scheduling to logistics to target and emitter lifecycle management--we have a team who are passionate about what they do and are constantly finding ways to make it better through innovative thinking. This is the epicenter of the most advanced training in the world and we are all proud to be part of such a storied history. A "state actor" has cut off internet access for Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, the transparency activist organization said Monday. Assange's internet link has been "intentionally severed by a state party," WikiLeaks said in a Monday morning tweet. "We have activated the appropriate contingency plans," the organization added. WikiLeak later blamed the outage on Ecuador. Assange has resided in the Ecuadorean embassy in London since 2012 in an effort to avoid extradition on sexual assault allegations. "We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access" Saturday evening, shortly after WikiLeaks published what appear to be speeches by U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to Goldman Sachs, WikiLeaks tweeted late Monday. In recent days, WikiLeaks has published thousands of leaked emails from the account of John Podesta, chairman of Clinton's campaign. Clinton's campaign, along with President Barack Obama's administration, have accused WikiLeaks of cooperating with Russian hackers in an effort to raise questions about the legitimacy of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. WikiLeaks didn't provide evidence of the outage or state-sponsored involvement. The group's press team didn't immediately return a message seeking comment on the internet outage. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Khalid Kazimov Trend: Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Valiollah Seif has called on Luxembourg to create branches of Iranian and Luxembourg banks in both countries. Seif has said Iran and Luxembourg in order to expand relations need to create strong banking ties, CBI website reported. He made the remarks at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister of Luxembourg Etienne Schneider in Tehran. After creating the branches of banks of Iran and Luxembourg in both countries, the banking ties between the two states will gradually increase, he added. Although the nuclear related sanctions on Iran were lifted following the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on January 16, Iran still has difficulty establishing banking ties with leading European banks as they are worried about running afoul of US regulations. Iranian officials have recently held several talks with European officials aimed at removing obstacles against establishing banking ties. Businesses striving to achieve new levels of agility and the flexibility to pursue new opportunities are often running up against the restraints of legacy network infrastructure. It can be difficult to envision the pathway to the future. IDG Research Services surveyed more than 100 business and IT decision makers to explore the drivers and obstacles impacting network connectivity strategies. Most are eager to modernize their networks but feel constrained by financial considerations and the fear of getting locked into proprietary solutions. Overcoming network burdens The typical enterprise today must absorb or outsource a huge burden of installing, configuring, and running wide area network (WAN) hardware that includes switches, routers, load balancers, VPNs, accelerators and firewalls. But revolutionary change is underway as Software Defined Network (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) transform relatively static architectures into flexible, dynamic models that can match secure network performance with critical business needs on a per-location basis. A new infographic paints a vivid illustration of the conflicts businesses face in trying to meet new digital demands with an aging network infrastructure. More than 80% of survey respondents indicate they are likely to undertake network modernization initiatives over the next 12 months. Bandwidth demands driving modernization With demand for bandwidth and new applications growing, network modernization is inevitable. Bandwidth is the top driver motivating evaluation of new network connectivity solutions, according to 68%of those surveyed, with cost reductions and equipment refresh each cited by 54%. But IT and business executives want to limit capital expenditures and ensure maximum flexibility and adaptability for the future -- 46% view initial capital outlays as a major roadblock, 39% say that ROI is difficult to defend or prove, and 31% fear being locked into a proprietary solution. The survey finds that 68% of respondents at companies with 1,000 of more workers are currently using Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) at the heart of their WANs. These generally require deployment of hardware-based appliances dedicated to specific WAN functions, such as firewalls and VPN access. Hybrid VPNs Enterprises can readily grow the existing core MPLS, while leveraging IPsec for additional bandwidth and uses like internet offload by utilizing a hybrid VPN approach. Hybrid VPNs allow customers to mix MPLS and IPSec VPNs on a per-site basis. This increases the network providers reach, permits a tailored solution for each site and can provide less expensive connectivity for groups of sites. Furthermore, by leveraging best-in-breed cloud services offered by Managed Service/Network Service providers, these enterprises can ease their way through the transition. Offloading the burden of installation, configuration and running network hardware is something that 75% of participants in the IDG Research Survey would find value in. How enterprises handle the transition to the new networking environment is a crucial component to success as organizations retool themselves into digital businesses. AT&Ts network solutions help companies sense and adapt to shifting demands, achieving competitive advantage by optimizing their business in motion. To assess how your experience stacks up with your peers, view the infographic here. For more information on VPNs go to https://www.business.att.com/enterprise/Family/network-services/vpn/ For additional information on SDN and NFV click on www.att.com/FlexWare. JDA is a global supply chain and retail planning software company with 4,500 employees and almost a billion dollars in revenue. Suresh Acharya heads JDA Labs, the companys 50 person research group exploring the science, emerging technologies and user experiences that are critical to this complex field. Network World Editor in Chief John Dix recently caught up to Acharya to talk about everything from customer segmentation to self-learning supply chains and the store of the future. Suresh Acharya, Head of JDA Labs, Research and Development I imagine a lot of what you folks are working on revolves around big data. A few years ago the term big data was quite hot. But a comment someone made stays with me: Big data has arrived but big insights have not. Therein lays the challenge. I think thats why data science and machine learning is now so important. Im a scientist by training, and one of the key things we were taught in school is correlation does not imply causation. Just because this and that happened, that doesnt mean because of A, B happened. Of course the biggest challenge is to distill the correlations that are just incidental from causation. Thats where a lot of the work is happening. Thats the value. Theres a lot of noise out there about trying to figure out what the signals are and this is where industry and academic research is truly going hand in hand. I feel like academic research still has some more to go before we can truly start to throw everything at a machine and have it figure everything out. I was on a call with a customer last week and it was la, la, la, machine learning, la, la, la, machine learning. And I said, Let me pause a bit. Learning can be good and bad. The reason a kindergartner throws around profanity in school is thats what the kid learned at home. That was learning, but that was bad learning. Machines will learn as well. But they dont know what is good and bad. Sometimes they will learn bad things as well. So, when it comes to machine learning, well need people to guide it, at least initially. What are some of the key problems retailers are facing in the supply chain? Whats top of mind? One thing we see is they dont know who their customers are. I like to tell this story. I grew up in Katmandu. My mom would send me to a store to buy something every day, but sometimes the store was out of what she wanted. But the store knew my family well enough to say, Take this, Im sure your mom will be okay with it. The corner store person knew their customers. With the advent of big box retailing that has been lost. Its all about product. What can I sell? A lot of retailers are trying to get some of that customer knowledge back by using science to study loyalty card data and other customer identifiable information. Help me understand, not that youre John or youre Karen, but rather, that you are part of a certain customer segment. Do you buy something when it comes to the market right away, or are you waiting for the clearance to happen? Theres a huge focus on understanding the customer segments and trying to figure out what would appeal to customers in those segments. Were doing the science to understand what the customer segments are, and then trying to score a certain product for a certain segment. Here is a pair of shoes. It may score high to an innovator, someone who buys it right away, but that might only make up 5% of your customers in that particular locale. It scored a 90 for that particular segment; it scored a 60 for another one. The heart of the retail problem is, What should I offer my customers? so you need to have that kind of information. Whats interesting is, this is where the Amazons are going to be ahead of Walmart because they know who you are, whereas a lot of purchases in Walmart are still done in cash. The shifting dynamics around what pure-play e-tailers are able to do and why its so scary to the big box retailers is this: They know you so they can make you a customized offer. What other kinds of things go into customer segmentation? You recently had an article about Melia Hotels and its digital transformation effort, and whats interesting to me is the importance of social sentiment. Its known that people look at ratings before they look at prices, because were okay spending the $15 extra a night if the ratings are good. Hoteliers cannot ignore TripAdvisor or other kinds of ratings. Its very important for them. What we learned is ratings you get from Expedia dont always correlate with the ones you get from TripAdvisor, dont always correlate to the ones you get from your website because theyre different customer segments. What one segment might give as a five rating could well be what someone else gives as a three rating. This is what I would call structured data analysis, because a TripAdvisor rating is a numerical value. What were in the process of doing is trying to understand the unstructured data. When someone writes a comment saying the lobby was terrible but I really liked the view from the room, what kind of value are you going to put on that unstructured information? What has been found, though, is theres a strong correlation between someone giving you a good rating and what they write. Rarely is it the case that someone writes something nice and then gives you a low rating. The structured part of it does, in fact, form a good proxy to the unstructured. Thats not always the case in all industries, but at least in this one its a good starting point. Ok, lets turn to supply chain. Whats new there? One of the things were working on is what I call the self-learning supply chain. Let me digress for a bit to give you an example and then come back to this. In some North American cities, certain kinds of crime rates have actually gone down. That doesnt mean the overall crime rate has gone down, but certain types of crime rates have gone down. What has happened is public safety has taken huge amounts of crime related data and applied big data to it to triangulate what causes a crime to happen. Rather than responding to a 911 once a crime happens at 3:00 a.m., they have a certain probability associated with a crime potentially happening and deploy cops ahead of time. To proactively do something is the space of predictive analytics. In the self-learning supply chain, what we want to know is when something is out of stock, what caused it to be out of stock? Was it just a surge in demand, or did the inbound order not make it in on time and, if so, why? Was it a cross-border order that was coming from Canada? Were there weather conditions? Were there traffic conditions? Were there labor issues? What lead to this out of stock event? If you can understand the correlations, then you can see a perfect storm brewing. Heres another order coming from Canada. Should I proactively order replenishment through another distribution center instead? So the key is being able to predict an event will happen and then prescribe what ought to be done proactively. Thats the self-learning supply chain where you learn over time what has happened and then you make proactive recommendations. Is this part of the fabled fully automated supply chain? I tell folks the end goal is to find a cure for cancer, but along the way if you found something that will prolong life by 10 years, thats not a bad thing. Thats the kind of thinking we have. Are we there yet? No. Do I think we will get there anytime soon? I think a lot of the backend automation has happened and will continue to happen. I would be wary of thinking that peoples roles will go away. People will just find other things to do. But I was talking to a customer of ours in the third party logistics industry, and they were saying its been hard to hire millennials for blue collar jobs. Working in a warehouse isnt what they want to do. But they still have roles to fill. People are retiring. So some of the things theyre doing to appeal to millennials is gamification. In this one warehouse, they created groups of associates and they have a leader board to show who is ahead. I dont necessarily think gamification is only a millennial thing, frankly. I think we as human beings like to compete. So back to your question about the fully automated supply chain that is the evolution, but people will continue to be a key part. They have to be. Even with driverless trucks there is still a people role to be played. Speaking of supply chains, Amazon is using its own trucks to deliver goods in my neighborhood, which surprises me a bit. Why would they want to get into that business? What youve raised is a fascinating phenomenon thats happening and Ill tell you what that is. We used to box organizations into categories -- youre a manufacturer, youre a retailer, youre a distributor. But think about Procter & Gamble. You can actually order things from Procter & Gamble now. They have also become a retailer. They dont have a Procter & Gamble store, but you can certainly buy from them online. P&G never knew how to sell to their end customer and now they have to deal with that. And now lets look at retailers. A lot of them are manufacturing their own generic brands so they have to get a little bit into manufacturing. And with 3D printing, distribution centers can start doing manufacturing. If I need a doorknob, rather than having that shipped by a manufacturer all the way through the supply chain, I can print a doorknob for you at the logistics center across the street from where you are. As a software company its strange for us to have retailers asking for products that weve traditionally sold to manufacturers. We would never sell a manufacturing planning solution to a retailer before, but now there is some demand. With a lot of manufacturers becoming retailers, now they need to understand their end customers. Up until recently they only dealt with the retailer, so they were truly in the B2B space. Now theyre also in B2C. Another fascinating thing we have been working on with e-tailers is return forecasting. For certain pure-play e-tailers, 60% of what they sell comes back. Thats astounding. Fifteen years ago when it was primarily brick and mortar, 7%-ish of what was sold, depending on the category, would come back, and people would sweep that under the rug. But you know that if someone ordered three pairs of shoes -- size 10, 10-1/2 and 11 -- two of those are coming back. Now what do you do? Understanding what gets returned has become so important, especially with all the folks offering a free return policy, free shipping. Understanding that is critical. For one customer we found that 5% of their customers accounted for 40% of their returns. They didnt know it until we brought predictive analytics into it. What they do with that information is up to them. Thats not JDAs play. What role is new tech playing? Say, the Internet of Things? IoT is certainly the hot thing. Since JDA is not a manufacturer of these devices, were partnering with companies to add the smarts behind the devices. In a warehouse, for example, being able to use Google Glass or a Microsoft HoloLens to scan items hands free would make workers more efficient. But were not really there yet. For one, some of the wearables can burn your temple if you wear them for too long. And some dont support whats called a multi-scan. You cant look, look, look and look. You have to look, process, look, process, etc., whereas the handhelds can already do that. Im sure this will improve but were not there yet. But at some point some kind of wearable will let people scan information and send it back to a central repository which will collect all sorts of other information and then figure out what the picker in the warehouse ought to do next. This is multiple machines talking to multiple machines, and JDAs play is taking that information and saying, Okay, Bob has to go do this in aisle number three next. Right now people in warehouses typically have a list of things to do, but sometimes there are problems like forklift congestion and what was initially perceived as the right sequence is not right anymore. IoT will make it possible to add real time decision-making smarts. IoT has a huge play in the warehouse. An aside here, whatever happened with RFID? If you had asked me this question a couple of years ago, I would have said RFID was likely done. It didnt live up to the hype. But weve seen RFID making a comeback in the store, especially RFID chips in apparel. Its still cost-prohibitive to do it in a grocery store. You cant put an RFID tag on a gallon of milk. But in apparel, having an RFID tag that helps track where the inventory is in the store at any given time, were seeing a lot of applicability there. I was at the National Retail Federation Conference that they have every year in New York and they had a demo where jeans were RFID-tagged and they were able to track, not just where they were now, but the history of the jeans too. You told me one thing the Labs works on is the Store of the Future. What kind of technology is wrapped up in that? Attacks that compromise online shops to skim payment card details are increasing and growing in sophistication. The latest technique involves hiding malicious code and stolen data inside legitimate files. A Dutch researcher reported last week that almost 6,000 online shops, most of them built with the Magento content management system, have malicious code that intercepts and steals payment card data during online transactions. The online storefront of the U.S. National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) was among those websites until earlier this month. His research also showed that in many cases these compromises go undetected for up to a year. This has to do with the poor understanding of the problem by webmasters who believe that if their sites use HTTPS or a third-party payment processor the customer data is safe. Another factor is hackers' efforts to hide their trails. Researchers from web security firm Sucuri recently investigated an online shop compromise that wasn't detected by automated scans. On manual investigation, they noticed that one of the site's core files, called Cc.php, had recently been modified. When analyzing the file, they found malicious code designed to steal payment card data and store it inside an image file. This technique of hiding data inside files with unsuspicious extensions, such as image files, is not new and is intended to avoid detection. While these files masquerade as images, they are not typically functional, but this wasn't the case in the Magento hack investigated by Sucuri. The file in which the stolen payment card details were stored was actually a legitimate image depicting one of the products sold on the website. The stolen data was appended at the end, after the image data, keeping the original image intact and viewable in a browser. This method is known as steganography and is even harder to detect than some other ways of hiding data. "To obtain the stolen numbers, the attacker would not even have to maintain access to the site," Sucuri researcher Ben Martin said in a blog post. "The image was publicly accessible. All the attacker would need to do is download the image from the website just like any other and view its source code." Sucuri found the same online card swiper infection on other websites, most of them from the U.S., but also from countries like Japan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. This means these attacks don't focus on a single country or region. Companies who run their own online shops should monitor the integrity of their websites and investigate any suspicious modifications of existing files. Unlike other website hacks, these online skimming attacks don't generate any errors or messages that users can report back to the website owner. They simply work silently in the background. Berkshire Freemasons donate new life-saving equipment A DEFIBRILLATOR, which was stolen from Chieveley village hall has now been replaced, thanks to a donation from the Berkshire Freemasons. The Chieveley community was outraged in July when thieves removed the potentially life-saving equipment from its cabinet on an external wall of the village hall. The defibrillator had been installed just three months earlier. When it was eventually recovered, it was damaged beyond repair as it had been thrown into a field of corn and was not discovered until the field was harvested. Hearing that the theft had deprived the village of the valuable asset, the Berkshire Freemasons have now provided a new defibrillator which will be housed in a vandal-proof cabinet. The chairman of Chieveley Recreation Centre, Sir Thomas Boyd-Carpenter, said: I would like to thank the Berkshire Freemasons for their extremely generous donation. It seemed inconceivable that anyone would carry out such an irresponsible action, and it was enormously encouraging to learn the Freemasons were able to so thoughtfully step into the breach. Prompt use of a defibrillator in a medical emergency can greatly improve a patients chance of survival, especially in rural areas where ambulance response times can be longer than in urban areas. The Deputy Provincial Grand Master of the Berkshire Freemasons, Anthony Howlett-Bolton, said: Freemasons have a good track record of providing defibrillators at masonic centres across the country. It therefore seemed a fitting response, as a part of our aim to make a difference in the local community, to support the village after such a callous theft. The original defibrillator had cost the centre 2,500 and was joint-funded by the village hall and the Newbury and District Dog Training Society, which had instigated the project. Hundreds of vehicles pull in donations for Macmillan THATCHAMs classic car show has witnessed the largest amount of charitable funds raised in its 11-year history and saw the presentation of a special service award. Around 250 cars parked up on Dunstan Green on Saturday, including a 1969 Lotus Elan Series 4 SE owned by Gordon Morris. Mr Morris, who had been attending the show since its second year, was presented with a special Spirit of Show award for his continued support. Mr Morris, a former Vulcan and Phantom pilot who lives near Salisbury, said: I have a number of Lotuses and this is the one we have chosen for today This is one of my favourite events because the people are really very pleasant and the type of cars you get are so different from modern events and theres a lovely atmosphere about the place. They run a charity event thats worth supporting anyway. Mr Morris said that he had wanted the Elan really badly but couldnt find one; eventually having to rebuild the car himself from a crashed and burnt out wreck. Car of Show went to Robin Hamblett and his 1933 MG J2 (pictured main) that he was given as a box of bits for a 21st birthday present 28 years ago. The show raised 1102 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Show organiser and Thatcham resident Martin Port said that people had been queuing up from 8.15am on the day. Mr Port said that there had been a bigger turnout of cars this year, which he said was good considering that the event is not widely publicised. The amount raised thanks to people's generosity was amazing and the biggest total to date which is fantastic, he said. Every year people amaze me by turning out to support the event from far and wide and make sure their hobby benefits other people. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Elena Kosolapova Trend: A new milestone began in Kazakhstans oil history in October after many years of waiting, the country finally began to produce oil at the giant oil field Kashagan in the shallow water part of the Caspian Sea. Kashagan is the biggest oil field opened in the last 40 years; it is among the ten largest oil fields in the world and ranks first for volume among oil fields in the post-Soviet space. Kazakhstan has not held celebrations on this occasion yet; the country's leadership and shareholders of the project refrain from loud statements. However, at the end of last week, the Energy Ministry said that several wells have been commissioned at the field and the first small batch of the Kashagan oil, extracted within the balancing and commissioning, has been exported. Indeed, there is very important information behind these modest messages: there is oil at the Kashagan field; despite the huge sulfur content and complex geological conditions, it is possible to extract oil at the field, refine and export; equipments at the field work, and it seems that after a number of delays, Kashagan will finally start to operate. With its total oil reserves of 38 billion barrels, including 9-13 billion barrels of recoverable reserves, Kashagan field will have a significant impact on the oil sector of both Kazakhstan and the world as a whole. The majority of oil fields have already reached the production peak in Kazakhstan and oil output is reducing for several years. Kazakhstan is implementing the subsoil exploration projects onshore and offshore in the hope of discovering new oil fields, but their prospects are still vague. Kashagan field is the only real source of oil for Kazakhstan today, allowing increasing production. According to the analytical agencies estimates, oil production growth will be noticeable due to Kashagan field in the country. Thus, according to the forecasts by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) at the end of last week, oil production will reach 1.81 million barrels per day in Kazakhstan in 2017 compared to 1.72 million barrels in 2016. However, the forecast for 2017 increased by 70,000 barrels per day only amid the news about the beginning of the commissioning work compared to the forecast of the previous month. It is planned to produce 75,000 barrels on the field per day with further increase only at the initial stage of development. After the stable production is achieved on the field, the forecast is likely to grow even more. The Kazakh government expects Kashagan field to allow the country to join ten largest oil producers in the world. According to BP, only 1.8 percent of the world oil production accounted for Kazakhstan in 2015. However, the amount of dividends to be obtained by Kazakhstan from Kashagan field remains uncertain. According to the Kazakh Ministry of Energy, the average prime cost of oil is about $50 per barrel in the country. The cost of Kashagan oil is more than the average prime cost of oil throughout the country. According to the estimations as of 2012, Kashagan became the most expensive field in the world. Afterwards, the investments were still made in the field. Kazakhstan will have to compensate for multibillion expenses of shareholders on the development of this field for decades. The prime cost of Kashagan oil is not officially known, however in 2015, Chairman of the Management Board of the national oil and gas company of Kazakhstan KazMunayGas Sauat Mynbayev expressed opinion that the limit of payback at Kashagan is about $80-100 per barrel. For example, Goldman Sachs investment bank believes that oil prices should be in the range of $120- $130 per barrel for Kazakhstan to make a profit from the sale of oil from Kashagan. Even if Mynbayev and several foreign analysts were mistaken in their calculations a bit, it is clear that the profit from Kashagan will be very small, given the current oil prices around $50 per barrel. However, Kazakh Deputy Energy Minister Magzum Mirzagaliev has recently said that Kashagan will be profitable for Kazakhstan at any oil price, because the government will receive royalties and taxes from this project. Mirzagaliev left unanswered the question how profitable this project will be for its shareholders, including the national oil and gas company KazMunayGas, which represents Kazakhstan. Regarding the impact of Kashagan oil to the global oil market, the majority of analytical agencies mention Kashagan among the reasons that lead to an increase in oil supplies to the global market in the coming years. In the current situation, when oversupply is observed in the market, Kashagan oil will be another factor hindering the achievement of balance in the world market and, as a consequence, preventing the rise in oil prices Kashagan shareholders are interested in perhaps more than all the rest manufacturers. --- Elena Kosolapova is Trend Agencys staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova By Express News Service CHENNAI: The GST Council will begin a three day meeting on Tuesday to take what could be its most difficult, and most important, decision. According to the agenda, it will be deciding on the GST rate and sort out some of the issues that reluctant states have raised, including compensation. The last meeting had seen members agreeing on area-based exemptions and how 11 states, mostly in the North-East and hilly regions, will be treated under the new tax regime. Tuesdays meeting is unlikely to be easy. According to experts, the GST rate will be the most important aspect of the rollout and will determine the shape of the economy for the foreseeable future. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had pointed out just days ago that the rate for environmentally unfriendly products will be distinct from others. The first report of the panel headed by Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian had suggested 17-18 per cent as the standard rate for bulk of goods and services, 12 per cent for low rate goods and 40 per cent for demerit ones like luxury cars etc. For precious metals, it recommended a range of 2-6 per cent. If you allow more and more items into the lower rate, the standard rate will go up. Many industries are lobbying for a lower rate, but if the government yields, the standard rate will be higher, pointed out Sachin Menon, Partner, Indirect Taxes, KPMG, adding that the government has to be judicious in deciding what goes on the merit list. If the merit list is not based on merit, it will be a problem. A rate higher than 20 per cent could also be political suicide, he said. Earlier, CIIs President Naushad Forbes had said that the body believes that a maximum rate of 18 per cent as the standard rate will be revenue neutral and ensure adequate tax buoyancy. A more prickly problem the council has to deal with is with regards to compensation to states, especially manufacturing one like Tamil Nadu. The southern state had said during its presentation to the centre that it stands to lose Rs 9,270 crore in the GST system. As per proposals, a state can be compensated if revenue under GST falls short of average tax earnings in the best three years out of the past five years. Another proposal outlines leaving two outliers out of the five years and an average is taken. If revenue is short of this, then states get compensated. The third says that a base year may be fixed and a particular growth rate decided for all states. If the revenue falls short of that, then the state gets compensated. The base year would be 2015-16. CHENNAI: The GST Council will begin a three day meeting on Tuesday to take what could be its most difficult, and most important, decision. According to the agenda, it will be deciding on the GST rate and sort out some of the issues that reluctant states have raised, including compensation. The last meeting had seen members agreeing on area-based exemptions and how 11 states, mostly in the North-East and hilly regions, will be treated under the new tax regime. Tuesdays meeting is unlikely to be easy. According to experts, the GST rate will be the most important aspect of the rollout and will determine the shape of the economy for the foreseeable future. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had pointed out just days ago that the rate for environmentally unfriendly products will be distinct from others. The first report of the panel headed by Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian had suggested 17-18 per cent as the standard rate for bulk of goods and services, 12 per cent for low rate goods and 40 per cent for demerit ones like luxury cars etc. For precious metals, it recommended a range of 2-6 per cent. If you allow more and more items into the lower rate, the standard rate will go up. Many industries are lobbying for a lower rate, but if the government yields, the standard rate will be higher, pointed out Sachin Menon, Partner, Indirect Taxes, KPMG, adding that the government has to be judicious in deciding what goes on the merit list. If the merit list is not based on merit, it will be a problem. A rate higher than 20 per cent could also be political suicide, he said. Earlier, CIIs President Naushad Forbes had said that the body believes that a maximum rate of 18 per cent as the standard rate will be revenue neutral and ensure adequate tax buoyancy. A more prickly problem the council has to deal with is with regards to compensation to states, especially manufacturing one like Tamil Nadu. The southern state had said during its presentation to the centre that it stands to lose Rs 9,270 crore in the GST system. As per proposals, a state can be compensated if revenue under GST falls short of average tax earnings in the best three years out of the past five years. Another proposal outlines leaving two outliers out of the five years and an average is taken. If revenue is short of this, then states get compensated. The third says that a base year may be fixed and a particular growth rate decided for all states. If the revenue falls short of that, then the state gets compensated. The base year would be 2015-16. By Reuters SINGAPORE: Indian demand for platinum jewellery will grow by double digits next year, and Japanese consumption will stay strong, the head of Platinum Guild International said, with buyers drawn to prices that are off more than 20 percent from an August peak. Platinum was trading above $940 an ounce on Tuesday, up from an eight-month low hit the previous day, and it still remains up about 6 percent for the year so far. The drop-off in prices over the two months since Aug. 12 has widened platinum's discount to gold to the most since June. While gold is a low-margin business for Indian jewellers, retailers can scoop up returns of about 50 percent for platinum, said Huw Daniel, chief executive of Platinum Guild International (PGI), an industry group funded by South African platinum producers and refiners. "In 2017, we're expecting significant double-digit growth in India and reasonable growth in Japan," Daniel told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry conference in Singapore. Young Indians are now more keen on buying platinum either for themselves or as a gift, and that is "very different" to the traditional gold jewellery market in India, he said. "Most gold jewellery in India is easily convertible into other forms if necessary, so people buy gold as a savings vehicle. That's not the case with platinum. It's being bought as personal jewellery," he said. Platinum's steep discount to gold is also luring Japanese customers, he said. "With a price like this we can see platinum taking the share from white gold in jewellery," Daniel said. The World Platinum Investment Council in September forecast a 520,000-ounce deficit in the platinum market this year, up from a 455,000-ounce shortfall predicted three months earlier, citing robust demand and weak supply. In top platinum market China, however, demand remains weak amid an oversupply in jewellery and other luxury goods. "We're hoping that market will bottom out in 2017," Daniel said. SINGAPORE: Indian demand for platinum jewellery will grow by double digits next year, and Japanese consumption will stay strong, the head of Platinum Guild International said, with buyers drawn to prices that are off more than 20 percent from an August peak. Platinum was trading above $940 an ounce on Tuesday, up from an eight-month low hit the previous day, and it still remains up about 6 percent for the year so far. The drop-off in prices over the two months since Aug. 12 has widened platinum's discount to gold to the most since June. While gold is a low-margin business for Indian jewellers, retailers can scoop up returns of about 50 percent for platinum, said Huw Daniel, chief executive of Platinum Guild International (PGI), an industry group funded by South African platinum producers and refiners. "In 2017, we're expecting significant double-digit growth in India and reasonable growth in Japan," Daniel told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry conference in Singapore. Young Indians are now more keen on buying platinum either for themselves or as a gift, and that is "very different" to the traditional gold jewellery market in India, he said. "Most gold jewellery in India is easily convertible into other forms if necessary, so people buy gold as a savings vehicle. That's not the case with platinum. It's being bought as personal jewellery," he said. Platinum's steep discount to gold is also luring Japanese customers, he said. "With a price like this we can see platinum taking the share from white gold in jewellery," Daniel said. The World Platinum Investment Council in September forecast a 520,000-ounce deficit in the platinum market this year, up from a 455,000-ounce shortfall predicted three months earlier, citing robust demand and weak supply. In top platinum market China, however, demand remains weak amid an oversupply in jewellery and other luxury goods. "We're hoping that market will bottom out in 2017," Daniel said. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Visa, customs cooperation, greater market access for goods and intellectual property rights are the key issues that will be discussed during the trade policy forum (TPF) meeting between I dia and the US on October 20. As part of the TPF, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US Trade Representative Michael Froman will meet on October 20. IPR issues like evergreening of patents, compulsory licensing; ways to promote trade and investments between the countries; trade secrets, market access for agri products will figure in both the meetings, said an official. It also has five focus groups: Agriculture, Investment, Innovation and Creativity (intellectual property rights), Services, and Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers. CHENNAI: Visa, customs cooperation, greater market access for goods and intellectual property rights are the key issues that will be discussed during the trade policy forum (TPF) meeting between I dia and the US on October 20. As part of the TPF, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US Trade Representative Michael Froman will meet on October 20. IPR issues like evergreening of patents, compulsory licensing; ways to promote trade and investments between the countries; trade secrets, market access for agri products will figure in both the meetings, said an official. It also has five focus groups: Agriculture, Investment, Innovation and Creativity (intellectual property rights), Services, and Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers. By Express News Service BENGALURU: A day after RSS worker Rudresh R was killed on Kamaraj Road in broad daylight, many BJP and RSS workers and senior leaders staged a protest in Shivajinagar on Monday, demanding that the killers be arrested at the earliest. Protesters gathered near Dandumaramma Temple Circle around 10am on Monday and raised slogans. They took out a rally from Shivajinagar Bus Stand and crossed Kamaraj Road, Commercial Street, Shivajinagar and Queens Circle. Most shops on Commercial Street and surrounding areas remained closed. RSS workers also formed a human chain in front of Shivajinagar Bus Stand. most shops in Shivajinagar and surrounding areas remained closed on Monday | pushkar v The protesters had planned to head to the City Police Commissioners office. But the police chief, N S Megharikh, met the protesters and assured them that the culprits would be nabbed. A protestor said, A similar attack happened on October 8 where RSS swayamsevak Dilip was attacked by eight people in Muthyalanagar. Two attackers, Rafiq and Jaffer, were arrested while six others were on the run. Another swayamsevak Phaneendra was attacked with swords in Vidyaranyapura and a case was registered but the attackers are still at large even months after the incident. Elaborate security arrangements were in place in the city for the protest. Police imposed Section 144 of CrPC in Shivajinagar, Bharathinagar, Pulakeshi Nagar and Commercial Street police station limits. Over 30 platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police, 20 City Armed Reserve Platoons, six Rapid Action Force, two Sashastra Seema Bal and one platoon of Central Industrial Security Force were deployed. The prohibitory order has been extended till October 20. Traffic stalled Traffic movement around the central business district, especially on Airport Road, Infantry Road, Queens Road, Cunningham Road and surrounding areas took a toll as protesters blocked roads in Shivajinagar and Balekundri Circle on Monday. Vehicles were diverted towards Dispensary Road. Shivajinagar buses operated from Balekundri Circle as protesters gathered at Shivajinagar Bus Stand. BENGALURU: A day after RSS worker Rudresh R was killed on Kamaraj Road in broad daylight, many BJP and RSS workers and senior leaders staged a protest in Shivajinagar on Monday, demanding that the killers be arrested at the earliest. Protesters gathered near Dandumaramma Temple Circle around 10am on Monday and raised slogans. They took out a rally from Shivajinagar Bus Stand and crossed Kamaraj Road, Commercial Street, Shivajinagar and Queens Circle. Most shops on Commercial Street and surrounding areas remained closed. RSS workers also formed a human chain in front of Shivajinagar Bus Stand. most shops in Shivajinagar and surrounding areas remained closed on Monday | pushkar v The protesters had planned to head to the City Police Commissioners office. But the police chief, N S Megharikh, met the protesters and assured them that the culprits would be nabbed. A protestor said, A similar attack happened on October 8 where RSS swayamsevak Dilip was attacked by eight people in Muthyalanagar. Two attackers, Rafiq and Jaffer, were arrested while six others were on the run. Another swayamsevak Phaneendra was attacked with swords in Vidyaranyapura and a case was registered but the attackers are still at large even months after the incident. Elaborate security arrangements were in place in the city for the protest. Police imposed Section 144 of CrPC in Shivajinagar, Bharathinagar, Pulakeshi Nagar and Commercial Street police station limits. Over 30 platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police, 20 City Armed Reserve Platoons, six Rapid Action Force, two Sashastra Seema Bal and one platoon of Central Industrial Security Force were deployed. The prohibitory order has been extended till October 20. Traffic stalled Traffic movement around the central business district, especially on Airport Road, Infantry Road, Queens Road, Cunningham Road and surrounding areas took a toll as protesters blocked roads in Shivajinagar and Balekundri Circle on Monday. Vehicles were diverted towards Dispensary Road. Shivajinagar buses operated from Balekundri Circle as protesters gathered at Shivajinagar Bus Stand. By Express News Service BENGALURU: The body of the RSS worker who was murdered on Sunday has been brought this morning to his residence in Shivajinagar amid tight police security on Tuesday morning. Rudresh R (36) was murdered on Sunday as he was returning home from RSS route march held at RBANMS grounds. Though the family initially did not give consent for the post-mortem examination in Victoria hospital demanding to arrest the accused, the kin finally relented and gave the consent on Monday evening. Following this, the autopsy was conducted last evening. According to his relatives, the body will be kept for public to pay respects, and final rites will be performed at around 2 pm. Shivajinagar traffic police said that the body will be taken in a procession where hundreds are expected to pay their last respects and participate in the procession. Police have imposed CrPC section 144 in four police jurisdictions including Shivajinagar police limits for the second day. As the accused are yet to be nabbed, RSS and BJP cadre have warned of continuous protests till arrests are made in the case. North East DCP Harsha is heading the special teams for security, which includes a technical wing of CCB which is probing the case. Security arrangements in Bengaluru City continue to be tight. Apart from 30 KSRP and 30 CAR platoons, Two water Jets, 9-CAPF, 5-RIV, 2- SWAT and one commando vehicles are deployed. BENGALURU: The body of the RSS worker who was murdered on Sunday has been brought this morning to his residence in Shivajinagar amid tight police security on Tuesday morning. Rudresh R (36) was murdered on Sunday as he was returning home from RSS route march held at RBANMS grounds. Though the family initially did not give consent for the post-mortem examination in Victoria hospital demanding to arrest the accused, the kin finally relented and gave the consent on Monday evening. Following this, the autopsy was conducted last evening. According to his relatives, the body will be kept for public to pay respects, and final rites will be performed at around 2 pm. Shivajinagar traffic police said that the body will be taken in a procession where hundreds are expected to pay their last respects and participate in the procession. Police have imposed CrPC section 144 in four police jurisdictions including Shivajinagar police limits for the second day. As the accused are yet to be nabbed, RSS and BJP cadre have warned of continuous protests till arrests are made in the case. North East DCP Harsha is heading the special teams for security, which includes a technical wing of CCB which is probing the case. Security arrangements in Bengaluru City continue to be tight. Apart from 30 KSRP and 30 CAR platoons, Two water Jets, 9-CAPF, 5-RIV, 2- SWAT and one commando vehicles are deployed. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Eager to tap all available sources to generate electricity required to power the country, India is working out initial plans to set up an offshore wind energy plant with the help of Germany, the world leader in renewable energy. Compared to the windmills based on land, offshore projects are considerably expensive but have the potential to generate more power and for longer duration every year. Speaking to Express on the sidelines of the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association and Germanys Messe Husum, Director-General of National Institute of Wind Energy S Gomathinayagam said his institute had three-year wind data from the 100-m met mast installed at Dhanushkodi and Gujarat for future offshore wind developments. The German delegation, led by Minister of Energy, Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas Rabert Habeck cautioned about the cost involved in setting up plants. Offshore wind energy is very expensive, three times as expensive as the onshore plants, said Habeck. The investment required to set up an offshore plant is more than Rs 1,500 crore, which would require private capital as well. While agreeing with this, Gomathinayagam noted that the wind speed onshore is about 5 metre per second while the data collected from the mast reveals the offshore speed of wind is 8.65 metre per second, a quite significant increase. Also, offshore wind energy plants could be functional for 10 months a year, he said. In comparison, the onshore units work only five months in a year. To a query when the plans would materialise, Gomathinayagam pointed out that it took more than a decade and a half for Germany to tap offshore wind energy after generating data. We may do it in next seven to eight years, he said. As the thumb rule goes, it requires about Rs 5-6 crore to generate one megawatt of onshore wind energy. It would cost over Rs 15 crore for producing 1 megawatt from an offshore plant, he said. Hence it is prudent to set up bigger plants, Gomathinayagam said, adding that India is planning to set up a large plant which could require an investment of over Rs 1,500 crore. Earlier Habeck also highlighted the success of smaller grids in Germany which can evacuate renewable energy in rural areas. In Germany, the small grids also known as virtual power plants use wind, solar and biogas energies for six lakh homes. Sarvesh Kumar, chairman of Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association, signed the memorandum of agreement with Minister Habeck. The main objective is to support the business ties between India and Germany and to facilitate transfer and utilisation of state-of-the-art technologies. CHENNAI: Eager to tap all available sources to generate electricity required to power the country, India is working out initial plans to set up an offshore wind energy plant with the help of Germany, the world leader in renewable energy. Compared to the windmills based on land, offshore projects are considerably expensive but have the potential to generate more power and for longer duration every year. Speaking to Express on the sidelines of the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association and Germanys Messe Husum, Director-General of National Institute of Wind Energy S Gomathinayagam said his institute had three-year wind data from the 100-m met mast installed at Dhanushkodi and Gujarat for future offshore wind developments. The German delegation, led by Minister of Energy, Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas Rabert Habeck cautioned about the cost involved in setting up plants. Offshore wind energy is very expensive, three times as expensive as the onshore plants, said Habeck. The investment required to set up an offshore plant is more than Rs 1,500 crore, which would require private capital as well. While agreeing with this, Gomathinayagam noted that the wind speed onshore is about 5 metre per second while the data collected from the mast reveals the offshore speed of wind is 8.65 metre per second, a quite significant increase. Also, offshore wind energy plants could be functional for 10 months a year, he said. In comparison, the onshore units work only five months in a year. To a query when the plans would materialise, Gomathinayagam pointed out that it took more than a decade and a half for Germany to tap offshore wind energy after generating data. We may do it in next seven to eight years, he said. As the thumb rule goes, it requires about Rs 5-6 crore to generate one megawatt of onshore wind energy. It would cost over Rs 15 crore for producing 1 megawatt from an offshore plant, he said. Hence it is prudent to set up bigger plants, Gomathinayagam said, adding that India is planning to set up a large plant which could require an investment of over Rs 1,500 crore. Earlier Habeck also highlighted the success of smaller grids in Germany which can evacuate renewable energy in rural areas. In Germany, the small grids also known as virtual power plants use wind, solar and biogas energies for six lakh homes. Sarvesh Kumar, chairman of Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association, signed the memorandum of agreement with Minister Habeck. The main objective is to support the business ties between India and Germany and to facilitate transfer and utilisation of state-of-the-art technologies. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Orkhan Quluzade Trend: Sixty one police officers were arrested in Turkey as part of the fight against the movement of Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of involvement in the July 15 coup attempt, Sabah newspaper reports. The arrestees are accused of affiliation with the Gulen movement. It was found out that they used a special messaging app ByLock, which is said to have been used by members of the Gulen movement. As it was previously reported, Turkeys National Intelligence Organization (MIT) cracked the codes of ByLock. After cracking the apps codes, via which the Gulen movement members were communicating, 53,000 Gulen supporters were identified. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Previously, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people, excluding the coup plotters, and over 2,000 people were wounded. He also declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. It was decided to prolong the state of emergency for 90 more days on Oct. 3. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade By Express News Service CHENNAI: A defence laboratory in Chennai may have the right recipe for the Centres quest for technological solutions to seal the international border with Pakistan in two years. Scientists at the Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) at Avadi here have developed an unmanned surveillance ground vehicle that can zero-in on 99 moving objects simultaneously from a distance of 10 to 16 km and transmit information. Officials claimed the vehicle codenamed MUNTRA-S (Tracked Unmanned Group Vehicle for Surveillance) is the first unmanned vehicle from the DRDO stable conforming to military standards for both hardware and software designs. A range of technologies and systems are incorporated including electro-optics, sensor fusion, electro-mechanical actuators and communication systems, which enable it to detect targets from a crawling man to heavy vehicles. An official source told Express that MUNTRA-S had been developed on the amphibious BMP-II tracked armoured vehicle, which enabled it to be deployed for unmanned surveillance missions in all types of battle environment, day and night. This comes at a time when the Centre is increasingly looking at advanced technologies like sensors, cameras, drones and radars to patrol and protect the borders. India shares a 3,323 km long land border and 740 km marine border with Pakistan, both equally under threat from infiltrators. Of these, there are 181.85 km where physical barriers cannot be built due to geographic constraints like riverine, low-lying lands, creek and marsh. Sources said the vehicle is ready, noting that a technology demonstration was conducted on board a defence vessel near the Chennai coast last year. It was witnessed by top officials of the South Sector of Central Industrial Security Force and the Border Security Force. The vehicle has also completed last-leg of trials in Mahajan Field Firing Range at Suratgarh in Rajasthan. It can be teleoperated from a distance of 20 km. The effectiveness of payloads depends on the type of terrain. If the view is clear like in the sea, the sensors can pin down on an unauthorised object from a distance of 16 km, sources said. Configuration: MUNTRA consists of two vehicles, both on the BMP II class of tracked vehicles. MUNTRA-B is the base vehicle from which MUNTRA-S is controlled. MUNTRA-S is the surveillance UGV and can be teleoperated from MUNTRA-B within a radius of 20 km. CHENNAI: A defence laboratory in Chennai may have the right recipe for the Centres quest for technological solutions to seal the international border with Pakistan in two years. Scientists at the Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) at Avadi here have developed an unmanned surveillance ground vehicle that can zero-in on 99 moving objects simultaneously from a distance of 10 to 16 km and transmit information. Officials claimed the vehicle codenamed MUNTRA-S (Tracked Unmanned Group Vehicle for Surveillance) is the first unmanned vehicle from the DRDO stable conforming to military standards for both hardware and software designs. A range of technologies and systems are incorporated including electro-optics, sensor fusion, electro-mechanical actuators and communication systems, which enable it to detect targets from a crawling man to heavy vehicles. An official source told Express that MUNTRA-S had been developed on the amphibious BMP-II tracked armoured vehicle, which enabled it to be deployed for unmanned surveillance missions in all types of battle environment, day and night. This comes at a time when the Centre is increasingly looking at advanced technologies like sensors, cameras, drones and radars to patrol and protect the borders. India shares a 3,323 km long land border and 740 km marine border with Pakistan, both equally under threat from infiltrators. Of these, there are 181.85 km where physical barriers cannot be built due to geographic constraints like riverine, low-lying lands, creek and marsh. Sources said the vehicle is ready, noting that a technology demonstration was conducted on board a defence vessel near the Chennai coast last year. It was witnessed by top officials of the South Sector of Central Industrial Security Force and the Border Security Force. The vehicle has also completed last-leg of trials in Mahajan Field Firing Range at Suratgarh in Rajasthan. It can be teleoperated from a distance of 20 km. The effectiveness of payloads depends on the type of terrain. If the view is clear like in the sea, the sensors can pin down on an unauthorised object from a distance of 16 km, sources said. Configuration: MUNTRA consists of two vehicles, both on the BMP II class of tracked vehicles. MUNTRA-B is the base vehicle from which MUNTRA-S is controlled. MUNTRA-S is the surveillance UGV and can be teleoperated from MUNTRA-B within a radius of 20 km. By ANI NEW DELHI: Amid the ban Pakistani artists controversy, here are six cool things that you can do in national capital New Delhi which have direct or indirect link to Pakistan. To start with, a Pakistani mehendi named Jamila Henna Powder, which is made of 100 percent natural dried mehendi leaves, is used by Kundan who is a freelance artist, to make attractive Pakistani designs apart from Arabic and Mughlai designs for his clients. In an exclusive conversation with ANI, Kundan revealed the secret behind the success of the Pakistani-style of mehendi and said that this design gives a 3-D effect which is preferred by most of his clients. Next comes a two-in-one purpose Pakistani Hashmi Surma which is medicated kohl that cures dull, blurred visions while keeping your eyes look gorgeously-winged. The surma is available in many variants, from tube to sticks and can be grabbed from the Lajpat Nagars Central market (The kohl will help you draw a healthy LoC between your eyelids!) After you grab a tube of Hashmi Surma, its now time to head for South Extension part-1 where Pakistani fashion awaits your attention. Pakistan Fashion Design Council- the Boulevard is an all-Pakistan apparel shop which is the only Pakistani Bridal collection store in the national capital. In demand here are the famous Pakistani lawn fabric suits and kurtis which are made of a superior quality of cotton from Pakistan. When asked if the current situation with Pakistan has put a dent in his business, the owner of the PFDC Sahib Bindra asserted that fashion and politics should not be mixed. Once you are finished beautifying yourself in Pakistani styles, its now time to get your mouth watered with delectable cuisine with Pakistani Shan spices, which can be ordered online anywhere, anytime. Also if the mango-lover in you is cursing winters for being the no-mango season, Pakistani chaunsa mangoes are your rescue. Grab your very own from Azadpur, Asias biggest fruit wholesale market or you can also order the sweet king of fruits online from various websites that offer these chaunsa mangoes at very reasonable costs. Even though Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has banned Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan and his serials, but you can still relish DVDs and CDs of Pakistani plays, films and songs at Palika Bazar in the heart of Delhi. So hurry up and run to these stores before stocks end or even worse....politics invades these lagoons of cultural harmony. NEW DELHI: Amid the ban Pakistani artists controversy, here are six cool things that you can do in national capital New Delhi which have direct or indirect link to Pakistan. To start with, a Pakistani mehendi named Jamila Henna Powder, which is made of 100 percent natural dried mehendi leaves, is used by Kundan who is a freelance artist, to make attractive Pakistani designs apart from Arabic and Mughlai designs for his clients. In an exclusive conversation with ANI, Kundan revealed the secret behind the success of the Pakistani-style of mehendi and said that this design gives a 3-D effect which is preferred by most of his clients. Next comes a two-in-one purpose Pakistani Hashmi Surma which is medicated kohl that cures dull, blurred visions while keeping your eyes look gorgeously-winged. The surma is available in many variants, from tube to sticks and can be grabbed from the Lajpat Nagars Central market (The kohl will help you draw a healthy LoC between your eyelids!) After you grab a tube of Hashmi Surma, its now time to head for South Extension part-1 where Pakistani fashion awaits your attention. Pakistan Fashion Design Council- the Boulevard is an all-Pakistan apparel shop which is the only Pakistani Bridal collection store in the national capital. In demand here are the famous Pakistani lawn fabric suits and kurtis which are made of a superior quality of cotton from Pakistan. When asked if the current situation with Pakistan has put a dent in his business, the owner of the PFDC Sahib Bindra asserted that fashion and politics should not be mixed. Once you are finished beautifying yourself in Pakistani styles, its now time to get your mouth watered with delectable cuisine with Pakistani Shan spices, which can be ordered online anywhere, anytime. Also if the mango-lover in you is cursing winters for being the no-mango season, Pakistani chaunsa mangoes are your rescue. Grab your very own from Azadpur, Asias biggest fruit wholesale market or you can also order the sweet king of fruits online from various websites that offer these chaunsa mangoes at very reasonable costs. Even though Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has banned Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan and his serials, but you can still relish DVDs and CDs of Pakistani plays, films and songs at Palika Bazar in the heart of Delhi. So hurry up and run to these stores before stocks end or even worse....politics invades these lagoons of cultural harmony. K Shiva Shanker By Express News Service HYDERABAD: In the present age, trade in Hyderabad has changed from rich Diamond market place from around 1600s to technology driven business. For more than 100 years, trade of diamonds flourished in Golconda under Qutb Shahi rulers. City based historians said that most of the famed diamonds in the world are Golconda diamonds and even to this day, the diamonds are worth three to five times the estimated price. It is 425 years of Hyderabad. More than 410 years ago, apart from pearls, spices, textiles, trade of diamonds attracted people from different regions. The city based historians said that diamonds were found in Wajrakarur in the present Anantapur, Kollur of the present Guntur, and other places around Krishna river. Some of the famed Golconda diamonds are Koh-i-Noor, Darya-I-Noor, Hope, Sancy, Shah, Orloff and others. A historian, Mohammed Safiullah, said that such was the trade that the estimated output from all mines under Golconda was estimated to be around 12 million carats. Qutb Shahis made fabulous wealth out of diamond trade. It started from Bahmani rule and extended into the Qutb Shahis, Safiullah said. Convenor of Hyderabad chapter of INTACH, P Anuradha Reddy, said that the trade of diamonds was rich in Golconda, since the rulers were progressive in support for the trade. Qutb Shahis came from Hamedan of Iran. They were of Iranian-Turkish origin and were progressive in trade, Anuradha Reddy said that provisions were made for traders to stay here. Not only diamonds, people came to Golconda to deal with pearls, spices, textiles and other commodities. Safiullah said that experienced traders can identify a Golconda diamond just by the look of it. The four Cs of diamonds: clarity, cut, colour and carat weight are different in case of Golconda diamonds, Safiullah said. If a Golconda diamond is auctioned on this day, the final price will be three to five times the estimated price, he added. HYDERABAD: In the present age, trade in Hyderabad has changed from rich Diamond market place from around 1600s to technology driven business. For more than 100 years, trade of diamonds flourished in Golconda under Qutb Shahi rulers. City based historians said that most of the famed diamonds in the world are Golconda diamonds and even to this day, the diamonds are worth three to five times the estimated price. It is 425 years of Hyderabad. More than 410 years ago, apart from pearls, spices, textiles, trade of diamonds attracted people from different regions. The city based historians said that diamonds were found in Wajrakarur in the present Anantapur, Kollur of the present Guntur, and other places around Krishna river. Some of the famed Golconda diamonds are Koh-i-Noor, Darya-I-Noor, Hope, Sancy, Shah, Orloff and others. A historian, Mohammed Safiullah, said that such was the trade that the estimated output from all mines under Golconda was estimated to be around 12 million carats. Qutb Shahis made fabulous wealth out of diamond trade. It started from Bahmani rule and extended into the Qutb Shahis, Safiullah said. Convenor of Hyderabad chapter of INTACH, P Anuradha Reddy, said that the trade of diamonds was rich in Golconda, since the rulers were progressive in support for the trade. Qutb Shahis came from Hamedan of Iran. They were of Iranian-Turkish origin and were progressive in trade, Anuradha Reddy said that provisions were made for traders to stay here. Not only diamonds, people came to Golconda to deal with pearls, spices, textiles and other commodities. Safiullah said that experienced traders can identify a Golconda diamond just by the look of it. The four Cs of diamonds: clarity, cut, colour and carat weight are different in case of Golconda diamonds, Safiullah said. If a Golconda diamond is auctioned on this day, the final price will be three to five times the estimated price, he added. By Express News Service MUMBAI: A former corporator and his son were arrested on Monday in connection with the murder of a 61-year-old RTI activist Bhupendra Vira, known for his battle against land mafia and encroachers, even as police suspect the killing to be the fallout of a land dispute. Former corporator Razzak Khan, 78, and his son Amjad Khan, 53, were remanded in police custody till October 24 by a magistrate court in the city. Demanding their police custody, public prosecutor Ashok Medhe told the court, The complainant (Viras son-in-law) in this case has alleged that they were getting repeated threats from the family of the accused. They also have a property dispute. In the past, family members of the accused had also attacked Viras son. The police custody is required for detailed investigation, and maximum police custody be granted. Bhupendra Vira was shot dead at point blank range on Saturday night when he was watching TV at his residence in suburban Santacruz. RTI activist Bhupendra Vira According to officials from Vakola police station, it was one of the neighbours who fist spotted Viras body lying in a pool of blood at his residence in Razzak chawl behind Kalina mosque. Viras wife was cooking in the kitchen while he was sitting in another room watching television. The gunshot was neither heard by his wife nor by the neighbours, leading the police to suspect that the accused used a firearm equipped with a silencer. Vira had filed some applications against the alleged illegal construction and land grabbing by Razzaq Khan, police said. Razzaq, an ex-corporator of Congress from Santacruz, had got an order from Lokayukta for demolishing four illegal properties in the area on Viras complaint, hours before the activists murder, sources said. Police are now investigating whether this order led to the murder of the RTI activist. Meanwhile, RTI activists from across the city demanded justice for Vira, even as opposition parties took potshots at the BJP-led government alleging that the law and order situation in the state was deteriorating. Former CIC Shailesh Gandhi wrote to Maharashtra State Chief Information Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, requesting the commission to treat his letter as a complaint under section 18 of RTI Act. emanding police probe into the murder, Gandhi wrote, Vira had been filing RTI applications to BMC, SRA and Lokayukta to uncover illegal encroachments. (With PTI inputs) MUMBAI: A former corporator and his son were arrested on Monday in connection with the murder of a 61-year-old RTI activist Bhupendra Vira, known for his battle against land mafia and encroachers, even as police suspect the killing to be the fallout of a land dispute. Former corporator Razzak Khan, 78, and his son Amjad Khan, 53, were remanded in police custody till October 24 by a magistrate court in the city. Demanding their police custody, public prosecutor Ashok Medhe told the court, The complainant (Viras son-in-law) in this case has alleged that they were getting repeated threats from the family of the accused. They also have a property dispute. In the past, family members of the accused had also attacked Viras son. The police custody is required for detailed investigation, and maximum police custody be granted. Bhupendra Vira was shot dead at point blank range on Saturday night when he was watching TV at his residence in suburban Santacruz. RTI activist Bhupendra ViraAccording to officials from Vakola police station, it was one of the neighbours who fist spotted Viras body lying in a pool of blood at his residence in Razzak chawl behind Kalina mosque. Viras wife was cooking in the kitchen while he was sitting in another room watching television. The gunshot was neither heard by his wife nor by the neighbours, leading the police to suspect that the accused used a firearm equipped with a silencer. Vira had filed some applications against the alleged illegal construction and land grabbing by Razzaq Khan, police said. Razzaq, an ex-corporator of Congress from Santacruz, had got an order from Lokayukta for demolishing four illegal properties in the area on Viras complaint, hours before the activists murder, sources said. Police are now investigating whether this order led to the murder of the RTI activist. Meanwhile, RTI activists from across the city demanded justice for Vira, even as opposition parties took potshots at the BJP-led government alleging that the law and order situation in the state was deteriorating. Former CIC Shailesh Gandhi wrote to Maharashtra State Chief Information Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, requesting the commission to treat his letter as a complaint under section 18 of RTI Act. emanding police probe into the murder, Gandhi wrote, Vira had been filing RTI applications to BMC, SRA and Lokayukta to uncover illegal encroachments. (With PTI inputs) By AFP STOCKHOLM (Sweden): The Swedish Academy says it has given up trying to reach Bob Dylan, days after it awarded him the Nobel Prize for Literature. "Right now we are doing nothing. I have called and sent emails to his closest collaborator and received very friendly replies. For now, that is certainly enough," the academy's permanent secretary, Sara Danius, told state radio SR on Monday. So far the American troubadour has responded with silence since he won the prize on Thursday. He gave a concert in Las Vegas that very night, but made no mention of the accolade. So -- as an early Dylan song may have put it -- how does it feel? "I am not at all worried," said Danius. "I think he will show up." Every December 10, Nobel prize winners are invited to Stockholm to receive their awards from King Carl XVI Gustaf and to give a speech during a banquet. The Swedish Academy still does not know if Dylan plans to come to the event. "If he doesn't want to come, he won't come. It will be a big party in any case and the honour belongs to him," said Danius. Dylan, 75, whose lyrics have influenced generations of fans, is the first songwriter to win the literature prize. Other contenders for this year's prize included Salman Rushdie, Adonis and Ngugi wa Thiong'o. STOCKHOLM (Sweden): The Swedish Academy says it has given up trying to reach Bob Dylan, days after it awarded him the Nobel Prize for Literature. "Right now we are doing nothing. I have called and sent emails to his closest collaborator and received very friendly replies. For now, that is certainly enough," the academy's permanent secretary, Sara Danius, told state radio SR on Monday. So far the American troubadour has responded with silence since he won the prize on Thursday. He gave a concert in Las Vegas that very night, but made no mention of the accolade. So -- as an early Dylan song may have put it -- how does it feel? "I am not at all worried," said Danius. "I think he will show up." Every December 10, Nobel prize winners are invited to Stockholm to receive their awards from King Carl XVI Gustaf and to give a speech during a banquet. The Swedish Academy still does not know if Dylan plans to come to the event. "If he doesn't want to come, he won't come. It will be a big party in any case and the honour belongs to him," said Danius. Dylan, 75, whose lyrics have influenced generations of fans, is the first songwriter to win the literature prize. Other contenders for this year's prize included Salman Rushdie, Adonis and Ngugi wa Thiong'o. By BNS Much has been made about Varun Dhawans camaraderie with his Student Of The Year co-star Sidharth Malhotra on one hand, and on the other hand about Arjun Kapoors friendship with his Gunday buddie, Ranveer Singh. But nowadays one is hearing a lot about the budding friendship between Varun Dhawan and Arjun Kapoor. Varun is unabashed in his positive appraisal of his close competitor. The Dishoom actor has made an appearance on Style Inc. With Aalim Hakim, the show Arjun is hosting and Varun marvels, I think Arjun was born to host. The way he talks in pure Hindi it appears that he has command. I genuinely feel that he has an amazing voice. The twosome has made a lot of buddy-buddy appearances of late. Varun reveals, We are doing the new season of Koffee with Karan together. Recently, we did Aalim Bhais show and we also appeared together on Yaaron Ki Baraat. It seems a film together seems next on the cards. Varun smiles, But we are not getting an opportunity to do a film together; we are just doing promotions together. Honestly there are many ideas that Arjun and I want to do together but no one is listening to our ideas ... hopefully some filmmaker will listen to them soon. Much has been made about Varun Dhawans camaraderie with his Student Of The Year co-star Sidharth Malhotra on one hand, and on the other hand about Arjun Kapoors friendship with his Gunday buddie, Ranveer Singh. But nowadays one is hearing a lot about the budding friendship between Varun Dhawan and Arjun Kapoor. Varun is unabashed in his positive appraisal of his close competitor. The Dishoom actor has made an appearance on Style Inc. With Aalim Hakim, the show Arjun is hosting and Varun marvels, I think Arjun was born to host. The way he talks in pure Hindi it appears that he has command. I genuinely feel that he has an amazing voice. The twosome has made a lot of buddy-buddy appearances of late. Varun reveals, We are doing the new season of Koffee with Karan together. Recently, we did Aalim Bhais show and we also appeared together on Yaaron Ki Baraat. It seems a film together seems next on the cards. Varun smiles, But we are not getting an opportunity to do a film together; we are just doing promotions together. Honestly there are many ideas that Arjun and I want to do together but no one is listening to our ideas ... hopefully some filmmaker will listen to them soon. By PTI Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju today took potshot at filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, saying people use Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name to get into news. "A new fashion has developed in India. A student or a film person can put a question or speak against PM without any logic to get into news," Rijiju tweeted. Kashyap, in a series of tweets, had said that why should only Indian filmmakers be targeted for casting Pakistani actors when the PM also made a trip to Lahore last year. "@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM... It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why? @narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent?" the director had written to show support for Karan Johar's upcoming movie "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil". Kashyap was trolled on Twitter and also received criticism from some members of the film industry over his comments. "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" has landed in soup over casting Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. In the aftermath of Uri attack last month, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artistes to leave India. Subsequently, Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association passed a motion to ban the artistes from the neighbouring country. Recently, Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India also decided to not screen the films with Pakistani actors in four states-- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju today took potshot at filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, saying people use Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name to get into news. "A new fashion has developed in India. A student or a film person can put a question or speak against PM without any logic to get into news," Rijiju tweeted. Kashyap, in a series of tweets, had said that why should only Indian filmmakers be targeted for casting Pakistani actors when the PM also made a trip to Lahore last year. "@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM... It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why? @narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent?" the director had written to show support for Karan Johar's upcoming movie "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil". Kashyap was trolled on Twitter and also received criticism from some members of the film industry over his comments. "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" has landed in soup over casting Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. In the aftermath of Uri attack last month, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artistes to leave India. Subsequently, Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association passed a motion to ban the artistes from the neighbouring country. Recently, Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India also decided to not screen the films with Pakistani actors in four states-- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. Fayaz Wani By SRINAGAR: Army on Tuesday said troops recovered Pakistani and Chinese flags and other incriminating material during the 12-hour search operation in North Kashmirs Baramulla town yesterday. Army had conducted 12-hour search operation at 10 localities in Baramulla town yesterday. During the search operation, the security personnel conducted house to house searches in Qazi Hamam, Ganai Hamam, Taweed Gunj, Jamia and other mohallas in Baramulla town, which is considered a separatist hub. It was the major crackdown conducted by Baramulla by security forces in over a decade and security personnel had sealed all the roads and bridges connecting to the town. An army spokesman in Srinagar today confirmed that soldiers conducted the 12-hour-long combing operation in Baramulla yesterday. An extensive search operation was launched by the security forces in Old Town Baramulla in the wee hours yesterday. The joint teams of Army, police, BSF and CRPF men conducted deliberate search operations in ten sensitive localities in Baramulla, which were being used as safe havens by the militants, he said. The spokesman said during the operation, security forces searched over 700 houses in 12 hours long operation. Based on specific inputs, 44 persons involved with militancy related activities were apprehended during the operation, he said. The spokesman said large quantity of incriminating material including Chinese and Pakistan flags were seized during the operation. Besides, petrol bombs, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jasih-e-Mohammad letter head pads, unauthorized mobile phones and seditious anti-national publicity material were also seized during the operation, he said. The spokesman said a large number of suspected hideouts were busted during the prolonged search operations. SRINAGAR: Army on Tuesday said troops recovered Pakistani and Chinese flags and other incriminating material during the 12-hour search operation in North Kashmirs Baramulla town yesterday. Army had conducted 12-hour search operation at 10 localities in Baramulla town yesterday. During the search operation, the security personnel conducted house to house searches in Qazi Hamam, Ganai Hamam, Taweed Gunj, Jamia and other mohallas in Baramulla town, which is considered a separatist hub. It was the major crackdown conducted by Baramulla by security forces in over a decade and security personnel had sealed all the roads and bridges connecting to the town. An army spokesman in Srinagar today confirmed that soldiers conducted the 12-hour-long combing operation in Baramulla yesterday. An extensive search operation was launched by the security forces in Old Town Baramulla in the wee hours yesterday. The joint teams of Army, police, BSF and CRPF men conducted deliberate search operations in ten sensitive localities in Baramulla, which were being used as safe havens by the militants, he said. The spokesman said during the operation, security forces searched over 700 houses in 12 hours long operation. Based on specific inputs, 44 persons involved with militancy related activities were apprehended during the operation, he said. The spokesman said large quantity of incriminating material including Chinese and Pakistan flags were seized during the operation. Besides, petrol bombs, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jasih-e-Mohammad letter head pads, unauthorized mobile phones and seditious anti-national publicity material were also seized during the operation, he said. The spokesman said a large number of suspected hideouts were busted during the prolonged search operations. By Express News Service Addressing a rally in Himachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday drew a parallel between Indias successful surgical strikes on terror pockets in Pakistan and covert operations organised by Israel. Modi stressed on the bravery exhibited by Indian soldiers and said they were now "no less" than anybody else; their superiority in executing the surgical strikes was brought on par with the strategic, stealthy operations of the Israeli army. Here's a look at five of Israels most successful operations: Raid on Entebbe Airport This was a much-storied operation carried out by the Israeli Defence Force to free 250 passengers and crew, majority of them Israeli, of an Air France plane hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on June 27, 1976. As the plane landed at the Entebbe airport in the capital of Uganda, 200 elite commandos landed in three Hercules transport planes and rescued the passengers and crew in a swift 35-minute operation, killing all seven hijackers. Three hostages died. Operation Bayonet/Wrath of God A special team formed by Israeli PM Golda Meir hunted down the Black September terrorists who carried out the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre of 11 Israeli athletes. The hunt lasted from 1972 to 1988 and spanned throughout Europe and the Middle East. The 2005 Steven Spielberg film Munich starring Eric Bana and Daniel Craig was based on the operation. Operation Wooden Leg A six-minute air-strike carried out by eight Israeli F-16 fighter jets on October 1, 1985 destroyed the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) Headquarters in Tunisia. The casualties included 60 PLO members and over 100 civilians. The hit was in retaliation for PLO killing three Israeli tourists onboard a yacht off Cyprus the same year. Operation Opera On June 7, 1981, eight F-16A fighter jets bombed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq. The reactor, still being built, was destroyed with no hazards or casualties, and set back the Iraqi nuclear programme by two decades. Operation Isotope On May 8, 1972, a team of 16 troops headed by future PMs Ehud Barak and Binyamin Netanyahu stormed a hijacked Belgian airline, Sabena Flight 571 at Tel Aviv airport. Two of the four attackers were killed, and 89 passengers rescued. The militants were from the Black September squad. Addressing a rally in Himachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday drew a parallel between Indias successful surgical strikes on terror pockets in Pakistan and covert operations organised by Israel. Modi stressed on the bravery exhibited by Indian soldiers and said they were now "no less" than anybody else; their superiority in executing the surgical strikes was brought on par with the strategic, stealthy operations of the Israeli army. Here's a look at five of Israels most successful operations: Raid on Entebbe Airport This was a much-storied operation carried out by the Israeli Defence Force to free 250 passengers and crew, majority of them Israeli, of an Air France plane hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on June 27, 1976. As the plane landed at the Entebbe airport in the capital of Uganda, 200 elite commandos landed in three Hercules transport planes and rescued the passengers and crew in a swift 35-minute operation, killing all seven hijackers. Three hostages died. Operation Bayonet/Wrath of God A special team formed by Israeli PM Golda Meir hunted down the Black September terrorists who carried out the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre of 11 Israeli athletes. The hunt lasted from 1972 to 1988 and spanned throughout Europe and the Middle East. The 2005 Steven Spielberg film Munich starring Eric Bana and Daniel Craig was based on the operation. Operation Wooden Leg A six-minute air-strike carried out by eight Israeli F-16 fighter jets on October 1, 1985 destroyed the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) Headquarters in Tunisia. The casualties included 60 PLO members and over 100 civilians. The hit was in retaliation for PLO killing three Israeli tourists onboard a yacht off Cyprus the same year. Operation Opera On June 7, 1981, eight F-16A fighter jets bombed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq. The reactor, still being built, was destroyed with no hazards or casualties, and set back the Iraqi nuclear programme by two decades. Operation Isotope On May 8, 1972, a team of 16 troops headed by future PMs Ehud Barak and Binyamin Netanyahu stormed a hijacked Belgian airline, Sabena Flight 571 at Tel Aviv airport. Two of the four attackers were killed, and 89 passengers rescued. The militants were from the Black September squad. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRI NAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said paramilitary forces, mainly CRPF, would be sent to barracks after the situation improved in Kashmir, which has witnessed an unrest since the July 8 killing by security forces of 21-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. The deployment of paramilitary forces in the Valley was a compulsion, Mehbooba said. As the situation in Kashmir improves, the role of security forces will decrease and they will return to the barracks. The chief ministers assurance came on day when police, paramilitary forces and Armymen launched a massive crackdown on protesters in Baramulla town. Locals said the security personnel sealed the entire town and bridges at 2 am to restrict public movement. They said the security personnel conducted house-to-house searches. During the searches, they were checking the injury marks, if any, of the inmates to identify the stone-pelters and protesters, a resident said. In the 12-hour long operation, security forces picked up 35 people for questioning. Also on Sunday, the Opposition National Conference demanded the release of the arrested separatist leaders as the first step towards a sincere and meaningful dialogue process. Meanwhile, a group of masked youths set on fire two Sumo vans near the fruit market in Parimpora on the outskirts of Srinagar to enforce the speratist-called shutdown. The youth thrashed the drivers and asked the passengers to alight before setting the vans afire. Police detained many during the raids that followed. SRI NAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said paramilitary forces, mainly CRPF, would be sent to barracks after the situation improved in Kashmir, which has witnessed an unrest since the July 8 killing by security forces of 21-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. The deployment of paramilitary forces in the Valley was a compulsion, Mehbooba said. As the situation in Kashmir improves, the role of security forces will decrease and they will return to the barracks. The chief ministers assurance came on day when police, paramilitary forces and Armymen launched a massive crackdown on protesters in Baramulla town. Locals said the security personnel sealed the entire town and bridges at 2 am to restrict public movement. They said the security personnel conducted house-to-house searches. During the searches, they were checking the injury marks, if any, of the inmates to identify the stone-pelters and protesters, a resident said. In the 12-hour long operation, security forces picked up 35 people for questioning. Also on Sunday, the Opposition National Conference demanded the release of the arrested separatist leaders as the first step towards a sincere and meaningful dialogue process. Meanwhile, a group of masked youths set on fire two Sumo vans near the fruit market in Parimpora on the outskirts of Srinagar to enforce the speratist-called shutdown. The youth thrashed the drivers and asked the passengers to alight before setting the vans afire. Police detained many during the raids that followed. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Orkhan Quluzade Trend: Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim congratulated citizens of Azerbaijan on Independence Day while addressing the parliamentary group of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Oct. 18, TRT Haber news channel reports. I send the love and respect of 79 millions of Turks to our brothers in Azerbaijan. We are one nation and two countries. said the prime minister. The Constitutional Act about the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan was adopted at the session of the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan on Oct. 18, 1991. Azerbaijan is an independent and a sovereign state since Oct. 18, 1991, and people celebrate Oct. 18 as a holiday. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Former Chinese Envoy to India has an advice for it do not join hands with Japan if you want entry into the permanent members club of the UN Security Council (UNSC). India and China did not leave on high notes after the conclusion of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit in Goa on October 15-16. For a long time Beijing, itself a permanent member of the UNSC has not been supportive of Indias bid to become a permanent member in a reflection of the changing world order. Clarifying the position of China on the issue clear, Ambassador Sun Yuxi said: We are trying to keep Japan out of UNSC. It is unfortunate India sits with Japan on this to seek UNSC reforms. Yuxi has served as the Chinese Ambassador to India from 2005-2007 and later on became the Spokesperson of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). We do not oppose India. If you approach separately we might change our position, Yuxi said on Tuesday while participating in the BRICS Media Summit here. India has joined hands with Brazil, Japan, and Germany seeking expansion of the Security Councils permanent membership and; support each other under the grouping of G-4. China has been opposing Japans candidature owing to historical reasons. The UN has 193 members in the General Assembly and the Security Council has 15 members, who take decisions about the international peace and security. There are five permanent members of the Security Council- the UK, France, the US, China, and Russia- and they hold veto power. The G-4 has been seeking to reconfigure of the UNSC saying the present structure reflects the world order as it existed post-World War II. The membership was given not only on the basis of ones economic clout but also based on whose side a country fought the war. The defeated nations were kept out of the permanent membership and India under the British rule did not stand a chance. India has been claiming a permanent seat on the table leveraging it is a trillion dollar economy and status of South Asian power. NEW DELHI: Former Chinese Envoy to India has an advice for it do not join hands with Japan if you want entry into the permanent members club of the UN Security Council (UNSC). India and China did not leave on high notes after the conclusion of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit in Goa on October 15-16. For a long time Beijing, itself a permanent member of the UNSC has not been supportive of Indias bid to become a permanent member in a reflection of the changing world order. Clarifying the position of China on the issue clear, Ambassador Sun Yuxi said: We are trying to keep Japan out of UNSC. It is unfortunate India sits with Japan on this to seek UNSC reforms. Yuxi has served as the Chinese Ambassador to India from 2005-2007 and later on became the Spokesperson of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). We do not oppose India. If you approach separately we might change our position, Yuxi said on Tuesday while participating in the BRICS Media Summit here. India has joined hands with Brazil, Japan, and Germany seeking expansion of the Security Councils permanent membership and; support each other under the grouping of G-4. China has been opposing Japans candidature owing to historical reasons. The UN has 193 members in the General Assembly and the Security Council has 15 members, who take decisions about the international peace and security. There are five permanent members of the Security Council- the UK, France, the US, China, and Russia- and they hold veto power. The G-4 has been seeking to reconfigure of the UNSC saying the present structure reflects the world order as it existed post-World War II. The membership was given not only on the basis of ones economic clout but also based on whose side a country fought the war. The defeated nations were kept out of the permanent membership and India under the British rule did not stand a chance. India has been claiming a permanent seat on the table leveraging it is a trillion dollar economy and status of South Asian power. Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: Manipur's human rights activist Irom Sharmila, who ended her epic hunger strike on August 9, launched her party 'People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance' (PRJA) on Tuesday to take her fight against the 'draconian' Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) forward. The PRJA was launched at a press conference in Manipur capital Imphal. Erendro Leichonbam was elected as its convenor and Sharmila as the co-convenor. According to sources, PRJA will field 20 candidates in next year's Manipur elections. Sharmila, the sources said, would contest in two seats, including in one against Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. A fortnight ahead of her release, the activist had announced that she would contest the polls to bring positive changes to Manipur. Nearly 16 years after she had launched her movement protesting against the killings of 10 civilians, allegedly by the Assam Rifles at Malom on the outskirts of Imphal, and demanding the repeal of AFSPA, Sharmila had ended her fast. On the same day, she was released from the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, which was virtually turned into a jail for her during the years of her arrest. She had announced that she would join politics and contest the polls against Ibobi. She had also asserted that she would like to become the CM. She alleged that the Ibobi government had done very little for Manipur's overall development. GUWAHATI: Manipur's human rights activist Irom Sharmila, who ended her epic hunger strike on August 9, launched her party 'People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance' (PRJA) on Tuesday to take her fight against the 'draconian' Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) forward. The PRJA was launched at a press conference in Manipur capital Imphal. Erendro Leichonbam was elected as its convenor and Sharmila as the co-convenor. According to sources, PRJA will field 20 candidates in next year's Manipur elections. Sharmila, the sources said, would contest in two seats, including in one against Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. A fortnight ahead of her release, the activist had announced that she would contest the polls to bring positive changes to Manipur. Nearly 16 years after she had launched her movement protesting against the killings of 10 civilians, allegedly by the Assam Rifles at Malom on the outskirts of Imphal, and demanding the repeal of AFSPA, Sharmila had ended her fast. On the same day, she was released from the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, which was virtually turned into a jail for her during the years of her arrest. She had announced that she would join politics and contest the polls against Ibobi. She had also asserted that she would like to become the CM. She alleged that the Ibobi government had done very little for Manipur's overall development. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: With no trace of the first year biotechnology student after he went missing three days ago, a political slugfest has erupted on the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University between the BJPs student wing Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)and the Left party student wings on Tuesday. The university administration which along with initiating a proctorial inquiry, is seeking assistance from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the NCRB (National Crime Record Bureau) in finding Najeeb Ahmad. JNU administration is deeply concerned about the safety and security of Najeeb Ahmed and has been putting all necessary efforts to trace him. All relevant central agencies, including NCRB and missing section of CBI, have been requested for help the university stated in an official statement. The atmosphere at the varsity is tense with the JNU Student Union demanding a boycott of classes for the last two days, the All India Student Association (AISA) and the ABVP both are protesting for their demands at the administration block on the campus. 27 year old, Ahmed went missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel since Friday night after an alleged scuffle with an ABVP member during the campaigning of hostel mess committee elections. NEW DELHI: With no trace of the first year biotechnology student after he went missing three days ago, a political slugfest has erupted on the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University between the BJPs student wing Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)and the Left party student wings on Tuesday. The university administration which along with initiating a proctorial inquiry, is seeking assistance from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the NCRB (National Crime Record Bureau) in finding Najeeb Ahmad. JNU administration is deeply concerned about the safety and security of Najeeb Ahmed and has been putting all necessary efforts to trace him. All relevant central agencies, including NCRB and missing section of CBI, have been requested for help the university stated in an official statement. The atmosphere at the varsity is tense with the JNU Student Union demanding a boycott of classes for the last two days, the All India Student Association (AISA) and the ABVP both are protesting for their demands at the administration block on the campus. 27 year old, Ahmed went missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel since Friday night after an alleged scuffle with an ABVP member during the campaigning of hostel mess committee elections. Harpeet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today compared armys surgical strikes to Israeli armys targeted anti terror operations and said that Indian army is not less than anybody. Addressing the Parivartan Rally at Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Modi who had visited this part of the country first time after the surgical strikes said, These days everyone in the country is talking about our armys valor. Earlier we used to hear that Israeli armys anti-terror surgical strikes. But now our nation has seen that the Indian army is no less than anybody, he said. "Our government had fulfilled its promise of one rank, one pension for ex-servicemen, an issue which had been hanging fire for over 40 years. The earlier governments had just made tall claims and only allocated a few hunderd crores. When the whole exercise was done we were astonished that the figure was more than Rs 10,000 crore and was difficult for any government to make such a big allocation in one go. But still we agreed to release the money in four installments. Already Rs 5,500 crore has been given in first installment nd soon the rest will be given, he said. "When I became the Prime Minister, I never imagined that the PMO will have to start a new department. I had to start an archaeology department. Many projects which were initiated ages ago, of which only foundation stone was laid, either remained in a state of status quo or their files were lost.We have been searching to bring out the skeletons of those files. I was surprised to see there were so many incomplete projects," he said giving an example of Nangal Dam-Talwara railway project which was initiated in 1981 but no work had progressed. While taking a dig at the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Modi said that BJP chief ministers are working for causes like drinking water and roads while the Congress leader was concerned about his own welfare. The opposition has accused the government of taking undue political advantage on the issue of surgical strikes for political benefits. Earlier Modi dedicated to the nation three hydro-electric projects (Koldam HEP (4x200 MW) of NTPC, Parbati HEP Stage-III (4x130 MW) of NHPC and Rampur HEP (6x68.67 MW) of SJVN) with a combined generating capacity of 1,732 MW. Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Union Health Minister J P Nadda and Power Minister Piyush Goyal were present on the occasion. After the Himachal Pradesh visit Modi reached Ludhiana in Punjab where he launched the national SC/ST hub and the zero defect, zero effect on environment scheme for micro, small and medium enterprises sector and he also presented national awards to the MSMEs. He distributed charkhas to women and also tried his hand at a charkha. He also visited a khadi exhibition at Punjab Agricultural University and inaugurated a coir rath. Modi said today's mantra should be 'khadi for fashion' before independence it was `Khadi for Nation. "See how well Khadi is marketed now. Earlier it was only Khadi for nation, now its also Khadi for fashion. Use khadi products. Buy khadi this Diwali so that the poor who spin the charkha can celebrate, he said. He said, Now Delhi is not far off. Our government has started this trend of launching important schemes in various parts of India, and not only in Delhi. The earlier governments have left a lot of work for me to complete. Modi said,`` India today is the fastest growing major economy in the world. Amid global slowdown, India is providing strength to the world economy. The global market is waiting for us, we should have a dream of making products with zero defect. Our products should be so perfect that all the countries buy them without a second thought. We should give as much importance to the quality as well as the packaging of the product, he said. Modi said, "India today is the fastest growing major economy in the world. Amid global slowdown, India is providing strength to the world economy. The global market is waiting for us, we should have a dream of making products with zero defect. Our products should be so perfect that all the countries buy them without a second thought. We should give as much importance to the quality as well as the packaging of the product, he said. CHANDIGARH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today compared armys surgical strikes to Israeli armys targeted anti terror operations and said that Indian army is not less than anybody. Addressing the Parivartan Rally at Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Modi who had visited this part of the country first time after the surgical strikes said, These days everyone in the country is talking about our armys valor. Earlier we used to hear that Israeli armys anti-terror surgical strikes. But now our nation has seen that the Indian army is no less than anybody, he said. "Our government had fulfilled its promise of one rank, one pension for ex-servicemen, an issue which had been hanging fire for over 40 years. The earlier governments had just made tall claims and only allocated a few hunderd crores. When the whole exercise was done we were astonished that the figure was more than Rs 10,000 crore and was difficult for any government to make such a big allocation in one go. But still we agreed to release the money in four installments. Already Rs 5,500 crore has been given in first installment nd soon the rest will be given, he said. "When I became the Prime Minister, I never imagined that the PMO will have to start a new department. I had to start an archaeology department. Many projects which were initiated ages ago, of which only foundation stone was laid, either remained in a state of status quo or their files were lost.We have been searching to bring out the skeletons of those files. I was surprised to see there were so many incomplete projects," he said giving an example of Nangal Dam-Talwara railway project which was initiated in 1981 but no work had progressed. While taking a dig at the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Modi said that BJP chief ministers are working for causes like drinking water and roads while the Congress leader was concerned about his own welfare. The opposition has accused the government of taking undue political advantage on the issue of surgical strikes for political benefits. Earlier Modi dedicated to the nation three hydro-electric projects (Koldam HEP (4x200 MW) of NTPC, Parbati HEP Stage-III (4x130 MW) of NHPC and Rampur HEP (6x68.67 MW) of SJVN) with a combined generating capacity of 1,732 MW. Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Union Health Minister J P Nadda and Power Minister Piyush Goyal were present on the occasion. After the Himachal Pradesh visit Modi reached Ludhiana in Punjab where he launched the national SC/ST hub and the zero defect, zero effect on environment scheme for micro, small and medium enterprises sector and he also presented national awards to the MSMEs. He distributed charkhas to women and also tried his hand at a charkha. He also visited a khadi exhibition at Punjab Agricultural University and inaugurated a coir rath. Modi said today's mantra should be 'khadi for fashion' before independence it was `Khadi for Nation. "See how well Khadi is marketed now. Earlier it was only Khadi for nation, now its also Khadi for fashion. Use khadi products. Buy khadi this Diwali so that the poor who spin the charkha can celebrate, he said. He said, Now Delhi is not far off. Our government has started this trend of launching important schemes in various parts of India, and not only in Delhi. The earlier governments have left a lot of work for me to complete. Modi said,`` India today is the fastest growing major economy in the world. Amid global slowdown, India is providing strength to the world economy. The global market is waiting for us, we should have a dream of making products with zero defect. Our products should be so perfect that all the countries buy them without a second thought. We should give as much importance to the quality as well as the packaging of the product, he said. Modi said, "India today is the fastest growing major economy in the world. Amid global slowdown, India is providing strength to the world economy. The global market is waiting for us, we should have a dream of making products with zero defect. Our products should be so perfect that all the countries buy them without a second thought. We should give as much importance to the quality as well as the packaging of the product, he said. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Foreign Secretary S. Jaishanker and Director General Military Operations of the Indian Army on Tuesday walked the Parliament Panel on External Affairs through the surgical strikes conducted by Special Forces to neutralise terrorists across the Line of Control last month. The Panel is headed by Dr. Shashi Tharoor and also comprises of Congress Vice-President and MP Rahul Gandhi. The members refused to comment on the contents of the briefing citing confidentiality. The surgical strikes have hogged limelight since they were conducted on the intervening night of September 28-29 firstly because of the unprecedented it's public announcement by the Government and secondly due to the ensuing politics over it. The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also kicked off a controversy when he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in Khoon ki dalali (exploitation of the Indian soldiers sacrifices). With elections scheduled in Uttar Pradesh political claims and counter claims on surgical strikes were flying high and the government decided to bring lawmakers up to speed on the issue. The government had briefed the parliamentary panel on defence last week. The Indian Army Vice Chief had briefed the panel and the MPs were not allowed any questions on the operation, inviting criticism from the lawmakers. The dastardly attack on the Army base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir and ensuing Governments actions have been under heavy scrutiny both from the public and the opposition parties with calls being made for retribution against Pakistan. NEW DELHI: Foreign Secretary S. Jaishanker and Director General Military Operations of the Indian Army on Tuesday walked the Parliament Panel on External Affairs through the surgical strikes conducted by Special Forces to neutralise terrorists across the Line of Control last month. The Panel is headed by Dr. Shashi Tharoor and also comprises of Congress Vice-President and MP Rahul Gandhi. The members refused to comment on the contents of the briefing citing confidentiality. The surgical strikes have hogged limelight since they were conducted on the intervening night of September 28-29 firstly because of the unprecedented it's public announcement by the Government and secondly due to the ensuing politics over it. The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also kicked off a controversy when he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in Khoon ki dalali (exploitation of the Indian soldiers sacrifices). With elections scheduled in Uttar Pradesh political claims and counter claims on surgical strikes were flying high and the government decided to bring lawmakers up to speed on the issue. The government had briefed the parliamentary panel on defence last week. The Indian Army Vice Chief had briefed the panel and the MPs were not allowed any questions on the operation, inviting criticism from the lawmakers. The dastardly attack on the Army base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir and ensuing Governments actions have been under heavy scrutiny both from the public and the opposition parties with calls being made for retribution against Pakistan. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has expressed disagreement with the Centre that the prevailing penal provisions were good enough to cover the issue of hate crimes and racial violence, especially against the people of North Eastern states. "No, it does not," reacted a bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud when the Centre, while expressing reluctance to suggestions for a specific legislation, said sections 153 A and B of Indian Penal Code (IPC) covered anti-racial issues. "The examination is going on whether specific legislation is required or not as the provisions of the IPC covers everything and it would be wrong to say it does not cover it," Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh said. He said section 153 B IPC covers everything and the court could "examine" it. "We will assist you. If you are not satisfied, we will replace it with a new law," he said. The deliberations were going on in the background of the recommendation of M P Bezbaruah committee which suggested amendment in sections 153 A and 153 B of the IPC as a long- term measure to deal with the issue of racial violence. While the law officer was trying to make his submission on the recommendation of Bezbaruah committee, which set up by the Ministry of Home Ministry (MHA) on February 5, 2014 after several incidents of hate crimes against persons hailing from the Northeast, the bench expressed displeasure that effective steps were not being taken to address the issues. "Nothing is on record to show what steps have been taken. We are not going to take what is there in the affidavit," the bench said, adding "legislation is one part of the recommendations". The bench, which posted the matter for hearing on Friday, wanted to know from the Centre whether any steps have been taken to set up a nodal agency to monitor the complaints and related issues. "A pro-active work has to be undertaken. What type of programme has to be there? Call your 'babus' and tell them. We have to pass an order. We can't issue ominous type of directions," the bench said stressing that there should be a nodal agency to address the issues of the Northeastern people. The bench said there was a need to have a nodal agency, as at the time of need, it would be asked whom to catch to implement the measures as there would also be the requirement of coordination with various departments. The bench said the Bezbaruah committee had made several immediate and short term measures along with long term measures and all this should not remain only on paper. "The people of Northeast are (staying) in large numbers in Delhi, Pune, Bangalore etc which are educational hub. You identify those areas where these people are in large numbers," the bench said, adding it is not visible whether any such nodal agency was working. The ASG said he will get back on all the issues raised by the bench and made a mention of steps already taken in the national capital to address the issues of the Northeastern people and what could be the best mechanism. Earlier too, the court was informed that incorporation of law has to be done by Parliament and the Centre has to take steps. The bench, which has been hearing a batch of PILs filed in 2014 following several incidents of hate crimes in Delhi against persons hailing from Northeast, had also said that India had signed International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination way back in 1965. The Bezbaruah panel was set up by MHA on February 5, 2014, to suggest "suitable remedial measures" which could be taken, in the wake of attacks on the people from the Northeast in Delhi and other parts of the country including the death of youth Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh. The petition filed by Karma Dorjee and others had said that Bezbaruah panel had recommended changes in the IPC to curb and punish incidents of racial violence targeting people from Northeast region. The court had issued notice to the Centre on PILs seeking its direction to them to frame guideline to protect the people from Northeastern states in various parts of the country against alleged racial discrimination. The petitions had alleged that people from Northeastern region, who move out of their states in search of better opportunities for studies and jobs, were subjected to racial taunts and violence on a daily basis due to their physical appearance at the hands of people of their own country. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has expressed disagreement with the Centre that the prevailing penal provisions were good enough to cover the issue of hate crimes and racial violence, especially against the people of North Eastern states. "No, it does not," reacted a bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud when the Centre, while expressing reluctance to suggestions for a specific legislation, said sections 153 A and B of Indian Penal Code (IPC) covered anti-racial issues. "The examination is going on whether specific legislation is required or not as the provisions of the IPC covers everything and it would be wrong to say it does not cover it," Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh said. He said section 153 B IPC covers everything and the court could "examine" it. "We will assist you. If you are not satisfied, we will replace it with a new law," he said. The deliberations were going on in the background of the recommendation of M P Bezbaruah committee which suggested amendment in sections 153 A and 153 B of the IPC as a long- term measure to deal with the issue of racial violence. While the law officer was trying to make his submission on the recommendation of Bezbaruah committee, which set up by the Ministry of Home Ministry (MHA) on February 5, 2014 after several incidents of hate crimes against persons hailing from the Northeast, the bench expressed displeasure that effective steps were not being taken to address the issues. "Nothing is on record to show what steps have been taken. We are not going to take what is there in the affidavit," the bench said, adding "legislation is one part of the recommendations". The bench, which posted the matter for hearing on Friday, wanted to know from the Centre whether any steps have been taken to set up a nodal agency to monitor the complaints and related issues. "A pro-active work has to be undertaken. What type of programme has to be there? Call your 'babus' and tell them. We have to pass an order. We can't issue ominous type of directions," the bench said stressing that there should be a nodal agency to address the issues of the Northeastern people. The bench said there was a need to have a nodal agency, as at the time of need, it would be asked whom to catch to implement the measures as there would also be the requirement of coordination with various departments. The bench said the Bezbaruah committee had made several immediate and short term measures along with long term measures and all this should not remain only on paper. "The people of Northeast are (staying) in large numbers in Delhi, Pune, Bangalore etc which are educational hub. You identify those areas where these people are in large numbers," the bench said, adding it is not visible whether any such nodal agency was working. The ASG said he will get back on all the issues raised by the bench and made a mention of steps already taken in the national capital to address the issues of the Northeastern people and what could be the best mechanism. Earlier too, the court was informed that incorporation of law has to be done by Parliament and the Centre has to take steps. The bench, which has been hearing a batch of PILs filed in 2014 following several incidents of hate crimes in Delhi against persons hailing from Northeast, had also said that India had signed International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination way back in 1965. The Bezbaruah panel was set up by MHA on February 5, 2014, to suggest "suitable remedial measures" which could be taken, in the wake of attacks on the people from the Northeast in Delhi and other parts of the country including the death of youth Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh. The petition filed by Karma Dorjee and others had said that Bezbaruah panel had recommended changes in the IPC to curb and punish incidents of racial violence targeting people from Northeast region. The court had issued notice to the Centre on PILs seeking its direction to them to frame guideline to protect the people from Northeastern states in various parts of the country against alleged racial discrimination. The petitions had alleged that people from Northeastern region, who move out of their states in search of better opportunities for studies and jobs, were subjected to racial taunts and violence on a daily basis due to their physical appearance at the hands of people of their own country. By PTI NEW DELHI: A prominent Muslim body today vehemently opposed the scrutiny of the practice of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy by the Supreme Court, saying it would amount to "judicial legislation" and personal laws cannot be challenged on the ground that they violate fundamental rights. All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), in a fresh affidavit, rubbished the stand taken by the Narendra Modi government that the apex court should re-look these practices as they are violative of fundamental right like gender equality and the ethos of secularism, a key part of the basic structure of the Constitution. Stoutly defending the prevalent practice in the community, AIMPLB Secretary Mohammed Fazlurrahim said "if this court proceeds to examine questions of Muslim personal laws and lays down special rules for Muslim women in matters concerning marriage, divorce and maintenance, it would amount to judicial legislation and will be violative of doctrine of separation of powers." AIMPLB has listed out grounds for its opposition to the judicial scrutiny of the practices. The questions raised in the petition are matters of "legislative policy" and, moreover, personal laws cannot be challenged as being violative of fundamental rights like right to equality under the Constitution, the affidavit said. It also said the personal laws of Muslims cannot be "re-written in the name of social reform" and these practices are protected under Article 25, 26 and 29 (freedom to practice religion) of the Constitution. Opposing the Law Commission's fresh endeavour on Uniform Civil Code, the body said it pertained to the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Constitution and hence "not enforceable". Highlighting importance of religious scriptures, AIMPLB said the courts "cannot supplant its own interpretations over the text of scriptures" in a situation where "unique importance" has been attached to such texts. Government, for the first time, has opposed the practice and said, "the issue of validity of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy needs to be considered in the light of principles of gender justice and the overriding principle of non- discrimination, dignity and equality." AIMPLB referred to a 2002 judgement in which the apex court had dealt with the issue of talaq and placed "explicit measures to check" the practice by laying down the test of "reasonable cause" and "prior reconciliation". Opposing the reopening of the issues, the 69-page affidavit said there were adequate remedies available to Muslim women under the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act and the Muslim Women (Protection of rights on Divorce) Act. It maintained that Muslim personal law provided for the practices to be followed on the issues of "marriage, divorce and maintenance" and were based on "holy scriptures - Al Quran and sources based on Al Quran". It elaborated on the aspect that personal laws cannot be challenged on the ground that they are violative of fundamental rights under the Constitution. "Personal laws do not derive their validity on the ground that they have been passed or made by a legislature or other competent authority. The foundational sources of personal law are their respective scriptural texts. "The Mohammedan Law is founded essentially on the Holy Quran and sources based on the Holy Quran and thus it cannot fall within the purview of the expression 'laws in force' as mentioned in Article 13 of the Constitution of India, and hence its validity cannot be tested on a challenge based on Part III (which deals with fundamental rights) of the Constitution," the affidavit said. Personal laws cannot be re-written in the name of social reform, it said, adding, "the institution of marriage is differently looked upon by different religions, and consequently the issues of marriage, divorce and maintenance are dealt with in different manners by different religions. "While one community might be prepared to accept and work social reform, another community may not be prepared for it." "In any event, even while bringing in such a social reform, it is not permissible to change the entire practice or acts done in pursuance of such religion," it said. "It is submitted that the issue of Muslim Personal Law is a cultural issue which is inextricably interwoven with religion of Islam. Thus, it is the issue of freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion guaranteed under Article 25 and 26 read with Article 29 of the Constitution," the affidavit said. NEW DELHI: A prominent Muslim body today vehemently opposed the scrutiny of the practice of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy by the Supreme Court, saying it would amount to "judicial legislation" and personal laws cannot be challenged on the ground that they violate fundamental rights. All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), in a fresh affidavit, rubbished the stand taken by the Narendra Modi government that the apex court should re-look these practices as they are violative of fundamental right like gender equality and the ethos of secularism, a key part of the basic structure of the Constitution. Stoutly defending the prevalent practice in the community, AIMPLB Secretary Mohammed Fazlurrahim said "if this court proceeds to examine questions of Muslim personal laws and lays down special rules for Muslim women in matters concerning marriage, divorce and maintenance, it would amount to judicial legislation and will be violative of doctrine of separation of powers." AIMPLB has listed out grounds for its opposition to the judicial scrutiny of the practices. The questions raised in the petition are matters of "legislative policy" and, moreover, personal laws cannot be challenged as being violative of fundamental rights like right to equality under the Constitution, the affidavit said. It also said the personal laws of Muslims cannot be "re-written in the name of social reform" and these practices are protected under Article 25, 26 and 29 (freedom to practice religion) of the Constitution. Opposing the Law Commission's fresh endeavour on Uniform Civil Code, the body said it pertained to the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Constitution and hence "not enforceable". Highlighting importance of religious scriptures, AIMPLB said the courts "cannot supplant its own interpretations over the text of scriptures" in a situation where "unique importance" has been attached to such texts. Government, for the first time, has opposed the practice and said, "the issue of validity of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy needs to be considered in the light of principles of gender justice and the overriding principle of non- discrimination, dignity and equality." AIMPLB referred to a 2002 judgement in which the apex court had dealt with the issue of talaq and placed "explicit measures to check" the practice by laying down the test of "reasonable cause" and "prior reconciliation". Opposing the reopening of the issues, the 69-page affidavit said there were adequate remedies available to Muslim women under the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act and the Muslim Women (Protection of rights on Divorce) Act. It maintained that Muslim personal law provided for the practices to be followed on the issues of "marriage, divorce and maintenance" and were based on "holy scriptures - Al Quran and sources based on Al Quran". It elaborated on the aspect that personal laws cannot be challenged on the ground that they are violative of fundamental rights under the Constitution. "Personal laws do not derive their validity on the ground that they have been passed or made by a legislature or other competent authority. The foundational sources of personal law are their respective scriptural texts. "The Mohammedan Law is founded essentially on the Holy Quran and sources based on the Holy Quran and thus it cannot fall within the purview of the expression 'laws in force' as mentioned in Article 13 of the Constitution of India, and hence its validity cannot be tested on a challenge based on Part III (which deals with fundamental rights) of the Constitution," the affidavit said. Personal laws cannot be re-written in the name of social reform, it said, adding, "the institution of marriage is differently looked upon by different religions, and consequently the issues of marriage, divorce and maintenance are dealt with in different manners by different religions. "While one community might be prepared to accept and work social reform, another community may not be prepared for it." "In any event, even while bringing in such a social reform, it is not permissible to change the entire practice or acts done in pursuance of such religion," it said. "It is submitted that the issue of Muslim Personal Law is a cultural issue which is inextricably interwoven with religion of Islam. Thus, it is the issue of freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion guaranteed under Article 25 and 26 read with Article 29 of the Constitution," the affidavit said. By IANS NEW DELHI: Equipment supplied by European aerospace major Thales will constitute 25 per cent of the value of the $8.9 billion deal for 36 Rafale combat jets that India and France inked last month, the companys India head has said. "Thales equipment represents around 25 per cent of the Rafale's total value," Antoine Caput told IANS. The company is a member of the Rafale team led by Dassault Aviation that manufactures the aircraft and will be providing state-of-the-art equipment and systems like radars, electronic warfare systems, optronics, displays and communication systems, among others, for the jets, the first of which will arrive in 2019. The Rafale was one of the six jets in contention for an Indian Air Force (IAF) tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) with 18 to be bought in fly-away condition and the balance to be progressively manufactured in India under a transfer of technology agreement. After prolonged negotiations, the tender was scrapped and India signalled its intent to purchase 36 Rafales outright during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris in April 2015. Speaking about the company's growth, Caput said: "The last five years have been encouraging for Thales in India," adding: "The defence sector contributes more than half of the company's turnover in India." As for the capability of Indian companies to execute high-technology offsets deals, he said Thales has "immense faith in our partners" as they are capable of "absorbing and delivering technology and products as part of offset obligations". Thales believes this is a great way to share technology and foster strong relations with Indian industry and achieve the common goal of transforming India into a global manufacturing hub, he said. "Our Go to India' approach is in line with the Make in India' policy of the Indian government. We are working on our purchasing policy to identify more Indian companies that can be our suppliers," Caput pointed out. "Today, the company has over 300 employees working with its wholly-owned Indian subsidiary, Thales India Pvt. Ltd. In defence, Thales has been recognised as a trusted partner to all three branches of the Indian armed forces," he added. Talking about the Thales relationship with Indian companies, Caput said: "We have a strong working relationship with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and have also formed a joint venture -- BEL-Thales Systems Limited (BTSL)." In March, Thales and BTSL came together to develop the Pharos fire-control radar to cater to both the Indian and global markets. "We have started the development work for Pharos and target to complete this in 24 months. The responsibility of overall system design will be borne by Thales. BTSL is responsible for developing the mechanical design and radar processing modifications while Thales is responsible for the design and production of the radar antenna," Caput noted. NEW DELHI: Equipment supplied by European aerospace major Thales will constitute 25 per cent of the value of the $8.9 billion deal for 36 Rafale combat jets that India and France inked last month, the companys India head has said. "Thales equipment represents around 25 per cent of the Rafale's total value," Antoine Caput told IANS. The company is a member of the Rafale team led by Dassault Aviation that manufactures the aircraft and will be providing state-of-the-art equipment and systems like radars, electronic warfare systems, optronics, displays and communication systems, among others, for the jets, the first of which will arrive in 2019. The Rafale was one of the six jets in contention for an Indian Air Force (IAF) tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) with 18 to be bought in fly-away condition and the balance to be progressively manufactured in India under a transfer of technology agreement. After prolonged negotiations, the tender was scrapped and India signalled its intent to purchase 36 Rafales outright during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris in April 2015. Speaking about the company's growth, Caput said: "The last five years have been encouraging for Thales in India," adding: "The defence sector contributes more than half of the company's turnover in India." As for the capability of Indian companies to execute high-technology offsets deals, he said Thales has "immense faith in our partners" as they are capable of "absorbing and delivering technology and products as part of offset obligations". Thales believes this is a great way to share technology and foster strong relations with Indian industry and achieve the common goal of transforming India into a global manufacturing hub, he said. "Our Go to India' approach is in line with the Make in India' policy of the Indian government. We are working on our purchasing policy to identify more Indian companies that can be our suppliers," Caput pointed out. "Today, the company has over 300 employees working with its wholly-owned Indian subsidiary, Thales India Pvt. Ltd. In defence, Thales has been recognised as a trusted partner to all three branches of the Indian armed forces," he added. Talking about the Thales relationship with Indian companies, Caput said: "We have a strong working relationship with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and have also formed a joint venture -- BEL-Thales Systems Limited (BTSL)." In March, Thales and BTSL came together to develop the Pharos fire-control radar to cater to both the Indian and global markets. "We have started the development work for Pharos and target to complete this in 24 months. The responsibility of overall system design will be borne by Thales. BTSL is responsible for developing the mechanical design and radar processing modifications while Thales is responsible for the design and production of the radar antenna," Caput noted. By PTI GHAZIABAD: A woman 'actively involved' in the kidnapping of a doctor for ransom and his killing earlier this year in Shikohabad, was arrested today, police said. Acting on a tip-off, the Indirapuram police nabbed Manju Kumari at about 10:30 AM, they said. "During interrogation, Manju confessed that she, along with Pradeep alias Daroga, Ashok Yadav, Arun and Sonu had kidnapped Dr Rajesh Gupta from his clinic in Nirkari colony of Vasundhara on January 20, 2016," said Superintendent of Police (City) Salman Taj Patil. "Pradeep had asked Gupta to visit his ailing mother. When Gupta was proceeding towards a car near his clinic they dragged and bundled him inside. He was intoxicated and ferried to Shikohabad. When he gained consciousness, he was forced to call his family to pay a ransom of Rs 20 lakh for his release," he said. "When Rajesh tried to escape from their captivity, they shot him dead and threw his body in a canal. Upon returning to Delhi, Pradeep used Gupta's phone to call his wife and demanded Rs 20 lakh for her husband's release which she refused," he added. They scrapped Gupta's phone near a railway line in Delhi. Pradeep withdrew an amount of Rs 37,000 from different ATMs by using Gupta's debit cards, police said. A case regarding the incident was registered under sections 364 A, 201, 120B of the IPC at Indirapuram police station. "Police had been raiding different areas and their possible hide outs to nab them. All the remaining culprits who are still at large will be arrested soon," said Patil. GHAZIABAD: A woman 'actively involved' in the kidnapping of a doctor for ransom and his killing earlier this year in Shikohabad, was arrested today, police said. Acting on a tip-off, the Indirapuram police nabbed Manju Kumari at about 10:30 AM, they said. "During interrogation, Manju confessed that she, along with Pradeep alias Daroga, Ashok Yadav, Arun and Sonu had kidnapped Dr Rajesh Gupta from his clinic in Nirkari colony of Vasundhara on January 20, 2016," said Superintendent of Police (City) Salman Taj Patil. "Pradeep had asked Gupta to visit his ailing mother. When Gupta was proceeding towards a car near his clinic they dragged and bundled him inside. He was intoxicated and ferried to Shikohabad. When he gained consciousness, he was forced to call his family to pay a ransom of Rs 20 lakh for his release," he said. "When Rajesh tried to escape from their captivity, they shot him dead and threw his body in a canal. Upon returning to Delhi, Pradeep used Gupta's phone to call his wife and demanded Rs 20 lakh for her husband's release which she refused," he added. They scrapped Gupta's phone near a railway line in Delhi. Pradeep withdrew an amount of Rs 37,000 from different ATMs by using Gupta's debit cards, police said. A case regarding the incident was registered under sections 364 A, 201, 120B of the IPC at Indirapuram police station. "Police had been raiding different areas and their possible hide outs to nab them. All the remaining culprits who are still at large will be arrested soon," said Patil. By Express News Service MYSURU: Cauvery Hitarakshana Horata Samiti (Cauvery Welfare committee) president G Madegowda expressed anguish over the Supreme Courts order to release 2,000 cusecs of water a day to Tamil Nadu till further orders. Speaking to reporters, the head of the famers body said the apex court is putting the state to test again and again. Let us comply with todays order. The Samithi will wait for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take a decision in this regard to chalk out a further plan of action. Meanwhile, Kasturi Karnataka Janapara Vedike, another famers body, staged a protest at Visweshwaraiah Circle in Mandya, condemning the Supreme Court order to release water. Earlier in the day, the Vedike members offered a special puja at Chamundi Hill temple in Mysuru praying for a favourable verdict. MYSURU: Cauvery Hitarakshana Horata Samiti (Cauvery Welfare committee) president G Madegowda expressed anguish over the Supreme Courts order to release 2,000 cusecs of water a day to Tamil Nadu till further orders. Speaking to reporters, the head of the famers body said the apex court is putting the state to test again and again. Let us comply with todays order. The Samithi will wait for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take a decision in this regard to chalk out a further plan of action. Meanwhile, Kasturi Karnataka Janapara Vedike, another famers body, staged a protest at Visweshwaraiah Circle in Mandya, condemning the Supreme Court order to release water. Earlier in the day, the Vedike members offered a special puja at Chamundi Hill temple in Mysuru praying for a favourable verdict. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Orkhan Quluzade Trend: President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey is preparing for ground operations on liberating Iraqs Mosul from Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL) terrorist group, Haber 7 newspaper reports, Oct. 18. We have historical obligations and Turkey must be present there. Diplomatic negotiations and preparations are being held, said the president. The operation to regain control over Mosul began in the morning, Oct. 17. In addition to Iraqs government forces, local Peshmerga paramilitaries participate in the operation. The operation is supported by international anti-terrorism coalition air force. Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq with a population of 1.3 million people, has been under the IS control for more than two years. Mosul was surrendered almost without a fight during the extremists attack in June 2014. The Islamic State considers Mosul as its main stronghold in Iraq. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade By Express News Service Bhubaneshwar fire mishap: Medical facility at hospital sealed BHUBANESHWAR: A day after a major fire at a hospital here claimed 22 lives, ravaged areas of the medical facility were sealed today ahead of a thorough probe as the state government geared up to ensure proper treatment of patients shifted elsewhere. Health Secretary Arti Ahuja, who visited the private Hospital this morning, said the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), dialysis and emergency units of the fire-hit medical facility have been sealed to ensure a proper investigation. READ MORE UPDATE: Air India offers free travel to SUM Hospital fire victims BHUBANESWAR: International flagship carrier Air India (AI) has offered free travel for SUM Hospital fire victims who want to take treatment at hospitals in other metros. According to a statement released by AI, the carrier is ready to fly critical patients accompanied by one attendant to any major city in India to avail the best medical treatment to aid their recovery. READ MORE Odisha Governor S C Jamir, CM Naveen Patnaik visited fire victims of SUM Hospital BHUBANESHWAR: Odisha Governor S C Jamir and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday visited AIIMS, Bhubaneswar and AMRI Hospital where fire victims and patients shifted from SUM Hospital are admitted. The CM instructed the hospital authorities to give their best to save lives of the victims. READ MORE Odisha hospital inferno: three electricians suspended Bhubaneshwar: Three contract-based electricians working for the SUM Hospital-cum-medical college, were suspended on Tuesday. The three employees were on the shift the night of the tragedy and were responsible for handling the power supply. READ MORE Fire mishap: Sonia expresses grief over loss of lives NEW DELHI: Congress President Sonia Gandhi today expressed grief over the loss of lives in the fire mishap at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. Gandhi extended her condolences to the families of those who were bereaved in the "most unfortunate tragedy" that happened last night leaving 22 dead. READ MORE Toll rises to 20 Death toll reaches 20; 1 patient admitted to AIIMS succumbs #OdishaHospitalFire #Bhubaneswar @NewIndianXpress Baibhav Mishra (@baibhav_TNIE) October 18, 2016 Tragedy at SUM Hospital as 19 patients lose life in horrific fire accident BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Government on Tuesday put the death toll in the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital fire mishap at 19. Health Secretary Arti Ahuja who visited the hospital in the morning hours confirmed the toll. Fourteen bodies were brought dead at Capital Hospital where AMRI Hospital received five. There has been no more death reported from any other hospital in connection with the fire mishap. Police Commissioner of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack YB Khurania said, nine of the deceased were women. As many as 106 patients who were injured in the fire are receiving treatment at various hospitals of the City. READ MORE From a flame to the blaze: How the fire spread What started as a flame at about 7.30 pm engulfed an entire floor, spreading chaos in the ICU and dialysis centre, with the smoke choking patients, attendants and staff. The fire raged on until it was put out by 10.15 pm. READ MORE Modi, Nadda condole Odisha hospital fire deaths NEW DELHI: Following the fire tragedy at SUM Hospital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed Union Health Minister JP Nadda, asking him to facilitate the transfer of all injured to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, already has admitted about 45 patients from SUM. The prime minister also spoke to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Spoke to CM @Naveen_Odisha about the distressing hospital fire tragedy. Assured all possible support from the Centre. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 READ MORE IN PIX: Bhubaneswar SUM Hospital fire and rescue Capital Hospital bustling with tragedy tourists The ones who actually were in anguish over the fire tragedy found little space or attention at the hosptials, which soon turned out to be the hotspot for political leaders, media and curious common public. Facing a tragedy of the scale that they have never handled before, the docts at the Capital Hospital had to struggle, what with the routine visits of Netas who expected briefing about the situation. READ MORE Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik orders inquiry Expenses for treatment of the injured persons in the fire incident to be borne by State Government from CM relief fund 1/2 Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 READ MORE SUM Hospital suspends three staffers: READ MORE Bhubaneshwar fire mishap: Medical facility at hospital sealed BHUBANESHWAR: A day after a major fire at a hospital here claimed 22 lives, ravaged areas of the medical facility were sealed today ahead of a thorough probe as the state government geared up to ensure proper treatment of patients shifted elsewhere. Health Secretary Arti Ahuja, who visited the private Hospital this morning, said the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), dialysis and emergency units of the fire-hit medical facility have been sealed to ensure a proper investigation. READ MORE UPDATE: Air India offers free travel to SUM Hospital fire victims BHUBANESWAR: International flagship carrier Air India (AI) has offered free travel for SUM Hospital fire victims who want to take treatment at hospitals in other metros. According to a statement released by AI, the carrier is ready to fly critical patients accompanied by one attendant to any major city in India to avail the best medical treatment to aid their recovery. READ MORE Odisha Governor S C Jamir, CM Naveen Patnaik visited fire victims of SUM Hospital BHUBANESHWAR: Odisha Governor S C Jamir and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday visited AIIMS, Bhubaneswar and AMRI Hospital where fire victims and patients shifted from SUM Hospital are admitted. The CM instructed the hospital authorities to give their best to save lives of the victims. READ MORE Odisha hospital inferno: three electricians suspended Bhubaneshwar: Three contract-based electricians working for the SUM Hospital-cum-medical college, were suspended on Tuesday. The three employees were on the shift the night of the tragedy and were responsible for handling the power supply. READ MORE Fire mishap: Sonia expresses grief over loss of lives NEW DELHI: Congress President Sonia Gandhi today expressed grief over the loss of lives in the fire mishap at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. Gandhi extended her condolences to the families of those who were bereaved in the "most unfortunate tragedy" that happened last night leaving 22 dead. READ MORE Toll rises to 20 Death toll reaches 20; 1 patient admitted to AIIMS succumbs #OdishaHospitalFire #Bhubaneswar @NewIndianXpress Baibhav Mishra (@baibhav_TNIE) October 18, 2016 Tragedy at SUM Hospital as 19 patients lose life in horrific fire accident BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Government on Tuesday put the death toll in the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital fire mishap at 19. Health Secretary Arti Ahuja who visited the hospital in the morning hours confirmed the toll. Fourteen bodies were brought dead at Capital Hospital where AMRI Hospital received five. There has been no more death reported from any other hospital in connection with the fire mishap. Police Commissioner of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack YB Khurania said, nine of the deceased were women. As many as 106 patients who were injured in the fire are receiving treatment at various hospitals of the City. READ MORE From a flame to the blaze: How the fire spread What started as a flame at about 7.30 pm engulfed an entire floor, spreading chaos in the ICU and dialysis centre, with the smoke choking patients, attendants and staff. The fire raged on until it was put out by 10.15 pm. READ MORE Modi, Nadda condole Odisha hospital fire deaths NEW DELHI: Following the fire tragedy at SUM Hospital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed Union Health Minister JP Nadda, asking him to facilitate the transfer of all injured to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, already has admitted about 45 patients from SUM. The prime minister also spoke to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Spoke to CM @Naveen_Odisha about the distressing hospital fire tragedy. Assured all possible support from the Centre. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 READ MORE IN PIX: Bhubaneswar SUM Hospital fire and rescue Capital Hospital bustling with tragedy tourists The ones who actually were in anguish over the fire tragedy found little space or attention at the hosptials, which soon turned out to be the hotspot for political leaders, media and curious common public. Facing a tragedy of the scale that they have never handled before, the docts at the Capital Hospital had to struggle, what with the routine visits of Netas who expected briefing about the situation. READ MORE Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik orders inquiry Expenses for treatment of the injured persons in the fire incident to be borne by State Government from CM relief fund 1/2 Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 READ MORE SUM Hospital suspends three staffers: READ MORE By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: Factionalism in the state Congress intensified even as the MLAs from Odisha camping at New Delhi on Monday met senior leaders to discuss organisational matters. The MLAs led by Leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra met V George, Private Secretary of party President Sonia Gandhi, to discuss problems facing the party in Odisha and discussed how to revive it in view of the panchayat polls scheduled in February next year. Mishra later met party vice-president Rahul Gandhi and had a one-to-one meeting with him for one and half hour. Mishra's meeting with Rahul follows the meeting the MLAs had with the latter on Saturday. Sources said the MLAs were not satisfied with the response of the party vice-president to the issues raised by them at the meeting including organisational changes. Mishra told media persons after his meeting with Rahul that several issues including organisational matters were discussed. He, however, refused to give details of his discussion with the party vice-president. The Leader of the Opposition, however, denied reports about his resignation from the party. I have not resigned. It is a rumor, Mishra said. He said the MLAs will stay in the national capital for some more days to meet other AICC leaders over party's organisational matters. "Congress president Sonia Gandhi is not well now. We will meet her after she gets well, he said. The MLAs led by Mishra met Ahmed Patel, political secretary to the Congress president, in the evening and discussed organisational matters. Sources said the party vice-president will meet MLAs in groups and other senior leaders of the state before taking any decision on the organisational changes including the removal of president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Prasad Harichandan. However, several senior leaders of the party including former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal disapproved of the demand for removal of OPCC president at this juncture. "There is nothing wrong if the MLAs go to New Delhi and meet party leaders. But the demand for a change of OPCC president is not a right move when the process for panchayat polls have already started," he told media persons. Former MP Pradip Majhi and former minister Sarat Rout said there is no need for a change in the state Congress leadership now and leaders should work unitedly for panchayat polls. BHUBANESWAR: Factionalism in the state Congress intensified even as the MLAs from Odisha camping at New Delhi on Monday met senior leaders to discuss organisational matters. The MLAs led by Leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra met V George, Private Secretary of party President Sonia Gandhi, to discuss problems facing the party in Odisha and discussed how to revive it in view of the panchayat polls scheduled in February next year. Mishra later met party vice-president Rahul Gandhi and had a one-to-one meeting with him for one and half hour. Mishra's meeting with Rahul follows the meeting the MLAs had with the latter on Saturday. Sources said the MLAs were not satisfied with the response of the party vice-president to the issues raised by them at the meeting including organisational changes. Mishra told media persons after his meeting with Rahul that several issues including organisational matters were discussed. He, however, refused to give details of his discussion with the party vice-president. The Leader of the Opposition, however, denied reports about his resignation from the party. I have not resigned. It is a rumor, Mishra said. He said the MLAs will stay in the national capital for some more days to meet other AICC leaders over party's organisational matters. "Congress president Sonia Gandhi is not well now. We will meet her after she gets well, he said. The MLAs led by Mishra met Ahmed Patel, political secretary to the Congress president, in the evening and discussed organisational matters. Sources said the party vice-president will meet MLAs in groups and other senior leaders of the state before taking any decision on the organisational changes including the removal of president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Prasad Harichandan. However, several senior leaders of the party including former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal disapproved of the demand for removal of OPCC president at this juncture. "There is nothing wrong if the MLAs go to New Delhi and meet party leaders. But the demand for a change of OPCC president is not a right move when the process for panchayat polls have already started," he told media persons. Former MP Pradip Majhi and former minister Sarat Rout said there is no need for a change in the state Congress leadership now and leaders should work unitedly for panchayat polls. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Tuesday demanded a judicial probe into the Sum Hospital fire mishap which has claimed 20 lives so far. The party also demanded compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a job to the next of the kin of the deceased in the fire accident. Holding Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak responsible for the fire mishap, OPCC president Prasad Harichandan criticised the State Government for not learning anything from the fire incident in AMRI hospital, Kolkata in 2011 in which at least 90 people were killed. Harichandan questioned how no objection certificate was given to the hospital in the absence of adequate fire fighting equipment. Besides the judicial probe, he said team of specialists should also inquire into the incident. Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik also demanded a judicial probe into the incident. Stating that the chief minister and health minister should be held responsible for the mishap, he demanded their immediate resignation. BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Tuesday demanded a judicial probe into the Sum Hospital fire mishap which has claimed 20 lives so far. The party also demanded compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a job to the next of the kin of the deceased in the fire accident. Holding Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak responsible for the fire mishap, OPCC president Prasad Harichandan criticised the State Government for not learning anything from the fire incident in AMRI hospital, Kolkata in 2011 in which at least 90 people were killed. Harichandan questioned how no objection certificate was given to the hospital in the absence of adequate fire fighting equipment. Besides the judicial probe, he said team of specialists should also inquire into the incident. Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik also demanded a judicial probe into the incident. Stating that the chief minister and health minister should be held responsible for the mishap, he demanded their immediate resignation. By Express News Service TALCHER:Talcher coalfield, which normally produces more than two lakh tonne of coal, was shut down on Monday following a strike called by the Private Contract Workers Association demanding annual bonus. There was a total halt in coal production in all the nine coal mines and no coal was dispatched to anywhere due to strike by the workers. Both the power plants of NTPC and Nalco received no coal. The financial loss to the State Government is to the tune of `five crore while the Centre sustained `15 crore loss, said an official. The contractual workers demanded bonus, double wages for working on Sunday and free medical facilities at par with regular workers. According to sources, MCL authorities had asked its private contractual agencies to follow the bonus Act and pay the money to their workers during puja. While some of the companies followed the directives, many others did not pay any bonus to the workers creating resentment among them. During the puja, these workers were sore over non-payment of bonus by their employers when their counterparts of MCL got `54,000 each as bonus. According to trade union leaders, about 10,000 contractual workers are engaged by about 200 private companies operating in Talcher coalfield of MCL. Though these workers are credited with more than 80 per cent of performance of MCL, they receive low wages and work more hours. Following persistent demands of the contract workers for bonus, the former coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal in 2013 had announced `1000 as a special Diwali gift which was paid across Coal India Limited (CIL). But the scheme was later discontinued by CIL. Veteran trade union leader of INTUC Souvagya Pradhan slammed such companies for not implementing bonus Act and demanded immediate payment of bonus. There is no point of denial as the private contractors get the bonus fund under the contract from coal companies. I strongly demand MCL, the largest coal producer in India, to pay Diwali gift to all its contract workers, Pradhan added. TALCHER:Talcher coalfield, which normally produces more than two lakh tonne of coal, was shut down on Monday following a strike called by the Private Contract Workers Association demanding annual bonus. There was a total halt in coal production in all the nine coal mines and no coal was dispatched to anywhere due to strike by the workers. Both the power plants of NTPC and Nalco received no coal. The financial loss to the State Government is to the tune of `five crore while the Centre sustained `15 crore loss, said an official. The contractual workers demanded bonus, double wages for working on Sunday and free medical facilities at par with regular workers. According to sources, MCL authorities had asked its private contractual agencies to follow the bonus Act and pay the money to their workers during puja. While some of the companies followed the directives, many others did not pay any bonus to the workers creating resentment among them. During the puja, these workers were sore over non-payment of bonus by their employers when their counterparts of MCL got `54,000 each as bonus. According to trade union leaders, about 10,000 contractual workers are engaged by about 200 private companies operating in Talcher coalfield of MCL. Though these workers are credited with more than 80 per cent of performance of MCL, they receive low wages and work more hours. Following persistent demands of the contract workers for bonus, the former coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal in 2013 had announced `1000 as a special Diwali gift which was paid across Coal India Limited (CIL). But the scheme was later discontinued by CIL. Veteran trade union leader of INTUC Souvagya Pradhan slammed such companies for not implementing bonus Act and demanded immediate payment of bonus. There is no point of denial as the private contractors get the bonus fund under the contract from coal companies. I strongly demand MCL, the largest coal producer in India, to pay Diwali gift to all its contract workers, Pradhan added. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: With protests intensifying for inclusion of mandals and villages, the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) asked the state government to consider the demands of the public on inclusion of particular mandals and villages in the newly formed districts. Concerned over people committing suicide over the inclusion of their mandal, TJAC chairperson Prof M Kodandaram and other leaders called on the chief secretary Rajiv Sharma at the Secretariat here on Monday. The government announced that Gattupalli will be carved into a mandal in Nalgonda. The government made all arrangements for the launch of police stations and mandals. However, later it cancelled plan of naming itself as a mandal. Thus, Yadaiah (28), a village assistant, who made decorations for the new offices attempted suicide, Kodandaram said. Collector Venkatram Reddy conducting Prajavani in Siddipet on Monday| Express photo The TJAC chairperson also mentioned about the suicide of Bodiga Soni (19) for not carving out Gattuppal mandal. Likewise, people in Nagireddipet mandal expected their mandal would be included in Medak. But, the mandal was included in Kamareddy district against their wishes. Nagireddipet was nearer to Medak and far way from Kamareddy, Kodandaram explained the CS. He also said that people of Doultabad and Kodangal were opposing the merger of the mandals. Meet people, TJAC chief to Chief Minister Prof M Kodandaram advised Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to meet people and listen to their problems. If people meet the Chief Minister and explained their problems, they would feel better, Kodandaram said. The state government has received more than one lakh objections on reorganisation of districts in the state Soni didnt die for mandal, dad killed her Nalgonda: The police have solved the mystery surrounding the death of 19- year old Bhudiga Sony and identified her father as the culprit. Sony died on October 14 during the hunger strike demanding Gattuppal as mandal headquarters and the villagers claimed that she committed suicide by immolating herself. According to the post mortem report, district SP N Prakash Reddy said that she was killed due to an injury on the head. A murder case was registered. Health dept officials unaware of bosses Hyderabad: Recruitment of associate professor, assistant professor and filling up of various other posts was discussed in a meeting by the health and family welfare department. The meet chaired by health minister C Laxma Reddy was held to discuss and prepare steps to be taken after reorganisation of districts. Officials said that work in some sections has come to a standstill Plea filed for inclusion of Nagireddypet mandal Hyderabad: A petition was filed in the Hyderabad HC on Monday seeking to suspend all proceedings relating to inclusion of Nagireddypet mandal in the newly constituted Kamareddy district. Petitioner Jaggi Jayaraju and nine others of Nagareddypet mandal urged the court to declare the alleged unscientific, and purely political reorganization of the new districts in the state especially the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities in including Nagireddypet mandal HYDERABAD: With protests intensifying for inclusion of mandals and villages, the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) asked the state government to consider the demands of the public on inclusion of particular mandals and villages in the newly formed districts. Concerned over people committing suicide over the inclusion of their mandal, TJAC chairperson Prof M Kodandaram and other leaders called on the chief secretary Rajiv Sharma at the Secretariat here on Monday. The government announced that Gattupalli will be carved into a mandal in Nalgonda. The government made all arrangements for the launch of police stations and mandals. However, later it cancelled plan of naming itself as a mandal. Thus, Yadaiah (28), a village assistant, who made decorations for the new offices attempted suicide, Kodandaram said. Collector Venkatram Reddy conducting Prajavani in Siddipet on Monday| Express photo The TJAC chairperson also mentioned about the suicide of Bodiga Soni (19) for not carving out Gattuppal mandal. Likewise, people in Nagireddipet mandal expected their mandal would be included in Medak. But, the mandal was included in Kamareddy district against their wishes. Nagireddipet was nearer to Medak and far way from Kamareddy, Kodandaram explained the CS. He also said that people of Doultabad and Kodangal were opposing the merger of the mandals. Meet people, TJAC chief to Chief Minister Prof M Kodandaram advised Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to meet people and listen to their problems. If people meet the Chief Minister and explained their problems, they would feel better, Kodandaram said. The state government has received more than one lakh objections on reorganisation of districts in the state Soni didnt die for mandal, dad killed her Nalgonda: The police have solved the mystery surrounding the death of 19- year old Bhudiga Sony and identified her father as the culprit. Sony died on October 14 during the hunger strike demanding Gattuppal as mandal headquarters and the villagers claimed that she committed suicide by immolating herself. According to the post mortem report, district SP N Prakash Reddy said that she was killed due to an injury on the head. A murder case was registered. Health dept officials unaware of bosses Hyderabad: Recruitment of associate professor, assistant professor and filling up of various other posts was discussed in a meeting by the health and family welfare department. The meet chaired by health minister C Laxma Reddy was held to discuss and prepare steps to be taken after reorganisation of districts. Officials said that work in some sections has come to a standstill Plea filed for inclusion of Nagireddypet mandal Hyderabad: A petition was filed in the Hyderabad HC on Monday seeking to suspend all proceedings relating to inclusion of Nagireddypet mandal in the newly constituted Kamareddy district. Petitioner Jaggi Jayaraju and nine others of Nagareddypet mandal urged the court to declare the alleged unscientific, and purely political reorganization of the new districts in the state especially the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities in including Nagireddypet mandal Express News Service By CHENNAI: The Supreme Court has directed Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu from October 7 to 18. On August 22, the Tamil Nadu government had approached the SC to get Cauvery water released from Karnataka for agricultural purposes, as per the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal 2007. Heres a timeline on how the issue panned out: Sept 5: SC orders Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of water per day, for 10 days Sept 9: Karnataka observes bandh due to public unrest over the SC order. The state government approaches the apex court to modify its order, citing the law and order problem that erupted over the issue Sept 12: SC slams Karnataka for defying its order, issues a new oneto release12,000 cusecs of water per day till September 20. Violent protests broke out in Bengaluru, Mysuru and other parts of Karnataka against the courts order. Damage caused by the rioters to public property amounted to crores of rupees. Section 144 was consecutively imposed in Bengaluru Sept 19: In a revised order, the Cauvery Supervisory Committee, set up by SC, ordered Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of water per day from September 21 to September 30 Sept 23: Karnataka Legislative Assembly s special session passes a resolution to not release water to Tamil Nadu, defying the Supreme Court order for a second time Sept 27: SC orders Karnataka to release water for three days, until September 30. Karnataka , however, informs the apex court that they are not in a position to release water and suggests they would comply with the SC order by November. This was the third defiance of the SC order Sept 30: SC gives Karnataka the last opportunity to comply with its orderto release 6,000 cusecs, for the first six days in October. It warns the state government, saying No one would know when the wrath of the law would fall on it Oct 1: Karnataka files review petition against the SC order to release 6,000 cusecs of water per day, after convening a special session of the State Legislature, thus missing the deadline to release water, again. On the same day, former PM Deve Gowda holds an indefinite hunger strike, making an appeal to PM Narendra Modi to intervene on behalf of Karnatakas people. He said the the SC order a death warrant Oct 3: Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi moves the SC, challenging its September 30 order of the Centre constituting the Cauvery Water Management Board. He argues that only Parliament has the authority to create such a body Oct 4: SC issues a fresh order to Karnataka for release of 2,000 cusecs per day from October 7 to October 18, and also says a technical committeewill be formed in order to assess ground realities CHENNAI: The Supreme Court has directed Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu from October 7 to 18. On August 22, the Tamil Nadu government had approached the SC to get Cauvery water released from Karnataka for agricultural purposes, as per the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal 2007. Heres a timeline on how the issue panned out: Sept 5: SC orders Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of water per day, for 10 days Sept 9: Karnataka observes bandh due to public unrest over the SC order. The state government approaches the apex court to modify its order, citing the law and order problem that erupted over the issue Sept 12: SC slams Karnataka for defying its order, issues a new oneto release12,000 cusecs of water per day till September 20. Violent protests broke out in Bengaluru, Mysuru and other parts of Karnataka against the courts order. Damage caused by the rioters to public property amounted to crores of rupees. Section 144 was consecutively imposed in Bengaluru Sept 19: In a revised order, the Cauvery Supervisory Committee, set up by SC, ordered Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of water per day from September 21 to September 30 Sept 23: Karnataka Legislative Assembly s special session passes a resolution to not release water to Tamil Nadu, defying the Supreme Court order for a second time Sept 27: SC orders Karnataka to release water for three days, until September 30. Karnataka , however, informs the apex court that they are not in a position to release water and suggests they would comply with the SC order by November. This was the third defiance of the SC order Sept 30: SC gives Karnataka the last opportunity to comply with its orderto release 6,000 cusecs, for the first six days in October. It warns the state government, saying No one would know when the wrath of the law would fall on it Oct 1: Karnataka files review petition against the SC order to release 6,000 cusecs of water per day, after convening a special session of the State Legislature, thus missing the deadline to release water, again. On the same day, former PM Deve Gowda holds an indefinite hunger strike, making an appeal to PM Narendra Modi to intervene on behalf of Karnatakas people. He said the the SC order a death warrant Oct 3: Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi moves the SC, challenging its September 30 order of the Centre constituting the Cauvery Water Management Board. He argues that only Parliament has the authority to create such a body Oct 4: SC issues a fresh order to Karnataka for release of 2,000 cusecs per day from October 7 to October 18, and also says a technical committeewill be formed in order to assess ground realities By Associated Press A number of women have come forward recently to say they were assaulted, groped or kissed without consent by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Several have said they were moved to go public after listening to Trump boast about such behavior in a 2005 video, in which he bragged about using his fame to force himself on women. Trump has denied the accusations of sexual misconduct and said the women are liars. He has apologized for his comments on the video, which was disclosed this month, but also dismissed them as "locker-room talk" and a distraction from the campaign. A look at the women and their allegations: Summer Zervos, 41, says Trump made aggressive, unwanted sexual advances in a Beverly Hills, California, hotel room in 2007. A former contestant on "The Apprentice," Zervos says she contacted Trump to ask for a job. He later invited her to dinner, and when she met him at his hotel, Zervos said, Trump almost immediately began kissing her and placed his hand on her breasts. Kristin Anderson, 46, told The Washington Post that she was sitting on a couch with friends at a New York nightclub in the early 1990s when someone reached up her skirt and touched her through her underwear. Anderson, then in her early 20s, said she pushed the hand away, turned around and recognized Trump as the man who had groped her. Jessica Leeds, 74, told The New York Times that Trump groped her on an airplane more than three decades ago. Leeds says the two were seated next to each other when Trump lifted the armrest separating them and began to touch her, grabbing her breasts and trying to put his hand up her skirt. Leeds called the incident an "assault." Mindy McGillivray, 36, of Palm Springs, Florida, says Trump groped her after she attended a Ray Charles concert at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in 2003. McGillivray told The Palm Beach Post she was standing with a group of people after the show and Trump came up behind her and grabbed her buttocks. Natasha Stoynoff, a reporter for People magazine, says Trump forced himself on her in 2005, when she was interviewing him for a feature on the one-year anniversary of his marriage to Melania Trump. Stoynoff wrote in an article published on the magazine's website that Trump was giving her a tour of his Mar-a-Lago mansion when he said he wanted to show her a special room. He shut the door "and within seconds, he was pushing me against the wall, and forcing his tongue down my throat." Rachel Crooks says Trump kissed her without invitation in 2006 when she was a 22-year-old receptionist for a real estate firm located at Trump Tower. Crooks told the Times she was meeting Trump for the first time when he took her hand to shake it and would not let go. He began kissing her cheeks and then kissed her on the mouth, she told the paper. Temple Taggart, a former Miss Utah, says Trump kissed her on the mouth more than once when she was a 21-year-old contestant in his Miss USA beauty pageant. Taggart initially told her story to the Times in May. She said she was struck by how Trump's comments from the 2005 video mirrored her experience. Jill Harth, a former business associate, told the Times that Trump put his hands under her skirt during a business dinner in 1992 and, on another occasion, tried to force himself on her. Harth sued Trump accusing him of sexual harassment in 1997. She dropped the lawsuit Trump after he settled a separate breach of contract suit. Cathy Heller told The Guardian newspaper that Trump tried to kiss her on the mouth when he was introduced to her along with other guests at a Mother's Day brunch at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, some 20 years ago. She said she extended her hand and that he took it, then grabbed her and "went for the lips." She leaned backward and almost lost her balance, she says, and turned her head at the last minute, and he kissed her on the side of her mouth. She was left "angry and shaken," she said. More than 20 former crew members, editors and contestants on Trump's "Apprentice" reality show described a pattern of crass behavior and demeaning comments on the set. Trump repeatedly addressed women with sexist language, rated female contestants by the size of their breasts and talked about which ones he'd like to have sex with, the people told The Associated Press. A number of women have come forward recently to say they were assaulted, groped or kissed without consent by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Several have said they were moved to go public after listening to Trump boast about such behavior in a 2005 video, in which he bragged about using his fame to force himself on women. Trump has denied the accusations of sexual misconduct and said the women are liars. He has apologized for his comments on the video, which was disclosed this month, but also dismissed them as "locker-room talk" and a distraction from the campaign. A look at the women and their allegations: Summer Zervos, 41, says Trump made aggressive, unwanted sexual advances in a Beverly Hills, California, hotel room in 2007. A former contestant on "The Apprentice," Zervos says she contacted Trump to ask for a job. He later invited her to dinner, and when she met him at his hotel, Zervos said, Trump almost immediately began kissing her and placed his hand on her breasts. Kristin Anderson, 46, told The Washington Post that she was sitting on a couch with friends at a New York nightclub in the early 1990s when someone reached up her skirt and touched her through her underwear. Anderson, then in her early 20s, said she pushed the hand away, turned around and recognized Trump as the man who had groped her. Jessica Leeds, 74, told The New York Times that Trump groped her on an airplane more than three decades ago. Leeds says the two were seated next to each other when Trump lifted the armrest separating them and began to touch her, grabbing her breasts and trying to put his hand up her skirt. Leeds called the incident an "assault." Mindy McGillivray, 36, of Palm Springs, Florida, says Trump groped her after she attended a Ray Charles concert at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in 2003. McGillivray told The Palm Beach Post she was standing with a group of people after the show and Trump came up behind her and grabbed her buttocks. Natasha Stoynoff, a reporter for People magazine, says Trump forced himself on her in 2005, when she was interviewing him for a feature on the one-year anniversary of his marriage to Melania Trump. Stoynoff wrote in an article published on the magazine's website that Trump was giving her a tour of his Mar-a-Lago mansion when he said he wanted to show her a special room. He shut the door "and within seconds, he was pushing me against the wall, and forcing his tongue down my throat." Rachel Crooks says Trump kissed her without invitation in 2006 when she was a 22-year-old receptionist for a real estate firm located at Trump Tower. Crooks told the Times she was meeting Trump for the first time when he took her hand to shake it and would not let go. He began kissing her cheeks and then kissed her on the mouth, she told the paper. Temple Taggart, a former Miss Utah, says Trump kissed her on the mouth more than once when she was a 21-year-old contestant in his Miss USA beauty pageant. Taggart initially told her story to the Times in May. She said she was struck by how Trump's comments from the 2005 video mirrored her experience. Jill Harth, a former business associate, told the Times that Trump put his hands under her skirt during a business dinner in 1992 and, on another occasion, tried to force himself on her. Harth sued Trump accusing him of sexual harassment in 1997. She dropped the lawsuit Trump after he settled a separate breach of contract suit. Cathy Heller told The Guardian newspaper that Trump tried to kiss her on the mouth when he was introduced to her along with other guests at a Mother's Day brunch at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, some 20 years ago. She said she extended her hand and that he took it, then grabbed her and "went for the lips." She leaned backward and almost lost her balance, she says, and turned her head at the last minute, and he kissed her on the side of her mouth. She was left "angry and shaken," she said. More than 20 former crew members, editors and contestants on Trump's "Apprentice" reality show described a pattern of crass behavior and demeaning comments on the set. Trump repeatedly addressed women with sexist language, rated female contestants by the size of their breasts and talked about which ones he'd like to have sex with, the people told The Associated Press. By The Daily Telegraph It has been a dramatic, perhaps catastrophic, weekend for Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Dabiq in Syria - the town to which Isil attached huge importance as the prophesied site of an apocalyptic showdown between Muslims and "unbelievers" - fell with barely a whimper. Now the assault on Mosul, the group's capital in Iraq, has begun too. If Isil finds itself in retreat and unable to project the same vision of power and victory as before, the rising numbers of disfranchised fighters seeking to leave its "Caliphate" will only increase. Nor are their places in the ranks certain to be replenished, as the shattering of the group's image as an all-powerful entity which controls a nation with major cities will also reduce its appeal as a destination for new recruits. Yet the consequences of any Isil defeat are hugely important for the West too - and not exclusively positive. We must be prepared. In particular, what will happen now to the thousands of foreign fighters who will be suddenly left without a home? Rudderless but with a sense of revolutionary purpose, they will present a menace to security officials around the world for years to come. The closest precedent is the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, when mujahideen rallied to fight the Soviet Union. This produced the beginnings of the network that not only developed into al Qaeda, but also created a cadre of warriors who afterwards sensed an opportunity to use their battlefield experience to overthrow regimes in their home countries. In some cases, they sought another struggle to join, be it in North Africa, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Chechnya, Kashmir or Bosnia. The war's aftermath created clusters of militants with links across the Eurasian continent, North America and Asia - cells that turned into the base for al Qaeda plots for years to come. In the case of Isil today, there is a risk of such directed cells. Isil has shown a capacity to send fighters back hidden among the refugees coming to Europe. If it is threatened in Iraq and Syria it may step up the number of those "returnees" to establish networks or even launch attacks. Keeping track and understanding this flow, then preventing any plots, will be a major task for European intelligence agencies. More worrying still, however, may be the threat posed by Arab, South-east Asian, Central Asian, Russian and North African fighters if they start heading home. In some of their home countries, the injection on a large scale of well-trained and battle-hardened fighters could become too much for authorities to cope with. This may lead to instability and violence which in some cases may be targeted against western nationals. In the worst-case scenario, a country may find itself a new base for terror operations, or a new rogue state could be born. Those are the short and medium-term dangers. The longer-term danger depends not on Isil, but upon our own behaviour. As the militants are pushed back from Mosul, there is the strong possibility that Western attention will drop off once again. Last time the West seemed to score a victory in Iraq, after The Surge in 2007-2008, Western powers rapidly lost attention and withdrew. The result was a sectarian mess that created the perfect environment for Isil to grow. Moreover, no one should be in any doubt that - despite the loss of Dabiq - Isil is still a potent force across the purely notional border in Syria. The brutal civil war there rages on. Above all, we in the rich world must not take Isil's precipitous loss of territory as an excuse to take our eye off the ball. Of course, the pressure must be kept up on the battlefield. But if we are prevent a resurgence, much more must be done to rebuild communities and cities that have been torn apart. Without this groundwork, Iraq will sink into the same old sectarianism, and Isil or a successor group will surely emerge. All of this is a long-term struggle that the West has failed to follow through on in the past. We must not make same mistake twice. Raffaello Pantucci is Director of International Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and author of 'We Love Death As You Love Life: Britain's Suburban Terrorists' It has been a dramatic, perhaps catastrophic, weekend for Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Dabiq in Syria - the town to which Isil attached huge importance as the prophesied site of an apocalyptic showdown between Muslims and "unbelievers" - fell with barely a whimper. Now the assault on Mosul, the group's capital in Iraq, has begun too. If Isil finds itself in retreat and unable to project the same vision of power and victory as before, the rising numbers of disfranchised fighters seeking to leave its "Caliphate" will only increase. Nor are their places in the ranks certain to be replenished, as the shattering of the group's image as an all-powerful entity which controls a nation with major cities will also reduce its appeal as a destination for new recruits. Yet the consequences of any Isil defeat are hugely important for the West too - and not exclusively positive. We must be prepared. In particular, what will happen now to the thousands of foreign fighters who will be suddenly left without a home? Rudderless but with a sense of revolutionary purpose, they will present a menace to security officials around the world for years to come. The closest precedent is the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, when mujahideen rallied to fight the Soviet Union. This produced the beginnings of the network that not only developed into al Qaeda, but also created a cadre of warriors who afterwards sensed an opportunity to use their battlefield experience to overthrow regimes in their home countries. In some cases, they sought another struggle to join, be it in North Africa, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Chechnya, Kashmir or Bosnia. The war's aftermath created clusters of militants with links across the Eurasian continent, North America and Asia - cells that turned into the base for al Qaeda plots for years to come. In the case of Isil today, there is a risk of such directed cells. Isil has shown a capacity to send fighters back hidden among the refugees coming to Europe. If it is threatened in Iraq and Syria it may step up the number of those "returnees" to establish networks or even launch attacks. Keeping track and understanding this flow, then preventing any plots, will be a major task for European intelligence agencies. More worrying still, however, may be the threat posed by Arab, South-east Asian, Central Asian, Russian and North African fighters if they start heading home. In some of their home countries, the injection on a large scale of well-trained and battle-hardened fighters could become too much for authorities to cope with. This may lead to instability and violence which in some cases may be targeted against western nationals. In the worst-case scenario, a country may find itself a new base for terror operations, or a new rogue state could be born. Those are the short and medium-term dangers. The longer-term danger depends not on Isil, but upon our own behaviour. As the militants are pushed back from Mosul, there is the strong possibility that Western attention will drop off once again. Last time the West seemed to score a victory in Iraq, after The Surge in 2007-2008, Western powers rapidly lost attention and withdrew. The result was a sectarian mess that created the perfect environment for Isil to grow. Moreover, no one should be in any doubt that - despite the loss of Dabiq - Isil is still a potent force across the purely notional border in Syria. The brutal civil war there rages on. Above all, we in the rich world must not take Isil's precipitous loss of territory as an excuse to take our eye off the ball. Of course, the pressure must be kept up on the battlefield. But if we are prevent a resurgence, much more must be done to rebuild communities and cities that have been torn apart. Without this groundwork, Iraq will sink into the same old sectarianism, and Isil or a successor group will surely emerge. All of this is a long-term struggle that the West has failed to follow through on in the past. We must not make same mistake twice. Raffaello Pantucci is Director of International Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and author of 'We Love Death As You Love Life: Britain's Suburban Terrorists' By Associated Press KHAZER: Iraqi and Kurdish commanders said Tuesday they have paused their advance on Mosul a day after the start of a massive operation to retake the Islamic State-held city, which is expected to take weeks, if not months. The front lines to the east of Mosul were largely quiet, a day after Iraqi Kurdish forces advanced amid a barrage of U.S.-led airstrikes and heavy artillery. "We are just holding our positions," said Col. Khathar Sheikhan, of the Kurdish forces known as the peshmerga, which captured a handful of villages east of Mosul on Monday. "The Iraqi army will now advance past our arenas of control." "We have achieved our objectives," he said. But an Iraqi special forces commander said his troops have delayed an advance following a request from Kurdish forces for more time to achieve their goals. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting accounts. Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil said his men had planned to move at dawn, but postponed the operation. He said Iraqi army and Kurdish commanders would meet later on Tuesday. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had announced the long-awaited offensive before dawn Monday, vowing to liberate the city from more than two years of extremist rule. Mosul is Iraq's second largest city and the IS group's last major urban bastion in the country. The large and complex battle for Mosul is expected to last weeks or months. It will involve more than 25,000 troops, including the Iraqi army, the Kurdish peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and Shiite militias. The U.S. military is providing air support and playing a supporting role on the ground. A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said the operation was proceeding as planned and that Iraqi forces were making "excellent progress." "There's no pause in efforts to liberate Mosul. Troops are on the move on various axes of advance toward the city," said Col. John Dorrian. "Some commanders have reached their objectives ahead of schedule after encountering light-to-moderate resistance." By the end of the day Monday, Kurdish forces had retaken some 200 square kilometers (80 square miles), according to Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdish region. Peshmerga commanders on the ground estimated they retook nine villages and pushed the front line with IS back eight kilometers (five miles). The front line east of Mosul is now some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the city. IS said it carried out 12 suicide attacks on Monday against the forces advancing on Mosul, including eight that targeted the peshmerga. The report carried by the IS-run Aamaq news agency said Iraqi forces had captured just three villages and that IS fighters had halted an advance from the south. KHAZER: Iraqi and Kurdish commanders said Tuesday they have paused their advance on Mosul a day after the start of a massive operation to retake the Islamic State-held city, which is expected to take weeks, if not months. The front lines to the east of Mosul were largely quiet, a day after Iraqi Kurdish forces advanced amid a barrage of U.S.-led airstrikes and heavy artillery. "We are just holding our positions," said Col. Khathar Sheikhan, of the Kurdish forces known as the peshmerga, which captured a handful of villages east of Mosul on Monday. "The Iraqi army will now advance past our arenas of control." "We have achieved our objectives," he said. But an Iraqi special forces commander said his troops have delayed an advance following a request from Kurdish forces for more time to achieve their goals. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting accounts. Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil said his men had planned to move at dawn, but postponed the operation. He said Iraqi army and Kurdish commanders would meet later on Tuesday. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had announced the long-awaited offensive before dawn Monday, vowing to liberate the city from more than two years of extremist rule. Mosul is Iraq's second largest city and the IS group's last major urban bastion in the country. The large and complex battle for Mosul is expected to last weeks or months. It will involve more than 25,000 troops, including the Iraqi army, the Kurdish peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and Shiite militias. The U.S. military is providing air support and playing a supporting role on the ground. A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said the operation was proceeding as planned and that Iraqi forces were making "excellent progress." "There's no pause in efforts to liberate Mosul. Troops are on the move on various axes of advance toward the city," said Col. John Dorrian. "Some commanders have reached their objectives ahead of schedule after encountering light-to-moderate resistance." By the end of the day Monday, Kurdish forces had retaken some 200 square kilometers (80 square miles), according to Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdish region. Peshmerga commanders on the ground estimated they retook nine villages and pushed the front line with IS back eight kilometers (five miles). The front line east of Mosul is now some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the city. IS said it carried out 12 suicide attacks on Monday against the forces advancing on Mosul, including eight that targeted the peshmerga. The report carried by the IS-run Aamaq news agency said Iraqi forces had captured just three villages and that IS fighters had halted an advance from the south. By Associated Press NEW YORK: NBC News on Monday fired "Today" show host Billy Bush, who was caught on tape in a vulgar conversation about women with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump before an "Access Hollywood" appearance. Bush was suspended at the morning show two days after contents of the 2005 tape were reported on Oct. 7. Once it became clear he wouldn't be back, NBC and Bush's representatives had been negotiating terms of his exit. On the tape, Bush is heard laughing as Trump talks about fame enabling him to grope and try to have sex with women not his wife. Trump has denied groping women, and Bush later said he was "embarrassed and ashamed" by what was caught on tape. NBC made the announcement of his firing in a note from "Today" show top executive Noah Oppenheim to his staff. Oppenheim called Bush, who spent 15 years at "Access Hollywood," ''a valued colleague and longtime member of the broader NBC family. We wish him success as he goes forward." Bush, a 44-year-old father of three and nephew of former President George H.W. Bush, said that he was "deeply grateful for the conversations I've had with my daughters, and for all of the support from family, friends and colleagues. I look forward to what lies ahead." The settlement with NBC did not include a non-compete clause, meaning Bush "is a free agent," said his lawyer, Marshall Grossman. Financial terms of the deal were kept confidential. In an interview with CNN on Monday, Trump's wife, Melania , said that her husband was "egged on" by Bush in the conversation. "I wonder if they even knew the mic was on," Melania Trump said, referring to her husband and Bush. She said they were involved in "boy talk, and he was led on like egged on from the host to say dirty and bad stuff." Asked to comment, Grossman said, "I thought that Donald Trump would claim that he was not on the bus." In the 2005 tape, which was first revealed by The Washington Post, Trump discusses unsuccessfully seeking an affair with another "Access Hollywood" employee, Nancy O'Dell. Trump said that when he was attracted to beautiful women "I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet." He said that when you're a star, women let you. "Grab them by the p----. You can do anything," Trump added. The two men discussed an actress who was waiting from at the end of the bus ride. When they got off, Bush urged the woman to hug Trump and added, "how about a little hug for the Bushy?" Trump said in the second presidential debate that he never did any of the actions heard on the tape, which he described as locker room talk. But a number of women have since come forward and said that Trump had surprised them in the past by groping or unexpectedly kissing them on the lips. Bush had only worked at "Today" for two months. Since women make up roughly two-thirds of the audience during the hour that he hosted, he faced an uphill battle gaining the trust of viewers. NBC, which did not comment on the agreement beyond Oppenheim's statement, had Harry Connick Jr. filling in for Bush on Monday and Tuesday. NEW YORK: NBC News on Monday fired "Today" show host Billy Bush, who was caught on tape in a vulgar conversation about women with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump before an "Access Hollywood" appearance. Bush was suspended at the morning show two days after contents of the 2005 tape were reported on Oct. 7. Once it became clear he wouldn't be back, NBC and Bush's representatives had been negotiating terms of his exit. On the tape, Bush is heard laughing as Trump talks about fame enabling him to grope and try to have sex with women not his wife. Trump has denied groping women, and Bush later said he was "embarrassed and ashamed" by what was caught on tape. NBC made the announcement of his firing in a note from "Today" show top executive Noah Oppenheim to his staff. Oppenheim called Bush, who spent 15 years at "Access Hollywood," ''a valued colleague and longtime member of the broader NBC family. We wish him success as he goes forward." Bush, a 44-year-old father of three and nephew of former President George H.W. Bush, said that he was "deeply grateful for the conversations I've had with my daughters, and for all of the support from family, friends and colleagues. I look forward to what lies ahead." The settlement with NBC did not include a non-compete clause, meaning Bush "is a free agent," said his lawyer, Marshall Grossman. Financial terms of the deal were kept confidential. In an interview with CNN on Monday, Trump's wife, Melania, said that her husband was "egged on" by Bush in the conversation. "I wonder if they even knew the mic was on," Melania Trump said, referring to her husband and Bush. She said they were involved in "boy talk, and he was led on like egged on from the host to say dirty and bad stuff." Asked to comment, Grossman said, "I thought that Donald Trump would claim that he was not on the bus." In the 2005 tape, which was first revealed by The Washington Post, Trump discusses unsuccessfully seeking an affair with another "Access Hollywood" employee, Nancy O'Dell. Trump said that when he was attracted to beautiful women "I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet." He said that when you're a star, women let you. "Grab them by the p----. You can do anything," Trump added. The two men discussed an actress who was waiting from at the end of the bus ride. When they got off, Bush urged the woman to hug Trump and added, "how about a little hug for the Bushy?" Trump said in the second presidential debate that he never did any of the actions heard on the tape, which he described as locker room talk. But a number of women have since come forward and said that Trump had surprised them in the past by groping or unexpectedly kissing them on the lips. Bush had only worked at "Today" for two months. Since women make up roughly two-thirds of the audience during the hour that he hosted, he faced an uphill battle gaining the trust of viewers. NBC, which did not comment on the agreement beyond Oppenheim's statement, had Harry Connick Jr. filling in for Bush on Monday and Tuesday. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 By Orkhan Quluzade Trend: Units of the Iraqi Armed Forces entered the Al-Hamdaniya District to the south-east of Mosul, Anadolu Agencys correspondent reported from the combat area. The battle continues between the members of "Islamic State" (ISIS) terrorist group and Iraqi forces in Al-Hamdaniya. Al-Hamdaniya is situated 10 km to the south-east of Mosul and earlier the district was primarily inhabited by Christians. This district has been under control of the terrorists for more than two years. The operation to regain control over Mosul began in the morning of Oct. 17. In addition to Iraqs government forces, local Peshmerga paramilitaries participate in the operation. The operation is supported by international anti-terrorism coalition air force. Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq with a population of 1.3 million people, has been under the IS control for more than two years. Mosul was surrendered almost without a fight during the extremists attack in June 2014. The Islamic State considers Mosul as its main stronghold in Iraq. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade By ANI GENEVA (Switzerland): Continuing to commit atrocities on Baloch civilians, Pakistani forces burnt down several houses, abducted many locals and also killed an innocent Baloch civilian during an operation in Naseerabad area. According to Baloch Republican Students Organisation based in Germany, another Baloch civilian was killed and several women were taken away by the Pakistan Army during an operation in Dilband and Nagahi areas. Meanwhile, Baloch Republican Party spokesman Sher Mohammad Bugti, in a statement condemned Pakistani aggression against Baloch civilian. He said that Pakistani forces conducted a heavy military operation Goburd area of Mand and abducted several Baloch people. Relatives of the victims protested in front of an army camp installed on a hospital but attracted the attention of no media or so-called human rights organizations. "State aggression has grown to limits. An innocent Baloch civilian was killed due to indiscriminate firing by Pakistani armed forces," he said. On the other hand, military operations are taking place in Dilband and Nagahi areas of Kalat from past three days. Pakistani forces sieged the area and abducted, hanged an innocent Baloch civilian identified as Mubarak Bugti s/o Jana Bugti upside down to a tree for an entire night and then took him along with his family. He further said that Pakistani forces also launched military operations in Chattar, Sherani, Hoti and adjacent areas of Naseerabad. Helicopters have indiscriminately bombarded the area killing an innocent Baloch civilian, Lalu Bugti. He urged the human rights groups to take all practical measures to ensure put an end to state atrocities on Balochistan people. GENEVA (Switzerland): Continuing to commit atrocities on Baloch civilians, Pakistani forces burnt down several houses, abducted many locals and also killed an innocent Baloch civilian during an operation in Naseerabad area. According to Baloch Republican Students Organisation based in Germany, another Baloch civilian was killed and several women were taken away by the Pakistan Army during an operation in Dilband and Nagahi areas. Meanwhile, Baloch Republican Party spokesman Sher Mohammad Bugti, in a statement condemned Pakistani aggression against Baloch civilian. He said that Pakistani forces conducted a heavy military operation Goburd area of Mand and abducted several Baloch people. Relatives of the victims protested in front of an army camp installed on a hospital but attracted the attention of no media or so-called human rights organizations. "State aggression has grown to limits. An innocent Baloch civilian was killed due to indiscriminate firing by Pakistani armed forces," he said. On the other hand, military operations are taking place in Dilband and Nagahi areas of Kalat from past three days. Pakistani forces sieged the area and abducted, hanged an innocent Baloch civilian identified as Mubarak Bugti s/o Jana Bugti upside down to a tree for an entire night and then took him along with his family. He further said that Pakistani forces also launched military operations in Chattar, Sherani, Hoti and adjacent areas of Naseerabad. Helicopters have indiscriminately bombarded the area killing an innocent Baloch civilian, Lalu Bugti. He urged the human rights groups to take all practical measures to ensure put an end to state atrocities on Balochistan people. By Associated Press BEIRUT: Russian and Syrian forces will halt hostilities for eight hours in the eastern districts of Aleppo, Russia's military announced on Monday, a day on which opposition activists said their airstrikes killed at least 36 people, including several children, in and around the divided city. The two militaries will observe a "humanitarian pause" between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Oct. 20 to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of Russia's general staff said in Moscow. Militants, the wounded and sick would be allowed to evacuate to the neighboring rebel-held province of Idlib. U.N. humanitarian officials have pleaded with combatants to observe weekly 48-hour cease-fires to allow humanitarian relief into the city's besieged eastern districts, but Russian and Syrian forces have only escalated their aerial and ground assault on the rebel-held areas in recent weeks. The airstrikes have claimed hundreds of lives, wounded many, flattened apartment buildings and laid waste to the already crippled medical sector. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York that the eight-hour pause was a unilateral halt to fighting. A 48-hour or 72-hour cease-fire "will require some sort of mutual arrangement," he said. Russian and Syrian leaders are now capitalizing on a proposal made by the U.N.'s envoy earlier this month to allow al-Qaida-linked militants to leave in exchange for peace and local administration for the eastern districts. Rebels in the east, along with many residents, spurned the proposition, citing their distrust of the government side. And Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution mandating an immediate cease-fire. Russia's Churkin said that at a meeting Saturday co-chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar said they would work to separate moderate opposition groups from the former al-Qaida affiliate once known as the Nusra Front in rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Military experts from all these countries were scheduled to meet Monday, he said. If the separation succeeds which is a key Russian and Syrian demand there are two options, Churkin said. Nusra fighters must leave Aleppo or they will be defeated, he said. Churkin said "the understanding" reached at Saturday's meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, is that once Nusra is gone the moderate opposition and the Syrian government will agree on a cease-fire to end the bloodshed. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington, noted that the people of Aleppo "have been subjected to near constant bombardment and air strikes" that have killed many civilians and leveled much of the city's infrastructure in an effort "to starve out and to drive out the opposition and civilians." "If there is actually an eight-hour pause in the unremitting suffering of the people of Aleppo, that would be a good thing. But frankly, it's a bit too little, too late," Toner said. Monday's Russian announcement did not include any promises of an extended cease-fire or local administration. It followed a bloody day of airstrikes on rebel-held districts in and around Aleppo. At least 23 people were killed in airstrike that also wounded dozens in the village of Oweijel, just west of Aleppo, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Another monitoring group, the Local Coordination Committees, said the air raid was carried out by Russian warplanes and put the death toll at 30. More than a dozen people were also killed in the Marjeh neighborhood in eastern Aleppo. The Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, said those killed included 11 people with the same family name of Qabs ranging from a six-week-old baby girl to a 25-year-old man. The Observatory said at least 50 civilians, including 18 children, were killed in airstrikes on the eastern part of the city in the 24 hours before the Russian announcement. Monday's airstrikes coincided with the launch in neighboring Iraq of a major operation by Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by the U.S.-led coalition, to retake the northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State group. There have been concerns the government in Damascus could use the timing of the Mosul offensive to press its onslaught in Aleppo while world attention is diverted to developments in Iraq. Also Monday, Syrian state media claimed 49 rebels were killed and wounded in fighting in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Saeed and Shurfa on the southern edges of Aleppo. In the nearby province of Idlib, a U.S.-led coalition drone struck a car in the provincial capital that carries the same name, killing all inside, according to the Observatory and a jihadi official. It was not immediately clear who was in the vehicle, but such attacks have previously targeted officials with al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria, known as Fatah al-Sham Front. The Observatory said the attack targeted a faction commander. An official with Fatah al-Sham Front, formerly known as Nusra Front, said all those in the car were "martyred." The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said it was not clear if members of his group were targeted. Earlier this month, a drone attack killed top al-Qaida official Ahmed Salama Mabrouk. The United States and Britain on Sunday acknowledged the Western world's weak support for any military action against Syria's government as they seek ways to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad and his chief backer, Russia, to halt the deadly Aleppo offensive. After a meeting of 11 governments opposing Assad's rule, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson each insisted that all options were on the table. But their stark explanations about the danger of resorting to military force appeared to rule out such a move. The government in Damascus, meanwhile, appears to be trying to improve relations with Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, following the first public meeting between Egyptian and Syrian security chiefs. Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, head of the National Security Bureau and one of Assad's top aides, visited Cairo Sunday at the head of a delegation to coordinate with Egypt in the fight against "terrorism" in the region, Syria's state-run news agency SANA said. SANA said the Syrians met with top intelligence officials, including deputy chief of Egypt's intelligence agency. It said both sides agreed on "coordinating political standpoints" and strengthening the "cooperation in fighting terrorism." Egypt's pro-government Sada al-Balad and other news websites reported on Sunday that six Syrians arrived on a private jet from Damascus. Earlier this month, Egypt voted for rival French and Russian draft resolutions on Syria at the U.N. Security Council, arguing that both called for a truce and for aid for besieged Syrians in the rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo. The move angered Egypt's major financier Saudi Arabia, which supports rebels fighting against Assad's Moscow-backed government. Egypt and Syria are both fighting extremists, including members of the Islamic State group. Both countries also have poor relations with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. BEIRUT: Russian and Syrian forces will halt hostilities for eight hours in the eastern districts of Aleppo, Russia's military announced on Monday, a day on which opposition activists said their airstrikes killed at least 36 people, including several children, in and around the divided city. The two militaries will observe a "humanitarian pause" between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Oct. 20 to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of Russia's general staff said in Moscow. Militants, the wounded and sick would be allowed to evacuate to the neighboring rebel-held province of Idlib. U.N. humanitarian officials have pleaded with combatants to observe weekly 48-hour cease-fires to allow humanitarian relief into the city's besieged eastern districts, but Russian and Syrian forces have only escalated their aerial and ground assault on the rebel-held areas in recent weeks. The airstrikes have claimed hundreds of lives, wounded many, flattened apartment buildings and laid waste to the already crippled medical sector. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York that the eight-hour pause was a unilateral halt to fighting. A 48-hour or 72-hour cease-fire "will require some sort of mutual arrangement," he said. Russian and Syrian leaders are now capitalizing on a proposal made by the U.N.'s envoy earlier this month to allow al-Qaida-linked militants to leave in exchange for peace and local administration for the eastern districts. Rebels in the east, along with many residents, spurned the proposition, citing their distrust of the government side. And Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution mandating an immediate cease-fire. Russia's Churkin said that at a meeting Saturday co-chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar said they would work to separate moderate opposition groups from the former al-Qaida affiliate once known as the Nusra Front in rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Military experts from all these countries were scheduled to meet Monday, he said. If the separation succeeds which is a key Russian and Syrian demand there are two options, Churkin said. Nusra fighters must leave Aleppo or they will be defeated, he said. Churkin said "the understanding" reached at Saturday's meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, is that once Nusra is gone the moderate opposition and the Syrian government will agree on a cease-fire to end the bloodshed. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington, noted that the people of Aleppo "have been subjected to near constant bombardment and air strikes" that have killed many civilians and leveled much of the city's infrastructure in an effort "to starve out and to drive out the opposition and civilians." "If there is actually an eight-hour pause in the unremitting suffering of the people of Aleppo, that would be a good thing. But frankly, it's a bit too little, too late," Toner said. Monday's Russian announcement did not include any promises of an extended cease-fire or local administration. It followed a bloody day of airstrikes on rebel-held districts in and around Aleppo. At least 23 people were killed in airstrike that also wounded dozens in the village of Oweijel, just west of Aleppo, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Another monitoring group, the Local Coordination Committees, said the air raid was carried out by Russian warplanes and put the death toll at 30. More than a dozen people were also killed in the Marjeh neighborhood in eastern Aleppo. The Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, said those killed included 11 people with the same family name of Qabs ranging from a six-week-old baby girl to a 25-year-old man. The Observatory said at least 50 civilians, including 18 children, were killed in airstrikes on the eastern part of the city in the 24 hours before the Russian announcement. Monday's airstrikes coincided with the launch in neighboring Iraq of a major operation by Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by the U.S.-led coalition, to retake the northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State group. There have been concerns the government in Damascus could use the timing of the Mosul offensive to press its onslaught in Aleppo while world attention is diverted to developments in Iraq. Also Monday, Syrian state media claimed 49 rebels were killed and wounded in fighting in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Saeed and Shurfa on the southern edges of Aleppo. In the nearby province of Idlib, a U.S.-led coalition drone struck a car in the provincial capital that carries the same name, killing all inside, according to the Observatory and a jihadi official. It was not immediately clear who was in the vehicle, but such attacks have previously targeted officials with al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria, known as Fatah al-Sham Front. The Observatory said the attack targeted a faction commander. An official with Fatah al-Sham Front, formerly known as Nusra Front, said all those in the car were "martyred." The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said it was not clear if members of his group were targeted. Earlier this month, a drone attack killed top al-Qaida official Ahmed Salama Mabrouk. The United States and Britain on Sunday acknowledged the Western world's weak support for any military action against Syria's government as they seek ways to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad and his chief backer, Russia, to halt the deadly Aleppo offensive. After a meeting of 11 governments opposing Assad's rule, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson each insisted that all options were on the table. But their stark explanations about the danger of resorting to military force appeared to rule out such a move. The government in Damascus, meanwhile, appears to be trying to improve relations with Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, following the first public meeting between Egyptian and Syrian security chiefs. Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, head of the National Security Bureau and one of Assad's top aides, visited Cairo Sunday at the head of a delegation to coordinate with Egypt in the fight against "terrorism" in the region, Syria's state-run news agency SANA said. SANA said the Syrians met with top intelligence officials, including deputy chief of Egypt's intelligence agency. It said both sides agreed on "coordinating political standpoints" and strengthening the "cooperation in fighting terrorism." Egypt's pro-government Sada al-Balad and other news websites reported on Sunday that six Syrians arrived on a private jet from Damascus. Earlier this month, Egypt voted for rival French and Russian draft resolutions on Syria at the U.N. Security Council, arguing that both called for a truce and for aid for besieged Syrians in the rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo. The move angered Egypt's major financier Saudi Arabia, which supports rebels fighting against Assad's Moscow-backed government. Egypt and Syria are both fighting extremists, including members of the Islamic State group. Both countries also have poor relations with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. By The Daily Telegraph The death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand will not affect plans to hold a general election in 2017, the country's media reported yesterday (Monday). The reports contradicted speculation that the military government, which came to power in a coup in 2014, might delay the poll in light of the official year of mourning for the king. "The government has reaffirmed its commitment to following the roadmap for general elections scheduled for late next year," reported the leading English newspaper The Bangkok Post. Thais returned to work yesterday morning after a weekend when hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to pay respect to the king. Most still continued to wear white and black clothes as a symbol of mourning. The wearing of black and white has become a contentious issue, with those who do not comply being denounced on social media as unpatriotic and disrespectful to the royal family. The monarch, who reigned for 70 years, was considered by many to be close to divine, and harsh lese-majeste laws can mean up to 15 years in prison for insulting the king or his heir. In the heightened emotion after his death, at least three people have been accused of committing lese-majeste, leading to fears of witch hunts. Yesterday a woman on the holiday island of Koh Samui was forced by police to bow publicly before a portrait of the king. She had been accused of posting comments on social media that were critical of the royal family. On Saturday hundreds of people gathered at a shop in Takua Thung district, denouncing the owner's son after they were angered by his Facebook posts. Seventy police officers were deployed to bring the crowd under control. The foreign media has also been criticised. The ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement "deploring" media which reported the number of mourners was in the "thousands", rather than hundreds of thousands. The death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand will not affect plans to hold a general election in 2017, the country's media reported yesterday (Monday). The reports contradicted speculation that the military government, which came to power in a coup in 2014, might delay the poll in light of the official year of mourning for the king. "The government has reaffirmed its commitment to following the roadmap for general elections scheduled for late next year," reported the leading English newspaper The Bangkok Post. Thais returned to work yesterday morning after a weekend when hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to pay respect to the king. Most still continued to wear white and black clothes as a symbol of mourning. The wearing of black and white has become a contentious issue, with those who do not comply being denounced on social media as unpatriotic and disrespectful to the royal family. The monarch, who reigned for 70 years, was considered by many to be close to divine, and harsh lese-majeste laws can mean up to 15 years in prison for insulting the king or his heir. In the heightened emotion after his death, at least three people have been accused of committing lese-majeste, leading to fears of witch hunts. Yesterday a woman on the holiday island of Koh Samui was forced by police to bow publicly before a portrait of the king. She had been accused of posting comments on social media that were critical of the royal family. On Saturday hundreds of people gathered at a shop in Takua Thung district, denouncing the owner's son after they were angered by his Facebook posts. Seventy police officers were deployed to bring the crowd under control. The foreign media has also been criticised. The ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement "deploring" media which reported the number of mourners was in the "thousands", rather than hundreds of thousands. By The Daily Telegraph Donald Trump suggested yesterday (Sunday) the presidential election was being rigged against him, in claims echoed by his campaign. With just three weeks to go before election night and his support dropping in the wake of a wave of allegations of sexual harassment, the billionaire has pressed claims that the system is rigged for him to lose. "The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media-pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," he tweeted yesterday. Earlier in the day, Mr Trump had dismissed an unflattering depiction of himself on Saturday Night Live, the comedy sketch show, as further evidence of a conspiracy. "Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me," Mr Trump tweeted. "Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!" Mr Trump has adamantly denied each of the nine allegations that have come out in the past week, and said recent polls showing his support dwindling among female voters were an indication that the conspiracy was working. With Mr Trump taking a break from the campaign trail yesterday, Mike Pence, his running mate, echoed those claims in a series of television interviews. He told NBC, the "sense of a rigged election" was growing with the "avalanche of continuous attacks against my running mate". Senior Republicans have pushed back against Mr Trump's suggestion that the democratic process is not legitimate, amid a growing concern over the fallout if he loses. House Speaker Paul Ryan, who recently said he would no longer campaign for Mr Trump, spoke out in defence of the electoral system over the weekend. "Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity," said spokesperson AshLee Strong. Some of the businessman's allies and followers have made clear that they will not accept defeat at the hands of a candidate Mr Trump has said "belongs in jail". Sheriff David Clarke Jr of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who has spoken out on behalf of Mr Trump during the campaign, said on Saturday that it is now "pitchforks and torches time". "We're going to have a revolution and take them out of office if that's what it takes," Trump supporter Dan Bowman told the Boston Globe from a recent rally in Cincinnati. "There's going to be a lot of bloodshed, but that's what it's going to take." Yesterday, Mr Pence was asked twice what he and Mr Trump would do if they were to lose, and he insisted they would "absolutely respect the results". But Mr Trump continues to raise the stakes of the election, saying on Saturday: "either we win the election or we lose the country and this is the last time... it's never going to come back." The Trump campaign has also alleged that major media organisations are ignoring revelations from hacked Clinton campaign emails, focusing instead on the accusations of sexual misconduct against Mr Trump. Mr Pence said the media's "wilful ignorance" toward the email controversy was "one of the reasons why so many Americans feel like the election is being rigged". The claims come after Mr Trump said he wanted the United State's relationship with India to be greater than any other. On Saturday night, Mr Trump said at a Republican Hindu Coalition fundraiser in New Jersey that "under a Trump administration we are going to become even better friends." A dance routine featuring men dressed as terrorists with fake rifles was performed before Mr Trump. Donald Trump suggested yesterday (Sunday) the presidential election was being rigged against him, in claims echoed by his campaign. With just three weeks to go before election night and his support dropping in the wake of a wave of allegations of sexual harassment, the billionaire has pressed claims that the system is rigged for him to lose. "The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media-pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," he tweeted yesterday. Earlier in the day, Mr Trump had dismissed an unflattering depiction of himself on Saturday Night Live, the comedy sketch show, as further evidence of a conspiracy. "Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me," Mr Trump tweeted. "Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!" Mr Trump has adamantly denied each of the nine allegations that have come out in the past week, and said recent polls showing his support dwindling among female voters were an indication that the conspiracy was working. With Mr Trump taking a break from the campaign trail yesterday, Mike Pence, his running mate, echoed those claims in a series of television interviews. He told NBC, the "sense of a rigged election" was growing with the "avalanche of continuous attacks against my running mate". Senior Republicans have pushed back against Mr Trump's suggestion that the democratic process is not legitimate, amid a growing concern over the fallout if he loses. House Speaker Paul Ryan, who recently said he would no longer campaign for Mr Trump, spoke out in defence of the electoral system over the weekend. "Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity," said spokesperson AshLee Strong. Some of the businessman's allies and followers have made clear that they will not accept defeat at the hands of a candidate Mr Trump has said "belongs in jail". Sheriff David Clarke Jr of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who has spoken out on behalf of Mr Trump during the campaign, said on Saturday that it is now "pitchforks and torches time". "We're going to have a revolution and take them out of office if that's what it takes," Trump supporter Dan Bowman told the Boston Globe from a recent rally in Cincinnati. "There's going to be a lot of bloodshed, but that's what it's going to take." Yesterday, Mr Pence was asked twice what he and Mr Trump would do if they were to lose, and he insisted they would "absolutely respect the results". But Mr Trump continues to raise the stakes of the election, saying on Saturday: "either we win the election or we lose the country and this is the last time... it's never going to come back." The Trump campaign has also alleged that major media organisations are ignoring revelations from hacked Clinton campaign emails, focusing instead on the accusations of sexual misconduct against Mr Trump. Mr Pence said the media's "wilful ignorance" toward the email controversy was "one of the reasons why so many Americans feel like the election is being rigged". The claims come after Mr Trump said he wanted the United State's relationship with India to be greater than any other. On Saturday night, Mr Trump said at a Republican Hindu Coalition fundraiser in New Jersey that "under a Trump administration we are going to become even better friends." A dance routine featuring men dressed as terrorists with fake rifles was performed before Mr Trump. By The Daily Telegraph Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, threatened to undermine the entire US electoral process yesterday (Monday) after claiming that "large-scale voter fraud" was going on, raising fears of widespread unrest if he loses on Nov 8. His allegations raised the prospect that Mr Trump could refuse to recognise the legitimacy of the result in the event of an election win for his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Mr Trump had previously said he believed the election was being "rigged" by a biased media in conjunction with the Clinton campaign. But in his latest accusations he claimed fraud was going to happen at the ballot box and Republican leaders were "naive" to deny it. He said: "Of course there is large-scale voter fraud happening on and before election day." Mr Trump appeared to contradict his own running mate, Mike Pence, who said: "We will absolutely accept the results of the election." The billionaire provided no evidence to back up his allegations, and studies have found only a handful of incidents of voter fraud in recent US elections. A study by Loyola Law School found that out of one billion votes cast in all American elections between 2000 and 2014, there were only 31 known cases of impersonation fraud. After the first debate Mr Trump had said he would respect the election result. He backtracked on that in an interview with The New York Times last month when he said: "We're going to see what happens." Jon Husted, secretary of state in the key battleground state of Ohio, and a Republican, accused Mr Trump of being "irresponsible". Mr Husted said: "We make it hard to cheat. If there is a systemic problem please identify it. Don't just make an allegation on Twitter, tell me. They're not going to be rigged. I'll make sure of that." But Mr Trump's allegations appeared to be resonating. A poll by Politico and Morning Consult showed 41 per cent of voters believed the election could be "stolen" from Mr Trump through massive voter fraud. More than seven in 10 Republicans believed the idea, and 17 per cent of Democrats. Robby Mook, Mrs Clinton's campaign manager, said: "He's desperately trying to shift attention from his own disastrous campaign. He knows he's losing and he's trying to blame that on the system. This is what losers do." Mr Trump's campaign has been mired in allegations from several women that he sexually assaulted or behaved inappropriately with them. He has denied all the allegations. There was encouraging news for Mr Trump in a new CNN poll from Ohio which placed him up by four points. He also received a donation of $1.25?million from Peter Thiel, a Silicon Valley billionaire who sits on the board of Facebook. Mr Trump spent much of yesterday out of sight before campaigning in Green Bay, Wisconsin, ahead of the third presidential debate in Nevada tomorrow. As he trailed Mrs Clinton by up to 11 points in national polls it emerged he could be planning to start a new anti-establishment television network called "Trump TV" if he loses. Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, threatened to undermine the entire US electoral process yesterday (Monday) after claiming that "large-scale voter fraud" was going on, raising fears of widespread unrest if he loses on Nov 8. His allegations raised the prospect that Mr Trump could refuse to recognise the legitimacy of the result in the event of an election win for his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Mr Trump had previously said he believed the election was being "rigged" by a biased media in conjunction with the Clinton campaign. But in his latest accusations he claimed fraud was going to happen at the ballot box and Republican leaders were "naive" to deny it. He said: "Of course there is large-scale voter fraud happening on and before election day." Mr Trump appeared to contradict his own running mate, Mike Pence, who said: "We will absolutely accept the results of the election." The billionaire provided no evidence to back up his allegations, and studies have found only a handful of incidents of voter fraud in recent US elections. A study by Loyola Law School found that out of one billion votes cast in all American elections between 2000 and 2014, there were only 31 known cases of impersonation fraud. After the first debate Mr Trump had said he would respect the election result. He backtracked on that in an interview with The New York Times last month when he said: "We're going to see what happens." Jon Husted, secretary of state in the key battleground state of Ohio, and a Republican, accused Mr Trump of being "irresponsible". Mr Husted said: "We make it hard to cheat. If there is a systemic problem please identify it. Don't just make an allegation on Twitter, tell me. They're not going to be rigged. I'll make sure of that." But Mr Trump's allegations appeared to be resonating. A poll by Politico and Morning Consult showed 41 per cent of voters believed the election could be "stolen" from Mr Trump through massive voter fraud. More than seven in 10 Republicans believed the idea, and 17 per cent of Democrats. Robby Mook, Mrs Clinton's campaign manager, said: "He's desperately trying to shift attention from his own disastrous campaign. He knows he's losing and he's trying to blame that on the system. This is what losers do." Mr Trump's campaign has been mired in allegations from several women that he sexually assaulted or behaved inappropriately with them. He has denied all the allegations. There was encouraging news for Mr Trump in a new CNN poll from Ohio which placed him up by four points. He also received a donation of $1.25?million from Peter Thiel, a Silicon Valley billionaire who sits on the board of Facebook. Mr Trump spent much of yesterday out of sight before campaigning in Green Bay, Wisconsin, ahead of the third presidential debate in Nevada tomorrow. As he trailed Mrs Clinton by up to 11 points in national polls it emerged he could be planning to start a new anti-establishment television network called "Trump TV" if he loses. By AFP PARIS: Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine will hold a summit in Berlin on Wednesday to "evaluate the implementation" of the Minsk peace accords for Ukraine, the French presidency said. The summit will also "discuss the next steps in the process towards ending the crisis in eastern Ukraine," a statement said Tuesday. The meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Russian, French and Ukrainian presidents, Vladimir Putin, Francois Hollande and Petro Poroshenko, was set in a flurry of telephone consultations. The summit will be the first since October 2015 under the so-called "Normandy Format" grouping the four countries. Hollande last week called on all parties in the Ukraine conflict to draw up a roadmap to end the crisis. The aim would be to help Ukraine regain control of its borders with Russia, he said after speaking by telephone with Poroshenko. Hollande had spoken Wednesday with Merkel and Putin about organising a summit on the conflict. Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, backs a separatist, pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives. Moscow has denied accusations that it has sent troops and weaponry across its border with Ukraine to fuel the conflict, which erupted in April 2014, destroying much of Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland. Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has monitors in eastern Ukraine. All sides agreed to a peace deal brokered by Germany and France in February 2015, but while the so-called Minsk accords reduced the intensity of fighting, they failed to stop it. Wednesday's meeting will come amid tensions between France and Russia over Moscow's role in the Syrian conflict that prompted Putin to cancel a visit to Paris. And in Brussels on Thursday the 28 leaders of the European Union are due to discuss relations with Russia including sanctions over Ukraine which come up for renewal at the end of the year. They are also expected to discuss Russia's role in Syria. PARIS: Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine will hold a summit in Berlin on Wednesday to "evaluate the implementation" of the Minsk peace accords for Ukraine, the French presidency said. The summit will also "discuss the next steps in the process towards ending the crisis in eastern Ukraine," a statement said Tuesday. The meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Russian, French and Ukrainian presidents, Vladimir Putin, Francois Hollande and Petro Poroshenko, was set in a flurry of telephone consultations. The summit will be the first since October 2015 under the so-called "Normandy Format" grouping the four countries. Hollande last week called on all parties in the Ukraine conflict to draw up a roadmap to end the crisis. The aim would be to help Ukraine regain control of its borders with Russia, he said after speaking by telephone with Poroshenko. Hollande had spoken Wednesday with Merkel and Putin about organising a summit on the conflict. Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, backs a separatist, pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives. Moscow has denied accusations that it has sent troops and weaponry across its border with Ukraine to fuel the conflict, which erupted in April 2014, destroying much of Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland. Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has monitors in eastern Ukraine. All sides agreed to a peace deal brokered by Germany and France in February 2015, but while the so-called Minsk accords reduced the intensity of fighting, they failed to stop it. Wednesday's meeting will come amid tensions between France and Russia over Moscow's role in the Syrian conflict that prompted Putin to cancel a visit to Paris. And in Brussels on Thursday the 28 leaders of the European Union are due to discuss relations with Russia including sanctions over Ukraine which come up for renewal at the end of the year. They are also expected to discuss Russia's role in Syria. By PTI GENEVA: The UN hailed an announcement today that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo, but said it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with aid. "We remain of course pleased if there is a reduction in fighting ... because it will protect civilians," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, told reporters. But he stressed that "when the weapons fall silent, we need all weapons to fall silent," before "critical humanitarian assistance can be provided to the area and the sick and the wounded can be evacuated." "We need to have assurances from all parties to the conflict. Not just a unilateral announcement that this will happen," he said, without revealing if the UN had received security assurances from any of the sides in the conflict. Laerke's comments came after the Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russian and Syrian air forces had stopped bombing Aleppo as of 0700 GMT, in a move he said was meant to pave the way for an eight-hour truce on Thursday. Shoigu said the "humanitarian pause" on Thursday would allow civilians to exit through six corridors and would make it possible to evacuate the sick and wounded from eastern Aleppo. The UN and European Union welcomed the announcement, but said the planned pause in fighting needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. "We continue to call for a 48-hour pause," Laerke said. "The UN has a plan to evacuate the sick and wounded from eastern Aleppo, but has not been involved with any negotiations" around the Russian announcement, he said. "Movement of civilians must be done on a safe, dignified and voluntary basis, and should not be mixed with the UN plan to evacuate the sick and wounded," he said. Once Syria's thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by air raids and intensifying clashes as regime forces fight to capture the rebel-held east. Russian air support for the onslaught -- which has destroyed hospitals and other civilian infrastructure -- has spurred accusations of potential war crimes. More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's war devolved from a widespread protest movement against Assad's rule in March 2011 to a multi-front war between rebels, jihadists, Kurds and regime forces. GENEVA: The UN hailed an announcement today that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo, but said it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with aid. "We remain of course pleased if there is a reduction in fighting ... because it will protect civilians," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, told reporters. But he stressed that "when the weapons fall silent, we need all weapons to fall silent," before "critical humanitarian assistance can be provided to the area and the sick and the wounded can be evacuated." "We need to have assurances from all parties to the conflict. Not just a unilateral announcement that this will happen," he said, without revealing if the UN had received security assurances from any of the sides in the conflict. Laerke's comments came after the Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russian and Syrian air forces had stopped bombing Aleppo as of 0700 GMT, in a move he said was meant to pave the way for an eight-hour truce on Thursday. Shoigu said the "humanitarian pause" on Thursday would allow civilians to exit through six corridors and would make it possible to evacuate the sick and wounded from eastern Aleppo. The UN and European Union welcomed the announcement, but said the planned pause in fighting needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. "We continue to call for a 48-hour pause," Laerke said. "The UN has a plan to evacuate the sick and wounded from eastern Aleppo, but has not been involved with any negotiations" around the Russian announcement, he said. "Movement of civilians must be done on a safe, dignified and voluntary basis, and should not be mixed with the UN plan to evacuate the sick and wounded," he said. Once Syria's thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by air raids and intensifying clashes as regime forces fight to capture the rebel-held east. Russian air support for the onslaught -- which has destroyed hospitals and other civilian infrastructure -- has spurred accusations of potential war crimes. More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's war devolved from a widespread protest movement against Assad's rule in March 2011 to a multi-front war between rebels, jihadists, Kurds and regime forces. By Reuters UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council on Monday condemned a failed ballistic missile test by North Korea, saying it fueled tensions and contributed to the Asian state's development of a nuclear weapons system. The U.S. military detected a failed North Korean test launch of an intermediate ballistic missile on Saturday. "The members of the Security Council further regretted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs," the 15-member body said in a statement. The council agreed to take "further significant measures." Pyongyang is already under heavy international sanctions over its missile and nuclear tests. North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9 and since then the United States and China have been negotiating a new draft Security Council resolution to punish Pyongyang. UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council on Monday condemned a failed ballistic missile test by North Korea, saying it fueled tensions and contributed to the Asian state's development of a nuclear weapons system. The U.S. military detected a failed North Korean test launch of an intermediate ballistic missile on Saturday. "The members of the Security Council further regretted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs," the 15-member body said in a statement. The council agreed to take "further significant measures." Pyongyang is already under heavy international sanctions over its missile and nuclear tests. North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9 and since then the United States and China have been negotiating a new draft Security Council resolution to punish Pyongyang. By PTI PARIS: The UN cultural agency today adopted a controversial Arab-sponsored resolution condemning Israel's actions at a flashpoint holy site in east Jerusalem that has sparked fury in the Jewish state. The UNESCO resolution on "occupied Palestine" was drafted by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan. It was endorsed today by the executive board after being approved at the committee stage last week. Referring throughout to Israel as "the occupying power," it condemns Israel for restricting Muslims' access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound -- Islam's third holiest site. But it is the language used to describe the Old City site, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews, that has infuriated Israel, which suspended its cooperation with the Paris-based UN body last week. While acknowledging the importance of the Old City to "the three monotheistic religions" (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) the resolution refers throughout to the site by its Muslim names, Al-Aqsa or Al-Haram al-Sharif. Jews however revere it as the Temple Mount where the First and Second Temples once stood and the holiest site in Judaism. Palestine's deputy ambassador to UNESCO, Mounir Anastas, welcomed the adoption of the resolution, saying he hoped it would pressure Israeli authorities to "stop all their violations", particularly the excavation of sites in and around the Old City. Israeli UNESCO ambassador Carmel Shama Hacohen But Israel's UNESCO ambassador, Carmel Shama Hacohen, accused the Palestinians of playing "games". "This is the wrong place to solve problems between countries or people," he told AFP. This is the second time this year that the UN agency, which accepted Palestine as a full member state in 2011, has been the focal point of tensions between Israel and Arab countries. In April, it passed a resolution condemning "Israeli aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims' access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque". That led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to propose a "seminar on Jewish history" for UN staff in Israel. The atmosphere before the vote on Tuesday was soured further by threats received by telephone and on social media last week, a UNESCO official said. The text had created unease at the top of the organisation, with Michael Worbs, who chairs UNESCO's executive board, saying he would have liked more time to work out a compromise. UNESCO chief Irina Bokova distanced herself from the resolutions, saying in a statement that "nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space." PARIS: The UN cultural agency today adopted a controversial Arab-sponsored resolution condemning Israel's actions at a flashpoint holy site in east Jerusalem that has sparked fury in the Jewish state. The UNESCO resolution on "occupied Palestine" was drafted by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan. It was endorsed today by the executive board after being approved at the committee stage last week. Referring throughout to Israel as "the occupying power," it condemns Israel for restricting Muslims' access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound -- Islam's third holiest site. But it is the language used to describe the Old City site, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews, that has infuriated Israel, which suspended its cooperation with the Paris-based UN body last week. While acknowledging the importance of the Old City to "the three monotheistic religions" (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) the resolution refers throughout to the site by its Muslim names, Al-Aqsa or Al-Haram al-Sharif. Jews however revere it as the Temple Mount where the First and Second Temples once stood and the holiest site in Judaism. Palestine's deputy ambassador to UNESCO, Mounir Anastas, welcomed the adoption of the resolution, saying he hoped it would pressure Israeli authorities to "stop all their violations", particularly the excavation of sites in and around the Old City. Israeli UNESCO ambassador Carmel Shama HacohenBut Israel's UNESCO ambassador, Carmel Shama Hacohen, accused the Palestinians of playing "games". "This is the wrong place to solve problems between countries or people," he told AFP. This is the second time this year that the UN agency, which accepted Palestine as a full member state in 2011, has been the focal point of tensions between Israel and Arab countries. In April, it passed a resolution condemning "Israeli aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims' access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque". That led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to propose a "seminar on Jewish history" for UN staff in Israel. The atmosphere before the vote on Tuesday was soured further by threats received by telephone and on social media last week, a UNESCO official said. The text had created unease at the top of the organisation, with Michael Worbs, who chairs UNESCO's executive board, saying he would have liked more time to work out a compromise. UNESCO chief Irina Bokova distanced herself from the resolutions, saying in a statement that "nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space." By PTI PARIS: UNESCO's executive board today approved a resolution that Israel says denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem and that has angered Israel's government and many Jews around the world. The board adopted the measure by consensus in its morning session at Paris-based UNESCO. A draft form of the resolution had already been approved by a commission last week. The resolution is not expected to have direct impact on Jerusalem itself, but it deepened tensions within UNESCO, which is also facing a diplomatic dispute between Japan and China that threatens funding. The resolution, titled "Occupied Palestine," is the latest of several measures at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation over decades that Israelis see as evidence of ingrained anti-Israel bias within the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters. Israel's concern has mounted since UNESCO states admitted Palestine as a member in 2011. Israel last week suspended its ties with UNESCO over the draft resolution, which uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims. The site includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray. Jews refer to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City as the Temple Mount. Muslims refer to it as al-Haram al-Sharif, Arabic for the Noble Sanctuary, and it includes the Al-Aqsa mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Israel had already suspended its funding to UNESCO when Palestinian membership was approved, along with the United States, which used to provide 22 percent of the agency's budget. The longstanding dispute is also linked to Israel's refusal to grant visas to UNESCO experts to go in the country and assess the level of preservation of the holy sites in Jerusalem. And now Japan, UNESCO's second-biggest funder, is threatening to halt funding. Japan announced last week it has withheld its annual UNESCO dues, saying it wants to make sure the UN body properly functions to foster trust among member nations. The decision is believed linked to UNESCO's listing last year of Chinese Rape of Nanking documents as a memory of the world. PARIS: UNESCO's executive board today approved a resolution that Israel says denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem and that has angered Israel's government and many Jews around the world. The board adopted the measure by consensus in its morning session at Paris-based UNESCO. A draft form of the resolution had already been approved by a commission last week. The resolution is not expected to have direct impact on Jerusalem itself, but it deepened tensions within UNESCO, which is also facing a diplomatic dispute between Japan and China that threatens funding. The resolution, titled "Occupied Palestine," is the latest of several measures at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation over decades that Israelis see as evidence of ingrained anti-Israel bias within the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters. Israel's concern has mounted since UNESCO states admitted Palestine as a member in 2011. Israel last week suspended its ties with UNESCO over the draft resolution, which uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims. The site includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray. Jews refer to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City as the Temple Mount. Muslims refer to it as al-Haram al-Sharif, Arabic for the Noble Sanctuary, and it includes the Al-Aqsa mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Israel had already suspended its funding to UNESCO when Palestinian membership was approved, along with the United States, which used to provide 22 percent of the agency's budget. The longstanding dispute is also linked to Israel's refusal to grant visas to UNESCO experts to go in the country and assess the level of preservation of the holy sites in Jerusalem. And now Japan, UNESCO's second-biggest funder, is threatening to halt funding. Japan announced last week it has withheld its annual UNESCO dues, saying it wants to make sure the UN body properly functions to foster trust among member nations. The decision is believed linked to UNESCO's listing last year of Chinese Rape of Nanking documents as a memory of the world. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 Trend: Germanys Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said Russias ceasefire initiative in Aleppo might be the beginning of a long-term truce, but several hours of ceasefire do not suffice, RIA Novosti reports. Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said that starting from 10:00, Oct. 18, Russian and Syrian military aircraft will halt bombardment of Aleppo for bringing a humanitarian pause on Oct. 20. Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Sergey Rudskoy stated that the humanitarian pause will start Oct. 20 in Aleppo to give militants and civilians an opportunity to leave the city. According to him, from 08:00 until 16:00, Russian Aerospace Forces and Syrian Armed Forces will cease attacks. The few hours armistice in and over Aleppo, announced by Moscow, may be just the beginning. No matter how much temporary cessation of air strikes is welcomed, 8 hours are not enough to allow much-needed humanitarian access to besieged people in Aleppo. Perhaps, we need to do more and more in the name of humanity, the German Foreign Ministry quoted Steinmeier as saying on Oct. 18. By PTI WASHINGTON: The US today questioned Russia and China's commitment to the war against terrorism and expressed its frustration against their being selective when it comes to terrorism. "I guess I would characterise it as simply that Russia has often made a strong case -- what they believe to be a strong case to the United States -- about our shared interest in confronting extremists, not just in Syria and Iraq, but around the world," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference. "There are things that they've done in the past that would indicate that they're not as committed to that shared priority as they claim to be. In part, because they devote so much time to shoring up the Assad regime in a way that makes it harder to resolve the conflict that ends up fueling extremism," he said. "It is no secret that we've been frustrated about Russia's inability to live up to the commitments that they claim they're willing to make in the context of shared priorities and the fact that they have not followed through on those commitments raises questions about whether or not they actually share those priorities," Earnest said. He was responding to questions on the just concluded BRICS Summit wherein China and Russia resisted against naming Lashkar-e-Taiba in the joint statement. "I can't speak to the specific statement that was signed at the BRICS conference but the United States does believe that there are countries around the world with whom we should be able to coordinate to counter extremism, that the forces of extremism only threaten the interests of countries around the world and there should be an opportunity for the international community to coordinate our response and to counter those threats, but sometimes the Russians haven't been as willing of partners as we'd like them to be," he said. Earnest said China's an example of a country with whom the US has been able to work very effectively in pursuit of some common interests. "But there are some interests where...where apparently our interests don't align. So, again, I can't speak to the specific decision because obviously the United States wasn't a party to the BRICS conference but, you know, the United States does have an aspiration to work more effectively in the international community to counter extremist threats," he said. WASHINGTON: The US today questioned Russia and China's commitment to the war against terrorism and expressed its frustration against their being selective when it comes to terrorism. "I guess I would characterise it as simply that Russia has often made a strong case -- what they believe to be a strong case to the United States -- about our shared interest in confronting extremists, not just in Syria and Iraq, but around the world," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference. "There are things that they've done in the past that would indicate that they're not as committed to that shared priority as they claim to be. In part, because they devote so much time to shoring up the Assad regime in a way that makes it harder to resolve the conflict that ends up fueling extremism," he said. "It is no secret that we've been frustrated about Russia's inability to live up to the commitments that they claim they're willing to make in the context of shared priorities and the fact that they have not followed through on those commitments raises questions about whether or not they actually share those priorities," Earnest said. He was responding to questions on the just concluded BRICS Summit wherein China and Russia resisted against naming Lashkar-e-Taiba in the joint statement. "I can't speak to the specific statement that was signed at the BRICS conference but the United States does believe that there are countries around the world with whom we should be able to coordinate to counter extremism, that the forces of extremism only threaten the interests of countries around the world and there should be an opportunity for the international community to coordinate our response and to counter those threats, but sometimes the Russians haven't been as willing of partners as we'd like them to be," he said. Earnest said China's an example of a country with whom the US has been able to work very effectively in pursuit of some common interests. "But there are some interests where...where apparently our interests don't align. So, again, I can't speak to the specific decision because obviously the United States wasn't a party to the BRICS conference but, you know, the United States does have an aspiration to work more effectively in the international community to counter extremist threats," he said. By Associated Press PARIS: WikiLeaks has blamed Ecuador for cutting off founder Julian Assange's internet access while he is holed up at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, and while his group is releasing thousands of emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. Assange has been at the embassy for more than four years after skipping bail to avoid being extradited over sex crimes allegations. WikiLeaks initially blamed an unidentified "state actor" for cutting off Assange's internet access, then on Monday said in a tweet that it was Ecuador. It said access was cut off at 5 p.m. GMT Saturday. Calls, texts and emails left with WikiLeaks weren't immediately returned Monday. A woman who picked up the phone at the embassy said: "I cannot disclose any information." Ecuador's Foreign Ministry released a brief statement that didn't mention the internet cut off, but reaffirmed its decision to grant Assange asylum. "Faced with the speculation of the last few hours, the Government of Ecuador ratifies the validity of the asylum granted to Julian Assange four years ago," the Foreign Ministry said. "We reaffirm that his protection by the Ecuadorean state will continue while the circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain." London's Metropolitan Police declined to comment. Assange's cramped quarters haven't prevented the Australian transparency activist from working and WikiLeaks continues to deliver scoops, including revelations that have rattled Clinton's campaign for president as the U.S. election enters its final stretch. WikiLeaks said in its tweet blaming Ecuador that Assange's internet was cut shortly after it published transcripts of paid speeches Clinton gave to Goldman Sachs. Those were part of the tranche of emails hacked from the accounts of John Podesta, campaign chairman for the Democratic nominee. PARIS: WikiLeaks has blamed Ecuador for cutting off founder Julian Assange's internet access while he is holed up at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, and while his group is releasing thousands of emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. Assange has been at the embassy for more than four years after skipping bail to avoid being extradited over sex crimes allegations. WikiLeaks initially blamed an unidentified "state actor" for cutting off Assange's internet access, then on Monday said in a tweet that it was Ecuador. It said access was cut off at 5 p.m. GMT Saturday. Calls, texts and emails left with WikiLeaks weren't immediately returned Monday. A woman who picked up the phone at the embassy said: "I cannot disclose any information." Ecuador's Foreign Ministry released a brief statement that didn't mention the internet cut off, but reaffirmed its decision to grant Assange asylum. "Faced with the speculation of the last few hours, the Government of Ecuador ratifies the validity of the asylum granted to Julian Assange four years ago," the Foreign Ministry said. "We reaffirm that his protection by the Ecuadorean state will continue while the circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain." London's Metropolitan Police declined to comment. Assange's cramped quarters haven't prevented the Australian transparency activist from working and WikiLeaks continues to deliver scoops, including revelations that have rattled Clinton's campaign for president as the U.S. election enters its final stretch. WikiLeaks said in its tweet blaming Ecuador that Assange's internet was cut shortly after it published transcripts of paid speeches Clinton gave to Goldman Sachs. Those were part of the tranche of emails hacked from the accounts of John Podesta, campaign chairman for the Democratic nominee. A longer ceasefire in the city of Aleppo is possible, but has to be agreed on multilaterally, Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said after a UN Security Council meeting on Syria, Sputnik International. "We have declared the 8-hour unilaterally, I supposed that longer, like 48-hours or 72-hours will require some kind of mutual arrangements", Churkin stated on Monday. Earlier in the day, Russias General Staff announced that a humanitarian pause in Aleppo is scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time on Thursday. The United Nations said it thinks a 48-hour pause is needed to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to numerous individuals in need in Aleppo. Prison clashes between rival gangs killed at least 18 inmates in two penitentiaries in remote parts of northern and western Brazil, including six men who were decapitated and their bodies set on fire, Reuters reported. About 100 relatives of inmates were taken hostage in the first clash on Sunday in Boa Vista, in the northern state of Roraima bordering Venezuela, in which 10 prisoners died, officials told Globo TV's website G1. The hostages were later freed by police, according to G1, which earlier had reported 28 dead in the facility. Eight inmates died and two were injured in another clash between gangs early on Monday in the state penitentiary in Porto Velho, a western city on the border with Peru. The dead were asphyxiated by smoke when inmates set fire to mattresses, prison director Jobson Bandeira told G1. In a separate uprising in a penal facility for psychiatric patients, inmates burned to the ground a wing of the prison and began to escape, G1 reported. Police used helicopters to chase the escapees. No deaths were reported. Violent fights and riots are common in Brazil's overcrowded prison system, which has long been criticized by human rights organizations for its bad conditions. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 Trend: Around 500 French policemen staged a protest in the center of Paris following a scuffle with hooligans, reported RIA Novosti with reference to the BFMTV channel. The incident left one police officer injured. A conflict between a group of young people and the police took place in Viry-Chatillon commune in the north of Central France, Oct. 8. Policemen guarded a recently installed video surveillance camera overseeing a dangerous intersection where a big number of car thefts were recorded. The local young allegedly intended to destroy the camera. As a result of the incident, 28 year old policeman had his arms and full body surface burnt. Presently, he stays at Saint-Louis hospital in Paris. A protest was held in support of the policeman in Champs-Elysees avenue in the evening, Oct. 17. Thirteen Nigerian soldiers were wounded in clashes with the Islamist militant group Boko Haram and others are missing, the army said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Army spokesman Sani Usman said the clashes took place at Gashigar, a town in the northeast's Borno state, near the border with Niger. "The troops did their best to defend the location in vain. In the process, 13 soldiers sustained injuries while some are still missing in action," said Usman. He did not say how many were missing. Islamic State (IS), to which the Nigerian jihadists have pledged allegiance, said on Twitter that a total of 20 soldiers from Nigeria and neighboring Niger had been killed and many others were wounded. Usman denied this. Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency in a bid to create a caliphate in the northeast where a strict interpretation of Islamic laws would be observed. During that time 15,000 people have been killed and two million displaced. It controlled a swathe of land in northeast Nigeria about the size of Belgium at the end of 2014. The Nigerian army, aided by troops from neighboring countries, has, since early last year recaptured most of that territory. But the group still stages suicide bombings in the northeast, as well as in neighboring Niger and Cameroon. Divisions within Boko Haram were exposed in August when a new leader of the group was announced by IS only for Abubakar Shekau, the Nigerian jihadist's traditional figurehead, to reject the move in statements circulated on social media. Two factions of Boko Haram -- one loyal to IS and the other loyal to Shekau -- are based in northeast Nigeria. Vote now! Who is The Daily News Athlete of the Week for Oct. 24-30? Turkey's defense minister confirmed Tuesday the countrys air force will join the operation to liberate Mosul from Daesh, Anadolu reported. Fikri Isik's remarks came on Tuesday evening in Rome at the Turkish embassy. Addressing reporters after a South-Eastern defense ministers meeting, Isik said: "We have come to an agreement with coalition forces that our air force will join the Mosul operation." When asked to evaluate Turkey being invited to a meeting on Mosul in Paris in the coming days, Isik said: "It is impossible to decide on Mosul's future without Turkey." A broad military campaign aimed at retaking northern Iraqs Daesh-held city entered its second day on Tuesday with more losses sustained by the terrorist group. In mid-2014, Daesh captured Mosul -- Iraqs second-largest city -- before overrunning large swathes of territory in the countrys northern and western regions. Recent months have seen the Iraqi army, backed by local allies on the ground and a U.S.-led air coalition, retake much territory. Nevertheless, the terrorist group remains in control of several parts of the country, including Mosul. In recent weeks, the army and its allies have staged a gradual advance on the city, which officials in Baghdad have vowed to recapture by years end. Columnist Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich). (mar-ve-lon) Ethinylestradiol and Desogestrel Consumer Medicine Information What is in this leaflet 1. What Marvelon 28 is used for 2. When you must not use Marvelon 28 3. What you need to know before using Marvelon 28 4. When should you contact your doctor? 5. How to use Marvelon 28 6. What to do if... 7. Side effects 8. After taking Marvelon 28 9. Product description This leaflet answers some common questions about Marvelon 28. It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist. All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking Marvelon 28 against the benefits they expect it will have for you. If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Read this information carefully before you start taking Marvelon 28 tablets. Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again. 1. What Marvelon 28 is used for Marvelon 28 is an oral contraceptive, commonly known as a "Birth Control Pill" or "The Pill" that has been prescribed to prevent you from getting pregnant. Marvelon 28 prevents pregnancy in several ways: It inhibits the egg release by stopping it maturing. Changing the cervical mucus consistency making it difficult for the sperm to reach the egg. Changing the lining of the uterus making it less suitable for implantation. Marvelon 28 consists of 21 large white tablets, each containing 2 active ingredients: 30 micrograms of ethinylestradiol (an estrogen) and 150 micrograms of desogestrel (a progestogen) and 7 small white inactive tablets (first row of the blister pack). Because of the small amounts of different female hormones in the active tablets, Marvelon 28 is considered a low-dose combined oral contraceptive. Oral contraceptives are a very effective method of birth control. When taken correctly (without missing tablets) the chance of becoming pregnant is very low. The following non-contraceptive health benefits have been associated with the combined Pill: Your periods may be lighter and shorter. As a result, the risk of anaemia may be lower. Your period pains may become less severe or may completely disappear. In addition, some serious disorders have been reported to occur less frequently in users of Pills containing 50 micrograms of ethinylestradiol ('high-dose Pills'). These are benign breast disease, ovarian cysts, pelvic infections (pelvic inflammatory disease), ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy in which the embryo implants outside of the womb) and cancer of the endometrium (lining of the womb) and ovaries. This may also be the case for low-dose Pills but so far this has only been confirmed for endometrial and ovarian cancer. Marvelon 28 is available only with a doctor's prescription. 2. When you must not use Marvelon 28 Do not take Marvelon 28 if you have an allergy to: any medicine containing (desogestrel or ethinylestradiol) any ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet. Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include: shortness of breath wheezing or troubled breathing swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body rash, itching or hives on the skin. Do not use the combined Pill if you have or have had any of the conditions listed below. If any of these conditions apply to you, tell your doctor before starting to use Marvelon 28. Your doctor may advise you to use a different type of Pill or an entirely different (non-hormonal) method of birth control. a blood clot in the blood vessels of the legs (deep vein thrombosis), the lungs (pulmonary embolism), the heart (heart attack) or other parts of the body (see also the section later in this leaflet called 'The Pill and Thrombosis') a stroke (caused by a clot in or a rupture of a blood vessel in the brain) a condition that may be the first sign of a heart attack (such as angina pectoris or chest pain) or stroke (such as transient ischaemic attack or small reversible stroke) a serious risk factor or several risk factors for developing a blood clot very high blood pressure a very high level of fat in the blood (cholesterol or triglycerides) if you have major surgery (e.g., an operation) and your ability to move around is limited for a long period of time (see also the section later in this leaflet called "The Pill and Thrombosis") a disorder affecting your blood clotting - for instance Activated Protein C resistance, antithrombin-III, protein C or protein S deficiencies a history of migraine accompanied by e.g. visual symptoms, speech disability, or weakness or numbness in any part of the body diabetes mellitus with blood vessel damage pancreatitis (an inflammation of the pancreas) associated with high levels of fatty substances in your blood jaundice (yellowing of the skin) or severe liver disease and your liver is not yet working normally a cancer that may grow under the influence of sex hormones (e.g. of the breast or of the genital organs) a benign or malignant liver tumour any unexplained vaginal bleeding you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant. If any of these conditions appear for the first time while using the Pill, stop taking it at once and tell your doctor. In the meantime use non-hormonal contraceptive measures. See also 'General Notes' in the next section. Do not use Marvelon 28 if you have Hepatitis C and are taking the combination drug regimen ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir (see "Taking Other Medicines"). Do not take Marvelon 28 if the expiry date printed on the pack has passed. Do not take Marvelon 28 if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering. 3. What you need to know before using Marvelon 28 General notes In this leaflet, several situations are described where you should stop taking the Pill, or where the reliability of the Pill may be decreased. In such situations you should not have sex or you should take extra non-hormonal contraceptive precautions, e.g. use a condom or another barrier method. Do not use rhythm or temperature methods. These methods can be unreliable because the Pill alters the usual changes in temperature and cervical mucus that occur during the menstrual cycle. If you are concerned about contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI), ask your partner to wear a condom when having sexual intercourse with you. Marvelon 28 will not protect you from HIV (AIDS) or any other sexually transmitted infections. To help protect yourself from STIs, you need to use a barrier contraceptive such as a condom, but even barrier contraceptives may not protect you against human papilloma virus (HPV). Before you start to use Marvelon 28 You should have a thorough medical check-up, including a Pap smear, breast check, blood pressure check and urine check. You must tell your doctor if you are allergic to any foods, dyes, preservatives or any other medicines. You must tell your doctor if you smoke. The risk of having a heart attack or stroke increases as you get older. It also increases the more you smoke. When using the Pill you should stop smoking, especially if you are older than about 35 years of age. You must tell your doctor if you have any of the conditions listed below. You may need to be kept under close observation. Your doctor can explain this to you. Tell your doctor if: you have diabetes you are overweight you have high blood pressure you have a heart valve disorder or a certain heart rhythm disorder you have an inflammation of your veins (superficial phlebitis) you have varicose veins anyone in your immediate family has had a thrombosis, a heart attack or a stroke you suffer from migraine you suffer from epilepsy you or someone in your immediate family has or has had high levels of cholesterol or triglycerides (fatty substances) in the blood anyone in your immediate family has had breast cancer you have liver or gall bladder disease you have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis (chronic inflammatory bowel disease) you have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, a disease affecting the skin all over the body) you have haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS; a disorder of blood coagulation causing failure of the kidneys) you have sickle cell disease you have a condition that occurred for the first time or worsened during pregnancy or previous use of sex hormones (e.g. hearing loss, a metabolic disease called porphyria, a skin disease called herpes gestationis, a neurological disease called Sydenham's chorea); hereditary and acquired angioedema (you should see your doctor immediately if you experience symptoms of angioedema such as swollen face, tongue and/or throat and/or difficulty swallowing or hives, potentially with difficulty breathing). Products containing estrogens may cause or worsen hereditary and acquired angioedema. you have or have had chloasma (yellow brownish pigmentation patches on the skin, particularly of the face); if so, avoid too much exposure to the sun or ultraviolet radiation. You need an operation or if your ability to move around is limited for a long period of time. This includes travelling by plane for greater than 4 hours. if you have recently given birth you are at an increased risk of blood clots. You should ask your doctor how soon after delivery you can start using Marvelon 28 (see also the section in this leaflet called 'The Pill and Thrombosis'); you are lactose intolerant. Tell your doctor if any of the above conditions appear for the first time, recur or worsen while using the Pill. The Pill and Thrombosis A thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot which may block a blood vessel. A thrombosis sometimes occurs in the deep veins of the legs (deep venous thrombosis). If this blood clot breaks away from the veins where it is formed, it may reach and block the arteries of the lungs, causing a so-called 'pulmonary embolism'. Deep venous thrombosis is a rare occurrence. It can develop whether or not you are taking the Pill. The risk is higher in Pill-users than in non-users. The chance of getting a thrombosis is highest during the first year after you start using the Pill for the very first time. The risk is also higher if you restart using the Pill (the same product or a different product) after a break of 4 weeks or more. Thrombosis can also happen if you become pregnant. The risk of getting a blood clot in the deep veins of the legs for women using Pills with desogestrel (in Marvelon 28) may be slightly higher than for women using Pills with levonorgestrel, norgestimate or norethisterone. The absolute numbers remain very small. Blood clots can also occur very rarely in the blood vessels of the heart (causing a heart attack) or the brain (causing a stroke). Extremely rarely blood clots can occur in the liver, gut, kidney or eye. Very occasionally thrombosis may cause serious permanent disabilities or may even be fatal. If you develop high blood pressure while using the Pill, you may be told to stop using it. The risk of having deep venous thrombosis is temporarily increased as a result of an operation or immobilisation (for example when you have your leg or legs in plaster or splints). In women who use the Pill, the risk may be yet higher. Tell your doctor you are using the Pill well in advance of any expected hospitalisation or surgery. Your doctor may tell you to stop taking the Pill several weeks before surgery or at the time of immobilisation. Your doctor will also tell you when you can start taking the Pill again after you are back on your feet. If you notice possible signs of a thrombosis, stop taking the Pill and consult your doctor immediately (See also 'When should you contact your doctor?'). The Pill and Cancer Regularly examine your breasts. The information given below was obtained from studies of women who used combined oral hormonal contraceptives, such as the combined pill, and from an additional study that included both oral and non-oral hormonal contraceptive-users. In studies with the combined Pill, breast cancer has been diagnosed slightly more often in women who use the Pill than in women of the same age who do not use the Pill. This slight increase in the numbers of breast cancer diagnoses gradually disappears during the course of the 10 years after stopping use of the Pill. In the additional study that included both oral and non-oral hormonal contraceptive-users, the occurrence of breast cancer was reported to increase the longer the women used the contraceptive. The difference in the reported risk of breast cancer between women who have never used the contraceptive and those who had used the contraceptive was small: 13 additional cases of breast cancer per 100,000 women-years. It is not known whether this is caused by the Pill. It may be that the women were examined more often, so that the breast cancer was noticed earlier. Tell your doctor immediately if you have severe pain in your stomach. In rare cases benign liver tumours and even more rarely, malignant liver tumours have been reported in users of the Pill. These tumours may lead to internal bleeding. Chronic infection with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the single most important risk factor for cervical cancer. HPV is a sexually transmitted infection. In women who use combined oral contraceptives for a long time the chance of getting cervical cancer may be slightly higher. This finding may not be caused by the Pill itself but may be related to sexual behaviour and other factors. The Pill and Pregnancy Tell your doctor immediately if you are pregnant or think you are pregnant while you are using Marvelon 28. Like most medicines, Marvelon 28 must not be used during pregnancy. The Pill and Breastfeeding Marvelon 28 is generally not recommended for use during breastfeeding. If you wish to take the Pill while breastfeeding, please seek the advice of your doctor. The Pill and Ability to Drive There are no observed effects. Taking Other Medicines Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines or herbal products, even those not prescribed. Also tell any other doctor or dentist who prescribes another medicine (or your pharmacist) that you use Marvelon 28. Some medicines may stop Marvelon 28 from working properly. These include : medicines for epilepsy (such as phenytoin, primidone, phenobarbital, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, topiramate, felbamate) medicines for tuberculosis (e.g. rifampicin and rifabutin) medicines for HIV infections (e.g. ritonavir, nelfinavir, nevirapine, efavirenz) medicines for Hepatitis C virus infection (e.g. boceprevir, telaprevir); antifungals (e.g. griseofulvin) medicines for high blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs (bosentan); herbal medicines containing St. John's Wort primarily for the treatment of depressive moods If you are taking medicines or herbal products that might make Marvelon 28 less effective, a barrier contraceptive method should also be used. Since the effect of another medicine on Marvelon 28 may last up to 28 days after stopping the medicine, it is necessary to use the additional barrier contraceptive method for that long. Your doctor will tell you how long you need to take additional contraceptive precautions or whether you should use another contraceptive method altogether. Marvelon 28 may also interfere with how other medicines work, causing either an increase in effect (e.g., ciclosporin) or a decrease in effect (e.g lamotrigine). Do not use Marvelon 28 if you have Hepatitis C and are taking the combination drug regimen ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir as this may cause increases in liver function blood test results (increase in ALT liver enzyme). Marvelon 28 can be restarted approximately 2 weeks after completion of treatment with the combination drug regimen. (See 'When you must not use Marvelon 28'). If you are taking other Hepatitis C drug combinations (such as glecaprevir/pibrentasvir) you may experience increased levels of the liver enzyme "alanine aminotransferase" (ALT) in the blood. 4. When should you contact your doctor? Regular check-ups When you are using the Pill, your doctor will tell you to return for regular check-ups. You should have a check-up at least once a year. Contact your doctor as soon as possible if: you notice any changes in your own health, especially involving any of the items mentioned in this leaflet (see also 'When you must not use Marvelon 28?' and 'Before you start to use Marvelon 28'); do not forget about the items related to your immediate family you feel a lump in your breast you experience symptoms of angioedema such as swollen face, tongue and/or throat and/or difficulty swallowing or hives potentially with difficulty breathing (see also 'Taking Other Medicines'). you are going to use other medicines (see also Taking Other Medicines) your ability to move around is limited for a long period of time or you are to have surgery (consult your doctor at least 4 weeks in advance) you have unusual, heavy vaginal bleeding you forgot tablets in the first week of the pack and had intercourse in the seven days before you have severe diarrhoea you miss your period twice in a row or suspect you are pregnant. Do not start the next pack until told to by your doctor. Stop taking tablets and see your doctor immediately if you notice possible signs of thrombosis, myocardial infarction or a stroke such as: an unusual cough severe pain in the chest which may reach the left arm - this discomfort may include the back, jaw, throat, arm, stomach feeling of being full, having indigestion or choking sweating, nausea, vomiting, anxiety breathlessness or rapid breathing any unusual, sudden, severe or prolonged headache or migraine attack partial or complete loss of vision, or double vision confusion, slurring or speech disability sudden changes to your hearing, sense of smell or taste dizziness or fainting fast or irregular heartbeat weakness or numbness in any part of your body severe pain in your stomach severe pain or swelling in either of your legs pain or tenderness in the leg which may be felt only when standing or walking warmth, red or discoloured skin on the leg sudden pain, swelling and slight blue discoloration of an extremity sudden trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination The situations and symptoms mentioned above are described and explained in more detail in the following section 'What do you need to know before using Marvelon 28'. 5. How to use Marvelon 28 Marvelon 28 pack contains 28 tablets: 21 large white tablets with active substances and 7 small tablets that do not contain active substances. On the blister each tablet is marked with the day of the week on which it is to be taken. Take your tablet about the same time each day, with some liquid if necessary. Follow the direction of the arrows on the pack until all 28 tablets have been taken. A period should begin during the 7 days that you use the inactive tablets (the withdrawal bleed). Usually it will start on day 2-3 after the last large tablet. Start taking your next pack immediately after the last small inactive tablet, even if your period continues. This means you will always start new packs on the same day of the week, and also means that you have your period on about the same days, each month. When no hormonal contraception has been used in the past month Start taking Marvelon 28 on the first day of your cycle, i.e. the first day of menstrual bleeding. Take a tablet from the green section marked with that day of the week. For example, if your period starts on a Friday, then take a tablet marked Friday. Then follow the days in order. Marvelon 28 will work immediately, it is not necessary to use an additional contraceptive method. You may also start on days 2-5 of your cycle, but in that case make sure you also use an additional contraceptive method (barrier method) for the first 7 days of tablet-taking in the 1st cycle. When changing from another combined hormonal contraceptive (combined oral contraceptive (COC), vaginal ring, or transdermal patch) You can start taking Marvelon 28 the day after you take the last tablet from your present Pill pack. If your present Pill pack contains inactive tablets (placebo) tablets you can start Marvelon 28 on the day after taking the last active tablet (if you are not sure which this is, ask your doctor or pharmacist). You can also start later, but never later than the day following the tablet-free break of the present Pill (or the day after the last inactive tablet of your present Pill). In case you use a vaginal ring or transdermal patch, you should start using Marvelon 28 preferably on the day of removal, but at latest when the next ring or patch would have been applied. When changing from a progestogen-only method (minipill) You can stop taking the minipill any day and start taking Marvelon 28 the next day, at the same time. But make sure you also use an additional contraceptive method (a barrier method) for the first 7 days of tablet-taking. When changing from an injectable, an implant or a progestogen-releasing intrauterine device (IUD) Start using Marvelon 28 when your next injection is due or on the day that your implant or your IUD is removed. Make sure you also use an additional contraceptive method (a barrier method) for the first 7 days of tablet-taking. After having a baby If you have just had a baby, your doctor may tell you to wait until after your first normal period before you start taking Marvelon 28. Sometimes it is possible to start sooner. Your doctor will advise you. If you are breast-feeding and want to take Marvelon 28, you should discuss this first with your doctor. After a miscarriage or abortion Your doctor will advise you. Additional contraceptive precautions When additional contraceptive precautions are required you should either abstain from vaginal sex, or use a barrier method of contraception, a condom or a cap (diaphragm) plus spermicide. Rhythm methods are not advised as the Pill disrupts the cyclical changes associated with the natural menstrual cycle e.g. changes in temperature and cervical mucus. 6. What to do if... You forget to take your tablets If you are less than 12 hours late in taking any tablet, take the tablet as soon as you remember and take further tablets at the usual time. If you are more than 12 hours late in taking a large (active) tablet, the reliability of the Pill may be reduced. The more consecutive tablets you have missed, the higher the risk that the contraceptive efficacy is decreased. There is a particularly high risk of becoming pregnant if you miss large (active) tablets at the beginning of the pack or in the 3rd week (the week before you start taking the small tablets). Therefore you should follow the rules given below. More than one tablet forgotten in a pack Ask your doctor for advice. One tablet missed in week 1 Take the missed tablet as soon as you remember (even if this means taking two tablets at the same time) and take the next tablets at the usual time. Use extra contraceptive precautions (barrier method) for the next 7 days. If you had sexual intercourse in the week before missing the tablets, there is a possibility of becoming pregnant. So tell your doctor immediately. One tablet missed in week 2 Take the missed tablet as soon as you remember (even if this means taking two tablets at the same time) and take the next tablets at the usual time. The reliability of the Pill is maintained. You need not use extra contraceptive precautions. One tablet missed in week 3 You may choose either of the following options, without the need for extra contraceptive precautions. 1. Take the missed tablet as soon as you remember (even if this means taking two tablets at the same time) and take the next tablets at the usual time. Start the next pack as soon as the large (active) tablets in the current pack are finished, so skip the smaller placebo tablets. You may not have a withdrawal bleed until you take the placebo tablets at the end of the second pack but you may have spotting or breakthrough bleeding on active tablet-taking days. Or 2. Stop taking the large (active) tablets from your current pack and immediately continue with the smaller placebo tablets (a maximum of 6 days, the total number of placebo plus missed tablets may not be more than 7). Then continue with the next pack. When following this method, you can always start your next pack on the same day of the week as you usually do. One tablet missed in week 4 The reliability of the Pill is maintained. Take the tablet as soon as you remember and take the next tablets at the usual times. If you have forgotten tablets in a pack and you do not have the expected period in the first normal placebo tablet interval, you may be pregnant. Consult your doctor before you start with the next pack. You want to delay your period You can delay your period if you continue with the large (active) tablets in your next pack of Marvelon 28 immediately after finishing the large tablets in your current pack. You can continue with this pack for as long as you wish, until this pack is empty. When you wish your period to begin, just stop tablet-taking. While using the second pack you may have some breakthrough bleeding or spotting on active tablet-taking days. Start your next pack after the usual 7 day inactive tablet interval. You want to change the starting day of your period If you take your tablets as directed, you will have your period on about the same day every 4 weeks. If you want to change this, just shorten (never lengthen) the next placebo tablet interval. For example, if your period usually starts on a Friday and in future you want it to start on Tuesday (3 days earlier) you should now start your next pack 3 days sooner than you usually do. If you make your placebo tablet interval very short (e.g. 3 days or less), you may not have a bleeding during the interval. You may have some breakthrough bleeding or spotting during the use of the large tablets in the next pack. If you vomit or have diarrhoea If you vomit, or have severe diarrhoea, the active ingredients of your Marvelon 28 tablet may not have been completely absorbed. If you vomit within 3 to 4 hours after taking your tablet, this is like missing a tablet. Therefore, follow the advice for missed tablets. If you have severe diarrhoea, please contact your doctor. If you have unexpected bleeding With all Pills, for the first few months, you can have irregular vaginal bleeding (spotting or breakthrough bleeding) between your periods. You may need to use sanitary protection, but continue to take your tablets as normal. Irregular vaginal bleeding usually stops once your body clock has adjusted to the Pill (usually after about 3 tablet-taking cycles). Tell your doctor if it continues, becomes heavy or starts again. If you have missed a period If you have taken all of your tablets at the right time, and you have not vomited, or had severe diarrhoea or used other medicines then you are very unlikely to be pregnant. Continue to take Marvelon 28 as usual. If you miss your period twice in a row, you may be pregnant. Do not start the next pack of Marvelon 28 until your doctor has checked you are not pregnant. If you take too much (overdose) There have been no reports of serious harmful effects from taking too many Marvelon 28 tablets at one time. If you take too much Marvelon 28 you may feel sick, vomit or have vaginal bleeding. If you discover a child has taken Marvelon 28, ask your doctor for advice. If you are not sure what to do, telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice. 7. Side Effects Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while taking Marvelon 28. Like all medicines, Marvelon 28 can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. Serious side effects Serious reactions associated with the use of the Pill, as well as the related symptoms, are described in the following sections: 'The Pill and Thrombosis/ The Pill and Cancer'. Please read these sections for additional information and consult your doctor at once where appropriate. Other possible side effects The following side effects have been reported by users of the Pill, although they may not be caused by the Pill. These side effects may occur in the first few months that you are using the Pill and usually lessen with time. Common/uncommon (occurring in more than one per 1000 users): nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea increase in body weight, fluid retention headache, migraine decreased sexual drive, depressed mood, mood changes breast pain, breast tenderness, breast enlargement rash, hives. Rare (occurring in less than one per 1000 users): contact lens intolerance hypersensitivity reactions decrease in body weight increased sexual drive breast secretion vaginal secretion acne erythema nodosum, erythema multiforme (these are skin conditions) hair loss excessive hair growth Unknown (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data): angioedema, particularly in patients who already have a (family) history of angioedema You should stop taking Marvelon if you experience any signs of thrombosis (headache or pain elsewhere in your body, dizziness, fainting, disturbances in vision, swollen ankles), or jaundice (yellowing of the eyes or skin). Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any side effects not mentioned in this leaflet. 8. After taking Marvelon 28 If you want to stop taking Marvelon 28 You can stop taking Marvelon 28 any time you want to. If you do not want to get pregnant, use another reliable birth control method after stopping Marvelon 28. Ask your doctor for advice. If you stop because you want to get pregnant, it is generally recommended that you wait until you have had natural period before trying to conceive. This helps you to work out when the baby will be due. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice about taking folate if you plan to become pregnant. Storage Do not use after the expiry date stated on the blister and outer box. Store your tablets below 30C in a dry place and protect them from light. Do not store Marvelon 28 or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink. Do not leave it in the car or on a window sill. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines. Do not use the product if you notice, for example, colour change in the tablet, crumbling of the tablet or any other visible signs of deterioration. Keep it where children cannot reach it. A locked cupboard at least 1.5 meters above the ground is a good place to store medicines. Disposal If your doctor tells you to stop using Marvelon 28 or the tablets have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any left over. 9. Product description What it looks like Marvelon 28 is presented in a PVC/Aluminium backed blister containing 28 tablets (21 active tablets) and 7 smaller (inactive) tablets packed in a sealed sachet. The sachet is packed in a carton together with the package leaflet. Active Substance In the large tablets: ethinylestradiol 30 micrograms desogestrel 150 micrograms In the smaller (inactive) tablets: no active ingredients Other ingredients In the large tablets: colloidal anhydrous silica; lactose monohydrate; potato starch; povidone; stearic acid; dl-alpha-tocopherol. In the smaller (inactive) tablets: lactose monohydrate; potato starch; magnesium stearate NOTICE: This Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is intended for persons living in Australia. Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) summary The full CMI on the next page has more details. If you are worried about taking this medicine, speak to your doctor or pharmacist. Why am I taking PENTASA? PENTASA contains the active ingredient mesalazine. PENTASA is taken to treat Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, diseases associated with inflammation, ulcers and sores in the bowel causing bleeding, stomach pain, and diarrhoea. For more information, see Section 1. Why am I taking PENTASA? in the full CMI, starting from page 2. What should I know before I take PENTASA? Do not take if you have ever had an allergic reaction to PENTASA or any of the ingredients listed at the end of the CMI. Talk to your doctor if you have any other medical conditions, take any other medicines, or are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding. For more information, see Section 2. What should I know before I take PENTASA? in the full CMI, starting from page 2. What if I am taking other medicines? Care may be needed when taking PENTASA with some other medicines. A list of these medicines is in Section 3. What if I am taking other medicines? in the full CMI, starting from page 2. How do I take PENTASA? Swallow the tablets whole without chewing or crushing. You can also place the tablets in 50mL of cold water, stir rapidly and drink immediately Do not cut, crush or chew the tablets. More instructions can be found in Section 4. How do I take PENTASA? in the full CMI, starting from page 2. What should I know while taking PENTASA? Things you should do Remind any doctor, dentist or pharmacist you visit that you are taking PENTASA Have all blood tests recommended by your doctor If you are going to have surgery, tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are taking this medicine If you become pregnant while taking this medicine, tell your doctor immediately. Things you should not do Do not stop taking this medicine or lower the dosage suddenly without checking with your doctor Do not take PENTASA to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to Do not give your medicine to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you. Driving or using machines PENTASA is not expected to affect your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. Looking after your medicine Keep your PENTASA in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 25C. For more information, see Section 5. What should I know while taking PENTASA? in the full CMI, starting from page 2. Are there any side effects? All medicines can have side effects. Side effects reported from PENTASA can be minor and temporary. However, some side effects may need medical attention. For more information, including what to do if you have any side effects, see Section 6. Are there any side effects? in the full CMI, starting from page 2. Why am I taking PENTASA? PENTASA contains the active ingredient mesalazine. PENTASA is an anti-inflammatory agent, similar to aspirin, and is thought to work by reducing inflammation in the bowel. PENTASA is taken to treat Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, diseases associated with inflammation, ulcers and sores in the bowel causing bleeding, stomach pain, and diarrhoea. What should I know before I take PENTASA? Warnings Do not take PENTASA if you: are allergic to mesalazine, aspirin-like medicines or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet. Always check the ingredients to make sure you can take this medicine. have a severe kidney or liver problem. Check with your doctor if you: have a known allergy to PENTASA, sulfasalazine or aspirin-like medicines, or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet take any medicines for any other condition have a kidney or liver problem have a bleeding disorder have a history of asthma. During treatment, you may be at risk of developing certain side effects. It is important you understand these risks and how to monitor for them. See additional information under Section 6. Are there any side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Check with your doctor if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant. Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding or intend to breastfeed. Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits involved. PENTASA should be taken with caution during pregnancy and breast-feeding and only if the potential benefits outweigh the possible risks in the opinion of the doctor. The underlying condition itself (inflammatory bowel disease) may increase risks for the pregnancy outcome. Children Do not give PENTASA to a child 12 years old or under. The safety and effectiveness of PENTASA in this age group have not been established. What if I am taking other medicines? Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any medicines, vitamins or supplements that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop. There is no information available on interactions between PENTASA and other medicines. However, mesalazine belongs to a group of medicines called salicylates that may interfere with some medicines. Medicines that may have their effects increased if used with PENTASA include: anti-coagulants which are used to thin blood or stop blood clots (e.g. warfarin). When PENTASA is used with these medicines, it may increase the medicines effects on thinning your blood. sulphonylureas which are used to lower blood sugar and treat diabetes (e.g. glibenclamide, glipizide). When PENTASA is used with these medicines, it may increase the medicines effect on lowering your blood glucose. methotrexate which is used to treat some kinds of cancers, some skin conditions, and rheumatoid arthritis. When PENTASA is used with this medicine, it may increase the possibility of the medicine producing toxic effects on your body. glucocorticoids which are used to treat inflammation, swelling or allergies (e.g. prednisolone). When PENTASA is used with these medicines, it may increase the undesirable gastric effects caused by these medicines. Medicines that may have their effects decreased if used with PENTASA include: probenicid or sulfinpyrazone which are used to treat gout or other conditions. When PENTASA is used with these medicines it may decrease the effectiveness of the medicine. spirinolactone or frusemide, which are used to increase the amount of urine produced and to lower blood pressure. When PENTASA is used with these medicines it may decrease the effectiveness of the medicine. rifampicin which is used to treat tuberculosis. When PENTASA is used with this medicine it may decrease the effectiveness of the medicine. Medicines that may have a greater likelihood of reducing bone marrow activity if used with PENTASA include: azathioprine which is used to suppress the immune system mercaptopurine and thioguanine, used to treat leukaemia. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure about what medicines, vitamins or supplements you are taking and if these affect PENTASA. How do I take PENTASA? This medicine helps to control your condition, but does not cure it. It is important to keep taking your medicine even if you feel well. How much to take Recommended doses for various conditions are presented below Your doctor will prescribe a dosage regimen based on your individual needs, and this may differ from these recommendations Follow the instructions provided and use PENTASA until your doctor tells you to stop. Ulcerative Colitis For active disease (flare-up of symptoms) for ulcerative colitis, take up to 4 g PENTASA once a day or in divided doses For maintenance (during remission) of ulcerative colitis, take up to 2 g PENTASA once a day or in divided doses. Crohn's disease For active disease (flare-up of symptoms) for Crohn's disease, take up to 4 g PENTASA daily in divided doses For maintenance (during remission) of Crohn's disease, take up to 4 g PENTASA daily in divided doses. When to take PENTASA Take your medicine the same time each day. This will help you remember when to take it You can take PENTASA with or without food Continue taking your medicine for as long as your doctor tells you How to take PENTASA Swallow the tablets whole without chewing or crushing. You can also place the tablets in 50 mL of cold water, stir rapidly and drink immediately Do not cut, crush or chew the tablets. Access available only within Australia. If you forget to take PENTASA PENTASA should be taken regularly at the same time each day. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to. Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you missed. If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist If you have trouble remembering to take PENTASA, ask your pharmacist for some hints. If you take too much PENTASA If you think that you have taken too much PENTASA, you may need urgent medical attention. You should immediately: phone the Poisons Information Centre (by calling 13 11 26), or contact your doctor, or go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital. You should do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. What should I know while taking PENTASA? Things you should do Have all blood tests recommended by your doctor PENTASA may cause kidney, liver or blood problems in a few people. You should have regular blood tests to check your kidney function Kidney stones may develop while taking PENTASA. Symptoms may include pain in the sides of the abdomen and blood in the urine Take care to drink plenty of fluids while you are being treated with PENTASA. If you are going to have surgery Tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are taking this medicine. It may affect other medicines used during surgery. If you become pregnant while taking this medicine, tell your doctor immediately. Remind any doctor, dentist or pharmacist you visit that you are taking PENTASA. Things you should not do Do not stop taking this medicine or lower the dosage suddenly without checking with your doctor. If you stop taking it suddenly, your condition may worsen Do not take PENTASA to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to Do not give your medicine to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you. Driving or using machines PENTASA is not expected to affect your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. Looking after your medicine Follow the instructions in the carton on how to take care of your medicine properly. Keep your PENTASA in the packaging until it is time to take your next dose If you take PENTASA out of the packaging it may not keep well Keep your PENTASA in a cool dry place (temperature stays below 25C), away from moisture, heat or sunlight. Do not store it: in the bathroom or near a sink, or in the car or on window sills. Keep it where children cannot reach it. Getting rid of any unwanted medicine If you no longer need to take this medicine or it is out of date, take it to any pharmacy for safe disposal. Do not take this medicine after the expiry date. Are there any side effects? All medicines can have side effects. If you do experience any side effects, most of them are minor and temporary. However, some side effects may need medical attention. See the information below and, if you need to, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any further questions about side effects. Less serious side effects Less serious side effects What to do Nervous system related: headache Stomach and intestine related: diarrhoea abdominal or stomach pain flatulence (stomach discomfort or fullness, relieved by passing wind) nausea (feeling sick) vomiting Skin related: mild skin rash Speak to your doctor if you have any of these less serious side effects and they worry you. Serious side effects Serious side effects What to do Nervous system related: dizziness numbness, tingling or weakness of the arms and legs Blood and lymph system related: bruising easily, unusual bleeding (e.g. nosebleeds), signs of infection such as fever, chills, sore throat and mouth ulcers Bone, muscle and tissue related: muscle aches and pains painful or swollen joints Stomach and intestine related: severe upper stomach pain, nausea and vomiting Kidney and urinary related: changes in kidney function/kidney disease, and or urine discolouration Liver and gallbladder related: yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark coloured urine Skin related: hair loss (this is reversible) Increased sensitivity of your skin to sun and ultraviolet light (photosensitivity) Condition related: worsening of your condition Call your doctor straight away, if you notice any of these serious side effects. Immune system related: sudden signs of allergic reactions such as rash, itching or hives, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, or swelling of limbs, face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat which may cause difficulty swallowing or breathing nausea, severe stomach cramps and/or pain, bloody diarrhoea, fever, severe headache and skin rash with severe blisters and bleeding of the eyes, mouth, lips, nose and genitals e.g. erythema multiforme or Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS)/Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) Bone, muscle and tissue related: lupus erythematosus-like reactions (a disease affecting the skin, joints and kidneys with symptoms such as joint pain, fever and skin rash) Breathing and chest related: chest pain and/or pain behind the breast bone sometimes spreading to the neck and shoulders, or with fever. Go straight to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital if you notice any of these serious side effects. Kidney and urinary related: changes in kidney function kidney stones may develop while taking PENTASA; symptoms may include pain in the sides of the abdomen and blood in the urine. Liver and gallbladder related: changes in liver function e.g. raised liver enzymes Blood and lymph system related: changes in the blood e.g. a decrease in the number of red/white blood cells, and/or platelets Reproductive system related: low sperm count (this is reversible). Your doctor may do blood tests, or other tests, to check if there are any changes in your blood, kidney, liver or reproductive system function Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything else that may be making you feel unwell. Other side effects not listed here may occur in some people. Reporting side effects After you have received medical advice for any side effects you experience, you can report side effects to the Therapeutic Goods Administration online at www.tga.gov.au/reporting-problems . By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine. Always make sure you speak to your doctor or pharmacist before you decide to stop taking any of your medicines. Product details This medicine is only available with a doctor's prescription. What PENTASA contains Active ingredient (main ingredient) mesalazine Other ingredients (inactive ingredients) magnesium stearate talc povidone ethylcellulose microcrystalline cellulose Potential allergens This medicine does not contain sucrose, gluten, tartrazine or any other azo dyes. Do not take this medicine if you are allergic to any of these ingredients. What PENTASA looks like PENTASA 0.5 g prolonged release tablets are white-grey to pale brown, speckled round tablets with break mark and marked: '500 mg' on one side, and 'PENTASA' on the other side. They are supplied in packs of 30 and 100 tablets. (AUST R 99139) PENTASA 1 g prolonged release tablets are white-grey to pale brown speckled oval tablets with 'PENTASA' marked on both sides. They are supplied in blister packs of 20 and 60 tablets. Each tablet is protected in an aluminium foil blister. (AUST R 164142) Not all pack sizes are distributed in Australia. Glycated Serum Protein assay provides simple, sensitive and fast alternative glycemic monitoring test. EKFs GSP assay bridges the gap in diabetes testing in cases where HbA1c cannot be reliably measured. Image credit: EKF Diagnostics EKF Diagnostics, the global in vitro diagnostics company, announces that its newly introduced Glycated Serum Protein (GSP) LiquiColor diabetic biomarker test has been verified for use on the Siemens Vista chemistry analyzer. In a scientific poster published by scientists at the Memorial Healthcare System, Hollywood, USA [1], it was demonstrated that EKFs GSP assay enhances the versatility of the Vista system for the specialized glycemic monitoring of diabetics with hemoglobinopathies, or conditions that affect red blood cell (RBC) lifespan. Daily blood glucose and HbA1c are used as short and long term (3-4 month) measures of glycemic control respectively. However, HbA1c values may be adversely affected by patients with hemoglobin variants or conditions that affect RBC lifespan such as anemia and dialysis to name a few, while GSP as a 2-3 week indicator of blood glucose, is unaffected. Traditional NBT assays for fructosamine (or GSP), used as an alternative test for diabetes patients with hemoglobinopathies and pregnant women, suffer from a variety of interferences. Due to these analytical issues, the Memorial Healthcare System scientists required a reliable alternative that could be adapted to their existing analyzer. Therefore, the EKF Diagnostics GSP assay was evaluated and validated using an open channel user defined method. The scientific poster authors concluded that EKFs GSP assay provides laboratories with a simple, sensitive and fast alternative glycemic monitoring test without the endogenous substance interference that are typically observed in NBT based colorimetric assays. We are pleased with the recognition by the Memorial Health System of the value of our GSP diabetic biomarker test which is based on a double enzymatic degradation method. This provides superior specificity, accuracy and reliability compared to the older non-enzymatic fructosamine NBT method, said Al Blanco, Business Unit Director Central Lab at EKF Diagnostics. He added, "As a 2-3 week indicator of average blood glucose which is unaffected by RBC half-life, GSP closes the information gap between daily blood glucose and HbA1c testing. This means that GSP serves as an accurate intermediate marker of glycemia in instances where HbA1c may be of limited value, such as pregnancy, reduced RBC lifespan and hemodialysis. The Memorial Health System scientific poster presented at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Scientific Meeting 2016 is available to view at: http://www.ekfdiagnostics.com/glycated-serum-protein.html. For more information on EKF Diagnostics, please see www.ekfdiagnostics.com. Colder temps during the first months of fall are a stark reminder that people should start thinking about how to prevent the influenza virus, or the flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the best way to prevent the flu -- which is a contagious respiratory illness that can have mild to severe symptoms in the nose, throat and lungs -- is by getting vaccinated each year. Flu season begins in the fall and can run through May, so the CDC recommends getting vaccinated by the end of October which lasts the entire season. Stony Brook University is urging students, faculty, staff and the community to stay proactive and get vaccinated against the flu. As a distinguished biomedical researcher and infectious disease specialist, the President of Stony Brook University, Dr. Samuel L. Stanley, Jr. has spent many years studying the biological mechanisms that cells employ when responding to infectious agents such as parasites, bacteria and viruses. Dr. Stanley gets a flu shot annually, and is raising awareness about the importance of getting a flu vaccine on campus and beyond. "Every year about 40 million people in the United States get the flu," said Dr. Stanley in a new public service video. "About 19-million people will have to see a doctor. Many millions of people will miss work, and a lot of students miss classes." The influenza virus is extremely unpredictable. Its severity can vary widely from one season to the next depending on many things, including the strains of flu that are spreading, availability of vaccines, how many people get vaccinated and how well the flu vaccine is matched to the flu viruses circulating each season. "Every year I get my flu shot. It's the best way to prevent influenza and really it's safe and effective," said Dr. Stanley. Last week the Stony Brook Medicine Hospital Emergency Management Team vaccinated almost 1,700 employees and students during a 12-hour event and the Stony Brook University Hospital Employee Health program is offering free flu shots to all employees and students with hospital access Oct. 17-19 from 7 am through 7 pm. "This year's flu season is just beginning New York has seen only a few reported cases so far which means it's the ideal time to get vaccinated," said Saul Hymes, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital. The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older. Vaccines are available and can reduce flu illnesses and prevent flu-related hospitalizations. Flu vaccines have been updated for the 2016-2017 season. "Vaccination is one of the best ways to add protection against many diseases, including influenza," says Susan Donelan, MD, Medical Director, Healthcare Epidemiology Department, Stony Brook University Hospital. "Even if you do get the flu, if you have been vaccinated, it may make the actual disease milder and better tolerated." Dr. Donelan says that although the nasal flu vaccine was convenient, due to concerns from the CDC over decreased efficacy, it is not being offered this year. Other ways to prevent the flu? - Avoiding those who are ill - Covering mouths when coughing or sneezing - Washing hands frequently and thoroughly - Staying home from work if sick - Keeping children out of school and after-school activities if they are sick The easiest protection tip? Get everyone in the family vaccinated. "Getting vaccinated helps to protect against the flu but also helps to protect those who cannot be vaccinated," says Dr. Hymes. "All parents should be vaccinated to help protect their children. The flu vaccine is effective and safe, and it is not too late to get it!" Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed liberation of Iraqi Mosul, Syrian crisis and bilateral ties over the phone, Sputnik reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed liberation of Iraqi Mosul, Syrian crisis and bilateral ties over the phone on Tuesday, the Kremlin said in a press release. "The course of the operation to liberate Iraqi city of Mosul was discussed The leaders exchanged views on the settlement of the Syrian crisis. The Russian side, in particular, emphasized the importance of ensuring of the effective separation of the moderate opposition troops from the Nusra Front militants and other terrorist groups affiliated with it In the context of the Russian-Turkish top level negotiations which took place in Istanbul on October 10, further development of the bilateral political, trade, economic cooperation has been discussed," the press release read. The Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, software company Dimagi, and Guatemalan NGO TulaSalud announced today that their partnership to locate and assess vulnerable areas in Guatemala to determine their level of risk for a Zika epidemic is being funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The funding is part of the Combating Zika and Future Threats Grand Challenge, a $30 million challenge that called upon the global innovator community to generate cutting-edge approaches to fight the current Zika outbreak and to help strengthen the world's ability to prevent, detect, and respond to future infectious disease outbreaks. Using predictive algorithms, the partners will develop a platform that pairs Dimagi's technology, CommCare, with DigitalGlobe (NYSE: DGI) satellite imagery over the Arnhold Institute's Health Equity Atlas platform (ATLAS). The goal is to identify areas where data such as health indicators, demographics and other household-level information, commonly referred to as "cold spots," are absent, and protect the most vulnerable communities from becoming disease hot spots. This technology will be first implemented with the Guatemalan NGO TulaSalud (supported by the Tula Foundation), who has built a sophisticated frontline health worker digital service on the CommCare Platform. While the funding was provided specifically for technology used to forecast regions vulnerable to Zika in Guatemala, the hope is that the work will inform similar projects on a global scale. ATLAS is designed to analyze underreported communities so that health care systems and policy makers can assess the needs of these vulnerable regions and better manage disease outbreaks where and when they occur, or the steady rise in chronic diseases over time and place. ATLAS is a spatial data engine that highlights blind spots in demographic and health information by analyzing inputs from frontline health workers and high-resolution, satellite imagery. The platform is being developed with the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Health in Agenda 2030 and for Malaria, and satellite imagery company DigitalGlobe, Inc (NYSE:DGI). "Information gaps exacerbate vulnerabilities to health crises, and we know that when epidemics strike, and health inequities are present, resources are naturally diverted to areas where there is known information about confirmed cases or well-defined infrastructure for intervention," said Prabhjot Singh, MD, PhD, Director, The Arnhold Institute for Global Health and Chair, Department of Health System Design and Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "The ability to respond to epidemics depends upon having accurate, reliable information that is tied to service delivery capabilities. We have developed a tool that will enable ministries and other key decision makers to find these cold spots and intervene--preventing outbreaks of disease from becoming epidemics and thus averting massive financial costs, as well as significant morbidity and mortality," said Dr. Singh. A major outbreak of the Zika virus began in Brazil last year and has spread to approximately 60 countries around the world. Zika is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are found in all countries in the Americas except Canada and continental Chile, and the virus will likely reach all countries and territories of the region where the mosquitoes are found. There is no current treatment for Zika, and a vaccine is not expected to be ready for widespread use for up to three years. "TulaSalud is thrilled to work with Dimagi and the Arnhold Institute for Global Health on this project," TulaSalud CTO Ray Brunsting said. "As an organization, we are leveraging and scaling CommCare as a frontline mobile service delivery tool, while also creating our own tools and systems to map incoming data. By combining this functionality together, there's potential to further strengthen not only our digital health services systems, but so many other organizations' as well." The ATLAS platform has three major components: (i) a spatial visualization tool that enables decision makers to view household level information for health-related data; (ii) a suite of machine learning algorithms that continuously extract health-related information and automated population estimates from satellite imagery; and (iii) a disease-specific risk engine that aggregates multiple datasets (such as the density of pregnant women, bodies of standing water, air temperature, and humidity) and produces a disease-specific risk score. James Faghmous, PhD, Chief Technology Officer for The Arnhold Institute, manages the ATLAS platform. A critical component of the ATLAS approach to identifying potential Zika hot spots is its integration with digital applications that are regularly used by frontline community health workers. CommCare is one of the most widely adopted digital platforms for frontline workers in low-resource settings. "By pairing CommCare data with DigitalGlobe imagery over the ATLAS platform, cold spots can be quickly identified and checked by appropriate parties to determine the exposure to Zika and deliver an efficient response," said Jonathan Jackson, co-founder and CEO of Dimagi. "This approach is game-changing because it leverages existing data in a novel way; if you are already using CommCare, you don't have to change anything. We have the team and technology to realize the impact and curb future threats." Dimagi maintains a regional office in Antigua, Guatemala, where field work will be coordinated. Engineering work will be divided between The Arnhold Institute in New York City and Dimagi headquarters in Cambridge, MA. Engineers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have developed a small monitoring device, worn on the skin, that detects alcohol levels in perspiration. It was designed as a convenient method for individuals to monitor their alcohol intake, which could help reduce unsafe drinking that can lead to vehicle crashes, violence, and the degeneration of the health of heavy drinkers. A collaboration of nanoengineers and electrical and computing engineers at the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla combined their expertise to create the small device that detects alcohol levels and transmits that information to a cell phone or other monitoring station. Their work is reported in the July issue of the journal ACS Sensors. Seila Selimovic, Ph.D., director of the NIBIB Program in Tissue Chips, explains the new technology. "It resembles a temporary tattoo, but is actually a biosensor patch that is embedded with several flexible wireless components. One component releases a chemical that stimulates perspiration on the skin below the patch. Another component senses changes in the electrical current flowing through the generated sweat, which measures alcohol levels and sends them to the user's cell phone." Approximately 88,000 people in the U.S. die from alcohol-related causes including driving fatalities, which accounted for nearly 10,000 deaths in 2014. This significant problem has been addressed by the use of blood tests or breathalyzers by law enforcement. The new wearable monitor has the advantage of being non-invasive and unseen by others, for example, in a bar features that could make its use more attractive to individuals. Given these features, the researchers believe the device has great potential for people to self-monitor their alcohol intake and avoid driving if they have had too much to drink. Patrick Mercier, Ph.D. at UCSD's Jacobs School of Engineering and co-senior author elaborates on the advantages of their technology design. "Measuring alcohol in sweat has been attempted before, but those technologies took 2-3 hours to measure alcohol levels. Our patch sends alcohol levels to your smartphone in just 8 minutes, making real-time alcohol monitoring possible, practical, and personal." Looks like a #Chaiwala from Pakistan is doing some #SurgicalStrikes of his own across the LoC https://t.co/rbuKqyvoss Saikat Datta (@saikatd) October 17, 2016 At least we can all agree on one thing: Pakistan's #ChaiWala is way way way better than India's #CoffeeWala. *No Comparison* pic.twitter.com/DXfJQBaqud Sir Main Dad (@SirJohnRoe) October 17, 2016 Surgical Strikes on Indian girls though Pak #ChaiWala . Do we really need to unleash our other weapons? pic.twitter.com/28AnCEGQWG Sohail Cheema MD (@sohailcheemamd) October 17, 2016 Maybe he will be the Pak PM some day. #ChaiWala kaveri (@ikaveri) October 18, 2016 Surely some agency has signed that Pakistani chaiwala already. Model banega ladka ab Gappistan Radio (@GappistanRadio) October 18, 2016 Congrats bro for being more famous than Mamnoon Hussain. #ChaiWala pic.twitter.com/gPk59qZ9cX Zoobia (@itszoobia) October 18, 2016 hope chaiwala gets offered a gig from a designer, a cafe, or a net-savvy brand so this hype around him can at least benefit him in some way. Imaan Sheikh (@sheikhimaan) October 18, 2016 Pakistan has #ChaiWala looking like this. Please dont bomb it, thanks. pic.twitter.com/uK4GhC4dik Shruti :) (@shruti_writes) October 17, 2016 A chaiwala, or tea seller - Arshad Khan, from Islamabad in Pakistan is ruling the Internet for his looks.Soon after a photo of him went viral on social media platforms, Internet users were smitten by this Khan's 'hot', 'supermodel' features. Many called him Pakistan's 'nuclear weapon'.Khan came to Internet's notice when a photographer called Jiah Ali posted a photo of him on her Instagram handle after which it went viral on all social media platforms.Ali was quoted telling The International Business Times (IBT) that she found him in the Itwar Bazaar area of Islamabad during a photo-walk she participated in a few months ago."I took his picture during a photowalk I attended a few months back, but shared the post recently on Instagram and someone shared it on other social media platforms after which it went viral," Jiah said.Soon after the photo went viral, Khan became an Internet sensation and started trending on Twitter in Pakistan with the hashtag #Chaiwala.While many social media users were smitten by his blue eyes and brooding look, others were in disbelief that a man with his looks could be selling tea and not modelling!There were thousand of reactions on social media platforms with Internet users calling him 'Pakistan's surgical strike on Indian girls'. Others stated that modelling agencies should quickly sign him lest he should get busy after his overnight fame.Some joked that he is more famous than Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain.Here's a quick look at the reactions that the 'chaiwala' from Pakistan garnered.Looking at the widespread love that Khan was receiving, Ali decided to back to Itwar Bazaar to figured out his name and tell him he was famous on the Internet.Khan's first photo that Jiah Ali had posted has over 6,000 likes on Instagram and and is being shared widely on Facebook and Twitter. New Delhi: Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on Tuesday said only the Army would know whether cross-LoC surgical strikes were undertaken in the past as no "message" about such raids were conveyed. "What FS said is that the key issue is that we went public after conducting the surgical strikes which conveyed a politico-military message. Whether any previous crossings had been done only the army would know. But it is irrelevant anyway because there was no message," sources in the government told PTI. The clarification about what transpired at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs, which was briefed on the strikes by Jaishankar, came after PTI reported that some opposition MPs quoted him as saying the army had carried out "target specific, limited-calibre, counter-terrorist operations" across the LoC in the past too but this was for the first time the government had gone public about it. An earlier report by PTI, carried in this space, had claimed that Jaishankar's statement before the parliamentary panel contradicted an earlier statement by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that no cross-LoC strikes were carried out during the time of previous governments. But that report by the news agency was rejected by CNN-News18 sources who said the Foreign Secretary had said that only the Army would know whether there were any previous cross-LoC strikes and that it was irrelevant anyway because there was no message. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday retained its direction to Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu till further orders and asked the two governments to ensure peace and harmony, saying citizens should not become law unto themselves. A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Dipak Misra, which commenced the crucial hearing on various issues arising out of the dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over sharing of Cauvery waters, said it first intended to adjudicate the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by both the states and Kerala against the tribunal's 2013 award. "We intend to first adjudicate issue of maintainability of appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. At this juncture, the interim order dated October 4 directing Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu will continue till further orders," the bench, also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and AM Khanwilkar, said. The bench said "morality of respect for both the states, among people of both the states and properties, should be maintained". The court also noted the submission of Karnataka that it has complied with the earlier order of releasing 2,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu. Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu said they were in dire need of water, which was even supported by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi. During the hearing, Rohatgi submitted that the apex court-appointed Supervisory Committee, formed to inspect Cauvery basin to assess the ground realities in the region, has submitted its report. The bench said it would first go into the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry against the award of tribunal and then hear the arguments on the report filed by the committee. The Attorney General said the appeals filed by the states were not maintainable as per article 131 and 262 of the Constitution and the provisions of Inter-state River Water Disputes Act, 1956. He said as per the constitutional provisions, a decree passed by a tribunal will be like a decree of Supreme Court which cannot hear the appeals against its own order. Senior advocate and noted jurist Fali S Nariman, appearing for Karnataka, said the appeals are maintainable as Supreme Court can only adjudicate the disputes between two states. The hearing remained inconclusive and will continue on Wednesday when Tamil Nadu will advance its arguments on maintainability of appeals. The apex court-appointed panel had on Monday in its finding suggested doing away with "outdated and unscientific water application techniques" to resolve the wrangle, saying both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were facing water shortage which created unemployment and financial hardship for the people. It had said the neighbouring riparian states needed to appreciate interest of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to protect their established irrigation and Karnataka's aspirations for development and educate their people accordingly. The panel in its 40-page report has noted that farmers in both states were in severe distress and adequate crop compensation must be provided to them. The Supreme Court had on October 4 directed Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs Cauvery water every day to Tamil Nadu from October 7 to 18 and deferred its earlier order asking the Centre to set up Cauvery Water Management Board (CWMB) till it finally decided on appeals relating to the age-old water dispute. The apex court had agreed to the suggestion that a Supervisory Committee, comprising officials and technical experts from the Centre, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry, be set up to inspect Cauvery basin for assessing ground realities. On September 30, SC had directed Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs water from October 1-6, warning it that no one would know when the "wrath of the law" would fall on it. The apex court had also directed the Centre to establish the CWMB, saying once it was constituted, its team would visit the sites to take a prima facie view of the ground reality and submit a report. On October 1, Karnataka had moved a review petition in the apex court against its three orders on Cauvery water release to Tamil Nadu and direction to the Centre to create the CWMB. In its review petition, Karnataka said "grave miscarriage of justice" has been caused to it pursuant to the three apex court orders of September 20, 27 and 30, by which it was directed to release 6000 cusecs of water till October 6 and the Centre was to constitute the Board by October 4. For this farmer in Sonipat district of Haryana, trying to sell a cow is as simple as going online and uploading a picture.Rakesh Khatri has over the past four months sold 25 cows and buffaloes to other farmers through classified platform OLX. He says the response on the online marketplace has been good and that he has made more than Rs 1 lakh in profit."People see the ads and contact me over WhatsApp if they are interested in buying," says Khatri, providing an insight into how the rural marketplace is enjoying the benefits of digitisation.Ashok and Babu, who saw the advertisement and approached Khatri, say they are inspired by his initiative."Now, we can look at the pictures and meet the sellers if the cow or buffalo is of good breed," says Babu.Khatri and his buyers are examples of a growing trend where farmers and dairy owners have taken to online classified sites like OLX and Quikr to buy and sell cattle.At times the options are not just limited to cows. Like this ad on Quikr 'Cow dung cakes for sale' which runs along with the description: "Pure quality cow dung which can be used for puja, hawans and also can be utilised in choohlas and bhattis."The primary reason for the increasing number of online ads is that it does away with brokers and cattle markets, where farmers find it difficult and expensive to sell their cattle, notes an article in the New Indian Express.Another reason is the low logistical cost - the buyer usually pays for transportation, and one does not have to travel to the market.The shift in the nature of products being sold on these sites is evident in the increasing number of categories these sites have added to existing ones.Earlier there was just one category for pets, but now under that they also have 'others' which includes cattle. A random search for cows on one of these websites threw up 778 active advertisements.Operators of traditional markets are however skeptical of the growing trend, saying access to computers and internet remains an issue in the rural areas."There can be no substitute for traditional cattle markets and it would be unfortunate if they are replaced. Unless you interact with an animal, you cannot see how healthy it is and how it behaves," Binnu Tyagi, who organises cattle fairs in Meerut, told The Times of India.But, with increasing connectivity in rural areas, the numbers on these online marketplaces could see an increase in the coming months. New Delhi: Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has ordered the transfer of Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and posted him as the Registrar of Guru Gobind Singh Inraprastha University. The Services Department has transferred Sisodia's Secretary C Arvind, an officer of Delhi Andaman Nicobar Island Civil Services (DANICS). The department issued the order with approval of the Lt Governor. "The Lt Governor is pleased to order transfer/posting of DANICS officer (C Arvind) with immediate effect," the order, dated October 14, stated. It further stated the officer has been posted as Registrar of Guru Gobind Singh Inraprastha University on deputation. It said the terms and condition of deputation in respect of the officer (C Arvind) will be settled in due course. However, the AAP government, which has been at loggerheads with the Lt Governor office over transfers and postings of its officers at several occasions in the past, has not launched an attack publicly this time. Mandi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday likened the army's anti-terror surgical strikes to Israel's exploits and said the Indian forces have shown they are no less than anybody. "Our army's valour is being discussed across the country these days. We used to hear earlier that Israel has done this. The nation has seen that Indian army is no less than anybody," he said. Israel is known for its targeted military strikes against enemy countries and militant outfits. Modi was speaking at a rally in Himachal Pradesh where he inaugurated three hydro-power projects. The issue of surgical strikes has snowballed into a political row with the opposition accusing the BJP and its government of "milking" it for political benefits. The charge has been rejected by BJP which has insisted that it is taking the issue to the masses to boost the army's morale and highlight the strong political will of the Prime Minister. Underscoring his commitment to the welfare of armed forces, Modi today said his government had fulfilled its promise of 'One-Rank, One-Pension' for ex-servicemen, an issue which he said had been hanging fire for over 40 years. Previous governments, he said, duped the people by making tall claims and some of them even allocated Rs 200 crore-500 crore in this regard but never did an analysis of cost burden and how it could be executed. "I did it and was puzzled to find that the economic burden kept rising. It worked to be more than Rs 10,000 crore," he said, adding that it was difficult for any government to make such a big allocation in one go. Modi said he spoke to armed forces and offered to release the money in four installments to which they agreed. "Over Rs 5,500 crore in first installment has been given. The rest will be too. A promise hanging fire for the last 40 years has been fulfilled," he said. At the 'Parivartan Rally', Modi also targeted Virbhadra Singh, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh where elections are due late next year, saying BJP chief ministers dedicated themselves to causes like drinking water and roads while the Congress leader was concerned about his own welfare. "Do I need to explain what the current chief minister is known for?" he said and then added, "When BJP gave chief ministers, somebody dedicated himself to water, somebody to roads but when others came they dedicated so many things for their personal welfare," he said. BJP has accused Singh of being involved in corruption but the Congress leader has rejected the charges and claimed that he was a victim of "political vendetta". New Delhi: A top Chinese diplomat has called upon India and Pakistan to "work like brothers and solve the Kashmir dispute bilaterally." Sun Yuxi, a Chinese diplomat who has served both in India and Afghanistan refused to comment on the recent terror strike in Uri and Pakistans interference in Kashmir saying its a problem that has to be solved bilaterally between the two countries and China wanted to promote good relations between the two. The ex-envoys comments make Chinas position on terrorism emanating from Pakistan crystal clear. Speaking to CNN-News18 about Pakistan-sponsored terror, Sun said, Pakistan is fighting very hard and they have made many sacrifices in tackling terror and both Afghanistan and Pakistan are helping China fight the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). The ETIM is an Islamic terror and separatist organization founded by Uyghur militants in Western China. Its goal is freedom of East Turkistan from China and the diplomats statement explains the strategic importance Pakistan holds for China. When asked why China didnt allow the BRICS declaration to include Pakistan-based terror groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the diplomat said "I dont know about that but, I have many friends in Pakistan, they are all resolutely fighting against terror. Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistani army and the local police have been fighting terror for many years and made many sacrifices." He also said the international community acknowledges Pakistans efforts to fight terror. The Chinese diplomat also refused to comment on the surgical strikes carried out by India on terror camps across the LoC. However, the diplomat said, Kashmir was a deep rooted problem over which India and Pakistan had fought three wars. He made it clear that China would not come to Indias rescue as this was an issue that had to be solved bilaterally. Reacting to Sun Yuxis comments Indias former envoy to Pakistan G Parthasarthy told CNN-News18, China is now becoming an apologist for Pakistan-sponsored terror. Pakistans policy is to fight terrorists whom it trained but turned against the government and the army. Let alone fighting terrorists, Pakistan army has used terror as an instrument of state policy by arming and training groups like the Haqqani network, Jaish-e-Mohammed and LeT against India and Afghanistan. What came as a setback for the Indian government was that a day after Prime Minister Modi tried to isolate Pakistan at the BRICS and BIMSTEC Summits, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said its wrong to link any country or religion to terror. Strongly defending Pakistan the spokesperson said, Both India and Pakistan are victims of terror. Pakistan has made a lot of sacrifices to fight terror. This shows that despite Indias repeated appeals China has chosen to side with its all-weather ally Pakistan. Chinas stand on Pakistan based terror groups will be further clear on 31st December when its technical hold on the proposal to put JeM Chief Maulana Masood Azhar on the UN Sanctions list comes to an end. China will have to decide whether or not it allows Indias proposal. Bengaluru: Defending the state government's decision to go ahead with the infrastructure project, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said construction of the 6.7 km steel flyover in the city would soon begin as it has public support. "The steel flyover project has been totally transparent, as its details were put up on the website of the BDA (Bangalore Development Authority) and 73 per cent of the people have favoured the bridge," claimed Siddaramaiah after inspecting the thoroughfare over which the steel flyover has been planned. Accompanied by Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George, the party's lawmakers from the city and officials, Siddaramaiah also inspected alternative routes to the airport at Devanahalli. "We will also develop three alternative routes to the airport to decongest the roads choked with heavy vehicular traffic towards Devanahalli," asserted Siddaramaiah. Recalling that the steel bridge was proposed in 2010 when the BJP was in power in the state, the Chief Minister said the project was announced in the state budget for fiscal 2014-15. "The project cost had to be revised as its estimate was made two years ago on schedule rates of 2014-15. We re-negotiated with its developer (L&T) and reduced it to Rs 1,791 crore from Rs 1,800 crore," pointed out Siddaramaiah. About 5,000 Bengalureans on Sunday staged human chain to protest the proposed 6.7-km steel flyover for a signal-free ride to the airport on the city's northern outskirts. Unfazed by the protests and ignoring the advice of urban experts, the state cabinet on September 28 awarded the project to L&T Ltd as the lowest bidder for the tender to build the steel bridge from Chalukya circle to Hebbal circle, which connects the airport road and the busy National Highway number 7 towards Hyderabad. Though the country's third busiest airport is located about 40 km from the city, the stretch of the main road where the flyover has been planned is bedevilled with heavy vehicular traffic as it connects the city's south, east and west suburbs. The Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport handles 40 million flights a year. (Photo : Getty Images) Two airbuses of China Eastern Airlines almost collided on the runway of the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport last Tuesday. The Civil Aviation Administration of China investigated the incident. According to the civil authorities, one plane was taxing while the other plane was taking off. One captain was given a clear for takeoff signal when he noticed another aircraft that was about to land. Advertisement The report stated that the captain decided to continue with the takeoff and his plane flew above the taxing aircraft. No one was reported injured in the incident but the number of passengers on both flights is still unknown. An unnamed official of the aviation administration claimed that both planes said that there was enough distance between them. If the first plane had remained on the runway, they would not have collided. However, the initial findings of the investigation suggest that there was an error from the air traffic control. The civil authority also found out that the airline crew of the landing A330 turned off their radio upon landing and cut communication with the control tower. This was a clear violation of aircraft regulations. An aviation expert, Qi Qi, said the incident could have been the result of a lack of communication between controllers. He Chao, the pilot of the landing A330, said that he was three seconds to colliding from the plane which was taking off. He made a last minute decision to lift the plane higher to avoid crashing. He was also told by airport officials to not report the incident. There was news that the airport tower crew was fired but was not confirmed by the civil authority. Results of the investigation will be released this week. Qi added that the incident might have happened because the runway is too busy. The Shanghai airport handles 40 million flights a year. Srinagar: The situation in unrest-hit Kashmir, which continued to be curfew-free for third day on Tuesday, was by and large peaceful as security forces foiled separatists' plans to hold protests in the city and elsewhere. Many shops and business establishments including petrol pumps were open in Sanat Nagar, Jawahar Nagar, Rajbagh and Bishembar Nagar, though outlets remained closed in commercial hub of Lal Chowk and adjoining areas, a police official said. "The situation across Kashmir Valley is by and large peaceful. There are no reports of any untoward incident from anywhere," a police official said. A large number of roadside vendors set up their stalls on the TRC crossing-Batamaloo axis passing through Lal Chowk while a good number of private vehicles were plying. The movement of traffic was thin compared to yesterday apparently due to burning of two commercial taxis by unidentified youths in Parimpora area on Srinagar-Baramulla national highway yesterday. Kashmir continued to be curfew-free for third day but security forces were deployed in strength at various spots prone to protests and street violence, officials said. "Security forces have been deployed in sensitive areas to maintain law and order as also to instill a sense of security among the people so that they can carry out their day to day activities without fear," they said. However, reports of minor clashes were reported from Rahmoo in Pulwama district of south Kashmir and Naugam in Chadoora area of central Kashmir s Budgam district after some people tried to stage demonstrations in response to the separatists' call. The separatists had asked people to "assemble and occupy" roads including in Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the city. Authorities foiled the separatists' plan by deploying security forces in strength in and around Lal Chowk and other vulnerable areas. The shutdown has affected schools, colleges and other educational institutions which continued to remain shut in the Valley, which is struggling to return to normalcy following the violence which erupted after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani. The unrest which has left 84 people dead and several thousand injured has dealt a severe blow to the economy and the development works with major projects now in limbo. Over 300 persons have been booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) for the violent protests. Lucknow: Barely a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the famous Aishbagh Ramleela in Lucknow on Vijayadashmi, it is now official that BJP pins hope majorly on 'Brand Modi' in the coming UP elections. Within a week of PM Modi's Lucknow visit, it is now official that there will be no CM face of the party in the UP polls scheduled for 2017. BJP's state president Keshav Maurya categorically said that the party will contest the polls in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Another BJP stalwart from UP Rajya sabha MP Vinay Katiyar too emphasised on the need of contesting on the basis of 'Brand Modi'. "Giving a CM face will only lead to complications in the state so deeply divided on caste lines. Party should contest polls only in name of PM Modi and the good work done by the central government.", Katiyar said. However, apart from the 'Brand Modi' plank, another issue which is now resurfacing, can be seen as a subtle call to Hindutva. While a section of BJP leaders are racking up the Ram temple issue, the Union government is out with grand agenda for Ram Museum in Faizabad. During his Vijayadashmi address as Prime Minister recalled Lord Buddha, emphasizing on 'Yudha to Buddha' and asserting on India's inherent desire for World peace, along with a strong resolve to fight terrorism, no one could raise a finger pointing 'concerns for political gains' being played out in his speech. For the political opponents who expected the Prime Minister to respond to recent politics being played out over surgical strikes in POK, or harping over something which might be linked to BJP's focus on upcoming UP Polls, the speech was a disappointment. 'Brand Modi' in itself looked like a challenge to fully grasp with and counter, for the opposition. What is this 'Brand Modi'? Political thinker and former Head of Department of Political Science at Lucknow University, Professor Ramesh Dixit defines Brand Modi as 'Confluence of Hindutva and Politics'. "The very fact that Prime Minister chose Lucknow as a venue for Vijayadashami, over many bigger Dushehrra celebrations like that of Mysuru, is indicative of the politics behind the scenes. A dangerous game of mixing religion and politics is being played out. So while Modi might have spoken as a statesman, those words were just a camouflage for real intentions." A senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh, not willing to be named, accepted that it is this image of 'Hindutva and Statesman' that defines 'Brand Modi', and it is on the basis of this brand value that the party hopes to succeed in the upcoming assembly polls. PM Modi's choices are subtly indicative of his Hindutva image, even though his words portray him as a world leader and a seasoned statesman who speaks about all 125 crore Indians, development and fighting global terrorism. While the Prime Minister might have chosen to subtly associate himself with Hindutva by his appearance in Lucknow's Ramleela, his government and party are now openly endorsing it. But how instrumental will 'Brand Modi' and an open endorsement of 'Hindutva' be in helping the Bhartiya Janata Party in a state divided on the lines of caste and community? Whether they will be able to over rule the caste equations and forge a broader Hindu identity is a question yet to be answered. While BSP chief Mayawati continues to have a strong hold on Dalits, BJP has by and large been successful to woo the upper castes and large sections of the hindu backward castes. Likes of former MP Brijesh Pathak and Swami Prasad Maurya exiting BSP to join BJP, reinstates this belief. Brijesh Pathak, however, denies the caste considerations stating "people from all castes and communities are looking towards BJP and Prime Minister Modi. The trend which started in 2014 will further strengthen in 2017." New Delhi: Almost two decades after the Supreme Court allowed politicians to seek votes by using words like "Hindutva" and "Hinduism", the apex court is set to revisit its own judgment on Tuesday on whether the words connote the "way of life" of the Indian people. The highest court of the land had ruled that Hinduism/Hindutva is not a religion but a way of life. This judgment delivered in 1995 was called the hindutva judgment and handed down by a bench of 3 SC judges led by the then chief justice of india, J S Verma. The SC held that Hinduism was "indicative more of a way of life of the Indian people and is not confined merely to describe persons practising the Hindu religion as a faith. Then a question was raised in the SC if, a politician sought votes in the name of Hinduism, will it amount to corrupt practices under the Representation of People's Act and subsequently attract disqualification. The court had then answered the question in the negative and held that seeking votes in the name of Hinduism is not a corrupt practice under Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, which would result in setting aside the election of winning candidates. However, over 2 decades later, a bench of 7 judges of the Supreme court of India is set to revisit this contentious judgment. New Delhi: Justice (Retd) Markandey Katju is once again in the limelight after the Supreme Court summoned the former brother judge to explain his Facebook post, which said the apex court had "grievously erred by law by not holding Govindachamy guilty of murder," in the infamous Soumya rape and murder case that happened in Kerala. Well, this is not the first time that the outspoken Justice Katju has been dominating the headlines, nor will it be the last. In this interview with News18's Debayan Roy, Justice Katju says Indian judiciary has "extremely feudal characteristics" and is unlikely to change in the near future. Excerpts: Q. On October 4, the Supreme Court delivered a judgment in which the accused in a gang rape case were let off. The judgment upheld the view of the trial court stating that the victim had falsely accused the men of 'gang-rape' and observed that "Her conduct during the alleged ordeal is also unlike a victim of forcible rape and betrays somewhat submissive and consensual disposition. Her post incident conduct and movements are also noticeably unusual. Instead of hurrying back home in a distressed, humiliated and a devastated state, she stayed back in and around the place of occurrence." This judgement was criticized for being "derogatory" towards the victim. Do you agree? I think it was a perfect judgment. The court even compared the woman (victim) to a sex worker but my disagreement is that even a sex worker has the right to claim her compensation and if she has been denied her payment and has been subjected to a sexual act on the pretext of paying her at a later date, then that amounts to rape. But I certainly dont agree with people claiming that the judge has been insensitive to the feeling of the woman. The witness, who turned hostile at a later date, had claimed that she had seen the accused at the victims place several times, even during the late hours of the night. So in a way the judge only resorted to the benefit of doubt which in any case goes in favour of the accused. Q- But there has been allegations that the Supreme Court went a step ahead while defining "acceptable behavior" from a woman when she is being "gang-raped"? Well, I think the court only delved into that aspect to show that the victim might have known the accused before. What I presumed from reading the judgment was may be the woman had agreed to the sexual act in return, but after she was denied the money, she created this case of gang-rape. The whole thing was whether it was consensual or not. It has to be seen whether she was threatened or not. If she was threatened with a knife, then even if she is not consenting, then it is not proper. But we dont know if money was involved. So I think the judgment was not faulty, there was a counter version that this woman was habitual to such sexual acts, and it was believable as per the facts of the case. Q What is your view of the recent case where the apex court ruled that a Hindu man can divorce his wife if she tries to separate him from his ageing parents? I completely disagree with the Supreme Court. First of all in feudal times, girls were married at an early age. The mothers used to tell them that they were going to a different home, so you have to put up with everything at the in-laws place. Most women would do it then. But those were the feudal values where woman was economically dependent on the man. But now a large number of woman has good jobs and will not put up with nonsense. Every woman wants their own house. They cant be subordinate to the overarching figure of their mother-in-law. They want their own homes. Even in the West parents stay separately from their grown up children. We are living in a transitional society. A man can always take care of his parents by staying away from them financially. We are transitioning from the feudal society to an industrialized society, and the judiciary must also evolve. Q- Are you saying that the issue of misogyny that is rampant in Indian society could be present in the Supreme Court too? Judiciary can no longer adopt a feudal attitude. This attitude is essentially like a woman must consider her husband as her God or rather merge herself with her husband's family completely. Perceptions like these need to be trashed. These are reactionary, feudal views. Times are changing, but still a lot of cases are coming to the courts, and it is usually the wife seeking divorce on the grounds that she does not want to live with in-laws, but its a first case when a man has approached the court. The language used in the judgment by Justice Anil Dave is completely unacceptable. I have been there-done that. Most judges are extremely conservative and feudal-minded. These judges are from the feudal society itself and have not fallen from the sky; hence they portray the same views. Q Can you illustrate this with a few examples? Justice MY Eqbal in a judgment (in December 2015) ruled that to a Hindu wife her husband is God. This is the age of equality and modernity. Should the judiciary try to keep the society feudal or attempt to modernize it? In my opinion, one of the roles of the judiciary apart from pronouncing judgments is to settle the law wherever it is unsettled or has room for interpretation. It is through this interpretation that the courts can work towards removing such misogynistic views in the society. But it seems the judiciary is hell bent on promoting feudal thoughts and culture. The court recently ruled that a woman takes a new birth after getting married and enters a new household. Such a thought itself is regressive was ludicrous. This is all happening because of incorrect judges. Q- What exactly do you mean by incorrect judges? These Supreme Court judges are extremely feudal and conservative. Since our society is backward at large, these judges are only a reflection of the sad state of our society. Most Supreme Court judges are not appointed on merit but they are picked up on the basis of the seniority among the various High Court Chief Justices. But this cannot be denied that it often depends upon the sweet will of the Chief Justice of India and the Collegium. So I believe these faulty appointments be looked at again and such feudal minded judges should not be there on the bench. Q- Justice Dave had recently remarked that Bhagvad Gita be made compulsory in all the schools. Do you think such statements by an apex court judge impacts the society? Yes, I have read that piece of judgment and I was shocked. Bhagvad Gita is referred to as a book of the Hindu scripture by the Muslims and Christians. How can we ever force some children to read this book forcefully? This is just ridiculous. Q- But one would assume that an SC judge is devoid of bias That is all rubbish and exists only in the theory. This is an incorrect notion. There is heavy bias and I wonder that how a judge, who takes oath to defend the secular nature of the Constitution, delivers such a ruling? These are the judges who are actually communal. They are communal judges. Q- You have been in the judiciary for quite a long time. Have you encountered such cases where the judgments were biased? When I was in the Allahabad High Court, there used to be a lot of cases where a girl from a different caste or a religion would marry a man from another religion or a caste. The judges who were inherently extremely backward and feudal-minded, they used to pass ruling directing the girl to go and stay with her parents and issue moral lectures. But when I was in the Supreme Court, I had delivered a judgment in Latha Singh vs State of UP, in which I has stated that a girl beyond the age of 18 can never be forced to marry someone she does not like. The maximum the depressed family could do is to severe social relations with the daughter but not burn or kill her. Especially in the cases of honour killing, I had held that death sentence should be given to someone who kills his daughter for the sake of his fake honour. Even in the cases of dowry death, death-sentence is the appropriate punishment as it falls under the doctrine of rarest of rare cases. Q- Is there any solution to this judicial crisis? Is there a way forward by appointing younger judges or implementing some sort of a test? This judicial system is beyond redemption. The judiciary has gone beyond the reach of being addressed or corrected. Even if you implement a test for the judges, one has to see who supervises the test. The supervisor may want a judge from his caste or community to become a judge. The backward mentality of the judge can take a toll on the system. Unless the system gets rid of judges with feudal biases and prejudices, the situation can never change. What this country needs at the moment is a social revolution which would uproot feudalism from the grass root levels. I am hopeful that a revolution is surely coming in a few years. Look at the French Revolution, I am sure some heads would have to be chopped off in the process, but this revolution would be necessary for India and only then judiciary can hope for a change. (This website has the greatest regard for the justice delivery mechanism of the country and the majesty of the Supreme Court and does not necessarily agree with the views of the interviewee, which are personal to him) New Delhi: The Indira Gandhi Hall at Aligarh Muslim University has become the hub of the latest confrontation between students and authorities, with residents of the womens hostel sitting on a dharna and starting a signature campaign against the dictatorial provost, Farukh Arjmand. The students, who have been protesting at the main university campus, have accused Arjmand, a chemistry professor at AMU, of moral policing, misusing administrative power and curbing womens rights. They allege that the provost has repeatedly questioned their character and threatened them with expulsion. They want the provost, an alumna of the varsity, to either step down or be removed, a demand the administration is in no mood to entertain. Vice Chancellor Lt General Zameer Uddin Shah says the demand is not legitimate and the girls want the provost gone as she takes no nonsense. As a stop-gap arrangement, however, Arjmand was placed on administrative leave, following which the girls returned to the hostel. We are supposed to be in the hostel by 6:30pm. Even if we are ten minutes late she questions our character. It is suffocating, says a student on condition of anonymity. The latest trigger was the invite to a cultural event at the main AMU campus. A resident of the Indira Gandhi Hall said the invitation was extended to women students as well but they were forced to miss the programme as they were provided with a 12-seater van for 750 girls against their request for buses. The provost denied us permission to attend the cultural programme at the main campus, which is 2km from the hostel. The invite was extended to both boys and girls. We requested the administration to send buses for girls. But the provost did not do the needful. Instead, we saw a 12-seater van for 750 girls, says the student. In response to the misuse of administrative powers of the Provost, IG Hall, we the residents demand immediate change of our provost as she has been a dictator, suppresses every genuine issue by threatening us of expulsion, passing comments on our character and dragging our parents and family on every petty issue (sic), reads the students letter to the administration. The provost could not reached for her comments. The administration has sent her on leave and necessary action will be taken when normalcy is restored, says Vice Chancellor Shah. Asked about the students demand, she says, There is no legitimate demand. The girls want a change because the present provost is strict and takes no nonsense. The Indira Gandhi Hall was inaugurated in 1995 for post-graduate women students of the AMU. Students of bachelors degrees also reside there. The official page of the hostel says: The Hall promotes self-dependent life of the student. But Shadab Bano, faculty in Womens College, AMU, disagrees. The patriarchal rules for girls in the hostel must go. The administration cannot tamper with the rights of women students and seek refuge in entrenched patriarchy. The AMU administration committed to Constitution cannot impose such rules on adult women on campus. The administration should come out now. What exactly are the rules for women students in the campus and why these vary from hostel to hostel? she tells News18. The confrontation, ironically, comes days after the unprecedented election of three women candidates to the cabinet of AMUs students union. It also comes amid a row over the institutions minority status case in the Supreme Court. After facing severe criticism over his twitter rant few days back, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has clarified in a new post on Facebook that he did not ask PM Narendra Modi to apologise. The director, on Saturday, went on a twitter rant, questioning the PM over his silence over the ban that has been put over Pakitsani artistes over working in India.On Tuesday, after being trolled on social media, Kashyap wrote, "NO, Anurag Kashyap did not ask the PM to apologise( which most of the headlines would want you to believe, no one has their mind anyways) ,I merely questioned the fairness in judgement of a situation: the PM visited Pakistan for talks at the same time that a filmmaker was working with a Pakistani actor. Neither was aware of future events or mood. Yet only one pays the price. Im also well aware that the government did not cry BAN" or demand that Pakistani artists be sent back."The director, in his post, reminded that in a democratic country where leaders are elected, a citizen had the right to demand security from bullies. "We elected them and so it is their responsibility to protect us from bullies - media or political parties. And when the governing party's designated members don't respond in hours of crisis because they are second guessing the mood of the PM then I would rather talk straight to the PM himself," said the post.Read the full statement here:Kashyap had earlier tweeted, ""Narendra Modi Sir, you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM. It was December 25. Same time KJo was shooting 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'? Why?" Anurag asked. Panaji: Former Goa Minister and Congress legislator Mauvin Godinho on Tuesday said he would resign from the party to join BJP ahead of the upcoming State Assembly polls. "I have decided to resign from Congress and join the BJP on whose ticket I would be fighting the forthcoming Goa Legislative Assembly election," Godinho told reporters. The MLA, who represents Dabolim constituency, claimed he was "completely disappointed" with Congress and had expressed his feelings to the party high command in Delhi and even informed them about joining the BJP. "I have met Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) in Delhi. I got fully disappointed with the Congress. After briefing the central Congress leaders about the hardships faced by me, I also informed them that I will be quitting the party," Godinho said. According to the legislator, he has decided to join BJP and on several occasions, he has mentioned that he would be contesting 2017 assembly elections on a BJP ticket. Referring to the political charge-sheet released by Congress against BJP, Godinho said,"Congress is dreaming that BJP will be wiped out which is not going to happen". "I was reading the charge-sheet which was prepared by the Congress. I really laughed at it because all the points mentioned by the Congress are sins of omission committed by their leaders during the Congress regime," Godinho added. In the charge-sheet, released yesterday, there are 25 points against the BJP. New Delhi: The Congress on Monday hit out at Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar for his comment that "RSS ideology inspired surgical strikes", and said that he is a "national embarrassment" and "doesn't deserve to hold his portfolio". Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar on Monday said the RSS ideology inspired Prime Minister Narendra Modi and him to carry out the September 29 surgical strikes across the Line of Control. It was not possible that a Prime Minister from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and a Defence Minister from Goa with a common RSS orientation would not take such a strong decision, he said. The minister was addressing students and teachers of Nirma University during a 'Know Your Army' programme. The minister said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh teachings were at the back of the mind of the Prime Minister and him while ordering the surgical strikes on the terrorist launch pads. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: "Why is the Defence Minister always so over the top? Today, he has gone and credited the RSS for operations along the LoC." "What is wrong with this gentleman? And this is not the first time this has happened. Earlier, he said that 'like Hanuman' the army did not know their prowess until I pointed out to them their strength and capacity. Then they blame others for politicising the operations along the LoC," he added. Asked if the Congress would demand Parrikar's resignation, Tewari said: "Resignation can be demanded from somebody who has morality. By seeking his resignation, we don't intend to waste our time." The Congress asked a few questions to the BJP and Parrikar, including did Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri go to an RSS Shakha? Did Defence Minister Yashwantrao Chavan go to a RSS Shakha? Did Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who created Bangaldesh, go to a Shakha? Did Defence Minister Jagjivan Ram go to a Shakha? Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw or General J.S. Aurora, did they go to a Shakha? "Manohar Parrikar does not deserve to be the Defence Minister. This man is a national embarrassment. And the operations along the LoC were targeted more for domestic consumption rather than changing the behaviour of the deep-State in Pakistan." Asked if the Congress party's line on providing evidence on surgical strikes is same as its senior leader P. Chidambaram, Tewari said: "No one in the Congress has ever asked for evidence with regard to the surgical strikes. In fact, surgical strike is a wrong terminology -- the terminology used by the DGMO is 'Operations along the LoC'." "If the army institutionally stands up and makes a statement, we believe that statement, as we believe the statement which has been made by former Chief of Army General Bikram Singh that such operations were carried out in the past," he added. Chennai: Finance Minister O Panneerselvam, who has been allocated the portfolios held by ailing Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, will preside over a meeting of the Tamil Nadu cabinet tomorrow, government sources said today. Panneerselvam will chair the meeting as Jayalalithaa is undergoing medical treatment at the Apollo Hospital here since September 22. The meeting to be held on Wednesday comes in the backdrop of the ongoing Cauvery water sharing row with Karnataka and demands by Opposition parties for an all-party meeting on the issue. Farmers' bodies and political parties had staged state- wide rail blockade yesterday and today urging the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board. Last week, Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had allotted the portfolios held by Jayalalithaa including Home and Police, to Panneerselvam, till she could resume official duties. The Raj Bhavan had then, in a release, said Paneerselvam, who holds the Administrative reforms portfolio, in addition to Finance, "will also preside over cabinet meetings." 68-year-old Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. A specialist from London besides three-member team of doctors from AIIMS, Delhi, had also examined Jayalalithaa, who is being treated for infection with respiratory support. New Delhi: The Union Culture Ministry on Tuesday gave its go-ahead to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's cultural unit Sanskar Bharti to introduce its own 'Nobel awards' in the fields of Peace, Human Rights, Literature, Visual and Performing Arts, Science, Education and others. Sources in the ministry told IANS that the ministry has given its nod to institute 'Naimishya Samman'. The first edition of awards on the lines of Nobel will be given in 'Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsava', likely to be held in Varanasi in November. The awards will be presented annually. The jury would comprise prominent Indian and international figures from diverse fields. According to sources the budget for the Sanskriti Mahotsav has been set at Rs 220 crore, out of which around Rs 70 crore have been kept for the awards and the rest for the event. The Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsava, the brain child of the RSS, is an initiative of the Ministry of Culture. IKEA senior shoppers use the shop to meet new people. (Photo : Getty Images) The management of an IKEA store in China is trying to handle the increasing number of senior citizens who loiter in their canteen and display areas. The seniors are taking advantage of the free coffee with the use of their loyalty card. They bring food drinks inside the canteen and use the area for matchmaking and socializing. Many customers have complained that there is no place to sit because of the elderly crowd. Advertisement According to Zhang Yu, a writer for Global Times, the Swedish furniture manufacturer had put its foot down but is caught in a dilemma. He wrote, "IKEA's dilemma is a classic example of how foreign companies in China sometimes have to adapt and alter their policies due to cultural differences." IKEA recently issued a policy where customers would have buy food first before getting a place to sit. The new policy is not taken well by the senior community. An 86-year-old man named Mr. Qiu said, "We've been to McDonald's and KFC. But there are barely any peers there. We feel like aliens there--surrounded by youngsters. If there is another place in Shanghai where elderly people can gather, we are more than ready to pay twice as much and travel farther." Another elderly woman, Mrs. Xu, said "I guess few people know just how lonely old people are. Our kids are not around, and some visit only on weekends. I feel quite good when I come here. I talk with friends, but some elderly do meet people who become lovers." Yu wrote that many Chinese, whether senior or not, would find loopholes in the retail system that was abused in the past. One example is when people would get heaps of salad from the Pizza Hut salad bar. The salad bar was discontinued and the foreign company had to adapt. He said, "But the latest incident with the Shanghai seniors shows that, in fact, foreign companies aren't always to blame for cultural differences. It takes two to make a thing go right but only one to make it go wrong." US aerospace firm Orbital ATK launched its sixth resupply mission carrying NASA cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) using an upgraded Antares rocket almost two years after its predecessor exploded on lift-off. The two-stage booster, powered by new engines from Russia and carrying a Cygnus cargo ship, blasted off on Monday at 7.45 p.m. EDT (5.15 a.m Tuesday, India time) from Virginia's Wallops Flight Facility. "It's great to see launches to the International Space Station happening again from the Virginia coast - and it shows what can be accomplished with a close partnership of federal and state agencies, along with the U.S. industry, all working together," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Under NASA's commercial resupply services contract, Cygnus carried about 2,400 kg of supplies and science experiments for the ISS, Xinhua news agency reported. Cygnus was also carrying a new station research facility that will enable a new range of research experiments by allowing precise control of motion aboard the ISS. One of the experiments is Saffire II, which studies how flames grow in space. The cargo aboard the Cygnus will support dozens of new and existing investigations, NASA said. Also onboard were lighting systems studying the effect of lighting on sleep and daily rhythms, a tablet app collecting health-related data and a new way to measure neutrons as a part of the radiation exposure experienced by crews during spaceflight. Astronauts aboard the space station are exposed to space radiation that can reduce immune response, increase cancer risk, and interfere with electronics. "The Fast Neutron Spectrometer investigation will help scientists understand high-energy neutrons, part of the radiation exposure experienced by crews during spaceflight, by studying a new technique to measure electrically neutral neutron particles," NASA said. If all goes well, Cygnus will arrive at the ISS on October 23, where it will stay for about five weeks. The Cygnus spacecraft will remain at the space station until November before its destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere, disposing of about 1,360.7 kg of trash, according to NASA. This resupply mission marked the first flight of the upgraded Antares 230 vehicle, and the first launch from Wallops since an Antares rocket and its Cygnus resupply vehicle were lost seconds after lift-off in October 2014. Virginia-based Orbital ATK is one of two US companies that provide ISS cargo services for NASA, the other being SpaceX. Islamabad: Several Pakistani lawmakers have warned the government that the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) could turn into another East India Company if the country's interests were not protected. "Another East India Company is in the offing; national interests are not being protected. We are proud of the friendship between Pakistan and China, but the interests of the state should come first," Senator Tahir Mashhadi, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development, said when some committee members raised the concern that the government was not protecting the rights and interests of the people. The East India Company was the British trading mission sent to India, which became the precursor to the British colonial presence in the subcontinent, eventually gaining power and overthrowing the Mughals who ruled India at the time. Following a briefing by Planning Commission Secretary Yousuf Nadeem Khokhar, a number of committee members voiced their fears over what they perceived as the utilisation of local financing for CPEC projects, instead of funding from the Chinese or any other foreign investment. They also expressed concern over the fixing of power tariff for CPEC-related power projects by the Chinese. Since only one of three Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members of the committee was present at the meeting, most of the criticism went unanswered, the Dawn reported. Even Senator Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail, the lone PML-N senator in attendance, endorsed the committee chairman s complaints. The meeting was informed that a major portion of the CPEC depended on local finances rather than Chinese investment. "It will be very harmful for us if we have to bear the entire burden; will this (project) be a national development or a national calamity? Whatever loans taken from China will have to be paid by the poor people of Pakistan," Mashhadi observed. Highlighting the status of CPEC-related power projects, the Planning Commission secretary said that the Matiari-Lahore transmission line project had "not been scrapped" and was being pursued by its Chinese sponsors. The secretary also informed the committee that the Gadani power plant complex had been shelved due to the lack of a dedicated jetty. He also said that the 6,000MW project was not part of the CPEC. Senator Kakar said that despite the fact that the project was not part of the CPEC, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong had recently claimed that the Gadani power plant had not been scrapped and was indeed a part of the corridor. "Why is this project, which does not even exist, being counted in our account?" he asked. He said that the infrastructure being established in Gwadar would only benefit the Chinese and Punjab governments, not the local community. He said that no electricity or railway projects had been planned for Balochistan under the CPEC. Senator Mandokhail said that a sense of deprivation was being instilled in smaller provinces. "We do not want the CPEC at the cost of the federation," he added. Aden: A 72-hour ceasefire in Yemen will go into effect starting on Thursday, the United Nations has announced. A cessation of hostilities that first went into effect in April "will re-enter into force at 23:59 (local time) on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal," the UN's special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement on Monday. The announcement comes after Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi agreed to the ceasefire in a statement earlier on Monday, a day after international calls for a truce. Ahmed on Sunday said he had been in contact with the Huthi militia's lead negotiator and Hadi's government. The United States, Britain and the UN peace envoy to Yemen on Sunday urged the warring parties in the country's civil war to declare a ceasefire. Saudi Arabia's impoverished neighbour has been rocked by a deadly war since pro-Iran rebels overran the capital Sanaa in September 2014. However, the conflict escalated after an Arab coalition, led by Riyadh, launched a bombing campaign against the Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies in March 2015. The conflict in Yemen has killed almost 6,900 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million since March last year, according to the United Nations. On Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry met in London with the UN envoy and his opposite numbers from Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the Yemen conflict. "This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters after the talks. Previous attempts to enforce a ceasefire in the country have so far failed with the war intensifying after a round of peace talks in Kuwait ended in August without achieving a breakthrough. The Saudi-led coalition has stepped up its air raids following the breakdown of talks and cross-border attacks from Yemen have also intensified. The previous ceasefire, announced in conjunction with the start of the Kuwait talks, was hardly observed on ground, with both sides trading blame for violating the truce. Earlier this month, the UN envoy had said that a 72-hour ceasefire was expected soon adding that he was hoping to draft a new peace plan for Yemen. (AFP) Three people were hospitalized Monday after a dump truck crashed into an SUV in Campbell County, police said Tuesday. The truck was driving south on Route 685 (Calohan Road), less than a mile south of U.S. 29, when it crossed the center line. A Chevrolet Equinox heading north on 685 swerved to avoid the truck, and the vehicles collided. The Equinox ran off the road and overturned in a ditch; the dump truck also ran off the road into a ditch, Virginia State police said. Police responded to the crash scene at 12:22 p.m. Monday. The dump trucks driver, Joseph W. Peters, 42, of Evington, was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital for minor injuries. He wore a seat belt. Peters was charged with failure to stay right of the center line. The Equinoxs driver, Barbara M. Markham, 79, and her husband, James W. Markham, 83, both of Gladys, were taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. They both wore seat belts. State police continue to investigate the crash. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese President Xi Jingping meet at the G20 Summit. (Photo : Getty Images) The Chinese Entrepreneurial Club will be making a visit to Canada to meet with the country' top people in business and politics, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The club is composed of chief executives of Chinese companies. These firms have a combined annual gross income of $585 billion. Advertisement China and Canada have been working on improving bilateral trade. Leaders from both countries have recently made visits to meet with business and political leaders. "We have a large population and we are in a very long process of urbanization. And the consumer market is growing as well, and it will grow for a very long time," said Maggie Cheng, the club's secretary-general. She added, "I think the private companies in China have now grown into a (size) that can use a larger resource partner to further improve the Chinese market." In a published review Wang Wentian, the charge d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese embassy in Ottawa, wrote that the visit of Premier Li Keqiang to Canada brought success to both countries. The article stated, "During Mr. Li's visit, the two sides reached a broad consensus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in politics, economy and trade, and people-to-people exchanges. The joint statement of the People's Republic of China and Canada, which contains 29 items, was issued." He also wrote, "The two sides announced a series of important developments and signed relevant agreements. It was a trip of friendship, mutual trust, practical cooperation and pioneering efforts." Charles Burton, a former diplomat who is now a political scientist at Brock University, said, "In China, it's really very difficult to achieve great wealth unless you have a strongly collaborative, mutually beneficial relationship with the Chinese Communist Party's decision makers." Trump still superior to Clinton Donald Trump expressed some reprehensible words in his locker room talk with another man more than 10 years ago. However, in viewing the video on his exiting the vehicle and meeting the lady, his actions were very proper, polite and professional. He greeted her and shook her hand. When she gave him a hug, he did not respond or look comfortable, but backed out of it as quickly as he could. Some of the beauty contestants have defended the actions of Donald Trump in that he was very kind and professional in his contacts with them. Hillary Clinton speaks the words she thinks people want to hear, but lets look at just a few of her actions. If you are under 35, you will not know or remember these events. President Clinton gave Hillary authority over selecting people to high positions in the government. The first two women she selected for attorney general were forced to withdraw their names, and then she chose Janet Reno, whom her husband described as his worst mistake. He allowed her to make recommendations for the head of the Civil Rights Commission Lani Guanier who also had to withdraw her name because of her radical views. He allowed her to recommend Webb Hubbell for the Justice Department, Vince Foster for the White House staff and William Kennedy for the Treasury Department. Hubbell went to prison, Foster (presumably) committed suicide and Kennedy was forced to resign. She was allowed to recommend Craig Livingstone for the position of director of White House security. After investigation of his improper activities and Filegate, among other things, the FBI closed its White House Liaison Office after more than 30 years of service to seven presidents. Then she viciously attacked the women her husband had affairs with. She avoided indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice during the Starr investigation by repeating I do not recall, I have no recollection and I dont know a total of 56 times while under oath. After she left the White House, she had to return an estimated $200,000 in White House furniture, china and artwork she had taken. And these are just the tip of the iceberg as far as her corruption and search for power is concerned. Do you want a woman who in the past has selected these kinds of people to surround her in office or the kind of people Trump has selected as his advisers Mike Pence, Dr. Ben Carson and Newt Gingrich? Actions do speak louder than words, but to her loyal fans: What difference does it make? ELLEN RICHARDS Rustburg China Sends Two Taikonauts on First Crewed Mission to Tiangong-2 Space Station A Long March-2F rocket lifts off, carrying the Tiangong-2 space lab from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Sept. 15. (Photo : Getty Images) China will send two taikonauts to space with the launch its first crewed mission to the Tiangong-2 Space Station, at around 7:30 p.m., Oct. 17, the longest flight for a mission that the country has ever conducted. Advertisement An article published by verge.com said that the mission will put to test Tiangong's life support system and will also be used to conduct several experiments in the next 30 days. As the country's first crewed mission since 2013, two taikonauts will carry out the mission: Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong. The two taikonauts will be brought into space by Shenzhou-11, which will launch from the Long March-2F rocket at the Jiuquan launch site in the Gobi desert. Jing Haipeng, 50, will be flying on his third mission, with 37-year-old Chen Dong. "It is any astronaut's dream and pursuit to be able to perform many space missions," Jing told a briefing on Sunday, Oct. 16. The two-man crew is expected to arrive at Tiangong-2 two days after launching, the report said. This will be the longest crewed mission that the country has conducted. During the Shenzhou 10 mission, its record was 15 days. Tiangong-2, a space station that weighs about 8.6 metric ton was sent into orbit on Sept. 15. It was designed to serve as test lab for China's larger plans in low Earth orbit, which include the launching of a larger, permanent space station in the 2020s. Tiangong-2 will replace the Tiangong-1 space station, which was launched in 2011 and expected to re-enter the atmosphere next year after China lost control of it. Experiments will be conducted by the taikonauts, which include "taking ultrasound measurements for the first time in space, cultivating plants, and testing the three winners of an experimental design competition in Hong Kong for secondary students," according to SpacePolicyOnline. The station will be refueled through a second mission, which is planned for April 2017, the report said. GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us. Chinese universities are offering media training programs to foreign journalists to help enhance the country's soft power. (Photo : Getty Images) In a continued effort to boost the country's soft power, the government has been very supportive in providing training to foreign journalists through various programs offered in different academic institutions, China Daily remarked. Advertisement Over the weekend, a lecture was held at the Communication University of China (CUC) wherein 21 trainees from Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand participated. The program is being supported by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and the State-owned energy firm Huaneng Industry. Apart from CUC, other premier journalism schools in China have also ventured into this kind of training programs. Through an exchange program initiated by the China-Africa Press Center, Renmin University of China's School of Journalism and Communication has already trained 10 journalists from African media per year since 2014. For this academic year, the institution received 28 enrollees--its highest figure to date. Five slots for Pakistani journalists are also available for the university's journalism scheme. Zhong Xin, director of the school's international affairs, shared that participants in this program study "various aspects of China, [build] friendships and [strengthen] their Chinese counterparts' understanding of Pakistan" in a span of nine months. Meanwhile, a master's program in global business journalism in Tsinghua University accepts 20 foreign students each academic year. Hang Ming, its co-director, said that they have already sent off around 200 graduates coming from 50 countries. In an estimate by CUC President Hu Zhengrong, over 100 foreign journalists come to China to enrol in such programs annually. Most of these international students hail from developing nations in Europe, Asia and Africa. "China is the world's second-largest economy and a significant stakeholder in global affairs, but its soft power needs to manifest itself through people to people, heart to heart dialogues," Hu remarked. Emphasizing on the advantages of such courses, he further shared: "Training foreign journalists in China allows them to experience the country's full complexity, thus ensuring more objectivity and consideration when they portray China to their audience." However, apart from teaching technical skills, CUC Faculty of Continuing Education dean Steven Dong noted that these media training programs should also include content production courses which can be used as a platform for "all-around media cooperation." Young Leaders to make history with Montano Multi-talented Montano has been listed as one of the headline acts at the WE Day Family event, which will feature inspirational presenters and world-renowned performers who will share their personal stories of leadership and triumph . It will undoubtedly be a poignant moment for Montano as he is a graduate of the Young Leaders Programme of 1991, when he attended Presentation College, San Fernando . The ten Most Outstanding RBC Young Leaders from the banks 2015/2016 youth development left Trinidad on Sunday and will return on Thursday . The team includes Shara Sookoo, St Josephs Convent, St Joseph; Jovon Williams, Queens Royal College; Christon Malchan and Zakir Marshall, both of San Juan South Secondary; Shakela Sumai and La Quan Pearie, of Manzanilla Secondary; Rafael Ferdinand, St Marys College; Desiree Mohan, Couva East Secondary; Journee Mc Meo-John, Bishop Anstey East; and Kobe Sandy, Vessigny Secondary . They were given a grand send-off by RBC Royal Bank managing director, Darryl White, and other representatives, at the banks corporate offices in St Clair, Port-of-Spain, last week. The young leaders will be accompanied by RBC chaperone, Donnadale Manning-Khafra . Montano will be joined on the WE Day Family billing by acclaimed performers and presenters such as Paula Abdul, Macklemore, Jason Derulo, award-winning actress and activist Mia Farrow, and Margaret Trudeau, widow of former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau and mother of current PM Justin Trudeau. Championed as one of TTs signature youth initiatives, RBC Young Leaders helps young people develop leadership skills, apply teamwork in pursuit of common goals, foster care for the community and the environment, promote thrift toward strengthening the social, moral and economic well-being of the society, and implement sustainable programmes that have meaningful and wide-ranging impact WE Day is the manifestation of the WE Movement, an ocean of people coming together to create impact. This year alone, more than 200,000 young people will come together tomorrow in 14 stadium gatherings across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom . Fragments of ancient Chinese porcelain were found at the Port of Acapulco. (Photo : inah.gob.mx) Fragments of ancient, export-quality Chinese porcelain were discovered in the Port of Acapulco in Mexico, just some five feet below the ground near the port's cathedral. An archaeological project sponsored by the National Institute of Archaeology and History (INAH) of Mexico found thousands of broken pieces of rice bowls, cups, plates and platters which are as old as 400 years. Advertisement The porcelain, which dates back to a time between 1572 and 1620, during the reign of Wanli, the thirteenth emperor of the Ming dynasty, arrived in Mexico aboard the Galleon. According to Roberto Junco, one of the researchers from INAH, the quality and the decoration on the porcelain which showed small wild birds, swans, phoenixes and deer were characteristic of the type of pottery made in Zhangzhou, Fujian and in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi. The latter was named as China's Capital of Porcelain. Aside from these, the archaeological finding also consisted of a coarser type of ceramic produced in Southeast Asia which was used to contain spices and liquids. Pirate attacks, which were common in Mexico's ports, could explain why the fragments recently found seemed to have been unnaturally destroyed. The Port of Acapulco and other Mexican ports, along with Manila in the Philippines and today's Taiwan, were frequented by the Galleon to trade spices, silks and other goods. This recent discovery reflects two things. First, the trade relationship between China and Mexico though miles apart has been going on for centuries. Second, China's porcelain, which has already endured four hundred years, is not as vulnerable as one popular song depicts it to be. Dow Just Had Its Best Month Since 1976 Bill Goldberg will appear in the WWE 2K17 video game as a pre-order exclusive character. (Photo : YouTube/WWE) Former WWE commentator and Hall of Famer Jim Ross has already unveiled his forecast for the rumored battle of the titans rematch between Brock Lesnar vs. Bill Goldberg at Survivor Series 2016. In his latest blog entry on J.R's Place, Ross predicts how the rematch will play-out, the reception of the Toronto crowd to Goldberg, and of course the winner of the match. Advertisement Ross stated on Monday's blog entry on J.R Place: "My guess is that this match will be much better than many naysayers perceive and likely won't resemble the MSG match at WM20 that Steve Austin refereed. Will it be a 5 star classic? Only time will tell but generally speaking 'special attraction' bouts usually aren't show stealers but this presentation will likely out perform expectations. I expect that Goldberg wil be jeered in Toronto as Lesnar is now residing in the Saskatoon area plus Goldberg is unfortunately known as the man who ended Bret Hart's in ring wrestling career. I still think that this will be a 'one off' for @Goldberg and I still see Lesnar getting his hand raised." Ross has a gut feeling the Survivor Series rematch between two ring gladiators will still be highly-physical but much better match than the last time they met in the squared circle. Still, Ross believes Goldberg will no longer compete in the ring after that, making it a one-and-done affair for the former WCW champ. 12 years ago, Lesnar and Goldberg locked horns in one of the featured events at Wrestlemania 32. The crowd rained boos during the match, as both wrestlers couldn't produce a performance that would suffice the huge hype surrounding it. As a matter of fact, Stone Cold Steve Austin, who served as the special referee in the match, stole the thunder from the two dominant superstars after nailing each participant with a stone cold stunner. Goldberg is slated to appear on RAW for the first time in 12 years to unveil his answer to the open challenge presented by Paul Heyman and his client Brock Lesnar last week. The former WCW Champion is scheduled to appear in two more WWE RAW tapings (Oct. 31 and Nov. 14) before Survivor Series. (Newser) Today's stereotype-busting story comes compliments of the Times of London, which shares the story of Lucky Blue Smith, an 18-year-old Mormon who isn't currently on a 2-year mission, which is what the church recommends for teens of that age. "I feel I can spread the word much bigger by staying," he says. That would be staying in the upper echelons of the fashion world, where the teen originally from Spanish Fork, Utah, currently resides. The Times calls him "the face of the age." New York Magazine describes him as " basically the One Direction of male models." The New York Times goes the distance with "most hyped male model on the planet." He's done campaigns ranging from Tom Ford to Marc Jacobs to Balmain and was dubbed one of the "13 most stylish men in the world right now" by GQ. He's "social media's favorite male model," proclaimed Vanity Fair (an assertion backed up by his 2.6 million Instagram followers), and is in a band called the Atomics with his three older sisters. Those sistersStarlie Cheyenne, 22; Daisy Clementine, 20; and Pyper America, 19 (all their birth names)are all models, and blazed the path. As Vanity Fair recounts, sister Daisy was scouted in 2008, and a then 10-year-old Lucky was told they'd be back for him. Two years later he was signed, and in 2012 the siblings were all part of Gap's holiday campaign. Now 6-foot-2, Smith has a 240-page autobiography (yes, at 18) titled Stay Golden out Nov. 1, and he still makes time to go to church and pray before meals. He's "pretty grounded," he says, with credit going to his "good, solid family who can take me down a couple of pegs if my egos getting out of hand. (A Mormon millionaire plans a utopia in Vermont.) (Newser) Days before his death this summer, 39-year-old Max Spiers texted his mother these words: "If anything happens to me, investigate." The Brit just happened to be a well-known figure in the world of UFO researchers, and now conspiracy theories are running wild. Authorities in Poland, where Spiers died, say it was natural causes, and the British government has declined to investigate, reports the Independent. His peers in the UFO community, however, are more than a little skeptical. Kerry Cassidy at Project Camelot says "the entire circumstances are suspicious and I urge everyone to encourage [the release of details] about what really happened and call for an autopsy." Another UFO blogger says, per SFGate: "Healthy people don't just get sick and die, they get poisoned." According to the Telegraph, Spiers had been invited to Poland to speak about his theories at a conference. Friends say he had been staying with a woman in Warsaw ahead of the conference and was vomiting black liquid and suffering from migraines before being found dead on a couch. Spiers' mother, Vanessa Bates, describes him as a "very fit man who was in good health," and she fears her son made enemies after "digging into dark places." But UFO expert Nick Pope tweeted Sunday that the idea of Spiers being silenced is a little much. "Having run the UK government's UFO project I promise we don't go around killing UFO researchers." (Only in Roswell could police investigate a missing flying saucer.) (Newser) In California, the public essentially has the right to access the portion of the beach that gets wet. But with a great deal of coastal development, how one gets to this public strip of land can be far murkier, as a new lawsuit involving a private property near Half Moon Bay demonstrates. In 2008, Silicon Valley billionaire Vinod Khosla, who co-founded Sun Microsystems, bought 53 acres of Martins Beach, which sits just south of San Francisco; two years later, he decided to close the gate and paint over the billboard that had directed beachgoers (it's a popular surfing spot) to a for-a-fee parking area the previous owners had set up, reports the Guardian. In other words, the former owners played nice, and Khosla didn't want to play at all. In his lawsuit filed Sept. 30, Khosla accuses the California Coastal Commission, State Lands Commission, and San Mateo County of unfairly targeting him. The San Jose Mercury News explains that the latter two bodies informed Khosla that what he did in revoking the beach access fits the Coastal Act's definition of development, which means he needs to apply for a coastal development permit. Khosla says the agencies are trying "to harass, coerce, and single [him] out" and says they never interfered when the prior owners locked the gate during winter months or private events. The legal director for the Surfrider Foundation, which has filed its own lawsuit to restore public access to the beach, calls it "almost laughable" that Khosla would claim "state agencies could harass and coerce such a powerful man." (Check out the nation's best beaches.) (Newser) A soldier stationed at Fort Campbell in Tennessee died after wandering into traffic on a major highway early Monday, the Tennessean reports. Austin McGeough, 21, died after being hit by several cars on Highway 41-A in Pleasant View. Detectives working the case believe McGeough was under the influence of crushed Percocet and alcohol, a combination that intoxicated and disoriented him to the point where he didn't know where he was. After consuming the drugs and alcohol at a party, McGeough broke into a nursery, where he dislodged a wasp's nest and was chased around by the angry inhabitants. Fifteen minutes after calling 911 about the wasps, McGeough leaned out into traffic on the highway in an attempt to hail a car; instead he was struck by a car and then run over by several successive vehicles. The first car stopped, but the following ones did not, WKRN reports. (Read more Tennessee stories.) (Newser) John McCain said Monday that the GOP-controlled Senate would block every Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton would put up if she was president, but then walked those comments back. The Senate would be "united against" all Clinton nominees, McCain told Philadelphia's WPHT-AM radio in an interview supporting fellow Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, the Chicago Tribune reports. After Democrats slammed McCain for "promising broken government," a spokeswoman for the senator said he "believes you can only judge people by their record" and Clinton "has a clear record of supporting liberal judicial nominees," the Hill reports. McCain would "of course, thoroughly examine the record of any Supreme Court nominee put before the Senate and vote for or against that individual based on their qualifications as he has done throughout his career," the spokeswoman said. During the Philadelphia interview, McCain also said he wasn't sure whether Donald Trump would be any better than Clinton at putting forward acceptable nominees for the court, CNN reports. "I don't know, because I hear him saying a lot of different things," McCain said of Trump, who he unendorsed last week. Trump recently released a list of 21 possible nominees. (Read more John McCain stories.) (Newser) When a 40-year-old man stood in front of a Montana judge on Oct. 4, having admitted to raping his 12-year-old daughter, it was with the knowledge that he would likely spend the next quarter-century in jail. Instead, Judge John C. McKeon ignored a plea deal in which the Glasgow resident had agreed to spend 25 years behind bars and sentenced him to 60 days for felony incest, with credit for 17 days already served, reports People. The man admitted to raping his daughter oncetwo other rape charges were thrown outin exchange for a 30-year suspended sentence and 30 years of probation, reports the Glasgow Courier. He'll also have to register as a sex offender and attend community-based sex-offender treatment, per the AP. Valley County Deputy Attorney Dylan Jensen says he was "shocked and disappointed" by the sentence but would "respect" it. Some 14,000 people who've signed a petition calling for McKeon's impeachment are less resigned. McKeonwho is due to retire in November, per KRTV"does not deserve to collect retirement from the people of Montana," the petition reads. "It is time to start punishing the judges who let these monsters walk our streets." In response, McKeon says a social worker determined the man was unlikely to reoffend. In court, McKeon also cited letters from friends and family in support of community-based treatment. (A teen accused of raping two people didn't go to jail at all.) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is looking to warm the frosty relations between Manila and Beijing. (Photo : Getty Images) Scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing to warm the frosty relations between China and his country, days after spewing strong remarks against the U.S., the Philippines' long-time ally. President Duterte's visit to China is seen as a move to "upend the delicate geopolitics of the South China Sea" as well as a gamble that could "reset the strategic calculus in Southeast Asia in his poor country's favour," wrote The Wall Street Journal. Advertisement China and the Philippines' ties have long been on the rocks amid the sea row dispute, where the former claims ownership of the South China Sea. Aside from the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam are also claiming maritime and island rights over some portions of the disputed area. The Philippines scored the nod of an international tribunal, which scrapped China's maritime claims in a landmark ruling in July. The Chinese government has since affirmed its stance to snub the tribunal's decision, adding more tension to the Manila-Beijing relations. Now more than a hundred days' old in the office, President Duterte is pursuing an alliance with China that is seen by some analysts as "strategically risky." "It's a strange negotiating tactic," said Gregory Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in an interview with the WSJ. Poling added that the Philippine president is "unilaterally abandoning the only leverage he has over Beijing-the U.S. security umbrella." For China, the Philippines' visit signals positive beginnings. "The clouds are fading away. The sun is rising over the horizon and will shine beautifully on the new chapter of bilateral relations," said Zhao Jianhua, China's ambassador to Manila. Earlier this month, China announced that it is looking to enhance its trade relations with the Philippines as it lifted its ban on some local fruits. However, talks about the controversial sea row dispute are on the edge, with representatives from Manila saying the president should put it on the sidelines. "They might pass upon or talk about general principles and framework... They might be able to talk generally about it, but I think the President has made it clear that maybe this is not the time to talk about resolving the dispute. The trip is for trust building first," Philippine foreign secretary Perfecto Yasay was quoted as saying by Manila-based news site The Inquirer. (Newser) Things appear to be getting tense between Julian Assange and the Ecuadorian Embassy where he's been holed up since 2012. WikiLeakswhich sparked rumors of Assange's death with odd "dead man's switch tweets" Sundaytweeted Monday that Ecuador had cut off Assange's internet on Saturday, "shortly after publication of Hillary Clinton's Goldman Sachs speeches." It's not clear why the WikiLeaks founder had his internet access removed, and neither WikiLeaks nor the embassy would comment on the matter, the BBC reports. WikiLeaks also released more emails from Clinton campaign chief John Podesta. Earlier Monday, WikiLeaks tweeted that it had "activated the appropriate contingency plans" after Assange's connection was "intentionally severed by a state party." Whatever the problem is, it looks like it won't affect Assange's status as a guest in the London embassy. Reuters reports that Ecuador's foreign minister says Assange is still under government protection because the "circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain." One possible source of tension: Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, who offered asylum to Assange, has said he supports Hillary Clinton for president. (Read more WikiLeaks stories.) (Newser) Another arrest related to protests over a proposed oil pipeline in North Dakota is making headlines. In this one, journalist Amy Goodman was accused of participating in a riot while covering a protest that turned violent last month, but a judge rejected the charge on Monday, reports Gothamist. Goodman works for Democracy Now, and she posted video of the September altercation. She says she neither trespassed nor rioted, but prosecutors felt her video crossed the line. "She's a protester, basically," prosecutor Ladd Erickson told the Bismarck Tribune last week. "Everything she reported on was from the position of justifying the protest actions." Native Americans are trying to block the pipeline because they say it would jeopardize their drinking water and disturb sacred ground. "These charges are simply a threat to all journalists around the country: Do not come to North Dakota," said Goodman in a Facebook video. She may not be in the clear just yet, reports the New York Times. "I believe they want to keep the investigation open and see if there is any evidence in the unedited and unpublished videos that we could better detail in an affidavit for the judge," says Erickson, who is assisting the Morton County state attorney's office. Goodman was initially charged with trespassing before it was bumped up to rioting, which could have carried jail time. Goodman planned to plead not guilty on Monday, but the judge made that unnecessary when he did not sign the charging document. (Read more journalist stories.) (Newser) It is time to break the "historic cycle of mistrust" between police and minority groups in America, the leader of America's biggest association of police chiefs said at the group's annual meeting in San Diego Monday, offering an unprecedented apology. There is much to be proud of in the history of law enforcement, but policing has also "had darker periods," International Association of Chiefs of Police President Terrence Cunningham said, per CNN. "There have been times when law enforcement officers, because of the laws enacted by federal, state, and local governments, have been the face of oppression to far too many of our fellow citizens," said Cunningham, chief of police in Wellesley, Mass. To move forward, Cunningham said, it will require "the law enforcement profession and the IACP to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society's historical mistreatment of communities of color." The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that civil rights leaders have welcomed the apology, but they'd like Cunningham to clarify whether he's talking about the 19th century, the 20th century, or last week. "What specific action of the past is he referring to?" wonders Andre Branch, head of the San Diego chapter of the NAACP. "Excessive force? Illegal stops by law enforcement? Fatalities of African-Americans in police encounters?" (Read more police chiefs stories.) (Newser) The latest release of FBI documents on the investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails has revealed what Donald Trump calls "felony corruption." According to the documents, FBI employees told investigators that State Department official Patrick Kennedy had pressured them to change their finding that one of the emails on her private server was classified, Reuters reports. FBI officials said that in a bid to protect Clinton, Kennedy discussed a "quid pro quo" deal in which the State Department would allow an increased FBI presence in Iraq in return for ruling that the information in the Benghazi-related email was unclassified. A roundup of coverage: The FBI and the State Department are pushing back against the allegations, saying there was no "quid pro quo" and the email remained classified, the Washington Post reports, though the agencies admit that the email and FBI slots in Iraq came up in the same conversation. Politico reports that at a rally in Green Bay, Wis., on Monday night, Trump called the alleged deal "felony corruption by any standard" and called for the resignation of Kennedy, who is undersecretary of state for management. GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, tells Fox News that there is a "flashing red light of potential criminality" in the latest document release, and he believes there will be grounds for at least four hearings on the matter this fall. The New York Times reports that despite the email issue and embarrassing WikiLeaks releases, the Clinton campaign is feeling confident enough to make a big push into states such as Arizona, Missouri, and Indiana, as well as diverting money to down-ballot races in a bid to help the Democrats recapture the House. According to the latest CBS poll, Clinton now has a 9-point lead among likely voters nationwide, with 47% to 38% for Trump, 8% for Gary Johnson, and 3% for Jill Stein. A Politico poll found that 41% of voters, including 73% of Republicans, believe the election could be "stolen" from Trump through fraud. (Read more Hillary Clinton stories.) (Newser) At least 18 inmates died in clashes in two separate penitentiaries in Brazil's Amazon region and more than three dozen escaped after a third prison riot caused a large fire in a complex outside Sao Paulo, officials say. Authorities are investigating a possible connection between the first two uprisings in the jungle states of Rondonia and Roraima, the AP reports. Ten prisoners died in the mutiny in Roraima, while eight others were killed in a similar riot about 800 miles away in the penitentiary in Rondonia. Uziel Castro, Roraima's justice secretary, says at least seven of the bodies were piled up and burned after the Sunday prison mutiny in that state. He says at least three of the bodies were beheaded and efforts to identify them have been slow. Clashes between rival crime gangs were blamed for the Amazon riots, while the motive behind the third prison riot was not immediately clear. Sao Paulo's corrections department says police officers managed to recapture 18 of 55 inmates who had escaped the psychiatric ward Monday evening in Franco da Rocha, a suburb of greater Sao Paulo. (Read more Brazil stories.) (Newser) With a hotly contested election mere weeks away, it seems like all anyone can talk about is politics. But be it voter apathy or the fact that Election Day is held on a week day in the US, plenty of registered voters simply never turn up to cast a ballot. 24/7 Wall Street looked at 2012 data and tells us which states had the highest voter turnout. The key takeaway: the tighter the election is predicted to be, the more people show up to vote. States with the highest voter turnout: Minnesota74.5% of registered voters cast a ballot in 2012 Wisconsin73% Maine70.8% New Hampshire69.8% Iowa69.6% States with the lowest voter turnout: Texas55.3% Tennessee54.9% Arkansas54.3% West Virginia52.9% Hawaii50% (Newser) Howard Stern has had Donald Trump on his radio show quite a few times, and last week, the Washington Post used clips from his appearances between 2002 and 2013 in a disparaging story about Trump. The paper noted that though none of the tapes are as lewd as the 2005 Billy Bush tape currently making waves, they do feature Trump rating women's bodies, discussing his sex life, and listening to Stern quiz Ivanka Trump about her own sex life, among other things. On his show Monday, Stern lashed out at the idea that the media "discovered" the tapes, since the shows were aired to the general public, Billboard reports. He also explained that he considers Trump a friend and that he won't be re-airing the interviews because that would be a "betrayal," the Los Angeles Times reports. "Donald Trump did the show in an effort to be entertaining and have fun with us," he said. "I fully knew what I was doing when I interviewed Trump. I knew I had a guy who loved to talk about sex I had a guy who loved to evaluate women on a scale of 1 to 10. These are avenues I went down because I knew it would entertain the audience." But Stern did not defend the 2005 tape, and he disagreed with Trump's insistence that his words were simply "locker room talk." "I have never been in the room when someone has said, 'Grab them by the pussy,'" Stern said. "No one's ever advocated going that step where you get a little bit, 'Hey I'm going to invade someone's space.'" Billboard notes that Stern supports Hillary Clinton for president. (Read more Howard Stern stories.) (Newser) A super PAC funded by the creators of risque card game Cards Against Humanity has placed an Arabic-language, anti-Trump billboard on a highway in Michigan. It's in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, which has a large Arab-American population, reports the Detroit News. The billboard is a simple string of white Arabic text on a black background that, translated, reads: "Donald Trump, he cant read this, but he is scared of it anyway." No translation is on the billboard itself, however, "because I like the idea of people who do not speak Arabic have to ask their friends who do speak Arabic for them to translate the board for them," says a spokeswoman for the Nuisance Committee super PAC, per CBS Detroit. The billboard cost $4,850 and was financed through the sale of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton-themed card packs for the popular Cards Against Humanity game, a fundraiser that has netted the super PAC $410,000, reports the Detroit Free Press. The group has bought several other tongue-in-cheek billboards in cities around the US. One in Orlando references the video game Overwatch with the message, "Donald Trump mains Hanzo and complains about team comp in chat," which you'll need your geekiest gamer friend to translate (Slate has an explainer here). Another in Chicago asks, "If Trump is so rich how come he didnt buy this billboard?" (Read more Donald Trump 2016 stories.) (Newser) Wow, Michael Moore works fast. The filmmaker announced his next movie Monday night on Twitter. Less than 24 hours later, Michael Moore in TrumpLand will premiere at the IFC Center in New York City, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Moore is calling it his "October surprise," Fox News reports. The film is apparently a one-man play Moore had planned to perform and record for release in Ohio until being "banned" by the Midland Theatre in Newark. He claims he was shut down for being too controversial; the theater says the timing didn't work out, among other factors. "See the film Ohio Republicans tried to shut down," the Hollywood Reporter quotes a synopsis of the film. "Moore dives right into hostile territory with his daring and hilarious one-man show, deep in the heart of TrumpLand in the weeks before the 2016 election." Michael Moore in TrumpLand starts its theatrical run at the IFC Center on Wednesday. It will also run for a week at a theater in Los Angeles and will be available on iTunes, the AV Club reports. If you don't live in the NY area, your time for my October Surprise is coming very soon," Fox News quotes Moore as saying. As recently as July, Moore was convinced Trump would win the election. (Read more Michael Moore stories.) (Newser) The Mexican federal judge who handled the appeals of drug kingpins Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and Miguel Trevino was shot dead outside his house Monday, Reuters reports. Mexico's president has ordered the country's attorney general to investigate Vicente Bermudez's murder. Guzman, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently jailed in Ciudad Juarez while awaiting extradition to the US, while Trevino, the former leader of the Zetas cartel, is jailed in the maximum-security Altiplano prison. Details on Bermudez's murder were scant. (Read more Mexico stories.) James Packer, Crown Resorts Chairman, speaks as he launches Crown Resorts' second Reconciliation Action Plan on July 31, 2015, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo : Getty Images) A senior executive of the biggest casino operator in Australia has been detained by Chinese government in Shanghai for alleged involvement in gambling crimes. The government did not provide any further details on the matter. The New York Times reported that the senior executive was accompanied by three other fellow Aussies who were on a business visit to China. All of them were arrested on Thursday. The apparent reason for this raid was that these Australians were luring in rich Chinese gamblers to Australian casinos. Advertisement According to the Chinese law, casino gambling is rendered illegal in mainland China. Moreover, the law also prohibits agents to organize groups comprising of more than ten Chinese citizens for gambling abroad. This marks as a crime, punishable for up to three years of imprisonment Foreign casinos have been making attempts to get onboard with high-roller Chinese residents who have been avoiding Macau due to President Xi Jinping's prevalent crackdown on casino corruption especially in the offshore enclave, the only place where casinos are legally allowed. According to The Wall Street Journal, last year the Chinese police arrested 34 Chinese agents and 13 casino managers from South Korea who were allegedly selling packages related to free tours, hotels and sexual services. Crown, the company behind the three Australians, refused to give information as to why its men were in China. It only stated that the casino's business had taken a huge upturn because of the ramped up overseas marketing. The Foreign Affairs and Trade Department in Australia claims that it had been notified of these detentions on Monday. The Department consular officials are now arranging for visits to China saying that the Australians had legal representation. Crown's shares took a huge nosedive of 14 percent. This was the biggest single-day reduction in the company's history. However, one must not be oblivious to the fact that crackdowns are pretty common in China. Arrests occur all the time, especially of those from Korean descent. Facebook could never be banned from your workplace because the Workplace app (formerly known as Facebook at Work) will be available to all organizations as they wish to have it due to the positive response from over 1,000 companies that are currently using Workplace app. That means logging onto Facebook at your work desk might not necessarily make your boss groan but you can even follow your CEO's presentation on Facebook Live. You can host a virtual brainstorm in a Group and chat with a colleague across the world in real time.Facebook officially entered the arena of enterprises as it launched the Facebook's Workplace on October 10. We could expect the world's biggest social networking site to be more integral to our daily lives as it unveiled plans that will allow staff to manage projects or collaborate together as it aims to provide employees more access to the right information and better alignment with teams. The app also designed to replace the other business tools such as email. According to Facebook, "People have created nearly 100,000 groups and the top five countries using Workplace are India, the US, Norway, UK, and France". Large multinational companies, international nonprofits, and regional leader have embraced the Workplace app. Some of these companies are Danone, Starbucks, and Booking.com, Oxfam, YES Bank of India and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore. Workplace app seems to be similar to Facebook but is kept completely separate from users' personal profiles. Facebook says "it makes it easier to get things done, all while using familiar Facebook features like News Feed, Groups, Chat, Live Video and more, and is mobile-first, so employees can use it to work with their colleagues from anywhere in the world". "We've also built unique, Workplace-only features that companies can benefit from such as a dashboard with analytics and integrations with single sign-on, in addition to identity providers that allow companies to more easily integrate Workplace with their existing IT systems," Facebook added. Facebook will be rolling out soon the "Multi-Company Group" that allow employees from different organizations to work together and extend collaboration beyond their companies in a safe and secure way. How much will it cost? The workplace is free for the first three months, and then Facebook will charge monthly prices. The more active users an organization has, the less they pay per user. $3 per user is for first 1,000 monthly active users, $2 for 1,001-10,000 monthly active users and $1 for 10,000+ monthly active users. For nonprofit organizations and academic institutions, they can get Workplace at zero cost. Facebook Future Plans Facebook plans to bring more capabilities to Workplace through a partnership program that includes more than a dozen companies at launch, including Deloitte, TBWA, and Okta. The more connected workplace becomes a more productive workplace is the fundamentals behind this amazing Workplace App of Facebook. China continues to develop its ability to explore space as its Shenzhou 11 "heavenly vessel" launched 7:30pm ET (2330 GMT) on Sunday, October 16th from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. This is China's longest-ever manned spacecraft mission. On board are two astronauts -- Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong. They will dock with the Tiangong-2 space lab, which was launched last month. Tiangong-2 is the China's new 10-meter-long, 3-meter-wide prototype space station. After docking, the astronauts are expected to remain aboard for about 30 days, the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts. They will carry out various science experiments and technology demonstrations. Chen Dong told a press conference that their tests will "focus on improving our ability to handle emergencies in orbit, medical first aid, mutual rescue capabilities and space experiments." They also brought three experiments that were designed by the middle school students from Hong Kong. One experiment will involve testing silkworms in micro-gravity. What, exactly, are China's space goals? China keeps on progressing with its ambitious space plans. It is the third country - after Russia and the US - to carry out its own manned missions. China has made steady human spaceflight since the launching of its first astronaut in 2003 (country's first small space station). Tiangong-1 was launched in 2011 and by 2012 was visited by the crew of astronauts. Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 are a precursor to China's ultimate goal of putting a permanent 20-ton space station into orbit 2022, two-years before the International Space Station will be retired. Authorities said last month that its Tiangong-1 was due to fall back to Earth in 2017. China's Future Space Plans Next year, China plans to return a sample from the far side of the moon, which would be a first for any nation. In 2018 or 2019, a lander and rover might also be sent to the far side, which would be another first, and require the country to deploy a communications relay satellite. As for sending humans anywhere else, China's plans are vague, but reports have begun coalescing around a possible 2030 Landing to Moon. In 2020, China is hoping to send a probe and rover to the Red Planet, which coincides with NASA's plan to send a successor to the Curiosity rover there. That rover is dubbed as Mars 2020, will collect and cache samples for a future return mission. China's mission would use a heavy lift rocket named the Long March 9 that would be capable of lifting around 130 metric tons to low-Earth orbit, which would put it on par with the enhanced version of NASA's Space Launch System. Crohn's disease is known to be notoriously difficult to treat as there is no current cure for this disease, although there are treatments that can help control the disease by reducing the number of times patient experiences recurrences. Research conducted by University of North Carolina School of Medicine has discovered two subtypes of the disease - with different gene expressions and clinical features - that may reveal why such variations in disease progression surface between patients. The discovery of two classes of Crohn's has implications for scientists to deliver more targeted treatments. This gives hope to doctors to find the best therapeutic course to each patient quickly and efficiently as possible. What is Crohn's Disease? Crohn's disease - a long-term condition that causes inflammation to the lining of the digestive system - affects almost 1 million people in the United States. While there is no cure for Crohn's, treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs and immune system suppressors can help improve symptoms. The study findings were published in the journal Gut. "The one-treatment-fits-all approach doesn't seem to be working for Crohn's patients," says co-senior study author Dr. Shehzad Z. Sheikh, Ph.D., assistant professor in University of North Carolina's (UNC) departments of medicine and genetics. "It's plausible that this is because only a subset of patients has the type of disease that responds to standard therapy, whereas, for the rest of the patients, we're really not hitting the right targets," he adds. How do they do it? The research team analyzed the colon tissue samples that looked healthy and non-inflamed in 21 Crohn's patients who had undergone surgery. They then mapped levels of gene expression patterns amongst the samples, finding that there were two distinct groups. They saw an even greater difference at the molecular level between these two subsets of the Crohn's samples - the healthy tissue from Crohn's patients and the inflamed samples from Crohn's patients. Co-first author Jeremy Simon, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in UNC's department of genetics, notes that how the two disease subtypes differed was surprising. In addition to analyzing gene expression in the sampled tissue, Sheikh and colleagues observed indicators of the epigenetic state of the DNA tissue that can permit or repress nearby gene activity. The team saw a distinction between the two Crohn's subtypes in the results that suggest the differences in gene expression emerge from variations in the core programming of the affected cells. The team examined data from 201 children who had recently been diagnosed with Crohn's and had not yet been treated. While the tissue samples in the data were from the ileum, the same colon-like and ileum-like disease classes were observed. "This suggests that these molecular programs or baseline genomic signatures of Crohn's subtypes exist independently of patients' ages or treatment histories," says Sheikh. He also points out that the two signatures are linked to different patterns of clinical illness. In future work, the research team aims to develop a diagnostic test for use on tissue or blood samples were taken from routine colonoscopies. By identifying which Crohn's subtype a patient has, healthcare providers can determine the best therapy for treatment. "We hope one day to be able to test Crohn's patients for the subtype of the disease they have, and thus determine which treatment should work best. The idea is to find the best therapeutic course for each patient as quickly and efficiently as possible." Dr. Shehzad Z. Sheikh, Ph.D. The 38-year-old world's oldest panda in captivity, Jia Jia, was euthanized Sunday at the Hong Kong theme park where she lived because of rapid health deterioration, with greatly reduced food consumption and a marked decrease in weight. Ocean Park stated that the euthanasia was necessary to prevent further suffering and for ethical reasons. A representative from the park said that licensed veterinarian performed the process at 6 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET). She and her mate panda, An An, were given to Hong Kong as a gift from Beijing in 1999, on the second anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China. Before she had lived at the zoo for the past 17 years, she was rescued in 1980 when she was around two years old and was kept at Wolong for over a decade. An An is now the world's second oldest male giant panda in captivity, at 30-years-old. Two other pandas still live at Ocean Park -Ying Ying and Le Le, both 11. While Jia Jia, whose name meant "good", was in Hong Kong, she had six offspring, spread over five deliveries. With the equivalent of 114-years-old in human terms, Jia Jiahad reportedly had been suffering from multiple geriatric diseases including high blood pressure, arthritis and cataracts on both eyes. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it's 30 years, according to Guinness World Records. Pandas, a beloved symbol of China, were long considered one of the world's most endangered animals, although last month a leading international group lowered its classification to "vulnerable." The International Union for the Conservation of Nature cited conservation efforts that helped the wild panda population jump to 1,864 in 2014 from 1,596 in 2004. However, the Chinese government rejected the group's decision, saying the panda's status was no less serious because its natural habitats have been splintered by human and natural causes. A policeman wears a face mask while directing traffic on Dec. 9, 2015, in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province of China. (Photo : Getty Images) Taiyuan once used to be the only metropolis in China with an atmosphere much fouler than it is in Beijing today. However, China's natural coal mine has taken recent initiatives to clean up its act and restore the glorious blue skies back to the city. Bloomberg reports that the city of Taiyuan in China sits atop 270 billion tons of coal reserves. Given its richness in natural resources, the industrial city has a swarming population of over 4.3 million. The city's industrial character is much owed to the surrounding coal fields in the Shanxi Province. Advertisement The government has told coal-fired plants to install scrubbers. Moreover, it has taken measures on reducing vehicles that heavily pollute the environment, banning farmers from burning straw and regulating barbecue stands. But the biggest initiative ever taken by any government unfolded just recently. Taiyuan became the first city to replace its massive fleet of taxis with electric vehicles. CCTV reported that the project cost the government $120 million just on the distribution of vehicles. Another $19 million has been poured for establishing a proper nexus of 1,800 charging stations to keep the cars up and running. The new initiative expects to slow down the economy due to its policy of preserving the natural coal reserves of the country for future use. This has had adverse effects on local citizens who relied more on coal. An abrupt shift in the coal market will take some time to get used to. Due to these policies, the coal industry is amidst of crisis. According to the Xinhua News Agency, the total debt stemming from Chinese top coal producers has risen to 3.66 trillion yuan. This means that the country needs to lay off around 1.3 million coal workers to trim down overcapacity. The economic lapse has been profoundly beneficial for Taiyuan's earlier polluted situation. The city's pollution rankings dropped down significantly. Air quality has improved by a good 18 percent in only the first half of 2016 when the new electric taxis were rolled on to the streets. The government's ambitions are not completely catered to just as yet. President Xi Jinping wants to see 12,000 charging stations which will accommodate at least five million electric vehicles expected to be unleashed onto China's roads by 2020. Melbourne: Babies born to women aged over 40 from assisted reproduction have fewer birth defects compare with those from women who conceive naturally at that age, a new study has found. This is contrary to widespread belief that the greater risk of birth defects after assisted conception is due to the frequent use of these services by older women. According to researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia, this may point to the presence of more favourable biological conditions in IVF (in vitro fertilisations) specific to pregnancies in older women - but they are currently working to determine the exact cause. The research is based on data of all live births recorded in Australia from 1986-2002, including more than 301,000 naturally conceived births, as well as 2,200 births from IV Fand almost 1400 from ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection). The average prevalence of a birth defect was 5.7 per cent among naturally conceived births, 7.1 per cent for the IVF births, and 9.9 per cent for the ICSI births, across all age groups. In births from assisted reproduction, the prevalence of birth defects ranged from 11.3 per cent at its highest for women less than age 30 using ICSI, down to 3.6 per cent for women aged 40 and older using IVF. For natural conceptions, the corresponding prevalence across age groups was 5.6 per cent in young women, increasing to 8.2 per cent in women aged 40 above. "There is something quite remarkable occurring with women over the age of 40 who use assisted reproduction," said lead author Michael Davies, professor from University of Adelaide. "We know from our previous studies that women who undergo assisted reproduction have an increased rate of birth defects compared to women who conceive naturally," said Davies. "We also know that among women who conceive naturally, the rate of birth defects increases exponentially from age 35 onwards. Therefore, it was widely assumed, but untested, that maternal age would be a key factor in birth defects from assisted reproduction," Davies added. "However, our findings challenge that assertion. They show that infertile women aged 40 and over who used assisted reproduction had less than half the rate of birth defects of fertile women of the same age, while younger women appear to be at an elevated risk," he said. "For women treated with IVF and ICSI combined, the greatest age-related risk of birth defects was among the young women, at or around 29 years of age," he said. "With a prevalence of 9.4 per cent their risk was more than double the rate of 3.6 per cent observed for the patients aged over 40, and significantly higher than for fertile women of the same age, at 5.6 per cent," Davies said. "There is some aspect of IVF treatment in particular that could be helping older women to redress the maternal age issues we see among natural conception, where we observe a transition at around the age of 35 years toward a steadily increasing risk of birth defects," he said. The study appears in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will chair the three-day meeting of GST Council beginning Tuesday to deliberate over a range of issues. GST rate and compensating states against revenue losses under the new tax regime are likely to dominate the council meet. According to experts, the most important aspect of the rollout is going to be the GST rate which will also determine the shape of the economy for the foreseeable future. To ensure the smooth functioning of the GST dispensation across the country, finance ministry has set November 22 as the deadline for building consensus on all the issues in the Council. Earlier Finance Minister Jaitley had already pointed out that the rate for environmentally unfriendly products will be distinct from others. The first report of the panel headed by Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian had suggested - 17-18 per cent as the standard rate for bulk of goods and services, 12 per cent for low rate goods and 40 per cent for demerit ones like luxury cars etc. For precious metals, it recommended a range of 2-6 per cent. GST Council will also discuss the vexed issue of Centre retaining power to assess 11 lakh service tax filers under the new dispensation. ALSO READ: (Finance Ministry warns tax officials of disciplinary action against GST protest) The finance ministry will to reach a consensus on the pending key issues so that subsequent Central GST (CGST) and integrated GST (IGST) legislations can be introduced in the month-long Winter Session of Parliament starting November 16. In the last meeting members agreeing on area-based exemptions and how 11 states, mostly in the North-East and hilly regions, will be treated under the new tax regime. For all the Latest Business News, Economy News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: P Aggarwal, the president of Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA), on Monday slammed quantico star Priyanka Chopra after she condemned the demand for a blanket ban on the Pakistani artists in India due to Uri attack. Priyanka Chopra comes from an army background, her father was an army doctor and he himself must have seen so many dead bodies and must have taken care of all those patients. Now, if she says this, then it is unfortunate, he said. If she wants to help those producers then she should also go to the high court and the Supreme Court and try to see that their movies get released, he added. Also Read: Unfair to target artistes: Priyanka Chopra on ban on Pakistani actors In IMPPA we have not banned Pakistani actors but we have told the producers that any producer who had already made the movie, then their movies should be released and they should make new movies only when India Pakistan relations get better, said Aggrawal over the IMPPA stand. The Indian actor finally spoke about the ongoing controversy surrounding the ban on Pakistani artistes. Speaking to a leading English news channel, the actor said that Priyanka Chopra backs the governments stand. Its tricky, because first of all artistes and actors are always held responsible for every bigger political agenda that happens in the country, she said. Why not business (men), politicians, doctors and why not anyone else except for public people who are not actors in the movie industry she continued. Actress Priyanka Chopra said it is not justified that actors alone have to bear the brunt. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: As Iraqi forces move forward in their campaign to liberate Mosul city from the Islamic State, the US has said that dislodging the terror group from its self-declared capital would be a significant strategic development. "I think the President would be the first to acknowledge that this is a significant test, given the population size of Mosul, given the large geographic area that it encompasses,"White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest told reporters on . "The symbolic importance that the ISIL (ISIS) has invested in their control of Mosul, dislodging them from the city would be a significant strategic game," he said. ' Also Read: Advancing east of Mosul, Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters seize several villages "That's why the United States and our Iraqi partners have been working so closely over the last several months toprepare for this operation," Earnest said in response to a question. Acknowledging that the battle for Mosul is the next testbecause progress has already been made on the ground in Iraq,and there have been cities like Ramadi and Tikrit that wereretaken from ISIS, he said, "these were significant cities,significant in their population size, that Iraqi securityforces did succeed in dislodging ISIL from. They did that with the support of United States and our coalition partners,". Responding to a question, the White House official said he is not aware that any sort of specific time frame has been laid out for when that operation would be completed. "Obviously, this represents the next important step in our campaigns campaign against ISIL in Iraq. The United States has mobilized a 67-member coalition to support the Iraqi government and Iraqi security forces as they seek to rid ISIL from their country," he added. "Mosul is the second largest city in Iraq. It was the citywhere ISIL's leader announced their unfulfilled intent to forma caliphate. It is now the last major center of ISIL in Iraq,"Earnest said. Asserting that the campaign has been months in the making and there have been a number of important steps taken by the Iraqi security forces with the strong support of the US and its allies, he said the assault is an important part of the broader effort to ultimately destroy ISIS. "It's an indication that the effort is moving forward but there's still a lot of important work to be done before that goal will be realized, even inside of Iraq," he added. The White House's reaction came after the Iraqi government announced that its security forces with the support of the counter-ISIS coalition began operations to liberate thenorthern Iraqi city of Mosul, the self-declared capital of the Islamic State. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee has given his approval for a probe into allegations of financial and other improprieties against Aligarh Muslim Universitys (AMU) Vice Chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah. The nod of the President, who is also the Visitor to the University, comes on a proposal from the HRD Ministry to which former Janata Dal MP Wasim Ahmed had given a memorandum seeking a probe into allegations against the Vice Chancellor. Mukherjees action also follows approval of a similar probe against Allahabad University Vice Chancellor R L Hangloo. Ahmed, a member of the AMU executive council, welcomed the approval for probe against the AMU Vice Chancellor saying it was long overdue. Shah on the other hand has denied all allegations against him saying some vested interests were carrying out a campaign against him. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Dont worry I've got your back: Two boys keep each other company at a furniture store in Beijing, on Jan. 19, 2015. (Photo : Getty Images) Almost a year after the two-child policy surfaced, the effects can be seen in varied forms, and though reactions have been generally mixed, some held on tightly on their stance that China should totally abolish its rules on family planning. For a couple of toy companies, they already grabbed the chance to capitalize on the new policy. Advertisement London-based Hamleys--The Finest Toy Shop in the World--eyes Chinas densely populated urban cities for store expansion in 2017, such as Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai, according to Bloomberg. Hamleys 75,000 square-feet store in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, opened this year. Within three years, retail giant Toys R Us, headquartered in New Jersey, U.S.A., aims to operate 200 stores in the country. On the local scene, things seem to be not that sunny. The increasing number of pregnancies challenge hospitals, with some already burdened by being understaffed, according to Duan Tao, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospitals director, reported Caixin Online. Duan said that when the government abolished the one-child policy, many women past 35 started taking chances to conceive again. As for some couples, one child suffices. Han Jing said to The Washington Post that together with her husband Zhang Pengzhi, raising their 8-year-old son, Zichen prove to be a money-draining feat, not to mention, physically demanding and time consuming, too. Were too tired. Han also said that having another child might compel them to move to a bigger apartment. One sperm donor, an IT programmer and father to a 1-year-old girl, shares the same sentiment, according to Time. He and his wife no longer plan to have another child because, according to him, raising more than one child is too tiring. Time also reported that sperm banks struggle with serious shortages as more couples desire to have a second child. The government started to loosen its one-child policy in 2013, reported BBC. If a parent happens to be an only child, then that parent can be eligible to have two children. In their study, The Effect of China's One-Child Family Policy after 25 Years published by The New England Journal of Medicine on Sept. 15, 2005, Therese Hesketh, Ph.D., Li Lu, M.D. and Zhu Wei Xing, M.P.H. said that due to many factors such as globalization and the massive socioeconomic change in China, it appears that the restrictive one-child policy becomes increasingly anachronistic. What was appropriate in 1979 may not be so now, according to the study. Fast forward to October 2015: various news outlets informed China and the rest of the world that the government ended--after some 35 years--its one-child policy; still, certain family planning laws stay. Hesketh conducted another study titled The Effects of Chinas Universal Two-Child Policy published by U.K. medical journal The Lancet on Oct. 15. Population increase will be relatively small, peaking at 1.45 billion in 2029, according to Hesketh and her co-researcher Yi Zeng, Ph.D. They said that at present, the government should consider that more sound policy actions are needed to meet the social, health, and care needs of the elderly population. Investigative journalist Dai Qing and demographer Liang Zhongtang both want the government to scrap--once for all, said Liang--its family planning policies, reported The Guardian. Let people decide how many children they want to have, said Liang. Dai, in an opinion piece about the one-child policy published by The New York Times, recalled how she and her friends and other similar Chinese women during the 70s enjoyed the liberty to decide what to do with their bodies and how they would establish a family. She concluded her piece with a strong declaration--perhaps could likewise be considered as a challenge to the authorities--Its time to restore that right to all Chinese women. Aden: A 72-hour ceasefire in Yemen will go into effect starting Thursday, the United Nations has announced. A cessation of hostilities that first went into effect in April "will re-enter into force at 23:59 (local time) on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal," the UN's special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement on Monday. The announcement comes after Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi agreed to the ceasefire in a statement earlieron Monday, a day after international calls for a truce. Ahmed on Sunday said he had been in contact with the Huthi militia's lead negotiator and Hadi's government. Also Read: (Missiles fired at US warships in Red Sea, none hit: US official) The United States, Britain and the UN peace envoy to Yemen on Sunday urged the warring parties in the country's civil warto declare a ceasefire. Saudi Arabia's impoverished neighbour has been rocked by a deadly war since pro-Iran rebels overran the capital Sanaa inSeptember 2014. However, the conflict escalated after an Arab coalition, led by Riyadh, launched a bombing campaign against the ShiiteHuthi rebels and their allies in March 2015. The conflict in Yemen has killed almost 6,900 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three millionsince March last year, according to the United Nations. On Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry met in London with the UN envoy and his opposite numbers from Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the Yemen conflict. "This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," US Secretary of StateJohn Kerry told reporters after the talks. Previous attempts to enforce a ceasefire in the country have so far failed with the war intensifying after a round ofpeace talks in Kuwait ended in August without achieving a breakthrough. The Saudi-led coalition has stepped up its air raids following the breakdown of talks and cross-border attacks fromYemen have also intensified. The previous ceasefire, announced in conjunction with the start of the Kuwait talks, was hardly observed on ground, with both sides trading blame for violating the truce. Earlier this month, the UN envoy had said that a 72-hour ceasefire was expected soon adding that he was hoping to drafta new peace plan for Yemen. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: An Indian-origin man in Singapore was handed out a severe punishment by being sentenced to six weeks in prison for not performing his national service obligations. Jay Kamal Shah, 22 was handed out the punishment on Monday, a statutory requirement for all male Singaporeans to serve in the defence service for two-years, The Straits Times reported on Tuesday. He completed his studies in India and returned to Singapore in April last year and enlisted for national service about a month later. Shah could have been fined up to 10,000 Singapore dollar (USD 7,206) and/or jailed for up to three years, was jailed for six weeks. His lawyer Rajan Supramaniam said in litigation that Shah chose to wait until he had completed his examinations before returning to Singapore to surrender himself so that he would not be considered a "drop-out". Requesting the court to impose a fine, counsel said Shah had done well in national service, and may be considering a career in the army. He also said Shah did not have the benefits and privileges of possessing a Singapore citizenship, having spent his entire life in India. Earlier, he was also given a one-week concurrent jail term for failing to enlist for national service in March last year. His Singaporean mother had tried to apply for his national ervice deferment but that was rejected. She had also e-mailed the authorities that she wished to renounce her son's Singapore citizenship. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A massive fire broke out at SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar on Monday evening that claimed 22 lives and left over 109 people injured. According to officials, nineteen people have been confirmed dead, while several others were injured. Voicing serious concern over the fire incident at the Sum Hospital, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik described the mishap as very tragic. According to reports, the blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor of the private hospital which spread to the nearby Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Congress President Sonia Gandhi today expressed grief over the loss of lives in the fire mishap at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. Gandhi extended her condolences to the families of those who were bereaved in the most unfortunate tragedy that happened last night leaving 22 dead. She has instructed the Pradesh Congress Committee and workers of the party to reach out to the victims and their families, the Congress said in a statement. ALSO READ: (Bhubaneswar: 19 killed, 109 injured as major fire breaks out at SUM Hospital; CM Patnaik calls the mishap 'very tragic') Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. The tragedy is mind-numbing. My thoughts are with bereaved families. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 Spoke to Minister @JPNadda & asked him to facilitate transfer of all those injured to AIIMS. Hope the injured recover quickly. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 Deeply saddened by the fire incident in Inst. of Medi Sciences & SUM hospital Bhubaneswar. My condolences rest with the bereaved families. Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) October 17, 2016 I have spoken to Director, AIIMS Bhubaneswar to provide all necessary support and help the patients in the best way possible. @narendramodi Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) October 17, 2016 #SumHospitalFireMishap I salute firefighters who risked thr lives 2save many & health secy Arati Ahuja, RDC Ota etc who were there all night Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay) October 18, 2016 Visited Capital hospital to oversee treatment of evacuated patients from fire in private hospital in Bhubaneswar; condole loss of lives Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 Spoke with PM @narendramodi, briefed about efforts towards treatment of injured. Senior Ministers, officials monitoring. Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 Ordered Revenue Divisional commissioner to enquire in to this very tragic incident 2/2 Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 Expenses for treatment of the injured persons in the fire incident to be borne by State Government from CM relief fund 1/2 Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lucknow: Korean smartphone giant Samsung is going to invest Rs 1,970 crore in its manufacturing unit in Noida facility over next three years aimed at doubling its capacity. This move will help Samsung to start exporting from India. On October 18, The Uttar Pradesh government has approved Samsung's investment under Super Mega A projecyt by the state's Cabinet Committee in Lucknow. Samsung India President and CEO HC Hong said, In line with our commitment to 'Make in India', we are pleased to receive the UP government's approval to invest in the state and expand our manufacturing base here in India. While the company did not disclose details, sources said the investment will help Samsung ramp up its manufacturing capacities across product lines like refrigerators, mobile phones and LED TVs. They added that Samsung will get an additional 1.3 lakh sqm for the expansion, a move that will generate additional employment for 2,200 people. Samsung's mobile phone manufacturing capacity alone will be doubled from 6 million units a month now to 12 million over the course of time, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar said. He added,We are witnessing an increase in the adoption of electronic devices, appliances and mobile phones. A bigger and more robust manufacturing facility will help us address the needs and demands of our growing customer base across the country and the region." Interestingly, the announcement comes within week of Samsung permanently shutting production and sales of its flagship device, Galaxy Note 7, globally. While the company had not started sales of the Note 7 but analysts expect its smartphone revenues in India to be hit. However, Samsung has vehemently refuted the claims. Samsung started its Noida plant in 1996 and in 1997 when the television was manufactured. The company has two factories, three R&D centers and a design center, employing over 40,000 people in India. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said, "Today's MoU is yet another step in converting Noida into the electronics hub of India. I am happy Samsung is pioneering this transformation yet again." Mumbai: Amid veiled threat by MNS of vandalism at multiplexes if they screen Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" for featuring a Pakistani actor, the film's producers today met Mumbai's top police officials seeking protection for the theatres to screen it. A team from Johar's Dharma Productions along with filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt met Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattaray Padsalgikar and Joint Police Commissioner (law and order)Deven Bharti, and sought protection for the theatres to screen to soon-to-be-released film. Mukesh Bhatt is the president of Film and Television Producers Guild of India. "Mumbai police will provide adequate protection to cinema theatres as and when required," Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe said. The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on October 17 had said it would intensify its opposition to Karan Johar's film as it features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. They issued a veiled threat of vandalism to the multiplexes if they screened it. The opposition by MNS and some other political parties to films with actors from Pakistan in the aftermath of Uri terror attack has put a question mark on the fate of Johar's film. "We will oppose the screening of the movie everywhere in the state. If any multiplex operator dares to screen the film, they (operators) should remember that multiplexes are decorated with expensive glass sheets," MNS leader Amey Khopkar had said on October 17 The party did not favour employing and cherishing the Pakistani actors so its opposition to such films will continue, he said. "We will also oppose Shah Rukh Khan's 'Raees' though it is slated to release in January," Khopkar had said. The single-screen theatre operators have announced that they would not screen Johar's upcoming film, but there was no similar assurance from the multiplex operators so MNS made its stand clear, the party had said. The Karan Johar-directed "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" stars Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma in lead roles and also features Fawad Khan. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Special Weapons and Tactic (SWAT) team comprises of Delhi Police's elite commandos who specialise in assault roles to counter terrorism. Foundation and History: When terrorists attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008, the NSG commandos deployment in action got lagged by first 12 hours due to logistical issues. This was seen as some-kind of a security lapse in dealing with such attacks heads on. With a view to augment the NSG to counter such terror attacks in major cities of the country, there was a proposal to have special forces aligned or under operational control of State Police forces. The Delhi police were the first to set up a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team as part of their renewed counter-terror measures. Delhi Police's own SWAT (special weapons and tactics) commandos are a highly trained and well equipped team. The unit, formed before the Commonwealth Games, is specially trained to combat urban crises in the capital as its training and combat skills are city-centric. Training: When the SWAT team was founded in 2010, it received training from NSG and former Army commandos, but now, after training at Delhi Police Training School in Jharoda Kalan (southwest Delhi), they learn advanced skills from Israel's counter-terror and intelligence unit, Mossad. The SWAT training ranges from climbing multi-story buildings within seconds to rescuing hostages from a room located in the core of a hotel or a transport mode, bus or Metro. The training includes advanced hand-to-hand combat moves from Krav Maga, a martial art developed by the Israeli army. The commandos also learn warfare techniques, such as identifying and defusing improvised explosive devices. The unit has taken a leaf out of the combat tactics of the elite US Navy Seals (those who took out Osama bin Laden) who live by their operational credo fire two bullets to the head called a double tap. Delhi commandos are taught to finish each target with just one bullet. "Their motto is - one shot, one kill. Weaponry: Each commando is armed with an AK 47 assault rifle or MP5 submachine gun with at least four 30-round magazines, a Glock 17 or Glock 26 pistol, hand grenades, a wireless set, a 20-metre nylon rope, a pencil torch, a bulletproof helmet (patka for Sikhs), bulletproof jacket, flame torch, cutter and a commando dagger. Special knee and elbow pads are also worn for protection during stealth attacks. With a force like Special Weapons and Tactic (SWAT) team in its ranks, Delhi Police is ever ready to combat any kind of terror attacks on the national capital territory. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Karnataka was on Tuesday directed to keep releasing 2,000 cusecs Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu till further orders by the Supreme Court. The apex court also order both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to maintain peace and harmony in the respective states. Earlier, on October 4, the Supreme Court had ordered the Karnataka government to release 2,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu from October 7 to 18. Karnataka told the court that it will implement order to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water daily to Tamil Nadu from October 1 to Oct 6. The Karnataka legislature adopted a unanimous resolution empowering the government to take an appropriate decision to provide water for irrigation to meet the state farmers demand. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Human Rights activist Irom Sharmila has announced a new political party, 'People Resurgence and Justice Alliance' in Imphal on Tuesday. Sharmila has said that she will fight the election against Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singhs Thoubal constituency in the 2017 assembly elections. Ibobi has kept people satisfied so I may be defeated in Thoubal. But I want to know whether people in other districts in general and the hills in particular are well looked after" said Sharmila a newspaper. The new political party will be contesting 20 candidates, names of four candidates is finalized. Earlier, after ending her epic 16-year-long fast, Sharmila said that she wants to be Chief Minister. If I am Chief Minister I can repeal the most unpopular AFSPA," she said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who was trolled for tweeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Pakistan visit, on Tuesday sought to difuse a row, saying he was not asking the PM to apologise but merely pointing out that film industry was made a scapegoat in the situation. The 44-year-old director, in series of tweets recently, had questioned why should only Indian filmmakers be targeted for casting Pakistani actors when the PM also made a trip to Lahore last year. Kashyap said he has to unfortunately aexplain my intention behind tweeta as his industry colleagues will suffer for his opinion. aNO, Anurag Kashyap did not aask the PM to apologisea (which most of the headlines would want you to believe...), I merely questioned the fairness in judgement of a situation: the PM visited Pakistan for talks at the same time that a filmmaker was working with a Pakistani actor. Neither was aware of future events or mood. Yet only one pays the price,a Kashyap wrote on his Facebook page. The director, who was speaking against the demand by a section to ban Karan Joharas film aAe Dil Hai Mushkila because it has Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, said people from the industry are always the first to be bullied. aI am tired of the film industry being soft targets. We are damned if we do, damned if we donat! When we donat involve ourselves, they ask awhy is Bollywood quiet now?a When we involve ourselves, we become the scapegoats to distract you from the real news. Either way they use us to sensationalise news,a Kashyap said. The director said though the demand to ban the movies starring Pakistani artistes was not made by the government, the elected members should protect people from bullies. aIam also well aware that the government did not cry aBANa or demand that Pakistani artists be sent back. Just as Iam aware that the PM himself doesnat censor my films. But we elected them and so it is their responsibility to protect us from bullies - media or political parties. aAnd when the governing partyas designated members donat respond in hours of crisis because they are second guessing the mood of the PM then I would rather talk straight to the PM himself.a Kashyap also questioned the trollers for asking proof of his patriotism. aThere was also sarcasm in the tweet that followed; aBharat Mata Ki Jaia was for those mindless trollers who constantly ask for proof of your patriotism. Apparently thats all it takes. It was a jibe at them. Patriotic slogans donat absolve you from it all. I hope this explains .. (sic)a (Also Read in Hindi) For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt on Tuesday said Pakistani actor Fawad Khan has just a four-minute appearance in Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" (ADHM) and requested the MNS to support the movie and protect a product made by Indians. "This film has 150 technicians, only one Pakistani actor who has a four-minute scene. We have put in our money. It is a request to MNS, an appeal on the behalf of the whole film industry that we, all brothers, should come together and protect the investment made by Indians. Why should we spoil Diwali?" he told reporters here. The filmmaker, who is the President of Film and Television Producers Guild of India (Guild), added people should understand Johar's situation as well. The Raj Thackeray-led MNS on Monday said it would intensify its opposition to Johar's film as it features a Pakistani actor and issued a veiled threat of vandalism to the multiplexes if they screened it. "MNS can say whatever it wants to say. We are extending a hand of friendship, we have to accept peace. The filmmaker is helpless, he is caught. We should understand his pain," Bhatt said. Guild has said films like "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" and "Raees", featuring Pakistani artistes, should not be targeted as doing so will cause heavy losses to their producers. Bhatt added that the police are with them and the film will release worldwide on October 28. "We are just requesting the theatre owners. We can't reverse the film ('Ae Dil...') which has been made. It should be allowed to release. In the future, we will obey the Government's decision. "If there is some damage to the property by MNS, then there is property insurance. I am confident that 95 per cent screens will support us," he said. Cinema owners have announced they won't allow the screening of the movies with Pakistani artistes. Asked about his take on filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's tweet about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lahore visit last year, Bhatt said, "We can't bother the PM with these things. He has bigger issues to deal with. We should tackle this within us." The 64-year-old filmmaker maintained that the film industry should also not be targeted. "Don't penalise us for no fault of ours. Media is a responsible factor today. Please spread peace and harmony. If we will fight it will be a win for terrorists," he said. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A prototype of Toyota Motor Corp.'s fourth-generation Prius hybrid vehicle sits parked ahead of the test drive at the Fuji Speedway. (Photo : Getty Images/Tomohiro Ohsumi) Toyota has recently announced that they will be recalling 340,000 Prius hybrid cars due to its faulty brakes. The car manufacturer also suggested a solution to the car dealers. According to the Associated Press, Toyota Motor Corporation is recalling 340,000 gas-electric hybrid Prius cars around the world. 212,000 of those vehicles are in Japan and 94,000 are in North America. These cars will be recalled due to a defect in their parking brakes. Advertisement According to the official website of Toyota USA, the North American branch that they will be conducting a safety recall of the vehicles. They will recall approximately 92,000 model year 2016 and 2017 Prius sedan vehicles in the country. The Japanese automaker told the Associated Press in a statement that they were not aware of any reports of accidents linked to the defect. They are currently looking into various reports after Oct. 3. Toyota knows that this is an important safety recall and they are urging the customer to have this repair completed when the parts are available. The owners of these vehicles will be notified by first class mail starting in November. The car company said that the parking brake cable can disengage unexpectedly. This will cause the brakes to stop working properly. If the car is left in any gear other than park, it might start rolling away, and it can cause an accident. On Wednesday, the car company said that they have recalled 17,000 Prius cars in Europe, and the rest in Australia and in other regions. These models that have brake issues were made from August 2015 to October 2016. Toyota said that the vehicles that had the defects were manufactured at its Tsutsumi plant in Toyota City, Japan. This is the company's headquarters, and this is one of the plants around the world that manufacture the Prius cars. The car company gave out a solution to the car dealers for the issue. They said that the dealers should add clips to the top of the park brake cable dust boot. This will not be charged to the customers if they want this solution. Check out the Toyota Prius 2016 world premiere event video below: Mumbai: Amid raging controversy over the release of film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which features Pakistani actors, the films director Karan Johar on Tuesday said that for him his country comes first and that nothing else matters to him but his country. Earlier on Tuesday, amid veiled threat by MNS of vandalism at multiplexes if they screen Karan Johars Ae Dil Hai Mushkil for featuring a Pakistani actor, the films producers met Mumbais top police officials seeking protection for the theatres to screen it. Here is what all Karan Johar said: There is been some talk about why I have remained silent for the past two weeks. Today I will clarify that the reason why I have remained silent is because of they deep sense of hurt and a deep sense of pain I felt that a few people would actually believe that I am anti- national and I need to say this and I say it with strength. For me my country comes first and nothing else matters to me but my country. I have always felt that the best way to express your patriotism is by spreading love and that is all I have ever tried to do through my work and through my cinema. When I shot my film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in September to December last year the climate was completely different. The circumstances were completely different. There were efforts made by our government for peaceful relationship with our neighbouring country and I respected those endeavours and efforts then and I respect the sentiments today. ALSO READ | Mukesh Bhatt urges MNS to stop targeting Ae Dil Hai Mushkil I understand the sentiment because I feel the same. Going forward I would like to say that of course I will not engage with talent from the neighbouring country given the circumstance. But with that same energy I beseech you to know one thing. That over 300 Indian people in my crew have put their blood, sweat and tears into my film ADHM and I dont think it is fair to them to face any kind of turbulence out of other fellow Indians. I respect the Indian army and salute our army for everything they do to protect us and our environment. I respect them with all my heart and I say any form of terrorism any form specially the terrorism that would affect my people, my country and me. I just hope all of you understand the circumstance and situation we are in and respect the fact that we love and respect our country over and above anything else. ALSO READ | Karan Johar's film: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena issues veiled threat to multiplexes On Tuesday, a team from Johars Dharma Productions along with filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt met Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattaray Padsalgikar and Joint Police Commissioner (law and order) Deven Bharti, and sought protection for the theatres to screen to soon-to-be-released film. Mukesh is the president of Film and Television Producers Guild of India. Mumbai police will provide adequate protection to cinema theatres as and when required, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe said. The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had on Monday said it would intensify its opposition to Karan Johars film as it features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. They issued a veiled threat of vandalism to the multiplexes if they screened it. ALSO READ | 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' makers approaches police for security to screen film The opposition by MNS and some other political parties to films with actors from Pakistan in the aftermath of Uri terror attack has put a question mark on the fate of Johars film. We will oppose the screening of the movie everywhere in the state. If any multiplex operator dares to screen the film, they (operators) should remember that multiplexes are decorated with expensive glass sheets, MNS leader Amey Khopkar had said on Monday. (Also Read in Hindi) For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: JDU leader KC Tyagi has proposed Bihar CM Nitish Kumaras name as a worthy candidate to become Indiaas next Prime Minister. "I think Nitish Kumar is suitable for the post, but it is up to our members to decide who could be the next Prime Minister," Tyagi said. With the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress as alliance partners, Nitish could increase his tally for the upcoming 2019 elections. Tyagi said that the decision to nominate Kumar as prime ministerial candidate was discussed at a meeting of the party on Monday.(Also Read in Hindi) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: OnePlus has joined the Diwali festivities and is conducting a unique sale. The Chinese company is hosting a Re.1 Diwali Dash sale from October 24 to October 26, where registered users have a brilliant chance to purchase the OnePlus 3 Soft Gold variant, OnePlus accessories, and other products through the company's online store at just Re. 1. Users will be on their toes as the flash sales are set to be conducted at 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm IST on all three days. Among the registered users, some people will be selected through a lucky draw and OnePlus will offer a mystery box to them. The user is then expected to finish a checkout within three hours to open the mystery box, and find out contests within it. Users interested in this unique sale need to register on the OnePlus store and follow a four-step registration process. They need to create a OnePlus ID, fill the necessary billing and payment information, verify their phone number, and share the news on social media with the hashtag #OnePlusDiwaliDash. Further, One Plus users can also avail some exceptional benefits from OnePlus. Every OnePlus user can avail a Rs. 250 coupon for free, upon registering for the sale and entering their IMEI number. Moreover, the company is hosting a contest which again includes sharing on social media, and the winner can easily win a special goodie bag. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan attended the staging of good friend Shatrughan Sinhas new play and their union was a treat for the audience. Bachachan was the chief guest for the play Pati, Patni Aur Main, in which Sinha is in the lead role, and he stayed throughout the show and later praised his friend for the performance. The play was hosted at prestigious National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) popularly known as Tata Theatre at Mumbai last night. It was really a touching moment for me. I am really grateful to Amitabh Bachchan for gracing the show, Sinha told PTI today. The 70-year-old actor has acted with Bachchan in hit movies like Dostana, Kala Pathar, Shaan and Bombay to Goa. Speaking after end of the play, Bachchan, 74, hailed Sinhas performance and said, I could not have performed so well in the play. The two, who became friends during their struggle days in Bollywood, after belting many films fell apart and did not come together on silver screen after Dostana. This period of separation also saw some unpleasant experiences with the two exchanging acrimony but they are now back to being good friends. Pati, Patni Aur Main, directed by Ramesh Talwar, and written by Manohar Katdare also features Rakesh Bedi, Dimple Dandia and Sanjay Goradia. The play has travelled to many places in the country and also abroad including UK, Nepal and US. It was staged recently in Patna in which Sinhas friends Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad were present. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: In a devastating incident, Trinamool Congress MP and the party's youth wing president Abhishek Banerjee wasA injured on Tuesday when his vehicle met with an accident on NH-2 near Singur, while he was returning to Kolkata from Murshidabad. "Abhishek Banerjee was injured when the vehicle he wastravelling in met with an accident on Durgapur Expresswaynear Singur," ADG (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma told PTI. "He has been rushed to a hospital in Kolkata. I am yet to receive details about the accident or any report in thisregard from the Superintendent of Police, Hooghly, PraveenTripathy," Sharma said. Abhishek, who is the nephew of Chief Minister MamataBanerjee, was returning from Murshidabad district after aparty programme. Soon after his SUV reached Singur on Durgapur Expressway, it hit a trailer and overturned injuring the occupants, eyewitnesses said. The nature of injury of the other people travelling with the TMC MP is yet to be ascertained. He was rushed to Kolkata and admitted to Belle Vue Clinic, Sharma said. Hospital sources said a medical board has been formed forhis treatment, while some medical tests and investigationshave already been conducted. While the Chief Minister was keeping in touch with the hospital authority, senior party leaders have already rushed to the hospital to enquire about Abhishek's condition and treatment. Singur (WB): TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's car met with an accident while he was returning from Murshidabad to Kolkata; he was rushed to hosp pic.twitter.com/fr8ZFqSuQS a ANI (@ANI_news) October 18, 2016 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The security forces on Tuesday busted terror hideouts in Jammu and Kashmirs Baramulla and seized bombs, flags of China and Pakistan, reports said. Letter head pads of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad have also been recovered in the operation. During the operation, the security forces have also apprehended 44 persons involved with terror-related activities. The Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the LoC targeting seven terror launch pads on the intervening night of September 28 and 29. Since then, the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been on high alert in view of a possible retaliation from the terrorists in the wake of the surgical strikes. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The army had carried out "target specific, limited-calibre, counter-terrorist operations" across the LoC in the past too but this is for the first time the government has gone public about it, a Parliamentary panel was told on Tuesday, in remarks that appear to contradict the Defence Minister's claim. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar gave this information to the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs when he was specifically asked by MPs whether surgical strikes have been done in the past. "Professionally done, target-specific, limited caliber counter-terrorist operations" have been carried out across the LoC in the past too, but this is for the first time that the government has made it public," according to sources present in the meeting. The top diplomat's comments assume significance in the context of claims by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's claims last week rejecting Congress's claims that surgical strikes were undertaken during the UPA government too. Watch video | Manohar Parrikar credits RSS teachings for September 29 surgical strikes across LoC He had asserted that it was the first time that surgical strikes had taken place in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack and what was undertaken previously were operations locally executed by commanders without involving the government. Jaishankar also told the Committee that while India has been engaging with Pakistan post the September 29 surgical strikes, but no "calendar" has so far been prepared regarding future engagement and its level with Islamabad, members said on condition of anonymity. He said soon after the operations had ended, the Director General Military Operations of the Pakistan Army was informed about the strikes. During the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Bipin Rawat also gave details of the strikes targeting terrorist launch pads across the LoC. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: An IndiGo airlines pilot has spotted a drone at Kurla side while landing at Mumbai airport. CISF Control Room of the Domestic Airport informed the Airport police about the drone. The pilot, Asish Ranjan was flying Indigo Flight 6E 755. He told that he saw a drone blue and pink colour, 3.5 km east side. On arrival of Indigo flight 6E-755 from Delhi, the captain complained to ATC that he saw one Drone at Kurla near Safade pull. Message has been immediately passed on to all concerned for necessary action. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In yet another trouble for controversial self-styled Godwoman Radhe Maa, a criminal complaint has been filed against her for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by visiting Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwari wearing snickers. The complaint has been lodged by Advocate Gaurav Gulati who sought registration of an FIR against Radhe MAA for alleged offences under sections 295A, 290 and 34 (common intention) of IPC. Radhe Maa had sparked controversy and left the local priests furious on Saturday while visiting Har-Ki-Pauri ghat wearing snickers. Despite shoes not being allowed at the famed ghat, the Godwoman had flouted norms while offering milk to the river. Further, she had also prayed at Brahmkund while wearing shoes. Complaint against Radhe Maa Complaint against Radhe Maa Complaint against Radhe Maa Complaint against Radhe Maa For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Online travel firm MakeMyTrip will acquire rival ibibo in an equity deal that will create one of the leading travel groups in India. South Africa's Naspers and China's Tencent Holdings are selling ibibo Group to MakeMyTrip in exchange for an issuance of new shares by MakeMyTrip, the company said in a statement. Upon closing of the transaction, MakeMyTrip will own 100 per cent of ibibo Group. Naspers and Tencent will become the single largest shareholder in MakeMyTrip, owning a 40 per cent stake and will contribute proportionate working capital upon closing, it added. Additionally, prior to closing, a USD 180 million, 5-year convertible notes issued by MakeMyTrip to Ctrip.com International Ltd in January 2016 will also be converted into common equity, resulting in Ctrip having an approximately 10 per cent stake in the combined entity, it added. The transaction is expected to close by the end of December 2016 and is subject to approval by MakeMyTrip shareholders and regulatory approvals. Commenting on the development, MakeMyTrip Founder Deep Kalra said: "We expect this deal to create an even more scalable business with the expertise to transform the booking experience for Indian travellers. I am delighted to be leading such a strong team in our next chapter of high-growth in this dynamic industry." The combination will bring together a bouquet of consumer travel brands, including MakeMyTrip, goibibo, redBus, Ryde and Rightstay, which together processed 34.1 mm transactions during FY 2016, MakeMyTrip said in a statement. "India is a key market for Naspers and this deal reinforces our commitment to the country. ibibo and MakeMyTrip have built leading companies through their innovative use of technology to create exceptional experiences for people traveling throughout India and, increasingly, beyond," Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk said. Following the closing of the proposed transaction, MakeMyTrip Founder Deep Kalra will remain Group CEO and Executive Chairman of the company and Co-founder Rajesh Magow will continue to remain CEO India of MakeMyTrip, it added. Founder and CEO of ibibo Group, Ashish Kashyap, will join MakeMyTrip's executive team as a Co-founder and President of the organisation, MakeMyTrip said. "Deep, Rajesh and I saw a great opportunity to join forces, and I am excited that this merger enables all of us to continue a great journey together as the leading travel group in India," ibibo Group CEO Ashish Kashyap said. The United Nations refugee agency said on Monday that up to 100,000 Iraqis may flee to Syria and Turkey to escape the Iraqi government's military assault aimed at ousting Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued an appeal for an additional $61 million to provide tents, camps, winter items and stoves for displaced inside Iraq and the two neighbouring countries. "UNHCR is concerned that events in Mosul may cause up to 100,000 Iraqis to flee towards Syria and Turkey," it said. "Preparedness plans are underway in Syria to receive up to 90,000 Iraqi refugees." Search Keywords: Short link: Mumbai: Shatrughan Sinha's new play was attended by his friend and superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Bachachan was the chief guest for the play "Pati, Patni Aur Main", in which Sinha is in the lead role, and he stayed throughout the show and later praised his friend for the performance. The play was hosted at prestigious National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) popularly known as "Tata Theatre" at Mumbai last night. "It was really a touching moment for me. I am really grateful to Amitabh Bachchan for gracing the show," Sinha told. The 70-year-old actor has acted with Bachchan in hit movies like "Dostana", "Kala Pathar", "Shaan" and "Bombay to Goa". Speaking after end of the play, Bachchan, 74, hailed Sinha's performance and said, "I could not have performed so well in the play." The two, who became friends during their struggle days in Bollywood, after belting many films fell apart and did not come together on silver screen after "Dostana". This period of separation also saw some unpleasant experiences with the two exchanging acrimony but they are nowmn back to being good friends. "Pati, Patni Aur Main", directed by Ramesh Talwar, and written by Manohar Katdare also features Rakesh Bedi, Dimple Dandia and Sanjay Goradia. The play has travelled to many places in the country and also abroad including UK, Nepal and US. It was staged recently in Patna in which Sinha's friends Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad were present. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The new law puts tough penalties on smugglers, establishes an anti-illegal migration and human trafficking committee and sets up fund to support victims Egypt's parliament on Monday voted to pass a cabinet bill combating "illegal migration" and human-smuggling, state news agency MENA reported. The 34-article bill stipulates a penalty of between EGP 50,000 and EGP 200,000 or a prison sentence, without specifying the duration, to anyone who smuggles migrants, attempts to smuggle them, mediates in the smuggling process, or provide any services while aware of the crime. The bill, which was drafted by the cabinet last year and passed by 402 parliamentary votes, includes a definition of the crime of people-smuggling and various related elements such as smugglers, unaccompanied children, fraudulent travel documents, the types of ship involved and the territorial waters where it occurs. In recent years, thousands of migrants and refugees from a variety of countries have attempted to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe, with an increasing number departing via smugglers' boats from Egypt's northern coast. On 21 September, a migrant boat destined for Italy capsized just off the coast of the Egyptian city of Rosetta due to overcrowding, leading to the deaths of at least 204 people. One article in the draft law stipulates hard labour and/or fines of between EGP 200,000 and EGP 500,000 if suspects start, manage, hold a position in or are a member of an organised group that aims to smuggle illegal migrants. This penalty also applies to smugglers in possession of a weapon, those who are public employees, and those who have previous felonies. A life sentence is reserved for smugglers who aim to execute a terrorist attack by smuggling illegal migrants, those who cause the death or disability of an illegal migrant while transporting them, those who smuggle women or children, and those who use fake documentation to create new identities for the migrants. The law establishes a national anti-illegal migration and human trafficking committee that will include representatives from all concerned ministries and research centres. It will provide training on how to combat illegal migration and operate a unit to document progress in combating the phenomenon. An anti-illegal migration fund will also be set up to provide financial assistance to victims by the law. The fund will be under the purview of the prime minister and will begin operating on 30 June 2017. The bill was submitted to the parliament in June before the end of the first legislative session, but was only approved by parliamentary committees on 28 September. In October, Egypt agreed with Cyprus and Greece to work on stopping the flow of irregular migrants during a tripartite summit held in Cairo between the leaders of the three countries saying that the solution should not be limited to security measures and deportation. After the shipwreck last month, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said that [the smugglers] violated Egyptian and international law... taking advantage of the people's lack of awareness amid regional and international circumstances that make Egypt a transit point for illegal immigration." Egyptian security forces say they have foiled numerous irregular migration attempts in recent months. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry discussed Egyptian-US ties with a visiting US congressional delegation in Cairo on Monday, Egypts state news agency MENA said. The talks between Shoukry and the US congressmen, headed by Representative Michael Conaway, addressed issues of mutual interests and recent development in the region and internationally, including the civil conflicts in Libya and Syria as well as the fight against terrorism. The congressional delegation also met with Egypt's Minister of Defense Sedky Sobhi, where they discussed bilateral military relations. Congressman Conaway is the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture in the US House of Representatives and is a member of the Committee on Armed Services. Egypt is a key Middle East ally to Washington and is the second-largest recipient of US military aid after Israel, receiving 1.3 billion in annual assistance. Search Keywords: Short link: The U.S. doesnt know who fired missiles at ship, bombed Yemen anyway This week, the United States attacked and destroyed a series of radar stations belonging to the Shiite Houthis in Yemen, along the Red Sea coast. This was described as retaliation for the missiles fired sort of near a US destroyer off shore, and presented as preventing future such strikes. Article by The Anti-Media Yet Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook admitted that the US still hasnt actually made any determination who fired those missiles in the first place. It is unclear why they retaliated against the Houthis, who denied involvement, apart from Cook saying that the US believes Iran has been supportive of the Houthi rebels. Still, this act in haste and repent at leisure attitude doesnt appear to be changing, with Cook vowing the US would be prepared to respond again if they think ships off the Yemeni coast are threatened, with the implied threat that theyll attack the Houthis some more, whether or not they ever determine if the Houthis did anything. Pentagon officials are also trying to insist that their attacks on the Houthis are totally distinct from the ongoing Saudi war against the Houthis, which the US is already heavily involved in, meaning this amounts to a second, separate war against the Houthis, with even less of a pretext. The Pentagon appears uncomfortable with connecting their heedless attacks to the myriad war crimes in the extent war. The Houthis reiterated today that they had nothing to do with the missiles fired near the US ship, and insisted they consider the US attacks unacceptable. They warned that they have the right to defend themselves from future US attacks. Delivered by The Daily Sheeple We encourage you to share and republish our reports, analyses, breaking news and videos (Click for details). Contributed by The Anti-Media of theantimedia.org. The Anti in our name does not mean we are against the media, we are simply against the current mainstream paradigm. The current media, influenced by the industrial complex, is a top-down authoritarian system of distributionthe opposite of what Anti-Media aims to be. At Anti-Media, we want to offer a new paradigma bottom-up approach for real and diverse reporting. We seek to establish a space where the people are the journalists and a venue where independent journalism moves forward on a larger and more truthful scale. Read more at: thedailysheeple.com Submit a correction >> Egypt's army said one solider and 19 militants were killed in the third day of its recent air and ground operation against insurgents in in the restive North Sinai region. Military air forces pounded 31 militant hideouts and arm caches while ground and special troops raided a number of other targets, killing 19 militants, military spokesman Brigadier General Mohamed Samir said in a statement late on Monday. One soldier was killed during the attacks at Monday dawn, he added. The military has launched fresh raids against Islamist militants in the region after a Friday attack on an army checkpoint in the Bir Al-Abd area west of El-Arish, the capital of North Sinai, killed 12 soldiers and wounded at least six others. The attack was claimed by Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis . The army said it killed 33 other militant fighters in response during air and ground raids on Saturday and Sunday. Egyptian forces have in recent years been battling an Islamist insurgency based in parts of the northern Sinai region, which has mainly targeted police and troops. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in an interview with three public newspapers published on Saturday that his country's war against Islamic militants in the Sinai Peninsula would be long, but that conditions in the mountainous, thinly populated region were improving. "The terrorists are evolving and we are improving our operations," he said. Search Keywords: Short link: As a wave of dining options flood Fairfield County, it can be difficult to know where the best eats are. That's why Hearst Connecticut Media and CTBites got together to figure out the best of the best, resulting in their 2016 "Top 100 Dining & Drinks in Fairfield County" collaboration. Of the top 100, an impressive 17 were from the Danbury area. The best restaurants in the area are in the gallery above. WASHINGTON Region 12 officials have presented sharply reduced enrollment projections for the proposed STEM Academy at Shepaug Valley School. The district estimated the academy would draw some 226 students from Region 12 and neighboring districts during the 2024-25 school year. But on Monday, officials put the likely figure at 148 to 176 students. Enrollment projections for the $39.5 million academy project have long been a point of contention, with objecting residents stating the original estimates were too high and the cost too great for taxpayers to bear. The district was forced to cut its plans dramatically after the state last spring delayed a $29 million bond issue that would have footed much of the bill. The state Department of Education then said enrollment projections were too high and the Department of Administrative Services called the proposed additions too ambitious. In addition, some districts expected to send students to the academy, including Danbury, capped the numbers at levels below the Region 12 forecast. In a Sept. 22 letter to Superintendent Patricia Cosentino, the Department of Education congratulated the district for its successful STEM Academy application, but stated enrollment projections were still too high. It is our assessment that, in light of current enrollment trends and uncertainty regarding the number of students who would ultimately matriculate into the (STEM Academy) program in Region 12 including uncertainty with respect to Danbury there is a reasonable likelihood that the actual enrollment in such a program could be substantially lower than these estimates, the letter stated. Projections were lowered to better confom with the state request, Cosentino said Monday. School officials asked design firm Kaestle Boos Associates to right-size the project. The redesign, which would shrink the schools total square footage by putting more STEM Academy facilities into existing buildings, was supposed to be presented Monday. But with more work to be done, the Kaestle Boos presentation likely will take place in November, said Greg Cava, chairman of the school boards building committee. Critics of the STEM Academy said the district essentially pulled a bait-and-switch, using the original estimates to win voter approval for the project and admitting afterward the numbers were faulty. But school officials, citing the inexact science of projecting enrollment 10 years from now, have said they did the best they could. blytton@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3411; @bglytton This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Voters may not make it out to the polls for a number of reasons: scheduling, not feeling informed, apathy. The list goes on. Perhaps appealing to those apathetic voters, WalletHub recently sought to find out which states had the most and least powerful voters for presidential elections. If their findings are to be believed, Connecticut may not have the strongest of voters. Check out the slideshow above to see which voters are the least and most powerful, according to WalletHub. Connecticut ranked at the tail end of the ten least powerful, at 42nd. The Nutmeg State, which boast seven electoral votes, has voted for the Democratic candidate in six of the last 10 presidential elections. The last time the state voted for a Republican candidate was in 1988, for former president George H.W. Bush. Because of this predictability, WalletHub said it's safe to say the state's voters aren't as powerful as that of a swing state's. "In a presidential election, voter power varies widely by state. While all votes are theoretically counted equally one person, one vote the choices of swing-state citizens are more influential," WalletHub said. "It's safe to assume that Alabama will vote Republican and California will vote Democratic in the upcoming election. But the electoral results of swing states are up in the air, giving their voters more impact." Related: The characteristics of Connecticut voters The website 270towin.com, which compiles presidential election and electoral vote history, currently has Connecticut listed as fairly "safe Clinton." In a recent Emerson College poll, the website shows support for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton at 50 percent to Republican candidate Donald Trump at 35 percent. Polls results from Emerson College, Quinnipiac University, and Washington Post have shown Clinton leading since Oct. 2015, making Connecticut less of a "battleground state" and more of a guarantee for Democratic electoral votes. But, as the 2016 election season has shown voters, anything can happen. The deadline to register to vote online or by mail in Connecticut is Nov. 1. You can also register in person on election day, Nov. 8. The least powerful states, according to WalletHub, are California, Maryland, and Washington D.C. The report's most powerful states were Arizona, Iowa, and Alaska. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Immediately after the second presidential debate between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, four news outlets declined to conduct online polls asking us who won. According to Business Insider, the four are Time, Fortune, CNBC and The Hill. They decided to wait for the results of scientific polling. Immediately after the first presidential debate, Trump and his supporters boasted that online polls showed he had won. NBCs Chuck Todd insisted that the online polls were bogus, meaning fake. Fortune Editor Alan Murray said, No one should confuse this with a scientific poll. A scientific poll such as the Quinnipiac University Poll, based in Hamden, Connecticut questions a representative sample of voters in the U.S., a state or another universe. When conducted just before an election, scientific polls can be accurate predictors of who will win and by how much. Online polls do not reflect the opinion of a representative sample. They reflect the opinion of those who clicked a link. Some respondents click many times. Talk about voter fraud. Within a week following the first presidential debate, scientific polls said Clinton was the winner. Of those surveyed by the ABC News/Washington Post poll, 53 percent said Clinton won and only 18 percent said Trump won. The other respondents called the debate a draw or had no opinion. News outlets like online polls because they engage us. Disclaimers say results dont necessarily reflect the opinion of the public as a whole. Maybe Trump did not see the disclaimers or chose to ignore them. Unscientific polls are not confined to elections and have been conducted for years. Before the Internet, those who wanted to respond called a telephone number or sent a ballot by mail. Newspapers and regional magazines invite us to vote for our favorite restaurant, fitness center or what-have-you. Newspapers and television news programs ask us if we are for or against this or that. Loyal customers of an establishment or advocates for a cause can, in effect, stuff the ballot box. Was I ever involved in unscientific polling? I confess I was. When I was editor of the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Massachusetts, the publisher told me he wanted us to ask readers whether they were for or against this or that. But the respondents would not constitute a representative sample, I said. So what? he said. I want us to do it. OK, I said. (After all, he was my boss.) After the upcoming third presidential debate on Wednesday night news outlets could do something else to engage us. They could invite us to say via Twitter who won and why in 140 characters. The most interesting comments would be shared with the outlets audience. We would not be told how many tweets supported candidate X and how many supported candidate Y. That would be another form of bogus polling. Paul Janensch, of Bridgeport, was a newspaper editor and taught journalism at Quinnipiac University. His weekly Memo on the Media can be heard on wqun.com. Email: paul.janensch@quinnipiac.edu. Pakistan resorts to unprovoked shelling on LoC Jammu And Kashmir,National,Defence/Security, Mon, 17 Oct 2016 IANS Jammu, Oct 18 (IANS) Pakistani troops on Tuesday resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing on Indian positions on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu region's Rajouri district. "The shelling and firing in the Naushera sector began at 8.30 p.m. on Monday night and continued till 1.30 a.m. today (Tuesday)," defence sources said. "They used 82 mm mortars and automatics. No damage or casualties were reported." One Indian soldier was killed when Pakistani troops started firing in the same area on Sunday. --IANS sq/ksk At least one man was killed when a three-storey building in a historic Cairo neighbourhood tumbled down on Monday, state news agency MENA reported. Security forces cordoned off the area where the building once stood in Al-Khalifa district in southern Cairo. The body of a 20-year-old man was pulled out from under the rubble as rescue workers continued their search for survivors. Cairo governorate has said that local officials in the populous neighbourhood face challenges, as the area is home to a large number of old, dilapidated buildings. The governorates official website states that it continuously monitors the conditions of such buildings. The area hosts some of Cairo's oldest Islamic mosques and historic sites such as Ahmed Ibn-Toulon mosque and Al-Sultan Hassan mosque. Building collapses are commonplace in Egypt and are usually attributed to violations of building specifications, illegal extensions, and lax government oversight. Search Keywords: Short link: Two suspects held as 52 Pakistani migrants land in Italy Italy,Immigration/Law/Rights, Tue, 18 Oct 2016 IANS Lecce (Italy), Oct 18 (IANS/AKI) A Moldavian and a Russian were arrested for suspected human trafficking after 52 Pakistani migrants reached the southern Italian coast aboard a yacht, the police said on Tuesday. A total of 11 minors were among the migrants, who arrived in Santa Maria di Leuca in the Puglia region aboard the US-flagged vessel on Monday, the police said. Italian tax police discovered the migrants when they boarded the yacht and arrested its Ukrainian and Moldavian skippers, aged 21 and 26 respectively. Local prosecutors have opened a probe into the case. --IANS/AKI lok/vt OTTAWA, Oct. 18, 2016 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Status of Women, announced the six outstanding Canadian women who are receiving the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case for 2016. They are: Cecilia Benoit ( Victoria, BC ) - Academic, mentor, advocate ( ) - Academic, mentor, advocate Anna-Louise Crago ( Toronto, ON ) - Academic, women's rights advocate ( ) - Academic, women's rights advocate Lucia Lorenzi (youth recipient) ( Port Coquitlam, BC ) - Activist, volunteer, educator and advocate ( ) - Activist, volunteer, educator and advocate Pascale Navarro (Montreal, QC) Journalist and author (Montreal, QC) Journalist and author Norma Jean Profitt ( Yarmouth, NS ) Academic, community leader, international activist ( ) Academic, community leader, international activist Diane Redsky ( Winnipeg, MB ) Community leader, advocate for Indigenous women's rights Persons Day occurs each year on October 18th. This annual celebration marks the pivotal moment in 1929 when five Canadian women Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby, and Nellie McClung won the right for women to be legally recognized as 'persons' in Canada. The Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case were created in 1979 to mark the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking Persons Case. Quick Facts This year's Persons Case Awards will take place in Winnipeg, Manitoba , on November 15, 2016 , coinciding with the 100th anniversary of women first achieving the right to vote in Manitoba in 1916. , on , coinciding with the 100th anniversary of women first achieving the right to vote in in 1916. Saskatchewan and Alberta followed Manitoba granting women the right to vote in 1916. Ontario extended voting rights to women in 1917. By 1918, federal legislation was passed granting all women 21 years of age and over the right to vote in general elections. The first federal election in which women voted under the universal franchise was in 1921. and followed granting women the right to vote in 1916. extended voting rights to women in 1917. By 1918, federal legislation was passed granting all women 21 years of age and over the right to vote in general elections. The first federal election in which women voted under the universal franchise was in 1921. This year's recipients are being announced during Women's History Month, a time each year when Canadians celebrate women's contributions to our country. This year's theme "Because of Her" reminds us of the extraordinary women who have blazed trails throughout Canada's history. reminds us of the extraordinary women who have blazed trails throughout history. A video entitled "Women. Are. Persons." can be viewed at women.gc.ca describing the Famous Five and the Persons Case, which paved the way for women to participate more fully in all aspects of Canadian life. Quotes "The women we honour today with the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case are strong leaders and inspiring role models. As professionals, volunteers, and advocates, they have demonstrated how people with passion and commitment can change the lives of women and girls for the better. I congratulate each 2016 award recipient for embodying the determined spirit of the Famous Five and helping to advance equality in our country." The Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P. Minister of Status of Women "Manitoba is very proud to have been the first province in Canada to start the process of granting suffrage one hundred years ago and our government is honoured that our province has been selected as the site for the 2016 Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case," said Status of Women Minister Rochelle Squires who will attend on behalf of Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister. "We offer each of the recipients congratulations and sincere thanks for their dedication to the service of others and offer our commitment to both reflecting on how far we have come as a nation, but also the volume of work to come if we are to ensure true equality for all." The Honourable Rochelle Squires Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage and Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs and Status of Women for Manitoba Related Products Additional Links Information about the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case Ce texte est egalement disponible en francais. For news releases and information on Status of Women Canada, go to women.gc.ca. SOURCE Status of Women Canada For further information: Inquiries: Matt Pascuzzo, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Status of Women, 613-291-5561; Nanci-Jean Waugh, Director General, Communications and Public Affairs, Status of Women Canada, Tel: 819-420-6810 China has launched two men into orbit in a project designed to develop its ability to explore space. The astronauts took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern China. They will dock with the experimental Tiangong 2 space lab and spend 30 days there, the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts. This and previous launches are seen as pointers to possible crewed missions to the Moon or Mars. The spacecraft, Shenzhou-11, took off from at 07:30 local time on Monday (23:30 GMT), lifted by a Long March-2F rocket. The astronauts will spend the next month conducting experiments on the Tiangong 2. The Chinese large modular space station is a planned space station to be placed in Low Earth orbit. The planned launching date of the Mir like Core module is around 2018 according to CCTV news reports in 2016. In 2017 the Chinese will launch the Tianzhou-1 cargo craft, based on the Tiangong 1 and 2 space labs. A Japanese city is subsidizing 80% of the cost for women to freeze their eggs The city of Urayasu is allocating 90 million yen (600,000) over three years to fund the research project conducted by Juntendo University Urayasu hospital. The hospital hopes that preserving eggs will encourage women to give birth when they are ready instead of giving up on the idea of having children. The average cost of such a procedure is between 500,000 and 600,000 yen. Under the scheme, women will pay only 20% of the cost. Women between the ages of 25 and 34 who live in Urayasu are eligible to participate. Dr Iwaho Kikuchi said using public funds to support such a study may be a first in the world. He said 12 women were in the process of starting the freezing process, and about two-thirds of them or their husbands had a health issue. The success rate of pregnancies from frozen eggs is low. For eggs frozen at the age of 25 it is 30%, falling to 20% at 34. Almost half of all births in Japan from in vitro fertilization involved frozen embryos from fertilized eggs, according to the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. It said a total of 210,000 births occurred this way. Cryopreservation, or freezing, of embryosessentially a method to bring life to a temporary haltused to be regarded with some suspicion among skeptics. Roughly 1 million children were born across Japan in 2014, which means that one in 21 was born through IVF and one in 27 had been cryopreserved before birth. Lockheed Martin has proposed developing a new Japanese stealth fighter with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the U.S. defense giants president told The Nikkei. Lockheed Martins proposal was made in response to a call from Japans Ministry of Defense, which is weighing options to boost Japans defensive capabilities in the face of rising regional tensions. Japan is looking to replace its aging fleet of around 90 F-2 fighters and is mulling three possibilities. The first would be for Japan to develop a new jet domestically. The second would be co-development with foreign defense contractors, such as Lockheed Martin. The third would be to buy more existing aircraft say, Lockheed Martins F-35 stealth jet. The Japanese ministrys deliberations are ongoing, with a second round of information requests to be made by the end of next March. We will definitely respond [to this request], we will be a part of that process, Hewson said. A final decision is expected in fiscal 2018. Lockheed Martin rival Boeing has also proposed working with MHI on a replacement for the F-2. Alternatively, the Japanese contractor could opt to go it alone with its experimental stealth fighter, which made its maiden flight in April. Japan has already purchased 42 F-35s from Lockheed Martin to replace its F-4 fleet. The F-35 was originally developed by the U.S. and eight other countries, including the U.K. and Italy, in what has been described as the worlds largest weapons program. Mitsubishi X-2 domestic Japanese stealth fighter F-35 stealth fighter The UK flagship arrived in Alexandria on 15 October for the two-day exercise; this is the first time such a UK flagship visited Alexandria in eight years Egypt and the United Kingdom concluded on Tuesday a joint naval exercise in Alexandria as part of the two countries wider defence partnership, a UK embassy in Cairos statement read. The UK flagship arrived in Alexandria on 15 October for the two-day exercisethe first UK flagship to visit Alexandria in eight years. The exercises were attended by Egyptian military representatives, the British Ambassador to Egypt John Casson, the Embassy's Defence Attache and Deputy Defence Attache. The programme of events included a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Sailor, a joint UK-Egypt dive, a capability demonstration at sea and a series of joint exercises and training, the statement added. The joint exercises comes following a recent visit by UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon to Cairo, in which the two countries decided to pursue deeper military cooperation. This week Britain and Egypt open a new page in the long and proud history of the two great navies. Events ebb and flow, but our shared interests are permanent and they demand constant partnership, UK ambassador Casson said in a press conference in Alexandria. Britain exports millions of dollars worth of arms to Egypt annually, with a large increase in export licences for weapons reported in 2015. Britain is also the largest foreign, non-Arab investor in Egypt at $26 billion. Search Keywords: Short link: Abubakar Malami, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, has told two high court judges who were arrested by the Depa... Abubakar Malami, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, has told two high court judges who were arrested by the Department of State Security Services to take their case before a court if they felt wronged. Malami, who spoke to newsmen through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Comrade Salihu Isah, said, ''The Minister of Justice does not do a personal job to warrant taking vengeance on anyone. The issue is clear and unambiguous. If you have any case against him, proceed to court to prove it or stop whipping up sentiments to score cheap points. From all indications, what they are trying desperately to do after the DSS raids is an afterthought, which cannot avail them of any advantage in law, as the AGF has nothing personal against any of them or any other Nigerian in the discharge of his duties, Salihu added. Worried by the incessant killings in villages of Southern Kaduna, a Member of the House of Representatives, Barr. Sunday Mashall Katung ... Worried by the incessant killings in villages of Southern Kaduna, a Member of the House of Representatives, Barr. Sunday Mashall Katung has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare state of emergency in the area to end the unrest.This was also as the Senator Representing Southern Kaduna Zone; Danjuma Laah described the last weekend killings in Godogodo as an unforgivable crime, saying perpetrators must not be allowed to go scot-free.The member, who represents Zangon Kataf/Jaba Federal constituency, also wants the Federal Government to establish a military formation in Jemaa local government with the aim of stopping the invasion of terrorists into the helpless communities.The Representative in a statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna Tuesday asked the President to invoking the constitutional provision in Section 14(2)(b), which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.Katung warned that if the Federal government fails to act, the people will be left with no option than to resort to self- help which will further exacerbate an already inflamed situation.According to him, Southern Kaduna people will no longer tolerate this deliberate plans to annihilate its defenceless people with both the federal and State governments doing next to nothing.Enough of these killings. Our communities have concurrently been attacked aggressively claiming innocent lives mostly women and children, crops worth millions of naira have been destroyed by herdsmen and a number of houses have been burnt down. This scorched -earth policy must be brought to an end with immediate effect and we demand that all those found culpable be arraigned before the courts in the spirit of justice and equity. A situation where innocent citizens are attacked maimed, killed and their properties taken over with security agents watching without genuine intervention gives cause for concern.Ultimately Surviving Victims are left to fend for themselves without any form of support from the Government. As it is, they lack basic necessities to ameliorate their suffering and many more are living under harrowing conditions arising from previous attacks.What is worrisome here is that these killings have continued unabatedly for almost five months with no commitment from either the State or the Federal governments to stop these unwarranted and provocking attacks.The government should not take the patience of our people to mean cowardice. And the failure of the government to stop these killings will mean an endorsment of evil on the defenseless people, he said.Finally, both the state and Federal Government ought to upgrade their intelligence gathering mechanism to forestall the occurrence of these incessant attacks, Katung stated.In the same vein, Senator representing Kaduna South senatorial district, Senator Danjuma Laah described the Saturday and Sunday bloody invasion by alleged herdsmen in Jemaa Local Government Area, LGA, as an unforgivable crime against the people of Godogodo, Southern Kaduna and humanity.Sen. Laah in a statement said no group of persons must be allowed to escape with the impunity.Part of the statement reads, I heard what was happening since last Saturday evening, but I was stopped from rushing down here. I want to say that what I have seen here is huge crime. It is an unforgivable crime against the people of Godogodo, Southern Kaduna and humanity. No group of persons must be allowed to escape with this impunity. My heart bleeds for you and I shall take up upon myself to ensure that the relevant Senate Committee do the needed to bring peace, succor and justice to the people of Godogodo.My investigation shows that there were very few soldiers and police here compared to the size of the town and the danger looming over it. Im told that the invaders had far supprerior weapons. Again, some of the soldiers have been here for months without allowances and basic welfare. There is no way they can be at their best in these situations.I am surprise and sad to hear this, because Kaduna State Government has claimed that it is spending N200 million paying Soldiers, Police, SSS and the rest monthly. Why is it not showing in Southern Kaduna? He queried.He however appealed to the people of the affected communities to henceforth defend their lives and property against such attacks, but should not take law into their hands.I appeal to you my people, to keep your peaceful nature and not take the law into your hands. But you also have a responsibility to defend your lives and your property next time they come, Sen. Laah said. The Senate on Tuesday urged all parties in the negotiation that led to the release of 21 of the Chibok girls to ensure that other abductee... The Senate on Tuesday urged all parties in the negotiation that led to the release of 21 of the Chibok girls to ensure that other abductees in Boko Harams captivity are rescued.The Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, while thanking those who negotiated the release of the 21Chibok girls, noted that a large number of abductions by the sect were not reported, adding that the negotiators should look beyond the Chibok girls to rescue more victims.Leader of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, who raised the matter on the floor of the Senate during Tuesdays plenary, said no fewer than 1000 persons were in Boko Harams captivity.He said, The 219 girls are not the only girls that were abducted. Their number is not known but there are more than 1000 of them, I can bet on that. Some of them have gone unnoticed; some of them are missing; some of them, only God knows where they are and in what condition they have found themselves.Senator Abiodun Olujimi (Ekiti-South), who supported Ndumes motion, called on all stakeholders to work towards securing the release of all abductees.She said, Like the Leader said, there are so many other girls who have gone unnoticed and are still there in Sambisa and elsewhere. We believe that they should not be left to their fate. And it is not only the Chibok girls that are most important but all Nigerians that have been captured by Boko Haram. Shijiazhuang (China) Former deputy head of the coal department of Chinas National Energy Administration, was sentenced to death with ... Shijiazhuang (China) Former deputy head of the coal department of Chinas National Energy Administration, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Monday for accepting bribes and holding a huge amount of assets from unidentified sources. Wei Pengyuan, was found to have taken advantage of his posts between 2000 and 2014 to seek benefits for others, accepting bribes worth more than 211.7 million Yuan (about 31.4 million dollars).According to the statement, Wei was also found to have possessed a large amount of assets from unidentified sources, which exceeded his legal income.It said that after the two-year reprieve, Weis death penalty would be commuted to life imprisonment, and no further commutation or parole will be permitted.The statement added that all his ill-gotten assets would be confiscated.Wei was put under investigation in May 2014 on allegations of accepting bribes.Investigators later found he was hoarding more than 200 million Yuan in cash at his home. Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said on Tuesday that the Federal Government was working relentlessly to kill the Peoples Democra... Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said on Tuesday that the Federal Government was working relentlessly to kill the Peoples Democratic Party.Wike, however, noted that contrary to the plans of the Federal Government, it was the party (All Progressives Congress) controlling the Federal Government that would die politically.The governor maintained that deliberate efforts by agents of the Federal Government to stagnate development in the state would not succeed.He made this remark while receiving the leadership of Non-Indigenes Without Borders led by Mr. Emeka Onowu at the Government House in Port Harcourt.According to the governor, We have a sad situation where everything is being done at the federal level to kill the PDP. However, in the end, it is their own political party that will die.Wike decried repeated plots to rig the forthcoming rerun elections in Rivers State and added that nobody would be allowed to steal the mandate of Rivers people, no matter the deployment of some compromised security agencies.He said, They are repeatedly shifting the date of the rerun elections so that they can have a convenient time to rig. Nobody should be scared of their plan to use the DSS and police to rig the rerun elections.The policeman that is carrying gun; how many people can he kill? In Turkey where they resisted the Army, are they not human beings? Nobody will circumvent the mandate of the Rivers people.The governor explained that as an opposition state, the people of Rivers were aware that they would have battles for survival from those controlling the federal level.Maintaining that his action at the residence of a judge on October 8, 2016, was not aimed at stopping the DSS operatives from arresting a judge, Wike said his intervention was targeted at ensuring that the right process was followed.Earlier in his remark, the National Leader of the Non-Indigenes Without Borders, Mr. Emeka Onowu, lauded the governor for providing leadership that had helped to shapen democracy in the country.Onowu commended the governor for being detribalised and showing commitment towards addressing issues affecting various interest and ethnic groups in the state. Despite never dipping his toe into MMA, Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has challenged UFC champion Conor McGregor to a showdown in the famous octagon. Talk about a baptism of fire.Giroud is well versed in throwing his weight around on the pitch, using his frame to make life awkward for opposing defenders. But this would be a different beast altogether.McGregor, friend of Cristiano Ronaldo, currently holds the UFC Featherweight belt with a professional record of 20 wins to three losses.To be fair to the Frenchman, though, he put a disclaimer in. Ensuring not to rattle the Irish fighter, Giroud casually brushed off the chances of him putting up a fight."Maybe 10 seconds?" Giroud responded when asking how long he could stand up to McGregor."I have never been in a cage before fighting UFC before. It would be nice to try so McGregor when you want. The new policy does not apply to those already living in Kuwait with their families Kuwaiti authorities have increased the minimum salary requirements for new foreign workers who want to sponsor family members from KD250 to KD450, Egypt's foreign affairs ministry said in a Tuesday statement. The new policy does not apply to those foreign workers already living in Kuwait with their families and earn less than KD450, the statement added. The amendments excludes those working in a number of professions including judges, legal experts and researchers who work in governmental sectors, doctors, pharmacists, teachers in universities, colleges and higher institutions, plane pilots and flight attendants, engineers, journalists, media correspondents, mosque preachers and nurses, among others. The oil-rich country has a population of 4.2 million - 2.9 million foreigners, mostly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Egypt and Syria, and a minority of 1.3 million natives. Search Keywords: Short link: Few months after the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, sent a religious bill to the State House of Assembly to control and in ... Few months after the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, sent a religious bill to the State House of Assembly to control and in effect, ban church worship and evangelism in the state, the Rivers State Government has warned pastors against generating unnecessary noise in public places.Governor of the state, Nyesom Wike gave this warning through his Special Adviser on Pollution Control, Mr. Nwuke Anucha.While speaking in Port Harcourt, the state capital, during a pollution control and religious matters meeting with members of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Port Harcourt branch, the SA said the noise churches produce in Port Harcourt was becoming alarming.He expressed concern that the noise produced by sound systems used by churches was causing unrest in the state, stressing that no responsible government would not take steps to reduce the menace.Anucha said, My lords, you will agree with me that the emission of gaseous substance, the sound level of our electric power generation sets and indeed the noise generated by the use of loudspeakers in some of our worship centers in no doubt cause serious disorder to human co-existence.It is on this premise of good neighbourliness that necessitated this meeting. The public outcry about the noise and air pollution generated by some of our churches is so alarming that no responsible and responsive government will shy away from taking necessary actions.Churches need to cut down the use of loudspeakers with a sound level not above the recommended decibel outside and inside. EKITI State All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore Governor Ayo Fayoses comment, which described... EKITI State All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore Governor Ayo Fayoses comment, which described the release of 21 Chibok girls as diversionary.The party described Fayoses latest diatribe as insincere and infantile, and apologised on behalf of the people of Ekiti State to Nigerians and the agonised parents of the Chibok girls on the outburst.Fayose had been persistent in his claim that the Chibok girls were not missing, saying the Federal Governments claim on their rescue was a distraction from the harsh economic reality in the country.In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the APC declared that Fayose is on his own in his reckless criticisms of the Federal Government over fears of repercussions on his ceaseless infractions against the law.The party lauded the President for keeping his electoral promise to rescue the girls.It urged the President to intensify efforts to secure release of the remaining girls.APC showered encomiums on the Armed Forces, the international community and other non-governmental institutions, especially the Bring Back Our Girls Group, for their persistent roles in the rescue of the Chibok girls.It said the feat was a fulfilment of Buharis campaign promise to secure release of the girls and reunite them with their families.Olatunbosun said: It is unfortunate that the governor of a state known for decency and honour could utter such a horrible statement on a sensitive national issue that borders on the lives of young school girls, whose parents have been in agony in the last two years.Nigerians know that Fayose is a reckless talkative, who plays politics with everything and anything but never in their imagination think he can be so heartless to say the girls were not missing.Now that the 21 girls were shown live on TV being reunited with their parents in an emotional ceremony, will Fayose say it was stage-managed?Fayose is taking his pound of flesh from the Federal Government for his several infractions on the law over which federal agencies are investigating him, and he believes the best way to blackmail the Federal Government is ceaseless criticism so he can accuse Buhari of witch-hunt when eventually the law beckons to account for his lawless conduct.Apologising to the parents of the girls and urging them to take Fayose for who he is, Olatunbosun regretted the governors callous disposition to the plight of the children and their parents, wondering if Fayose would have taken the same position if the girls were his daughters.EKITI State All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore Governor Ayo Fayoses comment, which described the release of 21 Chibok girls as diversionary.The party described Fayoses latest diatribe as insincere and infantile, and apologised on behalf of the people of Ekiti State to Nigerians and the agonised parents of the Chibok girls on the outburst.Fayose had been persistent in his claim that the Chibok girls were not missing, saying the Federal Governments claim on their rescue was a distraction from the harsh economic reality in the country.In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the APC declared that Fayose is on his own in his reckless criticisms of the Federal Government over fears of repercussions on his ceaseless infractions against the law.The party lauded the President for keeping his electoral promise to rescue the girls.It urged the President to intensify efforts to secure release of the remaining girls.APC showered encomiums on the Armed Forces, the international community and other non-governmental institutions, especially the Bring Back Our Girls Group, for their persistent roles in the rescue of the Chibok girls.It said the feat was a fulfilment of Buharis campaign promise to secure release of the girls and reunite them with their families.Olatunbosun said: It is unfortunate that the governor of a state known for decency and honour could utter such a horrible statement on a sensitive national issue that borders on the lives of young school girls, whose parents have been in agony in the last two years.Nigerians know that Fayose is a reckless talkative, who plays politics with everything and anything but never in their imagination think he can be so heartless to say the girls were not missing.Now that the 21 girls were shown live on TV being reunited with their parents in an emotional ceremony, will Fayose say it was stage-managed?Fayose is taking his pound of flesh from the Federal Government for his several infractions on the law over which federal agencies are investigating him, and he believes the best way to blackmail the Federal Government is ceaseless criticism so he can accuse Buhari of witch-hunt when eventually the law beckons to account for his lawless conduct.Apologising to the parents of the girls and urging them to take Fayose for who he is, Olatunbosun regretted the governors callous disposition to the plight of the children and their parents, wondering if Fayose would have taken the same position if the girls were his daughters. Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Tuesday, maintained that its not the job of President Muhammadu Buhari to address the lingering... Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Tuesday, maintained that its not the job of President Muhammadu Buhari to address the lingering crisis between farmers and Fulani herdsmen across the country.He made the remark at the 23rd Annual LAPO Development Forum with the theme, Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities, organised by the Lift Above Poverty Organisation in Abuja.According to the former President, Some of the words that have been coming out from our leaders, particularly from state governors are not helpful! This issue is not a federal issue and another thing I dont like about it is that when you talk of Fulani herdsmen, people talk of the President.Now because the President of Nigeria is a Fulani man, you expect him to solve the problem immediately, that is not his job. And when people make comments like this, it annoys me.They say the President hasnt said anything about this, that he used to be the patron of something, but I believe that the ranching thing failed because the states and the local governments failed to do what they ought to have done.I need to state that it is the responsibility of local governments to take care of them. Now, states should have even done a lot better, but they havent, and then when you have cattle rustling, herdsmen and farmers conflict, you try to make it a national issue. But it is not really a national issue. A former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Federal Government ... A former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Federal Government to leave his family alone and face him.Fani-Kayode said this in reaction to the detention of his wife, Precious, at a bank in Ado Ekiti for hours on the instruction of the EFCC.Fani-Kayode, who is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, condemned the move in a telephone interview with newsmen.He said, This government is sick and cowardly and so is the EFCC. If you have a problem with me, face me and leave my family alone.My wife travelled to Ado Ekiti to see my friend and brother, Governor Fayose, and his family. They were on their way out of town when they went to Access Bank in Ado Ekiti to get some money.They were illegally detained, brutalised and put under arrest on the orders of the EFCC at a bank in Ado Ekiti today.She has never had any business with me; she has never been formally invited by the EFCC or asked any questions about her transactions and neither has it written to her on any issue even though it is always sending letters to my house and sending people there.If Buhari wants to deal with me, why doesnt he face me like a man instead of trying to harm and hurt my eight-month-old son and wife.Had it not been for the intervention of Governor Ayo Fayose, they would have taken them away and subjected them to all manner of harm and indignity simply because she is married to me.This is Buharis Nigeria and we will resist his wickedness and tyranny.Fani-Kayode said he intended to sue the bank and the EFCC for this illegal and wicked action.He added, They have no right to do this. If they want to see my wife, all they need to do is to invite her. We have nothing to fear. They do not need to be so primitive and barbaric to people.In an attempt to starve and harass me and my family, all my accounts and wifes accounts have been frozen.Now, they are resorting to arresting peoples wives and children for no just cause.Mrs. Fani-Kayode, who was a guest of Governor Ayodele Fayose, had gone to a branch of Access Bank in Ado Ekiti around 3pm for a transaction, but was detained by officials of the bank.The bank officials told her she was being held on the instructions of the EFCC.The EFCC, however, denied detaining her.In a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, on Monday night, the anti-graft agency said the ex-ministers wife attempted to withdraw money from an account which the agency had frozen.The statement read in part, Contrary to the spin about the purported arrest of mother and child, a certain Chikwendu Sonia today attempted to withdraw money from an Access Bank account that had been placed on Post No Debit Category, following the discovery of illicit cash flows into the account.She was intercepted by the bank while the commission was notified, but because it was late, the EFCC advised that the suspect be taken to the police station for processing and release on bail.They were arranging to take the suspect to the police station when Governor Ayo Fayose stormed the bank with thugs and his personal security and forcefully secured the release of the suspect, with claims that the EFCC had no power to detain anybody in his state. He also vowed to close down the branch of the bank.The said account, which had a balance of N2,307,712.82, was flagged following investigation into the PDP Joint Trust Fund when the commission traced N1.1bn to the Zenith Bank account of Fani-Kayode.It was discovered that the account had two biometric identification numbers, one for Fani-Kayode and the other (with BVN 2205597283) for Sonia Chikwendu. The same BVN is linked to two other accounts in Diamond Bank and 15 accounts in Guaranty Trust Bank. Liverpool and Manchester United played out a goalless draw at Anfield on Monday as Jurgen Klopps men missed the chance to move level on points at the top of the Premier League table.The visitors edged the first half in a game of few chances but the Reds improved after the break particularly after the arrival of Adam Lallana for Daniel Sturridge.Emre Can forced a great save from David de Gea after dribbling into the box and poking a shot goalwards but the Spain international got down quickly to deny him.Philippe Coutinho then came close to breaking the deadlock, curling a great shot which looked destined for the back of the net until a diving De Gea managed to tip it to safety.The Reds pressed in the closing stages, Coutinhos flick sending Roberto Firmino scampering through on goal and only denied by a great challenge by Antonio Valencia as the visitors held onto a point. Thousands of United Kingdom and Canadian visa applicants and intending travellers wanting to book hotels online were stranded on Monday... Thousands of United Kingdom and Canadian visa applicants and intending travellers wanting to book hotels online were stranded on Monday as Deposit Money Banks stopped their naira debit cards from being used for dollar and other foreign currency-denominated transactions.The DMBs had on Friday stopped their naira debit cards from dispensing dollars to customers via Automated Teller Machines in foreign countries, as well as disallowed the cards from being used for online and Point of Sale transactions.The banks cited dollar scarcity and volatility in the foreign exchange market as reasons.Guaranty Trust Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Stanbic IBTC Bank have already stopped the withdrawal of foreign currencies from the ATMs by their customers who travel abroad and cut the value of their online and PoS transactions to $100 per month.The development made the UK visa applicants wanting to pay the mandatory $118 for the six-month and $499 for the two-year visas through their naira debit cards to be stranded.Payment for the UK visa is done online via the government-designated website.Travelling agents and applicants said they could not complete the UK visa application procedures on Monday. They said payments with naira debit cards of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Ecobank Nigeria, United Bank for Africa Plc and other banks were declined.It was further learnt that intending travellers and visa applicants wanting to make hotel booking online could not do so as their transactions via the naira debit cards were declined by the banks.This is terrible. I am finding it difficult to pay for my UK visa online. I have filled the form. I have got to the payment section and I was trying to pay online but the transaction was declined, a visa applicant, who identified himself simply as John, told our correspondent at the UK visa application centre in Victoria Island, Lagos on Monday.Travelling agents assisting the visa applicants to fill their forms said they found it difficult to make payment for UK and Canadian visas online using naira debit cards.The Chief Executive Officer, Flying Partner, a Lagos-based travel agency, Mr. Kunle Oladele, said, We could not make payment for the UK and Canadian visa applications online. The few payments we made were done through our partners in foreign countries, who used international debit cards issued by foreign banks.We called our partners in South Africa, UK and the United States to do so for us. It is very terrible. I am not sure we can continue like this. Canadian visa applicants will have to go to the countrys visa office now.Bank officials told our correspondent on Monday that they could not help the situation, citing the scarcity of dollars as the reason for the suspension of visa payment services.There is no dollar again in the country. There is nothing we can do about it, an official of GTBank told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity.Meanwhile, hundreds of customers besieged banking halls on Monday to apply for dollar debit cards, a day after the banks suspended naira debit cards from working overseas.When our correspondent visited some bank branches, crowds of customers were seen filling forms to open domiciliary accounts and to obtain dollar debit cards.Stanbic IBTC Bank and Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria had on Friday advised customers seeking to carry out transactions denominated in foreign currencies to apply for dollar or pound sterling debit and credit cards.According to them, such cards will be linked to the customers domiciliary accounts.In a notice to customers on Friday entitled: Review of the international spending limit on your naira MasterCard, GTBank stated, We write to inform you of the monthly spending limit currently applicable when using your GTBank naira MasterCard for international payments via PoS and online.(The) previous monthly limit via PoS and online was $250; the new monthly limit via PoS and online is now $100. Kindly note that ATM cash withdrawal on your naira MasterCard is now only available in Nigeria.The development has also made students studying in the UK, US, Canada, Ukraine and other parts of the world to face more challenges getting their monthly stipends from their parents.Most of the students had relied on ATM card withdrawals to get their monthly stipends from their parents before now.Although other banks have yet to announce the suspension of ATM card services abroad, findings by our correspondent showed that many lenders had reduced drastically the amount that customers could withdraw via ATMs abroad.The decision by some banks to suspend overseas ATM card services and online forex transactions came barely one week after the Central Bank of Nigeria, through the Bankers Committee, raised concerns about what it called the indiscriminate and suspicious manner in which some bank customers were spending dollars and other foreign currencies abroad through their naira debit cards.Consequently, the regulator said it had concluded that bank customers who spent above the $50,000 annual forex limit it imposed would be barred from the forex market.Dollar scarcity has been ravaging the economy after the price of crude oil, Nigerias main forex earner, crashed from $115 per barrel in June 2014 to around $51.4 per barrel currently.The nations foreign exchange reserves have been depleting since then.Last Wednesday, the countrys external reserves hit an 11-year low of $24.21bn, the latest data posted on the CBN website showed. Some Nigerians living in the United States of America on Monday staged a protest at the United Nations Building and the Nigeria House, New... Some Nigerians living in the United States of America on Monday staged a protest at the United Nations Building and the Nigeria House, New York City, demanding immediate prosecution of the leader of the Shiite movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.El-Zakzaky had since been in detention following a bloody clash between members of the Shiite movement and the Nigerian Army in Kaduna, late last year.The clash occurred when Shiite members blocked the path of the Chief of Army State, Lt Gen. Tukur Buratai, and his convoy in Zaria.The Nigerians, who protested in New York on Monday, according to a statement made available to our correspondent, expressed the fear that the Shiite movement might fester into another terrorist group like the Boko Haram sect, if not decisively addressed by the Federal Government.The protesters, who said the Shiite movement mirrored Boko Haram in its formative years, warned that Nigeria might unknowingly be nurturing another national security threat, if the Shiite movement was not immediately nipped in the bud.They said the delay in pressing charges against El-Zakzaky might send a wrong signal that Nigeria was pampering a violent sect, which might encourage the springing up other extremist sects.The spokesperson for the protesters, Cosmas Collins, said, The delay in prosecuting the detained Islamic Movement of Nigeria leader could be a silent plea for international backing by the Nigerian government.A clear message must be sent to the government that the way it deals with the IMN threat is a matter of global interest as any fallout from delay in dealing with the threat posed by the group will affect the whole world.Failure to prosecute these people, including El-Zakyzaky, will make other groups think of coming out because it is now believed that it is fashionable to take on the state without consequences.We, therefore, encourage the government to consider bringing charges of subversion of the rule of law against members of the group for inviting Iranian intervention into Nigerias internal affairs.The government should investigate the finances of the group and its senior members to see if they have been beneficiary of Iranian sponsorship of terrorism. The Senate on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to set a machinery in motion to conduct housing and population census in 2018. The Senate on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to set a machinery in motion to conduct housing and population census in 2018.Emanating from a motion by Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi, at plenary on Tuesday in Abuja, the senate also urged the government to make adequate provision of fund for the exercise.Motion the motion entitled A call for The Federal Government to Expedite Action on the Planned 2018 National Census, Hunkuyi reminded the government of constitutional provision for conduct of census.He recalled that the last census was conducted in 2006 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and said that by the 10-year provision for the exercise to be conducted, it out to be in this year.He said that delay in the issuance of a proclamation by President Buhari and poor release of funds to the National Population Commission (NPoPC), were major setbacks to conduct of the exercise.Hunkuyi said that in accordance with best international practices, a well planned and executed population census should take a minimum of two years.It is only pertinent that subsequent population census should be carried out within an adequate timing and an objective of conducting an acceptable exercise.Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), NPoPC, Ministry of Budget and National Planning and other supervising agencies must make adequate provision in 2017 budget as critical prerequisite to achieving 2017/2018 population census, he said.Sen. John Enoh, in his contribution, reiterated the need for relevant government agencies to include the total cost of conducting the census in the 2017 budget.He stressed that the Federal Government should adhere to the United Nations provision that censuses should be conducted every 10 years.Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha, said that there was need to keep records of births, deaths and the entire population of the country.If they tell us the number of people that have been killed in the North-East, some of us will faint.It is important for us to support this motion and ensure that funds are released for the conduct of the national population census and call on President Buhari to make a proclamation, he said.Sen. Ajayi Boroffice, observed that there was no reason why money should not be made available to the population commission to conduct census. The huge sum of money we will use in getting data from abroad is expensive. Let us channel that money into NPoPC so that they can conduct the census, he said.Other lawmakers who contributed supported the motion. Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, warned the population commission not to conduct a national census that would become an issue for deliberation.He said that every Nigerian must be counted and that information technology should be deployed in order to produce acceptable results.I want to thank the sponsor of the motion; as we approach the next census, we must take advantage of the development in technology and make the results of the exercise acceptable.All the previous exercises have been disputed. We want this exercise to count; every Nigerian must be counted and no one should be counted twice.If we do this, we will be able to plan, Ekweremadu said. The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has approved the nomination of Justice Ejembi Eko and Justice Amina Augie to be inaugurated ... The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has approved the nomination of Justice Ejembi Eko and Justice Amina Augie to be inaugurated into the members of the Bench at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.In the electronic votes conducted by the Senators on Tuesday, a total of 38 Senators voted in support of Justice Ejembi Eko while only 1 Senator voted against.Also, a total of 39 votes were recorded for Justice Amina Augie while one vote was invalid.The Senate had earlier received the report of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters through its Chairman, Senator David Umaru.The committee had fortnightly conducted an open screening for the two nominees upon the receipt of the notice from President Muhammadu Buhari that they be approved as Justices of the Supreme Court, and found the duo qualified.Meanwhile, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu has charged the new Supreme Court Judges to be above board in the discharge of their duties.Senator Ekweremadu, after confirming the nomination of the new Justices congratulated them for scaling through the huddles of rigorous screening and enjoined them to contribute their best to the judicial system.Justice Ejembi Eko (Benue State) and Justice Amina Augie (Kebbi State) until their appointments, were Justices of the Court of Appeal. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has extended a state of emergency in designated areas of the North Sinai governorate for three more months starting 31 October, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported on Tuesday. The initial decision to impose the state of emergency came in August 2013 by then-interim president Adly Mansour after violent unrest gripped the country following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. The decision has since been continuously extended for three months at a time, with the latest extension in May 2016. Egyptian security forces are grappling with an Islamist insurgency based in parts of North Sinai. Last Friday, 12 army personnel and 15 militants were killed in North Sinai when an armed group assaulted a security checkpoint, according to authorities. The insurgency has killed hundreds of Egyptian security personnel over the past several years, while the military has said that hundreds of militants have also been killed in security operations in the area. Search Keywords: Short link: The Nigerian Union in Pretoria says two Nigerians residing in South Africa have been killed. The Secretary of the union, Mr. Adetola O... The Nigerian Union in Pretoria says two Nigerians residing in South Africa have been killed.The Secretary of the union, Mr. Adetola Olubajo, told the News Agency of Nigeria inPretoria on Tuesday that the first victim, one Adeniyi Olumoko, a petty trader, was stabbed to death on October 7.Olubajo said that Olumoko, 37, an indigene of Ogun, was killed at Marabastard inPretoria by a South African, who forcefully took the victims goods without paying.He quoted witnesses as saying that Olumoko was left bleeding for up to five hours because paramedics did not show up to attend to him.The secretary said that the killing had been reported to the Central Police Station in Pretoria and the Nigerian Mission in South Africa.Olubajo said that another Nigerian, Christian Onwukaike, was shot dead by assailants at Empangeni in the North Coast area of Kwazulu Natal on October 16.He said that reports from the unions chapter in the province indicated that the assailants shot the victim from a moving car.He explained that Onwukaike, a native of Awgbu in the Orumba North Local GovernmentArea of Anambra, drove himself to the hospital after the shooting and eventually collapsed and died.The Nigeria Union is calling on the Nigerian Mission to demand results of investigations of all murder cases involving Nigerian victims from the South African authority, he said.Olubajo said that the union was not happy that murder cases involving Nigerians in South Africa dont get solved.We recommend that the consulate officials visit the area immediately in company of some members of the national and provincial executives of the Nigeria Union to speak with the police and the Nigerian community, he said.A source close to the Nigerian Consulate in South Africa told a NAN correspondent that the report of the incidents had been received at the consulate.NAN Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State on Monday forced Access Bank to shut down its operations in the state. Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State on Monday forced Access Bank to shut down its operations in the state.Mr. Fayose's extraordinary action came after bank officials prevented the wife of the former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, from drawing funds from the flagged account.Mr. Fani-Kayode's wife was said to have arrived in Ekiti and attempted to withdraw funds from an account linked to slush provided by detained former National Security Adviser, Dasuki. The account is part of the subject of the former Aviation minister's ongoing prosecution for fraud at a Federal High Court in Lagos, Sahara Reporters gathered.Security officials concluded that an account opened at Access Bank by one "Sonia Chikwendu Precious," with account number 0024425113, was linked to money laundering. The account was flagged after security and anti-corruption agents determined that it was one of the several accounts into which another former minister, Esther Usman Nenadi, paid illicit funds.In his response, Fani-Kayode in an angry-laden tone accused the government of being sick and cowardly as the EFCC.It would be recalled that Mr. Fani-Kayode in 2007 allegedly used a girlfriend of his Chioma Anasoh to launder money, specifically on June 27th, 2007 Chioma was arrested with $240,000 said to be cash belonging to Fani-Kayode.She was arrested after boarding a plane to travel on a British Airways flight to London from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has reiterated that he would not renege on his promise to banish hunger and make life meaningful for the... Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has reiterated that he would not renege on his promise to banish hunger and make life meaningful for the people of the state.The governor made the statement on Monday in Osogbo at the celebration of 2016 International Day for Poverty Eradication.He said that his administration remained resolute to do `everything humanly possible to champion the cause of creating wealth by eradicating poverty.In his speech titled: Poverty Has No Place with Us, Aregbesola said that the policy thrust and programmes of his administration were geared towards poverty eradication, make live abundant and create wealth for the citizenry.He listed the six-point integral action plan of his administration to include: banishing poverty, hunger and unemployment; restoring healthy living, promoting functional education, enhancing communal peace and progressHe said that the plans were designed to uplift the people from being poverty stricken to being wealthy.Commenting on the achievements made by his administration, the governor said 40,000 unemployed youths had been empowered under the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme.Aregbesola said his administration had adopted multi-faceted approach to achieve its goal of providing healthcare for all.He said, While government will continue to do everything within its means to provide for the people, we should all be productively engaged, especially in agriculture where we have comparative advantage.Earlier in his address, Alhaji Abdul-Rahaman Musa, Chairman, Osun Community and Social Development Project, commended the governor for the various poverty alleviation programmes he had put in place to benefit the people.CSDP General Manager, Mrs. Funmi Abokede, also commended the government for being consistent in payment of counterpart funds for the programme.She said that CSDP was being funded by the state government and World Bank.Abokede noted with satisfaction that government had released N550 million for payment of counterpart funds between 2010 and 2015.(NAN) Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest (Google Maps) DEMAREST -- The students from Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest involved in a bus crash Monday afternoon were all released from the hospital later in the day, the school's principal said. There were 58 sophomores on-board who were evaluated at local hospitals and 18 other 10th graders who were assessed at the school after one bus bringing the students home from a field trip rear-ended the other, Northern Valley Regional High School-Demarest principal James Santana said. Santana said that to the best of his knowledge everyone involved in the accident was in school on Tuesday and that assessing the students for "very minor injuries" was "more precautionary." The crash occurred at about 2 p.m. on the Palisades Interstate Parkway at Exit 11 southbound as the students were traveling back from a field trip at Woodmont Day Camp in New City, N.Y., where they completed team-building activities. The buses, which belonged to Rinaldi Transportation in Closter, were attempting to merge into traffic when the bus in front came to a stop. The bus in the rear struck the other, police said. "The driver failed to observe that the vehicle in front of him had stopped," said New York State Police spokesman Steven Nevel. Nevel said he couldn't provide the identities of the bus drivers. Rinaldi Transportation declined comment, but Santana said that the school frequently uses the company, which he called reliable. There was minor rear-end damage to one bus and minor front-end damage to the other, Nevel said. There were four teachers on the buses who were also evaluated, Santana said. Dozens of students injured in school bus crash on Palisades Interstate Parkway https://t.co/UrPeCGwNUv pic.twitter.com/q2sjPe4JBV Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) October 17, 2016 "I can't tell you how well our parents responded, our students, our staff," Santana said. "They were great, they stayed extra and made sure everything was okay." Santana said parents were told of the accident over the school's emergency response system that blasts messages over text, email and voicemail. The school followed up with parents throughout the day, Santana said. "It was an accident and these things happen," Santana said. "Thank god it wasn't serious." He said the school would cooperate with authorities in the investigation. Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde. WYCKOFF - A man who works as a driver for an online car service was arrested Monday and charged with sexually assaulting a passenger near the victim's home, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. Al-Quon Hopkins (BCPO) Al-Quon Hopkins, 31, of Paterson was arrested hours after Wyckoff police received a 911 call of a sexual assault that had just occurred near a residence early Monday, according to Acting Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal. The 27-year-old woman had used the car service to return to her home, where she was assaulted in the car in the area of her driveway, the prosecutor said. The initial 911 call was placed at 2 a.m. The investigation revealed Hopkins worked as a driver for an online car service the victim used, Grewal said. "Hopkins sexually assaulted the victim in the vicinity of the driveway of the victim's home," Grewal said in a statement. The prosecutor's office did not disclose the name of the car service. "We do not identify employers," said Maureen Parenta, spokeswoman for the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. Hopkins was charged with aggravated sexual assault and held on $250,000 full bail. His first appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Nov. 4 in Bergen County Central Judicial Processing Court. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. CAMDEN -- A Superior Court grand jury has indicted a mother and her boyfriend in the death of Ariana Smyth, who was not yet 2 years old when she died in July. Police arrested both Michael Disporto, 22, of Manahawkin, and Amber Bobo, 26, of Gloucester City, after Bobo's daughter died July 5 from severe internal injuries -- allegedly inflicted during a sexual assault by Disporto -- and brain trauma. While the two are being held on bail -- $1.5 million for Disporto and $100,000 for Bobo -- Camden County prosecutors have been presenting evidence about the case to a grand jury. The prosecutor's office announced Tuesday that the grand jury returned indictments against the couple on Oct. 6. Disporto was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder and first-degree aggravated sexual assault. Bobo was indicted on one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. At Disporto's arraignment in July, Camden County Assistant Prosector Christine Shah laid out the horrific details of what investigators believe happened to Ariana Smyth in her last days. Bobo allegedly told authorities that she had been dating Disporto for about two weeks before they picked up Ariana from her father's house in Cape May County July 2 and took her back to Bobo's home on South King Street in Gloucester City. That day and overnight, Disporto was alone with Ariana several times, Bobo told authorities, including taking her to the park alone to "get to know her better." Bobo found her daughter alone with Disporto on the couch and, upon unwrapping a blanket around the girl, found bruising on her forehead. Disporto denied knowing how she got hurt and refuse to let Bobo take her to the hospital, Shah said. The next morning, Bobo told investigators, she found bruising on her daughter's genitals. Again Disporto insisted they not take the girl to the hospital, Shah said. Instead, they went shopping at the Deptford Mall, returning home to change her clothes because she had started to vomit, and then going back to the mall. When her eyes started to roll back in her head, Bobo called for an ambulance, while Disporto again tried to talk her out of seeking medical attention. Ariana was unresponsive when EMTs arrived. After doctors at Cooper University Hospital could not detect any brain surgery, she was taken off life support, Shah said. A petition started after the arrests of Disporto and Bobo calls for Bobo to be charged with murder, as well as endangering her child. It has over 4,700 signatures. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NEWARK -- Authorities say a convicted felon from Blackwood arrested by federal agents Friday was behind a mortgage modification scheme that cheated California residents out of more than $1 million. Prosecutors say some of the victim's of Moses S. Hall's alleged mortgage modification scheme lost their homes. (File photo) Moses S. Hall, 60, who formerly had a law practice in Fullerton, Calif., was indicted by a federal grand jury there last week on one count of mail fraud, 13 counts of wire fraud and two tax offenses, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. Prosecutors say he convinced more than 75 distressed homeowners to turn over their mortgage payments to him, claiming he would use the funds to negotiate with the banks on their behalf. Instead, prosecutors say, Hall used the funds for himself, withdrawing more than $1 million from the bank accounts in which the victims deposited their payments. Some of the victims subsequently lost their homes, including one couple who prosecutors say gave Hall $400,000 for use in the purported negotiations. Hall spent all of those funds in only six months, and the couple lost their home to foreclosure, according to the statement. Hall is a previously convicted felon who served seven years in state prison before being admitted as an attorney in California, the statement said. Court papers say he previously was charged with homicide and later convicted of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Hall previously had been disbarred in California in 2012 for misconduct in "loan-modification matters," according to the statement. Prosecutors say he faces up to 284 years in federal prison if convicted of the charges. Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook. CAPE MAY POINT -- The nuns who own the century-old St. Mary by-the-Sea beachfront retreat a block from the Cape May Lighthouse may raze the massive building and let the land return to nature, according to a report. The Sisters of St. Joseph declined to say why they are thinking about knocking down the retreat house, PressofAtlanticCity.com reported. They would only say the idea is to "return this land to nature rather than use it for further development." The retreat house was built as the Shoreham Hotel in 1889 before flopping after less than 10 years. In 1898 it was sold and converted to nursing home only for African-Americans called "Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People." The Sisters of St. Joseph purchased the property in 1908 for $9,000. Its current assessed value is $4.1 million. St. Mary by-the-Sea has been in the hands of the sisters since then except for a five-year period during World War II when the U.S. Army leased it for $1 a year. The sprawling U-shaped building has more than 130 rooms, 1,200 feet of porches and faces both the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay. The Sisters of St. Joseph plan to hold onto their retreat house on Lehigh Avenue for at least five more years, the report said. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. billy-bush-leaves-today-nbc.jpg Billy Bush, a former 'Access Hollywood' anchor, had recently joined 'Today' full time. (Craig Barritt/Getty Images) Billy Bush is officially gone at "Today," according to multiple reports confirming his exit from the NBC morning show. His departure is the latest fallout from the Oct. 7 release of a recording of a lewd conversation between Bush and Donald Trump in 2005, when he was an anchor at "Access Hollywood." In hot mic audio obtained by the Washington Post, Bush can be heard making explicit remarks about women including "Days of Our Lives" actress Arianne Zucker. On a bus before a segment on the set of the soap opera, Trump tells Bush he tried to have sex with Nancy O'Dell, Bush's former co-anchor on the show, who was married, and that he kisses women without consent and grabs them by the genitals. When they pull up to the TV set, Bush asks Zucker to give Trump a hug, then asks for one for himself. When asked about the video at the second presidential debate, Trump referred to the conversation as "locker room talk." Word came on Oct. 9 that Bush, 45, who joined "Today" full time in August after Willie Geist left for the Sunday edition of the show, would be suspended from the show in light of the video's release. He never returned to "Today" after the video was made public. Bush, who had issued a written statement saying he "embarrassed and ashamed" of the recording but also "younger" and "less mature" when it happened, was reportedly in negotiations with NBC over the past few days on an exit settlement. NBC did not release details of the settlement. "Billy Bush will be leaving the Today show's 9 a.m. hour, effective today," reads a Monday memo from Noah Oppenheim, senior vice president at the show, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. "While he was a new member of the Today team, he was a valued colleague and longtime member of the broader NBC family. We wish him success as he goes forward." "I am deeply grateful for the conversations I've had with my daughters, and for all of the support from family, friends and colleagues," Bush said in his own statement. "I look forward to what lies ahead." The Hollywood Reporter, which reports that Bush was said to be making $3 million per year at NBC, cites sources at NBC News who claim he already had not been faring well at "Today" -- failing to mesh with existing on-air talent -- before the Trump conversation was made public. Trump, who later denied that he has forcibly kissed or groped women, has become the subject of allegations of sexual misconduct from women including former contestants in pageants he owned, a reporter and a woman who says she sat next to him on a plane. Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook. Iraqi forces are "ahead of schedule" in an offensive aimed at retaking Mosul and dealing a death blow to the Islamic State group, but the battle will be difficult and protracted, the Pentagon has said. The start of the long-awaited assault raised deep concerns for hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Iraq's second-largest city, with aid groups warning of a massive humanitarian crisis. Some 30,000 federal forces are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long assault on IS's last major Iraqi stronghold. Iraqi forces readied weapons and ammunition as columns of armoured vehicles headed towards Mosul from the town of Al-Shura, some 45 kilometres (30 miles) south of the city. The Pentagon said late Monday the operation had begun well but warned it would be a "difficult campaign that could take some time". A top US general earlier said it would take several weeks or even longer. "Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far, and that they are ahead of schedule for this first day," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had announced the beginning of the assault in a televised address earlier in the day. "Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh (IS)," Abadi said. IS seized control of large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in mid-2014, declaring a cross-border "caliphate" and committing widespread atrocities. The IS militants have suffered a string of territorial defeats this year in both countries, and the retaking of Mosul would all but end their presence in Iraq as a land-holding force. Iraqi forces have been closing in on Mosul in recent weeks but the battle begun Monday could be the toughest yet against IS. IS forces are vastly outnumbered, with the US military estimating 3,000 to 4,500 jihadists in and around Mosul. But they have had months to prepare and will seek to use hit-and-run tactics, ambushes, snipers, bombs, berms and trenches to slow down and bleed Iraqi forces. In an online statement after the assault began, IS claimed it launched a series of deadly suicide car bombings against Iraqi forces. Early Monday, federal forces moved from their main staging base of Qayyarah, south of Mosul, as peshmerga forces from the autonomous Kurdish region advanced from the east. Around 4,000 Kurdish peshmerga took part in a push to reclaim villages once inhabited by members of the Christian and Kakai minorities, a statement said. Several villages were promptly recaptured and peshmerga forces had moved to the edges of Qaraqosh and Bartalla, two Christian towns IS seized in August 2014, commanders said. The UN's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, told reporters that an exodus could begin within a week and some aid groups worried about preparedness. "It is estimated that as many as 200,000 people could flee from the city in these first weeks, though there are currently only 60,000 tents available in seven emergency camps," the International Rescue Committee said. In London, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Riyadh had urged Iraq's government not to let Shiite militias enter Sunni-majority Mosul, fearing "mass atrocities". "It could add fuel to the sectarian fires raging in the region and so we have urged the Iraqi government not to use the Shia militias. That is the greatest danger that we see," he said. Iraqi forces advancing on multiple fronts are some distance from Mosul and are expected to eventually take up positions on the city's edge and lay siege before breaching its boundaries and directly engaging die-hard jihadists. "This operation to regain control of Iraq's second-largest city will likely continue for weeks, possibly longer," warned Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition. Most of the coalition's support has come in the shape of air strikes and training, but US, French and British special forces are also on the ground to advise local troops. "This is a decisive moment in the campaign to deliver ISIL a lasting defeat," US Secretary of Defence Ash Carter said, using an alternative acronym for IS. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday indicated that Turkey would also play a role in the offensive despite concerns raised by Baghdad. As the biggest Iraqi military operation since the 2011 withdrawal of US troops unfolded, a Turkish delegation arrived in Baghdad for talks and coalition defence ministers agreed to meet in Paris on October 25 to take stock. IS once controlled more than a third of Iraq's territory but its self-proclaimed "state" has been shrinking steadily. It lost its emblematic bastion Fallujah in June, the Anbar provincial capital Ramadi months earlier and on Sunday Syrian rebels retook the town of Dabiq, which held special ideological significance for the group. If Mosul falls, only Raqa in Syria would remain as the last major city in either country under IS control. But even the recapture of Mosul will not mark the end of the war against IS, which is likely to increasingly turn to insurgent tactics as it loses more ground. Just hours after the offensive began, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing targeting an Iraqi army checkpoint south of Baghdad that killed at least 10 people.Iraqi forces are "ahead of schedule" in an offensive aimed at retaking Mosul and dealing a death blow to the Islamic State group, but the battle will be difficult and protracted, the Pentagon has said. The start of the long-awaited assault raised deep concerns for hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Iraq's second-largest city, with aid groups warning of a massive humanitarian crisis. Some 30,000 federal forces are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long assault on IS's last major Iraqi stronghold. Iraqi forces readied weapons and ammunition as columns of armoured vehicles headed towards Mosul from the town of Al-Shura, some 45 kilometres (30 miles) south of the city. The Pentagon said late Monday the operation had begun well but warned it would be a "difficult campaign that could take some time". A top US general earlier said it would take several weeks or even longer. "Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far, and that they are ahead of schedule for this first day," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had announced the beginning of the assault in a televised address earlier in the day. "Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh (IS)," Abadi said. IS seized control of large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in mid-2014, declaring a cross-border "caliphate" and committing widespread atrocities. The jihadists have suffered a string of territorial defeats this year in both countries, and the retaking of Mosul would all but end their presence in Iraq as a land-holding force. Iraqi forces have been closing in on Mosul in recent weeks but the battle begun Monday could be the toughest yet against IS. IS forces are vastly outnumbered, with the US military estimating 3,000 to 4,500 jihadists in and around Mosul. But they have had months to prepare and will seek to use hit-and-run tactics, ambushes, snipers, bombs, berms and trenches to slow down and bleed Iraqi forces. In an online statement after the assault began, IS claimed it launched a series of deadly suicide car bombings against Iraqi forces. Early Monday, federal forces moved from their main staging base of Qayyarah, south of Mosul, as peshmerga forces from the autonomous Kurdish region advanced from the east. Around 4,000 Kurdish peshmerga took part in a push to reclaim villages once inhabited by members of the Christian and Kakai minorities, a statement said. Several villages were promptly recaptured and peshmerga forces had moved to the edges of Qaraqosh and Bartalla, two Christian towns IS seized in August 2014, commanders said. The UN's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, told reporters that an exodus could begin within a week and some aid groups worried about preparedness. "It is estimated that as many as 200,000 people could flee from the city in these first weeks, though there are currently only 60,000 tents available in seven emergency camps," the International Rescue Committee said. In London, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Riyadh had urged Iraq's government not to let Shia militias enter Sunni-majority Mosul, fearing "mass atrocities". "It could add fuel to the sectarian fires raging in the region and so we have urged the Iraqi government not to use the Shia militias. That is the greatest danger that we see," he said. Iraqi forces advancing on multiple fronts are some distance from Mosul and are expected to eventually take up positions on the city's edge and lay siege before breaching its boundaries and directly engaging die-hard jihadists. "This operation to regain control of Iraq's second-largest city will likely continue for weeks, possibly longer," warned Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition. Most of the coalition's support has come in the shape of air strikes and training, but US, French and British special forces are also on the ground to advise local troops. "This is a decisive moment in the campaign to deliver ISIL a lasting defeat," US Secretary of Defence Ash Carter said, using an alternative acronym for IS. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday indicated that Turkey would also play a role in the offensive despite concerns raised by Baghdad. As the biggest Iraqi military operation since the 2011 withdrawal of US troops unfolded, a Turkish delegation arrived in Baghdad for talks and coalition defence ministers agreed to meet in Paris on October 25 to take stock. IS once controlled more than a third of Iraq's territory but its self-proclaimed "state" has been shrinking steadily. It lost its emblematic bastion Fallujah in June, the Anbar provincial capital Ramadi months earlier and on Sunday Syrian rebels retook the town of Dabiq, which held special ideological significance for the group. If Mosul falls, only Raqa in Syria would remain as the last major city in either country under IS control. But even the recapture of Mosul will not mark the end of the war against IS, which is likely to increasingly turn to insurgent tactics as it loses more ground. Just hours after the offensive began, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing targeting an Iraqi army checkpoint south of Baghdad that killed at least 10 people. Search Keywords: Short link: -- A 10-foot-tall, glass-and-chrome digital kiosk will soon be erected at Prudential Drive and Broad Street and could enhance the lives of residents, workers and visitors to the city, according to officials. "This is the next generation's pay phone, or next two generations'," Jeff Knapp, CEO of SmartConnect, a California-based technology firm that is working on data collection censors for the kiosks. Knapp was among dozens of city officials, tech company executives and academics present for the unveiling of the kiosk prototype at New Jersey Institute of Technology on Monday afternoon. Officials say there will be up to 50 such structures throughout Newark, serving as electronic message boards, public internet browsers and, eventually, data collection stations for traffic, weather, security threats and other information. At first, the kiosks will act as digital message boards, streaming information on large video screens about local concerts, art shows, rallies or other public events, as well as commercial advertising with a local bent, said Seth Wainer, the city's chief information officer. The kiosk, designed by Ali Faraji of the Manhattan web development firm Aptinet, will also serve as a free, Android-driven internet browser, letting members of the public use a touch screen to log onto and surf the city's home page, Google, or any other site. Additional space is available inside the towering kiosk to allow the addition of new technology, which officials said could include everything from scene or facial recognition to detect terror threats or criminal suspects, to wind direction and traffic data to calculate neighborhood air quality. They could also adopt technologies that may not exist just yet. "Yogi Berra said 'It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future,' " said Donald Sebastian, president of NJIT. The kiosks will be one of the first, and perhaps most visible projects of Brand Newark, a local program launched by Mayor Ras Baraka under President Obama's Smart Cities initiative. Wainer, who went to work for Newark after serving in the Obama Administration, said at least 20 of the kiosks and as many as 50 of them would be erected in all areas of the city by the end of 2017. Wainer said the cost of the kiosk project was not available. The high visibility of the kiosks, combined with their very real digital capabilities, is intended to give residents of Newark, as well as visitors and people who work there, a palpable sense that they are in a high-tech city of the future. Baraka, who did not attend the unveiling, said in a statement that the kiosks were "a way that the neighborhoods can feel like this innovation is all around them and they are part of it." The favorites menu atop the touch screen includes an icon for WBGO, Newark's public radio station known for its jazz music. Clicking on the the icon will take the user to the station's home page, and the kiosk will play jazz on its exterior speakers. BrandNewark is part of the MetroLab Network, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that grew out of the Smart Cities initiative, which partners local governments with universities to harness technology in order to provide new or better public service. Newark is one of 38 cities nationwide, plus four counties, and a total 51 universities, that belong to the network, and the only member-city in New Jersey. IBM and Bell Labs Nokia are other tech firms that will help develop the kiosks' future capabilities, and MetroLab's interim director, Ben Levine, told the gathering that Newark had shown itself to be one of MetroLab's more enlightened city-members by inviting participation of corporate citizens as well as academia to take part in its first big initiative. "This model is the right model," he said. The event was hosted by the New Jersey Innovation Institute, an NJIT non-profit corporation that helps develop technology into commercial products and public services. Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook. The EU's security commissioner warned Tuesday that Europe must be prepared for a new influx of Islamic State jihadists if Iraqi forces retake the group's stronghold of Mosul. "The retaking of the IS' northern Iraq stronghold, Mosul, may lead to the return to Europe of violent IS-fighters," Julian King told Die Welt daily in remarks published in German. He said even a handful of jihadists returning would pose a "serious threat that we must prepare ourselves for". Iraqi forces are advancing in an offensive aimed at retaking Mosul and dealing a death blow to the IS group's "caliphate" in the city where it was declared two years ago. Some 30,000 federal forces are leading the offensive, backed by air and ground support from a 60-nation US-led coalition, in what is expected to be a long and difficult assault on IS's last major Iraqi stronghold. The jihadists have suffered a string of territorial defeats this year in both countries, and the retaking of Mosul would all but end their presence in Iraq as a land-holding force. Search Keywords: Short link: The UN hailed an announcement Tuesday that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo, but said it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with aid. "We remain of course pleased if there is a reduction in fighting ... because it will protect civilians," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, told reporters. But he stressed that "when the weapons fall silent, we need all weapons to fall silent," before "critical humanitarian assistance can be provided to the area and the sick and the wounded can be evacuated." "We need to have assurances from all parties to the conflict. Not just a unilateral announcement that this will happen," he said, without revealing if the UN had received security assurances from any of the sides in the conflict. Laerke's comments came after the Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russian and Syrian air forces had stopped bombing Aleppo as of 0700 GMT, in a move he said was meant to pave the way for an eight-hour truce on Thursday. Shoigu said the "humanitarian pause" on Thursday would allow civilians to exit through six corridors and would make it possible to evacuate the sick and wounded from eastern Aleppo. The UN and European Union welcomed the announcement, but said the planned pause in fighting needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. "We continue to call for a 48-hour pause," Laerke said. "The UN has a plan to evacuate the sick and wounded from eastern Aleppo, but has not been involved with any negotiations" around the Russian announcement, he said. "Movement of civilians must be done on a safe, dignified and voluntary basis, and should not be mixed with the UN plan to evacuate the sick and wounded," he said. Once Syria's thriving commercial hub, Aleppo has been ravaged by air raids and intensifying clashes as regime forces fight to capture the rebel-held east. Russian air support for the onslaught -- which has destroyed hospitals and other civilian infrastructure -- has spurred accusations of potential war crimes. More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's war devolved from a widespread protest movement against Assad's rule in March 2011 to a multi-front war between rebels, jihadists, Kurds and regime forces. Search Keywords: Short link: US-HOLIDAY-HALLOWEEN Halloween costumes and props, including a "scary" clown mask, are seen for sale at a party store in this file photo. (AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) TRENTON -- They can appear in the dark of night and vanish just as quickly. The state's consumer watchdog agency on Tuesday issued an alert reminding New Jersey shoppers to beware the pop-up Halloween store, the bare-bones temporary retail outlet that peddles masks and capes each fall. "We want consumers to be aware that these 'pop-up' stores come and go in a flash, so shoppers need to be extra careful when making purchases," Attorney General Christopher Porrino said in a statement. "Know what questions to ask to avoid getting shortchanged." The multi-billion-dollar Halloween costume and decoration industry makes its money in a frenzied few weeks before October 31 each year, and authorities at the state Division of Consumer Affairs say that creates potential for abuse. "When a consumer returns to a store to complain about a defective item and finds the merchant has packed up and left without a trace, there is not much hope of getting a refund," said Steve Lee, the division's director. A task force of investigators from the Office of Consumer Protection recently fanned out across the state to inspect 23 pop-up shops for violations, but found none, Lee said. Still, the agency says customers should remain vigilant. Among the tips they offer: * Ask store personnel how long the store will stay open and how to contact them after they leave. Unclear answers are a "red flag," authorities said. * Ask for details of their return policy and fully inspect merchandize before leaving the store. * Save all your receipts and pay by credit card so you can dispute the charges if the items aren't what was advertised, and try to shop at stores that are established and have returned year after year. State law requires merchants to clearly label prices and post their refund policies in a clearly visible place. Anyone stiffed, tricked or spooked by these stores can file a complaint at the division's website, njconsumeraffairs.gov, or by calling 1-800-242-5846. S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook. TRENTON -- Phil Murphy has added yet another county endorsement in his sudden rise as the Democratic front-runner to succeed Republican Gov. Chris Christie next year. Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and U.S. ambassador to Germany, announced Tuesday that he nabbed the support of Union County Democratic Chairman Jerry Green. Green, also a veteran member of the state Assembly, said Murphy has "the leadership, the ideas, and the temperament needed to turn our state around and turn the page from Chris Christie." "New Jersey needs to restore its place as a progressive state with responsible and strong leadership," Green added in a statement. "Phil will be the governor who can get us back to where we belong." It's the latest in a string of endorsements Murphy -- a wealthy Middletown resident -- has received from county chairs in the central and northern parts of New Jersey over the last few weeks. Of the counties north of Interstate 95, only Somerset County's chairwoman has yet to back Murphy. The momentum has caused three of Murphy's predicted primary opponents -- Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), and state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) -- to say they won't enter the race after all. Tuesday's endorsement comes less than a week after Lesniak, a veteran Union County lawmaker, withdrew his name, likely paving the way for Green to support Murphy. Though experts say Murphy is the clear front-runner for the Democratic nomination, he is likely to face some opposition in the party's primary. Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) has formed a committee to explore a run and state Investment Council Chairman Tom Byrne is weighing a campaign. Murphy said Tuesday that he's "humbled" to have Green's support. "Union County is one of our state's great melting pots, and every single family deserves a governor who will have their back and focus on them," he said. Experts say whoever wins the Democratic nod is the favorite to win next year's race, considering New Jersey is a heavily Democratic state and Republican Christie currently has an approval rating in the 20s. Christie's second term is up in January 2018. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. TRENTON -- One of the bankruptcies filed by Donald Trump's former Atlantic City casinos caused his employees there to collectively lose millions of dollars in retirements savings while he made millions of his own, according to a report by Mother Jones. The report cited a class-action lawsuit filed by employees against Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts after the company's 2004 bankruptcy. According to the suit, the business founded by Trump -- now the Republican presidential nominee -- encouraged its employees to to invest their retirement savings in company stock between 1996 and 2004, the report said. Then, the company forced employees to sell their stock at a large loss when the stock price plummeted as bankruptcy neared, according to the report. The lawsuit says more than 400 employees lost more than $2 million from their retirement accounts, the report said. Five longtime employees -- four from the Trump Plaza and one from Trump Marina -- filed the suit in 2005, according to the report. It alleged that the committee in charge of the retirement plan breached its fiduciary duty by forcing the complete liquidation of employee-held stock when its value was at a low, the report said. Trump had no personal involvement in the committee, according to the report. Still, he was the largest shareholder of the company at the time and was in charge of its operations. A federal judge in New Jersey ultimately dismissed the lawsuit, finding the company took no illegal actions, according to the report. But the ruling did not dispute the extent of the employees' losses, the report said. Trump, meanwhile, kept a $2 million annual salary after the company emerged from the bankruptcy, according to the report. A spokeswoman for Trump's campaign did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the report. Trump's company filed for bankruptcy protection five times in the 25 years he owned Atlantic City casinos. Many contractors have also alleged that they were paid little of what they owed in the end. Trump -- who owned or operated as many as four casinos in the iconic seaside gambling resort from 1984 to 2009 -- has repeatedly argued that he simply used the nation's bankruptcy laws to his advantage while his properties struggled. He resigned as chairman of the company's board in 2009 amid the fifth bankruptcy. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Turkish air force jets have taken part in the coalition's air operation supporting Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga to retake Iraq's second city of Mosul from IS group, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Tuesday. "Our air forces have taken part in the coalition forces' air operations in Mosul," Yildirim told his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group in Ankara, without giving further details. The long-awaited offensive began Monday with air and ground support from a US-led coalition. Turkish Air Force Jets Search Keywords: Short link: The United Nations has announced a new ceasefire in war-ravaged Yemen from early Thursday, after a week of escalated fighting sparked new international calls to end the conflict. While President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government and its Saudi backers said they would support the truce, there has been no word from the Iran-backed rebels who control the capital Sanaa and other areas of the Arabian Peninsula country. A cessation of hostilities that first went into effect in April "will re-enter into force at 23:59 Yemen time (2059 GMT) on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal", UN special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement late Monday. Yemen has been rocked by war since the Shia Houthi rebels and allied forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh overran Sanaa in September 2014. The conflict escalated after a Saudi-led Arab coalition began a campaign against the rebels in March 2015. The UN says the fighting has since killed almost 6,900 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million, with civilians paying the heaviest price amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. UNICEF's representative in Sanaa, Mohammed al-Assadi, told reporters Sunday that "10 million" children in Yemen need "water, food, medicine, social protection, and general services". The United States, Britain and the UN peace envoy on Sunday urged the warring parties in Yemen's civil war to declare a ceasefire. Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mekhlafi welcomed the truce which he said will be extended if the rebels adhere to it, activate a truce observing committee, end a months-long siege of Taez and allow "unrestricted" humanitarian aid into the loyalist-controlled third city. Before the UN announcement, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir also said Riyadh was in favour of a truce if the rebels respect it, the daily Asharq al-Awsat reported. Search Keywords: Short link: WASHINGTON (AP) The House Jan. 6 committee plans to unveil "surprising" details at its next public hearing about the 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol. The session Thursday afternoon is likely to be the last public hearing before midterm elections next month. The panel is expected to include new evidence from the U.S. Secret Service about its actions with Donald Trump that day. Ahead of a report later this year, the panel is summing up its findings. The committee says Trump, after he lost the 2020 presidential election, launched an unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory. They say the result was the deadly mob siege of the Capitol. The UN cultural agency on Tuesday adopted an Arab-sponsored resolution that affirms Muslim ties to the Old City of east Jerusalem by referring to it only by its Islamic names as "Al-Aqsa Compound" or "Al-Haram Al-Sharif." A spokesman for Paris-based UNESCO said the resolution, which has caused Israel to suspend its cooperation with the agency, was adopted without a new vote after being approved at the committee stage last week. The resolution, which was passed Thursday at the committee level, is sponsored by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan. The text, which also denounces Israel for restricting Muslim access to the holy site and for aggression by Israeli occupation forces and Jewish settler groups, has infuriated Israel leading to suspend cooperation with UNESCO Friday saying the resolution denies the "historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem." Israelis refer to the area that encompasses Al-Aqsa Mosque as the "Temple Mount," saying it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times. Palestine's deputy ambassador to UNESCO, Mounir Anastas, told reporters the resolution "reminds Israel that they are the occupying power in east Jerusalem and it asks them to stop all their violations," including archaeological excavations around religious sites. UNESCO's draft resolution, entitled "Occupied Palestine," strongly condemns "escalating Israeli aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims access to their Holy Site Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, and requests Israel, the Occupying Power, to respect the historic status quo and to immediately stop these measures." In the past year, Israeli authorities allowed increasing numbers of Jewish settlers to access and storm Al-Aqsa compund while restricting Muslims' entrance. After Thursday's vote, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the UNESCO resolution, while Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu dubbed the resolution "absurd," AFP reported. On the Gaza Strip, this resolution "deeply deplores the new cycle of violence, going on since October 2015, in the context of the constant aggressions by Israeli settlers and other extremist groups against Palestinian residents, including school children, also asks the Israeli authorities to prevent such aggressions." Since October 2015, Israel's deadly use of force against Palestinian protests in Gaza and the West Bank has killed 230 Palestinians. It is the second time this year that UNESCO angered Israel. In April, the organization passed a resolution condemning "Israeli aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims' access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque". Al-Aqsa Compound is the third holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 war. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state, a move never recognised by the international community. Search Keywords: Short link: Currently in New Orleans 63 Clear 74 / 60 Community Its now easier than ever to connect and chat with others in your local area. You can connect with your community by asking general questions, give area updates and recommendations and even let your community know about local events that are taking place. The US State Department voiced skepticism Tuesday over a temporary ceasefire called by Russia in Aleppo, although Washington welcomed the break in the bombardment of the war-scarred Syrian city. "Certainly we're gratified to hear the reports that there might have been a reduction here in the violence," State Department spokesman John Kirby told CNN, a day after Moscow announced the truce. "It's a little too soon to tell how genuine this is and how long it's going to last. We've seen these kinds of commitments and promises before. And we've seen them broken. We're watching this very carefully," Kirby said. "Now we have to see if they can actually put the muscle behind it." Russia announced an eight-hour ceasefire in Aleppo commencing at 0500 GMT on Thursday to allow time for Syrian civilians to flee the besieged city and to permit humanitarian workers to deliver aid. But they halted air strikes on Tuesday, in what the Kremlin said was a "goodwill" gesture, amid mounting criticism of Russia for backing the brutal regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The United Nations repeatedly has called for 48-hour weekly pauses in the bombing to allow aid convoys to reach besieged civilians living in Aleppo. Syria's second city, held by rebels determined to oust Assad, has come under heavy bombardment since the Russia-backed military announced an offensive in late September to regain control of the east. Air strikes in the city have flattened numerous residential buildings and civilian facilities, in a bombing campaign the European Union warned could amount to war crimes. Search Keywords: Short link: President Barack Obama warned Tuesday of a tough battle ahead as Iraqi forces backed by a US-led coalition advance on Mosul to wrest the city from the Islamic State group. "Mosul will be a difficult fight. There will be advances and there will be setbacks," the US leader told a joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on day two of the operation in northern Iraq. Search Keywords: Short link: A drone strike killed eight suspected members of Al-Qaeda in south Yemen late Tuesday, security sources said. The strike hit two vehicles carrying the suspected militants in Shabwa province, killing six instantly while two died later of their wounds, the sources said. Six other alleged jihadists escaped a second air raid that missed two more vehicles in the same convoy, they added. Washington is the only government to operate drones over Yemen, but the United States only sporadically releases statements on its long-running bombing campaign against the country's powerful Al-Qaeda branch. The United States considers Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based franchise, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to be its most dangerous. AQAP and the Islamic State group have exploited a power vacuum created by the conflict between the government and Shiite Huthi rebels to expand their presence in Yemen, especially in the south and southeast. Search Keywords: Short link: An Iranian-American businessman and his 80-year-old father have been given 10 years in prison for espionage, Tehran's prosecutor said Tuesday, prompting the United States to demand their release. "Baquer and Siamak Namazi... have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage and collaboration with the American government," said prosecutor-general Abbas Jafari Dolat-Abadi, according to the Fars news agency. Siamak Namazi, a well-connected business consultant who has supported reformist politicians in Iran, was arrested as he arrived in Tehran a year ago. His father, Baquer, was detained in February when he came to Iran to seek his son's release. He is a former employee of the UN Children's Fund, or UNICEF, and served as a governor of the Iranian province of Khuzestan before the Islamic revolution of 1979. The United States demanded the release of the Namazis. "We are deeply concerned about reports that US citizens Siamak Namazi and Baquer Namazi have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. "We join recent calls by international organisations and UN human rights experts for the immediate release of all US citizens unjustly detained in Iran, including Siamak and Baquer Namazi, so that they can return to their families." The US also expressed concerns about reporters of the "declining health" of Baquer Namazi. UNICEF voiced its "deep sadness and personal concern" over the sentence, appealing for the release of the elder Namazi on humanitarian grounds. Fars said four others -- Farhad Abd-Saleh, Kamran Ghaderi, Nezar Zaka and Alireza Omidvar -- had also been sentenced to 10 years in jail. Zaka is the Lebanese-American arrested in November 2015 and accused on state television of "numerous deep links to the US military intelligence community". The hardline Kayhan newspaper has described Omidvar as an "associate" of Namazi. Conservative media have criticised Siamak Namazi's links to the National Iranian American Council, a Washington-based NGO created by Iranian nationals aimed at boosting ties between the two countries. At the time of his arrest last year, he was working for Crescent Petroleum, an energy firm based in the United Arab Emirates, which is involved in an ongoing legal dispute with Iran over a failed gas deal, and is seeking billions of dollars in compensation. Video footage of Namazi's arrest was published by Mizan, which is linked to the judiciary, earlier this week. It was presented with dramatic music alongside images of his US passport and shots of Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian who spent two years in prison on espionage charges. Mizan published a long article in February, criticising the Namazi family's efforts to "influence internal events in Iran" through its financial contributions to NGOs. It also criticised their role in promoting ties between Iranian and Western businesses during the rule of reformist president Mohammad Khatami. Rezaian was released in January at the same time as a nuclear accord with world powers came into force, lifting sanctions on Iran. Washington helped to airlift $400 million worth of Swiss francs and euros to Iran shortly afterwards -- part of the money owed by the US because it cancelled defence sales at the time of the revolution. The White House has denied accusations from hardline critics that this amounted to a hostage ransom for Rezaian and four others released at the same time. In its statement, the State Department also raised the case of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent and ex-CIA contractor who went missing on Iran's Kish Island in 2007. "We also respectfully underscore the importance of Iran cooperating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Mr Robert Levinson," Toner said. "As President (Barack) Obama stated last January, we will not rest until the Levinson family is whole again." Search Keywords: Short link: A graduate of Julliard, Molly Yeh was a percussionist as well as a food blogger living in New York who fell in love with trombonist. But he also happened to be a 5th generation farmer and before long, in kind of a Green Acres sort of way, they packed up and headed to his family farm in East Grand Forks, Minnesota. Now Yeh spends her days baking, cooking, tending chickens and blogging about it all on my name is yeh, named Saveurs 2015 Blog of the Year and Yahoos 2014 Blog of the Year. In her just released first book, Molly on the Range: Recipes and Stories from an Unlikely Life on a Farm (Oct 4, 2016; Rodale Books) Yeh shares stories about her life as a modern day Pioneer Woman along with recipes inspired by her Chinese and Jewish heritage, suburban 90s upbringing, her worldwide travels and her new Midwestern farm life. We learn about how she goes about getting acclimated to her new life - from learning intr! icate family recipes (she finally got the hang of lefse), gaining appreciation for Midwestern specialties (like rhubarb and venison), cooking for the Ladies of Grand Forks Brunch Club, preparing the perfect farm lunch during harvest season, and becoming a cake genius with the beautiful dreamy cakes made famous on her Instagram. Her book is divided into four parts including Breakfast and Brunch, Mains, Celebrations, and Desserts where Molly weaves in recipes that represent and are inspired by distinct points in her life, including her childhood in the suburbs of Chicago where she essentially existed on Lunchables, Handi-Snacks, mac n cheese, Mums Matzo Brei, pancakes and sausage on a stick, smoky bacon mac and cheese, and Lindsay Lohan Oreos. Yeh will be in Chicago for Books & Brunch with Molly Yeh (Includes admission, Two Tasties and copy of the book) on Sunday, Oct. 16. Doors open at 11 a.m., and the event starts at 1 p.m. It will be held at City Chicago Winery. Drunken! Zucchini Noodles 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 tablespoon Thai chili oil 1 tablespoon Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil 8 ounces ground pork 2 small shallots, minced 1 medium garlic clove, minced 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips 2 thinly sliced scallions 2 medium zucchini, spiralized with blade a 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil leaves Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. add the hoisin, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili oil, and fish sauce and heat for about 2 minutes. transfer to a bowl. Add the coconut oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering. add the pork and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or so, until cooked through and browned. add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Return the sauce mixture to the skillet and add the bell pepper and scallions. cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. add the zucchini noodles and cook 2-3 more minutes or until the zucchini noodles soften. fold in the basil leaves, taste and adjust sauces if desired. DETROIT Ford Motor Co. is cutting production as U.S. demand for new vehicles slows, but so far, its rivals arent doing the same. Ford said Tuesday it will temporarily idle four of its North American assembly plants this month to better align production with demand. Ford has scheduled one-week closures for plants in Kansas City, Missouri, and Hermosillo and Cuatitlan, Mexico. Those plants make the F-150 pickup truck, the Fusion sedan and the Fiesta subcompact. It also scheduled two weeks of down time for its Louisville, Kentucky, plant, which makes the Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC small SUVs. The production cuts are not expected to affect the Chicago Assembly Plant in Hegwisch nor the Chicago Stamping Plant in Chicago Heights. After six straight years of growth, U.S. sales of new vehicles are slowing. In the first nine months of this year, U.S. sales totaled 13.1 million new vehicles, up less than 1 percent from 2015. This is a roller coaster thats gone to the top, said Mike Harley, an analyst with Kelley Blue Book. I wouldnt be surprised if other automakers follow suit. But sales are still near last years record-high levels, and so far, Fords chief rivals are sticking to their production plans. General Motors Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles both said Tuesday that all of their plants are operating normally. Toyota Motor Corp. said last month that it plans to increase production of Tacoma pickup trucks at its plant in Baja California, Mexico. Toyota is adding 400 workers and investing $150 million in the plant by 2018. Dearborn-based Ford warned in July that U.S. sales to individual, non-fleet buyers would likely decline in the second half of this year. Pent-up demand that accumulated during the recession has been satisfied. At the same time, more used cars are hitting the market, competing with new cars for buyers attention. Harley said automakers have to trim extra inventory when theres nowhere else to put it. In September, Ford had 78 days supply of vehicles on dealers lots, while its luxury Lincoln brand had 101 days supply, according to Wards AutoInfoBank. The industry average was 65 days. You need to turn off the faucet so you dont flood the yard, Harley said. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy NEW YORK Same-sex marriage is now the law of the land, but there are other battlegrounds related to civil rights and nondiscrimination protections for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people. Two polarizing questions: What sort of access should transgender people have to public bathrooms? And do LGBT rights infringe on some Americans religious freedom? Where they stand Hillary Clinton is a staunch supporter of LGBT rights; she has endorsed the Equality Act, a proposed federal law that would provide comprehensive protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Donald Trump says he would be a better president for gays than Clinton, yet major LGBT-rights groups strongly oppose him. Among the reasons: He has balked at endorsing same-sex marriage, his evangelical advisory board has included prominent opponents of advances in LGBT rights and running mate Mike Pence, Indianas governor, last year signed a law that critics said would allow businesses to deny service to gay people for religious reasons. Gary Johnson singled out Utah as a state that got it right on LGBT issues, according to his website. In a compromise worked out among religious leaders, lawmakers and members of the LGBT community, Utah enacted a law making clear that discrimination in employment, housing, and government services is illegal. At the same time, the law granted common sense protections to insure that the legitimate First Amendment rights of individuals and religious organizations cannot be put at risk, the website said. Why it matters Whoever wins the presidency can only do so much to influence national LGBT-rights policies, unless, perhaps, the winners party sweeps control of Congress. The proposed Equality Act is unlikely to advance through a Republican-controlled House, even if Clinton wins. And the nationwide legality of same-sex marriage is unlikely to be threatened, though some conservatives cling to hopes that a Supreme Court reconfigured by Trump appointees might reverse the 2015 ruling extending that right to all 50 states. On some fronts, however, the outcome of the presidential race could have a major impact for example, in how aggressively federal agencies work to expand LGBT rights. Clinton would probably maintain or intensify the Obama administrations efforts to bolster transgender rights. This could mean pressure on school districts to let transgender students use school bathrooms based on their gender identity. Some transgender students have become activists on this issue, saying they face harassment and discomfort if forced to use bathrooms on the basis of the sex on their birth certificate. Theres also the matter of judicial appointments. Thus far, federal judges have generally been unsympathetic to arguments that certain types of anti-LGBT discrimination are permissible if in accordance with a persons religious beliefs. Trump has told conservatives hed place a high priority on religious liberty. At the state level, the election could have important repercussions for LGBT issues. In Indiana, Pences decision to forgo a second term to run for vice president boosts Democratic hopes of winning the race for governor. The Democratic candidate, former House Speaker John Gregg, has vowed to push for full LGBT civil rights if elected; at present Indiana is one of 28 states with no statewide nondiscrimination protections for gays and lesbians. The Taliban and senior Afghan government officials have held two secret meetings since September in Qatar in a bid to restart long-stalled peace negotiations, sources said Tuesday. An official in the National Unity Government in Kabul told AFP that the two rounds of discussions took place in Doha, where the Taliban maintain a political office. Britain's The Guardian newspaper said the talks were attended by Mullah Abdull Manan Akhund, brother of Taliban founder and long-time leader Mullah Omar who died in 2013. A senior American diplomat was also present in the Qatar meetings, the newspaper said citing a Taliban official. The Taliban and the US government have so far not commented officially on the development. The outcome of the September meeting was not clear but a Taliban source told the newspaper that it "went positively and was held in a trouble-free atmosphere". A second dialogue was held this month despite intensified nationwide fighting between insurgents and US-backed Afghan troops. The meetings come after Pakistan -- the Taliban's historic backers -- hosted several rounds of international talks over the last year to jumpstart peace negotiations, which yielded little progress. The dialogue process ground to a complete halt when the US killed former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in May. The insurgency has shown stubborn resilience under new Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, attacking northern Kunduz city for a second time and threatening the capital of the southern opium-rich province of Helmand. Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, Afghanistan's intelligence chief, and National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar attended one of the Qatar meetings, local Tolo television said citing a presidential palace source. "In Afghanistan war and peace go hand in hand," another Afghan official told AFP, confirming the Qatar meetings. "While the government is fighting the Taliban we are simultaneously trying to talk to them. The purpose of these meetings is to find ways to end the 15-year insurgency," he added. The official did not say if a new round of discussions would happen, but hinted that the dialogue process could accelerate in the winter months, when fighting usually ebbs. No Pakistani officials were present in the latest talks, sources said. Search Keywords: Short link: LAPORTE A day of fishing in LaPorte ended with a Gary area man rescuing his girlfriend from inside the water-filled cab of their SUV that rolled backward into the lake. Had the drivers side window been completely shut, reaching her might have been impossible because of the electric windows. I thought she was gone, man, said James Fraught, 54. Fraught said he and his live-in girlfriend, Tonya Beaver, 39, came in from crappie fishing Friday at Pine Lake. He had just put his 17-foot bass boat on the trailer when Beaver behind the wheel of a Cadillac Escalade pushed on the gas pedal to start pulling the boat and trailer up the ramp across from Fays Marina. Fraught said the ramp was covered in mold and slick, and the tires were unable to get traction. He shouted for her to place the vehicle into 4-wheel drive to gain more traction. Fraught said she apparently panicked, and the vehicle now out of gear rolled into the lake. Beaver was holding her breath in the completely submerged cab as Fraught climbed on the roof and reached in. He grabbed her shoulders by the coat she was wearing and, helped by a rush of adrenaline, he said, managed to pull her up and out the opening in the window. Fraught said things were happening so fast he didnt know how long it took to pull her out. But, according to police, the woman refused medical attention, complaining only of being cold. She didnt understand how she got through that crack in the window. I said I really had no choice. I just yanked her out, Fraught said. Beaver was bruised across the front of her legs, and despite being shaken up all weekend, returned to work Monday, he said. Fraught said they go fishing throughout Northwest Indiana and usually get to Pine Lake several times a year. She thought she was goner. I did, too. She said when (the SUV) went under, the water hit her like a brick wall, Fraught said. INDIANAPOLIS Solving a problem as intractable as infant mortality is going to require thinking outside the box. Thats what several of the presenters at Mondays annual Indiana infant mortality summit are doing, by working with agencies outside the traditional health care setting. Who can be your local partners? asked Kathy Martin, coordinator of the Baby & Me Tobacco Free program for the Healthy Communities of Clinton County Coalition in Frankfort, Indiana. The local school? The police? The fire department? The sheriffs office? Indiana perennially ranks among the top 10 states with the highest infant mortality rates, with more than seven infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. Every year, about 600 Hoosiers dont make it to their first birthdays. In 2013, Gov. Mike Pence made reducing the number of infant deaths the states top public health priority. The inaugural Labor of Love summit was held that same year. Indiana is on a single-minded mission to reduce our infant mortality rate, said Dr. Jennifer Walthall, deputy health commissioner for the state of Indiana. An estimated 15 percent of the infant deaths in Indiana are due to unsafe sleep. Several fire and emergency medical departments from across the state attended a training Monday to address that issue. Capt. James Carroll of Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue trained them in his agencys Direct On-Scene Education, or DOSE, program. That initiative teaches first responders to be on the lookout for unsafe infant sleeping conditions and educate parents on safe sleep, providing them them with cribs and baby sleep sacks if need be. He preached the so-called ABCs of safe sleep: that infants should always sleep alone, on their backs, in a crib. To get that point across, he showed autopsy photos of babies who suffocated, either because their parents put them to sleep on their bellies or rolled over on them. Carroll said first responders have a unique opportunity that most health care and social service providers dont: We go into homes. Cradle Cincinnati, a collaborative dedicated to reducing infant mortality whose executive director spoke Monday, has a bevy of nontraditional partners. It works with artists and architects to make health center patient rooms more visually appealing. It enlists poets to write poems with moms who have lost infants. It gives presentations to large employers. It has florists donate flowers to give to expectant mothers for going to prenatal visits. Its safe sleep messaging is displayed in the diaper aisles of local grocery stores. Ryan Adcock, the executive director of Cradle Cincinnati, says he wants to get that citys infant mortality rate to zero. I dont want a goal that says Im still OK with babies dying, he said. There are many construction projects in Downtown Brooklyn right now but one complex stands out from the rest. Its size and signage are hard to miss. Borough reporter Jeanine Ramirez has an update on City Point. It's called City Point, but many of the signs throughout the mega retail, restaurant and residential complex highlight its ties to Brooklyn. "We really tried to link this project with really the retail and food explosion that's been happening in the neighborhoods around Downtown Brooklyn for many years," said Paul Travis, President of Washington Square Partners. The food hall will feature 40 vendors when construction is completed. It will be anchored by Katz' Deli the famous eatery's first outpost outside Manhattan. The discount department store Century 21 is the first retailer to open here. It is the second largest in the 11-store chain after its flagship across from the World Trade Center site. But this one, serves Brooklyn Roasting Company coffee. "Not wanting to go with a national brand we wanted something that was unique and something unique and artisanal and truly Brooklyn," said Larry Mentzer, Chief Revenue Officer for Century 21. Alamo Drafthouse, based in Austin, Texas, opens here next the first New York City location for the combo bar, multiplex theater and restaurant chain. "One of the things we're trying to do here is to make this busy from 7 in the morning when the food hall opens until 1 in the morning when the movie theater closes," said Travis. "Downtown Brooklyn can be really quiet at night and I think we're really going to change that." Downtown Brooklyn was rezoned in 2004, to make it an around-the-clock neighborhood. Dozens of residential towers have been built including a pair in the one point eight million square foot City Point project. City Point takes up almost an entire city block. The concourse that runs through the complex connects Flatbush Avenue to Fulton Street. The public helped create this work of art, a mural made of handcrafted beads. "We got to work with a lot of incredible institutions for this project," said one of the artists who designed the project. "Helen Keller Services for the Blind, Brooklyn Autism Center, PS 307 and the Brooklyn Museum." Developers hope all of the offerings here, make City Point a destination. The entire complex is expected to be open in the spring. A man was arraigned Monday in connection with the death of a young woman during September's J'Ouvert Festival in Brooklyn. 20-year-old Reginald Moise was charged with murder, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. Officials say Moise fatally shot 22-year-old Tiarah Poyau in the pre-dawn celebration leading up to the West Indian Day Parade. Prosecutors say Moise fired his gun near a crowd by Washington Avenue and Empire Boulevard, striking Poyau. Now her mother is demanding justice, and says major changes are needed at J'Ouvert. "I believe that they should shut it down," said Vertina Brown. "If not, at least put some sort of curfew on it. I also believe that they should put police cameras on every single corner because this is senseless. It's been's going on for too long, the murders need to stop. J'Ouvert is like a violent purge." 17-year old Tyreke Borel was also shot and killed just a block away during J'Ouvert. No arrests have been made in that case. Mayor de Blasio says the festival will go on next year, despite pressure to shut it down. WARNING: The video above contains images that may be objectionable to some viewers. NEW YORK - A mysterious sculpture of a naked Hillary Clinton caused a commotion in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday morning. The Democratic nominee was depicted with horse hooves and standing on what appeared to be printouts of emails. The statue also featured a Wall Street banker pressed against her left breast. It stood outside the entrance to the Bowling Green subway station for a couple of hours without incident, but a dispute eventually broke out when a woman knocked it down, kicked it several times and sat on it. Man: Why are you sitting on that? Woman: Because I find this offensive! Man: Freedom of speech! A crowd formed. Some took pictures, while others took sides in the dispute. That's not good. Thats a total disrespect toward women," one woman said. "I wouldn't be surprised to see a Donald Trump statue, but to see a Hillary one, I think is really interesting," said another. Police officers responded to restore order. NY1 spoke to Zachary Cedarbaum, who said he represents the artists who made the Clinton caricature. Cedarbaum says the name of the statue is "The Empress Has No Shame." He said some of the artists support Donald Trump for president, while others actually support Clinton. "The idea is that there should be equality in any way, shape or form. Everybody has different opinions, and that we should be able to express them how we want without that kind of backlash. We're trying to fight for the right to have the government of the people by the people for the people. Instead of, of the banks, by the banks, for the banks," Cedarbaum said. Cedarbaum says the artists removed the statue to repair it. In August, a statue depicting a naked Donald Trump was erected in Union Square. Before the exhibition Mr. Hall was planning to put on last year, his museum contacted Ms. Gascard with questions. She said that she had gotten to know Golub while attending his classes at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, N.J., in the late 1970s, and they became close friends until his death in 2004, according to court papers. Around the same time, a representative of a foundation established to promote work by Golub and his wife, the artist Nancy Spero, examined the paintings and found problems. The representative, Samm Kunce, an artist and former studio assistant to Golub, found no record of the Gascard Golubs in the foundations database, according to the court papers. She also noticed a number of unusual formal characteristics during in-person examinations of the paintings, the papers say. Elisabeth McCarthy, a lawyer for the Golub-Spero foundation, said that, while it had been contacted by Mr. Hall, and often provides access to records and other information about Golub works, it did not opine on the authenticity of the artwork in the Hall collection. Court papers also say that the Golub children could not remember Ms. Gascard as a family friend. Our parents, and Leon in particular, were quite gregarious and their friends frequently came to our residence for dinner, so its surprising that we have never heard of Gascard, Stephen Golub said in an email to the Hall Art Foundation last year, according to the court filing. Ms. Gascard has yet to file a response to the lawsuit, and her whereabouts and those of her son have become something of a mystery. At Franklin Pierce, which she left after an unrelated dispute with the administration a year and a half ago, colleagues said they did not know where she had gone. We are not in a position to make any comment about Lorettann, Linda Quimby, a college spokeswoman, said. After editing his tape-recorded performances, he committed his poems to the page, first in the collection Talking (1972) and later in Talking at the Boundaries (1976) and What It Means to Be Avant-Garde (1993). His revision of late modernist poetry, rejected by writers like Robert Pinsky and critics like Harold Bloom as no poetry at all, favored an open line, absurdism and a direct connection to the oral poetry of the ancient bards. Is This the Right Place?, in Talking at the Boundaries, included the following riff in its 20-plus pages: your definition of the real is more like a hope about things that should prove to be real the real is like a construction something that builds piece by piece and then it falls on you or you move into it He preferred pauses to punctuation. To him, poetry was a process, not a finished product. Antins tapestry of interrelated anecdotes, stories, meditations, narratives, musings, ruminations, philosophical investigations, psychological explorations and linguistic experiments provide a complex and often delightful oral history of one mans journey through reality and consciousness via language, the poet Mark Tursi wrote of the collection I Never Knew What Time It Was for The Review of Contemporary Fiction in 2005. From a sex-obsessed Odysseus munching Viagra on Calypso Island to the execution of Romanian leader Ceausescu to stories of his son, Blaise, trying to arrange a prostitute for his grandfathers birthday, Antin covers a lot of ground. We have two reporters and a photographer near the front lines as Kurdish pesh merga troops advance on villages east of the city. Warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition are providing air support for the crucial operation, which could take months and involve nearly 30,000 troops. European Union trade ministers meet today in Luxembourg to vote on a free trade deal with Canada. Anything short of unanimous approval could derail plans to sign the agreement, known as CETA, at a summit meeting in Brussels this month. Donald J. Trump said that if he won the U.S. presidential election, he might meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia before being sworn in. Russias ambassador to the United Nations, meanwhile, said the countrys relations with the U.S. were the worst since 1973. Image Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times Hillary Clinton is beginning an ambitious assault on traditionally Republican states to further diminish support for Mr. Trump. (Want to get this briefing by email? Heres the sign-up.) Good morning. Heres what you need to know: On the campaign trail. With polls showing Hillary Clintons advantage over Donald J. Trump growing, and a recent infusion of cash to her campaign, she is trying to flip as many red states as possible and help elect more Democrats to Congress. Mrs. Clintons push comes as new documents show sharp disputes between the State Department and the F.B.I. over whether some of her emails should be considered classified. In an interview on Monday, Mr. Trump suggested that if he were to win on Election Day, he would consider meeting President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia before being sworn in. Separately, Melania Trump is defending her husband against accusations that he sexually assaulted women, saying theyre lies. Mr. Schwerin continued to describe the meeting with Mr. Geldon and the guidance from their respective bosses: We then carefully went through a list of people they do like, which E.W. sent over to H.R.C. earlier. We have already been in touch with a number of them, and I asked if he would be comfortable introducing me to the others, to which he seemed reasonably amenable. Reading between the lines, it is hard to believe that Mrs. Clinton plans to dismiss Ms. Warrens concerns about the appointment of Wall Street insiders to critical government posts which means that it is unlikely that many, if any, individuals with significant experience on Wall Street will end up in positions of power if she were to win. Maybe Mr. Schwerin was just going through the motions to placate Ms. Warren, but his actions and words seemed more genuine than that, and there was very little he said that was dismissive of Ms. Warrens views. (Ive written extensively in this column often to the consternation of some readers that it is foolish to disqualify individuals for public service because of their experience on Wall Street, but thats an issue for another day.) Another email by Mr. Schwerin that has been widely circulated in recent days most frequently to attack Mrs. Clinton as two-faced may be read to suggest something else. In it, Mr. Schwerin acknowledges that in a speech Mrs. Clinton gave to Deutsche Bank in 2014, he wrote her a long riff about economic fairness and how the financial industry has lost its way, precisely for the purpose of having something we could show people if ever asked what she was saying behind closed doors for two years to all those fat cats. He went on to explain that if the speech were released, the upside would be that when people say shes too close to Wall Street and has taken too much money from bankers, we can point to evidence that she wasnt afraid to speak truth to power. Downside would be that we could then be pushed to release transcripts from all her paid speeches, which would be less helpful though probably not disastrous. The email clearly demonstrates how focused her team was on how she would be perceived. And it does raise ethical questions about whether the campaign was hoping to deceive the public about what she had said. But embedded in those is emails was Mr. Schwerins casual reference to bankers as fat cats which most people on Wall Street consider a pejorative, even if most people on Main Street think of it as a harmless phrase a tiny clue about how the Clinton machine may really perceive Wall Street. Yes, she may have to play along with them to get paid for speeches and for fund-raising, but you get the vibe from her staff members that the relationship would be somewhat less chummy when it comes to governing and policy. Finally, there is this: While Mrs. Clinton hasnt endorsed Glass-Steagall, she has publicly endorsed the idea that Wall Street banks should pay a risk fee based on their size. In one email exchange that was unearthed, Gene Sperling, another Clinton adviser, estimated that the proposal could mean Goldman and JP owe $8 billion or $18 billion. Such a sizable charge would be a huge surprise to Wall Street. Perhaps all these email exchanges are just a lot of two-faced talk. And maybe thats what Wall Street is counting on. But being two-faced can go both ways. A man who held 15 people hostage in a Brussels supermarket after a botched robbery on Tuesday gave himself up to police, authorities told AFP. "The man turned himself in and there were no victims," a police spokesman from the Brussels district of Forest in Belgium told AFP, adding that the situation lasted about an hour. The incident took place around 7:00 pm (1700 GMT) at a Carrefour supermarket in Forest. The area was quickly closed off and police helicopters sent in to back up the rescue operation. Police said the suspect was armed with a knife and apparently took the hostages after a robbery attempt went wrong. Belgium has been on high alert since terror attacks in March at the Brussels airport and on a metro killed 32 people. Search Keywords: Short link: A start-up looking to take on the financial information behemoth Bloomberg L.P. is hiring a former Bloomberg executive to begin a new financial news service. Norman Pearlstine, a former top editor at Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and Time, is joining Money.net, which has been building a low-cost alternative to the data terminals that sit at the core of Michael R. Bloombergs business empire. Mr. Pearlstine is tasked with building a news feed for Money.net that will be based on machine-generated news bulletins and stories. He will be hiring journalists to help guide the computers and potentially supplement them with reporting part of a broader move toward the automation of journalism. I think I know what the customer is looking for, and I think I know where smart developers and journalists working together can add value, Mr. Pearlstine said in an interview. My bias is toward not spending a lot of time duplicating things that everybody else is doing trying to think about what timely, usable information is for a professional investor. Venezuela has no shortage of problems, but one of the more curious is its cheap prices at the gas pump. Drivers pay roughly the equivalent of 40 cents a gallon for regular gasoline, and that is after the government raised prices slightly in a minor adjustment in a vast, popular subsidy, which is helping to prop up the tottering government politically, while helping to bankrupt it economically. With little incentive to conserve fuel and the more they drive, Venezuelans release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which contribute to climate change. Venezuela is hardly the only developing country wasting oil and natural gas with consumer subsidies. In many nations, transportation fuels are as cheap as soda. Electricity rates are so discounted in the Persian Gulf states that some residents do not bother to turn down their air-conditioners while away on vacation. By some estimates, the consumption subsidies may be responsible for more than 10 percent of total global emissions of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas. They also contribute to traffic jams and air pollution in cities across the developing world. Preet Bharara is adding a tornado to his team, a lawyer whose nickname stems from her experience in the courtroom. Mr. Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, is expected to select Lisa Zornberg as the new head of his criminal division, according to two people briefed on the plans. Ms. Zornberg, currently a white-collar criminal defense lawyer, previously spent more than a decade in the United States attorneys office, where her effective handling of a mob-related case led The Village Voice to call her a tiny tornado of a prosecutor. In returning to the office, Ms. Zornberg will take over for Daniel L. Stein, a longtime federal prosecutor who announced on Monday that he was stepping down to join the law firm Mayer Brown. Mr. Stein, who became chief of the criminal division last year, will lead Mayer Browns global regulatory and investigations group and act as a co-leader of the white-collar defense group. He will join the firm next month. Im pleased to join Mayer Browns extensive team of best-in-class litigators, who have an exceedingly strong reputation for handling sophisticated, high-stakes disputes, Mr. Stein said in a statement. What does Bob Dylan think about winning the Nobel Prize? The Swedish Academy, which bestows the award, does not know because it has not spoken to him. And Mr. Dylan, despite performing twice since being named the latest Nobel laureate in literature last week, has yet to make a public statement about the honor. Sara Danius, the permanent secretary of the academy, told Swedish public radio on Monday that the academy has been in contact with an associate of Mr. Dylan, but apparently not with the artist himself. Ms. Danius said she did not know whether he planned to attend the award ceremony in Stockholm on Dec. 10. Right now we are doing nothing, Ms. Danius said, according to a translation of her comments reported by the British newspaper The Guardian. I have called and sent emails to his closest collaborator and received very friendly replies. For now, that is certainly enough. It has been four days, as of Monday, since Mr. Dylan, 75, won the Nobel, the first time the award has gone to a musician. The announcement set off a debate in literary circles over whether Mr. Dylan was an appropriate choice. That man is Eric Gonzalez, Mr. Thompsons chief assistant and the first Latino to hold the office of district attorney in New York State. Mr. Gonzalez, a career prosecutor, was the architect of some of the programs that enabled his boss to become a national model for prosecutorial reform, assisting Mr. Thompson in deciding not to prosecute many low-level marijuana cases. Mr. Thompsons unexpected death not only stunned his colleagues and the public, it also set in motion a brief but aggressive succession fight that had implications for New York City politics. The fight continued indecorously, some said even during Mr. Thompsons funeral on Saturday. A host of city, state and federal officials attended the service, including Mr. Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, Representative Hakeem Jeffries and Eric T. Schneiderman, the state attorney general. Mr. Gonzalez was also there, joined by Letitia James, the citys public advocate, whose name had been floated as a leading candidate to replace Mr. Thompson. What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? Whats their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Learn more about our process. I am deeply honored to be able to carry out District Attorney Thompsons vision of equal justice for all in Brooklyn, Mr. Gonzalez said in a statement, and I pledge to continue his criminal justice reforms. I am fully committed to the important initiatives that we have put in place and will work every day to keep the people of Brooklyn safe. I thank Governor Cuomo for having the faith in me to carry on the important work of this office. Irwin Smigel, a pioneer of aesthetic dentistry who brightened the smiles of celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Tony Bennett, Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Willis, died on Monday at his home in Manhattan. He was 92. The cause was complications of pneumonia, said his son, Robert Smigel, a comedian and screenwriter and the voice of the puppet Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Working from his office on Madison Avenue, Dr. Smigel (pronounced SMY-gell), a second-generation dentist, advanced two techniques that transformed the appearance of teeth in countless patients beginning in the 1970s. One was laser whitening, in which a laser beam activates a chemical bleaching agent applied to the teeth; Dr. Smigel helped develop and popularize it. Updated, 9:06 a.m. Good morning on this brilliant Tuesday. While summerlike weather in autumn is not unusual, todays warmth certainly is. If the forecast holds and we hit 81 degrees, we would be only one degree shy of the record set in 1928. (For reference, the average for today is 63.) Wednesday could go even higher, to 83 degrees, and even Thursday, with a high near 72, looks toasty. So whats going on? Theres a dome of high pressure sitting over us, similar to one we experienced in July, said Tim Morrin, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. The internet mourned over the weekend after unconfirmed reports that Pedals, a bear that walked upright on its hind legs and was often captured on video strolling around New Jersey suburbs, may have been killed by a hunter. On Monday, the worst fears of Pedals fans seemed to be confirmed. The State of New Jersey said it believed the famous bear was dead. And it had photographic evidence. The New Jersey Department of Environment Protection released five pictures on Monday that showed the lifeless body of a 333-pound American black bear. He had injured or deformed forepaws just like the ones Pedals held close to his chest as he meandered through the backyards of Rockaway Township, N.J. Gail: On Obamacare once again were talking about people being furious about the government protecting womens rights. But the other is interesting. Id pretty much forgotten about that guns or religion comment. Yet another example of the fact that there is no longer any such thing as a private fund-raiser. Arthur: Of course, many evangelical and Catholic women, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, felt it was the mandates that infringed on their rights their First Amendment rights and their liberty of conscience. But again, its not the serious policy differences on their own that cause all the acrimony and division. Its the little slights, even those that liberals shrug off as insignificant, that really play right into this narrative. For example, the recent dump of hacked emails revealed Jennifer Palmieri (communications director for the Clinton campaign!) writing to John Podesta, the Clinton campaign chairman, with this little masterpiece of contempt: I imagine [conservatives] think [Catholicism] is the most socially acceptable politically conservative religion. Their rich friends wouldnt understand if they became evangelicals. Gail: Have to point out, just in passing, that Jennifer Palmieri is a Catholic. As am I, historically speaking, and I actually think thats a very interesting observation. Arthur: So to answer your question, why is Trump still holding a 50-point lead among evangelicals after all the scandal? Simply put, regardless of his personal behavior, many believe he will defend their communities and not treat them with contempt. Gail: He doesnt treat them with contempt because he thinks they love him. If the evangelical leadership suddenly announced that they had concerns about Trumps historical inconsistencies on all the issues they hold dear, you would hear a totally different Trumpian attitude very early the next morning. But I understand your point. It is true that the left has a great suspicion of any group that defines themselves mainly in terms of their religion. Except possibly those nuns on the bus. This article is part of the Opinion Today newsletter. You can sign up here to receive more briefings and a guide to the section daily in your inbox. Our corporate tax code the subject of my column this morning is a mess. It has the highest official rate of any advanced economy, which forces companies to devote time and effort to avoid paying that official rate. And it has so many loopholes that many companies end up paying relatively little, creating unfairness across industries and depriving Washington of important revenue. Without that revenue, the government has to collect more in taxes from middle-class and low-income households. So what can be done? The good news is that an overhaul of corporate tax code may be one of the first items that Congress takes up if Hillary Clinton is elected president. There are a few different options: The first, and seemingly most likely, would be the classic approach to tax reform: lowering the rate and broadening the base. This approach would reduce the official 35 percent rate, while also eliminating loopholes. Edward Kleinbard, a tax expert at the University of Southern California, has laid out such an approach, as have the bipartisan duo of Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Dan Coats. (Wyden would be in line to chair the Senate Finance Committee if Democrats win Senate control.) The factory will have an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes The Suez Canal Authority has signed a partnership deal on Tuesday with a Saudi International Expertise Association Academy to build an iron and steel factory in Egypts Ain Sokhna. The deal, announced by the Suez Canal Authority spokesperson, was signed by the head of the authority Mohab Mameesh and Saudi Prince Walid Bin Saud Bin Mosaed Bin Abdel-Aziz. The factory will be built on land owned by the authority in Ain Sokhna, northwest of the Gulf of Suez. The factory will have an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes, and should act as a first step in the creation of a compound for iron and steel industries, according to the statement. The deal is worth $500 million and another $1 billion in investments, according to Mameesh. During Saudi King Salman's visit last April, Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed loan agreements worth $24 billion. The two Arab nations also signed a memorandum of understandings (MoU) on future investment agreements. These agreements include establishing an Egyptian-Saudi investment fund worth some $16 billion, in addition to Josur Al-Mahabba Company developing the Suez Canal area to an amount worth EGP 3 billion (roughly $337 million). MoUs also covered establishing a company to develop a six-kilometre-squared industrial zone at the Suez Canal with total investments of $3.3 billion, according to a statement on the Ministry of International Cooperations website. Search Keywords: Short link: Last year, Louisiana lawmakers considered a handful of bills that sought to make the state as inhospitable as possible to new immigrants. Local law enforcement officials helped defeat one that would have penalized cities like New Orleans and Lafayette for their policies that limit cooperation between local police departments and federal immigration authorities. But one bill championed by State Representative Valarie Hodges, a Republican, passed by a broad margin. Under that measure, which went into effect in January, noncitizens in Louisiana are required to produce a copy of their birth certificate and an unexpired visa to get a marriage license. Ms. Hodges claimed the law would curb fraud and terrorism. We dont want terrorists obtaining green cards and citizenship through marriage, she told a radio station. There is no evidence that Louisiana courthouses have become gateways for foreign-born fraudsters or terrorists. But in recent months, county clerks have had to turn away couples who were ready to marry, forcing some to come up with expensive backup plans, like traveling out of state. This is discriminatory and violates the legal principle that marriage licenses cant be denied because of a persons immigration status, authorized or not. This month, Richard Hatcher, a former mayor of Gary, Ind., delivered what researchers suspect is the skull of Nat Turner, the rebel slave, to Turners descendants. The skull had been kept as a relic, sold and probably handed down through generations, for nearly 185 years. If DNA tests confirm that the skull is genuine, then Turners family will have the opportunity to lay their famous relative to rest. Many were shocked when National Geographic reported the existence of the skull, the same day that The Birth of a Nation, a new movie about Nat Turner, was released. But the traffic and trade in human remains from the fingers, toes and sexual organs of executed enslaved people, to the hair and nails of the victims of the Holocaust are part of our history. Some Americans were not surprised at all by the news; they might even have some family heirlooms of their own hidden in their homes, waiting to be shared with their children. Turner was hanged in southeast Virginia on Nov. 11, 1831, for leading a rebellion of slaves that left some 55 white people dead. Those who came to witness his death then decapitated and skinned him. They bragged about it for decades. One participant, William Mallory, also known as Buck, gloated so much about having skinned Turner that it was listed in his own obituary. Turners skull was not the only one in circulation. Nineteenth-century newspapers occasionally advertised that a decapitated head had been discovered. Sometimes they were found on trains, left on the side of the road, or impaled on stakes following executions. Public hangings of people of all races were a routine part of early American life. Vigilantes often took trophies, proof, in their mind, that justice had been served. They made purses of skin and took the grease from the flesh, and used it as oil. These souvenirs were then passed down through generations. Mr. Ryan and Mr. McConnell could hardly dishonor themselves more than they already have in this sordid election year, but their refusal to stand up to Mr. Trumps pernicious lie may be their lowest moment yet. Other high-profile Republicans have amplified Mr. Trumps charges and further riled up his angry base. On Saturday, Senator Jeff Sessions, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from Alabama, told a crowd at a Trump rally in New Hampshire that they are attempting to rig this election. On Sunday, Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and now Mr. Trumps race-baiting surrogate, told CNN that he would be a moron to believe that the voting in cities like Chicago and Philadelphia would be fair to Mr. Trump. I have found very few situations where Republicans cheat, Mr. Giuliani said. They dont control the inner cities the way Democrats do. So what should patriotic Republicans be telling the nation? First, they must reject bogus claims of voter fraud, which has been shown time and again to be virtually nonexistent. That will take work, since the specter of fraud, inevitably tinged with racist overtones, has long been a rallying cry among Republicans. But never before has a major partys presidential candidate openly encouraged this attack on the legitimacy of the electoral process. Mr. Trump does it almost daily. On Monday morning, he tweeted, Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before Election Day. His claims are never backed up by any evidence, but theyre still working: Only about one-third of Trump supporters believe their vote will be counted accurately, in contrast with two-thirds of Hillary Clintons supporters, according to a Pew Research poll. Second, top Republicans must reject the ridiculous notion that a national election can be rigged. Voting is, by design, a decentralized process run by local elections officials of both major parties. With his irresponsible language, Mr. Trump is calling into doubt the integrity of Republican and Democratic officials everywhere. Some have pushed back, like Jon Husted, Ohios Republican secretary of state, who called it wrong and engaging in irresponsible rhetoric to throw around evidence-free allegations about vote-rigging. Representative Peter King, a Republican from New York and Trump supporter, said on Monday: Is it legally rigged? No, its not. Whoever wins, wins. Trump apologists claim that when he says the election is rigged, he is only referring to critical media coverage, but thats demonstrably false. Either way, some of his supporters have swallowed his lies and are threatening to act as vigilante poll watchers on Election Day. One Trump supporter in Ohio told The Boston Globe that he would look for Mexicans. Syrians. People who cant speak American and that he would go right up behind them and make them a little bit nervous. Donald Trump has become the countrys most notorious tax shirker. And while his long avoidance of federal income taxes is extreme, its also part of a larger problem. The most affluent and powerful parts of our society have too easy a time legally avoiding taxes. Consider corporate taxes, which ultimately tend to be paid by the well-off, because they own the most stock. The official corporate rate is 35 percent, infamously higher than in any other advanced economy. Yet there are so many loopholes that companies often pay relatively little in tax. Many companies work hard to shroud how much they really pay, sprinkling various figures throughout their complex financial statements. But companies must report one number that provides a good glimpse. Its called cash taxes paid the combined amount that a company pays in federal, state, local and even foreign taxes. During this election season of viciousness, vulgarity and depravity, Thursdays at Kathy and Davids has been a weekly uplift, and their home a place to be reminded of what is beautiful about our country and what we can do to bring out its loveliness. The kids need what all adolescents need: bikes, laptops and a listening heart. Thank you for seeing the light in me, one young woman told Kathy after a cry on the couch. David and Kathy have set up a charitable organization called AOK, for All Our Kids, to help each of the kids come into his or her own fullness. Four started college this year, and one joined City Year, the national service organization. Poverty up close is so much more intricate and unpredictable than the picture of poverty you get from the grand national debates. The kids can project total self-confidence one minute and then slide into utter lostness the next. The college application process often seems like a shapeless fog to them; nobodys taught them the concrete steps to move along the way. One young woman lied on her financial aid forms because she didnt want to admit that her father was dead, her mother was on drugs how messed up her home life actually was. Theres no margin for error for these kids, and she would have lost her college dreams if not for a squad of adults ready to mobilize around her. The adults in this community give the kids the chance to present their gifts. At my first dinner, Edd read a poem from his cracked flip phone that I first thought was from Langston Hughes, but it turned out to be his own. Kesari has a voice that somehow emerged from New Orleans jazz from the 1920s. Madeline and Thalya practice friendship as if it were the highest art form. Jamel loses self-consciousness when he talks of engine repair. And I have a real plan to invest in creating jobs and building stronger economies in coal country. Americas coal communities have kept our lights on and our factories running for generations, and I wont let them be left in the dark. Finally, I believe the United States needs to continue to lead the global effort to combat climate change. I will fulfill the pledge President Obama made in the Paris Climate Agreement and seek to go further by cutting emissions up to 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. We need to implement the breakthrough we achieved just last week in the Montreal Protocol to phase down super-polluting HFCs and avoid as much as half a degree of warming. Not only does America need to lead, we need to do more to work with our neighbors. We trade more energy with Canada and Mexico than with the rest of the world combined. Thats why I want to negotiate a North American Climate Compact to cut emissions and accelerate the clean energy transition across the continent. I wont let the climate deniers stand in the way of progress, or let us give in to the climate defeatists who say this challenge is too big to solve. We can and will take on climate change, build a clean energy economy, and leave our kids and grandkids a safe and healthy worldbecause there is no Planet B. Donald Trump: Unlike Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump does not believe global warming is the most serious threat we face as a nation. Hillary Clinton supports a climate plan that costs our economy $5 trillion, while Chinathe worlds largest polluteractually continues to increase its emissions for at least 14 more years. Because of policies like hers, our country has lost countless jobs to China, Mexico, and other nations. From an environmental standpoint, it is much better to manufacture products here in the U.S. where we care about the environment, as opposed to countries like China where environmental standards are very low. 2. What would you do to reduce the extreme income inequality in this country? Hillary Clinton: Too many hardworking Americans have the deck stacked against them. No one who works hard should have to raise their kids in poverty, or worry they wont be able to retire with dignity. INTERNATIONAL An article on Sept. 17 about the opening of an underground beer pipeline in Bruges, Belgium, overstated what is known about the history of the pipeline. It is the first legal beer pipeline, but perhaps not the first beer pipeline ever. (In 1930, 6,000 feet of hose was discovered under the streets of Yonkers, according to The Associated Press. It was believed to have been an illegal conduit for beer during Prohibition, but the historical record is inconclusive.) NATIONAL A Critics Notebook article on Friday about Bob Dylans songwriting omitted Mr. Dylans co-writer of the song Isis. He was Jacques Levy. BUSINESS DAY An article on Monday about chemical companies backing for some regulatory moves to curb climate change misidentified one company that supports a move away from HFCs as refrigerants. It is Chemours, a DuPont spinoff not DuPont itself, though DuPont previously backed the agreement before spinning off its HFC business with Chemours. The article also misidentified, in some copies, one company that was criticized for lobbying against climate change rules. It is Exxon Mobil, not Enron. The byline for an article on Monday about IBMs efforts to commercialize Watson, its artificial intelligence technology, was omitted. The article was by Steve Lohr. Ehrlich: We try to smile on stage, because not a lot of 2016 indie bands necessarily go for that vibe. A lot of people try to be goth or something. Theyre too cool. I think thats something that you do so well, its just whatever feeling that youre experiencing at the time. I feel like you like express it on stage and we arent really afraid to do that as well. John: Im not one of those artists that really feels a lot of pain on stage. I find joy. Thats what I get about you. Thats why I was attracted to your band, plus the fact that I think Max is absolutely gorgeous but please dont tell him that. Ehrlich: [Laughs] Can I ask you something ... Its a bit personal. John: You can ask anything you want. Ehrlich: When did you start feeling like you wanted to start a family? John: You mean have children? Ive been with David for 23 years, and we had a civil partnership and then we got married. We discussed having children, and I always said, Im so set in my ways. I am a working musician; Im pretty much playing nonstop. Then one day we went to Donetsk in the Ukraine. We went to an orphanage and this little boy followed me around. I picked him up and he was so beautiful and so, so touching. He just clung to me. I did a press conference and the last question was, Would you ever think of adopting a child? And I said, Well, little Lev, who had been following me around, I would love to adopt him. Of course that went viral. That went round the world in a nanosecond. We did try to adopt him, but the laws in the Ukraine are so draconian. Its an ex-communist country and I was a gay man, David was gay. So that meant we couldnt adopt him. After a year and a half of trying, it looked like the person that wasnt getting thought of was the child. It became a drama about David and I trying to adopt a baby. I said, We have to get this boy out of the orphanage. We got him out, and his half brother, to his grandmother. David said, Well, what do you think about children? And I said, This little boy was telling me something. I would say its kismet. He was saying, You can be a father. This is a challenge that youve never faced, and you should face it. We decided to go the surrogacy route and have children of our own. The dominoes fell very quickly. We had Zachary 6 years ago in December and then Elijah 4 years ago in January. It was only through fate, really. This little boy, if we hadnt have met him, wed never have had children. Youll look back on your life and you see a lot of things come into your life through fate. You cant plan the future the future plans itself. WASHINGTON Documents released Monday in the Hillary Clinton email investigation show intense disagreement last year between the State Department and the F.B.I. over whether some of Mrs. Clintons emails should be considered classified, including a discussion of a possible quid pro quo to settle one dispute. The new batch of documents indicated that in one particular case, a senior State Department official, Patrick F. Kennedy, pressed the F.B.I. to agree that one of Mrs. Clintons emails on the 2012 Benghazi attack would be unclassified and not classified as the bureau wanted. What remained unclear from the documents was whether it was Mr. Kennedy or an F.B.I. official who purportedly offered the quid pro quo: marking the email unclassified in exchange for the State Departments approving the posting of more F.B.I. agents to Iraq. Officials at both the F.B.I. and the State Department said Monday that no deal had been struck, or even offered, over the classification of Mrs. Clintons private emails. They noted that the Benghazi email in question had been made public with a sentence blocked out, meeting the F.B.I.s demand for classification. They also said no additional F.B.I. agents had been posted overseas. The Egyptian government needs to secure $6 billion in bilateral financing for the first year of the three-year programme to seal the IMF deal Egypt has succeeded in securing 60 percent of the $6 billion in financing required to receive a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said on Tuesday according to MENA. Egypt and the IMF reached a staff-level agreement in mid-August on a $12 billion fund facility over three years, which is awaiting approval from the fund's executive board. The Egyptian government needs to secure $6 billion in bilateral financing for the first year of the three-year programme to seal the deal and get final approval from the IMF's executive board. Sherif did not reveal the sources of the 60 percent secured finances. Last week, a central bank official announced that Egypt received a $2 billion deposit from Saudi Arabia. Egypts net foreign reserves rose in September to $19.591 billion up from $16.564 billion in August, the CBE said earlier this month. The IMF has endorsed Egypt's fiscal reform programme, which the government embarked on in 2014 in an attempt to curb the growing state budget deficit estimated at 11.5 percent of GDP in 2015/16. The programme has included cutting subsidies and the introduction of new taxes, such as a value-added tax. IMF director Christine Lagarde said in a press briefing earlier this month that there are several prior actions which need to be completed before the board can actually meet in order to formally approve [the loan], adding that the remaining actions are in relation to both the exchange rate and in relation to subsidies. Search Keywords: Short link: WASHINGTON As Iraqi forces launch their long-awaited campaign to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State, President Obamas doctrine of aiding other countries militarily rather than leading every fight is facing its greatest test yet. How well the Mosul campaign goes, not just the fighting over the coming days and weeks but the rebuilding of the city in the months after that, will help define Mr. Obamas legacy as a wartime leader who sought to take the United States off the front lines of the counterterrorism war. On Monday, in keeping with the presidents insistence that the Iraqis take the lead, the White House said that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was calling the shots. But the reality is that roughly half of the 5,000 American troops now in Iraq are likely to be involved in the operation, which could eventually require 30,000 Iraqi and Kurdish troops. About 200 to 300 of the Americans are Special Operations commandos advising Iraqi and Kurdish troops a mission that will put them a few miles behind the front lines, communicating with Iraqi soldiers via radio. A few dozen are forward air controllers, who are already calling in airstrikes against Islamic State targets, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the American commander in charge of the coalition in Iraq and Syria, said on Monday. A federal judge in Manhattan refused on Monday to dismiss an indictment against a Turkish gold trader, Reza Zarrab, who has been jailed in New York and is awaiting trial on charges that he conspired to violate United States sanctions on Iran. Prosecutors have accused Mr. Zarrab, 33, of facilitating millions of dollars in transactions on behalf of Iran and other sanctioned entities through the use of false documentation and front companies. He has also been charged with conspiracies to commit money laundering and bank fraud. Mr. Zarrabs lawyers had asked the judge, Richard M. Berman of Federal District Court, to dismiss the indictment, calling the governments case unprecedented and a prosecutorial overreach of the first order. Judge Berman, in rejecting the defense arguments, ruled that the indictment clearly set forth the required elements for the charges.The dismissal of an indictment is an extraordinary remedy reserved only for extremely limited circumstances implicating fundamental rights, he wrote. NEW DELHI A fire broke out late Monday at a private hospital in eastern India, killing at least 23 people, Indias federal health minister said. The minister, J.P. Nadda, disclosed the death toll from the blaze at the Sum Hospital in Bhubaneswar in an interview with the Times Now television news station. Doctors at two local hospitals told the Press Trust of India news agency that 22 people were dead on arrival at their hospitals and that more than 20 people were being treated for injuries. The discrepancy in casualty figures could not immediately be resolved. B.B. Patnak, the director of Capital Hospital, told the Press Trust that most of the victims had been patients at the Sum Hospitals first-floor intensive care unit. They were using ventilators and suffocated after the fire spread to the unit. The police and firefighters broke windows and worked with hospital staff and volunteers in a rescue operation to evacuate more than 500 patients from the hospital, a witness and hospital officials told the Press Trust. LONDON Nigel Farage had one of the great personal victories in British politics this year, pushing Britain, through his U.K. Independence Party, into voting in June to leave the European Union. Yet having accomplished his goal, Mr. Farage quit as leader of the party, known as UKIP, which has experienced a comedy of errors ever since, damaging its reputation and calling its very survival into question. The favorite to lead the party, known for its populist denunciations of immigrants, Steven Woolfe, was disqualified from the leadership race when he got his application in too late, blaming a faulty PayPal connection. Diane James, who won, lasted only 18 days before resigning and causing Mr. Farage to come back as temporary leader. Then, this month, an argument during a meeting of UKIP members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, got out of control, and Mr. Woolfe wound up in a hospital for three days. He said he had been hit by another party member, reportedly after saying that with the referendum won, he was considering quitting UKIP and rejoining the Conservative Party. His opponent, a former soldier named Mike Hookem, has denied throwing a punch. Mr. Denton, a Times photographer, and Mr. Gordon, a Times military correspondent, are with Kurdish forces near Sheikh Amir, Iraq, on the eastern approach to Mosul. The Kurdish pesh merga forces started their advance by moonlight, in the early hours of Monday. East of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, columns of tanks and trucks lumbered their way toward the objective: clearing villages of militants before any broader advance on the city could happen. As day broke, the vehicles piled off the roads to avoid any improvised bombs and began moving across the dusty Nineveh plain toward the villages. The tank fire began, booming across the distance. Soon the crawl became a run. Michael R. Bloomberg, the three-term mayor of New York and billionaire philanthropist, has said that throughout his life he has been most influenced by his parents. In second place: the Museum of Science, Boston. Now Mr. Bloomberg is giving back to the museum with a $50 million gift the largest in its 186-year history. The money will be used to support and rename the museums education center after his parents, William and Charlotte Bloomberg. In addition, the gift will go toward the education centers computer and food-science programs. In a telephone interview Mr. Bloomberg said that he hoped these programs could provide an example to be copied elsewhere. The museum, he added, is not just for Boston and the surrounding areas. Museums look at each other and imitate what works, he said. Asked about the importance of science literacy, Mr. Bloomberg pointed to the election season as an example. We are defunding research, and its a catastrophe for America, he said. If people understand the science of whats at stake, he added, they can hold politicians accountable for their decisions. Climate change is maybe the ultimate example of that, he said. Of the 19 nominees announced by the Rock Hall on Tuesday, nine were getting their first nods, including Pearl Jam and Mr. Shakur in their first year of eligibility. Given the speed with which rock gods of the MTV era have made the cut Guns N Roses (2012), Nirvana (2014) and Green Day (2015) were all admitted as quickly as the rules allowed Pearl Jam would seem a safe bet. Shakur, who died in 1996, would become only the sixth hip-hop act to join the pantheon, after Grandmaster Flash, Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and N.W.A, which was inducted this year. When you hear about surprise album releases these days, you probably think of Beyonce, Frank Ocean, Kanye West. Not Chuck Berry. But Mr. Berry revealed a genuine surprise on Tuesday, his 90th birthday, when he announced that he would release a new record, Chuck, some time next year. It will be his first studio album since Rock It in 1979, and will come out on Dualtone Records, the label that has had one of the biggest indie hits in years with the Lumineers. An announcement of Chuck had few details about the album other than that it would consist primarily of new, original songs written, recorded and produced by Mr. Berry, and that it was made in various studios in St. Louis, Mr. Berrys hometown. This record is dedicated to my beloved Toddy, Mr. Berry said in a statement, referring to his wife, Themetta. My darlin Im growing old! Ive worked on this record for a long time. Now I can hang up my shoes! Im a medical professional, Hugh Lauries character says, indignantly, in the new Hulu series Chance. Im not some Raymond Chandler character. Both ends of that statement are true, more or less. Eldon Chance, Mr. Lauries character, is a doctor and a fancy one, a neuropsychiatrist but hes a pretty shabby specimen compared with Gregory House, the improbably brilliant diagnostician Mr. Laurie played for eight seasons on House. And while Chance (the first two of 10 episodes become available Wednesday) is a noirlike thriller, its hero isnt one of Chandlers noble tough guys. Hes more like an Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor character. If those names arent familiar, theyre the screenwriters of Alfred Hitchcocks Vertigo, and Chance is a damaged, obsessional sap along the lines of James Stewarts Scottie in that classic film. Palestinian film 3000 Nights scooped two awards at the Festival du Film et des Cultures Mediterraneennes (Festival of Mediterranean Film and Culture) in Bastia--the Kantara France Bleu RCFM and the Hors les Murs awards. Directed by Mai Masri and co-produced by Palestine, France, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar and Lebanon, 3000 Nights centres on a young newly-wed Palestinian school teacher who is jailed in a top-security Israeli prison where she eventually gives birth. The film has garnered over 10 awards since its world premiere in September 2015 at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Maisa Abdelhadi won the Best Actress Award for her role in the film at the closing ceremony of the 2nd Mediterranean Film Festival of Annaba (FAFM) in Algeria. The film also won the Best Feature and the Audience Award at the 6th Malmo Arab Film Festival, the Special Jury Award at Washington, DC International Film Festival (Filmfest DC), the Jury Award at the 8th Women's International Film and Television Showcase (The WIFTS), USA, the Meeting Point Audience Award at the 60th Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain, as well as the Youth Jury Award and the Women's Jury Award at the Paysages des Cineastes in France. 3000 Nights has been selected by Jordan's Royal Film Commission to represent the country at the 2017 Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category. Masri graduated with a BA degree from UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University. Her documentaries tackle the humanity and resilience of ordinary people. Shes garnered over 60 awards at international film festivals for her early films such as Under the Rubble (1983), Wild Flowers: Women of South Lebanon (1986), as well as her more recent ones including Beirut Diaries: Truth, Lies and Videos (2006) and 33 Days (2007). 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 Search Keywords: Short link: How can it be that the United States spends so much money fighting poverty and still suffers one of the highest child poverty rates among advanced nations? One in five American children is poor by the count of LIS, a data archive tracking well-being and deprivation around the world. By international standards that set the poverty line at one-half the income of families on the middle rung of the income ladder, the United States tolerated more child poverty in 2012 than 30 of the 35 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a grouping of advanced industrialized nations. The percentage of children who are poor is more than three times as high in the United States as it is in Norway or the Netherlands. America has a larger proportion of poor children than Russia. So whats going on? We may spend a lot of money, but we dont spend it well. It turns out that the most generous federal programs for families with children barely help the nations unluckiest children. Rather, they generally push money to their counterparts higher up the ladder of well-being. HONG KONG Chinas economy is slowing. How bad can it get? China reported on Wednesday that its economy grew 6.7 percent in the third quarter compared with a year ago. That matched economists expectations exactly, and was identical to the pace China set in the first and second quarters of this year. In economics, stability like that is remarkable and usually not to be believed. Economists often look beyond the official numbers to find alternative ways to gauge the Chinese economy. Other figures and facts on the ground suggest that a lending binge that China has unleashed in recent months is helping to sustain growth. But by historical standards, Chinas growth is slowing down. This years growth is set to come in at a pace slower than last years, which was already the weakest pace in 25 years. Chinas growth has already slowed down dramatically from the heady rates before the financial crisis, said Diana Choyleva, chief economist at Enodo Economics. The economy has reached the end of the road when it comes to its export- and investment-led growth model. BEIJING They chased after wealthy clients with promises of rides aboard private jets. They boasted of their ability to secure visas on a moments notice. They catered to the whims of their most valuable customers, even providing chefs who could recreate obscure Chinese dishes. The China-based employees of Crown Resorts, one of Australias largest hotel and casino operators, faced a delicate task: building a devoted customer base in a country with a decades-long ban on gambling that has gained renewed focus during the governments recent anti-corruption campaign. For a while, Crown seemed to find its footing in China. Like several other major casino operators, it opened an office on the mainland to help with marketing and arranging trips. It sent executives to woo prospective clients and avoided mentioning gambling in much of its advertising. Chinese tourists flocked to Crowns resorts in Australia, and the company made plans for a casino in Sydney aimed largely at Chinese customers. But now Crown is in crisis. Over the last few days, Chinese authorities have detained 18 employees three of them Australian citizens on suspicion of committing gambling crimes. Among those being held is Jason OConnor, who oversees the companys efforts to attract wealthy players. AMSTERDAM Mahmoud al-Omar leaned over a sewing machine in the basement of a former prison being used to house refugees and began stitching jeans for a popular clothing line. With more than 15 years experience as a tailor in Syria, he zipped through one pair and moved on to another, methodically filling a small order. The job, set up by a Dutch organization that matches refugees with work opportunities, is only temporary. Yet after Mr. Omar fled his war-torn hometown, Aleppo, two years ago, just having a place to go each day felt like a salvation. Working is completely necessary to speed up integration, said Mr. Omar, 28, who still struggles to speak Dutch, hindering his chances of a full-time job. I want to become independent as soon as possible, so I can start giving back to the country that took me in. When more than one million men, women and children streamed into Europe last year to seek a haven from conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa, governments viewed the labor market as the quickest path to absorb newcomers. The sooner people started working, the thinking went, the faster they could get off government aid and start contributing to the economy. TIANJIN, China Zhang Sitong was saving a friends phone number on his Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone when it started to vibrate and smoke. He threw it on the ground and told his friend to start filming. Two employees from Samsung Electronics showed up at his house later that day, he said, offering a new Note 7 and about $900 in compensation on the condition that he keep the video private. Mr. Zhang angrily refused. Only weeks before, even as Samsung recalled more than two million Note 7s in the United States and elsewhere, the company had reassured him and other Chinese customers that the phone was safe. They said there was no problem with the phones in China. Thats why I bought a Samsung, said Mr. Zhang, a 23-year-old former firefighter. This is an issue of deception. They are cheating Chinese consumers. Samsung, already reeling from its embarrassing and expensive decision last week to kill the Note 7, has a particularly vexing problem in China. On Tuesday, Chinas powerful state-run broadcaster, China Central Television, or CCTV, criticized the way Samsung tested its phones and asked whether its claims that the phones were safe and reliable were fabricated falsehoods. PHOENIX One of the few times Chris Bianco, arguably the nations most revered pizzaiolo, has been at a loss for words was about 15 years ago, when a friend asked him to visit a priest known as Father Joe in hospice care. I just kind of froze, said Mr. Bianco, a normally garrulous chef who ultimately mustered the strength to speak to the dying priest. I say, Hey, Father Joe, is there anything you can share with me to make me a better man? Mr. Bianco recalled. He says: Just understand, if youre in this bed, youll always ask for more time. So dont waste any time. The message stuck, and its a big reason that in May, at age 54, Mr. Bianco opened Tratto, a small Italian restaurant in a Camelback Corridor strip mall here. LONDON In the last two decades, London has forged a reputation as the technology capital of Europe and as a global capital of the fashion technology sector a competitor to New York and Silicon Valley, where creative, commercial and digital talent thrives in a single cosmopolitan place. Some of the biggest names in the fashion industry, especially in e-commerce such as Asos, Farfetch, Lyst and Yoox Net-a-Porter have headquarters in the British capital. But in the wake of Britains vote in June to leave the European Union, a development that raised the possibility of an immigration crackdown, a drop in foreign investment and economic uncertainty, Londons high-ranking position has come into question. Taavet Hinrikus, the Estonian co-founder of the money-transfer company TransferWise, which says it has a valuation of more than $1 billion has told The Guardian that his company is unlikely to continue hiring at its London headquarters. Peter Smith, chief executive of the financial technology company Blockchain, said this month that many non-British tech entrepreneurs in London were deeply offended by the British governments stance on immigration since the vote. And while the fashion community has stayed relatively silent on the subject, there is little doubt that businesses have been mulling their options as European capitals on the Continent position themselves as worthy alternatives. Venture capital investments in Britain plummeted 40 percent in the second quarter this year compared with the first quarter, as uncertainty before the vote held investors back, according to data published this week by CB Insights. Four years after first trying to enter the New York City market, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the Austin, Tex.-based chain known for dine-in theaters with creative programming and a strict policy of no talking or texting, will open its first multiplex in the city this month. The company, which also has a film distribution arm, announced on Tuesday that a seven-theater complex in Downtown Brooklyn would start showing films on Oct. 28. Alamo has been steadily expanding nationwide since opening its first theater in 1997, and while it has operated in Yonkers for three years, its efforts in New York City faced setbacks. In 2012, it announced plans to convert a long-dormant theater on the Upper West Side. But those plans were scrapped in 2013. The Brooklyn theater is part of City Point, a new residential-retail complex. Alamo was going to open the theater in August ads were even posted in subway stations to that effect but construction delays occurred. PYONGYANG, North Korea Sprawling 10 million square feet across a hilly expanse on the outskirts of this capital city, the Pyongyang Film Studio, said to be the worlds largest, features a variety of representations of foreign locales reflecting North Koreas propagandized vision of the outside world. There are sets meant to depict Japan, a generic European streetscape and South Korea circa 1950. The street standing in for South Korea, the Norths longtime rival and more prosperous neighbor, includes a seedy brothel, a tawdry bar and a shady blood bank, all seemingly designed to cast it as a paradigm of decrepitude and sin. On a recent sunny afternoon, however, the studio was eerily empty. The postproduction facilities appeared unstaffed, and the interior sets, veiled in cobwebs and dust, looked in disrepair. Asked about the evident decay, a guide insisted that the sets were constantly in use. There was a crew shooting here yesterday, and they will be shooting again tomorrow, he said. They are just taking a break today. JERSEY CITY Pity New Jersey. Buffeted by the misdeeds of corrupt officials, maligned by reality television and blasted by hurricanes, many natives say they grow tired of routinely having to defend their state. Despite it all, one thing always perked up New Jersey residents: the cheap gasoline. With prices far lower than in neighboring states like New York and Pennsylvania the second lowest prices in the country, in fact (only Alaska charges less) New Jerseyans have long boasted about their bargain-basement fueling costs. The low prices, a consequence of the states low tax, also coaxed many thrifty New Yorkers and others over the state line. But those gas glory days are coming to an end. Gov. Chris Christie has signed into law a new tax that, starting on Nov. 1, will raise gas prices by 23 cents a gallon, effectively putting New Jersey on a par with the rest of the country. The added revenue will go toward repairing the states ailing infrastructure and refilling the Transportation Trust Fund, whose depletion had led the governor to order the emergency shutdown of hundreds of projects to improve roads, bridges and rails. I imagine many people are sick of hearing about the investment law. Others may find it distasteful to discuss such a technical, secondary issue while the country is still reeling from the painful blow in Sinai and the fall of brave soldiers who gave their lives for the nation and its security and people. However, honouring the martyrs who gave everything in the line of duty dictates that every Egyptian should recognise and respect their sacrifice. It also requires us all to do our own duty, whatever our position, and to give what we can, faithfully and sincerely, to serve the public interest. In this context, I can only address a topic that is neither as technical nor as secondary as it might seem, but is of direct relevance to the economic crisis we all feel; investment. This is particularly important now when the government is discussing amending the investment law yet again. For two years we have been talking about the need to change the law, the amendments, the flaws in the amended law, and the need to amend the law once more. Over the past 18 months, I have personally warned several times in these pages that the changes introduced to the law on the eve of the Sharm El-Sheikh conference in March 2015 would not bring the promised results. Instead, I said, they would undermine the countrys credibility, squander the chance to woo investors coming from all over the world, and take us backwards. And I was not alone. Many other lawyers, economists and investors cautioned against the flawed law, but all this counsel fell on deaf ears. I would not have returned to the matter if the government were not yet again seemingly insistent on repeating the same errors while expecting different results. Yes, the law can be amended. The best way may be to repeal the 2015 amendments and revert to the previous, much better law. The problem, however, is no longer about the provisions of this or that law. We are past that stage. We must face the present crisis with a different logic from that which has dominated for decades, or else we will keep running around in circles. Since the early 1970s specifically, in 1971 Egypt has pursued an investment policy based on a series of statutes that aim to create a special track for Arab and foreign investors first and Egyptians second. This special track involved opening up investment in fields chosen by the state by offering special benefits, exemptions, and guarantees that allow investors to avoid the perils and pitfalls of dealing with the state administrative apparatus and complying with traditional laws and systems. At the time, this method of attracting investment was common around the world, but as decades passed, the logic shifted and the world changed and learned from experience. Investors no longer look for a special track or a handful of incentives and benefits. They seek an overall climate that is conducive to investment. This means a climate with modern commercial laws, easy access to finance, a simple system for land allocation, adequate information about government policies, a competitive environment, sound labour laws and relations, a fair and transparent tax system, courts that resolve disputes swiftly and fairly, a stable monetary policy, a good physical infrastructure, an educated, trained workforce, and a political climate that fosters pluralism, freedom and innovation. Countries successful at attracting and promoting investment have therefore abandoned the single law that offers investors a pathway through the jungle of red tape that impedes economic activity because this special track was no longer working opting instead to address the root of the problem by reforming statutes and regulations that generally hinder economic activity. So, I am sceptical that a new investment law will magically light a path for investors through the thicket of restrictive regulations and contradictory legislation. It would be better to overhaul these statutes entirely to encourage all sorts of investment large and small, foreign and national without need for an exceptional law. This is especially important now with the media reporting that the government may reinstate tax and customs breaks for investors in certain fields, like those that existed from 1971 to 2005, when the new income tax law abolished them. This would be a major step backwards. Such exemptions rob the public treasury of much needed resources, foster fraud and corruption, and favour large investors over small ones. Much better would be to develop the current tax administration, close tax and customs loopholes, and reassess tax distribution in Egypt. When new investment legislation is submitted to the parliament, I hope it rejects these tax breaks we worked so hard to eliminate a few years ago. I know thinking about revising the investment law is motivated by the need to quickly attract investors and the belief that overhauling the investment climate is a long process unsuited to current pressing conditions. But the worst thing now would be to act rashly to postpone genuine, necessary reforms, turn to exceptional laws that do not work, and put off comprehensive reform for another few years. *The writer holds a PhD in financial law from the London School of Economics. He is former deputy prime minister, former chairman of the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority and former chairman of the General Authority for Investment. A version of this article was published in Arabic in El-Shorouq newspaper on Monday 17 October. Search Keywords: Short link: LONDON The hard left meeting the hard right is an old political story, as Hitler understood in calling his party the National Socialists. So in these days of turbulence its no surprise that the leftist supporters of Britains Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn should find common cause with the rightist backers of Donald Trump. They like Vladimir Putins Russia even as he flattens Aleppo; they are anti-globalism; they are anti-establishment; they oppose or are skeptical of NATO, the cornerstone of the Western alliance; and they see a conspiracy of what Trump has called global financial powers behind everything. Then theres the fact that nearly half of female Labour MPs have accused Corbyn of failing to stop disgusting and totally unacceptable abuse of women by his supporters. One difference exists, however. The movement of Corbynistas an alliance of young leftist dreamers and old guard Leninists who have demolished Tony Blairs centrist New Labour as comprehensively as Trump has hijacked the Republican Party embraces an ideology. Its anti-American and anti-Western and broadly anti-capitalist, much in the mode of Cold War Soviet sympathizers. To the Editor: As a Latino lawyer, I am accustomed to the indignities described in Black Doctor Says Delta Flight Attendant Rejected Her; Sought Actual Physician (nytimes.com, Oct. 14). In upstate New York, a white judge required me to attest to my professional credentials on the record under penalty of perjury. In multiple courts, I have been asked to produce my bar membership card even though my white peers are not subjected to this practice. These experiences illustrate the racial isolation and exclusion in one of the least diverse professions. As lawyers of color, we are unduly scrutinized. Judges, bar associations, law firms and law schools should commit to tackling unconscious bias. They can begin by publicly calling for greater diversity and inclusion in our profession. The government decided who would have access to the central banks now-reduced foreign currency reserves, and drew up an arbitrary list of worthy and unworthy goods importers of toothpicks cannot, for example, but importers of oil can. Predictably, this policy spawned corruption: The exclusive few who were able to buy dollars at official rates could sell them on the black market and earn large, riskless profits transactions that contribute nothing to the economy. Mr. Buhari has spoken of his good reasons for ignoring the many economists who warned about the danger of his policies. He believes, rightly, that Nigeria needs to produce more of what it consumes, and he wants to spur local production. But local production cannot be willed into existence if the supporting infrastructure is absent, and banning goods has historically led not to local production but to a thriving shadow market. His intentions, good as they well might be, are rooted in an outdated economic model and an infantile view of Nigerians. For him, it seems, patriotism is not a voluntary and flexible thing, with room for dissent, but a martial enterprise: to obey without questioning. Nationalism is not negotiated, but enforced. The president seems comfortable with conditions that make an economy uncomfortable uncertainty and disillusion. But the economy is not the only reason for Nigerians declining hope. A few months ago, a young woman, Chidera, came to work as a nanny in my Lagos home. A week into her job, I found her in tears in her room. She needed to go back to her ancestral home in the southeast, she said, because Fulani herdsmen had just murdered her grandfather on his farm. She showed me a gruesome cellphone photo of his corpse, desecrated by bullets, an old man crumpled on the farm he owned. Chideras grandfather is only one of the hundreds of people who have been murdered by Fulani herdsmen cattle herders from northern Nigeria who, until recently, were benign figures in the southern imagination, walking across the country with their grazing cattle. Since Mr. Buhari came to power, villages in the middle-belt and southern regions have been raided, the inhabitants killed, their farmlands sacked. Those attacked believe the Fulani herdsmen want to forcibly take over their lands for cattle grazing. It would be unfair to blame Mr. Buhari for these killings, which are in part a result of complex interactions between climate change and land use. But leadership is as much about perception as it is about action, and Mr. Buhari has appeared disengaged. It took him months, and much criticism from civil society, to finally issue a statement condemning the killings. His aloofness feels, at worst, like a tacit enabling of murder and, at best, an absence of sensitive leadership. Id like to suggest two hypotheses. The first, which Ill call the airline pilot hypothesis, is simple enough. There are some people who will get drunk on whiskey and then volunteer to drive their friends home, but will be aghast if they learn that the pilot of the plane they are boarding has had even a sip of beer. In the same way, many of the supporters of populist parties in Europe, Latin America or Asia believe that making wild choices is acceptable in small countries like theirs, but they are terrified at the prospect of Americans going rogue. And it makes sense: The difference between a Trump-like candidates being elected in a place like Bulgaria and Mr. Trump himself being elected in the United States is like the difference between a conventional war and a nuclear one. Lets call the second the its your world hypothesis. A revolt against globalization is at the heart of Mr. Trumps message. It is also a common feature of the different populist movements around the world. But Mr. Trumps anti-globalism, because it comes from an American, simply isnt persuasive to the rest of the world. While populists outside the United States decry globalization as being governed by Americas rules and serving Americas interests, Mr. Trump declares that it is America, in fact, who is the great victim of globalization. While outside of the United States free-trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership are usually opposed because they are viewed as rigged in favor of the multinational companies born in and loyal to the United States, Mr. Trump calls these same treaties a betrayal of Americas political and economic interests. While in the rest of the world globalization is synonymous with Americanization, Mr. Trump claims that it is conspiracy against the United States. Stephen Holmes, an American political philosopher at New York University, suggested to me that if we want to grasp the Trump phenomenon, we should be ready to recognize that for a majority of Americans, everything they once saw as an advantage they now view as a strategic vulnerability. Globalization no longer means new markets for American products, technologies and ideas; it now means lost jobs, terrorism and migration. What Americans have also learned is that people who vote in American-style elections will not naturally support American interests and that the spread of democracy can bring not only friendly governments to prominence, but also conflicts and disruption. Americans, for Mr. Holmes, are even starting to be anxious about the global spread of the English language. Some time ago, the philosopher Philippe Van Parijs argued that a special language tax should be imposed on native English speakers because they reap such large unearned benefits from having been raised with English as their mother tongue. But it is not how Americans feel today. Google has a new smartphone. More than buy it, you may want to watch its progress. Brian X. Chen has spent some time with the phone, called the Pixel. His verdict: Its an underwhelming phone with a lesser-quality camera, but with Samsungs top-end products off-limits because of exploding batteries, it is a good new model for people using Android apps. This is more than just a product review, though, because some of things Mr. Chen points to say much about the current tech scene, and how hard companies are fighting to make consumer products with unprecedented amounts of complex software and hardware. Short version: A successful company has to build a lot of things quickly, learn from them and adjust the products. One thing about the phone, the first to carry the Google brand, that Mr. Chen likes is the way it connects to Project Fi, Googles cheap, high-speed wireless service. Fi is just getting started, and Google is eager to see how its commercial device network functions. A fun one is the ski and resort towns of the Rockies you can see the Democratic enclaves stretching from Taos in northern New Mexico, up the spine of the Rockies to Breckenridge and Aspen. And then there are a few other enclaves Teton County, which includes Jackson Hole in Wyoming or Blaine County in Idaho, which has Sun Valley. Another fun one: You can clearly see the demarcation between Northern and Southern settlement along the Iowa-Missouri border. The border between North and South is much blurrier in the areas farther to the east, which were settled long before the Civil War. Influxes of Northern and Southern voters sort of mixed in a state like Indiana or Ohio. But the further west you go and the closer you get to the Civil War, those lines get clearer. Toni Are there any other interesting patterns of historical migration, ethnicity or religion that catch your eye? (And we also ask readers to chime in and share their knowledge in the comments section). Nate I think the continuity of migration to todays politics is pretty interesting. Those Scandinavians, for instance, subsequently settled Western Washington state coming along the railroad from Duluth. Those areas coastal Washington and Minnesota have voted about the same way since. Id make the same basic observation about the broader thrust of western migration from New England across the Upper Midwest, and then again to the Pacific Coast. You can see it in the names of certain towns the hometown of one of my Upshot colleagues, Lake Oswego, Ore., is named for a town in upstate New York. Portland itself is named after Portland, Maine it won in a coin toss over Boston. In this election, I think its worth paying careful attention to the old industrial Democratic towns of the Midwest the whole northern stretch of Ohio along Lake Erie, down through Youngstown and into western Pennsylvania, or the other industrial towns like Scranton or throughout the old industrial heartland. Democrats still do really well in these areas, and places similar to in Britan it broke heavily for Brexit. Toni Trump is trying to turn those places red, but even with the Trump effect and with some of the differences weve discussed, the map we can expect on Nov. 9, after the election, wont be radically different from this one. This is unprecedented and highly problematic, said the report, by the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetowns law school. Facial recognition technology, long used overseas by the American military and intelligence agencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, is seen by local law enforcement as a tool for identifying criminals, but it has also raised concerns among privacy advocates. Because African-Americans disproportionately come into contact with, and are arrested by, law enforcement officials, the report said, their police photos will most likely be overrepresented in facial recognition databases. The authors of the report said the aim was not to stop the use of the software, which they acknowledged had been effective in investigations. Nor did they fault law enforcement officers, who they said are simply using every tool available to protect the people that they are sworn to serve. Rather, they called for Congress and state legislatures to pass laws creating stricter regulations on the technology. Researchers found, for instance, that just one agency the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation specifically prohibited using the software to track people engaging in political or religious speech. No state has a law regulating use of the software. Even to skeptics, the presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has often appeared less quixotic with the benefit of hindsight. If Mr. Sanders had only edged Hillary Clinton in Iowa and not the other way around before winning a blowout in New Hampshire, perhaps things would have been different. If he had only attacked Mrs. Clintons use of a private email server as secretary of state, instead of offering her a reprieve, some supporters lamented, perhaps things would have been different. And now, as Mrs. Clinton contends with daily disclosures from the hacked messages of top campaign aides missives that have reinforced the central progressive criticisms of her bid, including her coziness with Wall Street some of Mr. Sanderss admirers have been compelled to consider again what might have been. A super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton will begin airing ads in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania that tether Donald J. Trump to embattled Republican senators there. The group, Priorities USA, will run ads in the Manchester, N.H., and Philadelphia markets, as Senators Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania face difficult re-election battles. The move is a new phase for Priorities. Mrs. Clintons lead over Mr. Trump has allowed the group to focus on down-ballot races. This week it will also begin airing television and radio ads in Georgia, a reliably Republican-leaning state that polls show may be in play in the presidential race. PAOLI, Pa. Since the election of Ronald Reagan, white Roman Catholics have flocked to Republican nominees for a raft of reasons, including their stances on social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. But this year, something seems different. Trump is the exception to the rule, Carol Robinson, 67, said as she left an afternoon prayer meeting in this Philadelphia suburb with other enthusiastic supporters of Hillary Clinton. Hes a loose cannon. Roman Catholics are the countrys second-largest religious group after evangelical Protestants, and they are as diverse as the country itself, with young liberals, cultural conservatives and, increasingly, Democratic-leaning Hispanics. But now, the Clinton campaign senses a rare opportunity to block Mr. Trumps narrow path to victory by making inroads with a core part of the church: white Catholics, a prized group of voters that has defied predictions this year. (Beijing) New home-mortgage loans in September accounted for about 40% of all new loans made by banks that month, according to documents from a source close to the authorities monitoring the loan situation. The documents did not say how many total new loans were made last month. Research by the China International Capital Corp., an investment bank, estimated that loans grew by a net 1.1 trillion yuan ($163.3 billion) to 1.2 trillion yuan in September. Sources close to the central bank told Caixin that the China Banking Regulatory Commission had instructed banks in early September to rein in mortgage loans. The requirement was not binding, however, the sources said. The ratios of home-mortgage loans to total loans for the years 2014 and 2015 were 35% and 29% respectively, according to the banking research team of Guotai Junan Securities. NEW DELHI At least 20 people died in a fire at a hospital in eastern India after smoke filled an intensive care unit, officials said on Tuesday. The fire late Monday at Sum Hospital, in the city of Bhubaneswar, may have been started by a short-circuit in its dialysis unit, said Sharad Kumar Sahoo, a city police inspector. The people most likely died from inhaling carbon monoxide, said Gangadhar Sahoo, dean of the Institute of Medical Sciences, which is affiliated with the hospital. The survivors were moved elsewhere, he said. The number of injured was unclear. Employees tried to fight the fire but were unable to control it, said Badal Pradhan, the hospitals security supervisor, and it took firefighters at least 30 minutes to arrive. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan A high-profile Pakistani news network, Bol TV, made its inaugural broadcast on Tuesday, more than a year after its planned debut was derailed when its parent company was embroiled in a scandal involving fake online degrees. Bol TV Networks parent company, the software company Axact, was caught up in criminal investigations after The New York Times unearthed employee accounts and documents showing that the company was making tens of millions of dollars a year by selling fake degrees and diplomas online and defrauding customers who were seeking education. Axacts offices were shuttered, and the companys chief executive and other officials were jailed during the investigation. This month, the chief executive, Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh, was released on bail after he and more than a dozen others were indicted on charges of selling fake degrees and other counts. Separately, in August, Mr. Shaikh was indicted in a different case related to money laundering. Babak Namazi wrote in his statement that the trial had lasted only a few hours. The State Department said in a statement on Tuesday that it was deeply concerned about reports that Siamak and Baquer Namazi had been given prison sentences. It did not mention the other defendants. The statement called for the immediate release of all U.S. citizens unjustly detained in Iran, including the Namazis. Siamak Namazi is a graduate of Tufts and Rutgers who once ran a consulting company in Iran that advised multinational companies like Royal Dutch Shell about how to navigate the countrys complex business landscape. He was socially prominent and proudly drove an eye-catching green Ford Mustang convertible. When the hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president in 2005, he left the country, eventually settling in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Around the time he was arrested in Iran in September 2015, an online news outlet in the United States, The Daily Beast, published a long article saying that Mr. Namazi and his family were a driving force behind the Iran lobby in the United States and that they stood to profit from the lifting of sanctions after the nuclear deal. The identity of the writer of the article was shielded with a pseudonym. Baquer Namazi was arrested in Iran in February, apparently after traveling there in the hope of negotiating his sons release. The hard-line state-run newspaper Kayhan published a report after Baquer Namazis arrest, accusing him of being a spy and of teaching espionage to his son. Irans judiciary is controlled by members of the countrys hard-line faction, who regard people with dual Iranian and foreign citizenship as security risks. Collaborating with a foreign government and espionage are two of the charges in the judiciarys legal arsenal that may be used to detain and prosecute dual nationals. Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post correspondent who was released by Iran in January, was convicted of spying, but the judiciary has never publicly offered any specifics or any evidence to support the charge. Sometimes the judiciary does not even announce what the charges are. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who holds both British and Iranian nationalities, was sentenced in September to five years in prison on what were called secret charges. BANGKOK The crown prince of Thailand, who declined to become king last week, will ascend the throne soon, possibly as early as Friday, the head of Thailands military government said on Tuesday. Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, prime minister and leader of the junta, also said that he expected national elections next year to proceed as planned, although he did not specify when. For the succession, no one should be worried, he said after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Referring to the elections, he added, Our country cannot just stop. The nation is in mourning for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88, who was the worlds longest-reigning monarch before his death on Thursday. In tribute to the king, who was widely beloved, many public events have been canceled and most people are wearing black. Large crowds continue to gather each day outside the Grand Palace to pay their respects. BERLIN The Austrian government moved on Tuesday to seize the house where Hitler was born, and it may tear it down, in an effort to demystify a site that has become a magnet for neo-Nazis as well as tourists. The move comes after decades of hand-wringing over the fate of the property, which has been vacant since tenants left in 2011 after a dispute with the owner, who refused to allow necessary renovations. Last year, the government appointed a historical commission to determine how best to handle the building. The house in the town of Braunau am Inn, next to the Austrian-German border and about 75 miles east of Munich had a tavern on the ground level and apartments on the upper floors, one of which was rented by Hitlers parents before his birth on April 20, 1889. LONDON Ecuador said Tuesday that it had cut off Julian Assanges access to the internet in his exile in the countrys London embassy, making clear that it feared being sucked into an effort to interfere in electoral processes in the United States by the activities of the WikiLeaks founder. Ecuador said that it was not evicting Mr. Assange from its embassy, where he sought asylum four years ago. It said that its temporary restriction of internet services to Mr. Assange does not prevent the WikiLeaks organization from carrying out its journalistic activities. But it was clearly intended to keep the embassy from being the control center for that leaking operation. The government of Ecuador respects the principle of nonintervention in the affairs of other countries, it said in a statement, and it does not interfere in the electoral processes in support of any candidate in particular. The internet cutoff was the latest twist in the odd tale of Mr. Assanges self-imposed exile, which began in 2012 when he sought refuge from a Swedish rape investigation that he said was a cover for an American effort to extradite him. Since then, his world has shrunk to a single apartment inside the small diplomatic compound in central London. He has communicated through the embassys internet connections, visitors and, presumably, cellphones that would give him another form of internet access. BEIRUT, Lebanon Islamic State leaders had long promised their followers an apocalyptic battle foretold, some believe, by the Prophet Muhammad in an otherwise nondescript village they controlled in northern Syria. But the warriors of the self-declared caliphate lost the village, Dabiq, in just a few hours over the weekend as Syrian rebels, backed by Turkey, closed in. To soften the symbolic blow, the Islamic State switched rhetorical gears, declaring that the real Dabiq battle would come some other time. The about-face was part of a larger repositioning as the Islamic State loses ground, not only in Syria but also in Iraq, where forces backed by the United States began a drive on Monday to oust the group from the sprawling and strategically vital city of Mosul. On the defensive in both countries, the group has been making preparations for retrenchment and survival. Hundreds of Islamic State fighters and their families have fled to the groups de facto capital, the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, in recent days, according to several residents of that city who asked not to be named to avoid reprisals. They said that the arrivals had come from Mosul, as well as from areas around Dabiq in the Syrian province of Aleppo, and that they were waiting for the Islamic State authorities to find them housing. BEIRUT, Lebanon Saudi Arabia on Tuesday executed a member of the royal family for murder, the first time in four decades it had done so, after he was convicted of shooting another man to death during a brawl. Prince Turki bin Saud bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabeer was put to death in the capital, Riyadh, according to a report by the Saudi state news service. While the report did not detail the method used, most death penalties in Saudi Arabia are carried out by beheading in a public square. The rare event rocketed around the kingdoms social media networks, with some Saudis saying they never imagined such a thing would happen and others arguing that it showed the quality of their justice system, which follows a strict interpretation of Shariah law and is often criticized by human rights groups and Western governments for what they consider harsh and arbitrary punishments. The greatest thing is that the citizen sees the law applied to everyone, and that there are not big people and other small people, Abdul-Rahman al-Lahim, a prominent Saudi lawyer, wrote on Twitter. BEIRUT, Lebanon War-torn Yemen took a tenuous step toward a short-term cease-fire on Tuesday, as the rebels who control the countrys capital said they would hold their fire if a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia stopped its attacks and lifted its blockade of rebel-held territory. The statement by the rebels, known as the Houthis, was their first official reaction to a 72-hour cease-fire that the United Nations said was supposed to start on Wednesday. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been working to find a political solution to the countrys 19-month-old conflict, welcomed the cease-fire announcement. Mr. Kerry noted in a statement that a peaceful resolution of this conflict requires compromises and commitments by everyone. The United States, he added, alongside the international community, is ready to provide assistance and will continue to work with all parties to conclude a negotiated settlement that will bring a permanent and lasting end to the conflict. BEIRUT, Lebanon Russian and Syrian warplanes halted their bombardment of rebel-held districts in Aleppo on Tuesday, in what Russia called a gesture of good will ahead of an eight-hour unilateral humanitarian pause it has promised for Thursday. The halt in aerial attacks came as residents reeled from days of shattering airstrikes that had intensified over the past week, killing scores of people, including 14 members of one family. It was unclear how long the break would last. The Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said at a news conference on Tuesday that he hoped the respite would allow talks to finally separate the Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and those like it from armed opposition groups supported by the United States and its allies a longstanding Russian demand. But rebel leaders are likely to reject that demand, and United Nations officials said that they had received no prior notification from Russia about the pause in the bombardment, that they had no knowledge of the corridors the Russian military said would be opened to let civilians and militants out of the city, and that humanitarian agencies would not be able to send aid in or bring wounded out without more time and additional guarantees. The official acceptance of the yuan into the International Monetary Fund's elite currency club on Oct. 1 marked a milestone in the Chinese government's campaign to boost the yuan's international appeal. Inclusion of the yuan in the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket a reserve asset whose value was previously determined based on the U.S. dollar, euro, yen and British pound is a sign of the international community's affirmation of financial reforms undertaken by China. But there is still much work to be done before the yuan can achieve its goal of becoming a widely traded international reserve currency. Securing SDR status was a hard-won battle. The vote by the IMF board to make the yuan the third-biggest currency in the basket used to value the fund's own de facto monetary unit followed years of lobbying by Beijing. The move is a crucial first step in China's strategy to promote the yuan in global payments to enhance its influence as the world's second-largest economy. It will also pave the way for the yuan to be fully convertible and become part of an important instrument to tackle a global financial crisis. The yuan's status as one of the five official reserve currencies fully endorsed by the 189 members of the IMF is a milestone comparable to China's accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001 as it pushes the country to further open up its economy. But the key difference between the two is that China's entry into the WTO was based on promises to liberalize and boost growth, whereas efforts to join the SDR required the country to first meet international standards. The momentum created during this process is irreversible and will drive future financial and economic reforms. As part of the IMF's elite currency group, China will have a greater impetus to promote reforms in global financial governance and the international monetary system. Some progress has been made on this front already. The wider use of the SDR was promoted at the recent G20 summit, and in August, the World Bank took the initial step by issuing the first SDR-dominated bonds in China. Being part of the SDR basket doesn't mean that the yuan has already become a widely used international reserve currency. Statistics showed that despite quick growth, the share of yuan-denominated assets such as bonds or international banking liabilities, and the use of the yuan in cross-border payments and foreign-exchange market transactions, remained low. There are good reasons to believe that the yuan will eventually become a major reserve currency as long as China can sustain its growth momentum and push for further reform. But there will be lots of bumps along the road to achieving this goal. Since late last year, some indicators have shown that the yuan's status in international trade payments was weakening. In September, the Chinese currency slipped one place to become the fifth-most-widely used for global payments compared to August. The yuan was losing steam due to staggered reforms at home. China's efforts to trim overcapacity and excess leverage have progressed slowly, sucking out capital from the real economy and creating speculation-driven bubbles in financial markets. Mounting financial risks are hurting investor confidence, and coupled with a tepid economic outlook, it's driving away more capital and putting pressure on the yuan. Against such a backdrop, some analysts have called for slowing down capital account liberalization and foreign exchange rate reforms, saying it is a more prudent way to coordinate changes in the financial sector and other aspects of the economy. However, the problem is not the pace of reforms in the financial sector, but the inability of other sectors to keep up with these reforms. Continued internationalization of the yuan is the only way to address this fundamental problem. At a recent annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, D.C., central bank Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said China is striving to find a balance between making the yuan more flexible and maintaining a stable exchange rate. Indeed, as the yuan experienced greater fluctuations after SDR inclusion, China's monetary authorities will face challenges when fighting speculation of a sharp depreciation. It's worth noting that being part of the SDR basket is not a permanent status. The IMF reviews the health of currencies included in the basket every five years, and those that fail to meet the standards may be removed. The popularity of a currency in global payments is ultimately decided by investor confidence. In order to push for greater internationalization of the yuan, China must make its monetary policies and exchange-rate mechanism more market-oriented and transparent, open up its financial sector, and provide more yuan-denominated assets to global investors. Fundamentally, the government should improve the national governance structure in the modern sense. The performance of a currency reflects the strength of a country. It is natural for a major economic power's currency to be widely used in international trade settlements. The yuan has secured its current place in the international monetary order thanks to China's nearly 40-year reform push, but further achievements can only be cemented by deepening reforms. Therefore, SDR inclusion marks a starting point, and not an end, for the yuan's challenging journey toward becoming an international currency. Hu Shuli is the chief editor of Caixin Media. Google said that it had optimized Pixel to be speedy, with real-world applications that consumers could perceive, like making the touch screen feel very responsive. It also said that it would improve its virtual assistant over time and that photos taken with the Pixel look more natural. In the United States, Googles Pixel will initially be available for Verizon Wireless or Project Fi, Googles cheaper phone service. Like other high-end phones, Pixels starting price is about $650. Pixel comes in two different screen sizes: five diagonal inches and 5.5 diagonal inches. Google provided the 5.5-inch model, Pixel XL, for testing. After testing Pixel for five days, I concluded that although the devices features are underwhelming, this is a good smartphone for Android fans. It does a great job doing what Google designed it to do: Running Android in its purest form, untainted by slipshod third-party apps. Better yet, this is an opportune time to consider breaking up with your carrier and switching to Project Fi, Googles phone service that costs as little as $30 a month. Heres what stood out in my tests of Pixel: Googles Still-Annoying Assistant In a comparison of voice-controlled virtual assistants offered by Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft last January, I determined that none were great, though Googles was slightly ahead of the pack. Nine months later, the situation remains largely the same: Artificially intelligent assistants still arent that smart. And so it was with Googles supposedly new-and-improved virtual assistant, called Assistant, on the Pixel. The search giant says the difference with Assistant is that it is capable of two-way conversations. In plain English, what Google means is you can make requests to Assistant and ask follow-up questions, and Assistant might understand the context to respond appropriately. A question kept nagging at me as I plowed through the catalog of horrors recounted here: What is the gain for my pain? The author clearly wants to provoke pity and outrage in his readers, and he succeeds but to that end, why not write a punchy reportage instead of a very long novel? In fact, two late chapters read like reportage, detailing the postwar trials of doctors and a nurse. But the overall mode is novelistic: The narrative enters the minds of historical characters and introduces fictional characters and events, with no distinction between the two that is a novels prerogative. My question about gain versus pain concerns the novel as such. Consider pneumoencephalography, a ghastly procedure that Dr. Illing ordered for many children. We have two graphic descriptions of it in the novel. In the first, the victim is a boy named Jakob Nausedas, whose family history is unknown but who is assumed to be Jewish because he is circumcised (Illing refers to him as the little Jew boy): The long lumbar puncture needle is eased . . . into the space around the spinal cord to extract some of the fluid. . . . The childs skin blanches and turns bluish, as if slowly suffocating; then, just as suddenly, the skin blushes and the eyes bulge and roll upwards, white with terror as the pain slashes the childs head like a thousand sharp knives. Because the child is immobilized, the nurse holds an enameled basin in readiness for when the stomach contents come spraying out. And so on for another half page that describes the boys suffering and, a few days later, his death in the pavilion of the chosen ones. (To be chosen, in this world, meant to be selected for death.) Never mind whether Jakob Nausedas was a real person or not. Is it enough for me to feel outrage as I read the description of his martyrdom, one of many in these pages? Or do I expect more from a work of imaginative literature some deeper understanding of human motivations and emotions or a sense that language can, by inventive means, rise to the challenge of depicting historical horrors? Most of the characters in The Chosen Ones are one-dimensional, either grotesque villains (the Nazi doctors, mouthing banalities about duty and racial science) or passive victims (the suffering children). By an interesting choice, much of the story is seen through the eyes of the nurses, who are not outright villains some truly care for the children. Anna Katschenka, an actual nurse who was tried after the war, is a central figure. She was not a Nazi, and we are told a bit about her family history, but her character too appears schematic. She is in thrall to Jekelius, who once treated her for depression hardly a sufficient motivation for her rigid execution of orders to kill. None of the characters evolve and there is no plot, only a series of episodes. The one child we follow from beginning to end, Adrian Ziegler (modeled partly on a survivor the author names in his afterword), endures torments that would have killed most others and continues to be a victim for decades after the war, imprisoned for various small crimes and still hounded by Nazi reports that branded him as past rehabilitation. But he remains strangely opaque as well. All he can do is insist on remembering what was done to him, while the perpetrator Gross whom he encounters again in 1975 claims to have forgotten everything. Sem-Sandbergs precise, resolutely nonpoetic prose is highly effective, even in translation, and appears to be a conscious refusal of aestheticism: The brutality of the subject requires a brutal style. The danger, however, is that it can backfire. In one episode, after an injection by Gross sends Adrian crawling onto the floor in spasms of pain, we read that the guard looked at him and left, as if he, too, had had more than enough of this spectacle and didnt care to stay on for more. The reader, alas, may feel the same way. In 2004, 57 police officers of different races were divided into two groups for a simple experiment. Half of them were shown two photo lineups, one with an array of white faces and one with black faces. This group was more visually attuned to the white faces. A second group looked at the same lineups after words like violent, crime and shoot flashed on their screens, at the edge of their field of vision. This group of officers eyes were mostly drawn to the black faces. In a similar test, using pictures of guns and knives instead of words, a group of white college students exhibited a similar shift in attention. The psychologists who did the research described their findings in terms of a bias in perception, rather than of intentional prejudice. The distinction is important: The test measured the split-second reactions of the police officers and the students, not their considered judgments. This kind of bias lies beneath the surface, implicit and often automatic. Just as black faces and black bodies can trigger thoughts of crime, thinking of crime can trigger thoughts of black people, the psychologists wrote in an article called Seeing Black. Before the civil rights era, and even more recently, it would have been strange to describe bias as hidden or implicit. Outright bias was codified by Jim Crow, among other laws, and reinforced by discrimination at work, at school and in access to housing. Today, the country imagines itself differently. We have a colorblind Constitution, Justice Clarence Thomas asserted nine years ago, at the dawn of the Obama era, as he joined the courts conservative majority to strike down school-desegregation plans. In 2013, Chief Justice John Roberts decreed that central protections in the Voting Rights Act have lost their relevance because things have changed dramatically in the 50 years since the laws initial passage. This article is part of a series aimed at helping you navigate lifes opportunities and challenges. What else should we write about? Contact us: smarterliving@nytimes.com. Q. I graduate from college next spring and am thinking ahead to my first apartment. How much of my income should I budget for rent? Do I need to budget differently if I live in a big city instead of a small one? What are my options if I dont have a large salary that would make me an attractive candidate to a landlord? A. You are smart to do your math homework, because the size of your rent check could mean the difference between a tight budget and an unsustainable one. A household that pays more than 30 percent of its gross income on rent and utilities is considered rent-burdened, according to federal guidelines. If you pay more than half of your income on rent, you are considered extremely rent burdened. The silver-haired gentleman in the perfectly tailored dark suit made a sweeping gesture and gave me a wistful smile. It was right here, he said. 1952. He pointed to a particular spot on the floor. That is where she stood. If he was alive in 1952 he was a very little boy, but every guide I speak to at the Palazzo Colonna in Rome knows and reveres the spot where she stood. Roman Holiday was the first American film to be shot in its entirety in Italy, and she was Audrey Hepburn in her first starring film role, playing a princess on the lam who spends one glorious day in Rome with a journalist who figures he has the scoop of his career. Gregory Peck was the journalist; it didnt take long for the scoop to turn into a brief romance. Roman Holiday was released in 1953, not 1952, but in context the guide is correct: She stood there in 1952, when the film was shot. I walked over to stand where Ms. Hepburn did in the films final scene, as the princess prepared to bid farewell to Rome, to Mr. Peck, and to a room full of real journalists drafted to fill out the press conference and although I have been a moviegoer since I was a child, I was not prepared for how delighted I would be to be exactly there, surrounded by make-believe memories. (Beijing) Tougher rules that limit migrants from offering rides on online ride-hailing services would drive them into the unlicensed "black taxi" market, experts said. At least 10 major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, issued draft rules in recent weeks that require drivers registered with online ride-hailing services such as Didi Chuxing and Uber Technologies Inc. to have a local household registration or a residence permit that can be obtained only after paying taxes for years. Vehicles used to pick up passengers must also meet rigid technical standards, the guidelines said. But strict regulations will force migrant workers, who constitute the majority of drivers, out of the industry, said He Xia, a senior engineer at a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. He made the remarks at a Peking University forum on Monday. In response to the strict draft rules, Didi Chuxing said that if the rules are enforced, it will significantly shrink the pool of drivers and vehicles available on popular ride-sharing apps and push up costs. In Shanghai, less than 2.5 percent of drivers registered with Didi were local residents, the company added. "This will also inevitably lead migrants to driving unlicensed cabs, which would be even harder for the government to regulate," He said. For years, authorities have tried to crack down on private cars that pick up passengers for a fee, as many lacked third-party insurance and posed a safety risk to passengers. There are no recent estimates on the number of these "black taxis" in major cities, but they are a common site near airports, train stations and on the outskirts of cities where public transport is scarce. "What can I do?" said 27-year-old Li Aqiang, a Didi driver who moved to Beijing at the beginning of the year from Henan province. "I might just continue providing services without a license." Hundreds of thousands of migrants flocking to cities to drive for ride-hailing services has fueled a rapid growth in the sector. Requiring drivers to have a local household registration or residency permit has been seen as a move to curb the growing tide. But "trying to use ride-hailing policies to solve overpopulation (in cities) is ridiculous," said Zhang Weiying, director of the Center for Market and Network Economy of Peking University. In response to the concern that ride-hailing companies may make traffic worse in cities, Fu Weigang, executive director of Shanghai Institute of Finance & Law, said that the market can reach equilibrium without government intervention. Amid growing concerns that tough rules could strangle the nascent industry, Premier Li Keqiang told tech leaders, including Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook a major investor in Didi at a meeting in Shenzhen last week that the central government "will ask cities to carry out an in-depth analysis and listen to the views of all parties," the state-run People's Daily reported. Contact Chen Na (nachen@caixin.com); editor Poornima Weerasekara (poornima@caixin.com) Syrian and Russian airstrikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo were suspended Tuesday following a monthlong bombing campaign. Access to the area has been cut, trapping 275,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters Russian officials say the suspension of airstrikes is the first step in a plan to allow militants and civilians to leave the city later this week. More than 370 people have been killed and more than 1,200 wounded, the United Nations says, since the collapse of a brief cease-fire last month. Bakeries, schools and hospitals have been attacked. Aleppo, Sept. 18, 2016 Sept. 25, 2016 Five houses Eight houses Craters Five houses Eight houses Craters Satellite images by DigitalGlobe. | Source: Analysis by UNITAR-UNOSAT. Before the war, Aleppo was Syrias largest city, with a population of two million. The eastern part of the city is the largest and most fortified rebel stronghold the government has sought to retake using this strategy of siege and bombardment. It is also the rebels last stronghold in a major city, and it has been closed off by government forces and their allies more than two months. Government GAINS SINCE SEpt. 19 Rebel control KurdisH Control Area under siege Rebel control Government Control Aleppo 7.5 miles 12km Aleppo Citadel Aleppo International Airport Aleppo SYRIA Damascus Government GAINS SINCE SEpt. 19 KurdisH Control Rebel control Government Control Aleppo 7.5 miles 12km Aleppo Citadel Area under siege Aleppo SYRIA Damascus Government GAINS SINCE SEpt. 19 Rebel control KurdisH Control Area under siege Rebel control Government Control Aleppo 7.5 miles 12km Aleppo Citadel Aleppo International Airport Aleppo SYRIA Damascus Source: IHS Conflict Monitor (areas of control are as of Oct. 17) Witness reports, photographs and videos show entire buildings demolished by airstrikes with residents inside, while ground forces, including a number of foreign militias, have pushed into the city. The airstrikes have included powerful bunker-buster bombs that reach down into basement shelters and destroy underground water pipes. In Two Weeks, At Least 261 Civilians Were Killed in 100 Airstrikes 2 killed 19 killed 27 killed 58 killed 56 killed 43 killed 17 killed 33 killed 3 killed 1 killed 1 killed 1 killed Sources: IHS Conflict Monitor (airstrikes); Violations Documentation Center in Syria (civilians killed). In many cases a second round of strikes will target ambulances and rescue workers after an attack, often halting or delaying the search for victims in the rubble. Aleppo Media Center Videos posted online by activists appeared to corroborate accusations that Russian and Syrian planes have been dropping cluster munitions in residential areas. These bombs indiscriminately disperse bomblets across hundreds of yards. Some children have turned bomb craters into swimming pools. Aleppo Media Center, via Associated Press The World Health Organization reported that nearly 100 children were killed in the last week of September alone. They were among at least 1,000 civilians killed by airstrikes in Aleppo this year. Some of the most densely populated areas have been hit. Approximate frontlines GOVERNMENT CONTROL OLD CITY Great Umayyad Mosque Aleppo Citadel rebel CONTROL AREAS UNDER SIEGE Approximate frontlines GOVERNMENT CONTROL Great Umayyad Mosque Aleppo Citadel rebel CONTROL under siege Source: IHS Conflict Monitor (areas of control are as of Oct. 10); satellite photograph by Google. Aleppo is one the worlds oldest cities. Parts of its Old City have been designated a world heritage site by The United Nations. Some of the front lines are right next door. Dimitar Dilkoff/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images The Great Umayyad Mosque is being used as a military garrison. Its 1,000-year-old minaret was destroyed in 2013. Georges Ourfalian/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images The ancient citadel was also damaged. Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters The Syrian government issued a statement earlier this month demanding that rebels in eastern Aleppo surrender and leave with their families, while rebel groups called for a general mobilization. Lee County Sheriffs Office First-degree theft of property was reported Saturday in the 1100 block of Lee Road 42 in Opelika. First-degree theft of property was reported Saturday in the 700 block of Lee Road 270 in Valley. Second-degree theft of property was reported Saturday in the 17000 block of U.S. Highway 280 East in Smiths Station. Second-degree theft of property was reported Sunday in the 100 block of Lee road 468 in Smiths Station. First-degree criminal trespassing, third-degree criminal mischief and third-degree domestic violence was reported Sunday in the 100 block of Lee Road 955 in Cussetta. First-degree robbery and first-degree theft of property were reported Monday on Highway 80 in Tuskegee. Auburn Police Division Second-degree theft of property (firearm) was reported Friday in the 2200 block of Watercrest Drive. First-degree theft of property was reported Saturday in the 400 block of Parkerson Way. Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle was reported Saturday in the 1300 block of Gatewood Drive. Alison Perdue McCoy, 21, of Auburn, was arrested Friday and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. Marcus Jerry Stephens, 23, of Auburn, was arrested Friday and charged with driving under the influence of a controlled substance. A 36-year-old, of Auburn, was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree possession of marijuana. A 30-year-old, of Opelika, was arrested Sunday and charged with second-degree possession of marijuana. Opelika Police Department A second-degree theft of property occurred between Tuesday and Wednesday in the 2000 block of Dutch Court. Second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and fourth-degree theft of property occurred between Thursday and Friday at Irish Bread Pub, 833 S. Railroad Ave. First-degree theft of property and third-degree forgery occurred between Wednesday and Friday at Glynn Smith Chevrolet, 600 Columbus Parkway. Second-degree theft of property occurred between Tuesday and Thursday in the 1100 block of Spring Drive. Second-degree theft of property and unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle occurred between Tuesday and Friday in the 500 block of Crawford Road. Second-degree theft of property and third-degree burglary occurred between Thursday and Saturday in the 4000 block of Stonewall Road. Second-degree burglary occurred Friday in the 400 block of Toomer Circle. Jamarcus D. Core, 26, of Auburn, was arrested Sunday and charged with driving under the influence. Chambers County Sheriffs Office Erica Heard, 43, of Five Points, was arrested between Friday and Sunday for unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. Former OC Public Works administrator and convicted felon Carlos Bustamante, who served jail time this year for his sex crimes against county workers, lost a chunk of his pension benefits Monday after he was stripped of credit for the years he worked while committing the crimes. Bustamante, 51, who said he was released in late August, appeared at Mondays meeting of the Orange County Employees Retirement System board, arguing he should receive his full pension and suggesting he was being politically targeted by having his benefits reduced. One board member accused Bustamante of belittling his conviction, and the board unanimously voted that he will not receive pension credit for the 2 1/2 years he worked after July 2, 2009 the earliest known date of his criminal activity. In recent years, seven female county employees accused Bustamante of making unwanted sexual advances at his county job, including luring them into his office, where he would trap them and kiss, hug and touch them inappropriately. In December, 3 1/2 years after Bustamante was arrested in those incidents, he pleaded guilty to felony counts of attempted sexual battery and stalking, and misdemeanor counts of assault and false imprisonment. He also was convicted of stealing more than $3,100 in tax funds. Bustamante was sentenced in January to lifetime sex offender registration, five years of probation and one year in jail, but he served only six months of that jail time, according to a Montebello City Jail representative. The boards decision is OCERS first application of a 2013 California law that requires former publicly employed felons to forfeit retirement benefits accrued while they were committing crimes, if that misconduct was done on the job. Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who spoke at Mondays meeting, called the law the Mike Carona statute, saying it was inspired in part by the disgraced former Orange County sheriff who was convicted of felony witness tampering, because people were sick and tired of paying pensions for people who were convicted of felonies in the course and scope of their employment. Why would we reward Mr. Bustamantes conduct as a county employee? Spitzer asked. While he was paying into the county employee system with this hand, he was groping women with this hand. Bustamante and his attorney, Edwin Brown, argued that the law should not apply to Bustamante because he resigned from the county in September 2011, before the law took effect. They said the law should not be applied retroactively. If youre going to be doing selective enforcement of this, you need to go back a couple of years ago; there are a couple of individuals that I know that did six, seven years consecutively. I did 120 days, said Bustamante, who also served on the Santa Ana City Council. So if you want a measure of the seriousness of the crime, measure it by the punishment. I just want to make sure that Im not being targeted, for whatever reason, political reasons, for whatever reasons you might have. Brown argued that Bustamante did not commit the crimes during the course of his work, because he did not directly oversee his victims. But David Lantzer, OCERS deputy chief counsel, said the state law applies directly to Bustamante because he was convicted of his crimes after it took effect. He also clarified that Bustamante in his county job directly or indirectly oversaw all of his victims. Board member Chris Prevatt admonished Bustamante for downplaying the severity of his crimes, saying that he was belittling his conviction and belittling his plea. Brown said Bustamante, who began working for the county in 2000, would appeal the boards ruling and would likely take the matter to court. OCERS staff mentioned there is no legal precedent or appeals court opinion about how the state law might apply in a case like Bustamantes, and the board expressed some ambiguity about how the law applies to the former county employee. Bustamantes new annual pension will be more than $37,000, though it is unclear how much he was paid before his benefits were docked. Bustamantes top compensation with the county was nearly $245,000 in 2011, with almost $156,000 of that as base salary, according to Transparent California. Even after Bustamante was arrested and locked up, he continued to collect a pension reflecting all 11 years he was employed at the county causing him to be overpaid by nearly $24,000. However, the boards decision also means Bustamante is owed the nearly $56,000 he paid into the system during the 2 1/2 years he was committing crimes meaning hell be refunded nearly $32,000 but will collect lower pension payments moving forward. In July, Orange County agreed to pay $1 million to two county employees who were sexually harassed or assaulted by Bustamante. The countys liability arose from a lack of employee training and protocol in reporting such incidents, as well as failure to adequately investigate the complaints, according to one of the lawsuits filed against the county. Bustamantes lawyer said the former county employee is now employed in the private sector and still lives in Orange County. Bustamante and his lawyer did not answer questions about where he is employed. Contact the writer: jgraham@ocregister.com or 714-796-7960 ANAHEIM Amelia Cortes visited Northgate Gonzalez Market Monday morning to check one important item off her list a much overdue mammogram. Cortes, 60, first underwent a breast exam in the grocery stores employee lounge. Then she got a free mammogram inside a mobile clinic parked out front. In all, 30 uninsured women had the imaging procedure done in an event organized by Susan G. Komen Orange County. Three more events are planned over the next few weeks to mark Breast Cancer Awareness month. All provide free follow-up care if needed. I check myself but I wanted a doctor and an actual screening, said Cortes, who gave up a job with health insurance in order to care for her grandchildren. Its like a weight has been lifted. Her last mammogram was eight years ago. Shes declined offers from her doctor because she said she couldnt afford to pay nearly $300 for the screening. Ambrocia Lopez, who oversees community outreach for the nonprofit Komen, said the mobile mammograms can be life-saving, particularly for Latinas who are often diagnosed with breast cancer at later stages than other women in Orange County. They dont come to us, we have to come to them, Lopez said. Its very grassroots. Lopez said locally, 61 percent of women of Mexican descent who develop breast cancer, receive a late-stage diagnosis. As a result, they have a 34 percent greater chance of dying than the average Orange County woman with breast cancer. If we find their cancer early, theres hope, she said. Lopez said the women who were screened will receive reminders next year to get another free mammogram. She said one woman who was screened Monday morning had a lump that required further evaluation. She was scheduled for a same-day appointment. The other women will receive letters in the mail with their mammogram findings or phone calls if they need an ultrasound or biopsy. Uninsured women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are eligible for free treatment through Californias Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program. Arleen Amon, 61, emerged from the mobile clinic relieved to have had her second mammogram, the first done in 2010 in her native Philippines. The American Cancer Society recommends that women age 45 to 54 get mammograms every year. Those 55 and older can switch to every two years or undergo annual screening. Because I dont have insurance, I grabbed the opportunity, said Amon, who works as a caregiver. Im so thankful. Contact the writer: cperkes@scng.com 714-796-3686 Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are set to square off in their third and final debate Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Democratic and Republican nominees will discuss a wide range of issues including immigration and the economy, with Chris Wallace anchor of Fox News Sunday serving as moderator. If you prefer to watch with a group instead of at home, here is a sampling of debate viewing parties in Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties. Most require a reservation. ORANGE COUNTY KRLA-AM (870) The Answer Presidential Debate Viewing: Doors open 5 p.m. Free but preregistration is required. Wyndham Hotel, 12021 Harbor Blvd., Anaheim. Information: am870theanswer.com/pages/debate-viewing-parties KFI-AM (640) presents the Tim Conway Jr., John and Ken Broadcast and Debate Viewing Party: 6 p.m. Free but register online. M3 Live Anaheim Event Center, 2232 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim. Emails: conwayshow@iheartmedia.com or johnandkenkfi@kfiam640.com. Information: kfiam640.iheart.com/onair/tim-conway-jr-33371/join-john-ken-and-tim-conway-15187310 Regal Cinemas: Free showing, 6 p.m. Purchase popcorn and receive a free small drink. Locations include: Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20 (26701 Aliso Creek Road; 844-462-7342, Ext. 116) and Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21 (500 Spectrum Drive; 844-462-7342, Ext. 140). Information: regmovies.com/promotions/presidential-debate. LOS ANGELES COUNTY Long Beach Republicans: Watch the debate with Republican candidates for area offices, 5 p.m. Cost $30. Reservations required at info@longbeachrepublicans.org. The Forbidden City, 6380 E. Pacific Coast Highway. 562-498-2461. Information: longbeachrepublicans.org Long Beach Republican Women Federated: 5:30 p.m. Tracys Bar & Grill, 5511 E. Spring St. Information: longbeachrepublicanwomen.com/calendar.html Regal Cinemas: Free showing, 6 p.m. Purchase popcorn and receive a free small drink. Edwards Long Beach Stadium (7501 E. Carson Blvd.; 844-462-7342, Ext. 148). regmovies.com/promotions/presidential-debate RIVERSIDE COUNTY KTIE-AM (590) The Answer Presidential Debate Viewing: Doors open, 5:30 p.m. Free but preregistration is required. Galaxy Mission, Grove Theatre, 121 E. Allessandro Blvd., Riverside. Information: am870theanswer.com/pages/debate-viewing-parties An appellate justice said Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals decision to remove the District Attorneys Office from the trial of the deadliest shooter in county history appeared to be made with care and not emotion, but the justice also asked if Goethals went too far. The judicial back and forth came Monday, in a 4th District Court of Appeal hearing on Goethals March 2015 decision to boot District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and his lawyers from the penalty phase of the case of mass murderer Scott Dekraai. California Attorney General Kamala Harris inherited the case, but filed an appeal arguing that Goethals abused his discretion. The justices made no ruling Monday and have 90 days to issue an opinion. Deputy Attorney General Theodore Cropley said three times on Monday that Goethals was frustrated when he tossed local prosecutors off the Dekraai case, prompting a short rebuke from Justice Richard Fybel. I think its a mistake to attribute what the court did here as frustration, Fybel said. Fybel also asked whether Goethals should have removed only the attorneys involved in the case and not the entire office. Dekraai has pleaded guilty to killing eight people, including his ex-wife, at a Seal Beach salon in October 2011. The only question that remains is whether he will receive a life sentence or the death penalty. But the penalty phase of his trial has been in limbo since Goethals removed the District Attorneys Office from the case, triggering a national debate on the countys use of jail informants and the withholding of evidence. Goethals took action after ruling local prosecutors could not be trusted to give Dekraai a fair trial. Goethals determined that two sheriffs deputies either intentionally lied or willfully withheld material evidence about the existence of a jail database on informants. He was especially concerned that county prosecutors could not control their police partners and, therefore, had a conflict of interest. Goethals also found that prosecutors had withheld evidence from Dekraais defense team namely the background of a jail informant whom they used to gather incriminating evidence from Dekraai. However, Goethals said the misconduct by prosecutors was not intentional. Cropley, in court papers, wrote to the justices: The trial court erroneously relied on systemic problems within the (Sheriffs Department) and misconduct solely attributable to the (Sheriffs Department) in this case to find that the OCDA had a conflict of interest that likely would deny Dekraai a fair trial. Furthermore, recusing the OCDA is not an appropriate remedy. The Orange County Public Defenders office, in its response to the appellate court, said Goethals did not abuse his discretion. The record demonstrates the trial courts decision was not arbitrary and capricious, but rather the product of careful consideration and deliberation, wrote Senior Deputy Public Defender Scott Van Camp. The trial court found that the OCDAs conflict of interest stems from its loyalty and interest in protecting law enforcement officials who have spent years routinely violating the rights of several inmates through the use of custodial informants, Van Camp wrote. Contact the writer: tsaavedra@scng.com CAMP PENDLETON Retired Marine Col. Jay R. Vargas said he felt humbled as he stood under a tarp in the rain Monday at a ceremony to name the bases largest post office in honor of Marines and Navy corpsmen who received the Medal of Honor. On behalf of the 76 living Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, I accept this, said Vargas, who received the Medal of Honor as a captain in 1968 after the battle of Dai Do in Vietnam. Any time you can receive the recognition that these recipients are receiving today, it means something. Vargas was joined by military officers, lawmakers and community members during the dedication of the newly named Camp Pendleton Medal of Honor Post Office. The naming is an effort to honor the service and selflessness of those who earned the countrys highest military medal, officials said. The Medal of Honor is awarded by the president in the name of Congress. Since it was first presented in 1863, the medal has been awarded to 3,498 recipients. This is a great day when Americans as patriots can come together and acknowledge those that have given their best effort and then some; and the many that have given their ultimate sacrifice in the service of this nation, said Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Killea, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations West and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. We now have a building that will memorialize and also represent those who are truly example-setters for all of us in uniform and those who take pride in this great, great nation. Killea thanked Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, who introduced legislation a year ago to designate the post office for Medal of Honor recipients. It was signed into law by President Barack Obama on June 13. In his remarks, Vargas remembered retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Richard Pittman, who received the Medal of Honor on July 24, 1966. Pittman, 71, died Thursday. Services are being planned for him. We lost a good one, Vargas said. We used to call him the Camp Pendleton sheriff. Vargas also thanked Issa for all you have done for us in taking care of the veterans and the wounded warriors. Issa, who represents Californias 49th Congressional District, which includes Camp Pendleton, South Orange County and North San Diego County, said it was important to recognize the sacrifice these heroes made. The men and women whove earned the Medal of Honor have gone above and beyond the call of duty, many even giving their own lives to save their fellow men, he said in a statement. Vargas said he had heard from several Medal of Honor recipients who wanted to express their thanks for the post office honor. This is the first time Ive ever heard of a post office being named after Medal of Honor recipients, he said after the ceremony. Im honored, I really am. It kind of humbles you. Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or on Twitter:@lagunaini Can local chef Tony Nguyen beat one of Food Networks biggest stars? Tune in Thursday night to find out. Nguyen, consulting chef to House of An based in Costa Mesa, competes tonight in the Beat Bobby Flay cooking competition. House of An restaurants include AnQi in Costa Mesa and Crustacean locations in Beverly Hills and San Francisco. The 30-minute show stars two chefs competing to create a dish before judges that include Flay and the winner goes to battle with him. Tonights episode is titled Che-sing Glory. The Food Network describes the episode: Chef Andres Dangond puts his Colombian flair on display against Asian fusion maestro Tony Nguyen for a shot at one of Americas best chefs, Bobby Flay. Nguyen, who lives in Huntington Beach, could not be reached for comment. He is becoming a familiar face on TV. In February, he competed in Bravos Recipe for Deception. He beat two chefs to emerge champion. Nguyen is part of growing list of local chefs who have competed in popular TV food shows, including Jason Quinn, Amar Santana, Patrick Paddy Glennon, Noah Blom and Jamie Gwen. This year, Santana made it to the finale and almost won the title on Bravos Top Chef. Beat Bobby Flay airs Thursday at 7 p.m. on Food Network. Contact the writer: nluna@scng.com SAN DIEGO The president of a group representing tens of thousands of law enforcement officers on Monday apologized for historic mistreatment of minorities in the United States, calling it a dark side of our shared history that must be acknowledged and overcome. Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, told officials at the groups annual conference that police have historically been a face of oppression in enforcing laws that ensure legalized discrimination and denial of basic rights. While apologizing for past actions, Cunningham said todays officers are not to blame for those injustices. He did not speak in detail about modern policing but said events over the past several years have undermined public trust. While we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we must change the future, said Cunningham. We must move forward together to build a shared understanding. He said the first step was for them to apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in societys historical mistreatment of communities of color. Cunningham, who is police chief of overwhelmingly white Wellesley, Mass., received a standing ovation for his remarks on race relations, which lasted about four minutes and came just before he introduced U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who largely avoided the topic. His comments come as police shootings of black men in recent years have roiled communities in Ferguson, Mo.; Baton Rouge, La.; and suburban St. Paul, Minn.; and as black shooters have targeted officers in Dallas, the St. Louis suburb of Ballwin and Baton Rouge. When you dont know the history and you say, Well, there is no problem, then you pretty much present yourself as insensitive to the issues, said David Alexander III, the black police chief in Pensacola, Fla. The issue of racial tension has been a part of American history since its settlement. NEWPORT BEACH Police have arrested a 22-year-old man who they say is linked to at least 11 crimes, several of them home burglaries. Officers on Friday morning received multiple reports of a suspicious person on the 2600 block of Bungalow Place, in the residential neighborhood south of MacArthur Boulevard and San Joaquin Hills Road. One caller told police a man kept going to a house under construction and opening a trash bin, said Jennifer Manzella, a police spokeswoman. Other callers said the man was going into neighbors yards and looking in windows. Officers, at about 7:30 a.m. that day, found the man in possession of wire cutters and under the influence of methamphetamine, she said. He was identified as Cannon Timothy Torres of Aliso Viejo. He was booked into jail for a parole violation warrant and on suspicion of a narcotics violation. While Torres was being processed, more neighborhood residents reported that they had been burglarized, with items stolen from unlocked cars and a garage, or they told police they had seen criminal activity in the area. At least some of the items turned up tied to Torres, police said, some located in the trash bin. Police said they believe other items that went missing were because of Torres: A 2012 green Honda SUV was stolen from a house on Sandpoint Way and found near an elementary school where someone had burglarized the music room. Miscellaneous property was found abandoned in the neighborhood, on Pebble Drive, including car keys for another vehicle. A bicycle was stolen from a garage on Bungalow Place and found on the same street. On Saturday morning, two handguns and drugs were found near a bush in plain view by walkers at Harbor View Drive and Marguerite Avenue. Officers discovered that the guns were stolen in an unreported burglary on Pebble Drive. Given the number of incidents that occurred between Thursday evening and Friday morning, it is possible that there are other undiscovered or unreported crimes that took place before Torres was contacted by officers, Manzella said. Residents who believe they were a victim of theft, or who finds property in the neighborhood, were asked to call Detective Brian Schlottach at 949-644-3799. Contact the writer: 714-796-7865 or afausto@scng.com Citing cost efficiency, Rancho Santa Margarita-based Toastmasters International will move its headquarters in 2018 to Denver, the nonprofit said Monday. The public speaking club founded in Santa Ana in 1924 has been based in Rancho Santa Margarita for 26 years. It employs 168 people, some of whom will relocate to Colorado. Toastmasters representatives would not elaborate on how many would move. The club expects to be fully relocated in the third quarter of 2018. Ahead of the move, Toastmasters has bought a new headquarters at 9127 S. Jamaica St. in Englewood, a community within the Denver metro area. The group said it eventually will sell its headquarters on Arroyo Vista. Were eager to relocate our headquarters to such a dynamic and growing area, Daniel Rex, Toastmasters chief executive, said in a statement. Denver is home to an affordable and talented workforce in a business environment that is more cost-efficient than California. As a nonprofit organization that strives to maximize resources, were often challenged to do more with less. Its critical for us to be competitive in the marketplace and able to attract and retain employees, he added. The minimum wage in Colorado is $8.31 an hour. A current ballot initiative would phase in a $12-an-hour minimum wage by 2020. In California, the wage floor will increase incrementally to $15 by 2022. Toastmasters membership exceeds 345,000 worldwide with more than 15,900 clubs in 142 countries. The group said the growing organization needed a larger building. The new space, at 106,575 square feet, is nearly double the size of its Arroyo Vista headquarters. Toastmasters also plans to lease unoccupied space in the four-story building for an additional revenue stream. Toastmasters held a membership vote in August at its international convention in Washington, D.C., on a proposal to move to Denver. The decision was supported by nearly all of its delegates, Sally Cohen, chief operating officer of Toastmasters, told the Register at the time. Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans Having to decide between saving your unborn child or your brother is a choice no person should ever have to make, but its exactly what a young Chinese woman recently went through. Her touching story has been doing the rounds online, leaving millions of people wondering what they would have done in her place. 24-year-old Yang Li, from Hangzhou City, was already three months pregnant when she received news that her brother, Yang Jun, 29, was going to die unless he received a bone marrow transplant. He had been diagnosed with lymphoma in September 2015, and had since undergone 5 chemotherapy sessions, 18 radiotherapy sessions as well as an autologous bone marrow transplant. The treatment was deemed a success, but in July of this year, an examination revealed the recurrence of the lymphoma. Doctors told Jun that his only chance of survival was a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, and that his sister was a perfect match. Having to break the news to his little sister, knowing she was pregnant, was the hardest thing Jun ever had to do. But at the same time, he thought about his own 7-year-old daughter who would otherwise have to grow up without a father, and about his wife. With tears in his eyes, he told Li that she was his last chance. While discussing the implication of undergoing transplant surgery in her condition, Yang Li learned that the procedure could have a significant negative effect on the fetus, and doctors advised her that the best decision would be to choose between her unborn child and her brother. The thought of giving up her first baby after imagining herself holding it in her arms so many times weighed heavy on Yang Lis mind, but she couldnt abandon her brother either. Not after all he had done for her ever since she was a little girl. Growing up in a small village in Henan Province, our familys condition was very poor, so I had to go live with my aunt, Li recalled in a recent interview. Jun was already working in Hangzhou at the time, and whenever he came home, he always came to see me and bring me gifts. After graduating high-school, Yang Li joined also moved to Hangzhou in search of a job. When I first arrived in Hangzhou, I found a job in a beauty salon. My brother was so concerned for my safety, that he would come and pick me up from work every day. If I did not have enough to eat, he would take me to the supermarket and buy me all these delicious things, the young woman remembered. Even though she was a long way from her parent, she always had her brother to look after her. After consulting with her husband and her in-laws, Yang Li finally made the painful decision to terminate her pregnancy and undergo the transplant surgery. This is my brothers last chance to survive. I have to save him! she told them. On October 3rd, Yuan Li had an induced abortion, and is currently recuperating so she can donate bone marrow to her brother. A date for the transplant has not been set yet, as doctors are waiting for Lis body to recover completely. Doctors are very optimistic about the outcome of the stem cell transplant, as Yang Li and Yang Jun are a perfect match. Provided Jun makes it through the critical 100 days after the operation, when the body is more prone to infection and other complications, he should be ok. Unfortunately for Yang Jun, the procedure itself is not the only concern. He has already spent around 300,000 RMB ($44,500) on his cancer treatment so far, which depleted all his savings and put him 200,000 RMB ($30,000) in debt. The upcoming operation and the medical costs of his recovery are expected to cost an extra 400,000 RMB ($60,000). Dr. Cao Lihong has already asked kind-hearted people to make any contribution they can to help the brother and sister make it through this terrible challenge. This story has polarized Chinese social media, with many calling yang Li a hero for terminating her pregnancy to save her big brother, while others have criticized her for the decision. Sources: Best China News, Daily Mail Sharon M. Reis I recently tried to help my father endure what ended up being a fatal misdiagnosis. What was at first thought to be pneumonia and a pinched vertebrae was eventually diagnosed as aggressive lung cancer. My dad actively managed his own healthcare, regularly went to the doctor, meticulously followed his care plan and consulted with various members of his multidisciplinary healthcare team. Despite all that, the diagnosis proved inaccurate and the outcome was grim. I cite my familys case to demonstrate that patient engagement is essential yet extremely complicated, and while healthcare in our country is often very good, clinicians and the system are far from perfect. For patients, checking off a to-do list is just not enough to effectively and safely manage complex or chronic medical conditions or to improve overall health. Understanding complicated medical conditions and navigating the system are seriously challenging. As our healthcare system moves to value-based care, reimbursing for quality over quantity and demanding better care at a lower cost, theres never been more on the line. So, how can communications professionals play a role in helping patients and families get the information they need to make informed and confident decisions about their health and healthcare? A priority for hospitals, health systems Patient engagement is a top concern for hospitals and health systems. Almost half of the healthcare executives in the Advisory Board Companys annual member survey said they are extremely interested in addressing consumer needs and expectations in the healthcare settings, said Pete Simpkinson, Senior Director of Strategic Marketing of The Advisory Board Company. Another 45 percent of respondents said they are strongly focused on identifying patient engagement strategies. Both of these concerns ranked among the top five. More knowledge and tools A May article in the New England Journal of Medicine identified three primary components of patient engagement: becoming motivated to learn and take ownership of making choices about their care, adhering to care plans, and taking a more active role in improving their health. That NEJM article also presented findings from a survey of clinicians, clinical leaders and healthcare executives that showed improved patient engagement usually leads to better health outcomes, but that getting patients actively involved requires more knowledge and tools. We all have a role to play in making sure consumers and families are engaged in their mental and physical healthcare, said Stephanie Coggin, Vice President of Communications and marketing at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Through research, we know that reaching out and talking to someone about suicide can save more lives. Its through communications that we can begin to shift attitudes to better understand that our mental health is just as important as our physical health, and creating tools to engage patients and families in their care will lead to better outcomes and save lives. The role of communications Communications teams have a key role in making sure that patients know that engagement is a top priority, and in providing resources to help make it happen. The Reis Group recently surveyed PR professionals from 15 associations and hospitals/health systems to better understand whether and how they are undertaking patient engagement efforts. Our survey found that most of them 11 of 15 are working on or planning to take action. Survey participants reported the top five strategies for engaging patients and their families include: participating in shared decision-making, having conversations with clinicians, creating care goals, learning more about your medical condition and seeking care in the community. High-quality medical care is built on trust between doctors and patients, and an open exchange of information among specialties so that patients can make the best choices for their care, said Elise Castelli, Senior Manager for Communications and PR for the Society of Interventional Radiology. SIR believes that engaging patients is critical to ensuring quality care. Our new website will include a patient center that will provide easy, accessible descriptions of interventional radiology treatments, so patients have the information they need to feel confident in their care decisions. Creating patient engagement initiatives Creating effective communications efforts to engage patients can be fraught with pitfalls. Below are five key factors we have identified from our market research with patient and family advocates, health professionals, hospital decision-makers, and foundation leaders to effectively encourage and enable patient engagement in healthcare settings. We are in this together. No one appreciates or benefits from finger-pointing and blaming. A critical element to this discussion is not to tell the patient how to be a better patient and not to tell clinicians they arent doing a good job. One size does not fit all. More and more, the feedback we hear is to get to the heart of the matter as quickly as possible. This means messages tailored to your various audiences. Clinicians want to see the data. On the other hand, patients and families want to know what it means for their specific care and their loved ones. Healthcare leaders or policymakers want to know how this new program or activity will increase or decrease costs. Watch your word choices. Words carry different meaning for each of the key players in healthcare. For example, we have learned that patient advocates can respond negatively to the word empower. It can be viewed as condescending because it is something that you offer and provide to someone; whereas engagement is something that people do for themselves. Be inclusive. Include families whenever talking about patients. Also, consider the impact of hospital and healthcare decisions beyond clinical care on patients and families and include this core constituency in your communications plans whenever possible. Be clear. Explain complex terms with examples tailored for the intended audience. Whenever possible, write at an eighth grade reading level or below to ensure materials can be well-understood across patient populations. For healthcare communications, theres always been a need to reach patients and clinicians with messages and materials. Now, our work to encourage and influence conversations and to provide information to promote shared decision-making will be more vital than ever before to improve care, costs, and outcomes. * * * Sharon M. Reis is Principal of The Reis Group and Co-Founder of GYMR Public Relations. The opening session of Communications Week in New York tomorrow at 9 a.m. will be webcast live on YouTube and the events own website. Angela Tucciarone, senior manager, PepsiCo Brand Communications, will discuss current industry topics with Frank Washkuch of PRWeek. YouTube is carrying the session as well as the Communications website itself. Tiffany Guarnaccia Communications Week, whose media partners includes AdWeek, Commpro, ODwyers and other ad/PR media, is a weeklong event on the theme of Reinventing the Industry. The Week was founded by Tiffany Guarnaccia of Kite Hill PR, New York. The opening event is at 156 Fifth ave. Erin Ade, host of BizWire TV, will welcome attendees. Reinventing Brands Is Topic Reinventing brands through communications will be discussed by Dan Mazei, Reebok, Global Newsroom; David Berkowitz, Serial Marketer and previous CMO of MRY; Wendy Goldberg, EVP & CCO of iHeartMedia; Bruce Kelley, Chief Content Officer at Reader's Digest; moderated by Patrick Coffee of Adweek. A panel at 11 a.m. will discuss whether artificial intelligence is the future of communications. Panelists include Michelle Castillo, advertising & media reporter, CNBC Digital; Jennifer Wise, senior analyst serving B2C marketing professionals, Forrester; Carol Chung, SVP media technology, Digitas; Merrill Brown, Director, School of Communication and Media, Montclair State University. Guarnaccia Speaks Oct. 21 Guarnaccia, former Director of Communications for The Huffington Post, will introduce the final sessions and shares highlights from Communications Week 2016. Custom publishing has been around for well over a century, but the rapid change in technology in the past 10 years has taken this industry from a print-based discipline to an exciting and varied multi-channel practice. Content agencies are no longer the sole creators of content strategy now publishers, PR companies and media partners are creating content for brand clients. It seems everyone is getting in on the act. Our panel of experts will discuss developing and distributing content across new and innovative platforms - and where print fits in a digital era. Moderated by The Content Council's Lori Greene, founder LPG Enterprises, panelists include Denise Burrell-Stinson, T Brand Studio, The New York Times; Sloan Gaon, CEO, PulsePoint; Cam Brown, founder & CEO, King Fish Media; Janet Levine, Group Planning Director, Mindshare and Randi Lidodice, SVP, Kaplow. 11 AM Panel: Leveraging Video for Immersive Storytelling | How to Incorporate VR and 360 Video into Your Content Strategy "Hot tech trends like 360 video and augmented reality have the ability to transform storytelling for brands, creating completely immersive experiences without ever meeting the consumer directly. In fact, these platforms allow companies to provide 'even better than reality' environments through ideal conditions that showcase extreme customer experiences." This panel will feature experts in journalism, technology and PR, including Katie Creaser, VP at Affect, a social media and PR agency; Laura Clayton McDonnell, GM Microsoft; Duy Linh Tu, associate professor of professional practice & director, digital media program, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Technologies; moderated by Sean Czarnecki, corporate reporter, PRWeek. Reservations are required. Cost is $25 plus $2.37. Midlands 103 is celebrating a massive win at the PPI Radio Awards, the Oscars of the industry, after Will Faulkners Midlands Today Show was named Irelands Best Current Affairs Programme. The local radio station for counties Laois, Offaly and Westmeath overcame competition from RTE Radio One, BBC Radio Ulster and Today FM to take top honours. Mr Faulkner was named in Irelands top three speech broadcasters in 2013, top three news broadcasters last year and was again shortlisted in that category on Friday night. It is the second time his programme, produced by Sinead Hubble, has been shortlisted for Irelands Best Current Affairs Show, having won a bronze medal in 2008. News Journalist Michael Brophy was named in the industrys top three newcomers this year. The station has previously taken the top prize for news coverage in 2012 and Best Music Special in 2006. Tindle Radios Group Managing Director Albert Fitzgerald has paid tribute to the team. As the jingle goes, when people want to talk, they talk to Will Faulkner. In a recent JNLR, a startling statistic was revealed when it was shown that at 10am, more people were listening to Will Faulkner than all other stations in our area combined and that includes all of the national offerings. We are very proud to have Midlands Today voted the best current affairs programme in Ireland, north and south. We send our sincere congratulations to Will, Sinead and all the crew. The annual PPI Radio Awards take place at an annual gala ceremony for broadcasters in the Republic and Northern Ireland, for which over 700 entries were received across 37 categories. House builders in the Leinster region are meeting on October 24 in Offaly to discuss how they can meet the increasing demand for quality homes on the basis of changes announced in the budget, Minister Coveneys housing strategy and new standards of building introduced in the past five years. Dominic Doheny, CIF Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Tullamore based John Flanagan Developments Ltd. said, Irish homebuilders in this region have found it difficult to build new homes for anywhere close to the prices of existing stock. The first-time buyers grant announced in the budget and the local infrastructure fund announced by Ministers Covney and Donohoe have the potential for first time buyers to acquire mortgages, banks to lend and builders to build. "Home-builders in this region are coming together to discuss how these changes can support activity. The CIF is inviting all home-builders to these events to help deliver housing supply but also to ensure it is of the highest quality, meeting all current standards of building. Our workshops will provide information to home-builders, particularly those considering re-entry into the market, with all the information they need to access finance, and to meet quality standards such as those set out in the Building Control Amendment Regulation. Senior industry representatives from the Construction Industry Federations Irish Home Builders Association (IHBA) will meet with local builders to discuss blockages to housing supply across the region. They will provide insight and advice on accessing finance, skills, supports, meeting BCAR, how to apply for the Construction Industry Register of Ireland (CIRI) and on upcoming legislation and regulation that could impact on the ability of home-builders to build. The CIF continues to work with the Department of Housings Housing delivery unit that is tasked with increasing housing levels to meet sustainable demand. This experience allows the CIF to inform members of how best to engage in the planning process when delivering housing. Recent statistics from the department of Housing, Planning and Local Government show that only 2163 housing units were commenced in the Leinster area this year, significantly less than the necessary amount to meet demand. This figure excludes Dublin, where 2081 units were commenced so far this year, a far cry short of the necessary amount in order to meet demand. In Offaly alone the commencement figures for the year so far stand at 64 housing units. The free workshop will take place in the Tullamore Court Hotel on October 24 from 4pm to 6pm. It is open to CIF members and non-members, specifically tradespeople and house builders operating in the area who are involved or considering home building in the region. Attendees will be briefed on the evolving regulatory environment and have the opportunity to propose solutions to challenges they are facing in terms of the planning process, access to finance, skills shortages, levies, and changes to regulation. The workshop will map out what is holding them back from getting residential house building moving across the country, and consider possible solutions to overcome these obstacles. Local charities and groups across Offaly have received almost 76,000 meals to date from Tesco Ireland through their surplus food donations programme run in partnership with Irish social enterprise, FoodCloud. A wide range of Offaly based organisations including Teach Na nOg Acorn Project, disability support services and homeless associations have benefited from the redistribution of over 34,000 kgs (or 76,000 meals) of surplus food from Tesco stores across Offaly since 2014. Nationally, Tescos innovative surplus food donations programme has redistributed over two million meals to 195 charities since its launch in July 2014. This equates to over 20,000 meals distributed to charities and groups every week. At present 109 of Tescos 148 Irish stores (73%) support local good causes with surplus food donations, with the retailer planning to introduce their programme into all of its Irish stores by the end of 2016. With 2 million meals redistributed to date, equating to 1000 tonnes of food, Tesco is encouraging more charities across Ireland to sign up and take part in this initiative. Speaking about the initiative, Ann Curtis, Area Community Champion for Tesco in Offaly said, My day to day role involves working with the charities and FoodCloud to ensure our partners are receiving food which works for them. I have seen the impact that this initiative has on these organisations and I am delighted to play a role. I would encourage any charity to get involved in FoodCloud. For decades, the majority of the Bolivian population faced historic exclusion and marginalisation based on ethnic origin on the colour of the skin. However, recent years have seen the country embarks on a major process to root out the deeply entrenched structural and systematic racism and discrimination faced by Indigenous People, Afro Bolivians, migrants and others vulnerable groups. A comprehensive approach is required to deconstruct centuries of structural discrimination in Bolivia, said Minister of Culture and Tourism Marko Machicao. Machicao made his remarks at the opening of a week-long program of activities focusing on racism and all form of discrimination prevention. The program, organized by the Vice-Minister of Decolonization of Bolivia and supported by the UN Human Rights Office in Bolivia, provided training sessions and awareness-raising activities to more than 600 people, including members of the armed forces, the national police, judges, prosecutors and teachers. Denis Racicot, OHCHR Representative in Bolivia, said that while Bolivia has made great progress in the last 10 years to deal with institutional and structured racism and discrimination, it was still important to gather better data to assess the situation of victims of racism in the country. Data will help to analyse the effectiveness of the equality programmes so far adopted in Bolivia, he said. Data will also permanently help to monitor the situation of Indigenous People and Afro Bolivians and other groups facing racism and all form of discrimination. Tackling racism and promoting gender equality in the armed forces was also the focus of one of the key training during the week. Luis Fernando Mercado Aramayo, Vice Minister of Defence and Cooperation for Integral Development, said officers and institutions were working to fight institutional discrimination, which has kept many low ranking officers of indigenous origin, from accessing higher positions. We need to increase vigilance in military units and prevent acts of discrimination, that affect the human dignity of its members, he said. Overall participants agreed that the programme was very useful and positive; one of the police officer that participated in a training session said that he was able to acquire practical experience from other countries and at the same time learn about new tools to better respond to and report acts of racism and discrimination and incidents of hate speech. Bolivia is currently putting together its second national action plan against racism and all form of discrimination, with the assistance of the Office. In addition to the training, the Office also conducted during the weeklong consultations on the process across a wide audience, including NGOs, migrants, refugees, indigenous peoples, Afro Bolivians, persons with disabilities and LGBTI persons. 18 October 2016 Loading... OilVoice will be with you shortly... PepsiCo ramped up its pledge to reduce the number of sugary beverages that it sells over the next decade as governments increasingly tax soft drinks and fruit juices in an attempt to reduce obesity and diabetes. At least two-thirds of the companys beverage volume will have no more than 100 calories from added sugars per 12-ounce serving by 2025, the Purchase, New York-based company said Monday. Currently less than 40 percent of its beverage volume fits that bill. The move comes just a week after the World Health Organization recommended that governments adopt taxes on sugary drinks. The Omaha City Council is considering whether to follow the lead of the County Board in renaming Dodge Street to Dodge Street. Douglas County Board member Chris Rodgers led the board in passing a resolution that clarified that Dodge Street honors Nebraskan Union Pacific Railroad engineer and Union Army Gen. Grenville Dodge and his brother, N.P. Dodge. The street is believed to be named after pro-slavery Iowa Sen. Augustus Caesar Dodge. City Council President Ben Gray has proposed that the city pass a similar resolution. State and city officials said no official changes will need to be made to carry out the resolutions. The council is scheduled to vote today on the resolution. A retired four-star Marine Corps general who served as the nation's second-ranking military officer pleaded guilty Monday to making false statements in a probe of a leak of classified information about a covert U.S.-Israeli cyberattack on Iran's nuclear program. James E. "Hoss" Cartwright, who served as deputy chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before he retired in 2011, entered his plea in federal court in Washington before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon of D.C. The plea came hours after the charge against Cartwright was announced by the office of U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein of Maryland. Cartwright previously served as the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, from Sept. 2004 to Aug. 2007. U.S. officials in June 2013 disclosed that Cartwright was the target of a Justice Department investigation into a leak to New York Times reporter David E. Sanger of details about a highly classified operation to hobble Iran's uranium-enrichment capability through cyber-sabotage - an effort not acknowledged by Israel or the United States. Prosecutors in court documents accused Cartwright of falsely telling investigators he did not provide or confirm classified information to Sanger for his 2012 book, "Confront and Conceal," and of falsely denying he did not confirm similar information in an email to Newsweek correspondent Daniel Klaidman. In a written statement to reporters distributed after his plea, Cartwright said, "It was wrong for me to mislead the FBI [in an voluntary interview] on Nov. 2, 2012, and I accept full responsibility." Cartwright also said in the statement, "I knew I was not the source of the story and I didn't want to be blamed for the leak. My only goal in talking to the reporters was to protect American interests and lives." He added, "I love my country and continue to this day to do everything I can to defend it." The false statements charge carries a maximum prison term of five years, but under a plea agreement both sides agreed to a recommendation of zero to six months at sentencing set for Jan. 17. Part of the sentencing proceeding, Leon said Monday, might be held in secret to discuss classified information. FBI investigators focused on Cartwright in the fall of 2012, officials said. They interviewed him at least twice, according to people who are familiar with the case and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation. Part of the challenge of preparing the case was determining to what extent authorities who control the declassification of information - in this case the White House and the intelligence community - were willing to divulge information. The Obama administration was also sensitive to its ally Israel's concerns about revealing any information in a court case about the cyber operation. Cartwright had White House authorization to speak with reporters, according to people familiar with the matter. The false statement charge was, practically speaking, the stiffest charge the government was going to be able to bring given the challenges of building a prosecution in a case involving highly classified information, several current and former law enforcement officials said. In such cases, prosecutors run into resistance from officials and agencies that want to keep the information under wraps. That is what happened here, the officials said. By 2014, it was clear the case was hitting roadblocks. White House officials, for instance, did not want to declassify material that would be important to the case. But, during his interviews with FBI special agents, Cartwright made false statements, the government alleged. That gave prosecutors the grounds to bring the felony charge. "Clearly lying to the FBI is not that big a deal if you compare it to espionage," said a former federal law enforcement official, who like several others interviewed asked not to be identified because of the matter's sensitivity. "But sometimes it's the only charge you can bring." Still, the former official said, "if you talk and lie, it's much worse than not talking." Cartwright's attorney, Gregory Craig, said in a written statement after the plea that in conversations with Sanger and Klaidman, Cartwright "was engaged in a well-known and understood practice of attempting to save national secrets, not disclosing classified information. His effort to prevent publication of information that might harm American lives or national security does not constitute a violation of any law." Craig added, Cartwright's "offense was in statements he made to FBI agents investigating a leak -- and that is the entire basis of his plea." Legal analysts also noted that Cartwright was being charged with making false statements in connection with the leak investigation -and not with the leak itself. Nonetheless, the prosecution shows the Obama administration is seeking to send a message about unauthorized leaks of classified information, said Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas. The charge against Cartwright, Vladeck said, is "probably as much about protecting particular sources and methods as it is about the actual unlawful conduct." "I think the reality is that this trend will not stop leaking," Vladeck said. "But I have to think it will at least dissuade this." Klaidman declined comment Monday. The long-running investigation was reportedly stalled last year by national security and diplomatic concerns, after Israel opposed confirming details of the operation in court. The United States was in the final stages of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. Cartwright helped design the cyber-campaign against Iran under President George W. Bush and was involved in its escalation under President Obama. Details of the joint program, including its code name, Olympic Games, were revealed by Sanger in a book and article in June 2012. The sabotage of Iranian uranium centrifuges by the computer worm dubbed Stuxnet had emerged two years earlier, and security experts speculated that it was the work of the United States and Israel. Neither the United States nor Israel has ever formally acknowledged their role in the cyberattack - the first known use of computer code to destroy another country's critical system. Disclosures about the operation set off a political controversy, with congressional Republicans charging that the White House had deliberately leaked information to enhance Obama's national security credentials as he sought reelection. UPDATE (4:30 p.m.) Some families are being allowed back into their homes, according to Magellan Midstream Partners, owners of the anyhdrous ammonia pipeline that ruptured Monday night. The cloud of deadly gas flowing from the pipeline claimed the life of a farmer that night and led to an evacuation 23 households and about 40 people. According to a statement from Magellan, the evacuation zone has been shrunk to a two-mile radius from the leak. Residents outside that zone are being allowed to return. It's unclear how many people are being allowed back in, or when the remaining families will be able to return home. Highway 75 and County Road P remain closed at this time. UPDATE (12:15 p.m.) The air quality in the area between Tekamah and Decatur still is unsafe and roadblocks remain in place, Eric Weiss, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said at midday Thursday. Weiss said there wasnt an estimated time for an "all clear." Residents likely won't return to their homes Thursday, he said. The NTSB investigates pipeline accidents. A preliminary report could take weeks to complete, Weiss said. A full report into what happened, why it happened and any recommendations could take up to a year or more, he said. * * * DECATUR, Neb. Steve Chace had just drifted off to sleep Monday evening when the pungent odor of anhydrous ammonia startled him awake. He lives about 200 feet from a Magellan Midstream Partners pipeline in rural Burt County. Chace, 52, is an environmental consultant, so when the noxious odor of the deadly gas hit his sinuses, he knew what it was. The aroma woke me up. It was in my house, Chace told reporters Wednesday afternoon. By my second breath it was overwhelming. He looked outside. By the treeline where the pipeline runs, smoke bellowed in plumes and back to the ground, like a blackish-gray vaporous oil well. This was towering clouds of ammonia vapor, he said. It was dark out, but you could see it. He called 911. He called Magellan. It was 9:17 p.m. Then he scooped up some of his things and ran out of his house, as a plume of the roiling vapor flowed across his yard. Chace related his story following a meeting held by the pipeline company in order to update the roughly 40 evacuees from a rural area south of Decatur. The pipeline leak was discovered Monday night and triggered the evacuation of 23 households. It also caused the death of Phillip W. Hennig, 59, a farmer who lived nearby who drove into a cloud of the anhydrous ammonia. Funeral services for Hennig will be 10:30 a.m. Friday at First Presbyterian Church in Tekamah. Magellan officials told the group that they would not be able to go home Wednesday, as had been hoped. Instead, the company would try to get them back Thursday evening. But before that can occur, each home must be tested by an air quality expert. Although we have made significant progress ... we are not ready to allow you to go home yet, said Bruce Heine, Magellans director of government and media affairs. Residents couldnt return because the company was not done purging the affected section of pipe. The pipe needs to be excavated and the section replaced before evacuees can return, company officials said. We are trying to do everything as systematic and as safe as we possibly can, Heine said. Magellan representatives reiterated that the company would cover the evacuees expenses. Heine also expressed sympathy for the loss of Hennig. None of the words I can express are appropriate when one of your neighbors has passed away, he said. The exact nature of what happened whether it was a break in the line or a crack is not known. Officials stressed that there will be a thorough investigation. The officials fielded a number of questions, many of which they could not answer. Emmett Hennig, 75, a cousin of Phillip Hennig, asked if the company would pressure Phillip Hennigs wife into a premature settlement. This is very delicate for us, as it is for you, Heine said. There will be an appropriate time for us to talk to the family. Others in the audience mentioned previous pipeline problems. A number of pipelines run under Burt County, and residents recalled leaks and fires over the years. Asked if there had been prior problems on this line (Chace said there had been a tiny pinhole leak in 2013), Heine said he would have to get back with them. Melissa Simmons, 42, of Lincoln, who grew up in the area, asked about the condition of livestock. Heine said Magellan believes that no livestock has died. After the meeting, she said she appreciated Magellans effort to keep people informed, but she remained concerned. Even if livestock survives being exposed to the gas, will it still be edible? Can its milk and eggs still be consumed? Its a catastrophe. Its a tragic catastrophe, she said. Im not sure, really, what to think of it. Anhydrous ammonia is a commonly used fertilizer in agriculture. It is one of the most dangerous materials that farmers use. Some of those at the meeting recalled their own close calls working with it. Its danger was in Chaces mind as he ran from his home Monday night. He said he saw Hennig drive by in a pickup truck and then veer off the road and crash when he entered the cloud of anhydrous ammonia. Chace said he kept running. With all the suffocating ammonia that must have been in the plume, there was nothing he could do. He (was) in an unsurvivable situation, Chace said. There is no rescue from that. Pelan Funeral Services in Tekamah is handling arrangements for Hennig's service. * * * * * Leak timeline About 9:20 p.m. Monday, the Burt County Sheriffs Office receives a call about anhydrous ammonia odor in the area of 3310 County Road P. At 9:40 p.m., Tekamah Fire and Rescue is dispatched to the ammonia leak. The surrounding area is evacuated. Around 10 p.m. (precise time unspecified), Magellan Midstream Partners remote sensing system detects a pressure drop on its pipeline in Burt County. The company contacts local authorities. At 10:05 p.m., someone calls 911 to say a man is down in the area of the leak. In the early morning hours, neighbors are evacuated. At 2:25 a.m. Tuesday, Tekamah Fire and Rescue and Nebraska State Patrol hazardous materials crews reach the man and remove him from the area. He is pronounced dead at the scene. Sources: Burt County Sheriff Robert Pickell, Magellan Midstream Partners Whoever wins the Learning Community Coordinating Council seats in Subcouncil District 6 will find an organization freed of its most controversial aspect: the common levy. Lawmakers preserved its mission of providing programs to help disadvantaged students. For new council members, deciding what to fund and how to fund it will be among the key tasks. The council approved a 1.4-cent Elementary Learning Center property tax levy this year. It generates about $7.5 million this year for programs helping poor and immigrant children. And this year lawmakers gave the entity a new chore: Develop a community achievement plan for the 11 metro Omaha districts. Three candidates incumbent Mike Avery and newcomers Sherri Shackelford and Jill Woodward are running for two seats in this suburban subdistrict. It includes the Elkhorn, Douglas County West, Gretna, Springfield Platteview and Papillion-La Vista school districts. Avery said he hopes that the reconfigured Learning Community will transform into something that will truly help kids in poverty. Spending on education is better than spending on prisons, he said. If you can spend a little more when theyre in elementary school or preschool, and get em started the right way, it will totally change lives and change the type of person you come out with and costs less, Avery said. He said the Learning Community Council must take a long view as it writes the new community achievement plan. He said the council must look for funding sources beyond the taxpayer, such as private foundations. I dont want to tap the taxpayer anymore, he said. Private entities will gain from these investments, he said. I would like to see a greater push for financial assistance from, I guess, all the groups. The Sherwood Foundation. Anybody with money, he said. He said the early childhood education initiative launched by the Learning Community, in conjunction with the 11 superintendents and the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, holds promise for eventually affecting achievement, but results could take a decade. Shackelford, who is working on her 10th Christian romance novel, said she believes in the Learning Communitys mission of helping children in poverty. She said she entered the race to put the focus back on that mission. If we can do something and were not, then what does that say about us as a community? she said. She said she wants to change the negative public perception of the Learning Community now that some of that legislation that was pretty controversial has gone away. Passage of Legislative Bill 1067 last session ended the common levy that shifted dollars from some member districts to others that the state deemed had greater needs. The law also did away with open enrollment transfers aimed at mixing poor and more affluent students in schools, replacing them next school year with option enrollment transfers, the method used across the state. Shackelford said she grew up in Florence and moved to west Omaha. When she was in school, low-income children would steal packets of ketchup to make soup, she said. They called Hamburger Helper Helper because their parents couldnt afford hamburger, she said. She said its hard for people in more affluent school districts in west Omaha to understand how poverty affects children and the learning gap. Woodwards campaign slogan is cost-effective, quality education, and that means that programs with dismal outcomes must be improved, trimmed or eliminated, she said. I will be the one who says, Show me the research, show me your data, she said. Its no different than if youre running a business and you try a new process or a new procedure or launch a new advertising campaign or a new sales campaign, and it falls flat on its face and the outcomes are about a quarter of what you hoped they would be, she said. You dont keep that in the mix. Woodward is not a fan of the it takes a village philosophy, in which government steps into parents roles, she said. You raise your own kids, she said. It does not take a village. It takes a mom and a dad, if youre lucky enough to have that situation. If youre not, then one of yous got to work extra hard to make sure things are the best they can be for your kids. Woodward said she favors introducing foreign languages in early childhood, teaching the most useful and requested languages. She said schools should offer industrial arts, auto mechanics, consumer science and other technical education and necessary life skills. Not every one is interested in or needs to go to college, she said. ************* DISTRICT 6 Mike Avery Age: 64 Home: Waterloo Party: Republican Public offices held: Learning Community Council, 2008 to present; Gretna school board, 2002-08; state senator, 1992-95; Gretna mayor, 1988-92; Gretna City Council, 1976-88; served four years on the Gretna park board Occupation: General contractor Education: Bachelors degree, biology and education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; associate degree, microcomputer management, Metropolitan Community College Family: Two sons Faith: Lutheran Website: None Sherri Shackelford Age: 45 Home: Elkhorn Party: Democratic Public offices held: None Occupation: Author, Christian romance novels Education: Associates degree, Clarkson College Family: Married, three children Faith: Catholic Website: None Jill Woodward Age: 58 Home: Elkhorn Party: Republican Public offices held: None Occupation: Entrepreneur and owner/operator of Heartland Sauna Education: Bachelors degree, business administration, Nebraska Wesleyan University Family: Widow; two daughters Faith: United Methodist Website: None A simple call on restaurant tax What is all of this malarkey about whether or not customers of food trucks should pay the 2.5 percent occupation tax levied on customers of brick-and-mortar restaurants? In my view, there is no question that the answer to this question should be a resounding yes. If food is provided anywhere for immediate consumption on or near that location, it should be taxed the same for all businesses. I thought the laws specified that no special tax considerations should be given to special interests. Food trucks obviously are special interests and should be treated the same as any other immediate action food purveyor. Bill Hilger, Omaha Return Kolowski to Legislature State Sen. Rick Kolowski represents District 31 well. After having the opportunity to personally discuss many Nebraska issues with him, I am certain that he is the clear choice to represent my family and me. As a father of two children who attend Millard schools, I feel it is important to elect somebody with real-life experiences in educating our children and dealing with issues affecting working families. He has spent his entire career doing just that, and I trust that he will continue to represent the citizens of the Millard area well for another four years. Eric Peterson, Omaha We dont need Clintons experience In the World-Heralds Oct. 16 endorsement of Hillary Clinton, it favorably cited her experience. Libya remains in chaos and, by all reports, that was her responsibility. In Syria, more than 250,000 people have been killed and millions have been displaced. America and the world would be better off without the experience Hillary Clinton would bring to the White House. David D. Begley, Omaha Why endorse either? The World-Herald has decided to back a dishonest candidate with a record of failure and incompetence instead of a blow-hard business developer and showman. If we saw these two as used cars, we would walk off the lot. A better choice for the editorial staff would be none of the above. James Perley, Little Sioux, Iowa Consider Johnson or Stein Many voters out there are frightened by and angry at the two main presidential candidates who are running this year. My question is, why do the American people think they must always vote Democrat or Republican? There are two other candidates to choose from: Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party. Try thinking outside the box this election year. If change is what we want, then we must change how we vote. Or we can continue voting for the same parties and see the same results. Cindy Sass, Omaha Never Trumpers deserve admiration Some of the most admirable people are my Republican friends who are part of the Never Trump set. Sure, one might say not supporting Donald Trump is not admirable. But knowing your Never Trump stance is helping hand Hillary Clinton the election if youre a passionate Republican is truly something. It is admirable because youre taking defeat in partisan politics but standing up for the values you, as a human being, hold dear to your heart. Heaven forbid, if someone like Trump hijacked the Democratic Party and won the nomination, it would be very difficult for me to just take a knee and give the election to the GOP. So yes, to all my Republican friends not voting for Trump thank you for being incredible human beings. Losing the partisan battle for what you believe is right is beyond admirable. I have a tremendous amount of respect for you. Ryan Youtz, Omaha Deplorable vs. despicable Janice Mohs, in her Oct. 12 Public Pulse letter (Were seeing the real Donald Trump), says: Plain and simple, Donald Trump is deplorable. Also plain and simple, Hillary Clinton is despicable. Not much of a choice, but at the polls we will make a choice. Chose prayerfully; our future and the future of America depend on it. Gilbert Hill, Omaha A brave editorial As a fellow Cornhusker (Fremont High School, 56), I was pleasantly surprised to read about The World-Heralds denunciation of Donald Trump and hesitant support of Hillary Clinton for president. You clearly deserve a Profiles in Courage media award. Larry Shaw, La Mesa, Calif. Maybe they should have read the ACA What a shock. Affordable Care Act premiums to rise more than expected (Oct. 14 World-Herald). Some premiums in Nebraska will rise 73.3 percent. I am totally stunned to read this. This is not what we were sold. Do you think House Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has read the law yet? What a joke. Craig Pohlman, Omaha Cauvery appeal: What Karnataka, TN will submit in SC today Bengaluru oi-Vicky Bengaluru, Oct 18: When hearing on the Cauvery Waters issue resumes before a three-judge Bench in the Supreme Court, both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will argue against the verdict of the Cauvery Waters Tribunal granted on Feb 5, 2007. Both states have filed special leave petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the award granted by the tribuna. Karnataka will contend before the bench that methodology adopted by the tribunal in appropriating water to the states is wrong. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, will state that while the tribunal had held valid the agreements of 1892 and 1924 between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, it did not protect the existing irrigation area in the Cauvery basin of TN. Tamil Nadu will also contend that the tribunal reduced the area from 29.7 lakh acres to 24.70 acres. Tamil Nadu states that the tribunal had erred in granting new irrigation areas to Karnataka. Karnataka, however, says that the final verdict of the tribunal is erroneous. A major share of the water will go to Tamil Nadu leaving almost six districts including Bengaluru without water for drinking or agriculture. Also read: Cauvery row: Situation grim in Karnataka, TN; Mandya worst hit, says committee The tribunal in its final award had determined the quantum of Cauvery water to be utilised at 740 tmcft. Karnataka is entitled to 270 tmcft, Tamil Nadu to 419 tmcft, Kerala 30 tmcft, Puducherry 7 tmcft and 14 tmcft is meant for environmental purposes, the tribunal had said. Apart from this, the Bench will also take up the report filed by the technical committee on Monday. The committee had said that the situation in both states is grim. It said that Mandya in Karnataka was the worst hit and had reported several suicides. Karnataka will also argue against the constitution of a Cauvery Management Board. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, is in favour the board. Meanwhile, the centre has said the matter pertaining to the constitution of a board is the job of the legislature. OneIndia News In a first, two inmates of Institute of Mental Health tie the knot Jayalalithaas health: Police issue stern warning to rumour mongers Chennai oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Chennai, Oct 18: The Chennai city police have issued a statement warning rumour-mongers to stop spreading false information about Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's health condition on social media. Currently, the Chief Minister is undergoing treatment in Apollo hospital, Chennai. "Users of social media are advised not to spread false, malicious and motivated information regarding the health condition of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Stern action will be taken against the culprits, if any such content is noticed," said the statement issued by the police. The statement warns that maximum punishment could be seven years in jail. As Jayalalithaa's medical ailments remain a "secret", rumour-mongers are having a field day spreading lies on social media. In order to put to rest all the rumours surrounding the Chief Minister's health, the Chennai police is leaving no stone unturned. Also read: AIADMK-DMK workers fight over Jayalalithaa's health condition According to reports, one more person was arrested for allegedly spreading rumours on Jayalalithaa's health on social media on Saturday. With the latest arrest, the total number of persons taken into custody in Tamil Nadu in this regard has gone up to eight. So far, a total of 50 cases have been registered in connection with posting false rumours on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp. Ever since Jayalalithaa (68) was admitted to Apollo Hospital at Greams Road, Chennai, her health has been subjected to countless rumours, speculation and even fake pictures spread through social media. She is undergoing treatment at the hospital since September 22. OneIndia News All personal laws need reforms but no uniform civil code: CPI(M) India oi-PTI New Delhi, Oct 18: Alleging that "communal" forces have launched an offensive on identity of minorities, CPI(M) today said any move to push Uniform Civil Code "as is being done by the government" will be counterproductive for women's rights even as it favoured reforms in personal laws of all communities, including Hindus. The Left party supported the demand of section of Muslim women against the practice of "arbitrary and instant" triple talaq and said reforms were needed in personal laws of the "majority community" too as that they "discriminate" against women. "With the offensive of communal forces on the very identity of minority communities, any move to push the agenda of UCC as is being done by the government directly and through its institutions is counterproductive for the rights of women. Uniformity is not the guarantee for equality," the CPI(M) said in a statement. Slamming the government over claims of "its spokespersons" that personal laws for Hindu women have already been reformed, the CPI(M) said the remarks show their interest is not in securing women's equality, but is in targeting minority communities, particularly Muslims. "Even now laws concerning, adoption, property rights and even the right to choose your own partner discriminate against Hindu women," the party said, seeking to pick holes in government's alleged claim. The CPI(M) extended support to the demand against the practice of triple talaq and noted it is not permitted in most Islamic countries. "Acceptance of this demand will bring relief to affected women. All personal laws including those for the majority community require reform," the CPI(M) said. PTI Odisha, Bengal brace up as possible cyclone inches closer Odisha: Two killed as truck hits motorbike in Bhadrak Biryani feast during Solar Eclipse: Rationalist leader served legal notice, another gets threat call Bhubaneswar hospital tragedy: Twitter mourns loss of lives; wants action from government India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Bhubaneshwar, Oct 18: India woke up to the terrible tragedy at the Sum Hospital in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on Tuesday morning. A major fire broke out at the hospital on Monday evening, killing at least 22 patients and injuring over 20 others, in one of the worst such incidents involving a medical facility in Odisha. The incident once again brought to light how tragic episodes like fire, drought, floods, stampede and earthquakes, to name a few, kill hundreds every year in the country. Right from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to regular social media users took to Twitter to mourn the loss of lives. Users of the micro-blogging site expressed anguish at the tragic episode and wanted action from the government machineries. Here we bring you few tweets: This is what Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. The tragedy is mind-numbing. My thoughts are with bereaved families. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 Spoke to Minister @JPNadda & asked him to facilitate transfer of all those injured to AIIMS. Hope the injured recover quickly. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 Spoke to CM @Naveen_Odisha about the distressing hospital fire tragedy. Assured all possible support from the Centre. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016 This is what Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: Saddened by this horrific tragedy. Prayers wid affected families https://t.co/GKG3j1dA2b Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 18, 2016 This is what Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had to say: Visited Capital hospital to oversee treatment of evacuated patients from fire in private hospital in Bhubaneswar; condole loss of lives Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 Spoke with PM @narendramodi, briefed about efforts towards treatment of injured. Senior Ministers, officials monitoring. Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 17, 2016 Salute to the rescue workers #Bhubaneswar fire is horrible. I was present there. The Evacuation work was really difficult. Salute to Police and Fire workers SMohapatra (@mohapatrasachi1) October 17, 2016 No lesson learnt from past tragedies The problem is our Administration never learn from repeated loss, either its about Stampede, Flood/Drought or incidents like #Bhubaneswar. Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) October 17, 2016 OneIndia News FIR against nine people over forced religious conversions in UP BJP will soon end practice of triple talaq: Maurya India oi-PTI Ghaziabad, Oct 18: Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya today asserted the party will try and end the practice of triple talaq soon. "The practice of triple talaq can turn a Muslim woman's life into hell in an instance. The BJP will try and end the practice soon," he said at press conference here. Maurya made a brief stop at Ghaziabad on his way to review preparations for 'Parivartan Rally' in Saharanpur. Attacking Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi over his recent 'Kisan Yatra' in the poll-bound state, he alleged, "His yatra was a drama to mislead farmers." "Rahul talks about waving loans of farmers, then why this has not been done in Congress-ruled states," he asked, adding the BJP does not need to give proof of works for development. Practice of triple talaq causing harm to women: Naidu Taking a dig at Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's plans for a theme park in Ayodhya, he said, "They should first improve conditions at Mathura and Kashi." "Once the Supreme Court gives its verdict on Ram Janam Bhoomi, the BJP will build a Ram Mandir there," he said. On surgical strikes being made a poll issue, Maurya said, "The strikes are being unnecessarily being made a political and poll issue." Giving details on the BJP's 'Parivartan Rally', he said, "The first rally from Saharanpur will start on November 5, followed by rallies from Jhansi on November 6, Sonbhadra on November 8 and Balia on November 9." The rallies will end on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birthday on December 25, he said. PTI Why is BJP not bringing Uniform Civil Code across the country: Kejriwal in Gujarat Common code will destroy secular fabric: UDF India oi-PTI Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 17 Amid a raging debate on the Uniform Civil Code, opposition Congress-led UDF in Kerala today hit out at the Centre, saying it had stirred up a controversy as the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls were round the corner. Speaking to reporters after a UDF meeting, Opposition leader in the Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala said any attempt to bring in a uniform civil code will destroy the secular fabric of the country. "The BJP government's move is only to reap benefits as the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls are due next year," he said. The Law Commission's decision to invite views on the contentious UCC has drawn criticism from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and other Muslim organisations which said they will boycott it and accused the Narendra Modi government of waging a "war" against the community. "The UDF will start campaign against the proposal to have a common code," Chennithala said. UDF, which had disrupted most of the assembly proceedings prior to the Pooja holidays protesting the hike in self-financing medical college fees, decided not to continue with the agitation, "but instead will organise 1000 campaigns against the government on nepotism and corruption issues from November 20-26 throughout the state," he said. The meeting also demanded that the LDF government bring under the ambit of probe appointments made during the term of the V S Achuthanandan headed government. Chennithala said UDF welcomed the probe ordered by the Pinarayi Vijayan government against appointments made during the previous UDF government headed by Oommen Chandy. "But it wanted all appointments made during Achuthanandan's tenure also to be probed," he added. PTI Vaishali Takkar suicide: Her e-gadgets to be probed; hunt for the harasser is on Man beats up traffic cop when questioned about tinted glass in his car Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry passes resolution to boycott Chinese products India oi-PTI Ahmedabad, Oct 17 Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) today passed a resolution to boycott Chinese products to protest China's "anti-India" policies. The executive committee of GCCI today unanimously passed the resolution to boycott Chinese products, GCCI senior vice president Shailesh Patwari said. The industry body called for a boycott of Chinese products saying that China continues to support Pakistan against India's interest, whether it is using veto to stall India's bid for a UN ban terrorist Masood Azhar or becoming a member of NSG. "China has been acting against India's interests by constructing a dam on Brahmaputra river and repeatedly trying to cross the border," it said. With this decision, the industry will boycott all kind of Chinese products, including ceramic products, tiles, clothes, chemical and pharmaceutical products, electronic items, mobile phones, lighting products, crackers, etc. Meanwhile a 21-km human chain was today formed in the city of Indore in Madhya Pradesh to appeal to people to boycott Chinese products. "China earns money by selling its products in India and extends financial aid to Pakistan. Pakistan uses the money for anti-India activities," said Mukesh Modi, convener of Hindu Utsav Samiti which had organised the event. The human chain, which stretched from Palsikar chowk to Bombay Hospital, was formed to appeal the people not to buy the products made in China and to protest China's "proxy-war" against India, he said. Over 30,000 people held hands to form the chain, he said. PTI Do RAW, others get a raw deal in the name of 'intelligence failure'? Keep it clean, keep it safe: How the federal agencies raided the PFI IB warns of Nice-style lone wolf attacks ahead of Diwali India oi-Vicky Bengaluru, Oct 18: The Intelligence Bureau has issued an alert warning of Nice-style lone wolf attacks ahead of the festival season in India. Terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad, which suffered heavy casualties in the surgical strikes the Indian Army carried out across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir last month, may take a leaf out of the Islamic State playbook to inspire what may look like lone wolf attacks in major Indian cities, the intelligence bureau has warned. IB officials also say that the strike could be carried out by an infiltrator or a sympathiser of the groups who could be activated to strike during the festival season. Militants from Kashmir, too, could slip into other parts of the country and attempt strikes. The IB has been picking up chatter from various terrorists groups that are looking to carry out a major attack. The IB has taken note of the several ceasefire violations being reported from the border, which is nothing but cover fire being provided by the Pakistan army to aid infiltrations into India, giving rise to fears that terrorist groups are preparing for a major attack. Only a week ago, the Intelligence Bureau had issued an alert stating that militants from Jammu and Kashmir are likely to carry out an attack on the Red Fort in Delhi. Also read: Militants may wreak havoc on the highways, warns Intelligence Bureau While it was stated a few days back that militants may try and target the Parliament, too, the IB says that Red Fort is high on the terrorists' radar. An attack on the Red Fort, where the National Flag is hoisted on Independence Day, would be of major symbolic significance. Following this alert, a team of National Security Guards had been moved into the Red Fort. There have been at least two security breaches at the Red Fort in the past two weeks. This has led to enhanced security. The Red Fort has been attacked in the past, too. In 2000, militants of the Lashkar-e-Taiba had struck and killed two soldiers and one civilian. Moreover, it is situated closer to the highway and there is a lot of movement in this area which often goes unnoticed. Militants in Jammu and Kashmir have been resorting to highway attacks because of lesser security. In J&K, the targets have always been the army convoys. Terrorists will look to replicate the same in other parts of the country, too, Intelligence Bureau officials have warned. OneIndia News Ex-PM Indira Gandhi was a strong leader who 'tamed Pak': Congress India oi-PTI Ahmedabad, Oct 18: Amid shrill debate over taking credit for the surgical strikes by Army in PoK, Congress on Monday invoked its "strong leader" and former prime minister Indira Gandhi who the party said had "changed the map of Asia and taught a lesson to Pakistan by separating Bangladesh in 1971." Congress also announced to take out a 1200-km 'Adivasi Adhikar Yatra' for tribal rights across Gujarat, commemorating the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi next month, and has invited party vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Taking a jibe at ruling BJP, state unit Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki termed Indira as the "strong leader who changed the map of Asia by separating Bangladesh from Pakistan during 1971 war." "As part of the birth anniversary celebrations of Indira Gandhi, who taught a lesson to Pakistan by changing the map of Asia, Congress has planned to take out 'Adivasi Adhikar Yatra' next month. The march will cover a distance of 1,200 km and pass through 13 districts," he said while addressing the party's executive committee meet here. In a gesture of political symbolism ahead of Assembly polls in state next year, the Congress has zeroed in on temple town of Ambaji in north Gujarat as the venue to start the march. "We have invited our national vice-president Rahul Gandhi to take part in the march," Solanki said, adding that the Congress is hopeful of his presence. While addressing the gathering of party leaders and workers, in-charge of Gujarat Congress, Gurudas Kamat, asked them to start gearing up for the polls even as he warned them against any indiscipline. Earlier on Monday, Congress' women wing president Sobha Oza addressed a meet of women workers at Mansa town in Gandhinagar district. Later talking to reporters in Ahmedabad, Oza said more tickets should be given to female candidates in 2017 elections. PTI Coimbatore: 24 years back and now, the radical Islamists are of the same family Jayalalithaa's health: Secrecy, rumours and plenty of arbitrary action India oi-Vicky Bengaluru, Oct 18: In the month of August, Supreme Court while taking a grim view of the 213 defamation cases filed by the Tamil Nadu government, had said that criticism of a government does not mandate that a defamation case be filed. It also said that if someone terms the government unfit or corrupt, it does not automatically make out a case for defamation. Speaking of excessive or arbitrary action, the situation in Tamil Nadu is quite grim today. There are over 40 cases that have been filed against people for rumour mongering about Tamil Nadu chief minister, J Jayalalithaa's health. While in many of these cases action has been taken against people for uploading fake photographs and spreading rumours about Jayalalithaa on the social media, the October 13 case in Coimbatore was stretched too far. The case was booked on a complaint by an AIADMK party member who claimed that she overheard two people mocking about the CM's health. Also read: With Jayalalithaa in hospital, TN witnesses unbelievable rituals Action arbitrary To spread rumours is one thing and to discuss is another. Cases are being filed in Tamil Nadu based on a mere statement by AIADMK workers. Several people that OneIndia spoke to question the action of the police. There has been no medical bulletin in a week. There is no clarity on the CM's health. She is the Chief Minister of our state and we do have every right to know about her health, they say. Merely discussing her health has also become an issue. Moreover how does one decide whether the tone of the discussion was mocking or not. In the Coimbatore case, it was clear that the police just took the version of the complainant because she is from the ruling party, they point out. Legal experts say that the police does have the right to stop rumour mongers in a bid to ensure law and order is maintained in the state. However, in the Coimbatore case the police stretched it a bit too far. "Action was initiated based on a complaint. Where is the investigation?" The advocate says that the police must first probe before it decides to act. "This is completely arbitrary," the advocate adds. In Coimbatore, a banker and a jeweller were discussing about Jayalalithaa's health. Punitha Devi, the complainant alleged that she overheard them speaking and mocking at Jayalalithaa's health. She gave a complaint and the police immediately acted. Also read: Jayalalithaa's health: Police issue stern warning to rumour mongers The police did not bother to check the CCTV footage. Punitha claims that when she told them not to speak about the CM, they threatened her. There appears to be no evidence of this on the CCTV footage. Then on what basis were these people sent to judicial custody? Uneasy calm The people are getting terribly anxious. There have been no medical bulletins. The people read about critical care experts being flown in. Further what has added to the anxiety is that none of the VIPs, who have visited the hospital, been allowed to meet her. Be it Arun Jaitley, Amit Shah or Rahul Gandhi, each one had to return after speaking to the doctors. The entire machinery is tight lipped. Even a petition in the court seeking details of her health was thrown out after the Madras High Court termed it as a publicity interest litigation. People feel that the court at least could have been more pro-active and had some directive been issued all the speculation around the health of the CM would have ended. This brings us to the question about a person's right to privacy. Every individual is entitled to his or her privacy. However, in the case of a public figure and especially a political head of the state, there information should be made available. This would go a long way in ensuring that rumour mongering and speculation ends. It may also be recalled that cadres of the party have tried attempted selling-immolation. There are bizarre rituals being followed. One ritual at R K Nagar had children with their bodies pierced walking in procession. Meanwhile, to add more confusion there is the police which is on a filing spree. How can questions not be asked. One police officer explains- "It is a delicate situation. We do not want law and order going out of hand. It is a difficult time for a lot of people." "Rumour mongering and speculation at this time does not do any good. Our actions are precautionary," the police officer also adds. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 18, 2016, 15:14 [IST] The persecution of Hindus in Pakistan continues with a Hindu girl forcibly converted and married Nearly 80% of Divorced Indian Muslims are Women News oi-Oneindia By Oneindia In India, for every divorced Muslim man, there are four divorced Muslim women, an IndiaSpend analysis of Census 2011 data shows. Across religious communities, except Sikhs, there are more divorced women than men. But the gender skew is particularly sharp among Muslims (79:21), followed by 'other religions' (72:28), and Buddhists (70:30). Among divorced Indian women, 68% are Hindu, and 23.3%, Muslims, according to Census 2011 data on the marital status of Indians. The data were recently cited by Muslim groups protesting the national law commission's formulation of a uniform civil code, especially a ban on triple talaq, according to this report in The Hindu. Among divorced men, Hindus account for 76%, and Muslims, 12.7%. Both Christian women and men cover 4.1% of their gender-respective divorced groups. What do the ratios imply? Women's rights activists believe that the gender imbalance in the numbers implies that more men than women are remarrying. "If there are 100 divorced couples, it should show a 50:50 sex-ratio. The skewed ratio plainly shows that after divorce, not only is it easier for men to remarry but also that they show a greater need or want to remarry," Flavia Agnes, legal scholar and women's rights activist, told IndiaSpend in a telephonic interview. The skewed ratio among Muslims could be attributed to two problems, according to Hasina Khan, founder of the Bebaak Collective, a Muslim women's organisation based in Mumbai. "The first is the absolute powers given to men under the Muslim Personal Laws by allowing triple talaq and so on. For women, getting married provides security of shelter and food with few rights for negotiation," she said. The other reason is the state's failure to empower Muslim women, she added. "There is little political will to address the needs of this sub-group. The socio-economic condition of Muslim women in India continues to deteriorate with inadequate access to good education, job opportunities and so on," Khan said. Maharashtra has most divorced women With a total population of 8.5 lakh divorced persons, the Census recorded more failed marriages in rural India where a higher proportion of the nation's population still resides. In urban India, there were 5.03 lakh divorced persons. Maharashtra, with 2.09 lakh persons, recorded the highest number of divorced citizens. The second-most populous state also holds the largest disproportion of men-to-women divorcees. About 73.5%-or 1.5 lakh-divorced persons in the state are women. The highest population of divorced men in the country-1.03 lakh persons-resides in Gujarat, accounting for 54% of the state's divorced population. Goa, with 1,330 divorcees, holds the lowest record of failed marriages. More women than men deserted after marriage More women than men in India are separated-out of a marriage without a formal divorce-the Census data showed. Activists believe that this indicates widespread practice of polygamy across India. "Men often desert their wives in a separation, withholding from them the freedom to remarry. The data incongruence clearly shows that more men are into polygamy, obtaining second and third wives, while society gives no rights for women," Agnes said. Within religious communities, the highest imbalance of separated women-to-men ratio has been recorded among Muslims, with women accounting for 75% of the separated population. Christian women, who comprised 69% of the separated population within their community, follow. Another significant disparity has been recorded among Buddhists, where separated women comprised 68% of the demographic group within their community. Over the decade ending 2011, there was a 39% rise in the number of single Indian women-including widows, divorcees and unmarried women, and those deserted by husbands-IndiaSpend reported in November 2015. However, the number of bachelors (58%) still exceeds unmarried women, according to the Census data, indicating a higher pressure on women to get married. The triple talaq debate On October 7, 2016, the National Law Commission published a list of 16 questions seeking public opinion on the need for a uniform civil code for India. Apart from probing citizens' perception of gender equality in prevalent personal laws across religions, a question asked if the practice of triple talaq should be abolished, continued or amended. Another question sought views on strengthening Hindu women's rights to inherit property. The Muslim Personal Law Board has criticised the legal panel's exercise, claiming the law commission is not acting independent of the central government that opposed the triple talaq law in Supreme Court the same day. Responding to a batch of public interest litigations filed by NGOs and women's rights groups on the issue, the Centre said the practice cannot be regarded as an essential part of religion, according to this Times of India report. "There are gender discriminatory personal laws across India's religious communities-not merely among Muslims. Though it claims to aid vulnerable sections, the law commission's plans for the uniform civil code do not deal with these in the right spirit. The uniformity it speaks of would only dilute India's plural cultures while bringing in the same patriarchal bias," Khan said. Hindus comprise about 80% of India's population, while Muslims account for 14.23%. Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains comprise 2.3%, 1.72%, 0.7% and 0.37%, respectively, of the population. IANS/IndiaSpend For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 18, 2016, 14:55 [IST] Nitish Kumar has been affected by his age: Prashant Kishor Could not care less: Nitish on Amit Shahs jibe Prashant Kishor claims Nitish Kumar in touch with BJP says don't be surprised if he joins hands with it again Nitish government targeting Hindus in Bihar, claims BJP India oi-IANS By Ians English Oct 18: The opposition BJP on Tuesday accused the government of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of harassing and torturing Hindus by taking action against them following communal tension in several districts during Durga Puja. State BJP President Mangal Pandey said a delegation of the party met Governor Ram Nath Kovind and submitted a memorandum that the state government has targeted Hindus by taking one-sided action against them for communal tension. Pandey said Hindus were arrested without their involvement in any crime during the communal tension. "We have told the Governor that police and administration have been taking one-sided action against Hindus and requested him to intervene," Pandey told media persons here. Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar said the state government has targeted people from majority community to appease another community. "Police have arrested such leaders and workers of RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal who were not present in their area during communal trouble," Kumar, a senior BJP leader, said. The communal tension were reported in several districts in Bihar following violent clashes during the immersion of Durga idols and Tazia processions last week. In view of tension, internet services were suspended and authorities invoked Section 144 of CrPC, banning gathering of five or more people, in some districts. More than 200 people were arrested. IANS Amit Malviya alleges criminal conspiracy by The Wire, says will lodge police complaint Delhi Police files FIR against The Wire on complaint by Amit Malviya No point holding talks with Pakistan: Swamy India oi-PTI Ahmedabad, Oct 18: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today said there was no point in holding talks with Pakistan in the current scenario. "In the prevailing scenario, there is no point discussing matters with Nawaz Sharif. I had told (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi in the beginning not to go there (Pakistan), it is of no use," the Rajya Sabha MP said. The former Union Law Minister was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function at Nirma University here. PTI OPS slams EPS camp for violating 'party bylaw', says he didn't give approval to AIADMK meeting In setback for OPS amid power tussle with EPS, Madras HC gives nod for AIADMK AIADMK dispute: OPS sits on Dy Oppn Leader's chair as EPS skips first day of TN Assembly Session Jaya in hospital: Loyal Panneerselvam to chair Cabinet meet India oi-PTI Chennai, Oct 18: Finance Minister O Panneerselvam, who has been allocated the portfolios held by ailing Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, will preside over a meeting of the Tamil Nadu cabinet tomorrow, government sources said today. Panneerselvam will chair the meeting as Jayalalithaa is undergoing medical treatment at the Apollo Hospital here since September 22. The meeting to be held tomorrow comes in the backdrop of the ongoing Cauvery water sharing row with Karnataka and demands by Opposition parties for an all-party meeting on the issue. Farmers' bodies and political parties had staged state- wide rail blockade yesterday and today urging the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board. Last week, Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had allotted the portfolios held by Jayalalithaa including Home and Police, to Panneerselvam, till she could resume official duties. Panneerselvam at the helm again: What makes him the natural choice always? The Raj Bhavan had then, in a release, said Paneerselvam, who holds the Administrative reforms portfolio, in addition to Finance, "will also preside over cabinet meetings." 68-year-old Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. A specialist from London besides three-member team of doctors from AIIMS, Delhi, had also examined Jayalalithaa, who is being treated for infection with respiratory support. PTI UK PM Liz Truss resigns after 45 days in office, successor to be elected next week Iraq gets a new government after a year of deadlock PM speaks to Mamata to enquire about her injured nephew India oi-PTI New Delhi, Oct 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight spoke to West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee to enquire about the health of her nephew and party MP Abhishek Banerjee who was injured in a car mishap. "PM @narendramodi spoke to WB CM @MamataOfficial Ji & enquired about the health of MP @abhishekaitc, who was injured in an accident," the PMO tweeted. "The Prime Minister wishes MP @abhishekaitc a speedy recovery," it added. Earlier today, Abhishek Banerjee was injured when his vehicle met with an accident on NH-2 near Singur while he was returning here from Murshidabad in West Bengal. Ten policemen of the 28-year-old MP's convoy were also injured. He was stated to be stable. PTI Shivraj Singh Chouhan meets Fadnavis, Das over Garib Kalyan Agenda' India oi-PTI Bhopal, Oct 17 Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today held second round of discussions with his Maharashtra and Jharkhand counterparts on BJP's 'Garib Kalyan Agenda'. Chouhan held talks with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das besides BJP vice president Vinay Sahastrabuddhe at his official residence here for around two hours. The meeting touched upon poverty alleviation and welfare schemes for the poor families. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states to work in a "mission mode" to make their states models for execution of the Central schemes, following which a committee comprising Chouhan, Fadnavis, Das and Sahastrabuddhe was formed to prepare 'Garib Kalyan Agenda'. After the panel submits its report to the BJP president and the Prime Minister, the agenda will be finalised. PTI Terrorists dump new routes, take the older ones to infiltrate India oi-Vicky Bengaluru, Oct 18: Terrorists have dumped new routes and are going back to the older ones in a bid to infiltrate into India, the Indian armed forces have learnt. Terrorists who often use new routes to infiltrate are going back to the older ones created several years back to infiltrate into the Valley. This is being done as the focus of the security forces is particularly higher on the newer routes. After the surgical strikes, the armed forces had found that five militants were attempting to cross over into India. It was found that they were using a route that had been abandoned by the terror groups several years back. Intelligence Bureau officials say that this appears to be a new ploy on their part since there is enhanced security along the border after the surgical strikes. The security forces are now identifying more such old routes. There is a constant alert along the border and what the security forces are witnessing are new techniques being adopted by the terrorists to infiltrate. Moreover there have been several instances of ceasefire violations by Pakistan. It is found that this is when the Pakistan army is trying to provide cover fire for the terrorists attempting to cross over. Indian officials say that this year the infiltrations have shot up. 87 foreign militants have infiltrated into the Valley. However, security forces have managed to kill 128 which includes both foreign and local militants. Also read: IB warns of Nice-style lone wolf attacks during festival season The number of terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir this year has gone up to 128 from 70 in 2015. Statistics also reveal that out of the 128 terrorists, 120 were killed by the Indian army. The remaining 8 were killed by the local police and the CRPF. Army officials and intelligence bureau sources say that they are preparing for a long winter this year. There is still a lot of work to be done. While they have managed to successfully bring down the number of foreign terrorists, the problem still lies with the local militants. The number of recruitments into the Hizbul Mujahideen too has gone up. There are also incidents where local militants have been decamping with weapons after overpowering police personnel. There is a counter insurgency plan in place for both foreign and local militants, officials say. However, this would take some more time. The local militants are harder to deal with as they are well aware of the terrain. OneIndia News This is 21st century, where have we reached in name of religion: SC on hate speeches Special anti-corruption courts in every district: SC to take up plea next week Undertrial Prisoners In India = Population Of Barbados News oi-Oneindia By Oneindia * Rudal Shah, arrested in 1953, remained in Bihar's Muzaffarpur jail for 30 years despite being acquitted in 1968. * Boka Thakur, arrested at age 16, was jailed and detained without trial for 36 years in Bihar's Madhubani jail. Shah and Thakur are examples of 282,879 undertrials in Indian prisons, according to Prison Statistics 2014, a number equal to the population of the Caribbean nation of Barbados. An IndiaSpend analysis of available data reveals the extent of the problem: Between 2010 and 2014, 25% undertrials had been jailed for more than one year. The percentage of undertrials to total prisoners has remained over 65% during this period. In 2014, seven in 10 prisoners were undertrials, and two in 10 had been detained for more than one year without being convicted. Undertrials-those detained in prisons during trial, investigation or inquiry-are presumed innocent till proven guilty. But they are often subjected to psychological and physical torture during detention and exposed to prison violence and poor living conditions. Many lose their family ties and, often, their livelihoods. Undertrials tend to have restricted access to legal representatives for two reasons: Lack of resources and curtailed liberty to communicate with lawyers from within the jail premises. This is despite a 1980 Supreme Court ruling that Article 21 of the Constitution entitles prisoners to a fair and speedy trial as part of their fundamental right to life and liberty. The court also pointed out that prisoners face a "double handicap"-most are poor, come from disadvantaged social groups, have little education, and their voices are rarely heard. "The judiciary and the government have admitted that many undertrials are poor people accused of minor offences, locked away for long periods because they don't know their rights and cannot access legal aid," Arijit Sen, manager, undertrials project at Amnesty International, an advocacy, told IndiaSpend in an email interview. Undertrials often remain behind bars for years despite the provisions of Section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) which came into effect in 2005. This section mandates the release, on personal bond with or without surety, of undertrial detainees who have been imprisoned for half the maximum sentence they would have received if convicted for the offence they are charged with. This section does not apply to those who could be sentenced to death or life term. But 39% of those charged for crimes under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) couldn't be punished with life term or death penalty, Prison Statistics 2014 show. As many as 122,056 undertrial prisoners (43%) have been detained for more than six months to more than five years by the end of 2014. Many of them have remained in prison for more than the period of punishment they would have got had they been convicted. J&K has the worst record for detention over one year The number of undertrial prisoners in all detention periods increased over five years, except in the case of detention up to three months. The highest increase was seen in the category of detention for three-to-five years. More than 25% of undertrial prisoners in 16 out of 36 states and union territories have been detained for more than one year in 2014. Jammu and Kashmir leads this list with 54%, followed by Goa (50%) and Gujarat (42%). Uttar Pradesh leads in terms of sheer numbers (18,214). An attempt at reform In June 2013, in a letter to the Supreme Court, former Chief Justice of India RC Lahoti had talked about how inhuman conditions persisted in 1,382 prisons despite a series of court and government orders. In response to this letter, which was later registered as a public interest writ petition-and despite the lukewarm response from the states-the Supreme Court, in a landmark 2014 judgement, ordered the immediate release of undertrial prisoners eligible to benefit under Section 436A of the CrPc by establishing an Under Trial Review Committee (UTRC) in every district, recommended by a 2013 interim order. A UTRC includes the district judge, district magistrate and district superintendent of police, collectively responsible for speedy trials and review of cases. "About 6,000 undertrial prisoners were released between July 1, 2015, and January 31, 2016. This is certainly a step in the right direction," Sen said. However, those released were 2% of undertrial prisoners in Indian jails. The pendency rate of IPC crimes-84% and 86% in 2014 and 2015, respectively-shows how slow the process of change will be. Why the reform had little impact One of the major causes of high pendency is vacancies in lower courts, IndiaSpend reported in December 2015. It would take a minimum of 12 years to clear 25 million pending cases in Indian courts, IndiaSpend had reported. There is also little awareness among police and prison inmates about Section 436A of the CrPC. This section, which is a procedural mandate under CrPC, is often mistaken for an offence under IPC, according to Amnesty International. Non-functional UTRCs, discrepancies in prison records, poor management of information systems, lack of effective legal aid and cancellation of trials due to shortage of police escorts and video conference facilities are factors that keep the number of undertrial prisoners in Indian jails high, reported Amnesty International. IANS/IndiaSpend For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 18, 2016, 14:50 [IST] Iraq gets a new government after a year of deadlock Australian forces to join Mosul offensive International oi-IANS By Ians English Canberra, Oct 18 (IANS) Australian soldiers will join Iraqi security forces and the international coalition in an operation to recapton ure Mosul city from the the Islamic State (IS) terror group, Defence Minister Marise Payne said Tuesday. "We are continuing our work providing support to the Iraqi security forces throughout the Mosul offensive," Payne said. "I'm not going to give those sorts of specific details in operational terms for security reasons," she said in response to a question about the proximity of Australian troops to the current military action in Mosul. Australia contributes to the international coalition led by the US in the fight against the IS with six F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft, a KC-30A aerial refuelling tanker aircraft and an E-7A Wedgetail twin-engine early warning and control aircraft. It has also deployed 780 soldiers, including 80 special forces troops. Along with New Zealand, Australia provides training for Iraqi soldiers, while its special operations group provides advice and assistance to the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Services. The Prime Minister and commander of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Haider al-Abadi, has vowed to oust the IS from Iraq this year, as the group's last stronghold is Mosul, the second largest city in the country that has been under its control since June 2014. The terrorist group was previously expelled from the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah in central Iraq. IANS Donald Trump campaign portrays Sikh as Muslim supporter in handbills International oi-PTI Chicago, Oct 18: In another gaffe, an Indian-origin Sikh in the US was misidentified as a Muslim supporter of Donald Trump in flyers distributed by the Republican presidential nominee's campaign, a media report said on Tuesday. Gurinder Singh Khalsa, a resident of Fishers city in Indiana who immigrated to the US from India, featured in the handbill advertisement with the word "Muslim" superimposed above his picture, WTHR TV channel reported. The flyers, distributed in Ohio to canvass for Trump, claimed that Khalsa was a Muslim Trump supporter. "I am not Muslim and I am not supporting Trump," he was quoted as saying by the channel. "He (Trump) is putting my picture, saying Muslims support him and I have nothing to do with it. I do not support Trump. Nobody even asked me to put that picture there. It was shocking, disturbing and this will create more confusion among people because they are sending it nationwide," he said. Khalsa, who founded the Sikh Political Action Committee -- a non-partisan group encouraging state lawmakers to include Sikhs in the conversation -- said Sikhs have been mistaken as radical Islamists and have been targeted by hate crimes. Also read: Donald Trump fights a losing battle, wife Melania defends Republican presidential nominee He said the committee wants to teach the public who they are, why they have beards and wear turbans. It is designed to help Americans understand the differences between his Sikh religion and others from around the world. Khalsa said he knew he had to work to educate the general public, but "now we have to work hard to get national level politicians and the presidential candidate, he does not know the difference between Muslims and Sikhs and that is most disturbing". There have been many gaffes from Trump, 70, and his campaign in the past. Earlier, Trump's refusal to back same-sex marriage on the basis that he only supports "traditional" unions was undermined when a TV journalist asked him what was traditional about marrying three times. Trump had created an uproar when he said: "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have lots of problems. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists". PTI Donald Trump fights a losing battle, wife Melania defends Republican presidential nominee International oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Most of the polls suggest that the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, is losing ground in some key battleground states against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. To find out the reasons behind Trump's steady downfall in popularity this election season, read this article by the TIME magazine. The article titled-- Why Donald Trump Has Already Lost-explains that Trump's sexist comments against women and alleged sexual assault cases could prove detrimental to his dream of becoming the next president of the United States. Trump cries foul Trump has said the election is "absolutely rigged" by the "dishonest media" and "at many polling places", according to the BBC. The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016 Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2016 OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 18, 2016, 9:51 [IST] Fact Check: Did Trump thank Musk for welcoming him back to Twitter Election is being rigged: Donald Trump International oi-IANS By Ians English Washington, Oct 18: Just as the 2016 US election is heading into the homestretch, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump clashed with Democrats and his own party on whether the election was rigged. "The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," Trump tweeted on Sunday. While he had brought up the possibility of a rigged election in the past, he stepped up the accusation recently after about a dozen women accused him of sexual assaults in the past, which the Trump campaign denied, Xinhua news agency reported. Trump's running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence meanwhile joined Trump in highlighting the idea that the election was being rigged against the GOP ticket. But in a speech on Sunday, Pence said he and Trump would "absolutely" accept the results of the election. Trump's claim of a rigged election was met with immediate rejection from the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the White House. Calling Trump's claim of a rigged election a tactic of desperation, the Clinton campaign over the last weekend issued a statement expressing confidence of the fairness of the election. "Participation in voting should be encouraged, not dismissed or undermined because a candidate is afraid he's going to lose," said the statement. "This election will have record turnout, because voters see through Donald Trump's shameful attempts to undermine an election weeks before it happens," it added. IANS Gujarat riots accused extradited from UK International oi-PTI London, Oct 18: A 40-year-old man wanted in connection with the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat was today extradited from the UK to stand trial in India, becoming the first person to be sent back from Britain 24 years after the two countries signed an extradition treaty. Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel had been arrested by Scotland Yard in west London in August on a Red Corner Notice issued by Indian authorities. His extradition order was signed by UK home secretary Amber Rudd on September 22 and the "surrender arrangements" were finalised for his departure. It marks the first extradition from the UK since the signing of the India-UK Extradition Treaty in 1992. "Following Government of India's request for extradition, Mr Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, an Indian national, is being extradited on 18th October, 2016 to face trial in India," the High Commission said in a statement today. "Mr Patel is facing trial in connection with post-Godhra riots in India in 2002.He is charged with the offence under Section 302 of IPC, along with 43 other accused. The offences include being member of an unlawful assembly; rioting and murder.The accused was arrested in India and was on bail and after jumping bail had escaped to UK," the statement added. According to Gujarat Police, Patel is wanted in connection with riots in Ode village of Anand district. A team of officials from India will take him into their custody to fly him back to India today. "On 22 September the Secretary of State (Amber Rudd), having carefully considered all relevant matters, signed the order for Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel's extradition to India. He is accused, whilst being part of a rioting mob, of three counts of murder, two counts of using unlawful violence with others for a common purpose and one count of arson," a UK Home Office spokesperson had confirmed last week. On March 1, 2002, 23 people from the Muslim community were burnt alive in a house in Pirwali Bhagol area of Ode village. Patel along with two other accused, who are still at large, are accused of being part of the rioting mob at the time. Patel's whereabouts were traced to a home in Hounslow, west London, after which Scotland Yard nabbed him on August 9. "On 9 August officers from the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) extradition unit attended an address in Beavers Lane, Hounslow and arrested Samir Vinubhai Patel, aged 40, on a warrant issued under section 71 Extradition Act 2003. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on August 10, 2016," a Scotland Yard statement said. "We can confirm that Mr Patel has consented to his extradition to India. However, we are unable to comment on any surrender arrangements as this is an operational matter for the police," a UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) statement added. PTI WikiLeaks' Julian Assange cannot be extradited to US, rules UK court WikiLeaks founder Julian Assanges extradition to US approved by UK govt WikiLeaks confirms Julian Assange's internet access 'cut' International oi-IANS By Ians English London, Oct 18: WikiLeaks have announced that Ecuador has shut down internet access for its founder Julian Assange. "We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access Saturday, 5 pm GMT, shortly after publication of (Hillary) Clinton's Goldman Sachs speeches," WikiLeaks tweeted on Monday. We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange's internet access Saturday, 5pm GMT, shortly after publication of Clinton's Goldman Sachs speechs. WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 17, 2016 The WikiLeaks claim follows the latest emails it disclosed from a hack of Democcratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's emails, the BBC reported. It released three transcripts on Saturday of Clinton's paid speeches to Goldman Sachs, which her campaign had long refused to release. The scripts revealed her bantering relationship with the investment bank's executives, which is unlikely to allay fears among liberal Democrats that she was too cosy with Wall Street. The tweet further said the group had "activated the appropriate contingency plans". Assange has been claiming asylum at London's Ecuadorean embassy since 2012 to avoid extradition over sex assault allegations in Sweden. The Ecuadorian government has not responded to the claims, the Guardian reported. "We don't respond to speculation circulating on Twitter. Ecuador will continue to protect Julian Assange and uphold the political asylum granted to him in 2012," a source in the Ecuadorian government said. IANS May's India visit will boost economic, commercial ties: envoy International oi-PTI London, Oct 18: Prime Minister Theresa May's India visit next month will give a fillip to bilateral economic and commercial ties, a top Indian diplomat here has said and asserted that New Delhi is keen on working with the UK to ensure that the positive effects of Brexit are enhanced. May is scheduled to arrive in India on November 6 for a three-day visit, which will include a bilateral dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Theresa May to India, following the highly successful visit (to the UK) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, will give a fillip to economic and commercial relations between both countries," India's Acting High Commissioner to the UK Dinesh Patnaik said. "India-UK economic relations are strong and vibrant, but there still remains considerable potential that needs to be tapped. India is keen to work with UK to ensure that the positive effects of Brexit are enhanced and negative effects are minimised," he said. The envoy made the remarks while addressing a session on 'Going Global: Doing Business in India' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Brexit and Global Expansion Summit and UK India Business Council (UKIBC) in Greenwich yesterday. The details of May's first visit to India as Prime Minister are still being finalised, with Bengaluru expected as the second city besides New Delhi she is likely to visit. In the Indian capital, she will inaugurate the India-UK TECH Summit along with Modi. The two leaders are expected to hold their bilateral talks over a working lunch on November 7. May will be accompanied by her international trade minister, Liam Fox, who will be attending the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO). The UK delegation will also include representatives of small and medium businesses from regions across the UK and a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit. According to official sources, India will be keen to cover a range of issues including discussions on a potential free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK after Britain officially leaves the European Union (EU) and a more nuanced approach from the UK on cross-border terrorism. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 18, 2016, 19:10 [IST] Modi, Xi were positive about trilateral cooperation: Prachanda International oi-PTI Kathmandu, Oct 18: Nepal's Prime Minister Prachanda has said he raised issues of trilateral cooperation during his chance meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Goa to which both leaders responded "very positively". Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' during the 'chance' trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit on Saturday had expressed Nepal's desire to act as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants and to reap the benefit of playing such a role. During the meeting, Prachanda said he raised issues of trilateral cooperation in the socio-economic front, to which both the Chinese and Indian leaders responded "very positively". "Nepal can benefit greatly from the economic progress of China and India, if there is trilateral cooperation," Prachanda said while talking to reporters at the Tribhuvan International Airport here. "After a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, I was waiting at the waiting room to return to the hotel where I was staying, when all of sudden, President Xi entered the room. This was a pleasant surprise. Trilateral' only chance encounter between Modi, Xi, Prachanda: India We discussed various bilateral issues and full implementation of deals that Nepal and China had sealed in the past," he said. Prachanda said he also discussed President Xi's prospective visit to Nepal, Constitution implementation and conclusion of the peace process in Nepal. According to Prachanda, when he had talked one-on-one for around 20 minutes with President Xi, the Indian Prime Minister entered the room. "I wanted such a meeting," Prachanda said, terming it a "rare and pleasant surprise". "I was sitting on a couch between the two leaders -- south of Xi and north of Modi -- just like Nepal's geographical position," Prachanda was quoted as saying by The Himalayan Times. He also made it clear it was not a pre-planned meeting. "I stressed that trilateral cooperation would help Nepal benefit from their economic growth and development," he stated. India had also said both Xi and Prachanda were waiting in the leaders' lounge when Prime Minister Modi also reached there as he had to go with all the BRICS leaders for an informal dinner, turning the bilateral into a 'chance trilateral'. Prachanda also termed the meeting as a "pleasant coincidence" and said "it was a great pride for me". PTI 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 Amid turmoil at home, Pakistan PM Sharif to visit China to felicitate Xi for his record win More than 350,000 Afghan refugees return from Pakistan: UN International oi-PTI Islamabad, Oct 18: More than 350,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their war-torn homeland from Pakistan this year, UN data show, with the torrent of people crossing the border expected to continue. Earlier in October the UN's refugee agency UNHCR said the number of documented Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan had soared past 200,000. But this week the body's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan released updated figures that also include the number of undocumented refugees crossing the border. "So far this year, 162,186 undocumented returnees and 207,236 registered returnees (369,422) have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan," an OCHA statement said, noting that the majority, some 333,000 people, have returned since July. "If that sounds like a lot, it is," the statement continued. "Based on current trends, we expect a further 446,000 (both registered and undocumented) Afghans to arrive before year-end." The influx of refugees threatens to overwhelm Afghanistan, with authorities there already warning of a humanitarian crisis as hundreds of thousands of people flee fighting within the country. "Due to hostilities in Kunduz and intensified fighting across the south we have seen a jump of 37,000 IDPs (internally displaced people) alone -- more than 10 percent of the year total in just one week," Danielle Moylan, a spokeswoman for OCHA, told AFP yesterday. The total number of IDPs due to fighting since the start of the year stands at 323,500. For decades Pakistan has provided safe haven for millions of Afghans who fled their country after the Soviet invasion of 1979. Pakistan hosts 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees, according to UNHCR figures from earlier this year, making it the third-largest refugee hosting nation in the world. A further one million unregistered refugees are estimated to be in the country. Since 2009, Islamabad has repeatedly pushed back a deadline for them to return, but fears are growing that the latest cutoff date in March 2017 will be final. A security crackdown against undocumented foreigners in Pakistan coupled with a UN decision announced in June to double cash grants for voluntary returnees to USD 400, has also seen a surge in returnees. OCHA said that the vast majority of undocumented returnees claim they intend to return to the eastern province of Nangarhar. Many also settle in Kabul. The capital already has one of the highest population growth rates in the region -- some 1,200 people every day, according to European Union ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin -- and is struggling to accommodate the new arrivals, with many forced to shelter in informal settlements on the city's edge. PTI 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 Amid turmoil at home, Pakistan PM Sharif to visit China to felicitate Xi for his record win Pilot killed as PAF Mirage aircraft crashes in Karachi International oi-IANS By Ians English Islamabad, Oct 18: A pilot was killed when a Pakistan Air Force jet crashed during a training mission in Karachi on Tuesday. A huge explosion was heard as the Mirage aircraft went down in Musharraf Colony, Dunya news reported. PAF spokesman Squadron Leader Baqir Ali said the aircraft took off from the Masroor Air Base in Karachi. Rescue teams have reached the site, Dawn online reported. "No loss of civilian life and property has been reported on ground," a PAF statement said. "A board of inquiry has been ordered by Air Headquarters to determine the cause of the accident," it said. IANS Man booked for rape of 12-year-old after video of injured girl surfaces on internet UK police probe rape allegation at Houses of Parliament International oi-PTI London, Oct 18: A man has been arrested following an allegation of rape at Britain's Houses of Parliament, London police has said. Detectives from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command are investigating an allegation of rape at the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of Friday, 14 October. "A 23-year-old man was arrested that same day on suspicion of rape. He has been bailed pending further enquires to a date in mid-January 2017," the Metropolitan Police told AFP yesterday. The suspect is not an MP and police said they would not identify the victim. As police enquiries continue, a spokesperson for the House of Commons said they were working with the authorities. "We are aware of an incident on the Parliamentary Estate which is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service. "Parliament is working closely with the police on their investigation and we cannot comment further while this is ongoing," the spokesperson said. London's Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, serve both as the centre of British politics and iconic tourist attractions, famed for the Big Ben clock tower. Designed by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin, the Houses of Parliament were completed in 1870 and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. AFP At UNSC, US calls on world to tell Russia to stop its nuclear threats US military confirms troops deployed in Mosul International oi-IANS By Ians English Baghdad, Oct 18: The United States military has confirmed that it has deployed troops on the frontlines, in the offensive to retake the city of Mosul from Daesh (ISIL) terrorists, media reports said. Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq is mostly made up of Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. In a statement on Monday, commander of the anti-Daesh coalition Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, openly acknowledged the presence of "forward air controllers" amongst the US "advisory" contributions to the battle, The Guardian reported. The controllers -- known as Joint Terminal Air Controllers (JTACS) -- are troops drawn from special operations forces to ensure greater accuracy of aerial bombardment. This is insane. CNN shows suicide bomber blowing himself up during battle for Mosul pic.twitter.com/KLIsK3plBk Colin Jones (@colinjones) October 17, 2016 Their presence indicates that US troops, while not formally in a combat role, are on the frontlines and are willing to use substantial airpower on Iraq's second city. The US command's acknowledgment of their presence is the latest departure from US President Barack Obama's promise against having "boots on the ground" in Iraq. "Americans are again playing an adviser role, an enabler role for these Iraqi forces," ABC news quoted Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook as saying at a briefing. "Most of the American forces in Iraq are not anywhere close to the front line," he added. The Iraqi operation to recapture the city of Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) terror group in the war-torn country, began on October 17 with more than 54,000 Iraqi troops. Mosul, nearly 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling the IS militants to take control of parts of the country's northern and western regions. IANS Mulayam engaged in drama to save Akhilesh's skin: Mayawati Lucknow oi-IANS By Ians English Lucknow, Oct 18: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati targeted arch rival and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday and accused him of "enacting a drama" to save the skin of his Chief Minister son Akhilesh Yadav. Referring to the ongoing power struggle in the ruling party, the Dalit leader told reporters that it was clear that the father-son duo were trying to deflect the mind of the people of Uttar Pradesh from their "utter failures in the past four years". "First some ministers are sacked then taken back in the cabinet," she said while suggesting that the developments were scripted. She also alleged that the ruling dispensation very well knew that the party was in for a massive drubbing in the forthcoming assembly polls scheduled for early next year and hence "it was indulging in all these diversionary tactics". She also claimed that Irrigation Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav was made the state unit chief of the Samajwadi Party to "insulate Akhilesh from direct attacks" after the party loses at the hustings. Alleging the state was facing anarchy and complete breakdown of governance, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said people are seeing through the strategy of the SP and would boot them out in the polls. IANS DU's second list of seat allocation for UG courses out When is Dev Diwali 2022? November 7th or November 8th? Know timings, significance and more Instagram is down: No, your account isn't actually suspended AMU Vice Chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah to be probed New Delhi oi-PTI New Delhi, Oct 18: President Pranab Mukherjee has given his approval for a probe into allegations of financial and other improprieties against Aligarh Muslim University's (AMU) Vice Chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah. The nod of the President, who is also the visitor to the University, comes on a proposal from the HRD Ministry to which former Janata Dal MP Wasim Ahmed had given a memorandum seeking a probe into allegations against the Vice Chancellor. President Mukherjee's action also follows approval of a similar probe against Allahabad University Vice Chancellor R L Hangloo. Ahmed, a member of the AMU executive council, welcomed the approval for probe against the AMU Vice Chancellor saying it was long overdue. Zameer on the other hand has denied all allegations against him saying some vested interests were carrying out a campaign against him. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 18, 2016, 9:53 [IST] When is Dev Diwali 2022? November 7th or November 8th? Know timings, significance and more New 3-judge bench of Supreme Court to hear Cauvery matter today New Delhi oi-Vicky New Delhi, Oct 18: A day after the Cauvery technical committee submitted its report on the Cauvery water issue to the Supreme Court, a new Bench will be taking up the matter for hearing. The three-judge Bench will comprise Justices Dipak Mishra, Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar. After the counsels representing both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu suggested that the matter be heard by a three-judge Bench, the new bench was formed. The Bench will consider all issues pending before the Supreme Court regarding the Cauvery waters dispute. It will take up the report filed by the technical committee as well as hear the special leave petition filed against the verdict of the Cauvery Waters Tribunal. On October 4, when the matter was last heard, the Bench comprising Justices Dipak Mishra and U U Lalit were told that the SLP was being heard by a three-judge bench. The Bench was also informed that a three-judge Bench was seized of this matter. The counsels also pointed out that a new bench was hearing a matter pertaining to the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board. The Attorney General had submitted that a decision on the board cannot be taken by the Supreme Court. He pointed out that such issues fell under the purview of the legislature and hence the court should not interfere in the matter. Karnataka too had opposed the constitution of a Cauvery Management Board. On Monday, the technical committee submitted its report to the Supreme Court in which it said that the water situation in both the states was very grim. The plight of the farmers in both the states too have been taken into consideration. In the absence of required water, the labour employment for farming and fishing is also limited thus creating a scenario of unemployment and financial hardship to them, the committee stated in its report. Further the committee said that the standing crops in both states were badly affected. Sugarcane farming in both states needs to be discouraged. The situation is grim in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Mandya district is the worst affected and it has witnessed many suicides, the report also stated. Both states need to appreciate the interest of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in protecting their established irrigation and Karnataka's aspirations for development respectively and should educate their people accordingly, the report mentions. OneIndia News Filmmaker Karan Johar in an explosive comment said that he will not work with any Pakistani actor in the future. The filmmaker said for him the country comes first and nothing else matters more to me. Sky News 31 Oct 2022 The diversity of a Lula crowd is really quite exceptional; it's a melting pot of Brazilian society. "Essentially they have chosen to treat women, men and children with unspeakable cruelty on Nauru as a way to implement a policy designed to prevent boats arriving in Australia," said Audrey Gaughran, head of global issues at Amnesty International. Australia's treatment of asylum seekers amounts to torture under international law, according to a new report by the human rights group, Amnesty International. About 1,200 asylum seekers have been forcibly transferred to what Australia calls an offshore processing center on the Pacific island of Nauru. Amnesty interviewed refugees and whistleblowers from companies contracted to run the asylum centers. 'An Open Prison' The group says many refugees have mental health problems, adding it has documented cases of self-harm and suicide. "It is an open prison and they can not leave. We have documented cases of physical assault, cases of sexual assault, cases of people who are ill but cannot appear to get the right kinds of treatment. Very harrowing cases where you see parents watching their children suffer and they cannot do anything about it," said Gaughran. Even refugees who have successfully applied for asylum in Australia are being forced to stay on Nauru. Among them is Eli, an Iranian human rights activist who says via Skype she has been given refugee status. "After three years that my case got a positive result [for my asylum application], and I am a refugee now, but I am still in Nauru. No third country, no Australia, no way, no way... I am still in the jail," she said. PM Defends Immigration Policies Australia says its tough policies are vital to halt people smuggling. Speaking last month at the U.N. General Assembly, Australias Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called his country the ultimate "immigration nation." "Porous borders drain away public support for multiculturalism, for immigration, for aid to refugees," he said. "Most importantly, the only way to stop the scourge of people smuggling is to deprive the people smugglers of their product, and secure borders do just that." Amnesty describes that position as untenable and is calling on Australia to shut down its offshore processing centers and allow legitimate refugees to enter Australia. Rumble 27 Mar 2022 The main diet of the polar bear is ringed seal, sea hare and other marine animals. He catches them sneaking up from behind.. 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. After years of bitter legal wrangling, the Austrian government announced plans Monday to demolish the house where Adolf Hitler was born and replace it with a new building in efforts to erase any link to the Nazi dictator's birthplace. Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said in an exclusive interview with Austrian newspaper Die Presse the Hitler house in the western town of Braunau will be torn down. He said the new structure "will be used thereafter by either a charity or the local authorities." Sobotka said he wants to ensure any association with Hitler be eliminated and to prevent Hitler's birthplace from becoming a kind of "pilgrimage [site] and memorial" for neo-Nazis. The owner had repeatedly refused to sell the building. It is unclear whether she changed her mind or if the government dispossessed her. Sobotka said "a thorough architectural remodeling is necessary to permanently prevent the recognition and the symbolism of the building." Rumble 29 Oct 2022 News and information for Exceptional Americans. Election fraud and how to stop it on election day. Newsom's Razor. Why.. Amaya and William Hill Merger Falls Through as Key Shareholder Vetoes Negotiations Published October 18, 2016 by Ivan P Amaya and William Hill merger negotiations fell through after a majority William Hill shareholder expressed its vocal disagreement. Amaya and William Hill, two online gambling giants, officially announced their merger negotiations last week. The potential deal, which was set to be signed as a "merger of equals" and create a new company with a huge potential, is not going to happen after all. Key William Hill Shareholder Blocks the Deal Parvus Asset Management, a hedge fund owning 14.3 William Hill shares, made it very clear last week they were against the merger. The fund sent out the letter to the William Hill board of directors, stating they were ready to actively stand against any official proposal which would formalize the merger. As the biggest shareholder in the company, Parvus insisted that William Hill should not waste time discussing the merger that could only further damage the brand. They did not fail to mention the fund has been supportive of the company despite its recent struggles and less than impressive performance of their shares. The letter also mentioned the fact Amaya is currently facing a lawsuit in Kentucky and they could be on the line for $870 million if the court finds them guilty of breaching the UIGEA during mid 2000's, when PokerStars offered their online poker services to the USA residents. William Hill Backs Out In the immediate response to the letter, a William Hill representative made it clear that the board will not enter any partnerships or agreements that are not supported by all major shareholders. It was a prelude for what has become official a couple of hours ago. William Hill published an official press release, stating that they were withdrawing from the merger discussions, wishing Amaya all the best for the future. While both companies initially believed the partnership would help them establish their respective positions in the market, Parvus Asset Management clearly did not share this view, claiming that the merger had "limited strategic logic," insisting negotiations should come to an immediate end. Facing the pressure from its major shareholder, William Hill board of directors decided to back out from the negotiations. Russia has angrily accused Britain of trampling on freedom of speech after NatWest said it was closing down the bank accounts of the Kremlin TV channel Russia Today (RT). Russian MPs, the foreign ministry and human rights officials all condemned the move, and said the UK government was guilty of violating press freedom and of double standards. "Long live freedom of speech!", RT's editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, tweeted sarcastically. Simonyan said she had received a letter out of the blue from NatWest saying that it was pulling the plug on the broadcaster's accounts from mid-December. From New Republic He represents much of what's wrong about American politics, but not all of it. Just look at what the Koch brothers are doing in Vermont. I voted early at the town hall in my small Vermont hamlet last week. Partly because I may be out of town on election day -- and partly because I wanted to make sure that just in case Donald Trump got forced from the race, I had the pleasure of voting against him. And it was a pleasure, the same pleasure an antibody must feel when it wipes out some invading virus. For me, Trump represents much of what's wrong with American politics. A man who wants to jail his opponents, harass women, and scapegoat immigrants for the nation's problems would obviously do great damage in the White House -- heck, he's obviously done great damage already. But it's the "obviously" part that worries me some. Yes, it was good that the tape emerged of Trump boasting about his sexual aggression; it removed any possible doubt that he was fit for the presidency. But the very crudity -- the very obviousness -- of his pathetic boasts may lower the bar so much that other forms of political ugliness seem tame by comparison. Trump is defining political deviancy so far down that from now on, if there's not a tape of you talking about the private parts of strangers, you may get a pass as normal. Which would be a shame. Because while Trump represents "much of what's wrong about American politics," he by no means represents all of it. Take Vermont, which has historically been spared most of the worst currents of American political life. Partly because it's so small that it gets overlooked. And partly because it's so small that you can't get away with much: If we'd had a Trump, we'd have figured it out pretty soon because there's only 600,000 people here. A couple of loud millionaires have moved here over the years, thinking that they'd be able to buy themselves a Senate seat or a governorship on the cheap, but they've been sent packing. (One lost his debate, and the election, when he didn't know how many teats a cow has.) Now, though, the pervasive corruption of our American political system is reaching even backwaters like ours. The Republican Governors Association, with the Koch Brothers as by far their biggest funding source, have so far invested more than $1.5 million to make sure that the GOP wins the governor's office. Why? Who really knows. There's a pipeline that crosses the state, and there's been a proposal to reverse its flow to carry tar sands oil from Canada -- the Koch brothers are the biggest owners of tar sands acreage. Maybe they didn't like the GMO labeling law that emerged from Vermont. Maybe the rise of Bernie Sanders and his attack on Citizens United freaked them out. Maybe it's just too cheap a bauble to resist. As Jane Mayer demonstrated in her remarkable book Dark Money, they've amassed a formidable network of billionaires who have weaponized cash in our political system, and they're using it systematically to advance their interests. Whatever the reason, it's disconcerting. Two million dollars buys a lot of airtime in Vermont -- you can't turn on the radio or the television without listening to absurd attacks on the steady Sue Minter, one of only two women running for a governorship anywhere in America. She's a perfectly normal progressive Democrat, who served admirably in helping lead the state's cleanup response after Tropical Storm Irene devastated our valleys. But now she's dragged through the same mud that's become common in so many other places. Compared to Trump's disgusting bluster, it seems almost tame. But it isn't tame. Trump is such an idiot that he's easy to spot; it looks as if there will be enough antibodies to protect the body politic from his poison. But forces like the Koch brothers are more insidious. They're what daily, undramatically diminishes our democracy. They're what turn people off to politics, convert them to cynicism (which I suspect is the Kochs' real goal). I spent last week criss-crossing Ohio and Pennsylvania registering young voters, and I met many who no longer believed in our political life enough to even bother voting. That's a triumph for people like the Kochs, whose preferred politicians invariably try to limit voting rights. It's a tragedy for a nation, one that needs everyone involved if we're going to heal from the trauma Trump's inflicted on our civic sense. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). From Our Future The Wells Fargo phony-account scandal may be worse that we've [been]led to believe, even after a $185 million fine and the CEO's resignation. And this isn't Wells Fargo's first scandal. Its past exploits include discriminatory lending, exploitative payday loans, and a lucrative sideline in for-profit prisons. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton's Wall Street speeches are casting a pall over her potential victory and weakening her political capital before she even assumes office. She should make a pledge now: to take immediate action in her first 100 days that will address Wells Fargo's scandals and the systemic problems behind them. We have nine suggested actions, and there will undoubtedly be others. But first, some background. Taken for a stagecoach ride. The Wells Fargo brand resonates with the mythology of the American West, but this lawless town needs a new marshal. CEO John Stumpf's resignation just isn't going to cut it. It's not that the evidence exonerates him. Far from it: Whistleblowers began complaining to Wells Fargo's management back as 2005, the year Stumpf was named president. (He became CEO in 2007 and chairman of the board in 2010.) The bank says it has fired 5,300 employees for opening more than 2 million fraudulent accounts over the last five years. But John Stumpf -- President, CEO, Chairman -- claims he had no knowledge of these events. The bank's employee incentive system, low pay, corporate culture, and sales guidelines were all designed to encourage this kind of fraud -- but Stumpf was shocked, shocked, to learn that this kind of behavior was going on in his establishment. The problem isn't that Stumpf is leaving. It's who's staying. As the Los Angeles Times' Michael Hiltzik reports, Stumpf's replacement as board chair is Stephen W. Sanger, the former CEO of General Mills. Sanger's been a member of the Wells Fargo board since 2003. Sanger has received $1.7 million in payments from the bank since 2011, for which he (like any director) is expected to be ensurer that the bank is run well -- and legally. As Jim Hightower notes, all the bank's board members bear responsibility for its long-term culture of fraud. A thorough housecleaning would have meant the removal of all the bank's senior officers. As a former employee told the New York Times: "They all created the bank's culture of leading by fear and intimidation." But the new CEO, Timothy J. Sloan, is a 29-year Wells Fargo veteran who will have been deeply steeped in its poisonous culture. And Wells Fargo heaped encomiums on its disgraced outgoing CEO, Stumpf, where apologies to customers and shareholders would have been more appropriate. It all reeks of "crisis management," that form of corporate damage control that emphasizes rapid-response showmanship and glitzy PR moves over the assumption of responsibility and the implementation of meaningful change. As economist and white-collar criminologist William K. Black Jr. explained recently, we only know what Wells Fargo has chosen to tell us about this latest epidemic of fraud. This response isn't a confidence-builder. Neither is the recent revelation that Stumpf sold $61 million in stock in the month before the $185 million settlement was announced. That looks a lot like "insider trading." As a well-known securities lawyer told CBS News, "I would be shocked if the Securities and Exchange Commission doesn't look heavily into this." Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). The scale of Chinese assistance to Pakistan's nuclear programme is unparalleled and little noticed, because the form of trade conducted spreads across several industries and capacities. From constructing nuclear plants with designs to providing the nuts and bolts for missiles, the Chinese have done it all. Pakistan, China and North Korea have a full-fledged business in nuclear materials with the possibility of this being exported to other parties also. As Bharat Karnad, author of 'Nuclear Weapons and Indian Security', says, "triadic arrangements to clandestinely transfer nuclear materials, technology and expertise have been the disruptive means in the nuclear age to strengthen strategic partners, unsettle adversaries, cultivate diplomatic and military leverage, maintain regional balance and otherwise to influence international politics." Theft, smuggling, illegal acquisition and other felonies are the route Pakistan has adopted to lay hands on nuclear technologies from the West. In 2012, a Pakistani-American businessman from Maryland was convicted for illegally trying to obtain materials related to radiation detection devices, resin for coolant water purification, calibration and switching equipment, and attenuators. Another expat Pakistani businessman, Syed Vaqar Ashraf, tried to follow the same route to get 18 gyroscopes for Pakistan's Drone programme. Luck deserted him and he was sentenced this September by a US court. He admitted to undercover agents that his client was Pakistan government and its' military. Dr A Q Khan Research Laboratories, earlier known as Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL) (Image by historycommons.org) Details DMCA The Ghauri missile, for instance, is derived from North Korea's No Dong missile. In 2003, the United States applied sanctions to North Korea's Changgwang Sinyong Corporation (aka Korea Mining Development Trading Bureau - KOMID) for exporting missile-related technology to Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL), now named after A Q Khan, the father of Pakistan bomb. The quid pro quo was that in return, Pakistan would share enrichment technology to North Korea. The North Koreans showed Pakistani model P2 centrifuges to nuclear expert Siegfried Hecker in 2010, confirming the exchange. Hecker, a former director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, who visited Pyongyang in 2010, said that North Korea's progress in the uranium enrichment field was due to Pakistan's help with centrifuges. That said, the Chinese must surely be worried that any linkages that get noticed between their State companies and Pakistan's illegal proliferation activities would attract US interest. Therefore, they have recently sought to play down all their links to Pakistan on the nuclear field in as far as purchases of materials and exchanges of information are concerned. The face of Chinese assistance to Pakistan lies in blocking Indian actions against Pakistan, while the deeper more dangerous game lies in the supply of missile and nuclear materials. The challenge of Sino-Pakistan ties for India and the rest of the world, is to convince the Chinese that relations with Pakistan may be okay in the short run, but would harm China itself in the long run. India should think of ways of breaking the nexus by offering Beijing something in return for a visible move away from Islamabad. Clearly, this is going to be an uphill task but nevertheless worth trying. The other way out is for India to seek a triangular relationship with Japan and South Korea to counter the China, Pakistan, North Korea nuclear triad. As of now, the Chinese backing is enabling Pakistan put up a brave face despite increasing isolation. China has just announced that they would block a Brahmaputra tributary and continue their 'technical hold' on the UN blacklisting of JeM chief Masood Azhar. Terrorist interests are so deeply entrenched in the Pak state that it is next to impossible to rid the nation of the scourge. Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa, the military spokesman, has claimed that there is no terrorist hideout on Pakistani soil! Well, Hafeez Saeed and Masood Azhar are not living in hideouts. They are visible on the streets of Lahore and Bahawalpur and on the small screen as also in print every day. There is no reason for China to back a terror state. To do so continuously, there must be something more than meets the eye. For China, Pakistan is an ally whose assistance is needed to help it reach West Asia, both in geopolitical and geographical terms. Pakistan also provides China access to Afghanistan. Thus the grand plan for a China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and all that it entails. The other side of the mirror shows China's overwhelming financial control over the Pak state because of the loans and grants that Beijing provides. This is in addition to the nuclear and missile deals. Therefore, there is little that Pakistan can do without Chinese support. Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121 "Rob Kall's book is amazing. He's created a real breakthrough, visionary how-to for a sustainable, quality future. Like Saul Alinski's Rules for Radicals, this book is destined to become a classic must-read for all those concerned with social, economic, and environmental justice in today's interconnected world. Story shapes the world and our world needs new stories if we are to survive and thrive. The story of the bottom-up evolution and revolution is one that can change individuals, groups, businesses, religions, and governments for the positive as it shows how bottom-up inclusiveness, connectedness, collaboration, empathy, innovation, and freeform creativity can help unleash the great potentials for good inherent in our very nature. If you want to improve things in your world and the world, first read this book, then apply the suggestions. Change is sure to come." Pamela Jaye Smith, mythologist and author of InnerDrives, Power of the Dark Side, Symbols* Images* Codes* and award-winning writer-producer-director Russian President Vladimir Putin is dismissing the latest U.S. claims that the Kremlin has directed cyberattacks against Washington, as well as scoffing at U.S. threats to retaliate for any Russian attempts to interfere in upcoming U.S. elections. Putin spoke Sunday in India at a televised news conference, calling the hacking allegations an effort to distract Americans from "lots of problems" facing their country. Putin's comments come less than two days after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden warned that "we are sending a message" to Putin. He told NBC news on Friday that U.S. retaliation for Russian cyberattacks "will be at the time of our choosing, and under circumstances that will have the greatest impact." "You can expect anything from our American friends," Putin said Sunday. He also claimed it is already widely known that "official bodies in the United States are spying and eavesdropping on everyone." One of those is Rocky De La Fuente, a doggedly determined and largely self-funded candidate seeking to open the political process and restore genuine democracy in the United States. He's probably the best kept secret in this year's presidential sweepstakes. With little publicity or fanfare, the 61-year-old De La Fuente has quietly scratched and clawed his way onto the ballot in no fewer than twenty states this autumn -- and most likely would have been on the ballot in at least half the states in the country were it not for a few minor technicalities in states like Washington and New York, as well as antiquated and arguably unconstitutional "sore loser" laws in Alabama, Arkansas and Pennsylvania. Reminiscent of the late Eugene McCarthy's little-noticed independent bid for the White House in the year of America's Bicentennial -- "The Bloodless Revolution of 1976," as McCarthy's young lawyers John C. Armor and Philip L. Marcus described it -- De La Fuente is running to open the political process in this country and to create greater awareness of how the political system has been deliberately rigged to protect the two-party stranglehold on American politics while severely limiting voter choice. Like "Clean Gene" some forty years ago, De La Fuente hopes to knock down a myriad of barriers deliberately put in place to thwart candidates running outside the duopoly. In 1976, McCarthy's legal team struck down unfair and unconstitutional ballot access laws in at least sixteen states. Like the former Minnesota senator, De La Fuente has already filed at least eleven ballot access lawsuits pertaining to this year's general election, including legal challenges to the burdensome and discriminatory number of signatures required for an independent or minor-party candidate for president in California, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas. According to ballot access expert Richard Winger, the longtime publisher of Ballot Access News, De La Fuente's lawsuit in the Lone Star State also addresses the state's early filing deadline and its sore loser law as applied to candidates who ran in the Texas presidential primary. "The deck is stacked against anyone who is not a member of the politically elite," says the amiable first-generation Mexican-American candidate. He's speaking from firsthand experience. Earlier this year, the savvy San Diego businessman challenged Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in no fewer than forty Democratic primaries and caucuses and in doing so became the first candidate to ever qualify for the presidential primary ballot in Michigan and possibly North Carolina via the petition method, an arduous task that required obtaining a minimum of 12,000 valid signatures in the former state and more than 10,000 valid signatures in North Carolina, a state with some of the country's strictest ballot access requirements. Remarkably, De La Fuente did the same thing in Massachusetts. Though he met all three of those difficult hurdles -- he submitted more than 20,000 petition signatures in Michigan, turned in 18,757 signatures in the Tar Heel State and obtained the necessary 2,500 valid signatures in Massachusetts -- Clinton, Sanders and Maryland's Martin O'Malley, the latter of whom dropped out of the Democratic contest faster than one could say "Rocky De La Fuente," didn't need a single signature in those three states because they were generally recognized as presidential candidates by the national news media and had been given their party's official seal of approval. Not surprisingly, De La Fuente was also shut out of the televised Democratic presidential debates, a fact he squarely blames on the Debbie Wasserman Schultz-led Democratic National Committee (DNC). "They want Hillary to be their next queen," he quipped while campaigning in Raleigh, North Carolina. De La Fuente, incidentally, was the first person to call for Wasserman-Schultz's resignation as head of the DNC, long before Vermont's Bernie Sanders called for her ouster. As a result of that painstakingly burdensome and expensive experience, the unassuming and mild-mannered De La Fuente, a deep-pocketed political "outsider," realized just how unfair the nation's entire electoral system really is, how the entire process is intended to completely stymie a political newcomer like himself. He learned the hard way, but he learned quickly, which is precisely why he decided to remain in the race as a third-party candidate through November. Unlike Rocky, most candidates would have given up the ghost long before now. An avid chess player who thrives on simultaneously outwitting his opponents on multiple chessboards, the soft-spoken De La Fuente also waged a somewhat imaginative bid for Florida's Democratic U.S. Senate nomination earlier this summer, sandwiching that last-minute candidacy in his adopted state between his earlier bid for the Democratic presidential nomination and his current third-party quest for the White House. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Travel Intermediaries Business in BRICS Nation, 2011 to 2020 | Now Available at Researchmoz.us http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=839570 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=839570 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Travel Intermediaries Business in BRICS Nation, 2011 to 2020" to its huge collection of research reports.Travel Intermediaries (part of a business that assists in selling travel products and services to customers, which may include airline tickets, car rentals, hotels, railway tickets, and package holidays that may combine several products) business have seen moving at a nominal rate in the recent years and is expected to do the same in the near future. The report Travel Intermediaries Business in BRICS Nation, 2011 to 2020 provides deep dive data analytics on wide ranging Travel Intermediaries business offerings i.e., Tourism Packages, Accommodation, Travel, Car Rentals and Other Products categorized by providers - Travel Agents, Tour Operators and Other Providers via Online and In-Store setup.Furthermore, the report also details out Market Value by Product - Accommodation Only, Travel Only, Car Rental Only, Tourism Packages and Other Products & Services for the period 2011 to 2020 along with Total Revenues by Tourism Purpose - Business & Personal and by Destination - Domestic and International Trips.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The report acts as an essential tool for companies active or plans to venture in to the BRICS Nations Travel Intermediaries business. The comprehensive statistics within the report provides insight into the operating environment of the market and also ensures right business decision making based on historical trends and industry model based forecasting.Key Findings- Overview of the Travel Intermediaries business in BRICS Nation.- Historic and forecast revenues of the Travel Intermediaries business for the period 2011 through to 2020- Analytics on Revenue stream By Product: Accommodation, Travel, Car Rental, Tourism Packages and Other Products & Services- Analytics on Revenue stream By Channel and Provider: Online and In-Store sales; Travel Agents, Tour Operators and Other Providers- Analytics on Revenue stream By Tourism Purpose: Business, Personal and Others- Analytics on Revenue stream By Destination: Domestic and International TripsSynopsisTravel Intermediaries Business in BRICS Nation, 2011 to 2020 is a detailed market review of Travel Intermediaries business in BRICS Nation. The research manual provides up-to-date Travel Intermediaries business market value data for period 2011-2015 and illustrative forecast to 2020 covering key business offerings in the likes of Tourism Packages, Accommodation, Travel, Car Rentals and Other Products, Revenues from Online and In-Store sales further categorized by Provider, Tourism Purpose, Destination and Channel.Reasons To Buy- Embrace the market information at category and segment level for precise marketing plan- Outline investments on potential growth factors considering actual market size and future prospects- Evolve business plans based on forecasts informationMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ Egypt will generate estimated telecom revenue of US$4.7bn or 1.7% of GDP in 2016 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=839301 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=839301 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Egypt: Market Shake-Up as the Fixed Voice Incumbent Acquires a 4G License and Prepares to Enter the Mobile Market" to its huge collection of research reports.In 2016, Egypt will generate estimated telecom revenue of US$4.7bn or 1.7% of GDP, which is 8.5% lower than the previous year in US dollars due to local currency depreciation. Growth in fixed and mobile data services will drive the overall growth in the market in local currency. Total revenue will increase by 17.9% in Egyptian pounds over the 2015-2016 period.Vodafone Egypt will continue to dominate the telecom market despite increasing competition from other players. Telecom Egypt, the fixed-line incumbent, has acquired a 4G license and will enter the mobile market. Other operators are also increasing their focus on network enhancement to improve their quality of service in order to drive growth in the increasingly competitive market.The total number of fixed access lines will rise by 9.6% over 2015-2016 to reach 6.6m, aided by growth in DSL subscribers.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Key Findings-The Egyptian telecom market will generate an estimated $4.7bn in service revenue in 2016, 8.5% less than the previous year in dollar terms due to local currency depreciation.-Mobile data is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 6.9% during 2016-2021, to reach $1.5bn in 2021, supported by the increasing adoption of smartphones.-We expect 3G subscriptions to reach 66.4m or 58.2% of total mobile subscriptions in 2021 from an estimated 39.6m or 41.6% of total mobile subscriptions in 2016.-Telecom Egypt, the fixed-line incumbent, has acquired a 4G license and will enter the mobile market.SynopsisEgypt: Market Shake-Up as the Fixed Voice Incumbent Acquires a 4G License and Prepares to Enter the Mobile Market report provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Egypt today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2021. It delivers deep quantitative and qualitative insight into the Egyptian telecom market, analyzing key trends, evaluating near-term opportunities and assessing risk factors, based on proprietary data from Pyramid Researchs databases.The Country Intelligence Report provides in-depth analysis of the following:-Regional context: telecom market size and trends in Egypt compared with other countries in the Africa and Middle East region.-Economic, demographic and political context in Egypt.-The regulatory environment and trends: a review of the regulatory setting and agenda for the next 18-24 months as well as relevant developments pertaining to spectrum licensing, national broadband plans, number portability and more.-A demand profile: analysis as well as historical figures and forecasts of service revenue from the fixed telephony, broadband, mobile voice, mobile data.-Service evolution: a look at changes in the breakdown of overall revenue between the fixed and mobile sectors and between voice, data and video from 2014 to 2021.-The competitive landscape: an examination of key trends in competition and in the performance, revenue market shares and expected moves of service providers over the next 18-24 months.Reasons To Buy-Gain in-depth analysis of current strategies and future trends of Egypts telecommunications market, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format, to build proactive and profitable growth strategies.-Understand the factors behind ongoing and upcoming trends in Egypts communications, fixed telephony and broadband markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares, to align product offerings and strategies to meet customer demand.-Leverage the graphical information (more than 20 charts and tables in the report based on the Pyramid Research forecast products), to gain an overview of Egypts telecom market.-Analysis of key telecom players in the markets and major business strategies being adopted by them, to identify the opportunities to improve the market share.-Explore novel opportunities to align your product strategies and offerings to meet the requirements and succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Egypt.Table of ContentsExecutive summaryMarket and competitor overviewRegional contextEconomic, demographic and political contextRegulatory environmentDemand profileService evolutionCompetitive landscapeMajor market playersSegment analysisMobile servicesFixed servicesPay-TVIdentifying opportunitiesOverall market opportunitiesMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ The UAEs Defense Expenditure Is Projected To Grow At A CAGR Of 6.59%, To Value US$31.8 Billion By 2021 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=839294 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=839294 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Future of the UAE Defense Industry - Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.The Future of the UAEs Defense Industry Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2021, published by Strategic Defence Intelligence, provides readers with detailed analysis of both historic and forecast defense industry values, factors influencing demand, the challenges faced by industry participants, analysis of industry leading companies, and key news.Key Findings-The UAEs defense expenditure is valued at US$23.5 billion in 2016, and registered a CAGR of 4.51% during the historic period. The UAEs defense expenditure is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.59%, to value US$31.8 billion by 2021-On a cumulative basis, the country is expected to invest US$140.8 billion for defense purposes, of which US$53.1 billion is earmarked for capital expenditure to fund defense procurements. The protection of vital infrastructure, the territorial dispute with Iran, and ongoing domestic defense industry building initiatives are expected to drive the countrys future defense spending-The defense budget is expected to increase further during the forecast period, due to the countrys aim to develop its own domestic defense industry-The MoD is expected to invest in military IT networking, fighters & multi-role aircraft, reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, infrastructure & logistics - construction, and Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV)To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @SynopsisThis report offers detailed analysis of the UAEs defense industry with market size forecasts covering the next five years. This report will also analyze factors that influence demand for the industry, key market trends, and challenges faced by industry participants.In particular, it provides an in-depth analysis of the following:-The UAEs defense industry market size and drivers: detailed analysis of the UAEs defense industry during 20172021, including highlights of the demand drivers and growth stimulators for the industry. It also provides a snapshot of the countrys expenditure and modernization patterns-Budget allocation and key challenges: insights into procurement schedules formulated within the country and a breakdown of the defense budget with respect to the army, navy, and air force. It also details the key challenges faced by defense market participants within the country-Porters Five Force analysis of the UAEs defense industry: analysis of the market characteristics by determining the bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitution, intensity of rivalry, and barriers to entry-Import and Export Dynamics: analysis of prevalent trends in the countrys imports and exports over the last five years-Market opportunities: details of the top five defense investment opportunities over the next10 years-Competitive landscape and strategic insights: analysis of the competitive landscape of the UAEs defense industry. It provides an overview of key players, together with insights such as key alliances, strategic initiatives, and a brief financial analysisReasons To Buy-This report will give the user confidence to make the correct business decisions based on a detailed analysis of the UAEs defense industry market trends for the coming five years-The market opportunity section will inform the user about the various military requirements that are expected to generate revenues during the forecast period. The description includes technical specifications, recent orders, and the expected investment pattern by the country during the forecast period-Detailed profiles of the top domestic and foreign defense manufacturers with information about their products, alliances, recent contract wins, and financial analysis wherever available. This will provide the user with a total competitive landscape of the sector-A deep qualitative analysis of the UAEs defense industry covering sections including demand drivers, Porters Five Forces Analysis, Key Trends and Growth Stimulators, and latest industry contractsMake an Enquiry of this report @Table of Contents1 Introduction1.1. What is this Report About?1.2. Definitions1.3. Summary Methodology1.4. SDI Terrorism Index1.5. About Strategic Defence Intelligence2 Executive Summary3 Market Attractiveness and Emerging Opportunities3.1. Defense Market Size Historical and Forecast3.1.1. The defense budget of UAE to record a CAGR of 6.59% over the forecast period3.1.2. Military modernization initiatives, territorial dispute with Iran, and peace keeping missions to drive defense expenditure3.1.3. The defense budget as a percentage of GDP is expected to increase during the forecast period3.2. Analysis of Defense Budget Allocation3.2.1. Procurement of advanced equipment to drive capital expenditure allocation during the forecast period3.2.2. Capital expenditure is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.3% over the forecast period3.2.3. Per capita defense expenditure expected to increase during the forecast period3.3. Homeland Security Market Size and Forecast3.3.1. UAE homeland security is expected to increase at a CAGR of 6.41% over the forecast period3.3.2. Investment in the protection of infrastructure and cyber security are expected to drive the UAE homeland security market3.3.3. UAE is categorized as some risk country for terror activities3.3.4. UAE faces ""some risk"" by acts of terrorism3.3.5. UAE faces Some threat from terrorists3.4. Benchmarking with Key Global Markets3.4.1. UAE defense budget expected to register rapid growth over the period 2016-20203.4.2. UAE defense expenditure is small compared to the leading spenders3.5. Market Opportunities: Key Trends and Drivers3.5.1. Military IT networking to corner bulk of investments3.5.2. Fighters & multi-role aircraft3.5.3. Reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft3.5.4. Infrastructure & logistics - construction3.5.5. Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV)4 Defense Procurement Market Dynamics4.1. Import Market Dynamics4.1.1. Limitations of the domestic defense industry to encourage arms imports4.1.2. The UAE stood as the world's fourth-largest arms importer over the historic period4.1.3. US continues to be the major arms supplier to the UAE4.1.4. Aircraft and Missiles to dominate UAE defense imports4.2. Export Market Dynamics4.2.1. The UAE has minimal defense exports5 Industry Dynamics5.1. Five Forces Analysis5.1.1. Bargaining power of supplier: low to medium5.1.2. Bargaining power of buyer: medium to high5.1.3. Barrier to entry: medium to high5.1.4. Intensity of rivalry: high5.1.5. Threat of substitution: low to mediumAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ Comedy Club Munich Hosts The biggest German-English Comedy Show on October 21 + 22, 2016 Comedy Club Munich http://comedy-club-munich.com/ Comedians from all over the world including Ireland, Canada and the USA will come to Munich in October for The Biggest German-English Comedy Shows in Germany.Comedy Club Munich Munich's biggest bi-lingual comedy group has invited international comedians from several countries including Canada, USA, Ireland and Germany.This event is the biggest German-English speaking Comedy Show in 2016.The following will be on stage Mark n Simon a German based comedy duo; Matt Devereux from Toronto; American comedian Christopher Magyar, a Wahlmunchner; Lois Bromfield from the USA; Bake This, the English Improv Theatre Group in Munich.The show will be available on two dates with the same program on:Friday, 21. October and Saturday, 22. October atTheaterzelt Das Schloss, Schwere-Reiter-Strae 15, 80637 Munchen.The event not only show cases a variety of comedic acts, but also presents a variety of comedic styles.Comedians Mark n Simon, from Germany, blend comedy with music mixed with slapstick and wordplay.Bake This is the English Improv Theatre Group in Munich. With its inspiring and imaginative spontaneity, they amaze their audience.Matt Devereux - a Canadian comedian living in Germany - is set to give his comedic reflections as a Canadian living in Germany. His comedy style is energetic and dynamic. Devereux is the founder of two Comedy Clubs in Munich.The American 'Wahlmunchner' Christopher Magyar is known as a gentleman comedian with a dark side! Magyar is a veteran of Comedy Club Munich and has been a big huge success with the audiences.Lois Bromfield began her career as a comedian at The Comedy Store in LA. She performed in many clubs throughout the U.S as well as countless television appearances and appeared in our show in June.And from the Comedy Club Munich:Gudrun Wahnschaffe from Berlin, Ineke Vermeulen from Belgian, Verena Lauer from Munich, Guenther Golem from Munich, Raed Naser from Bahrain and Samuel Ozioma from Nigeria.About Comedy Club MunichComedy Club Munich was founded by Irish comedian Mel Kelly and friends. He has won several European humorous speech contests in English and German and performed standup comedy in the Ireland, Czech Republic, Sweden and in Germany. Andreas Beckenbach from Saxony delivers humor with quirky stories and punchlines that his audiences love.These comedians will also be on the stage on the 21. + 22. October at Theaterzelt Das Schloss.For more information about or to purchase tickets for the event visit:Comedy Club Munich GbRBrigitte HerderQuiddestr 7281735 MunchenTel: 089 450 81 775 Medical Billing Outsourcing Market Driven By Greater Management And Financial Flexibility Offered Through Outsourcing Till 2024 http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/medical-billing-outsourcing-market http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry/healthcare-it The medical billing outsourcing market was valued at USD 6.3 billion in 2015 and is anticipated to reach a value of USD 16.9billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Large amount of medical code representation for diagnosis and treatment coupled with the presence of multiple payers renders medical billingan intricate part of any medical practice, posing significant challenges. The challenge mounts when this process mandates adherence to the International Classification of Diseases-10th revision (ICD-10) code along with dealing with rising healthcare costs and declining reimbursements. Challenges in managing in-house billing processes include setbacks experienced in the IT structure, untrained staff, billing errors, and lack of proper financial policy in place. In order to curb or alleviate these challenges, several healthcare providers,such as acute care hospitals and clinics/physician offices, prefer outsourcing their medical billing process. According to studies, in 2015, 95% of independent physicians have acknowledged that outsourcing revenue management is the right decision.Healthcare providers face certain challenges in ascertaining the disadvantages of in-house operation or benefits of outsourcing revenue management operations;hence, they arrived at this decision by implementing thorough assessment and evaluation of the revenue percentage they spend on several billing operations. Currently, the healthcare system is witnessing a subsequent increase in outsourcing of medical billing services by hospitals and physicians. This increase is attributed to factors such as obligatory implementation of complex ICD-10 coding system, increasing healthcare costs, and federal mandate to implement electronic medical records (EMR) to maintain reimbursement levels.Furthermore, clinics/physician offices are gradually outsourcing their revenue management to cut unnecessary costs and prevent the burden of managing an administrative team to ensure effectivehandling of in-house billing functions.Browse full research report on Global Medical Billing Outsourcing Market:Further Key Findings From the Study Suggest: North America reported highest revenue growth in this market. The U.S. is witnessing rapid changes in healthcare structure reflected by implementation of new medical coding system known as the ICD-10 coding as well as pressure from the government to implement EMR management system. These changing regulations coupled with rising healthcare costs are major growth drivers for the market in this region. Multispecialty medical groups are implementing consolidation requiring electronic health record (EHR) integration and building large healthcare networks This integrationcreates a need forRevenue CycleManagement (RCM), which in turn demands additional expertise and trained personnel to manage the same. Consolidation of large healthcare practices is expected to be a one of the factors that will help in the growth of the market. Hospitals end-use segment accounts for the largest market share in the medical billing outsourcing market. The ability to gain total control over billing procedures and minimize loss is the main focus of these providers. As healthcare costs rise and profits are decline, RCMoutsourcing is expected to be the best practice considered by these care facilities to manage their revenue. Some of the key players in this industry include Accretive Health, Inc.; Allscripts; Cerner Corporation; EClinicalWorks; Experian Information Solutions, Inc.; GE Healthcare; Genpact; HCL; Kareo; McKesson Corporation; Quest Diagnostics; and The SSI Group.Browse more reports of this category by Grand View Research:Grand View Research has segmented the medical billing outsourcing market bycomponent, service and end user:Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) In-House OutsourcedService Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) Front End Middle End Back EndEnd User Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) Hospitals Physician Offices OthersRegional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) North Americao U.S.o Canada Europeo Germanyo UK Asia Pacifico Japano Indiao China Latin Americao Brazilo Mexico MEAo South Africao Saudi ArabiaAbout Grand View ResearchGrand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.Press ContactSherry James - Corporate Relations Specialist28 2nd Street, Suite 3036San Francisco, CA 94105United StatesPhone: 1-415-349-0058Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Generate/Read Aztec Barcode Type & Checksum Validation for OneCode Barcodes using Java http://www.aspose.com/products/barcode/java http://www.aspose.com/downloads/barcode/java http://www.aspose.com/ What's New in this Release?Aspose team is pleased to announce the new version of Aspose.BarCode for Java 8.2.0. This release supports generating and reading Aztec barcode type. It also supports checksum validation for OneCode and AustraliaPost coded barcodes. Support to apply Metered key has also been incorporated in this release. Aspose.Barcode for Java allows users to generate Aztec barcode. Users can set BarCodeBuilder.SymbologyType to Aztec to generate Aztec barcode. A property setAztecSymbolMode has been introduced to allow only numbers from 0 to 255 while using Aztec barcode. When setAztecSymbolMode property is set, reader automatically detects Runes. Aspose.Barcode for Java now supports checksum validation for OneCode and AustraliaPost barcodes. Property setChecksumValidation has been introduced to perform validation on OneCode and AustraliaPost barcodes. Following is the sample code demonstrating how setChecksumValidation can be set to off and on to perform validation. Aspose.Barcode for Java has introduced a new class Metered to apply metered key. There are some important enhancements part of this release, such as Process of reading Postnet barcode has been improved, reading DataMatix barcode, Processing of Dutch KIX barcodes, Functionality to process the Aztec barcode with long code text, Functionality to read barcode from a PDF file, Functionality to read EAN13 barcode along with supplement code text and Process of generating AustraliaPost barcode has been greatly improved. Below is the list of main improved features and bug fixes added in this release. Support to generate Code128C coded barcode Add new BarCode type: Aztec Runes Implement Aztec Runes generator Add checksum validation for OneCode and AustraliaPost Implement Aztec Runes decoder BDynabic.Metered Integration The empty hexes for MaxiCode (barcode builder) Reading Postnet barcode from image is not producing correct results Aspose.BarCode is not recognizing correct DataMatix coded barcode BRecognize DataMatrix with the irregular black/white proportions BExclude unwanted dutch KIX barcodes Generate empty picture with incorrect codetext for Aztec Update AustraliaPost generator Override platform depending functions. Improve Aztec encoder speed for long codetext Converting PDF to Image stream and then reading barcode is not working .Net Unable to get the supplement code text from EAN13 coded barcode DataMatrix barcode can be decoded by using 3rd party online where as Aspose.BarCode is unable to decode Incorrect rotated Postnet barcode recognition Detects only first PostnetOverview: Aspose.BarCode for JavaAspose.BarCode is a Java based visual component for generation & recognition of 1D & 2D barcodes to support Java, web applications and J2ME platform. It supports 29+ barcode symbologies like MSI, QR, OneCode, Australia Post, Aztec, Code128, Code11, EAN128, Codabar, Postnet, USPS and also supports image output in GIF, PNG, BMP & JPG formats. Other features include barcode size & color settings, rotation angle & caption. Users can render barcodes to images, printers, HTTP servlet response & graphical objects too.More about Aspose.BarCode for Java- Homepage of Aspose.BarCode for Java:- Download Aspose.BarCode for Java:Aspose Pty Ltd was founded in March 2002 in Sydney, Australia. The corporate portal was firstly launched in October 2002. Aspose strives to provide the richest component choices for global .NET programmers. Thousands of organizations from tens of countries have acquired Aspose products, including Microsoft, IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, DuPont, Hilton Hotels, Reader's Digest, Bank of America, Boeing, Siemens, etc.Aspose Pty LtdSuite 163, 79 Longueville RoadLane Cove, NSW, 2066Australiasales@aspose.comPhone: 888.277.6734Fax: 866.810.9465 Home Automation Market- Advancements in technology are inspiring architects across the globe to build automated homes http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/home-automation-market.htm http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=785 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Home automation is emerging as a major field of technology and has witnessed rising demand in recent years. Home automation refers to technologies that automate the functions of various systems used in residential complexes, such as lighting or HVAC. These systems and appliances comprise a major part of the total energy consumption of a building and careless use of the same has been calculated to contribute immensely to the growing problem of power shortage. Instead of generating extra power to compensate for these losses, conserving it through the smarter use of appliances has emerged as a more promising field.Browse Press Release:Home automation technologies can now often be used via smartphones and commonly available wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which has made them affordable and accessible for the multitudes. Heres an overview of the major residential systems in which home automation is making a steady entry:Smart LightingLighting is a major part of a households energy needs and is a necessity in every single room of the house. Thus, it is also a major part of the home automation scenario. Smart lighting not only conserves energy by automatically shutting down when not in use, but can also be dimmed according to the ambient lighting conditions and remotely turned off from your smartphone.Thermostats and Air ConditioningTemperature control and air conditioning are aspects that are usually manually controlled according to the users comfort. Smart thermostats and air conditioning units, on the other hand, learn the users behavior and can thus automatically switch on and off and adjust the temperatures just as the user would do it normally. They also provide current energy consumption figures to users and can also adjust the ambient conditions of a residential building according to the climatic conditions.Smart AppliancesSmart refrigerators and smart washing machines are also now emerging on the global home automation market. Smart refrigerators can keep track of the freshness of the food contained within them and alert users if any of it is about to spoil. They can also adjust their energy consumption according to their load, helping cut down on energy consumption massively. Models of many other appliances are now being equipped with such smart features.PDF Sample For Latest Innovation And Upcoming Advancements @The global home automation market was valued at US$4.4 bn in 2014 and is expected to witness a booming 26.30% CAGR from 2014 to 2020. The market is led by North America, due to the easy availability of high-quality networking tools in the region. Europe is also a major regional market for home automation technologies and, collectively with Asia Pacific, holds a 40% share in the market. Rising consumer awareness and increasing disposable incomes are expected to make Asia Pacific a prime contender in the global home automation market in the coming years.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Catheters Market size to exceed $73bn by 2024 Global Market Insights, Inc. https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/787 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/catheters-market https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/787 https://www.gminsights.com Catheters Market size is estimated to reach USD 73.7 billion by 2024; as per a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc.Technological innovation in the form of contact force-sensing, touch free, and anti-microbial products should drive global catheters market size. Growing prevalence of hospital acquired infections (HAI), and consequent adoption of technologically advanced products will drive industry demand. Introduction of catheters impregnated with chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine and with minocycline and rifampin will prevent related intravascular infections.The patient trend shift from traditional interventions towards minimally invasive procedures along with growing incidence of cardiovascular, neurovascular and kidney related disorders will boost demand expansion. High usage rates of cardiovascular products owing to large volumes of interventional cardiology procedures accounted for the largest segment share, while specialty catheters are identified to be the most lucrative segment owing to the paradigm shift towards minimally invasive ablation procedures.Request for a sample of this research report -U.S catheters market size with over USD 8.6 billion in sales for 2015 leads the global industry. However, growth opportunities are offered by Asia Pacific and Latin American countries owing to huge untapped potential coupled with the implementation of government initiatives towards improving healthcare access in the emerging countries of China, India, and Brazil.Established players in the catheters market share such as Boston Scientific Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic Inc., Teleflex and Coloplast Inc. are exploring growth opportunities by implementation of expansion strategy in emerging countries.Browse key industry insights spread across 110 pages with 94 market data tables & 16 figures & charts from the report, Catheters Market Size By Product (Cardiovascular, Urology, Intravenous, Neurovascular, Specialty Catheters), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Germany, France, Spain, India China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 2024 in detail along with the table of contents:Key insights from the report include: Global catheters market was valued at USD 29.4 billion in 2015, and projected to reach USD 73.7 billion by 2024, at an estimated 11% CAGR from 2016 to 2024. Growing demand for minimally invasive surgeries is one of the key growth drivers for industry growth. Technology innovations aimed at enhancing healthcare practitioners efficiency in terms of flexibility and maneuverability should catapult the industry size. Cardiovascular segment grabbed the largest share contributing to 38% of industry revenue. The increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases will positively impact the demand for cardiovascular catheters. Europe catheters market size will surpass North America during the forecast timeline to exceed 28 billion by 2023. Germany, France and Spain will be the major revenue contributors to the regional industry. The business should witness medium level of threat to new entrants. Strict regulatory guidelines regarding safety and efficacy of products, along with high research and development costs for new product development should act as entry barriers for small and medium industry players.Make an inquiry for buying this report @Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Corporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1 888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was nowhere to be seen at the Workers Party's anniversary on Oct. 10 and has not been seen in public in more than 10 days. The last time Kim appeared in the state media was on Oct. 7 when he visited a souvenir factory in Pyongyang. His disappearance raises suspicions that he is in bad health. This would have been his first big party anniversary since he officially became chairman in May, and the usual protocol would have been to visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which houses the embalmed corpses of his father and grandfather. Kim also failed to show up at a ceremony on Monday marking the 70th anniversary of an anti-imperialist group formed by Kim Il-sung in 1926 that is promoted as forming the roots of the Workers Party. Industrial Robotics Market to strengthen the manufacturing sector by improvising productivity. http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=3187 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/global-industrial-robotics-market.htm http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Industrial robots are a multifaceted technological innovation that has transformed the industrial landscape around the world. Industrial robots are programmable machines that can perform a wide variety of tasks in industrial surroundings. They are much more efficient and effective than human labor: an industrial robot can work 24/7 with little to no aberration, and can perform a variety of tasks with equal competence.Due to the steady push for automation in several industries, the industrial robotics market is rising at a strong pace, according to leading market intelligence firm Transparency Market Research. According to research recently presented by the company, the global industrial robotics market, worth US$28.9 bn in 2013, is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 6.20% from 2014 to 2020. At this steady growth rate, the market is expected to be valued at close to US$44.5 bn by 2020.PDF Sample For Latest Innovation And Upcoming Advancements @Articulated Industrial Robots Lead Global Industrial Robotics MarketThe various types of robots on offer in the industrial robotics market include articulated robots, Cartesian robots, cylindrical robots, and SCARA (selective compliant assembly robot arm). Among these, articulated industrial robots, which contain a rotary joint, lead the demand from the global industrial robotics market.Due to the versatility of industrial robots, the global industrial robotics market receives demand from a wide variety of end-use industries. The major end-use segments of industrial robotics are the automotive industry, the electrical and electronics industry, rubber and plastics, chemicals, metals and metallurgy, the food and beverages industry, and the precision and optics industry. These industries mainly utilize industrial robots for processes such as materials handling, assembling and disassembling, cutting and processing, soldering and welding, milling, and painting. Among these, the application of industrial robots is the highest in materials handling.The automotive industry is the largest end user of industrial robots, accounting for close to a quarter of the global industrial robotics market in 2013. While the growing automation of automotive manufacturing procedures will keep the automotive industry among the leading end users of industrial robots, precision and optics and food and beverages are expected to emerge as strong end-use segments of the global industrial robotics market.Excellent Growth Prospects for Industrial Robotics Market in Asia Pacific SMEsThe global industrial robotics market could total more than 1.3 mn units by 2018, according to a recent report from the International Federation of Robotics. While definitive 2015 figures are not available yet, the global supply of robots is expected to increase by about 15% in 2015, with the majority of them being for industrial use. Fanuc, the leading supplier of industrial robots, recently announced cumulative global sales of 400,000, an industry record that is sure to be broken sooner than later, considering the growing demand for industrial robots from Asia Pacific as well as developed regions such as North America and Europe.Browse Press Release:The rising use of industrial robots in small and medium enterprises has been a prominent driver for the industrial robotics market in Asia Pacific. Many emerging and economically powerful countries in APAC, such as China, India, Singapore, Australia, and Japan are increasingly adopting automation in industrial activities, propelling the regional industrial robotics market. This is expected to remain a prominent hallmark of the growth trajectory of the global industrial robotics industry in the coming years.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Ultracapacitors Market to Reach US$3.1 bn by 2019, Rising Demand from Automotive Sector to Drive Growth http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=608 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/capacitors-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The competitive landscape of the global ultracapacitors market includes companies such as Panasonic Corp., Maxwell Technologies Inc., Nesscap Co. Ltd., Yunasko, Ioxus Inc., Supreme Power Solutions Co. Ltd., CAP-XX, Vinatech Co. Ltd., Nippon Chemi-Con Corp., LS Mtron, and NEC-TOKIN Corp. The rapid growth of the energy sector, especially wind and solar energy, has proved beneficial for the growth of these market players. In the energy sector, ultracapacitors are used mainly for applications in energy harvesting, wind energy, and solar energy. In 2012, the demand for ultracapacitors for energy harvesting was the highest, followed by wind and solar. However, the automotive sector has been the key target sector for the market players as ultracapacitors are extensively employed across buses and other vehicles.High Cost of Ultracapacitors is a Major Concern among ConsumersAs the usage of ultracapacitors is still at its nascent stage, the market players are exploring the applications of ultracapacitors across various sectors and are investing significantly in research and development activities. Owing to the potential of ultracapacitors to be used as a suitable alternative for batteries, the market players enjoy a strong customer base. However, consumers are still apprehensive to make a shift from conventional batteries to ultracapacitors. The high cost of ultracapacitor is the reason behind this apprehension among consumers and the market players need to address this pricing issue at the earliest, cites a TMR analyst.PDF Sample For Latest Advancements with Technological breakthroughs is @Among the key regions in the global ultracapacitors market, Asia Pacific holds immense opportunity for the market players due to the rapid growth of sectors such as automotive, energy, military, electronics, and industrial. In 2012, Asia Pacific accounted for 35.1% of the overall market owing to the growing demand from Japan and China. On the other hand, the North America ultracapacitors market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 26.7% during the forecast period.Government Regulations to Support Growth of Global Ultracapacitors MarketThe global ultracapacitors market has witnessed increased demand due to sliding prices of components that have lowered the overall cost of ultracapacitors. Implementation of stringent regulations by governments to cut down carbon emissions especially across the developed economies in Europe and North America has significantly aided the growth of the market. Ultracapacitors offer several benefits over batteries including longer lifespan and hence, are highly preferred by consumers. There have been breakthroughs in applications of ultracapacitors across HEVs, regenerative breaking, aerospace, and micro-hybrids/stop-start systems. This has augmented the demand for ultracapacitors across various end-use sectors, TMR report states.The global ultracapacitors market is anticipated to take a leap at a CAGR of 25.2% during the period from 2013 to 2019. The market stood at a valuation of US$672.0 mn in 2012 and is anticipated to soar to US$3,120.0 mn by 2019.The information presented in this review is based on a Transparency market Research report, titled Ultracapacitors Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2013 - 2019.Global ultracapacitors market has been segmented as:Ultracapacitors Market by ApplicationsAutomotiveIndustrialEnergyElectronicsOthers (Aerospace/Military and Sensor Technology)Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs) Market to Benefit from Advances in Diabetic Shoes and Introduction of Diabetic Care Devices Market Research HUB http://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=700657 http://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/diabetic-foot-ulcers-dfus-market-insights-epidemiology-and-market-forecast-2020-report.html http://www.marketresearchhub.com/ ALBANY, New York, October, 15, 2016 Diabetes continues to be one of the widely spread lifestyle conditions. The considerable increase in the prevalence of diabetes has boosted the demand for various therapeutic solutions that are specifically aimed to manage diabetes. The ongoing technological advancements and the innovation in medical devices have benefited the global healthcare industry in many ways. Among all available diabetes devices in the global market, the demand for diabetes shoes is expected to increase the most. The growing occurrence of diabetic foot ulcers is expected to propel the demand for diabetic shoes. The rising number people diagnosed with diabetes will benefit the diabetic foot ulcers market, predicts a new research report added to the database of Market Research Hub.Get Free Sample Report:The report, titled Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) - Market Insights, Epidemiology and Market Forecast-2020, states that the number of people suffering from diabetes is increasing across the globe. However, the report has regionally divided the global diabetic foot ulcers market into the United States, Japan, and EU5. As per the findings of the report, currently, the incidence of diabetic foot ulcers is the highest in the United States, making this nation the biggest contributor to the growth of the global diabetic foot ulcers market. As per the American Diabetes Association, the total number of people suffering from diabetic foot ulcers in the United States is growing at a significant rate. The total number of people suffering from diabetic foot ulcers has augmented since 1980.The report highlights the diabetic foot ulcer disease along with its symptoms, etiology, diagnosis, path physiology, disease management, and changing trends in the treatments. As per the report, the availability of a variety of prescription drugs, medical devices, diabetic devices, and the innovations in the global medical market are predicted to propel the global diabetic foot ulcers market.The global diabetic foot ulcers market is expected to benefit as many healthcare companies are focusing on introducing diabetic shoes as a treatment for diabetic foot ulcers. Many advances are likely to happen in the global healthcare market and the medical devices industry, which are likely to propel the global market for diabetic foot ulcers.Browse Full Report with TOC -The report also highlights patent expiration of existing drugs, the introduction of new devices to treat different complications arising from diabetes, and various disease management techniques offered by healthcare companies. Key companies operating in the global diabetic foot ulcers market are enjoying advances in the technology. To maintain their dominance in the global market, some of the key companies are aiming to amalgamate and merge with the new startups. By merging with the key companies, the new companies are expected to find it easy to adopt new methods of treating diabetic foot ulcers. However, with this, the global diabetic foot ulcers market is expected to become highly competitive in the years to come.Foot ulcers have become a common problem for people diagnosed with diabetes. Scientists and medical professionals are investing more on research and development activities to discover new ways to treat diabetic foot ulcers.About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.90 State StreetAlbany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free : 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel : +1-518-621-2074Email : sales@marketresearchhub.comWebsite : New Social Media Company Launches Brand in Nevada www.50dollarsocial.com A new company has emerged in the multi-million dollar social media management space. The companyis being launched and managed by parent company ECS West. The company promises investors a strong foothold in the industry given the climate of Social media enterprises.Founded in 2016, 50dollarsocial is one of the holding companies of ECS West. ECS has been very active in the IT industry since its inception. With properties in the publishing and media sector.50dollarsocial2375 E. Tropicana ave #353Las Vegas , N.V 89119Contact PR Heidi Strausburg(702)608-8515 An American family will be given an award after they won Korean hearts by picking up garbage from Busan's Gwangalli Beach in the wake of typhoon Chaba earlier this month. Busan's Suyeong District on Monday said it decided to honor Deanna Rupert, 38, and her 13-year-old daughter Fiona and five-year-old daughter Stella. "It gave me some food for thought after seeing images of foreigners who voluntarily cleaned up after the havoc created by natural disaster, which is not an easy thing to do," district chief Park Hyun-wook said. Rupert and her daughters saw that Gwangalli Beach was strewn with rubbish when typhoon Chiba receded on Oct. 5 and came back with cleaning equipment to help clean it up for four hours. A Korean woman took their picture, which quickly went viral on the Internet. Rupert is a teacher at Busan International Foreign School. Acyclic Hydrocarbons - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020 http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-acyclic-hydrocarbons-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/ www.indexbox.co.uk The global trade in acyclic hydrocarbons amounted to 18,818 million USD in 2015. That value fluctuated wildly over the period under review, falling by 32% in the last year, after standing stable from 2012-2014.The Republic of Korea continued its dominance in global acyclic hydrocarbon supplies. In 2015, exports from the Republic of Korea totaled 2,049 million USD, which accounted for an 11% share of global exports. Japan, the Netherlands, USA, and the UK were the other key global suppliers of acyclic hydrocarbons in 2015, with a combined share of 34.1%.Japan (+10.1% per year) and the Republic of Korea (+3.2% per year) were the fastest growing exporters from 2007 to 2015. Japan significantly strengthened its position in the global export structure, growing its share from 5% in 2007 to 11% in 2015.On the other hand, China (21%, based on value terms), Belgium (15%), Germany (8%), USA (7%), and the Netherlands (7%) were the leading destinations of acyclic hydrocarbon imports in 2015. Imports to China grew at a rapid pace of +12.9% per year from 2007 to 2015. By contrast, Germany significantly contracted imports of acyclic hydrocarbons over the same period. Chinas share in global imports increased significantly (+13 percentage points), while the share of Germany illustrated negative dynamics (-5 percentage points).IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. We conduct market research and publish reports. You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Country: United KingdomAdress: 44 Main Street Douglas South Lanarkshire Scotland ML11 0QWWebsite: Global airplane and other powered aircraft trade amounted to 11,3089 million USD in 2015 www.indexbox.co.uk The global airplane and other powered aircraft trade amounted to 11,3089 million USD in 2015. The value of trade remained relatively stable throughout the analyzed period, rising with a CAGR of +1.9% from 2007 to 2015.France dominates in global supplies of airplanes and other powered aircraft. In 2015, Frances airplane and other powered aircraft exports totaled 53,676 million USD, which accounted for a 47% share in terms of global exports. Germany, Canada, Ireland, and Brazil were the other key global suppliers of airplanes and other powered aircraft in 2015, with a combined share of 40%.Ireland (+66.5% per year) and France (+12.6%% per year) were the fastest growing exporters from 2007 to 2015. France significantly strengthened its position in the global exports structure, growing its share from 21% in 2007 to 47% in 2015.On the other hand, China (16%, based on value terms), France (15%), Germany (10%), the USA (8%), and the UAE (8%) were the leading destinations of airplane and other powered aircraft imports in 2015. Imports to the UAE grew at a rapid pace of +47% per year from 2007 to 2015. By contrast, Germanys imports of airplanes and other powered aircraft grew at a slower +6.6% annual rate over the same period. Frances share in terms of global imports increased significantly (+11 percentage points), while the share of Germany illustrated negative dynamics (-4 percentage points).IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. We conduct market research and publish reports. You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Country: United KingdomAdress: 44 Main Street Douglas South Lanarkshire Scotland ML11 0QWWebsite: Research details developments in the demand for Fibromyalgia - Current and Future Players http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/825689 https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketresearchreports-biz http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ "The Report Fibromyalgia - Current and Future Players provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"GlobalData has released its pharma report, Fibromyalgia - Current and Future Players. The report is a vital source of up-to-date information with in-depth analysis on the companies in the rapidly growing Fibromyalgia Market. The report identifies and analyses the key companies shaping and driving the global Fibromyalgia market. The report provides insight into the competitive Fibromyalgia landscape, including new companies entering the market. This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary and in-house analysis by GlobalDatas team of industry experts.Download Sample copy of this Report at :Scope- Investigation of current and future market competition for Fibromyalgia- Competitor assessment- Coverage of key market players and company profiles including business description, financial overview and SWOT analysis.- Strategic assessment of Fibromyalgia sector through market impact analysis, future market scenario and company analysisReasons to buy- Gain a high level view of the trends shaping and driving Fibromyalgia market- Assess competitiveness of products in market by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of current competition.- Create an effective counter-strategy to gain a competitive advantage against those currently in the market- Whats the next big thing in the global Fibromyalgia market landscape? Identify, understand and capitalizeFollow us on LinkedIn:Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 21.1 List of Tables 41.2 List of Figures 52 Introduction 62.1 Catalyst 62.2 Related Reports 62.3 Upcoming Related Reports 73 Market Outlook 83.1 Global Markets 83.1.1 Forecast 83.1.2 Drivers and Barriers - Global Issues 124 Current and Future Players 134.1 Overview 134.2 Trends in Corporate Strategy 164.3 Company Profiles 174.3.1 Pfizer 174.3.2 Eli Lilly 204.3.3 Forest Laboratories (Actavis) 234.3.4 Daiichi Sankyo 264.3.5 Tonix Pharmaceuticals 294.3.6 Theravance Biopharma 325 Appendix 365.1 Bibliography 365.2 Abbreviations 465.3 Methodology 515.4 Forecasting Methodology 515.4.1 Diagnosed Fibromyalgia Patients 515.4.2 Percentage of Drug-Treated Patients 525.4.3 Drugs Included in Each Therapeutic Class 525.4.4 Launch and Patent Expiry Dates 525.4.5 General Pricing Assumptions 535.4.6 Individual Drug Assumptions 545.4.7 Generic Erosion 575.4.8 Pricing of Pipeline Agents 575.5 Primary Research - KOLs Interviewed for This Report 595.6 Primary Research - Prescriber Survey 605.7 About the Authors 61MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz World: Aluminum (Unwrought, Not Alloyed) - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020 http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-aluminum-unwrought-not-alloyed-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/ www.indexbox.co.uk The global trade in unwrought aluminum amounted to 20,941 million USD in 2015, showing strong fluctuations over the period under review. A significant drop in 2009 was followed by recovery over the next two years, until exports decreased again. Overall, there was an annual decrease of -2.9% from 2007 to 2015.Russia remained the global leader in exports of unwrought aluminum. In 2015, Russias unwrought aluminum exports totaled 3762.6 million USD, which accounted for an 18% share of global exports. Australia, Canada, UAE, and Iceland were the other key global suppliers of unwrought aluminum in 2015, with a 36% combined share of global exports.United Arab Emirates (+21% per year) and Iceland (+1% per year) were the only global leaders in exports that showed positive growth over the period under review. The balance of key supplying countries reduced their exports of unwrought aluminum from 2007 to 2015. UAE notably strengthened its position in the global export structure, growing its share from 1% in 2007 to 7% in 2015.On the other hand, Japan (13%, based on value terms), USA (12%), Republic of Korea (9%), Germany (7%), and Turkey (6%) were the leading destinations of unwrought aluminum imports in 2015. Imports to Turkey grew at a rate of +5.6% per year from 2007 to 2015, while the remainder of key importers contracted their imports of unwrought aluminum over the same period. Turkeys share of global imports increased by 3%, while the shares of the balance of importing countries illustrated negative dynamics or remained the same.IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. We conduct market research and publish reports. You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Country: United KingdomAdress: 44 Main Street Douglas South Lanarkshire Scotland ML11 0QWWebsite: Global MediPoint: Trauma Fixation Industry Analysis and Market Forecasts http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/180145 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ "The Report MediPoint: Trauma Fixation - Global Analysis and Market Forecasts provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Traumatic injury patients that come into the Emergency Room (ER) experience orthopedic injury in the form of fractures 60% to 65% of the time, based on GlobalDatas conversations with key opinion leaders. Of this population, 45%50% are operable and require fracture repair techniques in the form of external or internal fixation. As the global population continues to grow in the emerging markets, with overcrowding and economic growth, some of the drivers for trauma fixation include motor vehicle accidents and aging.The Trauma Fixation Market can generally be segmented into the two buckets of high-energy fractures from the young patient under age 45, or the elderly population above age 65 that experiences low-energy fractures. For the aging, osteoarthritis has become a global public health concern with no cure. This is an indication that is growing rapidly, afflicting all joints. As hip fixation continues to be up to 20% of the trauma market, this segment is expected to continue to grow. The extremities segment also continues to drive growth, which consists of approximately another 20% of the market. Sporting injuries, vehicular accidents, violence and falls are the primary factors that make this trauma fixation market grow at a rate of 6.8%, far higher than that of the joint replacement markets within the hip and knee space. Generally, fixation devices such as plates, screws, intramedullary nails and external fixation are far cheaper than joint replacement, and are thus a preferred treatment methodology when clinically feasible.This report focuses on the trauma fixation market, which includes internal and external fixation devices. The orthopedic trauma market has been estimated in this report, which covers the US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Japan, Brazil, China and India. The report provides unmet needs, future adoption and compound annual growth rates (CAGR). GlobalDatas analysis shows that while the orthopedics implant market is mature, where products have become commodities, trauma fixation is one that has room for more technological development and adoption. With the market in the APAC regions being highly fragmented with local players, there will be a continued battle for market share by the top five leaders through technological innovation and investment in establishing strong distribution networks. The major opportunity lies within the emerging markets such as India and China, which have a large patient population, and the key for growth will be realigning with the local distribution network and acquisitions of local market players.Download Sample copy of this Report at :HighlightsKey Questions AnsweredThe trauma fixation market is expected to continue its growth through the forecast period with growth driven by high energy and low energy fractures. (Q).What are the primary patient segments and different product offerings in trauma?Trauma fixation technology took a sharp turn in the early 2000s with the quick adoption of locking screw technology, polyaxial screwing, and intramedullary nail improvements. (Q).Will technology drive the market? How have the indications changed and are procedural numbers growing proportionately to market size?Joint replacement in orthopedics is growing rapidly in the extremities. And the extremities market is a growth driver for trauma fixation as well. (Q).Do we see replacement implants growth eating into the trauma market share? What are the future trends and are the emerging markets?There are Asian manufacturers entering the US market looking to grab market share in the US and EU. And the market is increasingly fragmented in trauma fixation. (Q).Which product segment will have the most innovation? Who are the large players in trauma in each product segment?Reasons to buyWhat Physicians Think quotes provide a unique insight into how healthcare professionals are reacting to events within the industry, and what their responses could mean for industry strategists. In this report you will understand the perceptions of leading Orthopedic Trauma Surgeons from around the world. This information is essential for all strategic decision makers in every organization allowing them to act on high quality information.Table of Contents1 Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 81.1 List of Tables 141.2 List of Figures 192 Introduction 212.1 Catalyst 222.2 Related Reports 232.3 Upcoming Related Reports 233 Disease Overview 243.1 Anatomy and Physiology 243.1.1 Bone Biology 243.1.2 Skeletal Structure 243.2 Pathophysiology 273.2.1 Overview 273.2.2 Post-Traumatic Arthritis 273.2.3 Fracture 273.3 Clinical Presentation 283.3.1 Symptoms 283.3.2 Fracture Types 293.3.3 Fractures by Location 313.3.4 Hip Injury 333.4 Clinical Outcomes 343.4.1 Immobilization 343.4.2 Plates and Screws 353.4.3 Intramedullary Nails 373.4.4 Hip Fixation Device Options 373.4.5 External Fixation 404 Industry Overview 414.1 Overview 414.2 Procedure Trends 434.2.1 US 434.2.2 EU 444.2.3 APAC 454.2.4 South America 464.3 Market Access 474.3.1 US 474.3.2 EU 534.3.3 APAC 604.3.4 South America 674.4 Regulatory Issues / Recalls 704.4.1 Rigid FX FDA Warning Letter 704.4.2 DePuy Orthopedics LBS Lower Extremity Dovetail Intercalary Component Recall 704.5 Mergers, Acquisitions and Partnerships 714.5.1 Zimmer Acquires NORMED Medizin-Technik 71MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz Strategic Assessment of Worldwide Data Center Construction Market Forecast till 2021 Global Data Center Construction Market Research Report by Beige Market Intelligence Data Center Construction Report InsightsData center construction is the process of housing computer systems along with associated components that includes storage systems, racks and telecommunication equipment. Data centers ranges from small servers to robust large industrial scale equipment. The data centers require constant high power supplies, 24/7 cooling systems, fire suppression systems for the security of the environment, and a well-protected area for the physical security. Due to this most of the organizations prefer to construct data centers in low-cost locations where power consumption and cost associated with electricity is cheaper.Worldwide Data center construction market research report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the Worldwide Data center construction Market for the period 2015-2021. The report provides in-depth analysis of market size and growth of Worldwide Data center construction market. This market research report includes a detailed market segmentation of the Worldwide Data center construction Market byType of Construction Electrical Construction Mechanical Construction General ConstructionBy Tier Standards Tier 1 & 2 Tier 3 & 4Geographic Segmentation North America APAC Europe Latin America Middle East & Africa ROWData Center Construction Market Size and DynamicsMarket research analysts at Beige Market Intelligence, forecast the Worldwide Data Center Construction market to grow at a CAGR of around 4% during the forecast period. The global data center construction market is expected to witness its saturation level by 2020. It is expected that the average cost of construction of data center per square feet will decline significantly by the end of forecast period. One of the primary reasons for this significant decline is technological innovation, which lead to the construction of cost effective solutions.Worldwide Data Center Construction market can be segmented based on the type of construction as Electrical Construction, Mechanical Construction, and General Construction. Electrical Construction segment was valued at around US$18 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach over US$22 billion by 2021. General Construction segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 8% during the forecast period.The report also provides the Porters five forces analysis along with a description of each of the forces and its impact on the market.Data Center Construction Geographic AnalysisSince 2012, the number of data center construction in China, India, and SEA is increasing due to investment by large global enterprises and SMEs. Also, construction of data centers in SEA by global cloud service providers such as Google, and encouragement by the government, is also responsible for the rise of data center construction investment. The revenue from construction of data centers is expected to grow steadily in APAC from 2015-2019. Compared to US and Europe, data center general construction investment is smaller in APAC because the reason behind this is availability of resources in general and the low cost of resources available.The European data center construction market is the second largest in the world, following the North American market. However, the market will witness growth in a new Tier3&4 data center constructions, which will boost its market revenue. The reason behind this growth is geographically this is the most preferred location for datacenter construction. Particularly, the Western Europe, and Scandinavian countries have attracted major global large data center owners such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook.Data Center Construction Drivers, Restrains and TrendsThis market research report provides market overview of the factors driving and restraining the growth of the market. The report also outlines the key trends emerging in the market that will contribute to the growth of Worldwide Data Center Construction market during the forecast period. The factors driving the growth of the market include the need to accommodate high data growth by data center facilities. It is a challenging task for an enterprises to process large volume of data generated. The necessity of storing data in a single location is growing at a rapid pace and this has led to the demand for optimally sized data centers among enterprises to manage capacity and real-time computing requirements. Moreover, the growth of cloud computing and big data analytics, and reduction of carbon footprint among government enterprises are the other major growth drivers expected to fuel the growth of the market during the forecast period.Some of the major restraints confronting the growth of the Data center construction market are deficiency in construction resources, and growing popularity of containerized data center. There is a significant difference between the demand for expertise in construction of resources and its availability in many regions, especially among countries that lack enough knowledge of IT infrastructure management. One of the primary reasons is the presence of a very limited number of data center construction vendors for overall data center construction. Some countries around the globe suffer from power outages from time to time, which have created unsuitable conditions for operation of traditional data centers. The containerized data center facilities provide infrastructure support for organizations having a paucity of CAPEX for constructing a data center facility. This indirectly decreases the demand for traditional data center facilities.One of the major trends witnessed by the Data Center Construction market include the Increasing construction of environment-friendly data centers. Developed countries that are have high carbon emission are under pressure from the international communities to reduce their carbon emission. For instance, US has declared to reduce its carbon emission by 26-28% between 2005 and 2025. Currently, 3,000 Tier3 and Tier4 data centers account for almost 6-7% of US carbon emissions.Data Center Construction Market Share and Key VendorsThe report Data Center Construction market also provides the competitive landscape of the key players. The report covers the players operating in the entire value chain of the market. The major players identified within the report are AECOM, DPR Construction, Holder Construction, Jacobs Engineering, and Turner Construction.The report also covers the other prominent vendors in the market such as Arup Group, Corgan Associates, Gensler, HDArchitecture, ISG, JonesEngineering, Nakano, Schneider Electric, Sweett, Syska Hennessy, SISK.About Beige Market IntelligenceBeige Market Intelligence is a provider of competitive business intelligence, working across various industry verticals. Our expertise and knowledge ensures that the market analysis Beige provides is comprehensive, detailed and complete. The analysis helps our client organizations become aware and to make educated decisions, as far as investing or devising a marketing strategy is concerned. The actionable insights delivered through our market research provide a comprehensive market analysis for every level of market segmentation in an industry.Our team of experts ensure the analysis you receive is not just analyzed and presented, but can also be customized based on the clients requirement. Our deliverables guarantee our current global client base to not look beyond Beige when it comes to competitive intelligence.Beige has an employee base present across the globe. Our analysts come with numerous years of industry experience, which ensures we not only understand our clients but deliver high quality reports as well.Beige Market IntelligenceChinnapannahali Main Road, Bangalore- 560037contactus@beigemarketintelligence.comUS: +1 347 903 9949UK: +44 20 323 99499APAC: +91 99 012 75473 Global Toxoplasmosis Industry Size, Drivers, Strategies, Products And Competitive Landscape Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2016 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/825717 https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketresearchreports-biz http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ The report analyzes and presents an overview of " Toxoplasmosis Global Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2016 " worldwide.GlobalData's clinical trial report, Toxoplasmosis Global Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2016" provides an overview of Toxoplasmosis clinical trials scenario. This report provides top line data relating to the clinical trials on Toxoplasmosis. Report includes an overview of trial numbers and their average enrollment in top countries conducted across the globe. The report offers coverage of disease clinical trials by region, country (G7 & E7), phase, trial status, end points status and sponsor type. Report also provides prominent drugs for in-progress trials (based on number of ongoing trials). GlobalData Clinical Trial Reports are generated using GlobalDatas proprietary database - Pharma eTrack Clinical trials database. Clinical trials are collated from 80+ different clinical trial registries, conferences, journals, news etc across the globe. Clinical trials database undergoes periodic update by dynamic process.The report enhances the decision making capabilities and helps to create an effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage.Download Sample copy of this Report @Scope- The report provides a snapshot of the global clinical trials landscape- Report provides top level data related to the clinical trials by Region, Country (G7 & E7), Trial Status, Trial Phase, Sponsor Type and End point status- The report reviews top companies involved and enlists all trials (Trial title, Phase, and Status) pertaining to the company- The report provides all the unaccomplished trials (Terminated, Suspended and Withdrawn) with reason for unaccomplishment- The Report provides enrollment trends for the past five years- Report provides latest news for the past three monthsReasons to buy- Assists in formulating key business strategies with regards to investment- Helps in identifying prominent locations for conducting clinical trials which saves time and cost- Provides top level analysis of Global Clinical Trials Market which helps in identifying key business opportunities- Supports understanding of trials count and enrollment trends by country in global therapeutics market- Aids in interpreting the success rates of clinical trials by providing a comparative scenario of completed and uncompleted (terminated, suspended or withdrawn) trials- Facilitates clinical trial assessment of the indication on a global, regional and country levelFollow us on LinkedIn:Table of ContentsTable of Contents 2List of Tables 3List of Figures 3Report Guidance 4Clinical Trials by Region 5Clinical Trials and Average Enrollment by Country 6Top Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Asia-Pacific 8Top Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Europe 9Top Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in North America 10Top Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Middle East and Africa 11Top Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Central and South America 12Clinical Trials by G7 Countries: Proportion of Toxoplasmosis to Infectious Disease Clinical Trials 13Clinical Trials by Phase in G7 Countries 14Clinical Trials in G7 Countries by Trial Status 15Clinical Trials by E7 Countries: Proportion of Toxoplasmosis to Infectious Disease Clinical Trials 16Clinical Trials by Phase in E7 Countries 17Clinical Trials by Phase 18In Progress Trials by Phase 19Clinical Trials by Trial Status 20Clinical Trials by End Point Status 21Subjects Recruited Over a Period of Time 22Clinical Trials by Sponsor Type 23Prominent Sponsors 24Top Companies Participating in Toxoplasmosis Therapeutics Clinical Trials 25Prominent Drugs 26Clinical Trial Profile Snapshots 27Appendix 35Abbreviations 35Definitions 35Research Methodology 36Secondary Research 36About GlobalData 37Contact Us 37Disclaimer 37Source 38MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E : sales@marketresearchreports.biz Insight report On Trauma Fixation - Asia-Pacific Analysis and Market Forecasts http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/825748 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ "The Report Trauma Fixation - Asia-Pacific Analysis and Market Forecasts provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Internal and external fixation devices, including intramedullary nails (IM nails), plates, and screws, have been widely adopted to treat and manage bone fractures. Particularly as these fixation methods are far cheaper than joint replacement implants, they are the preferred treatment methods when clinically feasible. Technological innovations in recent years, such as locking screw technology and anatomic plating systems, have bolstered the market and improved patient outcomes. However, there is continued room for growth as research efforts continue into antibiotic-eluting implants, materials development, and biodegradability.This report focuses on the market outlook for trauma fixation devices in Asia-Pacific (APAC: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan). The analysis identifies the key unmet needs in the trauma fixation market, discusses the major drivers and barriers of adoption, and provides an in-depth understanding of physicians perceptions and the future outlook for this market by segment and geography.HighlightsKey Questions Answered- What is the current and future trauma fixation market outlook in the developed and emerging markets? What trends are affecting the APAC market?- Which are the key, high growth markets that trauma fixation manufacturers should expand into? Which markets are growing the fastest, and what are the top-selling products in each segment?- What are the unmet needs with the current generation of trauma fixation devices? How will emerging technologies fulfill these unmet needs?- What clinical factors and technical specifications influence a physician to use one type of device over another? What is physician perception and market outlook for trauma fixation?- What are the challenges and complications that have hindered widespread adoption?- With developing the next-generation of devices, what aspects of the technology are device manufacturers focused on optimizing? How will new entrants impact the trauma fixation market?Download Sample copy of this Report atScope- Overview of recent key industry events and analysis of their market impact.- Annualized total market revenue by type of device, procedure trends, and market outlooks by segment and by region through 2022.- Key topics covered include strategic competitor assessment, market characterization, identification of unmet needs, reimbursement considerations, evaluating market access in each region covered in the report, and implications of the emerging technologies in the market.- Pipeline analysis: Comprehensive data split across different stages of development, including a discussion of emerging trends and devices in development.- Analysis of the current and future market competition in the APAC trauma fixation market. Insightful review of the key industry drivers, barriers, and challenges. Each trend is independently researched to provide qualitative analysis of its implications.Reasons to buy- What Physicians Think quotes provide a unique insight into how healthcare professionals are reacting to events within the industry, and what their responses could mean for industry strategists. In this report you will understand the perceptions of leading orthopedic surgeons from around the world. This information is essential for all strategic decision makers in every organization allowing them to act on high quality information.Table of Contents1 Table of Contents1.1 List of Tables1.2 List of Figures2 Introduction2.1 Catalyst2.2 Related Reports3 Market Access3.1 Reimbursement Trends3.1.1 Asia-Pacific3.2 Mergers and Acquisitions4 Unmet Needs4.1 Infection Control4.2 Fracture Non-union4.3 Advanced Materials Research4.4 Cost Containment4.5 Trauma Registry5 Competitive Assessment5.1 Market Share Analysis5.1.1 Asia-Pacific5.2 Key Companies and Product Profiles5.2.1 Acumed5.2.2 Arthrex5.2.3 DePuy Synthes (J&J)5.2.4 Orthofix5.2.5 Smith & Nephew5.2.6 Stryker5.2.7 Wright Medical Group N.V.5.2.8 Zimmer Biomet5.2.9 Other Players5.3 Clinical Trials to Watch5.4 Pipeline Products Assessment6 Market Outlook6.1 Global Market Drivers and Barriers6.1.1 Driver: Rising Prevalence6.1.2 Driver: Technological Developments6.1.3 Driver: Bone Regeneration6.1.4 Driver: Patient Demand and Awareness6.1.5 Driver: Extremities Growth6.1.6 Barrier: Burden of Rising Regulation6.1.7 Barrier: Proving EfficacyMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz Enhancement on Trichuriasis Global Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2016 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/825723 https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketresearchreports-biz http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ "The Report Trichuriasis Global Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2016 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"GlobalData's clinical trial report, Trichuriasis Global Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2016" provides an overview of Trichuriasis clinical trials scenario. This report provides top line data relating to the clinical trials on Trichuriasis. Report includes an overview of trial numbers and their average enrollment in top countries conducted across the globe. The report offers coverage of disease clinical trials by region, country (G7 & E7), phase, trial status, end points status and sponsor type. Report also provides prominent drugs for in-progress trials (based on number of ongoing trials). GlobalData Clinical Trial Reports are generated using GlobalDatas proprietary database - Pharma eTrack Clinical trials database. Clinical trials are collated from 80+ different clinical trial registries, conferences, journals, news etc across the globe. Clinical trials database undergoes periodic update by dynamic process.The report enhances the decision making capabilities and helps to create an effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage.Get Sample Copy Of This Report At :Scope- The report provides a snapshot of the global clinical trials landscape- Report provides top level data related to the clinical trials by Region, Country (G7 & E7), Trial Status, Trial Phase, Sponsor Type and End point status- The report reviews top companies involved and enlists all trials (Trial title, Phase, and Status) pertaining to the company- The report provides all the unaccomplished trials (Terminated, Suspended and Withdrawn) with reason for unaccomplishment- The Report provides enrollment trends for the past five years- Report provides latest news for the past three monthsReasons to buy- Assists in formulating key business strategies with regards to investment- Helps in identifying prominent locations for conducting clinical trials which saves time and cost- Provides top level analysis of Global Clinical Trials Market which helps in identifying key business opportunities- Supports understanding of trials count and enrollment trends by country in global therapeutics market- Aids in interpreting the success rates of clinical trials by providing a comparative scenario of completed and uncompleted (terminated, suspended or withdrawn) trials- Facilitates clinical trial assessment of the indication on a global, regional and country levelFollow us on LinkedIn:Table of ContentsTable of Contents 2List of Tables 3List of Figures 3Report Guidance 4Clinical Trials by Region 5Clinical Trials and Average Enrollment by Country 6Top Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Asia-Pacific 7Top Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Europe 8Top Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Middle East and Africa 9Top Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Central and South America 10Clinical Trials by G7 Countries: Proportion of Trichuriasis to Infectious Disease Clinical Trials 11Clinical Trials by E7 Countries: Proportion of Trichuriasis to Infectious Disease Clinical Trials 12Clinical Trials by Phase 13Clinical Trials by Trial Status 14Clinical Trials by End Point Status 15Subjects Recruited Over a Period of Time 16Clinical Trials by Sponsor Type 17Prominent Sponsors 18Clinical Trial Profile Snapshots 19Appendix 25Abbreviations 25Definitions 25Research Methodology 26Secondary Research 26About GlobalData 27Contact Us 27Disclaimer 27Source 28MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz Integrated Facility Management (IFM) Market to Register a Strong Growth By 2020 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/integrated-facility-management-market.asp http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3388 An integrated facility management system is an information technology (IT) based fiscal and financial management system which is use by many private firms, public firms and government entities to commence, spend and supervise their financial statement. It also commences and handles their expenditure, and supervises and reports their financial activities. The various services under this include as design and integration, data migration, deployment, consultancy and managed services.Browse through the full Report @On the basis of various solution provided by the integrated facility management, the market can be broadly categorized in six different segments namely, asset management and space management, project management, real estate portfolio management and lease administration, energy management and environment sustainability management, maintenance management, and others.Based on the different end user industry, the global integrated facility management market can be broadly classified in eight different verticals namely banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), public sector, utilities, and aerospace and defense, telecommunication, manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics, real estate and infrastructure, healthcare, retail, and othersThe growing economy and increasing manufacturing industries in emerging economies such as India, China and Brazil is driving the wide adoption of integrated facility management in this region, moreover the global integrated facility market is offering good return on investment (ROI). Moreover the technological advancements in cloud computing is expected to boost the market in the coming time.Lack of effective promotion or low level of awareness among the consumers and, unavailability of standardization in developing countries is acting as a challenge for the integrated facility management market.Increasing Cloud storage capacity and advancement in the field of cloud computing technology coupled with facility management outsourcing from new geographic is providing new market opportunity for the integrated facility management marketNorth America is the largest market of the integrated facility management followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The U.S. is the largest market in North America. The U.K. Netherlands and Denmark is the largest market in the Europe. In Asia Pacific, China, Japan and India are the leading market for facility management. The Asia Pacific market of integrated facility management is growing in double digit owing to the growth of the allied industries of integrated facility management in this region.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @Some of the leading companies operating in global integrated facility management (IFM) market include, Archibus, Ca Technologies, Esri, General Electric, IBM, Johnson Controls, Inc., Manhattan Software, Oracle Corporation, SAP AG, and Siemens AGKey points covered in the reportReport segments the market on the basis of types, application, products, technology, etc (as applicable)The report covers geographic segmentationoNorth AmericaoEuropeoAsiaoRoWThe report provides the market size and forecast for the different segments and geographies for the period of 2010 to 2020The report provides company profiles of some of the leading companies operating in the marketThe report also provides porters five forces analysis of the market.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Research Report and Overview on Millimeter Wave Technology Market, 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1288 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1288 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1288 www.futuremarketinsights.com Millimeter wave (MV) technology is a special type of electromagnetic wave technology. It is a mature technology and recently has been adopted in various application across industries. In the perspective of wireless communication, the millimeter wave generally occupy frequency range between 30 GHz to 300 GHz.Millimeter Wave Technology Market: Drivers and RestraintGlobal millimeter wave technology market is expected to witness double digit compound annual growth rate over the forecast period. Factors which are driving the growth of global millimeter wave technology market are, rising mobile data traffic and growing demand for bandwidth intensive applications, increasing demand for the high speed data connectivity and high potential usage of millimeter wave technology in consumer electronics application.On the other hand, factors which are restraining the growth of millimeter wave technology market are environmental concerns and limited range. Non-uniform licencing approach is creating a major challenge for the growth of millimeter wave technology marketThe global millimeter wave technology market is expected to witness great growth opportunity over the forecast period due to technological advances that encourages the adoption of millimeter wave technology across different industrial verticals such as aerospace, healthcare, defence, telecommunication and automobiles.Request Free Report Sample@Millimeter Wave Technology Market: SegmentationGlobal millimeter wave technology market is segmented on the basis of product, licence, frequency band, application and region. On the basis of product, the global millimeter wave technology market can be segmented into telecommunication equipment, scanner system, radar & satellite communication system and others.On the basis of license, the global millimeter wave technology market can be segmented into light licence frequency millimeter wave, fully licence frequency millimeter wave and unlicensed frequency millimeter wave.On the basis of application, the global millimeter wave technology market can be segmented into telecommunication, healthcare, military, aerospace & defence, automotive & transportation, consumer electronics and others. In mobile & telecommunication application segment, there is great opportunity for millimeter wave technology. In automotive & transportation application segment, this technology can be used in drivers assistant system and the technology can accelerate the commercialization of unmanned vehicles. Additionally. The millimeter wave technology has significant value in healthcare application segment, where it can be used in scanning and imaging devicesOn the basis of frequency band, the global millimeter wave technology can be segmented into 8 GHz to 57 GHz band frequency, 58 GHz to 86 GHz band frequency and 87 GHz to 300 GHz band frequency.Visit For TOC@Millimeter Wave Technology Market: Region wise outlookOn the basis of region, the global millimeter wave technology market can be segmented into seven regions which include North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Japan. Further the market is sub-segmented as per the major countries of each region in order to provide better regional analysis of millimeter wave technology market. Out of all these region, North America is expected to dominate the global millimeter wave technology market. U.S is expected to witness a double digit CAGR growth due to rising applications of millimeter wave technology in mobile & telecommunication industryMillimeter Wave Technology Market: Key PlayersProminent players in the global millimeter wave technology market are Bridgewave Communications, Inc., Keysight Technologies Inc., Keysight Technologies, Siklu Communication Ltd, MI-Wave Inc., Millitech Inc. among others. Key market players are focusing on launch of new products in order to be competitive in the market. For instance, In October 2015, Bridgewave Communications, Inc. launched wireless backhaul millimeter wave system with highest capacity. Millimeter wave technology is able to fulfil the increasing demand of cost efficient high speed data connectivity due to which original equipment manufacturers of consumer electronics are excited in adopting the technology to enhance the proficiencies of existing applications.Speak To Analyst@About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Biosensors Market to Progress as Companies Aim at Human Optimization http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1938 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/biosensors-industry.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com https://tmrresearch.blogspot.com/ Biosensors are the devices used for the detection of analyte and combines physiological detector with biological components. There are certain types of biosensors that include resonant mirror, electrochemical, surface plasmon resonance and light addressable potentiometric.Get Research Report with TOC:The biosensors market is expected to witness the growth owning to wide range of applications in cardiac monitoring, diabetes monitoring, agriculture, drug recovery, environmental practices and others.Biosensors market is segmented into three aspects include- by applications, technologies and end use industries. The biosensor technology market include optical, electrochemical, thermistors and piezoelectric. The application segment covers wide range of biosensors applications such as medical testing, environmental, food toxicity, agriculture, industrial and others. The end user chapter include biosensors devices practiced by research laboratories, security and bio defense, home care diagnostic and others.This market is expected to show the single digit growth in CAGR by 2019. Different companies are collaborating with universities to develop biosensors that are affordable, offer high precision and easy to use that acts as driving force for this market.In coming years, companies are investing and discovering non evasive decease monitors that are based on bio-sensing technologies.Some of the key drivers for this market include rise in diabetic and aging population leading to chronic decease, increasing demand in point of care testing, miniaturization of sensors in healthcare.Diabetes testing is the largest market for biosensors in medical applications. However, the challenge for this technology is high cost involvement in research and development.Some of the market players in this industry are, Abbott Diagnostics, Roche Diagnostics, Nova Medical, M-Biotech, Hoffmann-La Roche, Medtronic Diabetes, Life sensors Inc., Agamatrix Inc., Bayer Diagnostics and Biacore among others.Browse Research Report on Global Biosensors Market:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Browse market research blog: Research report explores the Nanomaterial Supercapacitors Market for the forecast period, 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1593 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1593 www.futuremarketinsights.com The ever-increasing need for electrical energy storing devices will continue to influence the growth of the nanomaterial supercapacitors market during the forecast period 2016-2026. The surging end-use applications of nanomaterial supercapacitors in transportation, consumer electronics, wind turbines and sensors will continue to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period. Increasing preference towards compact devices that have high electric storage capacity will continue to create sustained demand during the forecast period.High cost and low availability continue to remain persistent challenges with nanomaterial supercapacitors.Global nanomaterial supercapacitors market: SegmentationOn the basis of the product type, the global nanomaterial supercapacitors market can be segmented as follows:IndustrialConsumerTransportOn the basis of applications, the global nanomaterial supercapacitors market can be segmented as follows:SensorsInstrumentationElectric & hybrid vehiclesWind turbinesPhotovoltaic modulesRequest Free Report Sample@On the basis of end-use industry, the global nanomaterial supercapacitors market can be segmented as follows:HealthcareEnergyElectronicsTransportationOthersGlobal nanomaterial supercapacitors market: Region Wise OutlookThe global nanomaterial supercapacitors market can be divided into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan and Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific dominates the global nanomaterial supercapacitors market due to the mature electronics industry in the region. Strong demand from China will be key to the growth of the market in the region. North America is the second largest market globally, and demand is on account of its flourishing medical and healthcare industry.Demand for nanomaterial supercapacitors in Europe will continue to be driven by the booming automobile sector in Europe. Latin America is witnessing a modest CAGR in terms of value in global nanomaterial supercapacitors market because of the strengthening information technology in this region. Middle East and Africa (MEA) is at a nascent stage in the global nanomaterial supercapacitors market but is expected to have a healthy CAGR in the forecasted period.Visit For TOC@Global nanomaterial supercapacitors market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the global nanomaterial supercapacitors market are:Nippon electrical Co.Panasonic Electronic Devices Co. LtdTTI, IncMAXWELL TECHNOLOGIES, INCNesscap Co., LtdAxion Power International, Inc.Cap-XXSPELMurata Manufacturing Co., LtdAbout Nanomaterial SupercapacitorsA capacitor is an electronic component that stores energy in the form of electrostatic field. The amount of electrical energy stored in the capacitor is directly proportional to the surface area of the conducting plates and inversely proportional to the distance between the conducting plates. Nanomaterial supercapacitors are the devices that increases the surface area of the plates, thus increasing the storage capacity of the capacitor. Nanomaterial supercapacitors uses nanomaterial in the manufacturing of the dielectrics or electrodes. Supercapacitors are used instead of capacitors for high energy density, and are used in electric vehicles, grid energy storage, mobile electronics, power tools and hybrid vehicles. Nanomaterial supercapacitors are generally made up of Nano composites that are composed of nanotubes (that are composed of carbon materials). Nanomaterial supercapacitors is an electronic device that has the capability of increasing the storage of electrical energy by improving the storage of electrons with the expanding the surface area of the electrodes. The overall efficiency of nanomaterial supercapacitors is dependent on the material used for its manufacturing and its electrodes properties. The nanomaterial supercapacitors market is anticipated to expand at a modest CAGR in the forecasted period.About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Forecast On Automotive Business Process Management Market Global Industry Analysis and Trends till 2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1996 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1996 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/automotive-business-process-management-market www.futuremarketinsights.com Automotive industry has countersigned a long run of success with its ability to effortlessly adapt to changing consumer demands in terms of design and technology. This has led to high level of product development in this industry. High competition in automotive market has increased the competitive pressure on businesses which as forced them to remove all delays of decision making process and business process. Business process management has evolved as a best solution to overcome these delays by combining two different individual activity. Business process management is a process of transforming business activity by integrating individual process to create new way or scope of the combined management capabilities. Business process management provides capabilities & direction to convert the complex, high lead time & high cost operational process into simple, less time consuming & low cost operational process. Business process management contributes in achieving real-time goals of organization by strengthening its operational process. Stiff competition in automotive industry has urged the manufacturers into new era of automotive business process management. Automotive business process management market is expected to increase at a significant pace in terms of value over the forecast period.Global Automotive Business Process Management Market: DynamicsRapidly changing requirements from customers in terms of design and technology in the automotive industry has increased the necessity of services that provide solutions to drive the efficiency. Moreover, reducing the production cost without compromising the quality has also become essential. All this has driven the need and demand for business process management in automotive industry. Requirement of connecting & understanding rapid change in choice, life style etc. of end user in short period of time is also expected to propel the demand for business process fusion, thus driving the automotive business process management market. Variations in the content & sequence in activity is also anticipated to drive the automotive business process management market over the forecast period.Request Free Report Sample@High initial cost of business process fusion technology is expected to be a major restraining factor for the growth of automotive business process management market over the forecast period. In addition to this, lack of knowledge about the benefits of business process fusion has led to less adoption. This factor is anticipated to be a major challenge for key players in the global automotive business process management market.Global Automotive Business Process Management Market: Region-Wise OutlookThe global automotive business process management market is segmented into key regions namely North America, Latin America, Middle East Africa, Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe & Japan region. Europe is expected to grow rapidly in automotive business process management market because of adoption of new way of business process & need of minimization in operational time. Apart from Europe, Asia-Pacific is expected to witness high growth in the global automotive business process management market because of Asia-pacific emerging as automotive destination. North America is also expected to exhibit growth in the near future in the global automotive business process management market.Visit For TOC@Global Automotive Business Process Management Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players identified in the global automotive business process management are as followsSAP SEPeoples softOracleInternational Business Machines CorporationCapgemini GroupInfosys ltd.Wipro ltd.Larsen & Toubro InfotechFull Report Analysis@About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Photo Printing Market Analysis and Value Forecast Snapshot by End-use Industry 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1588 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1588 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1588 www.futuremarketinsights.com The global photo printing market revenues are forecasted to witness passive growth over 2016-2026. While growing innovation in digital print technology is expected to be a key driver for market growth, significantly rising adoption of smartphones will remain a key restraint to the demand for photo prints. U.S. is expected to retain the top market position and Asia Pacific may create attractive opportunities for digital printing businesses in the market. Though the market is passively fluid and competitive, a substantial development in the industry may result in radical alteration in the market position.Key Drivers and Restraints for MarketIncreasing use of smartphones is a key factor impacting the photo printing market. The smartphone technology that first contributed to the downsizing of the photo printing market, is predicted to pose challenges to the demand for photo prints in the forecast period as well.The advent of technological features and functions in smartphones has enabled customised photography and easier storage in varied electronic devices. Moreover, facilitated Internet access is allowing for frequent online photo sharing without the need to print them, which is expected to continue a pessimistic impact on the photo printing industry. Photo printing businesses in the market are estimated to cater to a set of innovative printing needs of consumers, including photo books, photo albums, photo collage and magnets, photographic calendars, and similar merchandise products. Wedding albums will continue to fuel demand for photo prints, resultant of the tendency of preserving lasting memories, among worldwide population.Emergence of new marketing businesses are also expected to positively influence the market growth, owing to their consistent digital prints demand for advertising campaigns. Over the forecast period 2016-2026, technological innovation is believed to offer better business opportunities to professional photographers, in addition to providing consumers with increased customisation options. Photographers can expect considerable business growth through enhanced efforts for innovative services and better customer satisfaction.Request Free Report Sample@Global Photo Printing: Market SegmentationThe global photo printing market is segmented on the basis of film printing and digital printing, of which the latter is expected to gain majority share in the global photo printing market during the forecast period.On the basis of distribution channels, the global photo printing market is also segmented into instant kiosk, retail, over-the-counter, online stores, and mail order.The market is regionally segmented as Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific (APAC), and Middle East and Africa (MEA).Key Market Trends3D printing3D printing, only used by manufacturing companies years ago, is projected to grasp the future of digital printing. Several business verticals are increasingly adopting the trend of 3D printing for custom product development, photo typing, and creative applications to mention a few.Photo-printing appsOrdering digital photo prints directly from smartphones is a lesser known trend in the market, expected to witness widespread adoption in the near future, which may bolster the demand for photo prints in the market globally.Visit For TOC@Global Photo Printing Market: Regional OutlookThe U.S. is predicted to remain a key market for photo printing globally, whereas robust growth is expected in Asia Pacific (APEJ). China will account for increased market revenues through exceptional development in innovative print technologies such as 3D printing. While the U.S. has been the fastest adopter of 3D printing technology, China is projected to exceed the U.S. GDP in terms of 3D print technology, in the near future.Key Players in Global Photo Printing MarketThe major participants noted across the global photo printing value chain include Shutterfly, Snapfish, Bay Photo, Prodpi, Digitalab, and Adoramapix. Although these market leaders are constantly foraying for market share expansion, FMIs research highlights the need for strong tracking of market trends in terms of products and prices. Print businesses are expected to indulge in better monitoring of consumer preferences and technological breakthroughs.Shutterfly is supposed to announce more acquisitions and remain the largest shareholder in the global photo print market. The market is expected to witness a foray by new entrants during the forecast period 2016-2026.Speak To Analyst@About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Mechanical Seals Market Dynamics, Segments and Supply Demand 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1596 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1596 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1596 www.futuremarketinsights.com Increase in production of shale gas in developing and developed countries is a major factor driving the growth of the market. New oil and gas exploration activities, coupled with extensive investments in refineries and pipelines is escalating the growth of the global mechanical seals market. Moreover, introduction of new technologies is also a major element boosting the overall growth of the global mechanical seals market.Global Mechanical Seals Market: RestraintsIntroduction of alternate methods of sealing leakages like mechanical packaging eats into the revenue share of the mechanical seals market. Furthermore, use of electronic seals in automated manufacturing units can also impede growth during the forecast period 2016-2026.Global Mechanical Seals Market: Region-wise OutlookThe highest growth is expected to be witnessed in the Americas due to increase in adoption of mechanical seals to ensure precise and prefect sealing of pipelines. Demand for mechanical seals is anticipated to remain stable in Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) is expected to offer growth opportunities to key players during the forecast period.Request Free Report Sample@Global Mechanical Seals Market: Key PlayersThe major players involved in the manufacturing of mechanical seals are AW Chesterton Company, EagleBurgmann India Private Limited, Flowserve Corporation, Flex-a-seal, John Crane Group, Bal Seal Engineering, Cooper-Standard, Federal-Mogul, Flexitallic Group, Garlock Sealing Technology, Henniges Automotive Sealing Systems, Hutchinson Sealing Systems, Timken AB, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies GmBH and Co. KG., Dana Corporation, Telleborg Industries and others.Global Mechanical Seals Market: SegmentationThe global mechanical seals market can be segmented on the basis of types, end use and geography.On the basis of types, the global mechanical seals market can be segmented into O-ring seals, lip seals, and rotary seals.On the basis of end use industry, the global mechanical seals market can be segmented into oil and gas industry, general industry, chemical industry, water industry, power industry and others.On the basis of geography, the global mechanical seals market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East and Africa and Japan.Visit For TOC@About Mechanical SealsMechanical seals are those leakage control devices which are deployed on rotating equipment like mixers and pumps to avoid the leakage of liquid and gases from escaping into the environment. Mechanical seals ensure that the medium stays in the system circuit, protecting it from external contaminations reducing environmental emissions.Mechanical seals also helps in stopping leakage in systems that contain pressure. Before mechanical seals, mechanical packaging was used; however, it wasnt as effective as seals are.Mechanical seals often consume energy since the frictional properties of the seal has a huge impact on the amount of power consumed by the machinery on which it is used. The four major classes of mechanical seals are traditional contact seals, cooled and lubricated seals, dry seals, and gas lubricated seals.Only a flat and smooth finish on mechanical seals is eligible to prevent leakage to its full efficiency. Mechanical seals are usually made by using carbon and silicon carbide but mostly carbon is used in the manufacturing of mechanical seals because of its self-lubricating properties. The two principle components of a mechanical seal are the stationary arm and the rotatory arm.Speak To Analyst@About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Saffron Market Volume Analysis, size, share and Key Trends 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1840 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1840 www.futuremarketinsights.com Saffron is derived from the flowers of saffron crocus and it is used in different sectors such as spice in food, for dyeing in textile industry and as an herbal medicine for health care treatment. In context to its characteristics, it is rich in color, essence, taste, aroma, fragrance and also has higher calories in terms of carbohydrates, protein and fiber. Due to its exotic nature it has higher demand from food and beverage sector as an ingredient where it has wide application in culinary food, dairy, confectionery, beverages etc. In global level market, saffron is one of the priciest food spice in world and also considered as an expensive as gold. This super premium product saffron has very hot demand in global level market and its demand is fulfill by the Iran as it is the largest saffron producer of in the world. On the other side in terms of consumption, U.S. lead the global saffron market.Market Dynamics of Global Saffron Market:There are certain drivers which are supporting the demand of saffron in global level. Demand from the food and beverage sector is one of the key driver which is making impact on global saffron market. Increasing demand of saffron especially in multi-cuisine food at global level has increased its demand as a key food ingredient in the culinary dishes for making it more pungent. In consideration to trend, its herbal nature and its demand from health conscious consumers due to its rich nutritional components, natural quality and the properties which enables to cure with various health diseases is expected further drive the market growth in the near future.Request Free Report Sample@Market Segmentation of Global Saffron Market:Global saffron market is segmented on basis of different aspects such as form, application. On the basis of form, it is segmented into threads and powder. Thread segment covers the maximum share in global saffron market in terms of value and volume. In context to application it includes food and beverages, pharmaceutical, textile and cosmetics. Further the market segment of application is sub-segmented as in food and beverage it has wide application as food ingredient in culinary food, dairy products, confectionery and beverages. In context to its application as herbal medicine in pharmaceutical sector as it is rich in nutritional components which help to fight with health issues related to digestion, blood pressure, cold, cough etc. In textile industry, it is used for coloring or dying purposes whereas in cosmetic products, saffron is used as herbal ingredient in skin care products. On assessing the market share of global saffron market on pie chart, it is assessed that figures will impel towards the saffron application in food and beverage segment followed by pharmaceutical. Reason behind outstrips performance of saffron in global level market is because of its widespread applications in food, dairy, confectionery, beverages etc. Such as in food it is used as spice to enhance the flavor, color and taste of the food recipes. Similarly in dairy it is used in ice-creams, yogurt, flavored milk etc. In addition to this it also gaining its demand from confectionery as it is used as key ingredient in sweets and desserts and in beverage segment it is has application in flavored drinks, liquors etc.Regional Segment of Global Saffron Market:In perspective to regional segment it is segmented into seven regions of the world which includes North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Asia-Pacific region, Japan, Middle East and Africa. More than 90% of the worlds saffron is produced by Iran followed by India and Spain. In terms of consumption, North America and European region accounts to highest share of consumption in global level market.Visit For TOC@Major Market Players in Global Saffron Market:Major market players of Saffron are Grandor Company, Gohar Nab Sara Co., Baby Brand Saffron, Great American Spice Company, Rowhani Saffron, Green Saffron, Royal Saffron Company, King Kesariya, Safrante Global Company and HEA & Co Spanish Saffron are some of the largest saffron sellers of the world.About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Digital Signage Market - Size, Share, Trends, Research Report, 2023 http://bit.ly/2doctZd http://bit.ly/2dQg3Mi Digital Signage market share is estimated to surpass USD 23 billion by 2023 driven by factors like cost effectiveness, growth of commercial displays, higher ROI (Return on investment) as compared to other communicating channels, and favorable regulatory scenario in the healthcare sector, etc.A paradigm shift has taken place in the pattern of content communication wherein traditional techniques (newspapers, radio, online banners, social media, etc.) which were used for marketing an organizations products & services are now being thoroughly replaced by digital signage which is considered to be more effective and economic.Request for a sample of this research report @Digital Signage system is dynamic with the feasibility to change and/or update the content or information in accordance with the viewers or audiences. The technique revolves around the concept of Engage, Inform and Sell. The system is comprised of three major components (and can be a combination of one or more of these devices)- Digital displays such as LEDs and LCDs, Digital Media Distribution Systems, and a Content Management Server.Global digital signage display market size worth USD 6.07 billion in 2015, is expected to exceed USD 9.3 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 5.5%. LED display technology is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6% over the period of 2016-2023, growth factors being high efficiency, reduced cost, and low power consumption. Interactive displays are also being adopted widely to gain user insights and behavioral pattern.Sectors such as Retail, Corporate, Banking, Healthcare, Education and Transportation are widely adopting this technology for the purpose of mass communication. The Retail sector, which contributed towards 40 % of the overall market share in 2015, will lead the market in the coming years.Regulatory norms pertaining to marketing techniques in the healthcare sector is also boosting the industry growth. PhRMA (the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) prohibited the use of older marketing methods such as distribution of notepads, clipboards, and branded pens by pharmaceutical companies and emphasized on adoption of 3D technology based signage tool. Digital signage market share in healthcare segment is estimated to exceed USD 850 million by 2023 at a CAGR of 7%.Digital Signage market size accounted for USD 15 billion in 2015 and is witnessing a significant growth worldwide.The Asia Pacific market is anticipated to register a CAGR of 6.5% from 2016-2023, owing to factors like infrastructural development, growth in educational and government sectors, and enhanced user experience. Also, increasing demand across various application industries is likely to favor the US market growth over the coming years.Browse key industry insights spread across 80 Pages with 43 market data tables & 38 figures from the report, Digital Signage Market Size By Application (Banking, Corporate, Education, Healthcare, Retail, Transportation), By Display Technology (LCD, LED, Front Projection), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, APAC, South America, MEA), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 - 2023 in detail along with the table of contents:Key industry participants like Samsung, AUO, Panasonic, Innolux, and LG Corporation contributed towards a major share of Digital signage industry in 2015. Also, the industry expansion will create high growth opportunities for new entrants and SMBs owing to buyers focus shifting towards cost-effective solutions along with a higher ROI (Return on investment).Fractovia.org is one of India's leading in-house and free news portal. It is fully automated, and operates on a constant premise, interfacing with news sites and offering redesigned breaking features to readers across the globe. Our mission is to offer individuals opportunities for connections with news writers and distributors which they can pursue. We operate by mapping articles pertaining to breaking news, constantly and progressively, against a pre-determined word-based theme, offering important connections to readers and clients, as well as distributers.29L Atlantic Avenue,Suite L 105, Ocean View,Delaware 19970United StatesPhone: 1-302-846-7766 Global Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) Market to Touch US$50.48 bn by 2020 with Stricter Implementation of Safety Regulations http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2914 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/advanced-driver-assistance-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com An advance driving assistance system not only assists the driver, but ensures their safety. The increasing demand for a comfortable driving experience, increasing number of safety regulations in emerging nations, and several government initiatives to avoid road accidents are some of the major factors driving the global ADAS market. In addition, the deployment of ADAS in low-cost cars and rising number of autonomous cars are the key opportunities for the major players operating in the market. However, cost pressures and complexity are estimated to hamper the growth of the market in the coming years.Among the major types of ADAS, in 2013, the adaptive cruise control segment dominated the market, holding an 18.15% share in the global ADAS market. On the other hand, the tire pressure monitoring system segment is anticipated to register an impressive 21.10% CAGR between 2014 and 2020. Furthermore, on the basis of technology, the global market for ADAS has been classified into radar sensors, ultrasonic sensors, image sensors, infrared sensors, and laser sensors. The market size, share, and forecast figures are further included in the research study.PDF Sample For Full Details with Technological breakthroughs is @Among the major geographical segments, in 2013, North America dominated the global ADAS market, owing to the stringent environmental and safety regulations and higher consumer preference to own an advanced vehicle comprising the latest technology. Moreover, consumers in North America are preferring automobiles equipped with advanced comfort systems and features that are in compliance with the safety and health protocols imposed by the government.On the other hand, the Asia Pacific ADAS market is projected to register a progressive 20.50% CAGR between 2014 and 2020. The rapid growth of this region can be attributed to the changing buyer preferences, growing vehicle demand, and growing purchasing power. Furthermore, the favorable policies in several countries in the Middle East and Africa and Latin America are further fuelling the growth of the Rest of the World market.The research study further provides a clear picture of the competitive landscape of the global market for advanced driver assistance, including the company profiles, contact information, financial overview, product portfolio, business policies, and recent developments. The leading players operating in the global market include Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft, Robert Bosch GmbH, Magna International Inc., Valeo, Audi AG, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company, Hyundai Motor Company, Autoliv Inc., Continental AG, Denso Corporation, and Honda Motor Company.Transparency Market Research, a global market intelligent firm recently made an announcement regarding the publication of a new market research study made available on the company website. The research report, titled Advanced Driver Assistance System Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2020, offers a detailed study of the market, focusing on the major growth drivers, restraints, and challenges.According to the research report, in 2013, the global advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) market for was valued at US$14.80 bn and is anticipated to reach a value of US$50.48 bn by the end of 2020. The market is projected to display a 19.20% CAGR from 2014 to 2020.Browse the full Advanced Driver Assistance Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2020 report atKey Segments of the Advanced Driver Assistance System Market:Advanced Driver Assistance System Market: By typeAdaptive Cruise Control (ACC)Blind Spot Detection (BSD) SystemPark AssistDrowsiness Monitor SystemLane Departure Warning (LDWS) SystemTire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)Others (night vision, driver monitoring system, forward collision warning, heads up display)Advanced Driver Assistance System Market: By technologyUltrasonic SensorsImage SensorsRadar SensorsLaser SensorsInfrared SensorsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Systweak announces 10 GB Free Online Storage for Data Protection http://login.ransomwareprotector.com/PlanPricing http://www.ransomwareprotector.com Ransomware Protector, an online cloud backup service developed by Systweak Software, is now offering 10 GB of free storage space to first time users. The data security software which was launched last month has been created keeping in mind the growing need of secure backup services in the wake of frequent Ransomware attacks.We want to position Ransomware Protector as a premier Data Protection Service for both individuals and small businesses. Our aim is to provide a readily available and affordable solution against data theft, the possibility of which is very high these days. The basic premise of this new service is to make users understand the necessity of a pre-emptive measure in case of a Ransomware attack. said Shrishail Rana, CEO, Systweak Software.Not many know that theres a thriving black market for stolen data. Ransomware authors are thus developing increasingly vicious strains of this malware which encrypt data files and then demand a ransom to unlock them. Moreover, theres no guarantee of the files being recovered even after paying a hefty ransom. Ransomware Protector cloud back up service can reduce the panic and anxiety Ransomware has created among individuals and enterprises alike, explained Sudhir Sharma, Product Manager, Cloud Backup Services.Ransomware Protector lets users store tons of data viz. photos, documents, audio and video files in the cloud under a single account. Once a user signs up for this service, they get 10 GB worth of free storage space. Whats more, it doesnt have any time limitation. In case of a Ransomware attack, user can simply get their clean files back from their cloud account. The storage can be upgraded beyond 10 GB anytime by users who want more storage space. To know more about additional storage plans, visit the Plan &Pricing page here:The software is compatible with Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista and XP. For more information about this cloud backup service, visitAbout company: Systweak Software has been developing and distributing Windows, Mac, iOS & Android Apps since last 17 years to improve the average users digital experience. The company has recently been featured in 100 Most Promising Microsoft Solution Providers list by the enterprise solutions magazine, CIO Review. Some of its flagship apps have also been featured on Newswatch, the Discovery Channels tech news bulletin. Systweak Software has a large user-base in North America followed by several countries in Europe and Asia.572 & 573, G-1, Tower B-1 Evolve, IT/ITeS Mahindra World City, Village Kalwara, Taluka Sanganer, Jaipur- 302037, INDIAPhone: +91-141-2243030, 2243031 (5:00 AM to 5:00 PM G.M.T.) FAX: +91-141-2577982 Automotive Coating Market worth 16.24 Billion USD by 2021 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=3359935 Clearcoat is the largest coat type in the automotive coating marketClearcoat is the fourth and the last layer applied to a cars body after basecoat, e-coat, and primer. This coat accounted for the maximum market share in 2015. It conveys no color to cars body, but only a transparent coat. It helps protect basecoat from ultraviolet rays, sun, and extreme environmental conditions.Download PDF Brochure of this Report @Water-borne is the fastest-growing technology segment in the automotive coating marketThe major advantage of water-borne technology is low toxicity and flammability. This technology has low VOC and HAP emissions. It also has excellent adhesion and greater heat resistance compared to other technologies.Rising demand in Asia-Pacific is the major driver of the automotive coating marketIn 2015, Asia-Pacific was estimated to be the fastest-growing market, in terms of both volume and value, and is projected to continue so during the forecast period. Emerging markets in Asia-Pacific such as China, India, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries are attracting global players to set up their manufacturing base in this region. In countries such as China and India, the wide customer base is pulling manufacturers to provide for the increasing demand of advance technology and quality products. Increased investments in various technological, infrastructural, and R&D sectors is driving the automotive coating market in the Asia-Pacific region.The players profiled in the automotive coating market report are BASF SE (Germany), Axalta Coating Systems (U.S.), PPG Industries, Inc. (U.S.), Kansai Paint Co., Ltd (Japan), Nippon Paint Holdings Co., Ltd. (Japan), The Valspar Corporation (U.S.), KCC Corporation (South Korea), Sherwin-Williams (U.S.), AkzoNobel (Netherlands), Jotun A/S (Norway), and other regional players.We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.701 Pike StreetSuite 2175, Seattle,WA 98101, United States Bioplastics & Biopolymers - Global Market Outlook (2016-2022) According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Bioplastics & Biopolymers market is expected to grow from $3.12 billion in 2015 to reach $7.66 billion by 2022 with a CAGR of 13.7%. Increased consciousness and strict government regulations towards environment policies are favoring the market growth. In addition, volatility in crude oil prices is driving the manufacturers to adopt bioplastics & biopolymers as a substitute to raw material, which is the key factor fueling the market growth. On the other hand, performance issues and high price of bioplastics are limiting the market growth.In 2015, Bio-PET segment commands the global bioplastics & biopolymers market and is projected to continue its domination over the forecast period. It is attributed to its similar properties of petroleum based PET, which is appropriate for all applications. The Packaging sector leads the market globally with the biggest market share and is expected to grow with a high CAGR during the forecast period. It is driven by booming market for eco-friendly packaging. Europe is anticipated to hold the largest share in global market due to its huge distribution network of bioplastics & biopolymers.Some of the key players in global bioplastics & biopolymers market include Arkema S.A., BASF SE, Biome Technologies PLC, Bio-On S.P.A, Braskem S.A., Cargill incorporated, Corbion NV, E. I. DU Pont De Nemours And Company, Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, Metabolix, INC, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, NatureWorks LLC, Novamont S.p.A., Plantic Technologies Ltd., Solvay SA, and Toray Industries.Material Types Covered: Bio Polyethylene (Bio-PE) Biodegradable Polyester Poly Hydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Bio-Polyethylene Terephthalate (Bio-PET) Biodegradable Starch Blends Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) Regenerated Cellulose Other Material TypesApplications Covered: Agriculture Automotive Bottles Consumer Products Packaging Textiles Other ApplicationsRegions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsWe offer wide spectrum of research and consulting services with in-depth knowledge of different industries. We are known for customized research services, consulting services and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) services in the research world. We explore the market trends and draw our insights with valid assessments and analytical views. We use advanced techniques and tools among the quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify the market trends. Our research reports and publications are routed to help our clients to design their business models and enhance their business growth in the competitive market scenario. We have a strong team with hand-picked consultants including project managers, implementers, industry experts, researchers, research evaluators and analysts with years of experience in delivering the complex projects.STRATISTICS MRC 17049 King James Way, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877, USA Micro Guide Catheters - Global Market Outlook (2016-2022) According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Micro Guide Catheters market is expected to grow from $XX million in 2015 to reach $XX million by 2022 with a CAGR of XX%. Growing health awareness and increasing application of micro guide catheters in treatments such as cardiovascular, intravenous, neurovascular are driving the market growth. In addition, technological advancements in micro guide catheters are propelling the market growth over the forecast period. On the other hand, the risks associated with catheter functioning and material are inhibiting the market growth.Cardiovascular treatment segment is expected to witness high growth rate during the forecast period. It is attributed to increasing cardio surgeries at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. North America accounted for the largest share in global micro guide catheters market followed by Europe. Increasing government funding towards healthcare sector and availability of well organized and advanced healthcare infrastructure are the key factors influencing the market in North America. Asia Pacific is expected to witness fastest growth over the forecast period.Some of the key players in global micro guide catheters market include Asahi Intecc Company Limited, Boston Scientific Corporation, Covidien AG, Lake Region manufacturing Inc., LuMend Corporation, Merit Medical Systems Inc., Micro Therapeutics Inc., Terumo Europe N.V., and Volcano Corporation.Catheters Types Covered: Over-the-wire micro guide catheter Flow directed micro guide catheterTreatments Covered: Cardiovascular Intravenous NeurovascularRegions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsWe offer wide spectrum of research and consulting services with in-depth knowledge of different industries. We are known for customized research services, consulting services and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) services in the research world. We explore the market trends and draw our insights with valid assessments and analytical views. We use advanced techniques and tools among the quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify the market trends. Our research reports and publications are routed to help our clients to design their business models and enhance their business growth in the competitive market scenario. We have a strong team with hand-picked consultants including project managers, implementers, industry experts, researchers, research evaluators and analysts with years of experience in delivering the complex projects.STRATISTICS MRC 17049 King James Way, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877, USA Medical Aesthetic Devices Market worth US$15.1 Billion by 2024; Low-cost Products and Services could Hamper Growth across Emerging Economies http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1039 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=1039 Looking at the excellent growth prospects offered by the market for aesthetic medical devices market, an increased number of companies in the skincare devices market have also ventured in this field in the past few years. Transparency Market Research projects that the global medical aesthetic devices market will exhibit a 9.9% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. If the number holds true, the market will rise to US$15.1 bn in 2024 from US$6.5 bn in 2015.Based on the variety of medical aesthetic devices available globally, the market is segmented into aesthetic laser and energy devices, skin tightening and body contouring devices, aesthetic implants, and facial aesthetic devices. Of these, the segment of aesthetic laser and energy devices presently leads, accounting for a share of 30.6% 2015, chiefly owing to the exhaustive usage of these devices as compared to other devices by dermatologists. These devices often use a combination of energy types in order to provide the most effective therapy.Get Exclusive Sample Research Insights Laser and energy devices are most commonly used for skin and hair treatments such as removal of pigmented lesions, tattoo removal, and skin rejuvenation. As patients increasingly demand noninvasive treatment options, aesthetic device providers are seeing these products as an essential addition to their suite of offerings. Further enabling their adoption, a number of manufacturers offer leasing and vendor financing that help limit the upfront capital costs associated with the adoption of these equipment. The segment of lasers and energy devices is also expected to witness expansion at a healthy pace in the next few years, emerging as one with highly promising growth over the period between 2016 and 2024.North America to Remain Center of Development in Near FutureNorth America, driven by the flourishing medical aesthetics market in the U.S., was the leading regional market for medical aesthetic devices globally, accounting for 43% share in 2015. The region is expected to contribute significantly during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024 as well. The presence of a large base of key device manufacturers in North America coupled with the high purchasing power of both the buyers as well as consumers is expected to help the region sustain its leadership in the global market during the forecast period. North America is also at the forefront of aesthetic innovation, with the majority of both established and emerging aesthetic companies either headquartered in or having a significant aesthetic corporate presence in the region.Place an Order for this Report About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact:90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com U.S. Population Health Management Solutions Market Strategies for Better Health http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=7412 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/us-population-health-management-solutions-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com https://tmrresearch.blogspot.com/ This report on the U.S. population health management (PHM) solutions market studies the current as well as future prospects of the market. The stakeholders of this report include technology vendors, software companies and other intermediaries engaged in population health management solutions as well as new entrants that are planning to enter the U.S. PHM solutions market.Get Sample Research Report with ToC:This report comprises an elaborate executive summary with a market snapshot providing overall information of various segments and sub-segments considered in the study scope. The section also provides with overall information and data analysis of the PHM solutions market in U.S. with respect to the leading market segments based on source type, mode of operation, and type of end-users. Based on source types, the U.S. population health management solutions market has been categorized into two major segments: software and services. The market for these two segments has been extensively analyzed based on of their application as a population health management solution and their respective role in terms of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, sales, and presence in the U.S. healthcare system. The market revenue in terms of USD billion for the period between 2013 and 2023 along with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2015 to 2023 are provided for both the segments under source type, considering 2014 as the base year.By mode of operation, the U.S. population health management solutions market has been segmented into premise-based operations; cloud-based operations, web-based operations. Market revenue in terms of USD billion for the period between 2013 and 2023 along with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2015 to 2023 are provided for all the segments categorized under mode of operation, considering 2014 as the base year. In terms of end-users, the market has been categorized into health care providers, government insurance providers, private insurance providers, pharmaceuticals companies, medical device organizations, others (employers, diagnostic and imaging centers and research institutions etc.). Market revenue in terms of USD billion for the period between 2013 and 2023 along with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2015 to 2023 are provided for all the segments classified under the end users, considering 2014 as the base year.Each of the segments has been analyzed in detail for market trends, recent developments, outlook, and opportunities. The market overview section of the report explores market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities that currently have strong impact on the U.S. population health management solutions market and could influence the market in the future as well. Market attractiveness analysis has been provided in the market overview section in order to explain the intensity of competition between leading market players in the U.S. market. Porters five forces analysis is also explained in this section to understand the market in U.S. considering different parameters that have an impact on the sustainability of the companies operating in the market.The competitive scenario among different market players is evaluated through market share analysis in the competitive landscape section of the report. All these factors would help market players to take strategic decisions in order to strengthen their positions and expand their respective market shares in the U.S. The recommendations section included in the report would assist existing market players in targeting the end users of population health management solutions and also to those aiming to seek an entry. The report also profiles major players in the population health management solutions market based on various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, product portfolio, and recent developments.Major players operating in the U.S. PHM solution market includes Caradigm, Conifer Health Solutions, Health Catalyst, Healthagen, LLC, International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, Lumeris, NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, LLC, Optum Health, Inc., Persivia, Premier, Inc., The Advisory Board Company, Verisk Health, Wellcentive, Inc., and ZeOmega, Inc. Many of these players continuously innovate by developing new softwares and services besides improvising existing ones to keep pace with technological advances in order to maintain their position in the market.Browse Research Report on U.S. Population Health Management Solutions Market:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Browse market research blog: Endoscopy Devices Market in APAC, is expected to rise to US$14.8 Billion by 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=488 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=488 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The rising demand for technologically advanced products across developing economies in Asia Pacific could further fuel rivalry among key vendors in the market. So as to stay ahead of the competition in the market, key vendors are adopting the course of innovation and introduction of technologically advanced products. Most of countries in the region being developing economies and having a large base of cost-conscious consumers, focusing on ways of reducing product costs could also enable vendors to reach-out to a larger consumer base.High Costs of Treatment and Dearth of Trained Surgeons Still Key Challenges for MarketA vast share of population in Asia Pacific still belong to middle class or lower middle class income group. The relatively higher costs of endoscopy devices and inevitably the surgeries and diagnostic methods involving these devices is a huge setback when it comes to serving this demographic. The factor is a key restraint to the overall development of the Asia Pacific endoscopy devices market presently and is expected to remain a key-impact factor for the market for the next few years as well.Inquire for Sample Copy of Research Report Along with this, the factor of lack of adequate specialist surgeons and physicians trained and qualified for using complex medical devices such as endoscopes is also a prominent restraint for the Asia Pacific endoscopy devices market. According to the World Bank, China, India, and Indonesia had 1.8, 0.6, and 0.3 physicians per 1,000 people, including general and specialist medical practitioners.Nevertheless, factors such as the rising awareness regarding the availability of effective medical devices for treating complex health conditions and rising prevalence of a number of chronic conditions will continue to drive the increased demand for endoscopy devices in Asia Pacific in the next few years. On the basis of geography, Japan led the market in 2015, accounting for a 35% share in markets overall revenues. The product segment of endoscopy visualization systems dominated, accounting for over 46% of markets overall revenues in 2015.Rise in Investments and Mergers and Acquisitions to Have Far-reaching Impact on Markets TrajectoryOn a global scale, the endoscopy devices market has witnessed a vast rise in investment in companies already operating in the endoscopy devices business and acquisition of a large number of specialty medical device makers by many global medical device giants. A recent instance is the April 2016 acquisition of Stanmore Implants Worldwide Limited by Stryker Corporation. The vast numbers of mergers and acquisitions have helped the market gain notable level of maturation. This has also allowed global players to increase their scope for market expansion and pay more focus on lucrative regional markets such as Asia Pacific.The Asia Pacific endoscopy devices market is also driven by the vast rise in the regions geriatric population, rising disposable incomes, increased emphasis on minimally invasive surgeries, increased healthcare expenditures. With the vast rise in geriatric population, especially in countries such as Japan and China, the number of surgeries employing a variety of endoscopy devices has also skyrocketed.Purchase this Report About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global Renewable Energy Certificates Market: Increased Focus on Green Energy Electricity Production to Drive Demand, says TMR http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=9362 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/renewable-energy-certificates-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ The global market for renewable energy certificates (REC) is likely to witness a robust rise in the coming years, states a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). The study is titled, Renewable Energy Certificates Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 2023. It states that the demand for renewable energy certificates is expected to increase owing to global warming issues related to the burning of fossil fuels. These certificates are used in international trade for pushing the development of the renewable energy sector. The production cost of renewable or green energy is more and renewable energy certificates provide an additional income to energy providers, thus driving their demand.Interpret a Competitive outlook Analysis Report with PDF Brochure :With an aim to create a market for renewable energy, RECs promote the progress of renewable energy sources. According to the study, for every unit of electricity generated, there is an equivalent number of RECs generated, which can be sold as a tradeable commodity in the international markets. The purchase of renewable certificates counterbalances the generation of conventional energy and the buyer receives a separate electricity bill for the utility. Various tax benefits and allowances are provided for renewable energy-based power generation and this is encouraging the growth of the market. RECs help in replacing fossil-fuel-based power generation in areas where renewable electricity generators are located. On the other hand, many environmental organizations claim that there are no ecological benefits by the certification method being used at present. This is expected to hamper the growth of the market in the coming years.Developing economies in Africa and Asia have high requirements for electricity owing to the growing population and a surge in industrialization. Additionally, an increase in infrastructure development activities in Asia has fueled power requirements. These certificates can be used to minimize the supply, demand gap through the use of green energy sources. In Asia, China is leading in the renewable energy investments. The U.K. and Denmark are leading in terms of investments in renewable energy in Europe, and in North America, the U.S. is the leader. Countries such as Ireland and Scotland are expected to emerge as lucrative markets for RECs owing to their increased focus in reducing carbon footprints and green energy electricity production.Complete Report with TOC :The report categorizes the renewable energy certificates market on the basis of type of renewable energy produced such as biomass, solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric energy. The study also profiles key players operating in the market such as Carbon Solutions Group, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Sky Energy, Inc., GP Renewables & Trading LLC, 3Degrees, NuPath Energy, Renewable Choice Energy, and Mass Energy Consumers Alliance.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207 Coating Resins Market: Major market players are Allnex Belgium SA/NV, Royal DSM N.V., Nuplex Industries Ltd., and other http://www.syndicatemarketresearch.com/request-for-sample.html?flag=S&repid=78076 http://bit.ly/2cZ3un6 http://www.syndicatemarketresearch.com/market-analysis/coating-resins-market.html http://www.syndicatemarketresearch.com The report covers forecast and analysis for the Coating Resins market on a global and regional level. The study provides historic data of 2015 along with a forecast from 2016 to 2021 based on volume and revenue (USD Million). The study includes drivers and restraints for the market along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes study of opportunities available in the Coating Resins market on a global level.Get a copy of free Sample Report @In order to give the users of this report a comprehensive view on the Coating Resins market, we have included a detailed competitive scenario, and product portfolio of key vendors. To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters five forces model for the Coating Resins market has also been included, strategic development along with patents analysis is included in this report. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, where in type segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate and general attractiveness.Get in-depth TOC (Table of Contents) with Tables and Figures @Acrylics, Alkyds, Epoxies, Unsaturated Polyesters, Urethanes, and Others are the major types of Coating Resins. Coating Resins finds widespread applications in Building & Construction, Automotive, Marine, Electronics, Furniture, and Other . All the segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends and the market is estimated from 2015 to 2021.The regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa with its further bifurcation into major countries including U.S. Germany, France, UK, China, Japan, India and Brazil.The report covers detailed competitive outlook including company profiles of the key participants operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include Allnex Belgium SA/NV, Royal DSM N.V., Nuplex Industries Ltd., DIC Corporation, BASF SE, Evonik Industries AG, Arkema S.A., and Eternal Resin Co. Ltd.Browse detail report @This report segments the Coating Resins market as follows:Coating Resins Market: Type Segment AnalysisAcrylicsAlkydsEpoxiesUnsaturated PolyestersUrethanesOthersCoating Resins Market: Applications Segment AnalysisBuilding & ConstructionAutomotiveMarineElectronicsFurnitureOtherCoating Resins Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East and AfricaAbout US:Syndicate Market Research provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Syndicate Market Research cover more than 30 industries includsing energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@SyndicateMarketResearch.comWebsite: Lecithin Market - Market Overview,Segmentation,Growth Drivers,Regional Outlook 2016-2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=5246 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/lecithin-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Lecithin Market OverviewLecithin is type of substance which is obtained from many commercial sources like egg yolks, soybeans, sunflower etc. Lecithin has application in different industries which includes food and beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. Lecithin is generally used because of its unique characteristics like smoothening textures of food, for dissolving powders, to repel the sticky material, for homogenizing mixtures in liquid and also it is used as an emulsifier and stabilizing agent. North America and Asia-Pacific region is the largest producer of lecithin in the world. Globally, organic and Non-GMO lecithin are in demand.View exclusive Global strategic Business report :Lecithin Market: Market SegmentationMarket of lecithin is segmented on the basis of by types, form, grade and by application. On the basis of by types, it is segmented as unrefined lecithin, refined lecithin and chemically modified lecithin. Difference between unrefined or natural lecithin is that, unrefined lecithin is extracted from the oil seeds such as soybeans, sunflower etc. and refined lecithin is unified with phospholipids, alcohol etc. On the other side, chemically modified lecithin is modified through chemical treatments. Lecithin market is segmented on the basis of forms such as liquid and powder & granule. Liquid lecithin is used in majorly in bakery & confectionery & industrial applications. Whereas powder lecithin is used in instant dry mixes, beverage premixes, etc.Lecithin market is segmented on the basis of grade such as food grade, feed grade and pharma grade. Pharma grade lecithin is used because of its functional, nutritional and therapeutic properties. Another segment is on the basis of application of lecithin which includes food and beverage, pharmaceutical industry, cosmetic, animal feed and for industrial purpose. Further the market of food and beverage is segmented into sub-segment. It is sub-segmented into bakery & confectionery, beverages, convenience foods, meat & seafood and dairy products.Majority of the demand of lecithin is from the food and pharmaceutical industry as in food industry it is used as food additive because of its functional property of anti-spatter and emulsifier. On the other side, in pharmaceutical industry it is used as dispersing agent and also helps in encapsulation and also it has application in form of nutritional supplement. Lecithin also has demand as industrial element where it is used as a release agent, antisludge additive, emulsifier, spreading agent and for many other purposes. Plastic, textile, rubber and paint are some of the major industries where lecithin is used for industrial purpose. On analyzing the overall demand of lecithin in global level market, it is assessed that food industry accounts to majority of share in terms of value and volume followed by pharmaceutical industry and industrial purpose.Browse Full Report With ToC:Lecithin Market: Growth DriversMajor drivers which influence the demand of lecithin is from the food manufacturing industry as it is used as food additive and where it has usage in form of natural emulsifier, lubricant stabilizer, realizing agent and for many other purposes. On the other side, lecithin is also trending its demands from the pharmaceutical manufacturers as they use this product for treatments related to neurological conditions, liver and cholesterol effects and for cardiovascular diseases. Increasing health awareness among consumers has also leads to increase in demand of pharmaceutical as one of the product which is also used for preventive purpose as it helps in treatment of for diseases related to neurological disorder, liver, cholesterol level and also used as a therapeutic purpose.Lecithin Market: Regional OutlookOn the basis of regional outlook, market of lecithin market is segmented in seven regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. As per production, major lecithin market producing regions are North America and Western Europe and also contributes majority of market share in the world. In terms of consumption North America and Western European countries are expected to be the largest consumer of lecithin in the world.Lecithin Market: PlayersSome of the major players which are operating the business in lecithin market are: Archer Daniels Midland Company, "Sodrugestvo" Group of Companies, Cargill Incorporated, Thew Arnott Group, AMERICAN LECITHIN COMPANY, Swanson Health Products, NOW Foods, Lipoid GmbH, Lucas Meyer GMBH, DuPont and Bunge Limited.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global LED Driver Market - Osram, Harvard Engineering, Texas Instruments, Maxim Integrated, Macroblock, Atmel, GE, Cree, Rohm Semiconductors, ABB, Zumtobel, Eaglerise http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/10885/request-sample http://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-led-driver-market-outlook-2016-2021-10885.html www.fiormarkets.com http://longshortreport.com/ An LED driver is an electrical device which regulates the power to an LED or a string (or strings) of LEDs. An LED driver responds to the changing needs of the LED, or LED circuit, by providing a constant quantity of power to the LED as its electrical properties change with temperature. An LED driver is a self-contained power supply which has outputs that are matched to the electrical characteristics of the LED or LEDs. LED drivers may offer dimming by means of pulse width modulation circuits and may have more than one channel for separate control of different LEDs or LED arrays. The power level of the LED is maintained constant by the LED driver as the electrical properties change throughout the temperature increases and decreases seen by the LED or LEDs. Without the proper driver, the LED may become too hot and unstable, therefore causing poor performance or failure.Request for sample report atThis report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for LED Driver from 2011-2015 and provides extensive market forecasts 2016-2021 by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the LED Driver market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for LED Driver, and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.Global LED Driver Market Outlook 2016-2021, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global LED Driver market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies.Access full report atThe competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global LED Driver market are Osram (Germany), Harvard Engineering (UK), Texas Instruments (USA), Maxim Integrated (USA), Macroblock (Taiwan), Atmel (USA), GE (USA), Cree (USA), Rohm Semiconductors (Japan), ABB (Switzerland), Zumtobel (Austria), Eaglerise (China), among others.The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of LED Driver industry has been provided.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog: Global Bearing Market 2016 - SKF, NSK, KOYO, NTN, NMB, TIMKEN, FAG, INA, NACHI, TORRINGTON,Schaeffler, ZWZ, HRB, LYC http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/10876/request-sample http://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-bearing-market-outlook-2016-2021-10876.html www.fiormarkets.com http://longshortreport.com/ A bearing is a machine element that constrains relative motion to only the desired motion, and reduces friction between moving parts. The design of the bearing may, for example, provide for free linear movement of the moving part or for free rotation around a fixed axis; or, it may prevent a motion by controlling the vectors of normal forces that bear on the moving parts. Many bearings also facilitate the desired motion as much as possible, such as by minimizing friction. Bearings are classified broadly according to the type of operation, the motions allowed, or to the directions of the loads (forces) applied to the parts.Request for sample report atThis report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Bearing from 2011-2015 and provides extensive market forecasts 2016-2021 by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Bearing market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Bearing, and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.Global Bearing Market Outlook 2016-2021, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Bearing market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies.Access full report atThe competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global Bearing market are SKF (Japan), NSK (Japan), KOYO (Japan), NTN (Japan), NMB (Japan), TIMKEN (USA), FAG (Germany), INA (Germany), NACHI (Japan), TORRINGTON (USA),Schaeffler (Germany), ZWZ (China), HRB (China), LYC (China), among others.The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Bearing industry has been provided.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog: Global Wind Turbine Converter Market 2016 - ABB, Emerson Electric, GE, Woodward, Delta, Beijing Corona, Chongqing kk-Qianwei, Shenzhen Hopewind, Guodain Longyuan, REsource Electric Tianjin http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/10771/request-sample http://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-wind-turbine-converter-market-outlook-2016-2021-10771.html www.fiormarkets.com http://longshortreport.com/ This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Wind Turbine Converter from 2011-2016, and provides extensive market forecasts (2016-2021) by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Wind Turbine Converter market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Wind Turbine Converter, and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.Request for sample report atThe wind turbine converter plays an important role in helping customers create the perfect wind economy. The selection of the right converter is critical in the turbine design and for a higher return on investment. The steady growth of installed wind power together with the upscaling of the single wind turbine power capability has pushed the research and development of power converters toward full-scale power conversion, lowered cost pr kW, increased power density, and also the need for higher reliability.Global Wind Turbine Converter Market Outlook 2016-2021, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Wind Turbine Converter market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies.Access full report atThe competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global Wind Turbine Converter market areABB (Switzerland), Emerson Electric (USA), GE (USA), Woodward (Germany), Delta (Taiwan), Beijing Corona (China), Chongqing kk-Qianwei (China), Shenzhen Hopewind (China), Guodain Longyuan (China), REsource Electric Tianjin (China), Shanghai Hite (China), Hefei Sungrowpower (China), HRV Electric (China), NARI Technology (China), Beijing Etechwin (China).The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Wind Turbine Converter industry has been provided.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog: Global Wind Turbine Pitch System Market 2016 - Emerson Electric, Moog, Mita Teknik, Beijing Etechwin, Beijing Huadian Tianren, Beijing Corona, REsource Electric Tianjin, REenergy Electric http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/10770/request-sample http://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-wind-turbine-pitch-system-market-outlook-2016-2021-10770.html www.fiormarkets.com http://longshortreport.com/ This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Wind Turbine Pitch System from 2011-2016, and provides extensive market forecasts (2016-2021) by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Wind Turbine Pitch System market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Wind Turbine Pitch System, and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.Request for sample report atWind turbine pitch control system can change incidence of rotor blades in a wind power generation system based on real-time wind speed for the purpose of adjusting output power, achieving higher utilization efficiency of wind power and providing protection for rotor blades. When wind speed is not higher than the rated speed, the blade incidence stay near the angle 0 (highest power point), which is similar to that of a generator with constant pitch, generating an output power that changes along with wind speed. When wind speed is higher than the rated speed, the pitch control mechanism changes blade incidence so that the output power of generator is within the allowed range.Global Wind Turbine Pitch System Market Outlook 2016-2021, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Wind Turbine Pitch System market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies.Access full report atThe competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global Wind Turbine Pitch System market areEmerson Electric (USA), Moog (USA), Mita Teknik (Denmark), Beijing Etechwin (China), Beijing Huadian Tianren (China), Beijing Corona (China), REsource Electric Tianjin (China), REenergy Electric (China), Chongqing kk-Qianwei (China), Chengdu Forward (China), Dongfang Electric (China), Shiyou Electric (China).The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Wind Turbine Pitch System industry has been provided.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog: Global Wind Turbine Control System Market 2016 - Emerson Electric, AMSC, Mita Teknik, DEIF, Dongfang Electric, Shiyou Electric, Beijing Etechwin, Beijing Corona, REsource Electric Tianjin http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/10769/request-sample http://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-wind-turbine-control-system-market-outlook-2016-2021-10769.html www.fiormarkets.com http://longshortreport.com/ This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Wind Turbine Control System from 2011-2016, and provides extensive market forecasts (2016-2021) by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Wind Turbine Control System market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Wind Turbine Control System, and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.Request for sample report atWind turbine control systems comprise a master control station, cabin station, and HMI. The master control station is located at the bottom of the tower, which communicates with the HMI, cabin station, pitch, converter system, and remote monitoring system, which monitors the overall turbine units operations. The cabin station is located in the cabin, which is used to collect and process the turbines equipment and instrument data. The HMI is used for the systems operation control, real-time display, parameter settings, and the recording and storing of failures. The Ethernet can be used to remotely monitor turbine operations from the central control room.Global Wind Turbine Control System Market Outlook 2016-2021, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Wind Turbine Control System market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies.Access full report atThe competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global Wind Turbine Control System market areEmerson Electric (USA), AMSC (USA), Mita Teknik (Denmark), DEIF (Denmark), Dongfang Electric (China), Shiyou Electric (China), Beijing Etechwin (China), Beijing Corona (China), Chengdu Forward (China), Chongqing kk-Qianwei (China), REsource Electric Tianjin (China).The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Wind Turbine Control System industry has been provided.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog: Global Baby Diaper Market 2016 - P&G, Kimberly-Clark, American Baby Company, Diapees & Wipees, SCA Hygiene, Unicharm, Kao Corporation, Hengan Group, Chongqing Baiya, Daddy Baby http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/10761/request-sample http://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-baby-diaper-market-outlook-2016-2021-10761.html www.fiormarkets.com http://longshortreport.com/ This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Baby Diaper from 2011-2016, and provides extensive market forecasts (2016-2021) by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Baby Diaper market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Baby Diaper, and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.Request for sample report atA diaper (also called a nappy in South Africa, Ireland, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Zimbabwe) is a type of underwear that allows one to defecate or urinate, without the use of a toilet. When diapers become soiled, they require changing, generally by a second person such as a parent or caregiver. Failure to change a diaper on a sufficiently regular basis can result in skin problems around the area covered by the diaper. Diapers are made of cloth or synthetic disposable materials. Cloth diapers are composed of layers of fabric such as cotton, hemp, bamboo or microfiber and can be washed and reused multiple times. Disposable diapers contain absorbent chemicals and are thrown away after use. Plastic pants can be worn over diapers to avoid leaks, but with modern cloth diapers, this is no longer necessary.Global Baby Diaper Market Outlook 2016-2021, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Baby Diaper market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies.Access full report atThe competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global Baby Diaper market areP&G (USA), Kimberly-Clark (USA), American Baby Company (USA), Diapees & Wipees (USA), SCA Hygiene (UK), Unicharm (Japan), Kao Corporation (Japan), Hengan Group (China), Chongqing Baiya (China), Daddy Baby (China), Fujian Chiaus (China), Hangzhou Shutai (China), Hunan Cosom (China).The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Baby Diaper industry has been provided.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog: Global Breast Implants Market 2016 - Allergan, Mentor, Establishment Labs, Ideal Implant, Sientra, Dreamxcell, Polytech, Cereplas, Laboratoires Arion, Groupe Sebbin, Hans Biomed, Shanghai Kangning http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/10749/request-sample http://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-breast-implants-industry-2016-market-research-report-10749.html www.fiormarkets.com http://longshortreport.com/ This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Breast Implants from 2011-2016, and provides extensive market forecasts (2016-2021) by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Breast Implants market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Breast Implants, and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.Request for sample report atA breast implant is a prosthesis used to change the size, shape, and contour of a womans breast. In reconstructive plastic surgery, breast implants can be placed to restore a natural looking breast mound for postmastectomy breast reconstruction patients or to correct congenital defects and deformities of the chest wall. They are also used cosmetically to enhance or enlarge the appearance of the breast through breast augmentation surgery.Global Breast Implants Industry 2016 Market Research Report, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Breast Implants market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies.Access full report atThe competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global Breast Implants market areAllergan (USA), Mentor (USA), Establishment Labs (USA), Ideal Implant (USA), Sientra (USA), Dreamxcell (Germany), Polytech (Germany), Cereplas (France), Laboratoires Arion (France), Groupe Sebbin (France), Hans Biomed (Korea), Shanghai Kangning (China), Shanghai Dongyue (China), Wanhe Plastic Materials (China), Shanghai Xinsheng (China), Shanghai Winner (China).The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Breast Implants industry has been provided.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog: Global Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment Market 2016 - Pentair, Hayward, Fluidra, Emaux, AQUA, Pahlen, Culligan, Sterling, Firsle, MIURA, Carefree Clearwater, Kurita, Speck Pump, Prominent, Zodiac http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/11836/request-sample http://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-swimming-pool-water-treatment-equipment-market-professional-11836.html www.fiormarkets.com http://longshortreport.com/ Notes:Production, means the output of Swimming Pool Water Treatment EquipmentRevenue, means the sales value of Swimming Pool Water Treatment EquipmentThis report studies Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2011 to 2015, and forecast to 2021.Request for sample report atThis report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringPentairHaywardFluidraEmauxAQUAPahlenCulliganSterlingFirsleMIURACarefree ClearwaterKuritaSpeck PumpProminentZodiacIntec AmericaMioxCIPUDenorHairundeWuxi BiboRightlederKelan WaterZhengzhou PafificZhengzhou LangjingBy types, the market can be split intoAll-in-one EquipmentTraditional EquipmentType IIIBy Application, the market can be split intoResidentialPublic & HotelApplication 3By Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaAccess full report atTable of ContentsGlobal Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment Market Professional Survey Report 20161 Industry Overview of Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment1.1 Definition and Specifications of Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment1.1.1 Definition of Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment1.1.2 Specifications of Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment1.2 Classification of Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment1.2.1 All-in-one Equipment1.2.2 Traditional Equipment1.2.3 Type III1.3 Applications of Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment1.3.1 Residential1.3.2 Public & Hotel1.3.3 Application 31.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Swimming Pool Water Treatment Equipment2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Swimming Pool Water Treatment EquipmentFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog: The Oregon Ducks will look for their first conference win of the 2016 season against the California Golden Bears on Friday, Oct. 21 at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Ducks (2-4, 0-3 Pac-12 Conference) enter Friday's game in the midst of their longest losing streak in a decade. Both Oregon and Cal (3-3, 1-2 Pac-12 Conference) are coming off of a bye week and are looking for a win to help their chances of becoming bowl eligible. In the video above, watch a preview of the Oregon/Cal matchup by the numbers. --Jen Beyrle jbeyrle@oregonian.com @JenBeyrle 1clinton.JPG Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign rally at Wayne State University on October 10, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) By Dan Balz Hillary Clinton has two important challenges in the final presidential debate on Wednesday in Las Vegas. Neither involves trying to discredit Donald Trump. The first will be to respond to and explain what has been learned from the hacking of campaign chairman John Podesta's email account and other recent revelations. The second and perhaps even more important task will be to make a strong, affirmative and compelling case for a possible Clinton presidency. Clinton's strategy in the first debate was to poke and provoke Trump, knowing that his thin skin could be easily pierced and that, when it was, he would lose control, veer wildly off course from whatever message or pre-debate plan was in place and become his own worst enemy. She was as deft as she could be, though hardly subtle. Trump's unraveling was no doubt even greater than she and her advisers had expected. Her strategy in the second debate was - well, what exactly was it? Trump arrived reeling politically from the release two days earlier of the "Access Hollywood" video in which he spoke crudely about women and bragged of acts that would amount to sexual assault. Clinton didn't have to do much in the second debate, and she crossed that lowered bar. Reputable polls said she was judged the winner, although by a smaller margin than in the first debate. But those polls are mostly beside the point. Trump, despite his own problems, still had some effective exchanges with the former secretary of state. She parried - she long has been a skilled debater - but when it was over, how much had been learned about her? The two candidates will arrive in Las Vegas in strikingly different positions. Trump again is on the defensive as one woman after another has come forward to challenge his claim on the stage in St. Louis that he might have talked about sexually assaulting or groping women but never did so. The stories the women have told are remarkable similar - and consistent with what Trump bragged about in the video. The unshackled Trump - using his own words about himself - has responded angrily, defiantly, denying all. His supporters believe him. Many other people do not. For Clinton, the temptation might be to play it safe on Wednesday and for the last three weeks of the campaign. If polls move more in her direction, her team will be tempted to try to expand the electoral map, to go after Arizona in a more serious way, for example - assuming they are confident they have nailed down many more than the 270 electoral votes needed to win. The election is not over, and given everything that's happened in this campaign, the unexpected should be considered the possible, if not the expected. Trump's base is solid, but he seems stuck where he is, apparently unable to expand. He has to make up ground, not just hold the ground he occupies. That leaves Clinton now as the more likely of the two to become the next president. If that happens, she will be faced with trying to govern a country that is not just divided but also raw with anger and resentment - and teeming with hostility across the political gulf that has opened up. She has spent the summer and early fall focused primarily on one big thing - making Trump as unpalatable to voters as possible. She has 23 days of campaigning left to answer questions that people still have about her and to make the positive case for a Clinton presidency. Chris Wallace of Fox News will be the sole moderator on Wednesday. He has a reputation as a tough and persistent questioner, just what is needed for the final debate. He will no doubt have plenty of questions for Clinton, coming out of past and recent reporting about the Clinton Foundation, her use of a private email server and what she really believes about the issues. Here's one example. Clinton has said repeatedly that it was a mistake to use a private email server as secretary of state. She says she takes responsibility for the decision. But she has disputed FBI Director James B. Comey's assertion that she and others were "extremely careless" in what she did. She has rejected charges that she or aides mishandled classified material. She's said other secretaries used private email accounts. What does she think was the mistake, other than that it created a massive political headache? From Podesta emails have come other questions - regarding her true feelings about trade and open borders, about regulations for Wall Street and big banks, about her campaign advisers' views on Catholics and evangelicals. From elsewhere have come additional questions about whether Clinton friends and contributors got special treatment from the State Department. Clinton's campaign, rightly, has noted that the government believes the hacking of Podesta's emails was the work of the Russian government, an alarming example of foreign interference in an American election and a chilling example of what awaits the next president. The campaign has not acknowledged that the Podesta emails that were made public by WikiLeaks are authentic. But given that Clinton responded when asked about one aspect of them in St. Louis (it was a question about whether she has one position on issues in public and another in private), it seems campaign officials are not disputing their authenticity. There is a telling email contained in the WikiLeaks dump. It came days before the New Hampshire primary that she was destined to lose to Bernie Sanders and days after she won the Iowa caucuses by a whisker. Her campaign was on its heels, principally because of widespread complaints that she had no message. The email was written by Joel Benenson, the campaign's chief strategist, to other senior staffers. He wrote: "Other than what she has been doing over the last few days, do we have any sense from her what she believes or wants her core message to be?" He went on to say, "The power of a strong message frame generally lies in a combination of simplicity and focus. ... Sanders has simplicity and focus." At that time, Clinton made adjustments. Many of her supporters will say she's offered the country a clear view of what she wants to do as president. She has reams of policy proposals. She has given major policy addresses. She offers one program after another. In classic Clinton style, she seems to have a program for every problem. No one doubts her grasp of policy. Earlier in the campaign, policy discussions were blocked off for hours, rare for a presidential candidate. She was not one for a once-over-lightly look at what the policy team was advocating. She loves being in the weeds. But there's a difference between that and finding a way to explain positively why she wants to be president. George H.W. Bush called it, sarcastically, "the vision thing." But the best politicians know it and find a way to project it. Clinton has struggled throughout the campaign to do so. More than simplicity and focus are probably needed now. In the coming days, her campaign's field operation will be speaking directly to every voter they deem likely to support her as part of a get-out-the-vote operation now in high gear. The candidate must think of a much bigger and broader audience. Not necessarily those on the other side who hate her, but those who aren't likely to vote for her but will be looking to elected leaders after the election to make the system work. At the end of an excruciating campaign that has tested and exhausted the entire country, she has little time left to lay a positive and hopeful foundation for a possible presidency. (c) 2016, The Washington Post By George Will WASHINGTON -- A specter is haunting academia, the specter of specters -- ghosts, goblins and "cultural appropriation" through insensitive Halloween costumes. Institutions of higher education are engaged in the low comedy of avoiding the agonies of Yale. Last October, the university was rocked to its 315-year-old foundations by the wife of a residential college master (a title subsequently expunged from Yale's vocabulary lest it trigger traumas by reminding people that slavery once existed). In response to a university memorandum urging students to wear culturally sensitive costumes -- e.g., no sombreros -- she wrote an email saying it should be permissible for young people to be inappropriate, provocative or even offensive because "the ability to tolerate offense" is a hallmark of "a free and open society." After the dust settled from this, she and her husband left the residential college. And Yale had trampled in the dust the noble legacy of its 1975 Woodward Report. Named for the chairman of the committee that produced it, historian C. Vann Woodward, the report was written after Yale's awkward handling of some controversial speakers. Reaffirming freedom of expression's "superior importance to other laudable principles and values," the report said: "Without sacrificing its central purpose, [a university] cannot make its primary and dominant value the fostering of friendship, solidarity, harmony, civility or mutual respect. ... It will never let these values, important as they are, override its central purpose." That purpose, as Hanna Holborn Gray, a former president of the University of Chicago, once said, is not to make young adults comfortable, it is to make them think. Since 1975, however, universities have embraced the doctrine that speech that offends people actually harms them, mentally and even physically. The decision to treat young adults as fragile and perpetually vulnerable to victimization coincided with academia's turn away from the world: Fifty years ago, student assertiveness concerned momentous issues of war and civil rights. Today, students have macro-tantrums about micro-aggressions (e.g., sombreros). Time was, students rebelled against universities acting in loco parentis. Today, they welcome having their sexual and other social interactions minutely subjected to government regulations administered by Pecksniffs with Ph.D.s. Fortunately, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that some schools are having second thoughts about their "bias-response teams" that spring into action when someone says that someone has said something offensive. These schools have noticed the obvious: When such teams elevate campus harmony to the supreme value, they become civility enforcers with a chilling effect on speech. America's great research universities are ornaments of Western civilization, so their descent into authoritarianism and infantilization matters. Because conservatives are largely absent from faculties, and conservative students are regarded as a rebarbative presence, many conservatives welcome academia's marginalization of itself by behavior that invites ridicule. But universities are squandering the cultural patrimony that conservatism exists to conserve. And what happens on campuses does not stay on campuses. According to the Pew Research Center, American millennials (ages 18 to 34), fresh from academia, "are far more likely than older generations to say the government should be able to prevent people from saying offensive statements about minority groups." Forty percent of this cohort think government should be empowered to jettison much constitutional law concerning the First Amendment in order to censor speech offensive to minority groups. Gerard Alexander, a University of Virginia political scientist, argues in National Affairs quarterly that a university's "permanent population," the faculty, is secure in the tenure system and maintains its monochrome intellectual culture by hiring from a Ph.D. pipeline that young conservatives are understandably reluctant to enter. He could have added that faculties' ideological tendencies are reinforced by peer review of publications. "Schools," Alexander notes, "have applied millions of hours of work to the priority of improving racial, ethnic and gender diversity. Viewpoint diversity could be elevated to similar prominence and urgency." This would improve scholarship, especially in the humanities and social sciences. Their research concerns economic behavior, the meaning and importance of classic literature, which social problems matter most and the evidence about ways of addressing them, how to evaluate different ethical positions and legal systems, and which aspects of history most merit study. Viewpoint diversity in faculties would, Alexander argues, at least pit one scholar's susceptibility to "confirmation bias" -- the tendency to seek, and be receptive to, evidence that buttresses one's beliefs -- against another's different bias. Academia just now needs a reminder akin to Florence Nightingale's terse axiom that whatever else hospitals might do, they should not spread disease. Universities, as the word suggests, have many missions, but becoming safe spaces for faculty and student juvenility is not among them. George Will's email address is georgewillwashpost.com. (c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group 1capitol.JPG The US Capitol is shown October 11, 2016 in Washington DC. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) By Albert R. Hunt If, as polls are indicating, Hillary Clinton is the next U.S. president -- the election forecaster Nate Silver says there's an 86 percent chance -- her initial years in office will depend less on the size and shape of her victory than on which party controls the Senate. Although the battle for control of the chamber, where Republicans currently have an advantage of 54 seats to 46, is pitched and close, some skeptics play down its significance: It takes 60 votes to pass substantive stuff in the Senate and neither party will be near that level. Moreover, Republicans likely will still control the House. But Senate control is crucial, especially for a Clinton presidency: The majority sets the agenda, decides which issues are taken up and which inquires or investigations are begun. Also, scores of executive branch and judicial appointments are at stake, as well as the leverage for a Democratic president dealing with a Republican-run House. A contemporary example: the stalled nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. The court needs a ninth member and Garland, who was nominated by President Barack Obama seven months ago, is eminently qualified. Yet Republicans, by refusing to even hold a hearing, have made filling court vacancies a non-issue in the current campaign. The majority can decide what comes up and what doesn't. Under Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican majority's aim would be to thwart the president. Issues such as an increase in the minimum wage, paid parental leave and more student aid would not see the light of day. These agenda items would encounter resistance in the House, but action in the Senate, or even consideration, brings pressure on the other chamber. The president and a Senate majority leader such as Chuck Schumer of New York, along with Democratic chairs, would bring up all those measures. Committee chairmen, not minority members, usually decide what hearings to hold and the inquiries to begin. The fate of many appointments will be affected. In 2013, despite vehement Republican objections, the Democratic majority enacted the so-called "nuclear option," which allows judicial (other than the Supreme Court) and most executive nominees to be approved by a simple majority, rather than the 60-vote filibuster standard. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen and a number of judges have been confirmed since then with fewer than 60 votes. There are 93 federal district and appellate court vacancies today. On money bills -- spending and to an extent taxes -- a President Clinton would have more leverage in dealing with a House Speaker Paul Ryan if she had a Senate majority on her side. These stakes demonstrate why the Senate outcome may be the best drama of these final three weeks. The numbers are simple: there are 24 Republican-held seats in play, of which 16 seem safe, unless there is a bigger-than-expected Democratic wave that endangers incumbents such as Senator John McCain of Arizona. Two of the Republican seats are very likely to switch. There are only 10 Democratic seats in contention and only that of Minority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada (who is retiring) isn't safe. Thus the battle is for seven seats: Nevada for Democrats, and for Republican incumbents, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, Missouri and a Republican-held open seat in Indiana. Republicans are counting on localizing the contests with several strong incumbents, including Florida's Marco Rubio, who made the surprising decision to run for his old seat after his failed presidential run during which he expressed disdain for the Senate. More than $1 billion of outside money will pour into these races by Election Day, the majority of it for Republicans. Democrats are banking on these races, which tend to break late with the national vote and where ticket splitting is less common. And there's the Donald Trump factor. In New Hampshire, the incumbent Republican senator, Kelly Ayotte, suggested in a debate that Trump might be a good role model for children. That was just a few days before the disclosure of the infamous video showing him making vulgar remarks about women and boasting about sexual assault. Last weekend, Joe Heck, a Republican congressman in Nevada running for the Senate, pulled his endorsement of his party's presidential nominee after the video surfaced. He's being hammered by Trump loyalists in the state. Democrats realize they need to win more than a mere majority. In 2018, the tables will be reversed and the Democrats will have 25 seats at risk, compared with only eight Republicans, most of them safe. Even a short Senate honeymoon is essential for Democrats now. Albert Hunt is a Bloomberg columnist. For more columns from Bloomberg View, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/view. (c) 2016, Bloomberg View 1kennedy.JPG In this Sept. 8, 2016 file photo, Undersecretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Molly Riley) By Chris Cillizza For the past few months, Hillary Clinton's decision to exclusively use a private email server while at the State Department has receded as a campaign issue as Donald Trump's comments about women have come to dominate the daily chatter about the 2016 race. On Monday, however, the various issues associated with Clinton's email setup came roaring back. According to emails released by the FBI, Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy asked the FBI to ease up on classification decisions in exchange for allowing more FBI agents in countries where they were not permitted to go. The words "quid pro quo" were used to describe the proposed exchange by the FBI official. (The State Department insists it was no such thing; "This allegation is inaccurate and does not align with the facts," said State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner in a statement. "To be clear: the State Department did upgrade the document at the request of the FBI when we released it back in May 2015.") The FBI responded that the classification specialist with whom Kennedy made this request was not part of the investigation into Clinton's emails and is now retired. The Clinton campaign will, as it has done every time there is any news about whether she sent or received classified material on her private server, chalk this up to an interagency dispute over classification. Typical bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo, they will say. This sort of stuff happens all the time! Except, not really. First of all, we already know from FBI Director James B. Comey that Clinton sent and received emails and information that was classified at the time. ("110 e-mails in 52 e-mail chains have been determined by the owning agency to contain classified information at the time they were sent or received," Comey said in his remarkable press conference on the FBI investigation.) Clinton's explanation has now evolved to this: She didn't know documents marked with a "c" meant they were confidential (and therefore classified) and, therefore, she never knowingly sent or received classified material - with the emphasis on "knowingly." That's a tough position to hold in light of Kennedy's attempted quid pro quo, which suggests that at least some people at State were actively trying to fiddle with classification determinations made by the FBI. It's hard to square the idea of Kennedy offering a quid pro quo to the FBI regarding a classification decision and Clinton not even knowing that "c" on documents stands for "classified." One suggests deep understanding of how the classification process works. The other doesn't. Now, simply because Kennedy asked for a quid pro quo regarding classification doesn't mean that Clinton asked him to do so. There's no evidence of that. There's also no evidence that Clinton had a conversation of any sort with Kennedy about his classification request. And it's important to remember that Kennedy is a career officer at State, having worked in the same administrative job for Condoleezza Rice prior to Clinton, so he's not exactly a partisan. That said, this latest revelation adds more evidence to the "where there's smoke, there's fire" argument that Republicans have long made about Clinton's email setup. The idea of setting up a quid pro quo when it comes to classifications of information will, for many people, confirm their suspicions that the government bureaucracy is simply protecting Clinton. If a State Department official is offering a quid pro quo in this one exchange, can you imagine what they are doing off the books? Speaker Paul Ryan's statement speaks directly to that suspicion. "A senior State Department official's attempt to pressure the FBI to hide the extent of this mishandling bears all the signs of a cover-up," Ryan said. "This is why our aggressive oversight work in the House is so important, and it will continue." Donald Trump was more succinct. "Unbelievable," he tweeted. Although a Twitter account he retweeted laid it out in no uncertain terms: "CORRUPTION CONFIRMED: FBI confirms State Dept. offered 'quid pro quo' to cover up classified email" If the fire burning in Republicans over Clinton's email server was threatening to flicker out - or at least lose some of its heat - this new information is the equivalent of taking a can's worth of lighter fluid and dousing the conflagration. It's going to start burning a lot hotter very soon. (c) 2016, The Washington Post Defense lawyers rested in the Oregon standoff case Monday after they called a witness who confirmed he was an informant for the FBI and acknowledged that he infiltrated the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and supervised the shooting range for several days. The man who occupiers initially knew only by his alias "John Killman'' was revealed to be Fabio Minoggio, a Las Vegas resident subpoenaed by the defense to testify after prosecutors declined to confirm if he was a government informant. Prosecutors followed with a quick rebuttal case, calling four witnesses to counter various points made in the defense case. And so ended the evidence phase of the federal conspiracy trial of refuge takeover leader Ammon Bundy and six others after five weeks of testimony. U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown will give jury instructions Tuesday morning with closing arguments to follow. The defendants are accused of conspiring to impede employees of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management from carrying out their official work through intimidation, threat or force. Four of the seven are charged with possessing a firearm in a federal facility and two are accused of theft of government property. Minoggio, the defense's last witness, wore black-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose and was dressed in a blue polo shirt and rust-colored cargo pants. He testified that he was at the refuge from Jan. 23 through Jan. 26 and that the FBI reimbursed him for his expenses. Asked if he received any other payments from the government for his information, Minoggio said, "No, it was freely given. I wasn't enticed or anything.'' Minoggio said his truck did break down at one point and he bought a ballistics vest because he felt he was "going into harm's way.'' "I was fully aware of what I was doing,'' he added. While at the refuge, Minoggio said he was asked to oversee the shooting range, which earlier testimony revealed was by the refuge boat launch. He said he provided training on firearms safety and proficient use of firearms to the occupiers. Minoggio was one of 15 confidential informants who fed the FBI information about the occupiers, testimony showed. Nine of the 15 were at the refuge for various lengths of time between Jan. 4 and Jan. 26, according to a statement that Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel read to jurors. Those nine included the three who have been identified at trial: Minoggio, defense witness Terri Linnell of California and Mark McConnell, who was the driver of the Jeep that Ammon Bundy was riding in when he was arrested on Jan. 26. None of the unidentified other six informants were at the refuge beyond Jan. 23, Gabriel told jurors. Killman, defense lawyer Tiffany Harris pointed out in a written legal brief, was a participant in the firearms and military-style maneuvers training during the occupation and helped train one of the defendants, Jeff Banta, in hand-to-hand combat techniques. He spoke with a French or South African accent to people at the refuge and his Facebook profile included a majority of friends who occupied the refuge, according to defense lawyers. Defense investigators learned Minoggio was born in Switzerland and had served in the Swiss army for 20 years. He was trained in "psy-ops,'' weaponry and martial arts, according to Harris' legal brief. "We are dealing here with a situation of a confidential informant who is participating in the commission of the alleged offense,'' defense lawyer Marcus Mumford said in court. Earlier Monday, prosecutors had refused to confirm if the man who went by "Mr. Killman'' was working for the government. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Barrow said prosecutors aren't obligated to disclose any information identifying informants. If a person takes the witness stand and isn't truthful about their role, then the government would be responsible to come forward and correct any misinformation, he said. Harris, who is standby counsel to defendant Shawna Cox, said Killman had been adamant that he wasn't an FBI informant, yet unredacted records that defense lawyers had from the government on the 15 confidential sources provided supporting material to suggest that he was acting in that capacity. They believe he was classified as the FBI's "confidential source No. 2.'' Brown called the matter "a very unique scenario.'' She ruled that she wouldn't order the government to identify any of its 15 confidential sources, but if a witness testifies in a way that the government knows is false, "then we have a different story.'' Defense lawyer Matthew Schindler, who represents defendant Kenneth Medenbach, argued that the defense team had the right to know who the "mystery people'' were who brought the 22 long guns and 12 handguns to the refuge that prosecutors had FBI agents parade before jurors. Schindler pointed out that prosecutors and the FBI didn't identify who brought most the guns. After the defense rested, prosecutors called four witnesses to testify. FBI agent Ben Jones was called to answer rancher Duane Schrock's testimony that Jones had intimidated him when Jones showed up at his ranch on Sept. 21 after Schrock was listed as a potential defense witness. Jones said he did show up unannounced to Schrock's ranch outside Crane on Sept. 21 at the request of prosecutor Gabriel. During direct examination, Jones said he pressed Schrock about what guns he saw on the refuge after Schrock initially told him he saw a few handguns. The agent said he was surprised that Schrock hadn't seen more during his trips to the refuge. After continued questioning, Schrock then told the agent that he was surprised to see a man walk into a meeting he was having with Ammon Bundy, holding a long gun, Jones said. The agent approached the rancher as Schrock was seated on a tractor, he said. During cross-examination by defendant Ryan Bundy and defense lawyer Marcus Mumford, Jones acknowledged that he was armed and accompanied by another agent when he visited with Schrock. Bundy asked if the agent considered it intimidating to show up as a government agent, armed, to interview a defense witness. "Yes, that's something I think about,'' Jones said. "I try to be friendly and professional.'' Harney County Sheriff's Sgt. Lucas McLain was called back to the stand and testified, contrary to defendants' accounts, that he never was at the Ye Old Castle restaurant in Burns on Jan. 2 when Ammon Bundy announced his plans to occupy the refuge before a march and rally in support of Harney County ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and Steven Hammond. McLain said he was riding with a partner as ordered, for officer safety, that day, sitting in his patrol car on Oregon 205 at Greenhouse Lane. Harney County commissioner Steve Grasty testified for the government that he had asked Ammon Bundy to leave town during a town hall meeting on Jan. 19 in the Burns high school gym. "I told Mr. Bundy he'd been there long enough and it was time for him to go home,'' Grasty said. Grasty also explained why he didn't allow the Committee of Safety -- a group of local residents who formed at Ammon Bundy's urging -- to meet in the county fairgrounds as members had requested. Grasty said the decision was made because of the ongoing occupation and the lack of a formal application and fees paid for the use of the county facility. He also said it was because there were "crimes being committed'' at the refuge but his statement was stricken from the record. Lastly, refuge manager Chad Karges was called back to the stand by prosecutors. He testified that no refuge contractors were working or present at the refuge during the course of the 41-day occupation. Defense witnesses had said that a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service maintenance man was seen on the property. Karges also noted that his dark brown official government jacket with the Fish & Wildlife Service logo on it was missing from the refuge when he returned to the property with FBI agents in mid-February. In other developments Monday, the judge limited the government's proposed rebuttal case. Prosecutors weren't allowed to call a government lawyer to discuss the court orders that were in place regarding Cliven Bundy's cattle that led to the standoff with protesters in April 2014 outside his ranch in Bunkerville, Nevada. They also weren't allowed to call U.S. Bureau of Land Management agent Jason Curry to discuss the armed standoff in Bunkerville. The judge reminded the government there's already a statement before jurors on what occurred in Bunkerville. Barrow, one of the prosecutors, had sought to call those witnesses to rebut what he characterized as Ammon Bundy's "distorted'' testimony about what precipitated the Bunkerville standoff. Before court was adjourned, the judge read a note she received from six of the eight alternate jurors. They asked that they be allowed to listen to a live audio feed of jury deliberations because they each felt "a vested interest in the trial.'' While they recognized that their request was unusual, they asked that it be considered, calling the Bundy trial a "landmark case in Oregon's history.'' They said their request reflected their "earnest attempt'' to understand the deliberations process. "I've never had such a request,'' Judge Brown said. She also said she doesn't believe she can grant it. Among other things, if an alternative juror replaces one of the other jurors during deliberations, the alternate must start anew and not consider the earlier discussions. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian Bundy trial The judge is expected to issue jury instructions Tuesday morning, Oct. 18, 2016, in the federal conspiracy trial of seven Oregon standoff defendants, including Ammon Bundy (clockwise from left), Ryan Bundy, Shawna Cox, Jeff Wayne Banta, Neil Wampler, David Lee Fry and Kenneth Medenbach. (MCSO) As the Oregon standoff trial draws to a close, the judge has feverishly worked with lawyers from both sides to craft instructions for jurors on how to understand the charges against the seven defendants and apply the law to what they've heard over the last five weeks. The court late Monday printed out at least the fifth draft after the judge, defense lawyers and prosecutors painstakingly parsed the wording of more than 30 pages of written instructions down to the most fitting adverb and prepositional phrase. Legal experts say the instructions can make a difference in a case - either focusing jurors on the correct issues to consider or confusing them. "The jury instructions serve two functions in a case like this,'' said Andrew Chongseh Kim, a law professor at Concordia University. "First, they help the jury understand exactly what the prosecution has to prove and does not have to prove. Secondly, they remind the jury that they have sworn to deliver their verdict based on the weight of the evidence, rather than their own personal sense of justice.'' Much about the 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is well-documented and not in dispute. The jury must decide whether the occupiers' intent and actions amount to a crime. Seven defendants, including takeover leader Ammon Bundy, are charged with conspiring to prevent federal employees from carrying out their work by force, intimidation or threat. Four are charged with possessing a gun in a federal facility. Two also are charged with theft of government property. "If all you have is the law and the facts really aren't in dispute, then the instructions tell the jury what the law is and every word in them can be critical,'' said Norm Frink, a retired Multnomah County chief deputy district attorney. After full days of testimony Monday and last Friday, U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown asked parties to the case to examine the instructions page by page, clause by clause, and raise any concerns they had. Legal wrangling ensued, in some instances about the use of a certain phrase or word, and in other instances about the standard of law cited. Ryan Bundy objected, for instance, to a word in the instruction about the theft charge against him. The charge alleges Bundy willfully and knowingly did steal or convert for his own use or the use of another cameras or related equipment belonging to the government. Bundy, who is representing himself, argued that the "or'' should be changed to "and'' in the instruction. "As a lay person,'' Bundy said, " the difference between 'and' and 'or' is stark.'' The judge pulled up on her laptop model jury instructions offered by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which were crafted by a committee that Judge Brown has led. It included an instruction that a defendant knowingly stole something or converted it to the use of another, with the intent of depriving the owner of the use or benefit of the money or property. Brown kept "or'' in the instruction on the theft charge. Bundy, Ammon Bundy's older brother, further urged that a clause be added to show the theft had to be permanent or for a "significant amount of time.'' If he were to take another's pen for his own use briefly, but return it, for example, that wouldn't be theft, Bundy said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Knight countered that the criminal statute includes no mention of a period of time required for theft of property. The crux of the charge, Knight said, is the "intent of deprivation.'' At another point, co-defendant Shawna Cox, who also is representing herself, said she objected to the word "elect,'' in the instruction informing the 12-member jury to "elect'' a presiding juror for deliberations. "I don't like the word elect,'' Cox stated. "Why?'' Brown asked. Cox suggested the judge tell jurors to "pick'' instead of "elect'' the presiding juror. Brown compromised: "Anyone object to my changing elect to 'select' a presiding juror?'' The courtroom was silent. The judge moved on. Defense lawyer Per C. Olson, who represents defendant David Fry, successfully urged the judge to add a phrase explaining that the government, in order to prove a defendant became a member of the alleged conspiracy, must prove the defendant had a "purpose or conscious desire'' to do so. Then there were arguments that went beyond simple wordsmithing. Ammon Bundy's lawyer Marcus Mumford suggested adding a sentence about constitutionally protected speech, reading, "The Constitution was written to be understood by ordinary citizens, and its words and phrases were used in their normal and ordinary as distinguished from technical meaning.'' The judge shot that down. "I don't think telling the jury about the words of the Constitution is very helpful,'' she said. They already will be told the First and Second Amendments offer protection to political speech but each have their limits, she said. Mumford also wanted additional language on the Second Amendment to include references to a militia, contending there had been up to 50 references in trial testimony to a "militia.'' He proposed an instruction that read in part, "Under the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, a person has the right to keep and bear arms, that is to own, to possess, and to carry firearms, including for the purposes of participating in a citizens' militia and in case of confrontation.'' The judge said none of the charges deal with militias. Prosecutor Ethan Knight said he won't be mentioning that word in his closing argument and noted it was the defense, not the government, that used the word at trial. Instead, the judge proposed telling jurors, "The Second Amendment right of any person to possess a firearm is not on trial.'' Brown also suggested telling jurors that under the Second Amendment, a person has a right to own and carry a firearm, including when lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights. But the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. When it involves unlawful threats or intimidation, it's not protected by the Second Amendment, she said. The judge said the jury instructions are important to "give both sides a fair legal foundation on which to argue the evidence.'' Late Monday, the judge finalized language about how jurors should weigh evidence about government informants and statements of alleged co-conspirators. Finally, she made sure she had the correct wording in the main conspiracy charge instruction when describing the elements that the government must prove. "Is threat singular or plural?'' Brown asked the lawyers. After checking the statute, the judge concluded her instruction should read the government must prove a defendant became a member of the alleged conspiracy knowing that an object was preventing U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management employees from discharging the duties of their office by "force, intimidation or threat.'' Brown is scheduled to deliver jury instructions Tuesday morning with closing arguments to follow. "If nothing else, the fight over jury instructions can create another issue for the defendants to raise on appeal, if they are convicted,'' said Tung Yin, a law professor at Lewis & Clark Law School. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian Prosecutor Ethan Knight urged jurors to use their common sense as he framed the federal conspiracy case against Ammon Bundy and six others as strikingly simple: "These defendants took over a wildlife refuge and it wasn't theirs.'' It's not about land use, he said Tuesday. It's not about their objections to more prison time for Harney County ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and Steven Hammond, nor is it about what happened during the 2014 standoff with federal agents in Bunkerville, Nevada. "They decided to pick and choose the rules and laws that apply and take over property that didn't belong to them,'' Knight said of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. "This space does not belong to these folks and they treated it as they did,'' Knight said. All seven are charged with conspiring to impede officers of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from carrying out their duties at the refuge and other places through force, threat or intimidation. Four of the seven - Ammon Bundy, brother Ryan Bundy, David Fry and Jeff Banta - also are charged with possession of a firearm in a federal facility in the course of the conspiracy. To be found guilty of this charge, the four would have to be found guilty of the conspiracy count. Two others face the charge of theft of government property. Using defendants' own words captured on videos and audio recordings, as well as their testimony in court, Knight argued that their strategy to stake claim to the wildlife sanctuary through the principle of adverse possession supported the conspiracy charge. As Knight spoke from a lectern in front of the jury box, Ammon Bundy swiveled in his chair and faced Knight and the jurors. They've told you, Knight said, that they wanted to turn the property over to the people of Harney County, not employees of the Fish & Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. "Their plan to adversely possess this property is an admission to Count 1,'' Knight said. The conspiracy began, he said, when Ammon Bundy and ally Ryan Payne met Nov. 5 with Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward and promised that there would be "extreme civil unrest'' unless Ward prevented the Hammonds from returning to federal prison on an arson conviction for setting fire to federal land, including refuge property. "They wanted him not to play by the rules,'' Knight said. "The seeds were sown in November to do something about it and take what Ammon Bundy described as a 'hard stand.''' The coordinated Jan. 2 seizure of the refuge had a substantial destabilizing effect on county residents and the 16 refuge employees who couldn't report to work during the 41-day occupation, Knight said. "These are real people with real jobs whose lives were profoundly disrupted by the choices these defendants made,'' he told jurors. He pointed to refuge archeologist Carla Burnside who found her office ransacked, refuge ecologist Jess Wenick who couldn't locate important documents after returning to his desk months later, refuge fish biologist Linda Beck who couldn't access the boat launch and check on invasive carp in the refuge waterways and refuge manager Chad Karges, whose official Fish and Wildlife Service coat was missing. He ridiculed the suggestion by defendants that any of the refuge employees could easily have shown up to work while the Bundys were using their offices or co-defendant David Fry had his laptop plugged into a worker's computer. "These folks were not welcomed back,'' Knight said. Yes, the defendants welcomed people to the refuge who supported their causes, who fed and found them places to stay, the prosecutor noted. But putting armed guards at the front gate and in the watchtower from the first day of the takeover and creating military-style squads and doing firearms training were aggressive and frightening tactics, Knight argued. "People brought their guns to fortify themselves in a place that didn't belong to them,'' he said. "The message was very clear to stay away.'' Knight played a video of eight to 10 men at the refuge boat launch firing assault rifles. "This is not a firing range ... this is a wildlife refuge that belongs to other people where no firearms are permitted," he said. "This is inherently intimidating.'' The prosecutor described the law enforcement response -- from Harney County Sheriff Ward's efforts to be accommodating to Bundy to the FBI's decision not to make arrests early in the occupation -- as calculated decisions "not to escalate the situation and disengage.'' The reason FBI agents didn't try to grab fingerprints off guns or trace each piece of ammunition, Knight said, was because "this case is not a whodunit.'' "These defendants are on video talking about their presence there,'' he said. Each of the defendants had a role, Knight said. Ammon Bundy was clearly the leader - and somehow lost sight that the refuge's 187,000 acres didn't belong to him while at the same time making an effort to safeguard the refuge's money pouch containing cash and credit cards because it didn't belong to him, the prosecutor said. Ammon Bundy's older brother, Ryan Bundy, was "virtually everywhere at critical junctures'' of the occupation, Knight said, noting that he accompanied co-defendant Kenneth Medenbach when he drilled "Closed Permanently'' signs into the door of the Hines office of the Bureau of Land Management. Ryan Bundy operated large refuge machinery when fellow defendants helped cut a portion of the refuge fence on Jan. 11, he said. And Ryan Bundy aided and abetted in the removal of FBI cameras from a utility pole on a rural road outside the refuge on Jan. 15, he said. Shawna Cox, Knight maintained, also was a leader. When arrested Jan. 26, she was carrying a thumb drive that contained more than 5,000 documents stolen from the refuge, he said. He played an audio interview that Cox gave in March after her arrest when she said she was at the refuge gathering records on the Hammonds' case. Knight also pointed to the videotape that jurors had seen of Cox's arrest on Jan. 26, when she yelled to occupation spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum to "gun it'' and speed off from state police. "It's not about beliefs or values. It's about deciding which laws and which rules apply and which don't'' to these defendants, Knight said. He identified David Fry as the "media IT person'' who helped get the occupation message out to the world and was pictured carrying a gun in a refuge building. He accused Jeff Banta of conspiring with Fry to remain at the refuge for two more weeks after the leaders or organizers were arrested on Jan. 26. He pointed out that Kenneth Medenbach also changed refuge signs and put decals on refuge trucks that said "Harney County Resource Center.'' "These defendants decided this was all theirs at a very basic level, their property,'' Knight said. "It's about a collective decision to take what is not theirs and make it theirs.'' Ammon Bundy's lawyer Marcus Mumford is set to present his closing arguments Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutors rested their case in chief after two weeks of testimony. Defense lawyers presented testimony and evidence in 2 1/2 weeks. Five of the seven defendants took the witness stand in their own defense to describe their motivations for going to the refuge. Twelve jurors are expected to return separate verdict forms for each defendant. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian Washington Daily Life (Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun via AP) A ferry headed to Seattle on Monday night was forced to head back to Bremerton after a melee broke out among passengers on the 7:55 p.m. ferry. The Kitsap Sun reports that the crew of the Hyak was unable to contain the fight which "ranged from the passenger cabin to the car deck." Washington State Ferries spokesman Ian Sterling told the Sun that one woman involved began removing her clothing during the brawl. The boat was turned around at 8:12 p.m. and the woman was taken into custody by Washington State Patrol troopers at the dock in Bremerton. "All of the deck crew is trained in crowd control, but this one was out of control," Sterling said. -- Lizzy Acker 503-221-8052 lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker The University of Otago has topped nearly all key measures of students educational performance at New Zealands universities. Here are the Tertiary Education Commissions Educational Performance Indicators for 2015: This measures the number of students out of a starting cohort who successfully complete a qualification at the same level after a given time-frame. Qualification completion Our students are leading the way in New Zealand, their determination and combined successes place them at the top of the table when looking at the number of students who completed their university qualification within the required period of time. Otago is privileged to be the university of choice for so many focused, talented young people during that pivotal stage in their lives as they begin to identify with their future. This rate measures, for longer qualifications, how many students re-enrolled in the same level in the year after they enter the cohort. First year retention rate It is no surprise that first year students return in droves to re-enroll and progress with their studies at Otago. One of the reasons we rate so well by this measure is that our Residential Colleges provide a community environment where students, many of who are living away from home for the first time, find a sense of belonging. The level of pastoral care provided at Otagos residential colleges cultivate the balance between academic success and personal, social and cultural development. This EFTS-weighted measure shows the proportion of Student Achievement Component funded courses that are successfully completed. Course completion Otagos standards of academic excellence provide our students with the best teaching and mentoring available in New Zealand, whilst the on campus support services ensure our students receive ongoing guidance and support throughout their time with us. This recent measure is testament to this, with more Otago students successfully progressing through their studies and completing each required component as it contributes to their overall qualification. Tuesday 18 October 2016 2:33pm The University of Otago has topped all but one of the key indicators released today measuring educational performance of students at New Zealands universities. The Tertiary Education Commissions Educational Performance Indicators (EPIs) for 2015 examine areas such as overall course and qualification completions, retention rates and progression to higher levels of study. This year the usually-used four indicators have been supplemented by a new indicator looking specifically at first-year retention and a revised qualification completion indicator. Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne welcomed the release of the indicators, saying Otagos stellar results reflect the excellence of the teaching and learning environment that the University offers students, and the efforts those students put into their studies. At this University we are deeply committed to providing our students with enriching learning and living settings that support their pursuit of academic excellence. We also strive to maintain and enhance a unique Otago experience that encompasses the social, cultural and sporting aspects of student life. The Universitys near clean sweep of first placings in the indicators reflects how our amazing students, through their own hard work, are making the most of the rich opportunities we offer here. I would like to pay tribute to their sterling efforts, without which Otago would not have attained these dazzling results. Otago placed first in the Students retained in study (90%) and a very close second in the First year retention rate (82%) indicators and first in Completion of qualifications (85%) and Cohort-based qualification completion (70%). Otago also topped EFTS-weighted course completion (89%). The University led the way as well in Progression to higher levels of study (95%). This showing reflects the ongoing success of Otagos Foundation Year in preparing students for university-level study, says Professor Hayne. Foundation Year includes the Pacific Foundation Programme and Tu Kahika Scholarship Programme, which have seen increasing numbers of Maori and Pacific students proceeding to Health Sciences First Year, and from there into our competitive-entry Health Sciences programmes. Professor Hayne noted that Otagos continuing superb performance in national tertiary teaching awards mirrored the Universitys showing in the indicators. Earlier this year, for the fifth year running, the Prime Ministers Supreme Award for tertiary teaching excellence went to a University of Otago academic. Taken together, such achievements confirm our continuing status as a leading teaching and learning institution that offers our students world-class opportunities for academic success and personal growth, says Professor Hayne. For more information, contact: Simon Ancell Communications Office University of Otago Tel +64 3 479 5016 Email simon.ancell@otago.ac.nz East Lyon Road re-opened just before 10:30 p.m. Monday after it was closed for nearly four hours while the Midland Fire Department battled a blaze at Pickering Auto, 402 E. Lyon. The roadway was closed just before 7 p.m. as firefighters from all three stations, as well as all firefighters available, were on scene. Midland Fire Assistant Chief Greg Weisbarth said the fire was reported after the business closed and no one was hurt. "The fire appears to be above the ceiling," he said as black smoke poured out of the building. Firefighters used a ladder truck to get high enough to vent the front of the building to assist in firefighting efforts. As firefighters worked, owner Fred Pickering was at the scene. Family members there said the business is insured, but declined to comment further, citing grief. Weisbarth said firefighters would be at the scene due to the contents of the auto repair building. "The tire storage will cause us some difficulty," he said. As firefighting efforts are ongoing, the cause has not been investigated. The Hearing Loss Association of Americas Mid-Michigan Chapter will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24 in Room 129 of Curtiss Hall at Saginaw Valley State University. The meeting is open to people who want to know more about dealing with hearing loss. During a discussion period, topics may be raised by attendees. Communication tips will be available for people with and without hearing loss. Midland County Habitat for Humanity has received a $40,000 grant from the Midland Area Community Foundation. The support from MACF will assist with upgrades to Habitats donation processing facility as well as a new ReStore box truck for donation pick-ups. According to Dan Laabs, ReStore manager, the grant allows MCHFH to purchase a newer truck used for picking up large items from donors both to be sold in the ReStore and for items from house builds. On average, the ReStore picks up over 1,200 donations annually from Midland county homes and businesses. The ReStore truck is used by the construction department for transporting materials to and from job sites, for moving large quantities of material during Neighborhood Revitalization. A standoff with a distraught man armed with a rifle and threatening to harm himself and police Monday in Geneva Township ended without any injuries. The Midland County Sheriffs Office reports deputies were called to the 2400 block of North McGruder Road at 11:21 a.m. The suspect, age 45, had started drinking earlier in the morning and was upset after arguing with his wife. He threatened to harm himself and police if they went to his home, a media release states. To the editor: I disagree with the recent letter by Mary Laforet suggesting that Donald Trump would be a suitable choice for president. Electing Donald Trump to fix Washington is like asking an arsonist to put out a house fire. Throughout his campaign, Donald has insulted Hispanics, African Americans, Muslims, women, the disabled, veterans and his own Republicans! According to USA Today, a quarter of elected Republicans wont endorse Trump and not a single major national newspaper has endorsed a Trump presidency. This is not a mainstream media bias because 17 of the Hillary endorsements endorsed Romney in 2012 and 38 did not endorse. Of the six endorsements for Gary Johnson, three endorsed Romney in 2012. Eight newspapers ran a non-endorsement for Trump. Evangelical Christians have begun to question Donalds campaign. Christianity Today released an editorial urging people to not be silent about Donald Trumps blatant immorality and it went on to say He is, in short, the very embodiment of what the Bible calls a fool. Personally I prefer four more years of the status quo than throwing the baby out with the bath water with a Donald Trump presidency. We have much to be thankful for in our country and I am not willing to gamble it away on the trust of a man who earned PolitiFacts 2015 Lie of the Year. On Nov. 8, vote for Hilary Clinton or Gary Johnson but for our childrens sake, dont vote for Donald Trump. BRIAN ANDERSON Midland RED FLAG-Alaska 17-1 lifted off at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Oct. 6. RF-A is a Pacific Air Forces-directed field training exercise for U.S. and international forces flown under simulated air combat conditions. It is conducted on the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex with air operations flown primarily out of Eielson Air Force Base and JBER. This exercise provides joint offensive counter-air, interdiction, close air support and large-force employment training in a simulated combat environment. For this Red Flag, its our largest airlift component weve had this season, said Air Force Lt. Col. Dennis Lincoln, 354th Operations Group Detachment 1 commander. We have up to 10 different airlift aircraft here. We are combining United States Army Alaska training with that as well, doing multiple missions where were dropping up to 700 Soldiers through the various airlift entities, with the focus being the joint international integration between USARAK and airlift. RF-A, which is a continuing exercise series dating back to 1975, is conducted four times each year. RF-A 17-1 is the last one this year. Approximately 2,000 total service members will participate in the exercise, with about 1,295 coming from outside Alaska-including more than 200 international visitors. Red Flag-Alaska 17-1 is a joint exercise that includes participation from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and U.S. Marine Corps as well as international participation from the Republic of Korea and New Zealand. The large contingent of aircraft participating in RF-A 17-1 include U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, F-16 Eagles, KC-135 Stratotankers, E-3 Sentries, C-17 Globemasters, C-130 Hercules, a HH-60 Pave Hawk, and U.S. Marine Corps F-18 Hornets. International aircraft joining the fight are F-15K Slam Eagles and C-130 Hercules from the Republic of Korea Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force. The U.S. Air Forces focus during RF-A is on maximizing regular, bilateral training with long-standing allies. We have both ROKAF and New Zealand C-130s participating, Lincoln said. It allows us to be able to operate more effectively in a contingency environment. What the crews have learned in the first few missions is how to overcome language challenges and operating out of two locations, Eilson Air Force Base and JBER. For the ROKAF, the scale of airlift packages provides invaluable experience. This is a huge opportunity for us, said Maj. Kwangheum Choi, ROKAF C-130H pilot. Back in Korea, there are not as many opportunities to participate in a huge package exercise, especially for airlift guys. Choi said that while language barriers can sometimes be a challenge, he and his fellow airmen work through it, and learn valuable lessons along the way. We work really well with our U.S. counterparts, Choi said. For instance, we had some loading issues yesterday morning and we called the U.S. loadmasters and they came and helped us offload heavy equipment successfully. RF-A participants often point to developing personal relationships as key to building trust and establishing rapport, especially with international partners. For military forces, knowing who youre going to work with and having a face-to-face connection with them is very important, Lincoln said. During the exercise, as people get more comfortable with each other, you see some bonds start to develop. Friendships blossom and you learn more about each others cultures and what your respective forces bring to the fight. Choi said he has experienced working with U.S. forces in Korea, but this is his first time working with the U.S. Air Force in the U.S. Im pretty sure the size of the airspace here at Red Flag is at least four or five times bigger than we are used to flying in, Choi said. Its been a challenging but fun experience. Alaskas strategic value, in terms of combat training, is its vast airspace, varied terrain and advanced range complexes. The Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex provides more than 67,000 square miles of airspace, one conventional bombing range and two tactical bombing ranges containing 510 different types of targets and 45 threat simulators, both manned and unmanned. This makes the JPARC the largest instrumented air, ground and electronic combat training range in the world. Red Flag is unique because of the size of the airspace, Lincoln said. Additionally, the terrain itself is a new challenge for many who come here. We have 14,000-foot mountain peaks, rolling hills and vast open expanses. For some of ROKAFs aviators, JBERs unique challenges arent just in the air. I got a chance to ride a bicycle on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Choi said. We ran into a moose on the trail. The funny thing was the moose turned around toward us and everyone turned their bicycles around and sped away. While Alaskas moose may not have offered the Koreans much hospitality, Choi said the local population has. People are friendly here, Choi said. Quite a few people stop me to say hi and ask where Im from. Sometimes they guess China or Japan, he added with a wry smile. But I tell them Korea and say hi back. RF-A 17-1 concludes Oct. 21. NORMAL A new company has entered the fray to potentially acquire the former Mitsubishi plant in Normal. Five days after plant owner Maynards Industries delayed an auction of the property for a possible "entirety sale," Normal City Manager Mark Peterson said an automotive company is negotiating a purchase and it's not AM General. AM General, the Indiana automaker that originated the Humvee, tried to buy the plant but couldn't come to terms, said Maynards Industries USA Division President Taso Sofikitis in August. They havent purchased it yet," Peterson said of the new buyer. "We are going to be meeting with them this week; 'we' meaning some local officials. They will undoubtedly be pushing for some local incentives. I believe theyre doing the same at the state level. Ive heard that they probably would not need to use the entire facility, so theyre probably looking for other potential partners, but thats all kind of hearsay. I havent heard it from the horses (mouth), said Peterson. Officials have been trying to find a new manufacturer to occupy the building since Mitsubishi Motors North America announced in July 2015 it would cease U.S. production. Kyle Ham, CEO of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, is chairman of a task force searching for a buyer. Maynards, a Southfield, Mich., industrial asset auction, appraisal and liquidation company, got involved when it bought the plant in May alongside Industrial Assets Machinery of Huntington Beach, Calif. The building and land sold for $2.5 million; they also bought the contents, but no price has been disclosed. Maynards has three times delayed an industrial auction at the site slated for August, then September and finally October. The auction was less than a week away when it was last delayed. I believe theyre serious because I think they had to write a pretty big check to get that auction delayed. They had to write a big, nonrefundable check, Peterson said. I heard AM General did the same thing. They delayed the auction, and they decided to pass and forfeited that money. Were certainly hopeful. We thought this week the auction would occur and our options would be limited, he said. Mitsubishi laid off most of the plant's 1,200 employees in November after announcing last July it would end production in the United States. The remaining 170 workers lost their jobs June 1. Peterson spoke about the plant after a quiet Normal City Council meeting. The council approved a deal allowing contractor CORE Construction to use town-owned property to support its construction site as it builds the $14 million, five-story One Uptown on the Circle. Tuesday Election 2016, Social Media Analytics and Election 2016; 9:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, ISU Alumni Center, 1101 N. Main St., Normal; speaker: Nathan J. Carpenter, ISU; $15; Academy of Seniors. Tuesday Tales; 10:30-11 a.m. Tuesdays through Dec. 13, Normal Public Library; for kids ages 3-5, with adult; free. After the Hanging Chad: Successes and Failures in the Electoral Process; 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, community room, Normal Public Library; hosted by McLean County League of Women Voters. The Role of the Courts; 6 p.m. Tuesday, Illinois State University Center for Visual Arts, Room 110, 401 S. School St., Normal; speakers: professors Meghan Leonard and Michael Gizzi; part of Illinois State University Speaker Series Super Tuesdays. Principals Read: Bent School; 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Bloomington Public Library childrens department. Wednesday Appointments taken, Early childhood screening; Nov. 2, Deer Creek-Mackinaw Primary/ Junior High; children 5 and under in District 701; 309-359-5480. Connect Transit public education session; 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Conference Room, United Way, Bloomington; 309-828-9833 or www.connect-transit.com. Principals Read: Washington School; 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Bloomington Public Library Childrens Department. BLOOMINGTON Counselors will be at the Bloomington High School this week, assisting students and staff, after a BHS teacher was charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of her husband. Sarah Mellor, 30, a BHS Spanish/language teacher, is accused of stabbing her husband, Mark, 31, following an argument late Saturday night at a campground near Carlock. Mark Mellor died at 12:15 a.m. Sunday at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center. The steps that we have taken are really focused on the needs of our staff and our students, District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly said Tuesday. We have made counseling available for both. Sarah Mellor, a Bloomington native, has been featured in several Pantagraph stories, most recently in July relating to her role as co-coordinator of the Raiders 101 program, a two-week high school acclimation program hosted by District 87 to get freshmen started on the right foot. In November 2015, she was recognized by the District 87 school board for her work in obtaining grant money for the program. She's been teaching eight years. According to her online biography page, she enjoys living and working in the Twin Cities and traveling. She also is an avid runner, finishing sixth in the womens division of the Evergreen Lake Ultras, a 17-mile race at Hudson. Friends and family members did not respond to requests for comment, but obituary information given to The Pantagraph states that Mark Mellor loved nature, fishing, hunting, plants and wildlife. He enjoyed spending time on the banks of the Mackinaw River. Obviously this is really shocking and sad news, Reilly said. We are all shocked and sad. It is something that obviously is unexpected. We prepare for all kinds of situations, but this is beyond anything we have experienced before. Regardless, we will address the needs of our kids and staff because we know this is going to be on their minds. Its public. Its out there. We need to be responsive to that. District 87 officials informed parents with a letter noting that incident did not occur on school grounds and that the allegations do not in any way relate to Bloomington students or other staff. In addition, the letter stated that the administration is monitoring the situation and will cooperate with law enforcement authorities, if requested to do so. The Bloomington couple married on Nov. 11, 2013, and shared a love for nature and the outdoors, but police say something went wrong on the weekend camping trip that led to the argument. Few details have been released, but Woodford County States Attorney Greg Minter said family members transported the victim to the Advocate BroMenn, arriving at 12:08 a.m. Sunday. He was pronounced dead seven minutes later; McLean County Coroner Kathy Davis ruled his death was due to a stab wound to the chest. Sarah Mellor was arrested by Woodford County Sheriffs deputies early Sunday and on Monday, was formally charged with first-degree murder. Bond was set at $1 million and she remains in the Woodford County Jail, awaiting a Nov. 3 court appearance. NORMAL Connect Transit will host a town hall meeting next week to show state officials how important public transportation is to Bloomington-Normal. The Twin City bus system has reserved the Normal City Council chambers at Uptown Station from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 27 to discuss a state funding shortfall that could force Connect Transit to temporarily shut down in January. "We're going to be urging our state legislators to be there to hear from the citizens. We want all the people who are affected by this, and all the people who have a stake in seeing Connect Transit continue to provide service, to come tell their stories," said General Manager Andrew Johnson. "Our legislators aren't going to be doing anything on this problem until after the (Nov. 8) election, and we need to keep the issue on the front burner." Connect Transit is among Illinois public transportation systems facing budget issues because the state is behind on payments to them. Rural provider Show Bus, which serves seven Central Illinois counties, including McLean, DeWitt, Ford and Livingston, also is in danger of suspending service at an undetermined date. Connect Transit's board passed a resolution Monday demanding the state release funding the system is owed, currently $5 million. Over a full year, the state pays Connect Transit $10 million, 65 percent of the system's revenue. "Perhaps the resolution, (our) talking points and the invitation to come talk to us and our riders we can package all that together, and then it will have some power," said board member Judy Buchanan. Johnson said Connect Transit will assemble a detailed action plan, including a shutdown date and employee layoff plan, to present at the meeting. "We can say, 'If there's no money, this goes first, this goes second, this goes third,' so they understand we're not joking," said board Secretary Ryan Whitehouse. Board member John Thomas said that plan could help get riders involved as well. "There's nothing that mobilizes the public like finding out exactly what would happen if the rug was pulled out," he said. "People assume, absent that information, 'Oh, well my bus would still be OK.' Not necessarily." Officials will also approach riders who can't make themselves heard by sending a letter, making a call or attending the hearing to share their stories with lawmakers, and board members plan to talk to Bloomington and Normal officials about attending the hearing. Connect Transit officials are also scheduled to speak at the Nov. 14 meeting of the Bloomington City Council. Whitehouse suggested cutting back Connect Transit service to peak hours rather than shutting it down entirely, but Johnson said the share of the system's funding from the state makes cutting back a futile exercise. "It's really an all-or-nothing situation," he said. SPRINGFIELD The major-party candidates for Illinois 18th Congressional District are pitching themselves to voters as independent-minded leaders who will work across the aisle to get things done in a U.S. House mired in partisan gridlock. Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria and Democratic challenger Junius Rodriguez of Eureka faced off Monday night at a Springfield debate. LaHood, a former state senator, is seeking his first full term in Congress after winning a special election last fall to replace former Republican U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, a Peoria Republican who resigned amid questions about his campaign finances. Rodriguez, a history professor at Eureka College, was chosen to fill a vacancy on the ballot by county Democratic Party chairman in the 18th District, which stretches from Quincy to eastern McLean County and includes all or parts of Bloomington, Normal and Lincoln. To bolster his bipartisan credentials, LaHood pointed to successful legislation hes supported that deals with transportation, education and the nations opioid addiction crisis. But he also noted his opposition to bipartisan budget deals that Republican leaders supported because he believed they were unaffordable. Im very proud of the work that Ive done on bipartisan legislation, LaHood said, adding, When my party doesnt stand for what I think is right I voted against my own party. But Rodriguez argued that LaHoods continued support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is evidence that the congressman is guilty of the blind partisanship, blind allegiance that are at the root of Washingtons problems. If you want the dysfunction of Washington to continue, if you want Congress to continue operating as it has, then I would say, Support my opponent, said Rodriguez, who supports Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. He said hes an independent voice who will represent the interests of people, not party. LaHood said that while he repudiates many of Trumps comments about Muslims, women and others, hes continued to support the Republican nominee because he doesnt believe Clinton will fix the economy or appoint Supreme Court justices who will uphold the Second Amendment or overturn previous rulings on abortion rights. The presidential race wasnt the only issue on which the candidates differed. When it comes to the Affordable Care Act, LaHood favors the repeal and replace strategy Republicans have pushed since the law was passed, although he would support keeping popular provisions that allow children to stay on their parents policies until they turn 26 and prohibit insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Rodriguez favors working to improve the parts of the law that arent working well while keeping the parts that are, suggesting Congress might consider placing caps on premium increases. On same-sex marriage, LaHood continues to support a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman, a stance he attributes to his Catholic faith. While Rodriguez said he respects peoples religious beliefs, legally recognizing same-sex marriages is a civil rights issue that should not be reversed. There was also some common ground to be found. Both candidates expressed support for raising the Social Security retirement age and means testing benefits. They also offered somewhat similar stances on immigration, both opposing Trumps plan to build a wall on the Mexican border while also calling for tougher border enforcement and streamlining the legal immigration process. Monday nights debate, hosted by The State Journal-Register and radio station WMAY-AM 970, was the only scheduled joint appearance for the candidates before the Nov. 8 election. I encourage everyone in Woodford County to vote for Brad Shepley. As a longtime resident of Woodford County and small town, rural Illinois, Brad is vested in the community. Vested in no way entails complacency for Shepley. He has been an active member of the community and is well known throughout the county. His passion for Woodford County is perhaps best demonstrated in solid attendance at County Board meetings for over 2 years. His penchant for balanced budgets, and maintaining a surplus to mitigate any emergencies will not only serve Woodford County today but also position it for continued growth. There is no better advocate for Woodford County than Brad Shepley. He listens. He is responsible. He is active and engaged. He sees the potential for growth. These are qualities needed on the Woodford County Board. Despite today's modern day and age, racist rhetoric tends to run rampant even in most developed societies. This may be attributed to parents in a sense that they don't engage with their children regarding such topics. To avoid conversing on racial diversity with a young one doesn't help within the domain of good parenting. Studies have demonstrated that discussing racial diversity with kids as early as possible helps a growing child understand more about the world. According to Jillian Roberts, an educational psychologist, it's very important for Caucasian families to engage in these conversations because a Caucasian child might not be aware of what discrimination really is. But can all of this be attributed to the households? Not a chance. The American political arena has recently been swarming with racist rhetoric with Trump speaking out against women, Muslims and Mexicans. What kind of effect might this have on the American youth? It's so easy for kids to fall prey to this kind of racist rhetoric pervading all around the media. None other than parents could help them correct their beliefs and shape their understanding about the subject. Parents should protect their children by instilling values they want them to have. According to Global News, various scientific studies have shown that children start noticing varying skin colors from the time they're only six months old. PBS claims that parents often wait for children to grow old enough and reach the third grade before they engage their child with such topics. What they miss out on is that by the time a kid reaches grade three, the development window of his brain-wiring is already about to close and be relatively fixated. By this age kids start categorizing things, all the while gravitating towards those things which resemble them most. When parents miss out on the opportunity of discussing racial differences with their child, research has shown that such children have a higher chance of discriminating against their peers having different colored skin. Zack Snyder's "Justice League" is finally done with filming and some of the cast and crew celebrated the milestone with a wrap party befitting of superheroes. Led by Ben Affleck (Batman) and Jason Momoa (Aquaman), the party was filled with plenty of booze and Momoa shared some of the photos of the fun on his social media. Jason Momoa posted a photo of himself with Ben Affleck during the "Justice League" wrap party on his Instagram. He also had a photo with the movie's director Zack Snyder and several photos with some of the people he's worked with. Gizmodo cites that it seems Jason Momoa had the best time at the wrap party for "Justice League." The Mary Sue notes that principal photography for the movie was actually finished in early October. However, some of the actors, including Jason Momoa, had to return to Iceland to shoot additional scenes. My man. The batman love ya bud @benaffleck we did it that's a wrap Mahalo to @guinness and @highlandparkofficial for taking care of aquaman and the JL crew. Odin my favorite ALOHA j A photo posted by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies) on Oct 14, 2016 at 2:17pm PDT "Justice League" is expected in theaters on November 2017. Apart from Affleck and Momoa, the film also stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ezra Miller as The Flash and Ray Fisher as Cyborg. These characters have been hinted in the "Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice" (BvS) movie that premiered last March. Meanwhile, it's still unclear if Henry Cavill's Superman will figure in the upcoming "Justice League" film given that he died in BvS. But The Hollywood Reporter cites that the actor teased his new Superman costume a few months ago. It also hints of the story of "The Death and Return of Superman" from the comic book series published in the '90s. Den of Geek reports that the "Justice League" villain will be Steppenwolf, who could pave the way for another villain, Darkseid, in the next installment as "Justice League" is first of two movies. "I think inherently when you start to talk about [this] and a bad guy that would justify the Justice League... I think you have to have a good threat that's fun and kind of crazy," Snyder said of the choice for villain in the new film. Keep checking back to this site for more updates! Marijuana is loaded with countless benefits, most especially in the medical field. Despite its practicality, however, it is deemed as illegal for various reason, and one of which is marijuana's capacity to trigger clinical anorexia and the said paranoia. Medical marijuana is already legalized in various states in the U.S., while some areas even allow recreational use. Some countries also allow medical and recreational marijuana usage including Canada. Despite its legalization and benefits, it is still classified as harmful drugs. Author and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, John Hudak told NPR that marijuana is still deemed as a dangerous drug as it can easily be abused. He traced back the history of marijuana laws and was able to discover that one of the most basic argument is the fact that adults back in the days tend to over use marijuana as they are just after the high. "One significant argument in favor of adult use marijuana that not many people talk about is a simple one, and that is some people just like to get high," Hudak told NPR. "I think in this policy debate, oftentimes seeing marijuana as a recreational product, it is frowned upon to discuss it, but it's a reality. People enjoy it like people enjoy wine or people enjoy a good steak." Marijuana legalization is starting to move forward. It is slowly becoming acceptable as various sectors are already taking its benefits into consideration. One of the biggest medical advancement that medical marijuana imposed is its capacity to alleviate even the worst cases of epilepsy, most especially in children. Parent Herald previously reported that children with epilepsy are to be given access to medical marijuana by 2017 in Victoria, Australia, which is a huge medical progress. Medical marijuana is often opted by parents as it has minimal side effects once being given to younger children. Medical marijuana is often used by parents with children suffering from Dravet syndrome which a severe form of epilepsy. Teenage pregnancy rates continually increase thus, most pregnant mothers dropped out of school, mostly in college. As teenage pregnancy cases continually soar, very low percentage of college students discovered the law, which gives a pregnant student a right in their college campuses. Sacramento Bee featured the story of Christina Martinez as she shared her pregnancy struggle while in school. Martinez shared that if she only knew about her rights as a pregnant student, her life would have been easier. "My journey was difficult but could have been markedly less stressful for my children and me had I been aware of the rights afforded me under Title IX," Christina stated. Christina shared that she was forced to drop out of school despite going through tough times due to her pregnancy. She suffered from morning sickness, which left her dehydrated and malnourished, causing her to miss school. Christina then mentioned that her medical absences due to her pregnancy were unexcused, which caused her to drop out of school. Struggling with pregnancy while going to school may be a struggle but Christina added that post pregnancy was not easy either. She mentioned that she needed to go back to school just 10 days after giving birth as she's afraid that she may be forced to drop out again. She struggled to rush to the bathroom every break time to relive herself from the discomfort of breast milk build up. Pregnant students like Christina are given the rights to continue their education and be treated equally according to Title IX. National Women's Law Center cites that it is every pregnant student's right to have equal access to classes and class activities. Discrimination among pregnant or post-pregnant students is strictly banned, which gives them the full rights to get education. It was also mentioned that school absences due to pregnancy discomfort and complications should be deemed as excused. Pregnant students are also given the right to reschedule their exams or quizzes if they were not able to get them on the date that was set due to pregnancy complications. Listed on top are only a few rights that pregnant students are entitled to. If you wish to know more about Title IX, you may do so through NWLC. A total of 60 children were injured after two school buses collided on the southbound Palisades Parkway near Exit 11 in New City, authorities have confirmed. The children were taken to different hospitals near the area where the incident took place. The crash reportedly happened at around 2:30 p.m. on Monday. One of the school buses rear-ended the other bus. The lead bus slowed down and stopped while the second bus behind it kept going. The New York State police said in a statement that the buses were from the Northern Valley Regional High School. It is located in Demarest, New Jersey and they were on their way to return home from Woodmont Day Camp in New City due to a team building field trip, CBS reported. The children spent the day at the camp doing team building and other activities available. A total of 75 students were on board the two buses. Most of those injured have suffered only minor injuries. Rockland County Executive Ed Day confirmed that none of the injuries that the children suffered from is life-threatening. However, five of the 60 students were taken to Nyack Hospital via ambulance. Other buses took 20 students to the aforementioned hospital while more than 20 were taken to the Good Samaritan Hospital, The Journal News reported. None of their identities have been revealed. One of the parents of the child involved in the incident, James Goudie, said that he is a little unnerved but noted that his daughter sounds okay. However, she suffered from neck injuries so they do not know what will happen in the future. Another parent, Joanne Germinario, said that she received a text from her 15-year-old daughter. She shared, "I got a text message from my daughter telling me she was in a bus accident and that she hit her face very abruptly in the seat in front of her. She said she was in a lot of pain, but she wasn't terribly injured." The investigation is ongoing. A Montana father was sentenced by a judge to only 60 days in jail and his supposed 25-year sentence was suspended despite admitting that he had raped his 12-year-old daughter. More than 13,000 people have signed the online petition to impeach the judge who handed down the sentence. People reported that Judge John C. McKeon sentenced the man, who has not been identified, on Oct. 4. The defendant is a resident of Glasgow, Montana and has not been named in order to protect the identity of the child. As part of a plea deal, the father will have to register as a sex offender and will be on probation for the next three decades. He admitted that he had raped his daughter once. The two other rape charges against the father were also dismissed due to the plea deal. Judge McKeon said during the sentencing that he was moved by the letters of support for the father as well as the members of the church where the defendant goes to. The prosecutor in the case, Dylan Jensen, said that he was shocked and disappointed with the ruling but noted that he would respect it. Jensen recommended a 100-year jail sentence. According to Breitbart, out of the 60-day sentence, the man had also served 17 days before the punishment was handed down. He will also undergo community-based sex-offender treatment. Accordingly, the judge deems he will not do the crime again and is not a threat to the community. A social worker testifying on the man's behalf also noted that he is of low-risk when it comes to re-offending. It is unclear how many times did the rape happen but court records claimed that the girl's mother walked in on one of the sexual assaults. The mother of the girl, the family of the man, as well as his employer, reportedly supports him that is why the judge handed down such sentence. He also said that a psycho-sexual evaluation found that the offender could be treated and supervised as a sex offender in the community. As for the online petition seeking McKeon's impeachment, the statement reads that it is time to "start punishing the judges who let these monsters walk our streets." McKeon is set to retire next month after 22 years of serving as a state judge. Ben Needham's mother broke down in tears when handed with the toy car belonging to her son after it was found by the Kos search team. The boy's death is believed to be an accident after 25 years of search. Detective Inspector John Cousins believes that the toddler died in an accident because of the result of status of the search and the only item found. The toy car was believed to be in the toddler's possession on the day of his disappearance on the Greek island in 1991, Daily Mail reported. "I met with Kerry and other members of her family over the weekend. They were shown the item that was recovered. It was an item that Ben was in possession of at the time he disappeared. Kerry was able to confirm this. It was an emotional time for all of us." DI Cousins said. The Kos team consisted of 19 South Yorkshire Police officers, an archeologist, forensic specialists, along with search and rescue personnel. They spent 21 days digging near the farmhouse and a second site 750m away. DI Cousins said the toy found on Saturday was close to another item dated to 1991, BBC confirmed. There are 60 items found during the search and taken back to UK for analysis, according to The Guardian. A friend of a digger driver is accused of being responsible for the death of Ben. He was clearing the land with an excavator on the day the toddler went missing. The driver Konstantinos Barkas, however, died of cancer in 2015 and was not able to give any information about the toddler. Kerry, Ben's mother, curses him to burn in hell out of her grief over the son's fate and keeping the secrets on his grave, DailyMail reports. Kerry wanted to tear up the whole island for her remorse and grief over the son's disappearance. "Someone knows where he is. For God's sake, help me find him. We know he's dead but we need to find him. When someone dies you find a special place," she said. Last Saturday saw a dreadful event when a couple got caught up in a car crash at the La Raza Ride motorcyle on Coronado Bridge. The victims were Anna Marie and Cruz Elias, of 50 and 52 years respectively. According to Kusi News, the two lost their lives when a low-ranked drunk navy officer's truck vaulted off the Coronado Bridge, crashing down into the Chicano Park right below. Among the four victims were Anna and Cruz. The couple was married for 35 years. Both Anna and Cruz made their life's aim to help others, especially children. They became foster parents, opening their doors and house to countless children and their siblings as well who didn't have anywhere to go after their parents died. Given their semi-retired status, the couple took great joy in going on road trips on their bike. Travelling together made the couple's union stronger than it was ever before. The two would also often take their foster kids to ball games and museums, making sure that they don't miss out on experience they'd have normally. Jacob, the couple's nephew, found it hard upon himself to express into words how Anna and Cruz's death had an enormously profound impact on the entire family. He added that his aunt and uncle didn't deserve dying at the hands of a suspected drunk driver. The NBC reported Jacob's interview in which he stated "There are hundreds of people who are crying and aching today because of the poor judgments of one person, so if one thing could be learned today, people in the San Diego area, please stop, think, call a taxi, call a cheap Uber," Jacob pleaded in his shaky voice. "Don't allow another incident like this to happen." All in all, there should be a strict check and balance of the town drivers as to how their driving records have been throughout the years. Drunk driving has gone rampant these days and should be taken care of by effective government policies. May the family find the patience of bearing a huge loss. According to Californian education law of 1998, bilingual education was ended laying strong emphasis on English as a medium of instructions in schools. English-only instruction would decrease the time taken by the children to learn English. The current law states that students who do not speak English must spend one year in English-only class before moving to mainstream classes in English at their grade level. Reportedly, the lawmakers are asked to make some changes in this November. This would be a test to check California's attitude toward immigrants as they constitute 25 percent of the state's population. According to state senator Ricardo Lara, who sponsored the legislation to put the measure on the ballot, said a global place needs a multilingual society. Lara added, "we have waiting lists at the small fraction of schools that offer dual language. Why would we not want to give them the chance to expand that? What we know now about teaching and learning language is vastly different than it was a generation ago." As per The New York Times, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the state's largest school system is putting efforts in bringing in dual language programs. To change California's strong law on English-only education, the ballot has taken a measure known as "Learn Language Education, Acquisition and Readiness Now." This measure has been supported by California's teachers' union and school boards association. Along with them, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and Democratic elected officials are supporting. About 400 schools in the state of California offer dual-language programs where students are taught different subjects in their native language for the first half of the day while the second half teaching is carried out in English. However, a huge proportion of the state's 1.4 million English language learners spend their days in the classrooms that use only English. Autism Speaks modified their mission statement late September. One of the biggest special needs organizations changed their advocacy as they announced that they would no longer look for a cure for autism. Autism Speaks opened up into changing their mission statement, which is one of their biggest gestures since the organization first started. Autism Speaks, which is a non-profit organization, voted that last September that they will be making major changes. Daily Scoop mentioned that the organization's updated their mission statement where it was emphasized that Autism Speaks would no longer look for a cure for autism. The organization also removed negative words that pertain to the condition such as "struggle," "crisis," and "hardships." "Our mission statement was updated to reflect the evolving strategic direction of Autism Speaks and current needs in the autism community," C.J. Volpe, Autism Speaks' spokesman, stated during an interview with Daily Scoop. The shift on Autism Speaks mission statement is due to major changes that took place within the organization. It was mentioned that Autism Speaks welcomed a new president and they also faced the death of the non-profit organization's co-founder Suzanne Wright. "Autism Speaks was founded with the goal of curing autism as one of its objectives," Shore Paradis said during an interview. "However, similar to many experiences of parents of children with autism, the organization grew to believe that autism is something to be worked with for promoting fulfilling and productive lives of people on the spectrum - rather than something that has to be done too." Autism Speaks faced major backlash earlier this year as the organization was caught in a Twitter war. BuzzFeed mentioned that the hashtag #AutismSpeaks10 became a huge trend as people against the organization wanted their voices to be heard. Pity rhetoric of #AutismSpeaks10 irreparably harms the #ActuallyAutistic and kittens alike pic.twitter.com/n6Oqmw84XZ Melanie Yergeau (@myergeau) February 22, 2015 Most of the individuals who went against Autism Speaks voiced out that they are "not broken" thus they don't need to be fixed. Some even stated that Autism Speaks tend to make their condition worse instead of making it better. The organization managed to stay mum about the issue as they continue their advocacy in providing better services for people struggling with autism. Parents, in general, are cautious when it comes to their behavior in front of their kids. Parents may tend to be on their best behavior but there are times that they'd eventually give in to their emotions. Thus, they would drop and murmur profane words as a sign of exhaustion and disappointment in front of the youngsters, which is perfectly fine according to experts. Profanity and parenting are two words that shouldn't go hand in hand based on what most parents think. It was then explained that parents don't have to put their guards up at all cost when it comes to the words coming out of their mouths as dropping the F-Bomb are somewhat acceptable according to News' report. Benjamin K. Bergen, who is a professor of cognitive science at the University of California, suggests that it is perfectly fine for parents to swear around the youngsters every now and then. Bergen's book entitled "What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves," suggests that swearing around children is somewhat acceptable and harmless as they are "resilient" to profanity. Benjamin K. Bergen's book is the total opposite of a study from the American Academy of Paediatrics which was published in 2011. The study suggests that swearing is harmful to children as it causes then to develop negative physiological reactions which include shallow breasting and slow heart rate. Bergen did acknowledge that there is an effect when parents would swear around their children but the effect, however, is not entirely negative. "[T]here's no ... proof that exposure to ordinary profanity - four-letter words - cause any sort of direct harm: no increased aggression, stunted vocabulary, numbed emotions or anything else," Benjamin Bergen told LA Times. There's no solid proof that points out that profanity can negatively affect children. Bergen then added that more research needs to be done in regards to the correlation of swearing in front of the children and the effects of swearing. What's your stand in regards to swearing in front of the children? Do let us know your thoughts through the comment section below.